The battle lines converged overnight, and the elite troops of Xiwan broke through the most dangerous Sword Pass in the mountains, like a sharp arrow piercing into the hinterland of the Northern Frontier.

Although Xiwan had a vast territory and a sparse population, its people were fierce and warlike. Compared to the Celestial Dynasty, which had enjoyed peace and prosperity for decades, it was like a sleeping lion and a lone, fierce wolf king.

Zhuo Yu had a battlefield background before entering the palace, and it was said that he had never been defeated. Moreover, whenever he arrived at a place, he would always massacre the city. Over time, when children in the Northern Frontier of the Celestial Dynasty cried at night, their parents would scare them by saying that Zhuo Yu was coming, and the children would be so terrified that they would not dare to speak.

This time, he did not massacre the cities but instead spread plagues wherever he went. Xiwan had a variety of sinister and treacherous evil arts, and Zhuo Yu himself was a master of them. Whenever the army passed through a city, there would be a plague, and many cities were damaged as a result.

After a while, many border garrison officers would abandon their cities and flee when they heard that the Xiwan army was approaching, so the battle lines advanced quickly, and the hinterland of the Northern Frontier of the Celestial Dynasty was already in imminent danger.

Jia Ruzhen was one of the most respected elders by the previous emperor. Qianwan Emperor's ascension to the crown prince position was actually thanks to this old Daoist priest's persuasion.

Venerable Jia was good at divination, observing the stars, and calculating the Eight Trigrams. The previous emperor believed that he could foresee the future. When Li Ji was still fighting on the battlefield as an illegitimate prince, he once returned to the capital. Venerable Jia pointed at him and said to the previous emperor, "This is a true dragon!"

This sentence was the real reason why the previous emperor decided not to appoint Prince Dongyang Jinyuan as the crown prince but Li Ji instead. Because of this, Li Ji had always treated Venerable Jia as the imperial teacher for more than a decade after his ascension to the throne, respecting him in the Star Observation Hall of the inner palace and giving him a first-rank official position.

It could be said that the most favored in the entire court were the Ding and Xia families, but the most trusted was Venerable Jia, who had not been involved in worldly affairs for more than a decade.

At this moment, Jia Ruzhen was quietly looking at the bright yellow silk scroll in front of him. The ink on the few large characters was not yet dry, emitting a faint ink fragrance in the Star Observation Hall under the night sky.

— When the evil dragon emerges, it should be confronted with a true dragon.

This was secretly instructed by the Qianwan Emperor. In fact, the Qianwan Emperor might not really believe in those supernatural things, especially in the real confrontation on the battlefield with real swords and spears. What did it have to do with gods and ghosts? Were there few cases of countries perishing because of their superstitious belief in divination in the previous dynasties?

But sometimes, these gods and ghosts could be used as excuses for certain things, making people have to believe even if they didn't.

Eunuch Zhang, who brought this bright yellow silk scroll, lowered his eyes and said with a flattering smile, "His Majesty's intention is very clear. It's not a good thing for the crown prince to remain so weak... Although the Qinghe Princess is pregnant with the imperial grandson, what if the crown prince becomes the regent? What if the imperial grandson is also incompetent...?

"In this light, it's better to send the crown prince to the battlefield for a few years of tempering... It's not that His Majesty doesn't care about the father-son relationship. His Majesty also came from the battlefield. Sending the crown prince to the battlefield now is not to harm him but to love him..."

— If the crown prince returns, he will naturally be a qualified crown prince who has gone through tempering, so let him ascend the throne then.

If the crown prince unfortunately dies for the country, there are still many illegitimate princes worth cultivating...

Jia Ruzhen knew that his divination was actually a tool. But who wasn't a tool? Did he have any other choice? An old man who had lived deep in the palace for more than a decade, did he have any other choice?

When the evil dragon emerges, it should be confronted with a true dragon... Tomorrow, he would present the silk scroll at the morning court, and this would be the result of observing the stars at night... His Majesty couldn't personally lead the troops, so who else could be called a true dragon? Apart from the Eastern Palace Crown Prince, who else would be pushed to the front?

Jia Ruzhen let out a long sigh of relief and slowly put down the brush. He sealed the bright yellow silk scroll with wax and placed it in a hidden compartment. Just then, a soft voice came from outside, "Venerable, shall I serve the tea?"

Venerable Jia needed to drink tea, burn incense, and tune the zither every night before he could fall asleep. He didn't pay much attention and nodded, "Serve it."

The young eunuch walked over with his head lowered and presented a cup of Lao Jun Mei tea. Jia Ruzhen found his appearance quite unfamiliar, so he casually asked, "Are you newly entered the palace?"

The boy was in his teens, with delicate and beautiful features, but his face was fearful. "This servant has just entered the palace. The chief eunuch said I was clever and sent me to serve the Venerable..."

Venerable Jia nodded, "It's nothing. You don't need to be afraid. I just asked because you looked unfamiliar to me. You may go."

The young eunuch answered yes but didn't leave, standing there and looking at him. Venerable Jia felt a little strange. He was about to ask what was wrong when he suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness surging up.

The drowsiness came too fiercely. His vision quickly became blurred. In a daze, the young eunuch smiled at him. That smile was indescribably strange and dazzling.

Then he knew nothing.

Jia Ruzhen woke up at the time of the morning court the next day. He was awakened by Zhang Kuo and a group of young eunuchs. "Venerable! Wake up quickly! His Majesty is waiting at the morning court!"

Venerable Jia was old. In a hurry, how could he think of other abnormalities? He quickly took out the memorial from the hidden compartment and was carried into a carriage. The wax seal on the memorial seemed a bit off for some reason, but he didn't pay attention to it. After all, he was an old man and had just woken up, still feeling unwell.

This morning, the Qianwan Emperor specifically ordered the crown prince to attend the court together. Civil and military officials stood on both sides. Xia Zheng and Ding Huang stood in the first place as the assisting ministers. The entire hall was silent, watching the white-haired Venerable Jia ascend the hall, holding up the bright yellow silk scroll with both hands, and kneeling deeply on the ground, shouting, "Long live the emperor, long live, long live—!"

With a glance from the Qianwan Emperor, Zhang Kuo took a swift step forward and personally helped Venerable Jia up. "Venerable, please rise quickly!"

Venerable Jia chuckled: "This old minister does not dare to lose propriety in front of the Emperor. As long as there is still breath in me, this head will definitely kowtow... Your Majesty is wise and brilliant. Last night, this old minister observed the stars and divined the heavenly signs. We can overcome the unrighteous army of Xiwan. Therefore, I came specially to report to Your Majesty..."

The Qianwan Emperor then showed an appropriate expression of pleasure: "I have always believed in the words of the Venerable Master."

Old people are like this. They become extremely satisfied with just a little praise. Venerable Jia stroked his beard, feeling content.

He opened the bright yellow silk scroll and read aloud: "Reporting to Your Majesty, this old minister saw an evil star offending the Purple Star, indicating war and killing, stirring up the world and not allowing peace. That State Preceptor Zhuo of Xiwan has committed too many bloody killings, offending the heavens. Although he may gain a temporary edge, it will not last long. Now, an evil dragon has entered the world. Only with a true phoenix can it be countered—"

Venerable Jia suddenly stopped. He suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Zhang Kuo, who was standing beside him, also changed his expression. In an instant, it turned pale, as if he had been heavily punched.

Not only Zhang Kuo, even the expression of the Qianwan Emperor on the throne changed slightly. Venerable Jia opened his blurry old eyes and carefully read along the words on the bright yellow silk scroll, his tone full of doubt: "When the evil dragon appears in the world, it should be countered with a true... true phoenix..."

He clearly wrote the words "true dragon" with his own hands last night. When did it change to "true phoenix"?

Phoenix, phoenix refers to the Empress. Could it mean that the Empress should personally lead the troops?

Absolutely ridiculous!

The Qianwan Emperor's face turned ashen. He was just enduring and not lashing out.

His tone already carried a hint of reprimand: "Venerable One, is this divination referring to the Empress? Not to mention that there is no record of women from the imperial harem going to the front lines in our dynasty, even in the previous dynasty, only a fatuous ruler would bring a woman to personally lead the troops!"

Seeing that the situation was not good, the ministers immediately knelt down in unison: "Your Majesty, please do not compare yourself to a fatuous ruler!"

"Your Majesty is wise, benevolent and virtuous. How can you be mentioned in the same breath as the perished rulers of the previous dynasty!..."

Zhang Kuo was quite clever. Seeing this, he immediately knelt heavily and said loudly: "Your Majesty! This servant dares to say a word. Perhaps Venerable Jia's divination is unclear. Let the old man observe again tonight!"

Among the ministers, those who reacted quickly immediately followed suit and submitted: "Your Majesty, calm your anger. The divination is unclear. It can be done again!"

"The Venerable One is advanced in years. He should act cautiously, especially in the art of divination. He should be careful and do it multiple times before reporting to the heavenly ears!"

Jia Ruzhen stood to the side, somewhat at a loss. He watched the crowd kowtowing like waves. He wanted to say something, but how could these old foxes who had been rolling in officialdom for many years allow him to speak? Each of them rushed to finish speaking first, saying it beautifully and impeccably, even causing the Qianwan Emperor's expression to soften.

"In that case, Venerable Jia should divine again. Speaking of erroneous divinations, it has happened in the previous dynasty. National affairs cannot be taken lightly. Venerable Jia, please take the trouble again—"

Before he could finish, a slightly hoarse but gentle young voice suddenly came from the ranks of the officials.

"Your Majesty," Shangguan Mingde stepped out step by step and stood in the center of Zhengtai Palace, calmly raising his head to meet the Qianwan Emperor's gaze on the dragon throne. "This minister feels that Venerable Jia's divination is correct."

Jia Ruzhen turned his head and suddenly felt as if he had been struck by lightning, unable to say a word.

He still recognized this young man's face. It was the little eunuch who served him tea last night! It was him!

Mingde completely ignored Venerable Jia's shocked gaze. Because now, the Qianwan Emperor's expression was very ugly, so ugly that it seemed he wished he could rush down and give him a hard slap, but had to forcibly restrain this desire.

Mingde smiled lightly. This smile was very humble, but for some reason, it just happened to bring out a hint of blood, a hint of ferocity, but even more so, it was lush and alluring.

The Qianwan Emperor opened his mouth to say something, but unexpectedly, Ding Huang could not hold back at this moment and reprimanded: "Lord Shangguan, what nonsense are you saying? According to you, the divination is correct. Could it be that you want the Empress to personally lead the troops?"

Mingde said lightly: "Lord Ding, your words are wrong. Does the phoenix necessarily refer to the Empress?"

"Lord Shangguan is really muddled! Apart from the current Empress Dowager, who else can be called a true phoenix descending to the world!"

"Lord Ding..."

"Shangguan Mingde!" the Qianwan Emperor suddenly knocked over the memorials beside his hand. "Get back!"

He meant to get back to his place in the ranks. But Mingde would not listen. If he would listen to Li Ji's words, he would not be Shangguan Mingde.

Ding Huang was shocked by the Qianwan Emperor's obvious anger. Before he could say anything, the usually gentle and delicate Lord Shangguan suddenly retorted sharply: "Since Lord Ding is ignorant and inexperienced, don't show off your knowledge in the imperial court! Venerable Jia was once revered as the State Preceptor by the previous emperor. How could he be wrong in his divination! Is Lord Ding questioning the previous emperor's decree again?"

Ding Huang was simply stunned. Shangguan Mingde gave him a cold glance and turned to the Emperor. He reached out from top to bottom and took off his court robe.

It was a sky-blue robe, with a front opening. In fact, with a light untying of the sash, it easily fell to his feet, like withering branches and leaves.

Shangguan Mingde stood in a very forward position. When that court robe lightly fell to the ground, the expressions of all the ministers behind him changed.

— A huge, complete phoenix imprint.

A complete, clear, soaring golden-red phoenix imprint.

Venerable Jia almost fainted. His teeth chattered as he spoke, almost incoherently: "...Descendants of the Celestial people... Phoenix imprint... It's really the phoenix imprint..."

The legendary phoenix branch of the Celestial people's descendants, a bloodline that had long been extinct, was actually still being secretly passed down. Many people have heard of it before, while even more have never even heard of it. Those legendary magical abilities have gradually disappeared over the centuries as the bloodline thinned out, but the legends remain, and the Phoenix Symbol remains. It is a totem in itself.

A spiritual totem.

He was facing the Qianwan Emperor directly, so the Qianwan Emperor couldn't see the huge mark stretching from his shoulder blades to his lower back. He could only see that young man, who should have only been curled up in his arms, belonging solely to him, standing bare-chested and tall in the center of the court, with countless astonished and shocked gazes behind him.

If anyone could see the Qianwan Emperor's expression, it would undoubtedly be terrifying.

Zhang Kuo did see it though. As the top-ranking chief eunuch at the pinnacle of power, he knew when to avert his gaze and when to closely observe the emperor's expression. As he looked at the Qianwan Emperor, he suddenly had a strange illusion: he felt that even if Venerable Jia demanded the empress herself to personally lead the troops into battle, the Qianwan Emperor's expression would still look slightly better than it did at this very moment.

The way he looked at Shangguan Mingde was as if he wanted to devour him alive.

Chillingly sinister.

The court fell into chaos, Venerable Jia fainted, and the generals all felt as if they had received a great pardon, nearly causing an incident. In the end, the Qianwan Emperor decisively declared that the court would adjourn for the day and reconvene tomorrow to discuss further.

Mingde knelt among the crowd, listening to that man's cold voice, barely restraining his anger. The corners of his lips slowly curled up into a slight smile.

No fear. He may be able to escape today, but he can't escape the wagging tongues of the people under heaven.

The officials filed out of the Zhengtai Palace one by one through the grand doors, with a gentle spring breeze blowing over the nine tiers of jade steps. Perhaps the wind at the borders was still cold, like the sharp burn of strong liquor. But that was also a kind of rich intensity, with freedom amidst the pain.

As Mingde descended the jade steps, a hand suddenly reached out beside him. Zhang Kuo bowed deeply, shielding him from the front.

"Master Mingde, His Majesty... is waiting for you in the imperial study..."