C5 The Seven Dishes Lantern Festival!

"You're smarter than you look! There's a lantern festival tonight, and since you're being so well-behaved, I'll take you to see it!" Lo Qiushui hadn't expected Lo Qiuli to humble herself so much, making it hard to find fault with her.

With that, she decided to let it go, turning away like a proud peacock, her silk dress catching the breeze and leaving a graceful silhouette behind.

Lo Qiuli narrowed her eyes. In the past, she'd retorted to Lo Qiushui's words and ended up beaten by her servant, bedridden for a month, missing the lantern festival.

Yet, she remembered that year's festival vividly. A sudden riot broke out among the townsfolk, and the government had to send troops to quell it. Leading them was the Ninth Prince, Xiao Yuhan.

Xiao Yuhan seemed to have been seriously injured during the incident, which led to the postponement of his wedding, originally set for two months later.

The reason behind Xiao Yuhan's injury was puzzling. Despite the crowd's numbers, the troops were well-trained. How could they have allowed him to be hurt so easily? Was there more to the story?

Regardless, Xiao Yuhan's intelligence was undeniable. Even when Xiao Hongfei, still a prince, tried to outmaneuver him multiple times, he never succeeded. It wasn't until Xiao Hongfei became emperor that he managed to frame Xiao Yuhan with a scandalous accusation, finally removing him. This showed just how shrewd Xiao Yuhan was.

If she could gain his support, she wouldn't be so isolated. But Xiao Yuhan was known for his aloofness. How could she get close to him?

The thought left Lo Qiuli troubled. She had nothing now, so how could she earn Xiao Yuhan's trust?

Thinking about it too long made her head spin. She rubbed her temples, deciding not to dwell on it. With nothing to lose, what did she have to fear?

Limo had already started cleaning, while Lo Qiuli sat on the porch, lost in thought. The temperature had dropped suddenly a few days ago, but now the sun was shining warmly, enveloping her in its comforting embrace.

Lo Qiuli raised her head, peering through her fingers at the clear sky, feeling a bit nostalgic. In the dark, secluded palace, she hadn't felt the warmth of the sun for so long.

Perhaps because her mind was at ease, she soon felt drowsy and drifted off to sleep. When she awoke, it was already dark. Draped over her was a newly delivered, lightweight yet warm shawl from the mansion. Despite the fierce winds outside, she felt cozy.

"Miss, you're awake. The maids from the main house just brought over some beautiful clothes, saying you should change before going out, so you don't embarrass the family. If you're unhappy, we can always return to the mountains. It may lack luxuries, but at least it's peaceful, unlike here, where we have to constantly watch our step," Limo said, feeling indignant on Lo Qiuli's behalf. The arrogance of those maids was something Limo would never forget. Though they were all servants, they acted more like the masters of the house.

"Limo, let's wait a bit longer," Lo Qiuli replied, knowing Limo was upset but unable to defend her. She was in a lowly position now, but one day, she would show them that she wasn't someone to be trifled with.

"It's time to change, or they'll get anxious," Lo Qiuli said, cutting Limo off before she could protest further. She stood up, stretched, and went inside to change into a simple outfit, then headed to the mansion's entrance.

Just as she stopped, Lo Qiushui and Lo Qiulan appeared from the corridor. Lo Qiuli bowed her head in greeting and stepped aside to let them pass. Seeing her tact, Lo Qiushui didn't make things difficult for her, merely huffed and boarded the carriage, heading to the lantern festival.

Although Lo Qiuli was a lady of the house, her status was lower than even the most humble servant in the mansion. No one was willing to drive her, so she had to walk to the festival. Fortunately, she was familiar enough with the city to know which direction to head.

Lo Qiuli arrived just in time, as the riot had already begun. She still didn't understand why the people were rioting, since the events unfolded before she married into the Fifth Prince's household.

Standing amidst the crowd, Lo Qiuli watched Xiao Yuhan, dressed in his general's uniform, atop a tall horse. A smile tugged at her lips. She had always admired Xiao Yuhan; men with his confidence and strategic mind were rare.

As Lo Qiuli was about to find a place to observe from the shadows, a sudden whooshing sound pierced the night sky. Her past experiences with assassination attempts had sharpened her instincts, and she immediately recognized the danger. But Xiao Yuhan, seemingly distracted by the chaos, hadn't noticed the threat from behind.

"Watch out!" she shouted.

In a flash, Lo Qiuli dashed forward, slapping the horse's legs with all her might. Startled, the horse reared up, taking a few steps forward before Xiao Yuhan managed to rein it in. Though he had control, the horse's momentum hadn't fully stopped.

The horse's hooves rose high, spinning in a circle, and knocked Lo Qiuli to the ground before she could get out of the way.

Just as Xiao Yuhan was about to relax his grip on the reins, he noticed someone beneath the horse. His eyes narrowed, and he tightened his hold, causing the horse to lift its hooves higher, narrowly missing Lo Qiuli's dress as it came down.

Lo Qiuli watched in horror as the hooves landed mere inches from her, cold sweat breaking out all over her body. Despite her past experiences with danger, her body trembled uncontrollably, fearing the hooves would strike her.

"Are you out of your mind?!"

Xiao Yuhan dismounted, his cold eyes blazing with anger. He roughly pulled Lo Qiuli up from the ground and pushed her aside. His furious voice made Limo, who was rushing over, pause for a moment.

Before Lo Qiuli could say anything, another arrow whizzed through the air, aiming straight for Xiao Yuhan's back.

Lo Qiuli stepped forward, but a sharp pain shot through her foot, making her already pale face even more colorless. Her heart raced as the arrow drew closer.

Ignoring the pain, she gritted her teeth and took a step forward, managing to pull Xiao Yuhan aside just as the arrow arrived.

"Assassins!" she gasped out weakly before collapsing to the ground, unable to support herself any longer. A small red stain spread across her back as the short arrow finally came into view in front of Xiao Yuhan.