The sudden silence near the stone railing was incredibly heavy. A few paces away, Gu Yue, Xi Qianqian, and Xi Lanyin quickly huddled together, their faces pale as they exchanged worried looks. Thanks to the voices echoing in their minds, they could hear every single part of Su Yueqing’s internal conversation.

"Cousin... sister-in-law won’t actually push her, would she?" Gu Yue whispered, her hands shaking slightly.

Qianqian frowned deeply, glaring at Gu Yue. "Are you deaf? Didn’t you just hear her? She clearly said that it is Lady Pei who wants to throw herself backward and blame her for it!"

Lanyin let out a long, stressed sigh, looking over at the two women standing near the deep water. "Lady Pei has always liked Brother, so she definitely won’t like sister-in-law at all. But we can’t let them ruin Mom’s banquet. We have to stop them before someone actually ends up in the mud."

The three of them quickly stepped forward, trying to approach the pair to break up the fight.

"Lady Pei, the wind by the water is getting quite chilly," Gu Yue called out, trying to sound natural. "Why don’t we go back to the pavilion to drink some warm tea?"

But Lady Pei completely ignored them. Su Yueqing’s comment about her rejected letters had hit her right where it hurt. Her sweet, fake smile completely shattered, replaced by a look of pure hatred.

"A rejected outsider?" Lady Pei hissed in a low, vicious voice, stepping even closer to the edge of the railing. "You think you are so secure just because you managed to steal the title of Young Madam? Let me tell you something, Su Yueqing. Wenzhe thinks you are disgusting. Every single night he spends away from you is a reminder of how much he hates your very existence. You are nothing but an embarrassing mistake to this entire estate!"

Su Yueqing’s eyes narrowed to tiny slits.

On the outside, her face remained perfectly calm, but inside her head, an absolute storm erupted.

[Nine, change of plans. Cancel the script,]

Su Yueqing snapped furiously, her inner voice booming with pure irritation.

[Forget her jumping and blaming me for something I didn’t do. If I am going to take the blame for drowning a noble lady, I am going to get my money’s worth. I’ll push her myself!]

[Ding! Warning! Host, please remain calm—]

Before Nine could even finish its warning, Su Yueqing didn’t wait another second. She didn’t wait for Lady Pei to stage a fake fall. Instead, Su Yueqing took a sudden, aggressive step forward, raised both of her hands, and shoved Lady Pei right in the chest with all her strength.

"Since you love the water so much, go live in it!" Su Yueqing snapped out loud.

*SPLASH!*

Lady Pei didn’t even have time to scream. She went flying backward over the low stone railing, flipping straight through the air and crashing directly into the deep, muddy center of the lotus pond. A massive wave of dirty water and green weeds sprayed everywhere, soaking the nearby stone path.

The entire garden went dead silent. Gu Yue, Xi Qianqian, and Xi Lanyin stood frozen with their mouths wide open, completely shocked by how fast the situation had escalated.

Down in the pond, Lady Pei finally surfaced, coughing up muddy water with a huge clump of green lily pads tangled heavily in her expensive hair. She looked completely ruined, screaming in absolute horror as the freezing mud soaked into her fine silk robes.

Lady Pei’s high-pitched screams echoed across the entire garden, sounding like a wild animal. Within seconds, the quiet pathways were filled with the chaotic sounds of running feet as servants and maids rushed toward the pond to see what was happening.

Standing in a shaded corner near the hedges, Li Mei watched the entire scene unfold. She kept her hands neatly folded, but a dark, thoroughly satisfied smile spread across her face. Seeing Lady Pei dripping in freezing mud was exactly what she wanted.

"Oh my goodness! Someone save Lady Pei!" a maid shouted, frantically waving her arms as two male servants jumped into the shallow mud to drag the screaming girl out.

Another young maid panicked, turning around immediately to run back to the main pavilion. "I have to tell the Duchess! I have to tell the elders!"

Back at the main pavilion, the older noblewomen were still sipping their tea and chatting calmly. Duchess Lin Meiyun and Madame Zi were listening to Madame Pei, Lady Pei’s mother.. boast proudly about her daughter’s excellent embroidery skills.

"My daughter is always so gentle and careful with her hands," Madame Pei said with a proud laugh. "She never causes any trouble—"

"Duchess! Madam!" the panicked maid burst into the pavilion, completely out of breath, her face pale. "Something terrible has happened at the lotus pond! The new Young Madam... she just shoved Lady Pei straight into the deep water!"

"What?!" Madame Pei screamed, dropping her porcelain teacup. It shattered loudly against the floor. Her face turned from proud to absolutely horrified. "My daughter was pushed?!"

The entire pavilion erupted into shocked gasps. Lin Meiyun and Xi Ronghua instantly stood up, exchanging a fast, heavy look. The Duchess did not say a word, but her mind was racing. Without waiting, the entire group of older noblewomen hurried out of the pavilion, making their way fast toward the gardens.

Meanwhile, on a nearby path connecting the outer courts, Young Master Xi Wenzhe was walking alongside his trusted guard Ding Li, his cousin Gu Xiang, and the younger master Xi Yunchen. They had been discussing when they noticed several servants running past them in a total panic, whispering loudly.

"Stop right there," Gu Xiang ordered, stepping in front of a running maid.

The maid froze, trembling all over as she saw the young masters standing before her. She quickly dropped to her knees, bowing her head. "Greetings, Young Masters!"

Wenzhe frowned, his face cold and strict. "Why is everyone running through the estate like a pack of wild animals? What is going on?"

"Replying to the Young Master..." the maid swallowed hard, terrified of his cold temper. "There... there was a massive fight at the lotus pond! The new Young Madam got angry and personally threw Lady Pei over the stone railing! Lady Pei is currently covered in mud, and the Duchess is on her way there right now!"

Gu Xiang and Xi Yunchen both widened their eyes in complete shock, while Ding Li instinctively shifted his gaze toward his master. Wenzhe’s brow twitched with deep irritation, his hands clenching tightly inside his sleeves. That woman had only just arrived and she had already ruined his mother’s banquet.