Back then, in her panic, Jiang Yingcheng had fled with her Imperial Consort and little brother Jinshu without a thought for anything else, throwing Jiang Yanchuan's entire plan into disarray.
Jiang Tinghuai had stubbornly followed their original arrangements, insisting that all the evidence Fang Yiwan presented was fabricated. Yet many court officials refused to accept that explanation. With both sides at an impasse, Jiang Tinghuai could only order Fang Siwan confined to her own home, where she could be summoned at any time.
This played right into Prince Xin's hands.
He had long since planted men in the Capital, waiting only for a moment when everyone from the Lin Residence was home. Then he had burned the entire residence to the ground, intending to pin the blame on Jiang Tinghuai and accuse him of silencing witnesses out of a guilty conscience.
[Hehehe,] Jiang Yingcheng thought, grinning foolishly as she watched. [A house worth so much money went up in flames, and they didn't even get the silver out of the storeroom in time. That must hurt them soooo much!]
-Everyone in the Lin Residence had been evacuated through a secret passage to safety. Apart from their devastation at losing half their family fortune, there had not been a single casualty.
In fact, this incident had allowed Fang Yiwan to see their already shaky alliance for what it truly was. Her panic had, in turn, helped them uncover a great deal more evidence.
Fang Siwan dug her nails deep into her flesh, clenching so hard that all color drained from her face and hands before she barely managed to keep her expression from twisting.
That woman had framed her and reduced her to this. Though her own selfishness had played a part, she still could not stop a fierce hatred from