"Yes, Di'er loves the lotus seeds from her second uncle's place the most," He said slowly, enunciating each word.
Bai Zheng acted as if she hadn't heard. Keeping the smile on her face, she cast her gaze towards the lake on her own.
Large swaths of lotus leaves unfurled on the lake, brimming with greenery. Their lushness caught everyone's attention, causing them to completely overlook the state of the lake.
Suddenly, Bai Zheng's pupils constricted.
The stems of the lotus leaves that had just emerged from the lake were, for some unknown reason, wrapped in a strange layer of white frost.
Since the pond in the mansion was not flowing water, the color of the lake was originally turbid, with shades of green, white, and black.
The white frost on the stems was hidden beneath the large lotus leaves.
From a distance, even if one saw it, they would probably mistake it for drops of water.
But it was obviously not water droplets!
"Zheng'er," He suddenly called out to her while Bai Zheng was in a daze.
Bai Zheng turned her head. "Grandmother?"
The two were very close. He's gloomy gaze was fixed directly on Bai Zheng, making her feel extremely uneasy.
Suddenly, the wrinkles on her face began to tremble slowly. She said, "Di'er likes lotus seeds. Go pick some for her."
"Huh?" Bai Zheng's heart skipped a beat. She quickly asked, "Grandmother, this is..."
Before the word "meaning" could escape her lips, she saw He suddenly stretch out both hands and shove Bai Zheng forcefully.
Everything in front of her seemed to stand still. Standing by the pavilion without a railing, caught off guard by He's push, Bai Zheng lost her balance and fell backward.
Bai Zheng stared at He with wide - open eyes.
In her panic, He's face became even more hideous and terrifying.
The look in her eyes when she looked at Bai Zheng was filled only with intense hatred, without a shred of the affection a grandmother should have for her granddaughter.
"This is what you owe Di'er!" she growled menacingly.
Almost instantly, an overwhelming wave of anger welled up in Bai Zheng's heart.
Anger jolted her back to her senses. She narrowed her eyes and suddenly reached out to firmly grasp He's hands, which hadn't had time to be retracted after the push.
Perhaps in both her past and present lives combined, Bai Zheng had never been so agile.
With a grab and a pull.
Caught off guard, He was pulled down by Bai Zheng.
"Ah—" He let out a terrified scream.
Bai Zheng gritted her teeth and exerted more force. She simply pressed He into the lake.
At the same time, taking advantage of the force of holding He, she tried to shift her own center of gravity back towards the shore. Her feet were tightly braced, and her hands flailed wildly in the air, trying to grab onto something to steady herself and prevent herself from falling further.
There was something wrong with this lake. It was better not to fall in if possible.
She struggled desperately.
Everything happened so quickly. Originally, it was Bai Zheng who was supposed to be pushed into the lake, but now it was He who had fallen, while Bai Zheng was still on the shore and was about to regain her footing.
The nanny who had been supporting He was already terrified and stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do.
Bai Sheng, however, pursed her lips and walked up to Bai Zheng.
"Still want to get back up?"
As she spoke, she reached out and pushed Bai Zheng again.
Bai Zheng hadn't yet regained her balance. With just a gentle push from Bai Sheng, she was like a rootless leaf detached from a branch, plunging headfirst towards the lake.
It's over.
She closed her eyes in despair.
The more desperate the situation, the clearer the sounds she heard.
She heard He, who had already fallen into the lake, struggling desperately. The splashing water kept rising and falling. He let out shrill cries, sounding extremely painful.
She didn't know what had been put into the lake.
In front of her was Bai Sheng's cold smile. Behind her was He, struggling and crying.
And her body was getting closer and closer to the lake...
In the nick of time, a black shadow flashed by quickly.
Just as Bai Zheng was about to fall into the lake, she suddenly felt as if someone had supported her. She was back on the shore, standing firmly.
Then, the black shadow flashed again and appeared behind Bai Sheng.
Bai Sheng, who had been smiling hideously, suddenly changed her expression.
Immediately afterwards, she felt her body lighten.
The black shadow picked her up, flew to the center of the lake, and simply threw her in.
"Splash"
Bai Sheng's entire body sank into the lake.
After doing all this, the black shadow returned to Bai Zheng, lowered his head, and knelt on one knee. "Your subordinate is late to rescue you. Please forgive me, Madam."
Bai Zheng was still in a state of shock. She took a few deep breaths, and all her emotions turned into an indescribable anger.
"He..." she gritted her teeth.
Previously, no matter how Bai Sheng, Bai Di, or her uncle Bai Yizhang had tried to deal with her, she had never felt such intense emotions.
But He, who was clearly the original body's own grandmother.
She didn't seem to care about any family affection at all. For the sake of one granddaughter, she was determined to push another granddaughter to her death!
"Miss, Madam!"
The nanny finally came to her senses and rushed to the shore, trying to pull them out.
"Quick, save me! Save me!"
He cried out, her face full of fear. In just a short time after falling into the lake, her face had turned deathly pale.
In the middle of the lake, Bai Sheng's cries were even more shrill. "Bai Zheng, you bitch! Hurry up and pull me out!"
Bai Zheng on the shore seemed not to hear. She frowned and looked around.
Since she had come to the lake, she had always felt that something was off.
Clearly, the cries of He, Bai Sheng, and the nanny on this side were piercing her eardrums, but there was no movement around at all.
It was so quiet. Too quiet.
Neither the servants of the Bai Mansion nor those of the General's Mansion had come to check the situation or rescue them.
The black - clothed man seemed to see the doubt on Bai Zheng's face and asked, "Madam, are you wondering why no one from the Bai Mansion has come to rescue them yet?"
Bai Zheng's eyes lit up. "You know the reason?"
The backyard of the Bai Mansion wasn't very big, and there were a few servants standing at the door.
But strangely enough, from the moment He fell into the water and started crying until now, no one had run over.
The black - clothed man cast his cold gaze towards Bai Sheng, who was still struggling in the middle of the lake. "For this matter, you have to ask Miss Bai."
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Bai Zheng. "Could it be—a formation?"
The black - clothed man sneered. "Madam is very wise."
Bai Zheng suddenly turned her head and looked at Bai Sheng in the middle of the lake.
So that's how it was. They had been waiting for her here!
Bai Zheng instantly understood everything.
The secret guards that Feng Linyuan had placed in the Bai Mansion could protect the safety of the people in the mansion and fend off all assassinations, but they couldn't stop the people from the General's Mansion from taking advantage of Bai Zheng's visit back to her natal family to come in openly.
They just needed to find an unnoticed moment to pour poison into the lake and then bring Bai Zheng to the lake.
Using a formation to keep all the secret guards of the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion out.
In this way, the grandmother and granddaughter could find an opportunity to push Bai Zheng into the lake. No matter how she struggled in the water, no one would come to save her!