On the opening day of Jincheng Commercial Street, the street was bustling with activity. Yan Qingxue jumped out of the carriage and looked at the once-thriving Linghe Commercial Street with starlight in her eyes.

Xiao Ya got off Yan Qingxue and helped Yan Linglan out of the carriage.

Faced with such a grand scene and a crowd of unfamiliar people, Yan Linglan felt somewhat lost, clutching her embroidered handkerchief tightly, biting her lip, and staring in the direction of the castle.

"Big sister, there are many soldiers outside the castle."

"It seems there are many more soldiers than usual. They must have brought in so many officers and soldiers to maintain order in case something happens."

"It's alright, we have invitations, we can go in openly." Yan Qingxue took out the invitations, waved them, and headed towards the castle first.

Horse-drawn carriages are not allowed to stop in front of the castle; this is a rule of the commercial street. To enter the castle, you must walk there.

In just this short distance, they ran into many acquaintances. Yan Qingxue pulled Yan Linglan back a few steps, moving away from Feng Yan and his group ahead.

Yan Qingxue knew the Feng family of the Red City Lord's Mansion, but Yan Linglan did not. She looked up at Yan Qingxue with surprise, and then heard Yan Qingxue say something.

“Linglan, let me tell you, you don’t go out much, so you don’t know those people in front of you. That’s the young master of the Feng family, the city lord’s mansion in Hongcheng. I’ve met him before, and he’s not a good person. He’s the kind of person who looks down on people. It’s best to avoid dealing with him.”

Hearing Yan Qingxue say this, Yan Linglan shrank back and cowered behind Yan Qingxue, following closely behind.

Upon arriving at the castle gate, everyone had to undergo screening, and those wishing to enter needed to present an invitation and identify themselves.

As expected, a long line formed in front of the castle gate. Yan Qingxue and Yan Linglan were waiting to be checked when Yan Linglong, who was behind them, spotted two familiar figures in front of them. She hesitated, frowned, and glanced at Yan Shanxing beside her.

"Father, it seems that my eldest sister has brought my second sister with her. Could it be that they are trying to sneak in without us noticing?"

Yan Shanxing was having a lively conversation with He Yan, the head of the wealthy He family in Hongcheng, when he heard his youngest daughter speak. He turned his head and followed Yan Linglong's gaze, his eyes darkening and his brows furrowing slightly.

There's a time and place for fooling around. Is it okay to fool around in this kind of situation?

And you even dragged Linglan into this nonsense?

If they were detained and forcibly taken away by the government in front of so many prestigious families and clans, the Green City Lord's Mansion would lose face big time.

"Linglong, tell them to leave quickly." He whispered this to Yan Linglong before continuing his friendly conversation with He Yan.

Yan Linglong bit her lip. "Father, my eldest sister might not listen to what I'm saying."

Yan Shanxing paused, then smiled apologetically at He Yanshang, "Brother, I have a disobedient daughter at home who needs discipline."

Yan Qingxue and Xiaoya were chatting excitedly in line when Yan Shanxing came over with a stern face. "What are you doing here? Get out of here! Stop embarrassing yourselves."

Yan Qingxue was startled and looked up at the sound. "Father? What are you doing here?"

"That's what I should be asking. These government soldiers are all from Islay, not from my Apocalypse. If you get dragged away by them, even your mother can't save you. So why aren't you going down?"

Yan Shanxing's reprimand and warning only made Yan Qingxue frown slightly, but she was not frightened.

"Father, why do you think I would be dragged away by the government officials?"

“If you really want to go in, then you should obediently follow Father,” Yan Linglong said as she approached, speaking before Yan Shanxing could even reply.

As she spoke, she looked up at Yan Shanxing, adopting the demeanor of a good younger sister, "Father, you do have an invitation, so since eldest sister wants to go in so much, why don't you take her with you?"

It's rare for my second sister to come along, so let her join in the fun. She's not usually one to see people, so it's unusual for her to be willing to come.

Yan Shanxing snorted coldly, "Then you should stay here obediently and not cause trouble. This is not a place for you to cause trouble."

What Yan Qingxue found most repulsive was Yan Linglong's hypocritical, condescending attitude. She clearly disliked her, clearly resented her, so why did she act like she was pleading for her? Did Yan Qingxue need her to plead for her?

Pretending to be something you're not, putting on airs.

Feeling a chill, Yan Qingxue rubbed her arms and was about to have Xiaoya bring out the invitations and throw them in front of Yan Linglong.

The people ahead of them had already finished their checks and went inside.

It was their turn to go up and take out their invitations for inspection. Xiaoya quickly took out her invitation and handed it to the inspecting soldier.

This action startled both Yan Shanxing and Yan Linglong.

Invitation?

Yan Shanxing was immediately unsettled. He had a hard time getting a copy of this invitation, so where did his daughter get it? How did she end up with one?

"Where did you get this invitation?" Before Yan Shanxing could even speak, Yan Linglong had already preemptively asked the question posed by Yan Shanxing, her voice slightly sharp.

Not only Yan Shanxing knew how difficult it was to obtain this invitation, but even Yan Linglong knew how Yan Shanxing got one of his invitations—he spent five hundred taels of silver to get it from a merchant.

It was five hundred taels of silver, and they only agreed to give them a share after much reluctance.

Yan Qingxue scoffed when Yan Linglong questioned her in a hushed tone.

"What do you care where I came from? Anyway, I didn't steal or rob." Too lazy to pay attention to Yan Linglong, Yan Qingxue rolled her eyes and sneered.

After taking the invitation from the soldier who had checked it, he led Yan Linglan and Xiaoya inside, leaving Yan Shanxing and Yan Linglong with only their aloof and cold backs.

Yan Linglong clenched her hands tightly under her sleeves.

When did Yan Qingxue become so successful that she could even get her hands on an invitation to Jincheng Commercial Street?

Jincheng Commercial Street has ties with the government, so how could Yan Qingxue possibly have dealings with government officials?

Or perhaps Yan Qingxue knew people who had dealings with the government.

Besides that, she couldn't think of any other way Yan Qingxue could have obtained the invitation.

She couldn't possibly have five hundred taels of silver to get an invitation, could she?

The expenses of the city lord's mansion have always been frugal, and even the allowances that the young ladies of the mansion should have are pitifully small.

Because most of the money in the mansion was used to make offerings to the Zhao family.

Therefore, all expenses must be reduced.

Of course, it wasn't just because of the Zhao family, but also because she built a lot of temples in Green City, and the expenses on those temples were quite large.

That's why the household's food and drink expenses were so tight.

Although her Green City Lord's Mansion appears incredibly glamorous, its interior is not so dazzling.