Chapter 1713: Olive Branch

All eyes now turned to the King of Qi. Many people thought to themselves, everyone knew that Zu An had severely offended the King of Qi over the years, and the Emperor asking him to speak clearly meant that Zu An would meet a miserable end.

At the same time, those aligned with the King of Qi also frowned slightly, thinking that the Emperor was truly cunning. He clearly wanted to put Zu An to death but didn't say it himself, instead letting the King of Qi speak. Wouldn't this make the King of Qi offend people?

Although Zu An was an orphan, he had befriended quite a few influential families recently. Otherwise, so many people wouldn't have spoken up for him just now.

Furthermore, his identity as regent of the demon race was also a problem. If the demon race were to learn that the King of Qi caused his death, they might well hold the King responsible.

The King of Qi smiled faintly: "Lord Zu has indeed made a mistake, but as Lord Jiang said, he has also rendered great service to our human race. Careless handling would instead be disheartening. And having a human as the demon regent is surely better than a demon taking the position themselves, isn't it?"

The people in the room were startled, especially those loyal to the King of Qi. They never expected him to speak up for Zu An.

They knew how much the King of Qi hated this 'Zu' fellow.

Could it be that the King of Qi was employing a strategy of feigned retreat?

Knowing that the Emperor wouldn't act according to his wishes, he deliberately spoke this way, actually coercing the Emperor into dealing with Zu?

The King was truly brilliant.

The Emperor was somewhat surprised, clearly not expecting him to say this. "According to the King of Qi, then his fraternizing with foreign races should not be punished?"

The King of Qi nodded: "Not only should he not be punished, but he should also be lavishly rewarded; after all, he has achieved extraordinary feats. Furthermore, his identity as regent is very advantageous to us; in the future, we can gain more benefits from the demon race through him."

Upon hearing this, a clamor erupted in the hall. Pei Zheng, out of respect for the King of Qi, though he supported severely punishing Zu An, found it difficult to say anything at this moment.

However, the ministers of the Emperor's faction had no such reservations. They began to spout criticisms, one of them sneering, "He is already the regent of the demon race. King of Qi, do you think he will help the demon race more, or the human race more, when the time comes?"

The King of Qi remained unconcerned: "That's simple. Just make Lord Zu a king. If he holds the title of king on both sides, I believe Lord Zu, being of human origin, will certainly care more for our side."

Those loyal to the King of Qi stared at him with open mouths, having initially thought he was merely feigning retreat to advance. But now it seemed he was serious.

Bi Zi'ang gazed at Zu An with envy. The earldom Zu An received earlier had already made him green with envy, and now he might even be granted the title of king. How old was he?

Furthermore, for someone not of the imperial family to be granted the title of king was unprecedented, not only in this dynasty but throughout all of history.

Comparing oneself to others truly infuriates. For a moment, he found himself looking up to someone he had once considered a mere servant, and his mind remained unsettled for a long time.

Zu An was equally surprised that the King of Qi would speak up for him. At that moment, Mi Li's voice echoed in his mind: "What's so surprising about this? That's just how the world is. Only immature people care about good or bad. For most people, they only care whether someone is useful or useless."

"A useful person, no matter how bad their relationship is, will be tolerated much more. Conversely, a useless person, no matter how good-natured or kind they are, will be ignored."

"This is the value of attracting allies. The King of Qi saw your current status, raised his estimation of you, and naturally treated you differently."

Zu An frowned, feeling that her words were a bit too extreme, but for a moment, he didn't know how to refute her.

Just then, Zhao Hao cleared his throat: "What the King of Qi says has some merit, but the matter of granting a kingship is too extraordinary. It still needs to be deliberated slowly later."

He made the decision, clearly not intending to hold Zu An accountable anymore. The other ministers were not fools; although some were displeased, they wouldn't openly defy the Emperor and the King of Qi.

Soon, the ministers, in a cacophony of voices, discussed and decided on Zu An's handling: His merits and demerits would cancel each other out, with no punishment or reward for now. At the same time, Zu An was not to leave the vicinity for the time being.

Zu An had a splitting headache. He had originally planned to go to Purple Mountain soon to reunite with his sisters, but now he was stuck here.

However, he also knew that letting the matter hang and dealing with it lightly was already a good outcome. Before this, he had even been prepared to fight for his life.

After the court assembly dispersed, as he left, his heart suddenly stirred. He looked towards a direction on his right and saw an Embroidered Uniform Guard standing there. The color and pattern of his clothes were remarkably different from everyone else's, revealing him to be none other than the long-missing Commander-in-Chief, Zhuxie Chixin.

"Commander-in-Chief, long time no see." Zu An proactively walked towards him.

The other ministers glanced in their direction, their faces filled with disdain. Clearly, everyone avoided Zhuxie Chixin, the harbinger of disaster.

This suited both of them well, as they weren't afraid of outsiders overhearing their conversation.

Zhuxie Chixin grunted: "It's been a while, and you've really risen in status. You're truly impressive."

Sensing the jealousy in the other party's tone, Zu An's heart stirred. He suddenly understood why Zhao Hao knew about his regent identity; most likely, this fellow had brought the news back from the front lines.

"Commander-in-Chief, you flatter me. It was merely luck. Am I not still working under the Commander-in-Chief?" Zu An replied calmly.

Zhuxie Chixin's gaze softened slightly: "Don't be impatient. Work diligently for the Emperor, and you won't be short of rewards."

Zu An sneered inwardly. This guy, like Zhao Hao, was a master of psychological manipulation, all with sweet words on their tongues.

However, he didn't show it: "Commander-in-Chief, where have you been? Many things have happened in the Embroidered Uniform Guard system recently."

"On a secret mission. You should know our rules: don't ask what you shouldn't ask." Zhuxie Chixin replied coldly.

Sensing the almost tangible, dense scent of blood on him, Zu An sneered inwardly. Even without him saying, Zu An knew what heinous deeds he had committed.

"Commander-in-Chief, it seems you've already broken through to the Grandmaster realm?"

Zhuxie Chixin was startled, never expecting to be seen through by him. However, with his long-cherished wish finally realized, a hint of arrogance couldn't help but appear on his face: "I suddenly gained an opportunity recently and successfully broke through."

"Congratulations!" Zu An's heart felt utterly cold. The so-called 'opportunity' must have come from the previous city massacre, he thought.

Soon, he parted ways with Zhuxie Chixin and rejoined his group. He secretly asked Mi Li: "Empress Master, when exactly did you wake up?"

"I can't recall," Mi Li's lips curved upward. "Perhaps when certain people were getting entangled with other people's masters or disciples, I woke up."

Zu An: "..."

"How do you have such a perverse voyeuristic hobby?"

Mi Li's expression turned cold: "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Zu An mumbled. "I just think you never really fell asleep."

It was undeniable that she had fallen into slumber before due to severe damage to her vitality, but her subsequent slumbers always felt a bit strange.

"If you don't have a guilty conscience, whether I'm asleep or not, what do you have to worry about?" Mi Li snorted coldly.

Zu An thought to himself, 'Who would want their every word and action exposed to others?'

Just then, his heart suddenly stirred, and he looked to his side and slightly behind him. He saw a middle-aged man, clad in a python robe and jade belt, walking towards them.

"Does Your Highness have any instructions?" It was, of course, the King of Qi. Zu An hadn't expected him to approach him directly.

"Lord Zu, you're too polite. Oh, no, I should call you Regent instead," the King of Qi said with a smile.

Zu An looked at him suspiciously, unable to gauge his intentions for a moment.

"Were you surprised just now?" The King of Qi was direct.

"Indeed, somewhat." Zu An smiled.

"It seems the Emperor intends to put you to death, and many of his ministers share that intention," the King of Qi sighed.

"Don't many of Your Highness's subordinates also feel that way?" Zu An's expression remained calm.

"That's still different," the King of Qi shook his head. "Lord Zu has been loyal to the Emperor for many years, but unfortunately, in the end, he's an isolated official. Lord Zu is an intelligent man; you should know that isolated officials rarely come to a good end."

Zu An paused: "Your Highness, considering what has happened between us before, it seems meaningless for you to say all this."

The King of Qi nodded: "Indeed, I did resent you for spoiling my plans before, but those matters are in the past. Times have changed. We must look forward."

"Because of my identity as regent?" Zu An gave a self-mocking smile.

"I don't deny that's a factor," the King of Qi said, "but ultimately, there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. I've been observing with a detached eye recently, and it seems the Emperor hasn't truly accepted you. Instead, he intends to use you as a disposable piece. You must have sensed this as well."

"What exactly does Your Highness want to say?" Zu An said gravely.

"Do you remember when we discussed cooperation before? Why not cooperate again?" The King of Qi made no secret of his intentions.

Zu An chuckled: "Your Highness, even if I agree, you might not necessarily trust me, and I certainly can't trust you. What's the point of such cooperation?"

"There certainly was that problem before," the King of Qi nodded, his expression suddenly becoming peculiar. "But what if we become family?"