Luo Daoqing’s words were like a stone thrown into a lake, stirring up ripples that spread outward.
The wave of whispering among the commoners grew louder. Some nodded, others wore expressions that said “it’s only right,” and someone even shouted, “You’re damn right!”
Luo Daoqing’s heart hammered in his chest.
He had made the right bet.
No one wanted to miss out on seeing a villain receive retribution.
These people cursed him and pointed fingers at him because, at the end of the day, they felt he was a creature that deserved to die.
If they could watch him die over and over again, be resurrected, and then die once more to pay for his victims’ lives with his own...
That kind of satisfaction would be far more gratifying than simply killing him once.
“Divine Lady!”
An old man in the crowd fell to his knees, his voice trembling with excitement. “You can’t let him off so easily! Letting him die only once is far too light a punishment!”
Seeing Xiaodie’s death on the Sky Curtain just now had reminded him of his own ill-fated daughter. She had also been a maid in a wealthy household and had died under mysterious circumstances.
When he went to the yamen to report it, they ignored him, telling him that a maid who had sold herself into slavery was not under their jurisdiction.
He couldn't understand it. They were all human beings, so why wouldn't the yamen investigate a murder? Was a maid’s life not a life?
With nowhere else to turn, he had gone to that household to demand an explanation for his daughter, only to be beaten and thrown out.
Meanwhile, in the grand manors, restaurants, and teahouses throughout the city, countless maids and servants looked up at the Sky Curtain.
A single mistake could lead to being sold or executed. Was this not the terrifying reality of their daily lives?
Their masters and mistresses held their contracts of indenture. If they were displeased, a servant could be beaten to death, wrapped in a straw mat, and dumped in a mass grave without anyone ever asking a question.
The life of a servant was cheaper than grass; it was a lowly existence.
The death of a maid or a manservant was like breaking an inexpensive trinket; no one cared whether they lived or died. There were too many poor people in this world who couldn't afford to eat, and there were plenty of others willing to sell themselves into slavery just for a meal.
This was something everyone knew in their hearts.
But now, they saw the Divine Lady seeking justice for a mere maid, stepping in to punish the State Preceptor himself.
That was the State Preceptor, a man second only to the Emperor, a grand figure they would never even see in their entire lives!
Everyone’s mind suddenly buzzed with a realization.
It wasn't until they saw the Divine Lady actually force the State Preceptor to endure the pain Xiaodie had felt before her death that they truly understood.
It turned out that in the eyes of a deity, the life of a maid and the life of a State Preceptor carried the exact same weight!
The masters were human.
The maids and servants were also human.
The lives of the masters mattered.
The lives of the maids and servants also mattered.
In the past, they wouldn't have even dared to think such thoughts, let alone speak them. Today, the Divine Lady’s act of justice allowed them all to see a glimmer of light called hope.
Across the city, more and more maids and servants raised their heads.
“He must pay the price!”
Feeling a shared sense of grief for one of their own, they all knelt toward the Divine Lady on the Sky Curtain with reddened eyes, their emotions boiling over.
“He killed so many innocent people! Even if he dies ten million times, it wouldn't be enough to atone for his crimes!”
“A life for a life! A life for a life! A life for a life!”
One after another, the commoners were swept up in the fervor, kneeling on the ground and shouting in unison.
Shen Yu watched the united people, a light never seen before appearing in his eyes. He reached out and grabbed Shen Jue’s shoulder, saying urgently, “Brother, the Divine Lady’s act is enlightening the masses!”
The world was full of ignorance.
He wanted to change it, but he was powerless.
Even as the Second Young Master of the Marquis of Ningyuan’s manor, he had no way to fight against a class system that had existed since ancient times.
But the Divine Lady could.
How could the systems of the mortal world possibly constrain a deity?
Shen Jue looked at his excited younger brother and then instinctively looked up at the sky.
On the Sky Curtain, the Divine Lady stood silently in the void.
She did not sit upon any magnificent throne, nor was she framed by auspicious clouds or divine radiance.
She simply stood there, independent and detached from the world.
Her eyes were full of compassion for the suffering, yet she remained unreachable.
Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder—if the Divine Lady loved all living beings, could she also love a single person? If that person were him, how wonderful would that be...
Pei Du was also watching the Divine Lady on the Sky Curtain. At this moment, his heart was just like Shen Yu’s, filled with immense excitement.
But amidst that excitement, he also felt a trace of panic.
He had always advocated for universal brotherhood and often discussed the world’s injustices with his friends, saying that “everyone should have dignity.”
However, those words had never included the servants in his own backyard.
In great noble clans, servants were merely considered a part of the “family property” used to showcase the clan’s status.
If a maid’s life was equal to a State Preceptor’s, then were the domestic slaves raised by the Pei Clan equal to him, Pei Du?
If they were equal, then where did the distinction between master and servant come from?
For a moment, he felt as if he were being torn in two. One half of him yearned for that world where everyone was truly equal, while the other half feared he would become the sinner who brought about the downfall of the Pei family.
While everyone was lost in their own thoughts, the Divine Lady spoke: “Since it is the will of the people, I shall grant it.”
“Luo Daoqing, do you still remember the ninth day of the second month in the third year of the Zhaoming era? At a spring banquet, you fell in love at first sight with Wang Miaomiao, the second legitimate daughter of the Minister of Rites. You harassed her with love poems, and after she rejected you, you flew into a rage. While drinking and making merry at a pleasure house, your reckless words led to her death.”
Being dragged out for a public execution again, Luo Daoqing’s reaction this time was even more intense than the last. “Divine Lady, please be fair! I was just drunk at the time and said a few foolish things. How could I have caused someone’s death? There must be a misunderstanding!”
The Divine Lady cast an indifferent glance at him.
“Whether it is a misunderstanding or not, you will know clearly once you experience Wang Miaomiao’s ordeal for yourself.”
She lowered her eyes slightly and added, “This time, you still have three days to change Wang Miaomiao’s fate.”
Without giving Luo Daoqing any time to react, he was sucked into a door by a massive force.
The door slowly closed and then opened again.
When Luo Daoqing opened his eyes, he saw a crabapple tree in full bloom.
Pink and white petals drifted onto his shoulders, and the scent of flowers and feminine cosmetics lingered in the air.
The sound of chirping laughter rose and fell around his ears.
He looked down.
He saw a primrose-yellow ruqun with intertwined lotus patterns embroidered on the sleeves and a green silk sash tied around the waist.
Without a doubt, he had become Wang Miaomiao.
Before he could even calm his mind, a commotion suddenly broke out at the other end of the banquet.
“Is that the Lord State Preceptor?”
“The State Preceptor is the Emperor’s favorite right now. They say he’s an immortal reincarnate...”
The whispering continued.
Luo Daoqing followed those gazes.
And then, he saw himself.
No, he saw the “Luo Daoqing” who had used cheap tricks to secure his position as State Preceptor and was now full of self-importance.
The man held a piece of gold-flecked paper in his hand. His gaze swept over the banquet before finally landing on him.
“Lady Wang, I have admired you for a long time. I have prepared a short poem; I hope you will accept it.”
Luo Daoqing looked at the love poem on the gold-flecked paper, then at the face belonging to “himself.”
Should he take it or not?
If he took it, would he be able to find a way to survive?
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