The fire was in Yuxin Pavilion, where the Ning King's consort resided. No one knew how much tung oil she had doused it with beforehand, as the flames, once ignited, were impossible to extinguish. Even though there were two courtyards separating it from the main gate, the heat was still scorching, and black ash danced in the wind like a blizzard.
Cries from within the pavilion were so loud they threatened to shake the roof loose.
Qing Ya, fearing for Lu Nian Fu's safety, quickly urged the coachman to drive.
But the carriages blocking the Ning King's manor gate were too numerous, and some people had chosen to stay and watch. It was impossible to get out anytime soon.
"Your Highness," Qing Ya said, "why don't we abandon the carriage and walk? What if the fire spreads?"
The wind fanned the flames, and the wind today was considerable.
Lu Nian Fu was still somewhat disoriented. In her previous life, the Ning King's consort was merely a paper figure in intelligence reports. She knew the consort would immolate herself after exposing the affair between the Ning King and her younger sister, but it hadn't deeply affected her.
Yet today, having witnessed the Ning King's consort's despair and resignation firsthand, and now seeing her perish in the flames, Lu Nian Fu couldn't help but feel a complex mix of emotions. Knowing the outcome all along and choosing to watch with indifference – was that not too heartless?
If only she had helped her...
A gust of wind blew past, making Lu Nian Fu shiver, and she suddenly came to her senses.
When had she become so sentimental? The Ning King's consort's fate was caused by Situ Jue and her own sister; this was her revenge. Why should Lu Nian Fu interfere?
In her previous life, on the brink of death, if someone had dissuaded her from taking revenge when she had the chance, she would have found them meddlesome.
"Your Highness, what are you thinking about?"
Lu Nian Fu snapped back to attention and shook her head. "Nothing."
"Then shall we leave now?"
"Look how crowded it is ahead. If we abandon the carriage and walk, wouldn't it be more troublesome if we were bumped into? The Ning King's manor has many servants; the fire will surely not spread. It's just the smoke that's worrying."
She touched her stomach, feeling a little guilty. Was this baby so delicate?
Alas, if she had known watching this spectacle would be so troublesome, she would have stayed home and roasted meat.
"Shall I carry you over the rooftops?" Qing Ya offered eagerly. With Yu Lin and Yu Bai protecting them, it would surely be fine.
"Wouldn't that be too conspicuous?" Lu Nian Fu looked up. The Ning King's manor was vast, with a patchwork of glazed tiled eaves of varying heights. Combined with the few weeping willows nearby, if one's martial arts were good enough, flying away would be no problem at all.
Wait, why was someone flying over now?
Hmm, they looked somewhat familiar.
The person was clad in dark indigo martial robes, with a matching colored auspicious cloud patterned wide silk sash around his waist. His black hair was tied up high by a green jade crown. As his feet danced between the tiles, the autumn wind lifted his long hair and the hem of his robe, exuding an indescribable air of agility and elegance.
The crowd's eyes flickered as a tall figure suddenly appeared and then stopped before the Rui King's consort's carriage.
Lu Nian Fu smiled and went to meet him. "Why are you here?"
Situ Yan said, "I heard something happened at the Ning King's manor, so I came to pick you up."
"How will you pick me up? By flying?"
"Naturally." He embraced her slender waist with his long arm, and Lu Nian Fu felt her body lighten as she was lifted into the air. It wasn't the first time he had carried her and flown, but it was the first time in front of so many people.
The onlookers, having recognized Situ Yan, were about to greet him when he and his wife simply flew away.
Two figures soared through the air, disappearing over the wall in a matter of breaths.
Qing Ya, suddenly force-fed a dose of PDA, twitched the corner of her mouth, feeling a pang of envy. "Now you don't find it conspicuous anymore."
Their departure had been so high-profile that it inevitably sparked heated discussion.
"My heavens, Prince Rui's martial arts are incredible!"
"Naturally. How else could he have fought the Wokou? In the years he was there, the Wokou were routed." The speaker cast a subtle glance in the direction of the Ning King's manor gate. Though nothing was said, everything was implied.
"What's the use of good martial arts if he's not willing to come and fetch you?" said a woman from a military family. "Consort Rui is truly blessed to have a husband who dotes on her."
Tsk, trapped in the same situation, look at others' husbands and then think of their own...
Never mind. Most people were still stuck here enduring the same ordeal. Thinking of the Ning King's consort today, even if she wasn't as fortunate as some, she was still better off than others.
When Qing Ya caught up to her masters, they were strolling leisurely down the street.
Situ Yan held her cold little hand. "Were you scared today?"
Lu Nian Fu shook her head. "Not really, I just felt a bit sorry for her."
With her talent and beauty, if she had married an ordinary man, her end would never have been so tragic. But she had married Situ Jue. She turned to look at Situ Yan's perfectly sculpted profile and squeezed his hand tightly. Fortunately, in this life, she had met him.
Situ Yan, being somewhat insensitive, didn't notice her relief and said pragmatically, "This is how it is with large families. You can be discarded at any moment. She was just unlucky."
"Then there are too many unlucky women in the capital."
"They got what they wished for. Marrying a commoner would have meant fewer troubles, but ask those noble ladies if they'd be willing to give up all this wealth and status. Those romantic tales of ladies falling for poor scholars are just wishful thinking by incompetent poor scholars; they're not to be believed."
Lu Nian Fu: ...
Though crudely put, the words were not without reason. Being thus persuaded, Lu Nian Fu's last trace of sentimentality vanished like smoke.