Zhong Li's gaze skipped over the pavilion, looking towards the Imperial Garden not fifty paces away. A crowd of imperial consorts and ministers' families had gathered there, with thick smoke billowing from their center. Simultaneously, heart-wrenching cries erupted, nearly tearing a hole in the sky.
"Hua Yao, quickly!"
Zhong Li’s brows furrowed. She braced herself on the stone table in front of her, then leaped into the pavilion, rushing towards the source of the fire.
"Make way!" She no longer cared whether the people in front of her were noble consorts or ladies of high rank. She forcefully pushed through the crowd, squeezing towards where the fire had broken out.
Fortunately, Shen Nong remained calm and ordered, "Make way for Censor Zhong."
As Zhong Li burst to the front of the crowd, a human torch presented itself before her.
"Quick, find water! Extinguish the fire!" She instructed the onlookers, seeing Xie Yunxi rolling on the ground. Then, she removed her official robe and lunged towards Xie Yunxi.
Several eunuchs and palace maids carrying small basins rushed forward, aiming at the fireball on the ground.
It was initially thought that it was just a person on fire, and a few basins of water would suffice. However, the flames seemed possessed. Despite seven or eight palace attendants repeatedly pouring water, the fire consuming Xie Yunxi showed no signs of abating.
"This..." One woman in the crowd of ladies, witnessing this, recoiled in fear. "What... what is happening? Fire that doesn't extinguish with water... isn't that will-o'-the-wisp?"
As she spoke, many around her turned pale, retreating several paces and shouting, "Will-o'-the-wisp... Will-o'-the-wisp, this is terrible, the Imperial Garden is haunted!"
Zhong Li narrowed her eyes, looking at Xie Yunxi, who was already beyond the ability to cry out from the burns. She said to the people around her, "What will-o'-the-wisp nonsense? If you don't know, don't spread fear. Go find sand!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the palace attendants reacted and ran in all directions with their tools.
In ancient palaces, firefighting primarily involved water. Sand or soil was not readily available. By the time everyone returned and the fire was put out, Xie Yunxi was nowhere to be found. Only a pair of hands and feet lay scattered on the ground.
Zhong Li, utterly exhausted, leaned against a nearby tree, holding her robe and gasping as she looked at the scene.
How could this be? The fire on Xie Yunxi’s body appeared to be ordinary fire, yet no matter what she did, she couldn't extinguish it. She could only watch her burn alive. What had happened here? How had Xie Yunxi caught fire?
"What happened?"
Just as Zhong Li was staring at Xie Yunxi's remaining limbs on the ground, a voice echoed.
Zhong Li quickly regained her senses. Following the other imperial consorts and noble ladies, she knelt on the ground, saying, "Long live the Emperor, long live, long live."
Lu Jing'an, leading a retinue of ministers and princes, arrived and, upon seeing the scene, recoiled several steps in shock.
He glared at the 'corpse' on the ground and asked, "What happened?"
Shen Nong glanced at everyone, then approached Lu Jing'an and recounted the entire incident. "Reporting to Your Majesty, your concubine was leading the sisters and ladies in tasting some Hundred Flower Brew, and then we were strolling in the garden. Suddenly, we heard the Consort of the Prince of Xian let out a series of ear-piercing screams. By the time we reacted, the Consort of the Prince of Xian was already engulfed in flames and rolling on the ground, begging for help."
"The Consort... Consort of the Prince of Xian?" The ministers behind the Emperor, upon hearing that the burned woman was the Consort of the Prince of Xian, all cast their eyes towards Prince Xian, Lu Fengyang.
He stood there, his brows knitted, looking at the woman's limbs on the ground, his emotions unreadable.
As for Lu Wuxie, who followed behind him, he remained as unruly as ever, showing no concern for Xie Yunxi's death.
Lu Jing'an withdrew his gaze from the father and son of the Prince of Xian. Their demeanor was not unexpected. After all, he was aware that Xie Yunxi was merely a shadow of Xie Yunxia. Who would harbor feelings for a shadow? And as for Lu Wuxie, he knew his rebellious son well enough to know that he wished for Xie Yunxi’s disappearance.
"Cough cough!" Lu Jing'an cleared his throat and swept his gaze across the ladies opposite him. Seeing them all nodding, he knew the Empress was telling the truth.
"Suddenly caught fire? The water vats are right here. How could a person burn like this?" he asked again.
Shen Nong glanced at the remains on the ground, frowned, and shook her head. "Your Majesty, this concubine truly does not know. Several palace attendants were trying to put out the fire, but no matter how much water was poured, the fire on the Consort of the Prince of Xian would not be extinguished until... until the body was burned to this extent, and the fire slowly died down."
"Oh?" Lu Jing'an narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on the ground.
Behind him, many princes and ministers had already begun to whisper amongst themselves.
"During this time, Censor Zhong was presiding over the firefighting efforts, and she was also the closest to the Consort of the Prince of Xian. Your Majesty can ask her for her thoughts," Shen Nong said, looking at Zhong Li behind her.
"Zhong Li, speak!" Lu Jing'an shifted his gaze to Zhong Li and asked.
Zhong Li stood up, but did not answer immediately. Instead, she walked to Xie Yunxi's body and observed it closely. The sand had made the scene a mess, but she still found some yellow, viscous substance at the spot where Xie Yunxi had just burned to death.
Could it be...
"How is it?"
Just as an idea flashed through Zhong Li's mind, Lu Jing'an, impatient, inquired.
Zhong Li turned around, cupped her hands towards Lu Jing'an, and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this minister was not beside the Consort of the Prince of Xian at the time. As for the source of the fire, this minister does not know for the moment.
However, this minister believes that the Consort of the Prince of Xian likely self-immolated."
"Self-immolated?" Lu Jing'an frowned, somewhat confused.
Along with him, the ministers behind him were even more perplexed, their discussions growing louder.
"What do you mean?" Lu Jing'an inquired.
"As the name suggests, it means burning oneself..."
"You're spouting nonsense!" Before Zhong Li could finish speaking, a voice rang out from behind Lu Jing'an.
Zhong Li looked up and saw Xu Qing slowly emerging from the crowd of ministers. After performing a kowtow to Lu Jing'an, he pointed at Zhong Li and said, "Your Majesty, Censor Zhong is lying!"
As he spoke, everyone present looked at Zhong Li.
Lu Jing'an lowered his gaze to Xu Qing before him and said, "Minister Xu, what do you mean?"
Xu Qing sneered at Zhong Li and said, "Censor Zhong, if this official has guessed correctly, you and the Consort of the Prince of Xian have always been at odds, haven't you? Could it be that you took revenge and killed the Consort of the Prince of Xian?"
Zhong Li looked back at Xu Qing, her brows furrowed. "Lord Xu, how can we be at odds? I have only met the Consort of the Prince of Xian twice. This statement is a bit excessive?"
"Is it?" Xu Qing sneered and said, "Then why did my servant tell me that the Consort of the Prince of Xian deliberately targeted you at the ladies' banquet just now?"
Servant?
Hearing the word, Zhong Li's gaze swept across the crowd. When she saw Fan Ren hiding among the people, she suddenly understood. This young constable had been observing her from the shadows.
"Yes, the Consort of the Prince of Xian did deliberately make things difficult for me at the banquet, but..."
"Hey!" Before Zhong Li could finish, Xu Qing raised his hand to stop her. "This official has not finished speaking. Although Censor Zhong has only met the Consort of the Prince of Xian twice, it does not preclude you from having a conflict. If this official remembers correctly, the Heir Apparent should have an unclear relationship with Censor Zhong, right?
It is not uncommon for the future mother-in-law to dislike the new bride, is it?"