Pei Huai’an hadn’t yet managed to pull Meng Wanxin out from under the water when, with a sudden jolt, Shen Youran also fell into the lake.
The small boat completely capsized, flipping upside down on the water’s surface, pinning Shen Youran beneath it.
“Youran!”
His grip loosened, and without a second thought for Meng Wanxin, he dove underwater and pulled Shen Youran out from under the boat.
At the same time, hearing the commotion, Pei Huaijin and Qing Yan, who were nearby, rushed over. The boat had overturned in the lake; all three had fallen into the water, and one of them was Shen Youran. Filled with urgency, Pei Huaijin ignored Qing Yan’s attempts to stop him and jumped in, taking Shen Youran from Pei Huai’an’s hands.
Only then did Pei Huai’an swim back to Meng Wanxin’s side, grabbing the already unconscious young lady and bringing her to shore.
Qing Yan and Xiao Ci quickly shed their outer robes, and as soon as they reached the shore, wrapped the three ladies in dry clothing before escorting all four to the nearest guest chamber.
Shen Youran had only inhaled some water and was otherwise unharmed.
Meng Wanxin’s condition was more serious. Pei Huai’an pressed on her abdomen, forcing her to vomit much of the water before she regained consciousness.
The maids brought clean clothes and towels, and each of the four changed. When asked about the cause of the accident, Meng Wanxin spoke with a heavy heart, saying she had only wanted to enjoy the lakeside view but hadn’t expected the railing to suddenly break, dragging them all into the water. She felt deeply guilty.
Pei Huaijin caught the slight evasiveness in her gaze as she spoke and began to form some suspicions.
Afterward, Meng Wanxin was sent back to her quarters first. Pei Huaijin then questioned Shen Youran and the Seventh Young Master about why they had been by the lake.
Shen Youran said she had been following Pei Huai’an, while he explained, “A maid told me someone was looking for me and led me toward the lake on the way…”
But now that maid couldn’t be found, and naturally, the person was nowhere to be seen.
The four had all soaked in the icy water, and after coming ashore, the cold wind chilled them. Although they promptly drank ginger soup to warm up, all but Pei Huai’an fell ill.
Meng Wanxin’s condition was severe—after drowning and catching a chill, she was bedridden.
Shen Youran and Pei Huaijin both caught colds, though Shen Youran recovered after three days of medicine.
Pei Huaijin, however, had recently fallen ill from an unclean remedy, and with this new chill aggravating the poison within his body, he struggled through repeated bouts of illness for half a month before seeing improvement.
Because of this, even Qing Yan couldn’t help but chide his master, “The situation that day wasn’t that dangerous. Lord, you knew your condition well—why insist on jumping in to save someone? I truly don’t understand…”
“Youran is my wife. When she fell into the water, I was anxious and couldn’t trust anyone else to save her…”
Besides, since she was soaked, how could he let others touch her?
Though the Seventh Young Master had touched her, he explained afterward that the boat had capsized, trapping Shen Youran beneath it, and he had acted out of urgency, without ulterior motives.
Pei Huaijin naturally bore no grudge against his younger brother. Given the circumstances, anyone would prioritize saving lives over anything else.
Yet outside observers clearly did not share that understanding.
Many had rushed to the lake upon hearing the shouts. Though three people had fallen into the water, only two were recognized.
One was Pei Huai’an, the star of the flower-viewing banquet; the other was the eldest grandson’s wife, who had been helping Madam Pei prepare the event. As for Meng Wanxin, she had always kept to herself within the Pei Mansion and had no close friends in the capital, so no one knew her.
Thus, the incident became distorted as it spread—from a simple accident to a scandalous rumor about the eldest grandson’s wife and her young uncle falling into the lake together.
Originally, Madam Pei had found a suitable bride for her eldest grandson at the banquet, and the two families were speaking happily. But after this incident, when Madam Pei sent a matchmaker to propose, the other side claimed their daughter was too young and wanted to wait another year, essentially declining.
Now the youngest grandson’s marriage was on hold, and even the eldest grandson’s reputation suffered by association.
After hearing the full story, Madam Pei called Zhu Shi to the Chunxuan Hall and ordered her to send Meng Wanxin away immediately.
“She seemed so honest and obedient at first, but turns out to be quite a troublemaker. If she stays, she’ll only bring disaster…”
“Mother, Miss Meng is innocent. She wouldn’t risk her own life intentionally,” Zhu Shi said, having pondered whether Meng Wanxin’s actions were deliberate. But seeing her pitiful and remorseful expression, she felt perhaps she was overthinking it. “Mother, since things have come to this, why not let the Seventh Young Master marry Miss Meng? Either way, the reputations of both are already sullied. This would quash the rumors and seal the match. Isn’t that better…”
Before she could finish, Madam Pei shot her a sharp glare.
“She deliberately drowned herself in front of the Seventh Young Master for that purpose,” the onlooker Madam Pei understood clearly. “Impossible! The Seventh Young Master is honorable and promising—he cannot marry a scheming woman. This matter is off the table.”
Still, this concerned Shen Youran’s reputation as well.
Zhu Shi knew well how crucial a good reputation was. When Shen Youran had been kidnapped by bandits, the slander she endured had cost Shen Yunshu her standing with the imperial family. Once destined to become an imperial consort, she was now out of favor.
Therefore, Zhu Shi called Pei Huai’an, hoping he would marry Meng Wanxin, both to give her an explanation and to—
After careful thought over several days, Pei Huai’an decided to accept his eldest aunt’s proposal and become betrothed to Meng Wanxin.
But even with his consent, Madam Pei was reluctant to agree. Zhu Shi had to request her own son’s assistance, asking Pei Huaijin to speak with Madam Pei in Chunxuan Hall.
When Shen Youran heard of this, she went to Gengyun Courtyard to ask Pei Huai’an, “You want to marry Miss Meng to take responsibility?”
“Though unintentional, I did touch her, so I should take responsibility.”
“Then by your logic, you touched me too. Are you going to marry your sister-in-law as well?”
Pei Huai’an laughed wryly, “That’s different. You’re my sister-in-law, once my little sister. I saved you; it makes sense.”
“She’s your cousin. Saving her is just as reasonable,” Shen Youran said, not trying to interfere in the marriage, only feeling it unwise to force these matters hastily.
Like when she had swapped engagements with her sister—if she hadn’t had real intimacy with Pei Huaijin, and he hadn’t coaxed and scared her into it, she wouldn’t have agreed.
Therefore, she felt Pei Huai’an and Meng Wanxin were hardly at the point where marriage was necessary.
“But the rumors about you and me are everywhere,” Pei Huai’an then revealed his real reason for wanting to marry Meng Wanxin, “Since outsiders believe only two people fell into the lake, if I marry my cousin, they will know the third person was her, which can restore your reputation…”
“I can’t go around explaining to everyone, but the innocent will remain innocent. We just have to not care.”
“Does Big Brother not care?”
“Don’t worry. He understands the situation better than anyone and certainly won’t mind…”
Given how Pei Huaijin had treated her after she was kidnapped, Shen Youran knew he wouldn’t blame her over these rumors this time either.
Yet this time, Shen Youran was only half right.
Pei Huaijin indeed did not trouble her over the rumors, but upon hearing Pei Huai’an’s intention to marry Meng Wanxin, he agreed with the decision: “If the two marry, the rumors will collapse on their own. That’s for the best.”
Hearing this from him, Shen Youran was very surprised. “Why think that way? They don’t even like each other, and I don’t care about my reputation. Why force them together?”
“You live deep inside the inner courtyard, so you don’t hear much of the gossip, and the servants wouldn’t tell you either. But I go out every day, so I know how harsh those words are,” Pei Huaijin’s voice was stern, lacking his usual warmth. “You and I are one flesh and blood. If your reputation is damaged, my face is lost. As an official, if I lose face, how can I command respect?”
Shen Youran looked at him in disbelief. Though what he said made sense, it was unbearably selfish.
“You can’t only think about yourself. Are you willing to sacrifice their marriage for your reputation and face?”
Pei Huaijin coldly replied, “The Seventh Young Master and his cousin are talented and beautiful—a perfect match.”
“This isn’t about compatibility. They don’t love each other.”
“Love can be cultivated after marriage. Didn’t we start that way?”
“That’s different.”
“How is it different?”
“Everything’s different! It just is!” Shen Youran was angry and upset. “You weren’t like this before. You shouldn’t be like this now!”
“I have always been like this.”
“No, you clearly don’t care about so-called reputation or face. You know life is more important. When you rescued me from the bandits, you didn’t consider any of this…”
“That’s because everyone believed it was your sister who was kidnapped, so your reputation wasn’t affected. I also knew you weren’t mistreated, so I didn’t care about it.”
Shen Youran’s face turned pale. “You mean… if my sister hadn’t taken the blame for me, if my reputation had been ruined then, you… you wouldn’t have liked me anymore?”
A brief silence filled the room. Pei Huaijin’s gaze lingered on her trembling lips for a moment before he averted his eyes, his tone still cold. “That matter is past. We’re talking about the Seventh Young Master and his cousin now…”
“Not past!” Shen Youran looked at him disappointedly and shoved him out of the bedchamber. “Hypocrite! I won’t sleep with you tonight!”
She even threw his pillow out after him.
Pei Huaijin picked it up and stood by the door for a long moment before turning away.
Just as he left the main room, he encountered Qing Yan.
Handing over the pillow, he said, “Help me tidy the study. I’ll sleep there tonight.”
“Master,” Qing Yan’s expression darkened. He had heard every word of their argument. “Master, what you said just now truly hurts her.”
“I know,” under the moonlight, his features were cold and clear. Pei Huaijin tilted his head back slightly and sighed, “But if I don’t hurt her, she simply won’t leave…”