Jin qing stayed on the side of the banquet. There were merry talk and some dancing and performing, but Jin qing stayed quiet like how she usually does. There was no point in her trying to show off some talent that everyone else would have as well. 
Besides, that would draw too much attention. 

Unfortunately, not talking to anyone also made her stick out like a sore thumb to those paying attention. 

Shang ye leaned over to Xi jian "Jin qing hasn't spoken or been spoken to this entire night."

Xi jian looked at her with an amused look on his face "she wants to stay in the shadows huh? Well, there is no point for her to stay like that."

he laughed "You have an evil side, brother."

"get a bow and some arrows, its time for our performance"

<>

"Us brothers pride in our archery skills," Xi jian said, "We would like to show our skills as our performance tonight."

Some enthusiastic applause backed up Xi jian when he notched an arrow. He let it fly toward the target that is facing the door, and it hit a bullseye.

Everyone shifted uncomfortably, this was it?

Xi jian calmly notched another arrow, and split the arrow he shot before in two.

A round of applause greeted him.

Each brother did their tricks, and when Fu chen shot his arrow blindfolded, the room erupted in applause.

"One more!" Xi jian said to everyone surprise. "I have a story to tell everyone."

"Today while I was hunting with my brothers, we came across a lady with archery skills better than anyone we have seen."

Jin qing put down her cup to prevent herself from choking on her drink.

"She is a gentle lady, her voice sweet and low." Shang ye continued "yet when she is holding a bow and mounted on a horse, she changes into a goddess, skills unmatched." He walked around the room "guess who it is." He invited.

"It must be the princess Chun ting!" Someone shouted.

There was some other guesses but no one mentioned Jin qing's name.

"None" Xi jian smiled

Shang ye walked over to Jin qing and held out his hand. "Will you get up and demonstrate your skills?"

Jin qing smiled shyly. "I feel honored by your highness's compliments. But, you are overstating my skills. I am just a lady who likes archery- nothing compared to your highness."

Shang ye laughed out loud. "Let your bow and arrow talk for themselves." He looked at everyone in the room "I would like everyone to get up, for Jin qing's performance will be outside."

Jin qing mentally sighed and pictured all the things that she could have done that morning for this not to have happened.

She weighed out her options. There of course is the option of failing on purpose- but that would be bad for her and the princes' reputation. Then there was the option of declining and gather even more attention onto her-- the princes aren't going to take no for an answer anyway. 

The obvious choice would be to agree and go along with them. As much as she wanted to stay quiet and in the back, there was no working her way around this time. 

When she walked outside, Fu chen was the first one to approach her.

Jin qing curtsied"Greetings to your highness"

"I apologize if my brothers caught you by surprise." He said politely, looking around nervously. "I tried to talk them out of it, but they were insistent. I couldn't change their minds."

"It did, but it's fine." She lied with a smile. "I won't hold it against your highness, if that was what you were worried about."

His face brightened a little, and he scurried off with a grin on his face. 

Jin qing walked over to the shooting range and found her horse saddled and ready to go. Jin qing laughed to herself.
They want me to do that? In this dress? Who do they think I am?

She mounted her horse as best as she could, moving her dress slightly so she can mount comfortably. Even in a dress, she knew she can do this as well as she would if she was wearing what she usually wore while hunting.

A servant handed her a bow and a quiver of arrows, which Jin qing accepted with shaking hands. A crowd was gathering now, buzzing with excitement with what the usually silent lady was going to do for them.

Everyone eventually quieted, waiting for Jin qing to do something.

A long race track stretched from one side of the camp to the other, obstacles to prevent her from going in a straight path for too long.
5 targets along a track and the one at the end of the track was mounted on a cart.

A few minutes later, Shang ye explained that the obstacles are there to mimic the environment of the forest, and targets as the animals. The first four would be stationary, and last moving one was to be pulled on a long rope to be a moving target.

Jin qing breathed in, trying to calm her nerves as the crowd once again started to hum with curiosity. being nervous was to be expected, but everything melted away as soon as her horse began to pick up speed. 

Everyone watched as she urged her horse in a run and gasped as Jin qing straightened her back to release both hands from her reins. They watched in amazement as she notched an arrow, aim, and let it fly through the air--

only a few centimeters short from the bullseye.

The crowd cheered in approval. 

Her horse shook his head and was satisfied with itself and the reaction from the crowd, and leaped over a pile of sandbags-- all the while Jin qing focused on the next target. 

Much to the audience's surprise, she skipped the target and only straightened when she was ahead of it. She tiled her horse around a little bit, turned her body around, and fired, the arrow again only a few hairs away from the painted center. 

As for the last three, she did no tricks and simply shot when she got the chance and hit a little bit further from the bulls-eye on the last moving one. 

Jin qing's head spun around, staring at something in the sky. she hadn't planned to miss on purpose-- rather, something had forced her attention to it while she was aiming and caused her to falter.

The entire crowd erupted in approval, and Jin qing shyly tilted her head back down to at least pretend she was bashful about the feat as they walked back into the tent. in reality, she was trying to process what she just saw...


Unfortunately, the world had decided that she wasn't going to get some alone time that night because soon after they returned to the banquet, everyone ran out of performances and started to ask for volunteers who can make up one from the spot.

Huan le sat down from a performance on the Guqing, feeling satisfied. she was proud that people were complimenting her skills and how ethereal the music sounded. It was nothing compared to the feat Jin qing had just did, but she didn't understand why everyone was still talking about it. Horseback riding and archery- what an un-ladylike sport!  

everyone eventually quieted down and started chatting among themselves, but they lacked another performer.

An ru carefully eyed at Jin qing, who is quietly eating in the corner of the room, and smiled gently to herself. Leaning over to Xue Hua, who was next to her, she asked "I'm thinking of a music piece with some singing. how confident are you in singing?"

Xue hua, ever so humble and mindful of other's ideas and intentions, smiled. "My voice is nothing special" Xue hua replied, understanding what An ru meant. "But my sister Jin qing's voice is unmatched."

They smiled at each other. An ru liked Xue hua and her good intentions, and both wanted to have Jin qing in the spotlight a little more. Both believed she has something more to show than just a quiet attitude.

An ru stood up and seeing this, everyone quieted.

Standing by the Guqin Huan le had just played on, she smiled. "I will be playing a piece for everyone." She announced, and everyone shuffled excitedly. Her music skills are known across the land to be as beautiful as her own fairy-like face. "But what I will be playing requires a singer with a sweet and gentle voice."

Huan le immediately sat up straighter. She is very confident in her singing skills.

Instead, An ru turned to Jin qing, and smiled. "I heard your voice is quite remarkable. Would you like to show me?"

Why can't they just leave me alone so I can just eat? Jin qing sighed, but once again, she rose from her seat asked the princess about the piece that she was about to play.

"It's the Lost Lover's song. Do you know it?"

Jin qing smiled, she is very familiar with the song.
"If the princess doesn't mind, I would like to invite someone else to join in the music" Jin qing asked. 

"Of course I don't! Who do you have in mind?"

Jin qing gestured to her younger brother, who looked up in surprise that he was even getting any attention. "Yi ping, my youngest brother, is exceptionally talented with the flute and has often played this song for me at home." She walked over to him. "Would my dearest brother mind if he can accompany us?"

Yi ping looked up at her, his cheeks flushing a little pink. "Sister, I-"

"Don't be shy." she said, smiling as he stood up nervously. "I know you can play it wonderfully." 

The song was about a girl lost and away from home, and a male part would answer her questions, making her feel better. Yi ping and Jin qing would often do this at home, but instead of singing his parts, he'll play them on the flute.

The crowd drew its breath as the music began to play, and for the entire duration of the song there wasn't a single person that didn't have a smile on their face. 
Jin qing wanted her little brother to have some of the spotlight, so she didn't try her hardest and put more emphasis on the music rather than her singing. 

With her purposeful efforts and the two's pure talent, most of the crowd had their attention on the two musicians rather than her, giving her the perfect opportunity to leave the banquet.

As she hoped, her maids were outside waiting for her and immediately bombarded her with compliments about her archery and singing skills all the way back to their tent. it was obvious that they had been eavesdropping, and she didn't mind. 

Jin qing took a deep breath as soon as they entered their private tent. "oh it is good to be alone. So many staring eyes made me so uncomfortable. I wanted to get out of there anyway, there's something I wanted to think about." 

"It's about what happened during the archery track, isn't it?" Ye bing asked softly. "If we saw it, there was no doubt that you saw it too."

"Yes, I did."

"Are we going to do anything about it?"

"there shouldn't be that many people outside in the forest, and the hunting parties would have scared off all the animals... the amount of movement in the forest is unnatural. Whoever those people are will attack tonight." Jin qing guessed, her voice suddenly serious. "We'll stay awake and we'll stay inside. No one leaves this tent alive."

Ye bing and Bai yan nodded. They had done this before and understood what their miss wanted. when it came to matters of bloodshed, it was better to get things done quickly rather than with a spectacle. 

Jin qing rubbed her hands, she was ready too. But she hoped she won't ever have to kill a human being ever again in the fashion she used to do.

Bai yan and Ye bing encouraged Jin qing to sleep, and she did. She slept lightly, often waking to the sound of Bai yan and Ye bing moving around or a slight rustle by the wind outside.

Finally, the attackers came.
Jin qing heard it and rose before Ye bing and Bai yan can come to wake her up. She sat on her bed, far away from the thin walls of the tent.

There were clashes of metal outside, but thankfully there seems to be no one but guards and the invaders outside.

Jin qing forced her nerves to calm down and reminded herself where she is. The attackers must be going into tents now, ransacking what they can find. Most of the guards must be at where the banquet is, so they might be going unchallenged.

But that isn't her problem. It's most likely simple bandits wanting some dangerous coin.

A man in black robes charged into her room, and her maids sprang to their feet. 

Her maids first disarmed the man with a swift strike and knocked the weapon far away so there was no chance at it ever entering back into the fight.
The man was shocked and tried to fight back, but he wasn't going against just anybody. 
He was going against two trained bodyguards of the Xue Xian herself, who was watching as the fight bloodlessly drew to a close. 

"Dispose of the body. You two know what to do" Jin qing said simply, her attention not at the limp body being dragged out but at the sword that was kicked away from the fight. 

Jin qing's eyes widened, recognizing the style of the craftsmanship. This isn't some ordinary bandits. This man is part of the Yu family from the fallen Liang empire, the clan famous for producing the best assassins and killers. Attached to the sword was the mark of the Song army. Four green beads with two golden ones in the middle.

There were so many things this could have meant, but Jin qing knew she'll have time to dwell on many of those things later... but there were more pressing matters.
Everyone else in the area most likely is still partying and having fun, but Jin qing understood what was going on.

The sudden fires flaring in the fields were no natural cause, this trip was a trap, and everyone will die if they don't act fast.