Chapter 1876: Choice Question

Eunuch Lü's eyes lit up. "Master Zu, please go in quickly. Her Majesty is waiting anxiously."

Seeing his impatience, Zu An was speechless for a moment. This man was truly unbelievable; he was always more anxious than Zu An himself, and Zu An couldn't fathom why.

He nodded, pushed the door open, and entered.

The room was filled with lingering, refreshing incense. His gaze swept around; there were no palace maids or eunuchs present.

Through the bead curtain, he saw a graceful figure reclining on a soft couch. Unlike Bi Linglong, who wore a grand court dress, she was now clad in a silk house dress that snugly embraced her skin, making the curve of her hips particularly breathtaking.

Her entire being was like a perfectly ripe peach, as if with just a slight touch, juice would seep out.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Zu An bowed.

"Oh, dear, when we meet privately, there's no need for such formalities. Come here quickly," Liu Ning waved to him from the couch, a strange light blooming in her eyes.

Hearing her alluring tone, Zu An felt his head swell. He had come to the palace today for serious business.

Passing through the bead curtain and approaching the soft couch, Zu An increasingly clearly felt the mature charm emanating from her. Truly, every frown and smile, every slight tremor of her fingertips, revealed an indescribable allure—something fresh young girls could never achieve.

At this moment, Liu Ning was also observing him, nodding repeatedly. "It's been a while," she said, "your demeanor is more composed, and you're even more handsome."

Seemingly seeing the fire in her eyes, Zu An quickly said, "I just came from the Crown Princess's side."

Since Eunuch Lü had gone there to find him, the Empress must surely be aware of it.

As expected, Liu Ning's attention was drawn. "Hmph," she scoffed, "I knew it. As soon as you returned, you definitely went to see her. Well, that's right, she's young and vibrant, unlike me, who's old and faded."

Zu An couldn't help but laugh. "If Your Majesty's current state is considered 'old and faded,' then countless women in the world would gladly become 'old and faded' like this."

"But you still specifically ran off to see her first. What's so good about that little girl that she's captivated you so completely?" Liu Ning, of course, was not fooled by his words.

Worried she might infer something, Zu An quickly explained, "After all, I am the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor, so it's only proper for me to go to the Eastern Palace first."

"Hmph, what's so great about being the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor?" Liu Ning scoffed. "Later, I'll transfer you to Kunning Palace to be my Grand Chamberlain." She waved, motioning for him to sit down.

Zu An was speechless.

"I wouldn't dare take away Eunuch Lü's livelihood."

"That's right, if you became like Eunuch Lü, I wouldn't like you anymore." Liu Ning got up and leaned close to his shoulder, half her body weight pressing against his back, not minding at all that she was being pressed out of shape.

Feeling the suffocating pressure from behind, Zu An exclaimed, "I never expected Your Majesty to have already reached the cultivation level of a Grandmaster."

"Speaking of which, this is all thanks to Master Zu's diligent efforts," Liu Ning said with an enchanting smile, her finger lightly sliding across his body. "But as for you, I can't tell your depth at all now."

"Not as deep as Your Majesty."

"You're naughty."

Zu An sighed, "Your Majesty recovered your cultivation so quickly. Back then, you even tricked me by saying it would take 'so many' times."

"Who told you to always avoid me? So I intentionally said more to make you complete the task without realizing it," Liu Ning couldn't help but lightly breathe into his ear. "Those times I mentioned before are still valid, Master Zu; you can come to claim them anytime."

"Your Majesty seems much cheerier than before," Zu An said, a little surprised.

"Of course. The huge stone that had been weighing on my heart has been removed, hasn't it?" At this point, Liu Ning's expression became serious, abandoning her previous alluring demeanor. "Is he really dead?" she asked.

Zu An nodded. "I saw it with my own eyes. It's absolutely true."

Liu Ning's expression suddenly became strange, as if happy, yet with a touch of sadness, and seemingly reminiscing about certain past times—a mix of various emotions. Finally, she let out a long sigh. "It's better that he's dead," she said, "that settles everything."

"Your Majesty seems a little sad?" Zu An thought to himself, if she knew he had killed Zhao Hao, surely she wouldn't try to seek revenge on him.

"Is my little man jealous?" Liu Ning smiled, finally shaking her head. "It's not sadness, but more or less a sense of melancholy. After all, we were once husband and wife."

"It's truly strange. When he was alive, I wished every day he would die sooner, but now that he's truly dead, I feel a bit empty instead."

Zu An replied, "It seems Your Majesty is a person who values emotions."

"What emotions are there? It's just that I've lived through his era, and he left too many imprints on everyone's memories," Liu Ning suddenly said with a self-mocking smile. "I really am a bad woman; my husband died, and I'm mostly happy in my heart."

Zu An thought to himself: *I'm happy too.*

"Was he killed by King Qi and the Libationer working together?" Liu Ning suddenly asked.

"Why does Your Majesty ask this?" Zu An was a little surprised.

"The Emperor is already invincible in the world. Who in the world could kill him one-on-one? Thinking about it, only King Qi and the Libationer have that kind of strength. King Qi, needless to say, has long been at odds with the Emperor. As for the Libationer, he was a prince from the previous dynasty. Although he has always pretended to be aloof all these years, I can feel a fire suppressed in his heart; once it erupts, it will surely cause heaven and earth to collapse." Liu Ning's tone suddenly became a bit wistful. "However, the Emperor is not so easy to deal with. Even if the two of them teamed up, at most, it would be a mutual destruction."

Seeing her expression that seemed to say, "Aren't I smart? Hurry up and admire and praise me!" Zu An replied expressionlessly, "The truth is completely different from Your Majesty's guess."

Liu Ning's expression froze, a hint of embarrassment appearing on her face. "What exactly happened?" she asked.

Only then did Zu An roughly recount to her what had happened on Golden Summit.

Hearing that Zhao Hao had ambushed King Qi decades ago using the "Wedding Dress Secret Art," Liu Ning instantly felt a chill run through her body. "The Emperor is truly too formidable," she said, "formidable to the point of being terrifying."

Zu An thought to himself: *On this point, you actually agree with Bi Linglong.*

"Quickly tell me, how did he die later?" Liu Ning unconsciously clutched her clothes tighter, no longer as unrestrained as before, as if fearing Zhao Hao wasn't dead yet.

Zu An then roughly recounted to her what had happened in the secret realm. This time, however, he did not say that he himself had killed Zhao Hao; instead, he said that the Libationer, at the cost of his life, had struck him into the great tomb, and the great tomb had then vanished.

Bi Linglong had killed Zhao Hao's soul fragment with him in the Xiquanqiu Secret Realm back then, so it didn't matter if she knew. But for others, it was better to keep it secret if possible, as this matter was truly too significant.

"So he might still be alive?" Liu Ning's voice began to tremble, and she no longer had that feeling of ease and relaxation she had just moments ago.

"Don't worry," Zu An comforted her, feeling apologetic upon seeing her terrified. "There are many extremely powerful monsters in the great tomb; Zhao Hao wouldn't even rank among them. Even those beings are trapped tightly, so he can't possibly get out. Moreover, he was severely wounded by the Libationer at the time, so he has most likely already been devoured by other, more powerful entities."

"I hope so." Liu Ning had just broken out in a cold sweat from fright. If Zhao Hao weren't dead, the entire capital's situation would have to be reshuffled.

After experiencing this roller-coaster of emotions, the enchanting atmosphere in the room had largely dissipated.

"I heard that the two Dukes of the Qin family have been imprisoned. How does Your Majesty plan to deal with the Qin family?" Zu An revealed the purpose of his visit.

"The Qin family? You're probably asking about Miss Chu, aren't you?" Liu Ning sneered.

"After all, I have deep connections with both the Qin and Chu families, so it's hard for me to just stand by," Zu An said, not denying it.

"The Qin family brought this upon themselves," Liu Ning replied. "However, it's not me who's dealing with them now, but the Meng family and other families."

"The Meng family? Why is that?"

"Qin Zheng has always been upright and unyielding. Before, everyone belonged to different factions, so there were many conflicts with the Meng family. Qin Se, on the other hand, is a frivolous and dissolute character; back then, rivalries and jealousies with Meng Yi and even other families were common occurrences. Various struggles have spanned decades, and it's already impossible to distinguish who is right or wrong; everyone has formed blood feuds," Liu Ning explained.

Zu An's heart sank. This kind of situation was the most troublesome, like the feud between the Five Great Sword Sects and the Demonic Cult in *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer*, almost impossible for human power to resolve.

But that's a game played by rules. He, however, could completely flip the table and not play by the rules.

"As long as Your Majesty promises not to interfere, leave this matter to me to handle."

"I can't let you harm my allies," Liu Ning shook her head. "However, if you agree to one condition of mine, I might be able to help you."

"What condition?" Zu An felt a little worried.

"Of course, it's to leave the Crown Princess's side and completely join my retinue," Liu Ning said, her long, golden, jeweled finger-guard on her pinky finger rubbing against his face.

Zu An said in a deep voice, "The Crown Princess has been immensely kind to me. Changing allegiance like this would be rather despicable."

"That little girl is obsessed with power and schemes; her treatment of you is merely that of a ruler utilizing a subject. How can that compare to my complete lack of reservation towards you?" Liu Ning frowned, suddenly showing a startled expression, as if she had thought of something. "You're not coveting that girl's body, are you?"