"Yinger!"
Watching Chu Yueying thrashing about in the water, Old Madam Chu cried out in desperation.
Without a second thought, Song Wanchu was about to jump into the water.
But Old Madam Yue blocked her with a sudden grab.
Two strong maidservants quickly jumped into the water and fished Chu Yueying out.
A maid rushed over with a blanket and wrapped it around Chu Yueying.
Chu Yueying was terribly frightened. Soaked from head to toe, she hugged Old Madam Chu and burst into tears.
Old Madam Chu was so angry that her face turned green. "What's the meaning of this? Old Madam Yue, don't you owe us an explanation?"
Old Madam Yue slapped Yue Jiaojiao.
But anyone could tell that she didn't use much force. It was even lighter than a gentle swat at a mosquito.
"How many times have I told you, girl? You should be polite. How could you push someone just because you didn't see eye to eye?"
Yue Jiaojiao looked innocent and even smiled, the fat on her face jiggling.
"Sorry, Miss Chu. I just gave you a gentle push. You're so delicate. How could you fall into the water?"
Chu Yueying had never been so wronged in her life. She wasn't a sharp - tongued person and couldn't say anything mean. She just sobbed continuously.
Old Madam Yue looked at Old Madam Chu apologetically. "It's just a childish scuffle. She was a bit too rough. It's our fault. I'll have the maid prepare a clean set of clothes for Yinger to change into. It's winter. Don't let her catch a cold."
Old Madam Chu didn't want to see Old Madam Yue's hypocritical face anymore.
"Where can she change?" she asked bluntly.
Old Madam Yue put on a kind - looking expression. "Let Miss Song accompany Yinger to change. Please wait here for a moment."
After a pause, her attitude became even more pious. "I'll definitely come to your house to apologize another day."
Old Madam Chu sneered. "Such a grand gesture is too much for the Chu family."
It was obvious that she meant to draw a clear line from now on.
Old Madam Yue pretended to be deaf and dumb on purpose.
Then she cordially invited Old Madam Chu. "Today we're having a ritual to drive away evil spirits at home. Let's go and watch the ceremony. By the time the ritual is over, Yinger will have changed her clothes."
A maid led the way and took Song Wanchu and Chu Yueying into a relatively secluded small courtyard.
On the other side, Old Madam Yue pulled Old Madam Chu to the outer courtyard to watch the ritual.
Yue Chengkong and his two sons were there.
When Yue Chengkong saw Old Madam Chu, he got up and bowed as a junior.
"Mother, Old Madam Chu. You two are more reliable than me here. I'll be back soon."
Old Madam Yue exchanged a look with him. "If you have something to do, go ahead."
Old Madam Chu always felt that something was off, but she couldn't put her finger on it for a moment.
She looked up at the Taoist priest performing the ritual on the dais.
Huh? Weren't they supposed to invite Taoist Priest Qingzhou?
Why was there a different person?
It was the first time Old Madam Yue had seen this so - called "Taoist Priest Qingzhou". She praised him highly. "He looks a bit young, but he seems calm and steady, as if he has real skills."
Zhou Sheng, who was pretending to chant incantations on the dais, thought to himself, "Stop praising me. If the master hears this and really makes me become a Taoist priest, what should I do!"
Old Madam Chu began to have doubts. How many Taoist Priests Qingzhou were there in Songhe Temple?
...
Song Wanchu helped Chu Yueying change her clothes. Chu Yueying still felt wronged and kept wiping away her tears.
"I've never seen such a person. She's just like a gorilla who doesn't understand human ethics!"
She was well - bred and couldn't curse too harshly.
Song Wanchu was also filled with anger. She didn't want Yinger to suffer this injustice in vain.
Just then, the maid knocked on the door and came in with a bowl of ginger soup.
"The old madam ordered me to make a bowl of ginger - sugar water for Miss Chu to drive away the cold."
Chu Yueying had been soaked in the icy water and her teeth were chattering. The external warmth was too slow to drive away the cold. She desperately needed a bowl of ginger soup.
A flash of inspiration crossed Song Wanchu's mind. She finally realized what was wrong!
It was all too coincidental.
As soon as Old Madam Yue mentioned Yue Chengkong's remarriage, Yue Jiaojiao forced Song Wanchu to be his step - mother and spoke rudely.
This angered Chu Yueying, and she argued with Yue Jiaojiao.
Then Yue Jiaojiao had a reason to be angry and pushed Chu Yueying into the water.
Up to this point, it seemed to be just an accidental incident caused by a conflict.
But as soon as Chu Yueying fell into the water, the maidservants who could swim immediately jumped in to save her.
It was as if the two maidservants had been waiting there specifically for someone to fall into the water.
And the maid just now was holding a blanket in her hand.
How many maids would carry a blanket with them while on duty?
Did she have the ability to predict in advance that someone would fall into the water?
Old Madam Chu wanted to accompany her granddaughter to change clothes, but Old Madam Yue specifically named Song Wanchu to accompany Yinger and made up an excuse to send Old Madam Chu away.
Now, the maid with the blanket brought the ginger soup just when Yinger needed it most.
If all these were just coincidences, it would be too much of a stretch.
It seemed that someone had deliberately designed this to lead them step by step to this situation.
Song Wanchu stared at the steaming bowl of ginger soup.
Chu Yueying reached out to take it, and Song Wanchu pretended to reach for it too.
With a "clank" sound, the ginger soup fell to the ground. Chu Yueying was so scared that she hugged Song Wanchu.
Song Wanchu looked at the maid with a meaningful look in her eyes. "I'm really sorry. Please go and get another bowl."
The maid's expression changed obviously. She looked a bit flustered.
She looked exactly like someone who was afraid that she had messed up the task assigned by her master due to an accident.
She rushed out in a hurry.
Song Wanchu pulled Chu Yueying and headed outside. "Hurry up. It's not safe to stay here."
But before they could even step out of the room, a towering figure blocked the door.
Yue Chengkong stood there, his shadow casting over Song Wanchu and Chu Yueying like a thick, dark cloud.
He was like an air - tight wall that could crush them at any moment.
Chu Yueying had never seen such a fierce - looking person. He didn't look like a human at all. Could he be a transformed grizzly bear spirit?
"So, you're Song Wanchu. We're really destined to meet."
Yue Chengkong's smile was sinister, as if he was about to devour them. "Why are you in such a hurry? Where do you want to go?"
He squeezed into the room and slammed the door shut with a "bang".
Song Wanchu hugged the shivering Chu Yueying and took a step back.
She and Yinger, two weak women, would never be able to confront Yue Chengkong head - on.
There was undisguised desire in Yue Chengkong's eyes.
She finally understood what kind of trap she had walked into.
Old Madam Yue had gone to such great lengths and designed every step carefully just to make her face Yue Chengkong alone.
And then make the relationship a fait accompli.
Since this happened in the Yue family, no matter how much she argued or complained, the Yue family would have an excuse: She couldn't resist temptation and wanted to climb up to the Yue family. She took the opportunity when no one was around to seduce Yue Chengkong.
The only unexpected thing in this perfect trap was that she had broken the bowl of ginger soup.
Old Madam Yue wanted to drug Chu Yueying so that Song Wanchu would completely lose her only witness.
She would be unable to defend herself and would be condemned by everyone. Then the Yue family would step forward magnanimously and marry her into the family regardless of the "scandal".
They would treat her as a cash cow to continuously feed the eldest princess!