Chapter 71: Lou Xiyan Gets Angry (1)

Imperial Study

On the huge long table, there were stacks of memorials piled high. With the celebration approaching, the matters reported by various departments were increasing. He was so anxious to have Su Ling recover the gold because the national treasury was in urgent need of silver. Although Qiongyue could still hold a grand celebration without that gold, it would be best if the stolen treasury silver could be recovered.

After finishing the review of the last memorial in his hand, Yan Hongtian finally looked at Lou Xiyan, who was leisurely tasting tea sitting to the side. He was busy to death, yet he had the leisure and elegance. With a dark face, Yan Hongtian hummed coldly, "How are the preparations for the celebration going?"

Putting down her tea, Lou Xiyan smiled faintly. Ignoring Yan Hongtian's cold face, he replied leisurely, "It is going smoothly. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works have already completed the mobilization and preparation of the supplies needed for the celebration. This year, it will certainly be even grander than it was three years ago. However, when the time comes, envoys from various countries will gather, and merchants and noble families from all over will enter the capital for the pilgrimage. The capital will surely be crowded with a mix of people. I will discuss the deployment of troops with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of War as soon as possible to ensure that no trouble arises."

"Good, you decide these things! Prepare as soon as possible." Lou Xiyan's things must not be enough, not chaotic enough. Seeing him looking orderly and unhurried, Yan Hongtian felt angry for no reason, although he had been like this for so many years!

"Yes." Lou Xiyan agreed, still looking like he could handle anything.

Yan Hongtian frowned slightly. In the past, he wouldn't have been so ready. Could it really be that people are in high spirits when they have happy events? Staring at Lou Xiyan, Yan Hongtian asked seriously, "Are you really going to marry Qing Ling as your legal wife, and are you not planning to take any concubines?"

Lou Xiyan laughed loudly and nodded, "Hmm."

"Is she worth it?" Actually, sometimes it's not a woman's problem, but a problem of balancing interests. How many women are in the harem? He doesn't even remember what they look like, but what they represent behind them is a family, a force. Political marriage is not unimportant for a man's career!

For the sake of a Qing Ling, is Xiyan really willing to make such a big sacrifice?!

Lou Xiyan understood what he meant, but only smiled indifferently and said calmly, "If I think she is worth it, then she is worth it."

For some time now, he had been busy taming that little wild cat Qingfeng, and had missed quite a few good shows without paying attention. Looking at the summer sun and the clusters of flowers outside the window, a cunning look flashed in Yan Hongtian's eyes, and he smiled, "Today in the Imperial Garden, all the talented and beautiful young ladies from famous families in the capital have arrived. Do you want to choose again?"

Lou Xiyan still replied elegantly, "Thank you, Emperor, I don't need to choose again."

Walking down from the dragon throne, Yan Hongtian walked to Lou Xiyan's side and asked again, "Really not going?"

Bowing slightly to salute, Lou Xiyan said directly, "I will see the Emperor off."

Yan Hongtian shook his head with a look of regret, walking out the door while sighing, "Alright, I heard Ling'er is here too. I haven't seen her for a long time, I miss her."

Lou Xiyan's back stiffened. He had been busy coming early and leaving late these past few days, and didn't know what she was doing at all. Was she really here? If it was true... Thinking of the strange look in Yan Hongtian's eyes just now, Lou Xiyan sighed in resignation, followed behind Yan Hongtian, and said, "I will accompany the Emperor to go together."

Looking at Lou Xiyan, who was rarely following him obediently behind his back, Yan Hongtian laughed heartily in a good mood. Maybe letting Qing Ling marry Xiyan wasn't a bad thing. He would have a bargaining chip to tease Xiyan, who acted as if he could handle everything with ease. People really shouldn't be too perfect!

"Ah—"

Lou Xiwu, who was playing in front of the wooden platform, heard the sound of the wooden platform collapsing and screamed subconsciously. When she raised her head, she happened to see Qing Ling falling into the lotus pond.

"Qing Ling!" Running forward a few steps, Lou Xiwu couldn't swim and didn't dare to walk onto the already crooked wooden platform. She could only stare anxiously at the water surface covered with dense lotus leaves, shouting, "Help! Qing Ling fell into the lotus pond!"

The group of women in the garden also heard the sound of the collapse. When they reacted and looked over, they saw Lou Xiwu standing in front of the wooden platform, staring at the lake surface with her neck stretched, shouting anxiously.

Hearing clearly what she was shouting, Qingfeng looked toward the wooden platform in a panic. Where was Qing Ling's shadow?

"Sister!" Her heart suddenly jumped to her throat. Qingfeng lifted her skirt and was about to run toward the lakeside. Suddenly, her arm was tightly grabbed by someone. The palace maids standing beside the Empress Dowager crowded around, pulling her and not letting her move a bit, saying nervously and concernedly, "Concubine Qing, you are a body of ten thousand gold, be careful, you can't go!"

"Let go!" Qingfeng struggled desperately, ignoring the pain of the tearing on her arm. Panic and worry made her, who was always cold and arrogant, tear up. She had long lost the demeanor of a lady, struggling and shouting like a madman, "Get out of my way! My sister can't swim, you guys let go! Let go!"

A cold smile that was almost imperceptible flashed in Yang Zhilan's eyes. It was best if she couldn't swim, and even if she could, it would be useless! Pointing at the eunuchs beside her, Yang Zhilan shouted, "What are you stunned for, go save her!"

"Yes." Four eunuchs ran to the lakeside and immediately jumped into the pond.

Lou Suxin frowned with annoyance. Why did the perfectly fine wooden platform collapse?! Seeing that someone had already gone down to save her, she didn't say anything, just sat coldly in the main seat, looking at the flower pond in front.

Actually, Zhuo Qing was not as panicked and dangerous as they imagined after falling into the water, because she could swim, and when she was in school, she was a member of the school swimming team. So, except for the panic when the wooden platform collapsed, she was fine.

The place where the wooden platform collapsed most severely was the place under her feet. After she fell, she was washed by the water flow to the underside of the wooden platform that had not collapsed. The heavy skirt on her body became even heavier after being soaked, and the wooden board above her head kept pressing on her. Surrounded by messy lotus leaves, it was difficult for Zhuo Qing to move her arms.

She could hear Lou Xiwu shouting for someone to save her, and she really wanted to respond that she was actually fine, but the situation around her was too bad. If she opened her mouth, water would pour into it. Zhuo Qing could only find a way to get out first.

Using her feet to tread water to maintain balance, Zhuo Qing quickly untied her belt and took off the outermost skirt. Suddenly, she felt much lighter. Moving forward while feeling her way, she suddenly kicked something with her foot, which stung her fiercely, making her grimace in pain. Pushing aside the lotus leaves and squinting to look, she could vaguely see that it was a pile supporting the wooden platform at the bottom of the water.

Zhuo Qing pondered for a while, took a deep breath, and dived down. The visibility under the water was very poor. She could only barely see that the wooden pile was about the thickness of a bowl, and the rest could only be felt. One side of the broken end of the wooden pile was relatively flat, and the other side was the normal wood thorns produced by the wood breaking.

Holding her breath for too long, Zhuo Qing surfaced and breathed heavily. After her breath stabilized, her expression was no longer as relaxed as before. It was not strange that such wooden piles would collapse after being soaked in water for many years, but she had just felt the broken end, and in terms of touch, it was definitely not the kind of rotten and soft wood quality. How could it collapse just like that? Or was this incident not an accident, but an artificial arrangement?!

Zhuo Qing wanted to continue checking the other wooden piles, but heard the sound of several people falling into the water not far away. Pushing aside the lotus leaves and looking out, it was a few people dressed as eunuchs who had gone down into the water.

Zhuo Qing thought for a while and decided to give up for the time being. Her skirt and hair were often entangled with her feet, and this outfit was really not suitable for diving. She should go ashore first, otherwise Lou Xiwu and Qingfeng would be worried about her.

Pushing aside the lotus leaves, Zhuo Qing swam slowly toward the outside. After much difficulty, she got out from under the wooden platform, and several eunuchs also saw her.

Two of them immediately swam toward her. Seeing that they swam quite fast, the water skills of these people should not be bad. Zhuo Qing just wanted to say that she could swim and could go up by herself. The two had already swum to her side, one holding her arm on each side, but they were not trying to save her ashore, but—pressing her head and pushing her into the water.

The sudden change caught Zhuo Qing off guard. Her hair was pulled tightly, and the cool lake water washed over her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, and she choked on a mouthful of water. Zhuo Qing's brain was also exceptionally clear at this moment. Everything today was a conspiracy. Making her perform was a conspiracy, the wooden platform collapsing was a conspiracy, and these people who were nominally here to save her were just killers sent by the mastermind. And who the mastermind was, it went without saying.

Damn it!

She didn't want to die here!

Zhuo Qing tried hard to kick upwards, but the water skills of these two were excellent, and their strength was great. The hands pressing on her shoulders and head were like two iron pincers, not giving her a chance to surface at all.

No! If this continued, she would definitely drown. Zhuo Qing gritted her teeth, simply stopped kicking, raised her feet, kicked fiercely at the stomachs of both of them, regardless of which part she kicked, and raised her hands above her head, grabbing fiercely at what she thought was their head.

The two people holding Zhuo Qing didn't expect her to resist. Several times they were poked in the eyes and nose by her fingernails, and their waists were also kicked painfully. The two had to free up a hand to grab Zhuo Qing's waving hands, and because of this, the force pressing on Zhuo Qing was reduced. Zhuo Qing stepped on their waists, pushed up hard, and finally broke through the water surface, gasping for breath.

She hadn't recovered yet when the two entangled her again. Zhuo Qing wanted to call for help, but the two hands reached for her arms again. Forced, Zhuo Qing had to dive into the water immediately. At this time, she could vaguely hear Lou Xiwu's anxious voice coming from the shore not far away, "Did you find anyone?!"

The dense lotus leaves were a natural barrier. Separated by the broken wooden platform, the people on the shore couldn't see what was happening in the water at all. The lotus leaves made it difficult for Zhuo Qing to move underwater. In order to avoid being captured by the two again, she could only dive under the water. And just not far from her, the eunuch responsible for covering up shouted loudly to the shore, "There are too many lotus leaves underwater, we can't find anyone at all!"

The two eunuchs pursued her relentlessly. They obviously saw that Zhuo Qing could swim, so they were more cautious and ruthless.

Being pressed down again, Zhuo Qing struggled with all her might. Several times she opened her mouth to call for help, but was pressed into the water. Her physical strength was already exhausted. If no one found her, she would only die unjustly in this lotus pond today!

The suffocation of drowning and choking on water made her heart and lungs feel like they were going to explode. Gradually, she felt her body becoming more and more tired, more and more powerless...

Yan Hongtian was in a good mood, and Lou Xiyan had also returned to his usual calm and leisurely manner. The two walked toward the Imperial Garden. Looking from afar, the Imperial Garden, which should have been filled with singing and dancing, ink and fragrance, and infinite elegance, was now in a mess. Seeing a group of people all surrounding the lotus pond, not knowing what they were doing, Yan Hongtian said to Gao Jin beside him, "Go and see, why is it so chaotic over there?"

"Yes." Gao Jin took the order and ran toward the lotus pond.

Yan Hongtian and Lou Xiyan looked at each other. Although neither spoke, the speed of their feet was obviously much faster.

Entering the Imperial Garden, Gao Jin, who had gone to investigate, also returned. Yan Hongtian asked, "What's the matter?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 72 =====