Chapter 44 Something Happened

The banquet was difficult for Chen Yi, but not for other noble ladies.

Eating, drinking, and having fun. Beautiful clothes and exquisite jewelry all have their place. You can also chat with friends about your thoughts and gossip. How can it be boring?

When they were almost done eating, Tang Wei suggested with a smile, "Princess, didn't one of the sika deer in the bamboo garden just give birth to a fawn? Take us to see it."

The young princess Qi Qiong frowned subconsciously.

She and her second brother were twins, a boy and a girl. Today was her birthday, and also her second brother's birthday. She hosted a banquet for the ladies in the Jade Garden, while her second brother entertained the young masters in the Bamboo Garden.

The Jade Garden and Bamboo Garden of the palace were separated by a long wall, with a moon-shaped gate leading through. Going to the Bamboo Garden was convenient for viewing the deer, but there was a risk of running into people from my second brother's group.

The people of the Great Zhou Dynasty were open-minded, and it was not unusual for young men and women to travel together. However, in his own home, Qi Qiong naturally preferred to keep things to himself.

Tang Wei's proposal undoubtedly aroused the interest of the girls.

"A newborn fawn? That must be adorable."

"I also want to raise a few fawns, but my mother won't allow it."

Tang Wei took Qi Qiong's hand and said, "Princess, take us to have a look."

Seeing the anticipation in the girls' eyes, Qi Qiong smiled and said, "Then everyone, follow me."

The ladies were delighted and walked towards the bamboo garden with Qi Qiong.

Lin Hao was eating bayberries when he was pulled up by Lin Chan.

"Sister, you don't have to go."

It’s better to go home and see Lin Xiaohua than to see the little deer.

Lin Chan glanced at her sister and said, "Everyone has left. It's pointless for us to stay. Let's go."

Watching deer may not be fun, but in situations like this, it is safest to follow the crowd.

Chen Yi, who was sitting motionless, was also pulled up by her two friends. In the blink of an eye, the bustling Yu Garden became deserted, with only the maids in green clothes silently cleaning up the mess on the table.

After passing through a moon-shaped gate, you will reach the bamboo garden.

The Bamboo Garden is much larger than the Jade Garden. Looking around, you can see bamboo forests in patches, and faint sounds of talking and laughing can be heard.

Qi Qiong led the women onto a bluestone path through the forest. Once they emerged from the bamboo grove, they came to a large artificial lake. Lush grass grew by the lake, and a few free-range sika deer strolled leisurely about.

"Look, it's over there." A noble lady pointed in a direction in surprise.

A fawn followed closely beside its mother deer, and when it saw people approaching, it shyly hid behind.

"The fawn can be shy."

"Princess, can you feed it?"

Qi Qiong smiled and shook her head: "The fawn is only a few days old and is still drinking breast milk. It can feed the adult deer."

Then a noble lady picked leaves to feed the deer.

Qi Qiong watched with a smile, waiting for the girls to lose interest and return to Yu Garden.

Tang Wei quickly lost interest and dragged Qi Qiong towards the lake: "Let's take a walk. We just ate too much."

Qi Qiong lowered his eyes and responded, hiding the sneer in his eyes.

She knew that Tang Wei's real intention was not to visit the deer, but to see the little deer. She was really looking forward to meeting her elder and second brothers.

The reason why both brothers were mentioned was because Qi Qiong was also confused about which one Tang Wei liked.

Earlier, Miss Lin II climbed over the wall and fell in front of her eldest brother. Tang Wei was very displeased with Miss Lin II when she mentioned her. Just now, she heard her say that her second brother was taking her cousin to Beijing, and she was not in a good mood towards her cousin.

It's so confusing that he is jealous of the girls who have relationships with his two brothers.

Could it be that both brothers like it?

Thinking of this possibility, Qi Qiong's face changed slightly, and his disdain for Tang Wei almost showed.

Seeing that they were about to reach the other side of the lake, Qi Qiong decisively turned around and said, "Let's go back. It's tiring to walk too far."

She thought Tang Wei would find reasons to object, but unexpectedly Tang Wei smiled and said yes.

"Princess, let's go on a boat trip to Moyou Lake in a few days."

"good."

The two of them walked back chatting and laughing, and cousin Sun Xiuhua followed silently behind.

Tang Wei suddenly turned around to look at Sun Xiuhua and said calmly, "Why is Miss Sun following behind? If you don't know, you might think she's just a little maid."

Sun Xiuhua looked embarrassed, but didn't dare to say anything.

She realized that even her precious cousin was so tolerant of Miss Tang, so how could she have the confidence to confront her?

Sun Xiuhua took a few steps forward silently.

Beside a weeping willow by the lake, Lin Chan finally had the chance to ask Lin Hao, "When did Second Sister start seeing Miss Chen?"

Lin Hao played with the willow branches and glanced in the direction of Chen Yi. "The other day, I had a small misunderstanding with Miss Chen on the street. I just went to explain it to her."

"I see." Lin Chan smiled, "No wonder you two spent so much time chatting beside the roses."

"Don't worry, big sister. I know how to deal with people."

As the two sisters were talking, they suddenly heard several screams.

"Oh no! Someone fell into the water!"

Lin Hao looked over when he heard the sound and saw that there were already a lot of people gathered there, and a pink figure was struggling in the lake.

Lin Hao and Lin Chan looked at each other and walked over.

"Who is it?" many noble ladies asked.

Qi Qiong was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead: "Someone come and rescue my cousin!"

The person who fell into the water was actually Sun Xiuhua.

The maid who heard the noise hurried to call for help.

The people present looked at the people floating in the water, feeling anxious and helpless.

These girls who were born and raised in the capital, including the maids in the palace, do not know how to swim.

In desperation, the women could only shout, "Hurry up, Miss Sun has fallen into the water!"

People who fall into the water should shout clearly to avoid getting hurt themselves.

"Help... Help..." Sun Xiuhua shouted, the water covering her head.

Qi Qiong stamped her feet anxiously, leaning forward and trying to reach out: "Cousin, hold my hand!"

Sun Xiuhua paddled around with her hands in vain, but ended up moving further away from the lake.

"Why hasn't anyone come yet?" Qi Qiong's face turned pale and he was extremely anxious.

My cousin has just arrived in Beijing. It would be a lie to say that we have a deep sisterly love, but if she drowned in front of me, I would not be able to live with it, both to my mother and to my conscience.

Qi Qiong was about to cry in anxiety, but she could only watch Sun Xiuhua getting farther and farther away from the lake.

"It's sinking, it's sinking!"

The girls shouted, and the timid ones covered their faces and dared not look anymore.

It seems that Miss Sun will not be able to wait for someone who knows how to swim to come and rescue her.

Lin Hao also confirmed this, sighed in his heart, quickly took off the hairpins and rings he was wearing and stuffed them into Lin Chan's hands.

"Second sister, what are you going to do——"

Before Lin Chan could finish her words, Lin Hao pushed away the noble ladies surrounding her and jumped down.

The lady who was covering her face heard the sound of someone falling into the water and subconsciously let go of her hand, and saw another person in the lake.

Several screams rose to the sky: "Oh no! Miss Lin Er has also fallen into the lake!"

"Second sister!" Lin Chan immediately lost her mind and rushed into the lake.

A noble lady nearby hugged her and said, "Ms. Lin, don't be impulsive!"

"Let go, I want to pull my sister up!" Lin Chan cried and pushed away the person who stopped her.

"But Miss Lin Er seems to be able to swim..."

Lin Chan stopped crying and stared blankly at the figure swimming towards Sun Xiuhua nimbly.

Before the girls could recover from the shock of Miss Lin Er's ability to swim, they heard Qi Qiong's voice change, "Brother!"

On the other side of the lake, Prince Jing hurried over and dived into the water.