She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

Cui Jingwei struggled, trying to get up on her own and jump into the lake.

But fear held her hands and feet captive, and she couldn't get up no matter what she did.

Jiang Ruining watched coldly. When she saw a guard coming around, she took the initiative, grabbed Cui Jingwei, and kicked him down.

Since she couldn't burn Cui Jingwei to death, she wouldn't mind being a good person this once!

Oh!

The fire went out the moment the person sank to the bottom of the water, leaving behind a wisp of dark gray smoke swaying on the surface of the water before being swept away by a gust of hot wind.

She turned around and shouted at the male guests who kept approaching from the other side of the river.

"Step back! There are old women who are good swimmers to save people; we don't need you!"

Being mortal enemies is one thing, revenge is another, but there's no reason to let a sleazy guy take advantage of a girl for nothing!

Then he called over the maid who was huddled to the side.

"The fire's out, it won't burn you, hurry up and come block the flames!"

Thump, thump.

Several old women went into the water.

After a lot of pulling and struggling, they finally managed to pull Cui Jingwei up. Almost her entire body was burned off, and her usually carefully maintained, shiny black hair was burned beyond recognition, leaving her in a sorry state.

The women pulled their cloaks to shield themselves from the undisguised, lewd gazes of several pairs of eyes opposite them.

The old woman from the Wen family carried Cui Jingwei on her back and quickly ran to the resting place.

The ladies who happened to be there turned around and quickly followed.

"Quickly, call the imperial physician!"

A lively place is bound to attract crowds.

Those who were at the scene and those who weren't all rushed over when they heard the noise.

Jiang Ruining found a good spot to sit and watched as Madam Cui looked angry and worried, Madam Wen, the head of the household, looked apologetic and concerned, the Xu sisters exchanged glances, and the others showed either pity or schadenfreude... The expressions of everyone in the room were quite varied.

The noise was deafening, like something out of a market.

About fifteen minutes later.

The old woman from the Wen family came out and replied, "In response to your questions, ladies, Princess Cui has been stained with phosphorus powder. Phosphorus powder is extremely easy to ignite, and in the scorching heat of midsummer, it will immediately burst into flames if she stands in the sunlight, and it will be difficult to extinguish."

"Fortunately, Princess Cui jumped into the water in time and completely extinguished the fire. Otherwise, if her hair had continued to thin, it wouldn't have just been a few minor burns; her face might have been ruined!"

Jiang Ruining felt a little regretful.

It's just a little burn!

Compared to the many innocent lives she, Cui Jingwei, has taken, this injury is too minor. As long as her family background remains intact, she can still marry into a prestigious family and continue to wear her innocent mask while stirring up trouble behind the scenes!

No wonder the villains can survive so long; their luck is truly unbeatable!

Madam Cui was furious: "Investigate! How could such a treacherous thing appear at a perfectly good banquet! I want to see which despicable wretch dares to harm my daughter like this!"

Then, he thanked Jiang Ruining, who was wearing a veil.

She witnessed bystanders being too afraid to approach, and it was she who threw her daughter into the water to prevent her from being disfigured.

"Good child, we are very grateful to you today. The Cui family will remember this favor. If you ever need any help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask!"

Jiang Ruining curled the corners of her lips into a smile, the thin veil obscuring the sarcasm in her raised smile.

look!

Being a good person is that simple!

"It was nothing, Madam Cui, please don't take it to heart."

The conversation turned.

"Phosphorus powder is flammable, so the person who did it must have been at the scene and very close to Princess Cui. I remember the fire started behind Princess Cui, so that person must have been behind her at the time."

Madam Cui nodded, her gaze sweeping over everyone. She said "help" to everyone, but her tone left no room for refusal: "Everyone, please think carefully about who was standing next to you at the time, and what unusual things they did."

Jiang Ruining spoke first: "When I met Princess Cui, we were face to face. Later, the two young ladies from the Xu family came over, and I stood to the side, with two people between me and Princess Cui. Beside me were the ninth young lady from the Cui family, the commander of the military camp, and the second young lady from the Jiang family, the vice minister."

"If the three of us were to make any moves, it certainly wouldn't escape the notice of the other two pairs of eyes. I didn't see the two young ladies make any inappropriate movements at the time. I wonder if the two young ladies saw me reach out my hand towards Princess Cui?"

Relieved to have a chance to clear themselves of suspicion, the two immediately shook their heads and said, "We really didn't see the girl make any moves. The three of us can vouch for each other. The matter of scattering phosphorus powder has nothing to do with us."

Jiang Ruining took a few steps back, distancing herself from the others.

The two girls then stood aside following her.

Next, the girls began to prove themselves one by one, and those who could corroborate each other stood on Jiang Ruining's side.

At last.

The only remaining issues are those with Cui Jingwei and her sister, her best friend, and the two Xu sisters, with whom he has no clear explanation.

Before Madam Wen, the mistress of the house, could speak, Madam Cui waved her sleeve and gave the order, displaying an air of absolute authority: "Take them away and search them thoroughly!"

Madam Wen was dissatisfied, but since the incident happened on her territory, she felt responsible and could only endure it.

When Madam Xu entered the room, she saw her daughter and illegitimate daughter among those to be searched, and she had a bad feeling.

Seeing that the two girls were very calm, he didn't stop them: "To find out the truth, you'll have to cooperate. However, these young ladies are of noble status, so please show them some respect when searching them!"

Madam Wen's expression grew increasingly grim.

They all think their Wen family is something special, and they all try to give orders to her, their mistress!

"Search carefully, but don't disturb the important person."

"Wait!" Xu Nianyin's eyes subtly swept over the veiled woman in the corner. How could she just stand by and watch her clear her name and not participate in the body search?

"I think it's best to search everyone present together. In case it's a joint crime, then the so-called testimony might be a conspiracy! After all, Princess Cui is beautiful, talented, and of noble birth; there are quite a few people who are jealous of her!"

"If someone dares to harm a princess today, they might dare to harm imperial relatives and pillars of the court tomorrow. Such a person must not be let go!"

Hearing her say that...

The girls who were accompanying her to be searched in another room stopped and unanimously agreed: "That's right, we just can't prove our innocence, and we're criminals, why are you only searching us!"

The ladies also thought it made sense.

Jiang Ruining listlessly fiddled with the purse at her waist.

He felt something extra inside, and his expression changed slightly.

"Miss Xu, the way you're saying that makes it sound like you know the murderer is among our people!"

Seeing the panic flash in her eyes, Xu Nianyin's lips curled into a high smile: "Why is Miss Jiang being sarcastic? I'm not a waiter, I can't solve cases. It was chaotic at the time, and I really didn't have the mind to observe others!"

"But I think that as long as I have a clear conscience, there's nothing I can't cooperate with!"

"After all, this is to catch the murderer who harmed Princess Cui, and also to prevent any of us from being plotted against and harmed by such a vicious killer in the future, isn't it?"