Qiu Mingyan was also by the pool at this time.
She was looking curiously at the flowers by the pond. It was a cluster of purple flowers with petals like lotus flowers, but much more delicate. They looked only about the size of a palm, growing in a tall bunch. From top to bottom, the petals gradually deepened in color from the outside in, and at the center of each layer of petals was a cluster of yellow, like the eye of a phoenix in an ancient painting.
She has always loved flowers and plants, and this time, upon encountering such a beautiful flowerbed she had never seen before, she naturally couldn't tear herself away.
She wanted to get closer so she could see things more clearly, but unexpectedly, her foot slipped and she fell into the water!
A man nearby saw this and tried to rush forward to help, but Zhu Jiayu stopped him and pushed him aside.
The man was about to shout again when Zhu Jiayu had already gone to the water's edge. She reached out to Qiu Mingyan and said, "Grab my hand and climb up. The water at the edge of the pool isn't too deep, so don't be nervous. Getting a cramp later will only cause more trouble."
Qiu Mingyan was initially flustered, but upon hearing her words, she strangely calmed down.
She gritted her teeth, hesitated, reached out and grasped Zhu Jiayu's hand, and then struggled to climb ashore.
Zhu Jiayu took off his sleeve and draped it over her, not pointing out her unsightly state of being soaked to the bone, and simply said, "Be careful not to catch a cold."
Qiu Mingyan lowered her eyes, her wet face revealing no expression. She pulled her clothes tighter around herself, her mind a jumble of emotions, unsure of what to say.
Why is it Zhu Jiayu?
Why Zhu Jiayu?
She was both annoyed and ashamed, but Zhu Jiayu didn't notice her emotions. Seeing that Qiu Boyan had rushed over after hearing the news, she wanted to get up, but Qiu Mingyan didn't give her the chance. She grabbed her and looked at her like a cub.
Her eyes were also wet, and she looked at Zhu Jiayu with a deep gaze, her voice muffled: "Where are you going?"
Zhu Jiayu patted her hand: "Go help you with the accounts."
She pulled her hand out, walked straight into the crowd, and dragged out the man who had tried to intervene.
As soon as she left, Qiu Boyan rushed forward to check if her younger sister was alright. Qiu Mingyan leaned against her and shook her head: "Don't worry, and don't tell Mother when you get back, so she won't worry."
After she finished speaking, she went to look at Zhu Jiayu.
She didn't know what Zhu Jiayu meant by saying he would help her with the accounts.
She didn't know, and others knew even less.
They had gathered around Qiu Mingyan because they knew she had fallen into the water, wanting to check on her. Now that they found she was alright, they wanted to disperse, since the young girl was shy and might feel embarrassed.
But now, seeing Zhu Jiayu fiercely grabbing a man by the collar, everyone hesitated to move, wanting to know what had happened that this Miss Zhu was so bold as to actually take matters into her own hands.
The man seemed a bit confused as well, looking at Zhu Jiayu with an innocent expression: "Miss, I was trying to save someone just now, and you stopped me, which is fine, but now, what do you mean by this?"
The man had a handsome face and spoke reasonably, while Zhu Jiayu looked fierce and unreasonable in comparison.
"Don't you understand what I mean?" Zhu Jiayu looked at him leisurely. "Or do you really want me to tell you what you did? Whether you confess and get leniency or suffer disgrace, I advise you to think carefully before you speak."
Hearing her say that, the man's eyes darted around, but he still stubbornly insisted, "I don't know what you're talking about. I can tell you're from a wealthy family. Does someone of your status enjoy bullying others? If so, then I have nothing to say!"
That's a really big accusation.
This indirectly included everyone present.
After all, those who could be invited by Xue Baoshan naturally all came from wealthy and noble families.
The crowd's expressions changed slightly. They were about to speak to persuade Zhu Jiayu, but then they remembered what Zhu Jiayu had done to the Wei family and immediately stopped talking. They felt that Zhu Jiayu must have her reasons for doing this.
Zhu Jiayu remained expressionless.
She's a master of labeling, this trick won't work on her.
She even retorted, "I don't know about others, but I'm sorry, I do like to bully people by taking advantage of my power. My family runs an embroidery workshop, and the monthly turnover isn't much, just a few thousand taels, but it's enough to send you to the yamen and make you suffer."
After she finished speaking, she smiled again: "But don't you even use your big brain to think? Do you think you're worthy of my bullying? Since you won't tell me, then I will."
"When Cousin Mingyan fell into the water, you saw it and immediately wanted to rush forward to save her. But I noticed you long before she fell in. You had been waiting around here, so you must have known that someone would fall into the water, right?"
"If Miss Xue were to send someone to investigate now, they would surely find the still-wet oil by the pool. That must be your doing, right?"
"And there are water hyacinths in the water. Although these flowers are beautiful, they are not commonly seen in the homes of nobles because they are easy to grow, especially in Heling, where they can easily become rampant. I just walked through the Xue family's garden. The corridors were winding and quiet. I think such a place would not have a pond full of water hyacinths."
"As far as I know, water hyacinths grow in the West. If I'm not mistaken, this clump of water hyacinths should have been brought to the Xue family from a Western merchant."
In her previous life, when she was fighting alongside Rong Heng, she had seen this water hyacinth. At that time, there was a knowledgeable gentleman in the army who immediately revealed the origin and characteristics of the water hyacinth: it is an aquatic plant that loves the sun and is considered a lowly creature.
The Xue family garden, with its emphasis on elegance and refinement, is naturally incompatible with such a "lowly creature." Even if it were beautiful, the Xue family's master would not have allowed it to grow there. Therefore, there is only one possibility: it was brought by this man, with the purpose of seducing the young ladies who have come to the banquet today.
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