The scene fell silent for a moment, then explosive, earth-shattering screams erupted. “Oh no, the Heir of Prince Jing has also fallen into the lake!”

Those rushing toward the lakeside were both shocked and terrified upon hearing this.

What on earth was happening? Why was it like dumpling-making, with people falling into the lake one after another?

In the lake, Lin Hao had already swum to Sun Xiuhua’s side and grabbed her from behind.

She struggled to swim back while pulling Sun Xiuhua. Amid the deafening screams, she instinctively looked back.

The lake water rippled in layers. The Heir of Prince Jing surfaced.

The two looked at each other from a distance.

Lin Hao clearly saw the anxiety on the young man’s face.

After one glance, she saw the Heir of Prince Jing flailing his hands in panic before sinking down with gurgling sounds.

Lin Hao was so shocked she nearly let go of Sun Xiuhua.

So the Heir of Prince Jing didn’t know how to swim!

Lin Hao instinctively wanted to turn around to rescue him, but as she moved, she remembered she was already in the middle of rescuing someone.

Fortunately, at this moment several people on the other side of the lake jumped in one after another and swiftly swam toward the Heir of Prince Jing.

Lin Hao breathed a sigh of relief and swam back to the shore with Sun Xiuhua.

Several hands reached out—it was unclear whose—and between them they hauled Sun Xiuhua onto level ground.

Lin Hao held onto the shore, somewhat exhausted, gasping for breath.

“Younger Sister, come up quickly!”

With the help of two noble ladies, Lin Chan pulled Lin Hao up and embraced her, crying. “Younger Sister, you’re mad! How could you jump into the lake? What if something had happened…”

“Elder Sister, I’m fine. Don’t hold me—my clothes are all wet.” Lin Hao turned to look at Sun Xiuhua.

People were standing all around Sun Xiuhua, making it impossible to see the situation inside.

She looked toward Qi Shuo’s location.

Qi Shuo had already been rescued and brought ashore, similarly surrounded by a crowd of people.

Little Princess Qi Qiong ran over and pushed through the surrounding people. Lin Hao saw the Heir of Prince Jing, now a drowned rat.

His wet black hair clung to his fair cheeks, making his eyes appear particularly deep and serene. He showed not the slightest trace of the dishevelment one would expect from being fished out of the water.

As if sensing Lin Hao’s gaze, those ink-jade eyes looked over.

Lin Hao truly couldn’t help herself—she rolled her eyes slightly.

She commended the Heir of Prince Jing’s enthusiastic rescue effort, but jumping in when he himself didn’t know how to swim—wasn’t that just adding to the chaos?

“Elder Brother, are you all right?” Qi Qiong’s face was full of anxiety.

“I’m fine. How is Cousin?”

Qi Qiong seemed reminded and, unable to spare time to answer Qi Shuo, lifted her skirts and hurried over to Sun Xiuhua.

Sun Xiuhua’s face was pale, her eyes tightly closed. She didn’t look well.

A matron vigorously patted Sun Xiuhua’s back. Finally hearing her cough and spit out several mouthfuls of water.

Those gathered around cheered in unison. “She’s awake, she’s awake!”

Qi Qiong breathed a huge sigh of relief. Regaining her composure, she first ordered several maids and matrons to carry Sun Xiuhua back to her room, then instructed a maid to fetch a physician, and sent someone to report to Princess Consort Jing.

After arranging everything methodically, Qi Qiong walked before Lin Hao to express her thanks. “Today, thanks to Second Miss Lin saving my cousin, otherwise a great disaster would have occurred.”

“The princess is too kind.” Lin Hao didn’t say much more.

The early summer breeze brought immediate coolness, but being soaking wet all over was not comfortable.

Qi Qiong quickly ordered a maid to lead Lin Hao to change clothes.

On Qi Shuo’s side, someone also accompanied him to change.

After the chaos passed, only the young men and women who had come to watch the excitement remained by the lake.

“I apologize for frightening everyone. Please return to Jade Garden for some tea first. I’ll be right back.” After settling the ladies, Qi Qiong hurried to Sun Xiuhua’s quarters.

By the time she arrived, the physician was examining Sun Xiuhua, and Princess Consort Jing had also arrived.

“Qiong’er, how did your cousin end up falling into the lake when everything was fine?” Upon seeing her daughter, Princess Consort Jing couldn’t contain her questions.

For her children’s birthdays, young gentlemen and ladies from various mansions had come—elders didn’t need to get involved. As usual, after managing the mansion’s affairs, she had been leisurely eating yangmei freshly sent from the estate when a maid came to report that her niece had fallen in the water.

She was still reeling from this news when another matron came to report that Second Miss Lin had also fallen into the lake. Before she could leave the courtyard, a little maid rushed in crying that the heir had jumped into the lake.

If not for another maid following right after to say everyone had been rescued, she would have fainted on the spot.

“We were strolling and chatting by the lake at the time. Why Cousin fell into the lake, your daughter also doesn’t know clearly.” Qi Qiong carefully recalled the moment and harbored some suspicions about Tang Wei.

But this suspicion was based only on her understanding of Tang Wei’s temperament, not on anything she had witnessed, so naturally she couldn’t voice it.

“Mother, why not wait until Cousin wakes and ask her?”

Princess Consort Jing glanced at her unconscious niece, feeling great lingering fear. “Fortunately your cousin had great luck and encountered Second Miss Lin who knows how to swim. Otherwise, after a hundred years, how could I face your aunt?”

As Princess Consort Jing spoke, she dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief.

Sun Xiuhua’s mother and Princess Consort Jing were twin sisters, born to a wealthy household.

Mother Sun had married into a locally well-matched family. Princess Consort Jing would have originally lived a life similar to her sister’s, but fate is unpredictable, and chance encounters happen.

Princess Consort Jing had gone out for a spring outing and encountered Prince Jing by chance. Prince Jing fell in love at first sight and was willing to endure the Emperor’s scolding to marry her.

An ordinary daughter of a wealthy family became a prince’s consort. Following Prince Jing to his fiefdom in the northern lands, the pair of twin sisters from then on had completely different lives.

Three years ago, Mother Sun passed away from illness, leaving behind a son and daughter to observe mourning. Princess Consort Jing felt most tender toward this niece. Calculating the time until the mourning period ended, she had her son go to Qingning to bring her.

If the person she had just brought had died within days—Princess Consort Jing thought about it and could hardly breathe.

“What happened with your elder brother?”

Compared to her niece, Princess Consort Jing naturally cared more about her son, but she had already heard from the last maid to report that after her eldest son was rescued he seemed fine, while her niece was in poor condition, so she had come directly to Sun Xiuhua’s quarters.

“Elder Brother… probably heard that Cousin had fallen in the water and anxiously went in to rescue her.” Qi Qiong said hesitantly.

She actually suspected a bit that Elder Brother had done it to save Lin Hao, but she had no evidence.

“I see, so it was to save someone.” Princess Consort Jing revealed a gratified smile, then suddenly froze.

Wait, didn’t Shuo’er know how to swim? Why was he the one who was rescued?

Just as she was preparing to ask clearly, she heard several coughs. Sun Xiuhua opened her eyes.

“Xiuhua, how are you?”

“Aunt—” Sun Xiuhua stared blankly at Princess Consort Jing, tears falling. “I thought I would never see you again.”

“How could that be?” Princess Consort Jing quickly comforted her niece. “Your good fortune still lies ahead. What’s important now is to recover your health and not catch a chill.”

Sun Xiuhua nodded obediently.

“Xiuhua, how did you fall into the water?”

How did she fall in the water?

A chill swept through Sun Xiuhua’s entire body. She seemed to still feel the fear brought by that foot that suddenly reached out, and the despair after falling into the water.

She had been deliberately tripped by Tang Wei!

“Xiuhua?” Seeing Sun Xiuhua freeze, Princess Consort Jing called out.