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Zu An glowered and said, “Aren’t you practically forcing me to do something wrong here? Just let them go; they’re all pitiful women.”
He had to say that those who caught the Crown Prince’s eyes were all top-quality beauties. Together with the temptation of the fact that they had belonged to another man
 He knew that if it had been before he crossed over, he wouldn’t have been able to resist such a temptation. But now, he naturally wouldn’t do such a thing.
“Pitiful? These people lived lives of luxury and normally strutted around, bullying the common people. Can you really call them pitiful people?” the Second Empress sneered. Then, she looked around before saying with a chuckle, “But seeing as you requested it, I have to grant you that favor. There is no way we can just let them go, but we can choose not to send them to the government brothel. We will keep them under house arrest for a while. They were the people closest to the Crown Prince, so we cannot be certain if any of them are concealing malice.”
Zu An nodded. He knew her worries were reasonable. The youngest prince’s throne wasn’t all that stable, so they had to be exceptionally careful with such things.
After handling the Crown Prince manor’s staff, Second Empress took Zu An inside to look around, while introducing the different parts of his new home.
Zu An recalled just how frightening housing prices had been in his previous world. Buying a house in the capital would have been nothing more than an extravagant hope for countless people, let alone one so big.
As he looked around, Zu An felt as if he were touring Prince Gong Mansion[1] from his previous world. It really was large and luxurious, and yet also peaceful and elegant. That Crown Prince really had known how to enjoy himself.
And yet, in the end, all of this had become his? He had been so used to being a slave to his landlord in his previous world that he felt as if he were dreaming.
“The room up ahead was the Crown Prince’s study. Normally, no one is allowed close to it,” the Second Empress said. She paused for a moment, then ordered her subordinates, “I have something to discuss with the Regent. All of you are to stand guard outside.”
“Understood!” the palace maids replied, all bowing slightly.
Zu An followed the Second Empress into the study. They didn’t close the door, as closing it in front of so many eunuchs and maids could cause rumors to go out of control. It wouldn’t be good for them if such news got out.
When the Second Empress entered, she walked up to the desk. Zu An asked with a smile, “Your highness, do you have any orders for me?”
The Crown Prince Study was top-notch in terms of privacy. Their conversation wouldn’t reach outside ears. The Second Empress had taken him all the way here to speak to him. Could it be that there was something she wanted to say that she couldn't speak of publicly in the palace? Or were there spies afoot?
“How could I dare to order you? Only you can order me around, my great perfect shot king~” the Second Empress replied when she was sure no one else could hear them, the dignified appearance she had presented fading away. She looked at him with a flirtatious expression.
Zu An immediately thought of the events of that night when he heard her special tone. A flame ignited inside him. The Second Empress bit her red lip and looked at him with a smile, her misty eyes seemingly giving him a silent invitation. This woman really was a natural-born succubus!
How could Zu An hold himself back anymore? He threw himself forward!
“Don’t dirty my clothes, or else they’ll be able to tell outside
” the Second Empress quickly warned him.
Zu An replied a bit dejectedly, “Then what do we do?”
Even though the Second Empress was dressed relatively simply today, she was still a respected Empress Dowager. Even her most basic clothes needed many maids to put on. She walked up to a desk, then bent her upper body over a table. She raised her dress a bit, then turned around to look at him, saying, “Like this
”
Zu An felt as if he were about to erupt like a volcano. What man could resist such a temptation? He immediately pressed himself against her.
“Ah~” Second Empress held her hands tightly in front of her mouth for fear that the sound would reach outside. Her eyes were filled with happiness.


“No wonder you took me so deep inside. And here I thought you really had something important you wanted to say to me.”
“What, is this not important enough?”
“...Yeah, it is pretty important.”
“You’re so annoying~ If only I didn’t have so many followers around me. There’s no way to send them all away
”
“Hm? Aren’t all of your attendants your trusted aides? Many of them were the same maids who were at your palace last time.”
“You know my status is sensitive, so it’s better if fewer people know. I don’t want my son to think I’m a bad mother either.”
“Isn’t he already calling me ‘dad’? It’s fine even if he knows.”
“You’re so annoying~”


A while later, a maid suddenly reported, “Your highness, the Medusa Queen has come. She seems to be looking for the Regent.”
“Huh?” The two inside both trembled. Only after a few seconds passed did the Second Empress reply, “Invite her into the lounge to wait a bit. Make sure to bring out some tea and take good care of her.”
“Understood~” the maid replied as she slowly left, but she was a bit curious. Her highness’ voice seemed to be a bit strange, sounding strangely lazy and sweet. It left her a bit alarmed.
The two inside breathed heavily. They had both become far more sensitive because there were people standing guard outside. Between that and the stimulation of the Medusa Queen’s arrival, it was as if sparks had met explosives.
The Second Empress stood up. She carefully lowered her dress and sorted out her clothes to make sure there weren’t any wrinkles or other traces. A radiant smile and a pink blush spread across her face as she remarked, “I really am jealous of the Medusa Queen, that she can be with you all the time even in public.”
Zu An adjusted the side table, which had almost collapsed, propping it back up. He replied, “You can too. Just call for me whenever you miss me, your highness.”
“You’re the one who said it. You’d better not go back on your word!” the Second Empress replied, her eyes lighting up.
Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
“Of course,” Zu An said. He had to admit that the Second Empress really was naturally charming. He really wondered just what in the world the late Fiend Emperor had been thinking by leaving her all alone.
The Second Empress sighed inwardly. She knew that considering their status, that was completely impossible. She said, “Let’s go back out. We don’t want the Medusa Queen to wait for too long.”
However, after taking only a few steps, she suddenly let out a strange noise. Her face immediately turned red. She looked at Zu An in embarrassment.
Zu An was a bit worried, asking, “Won’t we be found out by the maids?”
After all, whether it was an Empress Dowager or an empress, there was no way they could wash their own clothes. Those would all be given to the servants to take care of. How could they hide anything then?
The Second Empress bit her lip and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll use my cultivation to hold in the stuff inside my body.”
Zu An was stunned. He recalled some movie lines from his previous world. But that female master had forced it out; why was the empress doing the opposite?


The two of them quickly arrived at the lounge together. Even the Second Empress, an incredible beauty in her own right, couldn't help but be surprised to see a stunning figure wrapped in a snow-white fox coat; and yet, it didn’t make the Medusa Queen seem too bulky, and only made her seem noble and elegant. It was almost like seeing a plum blossom tree amid a pure snowy mountain.
When she saw Yu Yanluo’s exceptional appearance and starry, resplendent eyes, the Second Empress sighed. It seemed trying to win over Zu An purely through her own beauty would be impossible.
However, she soon gathered her thoughts. After exchanging a few words with Yu Yanluo while maintaining a gentle attitude, she noticed that Yu Yanluo was holding a heater. She thus ordered her subordinates to send skilled workers to create warming installations in the Snake race’s new residence.
Yu Yanluo’s eyes lit up. She immediately developed a much better impression of the Second Empress. It really was very difficult for the Snake race to endure the Fiend King Court’s winters.
The two chatted happily for a while longer before the Second Empress got up to leave. Her status was special, so Yu Yanluo didn’t find it too strange either. As the other woman started to leave, she couldn't help but quietly say s with a sigh, “Your highness’ complexion is so good. It doesn’t seem as if
”
She wanted to say that the Second Empress didn’t look like a new widow at all, but she quickly realized that it would be a bit disrespectful, so she shut her mouth.
Zu An thought, She’s been irrigated day after day, so how can she not look great? However, worried that she would notice something, he quickly asked, “Huh? You already broke through into the master rank?”
“Yes! With the help of the Holy Pearl, it became much easier to awaken my bloodline power,” Yu Yanluo said, looking quite proud. Suddenly, she gave Zu An a look. Her expression immediately changed as she exclaimed, “Huh? Something’s not right with you!”
1. Prince Gong's Mansion, also known as the Prince Kung Mansion, is a museum and tourist attraction located in Xicheng District, Beijing, just north of the Shichahai Lake. It consists of large siheyuan-style mansions and gardens. Originally constructed for Heshen, an official highly favored by the Qianlong Emperor, it was later renamed after Prince Gong, a Manchu prince and influential statesman of the late Qing dynasty, who inhabited the mansion in the late 19th century. ☜