ABD - Chapter 55

The lake water in the mountains was even more bone-chilling, quickly numbing Jin Shiyue's body.

Jin Shiyue was not good at swimming. Having suddenly fallen into the water, he thrashed about in fright, only moving further and further from the shore. His feet gradually lost contact with the bottom.

"Help! Help... ugh..." Jin Shiyue intermittently cried for help towards the shore, on the verge of collapsing and sinking to the bottom of the lake. On the bank, Qian Ruofang's face was filled with panic.

Qian Ruofang and her servants were not good at swimming. Seeing Jin Shiyue drift further from the shore, she didn't know how to rescue him.

If Jin Shiyue drowned, and the incident was investigated, wouldn't it be her fault?

Qian Ruofang cautiously looked around, and seeing that there seemed to be no one else present, she gritted her teeth and, along with her servants, quickly fled the scene.

Anyway, no one would know what truly happened by the lake. Even if Jin Shiyue died, it would merely be presumed he fell into the water accidentally due to his bad mood after losing the polo game, and it would have nothing to do with her, Qian Ruofang.

Qian Ruofang fled too quickly to notice Shen Xuan, who rushed out from the trees at the last moment.

Shen Xuan had initially stayed in the maple grove to enjoy the scenery, not wanting to go out because of their noisy argument by the lake and his reluctance to confront Xianzhu Jinning.

Unexpectedly, after the two had argued, Xianzhu Jinning accidentally fell into the water. Seeing Qian Ruofang flee directly without offering help, Shen Xuan naturally couldn't stand by and watch him drown.

Jin Gui and Suyue were both born into the household as servants and were not good at swimming.

Shen Xuan, however, could swim, and at present, only he could enter the water. He quickly shed his outer robe, disregarded the protests of his two attendants, and plunged into the icy cold water.

At this point, Xianzhu Jinning had stopped struggling and was sinking towards the bottom of the lake.

The lakebed was thick with water weeds; if he got entangled in them, it would be a bad omen. Fortunately, Shen Xuan was a good swimmer and quickly brought Xianzhu Jinning to the surface.

By the time he brought him to the shore, Xianzhu Jinning had choked on water and fainted. Jin Gui and Suyue, who had been terrified and pale, immediately scrambled to pull them ashore once they saw Shen Xuan was alright.

After reaching the shore, Shen Xuan firmly pressed on Xianzhu Jinning's abdomen, then lifted his feet upside down to shake him, making him throw out all the lake water he had swallowed.

After a violent coughing fit, Xianzhu Jinning finally regained his breath.

He groggily opened his eyes and saw Shen Xuan, completely soaked, in front of him.

Now that he had regained consciousness, Shen Xuan let out a sigh of relief and said, "Thankfully, you weren't submerged for long. It seems your heart, lungs, and brain weren't harmed. You're quite lucky."

One must remember, this was Great Jin, without the advanced rescue equipment of the modern world. 

If Jin Shiyue's heart had stopped for a moment from choking on water, or his brain lacked oxygen for dozens of seconds, he might not have been saved.

Xianzhu Jinning shivered from the cold and remained in a daze for a while before realizing that it was Shen Xuan who had saved him.

"You..." His heart was now filled with mixed emotions, and his previous hostility towards Shen Xuan vanished into thin air.

Seeing that Shen Xuan's lips were also turning white from the cold, he lowered his head somewhat awkwardly and said, "Thank you for saving my life."

At this moment, a gust of autumn wind blew, causing the maple trees by the lake to rustle. Jin Shiyue was freezing and couldn't help but let out a big sneeze.

"It's so cold," Shen Xuan said, shivering and wrapping his outer coat around himself.

He led Xianzhu Jinning into the sheltered woods, and had Suyue quickly go back to fetch his clean clothes.

Then he instructed Jin Gui to gather some dry branches to start a fire, and they sat around the fire with Xianzhu Jinning, warming themselves.

Both of them were quite disheveled now, but with the warmth of the fire, it wasn't as cold.

Shen Xuan broke dry branches and fed them into the fire, making it burn brighter. Xianzhu Jinning secretly watched Shen Xuan's expression through the firelight.

A moment later, seeing Shen Xuan look up at him, he blurted out an apology.

Shen Xuan smiled upon hearing this, thinking that Xianzhu Jinning was quite straightforward, not as annoying as he had thought. 

After all, he wasn't very old, only fifteen or sixteen, which, in the modern world, would still be high school age.

Seeing that the other party had apologized, Shen Xuan naturally wouldn't dwell on the previous farce and said, "Alright, seeing how sincere you are, I'll reluctantly forgive you."

Xianzhu Jinning's face reddened upon hearing this, "You saved my life, so you're my lifesaver. I won't compete with you for The Shizi anymore, rest assured."

After speaking, he seemed to remember something else and added, "However, there are many people in the capital who want to marry Xue Fenglin. Since you are already his fiancé, you must secure your position well and not let others snatch it, or I won't be convinced."

Shen Xuan was somewhat speechless that he was still thinking about this at such a moment. He could only shake his head and smile, 

"You're quite straightforward. I observe that children of noble families in the capital always follow their parents' arrangements for marriage. How can they make their own decisions?"

"My father and mother dote on me, so I can naturally make my own decisions," Xianzhu Jinning said. "Thankfully, The Shizi is engaged to you. If he had married that Qian Ruofang, it would have truly infuriated me."

"So, regarding what happened today, when you go back, you won't seek trouble with Qian Ruofang, will you?" Shen Xuan asked, raising an eyebrow.

He was afraid that Xianzhu Jinning would be relentless and drag him out to testify, involving him in the stormy situation.

Xianzhu Jinning glanced at him and said, "Don't worry. I don't have any evidence now. You're a ger without roots in the capital. I won't drag you into this to make enemies."

Hearing this, Shen Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing him like this, Xianzhu Jinning shook his head with an expression of disappointment, as if saying, 'How can you be so afraid of merely a Minister's daughter?'

"Let me tell you, this Qian Ruofang is a huge competitor for you. Master Qian holds the position of Minister of Revenue, but he's a slippery character, not leaning towards either the First Prince or the Second Prince."

"Now, both sides want to win him over, so they naturally put effort into forming marriage ties with him. The Ye family has long had their eyes on Qian Ruofang's background and has always intended to bring her and The Shizi together."

Shen Xuan saw that ever since Xianzhu Jinning declared he was giving up on Xue Fenglin, he had adopted a detached attitude, analyzing Xue Fenglin's marriage prospects thoroughly. 

Shen Xuan couldn't help but ask curiously, "You've been analyzing all this time, but why don't you analyze what kind of person The Shizi actually likes?"

Xianzhu Jinning chuckled upon hearing this and said to Shen Xuan, "With The Shizi's status and such extraordinary looks, he naturally likes someone who is clever, beautiful, and comes from a good family."

At this point, Xianzhu Jinning realized something seemed amiss and quickly changed the subject to salvage it, "But you don't need to worry. Although your family background isn't good, The Shizi's word is his bond. Since the Xue family has taken you in, The Shizi should not disdain you."

Shen Xuan knew that Xianzhu Jinning's mouth was faster than his brain and that he spoke without restraint. He smiled slightly and said nothing.

Just then, Suyue and Xianzhu Jinning's attendants returned together, bringing clean clothes for both to change into.

After they were all tidied up, the two dried their hair by the fire, and then Shen Xuan and Xianzhu Jinning returned to the enclosure together.

Everyone knew that Shen Xuan and Xianzhu Jinning had just had a polo match that ended on a somewhat unpleasant note.

Seeing the two now return together, even chatting and laughing along the way, was quite surprising.

Lady Ye was even more astonished. She had invited Xianzhu Jinning precisely to make Shen Xuan retreat, but now he had instead become friendly with Shen Xuan, which was truly baffling.

At the same time, a hint of admiration for Shen Xuan arose in her heart. She felt that although he had grown up in the countryside, his conduct was dignified, and he had managed to win over a difficult person like Xianzhu Jinning so quickly. 

If the Duke Shen's residence were still intact, Shen Xuan's personality would have been quite a match for Xue Fenglin.

Meanwhile, Qian Ruofang had long since returned to her seat, still looking somewhat uneasy, glancing around.

She suddenly saw Xianzhu Jinning and Shen Xuan emerge from the forest together, and her face changed.

She watched, her face pale with anger, as Xianzhu Jinning and Shen Xuan took their seats together, but didn't come to bother her. Only then did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"How did this Xianzhu Jinning come back with that country ger?"

Qian Ruofang watched them sitting together, seemingly quite intimate, and couldn't help but ask with a frown.

"I just saw the attendant serving that country ger return in a panic, and he also brought Xianzhu Jinning's attendant to leave together. Perhaps they saw something just now?" Qian Ruofang's mama immediately said.

Thinking that Shen Xuan might have seen her causing Xianzhu Jinning to fall into the water, Qian Ruofang felt very uneasy.

She had always held Shen Xuan in contempt, and now two more parts of aversion were added.

Fearing that Shen Xuan might reveal what happened by the lake, which would be detrimental to her, Qian Ruofang instead took the initiative and began to slander Shen Xuan's reputation among other female relatives.

"Just now in the mountains, I accidentally witnessed that Shen Ger and Commander Pei being very intimate," Qian Ruofang whispered to several official wives who were close to her. 

"This matter makes me uneasy, and I don't know whether I should speak of it. If The Shizi were to find out, what should be done?"

Among these official wives was one named He Yuning, the daughter of Master He of the Ministry of Justice, who had always been straightforward.

She was close with Wang Qing, the daughter of the Wang family, and Wang Qing was also Ye Mi's (Lady Ye's eldest son, who married into the Wang family) sister-in-law. After hearing Qian Ruofang's words, she immediately had her maid find Wang Qing.

"Is this true?" Wang Qing was surprised to hear this.

He Yuning said, "Qian Ruofang said it herself, and it was very detailed. Her servants can testify. She is a dignified Minister's daughter. She has no animosity with that Shen Ger, so why would she lie?"

Wang Qing quickly informed Ye Mi of this matter, repeating everything she had heard from He Yuning word for word.

"This matter concerns the Xue family, but The Shizi has always been closer to your Ye family since childhood," Wang Qing said. "What will your Ye family do, or what will The Shizi do? It's up to you to decide."

Ye Mi had married into the Wang family a year ago and was naturally unaware that the Ye family had arranged for Pei Xia to approach Shen Xuan.

Xue Fenglin had often stayed at the Ye family residence during his childhood, and he had a very close relationship with Ye Mi. 

Suddenly hearing that this country ger dared to treat The Shizi in such a way, he was also extremely angry.

However, since this matter concerned Xue Fenglin's reputation, Ye Mi dared not act rashly. He quietly sent someone to summon Suyue, who used to serve by his side, to question him.

To his surprise, Suyue became very indignant when he heard that this matter came from Qian Ruofang, and then recounted the entire incident at the lake to Ye Mi.

"Young Master, I was with Shen Ger the whole time, and I know some inside details. Commander Pei was likely specifically sent to Shen Ger by the residence, but Shen Ger did not engage with him," Suyue said. 

"Although Shen Ger's status is low, he is truly sincere towards The Shizi. I personally heard him tell Commander Pei that he liked The Shizi. This cannot be false."

Only then did Ye Mi learn the true state of affairs. He was filled with mixed emotions, never expecting the Ye family to be involved in the middle of it all.

After thinking for a long time, he hurried to Lady Ye. He first told Lady Ye about the incident between Qian Ruofang and Xianzhu Jinning, then said, "Mother, that Qian Ruofang has always been arrogant with her talents. I've never really liked her ways. But because of her scholarly abilities and Master Qian's status, I never spoke ill of her."

"However, I think it's improper for you to consider marrying her to either The Shizi or Ye Chen. With her malicious nature, it's clear the Qian family's household conduct isn't good. She's not a suitable match."

Lady Ye pondered his words for a moment, then said, "This Qian Ruofang is indeed a bit ruthless. It's a pity for her family background and talents."

"Then what should be done about her slandering Shen Ger?" Ye Mi asked.

Lady Ye closed her eyes to rest for a moment before replying, "Don't bother with that matter. If he can end up with Commander Pei, wouldn't that be just perfect?"

"Mother!" Ye Mi shook his head, somewhat exasperated. "Xue Fenglin isn't a member of the Ye family after all. Even if you dote on him, sometimes you shouldn't reach too far! Be careful that pushing too hard might backfire and erode your affection for each other!"

"Your aunt entrusted him to me before she died. I've always treated him like my own son," Lady Ye said, sounding displeased. "Lin'er knows my intentions. He knows I'm doing what's best for him, and he won't blame me."

Seeing that his mother wouldn't listen, Ye Mi said no more. He just let out a long sigh, turned, and headed towards Shen Xuan.​