Chapter 62 "Have we met somewhere before...?"

Where did the fire start? Was anyone injured?

Feng Mian quickly changed back into her outdoor clothes and ran downstairs, not caring about her appearance or demeanor. Her voice preceded her arrival. She almost missed a step while running down the stairs, startling Gu Chunwen and Lu Mingzhu, who were already waiting downstairs, who quickly reached out their hands.

Feng Mian managed to stand up by holding onto the handrail.

The guard who came to deliver the message was covered in soot and bowed to Feng Mian. "The fire broke out at the Que Nan Trading Company. Fortunately, it was discovered before the fire got too big, and only a few merchants suffered minor injuries."

"Prepare the car, I'm going there myself now." Feng Mian strode out, and everyone followed.

The guard hurried after Feng Mian and then reported, "We caught a suspicious person near the fire source."

The captured youth was dressed in an indigo robe, with handsome features. Although he was covered in soot and his clothes had several holes burned in them, he was being escorted by two guards to stand beside the inn where the fire had just been extinguished. However, his slightly lazy posture exuded an indescribable and inexplicable aura.

Hearing someone approaching, he didn't even lift his eyelids, and said in a drawn-out tone, "I've already said I didn't start the fire, how many more times do you want to ask?"

Feng Mian: "Then who are you, and why are you here?"

Upon hearing Feng Mian's voice, he paused almost imperceptibly before slowly raising his eyelids. When he looked at the person, his eyes held a mixture of indifference and interest. "So you are Princess Qingping, the Crown Princess of the Northern Frontier?"

Feng Mian wasn't surprised that he knew her identity. Everyone in the Northern Frontier knew that the border market was run by the Princess. Seeing a young girl who had come to ask questions at this moment, even a fool could guess her identity.

She ignored his words and said only, "You haven't answered my question yet."

Who are you?

The young man straightened up slightly, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Fu Ciyan. A passerby who saw the fire and came in to help."

"These days, even doing a good deed gets you misunderstood like this?"

Looking closely at his expression on the cover, his gaze was unwavering and clear, not at all like someone lying.

Feng Mian was certain she had never seen him before, but for some reason, looking at his face, she felt he looked somewhat familiar.

Have we met somewhere before?

Perhaps she simply forgot.

Fu Ciyan's smile deepened. "How could a commoner like me have the honor of seeing such a noble lady's face?"

He chuckled and said, "Even if Your Highness wanted to talk to a commoner, you didn't need to use such a cliché excuse."

"How dare you!" Gu Chunwen stepped forward to block his gaze from looking at Feng Mian. Her eyes, which usually held a gentle smile, instantly froze.

Fu Ciyan gave Gu Chunwen a casual once-over, his gaze lingering on Gu Chunwen's hands before he said lazily, "This isn't Prince Baili, is he? May I ask which esteemed person he is?"

"What's it to you?"

Gu Chunwen's voice turned as cold as ice water, only returning to its usual warmth when speaking to Feng Mian. "Princess, although this man claims he didn't start the fire, his actions are indeed suspicious. We should detain him for now and wait until we verify the evidence at the scene and the witnesses from the merchants before making any further decisions."

Feng Mian withdrew his gaze from Fu Ciyan, nodded, and was about to signal the guards to take the man away when another guard led over a merchant from Dayong.

The middle-aged merchant's face was full of indignation. As soon as he saw Feng Mian being surrounded in the middle, he shouted, "Princess! Princess, you must stand up for us!"

He was about to kneel down with a thud, but Feng Mian quickly helped him up, saying, "Get up and talk."

The guards on either side helped him up, and he immediately and forcefully accused them: "It was those beasts from the Canglang tribe! I saw with my own eyes a person dressed exactly like a member of the Canglang tribe sneaking around the trading post, right there!"

The middle-aged merchant led the crowd toward the charred warehouse, pointing to a particularly badly burned area.

The place was almost completely burned down; as far as the eye could see, there was only shocking blackness.

The guard quietly approached Feng Mian and whispered, "Based on our assessment, this is most likely where the fire started."

The middle-aged merchant was still grumbling, "The Canglang tribe dared to burn the grain supplies of Yunzhong County! What wouldn't they do! I think they were the ones who did it this time too!"

The lingering smoke had not yet dissipated, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of burning wood.

Feng Mian felt a little uncomfortable after smelling it and raised her sleeve to cover her mouth and nose.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew in their face, swirling up a small cloud of black ash that rolled towards Fengmian's direction.

Gu Chunwen, who had been paying attention to her, immediately spread her sleeves to shield her from the dust and embers that were coming towards her.

"Princess, let's talk over there." He escorted Feng Mian to the side and took two steps away.

Away from the dusty inn, the air suddenly felt fresh and clear.

Feng Mian observed the middle-aged merchant's expression intently. The Canglang tribe did indeed have a history of arson, burning grain supplies, but no one knew about it before Chu Jingqi recognized Mi Tu at the post station that day. After that, for the sake of the stability of the trade, she ordered everyone present not to reveal the matter.

How do you know they burned the grain supplies?

The middle-aged merchant showed no signs of panic. He was seriously recalling the events and said, "After the market closed today, everyone gathered in the main hall to drink and eat. A traveling merchant and his servant happened to pass by behind me. The two of them argued about whether or not to do business with the Canglang tribe. They mentioned that the Canglang tribe had set fire to the grain and fodder."

He was somewhat displeased, and said with a hint of resentment, "If we hadn't overheard this by accident, we would still be in the dark about this, Princess. How could you agree to trade with such a heartless and two-faced person!"

A bright crack of a whip rang out in mid-air like a thunderclap, startling the middle-aged merchant who shrank back and hid behind the guard beside him.

"Who are you calling a wolf in sheep's clothing and two-faced?" Mi Tu strode in with several attendants, her face tense and frosty. Her gaze swept over the middle-aged merchant who looked like a quail. "I took responsibility for my actions. I burned the grain, and I admit my mistake and will compensate you. But no one can pin this fire on my Canglang tribe!"

Feng Mian thought to himself: Since the Canglang tribe has taken the initiative to persuade the other six tribes to come to the trade market, it has taken the initiative to send a friendly signal to Dayong and has made it clear that it is completely different from the Alna tribe. It will surely be regarded as a thorn in their side. So why go to the trouble of setting fire to destroy the trade market?

This doesn't make sense from either a logical or emotional standpoint.

The sound of hurried footsteps drew near, and a group of merchants from Dayong gathered, carrying torches. Some of them looked disheveled, with wounds wrapped in burlap, clearly injured in the fire.

They were agitated and shouted at once, "Someone clearly saw your people acting suspiciously here. You don't even live here. If you're not here to set fires, are you here to steal things?!"

"All the goods we brought from afar have been destroyed by you!"

"I think you've been up to no good from the very beginning! You didn't come to the trade market to do business; you just wanted to sabotage it!"

"They should all be arrested and never leave alive!"

"Yes! Arrest them!"

The crowd, carrying torches, surged forward angrily, and the guards who were trying to stop them dared not harm anyone and retreated step by step.

Mi Tu raised his long whip high, already prepared for a desperate battle.

“All…” Feng Mian stepped forward, about to order everyone to calm down, when the sound of horses’ hooves interrupted her.

"Calm down, everyone!" Chu Jingqi, who had come galloping in, tumbled off his horse in a disheveled manner and roared angrily.

His hair was tied crookedly, his clothes were haphazardly wrapped around his body, and his boots were on backwards, making him look completely disheveled. He was woken up by Mo Song in his sleep, and upon hearing that Mi Tu was in trouble, he slipped on his shoes, put on his clothes, and ran outside.

Chu Jingqi stumbled to Mi Tu's side, shielding her behind him, and frowned as he shouted at the merchants, "The government hasn't even made a decision on this matter yet, and you're already shouting for war. You don't even know you're being used as targets!"

He also took a moment to turn back and whisper to Mi Tu, "Don't be afraid, I believe this fire has nothing to do with you!"

The merchants opposite him naturally wouldn't listen to his advice, but instead focused their anger on him, saying, "You're so protective of the Canglang tribe, are you perhaps a traitorous spy?"

"You're so quick to convict someone based on just a few words, are you perhaps traitors or spies?"

Chu Jingqi started arguing with the crowd. Mo Song, who had finally caught up from behind, saw his collar and rushed up to block him and start putting his outer clothes back on.

In his haste, the young master wore his robe with the collar fastened on the left, which was reserved for the dead in the Great Yong Dynasty! If this got back to the Princess Consort, he'd be in deep trouble!

Mi Tu watched as the tall Chu Jingqi completely shielded her from view, charging ahead and arguing with others without any semblance of a young marquis. She felt quite conflicted, and couldn't even crack her whip.

Behind the noisy crowd, Feng Mian rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

She could clearly see that someone was stirring things up behind the scenes, and the culprit was almost obvious. However, at this moment, no words or judgments were as reliable as evidence. She needed to quiet these people down...

A loud clang of the gong startled everyone into silence.

Feng Mian turned his head and saw Lu Mingzhu holding a gong mallet. He had asked someone to bring over the gong that was used when the market opened, and he was now covered in sweat.

Gu Chunwen exchanged a glance with him and spoke up at the right moment: "Please calm down, everyone. You said you saw the Canglang tribe acting suspiciously, and the Canglang tribe is suspicious. But the guards also caught this suspicious young master Fu on the spot, and he is also a suspicious person."

Fu Ciyan, still being held by two guards, shrugged.

Gu Chunwen: "There are many incidents tonight, and opinions vary. We need to have some time to investigate."

Feng Mian replied loudly, "I assure you all that I will give you an explanation within twelve hours at the latest! You can register your losses for today, and I will compensate you in turn tomorrow. I will make sure you don't suffer any losses!"

The merchants looked at each other and fell silent. Lu Mingzhu banged the gong twice more, "Those of you who want to register, please follow me."

As the crowd loosened, people began to walk towards Lu Mingzhu.

Chu Jingqi breathed a sigh of relief, touched his throat which was a little sore from shouting, and then felt someone poke him in the back. He turned around and met Mi Tu's gaze.

Mi Tu asked directly, "You said you believe me, but that's only because you like me, right?"

Chu Jingqi's eyes widened. "I believe you because I believe you. Even if I don't like you, I'll still believe you today!"

He realized something was off after saying that, so he added, "Of course, it's impossible for me not to like you."

Mi Tu didn't speak, but snorted and turned to look at Feng Mian who was approaching.

Feng Mian: "Please cooperate with the Holy Maiden and ask everyone in the Canglang tribe to stay together for the time being, so that we can find out who the real arsonist is."

In the past, Mi Tu would have definitely resisted this suggestion, which was no different from house arrest. But now that Chu Jingqi said he believed her, and Feng Mian's tone implied that he believed the arsonist was someone else, she nodded indifferently.

"My patience only lasts for twelve hours."