After Xi Qingyue gave her instructions to the people on the yacht, she had a speedboat placed right next to the vessel. Hidden by the yacht, the people on the dock did not notice the small craft at all.
Only after they had left did Mu Jin ask in confusion, "Commandery Princess, you ordered them not to leave the yacht because you were worried they would be ambushed, right? Is that Ninth Young Master the one you were wary of? Is his martial arts really that extraordinary?"
Xi Qingyue first nodded, then shook her head. "Yes, Ninth Young Master does have exceptional martial arts skills, but what I am concerned about is his identity. Think about it, who else in the imperial family has high martial arts skills and ranks ninth, yet dares to call himself Ninth Young Master while coming to deliver messages on behalf of Prince Kang?"
At these words, Mu Jin's face showed utter disbelief. "The Ninth Prince?"
That number nine matched, and he was also a martial arts expert. The Ninth Prince had loved practicing martial arts since he was a child and had traveled extensively across the realm, so it did make sense that it could be him. But why would he take orders from the First Prince?
Xi Qingyue nodded with a smile. "Most likely, it's just my guess. But he has no idea I caught a glimpse of his back. If it really is him, he will definitely go to the yacht or the Provincial Governor's Mansion. He will try to meet me in his identity as a prince, and pretend to be on very good terms with Big Sister Lu. Too bad for him, his plan has already fallen through."
Before she left, she had specifically ordered that no outsiders were allowed to board the yacht, not even princes, and that even a prince would be killed without hesitation if he violated the rule.
Seeing her fox-like grin, Mu Jin instantly understood what her mistress had done earlier. All those words spoken on the yacht had been aimed at the Ninth Young Master. He could only hope for good fortune now.
No one in Xinzhou City knew that Xi Qingyue had left, and the gruesome scene in front of the Provincial Governor's Mansion was about to come to an end.
Situ Tai closed his eyes in agony, a tear streak tracing down his face. No one knew if it was from regret or from the unbearable pain.
The steward fared no better. By the time he drew his last breath, not a single patch of unharmed skin was left on his body. His unwavering loyalty to Prince Kang crumbled in his final moments, and he was full of regret.
He regretted ever getting involved in those dirty deeds, which had led him to die in such excruciating pain. He regretted even more that he had not taken his own life the moment he should have, and instead foolishly tried to act unyielding before Xi Qingyue. He had never imagined that an eight-year-old child could be so ruthless and decisive in her actions, which completely overturned everything he thought he knew.
If only he had a chance to start over...
But that chance would never come.
The rest of the people did not suffer as horrific a fate as the two of them, but none got off lightly. The area before the mansion gates was turned into a pool of blood.
Some of the common people carried pieces of wrapped meat, others held severed bones in buckets. They took their spoils home, and some even bought wine and meat to visit their relatives' graves, telling their departed loved ones that their murderers had finally been punished.
The entire city of Xinzhou was abuzz with talk of what had happened at the Provincial Governor's Mansion. Most people were deeply grateful to Xi Qingyue, for she had rid them of the greatest scourge that had plagued Xinzhou.
Yet there were those who burned with bitter hatred toward Xi Qingyue — the aristocratic families who had colluded with the governor, and the wealthy households that had curried favor with him.
Teahouses and taverns were packed and lively. Some praised Xi Qingyue as a chivalrous hero who had acted for the good of the people, while others called her cruel and vicious for being so ruthless at such a young age.
"If you ask me, this Commandery Princess has overstepped her authority," a delicate-looking young man declared with an air of righteous solemnity, acting as if he was upholding the great Jing dynasty's rules. "What right does a Commandery Princess have to punish a provincial governor? That's a blatant transgression of her station."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a middle-aged man snapped at him furiously.
"Pah! The governor was taking young children like they were objects to feed Prince Kang's alchemy rituals! You want to spare a man like that, so that your own children can be turned into human elixirs? Wait, you probably don't have kids. You want to be a human elixir yourself, don't you? Then go straight to Prince Kang's residence, stop badmouthing the Commandery Princess here."
The young man was not convinced. "What I said is not wrong! This is clearly a transgression. A Commandery Princess has no business meddling in local affairs. Besides, who can confirm that the governor was really making elixirs for Prince Kang? She could have made the whole story up out of thin air!"
The middle-aged man was so enraged that he slammed his fist on the table, raising his voice. "Your eyes are covered in filth, aren't they? Those bones were found in the governor's mansion, and the written confessions were shown to every one of us. Why would she lie for no reason? Don't you know exactly how vile that governor was? He abducted so many children, but only a handful of their bones were left behind. Where did the rest go? Stop talking nonsense with your eyes wide open, and if I hear you say one more bad word about the Commandery Princess, I'll smash your mouth in."
He did not hold back a single bit in his scolding. The young man's face flushed bright red, he clenched his fists as if ready to fight, and stared daggers at the middle-aged man.
Before he could make a move, the middle-aged man shot to his feet and punched him square in the face. The two immediately started brawling.
Other patrons in the teahouse rushed over to separate them, but as they tried to intervene, they soon took sides and joined the fray, turning the whole place into a chaotic free-for-all.
This was not the only spot in Xinzhou City where such scenes unfolded. Similar fights were breaking out all over the city.
Some people's faces lit up with adoration and gratitude the moment Xi Qingyue's name was mentioned, while others gritted their teeth with rage. It went without saying that arguments quickly turned into physical scuffles.
The governor was dead, most of the mansion guards had been killed, and even the city patrol soldiers dared not make a single reckless move now, fearing they would end up slaughtered if they stepped out of line.
With no more soldiers to intimidate them, the common people found their courage. They had put up with the bullying from the aristocratic families' spoiled brats for far too long, and now those people dared to insult their benefactor. Everyone rolled up their sleeves and jumped into the fights, making Xinzhou City a rambunctious, lively scene.
Ninth Young Master sat in a corner of the teahouse. Watching the chaos unfold, he did not get angry at all. Instead, a faint smile tugged at his lips.
He thought to himself, Fight on. The more intense the brawls get, the better. It would be ideal if a few people lost their lives — then all the blame would fall on the Xi sisters.
Standing beside him was a tall, burly man, who looked like his personal guard. He stood perfectly still, not making a single sound.
Ninth Young Master gave the man his order. "Seize the right moment to kill one or two people, preferably from the aristocratic families. Make the incident big enough to rile the rest up and get them to storm the Provincial Governor's Mansion."
The guard bowed his head in acknowledgement. "As you command, Young Master."
Ninth Young Master's plan was to trap Xi Qingyue here, so that she could not leave for other places. It would be even better if she was besieged by the angry aristocratic families. By the time the people from Guangling Pavilion heard the news, all the people he wanted to chase would have already fled far away. That would work perfectly, he would not even need to send messengers on purpose.
A smirk curved at the corner of his lips at the thought.
"Someone's dead! Stop fighting, someone's dead!"
A sudden shout cut through the noise. The entire chaotic teahouse fell silent for a split second, then erupted into total uproar, for the person who had been killed was the Gao family's young master.
His goal achieved, Ninth Young Master strode out of the teahouse with his guard.
Everyone who knew his face in the Provincial Governor's Mansion was dead now, so he could show himself openly. It was time for him to head to the docks to take a look. He had long been curious about that gorgeous large yacht.
If there were hidden weapons installed on the ship, he could seize it for himself, and it might prove to be extremely useful later.
He changed into a moon-white robe, hung the jade medallion that marked his identity as a prince at his waist, took his sword, and headed toward the yacht.
On board the yacht, Nanxing and the others who had been left behind kept Xi Qingyue's orders firmly in mind.
When they saw Ninth Young Master walking toward the yacht, they immediately went on full alert, raising their weapons and aiming them at him.
"This is the Commandery Princess's private vessel. No unauthorized persons are allowed to board. Those who disobey will be executed without mercy!"
