Chapter 1365: Luring Through Benefits

However, Zu An didn’t reveal what he was thinking as he replied, “Doesn’t your highness think too highly of me? The Fiend Emperor is the glorious second most powerful individual in the entire world. If he wants to pass on his position to the Golden Crow Crown Prince, how could I possibly stop something like that?”

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Seeing that Zu An no longer refused as firmly as he previously had, the Second Empress smiled. She said, “You have misunderstood. I am not telling you to stop the Fiend Emperor. After all, there is no one in this world with such skill. Instead, I want you to stop the Golden Crow Crown Prince.”

Zu An frowned and asked, “Is there a difference between the two?”

“Of course there is a difference,” the Second Empress said, straightening her back and pointing in a certain direction. She explained, “The so-called inheritance ceremony entails bringing the Golden Crow Crown Prince into the Imperial Tomb. There, he will obtain the acknowledgment of the previous Fiend Emperors. Then, the Fiend Emperor will pass on his cultivation to him. In that time, the Fiend Emperor will not be at his side, so as long as you can stop the Golden Crown Crown Prince from receiving the acknowledgment of the other Fiend Emperors, that should be enough.”

Zu An sighed inwardly. This woman was already married and had a child, and yet she was still as alluring as a young lady. He had no idea how she managed it. However, he wasn’t taken in by her charm and instead remained extremely rational. He replied, “Even though the current Fiend Emperor isn’t there, don’t the previous Fiend Emperors’ heroic spirits still remain? Isn’t that just courting death?”

The Second Empress shook her head and said, “It is not what you think. The so-called fiend races’ heroic spirits are just a rumor. How could they possibly still exist now? Not even a heroic spirit would last for so long.”

Zu An thought to himself, I’ve seen one that has lived for so long.

When she saw him fall silent, the Second Empress continued, “According to my investigations over the years, the so-called acknowledgment of the Fiend Emperor ancestors is just a formality. Apart from the single failure they once experienced, they always claim that each candidate has received acknowledgment. Additionally, if you think about it, if the fiend races’ heroic spirits still existed, why would the fiend races have been chased by the human race all the way to this barren land?”

Zu An figured that made sense as well. He asked, “And what happened to that pitiful guy who was the one ‘failure’?”

“He was nothing more than the sacrificial lamb used in a struggle over the throne, so they just said that the heroic spirits of past Fiend Emperors were unwilling to acknowledge him,” the Second Empress explained. “It is because of that example that I have enough confidence to send you to stop the Golden Crow Crown Prince. Otherwise, I would just be mad.”

“And what’s your proposed plan to ‘stop’ the crown prince?” Zu An asked seriously.

“The best choice is naturally to just kill him once you’re inside,” the Second Empress answered. When she noticed Zu An’s change in expression, she smiled sweetly and replied, “WOrry not. Why would I send you into a hopeless situation? When the time comes, you will not need to kill him. You only need to beat him black and blue. Of course, it would be even better if you left him with some clearly visible injuries. That way, I could use it as a pretext to start something, citing that as proof that he did not receive the recognition of the previous Fiend Emperors.”

Zu An thought to himself, This woman really is a deep schemer! It wouldn’t matter how the Golden Crow Crown Prince tried to argue against it then. After all, if people all saw him enter while perfectly alright, and he came back in a sorry state, that would mean the Fiend Emperors didn’t approve and shelter him.

“You’ve been the empress for so many years already, so you definitely have your own faction with quite a few capable individuals among them. Why do you have to choose me?” he asked. Because of the Unknown Region, he actually wanted to use the situation as a pretext to go out on a trip. However, he had to clarify the situation, or else he could end up as a happily scammed victim.

“I do have some people, but most of the major forces in the Fiend King Court know what is going on. The Fiend Emperor probably has an idea too. So, if I send them, no matter what happens, the Fiend Emperor will definitely know that I was the one causing trouble. From there on, forget about bringing down the crown prince, I might even end up in danger myself,” the Second Empress said, staring at Zu An with her long and bewitching eyes. She continued, “However, you are different. You do not have any kind of relationship with me on the surface, nor do you belong to any faction in the Fiend King Court. When the time comes, it will be easier for others to believe that it was just heaven’s will.”

She then added, “Furthermore, the Golden Crow Crown Prince is actually extremely talented. Forget about the younger generation, few people can match him even in the previous generation. There is likely no one else who could defeat him inside the Imperial Tomb.”

“Your highness overpraises me.” Zu An harrumphed. He continued, “The Imperial Tomb’s security is extremely strict, and there are all kinds of killing formations inside. I have no intention of throwing my life away.”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” the Second Empress said, handing him a token. She explained, “With this on you, the killing formations near you will not act against you. Even if you run into any guards, you can continue without being obstructed.”

Then, she took out a few sets of clothes from beneath her chair and added, “Of course, just in case, you can wear these Golden Crow Guard clothes. These are the clothes that only the Fiend Emperor’s most trusted aides can wear. With these two items, no one will stop you.”

Zu An was speechless. He replied, “By preparing all of this, it seems as if you were already certain that I’d agree, right?”

The Second Empress grinned and said, “That night, I had to hear the two of you go at it all night. If you wish to live along with Princess Snow, and if you want to protect that Medusa Queen, there is no reason for you to want the Golden Crow Crown Prince on the throne. That is, unless you are an ungrateful and fickle person.”

Afterward, she paused for a moment. She moved close to Zu An’s face and looked at him with an ambiguous smile, asking, “Are you?”

At such a distance, the Second Empress’ perfect complexion was in full view. It didn’t carry a single blemish, and she exuded an alarming sense of temptation. Zu An could even clearly smell the natural fragrance coming from her body.

However, Zu An didn’t become flustered at all and said, “Please put away your enticing games. If you really want to make me fall for that, these small tricks aren’t enough to get me excited.”

The Second Empress smiled and said, “Of course I know that. You are someone who dared to press the crown princess-to-be beneath you on this empress’ bed and wantonly vent out your feelings towards her, so you must be shockingly brave. If you complete this task, the Second Imperial Prince is still young and will need help controlling the broader situation. You, as well as the Elf race and Snake race behind you, would be the best candidates. Who knows, you could even end up becoming the Second Empress’ imperial brother, you know?”

The term ‘imperial brother’ was a bit hard to describe. For example, there were Lu Buwei and Ying Zheng, Zhang Jizheng and Wan Li, Dorgon and Fulin…

It was often the case that a young Empress Dowager would join forces with a powerful subject to help a younger emperor maintain his position. Meanwhile, however, illicit things often went on between the Empress Dowager and the subject.

Zu An thought to himself, This woman really is good at this stuff. Even though he knew that what she was saying was false, any man’s heart rate would inevitably speed up from such an offer..

“Blank checks shouldn’t be recklessly written. I’ll take these things for now. I’ll return and think more about it,” he said, taking the token and the Golden Crow Guard uniform.

The Second Empress’ expression changed a bit. She said, “This matter is extremely important. If you do not give me a reply now and just take the items, how am I supposed to deal with the following issues?”

Zu An gave her a calm look and replied, “Could it be that you still have another candidate?”

The Second Empress’ expression changed. This matter was something she had already planned for a long time. She really did have some other candidates. Whether in terms of their cultivation or scheming ability, they were far inferior to the man before her. That made the chance of failure much greater. In that case, she could opt not to do anything to avoid bringing danger onto herself.

When she thought through all of that, she sighed in relief and said, “That makes sense as well. I believe you will make the right choice. We are natural allies.”

Zu An didn’t comment on that and instead bid her farewell.

Once he left, the maid from earlier walked up to the carriage and asked, “Your highness, are we letting him go just like that?”

The Second Empress had an enchanting smile on her face as she watched Zu An leave, saying, “Worry not. I trust him.”

…

Meanwhile, Zu An put his mask back on and returned to the plaza. He then finally found a chance to chat with Snow. They shared stories of things that had happened since that night. He finally sighed in relief when he heard that she wasn’t actually in any danger.

Since there were many pairs of eyes watching, the two couldn't really say too much to each other. After talking for a bit, they separated for the time being.

Once he returned to the Snake race’s territory, Yun Jianyue frowned and asked, “Where did you run off to just now? Huh? Why is there such a girly smell on you? Did you go somewhere to cheat again?”

Yan Xuehen also looked at Zu An expressionlessly.

Zu An was speechless. Does this woman have the nose of a damn dog?!

Yu Yanluo said with a smile, “I actually feel that this smell is actually quite good, and it is also extremely special. I seem to have smelled it somewhere before…”

The three women all reacted at the same time.

“The Second Empress!”

After all, the Second Empress had passed by their group back by the palace gate.

Zu An gestured for them to be quiet, hissing, “Do you all want me dead or something?!”

Only then did he give them a rough account of what had just happened.

When they learned that the two hadn’t had the type of private meeting they envisioned, their expressions became a bit better. Yun Jianyue even remarked, “What are you still hesitating over, then? This is such a great opportunity. Just go already!”