webnovelfull Chapter 118: The Fire Years Ago
Chapter 118: The Fire Years Ago
Lu Yundi nodded slightly, a trace of relief flashed in his eyes: "If that's the case, then we can't just sit there and watch. Yan Bo, go and invite Master Ji to my courtyard tomorrow morning for a chat. I have something I want to ask him in person."
Yan Bo accepted the order and turned to leave. Lu Yundi stood there, thinking for a moment, then called Xiaohong, his personal maid, and whispered a few words to her.
……
The next morning, Yan Bo personally came to Ji Yunlin's door and knocked gently. A low voice came from inside the door: "Come in."
Yan Bo pushed the door open and saw Ji Yunlin sitting at the table, holding a pen in his hand, staring intently at the test paper in front of him. He raised his head and saw Yan Bo, smiling slightly: "Butler Yan, what do you want to see me for?"
Yan Bo bowed slightly and said, "Master Ji, Madam wants you to come to her courtyard for a chat. She has something she wants to discuss with you in person."
Ji Yunlin's eyes flashed with surprise, but he quickly regained his composure: "Since Madam has invited me, I will go right away."
The two of them came to Lu Yundi's yard. Lu Yundi had been waiting in the yard for a long time. When she saw Ji Yunlin coming in, she smiled slightly and poured him a cup of tea personally.
Ji Yunlin took the teacup and said, "Madam, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Lu Yundi sighed softly and said, "Master Ji, you seem to be worried these days. Is there anything bothering you?"
Ji Yunlin was silent for a moment, then raised his head, a trace of pain flashed in his eyes: "Madam, I do have something bothering me. When I was tidying up my study recently, I found some old things about the Loyal and Brave Marquis Mansion, which made me feel very uneasy."
A hint of surprise flashed across Lu Yundi's eyes: "Old things? What is troubling you so much?"
Ji Yunlin put down the teacup, his expression serious: "Madam, do you know that the Loyal and Brave Marquis Mansion had a painful lesson a hundred years ago?"
Lu Yundi nodded slightly: "I have heard a little bit about it. It is said that the mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery suffered a fire at that time, and many precious ancient books and family heirlooms were burned."
Ji Yunlin said, "That's right. But when I was tidying up the study, I found some clues about the fire. These clues made me suspect that the fire was not an accident, but someone deliberately caused it."
Lu Yundi's face changed slightly, and he asked nervously, "Master Ji, do you mean that the fire in the Loyal and Brave Marquis's Mansion a hundred years ago was a conspiracy?"
Ji Yunlin nodded, with a hint of determination in his eyes: "Yes, ma'am. I suspect that this fire is related to the internal power struggle of the Loyal and Brave Marquis Mansion at that time. And the one who manipulated all this behind the scenes might be a certain force in the Loyal and Brave Marquis Mansion back then."
Lu Yundi was shocked. She tightly grasped the teacup in her hand and looked at Ji Yunlin with a complicated expression: "Master Ji, this matter is very serious. Do you have any evidence?"
Ji Yunlin shook his head slightly: "There is no conclusive evidence yet, but I believe that as long as we continue to investigate in depth, the truth will eventually come out."
Lu Yundi pondered for a moment and said, "Master Ji, since you have discovered these clues, we cannot sit idly by. I will personally inquire about this matter and make sure to get to the bottom of it."
Ji Yunlin's eyes flashed with gratitude: "Thank you for your trust, Madam. I will do my best to help you find out the truth."
The two reached a consensus and began to investigate the fire that happened a hundred years ago.
Lu Yundi nodded gently, with a hint of determination in her eyes. She turned and walked to the desk, gently picking up an old parchment with densely recorded family tree of the Loyal and Brave Marquis Mansion. She looked up at Ji Yunlin, frowning slightly, as if thinking about something.
"Master Ji, who do you think is the most likely suspect behind this fire?" Lu Yundi's voice was low and calm.
Ji Yunlin pondered for a moment and said, "According to my observation, there seem to be several forces secretly competing within the Loyal and Brave Marquis's Mansion. If we really want to find the suspect, we may be able to find clues from these forces."
Lu Yundi nodded slightly, with a sharp look in his eyes: "Then, let's start with the four stewards of the Loyal and Brave Marquis's Mansion."
In the east wing of the Loyal and Brave Marquis's Mansion, Lu Yundi sat in the first seat, and the four housekeepers stood below in order. She looked at everyone sharply and said in a serious tone: "Do you know about the fire in the Loyal and Brave Marquis's Mansion a hundred years ago?"
The four housekeepers looked at each other, and finally it was the housekeeper Zhao An who broke the silence: "Madam, we do know a little about the fire. But we don't know the specific details."
A trace of dissatisfaction flashed across Lu Yundi's eyes. She said coldly, "Then do you know if there is any secret hidden behind this fire?"
Butler Zhao An hesitated for a moment and said, "Madam, after the fire, there were indeed some unusual movements inside the Loyal and Brave Marquis's Mansion. But we are of low status and dare not ask too much."
Lu Yundi nodded slightly, then turned to Ji Yunlin and asked, "Master Ji, what do you think?"
Ji Yunlin pondered for a moment and said, "What Butler Zhao said is true. After the fire, there were indeed some strange things inside the Loyal and Brave Marquis's Mansion. I suspect that there may be someone behind the fire who is secretly manipulating it."
A glimmer of light flashed in Lu Yundi's eyes, and she said, "In this case, we must look for clues from these unusual movements."
By chance, they found a tattered diary in a deserted garden.
The owner of the diary turned out to be a maid who worked in the Loyal and Brave Marquis's mansion a hundred years ago. The diary records in detail a series of events before and after the fire, as well as various disputes within the Loyal and Brave Marquis's mansion. Lu Yundi and Ji Yunlin read the diary carefully, trying to find out the truth.
"Master Ji, please read this." Lu Yundi pointed to a passage in the diary with a serious expression, "It mentions the mysterious death of the second young master of the Loyal and Brave Marquis's Mansion, and the power struggle between the eldest young master and his wife."
Ji Yunlin's eyes flashed with surprise, and he said, "Madam, this is probably the truth behind the fire. The death of the second young master of the Loyal and Brave Marquis's Mansion and the power struggle between the eldest young master and the madam may have been the fuse of the fire."
The two decided to conduct an in-depth investigation along this clue. They found Zhao Tiexin, the personal bodyguard of Yan Potian, the eldest master of the Yan family, and Lu Qingya, a close friend of the second master Yan Wuhen.
Zhao Tiexin was a burly man with a determined look in his eyes. When he saw Lu Yundi and Ji Yunlin, he immediately knelt on one knee and said respectfully, "Madam, Master, you came to visit me so late at night. What instructions do you have?"
Lu Yundi smiled slightly, with a firm look in her eyes: "Tie Xin, your young master and I are as close as mother and son. Now that such a big thing has happened in the mansion, how can I not care? I need you to tell me if there is anything unusual about the young master recently."
Zhao Tiexin pondered for a moment, frowning, "Madam, there is indeed something wrong with the young master recently. He often stays awake late at night, thinking alone in the study, and sometimes he suddenly goes out and his whereabouts are unknown."
Ji Yunlin interrupted, "Tie Xin, do you know where the young master is going?"
Zhao Tiexin shook his head: "I don't know either. The young master never mentioned it to me."