Épousez un fonctionnaire de la dynastie Song du Nord

Chapitre 50

Thick smoke billowed in front of them. The maids and servants, unable to salvage their belongings, were already screaming and wailing. The steward, though appearing calm as he directed the servants to extinguish the fire, and the scene remained orderly, a sense of suppressed emotion permeated the crowd.

Such a raging fire grows ever more terrifying with each passing day; how could such a destructive force possibly be contained...?

Upon seeing the fire, Su Chen's first instinct was to find a fire extinguisher, but he hadn't taken two steps before realizing there wasn't one around. Seeing this, Cui Shiran seemed about to rush in, when just then a gatekeeper came running over, shouting, "The fire brigade is here! Lord Zhang has brought the fire brigade! The Diving Society has arrived too! Everyone, hold on a little longer!"

Before the words were finished, the atmosphere relaxed and the firefighters' morale soared. Sure enough, a large group of people arrived shortly afterward carrying unidentified objects. Cui Shiran immediately stopped and moved to the right, blocking her way.

Su Chen had no choice but to turn her head to look outside, only to see He Ziyuan, pale-faced, talking to the steward in the corridor, looking exhausted. She was shocked and quickly pulled Cui Shiran, saying, "Why is my father over there? He's still sick!"

Cui Shiran was also quite surprised and said, "The fire is too fierce, it's normal that Uncle He can't stay here. But he really shouldn't have been exposed to the smoke here. His heart condition has flared up, he should be resting." He turned back to look at her warily, "Don't run around trying to persuade him. There are too many people around here, it's not proper for a young lady like you to run around like that."

"Disgraceful, my sister!" Su Chen said urgently, "The people in that study are all heading towards my father. They're such a big target here, are they waiting for something to happen?!"

Cui Shiran said in a low voice, "Those people wouldn't dare, they were just trying to scare people, who knew they would run into you. But with such a big fire, something must have gone wrong."

He was actually partly right. The infiltrator's intention was merely to disturb the study and give it a warning.

He hadn't expected there to be someone in the room. It was too dark to see clearly. He assumed it was a servant tidying up. He'd accidentally fallen asleep.

Who would have thought that a respectable official's daughter would be in her study in the middle of the night? The important point is... without even turning on the lights...

He initially just put on a show to scare people, hoping the news would spread. His goal was achieved. However, after being yelled at, he ended up in such a sorry state. He had truly decided to kill.

If the fire hadn't broken out then, it's not impossible that He Sucheng would have truly perished.

Su Chen pouted. She didn't quite trust him. "What if something happens? Can you take responsibility?!" She had barely finished speaking when the numb, throbbing pain in her palm returned. The pain was so intense she almost cried.

However, at this time, the fire brigade and the fire righteous society lined up as arranged by Lord Zhang, and some people pulled pipes from the well to draw water all the way. With shouts and calls, various tools such as sprinklers, hemp ropes, iron anchors, and pumps were used in turn. With everyone working together, the fire finally slowed down.

Just as Cui Shiran was about to reply, he saw tears in her eyes and couldn't help but ask, "Does it hurt a lot?"

"You try!" Su Chen couldn't help but shout, and tears streamed down his face again.

He stood there, bewildered, then pulled her back two steps and said, "Don't let anyone see this, or they'll think I'm bullying you. Go find your mother first, and I'll talk to your father. With me here, I think those people won't dare to make a move because of their status."

What a terrible, lousy idea! Who do you think you are, more important than He Ziyuan? Although Su Chen scoffed at his confidence, he didn't know any other way.

Seeing her expression, Cui Shiran also figured it out, so he said, "I am backed by Longhu Mountain, so the person who made the move wouldn't be so stupid." His implication was that the person who made the move wouldn't be as stupid as you, not even knowing this.

Su Chen didn't pay attention to any of that. What she was thinking about was the sharp killing intent emanating from the person in the study. She really didn't dare to go to Wu Shi alone.

She now felt uneasy everywhere in the He residence, as anyone could get in. She really didn't want to think about what would happen if she encountered bad guys on the road.

Seeing that she remained silent, Cui Shiran said again, "You stand here. I'm going to find your father. In a little while, you can go to the back. I just saw your nanny walk down that road. It will be much more convenient for you to follow her." After saying that, he stepped out.

Before Su Chen could speak, he had already walked quite far, so Su Chen had to hide behind a clump of magnolia trees to avoid being seen by others. Thinking about what had happened tonight, he couldn't help but sigh. Although he still felt some resistance towards him, he couldn't help but feel grateful.

She waited a while and saw Cui Shiran indeed go to He Ziyuan's side, give him a deep bow, and say something. He Ziyuan

She smiled and helped him up. Although he was pale and tired, he still exuded a gentle and refined air that captivated everyone.

The two talked for a while, and Cui Shiran waved to the servants to bring up a few stools and chairs. He didn't offer them to anyone, but sat down with He Ziyuan and another official who was directing the firefighting. Suddenly, when no one was paying attention, he turned his head and quickly gave her a wink. Su Chen was stunned for a moment, then understood and backed away towards the corridor.

A sharp pain shot through her hand, and her right toe was pierced by several shards of a vase. She hadn't noticed it before, but now the sharp pain made it impossible to ignore as she walked. Her waist was probably bruised from the books in the bookcase that she had knocked down to stop the thief; she could feel it as she turned to the side. Her left knee had been kicked by the man, and she could feel herself limping as she moved.

Who has had it as bad as her?!

He Suchen leaned against the pillar, tears welling up in her eyes. The anger and frustration rising within her made her want to drag the thief out and beat him to a pulp. Although that wouldn't help her injuries.

She stood there for about half an incense stick's time, and sure enough, Granny Sun and Dongkui hurriedly came over. Dongkui looked flustered and mumbled something, while Granny Sun remained expressionless. When the two turned the corner and saw He Suchen, they both breathed a sigh of relief. Dongkui opened her mouth and burst into tears. Granny Sun's eyes also welled up with tears, and she stepped forward and slapped He Suchen.

What are you doing?!

Caught off guard, Su Chen took the blow without dodging. Granny Sun, however, didn't stop, giving him two more hard blows while cursing, "You heartless wretch! How can you treat people like this?! You seemed so well-behaved as a child, but who knew you'd secretly run off to steal your uncle's memorials? How could you possibly understand them? When you were caught, you still got scolded, and it wasn't us who suffered in the end. Now that you're older and finally understand things, you're about to fall into the water. You think you're enough to worry us down there? I'm not saying you're particularly unlucky, but I'm telling you, you've had so many misfortunes, you poor thing!"

She threw herself into Su Chen's arms and burst into tears: "Now look what's happened! After this whole mess, you haven't even shown your face! Are you trying to drive us crazy?! I only went to your mother's room for two days, and you've caused this mess! The older you get, the less you interact with her; you're more and more like a child! Will you die if you don't go to the study?!"

Although Su Chen knew that Granny Sun cared for and loved him, he was not clear about the thoughts and attention she had for his two siblings. Although he was touched, he did not know that Granny Sun, an old woman whose own children were far away, had taken care of these two children since they were young and truly believed that they were her own flesh and blood.

She was struck several times, the last blow landing squarely on her waist, causing her to cry out in pain. Granny Sun wiped away her tears, and seeing no one around, used her handkerchief to cover the wound on He Sucheng's clothes, revealing a bruised and black mark on her waist. She took two steps back, seeing He Sucheng's disheveled hair, tattered clothes, and bloodstains all over her body, and was terrified, not knowing what to do. She cried out in alarm, "You...you did this to whom? What happened?"

Dongkui, who had been weeping to the side, was startled and looked up when she heard what Granny Sun said.

Seeing their reaction, Su Chen knew that he had to explain properly, otherwise it might cause misunderstandings. So he reluctantly said, "I encountered a thief in the study and fought with him. Granny, has my brother found a doctor for me? I want to go back to my room quickly to clean up."

When Granny Sun regained her senses, she was taken aback by the fact that she had been in a fight, and asked with concern, "Where else are you hurt? Are you alright?"

She smiled bitterly, truly unsure how to answer. Dongkui stepped forward to help her back to her room, but accidentally bumped her right hand, causing her to cry out in pain again. Dongkui was startled and dared not move, looking down at Su Chen's unable to close her right hand, and exclaimed, "Miss, your hand?!"

Su Chen also looked down. The medicine Cui Shiran applied seemed to be working well. Although the blood on her hand was congealed and covered in a reddish-brown stain, the bleeding had stopped. However, it looked extremely horrifying and shocking. In addition, there was a long knife wound on her palm, exposing the flesh. She closed her eyes and dared not look. She really could not believe that this was her own hand.

When Granny Sun came over to check, she covered her face with her hands and said, "Let's go back to our room first. I'm too scared to stay here."

Granny Sun said, "Go to your mother's place. She has all the medicine and supplies there. Your mother has been practicing medicine since she was a child. This is much more convenient than hastily asking someone who doesn't know anything." So two able-bodied people helped a person whose ability to recover was still uncertain, and they slowly walked towards the main house.

The road was brightly lit, and everyone was in a hurry. Upon seeing Su Chen and her companions, after bowing, they all stole glances at them. Su Chen was helpless; she couldn't stop people's curiosity. After all, her appearance was quite captivating and attracted a lot of attention.

Upon arriving at the main house, it was still noisy inside. The light from torches, lanterns, and candles illuminated the surroundings, and although the luminous pearl was covered by cloth, the light it emitted was still soft and warm. Madam Wu was sitting in her seat, her face cold, talking to her daughter-in-law. As soon as Su Chen and his two companions entered, they immediately attracted everyone's attention.

When Wu saw her daughter-in-law turn around in shock, she looked over and saw her daughter standing at the door in such a miserable state. Her hand trembled, and most of the tea in the teacup spilled out. The teacup dangled halfway onto the table, but thankfully it didn't fall.

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Chapter Fifteen, The Aftermath

The "Propaganda Officer" function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now!!! The man stood up in shock and asked urgently, "What exactly happened? Is everything alright?!"

Seeing the ghostly expressions on the faces of all the maids, servants, and wives in the room, Su Chen knew exactly what she looked like without even looking in a mirror. Granny Sun repeated the words she had just used to deal with the situation, and the room fell into complete silence.