Some guards who could swim went into the water and saw that the magpie was carrying Princess Zhaoping to the surface, so they went to help.

Princess Zhaoping coughed up several mouthfuls of water, her eyes red as she roared, "Who dares to come any closer!"

Only then did the guards remember the strict separation between men and women.

Those on the shore, seeing this, couldn't help but praise it:

"As expected of someone personally trained by the Empress Dowager, even at a time like this, she still remembers to preserve her reputation and manners."

"Yes, she is truly a virtuous and chaste woman, a model for women in their boudoirs."

"A girl raised by the Empress Dowager herself, there's no doubt about her. It's really too much for that bandit to lay a hand on such a good girl."

The magpie was furious and wanted to throw the green tea lotus flower back into the water!

She jumped into the lake by her own stupidity, so why is everyone criticizing her young lady?

But before she went into the water, the young lady had used a secret telepathic technique to whisper in her ear that she must not let this woman die.

This is just too frustrating!

Enraged, Xique roughly grabbed Princess Zhaoping by the back of her clothes, pretending to be exhausted, and dragged her into the water several times, nearly suffocating her. Only then did he drag her, who was like a dead dog, to the shore.

At this moment, Shang Xiye and Wuhen also arrived after hearing the news.

Seeing the magpie soaking in the water, but not a trace of the little bandit on the shore, his heart tightened: "Magnolia, where is the princess!"

"Miss, Miss was just rescuing people in the water with me..." Magpie turned around and looked at the lake. Apart from the guards who were coming ashore, there was no one else in sight. She panicked immediately: "Miss is still in the water and hasn't come up yet!"

What? The bandits haven't come up yet?

How much time has passed? Could she have drowned?!

"Look what that is! Isn't it blood?" a sharp-eyed guard shouted, pointing to the lake not far from the shore.

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed, and saw many bubbles rising from the lake surface. Along with the bubbles came large patches of bright red blood, indicating that someone was losing a lot of blood underwater.

"princess!"

"Miss!"

Shang Xiye's heart tightened and he murmured. Amidst the cries of Xique, who was about to cry, he suddenly stood up and quickly plunged into the lake. Like an arrow drawn from its sheath, he swiftly reached Ji Fengyao, who was still at the bottom of the lake. Seeing a large amount of blood seeping through the hem of her skirt, his heart clenched tightly. He reached out and pulled her into his arms.

Upon seeing that it was him, Ji Fengyao stared in surprise and mouthed, "Your Highness, why did you come down in person? You could have just sent a guard."

"Just send any guard?" Shang Xiye was furious. Was this little bandit girl deliberately trying to piss him off?

Yesterday, in front of him, they publicly defended the young master of the East Dragon Gate;

She played drowning in the water today and actually wanted any random guard to jump in and rescue her, to touch her?!

Ji Fengyao remembered that this was in ancient times when the separation between men and women was strictly observed, and quickly realized that she had said the wrong thing. She took the initiative to put her arm around Shang Xiye's neck and said awkwardly, "I was just worried that Your Highness would reveal your strength. Actually, I was very happy that Your Highness came in person."

Hmm, at least you have some conscience, you little thing.

Despite knowing that her words were exaggerated, Shang Xiye was still successfully won over by her sweet talk and coaxing.

Concerned about her injuries, Shang Xiye dared not linger in the water any longer. He used acupressure to stop the bleeding and quickly carried her to the surface.

As soon as she emerged from the water, Ji Fengyao, who had been full of energy just moments before, immediately "fainted" in Shang Xiye's arms. Her delicate face was deathly pale, a sight that was truly alarming.