Thick smoke continuously billowed in through the windows, and even the beams on the roof of Luohong Tower had been blackened by the smoke. The Emperor was sweating profusely, turning to look at the partition screens where flames soared beyond.

He had never imagined that he, the dignified Emperor of Jin, would end up in such a state.

He had originally planned to ascend the Nine-Tiered Platform to seek the elixir of immortality. The Imperial Teacher had said… upon ascending the Nine-Tiered Platform and sacrificing a thousand virgin boys and girls, he would be able to meet the immortals, obtain the elixir of immortality, and even ask the immortals to bring Bai Suqiu back from the dead.

He had been so close to success—the Nine-Tiered Platform was already built. He only needed a thousand virgin boys and girls, yet Bai Qingyan had dared to rebel against him!

Heavens above, just one step… one step away! He was the true Son of Heaven of Jin! Why did Heaven treat him so? Why wouldn’t Heaven let him have his wish?! Why hadn’t the Crown Prince come to rescue him yet?

At this moment, the Crown Prince had been stabbed in the chest and was bleeding profusely… Protected and supported by Qin Shangzhi, a group of soldiers, and the Imperial Guards, he had been hiding and dodging all the way. They had finally nearly reached the city gates, but the Crown Prince was truly too exhausted. Qin Shangzhi had no choice but to select a wealthy family’s mansion that had been abandoned and temporarily settle the Crown Prince there, simply bandaging his wounds.

The Crown Prince gasped for breath, leaning against a chair, his entire body reeking of blood…

He could never have imagined that Hong Mei, whom he had cherished for so long, would deliver him a fatal blow.

When he heard Hong Mei had come, the Crown Prince thought she was also sent by Bai Qingyan to persuade him to surrender. Who knew that upon just seeing Hong Mei… before he could even be intimate with her, Hong Mei had given him such a greeting gift.

The way Hong Mei looked at him was filled with deep love—how could she stab a blade into his chest without blinking? And how could she leap into the river with such a death-defying expression?

What deep hatred could there be! To give him such a stab?

Now, Hong Mei was dead, so pursuing the reason was meaningless.

But the Crown Prince truly didn’t want to die. If he weren’t afraid of death… he wouldn’t have knelt so humbly before Prince Liang back then, begging for a chance to live.

However, the Crown Prince hadn’t figured out what to do if he escaped like this.

Without money, he couldn’t pay these guards, and he might even need Qin Shangzhi, these soldiers, and the Imperial Guards to support him. Would these soldiers and guards… still risk their lives for him?

The Crown Prince looked down at the ornamental step at his waist—this might be worth some money, but he didn’t know how long it could sustain them.

The Crown Prince had never expected that at this point, the one who remained loyal to him would be Qin Shangzhi—the very Qin Shangzhi whom he had once helped Old Fang suppress.

Old Fang was also loyal. The inhuman state Old Fang was in made the Crown Prince shudder just thinking about it.

Ren Shijie… he didn’t know if he was dead or alive—there was no news at all.

Only Qin Shangzhi, who had originally been building canals and didn’t need to be involved in this, was desperately protecting him.

After thinking it over, the Crown Prince made a decision: “Don’t run toward the west gate anymore. Let’s go to the Great Zhou camp. Qin Shangzhi… you go tell Princess Zhenguo that I am willing to surrender!”

He hoped Bai Qingyan would remember their past relationship and at least let Physician Hong come treat his wounds—perhaps he could still survive.

Hearing the Crown Prince’s words, Qin Shangzhi was shocked: “Your Highness!”

“I might not make it!” The Crown Prince looked up at Qin Shangzhi and spoke against his conscience: “But you are all fine sons of Jin—why suffer for me, a Crown Prince who’s about to die, and become desperate fugitives? Forget it… Let’s go to Princess Zhenguo! From what I know of Princess Zhenguo, if you surrender with me, your lives won’t be in danger. She won’t kill everyone—you’re still young… You still have futures! If Jin is gone, then so be it…”

Qin Shangzhi had always trusted him completely, so… he presumably wouldn’t detect that he was lying!

Just as the Crown Prince expected, Qin Shangzhi, the soldiers under his command, and the small squad of Imperial Guards hadn’t expected the Crown Prince to say such things. In their eyes… this Crown Prince, like the Emperor, was extremely selfish. Could it be that as death approached… his heart had also become kind?

Not to mention that Qin Shangzhi and those soldiers had little interaction with the Crown Prince—even the Imperial Guards protected the Crown Prince out of instinct and duty. Although loyalty was something they had learned from childhood, such instinct and duty couldn’t withstand the grinding of days without money!

The Crown Prince was afraid—afraid that after he could no longer provide food, clothing, and shelter, Qin Shangzhi and these soldiers and guards would take his head and defect to Bai Qingyan.

Qin Shangzhi was fine, but especially these guards—what Imperial Guards living and dying in service to the imperial family—that was only when they were paid enough.

Having operated in Jin’s court for so many years, how could the Crown Prince not know what kind of people they were?

Rather than being humiliated and beheaded later, it was better to surrender voluntarily now. Bai Qingyan, remembering that he had treated her well in the past, probably wouldn’t make things too difficult for him.

The Crown Prince had heard that Bai Qingyan had even granted a princedom to that Third Prince who surrendered from Great Liang… letting him live out his life in peace would already be very good.

Having made up his mind, the Crown Prince pressed tightly on his wound that was still bleeding: “Let’s go! Don’t delay! Go find Princess Zhenguo!”

Soon, all the civilians in Luohong City were evacuated. Lin Kangle was leading soldiers in concerted efforts to fight the fire, and he looked like he had emerged from a coal mine, blackened by smoke.

Lin Kangle wiped the sweat from his face with his hand, smearing away the black soot to reveal half a face reddened by the heat. His hands kept trembling as he looked up at the towering flames, sighing inwardly that the fire was too fierce…

“That son of a bitch Prince Liang has gone mad! Making such a huge fire…” Lin Kangle felt his entire body was soaked in sweat. He gripped the water bucket in his hands tightly and turned to ask, “Have we confirmed that all civilians have been evacuated?”

“Reporting to General, they have all been evacuated! We’ve searched several times and confirmed there are no more civilians!” A soldier, equally drenched in sweat, ran over, gasping for breath, and shouted to his general, whose face was bright red.

“Good! Tell the brothers to retreat!” Lin Kangle threw down his water bucket and shouted.

To stop this great fire, enough soldiers had already sacrificed their lives. As long as the civilians in the city had been evacuated, there was no need for them to hold their ground.

People… were more important than this city. If the city burned down, it could be rebuilt, but if people were gone, they were truly gone!

At this moment, outside Luohong City at the main camp, Quan Yu had had his leg amputated and had fainted. Physician Hong had just had someone force medicine down Quan Yu’s throat when he received news that the Grand Princess had taken poison. Without asking for details, he was dragged away to treat the Grand Princess.

Physician Hong saw the Grand Princess’s lip color, felt her pulse, and his expression shifted. He looked up toward Bai Qingyan…