Stop talking nonsense, I want you!

Su Yao abruptly turned her head, only to see a sturdy, thick-set woman standing right behind her.

The face was completely unfamiliar, one she had never seen before in this household, and the woman's gaze carried a fierce malevolence that sent a chill down one's spine.

"Who are you?" Chuntao asked with vigilance.

Su Yao instinctively took a step back, sizing up the uninvited guest in secret.

Without a word, the heavy-set, broad-shouldered woman lunged straight at Su Yao.

Su Yao widened her eyes in terror, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs.

Chuntao reacted swiftly, stepping in front of Su Yao without a moment's hesitation to shield her, while crying out loudly for help.

Over by the theatrical stage, the festivities were in full swing, the deafening sound of gongs and drums completely swallowing up their faint calls.

The woman possessed immense strength, grabbing Chuntao by the arm with a single hand.

Chuntao felt a tremendous force slam into her, dragging her off balance and leaving her utterly defenseless.

Seeing this, Su Yao was frantic with anxiety and hurriedly stepped forward to help her break free from the woman's grip.

Yet the woman seemed to have her sights set solely on Su Yao. She instantly shifted her target, giving a vicious shove that sent Chuntao hurtling through the air to crash heavily onto the ground aside.

Chuntao could not suppress a muffled groan of pain.

Su Yao turned to flee, but in her panic, her back was seized by the woman's grasp.

"Help!" Su Yao screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Shut up! Quiet!" the woman scolded fiercely.

Gritting her teeth and enduring the searing pain, Chuntao struggled back to her feet, lunged forward, and bit down hard on the woman's arm.

Smarting from the pain, the woman's face twisted into a ferocious scowl. In a fit of furious rage, she violently shoved Su Yao, whom she was still holding.

Su Yao failed to dodge in time, the back of her head striking a pillar with a sickening thud. Her vision instantly went black, her consciousness faded into nothingness, and her body collapsed limply.

With a cold snort, the woman released her grip, and Su Yao plunged into the water with a heavy splash, sending droplets flying in all directions.

Panicked to the core, Chuntao no longer cared about tangling with the woman. She scrambled and crawled frantically toward the railing, screaming at the top of her lungs until her voice broke, "My lady has fallen into the water! Help! Someone help!"

Meanwhile, Lu Huaijin had just finished his morning court session and was hurrying toward the garden.

Still clad in his official robes, his expression carried a hint of fatigue. He had hoped to catch a glimpse of Su Yao the moment he entered the garden, but a sweep of his gaze found no trace of her, causing his brow to furrow slightly.

Just then, he caught the faint sound of cries for help. His expression turned grave in an instant, and he immediately shot a glance at Zhuruo by his side.

Understanding implicitly, Zhuruo darted off at a sprint toward the source of the sound.

By that time, Chuntao had thrown herself recklessly into the water.

Knowing not how to swim, she thrashed about desperately, her arms flailing wildly and her legs kicking hard, yet her body continued to sink.

Lake water rushed instantly into her nose and mouth, choking her windpipe and making even the act of crying out for help an impossibility.

Within moments, her figure vanished beneath the surface of the water.

...

Lu Huaijin stood rooted to the spot, his eyes fixed intently on the direction Zhuruo had departed, the unease in his heart growing ever more oppressive.

He glanced once more at the empty seat where Su Yao had been sitting. Its vacancy made his heart hang suspended in mid-air.

Without a single second of hesitation, he strode off immediately, heading straight toward the waterside pavilion.

"Huaijin, where are you going?" Madam Lu, seated nearby, asked in puzzlement as she watched her son abruptly stand up.

Without a word of response, Lu Huaijin pressed on with hurried strides.

Noticing her son's abnormal behavior, Madam Lu stood up as well, her expression fraught with worry as she called out, "What is the matter?" At that exact moment, the theatrical troupe concluded a scene, and the noisy garden fell into a sudden, eerie silence.

Mother Li hurriedly went to support Madam Lu, and the entire retinue hastened toward the pavilion.

When Lu Huaijin reached the pavilion, he saw that Zhuruo had already jumped into the water and was swimming with all his might toward the spot where Chuntao had disappeared.

Yet as his anxious gaze swept across the water's surface, he saw no sign of Su Yao anywhere. Panic struck him like a physical blow, and an unprecedented terror welled up within his breast.

Although early spring was gradually growing milder, the lake water remained biting cold.

Without a moment's hesitation, he plunged headfirst into the water.

Su Yao knew how to swim, but where on earth was she right now?

The freezing water immediately enveloped Lu Huaijin's body, the chill piercing swiftly from his skin straight to his marrow, yet he remained utterly oblivious to it.

At last, he spotted a flash of white in the depths of the lake and swam toward it with all his strength.

When Su Yao was hauled onto the bank, her eyes were tightly shut, her face as pale as paper, devoid of all vitality.

Her wet strands of hair plastered against her cheeks, and her naturally rosy lips had turned a bruised purple.

Lu Huaijin's heart clenched violently. He laid her flat on the ground and began rhythmically pressing down on her chest with trembling hands.

Under the pressure, a large quantity of lake water gushed from Su Yao's nose and mouth.

She began to cough violently, expelling even more water.

Only then did Lu Huaijin's suspended heart drop slightly. He let out a long breath—a mixture of relief at having cheated death and lingering dread.

"Blood!"

Someone in the crowd suddenly shrieked in horror.

A jolt ran through Lu Huaijin. He tore his gaze away from Su Yao's face and looked down at her body.

A vast, startling patch of crimson had stained Su Yao's skirt.

It looked extraordinarily gruesome.

Her drenched garments clung tightly to her graceful figure. Lu Huaijin swiftly stripped off his outer robe and clumsily wrapped Su Yao within it.

He shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking: "Summon the imperial physician!"

Beside him, Madam Lu turned ashen at the sight, her lips trembling slightly, her gaze complex and unreadable as she stood speechless.

Before long, Imperial Physician Shi hurried into the Lu residence.

Su Yao had already been changed into clean garments.

After a brief moment of regaining consciousness, she had slipped back into a deep faint.

With a grave expression, Imperial Physician Shi approached the bed and swiftly took her pulse. His brows were deeply furrowed as his fingers alternated rhythmically across Su Yao's wrist.

Lu Huaijin stood nearby, his eyes locked onto the physician. His breathing was rapid, and his hands were clenched into tight fists without his realizing it.

Finishing the pulse-taking, Physician Shi quickly retrieved his medicine chest and set to work with nervous urgency.

After a long while, he finally withdrew his hands.

Lu Huaijin demanded impatiently, "How is she?"

"Lord Senior Counselor, Su... what has happened to Miss Su?"

"I asked you, how is she right now?" Lu Huaijin pressed further.

"Miss Su has suffered a head injury, which I have already treated. It is merely external trauma, and with proper care, it will leave no scar. However..."

Imperial Physician Shi hesitated, a look of profound difficulty crossing his face.

"However what?"

Lu Huaijin's heart leaped back into his throat as he glared fixedly at the physician.

The moonlight was sparse and hazy; the lake waters rippled faintly.

Su Yao caught sight of the little girl who had called her mother.

The child was curled up on the ground, weeping bitterly.

Su Yao's heart constricted painfully. She hurried forward, squatted down, and asked softly, "Little one, what is wrong?"

The child slowly raised her head, and only then did Su Yao see that she was covered in blood, her face smeared with crimson in a truly wretched state.

"Mother, I must leave."

Overwhelmed by sudden panic, Su Yao's heart hammered violently: "Leave? Where are you going?"

Instead of answering, the child slowly stood up and turned to run.

Su Yao gave chase, catching the child by the arm. "Where are you going? Why are you bleeding? Where are your family?"

The child choked back a sob: "Mother, you do not want me anymore, so I must go."

Consumed by a grief so intense it felt unbearable, Su Yao pulled the child tightly into her embrace, her voice trembling as she spoke: "Talk no such nonsense! I want you!"