Seeing that the person had been successfully saved, Pei Lian was incredibly thrilled in his heart.
She isn’t dead!
Thank goodness, thank goodness. I don’t have to start all over again.
It seemed that the method of rescue she had mentioned in the past was correct. If there had been even a slight error, it would have been impossible for Pei Lian to bring her back to life today.
“Are you awake?” Pei Lian reached out, subconsciously tucking a stray lock of hair from her forehead behind her ear. He spoke with a voice tinged with excitement.
“Mm…” Shen Zhi nodded weakly.
Seeing her like this, he immediately scooped her up into his arms and headed straight toward Lanxin Pavilion.
Suwen had just managed to swim out of the water. Qingxue draped a robe over her to prevent her body from being seen by others.
“Where is my mistress?” Suwen leaned against the edge of the lotus pond, looking left and right, her voice shivering.
Even though it was the height of summer and the water wasn’t cold, sitting in the lotus pond for so long meant that a single gust of wind would still make anyone shiver.
“His Highness carried her back. Follow me back,” Qingxue said, pulling her hand and leading her toward Lanxin Pavilion.
The farce thus came to an end, and the black cat that had been acting frantically was shot dead with an arrow. When they inspected it later, they discovered it had been fed a type of drug. Once an animal consumed this drug, its temperament would turn wild and frantic, no matter how good-natured it originally was. Furthermore, if too much of the drug was administered, the cat would be unable to withstand it and would suffer a sudden death before long.
It was merely a pity for the black cat.
The concubines were supported back to their quarters by their maids. Upon returning to Lanyue Pavilion, Liu Yan immediately began smashing things. Her bright and beautiful face became exceptionally unsightly due to her fury.
Everything that could be smashed inside Lanyue Pavilion was smashed to pieces. Lianxin stood to the side, comforting her, “Side Consort Liu, please do not be angry. The person His Highness likes the most is you; his fondness for that wench is merely temporary.”
Liu Yan could not listen to these words right now. She shouted aloud, “If His Highness only liked her temporarily, why would he personally leap into the lotus pond to rescue that wench? Not only did he save her, but he also kissed her three times in front of everyone!”
“Lianxin, His Highness has had a change of heart,” Liu Yan sat on a mahogany chair, her expression somewhat distorted as she spoke.
Because of her outburst, the hairstyle she wore was ruined, and her hair ornaments were crooked. A few stray locks of hair hung over her forehead, making her look rather disheveled.
“His Highness has fallen for that wench.”
Liu Yan clenched her fists, her face filled with fury.
Brother Pei, the Brother Pei who promised to treat her well for a lifetime had ultimately changed his heart.
No, she absolutely could not accept this outcome!
She would definitely make Brother Pei change his mind so that he would only love her.
Inside Lanxin Pavilion, Shen Zhi, who had changed into clean clothes, lay on the bed while the imperial physician placed his fingers on her wrist to check her pulse.
Pei Lian had changed out of his wet garments and now stood to the side wearing a light yellow outfit paired with a large amount of white. He looked toward the imperial physician and asked, “How is she? How is her body?”
The imperial physician slowly withdrew his hand and said, “Your Highness, Fengyi Shen’s body is out of harm’s way. She is merely somewhat weak. At the same time, because she choked on several gulps of water, her throat might feel sore. This minister shall prescribe a few doses of medicine for Fengyi Shen to take, and she will be fine.”
Hearing that Shen Zhi’s body was out of danger, Pei Lian’s tightly strung heart finally relaxed.
When he carried her back, seeing her sickly and frail state made it seem as though she might faint and pass away at any moment. This had caused him immense worry, terrified that this woman might die directly from falling into the water.
“Reward him,” Pei Lian said happily, slightly shifting his eyes toward Yuan Qing, who stood by his side.
Upon hearing this, the imperial physician was instantly overjoyed. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
Before leaving, the imperial physician offered a few words of caution, which Nanny Zhao noted down one by one.
Shen Zhi lay on the bed, covered by the blanket, looking entirely weary of life. She hadn’t expected Liu Yan to strike at her so quickly, utterly without fear of being discovered. And with Pei Lian rescuing her like that, she had surely become a thorn in the side of every woman in the Eastern Palace.
At the thought of the countless murders and frames that would follow in the future, Shen Zhi felt a strong urge to just give up.
Can I restart? Can I just drown in that lotus pond instead?
A bowl of steaming ginger soup was brought before Shen Zhi. The moment she smelled it, she closed her eyes. The pungent, spicy scent was far too overwhelming; she didn’t want to drink it.
“Shen Zhi, open your eyes for this Palace,” Pei Lian said, feeling a sudden surge of anger upon seeing her lying there completely motionless, even closing her eyes. Why did she care so little for her own body?
Hearing his words, Shen Zhi helplessly opened her eyes and sat up, reaching out to take the warm ginger soup. Looking at the dark ginger soup, she gritted her teeth and swallowed it all down in one breath. The sharp spice of the ginger rushed straight to her head, causing her to involuntarily shiver.
As she handed back the bowl, Pei Lian had already placed a candied fruit near her lips.
“If you find the taste unpleasant, eat a piece of candied fruit,” Pei Lian said, looking at her.
The sweet aroma of the candied fruit drifted into her nose. Shen Zhi didn’t stand on ceremony at all; she opened her mouth and bit down directly. The taste of ginger in her mouth was slowly dispelled, and Shen Zhi opened her mouth again, wanting to eat the remaining half.
However, as she bit down, she didn’t catch the candied fruit; instead, she bit into Pei Lian’s finger.
Upon biting his finger, Shen Zhi froze entirely. Pei Lian did the same; he hurriedly let go and withdrew his finger.
The half-piece of candied fruit remained caught in Shen Zhi’s mouth. She stared blankly at him, her almond eyes filled with disbelief.
“If you still want to eat, there are more over here,” Pei Lian said, averting his gaze while holding the bowl with one hand to remind her.
“Thank you…” Shen Zhi said to him while chewing. “By the way, how did you know I fell into the water?”
Hearing this, Pei Lian explained, “After finishing my duties these past few days, I heard that Yan’er was hosting a flower feast, so I came over to take a look.”
But upon arriving, he encountered Qingxue, who was also rushing over. After learning that Shen Zhi had fallen into the water, he immediately sprinted over. If he had come any slower, Shen Zhi truly would have drowned to death.
“Can’t you swim?” Pei Lian looked at her, his brows furrowing slightly.
Hearing his question, Shen Zhi recalled the situation at that time and said, “Someone was grabbing my ankle, preventing me from reaching the shore. And they grabbed me with immense force; I couldn’t break free.”
As Shen Zhi spoke, she lifted the blanket and rolled up her inner trousers one by one, revealing her fair legs. Pei Lian looked at her feet; her toes were round and lovely, like pearls, and because they rarely saw the sun, her skin was fair, smooth, and delicate.
Yet on such a pair of legs, distinct purple bruises from being gripped were left on one ankle. It looked entirely shocking to the eye.
Pei Lian stared at that ankle. If he hadn’t arrived early, the person holding her breath underwater would have surely gripped Shen Zhi’s foot tightly until she drowned alive.
Therefore, this fall into the water was not an accident; it was intentional.
Looking at the injury on her ankle, Shen Zhi looked at Pei Lian and offered a strained smile, saying, “Your Highness, could you please help me investigate the truth of this matter?”