Chapter 207: Burned Well! Burned Brilliantly!

Hearing this, Wu Yong snapped his head up.

"Grandmother, you—?"

Seeing his instinctive reaction, Old Madam had her answer. She withdrew her gaze and closed her eyes.

"Help me lie down."

Wu Yong quickly removed the soft pillow propped behind her, gently helped her lie back, and carefully tucked in the blanket.

Old Madam kept her eyes closed, raised a hand, and waved it.

"Enough, I'm tired. Go back."

"Yes."

Wu Yong walked out weighed down with worry, and after shutting the door tightly he let out a long sigh.

So Grandmother had already sensed something.

In the room, Old Madam, who had been keeping her eyes tightly shut, opened them and reached under the pillow to feel out a medicine bottle.

She looked at the bottle, sighed, and put it back.

Enough. A broken body, with not many days left—if she could help a little more, that was good too.

……

Early the next morning, the entire Wu Residence was bustling.

But at such a critical time, not many Imperial Officials came to offer Old Madam birthday greetings. Apart from the few families arranged in advance, only a dozen or so officials showed up.

Wu Yong didn't mind, though. As long as there were people watching, they only needed someone to see and someone to bear witness.

"Minister Wu!"

Wang Cai stepped forward with his own pair of ten-year-old twins and his Grandson, who had just turned six.

The two exchanged a glance, and Wu Yong went to greet him with a smile.

"Minister Wang."

Wang Cai cupped his hands toward him and deliberately spoke loudly in the yard, in front of everyone.

"On this fine day, Wang has a presumptuous request."

Wu Yong's eyes flickered, and he replied with a smile.

"What are you saying, Minister Wang? We've served at court together for over twenty years. If there's anything Wu can help with, just say it straight—why be so formal?"

Wang Cai smiled and patted the heads of the children beside him.

"It's just that I wanted to let my little ones go pay a visit to Old Madam and pick up some of the good cheer while they're at it?"

Wu Yong laughed heartily.

"I thought it was something serious—of course, absolutely!"

"What a coincidence, my Grandson is over there too. The children can play together."

The moment those words left his mouth, the other three families who had been waiting nearby hurried to speak up.

"Minister Wu, let our children go along with them too."

Wu Yong nodded in agreement.

"Good, good, good."

He turned and instructed the steward.

"Quickly take these young masters and young misses to Old Madam's courtyard."

The steward lowered his head in acknowledgment and led eight or nine children to the Backyard.

"Come, come, everyone, let's go!"

Wu Yong cheerfully urged everyone to keep moving inside.

Soon the banquet began, a scene of perfect harmony.

The banquet was past its midpoint, just as everyone was drinking in high spirits, when a young male servant suddenly burst in.

"Bad news, bad news!"

"Something's happened, my lord!"

Wu Yong's face showed displeasure.

"What's the panic? Can't you see the hall is still full of guests? What kind of behavior is this carrying on?"

"My lord, the Backyard's on fire! Old Madam's courtyard has been burned too!"

"What?!"

Wu Yong slammed the table and shot to his feet, strode over, grabbed the young servant by the collar, and hauled him up.

"How is Old Madam's courtyard now?!"

The young servant was badly frightened, and spoke trembling.

"The f-fire hasn't been put out yet."

"My children!"

"My Grandson!"

The families who had sent their children to Old Madam's courtyard rushed toward the Backyard, and the other guests followed behind. A great crowd streamed noisily toward the Backyard.

Before they even got close, they saw smoke billowing skyward, and young servants and maids hurrying back and forth with water buckets and basins.

When the crowd arrived, the raging fire had burned through the roof beams inside, and the house had collapsed outright.

The sight made everyone's heart leap into their throats.

Wu Yong's eyes seemed about to split from their sockets.

"Grandmother!"

Wang Cai and the others collapsed to the ground on the spot, pounding the earth and weeping.

"Mother!"

"My son!"

The others present, seeing this, could not bear to watch and shook their heads, sighing one after another.

Who could have imagined it?

They had come to the banquet in high spirits, only to end up losing several lives.

……

In the Imperial Study of the palace.

The Shunhe Emperor frowned as he looked over the military reports coming in from various regions.

Shi Gui at his side stepped forward lightly and replaced the cup with a fresh pot of cold tea.

The Shunhe Emperor drank down most of the cup of cold tea, barely suppressing the fury in his heart.

"Has anything happened in the Capital lately?"

Shi Gui stole a glance upward, then replied cautiously.

"The common folk in the city show no unusual signs, but the Imperial Officials at court are somewhat restless—though they haven't done anything out of line."

"Oh? They've heard talk of Rebellion, that the enemy is nearly at the Capital, yet the people aren't afraid?"

As he spoke, the Shunhe Emperor let out a cold laugh.

"Hmph!"

"The Cheng Family Army's name and prestige truly run deep!"

Shi Gui, listening at the side, broke out in a cold sweat. His eyes darted, and he began to change the subject.

"Speaking of which, there was actually some excitement in the city today."

The Shunhe Emperor raised his eyes.

"Let's hear it."

"It was at Wu Yong, Lord Wu's residence. They were holding a birthday banquet for the Old Madam of the Wu family. Quite a few Imperial Officials went to offer their congratulations—I hear the occasion was very lively."

Hearing this, a flicker of deep thought crossed the Shunhe Emperor's eyes.

"At a time like this, and still throwing a grand birthday banquet? Wu Yong doesn't seem like the sort of man who would be so thoughtless."

Shi Gui also found it a little strange, but on second thought, there was nothing unusual about it.

"The Old Madam of the Wu Residence's birthday banquet had been in preparation for several months now. Perhaps they felt that, since word had already gone out, letting it simply fizzle out wouldn't look good?"

The Shunhe Emperor's brow furrowed slightly, and he gave an order.

"Regardless, send someone to keep a close watch!"

"Yes."

Shi Gui accepted the order and withdrew.

He had been gone only a short while when a clamor of voices rose outside the Imperial Study—sounded like an argument.

Before long, Shi Gui, who had just left not long ago, came hurrying back in, his face panicked.

"This is bad, Your Majesty. A fire suddenly broke out at the Wu Residence's birthday banquet. The Old Madam of the Wu family, the Old Madam of the Wang family, and several young members of the Imperial Officials' households perished in the flames."

"Right now, several Imperial Officials are kneeling outside the Imperial Study, begging Your Majesty to see that justice is done."

"What?"

"A fire broke out?"

The Shunhe Emperor frowned and thought for a moment.

"Let them in first."

The moment he crossed the threshold of the Imperial Study, Wang Cai rushed forward and dropped to his knees with a thud.

"I beg Your Majesty to see justice done for your subject!"

The other Imperial Officials were also weeping bitterly.

"A life for a life—that is only right and proper. I beg the Xiyue Emperor to issue an Imperial Decree and severely punish Wu Yong!"

Wu Yong was also kneeling at the side, his eyes red and swollen. He glared at the men through gritted teeth.

"What do you gentlemen mean by this?"

"Are you suggesting that Wu deliberately set the fire?! Don't forget—my Grandmother was also in the room at the time!"

Wang Cai wiped at his tears, stuck out his neck, and made his accusation.

"But the fact remains that a fire broke out in your Backyard. Whether it was deliberate or a failure of vigilance, no matter how you look at it, you cannot escape responsibility for this!"

"Yes! Don't even think of denying it!"

"Your Grandmother already had the yellow earth up to her neck, but my poor Grandson was still a child of six!"

Hearing those words, Wu Yong's eyes went bloodshot. He seized the man by the collar and drove his fist straight into the man's face.

"Shut your mouth!"

"You will not speak of my Grandmother that way!"

The Shunhe Emperor rubbed his throbbing temple, gave a look to a palace attendant, and had the men pulled apart.

"Enough! All of you, calm yourselves!"

"Shi Gui, offer them seats!"

The Shunhe Emperor's gaze swept over each of them in turn. His face gave nothing away, but in his heart he thought—

What a fine fire this is!

What a marvelous fire!