The women with her were all part of her loyal dowry retinue. At her command, they immediately rushed forward to block the way.
"How dare you!" Xia Zhi and Dongzhi shouted when they saw this. "Do you dare offend the Princess Consort?"
Blocked from the front and back, Cui Lingyao had no choice but to stop. She turned to Li Wanrong. "Do you have any idea what you're doing? Blocking my path like this is an act of insubordination."
"Whether it's insubordination or not isn't for you to decide, Sister,"
Li Wanrong said with a smirk, "I don't know what tricks you pulled last night to captivate Jin Bai, but I'm confident he's on my side."
Yesterday's grand wedding had given her an unparalleled sense of confidence.
"In front of all those guests, Jin Bai allowed me to humiliate you. How is this insubordination?"
As she spoke, Li Wanrong's gaze swept across the corner of the covered walkway and suddenly paused. It was unclear what she saw, but she took a step forward and lowered her voice. "If you still don't believe me, Sister, why don't we put it to the test and see who our husband chooses?"
As someone who had read countless novels from every era and genre, Cui Lingyao's eyes widened in an instant. She immediately guessed what was happening: Xie Jinbai had arrived and was somewhere nearby.
'The man usually leaves early and comes home late. It's only mid-afternoon, but he's actually back already.'
'If Xie Jinbai is back and starts following me, will I even have a chance to die today?'
'If I miss my chance today, will I ever be able to go back?'
As her mind raced, only one thought consumed Cui Lingyao.
'My plan to die cannot go wrong.'
Therefore, when Li Wanrong reached out to grab her, Cui Lingyao didn't even struggle. On the contrary, she was utterly cooperative, letting herself be dragged straight toward the nearby Lotus Pond.
'Since I can't go back and slit my own throat, I'll just have to bet that this ice isn't thick enough to support the weight of both me and Li Wanrong.'
Snowflakes danced in the air. The bluestone pavers, which had just been swept clean, were already covered in a thin layer of white. The ground was already slippery, and the sudden, heavy fall was only helped along by the slick surface.
With a faint CRACK, the weight of two people shattered the thin ice.
Cui Lingyao had won her bet.
The lake water surged in, and a bone-chilling coldness instantly submerged her.
Her vision blurred beneath the water, but Cui Lingyao vaguely saw the figure of a man diving in after them.
Xie Jinbai didn't even have time to unfasten his dark cloak. The moment she fell in, he leaped into the lake, grabbed her by the shoulder, and hauled her out of the water.
He completely ignored Li Wanrong, who was struggling and screaming for help right next to them, and without a moment's hesitation, he carried the woman in his arms quickly to the shore.
He swiftly unfastened her soaked fox-fur cape, removed her outer robe, then unfastened his own cloak and wrapped it around her, holding her tightly. Pressing his broad palm against her back, he frantically poured his Inner Strength into her body.
"Yaoyao! Yaoyao, wake up!"
The woman in his arms had her eyes shut tight, her face and lips deathly pale, and her breath...
"Household doctors!" Xie Jinbai roared. "Get all the household doctors here now!"
"Yes, sir!"
The shore erupted into chaos.
A guard rushed off to summon the household doctors while maids and servants shrieked in panic.
Li Wanrong was still struggling in the lake, her own cloak now waterlogged and dragging her down.
Her wet nurse mustered the courage to beg Xie Jinbai for help.
But she was frightened into silence by his red-rimmed eyes, which were filled with a savage fury. Fortunately, a guard soon jumped in and pulled Li Wanrong out.
After all the commotion, Li Wanrong had been in the water for several minutes longer than Cui Lingyao, yet when she was pulled ashore, she was still conscious.
Seeing Xie Jinbai about to leave with Cui Lingyao in his arms, she wailed, "Husband, do you not want your Rong'er anymore?"
Xie Jinbai seemed not to hear the desperate, hoarse cries behind him. His pace never faltered as he hurried away, clutching the woman in his arms.
On closer inspection, one could see that the arms of this man, who was known for his calm and reserved demeanor, were trembling.
Even his jaw was trembling faintly.
["From the looks of it, you're still the one in Xie Jinbai's heart. He must have had his reasons for taking a concubine."]
Cui Lingyao floated in the air, her expression completely serene.
The system was highly efficient. She hadn't even been in the water for a full minute, but in that short time, her soul had already been extracted from her body.
All it needed was a plausible excuse for her to leave this world, not for her to actually stop breathing.
A frail Princess Consort falling into a frozen lake in the dead of winter—no matter how brief the immersion, sudden death was a real possibility.
The System said: ["You can remain in this world as a spirit for three days. Want to see how Xie Jinbai gets his revenge after he's sure you're dead?"]
"...Never mind," Cui Lingyao said, shaking her head. "It's not important anymore."
Nothing was important anymore.
'I'm already 'dead'. What's the point of revenge?'
She had only met Li Wanrong twice; there was no deep-seated hatred between them. Their only conflict revolved around Xie Jinbai.
He was the one who had married both of them. Rather than hating the other woman, Cui Lingyao only felt a sense of relief.
She smiled. "Send me back now."
["Such a heartless woman..."]
The System muttered its complaint but proceeded to act according to their contract.
Soon, a warm halo of light enveloped Cui Lingyao, and she gradually lost consciousness.
The last thing she saw was his retreating back as he carried her away at a desperate pace.
Everything was getting back on track.
「Jianxia Courtyard.」
All four household doctors had been summoned. Xie Jinbai placed Cui Lingyao on the daybed to make room for them, then ripped the jade token from his waist and thrust it at Li Yong. "Ride as fast as you can. Use the greatest possible speed to fetch Doctor Liu."
Doctor Liu's Golden Needle Technique was legendary. It was said that Princess Anqing had already stopped breathing, but after he applied a few needles, he had managed to bring her back.
Li Yong glanced at the Princess Consort, who was surrounded by the household doctors. His heart was in turmoil, but he didn't dare say another word, simply accepting the order and rushing out.
Meanwhile, after a thorough examination, the household doctors surrounding Cui Lingyao exchanged terrified glances. With a collective THUD, they all fell to their knees.
"The Princess Consort's... pulse has vanished. She... she is..."
His voice trembled so violently he couldn't get the last words out.
Xie Jinbai stood ramrod straight, his face a deathly white, a bizarre red glow in his eyes. "She was in the water for less than ten seconds, and you're telling me her pulse is gone?"
"This..."
The household doctors were frozen with fear, not daring to answer.
"Quacks! A bunch of useless quacks!"
The overwhelming panic in his heart morphed into boundless killing intent. Xie Jinbai wanted nothing more than to cut down these worthless messengers of doom.
'His Yaoyao had always been healthy. He had pulled her from the water instantly and warmed her with his Inner Strength. How could her pulse be gone?'
'Even Li Wanrong, who is full of potent poison, was in the water for much longer and is perfectly fine. How could Yaoyao's pulse be gone!'
Xie Jinbai strode to the side of the daybed and looked down at the woman lying there so quietly.
'She had been hurt, right under his very nose.'
'He had watched, powerless, as she fell into the icy lake.'
Xie Jinbai's hands wouldn't stop trembling. The room was packed with kneeling figures, none of whom dared to look up at their master's loss of control.
After a long moment, he raised a trembling hand and roughly wiped his face. He threw back the covers, climbed onto the bed, and gathered her body tightly into his arms.
"Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid, Yaoyao. It's okay... The Imperial Physician will be here soon. It's going to be okay..."
'Nothing bad is going to happen.'