HLnovel Chapter 276 Fire
Chapter 276 Fire
Chapter 276 The Great Fire
On the luxurious and elegant sandalwood bed, Ye Yingrou closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep. Chunyu Jing tucked the corner of the quilt for her, then stood up and slowly walked out.
After going around the screen, Zheng Yan lay on the ground and licked the ground with her tongue. Her tongue bled a lot from the long friction with the ground, making the ground look shockingly stained.
Seeing this, Chunyu Jing's expression became even more inscrutable. He stood there, squinting, for a long while before finally speaking with lingering interest:
"Enough. Stand up and look at me."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yan stopped, stood up expressionlessly, and looked up at Chunyu Jing.
Chunyu Jing slowly walked towards her, circling her once, his gaze lingering on her without restraint, a smirk playing on his lips. As if he had seen enough, he paused, and spoke to Zheng Yan in an extremely gentle tone:
"Go back and rest. Take good care of yourself at my residence these days. I will get justice for you."
Zheng Yan stood there blankly for a while before slightly curtsying to him and replying flatly and emotionlessly:
"Yes."
After speaking, she turned around as if nothing had happened, and silently withdrew from the bedchamber, her steps unsteady.
Chunyu Jing followed her out the door, casually leaning against a pillar in front of the door, watching her leave until she was no longer in sight. Only then did the corners of his lips fall from the corners of his mouth. Beneath his wide sleeves, his ten fingers toyed with the "blood puppet" pill that Ye Yingrou had given him before going to sleep, his gaze gradually becoming meaningful.
Ye Yingrou's newly made blood puppet is indeed an excellent thing.
It seems that she gained quite a lot from going out with Shi Zhenghan to meet Prince Yue today.
Recalling what Ye Yingrou had just said about what happened when she and Shi Zhenghan went to Wangjiang Tower to see Prince Yue that day, Chunyu Jing couldn't help but frown.
According to his plan, he intended to first remove the Crown Prince from his position within the next two years, and then deal with Chunyu Yang and Chunyu Shan. He had already begun to close the net, but unexpectedly, that old bastard Prince Yue would jump out at this time and disrupt his plans.
Ha, that old bastard Prince Yue, he really has a big appetite. When Father Emperor ascended the throne, he was still young. Out of brotherly affection, Father Emperor granted him Chenzhou as his fief, promising that the silk, cloth, and tea produced there would not need to be paid as tribute, and that his descendants could all succeed him. What does this mean? It means that Father Emperor turned a blind eye, allowing this old man to establish himself as king in Chenzhou.
What kind of place is Chenzhou? Although it is not as wealthy as neighboring Fuzhou, it is bordered by the Wentao River to the left and the Qijiang River to the right. Its soil is fertile, its water resources are abundant, and its high altitude prevents it from flooding. It has uniquely favorable conditions. With such a fiefdom and no worries about paying tribute, he can be assured that he will never have to worry for three generations.
But once people taste a little benefit, they start to crave more.
Perhaps because Chenzhou has become increasingly prosperous in recent years, this old man has become complacent and thinks he has the ability to rule the world. Three years ago, he secretly plotted to usurp the throne and even secretly raised a lot of elite troops. It is said that their combat power can rival that of the Imperial Guard and Chunyu Yang's elite Xuanjia Army.
Tsk tsk, he knew the fighting strength of the Imperial Guards and the Black Armored Army. Was that old man really so overconfident that he could succeed during the autumn hunt? Well then, he would wait and see.
The more chaotic the capital city is, the better.
A cool, dry autumn breeze blew gently, lifting the hem of Chunyu Jing's clothes. Under the moonlight, half of his body was hidden in darkness, and the smile on his lips sent chills down one's spine.
The capital city was silent on an autumn night, with every household having turned off their lights and fallen into a deep sleep. Under the moonlight, several dark figures climbed over the wall of a house in the south of the city and hurried along the darkness at the base of the wall towards the north of the city.
As the shadowy figure disappeared, a wisp of smoke rose from the mansion. Fueled by the dry autumn wind, the smoke gradually multiplied, becoming two, then three, before finally coalescing into one that enveloped the entire mansion. Within the smoke, scorching flames surged like a flood, shooting up the walls and eaves, turning the entire mansion into a sea of fire.
The suffocating smoke and scorching heat jolted the residents near the mansion awake from their dreams. They rushed outside in panic, and upon seeing the sky glowing red with fire in the distance, they screamed in terror.
"It's on fire! It's on fire!"
"Father! Mother! Wake up! The Zhao family's house next door is on fire, and it's about to reach our house! Quickly pack your valuables and run!"
"The fire is raging so fiercely, why aren't you reporting it to the authorities right away!"
"..."
After leaving the Marquis of Anshi's residence, Chunyu Yang went straight back to the Prince of Beiwu's residence. Jingxuan guessed who he had disappeared for so long for, and was angry that he hadn't taken him with him. He had a huge fight with him. After finally coaxing the unhappy Jingxuan to sleep, Chunyu Yang was about to lie down when he was woken up by a rapid knocking on the door.
"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! A large mansion in the south of the city is on fire. The fire is extremely fierce, and the Imperial Guards are unable to extinguish it. They have sent someone to your residence to request assistance!"
The sudden fire was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly turning the entire southern part of the city upside down. When Chunyu Yang arrived at the city, Wang Changcun, the commander of the Imperial Guards, and Feng Ling, the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, were frantically directing their guards and soldiers to extinguish the blaze. But faced with the inferno that resembled a living hell, the combined strength of the Imperial Guards and the Shuntian Prefecture soldiers was utterly insignificant.
Upon seeing Chunyu Yang's dark expression, he immediately ordered his men to step forward and help put out the fire.
With the help of the Xuanjia Army, the pressure on the Beijing Guards and the Shuntian Prefecture soldiers was greatly reduced, and the fire crisis was finally brought under some control.
"Whose residence is this? How could such a large fire suddenly break out? Where are the people inside? Are the casualties serious?" Chunyu Yang asked in a deep voice as he walked to Feng Ling's side.
When Feng Ling turned around and saw it was him, he let out a long breath, his expression immediately becoming very complicated: "Third Prince, you've arrived. This... is Zhao Chengde's residence."
When Feng Ling left the Prime Minister's residence at night, his mood was already heavy. After returning to the government office, he learned from Yao Wen that Chunyu Yang and Ye Pianran had gone to the government office prison to see Min'er, but Min'er had died from poisoning. His heart felt as heavy as if two mountains had been weighing on it, making it hard for him to breathe.
He was waiting to go to court the next day to see how Gongsun Zhan would bring up the case to the emperor, but unexpectedly, Zhao Yuanwai's mansion was burned down again in the middle of the night!
Was he surprised? Not at all.
When Zheng Yan handed over the rubbing of the account book, only he and Chunyu Jing were present. Currently, only he, Chunyu Jing, and Gongsun Zhan knew that the case was connected to the Crown Prince. None of them wanted the case to go wrong at this time. But there was one person who was different; once he learned of Zhao Yuanwai's troubles, he would immediately take action.
The fire that night further confirmed the authenticity of the ledger.
The Crown Prince is indeed inextricably linked to this case!
Since he dared to set fire here, it means he believed there was evidence against him inside. And now, that evidence must have been completely burned to ashes! Even if the teacher personally presents the ledger to His Majesty tomorrow, he probably won't get the result he wants!
The Eastern Palace... the Eastern Palace!
Clenching his fist tightly, Feng Ling's eyes reflected the scorching flames ahead, but his gaze was as cold as ice.
Chunyu Yang had heard Ye Pianran mention this case at the Incense Burning Courtyard, so he naturally knew who Zhao Chengde was. Seeing Feng Ling's unusual mood, he frowned deeply, a sense of unease rising within him.