There is a god in the sky

Chapter 80 The Arson Case at the Yu Mansion (Part 1)

After nightfall, Shen Lan changed into a pure white dress and went out.

She let her hair down, tied only with a white ribbon, and wore light makeup.

As she climbed over the wall, her long skirt billowed in the wind, like a sprite drifting by.

Fortunately, she now lives in a room by herself, otherwise it would be difficult to explain her whereabouts to Xuan'er.

There weren't many pedestrians on the street. Shen Lan carried a lantern and walked towards the Yu residence.

She knew the location of the Yu residence by heart; it wasn't far from the Song residence's villa.

Fifteen minutes later, she knocked on the door of the Yu residence.

The gatekeeper saw a girl in white standing outside the gate. She was ethereal and captivating, and he stared at her intently.

"Who are you looking for, girl?"

Shen Lan, her face covered with a white veil, said softly, "I have an appointment with Lord Yu."

Lord Yu had indeed given instructions to the gatekeeper, so upon hearing that there was an appointment, the gatekeeper opened the door and welcomed Shen Lan inside.

"This way, young lady." The doorman personally led her over.

The Yu residence was not small, but it is estimated that Yu Yuanwang had given special instructions, as they did not encounter any other people on the way.

The gatekeeper noticed her confusion and explained, "The master instructed me to lead you along this path."

Shen Lan lowered her head and chuckled softly, "There's no need to be so cautious."

This is like a secret rendezvous.

It's better to be cautious, though, as only three people know she came to the Yu residence at night.

"My master is waiting for you at Tingxiang Garden; it's a quiet place." The gatekeeper gave a meaningful smile.

Tingxiang Garden has always been a place where the master entertains his pampered guests. This young lady couldn't possibly be here at night just to have tea and chat.

"It's just ahead." He had barely finished speaking when someone suddenly shouted, "Fire!..."

The two stopped and saw flames shooting into the sky and thick smoke billowing ahead.

"Oh no, Tingxiang Garden is on fire!" The gatekeeper ran inside.

Shen Lan had a bad feeling.

If she goes in, she will inevitably be seen by the servants of the Yu family.

With Tingxiang Garden on fire, Yu Yuanwang certainly won't be in the mood for "catching up" tonight.

She turned and left, walking straight out of the Yu residence. She wandered aimlessly around the streets for a while before finally returning to the Song residence.

At midnight, Prefect Song, dressed in his official robes, strode away.

Even Xiao Ji, who lived in the guest courtyard, was alarmed.

"Go and see what happened?" Xiao Ji instructed Sui Feng.

Not long after, Sui Feng returned with a message.

"My lord, the Jiangzhou prefectural magistrate has passed away."

"Prefect Yu is gone? What happened?"

"My subordinate inquired with the gatekeeper and learned that the Yu family sent someone to invite Prefect Song, saying that Lord Yu was burned to death in his own courtyard last night."

Shen Lan stood outside the door, her whole body stiffening upon hearing the news.

How could this be?

Despite being separated by only a wall, Yu Yuanwang was burned to death in Tingxiang Garden.

Fortunately, she didn't go in then, and fortunately, she didn't arrive early, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

She went back to her room and sat quietly, thinking about the matter carefully again and again.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, someone killed Yu Yuanwang before she did.

Could it be related to her?

She sat alone until dawn, and as soon as it was light, she went out under the pretext of buying dry food.

When we went around to the outside of the Yu residence, it was already surrounded by people.

Officials carried out several charred corpses, followed by a group of Yu family members weeping bitterly.

"Lord Song, you must investigate this case thoroughly. My master died a terrible death."

Prefect Song looked grim and comforted Madam Yu, "Please rest assured, Magistrate Yan is a brilliant detective and will surely find out the cause of Lord Yu's death."

Shen Lan noticed a middle-aged official standing next to Prefect Song, who she assumed was the magistrate of the Jiangzhou Judicial Commission.

She also wanted to know the cause of Yu Yuanwang's death, but according to her schedule, she was to leave Jiangzhou today.

She had barely returned to the Song residence when constables came to invite her to come.

"This must be Miss Lan from Aoki Prefecture, right? Please come with us."

The two constables were fairly polite, but the fact that they found her so quickly suggests that the gatekeeper of the Yu residence must have said something.

Fu Qingyan stopped them and asked, "Which government office are you from? Why are you inviting Miss Shen to the government office for no reason?"

"We are constables from the Jiangzhou Criminal Investigation Department. We need this young lady's assistance in investigating a case."

"What case?" Fu Qingyan had just gotten up and was unaware of what had happened at the Yu residence.

Of course, even if they knew, they wouldn't have imagined that this had anything to do with Shen Lan.

Xiao Ji stepped out with a solemn expression. He first glanced at Shen Lan, then said to the two constables, "I will go with her."

He also wanted to know what exactly happened to Yu Yuanwang's death and how it got involved with Shen Lan.

Shen Lan calmly said, "Sir, there's no need to trouble yourself. The authorities just summoned me for questioning, and I'll be back soon."

She didn't even enter Tingxiang Garden last night, so the authorities wouldn't possibly consider her the murderer.

Xiao Ji didn't listen and walked ahead.

Shen Lan had no choice but to obediently follow him and whispered in his ear, "I ran into Lord Yu on the street yesterday. He said he wanted to give me some local delicacies from Qingmu County, so I accepted his invitation and went to Lord Yu's residence."

Before I could even see Lord Yu, I heard that the Yu family's house was on fire, so I had no choice but to return.

Xiao Ji glanced at her, his expression thoughtful.

This explanation is too far-fetched and doesn't fit Shen Lan's personality at all.

She would never agree to go to the Yu residence for the sake of a little food.

“I remember you checked the archives of Aoki County in the eighth year of Hongyuan.”

"Yes, sir, you have a good memory."

Xiao Ji frowned and continued, "Was Yu Yuanwang serving as the county magistrate of Qingmu County that year?"

Shen Lan hadn't expected him to think of this so quickly, so she had no choice but to answer, "Yes."

"You want to find out about your background through him? Why do you think Lord Yu knows?"

"I don't know, but I always have to ask those who were involved back then."

Xiao Ji sighed, feeling that she was being too persistent about this matter.

Looking at the constables following behind him, he whispered, "Don't say anything out of line when we get to the government office."

"it is good."

In fact, just as Shen Lan had suspected, the gatekeeper had betrayed her.

She was the only suspicious person to appear at the Yu residence last night, and the authorities couldn't possibly not summon her for questioning.

“Lord Yan.” Xiao Ji took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Magistrate Yan.

They had met at the Song residence and were from the same system, so there was an inherent sense of camaraderie when they met.

When Judge Yan learned that the suspect was actually Xiao Ji's maid, he felt a little uneasy.

He heard from others that this maid was Xiao Ji's concubine and was very favored.

Now that I see him personally leading people here, I know the rumors are true.

How could such a maid possibly turn around and throw herself into the arms of Magistrate Yu?

After all, in terms of appearance, official rank, and family background, Prefect Yu was far inferior to Xiao Ji.

“Lord Xiao, how could I trouble you to come in person? I am merely performing my official duties, asking Miss Shen Lan a few questions.”

Yan Tuiguan was of lower rank than Xiao Ji, so he dared not be presumptuous in front of him.

"Rest assured, Lord Yan, I will not interfere in this case. I am only here to hear the whole story."

Xiao Ji sat down to the side, indicating to Judge Yan that the interrogation could begin.