The pavilion in the center of the lake was now completely surrounded. Xinyi Zigu slumped against the railing, his dragon robe stained with duckweed, a strand of seaweed dangling from his forehead. The princess leaned over to feel his pulse and suddenly noticed a tear in his sleeve—clearly someone had torn it violently.
"Your Highness has bruises on the back of his neck," the court doctor reported in a trembling voice. "It seems. It seems to be caused by being pushed into the water."
Jiang Songyi's hands, hidden in her sleeves, trembled slightly. She remembered clearly holding back her strength, so how could this happen?
"Fourth brother, this is retribution." Xin Yidao appeared wrapped in fox fur, her lips still tinged with purple. "Just now in the pavilion, he said he wanted Song Yi to be the prince's consort."
"You're talking nonsense." Xinyi Zigu suddenly opened his eyes with a cough. When he saw the prince's face clearly, his throat made a hoarse sound but he couldn't speak - he clearly remembered that it was Jiang Songyi who committed the crime, so how could it become him who harmed the prince?
Jiang Dinglian suddenly shouted, "The Fourth Prince must have fallen down while drunk. Hurry up and help him change his clothes!" He swept his eagle eyes over the crowd and paused at Jiang Songyi. "What happened today."
"My Lord, there's no need to hide it." The prince chuckled, his fingertips rubbing the pearl earrings in his sleeves. "My fourth brother and I have always been at odds. You all can see it."
A sudden night breeze blew from the lotus pond, scattering the prince's whispers. Jiang Songyi stared at his damp hair, suddenly remembering the lost earring in the pavilion. She raised her hand to touch her left ear, the empty earlobe pricking her fingertips.
In the east wing, Li Tingzhen was adjusting his clothes in front of the mirror. Suddenly, the bronze mirror reflected Yang Shuyu. "Mr. Li, do you know that the Fifth Princess never fails to capture the prey she sets her eyes on?" She slipped the jade bracelet back onto her wrist. "If you want to escape, go to Zuixian Tower tomorrow at noon."
"No need." The scholar slammed the door and walked out, startling the birds sleeping under the eaves. Moonlight leaked into the corridor, illuminating a smear of rouge on his collar - the smear Xinyi Mingyao had deliberately put on it.
As the night watch drum sounded, Jiang Songyi groped her way back to the pavilion in the middle of the lake. In the moonlight, she spotted a faint glint glimmering between the cracks in the bluestone—it was the pearl earring. As her fingertips touched the cool pearl, she suddenly heard a cough behind her.
"Disciple, are you looking for this?" The prince swung his earrings, his dark cloak rustling in the night breeze. The lotus pond behind him shimmered, just like the day Jiang Songyi pushed him into the water.
The withered lotus leaves swayed beneath the pavilion in the center of the lake. Yu Chuwei's black hair dripped wetly onto her neck, her delicate figure tightly wrapped in a lush green skirt. She rested the unconscious Xinyi Zigu's head on her knees, her fingertips pinching her own neck until it turned red. "Hurry! The Fourth Prince is drowning!"
Gilded lanterns illuminated the shadows of people on the Nine-Curve Bridge. Jiang Yuyao pushed through the crowd and rushed into the pavilion. Her jewel-encrusted armor scraped against Yu Chuwei's cheek. "You lowly bastard!" She raised her hand to strike, but Yu Chuwei grabbed her wrist.
"Second Miss Jiang, calm down!" Yu Chuwei stumbled back and bumped into a stone pillar, tearing the veil on her shoulder. "I just saw the Fourth Prince fall into the water." She lowered her eyes, revealing her red wrist. "The Prince was panicking in the water, that's why..."
"Enough!" The princess swept the water stains on the ground with her python-patterned palace dress, "House Doctor!"
The old man with a goatee knelt to rescue her, slamming his palm against Xinyi Zigu's back. Sewage mixed with duckweed gushed from his mouth, splattering Jiang Yuyao's newly cut butterfly skirt. The Fourth Prince opened his eyes and slapped her in the face, "How dare you, bitch, hurt me!"
The gilded fingernail scratched Jiang Yuyao's cheek. She stared blankly at Xinyi Zigu's ferocious brows, and suddenly felt that this man was completely different from the gentle young man who gave her the jade hairpin at the Lantern Festival.
"How dare you!" The princess's hairpin trembled violently. "Where are the imperial guards?"
"I am here!" The black-armored guards stepped out with their swords drawn.
Xinyi Zigu wiped the water stains from his lips and crushed the glass earrings on the ground with his gold-studded python boots. "What a good daughter the Marquis of Yongding raised!" He glanced sinisterly at Jiang Songyi behind the crowd. "What happened today."
"Fourth brother, be careful with your words." Xin Yidao emerged from the plum forest, draped in a crane cloak, his pale fingertips clutching a gilded heater. "I just accidentally fell into the water, and it was thanks to fourth brother that you saved me." He suddenly coughed violently, the blood stains on his handkerchief startling. "Fourth brother saved me. Cough cough."
The eldest princess's eyes suddenly turned cold. She caught a glimpse of the dark pattern on Xin Yidao's sleeve—the very same coiled dragon pattern the late emperor had bestowed upon the crown prince three years ago. She immediately understood, "Since this is a testament to the deep brotherly love, I will petition His Majesty to commend the Fourth Prince."
"Aunt!" Xinyi Zigu's eyes were bloodshot. "It's clearly Jiang Songyi."
"The Marquis has arrived—"
Jiang Dinglian strode over, holding the Liquan Spear. His black iron armor clashed against the pavilion pillars, causing dust to fall off. "This old minister is late in protecting the emperor!" He stared at Yu Chuwei's soaked clothes with his copper-bell eyes. "This is..."
"My Lord, please understand!" Yu Chuwei fell to her knees, revealing the marks on her neck. "I am eager to save people, and I will never have any affair with the Fourth Prince!" She suddenly took off her jade bracelet and said, "I am willing to cut my hair and become a nun!"
"Nonsense!" Xu helped Jiang Yuyao, who was in tears, up. "Miss Yu has had physical contact with the Fourth Prince."
"This prince refuses to acknowledge me!" Xinyi Zigu kicked over the stone bench. "Such a lowly person."
“Bang!”
The princess raised her hand and smashed the teacup at his feet: "How can we deny the royal bloodline? Tomorrow we will ask the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to match the horoscopes!"
The night shone through the glazed tiles. Jiang Songyi leaned against the vermilion porch pillar, watching Yu Chuwei being escorted out of the mansion by a nanny. As the pale yellow figure passed the plum tree, it suddenly turned back and winked at her.
…
The water plants on Xinyi Zigu's python robe were still dripping with water. When he raised his finger and pointed at Jiang Songyi, his gilded armor shone coldly in the setting sun. "How long will Marquis Yongding continue to pretend to be ignorant? It was your daughter who kicked this prince into the lake!"
Jiang Dinglian narrowed his eagle eyes and protected his daughter behind him without a word. "Your Highness, you are joking. My daughter has been weak since she was young. She can't even be held by a cat. How can I do that?"
"Weak?" Xin Yi Zi Gu laughed in anger, pulling open his collar to reveal the bruises on his neck. "Could these finger marks be caused by a ghost?" He turned to the crowd and said, "You all saw it. This prince just came from the lotus pond."
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