Chen Wanqing suspected that the night was too dark, and she might have been seeing things.
Xiao Xin swept a glance at Madam Song, his face cold as frost, and raised his voice: “Guards!”
A line of Jinyiwei guards jogged in to receive orders.
Xiao Xin pointed at Madam Song and the group of servant women, “Take them away, bring them back for detailed interrogation!”
Madam Song widened her eyes and cried out, “Sir, you’ve made a mistake! It’s her you should arrest!”
The servant women also erupted into chaos, but fell silent in unison at the sight of the Jinyiwei’s drawn blades.
Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, Chen Hanying hurriedly stepped forward with a forced smile to intervene: “Sir Xiao, the fire incident is a family matter of the Chen household. Why trouble the Jinyiwei?”
“Family matter?” Xiao Xin raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on Chen Wanqing, his eyes focused intently.
He withdrew his gaze and stared at Chen Hanying with displeasure: “This is not just your family’s affair!”
“A fire in the city is no small matter. I am tasked with overseeing the Five City Military Command. They actually failed to enforce fire prevention regulations. Once this is clarified, the Five City Military Command must be held accountable tomorrow!”
“After daybreak, I will send people to thoroughly inspect the fire site!”
“This…” Seeing that Madam Song was about to be taken away, Chen Hanying had no choice but to invoke Chen Sheng: “Please, sir, show leniency for the sake of my uncle. Allow this official to investigate the cause first before making a decision!”
Xiao Xin said sternly, “Show leniency?”
“Is Master Chen asking me to bend the law for personal favor?”
Chen Hanying’s face instantly flushed crimson as he bowed deeply, “Sir Xiao, this matter concerns a woman’s reputation after all. I urge you to consider carefully!”
Xiao Xin fell silent for a moment, then walked over to Chen Wanqing and stopped in front of her.
“Second Miss Chen, what is your opinion?”
The sudden closeness between them brought an overwhelming sense of authority along with a strange, cold fragrance, making Chen Wanqing’s heart skip a beat.
He was tall, and Chen Wanqing’s gaze barely reached the embroidered python pattern on his chest—a four-clawed python so vivid it seemed alive.
Once again, she found herself in a dilemma.
The course of events tonight had truly exceeded her expectations. She kept making choices, yet kept facing worse situations.
Should she listen to her cousin, cover up Madam Song and her grandmother’s murderous deeds, and let the tiger return to the mountains?
Or should she use Xiao Xin’s hand to send Madam Song and her accomplices to prison, implicating her grandmother with the poisoning incident, ensuring that this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair would never again have the chance to tyrannize the Chen family?
She had to be cautious, as she could not disregard her father.
Tears welled up in Chen Wanqing’s eyes. In this life, she wanted her father to live well and reach a hundred years!
The night was vast and dark, with a crescent moon hanging like a hook.
Birds and crickets chirped alternately, and the wind carried a heavy smell of burning.
The woman before him was disheveled, her pale face glowing like jade under the hazy moonlight. Her eyes were downcast, her brow tightly furrowed, her expression full of indecision.
After just a few moments, she looked up, her eyes completely unfamiliar and filled with unmistakable vigilance, with a faint glimmer of tears visible.
Xiao Xin, standing with his hands behind his back, stared fixedly at her, his clenched fists behind him showing bulging veins.
Chen Wanqing curtsied, her manner solemn and earnest: “I will listen to my cousin!”
Xiao Xin let out a derisive laugh, looking Chen Wanqing over from head to toe.
Seeing the mockery in his eyes, Chen Wanqing couldn’t help but lower her gaze, avoiding his probing stare.
Chen Hanying walked over and cupped his hands toward Xiao Xin: “Sir Xiao, it’s late. Please!”
Xiao Xin turned and left. When he reached the courtyard gate, he stopped, turned back, and looked distantly at Chen Wanqing.
The night was too dark to discern the emotions in his eyes. Unclear of his intentions, Chen Wanqing could only offer a slight curtsy.
Chen Hanying’s gaze shifted back and forth between the two, deep in thought.
Xiao Xin left with a curt “This official will visit again tomorrow,” striding out the door.
Supported by several maidservants, Madam Song scrambled away in a panic.
The courtyard was left in disarray, the crickets chirping even more merrily. Chen Wanqing’s rigid shoulders gradually relaxed.
Her two maidservants quickly gathered around her, their faces etched with relief after the ordeal. “Miss…”
Chen Wanqing raised her arms to embrace them both, smiling through tears. “It’s alright now!”
Chen Hanying strode in, and Chen Wanqing stepped forward to meet him. “Cousin…”
Chen Hanying raised his hand and delivered a heavy slap across Chen Wanqing’s face, sending her staggering backward.
The two maidservants screamed, rushing forward to steady Chen Wanqing. Lü’e trembled as she spoke, “How could you strike her, Master?”
Chen Wanqing felt her cheek burning with pain. She pushed the two maidservants behind her and glared coldly at Chen Hanying. “What impressive authority you wield, cousin!”
Chen Hanying’s eyes blazed with fury. “Chen Wanqing, how could you act so recklessly?”
“Setting a fire in our own home, nearly killing Third Aunt?”
“Do you have any idea what kind of disaster you’ve brought upon us?”
He pointed accusingly at the Guanyin statue held by Yudie, his voice sharp. “Do you truly think others are fools, unable to see through your tricks?”
“If Xiao Xin uses tonight’s fire to implicate Uncle, do you intend to send our entire family to the Imperial Prison?”
Chen Wanqing looked at her cousin, who was much older than her and bore some resemblance to her father in his features. A chill ran through her entire being. “Why don’t you ask what Third Aunt came to my courtyard to do tonight?”
Chen Hanying’s anger flared. “How dare you question the actions of your elders?”
Chen Wanqing turned and entered the scorched main hall, rummaging through the ashes.
From a corner, she retrieved a partially burnt food box. Brushing away the thick layer of dust, she took out a medicine jar inside and shook it gently. “Thankfully it didn’t spill!”
She walked out and handed the jar to Chen Hanying, her expression grave. “Since you insist on intervening, cousin, why not have someone examine this? Let’s see what’s truly inside.”
“Once this medicine is tested, you’ll naturally—”
With a loud crash, the medicine jar was violently smashed to the ground, shattering into pieces. A small amount of liquid slowly seeped between the broken shards.
Chen Wanqing stared blankly at the shattered jar, disbelief written across her face. She looked up at Chen Hanying. “What are you doing…”
“You know what’s in this?” she suddenly realized.
Her gaze was too sharp, causing Chen Hanying’s expression to turn uneasy. He averted his eyes, refusing to meet her stare. “It’s just an abortifacient!”
“Second cousin, we must consider the bigger picture!”
“I’m doing this for the good of the Chen family!”
“If Xiao Xin gets hold of evidence, it will surely harm us!”
“What a fine ‘bigger picture’!” Chen Wanqing trembled all over, her fingers shaking as she pointed toward the direction of the third branch and her grandmother’s courtyard. Her eyes instantly reddened. “You knew all along. You knew they wanted my life!”
“You clearly knew!!”
A flicker of reluctance passed through Chen Hanying’s eyes but vanished instantly, replaced by a deep frown. “Aren’t you unharmed?”
“Stop making unreasonable demands!”
“Third Aunt and Grandmother come from peasant backgrounds and are illiterate—they can’t help being ignorant. Don’t dwell on it too much; try to be more tolerant!”
“Tolerant?” A cold dread seeped from the very marrow of Chen Wanqing’s bones as she angrily retorted, “They want my life, and I’m supposed to be tolerant?”
“If you hadn’t strayed from the right path, how could they have ended up like this?” Chen Hanying scolded without distinguishing right from wrong.
These words struck like a slap across Chen Wanqing’s face, causing her to instantly turn deathly pale, feeling utterly ashamed and disgraced. She staggered backward.
Two maidservants quickly supported Chen Wanqing and couldn’t help but defend her: “Our young lady was also framed…”
Chen Hanying coldly rebuked: “If she had conducted herself with integrity, who could have framed her?”
“You should also examine your own faults, Second Sister!”