After Entering The Abusive Novel, I Became The Empress - Chapter 36

Before Qin Yuqing and Lu Jingchuan could set out, they saw the Emperor striding in through the wind and rain.

Eunuch Zhang hurried behind with an umbrella, calling, “Slow down, Your Majesty!”

The Emperor’s gaze fell on Lu Jingchuan, who stood beside Qin Yuqing. His brows knit in displeasure, a flash of anger flickering in his eyes.

“Ah Ruan, I have already issued an edict sealing off the National Preceptor’s Tower. You must go there at once.” The Emperor strode quickly to Qin Yuqing’s side. “Remember, be careful. Father will shoulder as much of the burden as he can for you. Don’t be afraid — your father is here.”

Qin Yuqing was stunned. At this moment, he had none of the dignity of a monarch. Rain had drenched him completely, mud splattering his shoes and robes.

At such a sight, it was impossible not to feel moved.

“Yes, Father.” For the first time, Qin Yuqing truly felt her nominal father’s unguarded love. She could sense that he did not believe the baseless rumors and chose instead to trust her.

“And you,” the Emperor turned on Lu Jingchuan, furious. His sleeve flicked sharply as he growled, “If I discover you have neglected Ah Ruan in any way, I will see the Lu family buried with you!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Lu Jingchuan felt the Emperor’s aversion to him but could not understand it. That very morning, the Emperor had praised him — how had things changed so suddenly?

Thanks to the Emperor’s arrangements, Qin Yuqing and Lu Jingchuan entered the National Preceptor’s Tower without trouble and soon reached the Meditation Chamber.

The chamber was spotless, not a speck of dust in sight. Strange symbols were inscribed on paper, peculiar ritual implements lay in neat order, and ancient books were arranged on the desk — clear evidence of the chamber’s importance.

At the window-side desk, Qin Yuqing’s sharp eye caught something odd. She crouched down to examine the worn edge of the table, running her fingers along it. “Something’s wrong. Lu Jingchuan, look.”

He quickly joined her, following her gaze. At the table’s corner were faint, dark-red stains. If not for the wood’s old cracks, the traces would never have remained.

“Is this bl00d?” Qin Yuqing leaned close and sniffed. A faint metallic tang lingered beneath the scent of soap pods. As she moved closer, she realized the mat on the floor also carried the fragrance of soap pods.

That meant the chamber had been cleaned.

“After the National Preceptor’s death, someone tidied this place?” She glanced at Lu Jingchuan, who shook his head without hesitation. Her suspicions deepened.

So this chamber was the true crime scene. And the soap scent proved that the killer had scrubbed the room thoroughly after the murder.

Troublesome. A cleaned site meant very few traces left behind.

Straightening, Qin Yuqing peered out the window. Beneath the chamber stretched a flat expanse of lawn. She remembered seeing it when she first transmigrated, copying texts here with Fourth Princess Qin Qinqin. But now, with the storm raging outside, she could hardly make out the details.

She frowned. The weather, and the string of recent deaths, put her at a grave disadvantage. In such downpour, no outdoor evidence would survive.

Disastrous.

Her thoughts turned to the discovery. The Preceptor’s corpse had been found by a young Daoist, who usually tended to his daily needs. That morning, seeing that breakfast had not been touched, the boy grew anxious and knocked at the chamber door. Receiving no reply, he called again and again before finally pushing the door open — and saw the Preceptor slumped, hands clenched upon the desk.

Frightened, the boy approached, only to realize the man was dead. His scream drew more Daoists, and word of the death spread quickly. The coroner had yet to determine the cause.

Suddenly, Qin Yuqing’s right eyelid twitched. A chill stabbed her heart, as if some great calamity were near. Lightning split the sky, striking the tower, white brilliance ripping through the black night.

“Lu Jingchuan, I have a bad feeling.” Her hair whipped in the storm wind, half her body swallowed by shadows. Though her voice was drowned by the rain, he heard her clearly.

“The heavens will punish the National Preceptor.”

Another bolt of lightning tore the sky.

“But — we still have a chance.” She swiftly organized the clues. The enemy wanted to pin rumors on her? Then she would give them new rumors.

She would even present them with a new Preceptor. No — two.

“The Arhan twins,” Lu Jingchuan realized at once. In his haste these past days, he had forgotten their existence.

Qin Yuqing nodded. The twins’ ability to commune with the heavens was known throughout Da Yin.

Perfect. She needed divine testimony to clear her name.

Through the storm, she led Lu Jingchuan against the flow of the night. Shaking off the shadows trailing them, she finally stopped before a courtyard and knocked politely before entering.

“I knew you’d come for them,” Piao Qinghe drawled, standing in the yard with an umbrella. “I’ve already had them wait inside. Six Princess, you owe me one thi—” He turned mid-sentence, spotted Lu Jingchuan, and fell silent.

Qin Yuqing smiled, stepping forward, rain streaming down her. “Yes, and to thank Master Piao for your help, I’ve brought you an old acquaintance.” She shifted aside. Lu Jingchuan’s face remained expressionless, cold as ice.

“Long time no see. You two brothers must have much to discuss,” Qin Yuqing said as she headed inside. “I imagine after the attack at Wenshan, General Lu has questions for Master Piao. Don’t you think so, Lu Jingchuan?”

Lu Jingchuan’s frigid features betrayed nothing, but he nodded and gestured politely.

“Talk inside then, lest you catch cold at a time like this,” Qin Yuqing added, shutting the door behind her.

The twins, Xiao Wu and Xiao Lu, had already been briefed on events in the capital. Xiao Lu handed her a bowl of ginger tea. “Six Princess, please drink to drive out the chill.”

“Thank you.” Qin Yuqing wasted no words. “Would you be willing to become National Preceptors?”

Without hesitation, Xiao Lu answered, “If my brother agrees, then I will.”

Xiao Wu paused, thinking. He knew the urgency of the moment and did not circle around. “We can. But I have conditions.”

“I’ll help you uncover your parentage.” Qin Yuqing understood his worry. They were Arhan-born, and if Piao Qinghe spoke true, the twins could be vital to Arhan’s people.

“If my sister ever wishes to leave, you must take her with you,” Xiao Wu said firmly.

“That was my thought as well.” Qin Yuqing had a hunch: the capital was only the beginning. Beyond lay the true story of this world.

“Brother, Xiao Lu doesn’t want to leave you.” She clung to his arm, sulking.

Xiao Wu did not soothe her but revealed the final truth instead. “Princess, my sister bears an oracle. When you leave the capital, she will be your greatest aid.”

“Very well. If Xiao Lu is willing to follow me, I will protect her,” Qin Yuqing agreed. How could she refuse? She was eager to know what the oracle meant — and who had left her those cryptic messages about her bond with Lu Jingchuan.

Hearing his decision, Xiao Lu pouted and smacked her brother’s back. “Bad brother.”

Qin Yuqing chuckled at their sibling quarrel. As an only child, she had never known such bonds. In a dynasty that devoured its own, survival alone was rare — let alone love.

“Six Princess, what must we do?” Xiao Wu asked.

Qin Yuqing’s gaze fell upon a bl00d-red maple leaf lying on a bookshelf. Inspiration sparked. “This leaf?”

“I picked it in the mountains a few days ago. Isn’t it beautiful? Sadly, only a few had such color.”

She thought back. When she first arrived here, it had been late winter. Already, autumn was approaching.

“Do you have a map?” she asked suddenly.

“Yes, one moment.” Xiao Wu produced a map of Da Yin.

Her eyes locked on the capital’s position, then the mark to its east. “And this place?”

“That is Yuyang, a coastal frontier city,” Piao Qinghe explained as he entered with Lu Jingchuan, both men flushed from a heated exchange.

“Tsk, reconciled already?” Qin Yuqing teased.

Lu Jingchuan scowled and brushed past Piao, sitting silently beside her.

“Better think about what comes next,” Piao said, dragging over a stool. “News is spreading: they’re saying the Preceptor died under heavenly punishment.”

“I expected as much.” Qin Yuqing was unsurprised. In fact, the conspirators had shown restraint by not releasing the rumor immediately; otherwise, she’d already be finished.

Perhaps they simply enjoyed playing cat and mouse.

But some mice could trap cats, couldn’t they?

She studied the map, then turned to Lu Jingchuan. “Tell me, was the Preceptor a good man?”

“Not entirely,” Lu Jingchuan replied without hesitation. He truly was her best partner. “But by law, he deserved death.”

“Then I’m relieved.”

“What riddles are you two speaking?” Piao asked, baffled. The twins, equally lost, shook their heads. To them, the Sixth Princess’s mind was terrifyingly sharp — near inhuman.

Qin Yuqing picked up a brush, marking the map as she occasionally glanced at the storm outside. The rain had eased slightly, and through the clouds, she could see feather-like formations drifting quickly, growing ever denser.

“I will create a new National Preceptor — and have them deliver a new oracle.” Her mind was set. The plan was uncertain, riddled with risks. But time had run out. The enemy waited for nothing less than her downfall.

“Time is short. Listen to me carefully.”

“Not a single step can go wrong.”

“When it’s done, I will reward you richly.”