Everyone in the entire Peace Tower was whispering about what had just happened—two kids had beaten up three young troublemakers so badly they were howling in pain. This was a real spectacle for the capital, something they could brag about to others for a long time.
Inside the private booth, Lu Jinshuang sat across from Xi Qingyue with a smile in her eyes. She even thoughtfully served food to the two sisters, as if they were obedient little girls and the fight moments ago had nothing to do with them. Lu Shiwan came over from behind the folding screen, sat down, and looked at Xi Qingyue with a smile, voicing the question on her mind.
"Both came looking for trouble, so why is it that Duke Anguo's three-year-old grandson nearly lost his arm, while those three look seriously hurt but only have superficial wounds?"
What she really wanted to ask was: why show such heavy force against a small child but go easy on grown adults? That just didn't add up.
Xi Qingyue took a sip of soup before slowly speaking. "That child had people grab us and tried to hit us. Lan'er wasn't aiming for his arm—he just got pulled aside at the critical moment, so she missed. Otherwise, it would've been even worse. As for those three, only one of them had a foul mouth. They didn't actually intend to harm us. We beat them up because they ruined our meal."
At that, Lu Jinshuang and Lu Shiwan were left speechless. He wasn't even trying to hurt them, and he still ended up looking like a swollen pig head. If someone actually plotted to harm them, would they just kill on the spot?
Lu Jinshuang asked somewhat uncertainly, "Sister Yue, aren't you afraid Duke Anguo will come after you for beating his grandson? What if we get trapped in the palace by father and can't get out—aren't you scared he'll grab you?"
Before Xi Qingyue could respond, Xi Weilan chimed in. "We're not scared at all! If he dares to come, I'll give him some candy beans."
"What candy beans?" Lu Jinshuang was confused. Why would you offer food to someone who's come to cause trouble?
Xi Qingyue kindly explained because she was afraid Lu Jinshuang wouldn't understand. "It's Lan'er's concealed weapon. One candy bean can send a person straight to the heavens."
Those words made Lu Jinshuang go quiet. At that moment, she realized she had overlooked something important—these two sisters had arrived in Yancheng on a mule cart and only entered the capital after she met them. Where had they originally come from? And how had they traveled all this way?
There was also one more crucial thing: how did Little Nine know them? Why had they arrived in the capital before Little Nine?
Earlier, she had only thought that after Little Nine gave them the jade pendants, she needed to take good care of them, but she had completely forgotten a pile of important questions. Still, this wasn't the right place to talk.
Lu Shiwan also thought of several things, but since she hardly knew these two kids and they clearly bore grudges, she decided it was better to keep her mouth shut.
Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan didn't care what the two princesses were thinking. They kept eating until they were nearly full before stopping. Xi Weilan pointed at a plate of steamed fish and shook her head. "Sister, the food here isn't good. It's not as good as what you make."
Xi Qingyue nodded in agreement. "Mm, this restaurant isn't up to par. No need to come back next time."
In her opinion, this place only had a good reputation. For the biggest restaurant in town, the flavors weren't even as good as the smaller establishments they'd passed on the road.
The two chatted on as if no one else was around, leaving Lu Jinshuang and the others in silence. A waiter working at the restaurant overheard them, but remembering how Liao Zhou and his friends had been knocked out and refused a doctor, and with the two princesses still present, he didn't dare say a word. He just gritted his teeth and pretended not to hear.
Seeing that they were done eating, Lu Jinshuang picked up Xi Weilan and headed out—better to take them home as quickly as possible. Lu Shiwan smiled and took Xi Qingyue by the hand, following behind, while her maid Taohua stayed back to settle the bill.
Taohua also took out an extra fifty taels of silver and handed them to the waiter, pointing toward the area behind the folding screen. "Take this money and send them to a physician to get treated. If it isn't enough, come to Mingyang Princess Manor to collect."
The waiter clutched the silver, nearly crying tears of joy. Beaten as badly as those three were, they absolutely needed medical attention. If you called their families to take them away, the family might even smash the restaurant. But if the restaurant sent them to the clinic, that would mean paying out of their own pockets—a serious loss.
The patrons inside the Peace Tower watched with great shock as the two princesses treated the Xi sisters with such favor. where exactly did these kids come from?
If Lu Jinshuang's age hadn't been wrong, people would've guessed the Xi sisters were the Seventh Princess's illegitimate daughters.
When they returned to the princess manor, Lu Jinshuang dismissed all the servants, leaving only Lu Shiwan, Xi Qingyue, and the others.
"Sister Yue, I've been confined to the manor—no leaving for three months. If you go out tomorrow, take extra guards with you. If you can't win, run back fast. Whatever you do, don't get captured."
It wasn't that she was overly cautious—it was just that after today, she knew those two sisters weren't afraid of trouble. With them, going out again was bound to stir up more.
Lu Shiwan chuckled lightly. "Why bother with that? Come stay at my place tomorrow. I'm not confined. I doubt ordinary people would cross a princess of the court."
Xi Qingyue waved her hand calmly. "No need. Lan'er and I are fine exploring on our own. But first, tell me—what relatives or close friends do you two have in the capital? If any clash happens, I can spare their lives. Of course, only if they don't ask for death."
And with that, the smile on Lu Shiwan's face froze. Lu Jinshuang's eyes flew wide open, and she abruptly stood up.
"Are you serious? You'd actually kill someone in the middle of the street—kill a powerful figure in the capital?"
Her face was full of disbelief. That was even more audacious than being a princess herself. No one could get away with that kind of lawlessness!
Then, a question she'd been dying to ask suddenly burst out of her. "How did you two meet Little Nine?"
As soon as she said it, Xi Weilan happily raised her little hand. "Sister Jinshuang, it was me! It's because of me that Sister Lu and we got to know each other."
Hearing that, Xi Qingyue let out a soft laugh. That wasn't a lie at all.
"Oh? Then tell me, little Lan'er, how did you get to know each other?" Lu Jinshuang was burning with curiosity. Smiling, she picked up a cup of tea and was about to take a sip to listen to the story.
"Well, it's like this—I treated sister Lu like prey and injured her with that hidden weapon of mine. It was my sister who bandaged her wound."
Lu Jinshuang choked on her tea, coughing so hard her face turned red. She sincerely regretted having taken a drink just now.
Lu Shiwan too was astonished. That hidden weapon had almost ruined Duke Anguo's grandson's arm, and Little Nine had also been shot by it?
Just then, Xi Qingyue spoke up evenly. "The reason we met is that Lan'er felt guilty for hurting her. After that, we ran into each other in the mountains many times—for a stretch, we met almost every day. Lan'er took a real liking to her."
What she didn't add was that if Lu Qianning had a worse temper and had drawn her sword on them, the consequences might've been hard to predict.
Xi Weilan also nodded enthusiastically. "Mm! Sister Lu is really nice. After I hit her, she didn't even get mad. She always smiled at me when she saw me—a gentle big sister. Not like that Luo Ling, always dazed whenever I see her, like a big silly goose."
Lu Jinshuang and Lu Shiwan were once again left utterly stunned and speechless by their words. At the same time, both of them broke out in a cold sweat—good thing they had a close relationship with Little Nine and had intended to help those connected to her, or else they might have been in some real danger.
