Chapter 116: Drawing the bow and shooting outside the courtyard!

Zhuang Wei abandoned Li Qingzhu and left angrily; watching his retreating back, Li Qingzhu expressionlessly wiped away her tears.

This time, the Princess Manor's winter banquet is her chance to see Prince Yun, Your Highness.

So, she absolutely must go!

Even if she has to snatch it, she must snatch Li Qingluo's invitation!

Li Qingzhu thought fiercely: Li Qingluo, since you refuse to give me face, don't blame me for dealing with you!

Not long after, Qu Shi and Li Kechuan both knew of this.

Qu Shi originally still wanted to advise a couple sentences: "Zhuer, wasn't Luo er originally planning to tell you this tomorrow? Or we could talk about it tomorrow..."

Li Kechuan coldly said: "Mother, your heart is also biased now. Father aside, it's my useless crippled body that makes him lose hope in his heart, so he now acts crazy. How can you be like this too? Every word is defending that Li Qingluo!"

"Isn't Zhuer the one who grew up beside you since childhood!"

"Does Mother now also value blood relations more?"

Qu Shi was rebuked by her son, instantly left speechless staring at them.

Li Qingzhu came to Qu Shi's side with red eyes and grabbed her arm.

"Brother, what are you saying!? Don't treat Mother like that! No matter what, Mother is also the mother of Luo er's younger sister; Luo er's younger sister has never received Mother's affection over these years, so Mother favoring her a bit now is only fitting."

After saying that, Li Qingzhu tearily lifted her head to look at Qu Shi, forcing out a strong smile.

"Mother, Zhuer is fine; you don't need to worry about Zhuer. It's Brother insisting to stand up for Zhuer, but actually Zhuer doesn't care about that invitation at all—it's just about losing face..."

"Forget it; my face is already gone. After causing that self-immolation incident, how could I dare show my face at those banquets again?"

Li Kechuan grabbed Li Qingzhu and pulled her back to his side.

He tightly gripped Li Qingzhu's wrist: "Zhuer, that should naturally be your honor. Not giving this invitation to the eldest legitimate daughter of Jiangjun Fu—should we give it to her? Just because she saved the Nanping County Princess doesn't mean she deserves it!"

"She acts so unreasonably doing these unsavory things; Brother will surely take care of her for you!"

"Come, Brother will accompany you to Hongfenguan to get the invitation!"

Watching the two siblings walk away, Qu Shi inexplicably felt that strange feeling rise again in her heart.

Moreover, it kept surfacing, increasingly hard to suppress.

Why, why can they speak these words with such righteous confidence?

Although Zhuer says she doesn't care, every word actually carries deep meaning—she does care!

Qu Shi inexplicably recalled her previous attitudes toward Luo er, and a sudden chill rose in her heart.

No… could it be that she herself was like that before?

Believing Luo er should yield everything to Zhuer, that Luo er owes Zhuer?

But since Luo er fell off that cliff… Qu Shi seemed to have suddenly awakened!

In her heart, she does not want to lose Luo er!

Moreover, Qu Shi inexplicably felt a sudden surge of guilt and indebtedness toward Luo er.

Sometimes, Qu Shi even dreams of Luo er hanging from the cliff, shouting: "Mother… why don't you love Luo er? Mother… you also love me a little… Mother, I also want to be hugged by you…"

But the real Luo er is cold and distant toward her, like a stranger.

If not for those words Luo er spoke on the cliff that day, Qu Shi would not have known that Luo er's heart also longs for her love!

Qu Shi woke up crying several times.

She also didn't know what this was all about.

Clearly, Zhuer is also innocent; clearly she loves Zhuer more!

Qu Shi suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and chased after the two siblings' retreating backs.

No, she cannot let Chuan er bully Luo er again!

By the time Qu Shi hurriedly arrived at Hongfenguan, she saw the gate of Hongfenguan in utter chaos.

It turned out to be Zhuang Sanlang—he hadn't even stepped inside Hongfenguan's gate when Li Qingluo shot him out with an arrow!

At this moment, Li Qingluo wore a goose-yellow winter dress, held a long bow, nocked an arrow, drew the bow, and once again aimed at Zhuang Sanlang outside the gate, whose face was ashen.

Inside and outside Hongfenguan's gate were packed with grannies and maids.

Everyone glared fiercely at these uninvited guests outside, as if staring at a group of enemies.

Moreover, Qu Shi saw that the second and third branches, who had just returned, now had people squeezing into the crowd to watch the spectacle!

Qu Shi felt her vision go dark.

She immediately rushed over: "Luo er! What are you doing!? Hurry and put it down!"

Qu Shi trembled all over as she shouted, stepping in front of Zhuang Sanlang and Li Qingzhu.

She never imagined Luo er would be so bold, daring to hurt people at home!

Is she not crazy!?

Li Qingluo saw Qu Shi coming, yet showed no sign of lowering her arrow.

Zhuang Sanlang sneered: "Second Miss Zhuang, you really have grand airs! I merely wanted to borrow your invitation to look it over, to discern the truth. After all, the Princess Manor had never before heard rumors of a winter banquet, so how did you get one? If you don't give it, fine, but you actually humiliate Zhuer!"

"I will absolutely allow no one to humiliate her——"

Li Qingluo turned the arrowhead; with a "whoosh," the arrow shot straight through the gaps in the crowd and struck a crooked willow tree.

The crowd gasped.

Zhuang Sanlang also turned pale.

Just moments ago he had wanted to storm into Hongfenguan to reason with her, not expecting she was practicing archery in the courtyard; seeing his figure, she immediately fired two arrows in unison, pinning them to his feet.

Only then did Zhuang Wei retreat.

He still thought those two arrows were just luck!

But now, with so many people around, she can actually shoot wherever she wants!

Isn't she just a country bumpkin maiden?

How can the archery be so formidable?

That day on the street, she personally apprehended that woman.

How is she completely different from the rumors?

Unlike the noble ladies of Jinling City, she is not the vulgar country girl one might imagine.

Li Qingluo let out a cold laugh, "I just humiliated her—what are you going to do about it?"

Come to me for reason—what relation is Zhuang Sanlang to Miss Zhu? Oh, I forgot. You are the unmarried couple who have an engagement.

However, there's no justification in this world for forcing someone and shamelessly snatching their invitation, right?

Saying this, Li Qingluo turned her head to look at Li Kechuan and Li Qingzhu.

Their faces were naturally both very grim.

Li Qingluo: "Want the invitation? Then rely on your abilities! But as long as I'm here today, I'll see who dares to barge into my Hongfenguan!"

Li Qingluo spoke while gripping her longbow tightly, a posture that said she would not be polite to anyone who dared step forward.

Li Qingzhu was already sweating profusely with anxiety in secret.

With so many people here, how could she spout nonsense about a marriage engagement?

Immediately, she no longer paid attention to Zhuang Sanlang, and blurted out: "Little sister Luoluo, stop scaring us. Sanlang meant no harm; I myself felt embarrassed, so he rushed to act in such an indiscreet manner!"

"He indeed shouldn't have barged into your courtyard, but I and Sanlang are now innocent; don't misunderstand. The person he was betrothed to in childhood is actually you!"

As soon as Li Qingzhu said that, Zhuang Wei turned his head and stared at her, his face full of disbelief.