Chapter 58: The Non-Swimmer in the Water

With a loud splash, the sound of someone falling into the water startled those walking nearby, causing them all to turn around in shock, their eyes fixed on the figures now floundering in the lake. A crowd quickly gathered along the lake’s edge, and even those in the pavilion rushed to the railing, craning their necks and shouting, “Oh no, someone has fallen in! Princess Anya has fallen in!”

Xia Jiujiang stood motionless, her face marked with contempt as she watched Princess Anya and Xia Yue’er flail like landlocked ducks, their arms splashing desperately in the water.

Lin Baixue was utterly bewildered by the sudden chaos. Just moments ago, Xia Yue’er had been walking properly behind her—how had she ended up in the water? Rushing to the low railing, Lin Baixue anxiously stretched out her hand. “Yue’er! Yue’er, come here, give me your hand—quickly, your hand…”

Leaning so far over the railing that half her body was suspended above the water, Lin Baixue could do little as both Xia Yue’er and Princess Anya, panicked and disoriented, thrashed wildly in the lake, crying out for help as they bobbed up and down, choking on the water and suffering terribly.

Lin Baixue could only fret on the sidelines, while the other noble ladies merely stood by, raising their voices in alarm, but none taking action. Spotting Xia Jiujiang, who stood impassively with her gaze fixed on the struggling pair, Lin Baixue’s irritation flared. “Jiang’er, Yue’er is your sister. How can you stand there unmoved as she falls into the water?”

Xia Jiujiang turned to Lin Baixue, her expression unchanging. “Aunt, what exactly would you have me do?” How absurd—there were already plenty of frantic onlookers; did Lin Baixue truly think that Xia Jiujiang’s presence alone was lacking?

Lin Baixue snapped furiously, “You… you! Go down and save Yue’er! How can you stand by and watch like it’s some kind of joke? Is this how a sister behaves?”

Her voice carried, and for a brief moment, the crowd’s attention shifted from the two in the water to Lin Baixue and Xia Jiujiang. Hearing Lin Baixue’s words, some looked at Xia Jiujiang with scorn, as if she were heartless in the face of her sister’s peril.

But Xia Jiujiang seemed utterly indifferent to their accusing glances. She gave a dismissive laugh. “Aunt, that’s a strange thing to say. Since Yue’er is my sister, am I obliged to leap in and save her? Yet you are her own mother—why haven’t you jumped in to rescue Yue’er yourself?”

Lin Baixue’s face flushed with anger.

Xia Jiujiang continued, “Besides, I can’t swim. It is said one should not impose upon others what one would not do oneself. If Aunt is so determined to save Yue’er, you ought to set the example by diving in, rather than making grand demands of others.”

Her gaze swept coolly over the assembled crowd, as if to answer the disdain in their eyes with her words.

Anyone could put on a show, but to what end? Instead of wasting time blaming Xia Jiujiang, they would do better to find a way to save the girls.

The commotion in the Lotus Garden soon drew the attention of the palace guards. Before long, Princess Anya and Xia Yue’er were pulled from the lake. Soaked through and coughing uncontrollably, their carefully arranged hair hung in bedraggled strands, and all traces of their artful makeup had been washed away. There was no sign of their celestial coiffures, nor any gold or silver ornaments left to adorn them.

The noble ladies crowded around Princess Anya and Xia Yue’er, their voices anxious. “Princess Anya, are you alright? Are you feeling better?”

“How did you fall in like that?”

“Yes, are you feeling unwell?”

It took Princess Anya quite some time to collect herself. Her face was still ashen, and she seethed inwardly. She had intended to push Xia Jiujiang into the lake, yet now she herself was the drowned rat. Her gaze drifted to Xia Jiujiang, who stood nearby, graceful and radiant, as if mocking Anya’s misfortune. Rage welled in her chest.

Suddenly, Princess Anya stormed over to Xia Jiujiang, shouting, “It was you—you pushed me into the water!”

Xia Jiujiang replied calmly, “Princess, one may eat as one pleases, but one must not speak recklessly. I was walking beside Xia Yue’er, while you were behind me. How could I have pushed you into the lake?”

“You! It was you who pushed me! How dare you deny it. I’ll teach you a lesson for your insolence.” Princess Anya, her face livid with anger at Xia Jiujiang’s retort, raised her hand to strike her.

But Xia Jiujiang caught her wrist mid-air, and the intended slap hung suspended, unable to fall. Princess Anya was dumbfounded by Xia Jiujiang’s unexpected strength.

“Let go of me!” Princess Anya fumed. “It is only fitting that I strike you, and you dare resist?”

Accustomed to having her way, Princess Anya had never met with resistance. Now, being held fast by Xia Jiujiang in front of everyone, her humiliation only fueled her anger.

Xia Jiujiang’s gaze turned cold. “If Princess Anya wishes to strike me, you must first provide a proper reason. If I were acting solely for myself, or were merely the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister’s household, perhaps the princess’s actions might be excused. But today, I am present in Jade Hibiscus Hall as the representative of Prince Jin’s household, bearing its honor. Can you truly treat the dignity of Prince Jin’s house as something to be trampled at will?”

Princess Anya was left speechless. She cared little for Xia Jiujiang, but she cared very much for Prince Jin. If she struck Xia Jiujiang and angered Prince Jin, how could she hope to marry into his household?

Xia Jiujiang’s eyes glinted. “Moreover, you repeatedly accuse me of pushing you. If I allowed you to strike me, it would be as good as admitting your false accusation. I cannot let that happen. Or does Princess Anya believe herself above all, free to strike whomever she pleases, as if you speak for the Emperor himself?”

Princess Anya stared at Xia Jiujiang in shock. Was this not the girl everyone called useless and foolish? Yet she stood her ground, her words sharp and well-ordered, leaving Princess Anya utterly at a loss.

Grinding her teeth, Princess Anya glared at Xia Jiujiang and hissed, “So it was you who schemed against me at the Dali Temple.”

Xia Jiujiang leaned in and whispered, “Princess, what are you implying? Did I force you to enter my chamber at Dali Temple? Did I make you wear my clothes? Everything was of your own doing—how can you shift the blame onto me? Or perhaps you would claim it was I who lured you into seducing Jun Buwen?”

Provoked thus, Princess Anya stamped her foot in fury. “You wretch, Xia Jiujiang!”

Just then, a voice rang out, “I had not realized that the palace banquet in Jade Hibiscus Hall could not compare to the commotion in Lotus Garden. Why do all the ladies linger here, so reluctant to move on?”

At the sound of Emperor Zongkang’s arrival, the noble ladies all dropped to their knees in salute. “Long live the Emperor!”

Xia Jiujiang also turned to kneel, her movements slightly slower than those around her, yet perfectly measured and poised—she did not lose her composure in the least.

It was the Emperor’s first time laying eyes on Xia Jiujiang. His gaze lingered on her, searching for fault as if seeking bones in an egg, but for now, he could find none.