Poisonous Goddess: I'm just lazing around in the mortal realm.

Immediately, Eunuch Tao rushed to Duan Yuan's side, his voice extremely low.

"It's terrible, Your Majesty! Mingyue Palace is on fire!"

A hint of ferocity flashed in Duan Yuan's eyes. He slammed his fist down on the table, knocking the delicacies off the table to the ground.

He asked, still somewhat incredulous, "What did you say?"

Eunuch Tao swallowed nervously and repeated...

"The Bright Moon Palace... is on fire!"

Tao Gonggong's voice wasn't loud, but the entire main hall fell silent instantly.

Everyone looked at the emperor's face, which was completely different from the way the ministers had forced him to give an explanation to the Western Regions.

His eyes were instantly filled with murderous intent.

The establishment of Mingyue Palace initially divided the court into two factions. One faction, represented by Pei Zhiheng, led many senior officials in opposing its construction; the other faction, led by the Duke of Anguo, who was appointed to oversee the construction during a critical period, led many princes and nobles in supporting its development.

The rest were newly appointed officials who had only recently entered the palace. They maintained a neutral stance, not daring to easily offend either side.

Compared to Pei Zhiheng, who stood there calmly, it was Duke Anguo who had large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and falling to the ground. Although Mingyue Palace was usually guarded by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, as the supervisor of Mingyue Palace, he would be the first to be punished if anything happened.

Duke Anguo felt as if the sky had fallen today. The troubles in the Western Regions and the Southern Barbarians had not yet been resolved, and now the Mingyue Palace had been burned down.

Standing not far from him, Duan Yuchuan happened to witness the Duke of Anguo's flustered expression. His face turned cold, and he immediately realized that the fire tonight had ruined everything.

At this moment, Emperor Duan Yuan, leaning back on the dragon throne, felt dizzy and lightheaded. The uncontrollable rage was eroding his remaining rationality. Ever since he started taking the elixir, he often suffered from unbearable headaches whenever he got angry.

"Have you sent people to put out the fire?"

Duan Yuan gave Eunuch Tao a deep look. Trying to remain calm, his voice was still somewhat distorted. His slightly reddened eyes met Eunuch Tao's gaze, causing him to break out in a cold sweat and immediately kneel on the ground, trembling.

"They've already gone there and are putting out the fire. But..."

"Say!"

"But the Bright Moon Palace is filled with highly flammable wood, which burns extremely quickly. Even if the fire is extinguished..."

Tao Gonggong's voice grew softer and softer; tonight was the Emperor's birthday.

Normally, Mingyue Palace is patrolled and guarded by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but due to today's palace banquet, there are too many ministers and their families entering the palace. For the emperor's safety, all the Embroidered Uniform Guards have been transferred to the main hall and the area in front of the palace gate.

Tonight, there is no one else guarding the Bright Moon Palace!

"Ah--"

Duan Yuan's hands were clenched tightly under the table, unable to express his anger due to the presence of the Western Regions Khan. He kept taking deep breaths, trying to calm the tightness in his chest.

These are the good servants he has raised. Tonight, on the Emperor's birthday, they have truly prepared such a great gift for him.

"Why aren't you putting out the fire for me?" he said through gritted teeth.

"Yes...yes!" Eunuch Tao crawled on his knees as he ran out of the main hall, terrified that the emperor would order him to die a gruesome death at any moment.

The Emperor's emphasis on the Mingyue Palace led him to resolutely appoint the Duke of Anguo to oversee its construction, despite objections from Prime Minister Pei and others. This prompted Prime Minister Pei and his associates to request leave for over a month, neglecting their duties at court.

It is said that the emperor himself visited the prime minister's residence late at night to quell the matter.

Seeing this, the Duke of Anguo also considered the situation. He slowly raised his hand and said in a clear voice...

"Your Majesty, please allow me to go to Mingyue Palace to investigate first."

"Go." Duan Yuan didn't even bother to lift his eyelids. If he showed any anger at this moment, it would arouse suspicion in the Western Regions. After all, just moments ago he was the spectator who watched the show, enjoying the dogfight between the Western Regions and the Southern Barbarians.

Duke Anguo glanced at Consort An, who was not far from the emperor, then turned and walked out. He was followed by several of his trusted confidants from the court.

Shen Mu looked at the group of people leaving the main hall; they were all ministers who had openly supported the construction of the Bright Moon Palace.

Before long, only the court officials who opposed Mingyue Palace, led by Pei Zhiheng, and the new officials who did not participate in the factional struggle remained standing still in the main hall.

Extinguish the fire? They all wished the fire at Mingyue Palace would burn as brightly as possible.

Ever since that Taoist priest from Baiyun Mountain came to the capital and bewitched the emperor.

This led the emperor to become obsessed with elixirs, neglecting state affairs. They even drained the national treasury to build the Bright Moon Palace, an altar supposedly capable of granting the emperor immortality.

Their memorials, like a flurry of flying catkins, were torn to shreds by Duan Yuan in the court. The ministers still in the main hall, however, seemed to share a common sentiment, and couldn't help but feel a sense of respect for the person who had burned down Mingyue Palace.

Seeing that the atmosphere in the main hall was extremely tense, Hernanash decided not to stay any longer and broke the silence first.

"Your Majesty, I shall take my leave now. We will be setting off for the Western Regions tomorrow."

Duan Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the people of the Western Regions still had some sense. Now that he, the Emperor of Nanyang, couldn't control them, they took the opportunity to set fire to the palace, which was a joke to outsiders.

"If you depart the day after tomorrow, I will send Prime Minister Pei to see you off. I remember you stayed at Prime Minister Pei's residence when you came to Nanyang before, so you can catch up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Hernández bowed indifferently and left the main hall with his men.

Duan Yuan glanced thoughtfully at the dozen or so high-ranking officials below the hall, naturally understanding why they were standing there motionless. He could only snort coldly, flick his sleeves, and leave the main hall, striding towards Mingyue Palace.

Consort An sat on the chair like a wilted eggplant, her hand gently stroking her lower abdomen. It was all because of the sudden fire that had thrown her into disarray.

Duan Yuyan noticed out of the corner of her eye that Consort An's expression was unusual, so she quickly turned around and greeted her softly.

"Mother, are you alright?"

An Ruyi could not hide her fatigue, but she still forced a smile and said, "It's nothing, I just haven't been resting well lately."

"What should we do now?" Duan Yuyan couldn't help but steal a glance at Shen Mu. An Ruyi caught her in that single glance and couldn't help but sigh and smile bitterly.

Her daughter is nothing like her! She only has eyes for that man, Shen Mu!

Oh well, what can she do when she only has one daughter?

"Lord Shen," An Ruyi's voice rang out.

Shen Mu snapped out of his daze and saw An Ruyi get up and walk towards him, so he quickly bowed and said, "Your Highness, Imperial Concubine."

With Duan Yuyan's support, An Ruyi slowly walked to the front of the hall.

"Although the Imperial Guards have all been deployed to the main hall tonight, I hope that Commander will still come with me to check on the fire at Mingyue Palace."

It wasn't for her good-for-nothing daughter, but because if the Emperor didn't return to the main hall tonight, all her efforts would be in vain.

"Yes."

Shen Mu nodded in reply, saying that he also wanted to see for himself just how fiercely the fire at Mingyue Palace burned.

With the departure of Consort An and the others, the heavy atmosphere in the hall dissipated considerably.

Pei Zhiheng returned to his seat, poured himself a glass of wine, and drank it down in one gulp.

He knew that Duan Yuan had spent a fortune establishing the Embroidered Uniform Guard to consolidate the new emperor's position, responsible for monitoring all officials. This was to prevent someone like him, who was ruthless enough to slaughter his own brother, from ascending the throne.

The expenses of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, coupled with the three years of internal strife in Nanyang due to the succession struggle, allowed corrupt officials to amass wealth and plunder the people. When Duan Yuan became emperor, Nanyang was in dire need of reconstruction. He executed corrupt officials, quelled public resentment, and even ordered a three-year tax reduction.

Therefore, Nanyang's national treasury has always been in deficit.