Ouyang Jin was also stunned by Xi Qingyue’s actions. The calm expression he had worn moments ago had turned somewhat pale.
As they watched Dazhuang carry in the bright red strawberries, all they felt was terror. Not a trace of delight at seeing some novel food crossed their minds.
They had come here for tea out of curiosity about the things sold at this place. They had never expected to encounter Xi Qingyue, much less receive something from her. Was this a warning?
Unable to make sense of it, the two men stood there dumbfounded, neither saying a word.
Seeing that they were simply staring blankly, Dazhuang stepped forward and placed the strawberries on the table. “Go ahead and eat. The Commandery Princess specifically ordered these sent to you. No one else has even laid eyes on them before. You’re quite lucky.”
Ouyang Jin came to his senses at the sound of his voice and put on a smile. “This young brother, how did the Commandery Princess know we were here? Did she give any other instructions? We’re deeply grateful for her gift, but could you take us to see her? We’d like to thank her in person.”
Dazhuang shook his head. “I don’t know either. Anyway, the Commandery Princess knew you were here. She said that after talking so much, both family heads must be thirsty, so you should eat some strawberries to quench your thirst. She also said there was no need to seek her out and thank her.”
With that, he turned and left the room.
Ouyang Jin and Qi Qian were once again left utterly speechless by his words. They stood where they were, trying to guess Xi Qingyue’s purpose, and wondering whether she had overheard their conversation—and, if so, how she had managed to do it.
In the private room next door, Xi Weilan’s little face was filled with confusion. “Sis, why did you send them strawberries? They were bad-mouthing you just now.”
Xi Qingyue smiled indifferently. “It’s nothing. After accepting the gift, they probably won’t be able to sleep tonight. They’ll behave themselves more in the future too.”
Of the five great families in Xin’an City, the Song family and the Qiao family had already been wiped out, while the Pei family had suffered heavy losses. If the Qi family and the Ouyang family were frightened into submission as well, the city would become much more peaceful.
She had come here to enjoy herself, not to clean up messes every day. Naturally, she had to deal with the problem at its source.
Once the great families behaved themselves, ordinary wealthy merchants would hardly dare to cause trouble in the city.
Xi Weilan still didn’t quite understand, but when she heard that sending the strawberries would make those two families behave, she promptly put the matter out of her mind.
Then she suddenly thought of something else. “Sis, Sister Jinshuang took the Ninth Prince’s ashes back with her. Won’t the old emperor punish her?”
Xi Qingyue smiled and stroked her head. “If the old emperor is still alive, he’ll certainly punish her. At most, though, he’ll confine her to the residence and forbid her from going out. The Ninth Prince was still a prince, after all. The fact that not even his body was left behind after his death would be enough to make him furious. Don’t worry. She brought back Nightshadow’s testimony. Prince Kang, who ordered the killing, is the real culprit.”
She wasn’t worried about Lu Jinshuang in the slightest. Lu Qianning was in the capital as well. If anything happened there, the two sisters would only emerge as the winners.
With that, she rose to her feet and held out a hand to Xi Weilan. “Lan’er, let’s go. It’s time to head back. If there’s anything you want to eat, we’ll have someone make it for you when we get back.”
“All right, Sis.” Xi Weilan took her hand and happily walked outside with her.
The one thing they had no shortage of now was cooks. They could prepare dishes in all kinds of styles, and Xi Qingyue had even provided them with special seasonings. The food they made was better than anything served in the restaurants outside, so there was no need to eat out at all.
As soon as the two of them stepped out of the teahouse, they saw several people a short distance ahead. It was Xi Daniu’s family.
The moment the Duke and the Duchess noticed Xi Qingyue looking their way, they turned around and ran, terrified.
Xi Qingyue let out a derisive laugh. “With courage like that, they still dare come looking for me?”
Xi Weilan merely glanced in that direction before lowering her head and opening her little cloth pouch. She took out two lollipops, unwrapped one, and held it out to Xi Qingyue. “Sis, have this. Eating something sweet will help you stop being angry.”
Xi Qingyue was taken aback, then smiled and accepted the lollipop. “All right. You have one too.”
Hand in hand, the two of them happily walked toward the county office while sucking on their lollipops, completely unaffected by their encounter with Xi Daniu.
The Duke of Anguo and the others did not stop until they were out of Xi Qingyue’s sight.
Xi Daniu, sitting in his wheelchair, complained angrily, “Father, Mother, why did you run? I’m her father. It’s not as if she would commit patricide!”
The Duke of Anguo felt uncertain upon hearing that. He truly couldn’t say for sure whether Xi Qingyue would kill her own father.
However, afraid that his son would grow even angrier, he changed his approach. “Wenliang, you saw what happened to the Song family. Those sisters kill without batting an eye—even their subordinates are just as ruthless. How about we find another physician, or go to Prince Kang in Xuanzhou? That’s his fief. He may know an even more capable doctor.”
Xi Daniu slammed a palm against the armrest of his wheelchair, his face full of fury. “Are you even my father? My legs are nearly crippled, and at a time like this you still want me to leave? What if I don’t find another doctor?”
His expression grew increasingly grim. The Duchess said nothing, but she kept wiping away her tears.
The Duke of Anguo glanced at Xi Daniu’s legs and sighed. “Alas, you’ve seen it yourself. Those sisters are inseparable. It won’t be easy to make a move against Er Ya.”
More importantly, he was afraid that if they really kidnapped Xi Weilan, Xi Qingyue would cure her and then kill every one of them afterward. It was far too risky.
Suddenly, his eyes shifted as an idea came to him, and he made up his mind. “We’ll go straight to the county office. Your mother and I will kneel at the entrance. With so many commoners watching, I refuse to believe she’ll really ignore us.”
After saying this, the family, accompanied by their guards, headed toward the county office.
They were Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan’s grandparents. If the commoners saw them kneeling before the county office and begging for treatment, who knew what rumors they might spread about the two sisters?
The two residences Xi Qingyue had chosen were currently being renovated and combined into one, so she had not moved in yet and was still staying at the county office.
As soon as Xi Weilan returned, Xi Qingyue had the cooks summoned and let her order whatever she wanted to eat.
Before the Duke of Anguo and the others even reached the entrance of the county office, the guards spotted them and immediately reported the news to Nan Yun.
Nan Yun narrowed her eyes, the corners of her lips lifting into a cold smile. “They really are like ghosts that refuse to leave. The Commandery Princess spared their lives out of mercy, and they still have the nerve to push their luck.”
Nanxing suggested from the side, “Sis, why don’t I get rid of them? Otherwise, this will never end. We can’t really have the Commandery Princess deal with them herself, can we? Some scholars would gossip about her behind her back if she did.”
Nan Yun shook her head. “We definitely can’t let the Commandery Princess act personally, but killing them at the county office entrance would be even more unwise.”
“Then what do we do? We can’t let them make a scene, can we?” Nanxing asked angrily.
If those people had not been related to the Commandery Princess, she would have slaughtered them long ago. Why would she need to go through all this trouble?
Nan Yun patted her on the head. “We don’t have to kill them to beat them. Before they can start making trouble, beat them unconscious and throw them out of the city. Out of sight, out of mind.”
Nanxing’s eyes lit up with delight. Then, with a whoosh, she flew off.
