The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

Xie Ling wrapped his arms tightly around Qi Yitang's waist and pulled her back to safety from the edge of the swamp.

The pavilion was now quiet, the previous clamor gone, leaving only the rustling wind and the suppressed breathing of the kneeling crowd.

Gu Feiwu, his face deathly pale, collapsed to the ground, trembling violently.

The chill emanating from Xie Ling was almost tangible, surging with a fury powerful enough to devour everything.

"Yanzhi, I'm not—" Qi Yitang was about to say she was alright when she suddenly remembered something and turned around abruptly, "Oh no, Chizheng has fallen!"

The next second, a "plop" was heard.

Another person jumped.

Upon seeing the pale figure, Qi Yitang was taken aback; it was her fourth brother.

At first, she was delighted; her fourth brother really knew how to find an opportunity—a hero rescuing a damsel in distress was simply wonderful. But then, her expression changed—

Wait, Fourth Brother can't swim!

Qi Jiyun jumped in completely on a whim, and immediately sensed something was wrong as soon as he entered the water.

The pool water was icy cold, the chill feeling like a thousand needles piercing the skin at once.

It's difficult even for people who are good at swimming, let alone Qi Jiyun, who is practically a landlubber.

With poor visibility underwater, Qi Jiyun choked on two mouthfuls of water in his haste, but he calmed down, held his breath, squinted and searched hard, and finally saw Chi Zheng's figure at the bottom of the pool.

She seemed to have her feet tangled in a large clump of dark seaweed, struggling underwater, stirring up a cloud of murky mud with each movement.

Qi Jiyun's heart tightened, and he swam towards her.

His plan was to play the hero and rescue the damsel in distress, making her realize his good qualities and fall head over heels for him.

But halfway through the swim, Qi Jiyun felt a sharp pain in his calf.

—I got a cramp!

Qi Jiyun was in despair. He could barely save himself, let alone drag Chi Zheng, who was half the weight of him, out of the water.

I couldn't even lift her when I tried to hold her, and now I have no chance at all in the water.

sloppy.

On the shore, ripples spread across the water, but no one was in sight.

Immediately afterwards, a dark red blood-like color seeped out from underwater and slowly spread in the murky pool.

Qi Yitang clung frantically to the water's edge, crying, "Fourth Brother can't swim! Yanzhi, quickly, someone save him!"

Xie Ling waved his hand, and several guards took off their outer robes and were about to jump in when a commotion suddenly came from underwater.

With a splash, the water exploded.

A wet, humanoid figure was forcefully thrown ashore by Chi Zheng. It was Gu Ziye's mother, Wu Wanlan. She had also fallen into the water earlier and was now lying on the shore like a rag.

Where is Fourth Brother?

Before Qi Yitang could even see clearly, the comments section was already flooded with messages: "[Heroine saves the beauty! Sister is so cool!]"

[You're so reliable, my sister! You're the only one I can rely on!]

[My sister Chi is just that valiant and extraordinary, incredibly strong, with the strength to uproot mountains, still vigorous despite her age, and unmoved by temptation!]

Don't misuse the idioms mentioned earlier!

It is indeed a classic case of a hero saving a damsel in distress, but the roles of men and women are completely reversed.

Chi Zheng wrapped her arms around Qi Jiyun's waist and used one hand to paddle, keeping him steadily on the water's surface.

After swimming to the shore, he found a suitable foothold, then grabbed Qi Jiyun and easily jumped ashore.

Although everyone was still kneeling, it didn't stop them from secretly observing, and they were all stunned.

This burly palace maid... she seems so reliable.

Both of them were dripping wet. Qi Jiyun's eyes were closed, her face was pale, and she leaned softly against Chi Zheng's chest.

Qi Yitang quickly took off the cloak Xie Ling had draped over her and put it over the two of them. "Chizheng, are you alright... How is Fourth Brother?"

Chi Zheng looked down at the soaking wet Qi Jiyun. "The Fourth Young Master choked on water and passed out."

She laid Qi Jiyun flat on the bluestone ground by the shore, first checked his breathing, and then pressed hard on his chest.

"cough……"

While unconscious, Qi Jiyun coughed and expelled the water from his trachea, his head lolling in Chi Zheng's arms.

Chi Zheng wiped Qi Jiyun's face with her sleeve, but found it was wet, so she stopped wiping. "Your Majesty, it's alright."

Qi Yitang fell silent: "..."

For a moment, she really didn't know what to say.

Fourth Brother, what happened to your heroic rescue of the damsel in distress? How could you be so useless!

The starting point was good, but it would have been better not to set off at all, saving Chi Zheng the trouble of saving another person.

Princess Anping pinched the bridge of her nose. "Go to the side hall first and change your wet clothes."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Chi Zheng picked up Qi Jiyun and, as she passed Qi Yitang, whispered, "Your Majesty, there are people underwater."

What?

Qi Yitang suddenly looked at the murky pool surface. Where the blood had seeped out, a black outline was slowly rising from the water plants.

However, everyone was still kneeling on the ground, and no one noticed the strange thing in the water.

I initially thought the blood was from Wu Wanlan, but I never expected...

Another assassin?

Qi Yitang's heart suddenly raced, and she instinctively gripped Xie Ling's sleeve tightly, "Yanzhi..."

Xie Ling also looked over, her expression not surprised, and gave Li Degui a wink.

Li Degui, being a shrewd man who had managed to infiltrate the Emperor's court, instantly understood and greeted the crowd with a smile: "Today is Princess Jiasui's homecoming banquet, but an unexpected incident has occurred. His Majesty is benevolent and has no intention of pursuing the matter. We would like all princesses, princes, ladies, and young ladies to move to the front hall to observe the ceremony. The princess's first birthday celebration will begin immediately."

"This is my way, please come this way."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The crowd's knees were numb from kneeling, and they didn't want to stay in the spotlight any longer, so they hurriedly followed Li Degui away.

As for Wu Wanlan and Gu Feiwu, the couple, they were dragged away like two tattered burlap sacks.

They had already shown leniency and spared their lives, but they still dared to offend the Emperor and Empress. Now the entire Gu family can go down and reunite with their sons and grandsons.

……

Only a few people remained in the waterside pavilion.

Yuan Shu pulled the man in black out of the water and checked his breath. "Your Majesty, he's not dead yet. Chi Zheng left him a breath."

[I'm really going to become a fan of Akane now, she's so reliable!]

[In such a short time, she not only saved someone but also turned the tables and subdued her enemy. She's truly a strong woman!]

Qi Yitang also realized why Xie Ling had assigned Chi Zheng to protect her closely.

If Chi Zheng had been by her side last time, she probably wouldn't have been kidnapped by Zhao Yan and suffered a whole day for nothing.

Of course, it's not that Yuan Shu is bad, it's just that Chi Zheng is more reliable.

"Take him away and interrogate him."

"Yes," Yuan Shu replied readily.

[Why does it feel like there are assassins everywhere? Who did this?!]

I'm here to enjoy sweet romance; scheming and plotting? Forget it!

Qi Yitang also felt a chill run down her spine. She had thought that her elder sister's residence was quite safe, but she never expected that there was a hidden danger there.

Noticing Qi Yitang's emotions, Xie Ling pulled her closer to him.

"Are you scared?"

"Hmm," Qi Yitang responded listlessly.

Even knowing that Xie Ling was there and wouldn't harm her, the repeated assassination attempts and the ever-present shadows still kept everyone on edge.

If you're so capable, then come straight to the point. Hiding and trying to cover up is really annoying!

In fact, these things are commonplace for Xie Ling.

After all, he had been working on it since he was a teenager, especially after his father took a liking to him. Whether it was court officials, brothers, or their relatives, everyone wanted to bring down this prince who came from the cold palace.

Some wanted him dead, while others planned to cripple him.

Those who die are no longer eligible to compete for the throne, and those who are ill cannot become emperor.

Xie Ling was not going to be slaughtered. When they tried to assassinate him, he retaliated by stabbing them back and then arranged for someone to poison him.

And just like that... there are several more idiots among the imperial brothers.

Things became much more peaceful after he ascended the throne, but it wasn't entirely without problems.

This level of activity is nothing compared to Xie Ling's; it's just a minor skirmish.

He lowered his head and gently touched Qi Yitang's forehead with his lips. "Don't be afraid, your husband is here. It won't be long before we find the person behind this."

Qi Yitang nestled against him and nodded sullenly.

……

Princess Anping led everyone to watch Jia Sui's first birthday celebration, and Qi Yitang lost interest in joining in the fun.

She wanted to go back to the palace; Yaotang Palace was safer.

Before leaving, Qi Yitang planned to check on her fourth brother, who was in a coma.

But as soon as she reached the door, she heard her fourth brother arguing, "We've already been intimate. You saw my body naked; you have to take responsibility for me!"