After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

The people in the hall were in a state of panic, discussing the matter all at once.

It suddenly became lively.

Because Gu Yuqing's words were so shocking, no one wanted to ask any more questions.

However, they kept a close eye on the couple's movements, trying to see if they had any tricks up their sleeves. If they could leave, they would cling to them tightly, hoping to escape alive.

However, they were overthinking it; the two of them had never even considered the possibility of leaving.

Fang Xiaoran was not afraid. If something really happened, it wouldn't be difficult for her to leave, although there would be some repercussions. But when faced with life and death, staying alive was definitely the most important thing.

After an unknown amount of time, Fang Xiaoran had already drunk several cups of tea when suddenly a burnt smell wafted over. Being extremely sensitive to smells, she immediately noticed it and stood up abruptly, looking around to find the source.

She didn't think Emperor Zhao would take their lives, but if anything went wrong and the matter of Consort Ning couldn't be covered up, then they would have to be silenced.

Compared to the living, the mouths of the dead are naturally the most tightly sealed.

Killing someone to cover it up is perfectly normal.

The others were also taken aback by Fang Xiaoran's sudden change, and they stood up abruptly, asking in trembling voices, "What are you looking for?"

"Can't you smell something burning?" Fang Xiaoran frowned and looked around.

Upon hearing this, someone immediately sensed something was amiss and began searching as well, shouting, "Quick, find the source of the fire!"

However, only a few took action; most of the noble ladies sat trembling in their chairs, screaming incessantly, "It's...it's the Empress Dowager trying to silence us! She's going to kill us..."

"A fire is indeed the best excuse. If we were all burned to death, it would be an accident, not a man-made disaster..."

Then, a group of people ran frantically toward the door, banging on it and yelling, "Let us out! Let us out! There's a fire! Let us out!"

"Shut up!" Fang Xiaoran picked up the teacup and smashed it on the ground. A crisp sound rang out, and the wailing people were immediately stunned and stopped wailing.

Fang Xiaoran glanced at them coldly, her voice as cold as ice:

"The fire didn't start from the outside, it started from the inside."

Her gaze was sharp, her words like knives:

"By spreading this so widely, aren't you just doing what those who want to silence us want?"

Before she finished speaking, she had already pinpointed the source of the fire through the panicked crowd.

A woman is holding a candlestick and carefully lighting the curtain beside her.

Flames licked at the silk, spreading rapidly, and the fire had already spread to many places, with thick smoke billowing up.

"Quickly, put out the fire!"

Others noticed this and rushed over, grabbing cups and saucers from the table and splashing them at the flames.

Little did they know that the glass contained not water, but wine!

There was a sound of "Boom--".

The fire raged instantly, and flames shot up from where the wine had splashed, engulfing half of the curtain in the blink of an eye.

"Hahahaha, burn you all! Burn you all to death! Hahahaha..."

The woman let out a maniacal laugh, throwing her head back and hurling the candlestick in her hand!

The candlelight drew a blinding arc in the air, flying straight towards the most flammable gauze curtain in the hall.

"not good!"

Fang Xiaoran's eyes narrowed, and she leaped forward, her palm swirling up the items on the table and smashing them into the spreading fire. At the same time, she grabbed the woman with one hand and looked at her coldly, "Why did you set the fire?"

"Because you all deserve to die. Royal secrets are not to be known by you."

The woman's eyes held a hint of fanaticism, and she didn't seem to be acting on someone else's orders, but rather on her own initiative. Logically speaking, even if there were people among them whom she hated, she wouldn't drag everyone down with her unless she had a compelling reason to do so.

Besides the royal family, the merchants were the ones most affected by what just happened.

That's a heinous crime that could implicate nine generations of a family; once convicted, no merchant could escape punishment.

To protect businesses, they may have no choice but to take risks.

The woman who set the fire must have been no ordinary person to be able to attend the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration; she must have been the wife of one of the key figures in the Shang family business.

She did this for the sake of the merchants and for her descendants.

Only by completely suppressing this matter and preventing it from spreading can businesses have any hope.

Fang Xiaoran ignored the man and tossed him aside. She then addressed everyone sternly, "This fire is not an accident, but I don't think the door will be opened. If you all want to live, then come with me to put out this fire first."

After all, the incident happened suddenly, and she didn't believe that the woman could be well prepared. The fire was not difficult to extinguish, but what she feared now was that someone was working in cahoots with her.

In times of crisis, naturally some people will agree with you.

Soon, everyone sprang into action. Except for a few young ladies who could only scream and collapsed to the ground, everyone else gritted their teeth and joined in putting out the fire.

Although the fire spread quickly, it was not beyond saving. However, there was no water in the hall, so other things were needed to extinguish the fire.

"Tear down the curtains! Soak them in the soup! Cover the fire!"

Fang Xiaoran ripped off the heavy curtain, grabbed a soup bowl from the table and poured it onto the burning beams! Seeing this, the others followed suit.

Just as everyone's attention was focused on putting out the fire.

There was a loud "Bang!"

Suddenly, the palace window was smashed open, and several dark figures leaped in, shouting, "Fire! Fire!"

In the blink of an eye, they drew their swords from their waists, their cold gleam flashing, and mercilessly slashed at the panicked crowd!

These defenseless ladies and gentlemen were no match for this group of well-trained assassins.

"what--!"

A scream suddenly rang out, and blood splattered, staining the beautiful carpet red.

Fang Xiaoran's eyes turned cold, and she reacted quickly, kicking the low table next to her.

"Bang!"

The heavy wooden table slammed into an assassin who was raising his sword to stab the woman not far away, forcing him back several steps!

She seized the opportunity to step forward, snatch the sword from the other person's hand, and slashed it with her backhand.

"Pfft!"

Blood gushed out, and the assassin, eyes wide with disbelief, collapsed.

Fang Xiaoran stood with her sword in hand, her robes fluttering, and coldly shouted:

"Everyone, stand behind me!"

Her voice clearly reached everyone's ears. The panicked people, disregarding the spreading fire, all came to Fang Xiaoran's side.

Despite being a woman, she wielded a long sword and appeared like a deity, protecting everyone behind her and giving them immense confidence and hope.

At this moment, no one could save them except Fang Xiaoran, who stepped forward to protect them.

In their eyes, Fang Xiaoran was their savior, a god-like figure who earned their deepest respect.

There were many assassins, but Fang Xiaoran was the only one who could fight them. If she didn't protect her, she could easily retreat.

The option to care for someone means that you have to be distracted.

"Shh!"

A cold light pierced her heart, but she dodged it and stabbed her opponent in the throat with a backhand!

Before she could finish her attack, another assassin attacked from the side, his blade aimed directly at the crowd she was protecting.

"What a clever feint!"

A chill flashed in Fang Xiaoran's eyes. With a flick of her wrist, a cold light appeared, like a crescent moon piercing the sky. No one could see how she made her move, only screams of agony. In an instant, blood stained the ground red, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

In an instant, none of the assassins survived.

As everyone watched Fang Xiaoran's retreating figure, in addition to admiration, they also felt a sense of fear.

Seeing that they were temporarily out of danger, several of them turned and ran towards the gate. Upon seeing this, Fang Xiaoran shouted sternly, "Don't move!"

However, her words did not stop them; instead, they made them even more determined to rush toward the gate.

Just as they approached the gate, several sharp arrows pierced through the air, instantly passing through their bodies and leaving only a cloud of blood mist...