Chapter 380

Gu Xixi and He Jinglan hurried toward the artificial hill.

We must follow the glossary exactly: Gu Xixi, He Jinglan, Mu Nan Zhao, Zhang Wang, Jing Lan (though Jing Lan may not appear in the lines; line 2 is Dou Rongshan, line 3 is the Xiao He residence, line 4 refers to the young ladies of noble families, etc.). We need to translate terms such as artificial hill, lotus pond, arched opening, and young ladies of noble families into natural English.

We must not add extra info. Keep faithful.

We need to output after all 【N】 lines the section:

How did he fall into the water?

Dou Rongshan hesitated for a moment, then followed.

The rockery of the He residence was right next to the lotus pond.

Passing through the arched gate in the middle of the rockery, one saw two young ladies who had come to attend the banquet, along with their personal maidservants, standing panic-stricken at the pond's edge.

He Jinglan walked over and asked, "Where is the Top Scholar?"

Several people hurriedly pointed at the water, yet also glanced elsewhere, all showing tense expressions.

The lotus leaves in the pond had not yet reached full growth; passing through the rockery and reaching the open area by the pond, one could immediately see the splashing waves in the water.

Ziyan hurried over and said, "I've already summoned the guards to rescue them."

He Jinglan nodded, then turned her head and discovered Mu Nan Zhao standing on higher ground by the pond.

The person whom the two young ladies and their maidservants had been looking at just moments ago was him.

She looked at Gu Xixi and found that Gu Xixi was also looking at Mu Nan Zhao.

He Jinglan's heart tightened.

Could it be that romantic rivals meeting caused red-eyed jealousy, and in the scuffle the Regent Prince pushed the Top Scholar?

Looking again at Mu Nan Zhao, he said nothing, gazing this way, his eyes dark as ink.

While He Jinglan was anxious, she turned her head to look for the guards, wondering why they hadn't arrived yet.

Dou Rongshan, who arrived shortly after, saw the situation in the pond and exclaimed, "It really is the Top Scholar!"

"He seems to know nothing about swimming; perhaps he's already choked on water!"

As her words fell, only a "plop" sound was heard.

The lotus leaves in the pond swayed, and the water rippled violently.

Mu Nan Zhao's pupils contracted sharply; he stared at the lotus pond, the hand hanging in his sleeve clenching tightly.

Dou Rongshan stared wide-eyed, forgetting her childhood grudge against He Jinglan, and anxiously grabbed her and shook her.

"How did Gu Xixi also jump in!"

"It's over, it's over; my father said most people from Xi Bei don't know how to swim—you say she can't swim, jumping in like this isn't just adding trouble!"

Seeing Gu Xixi go into the water, He Jinglan, already anxious, became even more flustered from Dou Rongshan's shouting.

She snapped irritably, "Shut up! All I hear is you yelling here!"

She kept one eye nervously on the two people in the water while urging the maidservants:

"Why aren't they here yet? The rescue is moving at a snail's pace!"

"You few, hurry up and get the rope!"

"You! Please summon our usual physician!"

"Green Wax, quickly fetch my thick cloak!"

"Lian Xing, tell my brother quietly, trying not to alarm the other guests."

Having arranged everything swiftly, He Jinglan looked anxiously at Gu Xixi.

To her surprise, she saw Gu Xixi swimming with a light, graceful posture, fast and skilled, already reaching Jiang Mingyuan.

Dou Rongshan again served as the mouthpiece, "She actually knows how to swim?"

She patted her chest to calm herself, "Oh dear, thank goodness—this woman jumped without a word, just trying to scare us to death!"

He Jinglan flicked Dou Rongshan away in disgust, "Don't act like we're close; don't just throw yourself at us."

For the moment reassured, He Jinglan glanced sideways at Mu Nan Zhao.

Just now, busy as she was, she hadn't noticed when this person had come to stand at the water's edge.

Given his posture, if Gu Xixi were not good at swimming, or if something sudden happened,

even with so many watching, that fastidious prince would surely jump in right away…

The rockery was closest to the ladies' flower‑viewing spot, and gradually more and more women gathered there.

The guards of the He residence had also arrived.

They had actually been quite swift.

But by then, Gu Xixi had already pulled Jiang Mingyuan and was swimming back.

He Jinglan raised her hand, ordering the guards to ready the rope and stand by.

The ladies glanced at the Top Scholar in the water, then furtively sized up the Regent Prince standing on the shore.

One was warm and smooth like jade; after nearly drowning, his handsome face turned pale, making him look all the more pitiable.

The other stood tall against the wind, his expression cold and aloof, keeping people at a distance, yet somehow irresistible.

Comparing the two sides, one truly doesn't know how to choose.

Gu Xixi swam gradually closer to the shore.

He Jinglan hurriedly called out, quickly lowered the rope, then crouched down and shouted to Gu Xixi:

"Xixi, grab the rope; we'll pull you up! Take it easy!"

Gu Xixi caught the thrown rope end, first looping it around Jiang Mingyuan.

She herself then gripped the rope with both hands to gain leverage, "All right."

The guards exerted force, gradually pulling the two ashore.

Ziyan and Guangzhu had already been standing by, ready.

As Gu Xixi just emerged from the water, the two stepped forward promptly, shielding her from onlookers' gazes while quickly wrapping the cloak around her.

With many guests present, a woman soaked through is already somewhat improper, let alone in light spring garments.

Gu Xixi gave them a grateful smile and whispered, "Thank you."

The ladies followed He Jinglan over, all gathering around and anxiously asking how Gu Xixi was.

Of course, there is sincerity among them, and also pretense.

He Jinglan confirmed that Gu Xixi was unharmed, then turned to ask how Jiang Mingyuan was doing.

The guards had already laid him flat on the ground, examined him, and said, "The Top Scholar is fine; he's awake and has coughed up the water he choked on."

He Jinglan waved her hand, "Take Lord Jiang to the guest room to change and rest, prepare hot water for bathing, and also bring the doctor over."

Since an honored guest met with an accident at the banquet, the Xiao He household also bears responsibility.

He Jinglan must arrange everything that follows properly.

The guards were about to lift Jiang Mingyuan, but he propped up his neck, his voice hoarse, and asked, "Xixi... how is she?"

He Jinglan smiled and said, "She's fine; I'll look after her, Lord Jiang, please rest assured."

Jiang Mingyuan said, "Thank you for the trouble."

As he was leaving, he looked toward Gu Xixi, who was surrounded by the crowd, paused, and moved his gaze upward.

The Regent Prince stood just outside the crowd, his brow deeply furrowed, his gaze lowered and fixed.

It seemed as if everything around them did not exist; in his eyes there was only one person.

Jiang Mingyuan closed his eyes deeply.

As it turned out, there was still another him.

As it turned out… he was that person.

Gu Xixi was merely a little tired; after sitting on the ground to rest a while, she returned to normal.

She rose to her feet, was escorted by the crowd past Mu Nan Zhao nearby, but did not glance at him.

As she was leaving, He Jinglan also glanced at Mu Nan Zhao.

The cause of Jiang Mingyuan's fall into the water still needs to be investigated later.

He Jinglan apologized to the female guests for frightening them today.

She smiled and said, "Fortunately it was a scare without harm; everything's fine now, please enjoy the flower viewing as you like, and don't spoil the elegant mood."

After leaving the artificial hill, He Jinglan said she would accompany Gu Xixi back to change clothes, then rejoin everyone for the flower-card game.

Zi Yan truly deserves her title as the head maid; she smiled and invited the female guests to move on.

"The kitchen has just prepared chrysanthemum-bud mint honey tea, which clears the mind and steadies the spirit; please all retire to the waterside pavilion for a brief rest."

The ladies went ahead to the waterside pavilion.

Gu Xixi and her companions had barely walked a short distance when they ran into An Qinghe rushing over in a panic.

An Qinghe saw Gu Xixi, first startled, then anxiously asked, "Did you fall into the water?"

"Did you choke on water? How do you feel now? Is anything still uncomfortable?"

He Jinglan and the maids all laughed.

Gu Xixi also laughed and said, "You're firing off all these questions at once; you also have to give me a chance to answer."

She looked at An Qinghe and said, "I'm fine, and I wasn't the one who fell into the water."

An Qinghe then looked at He Jinglan and the others; seeing everyone nod, he finally relaxed.

As they walked, upon hearing the details, he exclaimed in astonishment.

"How could Brother Jiang have fallen into the water?"