Before anyone could react, Consort Zheng's son, Jinglu, rushed toward the swaying Zheng Yutong and caught her just before she was about to fall headfirst to the ground.
Because Jing Lu pounced so suddenly and so fast, Yue Jiang took advantage of the fright caused by the dark figure to turn around and dodge.
She immediately fell into Jing Yan's arms, and the two of them were separated by a distance of two people.
Once the commotion subsided, Yue Jiang was tightly held around the waist by Jing Yan, while Zheng Yutong, who had just cried for help, was encircled by Jing Lu.
Those in the hall who witnessed this scene felt embarrassed. Empress Dowager Zheng rose slightly, frowned, and questioned them.
"Yu Tong, what's going on in the main hall?"
Zheng Yutong looked up and saw that she hadn't managed to pounce on the person she wanted to, but her cousin, the Crown Prince, was protecting Yue Jiang like a precious jewel.
In front of everyone, he had been leaning on Jing Lu's arm, making such a huge fool of himself.
She couldn't help but glare at Jing Lu. Why was he meddling in something that was perfectly fine?
In an attempt to gloss over the matter, Zheng Yutong continued to soften her body and slid off Jing Lu's body.
Her maidservant quickly stepped forward to help her up, and Zheng Yutong explained as she did so.
"Yu Tong has always been in poor health and has been quite weak. Suddenly, she felt dizzy and her vision went black. I apologize for startling you all."
With Zheng Yutong's thorough explanation, Empress Dowager Zheng's worries lessened somewhat. She smiled and eased the atmosphere, then found ample reasons to cover up what had just happened.
"Yes, Yutong has been weak since childhood. She faints easily if you're not careful. The imperial physician said it's because she has insufficient qi and blood."
"Luckily, Lu'er came out in time, otherwise he would have suffered a great fall and lost face."
She looked at Yue Jiang, who was still in shock and nestled in Jing Yan's arms, and offered her comfort.
"Your Highness, you must have been frightened. I'll have someone send you a thousand-year-old ginseng to calm your nerves."
"Thank you, Grandmother," Yue Jiang said, calming herself down as she stepped out of Jing Yan's arms.
Empress Dowager Cheng laughed heartily, as if something amusing had happened.
“Yu Tong is weak, but today she was weak just right. Did any of you hear her shout ‘Cousin, save me!’ before she fell?”
"Just now, Yu Tong was only talking to the Crown Prince. I thought she was calling him the Crown Prince. I was wondering why she was calling him the Crown Prince when the Crown Princess was right beside her. I didn't expect it to be our Lu'er."
"Judging from the way Lu'er rushed out, it doesn't seem like he's faking it. Your Majesty and Empress, haven't you discovered anything yet? If you have, you must make a proper decision and not let him down."
Jing Lu's rushing out was wrong to begin with. His seat was quite a distance from Zheng Yutong, a female relative. It was no wonder he could get so close in an instant.
Jinglu is Consort Zheng's biological son, and he should marry the daughter of a high-ranking official in the court. Even if Zheng Yutong is her niece, family members should go their separate ways and not put all their eggs in one basket.
She retorted with a smile, "Your Majesty, it's true that Jinglu and Yutong are cousins and have been playing together since childhood, but your words are embarrassing for them. They didn't mean it that way."
"Your Majesty, you should know best in your heart," Consort Zheng said, before giving Jing Huaixu a look that clearly indicated a misunderstanding.
Although she has aged, she still retains her charm, especially her voice, which is like the song of a nightingale and has not changed much over the years. Even a few words from her can be quite pleasant and gentle.
Consort Cheng disliked Consort Zheng's seductive manner, glancing at her sideways with her eyebrows raised.
"Really not? Could it be that Consort De doesn't know about it? Don't let these two perfectly matched children be ruined."
She then asked Yue Jiang, "Your Highness, you were standing close by just now, did you hear Yu Tong call out 'cousin'? I think the only person Yu Tong has is the Crown Prince next to you."
"It's impossible for Yu Tong to call her 'cousin' when she's actually the Crown Prince!"
When Yue Jiang was asked on the spot, she stared blankly at Zheng Yutong, then looked blankly at Jing Yan.
Finally, the spot fell on Jing Lu, who had been silent all along, and he suddenly smiled, appearing extremely humble.
"Since the Imperial Concubine asked me, I couldn't help but guess. Anyway, we're all family here today, so it's okay to make a joke about someone. We can all just laugh it off."
“I don’t know my cousin Yutong very well, and I don’t know what she’s thinking. But Yutong is a young woman, and you’re all asking questions and trying to play matchmaker right now.”
"Look how embarrassed my cousin is, she doesn't dare to say anything even if she has something on her mind."
"As for what the third brother is thinking, instead of letting the daughters say it, why don't you tell me, third brother? Why did you rush out like that?"
"If my third brother speaks up, perhaps the misunderstanding and the happy event will eventually be resolved."
Jing Lu blushed slightly, his lips moving as he glanced at Zheng Yutong every now and then. Suddenly, his eyes hardened, as if he had made a decision, and he cupped his hands to Jing Huaixu: "Father..."
"Yu Tong is calling him 'Crown Prince Cousin'," Zheng Yu Tong said loudly, fearing that Jing Lu might be led astray and that if they were truly betrothed, there would be no chance to back out.
For a moment, some people in the hall were surprised, some looked like they knew it would happen, and some mocked Zheng Yutong for her pretentious behavior, saying that she had finally been exposed.
As Jing Yan's newlywed wife, Yue Jiang perfectly executed a performance that went from unexpected to shock, and finally stared blankly and confusedly at Zheng Yutong.
"Cousin, what do you mean?"
"How stupid! What else could she possibly want? She's still after the Emperor. She's quite capable with Cousin Suyun, but why is she so incompetent with Zheng Yutong?" Jingyi muttered under her breath, feeling utterly pathetic.
Consort Cheng, with an air of arrogance tinged with amusement, casually cast a glance at Cheng Suyun while holding her tea.
"Oh, they're calling him His Highness the Crown Prince. That's quite significant, Suyun. Let's listen carefully."
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