She sneered, threw the Earthen Jar of oil onto the pile of firewood, and then tossed the oil lamp on top. In an instant, the oil from the lamp dripped onto the firewood, and with a ’whoosh,’ a large flame leaped up. The fire quickly spread, not only igniting the jar of lard and the entire pile of firewood, but the fierce outer flames also set the ceiling on fire!

At this time, it was spring, and in an instant, the spring wind spread the fire throughout the entire house. The family, fast asleep, could never have imagined such an event. They were still sweetly dreaming until they were surrounded by flames and awakened by the searing heat, only then realizing something terrible had happened!

"Ah—help—"

It’s unclear who woke up first, but wailing and screaming ensued. Soon after, a few people were awake, and when they saw their predicament, they were so frightened they were overcome with terror. Wrapping themselves in blankets, they rushed outside the door, shouting and crying.

However, the outside door was locked, and a stick was bracing it from outside, making it impossible to open. Doggie, along with Dad, Mother, and the large-chested, narrow-waisted nanny, were anxious and frustrated, and rushed back inside to try to escape through the window.

Unfortunately, the fire was too intense. Before the family could escape, the house was engulfed in flames, and the collapsing roof crashed down on them. Including the child, a few people were all consumed in this sea of fire!

The houses in this area were all connected. Once one caught fire, others were also involved. The fire, aided by the spring wind, rampaged through the area. Overnight, the houses in this region were all burnt to the ground. Not only that, but many innocent people were killed or injured.

Such a significant event was reported to the court the next day. Upon hearing the report, Nangong Jin immediately issued an order, sending the Imperial Medical Institute to treat the injured people, opening the National Treasury to help the victims rebuild their homes, and ordered a thorough investigation of the initiator of the fire. The fire started in the middle of the night, clearly an act of arson, and the arsonist, once discovered, would be severely punished!

The newly-appointed Prefect of Ying Tianfu, Mu Chongwen, was tasked with investigating the matter. Through interviews and inspections, he quickly identified the household where the fire started.

By this time, Doggie’s house had already burned down, but the lock on the door and the stick bracing it were still there. Clearly, this was a case of arson and murder. The burnt corpses of the family of five were found, including a tiny baby, all unable to escape the flames, presenting a scene of horror.

The charred bodies were carried out, and the neighbors were puzzled, saying, "Huh? Including the child, their family should have six people. As far as I know, the wife of this family couldn’t nurse, so they specially hired a nanny at home to feed the child."

With six family members, five died, all victims. The one who survived naturally became the biggest suspect!

The bodies were already charred, and the deceased’s appearance couldn’t be discerned. Through forensic examination, Mu Chongwen discovered the deceased included one elderly man, one elderly woman, a pair of young men and women, and a baby. Therefore, the perpetrator was the other woman in the family. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Was it the nanny or the child’s mother?

Initially, everyone thought it was the nanny. Mu Chongwen also thought the nanny committed the crime because everyone believed no woman could bear to burn her own child. However, when the nanny’s husband was brought in for questioning, he inadvertently identified the charred young female corpse as his wife.

"Adult, adult!"

Upon seeing the corpse, the man wailed, "That corpse is my wife."

Mu Chongwen looked at the corpse burned to black charcoal and said, "The corpse has already turned to charcoal. How can you recognize your wife?"

The man collapsed in tears: "Last year, I heard some gossip, and in a moment of annoyance, I argued with my wife when I got home. At that time, I had drunk some liquor, and in a fit of intoxicated rage, punched out one of her front teeth. Look at that corpse, isn’t it missing a front tooth?"