In her previous life, when she was traveling around in men's clothing, she once heard of the Xuanyuan Pavilion from a fortune - teller.
At that time, the country was in a difficult situation. Due to the war, the people were living in destitution. However, no one knew when a mysterious organization had emerged. As long as it was something this organization wanted to do, there was nothing it couldn't achieve.
The name of this organization was the Xuanyuan Pavilion.
When she heard this name from Xuanyuan Jue today, the shock in her heart was indescribable.
Who could have thought that the once - insignificant underling would cause quite a stir in the future.
Following her memory, Shen Li entered the hall.
The surrounding environment was no different from what she had seen during the day, but Shen Li's sixth sense told her that there must be some hidden mystery here.
"It's strange. Logically, there should be some mechanisms in this room. I've searched every corner of this room, but why can't I find anything?"
"Something's not right!"
The light was dim. Shen Li held a fire - starter and explored every nook and cranny.
Half an hour passed, and just like when she came in, there was no sign of any discovery.
Shen Li sighed. "It seems I'm destined to return empty - handed today. Well, I'll come back to this place another day. There's no need to rush."
She gently opened the door and then closed it, leaving no trace.
The shadow came and went without a sound.
The slanting moon shone through the window and cast a mottled pattern on the floor.
From behind the bookshelf on the left side of the hanging landscape painting, a man slowly emerged.
Vaguely, one could catch a glimpse of his extremely handsome appearance.
His thin lips curled up slightly, and his phoenix eyes sparkled with a meaningful light.
"Little thing, you're really naughty. Randomly entering someone else's house will bring you bad luck, you know."
He murmured softly, and soon disappeared.
That night, Shen Li slept soundly without any dreams.
The first rays of sunlight in the early morning shone into the room, instantly making it much brighter.
Shen Li was woken up by the voices outside.
Through the door, the voices of the people outside could be heard clearly.
"Hey, have you heard? During this Sky Lantern Festival, the Fourth Prince, the Seventh Prince, the Tenth Prince, and Princess Heyuan have all set up lantern riddles! I heard that for every riddle you guess correctly, you can get ten taels of gold!"
"What! Where did you hear this news? Is it accurate?"
"Absolutely true! There are still three days until the Sky Lantern Festival. I'm going to prepare well during these three days. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to guess one right!"
Shen Li didn't expect that they would also join in the fun during this Sky Lantern Festival.
Three days passed in a flash, and soon it was the day of the Sky Lantern Festival.
At noon that day, the sun was shining brightly.
Although the sun was out, when the wind blew, it was still bone - chillingly cold.
"Sister, look at how nice the sun is today. How about we go out for a stroll later?"
Shen Miao put down her chopsticks and stared seriously at Shen Li, who was having a meal opposite her.
The others at the dinner table stopped their chopsticks upon hearing this.
"Go ahead, but don't play too late."
After Shen Junming said this, he didn't pay any more attention.
The Sky Lantern Festival, as the name suggests, is related to lanterns.
On this day, young men and women who yearn for love will release the lanterns they made by themselves into the moat, letting them drift along and entrust their wishes.
Some literati also write riddles on the lanterns for others to guess.
Of course, it's also a time when various lanterns compete with each other to show their beauty.
The sky began to turn cloudy, and fine raindrops like fluff began to fall.
Standing under the eaves at the gate, Shen Li stretched out her hand to test.
"Miss, look at this rain. Should we still go out?" Jiao Yue looked at the gloomy sky and asked.
"It doesn't matter. It's just a light rain. You'd better bring an umbrella just in case."
"Yes." After a pause, Jiao Yue said indignantly, "Miss Second has been gone for almost half an hour. Why hasn't she come yet? Miss, how about we go first?"
Shen Miao asked Shen Li to wait for her at the gate, saying it would be better to go together for mutual care, but she hadn't shown up yet.
Shen Li rubbed her temples. Jiao Yue's constant nagging beside her was really giving her a headache.
"It's okay."
Shen Li's clear eyes became darker, shining with a deep light.
Humph, she had already seen through Shen Miao's little schemes.
On the surface, she was going to watch the sky lanterns, but who knew what she was up to secretly!
Saying she had a stomachache and went to the toilet, but she hadn't come back for so long? Hehe, if you're going to make up an excuse, at least make it a better one. How stupid!
"Jiao Yue, how long have we been waiting?"
"Back to you, Miss. It's exactly one hour."
One hour... that's about enough.
"Let's go back."
"Back? Where are we going back to?" Jiao Yue was confused.
"Where do you think we can go back to? Hmm?" Shen Li gently tapped Jiao Yue's forehead and shook her head helplessly. Why was her maid so slow - witted? Did she really have to spell it out for her? Sigh.
Jiao Yue touched her forehead aggrievedly. Although it didn't hurt, being scolded made her feel a bit uncomfortable. Was the young miss starting to dislike her...
"Miss, wait for me."
Shen Li took the lead and walked towards the courtyard, directly returning to the West Courtyard.
In the East Courtyard on the other side, Shen Miao was half - lying in a rocking chair, leisurely eating melon seeds.
At this moment, her maid, Gui Hua, pushed the door open and entered.
"How about Shen Li?"
Gui Hua hesitated for a moment before replying, "Back to you, Miss Second. Miss... "
"Why are you stuttering! It's raining a bit harder outside now. Is Shen Li still waiting outside? Hahaha."
She did it on purpose just for revenge.
Humph, so what if Shen Li is the legitimate young miss of the Shen Mansion? Sooner or later, I'll trample you under my feet.
"Well... Miss has returned to the East Courtyard..."
"What?"
Shen Miao immediately got up from the chair, her eyes wide open like copper bells.
"Shen Li was waiting at the gate. Why did she return to the East Courtyard!"
Gui Hua replied tremblingly, "Miss asked someone to pass a message to you, Miss Second..."
Seeing Shen Miao's current expression, she became even more afraid to speak.
Shen Miao demanded, "What did she say!"
"Well... Miss said that she was tired and would go back to take a nap first, and then..."
"Speak up! You're talking so slowly. Didn't you eat?!"
Shen Miao's patience was running out.
"Miss said that she hoped Miss Second would take care of her body, saying that squatting in the toilet for too long would give one hemorrhoids."
"Get out! Get out of here!" Shen Miao was extremely angry. With a wave of her hand, she knocked over the teapot on the mahogany table. The water trickled down the edge of the table and onto the floor.
As for Shen Li, she slept until noon. Just as she was about to get up, the door was opened.
"Sister sleeps so soundly..." Shen Miao drawled the last word and sized up Shen Li.
Shen Li frowned.
No matter what, she was the legitimate young miss of the Shen Mansion. Shen Miao had just barged in without her permission. What good upbringing!
"Sister, please knock on the door before entering next time." Shen Li's tone was extremely cold.
The smile on Shen Miao's lips froze instantly.
"Yes, sister is right to teach me. I'm here to inform you that it's time to set off. I've been waiting for you outside for the whole noon."