Black Myth: The Legend of Tianpeng Seeking Demons

Huaqing Palace, with its steaming hot springs, features pavilions and terraces that appear and disappear in the thin mist, resembling a fairyland.

A few days ago, border battles broke out frequently, causing Emperor Xuanzong of Tang great distress. At this time, An Lushan's frequent victories brought some comfort to Emperor Xuanzong. In order to reward An Lushan's achievements, Emperor Xuanzong decided to hold a banquet in the palace to temporarily ease the tense atmosphere caused by the war.

Dressed in magnificent robes, An Lushan sat below the throne, his gaze fixed on Yang Guifei, who was dancing gracefully in the center of the banquet. Yang Guifei, in a red dress, moved with captivating grace, her movements as passionate and unrestrained as a flame, yet as light and charming as a spring breeze.

The lively rhythm of the Hu Xuan dance, accompanied by the crisp sound of bells, resonated with An Lushan's heartbeat, and the infatuation in his eyes was undisguised.

"My beloved concubine's dance is becoming more and more exquisite, truly unparalleled!" Emperor Xuanzong looked at Yang Guifei with eyes full of doting and admiration.

"Your Majesty flatters me. I only know a little bit about it," Consort Yang said with a graceful bow and a shy smile.

An Lushan clapped along with the others, his eyes burning as he looked at Yang Guifei, as if he wanted to melt her.

"Your Highness, my admiration for you is like a surging river, never-ending..." An Lushan exclaimed in a gruff voice, drawing chuckles from those around him.

Consort Yang simply smiled and said nothing more.

Zhu Rong, sitting beside Yang Guifei, witnessed the entire scene. She keenly sensed the aggressiveness in An Lushan's eyes and a sense of vigilance rose in her heart.

"Xiao Bai, this An Lushan doesn't seem like a good person..." Zhu Rong whispered to Xiao Bai in the jade pendant.

"Hmph, this is an ambitious fellow!" Xiao Bai's voice carried a hint of disdain. "On the surface, he is loyal to the emperor, but he is hiding a dark secret."

Zhu Rong nodded; she also felt that An Lushan was not as simple as he appeared on the surface.

After the banquet, An Lushan was arranged to rest in the palace. He had drunk quite a bit of wine and was unsteady on his feet. With the help of palace maids, he staggered towards his room.

However, instead of returning to his own room, he inexplicably ended up at the entrance of Yang Guifei's palace.

"Your Highness, this humble general... this humble general..." An Lushan said drunkenly, reaching out to push open the door to the palace.

"General, you're drunk! This is the Imperial Concubine's palace; you can't go in!" The palace maid guarding the door hurriedly stopped him.

"Your Highness... This humble general... wants... wants..." An Lushan mumbled incoherently, unable to speak a complete sentence. He forcefully pushed aside the palace maid and stumbled into the bedchamber.

At this moment, Consort Yang was resting. Hearing the noise, she quickly got up and saw An Lushan standing drunkenly in front of her bed. She immediately exclaimed, "General An, you... what are you doing here?!"

"Your Highness... This humble general... This humble general..." An Lushan mumbled incoherently, then collapsed onto Yang Guifei's bed.

Just then, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang suddenly arrived at Yang Guifei's palace. He originally wanted to give Yang Guifei a surprise, but he did not expect to witness this scene, and was immediately furious.

Okay, here is the complete storyline that has been revised based on the suggested changes:

Paragraph 1: The groundwork laid before the banquet at Huaqing Palace and An Lushan's ambition

The steam from the hot springs at Huaqing Palace still lingered, making the pavilions and terraces appear and disappear like a fairyland. A few days earlier, border battles had raged, causing Emperor Xuanzong of Tang great distress. Now, news of An Lushan's frequent victories offered some solace to the emperor. To reward An Lushan's achievements, Emperor Xuanzong decided to hold a banquet in the palace to temporarily ease the tension built up by the war.

The clamor of the banquet gradually rose. Zhu Rong stood at a distance, watching the revelry in the palace, but her heart was filled with vigilance. A few days ago, she had noticed An Lushan's strange behavior, and suspicions had already formed in her mind. "Xiao Bai, An Lushan's ambitions don't stop there. I must be constantly vigilant," she murmured to herself.

"Be careful, this person is cunning." Xiao Bai responded coldly from within the jade pendant.

The banquet officially began, and the palace was filled with joy. Yang Guifei, dressed in a red gown, danced gracefully, her movements delicate and light, like a burning flame. An Lushan sat below the throne, his eyes fixed on Yang Guifei's dance, his infatuation undisguised.

Emperor Xuanzong looked at Yang Guifei with eyes full of affection and said with a smile, "My beloved concubine's dance is becoming more and more exquisite, and can be described as unparalleled in the world."

Consort Yang bowed gracefully and replied shyly, "Your Majesty flatters me. I only know a little bit about this."

An Lushan clapped along with the crowd, but his gaze was deep and ardent, as if he wanted to etch Yang Guifei's image into his heart forever.

Zhu Rong, who was sitting to the side, noticed An Lushan's gaze, her heart tightened, and she whispered to Xiaobai, "An Lushan looks like he has ill intentions."

"Hmph, he's very well hidden. He's definitely not a simple schemer." Xiaobai's voice carried a hint of wariness.

The clamor of the banquet gradually subsided, and Emperor Xuanzong departed contentedly. Yang Guifei was escorted back to her palace by palace maids. An Lushan, though he had drunk quite a bit, remained lucid. The palace maids guided him away from the banquet, intending to return to his own palace. However, as he passed Yang Guifei's palace, his gaze lingered briefly, and an uncontrollable desire welled up within him.

"The Imperial Concubine will eventually be mine." An Lushan thought to himself, a slight smile playing on his lips. Although he staggered slightly, he forced himself to suppress his inner impulse and continued walking toward his residence.

Second paragraph: The conspiracy emerges and Zhu Rong's investigation

As Zhu Rong watched An Lushan leave, her unease grew stronger. During the banquet, she noticed Gao Lishi repeatedly speaking furtively with An Lushan in hushed tones, and their interactions aroused her suspicion.

"Xiao Bai, I think there must be something fishy going on between Gao Lishi and An Lushan," Zhu Rong said thoughtfully.

"You'd better keep a close eye on them; these people won't easily reveal any weaknesses," Xiaobai warned.

Zhu Rong quietly followed behind An Lushan, observing him discreetly. Just as she was about to turn away, she suddenly saw Gao Lishi sneakily approach An Lushan and, taking advantage of his drunkenness, secretly pour a packet of powder into An Lushan's wine cup. Zhu Rong's heart skipped a beat; she realized that this was all a carefully planned conspiracy.

Shortly after the banquet ended, An Lushan, supported by palace maids, staggered towards his room. However, the drug took effect very quickly, causing him to become unsteady on his feet and his mind to gradually become clouded. Ultimately, as if possessed, he walked towards Yang Guifei's palace.

Consort Yang was resting in her palace when she suddenly heard a noise outside. She got up to investigate. When she saw the drunken An Lushan push open the door and enter, she exclaimed in panic, "General An, what are you doing here?"

However, An Lushan, in a daze, was unable to answer and collapsed right in front of Yang Guifei's bed. Just then, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang arrived, wanting to give Yang Guifei a surprise, but was enraged by the scene before him.

"How dare you, An Lushan! How dare you be so disrespectful!" Emperor Xuanzong of Tang pointed at An Lushan, his anger barely contained.

Upon seeing this, Consort Yang immediately knelt down and explained, "Your Majesty, I truly do not know why General An would break into my bedchamber. I am innocent!"

Although Emperor Xuanzong was furious, his affection for Yang Guifei made him hesitate. He looked coldly at Yang Guifei and An Lushan, his heart filled with contradiction and confusion.

"Your Highness, what exactly is going on?" Emperor Xuanzong asked, his voice filled with suppressed anger.

Consort Yang hurriedly defended herself: "Your Majesty, I had no such intention. I was completely unaware that General An had entered my bedchamber. If I have uttered even the slightest lie, I am willing to be severely punished!"

"An Lushan, you... get out of here!" Emperor Xuanzong of Tang roared, pointing at An Lushan.

An Lushan finally sobered up. Seeing the scene before him, he was terrified and immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy: "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! This humble general... this humble general was just confused for a moment..."

"Get out!" Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was furious and kicked An Lushan to the ground.

An Lushan scrambled out of the palace, his heart filled with fear and regret. He knew he had committed a terrible crime.

Zhu Rong witnessed all of this from a distance. She realized that someone must have deliberately framed Yang Guifei. She decided to find out the truth and clear Yang Guifei's name.

"Xiao Bai, I'm going to use 'Time Rewind'!" Zhu Rong thought to herself.

"You idiot, are you sure?" Xiaobai asked. "This supernatural power consumes a lot of energy, and your current magic power is not enough to support you in using it for a long time."

"I know, but for the sake of the Imperial Concubine, I must do this!" Zhu Rong said firmly.

She closed her eyes, concentrated her mind, and pushed her "time travel" ability to its limit.

The scene before my eyes began to rewind, as if time had turned back several hours...

Zhu Rong saw Gao Lishi sneak up to An Lushan and secretly pour a small packet of medicine powder into his wine glass.

"So it was him!" Zhu Rong's heart skipped a beat; she had found the real culprit who framed Yang Guifei!

She opened her eyes, quickly ran to the emperor, and told him the truth she had seen.

"Your Majesty, I have something important to report!" Zhu Rong said urgently, kneeling on the ground.

"What is it?" Emperor Xuanzong was still furious. "Do you still intend to plead for the Imperial Concubine?"

"No, Your Majesty, I want to tell you that Consort Gui was framed!" Zhu Rong said. "I personally witnessed Gao Lishi drugging An Lushan's wine, which led to his..."

"You...you're telling the truth?" Emperor Xuanzong looked at Zhu Rong in surprise.

"Your Majesty, I would never dare to deceive you!" Zhu Rong said. "I swear on my life that everything I have said is true!"

Emperor Xuanzong was skeptical and immediately summoned Gao Lishi for questioning. Seeing that his scheme had been exposed, Gao Lishi initially tried to plead his innocence: "Your Majesty, I am innocent! I was merely offering General An a toast; I had no other intentions."

Zhu Rong said coldly, "Gao Lishi, if you had no ulterior motives, why did you secretly poison me?"

Seeing that he could not escape, Gao Lishi knew he could no longer hide the truth, so he knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, this servant was indeed confused. This servant only wanted to please General An so that he would serve Your Majesty more on the battlefield. This servant absolutely had no other intentions!"

Although Emperor Xuanzong was still furious, he began to doubt An Lushan's true intentions in the face of Gao Lishi's pleas and explanations. In the end, he ordered Gao Lishi to be imprisoned for further investigation and that An Lushan be placed under closer surveillance.

Although Emperor Xuanzong of Tang did not completely believe Gao Lishi's words, he had begun to doubt An Lushan's loyalty. He ordered Gao Lishi to be imprisoned for several days and intensified surveillance of An Lushan.

Zhu Rong watched Gao Lishi being led away, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that although she had resolved the immediate crisis, the conspiracy behind it involved far more than just Gao Lishi; the true mastermind was still lurking in the shadows. She had to remain vigilant at all times to protect Yang Guifei from even greater danger.