Overwhelmed with shame, Wei Yun stammered twice before managing to squeeze out a sound from her throat:

"...Thank you."

With so many people watching, only Shen Tangning was willing to lend her a helping hand, barely managing to save her some dignity and prevent her from being too embarrassed.

And how ironic that she had originally intended to scheme against the other party's younger brother!

She lowered her head and therefore did not see Shen Tangning's suddenly cold gaze.

Shen Tangning stood up and looked down at her. Being exposed to the cold wind for a while was nothing to Wei Yun. How could such punishment be enough?

The emotion in her eyes faded, and she frowned slightly. She said to the nanny beside her, "Miss Wei has fallen into the water. In this cold weather, she may catch a chill. Nanny, why don't you take her to the warm pavilion and ask a royal physician to take a look?"

The other person glanced at her, nodded, and had someone help Wei Yun up: "Miss Wei, please come with me."

Under the sympathetic gazes of the crowd, Wei Yun was helped away, looking utterly dejected.

After she walked away, everyone sighed, "How could she have fallen into the water out of nowhere? The water must have been freezing cold in that pool!"

"Oh dear, getting cold is a minor matter. So many people saw what happened just now. At best, it's an accidental fall into the water; at worst, it's a breach of etiquette before the Emperor! Poor Lady Wei, she was hoping to bring her illegitimate daughter to the palace to broaden her horizons before marriage proposals, but who would have thought..."

"As expected of the Second Young Mistress Chi, who comes from a prestigious family, look at her composure in the face of danger. No wonder she is the Empress's niece!"

...

The imperial physician was summoned, which alarmed even the Emperor, and news of Wei Yun's affair quickly spread throughout the entire palace.

Despite the sympathetic and pitying gazes of the other ladies, Madam Wei had to force herself to remain calm.

In her heart, she hated this concubine's daughter to the core. She had turned such a mess into a palace banquet, making herself a laughing stock and damaging her own reputation. She was also going to implicate the other unmarried daughters of the Wei family. She was truly despicable!

If she can get married smoothly, that's fine; if not, she'll be in for a world of trouble!

——

The onlookers gradually dispersed.

Having given away her cloak, Shen Tangning felt a chill in her air. Then, a warmth spread across her shoulders, and she turned around in surprise, only to meet Chi Yan's uneasy gaze.

Shen Tangning subconsciously looked up and saw Shen Ci standing behind him, looking guilty. He shamelessly called out, "Sister."

She forced a smile and straightened up: "Don't you have anything to say to me?"

Xueqing cleared her throat behind her and quickly winked at Shen Ci.

Shen Ci raised both hands and quickly explained, "Sister, I didn't cause any trouble! I remember everything you said!"

...

"Oh no! Someone has fallen into the water!"

After saying this, Shen Ci turned around to take action.

Chi Yan grabbed him and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Help! Someone's fallen into the water!" Xiao Yu exclaimed for him, his eyes wide with anxiety. "Didn't you hear? Someone fell into the water!"

Shen Ci rolled her eyes at him: "Of course we should find someone to rescue them. In this freezing weather, do you expect me to go down and fish them out myself?"

Chi Yan and Xiao Yu were both taken aback.

Shen Ci curled his lip: "My body is very precious. If anything happens to me, my sister will be heartbroken!"

After saying that, Shen Ci ran off to look for the person nearby.

He originally intended to go down and rescue them himself, but Shen Tangning's words suddenly flashed through his mind. She had reminded him several times that he was impulsive and should think twice before acting.

My sister cares about me so much, how heartbroken she would be if something happened to him?

Therefore, he cannot take any risks, even if there is only the slightest possibility.

As luck would have it, Shen Ci hadn't gone far when he ran into Xue Qing, who was rushing over with several palace maids and nannies. Xue Qing breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him.