Chapter 423: Wrath of the Masses
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Nan Feng Yu, though a Divine Attendant, possessed divine power only as a borrowed gift.
Yet, her body was still mortal flesh.
When the Prince Consort’s dagger plunged into her, blood gushed forth immediately.
The surrounding guards reacted swiftly, kicking him to the ground and restraining him without hesitation.
Nan Mu Bai kicked the blood-stained dagger into a corner.
“Father!” Nan Mu Bai’s voice was laced with both shock and fury.
The Prince Consort, however, looked at Nan Feng Yu with manic eyes. “You venomous woman! Yi’er was never a true Goddess! You forged a deity with your own hands! You knew she was a lie, yet you refused to speak, letting the gods claim her life!”
“Poisonous woman!!”
Nan Mu Bai felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
His instinct made him glance toward the people below the platform.
At some point, silence had blanketed the crowd. The quiet was so profound that even the wind’s whistle could be heard.
A shiver ran through him.
The villagers who had been fervently advocating for his sister’s honor stood frozen, blankly staring up at the platform.
Their once steadfast and devout gazes now wavered.
Faith had been shattered before their eyes.
Nan Mu Bai had witnessed the fervor of fanatics before—countless times.
After all, his mother had manipulated such zealots to accomplish many things.
“Shut his mouth! Shut him up, you fools!” Nan Feng Yu roared, her face red with rage. One hand pressed against her bleeding wound while she barked orders at the servants.
At last, they swarmed forward and gagged the Prince Consort.
Yet, it was already too late.
Nan Feng Yu’s vision blurred momentarily. The dagger had been thrust deep, and blood streamed between her fingers.
“What did the Prince Consort say?”
“What does he mean?”
“‘Forging a god’? ‘Unleashing fiendish beasts upon the people’? ‘Spreading venomous demon bees’? What does this mean?”
The once-manic crowd now trembled with clarity, as if struck by lightning, their very souls chilled to the bone.
“Our village is eight hundred miles from the Southern Capital. We walked for half a month just to come here, to celebrate and venerate the Goddess. Now, what are you saying?”
“We, the entire village, sacrificed our food, our clothes, and all our silver to pay tribute in gratitude for the Goddess who once slew demons for us. Now you tell us—she was the one who unleashed them?!”
A villager, unsteady on his feet, stammered. His shoes were caked in mud, and his big toe stuck out through the worn sole.
His clothes were patched beyond count, their fabric faded to near white.
And yet, the offerings he had placed before the shrine were fresh and abundant.
His face twisted—half-smiling, half-crying.
“You did all this for your selfish desires. To fabricate a Goddess, you used innocent people as sacrifices. You are a monster!”
“You destroyed our entire village, and yet you sought our devotion! Even murder pales in comparison to what you have done!”
“Do you rulers even see us as human?!”
An elderly man, his frail form quivering, collapsed to his knees, his spirit nearly crushed.
Lifting a trembling hand, he pointed at the gathered crowd. “All these people have traveled thousands of miles, trudging through hardship, some even prostrating every three steps, just to show their gratitude to the Goddess!”
He grasped a man’s leg and lifted his pant leg.
The man’s knees were raw, flesh mangled, wounds festering over layers of scar tissue.
Once, he had been the most devoted follower of the Goddess.
Now, his eyes were hollow, expression numb.
“This was not only slaughter—it was deception.” A single tear fell from the man’s vacant eyes.
“Hahaha! What do you take us for?!”
“Dogs?!”
The old Emperor’s heart pounded furiously.
Unease clawed at him to its peak.
With great effort, he raised his frail hand. “Return to the palace! National Advisor, find the Elves at once! Bring them back—at any cost!”
Every emperor sought immortality.
The older one grew, the more reluctant they were to relinquish power.
With palace attendants and secret guards surrounding him, under the protection of Xiangliu, the old Emperor descended from the platform.
Today, the Southern Capital’s entire populace had gathered below.
Thousands more had traveled from distant lands, summoned by Nan Feng Yu’s meticulous preparations.
Originally, this had been her advantage.
But now…
Even as the Emperor stepped down, he could feel the weight of countless gazes. The silent masses stared at him, still and watching.
His heart pounded erratically.
Though soldiers lined the streets, weapons in hand, they were insignificant compared to the sea of commoners.
The Emperor was at his weakest, yet he dared not close his eyes for even a moment.
“Father, wait for me! Father, wait!” Nan Feng Yu’s panic was boundless. She struggled to rise, desperate to follow him down.
But Xiangliu protected the Emperor and did not so much as look back.
A joke! Lu Chao Chao’s gaze was burning behind it.
If it so much as hesitated, she would sever its heads.
All nine of them!
The Empress’s eyes flickered with hatred. “The Prince Consort is mad! Seize him at once!”
Mad? No one believed that.
Nan Mu Bai looked down at the vast crowd. Though the ascension had failed, no one had left. The hush that fell upon them was oppressive—as if waiting for something.
For the first time, he felt true dread.
Even the gathered officials hesitated, unwilling to move first.
Nan Feng Yu’s expression darkened, and a weapon materialized in her grasp. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped it. “I want to see if they dare revolt!”
The guards surrounded her, escorting her down the stairs.
Nan Mu Bai, uneasy, followed closely behind.
Shi Yun murmured softly, “I never expected the Prince Consort to have a shred of conscience.”
Rong Che chuckled.
“He knew all along what Nan Feng Yu was doing. He never exposed her because he wanted to ride the wave of his daughter’s supposed divinity. He wanted to bask in Nan Zhi Yi’s ascension.”
“But now, Nan Zhi Yi is dead, and the old Emperor will surely investigate.”
“He threw his wife under the carriage to save himself. After all, his reputation outside is that of a weak and spineless man. No one would blame him, would they?”
Shi Yun hesitated.
Then slowly nodded.
Shi Yun, holding her belly, stood up and walked toward the edge of the platform.
Rong Che sighed with amusement. “You, even with a belly this big, can’t resist watching the drama unfold.”
Shi Yun grinned. “In Northern Zhao, being nosy is in our blood.” She motioned toward the Top Scholar and Prince Jing Xi.
Sure enough…
They had long found the best vantage point, watching intently.
Even Xie Yu Zhou had dragged Lu Chao Chao to the platform’s edge.
By now, Nan Feng Yu had fully descended from the high platform.
All held their breath, watching intently.
Nan Feng Yu felt her heart sink. Nan Mu Bai, alert, observed the silent, unwavering crowd.
“Your Highness, do you not owe us an explanation?”
An elder, his face lined with deep furrows, his eyes filled with unyielding hatred, spoke at last.
Nan Feng Yu lifted her chin. Her waist had been hastily bandaged with white gauze, but blood had already seeped through.
“An explanation? Why would I owe you one?”
She would never admit fault—not to a group of lowly peasants!
She was born to be the moon in the sky, and her light was a gift to them all.
What explanation did they deserve?
The pride of the royal family was etched into her very bones, ingrained in her soul.