If you're made a fake emperor, why did you change the country's name?

The Azure Phoenix Palace, though named after the Azure Phoenix, is actually a different world inside.

A difference of just one word makes all the difference.

The phoenix is ​​the king of all birds, and only the residence of the empress can be called the phoenix.

The Azure Phoenix is ​​a mount of immortals and a divine bird.

This name alone is enough to demonstrate the extraordinary status of the master of the palace.

The palace is magnificent, with flying eaves and brackets, and carved beams and painted rafters.

Its layout is almost identical to that of the Empress's Phoenix Palace, with bright yellow glazed tiles gleaming in the sunlight, exuding royal grandeur.

Zhao Yu's imperial carriage stopped in front of the palace gate, where the palace maids guarding the gate were already kneeling on the ground.

"May Your Majesty be well."

"Get up, everyone."

Zhao Yu waved his hand and stepped straight into the palace gate.

In contrast to its extremely luxurious exterior, the interior of Qingluan Palace is decorated in an excessively simple manner.

There were no glittering decorations, nor any expensive or luxurious plants.

The entire front palace is simply decorated, with a bamboo grove to the east, a huge artificial mountain to the west, and the palace in the middle surrounded by several clear springs. It is simple yet ethereal.

At first glance, Zhao Yu felt a sense of mystery, as if he were observing a kind of formation.

Enter the main hall.

In the very center of the main hall, a skylight opened in the roof, and sunlight poured in through the skylight, illuminating a three-foot-high white marble altar.

Several apricot-yellow banners were planted on the altar, with mysterious runes drawn on them in cinnabar.

A woman dressed in a wide dignified robe sat cross-legged on a prayer mat in the center of the altar, her eyes closed, her palms facing upwards, and her breathing exuded an otherworldly aura.

It was Shen Miaochu.

Zhao Yu slowed his pace and approached gently.

When the palace maids standing around him saw him, they all curtsied and bowed silently, not daring to make the slightest sound to disturb the people on the altar.

"You wouldn't come here without a reason. So, what is it this time?"

A cold voice rang out, but Shen Miaochu did not open her eyes, as if she already knew of his arrival.

Zhao Yu stopped in front of her, gazing at her serene profile, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Couldn't it be that I missed you and came to see you specially, and incidentally discuss the methods of dual cultivation?"

Shen Miaochu's breathing paused for a moment, then returned to normal.

"Hmph." She let out a soft snort, "You are only at the peak of the Grandmaster realm now, still a long way from the Land Immortal realm."

"That's hard to say," Zhao Yu shrugged. "Perhaps after just one dual cultivation session with you, Consort, I could ascend directly to the realm of a terrestrial immortal?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the flags on the altar suddenly moved on their own, fluttering loudly, even without wind.

Shen Miaochu suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze clear and sharp. She quickly formed a hand seal in front of her chest to end her practice, and then slowly exhaled a long breath.

The breath was long and deep, condensing into a faint white line in the early morning air.

She stood up, looking down at Zhao Yu with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Are you kidding me?"

Zhao Yu's gaze unconsciously shifted downwards.

It wasn't so obvious when she was sitting cross-legged before, but now that she's standing up, her wide Taoist robe can't hide her graceful figure at all.

Especially the chest area, where the high silhouette supports the Taoist robe, and the scenery is partially revealed as one walks, sits, or lies down, enough to inspire imagination.

Shen Miaochu noticed his rudeness and frowned.

With a slight thought, a gentle surge of internal energy emanated from her.

Below the altar, a palace maid was already waiting with a neatly folded palace dress. The dress seemed to be lifted by an invisible hand, floated lightly onto Shen Miaochu, and draped itself over her body, completely concealing her stunning beauty.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Yu touched his nose to hide his momentary embarrassment and took the initiative to steer the conversation back on track.

"Alright, I'm not kidding anymore. I'm here today to ask you for a favor."

"Speak." Shen Miaochu straightened her clothes, her tone still indifferent.

"Go to the Prince of Zhennan's mansion and secretly protect the lady of the mansion."

Shen Miaochu stopped fastening her belt, turned her head, and looked coldly at Zhao Yu.

"Using the excuse of finding an antidote for my master, just how much do you want me to do for you?"

"Ahem." Zhao Yu coughed twice, a sheepish smile appearing on his face. "It's just that the situation forces us to be like this."

"Your situation is such that you're forced to have an affair with the lady of the Prince of Zhennan's mansion?" Shen Miaochu's words carried a hint of barely perceptible bitterness.

Zhao Yu was taken aback, then immediately explained.

"What do you mean by 'secret dealings'? That sounds so awful."

"I saved her, she owes me a favor, and now someone wants to harm her, so naturally I can't stand idly by."

Shen Miaochu remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

"understood."

Seeing that she had agreed, Zhao Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as he was about to say something more, Shen Miaochu suddenly spoke up again.

"Three days from now, at the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven, you will face a bloody disaster." Her voice was calm, as if she were stating something that had nothing to do with her.

But her next sentence revealed her concern.

"Don't die."

Zhao Yu smiled faintly, but then immediately raised an eyebrow.

He was somewhat surprised, frowning as he stared at her: "How did you know I was destined for bloodshed?"

"I am the Holy Maiden of the Taixu Temple. If I don't even have the ability to predict the future, what kind of Holy Maiden am I?" Shen Miaochu's face remained calm, as if seeing through life and death was a perfectly ordinary thing.

After she finished speaking, she stopped looking at Zhao Yu and waved to the palace maid beside her.

"see a visitor out."

Zhao Yu was rebuffed, but he wasn't angry.

He gave Shen Miaochu a deep look, then turned and left.

First, Zhao Yu used witchcraft to kill people in their dreams, and now a Taoist saintess who can predict the future has arrived.

This world is far more complex than he imagined.

It seems I should find a way to further improve my skills.

……

Zhao Yu's figure disappeared outside the palace gate.

Shen Miaochu stood there, gazing in the direction he had left, a deep sense of confusion flashing in her clear, cold eyes.

She murmured softly.

"Strange...why is it a deadly situation where two imperial stars are entangled?"

Could it be that emperors from other dynasties are planning to personally come to the capital to carry out assassinations?

She was completely baffled.

The Emperor Star is an omen of the Son of Heaven; one star represents one emperor on earth.

However, her divination clearly showed two imperial stars, one bright and one dark, which were mutually fatal, completely beyond her comprehension.

She shook her head, temporarily suppressing the perplexing divination in her heart, as another concern surfaced.

She raised her hand, looking at the Taoist jade pendant at her waist, her thoughts drifting away, a mixture of nostalgia and sorrow.

"Master... what illness do you have?"

"Why... is it necessary to use the blood essence of a member of the Great Liang royal family, specifically a master at the Land Immortal Realm, as a medicinal ingredient?"