No matter what it takes, she must devise a plan today to make Brother Ling keep her in the palace. Otherwise, if too much time passes, her mother might find out about her switching the letters, and if she's exposed, she might not even be able to stay in the capital.
Thinking this through, Bai Youxue stopped stubbornly insisting on Murong Ling. "In that case, I will choose one from among these talented young men."
Luo Chaoxi said, "Then let's go. The banquet is set up in the Imperial Garden. Everyone should be arriving by now."
On the way, Bai Youxue asked, "Will the Emperor come? I'm not familiar with these people, and I'm not sure what to do. I'd like to ask the Emperor for his opinion."
Murong Ling will definitely show up; he doesn't feel comfortable letting Luo Chaoxi deal with so many people while she's pregnant.
Upon receiving a positive response, Bai Youxue visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Luo Chaoxi didn't know if she was naive or just plain stupid. All her bad intentions were written on her face, as if she was afraid others wouldn't know that she was still thinking about Murong Ling. Perhaps she had been raised in the Bai family and had never seen real danger.
The banquet was held by a waterside pavilion in the Imperial Garden, surrounded by a variety of flowers in full bloom, creating a beautiful and vibrant scene even in late autumn.
Influenced by the customs of the previous dynasty, the people of Nanqi are not very conservative. There is no taboo against men and women meeting each other. On the contrary, young men and women will attend banquets similar to matchmaking events. If they find each other attractive, their elders will get to know each other better in private.
The young men and women invited to the banquet had already arrived. The women's banquet was on the east side of the waterside pavilion, while the men's banquet was on the west side, separated by a short arched bridge. The two sides were close together, and if the men and women were going to admire the flowers together, they could walk around freely.
As Luo Chaoxi led Bai Youxue into the waterside pavilion, Murong Ling happened to arrive from behind with his entourage.
Seeing this, Bai Youxue glanced at the water corridor beneath her feet, which was only wide enough for two people to pass through, and had an idea in mind.
If she accidentally falls into the water, and if she's lucky enough to be rescued by Brother Ling himself, then she can stay in the palace openly and legitimately. But if Brother Ling sends a eunuch to rescue her, and she ends up completely soaked in front of him, then Brother Ling will definitely have to take responsibility for her.
So she moved aside to make room for Murong Ling, and then, as if she had lost her balance, she cried out and fell into the water from the low railing next to her.
At that moment, Murong Ling happened to walk to the spot where she had just been standing, making it look as if Bai Youxue had lost her footing and fallen while trying to make room for the emperor.
With a splash, Bai Youxue began splashing around on the lake.
Murong Ling frowned slightly. "I didn't touch her just now, so how did she fall into the water?"
Luo Chaoxi raised her delicate eyebrows. That's it? This is really not a good move. One wrong step and you'll be off by a mile.
"Miss Bai has fallen into the water! What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and save her! She's the Emperor's cousin! Who can take responsibility if something happens to her!" Luo Chaoxi shouted behind her.
"Little Fuzi, you can't swim, find some people who can swim to go down and rescue them!"
The eunuch behind Murong Ling sighed in surprise, then realized something was wrong—he knew how to swim!
But if the Empress says he can't, then he probably can't!
Xiao Fuzi then found a nearby eunuch who knew how to swim.
The little eunuch jumped into the water with a splash and swam towards Bai Youxue.
Meanwhile, several people on the opposite side of the corridor were even faster than Xiao Fuzi. They had all heard Luo Chaoxi's voice, which wasn't quiet. The person who fell into the water was the Emperor's cousin.
Before they arrived, they had all heard rumors that this flower-viewing banquet was for the emperor's cousin to find a husband. Although she was just a merchant's daughter, some people were still eager to get married and become the emperor's cousin's husband.
As soon as Luo Chaoxi's voice came out, several quick-moving men jumped into the water like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, each swimming faster than the last.
Soon a young man grabbed Bai Youxue around the waist and swam towards the shore.
Bai Youxue was still conscious and realized that she had been saved by a stranger, so she struggled frantically with her limbs.
Who is this person? Why are they ruining her plans?!
However, the man was extremely strong and thought she was struggling to drown, so he forcefully dragged her to the shore and pulled her ashore.
"Miss Bai, don't be afraid, we're already up here," the man comforted her.
Bai Youxue cried bitterly, "It's over, everything is over."
Their clothes were soaked, revealing their curves, and their skin pressed tightly together through their wet garments.
Luo Chaoxi took off her cloak and handed it to Huaping, who then covered Bai Youxue with it.
Murong Ling immediately tore off his cloak and covered Luo Chaoxi with it, disapprovingly saying, "You gave her yours? What if she catches a cold?"
Luo Chaoxi said sweetly, "Isn't there you? Look, I'm already wearing yours."
Murong Ling flicked her nose and smiled helplessly, "You're such a smooth talker."
Then, Murong Ling looked at the soaking wet man and said, "Not bad. Your courage in jumping into the water to save people was commendable, and your movements were swift. What's your name?"
The man knelt down and replied, "Your name is Zuo Datong, and I am currently a sixth-rank commander at the Capital Gate."
Murong Ling nodded. "Just now you jumped into the water to save someone, and in front of everyone, you and Miss Bai were already intimate. What were you thinking?"
Zuo Datong suppressed his excitement and said, "I am willing to take responsibility for Miss Bai."
Murong Ling was quite satisfied. "Then I will bestow a marriage upon you."
Bai Youxue shook her head and sobbed, "Ling...Your Majesty, I don't want to!"
Only then did Bai Youxue get a clear look at Zuo Datong's appearance. He was big and burly, with a face full of fat, and looked fierce. There was probably no one present who looked worse than him.
Once Murong Ling had spoken, how could he easily take it back? He frowned and scolded, "Nonsense! Everyone who came to the banquet today was chosen by me. They are all of good character, and you are all so close. If you don't want to marry, who else do you want to marry?"
Bai Youxue was filled with regret, tears streaming down her face. She hadn't expected the people on the other side to act so quickly; she had overlooked this factor.
With the matter settled, Luo Chaoxi told the remaining banquet attendees to explore on their own, as long as they didn't leave the Imperial Garden. Then, she sent someone to take Bai Youxue to an empty palace to change her clothes.
Murong Ling only showed up with her once before returning.
On the way back, Luo Chaoxi wondered, "Isn't it too hasty for His Majesty to decide on Bai Youxue's marriage so easily? Shouldn't he also examine her character?"
Murong Ling didn't care much. "What's there to investigate? The fact that we've been intimate is already a fact."
"Besides, he was able to jump down to save people, so he must have known he would be responsible for them afterwards. Yet he was the first to react and jump in, which shows that he is quick-witted and cunning, and wants to use the marriage to climb the social ladder. He is ambitious and has aspirations. If he does well in the future, he can rise through the ranks on his own."
"As for Bai Youxue, I really don't know why she did this for the time being. I just have a feeling that her intentions are not pure. Today's incident looks like she deliberately fell down." Murong Ling frowned in confusion.
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