CHAPTER 411: CHAPTER 411: RUIN

The Duke Chong suddenly turned around.

A blaze was not far away.

The direction and location were undoubtedly the Duke Chong’s Mansion.

They refused to give the person here, and now the Duke Chong’s Mansion was on fire.

The Duke Chong was angry and wanted to snatch the person away.

But in a direct confrontation, there wasn’t necessarily a chance of winning.

"It’s all on fire, shouldn’t you hurry back to put it out? If it’s burned to the ground, even if you take the Old Duke back, there’s no place to stay," Prince NanAn said.

The Duke Chong clenched his fist, his bones making a creaking sound.

He turned and left.

All the servants and Hidden Guards behind him had left thoroughly.

Mrs. Tang looked at the Duke Chong’s Mansion and said, "Who set the fire?"

Su Chong shook his head.

He didn’t know.

Because the Emperor had sent guards to protect Old Duke Chong, who lived next door.

They all thought the Duke Chong wouldn’t dare send people, so there weren’t many servants left.

Just dealing with the assassins earlier was tough, they really had no hands free to set fire to the Duke Chong’s Mansion.

But it doesn’t matter who set the fire.

What’s important is that it helped them keep Old Duke Chong and the Duchess of Chong’s Mansion.

They brought Old Duke Chong and the Duchess into the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion.

The Duke Chong’s Mansion was still burning.

The fire was too big.

Extinguishing it was to no avail.

So Mrs. Tang simply didn’t care, letting it continue to burn.

The roaring flames illuminated the night like it was day.

The Dongxiang Marquis Mansion, just a wall away, could feel the heat.

Xie Jingchen and the Hidden Guard climbed over the wall and asked, "Is everything okay?"

Prince NanAn said, "You’re too late. The daylilies have already gone cold."

Su Chong walked over, hooked Xie Jingchen’s shoulder, and said, "Honestly, was it you who set the fire to the Duke Chong’s Mansion?"

Having not seen Xie Jingchen, he never thought it was him.

Now that he saw him.

Su Chong was sure it was him.

Besides Xie Jingchen, Su Chong couldn’t think of anyone else who would be so wicked to sneakily burn down the Duke Chong’s lair.

Chu Shun was stunned.

He looked at Xie Jingchen in disbelief and said, "Big brother, was it really you?"

"On the way, I happened to see the Duke Chong leaving the mansion, didn’t want to run into him, so I went to the Duke Chong’s Mansion," Xie Jingchen said.

"...."

The Capital City isn’t too big, nor is it too small.

The direction of Dongxiang Marquis Mansion was on fire, flames reaching the sky.

Su Jin and Xingxing were watching the moon on the rooftop, seeing it very clearly.

The relations between Dongxiang Marquis Mansion and the Duke Chong’s Mansion were tense, it was only normal for something to happen at the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion.

Xie Jingchen didn’t dare to delay, and hurried with the Hidden Guard towards the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion.

Passing by the Duke Chong’s Mansion, he happened to see the Duke Chong bringing people out.

In the dead of night, Xie Jingchen and the guard going past the Duke Chong was undoubtedly walking into the lion’s den, especially after he had just tricked the Duke Chong.

Seeing the Duke Chong with many men, Xie Jingchen thought there should be few left at the Duke Chong’s Mansion, and so entered the Duke Chong’s Mansion with the Hidden Guard.

After setting fire in the inner courtyard, they led people to extinguish it there.

Then——

Xie Jingchen and the Hidden Guard set the Duke Chong’s study on fire.

Though poisoned for many years, Xie Jingchen hadn’t slacked off learning military tactics.

Examples of complete mobilization sparing the lair for an enemy to gut in one fell swoop were something Xie Jingchen had heard not less than ten times.

He never dreamt that this example, not achieved firsthand on the battlefield, would be used on the Duke Chong instead.

Watching the study consumed by flames, the Duke Chong’s face was like a paint tray knocked over, all colors mixed, and looking as ugly as can be.

Li Zhong watched the blaze.

He couldn’t fathom who would have burned the Duke Chong’s study.

The Dongxiang Marquis Mansion busy protecting themselves, had no chance to make a move.

The things in the study, collected during the house move, were picked for importance, left for Dongxiang Marquis Mansion, but lost to the sea of fire.

Maids and servants still tried to put out the fire.

The blaze burned for over half an hour before being extinguished.

The thick smoke stung the nose.

A layer of white frost settled on the Duke Chong’s head.

That was ashes from the burning study.

The Duke Chong’s study was burned, and the courtyard where Old Duke Chong lived was also burned to the ground.

Those maids and servants staying at the ancestral home of the Duke Chong’s Mansion couldn’t follow to serve in the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion, and were afraid of another fire, so they returned to the Duke Chong’s Mansion.

The Duke Chong’s clenched fist never relaxed.

He turned to leave.

But as he turned, he heard a servant speaking with a maid.

The Duke Chong suddenly stared at that servant, "What did you just say?"

The servant was startled, "I asked if the eldest young master who died in the Duke Mansion was called Tingting."

"Why did you suddenly ask about the eldest young master?" Dark Guard Li Zhong queried.

"It’s...."

"Today the eldest young master of Dongxiang Marquis Mansion went in to rescue the Duchess, when he came out, the Duchess was holding the eldest young master of Dongxiang Marquis Mansion, calling him Tingting," the servant said trembling.

The eldest young master of the Duke Chong’s Mansion had fallen off a cliff fifteen years ago.

These servants were young, only knowing there was this unfortunate early deceased eldest young master of the Duke Chong’s Mansion, without knowing his name.

But with the Duchess of the Duke Chong’s Mansion holding Su Chong and calling, she must be calling her son.

The servant merely saw a maid he liked, trying to make conversation with her.

Never thought the maid didn’t mind it, but the Duke Chong did.

The Duke Chong’s expression was icy.

The Hidden Guard was in disbelief, he looked at the Duke Chong, voice trembling, "The eldest young master of Dongxiang Marquis Mansion has outstanding archery, never missing a shot...."

Today, many Hidden Guards were felled under the arrows of the eldest young master of Dongxiang Marquis Mansion.

Not only was the archery accurate, but the speed of the arrows was extremely fast.

The Hidden Guards couldn’t dodge in time.

If the Dongxiang Marquis is indeed the second master of Jibei Marquis Mansion, it’s not unreasonable for the eldest young master Su to be the eldest young master who fell off the cliff years ago.

Upon careful thought, when the Flying Tiger Army was annihilated, the second master of Jibei Marquis Mansion had a marriage contract, but hadn’t married, where did he get an eighteen-year-old son?

Su Chong.

The Duke Chong’s Mansion.

Could it really just be a coincidence that the name of the eldest young master of Dongxiang Marquis Mansion is the same as the title of the Duke Chong’s Mansion?

The more he thought, the more restless the man became.

It’s already unsettling enough if the Dongxiang Marquis is the second master of Jibei Marquis Mansion.

If the eldest young master truly is alive, they would be two mountains weighing on their hearts.

The Dongxiang Marquis returned to the Capital, targeting the Duke Chong everywhere, has he caught on to the events of the past....

The Hidden Guard was uneasy.

The Duke Chong, on the contrary, was much calmer.

He and the Dongxiang Marquis were already at a life-and-death feud.

Whether he is the second master of Jibei Marquis Mansion or not, the outcome is the same!

That matter was done in secret, if the Dongxiang Marquis wanted to find evidence, it would be harder than climbing to the sky.

If he really managed to grasp the evidence, how could he be standing here unharmed?

The more at such a time, the less one can be disorderly.

...

Agarwood Pavilion, inside the room.

Su Jin paced back and forth, unable to stand or sit still.

In the distance, the fire was gradually diminishing, but her heart was not calming.

She paced like this for over half an hour.

Xie Jingchen finally returned, Su Jin walked up and asked, "Was it Dongxiang Marquis Mansion that was burned? Are you and my family alright?"

Xie Jingchen replied, "It’s alright. They’re all fine."

"It wasn’t Dongxiang Marquis Mansion that was burned, it was the Duke Chong’s Mansion."

"As long as everyone’s safe," Su Jin said, feeling relieved.

Su Jin then realized why the Duke would do so.

The fact that Old Duke Chong still showed signs of poison made Su Jin shudder at the extent of the Duke Chong’s ruthlessness.

"""