Xi Qingyue told Lu Qianning everything in one breath. Since she had brought out the little electric vehicle, she would no longer use mule carts when traveling from now on. She would use vehicles that were better and more comfortable, so there was no harm in explaining it all.
Lu Qianning listened with a look of utter disbelief, but at the same time, many of the doubts in her heart were finally cleared up.
Patting her chest, she said with a deeply emotional expression, “Do you know how badly you frightened me and Luo Ling back then? Luo Ling is still scared. She nearly mistook you all for ghosts.”
At last, she understood what had happened. Back then, Xi Qingyue had sometimes been in front of them and sometimes behind them in the mountains. One moment she had been riding the mule alone, and the next there had been two people on it. They had been frightened out of their wits. So it turned out that she possessed some sort of divine art.
Although it was utterly unbelievable, Lu Qianning still chose to believe her.
Xi Qingyue pressed her lips together and smiled. She had known that Luo Ling was afraid of them, but she had not expected Luo Ling to mistake them for ghosts. What an imagination.
Xi Weilan looked even more confused. “Isn’t Sister Luo Ling a little foolish? We didn’t frighten her.”
Luo Ling, who had just been called foolish, sneezed in the courtyard. All she knew was that the princess had gone inside to speak with Xi Qingyue and her sister for a long time. She had waited outside for half an hour before the doors finally opened.
When Lu Qianning came out, she wore a smile, clearly having enjoyed the conversation.
“Princess, someone from the palace has arrived. His Majesty sent word that you are to enter the palace tomorrow, and he specifically instructed you to bring Miss Yue.”
The moment Luo Ling saw them come out, she stepped forward to tell Lu Qianning. She knew that this was because Xi Qingyue’s reputation as a divine physician had begun to spread.
With all those imperial physicians publicizing what had happened, the emperor would certainly believe it without question. Lu Qianning’s former condition was known not only to the imperial physicians but also to many doctors in the capital. After all, quite a few physicians had come to examine her pulse.
As long as Lu Qianning appeared in public, no one would doubt Xi Qingyue’s identity as a divine physician. Those who had wanted to hunt her down would have to hold their tongues.
An ordinary physician was nothing special, but a divine physician capable of bringing the dead back to life was a rare talent. Someone who could save a person as long as they still had a breath left was someone everyone would want to worship and protect.
Lu Qianning nodded indifferently. “Then I’ll go to the palace tomorrow. I’ll take them in with me.”
Compared with the emperor’s summons for the following day, the Eighth Prince’s residence acted much more quickly.
Lu Qianning had only just returned to her courtyard when a servant came to report that the steward of the Eighth Prince’s residence had arrived to seek medical aid. They were willing to offer ten thousand gold pieces in exchange for Xi Qingyue’s treatment.
“Wasn’t the Eighth Prince merely blown by the wind? Is it really that serious?” Lu Qianning asked, puzzled.
After all, Xi Qingyue would never tell her about her supernatural ability, much less reveal that the Eighth Prince’s injuries had been caused by her.
Mu Jin spoke up from the side. “Princess, the Eighth Prince’s appearance earlier made it look as though he had been slashed by a knife. His clothes were torn, and he was bleeding heavily. I thought it was only a superficial injury, so I didn’t mention it.”
Without a second thought, Lu Qianning shook her head. “Go ask Yue about this. Let her decide whether she wants to save him. From now on, there’s no need to ask me about such matters.”
Mu Jin acknowledged the order and went to Xi Qingyue’s courtyard. The answer she received was a refusal.
Xi Qingyue was not short of money. She had injured him herself, but she had no intention of treating him herself as well. If she truly wanted gold, she could simply take it for herself; there was no need to go to all that trouble.
The people from the Eighth Prince’s residence returned disappointed. At that moment, the Eighth Prince was lying in bed, regretting his actions so much that his intestines had turned green. If he had known this would happen, he would never have gone looking for trouble that day. Then he would not have ended up in such a state.
The Duke Anguo’s residence.
Duke Anguo held the portrait drawn by Xi Daniu, his expression filled with excitement. “Wonderful! It really is her. She truly is my granddaughter.”
“Old man, what are you muttering about? The most important matter right now is Wen Liang’s leg. Not only has he fallen ill, but his temperament has changed as well. He even sold off all the guards who went out to search for her.”
When the Duchess spoke of her son, her face was full of worry. He was the son they had finally managed to find again.
At this, Duke Anguo let out a cold laugh. “So what if he sold them? Those people disobeyed orders. We told them to find someone, yet they went against us and refused to do their jobs properly. What use are guards like that? We might as well sell them for some silver. The household is short of money anyway.”
The mention of money made Duke Anguo even angrier. Why had their family been so unlucky lately?
The Duchess frowned slightly. “But those guards originally protected Qian'er. Ruoshu was magnanimous enough to let them help search for the girl. Now that they’ve been sold, Ruoshu may well have something to say about it.”
She was worried that this matter would cause conflict between her son and daughter-in-law. The household was already chaotic enough; they could not afford to add another problem.
Duke Anguo dismissed her concerns. “It’s fine. You said yourself that Ruoshu is magnanimous. She certainly won’t hold it against us. Besides, she wouldn’t feel at ease letting Qian'er use a group of disobedient guards, would she?”
With that, he pointed to the child in the portrait and looked at the Duchess. “Haven’t you seen the two children at the princess’s residence? How did you fail to recognize that they were the people Wen Liang was searching for—in other words, our granddaughters?”
“What?” The Duchess’s voice rose sharply, and she stared at him in disbelief.
She had only taken a quick look at them the last time and had not examined them carefully. Besides, she had not seen the portrait Wen Liang drew back then. After so much time, she had long since forgotten what the children looked like. How could she possibly have recognized them now?
Duke Anguo sighed as he looked at his wife. “You’ve been so focused on Wen Liang’s injury that you don’t know what has been happening outside. Not only are those two our granddaughters, but today they also killed the Grand Tutor. The elder granddaughter even healed the Ninth Princess, bringing her from the brink of death to being lively and energetic again. She’s a rare divine physician.”
The moment he finished speaking, the Duchess’s face lit up with delight. “Really? Then does that mean our son’s leg can be saved? Quickly, go and bring them back! We are their grandparents. Naturally, they should live in our Duke Anguo’s residence.”
If this had been half an hour earlier, Duke Anguo would certainly have chosen not to acknowledge the two granddaughters. But now that the elder one had gained a reputation as a divine physician, he felt that bringing them back to the Duke’s residence might not be such a bad idea after all.
Duke Anguo nodded. “Indeed, my dear, you’re right. They are our granddaughters, so of course we must acknowledge them. I’ll go to the princess’s residence at once. I’m sure the princess is reasonable and won’t stop us from recognizing our kin.”
With that, he immediately rose and headed outside. He intended to bring the girls back to the Duke’s residence before anyone else could get to them.
After he left, the Duchess thought for a moment before making her way to the heir’s wife’s courtyard. She needed to tell her daughter-in-law the news first, lest the children start quarreling after the girls were brought home.
The Ninth Princess’s residence.
Xi Weilan rode a single-seat toy car back and forth throughout the entire residence, having the time of her life playing by herself.
Xi Qingyue had taken another little car out of her spatial realm, specially for Xi Weilan to ride alone. Since Lu Qianning had already decided that she possessed a magical storage ability, Xi Qingyue no longer had any reason to hide it.
The maids followed Xi Weilan everywhere. While taking care of her, they were also filled with curiosity about the little car. Whether it was the extended version or the miniature one, both could move forward on their own. They were even more convenient than the maids’ qinggong and required no effort at all.
Xi Qingyue and Lu Qianning sat in a pavilion beside the lotus pond. A chessboard lay before them, and they were leisurely playing a game.
Just then, Mu Jin walked in with a strange look on her face.
She glanced at Xi Qingyue first, as though confirming something, before turning to Lu Qianning. Her tone was as calm as ever.
“Princess, Duke Anguo is waiting outside. He says he has come to take his granddaughters home.”
Lu Qianning raised her eyes, looking puzzled. “Granddaughters? What granddaughters? If he wants to take someone home, why did he come to our residence?”
Mu Jin glanced at Xi Qingyue once more before replying, “Princess, he means Miss Yue and Miss Lan.”
At that, Xi Qingyue did not even lift her eyelids. She merely said, “Tell him to get lost.”
