Starting with being handed over to the Imperial Concubine, building a family with a thousand-year hi

"Your godfather is very pleased that you haven't slacked off." Su Mu patted Cheng Ping'an's head. "Are you adapting well to the Martial Arts Academy?"

"Father, I have something urgent to report!" Cheng Ping'an looked around and lowered his voice, "The Empress... I'm afraid her position is in jeopardy!"

"Oh?" Su Mu was somewhat surprised.

"The Empress's brother, Situ Sheng, has suffered repeated defeats in the Northern Frontier and has been impeached by a joint petition of civil and military officials. He has been stripped of his military power and dismissed from his position as marshal!" Cheng Ping'an whispered. "Moreover, the sudden rebellion in the Northern Desert seems to be related to the Empress's maternal clan; coupled with the assassination attempt on Consort De, His Majesty has become increasingly distant from the Empress, and their rift has deepened."

"But deposing the empress is no small matter; it has far-reaching implications," Su Mu pondered. "Besides Situ Sheng, the Situ family also has an ancestor who is above the Grandmaster level. Moreover, the Situ clan has deep roots in the court. Even if His Majesty is willing, I'm afraid it will be difficult to shake them easily."

At this point, Su Mu understood somewhat. The Consort De's request for him to gather evidence was likely intended to seize this opportunity to completely bring down the Empress.

There's no need to find direct, irrefutable evidence that the Empress plotted to assassinate Consort De. As long as it's confirmed that Xu Qian'er is an informant for the General's Mansion, we can use this as an excuse to push things along.

The Tianwu Sect, behind Consort De, holds considerable influence in the martial arts world of the Great Qian Dynasty. Currently, the Tianwu Sect is leading the fight against the beast tide, and the imperial family will not risk offending them at this time. The rebellion in the Northern Desert has already severely weakened the Great Qian Dynasty; if they were to antagonize the Tianwu Sect further, the situation would be dire.

Therefore, Consort De wanted to take advantage of the situation and bring down the Empress from her throne in one fell swoop.

"Even Grandmasters are not invincible." Cheng Ping'an lowered his voice even further. "Steward Huang revealed in private that the patriarch of the Situ family is quite old and has not been seen for many years. His fate is a mystery. Even if he is still alive, he is probably no longer as powerful as he once was."

Cheng Ping'an learned that the Empress had ordered the use of one hundred iron rods, and was therefore extremely excited to hear that the Empress might be deposed.

"Even the oldest grandmaster is still a grandmaster; dealing with ordinary experts is still a piece of cake for them," Su Mu said calmly. Judging from the news brought by Cheng Ping'an, there are undercurrents in the palace, and a storm is brewing.

"Father, things haven't been peaceful in the palace lately. Perhaps because the experts from the Martial Arts Bureau have been transferred to the northern border, the palace is less guarded, and there have been several incidents of assassins breaking in. You should also be extra careful in the library," Cheng Ping'an added.

"This place is neither strategically important nor contains any treasures or secret manuals, nor is it guarded by any important figures. Who would come here?" Su Mu said calmly, not taking it to heart.

Even if an assassin were to infiltrate, unless it was a Grandmaster in person, he should be able to protect himself with his current strength.

After speaking for a while and drinking two cups of tea, Cheng Ping'an got up and returned to the Shangwu Supervisory Office.

It was past noon.

Lunch was prepared by Yutian. The dishes were simple: a pot of rice, two dishes of pickled vegetables, and a plate of braised pork. For Su Mu and Yutian, this was already considered a feast.

The father and son ate heartily.

however--

Before evening, Su Mu and Yu Tian almost simultaneously felt a strange sensation within their bodies.

A strange power suddenly erupted from his internal organs, rushing straight towards his heart!

That power was as swift as a venomous snake, instantly biting into the heart and bringing excruciating pain!

"Poisoned!"

Su Mu immediately swallowed an antidote pill and used his true energy to forcefully suppress the poison.

"Godfather...it hurts so much!"

Yutian's face turned pale and bluish, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he trembled all over in pain.

"Take this pill!" Su Mu took out an antidote pill and fed it to him. "Use the True Fire of the Sea of ​​Qi to protect your heart meridian!"

Yu Tian dared not hesitate and immediately did as instructed. He had not only thoroughly mastered the "Martial Arts Classic," but had also cultivated to the mid-stage of Qi Induction, and knew that there was a wisp of innate true fire within his Qi Sea.

"It's 'Heart-Eating Powder'... a colorless, odorless, and extremely poisonous substance!"

Su Mu had seen relevant records in the medical classics in the library, and at this moment his face was ashen, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

The Heart-Eating Powder is extremely valuable; legend has it that even a grandmaster would find it difficult to detect the poison before it takes effect using their divine sense.

"What ruthless methods... using Heart-Eating Powder against us, they really think highly of us!"

Su Mu gritted his teeth.

Without a doubt, this is a trap set for them!

Of this morning's meal, only the two dishes of pickled vegetables were not obtained by Xu Qian'er from the Imperial Kitchen—the problem must lie there.

Xu Qian'er was not the one who poisoned the poisoner; she had neither a strong motive nor the ability to obtain such a precious poison.

The real mastermind behind it all is most likely Yang Mao!

This time, the Heart-Eating Powder failed to take the lives of Su Mu and Yu Tian.

Su Mu possessed the true qi of the imperial path, and with the aid of elixirs, he was able to neutralize the poison; although Yu Tian lacked true qi to protect his body, his innate true fire was also formidable, enough to protect his heart meridian and delay the onset of the poison.

"Is your godfather... the eunuch Yang from the Imperial Kitchen?" Yutian asked breathlessly, still shaken.

"Who else could it be but him?" Su Mu narrowed his eyes. "Yesterday, when you returned from the Imperial Kitchen, you said he was already suspicious. Now it seems it's more than just suspicion—he's trying to silence you!"

Su Mu would naturally not go to the Imperial Kitchen to seek revenge on Yang Mao himself. While that might vent his anger, it would expose him and make it impossible for him to maintain his position in the palace, which would be unwise.

"I don't need to do it myself."

Su Mu estimated that it wouldn't be long before Yang Mao sent someone to the library to check if they had succumbed to the poison. Normally, no one from the Imperial Kitchen would come here late at night; if someone did come, it must have been sent by Yang Mao.

At that time, he will use his soul-controlling technique to manipulate the person who came and use him to assassinate Yang Mao.

This is not difficult—Yang Mao is ignorant of martial arts and completely unprepared; killing him is as easy as turning one's hand.

However, things did not go as he had expected.

Before the Imperial Kitchen officials arrived, the assassins came first.

That night, a masked assassin dressed in black quietly entered the courtyard of the library.

The newcomer was unharmed. Judging from his movements and aura, Su Mu was certain that this person's martial arts cultivation had reached at least the mid-stage of the Innate Realm, making him a formidable opponent.

The assassin landed in the courtyard, took out a map, and examined it carefully by the moonlight.

Clearly, this person was new to the palace and unfamiliar with the terrain.

"To assassinate someone in the palace, you need to look at a map? You seem rather unprofessional."

Su Mu silently walked out of the house and stood in the shadows of the corner of the courtyard, looking at the assassin with a mocking tone.

"you……"

The assassin was startled and abruptly looked up at Su Mu, "When...?"

He was horrified. As a martial artist at the Innate Realm, he was extremely sensitive to his surroundings, yet he hadn't noticed anyone approaching at all. The person before him was dressed as a eunuch, handsome, and possessed an otherworldly air, but his senses didn't seem particularly strong.

How could a mere eunuch so calmly deal with an assassin who sneaked into the palace in the dead of night?

Something is wrong!

There must be something wrong here!

Just as the assassin's mind raced, he saw a strange glint flash in the eyes of the eunuch standing in the shadows.

The light was like a real, sharp arrow, piercing straight into his eyes!

The next moment, he felt a splitting headache and his mind suddenly went blank!

Su Mu saw that the assassin's expression quickly changed from surprise and doubt to bewilderment—he had fallen victim to Su Mu's Soul-Sealing Technique!