The commotion grew louder, soon alarming the Old Madam of Marquis Yining.
“What’s happening?” the Old Madam of Marquis Yining turned to ask Madam Yu, the First Madam, who was not far away.
Madam Yu’s face had already changed color upon hearing the cries. She stood up and sternly rebuked the maid running towards them, “Have you no manners on the Old Madam’s joyous day? If there’s something to report, speak clearly!”
The maid who came running was pale with fright, stuttering, “First Madam, the Second Young Master, he—”
“What exactly happened to the Second Young Master?” If not for the presence of so many people, Madam Yu would have slapped the maid several times.
Madam Yu was a proud woman, having given birth to the eldest grandson and granddaughter of the Marquis’s family. Both her children were outstanding, but her second son, Su Qingyi, had been simple-minded since childhood, becoming a constant worry for her.
Seeing the maid’s panicked state, Madam Yu’s heart clenched, fearing that her second son had caused trouble again. After all, he had just created a disturbance not long ago—
Countless gazes fell upon the maid, who cried out with tears streaming down her face, “First Madam, the Second Young Master has drowned!”
Madam Yu’s body swayed, her vision blurring. She demanded sharply, “Is the Second Young Master alright?”
The maid knelt on the ground, trembling too much to speak.
Madam Yu’s heart sank. She immediately headed towards Juxia Lake.
As the household manager, Madam Yu knew well that Juxia Lake was the only place in the Marquis’s mansion where someone could drown.
The Old Madam of Marquis Yining stood up shakily, almost falling due to her haste.
“Grandmother!” Jiang Yi quickly steadied the Old Madam.
The Old Madam raised her hand, her voice bleak, “Yi’er, help me over there.”
The crowd who had been watching the opera hurriedly followed the Old Madam.
In the blink of an eye, the once lively stage fell silent, leaving only a desolate aftermath of the commotion.
In a corner, Aman’s lips turned pale as she tugged at Jiang Si’s sleeve, “Miss, Miss, are we in trouble?”
Although Jiang Si’s face was pale, her voice remained calm, “Let’s go over there too. If there’s trouble, we can’t avoid it. What’s meant to come will come.”
Second Cousin Su Qingyi had drowned!
In her previous life, Su Qingyi had also passed away this year, but not during her Grandmother’s birthday celebration. It was several days later.
At that time, she was already the daughter-in-law of the Duke of Anguo. When the news of mourning reached her, it said that Second Cousin had died of illness, though the specific illness wasn’t mentioned.
Now, Su Qingyi had drowned—
Jiang Si thought of the differences, and a chill ran through her heart.
Having calmed down at the opera stage, she had already realized the consequences if someone had discovered Su Qingyi stopping her near Juxia Lake.
They were no longer children. If caught in an embrace, people might try to match her with Su Qingyi. Even if she refused to the point of death, it would cause a scandal.
In her previous life, she was already married at this time, and this incident hadn’t occurred.
So was Su Qingyi’s drowning due to this new incident that didn’t happen in her previous life, or was there another reason for his “illness” in the past life?
Regardless, one thing was clear to Jiang Si: Su Qingyi’s time of death in this life was different from the previous one!
The more Jiang Si thought about it, the worse her expression became.
Having just experienced the deaths of the Earl and Countess of Yongchang, she began to fear the changes that came with her rebirth.
Lost in her chaotic thoughts, Jiang Si stumbled.
A steady hand caught her, “Miss, be careful!”
Jiang Si nodded and quickened her pace, soon catching up with the Old Madam of Marquis Yining and the others, silently walking beside Jiang Yi.
In the distance, they could see the sparkling Juxia Lake under the bright sunlight.
The banks of Juxia Lake were crowded with people. The clamor mixed with cries of grief, creating a stark contrast to the earlier joyous atmosphere in the mansion, as if it were a different world entirely.
Madam Yu, who had run ahead, immediately spotted her second son lying on the ground.
Su Qingyi lay motionless, with an old woman continuously pressing on his abdomen. With each press, water flowed from the corners of his mouth, but he showed no response.
“Yi’er!” Madam Yu let out a heart-wrenching cry and rushed over.
Su Qingyi’s eyes were tightly shut, his already plump face scrunched up, looking somewhat grotesque.
“Yi’er, wake up, don’t scare your mother!” Madam Yu shook Su Qingyi’s body, her hand touching his exposed skin, which was ice-cold.
“First Madam, the Second Young Master has… passed away…”
Madam Yu wailed in anguish, clutching Su Qingyi’s lifeless body and refusing to let go.
Although she often found her second son’s simple-mindedness embarrassing, he was still the child she had carried for ten months. Now, to lose him at fourteen years old, how could she not be heartbroken?
Madam Yu’s cries reached everyone’s ears, and the crowd began to sob quietly.
The Old Madam of Marquis Yining’s hand, gripping Jiang Yi’s arm, trembled uncontrollably, barely able to stand.
What should have been a joyous occasion had turned into a tragedy. The extreme emotional shift made it difficult for her to control her feelings.
The news quickly spread to the male guests, and soon the old Marquis Yining and Master Su arrived.
“What happened here?” Master Su asked, his face ashen.
Madam Yu’s voice was already hoarse, “My lord, Yi’er is gone, my Yi’er is gone—”
She began to regret how she had been ashamed of her second son’s simple-mindedness when he was alive, fearing he would embarrass her to the point of not allowing him to appear at the Old Madam’s birthday celebration.
If her second son had been with her eldest today, perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided.
Master Su looked at his now lifeless second son. Although saddened, his grief was far less intense than Madam Yu’s, allowing him to maintain some rationality.
“Although Yi’er lacked intelligence, he usually didn’t go near the water. Moreover, where are the maids who were supposed to be attending to him?”
At Master Su’s question, a maid fell to her knees, “This servant was playing shuttlecock with the Second Young Master in the courtyard. The Second Young Master said he was thirsty, so this servant went to fetch water. Who knew that when I turned back, the Second Young Master had disappeared? This servant searched everywhere, and then… then discovered someone floating in Juxia Lake. Upon closer look, it was the Second Young Master…”
The maid became increasingly flustered as she spoke, repeatedly kowtowing, “This servant deserves death. My Lord, My Lady, please spare me!”
“You wretched thing, silence!” Madam Yu rushed over and slapped the maid, her face growing even more grim. She then slowly turned her head, locking eyes with the pale-faced Su Qingxue.
Su Qingxue’s eyes widened in terror as she shook her head vigorously.
It wasn’t her fault. It was the First Madam who had told her to lure her second brother to Chaoyang Pavilion, then wait for Jiang Si to pass by and encourage her second brother to run out and pester Jiang Si.
Su Qingxue desperately tried to convey her innocence through her gaze.
Madam Yu gradually calmed down, understanding in her heart that this concubine-born daughter wouldn’t have the courage to harm her second son. Suddenly, she thought of a suspect.
Could it be that her second son had met with an accident while pestering Jiang Si?
With this thought, Madam Yu raised her voice to address the crowd, “The Second Young Master couldn’t have fallen into the water without reason. If any of you notice anything unusual, you will be heavily rewarded! If I find out that anyone knew something and didn’t report it, their entire family will be sent away!”
The crowd exchanged glances, and after a moment, a young maid timidly spoke up, “This servant was passing by on a nearby path earlier and faintly heard the Second Young Master calling out to someone—”