After being forced into a marriage with a wealthy family, the virtuous wife caused a huge uproar.

The three girls in the water were brought back to their senses by the shout.

Princess Xiangyi was the first to grab the branch.

Seeing that people were coming this way, Ke Miaoran stopped shouting and, together with Rong Yingluo, pulled Princess Xiangyi up.

Rong Yingluo then pulled another one.

This time, it was a woman wearing a veil who was pulled up.

Two eunuchs arrived and jumped into the water to rescue Gu Qingya.

Fortunately, they hadn't been in the water for long, and all three were still conscious, though they had swallowed some water.

Ke Miaoran noticed that the veiled woman's clothes looked very familiar, so he squatted down and ripped off her veil.

"Cousin?" Ke Miaoran could hardly believe her eyes.

If Rong Yingluo hadn't pulled her back, she would have been pushed into the water by Hu Bing'er.

"Why did you do this?" Ke Miaoran had already figured it out; Hu Bing'er's target was her.

Princess Xiangyi and Miss Gu were crouching down and were not seen by Hu Bing'er, thus suffering an undeserved misfortune.

Hu Bing'er was so frightened that she trembled and dared not say a word.

She not only failed to harm others, but also caused herself to fall into the water. She even pushed Princess Xiangyi and Miss Gu into the water.

She is finished.

What should we do?

At this time, many noble ladies and ladies rushed over to see the excitement.

"Second Young Madam, let's not question them yet. Let the three young ladies bathe and change first, otherwise they will catch a cold. Princess Xiangyi is very delicate, we can't let the Xuan Prince's Mansion make things difficult for her," a lady suggested.

After such an incident, Ke Miaoran lost all interest in strolling through the garden.

Rong Yingluo also wanted to get an explanation for Ke Miaoran.

Moreover, she was also one of the victims. If she hadn't acted quickly, she and Sister Ke would have been the ones to fall into the water.

The palace attendants led the group to a palace near the Imperial Garden. Coincidentally, this was the place where the noble ladies changed their clothes.

The palace servants quickly prepared hot water to help the three young ladies who had fallen into the water bathe and change.

Meanwhile, news of what happened in the Imperial Garden had already reached the Empress's ears.

The three of them had just come out of the bathing room when the Empress arrived.

The Empress looked serious, but why was Consort Cao also by her side?

Lady Qi also came with the Empress.

She held Ke Miaoran's hand tenderly, asking her with concern, "Luckily you didn't fall into the water. In this cold weather, if you had fallen into the water, you would have been even less able to get pregnant, and all those bitter medicines you drank before would have been for nothing."

Lady Qi was quite frightened when she learned in the Empress's palace that her daughter-in-law had almost fallen into the water.

My daughter-in-law has a cold uterus and it's not easy for her to conceive. The doctor has repeatedly told her that Miaoran must not get cold.

"Mother, your daughter-in-law is alright. My cousin suddenly rushed towards me and Rongmei, intending to push us into the water. Fortunately, Rongmei reacted quickly and gently pulled me away, saving me from my cousin's vicious attack."

"If it weren't for Rong-mei, my daughter-in-law would never have been able to escape. My cousin was just too fast," Ke Miaoran said, sobbing.

"Young Madam Gu, you know best what happened back then. Tell me, what exactly happened?" the Empress said coldly.

Rong Yingluo stepped forward and began to recount her story, starting from her encounter with Hu Bing'er, then how Hu Bing'er pushed people while wearing a veil, and how she pushed the innocent Princess Xiangyi and Gu Qingya into the water, as well as how she herself fell into the water. She described the whole process in great detail, making the audience feel as if they were there.

Princess Xiangyi was so angry that she went up and slapped Hu Bing'er twice.

"You little brat, Hu Bing'er! You didn't even know where you were going to push me. You actually pushed this princess into the water! I'll beat you to death!" Princess Xiangyi had never suffered such a loss before. Two slaps were not enough to vent her anger, so she grabbed Hu Bing'er and kicked and hit her again.

Gu Qingya hesitated, wanting to kick him a few times as well, but in front of the Empress, she dared not act rashly and could only suppress her anger.

Knowing that Hu Bing'er was going to push Rong Yingluo and Ke Miaoran, she could only glare fiercely at Rong Yingluo.

What a jinx!

"Stop right now!" the Empress shouted angrily.

Two palace maids stepped forward and pulled the person away, and Princess Xiangyi stopped.

But she still wouldn't let it go: "You just wait, next time I'll let you taste what it's like to fall into the water."

The feeling of water constantly flowing into her mouth, forcing her to swallow it, was an unforgettable experience for Princess Xiangyi.

She was determined to avenge this.

And then there's Rong Yingluo, she's also the culprit. If she hadn't helped Ke Miaoran escape, how could she have been pushed into the water?

Rong Yingluo saw that Hu Bing'er's face was red and swollen, and there were nail marks. This princess is so strong. It seems that she should be careful of her revenge in the future.

"Hu Bing'er, kneel down," the Empress said coldly.

Hu Bing'er trembled as she stepped forward and knelt down.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Miss Hu probably meant to play a joke on Madam Qi. By some twist of fate, she accidentally pushed Xiangyi and Qingya into the water," Consort Cao comforted her with a smile.

Princess Xiangyi was so arrogant and disrespectful to the Crown Prince on many occasions. She had long wanted to find an opportunity to teach her a lesson, but she hadn't found the right opportunity yet.

Hearing the news that Xiangyi had fallen into the water today made her feel much better.

She thought she didn't know what the Prince Xuan's mansion was up to.

If something were to happen to the Crown Prince, the most likely successor to the throne would be the heir of the Prince Xuan's mansion.

After being rejected multiple times in her attempts to win him over, she finally understood this point.

"What do you mean by accident? She did it on purpose, which is why I suffered this undeserved misfortune. Your Majesty, you must punish her severely, otherwise others will follow suit." Princess Xiangyi's temper was like dry tinder, ready to ignite at any moment.

"Your Majesty, I was wrong. I will never dare to do it again." Knowing there was no way to refute it, Hu Bing'er obediently admitted her mistake.

She knew that the Empress was a devout Buddhist with a kind heart, and that as long as she admitted her mistake and showed a proper attitude, she would be punished less severely.

"You think you can escape punishment by admitting your mistake? No way! The suffering Qingya and I endured in the water can't be for nothing. Your Majesty, Aunt Empress, Ke Miaoran, and Rong Liuli will also be punished. If it weren't for the trouble they caused, I wouldn't have fallen into the water. Achoo..." Princess Xiangyi sneezed loudly before she could finish speaking.

"Xiangyi, have a bowl of ginger soup first." The Empress had ordered ginger soup to be prepared before she arrived, and it was delivered just in time.

She was having a bit of a headache; this wasn't the first time she'd encountered this girl's unforgiving nature.

"Miss Hu, why did you harm Miaoran?" the Empress asked, inquiring about the reason.

Ke Miaoran is her cousin's daughter-in-law. Hu Bing'er is too audacious to dare to harm her relative. She must have a death wish.

She is a Buddhist, but she is not made of clay.

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I am willing to accept punishment." Hu Bing'er kowtowed heavily.

She certainly couldn't say her reasons in front of so many people, and she was too ashamed to say them either.

At this moment, a woman rushed in and knelt down in front of the Empress without saying a word. The fear in her eyes showed how terrified she was.

"Your Majesty, it is all my fault for failing to properly educate my daughter. I will take her back to my residence and discipline her properly. I will punish her by making her copy the 'Precepts for Women' one hundred times and confine her to her quarters for three months. I beg Your Majesty to forgive her this time. We are willing to go to Prince Xuan's residence to plead guilty."

The person who came was Hu Bing'er's mother, the second wife of the Hu family.

She feared that the Empress would punish her daughter with a beating. If her daughter was punished in the palace, her reputation would be completely ruined, and how would she ever find a husband?