The sunlight was brilliant today. Small Mirror Lake truly lived up to its name—the clear surface of the water shimmered with ripples, like a mirror laid out beneath the sun.

In the lake, a boy of about five or six was desperately flailing his small hands, his body bobbing up and down in the water.

On the shore stood a middle-aged woman dressed like a nanny. She seemed as though she wanted to jump in, yet didn’t dare. She paced back and forth aimlessly.

“Little Master,” Qin Jiu said swiftly to the young monk behind her, “someone has fallen into the water. Please hurry and find people to help.”

The novice monk was already frightened by the scene. He nodded repeatedly and turned to run.

“H-Help… cough…”

The boy swallowed several mouthfuls of water. His limbs flailed more and more weakly, and his body began to sink.

Seeing this, Qin Jiu hesitated no longer. She rushed forward in two quick strides, leapt from the bank, and plunged straight into the lake.

Whether the original owner could swim, Qin Jiu didn’t know… but she could!

In just a few strokes, Qin Jiu reached the boy. By then, his eyes were unfocused, his consciousness fading, his arms and legs hanging limply without the slightest struggle.

Without time to think, Qin Jiu scooped the boy up from behind and swam hard toward the shore.

Qin Jiu was a strong swimmer, but towing an unconscious child through the water was still exhausting, and she began to lose strength.

At that moment, the nanny on shore extended a long tree branch. Qin Jiu thought the woman meant to pull her up and hurriedly said, “Take the child first—”

Mid-sentence, Qin Jiu sharply caught a flash of vicious light in the nanny’s eyes.

Keeping her expression neutral, Qin Jiu pulled the boy close against her chest and reached out to grab the branch.

Sure enough—

In the next instant, a force shoved from the other end of the branch. Qin Jiu immediately yanked back.

The nanny nearly got dragged into the lake. Frightened, she dropped the branch at once and staggered back two steps, trying to steady herself.

Seizing the chance, Qin Jiu pushed the boy up onto the shore and then climbed out herself.

It was already early autumn, the ninth month. The lake water carried a biting chill, and her soaked clothes clung heavily to her body, cold and heavy.

A gust of autumn wind blew past. Qin Jiu shuddered violently, then turned to look at the boy on the bank. His eyes were tightly shut, his face deathly pale, breathing more out than in.

Qin Jiu didn’t dare waste time. She quickly loosened the boy’s collar, knelt on one knee, laid him face-down across her leg, and pressed firmly along his back with the heel of her hand.

The nanny stared at Qin Jiu with a dark, sinister gaze. Suddenly, in a burst of desperation, she bent down, grabbed a stone from the ground, and hurled it at Qin Jiu’s head.

Qin Jiu had been on guard against her all along. Holding the boy, she dodged to the side. At that moment, the young monk’s childish voice came from the direction of the maple forest: “…Just ahead…”

Then came a rush of chaotic footsteps, drawing closer and closer.

Panic flashed across the nanny’s face. She immediately dropped the stone, lunged forward, grabbed at Qin Jiu’s hands, and shouted at the top of her lungs, “Help! Someone help! …Let go of the young master!”

Qin Jiu: “…”

She only wanted to say two words: Ha ha.

Soon, a richly dressed, beautiful woman hurried over, surrounded by a crowd.

The woman was quite tall, with long brows sweeping into her temples, lips as red as flame, and bright almond eyes that lifted slightly at the corners, gleaming with life.

The moment she stepped out of the maple forest and saw the scene before her, she froze in shock.

“Zhen’er!”

She cried out and stumbled forward.

“Cough!”

At that moment, under Qin Jiu’s continuous pressing, the unconscious boy finally let out his first cough.

“Cough, cough!”

Then came several more coughs, each louder than the last, as puddle after puddle of lake water was hacked up from his mouth.

The beautiful woman rushed to the boy in one breath. She wanted to snatch him from Qin Jiu’s knee, yet didn’t dare move recklessly.

Even without knowing the whole story, she could tell that this unfamiliar young girl was saving her son.

“Ding Momo, stop.”

The woman sharply reprimanded. The nanny stiffened, and the hands that had been gripping Qin Jiu finally loosened.

Ding Momo’s eyes darted back and forth, from the woman to Qin Jiu, her expression rigid and uneasy.

The boy spat up quite a bit more lake water before Qin Jiu finally turned him over.

With difficulty, the boy opened his large, clear black-and-white eyes. After a brief moment of confusion, he turned toward the beautiful woman and gave her an innocent smile, calling out in a hoarse voice, “Mother…”

“Zhen’er! Zhen’er!”

The woman could no longer care about anything else. She hugged him tightly and burst into tears.

“Master!” Ding Momo dropped to her knees and knocked her head hard against the ground, crying out in anguish. “It was this servant’s failure to take good care of the young master… It was her! She’s the one who pushed the young master into the lake!”

As she spoke, Ding Momo raised her hand and pointed straight at Qin Jiu, her voice hoarse and shrill.

Holding the boy in her arms, the beautiful woman looked toward Qin Jiu, doubt flickering in her gaze. In the next instant, it was as if she had seen something utterly unbelievable, and her whole body froze.

Her beautiful eyes widened, her breathing grew more uneven, and her chest rose and fell slightly.

Facing Ding Momo’s accusation, Qin Jiu remained calm. She looked directly at Ding Momo and said, “People act and the Heavens see. Do you not know where we are? Do you dare say it again? Who was it that pushed this child into the lake?”

Ding Momo’s face went pale. She shuddered, feeling as though countless unseen eyes were staring at her from the dark.

Instinctively, she avoided Qin Jiu’s gaze and blustered weakly, “Y-You… it was you!”

“Female benefactor, please mind your words.” The young novice monk who had led the woman’s group here performed a Buddhist salute and said solemnly, “When this female benefactor arrived at the lakeside, the young benefactor had already fallen into the water. This humble monk saw it with his own eyes.”

Qin Jiu gave him a grateful smile.

“Master,” Ding Momo ground her teeth and forced herself to continue, bowing heavily again. “This servant has been utterly loyal to you. Master, please see clearly—”

“Mother…” The boy’s voice was weak, but his words were clear. “It wasn’t Sister who pushed me… Sister was the one who saved me.”

The beautiful woman’s gaze had nearly glued itself to Qin Jiu’s face. Only upon hearing this did she come back to her senses and look at Ding Momo, who was kneeling on the ground.

Zhen’er had been somewhat weak from birth. The imperial physicians could only say that he needed careful nurturing; there was nothing else to be done. Hearing that the talismans at Qingjing Temple were exceptionally efficacious, she had brought Zhen’er here to seek one for protection.

Her own health was poor, and she tired easily. After offering incense and obtaining the talisman, she had gone to rest in the side chambers.

Zhen’er was young and lively and wanted to go out and play. Ding Momo had coaxed him a bit on the side, and she had agreed, instructing Ding Momo to take several attendants and serve him carefully, repeatedly reminding them to stay away from the lake.

Ding Momo had served by her side for eight years. She trusted her, and that was why she had entrusted Zhen’er to her care.

For some reason, she felt inexplicably uneasy while resting in the side chambers just now. Just when she was about to come out to take a look, she happened upon a young monk rushing about looking for help, saying that a child had fallen into Small Mirror Lake. At that moment, her heart felt as though it had been stabbed through. Without a second thought, she rushed over.

And the child who had fallen into the water was indeed Zhen’er!

Just moments ago, her son had fallen into the lake. However, Ding Momo was still standing safely on the shore, completely unharmed.

Aside from Ding Momo, none of the other servants assigned to attend him were anywhere to be seen. Meanwhile, the girl whom Ding Momo had accused was soaked from head to toe, very clearly having just come out of the water.

She was no fool. Who was lying was perfectly obvious.

“Seize Ding Momo!”

The beautiful woman gave the order with a face full of fury.

At her command, two nannies who followed behind her immediately stepped forward and subdued Ding Momo in just a few moves.

Ding Momo’s face went even paler. In a panic, she cried out: “Master, you must believe this servant! I’ve served you for so many years—mmph!”

A cloth was roughly stuffed into Ding Momo’s mouth, and the two nannies dragged her aside. This was a place of Buddhist purity; punishment for a traitorous servant would be dealt with after they returned.

“Miss,” the beautiful woman said, her voice trembling faintly despite herself, “thank you for what you did today. Come with me to change into dry clothes first.”

“My husband’s family name is Gu. Just call me Madam Gu.”

“You’re completely soaked. It’s too cold here, don’t stand around. Let’s go back to the side chambers and talk.”

“Thank you, Madam Gu.” Qin Jiu did not refuse and respectfully curtsied.

She had come to Qingjing Temple for this very “Madam Gu.”

“Gu” was the imperial surname.

This “Madam Gu” was none other than the current empress.

The original owner’s biological mother was surnamed Wei. She was the legitimate second daughter of the Duke of Zheng’s household and was born of the same mother as the current empress. The two sisters were only two years apart and had been extremely close since childhood.

The late emperor had bestowed a marriage, granting the Duke of Zheng’s eldest legitimate daughter to the then crown prince as his crown princess. After the crown prince ascended the throne, the crown princess naturally rose to empress.

Empress Wei bore two sons. The eldest prince had died young.

It was not until five years ago that Empress Wei gave birth to her youngest son, the Sixth Prince. The delivery had been extremely difficult, and she had nearly died along with the child. Though she barely survived, her health collapsed thereafter and had worsened with each passing year.

In the novel, the Sixth Prince drowned and died. Soon after, Empress Wei followed him in death overwhelmed by guilt and grief.

This plotline was only briefly mentioned in the story. The female lead, Qin Xin, merely sighed over the Sixth Prince’s death and stayed with Empress Wei for a few days to comfort her. Later on, the imperial entourage returned to the capital earlier than planned because of it.

For the past several days, Qin Jiu had remained at Qingjing Temple precisely to change the fate of Empress Wei and the Sixth Prince—and to appear before Empress Wei in a natural, justifiable way.

However, the novel only mentioned that the Sixth Prince drowned at Mirror Lake in Qingjing Temple. It never specified that there were two Mirror Lakes.

At first, Qin Jiu had assumed the Sixth Prince drowned in the main Mirror Lake. Only later did she realize that with so many pilgrims there, even if someone accidentally fell in, they would have been rescued quickly. That was why she had asked the young novice monk an extra question…

Thankfully, she had not arrived too late.

Qin Jiu let out a relieved breath in her heart.

Empress Wei removed her own cloak and instructed her personal palace maid, “Youbai, go and drape the cloak over that young lady.”

Youbai widened her eyes in surprise. After a brief hesitation, she bowed and replied, “Yes, Your—Madam.”

“No need.” Qin Jiu shook her head. “Wrap it around the young prince instead. He’s still small and has fallen into the water. If the wind hits him, he might catch a chill.”

The Sixth Prince had only just been saved from death—Qin Jiu had no desire for anything else to go wrong.

Empress Wei’s eldest son had died of an illness brought on by a chill. Hearing this, the fingers clutching the cloak tightened.

She wrapped the cloak around her son and held him tightly in her arms.