The people of the Heir Apparent of Prince Jia were too far away to come and rescue He Chan. It was obviously impossible.
In the blink of an eye, Lu Wanning's mind had already turned several times. Was He Chan doing it on purpose or by accident? Did she deliberately seek death and use her life to ruin Lu Wanning's reputation? Was it really worth it?
Whether it was worth it or not, she couldn't just watch a living person die in front of her.
Lu Wanning kicked the horse's belly hard. Taking advantage of the horse's acceleration, she leaped up. At the moment when He Chan's horse passed through the fence, she hugged He Chan around the waist.
"You're right. You won't watch me die," He Chan said.
"But today, either you die or I live!"
Before Lu Wanning could react, He Chan covered her mouth and nose with her hand and gave a hard kick. Lu Wanning tried to grab He Chan's leg, but she was weak all over. Although she was conscious, she could only watch helplessly as He Chan climbed up the fence.
The attendants of the Heir Apparent of Prince Jia had surrounded them and rescued He Chan.
Lu Wanning fell limply, tears of panic streaming down her face. Was she going to die like this?
Her parents, elder brother and sister-in-law, and the Empress Dowager in the palace would surely be heartbroken. And would Prince Yu feel a little sad? Even if she was just a passerby to him.
So this was what it felt like to die...
Lu Wanning closed her eyes tightly.
Unexpectedly, she didn't fall to pieces. A figure emerged out of nowhere and hugged her around the waist. The two of them quickly fell into the water.
She took a mouthful of water, but thanks to the man's cushioning, the impact of falling into the water was not great. Lu Wanning only felt dizzy and was then picked up by someone.
Only then did she have the strength to look up.
A strong jawline, water droplets rolling down his bangs and dripping from his chin.
Lu Wanning was stunned. She had always known he was good-looking, but there was nothing more heart - fluttering than seeing him at this moment. He had saved her. She had been on the verge of failure and extinction, and his arrival was like the descent of a god.
"Don't be afraid. It's okay," he said.
Lu Wanning's eyes turned red. She had been in this place for almost four months. There were so many people who had been kind to her, but he was not one of them.
He was always calm and self - contained, with a hint of coldness. She and he had no connection originally. It was she who had tried her best to appear in his life.
But at this moment, he didn't scold her for being stupid. Instead, he said "Don't be afraid."
Sheng Jinyu took Lu Wanning and quickly swam to the shore. The cliff was not as high as Lu Wanning had thought, and there was a pond below instead of an abyss. If it weren't for the dense forest on the cliff, the situation below would have been clearly visible.
There was a simple thatched shed on the shore. There was a fire burning inside, and there was also a simple couch on which a man was sleeping.
Lu Wanning stared for a moment and recognized him. She asked in surprise, "Is he... Fu Rongli? Why is he here?"
Sheng Jinyu put Lu Wanning beside the fire. A woman came out from behind, swaying her snake - like waist as she came to support Lu Wanning. "This servant has prepared some simple clothes. Let this servant take the princess to change," she said.
Lu Wanning was even more surprised. "Qing Niang, why are you here too?"
Qing Niang gave a charming smile but didn't say much. She easily supported Lu Wanning and walked inside.
Lu Wanning had been hit by He Chan. She must have been drugged, which made her weak all over. Even after falling into the water, she was still dizzy and had no strength. She could only let Qing Niang do as she pleased.
After changing into clean clothes, Qing Niang said gently, "Princess, this servant will take you to Princess Qin later. Don't worry."
"Wait," Lu Wanning asked. "How... how did you all end up here?"
Qing Niang raised her eyebrows mysteriously. "This servant was summoned by the Heir Apparent. Since the princess is a woman, it's inconvenient for others to serve, so he asked this servant to come."
Lu Wanning shook her head. "I'm asking about him... Why is he here?"
There was a deeper meaning in Qing Niang's eyes. "Where the heart is, the person naturally is."
Lu Wanning felt that her heartbeat was so loud that it could be heard throughout the thatched hut. Where the heart is? Was Prince Yu's heart with her? It was impossible. Who was Prince Yu? How could his heart be with her?
Most likely... he was just passing by on business?
But how could it be such a coincidence that he just happened to save her?
When Lu Wanning was supported back to the fire by Qing Niang, Sheng Jinyu was already there. He had obviously changed his clothes too.
"Did... did you come here specifically to save me?" Lu Wanning asked.
Sheng Jinyu gave her a cold look. "Specifically? I never do things specifically."
Lu Wanning was a little disappointed, but she quickly perked up. "Whether it was on purpose or not, you saved me. Thank you."
Sheng Jinyu tightened his lips, then turned his head and sneered. "I just can't stand people being too stupid."
Lu Wanning stared at him with wide eyes. "What did you say?"
Sheng Jinyu still looked cold. "Don't you understand? You're too stupid. It was obvious that He Chan was trying to set you up, but you didn't see it?"
"I saw it," Lu Wanning took a deep breath. There was a bit of grievance in her heart as she said, "But even though I saw it, I couldn't just watch her die. I thought she was trying to kill herself to frame me. I didn't expect that she had a sleeping drug in her hand. If it weren't for the drug, I would have taken her up. There wouldn't have been any problem."
There was a hint of surprise in Sheng Jinyu's eyes. Then he said, "She's not worth saving like this."
"Indeed, she's not worth it. I'm not saving her. I'm just following my heart. Her badness comes from her stupidity. I don't wish her well, but I can't just watch her die."
Sheng Jinyu pursed his lips and didn't reply.
"Just like you asked me before, whether not saving someone in danger makes them an enemy. In fact, it's everyone's choice. For others, whether she deserves it or not, I just can't do it."
Sheng Jinyu let out a soft sigh. He subconsciously wanted to reach out and touch her face, but in the end, he stopped his hand. He stood up and said, "Let's go."
"Where are we going?" Lu Wanning asked.
Sheng Jinyu glanced at the couch. "Don't you want the person who framed you to be punished as they deserve?"
Qing Niang had left at some point. Lu Wanning was still weak all over. Seeing Sheng Jinyu walking out on his own, she quickly tried to keep up. But she stumbled and almost fell. Fortunately, she grabbed his arm.
Sheng Jinyu frowned and gave her a cold look. Seeing her pale face, he didn't shake off her hand.
Lu Wanning hugged his arm with both hands and walked out. "Slow down. I can't walk..."
"You're so troublesome," Sheng Jinyu murmured under his breath. He slowed down his steps and walked out with her.
"Your Highness, Prince Yu, why is Fu Rongli here? Didn't I hear that he was sent to the estate?"
After walking out of the shed, Sheng Jinyu pointed to the nearby cliff. "Falling from there, you won't die. Their goal wasn't to kill you."
Lu Wanning's heart skipped a beat. She quickly understood. She had been drugged and had no strength. After falling, she would only land in the water. If Prince Yu hadn't saved her, the one who would have saved her would probably have been Fu Rongli lying in the shed.
And if Fu Rongli had saved her, his intentions were obvious. Once her reputation was ruined, with the Empress Dowager and the Lu family's love for her, they would never let Fu Rongli remain a commoner. By then, Fu Rongli might become the son - in - law of the Lu family.
One Fu Rongxuan left, and another Fu Rongli came. What a good plan the Fu family had, and what a good plan the Crown Prince had.
Sheng Jinyu said coldly, "Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself."