Chapter 328 She wanted to see what they were trying to do.
Qian Qiyue and Tang Ning's hair and clothes were soaked, and they were covered with the outer clothes taken off by the maids around them. They looked extremely miserable.
Tang Ning's face was unusually gloomy, and Qian Qiyue's face was pale as she lowered her head and choked on the water. The wife of Marquis Wenxin and her daughter were both anxious.
Seeing that it was someone he knew, Tang Ning relaxed slightly. "There was a commotion by the lake just now, and Sister Qian and I were accidentally pushed into the water."
She glanced at the people following the wife of Marquis Wenxin. She didn't mention what happened in the lake, but simply avoided the main point: "Luckily, I learned to swim when I was young, and the maidservants in the mansion rescued me in time. Sister Qian must have choked on the water."
Qian Qiyue was originally dizzy due to exhaustion. After she went ashore and vomited some water, she became more sober.
There were too many people around, and it was seen that not only the people from the Wenxin Marquis's Mansion gathered around, but also Princess Leyang and others, and there were many onlookers outside.
Her lips trembled as she thought of what had just happened in the lake. She vaguely remembered those people shouting "Help!" but their actions were dishonest. It was obvious that they were targeting her and Tang Ning, and it was obvious that they were trying to ruin their reputations by taking advantage of them falling into the water.
Seeing that Tang Ning didn't say a word, Qian Qiyue understood her concerns. With a pale face, she whispered to Zhou Yuchang, who was squatting beside her with a look of anxiety, "Sister Zhou, I'm fine."
Princess Leyang came closer and looked worried. "How could he have fallen into the water out of nowhere? What if something happened in this dark lake?"
"Look at how pitiful you two are." She swept her eyes over their soaked clothes and scolded those around her, "What are you little rascals still standing there for? Hurry up and help Princess Yiyang and Miss Qian go over there to rest and change clothes, and then find a doctor..."
"No."
Tang Ning refused directly: "Thank you for your kindness, Princess. However, my carriage is right next to us. Sister Qian and I can just go back."
Princess Leyang's expression froze slightly, and there was some anger in her eyes, as if her kindness had been rejected.
The young woman beside her stepped forward and said softly, "The Princess has good intentions. There are too many people here, and it's quite a distance to go back to the south of the city. Although the weather is hot now, the lake water is icy cold. You are girls, and if something happens to you going back and forth, wouldn't it be troublesome?"
As if she was afraid that Tang Ning would refuse, she said softly:
"The Princess, Madam Zhou, and I were just enjoying the moon at Yuelai Tower. I'm not feeling well, and I've been accompanied by a maid who's studying medicine. I saw that Miss Qian looked very pale, and she had just choked on water. Why don't we move her over there and have her change into clean clothes? If everything is fine, you can go back. What do you think, Yiyang County Lady?"
Tang Ning frowned and looked at the person who was speaking, feeling vaguely familiar.
Seeing this, Marquis Wenxin's wife whispered, "This is the Fourth Prince's wife."
Tang Ning frowned slightly. She now felt disgusted at the mention of the words "Fourth Prince". She had seen the Fourth Prince's wife in her previous life, and had only met her twice in Fengxi Palace. She did not have a deep impression of her.
She didn't expect to meet Princess Leyang and the Fourth Prince's wife here.
Thinking of what happened in the lake just now and the sudden commotion on the shore, Tang Ning glanced at the Fourth Prince's Consort and said calmly, "Thank you very much, Fourth Prince's Consort."
She wanted to see what they wanted to do.
Tang Ning and Qian Qiyue were protected by Yue Jian and the others, and followed the Fourth Prince's wife and others all the way back to Yuelai Tower not far away. The two were sent to a private room, and a few moments later, the maid from the Fourth Prince's Mansion brought them clean clothes.
Smelling the faint incense in the room, Tang Ning glanced at Yue Jian.
Yue Jian whispered, "There's nothing unusual in the room, nor in the clothes."
Only then did Tang Ning feel at ease and she and Qian Qiyue changed their clothes, and Yue Jian followed suit.
"Sister..."
Xue Ru's eyes were red. She had been terrified when Tang Ning and the others fell into the water. Knowing that they had nearly gotten into trouble in the lake, her face turned pale with fear. She whispered, "Sister, are you and Sister Qian okay? Who on earth wanted to harm you?"
Tang Ning pursed her lips and said, "I don't know." She looked at Xue Ru and asked, "Were you hurt just now?"
Xue Ru shook her head: "I'm fine."
"I'm glad you're okay."
Behind him, Qian Qiyue had already changed her clothes. Her personal maids, Ruizhu and Qiaoxiang, were twisting her hair with handkerchiefs. Tang Ning said in a deep voice, "What happened tonight was not an accident. It's just that we don't know yet whether they are targeting the Qian family or the Tang Mansion."
"Although Sister Qian and I weren't taken advantage of in the lake just now, if word gets out that a man was close to us, it will definitely damage our reputation and lead to speculation. I'll have someone secretly investigate what happened tonight. You guys keep your mouths shut and don't tell anyone else a word. Do you understand?"
The two maids from the Qian family and Yue Jian nodded quickly: "We understand."
Qian Qiyue had recovered by now. After the coldness from being soaked in the lake water faded away, her face regained some color.
Thinking of the people outside, she lowered her voice: "Tang Ning, why are the Fourth Prince's wife and the others here?"
She didn't know much about what was going on in the court, nor did she know how to weigh the pros and cons, but she did know that the Queen had been reprimanded by Emperor An and that the power of the six palaces had been taken away from her. Moreover, the Fourth Prince had caused such a shameful scandal, and countless people in the capital were waiting to laugh at her. How could the Fourth Prince's wife be in the mood to watch the moon by Yinghe Lake at this time?
There are also Princess Leyang and the wife of Marquis Wenxin, plus the other Princess Lu who didn't speak. How could these people who have nothing to do with each other get together?
Qian Qiyue whispered, "Old Princess Lu is even older than Your Majesty, and she rarely goes out. I've never heard that she's familiar with the Fourth Prince's wife and the others. How could she be watching the moon with them tonight?"
Tang Ning frowned even more tightly when she heard the identities of those people. Queen Lu had bad intentions, and Princess Leyang also had ulterior motives. She had heard of the old Princess Lu in her previous life. She was a very strict and respectful person. She became a widow at a young age, but because the old Prince Lu died for his country, she had a lot of influence in the royal family.
These people appeared here together today, and there was a commotion by Yinghe Lake. She had some guesses in her mind, but she had no evidence at the moment. Besides, the wife of Marquis Wenxin was also here. The Marquis Wenxin's mansion had helped her and her aunt many times before, and the wife of Marquis Wenxin and her aunt had a very close relationship. Tang Ning would not rashly speculate about her.
"Be careful and don't touch things you shouldn't touch. Go out and say hello to them and then we'll go back." Tang Ning whispered.
Qian Qiyue's heart trembled: "I know."
Several people were sitting around the table outside. The maid sent by the Fourth Prince's wife to check on Qian Qiyue came back and reported that the people around Miss Qian said that she had recovered and was not seriously injured, so they did not let her get close to her.
Princess Leyang's face suddenly darkened: "You have good intentions, but what do they mean by this? Who are you guarding against?!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com