Chapter 1879: Seizing One’s Own Destiny
Zu An had to admit that what she said made some sense. That meant Bi Linglong could have a motive. Even though the two of them had an extremely close relationship, in the royal family, such relationships weren't even worth mentioning.
If his assassination came to light, not only would people be on guard against the empress and abandon her, it would also incur the anger of the Fiend races. After all, if their Regent ended up dying mysteriously on this side, they would definitely act to find the killer. Then, with both insiders and outsiders working together, they would be able to undermine the empress’ influence.
Of course, she probably couldn't have known that he was the new libationer at the time. Now that she had enough power to affect the court’s situation, she would definitely change her plans and no longer choose the same tactic to exploit him by sacrificing her own forces…
Those thoughts passed through Zu An’s mind in an instant, but he quickly silenced them. He was still willing to trust Bi Linglong, feeling that she definitely wouldn't do such a thing to him. Of course, he still had to take basic precautions. He looked toward Liu Ning. If Bi Linglong was suspicious, wasn't she still more suspicious?
As if sensing his thoughts, Liu Ning coldly asked, “What, do you think I sent those assassins?”
Zu An gently held her hands and replied, “I was a bit worried at first, but after coming here, those misgivings disappeared.”
“You actually still dared to suspect this empress!” Liu Ning exclaimed. She clenched her teeth so hard they ached a bit, and bit down on his chest. “Even Zhao Han never made me so willing to serve him, and yet a guy like you actually dares to suspect me!”
“I was wrong, okay? Also, I’m not suspecting you anymore, right?” Zu An replied, hugging her to appease her anger.
“How are you going to make it up to me?” Liu Ning asked with a grin, a complacent smile appearing on her face.
“How does your highness want me to compensate you?” Zu An asked in alarm.
Liu Ning moved over to his ear and asked quietly, “Didn’t I tell you that I needed us to do it ten times before?”
“But your highness has already recovered your cultivation!” Zu An replied. He hadn't expected that this extremely seductive woman would be a grandmaster. She had just been too unbearably weak back then.
“The rest I owe you, so now I’ll slowly return them to you," Liu Ning said as she smiled flirtatiously. She pushed him straight onto her seat, then lay down and said, “Sir Zu, I was always the one who ended up being pressed beneath you and bullied. This time, this empress wants to be the one dominating you.”
Zu An was a bit troubled. He said, “Your highness, there are still others in the Palace of Peace, and I need to leave the palace for some things…”
“It doesn’t matter. This empress just needs to be a bit faster this time,” Liu Ning said. Her voice sounded as if it were slathered in honey, seemingly containing a sweetness that came from her very bones. She said, “Sir Zu doesn’t need to move. Leave everything to this empress.”
Zu An couldn't help but sigh. This kind of mature woman really was entirely different from a young lady. Bi Linglong was so much more bashful, scared that someone in the Eastern Palace would find out. She was like a guilty little rabbit. In contrast, the empress didn’t care at all and was already dressed in her skintight sleepwear. She immediately got to the point.
…
Meanwhile, Eunuch Lu had always been standing guard outside, scanning the surroundings vigilantly and not allowing anyone near the empress’ chambers. Suddenly, his ears moved slightly, and his fists clenched tightly in his sleeves. Then, his entire body began to shake slightly, as if he were experiencing something painful.
However, immediately after, an unnatural blush appeared on his face. His expression showed discomfort, and yet also, an unusual sense of satisfaction.
Sigh, Sir Zu truly is as fierce as a dragon. It truly is envious. Ning’er must be extremely happy right now…
But that’s how it should be. Ever since she met Sir Zu, Ning’er has smiled far more than she's ever smiled in this lifetime. Her complexion isn’t deathly pale, but now an enchanting peach color. She's as stunning as she was back in her youth.
I wonder just how much Sir Zu poured into her for her to have such astonishing changes…
He suddenly recalled that recently, the western regions seemed to have offered a new kind of pastry as a tribute. It seemed to be something called a cream puff, and it was quite nice to look at. He thought of having some lesser eunuchs bring some over from the imperial kitchen for everyone to try.
…
After a long time had passed, Liu Ning was left lying powerlessly on her couch. She didn’t even have the strength to speak anymore, her body shaking from time to time. There was a bit of shock and bashfulness in her gaze as she looked at Zu An.
She had been seriously injured in the past, leaving her body as delicate as an ordinary woman's. That was why she had been a bit unhappy that she had to be so submissive under his bullying. Now that she had recovered her grandmaster rank strength, she'd figured that she had already become much tougher and could finally earn back some dignity, to teach this man the power of the empress.
However, she hadn’t expected it to be no different from before at all! Of course, she had lasted a bit longer, but despite her strength as a grandmaster, she was still the first one to plead for mercy. Just what was going on with this kid?
Zu An helped her put on her covers and said, “Your highness should get some proper rest. I’ll be leaving first.” He was worried about the Qin clan’s situation and wanted to take a look there first.
Liu Ning lay there for a moment, then finally caught her breath. When she heard that, she asked, “Are you really just leaving after you’re done? Are you really that heartless?”
“Then I’ll keep your highness company for a bit longer,” Zu An said, figuring that she was right. It really would be a bit trashy if he just left now. As such, he sat down by her side again and gently helped her sort out her soaked hair.
“I know that you attach a lot of importance to feelings and righteousness, and you can't do something like switching your allegiance just like that. I won’t force you either,” Liu Ning said. She suddenly turned over and began to search for something in the small cabinet next to her. The light fabric fell from her shoulders, exposing her beautiful back and the traces of their previous battle on it. She quickly took out a special token and gave it to Zu An, saying, “I know that you still have misgivings about the assassination, and you won’t believe me no matter what you say. In that case, you should just investigate it yourself. This is the token of the Embroidered Envoy’s Chief Commander. Zhuxie Chixin is already dead, so from today on, you're the chief commander of the Embroidered Envoy. You can mobilize all of the Embroidered Envoy as you please.”
Zu An was shocked. He had never expected her to give such a thing to him. He replied, “Your highness, this item is too precious! I can't accept it.”
Liu Ning didn’t allow his rejection and put it straight into his inner pockets. She said, “Don’t worry, I won’t force you to join my faction. However, the Embroidered Envoy has only ever listened to his majesty’s orders, but there still has to be a new ruler. If one of the other princes took the throne and put in a trusted aid, that would be troublesome. After thinking about it, the one I can trust the most is you, and you share some karma with the Embroidered Envoy. There's no candidate more suitable than you.”
Zu An said seriously, “Even so, I still have my duty as the Eastern Palace’s…”
Liu Ning harrumphed. “I trust that you won’t use what I give you to help that lowly person. Just take it.”
Zu An thought to himself for a bit and figured that this item was very useful for him at the moment, so he didn’t refuse again.
Liu Ning nodded in satisfaction and said, “Alright, I’m already exhausted from all of that. You should go and do what you need to do.”
“Okay.” Zu An got up and said his goodbyes.
When he reached the door, Liu Ning suddenly called out to him and asked, “Right, what cultivation rank are you now?”
Zu An shook his head and said, “I don't really know either. My cultivation is difficult to evaluate by the world’s standards.” He couldn't just tell her that he was level 74, right?
Liu Ning nodded and said with a smile, “Either way, you’re not weak. There's no way a man whom this empress can't win over despite doing my utmost could be weak.”
Zu An was a bit apologetic. He said, “That's because your highness’ vital part was restrained, so you couldn't use your true grandmaster strength.”
When she recalled the scorching heat of being penetrated, Liu Ning’s body immediately weakened. She said, “Hmph, the toughness of your body is definitely no weaker than a grandmaster's. Also, I can't even see your true nature… If you don’t want to talk about it, then forget it. There is still something I need to warn you about, though.”
“Please speak, your highness,” Zu An said in confusion. What matter could it be for her to be so serious?
“The capital isn’t as simple as you think. The eight dukes are all beings at the peak of grandmaster rank. Every single one of them has endless methods and resources. In the past, they were only a step away from the earth immortal rank. Now that so many years have passed, there might already be some who took that step, but just didn't want to become Zhao Han’s target, and so were all just hiding from the eyes of the people," Liu Ning began. “Apart from that, there are a few clans who also have ancestor-level figures, but Zhao Han was suppressing them before. He had a justifiable reason to do so with his status as the emperor, so all of those clans remained hidden and tacitly allowed that situation to continue.
“However, if it were anyone else, even if they had cultivation similar to Zhao Han’s, the eight dukes’ hidden old monsters would never submit to them if they didn’t have the publicly acknowledged status of emperor. Furthermore, quite a bit of the army is in the hands of those clans. The power an army can achieve through formations isn’t something a single person can face. So, even though it looks as if our Liu clan has grasped the capital’s court, until now, we've merely been doing things by the rules. We didn't do a single thing that overstepped our boundaries.”
Zu An couldn't help but chuckle. He asked, “Could it be that your highness fears that I'll willfully cause trouble?”
Liu Ning gave him a deep look and said, “You're still young, so you'll definitely have moments of hot-headedness. The capital has too many people you care about. Some clans might use some political methods that are commonly seen among great clans, but others might find it intolerable. I hope you won't act impulsively if you accidentally end up encountering such a situation. If anything happens, please talk to me first. I'll help you.”
“Don’t worry, your highness. I'll only use my hot-bloodedness on your highness’ body. As for other people, I've always been someone who speaks reason," Zu An said with a smile. Then, he turned around to leave while waving his hand in goodbye.
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