Dawn's light enveloped the earth. The great fire had dissipated, but the clamor grew louder than it had been at night.
The wounded wailed in agony, survivors who had lost loved ones wept bitterly, and people arriving from all directions stood in stunned silence.
Government officials had also arrived. Taking in the scene, they were equally shocked. No investigation was needed—one glance was enough to see that this village was utterly destroyed.
Local officials had come in person, not out of particular concern for the villagers, but because Que Mountain was part of the Wei family's estate.
When the news first arrived, it was reported that Que Mountain was on fire.
The official was terrified. That was the estate of the Wei family's eldest young master. The young master loved the mountains so much he preferred living there over the Wei family's luxurious mansions. What if something had happened to him?
The official rushed over overnight in a panic.
Fortunately, fortunately—it turned out the Wei young master was unharmed.
"This is our fault," the Wei family's steward said with a heavy expression. "We couldn't put out the fire in time, and we failed to save more people."
The official looked at the Wei family's servants. Their clothes were disheveled, and many were injured—clear signs of their efforts to fight the fire.
People all around chimed in, "It's all thanks to the Wei family for acting quickly to put out the fire," and "Otherwise, who knows how much worse the fire could have spread."
The official also believed the Wei family had done their utmost to fight the blaze. After all, the village was right next to Que Mountain. If the fire had reached the mountain, the Wei young master would have been furious.
"How did such a fire start out of nowhere?" the official wondered, glancing at the sky. "It's not even the dry season when things easily catch fire."
He looked at the charred remains of the village, the unrecognizable bodies among the ruins, and the survivors with their horrifying injuries, feeling a deep sense of anguish.
"I've long said this place was unfit for living and urged the villagers to move away, but they wouldn't listen. If only they had, this tragedy wouldn't have happened."
As he spoke, the official's heart began to race again—the world was full of sinister schemes.
The Wei young master had always wanted to drive away the villagers at the foot of the mountain. Could it be that he had ordered the fire to be set?
What should he do? Should he ask or not?
If he asked, opposing the Wei family would lead to a bad end.
If he didn't ask, as the local official responsible for the people, ignoring such a horrific massacre of an entire village would also lead to a bad end.
Just as the official hesitated, too afraid to speak, a hoarse voice came from the crowd.
"Has the official arrived? Can we file a complaint now?"
Hearing this abrupt voice, everyone turned to look. Behind the many Wei family servants stood a carriage.
At that moment, the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a young gentleman.
The gentleman wore only trousers, his upper body bare. With broad shoulders, a narrow waist, well-defined muscles, and fair, handsome features, the noisy crowd fell silent instantly.
The young gentleman raised his phoenix eyes, filled with a fierce glare, and glanced at the official.
"Are you the local official?" he asked, not waiting for a reply before continuing, "My goods were burned—worth a fortune." He then pointed at himself. "And I'm seriously injured. You, as the official, must give me an explanation."
All eyes turned to the young gentleman's arm, covered in blisters and swollen red. The injury looked truly alarming.
...
...
Three physicians and four maids surrounded the young gentleman, treating his blisters in a flurry of activity. The official couldn't even push his way through.
"What do you mean by that, young master?" he could only shout. "Do you know how the fire started?"
The young gentleman looked up and sneered. "I don't care how the fire started. I was just passing through, and now I've lost my goods and been injured. This is attempted murder. These villagers—"He pointed toward the wailing injured.
"Compensate me!"
Everyone was stunned. The official prided himself on having witnessed all kinds of wicked people and deeds, yet this time he truly saw something unprecedented.
This impossibly handsome young master—did he have no heart at all?
However, those who casually spoke wicked words and committed evil deeds without realizing it must come from extraordinary backgrounds. Ordinary people wouldn't have such opportunities—they'd be beaten to death the first time they opened their mouths. The official opened his mouth but didn't dare speak again.
Then a servant of Young Master Wei spoke up.
"Young Master Xie, please don't be angry. The young master said he will compensate you properly."
Xie? The official's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Xie family?
Facing the Wei servant's attempt to appease him, Young Master Xie showed complete indifference, sneering mockingly: "My Xie family has no need for compensation from the Wei clan. My losses are indeed heavy, but even if we suffered twice as much, we wouldn't bat an eye. This matter isn't about property—it's about principle! Whoever destroyed my property and injured me must be punished!"
The Wei family steward looked embarrassed: "Young master, look at these villagers—so many dead, the survivors severely injured. Even passersby can't bear to see this. With your benevolent heart—"
Before he could finish, the young master who claimed to be severely injured leaped from the carriage. With a swift kick, the speaking steward flew backward, landing on the ground and spitting blood, unable to utter another word.
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
No one expected this young, beautiful master to resort to violence so readily, especially against a Wei family servant.
The Wei family was the undisputed dominant clan in Han County. Every newly appointed county magistrate would pay respects to the Wei family before even reporting to the government office.
Yet this young man attacked without hesitation. Though it was just a servant, it still represented the Wei family's dignity.
What kind of ruthless person was this?
"My Dongyang Xie family, my elder brother Young Master Xie the Third—who in the entire realm doesn't know of his benevolence and virtue? Since when does your Wei family get to lecture me about benevolence?" The young master laughed coldly, his face full of arrogance. "You're not worthy!"
Hearing this insult, the Wei steward spat blood again and fainted.
The other Wei servants were both shocked and furious, while the Xie servants looked at a loss.
"Young Master Yan Lai!" "Young master, you mustn't!" Several stewards came forward, some trying to restrain the young master, others bowing and apologizing to the Wei servants.
The scene descended into chaos.
The officials and commoners finally understood which fearsome family this young master belonged to—the Dongyang Xie family, the maternal clan of the Crown Princess, who would become the Empress in the future.
This young master would become the Imperial Uncle.
So arrogant—
"It's you! You're the one who burned our village!"
A child's shrill voice pierced through the chaos and silence. Hearing this, the flustered servants from both families fell quiet while the previously silent crowd grew restless.
A child about ten years old came stumbling from nearby, followed by a young servant.
"Young master, don't speak nonsense," the servant pleaded anxiously, stumbling and falling to the ground as he spoke.
The child appeared unharmed, but the young servant had his arm wrapped in bandages and half his hair burned off.
Seeing him fall, the child showed some remorse.
"Brother A Cai, though you saved me, my neighbors, my parents—they're all dead. I'm grateful for your life-saving grace, but I must avenge them!" The child wept, then gritted his teeth and rushed toward the official.The official was caught off guard as the child clung desperately to his leg. Despite the boy's frantic efforts, the official couldn't shake him off and had no choice but to listen to his account.
Young Master Xie and his entourage had been transporting goods and passed through the area, seeking shelter in their village. The villagers kindly offered their homes, but the young master scorned their humble dwellings, insisting on camping outdoors instead.
They lit a bonfire, drank wine, and eventually fell asleep. The fire ignited a wine barrel, which then set ablaze the stacked dry firewood and grain stalks. The flames roared to life, swiftly engulfing the entire village.
In the dead of night, everyone was deep in slumber. By the time the fire was discovered, it was too late to escape. As for the young master—he was the first to notice the blaze. But he immediately fled to safety, then busied himself salvaging his goods, showing no concern for the villagers' lives.
"We offered him shelter out of kindness, yet he brought ruin and death upon our village," the child wept, his strength finally giving out as he collapsed to the ground.
The official no longer stepped back—there was no need. Before everyone's eyes, the cause and consequence were laid bare.
The moans of the wounded grew louder. The crowd, no longer cowed by the young master's prestigious surname, murmured with rising anger, their expressions fierce.
The Xie family servants instinctively closed ranks around their master, shielding him from the enraged mob.
Throughout the child's tearful account and the crowd's mounting fury, the young master remained utterly unmoved. He didn't even glance at the boy, instead chiding his maids for being too rough while applying medicine to his wound: "I once knew a skilled maid who applied ointment to her young mistress daily without the lady ever noticing."
The maids, unafraid of his displeasure, giggled and suggested, "Young Master should buy that maid!" "No, you should invite her here!" "Well, if her mistress won't let her go, bring the young lady along too!"
The young master sneered, "That young lady is wicked. I want no part of her."
The maids burst into playful laughter, comforting their master not to worry.
While the child wept over his village's destruction, the young master and his maids bantered as if attending a garden party. Even the official, accustomed to the arrogance of the nobility, felt anger stir within him.
"Young Master Xie!" he shouted. "Is this account true?"
Only then did Xie glance at him from within his circle of maids, raising a phoenix-like eye. "Nonsense. What proof do you have?"
The child scrambled to his feet, eyes bloodshot. "I saw it!"
The village boy, fascinated by the handsome young master, had been watching from a distance. He'd been holding a grass-woven locust, and when the young master noticed it, his eyes had softened with a smile—beautiful yet tinged with sorrow.
The boy could tell the young master liked the locust. He'd impulsively offered it to him.
But the young master's expression had abruptly darkened, snarling at him to get away, to stay far away from him.
He'd looked utterly disgusted.
Terrified, the boy dropped the locust and fled.
But he couldn't resist watching secretly from afar.
The child cried out, "I saw you order the bonfire lit! I saw you call for wine! You started drinking, and even poured wine into the flames!"
The bonfire grew brighter, more wine was brought, until drunkenness prevailed—until the fire leaped to devour everything around them—"It's you who brought disaster upon us." The child clawed at the ground until his fingers bled. "If you hadn't passed through our village, if you hadn't stayed overnight, if you hadn't feasted and drank—"
He wouldn't have lost his parents, wouldn't have lost his home. His entire life had vanished overnight.
He sprang up from the ground, drew a small knife hidden in his clothes, and lunged at the young nobleman.
"I'll kill you!"
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