I assume there was some sort of power vacuum while Vetinari went on his Grand Sneer... Who was responsible for the city administration? With Keel gone and the guilds nonexistent, who was in charge? The archchancellor?
Some historians argue that during the interregnum, there was an obese Patrician who was a fan of candied crustaceans...primary documents on this man, if he existed at all, are sketchy at best.