Lüdou’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Commandery Princess, why is there so much smoke over there?”
Duoduo narrowed her eyes and gazed in that direction. “There must be a fire.”
“What?” Lüdou was dumbfounded. “Doesn’t that mean the Imperial Ancestral Temple is going to burn down?”
More and more thick smoke rose into the sky in the direction of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The fire clearly wasn’t small.
Duoduo shook her head.
She had guessed that this would be the outcome.
The weather had been dry, and the wind had picked up. It was bound to blow sparks from the sacrificial fire everywhere.
If even one landed on the wooden frame used for the prayers, wouldn’t it start a fire?
At that moment, the Imperial Guards inside the temple were frantically carrying buckets around in search of water.
But after such a long drought, even the well at the Imperial Ancestral Temple had nearly run dry.
After drawing water for quite some time, they had managed to fill only a few buckets.
Against the towering flames, that amount of water was utterly useless.
Just then, the wooden prayer frame toppled over.
It crashed into a nearby building, which was about to catch fire as well.
Prince Rui disregarded his own safety and rushed over to take command.
“Quick! Pull the frame down!”
The Imperial Guards, who had originally been hiding to one side, saw Prince Rui grab hold of something and move forward. They had no choice but to grit their teeth and follow him.
Their efforts finally paid off. Everyone managed to drag the burning wooden frame into an open area.
Only a small portion of the main hall was burned down. The rest of the Imperial Ancestral Temple was saved.
Covered in dust, Prince Rui collapsed onto the ground.
He no longer looked like a prince at all.
Prince Rui could imagine how great a sensation today’s incident would cause.
It would have been one thing if his prayers had failed to bring rain.
But he had actually burned down the Imperial Ancestral Temple. What would the common people think?
They would believe that this was Heaven’s punishment!
At the thought, Prince Rui couldn’t help growing angry with the Minister of Revenue.
It was all because that man had suggested that he come here to pray for rain.
That was how such a huge disaster had happened!
He should have listened to Big Brother. When problems arose, they should simply solve them.
Praying to the gods and worshiping Buddha was useless!
Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets now.
In the study of Prince Ping’s residence, Xiao Yi stood by the window, gazing toward the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
“You’re sure you didn’t see wrongly? It really caught fire?”
Yunxiao hurriedly cupped his fists. “This subordinate absolutely did not see wrongly.”
“Moreover, the Commandery Princess and Lüdou saw it too!”
Xiao Yi turned his head. “Duoduo went up onto the roof as well?”
Yunxiao quickly lowered his head. “The Commandery Princess only went up because she saw the smoke and found it strange.”
“This subordinate came down just now, and the Commandery Princess came down as well.”
Xiao Yi shot Yunxiao a sidelong glance.
“I didn’t say anything. Why are you explaining so much?”
A bead of sweat rolled down Yunxiao’s forehead.
“Please forgive me, Your Highness. This subordinate spoke out of turn!”
Xiao Yi withdrew his gaze and continued looking toward the Imperial Ancestral Temple outside.
The temple was not far away to begin with. With the wind blowing, the smell of burning wood could already be clearly detected in the air.
“The others must have seen it too.”
“What a pity for this Fourth Brother.”
After saying that, Xiao Yi pushed his wheelchair back to the table.
“How is the matter with the shops? Have you found out who did it?”
At once, Yunxiao stepped forward to report.
“Your Highness, this subordinate had people ask around nearby.”
“Recently, the capital has been in chaos. Ours wasn’t the only shop that was smashed.”
“Several jade shops were destroyed as well.”
“Their losses were even heavier than ours!”
“Someone saw that the people who smashed the shops were a group of refugees.”
“This subordinate has already had portraits drawn and is finding a way to locate them.”
Xiao Yi gently rubbed his fingers.
“Refugees?”
“Were only jade shops attacked?” Xiao Yi asked.
Yunxiao froze for a moment. “According to what our people have discovered, those are the only shops.”
Xiao Yi lifted his eyelids and glanced at Yunxiao.
“Send someone to investigate immediately.”
“If only the jade shops were targeted, then refugees definitely weren’t responsible!”
Yunxiao realized the flaw as well. “Yes! This subordinate will go at once!”
He bowed and hurried out.
Xiao Yi sank into thought.
Who had deliberately smashed his shops?
The Second Prince? The Third Prince? Or someone else hiding behind the scenes?
What were they looking for when they destroyed his shops?
Xiao Yi had heard from Li Jin that the shop had been turned upside down.
It seemed that whoever had smashed it had been searching for something.
What exactly did his jade shop contain that had attracted someone’s attention?
There was no need to rush.
As long as they were foxes, they would eventually reveal their tails.
He had time.
He had patience.
This time, he would definitely drag the person behind it all into the light!
Xiao Yi suddenly remembered another matter he had overlooked.
Yesterday, Prince Rui had said that the Su family and the Wang family had already arranged a marriage.
Why hadn’t he heard anything about it?
“Someone come!”
After a moment’s thought, Xiao Yi called out.
An imperial guard appeared at the door.
“Go and find out which son of Vice Minister Wang’s family is engaged to the Su family.”
“Also find out when the engagement was arranged. Get all the details.”
“Yes.”
The guard withdrew.
Xiao Yi clenched his fist.
After Fourth Brother’s prayers had failed, the ministers would certainly oppose his continuing to oversee the country.
Fourth Brother had held power for only a few days before being forced out.
He must be unwilling to accept it.
The situation was becoming more and more interesting.
Watching those inside the game compete while standing outside it was truly fascinating.
At that thought, Xiao Yi inexplicably remembered the missing emperor.
Hidden somewhere in the shadows, he must be enjoying this spectacle as well, hadn’t he?
A cold smile curled the corners of Xiao Yi’s lips.
“Since you’re so eager to watch your sons fight over that position, I’ll help you. I’ll make them fight even more fiercely.”
With that, Xiao Yi picked up the brush from his desk, spread out a sheet of rice paper, and began writing furiously.
In Prince Ling’s residence, Prince Ling and his advisers were also gazing toward the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Song Jiang, Song Shuyu’s second uncle, was among them.
“Crown Prince, this is Heaven’s punishment!”
“We might as well add fuel to the fire while we have the chance,” Song Jiang suggested.
“Oh? And how do you intend to add fuel to it?” Prince Ling asked slowly.
“We can secretly order people to set another fire somewhere in the city.”
“Then we’ll spread the word that Prince Rui’s prayers provoked Heaven’s punishment, bringing disaster upon the common people as well.”
Song Jiang’s proposal won the approval of the others.
“That’s right, Your Highness. If Prince Rui manages to cover up what happened at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, we’ll lose this opportunity.”
“But if we magnify the situation, Prince Rui will have no choice but to relinquish his authority!”
Another adviser stepped forward to offer his opinion.
“Fifth Brother has always had a good relationship with Your Highness. He certainly won’t pose a threat to you.”
“Sixth Brother only knows how to eat, drink, and amuse himself. He’s even less capable.”
“In the end, the throne will definitely belong to Your Highness!”
Prince Ling agreed with one point in what they had said.
The damage caused by today’s incident had to be magnified as much as possible.
Once Fifth Brother was dealt with, only the Sixth Prince would remain…
Father, oh Father, I really want to see whether you are truly unconscious—or merely pretending.
