Sima Pingting saw that the timing was right and stepped forward.

“As the legitimate son of the Jiang family, how dare you lay hands on a noble lady? What are your intentions?” she angrily rebuked.

She wanted to see how the Jiang family would handle this.

Jiang Yuansheng’s face was cold.

Earlier, there had been few people around, and no one had seen the actual events unfold.

There were three of them, while the other side had only one person.

People would certainly believe the drowning girl’s version of the story.

A young lady on the side asked, “Miss, what happened just now? Please speak freely.”

The weather was hot, and the noble ladies attending the flower-viewing banquet were dressed lightly. After falling into the water, Feng Zhiyu’s wet clothes clung tightly to her skin.

Through the thin gauze, the flesh underneath was faintly visible.

She hugged herself tightly, curling into a pitiful posture that stirred the hearts of many men.

Finally, a gentleman could not bear it anymore and took off his robe to cover her.

“Th-thank you, Young Master,” Feng Zhiyu stammered, clutching the robe tightly.

She looked up slightly, only to meet Jiang Yuanran’s furious gaze.

Frightened, she quickly lowered her head, resembling a startled fawn.

“It… it was nothing serious,” she murmured.

Her demeanor made her seem like a victim who had been wronged but was too afraid to speak.

“Miss, I saw everything clearly! Third Young Master Jiang took a liking to you and wanted to act improperly. You resisted, so he threw you into the water!” the maid, Luying, sobbed as she explained for Feng Zhiyu.

“Luying, be quiet!” Feng Zhiyu softly reprimanded.

But Luying, remembering her mistress’s prior instructions, continued, “Miss can’t swim! Was Third Young Master Jiang trying to drown her?”

“If I hadn’t arrived in time, who would have known about my mistress’s suffering?”

The crowd grew angry.

“Third Young Master Jiang, you’ve gone too far!”

They had thought the Jiang brothers were gentlemen, but they hadn’t expected them to commit such an act.

Jun Mocheng had followed along, standing at the back, hiding part of his face with a folding fan while enjoying the spectacle.

Jiang Yuansheng was a well-respected figure in Shengjing.

If he failed to clear this up today, someone else might take his place as Shengjing’s most esteemed young master.

Jiang Yuanran suppressed his anger and asked his older brother, “What should we do?”

Ever since taking charge of the Lan Fang Pavilion, he had developed a calm demeanor.

It was clear to him that this was all a setup orchestrated by Sima Pingting.

[She can swim. Just throw her in and let her climb out herself.]

[Since you and Third Brother can’t act directly, I’ll handle it.]

“Brother, put me down,” Jiang Yuanxi tugged at Jiang Yuansheng’s hand.

Jiang Yuansheng and Jiang Yuanran exchanged glances.

Indeed, a child’s words would be more convincing than their own explanations.

They decisively let their little sister down.

Jiang Yuanxi walked up to Feng Zhiyu.

Feng Zhiyu was startled.

This was Princess Xihe, barely over a year old, just a little child—not a threat.

Jiang Yuanxi plopped down on the ground.

“You have a crush on my brother! Shameless!”

The noisy crowd instantly fell silent.

What?!

The Feng family’s daughter was interested in a Jiang family son? What a turn of events!

“You’re trying to frame my brother just so you can marry him? No way!”

“Bah!” Jiang Yuanxi spat at Feng Zhiyu’s face.

Seeing that the crowd was turning against her, Feng Zhiyu panicked and shook her head frantically.

“No, it’s not me! I didn’t—”

She covered her face and wept.

Luying immediately interjected, “The princess is of noble status, so of course, whatever she says is taken as the truth.”

“Being manipulated by her two older brothers is not her fault either.”

Jun Mocheng raised an eyebrow.

What a sharp-tongued little maid.

Children were the easiest to manipulate.

Luying had clearly grasped this fact and was using it to her advantage.

Now, how would Jiang Yuansheng respond?

Sima Pingting was secretly delighted.

These two were indeed clever.

Jiang Yuanxi puffed up her little cheeks.

Did they think she would just stand by while they bullied her brother?

Without a word, she grabbed Luying by the collar and threw her into the middle of the lake.

Then, she did the same to Feng Zhiyu.

The entire audience was too stunned to react.

The first thought in everyone’s minds: Princess Xihe was unnaturally strong.

The second: The princess had just committed a grievous crime.

Sima Pingting finally snapped back to reality.

“Jiang Yuanxi! Feng Zhiyu is still a noble lady! Are you trying to kill them?”

“Vicious?”

Jiang Yuansheng stepped forward to stand beside his sister.

“Sima Pingting, you orchestrated this entire scheme to frame my brothers. Isn’t that even more vicious?”

“You’re spouting nonsense!” Sima Pingting yelled. “I don’t even know Miss Feng. How could I frame you?”

“Then why did you immediately blame my family before the truth was clear?”

Jiang Yuansheng’s gaze sharpened. “Tell me, Miss Sima, are you settling a personal grudge?”

“Ridiculous! I just didn’t want to see a young lady be wrongly accused!”

“Oh?”

Jiang Yuanran pointed toward the lake.

“Then take a look—who is actually being wronged?”

The crowd followed his gesture and gasped.

Instead of struggling in the water, Feng Zhiyu and her maid were swimming toward the shore.

“They… they can swim!” someone exclaimed.

Sima Pingting clenched her fists.

Feng Zhiyu swam toward the shore under everyone’s accusatory gazes.

She had initially wanted to struggle in the water, but the princess had thrown her too far out.

She flailed for a while, but when no one jumped in to save them, she realized that if she stayed in the water any longer, she would lose all her strength and sink.

If she wanted to live, she had to swim back.

“What… what’s going on?” Chu Yi, who had earlier defended Feng Zhiyu, was bewildered.

“What else could it be? She wanted to marry into a prestigious family!”

They had all been used.

Feng Zhiyu climbed onto the shore under the weight of everyone’s furious stares.

Jiang Yuanran walked up to her.

“Tell me—who ordered you to do this?” He was done playing along.

Luying stepped forward to protect her mistress.

“Young Master Jiang is just throwing a tantrum and trying to hurt my lady—ah!”

Another scream.

Luying was once again thrown into the lake by Jiang Yuanxi.

“So annoying!”

The crowd gulped.

Jiang Yuansheng smiled slightly. His little sister was becoming more and more adorable.

Jun Moxie, who had just arrived, watched the spectacle and leaned toward the Third Prince.

“Third Brother, you’d better avoid angering Yuanxi in the future.”

It was a kind-hearted warning.

“Big Brother, what are you saying? She’s our sister, officially recorded in the royal genealogy.”

Besides, his illness could only be suppressed by Yuanxi. He wouldn’t dare cross her.

Seeing her maid tossed into the lake again, Feng Zhiyu finally grew afraid.

She had underestimated the Jiang family.

“If you don’t tell the truth now, you’ll regret it,” Jiang Yuanran said coldly.

Feng Zhiyu glanced at Sima Pingting, whose eyes flashed with a silent threat.

Feng Zhiyu had no choice.

“I… I was shameless. I tried to seduce Third Young Master Jiang…”

Jiang Yuansheng narrowed his eyes. That wasn’t the answer he was expecting.

[She has a younger brother, doesn’t she?]

A younger brother?

Jiang Yuansheng pondered.

So Sima Pingting must have used Feng Zhiyu’s brother as leverage.

Jiang Yuanxi stepped forward.

“I can cure your brother.”

Feng Zhiyu stiffened, trying to suppress the panic in her eyes.

“Princess, I don’t have a brother.”

The Third Prince frowned.

“Wait, wasn’t Feng Zhiyu supposed to be an only child?”