The man who was keeping watch in the front yard was half asleep in the corner when he suddenly smelled something burning. Before he could figure out what was going on, he was woken up by his companion, "Get up quickly!" on fire!"
The fire was fierce, and the red light reflected half of the sky.
The boy rolled up and stood up, looking at the burning yard at a loss, "Why did there suddenly be such a big fire?"
Although the weather has indeed been relatively dry recently, the hottest days have already passed, so shouldn’t there be a risk of water leakage or fire
His companion gave him the barrel and slapped him on the head, "Don't think about it! Go put out the fire!"
If we don't put out the fire quickly, the whole house will be burned down.
Mingzhu hid the packed baggage in the grass outside the door, and wiped two handfuls of ashes on her face. It was dark at night, and it was impossible to see her face clearly unless she looked carefully.
The people in the mansion were in chaos, and they were all woken up from their sleep to fetch water to put out the fire.
The door was originally strictly guarded, but there were not enough manpower to put out the fire, and the fire never appeared. Therefore, both those who were needed and those who were not needed were called over to put out the fire.
Mingzhu took advantage of this opportunity and escaped from the door quietly.
She learned the lesson this time and did not go to an inn to stay, nor did she find a carriage to drive out of the city overnight. She had to convince Zhao Shi that she was really dead.
Mingzhu took advantage of the chaos and ran to the abandoned City God's Temple to spend the night. She was alone outside, but she was also smart. She hugged her baggage tightly and hid all the banknotes close to her body. She made herself look disgraceful so that no one would notice her.
There were some people staying overnight at the Chenghuang Temple who were begging for a living. There were men, women, and refugees with their children. They each occupied a corner and rested against the wall with their blankets on. No one cared about today. Tonight, there was another person in this shabby house.
Mingzhu sat on the straw pile. She didn't dare to sleep. There was a mixture of fish and dragons here. After all, it was not a safe place. If your baggage is stolen or robbed, you will die.
Next to her sat a girl in tattered clothes. The girl held a dirty steamed bun in her hand and ate it bite by bite.
There was a hole in the door of the Chenghuang Temple, and the roaring wind blew in at night, making people shiver from the cold.
The disheveled girl burped after eating the steamed buns. Mingzhu looked at her as if she was choking and handed her a kettle.
She held the kettle and took a sip, "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
The girl wiped her face and looked at half of the sky that was burning in the distance, "Why is there a fire over there?"
Mingzhu lowered her face and pretended not to hear.
"The whole house is going to burn down. It's such a shame."
"Probably not." Mingzhu said in a loud voice.
The others seemed to be frightened by the intensity of the fire over there, and started pointing, "This fire may burn someone to death."
"Whose mansion is that? Don't burn all the property left by your ancestors."
"You idiot, judging from the direction, it should be towards the Prince's Mansion."
They are people who make a living by begging and know the location of the capital very well.
"Oh, what a sin."
"I want your food and don't worry about things we shouldn't worry about."
"Aren't I just watching the fun? It's so refreshing to watch other people's houses burn down."
Anyway, they are people with nothing. If the wealthy businessman's house burned down, they would probably be happier. Unfortunately, it was the prince's house that was burned down by a fire tonight.
It's not a big deal if one room is burned down.
Mingzhu listened silently, looked up at the sky in the distance, and didn't say a word. She just hugged her legs tightly, hoping that the matter would pass quickly and she could go to Jiangnan with peace of mind.
The entire Prince's Mansion was in chaos.
The steward looked at the overturned fire, his vision went dark, his legs became weak, and he asked: "Where are the people? Have they come out?!"
The maid wiped her tears and her voice couldn't stop shaking, "I don't know, I don't know." Her crying became more obvious, and she said with trembling sobs, "I didn't see Miss Mingzhu..."
No sound was heard, and no figure of her was seen.
At this time, Mingzhu had already gone to bed, and most people were still in the house. She was already burning like this...
The steward gritted his teeth and said, "Has anyone gone in to take a look?!"
"No, when the fire was discovered, the fire was so strong that it was impossible to enter the house."
The steward was one of the few people who knew that Mingzhu was pregnant. He stamped his feet and pointed at someone with shaking hands, "Hurry into the palace and call the prince back."
It will be too late if you don't come back.
This man is obviously in serious danger, and he may not be able to be saved.
The stewards didn't dare to think about how the Prince's Palace felt after knowing this. If a concubine died today, that would be fine. The weight in Miss Mingzhu's heart in the Prince's Palace is different, not to mention that now she can kill two people.
It is obvious to all that the prince's palace is very fond of the child in Miss Mingzhu's belly. At the beginning, he even asked him to privately exchange the Bizi Decoction that Miss Mingzhu drank for an ordinary tonic.
The more the steward thought about it, the more frightened he became. Hot sweat broke out on his face due to the firelight, while a chill ran down his back.
The servant was also in a dilemma, "The palace gate is closed now. We can't go in. We can only wait for dawn."
The steward kicked him over, his voice trembling, "Can't you think of a way!?"
"There is really no way."
The keys to the palace gates are time-limited, and no one can enter the palace until the time of morning court.
The steward closed his eyes, unable to stand still, "First...save people first."
By the time it gets daybreak, I'm afraid I'll have to ask the Prince to come back and collect the body.
The water in the well in the courtyard was not enough, so they had to go around to the lake in the garden to scoop water. Water from far away could not save the fire nearby, and everyone collapsed on the ground tiredly. I had to watch helplessly as a sudden fire burned down all the beams of the house.
The sky was slightly bright, and the house where Mingzhu slept was burned to ruins.
The steward stayed up all night and his eyes were bloodshot. He made everyone stop and sighed, "Go to the palace and talk to the Prince."
It seemed that not even the body was left.
Everything is either covered in ashes or covered in charcoal. Time is also a fate. It was rainy and gloomy the day before, but there was not a drop of rain last night.
The servant hurriedly entered the palace with the cards in his hand. Zhao Shi had just entered the palace and was about to meet his mother. Then I heard the sound of communication.
The servant's face was covered with dust and he didn't even have time to wipe it off. He plopped down on his knees in front of the Prince's Palace, buried his head and cried, wanting to say but not daring to say: "Your Majesty..."
Zhao Shi took off the wristband and put it aside, frowning and looking down at him, "What's the matter?"
"Miss Mingzhu...Ms. Mingzhu...the house was burned down."
Zhao Shi's expression changed, and his eyes suddenly became very fierce, "Where is she?"
"No...don't know."
How could I dare to tell the truth? Even if he had his life, he would not dare to tell the Prince Palace that Miss Mingzhu could not be rescued and was burned to death in the sea of fire.
Zhao Shi took big steps and hurried out of the palace. He originally thought it was just an accident, the fire was huge, maybe it was a false alarm.
Zhao Shi grabbed the coachman's whip, got on the horse, threw the whip hard on the horse's back, and galloped all the way without waiting for a moment.
His heart became heavier and heavier, and an unpleasant premonition spread in his heart.
When the steward saw the prince rushing back, he raised his eyes and looked at his serious expression, feeling unhappy.
“Dian …”
He originally wanted to say something to calm down the prince, but even a person would not be able to bear the sight of those tragic ruins.
The Prince's Palace walked very fast, and before the steward's words could be uttered, he had already moved forward.
Zhao Shi swallowed, "Where is she? Was she scared?"
No one dared to answer his words, and no one dared to make a sound. Everyone lives like a mute, keeping their mouths shut to keep safe.
Zhao Shi glanced over with cold eyes, looking at them worse than looking at dead people.
The elderly maid couldn't bear the trouble, and was frightened by the suffocating atmosphere. Her body was shaking and her face was pale.
His kneecaps softened, and he knelt down directly, crying uncontrollably from his throat.
This cry broke the surface calm.
Zhao Shi stared at her coldly, his voice sounded like he was extremely angry, "Why are you crying?!"
The maid held back her cries and gritted her teeth without daring to make any more sound.
Zhao Shi walked forward past them, passed through a long corridor, and opened the courtyard door. When he saw the burned ruins with nothing left, he was stunned, as if he was dead.
After a long time, Zhao Shi finally found his voice, "Where's the Pearl?"
The steward took a deep breath and the master stood up, "When the fire was discovered, the fire was already very strong. It was really impossible to get in. Miss Mingzhu... she..."
"The person is still inside and has not been rescued."
Zhao Shi didn't react for a long time. He stood upright like a pine tree in the empty yard. His eyes suddenly turned blood red. He could hear the sound of joints dislocating in his clenched fists. He opened his mouth, But his throat felt like lead water had been poured into it, and for a moment he couldn't speak.
The sky is spinning, the head is dizzy and the brain is swollen. The ringing in his ears made his head hurt.
Zhao Shi's eyes were fixed on the ruins in front of him. Blood lines were everywhere. When he opened his mouth, his throat felt like it had been cut with a knife. It was filled with the smell of blood. He asked, "Were they not rescued?"
“Dian …”
Zhao Shi raised his hand, as if he didn't want to listen to him anymore. He took steps towards his feet, but his arms were too heavy to lift up. His pale face showed the slightest breath of the living dead in the sun, and the severe pain in his chest forced him to stop for the first time. pace.
It was not easy for him to reach the ruins. He staggered and knelt down.
His knees happened to be kneeling on the half-burned wooden board. The sharp wooden thorns pierced the brocade and dug into the flesh, which was extremely painful.
The steward reached out to help, but Zhao Shi pushed him away.
He staggered to his feet and fell down again before taking two steps.
There was someone beside him who couldn't hold back his cry, wiping his tears and sobbing.
Zhao Shi looked over with fierce eyes, his eyes were red as if they had blood. He lowered his voice and said, "If anyone dares to cry again, his tongue will be cut out."
This threat finally made people shut up.
Zhao Shi was digging through the ruins with his bare hands. His hands were covered in blood and covered with thin blood marks, but he seemed to feel no pain.
The steward couldn't bear to say: "Your Majesty, they have all turned over."
There is really nothing left except ashes.
Zhao Shi didn't seem to hear him. He dug his hands full of scars and still refused to give up.
"Your Majesty, the fire is really too big."
It was so big that no one could react, and the whole house was burned to the ground, surrounded by raging fire, and not even gods could save it.
At dawn, it almost disappeared into ashes.
Zhao Shi coughed and swallowed back the blood in his throat. The sun fell on his lifeless face, making his skin whiter.
He felt like he was having a nightmare, a nightmare from which he couldn't wake up. He came to his senses, raised his face and looked at them expressionlessly, "Why did it catch on fire?"
"My servant doesn't know either."
The steward really couldn't figure it out, how could Duanduan catch fire? Unless someone set the fire deliberately.
Who hates Miss Mingzhu so much? Don't hesitate to be so cruel.
He tossed and turned and never thought of such a person, until just now, he suddenly figured it out.
At first…
The girl Mingzhu was kidnapped by the Prince's Palace back then, and the Prince's Palace made her pregnant with his own tricks.
Miss Mingzhu is weak and bully, but she is also a bit stubborn and is not incapable of playing with fire and burning herself.
The manager dare not say this guess. The Prince's Palace must not be able to bear it.
Zhao Shi also thought of this. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his fingers were as cold as ice, as if he had been thrown into an extremely cold environment.
She sought death on her own, right
I would rather die with my child than stay with him.
Zhao Shi didn't want to believe this guess. His Zhuzhu wanted a beautiful girl so much and was so afraid of pain. How could she be willing to be so cruel to him? He will definitely find the person who set the fire.
Zhao Shi was stiff and stood still for a long time. He said, "Zhuzhu will not die. No one is allowed to cry."
He was like a stubborn patient, "If anyone dares to cry, I will cut out his tongue."
After saying this, the steward of the palace saw bright red blood spilling from the corner of the prince's mouth.
A mouthful of blood hurts the heart, like a deep pain.
At this time, the steward was even more afraid to sweep out the ashes from the ruins and hand them into the hands of the Prince.