“You dare go against your superior? What right do you have to question the Prince Consort’s cultivation?”
The head guard was momentarily stunned when he saw Liu Lingxue, then raised an eyebrow and sneered.
“Liu girl, it’s rare to see you show your face. The only reason you’ve stayed alive these past two years was to avoid giving outsiders something to talk about. You’re someone doomed to die sooner or later. Why not crawl back to your rear courtyard while you still can?”
“When I die is none of your business, you mutt!” Liu Lingxue’s aura exploded violently.
The head guard was so startled, he took two steps back.
“You… you actually reached peak Steel Body stage in secret?”
“What does that have to do with you? Crushing a dog like you would take just one palm!”
“Fine, you’ve got guts. I won’t bother now, but I’ll collect your corpse next time!” The head guard was a seasoned opportunist.
After leaving that threat, he immediately turned and left with several of his men.
Behind him, Liu Lingxue said coldly, “Didn’t you hear what Third Prince Xiao Jing said? If you’re leaving, leave for good. Get out of the Fifth Princess’s manor and crawl back to your master. Don’t dirty the ground here again!”
Mu Lanchu stared blankly at Liu Lingxue, confused why she had stepped forward today and dared to challenge someone from the Crown Prince’s faction.
For over two years, Liu Lingxue had always treated Mu Lanchu, this fake mistress, with indifference. They barely spoke.
Most of the time, she had remained secluded in the rear courtyard cultivating.
Who would’ve thought she’d step up today, even looking as if she wasn’t afraid to die?
Liu Lingxue walked up to Xiao Jing, gave a respectful salute, and said directly, “I only acknowledge Princess Yuhe as my mistress. I spoke today because your actions, Third Prince, brought me satisfaction.”
“Other than Princess Yuhe, no one else can order me to do anything.”
With that, she turned and leapt away, returning to her secluded courtyard.
At the same time, the system prompted:
[Liu Lingxue has endured silently, training hard to one day avenge the Fifth Princess. Upon seeing you, she sees opportunity and hope.]
[Liu Lingxue intends to observe the Host for a while longer before deciding whether to share her innermost thoughts.]
Xiao Jing looked at the system message, then at Liu Lingxue’s departing figure.
Interesting. She was a girl with a strong personality.
Though her words were tough, she clearly felt lonely and isolated inside.
Xiao Jing found himself growing a little more curious and intrigued by her.
He hadn’t yet delivered the system’s gift pack to her either.
Another time, perhaps.
Now that he was the master of this manor, there was no need to curry favor with a loyal servant of the former mistress.
They would probably need some time and a few rounds of mutual testing to truly gain each other’s trust.
Fortunately, the system had already told him she could be turned into an ally and wasn’t that difficult to approach.
Very soon, the steward, head guard, personal maids, and a dozen servants were all packed up and driven out of the manor.
Once outside, they split into two groups—one reporting to the Crown Prince, the other to the Third Princess.
“Husband…” Mu Lanchu gently tugged on Xiao Jing’s robe, a worried look in her eyes.
Xiao Jing patted her head and said, “Don’t be afraid. The Crown Prince wouldn’t dare openly cause trouble. He has no justifiable reason.”
“Our Fifth Princess’s manor merely expelled a few disobedient servants. What business is that of the Crown Prince or the Third Princess?”
As he spoke, there wasn’t even the slightest hint of fear in Xiao Jing’s heart.
The Fifth Princess may have once been soft and timid—but he, Xiao Jing, was not!
He had just kicked out the spies they had planted in this manor. What were they going to do about it?
Let’s see who dares to openly interfere in his household affairs.
Once the steward, head guard, and others had left with their belongings, the remaining old servants of the manor slowly gathered in front of the main hall.
They all wore lazy, sluggish expressions. None stood properly. Some were even yawning.
For years, these servants hadn’t been allowed into the inner courtyard and had barely even seen the Fifth Princess.
With almost nothing to do daily, they’d grown used to slacking off, just collecting wages while waiting for their days to pass.
Now, suddenly summoned by the new Prince Consort, they were all confused.
“This new Prince Consort’s got quite a presence.”
“Dismissed the steward just like that.”
“A political hostage marrying into our Yan Empire, and yet he’s got such a temper?”
“Shh, keep your voice down. Even if he’s a hostage, I don’t think this Liang Empire Prince Consort is someone to mess with.”
“Yeah, haven’t you heard what it’s like in the other princes’ and princesses’ manors?”
“Usually when disciplining servants, as long as no one dies, it’s never a problem.”
“Breaking an arm or leg is nothing.”
“So let’s all be smart from now on…”
In this world, the strong reigned supreme. Cultivators stood above all. Ordinary people’s lives were worth less than grass in front of them—they all understood this.
So they waited quietly for Xiao Jing to speak.
“The Fifth Princess used to be soft-hearted, but this prince is not someone to be trifled with!”
“If anyone wants to leave, now’s your chance. But if you stay and act lazy or disobedient, don’t blame me for being harsh!”
A few quick-witted ones immediately knelt in front of Xiao Jing.
“We know we were wrong. From now on, we will serve the Prince Consort and Princess with full dedication!”
Xiao Jing nodded, then pointed at one of the older, more reliable-looking men and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Wang Tiezhu.”
“From now on, your name is Wang Defu. You’ll temporarily serve as this manor’s steward. If you do well, I’ll make it official in six months.”
Wang Tiezhu was overjoyed and kowtowed repeatedly. “Thank you, Master, for giving me a name! I will serve loyally with everything I have!”
“Enough. You lot, go prepare a carriage. I’m taking the Princess to the market.”
“Yes!”
“Yuhe, take out some silver to reward them,” Xiao Jing turned and said gently to Mu Lanchu.
In front of the others, Xiao Jing referred to her as Yuhe.
Mu Lanchu nodded.
Just last night, she had received 100,000 Spirit Stones, so she took out some of her saved allowance and handed it to Wang Defu and the others.
Wang Defu and the others kowtowed again, expressing endless gratitude to Mu Lanchu.
Mu Lanchu’s heart was filled with even more gratitude toward Xiao Jing.
Her husband had chosen to be the “bad guy” and left the chance to win loyalty through rewards to her!
What she didn’t know was that Xiao Jing had done so purely because he was broke…
Wang Defu and the others took the reward and immediately went to prepare the carriage.
The Fifth Princess’s manor had a very modest carriage setup—just two average horses and one worn-out decorated carriage.
It looked like it had been used for at least a dozen years.
Xiao Jing then took Chuchu and boarded the carriage to head for the market.
Wang Defu and four other servants followed behind to serve.
“There are several marketplaces in this city. Where would Your Highness like to go?”
“To the biggest one—the one where techniques and treasures are traded,” Xiao Jing said.
“Got it! Let’s head to Chongyang Lane!”
The carriage creaked and groaned as it slowly set off.
Sitting inside, Xiao Jing felt nervous, worrying the whole way that the rickety vehicle might fall apart at any moment…
Eventually, they arrived at Chongyang Lane.
The carriage stopped outside the entrance of the [Haina Pavilion], a specialized shop selling cultivation manuals.