Yu Mingyue asked Chi Dan to tie her hair with a ribbon first. After tidying her clothes, she let Li Fu in.
"Miss asked me to keep an eye on the Wang family's villa. Last night, the villa suddenly caught fire. I wanted to send people to put it out, but the fire grew bigger and bigger, burning the Wang family's villa to ashes..."
"What about the Wang family? Did they escape?"
"Not a single survivor." Li Fu shook his head. "The bodies were all carried out and placed in the courtyard. The Qianniu Guard has already taken over the case."
The Emperor had just asked the Yao family to borrow books from the Qinghe Cui clan, and then the Wang family's villa caught fire. This fire was probably not an accident, but arson.
In this case, how could the Five Great Clans remain indifferent and be slaughtered.
The conflict was likely to escalate again.
"Keep an eye on the progress of the case and report to me promptly if you have any news."
Li Fu said yes. As he was about to leave, he added, "Oh, right. I saw young Master Xie when I was leaving the city. He seemed to have just returned from outside the city."
The young lady had always been on good terms with young Master Xie, so she would probably be happy to hear news of him.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm absolutely sure. The pastries young Master Xie was carrying were from the shop of Liu Daren in Niujia Village. I'm familiar with Liu Daren and recognize the patterns and trademarks on their pastries. I originally intended to greet him, but Master Xie was in a hurry, and I was also in a hurry to leave the city, so I didn't greet him."
Young Master Xie's attire was also a little different from usual. He was afraid of mistaking him, so he took an extra look.
Yu Mingyue said she understood and instructed him not to mention seeing Xie Jia'an, then let Li Fu leave.
"Miss, will something happen?" Chi Dan was a little worried.
She was a born servant of the Cui family. Although she was not a noble lady, she had grown up in that environment and naturally understood more than others.
Yu Mingyue shook her head. "I can't say for sure about the current situation," she feared that misfortune was unavoidable.
"Does Miss want to return to the capital?"
"Not yet. The day after tomorrow is Youyou's fifteenth birthday. Leaving now would spoil her mood. Besides, there's nothing I can do even if I return to the capital now." Yu Mingyue said this, but she couldn't help but feel a little worried in her heart.
As soon as Xie Jia'an returned to the capital, he heard about the Wang family's villa incident. This fire inevitably reminded people of the fire in Liancheng years ago.
Not long after the Liancheng fire, the aristocratic families counterattacked. Then the former Crown Prince was deposed, and the Emperor with aristocratic blood was pushed to the position of Crown Prince. Soon after, the Grand Emperor passed away, and the Emperor ascended the throne.
The Five Great Clans were united. They would definitely not stand by and do nothing.
This matter was definitely not the Emperor's doing. The Emperor hated the aristocratic families, but he knew that it had to be done gradually.
There was no need to kill Wang Ningqing in the capital, and even more so to provoke them in a way that the aristocratic families hated the most.
As soon as Xie Jia'an returned to his residence, his father called him into the study. "Those disciples of the aristocratic families have already started causing trouble, demanding an explanation from the court. Today is a holiday, and the Emperor has already summoned the Zhongshu Province to the palace for discussions."
It had only been a few days since the Empress's death, and the head of the Wang family had died in the capital. How could the aristocratic families remain calm?
Although the aristocratic families did not have armies, they had their own retainers. The Li family had weapons and armor, the Zheng family had warhorses, and the Lu family had money. If they were to repeat their past actions and establish a new emperor, the Great Wei, which had been stable for decades, would likely fall into chaos again.
"My father's worries are not unfounded, so why don't you take your mother and leave first while my father stays here." Xie Jia'an said.
"No, if anyone is to leave, it will be you taking your mother." Xie Yuanlang flatly refused.
The reunion of mother and son was his long-held wish, otherwise, he would not have risked returning to the capital.
"I cannot leave at this time. I promised my mother that I would resolve the conflict between the aristocratic families and the court. As you can see the current situation, my body carries the blood of the Xiao and Wang families. For both reason and sentiment, I cannot leave at this time." Xie Jia'an refused.
"Listen to your father and take your mother away. She also longs to be reunited with you. I will stay behind."
One of them, father or son, had to stay. If they both resigned from their posts at the same time, it might arouse the Emperor's suspicion.