Chapter 261: Li Fire

Chapter 261: Li Fire

"Fires every three to five days?" Xiaoyue turned her head, her brows slightly furrowed. "When you say every three to five days, do you mean every three to five months, or every three to five years?"

"Every three to five days!" the advisor from Qingyun City said.

"Every three to five days? And they still keep their shops open? Aren't they afraid of losing everything?" Ci Xin asked.

"This place is only a few dozen miles from the Imperial City. Why haven't I heard of this?" Xiaoyu Heng inquired.

"Your Highness Prince Heng, these are minor incidents. The city lord handles them himself and hasn't bothered His Majesty," Zhai Yu explained.

Regarding this matter, neither Xiaoyue nor Ci Xin had much to say.

Three years ago, the emperor had appointed Zhai Yu to take charge of Qingyun City, granting him high autonomy.

Zhai Yu had absolute authority over all matters in the city, with the power to make decisions independently, and no one was allowed to interfere.

Xiao Yin had said that to trust someone, one must trust them completely.

Moreover, Zhai Yu and his subordinates, like Bian Xiuwen, were given high autonomy, allowing them to mobilize their own people at any time without much interference.

"They're just small fires, nothing to worry about," Zhai Yu said, then looked at Xiaoyue. "Should we keep going?"

"Yes, let's continue!" Xiaoyue replied.

"Hmm, let's keep moving. There are still some shady characters around," Ruo Xi Baby looked into the distance, her little hands itching. "Huh, is that the moat ahead? There's something in the water. Little Heart, what could be in the river?"

Ci Xin also turned to look into the distance, pursing his lips and frowning, but said nothing.

"Imperial Tutor, are you recalling something, or do you need us to do something?" Zhai Yu asked.

"City Lord, send someone to reassure the townsfolk. Yue'er, let's go check out the places where the fires just happened," Ci Xin suggested.

"Alright!" Xiaoyue nodded.

Subsequently, they headed towards the restaurant where they had previously dined.

Zhai Yu personally escorted the assassins to the government office, while Xiaoyu Heng followed to assist in the interrogation.

Xiaoyue and Ci Xin went to investigate the source of the fire.

The city lord's advisor accompanied them, answering their questions along the way.

"Previously, an old Taoist passed through Qingyun City, and the shop owners asked him for a reading. He said that in the land of Li Fire, nothing else would work; one must use fire to suppress it. That's why these shops all have kitchens and are involved in fire-related businesses," the advisor, surnamed Lü, explained.

"I remember, the former prime minister's wife is also surnamed Lü. Is she from Qingyun City? Are you related?" Xiaoyue asked.

"Yue'er, you're mistaken. It's the former prime minister's wife. The current one who has been elevated is surnamed Fang," Ci Xin corrected.

"You know so much about their wives?" Xiaoyue turned and asked.

"Know your enemy and know yourself, right?" Ci Xin bantered with Xiaoyue.

Meanwhile, the little baby was busy observing her surroundings.

"Land of Li Fire, which quack said that? But he wasn't wrong!" Ruo Xi Baby looked around and thought to herself, "Why is this place the land of Li Fire? Li Fire is the fire of the phoenix. Could it be that a phoenix once appeared here?"

"Over a decade ago, when the princess was just a kid, she started a fire here that wiped out five or six shops in one go!"

"Later, because the princess saved dozens of children, the court not only did not blame her but instead rewarded her!"

"They say that if a prince breaks the law, he is equal to the common people, but this doesn't seem to be the case!"

"But you have to admit, the fire set by the princess was quite good, at least those children were saved."

"I don't buy that!"

In the midst of the discussions, there were various opinions.

Some agreed with Xiaoyue, while others were dissatisfied with her actions and had many complaints about the officials.

Regarding these, Ci Xin turned to look at Xiaoyue and asked, "That fire, surely you didn't set it, did you?"

"You get me!" Xiaoyue said lightly.

"I understand you, you're just too kind, the kind that gets taken advantage of!" Ci Xin said.

"Ha! You're underestimating me!" Xiaoyue said, picking up something in her hand and opening it: "At that time, I was still young, chasing a little thief into the backyard of a shop, and by chance, I discovered where those children were hidden. Coincidentally, there were rumors that children were being lost frequently from the Imperial City southwards, including Yunzhou. So, I decided to investigate, and when someone tried to stop me, we ended up fighting. I remember Hongmei was with me at the time."

Hongmei, following behind, nodded when the princess mentioned her: "Yes, I was following at that time!"

At that time, Hongmei was still young, having just entered the palace for a year, and her martial arts were not very good.

Several people came to capture them, and Hongmei fought hard to protect them.

"At that time, I threw an oil lamp, which fell to the ground. The oil spilled only a small area, but somehow, the entire shop went up in flames." Xiaoyue sighed and said, "Fortunately, the townspeople retreated quickly, and there weren't many casualties. The children were also rescued. At that time, the emperor didn't blame me!"

"So, the phenomenon of spontaneous combustion existed at that time, perhaps, this place was a phoenix habitat a long time ago!" Ci Xin said.

Ruo Xi Baby could only agree with Ci Xin's statement for now.

"Is the cellar still there?" Xiaoyue suddenly asked.

"Mom's so smart, the cellar where the girls were found back then must have been sealed by the authorities. The official seal wouldn't be broken without good reason, so ordinary people wouldn't dare to touch it."

Ruo Xi Baby seemed to understand her mother's meaning.

"This, this cellar is sealed, it can't..."

"Bang!"

Before the advisor surnamed Lu could finish his sentence, the cellar door with the seal was kicked open.

"Yiyaya!"

Without a second thought, Ruo Xi Baby wanted to say something to her mom.

However, what came out of her mouth was still baby talk, and the little one was totally frustrated.

"Is Xier praising her mother for being amazing?" Xiaoyue turned back with a smile and said.

Behind her, the restaurant owner and staff, including Advisor Lu and others, were all stunned by the smile.

They say she is the most beautiful woman of Great Wei, indeed!

Previously, Advisor Lu and the others didn't dare to look directly at the princess, but now, when they looked up, the princess was already smiling like a flower.

This made everyone present forget to breathe, and the surroundings instantly fell into a stunned silence.

"Let's go check it out!" Ci Xin said with a smile, leading the way to the cellar.

"Just as I thought!"

The cellar held nearly two hundred sets of weapons and blades, with all kinds of gear.

"Take these out and return them to the city lord's residence!" Ci Xin ordered.

The guards behind him stepped forward and hauled away all the weapons.

Outside, the townsfolk were amazed: "It really takes someone like the princess and the Imperial Tutor—our city lord has been here multiple times and never noticed these!"