Chapter 253 Investigating the Li Residence, A Meticulously Planned Murder

That's outrageous!

She instinctively pushed Li Anning away, which gave her a chance to dodge the splashed wine.

Just then, Li Chengxuan, that simpleton, also jumped out.

"Ah Chu, be careful."

He lunged forward, trying to grab Shen Chu.

Unexpectedly, he lost control of his strength and bumped into Shen Chu's back instead.

Shen Chu was knocked forward by his collision.

The entire pot of wine was spilled on her chest.

What an idiot!

Shen Chu was so startled that she jumped up abruptly.

Wearing only light summer clothes, the front of his shirt was soaked with wine and clung tightly to his body.

Even though she was wearing a corset underneath, it was still easy for people to notice something was wrong.

Shen Chu felt somewhat anxious.

I wonder if leaving at this time will be noticed and that would be inappropriate.

An outer robe suddenly fell from the sky and wrapped around her.

"A-Chu, put on my outer robe first. Come on, your older brother will accompany you to change your clothes."

While helping her pull at her clothes, Luo Heng perfectly blocked everyone's view and winked at Chen Chu, signaling her to put on her outer robe.

Shen Chu was grateful and quickly put on Luo Heng's outer robe.

Luo Heng was taller and stronger than her. His outer robe was too big and loose, which just covered his wet collar.

Shen Chu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and glanced up at Li Xiuchun.

"So this is the Li family's way of treating guests. I've learned a lot."

Li Xiuchun looked embarrassed and said, "I didn't mean to splash you. You came up to me on your own."

"It's just a little bit of wine spilled on me, why are you, a grown man, being so petty?"

"shut up!"

Li Xun had just changed into his coming-of-age ceremony clothes when he heard these words and immediately stopped Li Xiuchun.

"Young Master Shen, I am truly sorry, Xiuchun, why don't you apologize to Young Master Shen right away?"

Li Xun is the protagonist of today's coming-of-age ceremony and a good friend of Li Chengxuan and Zhou Jun.

He apologized, and Shen Chu decided not to pursue the matter further.

When Li Xiuchun heard that she was to apologize, her expression immediately changed.

"I don't... Ah!"

Before she could finish speaking, a jar of wine fell from the sky, drenching Li Xiuchun completely.

Li Anning clapped his hands, put his hands on his hips, and snorted coldly.

"Young Master Shen may not hold it against you, but I will. Li Xiuchun, is there nothing else you can do besides spilling wine?"

"Li Anning, how dare you splash me..."

Li Xiuchun was furious and bared her teeth, ready to pounce on Li Anning.

Li Xun grabbed her, his face ashen.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Hurry up and change your clothes!"

Li Xiuchun then realized what was happening, screamed, hugged her arms, and ran away crying.

Li Xun looked apologetic. "I'll arrange for someone to take Lord Shen to the guest courtyard to change his clothes, and then have Xiuchun apologize to him in person."

Shen Chu nodded. "Okay."

A servant came and led Chen Chu to the guest courtyard.

Li Anning chased after him, her face full of apology.

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been splashed with wine. I'm really sorry."

Shen Chu shook his head.

“Miss Li has already helped me get revenge, hasn’t she?”

Li Anning still felt guilty.

Shen Chu laughed self-deprecatingly, "Miss Li's earlier summary that 'when something goes wrong, someone will definitely throw a drink' was indeed insightful. I just didn't expect that I would be the unlucky one today."

Li Anning stomped her foot angrily, "She originally wanted to splash me, but if you hadn't pulled me away, I would have been the unlucky one."

Now, instead, it's causing you, Lord Shen, to suffer.

Shen Chu comforted her, "The clothes you wear in summer are too thin. It's not good for a girl like you to get your clothes wet."

I'll go change my clothes first, and we'll talk when I get back.

Shen Chu left.

Li Anning stood there, watching her departing figure, her eyes shining.

The servants took Shen Chu to the guest courtyard and left.

When Shen Chu arrived for the banquet, there were spare clothes in the carriage.

She asked a servant to fetch her clothes, and she quickly changed and came out.

But instead of returning to Li Xun's courtyard, she turned onto a secluded path.

I came to attend the coming-of-age banquet today with the intention of taking the opportunity to explore the terrain of the General's Mansion.

The fact that her clothes were splashed with water gave her this opportunity.

at the same time.

After changing her clothes, Li Xiuchun smashed a tea set in a fit of anger.

"You bastard Li Anning, how dare you throw wine at me in public! I will never rest until I get my revenge."

She paced around the room for a moment, then suddenly had an idea.

She beckoned her maid to come in.

“I remember there’s an abandoned yard in the backyard. Try to lure Li Anning there and lock her in the abandoned house.”

"Ha, let her spill my wine. Today she'll taste what it's like to be helpless and have no one to turn to."

On the other side, Shen Chu avoided the patrolling guards and quietly made her way around the general's mansion.

Having roughly figured out the layout of the general's mansion, she was about to return to Li Xun's courtyard when she spotted a figure flashing by behind the artificial hill.

If I'm not mistaken, is that General Li Ming?

With Li Xun's coming-of-age ceremony approaching, where is he going?

A thought flickered in her mind, and she quietly followed.

But then they saw Li Ming walk with his head down towards the backyard, and go straight into a very secluded courtyard.

With a light tap of his toes, Chen Chu leaped gently onto the large tree outside the courtyard.

Through the dense foliage, she saw Li Ming standing under the eaves, glancing warily to the left and right before quickly opening the door and going inside.

Faint voices could be heard coming from inside.

The distance was too far to hear clearly; I only vaguely heard words like "evidence."

When no one was around, Chen Chu quietly and stealthily approached the corridor.

The sounds inside the room disappeared.

There was a slight movement at the back window, after which the room fell silent.

Shen Chu quietly pushed the door open and went in.

The room was empty, but the air was filled with a pungent smell.

It seemed to emanate from the furniture such as tables, chairs, and beds.

Shen Chu walked to the table and looked at it. He saw that it was shiny and covered with black liquid.

He dipped his finger in the water and examined it closely, his expression subtly changing.

It was kerosene!

Not only the tables, chairs, and beds, but even the walls were covered in kerosene.

Shen Chu immediately realized something was wrong.

Just then, the sound of something cutting through the air came from behind.

Two torches were thrown in.

boom!

The burning torches ignited upon contact with the room full of burning oil.

The entire house was instantly engulfed in flames.

Shen Chu's expression changed drastically, and she turned to run away.

They discovered that the doors and windows had been locked from the outside.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of burning kerosene, and flames leaped more than ten feet high, instantly accompanied by the crisp cracking sound of roof tiles.

With a crackling sound, tiles and rafters began to fall off one after another.

This was a meticulously planned murder.

The goal was to burn her alive in the fire.

Shen Chu clenched her fists and quickly searched the room for anything that could save her life.

She picked up a chair and smashed it against the window.

Suddenly, the cabinet behind me opened, and a figure rolled out of it.

Shen Chu turned her head and met Li Anning's panicked face.

"Miss Li?"

"Young Master Shen, what are you doing here?"

Shen Chu scooped her up, saying, "Escape is the priority, let's get out of here first."

The smell of smoke inside grew stronger and stronger until the window was finally smashed open.

Shen Chu pulled Li Anning along, "Let's go."

Bang.

Just then, the roof beam suddenly crashed down.

Pei Yuan, who was reviewing files with the Flying Eagle Guard, suddenly felt a pang in his heart and slammed his hand on the table.