Chapter 94

The deeper the night, the more restless one becomes.

This night, in particular, seemed to drag on endlessly.

In the courtyard of Li Yunzi, she opened her eyes and glanced at the sky beyond the curtains.

It was still dark.

Has dawn ceased to come?

At this hour, the sky should have long been bright, even with thick clouds, it shouldn't be this dim.

The air was murky, and the wind, though it had blown for a long time, had not dispersed it. She already knew what had happened last night, but she hadn't left the courtyard. She had only ordered a detachment of guards to go out...

"Miss, the outside is in chaos. The sky remains dark, and a group of people with ulterior motives have gathered at the ancestral altar, condemning you! Oh, your guards were the first to arrive there. Only you care about the people's well-being, yet they are trying to pin all the blame on you," Shuang'er said indignantly.

Li Yunzi remained silent, her gaze fixed on the sky, which was so gloomy. Even during a solar eclipse, it shouldn't last this long. What could have caused the world to plunge into eternal night?

She didn't leave her room, only staying to recover from her injuries.

"Miss, should... should Zhu Minglang be housed in the nearest courtyard?" Shuang'er asked.

"Prepare the left courtyard," Li Yunzi said.

"Ah?? That means he will be in the same courtyard as you, Miss. How can you let a man stay in your courtyard, even though it's separated by the central courtyard..." Shuang'er exclaimed in surprise.

Li Yunzi didn't respond. She was exhausted, seemingly lacking the energy to speak, or perhaps she was deep in thought and had no intention of repeating herself.

Shuang'er understood that her mistress was not the type to hesitate. If she said it, it must be done.

Shuang'er hurriedly went to prepare the left courtyard, thinking about whether to temporarily add a door between the central and left courtyards, so she could guard it at night to prevent any trouble.

Zhu Minglang moved into the left courtyard, and Fang Nian Nian quickly became close with Shuang'er. The two women seemed to have endless things to talk about, often seen chatting and laughing between the courtyards...

Li Yunzi didn't leave her room.

Zhu Minglang only went to the back mountain to train the dragon.

The sky remained dark, and it was already the fourth day. This anomaly caused even greater panic in the entire Zulong city-state, and more and more astrologers began to spread their theories.

These theories, without exception, pointed to Li Yunzi.

"Li Yunzi is a malevolent star, wherever she goes, wars break out. The divine stone from the heavens, pointing directly at Zulong City, is clearly telling us, the people of Zulong, to destroy this malevolent star, or we will never see a clear sky again!"

"Li Yunzi's cruel actions have angered the heavens. The gods are punishing her people, yet you still foolishly follow her. She should commit suicide to atone for her sins, or there will be more divine punishment!"

Chaos reigned within and outside the city-state.

The sky remained dark, and the night enveloped the earth. People had thought that spring and summer were approaching, and the Lichuan Plain would become fertile again, but the sunlight seemed to have been taken away by the heavens. Even beyond the Lichuan Plain, only a faint light could be seen.

Without sunlight, there would be no harvest, and without harvest, there would be no livestock. If this continued into late spring, chaos would surely ensue!

Rituals.

Heavenly sacrifices.

Confessions.

Prayers.

All these ceremonies were performed, but to no avail.

Gradually, people, influenced by countless theories, believed in the only solution.

Punishment!

Punish the root cause!

She incessantly ignited wars, her greed knew no bounds, and she repeatedly invaded others' territories. People began to believe that her wars were not for the protection of the land or the strengthening of Zulong City, but merely to satisfy her cruel and murderous nature!

"Miss, more and more people are condemning you. Every day, people gather at the ancestral altar to demand your punishment, saying all sorts of filthy things. You have such a powerful army, why don't you execute those who speak nonsense!" Shuang'er grew increasingly anxious.

The situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable.

The sky remained dark, and the anger grew!

"The heavens are beyond human control, but the anger needs an outlet. Ultimately, someone will be blamed. They think this is all my doing, so let them think that," Li Yunzi said coldly.

"The heavens punish the people, but the people don't hate the heavens; they want you to bear the blame. What kind of logic is that? If they have the ability, let them tear the heavens apart. A bunch of cowards, a bunch of scoundrels. You have done so much for Zulong City, and they enjoy the fruits of your labor, they are spared from war, yet they have never shown a bit of gratitude. If other city-states resent you, that's one thing, but why does Zulong City have to be like this!" Shuang'er's eyes turned red.

Li Yunzi could endure such insults, but Shuang'er felt it was unjust to see her mistress being condemned and attacked.

How could the heavens blame a person?

Blame someone who has fought on the battlefield and never let a war spread to Zulong City?

Is this how the people of the world are?

Why bother for them at all!

"The people are like this, don't bear them any grudge," Li Yunzi consoled Shuang'er, who was about to cry.

As she said this, Li Yunzi saw a figure standing in the courtyard, tall and clean, with a handsome and steady demeanor. His eyes, no longer as gentle and relaxed as before, had become deep and composed.

"It's not human-caused," Zhu Minglang said as he approached Li Yunzi.

"Indeed, it's the will of heaven," Li Yunzi nodded.

In this world, there might be a divine being capable of summoning heavenly fire to attack the city, but no one could make the sky plunge into eternal night!

Zhu Minglang was initially extremely angry because everything seemed like a well-planned scheme to turn Li Yunzi from a glorious female warrior into a malevolent star.

But the heavenly fire was not caused by humans, and the eternal night was not the work of some powerful being.

This calamity had pushed Li Yunzi, who was already in a difficult situation, into the depths of despair!

"How much time is left?" Zhu Minglang asked.

"Miss, how would she know when the sky will brighten!" Shuang'er said angrily.

"Seven days from now, it could happen any day," Li Yunzi answered Zhu Minglang.

"Seven days... it should be enough. Rest and recover, no one will step into this courtyard," Zhu Minglang said.

"Alright."

Shuang'er, standing nearby, didn't understand the conversation between Li Yunzi and Zhu Minglang at all.

What time, and who would dare to invade this courtyard, which is the royal courtyard of the Li family? Could those rabble-rousers really dare to challenge a generation of female rulers?

Zhu Minglang had never spoken to the miss before, how did he seem to know everything?

Why did there seem to be a默契 (mòqì,默契 means a tacit understanding or默契) between them that she could never reach?

Was something big about to happen?

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Someone was knocking on the courtyard gate. Shuang'er, full of confusion and somewhat dazed, took a while to realize she needed to check who was at the door.

She lifted her skirt and hurried to the front of the courtyard.

After a while, she lifted her skirt again and hurried back to Li Yunzi's side.

"Miss, Zonggong Du Cheng has arrived. The head of the family hopes you will also go to the main hall, otherwise it would be impolite," Shuang'er said in a low voice.

Just as Li Yunzi was about to speak, a loud voice came from the left courtyard.

"There's no need. Tell the messenger that Miss is focusing on her recovery and will not attend any meetings or see any guests," Zhu Minglang's voice echoed.

Shuang'er looked at the white wall, wondering how he could hear from such a distance.

"Tell him as he said," Li Yunzi said.

"Alright, alright," Shuang'er nodded and lifted her skirt to run back to the front of the courtyard, seemingly feeling that since both the miss and the young master didn't take the Zonggong seriously, there was no need to rush.

So, after walking not far, she put down her skirt, took small, gentle steps, and slowly replied to the messenger.