Meanwhile, Bailu, with her heart set on reporting to Consort Xian, quietly slipped away after Baoying arrived at Wanshou Palace.
Consort Xian was not fond of spectacles, so she had not gone to the Western Gardens to watch the dragon boat race.
Bailu entered the palace through the Xihua Gate and went to Consort Xian's Jiafu Palace to pay her respects. Upon entering the hall, she discovered Xu Lanyue was also present and hurriedly said, "This servant greets Second Miss."
Xu Lanyue gave her a slight nod.
A palace maid brought over a small stool, and Bailu sat down at Consort Xian's feet, skillfully beginning to massage her legs.
Xu Lanyue had taken this opportunity of entering the palace to lodge a complaint against Consort Xian, tearfully accusing Zong Duo of humiliating the Xu family for the sake of his newly wedded Princess Consort.
As Consort Xian listened to her exaggerated accusations, her expression gradually turned cold and stern.
Seeing this, Bailu rejoiced inwardly and quickly pressed the advantage, speaking of how utterly improper Baoying was at the Prince's residence.
"What Second Miss says is absolutely right. The Princess Consort is simply crude and uncouth, with not a shred of respect for rank or order, and she spends all day provoking His Highness's anger. Your Ladyship, you wouldn't know, but His Highness has now issued an explicit order forbidding her from entering Yunhui Hall. This servant witnessed it with her own eyes—His Highness rarely loses his temper, but with her, he has lost his composure on several occasions…"
As Bailu spoke, she stole a glance at Consort Xian and saw that her beautiful eyes were half-closed, and her originally cold expression had actually softened instead.
"So, Shi and Duo'er do not get along well?"
"Y-yes." Bailu, uncertain of Consort Xian's intentions, could only answer truthfully, "His Highness almost never sets foot in the main hall, and when he does occasionally go there, it is only to interrogate the Princess Consort."
"Did you hear that?" Consort Xian opened her phoenix eyes halfway and glanced at Xu Lanyue. "As long as Shi hasn't borne the eldest son, she is no match for you at all. In a year or so, I will petition His Majesty to make you Prince Yan's secondary consort. In the future, when he becomes Crown Prince and then Emperor, I will elevate you further. Her position as Princess Consort is nothing but a hollow title—nothing to worry about."
Xu Lanyue kept her head lowered and said nothing.
Though her aunt had planned everything step by step for her, the thought that she, a distinguished daughter of the Xu family, would have to stoop to serve under that Shi Baoying as a lesser wife made her feel as if she had swallowed a fly.
Bailu saw that the situation was going awry. She had entered the palace to get Her Ladyship to discipline the Princess Consort, so that the Princess Consort would recognize the reality of her situation and henceforth be at Bailu's mercy within Prince Yan's residence.
But judging by the look of things, Her Ladyship did not even regard the Princess Consort as a threat?
She hurriedly said, "Your Ladyship, you must not underestimate the Princess Consort. As the saying goes, 'The King of Hell is easy to see, but the little demons are hard to deal with.' It's not just the Xu family—the Princess Consort doesn't even put Your Ladyship in her eyes! Even His Highness is at his wit's end with her. Even if Second Miss enters the household, I'm afraid there will be no peace."
Consort Xian raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't put me in her eyes—what's this all about?"
Bailu rejoiced inwardly and quickly embellished the story: "The Princess Consort knows full well that the four of us came from Your Ladyship's palace, yet she makes trouble for us at every turn. She even went so far as to say: 'So what if you came from Consort Xian's palace? I was married into this family by imperial decree!' Your Ladyship, just listen—what kind of talk is that?"
Consort Xian's expression gradually darkened.
She was not afraid of Zong Duo and that Shi having a poor relationship. As long as Shi didn't bring shame upon the family in public, whatever havoc she wreaked within the residence was something Consort Xian would gladly watch unfold.
But if she didn't put Consort Xian in her eyes, that was another matter entirely.
Bailu read her expression and pressed the advantage: "Not only that, the Princess Consort has also incited the people of Zhaoming Hall to isolate us. Her goal is to drive the four of us out, so that she can have the final say in Zhaoming Hall and even the entire Prince Yan's residence!"
"Have the final say?" Consort Xian let out a cold laugh and abruptly sat up straight from the couch. "It's time this mother-in-law set some rules for her! Go and summon that Shi for me!"
"Yes!"
Seeing her goal accomplished, Bailu secretly rejoiced and hurriedly withdrew from the room.
Returning to Feixian Pavilion, she searched everywhere but could not find Baoying's trace.
It turned out that Baoying had originally intended to follow Zong Duo's advice and return to Feixian Pavilion, but the corridors in the Western Gardens were so winding that after running about in confusion, she could no longer find her way back.
It was past noon, with the bright sun hanging high overhead. Baoying held a round silk fan over her head, gradually becoming unable to bear the heat.
She was just about to find a palace attendant to guide her when she suddenly heard a soft, feminine voice behind her: "Princess Consort of Yan."
Turning around, she saw a eunuch in his forties, of medium build, wearing a crimson python robe with a blue-field jade belt, smiling with great amiability.
Baoying had only ever seen such luxurious attire on the eunuch called Gao Yan who stood behind the Emperor, which meant the man before her was a high-ranking eunuch at the Son of Heaven's side—someone not to be offended lightly.
She asked cautiously, "How should I address you, Eunuch?"
"Heh, this humble one is Yao Guo, Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial and Head of the Eastern Depot."
Baoying had no idea what that string of titles meant, so she could only force a smile and say, "So you are Eunuch Yao."
"The finals are about to begin up ahead. Why isn't the Princess Consort watching the race, but instead wandering about here?"
Baoying scratched her head, somewhat embarrassed: "I'm lost. Eunuch Yao, do you know the way to Feixian Pavilion?"
"Ha, so that's how it is." Yao Guo said with a genial smile, "It's quite a distance back to Feixian Pavilion, and we might miss the finals, which would be a shame. There happens to be a good viewing spot nearby—how about I take the Princess Consort there?"
Baoying nodded hurriedly. Once Zong Duo won the finals, she wanted to claim her reward from him—she absolutely could not miss this.
Yao Guo waved his hand and ordered a sedan chair to be brought over, carrying her to the Jade River Bridge.
The Jade River Bridge spanned the Taiye Lake, and a colorful awning had been set up along the railings. It was both shaded and offered an open view, allowing one to look down at the race from the front—indeed a fine place to watch.
By this time, many people had already gathered by the bridge, but the palace attendants had been instructed by Yao Guo beforehand to clear the central position.
Yao Guo helped Baoying out of the sedan chair and said with a smile, "Princess Consort, please."
Baoying walked to the railing and looked out over Taiye Lake. The second round had already concluded, and the final race was about to begin.
She raised her eyes and gazed across the vast expanse of water, seeing the six dragon boats that had made it to the finals ready to set off, their banners snapping loudly in the wind.
From left to right, they were: the Ministry of War, the Imperial Brocade Guard, the Divine Mechanism Camp, the Dragon Imperial Guard, the Patrol and Inspection Bureau, and the Court of Judicial Review.
The six dragon boats lined up neatly at the starting point, with each prince standing at the stern of his own boat, tension crackling between them.
The eldest prince, Zong Dian, had been eliminated in the second round—this battle was a contest among the remaining four princes.
The fifth prince, Zong Mao, swept his gaze over the Dragon Imperial Guard's team, and his eyes suddenly froze slightly. Seeing that Liu Jiping, whom he had arranged, was not among the team, he lost his earlier confidence of victory, his fist clenching tightly.
Zong Duo took in his expression at a glance, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.
With a single drumbeat from the starter, the six dragon boats shot toward the finish line like arrows from a bow.
They had barely covered a short distance when Zong Duo, commanding from the stern, noticed the neighboring boat veering off course, heading straight toward them.
That was the Patrol and Inspection Bureau, led by the fourth prince, Zong Kai. It seemed this was his elder brother Zong Yue's plan: to sacrifice Zong Kai in order to check Zong Duo.
Fortunately, the Dragon Imperial Guard was prepared. A swift swerve avoided the Patrol and Inspection Bureau's charge, instead throwing the latter into disarray as its stern collided with Zong Mao's boat on the other side.
Chaos erupted suddenly. Zong Duo's Dragon Imperial Guard and Zong Yue's Imperial Brocade Guard quickly pulled away from the other teams, entering a white-hot pursuit.
As the race passed the halfway mark, the six boats gradually spread out in ranking.
At the front, locked in a battle for first place, were the Dragon Imperial Guard and the Imperial Brocade Guard, with Zong Mao's Divine Mechanism Camp close behind. Zong Kai's team lagged at the rear, already effectively eliminated.
As the two leading teams chased each other in a deadlock, a Dragon Imperial Guard banner suddenly unfurled on the Jade River Bridge ahead—a black banner with golden patterns, glinting in the sunlight.
A young woman in red stood at the bridge's edge, waving the banner with one hand while cupping the other around her mouth to shout: "Dragon Imperial Guard!"
It turned out that Baoying had taken a guard banner from the Dragon Imperial Guard's camp earlier, planning to cheer them on at the critical moment.
Her enthusiasm infected the crowd watching by the bridge, and everyone began cheering for the Dragon Imperial Guard.
"It's the Princess Consort!"
Someone in the Dragon Imperial Guard's team recognized Baoying, and morale surged instantly. With the crowd's united cheers spurring them on, they pulled half a boat-length ahead of the Imperial Brocade Guard in the blink of an eye.
Zong Yue followed the sound and looked up. It was mid-afternoon, the sunlight bright and clear, and the young woman in red by the bridge was radiant, stunningly beautiful. For a moment, he found himself staring, his movements slowing—and in that instant, the Dragon Imperial Guard pulled a full boat-length ahead.
With less than half a li to the finish, that gap meant the Imperial Brocade Guard had virtually no chance of catching up.
Seeing the Dragon Imperial Guard's boat about to pass under the Jade River Bridge, Zong Yue cursed under his breath in frustration.
But the very next moment, an unexpected accident occurred—
The stone railing by the Jade River Bridge suddenly gave way. With so many people crowded along the bridge to watch, the moment the railing broke, those at the outermost edge tumbled into Taiye Lake like dumplings being dropped into a pot.
As luck would have it, the broken railing was exactly where Baoying stood. She was the first to fall off the bridge, that striking flash of red fluttering through the air before landing with a "plunk," splashing water across the lake's surface.
Zong Duo's pupils suddenly contracted. Without a moment's thought, he abandoned the boat and dove into the water to retrieve her.
The stern of the dragon boat suddenly lost its weight, slowing dramatically, and the Imperial Brocade Guard behind quickly surged ahead. Yet as they passed under the Jade River Bridge, two more people fell from above, crashing directly onto the Imperial Brocade Guard's boat and capsizing it.
Zong Mao's Divine Mechanism Camp shot ahead, leaving everyone in the dust.
Baoying couldn't swim. Plunging into the water suddenly, she was seized by terror, thrashing desperately to grab hold of something. But Taiye Lake was several feet deep, and the water weeds were regularly cleared—what was there for her to grab?
All her thrashing did was make her swallow several more mouthfuls of water, until gradually she lost the strength to struggle.
As her consciousness sank, Baoying felt her body sinking too, sinking down into the fathomless depths below.
Suddenly, someone caught her around the waist, halting her descent.
A person who has fallen into water is already extremely uneasy, and moreover her consciousness was scattered—she instinctively clutched and clung to the person, terrified that he would abandon her.
Dragged down a few inches by her grip, the man exerted his strength and forcibly lifted her above the water's surface.
Baoying only felt glimmering light shining on her face, and it seemed that many clamorous voices had gathered around her.
Immediately after, her chest was heavily pressed several times.
Pain, it hurt so much!
Her head lolled to the side, and she spat out several mouthfuls of water.
A slender hand pinched her cheeks, turning her head back upright.
Then a shadow seemed to fall before Baoying's eyes. Before she could register what it was, her lips were covered by two soft things.
What was it? Soft, gentle, moist, and scorching hot. Along with fresh air being breathed into her.
Baoying felt her mind clear somewhat, but soon, that softness left her, and the fresh air was gone too.
She let out an anxious whimper, but fortunately, that softness quickly covered her again, slowly breathing air into her.
Afraid it would leave again, Baoying hurriedly pursed her lips and sucked on it.
Unfortunately, her strength was weak, and she couldn't hold it.
But soon, it pressed against her again, as if it too was reluctant to part from her.
Cool, fresh air slowly filled her lungs, and the suffocating sensation gradually dissipated. Baoying coughed softly, and her consciousness slowly returned.
Slowly opening her eyes, before she even realized where she was, she saw a man leaning over, kissing her mouth!
Baoying was startled out of her wits, and her teeth clamped down, biting his lip.
"Mmph…"
The man let out a low grunt, his thick, long straight brows slightly furrowing as he lifted his wet lashes to look at her.
Uh… this handsome man seemed to be her husband.
Baoying was fully awake now, and quickly released her teeth.
Zong Duo raised his face, his lip broken by her bite, seeping bright red blood, which actually lent him a lush, vivid beauty.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Baoying felt that his cheeks were also tinged with a faint blush.
She struggled to sit up, and asked in embarrassment and confusion, "Why did you sneak a kiss from me?"
"You fell into the water and were suffocating. I was breathing air into you."
Zong Duo turned his head away and wiped the water from his face, his expression looking somewhat unpleasant.
Baoying looked around and saw palace attendants holding up large folding fans all around, enclosing her and Zong Duo within.
Bright sunlight shone down, yet she felt cold all over. Her summer clothes clung wetly to her skin, very uncomfortable.
Seeing her bewildered expression, Zong Duo asked again, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Baoying felt terrible all over, but couldn't say where exactly it hurt, so she could only shake her head.
Zong Duo untied his belt, took off his soaking wet outer robe, wrapped it around his wrist, and wrung the water out of it.
Baoying stared up at him in a daze—so it was he who had jumped into the water to save her.
But wasn't he in the middle of a competition? What had been the result? Why had she fallen into the water?
Her head was buzzing, so many questions surging up, but the moment her eyes landed on him, she immediately forgot how to think.
It was the height of summer in the fifth month, and he wore only a white silk inner garment. Soaked through, it clung tightly to his body, his firm, taut chest muscles faintly visible beneath the thin, translucent fabric, with two small red points vaguely showing through.
Baoying was stunned speechless.
Zong Duo shook out the wrung outer robe and draped it over her head, wrapping her up completely in the voluminous garment until only her head poked out.
Then, he scooped her up horizontally in his arms, broke through the wall of people, and headed toward the nearest Chengguang Hall.
Baoying curled up in his solid arms, and suddenly felt very secure.
She remembered that when she was six or seven, her father had refused to carry her anymore, saying she was a chubby little girl he could no longer lift, which had made Baoying cry secretly for a long time.
But she wasn't heavy at all!
Zong Duo carried her with such ease!
Baoying reached out both arms to loop around his neck, and took the opportunity to bury her face into his broad, full chest.