As Zu An brought Sang Hong out of the palace, they discovered that many of the guards were pointing and gesturing into the distance. The guards were all discussing something excitedly, as if they had seen a big celebrity. When he looked up, Zu An couldn't help but smile.

It turned out Chu Chuyan was waiting outside the entrance. She stood there in the cold wind, her long hair and dress dancing through the air. With her stunning beauty, she looked like a beautiful being completely separate from the mortal world.

It wasn’t just the palace guards; even the commoners passing by in the distance couldn't help but give her a few glances. Some people even wanted to try and strike up a conversation, but as soon as they took a few steps, Chu Chuyan’s ice-cold aura scared them off. They didn’t dare to offend her further.

Even Sang Hong said with a sigh, “Chu First Miss is like a goddess after all. This level of beauty is something only Madam Yu could compare to back in the day.” When he recalled those past events, he suddenly felt as if he had become a few years younger.

Initially, he had planned to make use of the Chu clan cutting off their relationship with Zu An in order to find some way to make his own daughter into Zu An’s main wife. However, Chu Chuyan was so strong of a competitor that in that instant, he suddenly lost his confidence in that plan.

“Ah Zu!” Chu Chuyan exclaimed. When she saw Zu An arrive, a smile appeared on her cold face, as if it were the first thawing of spring. Then, she nodded slightly toward Sang Hong.

“Let’s go. We’ll send Sir Sang back to his manor first,” Zu An said. He couldn't help but take Chu Chuyan’s hand. It would be such a waste if he didn’t show off such a beautiful wife.

Sure enough, when the onlookers saw that Chu Chuyan not only didn’t resist, but even leaned against him naturally, their expressions were filled with jealousy.

You have successfully trolled the onlookers for +110 +110 +110…

Zu An couldn't help but laugh when he saw the Rage points. He suddenly remembered how he had taken Chu Chuyan with him into a casino in order to earn more Rage points.

Perhaps because she also remembered the past, a blush appeared on Chu Chuyan’s ice-cold face. She asked via ki transmission, “Ah Zu, did you do something to let me down?”

Zu An was alarmed, replying, “Why would you ask that?”

“I just feel inexplicably as if you did something you felt apologetic for, making you treat me so attentively,” Chu Chuyan said, shooting him a suspicious look.

“I’m hurt that you would wrongfully accuse me like that!” Zu An exclaimed, although he thought to himself that a woman’s sixth sense really was terrifying. Could it be that this was White Jade Sect’s Linked Sword Heart, which Yan Xuehen had mentioned before, and that Chu Chuyan was one of the few geniuses who had reached that level?

Fortunately, an Armed Escort Guard suddenly arrived with a new carriage, cutting the conversation short. Zu An quickly brought the two toward Sang Manor.

Along the way, Sang Hong shared everything that happened at the palace. He then said, “Even though we know that the one behind the Silkworm City attack is King Qi, there is no proof. Afterward, he was driven into desperation and tried to assassinate me in the capital, but failed. The capital is different from Silkworm City. No matter how powerful he is, there is no way he can completely hide all traces. As long as his majesty sends people to investigate this issue, he will find the truth.

“Furthermore, his crimes in Cloudcenter Commandery are already known. That is already enough to convict King Qi. On top of that, the Qin clan’s great generals are on the front lines and cannot return immediately. As a result, King Qi’s military forces are at less than half strength.”

Chu Chuyan’s expression changed slightly. The Qin clan was her mother’s family, after all.

“But respected uncle said his majesty won’t do anything to King Qi, right?” Zu An asked curiously.

“You are still young. You underestimate King Qi’s ability too much,” Sang Hong explained. “If I can speak in a rather disgraceful manner, King Qi is the heir of this dynasty’s great ancestor. That is why he has inherited the great ancestor’s core forces. Between that and his efforts over the years, in certain ways, his power has even exceeded his majesty’s. There are also rumors that his personal strength is on par with his majesty’s own.”

Zu An was shocked when he heard that, exclaiming, “He’s also an earth immortal?”

“Even though there is no conclusive proof, I suspect the truth is not too far off. That is why he was able to gather such prestige over all these years,” Sang Hong said. “Of course, I believe that he is still inferior to his majesty, or else he would not have been content to remain a subject for so long.”

Zu An nodded. With this information, many things began to make sense.

King Qi was weaker than the emperor, but the difference likely wasn’t that great. The emperor would have to pay a huge price to deal with King Qi. At present, the emperor’s lifespan was nearing its limit, so he was definitely unwilling to squander any at all. That was also why he hadn’t made his move against King Qi yet. However, if his life was really nearing its limit, he would definitely fight against King Qi. Otherwise, his silly son would definitely have no chance of defeating King Qi, who was in his prime.

King Qi wasn’t stupid; he knew that day would eventually come. As such, even though time was clearly in his favor, he still took risks, rebelling in some ways such as enacting his plans in Cloudcenter Commandery.

“But this time, King Qi has given up information that can be used against him. His majesty would never give up such a good opportunity. If things do not completely fall apart, it will definitely result in King Qi leaving the capital and returning to his fiefdom,” Sang Hong continued seriously. “All people move toward benefits and avoid harm. If King Qi leaves the capital and shows that he no longer has the ability to seize the throne, many members of his faction will start to leave him. Even the clans that are part of his core forces will start to consider that possibility. All sorts of doubts will begin brewing. Then, King Qi’s strength will gradually weaken, ultimately ending up being completely cut off. There will be far fewer consequences if his majesty acts against him then.”

Zu An was in complete awe as he listened. Even though Sang Hong’s cultivation wasn’t too outstanding in the capital, his keen perception of the political landscape was top rate. His deductions from just a bit of information he had received after what happened were all reasonable and fair.

Chu Chuyan couldn't help but ask, “What will happen to the Qin clan in the future?”

Sang Hong replied, “With the Qin clan’s prestige in the military, as long as they do not rebel along King Qi in the end, nothing too major should happen to them. Of course, the Qin clan will never again have as much authority as they have right now.”

Chu Chuyan nodded. She didn’t care too much about authority. As long as nothing too serious that would make her mother sad happened, that would be enough.

…

Time passed quickly as they talked, and they arrived at the Sang manor before they realized it. Sang Qien and Zheng Dan had already received news ahead of time and were waiting by the entrance.

“Dad!” Sang Qien exclaimed. She was much more excited than Zheng Dan. She had already lost her big brother, and thought her father had died too. How could she not be happy to see him return safely?

“Sang Qien!” Sang Hong exclaimed, tears flowing profusely from his eyes.

“Big brother Zu, thank you…” Sang Qien said, looking gratefully at Zu An. Suddenly, she froze as she saw Chu Chuyan next to Zu An. Her expression stiffened as she said, “Chu… Chu First Miss.”

Sang Hong’s face heated up. He naturally knew that his daughter was still too immature, so he spoke up to ease the awkwardness, saying, “Little Qien, it was thanks to Chu First Miss saving me that I was able to keep this old life of mine.”

Sang Qien was stunned. How could she still be bothered to focus on her love rivalry? She quickly expressed her gratitude.

“Lady Sang is too courteous,” Chu Chuyan replied politely.

…

The group headed inside. Sang Qien naturally talked to her father about their long time apart from each other. Meanwhile Zu An helped them explain the situation.

Zheng Dan pulled Chu Chuyan aside for some chit-chat, as they were from the same hometown. She said, “Big sister seems to have become even more beautiful and elegant than before.”

Chu Chuyan was cold in nature and wasn’t too used to such enthusiasm. However, she was too embarrassed to push Zheng Dan away. She replied, “Miss Zheng, long time no see.”

She naturally knew about Zheng Dan’s relationship with Zu An, so she wasn’t too happy deep down. But when she thought about how Zheng Dan had remained at Zu An’s side when he was in trouble, and how they had all fought together, she couldn't bring herself to act up either. She sighed inwardly. As the other party already called her big sister, she couldn't just protest now, right?

Thus, she quickly sorted out her thoughts and chatted with Zheng Dan. Seeing that Chu Chuyan was playing along, Zheng Dan felt as if a weight had lifted from her chest. To a certain extent, that meant Chu Chuyan had already accepted her.

As they chatted, the two girls became much closer. Zheng Dan keenly sensed Chu Chuyan glancing toward Zu An several times. She couldn't help but ask with a smile, “Why does big sister seem so reluctant to be apart from Ah Zu?”

Chu Chuyan blushed and replied, “I wasn’t looking at him at all…” However, after some hesitation, she quietly asked, “Does Lady Sang also… like Ah Zu?”

“Pfft!”

Zheng Dan had felt her throat was a bit dry from all the talking, and had begun sipping on some tea. When she heard that, she immediately spat it out.