Chapter 071 The Lord of the County Is Moving!

Song Ye had struggled to finish all the dishes and soup Qin Xuanxi had served him. Once he was done, he immediately rose and spoke to Wang Demao, “Your Excellency, I must take my leave to patrol the Eastern Market.”

Wang Demao quickly replied, “Captain Song, there’s no need for you to personally handle such a trivial task as patrolling the streets—just send any one of your men!”

Song Ye was momentarily taken aback. Since when had he become “Captain Song”?

Seeing the confusion on Song Ye’s face, Wang Demao smiled and explained, “I’ve only just decided to promote you to captain of the constables. After all, with your talents, it would be a waste for you to remain a lowly patrol officer. You should stay here and keep the Princess company.”

Song Ye understood perfectly well that Wang Demao was trying to curry favor with the Princess by granting him a sudden promotion. Yet Wang Demao had no idea the woman before him was an impostor. Once her true identity was exposed and the court dispatched officials to Yan City to hold someone accountable, Wang Demao would have ample cause for regret.

Of course, the imperial court of Liguo would neither dare nor be able to punish Qin Xuanxi, the false princess. The emperor of Liguo still owed Qin Xuanxi a great debt, and Princess Li Xiuling had only regained her freedom thanks to Qin Xuanxi’s intervention. But should the imposture come to light, implicating the royal family, the court would inevitably need a scapegoat for the sake of appearances. At that point, the blame would fall squarely on Yan City’s local officials, Wang Demao included.

It was precisely because Song Ye understood these risks that he handled his marriage to Qin Xuanxi with such caution. If they were still in Qiu Yu Village and Qin Xuanxi, the so-called Demon Mistress, was merely pretending to be a homeless refugee, he could play along with whatever she wished—marriage would be nothing more than a humble village feast. But now, she had returned under the guise of the Prince of Xiang’s daughter and insisted on continuing this wedding charade. Things had escalated far beyond his control.

Her identity had grown complicated, entangling more people in her schemes, and her true motives were still a mystery to him. Since coming to this world, Song Ye had never left the boundaries of his original village, but as Yan City was built, the people around him grew ever more complex, survival became trickier, and the consequences of a wrong decision more severe.

“Magistrate Wang, if you’re only promoting me because of the Princess’s influence, I’d rather remain a humble patrol officer,” Song Ye responded.

In the end, he simply refused to play by Qin Xuanxi’s rules or follow her lead—that was his way of coping.

“Of course not! I promoted you for your own abilities,” Wang Demao lied without batting an eye—after all, what special talents did a captain of constables truly require?

At that moment, Qin Xuanxi spoke gently, “Magistrate Wang, my dear Ye is a man of integrity—he prefers to earn each step forward through his own efforts. Since he doesn’t wish for the captaincy, please don’t force him. I believe, with his abilities, he will rise far above a mere captain in time.”

Wang Demao nodded. “Then we’ll do as the Princess wishes.” He then clapped Song Ye on the shoulder. “The Princess truly cares for you; you must cherish her feelings and never let her down.”

Song Ye nodded. “I would never disappoint the Princess.”

When he looked up at Qin Xuanxi, he saw her tilting her head at him with a subtle, knowing smile, as if to say, ‘This time, I spoke up for you—don’t you dare take this for granted, and hurry up and accept my proposal!’

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be off to patrol the Eastern Market,” Song Ye said, lifting up Song Yan, who was still engrossed in her meal. Even as he picked up his five-year-old foster sister, her tiny hands clung fiercely to a roast goose leg, unwilling to let go no matter how hard he tried.

Once Song Ye had left with his little sister, Qin Xuanxi had no desire to remain in the yamen. Outside the gates, she turned to Qi Shuyi and said, “Qi Shuyi, go and make preparations. I’m moving.”

“Moving?” Qi Shuyi was astonished. “Why? And where will you move to, Your Highness?”

A smile played at the corner of Qin Xuanxi’s lips. “Naturally, I’m moving next door to my future husband’s house.”

Her “future husband” was, of course, Song Ye.

“Your Highness, isn’t that improper?” Qi Shuyi protested.

Qin Xuanxi replied, “What’s improper about it? I’m not moving into his house, only next door. No matter the cost—whether you persuade or coerce—buy that house beside Song Ye’s for me. I want to move in tonight!”

“But Your Highness, as an unmarried maiden, to move next door to Song Ye before the wedding will certainly invite gossip and tarnish your reputation. Prince Xiang will be furious when he hears of it. Please reconsider!” Qi Shuyi pleaded.

Qin Xuanxi’s gaze turned cold. “My mind is made up. Even if you’re unwilling, you must do as I say.”

Seeing her resolve, Qi Shuyi glanced around before leaning in to whisper, “Your Highness, I’m only worried that once you leave the palace, someone may force their way in to see the prince. If they discover he is unconscious, we’ll have no way to explain it to the court.”

Qin Xuanxi replied, “Rest assured. Even if I am ten miles away, the puppet technique from the Lanyu Heart Sutra will remain effective. Should anyone try to see my father, I can control him from afar to respond.”

Of course, there was no such puppet technique in the Lanyu Heart Sutra—Qin Xuanxi was using the Soul Control Art, a secret technique from the Xuan Yuan Sect, to manipulate the Prince of Xiang.

Nevertheless, even the Soul Control Art allowed only for simple actions and brief phrases, and there was always the risk of discovery. That was why, ever since she had used the art to make the prince appear before the guests the previous day, the palace gates had been tightly shut, with no visitors allowed in.

Qi Shuyi did feel somewhat reassured by this, but she still insisted, “Your Highness, please reconsider. This will not only harm your reputation but also that of the prince’s household.”

“Qi Shuyi, don’t forget—my father lies unconscious because of your weakness and your failure as a guard. If it weren’t for my puppet technique, the court would have learned the truth long ago, and your edict of punishment would already be on its way!”

A shadow of malice flickered across Qin Xuanxi’s face. “You’re a clever woman. You should know that defying me now would be a very foolish choice.”

Her words sent Qi Shuyi’s thoughts back to the journey escorting the Prince of Xiang to Yan City—a memory that haunted her still. She could only bow her head and reply, “Rest assured, Your Highness. I’ll see to your orders at once.”