In a corner of the capital, the candy shop that once supplied Jiang Xiaohuang's wedding candy was reduced to a charred ruin, like an old man in his twilight years, silently recounting the sudden disaster. Jiang Xiaocai and Wang Chengyi crouched before the devastation, the pungent smell of burning permeating the air, like a thick haze, shrouding the deadly silence. Blackened beams and pillars lay scattered like bones ruthlessly broken by fate. Beneath them lay the shattered candies, their former sweetness now extinguished by the raging flames.
Jiang Xiaocai's fingers quickly moved across the abacus beads, the crisp sound standing out against the silence and the smell of burning. He frowned slightly, his gaze fixed on the mess on the floor, and then carefully lifted a piece of blackened fabric with a branch. "Cousin, look at this," he said in a low, solemn voice. "This fabric is covered in grease. How could this happen if it was just a kitchen fire? This is definitely not an accidental fire."
Wang Chengyi quickly took the cloth and brought it close to his eyes for a closer look. His eyes were focused and sharp, as if he wanted to see through all the secrets hidden behind this small piece of cloth. After studying it for a moment, his expression became increasingly serious, and he slowly said, "Not only that, you see, the fire started in the warehouse, not the so-called kitchen." At this point, he seemed to suddenly remember something and was slightly startled. "Half a month ago, I heard a colleague casually mention that a mysterious person was asking around about the supply situation of various sugar shops. I didn't take it seriously at the time, but now it seems that there may be something more to it."
The two men looked at each other, a glint of determination flashing in their eyes. They stood up almost at the same time and said in unison: "Go check on the Wang family!"
Ever since the Wang family's factory director was imprisoned for the serious crime of smuggling government-issued sugar, the Wang family's business in the capital has plummeted. Its former glory is gone, replaced by a scene of decay. Jiang Xiaocai and Wang Chengyi hurried to the Wang family compound. The night was as dark as ink, shrouding the entire compound in a deep darkness. Only a few windows shone with faint lights, like the eerie flickering light of a dark giant.
At this moment, they saw the Wang family's butler stealthily loading boxes onto the carriage. The butler's figure looked particularly flustered in the moonlight, his movements hurried and cautious, as if he was afraid of being discovered.
"Stop!" Wang Chengyi rushed forward like a flash of black lightning, stopping the carriage firmly. He stared at the butler with a sharp gaze and asked loudly, "What's in the box?"
The butler was so frightened by this sudden scolding that his face turned pale as paper. His lips trembled slightly and he stammered, "No...nothing, it's the master's belongings...I...I was planning to put them away properly."
"Would the relics be secretly transported in the middle of the night?" Jiang Xiaocai snorted coldly, his eyes filled with suspicion and disdain. He strode forward and suddenly opened the lid of the box. Inside, he saw several cans of kerosene. In the faint moonlight, the cans gleamed with a cold luster, like evil eyes, spying on everything in the darkness.
"It's you!" Wang Chengyi's eyes widened in anger, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists, the joints turning white from the force. "Why did you burn the candy shop? What are your intentions?"
Seeing his plan exposed, the butler's legs gave way, and he fell to his knees, begging for mercy. Tears streamed down his face, his voice piercing with sobs as he pleaded, "Please spare my lives, young masters! It was Concubine Liu...it was Concubine Liu who ordered me to do this. She promised me a hundred taels of silver if I could ruin Miss Jiang's marriage. I was so foolish that I committed such a wicked act!"
"Madam Liu?" Jiang Xiaocai and Wang Chengyi exchanged shocking glances, their eyes filled with disbelief. At that moment, in the backyard of the Prime Minister's residence, Madam Liu sat in front of a bronze mirror, leisurely applying her newly acquired rouge. Her smug face was reflected in the mirror, the corners of her mouth curling slightly in a sly smile. Ever since being punished to copy sutras in the Buddhist temple, she had feigned obedience, like a dormant venomous snake, secretly seeking an opportunity for revenge.
"Madam, this is bad!" The maid ran in in a panic, her face as pale as paper, her eyes filled with fear and panic. "Jiang Xiaocai and Wang Chengyi took the housekeeper away!"
The rouge box in Liu's hand fell to the ground with a thud, and the bright red rouge splattered on the blue bricks, like a blooming blood-red flower, just like her now shattered dream. Her body trembled slightly, and the smugness in her eyes was instantly replaced by fear.
Elsewhere, Jiang Xiaocai and Wang Chengyi, accompanied by the housekeeper, hurried back to the Prime Minister's residence. Upon learning the truth, everyone erupted in fury. Young Marquis Su's eyes were red with rage, and he seized his sword, ready to charge out and strike, as if to channel his rage into a sharp blade, striking down the mastermind. However, he had barely taken a step when Su Jinli reached out to stop him.
"Don't be anxious, call Liu over." Su Jinli's voice was steady and powerful. Although the tone was not loud, it seemed to carry an invisible majesty that made people irresistible.
When Liu was brought to the main hall, she was already panicking, but she still pretended to be calm. She raised her head slightly and said calmly, "What do you want, sister?"
"What's the matter?" Su Jinli's eyes were icy, like two sharp blades, piercing Liu. She thrust the kerosene can in front of Liu, her voice tinged with anger and disdain. "Do you know what arson is? How dare you do such a brazen thing!"
Liu's face instantly turned as pale as paper, like the lingering snow on a winter's day, but she still refused to give up and said stubbornly, "No evidence! You can convict me based on the one-sided words of a servant? Don't slander me!"
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