Chapter 10 The former Song Huiyin was truly dazzling...

Having made up her mind, Huiyin agreed without hesitation. The two of them stepped into the stone pavilion one after the other, while He Jiaying chased them away from the stone path with their maids.

Huiyin approached the railing and looked around. This place was quite far from the shore. It was springtime again, and the lotus lake was covered with withered branches and leaves, with algae and silt floating on the surface. She deliberately walked alongside He Jiaying to avoid her making a sudden move.

Today she wore an indigo-blue narrow-sleeved straight-hemmed robe with a petticoat, which was much more convenient than the tight-fitting curved-hemmed robe worn by He Jiaying. There was a breeze on the lake, and the two people in the pavilion, dressed in light clothing, leaned against the stone pillar with their backs to each other.

He Jia spoke first, her voice filled with nostalgia: "I used to envy you so much. You were born into a noble family, and you were exceptionally talented and beautiful. You could easily attract attention wherever you went. Back then, I thought, how wonderful it would be if I could become like you someday."

She first met Song Huiyin in the dead of winter in the third year of Yuanshuo, the second year after she was taken to the Pei family. The old scars on her body had faded, and her thin cheeks had become plump. Madam Pei spent two years teaching her etiquette and manners, finally making her look like a human being.

On the occasion of the wedding of the heir of the Marquis of Liu, she accompanied her aunt to the banquet at the Marquis of Liu's residence, dressed in fine clothes and enjoying the elegant banquet with wine cups floating on a winding stream.

She was extremely self-conscious and didn't dare to look up the whole way. She shrank behind her aunt, timid and hesitant, afraid of seeing the contempt in other people's eyes.

It wasn't until she heard the sound of a zither that she curiously peeked out. The guests who had come to witness the ceremony were gathered around a makeshift wooden curtain, inside which sat a young girl wearing a white fox fur coat, with her hair in two buns, her eyebrows and eyes innocent, and her smile sweet.

The twenty-five-stringed zither played a clear, resonant tune, while a handsome young man in a deep-colored robe knelt beside him, playing a seven-stringed zither in duet.

It is pleasant to the ear and captivating.

She overheard the hushed whispers around her and the praises from the noble ladies beside her aunt, and learned that the young lady was Song Huiyin, the daughter of the Duke of Song. It was said that she had an exceptional talent for music, able to play heavenly melodies at a young age, and was also exceptionally beautiful, praised by everyone.

She was extremely envious, her eyes shining as she looked at the little girl, secretly thinking how wonderful it would be if she could be like her someday, even if she was only a tenth of her.

He Jiaying had always known that her cousin wouldn't belong to her alone. She had considered many other women, including her cousin's fiancée Liu Tan, as potential rivals. But she never imagined Song Huiyin would be one of them; she simply couldn't compete with her.

She didn't even need to say or do anything; just standing there was enough to attract everyone's attention. The former Song Huiyin was truly dazzling, so dazzling that even when she fell into the mire, He Jiaying still had no chance of winning.

"Why you! Are you trying to steal everything from me! There are so many noble families in the capital, why did you have to choose the Pei family!" He Jiaying turned around angrily, tightly gripping Huiyin's arm with both hands, her expression crazed.

Huiyin's thoughts were thrown into disarray by the frantic shaking. She was slammed against a stone pillar, the cold, hard touch climbing up her back along her dress.

Huiyin struggled to restrain her, somewhat puzzled. In He Jiaying's eyes, there was not the jealousy of her beloved being taken away, but a kind of fear. What was she afraid of?

“He Jiaying, wake up! Even if it weren’t for me, it would be someone else. If Pei Yu liked you, why wait until today? Why are you so fixated on him?”

Whether He Jiaying listened or not, she grabbed Huiyin and pulled at her, her eyes filled with malice: "You're here to take everything from me. You want to kick me out of the Pei family, don't you? You want to make my aunt and cousin despise me, don't you?"

Huiyin was at a loss for words. She explained again, "I won't fight you for it, and I don't have the ability to make Madam Pei and Pei Yu drive you away."

She's too busy keeping a low profile to cause trouble, especially since He Jiaying is Madam Pei's darling. She really doesn't understand why He Jiaying is so afraid.

"You're lying!" Tears welled up in He Jiaying's eyes as she continued to press Huiyin closer, pushing her entire upper body over the railing and leaving her suspended in the air.

The two were very close. Yan Niang saw them leaning against a stone pillar, tugging and entangled in each other. Huiyin was pressed tightly against the railing, her body swaying and about to fall into the water. She was anxious and wanted to go forward to help, but she was surrounded by He Jiaying's four maids, who wouldn't allow her to move forward.

Huiyin's body was suspended in mid-air, her feet slowly leaving the ground. The stench of the mud and the earthy smell of the lake were already overwhelming her. In the cold spring season, falling in would be half-dead, if not fatal.

Her expression turned completely cold as she stared at the woman before her, who had descended into madness, and fought back with all her might. She had thought it would take a lot of effort to push He Jiaying away, but to her surprise, He Jiaying was unsteady on her feet and easily pushed her away with a single effort.

He Jiaying used the momentum to retreat directly to the opposite railing, looking smug, and shouted loudly: "Song Huiyin, I just wanted to comfort you, why did you attack me!"

Huiyin looked up and saw He Jiaying hanging halfway over the railing, her crimson dress swaying back and forth in front of her like a flower bud being battered by a storm. She was still shouting at the figure in the distance, "Song Huiyin, why did you push me into the water!"

The maidservant guarding the distance was terrified at the sight and ran towards the pavilion, lifting her skirt as fast as she could. In a flash, He Jiaying gave Huiyin a strange smile, then let go and plunged into the lake.

The shouts filled the back garden, and Huiyin's mind went blank for a moment. With that "plop," everything became clear. He Jiaying never intended to push her into the water from the beginning. Her purpose was to make everyone think that Huiyin had pushed her into the water and that she wanted to harm her.

Pei Yu had just left the manor when the incident of her pushing He Jiaying into the water occurred. Given how much Madam Pei valued He Jiaying, she would definitely not let her off the hook. At best, she would be expelled from the Pei manor; at worst, she would be handed over to the Court of Justice.

What she didn't expect was that He Jiaying would use her own life as bait. Even if she was rescued after falling into the water, the icy cold lake water would make her sick.

Medicine is not advanced at present, and people believe more in witch doctors. Whenever there is a serious illness that is difficult to cure, they will invite witch doctors to exorcise evil spirits. As for life and death, that is left to fate.

From the shore came Madam Pei's panicked cries: "Jiaying! My Jiaying, are you all dead?! Hurry down and save her!"

Huiyin's stiff arms warmed up from fright, and she stumbled to where He Jiaying had fallen into the water. He Jiaying couldn't swim and had been splashing around in the water for a while, splashing water onto Huiyin's face and making her shudder.

He Jiaying thrashed about in the water, repeatedly shouting, "Help...help..."

"Glug glug," she choked on several mouthfuls of water, her whole body sinking downwards, leaving only her crimson blouse floating on the lake's surface. Just as He Jiaying was about to sink to the bottom of the lake, a familiar maid in a brown cloth dress rushed over, lifting her skirt, her collar shimmering with tiny golden light.

Before Huiyin could even see what it was, the maid had already reached the railing and was about to jump in to save He Jiaying. Huiyin's mind raced as she looked at He Jiaying struggling in the water and at Madam Pei screaming in anguish on the distant shore.

Just as the maid stepped over the railing, she reached out and pushed her back into the pavilion, shouting, "Cousin, don't be afraid, I'm here to save you."

Huiyin gracefully stepped onto the railing and leaped into the water, landing squarely on He Jiaying, who was struggling to surface, slamming her deep into the water.

Madam Pei and the others, who were watching from a distance, were terrified. One person had already fallen, and now another had jumped down.

For a moment, chaos erupted on the shore under Madam Pei's command. Fortunately, the legendary Tao Ao arrived just in time and calmly directed the operation, with some people going into the water and others retrieving the items.

Her body felt frozen stiff, making it difficult to even stretch. A dense, tingling pain emanated from her bones. Huiyin trembled as she exhaled a breath of cold air, lay on the surface of the water, took a deep breath, plunged into the water, and grabbed He Jiaying's waist to float upwards. He Jiaying was already delirious, her hands flailing wildly over Huiyin's body, her legs still kicking incessantly.

Huiyin was caught off guard and was pulled into the water again. The icy lake water went over her forehead, and she choked twice with the muddy taste of the lake water, which exploded in her stomach.

She was instantly enraged, combining old and new grudges, and slashed He Jiaying hard in the waist, taking advantage of her pain to lift her up.

She grabbed the salvage net thrown from the shore, wrapped He Jiaying in it, and swam forward. Huiyin was an excellent swimmer, but in such an environment, carrying the heavy He Jiaying, her fingers froze and she couldn't hold on to her several times. She gritted her teeth and finally brought her to the shore.

Fortunately, there were many people on the shore, and they quickly pulled the two of them ashore. He Jiaying was unconscious, her face and body were covered with seaweed, her lips were purple, and her body was convulsing uncontrollably.

Madam Pei and her men surrounded her, embracing her head and wailing. Huiyin collapsed to the side, exhausted, curled up to ward off the cold, and no one paid her any attention. She raised her hand to remove the algae covering her face, crawled on the ground, coughed, and spat out a mouthful of dirty water.

Yan Niang finally managed to squeeze into the crowd, and with a pained expression, she helped Huiyin up, draped an outer coat over her, and held her tightly in her arms, her heart filled with resentment.

Her wife risked her own life to save the reckless He Jiaying, while no one cared about Huiyin's life or death, not even putting a piece of clothing on her.

Huiyin coughed for a while and felt better. When the cold wind blew, her mind went blank and she couldn't tell where she was. Her body was frozen and she couldn't even stretch her legs. She weakly fell into Yan Niang's arms, her lips turning blue from the cold.

Madam Pei's cries and the maids' frantic chatter still echoed in her ears, making her head feel like it was going to explode. But she was also becoming more clear-headed, and Huiyin shouted in a hoarse voice, "Don't surround her, lay her flat!"

Her voice was drowned out by Madam Pei's wailing, and no one heard it. Huiyin looked anxious; if He Jiaying died here, not only would she be unable to leave the Pei residence, but even Yan Niang beside her would be unable to escape.

She cannot and will never allow this to happen. She has so many things to do; she cannot die here, or at the hands of He Jiaying.

"If Your Majesty wishes for her to drown, then continue to wail." Tao Ao's chilling voice rang out, and Madam Pei was struck on the head as if by a blow to the head, abruptly falling silent. She held the unconscious He Jiaying, pressing her lips tightly together.

Tao Ao remained expressionless, the wrinkles between her brows becoming even more pronounced. With a stern face, she continued to shout, "Everyone, disperse! Don't surround her!"

Then, pointing to the bewildered maid beside him, he gave her instructions one by one: "Go boil water and make ginger soup, go prepare the sedan chair, and go prepare warm clothes."

"Aunt Qiao, take the Queen's token and go to summon the Imperial Physician."

She spoke very quickly, and in a short time, she had arranged everything in an orderly manner. Pointing at Madam Pei, she said sternly, "Lay the person flat, don't hold her."

Madam Pei carefully lowered He Jiaying's head, took two steps to the side, and looked at Tao Ao hopefully. Tao Ao, however, looked up at Huiyin.

Huiyin understood her meaning. She helped Yanniang to her feet with difficulty and staggered to He Jiaying's side. She was clearly close to death; her pulse was undetectable.

Huiyin leaned close to He Jiaying's chest, listening intently. The sound was faint, but still pulsating. She pried open He Jiaying's mouth, cleared the algae from it, and tilted her head back slightly.

He then knelt beside He Jiaying, pressing his hands together against her chest. He Jiaying remained motionless, like a wooden doll, letting him move her as he pleased.

Seeing He Jiaying's desperate attempt to save her, her maid Shuying immediately knelt before Madam Pei and pleaded, "Your Majesty, you can't believe her! I've never seen anyone save someone from drowning in this way before. She pushed the young lady into the water just now, so how could she be trying to save her out of kindness? She must be trying to harm the young lady!"

Huiyin did not argue; all her attention was on He Jiaying's face, observing her subtle expression.

Yan Niang couldn't stand it any longer. She shoved Shu Ying, who was complaining, aside and angrily said, "Then you are ignorant! My wife used this method to save a girl from our family who had fallen into the water three years ago! Besides, you weren't there when she fell into the water, so how do you know that my wife pushed her? If she had pushed her, why did she risk her life to jump in and save her? She saved her and didn't receive a single word of thanks from you, but instead, she was falsely accused!"

Shuying didn't know how to reply, so she just knelt at Madam Pei's feet and kept crying. Madam Pei couldn't make up her mind, so she turned her gaze to Aunt Tao and waited for her to make a decision.

Tao sighed helplessly. No wonder Empress Pei was worried about the internal affairs of the Pei family and specially sent her to assist. It was just that Madam Pei was so pampered that she couldn't manage anything.

Tao Ao's gaze fell on Huiyin's tightly pursed lips and Yan Niang's indignant face. She said, "No matter what, the most urgent thing is to save people. I have already sent someone to invite the Imperial Physician. Now we can only see if Song Niangzi's method can save people."

Huiyin pressed for a while, but gradually her strength waned. He Jiaying still showed no signs of improvement, her body was ice-cold, and Huiyin's heart sank to the bottom. She gritted her teeth and continued to exert force, determined to save He Jiaying.

The disadvantage of not exercising regularly became apparent at this moment. Huiyin's palms ached, and her numb body began to sweat. She was completely exhausted, so she pulled Yanniang over and asked her to perform the same acupressure as she had done earlier.

She knelt beside He Jiaying, cradled her head, leaned down, and kissed her purplish lips, blowing hard on them. The previously whispering scene instantly fell silent; even Shuying, who was kneeling and weeping beside her, stopped making a sound, in disbelief.

They stared in disbelief at Huiyin's actions. What had they just witnessed? Before they could ponder it further, Huiyin lowered her head again and continued to look down.

Madam Pei's mind snapped, her face turning ashen. She saw her son's concubine kissing his cousin.

Even the usually composed Tao Ao was now somewhat unsteady on her feet. This matter was truly shocking and scandalous. If word got out, it would likely become the most talked-about romantic tale in Chang'an. She dared not even imagine what Pei Yu's expression would be at that moment.

After much deliberation and with the tireless efforts of Huiyin and Yanniang, He Jiaying finally made a move. She raised her head and coughed up a spray of water, which landed on Huiyin's face.

He Jiaying felt a dull pain in her chest, as if she were in an ice cellar, with countless needles pricking her skin, making it hard for her to breathe.

She slightly opened her eyes, her vision unfocused, and could only see a beautiful face with disheveled hair reflected in front of her. She couldn't help but murmur, "Fairy."

Huiyin wiped the water splashed on her cheeks with disgust. Hearing He Jiaying's murmurs, she suspected that He Jiaying was still not clear-headed, so she waved her hand in front of her eyes, "He Jiaying! He Jiaying!"

She saw that He Jiaying's eyes hadn't moved an inch, and she was just staring blankly at her muttering about fairies. Huiyin frowned, raised her hand and patted her cheek, and asked, "Do you still remember me?"

He Jiaying remained silent.

Huiyin slapped her hard, hitting her face left and right. The pain spread across He Jiaying's face, and she instantly became more clear-headed, recognizing the figure in front of her. "Song Huiyin!"

Seeing that she had regained her senses, Huiyin squatted down to the side, exhausted. Madam Pei stepped forward and pushed her aside, then hugged the awakened He Jiaying and said with heartache, "Jiaying, where does it hurt? Tell your aunt."

Seeing Madam Pei's anxious face, He Jiaying sobbed and threw herself into her arms, crying, "Aunt!"

Huiyin sat on the ground, rubbing her aching arms. Her soaked clothes made it hard for her to breathe, and she felt cold, so cold that she couldn't speak. She felt a burning sensation on her forehead, and, unable to catch her breath, she vaguely thought that she was going to get sick again.

Noticing her discomfort, Tao Ao instructed the maids who were already waiting to help Huiyin back to her room to rest. On the second floor of the Linshui Pavilion, Huiyin was soaking in a hot bath, enveloped in the bitter smell of Chinese medicine.

These are the medicinal herbs that Tao Ao sent over earlier; they can effectively prevent typhoid fever. Yan Niang knelt beside the bathtub, massaging Huiyin's arm to relieve the pain.

Huiyin gazed at her reflection in the water, lost in thought. When her father was still alive, he had overseen the construction of the Tianlu Academy. Nowadays, many people were ashamed of women studying, but her father was different.

On the contrary, he often encouraged Huiyin to read widely. As a result, Huiyin spent a long time studying in the library and became knowledgeable about many things, both ancient and modern. The method of saving people from drowning was something she learned from ancient books.

After soaking in the medicinal bath, Huiyi felt all her discomfort subside, except for a slightly hoarse throat. With her half-dry hair draped over her sides, she knelt between two charcoal braziers, her cheeks flushed red from the heat, surrounded by wisps of smoke, and frowned uncomfortably.

Footsteps came from the stairs, and Asang knelt on the carpet outside the house to respectfully deliver the message: "Madam, someone from Zhengyang Courtyard just came to say that Miss He has woken up and the Lady summons you for questioning."

Yan Niang said irritably, "My lady also fell into the water, and we haven't even had any ginger soup yet. We're not even allowed to rest."

Asang knelt on the spot, looking rather awkward, unsure of how to respond. Yan Niang only grumbled a few words of resentment before waving for Asang to go and wait. Yan Niang was about to help Huiyin gather her loose hair and draw her eyebrows when Huiyin stopped her.

Huiyin replaced the inky black powder with fine powder and applied it evenly to her face. The person in the mirror looked pale, even her lips were not colored. She was as cold and clear as the moonlight. She chose a flowing straight-hemmed dress, which made her look even more slender. Her movements were like a willow swaying in the wind, making her look pitiful.

The honey trap works on both men and women.