Chapter 11 Oh, so it was a honey trap. ...
Pengpeng expected that the general should find his sister on his own and then talk to her, instead of following her around like this, making it seem as if she was leading the way for him.
But the general was tall and imposing, and a little fierce, so Pengpeng dared not ask for anything more. She could only pretend to search as she walked toward the pond where her sister was.
Soon, she spotted Lou Xueying's figure hidden among the bamboo groves.
"Oh, it's my sister!" Pengpeng cheered, pulling Li Pan along as they ran forward. "Brother, that's great! We found my sister!"
Li Pan remained calm and looked up.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, casting shimmering, golden light on the woman not far away.
She sat on a large rock by the pond, leaning against a thick bamboo pole, her hands folded on her knees, her head slightly drooping, her eyes closed, as if she were asleep.
Her hair was simply styled, adorned only with a white jade hairpin and a pearl hair ornament, with a few scattered jeweled flowers that accentuated her black hair and snow-white skin, giving her a noble and radiant appearance. She wore a sky-blue dress, the fabric of which was visibly delicate and soft. When the wind blew, the layers of the skirt swayed gently, like ripples on a clear lake, shimmering like jade.
Li Pan thought, "Oh, so it's a honey trap."
He stopped and stood alertly in place.
Pengpeng tugged at him but couldn't budge him, so she had no choice but to let go and brace herself as she ran towards Lou Xueying, calling out, "Sister, sister!"
Lou Xueying opened her eyes.
Pengpeng rushed to her side and said, "Sister, I've finally found you! Waaaaah!"
Lou Xueying feigned surprise and said, "How come you..."
She looked up and saw Li Pan, who was a hundred and eight thousand miles away from her.
Lou Xueying: "..."
Why are you so far away? You're being way too wary!
She stood up, about to speak, when she saw Li Pan nod slightly to her, indicating that the child had been delivered, and then turn and leave without looking back.
"Wait, Hou—"
Before she could finish speaking, she stepped on the wet moss, slipped, and fell backward into the pond.
Pengpeng screamed, "Sister!"
This wasn't in the agreed-upon scene! How did my sister fall down all by herself?!
Li Pan turned around abruptly, and his pupils contracted sharply when he saw the figure struggling in the water.
My first thought was—he's so far away, how could they possibly frame him for pushing someone into the water?!
My second reaction was – Oh no, this is forcing him to save someone!
Li Pan was fully aware of the consequences of saving someone in this situation. Countless families wanted to marry him, but Li Pan brushed them all off with a laugh. Who was this woman from, that she would risk her reputation to marry him?
Those who could come up with such a scheme are probably not from any prominent or prestigious family. They are likely opportunistic people who are greedy for small gains and have two young ladies put on a show in front of him in order to curry favor with him, the newly appointed marquis.
For Li Pan, this kind of marriage was absolutely unacceptable. Putting aside his personal likes and dislikes, this family had extremely problematic values; their unscrupulous methods meant that if they were to become related, they would likely only hold him back in the future.
Li Pan's face was gloomy as he stared at the emerald figure rising and falling in the water, remaining motionless in place.
"Sister, sister!" Pengpeng was really scared and cried this time. She lay on the shore, trying to find something to reach Lou Xueying, but she couldn't find anything.
In desperation, she turned around, looked at Li Pan, and cried, "Brother, please save my sister! Please save her! I beg you!"
Li Pan gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
He could tell that the woman who fell into the water genuinely couldn't swim; she wasn't pretending. In other words, if he left, she wouldn't be able to swim back to shore on her own.
But does he really have to save her? The little girl's scream was extremely shrill; someone should arrive soon enough to hear it, so she won't be left unattended.
But if he just leaves without a care, what if the two young ladies spread the word that he didn't help her? Or what if the young girl, seeing him leave, impulsively jumps in to save her sister, causing both of them to drown? Or what if the young lady who fell into the water is weak and doesn't survive until someone comes to rescue her, and she drowns?
Would a general who is defending his country just stand by and watch a weak woman drown in front of him?
To save or not to save?
Lou Xueying couldn't see what the two people on the shore were doing at all. Every time she struggled to the surface, she sank back down before she could even blink the water out of her eyes.
She knew that the artificial pond in the courtyard wouldn't be too deep, but when her feet couldn't reach the bottom, she still instinctively felt fear and panic.
—She fell into the water, which caught even herself off guard.
She admitted that she deliberately sat by the pond so that she could intentionally fall into the water and attract Li Pan's attention to save her. She even came to the Duke's mansion for this very moment.
Her original plan was for Li Pan to bring Pengpeng over first, then she would pretend to be startled awake, thank Li Pan, and explain her identity, saying that she hadn't slept well the night before, which was why she had left her younger sister playing alone. She hadn't expected to fall asleep, and her sister had wandered further and further away, unable to find her way back. This way, Li Pan wouldn't have a bad first impression of her, thinking she was some kind of bad older sister who deliberately abandoned her sister.
Next, the two of them should head outside. She could take this opportunity to step on the moss, slip into the pond, and force Li Pan to come and save her.
To her surprise, Li Pan was wary of her from the start, standing so far away that she couldn't even thank him properly. Afraid that he would just leave, she panicked and tried to chase after him, but forgot that she was standing on a patch of moss and slipped into the water.
Lou Xueying was caught off guard and choked on several mouthfuls of water. The fabric on her body became heavy and pulled her down.
"Help...help me..." She floated up and down in a spray of water and turbulent foam, calling for help incoherently, her ears ringing with water.
The sun on the shore was warm, but the underwater world was so cold.
She couldn't swim, and the more she struggled, the more afraid she became.
Never before had she so clearly felt how terrifying it was to entrust her fate to someone else.
If he doesn't come to save her, what will happen to her? Will she just absurdly drown in the pond at the Duke of Guangping's mansion? Or will she be rescued by the servants amidst a crowd of onlookers, becoming the subject of everyone's gossip?
She wasn't afraid of being ridiculed; by doing this, she had chosen to sacrifice her reputation. But she couldn't give it up, yet she gained nothing in return.
Li Pan... Is Li Pan really the kind of person who would stand by and watch someone die? Or has she misjudged him again?
She was lost in thought when her wrist was suddenly grabbed.
She opened her eyes in a panic and saw Li Pan swimming towards her.
She instinctively saw him as a lifeline and tried to cling to him with both hands and feet, but he remained calm, forcefully tapped the back of her neck, and said coldly, "Don't move."
She wasn't knocked unconscious, but she felt a sudden tingling sensation in her muscles and bones, lost her strength, and slid off Li Pan.
Li Pan swam up behind her, supporting her ribs with his arms. His strong chest supported her trembling body, almost lifting her entire upper body off the water so that she could breathe fresh air.
She was soaking wet, her hairpin missing, and strands of her long hair clung tightly to her face and neck, making her look utterly disheveled. Phlegm-like tears streamed down her face. Through her blurred vision, she looked at Li Pan's resolute and strong jawline, watching his clothes billow and tighten as he rose and fell in the water. Suddenly, her mind went blank; she completely forgot what she was supposed to say after being rescued.
A crowd gradually gathered on the shore, and some people ran around shouting, but to Lou Xueying, it was as if there was a veil between them, and she couldn't hear clearly.
Li Pan glanced at her a few times, then loosened his grip slightly, letting Lou Xueying's body sink down, leaving only her shoulders and above above the water.
He swam safely to the shore, holding onto the rocks with one hand while the other hand remained under her ribs, supporting her body.
Lou Xueying couldn't say a word, nor did she have the strength to climb ashore on her own. She could only lean against Li Pan's chest, panting heavily.
"Sister, sister!" Pengpeng squatted on the shore and cried loudly, trying to pull Lou Xueying away, but was blocked by Li Pan.
“Stay away from the water,” he said.
"Sister!" A figure rushed to the shore, almost kneeling down. "Are you...are you alright? Quick! Get ashore!"
Lou Xueying coughed with difficulty: "Second brother... I, I'm fine..."
Cailing and another maid rushed over in a panic: "Miss!"
Li Pan sized up Lou Zhongyan.
The person who had just been there was also present at the banquet. Someone had introduced him to the man, saying that although Lord Lou was only a minor official in the Jixian Hall, seemingly not a high-ranking position, he was actually young and promising. His father was the Vice Director of the Secretariat, and it seemed that his grandfather and great-grandfather were also high-ranking officials. He didn't remember them, but in any case, it was a family of scholars and officials.
He didn't have any ill feelings towards this person, because when Lou Zhongyan saw him, he simply cupped his hands and called out "Lord Marquis" as a greeting, without bothering him like the others did. Moreover, he seemed to be in a hurry to leave after the banquet, but he didn't know why he didn't leave.
Li Pan couldn't help but glance at the pale-faced woman in his arms.
Is this Miss Lou?
A note from the author:
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