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

"I am fine."

An Ruyi couldn't hide her fatigue, perhaps because she had been sleeping in lately. She had been busy all day without having a moment's rest, which was why she looked so listless.

If it weren't for the matter of Mingyue Palace, which she feared would implicate her father, she would never have chosen to come to the fire to suffer at this time.

"You should put some on, so you don't catch a cold."

Duan Yuan gently scolded An Ruyi as he wrapped the luxurious cloak around her body, his expression still tinged with anger.

It is clear that this fire truly angered the emperor.

Duan Yuan caught a glimpse of Shen Mu standing not far away out of the corner of his eye. His already slightly furrowed brows tightened even more, and he said coldly.

"Shen Mu, I order you to find the culprit who burned down Mingyue Palace within one day."

"As ordered."

Shen Mu nodded in response, subtly shifting his position back and waiting silently. He thought to himself that the Duke of Anguo's swift arrival at Mingyue Palace to extinguish the fire must be an attempt to find a reason to shirk his responsibility.

If that's the case, then Duke Anguo will definitely drag him into this mess later.

He looked up at the raging flames engulfing the Bright Moon Palace, knowing there was no way to reverse the situation. The Bright Moon Palace harbored a tremendous calamity, not only for the Demon Lord, but also for the people of Nanyang.

Duke Anguo secretly exerted considerable effort to build the Mingyue Palace.

Again, they used the excuse of labor shortages during construction to conscript able-bodied men from the populace; again, they frequently ran out of money and petitioned for allocations; again…

Before she could sort out her thoughts, Shen Mu turned her head and saw that the man slowly walking out of the thick smoke was none other than the Duke of Anguo.

Duke Anguo carried a blackened wooden bucket in his left hand and covered his lips with his right, coughing incessantly. His round face was covered in soot from the fire, and his magnificent robe had several holes burned through it.

Shen Mu withdrew his gaze, thinking to himself that Duke Anguo was really good at putting on an act.

The holes were burned very evenly, not like they were accidentally made in a fire, but rather like they were made by someone.

An Ruyi frowned slightly, staring intently at the emperor beside her, fearing that the emperor might punish her father if he became displeased.

As he coughed, the Duke of Anguo walked unsteadily to the palace gate. He pretended to have just noticed the Emperor and slowly knelt down on the blackened ground.

"emperor……"

Duan Yuan's gaze lingered on Duke Anguo for a moment. He suddenly understood why Consort An had come to accompany him; it was simply because she was afraid he would blame her father.

Thinking of this, his expression seemed even colder than before.

He stared blankly, not saying a word.

This left the Duke of Anguo unsure of the Emperor's thoughts. He stared at the ground for a long time, but the Emperor did not speak. He could only whisper...

"Your Majesty... Your humble servant is guilty!"

The Duke of Anguo's voice pulled Duan Yuan back from his wandering thoughts. Coming back to his senses, he showed no surprise, and said calmly...

"What crime has the Duke of Anguo committed?"

"Your Majesty, I failed to properly oversee Mingyue Palace, which led to the fire. It was due to my negligence!"

As Duke Anguo spoke, he buried his head even deeper. On the other hand, An Ruyi, though appearing calm, was actually very nervous about her father. Her hands, hidden in her sleeves, seemed to be twisting the embroidered handkerchief in her hands.

She remembered that a few days ago, her father had specially sent her half-brother to the palace to deliver a very securely wrapped envelope. She had always been displeased with her half-brother who had been elevated to the status of the legitimate heir.

However, her father taught her that although the world was at peace now, the undercurrents and intrigues were difficult to discern. She also kept in mind the principle that their family's prosperity and decline were intertwined.

Therefore, no matter how unwell she was, she had to stand here and stop the emperor from blaming her father.

"What should be the punishment for improper supervision?"

Duan Yuan's tone carried a hint of unintentional coldness, which startled An Ruyi, who was standing to the side.

She glanced at him discreetly and saw the indelible murderous intent in the emperor's eyes.

When Duan Yuan was building the Bright Moon Palace, he angrily rebuked most of the senior officials in the court, especially Prime Minister Pei. Later, in an effort to ease tensions between the emperor and his ministers, Duan Yuan apparently visited Prime Minister Pei's residence late at night, which temporarily resolved the matter.

Now, having exhausted most of the national treasury, the Bright Moon Palace was not only not completed, but was also burned down on his birthday.

Even if it were someone else, it's hard to guarantee they wouldn't have murderous intent.

"Your Majesty," An Ruyi said softly, placing her hand in Duan Yuan's large palm.

"Today is your birthday, so please don't get angry."

Upon hearing this, Duan Yuan glanced at An Ruyi, whose expression wasn't very pleasant, and simply gave a perfunctory reply.

"I think I shouldn't be celebrating my birthday. I've already received enough surprises today."

He had barely finished speaking when he suddenly felt an unbearable headache. As always, whenever he got angry, this headache would flare up again.

He rubbed his temples with his large hand, trying to soothe the pain.

An Ruyi looked at him and hurriedly asked in a low voice

"Is Your Majesty having another headache?"

Duan Yuan glanced at her with some impatience, but his tone softened as he said, "It's nothing."

At this moment, he felt his head growing increasingly heavy, and he no longer had the patience to deal with the matters at hand. His gaze towards Duke Anguo became increasingly unclear.

"Duke Anguo, I see you're getting old and can't do things properly anymore. You might as well just give them to your adopted son sooner rather than later. That way, my beloved concubine won't have to worry about you every day."

"emperor……"

The words caught in Anguo Gong's throat, followed by a series of coughs. A metallic taste filled his throat, causing his mind to go blank. He completely forgot what he had prepared to say and was at a loss for words.

"If the old ones are no longer useful, I'm afraid the younger ones may not be up to the task either."

Duan Yuan rebuked in a deep voice, for Nanyang has always upheld the principle of establishing the legitimate heir as the most important person. He despised the practice of favoring concubines over wives.

This is one of the reasons why he did not appoint an empress more than ten years after the death of the late empress.

At that time, the mourning period for the death of the Duchess of Anguo had not yet ended, so he couldn't wait to elevate the concubine's status and even used some despicable means to make the concubine's son the legitimate son.

This behavior suggests that she has never cared about how awkward Consort An's status is in the deep palace.

Consort An's biological mother was the first wife of the Duke of Anguo and also the cousin of Marquis Gu.

Although this relationship has been little known since Lord Gu went to the border.

But in reality, the emperor remembered it perfectly.

After all, the court was unstable before. When the former crown prince's men secretly entered the palace to assassinate Duan Yuan, it was Marquis Gu who took the blow for him, thus ensuring his ascension to the throne.

Shen Mu lowered his eyes, staring blankly at the ground beneath his feet, lost in thought.

The people arguing in front of him had already found out when he first arrived in Nanyang. Now he was just wondering whether Zhou Jinghuai had left the palace safely, and whether the Thirteenth Prince, who had not yet shown his face, had also secretly entered the palace.

However, the only certainty is that the fire at Mingyue Palace will attract the Taoist priests behind it.

Killing the Demon Lord is their primary task.

Meanwhile, An Ruyi saw that the emperor was in a fit of anger and was becoming even more outspoken. She had no better way to stop him at the moment, so she secretly exchanged a glance with the kneeling Duke of Anguo.

He gritted his teeth and leaned back.

"Mother--"