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

"Lord Chen, how could the murderer not be her? Only she hates me to the bone and wishes she could kill me!"

Song Yu'er got anxious and interrupted Chen Jiang.

Chen Jiang looked at Song Yu'er and said, "Miss Song, explain to me how you managed to escape unharmed when the ancestral hall was burned to the ground like this?"

Song Yu'er explained, "When we were hiding inside, the fire hadn't reached there yet. We were rescued later. Maybe it's because I'm naturally kind, and God couldn't bear to let me get hurt."

She looked at Song Siyao and said, "Second sister, I advise you to be kind. Look, even God isn't on your side."

Song Si raised an eyebrow. "If I really wanted to deal with you, why would I need God's help?"

"You!" Song Yu'er looked at Chen Jiang. "Lord Chen, look, she is the murderer. You just heard it, didn't you? She said she was going to deal with me."

Chen Jiang frowned. "Miss Song, didn't you start this trouble first?"

"I……"

"Alright, I have my own judgment. Miss Song, refrain from saying anything unrelated to this case, or I will charge you with obstructing official business!"

Chen Jiang looked stern, and Song Yu'er had no choice but to shut up.

Just then, a constable brought over a maid. "Sir, we've found her! It's her. This maid has an injury on her finger and the scent of that purse on her body."

"Who are you? Why did you set fire to Miss Song's house?" Chen Jiang asked.

The maid knelt on the ground, "I'm innocent, sir! I have no grudge against the Third Miss, and I did not harm her."

"Answer my question, who are you? What do you do in this mansion?" Chen Jiang asked sternly.

The maid replied, "My name is Eggplant, and I am a maid in the Third Miss's courtyard, responsible for cleaning the rooms."

"Where did you get the injury on your finger?" Chen Jiang asked again.

"I got pricked by a piece of wood shavings while cleaning," Eggplant said.

"Lying!" Chen Jiang shouted, "The injury on your finger is clearly a needle prick. If you don't tell the truth, I'll give you ten lashes!"

“Lord Chen, she didn’t want to harm my third sister, she wanted to harm me,” Song Siyao suddenly said.

"Why do you say that, Miss Song?" Chen Jiang asked, somewhat puzzled.

Song Siyao looked at Qiezi and saw a flash of hatred in Qiezi's eyes.

She looked at Chen Jiang and explained, "She is the daughter of a nanny in our mansion. On the day I returned to the mansion, that nanny tried to stop me and insulted me, forbidding me from entering. I beat her up and sold her off. She is avenging her mother."

Hongshao had told Song Siyao about the basic situation of everyone in the mansion.

Song Siyao continued, "The fabric for the embroidered purse is Jinzhou silk, which is a top-quality material. However, it is very flashy and usually only young women would use it to make clothes. Currently, only the Third Miss in the mansion uses this material. But the Third Miss does not use plum blossom fragrance; only the old lady uses it. Eggplant, where does the plum blossom fragrance on you come from?"

"You're talking nonsense! What fabric? Plum fragrance? I don't understand!" Eggplant was still trying to argue.

"The old lady was in charge of the household affairs, and she would personally inspect the fabrics that came into the mansion, so the silk orchid would have the scent of plum blossoms. She gave the silk orchid to the third young lady, and the third young lady gave it to you. You used the silk orchid to make a purse, and your body also became tinged with the scent of plum blossoms."

Song Siyao's gaze turned cold. "Eggplant, you certainly wouldn't want to use such fine fabric. Apart from the fabric used to make the purse, the rest should still be in your room. Once the fabric is found, we'll be caught red-handed, and your excuses will be useless!"

Eggplant was stunned. How could Song Siyao know so many details?

Snapped!

Song Yu'er slapped Eggplant across the face. "Eggplant, I've treated you well. I only gave you silk and orchids to make new clothes because I felt sorry for you. I never expected that you would set fire to the ancestral hall to frame my second sister in order to get revenge on her.

"That's not how it is, Third Miss. You ordered me to..." *Slap!*

Song Yu'er slapped Eggplant again. "Eggplant, stop making excuses. It will be too late to confess once they find the silk in your room. You don't care about your own life or death, but you should think about your mother. You are her only daughter. If something happens to you, your mother won't be able to live either."

"Miss Song, this is an attempt to induce a confession!" Chen Jiang said, clearly displeased.

"I'll talk, I'll confess." Eggplant knew Song Yu'er's personality all too well; if she dared to tell the truth, neither she nor her mother would survive.

“I embroidered the purse, I set the fire. I hate the second young lady. If anything happens to the third young lady, everyone will suspect the second young lady. I want to take revenge on her.”

Song Yu'er smiled slightly; she had successfully taken control of the eggplant.

She turned to look at Song Siyao, "Second sister, I wronged you just now. It was all because of this wretched maid. She stirred up trouble and ruined our sisterly relationship."

“Third Sister, it’s true that Eggplant Embroidery Purse set fire to the fire, but you’re the real mastermind, aren’t you? Otherwise, how could you have been prepared in advance and escaped unharmed when the fire was so fierce?” Song Siyao asked.

"Second sister, you can't wrong me just because I misunderstood you first, right? How could I be so stupid as to let Qiezi set fire to the ancestral hall? Wouldn't that be risking my own life?" Song Yu'er explained.

“You’re not stupid, but you treat others like fools.” Song Siyao looked at Chen Jiang. “Lord Chen, did you find anything when you went into the ancestral hall just now?”

To avoid suspicion, only officials from the government were allowed to enter the ancestral hall to inspect it.

“There was a damaged section in the ancestral hall wall. An investigation revealed it was vandalized, and it was damaged before the fire started. The opening was just big enough for a person to fit through,” Chen Jiang said.

"Lord Chen, the entire ancestral hall has been burned to this state. How can you determine whether it was vandalized or burned down? This discovery is insufficient as evidence," Song Yu'er argued illogically.

“Miss Song, everything leaves a trace. Once we catch the person who damaged the wall, we’ll find out in a quick interrogation. Do you think you can escape?” Chen Jiang said seriously.

“Song Yu’er, you were no longer in the ancestral hall before the fire started. You deliberately made yourself dirty and watched everyone from the outside. When someone rushed in to put out the fire, you went in through that opening. At that time, the fire hadn’t reached there yet, so you were safe.”

Song Siyao's gaze turned icy. "You don't seem to care, but what if the fire gets bigger? You're already outside anyway, so you won't go back into the ancestral hall. You can just make up an excuse that you escaped. Have you considered what will happen to the people who rushed into the fire to save you? What if they can't get out? Song Yu'er, is this what you call your innate kindness?"

"Nonsense! Second sister, why are you accusing me like this? What you're saying is all just your guess." Song Yu'er still refused to admit it.

"Lord Chen, the truth has come to light. I cannot bear this injustice. I beg you to handle this matter impartially." Song Siyao was too lazy to engage in a pointless argument with Song Yu'er.

"Don't worry, Miss Song. The Marquis and General Pingwei sacrificed themselves for the country. We have a responsibility to protect their families. I will definitely give Miss Song justice."

Chen Jiang's voice was cold and stern, "Miss Song instructed her maid to set fire to people and frame the martyr's family. Guards, take them back to the yamen for questioning and to await their punishment!"