49 Rescued Wallflower

It had to be said that generally, Song Lu Li was a very level-headed person. While she did not have an overly cautious personality, she was the type to think things through. She was more of a listener than a talker and often balanced out her trio of friends as the voice of reason. Thus, for her to be diving into the water to save a stranger like this was rather outside of expectations.

Fortunately, the boy had not sunken too deep into the water and Song Lu Li was a strong swimmer. She was soon able to reach him and helped pull him up and out of the water. They each rolled onto the bank and the boy gagged and coughed up the water he'd swallowed. Thankfully, he hadn't lost consciousness.

By this point, the rest of the group had rushed up to them, having noticed Song Lu Li's sudden absence and rescue attempt. "Lu Li, are you all right!?" Sun Fen Fang burst out worriedly.

"I'm fine," Lu Li replied, wringing some of the water from her clothing before taking her outer layer back from her servant to put on. She hadn't brought a change of clothes but thankfully Marquis Ji's estate wasn't too far away. It was a tad inconvenient, but it would be possible for her to return home, freshen up, and then rejoin the group. It wouldn't do for her to stay in these wet clothes and get sick.

"Yan Qiu Heng greets your highness."

Behind the two girls, the young men of the group were bowing towards the boy. Song Lu Li turned her head and finally got a better look at the child she'd just saved. In the heat and urgency of the moment, she had been so concerned with saving his life that she hadn't particularly focused on his face. It was only now she saw that not only was the boy not quite so young as she'd initially thought but that he was none other than the fifth prince, Wei De Ming!

"Your highness! This humble one apologizes for being impolite." Song Lu Li immediately knelt on the ground, bowing her head so low that it almost touched the ground. It was true that she'd been trying to save him, but technically speaking it was highly improper to touch royalty carelessly.

Seeing this, however, the prince rushed forward in alarm, pulling Song Lu Li by her arms to rise. "No no, please don't say such things, young miss! Would you have me be called ungrateful towards my savior?"

"This humble one doesn't dare to accept the word 'savior' from your highness!" Song Lu Li reluctantly allowed herself to be pulled to her feet but kept her head bowed.

"Excuse my presumption, your highness, but where are your servants?" Yan Qiu Heng asked in a grave tone of voice. Indeed, it was highly irregular and suspicious that a prince--especially one so young--could have fallen into the river without a single guard or servant intervening.

Wei De Ming bit his lip, looking at a loss. Before he could say anything or Yan Qiu Heng could prod further, a servant finally ran up from who knows where. "Your highness! This slave has been looking all over for you!" The servant made a big show of exclaiming over the prince's condition, worrying about him being soaking wet, and graciously thanking the group over and over. However, there was something performative about his manner. Yan Qiu Heng noted that the servant didn't seem to be breathing heavily, nor was his face ruddy from running here and there. It seemed to Qiu Heng that if this servant really had been looking all over for the prince, he wouldn't look nearly so relaxed. Yan Qiu Heng cast a glance towards the fifth prince, who had furrowed brows and an extremely embarrassed expression.

Wei De Ming was only 14 years of age. He and Wei Xie Liang were full-blooded brothers born from the late Noble Consort Su. Their mother had been elevated to the rank of noble consort after giving birth to the fourth prince and was quite favored at the time. However, when she was pregnant with Wei De Ming some years later, another concubine was also pregnant at the same time. This concubine was a more recent addition to the harem and was enjoying the emperor's favor and doting.

Over time, the increasingly neglected Noble Consort Su could not handle this treatment and eventually pushed the other concubine down a flight of stairs. The other concubine and the child in her womb both died and the stress of the situation forced Noble Consort Su into early labor. She was able to give birth to Wei De Ming who was premature but healthy, but she herself died soon afterward. To this day, there were still debates as to whether she truly died from the rough childbirth or whether she had been killed by order of the emperor. The concubine's dead child was determined by the palace physicians to have been male. The emperor had lost a son from a concubine he quite liked and now had a son born from a woman he considered a deranged, murderous shrew.

The fourth and fifth princes suffered quite a bit after that. Wei Xie Liang as the second oldest prince had been popular, known for being brilliant and sociable where the first prince was stiff and not politically savvy. It had been widely assumed that he would become the crown prince. After these tragic events, however, the emperor made the first prince crown prince and while he did not shun Wei Xie Liang completely, he no longer favored him like before.

In disappointment and despair, Wei Xie Liang became a complete wastrel. He and Wei Hong Sheng were dual terrors when it came to gambling, horse racing, drinking, and extortion. The fourth prince took it a step further by frequently patronizing brothels, taking and dismissing concubines constantly, and having loud drunken duels in the streets with men who had merely looked at him the wrong way.

As for Wei De Ming, he was a meek little wallflower. He was known for being bright and good-tempered, but his father did not favor him whatsoever and his only ally was his older brother who often was not around. He was kicked out of the palace upon reaching the age of 9 and stayed with Wei Xie Liang at his estate from then on.

This was all common knowledge. The goings-on of the royal family, for the most part, were common topics for gossip and stories. It did not take much for Yan Qiu Heng to understand that not only had this servant most likely not been looking for Wei De Ming, but he had also most likely ditched the prince and only came forward now when it was possible he might be in some trouble. After all, Yan Qiu Heng was about to be in-laws with Prince Rui and Hua Yan Ting was quite famous. They were not people that a disgruntled servant could afford to offend.

The fifth prince wasn't saying anything; he neither corrected the servant's words nor uttered a word in his own defense. He looked to be at the end of his rope, completely used to being looked down upon even by his own servants.

Song Lu Li was not quite as aware of all the behind-the-scenes knowledge as Yan Qiu Heng, but she understood two things: one, that the prince was unfavored and was out on such a night alone and two, that he currently looked so pitiful that her heart ached. She finally raised her head a little and asked, "Your highness, are you well? That was quite the tumble you took just now. It would be best to have a physician examine you as soon as possible to avoid any complications. Your health is of the utmost importance." Her voice was kind and her tone warm and soothing.

The rims of Wei De Ming's eyes reddened slightly. When was the last time another person had cared for him like this? "This prince is fine," he replied with no small amount of determination. "May I..." he stopped and straightened his back. "This prince would like to know the name of his savior." He strove to sound more princely.

At this point, Song Lu Ming stepped forward, partially shielding his waterlogged sister from view as he cupped his fists in a respectful salute. "Song Lu Ming greets Fifth Prince. This one's younger sister here is named Song Lu Li."

"House Song... Is that the family of Marquis Ji?"

"It is, your highness."

"I see. This prince thanks you for your service. I shall certainly come by the estate at a later date to express my thanks to Marquis Ji."

There were times to be humble and deflect and times to straightforwardly accept. This was one of the latter times. Song Lu Li could see that the prince's hands were trembling. Such polite, honorable words sounded a little funny from a boy only just exiting childhood. His voice was still somewhat high but was pleasant and musical. His face, though still soft and boyish, was handsome. Suddenly, Song Lu Li felt a stirring of curiosity towards what sort of prince this boy would grow up to become. She did not regret saving him and instead felt deeply touched by his upright conduct and words.

After speaking with Song Lu Ming a little while longer to arrange a visit, the prince departed with the still-nagging servant. Unlike earlier, however, he had a spring in his step as he walked away and did not even seem to be listening to the servant's harsh words. His mind was instead filled with the image of the beautiful young girl who had saved his life.

Meanwhile, Song Lu Li was looking at herself and laughing. "I certainly cannot go to eat looking like this." She looked and felt like a drowned rat.

Her older brother chuckled. "Let me take you home so you can change." He turned to Yan Qiu Heng. "Why don't you and Hua Yan Ting take Sun Fen Fang to the restaurant? My sister and I will rejoin you shortly. Our estate is not too far."

This seemed reasonable, so there was no reason to object. The group split up and it was only at that moment that Sun Fen Fang realized that she was now two steps closer to being alone with Yan Qiu Heng. The realization had her gulping in nervousness.