The Wei family steward, hearing this curse, spat another mouthful of blood and fainted.
The other Wei family servants were both shocked and angry. The Xie family servants were also somewhat at a loss.
“Young Master Yanlai!” “Young master, you mustn’t!” Several stewards came out—some persuading the young master, others bowing apologetically to the Wei family servants.
The scene became chaotic for a moment.
The official and the people finally understood whose family this terrible young master belonged to—the Xie clan of Dongyang, that was the Crown Princess’s maternal family. In the future, the Empress’s maternal family.
This young master would be a National Uncle in the future.
So arrogant—
“It’s you! You’re the one who burned our village!”
Amidst the chaos and quiet came a child’s shrill voice. Hearing this, the busy Wei and Xie family servants fell silent, and the quiet people stirred.
A child around ten years old came running unsteadily from not far away, followed by a young servant.
“Little brother, don’t speak recklessly,” the servant said urgently, his expression pleading, his steps stumbling as he fell to the ground.
The child had no injuries, but this young servant’s arm was wrapped in bandages, and more than half his hair had been burned away.
Seeing him fall, the child felt some reluctance.
“Brother Cai, though you saved me, my neighbors and parents are all dead. I’m grateful for your life-saving grace, but I cannot not avenge this!” The child cried, finally gritting his teeth and rushing toward the official.
The official was caught off guard and had his leg grabbed. The child used all his strength desperately—he actually couldn’t shake him off and could only listen as the child told everything.
Young Master Xie’s party was escorting cargo and passing through here, staying overnight in their village. The villagers kindly invited them and gave up their houses, but this young master disdained the villagers’ simple dwellings and insisted on sleeping outside.
As a result, they lit a bonfire and drank wine, fell asleep, and the fire ignited the wine barrels, then ignited the piled dry wood and grain stalks. The fire burned fiercely and instantly spread through the entire village.
Late at night with everyone deeply asleep, by the time they discovered it, they couldn’t escape. Oh, that young master—he was the first to discover the fire, but first escaped to a safe place himself, then busied himself rescuing his cargo. Where did he care whether the villagers lived or died?
“We kindly let him stay the night, but he brought destruction to our village and death to our people.” The child cried out this account and, having no more strength, couldn’t hold the official’s leg and collapsed on the ground.
The official also didn’t retreat further. There was no need—before everyone’s eyes, everyone now knew the cause and effect.
The injured wailed even louder. The people no longer feared because of this young master’s surname. The discussion grew louder and louder, expressions angry.
The Xie family servants involuntarily surrounded the young master to prevent angry people from attacking.
The young master, whether hearing the child’s tearful accusation or facing the people’s anger, showed no change in expression. He didn’t even glance at the child, only speaking to the maids beside him, blaming them for being too heavy-handed and hurting his wound when applying medicine: “I once saw a very skilled maid who applied ointment to her young miss every day, and her miss didn’t notice at all.”
The maids weren’t afraid of the young master’s anger and said with giggles: “Young master should buy that maid.” “No, should invite her over.” “Um, if that family’s young miss won’t release her, bring the young miss along too.”
The young master sneered coldly: “That young miss is a villain. I don’t want her.”
The maids all laughed merrily to comfort the young master not to be afraid.
Over there, the child wept about village destruction and deaths. Here, the young master and maids joked like flowers blooming. Even though the official was accustomed to seeing the powerful and privileged running rampant, he couldn’t help but feel angry.
“Young Master Xie!” he shouted. “Is this truly what happened?”
Only then did Young Master Xie glance at him from among the surrounding maids, phoenix eyes lifting: “Nonsense. What basis is there for saying it was me?”
The child crawled up from the ground, eyes blood-red: “I saw it!”
A mountain village child, seeing the leading young master so beautiful and martial, couldn’t help but curiously watch.
He had been holding a grass-woven grasshopper. That young master saw it, a smile appearing in his eyes—smiling so beautifully, even with some sadness.
He could tell that young master really liked this grasshopper. He couldn’t help but extend his hand to offer it, wanting to give this grasshopper to this young master.
But this young master’s expression suddenly changed, scolding him to get lost, get far away, don’t come near.
A very disdainful appearance.
He was frightened and threw down the grasshopper and ran.
But he still couldn’t help but hide in the distance and secretly watch.
The child shouted: “I saw you have people light the bonfire, have people bring wine. You started drinking and even poured wine into the bonfire!”
The bonfire grew brighter and brighter, the wine brought grew more and more, until people were drunk and unknowing, until the bonfire ignited everything around—
“You’re the one who harmed us.” The child’s hands grasped the ground, his fingers bleeding from clawing. “If you hadn’t passed through here, if you hadn’t stayed overnight in our village, if you hadn’t drunk and made merry, if not—”
He wouldn’t have lost his parents, wouldn’t have lost his home. His entire life was gone in one night.
He jumped up from the ground, pulled out a small knife hidden in his clothing, and lunged at that young master.
“I’m going to kill you!”