Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan were leisurely enjoying a delicious meal inside the restaurant, while her little electric cart had become a spectacle outside, drawing crowds of onlookers.
Although the common people had been kept outside the vehicle by the men Mu Jin had brought with her and could not get too close, many were still craning their necks to look. They had never seen such a strange contraption before.
“What is this wheel made of? How can it move on its own?” one craftsman asked, his eyes shining with curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.
Some children tugged on their parents’ sleeves and wailed that they wanted a little cart like that too. It looked so pretty and fun!
As for the Eighth Prince being gravely wounded by heavenly punishment, people had gradually forgotten about it. Everyone’s attention had shifted to the adorable pink electric cart.
The young scions of the capital were also fascinated by such a rare object, and one after another they ran over to examine it.
Several of them had been beaten up by Xi Qingyue before. They stood among the crowd, covering their faces with one hand as they poked their heads toward the little cart. They wanted to see what it looked like, but were afraid Xi Qingyue might spot them and beat them again. Their appearance was rather comical.
Still, these men had learned their lesson. Though there were plenty of commoners outside the restaurant, they managed to restrain themselves and did not dare say a word, afraid that one wrong remark would earn them another beating. They simply stared wide-eyed at every part of the little electric cart.
The patrol guards, worried that something might happen again, hurried over to disperse the crowd. “Move along, all of you. What’s so interesting about this? It’s nothing more than a child’s toy.”
Hearing that, the young dandies rolled their eyes. He made it sound so easy.
The restaurant keeper stood at the entrance, wiping the sweat from his brow. At a time like this, he was truly afraid something would happen to his establishment.
So many incidents had occurred in the capital recently. The Fourth Prince and the Tenth Prince had just died, and the culprit had yet to be caught. His restaurant absolutely could not afford any trouble. And as for the Eighth Prince’s heavenly punishment—once he woke up, who knew whether he would take his anger out on the restaurant?
The keeper suddenly remembered that all these incidents in the capital had begun after the two children arrived. A chill ran through him.
Could those two children be bringers of disaster?
Inside the restaurant, in a private room by the window, Mu Jin stood gazing down at the street below, deeply moved by the scene.
She turned back to glance at the sisters. One was eating fish, while the other was gnawing on a pork knuckle. Neither paid the slightest attention to the commotion outside.
Xi Qingyue bit into a piece of fried fish with a satisfying crunch. Her mouth full of its savory fragrance, she smiled at Mu Jin and said, “Sister Mu Jin, why aren’t you eating? The fried fish here is delicious—crispy, fragrant, and full of flavor.”
Mu Jin shook her head with a smile. “If it’s good, then eat more, miss. This servant isn’t hungry yet.”
She was not being too timid to sit down and eat. She truly was not hungry. She had eaten not long ago, and it was not yet mealtime. She was not about to compete with the two children for food.
She walked over to Xi Weilan, picked up a handkerchief, and gently wiped the oil from the girl’s little face.
“Slow down. No one is going to take it from you.”
Xi Weilan looked up with a radiant smile. “Thank you, Sister Mu Jin. You should eat too.”
As she spoke, she picked up a large piece of meat and stuffed it into Mu Jin’s mouth. Mu Jin smiled and ate it.
Mu Jin could not quite understand it. The sisters were clearly easy to get along with, so why had Luo Ling been so afraid of them? Today, she had seen everything clearly—Luo Ling had been scared stiff.
Just as they were quietly eating in the private room, another group arrived outside the restaurant. The man leading them was Grand Tutor Wei Shao.
His grandson had been killed, his grandson on his daughter’s side had also been killed, and the Grand Tutor’s residence had been robbed bare. Wei Shao’s fury had nowhere to go. The moment he heard that the people who had killed Wei Da were in the restaurant, he had come without a second thought.
Previously, he had still cared about his reputation and had not wanted to involve himself personally. He had only intended to have the local authorities arrest them according to proper procedure. But at the last court session, someone had opposed him and even spoken in defense of the sisters. Wei Shao had also been too busy with other matters these past few days.
He had never expected them to dare show their faces in public. They were simply too brazen.
He was nearly beside himself with rage. Bringing the guards from his residence, he came straight to the restaurant. If the authorities would not arrest them, he would do it himself and deliver them there. He refused to believe that even the Seventh Princess would dare go to the authorities to demand their release.
As for the Ninth Princess, she was barely alive and probably would not last much longer, so there was no need to concern himself with her.
Wei Shao stormed into the restaurant with his men. The keeper was so frightened that he did not even dare stop him. He could only stand there frozen.
His restaurant—he prayed nothing would happen to it.
Xi Qingyue had already sensed their arrival when they reached the entrance. She set down the fried fish in her hand, picked up the damp handkerchief beside her, and unhurriedly wiped her hands.
“Weilan, we have guests. Wait here for a moment. Big Sister will be back shortly.”
At once, Xi Weilan put down the large pork knuckle in her hands. She picked up a handkerchief and began wiping her mouth and hands as she spoke. “Big Sister, I want to go with you.”
Xi Qingyue smiled and nodded. “All right. We’ll go together. Mu Jin, you stay here. Go downstairs.”
Remembering Lu Qianning’s instructions, Mu Jin did not refuse. The order she had received was to obey without question, no matter what was asked of her.
Xi Qingyue opened the door and led Xi Weilan out. The two of them stood at the top of the staircase, like a pair of little guardians barring the way.
When Wei Shao and his men reached the stairs, they saw the two motionless children above them. He had never met either child, but instinct told him at once that they were the murderers responsible for his grandson’s death.
“So, you really are bold enough to kill my grandson and then flaunt yourselves all over the capital! Today, this old man will send you both to the dungeon at the capital authorities’ office.”
Xi Weilan looked puzzled. “Old man, who is your grandson?”
She did not even know the old man standing before her. She knew only that everyone she and Big Sister had killed had tried to harm them. They had done nothing wrong.
Xi Qingyue gave a cold laugh. “You mean that spoiled brat who tried to force us to become his maids? He died while abducting a common girl. He deserved it. The fact that the authorities haven’t come to arrest us proves we were in the right. As a court official, you’re trying to abduct women by force too. That’s breaking the law knowingly. Do you want to die as well?”
Everyone inside the restaurant was stunned.
Most of them had not personally witnessed Xi Qingyue and her sister kill Wei Da. They had only heard the rumors. They all thought Wei Da’s death was deserved, but not one of them had dared say so openly to his face.
After all, the man before them was the Grand Tutor—the emperor’s teacher.
Wei Shao was already blazing with fury. He pointed at Xi Qingyue and shouted, “You insolent brat! How dare you! Men, seize them!”
The moment he spoke, the guards behind him charged up the stairs.
Xi Qingyue suddenly drew the sword at her waist and pointed it forward. “Those who want to die, come on up.”
Beside her, Xi Weilan also drew the small pistol at her waist and aimed it at the guards below. If they dared take another step, she would fire.
She felt no fear at all. She did not care who stood before them or how powerful they were. She remembered only what Big Sister had told her: they no longer had to fear anyone.
The guards hesitated for only an instant before continuing up the stairs. They intended to avenge the young master of the Grand Tutor’s residence.
