Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan rode their little electric scooter around the streets. Along the way, they stopped at several food stalls and bought a great deal of food, having it delivered straight to the Ninth Princess’s residence. Even after they returned to the princess’s manor, no one came to arrest them.
Mu Jin, following behind them, found the whole thing unbelievable. This was truly a first in the capital.
What she did not know was that the various government offices were all suffering a headache over the matter. The capital prefecture did not want to risk losing its own men, so they tried to make the Ministry of Justice or the Imperial Guards handle the arrest.
The Ministry of Justice said the case had not been assigned to them, and that arresting the culprits was the responsibility of the capital prefecture and the Imperial Guards. As for Zhao Fenghua of the Imperial Guards, he was one of Lu Qianning’s people. He said that since they already knew who the culprits were and where they lived, the capital prefecture could simply go to the residence and arrest them. There was no need for the Imperial Guards to get involved.
The matter was passed back and forth until, in the end, no one sent anyone to make the arrest. None of them wanted to send their own people to their deaths.
The officials of the capital had handled all sorts of cases, both large and small, yet none had ever been as troublesome as this one. Even when faced with the residences of officials whose entire households were to be confiscated and executed, they had never been afraid. There was no danger in those cases, and there was even profit to be made.
Yet when confronted with two ignorant, fearless children, they were genuinely terrified.
When Xi Qingyue returned to the princess’s residence, a group of imperial physicians were examining Lu Qianning.
They had seen her only a few days ago, when she had been barely clinging to life. Now she looked perfectly healthy, her complexion no different from an ordinary person’s. The physicians were so shocked that their eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
An elderly physician was taking Lu Qianning’s pulse. He exclaimed in disbelief, “How is this possible? A few days ago, Her Highness’s pulse showed that she was on the verge of death. How could she have recovered completely in just a few days? No matter how exceptional the medical skill, it shouldn’t be possible to recover so quickly!”
Lu Qianning smiled calmly. “Imperial Physician Wang is absolutely right. I find it just as incredible. I have my younger sister, the Little Miracle Doctor, to thank. Her medical skills are extraordinary, and she was the one who healed me. I will certainly submit a memorial to Father and have him express his gratitude for saving my life.”
The moment she said this, the imperial physicians stared at her as though they had seen a ghost.
When they had arrived, they had already heard about what had happened at the restaurant. The Grand Tutor had taken a group of people to arrest the sisters, only to be killed by them. How had Xi Qingyue suddenly become a Little Miracle Doctor?
If she truly was a Miracle Doctor, then half the court officials would probably speak on behalf of the sisters. Miracle Doctors were exceedingly rare, especially ones capable of bringing someone back from the brink of death.
Imperial Physician Wang swallowed and asked once more, “Your Highness, are you certain it was Miss Xi who cured your injuries?”
Lu Qianning nodded firmly. “Absolutely. She healed me, and only then did she have the time to go out and play. Otherwise, I would still be lying in bed, waiting to die.”
The physicians were stunned, and at the same time, they desperately wanted to ask how someone who had been reduced to a single breath of life could possibly have been saved.
Lu Qianning, however, gave them no opportunity. “Imperial Physicians, since you have confirmed that I am in good health, I will not take up any more of your time. Luo Ling, see our honored guests out.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Luo Ling answered and gestured for the physicians to leave.
Imperial Physician Wang hesitated, wanting to say something, but ultimately kept silent. He rose and respectfully bowed. “This humble servant and the others take our leave.”
The other physicians were filled with questions, but they obediently withdrew.
After they left, Lu Qianning went straight to Xi Qingyue’s courtyard.
She had never imagined that the two sisters would kill the Grand Tutor after being out for such a short time. When they had killed the Fourth Prince, it had at least been at night. But this time, they had done it in broad daylight. They clearly had no idea what fear was.
By the time she arrived, the Xi sisters had already returned and were sitting in the room, taking a rest.
When she saw Lu Qianning, Xi Qingyue asked with a smile, “Sister Lu, why were you in such a hurry to recover? It would have been better to keep pretending for a few more days.”
Lu Qianning walked over to a chair and sat down, giving a soft laugh. “If I didn’t recover, wouldn’t the Imperial Guards of the capital surround this residence within three days?”
Xi Qingyue pouted. “It makes no difference whether you’re well now or not. Do you really think the Emperor will let us off because of you? We killed Consort De’s father, after all. Besides, you have people in the Imperial Guards. They won’t tear your residence apart.”
“That may not necessarily be true.” Lu Qianning smiled confidently. “They may not do it for my sake, but for the sake of the Little Miracle Doctor, who can say? After all, you brought someone like me—someone on the verge of death—back to life. As an emperor, how could he possibly overlook such miraculous medical skills? He certainly wouldn’t kill you casually. Hasn’t he spent all these years obsessed with alchemy because he wants to live longer?”
If her father and Consort De truly shared an unbreakable love, they would not have had so many children. Compared with his own life, Consort De was clearly not that important to him.
Xi Qingyue shook her head. “I have no way to make him live longer. Even if I did, I wouldn’t help him.”
Lu Qianning waved her hand. “That won’t be necessary. All you need is the reputation of a Miracle Doctor in the capital, so you can enjoy yourself in peace without being disturbed by all sorts of troublesome people. Once you leave the capital, there’s nothing they can do to you.”
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something. “By the way, if you can make him feel as though he’s become a few years younger, your forged imperial edict will become genuine. You might even receive a title better than that of a county lady.”
She did not mean for Xi Qingyue to truly help the Emperor. She only wanted the Emperor to believe he had become younger, just as Lu Qianning’s near-death state a few days ago had been nothing more than an illusion.
Hearing this, Xi Qingyue thought it might actually work.
She nodded at Lu Qianning. “Fine, then I’ll leave him for you to deal with personally. If you accidentally die at his hands, Weilan and I will burn paper offerings for you.”
Xi Weilan slid down from her chair and ran over to Lu Qianning. Wrapping both arms around Lu Qianning’s leg, she looked up at her with a serious expression.
“Sister Lu, if you die, can I take your bones with me? I really like you, Sister Lu. Then I’ll be able to talk to you every day, just like I do with my mother.”
Lu Qianning instantly felt a chill run through her body. These sisters truly managed to shock her again and again. Surely they weren’t planning to dig up her grave and carry her remains around after she died?
She picked Xi Weilan up and held her in her arms. Then she looked at Xi Qingyue and, unable to hold back her curiosity this time, asked, “You can use the art of creating a world within your sleeve?”
She was not entirely certain about her guess. It was simply too astonishing. Yet only this possibility could make sense of everything; otherwise, many of the sisters’ actions were impossible to explain.
The two sisters had said they liked her enough to dig up her grave and take her away. Surely that meant they would not kill her to silence her.
Xi Qingyue smiled and nodded. “Mm. Sister Lu really is clever. No one else would think in that direction.”
Even after receiving confirmation, Lu Qianning was still shaken. Could such an incredible art truly exist in this world? It was practically an immortal technique.
Xi Weilan proudly declared, “My sister is the most powerful person in the whole world.”
Lu Qianning patted her head and smiled. “Mm, your sister is the most powerful. But you mustn’t mention this carelessly outside, understood?”
Xi Weilan nodded repeatedly. “I won’t tell anyone. I won’t say a single word about my sister’s affairs.”
Since she had asked the first question, Lu Qianning decided to throw caution to the wind and ask everything that had been troubling her. If they really intended to silence her, at least she would die knowing the truth.
“Were all those strange incidents along the road caused by you? And were you responsible for the ghost fires at night as well?”
Xi Qingyue answered calmly, “Yes. I killed all those officials who died. They deserved it. As for the ghost fires, Weilan and I were traveling at night. We slept during the day, and with no one else on the roads at night, we could travel much faster. The vehicle we used was similar to the one we rode today, though it was better—and faster.”
