Qin Yuan was at a loss.

Hong Ye said, "I’ve been in here for so long and haven’t seen the Marquis, could it be that..."

Qin Yuan, wanting to tease her, smiled and said, "Didn’t he leave a while ago? He’s in the front courtyard."

Hong Ye incredulously said, "How did the Marquis leave so quietly? I’ve been guarding outside the whole time, and I never saw him leave."

Qin Yuan laughed and said, "Don’t gossip about the Marquis behind his back. How many times have you been caught already?"

Hong Ye immediately fell silent.

Before long, a little maid outside was shouting: "Oh my, why is it so red over there? Half the sky is lit up. Did something happen? Is there a fire?"

Qin Yuan also went out, leaning on the railing to look northward, where the bright red was coming from the direction of the Hostage Mansion.

Marquis Gu really is swift and decisive.

In just over half an hour, the Hostage Mansion was already engulfed in flames.

Hong Ye and Cui Ming also came over to watch.

Cui Ming said, "I wonder whose house caught fire. It hasn’t rained for days, the weather is dry; we must be careful with candles."

Hong Ye added, "Isn’t that right? With such a big fire, it won’t burn down the whole mansion. Rebuilding it would cost so much silver and effort."

Qin Yuan just smiled.

Cui Ming said, "This place isn’t very far from us. That area is full of noble families, surely quite a few."

The two hadn’t been through much, so naturally, they couldn’t say how much silver it would take, only guessing it wouldn’t be too little.

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and said, "It depends on how you repair it. If there’s no money, you can only do some whitewashing and make do with living there, costing just a few dozen taels of silver. If there is money, rebuilding everything with carved beams and painted rafters, it would take master craftsmen for each task. Restoring damaged gardens, at least a few thousand taels, could go up to tens of thousands."

Talking about this, something stirred in Qin Yuan’s heart.

In a past life, the Crown Princess Consort plastered every dwelling in the Eastern Palace with pepper paste, wishing for many sons and a good pregnancy.

If pepper prices rise... it could be quite a sum.

Moreover, the expenses for the Crown Prince’s lavish wedding, far exceeding what the inner treasury could cover—where did the funds come from?

Hong Ye clicked her tongue in wonder.

"My goodness, that much silver?"

Cui Ming said, "And it would take a lot of effort, rebuilding such things would not take less than a year or two. The owner of that house would be heartbroken, spending silver like running water."

Qin Yuan sighed along with her, "I wonder whose house it is?"

Some curious people had already gone to the front yard to inquire, finally coming back with news: "They say the Hostage Mansion is burning."

"Hahaha, so it’s that house."

Hong Ye laughed.

Gu Baoshu also came running, "Third Sister-in-law, did you hear, the wild asses got their retribution, their house got burned down too. Where’s my Third Brother?"

Seeing her made Qin Yuan feel a headache coming on, she looked at the sky and asked, "Why are you running around at this hour? I’ve already changed into my sleeping clothes, ready for bed. Your Third Brother is probably interrogating Yelv Xianyong?"

Gu Baoshu stuck out her tongue, smiled and said, "Alright, I’ll head back then. Third Brother could return anytime, so I won’t stay here. Sister-in-law, don’t worry, it’s just a fire, and still far from us. With so many people in the mansion, it won’t reach us."

Qin Yuan smiled, "So you were worried about startling me. It’s alright, we’re just watching the bustle here, can’t really see anything, just chitchatting a bit before sleeping. You should go rest too, don’t you have martial arts practice early tomorrow?"

Gu Baoshu responded and said, "Then Third Sister-in-law, I’m heading back."

"Yes."

Qin Yuan nodded.

After Gu Baoshu left, Hong Ye said, "Seventh Miss has gotten clever, pretending to visit out of concern but actually here to gather information."

Cui Ming gave her a slap, "You’re so clever."

Hong Ye realized her slip and said nothing more.

Qin Yuan pretended not to hear, "Watching the flames grow bigger, it seems the fire won’t be easy to extinguish. The Five Cities Military Department and Patrol Camp people might be busy all night."

Cui Ming suggested, "Tomorrow we can ask the neighbors and find out."

"Right, tomorrow we’ll inquire with Sister-in-law Cheng in detail. It’s too late now, I’ve been tired these past two days and am sleepy. Let’s all go rest, tomorrow we should consult with the stewards on how to prevent a fire disaster."

Everyone dispersed.

Cui Ming spat quietly at Hong Ye, scolding, "You’ve been babbling nonsense all day, you almost said the Marquis started the fire himself."

Hong Ye quickly fanned her own face in frustration.

"I was just talking nonsense offhand."

Cui Ming said seriously, "Luckily it was just us today, if another day outside you do this, who could save you if you caused trouble? You might even drag someone else down."

Hong Ye pleaded, "Good sister, please guide me more in the future, you know me, I sometimes speak without thinking."

Cui Ming seriously advised, "Before you open your mouth each day, think first about whether there’s any consequence to what you say. Or count to a few before speaking."

Hong Ye nodded in agreement.

Even lying in bed, Qin Yuan kept thinking, even Gu Baoshu and her own maids guessed as much; hopefully, Marquis Gu was thorough in his actions.

The next morning upon waking, she reached for the side.

No one was there.

The bedding didn’t seem used, suggesting he hadn’t returned all night.

Qin Yuan sat up and called someone in to serve her.

Mo Zhu and Cui Ming came in, and as Qin Yuan washed and changed, she asked, "Where’s Hong Ye?"

Cui Ming said, "Hong Ye went early to find Steward Qian, Housekeeper Han, and Housekeeper Cao to discuss how to avoid a fire disaster."

Qin Yuan smiled.

She’s gone to gather news.

During breakfast, Hong Ye returned, joining Qin Yuan for the meal and said, "Last night the Marquis led the mansion guards to help put out the fire. It was burning fiercely."

Qin Yuan took a small meat bun wrapped in tofu skin, gently opened her red lips, bit half of it, chewed slowly, and watched Hong Ye, signaling her to continue.

Seeing Qin Yuan’s interest, Hong Ye continued, "I heard from Sixteen that it was initially just a small fire in the Hostage Mansion, wouldn’t have become so big. Who knew what happened, someone poured oil at the back door of the Hostage Mansion."

Qin Yuan swallowed the bun, took a sip of thin congee, then asked, "Did they find out who poured it?"

"Oh, how could they check? The Patrol Camp people said they were patrolling all night, didn’t see anyone suspicious."

Cui Ming then asked, "Didn’t the neighboring families come to help? It’s not that close to us from here."

Hong Ye said, "The nearby families and the Five Cities Military Department people went, and guess what? The water stored for fire prevention was just about gone. People carried buckets wanting to help, but couldn’t do much. The Five Cities Military Department couldn’t just watch the fire spread, so they told the neighboring families to find ways to transport water to the Hostage Mansion by cart."

This really is ruthless.

Qin Yuan asked, "Did the neighboring families get affected?"