All the women paled with fright. Qian Jiaoniang stood up, but didn’t see any thick smoke rising. Even the Admiral’s wife panicked and turned to her. “Marchioness, let’s go downstairs to escape the fire quickly.”
Qian Jiaoniang said calmly, “No need to panic yet. It may not be the building that’s caught fire.”
No sooner had she spoken than a young servant ran in and announced to the ladies, “I come on orders from the masters—no need to worry, the fire isn’t in Fengyue Pavilion. This place is safe.”
The women all breathed a sigh of relief. Someone even murmured “Amitabha.” But Qian Jiaoniang walked toward the viewing balcony outside the hall. Madam Zhou, Madam Song, and others quickly followed her.
Unexpectedly, Xing Muzheng, Local Commander Liu, and the others were already standing at the balcony of their banquet hall, all looking out toward the left. Qian Jiaoniang moved past them and saw blazing fire in the distance. That direction was the residential district, where homes were built closely together. Worse, the wind was picking up, making the fire grow fiercer. More and more people were fleeing in panic. More and more men arrived with buckets to help douse the flames. Faintly, one could still hear crying children and barking dogs.
“Officer Li, inform the Navy’s Fire Division immediately and send half of the troops below to reinforce,” Local Commander Liu said. “Prefect, may we also borrow some constables from your office.”
Fires in the city were not uncommon, and in Minghu Prefecture, such matters were typically handled by the navy, with the local yamen as support. The navy even had a specialized Fire Control Unit for such emergencies.
Xing Muzheng didn’t turn around. His voice was low and steady: “The fire is severe. Deploy all troops to put it out.”
“But if all the troops are deployed, then here…”
“No matter. The homes in Minghu are densely packed—there’s no time to waste. Protecting the people comes first. Zhen Hao, you go help with the fire too.”
“Yes.” Zhen Hao, though technically off-duty today, immediately turned to leave at the Marquis’s command. Madam Song, who had lived a quiet life in the inner chambers and never seen such danger, blurted out, “Be careful, Husband!”
Only then did Xing Muzheng and the others turn around and notice Qian Jiaoniang and the rest of the women. Zhen Hao smiled gently at Madam Song and said, “It’s nothing serious. I’ll be right back. Stay with Sister-in-law and enjoy your crab feast.” With that, he left with Officer Li and the others. Before leaving, he glanced once at Xing Muzheng.
The prefect also hurried off to arrange troops. This fire, while untimely, was also an opportunity—if he and the Admiral could handle it well, and the Marquis mentioned it favorably before the emperor, both of them would benefit. They just couldn’t afford to mess it up.
In the midst of everyone’s nervous tension, Xing Muzheng suddenly asked across the space, “How many crabs have you eaten?”
All eyes turned toward Qian Jiaoniang. She ground her teeth and didn’t want to answer him. “Where’s Chou’er?”
“He… he’s sleeping,” Xing Muzheng replied after a moment’s thought.
Qian Jiaoniang narrowed her eyes. Had he drunk so much he didn’t even know where their son was?
“This place is safe. Go inside with the madams,” Xing Muzheng said with a wave of his hand.
Madam Zhou and Madam Huang immediately invited Qian Jiaoniang back in. Qian Jiaoniang took one more glance at the raging fire in the distance before turning back. Just then, she heard Ah Da say, “Commander, the buildings here are just like in Wuzhou—built too close together. That’s why the fire is spreading uncontrollably.”
Qian Jiaoniang abruptly turned back. “What did you say?”
Xing Muzheng looked toward her. Ah Da finally realized she was talking to him. Seeing her strange expression, he scratched his head and said, “Madam, I was just saying that the houses here are built too close together, just like in Wuzhou. Once a fire starts, it’s hard to stop.”
“You’ve seen the Wuzhou fire?”
“Yes, both the Commander and I saw it. It was a huge fire—almost burned down the entire city!” said Ah Da.
Qian Jiaoniang pressed, “When did you see it?”
“When…” Ah Da scratched his bald head again and glanced at Xing Muzheng. “I… can’t quite remember… How many years ago was that…”
“Move quickly! Keep up!” came a loud command from below. The Minghu constables and navy soldiers had formed ranks and, under Zhen Hao and Officer Li’s lead, dashed off down the alleyways, disappearing quickly. The wind brought with it the acrid smell of burning—there was something subtly wrong in the air. With all the guards gone, the place suddenly felt deserted and eerily quiet.
The fire crackled on, still raging.
Fengyue Pavilion fell into an odd, deathly silence.
“Commander,” Ah Da called out warily.
“Hm,” Xing Muzheng answered mildly. “Escort the Madam inside.”
Just as he spoke, a man dressed as a cook leapt down from the second floor and landed on the railing of Qian Jiaoniang’s viewing platform. His face twisted with murderous intent as he pulled out a dagger, aiming straight at Xing Muzheng. Xing Muzheng’s gaze turned cold. He tapped his toes and before the assassin could react, he had already drawn his sword and delivered a fatal strike.
The women, never having seen such violence, screamed and covered their heads in terror. Xing Muzheng pulled Qian Jiaoniang into his arms, shielding her.
A sudden fire like this—if not an accident, must have been intentional. A seasoned warrior like Xing Muzheng had seen this diversion tactic many times before. The moment he saw the fire, he suspected something was off. But unless the lower ranks were cleared out, the real culprit would never show himself.
Xing Muzheng wasn’t afraid the assassin would come— He was afraid he wouldn’t.
Yet even though the assassin had approached so near to Qian Jiaoniang, and clearly the assassin’s true target was him, Xing Muzheng still tensed with fear, worried she might suffer even the slightest harm. He thrust his sword and killed the man in one strike. But more assassins leapt onto the platform—Ah Da and two other military officers quickly drew their weapons and jumped over. “Commander, be careful!”
Qian Jiaoniang shoved him, saying, “Let me go—they’re after you, not me! It has nothing to do with me!”
Even in the face of danger, Xing Muzheng let out a breathy laugh from anger. This ungrateful little thing—he was afraid she might get hurt, while she couldn’t wait to distance herself from him. But what she said wasn’t wrong—their target was indeed him. The farther away she was, the safer. Xing Muzheng let her go, and Qian Jiaoniang immediately slipped away like an eel, grabbing Qingya’s hand and running inside. “What are you dazing around for? Go hide!”
“Protect the Madam,” Xing Muzheng ordered Ah Da.
“But Commander, they’re clearly here for you!” Ah Da shouted while blocking an attacker.
Xing Muzheng’s voice deepened. “Protect. The. Madam.”
Xing Muzheng’s orders were never repeated three times. If someone disobeyed the second time, it would be handled by military law. Ah Da had no choice but to follow orders and retreat into the hall.
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