Chapter 65: Chapter 44: The Emperor’s Grand Gift
Song Yunzhao looked up at Qin Xiyue and her group. She blinked and, with a look of bewilderment, said, "Miss Qin, your words are too grave for me to bear. I was only thinking about how urgent it was to save them—it was a matter of life and death, after all. I don’t even know if the Housekeepers will punish me for ringing the bell."
Hearing Song Yunzhao’s worried sigh, Qin Xiyue said, "Miss Song, you needn’t worry. We will all speak on your behalf."
Song Yunzhao looked up at Qin Xiyue. She felt that something about those words was off, but for a moment, she couldn’t figure out what it was.
Just as she was pondering this, He Lan Yun’s voice cut in. "Qin Xiyue, could you be any more fake? Song Yunzhao comes from a humble background and might not be familiar with the palace, but families like ours get to come here for audiences every year. How could you not know that the bell is meant for emergencies? It’s been rung, so what? What is there to be afraid of?"
’He Lan Yun’s words made it all click. That was it. I knew ringing the bell was fine, but someone of my status wasn’t supposed to know that. Qin Xiyue, however, with her prestigious family and high standing, knows far more about the rules than I do. She should have known. But her phrasing just now, offering to help me, was a clear attempt to make me indebted to her.’
Song Yunzhao was stunned. ’I never thought you’d be *that* kind of heroine.’
Perhaps because Song Yunzhao’s surprised expression was so genuine, Qin Xiyue paused for a moment before speaking. "Princess Ming’an, why must you say such things to stir up trouble? The bell is indeed for emergencies, but that doesn’t mean just anyone can ring it."
He Lan Yun pushed through the crowd and strode in, facing Qin Xiyue with a look filled with derision. "So according to you, those two should have just drowned in the pond? Since the bell both can and can’t be rung."
"Why must you twist my words?" Qin Xiyue sighed. "I was only thinking that fetching the Housekeepers would have been the best solution. That way, Miss Song could have saved them without taking any risks."
"Yes, you’re so right. By the time you fetched someone, those two would have been cold and dead in the pond." He Lan Yun rolled her eyes, then turned to Song Yunzhao and twisted the knife. "Look at you, so useless. You usually seem so bold and clever, yet you actually let yourself be fooled by Qin Xiyue."
’Huh?’
Song Yunzhao was stunned. ’Did the brainless one just call *me* brainless?’
"Princess Ming’an, Xiyue was only worried that Miss Song would be punished. You shouldn’t maliciously speculate about her intentions," Lu Zhixue said, her brows tightly furrowed.
"Lu Zhixue, you’ve been Qin Xiyue’s lackey for over a decade. You’d think her farts smell sweet. Why should anyone believe a word you say?"
"Such vulgar language... You’re simply unreasonable."
"That’s right, I am unreasonable. Still better than someone who’s a fake."
Hiding behind He Lan Yun, Song Yunzhao watched the showdown between the heroine and her rival. ’What a spectacle. It would be even better if I wasn’t the one who caused it.’
Song Yexi gripped Song Yunzhao’s sleeve tightly and said to the crowd, "Ladies, the Housekeepers will naturally decide how to handle this matter. We should go check on the two young ladies who fell into the water first."
Song Yunzhao glanced at Song Yexi, but her cousin didn’t meet her gaze, instead just pulling her away.
Song Yunzhao followed. ’My eldest aunt told Song Yexi to look after me. I didn’t expect her to be so sincere about it.’
’It’s quite surprising. I didn’t realize my aunt and cousin’s sincerity ran this deep.’
’After something like this happened, Song Qinghan was nowhere to be seen, yet Song Yexi was here, taking a risk to protect me.’
’The truth is, I don’t need protecting. I only acted because I knew what I was doing. But Song Yexi doesn’t know that, of course.’
The Housekeepers arrived quickly, and they all wore grim expressions.
"For something like this to happen on the very first day of the selection... in all the years of the selections, this is a first. It’s the first time we old women have seen such a thing. We’ve certainly learned something new today."
These words made everyone’s faces burn with shame. This was clearly a scolding for being so troublesome.
Song Yunzhao hadn’t harmed anyone and had even saved people, so she didn’t feel guilty at all. But being spoken to so passive-aggressively was still tiresome.
"Since it has come to this, we must teach you ladies the rules of the selection."
’What?’
And then, they were punished.
That’s right. A group punishment: they all had to stand.
The afternoon sun was scorching, and Song Yunzhao could hear He Lan Yun gritting her teeth beside her.
’Even I’m speechless. I’m the one who saved them, and I still have to be punished?’
Song Yexi, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. This punishment meant the matter was settled, and the Housekeepers probably wouldn’t hold ringing the bell against Yunzhao.
Her eyes darted around, and she spotted Song Qinghan and Zhao Xiaoyu at the back of the crowd. She wondered when the two of them had returned, and what they had been doing earlier.
There was no way Song Yunzhao was going to just stand there and take the punishment. She mentally calculated the time, and when she felt enough had passed, she rolled her eyes back and collapsed to the ground.
"Miss Song fainted!"
"Housekeeper, someone fainted!"
The crowd instantly descended into chaos. Song Yunzhao kept her eyes closed and didn’t say a word, sensing many people gathering around her, their voices a cacophony of chatter and buzzing...
"Housekeeper, Miss Song is on the younger side. Her body can’t take it. We should send her back to rest first," came Qin Xiyue’s voice.
"What do you mean, ’younger side’? Qin Xiyue, can’t you speak properly? Song Yunzhao clearly collapsed from exhaustion because she tired herself out running to save those people and then got dragged into this punishment with the rest of you!" retorted He Lan Yun.
"Housekeeper, my sister is normally healthy. It’s just that she had a minor illness at home right before the selection, and with so much happening today, she’s a bit weak. Please, Housekeeper, have someone take a look at her." That was Song Yexi’s voice.
"All of you, stop arguing! Continue standing properly."
Song Yunzhao soon felt herself being lifted, placed on a flat board, and then carried away.
She could still hear He Lan Yun and Qin Xiyue’s group bickering. ’Oh?’ She thought she heard Song Qinghan’s voice as well, but the sounds quickly faded as her bearers carried her away.
"Fainted from the sun?" Feng Yi looked up at Zhang Maoquan, his writing brush pausing for a moment before continuing.
"Yes. Two concubines fell into the water today. It was Miss Song who rang the bell to summon help. She collapsed after rushing around and then being punished by standing in the sun," Zhang Maoquan carefully relayed everything he had found out.
’He figured His Majesty had some sort of connection to this young lady and would likely want to hear the details.’
’But this girl’s constitution seems a bit weak. If she faints just from standing in the sun, she’s in for a lot of hardship once she officially enters the palace.’
Feng Yi’s eyes remained fixed on the paper. ’With Song Yunzhao’s cunning personality, she definitely faked it to get out of the punishment.’
’Others wouldn’t dare pull a stunt like that, but she certainly would.’
"Send Tian Shuyang over to have a look."
Zhang Maoquan froze. ’The Imperial Hospital Envoy?’
’That would cause a huge stir! Isn’t that just like holding Miss Song over a fire to be roasted?’
’What on earth does His Majesty intend?’
