Jiang Songyi's expression was calm, as if he was strolling in the garden, admiring the night view. He did not forget to turn his head and ask him, "Su Sheng, what do you think? The wind tonight is so strong that even these gorgeous lanterns are blown away by the wind, right?"
Su Sheng pressed himself against the cold stone wall, silent as a cicada, and could only shake his head rapidly like a rattle.
"That's not the case. It's obviously you..."
"Um?"
Jiang Songyi raised the corners of her lips slightly and slowly approached him: "Really?"
The threat in his eyes became more and more obvious: "Do you think this fire was deliberately set by someone? Su Sheng, who do you think the arsonist is?"
Obviously, since Jiang Songyi dared to take action, the mastermind behind the scenes would naturally not be her.
Who else, then? No one else but him.
Su Sheng knew in his heart that as long as he nodded slightly, Jiang Songyi would push him out without hesitation and take all the blame.
He responded hastily, trying to change the subject: "It's the wind! The wind tonight is really strong, ha, ha ha."
Jiang Songyi's smile is as bright and charming as a blooming spring flower.
On the shore of Taiye Lake, on the shallows where reeds sway.
The couple, immersed in ecstasy, were completely oblivious to the subtle sound of falling stones. Suddenly, they felt the light around them grow blinding, instinctively believing it was a bright moon peeking through the clouds. However, it wasn't until the flames spread, even singeing their hair, that they realized with panic: a fire had broken out.
"ah!"
Xinyi Mingyao patted the flames on her hair with her hands and hurriedly tried to stand up, but found that her body seemed to be restrained and she could not move at all.
The man under her was covered in wounds and in great pain.
Xinyi Mingyao also noticed the fire spreading around her at this moment. She was extremely anxious. She grabbed the man's throat tightly and ordered, "Get out, now!"
The man's face was distorted and he tried to struggle to stand up in severe pain, but his body would not obey his command.
He could only whisper, "Princess, I am truly powerless."
Xinyi Mingyao's gaze was almost murderous. She thought bitterly that if she had a knife in her hand, she would wield it without hesitation.
They stood hugging each other, struggling to get up, but were dismayed to find that their once intact clothes had been licked by the flames and were tattered and could no longer cover their bodies.
Xinyi Mingyao anxiously picked up the scraps of cloth at her feet, but found helplessly that these scraps could no longer be worn.
This place is still some distance away from her palace. If she returns naked on foot, she will definitely attract other people's attention.
However, in her desire for excitement, she did not bring any palace maids or eunuchs with her.
"Princess, the fire is getting more intense. We must leave quickly!"
At this moment, by the Taiye Lake, the urgent voice of a palace maid broke the silence.
"The fire is coming!"
In the palace, fire was a taboo. When the palace maids and eunuchs in the surrounding palaces heard the news of the fire and saw the flames rising into the sky from afar, they all picked up buckets of water and rushed to put out the fire.
Through the flickering flames, Xinyi Mingyao could even vaguely make out the busy figures on the shore.
She could only cover herself with the torn cloth and squat down with the scholar, carefully avoiding being noticed by the palace servants.
The palace maids and eunuchs rushed over and found that it was only the reeds by the Taiye Lake that were on fire, and only then did they relax their tense nerves a little.
"Why did the reeds by the lake suddenly catch fire?"
"Tonight is the Lantern Festival, and the palace is ablaze with lights. Even the Emperor accompanied the Imperial Concubine in releasing sky lanterns. Perhaps one of the lanterns was blown here by the wind and unfortunately fell, but fortunately it didn't affect the palace."
"The fire near the lake is quite fierce. It's best to put it out as soon as possible to avoid disturbing the nobles' joy. Perhaps you can even win a few more silver coins."
Xinyi Mingyao and the scholar were crawling on the ground, the tight connection between them still unable to be loosened. They held their breath and listened to the conversation between the palace maids and eunuchs. The sound was getting closer, but they could only hope that they would quickly put out the fire and leave as soon as possible.
Xinyi Mingyao was extremely anxious. She almost hated these people, even the man under her, for putting her in such an embarrassing and dangerous situation.
At this critical moment, the tattered cloth in her hand was instantly ignited by the flying sparks. Xinyi Mingyao waved the burning cloth in panic, but the flames were like the tongue of a ferocious snake, quickly devouring the soft brocade on her body.
The raging flames mercilessly burned her delicate and smooth skin. This lady, who was usually so noble and as beautiful as the stars in the sky, had never experienced such suffering. She couldn't help but cry out in pain and fell into the cold lake with the scholar.
The splashing sound of the lake water startled the palace maids and eunuchs who were working hard to put out the fire by the lake.
"What kind of noise was that just now?"
"It seems like something heavy has fallen into the lake!"
"I seemed to hear a woman screaming. Could it be that the little palace maid accidentally slipped into the lake?"
"The waters of Taiye Lake are unfathomable, and the rocks around the edge are incredibly slippery after being soaked in water. Everyone must proceed with caution."
Several eunuchs stepped over the charred reeds to look into the lake, while reminding the palace maids and eunuchs around them.
Xinyi Mingyao and the scholar fell into the Taiye Lake together. Neither of them was good at swimming and was choked by the lake water several times, struggling violently in the water.
The scholar struggled for a moment, then gave up resistance and let Xinyi Mingyao hold him tightly.
He mused darkly in his heart. Now that he had fallen into the hands of the Third Princess, his fate was already sealed. He hadn't dared disobey her, lest he bring disaster upon his family. Now, if he and the Third Princess were to meet an accident in this lake, even as a pariah, dragging this noble daughter along for burial, it would be a tragic and heroic escape.
Xinyi Mingyao struggled desperately in the water.
The instinct of survival made her throw away all her worries. At this moment, she no longer cared about the consequences of being discovered. She struggled to raise her head above the water and cried for help with difficulty and urgency: "Help! Come and save me!"
"Someone fell into the water!"
Her cries for help and struggles quickly attracted the attention of the palace maids and eunuchs on the shore.
"It seems he is still a noble person!"
Although they could not make out any human figures in the dark lake, they could clearly hear Xinyi Mingyao calling herself "this lady", and they immediately worked harder to rescue her.
Deep in the palace, a group of palace maids held long bamboo poles and nervously maintained their balance, while the young eunuchs who were good at swimming jumped into the Taiye Lake without hesitation to rescue those who fell into the water.
However, when a young eunuch touched a large area of exposed skin, he was frozen in place as if by magic, too shocked to move.
Then he was shocked to find that the person who fell into the water was not alone, but two people hugging each other tightly. This discovery made him scared to death.
Today is the Lantern Festival, not the spooky Ghost Festival!
Which lady in the palace was so bold as to meet her lover in secret at this place and time, and even accidentally fell into the water and avoided the punishment of being drowned in a pig cage!
Although the eunuchs felt disgusted, saving lives was still the top priority. As for how to deal with the situation afterwards, that was up to the emperor to decide.
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