The Emperor's heart is won, she sits on the Phoenix Throne! The Divine Physician's Eldest

“Miss, you cannot leave the ancestral hall without the old lady’s order,” Xilan reminded her.

Song Yu'er was full of confidence: "So what if there are no orders? I have my own ways!"

She beckoned to Xilan, "Come here..."

"Miss, you're amazing! You've killed two birds with one stone. I'll get right on it."

The night swallowed the last cloud, completely covering the entire world.

A dark figure lurked suspiciously in the mansion before disappearing into the night.

midnight.

Flames soared into the sky from the Zhenbei Marquis's residence, and thick smoke billowed everywhere.

The first to discover the fire were the gatekeepers on night duty at the mansion.

"The water is gone! The water is gone!"

The gatekeeper shouted loudly and rushed towards the ancestral hall with a bucket of water.

At the same time, everyone in the mansion was awakened from their sleep.

"How did the ancestral hall get flooded? Yu'er is still inside!" Old Madam Song asked, grabbing the gatekeeper.

"This servant didn't know. This servant was on night patrol when I suddenly saw a light..."

Not wanting to listen to the gatekeeper's useless talk, Madam Song continued, "Did you see the Third Miss come out from inside?"

The gatekeeper shook his head, "This servant didn't..."

"Help! Someone, whoever can rescue the Third Miss today will be richly rewarded!" Old Madam Song tried to rush in, but the fire was too fierce for her to get in.

Song, wearing his robes, exclaimed, "How could the ancestral hall suddenly catch fire when it was perfectly fine? Men, go and find out who set the fire!"

The old lady arrived late, leaning on her cane and supported by her maid.

"Yu'er, my Yu'er, how did the fire start?"

Tears welled in the old lady's eyes; she was filled with regret and fear, and her hand, which was gripping her cane, was trembling.

If she hadn't locked Song Yu'er in the ancestral hall, how could Song Yu'er have been in danger?

What if Song Yu'er gets hurt...

She couldn't even imagine such a terrible thing; after all, she was the one who ordered the person locked up, and she was an accomplice.

Just then, Song Siyao arrived.

"Song Siyao, how dare you show your face here?" The old lady seemed to see hope when she saw Song Siyao.

Yes, all the blame lies with Song Siyao. Song Siyao is the murderer. If it weren't for Song Siyao, why would she have imprisoned Song Yu'er?

"How can I not have a face?" Song Siyao retorted.

"It's all your fault, Song Siyao! If anything happens to Yu'er, you'll die too!" The old lady said fiercely.

"Grandmother is the culprit; if anyone should die, it should be you first."

Song Siyao retaliated, and the old lady trembled, almost losing her balance.

Her granddaughter actually cursed her to die. What sins did she commit?

"The Third Miss is out! The Third Miss is out!"

At this moment, a maid shouted, and with everyone's combined efforts, the fire had been greatly reduced.

Song Yu'er, wearing a soaked cloak, was helped out of the ancestral hall by servants.

"Father, Mother, Grandmother, Yu'er almost didn't get to see you again."

Song Yu'er knelt on the ground, crying loudly and pitifully.

"My Yu'er, get up quickly, are you hurt?" The old lady truly loved this daughter. She helped Song Yu'er up, looking her over and touching her here and there, her face full of worry.

"Mother, I'm alright." Song Yu'er's face was dirty and her body was trembling, but she still managed to force a smile to comfort everyone.

Her gaze drifted from the old lady to Minister Song, and finally settled on the old lady, as she continued, "It's all Yu'er's fault, causing Father, Mother, and Grandmother to worry."

Her feigned strength and considerate, sensible demeanor only made people feel more sorry for her.

The old lady felt a pang of sadness. This was her good granddaughter. Even though she had been wronged, she still had to take care of other people's feelings. She was a thousand times, ten thousand times better than Song Siyao.

“Yu’er, it’s Grandmother’s fault. Grandmother shouldn’t have locked you in the ancestral hall.”

The old lady held Song Yu'er's hand, her face full of self-reproach.

"Grandmother, it's right for you to punish me for what I did wrong. Grandmother, please don't blame yourself. It will hurt me."

Song Yu'er patted the old lady's back, her brows furrowed, looking genuinely distressed.

"Grandmother, wait until the fire in the ancestral hall is extinguished before I go in to be punished."

"No, no! You can't go in anymore. You did nothing wrong and shouldn't be punished!" The old lady didn't dare to lock Song Yu'er up anymore. This time, she was terrified. She didn't want outsiders to know that she was a vicious grandmother.

"Grandmother, but..."

"No buts, I'm in charge of this matter." The old lady looked at her son and daughter-in-law and asked, "Can I still make decisions in this household?"

She didn't forget to establish her authority.

The old lady and Minister Song were naturally willing to accept this without blaming their daughter, and they both answered in unison, "We will listen to Mother, Mother will decide."

The old lady nodded with satisfaction, finally managing to save face a little.

"Yu'er, how could the ancestral hall catch fire?" asked Minister Song.

“My daughter didn’t know either. She was just inside reflecting on her actions when she suddenly smelled smoke and asked Xilan to check. Xilan discovered there was a fire and quickly pulled my daughter to run outside. My daughter didn’t dare leave, since she was being punished. While we hesitated, the fire grew bigger and bigger, and we couldn’t leave anymore. We had to find a place to hide. Luckily, someone came in and rescued us, otherwise today…”

Song Yu'er's explanation was just right.

"It must be the ancestors' divine intervention, protecting our Yu'er and keeping her safe and sound." The old lady said with a look of relief.

Just then, the servant whom Vice Minister Song had sent to investigate the cause of the fire returned. "Master, this was picked up from the weeds on the path next to the ancestral hall."

A servant handed a purse to Vice Minister Song.

Vice Minister Song picked up the purse and examined it closely, then asked, "Whose purse is this?"

Everyone looked at each other, but no one said a word.

"If you come forward and confess, I may be lenient. But if I find out, I will show no mercy!" Minister Song threatened.

“Master, that purse…” Xi Lan hesitated.

"Speak!" Vice Minister Song's face darkened.

“That purse looks familiar to me, it looks like it belongs to the Second Miss.” Xilan secretly glanced at Song Siyao.

Song Siyao's eyes turned cold as she realized that this whole show was for her, so she decided to play along.

She asked coldly, "When did I ever have such an ugly purse? I don't remember."

"Second sister, you were blind before, so of course the purses you embroidered were ugly."

Song Yu'er questioned, "Second sister, does Brother Ting love me or not? Are you going to set me on fire and burn me to death? I'm your own sister! How can you be so cruel!"

"Only you treat that scumbag like a treasure, who cares?"

Song Siyao's voice was cold and stern, "How dare you set fire to and commit violence in my Zhenbei Marquis's residence! You're tired of living! Yu Xiang, report this to the authorities!"

"We can't report this to the authorities!" Song Yu'er quickly stopped her, a hint of panic flashing across her face.

"Is Third Sister feeling guilty?" Song Siyao stared into Song Yu'er's eyes.

"Why would I feel guilty?" Song Yu'er took a deep breath and said confidently, "It's just a small matter. Our household can handle it ourselves."

"Third sister is so kind. She almost got burned to death herself, yet she still thought so much about the murderer. No wonder she is the model noble lady in the eyes of the prominent families in the capital."

"As human beings, kindness is the most basic quality. This is something that my second sister, who did not receive a good upbringing, could not possibly understand." Song Yu'er held her head high, exuding a sense of superiority.

"Heh, Third Sister, you don't think I'm praising you, do you?" Song Siyao sneered.

"You!" Song Yu'er realized that Song Siyao was mocking her.

"How could my third sister, who received a good upbringing, have such a pig's brain? What a waste of the manor's food!" Song Siyao struck again.

Song Yu'er was so angry she wanted to tear Song Siyao apart. She knelt before the old lady and said, "Grandmother, it was my second sister who tried to burn me alive. Please, Grandmother, do justice for Yu'er!"

"Guards, drag Song Siyao away, give him twenty strokes of the cane, lock him in the woodshed, and don't let him eat for three days!" the old lady ordered.