Le monde des arts martiaux est un véritable cloaque

Chapitre 21

Xu Shirong glanced in that direction, lost in thought, when Yang Huan suddenly snapped out of his daze. He yelled, hurriedly grabbed his clothes, jumped off the bench, and ran towards the door. After a few steps, he suddenly turned back and shouted, "Keep out of the way, don't go over there!" before quickly leaving.

"Madam, this place is closer to the south room, let's go to the front hall to take shelter..."

Xiao Que's face was flushed red by the firelight, and her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

Seeing that the collar of her dress was still a little twisted, Xu Shirong reached out and helped to straighten it before saying, "Since Aunt has gone over, I'll go and see if I need any help."

Although Xiao Que was somewhat reluctant, she saw that she had already left the house and headed in that direction, so she had no choice but to follow.

Although Xu Shirong's room was separated from the south room by only one wall, it required a long, circuitous walk along a corridor to reach it. The two made their way there and entered the main hall of the south room, where they found it in complete disarray. Several disheveled people sat haphazardly, their faces still showing signs of fear. Some even seemed to be still drunk; these were likely guests who had slept there earlier. Many more were frantically rushing back and forth, trying to put out the fire. But once the fire started, how could it be contained? It only grew larger, with the sounds of beams and pillars collapsing echoing intermittently.

Xu Shirong looked around and saw that Madam Lu was being supported by a maid. She was leaning against a pillar and stamping her feet repeatedly. Xu Shirong hurriedly went over to help her.

Madam Lu turned around and saw that it was her. She forced herself to be cheerful and said, "Jiaoniang, there is a fire here. What are you doing here? Quickly go to the front yard to take shelter, or you will get splashed by the sparks."

Just as Xu Shirong was about to speak, he suddenly noticed that Prefect Lu was still barefoot and exclaimed, "This fire can't be contained anytime soon. If it burns, so be it. As long as everyone is safe, that's all that matters. Have all the guests inside come out?"

The steward of the Lu residence hurriedly replied, "Don't worry, sir. There are about ten guests staying here tonight. The fire was just started when the night watchman noticed it, and they should all have come out."

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Lu wiped his sweat and then directed his family members to splash water to put out the fire. When Madam Lu heard this, she murmured a Buddhist prayer, and her legs went weak. If Xu Shirong and the maid hadn't supported her, she probably would have already sat down on the ground.

Seeing that she couldn't stand, Xu Shirong quickly helped her up with the maid and tried to take her back to her room. However, Madam Lu shook her head vehemently, saying that she wouldn't move an inch until the fire was extinguished. Helpless, Xu Shirong looked around and saw a screen in the corner of the hall. She quickly asked Xiao Que to bring a few chairs over, and then half-walked, half-carried her into a chair, sitting down beside her herself.

The fire burned until nearly dawn. The original row of houses was reduced to mere frames, and the flames spread to several adjacent rooms. The ground was littered with blackened rubble and haphazardly scattered beams and pillars, still emitting wisps of smoke. A pungent, acrid smell filled the air. In just one night, what should have been a joyous occasion for the Lu family turned into a catastrophe.

Xu Shirong stayed with Madam Lu until dawn. She saw that some of the still-shaken guests had been taken away by their families who had rushed over after hearing the news, while the rest were helping with the cleanup. She noticed that Yang Huan was also caught in the middle, directing the Lu family members to keep busy. His face had several black marks, probably from the smoke.

"Auntie hasn't slept a wink all night, she should go back and rest now."

Seeing that Madam Lu's face was pale and her eyes were sunken, Xu Shirong whispered some words of advice.

Madam Lu glanced again at the charred ruins left by the fire, sighed deeply, and had just gotten up when she suddenly heard a flurry of footsteps outside. Peeking out, she saw that it was Prefect Lin and his officials from the prefectural government. The fire must have been too big, and having started at night, it must have spread to the surrounding area, which was why even the prefectural officials had come.

When Madam Lu saw that Prefect Lin and his entourage had arrived, she had no choice but to retreat behind the screen to avoid suspicion.

When Prefect Lu saw his superior and colleagues arrive together, he disregarded his disheveled appearance and hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects. However, Prefect Lin stopped him, saying, "Last night I was just here drinking and chatting with you, sir. I was shocked to hear this terrible news this morning, so I rushed over. Are you all alright in your household?"

Judge Lu sighed and said, "Thank you for your concern, Lord Lin. Although a few houses were burned down, fortunately it was discovered in time last night, and all the distinguished guests who stayed here are safe and sound. They all returned home early this morning."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, saying it was a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune.

Just then, a man rushed in from the entrance of the main hall, his face filled with anxiety. He shouted directly at Magistrate Lu, "Lord Lu, my master got drunk last night and stayed at your residence. He hasn't returned this morning, and I heard that your house is on fire. Have you seen him?"

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Lu was startled and quickly smiled to reassure him, "Vice Envoy Hu, please calm down. Lord Huang did indeed stay here last night, but after the fire started, everyone who was staying here safely left. Perhaps Lord Huang went somewhere else, which is why he has not returned yet?"

The deputy envoy shook his head vigorously, his expression full of disbelief: "My master has only been here as the governor for a little over a month by imperial decree, and he is not very familiar with the area. Where else can he go so early in the morning?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Magistrate Lu, their expressions varying.

Lu Tongpan had just calmed down when he heard what Hu Fu said. Although the morning air was still a bit chilly, beads of sweat were already dripping from his forehead.

"This matter is of great importance, Lord Lu. Are you sure that all those who stayed overnight had already left when the fire broke out? What if..." The speaker was a man in his forties, plump and fair-skinned. Although his voice was not loud and he did not finish his sentence, the word "what if" immediately made everyone's hearts jump.

Lu Tongpan wiped the sweat from his brow, looked at the man, and said with some displeasure, "Lord Cao, what do you mean by that?"

Lord Cao snorted and then said in a low voice, "What I mean is that Lord Lu should confirm this carefully."

Lu Tongpan felt a surge of anger. This man surnamed Cao was a supervisory official in charge of collecting tea, salt, and wine taxes in the prefecture, and he had a history of questionable conduct, with whom Lu had never had a good relationship. His words now felt like needles piercing Lu's heart. Suppressing his anger, he was about to retort when he suddenly heard Prefect Lin cough and look over, saying, "Lord Lu, this is a matter of life and death. This Inspector is personally appointed by the Emperor to oversee the affairs of the prefecture; it is no small matter. Lord Lu, you would be wise to be more careful."

Hearing Prefect Lin speak in the same manner, Judge Lu could only suppress his displeasure and turned to the steward, sternly asking, "When I asked you before, you said all the guests had come out. Is that true?"

The steward's face flushed red and then turned pale, his legs trembling uncontrollably. After a long pause, he stammered, "They should all... have come out... It was all in chaos at the time, and I didn't count them all..."

Judge Lu was furious, but before he could speak, another person beside him suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear, I hadn't thought of that before, but now that you mention it, it all comes to mind. Inspector Huang lived in the room at the far end next to mine. I haven't seen him since I came out. Could it be that he couldn't escape and was burned alive inside?"

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped, and the entire room fell silent instantly.

Xu Shirong heard a gurgling sound coming from Madam Lu's throat beside her. She was gripping the chair arm tightly with one hand and her eyes were glazed over. Xu Shirong hurriedly went over and patted her back, afraid that she might faint if she couldn't catch her breath.

"Nonsense! Nonsense!"

Although Judge Lu was still able to stand, his voice was trembling slightly.

"Quickly, go and search!"

Prefect Lin's expression changed drastically. He muttered that he had already headed in the direction the man had pointed. Seeing him go, the officials immediately stepped over the rubble and rushed over. They poured water into the pile of rubble to cool it down, and without caring about the dirt, they hurriedly began scavenging from the ground. A moment later, a cry of alarm rang out: "Oh no! Someone has indeed burned to death here!"

Upon hearing the shout, Magistrate Lu shuddered and rushed over, parting the crowd. Sure enough, he saw a charred object pressed under the lifted wall. Judging from its appearance, it was still vaguely recognizable as a curled-up human figure. His legs went weak, and he landed hard on the pile of rubble, no longer feeling any pain.

The officials in the prefecture had never seen such a gruesomely burned corpse before. When they came to their senses, the timid ones retreated in fear, while even the bold ones paled and dared not look a second time.

"Lord Lu, is Inspector Huang staying in this house?"

Prefect Lin took two steps back, realized what was happening, looked at Magistrate Lu, and shouted sternly.

Judge Lu's face was ashen, his lips trembled slightly, and he could no longer speak.

The crowd immediately began whispering among themselves, their expressions varied—sympathy, surprise, schadenfreude, and a whole host of other emotions.

Seeing that Magistrate Lu could not answer, Magistrate Lin assumed that he had agreed and sighed, "Lord Lu, the Inspector is of a high status. It is an unexpected death in your residence. Although it is a natural disaster, I have no choice but to report the facts. I hope you will not blame me."

Prefect Lu sat atop the pile of rubble, his head slightly bowed, filled with regret and fear. The Lianghuai region was rich in resources, but the salt and iron taxes were heavy. Emperor Renzong had sent this inspector to supervise the tax collection of the various prefectures. Now, because of his birthday celebration, he had suddenly died in his own residence. If this were reported to the emperor, his punishment would likely be severe. While he might not be executed, demotion was certainly inevitable.

Prefect Lu tried to stand up, but his legs were as weak as cotton. He sighed deeply and said, "The fault lies with me. Lord Lin, please report the facts..."

"etc!"

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt himself lighten and stood up abruptly. Turning around, he saw that it was Yang Huan who had lifted him up. Feeling somewhat grateful, he gave a wry smile and said, "Nephew, things have come to this, there's no point in saying more..."