Xue Yunshu stood to the side with a smile that was not quite a smile, watching Xue Yan walk to the edge of the lake and jump in without changing expression. Water splashed up from the surface, then quickly returned to calm.
A twisted sense of pleasure rose in Xue Yunshu’s heart.
He had expected this.
There was only one servant following Xue Yan, and he was a cowardly good-for-nothing.
Today, he was going to force Xue Yan to step forward. The water was so deep, and it was only a small jade pendant. He refused to believe Xue Yan could really retrieve it.
If Xue Yan did not say anything, he could still humiliate him thoroughly. His own servant would drown to death right before his eyes, yet he could do nothing. Who in the palace would not laugh at him? And if Xue Yan dared to attack him because of this, Father Emperor would certainly punish him even more severely. Perhaps he might even beat him to death.
Xue Yunshu thought smugly that this person was nothing special after all, merely a useless piece of trash that he could trample into the dirt at will.
Jinbao was terrified into a stupor. Once he came back to his senses, he burst into tears and crawled to the lakeside, desperately searching the water.
He was only a lowly servant! How could his master go this far for him?
But the floating ice on the surface blurred his vision. Only occasionally could he see faint ripples spreading across the lake, proving that the person in the water was still moving.
What was he supposed to do?!
Jinbao could not wipe away his tears fast enough.
Just then, he faintly heard footsteps approaching from nearby. Hearing that someone was coming, Jinbao hurriedly raised his head and looked through his tear-blurred vision.
A group of palace servants surrounded two distinguished figures.
One of them wore a blue-gray cloak with a dark-red fox-fur cape draped over it. Though he was still some distance away, Jinbao could recognize that outstanding figure, as otherworldly as an immortal, at a glance.
It was that one! The heir from Consort Shu’s palace, the benevolent Bodhisattva-like Young Duke!
Driven by the rare impulse to repay a kindness and save a life, Jinbao moved as nimbly as a loach. Before anyone noticed him, he charged forward with all his strength and dropped to his knees squarely in front of that person.
“Your Highness, Young Duke, you’re finally here!” Jinbao cried until his voice broke. “Please save Fifth Highness! He’s going to drown!”
——
When Jun Huailang had just reached the outside of Wenhua Hall, he was listening to Xue Yunhuan chatter incessantly when a disheveled figure rushed before him, knocking his head against the ground and begging him to save someone.
Jun Huailang steadied himself and realized that this person was Jinbao. His clothes and hair were disheveled, and his forehead was pounding against the ground with loud thuds.
“What happened?” Jun Huailang glanced sideways at Fuyi, signaling him to step forward and help Jinbao up.
Jinbao remained kneeling and cried, “Your Highness, Fifth Highness jumped into the lotus pond to save this servant! Please, Young Duke, hurry and save him…”
Jinbao was crying so hard that he could barely catch his breath, and Jun Huailang could not hear him clearly. He only caught that Xue Yan had fallen into the lotus pond for some reason.
It was early winter, and the lake water had already begun freezing. It was cold enough to freeze one’s bones.
Upon hearing this, Jun Huailang gave the order without stopping to think. He ordered the palace servants from Mingluan Palace behind him to hurry forward and rescue the person from the lotus pond.
Only after giving the order did he belatedly feel somewhat conflicted.
I really am kindhearted, Jun Huailang thought.
Why didn’t I just let him drown? If he really died today, I would truly have no worries for the future.
He was displeased, so he could only reluctantly convince himself. First, the destruction of the Jun family had more than one cause, and Xue Yan was merely the knife that had been used openly. Second, this man’s life was extraordinarily tough. A mere pond could certainly not take the life of this Star of Seven Killings descended into the mortal world.
Thinking this, Jun Huailang hurried forward to see what was happening.
Beside him, Xue Yunhuan hurriedly followed and did not forget to remind him to stand farther away later, lest he come into contact with the baleful aura around Xue Yan.
Just as the palace servants gathered around and were about to jump in, water suddenly splashed violently from the lake, startling the servants who had rushed over to save him.
They saw Xue Yan easily swim to the surface. He showed none of the disheveled appearance one would expect from someone who had nearly drowned. With one hand supporting himself against the ground, he exerted a little force and cleanly leaped onto the bank. He raised a hand and swept the wet hair plastered against his face back over his head.
He was clearly a young man who had not yet come of age, yet he possessed an inexplicably fatal sensuality.
Then he raised his hand and tossed a dripping-wet little object toward Xue Yunshu.
Xue Yunshu instinctively fumbled to catch it. Only after it landed in his hand did he realize that it was his fan pendant.
…He had actually found it so quickly, without making a sound?
Xue Yunshu was still stunned when Xue Yan glanced around. Seeing the palace servants standing around him like wooden chickens, he frowned.
“What is it?”
Then he saw Jun Huailang.
Jun Huailang was stunned as well.
Wasn’t Xue Yan supposed to have fallen into the lotus pond and nearly drowned? How did he look anything like someone who had drowned? He looked more like someone who had effortlessly gone down for a swim.
He looked suspiciously at Jinbao.
Jinbao was crying tears of joy and shouted for his master, about to rush over.
However, when he met Xue Yan’s cold, warning amber eyes, he immediately regained his senses and awkwardly stopped three steps away from Xue Yan.
“What exactly happened?” Jun Huailang asked.
Knowing that Xue Yan was not good at making accusations, Jinbao hurried two steps forward and said to Jun Huailang, “Your Highness, it was the Second Highness’s fan pendant… It accidentally fell into the lake, and he ordered this servant to retrieve it. This servant cannot swim, so Fifth Highness went down in this servant’s place and retrieved the fan pendant.”
Only then did Jun Huailang notice that Jinbao’s face was soaked. Aside from tears, there was also lake water. More than half of his hair was wet, clearly showing that someone had forcibly held him beneath the water and tried to drown him.
Jun Huailang suddenly remembered that during the Mid-Autumn banquet, Xue Yan had also drowned Xue Yunshu in Taiye Lake like this. But Xue Yan had merely been frightening him and released him after only a short while.
Now, it was obvious that Xue Yunshu wanted revenge. Yet he did not dare target Xue Yan directly, so he had instead tried to drown the little eunuch beside Xue Yan here.
And Xue Yan had clearly done this to save him.
Jun Huailang suddenly remembered how his jade arrow had been broken that day, and Xue Yan had also taken the blame for Jinbao.
It seemed that Jinbao had always been the only person by Xue Yan’s side, and Xue Yan cherished him greatly…
Whatever he would become in the future, at least the Xue Yan standing here now was someone who valued loyalty and friendship, someone who would even protect a little eunuch.
Thinking this, Jun Huailang looked toward Xue Yunshu, his eyes carrying a hint of mockery.
“I never expected Second Highness to be so frugal and opposed to extravagance that you don’t even have a servant to go into the lake and retrieve a jade pendant for you.”
As he spoke, he looked at the several guards nearby and said sarcastically, “But the palace is safe, after all. Rather than raising a few thugs, you might as well replace them with a few ordinary servants who can attend to you and help shoulder your burdens.”
His tone was calm and gentle, and his smile was warm, but Xue Yunshu found it extremely grating.
He’s merely the son of a duke who has been reduced to relying on others. He only has the nerve to stay in the palace because he has an aunt with nothing in her belly to offer. And now he even has the audacity to stand up for that cursed star?
Xue Yunshu sneered.
“What are you supposed to be? How dare you point fingers in front of this Imperial Prince?”
Beside them, Xue Yunhuan had been happily watching the show. Upon hearing this, his expression immediately changed.
Xue Yunshu was a fool with nothing but weeds in his head. Xue Yunhuan was happy enough to watch him bully that cursed star and had no intention of interfering.
But now this man was acting like a mad dog, biting Xue Yan and then turning around to bite Jun Huailang.
That was something Xue Yunhuan could not tolerate.
Xue Yunhuan grabbed Jun Huailang and pulled him behind himself, saying coldly, “Then you have the guts to say it again. What are you supposed to be?”
Xue Yunshu’s face turned blue, then white. He wanted to argue back, but could not utter a word.
In the palace, Xue Yunhuan was a tyrant whom no one dared provoke except Father Emperor and the Empress.
Xue Yunshu’s birth mother came from a lowly background. He could bully Xue Yan, who had no mother, but he absolutely did not dare pick a fight with Xue Yunhuan.
Seeing him turn into a frightened quail, Xue Yunhuan looked down on him even more. He sneered and simply took the opportunity to make an issue of Xue Yan’s matter.
“A bunch of servants. Their master jumped into the pond, yet not one of them went to save him. Since your master can’t teach you properly, this Imperial Prince will teach you.”
He swept his gaze across everyone behind Xue Yunshu and ordered, “Someone come. Take every servant Second Imperial Brother brought out today, without exception, to Yongxiang Palace to scrub the latrines. None of them are allowed out until they’ve scrubbed them for a full year.”
The chief eunuch behind him hurriedly brought people forward and dragged away all the guards, eunuchs, and palace maids.
The group was soon gone, leaving only Jun Enze behind.
Among those palace servants were two of Xue Yunshu’s personal maids. One of them had even served him in bed before.
Xue Yunshu’s face was dark, his teeth clenched in fury, yet he did not dare say a word.
Nearby, Xue Yan silently picked up his cloak and watched the others coldly.
He had seen the Second Imperial Prince make trouble, and he had also seen Sixth Imperial Prince effortlessly protect Jun Huailang.
He thought that the people around Jun Huailang should be people like Xue Yunhuan, not someone like himself.
He should leave quietly and stop accepting the other man’s charity.
But his gaze seemed unwilling to obey him. It fell upon Jun Huailang and could not move away.
Just then, he met Jun Huailang’s eyes.
He saw Jun Huailang’s elegant, handsome brows draw together slightly at the center.
Then Jun Huailang walked straight out from behind the Sixth Imperial Prince and stopped before him.
“Why are you still standing here in the wind? It’s so cold. If you catch a chill, won’t you only cause trouble for Aunt?” Jun Huailang said.
Jun Huailang did not want to admit that Xue Yan’s appearance—soaked from head to toe, standing alone off to the side—had somehow stung his eyes.
He could only bring up Consort Shu, deceiving himself first.
After saying this, he turned his head and instructed Fuyi to fetch the imperial physician. He also told a palace maid to return and bring clean clothes for Xue Yan.
Then he raised his hand and grasped Xue Yan’s wrist.
That wrist had distinct joints and was filled with strength, but it was dripping with the cold water of the lake. The skin was so cold that it stung Jun Huailang’s hand.
He pursed his lips, exchanged a few words with Xue Yunhuan, and asked him to request leave from the Grand Tutor on his behalf. Then he pulled Xue Yan along and headed straight toward the side hall beside Wenhua Hall where the imperial princes rested.
He thought that the future Xue Yan was no longer a person, and had nothing to do with this present Xue Yan who would sacrifice himself to protect a servant.
Whatever grudges there were in the future, he would settle them in the future.
As long as Xue Yan dared to stray even a little, he would settle the accounts from his previous life many times over and nip them in the bud.
Xue Yan let him pull him along, still without saying a word.
To him, Jun Huailang’s hand clearly had little strength, yet he could not break free.
Because that dry and delicate palm was simply too warm.