Yu Shiyan’s gaze at them was so dark and sinister it seemed to drip with malice.
The young eunuchs felt a chill run down their spines under his fierce glare.
He wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, pushed himself up from the ground with his elbows, and staggered toward the pond.
The last thing his mother had left him…
The last…
Gritting his teeth, he lifted his foot to step into the water.
Suddenly, a sharp golden silk whip cut through the air behind him, deftly wrapping around his waist several times and forcefully yanking him back.
Yuan Siyin tightened her grip on the whip, straightening it to steady him. “If you dare step into that water, I’ll break your legs!”
The words had barely left her mouth before Yuan Siyin wished she could slap herself.
Her vicious tongue had acted on instinct again.
If it weren’t for these meddling eunuchs, she would have dived into the water without a second thought to rescue the male lead.
“Greetings, Miss Yuan!”
Seeing Yuan Siyin arrive, the eunuchs not only failed to sense anything amiss but cheerfully approached her. “We heard early this morning that you were summoned to the palace again by the Empress Dowager. Such good fortune! Others can only envy you.”
“Don’t worry, while you were away from the palace, we’ve been taking good care of the Seventh Prince for you!”
As if to emphasize something, the words “taking good care” were uttered with deliberate weight.
Yuan Siyin stumbled mid-step.
Useless fools! Do they have no sense of discretion?
No wonder they’re still stuck at the bottom of the social ladder!
Is this something to be spoken about so openly?
“You, you, and you—stop grinning and line up over here!”
Yuan Siyin retracted her whip and strode unceremoniously to stand by the lotus pond.
“Us?”
The group was confused but obediently lined up along the pond’s edge.
“Turn around.”
Yu Shiyan remained silent, his expression cold, his disgust for Yuan Siyin growing.
If she weren’t still clutching his sleeve with her other hand, he would have jumped into the water long ago.
“If I let go, you stay right here. Don’t move.”
Fearing the rebellious Yu Shiyan might disobey, Yuan Siyin raised her whip and issued a small threat.
True to her word, she released him but took only two steps before whipping around to check if he had moved.
Good. It seemed he only listened when spoken to in a commanding tone.
Yuan Siyin leisurely strolled behind the first eunuch, leisurely raised her leg, and kicked him into the water.
With a “splash,” water sprayed everywhere.
His entry into the water was inelegant. Next.
“Miss… Miss Yuan…”
The others swallowed nervously.
Was this young mistress protecting the Seventh Prince? Or had she suddenly devised a new way to torment them?
The latter seemed far more plausible.
“Don’t just stand there gawking. Jump in! Or should I personally kick each of you in?”
Yuan Siyin maintained a stern expression, though inwardly she was reveling.
Finally, she had an outlet for the cold shoulders she’d received from the male lead.
The eunuchs exchanged helpless glances before reluctantly jumping into the water, waiting for her next command.
After all, this young mistress was favored by the Empress Dowager and had been spoiled since childhood, her moods as unpredictable as the weather. Defying her was unthinkable.
“What are you standing around for? Start searching.”
Yuan Siyin crouched down, propping her chin in her hands as she watched them with amusement. She added with a smile, “If you don’t retrieve the hairpin, don’t even think about coming out. You can stay in there and feed the fish.”
“I mean it.”
The few people finally panicked upon hearing this, their faces mostly showing reluctance. “Miss Yuan, this lotus pond is so vast—who knows where such a slender hairpin could have sunk? Searching like this is no different from fishing for a needle in the ocean.”
“Is that so? I noticed you didn’t consider how difficult it would be to retrieve when you threw it in.”
Yuan Siyin snorted coldly, her delicate fingers gently brushing against a budding lotus before her. The shimmering ripples on the lake’s surface made her profile appear even more stunning.