“Mother Empress?” Rong Mo asked, staring blankly for a moment. Only after a while had she realized that the crown princess was talking about the empress. As the crown princess’ personal maid, she naturally knew that the crown princess and the empress’ relationship wasn’t good.

But after thinking about it, she thought it made sense to an extent. There weren’t many mothers and daughters-in-law that got along. Furthermore, the empress wasn’t even the crown prince’s mother, and yet she acted like Bi Linglong’s senior. Both of them were particularly stubborn in nature, so they naturally didn’t like each other.

“Okay then!” Rong Mo said with a huge smile. She was looking forward to the moment when the crown princess saw that brat Zu An’s double-crossing actions. She wanted to see what he would say to try and regain the crown princess’ favor then.

…

Soon afterward, Bi Linglong brought a group of maids to the Empress Palace. They were quickly stopped by the maids and eunuchs outside, who said, “We greet the crown princess.”

“I heard that Mother Empress has returned. As a junior, I should pay her a visit,” Bi Linglong said in a neutral tone.

“Understood. We will bring her the report now,” the empress’ servants replied, looking at each other in dismay. After all, the relationship between the empress and the crown prince could only be considered ordinary at best. Each time, the crown prince’s side only paid a visit to go through the motions. They never came here at all otherwise. Had the sun risen in the west today?

Bi Linglong frowned and asked, “Why are you all out here?”

The maid replied, “Her highness is a bit tired and needs to rest, so she had us stand guard outside.”

Bi Linglong gave the palace a look, saying, “You don’t need to go through all that trouble. I’ll just follow you into the palace.” Then, she walked straight in.

The maids didn’t dare to stop her. They could only run a bit faster to notify the empress beforehand. However, as the crown princess, Bi Linglong had her status to worry about and couldn't run in with them. She could only walk a bit faster.

When they arrived at the Empress Palace, a faint voice called out from inside, “So it was Linglong. This empress was sleeping just now, so please wait for a moment.”

Bi Linglong was a bit confused. Why did the empress’ voice sound so charming right now? Her voice even seemed to be trembling a bit. Still, it could indeed be because the empress had been sleeping, so she didn’t read too much into it as she said, “I’ve disturbed Mother Empress’ rest.”

Meanwhile, her eyes darted around, but she didn’t see Zu An. She couldn't help but laugh when she thought of that. Why would the empress ever allow Zu An into her own resting chambers? Her previously irritable mood calmed down a bit when she thought of that. She couldn't help but shoot Rong Mo an annoyed look. It was all this girl’s fault for gossiping all the time. She had almost blamed a good person.

Rong Mo felt really wronged too. Just now, she really had seen Zu An being called away by Eunuch Lu!

The empress quickly got dressed and came out. But for some reason, Bi Linglong felt that even though the empress wasn’t as lavishly dressed as usual, she looked much prettier than usual. She practically seemed to be glowing. Her fair skin was covered with a faint blush, just like a young lady. Even Bi Linglong had no choice but to admit that this was the mother of a country, a beauty among beauties.

“Why did Linglong come today?” the empress asked, greeting her with a smile. But underneath her clothes, her body couldn't help but tremble slightly. She thought about what had just happened, complaining inwardly about Bi Linglong’s sudden arrival. Of course, she didn’t show anything on the surface.

“I heard that Mother Empress returned to the palace, so of course I had to come and pay a visit. I recently obtained some precious medicines, and since I’m here, I’ll share some with your respected self,” Bi Linglong said, gesturing toward the maid at her side. Not a single flaw could be picked out from her words and actions.

“Linglong really is considerate…” the empress replied.

The two continued to go back and forth like that. After exchanging a bunch of courtesies, Bi Linglong still couldn't help but ask, “Hm? Why don’t I see Sir Zu here?”

The empress’ heart was beating crazily, but she didn’t reveal anything on the surface. She replied, “I did call over Sir Zu to ask him a few questions, but he already left not too long ago. I believe he should now be back by the Imperial Study, waiting.”

She didn’t deny that Zu An had visited. As Bi Linglong had asked such a thing, it was clear that she knew Zu An had visited. If the empress denied that, she would only appear more suspicious.

“So that’s what happened,” Bi Linglong said, finally calming down. After chatting a bit more, she found a pretext to leave.

The empress made a perfunctory attempt to keep her, but then both sides separated.

…

As the empress watched Bi Linglong leave, she put away her smile. She hadn’t expected Zu An’s arrival to be discovered. 

Looks like I have to be more careful; otherwise, it would be really annoying if Zhao Han found out.

Wait, hold on. Why does she care that much about the behavior of a subject?

Don’t tell me… Is she using this to try and attack me?

She did have some awareness of what their relationship was really like, at least. The more she thought about the situation, the more she thought that was possible. Bi Linglong could even have received some rumors from Zhao Han, thus trying to bring her down this way.

She shivered when she realized that. Normally, in such a situation, it would be best not to have any more interactions with Zu An, but she also couldn't give up on her own recovery. She really was conflicted.

…

Meanwhile, Zu An had already returned to the Imperial Study’s vicinity. He secretly wiped the cold sweat on his forehead as he thought, I’m really putting my heart to work these days… I almost got caught in the act by Bi Linglong!

The empress really did have a special kind of charm to her, but it was just too dangerous to stay around her.

Suddenly, a lesser eunuch emerged. He was surprised when he saw Zu An, saying, “Sir Zu, what a coincidence! His majesty is looking for you.”

Zu An had a strange expression. Don’t tell me the emperor noticed I was messing around with his wife?

Still, the way things were, he could only brace himself and go for it. He was secretly glad that he had used the water element to wash away his body’s smell. Otherwise, if the emperor detected the empress’ scent all over him, he would be dead for sure.

He was stunned when he came in. He discovered that not only was Sang Hong there, but other important court members were also present, such as Central Secretariat Supervisor Meng Yi, Imperial Secretariat’s Right Confidential Assistant Bi Qi, War Chariot General Liu Guang, Rear General King Liang Zhaoyi… All of them were the emperor’s most trusted ministers.

When he saw Zu An arrive, the emperor said, “Bring Sir Sang back to get some good rest. Furthermore, I will assign twenty Armed Escort Guards to serve as his personal bodyguards.”

“Thank you, your majesty!” Sang Hong exclaimed. Even though he was injured, he still bowed to show his gratitude.

After all, the Armed Escort Division was the private army of the Imperial Palace. They usually only ensured the safety of the Imperial Palace. From time to time, some of them were dispatched to be used by Imperial Envoys, but they were rarely assigned to protect a single person. Twenty Armed Escort Guards didn’t sound like a large number, but what they represented was the emperor’s attitude. That way, no one would dare to brazenly mess with him anymore.

Zu An also felt happy for Sang Hong. That meant his survival was guaranteed. There was no way Zu An could constantly protect Sang Hong, but now that the emperor had made his stance clear, there was no chance of King Qi’s people trying anything else.

…

When the two left, the emperor frowned. He reflexively looked up above him. There was nothing on his head, but why did Zu An keep glancing at that area? Furthermore, there was a hint of a pitying expression in Zu An’s eyes. Such a feeling really wasn’t good.

Suddenly, King Liang interrupted his train of thought by saying, “Your majesty, King Qi actually publicly used assassins in the Imperial City. This crime cannot be pardoned. Please punish him!”

Liu Yao also got up and said, “King Qi has the ambition of a wild wolf. His crime is far more severe than this. Previously, he set up arrangements in Cloudcenter Commandery to plot a rebellion. After he was defeated, he surrounded the Imperial Envoy fleet to wipe out the evidence. Adding up all the things that have happened over the years, he ought to be executed for his crimes!”

The others all got up to denounce King Qi, advising the emperor to set his hand against King Qi. Their side already had the advantage, so it was the best time to act against King Qi.

However, Zhao Han didn’t reveal anything. Instead, he looked at Bi Qi and Meng Yi, asking, “What do the two of you think?”

Bi Qi and Meng Yi exchanged a look. In the end, Bi Qi said, “This subject thinks…”

…

When they were some distance away from the Imperial Study, Sang Hong said quietly to Zu An, “King Qi is finished.”

Zu An was surprised, asking, “Is the emperor going to make his move?”

“That might not necessarily be the case,” Sang Hong said, shaking his head. “Even though King Qi’s forces have suffered considerably recently, he still has a lot of power and resources at his disposal. If he’s pressured too far, he might be driven to desperate action. His majesty probably won’t adopt such extreme measures, but King Qi no longer has any place left for him in the capital.”

Unlike ordinary kings, King Qi intended to fight over the imperial throne. If he left the capital, the political center of the empire, he would completely give up his struggle for the throne. The forces that supported him would gradually crumble.

…

Meanwhile, in a secret room within King Qi Manor, there was also a gathering. The one in the lead was none other than King QI.

“My king, with how things are, should we make our move?” one of the members asked.

Half of King Qi’s face was hidden in the shadows. After remaining silent for a bit, he suddenly said, “Fine!”