Xie Jingyan led Shen Wan forward, and the overpass behind them, unable to withstand the fighting, collapsed and fell apart.

After watching the lantern competition, the lantern transformation begins.

I don't know how they do it, but the colors inside the lanterns can change. The same lantern can change color, making it seem like you've changed the lantern altogether.

After the lantern display, there are also box lanterns...

Even though Shen Wan had seen it once in her previous life, she was still amazed by the Box Lamp again.

From an exquisite box, a delicate lantern hangs down. As the candlelight burns through the rope, another lantern descends, one after another, each with a different style and exquisite beauty.

The crowd of onlookers completely blocked the street.

If it weren't for Xie Jingyan protecting her, Shen Wan really doesn't know how she would have been squeezed. No wonder the Prince of Yanping was walking fine when he suddenly had a girl in his arms; it was too crowded.

After wandering around for half a day, Shen Wan had already digested the little food she had for dinner. She dragged Xie Jingyan to eat, going from one stall to another, trying everything she wanted to eat, and enjoying herself to the fullest.

She was too full to move, and she couldn't walk anymore. Xie Jingyan noticed her lethargy and pinched her nose, saying, "Tired?"

Shen Wan nodded, and Xie Jingyan said, "Then let's go back to the manor."

The streets were crowded, and the carriages couldn't get through, so we had to walk to where the carriages were parked.

Fearing that Shen Wan would get tired, Xie Jingyan wanted to carry her, but Shen Wan refused no matter what. If he carried her in the palace, the maids and servants would see it, and she would lose face. How could she possibly resist being carried in public?

Although she was a little tired, she shouldn't be unable to walk such a short distance.

Shen Wan insisted on not giving in, so Xie Jingyan let her have her way, and the two walked towards where the carriage was parked.

From afar, they could see the Ling Prince's carriage parked there. Xie Jingyan helped Chen Wan into the carriage, and Yin Shuang came running over, slightly out of breath, saying, "Your Highness, I just heard that Young Master Wu got into a fight at the Wan Hua Lou and had his nose broken by a punch..."

A leopard can't change its spots.

He was dragged off to the capital of Yunnan by Steward Li and taken back to the Marquis of Pingyang's residence, where he was severely beaten. After only a few days of peace, he was back to his old ways, even getting into a fight and breaking his nose.

Hearing the words "Young Master Wu" made Shen Wan feel like she was being insulted.

Shen Wan wouldn't be surprised if Young Master Wu were beaten to death in a brothel one day.

When Yinshuang arrived, she overheard people discussing the fight at Wanhua Tower. Driven by her gossipy nature, she listened in a bit longer. After reporting back, she and Haitang carried the various pastries, candied fruits, and plums they had bought to the carriage at the back.

The coachman drove the carriage straight to the Ling Prince's residence.

The main streets were bustling during the lantern festival, while the ordinary streets, though still crowded, were much less so, and horse-drawn carriages could pass almost unimpeded.

From the moment she got into the carriage, Shen Wan was looking at the lantern that Xie Jingyan had won for her, and she couldn't put it down.

As she was watching, Xie Jingyan suddenly reached out and grabbed her, pulling her forcefully. She fell into his arms, and caught off guard, the lantern fell into the carriage.

Before Shen Wanren could react to what was happening, an arrow shot into the carriage, almost grazing the back of her head. The arrow fletched and made a buzzing sound.

Shen Wan's face turned pale.

At that moment, the carriage suddenly stopped. If Xie Jingyan hadn't been holding her, she probably would have been thrown out of the carriage.

Xie Jingyan held Shen Wan in his arms. He lifted the carriage curtain, and Shen Wan saw a group of masked men in black blocking their way in the distance. The men in black were holding knives, which gleamed coldly in the night.

Six men in black blocked their way, and there were ambushes on the high walls on both sides. As soon as the leader of the men in black made a move, the men on both sides fired arrows, which were knocked down by Chen Feng and Chen Yu and their men.

Seeing that arrows couldn't kill them, the leader of the men in black shouted, "Kill!"

At a command, several men in black rushed forward, and assassins on the high wall also leaped down.

Swords clashed.

A murderous aura filled the air.

Having lived two lives, this was the first time Shen Wan had ever seen such a scene, and she turned pale with fright.

Xie Jingyan told her, "Stay in the carriage and don't go out."

Before Shen Wan could respond, Xie Jingyan had already lifted the carriage curtain and left.

The moment he flew out of the carriage, he drew the soft sword from his waist and fought with the assassin. In just two or three moves, he had taken down the black-clad assassin.

Shen Wan hid inside the carriage, her heart trembling like a sieve. She moved to the side of the carriage, lifted a corner of the curtain, and looked outside.

There were too many assassins. Including Xie Jingyan, there were only five of them on their side, and they had to protect her, so they dared not go far.

Fortunately, Xie Jingyan was highly skilled in martial arts, and his bodyguards were also more skilled than the assassins. After fighting for a while and killing five or six assassins, the assassin leader, seeing that the situation was not good, immediately said, "Retreat!"

The assassin leaped onto the wall and left.

Chen Feng wanted to lead his men to give chase, but Xie Jingyan said, "There's no need to chase."

Chen Feng turned back, Xie Jingyan got into the carriage, pulled out the arrow stuck in the carriage, and Shen Wan asked, "Why would someone want to kill you?"

Xie Jingyan looked at Shen Wan and said, "These people aren't here for me."

Shen Wan was stunned. "If it's not aimed at you, then who is it aimed at?"

Xie Jingyan's gaze fell on Shen Wan's face. Shen Wan realized what was happening and pointed at herself, saying, "They came for me? How could that be?"

She looked on in disbelief.

But Xie Jingyan's feeling was not wrong. When the assassin fought him, although he was ruthless and every move was deadly, he could clearly feel that the assassin was trying to avoid him and attack the guards protecting the carriage.

These assassins couldn't possibly be targeting the bodyguards; their only target could be Shen Wan, who was in the carriage.

In fact, it wasn't just Xie Jingyan; Chen Feng and Chen Yu also felt the same way. They were worried that the assassins would hurt their master and wanted to send someone to help him, but the assassins kept coming after killing one, so they couldn't get away at all.

But why would those assassins target the princess?

The Princess Consort has never made enemies, nor has she ever harmed anyone. The misfortunes of the second and third branches of the Pingyang Marquis's family are all their own doing. The Prince has no ambition to seize the throne, otherwise he wouldn't have acted so aggressively to anger the Emperor. In addition, given Consort Chen's affair, the Prince has no chance of being made Crown Prince. To become Emperor, unless there are hidden secrets surrounding Consort Chen's affair, or if he embarks on the path of rebellion as the Princess Consort dreamed of.

In terms of threat, the prince is definitely more threatening. The prince wouldn't threaten anyone, let alone the princess.

Chen Feng couldn't accept that someone else killed his prince, and he couldn't accept that someone else killed his prince as well.

Shen Wan frowned and asked, "Who would kill me? Second Uncle?"

Xie Jingyan said, "Your second uncle doesn't have that ability."

Shen Wan felt the same way.

But besides the Second Master, who else could it be?

A pair of cold and terrifying eyes flashed through Shen Wan's mind.

She felt a chill down her spine.

It's Empress Song!

At the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, after Fu Shu's incident, Empress Song looked at her with murderous intent.

Fu Shu lost her child, and since they couldn't find the person who poisoned her, they took their anger out on her.

Chen Wan gritted her teeth in anger.

Xie Jingyan guessed it was them. Seeing that Shen Wan's face was slightly pale, he hugged her and asked, "Were you frightened?"

A little, but once the assassin left, she wasn't afraid anymore.

Shen Wan shook her head. "I'm fine."

Xie Jingyan then instructed Chen Feng, "Return to the Prince's Mansion."