Sheng Mansion falls into water
The study of the Prince of Jiangbei's Mansion in the capital is simple and elegant, with the scent of sandalwood in the air and rare books everywhere, which can be described as the lifelong pursuit of a scholar.
Jiang Yanhui stopped writing, frowned, crumpled up the page she had just finished writing, and threw it away. Looking at the sunset outside the window, her frown deepened.
I sat down, feeling slightly agitated, and drank two cups of cold tea, but it did nothing to alleviate my irritability.
The hurried footsteps sounded particularly jarring, and Jiang Yan Hui immediately sensed something was wrong.
Sweat beaded on Hongchun's forehead. Startled by the news, she rushed over without a moment's hesitation. Before she could even catch her breath, she reported, "Your Majesty, a maid from Lord Sheng's mansion has sent word that A Chou accidentally fell into the water and is currently being cared for by a physician at the mansion."
With her lingering worries finally confirmed, Jiang Yan Hui felt no relief. Her lowered brows concealed deep displeasure as she suppressed her rage, maintaining an eerie calm as she asked, "How is he?"
"The maids in the Sheng household were probably terrified and stammered, unable to say anything."
Although Hongchun had not served Jiang Yanhui for a long time, she understood what it meant when she was truly angry. She quickly spoke up to comfort her, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Today is Young Master Sheng's birthday banquet, and there are many guests and servants. I think A Chou will be fine."
Jiang Yan Hui did not respond to her words. She got up and strode out, leaving only the words "Prepare the horses" before disappearing from sight.
To celebrate his youngest son's twentieth birthday, the Sheng family mansion was decorated with festive cheer, and almost half of the capital was invited to celebrate. During the day, there was a lively atmosphere with gongs and drums.
Suddenly someone shouted that someone had fallen into the water. Those nearby saw the guards pull a man out of the pool. He was an unfamiliar face, and judging from his clothes, he did not seem to be a young master from an ordinary family.
Unexpected incidents are common. The onlookers sigh and then lose interest, and it's enough for the host to apologize.
As long as no one dies, it's not a big deal.
What's strange is Dou Yu's unusual reaction. He jumped into the water with the servants to rescue the stranger when he was being dragged ashore, and he was the first to rush over. He looked genuinely distressed.
Dou Yu was the only son of General Dou Yao, and countless young men in the capital were eager to get to know him.
But he wouldn't stoop to associating with people he looked down on. No matter which family's royal relatives you were, he wouldn't pay any attention to you. However, given Dou Yu's status and position, he had the capital and confidence to do so.
Someone who is valued so highly by Dou Yu must be extraordinary, which makes them want to stop and find out more.
Upon hearing the news, the head of the Sheng family had the same thought, but remembering that it was on his own territory, he quickly found someone to take Ah Chou, who had choked on water and fainted, to the nearby Lianxin Pavilion and found a doctor to come and examine him.
With everything arranged, she took a moment to pull her young son, Sheng Yu, aside and ask him about the identity of the man who had fallen into the water. Sheng Yu only knew what he had heard from Dou Yu, so he told his mother everything.
Sheng Yu was anxious about Ah Chou's condition. The Sheng family head's face had already turned pale, and he kept saying that it was all over.
Who could have imagined it! Who dared to imagine it! People all over the capital who wanted to curry favor with the King of Jiangbei racked their brains but couldn't figure out where to start. The conversation behind closed doors at the villa in the suburbs of Beijing scared off a group of people and finally put their minds at ease for the time being.
The person closely related to Jiang Yanhui was actually on good terms with his youngest son and even brought gifts to the birthday banquet. Just thinking about it made the head of the Sheng family feel that the future was bright.
But to everyone's surprise, someone fell into the water inside the mansion, and the bright future that had just begun to shine was dimmed again.
If it weren't for so many eyes watching her, the head of the Sheng family would have really wanted to wipe away her tears and grieve.
She didn't manage to cry. The gatekeeper had come to report that the Prince of Jiangbei had arrived and was being led to the Lotus Heart Pavilion by someone.
The head of the Sheng family silently wiped the sweat from his brow. "How does the Prince of Jiangbei look?"
The attendant looked surprised and slowly shook his head.
The head of the Sheng family understood, shook his trembling hands, and encouraged himself.
She's an old court official, a full twelve years older than Jiang Yanhui, what's there to be afraid of! Her status isn't as high as the Prince of Jiangbei's, but at the very least, she should respect the elderly and care for the young.
With this thought in mind, the head of the Sheng family successfully rallied himself and headed straight for the Lotus Heart Pavilion.
The Lotus Heart Pavilion was built next to a pond that was filled with blooming lotus flowers in the summer, hence the name Lotus Heart Pavilion.
As the sun began to set and the guests dispersed, the atmosphere at dusk, unlike the bustling daytime, was heavy with the oppressive feeling of an impending storm.
A small group of people remained inside the Lotus Heart Pavilion. Among them, a well-dressed man with an air of arrogance in his eyes and brows glanced at the physician taking pulses behind the curtain, crossed his arms, and said impatiently, "Don't tell me you're faking fainting to extort money from me."
He deliberately raised his voice so that Dou Yu, who was standing next to him, could hear him. Dou Yu immediately bristled and pounced on him, ready to fight.
Grabbing the man's hair with one hand and tearing at his shirt with the other, she angrily shouted, "Song Wenxuan! Have you no shame! If it weren't for you, would Ah Chou have fallen into the water?"
"What does this have to do with me!" Song Wenxuan was already annoyed, and Dou Yu's shouting only made him more annoyed. He pushed Dou Yu's hand away and retorted, "I was arguing with you, and he just had to come up to me. He deserved to fall!"
"You fucking have no friends, huh! What business is it of yours if my friends protect me!" Dou Yu completely disregarded her image and cursed at Song Wenxuan, who looked indifferent, her finger almost poking the other's nose. "If anything happens to Ah Chou, I'll never forgive you!"
Just hearing the name "A Chou" makes you think of a servant's nickname, and the kind of servant who is particularly disliked by his master.
Otherwise, why can't we use words like "blessing" or "favorite"?
However, Ah Chou's attire was not that of an ordinary person, and he was very generous with the birthday gift he gave to Sheng Yu. In addition, Dou Yu and his group reacted very strongly, and they were unsure of what to do, so they stayed.
Song Wenxuan rubbed his nose guiltily, still stubbornly saying, "If you hadn't pushed me first, would I have pushed you?"
"Who told you to have such a foul mouth! I'm being very polite by not slapping you right now!"
The scene descended into chaos again, but those present quickly pulled them apart to prevent them from wrestling again, which would have been far too undignified.
Suddenly, the cacophony of advice and attempts to incite conflict ceased, and everyone stared in shock at the beautiful woman who had suddenly entered. Those who remained were either Dou Yu's friends or Song Wenxuan's underlings, all of whom were young and unable to conceal their astonishment.
Apart from Sheng Yu, all of Dou Yu's friends were seeing Jiang Yan Hui for the first time. They often pestered Dou Yu to take them to meet the legendary King of Jiangbei, but Dou Yu would refuse them subtly, using a combination of bluffing and deception. As a result, none of them had ever met him before, and they all stared at the newcomer with shocked expressions.
Of all the people in the room, Dou Yu was the first to react. She sniffled and called out "Cousin" with a mix of grievance and fear.
Dou Yu's cousin... isn't that the King of Jiangbei?!
The crowd erupted in uproar.
When Jiang Yan Hui left the capital, these young masters were probably still learning to walk, so naturally they had no chance to see him. Even when Jiang Yan Hui was summoned back to the capital, he was always surrounded by guards and traveled by carriage.
They had only heard about the extraordinary talent and remarkable demeanor of the King of Jiangbei from word of mouth.
It's hard to imagine that someone who practices martial arts would have such a handsome face. While I was looking forward to it, I secretly thought it was probably just a rumor. It's already quite good that he has decent facial features.
Upon seeing her today, the woman draped in a black cloak, though she lowered her eyes and exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay, still possessed an overwhelming and stunning beauty. Her unique aloofness perfectly complemented her beauty, giving her a sense of noble and aloof elegance.
The children, who had been born in the capital and were used to seeing refined scholars, were all captivated by Jiang Yanhui's untamed and wild nature. They could almost see the desolation of the Gobi Desert in her.
The most important etiquette between men and women is thrown to the back of their minds, and they are unwilling to look away even for a moment.
I'm saddened by the inaccurate descriptions of the King of Jiangbei that have been passed down through word of mouth; the real King was a million times more handsome than the descriptions suggest.
Jiang Yanhui, who was already used to being watched, didn't take these kids who hadn't even grown up yet to heart at all. He rode all the way here at high speed, carrying an unshakable chill, and stopped by the burning stove to take off his cloak.
She didn't speak, and everyone else seemed to have forgotten they had mouths; for a moment, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
In the inner room separated only by a beaded curtain, the physician was administering acupuncture treatment to Ah Chou. The thin, long silver needles pierced through her skin, and the person lying on the bed was pale and motionless, with only her furrowed brows revealing a hint of life.
During the long treatment, no one left and no one dared to speak. Even the head of the Sheng family, who arrived later, remained silent when he saw Jiang Yanhui's extremely poor complexion, praying that she would be alright.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the chill on Jiang Yanhui's body was completely dispelled by the fire in the stove, and the physician in the inner room also finished the treatment and put away the silver needles that looked terrifying.
"How is it?" Jiang Yan asked as she lifted the curtain and went inside.
The physician had never met Jiang Yan Hui before, and naturally did not know that she was the famous King of Jiangbei. Judging from her extraordinary bearing, he knew she was an important figure who could not be offended. He respectfully replied, "Young Master was frightened after falling into the water and swallowed some water, but he is now fine. However, he seems to have an old ailment. I have given him acupuncture, and I hope he will wake up soon."
Jiang Yanhui walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. Looking at A Chou, whose lips were bloodless and whose eyes were closed, she felt a pang of pain in her heart.
The head of the Sheng family could tell that Jiang Yan Hui was unwilling to say much, so he took it upon himself to have the physician write a prescription and fetch the medicine, taking care of everything for her.
Sheng Yu knew why his mother was being cautious, and he also knew that his mother wanted him to step forward and say a few words to clear the Sheng family's name and prevent the Jiangbei King's anger from affecting the family.
However, he had come to regard Ah Chou as a friend during their time together, and seeing his friend injured in his own home, he had no heart to think about anything else.
Dou Yu nervously asked, clutching her hands, "Cousin, will Ah Chou be alright?"
Dou Yu's feud with Song Wenxuan had been going on for a long time, and this was the first time she regretted acting impulsively and getting into a quarrel, which caused Ah Chou, who was trying to break up the fight, to fall into the pond.
If Ah Chou were to really suffer any mishap, Dou Yu truly wouldn't know how to face Jiang Yan Hui.
"Everyone, get out."
Jiang Yanhui had no interest in asking what had happened; she was only thinking that with so many irrelevant people crammed into the pavilion, the air was becoming foul, and how could Ah Chou get a proper rest?
No one dared to contradict the King of Jiangbei. Song Wenxuan glanced at Jiang Yanhui, who was guarding the bedside, and then at Dou Yu, who looked guilty. His lips moved twice, but he ultimately chose to remain silent.
As everyone departed, the head of the Sheng family was filled with mixed emotions.
She closed the door behind her, but when she turned around and glanced inside, she was so shocked that cold sweat broke out on her back.
Jiang Yanhui, sitting on the side of the bed, gently lifted the unconscious man and held him in her arms, patting his back as if comforting an injured child, her expression tenderness never seen before.
The head of the Sheng family quickly looked away and swiftly closed the door. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he pulled his youngest son aside and asked in a low voice, "How is your relationship with that man in the room?"
"Mother, why are you asking what this is for?" Sheng Yu asked, puzzled. She answered truthfully, "My relationship with A Chou is naturally good, otherwise I wouldn't have specially invited him to the birthday banquet."
The head of the Sheng family breathed a sigh of relief; it was good that the relationship was good.
Even if the Sheng family made a minor mistake, if the King of Jiangbei were to investigate further, Ah Chou, being a close friend of the boy, would surely not remain silent.
——
As the crowd dispersed from the pavilion, Ah Chou, who was still unconscious, seemed to sense that the pressure had disappeared, and his furrowed brows relaxed.
But in the blink of an eye, his whole body began to twitch uncontrollably, and he mumbled in terror.
Jiang Yanhui knew that this was a case of being trapped in a nightmare, and that she should not rashly wake the person up, otherwise it was very likely that the person would lose their soul.
Thus, the scene that the head of the Sheng family witnessed unfolded: Jiang Yanhui pulled the person into her arms and gently patted her to comfort her.
Ah Chou's memory ends when Dou Yu was arguing with a stranger. It looked like they were about to fight, so Ah Chou rushed over to stop them. In the chaos, she was knocked into the water by someone.
One moment, strange yet familiar memories flash through my mind; the next, the pain of choking on icy water fills my senses. I struggle desperately to escape my predicament, but I am only pulled deeper and deeper into the abyss.
Ah Chou watched helplessly as he sank to the bottom of the dark pool, the icy water pouring into his mouth and nose, and a sharp pain shooting through his chest.
Suddenly, a glimmer of light flashed in the dim light, and the dagger that had been slung at his waist fell off at some point and sank to the bottom at an extremely fast speed.
Ah Chou had no time to worry about his physical discomfort. He knew that the dagger was one of the few things Jiang Yan Hui's father had left her, and he absolutely could not lose it.
Completely forgetting where he was, even the physical pain faded, he stretched out his arm, wanting only to catch the constantly falling dagger.
Thump—
One after another, there were splashes of water. A huge force pulled Ah Chou up by the waist. He watched helplessly as the dagger was swallowed by the darkness, and Ah Chou's consciousness gradually faded.
"Put the medicine on the table first."
Jiang Yanhui wiped the sweat from Ah Chou's neck with a handkerchief, turned to look at Dou Yu who hadn't moved after putting down the medicine, and said indifferently, "You don't need to explain anything to me. When he wakes up, just tell him what you have to say."
Dou Yu nodded vigorously, her eyes red-rimmed.
"Cousin!" Dou Yu's eyes widened slightly. "Did Ah Chou's eyes move just now?!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
