The county commandant and a group of soldiers standing outside the teahouse were instantly stunned by Mu Jin’s words. Their mouths fell open, and their eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.
The onlookers reacted in all sorts of ways. Some wore looks of astonishment, some were puzzled, some revealed expressions of outrage, while a glimmer of hope appeared in the eyes of others.
Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Mu Jin. Dressed in a red martial outfit with her hair tied high, she stood calmly at the entrance, holding the princess’s seal aloft. She looked valiant and imposing.
The county commandant stared at Mu Jin in disbelief. “How is that possible? Why would the princess send someone else to manage Xin’an City when everything is perfectly fine? Is that seal a forgery?”
He refused to believe it—and was even more unwilling to believe it. They all knew that Xin’an City was Lu Qianning’s fief, but they had never imagined that Lu Qianning would send someone here. After learning that the princess had returned to the capital, they had even assumed that the emperor would reclaim her fief.
Mu Jin put away the seal and shot him a cold glance. “Whether the seal is genuine isn’t for you to judge. Have the county magistrate come here personally to inspect it. We have more than just the seal—we also have the princess’s handwritten letter and the imperial edict issued when His Majesty granted her this fief. The truth can be determined easily enough.”
With that, she swept her gaze over the surrounding commoners before turning back to the county commandant. Her voice was as cold as ice. “Ever since the princess received this fief, she has never interfered in anything here. You have been using her name to extort money throughout the city and damage her reputation. You’d better think carefully about how you’ll explain this to the commandery princess later.”
Her words caused the crowd to erupt.
“What? The princess has never asked about anything here? Then how do you explain the fact that we’ve been paying taxes twice?”
“Exactly! We weren’t supposed to pay so much in the first place. The county magistrate insisted that we had to pay a separate portion to the princess, claiming that it was her order. If the princess knew nothing about it, then where did all that money go?”
“How shameless! We were actually deceived. Give us back our hard-earned money!”
…
As the crowd’s heated discussion continued, Mu Jin interjected at just the right moment. “Our princess has never sent anyone to deliver any orders. Anything the local authorities have done in her name is a lie—including the one-tael entrance fee.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a middle-aged woman gathered her courage and asked, “Can we get back the money we paid before?”
Mu Jin turned her gaze toward the teahouse. Xi Qingyue was slowly walking out, holding Xi Weilan’s hand.
Everyone stared blankly at the two children, unable to understand what they were doing there.
Under the crowd’s puzzled gazes, Mu Jin bowed respectfully to the two children. “Commandery princess, I have clarified the matter with the people. How should we deal with the people from the county office?”
Xi Qingyue nodded lightly. “Mm. Arrest the ringleader first. Restrict the others’ movements. Once the investigation reveals that any of them have committed wrongdoing, deal with them as well. As for the money they collected in the princess’s name, register it and return every last coin.”
The crowd was instantly overjoyed.
The county commandant collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with terror.
If Lu Qianning had truly instructed Xi Qingyue to take full control, then the county office had no power to oppose them at all.
After all, Xin’an City was Lu Qianning’s fief. If they openly resisted, they would be no different from rebels—unless the seal was fake, and the two children were not really commandery princesses.
A vicious look surfaced in his eyes as he thought of this, and he made his decision.
As though he had regained his courage, he abruptly sprang to his feet and shouted at the other soldiers, “Don’t listen to them! The seal they’re holding is fake, and their identities as commandery princesses are fake too! They’re cold-blooded murderers! Everyone in this teahouse was killed by them. They’re pretending to be important figures to escape punishment. Don’t be fooled! Arrest them at once and execute them on the spot! We absolutely cannot let these murderous criminals go free and endanger the people!”
Xi Qingyue suddenly laughed. She looked at the county commandant as though he were already dead. “I have to admire your courage.”
The soldiers exchanged glances, hesitating. It was as if two little men were fighting inside each of their minds as they weighed which choice would bring them the greatest benefit.
Xi Qingyue did not order anyone to act immediately. She wanted to see whether these soldiers could still be saved.
When the commoners saw that a real fight was about to break out, they hurriedly retreated. They had no abilities to speak of, and if they stayed too close, they would certainly be caught in the crossfire.
They dearly hoped that what Mu Jin had said was true, but they did not recognize the seals and other tokens and had no way of knowing whether the claims were genuine. They were also afraid of the authorities and did not have the courage to stand against them.
Inside the teahouse, Shen Hanyan let out a mocking laugh. “What a bunch of idiots. They’re practically rushing to their deaths. Well, at least I won’t have to die alone.”
The others who, like her, were waiting to die also shook their heads. Those among them who knew martial arts had been treated like ants, and the group outside was even more hopelessly weak.
Nan Yun did not leave the teahouse. Instead, she stroked the Gatling gun in her hands with a tender expression, as though she were caressing her own child.
Outside the teahouse, the county commandant grew increasingly furious when he saw that the soldiers still had not moved. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, “Arrest them! I’ll ask the county magistrate to reward you for your service. Each of you will receive five hundred taels of silver!”
In the next instant, many of the soldiers’ faces lit up with excitement. Without the slightest hesitation, they raised their weapons and charged at Xi Qingyue.
Whether she was truly a commandery princess was no longer a concern. All they knew was that obeying the county commandant would earn them money.
Only a few soldiers remained where they were, slowly backing away instead.
Just as the county commandant thought his plan had succeeded, Mu Jin drew the sword at her waist. Her body spun through the air, and the men at the front of the charge were killed instantly.
Mu Jin did not stop there. Wielding her sword like a silver serpent, she swept through the crowd. In a matter of moments, a large number of bodies lay sprawled across the ground, and the area in front of the teahouse had been dyed red with blood.
The commoners retreated again and again in terror, hardly daring to believe their eyes. The county commandant stood motionless where he was, but an unpleasant puddle had appeared beneath his feet. His entire body trembled, and he could not utter a single word.
The few remaining soldiers were completely terrified. They secretly congratulated themselves for not having joined the attack.
Mu Jin glanced at them but did not strike. She sheathed her sword and silently took her place behind Xi Qingyue.
Xi Qingyue looked at the terrified county commandant and gave a mocking smile. “Take him with us. We’re going to inspect the county office.”
With that, she took Xi Weilan’s hand and walked ahead, Mu Jin following close behind.
Nan Yun and the others from the teahouse also emerged, escorting several people. Before they could go and seize the county commandant, the surviving soldiers hurried to his side and propped him up. They flashed Nan Yun an ingratiating smile.
“We’ll handle this little matter ourselves. There’s no need to dirty your hands.”
Nan Yun naturally had no intention of doing it herself. The smell alone disgusted her, so she was perfectly happy to let someone else take care of it. There was no reason for her own people to soil their hands.
When she nodded in agreement, the soldiers dragged the county commandant toward the county office. Along the way, the commoners covered their noses one after another.
Watching Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan walk away, an elderly man exclaimed in surprise, “How remarkable. The two commandery princesses are so young, yet they remain so calm in the face of trouble. They truly possess extraordinary bearing. They’ll surely achieve great things when they grow up.”
A young man beside him nodded in agreement. “Of course. Didn’t you see the way that guard swung his sword just now? He clearly isn’t an ordinary man. With such a guard accompanying her, she must be the real princess. The county lieutenant is finished this time.”
“Bah, don’t call him ‘sir.’ A man like him isn’t worthy of the title. He won’t be one for much longer.”
After the middle-aged man finished speaking, he cheerfully strode after them. Seeing the corpses on the ground, the other townspeople also hurried toward the county office.
