After the arranged marriage, I pampered the sickly regent.

"Who's there?"

Ye Yuanfeng, who was talking to Ye Xuan, heard footsteps approaching. He looked around and finally locked his gaze on a corner. He shouted angrily at the corner, "Get out here right now!"

Jiang Wenjin was so frightened that he trembled and quickly came out upon seeing this.

"it's me."

"Jiang Wenjin?"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Ye Yuanfeng lowered his guard and said disdainfully, "What are you doing here?"

“I… Qingzhu has been staying at the Regent’s Palace these past few days, and I was worried about her, so I had to come here.”

Given his current status, he has no way of entering the Regent's Palace.

"I'm leaving Yuanfeng here to you."

Ye Xuan was filled with melancholy. It seemed he would have to go to the Regent's Palace tomorrow.

He had finally secured his position as Duke, and if his future career were ruined by that wretched girl, Ye Qingwu…

Seeing Ye Xuan and Madam Su leave one after the other, Jiang Wenjin hurriedly asked Ye Yuanfeng, "Second brother-in-law, how is Qingzhu doing?"

Is she in any danger?

Upon hearing Jiang Wenjin's address, Ye Yuanfeng was stunned for a moment, then looked at Jiang Wenjin with disdain.

"Who is your second brother-in-law?"

"Jiang Wenjin, you are not qualified to address me like that until you pass the imperial examination and obtain an official position."

Although Ye Qingzhu married Jiang Wenjin, he looked down on this poor scholar from the bottom of his heart.

"It's all your fault for not protecting Qingzhu. Let me tell you, if anything goes wrong, you won't be able to escape either."

After angrily rebuking Jiang Wenjin a few times, Ye Yuanfeng strode away.

Jiang Wen clenched his fists, his eyes filled with resentment. He had thought that marrying Ye Qingzhu would make things different in the Duke's mansion, but these people had never even given him a second glance.

Even his wife, Ye Qingzhu, was the same.

If he were to become the Grand Secretary one day, he would never let these people go.

……

As night deepened, a scream erupted from the Regent's Palace.

"Something terrible has happened! The courtyard where Granny Chang lives is on fire!"

The entire palace instantly descended into chaos. Ye Qingwu, who was in the space, heard the commotion outside, opened her eyes, and then walked outside.

"Cold Wind, what happened?"

"Your Highness, something has happened to Granny Chang."

"what?"

Ye Qingwu was startled and walked towards the courtyard where Granny Chang was. She saw that there were many guards gathered there, and the courtyard was burned beyond recognition.

"The princess is in danger."

Seeing that Ye Qingwu was still planning to approach, Leng Feng reminded her.

"Granny Chang, were they rescued?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Your Highness, you must stand up for Granny Chang!"

At this moment, two palace maids rushed forward and shouted at Ye Qingwu.

"Making the decision?"

Ye Qingwu hesitated, "You suspect that the fire was set on purpose."

"Correct!"

"Commander Wang, please bring the person here."

One of the palace maids spoke emotionally, and Commander Wang responded. Then, under the guards' watch, Ye Qingzhu was brought before him.

Ye Qingwu was indeed shocked when she saw Ye Qingzhu.

"Let me go! I've already said this has nothing to do with me. I just happened to be passing by!"

Ye Qingzhu shouted loudly to the surroundings.

"It's late at night now, and your place is quite a distance from Granny Chang's. How could you just happen to be passing by?"

"Besides, it was you who had the conflict with Granny Chang during the day. Who knows if you did this on purpose to retaliate!"

"You're talking nonsense. She set the fire herself. What does it have to do with me?"

Ye Qingzhu was extremely anxious when she saw everyone looking at her with questioning eyes.

"Ye Qingwu, say something! This matter really has nothing to do with me."

Ye Qingzhu said to Ye Qingwu.

"Your Highness, don't be fooled by her words. The wood shavings on Ye Qingzhu's hands are the best proof."

"I did it to save her... I just can't explain it."

Ye Qingzhu was so anxious she was about to cry. She had said so much, but how could these people be so sure that she was the one who did it?

"Quiet."

Seeing the chaos around them, Ye Qingwu shouted at them.

"Commander Wang, maintain order here. As for Ye Qingzhu, I will interrogate her personally."

"Your Highness, Ye Qingzhu comes from the Duke's mansion, so it might not be appropriate for you to interrogate her."

Commander Wang questioned Ye Qingwu's plan to take the person away.

"According to you, Commander Wang, does the matter of Granny Chang have anything to do with me?"

"Your Highness, I was merely stating the facts. If my words have offended you, please forgive me."

"The Regent's Palace has been under strict lockdown for the past two days, so the troublemaker must still be inside."

"If the matter is truly related to Ye Qingzhu, I will take action myself. But before that, Commander Wang, do not forget the Emperor's orders."

Upon hearing the word "order," Commander Wang fell silent. Even though Granny Chang was someone close to the Empress Dowager, she was still just a slave.

How could that compare to the safety of the Regent?

"Come with me," Ye Qingwu said to Ye Qingzhu.

"Leng Feng, you keep watch nearby."

Ye Qingwu led Ye Qingzhu directly to the courtyard where Zhan Sijing was located. Zhan Sijing's guards and Leng Feng were watching over the area.

It can be considered a relatively safe place.

"Yes."

The cold wind nodded and quickly disappeared from sight.

"Ye Qingzhu, tell me now, is Chang Mama's matter related to you or not?"

After the explanation she just gave, Ye Qingzhu was completely devastated.

"I already said no! Ye Qingwu, why won't you believe me?"

"The reason I passed by there was to find out what that old woman's plans were."

"That's how I heard her say she was going to deal with us."

Ye Qingzhu spoke loudly. Although she was dissatisfied with that old woman, she would not do something as heinous as murder and arson.

Seeing Ye Qingzhu yelling at her, Ye Qingwu frowned and looked serious.

"Did you notice anything strange at the time?"

"And if you wanted to save people, why did a fire happen in the first place?"

This all seems illogical.

"That...that's because Granny Chang is possessed by an evil spirit!"

"Explain yourself!" Ye Qingwu said coldly. "Ye Qingzhu, if you say anything more useless, don't blame me for taking action now."

“What I said is true. When I saw Granny Chang, she was shrouded in a black aura. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but when I saw her piling up firewood, I rushed forward. I didn’t expect her to attack me as soon as I got close. Those wood chips were what I touched when I was dodging.”

"Black mist?"

Ye Qingwu's heart skipped a beat. A curse, black energy... could it be...?

"I'm asking you, what else is there besides black mist?"

"There's also... there's a small fragment that looks like a jade pendant."

As Ye Qingzhu spoke, she took out a dark, gritty fragment from her bosom and placed it in front of Ye Qingwu.

"Look, this is it."

"Throw it away!"