Chapter 960: Plan for the Worst

Zu An thought to himself, How can you be like this? You were all smiles a moment ago, but you’re now going to become hostile?

But he reacted quickly too and said, “This time, by going to Cloudcenter Commandery, I’m representing the crown prince’s Eastern Palace. Because I have to leave for a long time, I still need to pay the crown prince and crown princess my respects and heed their instructions.”

The empress’ breath caught in her throat. She had originally wanted to use the situation as a pretext to make a fuss and discipline him a bit, but how could she have known that he would react so quickly?

Zu An took the chance to say, “If your highness doesn’t need me for anything else, this subject will leave first. I still need to prepare many things for this trip.”

Seeing that he was using his official duty to evade her, the empress was extremely unhappy. She said sarcastically, “Sir Zu truly is loyal and devoted to our nation, faithful and true to his majesty.”

“Your highness is too kind with your praise. This is merely my duty.” Zu An’s face also heated up. He really wasn’t all that devoted to the emperor, which was something the empress knew best.

The empress was really irritated. She really wanted to retort with ‘is working this empress’ body diligently also part of your duty?’, but with so many people present, her reason still won out in the end. She said, “His majesty is really fortunate to have a subject like you to share in his worries. You may leave.”

You have successfully trolled Liu Ning for +358 +358 +358…

Zu An clicked his tongue. Sigh, the anger of a lonely young married woman isn’t anything to be messed with. There was no way he would be so stupid as to say something else at that point, though, so he quickly left.

When she saw Zu An avoid her as if she were some demonic pestilence, the empress wasn’t in the mood for a stroll anymore. She returned to her palace with an ashen expression.

…

After chasing away the maids and eunuchs, the empress asked Eunuch Lu in private, “Little Lu, have I already gotten too old and lost my charm?”

Eunuch Lu immediately praised her endlessly. “Your highness is in your prime, your beauty unmatched! If your respected self isn’t charming, no woman in this world can be.”

The empress harrumphed. “Then if that’s the case, why does that brat keep avoiding me? It’s almost as if I’m going to eat him or something.”

Eunuch Lu said, “It might be because Sir Zu has too many misgivings. After all, we’re in the Imperial Palace. He’ll be dead for sure if there are any openings.”

“Even this empress isn’t scared, so what is he scared of?” The empress was really annoyed.

Eunuch Lu gave her a resentful look. The empress has never been that proactive of a person. She even had to take the initiative to seek out Zu An again and again… That fella really does have some special talent; even the empress has been experiencing such a feeling. He felt jealousy, but also a different kind of feeling. In the end, he could only continue praising the empress to try and make her a bit happier.

However, he had never expected the empress to wave her hand impatiently after hearing what he said. “Enough, enough. It’s always been these same words again and again these past few years. Even if you’re not tired of them, I am. Just get lost.”

Eunuch Lu wanted to cry. You still show that Zu An your smile even when he treats you so coldly; and yet I’m over here taking care of you with everything I have, but you treat me like this…

But he had already gotten used to it after serving her for so many years. Even though he felt a moment of anger and felt somewhat wronged, the anger quickly dissipated. He bowed respectfully and quietly withdrew.

…

The night before the imperial envoy departed, Zu An remained in the palace. He used the well bottom’s secret passage to go to Bi Linglong’s palace.

When she heard the clear tapping sound, Bi Linglong grabbed the short sword next to her bed. She got off her bed vigilantly. After some hesitation, she still opened up the mechanism and entered the secret room, calling out, “Who is it?”

“It’s me!” Zu An replied from the other side.

Bi Linglong sighed when she heard Zu An’s voice. She lowered her short sword, but her voice was still cold. “Do you know that barging into this princess’ private chambers in the middle of the night is a crime punishable by clan eradication? Out of gratitude toward your contributions for the crown prince, this princess will give you another chance. Get lost!”

Zu An remained quiet for a moment. This woman really knows how to hold a grudge… She still hasn’t let it go even after such a long time. He could only say, “I’m leaving tomorrow.”

Bi Linglong remained silent. A while later, she replied, “So what?”

Zu An sighed. “The case of the Cloudcenter Duke’s disappearance is extremely complicated. Many powers are involved behind the scenes. There will definitely be people who don’t wish for me to succeed. The world is large, and the emperor will be far away, I may not return alive. That’s why I wanted to meet with you one last time before I leave, so I won’t have any more regrets.”

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The secret room’s door opened with a groan not long after he finished speaking. Bi Linglong stood in front of him with a cold look, remarking, “Why are you saying something so inauspicious when you’re not even leaving yet?”

Zu An revealed a smile. “Looks like you still care about me.”

“Pah!” Bi Linglong harrumphed. “Who cares if you die or not?” Then, she turned around and began to close the door again.

Zu An wasn’t an unromantic fool. How could he let her close the door now? He took a step forward and made his way inside.

“What are you doing?!” Bi Linglong jumped in fright. She took a step back and cried, “I’m going to scream for help if you don’t leave right now!”

Zu An looked into her eyes and said “I still won’t feel a shred of regret if you call someone over and order for me to die by a thousand cuts.”

Bi Linglong was ashamed and panicked due to his mischievous appearance. “Why are you always such a rascal like this?!”

Zu An took the chance to take her into his arms. He replied gently, “You only realized that now?”

“Let go of me!” Bi Linglong was panicking. She continued to hit him, trying to push him away.

Sensing that she wasnt even using ki, Zu An obviously wouldn’t be stupid enough to let her go. Bi Linglong struggled for a bit, but her strikes became weaker and weaker. Their lips grew closer and closer, and in the end, they pressed against each other.

Zu An was extremely gentle this time. Bi Linglong clearly sensed his love as well. Her body also became softer and softer.

…

A while later, Bi Linglong lay in his arms with a completely reddened face. She drew circles on his chest in an innocent manner, saying, “You really are annoying…” She was no longer cold and arrogant the way she had been before; instead, it was more like the pouting of a spoiled child.

“But didn’t you like that a lot just now?” Zu An had a mischievous smile on his face.

Bi Linglong was so angry that she bit down on his shoulder. This guy was always embarrassing her like this, and yet she seemed to kind of like it inwardly. She was really annoyed when she thought of that and wanted to vent out her resentment.

“I was wrong, I was wrong…” Zu An continued to beg for mercy. Their bodies rubbed against each other, and their breathing soon became heavy.

“No…” Bi Linglong was getting flustered. She was still just a young lady after all, so how could she handle his strong and tempered body?

Zu An laughed. He gently kissed her cheek and didn’t go further. Instead, he embraced her in a considerate manner, saying, “Linglong, you need to properly refine this essence to compensate for the longevity you lost. I’m scared that it might leave lasting effects if you wait for too long. I really feel pained when I see your white hair.”

Bi Linglong blushed when she heard what he said, asking, “What kind of weird skill is it anyway? I just feel like it’s indecent.”

“How can something that can save lives be indecent?” Zu An replied with a straight face.

“Then are you going to use this method whenever you save someone in the future?” Bi Linglong’s eyes immediately widened.

“Of course not!” Zu An added inwardly, For example, I would never save a man like this.

Bi Linglong finally calmed down and said, “By the way, you have to be careful in Cloudcenter Commandery this time. The clans in Cloudcenter Province are all extremely powerful, and the Yu clan themselves have deep-rooted problems. The disappearance of the previous Cloudcenter Duke is too suspicious; I suspect that it might be the clan’s own people who caused it. There’s even a chance that it was the Jian clan who colluded with Cloudcenter Duke’s madam in harming him.”

Zu An felt great admiration. Bi Linglong was an outstanding crown princess after all! She had been able to guess at some of the truth just from some clues. As for whether Cloudcenter Duke’s madam had taken part in the collusion, her stunning figure reappeared in his mind and he subconsciously felt that was impossible.

Seemingly noticing his disapproval, Bi Linglong reminded him with a frown, “The Jian clan’s duke is one of our empire’s founding dukes, just like your Brightmoon City’s Chu clan. They have a private army. Furthermore, because their status in Cloudcenter Commandery is special, together with the Yu clan’s help, the Jian clan wasn’t weakened by the court like the Chu clan. That’s why, even if you find out something, don’t be hasty in doing anything. Otherwise, you might put their backs against a wall. At that point, your entire envoy might just be completely eliminated.”

Zu An was alarmed and exclaimed, “Don’t tell me they would actually dare to rebel?”

Bi Linglong replied, “I’ve received some intelligence from Cloudcenter Commandery over the years. The powers there are complicated and tangled. The court’s influence over that area is limited, so anything might happen. For your own safety, you must plan for the worst.”