The Wang family's carriage smoothly departed from Liu Garden.
After looking around to ensure no one was watching, Wang Enze lifted the curtain and got inside.
Madam He didn't say anything. Seeing that some dust from the roadside had smudged his forehead, she took out a handkerchief and gently wiped it for him.
"Second Brother, you said earlier that you suspected I didn't fall into the water by myself, but that someone intended to harm me. Is that true?"
Wang Enze nodded. "I sent people to investigate. The small boat at the time was very stable, and you have always been afraid of water. You wouldn't have gone too close to the water. Even if you had slipped for a moment, you wouldn't have fallen into the lake."
Wang Ning'er thought for a moment and nodded vigorously. "That's right, that's right. I thought boating on the lake would be fun. Although I was a bit scared of water, I still got on.
But I didn't dare to lean over the side of the boat to grab lotus leaves and splash water like Liu Nini and the others. I only dared to huddle in the middle of the small boat.
But suddenly I felt dizzy, and then I fell into the lake. I don't even know why."
Thinking back now, Wang Ning'er felt even more bewildered.
At the time, she was completely baffled, not knowing anything. Her mind seemed to be a blank slate.
Wang Enze remained silent, nodding to show he understood.
He had already heard about these things from her personal maid.
"Also, Second Brother, you said earlier that those people pushed me into the water not to harm me, but to harm Miss Shen. What's going on?"
Wang Ning'er couldn't quite understand the reason behind it.
She was the one who suffered, yet why did her Second Brother say that the bad guys were targeting Miss Shen?
"Silly girl, think about it. If something happened to you at Miss Shen's place, who would people blame first?"
"They would blame the person who pushed me into the water. No, I don't even know how I fell into the water, how can I blame them?
They might blame Miss Shen."
The reason she didn't think of blaming Miss Shen now was because she had personally seen her jump into the water to save her, disregarding her own life.
Therefore, she couldn't possibly blame her.
But if she hadn't come to save her, and instead allowed her to fall into those people's hands and ruin her life, then after finding no one else to hate, she would have harbored endless resentment towards the owner of Liu Garden.
So, upon reflection, she felt her Second Brother's words made some sense.
"I sent people to investigate. The person who jumped into the lake to save you has been caught. You don't need to worry. I will find out who is behind this.
From now on, you need to be careful yourself and stay away from those people from the Liu family." Wang Enze narrowed his eyes, his face, pale and stiff, held a cold expression.
"Yes, I know, I know. This time I fell into the water, they just watched the show. They didn't even think about saving me, even though their boat had a woman who could swim."
Wang Ning'er had previously thought that their boat was the same as hers, with no one who could swim. Who knew that after Zhao Xiaohua was pulled into the water by Su Xiaoqi, the woman behind her immediately jumped in to save her?
It was clear they were unwilling to save her.
"Then you can interact with Miss Shen. You should learn from her well.
Look at her, so young, yet she managed to appease the most difficult to deal with old madam and the princess in the capital, making them feel like their own daughters and granddaughters." Madam He sighed.
Upon hearing this, Wang Enze's gloomy expression deepened. What a formidable Miss Shen.
In Liu Garden, Su Xiaoqi noticed that it was getting late. Knowing that the Princess would be leaving soon, she went with Shen Yun to visit her in her courtyard, bringing her some loquats.
Princess Hui'an and Bao Ge'er both liked to eat them.
The Princess was very happy to see her and kept saying that Liu Garden was simply too much fun.
She, Princess Hui'an, and Bao Ge'er were all so enchanted that they didn't want to leave.
"Look at those two little ones, like wild children. Once they go out to play, they're nowhere to be seen."
Liu Garden not only had many places for women to amuse themselves but also many places for children to play.
A playground was a must.
There was also a place dedicated to making pastries and various fun toys.
Bao Ge'er, who was usually so clingy, was now playing by himself with these things and no longer sticking to the Princess.
Here, Su Xiaoqi prioritized safety above all else, eliminating all potential safety hazards.
Therefore, the Princess allowed Bao Ge'er to play, feeling even more at ease than she did in her own mansion.
"I even feel like keeping him here to play," the Princess said with a sigh.
Su Xiaoqi was taken aback. She felt that the Princess's words sounded a little off.
But she couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong.
However, Shen Yun, standing beside her, offered a comforting remark, "Your Highness is too kind. No matter how it is now, the Princess's mansion is still Your Highness's residence."
To Su Xiaoqi, these words were as good as saying nothing.
But the Princess's eyes lit up at Shen Yun's words, and she nodded thoughtfully, "Xu Zhi speaks well."
Su Xiaoqi looked at the Princess and then at Shen Yun.
She wondered what kind of silent understanding was passing between the two of them.
"By the way, you two must come and watch the Dragon Boat Race during the Duanwu Festival in Yuanjiang this year." The Princess invited them.
Although the Duanwu Dragon Boat Race was held on the Yuanjiang River, allowing onlookers to watch from the riverbanks, the best viewing spots were all cordoned off by the Five Cities Patrol.
These areas were exclusively for the top aristocratic families and imperial nobles of the Great Liang Dynasty.
They offered the best vantage point, allowing one to survey the entire scene from a seated position.
Su Xiaoqi had seen modern dragon boat races and was very interested in such grand events.
She readily agreed. The Princess then said that no matter how much she didn't want to leave, she had to return.
There was a pile of matters waiting for her to attend to at her mansion.
Moreover, Li Shushao, standing outside the door, announced that the驸马 (Imperial Son-in-Law) had arrived.
Su Xiaoqi noticed that when the Princess heard the words "Imperial Son-in-Law," her previously smiling face suddenly darkened, and her eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if she were very displeased.
She thought of the Princess's fate in her previous life and felt a pang of worry for her.
But this was a private matter between husband and wife, and it was not appropriate for her to concern herself with such things. She pretended not to notice, but her heart felt inexplicably heavy.
Half an hour later, after seeing the Princess off, Su Xiaoqi was in a somber mood. Shen Yun noticed her emotions and drew her into his embrace. "What is my wife thinking about?"
Su Xiaoqi replied, "I heard that the Imperial Son-in-Law has always doted on the Princess. They are known throughout the capital as an affectionate couple.
But just now, when the Princess heard that the Imperial Son-in-Law had arrived, she didn't seem happy at all."
"The world is declining, and people's hearts are not as they used to be," Shen Yun said lightly.
"Hmm?" Su Xiaoqi, being exceptionally intelligent, sensed something was amiss and raised her eyebrows, waiting for Shen Yun's further explanation.
As smart as she was, she was no match for Shen Yun's extensive information network or his intricate thoughts. Therefore, for a moment, she was reluctant to consider certain possibilities.
"Feelings can change, and they can also gradually fade. If the Imperial Son-in-Law truly doted on the Princess as the rumors suggested, he wouldn't have agreed to the concubines the Princess arranged for him, nor would he have..."
Shen Yun thought of something and swallowed the words that were about to come out.
Su Xiaoqi was somewhat surprised. She knew that the Imperial Son-in-Law had concubines, but she heard that the Princess had arranged them for him, which made her feel it was somewhat acceptable.
After all, this was a societal ill of the era, not the fault of any single individual.
However, Shen Yun's words had stirred up some emotions in her, and she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows and ask, "Will we also do that?"
Shen Yun was momentarily stunned. He had indeed thought that Su Xiaoqi would consider this aspect, which was why he had swallowed the rest of his words.
He hadn't expected to avoid it and immediately replied, "How is that possible? People are different."
This answer was too weak, and Su Xiaoqi's heart sank.
She knew that Shen Yun would change, and he would change.
The worry that she had deliberately suppressed in her heart resurfaced once again.