“Something terrible has happened—the Consort of the Heir Apparent has fallen into the water!”
“Someone, come quickly! The Second Young Madam can’t swim!”
“Help! The Consort of the Heir Apparent and the Second Young Madam have both fallen into the water!”
At this moment, the maidservants standing above saw what had happened and began shouting loudly.
Xu Qingyan knew how to swim. After falling into the water, she floated in it as naturally as a fish in water, even turning her head back to look at Xu Qingyue.
Xu Qingyue, on the other hand, truly couldn’t swim. After falling into the lake, she struggled desperately in the water a few times before gradually beginning to sink.
Xu Qingyan naturally wouldn’t go save someone who had deliberately pushed her into the water. So she quickly swam a little to the side, then leisurely made her way toward the shore.
“If the female lead were to die just like that, would this world collapse? Sigh… whatever. I’m no pushover. So what if she’s the female lead? I absolutely won’t indulge her in doing bad things! If it collapses, it collapses—maybe then I can return to my original world! The only regret is that I might never see the Young Lord again!” Xu Qingyan said as she looked at Xu Qingyue, feeling a hint of regret.
But before she could swim to shore, she heard a splash as someone dove into the water. An agile figure jumped into the lake and pulled Xu Qingyue out.
Seeing this, Xu Qingyan remarked, “As expected of the female lead. I knew she wouldn’t die that easily.”
“Xu Qingyan, for no reason at all, why did you harm Qingyue?” Pei Jingyuan, after rescuing Xu Qingyue to shore, accused Xu Qingyan furiously.
“Tell me, which eye of yours saw me harm her? Don’t spout nonsense with your eyes wide open—show me the evidence!” Xu Qingyan said, looking at Pei Jingyuan speechlessly at his interrogation.
Pei Jingyuan pointed at the maidservants behind him and said, “They said you pulled Qingyue down. We have witnesses right here—what more evidence do you need?”
Xu Qingyue had just swallowed several mouthfuls of lake water. At this moment, she looked weakly at Xu Qingyan and pretended to be pitiful: “Sister, why did you pull me down? Do you want me dead that badly? Are you resentful that I caused you to marry the Young Lord?”
Hearing Xu Qingyue’s words, Xu Qingyan thought coldly to herself: [Ha! Even at a time like this, Xu Qingyue still wants to sow discord and spread rumors that I didn’t want to marry the Young Lord.]
Xu Qingyan didn’t miss Xu Qingyue’s tea-flavored, sweet-talking act, so she sneered: “If your maidservants count as evidence, then mine should too. Come, come… Ziyan, Dan Yan, you two tell us exactly who pushed whom. Let him hear it clearly.”
Ziyan and Dan Yan were maidservants arranged by Pei Jingchuan to attend to her, so naturally they spoke truthfully. They recounted everything they knew exactly as it happened, without adding or embellishing anything: “Second Young Master, it was the Second Young Madam who first stuck out her leg to trip the Consort of the Heir Apparent, then reached out and pushed her. When the Consort of the Heir Apparent was about to fall into the water, she accidentally grabbed the Second Young Madam’s leg, which caused both of them to fall in together!”
“You… you’re spouting nonsense!” Pei Jingyuan gritted his back teeth in anger.
“Your maidservants’ words are the truth, but mine are nonsense? How can you be so overbearing?” Xu Qingyan said indignantly, hands on her hips.
“You…” Pei Jingyuan was so angry at Xu Qingyan’s words that he gnashed his teeth.
Xu Qingyue’s eyes darkened, and she spoke to Xu Qingyan in a sarcastic, insinuating tone: “Sister, since you know how to swim, falling in was no trouble for you. But I can’t swim. If my husband hadn’t appeared in time, I would have lost my life here today.”
This was clearly implying that Xu Qingyan had deliberately caused her to fall in—someone who could swim would naturally have no fear, so her falling in must have been intentional.
Just then, other maidservants and servants happened to walk by. Xu Qingyue’s words were meant for them to hear, so that news of Xu Qingyan harming her would spread throughout the entire Duke’s Estate within days.
Hearing Xu Qingyue’s words, Xu Qingyan naturally wouldn’t let her scheme succeed. So she said loudly: “That’s right, I do know how to swim. If I didn’t, I’d have drowned by now—after all, you had the Second Young Master to save you, but no one paid me any attention just now. If not for my bitter childhood and learning to swim, the one drowned right now would probably be me!”
Xu Qingyan thought to herself: Isn’t this just playing tea? Who can’t do that? Let me show you who’s better at it.
The moment Xu Qingyan said this, she instantly turned the tide of public opinion that Xu Qingyue had just manipulated.
After hearing Xu Qingyan’s words, everyone now felt that Xu Qingyue must not have expected Xu Qingyan to know how to swim. She probably thought Xu Qingyan would surely die after falling in, and if she herself also fell in, it would clear her of any suspicion.
Xu Qingyue was so furious at Xu Qingyan’s words that she gnashed her teeth. She hadn’t expected Xu Qingyan to be so good at arguing. When she saw the strange looks from everyone around her, she only wanted to flee from this place.
“Husband, I’m feeling a bit unwell—perhaps I’ve caught a chill. Please fetch a physician to examine me!” Xu Qingyue, afraid that staying any longer would infuriate her to the point of death, spoke to Pei Jingyuan with a pitiful expression.
Pei Jingyuan was also thoroughly angered by Xu Qingyan’s behavior, and the two of them slunk away in disgrace.
Before long, word of this naturally reached Pei Jingchuan’s ears. When he learned that Xu Qingyan was unharmed, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Pei Jingchuan’s investigation into the bride-swapping affair had also yielded results—it was indeed arranged by the Xu household, and Xu Qingyan was truly the daughter of Lord Xu’s first wife. His shu-brother and Xu Qingyue had truly staged quite a performance; he had nearly been deceived by them. He was now certain that his shu-brother was not so simple, and he began to be on guard against him.
When the Duchess of Guo learned of this matter, she was immensely grateful that her son had married Xu Qingyan. She now felt that this daughter-in-law was a veritable bringer of good fortune.
—A few days later—
The Duchess of Guo brought Xu Qingyan, Pei Jinyu, and the others along to attend a banquet.
“Mother, whose banquet are we attending today?” This was Xu Qingyan’s first time at a banquet, and she was somewhat excited. She sat in the same carriage as the Duchess of Guo and Pei Jinyu.
“Today, the Princess is hosting a banquet. We are going to the Princess’s residence,” the Duchess of Guo said with a smile.
When Xu Qingyan learned that the banquet was hosted at the Princess’s residence, she was startled for a moment and couldn’t help but think: [The Princess? Is she the wife of the Marquis of Anyang? It seems she dies at today’s banquet. After her death, the Marquis of Anyang spends his days in a daze. It isn’t until later that he encounters a woman who looks very much like the Princess, and only then does he snap out of it. But who would have thought that woman would be an enemy spy—the Marquis of Anyang is done in by her!]
“What? The Princess will die today?” The Duchess of Guo, hearing Xu Qingyan’s thoughts, broke out in a cold sweat from fright.
The Duchess of Guo struggled to calm herself. The Princess was her dearest bosom friend—how could she prevent something from happening to her?
So, looking at Xu Qingyan, the Duchess of Guo said, “Qingyan, there’s no need to be nervous when we arrive at the Princess’s residence. The Princess is a wonderful person and won’t put on any airs of royalty.”
Xu Qingyan smiled and nodded. “Mother, from what you say, the Princess must truly be wonderful!”
But Xu Qingyan sighed inwardly: [But the good die young! Oh, right—Mother seems to be the Princess’s close friend. If the Princess dies, she’ll probably grieve for a long time. And that Xu Qingyue will take a sword wound today while saving the Princess, thereby earning a favor from the Marquis of Anyang. Xu Qingyue is so wicked—I can’t let her succeed. I need to think of a way to save the Princess.]
Hearing Xu Qingyan’s thoughts, the Duchess of Guo quickly grasped her hand and said, “Qingyan, the Princess is kind and loves the people. To have such a Princess is a blessing for the common folk!”
In her heart, the Duchess of Guo prayed: Qingyan, you must find a way to save the Princess.