"Alright, I think it's about time. Let's go out and admire the lotus flowers." Yongchang stepped in to smooth things over, then glared at the Crown Prince. She wondered what had gotten into her Crown Prince brother today, that he would make things difficult for Xueying in public. Yongchang was a little puzzled, and then glanced at Ren Nuanyun. Could it be that her Crown Prince brother had taken a fancy to this Ren Nuanyun?
The group then headed towards the edge of the pond.
Even though Qu Qingxi had seen many lotus flowers before, she was still greatly amazed. The scene before her eyes truly lived up to the saying, "The lotus leaves stretch to the sky, an endless expanse of green, while the lotus flowers, bathed in sunlight, are a uniquely vibrant red."
On the way there, Qu Qingxi heard Qingdai say that Princess Yongchang had loved lotus flowers since she was a child, and even the Imperial Garden was full of lotus flowers. Now that she had moved out, she had hired special craftsmen to build a lotus pond in the princess's residence.
The lotus flowers swayed gracefully, exceptionally beautiful, and a smile involuntarily appeared on Qu Qingxi's face.
Everyone was also amazed by the sight before them and exclaimed in admiration.
"The lotus flowers here are so beautiful."
"Yes, I've never seen so many lotus flowers before."
"I heard that the craftsmen who cultivate these lotus flowers were specially found by the Emperor for Princess Yongchang. They started cultivating them as early as when the Princess's residence was being built, so of course they are beautiful."
"His Majesty really dotes on Princess Yongchang. Look, Princess Yongchang was given a title right after she was born, and now she has a princess's residence even before she is married."
"Yes, we have nothing to envy."
Qu Qingxi remembered that Princess Yongchang and His Highness the Crown Prince were both born to the Empress. The Emperor doted on the Empress, so the Crown Prince was named Crown Prince as soon as he was born.
Moreover, before the Empress gave birth, none of the Emperor's other concubines had children. It was only after the Crown Prince was born that the other concubines gradually began to have children.
In such an era, it was quite remarkable for an emperor to achieve such a feat.
As Qu Qingxi was thinking, she suddenly heard a "plop" sound and someone fell into the water.
"Princess, you..."
Everyone was shocked and looked in the direction from which the commotion came.
Standing by the railing was He Xueying, her face pale with shock. When she saw everyone looking at her, she quickly explained, "It wasn't me, she jumped down by herself. What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and find someone to save her!"
The person in the water was struggling incessantly. Qu Qingxi recognized at a glance that the person who had fallen into the pool was Ren Nuanyun. The people gathered around the pool were anxiously watching the person struggling inside. Some of them had already gone to find a maid who could swim.
It is summer now, and the noble ladies are all wearing very thin clothes. If they fall into the water, their clothes will stick to their bodies. If a man goes in, Ren Nuanyun's innocence will be ruined. The man who saves her must be responsible for the person who fell into the water.
Although Ren Nuanyun's talent had just amazed everyone, she was ultimately just a concubine's daughter. The men present hesitated, as they were unwilling to marry a concubine's daughter as their principal wife, even if she was the daughter of the Marquis of Dingguo.
Before a maid who could swim could be found, someone jumped into the water and swam vigorously toward Ren Nuanyun.
Qu Qingxi had been keeping an eye on Ren Nuanyun's situation and noticed that she had been in the water for quite a while but was still struggling without choking on any water. After observing her closely, Qu Qingxi realized that Ren Nuanyun was a good swimmer and could have swum out on her own, but she was still struggling in the water.
"What a clever scheme!" Qu Qingxi thought to herself. She guessed that Ren Nuanyun must have jumped down herself. He Xueying was a princess and always proud. Even if she was dissatisfied with Ren Nuanyun, she wouldn't have harmed her on the spot.
If that's really the case, then He Xueying is truly unlucky today. First, Ren Nuanyun stole the spotlight, and now she's framed by her.
People only believe what they see. After the confrontation between the two, everyone present must have assumed that He Xueying pushed Ren Nuanyun into the water in a fit of anger.
With just one move, she managed to give a princess a vicious reputation. This Ren Nuanyun is truly remarkable.
Even if He Xueying was wronged, no evidence could be found to prove her innocence.
The one who rescued her was a maid who knew martial arts. The maid quickly brought Ren Nuanyun up. As soon as they arrived, the Crown Prince took a piece of clothing that had been prepared beforehand and draped it over Ren Nuanyun's body to prevent others from seeing what they shouldn't and ruining her reputation.
Ren Nuanyun glanced gratefully at the Crown Prince, and just as she was about to speak, she closed her eyes and pretended to faint.
"Take Miss Ren down to change her clothes and rest." The Crown Prince looked at the maid who had just rescued someone from the water; she was none other than his personal guard.
"Yes, Your Highness." The man nodded and then carried the unconscious Ren Nuanyun away.
"He Xueying, what did you just do!" The Crown Prince's face was very unpleasant. Just now, Ren Nuanyun called out "Princess" before falling into the water, which undoubtedly confirmed to everyone that it was He Xueying who pushed her into the water.
"Your Highness, I didn't push her down." Seeing the Crown Prince's grim expression, He Xueying quickly explained.
"She was standing right next to you just now, and she called your name before she fell into the water. If you didn't push her in, did she jump in herself to frame you?" The Crown Prince sneered.
"It really wasn't me." He Xueying had never been wronged like this before, and she felt extremely aggrieved. "My maid can testify that Ren Nuanyun jumped down by herself just now." Remembering something, He Xueying quickly pulled her maid over to prove her innocence.
"Your Highness, our princess is truly innocent. She didn't push her at all." The maid was startled by the prince's expression and quickly tried to explain.
"Hmph, the maid is your person, of course she'll speak on your side." The Crown Prince didn't believe He Xueying's words at all.
Aside from the maid, she had no other evidence to prove her innocence. He Xueying was extremely anxious, but there was nothing she could do.
“Crown Prince, Xueying isn’t that kind of person. It shouldn’t be her who recommended the position of Fourth Miss.” Princess Yongchang quickly stepped forward. Although He Xueying was sometimes a bit spoiled, she was also favored by the Prince and was not a bad person at heart. She wouldn’t do something like framing someone in public.
“Yongchang, just now Miss Ren composed a fine poem that overshadowed He Xueying. She was quite unhappy about it. You don’t need to speak up for her. He Xueying has always been arrogant, so it’s normal for her to do something like this.” Even though Princess Yongchang spoke, the Crown Prince still didn’t believe her. He believed what he had seen.
"The princess did have a small argument with Miss Ren just now. Even if the princess was dissatisfied with Miss Ren, she wouldn't have pushed her into the water at this time."
Think about it, everyone. If you really harbored resentment towards someone, would you do this in front of so many people? Besides, the two of them clearly had a minor argument just now, so why are they standing together now while admiring the lotus blossoms?
“Yes, she insisted on coming close to me,” He Xueying said quickly, as if she had just remembered something.
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