Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

The person he was holding in his arms was Ji Mingyi, who had fallen into the water.

Fearing that Lu Zhangming or his servants might succeed in taking advantage of him, Ji Mingyi had already hidden in a secluded spot, but because he was exhausted underwater, he didn't even have the strength to call for help.

Then Zong Xian arrived and, without saying a word, tried to pick her up. She tried desperately to refuse but couldn't, and was forcibly held in his arms.

Noticing that everyone's eyes were on them, Mingyi simply closed her eyes and pretended to faint. Yuegui thought she had really fainted and kept crying anxiously.

Fan Siyuan, standing to the side, kept trying to see the woman's face clearly, wondering what kind of celestial beauty she possessed that could make Zong Xian so concerned.

However, the woman's face was obscured by Zong Xian's wide sleeves, and apart from a glimpse of her fair neck, nothing else could be seen.

Zong Xian gave Fan Siyuan a cool glance, and Fan Siyuan then looked away, awkwardly touching his nose.

He was curious and wanted to see what was wrong. It wouldn't hurt to take a look, so why was he being so protective? What a stingy person.

Just as Zong Xian was about to leave with Mingyi, a maidservant helped Old Madam Zong arrive from directly in front.

A group of guests followed behind her to watch the spectacle.

Most of the young ladies were seeing Zong Xian up close for the first time, and they felt that the rumored Vice Prime Minister was so imposing and handsome that they dared not look directly at him.

But when they saw him holding a woman in his arms, jealousy burned uncontrollably in their eyes.

Everyone says that the Vice Prime Minister is not interested in women, so why is he holding a woman so tenderly?

Could it be that she deliberately fell into the water so that the adults would take pity on her?

Madam Zong's gaze fell on the hand that held Ji Mingyi, but only for a moment before she looked away, asking with concern, "How is this girl?"

Zong Xian knew she was faking fainting, so he cooperated and said, "I drank a lot of water and fainted. Please trouble Mother to send someone to fetch a doctor immediately."

After saying that, he picked up the person and strode away.

When Lu Zhangming saw Zong Xian appear, he vaguely realized that something was wrong. Could such a small matter really alarm his cousin?

Besides, wasn't he recovering from his injury?

Madam Zong turned her head and saw Lu Zhangming's soaking wet and disheveled appearance. She asked in surprise, "How did you get like this? Did you go into the water too?"

Lu Zhangming snapped out of his daze, raised his hand to his lips and coughed lightly as if to indicate it. His attendant immediately stepped forward, bowed, and replied:

"Reporting to Madam, just now the young master was passing by the garden lake when he heard someone fall into the water. In a moment of panic, he jumped in to save the person, which is why he got soaked."

"Who is that girl lying over there?" Old Madam Zong noticed the maid from the Lu family not far away.

Lu Zhangming calmly replied, "Aunt, that's my maid. She was the one who first discovered someone had fallen into the water, but unfortunately, she can't swim, and she fainted when she was pulled out."

Upon hearing this, Madam Zong had no doubts and immediately ordered the maidservant beside her to lead Lu Zhangming to the side courtyard to change into dry clothes. She also wanted to call a doctor for the maidservant.

Lu Zhangming felt uneasy, fearing that if he stayed any longer, they would discover something amiss, so he quickly bowed and declined.

"There's no need to trouble the servants. I have a change of clothes in my carriage. You can change yourself. The girl is fine. I'll take her back to the Lu residence now. Aunt, you don't need to worry."

Madam Zong didn't force him and let him go.

Fan Siyuan watched from the side, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed. Something seemed off about this young master Lu.

However, he was ultimately an outsider, and Fan Siyuan couldn't interfere in the private affairs of the Zong family.

As Lu Zhangming turned around, he gave a look to the two servants, who immediately understood and carried away the drowning maid who had fainted.

Fan Siyuan thought about it for a moment, and then quietly followed after him.

-

Meanwhile, Mingyi was taken to the warm pavilion by Zongxian.

After putting her down, Zong Xian did not leave immediately. Instead, he retreated to the outer room and sat quietly on the armchair, his posture upright and calm.

Liu Liu personally brought clean clothes and rushed over. Upon entering, she caught a glimpse of Zong Xian sitting behind the screen and paused slightly.

She first gestured to her personal maid to take the clothes into the inner room, then stopped outside and politely addressed Zong Xian:

"Ji Mingyi is, after all, an unmarried young lady. It is inappropriate for the Second Master to be so close by. If word gets out, it may damage her reputation. The doctor is already waiting outside, and the staff below are reliable and will certainly take good care of her."

Just now, Zong Xian held Ji Mingyi in his arms by the lake in front of everyone. It was an emergency to save someone, and even if the bystanders said a few words, they could still barely cover it up.

But now that the person is settled peacefully in the warm pavilion, he is still guarding outside the screen and refusing to move. If this continues and word gets out, it will only tarnish Ji Mingyi's reputation. Madam Liu has no choice but to advise him.

"Second Master's clothes are wet too, why don't you go down and change?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zong Xian didn't even lift his eyelids. His fingertips casually stroked the teacup, and his tone was completely flat: "It's alright, I'll wait for her to wake up before I leave."

Liu: "..."

Within this Zong family mansion, no one can be Zong Xian's master.

She knew perfectly well that the Second Master had long harbored feelings for Ji Mingyi and was convinced that this man would eventually become his concubine, so he naturally didn't care about outside gossip or a woman's reputation.

Having figured this out, Madam Liu gave up on trying to persuade her.

Ji Mingyi, who was on the bed in the inner room, heard the conversation outside clearly and simply opened his eyes.

When Yuegui, who was keeping vigil by the bedside, saw her open her eyes, her own eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she choked out, "Miss, you're finally awake!"

Although he regained consciousness, his face remained deathly pale, devoid of any color.

Yuegui, accompanied by two maids, stepped forward and carefully helped her change into a set of dry, soft clothes. Once she was properly dressed, Madam Liu sent someone to fetch a doctor to take her pulse.

After examining the patient's body through observation, listening, questioning, and palpation, the doctor wrote a prescription to dispel cold and warm the body.

Before the medicine was even prepared, Madam Zong, supported by her maid, came to visit in person.

...

Mingyi had been living in the Zong family mansion for half a year and was used to being ignored. This was the first time that she had been treated with such serious care by everyone, which made her very uncomfortable.

It was hard not to suspect that these people were up to something with her.

Madam Kezong simply offered a few words of comfort, then mentioned that Shuangxu Garden was located in a remote and cold place, which was not conducive to recuperation, and instructed her to stay in the warm pavilion to rest quietly for the next few days.

After saying this, he dismissed everyone in the room, telling her to rest well, and even took Yuegui, who served her personally, with him.

Mingyi initially felt fine, but after lying in bed for a while, drowsiness overwhelmed her, and she drifted off to sleep.

In her dream, she fell back into the icy lake, the sticky water plants clinging to her cheeks and wrapping around her neck. The damp, cold, and suffocating sensation lingered, causing her extreme discomfort.

In a daze, I seemed to see a tall and slender figure.

His fingertips gently traced her cheek, then slowly moved down her chin, landing on her slender neck; the sensation was so vivid it felt like a dream...

A sudden knock on the door startled Mingyi awake.

A maid's respectful voice came from outside the door: "Second Master, the medicine is ready."

As if doused with a bucket of cold water, Mingyi suddenly opened his eyes and saw Zongxian sitting upright by the bed!

Zong Xian placed his hands on his knees, his expression calm and gentle, gazing at her intently.

This scene was exactly the same as the person in her dream.

Mingyi only slept for a short while. Everyone else left, but Zongxian stayed.

Outside the door stood the old lady's maid. Zong Xian spoke calmly, ordering her to come in.

He reached out and took the warm medicine bowl, pretending to feed it to her himself.

Mingyi dared not trouble him to feed her the medicine, and hurriedly snatched the medicine bowl from his hand, saying, "I dare not trouble my second uncle."

Then he tilted his head back and gulped down the bitter medicine in one go, before handing the empty bowl back to the maid.

The maid kept her head down and retreated without stopping.

Mingyi gripped the blankets tightly, looking flustered and embarrassed, and said, "Second Uncle, aren't you leaving yet?"

Zong Xian remained calm. Seeing that she seemed to be in relatively good spirits, he took the opportunity to ask about what had happened when she fell into the water.