With legs weak, the sickly stable boy became a mad regent.

Prince Zhao's army did indeed leave the north gate.

The group, which was being closely watched by the two supervisors, was still heading north.

However, after passing Shili Pavilion, some of those who truly needed to travel to the northern border continued to follow Wang Qi.

The remaining people had already taken advantage of the night and returned to the city from different directions in the outskirts of Beijing.

There were no neat armors, nor any eye-catching flags.

They walked through the streets like the most ordinary people.

Some guarded the city gates, some lay in ambush outside the East Palace, and others remained near the Prince Zhao's residence.

The Crown Prince believed that Xiao Yunzhao had taken away the last knife in the capital.

In reality, all he took was a flag meant for everyone to see.

Those who were truly sharp all remained.

In the old underground canal, Xiao Yunzhao had already reached the second fork in the road.

A guard returned from the front and whispered, "Your Highness, the signal in the city has been activated."

"The men sent by the Crown Prince to the Prince's residence and the city gates have all been captured."

"The princess is safe."

Upon hearing the last four words, Xiao Yunzhao didn't stop, but the suppressed anger in his eyes dissipated slightly. "Were you frightened?"

The guard was momentarily at a loss for words.

The message only said that the princess was safe, but did not say whether she was afraid.

Mo Bai followed behind and couldn't help but say, "The princess even spared the lives of those who falsely conveyed the imperial edict, so she should be fine."

"She only slept for half an hour today."

Xiao Yunzhao frowned. "Have the royal physician take your pulse again."

Mo Bai: "..."

The palace has been turned into a bloodbath, and Your Highness still remembers how long the Princess Consort slept today? "Yes."

Xiao Yunzhao then asked, "Did she eat well?"

"Your Highness, there is no news."

"Then ask again."

Xiao Yunting walked at the front, and upon hearing the conversation behind him, he tapped his folding fan twice in his palm. "Are you going to the palace to quell the rebellion, or have you come out to inquire about the Princess's dinner?"

"Neither of them interferes with the other." Xiao Yunzhao gave him a cold look.

Xiao Yunting stopped talking.

Above the culvert, the sounds of fighting could be heard becoming increasingly clear.

The exit of the library is just ahead.

Once they stepped out, they had truly entered the palace.

Xiao Yunzhao gripped the hilt of the knife. "Mo Bai."

"Your subordinate is here."

"Take your men and head out from the west side, first to Cining Palace."

"After finding Shen Nian and the Sixth Prince, do not alarm the Empress Dowager. Wait for my signal."

Mo Bai frowned. "There are only three people left by the prince's side."

That's enough.

Xiao Yunzhao looked up at the exit in front of him, where a faint light was shining through.

He did not come to lead troops to attack the palace.

It's not about using the blood of countless people to prove that they can quell the rebellion.

All he needed to do was see the crown prince point his sword at the emperor.

Then, in front of everyone, stop the sword.

Meanwhile, outside the emperor's bedchamber, a guard from the Eastern Palace rushed to the crown prince, "Your Highness, the men sent to the Prince's residence have failed."

The crown prince turned around abruptly, "How is this possible?"

"There were soldiers hiding in Prince Zhao's mansion. When our men went in, almost all of them were captured alive."

"What about the other side of the city gate?"

The guard lowered his head even further. "We didn't capture it. The city guards were prepared, as if they had been waiting for us all along."

The Crown Prince's face suddenly turned ugly. These people were supposed to leave the capital with Xiao Yunzhao.

Why would they appear in the palace and at the city gate?

"Xiao Yunzhao lied to me."

He finally realized what was happening.

From the moment the emperor decided to hand over those old, weak, and disabled soldiers to Xiao Yunzhao, they assumed this was another Black Wind Valley.

They thought Xiao Yunzhao would lead a group of useless people to their deaths in the Northern Border.

However, Shen Ce and Qiu Lie had already replaced those people with their old subordinates who were actually capable of wielding knives.

Xiao Yunzhao didn't even take them all with him.

The crown prince gripped his sword tightly, and for the first time, panic flashed in his eyes.

An inconspicuous eunuch strode quickly from the other end of the palace path at that moment.

He did not enter the sleeping quarters, but instead slipped a folded piece of paper into the hand of the advisor beside the crown prince.

There was still no signature on the paper.

Only four characters were written.

[Arson, chaos in the city.]

The crown prince's expression changed repeatedly after reading it.

"Your Highness."

The advisor lowered his voice, "We can't take the Prince's residence, nor have we captured the city gates. If the Shen family continues to hold the capital, by dawn the people will all know that it was the Crown Prince who rebelled first."

The crown prince looked out of the palace.

Now he has no way out.

"Pass down the order."

He tightened his fingers little by little, crumpling the paper into a ball.

"Set the fire as planned."

At the same moment, the man in black returned to Consort Yu's presence.

"My lord, the men sent to Prince Zhao's residence have been captured."

"Several key points in the city were also not captured. Prince Zhao was prepared, and at least half of the troops who were supposed to go to the northern border remained in the capital."

Consort Yu was not surprised.

She simply gazed out the window, a faint, almost icy smile slowly appearing on her lips.

"He didn't leave after all."

"Master, what should we do next?"

"If the Prince's Mansion can't take it, then they'll force the Shen family to come out on their own."

Consort Yu slowly raised her hand, touching the half of her face that had been burned by the fire—the fire that had destroyed the Kingdom of Chen, and also the fire that had freed her from her prison.

She could have left back then, but she hated that face! If it weren't for that face, how could she have attracted the covetousness of others, how could she have let her beloved husband live right in front of her, how could she have been left without a home or a country, living like a lonely ghost in this world!

For so many years, whenever she closed her eyes, she could see that fire that could never be extinguished.

Now, it's time for the Xiao family's capital to taste the same flavor.

"We've been preparing that kerosene for so long, it's time to use it."

The candlelight reflected in her eyes made her twisted scars seem to come alive.

"Go tell the Crown Prince."

"set fire."

"Let this capital city descend into complete chaos."

Almost at the same time the order was sent out, several carriages covered with thick cloths silently drove into the long street.

The wheels rolled over the bluestone pavement.

The pungent smell of kerosene was constantly seeping out from the cracks.