Instead, they fetched buckets of water and doused the fire. By the time the fire was finally put out, it was already the early hours of the next morning. The fire had ravaged half of the Chen Mansion and claimed the life of one of Lord Chen's daughters.
Lord Chen was so devastated that he fainted on the spot.
When the "Miss Chen" woke up, she found herself in a small thatched cottage. There was a note on the table. She picked it up, read it, and then burned it.
After pushing Lord Chen out last night, she had dodged to the side and managed to avoid being hit. Soon after, she was rescued, not by Lord Chen's men but by those from the Prince Regent's Mansion.
Now she was a free woman. Moreover, it wouldn't be long before the crimes of the Chen Mansion were exposed to the world. Instead of leaving the capital in a hurry, she removed the human - skin mask on her face and returned to the capital in her true appearance. She checked into an inn, determined to witness the downfall of the Chen Mansion with her own eyes.
After Lord Chen regained consciousness, he seemed to have lost a part of his soul. Every day, he would stare blankly at the courtyard of the "Eldest Miss Chen" for hours on end, constantly muttering that he had been wrong and that he, as a father, had let her down.
But it was all in vain. The person was already gone.
Lord Chen commissioned a high - quality nanmu coffin and placed the "Eldest Miss Chen's" clothes inside. Since the body had been burned to ashes and nothing was left, he could only put in some of her usual clothes.
On the day of the eldest miss's funeral, just as the people in the Chen Mansion were wailing, a troop of soldiers entered.
"What are you doing? Today is my daughter's funeral. What's the meaning of this? I'll report you to the emperor!" Lord Chen glared angrily, his hands shaking with rage.
"Lord Chen, we were sent by the emperor. Someone has reported that you have been callous about human lives and accepting bribes. The evidence is conclusive. Please come with us," the leader of the guards stepped forward and said.
"Impossible! This is a frame - up! It must be a frame - up!" Lord Chen said nervously, looking at the soldiers in the courtyard.
"Lord Chen, we are just following orders. If you have any grievances, tell them to the emperor. Take him away!" The leader of the guards waved his hand. Ignoring Lord Chen's resistance, they took him away.
The people in the Chen Mansion were left gaping at each other. But some smart ones had already quietly gone back to pack their things and prepared to flee. Those who were arrested by the emperor's men could hardly get out unscathed. So they'd better run quickly, or they might end up being buried with Lord Chen.
The next day, a piece of news spread from the palace: Lord Chen had been callous about human lives and accepting bribes. The evidence was conclusive, and he would be beheaded at the West City Gate in three days!
Everyone cheered. A woman in the inn also smiled, a smile from the bottom of her heart. She had finally avenged her family, and her family members could rest in peace underground.
But as she smiled, her smile gradually changed. It became sarcastic and lonely. She was all alone now and had nowhere to go. She had planned to seek refuge with Princess Tianlin, but now she couldn't even meet her.
She wandered around the capital for a few days. After realizing that she couldn't enter Mu Fengqie's mansion, she gave up. She decided to wait until the emperor's men left before coming back.
On the other hand, after being humiliated by Jing Xinche, Yuan Yuerui began to look for a way to vent his anger. Damn Marquis Zhongning! He always outshone him in everything. He had become almost invisible in front of his master.
In a fit of bad mood, Yuan Yuerui suddenly remembered that the last time he visited his master, he had mentioned the interrogation of Li Daniu.
Suddenly, Yuan Yuerui's eyes lit up. Right! Since Marquis Zhongning had no way to deal with this man, he could give it a try. Once he got the information, he'd like to see how Jing Xinche could still show off.
With light steps, Yuan Yuerui walked towards the prison. After the guards on duty asked for Jing Xinche's permission, they let him in.
Jing Xinche also wanted to see if Yuan Yuerui could get any valuable information. However, he didn't think Yuan Yuerui would succeed. After all, Li Daniu was obviously just a small soldier. How could he know who was behind all this?
After Yuan Yuerui entered, he looked at Li Daniu lying on the straw bed. He waved to the soldiers beside him, indicating them to bring the man out. The soldiers were quick - witted and soon brought Li Daniu out and tied him firmly to the torture device.
Li Daniu opened his eyes. When he saw that it was just a child, he sneered contemptuously. "What? Do you look down on me so much that you send a child to interrogate me?"
Although Li Daniu was not an important figure, he still had his dignity. How could they let a child come to insult him!
"Tell your master that if he has the guts, send someone else. What's the meaning of sending a brat?" Li Daniu shouted defiantly.
Yuan Yuerui didn't react to Li Daniu's words. He just curled his lips faintly. He picked up a pair of scissors very naturally from the table beside him, tested the sharpness on his clothes, and then smiled with satisfaction.
"I'll soon make you realize that a child can make your life a living hell," Yuan Yuerui said with a sinister smile, which was completely different from his usual demeanor in front of Mu Fengqie.
Li Daniu didn't realize the impending danger and continued to curse.
When Yuan Yuerui heard Li Daniu cursing his master, he finally lost his temper. He stepped forward and cut Li Daniu's right index - finger nail in half all the way to the root, and then brutally pulled out the two halves of the nail one by one.
As the saying goes, pain in the fingers goes straight to the heart. Li Daniu fainted from the pain, but was soon splashed awake by Yuan Yuerui with boiling water. Then Yuan Yuerui took a cotton ball soaked in chili water and slowly pressed it onto Li Daniu's index finger.
Li Daniu fainted again, but this time, instead of splashing water on him, Yuan Yuerui found an acupuncture point on his body as his master had taught him and inserted a needle into it. Li Daniu soon woke up and looked extremely energetic.
Yuan Yuerui looked at Li Daniu and smiled with satisfaction. This man was still useful. It was a good chance for him to practice the medical skills his master had taught him. He hadn't had the chance to try them on anyone yet.
This man was really "lucky" to be the first one. If Li Daniu knew what Yuan Yuerui was thinking, he would surely curse. Who would want such "luck"?
Who could have imagined that such a thin and small - looking child could be so cruel? The guards standing beside them couldn't help but shiver. Where on earth did this freak come from?