Shen Xihe, having inhaled a great deal of smoke, bit the tip of her tongue to keep from fainting when she saw this scene.
At this moment, the Golden Guard and the yamen runners who had been far from the location arrived belatedly. The person fighting with Moyu quickly retreated, and Moyu immediately turned back. Seeing the roof already engulfed in raging flames, she shouted through the crack in the door to Zhenzhu inside, "Step aside!"
She drove the carriage straight forward. The horse shied away from the fire, but she whipped it mercilessly. Zhenzhu helped Sui Axi quickly dodge aside as the horse charged forward, crashing through the burning door. However, Moyu’s expression changed drastically as she shouted to Shen Xihe, "Princess!"
Almost simultaneously, she flung the sword from her person, but a sharp arrow had already struck the person behind Shen Xihe a step ahead of her.
The person holding a dagger, poised to strike Shen Xihe, collapsed with a thud—it was the same person Shen Xihe had earlier knocked unconscious. Everyone turned to look and saw Prince Lie, Xiao Changying, clad in red robes and mounted on a tall steed.
Moyu’s sword lodged in a crevice of a nearby stone. She rushed to Shen Xihe’s side, gathered her in her arms, and swiftly left the scene. Shen Xihe, still conscious, instructed Zhenzhu, "Qi Pei—"
"Don’t worry, Princess!" Zhenzhu endured her pain and reassured Shen Xihe.
She understood Shen Xihe’s concern—that someone among the Golden Guard or the rescuers might have been bribed by the Yang family to secretly kill Qi Pei. If Qi Pei died, even if Shen Xihe argued until she was blue in the face, without evidence, the Yang family could still twist the truth.
"Prince Lie, this is a crucial witness!" Zhenzhu, injured and unable to support Qi Pei, shouted to Xiao Changying.
The Golden Guard and yamen runners rushing toward them halted, awaiting Prince Lie’s orders.
Xiao Changying ordered his trusted aide to personally carry Qi Pei. Although the door had been broken open and the cold wind dispersed some of the smoke, the fire had not diminished much. Xiao Changying asked, "Are there any survivors inside?"
"Unknown," Zhenzhu could only reply thus.
"Extinguish the fire quickly!" Xiao Changying commanded, and everyone sprang into action.
The actual firefighting took only a quarter of an hour to put out the blaze. A search inside revealed only six murdered bodies, with no additional casualties.
Shen Xihe was taken back to the Princess Manor, and the news soon reached the Yang family. Upon hearing that Shen Xihe had personally gone to the orphanage, nearly lost her life there, and had rescued a living Qi Pei, their faces turned ashen.
Yang Zhongxing had been at the Ministry of Justice all day, busy with cases requiring review from various regions. As the year-end approached, incidents of theft, arson, murder, and robbery increased, and the Ministry of Justice was as busy as a spinning top. Yang family servants had come several times but failed to see him. When he heard about the arson at the orphanage, his face turned livid with anger.
To think such audacious criminals existed right under the Emperor’s nose! Before he could send someone to investigate, an imperial decree arrived, summoning him to the palace for an audience with the Emperor.
When Yang Zhongxing entered the palace, the Youning Emperor’s expression was icy, and beside him stood the Crown Prince, whose face was impassive yet exuding a gloomier aura than even His Majesty.
"The orphanage fire—are you aware of it, Yang Zhongxing?" the Youning Emperor asked coldly.
At this moment, Yang Zhongxing assumed he was being reprimanded for dereliction of duty and hurriedly bowed. "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This subject is already aware of the matter. Once the investigation by the Capital Office is complete, the Ministry of Justice will rigorously verify the details and ensure no one evades justice.""What a grand statement—never allowing a single culprit to evade the law." The Youning Emperor snatched the memorial before him and hurled it at Yang Zhongxing’s forehead. "Take a good look at this!"
It was a report submitted by the Andong Protectorate Headquarters, exposing how the Inspector of Hebei Circuit and even the Governor of Shanggu Commandery had shielded the Magistrate of Li County.
Yang Zhongxing’s face turned pale as he read it. "Your Majesty, if this is true, my unworthy son has failed in his official duties. I beg Your Majesty to punish him severely!"
At this moment, Yang Zhongxing still didn’t know whether the allegations were true, but he feared they might be.
"Do you know who was rescued from the Solitary Garden? It was Qi Pei!" the Youning Emperor sneered. "Tell me, who would be so desperate to eliminate Qi Pei at this time—daring to set fires right under the Emperor’s nose and even attempting to silence Zhaoning County Princess?"
Yang Zhongxing’s legs gave way, and he fell to his knees with a thud. His entire body trembled uncontrollably. If he still couldn’t grasp the severity of the situation now, he didn’t deserve his position as Minister of Justice.
"It seems you truly had no knowledge of this," the Youning Emperor remarked with some surprise, having initially assumed Yang Zhongxing was the mastermind behind it all.
"Your Majesty, although Minister Yang was unaware... cough... how did his household members dare to hire assassins? Where did such audacity come from?" Xiao Huayong’s gaze was icy. Had he not been standing in a chilly spot where a cold gust made him cough several times, his rage would have made him forget his usual pretense!
He was so furious he wished he could tear every member of the Yang household limb from limb. If not for the need to build a solid case against them, he would have long cast caution aside and rushed to the Princess Manor. The moment he heard Shen Xihe was injured, Xiao Huayong felt a savage urge to grind every person involved to dust.
No ordinary person would dare act so recklessly—hiring assassins in the capital to silence witnesses, even targeting a county princess enfeoffed by the Emperor.
"From the Inspector down to the county magistrates in Hebei Circuit—cough—every single one was serving the Yang family..." Xiao Huayong subtly shifted his position. When the cold wind blew again, a slight inhalation into his lungs caused discomfort. "I have truly broadened my horizons."
The Youning Emperor’s face darkened with rage. Hebei Circuit was a strategic region, yet it had effectively become a Yang family domain. What he despised most was local officials showing no reverence for their sovereign.
For years, he had been troubled by the northwest nearly becoming a Shen family stronghold. Now, on top of the Northwest King, it turned out those close to him could quietly dominate an entire circuit of eleven prefectures right under his nose.
Yang Zhongxing’s lips moved, but no words emerged. He closed his eyes heavily, trembling as he removed his official cap with both hands, placed it beside him, and bowed deeply to the Youning Emperor.
This matter couldn’t be resolved by punishing the Yang family alone. The Inspector of Hebei Circuit, the Governor of Shanggu Commandery—each was guilty of grave offenses.
With the New Year approaching, this scandal not only ruined the Youning Emperor’s festive mood but also humiliated him. The collusion between high and low officials, the perversion of justice leading to the Qi family tragedy—once the edict was publicly posted, how would the people of Hebei Circuit view their Emperor?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew. After verifying that Yang Zhongxing’s mother had orchestrated this foolish scheme to protect her grandson, the Youning Emperor sentenced her to death by dismemberment by five horses, using this as a warning to all court officials to control their households.
When Shen Xihe awoke, she saw Xiao Huayong sitting at her bedside.
"Your Highness, you—" Shen Xihe’s voice was hoarse and sore from smoke inhalation.
Xiao Huayong knew she disliked him barging into her bedchamber and restraining her maids. Expressionlessly, he picked up a bowl of medicinal soup from nearby and tested its temperature. "Drink your medicine.""Get out." The feeble Shen Xihe lacked any imposing presence.
Xiao Huayong scooped a spoonful of medicinal broth and brought it to Shen Xihe's lips: "Are you forcing me to feed you mouth-to-mouth, Youyou?"
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