The room was quiet, with only the sound of Wang Ning'er scratching her head.
She blinked and thought for a moment before saying, "I fell in myself, I'm not sure..."
"You, oh you. You were boating peacefully, and you fell into the lake. Tell me..." Madam He was so anxious she didn't know what to do.
Her own daughter was truly muddled.
How could she have fallen in for no reason?
Madam He didn't want to consider conspiracy theories, but having come from the inner chambers, such methods had been used before.
"By the way, besides Madam Shen who saved you, there was also that person, the one from Yong'an Marquis's manor, the one surnamed Zhao, who also went into the water to save you?" Madam He asked, puzzled.
"Pfft," Wang Ning'er let out a laugh when she heard her mother's words, unable to hold it in.
"She wasn't trying to save me, she fell in accidentally, accidentally, uh, she also fell into the water accidentally."
Wang Ning'er was about to tell her mother that Zhao Xiaohua had fallen into the water because she wanted to publicize her fall, and Su Xiaoqi had pulled her in.
But as she looked up, she saw Su Xiaoqi and the others standing at the doorway.
Besides her, there were two other important figures: the Grand Princess and the Old Madam of the Duke of Yu's manor.
She shrugged, swallowed her words, and put on an extremely innocent expression.
Seeing her like that, Su Xiaoqi couldn't help but smile. She shifted aside, inviting the two elders beside her to go first.
She followed them, bowed to Madam He, and asked about Wang Ning'er's condition.
Although Su Xiaoqi hadn't liked Wang Ning'er much at first.
But Wang Ning'er's performance on the small boat earlier had surprised her slightly.
Wang Ning'er was also polite and struggled to get up to bow to the Grand Princess and the Old Madam, but the Grand Princess stopped her.
"You just fell into the water, you should rest well, why bother with such ostentatious courtesies."
Wang Ning'er was pressed back down, while Madam He performed the proper courtesies, inviting them to sit on the armchairs.
Wang Ning'er then answered Su Xiaoqi's question: "I'm fine, thankfully you came in time. I was so scared then."
When she had fallen into the water earlier, the soft, unsubstantial feeling beneath her feet had made her think she was close to death.
It was terrifying, but Su Xiaoqi had jumped in without hesitation, giving her a glimmer of hope.
She was filled with gratitude towards Su Xiaoqi.
If it weren't for her, her life might have been saved, but her reputation would likely have been completely ruined.
After Su Xiaoqi pushed her onto the small boat, she had seen clearly that two strong men had suddenly emerged from the water and were grappling with Su Xiaoqi.
Their origins were unknown, and they were not anyone's servants. They had just appeared so abruptly.
Although it seemed sudden, it also felt like a carefully orchestrated plan.
If Su Xiaoqi hadn't jumped into the lake to save her, wouldn't those two men have targeted her instead?
Wang Ning'er hadn't thought that much at first, but now, seeing Su Xiaoqi, she couldn't help but open her mind and think things through.
She grabbed Su Xiaoqi's arm and asked if the two men had been caught and if their identities could be ascertained.
Su Xiaoqi nodded. "The men have been caught, and my husband is interrogating them."
"No matter who it is, how cruel! This was meant to ruin a person's reputation." Madam He had heard the entire account from Wang Ning'er and was now filled with emotion seeing Su Xiaoqi.
The latter part of what happened had been her daughter taking the blow for her.
She couldn't imagine what would have happened if her daughter had been entangled by men in the water like that; her reputation would have been completely ruined.
"Fortunately, you are a good swimmer and weren't taken advantage of by those two scoundrels," Madam He said, growing more and more alarmed.
A woman's reputation was her everything; once ruined, a person was finished.
The Grand Princess and the Old Madam realized upon hearing this that Su Xiaoqi hadn't told them the whole truth.
At least, things were not as simple as she had described them.
The two immediately pressed for details. Madam He, seeing them arrive together, assumed they already knew, and so she spoke without restraint.
Who knew...
But at this point, she didn't dare to hide anything, so she recounted the entire scene as Wang Ning'er had told her.
Upon hearing this, both of them became anxious, especially the Old Madam.
She genuinely doted on Su Xiaoqi, treating her like her own granddaughter.
To think that she had experienced such a thing! With a pained expression, she turned and took Su Xiaoqi's hand, stroking her cheek. "Child, why didn't you tell me it was so dangerous."
The Grand Princess also said, "Indeed, Xiaoqi, you should have told us. I will handle this matter."
The Grand Princess was also very annoyed. She was openly protective of Su Xiaoqi.
Now, if someone dared to lay hands on Su Xiaoqi, it was a direct affront to her, and she could not tolerate it.
Su Xiaoqi was touched but still didn't want them to be involved in this matter.
In fact, hearing Wang Ning'er speak of these things, she thought that the target of the plot might have initially been Wang Ning'er, and then herself.
But because she had suddenly intervened, she had disrupted the opponent's plan, thus directly implicating herself.
Therefore, to investigate this matter, they needed to start with Wang Ning'er.
However, she said nothing of this in front of her elders, only stating that Shen Yun was investigating and that they would be informed once he found anything.
This incident, though difficult for Su Xiaoqi, Wang Ning'er, and their close associates, was merely a small interlude for others.
Even Zhao Xiaohua falling into the water did not create much of a stir.
For some reason, she did not accuse Su Xiaoqi.
She only said that Su Xiaoqi had kindly reached out to help her but lacked the strength to pull her up, and in the process, pulled herself in.
She was accompanied by a very capable female servant who was good at swimming and easily rescued her.
However, her status was not high, and no one came to care for her.
Only Liu Tingting stayed by her side, looking at her with some sympathy. "Sister Xiaohua, she pulled you in, why are you speaking up for her?" she said indignantly.
Zhao Xiaohua, with red eyes and an innocent expression, said, "Tingting, don't say such things anymore. She is not what she used to be.
Who would believe what I say?"
Liu Tingting stood up abruptly. "I believe myself. I saw it with my own eyes. She dragged you into the water."
Zhao Xiaohua said nervously, "Shush, shush, don't say it, don't say it. I heard that the Grand Princess and the Old Madam of the Duke of Yu's manor have both gone to see her.
Although Yong'an Marquis's manor has a high status, it cannot compare to the Grand Princess who is currently favored by the Emperor."
Liu Tingting pouted, a little displeased. "So what? You were wronged, and we are in the right..."
"Tingting, I know you mean well for me, but... forget it. Compared to her, I am merely a rootless duckweed..."
Zhao Xiaohua's tears began to fall as she spoke.
Seeing this, Liu Tingting felt a pang of heartache.
She liked Zhao Xiaohua and sympathized with her.
She felt that besides her slightly inferior background, she was no different from the young ladies of the noble families in the capital.
She was proficient in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and most importantly, she could take her to meet the person she liked.
Zhao Xiaohua looked at Liu Tingting, seeing the radiant joy on her face, and knew what she was thinking.
She turned to sleep inside, a wry smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
In this world, no one truly cared for you; there were only vested interests.
Their pain was others' joy.