Prince Jinnan was not at the manor. At this critical moment, the assassination attempt on Chen Qi hung over him like a sword, making him worry about who might be plotting against him. He had been delayed by matters in the morning, and after lunch, he planned to visit Prince Pinghuai’s manor. However, the dreadful snowstorm kept him trapped at the manor until the snow cleared, allowing him to finally set off in a carriage.
The carriage stopped at the main gate of Prince Pinghuai’s manor. Prince Jinnan dismounted, noticing the open gate and the carriages and sedan chairs parked outside, indicating many visitors coming to see Chen Qi. The number of guards around the manor was also higher than usual.
The steward of Prince Pinghuai’s manor saw Prince Jinnan and quickly came forward to greet him.
“Your Highness!” Wangjiang came running from behind, panting heavily.
Prince Jinnan frowned at Chen Anzhi’s servant and asked displeased, “What brings you here?”
“I have urgent news concerning the princess’s safety!”
Prince Jinnan’s expression changed as he quickly walked to the side, warning coldly, “You better watch your mouth and your head!”
The steward of Prince Pinghuai’s manor heard only these few words before Prince Jinnan and Wangjiang walked away to speak privately. The steward could no longer hear them, but he saw the young servant kneel before Prince Jinnan.
“The eldest young master intends to harm the princess’s unborn child and the heir. Please, Your Highness, return to the manor immediately!” Wangjiang said urgently.
Prince Jinnan was stunned, an image of his eldest son Chen Shunzhi’s respectful demeanor flashing before him. Naturally, he didn’t believe Wangjiang and kicked his shoulder, “Nonsense!”
Wangjiang didn’t dodge, falling back from the kick. He endured the pain in his shoulder, knelt again, and continued, “Every word I say is true! The eldest young master should have already set the fire by now. Please, Your Highness, return to the manor immediately!”
Prince Jinnan still didn’t believe Wangjiang. Shunzhi had always been honest and well-behaved, so how could he suddenly act like this? He grabbed Wangjiang’s collar, lifting him, and shouted angrily, “What is going on? Explain immediately!”
“I overheard the eldest young master and Lady You conspiring. Lady You hates the heir, and the eldest young master desires the position of heir. They conspired to burn the princess and the heir to death!”
Prince Jinnan turned and ran, jumping onto the carriage and ordering the driver to return to the manor at full speed.
Wangjiang remained kneeling, motionless with his head lowered.
When Fang Qingyi found him, he had hesitated for a long time. But if Chen Anzhi died, Chunxing would be free. Wangjiang understood that once his actions were exposed, he would have no place to be buried. However, he was just a powerless servant with no other way to save her.
Wangjiang forced a bitter smile.
Even with immense danger, if there was even a slight chance of saving her from her misery, he was willing to take the risk.
Moreover, Fang Qingyi had found out about him and Chunxing. She forced him to work for her, threatening to reveal their relationship to Chen Anzhi.
He didn’t care about his own life, but he couldn’t let her reputation be tarnished. She would die if that happened…
Fang Qingyi needed a scapegoat, and You Yuji didn’t have deep enough motives, but Chen Shunzhi did. Chen Shunzhi was never favored, and in his rage, Prince Jinnan would surely punish him severely, perhaps even kill him in a fit of anger. Even if he spared his life, it would be enough to ruin him forever.
Moreover, Prince Jinnan was a man who cared about face. Even if he believed that Chen Shunzhi was responsible, he would suppress the incident to save the reputation of the Jinnan Prince’s Residence, declaring it an accidental fire to the outside world. Of course, You Yuji was Fang Qingyi’s excuse to offer to Prince Jinnan; didn’t he want to avoid divorcing the You family? This could be a chance to shift the blame to You Yuji and conveniently get rid of him.
See, how much she cared for the reputation of the Jinnan Prince’s Residence. What a competent mistress she was.
—
Fang Qingyi stood amidst the sea of flames, laughing heartily. The flames roared around her, and the heat was intense, yet she felt as though she were in an ice cellar, a coldness seeping from her core. Especially her blood-stained hands, which were freezing almost to the point of numbness.
As she laughed, tears began to fall.
“Why… why…” Chen Anzhi clutched his abdomen, blood gushing out, staring at Fang Qingyi in disbelief.
Was this person really Fang Qingyi?
Was this truly the gentle, understanding cousin who treated him sincerely and gave everything for him? The sweet, warm moments they shared still seemed so recent. Why had she changed like this? Was she possessed by some evil spirit?
Chen Anzhi couldn’t believe it.
The sedative had left Chen Anzhi weak and sluggish, and the immense shock made him unable to even discern his surroundings.
Fang Qingyi looked down, tears falling onto her blood-stained hands. Her hands trembled, and the dagger she held fell. She had done everything to escape the status of a concubine.
There was no turning back for her!
No, she couldn’t leave the dagger here. She picked it up again, hiding it in her sleeve, the blood staining her white sleeve.
The lantern that had fallen from the beam was still burning.
Fang Qingyi stared at the burning red lantern, her eyes filled with a crazed fire. She picked up the lantern and threw it violently at the princess.
The princess had been doused in alcohol, and the burning lantern landed on her back and fell to the ground. But the moment of contact was enough to set her ablaze.
“Mother!” The heavily shaken Chen Anzhi finally reacted. He used his remaining strength to rush to his mother, desperately trying to extinguish the flames on her body.
Fang Qingyi shivered. She closed her eyes, unable to watch.
Yet, even with her eyes closed, she could still see her aunt’s gentle, smiling face. Reason dictated that she could no longer stay here, so she resolutely turned and ran into the inner room.
There, an inconspicuous back door awaited.
—
In the evening, a fire broke out in the manor. It was quickly discovered, and the servants hurried to put it out. But Fang Qingyi had doused the area with flammable alcohol beforehand, causing the fire to rage fiercely, the heat waves scorching the sky, creating a terrifying spectacle.
Chen Shunzhi soon received the news. When he heard that the princess was also in the Anxiang Courtyard, he grabbed his outer coat and rushed there. Upon arrival, he learned that not only was the princess inside celebrating Fang Qingyi’s birthday, but also Chen Anzhi and Chen Lingyan.
The people fighting the fire were making a lot of noise.
Chen Shunzhi stared blankly at the sea of flames before him.
His wife, Madam Lin, hurried over as well. Seeing the massive fire, she was startled and instinctively took a step back, her face pale. Steadying herself, she turned to look at Chen Shunzhi.
Chen Shunzhi, still staring at the flames, had many thoughts racing through his mind. If the princess and the heir both perished in this inferno, then he…
His hand at his side trembled slightly.
Despite the surrounding chaos, his mind suddenly felt peaceful, as if he were the only one in the world.
The princess had never been particularly close to him, but she had never treated him harshly either. She provided for his education and allowed him to manage some of the estate’s businesses. When he was ill as a child, she personally came to see him, called for an imperial doctor, and brought him sweets…
He also thought of Chen Anzhi.
His younger brother was only two years younger than him. Although they didn’t spend much time together as they grew older, they used to climb trees and fight crickets together as children… Even though he often took the blame for his brother’s mistakes, he always knew that his brother’s status was different. Chen Anzhi often acted superior, but he was still his brother, his blood relative.
And then there was Lingyan.
He remembered standing by the cradle when she was a baby. The princess gently said, “Shunzhi, you now have a little sister.”
Chen Shunzhi closed his eyes, and all the turbulent emotions in his heart suddenly calmed.
The great temptation was pushed away by Chen Shunzhi.
A servant carrying a bucket of water passed by Chen Shunzhi. He grabbed the bucket, dousing himself from head to toe, and then rushed into the flames to save the people inside.
Madam Lin let out a long sigh of relief, her eyes moist. She quickly suppressed her tears. The next moment, watching Chen Shunzhi charge into the fire, her heart tightened again, worried about his safety. She hurriedly directed the household servants to fight the fire.
You Yuji hadn’t arrived yet but saw the fire from a distance.
Standing in front of the Anxiang Courtyard, she frowned deeply at the raging flames. She suspected that this was no accident. During the New Year, people liked to set off fireworks, and accidental fires did occur, but how could it have spread so rapidly in such a short time?
The two maids serving the princess were sitting on the ground, crying.
From their intermittent sobbing, You Yuji learned that the fire started after they had gone to the kitchen with Fang Qingyi’s maid to help.
So, Fang Qingyi was also inside?
If this fire wasn’t accidental but intentional, Fang Qingyi would surely have left herself a way out.
You Yuji immediately turned and quickly headed to the back door. The mansions usually had a back door, but in winter, to keep out the cold, the back door was bricked up and only reopened in spring.
The path from Fang Qingyi’s residence in Anxiang Courtyard to the back door was difficult to navigate. You Yuji trudged forward, her feet sinking deeply into the thick snow filling the cracks between the walls, with some parts nearly reaching her knees.
She finally made her way to the back door.
Sure enough, the wall bricking up the back door of Fang Qingyi’s residence had already been removed. However, You Yuji was startled to see Si Que, who shouldn’t have been there.
“You…” You Yuji was astonished.
“Why did you come so late?” Si Que drawled lazily, flipping a coin between his fingers.
Fang Qingyi had left herself a way out, dousing the other sides of the house with flammable alcohol but leaving this side untouched.
In winter, the back doors were bricked up. The people outside fighting the fire assumed it was an accident and didn’t think to come this way and break through the wall first to rescue anyone. Moreover, the back door of Fang Qingyi’s house faced a rockery, with only a narrow path leading through. The firemen hadn’t considered coming this way.
You Yuji rushed to the back door and peered inside, shouting urgently, “Why are you here?”
Si Que didn’t answer. Instead, he bent down to brush the snow off You Yuji’s knees.
You Yuji gently pushed Si Que, saying, “Go call for help quickly!”
With that, she scooped up snow from the ground and rubbed it on her clothes before rushing into the house through the back door.
Si Que watched You Yuji’s retreating figure in surprise, frowning. They were unrelated, and he hadn’t treated her kindly. Did she really need to go in and rescue someone herself? A person like him, with questionable morals, couldn’t understand it. If he ever saved someone, it would be because the coin he flipped landed heads up.
Thinking this, Si Que casually tossed the coin. It landed in the snow, and Si Que, too lazy to bend down and check if it was heads or tails, walked along the narrow path to call for help.
The inside of the house was already very hot. The inner room was somewhat better. When You Yuji pushed open the inner door and looked out, the outer room was a sea of flames. She scanned the room and vaguely saw several people lying on the table through the fire. She hesitated for a moment, carefully avoiding the burning flames as she moved forward.
Because she had never been able to conceive, she was envious of those who were pregnant and felt particularly soft-hearted toward them.
The burning pain on her back briefly roused the princess from unconsciousness. She opened her eyes in pain, staring in horror at the raging fire. Her vision was blurred by the flames, but she vaguely saw You Yuji’s figure in the fire, wielding something to fend off the flames, approaching her like a deity descending from the heavens.
The princess’s eyelids grew heavier, and she closed her eyes again.
You Yuji struggled to reach the table. The fire was too intense, and she only had time to see Chen Anzhi lying on the princess’s back, both of them emitting the smell of burnt flesh. She struggled to push Chen Anzhi, his body scorching hot.
She finally saw the princess’s back and gasped. Without time to think, she hurriedly lifted the princess with difficulty.
“Mother! Anzhi! Lingyan…” Chen Shunzhi’s hair was singed as he continuously called out.
