The deepest part of Dingbo Lake was the pavilion in the middle of the lake. The entire pavilion was supported by three stone pillars buried deep in the water. The only way to get to the shore was by boat.
Yu Shu was shocked when she saw Xue Rui jump into the water. There were many men who accidentally fell into the water tonight, but none of them jumped into the water on their own like this.
The people standing under the bridge were already discussing:
"Was it Young Master Xue who jumped into the water?"
"It seems so."
"What's going on? The pavilion is so deep and I didn't see any lanterns. Why did he jump into the water?"
.....
"Haha, Xue Rui must be crazy." Liu Yi joked.
Yu Shu puckered her lips as she stared fixedly at the place Xue Rui entered the water. On one hand, she was worried, and on the other, she swiftly racked her brain. That lotus lantern with a true gold wick hasn't been found after so long. Looks like this test of Imperial Consort Xue isn't so simple. Could it be that it's hidden at the bottom of the water?
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. She could not help but grimace. She did not know if she should admire Xue Rui's intelligence or be angry at him for risking his life.
If she had known that he would take the risk, she would not have asked him to snatch the golden jade hibiscus for exchange!
When Yu Shu saw that Xue Rui did not float up after jumping into the water for a while, she was extremely flustered. Just when she was about to call the nearby sailors to go and fish him out, a white flash appeared in her vision, followed by the sound of someone falling into the water from afar!
"Splash!"
"Ah! Daozi jumped in too! "
Everyone exclaimed.
Yu Shu was stunned.
In the distance, Zhu Qingjue looked at the splashes on the surface of the water and blinked twice.
Just now, Jing Chen had landed on his wooden raft and asked him what had happened.
Because he was unhappy with Xue Rui's slightly disdainful words before he went into the water, he did not hide anything when he saw that Jing Chen had come. He told Jing Chen the truth that the lamp might be at the bottom of the lake. He even wanted to ask Jing Chen to accompany him and mock Xue Rui's recklessness so as to prove that it was not him, Zhu, who did not have the guts.
Who would have thought that as soon as he finished speaking, there would be no one in front of him?
“.....”
What are all of you up to? Bullying him for not daring to jump down!
The veins on Zhu Qingjue's forehead bulged. He looked at the pitch-black lake water, took a deep breath, and plunged his head into it.
Plop!
Cries of surprise rang out on the bridge again.
The people who arrived at the pavilion in the middle of the lake looked at each other in dismay. They could roughly guess what was under the water, but they hesitated. No one dared to jump down.
When Yu Shu saw the three men entering the water one after another, she calmed down after a moment of surprise. She felt a little relieved when she saw someone accompanying Xue Rui.
"Could it be that the hibiscus lantern that Imperial Consort wants people to find is in the lake?" Young Miss Ning guessed.
She was not the only one. Many people present had the same thought.
Otherwise, why would Xue Rui, Jing Chen, and the others jump into the lake?
"At the bottom of the lake? Then how do we find it? " Xin Liu let out a strange cry. Looking at the faint light of the lake under the curtain of night, he shrunk his neck and muttered, "If it were me, I wouldn't go into the water even if you beat me to death. Everyone says that there's a man-eating fish hidden in the lake of Dingbo Pavilion. Every year, there are servants who lose their lives because of it.
Normally, Yu Shu would not believe half a word of this kind of rumor, but at this time, she couldn't help but ask Xin Liu, "Is it true?"
"It's the heir who said it. He also said that he saw that big fish with his own eyes. It had a mouth full of sharp teeth and could jump ten feet in one leap." Xin Liu heartlessly gestured.
Young Miss Ning was more perceptive than her. Seeing that Yu Shu's expression was not good, she hurriedly pulled on Xin Liu's hand and said, "The heir must be joking with you. If there really was such a fierce big fish, it would have been caught and killed long ago. How could it be allowed to do evil here?"
.....
Yu Shu's eyelids twitched. Looking at the water under the pavilion in the center of the lake, she felt that after a long time, Xue Rui still hadn't come up. Her worry turned into anxiety.
Liu Yi still had to make sarcastic remarks, "Xue Rui's swimming ability is average. One year, he followed Imperial Father out of the palace to observe the people. Feng Zhaomiao, that non-swimmer, fell into Jade Lion Lake. He was the first to jump in, but in the end, he was pulled ashore by the imperial bodyguards. Hehe … He hasn't come up for so long. Could it be that he didn't find the lantern and lost his life?"
Hearing this, Yu Shu wanted to kick him into the water.
At this time, there was finally some movement on the surface of the lake.
"Crash!"
Someone broke through the water. Yu Shu's eyes widened as she tried to discern who it was. However, someone had sharper eyes than her and called out first.
"It's Second Young Master Zhu!"
Zhu Qingjue was imitating Wei Shi tonight. His clothes were loose and his hair was disheveled as he climbed onto the wooden raft. He looked like a duckweed in the rain. Even if it was wet, it was still easy to recognize.
"Quickly look and see if he has a lantern in his hands." Someone shouted.
"I don't see him. He's empty-handed."
Yu Shu had already completely tossed the matter about the lamp to the back of her mind. She held onto the railing as she looked towards the distance with fear, and she only hoped that Xue Rui would come out of the water safely.
Miss Ning quietly looked at Yu Shu's nervous expression. Then, she looked at the lake again. Her heart was filled with a layer of hesitation.
"Crash!"
There was another sound of water breaking. A second person's head emerged from the water.
Someone on the shore shouted, "It's Daozi!"
"Quickly look. Daozi seems to be holding something in his hand. Did he find the lantern?"
"Mr. Xue hasn't come up yet. Could something have happened?"
"Shh. Don't talk nonsense."
They were too far away. No one could clearly see what Jing Chen was holding in his hand. Yu Shu didn't care who had snatched the lantern. However, Xue Rui, who had entered the water first, still hadn't come out. This caused her heart to sink.
Several sailors nearby were gathering at the pavilion in the middle of the lake. They created ripples on the surface of the lake. Even the nobles at the waterside pavilion were alarmed.
"Haha. It looks like Daozi has snatched the lantern. You're going to lose." Liu Yi rubbed his chin and revealed a malicious smile.
Yu Shu finally couldn't hold it in anymore. She turned her gaze and saw the empty wooden raft pushed up by the sailors. She stuffed the sandalwood box with the golden jade hibiscus in her hand into Xin Liu's arms. She turned around and walked towards the other side of the bridge. Her steps were so fast that Xin Liu couldn't stop her.
The long bridge led to the other side. As Yu Shu walked, she began to jog. The wind blew across the bridge and blew her light skirt. The crystal beads on her head swayed and made a messy sound.
"Ding lang." "Ding lang."
In that instant, her heart surged. She turned her head as if she sensed something and looked at the center of the lake. At the foot of the white pavilion, circles of ripples swayed. She slowed down her footsteps, her eyes unblinking.
"Hua la la!"
The surface of the water broke and a dazzling white light floated to the surface. It illuminated the wet side of that person's face. She could even hear his violent panting.
For a moment, she couldn't control herself.
She stopped and stood still. She held the railing with both hands and shouted towards the center of the lake, "Big Brother!"
A familiar voice entered Xue Rui's ears as he climbed onto the raft and took a deep breath of fresh air. He swiftly turned around and wiped his face before narrowing his eyes that were covered in mist, and he was slightly dazzled as he searched for the figure of his beloved on the brightly lit corridor. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up high as he raised his left arm up high, and he revealed a warm light.
Ah Shu, I didn't fail you.
Jing Chen looked away from the bridge and looked down at Xue Rui who was floating on the water. He felt lost.
Zhu Qingjue looked at the lotus lantern inlaid with luminous pearls in Xue Rui's hand. She recalled what happened in the water just now.
In fact, the first person to find this lantern was not Xue Rui who entered the water, but him who jumped into the water last.
He was a good swimmer. After entering the water, he climbed a stone pillar under the pavilion and sank. When he was halfway down, he found the luminous pearl lantern fixed on the pillar and the iron cage that locked the lantern. He tried several times but couldn't open it with brute force. He gave up and planned to think of a way when he was above the water.
Who would have imagined that even though Xue Rui found this stone pillar a step later than him, Xue Rui had used some unknown method to open the iron cage that had a lock!
"Hey," Zhu Qingjue couldn't hold back his curiosity. He squatted on the raft and called out to Xue Rui, "How did you open the lock on the cage?"
Xue Rui raised his head and smiled at him. He seemed to be in a good mood, "Don't you know there's a thing called a key?"
Nonsense!
"… Where did you find the key?" Why didn't he touch it?
Xue Rui squinted his eyes slightly. "I'm probably lucky. I got lost when I went into the water, and there was a string of things hanging on the pillar that I found first. I picked it up casually, but I didn't expect it to be a key."
There were three stone pillars under the water. Zhu Qingjue found the one with the lantern hidden. Xue Rui found the one with the key. As for the third pillar …
Zhu Qingjue turned his head and looked at the dim lantern in Jing Chen's hand. He immediately felt better.
A few wooden rafts were docked at the center of the lake. When the few men who didn't dare enter the water saw Xue Rui obtaining the lantern, some of them were disappointed and some of them were regretful, and they congratulated him before pushing their rafts up the shore dejectedly.
"Brother Xue, I'll pull you up." The man who held the raft for Xue Rui for the whole night smiled and reached out to Xue Rui. A trace of calculation flashed in his eyes.
Xue Rui moved and held his hand.
The man was delighted. He planned to pretend to slip and fall into the water so that he could squeeze the luminous pearl in Xue Rui's hand into the water. When that happened, it would be difficult for them to fish it out.
However, before he could move his feet, a strong force came from his arm and dragged him forward.
"Ah!"
"Splash!"
The water splashed high and splashed on Zhu Qingjue's face.
Xue Rui waved his hand and supported himself with the raft as he flipped over nimbly. He placed the luminous pearl in his bosom before he turned around to look at the struggling man who had fallen into the water. He apologized helplessly, "I'm sorry, my hand slipped."
The man drank a few mouthfuls of water and struggled with his hands and feet. He wanted to cry but had no tears.
Xue Rui showed a grateful look, "Brother, thank you for your help tonight. I'll treat you to a drink some other day. You must do me the honor."
After that, regardless of whether that person was crying or laughing, Xue Rui straightened his open lapel and stood up with his entire body drenched. Facing the refreshing breeze on the lake, he looked at the two men who were similarly in disheveled clothes who were standing on the wooden raft on the opposite side. He held up the Genuine Gold Lamp Wick Hibiscus Flower that was surrounded by night pearls in his hand and grinned. His brows and eyes were filled with indescribable joy, "This is mine."
The lantern was his.
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