The next day, the sisters, Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan, and Lu Jinshuang woke up inside the motorhome.
After washing up, the three of them had breakfast in the vehicle. When they stepped outside, Mu Jin and Dongxue were waiting nearby.
Mu Jin stepped forward and said, “Commandery Princess, everyone has been brought here. They’re waiting in the square up ahead.”
Xi Qingyue nodded with a smile. “All right. Have them come over in groups of five to move the goods. I have some fresh fruit to sell. It’s one hundred wen per jin. Let each group take about a hundred and ten jin to start with, then come back for more once they’ve sold it. If they do well, there’ll be a reward.”
Lu Jinshuang looked astonished. “Little Yue, even the most expensive meat only costs a few dozen wen per jin. What kind of thing are you selling for a hundred wen? Will anyone buy it?”
Xi Qingyue gave a faint smile. “It’s fine if we can’t sell it. We can eat it ourselves. This is something people can’t buy anywhere else, and it’s perfect for hot weather. Once we cut some open for people to sample, I guarantee they’ll buy it.”
With that, she waved her hand, and piles of watermelons suddenly appeared before them.
Looking at the green, round objects covering the ground, Lu Jinshuang and the others were filled with curiosity.
Xi Qingyue raised her wrist slightly. In an instant, one watermelon was cut into countless small pieces, and several of them flew in front of Lu Jinshuang and the others.
“Try them first. Rare things are precious, and this place isn’t short of wealthy people.”
Lu Jinshuang looked expectantly at the bright red fruit inside and took a bite. It was cool and refreshing, with sweetness filling her mouth. Her eyes lit up, and she began eating in large bites.
After tasting it, Mu Jin praised it repeatedly. “This is cool, sweet, thirst-quenching, and delicious—perfect for a hot day. People will definitely buy it.”
Dongxue nodded in agreement. “It’s good. Anyone who tries it will want to buy some, but ordinary people may be reluctant to spend that much money.”
Lu Jinshuang waved her hand with a smile. “That’s not a problem. You can cut it into pieces and sell them separately. Ordinary people can buy one piece to try, while wealthy people can buy a whole watermelon or half of one. You could even sell them directly to restaurants. This fruit won’t be difficult to sell.”
Then she sighed regretfully. “If you were selling them in the capital, you would have made a fortune by now.”
As soon as she said this, she seemed to remember something. A great many households in the capital had been emptied out by Xi Qingyue. In that case, Xi Qingyue had probably made quite a fortune already.
At the thought, Lu Jinshuang gave Xi Qingyue a strange look. She had no idea how wealthy these two sisters were now. They were probably richer than she was.
While they were talking, Xi Weilan had already crouched on the ground and eaten several pieces of watermelon in a row. She then ran back to the motorhome to wash her hands and mouth before happily running back down.
Xi Qingyue took her hand and said with a smile, “Come on. Let’s go see our guards. From now on, we’ll have them work for us and earn us money to spend.”
In the front courtyard, a group of guards stood in neat formation, waiting for their commandery princess to give them orders.
Ever since they had been assigned to serve as guards at the commandery princess’s residence, they had only seen the two sisters once—and then the sisters had left without taking them along.
This time, they had all been summoned and told that there was something to do. Could it be that they were being ordered to kill someone?
The guards speculated among themselves. Xi Qingyue had killed so many people on the road that the first thing they thought of was that she wanted them to kill someone too.
Before they had to wait long, Lu Jinshuang, Xi Qingyue, and the others arrived.
The guards hurriedly bowed. “Greetings, Princess Wenyang! Greetings, Commandery Princess Cenyue! Greetings, Commandery Princess Suwei!”
Lu Jinshuang waved a hand. “There’s no need for such formalities. Your commandery princess has something to arrange. Work hard later.”
With that, she stepped aside while the more than one hundred guards waited, their faces full of curiosity.
Xi Qingyue looked at her guards and spoke with a smile. “It’s nothing serious. I simply have a batch of fruit to sell. In a moment, split into groups of five and go out to find places to sell it. As for how you sell it, that’s up to you. Those who sell the most will be rewarded. Mu Jin will explain the details and take you to sample the fruit first. Once you’ve had a taste, you can head out.”
The guards exchanged glances. So it wasn’t murder—it was selling things. That was much easier.
Mu Jin smiled at the guards. “Come with me. I’ll explain everything in detail.”
Xi Qingyue did not go with them. She took Xi Weilan and Lu Jinshuang out to have fun again, this time with just the three of them.
It was Lu Jinshuang’s first time in Jiangnan, and she was curious about everything there.
Xi Qingyue brought out a small speedboat, and the three of them traveled through the various waterways. Whenever they came across a teahouse or tavern they had never visited before, they went in to sample the food and drinks.
For the next three days, this was how they spent their time. The three of them wandered all over the city, while the guards sold watermelons in different places and Mu Jin and Dongxue stayed at the local government office to help keep track of the numbers.
By the time they had explored nearly all of Yongfu City, they decided it was time to leave.
That evening, when they returned, the guards had already finished selling the watermelons and gone back.
Mu Jin and Dongxue compiled the sales from the past three days. In total, they had sold more than a thousand taels of silver. The main reason was that some of the guards had taken the watermelons to the entrances of restaurants. After sampling them, several wealthy diners had immediately bought dozens of jin, and the restaurants had purchased some as well.
Xi Qingyue was fairly satisfied. She immediately announced the rewards. “The few people who sold the most will each receive five taels of silver. Everyone else will receive one tael.”
That amount was already quite generous for the guards. Since they would be working for her from now on, giving them a little incentive was only right—but she couldn’t give them too much.
More than a hundred taels of silver disappeared at once, but the watermelons had cost her nothing. She had still made a profit, and the guards would become even more loyal to her. They would put greater effort into their work in the future, making it a favorable outcome for everyone.
Early the next morning, Xi Qingyue and her group arrived at the dock to leave.
She, Lu Jinshuang, and the others boarded the yacht, while the guards took the large ship they had arrived on and followed behind.
As they departed, Xi Qingyue spotted Gu Huan and the others. She merely glanced at them before looking away.
Gu Huan had seen Xi Qingyue’s yacht from far away. During their stay in Yongfu City, she had heard about the things the sisters had done. Along with her awe of Xi Qingyue, she also felt a certain admiration. The two young girls lived more freely than any of them did.
She did not go over to greet them. After all, they were not particularly familiar with one another. Besides, she had also seen Lu Jinshuang.
Back in the capital, they had seen Lu Jinshuang from a distance and knew that she was a princess. Now that they saw her staying with the Xi sisters, they had no doubts whatsoever about Xi Qingyue’s identity as a commandery princess.
Gu Huan even said to Gu Wu, “Big Brother, send a letter to Cousin and ask about the two commandery princesses. They’re traveling all over the south, so we may run into them again someday. We should learn about their situation in the capital, in case anyone from the family accidentally offends them.”
Gu Wu nodded. “That’s a good idea. If we tell our family ourselves, they may not listen—or even believe us. It’ll be different if the letter comes from Cousin. I’ll have someone ride to the capital at once.”
The worries of the two siblings were completely unknown to Xi Qingyue. Once her yacht left Yongfu City, she increased its speed. In moments, it had traveled far into the distance.
Behind them, the large ship carrying the guards had its bow secured to the yacht with steel cables. It was being pulled tightly along behind her.
Half an hour after she left, a medium-sized, two-decked ship slowly pulled into the docks of Yongfu City.
First to disembark were a somewhat older couple, followed by a guard pushing a wheelchair. Then a young woman stepped off the ship, carrying a three-year-old child in her arms.
