Ling Yan waved her hand, calling her over. Standing beside her were Feng Ruoyan and Liu Yanyan.
Feng Jin's lips curved into a calm smile, but her senses were already scanning her surroundings, extending far beyond double the norm for ordinary people.
She had already spotted several servants hiding behind the trees by the pond.
Feng Jin maintained her composed demeanor. As she walked to the edge of the platform and crouched down, she faintly heard footsteps approaching her, tilting her body slightly.
"Splash!"
A huge splash erupted, sending countless water droplets flying. The noble ladies standing by the platform instantly panicked, thrown into disarray.
Feng Jin seized the moment and shoved Ling Yan and Feng Ruoyan, who were beside her, into the water.
After all, with so many people watching, it had already become chaos. Even if an investigation occurred, it would be an unsolved case, leaving them to suffer the loss in silence.
"Help!"
"Help! I can't swim!"
"Help!"
The three beauties were now all drenched, flailing in the water.
Only then did Feng Jin see clearly that it was Liu Yanyan who had intended to push her in.
This was only their first meeting, and yet Liu Yanyan harbored such hatred for her. Could it truly be a case of love turning into hate?
The servants who had been hiding behind the trees leaped into the pond. Each cradled a beauty in their arms and swam towards the surface.
The guests at the banquet, hearing the commotion, all rushed over.
Suddenly, the edge of the pond was crowded with people of all sorts.
The three servants rescuing them from the pond seemed to have a purpose, deliberately swimming towards the crowd with the women they were carrying.
Only then did Feng Jin understand the scheme Ling Yan and the others had concocted.
A woman's reputation was paramount. Falling into a pond and being rescued by an outsider while drenched would publicly expose them, utterly ruining their reputations.
Fortunately, she had been cautious. If it had been her falling into the water, she would have been divorced with a letter of repudiation the next day, becoming an abandoned woman.
A flicker of coldness crossed Feng Jin's eyes. Since that was the case, she wouldn't be polite.
The three, soaked to the bone, coughed up several mouthfuls of water, gasping for breath. Their pretty faces were pale, and their expressions were dazed.
The fear of surviving a disaster enveloped them. Subconsciously, they clung tightly to their rescuers until they reached the shore, not letting go.
"Isn't that Miss Feng?"
"And Miss Ling and the second Miss Liu!"
It was autumn, and their clothes were still relatively thin. Now, they clung tightly to their bodies.
Hearing the surrounding discussions and the strange glances from the crowd, the three quickly covered themselves.
Feng Ruoyan's face turned deathly pale. Her mind exploded, blood rushing to her temples. Her angry voice was laced with a sob.
"Go away! All of you, go away!"
How could this have happened? The plan was for Feng Jin to fall into the pond.
"Make way!" A slightly angry voice boomed. A man in opulent brocade robes burst through the crowd, took off his outer garment, and tightly shielded the drenched Feng Ruoyan, holding her in his arms. "Ruoyan, it's alright now, don't be afraid!"
Seeing the Third Prince arrive, the surrounding people quieted down.
Second Master Ling squeezed through and saw the soaked Ling Yan, nearly fainting. "Disgraceful, utterly disgraceful!"
These two children were here to torment him; neither gave him any peace.
A maid brought clean clothes, shielded Ling Yan, and helped her into a room.
Liu Yanyan, who had been used as a scapegoat, was slapped severely by her father and also taken home.
Madam Sun, hearing the commotion, rushed over and saw Feng Ruoyan soaked and held in the Third Prince's arms, with many people pointing and gossiping around them.
"Master, this..." Madam Sun asked Feng Yunping, not understanding what had happened.
Feng Yunping's face turned ashen, the veins on his temples bulging. He suppressed his anger with great effort, as it was inappropriate to act out with people around. "This is the good daughter you've raised!"
Now, the position of the Third Prince's consort was lost. The royal family would not tolerate a woman with such gossip surrounding her as a main consort. Hopefully, she could at least become a secondary consort.
Hiding in the shadows, Feng Jin watched the three in their pathetic state, unable to contain her laughter, and let out a soft chuckle.
Turning, she met Ling Mohan's probing gaze.
Feng Jin's expression faltered slightly, and she instantly regained her usual cold demeanor. "It's windy here, Young General should return!"
As she walked past Ling Mohan, he grabbed her wrist. "I have some matters I wish to inquire about, Madam!"
He then directly pulled Feng Jin back to the East Courtyard.
The forceful grip on her wrist made Feng Jin doubt if Ling Mohan was truly an invalid.
"Let go of me!" Once inside the East Courtyard, Feng Jin shouted angrily. If he gripped any tighter, her wrist might be ruined.
Feng Jin looked at her reddened, swollen wrist. She regretted healing him. She should have left him half-paralyzed, confined to his bed for life.
"You pushed them into the water?" Ling Mohan was very sure. He hadn't misread; it was Feng Jin who had made the move.
"That's right, I did it!"
Feng Jin admitted it frankly, without any hint of regret.
"Do you know that a woman's reputation is more important than anything? In broad daylight, you pushed them into the water. This will ruin their lives!"
Ling Mohan's tone held a hint of anger. His greatest concern was not for Feng Ruoyan and the others, but that if anyone discovered Feng Jin was responsible.
She would then be subjected to public condemnation and could not be tolerated by the world.
He had thought Feng Jin acted with deliberation and composure, but unexpectedly, she too couldn't hold back.
"You are truly as foolish and dull as a pig!" She truly regretted saving Ling Mohan.
Perhaps he had been lying in bed for too long and his brain had malfunctioned.
"You show no remorse!"
"I show no remorse. Do you know that if I hadn't sensed something was wrong just now, I would have been the one falling into the water today, and my reputation would have been ruined!"
"Use your brain and think carefully. Ling Yan sees me as a thorn in her side. Furthermore, because of me, the Old Master punished Ling Muzhu by sending him to a village estate. With Ling Yan's temperament, would she suddenly reconcile with me? Coupled with Feng Ruoyan and Liu Yanyan, who doesn't see me as a thorn in their side, a nail in their flesh!"
"After the three of them fell into the water, how could it be such a coincidence that servants went to their rescue? The servants, seeing their attire, knew they were unmarried women, yet why did they specifically swim towards the crowd? Why did everyone rush to the pond so quickly? All of this was premeditated!"
"It's just a pity that they were too clever for their own good, and in trying to harm others, they ended up harming themselves. They brought it upon themselves!"
Ling Mohan's body stiffened. He instantly understood the intricate details. Upon reflection, it was terrifying. The struggles between women were far more dangerous than battles on the battlefield.
"Feng Jin..."
The apology was stuck in his throat. Ling Mohan didn't know how to say it.
"After all, you and Feng Ruoyan were childhood sweethearts, Liu Yanyan cares deeply for you, and Ling Yan is also your sister. You and I are just a couple forced together..."