"How can this be? How can this be?" Looking at the moonlit, starry sky, Lou Qing collapsed onto the ground, utterly spent.
Had that woman guessed they would expose her, and thus set a trap for them?
"Let's go." At night, a cool breeze rustled around, dispelling the day's mugginess, but Shen Si felt increasingly agitated.
"No! I will persevere until the last moment. It's not yet midnight; it will definitely rain today!" Lou Qing refused to concede defeat, stubbornly unwilling to leave.
Shen Si, worried about the children at home, didn't want to indulge her further. With a cold expression, he said, "I'm worried about our six children at home. I'll go back to check on them, and then I'll come back to accompany you."
Lou Qing looked at him in disbelief, not understanding his intention.
Shen Si offered no further explanation and turned to leave.
As he prepared to descend the altar, two young eunuchs stepped forward and blocked his path. "His Majesty has commanded that you and Princess Qingluan await the rain in your current positions. Today is not yet over, so you should leave only when the time comes or when it rains."
Shen Si's expression was filled with suppressed rage. "My six children are all at home. I am worried about them and will go back to see them, then return."
At this moment, the Emperor's personal eunuch approached with graceful steps, pinching his fingers into a delicate pose and smiling. "General Shen, please rest assured. His Majesty has thought of everything. He has already sent people to look after your six children. They are all well. Please stay here with Princess Qingluan and wait."
"You, you all!" Shen Si was furious, but there was nothing he could do. He had no choice but to return to his original spot, his face dark as he stared blankly into the distance, pointedly ignoring Lou Qing, as if sulking with someone.
Seeing this, Lou Qing felt a pang of discomfort. Was he blaming her?
When they had discussed this before, hadn't he wholeheartedly agreed?
Now that the outcome was unsatisfactory, was he intending to shift all the blame onto her?
A wave of grievance swelled within her, and she didn't initiate conversation with Shen Si. They stood on the altar until midnight.
Still, no rain fell. The stars flickered in the sky, as if mocking them.
A few scattered civilians nearby had thrown rotten vegetables on the ground, but they had proven useless. For one, they dared not do anything to the current princess, and secondly, they were simply too tired and all wanted to go home to sleep.
Seeing that the appointed time had passed, the eunuchs bid farewell to Princess Qingluan and returned to the palace.
As for whether Princess Qingluan could return to the palace, which was under curfew without an imperial decree, that was not their concern.
Lou Qing clearly had similar thoughts. She was also in a tiff with the Emperor, who clearly favored Qiao Ci, and had no intention of returning to the palace!
Lu Li was extremely sleepy but persevered until the end. Seeing that no rain had come, he rubbed his temples, preparing to go home and rest.
Shen Si, noticing that Lu Li had been monitoring him until the very last moment, couldn't help but mock, "My elder brother snatched the position of Grand General that I abandoned. My younger brother follows suit, preparing to snatch the woman I discarded. How utterly laughable!"
Lu Li immediately bristled, retorting sarcastically, "You resigned your position as Grand General because your virtue didn't match your station. As for women? Trash like you is worthy of possessing the esteemed National Preceptor? Perhaps you are the one who was discarded! They say women are unchaste; you must have been the one who was unfaithful to your husband, consorting with other women, which is why our National Preceptor disdained you! Don't speak so boastfully from now on, you scoundrels!!!"
Upon hearing that Lu Li had insulted her as well, Lou Qing couldn't help but join the fray. "Without knowing the full story, do not speculate. I hope you will show some self-respect!"
Shen Si clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead.
Lu Li was not afraid of him. While he might not be Shen Si's match in a one-on-one fight, he had brought backup!!!
Raising an eyebrow, dozens of burly men stood behind him, facing Shen Si with fierce gazes, ready to beat him soundly if he dared to make a move.
Shen Si: ...
Lou Qing glanced at her empty surroundings and inwardly cursed herself for not bringing any guards out of the palace!
Ultimately, the two parties, at each other's throats, did not come to blows. Shen Si took Lou Qing back to the Shen manor, leaving behind a parting threat, "There will be time for reckoning. I shall see how long you can remain so arrogant!"
Lu Li scoffed, "Feckless fury, a stubborn mule. Humph!"
Shen Si: ...!
The next day, the Emperor personally visited the National Preceptor's mansion, hoping she would agree to perform the rain ritual again for the sake of the suffering populace. Qiao Ci readily agreed.
This time, the number of onlookers was unprecedented. Shen Si and Lou Qing, as expected, also came. This time, the two of them carefully observed the celestial phenomena. Feeling that the possibility of rain today was very slim, they stood calmly, waiting to see how Qiao Ci would deceive the masses.
On the altar, Qiao Ci closed her eyes as if in meditation. Then, with the thumb and middle finger of her right hand, she flicked towards a spot in the sky. Instantly, strong winds arose, and dark clouds obscured the sun.
Before long, a torrential downpour began.
The common folk nimbly opened their umbrellas overhead. Lu Li, holding an umbrella, hesitated whether to go and hold it for Qiao Ci, fearing he might disturb her. As a result, he was drenched like a drowned rat.
In contrast, Qiao Ci stood tall amidst the rain, her demeanor ethereal. With a casual wave of her slender hands, she conjured clouds and summoned rain.
The surrounding rain did not cause her the slightest disarray; instead, it enhanced her transcendent aura, making her appear like a goddess in the rain, gracing the mortal realm.
For a moment, Lu Li was mesmerized.
His heart pounded uncontrollably, as if her fingers were lightly tapping his chest, making him involuntarily cheer for her every move.
Shen Si and Lou Qing, both drenched, stared at Qiao Ci on the altar, stunned.
No one could predict the timing so precisely, and her aura seemed genuine, as if she were a highly cultivated immortal, commanding the winds and rain, manipulating the very forces of heaven and earth.
Feeling the cool dampness on their bodies, both of them couldn't help but shudder.
This, this was absolutely not the Qiao Ci they knew!
Qiao Ci was merely the daughter of a humble scholar, and possessing even a few basic characters was fortunate. For her to now wield such power over the elements was clearly impossible!
Who exactly was she?
The two exchanged glances, their eyes filled with overwhelming shock.
As Lou Qing observed Shen Si, she noticed a fleeting look of regret in his eyes. The reason for his regret was self-evident.
She couldn't bear it any longer!
Breaking free from the crowd's encirclement, she attempted to rush onto the altar but was firmly restrained by individuals the Emperor had dispatched earlier to monitor her.
The Emperor casually glanced in their direction and whispered a few words to the eunuch beside him. The eunuch quickly departed and returned shortly, holding a yellow imperial edict.
Shen Si, about to go to her rescue, recognized one of the men in the restraining group as the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard. He surmised that the Emperor had given the order and, tightening his fist, released it...