Ji Cheng’s mind exploded, her face instantly turning pale. Looking down at her current state, seen by these two men, she wondered how she could ever marry in the future.
Shen Yu and Shen Jing were also stunned. They had heard someone fall into the water and call for help earlier, but as it was a woman, they felt it improper to offer assistance directly. They waited to see if any maids or older women who could swim would go to the rescue, just in case.
Unexpectedly, they saw another young lady jump in to save the person. The situation in the water became perilous, and they found themselves unable to move. By the time Ji Cheng dragged Qi Hua ashore, they couldn’t leave even if they wanted to.
Shen Yu and Shen Jing both cursed Shen Che’s cunning in their hearts. He was known for being the most cold-blooded, yet outsiders praised him for cherishing women. As soon as he heard someone fall into the water and saw Ji Cheng jump in to save them, Shen Che had already slipped away without looking back.
Now Shen Yu and Shen Jing, who considered themselves decent men, found themselves in an awkward situation.
Hearing footsteps approaching, Ji Cheng grew desperate. Disregarding propriety, she pleaded with a pale face, “I beg you two cousins to leave quickly.”
Shen Yu and Shen Jing immediately reacted, slipping away without a word. Though the servants who came running saw their coattails, who would dare say anything? They merely assumed their eyes were playing tricks on them.
After Shen Yu and Shen Jing quickly left, they both thought to climb higher to see what would happen next. As soon as they reached a nearby artificial mountain, they saw Shen Che already standing there.
“Second Brother truly has experience,” Shen Jing couldn’t help but admire. “Second Brother, how many times have you encountered young ladies falling into water?”
Shen Che smiled faintly without responding, only looking down at the scene in the flower garden from his vantage point. This wasn’t his first time encountering such an incident.
The maids and older women arrived quickly. Shen Yuan and the others had also disembarked and were hurrying along the shore towards the flower garden. A maid had already brought cloaks to wrap around Ji Cheng and Qi Hua. Qi Hua seemed to have regained consciousness by now, allowing the maids to support them as they went to change clothes.
Shen Qian suggested, “My room is close by, let’s go there.” As summer had arrived and she disliked the heat, she had already persuaded Princess An He to move to the garden to avoid the summer heat, hence this suggestion.
After Ji Cheng and the others left, Shen Che turned his head and said, “It’s fortunate you two left quickly. Otherwise, you might have each taken one of these beauties home.”
By now, from their high vantage point, Shen Yu had already seen the situation below. Hearing this, he shook his head.
The flower garden was hidden among lush blooms, concealed in its depths. Without paying attention, one wouldn’t notice its form. But from the mountain top, the Nine Dragon Bridge where Qi Hua had fallen into the water offered a clear view of this flower garden.
Hearing Shen Che’s words, Shen Jing said, “Thanks to Sister Cheng’s reminder. Otherwise, today’s events would have truly been awkward.” In that situation, they had seen what they should and shouldn’t have seen. If Ji Cheng held them responsible, they would have been helpless, especially with her being a family relative. It would have been difficult to handle.
Taking a concubine wouldn’t be hard, but would the other party be willing to settle for such a position?
“This Sister Cheng of yours, born in the North, can swim. That’s quite rare,” Shen Che said coolly.
“This…” Shen Jing was momentarily puzzled, but he disagreed with the implication in Shen Che’s words, though he didn’t know how to explain.
Then they heard Shen Yu say, “This Miss Cheng seems to be quite kind-hearted.”
Shen Che said no more. These two brothers in the family knew little about women, and he didn’t wish to say more. Today’s incident seemed to have concluded, and there was no need to complicate matters further.
In such a situation, anyone with sense would know it shouldn’t have been Ji Cheng’s responsibility to jump in and save someone. Yet this Miss Ji had rushed in first. Why was that?
If one were to say Ji Cheng was a carefree girl, that would be one thing. But that day, when Shen Che heard her words to Young Master Hong, he knew this girl’s thoughts were far from simple. How could she do such a foolish thing?
In truth, Ji Cheng was wronged. When she first jumped in to save the person, her mind was a bit unclear from the afternoon heat and the effects of alcohol. She jumped in instinctively, only regretting her impulsive action after being sobered by the cold lake water. But at that point, there was no room for regret. She could only resign herself to swimming over, hoping to earn some praise for her heroic rescue.
But what Ji Cheng never expected was to see two of the Shen family’s cousins in the flower garden. Even in that chaotic situation, Ji Cheng had noticed the three teacups on the low table in the garden, indicating there had been a third person, though it was unclear when they had left.
However, these were minor details not worth dwelling on. If someone were to discover that Shen Yu and Shen Jing had been in the flower garden at that time, Ji Cheng wouldn’t be able to clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River. Given her status and the circumstances, she would likely ruin her reputation. Being carried into a household in a small sedan chair would be considered a good outcome; the worst case might see her forced to death by her aunt.
Ji Cheng was also irritated. Shen Yu and Shen Jing had witnessed someone fall into the water, yet neither rushed to help nor left promptly, which was utterly baffling. However, upon careful reflection, Ji Cheng could understand their position. They hadn’t appeared immediately and later felt too embarrassed to step forward and rescue her.
It was evident that these two gentlemen were also wary of the young ladies, fearing being forcibly tied down.
Ji Cheng changed her clothes in Shen Qian’s room. As she was already staying at the Shen residence, she hadn’t brought extra clothes. So, she had to wear Shen Qian’s clothes for now. Being taller than Shen Qian, the sleeves were a bit short, making it ill-fitting, but she had to make do.
Qi Hua’s maid had brought her clothes, helping her change.
The young ladies began to chatter, asking how she had fallen into the water and if she was frightened.
Shen Yuan called for ginger soup and other remedies for the two to drink, causing quite a commotion.
“You’re really brave!” Shen Qian’s eyes brightened as she looked at Ji Cheng. “I never imagined you could swim.”
Ji Cheng sneezed, then said embarrassedly, “I learned haphazardly as a child.”
“You can use a slingshot and swim. Is there anything you can’t do?” Shen Qian’s eyes were almost glowing as she looked at Ji Cheng.
Shen Yuan said, “Stop pestering Sister Cheng. She’s had quite a shock herself. Go see if Miss Qi needs anything.”
Hearing this, Shen Qian gave Shen Yuan a few extra glances before turning to leave.
Finally, things quieted down around Ji Cheng. Shen Yuan sat beside her, looking at her several times, opening her mouth as if to speak, but swallowing her words.
By now, Ji Cheng had already guessed that the reason for Qi Hua’s fall into the water might not be simple. How coincidental that the Shen family’s young masters were nearby in the flower garden? If Ji Cheng hadn’t jumped in, one of the Shen family’s young masters would likely have come to the rescue.
“Sister Yuan, if you have something to say, please speak plainly.”
Perhaps because of Ji Cheng’s frank attitude, Shen Yuan spoke directly, “Do you know that Qi Hua fell in on purpose?”
Ji Cheng nodded, “I guessed as much.”
“The first to reach you was my maid, Snow. She said she thought she saw the silhouettes of my eldest brother and sixth brother,” Shen Yuan said cautiously.
Ji Cheng’s face immediately turned red. She tugged at Shen Yuan’s sleeve and said tearfully, “They were there at the time. They probably saw me help Qi Hua over and didn’t want to leave immediately to avoid alarming everyone. Dear sister, please pretend you didn’t see anything. I had no idea both cousins were there.”
Seeing Ji Cheng’s pitiful state, Shen Yuan’s heart softened. Having spent time together these days, she could see that Ji Cheng wasn’t the type to degrade herself. Her earlier words were just a test, fearing Ji Cheng might do something rash in a moment of anxiety.
Hearing Ji Cheng speak this way, Shen Yuan felt reassured. “Don’t worry, I’ve already instructed Snow. But what was the situation between you all at that time? We need to warn Qi Hua.”
Then, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but pursed her lips, “Qi Hua is becoming a joke. She’s so desperate to marry that she’s even resorted to such tactics. I deliberately walked across that bridge earlier, and her position just happened to have a view of the flower garden. She thought she could trap someone from the Shen family with such a method. It’s truly laughable.”
Ji Cheng also couldn’t understand Qi Hua’s thinking. Even if she succeeded, her reputation would be ruined. Even if the Cloud Yang Marquis’s family used their power to force the issue and let her enter the door as the main wife, how could she guarantee she wouldn’t face cold treatment from her in-laws in the future? If it didn’t work out, it would be even more disastrous.
It was precisely because of this that when Ji Cheng went to save her, she never thought about the possibility of “deliberately falling into the water.” It turned out that in the past, a heroic rescue had indeed led to a lifelong marriage, causing some desperate young ladies in the capital to want to emulate it. However, this was a case of Dong Shi imitating Xi Shi’s frown.
After Ji Cheng had changed her clothes and dried her hair, she went to the other side to see Qi Hua. Shen Yuan was accompanying her, partly to prevent Qi Hua from saying anything inappropriate.
“Is Sister Qi feeling better?” Ji Cheng had just opened her mouth when she sneezed, feeling a bit embarrassed. Her constitution was originally very good, but the sudden plunge into water, coupled with several shocks and many thoughts, had allowed the cold to enter her body. However, it wasn’t too serious at the moment.
As soon as Qi Hua saw Ji Cheng enter, she grabbed her hand and said, “Thank you for saving me today, Sister Cheng. Otherwise, who knows if there would still be someone like me in this world.”
If she were sincerely grateful, she should have gone to see Ji Cheng. But now she waited for Ji Cheng to come over, showing that Qi Hua still resented Ji Cheng for interfering.
This person was strange. Everyone knew that the young masters of the Shen family wouldn’t rashly jump in to save someone. Yet now that Qi Hua had been saved by Ji Cheng, she felt that if Ji Cheng hadn’t jumped in, surely the eldest or second young master of the Shen family wouldn’t have stood by and watched her drown.
But after all, Ji Cheng had good intentions, and Qi Hua couldn’t express her frustrations. She couldn’t blame her either.
Seeing Ji Cheng enter, Shen Yuan stood up, “I’ll go check on the other young ladies. Sister Qi, don’t rush to get up. A servant has already gone to inform your family, and someone will likely come to pick you up soon.”
Qi Hua thanked her but didn’t let Shen Yuan leave. She pulled Ji Cheng to sit beside her and said, “Sister Cheng, when you rescued me from the water earlier, I thought I heard a man’s voice.” At this point, Qi Hua wiped her tears with a handkerchief. “I’ve been worried all this time. Our clothes were soaked through then. If we were seen by men, what should we do? I…”
As she spoke, Qi Hua began to sob. Ji Cheng and Shen Yuan exchanged glances, one’s gaze filled with helplessness, the other’s with contempt.
There was no evidence, yet she was throwing dirt on herself. It was one thing if she wanted to cause trouble for herself, but she was also trying to drag Ji Cheng down. Ji Cheng was naturally annoyed, but her face showed surprise as she said, “What man’s voice? Sister, are you confused by the shock?”
Shen Yuan also said, “Perhaps it was an older woman with a deep voice that you mistook for a man. If you don’t believe me, go ask around. Everyone knows about the Hundred Flower Banquet in Qing Garden today. The men of the household have long since avoided the area, and even the male servants couldn’t have entered the garden.”
Qi Hua was frustrated. Although she had been drowning and unconscious, she had briefly regained consciousness when Ji Cheng pulled her ashore, and she heard Ji Cheng call out “cousin.” It was vexing that now Shen Yuan and Ji Cheng were jointly denying it.
After Shen Yuan left, Qi Hua couldn’t help but complain to Ji Cheng, “Sister Cheng, my mind was very clear. I heard you call out to your cousin then. You say it wasn’t so, but how can you let someone see you like that for nothing?”