Chapter 231: The Spontaneous Combustion of Army Provisions (2/2)
”Get past me first!” Yuan Fangfei shouted angrily and, suddenly stepping forward, stood in front of Officer Yuan: the Ministry of Punishments is no different from hell, and people who get in would not be able to leave it without at least having a layer of their skin peeled off. My brother is innocent, and I will not let anyone put him through that!
Liu Qingfeng, his face green with anger, gave Yuan Fangfei a piercing stare: ”Miss Yuan, your brother has made a fatal mistake, and he shall be put in prison according to the law. If you try to interfere again, don't blame us for being rude.”
”Are you threatening me? I've grown up in threats. I haven't practiced for quite some time. Now let me see what you’re capable of…”Yuan Fangfei said maliciously, raised her hands and went at the guards.
Murong Xue narrowed her eyes and said in an indifferent tone, ”stop it!”
Hearing the melodious female voice, Liu Qingfeng, General Yuan, and Yuan Fangfei all turned around. Murong Xue pushed her way through the crowd and walked over slowly, her pale blue skirt fluttering as if a butterfly as she walked, and she looked as beautiful as a fairy stepping out from a painting.
Liu Qingfeng frowned and said, ”Miss Murong, this is the hall of the Ministry of Punishments, a place no one shall intrude into without permission…”
Murong Xue smiled gently: ”I have no intention to disturb Your Honor’s inquiry. I just need to ask Officer Yuan a question.”
”What is it?” Liu Qingfeng asked impatiently
”Officer Yuan, did you bring back the burnt provisions?” Murong Xue fixed her gaze on Officer Yuan and asked softly.
”Yes, that's one of them!” Field Officer Liu responded softly, pointing at the right front.
Murong Xue looked up and saw a carriage parked at the right front of the lobby. The carriage had almost been burned to ashes. It could be seen that the fire must have been extremely rampant. Inside the carriage there was still a pile of burnt grains.
Murong Xue slowly walked to the front of the carriage, grabbed a handful of the charcoaled grains and inspected carefully…
Seeing that she was serious and careful, Liu Qingfeng couldn’t help scorning secretly. He walked slowly down the hall, approached her and said casually: ”it's just the grains burned due to his negligence. What's there to examine?”
Murong Xue cast a glance at Liu Qingfeng and said gently: ”has it ever occurred to Your Honor that the provisions were transported by carriages, while the carriages were arranged in a row with one in the front, and they were also separated by horses and a certain distance instead of being connected together. If only one or two carriages caught fire, it might have been because of the soldiers’ negligence. But dozens of carriages of provisions were all on fire at the same time, and that couldn’t be explained simply by the same reason.”
”I would look into the real cause of the fire, but Officer Yuan's dereliction of duty has caused the loss of the provisions. I must put him in prison in accordance with the law…” Liu Qingfeng said in a loud voice, his eyes filled with arrogance.
Murong Xue looked at the blackened grains and said in a low voice: ”the fire was not necessarily Officer Yuan’s fault…”
Hearing her indifferent tone, Liu Qingfeng felt that his authority was being challenged. He frowned and gazed at Murong Xue scornfully: ”Miss Murong wouldn’t really believe what Officer Yuan said and think that the provisions caught fire spontaneously?”
”Officer Yuan wasn’t lying. The provisions did ignite spontaneously!” Murong Xue said emotionlessly with a meaningful stare and a grim look on her face…