By the time Xi Qingyue arrived at the theater to watch the performance, many people already knew who they were.
News of their attempted assassination had spread quickly. In particular, the county authorities had been carrying portraits of people from Guangling Pavilion around town and questioning everyone. This had aroused the curiosity of the common people. After asking around, they all learned that two Commandery Princesses had come to Liucheng—and had even been attacked.
When the theater staff saw the sisters arrive, they all examined them curiously. They were not afraid of Xi Qingyue and her sister.
The people Xi Qingyue had killed were all corrupt officials, and what she had done was beneficial to the common people. To them, she was exceptionally approachable and likable.
“Commandery Princess, please come in!” When the theater manager saw them, he hurried over with a broad smile.
As for Lu Jinshuang, they assumed she was merely someone accompanying and looking after Xi Weilan. They had no idea that she was a Princess whose status was even higher than that of a Commandery Princess. The constables from Yongfu County were far too frightened of Xi Qingyue to casually spread such information outside.
Xi Qingyue casually chose a seat and sat down in the main hall on the first floor, just like the other patrons.
She actually wanted to see whether anyone would attempt another assassination. A crowded theater, with its mixed gathering of people, was an ideal place to kill someone and perfectly suited for an ambush.
After sitting down, she pulled Xi Weilan into her arms. It was better for her to protect her own little sister.
“Older Sister, what are they performing later? Will it be another play about a scholar going to the capital for the imperial examination?”
Xi Weilan tilted her head back, her face full of curiosity. She had heard many different versions of stories about scholars traveling to the capital for the examinations—some with good endings and some with bad ones. Every time, Xi Qingyue would summarize the story for her afterward and tell her to stay away from hypocrites like those in the future.
Xi Qingyue glanced toward the stage and smiled. “Who knows? It might really be one of those. If you don’t want to watch it, Older Sister can pay for a different play. We’re not short of money.”
Xi Weilan shook her head. “It’s all right, Older Sister. I’m not picky.”
Their conversation left Mu Jin puzzled. Were these really an eight-year-old and a three-year-old?
Most children watched plays simply for the excitement of it. These two, however, seemed to have watched plenty of them. They truly were extraordinary.
In just that short while, Xi Qingyue had already swept through the entire theater with her special ability.
Suddenly, the corner of her lips curved upward. Coming here had indeed been the right choice. She had originally intended to see whether there were any other assassins, but unexpectedly, she had discovered that this place was actually a hideout. There were several dozen people here.
She leaned close to Lu Jinshuang’s ear and whispered, “There are dozens of people inside, and every one of them is suspicious. They all know martial arts. They’re disguised as actors.”
Lu Jinshuang was shocked. They had only just arrived, yet Xi Qingyue had already noticed something wrong. How had she discovered it?
She quickly instructed Dongxue and Mu Jin, “The two of you, leave quietly and call some people over. There are too many civilians here. We have to guard against them taking the audience hostage.”
The two nodded in agreement but did not leave immediately. Walking out the moment they had arrived would attract too much attention.
At the same time, in a large room backstage at the theater…
One of the actors was coldly giving orders to the others. “Perform properly later. Wait until they’re completely absorbed in the play before making your move. If the first strike fails, take some hostages. They’re both Commandery Princesses—surely they can’t just stand by and watch civilians being killed right before their eyes.”
“Boss, what if we fail, and they don’t care about the civilians?”
The actor snorted coldly. “Then let them ignore them. It’ll damage their reputations, which is precisely what our master wants. In any case, this theater won’t be usable after today. Before we leave, killing a few more people and pinning the blame on them would be fine too.”
The others listened to him as they applied makeup to their faces, all of them treating the upcoming operation with great caution.
Xi Qingyue sat in her seat drinking tea while using her ability to listen in on their conversation. A trace of mockery appeared in her eyes.
There really were a lot of people who wanted to die.
This time, however, she had to leave some of them alive. These people might not be working with Guangling Pavilion.
The two tables beside them were occupied by members of the Zheng and Lu families of Liucheng.
Both families held considerable standing in Liucheng and were aristocratic clans with several centuries of history. The two tables were filled with the younger generation of both families, including both men and women.
Xi Qingyue was unsure whether either family intended to kill her. She had not heard any of them say anything detrimental to her, nor had she sensed any killing intent from them.
The Zheng family was seated to Xi Qingyue’s left. At the head of the table sat a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl who looked gentle and dignified. Several younger siblings sat beside her.
The girl glanced in Xi Qingyue’s direction, then gave her a faint smile.
Xi Qingyue also nodded lightly in response. In a crowded place, there was no need for elaborate etiquette. A smile was enough to count as a greeting.
A moment later, the curtain on the stage opened, and a scholar carrying a basket on his back made his entrance.
Seeing this, Xi Weilan said with a laugh, “Older Sister, I guessed right! It really is a play about a scholar!”
Xi Qingyue nodded with a smile. “You guessed correctly, Weilan. Now we just have to see whether he’s a scholar who repays kindness or one who betrays it.”
Lu Jinshuang smiled faintly. “Would you like to make a wager?”
Xi Weilan immediately shook her head. “No. Older Sister and I have to save our money to buy food. We can’t waste it.”
Zheng Xinran, seated at the neighboring table, could not help laughing when she heard them. What amusing little girls.
She turned toward Xi Qingyue and said, “Commandery Princess, it should be the kind where the scholar repays his debt of gratitude. The ungrateful scholar was performed yesterday.”
Xi Qingyue had not expected her to speak to her, so she smiled and replied, “Thank you for letting me know, Miss.”
On the other side, the Lu family members heard Zheng Xinran speaking with Xi Qingyue. A young man snickered softly. “The moment they find out she’s a Commandery Princess, they rush over to curry favor. The Zheng family has completely disgraced the aristocracy.”
Though his voice was very quiet, Zheng Xinran heard him. Xi Qingyue heard him as well.
Zheng Xinran frowned. “Sixth Lu, if you don’t say anything, no one will mistake you for a mute.”
So what if they were an aristocratic family? She had heard that two aristocratic clans in Yongfu City had been wiped out. Although they had only been declining third-rate families, anyone capable of destroying a third-rate clan could destroy a second-rate one as well. She truly had no idea what the Lu family had to be so arrogant about.
Xi Qingyue cast a cold glance at Sixth Lu. He was around sixteen or seventeen years old, with a face full of arrogance. Dressed in expensive brocade robes, he looked down on everyone around him.
A young boy sitting beside Sixth Lu shuddered under Xi Qingyue’s gaze and tugged at Sixth Lu’s sleeve. “Sixth Brother, stop talking. I’m scared.”
Those words instantly sent a surge of anger through Sixth Lu. How embarrassing! How could someone so cowardly have come from the Lu family?
Before long, the voices from the stage drowned out the sounds below, and Sixth Lu fell silent.
Xi Qingyue leisurely sipped her tea as she watched the performers onstage. The plot was nothing unusual: a scholar traveling to the capital for the imperial examination was bitten by a poisonous snake. A village girl carrying a bamboo basket happened to pass by and used the medicinal herbs inside to save his life. As the two spent time together, they developed feelings for each other and made a verbal betrothal. In the end, naturally, everything worked out happily.
Xi Qingyue had already guessed the entire story before the performance was even halfway through.
However, the play had not yet reached its conclusion when the people onstage made their move.
As the village girl was saving the scholar, what she took from her basket was not medicinal herbs, but a large handful of hidden weapons.
The scholar who had been lying on the ground pretending to be dead suddenly sat up as well, swiftly pulling concealed weapons from his bamboo basket.
The two of them simultaneously hurled their weapons toward Xi Qingyue, shocking everyone inside the theater.
“Run!” someone cried out, and the entire theater instantly descended into chaos.
