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  Yan Qingye hastily raised his eyes to look, and not far away, a small boat was swaying on the ripples. Those young ladies were all gathered at the bow of the boat, either crying out for help or sobbing with tears in their eyes, but nowhere could he see the figure that had just left him infatuated and bewildered.

  He was shocked and his heart felt like it had been cut by a cold knife, the pain was unbearable, his mind went blank for a moment, and when he came to, he found himself in the water.

  Fortunately, his maternal grandparents' home was in Jiangnan, where there was plenty of water. As a child, he had learned to swim with his cousin's elder brother. Although he wasn't a strong swimmer, it was enough for the lotus pond. He cast aside all worldly thoughts, didn't think about the consequences, and didn't listen to Zhu Zirui's anxious cries from the boat. He swam recklessly towards the person struggling in the water.

  At last, he held the woman who had fallen into the water in his arms. He used all his strength to hold her, pouring out all his longing and yearning from this period of time. He held her so deeply, as if she was a treasure worth a city, a life-saving elixir. With such force, even time seemed to freeze for an instant.

  "Hong Jie, quickly grab onto this bamboo pole!" A gentle and soft voice of a woman came from the boat.

  Yan Qingye was struck by lightning, his face suddenly turned pale. He slowly raised his head, and his moist and good-looking lips trembled slightly for some reason. His eyes, mixed with shock, hope, regret, and pain, finally fell on the woman at the bow of the ship who looked anxious.

  The pond water in midsummer carries a hint of warmth, but at this moment his heart is as if it's been placed in an ice cellar, chilled to the bone.

  Embracing the arm of the woman who had fallen into the water, it went limp and dropped down. If she hadn't grabbed onto the bamboo pole that Ming Xuan handed over to her at this moment, she would probably have fallen back into the pond and swallowed a few more mouthfuls of water. But he no longer had the strength to think about these things, nor did he want to think about them.

  The two boats met, and Zhu Zirui was only one zhang away from Yan Qingyan. He saw the lost expression on his best friend's face and felt a pang in his heart. After sighing helplessly, he squatted down, stretched out his hand and said, "Ah Yan, Miss Yang is fine now, give me your hand, the damp air under the water is too heavy, I'll pull you up."

  Yan Qing got on the boat, looking dazed and confused, ignoring the teasing of the noble young masters. Even when Yang Wenmao thanked him, he still looked bewildered, as if he was being haunted by something, like a wooden puppet that had lost its soul, allowing himself to be surrounded by the crowd and taken ashore, into the guest room, where he changed into clean clothes.

  Zhu Zirui seeing him like this really didn't seem right, so he apologetically said to Yang Wenmao who had accompanied them, "Brother Wenmao, Ah Yan seems to be feeling a bit unwell, I'll stay here with him for a while, why don't you lead the others to listen to the Wind Pavilion first, when Ah Yan feels better, I'll bring him over to join you."

  Yang Wenmao didn't find Yan Qingye's state unusual at all. Instead, he had already acknowledged this new Jinhuang Lang who was highly valued by the Emperor. It was because he had taken a liking to Yang Lehong's beautiful appearance that he looked a bit dazed. Since Yang Lehong's eyes and eyebrows opened up, countless men had been captivated by her beauty and talent, so Yan Qingye's reaction wasn't surprising at all.

  A warm smile spread across his face, adding a few more degrees of intimacy to the atmosphere. "That's good too, if you need anything, just send for one of the maids outside."

  Today, Japan is just setting up this flower meeting to choose a son-in-law for Sanmei. Yan Tanhua is a young man recognized by both his grandfather and father. Upon closer inspection, Yan Tanhua's appearance, temperament, and talent are all top-notch, although his family background is slightly inferior, but that doesn't matter much. The Yang family wasn't originally a prestigious family with a long history of learning, as long as they have power in their hands, why worry about not being able to grant a title in the future?

  Just now, Sanmei fell into the water. Look at Yan Tanhua rushing to rescue her without caring about his own safety. It seems that he also has ulterior motives. Under the gaze of everyone, they have already hugged and embraced each other, and it can be said that they have a close relationship. This marriage will likely be settled soon. The hero saves the beauty, and they will live happily ever after. In the future, this will definitely become a legendary tale.

  This is going to be my future brother-in-law, so naturally his attitude isn't the same as just now.

  After Yang Wenmao left, Zhu Zirui let out a deep sigh, "What's the point of this..."

  After a while, Yan Qingye raised his head and said in a hoarse voice, "She didn't fall into the water. I should be happy, but why does my heart ache so much? I always thought I was a decent person, but only today did I realize that no, I'm not."

  His face was painful, with a hint of despair. "When I heard that she had married a dying husband, to be honest, my heart was bitter, but I also secretly harbored a glimmer of hope. I thought I still had a chance, and in the future... I could ask the Emperor for an edict, even if it took a big detour, but in the end, she would still become my wife."

  Zhu Zirui furrowed his brow deeply, "A Yan,......"

  As long as both the husband's and wife's families do not object, according to the laws of this dynasty, it is permissible for women to remarry, regardless of whether they are commoners or nobles. Childless widows who remarry usually do not encounter obstacles, but high-ranking officials or those with noble titles rarely take a widow as their legitimate wife, which would invite ridicule from others.

  I knew Ah Yan's feelings were deep-rooted, but I didn't expect them to be so profound...

  Yan Qingye's eyes involuntarily welled up with two lines of clear tears, and he shook his head with a bitter smile. "But when I saw Master Pei, I knew that the humble thoughts in my heart were probably going to be in vain. How could I willingly forget her? From the year I was nine years old, that name has been deeply etched into my heart, and no matter what, it can't be erased."

  The more he spoke, the more desolate his tone became, and even on a summer day in an unairconditioned room, it made one feel somewhat chilly.

  Like a warm jade, the man's face was no longer calm, his slightly red eyes were painful and stubborn, making his thin body look weak. Yan Qing continued in a hoarse voice, "I shouldn't have jumped down in the first place, even if it was really her who fell into the water, I shouldn't have done it either. The lotus pond wasn't deep, as long as she could grab something to stabilize herself, nothing would have happened, let alone the fact that there was a boatwoman at the back of the boat, and the boatwoman knew how to swim, if I hadn't jumped, the boatwoman would have saved her."

  He paused for a moment, tears streaming down his face, "So, what am I really expecting?"

  Under the watchful eyes of everyone, if the person who saved Yan Qingyan was Ming Xuan, then it would not be a beautiful story, but a scandal.

  He and she were almost married, although they didn't set a date, but many people in the capital city knew about this matter. If it got out that he disregarded his status to save her, what would those who knew think of her? How could she face her husband? And how should she conduct herself in her husband's household? Even if someone didn't know the circumstances, seeing a wet man and woman embracing each other was still indecent.

  Zhu Zirui was taken aback, thinking that Ah Yan was in pain because the person she had saved wasn't Ming Xuan.

  But unexpectedly, Ah Yan was worried about his irrational behavior of saving people just now. He was afraid that if the person he saved was really Ming Xuan, what would be the serious consequences? He hated that until this moment, he still couldn't put down the obsession in his heart and still had expectations of being with her, and actually implemented it so recklessly and despicably.

  Zhu Zirui let out a long sigh, and then said with a sigh, "A Yan, just now I had physical contact with Miss Yang San, so many people saw it, I'm afraid I can no longer stay out of this matter. The Emperor attaches great importance to it, and the father and brother also have some promotion, Yang Youcheng is an old cunning man, he sees the affairs of the court most clearly, he knows the value, and will not easily let go of this son-in-law candidate."

  "He asked, 'How do you plan to deal with it?'"

  "What other choice do I have?"

  So many people saw him hugging Miss Yang San, and he hugged her so tightly, as if she was a treasure that had been lost and found again. After such an intimate contact, if he were to wave his sleeves and leave without being tainted in the slightest, then among the many young masters on the boat, there would certainly be a few who are not quite reliable. As long as they spread the word about this matter, Miss Yang San's reputation would likely be ruined because of him.

  If it's really like that, he would become an irresponsible man, wouldn't Ming Xuan also despise him?

  Since Pei Jingchen's body is healthy, Mingxuan's future is already set. If he doesn't take care of himself and makes another reckless move, it won't just ruin his own life, but also make hers difficult to live with. How will he be able to bear the consequences? This relationship, it's time to... try letting go.

  She is not the destined woman, but a fleeting passerby in life. Brief encounters will eventually lead to missed opportunities. Emotions that are doomed to have no outcome, even if longing pierces the bone, are just a dream of flowers reflected in water and moonlight.

  Like fireworks, brilliant for a moment, then gone, leaving only a vast emptiness.

  In Cai Xiuan's house, the maidservants surrounded Yang Lehong and followed her into the inner room to change clothes.

  The ladies in the outer hall sat together, whispering about Yan Zhonghua's heroic rescue of the beauty just now. "I heard that this top scholar originally had the talent to be a zhuangyuan (the highest scorer in the imperial examination), but because he suffered from a serious illness before the exam and took it while being ill, he only came in third. It is said that all the top scholars of the Zhou Dynasty were handsome men, I didn't believe it at first, but now it seems to be true."

  The girl in the yellow shirt leaned over, "Yes, I didn't expect him to be so slender, yet he's such a heroic person. On that ship there is General Yongwei's son and General Huanguo's eldest grandson. These are all descendants of military families for generations, but none have the bravery of Yan Xunhua."

  Ming Xuan's eyes drooped slightly, but her heart was filled with a hundred emotions. She knew Yan Qing's thoughts clearer than anyone else, yet what she didn't expect was that after all this time, he still hadn't let go of their failed marriage. He must have thought the person who fell into the water was her, which is why he would do something so attention-grabbing. But why...

  She let out a soft sigh, Yang Lehong was talented and had a unique temperament, and his straightforward and lovely personality made him even more endearing. Yan Qingye thought that if he could get a wife like her, it would be a fortunate thing, and all he hoped for was that the two of them could hit it off with each other, envying the lovebirds but not the immortals.

  The curtain was lifted lightly, and a little maid came in to report, "Is the young lady of the Pei family here? Mr. Pei has something to look for you."

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