Chapter 72
Chapter 72: Reaping What He Sowed
Luo Ning told Nanny Sheng to dismiss all the servants, then told her to keep watch so no one could eavesdrop.
She carefully told Old Madam everything that had happened that day.
Old Madam’s hands trembled slightly.
“They are insane!” The veins at Old Madam’s temples bulged.
Luo Ning tightened her grip on her hand and said: “Grandmother, I will not let their scheme succeed. If sister-in-law had not warned me in advance and if I had not prepared, I would never have followed some shopboy into Bai Ci Rong’s shop so easily. Do not worry, they will not be able to trap me.”
Old Madam’s breath came unevenly. “We cannot let them off lightly.”
Luo Ning understood.
But the Luo family’s reputation, the ancestral foundation left by their forefathers, and even Luo Ning’s marriage to Prince Yong could not be ruined because of this.
They had to plan for the long run.
Luo Ning did not want a desperate fight where the fish dies and the net breaks. She did not want the Marquis Manor to be overturned, with the masters and servants all meeting bad ends. She also did not want the Marquis Manor’s name to be ruined so that she could not become Princess Consort Yong.
If she could not become Princess Consort Yong, she could not become the Commandery Princess of Shao Yang.
She had to wait until Madam Bai, the Yuhang Bai family, and Qiu Shi Dong had no strength left to fight back, then strike them down in one blow.
“Of course we will not spare them. But hunting takes patience, Grandmother,” Luo Ning whispered to her.
Old Madam glanced at her.
Seeing that she was safe and sound, Old Madam’s breathing slowly steadied.
Her agitated emotions gradually calmed. Luo Ning poured her a cup of tea and gently soothed her. Old Madam finally recovered.
“A’Ning, you are right,” Old Madam said.
“Let us just wait and watch the show,” Luo Ning added.
That day, Luo Yin did not return home, but after nightfall, news reached the Marquis Manor.
The Marquis of Zhen Nan hurried out in a rush.
Luo Ning was still with Old Madam.
Second Master walked into the West Main Courtyard and reported the news from outside: “A’Yin has been arrested by the City Patrol Bureau. He set a fire and burned a shop. The officers caught him on the spot.”
Old Madam acted as if she knew nothing, shocked and unable to believe it. “How could A’Yin set a fire?”
Luo Ning also showed a bit of surprise at the right time.
“At the moment, no one knows why. There are many shops on that street. Fortunately, it has been raining lately, the houses are damp, and it was mid-afternoon, so the fire was discovered in time. The surrounding shops did not suffer much,” Second Master said.
He went on: “Our cousin’s shop even exploded. It seems gunpowder was stored there. In short, this matter is complicated. The City Patrol Bureau will investigate carefully. If it becomes too serious, the Dali Court will also investigate.”
Old Madam, full of doubt and fear, asked: “When can A’Yin come home?”
“Probably only after the case is decided.”
The news soon spread through the inner residence.
The Marchioness, Madam Bai, rushed to Old Madam’s courtyard with Bai Ci Rong and happened to meet Second Master there.
Madam Bai’s face was pale with a bluish tinge, and her lips trembled as she said: “Second Brother, do you know what is happening outside? I only heard a few bits and pieces, not a single full sentence. Lord Marquis also left in such a hurry.”
Second Master told the Marchioness everything he knew.
The Marchioness could barely stand. “That is impossible. How could A’Yin burn A’Rong’s shop?”
Bai Ci Rong stood to the side, her face deathly white.
Because Luo Ning was standing safe and sound beside Old Madam.
Luo Ning should have been in the shop, burned to death together with it.
Bai Ci Rong’s knees suddenly went weak for no reason, and she took a small step back.
No one paid attention to her, not even Luo Ning, who did not spare her a single extra glance.
“Today I went to the Wan Family Residence to visit someone who was ill, and A’Yin insisted on going with me. Then he led me to our cousin’s shop. Our cousin was there as well,” Old Madam said. “Ask your niece what conflicts they had, for brother and sister to fight to this point.”
The Marchioness turned at once to look at Bai Ci Rong.
Bai Ci Rong’s lips turned even whiter. “Aunt, it was brother who wanted Concubine Nan to come back to the manor. He asked Grandmother to help plead for him.
“He also asked me to bribe Grandmother and send some fine silks to the old lady.
“He brought Grandmother to my shop. I chatted with Grandmother for a bit, then sent her back to the manor. I really do not know what happened after that.”
The Marchioness looked at her deeply.
There was doubt and disbelief in that look.
Luo Ning watched quietly from the side, like a ghost.
Madam Bai loved Bai Ci Rong so much. If she had to choose between Bai Ci Rong and Luo Yin, who would she favor?
[It was an interesting choice.]
To Madam Bai, both Bai Ci Rong and Luo Yin were like flesh from the palm and the back of her hand. She could not bear to choose.
“…A’Yin was framed,” the Marchioness said, her voice hoarse with emotion. She wished she could explain everything to Second Master. “If he really wanted to set a fire, why would he not wait until late at night when it is quiet? He is not stupid.”
Second Master looked a bit embarrassed. “Sister-in-law, I only heard a few things from my colleagues. I do not really know the inside story. Wait for Big Brother to come back and ask him carefully. Big Brother went to the yamen to pull some strings.”
“Is arson such a serious crime? He burned our own shop. That should have nothing to do with the government office. Can A’Yin come home tonight?” the Marchioness asked anxiously.
“I am not a civil official. I do not understand the laws at all,” Second Master said.
Setting a fire on the street was definitely not the same as starting one at home.
This matter could be big or small, depending on how the City Patrol Bureau judged the case.
Late that night, the Marquis of Zhen Nan returned to the manor.
He came back with his head hanging in dejection.
Old Madam sent someone to summon him.
The whole manor was gathered in the West Main Courtyard. No one had gone to bed. Everyone was waiting for news.
The people of the second and third branches were all there.
Even Luo Ning’s brother, Luo You, had come.
“…The fire spread very fast. There may have been gunpowder hidden in the shop, because the officers and others heard explosions.
“In addition, a body was found inside. It was burned almost to ashes, with only some bones left. With hidden gunpowder and someone burned to death, they cannot decide the case quickly,” the Marquis of Zhen Nan said.
The Marchioness almost slipped from her chair.
“How could this be?” Tears streamed down her face. “How could A’Yin do such a thing?”
The Marquis of Zhen Nan was in a terrible mood. “The good son you raised is about to ruin our Marquis Manor.”
Then he pointed at Bai Ci Rong. “And why was there gunpowder hidden in your silk shop?”
Bai Ci Rong’s body trembled. “Uncle, I did not. Where would I even get gunpowder?”
On normal days, the Marchioness would have stepped forward to defend Bai Ci Rong and said: “Her valuable shop has already been burned down. How can you still scold her?”
But now she had no strength left.
Luo Yin was still locked in prison.
No matter how the case turned out in the end, Luo Yin’s official position would surely be lost.
It would be very hard for him to become an official again. His only path left would be to inherit the Marquis Manor’s noble rank.
How could the Marchioness not feel heartbroken?
Luo Ning had taken a blade for the Empress Dowager and won the noble rank for the Luo family. Luo Chong Ye used the chance to recommend his son for office, and Luo Yin gained unexpected benefits.
If they had never had these things, the Marchioness would not have felt so upset.
But now they had gained them and then lost them. How could she not feel such deep regret and pain?
“Lord Marquis, send someone to Yuhang with a letter and tell my brother to bring silver. We must smooth things over and turn this big matter into a small one, so A’Yin can come out safe and sound,” Madam Bai cried.
“Will your brother agree?”
“He will!” Madam Bai said firmly. “A’Yin is his own nephew. The Bai family needs to rely on the Marquis Manor. My brother will spend this money.”
The Marquis of Zhen Nan thought for a moment. “We can try this way too.”
Bai Ci Rong looked wretched.
She secretly glanced at Luo Ning.
She found that Luo Ning was also looking at her, eyes calm and face expressionless.
Did Luo Ning know? She had clearly entered the shop. How had she gotten out?