Inside Zhaoyang Palace.

Mo Yunzhao had just finished reviewing the day's memorials and lay down.

Suddenly, a heavy object fell to the ground, carrying a strong smell of blood.

Who is it?

The head eunuch immediately rushed in.

"Your Majesty, what has happened?"

The lamps inside the hall were lit with oil, and three blood-stained bundles were clearly visible on the ground.

You know what it is without even looking.

The head eunuch was so frightened that his legs went weak and he knelt on the ground. He then scrambled to the front of the dragon bed to block Mo Yunzhao's way, shouting shrilly.

"There's an assassin."

The Imperial Guards immediately rushed into the hall, but were driven back by Mo Yunzhao's cold shout.

"Get out!"

Yan Yunqing frowned, raised his hand to signal the guards to leave the hall, and then closed the hall door.

Ba Jin asked in a low voice, "Commander, there's such a strong smell of blood inside, won't the Emperor be in trouble?"

Liuhe also came over.

"I'm afraid the Royal Guard has done some secret work again and doesn't want us to know."

Yan Yunqing had some guesses in her mind, and she scolded them in a low voice to disperse and not say anything more.

Inside the hall.

The head eunuch knelt on the ground, not daring to speak.

Mo Yunzhao's face was ashen, and he exuded a terrifying killing intent.

"Go, uncover it."

The head eunuch dared not disobey.

With trembling hands, he went over and opened the bundle.

Three dead faces, eyes wide open, were immediately revealed.

Having followed Mo Yunzhao since childhood, how could he not recognize the face of the emperor's personal guard? He was immediately terrified.

He wasn't surprised that the other party had killed three people in a row, but rather that they had somehow managed to be delivered to the emperor's bedside without anyone noticing.

This is no different from having a knife hanging over Mo Yunzhao's neck that could be chopped off at any moment.

On the other side,

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation,

The retired emperor was not asleep; he was leaning against the soft couch, reading a book by candlelight.

When the smell of blood wafted over, he looked up.

The next moment, Akamori landed a few steps in front of him and knelt on one knee.

"Everything is as you predicted. The assassins sent to kill the Ninth Princess were the Emperor's trusted guards. I have already returned the heads of those three men."

The retired emperor casually flipped through the pages of the book.

Hearing this, she curled the corners of her lips into a smile.

"My son is going to be furious."

Akamori didn't say anything.

The retired emperor then asked, "What is the Jiang family's attitude?"

Akamori briefly recalled.

When the two men stormed into the room looking menacing, Jiang Qingwan was painting with a wolf-hair brush.

As for what was drawn, he couldn't tell, but his expression didn't show much surprise, nor did he scream in fright.

After considering it carefully, he said, "I'm not too scared."

The Emperor Emeritus's smile widened.

"I thought Xiao Jiu was blind, and that Jiang was just good-looking, but she was from the countryside and had nothing to offer. I didn't expect that after several incidents, she would have some of the air of an empress."

However, the image of Jiang Qingwan snatching his jerky, turning around to complain that it tasted bad, and even vomiting all over him flashed through Akamori's mind. He pursed his lips and did not answer.

The retired emperor leisurely turned a page of his book.

"Go down. The warning has been given; there's no need to guard it anymore."

...

Inside the dark room of Kunning Palace,

The Empress Dowager, holding a lantern, looked at Bai Shuo, who was curled up in the corner and on the verge of death, with complex emotions in her eyes.

Everyone is saying that Bai Shuo is dead.

But she knew that Bai Shuo wouldn't die.

He would risk his life to come back and see her one last time.

Sure enough, something happened tonight.

An overwhelming anger surged within her.

"Why did you lie to me? You went to Xuanling Mountain not to repair the Nine Dragons Formation, but to destroy the dragon vein of the Great Zhou Dynasty!"

Bai Shuo was covered in talismans, naked, and curled up like a ghost.

His entire head of white hair was burned off, making him look even uglier and more wretched.

He stared at the ground, not looking at the Empress Dowager's face, his breathing disordered and his voice trembling.

"I went to absorb the life essence of living people because I was struck by lightning, and my cultivation was completely destroyed. I took the treasures to Xuanling Mountain in the hope of using the spiritual array within the imperial mausoleum to restore my cultivation, but..."

He turned his head sharply, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the Empress Dowager's smooth face, which was so delicate that not a single wrinkle could be seen.

"The box you gave me doesn't contain treasures, but rather a tribulation talisman."

The Empress Dowager was greatly surprised.

"Thunder Tribulation Talisman? You can actually still..."

She suddenly noticed that the red talismans flowing around Bai Shuo all originated from an item on his chest.

But the thing was under her skin, so she couldn't see it.

A dark, ambiguous light flashed in her eyes, and she suppressed her emotions to explain.

“I have never opened that box. Killing you will do me no good.”

Bai Shuo's crimson eyes slowly returned, still fixed on the ground.

The Empress Dowager added another sentence.

"The emperor will not kill you."

It is self-evident who plotted against him.

Bai Shuo chuckled sinisterly.

"I spared his life for three months because I didn't want to break the rules of Heaven. He really wanted to die."

The Empress Dowager's gaze fell on his chest again, and she asked softly, "Can you still live?"

Bai Shuo has put aside his doubts.

The Empress Dowager would never kill him.

At this moment, the only person he could rely on and trust was the Empress Dowager.

He curled up again.

"I told you I wouldn't die. But my cultivation won't be fully restored in a short time. I need to recuperate here for a while. I'd like to trouble the Empress Dowager to find someone with the most Yin energy to help me recover both my physical and mental strength, so as not to delay my alchemy for the Emperor."

A murderous intent flashed through the Empress Dowager's mind.

He answered and left with the lantern.

As soon as I entered the hall, I saw Mo Yunzhao sitting in a chair, his whole body radiating coldness.

He looked at her coldly when she came out.

"What is Mother doing dressed like that so late at night?"

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