Ye Qingyu nodded seriously. “I know. I truly went to find Third Cousin for something important.”
Given her past behavior, Ye Qingya didn’t believe she was being sincere. But in time, she would naturally see Ye Qingyu’s change.
Lu Qianqian approached timidly, trying to please. “What are you two elder sisters talking about? May I join in?”
Hearing her voice, Zhao Qianxue turned back and mocked, “Ye Qingyu, is this your relative? You’re not bullying her, are you? Look at how pitiful she seems.”
Lu Qianqian shook her head frantically, looking pitiful. “No, my cousins haven’t bullied me. Miss Zhao, you misunderstood.”
Nearby, Princess Yongjia gently mediated. “Qianxue, don’t pick on Miss Ye. They’re just sisters chatting—why twist it so?”
“Miss Ye, don’t blame Qianxue. She’s always straightforward, saying whatever comes to mind.”
Ye Qingyu smiled faintly. “Princess, I haven’t said anything.”
Someone else tugged Ye Qingya’s arm, smiling as they coaxed, “Alright, let’s enjoy the garden. Look, there are quite a few varieties of flowers here.”
Ye Qingya followed along, gradually being drawn away from Ye Qingyu’s side.
Lu Qianqian sidled up to Ye Qingyu. “Eldest Cousin, did I cause trouble for you?”
Ye Qingyu replied coolly, “It’s fine. Don’t overthink it.”
Seeing her unwillingness to engage, a flash of resentment crossed Lu Qianqian’s eyes.
In the rear garden of the Minister’s residence, the lotus pond was in full bloom, and everyone stopped to admire the flowers.
“These were specially brought from the south by my grandfather for my grandmother,” Zhao Qianxue said proudly, gathering the group to admire them.
Ye Qingyu noticed the malicious glint in Zhao Qianxue’s eyes and immediately understood her intent.
Just as everyone was absorbed in the sight, a sudden cry rang out. One young lady stepped on her own skirt, lost her balance, and stumbled forward—straight toward Ye Qingyu’s position.
But Ye Qingyu had already been on guard against Zhao Qianxue’s tricks. As the girl lurched toward her, Ye Qingyu feigned being knocked back—falling in the opposite direction, right toward Zhao Qianxue.
Zhao Qianxue was inwardly delighted that her plan had succeeded—yet to her shock, Ye Qingyu did not fall into the pond as expected. Instead, Zhao Qianxue herself was unexpectedly knocked over, tumbling backward straight into the lotus pond.
“Ah!”
Terrified, Zhao Qianxue grabbed at Princess Yongjia’s sleeve. The princess was nearly dragged into the water with her, but fortunately, another young lady reacted quickly and pulled her back. Even so, a section of Princess Yongjia’s sleeve was torn off.
“Ah! Someone’s fallen into the water—help, quickly!”
A loud cry rang out from the crowd.
With a splash, a man’s voice followed: “Miss, don’t be afraid, I’ll save you.”
Still seated on the ground, Ye Qingyu’s lips curved into a cold smile.
Such a clumsy, lowly trick—only Zhao Qianxue would resort to something like this.
“Help! Help me, wuwu…” Zhao Qianxue’s maid, seeing her mistress in the pond, cried out in panic. “It’s the eldest young lady! The eldest young lady has fallen into the water! Hurry, hurry, save her!”
Only then did the servant women realize that the one who had fallen into the water was their own young lady. Seeing a strange man about to approach her, two of the matrons quickly jumped into the pond, surrounding Zhao Qianxue protectively, and swiftly pulled her back onto the shore.
“Miss, Miss, are you alright?”
“Quickly, take your young lady back to her room to change into clean clothes, or she’ll catch a chill.”
Princess Yongjia, despite nearly being dragged into the water herself, showed no displeasure. Instead, she anxiously expressed concern for Zhao Qianxue’s condition.
“Hurry, take Miss back. Ladies, my young lady must excuse herself for now.”
Zhao Qianmei, looking worried, added, “Everyone, we’ve already toured most of the garden. I’m also concerned about my elder sister’s condition. Please forgive me for leaving you.”
“We’re worried about Miss Zhao as well. Why don’t we all go check on her?” Princess Yongjia suggested.
Led by Zhao Qianmei, the group made their way to Zhao Qianxue’s courtyard.
By then, Zhao Qianxue had already changed into a dry gown, though her long black hair was still damp. The moment she saw Ye Qingyu, she suddenly stood up.
“Ye Qingyu, you pushed me!”
Ye Qingyu’s expression remained calm as she replied evenly, “Miss Zhao, one must speak with evidence. Everyone saw what happened. It was Miss Qiu who stumbled and fell into me, knocking me to the ground. How could I have pushed you?”
“You pretended! You pushed me and then acted like you fell!” Zhao Qianxue refused to relent.
She was unwilling to accept it. This scheme had been designed to ruin Ye Qingyu’s reputation, yet instead, she herself had nearly been ruined.
Ye Qingya spoke angrily. “Miss Zhao, are you blind? Do you think all the young ladies present, and Princess Yongjia herself, didn’t see? My elder sister was on the ground—how could she have pushed you? From across the air, like striking a cow through a wall?”
Though she had been pulled away from Ye Qingyu’s side at the time, she had still witnessed the entire scene. It was clearly Miss Qiu who accidentally stumbled into her elder sister. How could Zhao Qianxue blame her?
“Princess Yongjia was right beside you—she saw everything clearly. You nearly dragged the princess into the water with you.” Ye Qingya gave Zhao Qianxue no face at all.
Everyone turned to look at Princess Yongjia, their expressions uncertain.
The princess’s dignified and beautiful face grew solemn, but her voice was gentle. “Yes, Qianxue, you wrongly accused Miss Ye. It was just a misunderstanding.”
Miss Qiu, sobbing, apologized. “Miss Zhao, I’m so sorry, it was all my fault. I was too absorbed in admiring the lotus flowers and accidentally stepped on my skirt. That’s why I fell and caused you to fall into the water. It’s all my fault.”
Her beautiful face was pale with fear, and, overcome with guilt, she knelt.
In such a situation, Zhao Qianxue could hardly continue blaming her. After all, these were guests. She could only swallow her anger. “Miss Qiu, you exaggerate. It was just an accident. Please, get up.”
Zhao Qianmei spoke with concern. “I’ll go to the kitchen and ask the cook to prepare a bowl of ginger soup. Elder Sister mustn’t catch a chill.”
With that, she quickly left. No one else paid much attention to her departure, assuming she was simply worried about her sister and wanted to help personally. Only Ye Qingyu signaled with her eyes for Mo Shu to follow Zhao Qianmei.
Meanwhile, the servants had already reported the incident to Madam Zhao. A group of noble ladies hurried over.
“Qianxue, my child, are you alright?” Madam Zhao grasped her daughter’s hand, anxiously looking her over from head to toe.
“Mother, I’m fine.”
Madam Zhao’s face darkened with anger. “What exactly happened?”