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While Zu An was wondering what to do, suddenly, a chubby lesser eunuch approached bearing a message. Surprisingly, it was one of the empress’ eunuchs, Little Zhuo. He said that the empress needed to talk to Sir Zu about something.
Normally, Zu An was a bit apprehensive of the empress, but he was actually quite happy about the summons. He quickly agreed and followed Little Zhuo. He was scared of giving Bi Linglong a reason to keep him, so he urged Little Zhuo to start moving.
Bi Linglong rushed over when she heard the news, but Zu An was already long gone. She was so upset she swept all of the documents to the ground.
Rong Mo added fuel to the fire, remarking, “That Zu guy is so ungrateful! Did he forget who raised him up? He only knows how to betray those who treat him well.”
“Shut up!” Bi Linglong snapped, suddenly turning around and glaring at her. “Strike your own mouth to show your repentance!”
“Huh?” Rong Mo was stunned. What is up with the crown princess? I was cursing to make her feel better, so why am I now in trouble?
…
Meanwhile, Little Zhuo rushed straight to the empress’ palace before he realized what had happened. When had he ever moved so quickly before in his life?
“Brother Little Zhuo, thanks a bunch!” Zu An cupped his hands toward him, then went straight into the palace.
Little Zhuo was really moved. As a lesser eunuch, he had been bullied quite badly ever since he first arrived at the palace. Sir Zu was now a marquis, and yet he hadn’t changed at all. Sir Zu didn’t treat him as a servant, but as a normal person.
Someone as kind as him will definitely have good things happen to him.
…
Inside, Zu An saw that the empress was dressed in ordinary clothes, but it didn’t hide her mature figure at all as it rocked back and forth beautifully. The rhythm her waist swayed with was something that was difficult for younger ladies to compare to.
The empress was a bit surprised to see Zu An arrive, exclaiming, “Huh? You actually came so quickly.”
Zu An had just escaped from a ‘sea of bitterness’, so his mood was quite good as he replied, “What is your highness saying? How could I dare to ignore your imperial decrees?”
“Tsk.” The empress didn’t fall for his smooth talking at all; she replied, “I sought you out several times before, and yet you used all sorts of excuses and didn’t even come in the end.” She was clearly still bitter about that.
Zu An chuckled in embarrassment. He didn’t argue with her; instead, he asked, “Right, why did your highness suddenly summon me? The rumors haven’t settled yet, so it’s not suitable for me to come too often.”
The empress stretched out her body, putting her incredible figure on full display. She said, “Don’t worry. I’ve looked around over the past few days. Zhao Han’s attention should be completely focused on dealing with King Qi right now, so he doesn’t have time to be distracted by anything else.”
“How does her highness think things will play out from here on out?” Zu An took the chance to ask. The empress was the mother of the empire, and her clan was extremely powerful as well. She viewed things from a different perspective compared to ordinary people.
The empress gestured for him to sit down, and as he did, she even poured him a cup of tea. Then, she said, “How else can it play out? There’s no way King Qi will just sit still. He’ll probably find some reason to cling to the capital for now, such as an illness. Then, he’ll start to think up some schemes.”
“You don’t seem to be worried,” Zu An remarked, surprised by how calm she was.
“What is there to be worried about?” the empress asked, pointing toward the Imperial Study. Her expression was difficult to read as she continued, “Even though I do have some grievances toward that man for certain reasons, I can’t help but admit that he is the strongest in the entire world. He has never been defeated.”
Zu An’s expression was strange as he thought, He already lost once before in the Westhound Tomb secret dungeon. Of course, he didn’t say that out loud.
“No,” the empress suddenly began, a lovable smile on her face. “There is one area he has lost to you in.”
Zu An felt his body heat up. A mature woman was proactive and enthusiastic after all, completely missing the bashfulness of a young girl. In his previous world, the gossip and teasing of the office’s older ladies really had been enough to make any man’s face red with embarrassment.
When she saw his strange expression, the empress glanced at him and said, “Don’t worry, I didn’t come here to devour you today. I haven’t completely absorbed what you left inside my body last time yet.”
Zu An was speechless. He asked, “Then what did your highness need me for?”
“I heard that young wife of yours came to the capital. Should we bring her into the palace, and then let this empress look after her?” the empress offered. “I’ve already heard quite a few rumors in the past few days, rumors that praised her as some goddess. I want to see just how she’s grown up.”
Zu An broke out into a cold sweat, replying, “No, that’s alright… It’s not too convenient.”
What kind of a joke is this? No one wants a fire to start in their harem; I’d be insane to agree to something like this!
“What, are you scared that I’ll reveal our relationship to her? Don’t worry. I’m not that stupid. If you don’t want to, then forget it,” the empress said, not forcing the matter. Instead, she continued, “Then tell me about the two of you; when did your relationship improve? When was the first time you slept together? Could her frail body really handle a beast like you? I almost couldn't take it myself…”
Zu An was speechless. What kinds of words are you using?
…
When he finally escaped from the empress, Zu An wasn’t so foolish as to rush back to the Eastern Palace. He quickly left the palace, thinking that he’d wait until Bi Linglong’s anger subsided for the time being.
He was about to rush back to his place, but he noticed that quite a few people’s eyes were drawn in a certain direction. He thought of something, then followed their gazes. He saw a beautiful figure in an icy blue dress. Who else could it be but Chu Chuyan? He ran over with a pleasant surprise, asking, “Chuyan, weren’t you cultivating at home?”
A faint smile appeared on Chu Chuyan’s face when she saw him. She replied, “For some reason, it was really easy for me to enter meditation at the sect, but I just can’t seem to calm down as easily here. That’s why I came over to the palace to wait for you, as I’d be able to see you sooner then.”
When he heard his usually reserved wife speak such warm words, Zu An laughed heartily. He grabbed her arm and began to walk in large strides. Everyone else stared enviously at them.
…
Inside the Eastern Palace, the crown princess sat in a room by herself. There was a mirror on the table. Surprisingly, the image it reflected was of Zu An holding hands!
There were special formations all around the Imperial Palace, and they could be used for monitoring purposes. With Bi Linglong’s status, it wasn’t too difficult for her to gain access. When she saw how pure and aloof Chu Chuyan looked, Bi Linglong felt a bit absentminded. No wonder that guy ran away so quickly.
However, what made her unhappy was how lovey-dovey the two of them were. That was what she yearned for even in her dreams, and yet because she knew what kind of identity she had, she could never openly be with Zu An on the streets like true sweethearts.
Pa!
She slammed the face of the mirror against the table. There was no expression visible on her face.
…
Meanwhile, Zu An and Chu Chuyan headed toward the Royal Academy as planned. Chu Chuyan thought they had to announce their arrival and wait for a while, but Zu An took her straight in. The guards along the way didn’t stop them, and instead, quite a few people nodded toward him in greeting.
Chu Chuyan exclaimed in surprise, “Huh? You seem to be quite well received here.”
The first time she visited the capital, she had learned just how proud Royal Academy’s people were. The rear mountain area in particular was like a forbidden zone. It wasn’t completely impossible to enter, but the difficulty was very high.
“But of course. Your husband is just that charming,” Zu An said with a laugh.
Chu Chuyan was about to scold him, but when she remembered how many sweethearts he had, she couldn't help but frown.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of weapons clashing. Both of them were surprised. The academy’s rear mountain was an extremely peaceful place; why were there people fighting there?
When they went in, they saw that two rather pretty young ladies were fighting. They didn’t seem to be exchanging pointers, and instead looked more as if they were fighting to the death. They even cursed each other from time to time.
Judging from the conversation, it seemed they liked the same man, saying that he was handsome and strong, that he was the most perfect man in the world. They cursed each other as whores with no sense of shame, each saying that the other woman was the reason why they couldn't meet their lover for a long time…
Chu Chuyan glanced at Zu An with a pensive expression. Judging from how familiar he was with the academy, he clearly came here frequently.
Zu An began sweating profusely, exclaiming, “This wasn’t my fault!”
Just then, the two young ladies really did start fighting for real. They both used their ultimate moves against each other. Their skills were almost on par with each other, and it seemed as if they were about to take each other down.
Chu Chuyan kicked off the ground and with a wave of her hand, their swords were knocked away. She remarked, “It is just a man; must the two ladies go this far?”
The two women were shocked by her cultivation. But when they heard that, they couldn't help but point at the distant Zu An, retorting, “Sure, you can sound righteous right now, but what if we were fighting over your man? Would you just bow and give way?”
Chu Chuyan was stunned. Many names appeared in her mind. Qiu Honglei, Zheng Dan, Qiao Xueying… In that instant, she experienced all kinds of feelings. Sweet, sour, bitter…
Zu An knew that things were going in a bad direction. He quickly rushed forward and said, “Ladies, please don’t get angry. According to what you’re saying, it sounds as if it’s been a long time since you’ve seen your lover. Rather than fighting against each other like this, how about we calm down and chat a bit first? Just who was it that disappointed the two of you? How about I find that heartless rat to settle things?”
“Hmph, you’re the heartless rat. You dare speak ill of our big brother Xiu?!” the two girls exclaimed in unison, pointing their swords at him.
Zu An was speechless.
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