Chapter 1910: Feeling Guilty as a Thief

Qin Wanru quickly regained her composure. This was not the time to be thinking about that.

She quickly tugged at Zu An's sleeve and said, "Let's hurry and run! The city gates haven't closed yet. If we don't go now, it will be too late."

Just as she was about to tell Yu Shan to change direction, she worried about Youzhao and thought that she should take her along as well.

Zu An stopped her. "Mother-in-law, don't worry, the matter has been resolved."

"Resolved? How was it resolved?" Qin Wanru was stunned. Clearly, this matter was beyond her comprehension. How could the killing of a prince, of all people, be resolved?

Zu An explained, "The Embroidered Uniform Guards investigated and found that Prince Jin did not die directly by my hand. Instead, he was too weak and died from an emotional outburst. Furthermore, they discovered that someone was instigating Prince Jin to target me, with the aim of weakening the Crown Prince's faction. So now, the entire incident is shifting towards investigating the mastermind behind it."

Seeing how terrified she had been, he decided it was better not to tell her the full truth.

Qin Wanru patted her chest. "You scared me to death! You only told me half the story. I thought you had really killed a prince with your own hands."

Chu Huanzhao was a little displeased. "That prince was scared to death because of brother-in-law, too."

Qin Wanru retorted irritably, "Is that something to brag about? Countless people are afraid of being associated with this, yet you're rushing to claim responsibility for him."

"Oh, I'm just saying it privately! I think it's so impressive that brother-in-law can even deal with princes and kings!" Chu Huanzhao stuck out her tongue and made a face.

Qin Wanru hummed and then looked at Zu An. "A'Zu, is it really fine now? We still have time to run."

Zu An smiled. "No need to run, it's truly fine. The imperial court handled this matter today. If there were any problems, why would they let me out?"

Qin Wanru realized he had a point. Remembering how startled she had been, she earnestly lectured him, "A'Zu, I used to think you had a mature and steady temperament. How did you become so reckless after coming to the capital..."

Chu Huanzhao rolled her eyes beside them. When had her brother-in-law ever been associated with maturity and steadiness? His mischievous demeanor made countless people grit their teeth in frustration. On the contrary, upon reuniting with him this time, she actually found him to be much more mature and composed.

Qin Wanru glared at her daughter, warning her not to hinder them, and then continued, "The capital is swarming with powerful nobles, and the foundations of many influential families should not be underestimated. Being too high-profile and making too many enemies is never a good thing."

Zu An smiled faintly without explaining. "Actually, I don't need to be concerned about anyone now, Mother-in-law. Please rest assured."

Chu Huanzhao's eyes lit up. She thought, *Brother-in-law is so domineering; I like it very much.*

Qin Wanru was speechless. Back in Mingyue City, this boy loved to boast, and she hadn't liked it much even then.

She hadn't expected him to still have this habit after all these years.

She instinctively wanted to lecture him, but then she reconsidered. Since he was a young man who had achieved success, a little arrogance was normal.

Besides, he even dared to beat princes and kings. What if he got annoyed with my lecturing and hit me?

At this thought, she unconsciously twisted her body and changed the subject. "Fine then, as long as you know what you're doing."

Just then, Chu Huanzhao tugged on Zu An's arm. "Brother-in-law, along the way these past few days, I've heard the people near the capital discussing you the most, besides the matter of Mount Zi. Some people say you're a high-ranking official of the Demon Race. Who is slandering you like this? It's clearly meant to harm you."

After all, colluding with the Demon Race was a heinous crime in the Great Zhou Dynasty. She wondered who wanted to harm her brother-in-law.

Zu An's expression was a little strange. "That's not slander. I am indeed the Regent of the Demon Race. It's precisely because of this identity that the human race here doesn't dare to easily lay a hand on me."

"Re... Regent?" Qin Wanru was startled, her mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg. She had thought that gaining the Crown Princess's favor and accomplishing many feats, being ennobled as a marquis at his age, was already unprecedented. Who would have thought he had an even more shocking identity?

The Regent of the Demon Race? Wasn't that a position second only to one and above tens of thousands?

"Brother-in-law is amazing! He's actually the Regent!" Chu Huanzhao was so surprised she almost jumped out of her seat, looking at Zu An with eyes full of admiration.

"Do you even know what a regent does?" Qin Wanru rolled her eyes. "Who was it just now who said that being a high-ranking official in the Demon Race was slander? You gritted your teeth at the mention of demons, and now your change of heart is so abrupt."

"I don't know, but since brother-in-law is it, it must be a very powerful official." Chu Huanzhao's thin red lips curved into a cute arc.

"You never study properly at the academy, only play," Qin Wanru said, feeling a little weary. She then helped explain what a regent was, before looking at Zu An, her voice softening slightly. "A'Zu, am I right?"

*Damn it, why am I afraid to speak loudly in front of him now?*

*No, I can't let him find out my weakness, otherwise he might bully me even more unscrupulously in the future.*

*I must maintain my dignity as a mother-in-law!*

"That's pretty much it," Zu An explained. "However, the current situation of the Demon Race is special. Only the Little Demon Empress and the young emperor remain, and they rely on me to secure their positions. So, my freedom as a regent might be greater than that of past regents."

"Little Demon Empress? I did hear some rumors about her a few years ago. I heard she was extremely beautiful, which is why the old Demon Emperor made an exception and appointed her as the new Empress. Is she really that beautiful?" Qin Wanru couldn't help but ask, recalling some past rumors.

Chu Huanzhao also asked gossipy, "Is she as pretty as my mother?"

Qin Wanru's face flushed. "You child, how could someone like your mother dare compare herself to the empress of a nation?"

Zu An replied, "They are both beauties of the same caliber, each excelling in their own unique way, like plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. The Little Demon Empress is more enchanting and alluring, while Mother-in-law is more dignified and mature."

*Little Demon Empress, please don't blame me. What else could I say in this situation?*

"Oh, I'm not as good as you say; I definitely can't compare to the Little Demon Empress." Qin Wanru said modestly, stroking her cheek.

Chu Huanzhao, who was beside her, immediately exposed her. "Mom, your smile is stretching all the way to your ears."

Qin Wanru's face fell, and she immediately leaned over to pinch her. "You rotten girl, are you itching for a beating?"

"Oh no, I'm sorry! Brother-in-law, save me!" Chu Huanzhao's petite figure darted around Zu An, using him to dodge her mother's attacks.

Feeling the playful antics of the two women, a warm feeling rose in Zu An's heart. This was what home felt like; it was truly wonderful.

After the two women played around for a while, Qin Wanru realized it was a bit undignified. She settled back into her seat, tidying her slightly disheveled clothes, and asked, "A'Zu, will your identity as the Demon Race's Regent cause trouble here? What if they detain you as a hostage to demand benefits from the Demon Race?"

Coming from an influential family, her primary concern was the interests of her own people, with the imperial court being secondary.

Although humans and demons were sworn enemies, the Chu family had no real grievances with them. On the contrary, the imperial court had suppressed the Chu family several times, almost leading to their ruin, and now the Qin family was following suit. So, naturally, she considered things from Zu An's perspective.

"If the emperor were still alive, it might indeed be troublesome," Zu An said with a comforting smile. "But now, it's fine."

Qin Wanru was stunned. "The emperor is really dead?"

Although she had heard many rumors before, they hadn't been publicly announced, so no one could confirm them.

Zu An nodded. "He's as dead as can be."

While Qin Wanru was still lamenting, Chu Huanzhao, uninterested in such matters, instead asked, "Brother-in-law, since the Little Demon Empress is so beautiful and needs to rely on you, has she tried to seduce you?"

Zu An's face darkened. "You're just a child; what do you know about seduction?"

"I'm not a child anymore!" Chu Huanzhao puffed out her chest, clearly displeased with his remark.

Fortunately, Qin Wanru stopped her daughter from pressing further. "What are you thinking with your little head? Even if your brother-in-law had that intention, what kind of person is the Little Demon Empress? How could she possibly have any involvement with a human? Can you imagine the current Empress or Crown Princess having a romantic relationship with your brother-in-law?"

"That's true," Chu Huanzhao said, letting out a sigh of relief.

Zu An glanced at Qin Wanru, thinking, *Are you complimenting me or insulting me?*

"Brother-in-law, what's the situation like with the Demon Race? I heard demons eat people?" The young girl's mind shifted quickly, and Chu Huanzhao soon turned her attention to other questions.

"It's not that exaggerated. The Demon Race is actually quite similar to the human race, just with different bloodlines..." Zu An then briefly introduced the situation of the Demon Race to her.

Chu Huanzhao listened with great interest, and time quickly passed.

The group arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Academy.

Suddenly, a cold voice came from outside. "This is a vital area of the academy. No carriages are allowed inside."

Then Yu Shan's voice sounded. "Excuse me, young man, we are from the Duke of Mingyue's residence. Our young master happens to live on your back mountain, and there are ladies in the carriage, which is a bit inconvenient. Would it be possible to make an exception?"

"No 'duke' makes a difference. Even if a prince came, he would have to alight and walk," the cold voice replied again.

Qin Wanru, without the arrogance she displayed in Mingyue City, quickly stopped Yu Shan. "We'll get off the carriage then."

The Imperial Academy was a sacred place, and its Grand Master was a legendary, god-like figure. How could she dare cause trouble here?

Zu An motioned for her to sit back down. "It's fine, I'll go talk to them."

Qin Wanru's heart skipped a beat. "A'Zu, please don't be impulsive. We can just get off and walk. Don't resort to violence. You must know that the Grand Master of this academy is a legendary Earth Immortal, and his personal disciples are all top-tier masters. We cannot afford to offend them."

Zu An's expression was a little strange. "Don't worry, there won't be any conflict."

With that, he lifted the curtain and jumped off the carriage. Qin Wanru, still worried, quietly lifted the curtain and looked out.

She couldn't quite hear what Zu An and the gate guard disciple were saying. At first, the disciple seemed somewhat arrogant, but then he suddenly started bowing to Zu An with a very enthusiastic expression, and actively signaled the carriage to drive in. He was like a completely different person from before.

Chu Huanzhao's small head poked out from below. Seeing this, she exclaimed, "Brother-in-law seems to be doing very well at the academy!"

Qin Wanru lowered the curtain and muttered softly, "It might not be a good thing for us if he does too well. He might not even regard our Chu family then. He just glared at me."

Chu Huanzhao was momentarily stunned. "Huh? He just glanced at you. Maybe it's because you're so beautiful, Mom, he couldn't help but take an extra look."

"Pah," Qin Wanru's face flushed slightly. "He clearly glared at me! It made me so scared I don't even dare to speak loudly to him now."

Chu Huanzhao said with a giggle, "Whose fault is it that you were so fierce to him before? That's called a guilty conscience."

"Is that how you talk about what happened back then?" Qin Wanru was a little annoyed and embarrassed. She immediately reached out to pull her daughter's mouth, and the mother and daughter quickly started bickering again.

"What are you two doing?" At that moment, the curtain was lifted, and Zu An re-entered.

"Nothing," Qin Wanru said, tidying her slightly messy bun. "Were those people allowed through because of Principal Jiang?"

Zu An's expression was strange. "You could say that..."

"A'Zu, you really must thank Principal Jiang properly. She was very good to you back then, and now she takes such good care of you at the academy. Even though you are the Regent of the Demon Race, you can't manage the human side of things, so a person shouldn't forget their roots."

"Mother-in-law is right to lecture me," Zu An replied. "I will take good care of her."

"Care for?" Qin Wanru frowned, finding the word a bit strange. *Aren't they the ones taking care of you?*