The maidservants shrieked, frantically slapping at the flames engulfing Madam Song. As she spun in circles, she continued to shriek curses: “You wretched girl, what are you doing?”
She then berated the maidservants: “Why aren’t you putting out this fire?”
The maidservants scurried about like headless flies. “Water!”
“Fetch water, quickly!”
They wanted to find water to extinguish the flames, but there was no water source in the hall. When they tried to open the door to go out, it wouldn’t budge, plunging the scene into utter chaos.
Chen Wanqing strolled leisurely, hurling the lit lamps and candles in the hall one by one at Madam Song and her accomplices.
Flames erupted with crackling sounds. The pungent odor of lamp oil mixed with the smell of burning fabric and billowing smoke, separating everyone.
The maidservants’ clothes also caught fire. For a moment, no one paid attention to Madam Song.
Seeing the flames climb up her dress to her chest, Madam Song looked horrified. She reached out to pat out the fire but instantly let out a piercing scream, blowing frantically on her hand…
The main hall of Ning’an Yuan instantly turned into a sea of fire…
Even Chen Wanqing’s clothes caught fire, yet she stood motionless amidst the raging flames, merely covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief as she calmly watched the others.
Madam Song coughed violently from the choking smoke. By chance, through the flickering flames, she met Chen Wanqing’s gaze, which looked upon her as if she were already dead. A shiver ran down her spine!
Chen Wanqing intended to burn her to death!
Madam Song screamed incessantly: “Help—”
“Save me—”
The maidservants and Madam Song wailed one after another, rolling on the ground. The fire not only failed to diminish but gradually spread to other areas. The flames were fierce, filling the air with smoke and dust.
Amidst the alternating screams and coughs, just as everyone was nearly suffocating, a commotion suddenly erupted outside: “Fire!”
“Quick, someone, there’s a fire!”
“Fetch water, quickly!”
“Miss—!” Lü’e’s piercing cry sounded outside the door, accompanied by frantic knocking: “Our miss is still inside!”
“Save our miss!”
“Oh no!” someone shouted loudly: “The fire is so fierce! Go out and call the Five City Military and Police Command to help put it out!”
“Be careful the fire doesn’t spread elsewhere!”
Ning’an Yuan buzzed with voices, and hurried footsteps echoed. Looking through the window, shadowy figures moved about.
Outside the courtyard gate, members of the Five City Military and Police Command who had been patrolling the streets rushed in with firefighting tools.
With a loud thud, the door was kicked open from outside. Half of the door panel crashed to the ground with a bang, and the gust of wind stirred the flames inside before they settled back.
Amidst the blazing fire, several women rolled on the ground, wailing in agony. Only one woman stood at the center of the flames, her body engulfed yet unwavering, like a phoenix rising from the ashes.
The scene before them was too bizarre. Everyone froze for a moment before snapping back to reality and speeding up their actions.
Bucket after bucket of water was thrown in, extinguishing most of the flames. Lü’e was the first to rush in, heading straight for Chen Wanqing. However, the steam and smoke were too thick. Coughing, she cried out: “Miss, miss…”
“Where are you?”
“I’m here…” Chen Wanqing’s voice was calm as she grabbed Lü’e and dashed out.
Yudie picked up a bucket of water and poured it over Chen Wanqing’s head with a splash. The remaining flames on Chen Wanqing’s clothes were completely extinguished, yet her garments remained intact, without a single burn mark. Only her hair was soaked and disheveled, her face covered in clear droplets of water.
Chen Wanqing paid no mind to her own drenched state, only examining Lü’e over and over until she saw that the maid was largely unharmed, finally allowing herself to relax.
The others rushed in one after another, hastily dragging several servant women along with Madam Song out into the courtyard.
Madam Song and her group all bore burns and blisters on their faces, hands, and bodies, each moaning in pain. The servants hurriedly ran to fetch a physician to tend to their injuries.
Lü’e kept using a handkerchief to wipe the water from Chen Wanqing’s face and hair. Fortunately, it was late spring turning into early summer; even with her clothes soaked through, she wouldn’t catch a chill.
Then, leaning close to Chen Wanqing’s ear, Lü’e lowered her voice to report, “As you instructed, Yudie went to the ancestral hall…”
“I locked the door, saw the fire start, timed it right, ran out to call everyone to help put out the fire, then took advantage of the chaos to have someone unlock the gate and summon the Five City Infantry and Cavalry Command to come in…”
Chen Wanqing gave a slight nod. Her expression remained calm, but her gaze toward Madam Song and the others was icy and devoid of warmth.
Madam Song, fortunate to have survived, gasped greedily for fresh air, her mouth agape. Tears of fear streaked through the soot on her face, carving out alternating black and white trails.
In the aftermath of the disaster, Madam Song coughed and trembled, turning her head to look back.
The fire in the main hall of Ning’an Yuan had been extinguished, the entire room reduced to charred ruins, emitting wisps of smoke.
But from the adjacent side rooms, red flames continued to leap from the windows and doors, devouring the structure and gradually spreading toward the neighboring buildings.
The Chen family servants shouted loudly, a continuous stream of people carrying basins and buckets of water to douse the flames…
Yet the water seemed to sizzle on red-hot iron plates, only producing bursts of steam and white smoke, with little visible reduction in the fire’s intensity.
Madam Song’s teeth chattered audibly. Her face ashen, she collapsed to the ground, breathing rapidly. Had she been even a moment later, she would have been buried in the flames, reduced to ashes.
The physician was dragged over, first tending to and bandaging the various burns and blisters on Madam Song’s face and hands, then moving on to examine the injuries of the others.
The courtyard buzzed with noise and activity. Water was hauled and poured continuously for nearly an hour before the fire was finally put out.
“What happened?”
“How did the fire start?”
“Was anyone injured?”
Suddenly, someone strode in from outside the courtyard, demanding answers loudly.
A steward bowed as he reported to Chen Hanying, who was dressed in official robes, “Reporting to the Eldest Young Master, there was a fire in Ning’an Yuan. With the help of the Five City Infantry and Cavalry Command, the flames have been completely extinguished!”
“However, the Third Madam and several servant women suffered burns…” The steward glanced at Madam Song and the others as he addressed Chen Hanying.
Chen Wanqing couldn’t help but turn to look. Eldest Cousin Chen Hanying?
He served as an assistant in the Left Army Governor’s Mansion, responsible for military and logistical coordination. With the war still ongoing, he should be swamped with official duties—how did he find time to return?
Walking alongside Chen Hanying was another person, but he stood in the shadows, his features unclear. Yet Chen Wanqing distinctly felt the sharpness of his gaze fixed upon her, tangible as a physical touch.
Chen Wanqing withdrew her gaze, focusing on the present. Her plans had not accounted for the variable of her eldest cousin. Moreover, he had long since moved out to establish his own household and had always maintained a distant relationship with her. It was uncertain whether he would act as she hoped.
Madam Song’s limp body suddenly stirred. Disregarding everything else, she instinctively cried out to Chen Hanying for help, “Nephew, you’ve finally returned! That Wan girl set the fire—she tried to burn me to death!”
Chen Hanying frowned, glancing toward the shadows, her expression shifting slightly. “Second Sister set the fire to kill you?”
Madam Song nodded repeatedly, pointing at the servant women. “Yes, yes! They saw it with their own eyes—it was Wanqing who set the fire!”
The servant women groaned, responding in uneven voices, “Yes!”
“We saw it with our own eyes…”
Madam Song’s expression turned ferocious as she turned to look at Chen Wanqing. She saw Chen Wanqing standing not far away, her eyes fixed on her, dark and heavy like a starless night sky, devoid of any light.
Meeting Chen Wanqing’s gaze and recalling the overturned medicine, Madam Song shuddered involuntarily!
What was Chen Wanqing planning to do?
Was she trying to kill her?