Mu Jin led Scholar Han and the others to the gates of Xi Qingyue’s residence, but she did not bring them inside right away.
With a faint smile, she said to Scholar Han, “Please wait here a moment. I’ll go in and inform the Princess.”
Scholar Han thanked her again. “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Miss.”
On their way through the streets, they had also noticed the city’s unusual atmosphere.
Though many carriages belonging to aristocratic and wealthy families were leaving the city, every one of them followed the rules obediently. Not a single carriage dared to race recklessly through the streets, nor had any commoner been hurt because of the crowded roads.
More than that, there was no sign of any spoiled young aristocrats bullying the weak. Compared with the capital, the city was orderly beyond measure.
Scholar Han could not help but admire Xi Qingyue. Her power to command respect was truly formidable.
In the rear garden of the new Xi residence, beside the pond—
Xi Qingyue sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, facing the water with her eyes closed as she cultivated her water-element ability.
Every day, she set aside time to cultivate her abilities in different places. Sometimes, she even practiced within her spatial realm, but she had never missed a day.
Since she could absorb the essence of heaven and earth to strengthen her abilities, she had no intention of using the crystal cores stored in her space. Sooner or later, they would all be hers anyway, and it was better to keep them in reserve for emergencies.
Before Mu Jin could approach, Nanxing stopped her.
“Mu Jin, wait a moment. The Princess is still cultivating.”
Though Nanxing could not understand exactly how Xi Qingyue cultivated, she could sense that the aura around her was immensely powerful.
Mu Jin nodded with a smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll just wait nearby. I didn’t know the Princess was cultivating. It’s only that the people from Willow Tree Village are waiting outside, so I should go to the gate and let them know—”
Before she could finish, Xi Qingyue’s calm voice drifted over.
“Mu Jin, bring them in.”
Mu Jin froze for a moment, then quickly answered, “Yes, Princess. I’ll go at once.”
Xi Qingyue rose and put away her meditation cushion. She beckoned to Xi Weilan, who was sitting in the pavilion.
“Lan'er, stop eating. The people from Willow Tree Village have arrived.”
Xi Weilan’s face lit up with joy. She immediately put down the pastry in her hand and ran toward her.
“Elder Sister, are Auntie Wang and Uncle Han here?” she asked excitedly.
Xi Qingyue stroked her head. “Mm. Uncle Han and Auntie Wang are both here, along with Grandpa Village Chief and the others. Let’s go see them.”
As she spoke, she took Xi Weilan’s hand and headed toward the front courtyard.
She had never expected to see these familiar faces again. She had thought they would be separated for the rest of their lives, but now they had come to her.
As they walked along the path through the rear garden, Xi Weilan looked up at her happily and asked, “Elder Sister, do you think they’re planning to stay here? Or will they have to leave again?”
Xi Qingyue smiled and shook her head. “I don’t know, but they will probably stay. If they do, that would be wonderful. Then Uncle Han can teach you to read.”
Chatting as they went, the two soon arrived at the reception hall. The spacious, brightly lit room now seemed rather crowded.
“Grandpa Liu, Uncle Han, Auntie Wang—you’re all here!” Xi Qingyue greeted them with a smile.
Scholar Han and Liu Teng stood at the front. The moment they saw the Xi sisters approaching, smiles appeared on their faces, though they did not forget their manners.
Led by Scholar Han, the people of Willow Tree Village bowed to them in unison. “Greetings to Commandery Princess Cenyue and Commandery Princess Suwei!”
Xi Qingyue smiled as she walked up to them. “There is no need for such formality. Please address us as you did before.”
Xi Weilan also skipped happily over to Scholar Han and nodded repeatedly. “That’s right, Uncle Han. Just call us by our names as before. No need to keep calling us ‘Commandery Princess.’”
Scholar Han smiled and nodded. “All right, then I’ll continue calling you Lan’er.”
“Mm. By the way, Uncle Han, you’re not leaving again this time, are you?” Xi Weilan asked excitedly.
Scholar Han rubbed her head. “We’re staying, Lan’er. We’ve come to your territory now, after all, and we’ll be relying on you two to take us in.”
Then he turned to Xi Qingyue. “You’re a commandery princess now, so in front of outsiders, we should still address you properly. But in private, shall we call you Yue’er? What do you think?”
Xi Qingyue gave a slight nod. “That will be fine. We’ll do as Uncle Han suggests.”
Auntie Wang and the others were delighted to see that Xi Qingyue was still the same as before. A child from Willow Tree Village had truly made something of herself.
Scholar Han looked at how the sisters had grown and felt deeply gratified. Then he recalled what he had seen in the streets.
He looked at Xi Qingyue with concern. “By the way, Yue’er, Prince Kang’s rebel army will soon be attacking. Do you need us to mobilize the townspeople to reinforce the city walls and prepare for the enemy? I saw that many people have already left the city.”
Xi Qingyue waved a hand dismissively. “There’s no need. The ones who have truly left are only a few prominent families and wealthy merchants. Most ordinary people have stayed behind—even the displaced people building the academy haven’t left. An army of merely twenty thousand is nothing to worry about.”
Liu Teng’s eyes widened in surprise. “Yue’er, twenty thousand is no small number. If we don’t prepare in advance, we’ll certainly suffer for it. Just tell us what you need us to do. Since we’ve come, we’ll help you defend the city.”
Auntie Wang nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Yue’er, we can help carry bricks. When the time comes, we’ll smash those people to death with them.”
Xi Qingyue gave them a radiant smile. “Grandpa Liu, Auntie Wang, there truly is no need to worry. We have guns. It won’t matter how many of them come.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Xi Weilan excitedly drew the pistol at her waist and held it up. “Exactly! We have this. This weapon is incredibly powerful—it can kill people from far away. So just put your minds at ease.”
Xi Qingyue nodded with a smile. “That’s right. You need not concern yourselves with Prince Kang’s army; I have my own plans. Grandpa Liu, you must be tired after such a long journey. I’ll have someone arrange accommodations for you first. Once you’ve rested, we can all enjoy a good feast and drinks together.”
Her confidence finally put Liu Teng’s mind at rest. He had always trusted Xi Qingyue’s words.
He did not refuse her kindness. Since they had come to rely on the sisters, there was no need to stand on ceremony.
Afterward, Xi Qingyue instructed Nanxing to take the people of Willow Tree Village to settle into the residence next door.
Scholar Han and Liu Teng stayed behind. One was a scholar, the other a former village headman; in the village, their words carried the most weight.
Xi Qingyue came straight to the point. “Uncle Han, the Ninth Princess sent you here to find me, didn’t she?”
She had been watching them. Though Scholar Han and the others looked weary, their clothes were neat and tidy—a far cry from genuine refugees. It was obvious they had not suffered too much hardship.
For them to locate this place so precisely, the Ninth Princess must have deliberately sent them over after encountering Lu Qianning in the capital. She had practically delivered a ready-made county magistrate candidate right to Xi Qingyue’s doorstep.
Scholar Han smiled and nodded. “That’s right. The Ninth Princess saved us back then, and she was the one who asked us to come. She said you would probably need some extra hands. Since we’re familiar with you and your people, it’ll be easier to get things done once we’re here.”
Xi Qingyue gave a soft laugh. “She really does know me well. She knew I’d wipe out all the officials here. Your arrival is perfectly timed. Uncle Han, you can be the new county magistrate.”
