After Entering The Abusive Novel, I Became The Empress - Chapter 40

On the altar, as Qin Yuqing’s voice fell, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.

“Heaven is enraged! The gods are enraged!”

Qin Yuqing’s sharp gaze cut toward the man in the crowd who was stirring things up. The corner of her lips lifted in a cold smile. She remembered him. If she didn’t kill him the next time they met, she wouldn’t be Qin Yuqing.

“Heaven, forgive us!”

Ignorant commoners fell to their knees, their eyes on Qin Yuqing filled with the hatred reserved for a mortal enemy, as though she were some heinous criminal.

“O gods above, I, Sixth Princess Qin Yuqing, have never committed atrocities against heaven and reason. If you truly exist, you should not stand by while a virtuous minister dies unjustly!”

As her last words fell, many in the crowd laughed derisively. They shouted in unison, condemning Qin Yuqing, demanding her death.

Then suddenly, from somewhere unknown, came the deep, ancient toll of a bell. The storm-filled sky split open with a beam of golden light that shone down upon Qin Yuqing.

“What is this?” people whispered in shock.

A figure cloaked in golden radiance seemed to tear apart the clouds with his bare hands. His posture was upright and elegant as he slowly descended from the heavens, the divine light flowing ceaselessly over him like something alive.

“Could this be… the descent of a god?”

Among the crowd, one of Lu Jingchuan’s shadow guards feigned astonishment and cried out, “This is a god!”

The agitator who had shouted first clenched his teeth, tugged his hat lower, and quietly slipped away into the stormy night.

“A god has descended!”

At once, the entire crowd prostrated themselves, trembling in devotion.

On the high platform, the crown prince and the second prince leaned forward, unable to hide their astonishment, their reverent eyes fixed on the altar. Even the fourth princess straightened in disbelief.

Clearly, none of them had expected a god to truly appear.

But Fifth Princess Qin Youran recognized him at once—the twin from Arhan that Qin Yuqing had bought at the Chunshanting auction. This was no god at all!

She nearly leapt to her feet to expose the truth, but then she caught Qin Yuqing’s mocking, watchful gaze. Qin Yuqing was waiting for her to make a move. Realizing this was a trap, Qin Youran felt as though a bucket of ice water had been poured over her.

No—the secret of Chunshanting could not be revealed here, not now, not before Father.

She forced herself back into her seat, calm once more. She understood that today’s greatest victor was Qin Yuqing. As for the hand behind the curtain… everything was only just beginning.

Qin Yuqing, of course, did not miss the shifting expressions on the high platform. Her fox-like eyes glittered with ridicule. As expected, everyone had wanted to place their own pawn on today’s altar, to secure the seat of national preceptor and control the Preceptor’s Tower.

But too bad.

Since she herself had stepped onto the altar, who else but her people could possibly claim the position?

The rain outside grew lighter. From the crowd’s view, Xiao Wu seemed to descend wrapped in divine brilliance, sacred and pure. But from Qin Yuqing’s angle, she could see his legs trembling violently, his face pale as he looked at her.

She suddenly remembered—had she ever asked if Xiao Wu was afraid of heights? Judging by his expression, it must have been torment for him to hang suspended like that.

“Pay respects to the god! O god above, this demon girl has brought calamity to our realm. Please strike her down with heavenly thunder and restore peace to Great Yin!” the young Daoist cried.

Xiao Wu cast Qin Yuqing a steady glance, silently asking if he should speak.

Qin Yuqing blinked slowly. Everything would proceed as planned. This time, she would legitimize the twins’ place within Great Yin.

“I am not a god.”

Xiao Wu’s voice was deeper than most youths’, roughened from years of shouting in the auction houses to protect his sister.

“Then… who are you?” the young Daoist asked, suspicion and hope mingling in his eyes. His gaze flicked toward a high window in a nearby tower.

Following his eyes, Qin Yuqing could see only an open window, no figure behind it.

“I am the envoy of the gods. You may call me Divine Emissary.” Xiao Wu’s tone was flat, devoid of emotion.

“But never before has a divine emissary descended upon Great Yin. And we have yet to select a new national preceptor,” the Daoist protested, then dropped to his knees. “I do not doubt the gods—but with disaster striking the realm, I beg the emissary to save Great Yin!”

Xiao Wu’s eyes turned cold. With a flick of his sleeve, he declared, “Great Yin is plagued by corrupt sorcery—”

“Sixth Princess Qin Yuqing is the sorceress who disrupts the court! May the gods punish her!” the Daoist interrupted hastily.

“How laughable.” Qin Yuqing’s fox eyes gleamed with scorn, her back straight as she retorted, “The emissary has not even finished speaking, yet you rush to condemn me. Why? Unless the national preceptor’s death is tied to you—why else would you be so desperate to pin the blame on me?”

“You witch! Slander!” the Daoist roared.

“Silence.”

Xiao Wu’s cold voice rang in every ear. The commoners trembled, thinking the emissary enraged.

“Forgive us, emissary! Forgive us!”

Xiao Wu, growing accustomed to his role, looked down at the kneeling masses with disdain. “I bear Heaven’s command: to descend with the Divine Maiden and save Great Yin.”

With that, he placed a hand on his chest, knelt solemnly before Qin Yuqing, and declared:

“The Divine Maiden descends—dawn shall return.”

As his words fell, even Qin Yuqing had not foreseen what happened next.

The black clouds scattered at miraculous speed. The hidden sun burst forth in radiant hues, casting a rainbow glow. From the heavens descended a golden-haired girl wreathed in light, her eyes turning to molten gold as she gazed upon Qin Yuqing.

“I am the Divine Maiden, embodiment of the gods.”

Qin Yuqing blinked at Xiaolu’s strange state. This had not been part of her plan—but the effect was far beyond what she had imagined.

She herself had only predicted the weather. Using modern knowledge of typhoons, maps, and seasonal winds, she had guessed that a strong typhoon would strike the capital these days, bringing storms and dark clouds, but inevitably passing. That was why she had dared invent a “divine emissary”—she knew the skies would clear at the crucial moment.

But Xiaolu’s manifestation? That defied explanation. Then again, what about her transmigration or the system could be explained by science?

The people were awestruck, their faces alight with joy as sunlight bathed the capital.

“Praise the Divine Maiden! Praise the emissary!”

In that instant, the commoners truly believed Xiao Wu and Xiaolu, the Arhan twins, were god-sent.

“Divine Emissary.” Xiaolu’s golden eyes fixed unblinking on Qin Yuqing, sending a shiver down her spine.

“I am here.”

“Deliver Heaven’s oracle.” At her words, Xiao Wu’s eyes turned a strange shade of gray-gold.

“Yes, Divine Maiden.” He bit his finger, letting a drop of bl00d fall onto Qin Yuqing’s forehead. A lotus of rainbow light bloomed there.

“Traitors have thrown the realm into chaos. Great Yin teeters on the edge.”

“I have heard your plea. Now I command you—travel the land with the Divine Maiden. She shall aid you in ending these disasters.” With this, Xiao Wu lifted Qin Yuqing to her feet.

Xiaolu leaned close, whispering in her ear, “Sister, this is the true oracle. You and that brother must remember.”

That brother?

Qin Yuqing looked at Xiaolu in shock, but quickly masked her expression, bowing her head like a devout believer before the gods.

“Heaven’s order is unbalanced, the world distorted. The destined ones have returned to their rightful path. Great Yin’s calamities—only the destined twins can resolve them.

The two of you—neither can be without the other.”

As her words ended, the gold faded from Xiaolu’s eyes, leaving them dull and lifeless.

Qin Yuqing reeled. The oracle’s meaning was immense. And in that moment, a faceless figure appeared in her mind, hands warm and gentle as they cradled her head, whispering words she could not hear.

Only one phrase remained, along with Xiaolu’s prophecy:

“Lu Jingchuan is your anchor. So long as he is here, this world is real.

The two of you—neither can be without the other.”

The young Daoist looked on in horror. Glancing at the now-empty window, unease gnawed at him. This was not how it was supposed to be.

“Sixth Princess Qin Yuqing is the witch! She killed the ministers and the national preceptor!”

“Insolence!”

The emperor rose. Though Ah Ruan had explained her plan, the scene before him was exactly like the scroll he had once seen within the Preceptor’s Tower. At last, he was certain—his child with Concubine Chen, his Ah Ruan, had returned.

“Guards! Drag this liar, who blasphemes the gods, away!”

Without entertaining further words, the emperor bowed reverently to the twins. That gesture alone meant the ruler of Great Yin recognized their divine identities.

“As decreed by the emissary and Divine Maiden, Sixth Princess Qin Yuqing shall depart south with the Divine Maiden at once. Prepare for the journey immediately.” With that, the emperor turned and left.

The others followed. The once-crowded altar grew empty.

Qin Yuqing glanced at the Daoist being dragged past her, the lotus mark still faint on her forehead. “Didn’t I tell you? When someone dies, you should seek answers from the Court of Justice and Ministry of Punishments—not from a good person like me.”

The Daoist glared at her, spitting curses. In his final moment before being taken away, he shouted, “Sixth Princess! This is only the beginning. Our master already has what he wanted. You have still lost!”

Qin Yuqing ignored him. But dizziness overtook her. Her vision blurred into golden haze.

So tired. Finally, she could sleep well.

Her body swayed and collapsed backward.

“Ah Ruan!”

Warm arms caught her—it was her anchor, Lu Jingchuan.

“Don’t fuss. I’m only tired. Just let me sleep.”

“Jingchuan… take me home.”

Leaping onto the altar, Lu Jingchuan gathered her in his embrace.

“Yes. I’ll take you home.”