As Yang Zhenshan and Yu Qingyi were worrying about Yang Wanqing’s marriage, Yang Wanqing was actually enjoying a mountain outing with her two younger sisters.
Cangyuan Mountain is located thirty miles southeast of the Capital City, and at the foot of the mountain lies Cangyuan Lake. The lakeshore is resplendent with mountain scenery and beautiful water, making it a rare and excellent place for a spring outing. Each spring and sumr, many wealthy families from the Capital City would co here to relax and play, and many scholars also liked to recite poetry and amuse themselves here.
Today, the weather was warm and sunny, so Yang Wanqing decided to invite her two younger sisters out to play.
They were the granddaughter of Liang Chu, Liang Qiuyue, and the younger daughter of Lv Shizhi, Lv Ningke.
At a teahouse by Cangyuan Lake, the three sisters sat in a private room on the third floor, looking out at the charming mountain and water scenery through the window.
Yang Wanqing was dressed in a light blue brocade robe and Luo skirt with a tight waist and long sleeves. A cowhide whip hung at her waist, giving her an especially valiant and dashing appearance. However, her baby-faced look sowhat broke that valiant spirit; her curved eyebrows, plump cheeks, and a cute and clever countenance added a few more endearing qualities.
At this mont, she leaned listlessly against the carved wooden window, propping her cheek with one hand, gazing at the beautiful mountains.
"Big sister Wanqing, what’s wrong with you? Why are you looking so lancholic today?" Lv Ningke looked at Yang Wanqing with concern.
Liang Qiuyue, who was sipping tea on the side, giggled and said, "What else could it be? She’s surely worried about the marriage!"
"Oh, I get it. It must be Auntie pressuring you to get married again!" Lv Ningke exclaid with realization, yet her eyes were teasing as she looked at Yang Wanqing.
Yang Wanqing tilted her head and sighed. "You’re all making fun of ."
Her dear mother had nagged her throughout the previous night and even said she would introduce several fine gentlen to her.
While nagging at her, she kept poking at Wanqing’s forehead, almost about to burst her head open.
Lv Ningke walked to the window, glanced at the crowd below, and laughed, "There are many gentlen here. Is there not one that Sister Wanqing likes?"
Yang Wanqing glanced downward with a look of disdain and said, "Most of these people are just pretending to be refined; I don’t like them at all!"
Liang Qiuyue moved forward and also took a look below, "Eh, isn’t that Qu Shaogong?"
"Qu Shaogong? Where?" Lv Ningke stuck her head out to look down.
Yang Wanqing also glanced down and saw a group of handsoly dressed young n escorting a man with eyebrows like ink-drawn bamboo leaves and eyes like twinkling stars.
Accompanying the man was a girl in a goose-yellow long skirt, presumably Princess Nanhua, Qu Shaoshang.
Yang Wanqing naturally recognized Qu Shaogong and Qu Shaoshang. She had also attended the Zhou family’s flower-viewing feast with Ms. Wang the day before.
However, Qu Shaogong was not what she imagined her future husband to be; he was sowhat slender, and although tall, he was too bookish and didn’t embody the robust and upright man she desired.
Yang Wanqing withdrew her gaze, but at that mont, she suddenly spotted a glint of light as if sothing reflective had caught her eye.
Instinctively looking up, her expression froze slightly.
"That is!"
It seed like an arrow had shot out from the distant treetops, with a vague silhouette hiding among the branches and leaves. It was only due to her sharp vision that she could see a little clearly.
An arrow!
She imdiately looked in the direction of the arrow, aid right at Qu Shaogong and his party.
"Not good!"
The sound of the bowstring trembling faintly reached her ears. Without a mont to think, her figure leaped up violently and jumped straight out the window.
"Sister Wanqing!" Lv Ningke cried out in alarm.
Liang Qiuyue was also stunned, not understanding why Yang Wanqing had suddenly leaped out.
Lv Ningke’s shout attracted the attention of the crowd below. Qu Shaogong looked up to see Yang Wanqing cutting through the air like a soaring swan.
"Be careful!"
Yang Wanqing shouted a warning, while her whip uncoiled in a flash, cutting through the whistling air and striking the flying arrow.
Qu Shaogong was initially confused about what was happening, wondering what this person was doing. But when he saw the arrow split by the whip, his complexion shifted dramatically.
"There’s an assassin!"
He stretched out a hand to shield his sister, Qu Shaoshang, looking in the direction the arrow had co from.
All of a sudden, his pupils contracted sharply.
Another ten or more arrows flew towards them.
Yang Wanqing, in mid-air, curled up her body, her whip rapidly spinning, snapping and deflecting the arrows in front of her with a crackling sound.
But how could she alone fend off over ten arrows? So flew past her side and hit an unlucky gentleman.
A tragic scream rang out, instantly causing panic among all the leisurely people.
It was at this mont that seven or eight tall figures appeared in front of Qu Shaogong and Qu Shaoshang.
"Princely Heir, Miss, run for it!"
At the sa ti, five more figures jumped from the private room on the third floor.
It was not Lv Ningke and Liang Qiuyue, but Yang Wanqing’s maids and guards.
"Miss, are you alright?"
The maid Treasure Bead looked anxiously at Yang Wanqing, relieved to see she wasn’t injured.
The other two guards and two maids ford a protective circle in front and behind Yang Wanqing.
"Let’s go! To the teahouse!"
Without wasting words, Yang Wanqing decisively rushed back into the teahouse.
At this very mont, more than ten figures jumped down from the distant treetops, ard with weapons, sprinting towards them.
Before Qu Shaogong and his group could rush into the teahouse, these people had already reached the front.
"Kill!"
With a cold shout, more than ten assassins lunged at Qu Shaogong.
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