Xi Qingyue rose and took Xi Weilan by the hand, leading her toward the pond. Nanxing hurried after them.
Mu Jin and Nan Yun were both busy outside, so Nanxing had been left behind to accompany Xi Weilan.
When they reached the pond, Xi Qingyue looked at the lotus flowers that had yet to bloom and smiled faintly. Unopened flowers were never quite as beautiful.
She moved her fingers, and her wood-element supernatural power instantly spread over the lotus leaves and stems.
In the blink of an eye, the entire pond underwent a dramatic transformation. One lotus after another burst into bloom, while the lotus leaves expanded to twice their original size.
Standing at the edge of the pond, Xi Weilan clapped happily. “It’s so beautiful! Big Sister, you’re amazing!”
Nanxing was equally astonished. “You made the lotuses bloom instantly, and even doubled the size of the leaves. That’s incredible, Commandery Princess! Can you do the same to the flowers in the rear garden?”
Xi Qingyue smiled and nodded. “Of course. I’ll deal with those flowers after we stock the pond with fish.”
With a wave of her hand, fish appeared out of nowhere and dropped into the lotus pond one after another.
She also sprinkled some spiritual spring water into the pond. The fish that had just entered the water immediately began to change, their bodies gradually growing larger.
Xi Weilan and the others could not see what was happening beneath the water, but Xi Qingyue saw it all clearly. She smiled in satisfaction. “Nanxing, we’re having grilled fish tonight. Remember to have someone come and catch a few.”
Nanxing froze for a moment before hurriedly nodding.
She could not understand how the fish Xi Qingyue had just thrown in were already ready to eat, but all she needed to do was follow orders.
After stocking the pond, Xi Qingyue took Xi Weilan around the rear garden. Regardless of the type of plant—or whether it was even the right season for it to bloom—she only had to point a finger. Green light flashed, and flowers of every vivid color blossomed throughout the entire garden.
The smile never left Xi Weilan’s face. One moment she was touching the roses, the next she was admiring the begonias, and then she was staring at the hibiscus. She ran around in excitement.
Nanxing stood there with her mouth hanging open, so shocked that her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Many of the flowers had only just been planted and were nowhere near their blooming season, yet flowers from all four seasons had burst into bloom at once. The entire rear garden had become a sea of blossoms.
Xi Qingyue was extremely pleased with her handiwork. Her home ought to be beautiful. It was much more pleasant on the eyes when she came out for a stroll.
Suddenly, Nanxing looked at Xi Qingyue excitedly. “Commandery Princess, if your ability can make flowers from different seasons bloom at the same time, can it also make crops in the fields grow quickly?”
She was genuinely curious. If Xi Qingyue could make crops mature with a single movement of her finger, that would be unbelievably powerful.
Xi Qingyue gave her an approving nod. “You’re quite clever. Your guess is correct—it can. But I’m not free enough to spend my time doing that. However, I have some special seeds that can increase crop yields. When the time comes, take them to our shops and sell them. Once they’ve been introduced here, we can gradually sell them elsewhere.”
“Commandery Princess, are you talking about those roasted sweet potatoes we ate before?” Nanxing asked, her eyes shining with excitement.
“That’s one of them. There are others as well. There’s no need to rush. We’ll have people plant them here in Xin’an first. Once the whole country is at peace, we can introduce them everywhere.”
Xi Qingyue felt that since she had come to this world, spreading high-yield crops would be a way to benefit the country and its people.
Nanxing was overjoyed. She immediately dropped to one knee and said solemnly, “Commandery Princess, your benevolence is truly boundless. This will save the lives of who knows how many commoners. I will make certain that the world learns of your accomplishments.”
Xi Qingyue waved her off, completely unconcerned. She lacked for nothing now and possessed even greater abilities. Since helping so many people was no more difficult than raising a hand, she felt it was only right to do so.
Standing beside her, Xi Weilan tilted her head back and tugged on her sleeve. “Big Sister, we have plenty of good farmland too. We can have people plant the crops there first. We can even sell them for silver!”
Xi Qingyue slapped her forehead. “That’s right! We have so much farmland of our own. We should plant it there first.”
She stroked Xi Weilan’s head and praised her with a smile. “Lan’er, you’re getting smarter and smarter. I’ll reward you with two extra fish tonight.”
Xi Weilan pouted in protest. “Big Sister, you’d feed me even without a reward. I can eat as many as I want anyway. How about you reward me with two bottles of cola instead?”
As she spoke, she looked at Xi Qingyue expectantly, practically drooling.
Xi Qingyue smiled and nodded. “All right. You’ve been so well-behaved, so Big Sister will let you have some.”
Xi Weilan could enter and leave the space freely and take drinks for herself, but she was very obedient. Whenever Xi Qingyue told her not to drink too much, she obediently left them alone. A child this well-behaved deserved to have her request granted.
Four bottles of cola appeared in front of them.
Xi Qingyue handed two bottles to Xi Weilan, gave one to Nanxing, and kept the last for herself. The three of them sat amid the fragrance of the flowers and happily drank their cola.
At the county office, Mu Jin set down a register and rubbed her brow. “Sigh. Why is choosing a county magistrate so difficult? I wonder what the Commandery Princess is busy with.”
She had looked over many of the scholars who had come from around the city. Some were too rigid and old-fashioned, while others knew nothing but how to bury themselves in books. None of them seemed particularly sharp. The clever ones, on the other hand, were too slippery and did not appear reliable.
After searching through one candidate after another without finding anyone suitable, she decided that although some of them might do well in other positions, they were not qualified to serve as county magistrate.
She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes in thought. After a long while, she slowly opened them and murmured, “Forget it. If I truly can’t find anyone, I’ll bring someone over from the capital.”
She had originally hoped to find a suitable candidate from among the locals, but it seemed that would be difficult.
Once she had made up her mind, she immediately stood and headed toward Xi Qingyue’s residence.
Liucheng.
Ships came and went constantly at the docks, pulling in and departing one after another. A medium-sized vessel quietly docked there.
On the deck, Scholar Han and the village headman Liu Teng gazed at the bustling scene on the wharf with smiles on their faces.
“Little Han, what do you think Little Yue’s reaction will be when she sees us? Do you think we’ll startle her?” Liu Teng asked with a chuckle, stroking his beard.
Scholar Han answered without hesitation, “She’ll definitely be delighted. Those sisters have accomplished so many great things along the way. They’ll be thrilled to see familiar faces—probably so happy they’ll jump for joy.”
Liu Teng laughed heartily. “You’re right. They’ll certainly be happy. But I never expected the princess to send you to Xin’an with us. I thought she would have you stay in the capital.”
Scholar Han shook his head with a smile. “She sent me to help Little Yue. The officials in Xin’an have probably all been killed. Besides, the capital hasn’t been peaceful lately, and we’re connected to Little Yue in one way or another. If we stayed in the capital, we’d be sitting ducks. The princess simply doesn’t want anything to happen to us.”
As he said this, he spread out his hands and stared at them for a moment before shaking his head. “Sigh. A scholar is useless in times like these.”
Liu Teng patted him on the shoulder in consolation. “Don’t say that. Helping Little Yue is just as important. A little girl managing such a large county must be terribly busy. Children should be out having fun—how can they be expected to handle such exhausting work?”
Scholar Han glanced at Liu Teng but said nothing. He certainly didn’t see it that way; he figured Xi Qingyue and her sister were probably off somewhere eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves.
