You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

"For the past few days, I've been giving it the Zen Enlightenment attribute, but today it's the Artwork attribute..."

What's the use of this thing?

As Lu Zuo watched the characters gradually disappear before his eyes, he pondered to himself, "The Empress is a Buddhist, which is why she gave Chanwu this extra reward."

"And her comprehension and understanding of Buddhism have a limit, so the extra rewards are based on that limit?"

"Although we can't be sure, we can give it a try."

"I'll come to the Empress's place again tonight and see what she gives us tomorrow morning."

With this in mind, Lu Zuo got out of bed, changed his clothes and washed up with the help of the Empress and Yun Yanyue, ate breakfast, and left Kunning Palace.

……

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, just as Lu Zuo was about to sit down cross-legged, Li Cheng'an's voice came from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, this old servant Li Cheng'an requests an audience."

Lu Zuo frowned and immediately used the Nine Yang Return to Origin Technique to suppress his inner energy.

Generally speaking, one cannot see through another person's cultivation level, but a skilled martial artist can still make a rough judgment based on their aura.

"Come in."

Crackling sounds...

With a series of soft sounds, Li Cheng'an's figure came into Lu Zuo's view.

"I have important matters to discuss with His Majesty. You may all withdraw and remain nearby. Do not allow anyone to approach the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

"Yes, Ancestor."

The eunuchs and maids guarding the door bowed and turned to leave.

Li Chengan walked in, closed the palace door, and his previously respectful posture instantly changed. His eyes flashed with a sharp light as he carefully examined Lu Zuo.

His heart skipped a beat. Could this old man have noticed that my cultivation level has improved?

"Although this political affair is none of your business, you cannot be too lax."

Li Chengan withdrew his gaze, his expression softening slightly, and said in a high-pitched voice, "Since returning to the capital, he has not attended court, and the civil and military officials have been discussing this."

"Although I have been using His Majesty's poor health as an excuse, it is time for you to make an appearance in front of everyone."

You must attend the morning court session tomorrow.

Lu Zuo nodded and said yes, but after Li Cheng'an explained his purpose, he ignored him and turned to leave Yangxin Hall.

Is this old man spying on me?

He was indeed still on my guard!

Just now, when Li Chengan looked at him with that sharp, piercing gaze, Lu Zuo had the illusion that Li Chengan had seen through him from head to toe, inside and out!

and……

Extremely strong!

"Judging from his reaction, he probably didn't notice the change in my strength..."

Lu Zuo wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, secretly relieved: "Fortunately, fortunately I cultivated a technique that can conceal my aura."

"Otherwise, I really don't know how that old man would have treated me..."

A strong sense of unease washed over me!

The feeling of having one's life and death controlled by others is just too damn unbearable!

At the same time, Lu Zuo had a thought: "This old eunuch has just taken over the Imperial Guards and has a lot to do."

"Since returning to the palace, I haven't seen you once. Why have you suddenly come today...?"

"etc!"

Lu Zuo's pupils suddenly contracted sharply, and he broke out in a cold sweat!

"Wrong..."

"That's completely wrong!"

"You could even say... it's deadly!"

Under normal circumstances, what would happen if an ordinary person suddenly rose to prominence overnight?

He will lose himself, indulge in pleasure, and behave even more outrageously than the tyrannical emperor Chen Shubao…

But what about me?

Although he was infatuated with beauty, he only had eyes for the Empress.

Does this make sense?

Something is wrong!

The imperial harem was filled with beauties; not to mention the dozen or so concubines, even the palace maids were hand-picked.

An ordinary man, faced with a multitude of beautiful women at his disposal, would he only choose to be with the Empress?

If the empress had an ordinary background, it wouldn't be so bad, but she came from the Shen family of Wuxing!

A powerful and influential family with deep roots in the imperial court!

For many days, he has only favored the Empress, which may have caused Li Cheng'an to have some concerns.

What do you want to do?

Do you want to use the Shen family's power to break free from my control?

Although it was just a question, it made Li Cheng'an wary of him!

Once he senses that he is losing control, he will not hesitate to kill him!

It should be noted that although Chen Shubao had no sons, he had quite a few brothers.

With Li Chengan and Shi Wenqing holding great power, it would not be difficult for them to install a new emperor.

It's just that the new ruler won't be as useful as I am...

Thinking about this, Lu Zuo suddenly understood a principle: "Although I am useful to them, I am not irreplaceable!"

"It's a pawn that's important, but can also be eliminated!"

"It seems..."

Lu Zuo narrowed his eyes slightly, secretly deciding in his heart: "From now on, I can't favor the Empress alone, and I have to be even more outrageous."

"Fine, so all you want is for me to impersonate you and become a ridiculous and incompetent ruler?"

"Then I'll show you!"

After some thought, he sat down cross-legged, cleared his mind of all distractions, and began to cultivate the second Yang meridian, the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian.

The Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian belongs to the Geng Metal element, and its nature is Yangming Dry Metal.

Metal represents change and transformation, signifying harshness, transmission, and alteration.

Once this meridian is unblocked and full, internal energy can flow without any stagnation, reaching directly to the fingertips and palms!

It greatly increases the penetrating power of fist, palm, and finger techniques!

At the same time, his attacks are inherently sharp, specifically designed to break through external martial arts techniques!

.......

Time flew by, and it was already evening.

After cultivating for a whole day, Lu Zuo stood up from the ground and silently sensed the changes within his body.

"Within the true qi of the dantian, there is a sharp intent."

"But when operating, one can clearly feel a sluggish resistance in the right arm, right palm, and fingertips, making it impossible to move smoothly and continuously."

"My cultivation speed has slowed down..."

The cultivation of each meridian in the Nine Yang Returning to Origin Great Method is more difficult than the previous one.

Yesterday's success was achieved in one day, but today only a small part of the process has been completed...

"However, this is a method that takes half a year to master."

"To make this much progress in just one day is quite good."

After thinking for a while, Lu Zuo started to ponder which concubine he should choose to spend the night with.

"It's not possible to go to the Empress's place for a while."

"I've heard that Consort Yu is incredibly beautiful and has a captivating charm..."

"Let's choose her!"

.......

Inside the Kunning Palace.

Shen Wuhua held a Buddhist scripture in her hands, her eyes lowered as she read it, but she seemed somewhat distracted, glancing towards the door every now and then.

"Senior sister, are you worried that the tyrant will come again tonight?"

"Um……"

Shen Wuhua nodded slightly, looking towards the door and said, "He's been driving me crazy for days on end."

"If they come again tonight, sigh..."

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard light footsteps beside her, and soon a little eunuch ran to the door: "Your Majesty, His Majesty is staying at Yuhua Palace tonight."

pat...

Shen Wuhua loosened her grip, and the scroll of Buddhist scriptures slipped from her lap and lay open on the ground.

what?

Is he not coming tonight?

She stared blankly at the little eunuch, her red lips slightly parted as if she wanted to ask something, but in the end she didn't.

"I understand. You may leave."

After the eunuch left, Shen Wuhua returned to her phoenix bed, feeling listless.

Yun Yanyue picked up the Buddhist scripture and asked, "Senior Sister, aren't you going to read it anymore?"

"I'm not watching anymore!"