My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

Outside Taiji Palace, the biting wind made the banners on the palace walls flutter loudly.

With his hands behind his back, Li Chen strode out of the Vermilion Bird Gate with an arrogant gait that showed no regard for family or friends.

He hummed an unknown, cheerful tune, his mood brighter than the early spring sunshine.

Just thinking about how the old man was being scolded by Empress Zhangsun in the Lizheng Hall, hanging his head like a quail, made Li Chen feel comfortable all over.

"Serves you right for coming over to freeload every day and for mocking my mixed spiritual roots."

Li Chen raised his eyebrows smugly, "The Tang Dynasty belongs to you, Li Er, but the harem is still ruled by the Empress Dowager."

He didn't take Xiao Sizi out of the palace, after all, the little girl had been running around outside for half a day and should stay with the Empress to rest.

Li Chen walked back to the Qin Prince's Mansion alone, leisurely treading on the slightly slippery bluestone path after the snow melted.

As soon as I stepped into the gate of the Prince's Mansion.

Then, from the east courtyard came that familiar, terrifying roar, like a house being torn down.

"Boom! Bang!"

Qin Qiong, Qin Huaidao, and Crown Prince Li Chengqian, these three muscle-bound monsters, began another round of physical clashes in the training ground.

Li Chen shook his head, too lazy to bother with these three overly energetic battle maniacs.

He walked straight back to the main hall in the backyard.

Qin Wan'er was sitting beside a small red clay stove, holding a palm-leaf fan in her hand, carefully controlling the temperature of the fire. Next to her were several basic alchemy introductory jade slips that Li Chen had casually tossed to her.

Seeing Li Chen return, the girl quickly put down her palm-leaf fan and came forward to help him take off his fox fur cloak, which was slightly damp with cold air.

"Your Highness, you're back. Is His Majesty alright?" Qin Wan'er asked softly with some concern.

The emperor's murderous rage on the street had truly frightened her.

"What could be wrong?"

Li Chen lay down comfortably in the rattan chair, picked up the hot tea that Wan'er had poured, and took a sip. "Old Deng is probably still reflecting on his mistakes in the Hall of State Affairs. He won't dare to come here again for at least a few days. We can finally have a few days of peace and quiet."

however.

Li Chen had no idea that this rare peace and quiet was destined to be short-lived.

Just as he lay on the rattan chair with his eyes closed, a vicious conspiracy targeting him and the entire Tang Dynasty royal family was spreading like wildfire in the dark corners of Chang'an!

……

Chang'an City, West Market.

This place was the most diverse and mixed-race area in the entire Tang Dynasty.

Merchants from all over the world, wandering knights, beggars, storytellers, and hooligans all gathered here.

In a dimly lit alley deep in the western part of the city, there is an inconspicuous, dilapidated tavern.

In the tavern's underground secret room, hundreds of people were standing densely packed together.

Among these people were down-on-their-luck Taoist priests in tattered robes, eloquent storytellers in teahouses, and street gang leaders with iron bars and machetes in their hands and fierce faces.

Cui Jue, an arrogant descendant of the Boling Cui clan, was sitting in a grand master's chair.

At his feet were several heavy mahogany chests.

"Snapped!"

Cui Jue kicked open the lid of one of the boxes.

A blinding silver light instantly illuminated the entire dimly lit secret room. It was a whole chest of gleaming white snowflake silver!

The desperate criminals from all walks of life in the secret room turned green with envy at the sight of so much silver, and their breathing became heavy.

"If you take someone's money, you're obligated to solve their problems."

Cui Jue picked up a cup of hot wine, his gaze sweeping coldly over the group of people in front of him, his voice like the hiss of a venomous snake.

"I've already clearly explained what I need you to do. Anyone who messes up this task will have their life saved from this fine!"

A gang leader with a scarred face stepped forward, patting his chest and assuring him, "Don't worry, sir! It's only right to do things for money! It's just spreading some rumors in the city and leading a little disturbance! This kind of work is our specialty!"

"very good."

Cui Jue gave a satisfied, cold laugh and waved his hand. "Go. Before nightfall, I'll make sure the entire city of Chang'an is talking about this! I'll turn that so-called Guardian Immortal into a rat everyone wants to kill!"

"yes!"

The crowd rushed forward, quickly divided the silver, and then, like a group of rats scattering into the sewers, silently disappeared into every corner of Chang'an City.

……

Half an hour later.

Inside Deyuelou, the largest teahouse in Chang'an, the place was bustling with activity.

As the snow melts, people like to gather in teahouses, order a pot of hot tea, and listen to storytellers recount strange tales to pass the time during the harsh winter.

On the platform in the center of the teahouse, a storyteller, striking his gavel with tremendous force, was speaking with great enthusiasm.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Do you really think that the lightning tribulation that struck Chang'an City a few days ago was some divine intervention? You are sorely mistaken!"

The storyteller stared wide-eyed, lowered his voice, and adopted a mysterious demeanor as if he knew everything.

The tea drinkers in the teahouse were immediately drawn in and pricked up their ears.

"That's not some guardian immortal at all! That's a sorcerer who uses demonic magic!"

The storyteller struck the gavel, his voice suddenly rising in pitch, filled with fear and indignation.

"His Majesty, in his pursuit of immortality, has been bewitched by that sorcerer! That sorcerer has set up an altar in the Prince of Qin's residence, using not divine magic, but an evil art that sucks people's life essence!"

"boom!"

The people in the teahouse immediately erupted in an uproar.

"What nonsense are you spouting! That day, golden rain fell from the sky, and the old Minister of Rites got caught in the rain and even his paralysis was cured. How could that be sorcery!" A tea drinker who had read a few books stood up and retorted loudly.

"Healed?"

Among the crowd, several spies who had been secretly placed there immediately took over the conversation with cold smiles.

"That's called a final burst of energy before death! You know nothing! That golden rain was mixed with the poison of tigers and wolves from the Western Regions!"

The mole stood on a bench, passionately inciting panic.

"That evil Taoist priest forcibly stimulated people's vital energy with poison! You felt incredibly energetic after being caught in the rain, but he was actually burning your lifespan and draining your life essence!"

"Feel your pulse. Have you been experiencing night sweats these past few nights? Do your hands and feet feel weak? That's because that evil Taoist has already drained most of your lifespan, using it to concoct the elixir of immortality for the emperor!"

These ordinary people were ignorant and blindly obedient, filled with awe and fear of ghosts and gods.

The atmosphere in the teahouse changed instantly after being frightened by these people's confident statements and even their use of the most lethal rhetoric of "shortening one's lifespan"!