The atmosphere in the Li family was different from the manors of influential officials outside. The adults had good tempers, and even if the maids and servants accidentally did something wrong, they wouldn't punish them too much. Gradually, the servants also became more relaxed.
They would still do what they needed to do, but they would be at ease and wouldn't need to be afraid. There would be great rewards during festivals, and they would even be allowed two days off every month. Such a situation was impossible to exist anywhere else in the capital.
However, today, everyone was on full alert, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
This was the second madam's first day back. If anything were to happen, the adults wouldn't beat or scold them, but they would definitely deduct all their rewards for this month.
The maids were busy, occasionally glancing at a certain hall. They had thought that the madam and the second young mistress were already top-notch beauties in the world, but they hadn't expected that the second madam wouldn't pale in comparison. Even Miss Wan, who had come together with the second madam, who might be the third madam, wasn't an ordinary beauty.
"Sister, please have some tea."
In the hall, Drunken Mo held a cup of tea and handed it over to Ruyi with a smile.
Ruyi put the tea at the side, got up, and took her hand, smiling. "Sister, don't stand on ceremony. Come and sit."
Although there was still a ceremony missing, it was just that. The Li family was easy to enter but hard to leave. Once she entered the Li family, she could forget about leaving.
What had happened yesterday was actually very simple. Prince Xin had sent people to burn down the Zeng Residence, and Willow Alley had been occupied by Fang's relatives. It wasn't a good idea to bring two unmarried ladies to an inn in the middle of the night, and it would inevitably attract criticism. Bringing them back home to settle down was the best solution.
The Old Mistress, who had heard the news, had rushed over in a hurry. She had been busy until the middle of the night and then rested here directly. She had also decided on the date of the wedding at the end of the next month. She had gotten someone to calculate the date in advance, and they had already missed a few auspicious dates. The next suitable date would be next month.
Drunken Mo hadn't actually thought of this, but since the Old Mistress had spoken, she couldn't refute. Thus, she had agreed in a daze, which led to the scene in the morning.
What surprised Li Yi was that Ruoqing hadn't rejected moving in with Drunken Mo last night. If she hadn't agreed first, Drunken Mo probably wouldn't have agreed either.
Prince Xin had set the fire — he couldn't even bear to settle the score with him.
Fang stood in the courtyard, looking at the three women who were whispering in the room. Then, he looked at Li Yi and asked in a low voice. "Young master, tell me, did you get someone to set the fire yesterday?"
Li Yi frowned at him and asked, "Do I look like that kind of person? You saw those Death Warriors with your own eyes. Besides, would I let them take such a huge risk?"
Old Fang gave it some thought and nodded. He then asked, "Then Son-in-law, tell me honestly. Is Prince Xin one of us?"
Fang's question was a good one. Even Li Yi himself had once had such a question in his mind.
"I suddenly can't bear to …" Li Yi thought about it and said, "Why don't we just break his two legs?"
"You said it was two legs last night."
"… Two legs?"
…
The fire in the Zeng Residence wasn't a big deal, but it wasn't a small one either. It didn't cause much of a commotion last night, and it didn't cause much trouble during the day either.
Of course, some people couldn't hide it even if they wanted to.
Ceng Shichun walked in anxiously. When he saw Li Yi, he went straight to the point and asked, "How's Drunken Mo? Are you injured?"
Li Yi shook his head and said, "Only the house was burned. No one was injured."
That was the Zeng Residence after all. Ceng Shichun's face revealed a hint of sadness. He shook his head and said, "It's fine if the house is burned. It's good that everyone is fine."
"What about the arsonist? Have you caught him?"
He only found out about this in the morning. He came here in a hurry and didn't go to the county office to ask about the situation.
Li Yi shook his head. "They're all kamikaze warriors."
"Kamikaze warriors?" Ceng Shichun frowned. "Prince Xin?"
Even for the influential officials in the capital, kamikaze warriors weren't easy to nurture. It required a huge amount of resources. Perhaps only those princes would be able to use kamikaze warriors to set a fire.
If there were only clues about those kamikaze warriors, it would be difficult to investigate this case. Even if Prince Xin couldn't become the crown prince, he was still a prince. Even if he was found, there wouldn't be any severe punishment.
Knowing that Li Yi had his own thoughts on this matter, Ceng Shichun didn't say much. After meeting Drunken Mo, he left in a hurry.
Not long after, Li Xuan and the Eldest Princess came to visit at the same time.
Li Yi said, surprised, "The imperial court assembly is only a few days away. You guys shouldn't be so free, right?"
"I already know about the matter." MIngzhu looked at him and said, "Even if we manage to find Prince Xin in the end, there probably won't be any results. The imperial court assembly is about to arrive, and many officials have gathered in the capital. You mustn't act recklessly. We'll settle the matter regarding Prince Xin after the imperial court assembly."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Li Yi said, shaking his head. "At most, I'll just burn down his Prince Xin Manor …"
"…"
Seeing that both MIngzhu and Li Xuan were looking at him, Li Yi waved his hand and said, "I'm just joking. It's easy to implicate the innocent by setting a fire. Even if I have to break his two legs, I won't do something like setting a fire."
"…"
"Let's not talk about this anymore." Li Yi shook his head and said, "What about you guys? That matter … How's the preparation?"
Li Xuan sat down next to him, gulped down a mouthful of tea, and said, "Let's talk about the matter of you setting fire to Prince Xin Manor. Do you have enough manpower? Do you need my help? I can get them to scatter kerosene from the sky …"
…
In the capital's largest brothel …
Little Zhu walked over with a teapot, pointed to a young man, and said, "Hey, you're called Xu Zheng, right? Let them rest for a while and have a cup of water. They'll move it later. There's no hurry."
The young man called Xu Zheng wiped off the sweat on his forehead, smiled, and asked, "Miss Little Zhu, where are you guys moving to? Is it the Zeng Manor? I might as well get them to send it over directly."
It would have been better if Little Zhu had not mentioned the Zeng Manor. At the mention of the Zeng Manor, a furious expression appeared on Little Zhu's face. She waved her hand and said, "It's not the Zeng Manor. I won't be going there in the future!"
Xu Zheng asked curiously, "What happened?"
"You don't know. Last night, when we were about to sleep, some bad guys secretly released fire arrows. The entire Zeng Manor's house was burned down. Young Miss and I were both frightened …" She patted her chest, looking like she still had lingering fears. "I really can't imagine. If we had all fallen asleep last night, would those bad guys have wanted to burn us to death …"
Naturally, she did not know how strong the guards in and out of the Zeng Manor were. Even in the middle of the night, there would still be people on duty. Something like that would not have happened.
"The Zeng Manor … was set on fire?" Xu Zheng was stunned. He lowered his head and asked, "Miss Little Zhu, do you know … who set the fire?"
"I don't know …" Little Zhu shook her head. Then, as if she had thought of something, she said, "I think it was some Prince Xin who sent death warriors. Those people are too scary. They're not even afraid of death. I heard that too … Sigh, since you guys have rested enough, quickly move. Just move it to the horse carriage outside. Don't leave anything behind …"
"Alright!"
The young man agreed readily. A smile returned to his face, and he waved his hand at the people behind him. "Move quickly. Don't delay the young lady's matters …"
Prince Xin Manor …
"What? Only the house was burned?" Prince Xin heard this news from a servant. He waved his hand and scolded, "A bunch of useless people. They can't even handle such a small matter. What's the point of living …"
"Your Highness, the guards in the Zeng Manor are too powerful. Not a single one of our death warriors has returned. I'm afraid …"
Prince Xin waved his hand. "Forget it. Let him be smug for a few more days …"
In Prince Xin Manor, a person who looked like a steward pointed to a few servants who were moving things and asked, "What are you guys moving?"
One of the servants smiled and said, "Steward Zhao, this is the strong alcohol that we bought outside today …"
"Alright, alright, I got it …" Steward Zhao waved his hand and instructed, "Go and get busy. Remember to be careful …"
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