The cannon fodder heiress trembled with fear after being recognized as a member of her family.

It was July, but Qingshuang Mountain was not as hot as other places.

Although it was summer, the lake water was bone-chillingly cold.

If something goes wrong, it could lead to chronic illness, or even death.

Upon hearing this, Han Cuiyin quickened her pace.

In her previous life, similar little incidents would occasionally occur, as she was of low status and short in stature and could not squeeze to the front.

In this life, after displaying her power in the forest, the noble ladies were deeply impressed by her, feeling both respect and fear, a very contradictory situation.

That's why, when she squeezed to the front, she initially received a lot of disdainful looks, but once that conspicuous black face appeared, their hostility vanished, and they even made way for her, allowing her to squeeze to the front.

"That little girl is the young princess, the eldest daughter of the eldest prince?" In my previous life, the young princess was of noble status and rarely appeared in public.

It is true that Han Cuiyin is a young lady from the Han family, but she cannot enter some high-profile flower viewing banquets without an invitation.

In my previous life, I only saw the little princess's back from afar and never saw her in person.

It is said that a child without a mother is like a blade of grass, and this saying also applies to royalty.

When I saw the young princess that time, although the fabric of her clothes was a tribute, the sleeves were a bit too short, but none of the servants seemed to notice.

Lin Jiabao, the eldest prince's concubine, didn't care much for her eldest daughter. The things she gave the little princess were nice on the surface but not in substance.

The eldest prince was only thinking about vying for power with his brothers and had no time to attend to the affairs of the inner court.

Han Cuiyin had no idea what happened afterward.

But when the eldest prince saw the young princess's carriage that day, he didn't seem like a father who didn't care about his daughter.

As Luo Jingqian had previously mentioned, infighting within the inner quarters often involved underhanded tactics, with drowning being a common occurrence.

A large and a small child were struggling in the lake. The people on the shore looked anxious, but only they knew what they were really thinking.

Lin Jiabao was standing to her left, with one of the Xu family girls. "Quickly, go into the water and save the person! Miss Xu, your brother can't swim, why don't you let him save the person? It's a matter of life and death, we can't worry about the separation of men and women, let's save the person first."

After she finished speaking, everyone looked at her with a strange expression.

Some people unconsciously distanced themselves from her.

So that's what they were planning. Lin Jiabao used to be quite clever, so why did she act so stupidly this time? She made it so obvious, as if everyone else was a fool.

After learning of her plan, Han Cuiyin looked disdainful. So that's how she got her position as the Crown Prince's consort in her previous life. No wonder the Crown Prince was indifferent to her; the two of them only had one legitimate son.

"Why go through all that trouble? It will only ruin the reputation of the girl in the water. Second sister, go!" Han Yueshi's voice came from behind, directly stating, "Miss Lin is known for her kindness. How can you bear to let a girl's reputation be ruined? There are plenty of maids and servants around, some of whom can swim. Why send a man down to save her?"

Regardless of what was happening on the shore, Qi Yuejiao, who had fallen into the water, could no longer suppress her urge to curse.

Her body was full of strength but nowhere to use it, and the little princess clung tightly to her, refusing to let go.

"Loosen up a bit, or we'll both drown here."

Where they were, the lake was more than a meter deep, about up to her neck.

The soil beneath her feet was soft, and with the young princess clinging to her, she couldn't exert any force; the more she tried, the deeper she sank.

Fortunately, the young princess stopped struggling and calmed down.

“Don’t be so stupid next time. Even if it’s not me, there are others. If someone comes to rescue you later, you’re young, so have someone carry you up. We’ve both been tricked. I’d rather die here than marry those people with ulterior motives.”

Qi Yuejiao was no longer the lively person she used to be; she seemed like a completely different person.

She never expected that she would be tripped up before she even married into the Crown Prince's household.

This plan seems foolish, but it works; it allows for both advance and retreat.

No matter what the circumstances, she was destined to suffer this injustice without being able to voice her grievances.

She should have listened to her mother and stayed home peacefully until the royal family made the arrangements, then she could have waited to get married.

By then, it was too late for Qi Yuejiao to regret it.

Upon hearing this, the little princess in his arms stiffened. "If we are safe and sound this time, I will allow you to marry my father."

"At least you have a conscience. However, I'm afraid my marriage to your father is off. After this, my mother may marry me off to a distant place."

After Qi Yuejiao finished speaking, she tried to move again, but after just one movement, the two of them sank even deeper.

“If I am gone, you must make your father thoroughly investigate who tampered with our ship, and the person who instigated you must not be let off the hook either. If she has betrayed the Lord once, she can betray the Lord many more times; do not spare her…”

Qi Yuejiao talked on and on for a long time. Perhaps it is true that people speak kindly when they are about to die. The little princess nodded as if she had listened.

"I'll lunge forward a little more, and you just lie down on that plank and wait for rescue."

After saying that, she prepared to try again.

The plank was only an arm and a half away from them, and no one had come to rescue them for so long, so they had to save themselves.

Qi Yuejiao gathered her strength in her legs and flung the little princess onto the wooden plank, but she disappeared into the water.

"Wow~ Don't die!"

The little girl on the wooden plank clung tightly to it and cried loudly.

After her mother died, no one cared about her anymore, and even the servants under her changed their attitude.

Her father loved her, but he was just too busy.

She felt wronged and wanted to talk to her father, but he was held up by something.

A year and a half after her mother's death, the father and daughter were no longer as close as before.

People around her always say that after the new mother married into the family and had a younger brother, the father would pay even less attention to her.

She knew that the man was also at the banquet hosted by her fourth uncle. Someone said that the scenery on the lake was beautiful, and no one could hear the two talking, which led to today's scene.

The young princess was in tears, her eyes red from crying.

This is the first time since her mother passed away that someone has offered their life in exchange for hers.

Just then, a whip wrapped around the young princess's waist and lifted her onto the bamboo raft.

"There's someone underwater, Black-faced Sister, please save her!"

Han Cuiyin was taken aback. "Shouldn't you beg her? She's skilled in martial arts."

Han Lingzhi jumped into the water with a "plop" and ignored the two of them.

"I heard that those noble ladies were saved this time by a dark-faced woman, which must be you. With your great abilities, you will surely be able to save Aunt Qi."

The young princess's clothes were soaked through, and a cool breeze from the lake made her shiver, but her speech remained as fluent as ever.

"Was someone sabotaging your fall into the water?"

Before Han Cuiyin could finish speaking, the little girl tugged at her sleeve, "Quick, there's a man over there, don't let anyone see Aunt Qi."

The young princess pleaded desperately, looking utterly pitiful.

"Don't worry! I'll definitely teach him a lesson he won't forget."

One outer garment was draped over the young princess, and the other was given to her to hold.

Han Cuiyin picked up the bamboo pole used to propel the raft and threw it five meters away, gradually turning the lake water red.