Chapter 56 Trying to Bully Me?

"However, you should be prepared. I just got the property deeds today, and I don't know if those houses need to be repaired yet." Pan Yueqing glanced sideways at Qi Liulang and said, "How about we go to Shangbei Fang and take a look first?"

Then she turned around and ordered Luo Shui, "You go back to the prince's mansion and report. Just say that Liulang and I are having a meal outside and will be back later today." Luo Shui nodded and replied yes. Without saying anything else, she made a deep bow, said goodbye, and turned to leave.

Shangbei Fang wasn't far from Dong Fang. After leaving Dong Fang, the group boarded a carriage. Just after the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the carriage slowly stopped. Pan Yueqing got off the carriage, and what came into view was row after row of houses that looked extremely new. In front of the outermost house, a small yellow dog was tied up. When it saw people coming, the little dog barked a few times in a milky voice, showing its ability to guard the house.

"These... are these the houses you bought, Miss?" Shi Jiting was a bit stunned. These houses looked so new. It was obvious that they had just been built not long ago. Moreover, this location wasn't far from the imperial examination hall for the metropolitan examination, and it was also a rare quiet place!

The group including Pan Yueqing peeked through the windows and saw that the insides of these houses were bright, but they were lacking some furniture. Pan Yueqing suddenly didn't know what Qi Sian was up to. If Qi Sian really needed to get in touch with the imperial examination candidates, it wasn't impossible for him to handle it in the name of someone else. But why did he specifically choose her?

"Who are you?! Don't just barge in like this!" An old man came over from not far away. Leaning on a walking stick, he said coldly to Pan Yueqing with a serious expression, "This is a private residence! You're trespassing on private property!" Perhaps seeing that Pan Yueqing and the others showed no sign of leaving, he blew his beard and stared angrily, scolding, "This land was bought by a princess! You should leave quickly. The princess's carriage will be here soon!"

A princess? Pan Yueqing was secretly puzzled. She raised her eyes and asked the old man politely, "Which princess is it?"

"Is that any of your business?!" The old man looked at Pan Yueqing and the others and didn't take them seriously at all. He just sneered, "It's better if you don't meddle in our princess's affairs! Otherwise, I'll take you to the authorities! Leave quickly. If you bump into the princess's carriage later, all of you will lose your heads!"

After saying that, he raised his walking stick to drive them away.

The young servant beside Shi Jiting saw Pan Yueqing's face darken as she stood there. He thought to himself: If these houses are really her property, why isn't she refuting now? I'm afraid she's just playing tricks on the young master again! At that moment, he shrugged indifferently and whispered, "I'm afraid she's just trying to look good when she's not. This isn't her thing at all!"

Qi Liulang raised his eyebrows, turned his head and took a deep look at the young servant, then turned his gaze to the old man. Such an arrogant servant must belong to Princess Pingning's family. He was just about to speak when suddenly there came the sound of bells and the carriage wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs. He turned his head and saw a carriage slowly approaching. The carriage had a golden railing, and there were octagonal copper bells with silver plating on it. The bells jingled in the wind, making a grand show.

The silk curtain of the carriage was gently opened, and a pair of slender white hands reached out from the carriage. A maid stepped forward to support the young lady's hand. Princess Pingning had a veil lightly covering her face. When her beautiful eyes met Pan Yueqing's, a flash of surprise crossed her eyes.

"What are you doing here?!" Princess Pingning took the initiative. After getting off the carriage, she put on an air of superiority and walked straight up to Pan Yueqing. "Now you've attached yourself to the Princess of Anbei, haven't you? It's said that you don't even go home anymore. I don't know how Prime Minister Pan agreed to that."

"My mother got along well with Miss Pan, so she asked her to stay for a few more days. It's such a simple thing. Why does it sound like you're saying she doesn't go home at all?" Qi Liulang said beside them.

Princess Pingning then realized that the man beside Pan Yueqing was Qi Liulang. She sneered and said, "I think it's not that the princess and Miss Pan got along well, but that you and she got along well." She covered her mouth and laughed, and her eyes, filled with curiosity, swept back and forth between Pan Yueqing and Qi Liulang. "Otherwise, the prince's mansion is far from here. How could you have come all this way in such a short time? In the operas, there's always some story between a man and a woman. I just wonder how far things have gone between you two?"

"Are you blind?"

Princess Pingning's smile froze on her face as she heard Pan Yueqing continue, "Don't you see there are other people beside us?"

"Could it be that there's someone else beside you who also got along well with you?" Princess Pingning sneered and retorted.

"I'm kind to others, so naturally, everyone gets along well with me. Only those with dirty minds think about those indecent things all day long. All the believers in the world are those destined by the Buddha. As fellow believers of the Buddha, we are naturally connected by fate. " There was a mocking smile on Pan Yueqing's lips. "Fate is determined by heaven. It's useless to force it."

Princess Pingning naturally knew that Pan Yueqing was referring to what had happened in front of the seventeenth household in Huangji Road that day. She gritted her teeth and felt that the affection she had always had for Qi Simeng was like a deep-rooted humiliation in her heart.

Princess Pingning's face turned ashen. She ordered Pan Yueqing word by word, "No matter what, I'm still a princess, and you have no rank or position. Why don't you salute me when you see me?!"

Pan Yueqing slightly raised her head and met Princess Pingning's sinister eyes with a smile in her eyes. She gracefully curtsied and performed a traditional female salute. However, Princess Pingning didn't see any sign of submission in Pan Yueqing's actions. Instead, she saw that she performed the etiquette with ease, exuding an elegant and haughty air.

"Get out!" Princess Pingning slightly turned her head and looked at Qi Liulang. Her eyes, which should have been filled with the stars of the galaxy, were now full of resentment. "What? Are you waiting for me to have someone drive you out?! Then I'll go to the Prefect of Jingzhao and accuse you of trespassing on private property!"

"I'm afraid I can't comply with that." Pan Yueqing smiled gracefully. "If you want to sue me, the charge won't hold up because these places aren't yours."

"Are you also here to buy this land?" Princess Pingning's face showed only a trace of surprise. Then she raised a smile, a smile as sharp as a knife, piercing directly into Pan Yueqing's body. "How dare you compete with me? I said I want to buy it. Let's see who dares to sell it to you?!"

"I'm really sorry about that. I don't need to buy it, and I don't need to compete with you." Pan Yueqing casually took out a property deed and held it in front of Princess Pingning. "I'm the owner of these lands and houses."

Princess Pingning couldn't help but widen her eyes. She grabbed the property deed from Pan Yueqing's hand and looked at Pan Yueqing in disbelief. Subconsciously, she wanted to tear up the property deed in her hand, but Qi Liulang was quick-eyed and reached out to grab her left hand to stop her. "What? Are you going to throw another tantrum as a young lady? If you tear it up, I won't even wait until tomorrow. I'll go directly to the Prefect of Jingzhao this afternoon and accuse you of damaging private property!"

"Qi Liulang!" Princess Pingning struggled with her hand and looked up, gritting her teeth.

"Come here! Come here!" Princess Pingning shouted angrily at the group of strong servants behind her, "Are you all blind? Don't you know how to help me capture them?!"

According to her original plan, if the owner of these lands and houses didn't know what was good for them and refused to sell the property to her, she planned to use force. That's why she brought so many servants. She didn't expect to meet Pan Yueqing and Qi Liulang. Although she asked the servants to capture them, she just hoped that the servants would loosen Qi Liulang's grip on her hand. Unexpectedly, when the people she brought thought that they could get three taels of silver for capturing the owner of the house, they now stared menacingly at Pan Yueqing and the others with sticks in their hands.

Qi Liulang raised his eyebrows. He squeezed Princess Pingning's hand, not only increasing the strength but also grabbing her shoulder along her arm. Then he pulled her around and directly grabbed Princess Pingning's neck. "Come on, it's one thing for you to bully the common people outside. We're all members of the imperial family. Do you still want to bully me?"