Lu Qianning was astonished. She did not think Scholar Han was the kind of person who knew how to adapt. Could he be saying this only because he was afraid she would silence him after killing him?
Scholar Han seemed to know what she was thinking. He sighed again. “Sigh... Princess, there’s no need to doubt my resolve. We’ve witnessed far too much misery along the way. Although no one from our village died, we’ve killed more than a few people ourselves. If we didn’t kill others, they would kill us. I figured a lot of things out long ago. Besides, I believe in Little Yue.”
He had come to understand many things during the journey. He had once believed the imperial court was corrupt, so he had refused to take the imperial examinations. In a way, that had simply been an act of escape. After learning what Xi Qingyue had done, he realized how gravely mistaken he had been.
The Xi sisters had killed people in broad daylight in the capital and still emerged unscathed. Ultimately, that was because they were powerful.
Only with power could one do what one wished. The same was true for anyone who wanted to work for the people. First, they had to be in a position to make themselves heard. Lu Qianning’s actions today were extremely similar to Xi Qingyue’s. Though her methods did not conform to the rules, they aligned with the will of the people. For the common folk, having someone like that rise to power was a good thing.
Seeing the seriousness on his face, Lu Qianning smiled and nodded. “All right, get up first. Focus on recovering from your injuries. We’ll discuss the details later.”
Meanwhile, at the Wang residence...
When Wang Moyang learned that his son had been beaten half to death and delivered to the Capital Prefecture, his face turned livid. He flung the teacup in his hand across the room.
“How outrageous! How dare they treat my son like this? They’re far too arrogant!”
He angrily took his men to the Capital Prefecture to bail his son out, intending to rescue him first and then demand an explanation from Lu Qianning.
However, when he arrived at the Capital Prefecture and saw the thick stack of evidence detailing his son’s crimes, his mind went blank, as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer. His chest tightened with despair.
“It’s over. It’s completely over.”
Xi Qingyue still knew nothing about what had happened in the capital. At that moment, she was staring at the gates of Xin’an City with a smile.
Xi Weilan held her hand and looked up at the city gates ahead. “Big Sister, is this Lu Jiejie’s fief?”
Xi Qingyue smiled and nodded. “Yes. From now on, it’s ours. We’ll build this place up properly and drive out all the riffraff. We’ll turn it into our own paradise.”
At those words, Mu Jin smiled as well.
She had never doubted Xi Qingyue. Even the most vicious people would behave themselves in front of the two sisters. In the future, Xin’an City would surely become famous far and wide.
When they reached the city gates, Xi Qingyue frowned slightly at the refugees lying beside the walls, their faces gaunt and sallow.
She turned around and instructed Mu Jin, “Have someone investigate these refugees. They don’t look like people who fled here to escape disaster.”
She had seen plenty of refugees fleeing for their lives. As long as such people had even the faintest hope, they would never simply lie there and wait to die. These people clearly seemed to have given up on life.
“Yes, Princess.” After answering, Mu Jin exchanged a look with Nan Yun. Nan Yun immediately understood.
Xi Qingyue then led Xi Weilan toward the city gates, with Mu Jin following closely behind.
The guards on duty saw them approach and lazily held out a hand. “One silver tael for the entrance fee.”
Xi Qingyue stopped in her tracks. “What? One silver tael? Why don’t you just rob us?”
The soldier instantly sobered up. He flew into a rage. “How dare you! This is Princess Wenqing’s fief, and the entrance fees are paid to the princess as well. Do you dare disobey the princess’s orders?”
At those words, Xi Qingyue’s expression darkened, and Mu Jin’s face turned grim as well. This county magistrate certainly had guts—and he was shameless enough to boot.
Before Mu Jin could do anything, Xi Qingyue took out several pieces of broken silver and handed them over.
The soldier accepted the money and cast them a disdainful glance. “Hmph. At least you know your place.”
Only after the three of them entered the city did Mu Jin angrily say, “This is outrageous! They’re collecting entrance fees under the princess’s name. The people are already poor, yet they’re charging them so much. Their hearts are completely black.”
Xi Weilan puffed out her cheeks in anger. “Exactly! One copper coin would have been enough for an entrance fee, but they’re charging so much. They’re cheating people!”
Xi Qingyue glanced back toward the city gates and sneered. “There’s no need to rush. Since we’re here, we’ll take our time. For the next few days, don’t reveal our identities. We’ll wander around the city and get a clear picture of all the snakes and scoundrels here, then deal with them one by one. But tonight, we’ll first wipe out the people from Guangling Pavilion.”
Mu Jin nodded in agreement. “You’re right, Miss. Only by keeping our identities hidden can we see the truth. Otherwise, some people may disguise themselves so well that we won’t be able to tell who they really are.”
Xi Qingyue reminded her, “Mu Jin, don’t call me Princess. Just call me Miss. Let Nan Yun and the others know later.”
The three of them immediately began wandering around Xin’an City. The more they saw, the uglier their expressions became.
When they came to a steamed-bun shop, the proprietress hurriedly greeted them upon seeing customers approach.
“What kind of buns would you like? Vegetable buns are five copper coins each, and meat buns are eight.”
Xi Qingyue thought of the buns she had bought along the way. Most had cost only one or two copper coins, and even the more expensive meat buns had been just three copper coins. Who would have thought that everything here would be so expensive?
“Auntie, why are your buns so expensive?” Xi Weilan asked in confusion.
The proprietress sighed. “Sigh... If we don’t charge this much, we won’t be able to survive. We have to pay double taxes. And it’s not just us—the prices of everything in Xin’an City are high. There’s nothing we can do.”
After hearing that, Xi Qingyue gave the woman a piece of broken silver. Each of them took several buns before leaving.
Her face had nearly turned black with anger. She had expected Xin’an City to be in poor condition, but this was far too outrageous.
As they continued along the streets and bought various goods, they discovered that everything cost far more than it should. Every shopkeeper gave them the same explanation: they had to pay taxes to Princess Wenqing.
In addition to the regular taxes, they had to pay a separate tax to the princess. In other words, every household was paying double taxes.
Mu Jin was so furious that she wanted to draw her sword and cut someone down. “Miss, they’re tarnishing the princess’s reputation! Her Highness has no idea what’s happening here. She left the capital not long after accepting the imperial edict—how could she have had time to think about this place?”
Xi Qingyue knew the truth all too well. After Lu Qianning’s marriage alliance, she had been busy killing people and being hunted herself. How could she have had the time to remember her fief?
If Xi Qingyue had not brought it up back then, Lu Qianning might have forgotten this place entirely.
Thinking about everything they had witnessed along the way, Xi Qingyue felt that the officials of Great Jing were becoming bolder than the last. Most likely, the county magistrate of Xin’an City had assumed that Lu Qianning would never return after leaving for the marriage alliance, which was why he had begun plundering the city so brazenly.
A cold smile curved Xi Qingyue’s lips. “Mu Jin, someone is using your mistress’s name to do whatever they please. Extorting money is only a minor offense. I’m more worried that they’ve saddled her with an even greater crime. We’d better get to the bottom of everything at once. Tonight, we’ll find an inn and stay there. Tomorrow, we’ll visit the major teahouses and restaurants. We’ll probably uncover even more problems.”
“You’re right, Miss. It would be best to uproot the entire lot of them so they can never harm anyone again.”
Xi Qingyue wholeheartedly agreed. She had already noticed that several people were watching them. She had no idea what those people were plotting.
