Meixi Temple.
The Seventh Princess was baffled by the message delivered by the young eunuch.
What did "get yourself back here right now" even mean?
"You better explain everything to me from beginning to end, or I'll make you regret it."
The messenger eunuch was a quick-witted one. He knew the Seventh Princess's temper—she was the most hot-tempered of all the princesses, and the Fourth Prince had been beaten so badly by her that he couldn't get out of bed for days. Walloping a mere eunuch like him would take just a word from her.
He hastily recounted the whole matter, starting from the Wang's Pastry Shop.
At first, when he mentioned two children buying pastries and producing a jade pendant, she didn't pay much attention. But when he said that among all the princesses, only she and the Ninth Princess had ever given their pendants away, a flash of light suddenly passed through her eyes.
"You mean Imperial Father is angry because he thinks I gave someone my pendant and bought out the shop?" Her gaze turned sharp and fierce as she stared at the eunuch.
The eunuch trembled under her look and answered doggedly, "Your Highness, this servant would not know. I was merely ordered to deliver the message."
With that, he hung his head, not daring to make a sound, as if awaiting his verdict.
Suddenly, the Seventh Princess burst into a radiant smile. "Alright, I've heard enough. You may go back and report. Reward!"
That last word sent the eunuch into a state of great joy, and he quickly took his silver and left.
After the eunuch was gone, the Seventh Princess sat in her chair and burst into laughter. "Hahaha, I knew it! Little Nine couldn't have died that easily. Wonderful!"
After her laughter faded, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and stood up abruptly.
"Dongxue, we're heading down the mountain immediately. And we'll make a detour to Cloud City."
"Your Highness, His Majesty ordered you to return at once. If he learns you went to Cloud City first, won't he be displeased?" Dongxue was deeply worried for her mistress.
The Seventh Princess sneered. "He's busy refining his elixir pills. He won't have time to care about me. I have to go see those two little sisters of mine who's got my pendant."
"Ah?" Dongxue was dumbfounded. When had her princess ever given a pendant to anyone?
But she quickly realized that the Seventh Princess was talking about the two children with the princess's jade pendant that the eunuch had mentioned.
Knowing her mistress's intentions, she immediately ordered everyone to pack up and head down the mountain. The party then set off toward Cloud City.
Meanwhile, Xi Qingyue had just driven her mule cart out of Cloud City, and she and Xi Weilan were slowly ambling along the road.
Xi Weilan had a small pouch on her lap filled with all sorts of snacks they had bought, and she was nibbling on a peach blossom cake, unable to get enough of it.
The Seventh Princess's carriage procession collided with them head-on from the opposite direction. The two politely pulled their mule cart to the side to give way.
Just as the procession was about to pass by, the Seventh Princess lifted the carriage curtain and glanced outside—and instantly froze.
"Stop!" The Seventh Princess had the carriage halted and jumped out, appearing before Xi Qingyue and the other girl in the blink of an eye.
"Excuse me, miss, is something the matter?" Xi Weilan asked with a smile as she chewed on her peach blossom cake.
The Seventh Princess looked at the two of them, then at the peach blossom cake in Xi Weilan's hand, and smiled upon recalling what the eunuch had told her.
"Little sister, I heard that all the pastries at Wang's shop were bought up. That must have been you two, right?"
Upon hearing that, Xi Weilan snatched the pouch close to her body and shot a wary look at the Seventh Princess. "Don't you dare try to take our things!"
As she spoke, her small hand moved toward the pistol at her waist, while Xi Qingyue narrowed her eyes and reached for the hilt of her sword.
The Seventh Princess felt a sudden twitch in her eyelid, and she immediately smiled and said, "I'm not here to steal anything! I'm not short on food. I was just saying—good for you two!"
Hearing this, Xi Weilan pulled her hand away from her waist, and Xi Qingyue likewise withdrew her hand from her sword hilt.
Neither girl concealed her actions, and the Seventh Princess found it strangely unnerving. Whoever Little Nine had gifted a pendant to would not be ordinary children.
Especially the look they'd just given her—like they were ready to strike. She didn't know the secret of these children, but something was definitely off.
She swept a glance behind her. Weren't the few dozen guards she had brought nothing but paper decorations?
Though they were not in uniform, one look told you they were no pushovers. Yet these two children didn't seem to care about them at all!
Xi Qingyue's face darkened, and she said in a cold voice, "What do you want? We already moved aside for you, so don't block our path."
Dongxue, standing off to the side, was stunned. Had her princess just been reprimanded by two children?
Just as she expected her mistress to lose her temper, the Seventh Princess broke into another cheerful smile. "Little sister, I mean no harm. It's just that I've never ridden on a mule cart before, and I'm curious. How about I come over and drive it for you?"
She looked at the two sisters with a face full of expectation, sounding quite sincere.
Xi Qingyue cast a suspicious glance and answered coolly, "We're headed to the capital, which is not your direction."
She had noticed the carriage procession heading toward Cloud City, and she said this in the hopes the woman would take the hint and leave.
To her surprise, the Seventh Princess suddenly slapped her forehead. "Oh dear, look at my memory! I forgot I have some business to deal with in the capital! Perfect timing. Let me drive your mule cart as a little experiment—just give me a couple of peach blossom cakes in exchange."
Hearing this, Xi Qingyue's suspicion diminished a bit. So she's a foodie, just after the peach blossom cakes.
She turned her thoughts over. Their chances of getting in the capital were uncertain, but if someone could sneak them in openly, that could work. And this woman in front of her seemed like a fine choice.
She nodded in agreement. "Fine, then you can drive."
She pulled Xi Weilan into her lap to make room, and the Seventh Princess very naturally plopped herself down in the driver's seat.
Dongxue and the rest of the guards stood there gawking in disbelief. Their princess was abandoning her own carriage just to drive a mule cart for two kids? Was she out of her mind?
But they were all loyal followers of the princess, so not one of them dared say a word. They simply turned around and followed along.
Cloud City was only about half an hour's ride from the capital, and along the way they came across many vehicles traveling between the two places.
People who recognized the Seventh Princess stared dumbfounded, but one sharp glance from her had them clamping their mouths shut.
Xi Qingyue could tell the woman was someone of high status, but she didn't care. As long as they got into the city for free, that was enough.
After all, the capital was the capital—who knew if the guards on the walls were stationed every few steps? Charging in by force would be too troublesome; and waiting until nightfall would be a hassle as well.
The more important the person, the better. She had already been "borrowing others' authority" once, so doing it again made little difference.
Both sides had their own hidden agendas, while Xi Weilan just kept stuffing her face with snacks. Being a girl of her word, she even handed the Seventh Princess a few peach blossom cakes.
The Seventh Princess nibbled on a cake and said with a grin, "Thanks! You two're something else. Next time, I'll clean out their shop too, leave nothing for anyone else. If anyone asks me for the cakes, I'll hike up the price and make a nice little profit."
Hearing that, Xi Weilan's eyes lit up. "Sis, should we sell some to earn silver?"
Xi Qingyue pinched her little cheek. "You'd be willing to sell them? If you do, they'll be gone, and you won't get to eat them anymore."
Xi Weilan shook her head rapidly. "Then forget it. We'll save them all for ourselves."
The Seventh Princess glanced at the two and suddenly said, "Don't worry—the capital has plenty of good food. Want me to tell you about the best spots? "
“No need, Big Sister Lu has already told us all about it — I know where the good food is.” Xi Weilan said this with a beaming face.
At these words, the Seventh Princess’s heart leapt with joy. She hadn’t guessed wrong — Little Nine was indeed still alive.
