“The ones who fell in are Miss Gan and Miss Fu from Deqing Marquis’s household.”
Hearing this, Duan Mingxi immediately realized that Gan Li and Fu Hongxiao were the ones in the water.
Gan Li falling in could have been part of the Crown Prince’s plan, but how did Fu Hongxiao get involved?
The crowd onshore buzzed with discussion, but no one made a move to save them.
Clearly, all the ladies present were determined to compete for selection and saw this as an opportunity to remove potential rivals.
But Duan Mingxi knew that if no one acted, the Crown Prince would. His true target was Gan Li.
Chu Qingying sighed in relief when she realized it wasn’t He Wanyi who had fallen into the water. But upon learning it was Gan Li, her expression turned complicated.
Yao Yunyi’s face also flickered between light and shadow. Gan Li—eldest legitimate daughter of the Zhenbei Wang family—was unlike families like theirs, which relied on alliances to maintain their status.
Zhenbei Wang’s household was a military power—a family of true influence.
As the two hesitated, Duan Mingxi suddenly leapt into the water, leaving them stunned.
Oh no, how did we forget there’s a kind-hearted heroine in our midst?
“Do you think Mingxi knows how to swim?” Yao Yunyi asked, slightly panicked.
“She grew up by the river in Jiangcheng. She must know how,” Chu Qingying answered firmly, though she felt uncertain.
Just then, someone onshore shouted, “The Crown Prince has jumped in to save her!”
A wave of astonishment rippled through the crowd as everyone turned to watch. Sure enough, they saw a figure diving into the water toward Gan Li.
Duan Mingxi, already in the water, heard the shout but ignored it. All she could think about was reaching Gan Li before the Crown Prince.
First, she couldn’t allow the Crown Prince to gain Zhenbei Wang’s support.
Second, in her past life, Gan Li had married him but lived an unhappy life.
Thus, saving Gan Li could not only help her escape that fate but also fulfill Duan Mingxi’s own goal. A win-win.
Having grown up near the river, Duan Mingxi’s swimming skills far outpaced the Crown Prince’s. She dove deep, holding her breath, while onshore Chu Qingying and Yao Yunyi panicked.
She’s not surfacing! Where is she?
Did something happen?
Her anxiety peaked when she noticed her brother-in-law and other Wangyes approaching. She quickly ran to them, lifting her skirts, “Brother-in-law, please send the guards in to save her!”
Yu Wang smiled at his anxious sister-in-law. “Why the rush? People are already in the water.”
Chu Qingying turned to look and saw that guards had indeed jumped in. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. “Duan Mingxi went in to save them too, but I haven’t seen her since. I’m worried. Thank you, Brother-in-law. I’ll go check.”
Without waiting for a reply, Chu Qingying ran off, leaving Yu Wang shaking his head. She’s so unlike Wangfei.
Standing nearby, Duan Wang caught wind of Chu Qingying’s words and turned his gaze to the lake.
On the water, aside from a group of splashing guards, there was the figure of the Crown Prince swimming toward Miss Gan in the distance. Not far from Miss Gan, someone else was floundering—it seemed to be someone from the Deqing Marquis’ household.
Duan Wang’s eyes scanned the surface repeatedly but couldn’t spot Duan Mingxi.
Immediately, he quickened his pace to the shore. Jin Wang, seeing Duan Wang stride past him and dive directly into the water, was startled. “What’s gotten into Old Four?”
Yu Wang, arriving a step later, exclaimed in shock, “Is he rescuing someone?”
The two brothers exchanged puzzled glances. Since when did Old Four become so close to the Crown Prince?
The Crown Prince could swim, and he had guards assisting him—why was Fourth Brother getting involved?
Could it be he was trying to curry favor with the Crown Prince and demonstrate his loyalty?
Both had the same thought, and their expressions turned somewhat sour.
Their eyes locked, sparks flying, and without hesitation, they both jumped into the water as well.
When the Empress and the consorts received the news, they hurried over. All they knew was that the Crown Prince had gone into the water to rescue someone, followed by several Wangyes diving in after him.
The Empress and the consorts were dumbfounded. What on earth was happening?
Meanwhile, Duan Mingxi, in the water, was oblivious to the situation onshore and unaware that several Wangyes had also entered the water.
She surfaced and took a deep breath, using the moment to assess the distance between the Crown Prince and Gan Li. Her position was farther from Gan Li compared to where the Crown Prince had entered the water.
The Crown Prince had undoubtedly planned this, ensuring the conditions for rescuing someone would favor him.
Holding her breath again, she dived underwater, speeding up her strokes. Before long, she spotted Fu Hongxiao struggling in the water. As she passed by, she reached out to support her, helping her surface to catch a breath.
Fu Hongxiao couldn’t drown yet—she still had her uses.
Not far from Fu Hongxiao was Gan Li. While Gan Li couldn’t swim, her decent physical condition allowed her to stay afloat, thrashing just enough not to sink.
From beneath the water, Duan Mingxi caught sight of the Crown Prince swimming towards them. She swiftly grabbed Fu Hongxiao’s arm, pulling her closer, and then kicked her forcefully in the direction of the Crown Prince. Simultaneously, she grasped Gan Li’s leg with lightning speed and yanked her in the opposite direction.
In an instant, positions shifted: Fu Hongxiao was sent toward Gan Li’s previous location, while Gan Li ended up by her side. Without hesitation, Duan Mingxi dragged Gan Li backward.
Gan Li, suddenly grabbed, instinctively panicked and thrashed harder. Her considerable strength pulled Duan Mingxi under the water, and the two of them momentarily disappeared beneath the surface.
Duan Mingxi could barely restrain herself from cursing.
Gan Li, terrified, suddenly felt someone supporting her back, lifting her above the water. She gasped for air and turned her head to see a young woman, unfamiliar to her, who was dragging her through the water like a sack of grain.
After her initial shock, her fear of the water returned, and she began struggling again.
“Stop moving! Relax! I’ll get you to shore, but if you thrash around, we’ll both die in this lake!” Duan Mingxi’s sharp voice cut through the chaos.
Gan Li immediately froze. However, as soon as she stopped moving, she felt herself starting to sink, prompting her to instinctively attempt to flail again.
Before her arms could swing, a hand firmly supported her waist, preventing her from sinking further.
Gan Li: …
Duan Mingxi, holding Gan Li with one hand and paddling with the other, swam steadily toward the shore. Fortunately, her physical strength was formidable, so dragging someone along wasn’t too much trouble.
Even more fortunate was that Gan Li, though visibly terrified with her face scrunched up in fear, remained obedient and still.
Seeing her expression, Duan Mingxi couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Miss Gan, don’t worry. As long as you stay calm, we’ll both be fine.”
Gan Li didn’t dare to speak. She only nodded slightly, worried that opening her mouth would result in swallowing water, and fearful that even a vigorous nod might cause them to sink.
She had never been this humiliated in her life.
“Miss Duan, take this!”
A thick bamboo pole suddenly extended toward her. Turning her head, Duan Mingxi met the stony face of Duan Wang.
She was quite surprised.
“Duan Wangye?”
“Grab on!”
Duan Mingxi considered declining but, upon seeing his stern expression, decided to take hold of the pole.
The scene then became almost comical: Duan Wang dragged the bamboo pole, which in turn dragged Duan Mingxi, who was towing Gan Li—resembling salted fish hung out to dry by riverside fishermen.
She could have managed on her own, but Duan Wang’s expression brooked no refusal, so she wisely kept quiet.
