"There's a fire?"
"It's burning!"
These voices, initially full of doubt and disbelief, slipped into the realm between reality and imagination.
After all, to them…
What they had just witnessed was unbelievable.
A fire broke out in the Eastern Palace! And it was such a big fire!
Who could believe it?
Though the Eastern Palace guards also couldn't believe what had happened, being highly professional guards, they grasped the situation at hand and reacted immediately.
The guards rushed toward the burning pavilion.
Meanwhile, the servants prepared the soil need to extinguish the fire. The scene was hectic, but not messy.
"Put out the fire, quickly!"
"Leader of Team 3, bring your team to the pavilion, salvage whatever that could be salvaged, now!"
"Yes!"
"Team 5, you'll evacuate the crowd! Team 6, seek our special guests for help!"
"I'll report to His Highness immediately!"
"Go ahead!"
Under these instructions, the guards played their parts, may it be putting out the fire, salvaging the goods, or notifying the crown prince.
At this moment, Crown Prince Lin Tianrong fretted as the commotion outside disturbed him.
And of course…
Most importantly, he could see the reddish glow through his window.
"Fire broke out?" Lin Tianrong was under the weather. In fact, his mood was terrible from bottling up all that rage within him.
If this had happened in the past, a fire breaking out might surprise him, but it wouldn't anger him.
But today he was furious!
The fire sparked his rage. Like a pot of oil poured into a fire, his fury was ignited.
"Snap!"
The study's door was kicked open.
Lin Tianrong stepped out of his study and looked in the direction of the fire. With a glance, he froze momentarily.
It wasn't due to the importance of the burning pavilion.
But the substantial size of the fire.
"Your Highness, fire… a fire broke out!" At this moment, a guard rushed toward Lin Tianrong, apparently petrified.
"A bunch of idiots!" Lin Tianrong berated. He then kicked the guard's face, which sent him flying 6 or 7 meters away.
He was bleeding profusely.
Yet, he did not complain.
After that painful kick, he crawled on the floor as if he was fainting.
Indeed, the guard had the smarts. After completing his job of reporting to the crown prince and sensing something was wrong, he faked unconsciousness to avoid further trouble.
But it seemed Lin Tianrong was angrier than usual.
Seeing the guard unmoving on the ground, his fury intensified. With a flip of his hand, he was now wielding a sword.
"Useless scum, you dare to feign death in front of me?" Lin Tianrong hollered as he walked toward the guard.
The sword shone an icy gleam under the moonlight, then it appeared on the guard's throat, piercing through it from the back of his neck and emerging from the front.
The guard's hands and legs jerked a little, his eyes full of disbelief.
Usually, when Lin Tianrong was angry, these guards would avoid excessively provoking him, feigning death or hiding away, and their lives would be spared.
But today, it was different.
He wanted to speak, but the coldness in his throat didn't allow him any movement. It was at this moment that he realized something.
When the guard reported here, his death was impending.
Whether he feigned death or not, he had to die. Because Lin Tianrong never intended for any bearer of such news to live.
"It pierced!"
The sword was then withdrawn from his throat.
Without even glancing at the guard, Lin Tianrong walked toward the burning pavilion, with his sword still dripping blood.
This was the difference between those had power and those who didn't.
Sometimes, there was no need for a reason to kill somebody.
If there had to be one, it was simply because he was the crown prince. His controlled the lives of everyone in the Eastern Palace.
"Your Highness!"
"Your Highness!"
"…"
While the people around the crown prince greeted him, screams reverberated in the air.
Lin Tianrong's sword was cold.
And stained by the blood of many slain under it.
The guards, servants, and maids stood rooted to the ground. One by one, they fell by the blade of his sword. They could only beg, in their hearts, that Lin Tianrong would eventually stop.
"It pierced!"
"It pierced!"
"…"
After killing seven guards and servants, Lin Tianrong's shirt was stained by a few drops of blood, and this made him unhappy.
As the mighty crown prince, he could kill people, but he hated his clothes stained with too much blood.
"Dispose of them!" Lin Tianrong threw his sword away, before wiping the bloodstains on his shirt onto a slain guard's armor.
"Yes!" A few guards did as they were told and dragged the bodies away.
At the same time, a few servants brought pails of water and washed away the blood on the floor. Another servant quickly brought a cape.
Everything seemed so natural.
And no one dared to say a single word.
…
When Lin Tianrong reached the pavilion, the fire had already been put out. The smell of smoke and ashes of burnt wood wafted through the air.
Countless guards and servants stood in front of the pavilion, shivering in fear.
There were also a few middle-aged men who dressed very differently from the guards and servants. One of them, who wore an exquisite shirt, even showed a tinge of haughtiness.
They were special guests of the crown prince's residence.
If it were the guards' and servants' efforts alone, the fire could never be extinguished.
After all…
This fire was too big.
The entire pavilion was ablaze, together with trees surrounding it. Even neighboring buildings a few meters away were affected.
Imagine if the special guests hadn't lent a helping hand, the fire wouldn't have burned only this pavilion.
"Who was responsible for guarding this place?" Lin Tianrong said as he looked at the remains of the pavilion, his fury rose once again.
A fire broke out in the Eastern Palace!
How would have imagined this?
For the royal family, this meant gross negligence and mismanagement, and their reputation would suffer for this. And to the commoners, this incident would only be a subject of mockery.
"It's… me… and this…" A guard rushed out from the crowd and kneeled in front of Lin Tianrong fearfully.
"Drag him out!" Lin Tianrong sent him flying from a forceful kick without giving him the chance to continue. Then his gaze swept across the crowd. "Why did fire break out?"
"This…"
All the guards and servants looked at one another.
They could tell that Lin Tianrong was extremely furious and they didn't wish to die. Yet, they knew that if they didn't give an explanation, they would all die.
Together with their families.
A guard stepped forward and was ready to speak, but a was overtaken by one of the special guests. He shook his head to the former.
The guard was instantly relieved and promptly stepped back into the crowd.
"Your Highness, this fire wasn't the fault of the guards. Someone deliberately burnt the pavilion!" The guest reported confidently.
"Deliberately burnt the pavilion? Why do you say so?" Lin Tianrong glanced at the guest, then the charred pavilion, squinting in doubt.
"There were powerful incendiaries on the ground. It was obvious that someone had planned well for this."
"What are you waiting for? Seal all exit routes in this palace. We must catch the arsonist!" Lin Tianrong ordered without hesitation, his voice cold and emotionless.
"Yes!" The guards sprang into action and rushed to their positions.
But…
They hadn't run far when they suddenly stopped.
Because at this moment, another blaze emerged. As if the sun was called summoned back above the horizon after it has set.
And suddenly, there was a mysterious, massive gust of wind.
The night…
Was silent!
But this wind howled deafeningly.
"Whoosh!"
The gale blew across the skies, creating a fiery arc from the inferno. The fire spread to a few neighboring pavilions.
Everyone froze their gaze upon such a sight.
They were petrified, and even Lin Tianrong was dazed. Because no one had would've imagined the arsonists hadn't escaped!
Instead, they had set another building on fire!
And most importantly, it was Lin Tianrong's study!
The guards and servants were bewildered.
This was the true meaning of adding fuel to fire. When Lin Tianrong was at the height of his rage, yet another pavilion was lit on fire.
Such audacity, such arrogance.
At this moment, everyone was terrified. They could feel Lin Tianrong's intense fury and his uncontrollable urge to kill.
The Eastern Palace's dignity had been utterly insulted.
"If the arsonist is not caught, all of you will die!" Lin Tianrong's voice rang once again, though seemingly uncontrollable.
The mighty crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty…
Was utterly overcome by rage.
No one could swallow such an insult. Setting fire to the Eastern Palace in the dead of night, and instead of immediately escaping after doing it…
They did it once more!
A contemptuous act against the Eastern Palace.
The few special guests exchanged looks in disbelief. But they did not stay on for long.
As a matter of fact, they weren't sure if it was a deliberate act of arson in the first place.
After all…
This was Yan Capital, home of the emperor, and the security of the Eastern Palace was only second to the emperor's palace and Ping Yang residence.
Then, who would set this place on fire?
Hence, their first reaction would be to put out the fire instead of searching for the arsonist. But upon seeing the ashes on the ground, they were shocked.
Shocked at this person's fearlessness.
How bold would a person be to do such a thing to the Eastern Palace?
But they were now beyond shocked. Because they hadn't escaped, even after drawing so much attention.
And instead, they started another fire.
Right at the center of the Eastern Palace!
Acts like this couldn't be described by 'fearless'. It should be 'willfully seeking death'!
Some transformed into rays of light and zoomed toward the crown prince's study.
With such an impressive speed!
By the lead of the few special guests, the guards started to move. Almost everyone rushed toward the study.
Because the arsonist had to be there!
They encircled the area, rushing in the direction of the study like a contracting ring.
Moving toward the center of the fire.
Of course, Lin Tianrong was in this too.
His face was flushing red, perhaps due to the glow of the fire, or maybe the pressure of his rage.
"If I don't kill you today, I don't deserve to be a human!" Lin Tianrong's eyes gleamed viciously, his body emanating an aura of evil.
"Get away!"
A slower servant was kicked away by Lin Tianrong.
Then a gap was among the wave of people, where no one dared to come close. Because that was precisely the path of Lin Tianrong.
…
At the entrance of the cluster of guesthouses in the Eastern Palace.
Ping Yang, dressed in a tight black suit, spoke up. Her crystal-clear eyes were very alert, her alcohol-flushed cheeks had cleared up.
"This shameless fellow actually… actually… set Third Brother's… study on fire?!" Ping Yang loved setting things on fire, as she had burnt no less than twenty houses in her life.
From the Nobles' residences, Minister's residences, to the General's residence and Law Official Wan Chong's residence.
But she had her principles. There were places she would never burn, like the emperor's palace, her own residence, and few other places.
Including…
The crown prince's study!