Eunuch Lu’s eyes appeared to be shining as he said, “Please hurry on in, Sir Zu. Her highness is urgently waiting.”
When he saw how anxious Eunuch Lu was, Zu An was speechless.
This guy really is something else. He’s always more hurried than me! I wonder what his problem is…
He nodded and pushed open the door to go in.
The smell of incense wafted through the room, carrying a fragrance that refreshed the mind. There were no maids or eunuchs in sight. An alluring and wonderful figure was lying down on a seat behind pearl curtains. Unlike Bi Linglong’s lavish palace wear, she was dressed in silk homewear that wrapped closely around her skin, making her curves even more seductive. She looked just like a ripe peach ready for picking, as if water would come out if one squeezed just the slightest bit.
“I greet your highness,” Zu An said with a bow.
“Oh my, is there a need for such formalities when we're meeting in private? Hurry and come over here already,” Liu Ning said as she waved her hand toward him from the seat. There was a strange radiance in her eyes.
Zu An couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache when he heard her coquettish tone; he had come for official matters today, after all. He made his way through the pearl curtains and stopped in front of her seat. He could sense the maturity of her body even more clearly. Every frown, every smile, and even the slightest movement of her fingers was alluring. That was something underripe young ladies could never imitate.
Liu Ning was also sizing him up. She shook her head back and forth and said, “Your temperament seems to have become even steadier since the last time we met. You’ve become even more handsome.”
Zu An could almost see the flames in her eyes. He quickly said, “I just came from the crown princess’ side.”
Since Eunuch Lu had come looking for him there, that was something the empress would understand well too.
Sure enough, that caught Liu Ning’s attention. She replied, “Hmph, I knew you would definitely have gone to her the moment you came back. Sigh, but I guess it makes sense. She's still young, and nothing like this old and faded woman.”
Zu An couldn't help but say with a smile, “If your highness can be considered old and faded, who knows how many women in the world would be willing to become old and faded in the same way?”
“But you still went to see her first… What's so good about that la.s.s anyway, to have made you so infatuated with her?” Liu Ning replied, clearly not fooled by his words.
Zu An was worried that she would suspect something and quickly explained, “I am the crown prince’s chamberlain, after all. Visiting the Eastern Palace first is my duty.”
“Hmph, what's so good about being the crown prince’s chamberlain anyway? I should just transfer you over to the Palace of Peace and make you my Great Attendant,” Liu Ning said as she waved her hand, gesturing for him to sit down.
Zu An was speechless. He eventually replied, “I wouldn't dare to steal Eunuch Lu’s livelihood.”
“I guess it’s fine. If you had to become like Eunuch Lu, I wouldn’t like you anymore either,” Liu Ning said as she got up and leaned into his shoulder. Half of her body weighed down on his back. She didn’t seem to mind at all that her chest was being pressed into a completely different shape.
As he sensed the suffocating pressure behind him, Zu An said with a sigh, “I hadn’t expected your highness to have already reached grandmaster rank cultivation.”
“That was, of course, all due to Sir Zu’s painstaking efforts,” Liu Ning said with a charming smile. Her finger brushed gently across his body. “On the other hand, I can't see through you at all even now.”
“Not as deep as your highness," Zu An replied.
“You’re so annoying~” Liu Ning replied.
Zu An said with a sigh, “If your highness has already recovered your cultivation so quickly, why did you fool me and say you needed it many, many times?”
“It’s your fault for always hiding from me, so I had to ask for more to make you unwittingly complete the task, right?” Liu Ning replied. She couldn't help but gently breathe by his ear. “But all of those times I asked for can still be made up right now at any time, you know?”
“Your highness seems to have become much more open-minded than before," Zu An said in surprise.
“But of course. The giant boulder that was always weighing on my mind has been moved away…” Liu Ning said, her expression turning serious. Her flirtatious nature was gone as she asked, “Is he really dead?”
.
Zu An said with a nod, “I saw it with my own eyes. It's the absolute truth.”
Liu Ning suddenly had a bit of a strange expression. It seemed to contain happiness, but also a bit of sorrow. She seemed to have mixed emotions as she recalled the past. In the end, she released a long sigh and said, “Being dead is fine too; death ends all of one’s troubles.”
“Your highness seems to be a bit sad,” Zu An remarked. He thought, This woman won’t get revenge on me if she finds out I killed him, will she?
“Is this little man here jealous?” Liu Ning chuckled and shook her head, saying, “It’s not at that level, but there are more or less some sentimental feelings. After all, we used to be husband and wife.
“This really is strange. I wished for him to die sooner day after day when he was alive, and yet now that he's really died, I only feel a bit empty.”
Zu An replied, “It seems your highness is someone who has strong emotions.”
“What strong emotions? It’s just that after living through his era, the imprint he had on people's minds was too strong.” Liu Ning suddenly said in self-mockery, “I really am an awful woman. My husband died, and yet I actually feel more happiness than anything else.”
Zu An thought to himself, I'm happy about that too.
“Was it King Qi and the libationer together who killed him?” Liu Ning suddenly asked.
“Why is your highness asking me that?” Zu An replied in surprise.
“The emperor was already unmatched. Who could face him one on one? In the end, only King Qi and the libationer had the power to do so. There's no need to say more about King Qi, as he and the emperor already became like water and fire, unable to coexist. Meanwhile, the libationer was a king from the previous dynasty. Even though he always acted as if he didn’t care over the years, I could sense that there was always something suppressed within him. Once it exploded, there would definitely be h.e.l.l to pay,” Liu Ning said. Her tone suddenly became a bit softer as she continued, “But the emperor was never so easy to defeat. Even if the two of them joined up, they could only drag him down with him at most.”
When he saw the ‘I’m really smart, aren’t I’ look on her face, as if she were waiting for him to praise her, Zu An replied expressionlessly, “The reality is entirely different from your highness’ suspicions.”
Liu Ning’s expression froze. She couldn't help but feel a bit awkward, asking, “What happened then?”
Zu An then gave her a rough account of what had happened on Golden Peak.
When she heard that Zhao Han had already plotted against King Qi decades prior with a secret technique, and that no matter how King Qi cultivated, his cultivation would only ultimately help another, Liu Ning instantly felt her entire body become ice cold. She said, “The emperor truly is too formidable, formidable to a horrifying degree.”
Zu An thought, At least this is something you and Bi Linglong agree on.
“Hurry and tell me then, how did he die?” Liu Ning asked, reflexively tightening her clothes. She was no longer as relaxed as before, for fear that Zhao Han was still alive.
Zu An told her about the sequence of events in the secret dungeon. This time, however, he didn’t say that he was the one who killed Zhao Han, but rather said that the libationer had used his own life as the price to send him into the great tomb. The great tomb had also disappeared without a trace.
Meanwhile, he and Bi Linglong had killed Zhao Han’s split soul back in Westhound Tomb's secret dungeon, so it was fine if she knew, but it was still best if the truth were kept a secret from everyone else. After all, too many things would be affected otherwise.
“Then does that mean he might still be alive?” Liu Ning asked; her voice began to tremble. She no longer had her earlier frivolousness.
Zu An felt sorry for her when he saw her frightened expression and said in consolation, “Don’t worry. The great tomb contains many extremely powerful monsters, and Zhao Han doesn't even rank highly among them. Even those creatures were all firmly trapped in place, so there's no way he could get out. Besides, he was seriously injured by the libationer. He's likely already been devoured by a stronger creature.”
“I hope that's really the case,” Liu Ning said, having just broken out into a cold sweat. If Zhao Han was still alive, the entire capital would have to be purged once more. After she experienced such a rollercoaster of emotions, the previously ambiguous atmosphere had already been largely scattered.
“I heard that the Qin clan’s two state dukes have been locked up. How does your highness plan to deal with the Qin clan?” Zu An asked, finally speaking about his real reason for the visit.
“The Qin clan? You’re asking this for Miss Chu’s sake, aren’t you?” Liu Ning replied with a sneer.
“My relationships with the Qin and Chu clan are rather close, after all, so it's hard for me to just stand aside and do nothing,” Zu An admitted.
“The Qin clan did this to themselves. However, I'm not the one dealing with them; rather, the Meng clan and the others are,” Liu Ning replied.
“Meng clan? Why is that?” Zu An asked.
“Qin Zheng has always been upright and outspoken, and we're all from different factions as well. There was quite a bit of conflict between them. Qin Se, on the other hand, has been frivolous and reckless. In the past, he was in a love rivalry with Meng Yi and people from the other clans. After decades of fighting, there's no such thing as right and wrong. There's only a blood feud left,” Liu Ning explained.
Zu An’s heart sank. That kind of relationship was always the most troublesome. It was just like the grudge between the Five Sacred Mountain Sword Sect and Devil Sect in ‘The Smiling, Proud Wanderer’. It wasn’t something anyone could settle normally. Still, that was only if he played by the rules. He could just flip the tables and ignore reason. Thus, he said, “I only need your highness to promise to not get involved. You can leave this matter to me.”
“I can't harm my allies because of you,” Liu Ning said, shaking her head. “But if you agree to one thing from this empress, then I can help you.”
“What is it?” Zu An asked worriedly.
“To leave the crown princess’ side and come under this empress, of course,” Liu Ning said, stroking his face with the long golden covering on her little finger.
Zu An said seriously, “The crown princess has shown me tremendous favor. Switching allegiance is something that would only make people hold me in contempt.”
“That la.s.s is completely enthralled in politics; you're nothing but a subject for her to use. How can she compare to this empress who doesn’t hold anything back from you?” Liu Ning replied with a frown. Suddenly, a look of shock appeared on her face as if she had thought of something. She asked, “You’re not l.u.s.ting after that la.s.s’ body, are you?”