Heading Up the Lantern

Qin Zhi Hao hesitated the moment he heard the Emperor's words. He went down on his knee and spoke, "Your Majesty, your safety—"

"You don't have to worry," the Emperor cut his words before he finished. "I am not that incompetent to be unable to protect myself."

Years ago, when he was still the young Crown Prince, the Emperor was proficient in martial arts and had led his army to fight against their enemy. Although he had not fought in an intense battle for a long time, he was still fit enough to protect himself.

"Moreover…" the Emperor glanced at the people in the hall. "If what the boy said was true, then whoever wanted to harm me and everyone in this hall would be long gone."

Qin Zhi Hao's expression darkened as he recalled the few people who had left the banquet earlier. He then found his brother, Qin Zhi Chen among the crowd and signaled him to look after the Emperor.

Only then did he leave the hall and led Yu Feng towards the lantern area.

"You have five minutes to show me the proof," Qin Zhi Hao said as they walked around the lantern area.

Hearing his voice, Yu Feng glanced at him and spoke, "I didn't run. I wasn't trying to run away and I am not a traitor."

Qin Zhi Hao was momentarily shocked upon hearing her words. "What are you—"

"I ran into one of your men and he tried to kill me." Yu Feng gritted her teeth as she said this. "Someone then said that you gave an order to kill me on sight because I have betrayed you."

Qin Zhi Hao narrowed his eyes as he looked at the boy in front of him. "Then, why were you not on the square? I told you to stay around, but someone saw you leave."

Yu Feng looked away and walked over to climb the stairs that will lead them to the platform. "I saw someone I know." She told him the same thing that she had told Wen Ping earlier.

The frown on his face deepened when he heard Yu Feng's story. He was someone who would not believe other's words easily, but the expression on Yu Feng's face told him that he could trust her this time.

By the end of Yu Feng's summary of her whereabouts, the two of them reached just below the lantern. Yu Feng tilted her head to look up at the lantern.

From the scene below, Yu Feng was shocked to see how big was the lantern from the inside.

There were stairs around the sides of the lantern for them to climb up. Yu Feng recalled the conversation she had heard in the drainage system and turned her head towards a direction. Her eyes narrowed as she thought of how many stairs she had to climb to head towards that location.

A cursing word escaped her as Yu Feng thought of how many stairs she had to climb on the day.

After this day, she never wanted to see any stairs anymore.

Taking a deep breath, Yu Feng decided to resign to her fate and climb up the stairs. Before she was able to take the first step, a figure dressed in a guard's outfit appeared and stop them from taking the next step.

"Where do you think you're going?" The guard pulled out a sword and pointed them to the two of them. "This is a no-entry area. His Majesty is going to lit the lantern soon. No one should be here."

"Look. Big brother, we're only here to check on something." Yu Feng spoke.

At the same time as Qin Zhi Hao, who was standing behind Yu Feng, took out his token and flashed them towards the soldier.

The guard's face paled upon seeing the token. "Your—"

He did not manage to finish his words as the Prince had raised his head to stop him from continuing. The guard could only purse his lips and stared at both of them with an uneasy expression. He was told that no one should be around the lantern at this time. However, the higher-ups had assigned him to guard alone as a precaution.

"Move aside," Qin Zhi Hao spoke. "We have a matter we need to check."

The guard hesitated, but in the end, he did not move from his position. Instead, his grip on his sword tightened.

Qin Zhi Hao immediately noticed that something does not seem right. The guard clearly knew his identity, but despite that, he had refused to step aside and let them pass.

"Didn't you hear me? Let us pass."

It was at this time that Qin Zhi Hao realized that this guard was not supposed to be on this site at all.

The Emperor was worried about his safety and has ordered that no one should be around at the lantern at this time. Even the constructors were asked to leave the place after they had finished their work. The guards were supposed to guard outside the watchtower's perimeter, but not around the lantern.

"Sorry. I cannot let you pass."

As he said those words, the guard lurched forward with the sword in his hand.

The higher-ups had instructed that no one should enter this area until the Emperor lit up the lantern. Their group had a greater purpose and was aiming to change the world on this night. Even though the guard knew that he was not the Prince's opponent, the guard did not want to surrender so easily.

Yu Feng did not expect that she would encounter another situation where a person would want to kill her again. Her eyes widened as she stared at the sword, aiming towards her, but her feet refused to move.

Suddenly, someone tugged at her shoulder. Her body spun around and her eyesight was blocked by Qin Zhi Hao's back.

When she snapped out of her trance, the guard was already sprawling on the ground, with his blood pooled under him.

This… was the second time she had witnessed someone killed right in front of her, right?

"You." Qin Zhi Hao turned to Yu Feng with a dangerous look in his eyes. "You haven't finished your story. How do you know something was about to happen at the lantern tonight?"

"I overheard about it," Yu Feng said. "I realized that I had accidentally gone as far as the West District when I ran. It was at that time that I saw a murderer."

Qin Zhi Hao's expression darkened as he heard Yu Feng's story about what she had encountered in the drainage system. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"