Chapter 195: Mourning at the Grave
Ye Chutang nodded and explained, "We were drinking at Lan Yue Building and rushed over as soon as we heard about the fire. We only arrived a quarter of an hour before the Princely Heir. We just don’t know what the situation is inside. Han Yao and Miss Su are still in there—"
As she spoke, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of worry appeared in her eyes.
Su Wei had entrusted them to her and asked her to keep them safe at all costs. If something were to happen, she would have a difficult time answering for it.
Shen Yanchuan tilted his head slightly and raised a hand.
"Split into two groups and enter. You must get everyone inside out as quickly as possible!"
"Yes, sir!"
At his command, the soldiers behind him immediately sprang into organized action.
...
Bucket after bucket of water was thrown onto the flames, but to little effect.
As time went on, the surrounding clamor gradually faded, but the atmosphere only grew heavier.
This was partly because they were intimidated by Shen Yanchuan’s presence, and partly because so much time had passed without any word from inside—a very bad sign indeed.
The crowd fell silent, the atmosphere growing so stiff and cold it felt as if it had frozen solid.
"I bet Han Yao’s already dead in there. Otherwise, with so many people going in, why haven’t they brought him out yet?"
"I’d say so too... In a fire this big, any normal person would’ve escaped long ago. Who would stay inside and wait to die?"
"What a shame! Just a short while ago, the Han Family was incredibly powerful. Who would’ve thought they’d collapse completely in just half a month!"
"That Han Yao was no good to begin with, but it’s a shame about Su Pei’er. She’s in the estate too, and she’s pregnant! This time, I’m afraid..."
The speaker trailed off, but everyone knew what they meant.
Not far away, standing around a corner, was Ye Shixian, who had rushed over as soon as she saw the fire at the Han estate. She clutched a handkerchief tightly, her eyes fixed on the scene ahead, filled with a mixture of apprehension and excitement.
’Let it burn! This is perfect!’
’As long as Han Yao dies, all the evidence he has on Father will be gone. There will be no proof!’
’The heavens themselves are helping me!’
She pinched herself hard, forcing her eyes to redden, and then hurried over.
Ye Chutang suddenly sensed something and looked back. She raised an eyebrow when she saw who it was.
Ye Shixian came to a stop and stared blankly at the fire as tears immediately began to fall.
"How could this be... How could this be?! The misunderstanding between him and my father hasn’t even been cleared up yet. How can he just—"
Ye Yunfeng clicked his tongue impatiently.
"We need to see a person if he’s alive and a body if he’s dead. There’s no sign of him yet, so why are you already crying at his grave?"
The insult was incredibly harsh. Never before had Ye Shixian been so publicly humiliated, and her pretty face flushed with a mixture of colors from pure rage.
"You!"
The moment the word left her lips, she noticed many eyes turning their way. Ye Shixian forcefully suppressed her anger, biting her lip and holding back tears to present the very picture of a wronged woman.
"Cousin, I know that now that my father has been wrongfully imprisoned, you’re desperate to avoid any association with us, and that you’ve come to despise me as well. But no matter what, we were family once. How could you be so cruel as to say such a thing?"
Her voice was thick with unshed tears.
Ye Yunfeng immediately held up a hand. "Hey—don’t you go trying to claim kinship! Is there anyone here who doesn’t know that the Ye Family already split? And that happened *before* your father was thrown in prison!"
Ye Shixian’s sobs caught in her throat.
’She truly hadn’t expected this. Not only did Ye Yunfeng show no shame about the family’s falling out, he was actively broadcasting it, as if he were afraid people didn’t know they had severed ties.’
’Does this man have no sense of decency?!’