Twenty-One Miracles

As soon as she stepped out of the dispensary, chaos greeted her outside. The remaining servants of the Lin household had gathered in the garden, their faces stricken with panic, flailing about in confusion, uncertain of where to go or what to do.

Qingyin, unsure of what had happened, caught sight of a familiar-looking boy of seventeen or eighteen. Recognizing him as Dongzi, she grabbed his arm and asked, “Brother Dongzi, what’s going on?”

Dongzi replied, “Qingyin, you’d better find a way to run. I heard the authorities have ordered the Lin estate to be burned to the ground.”

Qingyin was shocked. “Why?”

“There are rumors outside that the Lin household’s plague is contagious. To ensure the safety of the capital’s citizens, they want to burn the source of the disease with a single blaze.”

Just then, someone came running from the direction of the main gate, crying out, “The whole estate is surrounded! Soldiers with gleaming blades are guarding every entrance, saying anyone who tries to escape will be executed on the spot. It’s getting dark—they’re just waiting for nightfall to take action.”

The crowd erupted in panic. “They clearly mean to burn us alive with the house!”

Someone else cried, “They must suspect we’re infected too; burning us all is the only way they’ll be at ease.”

Qingyin felt a chill grip her heart, cold sweat breaking out on her brow. That the authorities would resort to such ruthless means! With the estate surrounded, even climbing the walls would offer little cha