The man let out another muffled groan, enduring the excruciating pain. He was on the verge of collapsing, but still clung tightly to Wei Dongling, presumably afraid of drowning if he fell.
Inside the inner courtyard, the crown prince led a group of guards into Miss Qi's boudoir and examined it carefully. Finally, they found a suspicious trail of blood on the ground.
When everyone followed the blood trail with torches and gathered by the fishpond, the sight of the two people in the pond left them all stunned.
Qi Jinxuan, who had rushed over fully dressed, gasped in shock. She saw Wei Dongling and the man tightly embracing each other in the pond. The man was bare - chested, and Wei Dongling's thin clothes were soaked through. The delicate curves of the young girl's neck and chest were faintly visible in the moonlight. The two of them seemed to have just finished a steamy scene and were still looking at each other suggestively, completely ignoring everyone in the courtyard.
"Yu Zixi!" An old official in official robes who had come with the crown prince was furious. Looking at his good - for - nothing son in the pond, he trembled with anger. "Get out of there right now!"
Yu Zixi?
The man in the pond was actually Yu Zixi, the eldest son of the censor - in - chief's family?
Everyone was completely stunned.
Although this Young Master Yu was handsome and well - groomed, he was a well - known playboy in the capital. He spent his nights in brothels and had affairs with many women. His reputation was in tatters.
Qi, the second master of the General Qi's Mansion who had rushed over upon hearing the news, was struck like by lightning. This Young Master Yu Zixi was now wrestling and hugging their young steward, Wei Dongling? Good heavens! What should they do now? Miss Dongling's reputation was completely ruined!
When Yu Zixi saw his father, he replied cheerfully. He let go of Wei Dongling and climbed out of the pond. He was only wearing a pair of underpants, with a lean and tall figure, bare - chested, and one shoe missing. His disheveled appearance made the unmarried female relatives of the General's Mansion scream and turn away in a hurry.
The imposing crown prince in his magnificent brocade robes gave a signal, and the servants quickly brought clothes and helped Young Master Yu put them on in a hurry.
At Miss Qi's order, several maids brought clean sheets. They pulled Wei Dongling out of the pond and wrapped her tightly.
"What's going on here?" Second Master Qi of the General's Mansion was both shocked and angry. General Qi had been stationed on the border all year round, and it was this second master, his cousin, who was in charge of the Qi family.
Although Wei Dongling was nominally the second master's niece, she had been by his side for several years and was as close as his own daughter. Now seeing her entangled with an outside man, and with the crown prince witnessing it, Second Master Qi couldn't help but feel heart - broken.
"Your Highness, Second Master," in this midsummer night, Wei Dongling felt cold all over after being in the water, but she still answered bravely. "I saw this young master climbing over the wall and accidentally entering the inner courtyard just now. I thought he was a bad guy. When I was about to drive him out of the mansion, I accidentally pushed him into the fishpond. And I myself slipped and fell into the water too..."
She was lying! Obviously, she wanted to cover for Miss Qi, the eldest daughter of the Qi family.
Everyone knew it well.
The crown prince frowned, looking displeased.
The imposing censor - in - chief, Master Yu, beside the crown prince frowned and roared, "Yu Zixi! You tell us!"
Yu Zixi didn't care about the contemptuous looks from the crowd. He glanced at Wei Dongling with a smile and was about to tell the truth cheerfully. "It's not like this..."
As soon as he opened his mouth, Wei Dongling behind him kicked him hard. Yu Zixi stumbled unexpectedly and fell flat on his face in front of the crown prince and everyone. His nose hit the ground hard, and the pain made his eyes fill with tears. He couldn't even speak.
The crown prince and the others: Wow! This woman is really ruthless!
The people in the General's Mansion: This man has ruined our family's reputation. The young steward kicked him well!
Master Yu was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out. This woman was so audacious that she kicked his son in full view, making him fall flat on his face. Did she think everyone here was blind?
A straightforward guard beside the crown prince asked, "Whose blood is that trail on the floor of Miss Qi's boudoir?" As soon as he said this, he was glanced at by the crown prince and immediately fell silent in fear.
Young Master Yu, who was lying on the ground, was about to struggle to stand up and admit it when he heard a clear voice from the female relatives who were avoiding suspicion in the dark. "Your Highness, just now a big rat passed by. We saw it with our own eyes and were chasing it. That blood trail must be from the injured rat."
It was the voice of the maid, Green Button. And a group of female relatives echoed her.
Wei Dongling: Give Green Button a raise.
Yu Zixi was speechless. He was deeply curious about this woman who dared to beat him.
Second Master Qi of the General's Mansion was also at his wit's end. He quickly stepped forward to smooth things over. "Your Highness, if that's the case, it's just a misunderstanding." After all, neither the current crown prince nor the censor - in - chief could be offended.
The crown prince actually had the intention of forming a marriage alliance with the General's Mansion. Seeing that Miss Qi Jinxuan was safe and sound, it was not convenient for him to pursue the matter further. As for ruining the reputation of a servant girl, he didn't really care.
Master Yu looked at his good - for - nothing son, who was still so dissolute and showed no sign of repentance. He was so angry that his face turned ashen and he couldn't recover for a long time.
Then he heard Second Master Qi say in a dull tone, "But now, how can we marry off our young steward in the future? What should we do!"
Wei Dongling: Uncle, I don't want to get married either! Please stop talking.
The disheveled Yu Zixi finally managed to struggle to his feet. His nose was bleeding profusely, covering his face. He gritted his teeth in pain and tried to speak. "Aba aba..."
His nose and mouth hurt so much that as soon as he opened his mouth, tears welled up in his eyes again!
Everyone couldn't bear to look and turned their heads away.
Master Yu stepped forward, bowed to the people in the General's Mansion, and sighed. "It's my fault for not educating my son well. My son's lack of propriety has disturbed everyone in the General's Mansion. I'm deeply sorry." In any case, it was his family's full responsibility that his son had broken into the inner courtyard of the General's Mansion at night and disturbed the female relatives.
Master Yu's bow made the frightened people in the General's Mansion quickly return the courtesy.
Then Master Yu said to the crown prince, "Today, my son has been so impolite. How to punish him is up to Your Highness to decide." Even though he was a first - rank censor, he was still inferior to the emperor. Moreover, the crown prince had clearly brought his guards and deliberately invited him here. Naturally, he had to turn a blind eye and let the crown prince deal with his good - for - nothing son.
The crown prince pondered for a while and said, "Since no major mistake has been made, just give him twenty strokes of the cane."
Twenty strokes of the cane? Everyone gasped. Many people with weak constitutions couldn't withstand twenty strokes and would even die. Was His Highness the crown prince taking revenge?