Chapter 1076: For the Princess, Heartbroken

Kong Qing gave him a deep look, then said meaningfully, "As expected, Sir Zu is a young hero. No wonder, no wonder."

Zu An looked bewildered. "Why does this person's gaze seem so strange? Is this what they call ocular magic?"

Yu Yanluo was also surprised. She knew Kong Qing was a notorious villain among the demon race and had worried that Zu An's recent words would provoke him into an attack. She had even prepared herself to intervene and save Zu An, but to her surprise, Kong Qing merely responded with an understated remark, his tone even hinting at admiration.

Jian Taiding, standing nearby, was overjoyed as if he had seen a savior. "Mr. Kong, you've arrived at the perfect time. These two know our secrets. Quickly, get rid of Zu An. My sister-in-law is the head of the Yu family, so eliminating her would have too great an impact. Just subdue and then confine her."

Zu An couldn't help but chuckle. "Even at a time like this, you haven't forgotten your sister-in-law."

Even Yu Yanluo blushed deeply and gave him an exasperated glance, clearly reprimanding him for speaking carelessly.

However, this glance, in Jian Taiding's eyes, looked more like playful flirting. When had his sister-in-law ever looked at him that way? Thinking of this, he felt both intense jealousy and hatred towards Zu An.

Rage points from Jian Taiding: 233233233...

At this moment, Kong Qing looked at Jian Taiding and couldn't help but shake his head. "Commander Jian, why are you in such a sorry state?" His tone contained sympathy, lament, and a few other undefinable emotions.

"Hmph, I was already injured, and then I was ambushed by a scoundrel," Jian Taiding replied, though he was filled with regret. He had been rattled these past few days by the imposter wandering around the mansion and had rushed here to confirm whether his elder brother had truly been resurrected. Since this matter was top secret, he naturally couldn't let others know, which gave Zu An an opportunity. Otherwise, with numerous experts and powerful forces under his command at the Commander's Residence, he wouldn't even need to act personally to eliminate the opponent.

"By the way, why are you suddenly here?" Jian Taiding suddenly became wary.

Kong Qing smiled. "Haven't I heard that the Duke of Cloud-midst suddenly reappeared? And everyone is saying it as if it's true. My curiosity was piqued, so I naturally had to come and see for myself. I never expected to witness such an extraordinary scene."

Yu Yanluo's eyes narrowed. "Were you also involved in the plot to harm Yanyou back then?"

"In that battle, Commander Jian did ask me to assist, but their plan was so thorough that everything was already taken care of before I even had a chance to act," Kong Qing said, dismounting from the Dire Wolf King. He gazed at Jian Yanyou's ice sculpture not far away, a hint of surprise in his eyes, but he didn't dwell on it. He continued, "I'm not saying this to shirk responsibility. You must understand that the Duke of Cloud-midst was out of touch with the times, and many people wanted him dead. If needed, I would naturally not hesitate to strike."

Zu An said in a deep voice, "Just because the Duke of Cloud-midst wouldn't collude with you, you got rid of him and replaced him with Jian Taiding to cooperate with the demon race's smuggling?"

Kong Qing glanced at him. "You know quite a bit. But do you really think Jian Yanyou was so clean? He was the one who started cooperating with us in the first place."

"What?!" This was the first time Zu An had heard this. He had always assumed that Jian Yanyou had refused to cooperate with the demon race's smuggling, and that Jian Taiding, coveting Yu Yanluo and being highly ambitious, had immediately aligned with the demons, and they had jointly eliminated Jian Yanyou. But now he was hearing that Jian Yanyou and the demon race had been partners from the very beginning?

"Precisely. It's just that he'd made enough money over the years, and after achieving fame and success, he wanted to wash his hands of it," Kong Qing sneered. "There's no such good fortune in this world. Once you step into this line of work, there's no turning back. If he wanted to turn back, we simply helped him remove his head."

"Why are you explaining all this to him? Get rid of him quickly!" Jian Taiding exclaimed, annoyed.

Even Yu Yanluo found it strange, feeling that Kong Qing's attitude towards Zu An seemed unusually different. However, she still felt compelled to explain on behalf of her nominal husband: "A'Zu, don't be misled by him. I know a little about Yanyou's dealings in previous years. He did have some cooperation with the demon race back then, but it was limited to a certain controllable scope. Many noble families have various unsavory dealings; if you were to investigate thoroughly, you could find something in almost any family." She continued, "It's just that later, the demon race's appetite grew larger and larger. The amount of smuggled goods became not only alarming but also included a large quantity of military supplies. Yanyou, fearing a major incident, then severed his cooperation with them."

Zu An frowned upon hearing this, and before he could speak, Kong Qing chuckled. "Sir Zu, Lady Yu probably never told you about these things she just mentioned, did she?"

Zu An's heart sank; indeed, she hadn't. He recalled having specifically asked her about it, and at the time, Yu Yanluo had appeared very surprised and shocked to hear about collusion with the demon race. Now, he realized her acting was truly impressive.

Yu Yanluo opened her mouth, intending to explain, but ultimately said nothing. At that time, their relationship, while cordial, was not intimate enough to share such highly confidential family matters. Moreover, he was an imperial envoy investigating related cases in Cloud-midst Commandery; how could she possibly tell him all this? However, explaining now seemed pointless anyway; it would only lead to his misunderstanding. She sighed softly, a hint of sorrow appearing between her brows.

Jian Taiding, who was constantly watching her, keenly perceived the change in her mood, and his heart was consumed by overwhelming jealousy.

When had his sister-in-law, the most beautiful woman in the world, ever been so conflicted over another man?

Rage points from Jian Taiding: 546546546...

She had never been like this even with me!

At this moment, Zu An suddenly spoke. "Mr. Kong, are you telling me all this to drive a wedge between us? It's not a very clever attempt. Not only were Lady Yu and I not very familiar with each other back then, but even now, I also have many secrets I haven't shared with her. So why would I blame her for this?"

Hearing his words, Yu Yanluo, whose brows had been furrowed with a hint of melancholy, revealed a knowing smile. The beauty and charm of that moment seemed almost capable of melting the cold ice cave.

Not to mention the infatuated Jian Taiding, even Kong Qing was momentarily stunned, thinking how incredibly beautiful this woman was. He wondered if the Princess could even compete with her.

Evidently, because he had previously noticed the peacock feather on Zu An, Kong Qing had misunderstood the relationship between him and Kong Nanwu. He couldn't be blamed for this; he had never before seen the Princess give her personal token to anyone, much less a human man, especially one so handsome and dashing.

However, his composure was exceptional, and he quickly recovered. "Then, Sir Zu, do you know that the person beside you also has business dealings with our people?"

"Ah, I'm truly breaking my heart for the Princess. The next time I see her, she really should thank me properly."

Zu An's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately looked at Yu Yanluo.

Yu Yanluo nodded slightly. "There were indeed some business dealings, but they were limited to essential goods and medicines, and the quantities were strictly controlled, not involving military supplies or similar items." At the same time, she felt a slight annoyance. What was wrong with Kong Qing? Why did it feel like he was constantly undermining her? Was he trying to sow discord between them?

Zu An fell silent. He didn't understand why Yu Yanluo would engage in smuggling with the demon race. Was it for money? But the primeval stone business alone was enough to make her the richest person in the world; there was no need to take such a risk.

Seeing his silence, Jian Taiding immediately brightened. "Sister-in-law, see? You and I should really be on the same side. This fellow is just a dog kept by the court; how could he truly be united with you?"

Zu An couldn't help but retort, "Aren't you a court official yourself? If you want to be a dog, don't drag me into it." After speaking, he turned away, no longer looking at Jian Taiding, and declared loudly, "Are human lives lives, but demon lives are not? As long as everyone's living standards improve, who wants to keep fighting? Not all demons are evil, and there are plenty of scumbags among humans too."

As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at Jian Taiding.

Jian Taiding: "..."Are you being polite?

Rage points from Jian Taiding: 110110110...

Zu An, after all, was not a native of this world and had not experienced the centuries of hatred from the wars between humans and demons. Subconsciously, he believed all beings were equal. Moreover, Qiao Xueying, whom he knew, and... weren't they all from the demon race?

Then he smiled at Yu Yanluo. "Although I don't know why you did this, after spending so much time together, I'm willing to believe you had a compelling reason."

Yu Yanluo covered her lips in disbelief, her beautiful eyes sparkling with a strange brilliance. She had expected him to turn hostile, or at least harbor resentment, even if he outwardly kept silent for the sake of the current situation. Instead, she had heard such sincere words. Over the years, she had met all kinds of people and could discern truth from falsehood.

Kong Qing was also taken aback by these words, thinking, no wonder the Princess regarded him so highly; this man truly was extraordinary.

However, he cleared his throat and said, "Do you know that if the words you spoke today get out, they would be considered treasonous, and you might find no place for yourself in human society if you're not careful?"