"Dead so soon?!" Gong Juechen exclaimed in surprise.
Meng Zhuqing said, "I really didn't know much about Consort Han. It wasn't a natural death; Qingyi Palace somehow caught fire. Not only did Consort Han burn to death there, but so did the Seventh Prince and the Eighth Princess. This incident was fervently discussed in the Imperial Capital for the first few years, and that's how I came to know of it."
"Both the Seventh Prince and the Eighth Princess died as well?" Gong Juechen feigned confusion. "How come they just happened to be in Consort Han's chambers?"
Meng Zhuqing explained, "The Seventh Prince and the Eighth Princess were Consort Han's children, so they lived with her."
Gong Juechen, stroking his chin with an air of intrigue, said, "So this fire killed a consort, a prince, and a princess. Such a fire burns too..."
He deliberately left his sentence unfinished, which only added more room for speculation.
