Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 77: The Great Fire

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: The Great Fire

Fengyu operated her business with great tact, maintaining amicable ties with the Capital Guard, the Capital Governor, and the merchants’ guild. Within the guild, Baofeng Bank held the status of a dominant figure, its words carrying weight. Lin Yu Yan, unfamiliar with the intricacies of industrial structures, posed no threat to the core of her business.

As Fengyu anticipated, several shops were harassed by the Capital Guard, temporarily shutting doors for a day. Both the Capital Governor and the guild intervened to mediate the situation, ensuring the unruly guards restrained themselves from excessive actions. The supposed victims were fictitious; the truth revealed itself in court proceedings. Fengyu had no need to trouble herself over such matters.

Nestled inside her carriage, Lin Yu Yan fumed silently as she observed several shops bustling with business, unscathed by her schemes. Gnashing her teeth, she cursed vehemently, "Those useless Capital Guards—the audacity to let Fengyu continue her operations!" Her eyes brimmed with a potent mix of hatred. "Fengyu, this isn’t over!"

Midnight fell, the night dark and stormy, accompanied by gusts of icy wind and swirling snow.

Though officials were still on holiday, the streets, under curfew, were deserted. Contrastingly, the neighborhoods bustled with lively activity, carrying on till dawn. People were free to move within the neighborhoods, but venturing onto the streets without a Passage Order invited a guaranteed fifteen-day sentence in prison if caught by the Capital Guard.

Several burly men lurked nearby the Su Lan Cloth Shop, clutching flasks of fire oil with sinister intent. Three streets away were neighborhoods, their faint sounds of revelry and music filtering through. Bundled in thick cotton coats, the men hid in shadows, ensuring the shop lacked any nearby witnesses before pouring fire oil over its doors, windows, and wooden panels.

A shorter man among them whispered anxiously, "The shops are connected. If the fire spreads and burns everything down, what then?"

A stocky brute responded with a smack to the shorter man’s head, "That’s their bad luck, not ours! Quit whining and pour the oil. Light it up and scatter—quick!"

The men emptied the fire oil outside Su Lan Cloth Shop, where the brute grabbed a firestarter and hurled it into the oil slick. Flames erupted instantly, roaring to life as the fire devoured the wooden panels, emboldened by the snowy gales. Taking advantage of the chaos, the men prepared to flee, only to find their paths obstructed by several gleaming longswords emerging from the shadows.

Zhang Da stepped forth from the gloom, his longsword held horizontally. "Gentlemen, arson and shop-burning—where exactly are you planning to flee?"

"Trouble! Run!" One of the burly men howled, his face contorted with panic. Grasping an oil flask, he flung it, scattering in disarray. The frigid wind cut across their faces like blades as some stumbled onto snow-laden ground, only to have longswords pressed against their throats. Zhang Da, leading the Protectors, swiftly apprehended all five fleeing men. Meanwhile, the spreading flames began consuming Su Lan Cloth Shop. Amid the chaos, the shop’s doors creaked open, with Qiuxiang and Chunlu emerging, shielding Fengyu as they stepped outside. Though disheveled, Fengyu appeared utterly unfazed, not a single strand of hair out of place.

"Gentlemen, you’ve been waiting quite a while, haven’t you?" Fengyu addressed the prostrate brigands with a faint smile. Pinned under the icy gales and snow, the men could only crane their necks upward to meet her gaze.

The woman widely rumored as the Third Miss stood amidst the blazing inferno, her crimson embroidered cloak fluttering in the wind. Backlit by flames, she resembled a phoenix reborn from ashes—strikingly beautiful, yet aloof and untouchable. Her gaze fell upon the men with placid amusement, as though viewing insignificant insects. Their fear and anger held no weight in her eyes.

"You knew we’d come to burn the shop! You purposely laid this trap to ensnare us!" one of the brutes roared, struggling to rise. Zhang Da responded with a swift thrust of his sword, piercing the man’s shoulder blade. "Shut up!"

The burly man shrieked in agony as blood splattered onto the snow, blooming like red plum blossoms.

Qiuxiang sneered at the group of criminals, "Setting fires in the middle of the night—how shameless. Now that you’re caught red-handed with witnesses and evidence, let’s see how you plan to slither out of this."

Chunlu glanced toward the intensifying blaze. "Miss, isn’t it time to extinguish the fire?"

"No rush—let it burn a little longer." The flames danced within Fengyu’s eyes, casting her profile in a serene and composed light. She had waited in the cloth shop for three nights, anticipating their arrival. Hastily settling matters would do no justice to her plans. The surrounding shops—though adjacent—were hers, their goods already removed and the premises left empty. Letting them incinerate, only to rebuild anew, was but a minor expense—a strategic price to utterly crush Lin Yu Yan.

Unable to infiltrate Minister Lin’s Mansion or discern Lin Yu Yan’s precise intentions, Fengyu relied on her understanding of Lin Yu Yan’s nature—foolish and ruthless—to predict her actions. If one scheme failed, the woman would undoubtedly resort to drastic measures, such as arson. Thus, Fengyu deliberately stationed herself at the cloth shop, awaiting their arrival. Three tranquil nights had nearly tested her patience, leading her to momentarily speculate if Lin Yu Yan had grown wise. Clearly, she had overestimated her foe.

"How thoroughly predictable!" Fengyu mused, snowflakes settling onto her cloak with biting chill. She gazed at the escalating flames, observing that the gales made sustaining the fire a challenge. Had this been summer, half the district might’ve already been ablaze.

Gradually, the fire flared high enough to illuminate half the sky. Revelers within the neighborhoods began to notice, shouting warnings about the fire as a cacophony arose. Fengyu’s lips curled in satisfaction, ready to signal Zhang Da to extinguish it. Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of galloping steel-shod hoofbeats—heavy and urgent—echoed across the distance. Fengyu’s expression stiffened as she focused her gaze.

A squadron of Forbidden Army soldiers charged through the snowfall, garbed in deep blue uniforms, sabers at their waists. The soldiers rode with unmistakable precision, snow splashing up in their wake like shattered blades. Leading the group was none other than Lin Cheng.

Lin Cheng reined his horse in sharply before Su Lan Cloth Shop, the steed’s forelegs rearing high before settling with a harsh stomp, scattering snow and ice like weapons slicing through the air. Chunlu instinctively shielded Fengyu. Lin Cheng scanned the criminals with an icy glare, swiftly dismounting to bark an order to his troops. "Men, put out the fire!"

"Yes, sir!" The Forbidden Army, disciplined as ever, promptly dismounted and dispersed to locate water sources.

Fengyu arched a brow slightly as Lin Cheng approached her. Years of commanding the Forbidden Army had imbued him with an aura of lethal authority. Qiuxiang clutched Fengyu’s arm nervously, her gaze fixed on Lin Cheng with equal parts vigilance and dread.

"Miss Feng San, what a coincidence! A dark, stormy night, and you’re wandering the streets?" Lin Cheng said with a cold edge, assessing Fengyu amidst the swirling snow—a woman as captivating as frost-kissed plum blossoms, yet stirring his contempt.

This woman had singlehandedly thrown his household into chaos—utterly intolerable!

"I was reviewing accounts at the cloth shop late into the night and was nearly killed in this fire. How fortunate that Lord Lin arrived in time." Fengyu greeted Lin Cheng with decorum, her tone unwavering. She silently noted Lin Cheng’s presence was no coincidence; he likely knew Lin Yu Yan’s plot and had come to intervene.

"Miss Feng San rarely spends nights poring over shop accounts—a rare occurrence coinciding with a fire. What impeccable timing," Lin Cheng retorted with biting sarcasm, staring sharply at Fengyu as though trying to pierce through her façade.

Fengyu’s smile remained gentle, "Just a few days ago someone caused trouble; tonight, someone sets a fire intending to burn me alive. Who could hate me this much, wishing me dead at every turn?"

"Miss Feng San’s vast business empire inevitably invites enemies," Lin Cheng remarked, leaning slightly forward to meet her eyes directly, his tone laced with menace. "Walking by the river every day, Miss Feng San best be careful not to slip and drown."

Commanding the Forbidden Army for years, Lin Cheng’s authoritative presence easily overwhelmed, laden with palpable threats. Yet Fengyu remained calm and composed, entirely unflinching. "Lord Lin, my conscience is clear; I conduct my business honorably, always on the rightful path."

Lin Cheng clenched his fists, rage simmering within him, as he prepared to reprimand Fengyu further. A commotion interrupted his intent—messy, hurried footsteps signaled the arrival of the Capital Governor, followed by a troop of patrolmen.

"What is happening here? The fire is out of control! Quickly, help extinguish it!"

A dozen or so patrolmen scrambled to take part in dousing the flames.