At this moment, Shen Miao and Mrs. Shen, who were in the small room next door, were both holding their breath, listening intently to the commotion outside.
Unconsciously, a thin layer of sweat had formed in Shen Miao's palms. She never expected that her grandmother's plan would be so well - thought - out. Shen Li was supposed to be dead, but here she was, standing right outside, safe and sound.
Thankfully, her grandmother had come up with another way to deal with Shen Li. She just hoped that Shen Li wouldn't be so lucky this time.
Shen Li found it rather amusing that Old Mrs. Zhu was so eager to pin a crime on her. Did they really think she was a soft - target, easy to manipulate?
"Grandmother, I really slept soundly last night! I didn't hear a thing! My two maids can testify to this. You can ask them!"
"Oh, and last night, one of my maids found a suspicious old woman in the courtyard where I live. Since I was fast asleep, she took the initiative to knock the woman out and tie her up. When I came here just now, the woman had just woken up, so I brought her along."
Hearing Shen Li's words, Old Mrs. Zhu felt a sudden throb in her eyelid. Just her luck! No wonder she hadn't seen her trusted maid all night!
"Hanyue, bring the person in!"
While Old Mrs. Zhu was still lost in thought, Shen Li had already given the order for Hanyue to bring the woman in.
"Mm - mm! Mm - mm!" A middle - aged woman with her hands and feet tied and her mouth gagged was kneeling on the ground of the main hall, making inarticulate noises.
When the woman looked up, everyone was shocked, for they all recognized her as Old Mrs. Zhu's right - hand woman.
"Isn't this..." Shen Sijia, who was still confused about what was going on, pointed at the woman in surprise.
Seeing that she was about to say something crucial, Mrs. Liang quickly interrupted, "Shut up! When the adults are talking, a child like you has no right to butt in!"
Shen Sijia felt indignant, but considering the situation, she held her tongue.
Shen Li, on the other hand, looked at Shen Sijia in feigned surprise. "What's wrong, Sister Sijia? Do you know this old woman? If you do, you might as well tell us now!"
"She was sneaking around in my courtyard last night. She might be the one who set the fire. She probably panicked and ran away when she was afraid of being discovered. Fortunately, my maid found her in time, or we might never have caught the real culprit!"
Shen Sijia was so intimidated by Shen Li's words that she didn't dare to say anything more. She just shrank her neck in fear and shook her head. "There are so many servants in the mansion. How could I recognize her!"
Shen Li then turned to Old Mrs. Zhu and Mrs. Liang. "I wonder if Grandmother and Aunt know this old woman?"
Mrs. Liang didn't say a word. She just looked at Old Mrs. Zhu, waiting for her instructions.
Old Mrs. Zhu gritted her teeth as she looked at the woman still kneeling on the ground. "She serves in my courtyard. She couldn't have set the fire. She must have taken a wrong turn and accidentally ended up in your courtyard last night!"
"Oh! Is that so! Oh no, what should we do now? Grandmother, I was afraid that this old woman might escape. And considering how strange the fire in the mansion was last night, I sent another maid of mine to the Metropolitan Prefecture to ask the yamen runners to come and interrogate this old woman properly!"
"She's been gone for a while. I'm afraid the yamen runners will be here soon!"
Everyone present was shocked by Shen Li's words.
Shen Zhuo was the first to question her. "This is a family matter. We can solve it behind closed doors. Why did you have to involve the government?"
"I... I was just afraid that this old woman would run away. I meant well!" Shen Li shrank her neck timidly, looking aggrieved.
"Someone should go and tell those yamen runners to go back now! The mansion is in such a mess. It's not appropriate for them to come in!"
Just as Mrs. Liang finished speaking, a disheveled young servant boy ran in from outside. "Master! There are seven or eight yamen runners outside the mansion! They said they're here to arrest the arsonist!"
Shen Sijia, being young, couldn't help exclaiming, "They're here so soon!"
Old Mrs. Zhu glared angrily at Shen Li, who was standing in the middle of the main hall. She regretted underestimating this little girl. She thought that after giving her double doses of sleeping pills and setting the fire, she could get rid of Shen Li once and for all.
Although if something happened to Shen Li in their mansion, outsiders would surely suspect the Shen family, but once she was dead, people would stop gossiping after a while.
Even if Shen Yi wanted to avenge Shen Li, with Shen Zhuo being in favor at the moment, it would be difficult for Shen Yi to take action.
As for what the other noble families would think, it didn't matter at all. After all, people died in the inner courtyard of every family. And once her granddaughter Shen Miao became the concubine of the Fourth Prince, those people would come to curry favor with them, and no one would dare to mention this incident again.
She had weighed all the pros and cons, but she never expected that Shen Li had already seen through their plan and was now giving them a taste of their own medicine.
The yamen runners didn't have the habit of announcing their arrival. As soon as the servant boy who had come to report left, they walked in.
"Where is Shen Li?" The leader of the yamen runners, with a sword hanging on his waist, entered the main hall. Seeing so many people sitting or standing there, he asked.
Shen Li replied, "I'm Shen Li, sir!"
The yamen runner frowned and looked her up and down. "Did you report the case?"
"Yes! There was a big fire in the Shen mansion last night, and I caught a suspicious old woman in my courtyard!"
At this moment, Shen Li conveniently forgot Old Mrs. Zhu's explanation that the old woman was not a suspect.
The yamen runner had heard early in the morning that the Shen mansion had been on fire for half the night and was almost burned down. But he never expected that just a short while later, a little girl would come to report that an arsonist had been caught in the Shen mansion and asked them to come.
Seeing the old woman kneeling on the ground, tied up tightly, he thought there might be some truth to this.
At first, he didn't recognize her, but when he saw Shen Li, he remembered that she was the girl who had beaten the drum of grievances at the Metropolitan Prefecture a few days ago.
"Is this the suspect who set the fire?"
Shen Li nodded. "She is indeed a suspect. Sir, if you take her back for interrogation, you'll surely find out the truth!"
Shen Zhuo, being a fifth - rank official, outranked the yamen runner by a great deal. But seeing that the yamen runner ignored him and only talked to Shen Li after entering the mansion, his face darkened.
He glanced at his wife beside him and guessed that it was very likely that she had sent someone to set the fire in order to get rid of Shen Li.
But since the matter had already been reported to the government and they had been caught with evidence, they couldn't let things get out of hand today.
For now, they had no choice but to swallow their pride.
"Ahem! Gentlemen of the yamen, we're really sorry! Today's incident is just a misunderstanding!"
Shen Zhuo forced a smile. "The fire last night was not set by anyone. It was just that a candle accidentally touched the bed curtain and caused the fire!"