Qin Wan wore a mask as she walked swiftly through the dark alley, holding a lotus lantern in one hand while slightly lifting her skirt with the other.

Four or five people were heading toward the Shuangqing Theater stage in the alley. Qin Wan narrowed her eyes, noticing that the figure in front strongly resembled Yue Qing, walking steadily ahead. She wondered where he was heading.

Qin Wan paused her steps. She could see clearly that the alley stretched long ahead, growing increasingly darker. Being alone, she truly dared not continue following. While she hesitated, the “Yue Qing” ahead stopped walking. Qin Wan raised an eyebrow and took three steps forward. As she moved, “Yue Qing” resumed walking.

Qin Wan found this peculiar. After processing this, she immediately stopped, and sure enough, when she stopped, the other party stopped as well. Qin Wan narrowed her eyes – this person knew she was following and seemed to be deliberately leading her into the alley.

They maintained a distance of about twenty-five meters between them. Qin Wan studied his silhouette with increasingly furrowed brows. She distinctly remembered that Yue Qing had worn an identical robe today. But if it was Yue Qing, why wouldn’t he approach her directly instead of using such a strange method to lead her forward? Yet if it wasn’t Yue Qing, who could it be?

With these thoughts, Qin Wan’s feet had already begun moving. As soon as she stepped forward, that person also started walking. Qin Wan immediately raised an eyebrow – strange, if that person meant her harm, why maintain this distance?

Thinking this way, Qin Wan felt less afraid than before. She held her lantern in one hand while reaching for the Han Yue in her sleeve pocket, then gripped it discreetly. She took small steps while the person ahead took large strides. After observing for a while, seeing the distance between them growing larger, Qin Wan finally quickened her pace to follow.

Past experiences had given Qin Wan more investigative curiosity than most. Those peculiar cases handled by her father were ultimately solved through his meticulous investigation of the truth. Qin Wan had witnessed the deepest suffering in the human world and seen humanity’s most brutal nature. She knew there was something strange about the person ahead, but at this moment, she seemed to have no other choice.

When she walked slowly, that person walked quickly; when she walked quickly, that person walked even faster. Eventually, Qin Wan began to run, but her long dress made movement difficult. With one hand holding the lantern and the other gripping Han Yue, which she absolutely couldn’t discard, she watched as the person was about to run out of the alley. Qin Wan threw away her lantern and lifted her skirts to chase after them!

As if seeing dawn after passing through the deepest darkness, after running another dozen or so meters, Qin Wan saw that beyond the alley entrance was a brightly lit area. That figure paused at the alley’s mouth, seemingly waiting for Qin Wan. Seeing her running closer, he suddenly flashed to the right of the alley entrance. Having lost sight of her target, Qin Wan dared not delay and immediately gave chase!

When Qin Wan emerged from the alley with a light sheen of sweat on her forehead, she found an entire street of lantern towers. Because of the Shuangqing Theater stage, the usually bustling street was now nearly empty as people had gone to the theater street. Only scattered groups remained, still heading in that direction. Qin Wan looked to the right but only saw two young women walking toward her – the man who had resembled Yue Qing had completely vanished!

Qin Wan felt momentarily confused. Had that person led her here just to show her the street’s lantern towers?

Qin Wan walked forward a few steps. The lantern towers were indeed beautiful, but she had seen even more magnificent and grand fantasy light towers before. Though pleasing to the eye, they weren’t worth traversing such a dark alley to see. Moreover, if that person knew her, they would have spoken to her face-to-face; if they didn’t know her, what reason could they have for leading her here?

Qin Wan felt somewhat bewildered. Looking at the restaurants and teahouses along the right side of the street, she frowned slightly, wondering whether to go in and search.

On this Mid-Autumn Festival, the street-side establishments were all full of customers. Even from far away, Qin Wan could hear the sounds of finger-guessing games. These places were crowded with many prying eyes, and since that person had deliberately concealed their identity, they probably wouldn’t be found.

But why had they led her here?

After walking forward a few steps silently, Qin Wan stopped.

There must be a reason, and even maintaining such a far distance – that person might be someone she had met or knew, but who…

Qin Wan looked up, surveying the street ahead. The two young women passed by her, seeing her Xiezhi mask and moving aside with distaste. Apart from these two women, the right side of the street was empty.

Qin Wan stood for another moment, then turned to look at the left side of the street. Three or five figures were walking ahead, surely heading to the Shuangqing Theater stage. Qin Wan began to feel nervous. That person had disappeared, which meant their purpose had been achieved. But what was it for? This street only had lantern towers…

Her heart jolted as Qin Wan’s back suddenly stiffened. Lantern towers…

Just then, Qin Wan heard an extremely faint “crack,” like a rope or bamboo breaking. Immediately after, a massive force like a falling mountain pressed down toward her. Qin Wan’s scalp tingled as she whirled around, only to see the three-story lantern tower behind her collapsing like a mountain…

Qin Wan’s hand clutching Han Yue suddenly tightened as she instinctively closed her eyes. The tower’s frame was built of rolling logs, with bamboo lattices arranged in rows to hang the lanterns orderly and densely. Now, those logs as thick as bowls were falling toward her. The frame was already heavy, and with hundreds of lanterns hanging on top, Qin Wan could imagine how painful it would be when it hit her – no, perhaps she wouldn’t feel anything because her head would be crushed!

Qin Wan knew she couldn’t escape. The paralysis and tension of facing danger wouldn’t allow her to flee. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, and just when she thought the frame would crash onto her, suddenly, a fierce wind swept in from the side. Before Qin Wan could react, a large hand grabbed her waist, followed by a strong, powerful embrace pressing against her!

The person moved like lightning, making a precisely angled tackle. In a whirlwind moment, Qin Wan had been embraced and rolled twice on the ground. Then, with a thunderous crash, Qin Wan felt the person on top of her grunt in pain. She instinctively opened her eyes to see Prince Chi’s slightly pale face!

Looking around, she saw the massive lantern frame, originally two stories high, now lay broken on the ground, its lanterns either smashed or on fire. Prince Chi had pulled her away from the bottom rolling log frame, but the bamboo lattice holding the lanterns from above had struck his back. Even so, falling from such a height, Qin Wan could imagine how painful those bamboo pieces must have been. Qin Wan pressed her lips together, having never expected Prince Chi to appear…

“Your Highness, how did you…” Her words broke off as Qin Wan suddenly felt warmth in her hand. She raised her right hand to look and saw it covered in bright red blood. Her heart jumped, and Qin Wan immediately tried to crawl out from under the frame, but Prince Chi held her down. Qin Wan saw him frown, and then his body pressing heavily on top of her was lifted, along with the huge bamboo frame. Qin Wan quickly crawled out!

Once Qin Wan was free, things became much easier for Prince Chi. He exerted force with his arms – Qin Wan could see the veins bulging on the back of his hands. Soon, he lifted the wooden frame, rising to one knee before emerging from beneath the structure.

His face appeared composed and relaxed, but Qin Wan remembered the fresh red blood on her palm.

She didn’t have time to ask Prince Chi how he had appeared; she hurried to check his back, but after just one step, Prince Chi grabbed her hand. He pulled her back two steps and looked up at the beam of the wine shop that had originally secured the lantern tower. Looking up, they saw a hemp rope as thick as a bowl had somehow broken, with half still hanging from the beam…

In these moments, staff and customers from the surrounding restaurants and teahouses had come out. No one had expected the perfectly fine lantern tower to collapse. People looked at Prince Chi and Qin Wan, while several who had witnessed the scene were vividly describing what had happened.

“It was this handsome young master – otherwise, this young lady would surely have lost her life.”

“Such a huge lantern tower would kill even an ox. It seemed to hit that young master too, but how does he appear completely unharmed…”

“He looks like a master – must have some divine skill protecting him…”

As the common folk discussed, Qin Wan broke out in a cold sweat. She understood that person’s purpose now – it had been the lantern tower. She almost wanted to immediately enter the wine shop to investigate, but thinking of Prince Chi’s injury, she dared not be careless. “Your Highness is bleeding, the wound must have reopened. Your Highness, we must return to the carriage to treat your injury.”

Prince Chi frowned deeply, as if not hearing Qin Wan’s words. “Why did you come here?”

Qin Wan also furrowed her brows. “Your Highness, we must treat your wound first!”

Prince Chi turned to look at Qin Wan, his deep eyes like a whirlpool threatening to pull her in. Suddenly, he released her hand, turned around, and walked to the lantern frame. Qin Wan thought he was going to do something, but when he stood up, she suddenly saw Prince Chi holding a lotus lantern. Qin Wan was at a loss for words. “Your Highness—”

“You were chasing someone? So urgent that you threw away your lantern?”

Qin Wan met Prince Chi’s deep gaze, her heart-stirring. “Yes, I had gotten separated from the Young Princess earlier. Midway, I saw someone who looked very much like the Second Young Master of the Marquis’s mansion. That person seemed to be trying to lead me here. They would only walk when I walked and stopped when I stopped. I didn’t know who they were, so I followed all the way. This lantern…”

“We found the Princess, who said you had gotten lost. I came to find you, and picked up this lantern in the alley.” As he spoke, Prince Chi handed the lotus lantern to her.

Qin Wan looked at the almost undamaged lotus lantern, her heartwarming. This lantern had been thrown and dropped once, yet he had picked it up. Then during his rescue of her, it had been dropped again, yet somehow remained unbroken.

As Qin Wan took the lantern and was about to speak, urgent calls came from the left side of the alley. Qin Wan turned to look and saw Yue Jia, Yue Ning, and others approaching together. They ran over quickly, looking at Qin Wan and Prince Chi, then at the collapsed lantern tower on the ground, their faces full of shock and uncertainty. Yue Ning spoke first, “Are you alright? You’re not hurt?”

Qin Wan quickly shook her head. “I’m fine, but Prince Chi is injured. Please, Young Princess, arrange a place where I can treat Prince Chi’s wounds.”

Yue Ning and the others were no ordinary people – the obvious smell of blood in the air caused deep concern to well up in their eyes.

……

……

After helping the Grand Princess onto the boat, Yue Qing had wanted to slip away to find Qin Wan, but unexpectedly, once aboard, the Grand Princess kept him talking. The Grand Princess’s health had improved somewhat, and he couldn’t bear to refuse, so naturally he had to stay with her.

Although he knew he should practice filial piety, thinking about Qin Wan and the others enjoying themselves at the lantern market made Yue Qing quite restless. Just when Yue Qing felt he could no longer resist the urge to slip away, a servant came to report that Qin Wan had returned!

“Oh? Why are they back so soon!”

Yue Qing’s joy showed on his face. The Grand Princess looked at him teasingly, “If they hadn’t returned, you probably couldn’t have sat still much longer. Now you’re complaining they’re back too early?”

Yue Qing smiled sheepishly. “Grandmother speaks as if… of course, I’m happier keeping you company.”

Though he said this, he had already stood up and was looking toward the cabin door. As he looked, he saw Yue Ning lift the curtain and enter. Seeing Yue Ning’s grave expression, Yue Qing’s heart sank – what had happened?

“Grandmother, Prince Chi is injured. We need a clean room to treat his wounds!”

“Little Seven is injured?” The Grand Princess stood up immediately. Yue Qing quickly moved to support her as she trembled and walked toward the door. “How did he get injured? Quickly, go to the adjacent cabin. It’s been cleaned and is perfect for treating wounds!”

The Grand Princess walked quickly out the door and immediately saw Qin Wan, her hair slightly disheveled, holding a lantern and a mask, with the pale-faced Prince Chi standing beside her. A slight sniff revealed a heavy smell of blood.

Qin Wan curtsied to the Grand Princess but had no time for greetings or explanations. She pointed to the adjacent cabin. “Your Highness, quickly—”

By the Li Shui lakeside, the best place for treating wounds was naturally on the An Yang Marquis mansion’s lantern boat.

Yue Jia inquired about what had happened and stayed with Wei Yan Zhi at the collapsed lantern tower to investigate, while Yue Ning and Qin Wan accompanied Prince Chi to the Marquis’s lantern boat. Upon entering the cabin, Qin Wan immediately said, “Please remove your clothes, Your Highness.”

The cabin wasn’t large, and after those words, the Grand Princess and others withdrew. Once outside, the Grand Princess pulled Yue Ning aside to ask questions. Yue Ning explained the situation gravely, causing a murderous glint to appear in the Grand Princess’s eyes.

“Qing’er has been by my side the whole time, so he certainly couldn’t have gone there. But Wan’er wouldn’t mistake someone randomly, so this person must have deliberately tried to lure Wan’er there to harm her… Whose lantern tower was it? And in front of which shop was it built?”

Yue Ning quickly replied, “The lantern tower belongs to the Sun family from the east city, built outside a wine shop. Elder Brother and Young Master Wei stayed behind to investigate. Since Prince Chi was injured, we came back first.”

After a slight pause, Yue Ning asked, “Grandmother, you’ve ruled out the possibility of an accident?”

The Grand Princess nodded, slapping her hand forcefully on the ship’s railing. “This is outrageous! Someone harbors murderous intentions toward Wan’er, these people are…”

The Grand Princess was so angry her voice became unsteady. Yue Ning hurried to pat her back.

Yue Qing stared at the half-closed cabin door with furrowed brows. Qin Wan had nearly been harmed while he knew nothing, sitting on the lantern boat. He truly hadn’t fulfilled his responsibility to protect her. Moreover, if only he had been the one to save Qin Wan!

“Thankfully Little Seven was there, otherwise I really would have…”

Just then, Madam Jiang and Yue Rong, who had gone to distribute relief supplies, returned to the boat. Madam Jiang hurried over. “Mother, what happened? Was it Wan’er who was injured or Prince Chi?”

Yue Ning quickly said, “Prince Chi was injured while saving Qin Wan.”

As she spoke, Madam Jiang glanced into the cabin. Who knows what she saw, but she walked back with a pained expression.

Yue Rong was already speaking with the Grand Princess. “Mother, should we report this to the authorities?”

The Grand Princess asked, “Where is Magistrate Huo?”

Yue Rong shook her head. “Magistrate Huo didn’t come today. I saw only servants on his lantern boat.”

The Grand Princess shook her head. “Then let it be for now. Wait until Wan’er has treated Little Seven’s wounds, and we’ll hear her thoughts.”

Yue Rong nodded, turning to look at the cabin. “I hope the injury isn’t severe.”

……

……

Inside the cabin, Prince Chi removed his bloodstained outer robe. When he removed his middle garment, he noticed Qin Wan freeze. The cabin’s lights shone brightly, clearly revealing the muscles of Prince Chi’s back, and naturally, his wounds as well.

Prince Chi’s old wounds hadn’t healed, and now his shoulders bore new injuries.

The bamboo lattice falling from above had left a square-shaped purple bruise on Prince Chi’s shoulders and back. His bleeding came from a protruding nail in the bamboo frame that had pierced the flesh beside his old wound. When he had lifted the frame, the nail had torn the wound larger. Even looking at it made Qin Wan feel intense pain.

“What’s wrong? It’s just a minor injury. Don’t know how to treat it?”

Prince Chi’s tone was light and cool, but Qin Wan felt her throat tighten. She stepped forward, took out her silk handkerchief, and carefully cleaned the wound made by the nail. “Thank you for saving my life, Your Highness.”

Prince Chi’s lips curved slightly. “How will you thank me?”

Qin Wan thought for a moment. “In the future, if you need anything, I won’t charge Your Highness a single coin for medical treatment.”

Prince Chi chuckled lightly, his shoulders trembling slightly, causing more blood to flow from the wound. “In that case, I’ve made a profit, considering how expensive Ninth Young Lady’s medical fees are.”

Qin Wan said nothing more, focusing first on cleaning the new wound before changing the medicinal cloth on the old wound. Prince Chi’s martial arts exertion and rescue had reopened the wound. Qin Wan worked carefully, not daring to be distracted. Only after she exhaled, seeming to have cleaned the most difficult area, did Prince Chi speak. “Have you figured out who that person might be today?”

“Naturally, someone who doesn’t want me involved in Miss Song’s case.”

After a pause, Qin Wan’s voice lowered. “If not the murderer, then at least an accomplice.”

“First disguising as a headless female corpse to frighten you, then spreading rumors to defame you, and now directly attempting to kill you. It seems that person knows about your multiple autopsies, and even knows you went to the morgue. They fear you’ll discover crucial clues, so they want you dead.” Prince Chi’s voice turned cold, matching the severity he showed during autopsies.

Qin Wan had thought of this too. “During the first autopsy at the Marquis’s mansion, there were many people around. But for the second autopsy at the morgue, very few people knew – the Marquis and his wife, the Grand Princess, the three Yue siblings, Magistrate Huo and Huo Ning. None of them would have reason to tell others.”

Listening to her list, Prince Chi frowned. “Could it be that you suspect me… ouch…”

Qin Wan was removing the cotton cloth from Prince Chi’s back. The medicine had stuck to his wound, making removal inevitably painful. Yet her hands remained steady. “Of course not. Your Highness wouldn’t try to harm me only to save me.”

Prince Chi raised an eyebrow, his anger subsiding somewhat. Qin Wan applied new medicine to the cotton cloth and rebandaged him. Sweat had formed on Prince Chi’s temples, though his face showed no sign of it. “Have you perhaps let something slip somewhere?”

Qin Wan’s hands paused. “Of course not…”

Before she could say “have,” Qin Wan suddenly stopped as a scene flashed through her mind.

That day at the An Yang Marquis’s mansion, when she and Yue Ning met Wei Yan Zhi. Though she thought she had concealed it well then, could it be that he…

Thinking of this, Qin Wan’s back grew cold. By this calculation, Wei Yan Zhi had also been present during the first autopsy. He knew she could perform autopsies, so was that why the headless female corpse incident happened later?

Qin Wan frowned deeply. But what could be his motive?

“What are you thinking about?”

Prince Chi turned around, seeing Qin Wan’s thoughtful expression.

Qin Wan came back to herself, shaking her head. “Nothing…”

Prince Chi narrowed his eyes, which held a dark, intimidating gleam with hints of danger. “You’re lying to me.”

His words were certain. Qin Wan pressed her lips together and said, “I just remembered that day when the Young Princess and I met Young Master Wei. He said he didn’t know how Miss Song was doing at the morgue. When I answered that Miss Song was fine, his first reaction was to ask if I had been to the morgue. I covered it up at the time, and he didn’t pursue it further.”

Prince Chi’s brows furrowed. “Magistrate Huo checked – he’s not left-handed.”

Qin Wan smiled bitterly. “So no one suspected him. Perhaps I’m overthinking it.”

Prince Chi shook his head but said nothing. Qin Wan finished applying the medicine and threw the bloodstained robe aside. “This can’t be worn anymore. Your Highness should put on your middle garment first.”

Prince Chi carefully pulled up his middle garment and fastened the buttons. Qin Wan sighed. “The wound on Your Highness’s back has reopened. I’m afraid the seven-day promise cannot be fulfilled. When does Your Highness plan to leave?”

Prince Chi glanced at her. “You need not concern yourself with that. As long as I stay one more day, you just need to treat me for that day.”

Qin Wan nodded. Thinking that everyone was waiting outside, she walked to the door. Opening it, she saw the Grand Princess and others looking over with concern. “Wan’er, how is Little Seven?”

Qin Wan’s face showed an apology. “The wound has reopened. It’s not good.”

Hearing this, Yue Rong’s eyes darkened. Just as Qin Wan was about to apologize, a voice sounded behind her. “It’s nothing serious. I’ve had far worse injuries on the battlefield. This is nothing.”

Qin Wan turned back to see Prince Chi standing behind her. Looking up at him, his face was backlit and shadowed, his emotions hard to discern, yet it was the first time Qin Wan felt how tall and strong he was.

Seeing Qin Wan turn to look at him, Prince Chi looked down at her from his height. From this angle, he could see her slender neck creating a swan-like curve, while her eyes caught the light, clearer and more transparent than ever before. Prince Chi could see his reflection in her eyes – his cold features in her gaze somehow took on the warmth of the lamplight.

“This time we’re thankful for Little Seven. Jia’er and Nephew Wei haven’t returned yet – who knows if they’ve discovered anything. Who would have thought that on this Mid-Autumn Festival, someone would dare to do such evil!”

Speaking thus, the Grand Princess instructed Yue Rong, “Go find an outer robe for Little Seven.”

Yue Rong responded and soon returned with a jade-white robe. “These are Jia’er’s clothes. Your Highness, please make do with them for now.”

Prince Chi accepted it and quickly put it on. His build was similar to Yue Jia’s, so the robe fit well. He usually wore black, but now in white, he suddenly appeared elegant and refined like a jade tree in the wind, his imposing presence softened somewhat, taking on the noble air of an immortal in exile. Beside him, Yue Ning’s eyes widened in surprise.

The Grand Princess nodded. “Young people should wear brighter colors more often.”

Speaking thus, she headed toward the cabin where she had been talking with Yue Qing. Though Prince Chi was injured, he could still walk, so he followed along. Before the group could enter the cabin, Yue Jia and Wei Yan Zhi returned. The two bowed to the Grand Princess, who quickly asked, “How was it? Did you find anything out?”

Yue Jia shook his head. “The lantern tower belongs to the Sun family from the east city. It was built two days ago. That wine shop has been operating there for over ten years – it’s the property of the young master of Ruifeng Tower, as you know. There’s nothing wrong with either the lantern tower or the wine shop. The problem is that after the lantern tower was built, no one was specifically assigned to watch it. When we went up earlier, we found that the crucial binding rope had been cut. The rope was as thick as a bowl, and the cut clearly shows it was done with a sharp tool. We also investigated the wine shop – many young gentlemen had visited today, and quite a few matched Ninth Young Lady’s description of looking like Second Brother, but they all had witnesses confirming they were drinking the whole time.”

After a pause, Yue Jia said somewhat helplessly, “Your grandson feels that person must have escaped in the crowd.”

The Grand Princess looked at Yue Rong. Yue Rong narrowed her eyes. “That person was able to lure away Ninth Young Lady when she was alone, so they must have known her whereabouts. Perhaps they had been following Ninth Young Lady all along.” She looked at Yue Ning. “Did you notice anyone suspicious when you were shopping earlier?”

Yue Ning shook her head. “There were too many people, everyone pushing and shoving. We didn’t notice anyone particularly suspicious.”

Yue Rong sighed, her brow showing difficulty. If so, this matter would be hard to conclude, and Qin Wan and Prince Chi would have suffered this ordeal for nothing. “Mother, should we summon the Magistrate?”

The Grand Princess sighed. “We can only—”

Before she could finish saying “Do that,” Yang Xi, who was guarding the boat, suddenly came up. “My Lord, the Magistrate has arrived!”

Yue Rong’s eyes brightened. “We were just about to look for him, and he came on his own! Quickly invite—”

At this command, the Grand Princess led everyone to the main cabin. Qin Wan followed behind the group, noticing that this lantern boat was hung with the same Buddhist scripture lanterns she had seen in the Grand Princess’s small courtyard. Now the lantern boat was brilliantly lit, like a jade palace floating on the sea, and the lights reflecting on Li Shui Lake were increasingly mesmerizing. Though the night scene was so beautiful, when Qin Wan heard of Huo Huai Xin’s arrival, an ominous feeling spread through her heart.

“Greetings to Her Highness the Grand Princess, greetings to the Marquis—”

Magistrate Huo brought only Captain Qi with him. He strode in with beads of sweat on his temples. The Grand Princess waved her hand. “Rise. Weren’t you supposed to come here today? Why have you come?”

Magistrate Huo’s expression was somewhat tense. Hearing this, he scanned everyone in the room. Qin Wan noticed that he lingered slightly longer when looking at Prince Chi. Magistrate Huo wrung his hands. “In response to your question, this official indeed had no time to come, but an hour ago, the men I sent to Ten Mile Temple returned. They brought back news that compelled this official to make this trip.”

Hearing this, the Grand Princess’s expression became alert. “What did your men say?”

Magistrate Huo’s face showed hesitation as if he had something extremely unpleasant to say. The Grand Princess frowned. “You’re already here, and there are no outsiders present. Whatever news you have, just say it.”

Magistrate Huo quickly straightened his back and said, “The men sent out have found the post station where the bridal procession rested at Ten Mile Temple. As Ninth Young Lady suggested, there indeed are white birch forests around the post station. Our constables went to the white birch forest and found traces of blood in one corner, though we couldn’t find Miss Song’s head. However…”

Magistrate Huo glanced at Prince Chi again, as if making up his mind, and said, “However, our men also discovered that on the night the bridal procession rested there, Prince Chi’s troops also camped at Ten Mile Temple, and their camp was on the other side of the white birch forest. Therefore, Prince Chi has also become a suspect in this case…”