A lush and vibrant Jin Wang Palace, overlooking the lotus pond in the View Garden.
At this moment, a large crowd had gathered, consisting of male guests, female relatives, as well as all the servants and slaves of the Prince's mansion. They were all here to watch the excitement unfold.
A young girl in pink was sitting on the edge of the pool, already drenched from head to toe, with a pale complexion.
It seems that the one who fell into the water is her.
Yu Yao glanced at the girl and, after taking a closer look at her face, raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Is this not Jiang Fu from the Marquis of Yongning's mansion?
She remembered that this woman initially tried to seduce Nan Gong Yan at the Gathering Pavilion, but now she's targeting the third prince.
She scanned the area with her gaze, spotting the Crown Prince standing by the rock formation at a glance.
In a dark purple robe, he exuded an aura of coldness and solemnity that was impossible to ignore. His lips were tightly pressed together, and he regarded this direction with a face devoid of expression.
Nan Gong Yan stood next to the Crown Prince, clad in a moon-white jade robe, towering over everyone else. Although he didn't have the same aura as the Crown Prince, his demeanor was still arrogant and domineering.
But unlike the Crown Prince, he exuded a gentle and warm glow that warmed the hearts of those around him.
Knowing the true nature of Nan Gong Yan, Yu Yao pursed her lips. The man is as gentle as a ghost. He's just using these fake appearances to confuse people. Deep down, he's probably worse than Hell's Gatekeeper.
Seeing his own wife give him a sullen look, Nan Gong Yan's eyes flickered slightly, and he moved towards her with steady steps.
Yu Yao saw him approach and moved her own feet closer to him. She pointed at the drenched Jiang Fu with her chin and whispered, "What's going on?"
Nan Gong Yan lifted his eyelids and glanced at the Jiang Fu lying on the ground.
"We were playing archery nearby, and she suddenly appeared out of nowhere and inexplicably fell into the water. She kept shouting for help, so Big Brother jumped in to save her."
Yu Yao scanned the area, but she didn't see the third prince. It's probably because he went to change clothes.
She looked back at Jiang Fu, whose face was pale, and she wasn't sure who her target was.
But since the third prince jumped in to save her, it seems she might as well become part of the third prince's household from now on.
Although the era's gender taboos were not very severe, the fact that Jiang Fu fell into the water and clung together with him while both were drenched clearly ruined her reputation.
Jiang Fu was surrounded by a large group of maids who were all trembling and pale.
Mrs. Jin swept her gaze over the maids lying on the ground and scolded with an unpleasant look, "I have already ordered that women are not allowed to come here, and I have also sent people to guard the crossroads where they come from. How could Miss Jiang appear here, even falling into the water?"
"Your Highness, the maids and I are not sure why Miss Jiang appeared here suddenly or why she fell into the water..."
A little maid on the side timidly spoke up.
"Who were responsible for guarding the crossroads? Are their eyes blind? They just let female relatives come to the male guests' side?"
Mrs. Jin's face turned cold as ice as she angrily spoke.
The several servants responsible for guarding the crossroads were already terrified and kneeling on the ground, trembling and stuttering, "Please spare our lives, your highness. We really did not see Miss Jiang come over. We didn't leave in the middle."
Everyone present exchanged looks of surprise.
"If she wasn't coming from the crossroads, then how did she get here? Did she fly over?"
At that moment, a little maid suddenly whispered, "Your Highness, the maid saw that Miss Jiang and her maids had knocked out the serving girls guarding the plum garden and slipped through from within."
Everyone present was startled, and then they all had an epiphany, understanding how things had unfolded.
The crown prince and several other princes were all here, so regardless of which one jumped into the water to save her, Jiang Fu would still marry into a good family without any losses.
The Marquis of Yongning's mansion had already declined, not even reaching the level of Yongling Marquis's mansion.
Although the Yongling Marquis' mansion had no particularly outstanding descendants, at least they still had the Yongling Marquis to uphold the family. And the daughters who had married out were all decent.
However, from the top to the bottom of Yongning Marquis' household, there really was no one with any distinguished merits. They were all filthy rich, indulging in food, drink, prostitution, and gambling.
Even the Marquis of Yongning himself was the same. He had a large number of concubines and side rooms within the mansion, and he maintained several mistresses outside the estate as well.
Even in the brothels and pleasure houses, he had quite a few favored girls.
It's almost like termites.
Only through the daughters who had married out bringing benefits, could the entire Yongning Marquis' mansion maintain its prosperity and avoid decline.
Upon contemplating this, everyone present couldn't help but look at Jiang Fu with a mixture of disdain.
Jiang Fu was drenched from head to toe and felt shivering cold all over. However, the cold was not as unbearable as the scornful gazes surrounding her.
With teary eyes, Jiang Fu looked at the maid, "We have no grievances or enmity between us. Why would you accuse me?"
"I did not frame you. I saw it all."
The maid glanced at Jiang Fu, and her inner contempt grew stronger. She spoke loudly, "I saw you sneak into the men's area, disrupting the social order. And you even fell into the water, which is a disgrace to your family."
The Lady of Yongning Marquis was so angry that she kicked the maid over, pointing at her and roaring, "Bring someone to drag this liar out and beat him to death with sticks."
The maid was terrified and had her face turn white as snow in an instant. She shook like a leaf, crawling in front of the Marquis' Consort and sobbing, "Your Highness, the Consort of the Third Prince, I did not lie. I really did see Miss Jiang sneak into the men's area and fall into the water."
Mrs. Jin had already formed an opinion in her heart. She knew what the Yongning Marquis' mansion was like.
As for Jiang Fu, she wasn't any better. Mrs. Jin had heard some days ago that the girl was trying to seduce her own son, but unfortunately, her son did not take the bait.
Who would have thought that she would again set her sights on a prince?
Mrs. Jin was about to say something when she saw the Third Prince's Consort emerge.
She coldly looked at Jiang Fu and then at the Yongning Marquis' Consort, mocking, "Your Highness, the Yongning Marquis' Consort, you really are quite powerful. You can even kill a servant of the Jin Wang Palace with sticks. You should know that this is like killing a dog, but it depends on the owner."
The Third Prince's Consort skillfully instigated the situation, mocking Sun Shihou while successfully igniting Mrs. Jin's anger towards the Yongning Marquis' Consort.
Mrs. Jin's eyes flickered with displeasure, but she held her tongue because the Yongning Marquis' Consort was a guest.
However, she stored this incident away in her heart.
The Yongning Marquis' Consort knew she had offended Mrs. Jin, and her heart raced with panic. She quickly explained, "Please forgive me, Your Highness. I meant no disrespect to the Jin Wang Palace. It's just that I spoke out of haste."
Mrs. Jin looked at her and said, "How this matter is to be handled, I am not concerned. You all figure it out among yourselves."
She looked at Jiang Fu lying on the ground, who was drenched from head to toe. Although it was May, if she didn't change her clothes in a timely manner, it would be easy for her to catch a cold.
She was about to call the maids beside her to take Jiang Fu down and change her clothes.
As she was about to order the maids to take Jiang Fu down and change her clothes, she heard the Third Prince's Consort angrily say, "She herself jumped into the water, and deliberately knocked out the people guarding the plum garden and sneaked in from there. There's nothing to discuss. Don't even think of blaming us for this."
The Yongning Marquis' Consort immediately became upset upon hearing this. "What does the Third Prince's Consort mean by this? Sister Jiang's reputation has already been ruined. If she doesn't enter the Third Prince's household, do you want her to die?"
The Third Prince's Consort looked mockingly at the Yongning Marquis' Consort and said sarcastically, "Dying is her own fault. My lord saved her out of kindness, but now he's brought trouble instead?"
She looked down at the increasingly pale Jiang Fu lying on the ground and coldly snorted, "Women like her who scheme and plot deserve to be killed, let alone be allowed to enter the household."
"Consort of the Third Prince, you…"
The Yongning Marquis' Consort was extremely angry and panicky in her heart. If Fu'er couldn't marry the Third Prince, then who else would dare to marry her in the future?
"Mother, don't say that. My daughter's reputation has already been ruined. If she can't enter the Third Prince's household, then let her die for it."
Jiang Fu cried so hard that she couldn't speak. She was a tough girl and decided to jump into the water, determined to die.
She had originally planned to seduce the crown prince, but little did she know that the crown prince showed no interest at all. Fortunately, the third prince was also a good catch.
It's a shame that she can't enter the Eastern Palace.
Yu Yao's heart pounded as she thought: This woman is fierce. She is trying to force the Third Prince's Consort to agree?
