Chapter 1560: Sword Heart Enlightenment is Terrifying

Zu An and Sang Hong exited the palace and noticed many guards at the gates pointing into the distance, each excitedly discussing something as if they had just spotted a major celebrity.

Looking up, Zu An couldn't help but chuckle. Chu Chuyan was waiting outside the palace gates. She stood in the cold wind, her long hair dancing and her skirts fluttering. With her stunningly beautiful and elegant face, she exuded an ethereal, independent beauty. Not only the guards at the palace gates but also passersby, from commoners to high officials, couldn't help but stop and gaze at her. Some even wanted to approach her to strike up a conversation, but after just a few steps, they were deterred by her cold demeanor and dared not offend her by coming closer.

Even Sang Hong sighed, "Miss Chu is truly like a fairy. Such a sight can only be compared to when Lady Yu entered the capital years ago." Recalling the events of that time, he felt as if he had grown several years younger. He had originally planned to use the opportunity of the Chu family severing ties with Zu An to arrange for his daughter to marry Zu An and become his official wife. However, Chu Chuyan's competitiveness was simply too strong; in that instant, he lost all confidence.

"Ah Zu!" Seeing Zu An emerge, a hint of a smile appeared on Chu Chuyan's cold face, like melting ice and snow. Only then did she nod slightly to Sang Hong.

"Let's go," Zu An said, taking her hand. "We'll take Lord Sang back to his residence first." He thought it would be a waste of such a good opportunity not to publicly assert his claim over such a beautiful wife. As expected, seeing that Chu Chuyan not only didn't resist but naturally nestled beside him, the people around them immediately cast envious glances.

Rage points: 110, 110, 110...

Feeling the continuous influx of rage points, Zu An chuckled softly. He couldn't help but recall the time in Brightmoon City when, to earn rage points, he had led Chu Chuyan to the gambling house. He wondered if she too was recalling the past, as a hint of bashfulness appeared on Chu Chuyan's cold face.

"Ah Zu, have you done something to wrong me?" she sent via spiritual message just then.

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. "Why do you ask that?"

"I just feel like you've done something with a guilty conscience," Chu Chuyan said, looking at him suspiciously. "You were unusually attentive to me just now."

"I'd be heartbroken if you wrongly accuse me like that," Zu An replied. He thought to himself how terrifying a woman's sixth sense could be. Could this be the "Sword Heart Clarity" of White Jade City that Yan Xuehen once mentioned? Chu Chuyan was indeed one of the few geniuses to have reached this state of mind. Fortunately, at that moment, a new carriage was brought by the Imperial Forest Guards, diverting the conversation. Zu An quickly ushered the two into the carriage, which then set off for the Sang residence.

On the way, Sang Hong recounted everything that had happened in the palace. "Actually," he said, "regarding the annihilation of the envoy mission in Silkworm City, although I largely knew the mastermind was King Qi, there was no evidence. As a result, he panicked and recklessly used his influence in the capital to try and assassinate me. And he failed. The capital is different from a place like Silkworm City. No matter how cunning his methods, it's impossible to completely erase all traces. As long as the Emperor dispatches investigators, they will eventually find evidence pointing to him. Adding to that the charges from Cloudmount Prefecture, they are already sufficient to convict King Qi. Especially with the two Qin family generals leading large armies on the front lines and unable to return quickly, King Qi's influence within the military has been more than halved."

Chu Chuyan's eyes flickered; the Qin family was, after all, her mother's clan.

"But didn't Uncle just say the Emperor wouldn't move against King Qi?" Zu An asked, puzzled.

"You're still young, and you underestimate King Qi's capabilities too much," Sang Hong explained. "To speak frankly, though it might sound treasonous, King Qi is the true heir to this dynasty's founding ancestor. Thus, he inherited the direct lineage's power from the founding emperor's time, and coupled with his efforts over the years, his influence at one point even surpassed the Emperor's. Furthermore, there are rumors that King Qi's personal power is no longer inferior to the Emperor's."

Zu An was startled to hear this. "He's also a Celestial Immortal?"

"Although there's no definite proof, my personal guess is that it's highly likely; only then could he have created such a formidable presence in recent years," Sang Hong said. "Of course, he's probably still not as strong as the Emperor, otherwise he wouldn't have been content to remain a subject for so long."

Zu An nodded inwardly. Thinking this way, many things began to make sense. King Qi was weaker than the Emperor, but the gap shouldn't be too large. If the Emperor were to move against King Qi, he would certainly have to pay a huge price. Now that the Emperor's lifespan was nearing its end, he would definitely be unwilling to expend even a bit of his energy. That's why he had delayed acting against King Qi. But if his life truly reached its final moments, the Emperor would certainly still deal with King Qi; otherwise, his foolish son would definitely not be able to contend with the flourishing King Qi. King Qi wasn't foolish either; he knew that day would come eventually. Therefore, even though time was on his side, he still took risks to do rebellious things, such as the situation in Cloudmount Prefecture.

"However, now that King Qi has been caught red-handed, the Emperor will not miss this excellent opportunity," Sang Hong said gravely. "Without completely falling out, if my prediction is correct, it will temporarily end with King Qi being ordered to leave the capital and return to his fiefdom. People naturally gravitate towards profit and avoid harm. Once King Qi leaves the capital, clearly losing his ability to contend for the succession, many officials in King Qi's faction will start abandoning him. Even the core families of King Qi's party will have to consider their escape routes. There will definitely be turbulent undercurrents within their ranks. Next, King Qi's power will gradually weaken, and he will eventually become isolated and alone. When the Emperor finally makes his move against him then, the repercussions will be much smaller."

Zu An listened with immense admiration. Although Sang Hong's cultivation wasn't outstanding in the capital, his political acumen was top-notch. With the current information, he could reasonably infer future events.

At this point, Chu Chuyan couldn't help but ask, "What will be the fate of the Qin family in the future?"

"Given the Qin family's prestige in the military," Sang Hong replied, "as long as they don't eventually conspire with King Qi in rebellion, they shouldn't face too significant an impact. Of course, by then, the Qin family certainly won't wield the same thriving power they do now."

Chu Chuyan nodded. She didn't care about power or influence; as long as no major changes afflicted the Qin family that would upset her mother, it was enough.

Time passed quickly as they chatted, and before they knew it, they had returned to the Sang residence. Sang Qian and Zheng Dan had already received the news in advance and were waiting at the entrance early.

"Father!" Sang Qian was more excited than Zheng Dan. She had already lost her brother and for a while had thought her father had likely perished. How could she not be happy now that he had returned safely?

"Xiao Qian!" Sang Hong's old eyes welled up with tears.

"Brother Zu, thank you..." Sang Qian looked gratefully at Zu An, but her body suddenly stiffened as she saw Chu Chuyan beside him. "Miss... Miss Chu." Sang Qian's expression instantly became a bit unnatural.

Sang Hong's old face flushed. He naturally understood that his daughter was still too inexperienced, so he spoke up to help ease the awkwardness. "Xiao Qian," he said, "it was thanks to Miss Chu that I was able to save my old life this time."

Sang Qian was stunned. How could she still think about rivalry now? She hastily expressed her gratitude.

"You're too kind, Miss Sang," Chu Chuyan responded politely.

Then, the group entered the house. Sang Qian naturally recounted her feelings of separation to her father, while Zu An stayed by their side, helping to explain things. Chu Chuyan, meanwhile, was taken aside by Zheng Dan, who held her arm and chatted about daily matters. "Oh, Sister," Zheng Dan exclaimed, "you look even more graceful and ethereal than before!"

Chu Chuyan, with her quiet and reserved nature, wasn't accustomed to such enthusiastic closeness, but she also felt awkward pushing Zheng Dan away. "Miss Zheng," she said, "long time no see." She naturally knew the relationship between Zu An and Zheng Dan, and inwardly, she was actually displeased. But thinking back to when Zu An was in trouble, Zheng Dan had stayed by his side, never abandoning him, and they had all fought side-by-side against formidable enemies, she couldn't bring herself to express her feelings. She sighed softly to herself. Since the other party had humbled herself by calling her 'Sister' to show goodwill, how could she possibly turn hostile?

She quickly composed herself and started chatting with Zheng Dan. Seeing her cooperation, a great weight lifted from Zheng Dan's heart, as this meant that the other party had, to a certain extent, accepted her.

As the two women chatted, the atmosphere became much more comfortable. Zheng Dan keenly noticed Chu Chuyan glancing towards Zu An several times and couldn't help but laugh, "Sister, you can't be away from Ah Zu even for a moment!"

Chu Chuyan's jade-like cheeks flushed faintly. "I wasn't looking at him..." After a moment's hesitation, she asked softly, "Does Miss Sang... also like Ah Zu?"

"Pfft!" Zheng Dan, who had just been talking until her throat was dry and was drinking tea to moisten it, immediately spat it out upon hearing this.