Xiao Xun could hear the commotion outside. This was the Chu Garden, where the pavilions were designed for viewing scenery and listening to rain, with doors and windows full of gaps.
Instead of sending him to the main residence, Chu Zhao had kept him in the Chu Garden under the pretext of getting immediate medical treatment for him as quickly as possible.
"How could this happen?" Tie Ying frowned and muttered under his breath. "Is Old Master Chu really that foolish?"
How could he fail at such a simple task?
They had clearly said it was the young lady who fell into the water, so how did it become a maid?
Xiao Xun smiled. "It has nothing to do with Old Master Chu. Both he and I were set up."
Otherwise, why would that maid be wearing the same dress as Chu Zhao?
He was a very cautious person. Before rescuing anyone, he had confirmed—confirmed that Chu Zhao was walking over, confirmed what Chu Zhao was wearing—
Clearly, the other party had also made sure he saw clearly enough to take the bait.
"Who?" Tie Ying frowned. "Could it be the Crown Prince?"
To pull this off, they had to use the Third Prince's name. Was the Crown Prince displeased? This was a serious matter—
Xiao Xun chuckled as he rose from the bathtub. "Don't overthink it. This matter is simple. It's not some grand scheme by important figures—just a little girl—"
A little girl? Tie Ying frowned, taking a cloth to dry Xiao Xun before helping him into a robe.
This robe was also newly delivered, but—
Tie Ying stared at the robe. Why did it look exactly like the one the Heir Apparent had been wearing earlier?
Not exactly identical—the fabric was of slightly lower quality—but the style, color, and pattern appeared indistinguishable at first glance.
Even the size was a perfect fit.
The delivered clothes couldn't belong to servants. Tie Ying had seen all the Chu family's masters and young masters, and their builds were completely different from the Heir Apparent's—the Heir Apparent was taller and broader than them.
Could this have been newly made on the spot?
"Indeed," Xiao Xun said, looking down at himself. "Specially made for me."
And then deliberately delivered to him, making sure he saw it clearly.
That little girl is formidable.
"This time, I was careless," he said to Tie Ying. "It turns out she knew what I was planning from the moment I arrived and had everything prepared."
Tie Ying grew even more confused and was about to ask when footsteps sounded outside the door, accompanied by a woman's inquiry.
"Heir Apparent, are you all right?"
It was Chu Zhao's voice.
Xiao Xun had declined the physician's offer to come in for treatment, requesting only hot water to wash and change.
"I've sent for a renowned doctor again," Chu Zhao called out loudly from outside. "Please rest assured, Heir Apparent."
So loud—this wasn't to reassure him, nor was it meant for his ears. It was for the people outside. Xiao Xun smiled. "Miss Chu, there's no need to worry. Whether I need a physician after diving into the water to save someone—you should know very well, since you witnessed it with your own eyes."
He also raised his voice, as if wanting everyone else to hear.
The woman's voice outside fell silent.
Then, light, hurried footsteps retreated.
A moment later, her voice came from afar, soft and low: "The Heir Apparent is fine, everyone can rest assured." "The Heir Apparent says he's an excellent swimmer."
Hearing Chu Zhao's words, the young girls sighed in relief, their expressions growing even more excited and curious.
"I never expected the Heir Apparent to come." "I knew he had entered the capital, but the Heir Apparent never shows himself—no one has seen him yet." "He actually came to the Chu Garden." "Has he been watching for a long time? Then he must have seen me, right?" "The Heir Apparent is so kind. Even if he's a good swimmer, many people wouldn't react so quickly to save someone. He's truly a hero."
The young girls chattered and laughed animatedly.
Hearing this, Chu Zhao smiled and asked, "Qi Leyun, who do you think is better—Young Master Xie the Third or the Heir Apparent?"
Qi Leyun was taken aback, then snorted. "They're both good."Chu Zhao smiled. "Then we should talk more about the Heir Apparent from now on, not just focus on Young Master Xie the Third. Otherwise, we'd be overlooking a true hero."
These two young masters would eventually contend for the empire. Yet compared to Young Master Xie the Third, Xiao Xun only gained widespread attention after ascending the throne. No one had anticipated that aside from the princes, there was actually a Heir Apparent who could claim the throne.
Xiao Xun and his father maintained a low profile far from the capital, never drawing anyone's notice. Presumably, neither the Crown Prince nor the Third Prince took him seriously.
If Xiao Xun were to gain fame now and become a constant topic of conversation, the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, and that future rebel Young Master Xie the Third would inevitably fix their attention on him—
Just as Chu Zhao reached this point in her thoughts, the tightly shut door swung open. The voices of the young ladies and the gazes of everyone gathered nearby instantly flew toward the Heir Apparent as he emerged with measured steps.
Before anyone could speak, Xiao Xun addressed them directly.
"I came to observe the literary gathering and had no intention of disturbing everyone," he said, his eyes sweeping over the crowd. "So, please pretend I was never here."
This—
Such brief words seemed to carry multiple implications.
Who had sent him to observe?
Moreover, by explicitly stating he didn't want to cause a disturbance and asking to be ignored, he...
Though curious, matters involving the imperial family—especially given the current political climate—could easily lead to fatal consequences if handled carelessly.
For a moment, those who wanted to ask questions dared not speak, and those who wished to say anything held their tongues, fearing that a misspoken word might bring disaster. Even the young ladies who had been about to eagerly surround him stopped in their tracks.
Xiao Xun was indeed Xiao Xun. With just one sentence, he commanded the scene. No one dared to ask even half a question, allowing him to depart at his leisure, leaving behind endless speculation.
This speculation would be unfavorable to the Chu family, but Chu Zhao wasn't afraid of that—she feared it might actually benefit them.
She couldn't allow Xiao Xun any pretext to become entangled with the Chu family.
"Heir Apparent," she stepped forward and said, curtsying. "Though we dare not interrupt your affairs, we cannot ignore your life-saving grace."
Without waiting for Xiao Xun to respond, she turned and called, "Linglong."
...
...
At Chu Zhao's call for Linglong, all eyes turned to the maid. Trembling and pale-faced, the maid stood beside Chu Tang—and A Le, who was supporting her—having already washed and changed her clothes.
"The Heir Apparent saved her just in time," A Le had earlier praised loudly. "Sister Linglong is completely unharmed."
She indeed appeared able to stand and walk. She was just a maid, after all; no one paid her much mind.
"How did you end up falling into the water?" a young lady asked curiously.
Linglong grew even more frightened, looking at Chu Tang as tears streamed down her face. "Young Miss—"
What should she do? What should she say?
Chu Tang wore a helpless expression. "How could you be so careless? I told you there was no hurry, to take your time searching."
Though these words revealed nothing specific, everyone seemed to understand: Chu Tang had assigned her maid a task, and the maid, flustered, had stumbled into the water—as for what task Chu Tang had assigned, it was unimportant.
Hearing this, Linglong grew even more panicked and aggrieved. She certainly hadn't fallen due to her own carelessness—A Le had pushed her.
Following her young miss's instructions, she had led A Le away to prevent trouble, but then A Le had stepped on her skirt, tearing it—
"So sorry," A Le had said, stepping on her skirt with a brazen apology.Linglong mentally slapped this country maid a few times, but squeezed out a smile on her face: "It's fine, it's fine." She grabbed A Le, "Perfect timing, come with me to change clothes."
But A Le untied a skirt from her waist—this country maid actually wore two skirts!
"Recently we've come into money, the young mistress had many new clothes made, and gave me one too," she boasted. "I can't wear them all, so I'll lend this one to you."
Lend, not give. Linglong inwardly sneered at this stingy country bumpkin. Of course she knew Chu Zhao had come into money—Miss A-Tang had handled all those funds, and she'd been so generous, giving every last coin to Chu Zhao.
Though Chu Zhao had given half back to the young mistress.
But Linglong's point was, there was no need for that at all. Since the young mistress kept the accounts, she could have given Chu Zhao whatever amount she wanted—after all, it was the young mistress who had worked so hard.
If the young mistress had come into money, she would have made many new skirts and given some to Linglong too. So really, this skirt should have been hers anyway. Without any hesitation, Linglong smiled sweetly and said "How nice," taking the skirt and putting it on, determined never to return it.
Miss Chu Zhao was about to face misfortune, and this maid A Le would naturally share the same fate.
But just as she put on the skirt, before she could even lift her head, A Le grabbed her and kicked her straight into the lake.
She had been terrified then, and even now remained dazed. Earlier her fear was from falling into the water, but now it was because she shouldn't have been the one to fall in—
Young mistress—
But the young mistress had been staying close to Chu Zhao's side, with A Le watching her like a hawk. Now she'd been dragged before this crowd, surrounded by people everywhere, with no chance to explain to her young mistress.
Linglong knelt down weeping: "This lowly maid deserves all the blame."
Chu Zhao smiled: "Linglong, you shouldn't be kneeling to A-Tang."
As soon as she said this, A Le hauled Linglong to her feet.
"You should kneel to the Heir Apparent," Chu Zhao said.
A Le then pressed Linglong to the ground, facing Xiao Xun's direction.
Linglong was completely bewildered by being manhandled like this, though she did understand that kneeling to the Crown Prince of Zhongshan was appropriate. Prostrating herself on the ground, she kowtowed repeatedly through her tears, offering continuous thanks.
Xiao Xun nodded slightly, his gaze bypassing the maid to rest on Chu Zhao: "It was just a small effort—"
"Though it was just a small effort for the Heir Apparent, for us, especially for this maid, it was like being reborn," Chu Zhao said. "We should express our gratitude. Sister A-Tang, prepare gifts of thanks."
Chu Tang responded from behind: "Of course, I'll make the arrangements immediately."
Xiao Xun didn't refuse: "Since it's the young lady's kind intention, I shall accept."
"And a life-saving grace should be repaid abundantly," Chu Zhao added.
Xiao Xun nearly laughed aloud—this girl actually knew about repaying life-saving graces abundantly.
However—
The next moment Xiao Xun thought of something, but didn't get a chance to speak before the girl spoke first.
"Linglong," she called, "You don't need to wait for the next life to repay this debt with grass and bit. Go serve the Heir Apparent now. Since he saved your life, devote the rest of your life to him."
What? Linglong's head snapped up in disbelief.
Xiao Xun shook his head: "That's unnecessary." He looked at the girl with a slight smile, deep dimples appearing. "For your family's servant, her master's thanks are sufficient."
Chu Zhao bowed again: "Please don't decline, Heir Apparent. This is our sincere intention. If you won't accept..." She pursed her lips in a smile, looking at Xiao Xun, "Is it because one maid alone isn't enough to repay the debt?"
This statement was rather—
Murmurs of discussion rose from the surrounding crowd.
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