The most dissolute couple in the capital

Wait, this isn't the time to think about that.

She pushed him hard towards the shore, then patted his face: "Hey! Wake up! Don't play dead here. If you die now, it won't be good for your brother!"

The boy did not react.

Cui Qingyi panicked and hurriedly turned the man over so that he was lying face down on the rocks on the shore, patting his back.

"cough……"

A mouthful of water gushed from the boy's mouth.

Cui Qingyi breathed a sigh of relief.

Live.

My retirement pension is safe.

Just then, hurried footsteps and exclamations finally came from the distant veranda.

"Over there! There are people over there!"

"Oh my god! We have to go check this out!"

Cui Qingyi leaned against a rock on the shore, soaked to the bone and shivering with cold; her pale white, narrow-sleeved shirt clung tightly to her body. She glanced down at her miserable state and suddenly remembered something.

This dress was just lent to her by Cui Lingyi.

...my cousin's clothes.

It's ruined again.

And this time it wasn't just tea stains, it was as if the whole person had been soaking in a cold pool.

She felt heartbroken just thinking about it.

But before he could feel heartbroken for long, a group of people rushed over.

Leading the group were several burly servants dressed in the uniforms of the Prince of Liang's residence. Upon seeing the scene at the pool, their faces turned pale instantly.

"Your Highness!!"

"What are you doing here, Your Highness!"

"Quickly! Bring the prince up! Imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician!"

Several burly servants hurriedly surrounded Li Chengjing. Some took off their outer robes and covered him with them, some pinched his philtrum, and some ran ahead to call the imperial physician.

Cui Qingyi quietly moved aside to make room for them.

She was planning to quietly slip away; saving lives was important, but so was her reputation.

A sharp, piercing sound came crashing down on me.

"Cui Qingyi!!"

Cui Qingyi: "..."

She slowly turned her head.

Madam Cui, née Li, was walking briskly from the other end of the veranda, her skirts billowing, followed by several servants from the Princess's household.

Upon seeing Cui Qingyi standing by the pool, soaking wet, with a similarly drenched man lying beside her, Li's already stern face instantly contorted into an expression that Cui Qingyi recognized all too well:

A deep breath before a fit of rage.

"You..." Madam Li choked out, her voice trembling slightly with anger, "What are you doing! Hugging and embracing another man, what kind of behavior is this! Don't you have any respect for the Cui family?!"

Cui Qingyi: Thank you, stepmother. You performed flawlessly, without any mistakes.

She rolled her eyes inwardly.

But what appeared on his face was an expression of shock, fear, and extreme grievance.

Having played so many different roles for so many years, acting skills are ingrained in my bones.

"Mother..." Her voice trembled, her eyes reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes. "I... I just heard someone shouting for help, and when I came over, I saw someone drowning, so..."

"What?!" Li's voice rose even higher. "You jumped in and hugged a man? You're a daughter of the Cui family, not a shrew from the streets! Don't you know that...?"

"Auntie!"

A clear female voice came from behind the crowd, interrupting Li's reprimand.

Cui Lingyi parted the crowd and walked over.

She glanced at the scene: the soaking wet Cui Qingyi, the young man in brocade robes lying on the ground, and the Liang Prince's servants surrounding her in a panic. In a few breaths, she understood the gist of it.

"Auntie," Cui Lingyi said calmly, "the one who fell into the water was His Highness Prince Liang."

Li opened her mouth, but the sound got stuck in her throat.

King Liang.

The emperor's only younger brother, the late emperor's posthumous son, and the empress dowager's beloved son.

Cui Lingyi continued, "Qingyi was passing by when she discovered that His Highness Prince Liang had fallen into the water and rescued him. Aunt, it would be best if you were careful with your words."

She spoke in a calm tone, but when she glanced at the crowd, her gaze held an undeniable certainty.

The guests who had come to see what was happening, who had initially been looking at the scene with a hint of ambiguity, all changed their expressions upon hearing the name "King Liang".

People started whispering among themselves.

"So it's His Highness Prince Liang..."

"Did this Miss Cui save Prince Liang?"

"That was close, if we had been any later..."

Li stood there, her lips moved a few times, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Even in her impulsiveness, she understood that if those words reached the Emperor's ears, it wouldn't just be "reprimanding her daughter," but rather "repaying kindness with enmity and disgracing the royal family."

Cui Qingyi silently lit a candle for Li Shi in her heart.

However, she doesn't have time to clean up Li's mess right now.

She has something else to do.

Cui Qingyi sniffed, turned around and walked towards Cui Lingyi, grabbing her cousin's sleeve, her voice trembling with tears:

"Sister, I'm sorry..."

Cui Lingyi was taken aback: "What?"

Cui Qingyi lowered her head, her gaze falling on her soaked, pale white narrow-sleeved shirt and smoky blue long skirt.

Water dripped from the hem of her clothes, soaking the delicate fabric until it was wrinkled and could never be restored to its original state no matter how much she washed it.

"Your new clothes..." Cui Qingyi's voice was soft and delicate, tears falling in a steady stream. "I just borrowed your dress and it's ruined like this... I'll buy you a new one when I get back to the manor..."

As she spoke, she cried even harder, huddled next to Cui Lingyi, a small, thin bundle, her lips white from the cold, her hair still dripping wet, and she kept apologizing.

To onlookers, his appearance was so pitiful it was heartbreaking.

The ladies watching were already showing signs of being moved.

"This child..."

"Such a nice girl, she saved someone and now she's crying like this."

"That Madam Cui was really outrageous just now, she started cursing without even asking why."

The whispers were not loud, but they were enough to reach Li's ears.

Li's face grew increasingly grim.

Cui Lingyi hugged Cui Qingyi with heartache, took off her own shawl and wrapped it around her shoulders: "Don't cry, don't worry about clothes, it's good that you're alright. Come on, I'll take you to change your clothes, be careful not to catch a cold."

Cui Qingyi leaned obediently on Cui Lingyi's shoulder and was led back.

As she passed by Li, she paused, looked up at Li, and said in a low voice with red eyes, "Mother, I was reckless and caused trouble for the family."

His tone was full of guilt and fear.

Li opened her mouth, then forced out a curt "...Go change your clothes first."

Cui Qingyi nodded obediently and followed Cui Lingyi.

With her back to everyone, the corner of her mouth curled up slightly.

Comrade Cui Qingyi.

Today's task was exceeded.

First, she's sure she's won over Old Madam Zheng. A girl who can't even hold a cup of tea properly won't be on the Zheng family's shortlist.

Secondly, the King of Liang saved her life. As long as she was alive, her retirement plan had a foundation.

Third, the stepmother made a public slip of the tongue, and she was the pitiful woman crying and apologizing everywhere. This boosted her reputation immensely.

As for His Highness Prince Liang, whom she pulled from the water and who is still unconscious...

Cui Qingyi wrapped Cui Lingyi's shawl tighter around herself, silently saying to the future meal ticket she had never met:

Your Highness, you flatter me.