“I don’t want this. It’s useless to me.” Mu Yunjin pursed her lips, keeping her hands behind her back, her brows slightly furrowed.

“You girls usually can’t take your eyes off these things. Why are you so indifferent?” Mu Yunhan smiled, pulling out Mu Yunjin’s hand from behind her back, then placing the lotus lantern in her palm.

Mu Yunjin looked down at the delicate lotus lantern in her hand, her thoughts momentarily complex.

At this moment, Zhuang Yuyan and Mu Xiarou came over together, each holding a lotus lantern with lit candles, smiling as they looked at Mu Yunjin.

“Sister Yunjin, there’s paper and brush over there. You can write down your wish, then release the lotus lantern into Shuixian Lake. Your wish will come true soon,” Zhuang Yuyan said.

Mu Yunjin nodded slightly, pursing her lips as she walked to a place where paper and brushes were laid out.

After a while, Mu Yunjin stared at the blank paper before her with no intention of putting brush to paper. After thinking for a long time, she seemed to have no wish she wanted fulfilled.

Thinking this, Mu Yunjin tugged at the corner of her mouth, rolled up the blank paper, and placed it inside the lotus lantern.

“Can’t write?”

…

…

A cold, lazy voice came from behind Mu Yunjin, carrying a hint of teasing amidst its casual tone.

Hearing this voice, Mu Yunjin inexplicably held her breath. When she turned around, Chu Li was standing behind her in an ink-colored brocade robe, his eyes calm, containing a faint smile as he looked at Mu Yunjin.

“Why are you here?”

Mu Yunjin was somewhat surprised at Chu Li’s sudden appearance. After her surprise, she looked away, lowering her head to light the candle in the lotus lantern.

Before Chu Li could answer, an excited voice came from a nearby stall. “Brother Li, the lotus lanterns here are all so beautiful.”

Hearing this voice, Mu Yunjin gave a cold laugh, narrowing her eyes slightly as she held the lotus lantern in her hands and looked at Chu Li. “I was wondering why His Highness the Sixth Prince would go out at night. So it’s because you’re accompanied by a beauty.”

With those words, Mu Yunjin gave a light, cold snort and ignored Chu Li, walking toward Shuixian Lake.

Walking with her back to Chu Li, Mu Yunjin’s expression gradually darkened. With a solemn face, she walked down the steps to the edge of Shuixian Lake.

Chu Li looked at Mu Yunjin’s retreating figure, his azure eyes, usually tinged with ice, now covered with a hint of warmth. Ding Xian, standing beside Chu Li, watched this scene and sighed helplessly.

“Your Highness, before the Black Lotus is cultivated, if we allow Miss Qin to come like this, won’t it make the Prince Consort misunderstand that you have feelings for Miss Qin?”

“We’ll talk about it later.” Chu Li frowned slightly, his peripheral vision sweeping over Qin Muyue, who was still selecting lotus lanterns, his eyes full of coldness.

Ding Xian nodded, looking at Mu Yunjin’s figure in the distance and pursing his lips. “Your Highness, why not take this opportunity to coax the Sixth Prince’s Consort? This humble one will go stabilize Miss Qin.”

With those words, not waiting for Chu Li to speak, Ding Xian ran toward Qin Muyue’s direction.

……

Mu Yunjin sat on the steps by the lake, hesitating to release the lotus lantern in her hand. Around her, the laughter of young men and women could be heard from time to time—

“Brother Bei, the wish I made on the lotus lantern is that we can grow old together and be happy for a lifetime.”

“Husband, I just made a wish that we can have another daughter next year, so our family forms the character for ‘good,’ enjoying family life together.”

“My lord, I…”

Mu Yunjin took a breath, pursed her lips, and muttered to herself, “Today isn’t even the Qixi Festival. It’s just releasing a lantern. Why is everyone being so mushy?”

With that thought, she placed the lotus lantern on Shuixian Lake, letting it gradually float away with the water.

Seeing the lotus lantern float away, Mu Yunjin stood up, patted her clothes, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips. She supposed this counted as completing the task.

It was good to leave before Qin Muyue came to release her lantern.

As she turned around, she caught sight of Chu Li at the edge of the first step. Their gazes met instantly in the air, their eyes locked with an indescribable meaning.

Mu Yunjin lowered her eyes, her mood somewhat complex. She sighed slightly, not knowing what was wrong with herself these past two days. Why did she feel so awkward when seeing Chu Li?

“Mu Yunjin, come up.” Chu Li saw her standing still, the corner of his lips curving slightly into an arc.

Mu Yunjin pursed her lips, just about to step onto the stairs, when a ‘splash’ came from behind, followed by a commotion around Shuixian Lake, accompanied by a heart-wrenching cry—

“Xiao Bao, Xiao Bao!”

Mu Yunjin looked in the direction of the sound and saw a child constantly splashing in the lake. On the shore, a woman was crying desperately.

Seeing that no one around was going to jump into the lake to save the child, Mu Yunjin turned around without hesitation and jumped into Shuixian Lake, swimming toward the drowning child.

It was early summer, so the lake water wasn’t ice-cold. Mu Yunjin swam to the child’s side in a few strokes. Just as she was about to drag him to shore, she found that something beneath seemed to have entangled the child’s foot.

Mu Yunjin pulled a few more times, seeing she couldn’t pull him free, she ducked down, her whole body diving into the lake water. Through the light from the lotus lanterns on the shore, she searched for whatever was entangling the child’s foot.

Chu Li stood on the shore watching this scene, his brow furrowed. He took a few steps forward, and in the dimness, he could see that the previously drowning child’s body had been lifted, his head now above water, not choking on lake water.

But Mu Yunjin’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

Mu Yunjin was holding her breath, one hand supporting the child’s body to prevent him from choking on lake water, the other hand forcefully pulling at the water plants entangling him.

Gradually, Mu Yunjin found it laborious. Half of her body weight was supporting this child, and now she had no strength to untie those water plants.

Thinking this, Mu Yunjin pulled out the dagger she carried with her and began laboriously cutting those water plants.

Chu Li stood on the shore, catching a flash of cold light from the bottom of the lake. His handsome face immediately frosted over. His toes touched lightly, using qinggong to fly toward the center of the lake, then bending down to grab the child’s shoulder, lifting him.

Mu Yunjin, at the bottom of the water, felt the weight in her hand suddenly lighten. Her heart leaped with joy, and she accelerated her cutting of the water plants. Soon, all the tightly entangled water plants were cut open by Mu Yunjin.

At the same time, Chu Li pulled the child’s entire body out of the water and flew back to the shore.

When Mu Yunjin emerged from the water, she saw Chu Li bringing the child back to shore, realizing that it was Chu Li who had helped her share the weight earlier.

When Mu Yunjin returned to shore, she collapsed, sitting on the steps, panting continuously.

“This young lady, this young master, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, my Xiao Bao would surely have met with disaster today.” The woman, holding her child, walked up to Mu Yunjin and Chu Li, repeatedly expressing gratitude.

Chu Li looked at Mu Yunjin sitting motionless on the ground, his clear eyes slightly raised.

“You should thank her.”

“Yes, yes, thank you so much, young lady. May I ask where you live? After I settle Xiao Bao tomorrow, I will bring my husband to express our gratitude at your door,” the woman said.

Mu Yunjin waved her hand, smiling at the woman. “It’s a small matter, just a simple gesture. Next time, don’t bring your child to such a dangerous place.”

Just as she finished speaking, Mu Yunhan and Zhuang Yuyan ran over. Seeing Mu Yunjin soaked, Mu Yunhan frowned and said, “Yunjin, was it you who jumped into the lake to save someone?”

“Yunjin?” Someone in the crowd heard this name and paused slightly. Then, looking at the person beside Mu Yunjin, someone immediately exclaimed, “It was the Sixth Prince and the Sixth Prince’s Consort who saved this child!”

“What? The Sixth Prince’s Consort?” The woman holding the child was startled, then, after carefully looking at Mu Yunjin and Chu Li, she immediately knelt with her child.

“I didn’t know it was the Sixth Prince and the Sixth Prince’s Consort. Please forgive this common woman’s rudeness.”

Seeing the lantern festival turn into this, Mu Yunjin felt somewhat helpless. Just as she was about to stand up, someone had already reached out and picked her up in his arms, walking toward the corridor.

Mu Yunjin stiffened slightly, raised her eyes to look at the person carrying her, then lowered her gaze. “My clothes are all wet. Please put me down.”

“This prince will take you back,” Chu Li said calmly, with no intention of putting Mu Yunjin down.

On one side of the corridor, Qin Muyue leaned against a pillar. The scene of Mu Yunjin jumping into the lake to save someone had fully entered her eyes. Now, watching Chu Li carrying Mu Yunjin and slowly approaching, her expression somewhat froze.

“Brother Li, Sister-in-law Yunjin.” Qin Muyue ran over, coming up to the two of them.

“Ding Xian, escort Miss Qin back first,” Chu Li glanced at Qin Muyue and spoke to Ding Xian beside him.

Ding Xian immediately nodded in understanding.

Qin Muyue frowned slightly. Just as she was about to chase after them, she was stopped by Ding Xian’s outstretched hand. “The Sixth Prince’s Consort has caught a chill after falling into the water to save someone. His Highness might need to comfort her when they return. It’s getting late. Why doesn’t Miss Qin return to the General’s mansion first?”

“Alright then.” Qin Muyue lowered her eyes slightly, looking at the lotus lantern she had bought but not yet released. She flung it to the ground beside her, then turned and walked in the direction of the General’s mansion.

Ding Xian glanced at the smashed lotus lantern and shook his head with a sigh.

In the carriage on the way back, Mu Yunjin leaned against the carriage. Now that things had quieted down, she gradually felt waves of coldness coming over her body.

“Are you cold?” Chu Li sat beside her, looking at Mu Yunjin’s pale face, his eyes flickering slightly.

Mu Yunjin shook her head. “I’m fine.”

“It’s rare for a woman to know how to swim. Mu Yunjin, today you’ve impressed this prince once again.” Chu Li smiled faintly, raising his eyebrows slightly.

“Does that mean you’ve been underestimating me all along?” Mu Yunjin glanced sideways at Chu Li, ignoring her soaked clothes as she lifted one leg onto the opposite seat, finding a comfortable position to lean against.

Chu Li looked at Mu Yunjin’s raised leg and frowned slightly, but seeing her still-dripping clothes, he decided to turn a blind eye, letting her have her way this time.

After getting off the carriage, Mu Yunjin had just steadied herself when the night breeze made her shiver. She then quickly walked toward the Prince’s mansion.

As soon as they entered the mansion, Mamma Shen saw this scene and exclaimed in surprise, “Oh my, Prince Consort, what happened?”

“Mamma Shen, prepare a bowl of ginger soup for her,” Chu Li said.