When Lu Jinshuang entered the courtyard carrying a roast chicken, Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan were playing with swords. The two sisters were practicing simple sword moves against each other, and there was no one else in the courtyard.
“Yue, Little Lan’er, I brought you a roast chicken.”
At the sound of her voice, Xi Weilan immediately ran over with a smile. “Sister Jinshuang, you’re late. I already ate.”
She paused, then changed her tone. “But for your sake, Sister Jinshuang, I can eat one chicken leg.”
Her eyes narrowed into cheerful crescents. Lu Jinshuang couldn’t help laughing. If she wanted to eat, she could just say so—yet she had to make it sound as though she were doing Lu Jinshuang a favor. What a smooth talker.
Xi Qingyue set down her sword and walked over as well. “Sister Jinshuang, aren’t you afraid someone will spot you coming here so early? Be careful—you might be reported again tomorrow, and they could extend your confinement.”
Lu Jinshuang waved it off. “Let them do as they please. At worst, I’ll sneak out from now on. It won’t affect me.”
While they were talking, Xi Weilan had already grabbed a roast chicken and begun gnawing on it, her mouth soon slick with grease.
Xi Qingyue went inside and returned with a cup of spirit spring water. She patted Xi Weilan on the head and handed it to her.
“Drink some water. Don’t choke.”
Watching her, Lu Jinshuang chuckled. “You’re quite the competent older sister. You take excellent care of your little sister.”
Xi Qingyue smiled proudly. “She’s my only family, so naturally I have to take good care of her. You aren’t any less kind to the Ninth Princess—you even beat up the Fourth Prince for her.”
At that, Lu Jinshuang shook her head. “Sigh. Just beating him up wasn’t satisfying enough.”
Suddenly, Xi Qingyue leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Sister Jinshuang, should we get rid of the Fourth Prince? I guarantee no one will ever know we did it.”
Lu Jinshuang stared at her in shock. She hadn’t even dared to think that far. If the Fourth Prince really died, her father would be furious enough to spit blood.
Consort De and the Emperor had grown up together as childhood sweethearts. The Grand Tutor had only just lost his grandson, and someone had even looted his estate. If the Fourth Prince died at a time like this, the Emperor might fall ill from anger. The death of one Fourth Prince would drag far too many people into the matter.
She cast a suspicious glance at Xi Qingyue. Seeing how serious she looked, Lu Jinshuang couldn’t help questioning her own sanity.
“Yue, are you serious? The Fourth Prince’s maternal uncle is still fighting in the northern frontier. What if he rebels?”
Xi Qingyue let out a cold laugh. “If you’d seen the miserable state of the people in the north, you’d know. The commoners are already suffering terribly. Besides, we can simply have someone kill him before he has a chance to rebel.”
Lu Jinshuang fell silent. She did want to kill the Fourth Prince, but she wanted to leave him for Lu Qianning to deal with personally. On top of that, she was worried about the forces behind him. If his death threw the imperial court into turmoil, it would cause more trouble than it was worth.
After thinking for a moment, she suddenly asked, “What does the Ninth Princess think? He’s her enemy. If we kill him, how will she take revenge?”
Xi Qingyue waved her hand. “It’s fine. We’ll all go together. You can kill him together.”
Just then, Luo Ling entered the courtyard.
She walked up to Lu Jinshuang with a smile and bowed. “Seventh Princess, our princess requests your presence.”
Lu Jinshuang rose at once. She patted Xi Weilan on the head, then followed Luo Ling out of the courtyard.
Xi Qingyue flipped her wrist, and a bottle of Happy Water appeared in her hand. She popped open the cap and began drinking.
“Big Sister, I want some too.” The moment Xi Weilan saw it, she ran over, abandoning her chicken leg. Her little face was full of excitement.
Xi Qingyue laughed helplessly. What a little glutton. She immediately took out another bottle, opened it, and handed it over.
They weren’t going to sleep tonight anyway, so having a little now wouldn’t hurt.
When the hour of the rat arrived, the sisters went to Lu Qianning’s courtyard. As expected, Lu Jinshuang had not left yet.
Other than the four of them, Luo Ling and Mu Jin were there, along with four male guards. It was obvious they were about to take care of some business.
Lu Jinshuang was startled when she saw Xi Qingyue bringing Xi Weilan along. “Why did you bring Little Lan’er?”
She didn’t believe a three-year-old child could be of any use. Xi Weilan hadn’t even properly learned qinggong yet.
Neither Lu Qianning nor Luo Ling said anything. They had personally witnessed Xi Weilan killing people before, and she was in no way inferior to them.
Holding Xi Weilan in her arms, Xi Qingyue gave Lu Jinshuang a faint smile. “Lan’er is still young, so I’m bringing her along to broaden her horizons. Don’t worry—she won’t hold us back.”
With that, she swept Xi Weilan into her arms and flew away. In the blink of an eye, the two had vanished.
Lu Jinshuang rubbed her eyes vigorously. She had never seen anyone with qinggong so astonishing. Even Lu Qianning couldn’t move that quickly. The speed was simply terrifying.
Lu Qianning patted her shoulder. “Let’s go. If we delay any longer, she’ll have killed everyone already.”
The group immediately followed with qinggong. Yet when they reached the Fourth Prince’s residence, they couldn’t see even a trace of Xi Qingyue.
Xi Qingyue dispelled the layer of mist surrounding her body, revealing herself. She pointed toward the Fourth Prince’s residence.
“I’ve already knocked everyone unconscious. The rest is up to you.”
Lu Qianning nodded. She gave the male guards a meaningful glance, and they flew down with their swords in hand.
Then Lu Qianning and the others headed straight for the Fourth Prince’s room.
Holding Xi Weilan, Xi Qingyue arrived at the Fourth Prince’s bedside. She casually tapped several points on his body, and he woke up.
“All right. You siblings can have a proper reunion.” With that, she carried Xi Weilan to the back of the room.
When the Fourth Prince awoke, those were the first words he heard. The moment he saw Lu Qianning, terror filled his entire face.
“You… Why are you here? Aren’t you…” He wanted to say that Lu Qianning was dead, but the words never left his mouth.
Lu Qianning let out a cold laugh. “I’m dead, is that it? The people from Beiyue hunted me relentlessly, and you sent assassins after me as well. Once I reached the capital, your mother even dispatched dozens of assassins outside the city. You’ve all been so kind to me.”
With every sentence, she drove another sword into the Fourth Prince’s body. The pain made him convulse violently. But the first strike had pierced the area around his mute acupoint, so he couldn’t make a sound. No matter how desperately he tried to scream, not a single cry escaped him.
Luo Ling showed no mercy either. She stabbed him in the chest, her face filled with fury.
“You nearly got our princess killed on the road. Every wound she suffered—you’ll suffer them too.”
Lu Jinshuang and Mu Jin did not stand idle. Together, they practically turned the Fourth Prince into a sieve, leaving him conscious enough to experience every ounce of pain while unable to utter a sound.
Sitting in a chair to the side, Xi Qingyue held Xi Weilan in her arms and took the opportunity to teach her.
“Lan’er, do you see him? He attacked his own family. A person like that is cruel, vicious, and utterly heartless. He’ll surely meet a miserable end.”
Xi Weilan nodded repeatedly. “Yes, Big Sister. I understand. I’ll protect you, Big Sister. Anyone who tries to hurt you, I’ll kill them.”
Hearing their conversation, Lu Jinshuang turned around. She happened to meet Xi Weilan’s innocent yet solemn eyes.
Was this really a three-year-old child?
They were in the middle of killing someone, yet these two sisters weren’t frightened in the slightest. They were even chatting as though nothing unusual were happening.
What kind of abnormal children were these sisters?
