193: Chapter 193 The Meat Eaters Act for Heaven

This is f*cking 'Twenty-four bridges under the bright moon night, where does the jade person teach...'

However, just then.

A gust of wind carrying a burnt smell suddenly blew in through the slightly open window.

It stirred the bed curtains.

And brought with it a faint, dull booming sound from the distance.

Su Chen's gaze subconsciously turned toward the window.

Through the exquisite carved window lattice, the gloomy sky outside was visible.

He could vaguely make out that it was now dusk, with lead-gray clouds hanging low over the eaves of Zhaoge City.

And beneath those clouds, at the far horizon,

A thick, pitch-black pillar of smoke was rising straight into the sky.

Even from this far away, it was clearly visible.

Cooking smoke, or even the black ash from a fire, would not be so prominent.

It was beacon smoke.

Su Chen's heart sank suddenly.

All feelings of embarrassment and bashfulness were immediately purged from his mind.

He stared intently at the smoke, his lips quivering.

Finally, from his dry throat, he squeezed out his first complete sentence since waking up.

'Something... must have happened outside.'

It wasn't a question, but a statement.

The sleeping hall instantly fell into a deathly silence.

The slightly playful and ambiguous atmosphere from a moment ago vanished without a trace.

Jiang Li's hand, holding the cloth, froze in mid-air.

The blush on Su Daji's face also quickly faded away.

The two women looked at each other, both seeing deep helplessness in the other's eyes.

Jiang Li slowly put down the cloth and walked to the window.

She stared quietly at the smoke.

After a long time, she turned around, walked back to the bed, and sat on the embroidered stool beside Su Chen.

She reached out and gently held Su Chen's hand resting outside the brocade quilt.

Using her palm, she warmed his cold fingertips.

'Since Your Majesty has seen it, I... dare not hide it from you any longer.'

She spoke, her voice calm.

'You may not know, but you have been unconscious for three whole months.'

'Three months...'

Su Chen was shocked.

On the day he fell unconscious, hearing the words of those immortals, he already had a very bad premonition.

He had intended to wake up and make some preparations in advance.

Unexpectedly, his injuries were much more severe than he had imagined.

They kept him unconscious for three full months.

'Many things... have happened during these three months.'

Queen Jiang continued.

'On the day of the Grand Sacrificial Ceremony, the Hehuan Sect's plan failed, and Xu Xinlei was executed.'

'Those immortals and gods hiding behind the scenes, perhaps feeling they had lost face, or perhaps unable to endure the dwindling incense offerings any longer...'

'...they finally... completely tore off their masks.'

'Although they are still restricted by the laws of heaven and earth and have not acted directly against our Great Yin...'

'...they have used almost every method short of direct military force.'

'Since that day, natural disasters have been frequent throughout our Yin Dynasty, occurring in many places.'

'There has been scorched earth for a thousand miles without warning, and plagues of locusts.'

'Or rivers flowing backward and raging floods destroying villages and farms.'

'Or earthquakes that make cities collapse.'

'Countless fierce beasts, never before recorded, have emerged from deep forests and great marshes to attack human settlements.'

'Most importantly, there is also... the plague.'

'It is a most vicious plague, breaking out in multiple places simultaneously.'

'The infected suffer from high fevers and vomit blood; their limbs rot, and they die within days. It is extremely contagious.'

'If one person is infected, the entire village perishes.'

'Most of the physicians have perished in the infected areas, and medicinal supplies have long since run out.'

Su Daji also knelt by the bed, gently pressing her warm face against Su Chen's other hand.

Tears flowed silently, wetting the back of his hand.

'The people in Zhaoge City witnessed Your Majesty enduring three heavenly punishments for the sake of the state. Knowing Your Majesty's usual conduct, they remain relatively stable for now.'

'There is also the Zheng Territory.'

'Grateful for Your Majesty's past efforts in disaster relief and reservoir construction, the people there remain united.'

'But beyond these two places... across the lands of Great Yin, there are thousands upon thousands of "Jizhous".'

'They already held a grudge against Your Majesty and the Yin Shang Dynasty due to years of rumors spread by immortals and rebels.'

'Now, with disaster after disaster and families destroyed—and since most low-level officials are controlled by the Ji Clan—this is exactly the situation they want. Naturally, the people have nowhere to turn for help.'

'Under the instigation of those with ulterior motives, they have turned their spearheads toward the imperial court.'

'Pointed at... you, Your Majesty.'

'They still use the same old rhetoric, claiming your lack of virtue has offended Heaven, bringing about these disasters.'