The Imperial Garden was bathed in a golden glow in the early summer sun, its thousand-acre lotus pond in vibrant bloom. Pink and white lotus blossoms, dripping with shimmering dewdrops, swayed gently in the breeze, while fish darted among the emerald leaves, shattering the rosy glow of the pond. Chen Weiwan crouched beside the carved white marble railing, her fingers twirling the fish food offered by Chuntao, coaxing a flock of red carp to reveal their silvery bellies, when she suddenly heard the soft scraping of a skirt against the cobblestone path behind her.
"Sister Chen!" A sweet cry pierced through the lotus fragrance. Lin Wanrou, holding up the hem of her emerald green lotus-patterned skirt, trotted over. The nine-bead chain steps in her hair jingled, and the pearl pendants drew tiny arcs of light in the sunlight. "I heard you were here admiring the lotus. I finally found you!"
Without even raising her head, Chen Weiwan scattered some fish food into the water and watched the red carp scramble for it: "Is there something wrong, Sister Lin?" Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of the bulge on her waist, faintly visible under her emerald skirt, like a watermelon.
Lin Wanrou stumbled two steps closer, and just as the tip of her embroidered shoes touched the slippery moss at the edge of the pond, she suddenly cried out "Ouch!" and fell into the pond. Shen Weiwan had already seen her fingers secretly hooked on the hem of her skirt and deliberately squatted to avoid it. With a dull "plop", Lin Wanrou fell into the half-person-deep pond, and the splashing water soaked the corner of Shen Weiwan's moon-white skirt.
"Help! Shen Weiwan pushed me!" Lin Wanrou thrashed in the water, her hair disheveled like a drowned chicken, but she didn't forget to cry out at the top of her lungs, "She was jealous that I spoke a few more words to the Seventh Prince, so she cruelly pushed me into the water!"
The noble ladies who had rushed over after hearing the news were instantly in an uproar. The crowd crowded to the edge of the pool, and the sound of pearls and jade clashing mixed with exclamations:
"Oh my God! Why is Miss Shen so domineering?"
"Quick! Pull Miss Lin out!"
"No wonder they say she has a hot temper, her reputation is well-deserved!"
Shen Weiwan stood up slowly, wiped the hem of her skirt with the handkerchief handed to her by Chuntao, then walked to the shore and raised her eyebrows to look at Lin Wanrou floating on the water: "Oh? I pushed you? What is that thing tied around your waist?"
Following her gaze, everyone saw Lin Wanrou with a gleaming inflatable pigskin raft wrapped around her waist, its bright red color glaring against the azure waters. The raft, adorably crafted, with round eyes dotted with cinnabar, was carrying her afloat, like a plump red pig carrying a drowned beauty.
"You, you're slandering me!" Lin Wanrou's face turned pale. She frantically tried to untie the pigskin raft, but her panic only made it tangle tighter. "This... is a life-saving device I specially prepared in case I fell into the water!"
"Oh?" Chen Weiwan tilted her head and blinked innocently. "Knowing the shore was slippery, you deliberately ran along the edge of the pool? With Sister Lin's ability to predict the future, it would be a waste of her talent if she didn't go to the overpass to have her fortune told."
Before he finished speaking, Xiao Yu emerged from the moonlit gate, fanning himself with a folding fan. His dark-colored robes billowed in the wind. He glanced at the pigskin raft in the water, a playful smile playing on his lips. "I think this raft is quite unique. I wonder where Miss Lin found it? I'd like to get one for Weiwan someday, too, to prevent someone from constantly trying to pounce on her and making her feel overwhelmed."
Lin Wanrou was so angry that she was shaking all over, pointing at Shen Weiwan and screaming: "It's her! She pushed me first! Look at where she was standing, it was clearly the crime scene!"
"I didn't touch you." Shen Weiwan spread her hands and turned to the frightened eunuch next to her, "Xiao Shunzi, tell me, did I leave this railing just now?"
The young eunuch nodded repeatedly, his voice trembling like a sieve: "No, she didn't move! Miss Shen has been squatting to feed the fish, she hasn't even raised her hands!"
Seeing everyone's suspicious eyes, Lin Wanrou simply sat on the pigskin raft and burst into tears, splashing even more fiercely: "You all bully me! I won't live anymore!"
"No, no, no," Chen Weiwan waved her hands hurriedly, pretending to be panicked. "If you drown in this imperial garden, others will think I really did murder you. Come up quickly. Look at how this pigskin raft is drifting. Are you tired?"
The noble ladies around could no longer hold back, first they sneered softly, then burst into laughter:
"Hahaha! Miss Lin's lifebuoy is so unique!"
"What do you mean by being pushed into the water? I think it was a self-directed act, right?"
"Miss Shen has a keen eye and saw through the trick at a glance!"
Lin Wanrou was utterly humiliated amidst the crowd's laughter. As the eunuchs hurriedly pulled her ashore, the pigskin raft around her waist clattered to the ground, drawing even louder laughter. She stomped away, her emerald skirt sweeping the fallen petals, crying, "Chen Weiwan! I will never stand against you!"
Xiao Yu walked over to Shen Weiwan and tapped her nose with his folding fan: "This trick of 'fake falling into the water' was perfectly broken by you using the 'pigskin raft'."
Shen Weiwan raised her eyebrows and looked at Lin Wanrou's embarrassed back: "If she really fell, I would have to call for help, which would be a lot of effort. Now this way, it saves me the effort."
The two walked back talking and laughing. Chun Tao leaned over to Shen Weiwan's ear and laughed secretly: "Miss, how do you know she tied that thing?"
"Didn't you see her belly bulge when she walked?" Chen Weiwan blinked. "Besides, who would go to the water wearing a newly made gold-embroidered pomegranate skirt? She's afraid it won't get wet."
As he was speaking, a young eunuch came running up to him, shouting in a shrill voice, "Miss Shen, the Empress is summoning you to Changchun Palace—"
Shen Weiwan's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Lin Wanrou had complained? She followed the eunuch to Changchun Palace, only to see the Queen reclining on a soft couch. When she saw her, she took her hand and laughed: "I heard that Lin Wanrou wanted to frame you, but you exposed her?"
Shen Weiwan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it's just a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding?" The Queen laughed so hard that she fell backwards, her jade armor knocking against the armrest. "I don't know her tricks yet? She wants to get close to Yu'er, but she doesn't have the brains to do so." She suddenly lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "I'll tell you a secret. The pigskin raft around her waist was stolen from Yu'er's warehouse!"
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