Song Nanxin didn't suspect a thing. Smiling, she replied, "It's true. The Qionglizhuang troupe rehearses plays quickly and has excellent singing skills. I like them very much."
Ji Lingchuan said, "The Princess of the Heir Apparent loves listening to operas so much and has done so well in her studies at the Imperial College. You're truly gifted."
Song Nanxin's smile instantly froze on her face, and a storm raged in her heart.
Right! How could she have forgotten about this!
After hearing Ji Lingchuan's words, Song Yihuan also changed her complexion. She subconsciously stood up and stammered to explain for Song Nanxin:
"Your Highness, I made a mistake just now. Sister actually doesn't come here to listen to operas often. She cares a great deal about her studies at the Imperial College and never dares to skip classes."
This bitch! Such an explanation was like trying to hide the fact that there was three hundred taels of silver buried there! Was she trying to kill her?
Cold sweat broke out on Song Nanxin's forehead in shock. Her position as the Princess of the Heir Apparent of the Prince of Ningqin was granted by the grace of the Empress Dowager. Ji Lingchuan already detested her and wanted to ask the Empress Dowager for permission to divorce her. If Ji Lingchuan or others found out that she had someone else take her classes and exams at the Imperial College, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor!
Not only would she lose the title of the Princess of the Heir Apparent, but her life might also be in danger!
She subconsciously tightened her sleeves and looked out of the window at the opera stage.
What on earth was Cui Muyuan waiting for? Why hadn't he started to act yet?
Just then, a scream suddenly came from outside: "Fire! Fire! Hurry, hurry to put out the fire!"
The actors on the stage immediately stopped the play and scattered down from both sides of the stage. The audience in the main hall also panicked and got up to flee.
Smelling the smoke, Ji Lingchuan's expression changed. He immediately got up and said, "The two of you should leave here quickly!"
The fire spread quickly. In just an instant, the smell of smoke around them became stronger. Song Nanxin and Song Yihuan left the room one after another and ran downstairs. Feixue and Chunxing closely protected Song Yihuan, preventing others from getting close.
There were also maids protecting Song Nanxin. The two sisters mixed in the fleeing crowd and ran outside. They didn't dare to put down the handkerchief covering their faces and take a breath until they ran out of the Qionglizhuang troupe's gate.
Song Yihuan looked back and saw thick smoke billowing over the Qionglizhuang troupe and the tongues of fire rising high, but Ji Lingchuan was nowhere to be seen.
Her complexion changed. She subconsciously took two steps inside. Realizing what she was about to do, Feixue reached out to stop her and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, Miss. His Highness is highly skilled in martial arts. He'll be fine."
"Make way, make way!" A shout came from not far away. It turned out that after learning about the fire, the government of Shuntian had sent people to put out the fire, and Gu Yunzheng was leading the way.
Gu Yunzheng didn't notice her. After arriving with the yamen runners, she led them into the Qionglizhuang troupe.
The common people around were talking in a hubbub: "It's really too dangerous. How could the fire start all of a sudden? We haven't even had enough of the opera!"
"Yeah, why did the fire start out of the blue?"
"Sigh, after this incident, we probably won't be able to listen to operas for a while."
Although the government had sent people to put out the fire, for some reason, the fire in the Qionglizhuang troupe was burning more and more vigorously. The strength of the government alone was no longer enough to extinguish it, so Ji Lingchuan sent someone to call the city guards.
Although it was still daytime, the thick smoke hovering over the Qionglizhuang troupe made the light dim a bit.
As the fire grew stronger, the gathered common people were driven away: "Disperse, disperse! You're just blocking the way here instead of helping to put out the fire. Go home quickly!"
Song Nanxin covered her lips with a handkerchief and said to Song Yihuan, "Since it's not suitable to stay here for long, I'll leave for the villa now. You should also be careful and go back to the mansion to rest earlier."
After saying that, she left under the escort of the maids.
Song Yihuan watched Song Nanxin leave with her own eyes, and a chill ran through her heart.
Ji Lingchuan was in the fire trying to put it out, but her elder sister was eager to leave. She didn't seem to be worried about her nominal "husband" at all.
Or was she in a hurry to meet someone?
Song Yihuan didn't leave in a hurry like Song Nanxin. Instead, she asked for a private room in a teahouse far away from the Qionglizhuang troupe and sat inside waiting.
She didn't know if it was because she suspected that Cui Taizhu was involved, but she always felt that this fire was not normal.
The fire in the Qionglizhuang troupe started very suddenly and spread rapidly. As the commander of the Black Armored Army and the General of Might and Distance, Ji Lingchuan took on the responsibility of directing. He fought the fire together with the government and the city guards and was extremely busy.
For as long as he was putting out the fire, Song Yihuan waited in the teahouse.
It wasn't until the sun set and night fell that the fire in the Qionglizhuang troupe was completely extinguished.
The door of the private room in the teahouse where Song Yihuan was staying was pushed open, and Ji Lingchuan, looking exhausted, walked in.
The moment Ji Lingchuan appeared, Song Yihuan stood up from her chair.
She threw herself at him and tightly hugged his waist, choking with sobs, "You're finally back. I couldn't see you just now, and I was so worried."
Hearing the sob in her voice, Ji Lingchuan hugged her and gently patted her back to comfort her.
"I'm fine. I'm not even scratched. If you don't believe me, check for yourself?"
Song Yihuan wiped the tears from her face, felt his body, walked around him, and carefully examined him. After confirming that there were really no burn marks on his body, she finally felt relieved.
Looking up and meeting his smiling eyes, Song Yihuan's ears turned red. She straightened her face and asked, "How's the situation over there? Were there any casualties?"
Speaking of this, the smile in Ji Lingchuan's eyes disappeared completely, and his face became cold and solemn: "The fire was too big. There were many casualties. Cui Taizhu was crushed by a big pillar. When she was found, she was already burned beyond recognition."
Song Yihuan was shocked: "This is impossible!"
How could Cui Taizhu be dead like this?
This fire came at a convenient time, and Cui Taizhu died at a convenient time. All these coincidences made it even more suspicious.
"Can you confirm that the person is Cui Taizhu?"
Looking into Ji Lingchuan's eyes, Song Yihuan also saw the same solemn look in his eyes.
"The actors of the Qionglizhuang troupe identified her. It's just that she was burned so badly that her appearance can no longer be recognized. The coroner examined the body. It was a woman of a similar age, and it did match Cui Taizhu very well."
Song Yihuan's heart sank. If Cui Taizhu was really a woman, then she couldn't be the killer who chased her in Xingzhou.
"This fire has caused heavy losses. More than ten people died in the Qionglizhuang troupe. It's a major case. I'll go to the palace immediately to report this to His Majesty. The government is now in charge of handling the aftermath of the fire scene."
Reaching out to stroke Song Yihuan's hair, Ji Lingchuan said in a deep voice, "You should go back to the Marquis's Mansion first and stay there. If there's nothing else in the next two days, don't go out for the time being."
Song Yihuan knew her limits. She nodded and looked back at Ji Lingchuan reluctantly. Then she left the teahouse under the protection of Feixue and Chunxing.