The night was cool and still, but Su Ruanruan felt as if she were in purgatory, the burning heat on her body becoming increasingly unbearable. She was unfamiliar with this vast palace, and in this state, she was naturally unable to return to the banquet.
She stumbled toward the lake, nearly falling, but someone beside her caught her, saying, "Princess, be careful."
"Thank you." Su Ruanruan glanced quickly at the bowing eunuch, then turned and left.
About half an hour later, Su Ruanruan walked down from a secluded pavilion on the hillside. When she passed by the lake, she was surprised to find that there were crowds of people there.
Upon seeing her approach, Su Tinghan quickly stepped forward and shielded her behind him.
Before she could understand what was going on, Huo Yan's furious voice came from the other side.
"Su Ruanruan, Xinrou has no past grudges or recent hatred towards you, so why do you want to harm her?"
Su Ruanruan stepped out from behind Su Tinghan, meeting everyone's gaze.
The people who had been standing in a circle quickly moved aside, and Su Ruanruan finally saw Huo Yan's icy eyes through the lantern held by the palace maid standing beside him.
And there was Fu Xinrou, curled up in his arms, tightly wrapped in his cloak.
A jade pendant was tossed precisely into Su Ruanruan's arms. Su Ruanruan stroked the rough patterns on it, then looked at her waist; the jade pendant there had long since vanished. Yes, it was this one in her hand.
"What does this mean?" Su Ruanruan asked.
Su Tinghan took a step forward and said, "General Huo, although this jade pendant belongs to my younger sister, is it too hasty to conclude that she pushed Miss Fu into the water simply because it appeared where she fell in?"
"Xinrou is kind-hearted, innocent, and has no grudges against anyone, so who would want to harm her? Why was it that just when Xinrou saw her coming to the lakeside, and just when she was looking for her, she was pushed into the lake, and the jade was left lying there?"
Su Tinghan said, "Where my little sister wants to go is her freedom. Why does it become her premeditated scheme when it comes to you?"
The two exchanged barbs, each refusing to back down.
It wasn't until the words "heartless and venomous" reached Su Ruanruan's ears that her thoughts snapped back to reality. She looked at Huo Yan and saw that his face was even colder than the frigid weather.
Su Ruanruan knew all too well that his hatred for her stemmed from her abortion. Even with so many coincidences, he refused to believe her.
Su Ruanruan did not want to argue with him, and seeing the imperial physician rushing over, she silently stood aside.
Nearly fifteen minutes later, Fu Xinrou finally woke up in Huo Yan's arms.
"Brother Huo... I'm so cold." Fu Xinrou's voice was weak and feeble.
Huo Yan glanced at Su Ruanruan, then looked at Fu Xinrou, "I'll take you away first..."
Before Su Ruanruan could speak, Su Tinghan called out to them, "Wait a minute. If Miss Fu wants to leave, she needs to explain things clearly first. Otherwise, my sister's reputation will be ruined if you leave."
Fu Xinrou looked bewildered, turned to Huo Yan, and asked, "Brother Huo, what does Prince Su mean by that?"
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