Ye Chutang couldn’t see the person beneath the water’s surface.
But she knew someone had grabbed Princess Anping’s ankle and was dragging her down.
Otherwise, even if Princess Anping were foolish, she wouldn’t pretend to drown after everyone already knew she could swim.
The person underwater must have been arranged by Prince An to deal with her.
Yet in the end, his own foolish daughter had become the victim.
Ye Chutang pretended not to notice anything and simply watched the scene unfold.
But the corner of her eye locked onto an official’s wife dressed in a deep blue gown.
Earlier, this old woman had tried to trip her.
Since the old woman didn’t want that foot anymore, Ye Chutang would gladly oblige her later!
By then, Prince An had already been pulled ashore by a servant.
After coughing up two mouthfuls of murky water, he realized his daughter still hadn’t been rescued and immediately shouted at Princess An.
"My lady, save Anping!"
He knew full well—the Emperor’s shadow guards were hidden underwater and had mistaken the drowning Princess Anping for Ye Chutang!
Princess An instantly realized her daughter was truly drowning.
Panic set in, and she cried out, "Someone! Fetch a bamboo pole to save the Princess!"
The manor’s guards sprang into action, rushing to the laundry room to retrieve one.
But the laundry room was quite far from the rear garden, and even with their martial skills, the round trip would take half an incense stick’s worth of time.
Princess Anping, already exhausted, couldn’t last that long.
Prince Chen remarked, "Prince An, if you don’t send a servant to save Anping soon, she’ll die."
Prince An would never allow lowly servants to lay hands on his daughter.
But he also couldn’t ask Qi Yanzhou to intervene—that would be impossible to explain to the Emperor.
He ordered a servant, "Go fetch Zhao Qingshu at once!"
A brother saving his sister—even if there was physical contact, no one would dare say a word.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Just as the servant turned to leave, a loud splash echoed.
A man had plunged into the water, swiftly swimming toward Princess Anping.
Prince Chen recognized him—Qin Zhenglin, the second son of the Minister of Revenue.
Not only was he already married with multiple concubines, but he was also a frequent visitor to brothels and a man of no accomplishments.
This was going to be entertaining!
Prince An also recognized the man now swimming toward his daughter in the lotus pond.
His face paled in horror.
He wanted to stop Qin Zhenglin, but he feared his daughter wouldn’t survive much longer.
Before he could decide, another splash sounded.
"Plop!"
It was Song Rong, the illegitimate son of Censor Song!
Skilled in martial arts, Song Rong swam faster than Qin Zhenglin, quickly overtaking him.
The shadow guards beneath the water, finally seeing someone come to "rescue Ye Chutang," released the rope tangled around her ankle.
It wasn’t entirely their fault for mistaking her.
The lotus leaves had obscured their vision, the water had turned murky, and Princess Anping’s frantic thrashing had drowned out the voices from the shore.
Song Rong seized the unconscious Princess Anping, gripping her slender waist tightly as he carried her toward the bank.
As he passed Qin Zhenglin, he shot him a taunting look.
"Brother Qin, you’d best return to shore. The water’s cold."
Qin Zhenglin, robbed of his chance to become Prince An’s son-in-law, turned livid with rage.
Unwilling to let his prey slip away, he surged forward, cupped Princess Anping’s face, and pressed his lips to her pale ones.
The onlookers stared at the shocking scene in the pond, their minds nearly shattered.
These two worthless men, desperate for a shortcut to power, had actually dared to do this to Princess Anping!
Were they insane?
Still, they couldn’t help but wonder—between the two men fighting over one woman, who would come out on top?
Song Rong gaped at Qin Zhenglin’s smug expression, his face twisting in fury before he kicked him away.
Through gritted teeth, he snarled, "How dare you commit such a vile act against the Princess!"
"Nonsense! I saw the Princess had fainted and, fearing for her safety, had no choice but to give her breath!"
"Hah! Even ghosts wouldn’t believe that!"
"Ghosts might not, but people will."
"You shameless cur!"
"What’s your meaning? Do you want the Princess to die?"
Song Rong’s teeth ground audibly. "Shut your mouth! Don’t you dare twist my words!"
Qin Zhenglin scoffed. "Don’t think I don’t know—you’re holding the Princess so tightly to take advantage of her!"
"Lies! I already saved her, and now you—you disgraceful—! I’ll kill you for this!"
Prince An had never imagined the drowning incident would spiral into this. His temples throbbed with rage.
He wanted nothing more than to tear these two scoundrels limb from limb for defiling his daughter.
But saving her came first.
"Get Anping out of the water now!"
Rescue her first, then find a way to deal with these brazen fools!
Not daring to provoke Prince An further, Qin Zhenglin released Princess Anping’s face.
Song Rong carried her to the pond’s edge and hauled her onto land, where she coughed up mouthfuls of water.
Steeling himself, he ignored the approaching physician and began pressing on her chest while breathing into her mouth.
Princess An, witnessing the unbearable sight, fainted on the spot.
The official’s wife beside her quickly caught her and pinched her philtrum.
"Your Highness, wake up!"
By the time Princess An stirred, Princess Anping had vomited several more times and regained consciousness.
Dazed from prolonged lack of air, her vision remained blurred.
"Brother Yanzhou… is that you?"
She reached out to touch Song Rong’s face.
Princess An immediately shoved aside the woman supporting her and rushed to her daughter’s side, grasping her hand.
"Anping, you’ve been underwater too long. You’re confused. Let Mother take you to rest."
She turned to the maids held back by the crowd and called, "Someone! Escort the Princess to her chambers!"
Before the words fully left her mouth, Qi Yanzhou answered Princess Anping’s question.
"Anping, it wasn’t me who saved you."
Princess Anping instinctively turned toward Qi Yanzhou’s voice.
Her vision slowly cleared.
Instead of the breathtakingly handsome Qi Yanzhou, she saw Song Rong’s sharp, weaselly face and Qin Zhenglin’s desperate attempts to stay relevant.
Both grinned obsequiously and declared in unison, "Princess, it was I who saved you."
Drenched and reeking of greed and lust, they made Princess Anping’s stomach churn.
How could this have happened?
Hadn’t her father and mother planned everything so that Qi Yanzhou would save Ye Chutang from the water?
Then why, when she was the one who fell in, had things gone so horribly wrong?
Princess Anping couldn’t bear the thought of another man touching her skin. It felt like countless ants were crawling over her, unbearable.
Even worse, she could never accept marrying anyone but Qi Yanzhou.
Overwhelmed by fury, she spat a mouthful of blood and collapsed.
The blood splattered across Qin Zhenglin and Song Rong’s faces mid-grovel.
Terrified, they dropped to their knees before Prince An, stammering that the Princess’s collapse had nothing to do with them.
Prince An glared at the two cowards, suppressing the urge to slaughter them on the spot.
"You saved Anping. I’ll be sure to reward you properly."
He summoned a servant. "Take these two young masters to freshen up and change."
No matter how much he loathed these scum, he couldn’t act against them openly—lest he be seen as repaying kindness with cruelty!
As the servants led Qin Zhenglin and Song Rong away, the maids Princess An had called for finally pushed through the crowd.
The strongest among them lifted the unconscious Princess Anping.
"Your Highness, I’ll take the Princess to her chambers for treatment."
Princess An nodded and instructed another maid, "Anping was submerged for too long and vomited blood. Her body has suffered severe damage. Have the imperial physician examine her thoroughly."
The underlying message was clear—the maid was to keep an eye on Princess Anping to prevent her from attending the birthday banquet.
"Yes, this servant obeys."
At that moment, Zhao Qingshu, the heir of the household, arrived in haste.
Accompanying him were the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, as well as Ye Jingchuan and Qin Muyun.
Their gazes immediately landed on Ye Chutang.
It wasn’t that they were deliberately seeking her out.
Rather, even amidst the crowd, her beauty was impossible to ignore.
The Second Prince’s eyes widened, his heart—which had never quickened for a woman—suddenly pounding wildly.
The Crown Prince was also stunned by Ye Chutang’s exquisite appearance, though the allure of feminine charms held little sway over him. After a single glance, he averted his gaze.
Qin Muyun, on the other hand, forced himself to look away, his heartbeat drumming erratically, though he suppressed it with great effort.
When the men’s eyes turned toward her, Ye Chutang tilted her body slightly, playing with a strand of her hair to avoid their stares.
Ye Jingchuan glanced at her before shifting his attention to Prince An, silently questioning why their plan had failed.
Naturally, Prince An couldn’t answer him in front of so many people. Instead, he turned to his visibly anxious son.
"Qingshu, have all the guests been settled?"
It would be terribly impolite for the hosts to remain absent from the main hall, leaving the steward to entertain the guests.
Zhao Qingshu nodded. "Father, rest assured. Everyone understood once they heard about Anping’s accident."
After speaking, he glanced in the direction where Princess Anping had been taken, his voice laced with worry. "Mother, how did my little sister end up in the water?"
Princess An looked at Ye Chutang.
"Anping fell in while trying to save Miss Ye."
Fortunately, Princess Anping had switched places with Ye Chutang before falling.
Though she had intended to use deception, it could still be framed as an act of heroism—saving Ye Chutang from drowning.
As for the discrepancy in the cries for help, they could simply pin the blame on a couple of scapegoats.
Unaware of his parents’ scheme, Zhao Qingshu frowned. "Why did Miss Ye fall into the water in the first place?"
His tone was icy, and he shot Ye Chutang a sharp look, as if accusing her: Did you plot my sister’s drowning?
After all, the two had clashed before.
Princess An was tempted to smear Ye Chutang’s name, but she feared driving her away and failing the Emperor’s mission.
She sighed. "It was my fault. I only wanted everyone to admire those rare koi fish but didn’t consider how crowded it would be by the lotus pond. Accidents happen. Thankfully, Anping acted swiftly—otherwise, it would have been Miss Ye in the water."
The implication was clear: Ye Chutang had been jostled into the pond while crowding to see the fish.
If not for Princess Anping, she would have been the one groped by those two men!
At Princess An’s words, someone immediately voiced skepticism.
"If it was Princess Anping who fell in, why did someone shout that Miss Ye had drowned?"
The speaker was deliberately currying favor with Ye Chutang, hoping to forge a connection.
Gaining the goodwill of someone admired by scholars and commoners alike would be highly advantageous.
Princess An shot a glance at the troublemaker—the wife of the Minister of Works—and replied dismissively, "Perhaps the person only saw Miss Ye nearly fall but missed Anping rescuing her."
"But when watching the koi leap, the crowd was packed so tightly that those on the outside couldn’t see what was happening inside. Someone clearly meant Miss Ye harm. Your Highness, this matter must be investigated!"
The declaration was met with fervent agreement from many of the women present.
The intent to harm Ye Chutang was too blatant—none of them were fools.
"Miss Ye’s literary talent has been praised by Dean Song! Anyone who targets her will face the wrath of scholars!"
"Miss Ye devised a remedy that could save countless lives. If anything happens to her, the people will not stand for it!"
"Even though Princess Anping knows how to swim, she nearly drowned. If Miss Ye had fallen in, the consequences would have been unthinkable!"
"The mastermind behind this is utterly malicious! Prince An, you must expose this villain!"
The woman bribed by Prince An shrank back, her body stiff with fear.
Prince An, aware of the truth, had no intention of investigating. He exchanged a glance with Ye Jingchuan.
Understanding the signal, Ye Jingchuan stepped forward and said to Ye Chutang, "Chu’er, everyone is making too much of this. It was just a misunderstanding. Today is Princess An’s birthday—let’s not spoil the occasion."
Ye Chutang nearly laughed at his audacity.
"Father, do you know what your words just now are called?"
Ye Jingchuan’s scalp prickled—he knew she was about to stir trouble.
"Chu’er, don’t be unreasonable!"
Ye Chutang ignored him, answering her own question.
"You’re engaging in victim-blaming. If you hadn’t done X, Y wouldn’t have happened. Reflect on yourself—don’t blame others. Be merciful where you can. Take marriage, for example. When a husband strays, the fault lies with him, yet the wife is blamed for failing to keep his affection. Isn’t that absurd?"
Her words resonated deeply with the women present.
So often, when husbands indulged in infidelity, neglected their wives for concubines, or squandered their ambitions, the wives were the ones chastised—for lacking charm, for failing to inspire their husbands’ devotion or diligence.
Even Princess An felt a pang of complicated emotions upon hearing it.
Ye Chutang pressed on. "Father, by telling me to yield, you aren’t helping Princess An—you’re harming her. That’s downright treacherous."
Ye Jingchuan’s temples throbbed with anger. "What nonsense are you spouting?!"
"Father, you’re missing the schemer’s true malice. On the surface, they targeted me, but in reality, they were striking at Prince An’s household."
"Enough of your wild claims!"
Qi Yanzhou stepped forward, presenting a logical analysis.
"Consider this: if Miss Ye had died in Prince An’s residence, what would have become of the household?
Everyone knows of the discord between Miss Ye and Princess Anping. The natural assumption would be that the palace deliberately murdered her!
Given Miss Ye’s literary fame and her life-saving remedy, scholars and commoners alike would demand justice. Could Prince An’s household have survived the outrage?"
Qin Muyun clicked his tongue.
"How audacious of the mastermind—to dare plot against the imperial family!"
Prince An: "..."
What nonsense was this?
He had merely wanted Ye Chutang to fall into the water so Prince Chen would be forced to rescue her.
How had this spiraled into plotting against the imperial family?
