Xi Qingyue was not at all surprised that Prince Kang had rebelled. In fact, he had acted even later than she expected.
It was a good thing he had rebelled. Only by showing his hand could he be exposed. When the time came, whether they were substitutes or the real thing, she would kill every one of them that appeared. No matter how many mice there were, they were still only little mice.
She turned toward Nanxing and asked with a beaming smile, “What reason did he give for rebelling? Don’t tell me it’s exactly what I guessed—that he’s avenging the Ninth Prince, ridding the court of a menace, and eliminating me, the supposed monster?”
Nanxing nodded repeatedly. “Mm-hmm, Commandery Princess, you really are a genius. He’s blaming the Ninth Prince’s death on you. He probably regretted it the moment the news left Xuanzhou. The news that the Ninth Prince was killed by the men he sent must have reached Xuanzhou by now as well, but he’s caught between a rock and a hard place. Even if he has to force the issue, he still has to smear you.”
Xi Qingyue let out a derisive laugh. “Who told him to be so impatient? He’d already waited that long—couldn’t he have waited a few more days? Rebelling is his business, but trying to make me take the blame is going too far. By the way, how many troops did he send? When will they reach Xin’an?”
“Commandery Princess, he sent twenty thousand men, led by his deputy, Cao Fang. The officials in the cities along the way have all surrendered to them of their own accord. They’ll probably reach Xin’an within a few days. We should make preparations in advance.”
Xi Qingyue gently shook her head. “There’s no need. First, post a notice outside the county office informing everyone in the city that Prince Kang is about to attack. Anyone who wants to leave should do so quickly. Once the gates are closed three days from now, no one will be allowed in or out.”
Nanxing looked utterly puzzled. “Commandery Princess, if we do that, the wealthy families and powerful clans in the city will definitely flee.”
“It’s fine. Let them run,” Xi Qingyue said, waving her hand indifferently. “But make sure the notice clearly states that if they leave this time, all their homes and property will be confiscated. If they come back later, there won’t be a place for them here.”
Nanxing clapped her hands in approval. “Brilliant! That’s exactly how it should be. If they flee when the city is in danger, only to come back after we drive the enemy away, they’d be getting off far too easily.”
Xi Qingyue felt the same way. They could either leave and never come back, or stay and help defend the city. She had no intention of turning Xin’an into a refuge for these people.
Xi Weilan sat obediently nearby, listening to the two of them talk. She knew that a large army was coming to kill her and her sister.
“Big Sis, what if they all leave? Then only our own people will be left in the city.” Xi Weilan counted on her fingers, trying to calculate how they would deal with twenty thousand soldiers.
Xi Qingyue smiled and tousled her hair. “Don’t worry. It’s only twenty thousand men. No matter how many come, we’ll wipe them all out. If they all leave, the city will be nice and peaceful, and I can take you for a drive. There’ll be plenty of room.”
At that, Xi Weilan grinned happily. She loved going for drives more than anything.
After Nanxing left, Xi Qingyue lazily reclined in her chair once more, with various washed fruits placed beside her.
Twenty thousand soldiers were nothing to her. She only regretted that Prince Kang had not come in person.
Outside the county office, the common people stared at the posted notice, their faces filled with astonishment.
“No way. Prince Kang has rebelled already?”
“Let him rebel, then. The Ninth Prince was killed by the people he sent, and he still tried to frame the Commandery Princess. Everything failed, yet he doesn’t even know it?”
The people found this baffling. They all knew that the Ninth Prince had been killed by the guards Prince Kang sent. The news had spread everywhere. Only Prince Kang, being so far away and receiving information so slowly, had yet to hear about it. It was almost pitiful.
A young man pointed at the notice and cried out, “Wait, aren’t you all focusing on the wrong thing? The important point isn’t that Prince Kang has rebelled. It’s that the Commandery Princess is giving everyone three days to choose whether to leave. After that, the city gates will be closed. Are you leaving or staying?”
“What a foolish question. Of course I’m staying! My family has lived here for generations. I’m not leaving.” A bun seller spoke with absolute determination.
An elderly man asked suspiciously, “Is this news really genuine? If we leave, we’ll lose all our property. When we come back, we’ll have nothing left.”
“Isn’t it simple? Then don’t leave. If you do leave, why should you get to keep your things? Other people will be risking their lives to protect the city.”
“But what if we leave and Prince Kang doesn’t manage to attack the city? Wouldn’t we be losing out?”
The crowd discussed the matter noisily, voicing all kinds of opinions as they debated whether to leave or stay.
The Pei family, the Qi family, and the Ouyang family also convened family meetings to discuss whether they should remain.
As powerful clans, they had far better access to information than ordinary people, so they naturally knew that the notice was genuine.
The matter they had to discuss now was whether to stay and join the fight against Prince Kang, or leave Xin’an and relocate the entire family.
Once they made their choice, there would be no changing it.
In the Pei family’s council hall, the various elders cursed furiously.
“She’s far too arrogant! Even if the dynasty were overthrown, no one would act like this. The enemy is already attacking the city, yet she won’t even let us leave? And if we leave, she won’t let us come back? How overbearing! What does a little girl know, anyway?”
Madam Pei sighed. “Alas, she’s forcing us to choose. Either we choose her and stay, or we leave for good. There’s no third option.”
As for leaving first and returning after things settled down, Xi Qingyue would not give them that opportunity.
This time, Madam Pei did not make a decision as quickly as she had before, because there was no guarantee that everyone would listen to her.
The last time, they had been in a desperate situation, and most people had not wanted to gamble with their lives. This time was different. They still had a choice, and many of the clan elders disagreed with one another. The hall was filled with heated arguments.
“If you ask me, we should stay. The Pei family has lived here for hundreds of years. It’s not as though we haven’t survived dynastic changes before. Even if Prince Kang attacks the city, he won’t do anything to us. There’s no need to put ourselves through all this trouble.”
“No. Staying is far too dangerous. Prince Kang is no good, and those two little girls are moody and unpredictable. Who knows what they’re plotting? In my opinion, we should leave. We can develop just as well somewhere else.”
“We should stay...”
“We shouldn’t...”
...
The uproar gave Madam Pei a headache. She tapped the table to remind them to quiet down. “Everyone, has it never occurred to you that the Commandery Princess might drive Prince Kang’s forces back?”
The moment she said this, the hall fell silent. Then the elders burst into laughter.
Hearing their laughter, Madam Pei sighed inwardly. Forget it. She might as well have said nothing.
One of the clan elders answered her with a chuckle. “Sister-in-law, what you’re suggesting is simply impossible. No matter how powerful their hidden weapons are, there are only so many of them. Prince Kang has brought an army of twenty thousand, and more reinforcements will follow. There’s no way they can win.”
“Exactly. Driving back Prince Kang’s army is impossible. Prince Kang is the sort of man who would eat you alive without even spitting out the bones. We should relocate as soon as possible.”
Madam Pei’s expression grew solemn. She had a feeling there was something unusual about Xi Qingyue’s notice. There were only two possible reasons for giving them the choice to stay or leave.
Either the Commandery Princess was kind-hearted and afraid they would come to harm if they stayed, or she was confident that she could defeat the army. No matter how she looked at it, the second possibility seemed more likely.
But this concerned the future of the entire clan, and she could not be certain that her guess was correct. She drew a deep breath and slowly said, “Since everyone’s opinions differ, let’s follow the majority.”
Head of the Pei Family furrowed his brow. Upon hearing his mother’s words, he was the first to nod. “Since that’s the case, let everyone state their position.”
