Although Shen Yan was also afraid of this fire, she was not too flustered, she couldn't see the heather left and right, the crowd was shouting to drown out her voice, she had been carried by the flow of people and walked forward several steps, and it was even more difficult to find the heather.

She is not a cowardly person, and the top priority is to leave this dangerous place of fire, anyway, everyone has escaped, and it will not be difficult to get together again when the time comes.

Thinking like this, he gritted his teeth and stabilized his body, followed the flow of people for a while, and then chose an alley with relatively few people to get into.

There were a lot of people fleeing in the alley, but it was obviously much looser than just now, Shen Yan entered the alley and waited for a while, but she still didn't see the heather, so she was no longer stupid and waiting.

Out of this alley, there is a spacious street, on both sides are also shops and connected houses, at this time, seeing the fire behind it, some people began to hurriedly collect lanterns, for fear that one accidentally started another fire.

Shen Yu had already calmed down at this time, straightened her clothes, fortunately she went late, although she was choked with tears by the smoke at that time, she was not burned, but she was bumped a few times in the crowding, and at this time there was a faint pain in her chest, back and legs.

She identified the location, the restaurant where Mrs. Shen and Aunt Jiang admired the lanterns was on the edge of the Meishui, and it would be far away if she wanted to go there. Besides, Shi Nan didn't know that place, if Mrs. Shen learned about the changes here in the White Crane Tower, she might as well go home early, so she might as well go home too.

The decision has been made, Shen Yu hung her head and just walked for a while, and suddenly saw a familiar person in front of her who was slowly admiring the lights with a fan.

Shen Yu always has a bit of a "avoidance" mentality towards this benevolent brother, especially now that she is squeezed by the crowd and her hair is a little scattered, her image is not good, and she will inevitably be teased by him, so she didn't think about it, and flashed into an alley next to her, hiding behind a clump of green bamboo.

This place is hidden, she waited for Zhu Yun to pass, and then she wanted to lean out. Who knew that he was just about to leave, but suddenly an abrupt voice came from behind him, "Who are you hiding?" ”

"Ahh

She turned her head in a panic, and saw Xu Yan appear behind her at some point, idly leaning on the door of the person behind her, looking down at her.

Shen Yan was so frightened by him that her heart was about to jump out of her cavity just now, her nerves tightened at first, and she blurted out and scolded: "You are scared of ghosts!" I finally left a trace of reason, remembering that no matter how hateful the prince in front of me was, she couldn't afford to offend. If the other party was Dong Shujin, I am afraid that a vicious pink fist would have already been hailed.

Xu Yan frowned, "Didn't you hear my footsteps?" ”

Shen Yu wanted to scold a few more words, but how dare she make too much of a mistake for her little life, so she held back her anger and sneered: "Your Highness walks lighter than a cat, and is smaller than the movement of a ghost, how can the folk girl find out." She gave a hasty salute, turned around and wanted to leave, "Your Highness, take your time to enjoy the lanterns, the folk girl has something to do, so she will retire first." ”

"You just walk out like this, aren't you afraid that people will see it and say that the girl of the Shen family doesn't care about her appearance?" Xu Yan was not annoyed.

"Grooming?" Shen Yu hesitated a little, took out the small diamond flower mirror she was carrying, and took a look at it by the bright lanterns on the street, and saw that a strand of hair on her head had been loosened, the hairpin hung obliquely, and the pearl in the mouth of the finch was dangling in her ear, almost falling off.

She couldn't help but be a little annoyed, when she squeezed out of the White Crane Tower, her hair bun was loose, and she could barely see people, just now she hurriedly hid behind the bamboo bushes, who knew that the hair was hooked by the bamboo branches, and it was completely loosened?

Shen Yu didn't have anything to do with her hair bun, and it was a little difficult to comb this bun back well. But this appearance is really not suitable to swagger out, and he couldn't help but hesitate: "This alley can be walked, right?" I've picked the trail and walked it. ”

Xu Yan suddenly smiled, and under the dim lanterns, the smile was dazzling.

"Wait." He dropped the sentence and strode out of the alley.

Shen Yu didn't know what he was going to do, but she still waited obediently. After a while, I saw Xu Yan striding over, carrying a long hat in his hand. His figure was already tall and straight, and he was imposing when he held the sword and rode the horse, but now he was carrying a hat, and the long embroidered scarf was dragging at his hand, how strange it looked.

The pedestrians on the road looked sideways, and when a passing girl saw him, her eyes immediately froze, and although she did not exclaim or wave her handkerchief, several of them stopped, and covered the slightly open cherry mouth with the fan in their hands.

Xu Yan had probably never done such a thing, with a wave of his arm, he rolled the long yarn on his arm, and entered the alley in a few steps.

The vigorous figure approached, and Shen Yan seemed to see a savior. How could she not understand his plan, she was overjoyed at the moment, and bent her knees and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your help!" ”

"Between you and me, why say thank you." He said that his face was not red, and he even reached out to help Shen Yan cut her hair, and carefully put the hat on her.

Shen Yan's face turned quietly red.

The flow of people on the street is still weaving, this corner of the alley is quiet, Shen Yan's figure has not fully grown, and at this time her height is not as high as Xu Yan's shoulders, when he leaned over, Shen Yan inexplicably thought of what happened under the sunset in the West Mountain that day. She hid under the hood, combed her sideburns a little helplessly, and bowed her head again: "Thank you, Your Highness." ”

"Let's go, I'll send you back."

Shen Yu hesitated.

She knows what the custom of lantern viewing is. The hazy moonlight and glazed lanterns decorate the colorful world, always lining the beauty more delicate, the more handsome the children, the lantern festival twice a year in the past has contributed to a lot of lovers. Xu Yan already has a little meaning to her, will it be embarrassing to walk over with a lantern all the way?

Especially thinking of his abrupt kiss that day, Shen Yan almost wanted to pretend not to know Xu Yan and avoid all these embarrassments.

Xu Yan didn't know these nonsense thoughts, only when Shen Yan wanted to avoid suspicion, and didn't want to be a lonely man and widow late at night. Her cramped appearance fell into her eyes, and she became more and more cute, so she couldn't help but laugh and said, "You haven't heard about human traffickers taking advantage of the Lantern Festival to catch people, have you?" There was just an accident on the other side of the White Crane Tower, and this is a good place for them to start. ”

Forehead...... Well, Xu Yan is open-minded, but she thinks too much.

Shen Yu was a little ashamed, so she said, "Your Highness, please." ”

The two walked out of the alley and walked to Shen's house together. Xu Yan is already handsome, and he has developed a cold temperament in the battlefield all year round, and he is very eye-catching in the crowd, although Shen Yan does not show her face, her slender figure is hidden under the long veil of the hat, and she is even more graceful in the night wind.

Zhu Yun, who was enjoying the lantern just now, went around and took a look at the two of them again.

Of course, he recognized His Royal Highness Duan Wang, who was famous in Jinghua, and at this time, he was extraordinary, and the girl next to him was exquisite, far better than everyone on the street, and he couldn't help but feel like a famous beauty.

When the master agreed to the marriage, he brought the little concubine to this lamp market to accompany him, thinking that he could be on par with this girl, right?

He stopped and looked at it for a moment, and felt that the girl's walking figure was somewhat similar to Shen Yan's. After thinking about it, she felt that it was impossible, although Mrs. Shen raised Ah Yu as a son, she would not let her go alone with a strange man late at night.

What's more, His Royal Highness Duan Wang is a fierce and cold person, usually with a face like a coffin board, and his momentum is oppressive, so he can't turn a delicate girl like Ah Yu!

Oops, is it true that I really want to see my grandma again? Zhu Yun sighed twice and walked slowly.

This Xu Yan took her to the fork in the road, and saw her enter the mansion, and then turned around and went back to the Lingering Garden.

The next day, the fire in the White Crane Tower spread all over Luling.

There were a lot of people guessing lantern riddles in the White Crane Tower last night, and most of them smelled the pungent smell, and the fire was particularly vigorous, so no one could speculate. It is said that Boss Wei of the White Crane Tower disappeared when there was a fire last night, and there has been no news so far, so everyone speculated that he deliberately set the fire, and then fled in fear of crime.

But why did he set the fire? The White Crane Tower is the most prestigious restaurant in Luling City, and the silver flows in like flowing water on weekdays, so is Boss Wei's brain blistered, and he is willing to burn such a cash cow? Or maybe he was hurt by someone about this, and he was in a bitter stomach at this time?

There was a lot of speculation in the city, some of them sighed, some of them laughed, and some of them scolded and despised - a fire in the White Crane Tower destroyed many shops and houses nearby.

And in the capital commander Qin Mansion, Qin Xiong's face was as cold as the frost of the moon, and he almost crushed a mouthful of steel teeth.

On the one hand, he sent someone to inform the government, but on the other hand, he sent someone to investigate the details of Boss Wei, and asked someone to secretly search and arrest him.

The reason why Qin Xiong was angry was very simple, there was a fire last night, although many people were affected, but the most seriously injured in the fire were the children of the Qin family! And looking at the situation, this fire is clearly aimed at Qin Yu and the others!

At that time, although there were many guests in the White Crane Tower, only Qin Yu guessed more than 30 lantern riddles and climbed to the three-story attic, and the Huo Zongyuan brothers and sisters and Qin Ni sisters who were traveling with him also had fun with him. The fire was burning from the second floor, and the third and fourth floors were set to ignite the fire, and the wooden staircase burned to ashes in an instant, teaching them that there was no way back.

If Qin Yu is alone, he is not afraid of this fire, but the people who are accompanied by him are all squeamish people, how can he take care of four people?

It is said that two masked gray-clothed men also sprang out of the fire, wielding swords and dancing knives to directly attack the Huo family brothers and sisters, with the intention of killing them. Of course, Qin Yu had to fight hard, but he was entangled by the two, how could he have the spare strength to help everyone escape?

The Huo family brothers and sisters and the Qin Ni sisters are all pampered children, and they are already choked by the smoke and panicked, not to mention finding a way to escape from it, they can only be trapped in the fire and cannot escape, waiting for someone to save them.

It is said that when the soldiers and horses and the Qin family's guards arrived, the three girls inside were already unconscious, and Huo Zongyuan and Qin Yu were seriously injured and crumbling. If it is another hour and a half at night, I am afraid that the lives of the Huo family brothers and sisters and the Qin Ni sisters will have to be explained there.

The gray-clothed man was not very good at martial arts, but his light skills were outstanding, and when he saw that rescuers had arrived, they all fled faster than rabbits, so that Qin Xiong's guards had nothing to gain.

At this time, the people of the Qin Mansion came and went in a hurry, and more than ten Lang Zhong guarded Qin Yu and other five people, all of whom were sweating on their foreheads.

Although Qin Yu was seriously injured, he had been practicing martial arts since he was a child, and his body was strong, and he would be able to take care of his wounds for a month. Huo Zongyuan was also not lightly injured, but after all, he was a son, and he had jumped up and down for evil all these years, and he would also be so good at three-legged cat kung fu, although he was stabbed and unconscious by the smoke, he was not burned by the flames.

The remaining three girls are miserable.

Qin Ni's head was mostly feverish, and his clothes were torn, with a lot of burns.

Huo Zongqing was no better, the same clothes were torn, the back of his neck seemed to have been smashed by a beam of fire, and the flesh and blood were blurred and the skin and flesh were scorched black, spreading all the way to the root of the ear, almost breaking the skin of the girl's house, which looked shocking.

The worst is Qin Fei. She was the youngest and the most panicked, at that time, Qin Yu took the time to take care of Qin Ni and Huo Zongyuan as much as she tried her best to take care of Huo Zongqing, leaving her unattended, she couldn't dodge the spark broken beam, there were large burns on her back and calves, her face seemed to be burned by hot coals, and there were several injuries of different sizes, breaking her face.

And that's just what we can see. Although the officers and soldiers rescued them in time, they were smoked by such thick smoke, who knows if they will wake up and break their throats? What's more, will it be a bad brain?

Even if a single qiē is intact, how severe will the scars in this fire have on my daughter's family!

Qin Ni and Qin Fei are both their own daughters, and they also have the hope of recovering from their lives, and there is also room for change in family affairs. But what about Huo Zongqing? That is the treasure of the eldest princess and the queen, even if she can recover in the future, how angry they should be if such a scar is known to them now!

Not to mention Huo Zongyuan, if he has three longs and two shorts, I'm afraid his career should also turn downhill.

Qin Xiong can't wait to catch Boss Wei and break the corpse into pieces!

Does that person hate the Huo family brothers and sisters, or does he hate him Qin Xiong?

Qin Xiong is in a high position, and it is not difficult to call the various documents and case files in the official mansion, starting from the White Crane Tower, there will soon be a clue-

This Wei boss's name is Wei Zheng, a native of Taining Province, the family originally did not do a big business, and it was a medium-sized family in the local area, and there was a son named Wei Qing under his knees.

It was also from that time that Wei Zheng began to make money desperately, and his family property increased dozens of times in four or five years, and he could be called rich. Then one day, he suddenly sold all his family property, came to Luling alone, and opened this white crane tower.

Qin Xiong has been an official in Luling for many years, and he also has some impressions of this, the White Crane Tower was unknown at first, and then Wei Zheng played the flag of two lantern festival charades, and gradually gained a reputation, plus the dishes and environment in it are all excellent, and it has gradually flourished in the past two years.

Now that I think about it, he made a desperate effort to build the White Crane Tower, and when he started this thing of guessing the lantern riddle, was it for today's fire?

Qin Xiong's face was gloomy, but seeing Wei Zheng's experience, he had nothing to do with the Huo family and the Qin family, so he would never be so hasty and scheming, and then ignite that crazy fire.

Is the White Crane Tower being used by others, or is it ...... He suddenly woke up and patted the case: "Go and check Wei Qing's file!" ”

Wei Qing's exile was twelve years ago, and Qin Xiong's official position was not low at that time, so he naturally didn't care about the life and death of one or two minor officials. The information at hand was limited, so I had to send a letter to the capital to investigate.

Before Qin Xiong found out the results, Xu Yan found out the results earlier.

"Prince Zhaoming's case?" Although Xu Yan has experienced many storms, he was shocked when he heard this, "How can it have anything to do with this!" ”

"My subordinates also think it's strange." Gu An presented the few copied letters, "At that time, Wei Qing was in the Zhan Mansion, and although his official position was low, he was also implicated and exiled for two thousand miles. As a result, on the way to death, there were no bones left. ”

"The case of Prince Zhaoming ......" Xu Yan chewed these words, unable to hide his shock.

If the four words "Prince Zhaoming" are heavy, even if they are pronounced like this, they are dark and heavy. Twelve years ago, Xu Yan was less than ten years old, and he clearly remembered the earth-shaking situation in that case, but although this case had set off huge waves, no one dared to mention it after Emperor Huiping ascended the throne.

For no other reason, Prince Zhaoming is the darkest past in Emperor Huiping's heart, the deepest thorn, and anyone can die at the slightest touch.

Even a person like Xu Yan, who grew up under the care of Emperor Huiping and has a close brotherly relationship, has not dared to mention half a word about this case in the past ten years.

But now, the fire in the White Crane Tower is actually related to Prince Zhaoming?

Gu An rarely saw Xu Yan's brows furrowed so tightly, so he had to retreat to the side and wait. After a cup of tea, Xu Yan still maintained his original posture, but his eyes became more and more unpredictable, as if countless questions poured out.

Admittedly, this is a long-planned revenge, and it is not necessary to explain it simply and simply—

At the beginning, the case of Prince Zhaoming was a masterpiece of Emperor Huiping, Huo Taifu and Huazhen's eldest princess. Wei Zheng's son died in this case, and it is natural for him to resent the Huo family.

He was a commoner, and it was difficult to go against Emperor Huiping, so he had to transfer his hatred to the Huo family.

He lost his son, so he wanted the eldest princess Huazhen to taste the loss of her son.

So he planned for many years, and there was this fire in the White Crane Tower. The answer to guessing the lantern riddle is the most difficult to say, if he intends to do so, no matter whether Qin Yue guesses correctly or not, he can ask him to go up with him, and at the same time leave other irrelevant people behind. The fire came suddenly, the fire was fierce, if it weren't for the timely rescue of the officers and soldiers, I am afraid that he would really be able to get his wish, and the life of Sect Huo Zongyuan would have been killed.

But why are there still so many unclear points?

For example, Wei Zheng's family was originally ordinary, why was he able to get rich in a few years? According to the information that Xu Yan has, Wei Zheng has no special talent, only the talent of Shoucheng. But he came to Luling for only a few years, and he was able to run the White Crane Tower prosperously, which was really surprising compared to his mediocrity in the previous decades.

And Wei Zhengneng secretly arranged fire oil in the White Crane Tower, so that people were never aware of it, and immediately disappeared after the fire, and there has been no news so far, so Qin Xiong couldn't find him when he dug three feet into the ground, which is really strange.

For another example, although the Huo family and the Qin family are relatives, Huo Zongyuan's relationship with this uncle is really not very close, he came here last year maybe on a whim, why did he come here again this year? Still staying for a long time to catch up with this Mid-Autumn Festival lantern riddle?

Xu Yan stayed until late at night, and then called someone to find out why Huo Zongyuan came to Luling this time.