Xi Qingyue carried Xi Weilan straight to the backyard of the county yamen, then slipped into her personal space in a flash. The moment they were inside, she took off Xi Weilan's outer coat. "This dress is stained with blood, we'll just throw it away."
Xi Weilan nodded obediently. They had more clothes than they could ever wear, all expensive purchases that would go to waste if left unused—they could even change into a new set every single day and still have plenty left.
After the two stepped into the villa's bedroom, Xi Qingyue filled the bathtub with warm water, and even tossed a few floating little toys into it before settling Xi Weilan into the tub.
"Alright, let's wash off that smell of blood on you. Once we're done, we'll head out to wander around the city, and find a nice big house to buy."
At those words, Xi Weilan looked up at her, full of confusion. "Sister, can't we just stay here?"
Xi Qingyue nodded. "It's not that we can't stay here, but this is the county yamen, only good for a short stay. We don't have the time to handle court cases every day, so we need to find someone else to take the job of county magistrate. Then we can pick out a beautiful house to live in, or even build a huge new mansion from scratch. This place is going to be our territory sooner or later, after all—we have to have a proper estate here, no matter if we're staying long-term or just dropping by."
Xi Weilan was squeezing a little rubber duck and playing with it, and her face lit up with excitement when she heard they could build a whole new mansion. "Sister, doesn't Sister Lu want this place anymore?"
"That's right. She sent us here to give this whole region to us. When she gains more power in the future, all it'll take is one imperial decree to make this land officially ours."
Xi Qingyue spoke as if this were the most natural thing in the world, and Lu Qianning did in fact hold exactly that thought. The two of them did not spare a single thought for the emperor, treating him as if he hardly mattered at all.
She knew Xi Qingyue hated being tied down by rules, and no one could rein her in anyway. Gifting her a whole independent territory was the best possible arrangement, so she could live as freely as she pleased.
While the two sisters were busy bathing in the space, outside the county yamen the streets were already buzzing with whispers.
Everyone had heard what the county magistrate shouted right before he slammed the yamen gates shut. They all knew exactly what sort of chaos was likely unfolding inside the yamen walls.
Some of the more timid people had already run for their lives the second they heard those words, terrified that whoever was fighting inside would finish their business and come spilling out to kill everyone outside.
A good number of others who didn't run still backed off to a safe distance, and the young servants sent by the local aristocratic families to scout out news all hurried back to their manors at top speed to report what they had seen.
In a teahouse not far from the county yamen, groups of people were huddled together whispering, many of them still pale and shaken from what they had witnessed.
Deep down, they all hoped that Xi Qingyue really was the Young Commandery Princess, and that she would kill the corrupt county magistrate and all his men. If that happened, the entire Xin'an City would benefit, and no one would have to suffer under his tyranny anymore. But no one dared say that thought out loud. They all held their breath, worried that the county magistrate would end up the winner in the end.
The crowd in the teahouse was mostly frowning with worry, though a small few looked on with undisguised glee.
Suddenly, a young man pointed at a line of people that had just appeared on the street and cried out, "Look over there! Where did all those people come from? They look so important, and they're heading straight for the county yamen!"
Everyone turned to look. Marching down the street was Lu Jinshuang, leading Dongxue and the rest of her group toward the county yamen in a grand, imposing procession.
Besides her original retinue of guards, there were a few unfamiliar faces trailing behind her—the five men who had gone earlier to deliver a message to Xi Qingyue, led by the Bearded Man.
The Bearded Man, Qi Xin, was standing briskly right behind Lu Jinshuang, brimming with excitement. He felt nothing but pride for the choice he had made that day.
They had originally set out to chase after Xi Qingyue, but failed to catch up to her. Instead, they had stumbled across the yacht that Lu Jinshuang and her people were staying on.
When Lu Jinshuang learned that they had come all the way to find Xi Qingyue to pass along the news that the Duke Anguo's family was chasing after her to offer medical treatment, she grew curious and asked them in detail about how they had met Xi Qingyue in the first place.
After hearing their full account, she chuckled. "So you tried to rob her and failed? You're lucky to be alive after attempting to mug Sister Yue and her group."
Qi Xin looked utterly embarrassed. He did not know Lu Jinshuang's exact identity, and could only say apologetically, "We really didn't mean it. We fled here from somewhere else, and that day we were so starved we had no other choice, we just wanted to get something to eat. But we never actually attacked anyone, and later we even wanted to go back to help them."
Lu Jinshuang naturally believed their words. Anyone that Xi Qingyue spared must have a good reason for it.
She thought for a moment and then said slowly, "Since you're here looking for her, you might as well come along with us first. We'll wait until you meet Sister Yue, and let her decide what to do with you."
And just like that, Qi Xin and the others traveled alongside Lu Jinshuang's party.
Along the way, Lu Jinshuang executed the county magistrates of two counties one after another, and her identity as a princess soon became known to all.
Qi Xin and his companions had no shortage of food or drink following the group, and their life was a hundred times better than it had been before. They were in incredibly high spirits.
Outside the county yamen, Lu Jinshuang frowned at the tightly shut gates, feeling puzzled. "That's odd. Why isn't there even a single guard posted at this county yamen?"
Dongxue, standing beside her, guessed, "Maybe the Commandery Princess sent all the servants away?"
Lu Jinshuang had rushed over to the county yamen as soon as she arrived at Xin'an City, worried that Xi Qingyue might need extra hands once she got there. She had no idea what had already happened inside the city.
Qi Xin quickly hurried over in a fawning manner and helped the guards push the gates open. The moment they saw the scene inside, every single one of them looked completely stunned.
Lu Jinshuang's mouth twitched. Right in front of her, Nan Yun and his group were cleaning up the corpses on the ground. It looked as if they had arrived just in time to lend a hand.
She stepped inside and instructed the guards behind her, "All of you, go over and help them."
"Yes, Princess." The group of guards immediately ran over, moving with well-practiced ease.
Mu Jin was surprised to see Lu Jinshuang arrive so soon. She stepped forward and curtsied. "Greetings, Princess. The Commandery Princess just went to the back yard. She should be changing the Young Commandery Princess's clothes right now — she hit someone so hard earlier that a lot of blood splattered onto her dress."
Lu Jinshuang looked very confused when she heard that. "Hitting someone? Why would Lan'er ever need to hit anyone herself? Any one of you could have handled it, not to mention you have the handguns, don't you?"
Mu Jin smiled as she recounted the whole incident to her. Lu Jinshuang could not help laughing and crying at the same time after hearing it. "Lan'er's temper seems to be getting worse and worse. I wonder who will be more formidable when she grows up, her or Sister Yue."
At those words, Mu Jin smiled and said, "Princess, the two commandery princesses share an extremely deep sisterly bond. The Commandery Princess Cenyue dotes on her little sister like no one else in the world."
Lu Jinshuang nodded in agreement. "That's very true. Sister Yue has always treated Lan'er wonderfully. Lan'er's temper was spoiled by her, of course. But at the same time, Lan'er gets to live so freely and happily, I can't help envying her a little."
She shook her head with a smile after that. "Alas, I don't have that kind of luck. Mu Jin, have someone bring over all the account books and ledgers from this county yamen. All of you will go through them later, and sort out all the messy accounts here."
Lu Jinshuang did not go straight to the back yard to find Xi Qingyue. Instead, she found a clean spot in the main hall to stay and help everyone deal with the ongoing matters.
The corpses were quickly cleared away, and everyone else in the county yamen was dealt with as appropriate—those who should be released were all set free.
She paused to collect her thoughts for a moment, then turned to look at Nan Yun. "Nan Yun, split your people up to keep a close eye on all the prominent aristocratic clans and wealthy households in the city. Send word to me immediately if you spot any unusual movements."
She also had people post notices outside the county yamen, clearly stating that this city would henceforth be under the governance of Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan. It was explicitly noted that all the former county magistrate's actions in this region were entirely his own doing, and had nothing to do with Lu Qianning. The notices also informed the public that the county magistrate and his accomplices had been duly punished, and that the extra taxes the common people had paid over this period would be fully refunded three days later, with everyone asked to line up in order to collect their share at that time.
As for those who had unresolved grievances, or whose family members were still wrongfully imprisoned in the jail, they could come forward to state their cases starting the next day.
By the time Xi Qingyue brought Xi Weilan over, Lu Jinshuang had already arranged a great many matters in perfect order.
Seeing Lu Jinshuang arrive, Xi Weilan ran over happily. "Jinshuang, I've missed you so much."
Lu Jinshuang smiled and lifted her up into her arms. "I knew my little Lan'er was missing me, so I sped over as fast as I could. It seems we really are of one mind."
Xi Qingyue laughed from the side. "Jinshuang, you've come at the perfect time. I was just worrying that we don't have enough people to run things—there's no one left working in the county yamen right now."
