The Physiognomist of the Empress Dowager's Palace

Marquis Tian Fen of Wu'an was seven feet tall, which was not considered tall, and he appeared even shorter when he bowed his head to flatter people.

But now he is slowly raising his head, even making others look up at his height.

The reason for this is simply that he has finally made it through the tough times.

His newly conferred marquisate was not his true source of prestige, nor were the fact that two members of his Lineage had been granted marquisates enough to solidify his position. The Empress Dowager's brother was his real asset.

If it weren't for the Empress Dowager pressing down on his head, Tian Fen felt his tail would be wagging in the air.

"Your Majesty, what do you think of this divination?"

Tian Fen was in the Empress Dowager's palace at this time, watching the fortune teller invited by the Empress Dowager constantly divining with two pieces of tortoise shell. He would sometimes frown and sometimes look sad, which puzzled him.

"No rush, Master Yao is a man of extraordinary abilities; his physiognomy and divination should be accurate!"

The Empress Dowager looked at the fortune teller Yao in front of her.

She had seen him more than 20 years ago, but he still looked the same after more than 20 years.

Twenty years ago, she didn't understand, but twenty years later, she has gained so much knowledge.

Her rise from Emperor Jing's wife to Empress Dowager was inseparable from his divination.

The Qin Dynasty severely punished fortune tellers, but now it is the Han Dynasty, which no longer follows the laws of the Qin Dynasty.

Moreover, physiognomy is indeed a beneficial skill.

The Empress Dowager invited the other party to consult the oracle again, hoping to receive guidance.

She currently appears to be enjoying immense prestige, being the common mother of the Han Dynasty, and with her brothers gaining wealth and status through her, but the Empress Dowager is not at peace in her heart.

All her current glory rests on the new emperor; only if the new emperor can remain stable can she maintain her own.

"Master Yao, what do you think?"

After waiting for a long time, the Empress Dowager finally spoke and asked.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty's imperial destiny is precarious and far from stable," Yao the fortune teller finally spoke. "If one is not careful... even this old man dares not say!"

"What is there that you dare not say?" The Empress Dowager said with a stern face, "Does my palace have a fourth ear?"

"Speak quickly!" Tian Fen shouted, "Don't try to fool me! If you try to deceive us with your Fake Technique, I'll make you realize... hehe, I wouldn't dare say it in the Empress Dowager's palace!"

Tian Fen chuckled softly, echoing Yao Xiangshi's words.

"A fortune teller can hardly predict his own fate, but predicting yours is very simple," said Fortune Teller Yao, looking up at Tian Fen. "You are destined for wealth and honor, but your end will not be peaceful!"

"You old bastard, how dare you curse me!"

Tian Fen's shrewdness was exposed by a single sentence from the fortune teller Yao.

He doesn't mind being talked about by ordinary people, but the fortune teller's words put him under tremendous pressure.

"Bring the sword... Hmph!"

He gathered Law Power in his hand, and a long sword, deep blue with a faint purple light, appeared from his right hand, ready to slash at Yao Xiangshi.

But as the Empress Dowager coughed, Tian Fen couldn't help but let out a forced groan, and the long sword shattered in his hand.

"Please don't blame my brother, Master Yao. He was only acting out of concern. I hope you can interpret the divination," the Empress Dowager said in a deep voice.

Whether Tian Fen died a peaceful death was important, but the matter of the new emperor was even more important.

If the new emperor's rule is unstable, their group will likely meet a bad end, and their wealth and power will be nothing but fleeting clouds.

"I have a bell here that the Empress Dowager can wear at her waist. The bell contains His Majesty's birth date and time. If His Majesty encounters a nemesis, the bell will ring, and the Empress Dowager will then know who is the nemesis!"

Instead of explaining directly, Yao Xiangshi took a Bagua bell from his waist.

He applied a few dots of cinnabar to the surface and then handed it to the Empress Dowager.

"You mean His Majesty's men are in the palace?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"Just walk around the Empress Dowager's palace more often and you'll know!"

Yao Xiangshi nodded, not wanting to go into too much detail.

When the Empress Dowager personally presented him with a piece of jade and a hundred taels of gold, Yao Xiangshi couldn't help but frown.

"Where's the dragon blood?" Yao Xiangshi asked doubtfully. "What I want is that inherited dragon blood, not the spirit jade!"

"The palace was burglarized a while ago, and some treasures were stolen, including the bottle of dragon blood," the Empress Dowager replied. "I suppose all I have left is this spirit jade."

"Like this?"

Yao Xiangshi muttered a question under his breath. Without questioning the Empress Dowager repeatedly, he walked straight out of the Empress Dowager's palace. A wisp of white smoke rose from beneath his feet, and when the smoke dissipated, Yao Xiangshi had vanished without a trace.

"Your Majesty, this old man is definitely a conman who freeloads!" Tian Fen said anxiously. "His tricks are obviously just Fake Technique from the martial arts world."

A hundred taels of gold is nothing, but the spirit jade is a treasure that even Tian Fen envies.

Tian Fen doesn't expect to use the spirit jade for cultivation, but if he can make good use of it, it's no exaggeration to say it's like having an extra life.

Looking at the reward that Yao Xiangshi had taken away, he couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache, feeling that the other party had traded far too much for a mere broken bell.

Regarding the dragon blood mentioned by the other party, Tian Fen was only grateful that the Empress Dowager had held firm to her bottom line and hadn't given the other party whatever they wanted.

"Don't speak recklessly! Master Yao is a man with connections to the highest levels of society!"

The Empress Dowager stopped Tian Fen from continuing his rant.

Her ability to become Empress and Empress Dowager was related to Yao Xiangshi's physiognomy skills. If this is considered fraud, then the fraudsters are too capable.

The Empress Dowager felt that Tian Fen was too suspicious.

"If I had known you'd turn out like this after mastering your skills, I wouldn't have brought you to see Master Yao's divination!"

With the occasional financial support from the Empress Dowager, as well as the imperial court's salary and the many convenient opportunities it offered, Tian Fen cultivated for many years and finally entered the Divine Ability Realm.

This level doesn't qualify one as a top-tier cultivator, but it's still barely considered to be among the upper echelons.

If you add in some treasures, Tian Fen could be considered one of the top civil officials in the imperial court.

The Empress Dowager had intended to bring Tian Fen here to broaden his horizons and, incidentally, to seek guidance from the fortune teller Yao. However, she never expected that Tian Fen's efforts would be thwarted by a single sentence from the fortune teller Yao.

Tian Fen and the fortune teller Yao had a falling out, so naturally Yao would not perform divination for Tian Fen, even if Tian Fen was willing to pay a high price.

Thinking of the fortune teller Yao's casual prediction of Tian Fen's fate, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but give him some further instructions.

"I'm very lucky!"

Tian Fen murmured softly.

He bid farewell to the Empress Dowager in a sullen tone and left the palace, while the Empress Dowager clutched the bronze bell, her brows furrowed.

After pondering for several tens of seconds, she finally put the bell on her waist, and then called her maid to begin patrolling the palace.

The new emperor was undoubtedly the first person he wanted to see.

At this moment, the new emperor was practicing swordsmanship, each move grand and righteous, following a style of expansive and powerful movements.

This swordsmanship lacks variety, but as long as the power and speed are sufficient, it is difficult for any other sword technique or move to break through.

The Empress Dowager glanced at the books and saw that the attendants were carrying "Zhang Zhong's Swordsmanship Insights," "Chong Da's Swordsmanship Insights," and "Nie Zheng's Essential Techniques."

The former, Zhang Zhong and Chong Da, were both top swordsmen in the Han Dynasty decades ago, while the latter was a top assassin hundreds of years ago, whose skills were also adopted by Emperor Jing.

The new emperor clearly does not want to follow the old path of Emperor Jing's rapid development of military strength, but the difficulties of this new path will exceed the new emperor's imagination.

To achieve the required power and speed, the new emperor needs to train diligently for many years, during which time his swordsmanship will inevitably be countered.

If the new emperor can maintain an optimistic mindset despite repeated defeats, then this kind of swordsmanship may be mastered late in life.

The Empress Dowager did not stop the new emperor from practicing this kind of swordsmanship at this time. After too many setbacks, he would eventually turn back and make another choice.

She watched the new emperor from dozens of meters away for a while, then, without disturbing him, changed the direction she was taking.

As was customary, she would visit the Empress Dowager at Chang Le Palace every day.

The Empress Dowager moved slowly, and after walking for half an hour, she was already standing at the entrance of the main hall of Chang Le Palace.

Before she even entered the palace, the bells at her waist began to ring out in a series of clear, melodious sounds.