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Dry Weather Easily Flammable
T/N: Translated by Jen on Broken Jinsei! Please do not repost my translations! All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
Speaking of which, fires in the capital, to say it was rare, it was indeed rare, ultimately an extremely dangerous matter, but in the past year, compared to the changes in the state of affairs that surged like a gathering storm, it actually wasn’t considered that shocking of a news.
After all, aside from the two fires at the Wen’an Marquis Manor and Jade Peak Villa that can be considered known throughout the capital, the incident during the imperial selection banquet last year, where the cat got startled, the banquet catching on fire and the candidates falling into the water, was also known by everyone.
As such, if Wei Wang Manor’s fire this time was just an ordinary early winter accident, it shouldn’t cause that big of a commotion. For several hundred years, that line that the night watchers throughout the country frequently chanted, ‘weather dry, objects flammable, be careful of fire and candles’, made sense for a reason.
But, this matter just so happened to occur the night before setting out for the fief in the bitter cold northwest, after Wei Wang had already bid his farewell to the emperor and empress, as well as Li Consort and the imperial clansmen. Regardless whether the main consort and side consorts were still sick or have recovered, regardless whether the maiden families of the consorts and concubines pitifully begged or bribed with huge amount of money, in the end, they still could only organize all the luggage and prepare to set out together. Unknown as to the cause, a raging flame that had suddenly erupted very late into the night at the third of the five night watch periods[1] suddenly ignited the main courtyard of the once ostentatious and full of extravagance Wei Wang Manor. The burning flame seemingly had the momentum of setting the skies aflame, practically turning the northwest night sky of the capital red.
The chaotic voices and cries overlapped together with the sounds of the burning flame and collapsing trees. By the time the official residences to the left and right of Wei Wang Manor were startled awake, rushing over to help out, the shocking intensity of the fire had already spread from the main courtyard at center of the manor to the road on the left and right.
By the time the Yulin army, Capital Magistrate Office, and even the City Guards all quickly assembled the elites and rushed to Wei Wang Manor, splashing water inside with all their might, attempting to rescue people, the trees near the second gate have already gotten caught in the fire.
The first third rank official to arrive at the scene, that is the Left General of the City Guards, Pan Jin, who was in charge of the capital’s defense that night, was already scared to the point of going limp, practically leaning against his personal guard as he tremblingly continued to direct the rescue. Just, this urgent report to the palace, he really doesn’t know how to phrase.
Of course, very soon, he won’t need to worry about this problem.
Because in another quarter of an hour, the imperial clansman closest to Wei Wang Manor, Qian Wang Manor’s heir already rushed over. Arriving at the same time was the second prince Wu Wang, who no matter how awkward the rumors were, ultimately still Wei Wang’s older brother of the same father and mother, as well as the crown prince who’d quickly requested to come after receiving the Yulin army’s report, along with the young close minister to the emperor, Councilor of the Central Secretariat, Xun Che. Marshal Yan, Yiyang Marquis, Head Minister Xu, and the others, who all similarly have a residence near Wei Wang Manor, also successively rushed over.
In the pitch dark and ice cold winter night, the thin sheet of snow that had just fallen for a few days originally upon the quiet blue bricks and glazed tiles had long melted, and during everyone’s alarmed and terrified panic, under the reflection of the torches in the hands of the soldiers running about and that malevolent raging sea of flames, it brightly shined in a strange dark red color.
Even if this raging sea of flames took an entire hour to extinguish, with nearly a hundred soldiers having gotten burned, in that borderless heat wave, the heir apparent, imperial prince, nobles, high officials, and even the relatively clear-headed military officers that were present were already all chilled to the bones inside.
The wave after wave of unforeseen changes previously, regardless of the unstable situation or the shocking disturbances, it ultimately was just the arguments in court between the officials, the front court and inner palace either openly or secretly wrestling. However, regardless whether it was because of the balance and restrictions between the various sides, or Xuan Emperor’s kindhearted and weak personality, it still never reached a completely irreversible stage.
To put it bluntly, blood had never been drawn.
But, this time, by the time the big fire gets thoroughly put out, don’t know how many people’s lives will all turn to dust along with Wei Wang Manor’s extravagant architect and luxurious ornaments.
Carrying this thought, when the cry of the rooster faintly sounded in the distant, after Wei Wang Manor’s fire got thoroughly extinguished, the soldiers covered in black soot all withdrew, and the imperial physicians, doctors, and the people from the palace, Central Secretariat, and Zongjing Bureau, this new wave of people, all rushed over to check on the situation, among the chaos and frenzy of the people coming and going, there was actually a kind of strange silence.
Among the people saved from the big fire, there were naturally those either injured or frightened, weeping and explaining, also having all kinds of related personnels interrogating and examining, searching and inspecting, etc.
However, regardless of how many people were coming and going, and how many people were either crying or explaining, the ruined and black remnants of Wei Wang Manor, as well as the burnt corpses all over after the fire, under gray blue sky that was still covered in cloud and mist upon the first light of dawn, still made everyone present all feel chills down their back, the bottom of their tongue growing bitter. No matter how much chaos and clamor there was, it was like as if it wasn’t considered any sound.
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
And when the first result of the inspection after the fire in Wei Wang Manor just came out, that is when the imperial guard personally appointed by Xuan Emperor came over to check, confirming that the gold and jade accessory that was still somewhat recognizable on that faceless burnt corpse found in the main courtyard of the manor where the fire first started and got burnt the most severely was indeed something that Wei Wang has carried on him for many years, and afterwards, quickly reported back to the palace, the inside of Ganxi Hall also fell into an unprecedented silence.
At this time, even the straightforward crown prince, cunning Xun Che, imperial in-law Yiyang Marquis, and experienced Prime Minister, the Ying Duke, all unanimously hung their heads and slightly bent their bodies. No one opened their mouths to say anything. In fact, no one even voluntarily went to look at Xuan Emperor’s uncontrollably shaking two hands at this time.
The overflowing sorrow of suddenly losing one’s son as a father, as well as the limitless fury of actually witnessing such a turn of events as a ruler all overlapped together. Xuan Emperor, who has already been mentally exhausted for several days, wanted to get up all of a sudden, yet lacked in strength. The chief eunuch and attendants were similarly in enormous shock and fear, not daring to rashly guess the emperor’s intentions. It was practically waiting until Xuan Emperor very distinctly stood up while supporting himself against the desk, yet nevertheless stumbled, when they finally rushed to go support him, “Your Majesty! Your body is more important!”
Outside the hall, there were naturally imperial physicians waiting on standby. Hearing these words, they all instinctively went forward half a step, but in the next moment, the greatest outrage in all of Xuan Emperor’s life finally came out.
“Exactly—–what happened!?”
Following Xuan Emperor’s angry roar that drained all his strength, it was just crisp crashing sounds one after another. Xuan Emperor actually had all the things on the imperial desk, including the paperweight, brush, ink stone, memorandums, and even valuable decorations, all swept and overturned onto the ground. Before the imperial desk, although there was a brocade rug, the cloisonne paperweight and the white jade ruyi that Xuan Emperor normally liked playing with in hand collided against one another as they fell onto the ground at the same time, and then knocked against the brush and ink stone, the jade and porcelain shattering in seconds!
The crown prince and the officials immediately all knelt down, “Your Majesty, please quell your anger!”
“Quell my anger? You all tell me, exactly what happened? Why was there a fire all of a sudden? Why during………”
When asking the first half, Xuan Emperor was still ashen in complexion, his two eyes thoroughly red, the veins on his forehead protruding, as if in the next moment, he will turn around and draw the treasure sword hanging on the wall, raising the sword and questioning in anger.
However, perhaps this kind of intense rage and grief truly exceeded what Xuan Emperor could endure. Before the next question could come out, his entire body directly fell towards the ground.
This time, the chaos was just even greater. The quick and nimble crown prince was close to Xuan Emperor to begin with, so immediately reacted and took action. Together with the other attendants that have already lost their souls, they supported Xuan Emperor and quickly summoned the imperial physicians. The imperial clansmen and cabinet ministers in this moment were greatly alarmed, also successively rushing forward in concern. But, who knew that Yiyang Marquis’s body also wasn’t that great recently, and having gotten up too suddenly, he directly slipped, even falling onto Marshal Yan next to him.
For a moment, the confusion and mess in Ganxi Hall didn’t need to be mentioned. The court scribe responsible for recording the daily events even relentlessly wielded the brush like a knife, “……….Xuan Emperor heard the devastating tragic news regarding the third imperial prince in Ganxi Hall, fainting in shock and anger, the heir apparent kneeling down to support. Yiyang Marquis fell onto Marshal Yan of the Central Secretariat. Marshal Yan also fainted………”
This line of ‘Marshal Yan also fainted’ just became a controversial record and even long time laughingstock in the later generations, bringing about unlimited guesses and wild imaginations for the anecdotes of the imperial clan in the final years of the Tianxu era.
This bit naturally was something that Marshal Yan, who was recuperating in bed the next day with an aching forehead, absolutely didn’t expect.
But, what he could think of was the countless half-real half-fake rumors and sayings, as well as the tense atmosphere, that have rapidly spread inside and outside of the palace at this time.
After all, no one had expected that Xuan Emperor, whose body had always been pretty good, would directly vomit blood and collapse, becoming bedridden, after Wei Wang Manor’s fire. And at this time, although the crown prince couple have already moved into the eastern palace, the capital was still at least miles away from truly stable state of affairs, unshakeable by wind and thunder.
When the Yan family sent out the imperial physician that came to re-examine Marshal Yan, even if fully aware inside, they still were endlessly startled upon seeing the patrolling guards and armored soldiers that have suddenly increased by several-fold in the streets.
Amidst the whistling cold gust of the tenth month, the pedestrians in the capital practically reduced by nine-tenths overnight. Even the horse carriages were just left with less than a third of the original amount. Wei Wang Manor’s sudden fire, Xuan Emperor suddenly falling ill, Wu Wang on the verge of leaving the capital but still have yet to leave, Empress Wen and Li Consort’s former opposition or perhaps continued opposition, everything in everything all declared that this conflict that has built up for many years afraid will have an extremely violent end.
When all the cabinet ministers and high officials were endlessly concerned, when the scholars and commoners were nervously looking around, everyone all didn’t want to go out. This reasoning, even small children all understood. The emperor’s son had burned to death with his whole family in that big fire, who knows how they will seize out who did it, and who all will get implicated. At this time, it was best to not stand out.
On the contrary, if at such a time where the knife was hanging above the door, the net casted in the streets, someone still dares to openly go out to visit relatives with presents, then that really was daring to the extreme. And the matter must also be critical to the extreme?
That really was unlike the Chang’de Count Manor’s usual style.
The corner of Yu Lingxin’s mouth lightly hooked. Shortly after, she lowered her head to take a sip of the clear and warm tea in the teacup before lightly lifting her head, gazing towards woman in front whose facial features were clearly still that stunningly beautiful, yet her spirit and overall complexion have nevertheless already declined and aged, “If you have something to say, why not say it directly, mother.”
[1] Around midnight (23:00-1:00)
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Hm. I wonder, how will Wei Wang’s death affect Wu Wang’s prospects?
i think over the course of this story the author has gotten much more proficient in cliffhangers. look at this. when was the last time we saw YLX’s mother? was it after she tried to snatch her away and failed and she disappeared with her remarried family? what nonsense is she here for on this most nail biting time? I do feel bad for the emperor, I do. idk how the fire happened but this is still his own damn fault, I’m sure of it.