The hall fell silent at his words.
Nan Shiying knew what his Imperial Decree referred to – it was her destiny as Nan Fengluan.
Instead of the expected fury, Yun Qingzi watched Ji Jinmo, who sat silently in his chair. His calm face revealed no emotion, nor did he seem surprised by Yun Qingzi's words, and his gaze held no killing intent.
Yun Qingzi’s mind momentarily went blank, unsure how to react.
"Utter nonsense!" Amidst the stagnant atmosphere, Nan Shiying let out an angry roar. She pointed at Yun Qingzi's nose and ordered him to scram, "Get back to Qingshan Guan. If anyone else hears of this, I'll have the Demon Hunting Army flatten your Qingshan Guan gates."
"Hurry up and get lost!" Nan Shiying found him irritating.
Yun Qingzi dared not linger. After quickly cupping his fists to Ji Jinmo and Nan Shiying, he turned and left, moving as swiftly as if he were being chased by dogs.
After Yun Qingzi departed, Nan Shiying walked to Ji Jinmo's side and smiled, saying, "These Daoists talk nonsense. Your Highness…"
Before Nan Shiying could finish, Ji Jinmo grasped her hand. His phoenix eyes met hers, his voice firm and full of strength, "I know, I know everything. So you don't need to explain to me."
Looking into his ardent and determined gaze, Nan Shiying was momentarily speechless. She couldn't utter any more perfunctory words, her heart filled with a slight unease and confusion. She felt… he knew.
He knew who she truly was!
But, did he really know? If he did, wouldn't he see her as a demon who had taken over a body?
Ji Jinmo tightened his grip on her hand, contemplating how to break down the wall in her heart. Perhaps, he didn't need to break it down; he could just climb over it.
...
It wasn't until he walked out of the Regent's Estate that Yun Qingzi finally let out a heavy sigh of relief. His back was already drenched in cold sweat, and the wind sent a biting chill through him.
He didn't dare linger in the capital any longer and turned towards the city gates.
He needed to return to Qingshan Guan, immediately!
However, halfway there, Yun Qingzi was intercepted by people from the Nan Estate.
Seeing the steward of the Nan Estate, Yun Qingzi felt a surge of bad luck. It doubled upon seeing Nan Chaoyin!
Perhaps it was because Nan Chaoyin had served as prime minister for many years, but he now carried an air of nobility. However, his aura… Yun Qingzi subconsciously glanced at the jade pendant on Nan Chaoyin's waist.
Was it this jade pendant that was masking his aura?
Yun Qingzi wasn't entirely sure.
He didn't want to say much to Nan Chaoyin. He had explicitly instructed him back then, and Nan Chaoyin had agreed, yet he had treated Nan Shiying this way. If not for Nan Shiying's incredible luck, she might have turned to dust by now.
Upon hearing that Yun Qingzi had entered the capital, Nan Chaoyin specifically invited him to examine Nan Yuan'er's fate again.
Yun Qingzi was slightly stunned when he saw Nan Yuan'er. She had changed. Her previous noble destiny had now become one of utter ignominy.
However, considering Nan Shiying had indirectly saved his life at the Regent's Estate just moments ago, Yun Qingzi decided not to reveal the true situation. He feigned calculation and then spoke, "Prime Minister Nan need not worry. Your daughter's fate as an Empress remains incredibly noble, merely encountering some setbacks. Just wait patiently for a little longer!"
Nan Yuan'er was overjoyed to hear this.
After leaving the Nan Estate, Yun Qingzi returned to Qingshan Guan overnight and left again without staying for even a day.
This time, it wasn't for a tour; it was to avoid disaster!
A major upheaval was about to occur in the capital. It was good that Qingshan Guan's incense offerings had decreased. He would close the temple entirely after some time, waiting for the storm to pass.
Nan Shiying had always believed that Nan Chaoyin had deliberately engineered Nan Yuan'er's Empress destiny. However, Yun Qingzi's appearance made her realize that the concept of destiny was indeed real.
Yun Qingzi was not a charlatan but a capable person with genuine skills.
"My Lord, why did he ask me yesterday if my parents were still alive?" Nan Shiying thought of Yun Qingzi again while reading, remembering the damned talk of destiny.
Ji Jinmo realized that Yun Qingzi had met Nan Shiying, who was disguised as Fengluan, before entering the Regent's Estate.
Given his ability to see through Fengluan's fate at a glance, it was likely that he had seen the Imperial Destiny in her the moment he first met her. Thinking of this, his question about her parents being alive… Ji Jinmo's brow twitched slightly, and he considered a possibility: "He might have seen the Imperial Destiny in you and thus believed you were the former emperor's illegitimate child."
Nan Shiying: "..."
Holy cow, that actually made sense!
She had originally thought Yun Qingzi's shock and the shattered cup upon seeing her was due to the so-called Imperial Aura she possessed. But if his ability to observe auras was that accurate, how could he not have seen that she and Fengluan were the same person? Was it double shock?
Nan Shiying pouted, reviewing the entire incident. If she considered Ji Jinmo's hypothesis, she could understand Yun Qingzi's strange reaction after she mentioned her parents had passed away.
So, he thought she had stumbled upon a monumental piece of gossip!
...
It suddenly started raining in Weihe County. The heavy downpour caused the river to swell, its roaring waters crashing against the banks.
The magistrate of Weihe County directed the yamen runners to build high barriers on both sides of the riverbank and evacuated the residents living nearby.
The rainfall was astonishing. Thunder rumbled within the dark clouds, the thunderous roars sounding like a colossal dragon's bellow. Lightning tore through the darkened sky, instilling fear and awe in people's hearts.
"Rumble~" A deafening explosion echoed from the north of the riverbank, as if lightning had struck something.
The magistrate was startled awake by the loud noise and scrambled out of bed. Wearing a rain cape, he hurried towards the riverbank. A crowd of people had already gathered there. They had felt a tremor and couldn't bear to stay indoors, only to witness this scene.
"Make way, make way!"
The yamen runners pushed aside the onlookers. The magistrate strode forward and, upon seeing the scene before him, stood there stunned, just like the commoners.
Lightning had split open the earthen hill north of the riverbank, leveling it. A massive pit had appeared in the ground, and within it lay a clearly visible stone tablet.
So, this hill wasn't split open by lightning, but by this falling stone tablet?
"This..."
The county magistrate leaped into the pit and, upon approaching the stone tablet, was instantly enveloped by a chilling sensation.
The stone tablet bore only eight characters.
'When a woman wields power, the nation perishes and its people suffer!'