Chen Linchun was worried about the plan, while Aunt Zhao, sitting at the table, was in a great mood.
She rummaged through the jewelry box and said in a light tone, "Chen Miaochun is an ugly girl. Now that Chen Ruxia is disfigured, the marriage with the Yan family will surely go to my Pan'er. It's wonderful."
"But Qiuqiu didn't die. She was even saved by Chen Miaochun. What if the madam gives the marriage to Chen Miaochun instead?"
Thinking of this, Aunt Zhao's voice turned anxious. The marriage was almost within their grasp, and there must be no mistakes.
Chen Linchun said coldly, "Have you forgotten? Chen Miaochun set the fire. Unless Father wants to make an enemy of the Yan family, he won't send a daughter who committed arson to them."
Aunt Zhao was a bit slow on the uptake. She said after a moment, "Chen Miaochun just tried to commit suicide. You sent someone to set the fire. What does it have to do with her?"
"Who can prove that it has nothing to do with her?" Chen Linchun let out a soft laugh and said confidently, "The fire broke out in Chen Ruxia's courtyard. She was found nearby with a fire starter on her. Everyone knows she bears a grudge against Chen Ruxia. It must be that she was so angry that she set the courtyard on fire. She carried Qiuqiu out just to cover up her crime."
Chen Linchun was determined to pin the blame on Chen Miaochun.
He glanced at Aunt Zhao, who was still fiddling with the jewelry, and threw a bag of silver on the table. "Find a chance to get the Wangs out of trouble."
Looking at the bag of silver, Aunt Zhao was reluctant to get involved. But under Chen Linchun's cold stare, she picked up the silver and nodded. "I understand."
...
In the carriage, Shen Heqing looked a bit anxious.
Chen Ruxia was on good terms with the Princess Mansion and was a beloved junior of Princess Jingning. For this reason, Shen Heqing couldn't just stand by.
This was also why Shen Heqing guessed that something had happened to Chen Ruxia.
If only Qiuqiu was in trouble, the Yong'an Marquis Mansion wouldn't have sent a servant to inform Princess Jingning separately.
A thought crossed Shen Heqing's mind. The fire might be related to Chen Miaochun.
Shen Baozhu was sitting in Shen Heqing's arms obediently. She was discussing with the immortals whether there was a way to save Chen Ruxia's face.
The Dragon King was the first to respond. [Burns are easy to treat, but I'm out borrowing the fruit of the same origin. I won't be back for three days. You'll have to wait for a few days.]
Then came the Qingyun Immortal. [The Beauty - Nourishing Pill will take five days to refine. You can use the Nourishing Pill first.]
Soon, there was a round pill in Shen Baozhu's hand. She quickly wrapped it in a handkerchief and put it in her bosom.
Lin Yu was still checking the data in the laboratory. When he came out, the carriage just stopped.
Shen Heqing took Shen Baozhu to see the Lady of the Yong'an Marquis Mansion.
Chen Ruxia's courtyard had been burned down, so she was placed in the Lady's courtyard.
The Lady of the Yong'an Marquis Mansion had a gentle appearance. Although she was the step - wife, she was kind - hearted and never treated the servants in the mansion badly. After her son died prematurely, she regarded Qiuqiu as the apple of her eye.
At this moment, she was holding Qiuqiu and coaxing her softly. "Qiuqiu, don't be afraid. Mother is here."
Qiuqiu pursed her lips and looked a bit timid. She hadn't recovered from the shock yet. She just lowered her head and clutched the Lady's sleeve tightly.
Inside the inner room, Chen Ruxia was lying on the bed. Her left arm and the left side of her face were badly burned. She got these injuries while protecting Qiuqiu from the fire.
Chen Miaochun sat quietly by the bed, looking at Chen Ruxia with a complicated expression.
Others only knew that she had saved Qiuqiu, but they didn't know that it was actually Chen Ruxia who had saved Qiuqiu.
When Chen Miaochun heard Chen Ruxia's cries for help, the fire had already burned most of the roof beams. Chen Ruxia and Qiuqiu were trapped inside the room.
By the time Chen Miaochun stomped out the straw fire beside her and rushed into the burning house in a hurry, she saw Chen Ruxia shielding Qiuqiu under her body. Even though her left arm was on fire, she gritted her teeth and rolled on the ground several times until the fire was put out. Then she lay on top of Qiuqiu to protect her little sister.
Chen Miaochun had to admit that Chen Ruxia was a good person and was more suitable to be Qiuqiu's elder sister than she was.
"Sister Ruxia!"
Shen Heqing led Shen Baozhu in. When he saw Chen Ruxia's inner clothes being cut open and her burned left arm exposed, he subconsciously turned around. He asked, "Has the doctor not arrived yet? Where are the maids in the room?"
Shen Baozhu ran over to Chen Miaochun. She still remembered Chen Miaochun's "equal treatment". She greeted Chen Miaochun obediently and then took out her handkerchief, trying to feed the Nourishing Pill into Chen Ruxia's mouth.
Chen Miaochun was a bit afraid of Shen Heqing. She replied subconsciously, "I don't know if they've invited a doctor. Maybe the maids have gone to salvage valuables or do other work. I'm not sure."
She only saw the maids when she went out. Most of the time, she was alone in the courtyard.
Shen Heqing was not satisfied with this answer. "You don't know anything. What do you know then?"
"I was staying by the rockery outside the courtyard. When I heard Chen Ruxia's cries for help, I rushed over. I didn't expect the courtyard to be on fire. Chen Ruxia was trapped in the house with Qiuqiu in her arms. I rushed in to help..."
Chen Miaochun's words were interrupted by Shen Heqing. "No matter what your relationship is, she's your younger sister now. In front of outsiders, you should address her as such."
"Chen Linchun is useless enough. He can't even teach you this basic etiquette?"
Everyone in the Marquis Mansion praised Chen Linchun. This was the first time Chen Miaochun had heard someone speak ill of him. She retorted subconsciously, "It's my own fault. I'm stupid..."
Shen Heqing interrupted her again. "Shut up. It's normal for you not to know the rules since you've just entered the Marquis Mansion. As your elder brother, he should take the responsibility to teach you well."
"First, he should have clarified your and Ruxia's backgrounds before bringing you into the mansion, instead of letting you in muddle - headedly and causing this rivalry between you two."
"Second, since he brought you into the mansion, he should have invited tutors and nurses to teach you how to write. You're not a little girl anymore. It's inappropriate for you to idle around in the mansion all day."
"Third..."
Shen Heqing listed several "crimes" of Chen Linchun, making Chen Miaochun feel dizzy.
These words were not pleasant to hear and were quite offensive. Shen Heqing had held them back for a long time, but he finally decided to speak his mind.
Most importantly, after Shen Baozhu fed the pill to Chen Ruxia, Chen Ruxia's burns recovered quickly. In just a few seconds, they had healed into scars. The speed was astonishing. Shen Heqing was afraid that Chen Miaochun would notice, so he tried to recall all of Chen Linchun's flaws and said as much as he could to distract Chen Miaochun.
The Nourishing Pill was extremely effective. Chen Ruxia soon woke up. She opened her eyes groggily and saw Shen Baozhu lying beside her bed.
Shen Baozhu whispered in Chen Ruxia's ear, "Sister Ruxia, Baozhu gave you the pill from the immortals. Your wounds are all healed now!"
Chen Ruxia was a bit confused. She felt like her ears had been burned and she couldn't understand what Baozhu was saying.
She subconsciously raised her left arm and stroked Shen Baozhu's head. "Baozhu..."
Hearing Chen Ruxia's voice, Chen Miaochun turned around. She saw this scene and stood there stunned. Her expression was a bit dejected. "So I'm already dead."
"It's great to be a ghost. Burns can heal instantly."