The little maid was nearly scared silly by Qi Yuan. She had never in her life seen such a noble lady act like this!
Trembling, she hesitated for a moment, then finally noticed Qi Yuan’s half-smiling, half-not expression and suddenly realized what was going on. She quickly said, “Miss just went to relieve herself—I was with you the whole time! I was with you the whole time!”
Qi Yuan nodded in satisfaction.
By the time they returned to the garden, the opera had already begun. On stage, the troupe leader was leading his performers in greeting the guests below. The Eldest Princess had a list in hand and was letting the guests select the plays.
Wang Chan spotted Qi Yuan first and quickly waved to her. Once Qi Yuan came over and sat beside her, she smiled and said, “Sister Rong is about to cry. Her favorite is Xiao Taohong from the Desheng Troupe.”
As she spoke, the ladies on stage had already chosen their plays, and now they were asking if any of the young ladies had requests.
With elders present, none of the young ladies dared to make requests and all politely declined. Soon, the performance began.
Wang Chan whispered to Qi Yuan, “The plays the adults choose are always boring.”
They were the same noisy operas she’d watched since childhood—she was sick of them.
Qi Yuan smiled faintly. “It’s fine. It’ll get interesting later.”
Wang Chan gave her a skeptical look.
When Tian Xiu came out and sang Green Hills and Flowing Water, with the line Let us remember fate, not grudges, Wang Chan was already nodding off, her head bobbing from drowsiness.
Before the aria finished, someone below the stage suddenly shrieked, “Fire! Fire!”
But even before that, people had already noticed the thick smoke drifting on the wind. Panic began to ripple through the crowd.
The Eldest Princess was startled and quickly looked at Jiang Mama.
Jiang Mama immediately turned and left.
Wang Chan clutched Qi Yuan’s hand in fear. “What’s happening? Everything was fine—how could a fire break out?”
The smoke grew thicker, and ash and soot filled the air, choking the guests. The Eldest Princess furrowed her brows, feeling her temples pound.
Fortunately, Jiang Mama returned not long after and reported in a low voice, “Your Highness, the fire started at the rockery. It’s all trees there, so once it caught, the fire spread quickly. The Princess Consort is currently leading the firefighting efforts.”
The Princess let out a breath.
If it was just the rockery, that was manageable—no one was there, it was far from the residences, no buildings nearby, and there was a lake next to it. At worst, the pavilion and trees atop the rockery would be lost.
As long as there were no casualties, it would be fine.
She massaged her temple. “It’s smoky and chaotic here now. Have them stop the performance.”
She then personally apologized to Zhou Wangfei, Duan Wangfei, and the noble ladies. “Such a disruption—how frightening for everyone. This was our failure.”
But who dared blame the Eldest Princess?
Everyone shook their heads.
Duan Wangfei smiled and said, “It’s been dry. Every year there’s some fire or other. No need to take it to heart.”
The Eldest Princess sighed. “I’ve only just moved back. The servants in the estate—besides those assigned from the Imperial Household Department by my brother—were newly purchased from the agency. They’re not very reliable yet…”
The conversation gradually shifted to household affairs.
The atmosphere slowly began to ease.
But just then, the estate steward returned in a hurry, his expression grim. He leaned in and whispered something to the Eldest Princess.
The Eldest Princess’s face instantly changed. She barked, “What?!”
Madam Feng, who had been chatting with Zhou Wangfei, looked up in alarm.
Hadn’t the Princess Consort already sent people to extinguish the fire?
And it was just the rockery—no buildings nearby.
Why was the Eldest Princess so furious?
The Eldest Princess’s gaze swept across the women present, her head throbbing. “Do we know who it was?”
The steward’s face darkened further. “We still don’t. The body was burned beyond recognition. We really can’t tell who it is…”
Someone died in the fire?
Naturally, all the women heard this exchange between the steward and the Princess. For a moment, they stared at each other in shock.
Just a moment ago, they’d said that as long as no one died, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
Now someone had died?
The Eldest Princess’s face was like stone as she turned to the women and asked sternly, “Is everyone who came today present? Is anyone missing?”
Missing someone?
The moment they heard that, a chill ran down everyone’s spine. They instinctively called out to their daughters.
Second Madam Qi quickly looked to her side and saw Qi Yuan. Only then did she let out a breath of relief.
Thank goodness Ah Yuan was safe.
Madam Feng also turned to look for Feng Caiwei—only to see her staring blankly. She gave her a nudge. “Caiwei, what’s wrong?”
She was a little worried. Lately, Feng Caiwei had been unusually absent-minded.
Feng Caiwei finally came to herself and shook her head at her mother—but unease crept into her heart. For some reason, she suddenly remembered how Feng Jun had come to her earlier, acting mysteriously, saying he had a good show for her to watch.
Seeing that all the women were accounted for, the Eldest Princess relaxed slightly and signaled to the steward. “All the ladies are present. No one’s missing.”
The steward responded and quickly left.
Duan Wangfei asked quietly, “What happened?”
The Eldest Princess looked grim. “The fire’s out, but three bodies were found inside the rockery…”
Three deaths during a gathering like this—how could the Eldest Princess possibly feel at ease?
The ladies gasped. None of them had expected that three people would end up dead. Anxiety spread through the group.
The Eldest Princess rubbed her brows. “People have already been sent to report to the authorities. Officers from Shuntian Prefecture and the Five City Patrols will arrive shortly.”
Second Madam Qi couldn’t shake her uneasy feeling.
Wang Chan was also frightened. She whispered, “How could something like this turn into a murder case…?”
Qi Yuan tugged at the corner of her lips and looked at the little maid beside her.
The maid instantly lowered her head.
Before long, the steward returned again, his expression even grimmer. He leaned in and murmured something to the Eldest Princess.
Her expression hardened again. “What?!”
Everyone was now thoroughly on edge.
The Eldest Princess turned to Madam Feng and frowned. “Madam Feng, do you recognize this jade pendant?”
As she spoke, the steward stepped forward with both hands, presenting a jade pendant.
Madam Feng already had a bad feeling. When she looked at the pendant, her mind went blank, like a snapped pipa string—her whole body trembled, her teeth clacking together uncontrollably.
Feng Caiwei went even paler, swaying as if she might faint on the spot.
How could this be?!
