Contrary to what the barbarian had said, the old lady was not quickly overcome by the thick smoke; in fact, she was even more lucid.
The barbarian slave was not as calm as she had appeared before, after the fire actually started burning.
The old lady first heard the sound of her falling to the ground, then a painful groan, and finally the servant couldn't bear it any longer and thrashed around the room like a human torch.
"Go and break down the door."
The old lady guessed that the barbarian must have regretted it, and that she was in too much pain to bear it. Taking advantage of the barbarian's desire to survive, the old lady tried to get her to open the door.
She had rolled off the bed into a corner where there were no bed curtains or anything like that, so the fire was a little smaller there, but she still inevitably got burned.
The old lady was in so much pain that she grimaced.
But if the door is opened, she might have a chance to escape.
But the barbarian had been given muscle relaxant, had her tongue cut out, and was on fire all over. She heard the old lady's words, but was powerless to do anything about it.
He could only lie on the ground, groaning in agony, clearly feeling the pain of his flesh being burned by the flames...
Let's get back to the other side.
The servants were terrified when they saw Ye Zhen heading towards the main gate, as if he were about to open it.
Fearing being taken away by the imperial court, many people also stuffed cotton balls soaked in smallpox pus into their nostrils.
Regardless of whether the young mistress's method is feasible, at least they are now the same as everyone else.
Thus, by the time Ye Zhen arrived at the gate of the mansion, almost everyone in the mansion who was not infected had already been vaccinated against smallpox.
Apart from Xie Lanzhou and a few others in his courtyard, Xie Lanzhou's wet nurse insisted on leaving, believing that Ye Zhen had malicious intentions towards Xie Lanzhou. Upon learning this, Ye Zhen said nothing and let them go.
When Ye Zhen arrived at the gate of the mansion, he bowed through the gate.
"Your Highness, there are matters at the residence that require our attention, and it is inconvenient to open the door at the moment. May I ask what business Your Highness has with your grandmother?"
The Grand Princess waited at the gate of the mansion with a heart full of grief, and the longer she waited, the stronger her resentment towards the Marquis's mansion became.
Therefore, she said coldly, "I don't need to tell you what I want. Open the door, I want to ask her myself."
Logically, Ye Zhen was Xie Yunzhou's wife, so she could be considered his great-granddaughter-in-law. However, when a woman marries, she should take her husband as her heaven, but Ye Zhen went to live with the Marquis of Zhongyong, who also protected her.
With Xie Yunzhou also dead, the Grand Princess then placed Ye Zhen under the jurisdiction of the Marquis of Zhongyong's household.
Now that Fu Jiang's children have all been killed, she has even less affection for Ye Zhen, feeling that she has disobeyed and betrayed her husband.
Moreover, a young mistress of a marquis's mansion without an official title doesn't even have the right to speak to her on a daily basis.
Ye Zhen sensed the disdain in the Grand Princess's tone, but remained calm and said, "Your Highness, my grandmother is unwell and unable to receive guests. I hope Your Highness will understand."
There was still no sign of the door opening.
The Grand Princess looked down on her, feeling that it was beneath her dignity to get entangled with her, and said bluntly, "Fu Jiang's entire family was wiped out, and I never saw the children before I completely lost them."
"Of all the people in the capital, only the old lady of the Marquis's mansion is acquainted with the Fu Jiang family. I would like to ask her about the children."
Ye Zhen was shocked. The Fu Jiang family had been wiped out?
She had a bad feeling, but she was certain that the Marquis of Zhongyong would not harm Jiang's children.
Otherwise, Xie Jinyao and Xie Lanzhou would have been dead long ago.
Xie Tingzhou would not do that either. He was not the true heir of a marquis's family, his hatred for Jiang was not that strong, and he was not a person who killed indiscriminately.
But the Grand Princess's visit today clearly indicates that she believes the entire Fu Jiang family was the work of the Marquis's father and son.
Ye Zhen hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Highness, please accept my condolences, but it is indeed inconvenient for your residence to open its doors. I will come to apologize again when it is more convenient at another time..."
"presumptuous!"
The eunuch beside the Grand Princess shouted, "His Highness brought this terrible news and came personally to inquire about the past of his children and grandchildren, but you, you shrew, have tried to stop him in every way. Could it be that the Marquis's mansion has something shameful to hide?"
Ye Wantang's voice rang out, "Your Highness, please don't be angry. I heard that the Marquis's residence has been infected with smallpox. Cousin Zhen must be afraid to open the door because of this. She is also thinking of Your Highness's safety."
The eunuch's voice grew increasingly shrill, "Since it's a smallpox infection, such an important matter should be reported to the court immediately."
The young mistress, however, is being secretive and deliberately escalating the situation. But the crucial point is the fall of the entire capital. What are her intentions?
Sure enough, they've come looking for trouble.
Ye Zhen was neither humble nor arrogant.
"Your Highness misunderstands. I have never seen smallpox before and cannot confirm that your household has smallpox."
Therefore, the plan was to isolate the Marquis's residence first, and then proceed after the diagnosis was confirmed, in order to avoid causing panic.
As she answered the voice outside the door, she was mentally calculating the progress on the old lady's side.
Unable to bear seeing the Grand Princess and the Marquis's Mansion escalate to the point of no return, Ye Zhen kindly offered a reminder.
"Your Highness, some things are still unclear. Please do not grieve too much and take care of your health."
Without confirming that Fu Jiang was indeed her grandson, the Grand Princess was already taking her anger out on Fu Jiang's wife and children and causing trouble for the Marquis's mansion. Ye Zhen felt that the Grand Princess was being stubborn.
Hopefully she can come to her senses; otherwise, if it is eventually discovered that the Marquis of Zhongyong is her grandson, how will the two of them reconcile?
However, the Grand Princess's obsession turned into fanaticism. If she had a sliver of doubt before, now that Fu Jiang's wife and children had died, she seemed to have experienced the pain of family separation again, and completely took on the role of an elder.
That's how some things are; once you lose them, they seem incredibly important.
Hearing Ye Zhen's words, she felt that Ye Zhen was challenging her authority, and since Ye Zhen refused to open the door, she decided to kill him.
He had already decided to use the smallpox incident to severely punish Ye Zhen and the Marquis's mansion.
Then he heard a guard beside him say, "Your Highness, there is thick smoke. The Marquis's residence is on fire."
At the same time, a servant reported from inside the door, "It's terrible, young mistress! That barbarian has escaped and is trying to burn the old lady alive."
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