Upon hearing Lu Jinshuang’s words, Xi Qingyue turned to her with a puzzled expression. “Sister Jinshuang, you saw them?”
Lu Jinshuang smiled and shook her head. “No. I ran into a few people who had seen the Duke Anguo’s family. They were specifically looking for you to deliver a message, so I brought them along. Whether you want to keep them is up to you.”
She told Xi Qingyue about her encounter with the Bearded Man and the other four. Xi Qingyue was quite surprised. She had not even noticed those men earlier, much less expected them to seek her out just to deliver a message—though it was not particularly important to her.
“Forget it. Let them stay. It’s not as though we’re short of food.”
Xi Qingyue’s impression of the men was not bad. They had done wrong before, but they still had their limits. Keeping them around might prove useful.
The group was extremely conspicuous as they walked through the streets. Many civilians secretly glanced at them, especially at Xi Qingyue, looking at her with curiosity. Some even whispered among themselves.
Calmly enduring everyone’s stares, Xi Qingyue arrived at the entrance of a residence. When she saw the two stone lions outside, she curiously stepped forward and touched them, finding them rather imposing.
Mu Jin waved her hand, and a guard stepped forward to knock on the door. All these vacant residences were maintained year-round so that they would be ready for immediate occupancy whenever someone arrived.
With a creak, the main gate slowly opened, and a man in gray poked his head out from behind it.
He yawned and asked lazily, “Who are you people?”
The guard ignored him and stepped forward to open the gate fully. He then gestured for Xi Qingyue and the others to enter.
The man in gray flew into a rage. Pointing at them, he shouted, “How dare you trespass on the Song family’s property! Are you tired of living?”
Mu Jin was about to speak when she froze. Xi Qingyue also stopped in her tracks. She even took several steps back to look at the plaque above the entrance. It was completely blank—there were no words reading “Song Residence” at all.
Xi Qingyue took out the title deed for the residence and examined it carefully. She then turned her gaze toward the man in gray and said calmly, “You claim this is the Song family’s residence? Isn’t this a property belonging to the authorities? The title deed is still kept at the county office. When did it become the Song family’s property? Go and have your master come see me.”
The man in gray looked at them with disdain. “Who do you think you are? Go back wherever you came from. Our family head has a close relationship with the county magistrate. Isn’t it perfectly normal for us to stay in a residence like this? It’s none of your business.”
Mu Jin smiled and kindly introduced Xi Qingyue and the others. “This is Princess Wenyang. These two are Commandery Princess Cenyue and Commandery Princess Suwei. Go tell your master that the commandery princess has come to reclaim this government residence. You can leave now and go back wherever you came from. Before you go, remember to settle the cost of your stay.”
The moment he heard this, the man in gray was stunned. He hurriedly fell to his knees and began kowtowing. He had not gone out today and had no idea what had happened outside, but he knew that neither a princess nor a commandery princess was someone he could afford to offend.
This was not the Song family’s main residence, but rather a property where the family head had hidden his mistress. It had been arranged there so that the woman and her son would be protected from trouble.
Xi Qingyue said indifferently, “The county magistrate is dead. Tell your master that this residence is government property. Since you never purchased it, pack up and move out as soon as possible.”
The man in gray was instantly drenched in cold sweat. He did not know what had happened outside, but Xi Qingyue’s words terrified him. He immediately scrambled to his feet and ran inside. He had to inform Madam Mei of the situation at once.
With her hands clasped behind her back, Xi Qingyue walked into the residence, muttering to herself, “That doesn’t make sense. The Song family is an established family in Xin’an City. Although they’re only a third-rate clan, they shouldn’t be short of residences. Even if they wanted to stay here, they could have simply bought the place. Something feels off.”
Lu Jinshuang had grown up in the capital, had seen a great deal of the world, and loved to have fun. She patted Xi Qingyue on the head and said with a laugh, “It’s simple. Someone from the Song family—or someone important to them—is being kept here. Most likely a woman. Things like this happen all the time in the capital.”
Xi Qingyue shook her head. “Sigh. The world of the wealthy is truly complicated.”
After saying that, she began looking around the residence. Whenever the servants encountered them, they were so startled that they dropped whatever they were doing. Several guards also spotted the escorts behind Xi Qingyue and the others and did not dare say anything rash. They were already outnumbered.
When Xi Qingyue reached a pond, she looked at the lotus leaves floating on the surface and nodded with satisfaction. “Mm, this place is decent. It’ll do for raising fish.”
Before long, a beautiful woman in her early thirties approached them, surrounded by maids.
As soon as she reached Xi Qingyue and the others, she respectfully knelt and kowtowed. “This humble woman pays her respects to Princess Wenyang, Commandery Princess Cenyue, and Commandery Princess Suwei!”
The others followed her lead and saluted Xi Qingyue and the rest.
Xi Qingyue studied the beautiful woman before speaking slowly. “Rise. Regardless of which family you belong to, this residence is government property. You never purchased it, and the government has no lease agreement with you. The county magistrate is dead, and I am managing Xin’an City on behalf of Princess Wenqing. Pack up and move out. I’ll give you three days.”
The woman’s expression changed, but she still nodded and agreed. “Yes, Your Highness. This humble woman will have the servants pack everything at once.”
Lu Jinshuang said nothing. She continued observing the woman. There was also a boy of about ten standing beside her. He was probably the illegitimate son of one of the Song family’s masters.
Whichever master the woman and child belonged to had nothing to do with them. There were plenty of residences in Xin’an City, and the Song family was not short of money. They could buy one whenever they pleased. It was difficult to understand why they had chosen to stay here.
Seeing that the people in the residence were fairly cooperative, Xi Qingyue left. She went to the residence next door because she wanted to examine the layout of the two properties as a whole. If she had the two residences connected, the available space would be much larger.
After she left, the woman immediately instructed a servant beside her, “Go tell the master what happened here. Have him prepare another residence for Madam Mei. Also, find out what happened in the city today—especially anything concerning the princess and the commandery princesses.”
“Yes, Madam Mei.”
After the servant left, Madam Mei sat in the pavilion with her brows tightly furrowed. A commandery princess had suddenly appeared to take charge of Xin’an City, and the county magistrate, who had been on good terms with the Song family, was dead. She did not know whether the Song family would be implicated, and unease filled her heart.
At the Song family residence, in the head’s study—
When the family head, Song Linzhi, received the news from Madam Mei, his face turned livid. He slammed his palm onto the desk and said furiously, “This is outrageous! She’s only just arrived, and on her very first day she’s already trying to humiliate the Song family. She’s gone too far!”
He had deliberately placed Madam Mei in that residence because he did not want too many people to know that she and her son existed. Now that Xi Qingyue had gone there and ordered them to move, the news would soon spread throughout the city. Where would that leave his dignity?
The angrier he became, the more he thought about it. But when he remembered that even the county magistrate had been killed and that Xi Qingyue was now in charge of the city, he could only swallow his anger.
He took a deep breath and forced down his fury. “Have the residence in the eastern part of the city prepared for Madam Mei. Be quick, and don’t let Madam know about it. Also, keep a close watch on the county office. Report to me immediately if anything happens.”
He had to keep a close eye on Xi Qingyue and the others’ movements so that he would not once again be caught off guard.
As if he had suddenly thought of something, he revealed a crafty smile. “Right. Tell the shopkeepers of all the major stores that when they go to the county office to collect their refunds in three days, they should do so as usual. But once they’ve received the money, they don’t need to lower the prices in their shops—just keep them the same as before.”
He sneered inwardly. “So what if you’re a princess and a commandery princess? We’re selling our goods at the regular prices. Surely you can’t interfere with that?”
