When Xi Qingyue left the palace, she already had the imperial edict she wanted in hand. It was far more useful than the forged edict granting her the title of commandery princess.
She now had a residence, private farmland, and an income fief. Unfortunately, however, the emperor had not given them an actual fiefdom.
She could not help sighing. “Big Sister Lu, your father is really stingy. He didn’t even give us a fiefdom.”
Lu Qianning lightly tapped her on the head. “Enough. Even if he gave you one, he wouldn’t give you the authority to manage it. It would be useless. As long as you’ve secured the practical benefits, that’s enough.”
Xi Qingyue pouted. “I remember that several of your imperial brothers have fiefdoms. They don’t have management authority either?”
She suddenly thought of Prince Kang. He seemed to be secretly planning a rebellion. Someone like that would probably be raising troops, wouldn’t he?
Lu Qianning nodded calmly. “Of course they do. In their fiefdoms, they’re practically local emperors. Sooner or later, they’ll probably start something. You and Lan'er are still too young, and you asked for two shares at once. There’s no way Father would give you a fiefdom. Besides, even if he did, it would only be a small piece of land with little practical use.”
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something. She flashed Xi Qingyue a bright smile. “I just remembered—I have a fiefdom in the south as well, though I’ve never visited it. When you happen to pass through that area, go take a look for me. Don’t let anyone use my name to bully the locals.”
That fiefdom had been bestowed on her before she was sent away for a political marriage. Her father had probably only wanted to put on a show at the time. After all, she had already left and would never have any use for it. He had not expected her to return.
Xi Qingyue’s eyes lit up, and she agreed at once. Patting her chest, she promised, “Don’t worry, Big Sister Lu. I’ve always been loyal. What’s yours is mine. Lan'er and I will definitely go check on it for you. By the way, where exactly is it?”
“Xin’an County,” Lu Qianning replied.
Xi Weilan, who had been listening to them the whole time, also patted her chest. “Don’t worry, Big Sister Lu. I’ll help too.”
She wrapped her arms around Lu Qianning’s neck with a solemn expression. Unable to resist, Lu Qianning pinched her little cheek.
“Good. Lan'er is such a sensible girl. I’ll have someone buy you some treats later.”
The group had not even been back at the princess’s residence for half an hour when Lu Jinshuang came rushing in.
She arrived openly and went straight to the sisters’ courtyard. Happily, she picked up Xi Weilan and kissed her on the cheek.
“Little Lan'er, you and Yue’er are truly my lucky stars! Not only has my confinement been lifted, I’ve also received rewards. This is wonderful—you really have become my little sisters now. Mother will surely be delighted when she hears.”
Only then did Xi Qingyue remember that someone in the palace had wanted to meet her.
When she mentioned it, Lu Jinshuang waved it off. “It’s fine. You can meet Mother after your investiture ceremony as commandery princesses. I’ll explain it to her. Oh, by the way, are you two heading out again?”
Xi Qingyue nodded with a smile. “Yes. Jinshuang-jie, you came at just the right time. Lan'er and I are going to look at our new residences later. They’re not far from here—less than fifteen minutes away.”
Lu Jinshuang naturally had no objections. Carrying Xi Weilan in her arms, she headed outside. “Then I’ll come along.”
Lu Qianning left the princess’s residence with Luo Ling and the others. By the time they reached the entrance, a crowd of curious commoners had gathered outside. They had heard about what happened that day and had come specifically to watch the excitement.
The investigation into the Fourth Prince’s murder had been called off, while the Wei family had been surrounded by the Imperial Guards. Everyone knew that both the Fourth Prince and the Wei family had been investigated. The officials who had attended the morning court had spread word of what had happened, and many commoners had never seen Xi Qingyue and her sister before. Curious about two little children being made commandery princesses, they had come to take a look.
Under the crowd’s watchful eyes, Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan calmly climbed into the carriage. Xi Weilan even waved at the commoners, beaming happily.
It took less than fifteen minutes to reach their residences. They were only one street away from Lu Qianning’s estate. If they used qinggong and took a shortcut, they could get there in an instant.
The two residences stood next to each other. Both had three courtyards and were roughly the same size, though their layouts differed slightly.
Xi Qingyue carried Xi Weilan around for a brief tour and was fairly satisfied. She smiled down at the little girl in her arms.
“Lan'er, which one do you want to live in? We’ll choose one first and have the servants tidy it up properly.”
She had no intention of living in separate residences from Xi Weilan. Her little sister was still young, so naturally they would live together.
Xi Weilan excitedly pointed at the ground beneath them. “Big Sister, let’s live here. This garden is bigger.”
Xi Qingyue smiled and agreed. “All right, we’ll take this one. We’ll stay here tonight.”
Then she turned to Lu Qianning. “Big Sister Lu, we won’t be going back with you later. We’ll have someone bring Tafeng over another time.”
Lu Qianning thought about it. Apart from Tafeng and the carriage, the girls really had nothing else. They were surprisingly easy to move.
She nodded with a smile. “All right. The Bureau of Palace Wardrobe will come later to take your measurements. They’ll also need to alter your clothes. I know you don’t like troublesome formalities, but let’s go through a simple investiture ceremony. Father has already permitted you not to kneel, so it’ll be over quickly.”
“All right, Big Sister Lu,” the two girls replied in unison.
Lu Jinshuang also smiled. “Ninth Sister, you can go back on your own. I’m staying here tonight too. I can help them with anything they need.”
Lu Qianning nodded, but when she left, she still left Mu Jin behind to look after them.
After Lu Qianning departed, Xi Weilan happily ran around the residence, her face filled with excitement as she explored her new home. Although it was not as large as Lu Qianning’s estate, it was still their own territory.
Xi Qingyue watched her with a smile. Raising a little one seemed rather easy after all—she was so easy to satisfy.
Seeing this, Lu Jinshuang smiled faintly. “Yue’er, isn’t Little Lan'er quite happy in the capital? Why do you still want to leave?”
She could not understand it. Now that the girls had commandery princess titles and a residence of their own, wouldn’t it be wonderful to stay in the capital, where they had good food and plenty of entertainment?
Xi Qingyue shook her head. “Jinshuang-jie, you just don’t understand. Now that Lan'er and I have everything we need, there’s even less reason for us to stay in the capital. We can travel around and have fun wherever we like. Once we’ve had our fill of fun and eaten our way through all the good food, we can always come back. Staying in one place is so boring.”
Lu Jinshuang was greatly tempted. She even wanted to travel with them, but she managed to restrain herself.
She merely sighed. “The capital is only free of refugees because they’ve been stopped outside the city. Refugees are going around the walls instead. Big Sister has been handing out porridge outside the city these past few days, and it’s Ninth Sister’s money paying for it. If I left the capital with you, Mother would certainly worry.”
Only then did Xi Qingyue remember Cheng Dingxiang and the others on the outskirts of the capital.
Since she was already here, she might as well perform one last act of kindness and send them on their way.
The Duke of Anguo’s Estate.
Xi Daniu lay on his bed, listening to a servant describe what had happened outside. His fists clenched tightly, the veins bulging on his forehead. His face had turned livid with rage.
“That unfilial wretch! She actually refuses to acknowledge me as her father. How outrageous! And the Emperor made the two of them commandery princesses? Has he lost his mind?”
Xi Daniu was so furious that he no longer even knew what he was saying. All he knew was that once the two girls were granted the title of princess and given residences of their own, there would be nothing he could do about them—even as their father.
