Chapter 715 Someone Set Fire
Jing Yun said, "Why are you searching me? I didn't steal anything. I just came in to find something to eat because I'm hungry."
Xiao Liu had someone escort him and personally searched him. "Reporting to Your Majesty, he has a bag of silver on him."
Xiao Liu counted, "Exactly fifty taels."
"If you're hungry, you can use this money to buy food," Xiao Liu said.
Jing Yun paused for a moment, then said, "It would be stupid not to take advantage of something free. Why should I spend my own money? I'm not stupid. Who are you people? Why are you so nosy? I haven't done anything to you."
Jiang Fenghua asked Madam Helan, "Does Madam Helan know him?"
Lady Helan hated Jiang Fenghua to death. "I don't know him. What does he have to do with me? I'm here to find my daughter. My daughter is dead. Your Majesty, please return my daughter to me. My daughter died for Your Majesty."
Jiang Fenghua said in a deep voice, "It seems that Madam Helan is not thinking straight either. He brought you to the Li residence to find me, didn't he? Why don't you have any maids or nannies with you? Did Madam Helan give you this money, or did someone else give it to you? You'd better explain clearly, otherwise I will report you to the authorities and confiscate your money."
Jing Yun got angry, "This is blatant robbery! I've already said that this silver is my own, I don't know her, and she's said she doesn't know me either."
He cried out, "Help! Someone's bullying me! They're trying to steal my money! Help! Murder!"
Madam Li said sarcastically, "What does Your Majesty mean by this? Interrogating unrelated people at the Li family's mourning hall. Lady Helan's daughter, Consort Lan, is also dead. She was just grieving for her daughter, and Your Majesty said that Lady Helan and this young man are in cahoots. What are they planning to do together? It's inexplicable."
"Is Madam Li questioning my investigation?"
Lady Li said, "Your Majesty's actions today are beyond my comprehension. Does Your Majesty suspect this person is the murderer? Isn't this blatantly calling a deer a horse?"
Upon hearing this, the people around began to whisper among themselves. "Her Majesty the Empress is indeed acting rather strangely. As soon as Lady Helan arrived, she grabbed an insignificant person without saying a word and searched her body, claiming she was investigating a case. What case is she investigating?"
"Could it be that when the Empress said she wanted to catch the real culprit in front of Madam Li's mourning hall, she just wanted to grab someone to take the blame?"
"It's to exonerate the real murderer, after all, the murderer is the Empress's second brother-in-law."
"Madam Li is right, Her Majesty the Empress's actions are indeed inexplicable."
"This is too childish!"
Meanwhile, Lu Xuefei was caught by her mother as soon as she slipped out of the mourning hall. She had secretly looked at Shu Xue's body and found that it was covered in marks of being beaten, some of which appeared to have been done after death. She even suspected that Shu Xue had been assaulted after death. The shape of her mouth and eyes indicated that she must have been frightened before she died, which was why she couldn't close her mouth properly...
At this moment, she heard these gossipy women from the inner quarters talking about things they clearly didn't understand. She just wanted to say a few words for the Empress.
As if she knew her daughter's temper, Madam Lu covered her mouth and whispered a warning in her ear, "Her Majesty the Empress can handle this herself. What are you, a little girl, trying to prove? If I had known you came to the Li residence with a purpose, I shouldn't have brought you along."
Lu Xuefei pried her mother's hands off. "Mother, there's something fishy about Madam Li's death. No matter how Your Majesty investigates the case, I have to help her. She even helped me just now."
Jiang Fenghua coldly surveyed the women in the room, and just then she saw Madam Lu covering Lu Xuefei's mouth. The two seemed to be fighting over something. The coffin behind her had been opened. Was it that little girl who opened it? She had seen the body.
Today she was here to personally guard the corpse, waiting for her elder brother and Zhang Anyu to receive the emperor's decree, so she wanted to buy them time.
Who exactly summoned Lady Helan? Which side is the Helan family on in this frame-up case?
The Helan family might unite against Helan Yanran because of her death, as they have always believed she died for the Empress.
Who exactly is Jing Yun working for? If they were all summoned by the murderer to cause trouble at the Li family's house, what is their purpose? The only answer is Shu Xue's corpse in the mourning hall.
She seemed to smell something, and then she turned around abruptly. She saw two maids suddenly knock over the candles in the mourning hall, and the white sails around the hall instantly burst into flames. The coffin also caught fire.
The maid turned around and ran towards the back of the mourning hall; she didn't even get a clear look at them.
Jiang Fenghua said coldly, "Someone set the fire."
In an instant, the entire Li family was in chaos. Flames leaped high, and no one dared to approach.
Li Cheng and his men quickly fetched water to put out the fire.
Madam Li was also terrified and cried out repeatedly, "Quickly, put out the fire! Heavens, why is God so cruel to our Li family? The murderer didn't go to burn down the house, but chose to burn down our Li family instead."
"Cheng'er, be careful!" Madam Li then said to the servants, "Why aren't you all rushing to help the young master? What are you all standing around for? Put out the fire!"
Jiang Fenghua stared at everyone present, as well as the expressions of Li Cheng and Madam Li. This fire had nothing to do with them; it was someone's idea on a whim.
Hongxiu quickly pulled her away, saying, "Your Highness, please be careful."
Jiang Fenghua now understood why Madam Helan had appeared at this time. It turned out that someone wanted to use her to attract her attention so that they could set fire to Shu Xue's body and prevent the coffin from being opened for an autopsy.
At this moment, Xiao Liu and his guards stood around Jiang Fenghua. Jiang Fenghua said in a deep voice, "You all help put out the fire."
Xiao Liu said, "This humble servant is ordered by His Majesty to protect Your Highness's safety. It's too chaotic here, Your Highness, please leave quickly!"
Jiang Fenghua was furious. Right under her nose, someone set fire to Shu Xue's body. She said, "I'm fine. I don't need your protection. Go and rescue Shu Xue's body."
Xiao Liu said, "The fire is too big."
Hongxiu also advised, "Your Highness, please don't worry. The Li family is already putting out the fire. If they don't, the entire Li family will be burned down."
Lu Xuefei rushed forward and shouted, "Your Majesty, save the coffin first!"
Jiang Fenghua glanced at her, wondering what her name was.
Hongxiu explained, "Miss Lu Xuefei, what brings you here?"
Jiang Fenghua thought to herself: So she is Lu Xuefei, Lu Tingwei's daughter, and also the copyist of those manuscripts in her palace.
Lu Xuefei said, "I don't have time to explain to Miss Hongxiu right now. If we want to clear Young Master Jin's name, we must rescue Shuxue's body."
Lu Xuefei was also very anxious. She had seen the body, but words were not enough to prove it. If the body was burned, Young Master Jin would not be able to explain himself.
Jiang Fenghua said coldly, "Xiao Liu, tell your men to use whatever means necessary to rescue Shu Xue's body. I will take care of my own safety."
Xiao Liu dared not disobey the Empress's orders and handed her the sword, saying, "Your Majesty, please take care of yourself."
He knew that the Empress was skilled in martial arts, and that if there was any real danger, she could protect herself with her martial arts skills.
Jiang Fenghua took Xiao Liu's sword and held it directly to Jing Yun's neck. "Who sent you? If you don't tell me, I'll kill you."
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