Chapter 225 Fire
Nian Gengyao came back to Beijing to report on his work in the hope of making further progress, but he did not expect that he would even lose his official position.

The decree from the palace was vague, it just said that Noble Lady Nian had committed a serious mistake, not only was she sent to the cold palace, but also three generations of the Nian family were implicated.

Now Nian Gengyao's wife is making a fuss at home every day: "You only care about your sister, but don't you care about your son? Now the emperor's order is as firm as a mountain, our son cannot enter the officialdom, and now he stays at home drinking every day, what do you think we should do?!"

Nian Gengyao was short of breath and impatient to stay at home, so he packed some gifts and started visiting every household, hoping for a new turn of events.

Without exception, I was turned away for several days.

Nian Gengyao was eating in the restaurant with a dusty face. People who had called him "brother Nian" before kept their distance from him. Nian Gengyao felt like he was being despised like a plague god.

Suddenly, Nian Gengyao smelled a fragrance and saw a veiled woman sitting opposite him.

At first glance, Nian Gengyao felt that she looked familiar, and then he looked at her carefully: "Eighth Lady?"

"I thought Lord Nian was very forgetful and didn't even know which way the door of the Eighth Master's mansion faces." Guo Luoluo spoke in a sarcastic tone. After all, before Yinzhen ascended the throne, Nian Gengyao and the Eighth Master were closer.

"I wonder how the Eighth Master is doing now?" Nian Gengyao's heart moved and he asked in a low voice.

"The Eighth Master was sent by the Emperor to guard the imperial mausoleum. He cannot eat meat, drink alcohol or eat anything else. He has to do all his daily life by himself. Sir, do you think this is a good life?" said the Eighth Lady gritting her teeth.

"Of course, Master Nian can live this kind of life when he returns to his hometown." Guo Luoluo said with a smile, "I don't know if Master Nian is willing to do that."

"If Madam Fu has any good idea to save the Nian family from this dire situation, the Nian family will surely be grateful." Nian Gengyao said tentatively.

"I am just a woman, what can I do?" Guo Luoluo said meaningfully, "But the Eighth Master is not like that. He still has many old subordinates. As long as the Eighth Master can return to Beijing, you will have a place to stand."

"You also said that the Eighth Master has many old subordinates, some of whom still hold high positions. These people are unable to help the Eighth Master return to Beijing. What good ideas can I, a person who is about to be expelled from the capital, have?" Nian Gengyao said self-deprecatingly.

"You are different from them. They are concerned about their future and reputation. What else do you have to worry about now?" Guo Luoluo said, then stood up and left. "That's all I have to say. It's up to you whether you want to do it or not."

Nian Gengyao took a big bite of beef and made up his mind.

He ordered people to buy a lot of kerosene from different shops, and took the opportunity of delivering vegetables to the imperial mausoleum to sneak in and hand the kerosene to the Eighth Master.

"Eighth Master, there is no construction without destruction. You are now in prison. If you want to get out, you have to resort to extraordinary means." Nian Gengyao said fiercely.

Lao Ba smelled the strong smell of kerosene in the air, his eyes becoming uncertain. Nian Gengyao was going to burn all his ancestors to death. It was wrong to even think about such a shocking thing.

"Mr. Liang, you look much more haggard. I have been in the imperial mausoleum for such a long time, but this is the first time I see you. Let's not talk about my leaving the imperial mausoleum for now. Mr. Liang, do you have any difficulties? I am a free man now, so maybe I can give you some ideas." Lao Ba coaxed patiently. He seemed to put himself in a very low position, but in fact he was still using a bird's-eye view.

Nian Gengyao hesitated for a moment, then told the whole story: "The Queen Mother is incompetent, and the Emperor is using our Nian family as a scapegoat. Now I am at my wits' end, so I beg Master Eight to help me."

"I have been in the imperial mausoleum for a while and have figured out many things. I want to strike the snake at its weakest part. What do you think is the most important thing to the emperor?"

"Of course it's the imperial power!"

"Yes, apart from this, he is now an emperor with great power. What else does he care about?"

"Before, I always thought that the fourth brother cared most about Honghui besides the throne. That kid is really blessed. Not only me, but even my second brother is envious."

"So I attacked Honghui many times."

"Now that I look at it again, I feel that it is not right. Honghui is of course very important, but in the heart of the fourth brother, there is someone who is more important than him." "It's the queen!" Nian Gengyao suddenly realized.

"Yes, before, everyone thought that the mother returned because of her son, but now I think maybe the son's status is also due to the mother." Lao Ba made the final decision.

"The Fourth Prince's backyard has always been very stable, because there are only a few people in total. The people appointed by the Queen Mother have died or gone into seclusion one after another. Even so, no one can find fault with the Queen."

"The Queen Mother had a natural advantage in status, but she was still dealt with by the Queen. How could this be possible without the support of the Fourth Brother behind her?!"

"So, if you want to change the emperor's mind, you can only start with the queen!"

Mr. Ba said a long string of words and took a sip of water: "I also want to thank Liang Gong for coming to talk to me."

Nian Gengyao cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Master Eight, for clearing up my doubts."

That night, a fire broke out in a side hall of the imperial mausoleum, and most of the ancestral tablets were burned. Only a few were rescued by the Eighth Master.

Half of the Eighth Master's face was burned, and burn marks were visible all over his body. The doctor could only give him simple treatment. He was carried back to the capital in a coma and was being treated by the imperial physician.

Yinzhen looked at the billowing smoke outside the capital with a dark face. He withdrew his gaze, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Yihuan put his coat on him and said, "Your Majesty, is this a self-directed performance?"

"Even you can see that the Eighth Old Man is using a self-torture trick." Yinzhen rarely gets humiliated, and he is a little frustrated, "It really is haunting you."

"I just took a look, the burns are very serious." Yihuan couldn't help but admire Lao Ba. This was not her previous life where medical care was advanced. In the Qing Dynasty where a cold or fever could take a life, anyone who dared to treat himself like this was truly gambling with his life.

"In that case, I'll do as he wishes." The original intention of putting him in the imperial mausoleum was to out of sight and out of mind, but who would have thought that he would do something big.

Su Peisheng stepped forward and replied, "Your Majesty, I found out that before the fire tonight, Master Nian Gengyao had been to the imperial mausoleum."

"Oh, so that's how it is." Yinzhen was surprised. The eighth brother had never been so crazy before. It turned out that he had the guidance of an expert.

"Tell the people from the Nian family to get out of here quickly and keep an eye on them. If there is any unusual movement, they will be killed without mercy." Yinzhen's eyes were filled with murderous intent. He was not a bloodthirsty person, but some people were just looking for death.

"And the Eighth Lady has submitted a petition asking for an audience. She wants to come to the palace to take care of the Eighth Master."

"Let her go too."

"By the way, it is his duty to bring Hongwang in and take care of Ama."

Su Peisheng hurried to make arrangements.

"Your Majesty, you don't look very angry." Yihuan asked.

"Before, the enemy was in the dark and I was in the light. Lao Ba didn't make any move, and I couldn't accuse him of a crime that he didn't have."

"Now that he has shown up, it's easy to deal with. Sooner or later, I will be able to beat him to death with one blow!"

Yinzhen clenched his fists. Not only could he tolerate the obedient brothers, he could also slowly give them power. As for the restless brothers, it would be better for them to die in peace!