Chapter 105 The Wedding Dress is Ruined
"Chuntao, what are you doing squatting here?"
Yu Nian quickly lifted her skirt and went over to help Chun Tao up from the ground. The beams of this house were all made of wood with mortise and tenon joints, and after such a big fire, it was easy for it to collapse.
"Miss... Waaah..."
When Chun Tao saw Yu Nian return, she cried even harder.
"Honestly, anyone who didn't know better would think this fire burned your young lady to ashes. I'm standing here perfectly fine, what's there for you to cry about?"
As Yu Nian spoke, she took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away Chun Tao's tears.
"Miss, but... but..."
Chuntao cried so hard she could barely breathe.
Yu Nian wasn't in a hurry. He led the person to a rest room in the East Garden and poured Chun Tao a glass of water.
"Here, drink this and calm down."
Yu Nian had never seen Chun Tao cry like this before, and she had no idea why.
Once Chun Tao had calmed down a bit, Yu Nian finally spoke up to ask.
"Can you talk now?"
Upon hearing Yu Nian's question, Chun Tao became emotional again, and her voice choked up.
"Miss, your... wedding dress and the two loads of betrothal gifts that Lord Chunyu sent you separately have all been burned..."
Chuntao felt extremely guilty. She hadn't been on duty that night and had been sleeping soundly. By the time she discovered the fire, it was too late; the fire had blocked the door, and she couldn't get in at all.
"Oh, it's nothing. I thought it was something serious. It's gone now."
In Yu Nian's eyes, it was just a piece of clothing. As for the two loads of betrothal gifts, it would be better to burn them clean. She never wanted to see those outdated and conservative books again.
Yu Nian's nonchalant attitude made Chun Tao even more anxious.
"Miss, that's the dress you'll wear on your wedding day. A person can only wear it once in their life."
It involves selecting another ready-made garment, altering it to fit Yu Nian's size, and then adding embroidery patterns to the wedding dress. This entire process will take at least ten days.
With only a few days left until the wedding on the seventh day of the lunar new year, there's no time to prepare.
"If you don't have that one, then find something else. Your young lady isn't going to be without clothes to wear. Don't cry your eyes over such a small thing."
Yu Nian comforted Chun Tao and handed her the silver jewelry box he was carrying.
"Other things are gone, but please keep this safe for me. Let's go see Mingzhu; she must be terrified by such a big fire."
Chun Tao held the box, pouted, and her eyes were as red as a rabbit's.
I don't know what her young lady was thinking. All those expensive pieces of jewelry on her dressing table didn't catch her eye, but she always carried this silver box with her.
It's so late, and instead of taking a rest, they're already thinking about visiting other people.
Lu Mingzhu had just taken the medicine Yu Jing had given her and wanted to go see Yu Nian when this person arrived.
"Sister Niannian, how are you? Are you hurt?"
Lu Mingzhu looked at Yu Nian with eyes full of worry.
"I'm perfectly fine. Why are you all alone here? Where are your two maids?"
Seeing that Lu Mingzhu was alright, Yu Nian casually sat down in a chair, looking calm and composed as if the fire had never happened.
"There's a lot of work outside, so they went to help out."
These two women were supposedly Lu Mingzhu's maids, but they rarely obeyed her orders.
Yu Nian lowered her eyes. These two must have gone to deliver a message.
"Does Sister Niannian suspect them?"
Lu Mingzhu lowered her voice; she also had some doubts but no evidence.
Yu Nian shook her head slightly. She wasn't just suspicious; she was pretty sure that the two of them had set the fire. Before she came, she had already questioned the people in the kitchen. When she ordered the calming soup, Chunhua had been to the kitchen.
These two maids left no substantial evidence; it seems they had planned this for a long time, leaving no trace.
"Mingzhu, come here."
Yu Nian beckoned to Lu Mingzhu with her finger, signaling her to come closer.
"I'll give you fifty taels of silver. Later, in front of Qiuyue, give Chunhua ten taels. As for the rest, give her the rest every few days, and remember to make sure Qiuyue sees it each time."
Lu Mingzhu looked puzzled: "Sister Niannian, you don't know, those two maids are usually very lazy and don't deserve any reward money."
"It's okay, just do as I say. You'll find out why later."
The two maids had just succeeded, so they were naturally very cautious in all aspects. Yu Nian decided to let Lu Baishi enjoy herself for a couple of days, and then make her pay off the debt once she had lowered her guard.
Since Yu Nian was so determined to do this, she must have her reasons. Although Lu Mingzhu didn't understand, she still nodded in agreement. Yu Nian was protecting her in every way, so she had to do what Yu Nian asked her to do.
...
Officials of the third rank and above in the Great Zhao Dynasty lived on both sides of the Chaoyang Official Road in the capital. People standing in the courtyard of the Minister's Mansion could see the flames soaring into the sky and the thick smoke billowing above the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Madam Lu sat in the courtyard with her daughter, admiring the spectacular scene. There were even fruits and melons in front of them, just like watching a play.
"Sisi, did you see that? This is called enduring hardship and biding your time. Have you learned anything from that?"
Madam Lu looked triumphantly in the direction of the Prime Minister's residence. She would use the fire at the Prime Minister's residence to comfort the spirit of her son in heaven.
"Mother is indeed experienced; I have learned from her."
Lu Mingsi pondered, with such a huge fire at the Prime Minister's residence, he wondered which unlucky soul had perished in the flames.
"Madam, Miss."
Wearing a black cloak, Qiuyue slipped into the courtyard through the back door. Just as Yu Nian had expected, the maid had indeed taken advantage of the chaos to return and deliver the message.
"So, who did you send to keep my son company?"
Lu Baishi spoke with a look of triumphant eagerness in her eyes.
"Madam, we found an opportunity today to set fire to the courtyard in the South Garden of the Prime Minister's residence..."
Upon hearing Qiu Yue mention Nan Yuan, Lu Bai's eyes lit up. Nan Yuan was the residence of Yu Nianhe, that little bitch; this fire truly killed two birds with one stone.
"How many died?"
Lu Mingsi knew this too, and hurriedly asked with some eagerness.
"Miss, all three rooms in the South Garden caught fire. It was supposed to be foolproof, and we were sure we could get Miss Yu there... but we don't know why the Regent suddenly appeared and rushed into the fire to pull her out."
Seeing that Lu Baishi's face was getting worse and worse, Qiu Yue quickly knelt down and begged for mercy.
"Madam, please spare me! This was truly an accident."
"Damn, I'm so lucky to be alive!"
Lu Bai was furious. She overturned the fruit plate on the table and smashed it to pieces on the ground.
Why are these bastards in the Yu family so incredibly resilient?! Her precious son is about to be beaten to death.
"Mother, please keep your voice down so that no one else can hear."
Lu Wensi quickly helped Lu Bai up, knowing that this matter could not be made public.
"Hmph, what am I afraid of now! You go back and be careful with Chunhua, don't give anything away. The Yu family can't be so lucky forever. I want to see how many lives they have. They'll definitely be more relaxed on Yu Nian's wedding day, then we'll make our move."
"Mother, should we intervene again? I'm afraid the Yu family will become suspicious this time."
Lu Mingsi was somewhat worried that if this matter were exposed, it would be a crime that could cost him his head.
"You don't need to worry about that. I have a way to dispel their doubts. Tomorrow, take some gifts and come with me to the Prime Minister's residence to offer our condolences."
With a flick of her sleeve, Lu Bai's eyes turned sinister; no matter what, she would make the Yu family pay for their blood debt.
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