Chapter 728: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 728: A Perfect Counterattack at the Trial (1)
At midnight on November 14th, a sudden fire broke out in the depths of the Ministry of Justice's prison, destroying three old rooms. Fortunately, the deepest part only held one suspect related to the examination fraud case, and the fire was detected in time by patrolling prison guards. They quickly extinguished the flames and rescued the suspect, who had been overcome by smoke.
The head jailer, not daring to be negligent, immediately reported the fire. The Ministry of Justice officials conducted an overnight investigation and discovered fire-starting tools left by the arsonist. Other prisoners confirmed hearing noises outside the prison, mistakenly thinking it was a routine patrol, and thus did not pay much attention until the fire started.
The Ministry of Justice officials interrogated thirty prison guards overnight. The guards all claimed they had not entered the prison at midnight and had evidence proving their absence from the scene, leading to an initial conclusion that the fire was arson related to the high-profile examination fraud case.
Since the case involved examination fraud, it was beyond the scope of a mere Ministry of Justice official to handle. The official did not wait until dawn but went directly to the residence of the Ministry of Justice Deputy Minister to report the full details.
Upon hearing the report, the Deputy Minister immediately washed and dressed, and hurriedly reported the incident to the Minister of Justice. Sensing the unusual nature of the situation, the Minister of Justice, before the morning court session, rushed to the palace to meet with Emperor Huian.
After hearing the details, Emperor Huian was enraged and ordered the Ministry of Justice to assist the Jingzhao Prefecture in thoroughly investigating the arson case, capturing the true culprit, and meting out severe punishment.
Compared to the turmoil caused by the fire at the Ministry of Justice, the Wei Yuan Marquis’ residence appeared exceptionally serene under the moonlight, exuding an indescribable sense of beauty.
Since the second son, Xiao Ruiqing, was expelled from the capital and sent back to his ancestral home, Wei Yuan Marquis Xiao Xiong had severed ties with his eldest son, Xiao Ruiyuan. Although they had not completely cut off father-son relations, they had become estranged.
Three days after the expulsion of his beloved son, Xiao Xiong and his wife, Wei Shi, moved to a villa on the outskirts of the capital and had not responded to any correspondence for months. They subtly implied that the eldest son was unfilial and had driven out his half-brother while forcing his father and stepmother to live away from the mansion.
The high society of the capital was well aware of the conflicts within the Wei Yuan Marquis' family. Compared to the ineffective and disgraced Xiao Xiong, they were more inclined to associate with the promising and flourishing Xiao Ruiyuan. Who cared about his alleged unfilial behavior? Especially after Chu Heng's poison was cured, numerous people sought to befriend Xiao Ruiyuan.
Many families with eligible daughters viewed Xiao Ruiyuan as an ideal match and attempted to arrange marriages, but found it difficult to even enter the Wei Yuan Marquis’ residence. Those who managed to enter were told that Xiao Ruiyuan was away, having been recently dispatched by Emperor Huian to protect the Crown Prince at the Jing Mountain villa and rarely returning to the residence.
Although Xiao Ruiyuan was aware of the matchmaking attempts, he was indifferent. In his heart, only the woman he loved could be the future mistress of the marquis' house.
At this time, Xiao Ruiyuan had not slept and was in his study, listening to the report from An Jiu about the prison fire. When he heard that Mo Qingze had been overcome by smoke, his expression darkened, and he looked at An Jiu with a hint of displeasure.
Realizing his master’s dissatisfaction, An Jiu hastily knelt and apologized, "I failed to protect Master Mo. It is my negligence. Please punish me as you see fit!"
No one had expected Prince Heng and others to resort to such a tactic. Although An Jiu had discovered and captured the arsonist in time, the fact that Mo Qingze was affected by the smoke was undeniable. He felt he had let down his master and deserved punishment.
Xiao Ruiyuan coldly regarded An Jiu and said, "Given that you captured the arsonist and made up for your failure, I will let this pass this time. But do not let it happen again!"
(End of Chapter)
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