The crabapple tree is fragrant in the tent, and the bright moon is in my arms

The palace was deserted, and the servants who were cleaning were quick and nimble. When a crow cried sadly in the sky, they dispersed nervously.

After several days of heavy rain, mixed with snow debris, it fell to the ground, making a popping sound.

There was a haze hanging over the imperial city, invisible and intangible, weighing on everyone's heart.

It was breathtaking, and everyone's eyes were looking at the altar that had been completed in a few days.

Black birds circled in the sky, and everything was filled with fog, as if they were going to swallow up the people on the altar.

The music of the sacrifice was solemn and grand, and it could be heard faintly from afar, causing all the civil and military officials to bow even lower.

Zhu Dingyuan, who was sitting high up, clenched his hands in his dragon robe and looked at the Queen Mother: "The high priest hasn't come yet."

The Queen was dressed in her best attire today. She sat on the right and said to the Queen Mother, "Your Majesty, the host has arrived. Why don't we let the host go first..."

The Queen Mother raised her hand and said, "Alright, I am far away in Shangqing Temple. All the ups and downs in the imperial city can reach my ears. Emperor, do you know what you are doing?"

Zhu Dingyuan's dark eyes were cold and he raised his hand: "Begin..."

The queen looked towards the altar, suppressing the rising joy in her heart, her fingers tightly clenched around the Buddhist beads, her eyes grim.

Zhaoyue, go to hell.

Above the altar, cloud sails and colorful silks fluttered, and the upright candles looked like orange-red glow under the gloomy sky.

She was wearing a white dress that bound her wrists. Her dress fluttered in the air in the cold wind, making her figure look even more slender. Her hair hung down behind her, with a strand of it floating up.

Let people see her stunning face.

She was like a goddess who had fallen into the dust and was put aside.

Zhaoyue looked towards the platform with indifferent eyes, and met the gazes of Zhu Dingyuan and everyone else.

"We haven't determined whether she is an evil spirit or not, so why is she tied up?" Zhu Dingyuan gritted his teeth.

"I ordered it." The Queen Mother said calmly: "All the rumors started because of her. If she really hurt someone, wouldn't it be a crime?"

"Does the Queen Mother really believe that there are evil spirits in this world?"

The Queen Mother's eyes sank. "Emperor, I was once saved by an immortal. Since there are gods, then there are ghosts in the world. What's so strange about that?"

Zhu Dingyuan restrained his expression, with a hint of sarcasm on his face, and said nothing.

Huang Quan raised his whisk and said, "Announce, Master Kong Yuan."

Master Kong Yuan, with a peaceful fragrance all over his body and a compassionate face, is wearing a yellow cassock and is bowing with his hands clasped together.

He looked at Zhaoyue with empty eyes.

He muttered complicated scriptures and stretched out his hand. A circle of white skulls hung on his thin and gray wrist.

Everyone looked at them, unable to hide their curiosity.

When blue flames emerged from the beads in Master Kong Yuan's hand, the crows hovering above let out increasingly miserable screams and flew away in a hurry.

A black feather landed on Zhao Yue's toes. She looked at Kong Yuan and smiled charmingly: "Master, am I an evil spirit?"

Kong Yuan frowned, the beads hanging in the air, illuminating the crabapple flower hairpin in the middle of her forehead into an eerie blue color.

It seemed to be burning.

All the officials were horrified and fell to their knees on the ground with weak legs.

"Look, what is that?" Someone raised his hand and pointed to the east tremblingly.

They who were sitting high up also looked over.

A huge black shadow appeared in the air, shaking its huge tail, revealing its enchanting beauty, and then disappeared in an instant.

Yuan Kong closed his eyes and put on the beads: "She is not an evil spirit, she is a demon!"

All the officials were shocked: "Monster, how could it be a monster!"

"There is actually a demon! There is actually a demon in Tianzhao!"

The Queen stood up and said, "Queen Mother, did you hear that, Your Majesty? Imperial Concubine Zhaochun is actually a demon!"

"I'm not deaf." Zhu Dingyuan looked at her with a dark look.

The queen immediately sat down. She wanted to laugh but pretended to be sad. "How could she be a demon? Imperial Concubine Zhaochun is the daughter of the Minister of Rites. She is a mortal. She must be a human."

The whispers became louder and louder, and when Master Yuankong sat cross-legged and chanted sutras for her salvation, the entire altar was burning with blue flames.

Huang Quan: "Quiet!"

All the officials fell silent and knelt on the ground trembling.

"Mother, just because of these clumsy will-o'-the-wisp fires and the fake fox in the air, you are convinced that she is a demon?"

"Emperor." The Queen Mother's voice gradually became angry: "I am still trying to protect your dignity. Have you really been blinded by the goblin?"

"If I hadn't sent someone to ask the Queen, would you have kept this a secret from me forever? This Imperial Concubine Zhaochun is extremely beautiful. The Minister of Rites and his wife are just ordinary people. How could they have given birth to such a beautiful daughter?"

Zhu Dingyuan snorted: "In this world, even people who look exactly the same can appear. Is this considered bizarre?"

He looked at Kong Yuan who was walking up the stairs step by step, with a meaningful look on his face.

The Queen Mother's eyebrows showed a trace of embarrassment: "Emperor!"

Zhu Dingyuan: "Because she is beautiful?"

Kong Yuan clasped his hands together, his voice flat, "Your Majesty, demons exist in the world and will look for hosts, and Imperial Concubine Zhaochun disappeared when she was young."

The Queen Mother: "This kind of spirit possession is unheard of. Since the master can see the true body, how can we get rid of it?"

She glanced at Zhu Dingyuan and said, "Noble Concubine Zhaochun is also a living person. Try your best to save her life."

"The Queen Mother is really kind-hearted."

Master Kong Yuan sighed and said, "Take her back to Shangqing Temple, place her in a tall pagoda, offer sandalwood and clean water to purify her soul. Perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope."

Queen: "Is this the only way? If we keep Concubine Zhaochun, is there any other way to exorcise the demon?"

She wished Zhaoyue would die immediately instead of being imprisoned in the so-called temple. What if Zhu Dingyuan went to see her then?

Only death can bring her peace of mind.

Kong Yuan frowned, "If she stays here, the fox demon will devour people and look for the next host to parasitize, and the entire Tianzhao will be destroyed!"

He waved his robe and looked at Zhao Yue, who was smiling seductively on the altar: "Your Majesty, only by letting me take her away can her life be saved."

Zhu Dingyuan gasped, his eyes grim: "If I ask you to separate the demon from her, can you do it?"

"Your Majesty, that girl will grow old. You will watch her beautiful face completely decay, her black hair turning white, her beautiful face turning into withered bones. She will definitely not want that."

After hearing this, the queen was shocked, and then delighted. If this was the case, it would be even more tormenting for her to stay in the harem.

I watched my beauty fade, watched His Majesty pass away, watched everything vanish into thin air.

Her eyes were moist with joy. "Your Majesty, Imperial Concubine Zhaochun loves you deeply. She would definitely not want to be away from you. It is better to follow the master's advice, remove the monster, and keep her in the palace. After all... she is innocent too!"

Zhu Dingyuan's breathing slowed down, sadness flashed in his eyes, and his thick brows were furrowed. He seemed to be ready to compromise. He stood up and looked at Zhaoyue: "I..."

The crows that had flown away long ago suddenly flew back, forming a hurricane around the altar and extinguishing the candles.

A tail appeared behind Zhaoyue, swaying.

An official fainted and shouted, "Fox demon!"