Chapter 1891: Here to Slaughter
That old servant looked at Zu An and said loudly, “Since the imperial grandson is unwilling to admit to his identity for now, this old one will not force you. I will just leave this place so my presence does not interfere with the imperial grandson’s takeover of the academy. When the day comes that the imperial grandson has sorted out his thoughts, I will return to your side once more.”
Zu An didn’t stop him at all, saying, “Don’t worry, that day won’t come.”
The old servant chuckled and didn’t get too annoyed. He said, “It is hard to predict the world’s affairs. No one can talk about what the future holds for certain.”
Zu An was really annoyed. He stormed off with a snort.
No one else knew what the old servant was thinking as he watched Zu An slowly disappear into the distance. He released a deep sigh.
…
As he descended the mountain, Zu An didn’t stop at all. The elegant scenery along the way couldn't dispel his frustrations. He wasn’t even in the mood to meet with Xie Daoyun and the others anymore. He only wanted peace and quiet right now.
At first, he had been confused about who to help between the empress and the crown princess, since helping either side would bring him trouble. Now, however, it seemed simple enough. Bi Linglong’s father had killed his parents…
Dammit, what even is all of this?!
Even though he had seen similar plotlines in the dramas of his previous world, he had always felt that grudges from the previous generation were just things of the past, and that they shouldn’t affect those of the next generation. However, now that he was in the very same situation himself, he realized just how much of an armchair expert he had been.
Even though he continued to tell himself that he was just a transmigrator and had nothing to do with the imperial grandson, the old servant mentioned how his mother had protected him with her body… Even though it didn't amount to feeling a real parental bond, he still couldn't help but feel a bit sad.
If he hadn't known, that would be the end of that. However, now that he did know the truth, he couldn't just pretend nothing had happened. Was he supposed to just continue talking cheerfully with his enemy, and have a happy romance with the daughter of his enemy?
He couldn't help but mutter to himself, “Master empress, what do you think I should do now…”
A red figure appeared at the edge of his vision. Mi Li floated at his side, her bare feet untainted by even a speck of dust. It was as if she were drawn perfectly with a brush. Her figure looked as if it naturally harmonized with the natural laws of the world. Even Zu An couldn't help but give her a look.
Mi Li stretched out her body a bit, revealing her graceful and impressive curves that could compel anyone to take a second glance. She replied, “What's so hard about that? Just go and kill that old servant. Now that the libationer is already dead, if you silence the only one who knows, you can just keep living as Zu An. You won’t have anything to do with the previous generation’s imperial grandson, and you can also continue to have a romance with the crown princess if you want to. If you want to sleep with her, just do it. Anyway, when you were pounding the crown princess’ body viciously back then, you actually already took revenge for those people. They killed your loved ones, so you screwed their daughter. Isn’t it quite fair?”
Zu An replied with a grimace. “Master empress, when did you become so vicious?”
“I’m saying these things for your sake. I’m just saying it as it is,” Mi Li said, seemingly concerned.
“Are there any other ways?” Zu An asked impatiently. This woman was becoming more and more unreliable.
“This is the simplest and most favorable method for you,” Mi Li said as she gave him a look, then shook her head. “You know what? Sometimes, life becomes a bit easier if you live a bit like a bad person. Someone like you who always adds shackles of virtue to yourself will only experience more suffering.”
Zu An was quiet. Even though he didn’t want to become some imperial grandson, he still admired those who were willing to give up their own lives in a desperate situation in order to defend the bloodline of the previous dynasty’s imperial family. How could he silence that old servant because of his own selfish desires?
Seeing that he didn’t say anything, Mi Li harrumphed and said, “If you’re not willing to kill the old servant, you might as well just become that imperial grandson and kill that Bi Qi guy. Then, with your identity as the previous dynasty’s emperor, you can gather those who are still loyal to the Meng Dynasty and kill that stupid crown prince to become the emperor yourself.”
Zu An shook his head and said, “Bi Qi is still Bi Linglong’s father, and Linglong treats me well. If I did that, how could I face her in the future? Besides, I don’t have any interest in becoming an emperor.”
Wasn’t being Regent a better life? He had tremendous authority, and yet he didn't have to deal with any governmental affairs. He could spend more time on cultivation and exploring the mysteries of life.
“You don’t even want to become the emperor?” Mi Li exclaimed in shock. “You have so many sweethearts, and if you become the emperor, you can take them all into your harem with a righteous pretext. No one will be able to say a thing then. Otherwise, everyone will criticize you for having too many women no matter what kind of identity you have.”
Zu An shook his head, saying, “I trust that my lovers wouldn’t cherish some imperial concubine position.”
He had seen so many powerful beings in the secret dungeon, and felt that the universe was truly vast with endless mysteries to explore. How could he still have the heart to become an emperor?
“You don’t want this, you don’t want that? Then there’s nothing else you can do,” Mi Li said, giving him an annoyed look. “You're the perfect example of a beggar who wants to be a chooser. Since you’re so stubborn, I’m not going to bother anymore.”
She turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared, leaving Zu An speechless.
Suddenly, he noticed something and looked in the direction of the marquis manor. The formation there seemed to be under attack. He set aside his annoyances and flew in that direction.
Meanwhile, outside the marquis manor, the servants and guards brandished weapons in front of the entrance, calling out, “This is the marquis manor; who dares to cause trouble here?”
“Cough cough, it is just a trifling marquis manor, and yet you seem to have put on quite the big display here! You dare to put on airs in front of this king, cough cough…” a young man dressed in embroidered clothes scolded them. His face was incredibly pale, and he had to gasp several times in the middle of each sentence. He seemed to be a victim of some chronic illness.
“King Jin has personally arrived, and yet your marquis still isn’t coming out to kneel and welcome him?!” an imperial bodyguard shouted.
“We greet his highness King Jin!” the staff of the marquis manor greeted him respectfully in shock. Then, one of them replied, “Responding to your highness, our lord is not in the manor.”
“What, does he know that he has committed wrongs, leaving him scared of this king knocking on his door? Is that why he went into hiding?” King Jin sneered. “He seems to have at least some wit. Whatever, we’ll get revenge on him later. Hand over Miss Murong first!”
“That…” The people at the gate looked at each other in dismay before replying, “Your highness, how could Miss Murong be in our marquis manor… Aaaaah!”
A miserable scream filled the air before King Jin retracted the whip in his hands.
“How audacious! You dare lie to this king? Do you think my intelligence gatherers are good-for-nothing? I advise you to hand over Murong Qinghe immediately, or else none of you will be able to handle the crime of harboring a criminal. If you continue to dally, this king will raze this entire marquis manor to the ground, cough cough…” King Jin said, looking agitated; he then began to cough fiercely. An unnatural flush covered his face.
An elder quickly supported him and placed his hand on his back to continuously infuse him with ki, saying, “Your highness, do not be too anxious. Be careful not to harm your own body.”
“Thank you, Elder Chen," King Jin said. His coughing then eased up a bit and he respectfully bowed to the elder.
This elder was a powerful guard assigned to him by his father, someone who almost never left his side. Over the years, there had been countless attacks from assassins, but Elder Chen had always been the prince’s most reliable wall of defense. As such, the prince respected him a lot.
The face of the guard who had spoken up was already covered in bloody scars. However, he was facing a prince, so even though he was angry, he didn’t dare to say anything.
Inside the manor, Murong Qinghe was already incredibly nervous. She got up several times and said, “Maybe I should go out. I can’t be a burden on big brother Zu.”
Chu Youzhao pulled her back and replied, “Would you still have a chance of surviving if you went out there? Don’t worry. Since big brother Zu dared to bring you into his place, that means he's confident he can protect you!”
Despite what she said, however, she didn’t have much confidence either. She took out the formation wheel. It was a good thing that she had immediately activated the formation. She shoved the formation wheel into Murong Qinghe’s hands and said, “Make sure you stay here. I’m going to take a look!”
Her brother-in-law rarely stayed at his home in the capital, and there weren’t too many guards or servants in the manor. Most of them were familiar faces from back in Brightmoon City. How could those ordinary guards stand a chance against the pressure of King Jin?
Outside the gate, King Jin was getting a bit annoyed. They exclaimed, “Men, search this place!”
“Halt!” a voice cried out.
The staff finally sighed in relief when they saw Chu Youzhao appear, exclaiming, “Third young master!”
Chu Youzhao nodded, then said to King Jin, “Even though your highness’ status is respected, you lack the authority to willfully search the residence of an important minister, right?”
King Jin gave her a surprised look.
I’m always sick, so my skin lacks color, but how is this pretty boy even whiter than me? Most importantly, it’s a healthy-looking white… it makes me annoyed just looking at it!
“You were hiding a criminal yesterday, and this king sent people to capture her, but they were actually killed by Zu An. How absurd! However, what this king never expected was that he would actually leave you two in his own residence in such a grandiose way. Well, that’s fine too, since that saves this king a lot of trouble. Men, arrest this Chu guy and that Murong clan girl. Anyone who resists is to be killed without exception!” King Jin ordered.
“Understood!” his subordinates replied. They had already been standing around restlessly for a long time. All of them drew their blades and charged at Chu Youzhao when they heard that.
King Jin sneered. As long as he could capture Murong Qinghe, he could confirm Zu An’s crime of harboring a criminal. That way, even if he just killed him on the spot, none of the other ministers in the court could say anything.
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