Chapter 2: Falling into the Water   

Shen Shurong turned around as if she had just noticed him, her eyes landing on her vibrant, spirited young man. “You’re here. Where’s Brother Zheng?” 

Was she only asking about Xie Yunzheng? 

He had seen him on the way here—likely also looking for her, but currently detained by a few noble ladies begging for poetry. 

Xie Yunzhao lowered his gaze to the fish, his voice carrying a barely detectable edge of anger. “I don’t know. Probably held up by some young lady.” 

In her past life, upon hearing these words, Shen Shurong would have hitched her skirts and rushed over—who dared steal her man? 

Back then, had it pained him to watch her jealousy over Xie Yunzheng? 

Later, when she became his sister-in-law, had he suffered every day? 

Now, the one who truly cared for her stood right before her eyes, and she couldn’t bear to hurt him again. “Quick, look at this fish! All the others are red and white, but this one is completely red. Do you think it’ll turn even redder if stewed?” 

“Which one?” The others were drawn in by her words, and Xie Yunzhao stepped closer, craning his neck to look. 

Shen Shurong took two steps toward the lake’s edge, bent down, and pointed. “Right here—” 

“Ah—!” Losing her balance, in her panic, she grabbed someone’s sleeve… 

Two loud splashes later, the entire garden erupted in chaos. 

“Someone, help! Yongjia Junzhu has fallen into the water!” 

“Help!” Shen Shurong was exhilarated, flailing wildly—this was the first time she had ever done something so bold. 

Xie Yunzhao was dazed for only a moment after falling in. When he regained his senses, his heart nearly stopped—she couldn’t swim. 

Fortunately, they weren’t far apart. With a few swift strokes, he reached her, wrapped an arm around her slender waist, and swam toward the shore.

Shen Shurong clung to his lean waist—even now, his strength was formidable. 

Once ashore, Shen Shurong trembled all over, yet her arms remained locked tightly around Xie Yunzhao. 

The guests who rushed over assumed she was paralyzed with fear and hurried to help pull them apart. Jinzhi and Yinzhi tugged at Shen Shurong’s arms. 

“I was so scared! Save me!” She refused to let go, her soaked clothes clinging to her body, the soft curves of her chest pressed firmly against the man’s torso. 

Xie Yunzhao was at a loss. The way she was pressed against him—one glance downward, and the sight was blindingly pale. 

He could only raise his hands in surrender, turning his face aside. “Don’t be afraid, you’re safe now.” 

“Junzhu, you’re on land now, it’s alright!” Jinzhi was near tears. The Junzhu couldn’t keep holding him like this—her reputation! 

Xie Yunzheng arrived in haste, only to witness this scene: his fiancée, clinging desperately to his twin brother! (Fraternal twins.) 

Jinzhi steeled herself, wrapped her arms around Shen Shurong’s waist, and yanked her away. “Junzhu, let’s return to the estate and summon the imperial physician.” 

Xie Yunzheng quickly shrugged off his outer robe and draped it over Shen Shurong, then moved to scoop her into his arms. 

Shen Shurong shrieked, “Ah—! Everyone, get away from me!” If they touched her, she’d vomit. 

Yinzhi shoved Xie Yunzheng aside. “Junzhu, it’s just me!” 

Shen Shurong latched onto Yinzhi. “Call my elder brother here—I’m terrified!”

“Quick, someone fetch the Young Commandery Prince!” someone in the crowd shouted urgently. 

As they waited, hushed whispers began to spread—how could a man and woman cling to each other, soaked to the skin, and still expect to marry others? 

Xie Yunzheng’s face darkened like charcoal, yet the truth was right before his eyes. 

Shen Shurong sobbed quietly, her cries muffled. Xie Yunzhao knew he had made a grave mistake—ruining her reputation, even if it was to save her. 

He was on the verge of kneeling before her, torn between the fear of her dying and the pain of seeing her weep. 

The Young Commandery Prince, Shen Qi, arrived with a livid expression. “Little sister!” 

Shen Shurong released Yinzhi. “Brother…” 

Shen Qi’s heart ached—his sister had been wronged. Without hesitation, he scooped her up and carried her away. 

Xie Yunzheng followed closely behind, only to be stopped. “My sister is in no state to see anyone right now. Heir Xie, please remain here.” 

Xie Yunzheng’s sharp phoenix eyes shot a piercing glare at Xie Yunzhao.

Xie Yunzhao paid no heed to the glare, his gaze fixed instead on the drenched figure in Shen Qi’s arms—her drenched pink robes clinging to her frame. 

Only when she disappeared from sight did he turn away and return home, heading straight to the ancestral hall to kneel in penitence. 

When the Duke of Lu learned of the incident, he was so furious that he lashed Xie Yunzhao several times across the back before the Duchess intervened. After all, if he had stood by and watched the Junzhu drown, the consequences would have been far worse. 

Each member of the family stewed in their own thoughts as they boarded the carriage to the Grand Princess’ estate to formally apologize. 

Meanwhile, Shen Shurong wept the entire journey. “Grandmother, Eldest Brother… have I been tainted? Am I no longer worthy of Brother Zheng now?” 

“Who dares say such a thing?” the Grand Princess snapped. “You are my granddaughter, a Junzhu of the Great Zhou! He is merely the heir of a ducal household—marrying you would be an honor for him!” 

“Grandmother is right,” Shen Qi reassured her. “Don’t worry, little sister. He wouldn’t dare think otherwise.” 

Yet Shen Shurong’s tears only fell harder. She bit her lower lip and shook her head. No—she had been humiliated, her reputation ruined.

The Grand Princess pulled her into her arms, heedless of the damp clothes. “Don’t overthink it. As long as your grandmother and your imperial uncle are here, nothing will change.” 

Upon returning to the Grand Princess’ estate, the imperial physician prescribed medicine, and the Grand Princess and the Commandery Princess Consort stayed by her bedside. 

Shen Shurong’s gaze was vacant. “Grandmother, Mother… please leave. I’d like some time alone.” 

The two women continued to reassure her as they stepped out. 

Jinzhi and Yinzhi wept quietly. 

“You two, leave as well. I’m going to rest for a while. Don’t come in unless I call for you.” 

“Yes, Junzhu.” 

Once everyone had left, Shen Shurong rubbed her chest and stretched her waist before retrieving several silk ribbons and knotting them together. 

She tied one end to a heavy object and tossed it over the beam, then set up a stool. By the time she finished, she was slightly out of breath. 

Sitting at the table, she took a sip of tea. There would still be time to stand on the stool when the person arrived. 

She wondered if he was satisfied with their current size. 

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Grand Princess’ estate, Xie Yunzhao knelt in the center. 

“Your servant has come to beg forgiveness from the Grand Princess. It is all this wretched boy’s fault for damaging the Junzhu’s reputation. Whatever punishment the Grand Princess’ estate deems fit, the Duke’s household will accept without complaint.”

The Grand Princess and Elder Shen sat at the head of the hall, while the Commandery Princess Consort and the Young Commandery Prince sat to one side, their hearts simmering with anger. They blamed him—yet he had also been the one to save Yongjia. 

Commandery Prince Shen Jingxuan rushed back upon hearing the news. “Why are all of you here? Where is Yongjia?” 

Yongjia? 

They exchanged glances—who had been keeping her company? 

“Oh no!” The Commandery Princess Consort slapped her thigh in alarm. The Young Commandery Prince bolted toward Qiu Tong Courtyard, while the Commandery Princess Consort supported the Grand Princess as they hurried after him. 

When the Young Commandery Prince entered the courtyard, even Jinzhi and Yinzhi were standing outside. “Little sister!” 

Shen Shurong had been lost in thought, reminiscing about his appearance earlier that day—how much he resembled the Duchess. 

His striking fox-like eyes, their corners always slightly upturned as if smiling. Though he lacked the commanding presence he would have a decade later, the vigor of his youth suited him perfectly. 

Suddenly hearing her brother’s shout, Shen Shurong stepped onto the stool. 

Her hands grasped the silk ribbon as tears streamed down her face. “Father, Mother, Grandfather, Grandmother… Yongjia is unfilial!” 

Just as she looped the ribbon around her neck, the door was kicked open—and her foot knocked the stool over. 

The Young Commandery Prince, horrified, flung a dagger in panic. The silk ribbon snapped, and he lunged forward to catch Shen Shurong. “Little sister, how could you be so foolish?!” 

The door now stood wide open, and the Shen and Xie families who had followed witnessed everything that had just transpired. 

Clang!

Xie Yunzhao drew the sword from the guard who had rushed in with them and sprinted to the doorway. “It was I who ruined your reputation! You cannot die—**I** will!” 

With that, he pressed the blade against his own throat. 

“My son!” The Xie family was stunned. Wasn’t the situation chaotic enough? What was he doing now?!