Chapter 1059: Pickled and Flavored?

Zu'an was filled with emotion. This woman truly epitomized what it meant to be a peerless beauty. He used to wonder why ancient emperors would go to such lengths as amusing their lords with false beacon fires. Now he could somewhat understand that for a woman as beautiful as Yu Yanluo, men could easily make impulsive decisions just to earn her a smile.

He composed himself and asked curiously, "What method?"

Yu Yanluo looked at his face for a moment, her expression a little strange. "Didn't you just impersonate my husband? Continue to do so. While I can see through it, others might not."

Zu'an's heart stirred. "Do you mean to test the waters?"

Yu Yanluo nodded. "Precisely. You can return to the Duke's Mansion as Jian Yanyou and reclaim military authority. That way, even if Jian Taiding wants to rebel, he'll have no troops at his disposal."

Zu'an's eyes lit up. Their biggest crisis now was Jian Taiding's control of military power, which he could use to disrupt things at any moment. Sang Hong had been forced to dispatch Prince Yan's troops from Yi Commandery. Not only would it take time for Prince Yan's troops to arrive, but Yunzhong Commandery was Jian Taiding's territory. Large numbers of troops entering would likely not escape his notice, and who knew what desperate measures he might take if cornered.

However, if Zu'an appeared as Jian Yanyou, he could take control of the army and use this identity to investigate the entire affair. After all, Jian Yanyou was killed by Jian Taiding. If Jian Taiding saw his supposedly dead brother reappear, he would likely be scared out of his wits. As the saying goes, chaos often leads to mistakes. At that point, Zu'an would just need to wait for Jian Taiding to reveal a weakness.

"But many people in the Duke's Mansion are very familiar with Jian Yanyou, and I don't know many of his habits or details about him. Even if I look the same, I'd be exposed soon," Zu'an said, somewhat worried.

"That is a problem," Yu Yanluo mused for a moment. "In that case, you can pretend to have been severely injured and lost your memory. That would explain many things."

"Amnesia?" Zu'an's expression was strange. He thought that TV drama tropes really did have their uses, and he was surprised she came up with it on her own.

"Exactly. As for Yanyou's daily habits, I can teach you," Yu Yanluo said, her star-like eyes shining, no longer as placid as before. She seemed to have found something interesting.

"You know his habits well?" Zu'an couldn't help but ask. He recalled her mentioning that they usually didn't live together.

As if sensing his thoughts, Yu Yanluo smiled. "He is my husband, after all. Even if it's just for show, we need outsiders to believe it, so of course I need to know some details." After saying this, she paused, wondering why she was explaining the true nature of their marital relationship to him.

Zu'an, however, was astonished. "So you and the Duke are indeed a nominal couple?" Although he had suspected it before, this was the first time it had been confirmed.

Seeing that the topic was now open, Yu Yanluo no longer concealed it and spoke with a sigh. "That's right. Back then, my appearance attracted many troublesome admirers. To avoid bother, I simply decided to marry someone. This person had to have sufficient status to ward off those rivals' harassment, and also live not too far from the Yu family. Most crucially, their character had to be good, otherwise, if they used the husband's name to turn a fake marriage into a real one, I'd be quite vulnerable."

"Individually, none of these conditions were difficult, but very few people met all of them combined. In the end, I chose Yanyou, and he perfectly fulfilled his promises to me over the years."

"He was, in fact, one of my few good friends. It was one thing when I didn't know, but now that I know he was murdered, I naturally must help clear his name."

"Has the Duke of Yunzhong never pursued you further all these years?" Zu'an asked, finding it incredible.

Yu Yanluo gave him an exasperated look. "He is a true gentleman. Do you think he's like you?"

Zu'an inwardly scoffed. This Duke of Yunzhong was truly an anomaly. To have such a stunning wife and yet truly adhere to their agreement without crossing the line even by an inch—was that something a human could do?

"Come here for special training these next few days. I'll tell you some detailed things about the Duke's Mansion, so you can successfully deceive those who served Yanyou," Yu Yanluo continued.

"But it's inconvenient during the day. The diplomatic residence is currently surrounded by the Governor's Mansion army, and I slipped out secretly. Publicly, I'm supposed to be severely injured and recuperating in seclusion. If anyone knew my current situation, it would likely cause a huge commotion," Zu'an said, feeling a headache.

Yu Yanluo then realized. "I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it. You were so energetic when fighting me just now, you didn't look injured at all! And Jian Taiding, who's a Grandmaster, is so injured he can't even leave his house!" The more she spoke, the more alarmed she became, her alluring red lips unable to close for a long time.

"Actually, I am injured; I was just enduring it during our fight," Zu'an said modestly.

Yu Yanluo was speechless. "You defeated me while injured? Are you insulting my cultivation or my intelligence?"

Zu'an gave an awkward smile. "That's not what I meant. I do still have injuries, but I have a strong recovery ability, and my body is quite robust."

"Your body is indeed quite tough." Yu Yanluo agreed on this point. Just now, in the world within the painting, she was like a divine being. The monsters she created were directly shattered by his fists, and he could even withstand such terrifying tsunamis. His physical strength seemed to be beyond human limits.

However, as soon as the words left her mouth, her cheeks flushed. She immediately realized the phrase might carry a slightly ambiguous and suggestive double meaning, which was highly inappropriate. She secretly glanced at Zu'an, seeing his clear eyes and normal expression. He seemed not to have caught the implication, which made her secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

She cleared her throat and hastily changed the subject. "So, when would it be convenient for you to come over?"

"Daytime might be difficult; it's too noticeable. Let's make it at night," Zu'an replied after some thought.

"At night?" Yu Yanluo's expression immediately became strange.

Zu'an also realized the awkwardness and explained, embarrassed, "I didn't mean anything else by it."

"I know you didn't mean anything else," Yu Yanluo smiled gently. "How about this: it's not convenient for you to return to the residence right now anyway, and everyone thinks you're in seclusion. So, you might as well stay here with me. We can train intensively, and you'll be able to return to the Duke's Mansion to stabilize the situation more quickly."

"Stay with you?" Zu'an's face flushed. "That might not be very convenient, would it?"

"I'm a woman and I'm not afraid, what are you, a grown man, afraid of?" Yu Yanluo frowned slightly, but quickly realized something and looked at him with a strange expression. "You didn't think I'd make you stay in *this* room, did you?"

"Uh..." Only then did Zu'an realize he had misunderstood.

Seeing his expression, Yu Yanluo couldn't help but scoff lightly. "You're dreaming! There's a room next door. You'll stay there, and normally, people from the mansion won't go near it, so your presence won't be revealed."

Zu'an gave an awkward smile. However, if he stayed here permanently, there would be trouble at the diplomatic residence. And what if Da Manman came looking for him?

"What's wrong? Is there something you can't let go of?" Yu Yanluo noticed his preoccupied look and asked curiously.

"Nothing. Then I'll trouble you, Madam," Zu'an replied, thinking to himself that he'd find time to talk to Da Manman another day; it shouldn't be a big problem.

Yu Yanluo nodded. "I'll take you to see the room first." After speaking, she stood up and walked to a wall, twisting a knob. A secret door slowly opened.

Zu'an was surprised. "They're connected?"

Yu Yanluo hummed in affirmation. "Actually, the room next door is also one of my bedrooms. They're connected for convenience, but you can't open this door from your side."

Zu'an looked dejected. "You make it sound like I'd try to sneak over in the middle of the night."

Yu Yanluo looked at him calmly with her clear eyes. "Weren't you doing just that today?"

Zu'an was speechless.

He couldn't help but gaze at her eyes for a few more moments. Yu Yanluo's eyes were as captivating as gems and as profound as the starry sky. What impressed him more, however, was the beautiful yet eerie glow that had emanated from them during their life-or-death struggle just moments ago. At that moment, he had truly sensed the taste of death. What exactly was that? Some kind of ocular technique? Having watched things like Naruto in his previous life, he was no stranger to ocular techniques. However, this was clearly her trump card, and he wouldn't press her for details.

At this point, Yu Yanluo pointed to the room and said, "Since I sometimes stay here myself, all the furnishings are quite complete. If you find anything missing, let me know. There are many eyes and ears in the Yu household, so to prevent any news from leaking, I'll have a maid bring it to my room, and then I'll give it to you."

Zu'an waved his hand nonchalantly. "No need. A bed is all I need. I'm quite easygoing."

Yu Yanluo hummed in response. "Then you should rest. I'll go draw portraits of people close to Yanyou in the Duke's Mansion, so you don't fail to recognize them when you see them."

"That sounds like too much work, wouldn't it be an enormous task?" Zu'an said, feeling a little embarrassed.

Yu Yanluo smiled faintly. "For ordinary people, it would indeed be a lot of work, but my painting has reached the Dao. It's not that difficult for me. It's very late now, so you should rest. I'll go back to sleep after I finish drawing."

After they said their goodbyes, she closed the door in the wall. Lying on the bed, Zu'an's thoughts churned. He still wasn't sure if Yu Xuantao was indeed killed by her. However, based on his recent interaction with her, this trip seemed to have been worthwhile. At the very least, she wasn't the master villain he had imagined. Moreover, with her help, dealing with Jian Taiding would be much easier.

The headache, however, was that the Emperor's current mission was to deal with the Yu family. "Wait a minute," he thought. "The Emperor is my enemy sooner or later. If he wants to deal with the Yu family, and I secretly protect them, isn't that perfectly reasonable?" Thinking this, his mood immediately brightened. Suddenly, he caught a strange, intoxicating fragrance from the quilt—neither quite like orchid nor musk. He immediately remembered Yu Yanluo mentioning that she often slept here too, and the quilt carried her scent. Such a distinct fragrance remained even after so long. Had she perhaps marinated in cosmetics? But he had smelled many expensive powders and rouges at Rouge & Bloom recently, and none smelled as good as this.

Just then, the door in the wall suddenly opened. Yu Yanluo, no longer her usual calm and composed self, darted over and snatched the quilt from him. "This quilt is old. I'll have a maid bring a new one. Please wait a moment," she said, then turned and left in a hurry. Although her tone was feigned calm, the faint flush on her neck betrayed her.