Vol 2 Chapter 26 (1/2)

Chapter 26: The Old Man in the Blanket

Threeplate of fish in his hands He covered it with some exquisite soy sauce that had been sent from the south and watched the beautiful ah the kitchen as he mixed the steamed fish with the sauce He found so, coar, and ate happily

The next randmother, the servants infor the night When Fan Xian realized what they

”I cooked ht,” he said to the housekeeper as he kneaded the old woman's shoulders ”Don't worry about it”

The housekeeper stared at hi child Why didn't he call for the servants' help? Instead he'd insisted on doing it by hi matter if he'd burned himself

Fan Xian could tell that the housekeeper was pondering so ”I read about a way to stea cutely ”I wanted to try it If it was good then I’d cook it for you as a surprise That's why I didn't want the servants to know I didn't realize it would cause such trouble I'm sorry”

The excuse see

The Countess did not react ”That's fine,” she said gently ”You just have to re so”

She had always been rather strict with Fan Xian; it was rare for her to speak so kindly Fan Xian felt so was amiss There was a trace of tenderness in her words Why?

”I already knohat happened last night,” she continued softly ”Housekeeper Zhou failed in his duties It's outrageous that you were able to sneak around in the kitchen like that and do so I've already sent him back to the capital They can deal with him there”

Fan Xian was taken aback He reotten to investigate the matter with Zhou It was clear that Zhou was responsible in so the would-be killers to sneak into the house and poison his food He was disappointed in his own carelessness

In the library the next , he skimmed over a few of the books that had arrived froain As he passed the randmother had meant when she had said ”you just have to re so”

One corner of the market had already been burned to ruins Oddly, the fire had not spread to any of the neighboring buildings - only one building had been burnt to the ground, with nothing left reathered around were enthusiastically discussing the fire Thanks to his small stature, Fan Xian was able to crouch nearby and eavesdrop Two people had died in the fire, their corpses left conizable

The place that had burned doas the building where Fan Xian had killed a man the day before

Had the fire destroyed the corpses and wiped out all traces?

Fan Xian thought about how his grandmother had already sent Zhou the housekeeper back to the capital, and when he connected that fact to the wretched pile of ashes in front of him, he broke out in a cold sweat He understood nohat had happened He never could have irandrandson safe

He thought of the Countess and how she spentHe found it hard to reconcile that i rubble that stood be

fore him

Fan Xian loitered ast the people in the crowd As he looked at the charred stones and blackened wood and took in the s

The people around hireeted Fan Xian, they were ready to say so to him He acted as if he hadn't heard therocery store

”The housekeeper has been sent back to the capital,” Fan Xian said