Chapter 43

After leaving the ancestral hall, she saw several tall figures quickly darting past above her head, running toward the courtyard where Yan Meili was staying.

“Huh? Who are they? It’s the middle of the night, and they’re wearing night clothes!”

“Wow! Could they be assassins or something?”

Xia Qingqing covered her mouth, not daring to make a sound.

Since her transmigration here, this was the first time she had seen people moving about in the dead of night. How thrilling!

“Miss!”

“Miss!”

Xiao Suo’s voice rang from the front door.

“Xiao Suo, I’m here!”

Xia Qingqing hurried to the front door.

Xiao Suo ran over with excitement, draping a coat over Xia Qingqing’s shoulders. “Miss, I received a note from a kind person and found out that you were locked in the ancestral hall! I’ve brought you food and clothes!”

Xia Qingqing quickly put on the coat and took the food box from Xiao Suo, eating the steaming meal.

“It was so cold and I was so hungry earlier. Now I need to replenish my energy and rest a bit. I still have big things to do!”

Xiao Suo stared in surprise at the sixth young lady. “Miss, let me do the scripture copying. You should get a good night’s sleep!”

“Scripture copying? What’s the point of copying scriptures? Your lady’s temperament is one that seeks vengeance for any wrong, and never lets a grudge go unresolved. Wait until I finish my meal, and I’ll explain it to you!”

Xia Qingqing quickly finished her meal.

She wiped her mouth, leaned in close to Xiao Suo’s ear, and whispered a few words.

Xiao Suo’s eyes widened in disbelief, then nodded rapidly.

“Miss, I’ll do exactly as you said!”

Xiao Suo quickly packed up and hurried off.

Xia Qingqing straightened her clothes and walked toward the courtyard where Xia Jinlan was staying.

“Xia Jinlan, let’s see if you can make it through the night! Heh heh heh!”

In the second young lady’s courtyard, a few lanterns were dimly lit along the corridor. A figure in red leapt over the courtyard wall.

In a few swift movements, the figure used a stone to extinguish the lanterns, plunging the entire courtyard into darkness.

Inside Xia Jinlan’s room, the head maid, Yu Lian, was sleeping on a small couch by the big bed. A wisp of blue smoke swirled near her nose. Soon, Yu Lian fell into a deep sleep.

The figure in red quietly approached Xia Jinlan’s bed.

The curtains around the bed were pulled back, revealing a woman with long, flowing hair. Her face was pale, and her eerie smile focused on the sweetly sleeping Xia Jinlan.

Xia Jinlan turned over in her sleep, muttering something, and suddenly opened her eyes wide.

“Ah!”

A piercing scream filled the room.

“Who… who are you?”

“Heh heh heh…”

The figure in red revealed a wide, bloodthirsty grin, extending ten sharp fingers toward Xia Jinlan.

“Help…”

Before Xia Jinlan could finish her plea, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

The red-clad figure let out a soft sigh and left the room.

She quickly ran back to the ancestral hall, and when she arrived, Xiao Suo had already started sprinkling pine oil around the hall.

“Miss, I’ve scattered it all. When should we light it?”

“Now!”

Xiao Suo held the torch and set the pine-oil-soaked door alight.

“These clothes must burn!”

Xia Qingqing took off the red clothes she had been wearing and tossed them into the fire.

With a crackling sound, the flames quickly spread, setting the entire ancestral hall ablaze.

“Xiao Suo, go find someone! Make sure to make it dramatic! Let’s put on a tragic show!”

Xia Qingqing smeared black charcoal ash on her face and clothes, then crawled through the hole into the ancestral hall.

Outside, Xiao Suo was shouting at the top of her lungs, “There’s a fire! The ancestral hall’s on fire! Come save my young lady!”

She ran toward the madam’s courtyard, shouting loudly.

The Summer residence’s servants were awakened by her screams and rushed to get water to put out the fire, seeing thick smoke billowing from the direction of the ancestral hall.

Yan Meili and Xia Jinxing were sleeping soundly until Lin knocked on their door, waking them.

“Master! Madam! It’s bad! The ancestral hall is on fire! Sixth young lady is still copying scriptures in there!”

“What? Her career is over!”

Xia Jinxing sprang out of bed, his expression grim.

“Master, let it burn. Why are you so nervous?”

Yan Meili calmly sat up.

“Madam, the sixth girl can’t be in danger! If she’s harmed, it’s over for me!”

Xia Jinxing sat up in distress, threw on his outer robe, and rushed toward the ancestral hall.

“Hmph!”

Yan Meili glared at his back reluctantly, then, with Lin’s help, dressed and followed him out.

Just as they left, several figures in black entered the room.

“Fifth Prince, they’ve all gone to save the sixth young lady. Should we help?”

“No need to worry. This fire was set by that little girl herself! She won’t suffer for it! Let’s go look for Yan Meili’s little treasure chest.”

The two black-clad figures rummaged through the room, quickly finding the cabinet where Yan Meili kept her large amounts of silver notes.

They exchanged glances, and then proceeded to loot the cabinet.

“This should be enough! Heh heh heh!”

“Actually, it’s all thanks to Yan Shoufu. That old fox hoarded so much silver, but only gave her this small portion. She’s pretty stingy.”

“It’s fine. She’ll just go to her father for more! Time’s running out, let’s head back.”

“Wait! Aren’t you going to see how the sixth young lady’s performance goes?”

“No time for that. We need the silver to buy some equipment!”

“No, we still need to frame Xia Tinglan!”

One of the black figures whispered a few words to his subordinate, who quickly grabbed gold, silver, and jewels before hurrying toward Xia Tinglan’s residence.

The group quickly left Yan Meili’s room and disappeared into the night.

Xia Jinxing arrived at the ancestral hall and stared at the scorched remains.

His official career… his future…

It’s all over!

He collapsed, clutching his head in agony.

“Father, what happened?”

Xia Tinglan, accompanied by four guards, rushed over.

“Xiu, your Xia Qingqing was burned to death. Your grandfather told me to treat Qingqing well… But how could this happen when she was just copying scriptures? Did you have something to do with this?”

Xia Jinxing was furious. He had returned that evening and heard that Xia Qingqing had been locked in the ancestral hall copying scriptures, which he was extremely reluctant about.

But both Yan Meili and Xia Tinglan insisted it was just a small punishment and that nothing would happen.

Who would have thought the ancestral hall would burn down?

He was consumed by hatred!

“Slap!”

Xia Jinxing slapped Xia Tinglan across the face.

“Father, what are you doing? You’ve never hit me before! Are you crazy?”

Xia Tinglan turned in a daze, completely stunned by the blow.

“Master, why are you hitting Tinglan?”

Yan Meili arrived just in time, witnessing Xia Jinxing slap Xia Tinglan.

“If you want to do something, don’t act recklessly. Xia Qingqing is dead. No one in this family will escape unharmed!”

Xia Jinxing’s eyes were bloodshot as he raged at Yan Meili.