The most dissolute couple in the capital

In his previous life, during a flower-viewing banquet, Prince Liang, Li Chengjing, fell into the water in the back garden.

Cui Qingyi only heard about this after returning to the manor. At the time, she was preoccupied with pleasing Old Madam Zheng, and had no energy left to care about the life or death of a spoiled prince.

It was three days later when the news reached the Cui family.

It is said that during a banquet, the Prince of Liang somehow fell into the cold pond in the back garden. There was no one around, and by the time his servants found him, he had been soaking in the cold water for a long time. The water in early spring was bone-chillingly cold, and when he was pulled out, he was already unconscious with a high fever. The Imperial Hospital tried to treat him for half a month, but they were unable to suppress the ferocious lung disease.

Before long, the obituary spread throughout Chang'an.

It is said that the emperor smashed three inkstones in the Zichen Palace, the empress dowager cried so hard she almost fainted, and Princess Yongning, who hosted the banquet, had half of her fiefdom reduced and was forced to surrender her golden book and seal to reflect on her actions.

Many of the noble families who attended the banquet that day were questioned and punished to varying degrees.

Sixteen-year-old Cui Qingyi was overwhelmed with joy at the news that the Zheng family had chosen her. Under her mother's guidance, she began to diligently memorize the Zheng family's genealogy, carefully study her future mother-in-law's preferences, and happily prepare to become a qualified young mistress of the Zheng family.

As for the Liang King, whom she had never met, all she remembered were a few trivial remarks, without even a hint of regret.

Cui Qingyi's heart skipped a beat.

The sound of the water didn't resemble the lapping of a pool against the shore; it was mixed with irregular, muffled splashing sounds.

There is someone in the water.

Cui Qingyi's mind was racing.

In his previous life, King Liang fell into the water, and with no one around, he could not be rescued in time.

Now, she stood on the path leading to the cold pool.

And the person who should have died today is currently in the water.

Her first thought was—an opportunity had arrived.

The Cui family of Qinghe, a distinguished and aristocratic family, has always had strict standards for choosing a son-in-law. Their first choice is a direct descendant of one of the five most prominent families or seven prominent clans, and their second choice is a descendant of a family that has produced high-ranking officials for generations. They have always kept their distance from the imperial family.

Marrying a prince means being drawn into the vortex of the struggle for the throne; one wrong move could lead to the downfall of the entire family.

Marrying a prince from the imperial clan? It sounds prestigious, but Prince Liang, Li Chengjing, is the emperor's younger brother. He has already moved to a separate household and is considered a "minor branch of the imperial clan." He has no chance of inheriting the throne, and his future is predictable.

For the Cui family, marrying their daughter to a lazy prince with no prospects for advancement was a bad deal.

But that was the algorithm from a previous life.

It's not her algorithm as an "insider".

Now, with the experience of 43 years old, Cui Qingyi re-examines this choice and feels that the path before her is glittering.

What does it mean to have no room for advancement?

He was the emperor's youngest brother, the empress dowager's most beloved son, and the emperor's precious darling! As long as he didn't rebel, he could live a life of unbridled power in Chang'an!

Marrying him would make her a first-rank princess of Liang, rising to the highest ranks in one step.

In her previous life, she endured twenty-seven years of hardship, bearing children and managing the household for the Zheng family, outliving her husband until his death, and only managed to earn the title of a third-rank lady.

Now, a shortcut to the finish line is right in front of us.

As for those fatal flaws in the eyes of noble ladies—

"He is a playful and dissolute person" means that he has no great ambitions, does not get involved in court struggles, and is safe.

"It may affect your ability to have children"—this is absolutely fantastic news!

It is precisely because of these "shortcomings" that King Liang has yet to have a principal wife. Noble ladies from high-ranking families look down on him, while women from humble backgrounds are considered unworthy by the royal family.

And what about her? Her family background in the Cui clan of Qinghe was respectable enough; her father held a low-ranking official position, and her status as a member of a collateral branch of the family was just right so as not to arouse the emperor's suspicion.

This position was practically made for her!

The splashing sound gradually subsided.

Without further hesitation, Cui Qingyi lifted her skirt and ran quickly toward the sound of water.

Cui Qingyi lifted her skirt and ran towards the water stains, shouting at the top of her lungs:

"Help! Someone has fallen into the water!"

Her voice boomed through the empty backyard, startling a flock of birds that fluttered away from the trees.

After running past that clump of bushes, the view suddenly opened up.

A cold pool lies nestled among the artificial hills. The water is a deep, clear blue, reflecting the sunlight. It appears crystal clear, but Cui Qingyi knows that in such pools where water is drawn from the rocks, there are undercurrents beneath the surface, and in some places, the water can reach above the head of an adult man.

In the middle of the pool, a young man in brocade robes was splashing around in the water.

To be precise, it was a struggle.

His movements were already very weak; one hand was still desperately slapping the water, but each splash was smaller than the last. His face appeared and disappeared intermittently, alternating between gulps of water and breaths, his lips already turning blue.

Standing by the pool, Cui Qingyi took about a breath to make a judgment—

Are you waiting for someone to come?

It's too late.

He sank much faster than she had anticipated. That was how he died in her past life; by the time his servants arrived, he was already full of water, and even after they managed to pull him out, he couldn't withstand the high fever that followed.

If she waits any longer, her retirement pension will be gone.

Cui Qingyi took a deep breath, tightened the waist of Cui Lingyi's beautiful smoky blue dress, and gritted her teeth—

jumped down.

The water in early March was as sharp as a knife.

A chill surged up from all directions, instantly soaking every inch of her clothes, and Cui Qingyi shivered from the cold.

Fortunately, she can swim.

This was something she learned while hiking by a stream with her brothers in the clan before she married into the Zheng family in her previous life. When the Zheng family's stepmother found out, she scolded her for half an hour, saying something like, "A lady from a noble family shouldn't do such a crude thing," and then made her kneel in her room to reflect on her actions for an entire afternoon.

Unexpectedly, this "crude skill" saved her life.

It also saved her future retirement income.

Cui Qingyi desperately tried to open her eyes underwater, but the icy water blurred her vision.

The boy had already begun to sink.

She saw a blurry mass of brocade sinking into the depths of the water; it was his bright red robe with gold embroidery, spreading out in the water like a flower withering.

Cui Qingyi swam forward a few strokes with all her might, and finally her fingers reached something.

It's the collar.

She gripped the boy's collar tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

This person was heavier than she had imagined.

Her brocade robes, soaked with water, sank heavily to the bottom. Cui Qingyi felt as if she were pulling a stone wrapped in brocade; with each stroke of the water, the weight pulled her back half a step.

Her lungs started to hurt.

No, I need to breathe.

Cui Qingyi used all her strength to kick upwards, dragging the "brocade stone" to the surface of the water. She choked on her breath and swallowed half a mouthful of water.

"cough--!"

She coughed as she pulled, swimming towards the shore.

The boy had stopped struggling much under her grasp; she couldn't tell if he was choked or frozen stiff. Cui Qingyi didn't care; she just held onto his collar with one hand and frantically paddled with the other.

This distance is only about three or four zhang.

But Cui Qingyi felt that she had swum for half her life.

Finally, her foot touched the pebbles at the bottom of the pool.

Shallow water area.

She stumbled to her feet, the water up to her waist, and dragged the boy towards the shore. When they reached the bank, she was almost too weak to pull him up; she could only hold him with one arm and cling to a large rock with the other, shouting again at the top of her lungs:

"Help! Help!"

The young man in brocade robes rested his head on her shoulder, his lips were bluish-purple, his face was deathly pale, and his wet hair clung to his face.

Cui Qingyi glanced down at him.

Oh.

She is quite good-looking.