Duke Anguo still left the county yamen with Xi Daniu. He knew that staying any longer would be pointless. The injury to his leg could wait, but the wound on his wrist needed to be treated by a physician as soon as possible.
Before leaving, he cast a resentful, unwilling glance over the courtyard wall toward the county yamen. He could hardly suppress the urge to curse aloud, because he simply did not believe that Xi Qingyue was not inside.
The Ninth Prince smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “The Duke, the heir’s injuries are more important. You should find a physician to treat him first. The Commandery Princess is in the city and won’t be leaving. Once she recovers, she will naturally help treat the heir’s legs. No matter what, she is his daughter. She won’t be so heartless as to stand by and watch him die.”
Duke Anguo immediately understood what he meant. He cupped his hands and said gratefully, “Thank you for reminding me, Your Highness. I’ll take him away now and return later to pay my respects.”
“Yes, treating the injury is the priority. I still have to find Seventh Sister, so I won’t be leaving with you.”
The Ninth Prince gave him a faint smile and nodded. His expression remained calm and composed as he watched Duke Anguo and the others depart.
He then turned toward Nan Yun with an easygoing air, a gentle and refined smile still on his face. “I heard that Seventh Sister is also in the city. Surely I may remain here at the county yamen and wait for her return?”
He refused to believe that these people would dare drive away a prince, especially after Duke Anguo had already confirmed his identity.
Only then did Nan Yun suddenly cry out in surprise. “So you’re the Ninth Prince! This humble one was blind and failed to recognize Your Highness. Please, come in!”
The Ninth Prince smiled in satisfaction before swaggering into the county yamen.
Nan Yun did not allow Nanxing to accompany him. Instead, she ordered a male guard named Fang He to follow the Ninth Prince and his men. Officially, it was to make things more convenient for them; in reality, it was to keep watch over them.
The Ninth Prince did not mind. In his eyes, none of them were his match, and he was in no hurry to make a move.
After they had gone some distance, Nanxing let out a cold snort. “The Ninth Prince was clearly insulting our Commandery Princess just now, saying she refused to save someone in danger. He certainly puts on a fine act. The Guangling Pavilion has harmed no end of people, and he—”
“Enough.” Nan Yun cut her off. “What happens with the Ninth Prince is for the Commandery Princess to decide. You struck the heir in public just now and nearly damaged the Commandery Princess’s reputation. Go to her and ask for forgiveness yourself.”
Nanxing lowered her head and acknowledged the order. “I understand, Sister. I’ll go now.”
Nan Yun nodded. “Good. Think carefully before you act next time. What use is it to injure his wrist? They’ll still come back to cause trouble. You should learn from the Commandery Princess—wait for the right opportunity and kill with one decisive strike.”
The farce at the county yamen entrance quickly spread throughout the city. People became intensely curious about this newly arrived Commandery Princess: curious about her background, and even more puzzled by her abilities and the way she conducted herself.
How had an eight-year-old child become a Commandery Princess? How was she capable of treating illnesses and saving lives? All of it struck people as astonishing.
Of course, the Ninth Prince was not idle either. Though only he had entered the county yamen, he had secretly brought more than a dozen people with him and scattered them throughout the city. These people were spreading malicious rumors about Xi Qingyue, claiming that she was a ruthless killer.
That was not all. He also had them investigate the movements of the city’s major clans, intending to have them cause Xi Qingyue some trouble.
The complete destruction of the Guangling Pavilion was a pity, in his opinion—not because he felt sorry for those who had died, but because he regretted losing so many expendable pawns.
Aside from the people arranged by the Ninth Prince, the Song, Qiao, and Pei families had also sent men to blend into the crowd. Their objectives were the same: to ruin Xi Qingyue’s reputation and portray her as a little monster who was utterly evil and killed without blinking.
Xi Qingyue had not returned to the county yamen. She was still at the new residence, and Nanxing soon went there to ask for punishment.
She knelt respectfully on the ground. “Commandery Princess, I acted without permission and injured someone in full view of the public. I nearly damaged your reputation, so I have come to ask for forgiveness. I respectfully await your punishment.”
Xi Qingyue raised her eyes in confusion. “Oh? Who did you injure? Tell me everything.”
Nanxing truthfully recounted what had happened at the county yamen entrance, leaving nothing out.
Lu Qianning had sent her to Xi Qingyue as a guard, which made Xi Qingyue her new master. Naturally, when someone insulted her own Commandery Princess, Nanxing had to retaliate. However, the person she had injured possessed a special status, and she realized that she had acted too impulsively.
Using her special ability, Xi Qingyue lifted Nanxing to her feet and smiled at her. “Well, you injured him. So what? It’s no big deal. He was the one who started cursing, so he deserved to be hit. You don’t need to ask for forgiveness over this sort of thing in the future.”
What she did not say was that if her little sister had been there at the time, she probably would have blown his head off with a single shot.
She glanced in the direction of Xi Weilan and found the girl asleep in Lu Jinshuang’s arms. No wonder she had been so quiet.
Nanxing’s face lit up at her words. The person she had chosen to follow truly was extraordinary, not someone who would let worldly conventions tie her hands.
Xi Qingyue walked over to Lu Jinshuang and lifted Xi Weilan from her arms. “Sister Jinshuang, let’s rest in the carriage for a while. We can return to the county yamen later.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a completely black motorhome appeared in the open space not far from the residence, its door already open.
Xi Qingyue carried Xi Weilan inside, thinking to herself, Perfect. I can rest for a while and let the vehicle soak up some sunlight to recharge its batteries.
Lu Jinshuang followed her inside, and Xi Qingyue also called Nanxing and the others aboard.
After placing Xi Weilan on the bed inside, Xi Qingyue returned to the sofa and sat down. Lu Jinshuang found a comfortable spot and reclined half on her side.
When she saw Xi Qingyue come out, Lu Jinshuang teased, “Yue, you’re not returning to the county yamen because you’re hiding from those people, are you? That doesn’t sound like you at all.”
Xi Qingyue rolled her eyes at her. “Do I look like I need to hide? I could kill them all with one slap. Lan’er has fallen asleep, so why not let her rest in the vehicle? There’s an annoying fly at the county yamen. Until I deal with it, I can’t be bothered to go back.”
Lu Jinshuang did not believe her. Xi Qingyue could just as easily take the vehicle out and sleep in it at the county yamen. She was not the sort of person who feared trouble.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Jinshuang suddenly sat up. “I know! You’re worried that those people will go over and cause trouble again once you return to the county yamen. Are you afraid that Lan’er will shoot someone?”
She clearly remembered how the Grand Tutor had been gunned down by Xi Weilan in the capital.
This little one was the youngest, but she was always the fastest to act. It was entirely possible that she might simply shoot the entire Duke Anguo household dead. The more Lu Jinshuang thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
Xi Qingyue smiled and shook her head. “You’re overthinking it. I simply don’t feel like going back right now. But it’s true that I don’t intend to let Lan’er act. She’s still too young. She can kill other people however she likes, but I don’t want her to deal with the Duke Anguo household herself. I’m afraid that one day, when she grows up and understands what happened, she’ll regret it.”
Xi Weilan was only three years old. Her understanding of many things was still incomplete, and she was more than capable of drawing her gun and killing Duke Anguo.
Xi Qingyue was not from this world, nor was she the original owner of this body. She did not care much about the opinions of the world. But Xi Weilan was indeed a blood relative of Duke Anguo. Refusing to acknowledge that relationship was one thing, but allowing such a young child to kill her grandfather and father was something Xi Qingyue herself could not quite accept.
She did not want Xi Weilan to grow up and hear people whispering behind her back that she had murdered her own father. If it could be avoided, then it should be.
Lu Jinshuang immediately understood what she meant and gave a soft laugh. “That’s simple. Just keep an eye on Lan’er when the time comes. I’ll handle the killing.”
