"No," Xiao Yun said, "How could I let them have their way?"
He added, "I am a loyal and unwavering man!"
Wang Qingyao chuckled and asked, "And then?"
Consort Wei had the door locked, but she hadn't ordered the windows sealed. Xiao Yun climbed out through a window and rolled on the ground, looking quite disheveled.
There were palace maids guarding the door. Seeing him climb out the window, they were momentarily stunned, unsure of what to do.
Someone went to report to Consort Wei, who was currently chatting with the Old Imperial Consort, stalling for time.
Although the Old Imperial Consort found it strange, she didn't mind the Consort keeping her company.
Xiao Yun, having climbed out the window, walked all the way outside Huayang Palace.
His head was swimming, his body burning, and he felt extremely uncomfortable. He wandered aimlessly, not knowing where he was going.
Some palace maids or eunuchs recognized him and asked him a few concerned questions. He pushed them away, determined not to follow anyone. He just hoped the effects of the medicine would wear off quickly.
After running around like a headless chicken for a while, his mind cleared a bit. He walked towards the imperial lotus pond and, upon reaching the edge, plunged into the water.
Unexpectedly, someone thought he was drowning and jumped in to save him. After a few splashes, their own swimming skills weren't very good. They missed Xiao Yun's clothes and instead began to sink straight down.
Xiao Yun quickly went to pull them up and discovered it was a young woman. At that moment, he couldn't worry about anything else. He pulled the woman ashore.
At this point, Xiao Yun sighed heavily.
Wang Qingyao understood.
The palace intrigue and family feuds she had read about before often led to romantic encounters through the trope of falling into water and being rescued, or through intimate contact.
"Who was that woman?" Wang Qingyao asked.
Xiao Yun glanced at her. "Coincidentally, she was the illegitimate daughter of Consort Wei's second branch, named Wei Yun."
Xiao Yun, who had initially been grateful to this kindhearted young woman, couldn't help but suspect she wasn't there to save him but rather to cause trouble, upon learning her identity.
Wei Yun had entered the palace with Wei Yu, the future Crown Princess. After Xiao Yun pulled her ashore, it was Wei Yu who made the incident known throughout the palace.
Wei Yu had people help Wei Yun to Consort Wei's Huayang Palace. Xiao Yun, having recovered from the effects of the drug and his mind clear, stormed in, intending to settle the score with Consort Wei.
Consort Wei was the Emperor's most favored consort and the Crown Prince's mother. If she dared to do this, she must have had a plan. Xiao Yun couldn't do anything to her, but he was always arrogant. If he accidentally broke or smashed something Consort Wei cherished, no one would blame him.
Consort Wei had indeed handled everything cleanly. The tea and fruits had been removed, and the Fifth Princess was nowhere to be seen.
The Old Imperial Consort was stunned to see Xiao Yun looking like a drowned rat.
"A'Yun, what happened? Are you alright?"
Xiao Yun's cool gaze swept over Consort Wei's face. "I'm fine. I accidentally fell into the lotus pond."
The Old Imperial Consort was momentarily confused. "Ah? Weren't you having tea here?"
Xiao Yun sneered. "Yes, I wonder if something was added to the tea. I actually had hallucinations and ran to the lotus pond for no reason!"
Consort Wei remained composed. "It must be the hot weather. Prince Ding'an must have been overcome by the heat."
Xiao Yun: "Heh."
The Old Imperial Consort, being sharp as a tack, immediately sensed something was amiss amidst the veiled hostility.
Especially when Xiao Yun, while going to change his clothes, "accidentally" knocked over a jade water-clear flower vase and a celadon-glazed amphora with double ears in the main hall.
They shattered on the floor with a crash. The Old Imperial Consort was startled.
"Oh, sorry. I was overcome by the heat and my steps were a bit unsteady," Xiao Yun said insincerely.
The peculiar Consort Wei showed no sign of anger or distress, merely saying faintly, "It's alright."
She then ordered servants to attend to Xiao Yun changing his clothes, this time calling for several eunuchs.
Xiao Yun wouldn't let the eunuchs follow him either. The Old Imperial Consort pretended to scold him, but when no one else could hear, Xiao Yun quickly said, "Consort Wei drugged me and wants me to marry the Fifth Princess."
The Old Imperial Consort seemed greatly alarmed, her expression changing.
By the time Xiao Yun came out after changing, Wei Yun had also changed her clothes, and surprisingly, the Emperor was still there.
Xiao Yun's expression darkened. It seemed Consort Wei was determined to find him a concubine.
Indeed, Consort Wei had already spoken to the Emperor about it. The Emperor had never thought it wrong for men to have multiple wives and concubines, and besides, she was merely an illegitimate daughter, perfectly suitable to be a concubine to a prince. He had nodded with a smile, indifferent.
Xiao Yun refused.
Wei Yu argued with him, accusing him of shirking his responsibilities.
That Wei Yun turned out to be a woman of integrity. She immediately knelt and said she wouldn't force him. Having had her purity compromised, she would rather shave her head, become a nun, and serve Buddha for the rest of her life, never marrying again.
Xiao Yun's anger flared up again at this point. "Heh, so virtuous? Why did you have to play the hero? If you had just stayed on the bank, none of this would have happened?"
Xiao Yun retorted to Wei Yun. Wei Yun was so angered that tears streamed down her face. "How was I supposed to know it was a man? What man is so frail that they'd fall into water? Is it wrong for me to save someone?"
She cried as if flowers were falling with the rain, almost wanting to dash her head against a pillar to prove her innocence.
Xiao Yun refused to budge. Dreaming of casually stuffing someone into his Prince Ding'an mansion? Impossible!
As a result, the Old Imperial Consort made the decision and agreed!