Ling Yan waved her hand, beckoning her over. Feng Ruo Yan and Liu Yan Yan stood by her side.
Feng Jin maintained a calm smile, but her gaze swept across the surroundings. Her senses had long since expanded to more than double that of an ordinary person.
She had already spotted several servants hiding behind the trees by the pond.
Feng Jin's face remained composed. As she bent down by the edge of the platform, she faintly heard footsteps approaching her. Her body tilted slightly.
"Splash!"
A huge splash echoed, sending countless water droplets flying. The noble ladies standing by the platform instantly panicked, thrown into disarray.
Seizing the opportunity, Feng Jin pushed Ling Yan and Feng Ruo Yan, who were beside her, into the water.
There were many eyes and ears around, and it was already chaotic. Even if they were investigated, it would be a cold case, and they would have suffered in silence.
"Help!"
"Help! I can't swim!"
"Help!"
The three beauties were now soaking wet, flailing in the water.
Feng Jin finally saw clearly that it was Liu Yan Yan who had tried to push her in.
This was only their first meeting, yet Liu Yan Yan harbored such animosity towards her. Could it really be hatred born from love?
The servants who had been hiding behind the trees leaped into the pond. One of them held a beauty in his arms and swam towards the bank.
The guests at the banquet, hearing the commotion, also rushed over in unison.
Suddenly, the edge of the pond was filled with people of all sorts.
Inside the pond, the three servants who were rescuing them seemed to have a purpose. They deliberately swam towards the more crowded areas while holding the women.
Feng Jin then understood the plan of Ling Yan and the others.
A woman's reputation was paramount. Falling into a pond and being rescued by a man while soaking wet, exposed for all to see, would completely ruin her reputation.
Fortunately, she had been vigilant. If it had been her who fell into the water, she would have been divorced the next day and cast out as a disgraced woman.
A hint of coldness flashed in Feng Jin's eyes. Since that was the case, she would not be polite.
The three soaked women coughed and sputtered, gasping for air. Their pretty faces were pale, and their expressions were dazed.
The fear of a near-death experience engulfed them. Subconsciously, they clung tightly to the people who had rescued them, not letting go even after reaching the shore.
"Isn't that Miss Feng?"
"And Miss Ling and Second Miss Liu!"
It was autumn, and their clothes were thin. Now, they clung tightly to their bodies.
Hearing the discussions around them and the strange glances from the crowd, the three women quickly covered themselves.
Feng Ruo Yan's face turned ashen. Her mind went blank, blood rushing to her temples. Her angry voice, tinged with sobs, rang out.
"Go away! All of you, go away!"
How could this happen? The plan was for Feng Jin to fall into the pond.
"Everyone, make way!" A slightly angry voice called out. A man in lavish brocade robes rushed from the crowd, took off his outer garment, and shielded the soaking wet Feng Ruo Yan, holding her tightly. "Ruo Yan, it's alright now. Don't be afraid!"
The onlookers fell silent when they saw the Third Prince arrive.
Second Master Ling squeezed through and saw the drenched Ling Yan. He almost fainted. "Shameful! Utterly shameful!"
These two children were here to repay their debts; neither was any cause for relief.
A maid brought a clean set of clothes, covered Ling Yan, and helped her into a room.
Liu Yan Yan, who had been sacrificed as a pawn, was slapped hard by her father and taken home.
When Madam Sun heard the commotion and rushed over, she saw Feng Ruo Yan soaking wet and held in the Third Prince's arms, with many people pointing and murmuring.
"Master, this..." Madam Sun asked Feng Yun Ping, not understanding.
Feng Yun Ping's face was ashen, the veins on his temples bulging. He suppressed his anger with great effort, unable to lash out with others present. "This is the good daughter you've raised!"
Now, the position of Third Prince's Consort was lost. The royal family would not tolerate a woman with such a scandal as the primary consort. Hopefully, she could be a secondary consort.
Feng Jin, watching from the shadows, couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle at the sorry state of the three women.
Turning, she met Ling Mo Han's probing gaze.
Feng Jin's expression faltered slightly before instantly returning to her usual cool demeanor. "The wind is strong here. Young General should return!"
As she walked beside Ling Mo Han, he suddenly grabbed her wrist. "I have something I wish to ask Madam!"
He then directly pulled Feng Jin back to the East Courtyard.
The strong grip on her wrist made Feng Jin doubt if Ling Mo Han was truly an invalid.
"Let go!" Reaching the East Courtyard, Feng Jin angrily reprimanded him. If he continued to grip her like that, her wrist would be ruined.
Feng Jin looked at her reddened and swollen wrist. She regretted having cured him. She should have left him paralyzed and confined to bed for life.
"It was you who pushed them into the water?" Ling Mo Han was certain; he hadn't misread. It was Feng Jin who had made the move.
"That's right, I did it!"
Feng Jin readily admitted it, showing no signs of regret.
"Do you know that a woman's reputation is paramount? Pushing them into the water in broad daylight will ruin their lives!"
Ling Mo Han's tone held a hint of anger. What he was most worried about was not Feng Ruo Yan and the others, but the discovery that Feng Jin was responsible.
That would put her in a position of public condemnation, unacceptable to the world.
He had thought Feng Jin acted with composure and calmness, but he hadn't expected her to lose her temper.
"You are truly as foolish as a pig!" She truly regretted saving Ling Mo Han.
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, it would have been me 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, and because of me, the Old Master punished Ling Mu Zhu to a rural estate. Given Ling Yan's temperament, would she suddenly reconcile with me? Add to that Feng Ruo Yan and Liu Yan Yan; which one of them doesn't see me as a thorn in their side, a splinter in their flesh!"
"After the three of them fell into the water, how could it be such a coincidence that servants rushed to their rescue? The servants, seeing their attire, would know they were unmarried women. Why would they deliberately swim towards a crowded area? Why did everyone rush to the pond so quickly? This was all premeditated!"
"Unfortunately, they were too clever for their own good, harming themselves in the end. They brought it upon themselves!"
Ling Mo Han's body stiffened. He instantly understood the intricate web of deceit. Upon further thought, it was terrifying. The conflicts between women were far more dangerous than battles on the battlefield.
"Feng Jin..."
The apology was stuck in his throat. Ling Mo Han didn't know how to utter it.
"After all, you and Feng Ruo Yan were childhood sweethearts, Liu Yan Yan deeply loves you, and Ling Yan is also your sister. You and I are merely a marriage forced upon us..."