After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

"Miss, you're injured..." Ziju rushed to Fang Xiaoran and asked her about her injuries with concern. At this moment, Qinglan also rushed over. Seeing the servants putting out the fire, she wondered why Liu Xiaoniangzi was here when the North Residence was so far away and no one usually came.

She and her daughter had no connection whatsoever, and Cuiwei Pavilion was not so close to the North Residence that the fire was so intense that she had to come and put it out.

It can't just be because she's kind-hearted; this Miss Liu is no pushover.

As Qinglan was puzzled, she heard Fang Xiaoran shake her head and say, "I'm fine, you guys go and help them put out the fire."

“Yes.” Ziju and Qinglan immediately went to help.

“Aunt, I need to interrogate this person first to avoid any mishaps later.” Fang Xiaoran turned to Liu Shi and said. Liu Shi was puzzled but did not show it. She nodded and said, “Alright, but how do you plan to interrogate him?”

"Please wait a moment, Aunt." As soon as she finished speaking, Fang Xiaoran's eyes turned cold, and she grabbed the man's short blade. Without hesitation, she stabbed it into the root of his other thigh. Blood splattered everywhere, and the sharp pain made the unconscious man suddenly open his eyes and let out a shrill scream.

Seeing this, Liu gasped in shock. Such decisiveness showed she was truly ruthless.

Fang Xiaoran casually removed the man's mask, revealing an unfamiliar face. Liu Shi leaned closer to take a look and frowned slightly. "You are Steward Wu's cousin. You once came to deliver charcoal. I had the honor of meeting you. I never expected you to be involved in murder and arson."

"I... I don't understand what you're saying, and I don't know any Butler Wu." The man turned his head away, his eyes darting around, clearly trying to hide something.

He didn't think that being stubborn meant he wouldn't have to say anything, did he? Fang Xiaoran wasn't about to waste her breath arguing with him, so she simply took a jar from the room and opened it in front of everyone, including Liu Shi. A scarlet spider crawled out of the jar and slowly landed on Fang Xiaoran's fingertip.

The spider wasn't big, only about the size of a thumb, but its bright colors gave it a dangerous look.

Fang Xiaoran squatted on the ground, her hand slowly resting on the floor. The spider slid down from her fingertips and slowly crawled up the man's clothes, from his arm all the way to his neck and then to his ear. When she felt the spider stop outside his ear canal, the man's expression changed drastically. "You, what do you want to do?"

"Of course I want to hear the truth: who sent you to kill me?" Fang Xiaoran's voice was icy.

The man gritted his teeth and said, "No one else, it was me. You offended someone and deserve to be punished."

"is it?"

Fang Xiaoran curled her lips into a smile, but her eyes flashed with a dangerous signal. The scarlet spider seemed to know her intention and actually crawled into the man's ear. The man screamed in terror and tried to shake the spider off, but his hands and feet were bound and he was held down firmly, unable to move.

"No, no..." He felt the spider crawling in his ear canal, the faint sounds stimulating his brain, and a sharp pain came over him. The unknown fear suddenly enveloped him, and at this moment he had no other thoughts but fear.

Seeing that he was on the verge of collapse, Fang Xiaoran raised an eyebrow slightly, "Not planning to talk about it?"

This feeling was even more terrifying than being slowly sliced ​​to death. Even the most resilient person couldn't endure it for long. Finally, the man screamed, "Ah, tell me! I'll tell you! It was the concubine, it was her! She wanted your key, so she ordered me to set fire to the North Residence and steal it in the chaos..."

"If you came to steal, why did you take my life?"

If it were just theft, there would be no need to carry a short knife and immediately think of killing someone.

"Madam said your life can't be spared. She'll just kill you. Anyway, the fire will engulf your body, so the true cause of death won't be clear. Besides, given the master's attitude towards you, he definitely won't pursue the matter too much… Ah!! Please, please let me go! Quickly, let it out, please…"

A grown man was pleading with a sob in his voice, which showed how scared he was. In fact, not only him, but also Liu Shi, her maid and the servants who were watching were frightened and felt fear towards Fang Xiaoran.

This is exactly what Fang Xiaoran needs. She could easily find a secluded place to interrogate her slowly, but she wants to show Liu that once she's on her side, she shouldn't even think about stabbing her in the back. She has plenty of ways to get revenge.

Liu was indeed frightened and stood there for a long time without daring to move. It was only after Fang Xiaoran reminded her that she came back to her senses.

“Aunt, since he has told the truth, let’s go to Father for advice.”

Mrs. Liu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly nodded, "Okay, okay..."

Having achieved her goal, Fang Xiaoran no longer needed to frighten the man. She walked to his side, bent down, and gently placed her hand near his ear. The scarlet spider immediately crawled out and returned to her fingertip.

As she stood up, she said to him in a voice only the two of them could hear, "The incense isn't just filled with sleeping pills; I can take your life with ease."

The man was startled, a chill ran down his spine, and he remained so for a long time.

------

Ci'an Hall.

The old lady was still half-asleep, occasionally grabbing Fang Zhengyong, who was guarding her bedside, and saying in a hoarse voice, "You must save that child. Of all these girls, she is the most filial to me. She has no one backing her; no one cares about her except me..."

Fang Zhengyong gently tucked the blanket around the old lady and comforted her, "Mother, don't worry, I've already asked someone to look for her. It won't be long before we see Doctor Qi. Her medical skills are superb, and she will definitely be able to cure Qi'er."

"That's good, that's good..."

"Don't worry about it. Take care of your health and get some sleep. Tomorrow, Qi'er will be lively and energetic, ready to come and pay her respects to you."

After hearing these words, the old lady fell into a deep sleep.

Just then, a maid rushed in, but before she could speak, Fang Zhengyong scolded her, "Didn't I tell you not to come in and disturb us? I just scolded one of you and you're back again? The old lady finally fell asleep, be careful not to wake her up again."

The maid was so frightened by the barrage of angry shouts that she dared not utter another word and silently retreated.

Back in the front yard, the maid bowed pitifully and said, "Master said he won't see anyone. Miss Liu, you'd better leave quickly, or Master will get angry soon."

Liu asked, "Have you explained the situation?"

The maid whispered, "The old lady has just fallen asleep, and I dare not disturb her. Granny Wang had already reported the fire at the North Residence before it happened, but the old lady is too ill for the master to leave. Anyway, the sixth young lady is fine, so why don't we come another day?"

They were a concubine and an unfavored girl, and even their maids dared to neglect them.

In Fang Zhengyong's eyes, the fire and the near-death experience of being assassinated were less important than the old lady's sleepless nights. He didn't care about Fang Xiaoran's life or death at all, so he didn't send anyone to put out the fire immediately when the North Residence caught fire.

Fang Xiaoran's eyes darkened slightly. She secretly circulated her inner energy, gathering it at her throat, and then gently vibrated her vocal cords. "So Father thinks that it doesn't matter if Beiju is engulfed in flames, or if I get slashed? My life is worthless to him?"

The voice was eight octaves higher than usual, and it sounded very clear, making it easily audible to everyone in the Ci'an Hall.