The Empress smiled sweetly. "Jade Kunlun Palace is not mine to command."
"They hate you, Mother, and have taken it out on my husband!"
"Nonsense. Why would they hate me?" The Empress shook her head with a soft laugh.
"Mother, you cannot hide it from me." Li Miaotan gave a snort. "I was foolish before; I never saw the mystery beneath it."
Jade Kunlun Palace's dealings with the Empress appeared perfectly normal.
Jade Kunlun Palace often sent disciples to pay her respects.
She also often returned to Jade Kunlun Palace for visits and was not constrained like the empresses of other imperial dynasties.
But Li Miaotan had followed the Empress since childhood, and her talent made her far keener and wiser than ordinary people.
She had always harbored an inexplicable feeling that her mother's relationship with Jade Kunlun Palace was somewhat subtle.
She had not understood it before, but as her Phoenix Bloodline awakened, she became increasingly intelligent and clear-headed, broke free of her restraints, and saw the truth.
Her mother and Jade Kunlun Palace were merely united in appearance while divided at heart; they resented one another.
She did not know the precise reason, but it was surely hidden deep beneath the surface, never revealed to the world.
She was certain this judgment could not be wrong.
The Empress gave a soft laugh, lifting her gaze to the azure sky and the few white clouds drifting there.
The white clouds drifted leisurely.
The clear breeze blew gently.
Li Miaotan stared at her fair, beautiful face and sighed. "It seems Jade Kunlun Palace will not let us in."
"Miaotan, have you ever considered whether his love for you is genuine?" the Empress asked.
Li Miaotan smiled. "Mother, if I could not distinguish false affection from true devotion, would I not