Though Yan Chi had arrived half an hour earlier than the appointed time, because the Marquis An Yang’s household wanted to escort Qin Wan together, they took a longer route. Moreover, with the Imperial Princess present, the carriages moved extremely slowly. Thus, by the time the group reached Li Shui Lake, twilight was just beginning to fall.

As the last rays of sunlight dissipated, the sky was shrouded in a grey haze. Though night hadn’t fully descended, the entire Li Shui Lake area was already extraordinarily lively. Even from a distance, Qin Wan could hear the bustling, festive clamor.

“Has Wan’er been here before?”

Qin Wan shook her head, “Never. I was always confined indoors before.”

The Imperial Princess immediately understood what she meant. She squeezed Qin Wan’s hand without saying more. Soon, the carriage stopped.

As soon as it stopped, footsteps approached from behind, and the curtain lifted. Yue Qing stood at the carriage door and said, “Grandmother, shall I help you board the boat first?”

The Imperial Princess smiled warmly, “There’s a lantern market below. Won’t you go enjoy it?”

Yue Qing glanced at Qin Wan, “We go to the lantern market every year—what’s there to enjoy? I should escort Grandmother first.”

The Imperial Princess nodded, releasing Qin Wan’s hand and reaching for Yue Qing, “Very well, since you’re being so filial, you may accompany me up.” Then, looking at Qin Wan, she said, “You’ve never been here before, so let Ning’er accompany you to tour the lantern market first. Later you can release sky lanterns and river lanterns. If you see something you like, buy a few small items to enjoy. Just don’t eat too much street food—it’s not clean and might upset your stomach. It’s a bit cold by the lake, so don’t remove your cape or cloak.”

As the Imperial Princess gave her detailed instructions, Qin Wan’s heart warmed, and she quickly agreed.

Beside them, Yue Qing was dumbfounded. He had thought Qin Wan would accompany the Imperial Princess onto the boat…

The Imperial Princess turned her head, “Qing’er? What’s wrong, do you want to go play after all?”

Yue Qing hurriedly shook his head, though feeling extremely disappointed inside, “How could I? I’ll accompany Grandmother up. After seeing Grandmother onto the boat, I’ll come back to look around.”

The Imperial Princess smiled kindly, then looked toward Yue Jia, Yan Chi, and the others, “You all go enjoy yourselves too. There will be vegetarian dishes prepared on the boat for dinner. We’ll eat on board, and we’ll call you when it’s time for the lake tour!”

Li Shui Lake was a natural lake in southern Jing Zhou City, connected to the Li Shui River that encircled Jing Zhou. The river flowed southward out of the city, eventually joining the Li River. The shores of Li Shui Lake were usually a refined area of Jing Zhou City. Beyond the pleasure boats and painted vessels, there were rows of wine shops, teahouses, and bookstores. The scholars and talents of Jing Zhou City loved to linger here.

Now, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the lantern market encircled Li Shui Lake. The water rippled with reflected light, and the lantern market was colorful. While not particularly large, it wasn’t small either—when everyone gathered to enjoy themselves, they could easily be found.

After the Imperial Princess gave her instructions, Yue Qing reluctantly helped her toward the Marquis An Yang household’s pleasure boat.

On Li Shui Lake, there was room for a hundred painted boats to dock, yet tonight there were only about twenty. Each boat on the lake represented the wealth and power of Jing Zhou City. Though each household decorated their boats differently, all were extremely magnificent and brilliant. The boats stood on the lake like jade pavilions and fairy mountains. Even though common people couldn’t board them, just looking at these beautiful scenes was pleasing to the eye. These pleasure boats naturally became one of the grand spectacles of Li Shui Lake!

“Where would you like to look around?” Yue Ning pointed ahead, “The entire lake shore is filled with things to see, play with, and eat. Have you never been to any garden parties before?”

Hearing this, Qin Wan thought for a moment and shook her head, “Probably not.”

Yue Ning frowned, “Probably?”

Fu Ling, following behind Qin Wan, quickly explained, “Princess, after my Young Miss fell into the lake, she injured her head. She doesn’t remember things from before clearly. Young Miss did attend lantern festivals when the Master and Madam were still alive.”

Yue Ning looked at Qin Wan for a moment, “How strange that you can’t remember things clearly, yet you remember your medical skills perfectly.”

Qin Wan exhaled. In the first few days, she had been quite nervous, afraid of revealing flaws. But by now, she had completely accepted the identity of Ninth Young Miss and had become quite calm about such suspicions.

“It’s not impossible. I’ve seen in medical practice that many injured or traumatized people forget even their relatives, yet still retain their skills—whether it’s writing, painting, cooking, or carpentry. There are many such cases.”

When it came to medical matters, no one could question Qin Wan. Yue Ning nodded, “Why haven’t I heard you mention falling into the lake and injuring your head?”

Qin Wan glanced around, seeing Yue Jia and the others still waiting, and smiled, “If Princess wants to know, I can tell you later. Right now, aren’t you supposed to show me around the lantern market? Young Lord Jia must have been here before, but Lord Wei and Prince Yu are visiting Jing Zhou for the first time. Princess should be a good guide.”

Yue Ning turned her eyes, then shrugged and pointed in a direction, “If that’s the case, let’s go this way…”

After speaking, Yue Ning took the lead at the front. Qin Wan followed with Fu Ling, and behind them, Yue Jia and the others also started walking. Yue Jia’s heart was clouded by thoughts of his upcoming marriage, but compared to him, Wei Yan Zhi beside him was even more grief-stricken. Beyond grief, he was also anxious, scared, and full of self-blame. So Yue Jia took up the role of host, introducing things to Wei Yan Zhi.

The group hadn’t walked more than a few steps when suddenly, from the nearest pleasure boat, the sound of a zither rang out. The clear, melodious notes immediately resounded across all of Li Shui Lake in the early evening.

“‘Seagulls and Herons Forget Their Wariness’?”

A voice suddenly spoke up. Qin Wan turned to look—it was Wei Yan Zhi who had spoken. Qin Wan listened carefully for a few moments. Indeed, it was the piece “Seagulls and Herons Forget Their Wariness.” Qin Wan’s lips curved slightly, “Lord Wei recognized the tune so quickly—you must be skilled at the zither?”

Wei Yan Zhi’s face showed a trace of appreciation for the music, but hearing Qin Wan’s words, he suddenly came back to himself. He shook his head, “Not really. Compared to me, my elder brother is most skilled at the zither. I only remember this piece because I’ve heard him play it so often.”