Chapter 142: Burning of the Ancestral Hall (9)

But she seemed unsatisfied. After thinking about it, she walked inside and took out several quilts that Fang Cai Guyu had taken out to dry in the sun. The quilts were all cotton quilts that had just been dried in the sun and were dry and soft.

"Chen Miao!" Xie Jingxing shouted in a low voice: "You are trying to kill yourself!"

Shen Miao spread out the quilt all over the floor. The structure of the ancestral hall was mostly made of wood, which was very easy to catch fire. She picked up a spirit tablet that was half stained by the flames and set a corner of the quilt on fire.

Flames shot up into the sky, and thick smoke gradually billowed out of the ancestral hall. Jingzhe stood outside, gritting his teeth, his eyes red. Until the sand ball in his hand flowed to the place where Shen Miao had arranged it, until the guards in the courtyard outside were alarmed by the flames and all ran to put out the fire, Jingzhe took advantage of no one's attention and suddenly ran out.

She ran all the way to the birthday banquet in the East Courtyard. The guests in the garden were all having a great time. No one seemed to notice her, a little girl in a rather disheveled state. Jingzhe pulled a vicious smile at the corner of her mouth and suddenly shouted loudly: "Oh no, oh no, the ancestral hall is on fire, and the fifth girl is trapped in the fire——"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the garden.

Wasn't Shen Miao recuperating in her own courtyard? Why was she in the ancestral hall again? Why did the fire suddenly break out when everything was fine?

Ren Wanyun was also startled. She stood up suddenly, not knowing how the fire in the ancestral hall started. She was about to order people to put out the fire quickly, but saw Jingzhe's breathless appearance. For some reason, she suddenly had an idea.

If Shen Miao died in the fire, wouldn't she be able to legitimately let Shen Qing marry in her place? As for the Huang family, she only needed to go and apologize. Shen Miao's death could only be attributed to an accident. Who hadn't taken good care of herself and instead "ran" to the ancestral hall, causing the fire?

So Ren Wanyun stood up and said pretentiously, "Everyone, eat and drink first. I think the fire is not too big. It must be a child playing with fire and accidentally spilled the water. I'll go take a look first. You guys," she scolded Xianglan, "Go find the guards to put out the fire!"

The atmosphere of the entire birthday banquet suddenly became strange. Old Madam Shen was unhappy and hated Shen Miao for spoiling her fun even at this time. However, she still had to put on a motherly look and nervously instructed Ren Wanyun: “Go and see what the Fifth Sister is like!”

However, there is a difference between pretending and being genuine. If he truly loved Shen Miao, she would never be so calm in such a situation. Chen Ruoqiu and Shen Yue didn't even leave their seats, which clearly showed Shen Miao's status in the Shen family. The ladies and young ladies present were not fools. They could see the attitude of everyone in the Shen family towards Shen Miao, and they felt a little sympathy for her.

But at this moment, a loud and clear laugh suddenly rang out from outside: "General Shen, Madam Shen, Young Master Shen, return home—open the door to welcome the general—"

"What?" Not only the female relatives, but also the male relatives on the other side were stunned. Shen Gui and Shen Wan looked at each other. Shen Xin returned home. This was a joke. It was still a long time before the end of the year.

The ancestral hall, engulfed in flames, was now surrounded by a circle of Shen Mansion guards. They claimed to be fighting the fire, but they were reluctant to go inside. Everyone cherished their own lives, and with such a fierce fire, who would dare to go in and die?

"Shen family girl, do you want to die?" Xie Jingxing frowned as he saw the beams starting to burn.

"Young Marquis, you'd better leave quickly." Shen Miao remained motionless: "There are more and more people waiting. Even if you want to leave, you can't."

"Stop talking nonsense," Xie Jingxing grabbed her arm and said, "Let's go!"

"Let go." Shen Miao broke free from his hand, her eyes determined and almost stubborn: "Can't you see? I'm gambling my life on a future."