He had a feud with Lu Rong of the Lu family when he was a great general, and Lu Li had also caused him a lot of trouble.
What, did they know that Qiao Ci was his wife before, and they were trying to disgust him?
If he had known Qiao Ci was so unchaste, he shouldn't have married her in the first place!
Looking at Qiao Ci's fair and smooth skin on the half of her face not covered by the mask, combined with her delicate features that had a hazy, soul-captivating charm, Shen Si frowned.
Perhaps Qingqing was right. Qiao Ci must be some kind of wandering spirit or someone who had foreseen the future and was here to take revenge on them!
The two of them looked at Qiao Ci and Lu Li, their eyes filled with complex emotions, their gazes almost crossed like fighting cocks.
Qiao Ci stood calmly and composedly. Her appearance and demeanor made Lou Qing and Shen Si seem half a head shorter.
Lou Qing disliked being suppressed in aura by someone who had defeated her. She cleared her throat, feigned disdain, turned away from Qiao Ci with pride, and faced the surrounding crowd.
She tried to make her voice sound both clear and pleasant, "I am Princess Qingluan. I have rashly come forward today to expose the true face of this fake imperial advisor..."
As soon as she said this, from somewhere below, voices began to rise, growing louder and louder:
"Get down! Get down!"
"What princess! Get down, we want the Imperial Advisor to summon rain to save the people!"
"The Imperial Advisor can summon rain, which means he has great abilities. Who do you think you are!"
Hearing this, Qingluan's face turned grim. "How dare you! I am Princess Qingluan, and I have risked being harmed by the fake imperial advisor to tell you the truth. Why are you so unreasonable!"
The people below looked at her as if she were a joke. Their Imperial Advisor was on par with the Emperor; what was a princess to them?
However, the crowd didn't say anything more, because their Imperial Advisor raised his hand, signaling them to be quiet.
Lou Qing thought that her princess identity had silenced the crowd. She then looked triumphantly at Qiao Ci and said righteously, "Qiao Ci, you can't actually summon rain, can you? You just know it will rain today for some reason. Whatever the reason, it's definitely not something you divined. Because you are just an ordinary girl from a scholar's family in Zhujia Village, you have no heaven-piercing abilities!"
Qiao Ci's expression was neither happy nor sad. She glanced at Lou Qing as if she were an ant and said, her lips parting slightly, "And then?"
Seeing that Qiao Ci wasn't flustered at all when her identity was exposed, Lou Qing's beautiful eyes narrowed. She was truly stubborn, refusing to shed tears until she saw the coffin.
"Today, I am here to stop you from summoning rain!"
This powerful declaration ignited the anger of the surrounding crowd, who all pointed at her and cursed. Since everyone was cursing, the law wouldn't punish them all. The harsh words made Lou Qing, who deliberately paused before speaking her next sentence, feel heartbroken!
Good, the fiercer they cursed now, the harder they would be slapped in the face later!
These ignorant people didn't even realize they were being deceived and brainwashed; they were truly foolish!
When the emotions of the crowd had been sufficiently stirred, Lou Qing continued, "Because today, whether you summon rain or perform rituals, the rain will fall anyway!!!"
The surrounding crowd immediately erupted in an uproar!
However, in their hearts, they still believed Qiao Ci more. After all, it hadn't rained for two years, and as soon as their Imperial Advisor performed a ritual, it started raining!
"Today, if you have the guts, don't do any of your fancy tricks. Let's see if the rain still falls!" Lou Qing said triumphantly, looking at Qiao Ci, expecting to see panic on her face.
To her surprise, Qiao Ci merely glanced at her, stood up, and walked towards the Emperor. Lu Li didn't even spare a glance at these two clowns, striding long legs after Qiao Ci.
???
What did Qiao Ci mean?
On the altar, the two looked at each other, full of confusion.
The Emperor understood Qiao Ci's intention and said to Lou Qing and Shen Si, "The Imperial Advisor is magnanimous and willing to let you prove yourselves. So, you two shall remain here. If it hasn't rained by midnight, I will not show mercy!"
Qiao Ci said a few words to the Emperor and then returned to the Imperial Advisor's mansion. She had no time to wait around with two idiots. She wanted to go back to eat delicious food, watch beautiful women dance, and try to touch the hands of handsome men.
Oh, the handsome man stayed behind, saying he would help her keep an eye on those two ill-intentioned people. Qiao Ci's small face immediately tensed up.
Little Spoon was overjoyed in the system space, "Host, why didn't you strike them with lightning? That's not like you~"
Qiao Ci shot it a cold glance, "You know me very well?"
Seeing that Qiao Ci seemed to be in a bad mood, Little Spoon dared not continue and only whimpered tearfully, "Big Boss, I'll go into the dark room to reflect!"
With that, Qiao Ci smiled helplessly; they were indeed childish.
Shen Si and Lou Qing stood on the altar like two fools. Because the Emperor had told them to wait for the rain there, they didn't dare to make any big moves.
The surrounding crowd did not disperse because Qiao Ci left. Instead, they stood there excitedly, waiting.
The scorching sun blazed overhead, and the umbrellas prepared by the surrounding crowd instantly became tools to shield them from the intense heat.
The two on the altar, braving the scorching sun, were sweating profusely. The sweat increased, and their skin turned red from the sun.
Lou Qing wanted to find some shade, but her own father, the Emperor, seemed to have been brainwashed by Qiao Ci and didn't believe his own daughter, instead believing an outsider.
This put her in a dilemma, making her look extremely pathetic, which infuriated her!
The two waited until dark, and the surrounding crowd also waited until dark. They would go eat something when they were hungry and then return to watch.
The Emperor, being old, couldn't stay awake any longer and had already returned to the palace, but he still left an eunuch to watch.
Since he chose to believe Imperial Advisor Qiao, he would always support her.
As an Emperor, to waver would make him not an Emperor, but a puppet!
Moreover, Imperial Advisor Qiao was worthy of his trust.
Therefore, he had to take a firm stance and steadfastly believe in Qiao Ci. Regardless of whether the rain fell today, she would remain the unique Imperial Advisor of Chu Yun Kingdom.
Seeing that the Emperor had left, Lou Qing dared to move her numb legs slightly. She had never felt so tired even after standing at attention for a whole day.
Little did she know that Shen Si, standing beside her, looked at her with less confidence and more embarrassment and shyness.
If it didn't rain today, all his past reputation for brilliance would be ruined by this impulsive woman!
He knew it was wrong to think this way, but he couldn't help it. He had six children at home, and he didn't know if they had eaten. He wanted to go back, but he couldn't bear to go back alone, and the Emperor had also sent people to watch...
Night deepened, and the crowd gradually dispersed, but the rain still had not fallen.