Chapter 24

At the Lotus Pond.

The Crown Princess’s twentieth birthday banquet was held on a small scale. Since the Emperor was in poor health, large celebrations were banned in the palace.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs arranged the event at a pavilion near the Lotus Pond, a scenic spot outside the Eastern Palace.

The pavilion was spacious, surrounded by beautiful scenery. Nearby, the lotus flowers in the pond were in full bloom, their fragrance carried by the gentle breeze, creating a peaceful and pleasant atmosphere.

Dining in such a place was truly an enjoyable experience.

The banquet was only attended by the main figures of the Eastern Palace—Prince Jun Zechen and all his wives and concubines—just eight people in total.

However, the Prince had specifically ordered seasonal fresh flowers to be placed around the pavilion and prepared sky lanterns for the occasion.

Additionally, he sent a great amount of gold, silver, and silk to Qiluan Palace.

Everything showed his care and affection for the Crown Princess.

Su Jingyao arrived early at the pavilion and was already seated. By now, everyone except the Prince, the Crown Princess, and An Jinyan had arrived.

Today, An Jinyan was dressed in a gown embroidered with peony patterns. The peonies were as vibrant as blooming roses, yet they seemed a bit too extravagant for the occasion.

An Jinyan had always been proud and never thought she should stand behind others.

Her husband was the most powerful man in the empire, and she believed she should be the woman he loved the most.

To her, the Crown Princess was nothing more than an obstacle in her path.

An Jinyan’s palace, Xiyan Hall, was close to the Crown Princess’s Qiluan Hall, as well as Jun Zechen’s Yude Palace.

She had spies watching the Crown Princess’s every move.

As soon as the Crown Princess left for the banquet, An Jinyan quickly followed.

When she arrived at the Lotus Pond, she took a different path and suddenly appeared before the Crown Princess, blocking her way.

From inside the pavilion, Su Jingyao watched the scene from a distance, a knowing smile curling her lips.

Meanwhile, Ling Yue, the Crown Princess, was caught off guard by An Jinyan’s sudden appearance. She looked puzzled, having no idea what An Jinyan was trying to do.

“Greetings to Your Highness, the Crown Princess,” An Jinyan curtsied slightly.

“Rise. What a coincidence to meet you here,” Ling Yue said, her tone slightly doubtful.

“Yes, indeed,” An Jinyan smiled and replied, “I came to congratulate Your Highness on your birthday. You must be turning twenty this year, right?”

Then, as if suddenly realizing something, she covered her mouth and gasped.

“Oh my! Your Highness doesn’t look that old at all.”

Hearing this, Ling Yue’s expression immediately darkened.

Although she was kind-hearted and not scheming, she was not oblivious to insults.

“An Jinyan, do you realize what you’re saying?” Ling Yue’s voice carried a hint of anger.

“Your Highness, His Highness stayed at Xiyan Hall last night,” An Jinyan said with an innocent look.

“I was afraid of offending you, so I asked him about your age. I had no other intentions.”

Ling Yue’s voice turned even colder.

“My bond with His Highness since childhood is not something your few days of favor can compare to!”

An Jinyan maintained her smiling expression as she leaned in closer to Ling Yue and whispered in her ear.

“Your Highness, I may not have the same deep relationship with His Highness as you do, but I can give birth.

I wonder if in the future, the children His Highness and I have will mean more to him than your so-called childhood bond.”

Ling Yue’s chest heaved violently in anger.

Her eyes widened, and she clenched her teeth.

“How dare you!”

Ling Yue raised her hand, ready to slap An Jinyan.

Meanwhile, Su Jingyao had been watching the drama unfold from the pavilion. Pretending to be concerned, she said, “Sisters, I wonder what’s keeping the Crown Princess and Sister An. It seems like Sister An has upset the Crown Princess. I should go and check on them.”

“Today is supposed to be a happy day. Hopefully, nothing bad happens.”

With that, Su Jingyao, along with her maid Miaoyun, walked over at a leisurely pace.

Back to Ling Yue—her raised hand was about to strike An Jinyan.

But An Jinyan wasn’t someone to be bullied easily. Instead of dodging, she shut her eyes tight and took the slap head-on. Then, she pushed Ling Yue back, starting a scuffle.

“An Liangdi, I am the Crown Princess! How dare you!”

“Crown Princess, I merely mentioned that His Highness spent the night at Xiyan Palace yesterday. Why must you be so angry? You keep hitting and scolding me… boohoo…”

Each of them had only brought one personal maid. Seeing An Jinyan fight back, Ling Yue’s maid, Meixiang, widened her eyes in shock and anger.

Without hesitation, Meixiang rushed forward to pull An Jinyan away.

But An Jinyan’s maid, Baizhi, was quick to react. She blocked Meixiang’s path, and the two maids stood there in a standoff.

During the struggle, An Jinyan suddenly fell into the lotus pond.

In that split second before she hit the water, she used all her strength to push Ling Yue hard, a glint of ruthlessness flashing in her eyes.

Ling Yue hadn’t expected such a bold move. She was standing right on the edge of the pond, where there were rough stones.

If she fell, she might ruin her face!

She lost her balance and was about to fall—

At that crucial moment, Su Jingyao, who had just arrived, reacted quickly and grabbed Ling Yue’s arm.

But Ling Yue was still off balance. As she pulled herself up, she accidentally dragged Su Jingyao down instead.

Su Jingyao had no time to react and fell hard onto the rocky ground. Her body scraped against the stones, and her ankle twisted with a painful crack.

In the water, An Jinyan saw Su Jingyao saving Ling Yue and felt both regret and rage.

She had planned everything carefully—she wanted Ling Yue’s face to be injured. Even if it didn’t ruin her beauty completely, at least it would make her too ashamed to face the Crown Prince.

Since entering the Eastern Palace, she barely had any time with the Crown Prince because he spent most of his nights in Qi Luan Palace.

And whenever he wasn’t there, the jealous and possessive Crown Princess always summoned him.

An Jinyan couldn’t stand it.

So today, she had orchestrated this scene—getting slapped, falling into the water—so she would be seen as the victim. If the Crown Princess got injured, it would have nothing to do with her.

Even if the Crown Prince tried to defend the Crown Princess, the Empress wouldn’t tolerate such a jealous woman causing trouble.

But she never expected that stupid Su Jingyao to interfere.

How could she still act like they were all loving sisters after entering the Eastern Palace?

Her kindness would be her downfall!

Although Su Jingyao had planned to take some injury, she didn’t want it to be too severe. More importantly, she was pregnant.

As she fell, she adjusted her body, choosing to twist her ankle rather than fall in a way that could harm her baby.

After Su Jingyao landed, Ling Yue finally realized that she had caused her fall.

A wave of guilt and self-blame hit her, but she was also shocked—she never expected Su Jingyao to save her despite their past conflicts.

Had she truly not held a grudge?

Ling Yue had timed her arrival at the lotus pond carefully to match the banquet’s schedule. And right at that moment, the Crown Prince, Jun Zechen, arrived.

Just as he stepped in, he saw Su Jingyao being dragged down by Ling Yue, falling onto the hard ground.

Jun Zechen’s face darkened instantly, filled with worry and anger. In that urgent moment, he unconsciously blurted out, “Yaoyao!”

Hearing him call her so intimately, Ling Yue’s heart sank.

She stared at Jun Zechen in shock and disbelief.

Were they already this close?

Her eyes filled with sadness.

Meanwhile, Su Jingyao’s face had gone pale.

Her lips lost all color, and cold sweat formed on her forehead. Her ankle was swollen and in intense pain.

She was already weak, and this injury was unbearable.

Not to mention, to protect her stomach, she had let her legs take the full impact of the fall. The sharp stones had cut into her skin, sending waves of pain through her body.

She felt like she might faint.

Jun Zechen rushed to her side, his eyes filled with distress. He quickly bent down and gently picked her up.

His movements were careful, as if she were the most precious treasure in the world.

With anger in his voice, he shouted, “Anshun, call the imperial doctor!”

Then, without looking back, he carried her towards Xiyan Palace.

Ling Yue followed behind, watching helplessly as her husband treated another woman with such deep concern.

She could only stare at his worried figure, feeling nothing but sorrow, bitterness, pain, and confusion.

She didn’t understand why Su Jingyao was so kind and so perfect!

She wanted to be jealous, but Su Jingyao had just saved her. How could she be jealous of her savior at this moment?

For the first time, Ling Yue realized how selfish she truly was…

On the way to Xiyan Palace, Jun Zechen frowned deeply, his eyes filled with concern and anxiety. He lowered his head slightly and asked gently,

“Yaoyao, what’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”

Su Jingyao clung tightly to the man’s neck and said weakly and painfully,

“My leg hurts.”

Jun Zechen’s gaze fell on her leg. The areas scraped by the stones were already bleeding slightly, and the wounds looked painful.

Because of her long dress, he couldn’t see her sprained ankle, but he could imagine how swollen and painful it must be.

Suddenly, Su Jingyao’s body began to tremble slightly. Her face turned even paler, as white as paper, completely drained of color.

Jun Zechen’s heart tightened. His expression was full of worry and panic.

“Yaoyao, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me!”

Su Jingyao clutched her stomach tightly, her face showing intense pain. Her voice was filled with suffering and helplessness.

“Your Highness, I… my stomach hurts… sob…”

Her brows furrowed tightly, and beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. She looked so pained that Jun Zechen felt like his heart was being stabbed.