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

He remounted his horse and looked up at the dissipating smoke. "Oil carts have been found in both the east and west of the city. Qiu Lie has already led his men to the west, and there are guards on several other streets as well. The remaining one should be heading to Prince Zhao's residence."

Shen Run's expression changed. "Nannan is still in the Prince's mansion."

After he finished speaking, he tried to steal a horse.

Shen Ce's longsword was held horizontally in front of him.

"What's the rush? There are so many people left in the Prince's mansion; a single oil cart can't burn them all down. Your sister had you keep an eye on the rumors in the city. Now that the fire's started, those mouths hiding in the shadows will start to move."

Shen Run calmed down. The people who set the fire tonight never intended to burn down just a few houses. What they wanted was for the entire capital to be in chaos. Once the people started fleeing for their lives, no one would care about who was plotting a rebellion in the palace. Then, the charge of arson could fall on Xiao Yunzhao.

"Tongtong".

Shen Run subconsciously looked at Qiu Tong, "You're coming back to the Prince's Mansion with me."

Qiu Tong glanced at the still-shaken people around her. "We need to keep some people here."

"My father is here."

"General Shen still needs to chase after the other oil wagons."

"Then I'll stay; you go back to the Prince's Palace."

"You just said that there was nothing to worry about regarding the Prince's residence."

"I..." Shen Run was rendered speechless by her words.

Shen Ce was annoyed by what he saw.

"Stop arguing."

"Run'er, go keep an eye on the people spreading rumors. Tong'er, come with me. The arsonist couldn't have only prepared these few carriages; there must be others nearby to help."

Shen Run immediately objected, "What if she gets hurt while she's with you?"

Shen Ce glanced at Qiu Tong's hand hidden behind his back, then looked at Qiu Tong who was unharmed. "You should take care of yourself first."

A hint of a smile flashed across Qiu Tong's eyes.

Shen Run looked embarrassed. "I was injured while putting out the fire for her."

"I know." Shen Ce was too lazy to listen to his explanation. "I'll go to the Qiu family myself and speak for you. I promise I won't let Qiu Lie kill you because you touched his daughter's leg."

Qiu Tong: "..."

Shen Run: "Dad!"

With so many former members of the Shen family still standing around, if these words were to reach Qiu Lie's ears, he wouldn't be able to leave alive today.

Shen Ce didn't give him a chance to explain further, and led Qiu Tong and the others in the direction the next carriage had left.

The sound of horses' hooves rang out again.

Shen Run stood there, watching Qiu Tong's retreating figure until she completely disappeared before turning his gaze away.

The driver, whom he was trampling underfoot, suddenly sneered, "How many carriages can you stop? The fire has already started. Tonight, no one can save this capital city."

Shen Run looked down at him. "How many fires did you set?"

"Want to know?" The man's mouth was full of blood, but his eyes revealed malice. "Go count the charred corpses yourself after dawn."

Shen Run did not get angry. He squatted down and searched the man's arms, finding a short knife and some papers.

The ink on the paper was still fresh. At the top it said that Prince Zhao's former subordinates had set fires and caused chaos, resulting in the deaths and injuries of countless people in the city. The next sheet said that Prince Zhao's wife had been killed by the mutinous army.

Shen Run's expression gradually darkened.

The fire had just been lit.

Nannan stayed peacefully in the Prince's mansion.

These people had already written down the news of her death.

"What you said earlier was correct." Shen Run folded the paper again. "The fire has indeed started."

He stood up and stepped on the man's wrist.

"But who gets burned to death is probably not your decision!"

The shouts of killing and the cries for help in the city grew louder and louder. Before a carriage that was about to rush toward Prince Zhao’s mansion had even gotten close to the main street, an arrow shot from the front pierced through the carriage shaft.

The startled horses veered off course, and the entire carriage crashed heavily into the wall.

Before the people in the car could even light the fire, Shen Ce and his men had already caught up with them.

He cleaved open the truck bed with his knife, and the pungent smell of kerosene immediately wafted out. "Take all the tinderboxes away. Leave the people alive."

When Shen Ce dismounted from his horse, his leg, which had suffered an old injury, stiffened slightly.

Qiu Tong noticed and asked, "General Shen's leg isn't healed yet?"

"These are all old wounds, they won't heal so easily." Shen Ce didn't care. "I did lie to the imperial physician, and the pain is real. It's just that I haven't reached the point where I can't even lift a knife."

He rubbed his knee, then gripped the knife handle tightly again.

"What those people wanted to burn down was the place where my daughter lived."

"Don't tell me it's just a leg pain."

"Even if this leg is really broken today, I'll crawl over here!"

Inside the Prince's mansion, Shen Nannan could already see the thick smoke rising in the distance.

The firelight illuminated half of the night sky.

Local residents fled the alley with their families in tow; some fell, and others were trampled by the chaotic crowd.

"Open the side gate of the Prince's Mansion," Shen Nannan suddenly said.

Qiu Yun was startled. "Your Highness, it's chaotic outside. If we let people in, what if an assassin infiltrates..."

"Open only the first gate." Shen Nannan looked at the people who had nowhere to go because of the fire. "Bring the injured into the front yard and send them all the medicine and water they can. Keep the inner yard guarded and don't allow any strangers to approach."

Xiao Yunzhao left those old soldiers with her, not so that she could only hide behind them.

The side gate of Prince Zhao's residence opened quickly, and the first person helped in was a woman carrying a child. A section of her hair had been burned off, and the child in her arms was crying so hard that it was almost impossible to breathe. When she saw Shen Nannan sitting in the front hall, the woman was clearly taken aback. "Princess Zhao?"

"It's me." Shen Nannan asked Qiu Yun to take the child from her. "Sit down first, the doctor will be here soon."

The woman glanced at her protruding belly, then looked at the guards from the Prince's mansion outside who were helping to rescue people. "Someone outside said that Prince Zhao led his troops back to the capital, set fire to the palace, and forced the emperor to abdicate."

"They also said the princess has already..."

She dared not say what came next.

Shen Nannan had already guessed, "You mean I'm already dead?"

The woman nodded, her face pale.

Shen Nannan did not rush to defend herself.

She simply asked someone to treat the woman's wounds first.

The fire outside has not yet been extinguished.

At times like these, nothing is more effective than letting the people see it for themselves.

She is still alive.

People from Prince Zhao's residence are also putting out the fire.

At the end of the old underground canal, Xiao Yunzhao had already stepped into the abandoned library, with the sounds of fighting in the palace right next to him.

A bodyguard followed closely behind, delivering the latest news from the city: "Someone has set fire to the capital."

Xiao Yunzhao stopped abruptly. "Where is the Prince's residence?"

"The oil cart was stopped by General Shen and his men before it even got close to the Prince's residence."

"The princess is alright."

Hearing that Shen Nannan was safe, Xiao Yunzhao's tense jaw relaxed slightly.

But soon, he remembered something else: "Did she have someone open the side gate of the Prince's mansion?"