They were in charge of being beautiful, and she was in charge of taking the hits.

"Have some self-respect! Hahaha, are you saying this to me?" Wu Chengye gripped Sima Lingchuan's chin tightly, his eyes filled with complex emotions. Sima Lingchuan looked at him with disgust, pushed Wu Chengye away, feeling ashamed and angry.

Sima Lingchuan's actions enraged Wu Chengye even more: "Fine, very well! Today I'm going to do something disrespectful. There's no one around, so you can shout all you want without anyone caring. Even if someone hears you, they won't dare to interfere!"

Wu Chengye's expression was unrestrained, his eyes filled with desire, wanting to possess, and he even started to touch him.

But secrets don't stay hidden forever. He thought no one was there. No! There was someone—the Empress's personal lady-in-waiting, Changsun Boluan, the youngest daughter of the Grand Secretary Changsun Hejia. She was far away, watching and listening to everything, clutching a handkerchief tightly in her hand.

It turned out that when Sima Lingchuan left, he left his handkerchief in the pavilion. She saw it and felt that if this personal item were picked up by someone with ulterior motives, it would cause trouble. So she explained the situation to the Empress and prepared to catch up with Sima Lingchuan to return it to him. That's when she happened to witness this scene, and she didn't know what to do.

[If I rush in and stop them, wouldn't that be embarrassing for them? What would become of me then? And if I go back and tell the Queen? That would only make things worse. Forget it!]

She gritted her teeth, hesitated for a long time, and then turned and ran towards the palace gate. After all, this was not something she could manage. It concerned the reputation of the two princesses and the Empress. The best way was to ask Wu Ziyan for help, since this was, after all, their family matter.

Seeing that Sima Lingchuan was resisting and looking at her with such disgust, Wu Chengye approached Sima Lingchuan again, this time blocking him with both hands, leaving him no way to escape.

Wu Chengye brushed aside Sima Lingchuan's jet-black hair that draped over her chest, revealing her fair neck. Upon closer inspection, one could see the throbbing veins. Wu Chengye narrowed his eyes, exuding a melancholic yet dangerous aura: "What a beautiful person. Why doesn't she like me?"

Slowly, his hand traced down Sima Lingchuan's cheek, pausing at his collarbone. With a sharp stroke of his fingernail, he drew a gash, drawing blood. Sima Lingchuan cried out in pain. Wu Chengye, seeing the crimson mark on the pale neck, gleamed with a strange light, seemingly even more excited: "Hmm, why aren't you answering! You're fine with my useless fourth sister, but not with me!"

"How can you compare to Ziyan!" Sima Lingchuan looked at her directly this time, his expression resolute. He might have been indifferent before, but now everything had changed!

Changsun Boluan ran out quickly, but bumped into Wu Ziyan without noticing. Wu Ziyan cried out "Ouch!" and took a step back. Changsun Boluan also took a step back, and his handkerchief fell to the ground.

The two looked at each other, and Changsun Boluan bowed. Wu Ziyan stepped forward to help Changsun Boluan up and asked, "Why are you in such a hurry, Miss Boluan?"

"Oh dear, Fourth Prince, thank goodness you've arrived, something terrible has happened!" Changsun Boluan said anxiously, glancing towards the garden.

Wu Ziyan examined the handkerchief lying on the ground closely. Wasn't that Sima Lingchuan's? How did it end up in her hands? Something terrible had happened. What terrible thing had happened? A terrible scene flashed through her mind. Actually, she should have guessed it long ago.

Wu Ziyan didn't even pick up the handkerchief before rushing off. Changsun Boluan called out, "It's in the direction of the lotus pond, Fourth Prince!"

Wu Ziyan clenched her fists, not daring to think about anything else. She ran until she was out of breath, but didn't see a single person. She couldn't help but complain that the Imperial Garden was so big, yet she hadn't heard any cries for help. But upon closer reflection, she realized that given Sima Lingchuan's personality, it was unlikely that he would call for help.

Seeing that Sima Lingchuan remained silent and did not shout, Wu Chengye became even angrier and tried to tear off his clothes, but he was expressionless and seemed like a puppet.

But he was still hoping that Wu Ziyan would come to his rescue, but then he recalled that when she and the eldest princess left the banquet, she didn't even turn her head back.

Perhaps it was because those sad memories suddenly flooded back into his mind that this brief, pleasant time together was just an illusion. Looking at the person in front of him, that disgusting face of his was nothing more than someone who coveted his face.

Suddenly, a charming smile appeared on his lips. Wu Chengye thought he had given in and changed his mind, but instead, Sima Lingchuan stood up, leaned back, and fell into the pool.

This is the only thing he can do now: resist and cry for help. If things turn ugly, no one will benefit; at worst, he'll just die.

The pool may not be deep, but how many people have fallen into it and become lonely souls? Although he was miserable in the eyes of outsiders, he felt that he had at least experienced a brief period of happiness, even if it was just like fireworks rising and falling, only for a moment.

He closed his eyes and murmured, "Farewell, Ziyan!"

Wu Chengye was also caught off guard and quite shocked. The man he had longed for for so long was willing to die rather than submit to her.

How utterly despicable was she that he would rather die than be with her, or did her fourth sister use some clever tricks to make him so loyal?

With a splash, she fell into the water, the water icy cold, quickly submerging her face and slowly sinking. The cold water splashed onto Wu Chengye's body and face. She wanted to shout something, but it felt like someone was gripping her throat, or like something was stuck in her throat, preventing her from making a sound. After taking a breath, Wu Ziyan saw Wu Chengye at the other end of the corridor.

Forget about any pretense of sisterly affection, she rushed over and grabbed Wu Chengye's collar. She was half a head shorter than Wu Chengye, but the cold light in her eyes was chilling. She suppressed her anger and said each word slowly and deliberately: "Where is Sima Lingchuan!"

Wu Chengye laughed maniacally, but tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to fall. Her finger trembled as she pointed to the water, where bubbles were still rising. Wu Chengye wanted to go down and save him, but she couldn't swim.

At that moment, the system's voice sounded: [Warning! Warning! The target is on the verge of death!]

Wu Ziyan cursed a thousand times in his mind: [Damn it, is this the intensity of an otome game?]

Without a second thought, Wu Ziyan took off her heavy outer robe, threw away the gold hairpin in her hair, and jumped into the water with a splash. The water was murky, but one could vaguely see a person struggling and sinking.

Wu Ziyan swung his arms continuously, swimming down in a standard breaststroke motion, and scooped up Sima Lingchuan. He then wrapped his arms around Sima Lingchuan's chest to prevent her from being dragged into the water if she struggled.

Two heads surfaced, and Wu Ziyan struggled to swim towards the shore, dragging Sima Lingchuan along. Changsun Boluan arrived shortly after, pretending to have just noticed and shouting, "Someone has fallen into the water! Oh no! Someone has fallen into the water!"

At this moment, the maids and servants who were washing nearby heard the noise and rushed over, and many people gathered around to watch.

Wu Ziyan had already reached the shore, but Sima Lingchuan had choked on several mouthfuls of water, his face pale and bluish. She pressed on his chest, and Sima Lingchuan spat out the water, rolled his eyes, and seemed to have calmed down. He looked at the person in front of him with blurred vision and felt a little more at ease.

The servants quickly brought warm clothing and wrapped it around Wu Ziyan and the others. Wu Ziyan looked at Sima Lingchuan and shook him, calling, "Lingchuan, Lingchuan." [Please don't cry!]

"Your Highness... Ziyan." Sima Lingchuan finally opened his eyes, his eyelashes still glistening with what looked like tears or pool water. Wu Ziyan relaxed and exhaled.

Just then, that cheeky system voice sounded again: "Congratulations, the male lead's favorability has reached 10%, and you have received one bottle of the Universal Antidote Pill."

In that situation, she had no interest in accepting the award.

Wu Chengye, standing at a distance, first breathed a sigh of relief, then felt a sense of doubt. When did his dear fourth sister learn to float? She couldn't do it before. When did she become such a good swimmer?

But she no longer wanted to care about these trivial matters. Seeing Sima Lingchuan wake up, she breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want things to be like this. Now that she had calmed down, she felt that she would rather he live than have him.

She turned to leave, but Wu Ziyan saw her gritting her teeth, [You don't want me to have an easy time, do you? Then none of us will have an easy time!]

She called out to Wu Chengye, "Second Sister, thank you for your kindness today; you gave me a wonderful lotus bath!" Her voice seemed to be deliberately loud.

Her words seemed to say nothing, but with people all around, she couldn't control who wanted to speculate. Wu Chengye sneered; his fourth sister had really become smarter. She didn't reply and left the crowd.

Seeing Wu Chengye's good fortune, the female attendants finally dared to whisper among themselves: "Hey, I've heard about that incident from back then, and now it seems to be true."

"The Fourth Princess is quite pitiful. She is frail and cannot even protect her own man."

"I think it's the second princess who can't let go of her pride and is even eyeing another man's husband."

Wu Ziyan wanted exactly this kind of public opinion. The more others belittled her, the happier she was. She could then whisper in the Empress's ear even more. But this was bad news for Sima Lingchuan, who had to temporarily bear the gossip.

After tidying up briefly in a side room in the palace, Changsun Boluan arranged a carriage for Wu Ziyan to take them back to their residence.

Of course, upon returning to the Queen, he also truthfully reported what had happened to the two princesses in the Royal Garden that day.

The Empress was still sitting in the pavilion, propping her head up with her hand. As Changsun Boluan recounted the story, the Empress slowly opened her eyes: "This second daughter hasn't made any progress over the years! And she's still so fussy about a man. But the fourth daughter, she's really changed a lot!"

"Does Your Majesty wish to..."

"Let them fight it out themselves."

On the other side, on the way back to the Marquis's residence, Ma Lingchuan's body began to get hot. Wu Ziyan touched his forehead and said that they had to call a physician.

She lifted the curtain and said, "Driver, hurry up!"

They rode at full speed back to the manor. As soon as they got off the carriage, Mo Baiyun came up to them. He had already heard rumors, but he still asked, "Master, what happened? Why are you all soaked?"

"Find a male physician. Hou Fu has fallen into the water and his body is burning up. He's probably caught a cold." Wu Ziyan thought about Sima Linchuan today. He must be terrified to be alone with Wu Chengye, who has been eyeing his body for a long time.

"Then, Master?" Mo Baiyun's eyes were always only on Wu Ziyan, because the Empress had told him that she would always be number one in his heart.

"I'm fine. Tell someone to prepare hot water and ginger water." But Wu Ziyan ignored Mo Baiyun's concern at this moment.

Mo Baiyun's eyes dimmed for a moment, but then returned to their usual expression.

After receiving the order, she was just thinking that it would be difficult to find a male physician. After thinking it over, she suddenly remembered someone: a retired old physician who had once learned the use of poison from her. He had no children of his own, but adopted a son who studied medicine with her.

Mo Baiyun darted swiftly through the rooftop gardens and soon arrived at the Han residence. He knocked on the door, but no one answered. Just as he was considering whether to climb over the wall to enter the courtyard, a man's voice came from behind him: "Who are you looking for?" The voice was tinged with a hint of childishness and arrogance.

Mo Baiyun turned around and looked at the man in front of her. He was dressed in dark clothes, carrying a medicine box on his back. He was tall and slender with fair skin and was handsome. Mo Baiyun asked, "Are you Han Yuxiu?"

"How do you know my name! Who are you?" He became wary, staring at the little boy in front of him, not wanting to talk to him.

"I have a patient I need you to see. He's the husband of the Marquis of Qingxian." Mo Baiyun still smiled with his eyes narrowed.

Han Yuxiu pondered. He didn't know Qingxian Hou, and few people knew that he studied medicine. So why would he seek out a male physician? Qingxian Hou's reputation was just like his name: carefree and pleasure-seeking. Why would he seek him out...?

He was preoccupied with many questions, but Mo Baiyun didn't give him time to think. She grabbed Han Yuxiu's hand and pulled him away. Han Yuxiu shook off Mo Baiyun's hand and shouted, "What are you doing! The kidnapping of men that's been circulating in the city lately, could it be your gang's doing?"

Mo Baiyun was speechless. Just then, the door opened, revealing a robust old woman who looked no older than sixty. Mo Baiyun smiled sheepishly and said, "Teacher Han."

"Hey, Little White Cloud? What are you doing pulling Xiao Yu along?" Doctor Han's voice was strong and powerful, and he also had a smiling face, just like Mo Baiyun.

"Mother, you know him! I thought it was some kind of kidnapping scam these days." Han Yuxiu withdrew his hand and rubbed his wrist.

"Hey, this is your junior brother."

Mo Baiyun briefly explained the reason, then pulled Han Yuxiu away, turning back to call out, "Teacher, let's discuss this again next time."

Han Yuxiu muttered a complaint: "Slow down, don't pull me! Hey! Slow down!"

Although Mo Baiyun was young, he was very skilled in martial arts. He could easily leap across the rooftops with someone on his back. However, Han Yuxiu screamed in fright in mid-air, which annoyed Mo Baiyun.

Stopping on a rooftop, Mo Baiyun squinted as he approached him: "Senior brother, please don't move around."

Han Yuxiu looked at Mo Baiyun, whose eyes revealed danger. He nodded and stopped struggling.

Upon arriving at the Marquis's residence, as they walked inside, the female officials whispered among themselves, "What a handsome young man! Could he be another one brought for the master?"

"Ladies, please make way! This is the physician we've brought for our master's husband. He's in a hurry." Mo Baiyun pulled Han Yuxiu through the maids.

"Little Yun'er, you have such a sweet tongue, that's why the master dotes on you," the maids teased him.

Han Yuxiu had seen these kinds of scenes before; he even covered his face with one hand, after all, he wasn't engaged yet.

He was led to Sima Lingchuan's room. Mo Baiyun pushed Han Yuxiu inside. Han Yuxiu's heart pounded. This didn't seem like someone coming to treat a patient at all. He felt like a lamb being led to the slaughter, thinking, "Could my mother have sold me because we don't have money to buy medicine?"

He went into the inner room, looked around and found no one else, so he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he saw a handsome man with a pale face lying on the bed.

As Han Yuxiu approached, Sima Lingchuan's face turned deathly pale. Han Yuxiu breathed a slight sigh of relief; it seemed he had genuinely come to treat someone, not to kidnap them.

Taking pulses is something men shouldn't be shy about; they can just start taking pulses directly. Although his mother told him that doctors shouldn't be shy about taking pulses from anyone, he had never actually done it before. This was his first time making a house call, so he was inevitably nervous.

His pulse was deep and thin, but gradually became steady. It seemed that he was just a little frightened and not suffering from a cold. He only needed to take a few doses of calming medicine. As he wrote the prescription, he calmed down.

At this time, Wu Ziyan had also finished bathing and came to the door of Sima Lingchuan's room, where Mo Baiyun was guarding outside.

Upon seeing Wu Ziyan, Mo Baiyun said, "The physician is inside; she's a beauty." He said this deliberately to see Wu Ziyan's reaction.

At this moment, Wu Ziyan had no time to think about beauties; he was only thinking that Sima Lingchuan must be alright. Then he tapped Mo Baiyun's head and said, "What are you thinking about all day?"

Wu Ziyan knocked on the door, but no one answered. He then pushed the door open and walked to Sima Lingchuan's bedside. Han Yuxiu then came to his senses and heard the sound. He bowed to Wu Ziyan. At this moment, Wu Ziyan had no time to observe whether Han Yuxiu was handsome or ugly. He looked at him and asked, "How is my husband?"

"Replying to Marquis Qingxian, the Marquis's wife is just overly frightened. She will recover after a period of rest, but she must not be subjected to any further stimulation during this time." Han Yuxiu kept his head slightly lowered, after all, the person in front of him was a member of the royal family, and he could not be disrespectful to her.

"Alright, Xiaoyun'er, take him away." Wu Ziyan didn't even glance at him.

As Han Yuxiu left, he glanced up at Wu Ziyan. This Qingxian Marquis didn't seem to fit the rumors; judging from his eyes, he appeared to be a very composed person. Wu Ziyan also turned to look at Han Yuxiu. At that moment, the system displayed a notification: [Conquer the second male lead, Han Yuxiu. Task 1: Increase his favorability to 10%. Task reward: A list of 100 medicines.]

Wu Ziyan was puzzled. Was this young physician also someone she needed to woo? [While I do like handsome men, is it really necessary to be so pressured into this situation?]

But right now, she couldn't worry about that. Getting the male lead, Sima Lingchuan, fully recovered was the most important thing. She walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, holding Sima Lingchuan's hand. "So handsome!" She shook her head, wondering what she was thinking.

She stared at Sima Lingchuan and sighed, a sense of guilt welling up inside her. If only she hadn't left.