Chapter 41 On Fire
A shrill wail pierced the palace walls: "This old minister is innocent—" As the Duke of Fengguo was dragged across the white marble steps, his jewel-inlaid crown rolled down the steps, and a South China Sea pearl was crushed by a young eunuch who happened to rush over.
The ambergris in the censer suddenly sparked. The emperor picked up the paulownia figurine and threw it at Pei Ji, hitting him squarely in the knees. "Look at that face!"
Pei Ji lowered his eyes. The doll's eyebrows and eyes were outlined with cinnabar, and it was surprisingly similar to the small portrait the prince had painted for him before his death.
He thought of the crabapple tree in the East Palace that the prince had planted himself, which suddenly died in late spring this year.
"Father, calm down!"
"Grandpa Emperor, take care of yourself!"
Amid the constant apologies, another string of Buddhist beads in Prince Jin's sleeve broke.
The sandalwood beads rolled to Pei Ji's hand and were gently pushed back by him - three years ago, this prince had accidentally dropped the rosary in front of the prince's coffin.
The emperor's eyes swept over his two sons.
The front of Prince Rui's python robe was still stained with the tea he had just broken off, and Prince Jin's old wound on the base of his right hand was bleeding from clenching his fist too tightly. He suddenly remembered the autumn hunt twenty years ago, when the five-year-old prince raised his small bow and shot a white fox, and his two younger brothers clapped and cheered behind the tent.
At this moment, the emperor finally broke the silence and ordered in a calm voice: "You all leave, Pei Ji stay."
Everyone seemed to have been granted amnesty and left as if a heavy burden had been lifted from their shoulders. Only Lord Changning, upon hearing these words, immediately turned his head nervously, his eyes filled with panic and anxiety, staring intently at his son Pei Ji.
Pei Ji tilted his head slightly and shook his head slightly towards Lord Changning, his eyes revealing an indescribable calmness and determination.
Everyone left one after another. Even Eunuch Ying Shuo left the imperial study carefully and tiptoed, closed the palace door gently, and then waited respectfully outside the palace.
The copper bells on the eaves trembled in the north wind, and Pei Ji's black boots rolled over the fine tung wood chips on the golden bricks in the imperial study.
Emperor Jingren stood with his back to the light, the golden threads on his nine-dragon robe piercing his eyes so much that he could not open them.
"You really can't find out?" The emperor's fingertips brushed across the cracked doll, and wood chips fell on Pei Ji's shoulders.
The young general stood straight under his dark official robes: "I am stupid."
As the incense burner rose with curls of green smoke, Emperor Jingren suddenly raised his foot and crushed a piece of the puppet's remains. "Even you have learned Tai Chi?" The dragon-patterned black boots stopped three inches in front of Pei Ji. "Back in Mobei, when you blocked the arrow for me, you were not this slick."
The veins on Pei Ji's forehead twitched slightly, but he still lowered his eyes to stare at the cracks in the gold bricks: "I am terrified."
"How panic-stricken!" Emperor Jingren suddenly grabbed the paperweight on the table, and the white jade Qilin shook above Pei Ji's head, and finally smashed it heavily onto the antique shelf.
The enameled porcelain vase shattered with a sound, and the flying porcelain fragments drew a bloody mark on Pei Ji's neck.
Outside the hall, there was a panicked knock on the door by Eunuch Ying Shuo, who was driven away by the emperor's shout of "Get out".
Emperor Jingren gasped and slumped over on the dragon throne: "Is the Duke of Fengguo's Mansion... really clean?"
"The rats in the Imperial Prison love to gnaw on dirty things." Pei Ji's fingertips traced the cracks on the paulownia doll. "Three days is enough."
Dusk streamed in through the crimson gauze window, casting a blood-red glow on Pei Ji's official robe.
Emperor Jingren suddenly chuckled: "I'll tell your stupid father when I get home..." He dipped his finger in tea and wrote the word "慎" (careful) on the table.
Before he finished speaking, Pei Ji had already kowtowed heavily: "I thank you on behalf of my father."
When leaving the palace, the wind and snow were even stronger, and Lord Changning huddled into a gray ball under the palace wall.
Seeing the bloodstain on his son's neck, he trembled and tried to reach for his handkerchief, but Pei Ji held him down: "Is mother okay?"
"Your mother..." Earl Changning choked up, "She has been sitting in front of the dressing table since you entered the palace..."
Before he could finish his words, the commander of the Imperial Guards, Ye Shengwei, came over with his sword drawn.
The black iron armor shone coldly: "I am ordered to escort General Pei back to his residence."
In the west courtyard of the Changning Marquis's mansion, a diamond-shaped mirror reflected a woman's haggard face. The twin lotus flowers on the mirror's edge had long since faded, resembling the veil she wore at her wedding to the Changning Marquis.
"Madam..." The little maid's hands were shaking as she held the hot tea. "Please use some calming soup."
The person in the mirror suddenly pulled the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile that was uglier than crying.
The daughter of a chancellor, once renowned in the capital, now didn't even bother to hide the silver streaks in her hair. She trembled as she opened the bottom of her dressing box. The agate ring poked against the faded handkerchief Pei Ji had found during his one-year-old "Zhuazhou" ceremony.
Suddenly, there was the sound of armor clashing outside the courtyard. The Lady of Changning suddenly stood up, causing the Xiangfei curtain to rustle as she pulled it. Four maids hurried to help her, but she waved them away: "Get out!"
"Madam, please forgive me!" The leading maid knelt down and kowtowed, "Master has ordered..."
"Get out!" Lady Changning grabbed the rouge box and smashed it against the door.
The cinnabar splashed on the snow-blue door curtain, like a pool of old blood.
Jiang Xi stood in the corridor, sword drawn, listening to the shattering of porcelain in the room. He suddenly remembered how the grandson of the Duke of Fengguo had screamed in the same way when his fingernails were pulled out in the imperial prison three days ago.
The north wind blew snowflakes into his collar. He touched the secret letter in his arms - it was the one Pei Ji had given him this morning, stained with the unique ambergris of the imperial study.
As soon as the four maids stepped into the bedroom, the strong scent of sandalwood went straight into their noses.
They saw a black lacquered shrine standing next to the carved wooden cabinet, and the tablet on the yellow silk cloth was clearly written with "Beloved Son Pei Ji". They were so frightened that they grabbed each other's sleeves and backed away.
The wife of the Earl of Changning walked straight forward and expertly selected three thin incense sticks. As the tinder was lit, plumes of smoke rose. She neatly arranged the candied fruits on the altar, then lowered her head and whispered, "It's been ten years, and Mother always said you were still alive..."
Before she finished her words, tears fell on the gold-painted porcelain plate.
The youngest maidservant, Ah Xing, suddenly grabbed the corner of her companion's clothes and said, "But, but the young master came to pay his respects the day before yesterday..." Before she could finish her words, she shrank her neck because of the glare from the old woman next to her.
The lady suddenly stood on tiptoe to take down the tablet, and the yellow silk cloth slid to the ground, revealing mottled cracks on the back.
"Madam, be careful with the brazier!" the housekeeper exclaimed as the peeling wooden tablet lay in the copper basin. The tinderbox drew a crimson arc in the air, and in the blink of an eye, the yellow paper scroll wrapped around the tablet crackled with fire.
The four little maids shivered as they huddled against the door frame, watching as the flames licked the hem of the lady's skirt embroidered with golden chrysanthemums.
"Get out!" the lady suddenly turned and shouted, sending the maids tumbling and scrambling to escape. Flames shot up the draped curtains and up the beams. As Jiang Xi threw open the door amidst the thick smoke, he saw the lady stumbling out of the blaze, her silver hair singed.
"Go get some water!" The lady pushed Jiang Xi towards the Taiping jar, but she stood in the yard looking up at the flames rising into the sky.
The firelight made the tear marks on her face shine, and she murmured, "It's better to burn it clean..." Suddenly she kicked the copper basin towards the bed, sparks flew on the quilt, and the fire suddenly jumped up higher than the person.
When the beams and pillars of the side room collapsed, the lady suddenly turned around and ran to the west.
She didn't care that one of her embroidered shoes had been lost, and her sleeve had been scratched by a dead branch as she passed through the moon-shaped cave. On that rainy night ten years ago, seven-year-old Pei Ji had been hiding in the rockery cave in front with a high fever. When she found him, he was delirious with fever.
The water in the pool was emitting a faint green light. The lady bent down and touched the damp moss on the stone wall.
The servants who were fighting the fire would soon discover the swollen corpse. When His Majesty heard that she had committed suicide out of fear of punishment, he might spare the master and Ji'er...
When the water covered her embroidered shoes, she suddenly remembered Pei Ji coming to pay his respects this morning.
The twenty-year-old youth, wearing a jade crown, knelt down to pay his respects, the Pisces fish pendant around his waist still the one she had worn when she came of age. Why had she so cruelly turned her head away and not responded? If only she could have taken one more look...
"Ji'er..." When the last bubble floated to the surface of the water, chaotic footsteps were heard from the front yard.
The light from the torches reflected on the surface of the pool, making the slowly sinking body look as if it were wrapped in a layer of golden gauze.
The phantom of the little boy curled up in the fake cave finally disappeared in the golden light.
…
At this time, outside the Changning Earl's Mansion.
"Mr. Chu, although this is just my random guess, human life is at stake. I think only you can ask the Imperial Guards to be flexible."
Luo Zhaohan gripped the reins with one hand, a corner of the white veil of her hat lifted by the night wind. She tilted her head to look at the blue cloth carriage. In the light of the lanterns in front of the mansion gate, she could see the graying hair and beard of Mr. Chu in the carriage.
Half a minute ago, when she was riding her horse towards the Chu Mansion, she ran into this carriage.
She recognized the gray-clad servant driving the carriage; he was the most capable attendant to Lord Changning. As the curtains fluttered, she caught a glimpse of Old Chu's face and immediately turned her horse to catch up.
"You are quite alert, girl." Old Chu lifted the carriage curtain and looked at her. "But since Pei Ji asked you to look after the Bo's Mansion, why didn't he even leave a token?"
Luo Zhaohan was about to explain when a young man's voice suddenly rang out from the carriage: "Uncle, since this girl is old acquaintance of Commander Pei, why not take her with you?"
Only then did she notice that there was a strong man in his early thirties sitting next to Mr. Chu.
The man was dressed in a dark suit with a badge hanging around his waist, which clearly showed the logo of the East City Military Affairs Division.
The sound of horse hooves clunked as the vermilion lacquered gate of the Earl's Mansion approached. Luo Zhaohan suddenly smelled a hint of burning.
She pulled the reins abruptly, and the silver bells on her veil jingled: "Mr. Chu, please smell it!"
Before he could finish his words, a loud boom erupted from the mansion. Blazes shot skyward, ripping through the night sky. Heat waves, carrying sparks, hurled themselves straight onto the street.
The royal guards guarding the gate suddenly became agitated, with the sound of swords clashing mixed with screams one after another.
"Hurry!" Old Chu tried to get off the carriage, but was held back by Chu Qirui. "Uncle, wait!" He turned to Luo Zhaohan and shouted, "Miss, please look after my uncle!"
As Luo Zhaohan dismounted, the wind blew her veil off her head, and she simply tore it off and threw it on the ground. The firelight made her face pale—in her previous life, the Changning Marquis's mansion had burned all night, and by the time the fire was out, not even the corpses were recognizable.
"Mr. Chu!" She supported the staggering old man, "The Imperial Guards only obey the emperor's orders. We have to find another way."
Before he could finish his words, Chu Qirui had already strode forward. In the firelight, he raised his badge and said in a resounding voice, "Here is the commander of the East City Military Command, Chu Qirui! Get out of the way!"
"Wait!" The leading imperial guard stopped them with his sword drawn. "The emperor has decreed that no one is allowed to enter the Earl's Mansion without permission."
"Asshole!" Elder Chu suddenly shook off Luo Zhaohan's hand and tremblingly walked to the front. "Open your dog eyes and take a look! Who gave you the hangover soup at the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet last year?"
The captain took a closer look in the light of the fire, and suddenly cried out, "Aiya!" and fell to his knees. "Master Chu, Master Chu!"
"You still recognize me?" Old Chu sneered, shaking his beard. "If you fail to put out the fire today, I will ask His Majesty at the court tomorrow morning: when did the Imperial Guards lose their understanding of the ruthlessness of fire and water?"
The captain was sweating profusely and was hesitating when he heard a woman's shrill cry from inside the mansion.
Luo Zhaohan's heart tightened - it was the maidservant beside the wife of the Marquis of Changning!
"Sir," she suddenly said, her voice clear and sharp, "look at the intensity of this fire. If a court lady were to be killed, and His Majesty were to investigate..." She paused deliberately, "I was only waiting to save her. Please keep the badge. If there is any punishment later, it will be Sir Chu who will bear the consequences."
The captain caught a glimpse of the "Chu" character on the waist badge, gritted his teeth and waved his hand: "Open the door!"
As soon as the door opened a crack, a heat wave hit me in the face.
Luo Zhaohan squinted his eyes and saw that a courtyard somewhere had been burned into a fire pit, and a dozen maids and old women were running around with basins of water.
As soon as the three figures broke into the gate of the Bo Mansion, they were attracted by the flames rising into the sky in the east.
The guards in the mansion had been dispatched to block all the exits. The maids and old women were running around with copper basins and wooden buckets, and the spilled water was winding like a stream on the bluestone slabs.
"Stop!" Chu Qirui grabbed a servant holding a water jar and asked urgently, "Where's the fire?" "West... West courtyard! The west courtyard where the Madam lives!"
The servant's water jar fell to the ground with a bang, splashing the hem of Luo Zhaohan's skirt.
The girl lifted her wet skirt, turned around, and ran. The silver hairpin in her hair traced a meteor-like trajectory in the firelight. Just as Elder Chu was about to speak, Luo Zhaohan's voice cut through the clamor: "Junior, go explore the way first!"
"Be careful, girl!" The old man's hand holding the jade pendant on his waist was shaking.
As Luo Zhaohan stepped on the Taihu stones and jumped over the flower wall, he could hear cries of grief coming one after another.
There was a servant girl slumped under the moon-shaped door, holding a carved dressing case tightly in her arms. She seemed to be seeing the day when the Fuyuan General's mansion was ransacked in her previous life - when the armored soldiers of the Imperial Guards broke open the red door, her concubine was dragged over the threshold holding the dressing case in the same way, and the golden hairpins and pearl flowers were scattered all over the steps.
"Get out of the way!" Pushing aside a maid who was blocking her path, Luo Zhaohan's palm was scratched by the edge of the wooden barrel, leaving a bloody mark. The smell of blood mixed with the smell of burning rushed into her nose, which made her sober up a little bit - this time she had to make it in time!
........
The black lacquered carriage bumped along the official road, and Pei Ji tapped his knees lightly with his fingers.
Earl Changning stole a glance at his son's stern profile. His beard, which had just been stained by tears from crying in front of the emperor, was still sticky with tears, and now it looked like a ball of yarn tangled by a cat.
"Ahem..." The uncle tugged at his wrinkled collar, thinking about how to mediate back home when the curtain of the carriage was suddenly lifted by a scabbard. The voice of the Imperial Guards captain, wrapped in the night wind, came in: "My lords, there seems to be a fire in the direction of the mansion!"
Pei Ji's dark official uniform brushed past his father's nose, and in the blink of an eye he had snatched the guard's horse.
Uncle Changning leaned against the car window and saw his son's back blending into the night. The sound of horse hooves made his temples throb.
"Horse! Horse! Horse!" As Uncle missed his stirrup for the third time, he suddenly remembered his wife's words as she leaned against the doorframe before leaving: "This is fate." Tears fell on the back of his hand, and he bit his tongue fiercely—fuck fate! If anything happens to his wife, even if these old bones burn to ashes, he will poke a hole in the underworld!
........
Luo Zhaohan climbed over the third flower wall, and a scorching air wave hit him in the face.
The beams of the west courtyard were collapsing with a bang, sending sparks raining down on the Taihu rocks. A servant carrying water to put out the fire bumped into her, causing her to stumble. The water from the copper basin splashed onto her embroidered shoes, sending a chill down her spine.
Just as he was about to rush to the fire, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the shadow of the rockery floating by the lake.
Several maids were running around in the bushes, holding lanterns, and their sobbing calls drifted over intermittently: "Madam... Where is Madam..."
The girl suddenly stopped.
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