Chapter 219 Damsel In Distress


    When she heard his excuses, Hua Jing frowned. She knew that Ya Xi was trying to avoid her question.


    And she was displeased with his answer. Hua Jing didn''t think any woman in the Imperial City was


    more powerful, nor wealthier than her.


    She wanted to ask more, but stopped. At the moment, her own reputation was also at stake. Hua Jing


    had already been warned and punished by her father several times. She couldn''t make any more


    mistakes. If that wretched Yun Shang learned about her rendezvous and reported to her father, Hua


    Jing would be doomed. And if that were the case, Hua Jing would not be able to justify nor defend


    herself. After all, as a Princess, she should never visit a brothel.


    But Hua Jing wanted to know the woman''s name. She smiled and softly said, "I merely want to know


    her name. You don''t have to worry. I won''t do anything that''s not proper."


    Silence reigned for a long while before Ya Xi let out a sigh and answered, "I can''t answer your


    question, Your Highness. This particr guest is your rtive. I don''t want to be the cause of strife


    between you and your family."


    "What?" Hua Jing raised her eyebrows in surprise and pondered over the woman''s identity. After a


    while, she nodded to Ya Xi, "If you''re unwilling to reveal her name, I won''t force you."


    Ya Xi shed a smile before sitting at the Guqin stand. He suggested softly, "Let me y the Guqin for


    you, Your Highness." With that said, he started ying.


    As the music started, Hua Jing was a little surprised. She frowned as she recognized the song. It was


    the famous love song, Courting a Phoenix.


    However, the song reminded her of the royal banquet during which Prince Jing yed the song for Yun


    Shang. She never thought much of her step-sister. But at that time, Hua Jing had been envious of Yun


    Shang. It was every girl''s dream to be wooed by such a man of such excellence.


    Thinking about that, Hua Jing raised her eyes and looked at Ya Xi. Although the men and women in the


    Pce were all extremely beautiful, she had never seen a man as attractive as Ya Xi. How could she


    not be ted when such a gorgeous man yed a love song for her?


    Not long after, Ya Xi finished ying. Hua Jing stared at him with great intensity before speaking,


    "Lovely song, Ya Xi. I have little knowledge about music. I have no idea what meaning this song


    carries. However, I think you are good at whatever you do, so you must have yed it well."


    Ya Xi bowed his head and shed a grateful smile. Hua Jing''s heartbeat quickened when she saw his


    smile.


    As she was marveling at his beauty, Ya Xi stood and approached her slowly. Hua Jing couldn''t help but


    step back when he walked toward her. She stopped when her shoulders touched the door.


    "Why? Are you running away from me, Your Highness?" Ya Xi chuckled. He nced at Hua Jing


    seductively.


    Hua Jing flushed. She averted her eyes, "Why would I run away from you?"


    Before she could fathom what was happening, the veil she was wearing was ripped away and tossed


    on the ground. Hua Jing looked at the veil in a daze. Before she could react, she felt something warm


    and moist touching her lips.


    Her eyes widened in surprise and she raised her head. Ya Xi''s smoldering eyes seemed to be


    devouring her. Ya Xi smirked before lifting her and carrying Hua Jing toward the inner chamber. Heid


    her on the bed gently before turning to pull the curtains. Then, he joined her in bed.


    From that day, Hua Jing was obsessed with Ya Xi. Every night she would patiently wait for Cangjue


    Qingsu to visit her. Secretly, she hoped that he wouldn''te. When she grew tired of waiting, she


    would dress and leave for Suiyu House.


    However, her routine was broken one afternoon when Ya Xi suddenly paid her a visit.


    At the time, Hua Jing was napping in her chamber. When she heard the report, she hurriedly told her


    servant, "Show him in!"


    After a while, her maid led Ya Xi into the Princess''s chamber. To Hua Jing''s surprise, Ya Xi looked


    awful. His bluish white gown was ragged and his pretty face was marred with soot and mud. Hua Jing


    frowned at the sight. She dismissed her maids, took hold of Ya Xi''s hand, and asked fondly, "What has


    happened to you? Why are you in such a mess?"


    Ya Xi didn''t answer her question. The silence in the room was broken by the sound of Ya Xi falling to


    his knees. "Your Highness, please help me!" he pleaded in a hoarse voice.


    Hua Jing was taken by surprise. She asked, "Has something happened? How can I help?"


    At her question, tears welled in Ya Xi''s eyes. He sniffled as the tears trickled down his cheeks. He


    seemed to be unable to restrain his emotions anymore. A sob escaped as he opened his mouth to


    answer, "This morning, Suiyu House caught fire. The fire was so fierce that the whole building burnt to


    ashes. Many people died in the fire. My servant, Qing Yu, the one who served you tea a few days ago,


    also died. At the time, we were trapped in fire. He risked his life to help me, but was unable to make his


    own escape. I should''ve been the one who died in the fire..."


    Hua Jing was horrified. She asked, "Why would you say such a thing? How did the fire start? And were


    you hurt in the fire? I''ll send for a physician for you."


    Ya Xi reached out and showed her therge burn on the back of his hand. Although the flesh and bone


    hadn''t melted away, his hand was swollen and red, and his skin had peeled. Hua Jing''s heart ached


    when she saw his wound. She grabbed his waist andmanded, "I''ll have a physician look at the


    burn."


    However, just as she turned around, Ya Xi pulled her back. He pleaded, "No physician, please, Your


    Highness. It''s all my fault. I am the one the culprit wants to hurt. I am the cause of the fire and


    everyone''s death. I feel guilty, Your Highness. And you''re the only person I can rely on now, as you''re


    the wealthiest and most powerful person I am acquainted with in the Imperial City. Please. Please help


    me, Your Highness. Help me avenge my dead friends and the burnt Suiyu House."


    Hua Jing frowned at his words. She urged, "Tell me every detail. Was it a deliberate fire?"


    Ya Xi lowered his head. His tone conveyed the grief he felt. "Yes, Your Highness. The culprit was the


    woman I mentioned earlier. The other night, she proposed that I live in her mansion. At the time, I was


    unwilling, and refused. However, I had no idea what disaster was awaiting me after my rejection. Since


    that day, she started to pick on me, again and again. Finally, she found a chance to vent her anger.


    Today, Qing Yu identally poured some hot tea over her dress when he was tending to her. She was


    enraged, and imed that she would destroy the Suiyu House. I thought that she was merely


    threatening, and didn''t take her seriously. However, to everyone''s surprise, the brothel caught fire and


    burnt to ashes."


    "The woman?" Frowning, Hua Jing asked, "Who is this woman?"


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    Ya Xi bit his lower lip as he looked at her with tear-filled eyes. He said, "I dare not say her name."


    Hua Jing knew Ya Xi''s character. As she had spent so many nights with him, she was aware that


    although he appeared gentle and urbane, he was stubborn on certain matters. She held Ya Xi''s hand,


    and patted himfortingly, "Tell me, please. Or else I cannot help you. How can I uphold justice if I


    know nothing about our enemy?"


    Ya Xi bowed his head again as he pondered on the matter. After a long while, he answered, "The


    woman is rted to you, Your Highness. She is your cousin, and she shares the same family name as


    your mother. She''s Lady Yingying of the Li n."


    At his mention of Li Yingying''s name, Hua Jing was shocked. She fell silent at the revtion. Of course,


    she was friendly with Li Yingying, as the woman was her cousin. Li Yingying was a little older than Hua


    Jing. As a twenty-year old woman, Li Yingying was still unmarried. Hua Jing had thought that her


    cousin had high standards for her future spouse and had hence, not married. However, it now turned


    out that she sought pleasure in brothels.


    However, since the incident on New Year''s Eve, Li Yingying''s rtionship with Hua Jing had suffered.


    Hua Jing had been imprisoned after she had been framed for Li Yingying''s poisoning by Yun Shang.


    However, Li Yingying did not say anything in her defense, nor did she visit Hua Jing during her


    imprisonment. After that, they had not met nor spoken.


    Ya Xi noticed her hesitation and shock. He lowered his gaze to his feet, and forced a smile as he said,


    "I know you shouldn''t betray your mother''s n, Your Highness. How insolent I am to ask for such a


    favor. I''ll leave you now, Your Highness."


    Hua Jing hurriedly took hold of his arm to stop Ya Xi from turning away, "But I have decided to avenge


    you, and I would like to stand against my mother''s n for your sake. What''s more, since Suiyu House


    has burnt to ashes, you can stay in my Princess Pce for a while. And during your stay, I will settle


    the matter."


    Ya Xi paused a while before he shook his head and said, "Qian Ning died, too. Right now, I am the only


    one capable of taking care of the affairs of Suiyu House. Some of our men survived the fire. I have to


    settle them and try my best to satisfy their demands. If they intend to leave, I''ll need to give them


    money so that they can support themselves for some time. But if they want to stay, I''ll have to rebuild


    Suiyu House and offer them shelter like Qian Ning had done in the past."


    Hua Jing hurriedly suggested, "No, please stay. As to the survivors, I''ll have my people take care of


    them. But look at you, you''re a mess. Obviously, when you escaped from Suiyu House, you were in a


    hurry, and didn''t bring anything valuable with you. Without money and power, how can you rebuild


    Suiyu House? Right now, what you need to do is wash and change. After that, I''ll have my people help


    you check Suiyu House, in case something important survived the fire. You and I are fond of each


    other. How can I stand by and do nothing when you''re in distress?"


    Teary-eyed, Ya Xi shed a grateful smile. He gazed at Hua Jing, "Your Highness... Meeting you has


    been the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me..."


    Hua Jing sent for her maid, and asked her to prepare a guest room for Ya Xi. She also ordered that the


    maid help her guest wash and change. But when the maid asked which room she should settle Mister


    Ya Xi in, Hua Jing was reminded of her first meeting with Ya Xi, thus she told the maid to amodate


    Ya Xi in the room by thekeside.


    The maid obeyed and led Ya Xi out. After Ya Xi left, Hua Jing frowned as she contemted the whole


    matter. Things were getting tricky here, as Li Yingying was thest person she wanted to pick on.


    But she had promised Ya Xi to avenge his misfortune by confronting Li Yingying. If she didn''t follow


    through, Ya Xi would be disappointed. Determined to not disappoint yet another person in her life, Hua


    Jing decided to help Ya Xi. She stopped long enough to fawn over his pretty face and excellent skills in


    bed.


    Hua Jing returned to her inner chamber. She was immersed in thoughts of how she would confront her


    cousin. She took out a piece of parchment from a drawer, wrote an invitation on it, and asked a servant


    to deliver the letter to the Grand Counselor''s Mansion. She had to make sure that Ya Xi''s story was the


    truth, and if it were, the culprit was Li Yingying. Although Ya Xi was her new favor, she didn''t think it


    would be prudent to believe him blindly.


    After Ya Xi had washed his face and changed into fresh clothes, he visited Hua Jing to thank her. Hua


    Jing was delighted to see Ya Xi return to his former state. She looked at him from head to toe, and


    nodded to him with a smile. However, when she saw her maids staring at Ya Xi in admiration, she was


    displeased. She coldly ordered, "Leave us, all of you."


    Although unwilling, the maids didn''t dare to disobey Hua Jing''s orders. They craned their neck to steal


    ast nce of the handsome Ya Xi before leaving the chamber.


    After the maids had left, Hua Jing took hold of Ya Xi''s hand. "I''ll send a few guards with you when you


    collect evidence or valuable remains from the burnt Suiyu House. Feel free to go there when you are


    ready."


    Ya Xi bit his lip before nodding to her. Then he bowed and left.


    Not long after, the servant Hua Jing had sent to the Grand Councilor''s Mansion returned. He reported


    to Hua Jing, "I''ve delivered your letter to the Grand Councilor''s Mansion, Your Highness. However, the


    chambein told me that Lady Yingying was not at home. So I entrusted the invitation letter to the


    chambein, and asked him to give the letter to Lady Yingying when she returned."


    Li Yingying was not home? Hua Jing frowned as a sense of foreboding overwhelmed her. She couldn''t


    help wondering whether Li Yingying would be waiting for Ya Xi at the ruins of Suiyu House. It was


    unlikely, but...


    Hua Jing didn''t say anything. She frowned as she thought over all the possibilities. Then, she nodded


    to the servant, and dismissed him.


    An hourter, Ya Xi returned. However, to Hua Jing''s surprise, Ya Xi looked distressed. And the guards


    following him also seemed as though they had been involved in a fight. Hua Jing asked the maids to


    help Ya Xi change before questioning her guards about what had happened.


    A guard answered, "As per your instructions, we followed Mister Ya Xi to Suiyu House. The building


    had been badly burnt. There''s nothing left of it. After our arrival, Mister Ya Xi began searching the


    debris, and we helped him. However, Lady Yingying suddenly appeared. She caught hold of Mister Ya


    Xi by his arm, and intended to take him away forcefully. But Mister Ya Xi struggled to free himself. At


    the sight, Lady Yingying''s guards surrounded Mister Ya Xi, and prevented him from leaving. Since Your


    Highness ordered us to help, we ran to aid Mister Ya Xi, and saved him from Lady Yingying''s guards.


    Seeing that she couldn''t have her way, Lady Yingying became enraged. She started insulting Mister Ya


    Xi. She congratted Ya Xi on finding anotherdy rich enough to have her own guards to protect him.


    We didn''t dare to identify that we were Your Highness'' guards. So we didn''t say anything. Every time


    Lady Yingying or her guards tried to grab Mister Ya Xi, we stopped them. Lady Yingying became


    irritated as she couldn''t do anything. Before she left, she promised that she would find him and swore


    that she would make Ya Xie to her willingly."