Chapter 24: Who Set the Fire? Who Did I Kill?

It was an unremarkable night, yet Jiang Nian slept poorly.

When she opened her eyes at dawn, Pei Jiuru was already gone from her side. Before she could call out, Green Wax hurried into the room, knocking urgently.

"My Lady, Young Master Bo is at the manor!"

"Bo Yijin? He is looking for me?" Jiang Nian woke up instantly. She dressed quickly, twisted her hair up in a haphazard bun, and headed out.

"As you instructed, My Lady, whether it is Young Master Bo, Miss Meng, or Miss Xiao, we were not to open the door for them. We did not let him in, nor did we disturb the Master."

"Correct! I can always count on you!" Jiang Nian rushed to the manor gates. Taking a deep breath, she pulled them open. "Why this sudden visit, Young Master Bo? I received no notice—I hope you haven't been slighted by our hospitality."

Though she spoke the words, Jiang Nian made no move to invite him inside. Seeing the look in Bo Yijin’s eyes, she frowned in annoyance.

Bo Yijin was staring at her face with undisguised greed. She looked as if she had just woken up; a faint flush remained on her cheeks, and perhaps because she had run over in haste, a few stray locks of hair had escaped her hairstyle. Suddenly, a look of irritation crossed her face, making her appear all the more vivid. Hers was not a dazzling, striking beauty, but this delicate, oval-shaped face felt as refreshing and comfortable to him as a breeze in the woods.

He had originally intended to wait until his plans were complete before taking her for himself, but this provided a perfect opportunity to threaten her...

Bo Yijin regained his focus and said sternly, "Lady Jiang, the fire three streets away from the Jiang manor—you set it, and the person inside was killed by you."

"?" What nonsense was he spouting so early in the morning?

"Yesterday, I took your portrait to the incense shop. The shopkeeper said it was you who bought a large amount of candle oil."

"Who set a fire? Who did I kill?" Instinct told Jiang Nian that Bo Yijin also believed the corpse in that fire was Tang Qingwan, just as she had suspected. But since he did not say it explicitly, she certainly would not. Furthermore, from his words, she understood that he was investigating this privately; the local authorities were not involved at all.

"Young Master Bo, you cannot convict someone based solely on the shopkeeper’s word. I will go with you to the incense shop; I want to confront him."

Bo Yijin was taken aback, then nodded. Every step Jiang Nian took was beyond his expectations.

She showed no guilt, nor any panic; instead, she demanded a face-to-face confrontation. It was becoming increasingly interesting.

"Lady Jiang, please, take the carriage."

"Thank you, but the Pei manor has its own." Jiang Nian turned back toward the house. Watching Bo Yijin’s jaw clench, she found him increasingly repulsive.

The two carriages traveled to the incense shop. By the time she stepped out, Green Wax had styled Jiang Nian’s hair into a neat, married woman's chignon. A flash of disappointment crossed Bo Yijin’s eyes, and his tone was displeased as he addressed the shopkeeper: "Shopkeeper, was it not this woman who came to buy the candle oil?"

Jiang Nian looked at the shopkeeper with a steady gaze. The shopkeeper, bewildered, spoke truthfully: "It was not her. I have never seen this lady before!"

"Yesterday, you clearly said the woman in the portrait bought the candle oil!" A hint of violence spilled into Bo Yijin’s eyes. He ordered his men to unfurl the scroll. "Is it her?"

"Th-this... is the portrait and this lady the same person? The person who came to buy the oil did look about fifty percent like the portrait, but it is not this lady here..." The shopkeeper examined Jiang Nian closely. "If I had to say, the woman that day had features somewhat similar to this lady, perhaps ten or twenty percent!"

Jiang Nian was now certain: the one who bought the oil was Tang Qingwan herself. It was normal for cousins to share a resemblance. She glanced at the portrait; it was meant to be her, but it also looked like Tang Qingwan, and could even pass for Green Wax or Red Pistil! She truly wondered where Bo Yijin had found such a painter.

"Fortunately, the shopkeeper has cleared my name, or I would have been falsely accused by you for no reason, Young Master Bo."

Bo Yijin suppressed his impatience and offered an apology: "Forgive me, Lady Jiang. I have been too anxious about Qingwan’s whereabouts these past two days and was unsettled, which led to this misunderstanding. I apologize."

"I do not blame you, Young Master Bo. I, too, wish to find my cousin as soon as possible. But shouldn't the priority be finding her? Why is Young Master Bo so concerned about that fire? Could it be related to my cousin? And why were you carrying my portrait to the incense shop to ask questions?"

"It is unrelated. I am merely being overly suspicious! To tell the truth, I was just using your portrait as a test." Bo Yijin was deeply annoyed; he hated being forced to answer like this.

"Young Master Bo, you need not waste your time on me. I have only recently married and spend every day with my husband; when would I have the time to set fires and commit murder?"

Bo Yijin grew even more frustrated, especially as Jiang Nian continued in a leisurely tone:

"What matters now is my cousin. I know you may not like to hear it, but Miss Meng and Miss Xiao certainly bear some resentment toward her. She is the first woman you have given a formal status to, right? Perhaps it was your rivals who targeted her..."

Bo Yijin slowly began to take her words to heart. It was not that he absolutely had to find Tang Qingwan, but since he had given her a title, he had to find her—it was a matter of his own face!

Seeing Bo Yijin deep in thought, Jiang Nian curled her lips slightly. A moment later, she saw someone enter the shop. She couldn't help but think that Meng Yingying was truly gifted at sniffing out trouble.

"Jin, why are you here alone with the Lady of Pei!" Meng Yingying’s eyes darted between them.

Jiang Nian explained the sequence of events in a few words, then tactfully said, "The misunderstanding has been cleared, so I shall not disturb you both any further."

"Lady of Pei, I will see you out." Meng Yingying followed Jiang Nian out of the shop, determined to give her a warning. "Lady of Pei, right now..."

"Miss Meng! Has my cousin truly gone missing? My second aunt said she might have gone out to clear her head... Though I didn't expect Young Master Bo to be so anxious over this. He is truly worried for her; their bond must be deep indeed."

"You are overthinking it!" Meng Yingying also realized Bo Yijin’s unusual behavior, but she refused to acknowledge it. A mere Tang Qingwan, a concubine—was she worth him making such a scene?

Jiang Nian acted as if she hadn't heard the rebuttal and continued to sigh: "Such a deep and lasting love—it is truly a pity for my cousin to be only a concubine. It seems she was sincere when she said she didn't care about status! They share such deep affection; if she truly cannot be found, wouldn't Young Master Bo be heartbroken to death?"

Meng Yingying didn't want to say another word to Jiang Nian. Without realizing that her own train of thought had been led astray by Jiang Nian, she simply pulled a cold face. "Safe travels, Lady of Pei!"

Jiang Nian walked a few paces away and immediately heard the sounds of an argument between Bo Yijin and Meng Yingying breaking out behind her. Let them argue; those two had three million words of "loving and killing" ahead of them!

"Green Wax, back to the manor."

"Are you not afraid, My Lady?"

Jiang Nian shook her head. Not only was she not afraid, she felt a glimmer of excitement. Whether it was Bo Yijin, Meng Yingying, Xiao Ru, or any other important figure, she was but a pawn in their power struggle.

Since she couldn't avoid the collision of these plot points, who said a pawn couldn't join the table and arm-wrestle?

However, before the arm-wrestling began, she needed to ask Pei Jiuru about what happened that day.