The fire started from the lower floor, with the white concubine dead upstairs, a burnt remnant of cloth wrapped around her neck, appearing to have died by hanging.
The coroner found no smoke traces in the white concubine’s nostrils and throat, indicating she had died before the fire. However, Chen Gao’s nose and throat showed black smoke, suggesting he was burned alive.
Guan Yue carefully pondered the sequence of events. People in Chen’s mansion said only two people were in the small building, one being the mad Bai Xiu. Chen Gao had gone to the building to see her, and the door lock was opened. Before the fire, Bai Xiu was already dead, and Chen Gao was also present. Was he already unconscious? If Chen Gao was unconscious during the fire, who started it? Surely not the already deceased Bai Xiu. So someone must have set the fire and then fled the building?
Due to the many suspicious points in this fire, the capital prefecture strictly interrogated people from Chen’s mansion and discovered that Chen Gao was alive when the fire started. Not only alive, but he was shouting and preventing servants from putting out the fire, saying he was haunted by wronged spirits due to framing loyal officials and had the desire to die, and that he had actually started the fire, wanting to die with Bai Xiu.
Multiple people’s testimonies were consistent.
Further investigation of Chen Gao’s family revealed that while the Chen Madam remained silent, several concubines corroborated the same story. Guan Yue searched Chen Gao’s office in the Ministry of Justice and found a self-written confession about the truth of the Loyal and Brave Marquis’s treason case from a year ago, learning that the white concubine was originally the Loyal and Brave Marquis’s concubine. Chen Gao had framed Yu Bin out of jealousy and hatred, all for a woman.
By this point, there were no more doubts about the Chen mansion fire. The Ministry of Justice began to re-examine the Loyal and Brave Marquis’s treason case.
Guan Yue found it strange, however, why this was again related to the Yu family.
One afternoon, after Yu Yi saw that the winter clothing was almost prepared, she was ready to visit the tenant farmers on the estate to understand their cultivation and harvest situations and to find a few capable women to do rough work in the Long Liu courtyard.
Shortly after her carriage departed, she heard the sound of galloping hooves. Lifting the curtain to look, she saw a yellow dust cloud approaching, with a jade-faced blue-and-white horse at its front, carrying the familiar dark red figure.
Yu Yi had Fu Cheng stop the carriage and waited for them to approach.
The blue-and-white horse indeed playfully repeated its previous trick, galloping at full speed and only stopping suddenly near the carriage, startling the two horses pulling it into jumping and neighing uneasily.
Yu Yi thought to herself that Guan Yue, who seemed steady and rigorous, did not strictly control this horse, probably because he truly loved it.
Guan Yue nodded from his horse: “Is Miss Yu heading out?”
Yu Yi knew he must have come regarding the Chen Gao case, so she bowed slightly: “I have no important matters. If Captain Guan has something to say, please speak directly.”
Guan Yue urged his horse towards the main courtyard: “Besides having something to tell Miss Yu today, I also have matters to inquire about with your sister at the Lei mansion. Let’s talk as we walk.
Guan Yue slowed his horse to match the carriage’s pace and asked, “May I ask if Miss Yu knows a woman named Bai Xiu, and if so, do you know her whereabouts?”
Yu Yi responded, “Bai Xiu? The Loyal Marquis’s Mansion originally had a concubine named Bai Xiu. After leaving the Criminal Ministry’s prison, I only saw her once at Chen’s residence.”
Guan Yue continued, “Does Miss Yu know about the fire at Chen’s residence where Chen the Minister and one of his concubines were burned to death?”
Yu Yi was surprised, “Chen the Minister was burned to death? I’ve been living in the countryside and rarely go to the city. I only learned of this today when Captain Guan mentioned it… Could that concubine be Bai Xiu?”
“Indeed,” Guan Yue said, “According to the capital’s investigation, Chen the Minister set the fire himself. He not only prevented people from putting out the fire but also loudly declared in the flames that the original case of the Loyal Marquis’s treason was actually a frame-up he had orchestrated.”
Yu Yi looked at Guan Yue in disbelief, “Captain Guan, Chen the Minister was a close friend of my late father, who trusted him completely and had no conflict of interest. Why would he frame my father? Could it be… just because of Bai Xiu?”
Guan Yue asked, “When Miss Yu saw Bai Xiu at Chen’s residence, didn’t you have any suspicions?”
Yu Yi’s eyes reddened, “I had suspicions, but I couldn’t bring myself to believe it. My father was stripped of his title and beheaded, and our entire family was executed. Such a tragic event, and the reason was merely because of a woman!”
Guan Yue, seeing her face full of sorrow, anger, and disbelief, felt some sympathy and said, “Miss Yu, please take care.”
Yu Yi took a deep breath and looked up to the sky.
Now, his injustice can finally be cleared!” She turned to Guan Yue, “Is there a chance to retry my father’s case?”
Guan Yue replied, “The Criminal Ministry has already begun reviewing the original Loyal Marquis’s treason case.”
Yu Yi felt relieved, and tears fell. She lowered her head and quietly cried in the carriage. Guan Yue, feeling uncomfortable, rode his horse to the front of the carriage. Yu Yi quickly wiped her tears with a handkerchief and sent a message to Meng Qing using her personal device. When the carriage returned to the main courtyard, Guan Yue had already dismounted and was waiting outside.
Yu Yi asked, “My sister has just recovered from a serious illness and cannot catch a cold. Would it be possible for Captain Guan to ask questions outside?”
Guan Yue agreed, and Yu Yi led him inside. At a room with tightly closed doors and windows, Yu Yi softly called, “Xin’er?”
“Elder sister,” a weak voice responded from inside.
Yu Yi continued, “Captain Guan has some questions to ask you.”
Guan Yue repeated the questions he had asked Yu Yue earlier about when and why they entered the Lei Mansion, and whether they had seen Lei Yuan.
The person inside said, “I was just a lowly servant in the Lei Mansion, rarely having the opportunity to see the concubines, let alone Master Lei.”
“Did Miss Yu hear any rumors about Master Lei during her time working there?”
“No.
“
After a moment of silence, Guan Yue softly said, “There’s something I’m not sure if I should ask.”
Tonight, let’s start the task.
Chapter 67 Little County Lord (1)
At night, Yu Yi downloaded the task list to her personal terminal and browsed to see if there were any tasks she could do. She noticed a B-level task in a similar time and space, with a reward of 3 points. While this was not a high-reward task, the mission target intrigued her.
After selecting the task and arranging the crossing method with Boss, she first slept for four hours to restore her energy. Before dawn, Yu Yi got up and called Boss.
In the blink of an eye, Yu Yi crossed into the body of a maid named Xun Qin.
She found herself lying on a couch, with a small cloth bag in front of her. Looking around and seeing no one else, she opened the bag, took out a thin personal terminal, and stuck it to the inside of her left arm. She quickly turned it on and logged in with her account and password. If she were crossing over in her original body, the personal terminal could directly recognize her fingerprint and iris, but this time, with a soul crossing, she could only log in with an account and password.
Then she neatly folded the cloth bag into a flat shape and tucked it into her chest.
