But her hands had gone numb from the cold, and the blow, though not strong, did not break the ice. She herself was shaken back a step and fell to the ground.
Ye Jingyu suddenly snapped back to his senses, strode over, took the stick from the little dumpling's hand, and smashed it down with all his might.
'Bang!'
A hole was smashed in the ice.
The snow covering the ice was all shaken away, revealing Liu Lanxue beneath the water.
Liu Lanxue was no longer struggling; she was truly sinking this time.
"Mother Consort!" Ye Jingyu lunged forward, about to jump in.
A flash of bright robe streaked across everyone's vision.
Emperor Ye Yao pushed Ye Jingyu aside and jumped into the water himself.
Everyone was stunned.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Eunuch Chang was even more terrified, craning his neck and shouting, "You useless lot, what are you standing around for! Go down and save them quickly!"
"Not everyone can go down!" Su Yunmo stopped everyone in time.
She turned to Ye Jingyu and said quickly, "The ice hole is very small. If too many people go down, they will definitely block the exit, causing more trouble."
"Trust me, I will bring your father and mother up!" Su Yunmo said, and then leaped into the lake alone.
Ye Jingyu's face immediately turned pale: "Mo Mo!"
He desperately suppressed the urge to jump down, gritting his teeth so hard his gums almost bled, "Someone, get ropes! The rest of you, break open the ice!"
Everyone acted according to his instructions.
Lin Yuning, who was hiding in the shadows, also looked tense, her mind blank, her whole body trembling.
She had been certain that Su Yunmo, in order to clear her name, would likely jump into the water to save them.
But she hadn't expected His Majesty to jump in too!
If anything happened to His Majesty, let alone the country and its laws not forgiving her, even the Empress would surely want her dead if she found out!
What to do, what to do now!
While everyone was busy saving them.
Under the water.
Emperor Ye Yao tightly grasped Liu Lanxue's hand.
His entire body was soaked in the icy water, his face purple from the cold. He tried to hold Liu Lanxue in his arms, kissing her lips to give her breath.
Xue'er, don't die, don't die!
Liu Lanxue's fingers twitched. She slowly opened her eyes, and in her blurry vision, a familiar face appeared.
She opened her mouth and silently uttered two words: A Yao.
Emperor Ye Yao's heart tightened, and the arm holding her suddenly squeezed.
Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, A Yao will save you, A Yao will save you!
Liu Lanxue's mouth was filled with water, and she closed her eyes in pain, having no strength left to struggle.
Emperor Ye Yao, with one arm around her, desperately swam towards the surface.
The icy lake water made his blood feel frozen, and his movements became slower and slower.
Occasionally, pieces of ice fell from the surface of the water.
One piece struck Emperor Ye Yao's arm.
His wrist was hit, and blood flowed along the lake water, turning it red, but the red quickly dissipated in the water.
He couldn't breathe, relying only on instinct to go up, but he couldn't find any direction, unsure if he was rising or sinking.
Suddenly, a small body rushed over at extreme speed.
Mo Mo!
Emperor Ye Yao's eyes lit up. At the moment he lost strength, his arm was grabbed.
Su Yunmo had a rope tied around her waist. She pulled the rope hard, then gathered her powers with both hands and hugged Emperor Ye Yao's arm with all her might.
On the shore.
Ye Jingyu had been waiting anxiously. Suddenly, he felt the rope sink: "Pull up, quickly!"
Mo Mo, please don't get hurt!
Everyone pulled the rope upwards together.
A small head gradually emerged from the water.
"Mo Mo!" Ye Jingyu rushed forward, pulled her out of the lake, and held her in his arms.
The little dumpling managed a weak smile: "I brought your mother and father back, you don't have to... worry."
The last two words trailed off.
She tilted her head and collapsed into Ye Jingyu's arms.
"Mo Mo! Mo Mo!" Ye Jingyu quickly covered her with his outer robe and shouted, "Where is the imperial physician, summon the imperial physician quickly! Imperial physician!"
The others also rescued Emperor Ye Yao and Liu Lanxue.
Liu Lanxue had completely lost consciousness.
Emperor Ye Yao held her tightly, his face, tinged with blue from the cold, filled with panic: "Xue'er, Xue'er wake up! Wake up! Imperial physician! Imperial physician!"
Both of them called for the imperial physician.
The servants hurried to summon them.
Behind the tree, Lin Yuning gritted her teeth, unsure whether to be happy or angry.
It was good that His Majesty was safe, but that dead girl Su Yunmo should have died in the lake!
Now, after all this trouble, she had ended up achieving nothing despite the grave crime of attempted murder of a consort.
Not only was Su Yunmo safe and sound, but Liu Lanxue had also escaped safely, which was infuriating!
"Princess, let's leave quickly. More people will be here soon, and if they see you here, it might be troublesome," Ju Xiang whispered.
Lin Yuning nodded and changed direction, leaving.
On the other side, Ye Ningyuan, seeing the little dumpling being carried away by Ye Jingyu, also felt a slight relief.
She turned to look in the direction Lin Yuning was leaving, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes, and followed her.
Lin Yuning, with her maids, headed towards the palace gate: "Listen, we were never at the lake today, nor did we see Consort Liang. If anything happens later, say the same thing to everyone, understand?"
Chun Ju wiped the cold sweat from her forehead: "Princess, you've already instructed us. Don't worry, this servant understands."
If forging an imperial decree was a capital offense, then if what just happened was discovered, it would lead to the extermination of the entire clan!
Lin Yuning clenched her fists and quickened her pace.
She had to leave the palace immediately. Everything that happened today should be as if it never occurred!
Suddenly, someone jumped out in front of her.
Lin Yuning's expression changed drastically, and she almost cried out in surprise.
Ye Ningyuan appeared before them with her hands behind her back, a playful smirk on her lips.
"Princess Lian, are you in such a hurry to return to your estate? You've come to the palace, why not stay a little longer?"
Lin Yuning gritted her teeth, a flash of annoyance in her eyes.
Why did this dead girl suddenly appear here? Did she want to scare her to death by appearing so silently?!
"This Princess came to the palace to pay respects to the Empress. I just remembered something at my estate, so I'm leaving first."
"Oh?" Ye Ningyuan, with her hands behind her back, leaned down and looked up at her, her eyes filled with a hint of mockery.
"Is that so? But the direction from which Princess Lian came doesn't seem to be from Fengqi Palace; it looks more like it's from the Plum Garden."
Lin Yuning's body stiffened abruptly, and she clenched her fists tightly, gritting her teeth.
Forget that wretched Su Yunmo, this Ye Ningyuan is no good either!
Lin Yuning took a deep breath, composed her expression, and said calmly, "After leaving the Empress's palace, this Princess felt bored, so I was just strolling around."
Ye Ningyuan released her hands from behind her back, raised one finger, and wagged it, her eyes full of disapproval, "Sister Princess Lian, your words have loopholes. Didn't you just say you had urgent matters at your estate and had to rush back?"
She clicked her tongue and said with a smile, "Your explanation won't fool anyone. If Ye Jingyu investigates, your clumsy excuse with its many flaws will surely be exposed."