Chapter 1939: Aroma Pond
Zu An was stunned. He couldn't help but reply with a smile, “Did your highness call me over in the middle of the night just to ask me about that?”
Liu Ning paid close attention to his expression the entire time as she asked that question, but she didn’t notice any openings even after staring at him for a long time. She released a faint smile and said, “Actually, I'm not the only one who has such suspicions. After what happened at the Meng manor, all of the great clans in the capital have been wondering similar things. That crown princess of yours must also be having second thoughts.”
Previously, there had been no way anyone would have such thoughts. After all, everyone had publicly acknowledged Zhao Han to be without equal. Meanwhile, they had thought that Zu An’s cultivation was comparatively like an ant's. But after what happened this time in the Meng manor, they suddenly realized that if Zu An was so absurdly strong, even if his cultivation wasn’t greater than Zhao Han’s, he would have at least had a fighting chance.
How much of a coincidence could there be? No one else had witnessed how Zhao Han died; the only one was Zu An alone. Didn’t that mean he could say whatever he wanted? When they thought about how King Qi and the libationer had both died in this affair, everything started to make more sense.
“But they aren’t as close to you as I am, so even if they suspect it, they wouldn’t dare to ask you directly," Liu Ning said.
Zu An’s expression grew strange.
Bi Linglong is close to me, but we were so busy with our roleplaying game that we didn’t have any time to talk about these things.
“Your highness must be joking. His majesty’s cultivation is unparalleled, and he dominated all cultivators for many generations. How could he have possibly died at the hands of another?” Zu An replied.
Liu Ning’s smile became bigger as she said, “That’s a good reply. In the future, no matter what anyone asks, this is how you should reply. I'll send some people to spread this as public opinion. This way, even if there is someone who still suspects something, it won’t do much anymore.”
Zu An was speechless.
So this woman didn’t believe what I said in the slightest.
The waters stirred, and then a beautiful arm reached out toward him. Liu Ning asked, “What is the regent standing around for? Hurry and come in for a bath already.”
Zu An raised his brows and said, “Your highness is still inside, so I fear that it isn’t too appropriate for this lowly official to come in as well.”
Liu Ning rolled her eyes at him.
This guy now knows how far a subject should go? When did he treat me like an empress when he was dominating me before?
“It’s fine; this bath is large enough. The regent and this empress will each have our respective side and won’t interfere with each other,” Liu Ning said with a smile. “The regent has shown the world your might all day, but your body can’t help but still carry a trace of bloodiness. It’s best if you wash up first.”
“I fear that I’ll end up dirtying your highness’ bathing water,” Zu An said. Despite that, he still gradually removed his clothing. He had been a bit worried about still having Bi Linglong's smell all over him. The empress could even guess the truth in that case. But the current situation was perfect. Once he took a bath in the hot spring, all smells would go away.
“The regent must be joking. You have always been able to freely go wherever this empress has gone, so what dirtying is there to speak of?” Liu Ning said as she started to swim over like a mermaid.
Meanwhile, Zu An had already entered the pool. When he saw that, he couldn't help but remark with a smile, “Didn’t the empress say a moment ago that we should stay on separate sides, so as to avoid crossing any boundaries?”
Liu Ning swam up behind him, and her ten slender and soft fingers began to massage his shoulders. She said, “The regent is an important statesman of this empire, and your body is extremely important. The court naturally has the duty of helping you relieve your fatigue. The two of us have important matters related to the state to discuss, so we cannot have any maids or servants with us, and I can only do the job myself. I hope that the regent won’t be too disappointed by this empress’ clumsy hands, as I’ve never served anyone before.”
Zu An replied with a chuckle, “Who knows how many people in this world dream of having her highness personally serve them, but would never dare to even think of it? Just that special feeling alone is far greater than having a maid who is good at massages do it.”
Liu Ning’s face turned a bit red. Her fingers jumped across his skin. As she felt the vigorous life force and masculinity surging within his muscles, her heart rate sped up. She asked, “Do you blame me for not helping you before, causing you to be bullied by the Meng clan and King Dai?”
“Of course not. If we were in each other's shoes, I would probably only have been able to do as much as you did. You are the empress, so you need to consider balance for each side,” Zu An said with a chuckle. She was the same as Bi Linglong; both of them immediately apologized to him.
“Ah Zu, you really are good at understanding others,” Liu Ning said, feeling really moved. “But you really hid your strength too well! If I had known you were that strong from the start, why would I still play those games with everyone else?”
“Actually, if the Meng clan and King Dai didn’t pressure me that much, I wouldn’t have wanted to do that either,” Zu An said in annoyance.
One of the reasons he had attacked them alone was because he didn’t want to take sides. The crown princess and empress would both choose to support him, but they were completely at odds with each other. Even though he and Bi Linglong were closer, both in terms of the things they had gone through and their feelings, the empress treated him really well too. He couldn't really bring himself to help Bi Linglong fight against the empress. After what happened today, if either of them requested such a thing, he really wouldn’t know what to do.
“Ah Zu, you were right to have been so careful. From today on, you will probably become the biggest target of all of the major clans’ investigations. Countless people will rack their brains to try and figure out your skills and think about ways to kill you. In the future, your life might not be as carefree anymore,” Liu Ning said worriedly.
Zu An held her hand, saying, “In this world, only the mediocre escape censure and blame. Let them study me as much as they want. What do I have to fear?”
“I suppose that’s fine too. In the past, Zhao Han also dominated the world in this way,” Liu Ning said with a smile.
Zu An pulled her closer to him and said, “Your highness sought me out and even chose a place with such beautiful scenery. Could it be that it was just to chat about such boring affairs?”
Liu Ning’s face became even more red from the steam. She said, “Then this humble woman will help the king wash his back.”
Those words immediately made Zu An a bit fired up. This was the glorious empress, and yet she was acting like a little girl! It really was an extravagant luxury. However, he was a bit confused. He was holding her hands right now, so what was she going to use to wash his back?
Soon, though, he understood. When he felt that shockingly soft sensation, he completely relaxed his body.
…
Meanwhile, in the Palace of Peace, several maids were slowly grinding some spices. They held jade bowls and gently crushed spices of varying colors on the table. Their temples were covered in fine sweat. They couldn't help but start to chatter with each other while working.
“Everyone, be more gentle! These spices are really precious. Her highness acquired them with great difficulty.”
“We know~”
“Her highness seems to be much more fond of beauty as of late than before. She didn't spend so much time on her appearance before.”
“Hmph, her highness was beautiful to begin with. Even if she didn’t put on makeup, she would still be. But of course, with makeup, she is even more so.”
“Maybe she ended up experiencing something happy recently. Her highness is looking radiant, and her complexion has improved a lot. Her skin is blushing pink and in much better condition than ours.”
A lesser maid asked timidly, “But what could she be happy about? I heard that his majesty even passed away…”
At that moment, the entire room suddenly fell into a strange silence.
“Shut your mouth!”
After that, no one dared to say anything else.
…
A while later, Liu Ning slowly opened her eyes. She discovered that she was actually lying down on her phoenix couch. When she recalled everything that had just happened, her entire body became red. She murmured, “Ah… That really was embarrassing. I actually fainted.”
She made up her mind to not do it in the bath next time. Perhaps because she had soaked for too long, she was feeling a bit dizzy. Her endurance was much weaker than normal. She could only remember that she had been taken straight up into the clouds several times by Zu An. Her head had gone completely blank, and she had lost all consciousness. She held her warm cheeks and bit her lip gently.
Everyone in the capital only found out about how formidable you were today, but I already experienced personally just how incredible you are.
After she became the mother of the empire, both she and Zhao Han had played the chess game of politics. She had only treated him as a tool to exploit.
But with Zu An, she had never expected to be completely defeated for the very first time. All of her schemes and techniques, before absolute power, were as weak as paper. No matter how many defenses she set up, how much she planned, he had always entered through pure strength, thrusting straight to her heart.
She still remembered Eunuch Lu commenting on how he had never seen her experience such bliss before.
You don’t say! Of course he never saw me like that, because that is the appearance of a woman being completely subdued.
Even though she was a bit unwilling sometimes, there didn’t seem to be anything all that bad about it. Her old wounds that had burdened her for so many years were finally recovering, and her strength was also slowly returning. Now, she had absolute control over the harem again, and the Liu clan had already suppressed the Bi clan, becoming second only to the imperial clan…
More importantly, she had experienced unprecedented joy. When she recalled everything that had happened the previous day, a 'stupid' look inadvertently appeared on her face.
…
Meanwhile, by the time Zu An left the Imperial Palace, the sky was already starting to brighten.
He went straight to the Sang clan to see his daughter, and also spent some time with Sang Hong. After all, now that he was the regent, he needed people to help him take care of various matters. It wouldn’t be too good to completely rely on Liu Ning or Bi Linglong, because those two women didn’t get along at all. Sang Hong had already worked for the court for so many years and knew who was capable. He knew who could be roped in, and who came from other influential clans…
The two of them talked for many hours until the sky was already completely bright. Afterward, Zu An decided to make a trip to the academy’s rear mountain. He planned to spend some time properly in secluded cultivation to digest everything he had experienced as of late. That way, he would gain an even deeper understanding of the Baopu Sutra’s seven domains.
Zheng Dan immediately sought him out, saying, “Ah Zu, I want to go with you to the academy too! I'm Master Yan’s disciple in name too, but I’ve never studied under him for even a single day yet.”
In the past, Zu An had helped her become a disciple of Yan Xiangu. But because of the Sang clan’s plan to have a posthumous child, she'd had no choice but to stay at home while ‘in labor’. That was why she'd never had a chance to learn there.
Still, after seeing how powerful Zu An was, even though Zheng Dan was incredibly excited and happy, she also felt a faint sense of loss. After all, back then, her cultivation had been even higher than Zu An’s. In Brightmoon City, they had even been able to fight side by side. They had gone through life and death together in the red dragon’s nest… But now, the difference between them was growing greater and greater. She couldn't even think of catching up anymore. If things continued this way, they would no longer be walking the same path. Their former feelings would eventually fade no matter how great they used to be. It wasn’t about one of them being in the wrong, but rather that it was just how the world worked. That was why she decided to properly cultivate in the future.
Zu An knew that Zheng Dan's talent had been first-rate in Brightmoon City. But for various reasons, she had been forced to stop for two years. As such, he naturally agreed.
The two were chatting with each other when Sang Qian suddenly ran into the room, saying, “Big brother Zu, I also want to go to the academy to cultivate properly!”
Not only was she very intelligent in politics and strategy, her cultivation aptitude was excellent as well. She was about as strong as Zheng Dan. However, she had also begun to feel a sense of danger. She hadn't acknowledged Aunt Mu’s absurd proposal, because there was a limit to maintaining a relationship through lust. Furthermore, her big brother Zu had too many women at his side, so she'd always felt a powerful sense of threat. She wanted to follow big brother Zu’s footsteps, and only then would she have the right to be able to help him.
Zu An was a bit stunned. After all, Sang Qien had just given birth. However, after some hesitation, he still quickly agreed. The only thing he was conflicted about was who to assign her to study under, and what domain she would study.
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