Hongyu got up from the ground on her own, and Mingwei was also helped up by Tangli and Yuelin. "Miss, are you alright?" The two looked Mingwei up and down, asking anxiously.
Mingwei shook her head; it was just a minor scrape on her palm, nothing serious.
"This servant deserves to die! This servant deserves to die!" Hongyu hurriedly knelt down and begged for mercy. But Mingwei coldly observed her expression, and in her panic, there was even a hint of smugness at having achieved her goal?
Did she see it wrong?
"The road was too slippery, it's not your fault." Mingwei lowered her eyes and said calmly, "Get up."
Hongyu got up nimbly, her movements so agile that it was hard to believe she had accidentally fallen so hard. If she had fallen intentionally, it wouldn't have hurt so much, right? This thought suddenly flooded Mingwei's mind; her intuition told her that Hongyu's behavior was suspicious.
"Miss, your clothes are all dirty!" Hongyu said somewhat anxiously, "But your aunt is waiting to see you, it might not be appropriate to go like this—"
Before she could finish speaking, Tang Li disregarded everything else and snapped, "What are you saying? It was you who insisted that our young lady take this path, which is why she slipped and fell. Now that our young lady is kind enough not to blame you, you're becoming even more demanding!"
Hongyu blushed. She stammered, "I...I was just following the Second Madam's orders...I was only doing it for your own good, Miss!"
"What do you think I should do?" Mingwei was unusually calm at this moment. She stopped Tangli, who was about to argue with Hongyu, and asked calmly, "Your dress is dirty. It's really too impolite to see your aunt like this!"
Hongyu hadn't expected Mingwei to be so understanding. Her stammering voice couldn't hide her excitement: "That's easy! You can have Sister Tangli and Sister Yuelin go back and get you some clean clothes! I'll wait with you at Huimingxuan ahead. It won't delay things here!"
Yue Lin and Tang Li both looked disapproving. Just as they were about to say something, Ming Wei stopped them.
"I think this is a brilliant idea." Mingwei surprisingly nodded approvingly. "We'll do as you say. Tang Li and Yue Lin, you two hurry back and pick out some other clothes to bring to me!"
“Miss—” Yue Lin was the first to disagree. She said in a low voice, “It is really inappropriate for you to change your clothes here!”
Hongyu was afraid that Mingwei would change her mind, so she hurriedly interjected, "Miss just fell, how can she have the strength to walk back now? It would be better if the two elder sisters quickly fetched some clothes for Miss to change into!"
Tangli was furious and was about to argue with Hongyu.
Fearing that she might ruin things, Mingwei quickly turned around and winked at Tangli and Yuelin where Hongyu couldn't see, her lips moving silently a few times, signaling them to leave quickly.
"You two should hurry up and go, don't delay important matters!" Mingwei said, then let Hongyu help her walk forward.
Yue Lin stopped Tang Li, who wanted to chase after them, and pulled her back by her sleeve.
She had already understood the girl's lip reading; those three words meant "old lady."
The girl probably meant to ask the old lady for help!
******
Mingwei sat leisurely in the pavilion by the lotus pond, enjoying the scenery, while Hongyu was so anxious that she was sweating profusely.
The pavilion by the lotus pond is situated in a commanding position, offering a clear view of everything around it. The Huiming Pavilion, recommended by Hongyu, however, is a secluded dwelling where one cannot observe the outside from within.
"Miss, young lady." Hongyu felt her face was almost frozen from smiling, but this seventh young lady was still unmoved. "It's windy here, and you must have fallen. Why don't you go to Huiming Pavilion to rest? When the two older sisters arrive, you can change your clothes quickly."
Mingwei ignored her anxiety and instead said cheerfully, "I already said it's fine. The scenery here is beautiful, it's cool, and the view is very open. I can see Tangli and the others as soon as they arrive, so it's not too late to go then!"
Hongyu was so anxious she almost wanted to spin around.
The Seventh Sister cooperated well from the beginning, but she suddenly stopped cooperating at the most crucial step!
The appointed time was drawing ever closer. If she couldn't bring the Seventh Miss to Huiming Pavilion by then... Hongyu tensed up, fearing that she might be finished!
Mingwei calmly fiddled with her purse.
Just as Mingwei saw Tang Liyue rushing towards them from afar, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up. Hongyu's hope was rekindled, and she hurried down from the viewing pavilion. Suddenly, the two of them simultaneously heard the sound of splashing water and a woman's exclamation coming from the other end of the garden.
The voice seemed somewhat familiar.
Mingwei jumped up.
"Go see what's going on!" Mingwei didn't care whether Hongyu was with her or not, and hurriedly went ahead. Hongyu was so anxious that she stamped her feet, but in this situation, she had no choice but to follow Mingwei to the other side.
When Tang Li and Yue Lin finally caught up with Ming Wei in front of the koi pond, panting heavily, they were stunned by what they saw.
A young stranger, his face flushed, carried the soaking wet Mingrong ashore. Mingrong struggled, a hint of despair in her eyes.
Hongyu, who was standing next to Mingwei, suddenly collapsed to her knees, filled with despair, and knelt on the ground.
The Second Madam was clearly plotting against the Seventh Miss, so how did the Third Miss end up being defiled by Master Renwu?
Just then, the second wife and another middle-aged noblewoman arrived. When they saw that Liu Ren was holding Ming Rong instead of Ming Wei, and that Ming Wei was standing there unharmed despite her clothes being a little dirty, they were all stunned.
"How come it's the Third Madam?" Tang Li muttered in surprise to herself. Her soft voice reached Ming Wei's ears, but she had a different thought in her mind.
So the aunt she was supposed to meet today wasn't the second wife of the Duke's mansion, but the third wife? And who was that unfamiliar young man? She hadn't heard that the third wife of the Duke's mansion had a son...
"What on earth is going on?" The second wife was almost trembling with anger, while the third wife beside her shouted, "Ren-ge'er, put Rong-jie'er down right now!"
Mingrong's eyes were filled with regret and resentment; she was almost overwhelmed with shame and indignation in the arms of the stranger.
The young man, known as Ren Ge'er, quickly put Ming Rong down from his arms. He stammered, "I...I didn't mean to...I only did it because I saw her fall into the water—"
"Shut up!" The second wife's forehead veins bulged, her face darkening. Letting Liu Ren continue would only make things worse; she hated him to the core. He was just a son of a lowly prostitute, utterly utterly unfit for respectability!
Mingrong was sobbing quietly to herself, her heartbroken appearance was truly heartbreaking. The second wife glanced at Mingrong and became even more furious.
If it weren't for her meddling, Mingwei's matter would have been settled long ago!
The second wife's mind was unusually clear at this moment. She had spread the word that she wanted to marry Mingwei to Liu Jun, and she was well aware of Mingrong's feelings for Liu Jun. It was certain that Mingrong had heard about it and wanted to beat Mingwei to it!
Mingrong was soaked to the bone, and because she had deliberately worn thin clothing, her delicate curves as a young girl were clearly visible. There were quite a few people present, even maids from the third and fourth wives' households who had come to pick flowers. Liu Ren and Mingrong's intimate contact had been witnessed by everyone present, and there was no way they could deny it!
The second wife was furious; she couldn't understand why Mingrong was here!