The fire was extinguished.
But the questions it left behind continued to burn.
Three days after the granary incident, Shen City returned to its routine. Markets reopened, soldiers resumed patrols, and reconstruction began almost immediately.
To the public, the crisis had passed.
To Qin Wang Shan, it had only begun.
Inside the temporary command hall, several officials knelt as reports were presented.
"The fire was set deliberately," Commander Han reported. "Oil traces were found near the storage beams. Entry seals were cut from the inside."
"Inside?" Qin Wang Shan repeated calmly.
"Yes, Your Highness. Someone with authorized access."
Silence settled in the room.
An insider.
"List everyone assigned to the granary that night," Qin Wang Shan ordered.
A scroll was handed over.
Guards. Supervisors. Supply clerks.
Nothing unusual at first glance.
Yet his eyes stopped on one name.
Deputy Supervisor Liang Fu.
Assigned only two weeks prior.
Transferred from another province.
Too recent.
Too convenient.
"Where is he now?" Qin Wang Shan asked.
The officials hesitated.
"…Missing, Your Highness."
The room tensed.
Elsewhere, hidden in the poorer outskirts beyond Shen City's walls, Liang Fu struggled to keep his breathing steady.
His contact was late.
He had followed instructions precisely—damage supplies, cause panic, make the prince look weak.
Instead, the prince had entered the flames himself.
Saved the guard.
Won loyalty.
Everything had gone wrong.
Footsteps approached.
Liang Fu turned, relief forming—until he saw unfamiliar soldiers.
Shen City patrol.
His relief shattered.
Back at the command hall, Commander Han bowed.
"The suspect has been apprehended while attempting to flee."
Qin Wang Shan gave a single nod.
"Interrogate him."
Hours later, Liang Fu knelt in chains.
Sweat and fear soaked through his clothes.
"I was ordered!" he cried. "I don't know names! Only instructions!"
"From where?" Qin Wang Shan asked.
Liang Fu hesitated.
Then whispered:
"From the capital… through merchants."
The room stiffened.
The capital.
Wushen.
The officials began murmuring.
"Someone at court—"
"Political sabotage—"
Qin Wangshan raised a hand.
Silence fell.
He looked at Liang Fu, who trembled violently.
"You were promised protection?" the prince asked.
Liang Fu nodded desperately.
"Yes! They said Shen City would fall soon anyway!"
Qin Wang Shan exhaled slowly.
"Take him away. Keep him alive."
The guards obeyed.
That evening, a sealed message left Shen City.
Destination: Imperial Inspector Lu Zheng.
Miles away, Lu Zheng read the report under lantern light.
Sabotage.
Capital involvement.
And the prince's response.
Measured.
Controlled.
Dangerously competent.
Lu Zheng sighed softly.
"So," he murmured, "the court has already begun moving."
He burned the letter after memorizing its contents.
Some truths were safer unrecorded.
Back in Shen City, Qin Wang Shan stood atop the city wall, watching workers rebuild the damaged granary.
Smoke stains still marked the stone.
A reminder.
Someone in the empire had tested him.
And now they knew.
He would not break easily.
Behind him, the city continued to live.
And somewhere far away, those who had ordered the sabotage began to reconsider their next move.
Because Shen City was no longer defenseless.
And the discarded prince was no longer discardable.