Qi Guze hurriedly pointed outside, "Go outside and wait, it's not safe here."
Zhou Wan knelt down, tears streaming down her face, pleading, "Young Master, please, my mother is my only family."
Seeing his mother looking disoriented and recklessly trying to rush inside, Jiang Shichen quickly approached and, without saying a word, pulled his mother away, saying, "Mother, it's not safe here."
At the same time, a group of people rushed out like pigs and wolves.
Someone was running frantically while muttering dejectedly, "Oh no, the earth's turned upside down, damn it."
"Help! Help!"
"Brother-in-law, you're wearing your pants backwards."
...
The room was plunged into darkness, followed by billowing thick smoke.
Xu Yuehuai had no idea what kind of natural disaster or man-made calamity this was. She only felt a pungent smell hitting her face. She rolled on the spot and was about to go out, but she vaguely seemed to see a dark figure in the Tianzi building in the distance.
The blazing flames had already enveloped the sky and the earth.
"Watch out!"
Xu Yuehuai ran over.
Saving people is simply a matter of instinct.
But when they rushed to the room, they saw that the gauze curtains were already on fire, and sparks flew onto the carpet, turning it red.
"Oops!"
Xu Yuehuai sensed something was wrong and turned to run away.
Inside, thick smoke filled the room, and those who were slow to escape started coughing.
The last one to emerge was a gaunt old man. He stroked his goatee, which had been mostly singed off by the fire, and began to wheeze, "Cough, cough, cough, what to do, what to do?"
The group exchanged bewildered glances, then simultaneously let out a knowing, sly laugh.
It turns out that many people came out in a hurry, so they were naturally not properly clothed.
Several women let out bloodcurdling screams and hid behind the bamboo baskets nearby.
The men whispered among themselves, discussing amongst themselves.
The flames inside burned extremely fiercely, capable of destroying the heavens and the earth.
Zhou Wan noticed that Xu Yuehuai hadn't come out after the fire started, and Qi Guze had also disappeared, so she was naturally anxious.
She grabbed a handful of sticks and was about to go inside when someone stopped her.
“Mother, Mother… are you alright? Heavens,” Zhou Wan cried, her heart breaking. “Please, someone help me save her! My mother is still inside.”
A moment later, a dark shadow flickered in the firelight, and then the person appeared before everyone.
Dressed in pristine white, despite his near-death experience, he remained impeccably composed, maintaining the dignified bearing of a wealthy young master. Zhou Wan, seeing Gu Zeren emerge, stumbled closer, asking, "Young Master, have you seen my mother?"
"she……"
In fact, Qi Guze had just been looking for Xu Yuehuai.
But inside, it was a living hell, with no trace of any living organisms.
Zhou Wan's vision went black, and she nearly fainted.
Jiang Shichen, on the other hand, frowned as he looked at the sea of fire and curled his lip in disgust.
The little guy believed that the death of this "bad old lady" was a matter of cause and effect, and that retribution was inevitable.
Just as everyone was confused and discussing among themselves, another dark figure rushed out from inside.
That's it?
What can you do to me?
Xu Yuehuai released her grip on her nose and looked around. "They're all out?"
Everyone nodded subconsciously.
"Mother, are you alright?"
Seeing Xu Yuehuai emerge unharmed, Zhou Wan shed even more tears than before.
Xu Yuehuai smiled and said, "Quickly wipe your tears, cats pee a lot."
Zhou Wan then choked back tears as she wiped her eyes clean.
Just at this critical moment, the man with the goatee arrived with a group of constables.
He vividly described how it all started: "Someone shouted something like 'The earth dragon has turned over,' and in an instant, everyone was in chaos, chasing each other, it was a complete mess. Now my inn..."
The innkeeper pointed to the inn behind him.
The inn was already engulfed in flames.
A moment later, a stout man in an official robe came out. He had a pair of eyes with prominent whites, and his clear black and white eyes swept over the crowd, making some people shudder.
The visitor was Qin Wuyu, the upright and just magistrate of this county.
This person has a terrible reputation and is nicknamed "Qin the Skinflint".
He committed numerous evil deeds, causing great trouble for the people. His existence perfectly illustrates what it means for "officials and bandits to be in cahoots."
Upon seeing Qin the Skinflint arrive, the shopkeeper burst into tears, lamenting, "I don't know who deliberately started this mess. My small business has been completely ruined!"
Xu Yuehuai grabbed Zhou Wan's hand.
"Alright, let's go."
The group prepared to leave.
But at this critical moment, someone in the crowd weakly called out, "It's her, Xu Yuehuai! It's her, Master, it's her!"
Xu Yuehuai hurriedly turned around, wondering what all this was and what it all meant.
Qin Wuyu looked closely and saw that the person opposite him was a beautiful young woman of about sixteen. She was dressed very simply, but she could not hide her charm. At this moment, the two of them looked at each other.
The next moment, Qin Wuyu pointed at Xu Yuehuai.
"Take it down!"
Xu Yuehuai was surprised, "What does this have to do with me?"
She risked her life to save people, but now this unexpected situation has arisen.
Qi Guze tried to get closer, but the onlookers formed an impenetrable human wall, making it impossible for him to get any closer.
Amidst the commotion, Xu Yuehuai was forcibly thrown onto a prison van and taken away.
she……
I'm so frustrated I could cry.
Behind her, Zhou Wan cried out, "Master, Your Honor, the mirror hangs high, the law is just and upright! My mother is a good person, you can't wrong her!"
While Zhou Wan was arguing her case, several constables rushed forward, tearing at her and trying to take her to the yamen.
It was only thanks to Jiang Shichen's crying and fussing that Zhou Wan ended up in jail.
The area behind it was in complete chaos.
On the prison cart, Xu Yuehuai turned around abruptly, only to see several clerks laughing and kicking Zhou Wan.
"You've gone too far! This is outrageous!"
"This is outrageous! Hahaha, we are the law! Lord Qin can do whatever he wants to you!"
“But I was wronged. I am innocent. I had no idea there was a fire inside. I thought it was an earthquake.”
Xu Yuehuai wanted to cry but had no tears.
"Even if you have a lot to say, you can't explain it now. Alright, alright, this has happened. The master needs to find a scapegoat to convince the people, right? You've really walked into a trap."
Is there really such an unreasonable thing in the world?
Xu Yuehuai was stunned. In that brief moment, she seemed to see a child in the corner of the wall not far away.
The little guy winked at her with a playful expression, and Xu Yuehuai immediately understood.
She hurriedly pointed to the dark figure, "Look, it's him! He's framing me! I didn't set the fire, I really went to save people."
"Yes, yes, the young lady is going to rescue someone."
But the carriage didn't slow down at all...
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