“Mother, what do you mean? Miss Li Chun is about to run away!”
Shuangfu’s mother worked in the kitchen of Peifu, where her daily task was slaughtering chickens. She possessed extraordinary strength and immediately released her son, chasing after Xie Zhi in a few strides and pushing her into Xingbohu.
A “splash—” echoed as ripples spread across the water’s surface.
Then, she stopped her son from moving forward and instructed, “I’ll call everyone over. With all eyes watching, you’ll rescue her. In that situation, she won’t be able to refuse marriage!”
Although the rules of propriety between men and women in Da Zhou were not overly strict, if an unmarried man and woman were found embracing while soaked, it was considered extremely serious.
If the gentleman refused to marry her, the young lady’s reputation would be ruined.
Shuangfu stared at Xie Zhi struggling in the water below, swallowed hard, and nodded.
At the same time, his mother’s loud voice pierced the sky—
“Someone, come quickly! Someone has fallen into the water! Come quickly!”
It was a summer evening, perfect for cooling off, and many idle maids and elderly women had gathered in corners to play leaf cards. Upon hearing the cry for help, they all rushed over from various directions.
“What happened? Granny Zhang, who fell into the water?”
“It’s Miss Li Chun! The Miss Li Chun that Old Madam favors the most! My son is an excellent swimmer and has already gone to rescue her. I hope Miss Li Chun is safe and sound.”
After saying this, a glint of cunning flashed in Shuangfu’s mother, Granny Zhang’s eyes.
Whispers and murmurs began to spread among the crowd.
Some skilled swimmers also dove in to help, but after searching the pitch-black pond for a long time, they found nothing.
“Where are they, Granny Zhang? Why is there no movement at all? Could it be that they both…”
“You old hag, stop talking nonsense! My son is the best swimmer. Don’t you curse him!”
As she spoke, Granny Zhang grew somewhat anxious and hurried to the shore, cursing under her breath.
Fortunately, before long, a figure emerged from the water near the shore. Who else could it be but Shuangfu?
He climbed onto the shore, dripping wet, and sneezed. Granny Zhang rushed forward to ask what had happened.
“Where is that girl? Why are you the only one who came up?”
Shuangfu paced anxiously. “Mother, I couldn’t find Li Chun anywhere. Is she dead?”
“How is that possible? It was only a short while. How could you not find her?” Granny Zhang muttered a low curse.
“It’s all your fault, Mother! Your idea was terrible. If Li Chun is dead, I’ll never speak to you again!”
“You fool, shut up! Don’t say another word!” Hearing her son acting foolishly again, Granny Zhang hurriedly covered his mouth and glanced around nervously.
But it was too late. With Shuangfu’s loud voice, everyone who needed to hear had already heard.
Now, the crowd looked at the mother and son with disdain.
“So that’s what happened. This mother and son are full of wicked ideas!”
“It’s just as well she wasn’t rescued. If Miss Li Chun had been saved, wouldn’t she have to marry that fool Shuangfu? If it were me, I’d rather die.”
“Exactly. Being a fool is bad enough, but that face of his…”
Several maids gathered together, gossiping.
“What did you say! What’s wrong with my face!” This instantly enraged Shuangfu. He grabbed the maid by the collar and shouted angrily.
Seeing this, the crowd hurriedly stepped in to mediate, and the scene quickly descended into chaos.
“What is all this commotion? If you keep making a scene, I will report to Second Madam and have every one of you driven out!”
A stern woman’s voice rang out. Everyone turned to look and saw it was Nanny Zhou from Old Madam’s side.
Nanny Zhou held a high position, and everyone feared her. At her words, they all quieted down.
But when they saw the person beside Nanny Zhou, their eyes widened in disbelief.
“Li Chun, how did you…”
The woman wrapped in a thick cloak beside her was none other than Li Chun, who had just fallen into the water!
Seeing everyone’s gaze, Xie Zhi sneered inwardly.
Was Shuangfu the only one who knew how to swim?
Xie Zhi’s mother was a fisherwoman from Yangzhou. Back then, to pay for her younger brother’s tuition, she had been sold by her parents to the Cishi’s residence as a concubine.
As a child, her mother often took her to play by the river. Because of this, Xie Zhi had learned some swimming skills.
The moment she was pushed into the water, she understood the intentions of that mother and son pair.
How cunning they were—almost as cunning as she was!
How could Xie Zhi let them have their way? Just as that old woman Zhang called for help, she immediately dove underwater and swam as fast as she could toward the distance.
She remembered that the west side of Xingbohu wasn’t too far from here. As long as she could reach the shore there, she could take a shortcut back to Guanxuelou.
As for Pei Hong…
It shouldn’t matter if he waited a little longer, right?
Thinking this, Xie Zhi immediately quickened her movements, accidentally swallowing a few mouthfuls of water along the way.
Halfway through, she could barely see the situation on the shore anymore.
Just as Xie Zhi was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she suddenly saw flickering candlelight in the distance. Squinting, she noticed a figure walking toward the pavilion on the opposite shore.
The night was too dark, and she could only vaguely make out that it was a tall, well-built man.
The cold water numbed her nerves, but her mind remained unusually clear.
At this time and place, who else could it be but Pei Hong?
She gritted her teeth, and an idea surfaced in her mind.
What if she went along with that mother and son’s plan?
But with Pei Hong as the target instead.
After all, before this, she hadn’t been able to figure out Pei Hong’s intentions.
But after tonight, she would make Pei Hong have no choice but to take her as a concubine.
Xie Zhi silently apologized to Pei Hong in her heart. As long as she got her Nuji Wenshu, she would leave immediately.
She didn’t care if she was condemned by everyone. If she really married Shuangfu, she would be trapped in the Houfu for the rest of her life, tied to this foolish husband, and her children would be slaves for generations…
Not to mention being bullied and oppressed by Yuyang for a lifetime, possibly even losing her life someday!
She refused!
Her legs were already weak, but once Xie Zhi made up her mind, she mustered all her strength and cried out for help.
Only when she shouted did she realize her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s hum, as weak as a kitten’s meow.
An inexplicable panic washed over Xie Zhi, and she quickly flailed about. Fortunately, the man on the shore seemed to have noticed her. He threw down his lantern and ran toward Xie Zhi.
Success.
Xie Zhi bobbed in the water, watching as the man jumped in and swam closer and closer to her, finally scooping her up and swimming toward the shore.
The lake was too dark for Xie Zhi to see his face clearly, but she felt the hand gripping her was exceptionally strong.
Pei Hong might look frail, but he wasn’t bad after all.
Finally reaching the shore, Xie Zhi coughed up several mouthfuls of water, collapsing to the ground, panting heavily.
Even in this state, she didn’t forget to look around. Glancing everywhere, she realized her plan had failed—why were there no onlookers?
No, she had to lead Pei Hong to a place with more people.
“What are you looking at?” A cold voice sounded, icy and devoid of any warmth.
Xie Zhi was startled, whipping her head around to look—
There, sitting astride the grass and wiping away dirty water, was none other than Pei Du.