Oops! My Inner Thoughts Are Ruining The Plot

Chapter 19: Chapter

Before anyone else could say a single word, Xi Jianyu’s cold and imposing voice cut sharply through the night.

"Who started this fire?"

The once peaceful courtyard was now shrouded in thick smoke, with servants running back and forth carrying buckets of water while the guards worked together to stop the flames from spreading any further. Inside the ruined kitchen, pieces of burnt wood continued to collapse, sending showers of glowing sparks into the dark sky.

Not a single person answered.

Xi Jianyu’s expression slowly darkened.

"I asked a question."

The already tense atmosphere instantly became even heavier, and one by one, the servants and maids could no longer withstand the pressure as they dropped to their knees.

"This servant deserves death!"

"We deserve punishment!"

"Please forgive us, Duke!"

Several of the younger maids had already started crying from fear.

Lin Meiyun stepped forward, and although her voice was not loud, the rare anger on her usually gentle face made everyone lower their heads even further.

"Stop crying and answer properly."

Her gaze swept across the kneeling servants.

"How did this fire start?"

Old Madam Zhao Rui struck her cane heavily against the ground.

"Speak!"

The servants exchanged frightened glances with one another, but not a single person dared to open their mouth.

Xi Wenzhe stood quietly beside Su Yueqing, his sleeves slightly scorched from entering the fire and soot still staining his hands. His cold eyes slowly swept across the kneeling crowd.

"If no one speaks..."

His voice remained calm and steady.

"...then all of you will be punished together."

Those simple words immediately frightened them.

At last, one of the older kitchen maids slowly raised her head, her lips trembling as she looked toward Xi Jianyu.

"D-Duke..."

She hesitated for a long moment.

Then, very slowly, she turned her gaze toward Su Yueqing.

The others followed her almost instinctively.

One after another.

Every pair of eyes landed on Su Yueqing.

The Xi family silently followed their line of sight.

No explanation was needed.

The servants had already made their accusation.

Meanwhile...

Su Yueqing herself was completely occupied by something else.

She stood quietly, lowering her head as she stared at the edge of her sleeve, where a small section had been burnt black. She gently rubbed the damaged fabric between her fingers.

Inside her mind—

[What a waste.]

[I only changed into this outfit a few hours ago.]

[These ancient clothes probably cost a fortune.]

Xi Qianqian almost covered her face.

At a moment like this...

She was actually worried about her clothes?

Su Yueqing continued carefully examining the burnt fabric.

[Can burnt silk be repaired?]

[Probably not.]

[What a tragic financial loss.]

Xi Yunchen quietly looked away and pinched the bridge of his nose.

The woman had nearly burned to death.

Yet somehow, she was mourning her robe.

Lin Meiyun gave a light cough before looking back at the servants.

"What are you trying to say?"

The older maid immediately lowered her head until it was almost touching the ground.

"Young Madam... ordered all of us to leave the kitchen."

The entire courtyard instantly fell silent.

Another servant hurriedly spoke up.

"Young Madam said she wanted to be alone."

"We did not dare disobey."

The rest immediately followed.

"Yes!"

"Young Madam sent us away!"

"We were only obeying orders!"

Su Yueqing slowly lifted her head.

She looked at the kneeling servants.

Then at the burning kitchen.

Then back at the servants again.

Inside her mind—

[...Ah.]

[So we’re at this part of the story.]

Xi Wenzhe’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Su Yueqing looked far too calm.

Almost unnaturally calm.

Inside her mind, she let out a small sigh.

[Poor people.]

[They’re trying very hard to hint that I burned the kitchen myself.]

[Honestly, if I had seen my knife skills earlier, I might suspect me too. Too bad I lost to a cucumber.. it was an accident though]

Xi Yunchen bit the inside of his cheek.

Gu Yue quickly lowered her head.

Little Xi Anran blinked in confusion before lightly tugging at her sister’s sleeve.

"Sister..."

Xi Qianqian looked down.

"...What is it?"

Anran whispered softly,

"Can someone accidentally lose to a cucumber?"

Xi Qianqian nearly choked.

Beside them, Gu Xing wore an unusually serious expression.

"I think Sister-in-law can."

His twin sister, Gu Yue, nodded immediately.

"I think so too."

Su Yueqing remained completely unaware of the conversation around her.

She simply looked down at the burnt sleeve once more.

Inside her mind—

[That cucumber won in the end.]

[I should have respected my opponent.]

Xi Yunhao silently raised his eyes toward the sky.

Even Xi Jianyu’s expression became slightly strange for the briefest moment.

Then Zhao Rui suddenly spoke.

"If she was alone..."

Her sharp eyes slowly swept across the entire courtyard.

"...then where is Li Mei?"

The servants froze.

Lin Meiyun frowned.

"That’s right."

"I haven’t seen her since the fire started."

A nervous silence immediately spread through the courtyard.

Su Yueqing blinked once.

Inside her mind—

[The culprit is probably hiding somewhere.]

[If I remember correctly, she should be waiting until everyone blames me before making a dramatic appearance.]

[Classic heroine move.]

[Very professional.]

The entire Xi family became perfectly still.

Even Xi Wenzhe’s cold expression changed almost imperceptibly.

At that exact moment—

A frightened servant suddenly came running in from the outer courtyard before dropping to her knees.

"D-Duchess!"

"This servant saw Miss Li Mei earlier!"

Everyone immediately turned toward her. freewebnσvel.cѳm

The servant swallowed nervously before continuing.

"Miss Li Mei said she came to inspect the new Young Madam’s courtyard..."

Her voice trembled slightly.

"...she might still be inside."

The servant’s words had barely fallen when Lin Meiyun’s face changed.

"I sent her there."

The Duchess looked toward the burning courtyard, her usually calm expression showing obvious worry.

"Earlier, I asked Li Mei to inspect the new residence and see if everything was properly arranged for Yueqing."

Her fingers tightened around her sleeves.

"If she really went inside..."

She did not finish the sentence.

She did not need to.

Everyone knew what it meant.

The fire had already spread from the kitchen into the nearby rooms.

If Li Mei was truly inside, then she might already be trapped.

Xi Wenzhe’s expression immediately darkened.

"Which direction did she go?"

The servant pointed toward the burning side courtyard with a trembling hand.

"This... this servant saw Miss Li Mei heading that way."

The moment she finished speaking, Xi Wenzhe turned around.

Without another word, he walked straight toward the flames.

"Wenzhe!"

Lin Meiyun called after him.

But he did not stop.

His steps only became faster.

Several guards hurried after him.

"Young Master!"

"We will go with you!"

The fire reflected against his cold face as he disappeared into the smoke.

The entire courtyard became tense again.

Xi Qianqian looked at the burning buildings, then quietly looked at Su Yueqing.

Xi Yunchen rubbed his forehead.

Nobody spoke.

Only the crackling sound of burning wood filled the air.

Lin Meiyun slowly turned toward Su Yueqing.

Her voice was much gentler than before.

"Yueqing..."