The night erupted into chaos.
Servants rushed through the courtyard carrying buckets of water. Guards shouted orders while thick smoke billowed from the eastern wing, turning the moonlit sky into a choking haze of gray.
Lin Qin gripped the balcony railing.
Her eyes remained calm even as flames devoured the roof of Yu Meilin's residence.
Too sudden.
Too calculated.
Someone wanted this fire.
"Interesting timing," Hua Yong murmured from beside her.
Lin Qin did not look at him.
"Someone is erasing evidence," she replied quietly.
Shen Wei stepped forward, already shifting into the instincts of a soldier.
"General, allow me to investigate."
Lin Qin shook her head slightly.
"Not yet."
Below them, servants dragged water barrels toward the burning structure while guards attempted to break open doors.
Screams echoed from inside.
Real fear.
Real panic.
Which meant the fire was not merely symbolic.
People were trapped.
Lin Qin's mind raced through possibilities.
If Yu Meilin had orchestrated the earlier poisoning attempt, this fire might be retaliation.
Or worse.
It might be an attempt to silence her.
Hua Yong leaned slightly forward in his chair, eyes sharp.
"Your sister lives there, doesn't she?"
"Yes."
"And you're not rushing to save her."
Lin Qin finally glanced at him.
"If someone wanted her dead, they would not choose something this loud."
The prince's lips curved faintly.
"You think she's alive."
"I think," Lin Qin said softly, "she's smarter than that."
A loud crash interrupted them.
Part of the eastern wing roof collapsed, sending sparks flying into the night air.
Shouts erupted below.
"Water!"
"Bring more water!"
"Move the servants out!"
Shen Wei stepped closer to Lin Qin again.
"General, we cannot stand here while people burn."
Lin Qin studied the fire carefully.
The flames were concentrated.
Not random.
That meant oil.
Someone had prepared this.
She exhaled slowly.
"Fine," she said.
"Shen Wei, go."
He nodded and disappeared instantly, vaulting over the balcony railing with effortless precision.
Hua Yong watched the soldier vanish into the chaos.
"Efficient man," he remarked.
"He used to be," Lin Qin replied.
The prince studied her quietly for a moment.
"You trust him."
Lin Qin did not answer immediately.
Trust.
That word had nearly killed her once.
"I trust his loyalty," she said at last.
"That is different."
Hua Yong chuckled softly.
"You truly are dangerous."
Down below, Shen Wei began directing the servants with military precision.
Within minutes, the chaos shifted into organized effort.
Water lines formed.
Doors were broken open.
People were dragged out coughing and terrified.
Lin Qin observed everything.
Every movement.
Every reaction.
Then she saw something that made her eyes narrow.
A figure slipped out from the far side of the burning building.
Wrapped in a cloak.
Moving quickly.
Trying not to be noticed.
Lin Qin recognized the posture immediately.
Yu Meilin.
Alive.
And running.
Hua Yong followed her gaze.
"Ah," he said quietly.
"So the victim escapes."
Lin Qin's voice hardened.
"She started this."
"Perhaps."
"But why burn her own residence?" Hua Yong asked.
Lin Qin's mind pieced it together instantly.
"Because it changes the narrative."
Hua Yong raised an eyebrow.
"Explain."
"If Meilin becomes the victim," Lin Qin said slowly, "then someone must be the villain."
Understanding dawned in the prince's eyes.
"And that villain could easily be…"
"Me."
Hua Yong laughed softly.
"Bold strategy."
Lin Qin's expression remained cold.
"Desperate strategy."
At that moment, Yu Meilin stumbled into the courtyard dramatically, collapsing near the fountain.
Servants rushed to her side.
"My lady!"
"Are you hurt?"
Meilin clutched one of the maids, trembling.
"The fire… it started suddenly…" she gasped.
Her eyes lifted slowly.
Directly toward Lin Qin.
Even from across the courtyard, the accusation was clear.
Hua Yong sighed.
"And there it is."
Lin Qin remained still.
Watching.
Waiting.
The performance continued below.
Meilin coughed weakly.
"I smelled smoke… and then flames everywhere…"
She paused dramatically.
"And earlier tonight… I saw someone near my chambers…"
The servants leaned closer.
"Who, my lady?"
Meilin's gaze rose again toward the balcony.
Straight at Lin Qin.
"I saw my fourth sister."
Murmurs spread instantly.
Shock.
Confusion.
Fear.
Lin Qin expected this.
In fact, she admired the move.
Desperation made people dangerous.
Hua Yong tilted his head.
"Well."
"That escalated quickly."
Lin Qin exhaled slowly.
"Not quickly enough."
She turned and began walking toward the stairs.
Hua Yong frowned slightly.
"You're going down there?"
"Yes."
"To defend yourself?"
Lin Qin paused at the doorway.
Her expression was calm.
"No."
"To finish the game she started."
Moments later, Lin Qin entered the courtyard.
The crowd parted instinctively.
Servants bowed nervously.
Meilin lay near the fountain, supported by two maids.
Her hair was disheveled.
Ash smeared her cheeks.
But her eyes gleamed with quiet triumph.
"Sister," Meilin whispered weakly.
Lin Qin approached slowly.
Gracefully.
Her posture delicate.
Her voice soft.
"You accuse me of burning your home?"
Meilin coughed again.
"I only speak what I saw…"
Lin Qin tilted her head slightly.
"Interesting."
The courtyard fell silent.
Even the crackling fire seemed to quiet.
Lin Qin's gaze swept across the gathered servants.
"Tell me," she said gently.
"If I wished to kill my sister…"
She gestured toward the burning building.
"Why would I choose fire?"
No one answered.
Lin Qin continued.
"Poison would be quieter."
"Faster."
"And far more effective."
A ripple of unease spread through the crowd.
Meilin's eyes flickered slightly.
Lin Qin leaned closer to her.
Their faces inches apart.
Her voice dropped to a whisper only Meilin could hear.
"You should have chosen a better lie."
Meilin's pupils shrank.
For the first time, genuine fear flashed across her face.
Lin Qin straightened calmly.
Then she turned to the servants.
"Search the eastern wing once the fire is contained."
Her voice sharpened slightly.
"Look for oil containers."
Meilin froze.
Lin Qin smiled faintly.
"Someone planned this fire carefully."
Her gaze dropped back to Meilin.
"And I suspect we will discover exactly who."
Hua Yong's voice drifted from behind the crowd.
Amused.
"You're enjoying this."
Lin Qin did not turn.
But her smile deepened slightly.
"Yes."
Because the moment she exposed the oil containers…
The entire narrative would collapse.
And Yu Meilin would stand revealed as the architect of her own disaster.
The courtyard buzzed with whispers.
Guards moved toward the burning building.
Servants watched anxiously.
Meilin's breathing became uneven.
And Lin Qin simply stood there.
Waiting.
Then suddenly—
A guard shouted from inside the charred doorway.
"My lady!"
Everyone turned.
The guard emerged holding something in his hands.
A broken clay jar.
Its contents glistened in the lantern light.
Oil.
The courtyard fell silent.
Lin Qin's gaze slowly returned to Meilin.
But Meilin was no longer looking at her.
She was staring at the jar.
Her face pale.
Terrified.
Lin Qin leaned down once more and whispered softly.
"You just lost."