Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress
Chapter 499 - 496: Working tirelessly into the night_1

Chapter 499: Chapter 496: Working tirelessly into the night_1

Bai Qingxuan opened his mouth and babbled, his voice as hoarse and unpleasant as a crow’s caw, making it hard to discern his words.

Wang Xiangshen, irked by his son’s favorite indulgences, grabbed his son’s arm and stepped out of the house, ordering the steward: "Deal with it quickly! Leave no traces!"

Bai Qingxuan’s babbling grew louder, his hoarse and sharp voice akin to a cat’s claws scraping a porcelain fish tank, making it extremely unpleasant to hear.

As the Wang family prepared to strangle those children and throw them into the dry well, a thunderous gong suddenly resounded from Jiuqu Alley.

Before the shouts outside the courtyard reached them, the servants and maids inside began screaming.

"Something’s wrong! There’s a fire! There’s a fire!"

Thick, black smoke continuously billowed upwards from the Wang family’s backyard. The shouts of "fire" in Jiuqu Alley grew louder and louder, almost fueling the flames. The fire blazed higher, and the Wang family’s backyard was soon engulfed in flames and thick smoke.

The Wang family’s maids and servants covered their mouths and noses with damp cloths and hurriedly supported the matriarch and their masters out of the Chuihua gate, rushing outside.

The servants carrying buckets of water found the hotter it got the closer they went, with the unbearable heatwaves carrying a strong smell of burning oil. It was clear someone had set the fire deliberately.

The flames, driven by the wind, rushed towards the Chuihua gate, devouring courtyard after courtyard with their claw-like tongues. The intricately decorated long corridors were quickly blackened by the thick smoke; the plants in the Wang residence curled up from the heat, and the tall trees turned black.

A servant splashed a bucket of water, causing the flames to retreat briefly before roaring back even higher. The fierce tongues of fire danced violently, with blue base flames steadily eating away at the wooden pillars and eaves.

"Master! Someone set the fire! The whole place smells of burning oil!"

Seeing the fire in the Wang residence growing fiercer, the neighbors sent their own guards and servants to help extinguish the fire. If they couldn’t put out the fire in the Wang residence, it would spread to their homes.

"Save the people! Save them first! There are people in the backyard... It’s a group of children! Hurry!" someone shouted.

Wang Xiangshen’s face changed dramatically, unable to say a word of refusal.

With so many people crowding Jiuqu Alley, intent on saving people and putting out the fire, he couldn’t very well stop them.

But if the people were saved, the truth would come out.

"Oh no! The children!" someone in the crowd exclaimed. "This is about the missing children! That couple who struck the drum at the capital filed a complaint against the Wang family in Jiuqu Alley and King Liang, accusing them of using children for alchemy, stealing many kids!"

"If those are the children, it’s good they’re still alive. At least their parents will have some hope!"

"Hurry, save them!"

The crowd shouted to the guards trying to fight the fire.

"Father! What do we do now?!" Wang Kun asked his father, lowering his voice.

As people continued to rush out of the main door and several side doors of the Wang residence, Wang Xiangshen’s several concubines, their faces blackened and some with singed hair, ran towards him, crying, "Master... what now?! All my jewelry is in the house! And the deeds to my property! What do we do?!"

"It’s a miracle we’re alive! Who cares about jewelry!" Wang Xiangshen’s chief wife sneered, disapproving of the concubines’ hysteria. Holding her dignified composure, she said, "Master, the smell of burning oil is obvious. Someone set the fire! It’s urgent to send the steward to report this to the authorities. Maybe we can still find out something before the fire destroys everything!"

Seeing that Wang Xiangshen was lost in thought, staring fixatedly at the gate, the chief wife turned to a maid and ordered someone to report to the authorities.

"Report what! Put out the fire and save the people first!" Wang Xiangshen croaked.

His fists clenched tightly as he watched the guards and servants carrying water buckets back and forth.

At this moment, Wang Xiangshen no longer cared about anything else. With so many eyes watching, he only hoped the fire would burn everything clean, incinerating the kids and his son’s unsavory possessions to ashes, leaving no trace.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go his way. Soon, the Patrol Camp arrived with orders to rescue people and extinguish the fire.

The un-dealt-with children in the Wang residence, as well as Wang Kun’s cherished items, were rescued. Some were burned and crying for their parents, some were too scared to speak, and some clung to the soldiers who saved them, begging for help.

Wang Xiangshen felt doomed. It was too late to run.

·

Meanwhile, King Liang kneeled before the Emperor.

Moments ago, the Emperor had left in a rage, leaving the Crown Prince, Minister of Judicial Review Lu Jin, and the Imperial Censor in the hall to summon King Liang alone.

"Explain yourself! What is this about using children for alchemy?!" the Emperor demanded, barely containing his fury, his piercing eyes fixed on King Liang kneeling on the stone floor.

The Emperor’s voice, though not loud, caused King Liang to tremble. He lowered his head and quietly said, "After I first presented the elixir to Father, Father still had a bout of headaches. I was very worried and consulted the Immortal Master. The Immortal Master said... for common people to extend their elders’ lives, the blood of a young child from their lineage would suffice. But because Father is the Emperor, and my blood is not as pure as that of children under ten, he said that using the blood of boys and girls under ten with mine would make the elixir more effective. That’s why I..."

King Liang lifted his sleeve, revealing arms marked with various scars, some newly healed and pink, others slightly deeper, all from recent months.

The Emperor stood up and walked around the desk, glancing at the scars on King Liang’s arm, his fists clenching.

This child, how could he be so...

King Liang, tears brimming, looked up at the Emperor before bowing again. "At first... I used my own blood. But as the Immortal Master said, the effect on Father was very minimal."

King Liang began to cry again.

"I know that using children for alchemy is extremely cruel. But seeing how Father has worked tirelessly for the country and its people, suffering from all sorts of illnesses, I couldn’t sleep at night. When I saw how effective the elixir made from the children was for Father, I thought... if it could strengthen and extend Father’s life, I was willing to do anything, even endure the most unbearable pain. I was afraid Father would find it too cruel and refuse to take the elixir, so I did it in secret. Please, Father, punish me!"

King Liang banged his head against the stone floor, causing it to echo loudly.

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