Sharing a Pavilion With You
Chapter 88: Am I Drowning?

Chapter 88: Am I Drowning?

Tricky lay in the shade keeping half an eye on the proceedings as his mistress knelt by the Emperor’s lotus pond, throwing handfuls of fish food to the colourful big carp whilst chatting to them.

The dog was on alert as a eunuch approached Meili stealthily from behind, creeping so as not to make any noise.

Tricky let out a long, low growl.

Feeding the Emperor’s carp was one of Meili’s new daily tasks.

"Yes, hello fishies. It’s nice to meet you all. I’m going to be feeding you from now on. Please look after me, and I will look after you," she introduced herself to the beautiful, rare specimens of fish.

Meili half-turned to see what had Tricky growling all of a sudden.

She saw a flash of a eunuch’s light green brocade robe, but no more than that, as the man shoved her roughly into the pond.

She fell into the deep water, scattering the fish and rapidly sinking as her shoes and heavy clothing dragged her under the dark surface.

Tricky jumped to his feet barking viciously and snarling at the criminal who dared to touch his mistress.

He chased after the running man, who was trying his best to disappear into a nearby rockery of black Lingbi stone, where he would be hidden by the tall manmade mountains and caves.

The dog snarled and leapt onto the eunuch’s back, knocking him down flat and winding him so that he let out a loud grunt as he hit the path. Tricky bit the man on his shoulder, scrabbling with his claws on his back and tearing at his yesa robe.

The man yelled out in fright and pain despite his driving need to flee the scene quietly.

Tricky suddenly leapt off the man and dashed fretfully back to the water’s edge to check on his mistress.

Meili was sinking to the bottom of the pond and pushing off with all her might, just barely managing a quick breath of air at the top of her jump, before she would sink back down and try to jump up to the surface all over again.

She didn’t make a sound. She couldn’t. She was too busy desperately trying to stay alive.

Meili could do some basic swimming because of her hot spring, but her shoes and heavy brocade robe were too heavy for her to manage to swim in, and their weight kept dragging her back under the water.

She was trying very hard not to panic as she bobbed up and down, up and down, but she was very, very frightened.

The water was dark brown to look at and it was pitch black as soon as you sank under the surface. It filled her eyes and ears each time that she was pulled back down, confusing her with the noise and light as she broke above the water line and sucked in a breath of air, immediately followed by the dank, dark silence of the underwater world.

Tricky was barking frantically from the water’s edge, enough to draw the attention of anyone in the vicinity.

The Second Prince, who was walking some distance away, heard Tricky barking.

He knew that sound from his time on Purple Mountain with the dog, plus there were no other dogs of that size in the palace.

He immediately ran towards the sound of the wild barking, which seemed to be coming from his Emperor Father’s private garden.

Meili was starting to tire with the endless struggle to reach the surface.

Fear had flooded her body with adrenaline, which propelled her legs, but the fear was also making her shake, and it was getting harder to draw in any air in the quick moments she was able to break the water’s surface.

Her shaky legs had to kick so hard to reach the top, and she had missed getting a breath at all on the last jump, forcing her to hold her breath for too long.

She was becoming lightheaded with the lack of oxygen, and her mind was turning into a crazy jumble of fear and sensory overload; she was rapidly losing her ability to make any sensible decisions about how to save herself.

She desperately wanted to remove her heavy clothes and her shoes, but she could only focus on one thing, which was pushing towards the light and that precious little breath of air.

Tricky’s barking became louder and he let out a long mournful howl as she failed to break the surface.

He leapt into the pond now that he could not see his mistress, paddling towards where he knew she was swimming.

The Second Prince tore through the gates to the garden just as Tricky leapt into the water.

He couldn’t see Mei Meili, but he knew there was only one reason that dog would howl and then leap into the pond like that.

He sprinted around the path, intent on the spot where Tricky swam, his heart pounding alarmingly in his chest and filling his ears with the sounds of its rapid beats.

Let her be alive! Let her be alive! Please let her be alive! he chanted to himself as he raced to the scene.

Meili pushed off the bottom of the lake with the last of her weakening vitality. She didn’t make the surface again, but she did feel her dog’s legs.

She pulled desperately on Tricky, dragging the dog underwater with her and grabbing onto his back.

The Second Prince watched the dog disappear under the surface as he ran towards the bridge.

For God’s sake! No! he thought, in panicked agony.

Tricky struggled to swim back up from under the water, but his girl was too heavy for him, with the added burden of her wet court clothes, and her exhaustion making her a dead weight.

She tried so hard for one last time to push upwards too, driven by her fear for her Tricky-Wu. She must help him to the surface or let him go so he could get there alone!

Between the two, girl and dog, they managed to just breach the surface.

The Second Prince saw a few inches of both girl and dog, and he dived into the water fully clothed himself; swimming hard to where they struggled, his fear propelling him to fly through the soupy water of the ornamental lake.

He grabbed Meili under the arms resting her head on his chest, and swam backwards to the bank with her, Tricky following closely behind the pair.

He dragged the beautiful girl up and onto the grass, pulling her into his lap, where he cradled her, looking desperately into her face.

She was white and pale, her eyes closed, her long hair loose and clinging to her face and body, her lips slightly blue.

"Meili! Meili!" he cried in anguish, stroking her cheek to try to rouse her.

There was no time to waste!

The prince laid her gently on her back on the grass and did as he had read in the medical texts about resuscitating those who had recently stopped breathing.

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