Chapter 1890: Killing Comes to the Door

The old servant watched Zu An's retreating figure and called out loudly, "Since the Imperial Grandson is temporarily unwilling to acknowledge his identity, this old man will not force you. I will leave this place now so as not to interfere with the Imperial Grandson taking charge of the academy. When the Imperial Grandson comes to his senses, I will return to your side."

Zu An's footsteps did not falter. "Don't worry, that day will never come."

The old servant smiled, unperturbed. "Things are unpredictable; who can say what the future holds?"

Zu An, irritated, snorted coldly and simply walked away.

The old servant watched Zu An's figure gradually disappear, and after a moment of thought, let out a long sigh.

Zu An descended the mountain without stopping. The serene scenery along the way failed to dispel the vexation in his heart; he didn't even go to see Xie Daoyun and the others.

Now, he just wanted some peace and quiet.

He had originally been caught in a dilemma, torn between helping the Empress or the Crown Princess.

Well, it was simple now: Bi Linglong's father had a blood feud with him for killing his parents...

What kind of mess was this? It was truly messed up!

Although he had seen similar plotlines in TV shows and movies in his previous life, and at the time he'd thought that the grievances of the previous generation shouldn't entangle the feelings of the next,

Now that he was immersed in the situation, he truly understood how much easier it was to judge from the outside.

Though he constantly reminded himself that he was merely a transmigrator and had no relation to any imperial grandson,

The old servant had just mentioned how his mother protected his life with her body back then...

While he didn't instantly develop maternal feelings, he couldn't help but feel a little sad.

If he hadn't known, perhaps it would have been fine. But now that he knew, could he simply pretend nothing happened, continue to chat cheerfully with his enemy, and happily date his enemy's daughter?

He couldn't help but murmur to himself, "Empress Master, what should I do?"

A streak of red appeared in the corner of his eye. Mi Li floated beside him in mid-air, her bare feet unsullied by dust, as if sketched with a single stroke, their form subtly conforming to universal principles. Even Zu An couldn't help but take another look.

Mi Li stretched, her striking curves a stunning sight. "What's so difficult about this? Just go back and kill that old servant. The Libationer is already dead, and if you silence the only other person who knows, you can continue to be Zu An, with no connection whatsoever to the imperial grandson of the previous dynasty. Then, if you want to date that Crown Princess, date her. If you want to sleep with her, sleep with her."

"Oh, and by the way, when you're 'intensely outputting' on the Crown Princess, just imagine you're avenging those people."

"They killed your kin; you deal with their daughter. It's quite fair, isn't it?"

Zu An was speechless. "Empress Master, why are your words so outrageous now?"

"I'm considering what's best for you; I'm just saying what needs to be said," Mi Li replied, unfazed.

"Is there no other way?" Zu An asked testily; this woman was becoming increasingly unreliable.

"This is the simplest and most advantageous method for you," Mi Li glanced at him, then finally shook her head. "That's why sometimes, being a little wicked makes life easier. Someone like you, who adds moral shackles to himself, ends up living an incredibly arduous life."

Zu An fell silent. Although he didn't want to be an imperial grandson, he admired those who, in such desperate circumstances, were still willing to pay with their lives to protect the bloodline of the previous imperial family. How could he, for his own selfish reasons, silence them and completely sever ties?

Seeing him remain silent, Mi Li snorted. "If you're unwilling to silence that old servant, then simply become this imperial grandson, slaughter that old geezer Bi Qi, and then use your identity as the former imperial family's descendant to rally those who still harbor loyalty to the Meng dynasty. Just depose that foolish Crown Prince directly and become emperor yourself."

Zu An shook his head. "Bi Qi is Bi Linglong's father after all, and Linglong loves me deeply. How could I face her if I did that? Besides, I have no interest in being an emperor."

"Wouldn't being a Regent King be better? You'd have immense power but rarely need to handle specific government affairs, leaving you more time for cultivation and exploring the mysteries of life."

"You don't even want to be emperor?" Mi Li was somewhat surprised. "With so many confidantes by your side, becoming emperor would allow them to legitimately enter the imperial harem, and no one would dare to say anything. Otherwise, with any other identity, having so many female companions would inevitably draw criticism."

Zu An shook his head. "I believe the women by my side don't covet the position of an imperial concubine."

Having witnessed so many powerful beings in the mystic realm, he felt only the boundless vastness of the universe and the world, with countless mysteries awaiting his exploration. How could he have the mind to become an emperor?

"You don't want this, you don't want that; then there's nothing I can do," Mi Li said, giving him an exasperated look. "You're a classic case of wanting to have your cake and eat it too. Since you have so many ideas of your own, I can't be bothered to care anymore."

With that, she dissolved into a wisp of smoke and vanished.

Zu An: "..."

Just then, a thought struck him, and he looked towards the direction of Marquis Shen's estate. He felt that the formation there seemed to be under attack.

Temporarily setting aside his worries, he transformed into a streak of light and rushed towards it.

Meanwhile, outside Marquis Shen's estate, Zu An's servants and guards stood with weapons, blocking the entrance. "This is Marquis Shen's estate! Who dares to cause trouble here?"

"Cough, cough. Just a mere marquis, yet putting on quite a show, daring to put on airs in front of this Prince, cough, cough..." a richly dressed young man cursed. His face was exceptionally pale, and he gasped for breath several times before finishing a sentence, looking as if he had been plagued by chronic illness.

"Prince Jin has arrived! Marquis Shen, come out quickly and kneel in welcome!" A guard beside him stepped forward and shouted.

"Greetings, Your Highness Prince Jin!" The people from the marquis's estate were collectively startled and bowed to him in unison. Then someone replied, "Reporting to Your Highness, our master is not at the estate."

"Knowing he committed a crime and fears this Prince coming to his door, so he deliberately hid?" Prince Jin sneered. "He's somewhat shrewd. Fine, I'll settle accounts with him later. First, hand over Miss Murong!"

"This..." The few people at the entrance looked at each other. "Your Highness, how could Miss Murong be in our marquis's estate... Ah!"

With a scream, Prince Jin withdrew the whip from his hand.

"How dare you! Daring to lie to this Prince! Do you think my spies are incompetent? I advise you to hand over Murong Qinghe immediately, or you won't be able to bear the crime of harboring a wanted criminal. If you keep making excuses, this Prince will raze the entire estate to the ground, cough, cough..."

Prince Jin's expression was agitated, and he immediately coughed violently, an abnormal flush appearing on his face.

A nearby elder quickly supported him, placing a hand on his back, a continuous stream of vital energy flowing into him. "Your Highness, please don't be anxious; be careful not to harm your health."

"Thank you, Elder Shen." Prince Jin's coughing then slightly subsided, and he politely bowed to the elder.

This was the personal elite bodyguard his Imperial Father had arranged for him, who basically never left his side, protecting him every step of the way. Over the years, this elder had killed countless assassins and bandits, truly acting as the most reliable shield in front of him, and naturally, Prince Jin held him in high regard.

By now, a bloody whip mark had appeared on the face of the guard who had just spoken from the marquis's estate. However, as the other party was a prince, he could only dare not speak out despite his anger.

Inside the estate, Murong Qinghe was already extremely anxious, getting up several times to say, "Let me go out! I can't implicate Big Brother Zu."

Chu Youzhao pulled her back. "If you go out, will you have any hope of survival? Don't worry, since Big Brother Zu dared to bring you home, it proves he's confident he can protect you."

Even as she said this, she felt uneasy. She took out the formation disk from her embrace, fortunate that she had activated the formation immediately earlier.

She pressed the formation disk into Murong Qinghe's hand. "You stay here, I'll go out and see!"

Her brother-in-law was rarely home and seldom managed the marquis's estate. The guards and staff at the estate were not many, mostly old retainers brought from Brightmoon City. How could those ordinary guards withstand the pressure of the esteemed Prince Jin?

Outside the main gate, Prince Jin was somewhat irritated. "Guards, go in and search!"

"Stop!"

Seeing Chu Youzhao appear, everyone at the entrance finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Third Young Master!"

Chu Youzhao nodded, then looked at Prince Jin. "Your Highness, although your status is noble, you don't have the authority to arbitrarily search a minister's residence, do you?"

Prince Jin looked at her in surprise, thinking to himself, *My skin lacks color due to my long-term frailty and illness, but how is this pretty boy even paler than me? And it's that healthy kind of pale, which is really annoying.*

"Yesterday, you harbored a wanted criminal. This Prince sent people to apprehend him, but they were actually killed by Zu An. That's simply preposterous! What this Prince didn't expect, though, was that he would openly keep you all in the estate. This works out well; it saves this Prince trouble. Guards, seize the one surnamed Chu and the Murong family members! If they resist, kill them without mercy!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" His guards, who had been itching for action for a long time, drew their swords and lunged at Chu Youzhao upon hearing his command.

Prince Jin sneered inwardly. As long as Murong Qinghe was caught red-handed with the evidence, the charge of harboring a wanted criminal against Zu would be solidified. Even if he killed Zu on the spot, the ministers in court would have nothing to say.