Ashes to Crown

Chapter 95: Chapter 54: Compensation Claim

Dawn’s light blanketed the earth. The great fire had died down, but the clamor was even louder than it had been at night.

The injured wailed, survivors who had lost their families wept bitterly, and onlookers arriving from all directions stared in shock.

Men from the government arrived and were stunned by the scene. No investigation was needed; a single glance was enough to see that the village was destroyed.

The local official had rushed over in person—not because he was particularly concerned about the villagers, but because Magpie Mountain was the property of the Wei Family.

The report had said Magpie Mountain was on fire.

The official had jumped in fright. That was Eldest Young Master Wei’s property! Eldest Young Master Wei loved the mountains, shunning the lavish Wei family estate to live in the mountains day after day. ’Could something have happened to Eldest Young Master Wei?’

The official had scrambled to get here, traveling through the night.

Thank goodness, thank goodness. It turned out Eldest Young Master Wei was fine.

”This is our fault,” a steward from the Wei family said, his expression grave. ”We were too slow to fight the fire and couldn’t save more people.”

The official looked at the Wei family’s servants. Their clothes were tattered and disheveled, and many of them were injured—clear signs of their firefighting efforts.

The surrounding crowd began to shout, ”It’s all thanks to the Wei family for fighting the fire in time!” ”Otherwise, who knows how much worse the blaze would have been!”

The official also believed the Wei family had done their utmost to fight the fire. After all, the village was right next to Magpie Mountain. If the flames had spread to the mountain, Eldest Young Master Wei would have been furious.

”How did a fire just start out of nowhere?” the official asked, bewildered. He glanced at the sky. ”It’s not exactly the dry season, when things are most flammable.”

He looked at the incinerated village, the bodies burned beyond recognition, and the survivors with their horrific injuries, his heart aching with grief.

”I told the villagers long ago that this place was not suitable for living and that they should move. They just wouldn’t listen. Otherwise, a disaster like this wouldn’t have happened.”

As he said this, the official’s heart began to pound. ’The hearts of men in this world are a treacherous maze.’

Eldest Young Master Wei had always wanted to drive away the villagers at the foot of the mountain. ’Could it be that Eldest Young Master Wei had someone set the fire?’

’What should I do? Should I ask, or not?’

’If I ask, I’ll be opposing the Wei Family, and that won’t end well for me.’

’But if I don’t ask... with such a horrific massacre of an entire village happening right before everyone’s eyes, my duty as their ’parental official’ means not asking will also end badly for me.’

Just as the official hesitated, too afraid to speak, a hoarse voice cut through the crowd.

”Is an official here? Can I file a complaint now?”

Hearing this abrupt voice, everyone turned toward the sound and saw a carriage parked behind the crowd of Wei family servants.

Just then, the carriage curtain was lifted, and a young master appeared in view.

The young master wore only trousers, his upper body bare. His broad shoulders, narrow waist, and firm muscles, combined with his fair, handsome features, instantly silenced the clamorous crowd.

The young master’s phoenix eyes lifted, filled with a savage aura as he glanced at the official.

”Are you the local official?” he asked. Without waiting for a reply, he continued, ”My goods were burned. They’re worth a thousand gold pieces.” He then pointed to himself. ”And I’ve been seriously injured. You, as the official, had better give me an explanation.”

Everyone’s eyes fell on the young master’s arm. It was covered in angry red blisters and swelling. The injury did look quite frightening.

...

...

Three physicians and four maids crowded around the young master, frantically tending to his blisters. It was so chaotic that the official couldn’t even squeeze through.

”What do you mean by that, young master?” he had to shout. ”Do you have any idea how this fire started?”

The young master lifted his head and sneered. ”I don’t care how the fire started. I was just passing through. Now my goods are lost and I’ve been injured. This is attempted murder. These villagers—”

He pointed a finger at the wailing injured.

”They’re going to compensate me!”

Everyone was stunned. The official prided himself on having seen all kinds of villains and evil deeds, but this was a real eye-opener.

’This ridiculously beautiful young master... does he even have a heart?’

’But someone who can so casually say and do such wicked things without a second thought must come from an extraordinary background. An ordinary person wouldn’t get the chance—they’d be beaten to death the first time they opened their mouth.’ The official opened his mouth, then closed it again, once more too afraid to speak.

Just then, a servant of Eldest Young Master Wei spoke up.

”Mr. Xie, please don’t be angry. The Eldest Young Master said he will compensate you generously.”

Xie? The official’s heart skipped a beat. ’It couldn’t be *that* Xie, could it?’

Mr. Xie was completely unmoved by the friendly gesture from Eldest Young Master Wei’s servant. He scoffed, ”My Xie family has no need for compensation from the Wei Family. My losses are heavy, but we wouldn’t so much as blink an eye if we lost this much again. This isn’t about property; it’s about principle! Whoever destroyed my property and injured me must be punished!”

The steward of Eldest Young Master Wei looked mortified. ”Young Master, look at these villagers. So many have died, and the living are gravely injured. Even a passerby couldn’t bear to see this. You, with your benevolent heart—”

Before he could finish, the young master who claimed to be ”gravely injured” leaped from his carriage. With a swift kick, he sent the speaking steward flying. The man landed on the ground and coughed up a mouthful of blood, rendered speechless.

Gasps of shock rippled through the crowd.

No one had expected this handsome young master to lash out so suddenly. And his victim was a servant of the Wei Family, no less.

In Han County, the Wei Family’s word was law. Every new Prefectural Governor would pay respects to the Wei Family before even setting foot in the government office.

Yet this kid had just struck one of their own without hesitation. He may have only been a servant, but he represented the face of the Wei Family.

’What kind of monster is this?’

”I am of the Dongyang Xie Family. My elder brother is Third Young Master Xie. Is there anyone in the world who doesn’t know of his benevolence and virtue? Who are you from the Wei Family to lecture me about a benevolent heart?” the young master sneered, his face a mask of defiance. ”You’re not worthy!”

Hearing this insult, the Wei family steward coughed up another mouthful of blood and fainted.

The other Wei family servants were shocked and furious, while the Xie family’s own servants seemed at a loss.

”Young Master Yanlai!” ”Young Master, you mustn’t!” several stewards cried out. Some tried to restrain the young master, while others bowed apologetically to the Wei family servants.

The scene devolved into chaos.

The official and the crowd finally understood which family this terrifying young master belonged to—the Dongyang Xie Family. That was the Crown Princess Consort’s maternal family, the future family of the Empress.

This young master would one day be an Imperial Uncle.

So arrogant—

”It was you! You’re the one who burned down our village!”

A child’s shrill cry cut through the chaotic silence. At these words, the frantic servants of the Wei and Xie families fell quiet, while the quieted crowd began to stir.

A seven- or eight-year-old boy came stumbling over from a short distance away, a young servant following behind him.

”Young master, don’t say such things!” the servant pleaded anxiously. As he spoke, his footing faltered, and he stumbled to the ground.

The boy was unharmed, but the young servant’s arm was wrapped in a bandage, and half his hair had been burned away.

The boy turned back and saw him fall, a flicker of pity in his eyes.

”Brother Ah Cai, you saved me, but... my neighbors, my parents... they’re all dead. I’m grateful to you for saving my life, but I must avenge them!” the child cried. Finally, gritting his teeth, he charged toward the official.

Caught off guard, the official found the boy clinging to his leg. The child held on with all his might, and the official found he couldn’t shake him off. He had no choice but to listen as the boy told his story.

Young Master Xie and his entourage were passing through with a shipment of goods and sought lodging in their village. The villagers kindly offered their own homes, but this young master found their houses too crude and insisted on camping outside.

They ended up lighting a bonfire, drinking wine, and falling asleep. The fire ignited the wine barrels, which in turn set fire to a pile of dry firewood and stalks. The flames roared to life and instantly spread throughout the entire village.

”Everyone was fast asleep in the dead of night. By the time anyone noticed, it was already too late to escape. Oh, but that young master? He was the first to notice the fire. But he just ran to safety first, then got busy rescuing his cargo. He couldn’t have cared less whether the villagers lived or died.”

”We were kind enough to let him stay the night, and in return, he destroyed our village and killed our people,” the child sobbed. Having said his piece, his strength gave out, and he could no longer cling to the official’s leg, collapsing to the ground.

The official didn’t back away this time. There was no need. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, everyone now knew the cause and effect.

The wails of the injured grew louder. The crowd was no longer intimidated by the young master’s family name; their murmurs grew into an angry roar, their faces filled with rage.

The Xie family servants instinctively formed a circle around their master, shielding him from the furious crowd.

Throughout the child’s tearful accusation and the crowd’s rising fury, the young master’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. He didn’t even glance at the boy. Instead, he spoke to the maids beside him, chiding them for being too rough while applying medicine to his wound. ”I once saw a very skilled maid who applied ointment to her young miss every day, and her miss never felt a thing.”

The maids, unafraid of their master’s anger, giggled. ”Then you should buy that maid, Young Master.” ”No, you should invite her over.” ”Mmm, and if that young miss won’t let her go, just bring the miss over too.”

The young master sneered. ”That young miss is a wicked person. I don’t want her.”

And so the maids continued to giggle and laugh, comforting their master and telling him not to be afraid.

On one side, a child wept for his destroyed home and dead family; on the other, a young master and his maids laughed and chatted as if among flowers. Even the official, accustomed as he was to the tyranny of the rich and powerful, couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger.

”Mr. Xie!” he boomed. ”Is what the boy said true?”

Only then did Mr. Xie glance at him from within the circle of maids, one phoenix eye arching. ”Nonsense. What makes you say it was me?”

The child scrambled up from the ground, his eyes bloodshot. ”I saw you!”

As a child from a mountain village, he had been curious when he saw the group’s leader, who was both handsome and imposing, and couldn’t help but watch.

He had been holding a grasshopper woven from straw. The young master had seen it, and a smile had appeared in his eyes—a smile so beautiful, yet tinged with a hint of sadness.

He could tell the young master really liked the grasshopper, so he couldn’t help but hold it out, wanting to give it to him.

But the young master’s expression had suddenly changed. He had snarled at him to get lost, to stay far away and not come any closer.

It was a look of utter disgust.

Terrified, he had dropped the grasshopper and run away.

But he still couldn’t resist hiding in the distance to watch in secret.

The child shouted, ”I saw you! You had your men light a bonfire and bring out wine! You started drinking, and you even poured wine into the fire!”

The bonfire grew brighter and brighter, more and more wine was brought out, until people were too drunk to notice, until the fire spread to its surroundings—

”You’re the one who harmed us,” the child cried, clawing at the ground until his fingers bled. ”If you hadn’t passed through here, if you hadn’t stayed in our village, if you hadn’t been drinking and making merry, if it weren’t for—”

He wouldn’t have lost his parents. He wouldn’t have lost his home. His entire life had been erased in a single night.

He leaped up from the ground, pulled a small, hidden knife from his robes, and lunged at the young master.

”I’ll kill you!”