Chapter 1923: I’m Not Pretending Anymore, Let’s Be Honest

Fantasy Novel

"What did we overlook?" Meng Yi couldn't help but sit up straighter. His daughter was indeed skilled at strategizing; many of the schemes over the years had actually been her doing, which left him, an old father, quite impressed.

"We overlooked the relationship between Zu An and the Empress. There must be a connection between them that we don't know about," Meng Chan sighed. "But who could have imagined the Empress would have such a good relationship with a general serving the Crown Princess?"

If the Empress and the Crown Princess hadn't united to protect him, anyone else involved in the killing of Prince Jin earlier would have had their families annihilated and property confiscated. Yet, he now acts as if nothing happened.

Meng Yi frowned slightly. "Previous intelligence reports truly showed no connection between the two. Chan'er, why do you think the Empress would protect him so much?" This truly defied common sense. One must remember that the Empress and the Crown Princess were fierce rivals, and since Zu An was a prominent minister in the Crown Princess's faction, he should, in theory, have been a thorn in the Empress's side.

When they had planned earlier, the expectation was that the Empress would seize the opportunity to eliminate the Crown Prince's allies. Even if the Empress had not participated and done nothing, the plan would still have succeeded. Yet, contrary to all expectations, things developed in an unforeseen way: the Empress not only didn't help but actually aided Zu An. Although her actions were very secretive, they were all old foxes; who couldn't see her intentions?

Meng Chan shook her head slightly. "I suspect the Empress might want to poach talent from the Crown Prince's faction. Zu An is the Crown Princess's most capable general; if they could successfully win him over, the blow to the Crown Princess's prestige would be unprecedented. With one side gaining and the other losing, the Crown Princess would no longer be able to compete with the Empress."

"Although he's an enemy, I have to admit that Zu An is truly capable. He's clearly just a commoner, yet in the past two or three years, he's risen like a rocket to become a pivotal figure in the imperial court. What's even more outrageous is that he's become a Libationer. It makes me curious to meet this man."

Meng Yi snorted. "That kid is just a bit handsome. At heart, he's a rascal and a scoundrel, and he's very fond of women, too. I hear he has many female confidantes around him. You'd better stay away from him."

"Father, the way you say it just makes me even more curious about what kind of man he truly is." Meng Chan's eyes sparkled with unusual brilliance.

Meng Yi: "..."

Seeing her father's face turn as black as charcoal, Meng Chan pursed her lips and smiled. "Father, what are you thinking? I am a dignified princess; could I possibly be sullied by him? It's purely out of curiosity."

"Don't speak so absolutely," Meng Yi snorted. "Though I don't understand what charm that kid possesses, he seems quite good at pleasing women. Not to mention the Crown Princess's deep trust and favor towards him, even the current Empress is like that. Sometimes I even suspect that the Empress has been alone in the deep palace for too long and, seeing how handsome and gallant Zu An is, has perhaps developed romantic feelings."

"Hmm, that's actually quite possible." Meng Chan fell into deep thought. She had never considered it from that angle before, but now, with the suggestion, it was as if a door to a new world had opened for her.

"Possible, what's possible?" Meng Yi's face darkened. "I just said that casually. What kind of status does the Empress have? How could she possibly have that kind of relationship with him?"

"Why not possible? Father, you don't understand women." Meng Chan pondered whether she should find an opportunity to test this hypothesis next. Meng Yi still wanted to say something, but he ultimately felt it was a bit awkward to discuss such topics with his daughter.

Just then, his expression suddenly changed. "Oh no, the teleportation array has been activated!"

Meng Chan's expression also changed. The elemental stones consumed by these teleportation arrays were astronomical; they were meant for life-saving situations and would absolutely not be used unless something major occurred. The two quickly ran towards the back courtyard, just as they stumbled upon Prince Dai, who was staggering over. Upon seeing them, Prince Dai was so agitated he nearly burst into tears:

"Chan'er, Father-in-law, save me!"

Meng Chan's delicate brows furrowed. "You're a dignified prince; what kind of demeanor is this, being so panicked?" This man was supposed to become emperor in the future; how could he be so easily rattled? The thought of having married such a man made her feel annoyed.

"What happened?" Meng Yi, being more rational, knew that Prince Dai's frantic arrival meant something serious had occurred.

"That Zu An... that Zu An almost killed me." Prince Dai recalled how, just as he was teleporting, those hands had been only a hair's breadth away from him. In that instant, he felt as if he had sensed the aura of death itself.

"How is that possible? Your mansion is heavily guarded, and you have so many masters there. Besides, I even specially sent a group of guest experts." Meng Yi suddenly felt a flicker of doubt. "Did he bring those teachers from the Imperial Academy? No, that's impossible; the Imperial Academy has never interfered in court affairs."

Prince Dai shook his head vigorously, his eyes still wide with terror. "No, he was alone! Everyone was finished; no one was a match for him."

"One person?" Even Meng Yi was startled this time. If it had been him, he doubted he could have accomplished that.

Princess Dai was stunned, wondering if Zu An was truly that formidable. She suddenly thought of something and quickly asked, "What about Master Xu? Didn't he make a move?"

"He did make a move, but he was killed by the opponent in one move," Prince Dai said, both scared and angry. "And to think he boasted so much about his power normally, and we spent so many resources supporting him!"

"Killed in one move?" Princess Dai's red lips parted wide, her eyes full of disbelief.

Prince Dai said with a mournful expression, "Strictly speaking, he didn't even make one move before he was..."

Just then, someone suddenly ran over in a panic. "Master, Master, this is bad! Someone has broken in!"

Hearing the first part of the sentence, Meng Yi was about to get angry, but hearing the latter part, he calmed down instead. "Who? Could it be that Zu An?"

The servant was startled. "How did Master know? Master, please go out quickly; that person is killing like mad outside."

Prince Dai shuddered all over. "Chan'er, Father-in-law, let's run quickly; there's still time."

Meng Chan gave him a cold look. "In this situation, all you know is to run? One person scared you this much?"

Meng Yi also said in a deep voice, "The Meng family is not like other places. Rest assured, come out with me; I guarantee he won't return alive." With that, he waved his sleeve and hurried out.

Meng Chan followed him. Alone behind them, Prince Dai's expression shifted between dark and light, clearly showing immense inner struggle. Finally, he gritted his teeth and followed. Only by Chan'er's side did he feel safe.

Not long after the group walked out, they heard various screams. Meng Chan looked closely, only to see a large group of Meng mansion guards surrounding a handsome, tall man in a green robe. No, that wasn't right. It looked more like the man alone had surrounded the hundreds of guards.

The man's expression was calm. He walked forward step by step, not even moving his hands, yet a golden flying sword soared up and down around him. Wherever it passed, guards would inevitably be covered in blood on the spot, instantly losing their combat ability. Neither shields nor armor could withstand his attacks.

A strange glint flashed in Meng Chan's eyes. Was this that Zu An? No wonder Father said he had such great luck with women and was very popular with girls.

Prince Dai, however, said with a trembling voice, "This guy is a devil! I told you to run quickly!"

Meng Yi remained indifferent, instead letting out a cold snort. "No need to panic. He's merely relying on the flying sword talisman he snatched earlier from Elder Shen, Prince Jin's protector." Yet, he also felt a strange sensation in his heart; the power of the flying sword this guy was using seemed significantly stronger than Shen Xingchao's.

He cleared his throat. "Lord Zu, what is the meaning of this?"

Zu An said indifferently, "I want to kill people right now. Can't you tell?"

Meng Yi's lips curved slightly upward as he said coldly, "Lord Zu, this is the imperial capital, right under the Emperor's nose. You first openly attacked Prince Dai's mansion, and now you're massacring people in my residence. Do you realize you've committed heinous crimes? Even if you're lucky enough to escape from here today, you'll become a wanted criminal of the court. Even your status as a Libationer won't be able to protect you from these offenses."

"Chan'er, do you see? Our plan has finally succeeded. All the previous provocations and deliberate incitement were just to make this fellow lose his mind. Now, we've won. As long as he's killed, dealing with the Crown Prince's faction will be much easier."

Meng Chan, however, showed a worried expression. Although everything had indeed developed according to her plan, why did she feel a faint unease in her heart?

"Oh, so you want to manipulate these rules to deal with me again?" A hint of mockery appeared at Zu An's lips. "The reason I played along with you within these rules before was simply to avoid making things difficult for those two people, and because I myself didn't want to get involved in the petty intrigues of the court. But who knew you lot would take an inch and ask for a mile?"

"Since that's the case, I won't pretend anymore. I'm laying my cards on the table. From now on, I'm in charge in this capital city!"

Although he spoke calmly, an inexplicable aura spread out, causing many people present to feel a shiver in their hearts. Meng Yi also felt the hairs on his body faintly begin to stand on end. However, with the situation so clearly in his favor, how could he be willing to yield even half an inch?

"Hahahaha, this old man didn't mishear, did he? You, a wet-behind-the-ears kid, actually dare to say such things. Who do you think you are? Do you know how much the capital city has..."

He hadn't finished speaking when Zu An's figure flashed, appearing by his side. Zu An grasped his neck and gently twisted. With a crisp crack, Meng Yi's entire head drooped down, his eyes wide open. He had clearly never imagined the opponent's speed would be so fast; he hadn't even had time to react.

Zu An casually threw his corpse to the ground, then took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands. "So much nonsense!"

The scene immediately fell into a deadly silence, and everyone's jaws nearly dropped to the ground. The dignified Grand Imperial Secretary, patriarch of a top aristocratic family, Meng Yi, who was at the peak of his power in the imperial court and could turn clouds into rain with a flick of his hand – he just died like that? Was there something wrong with how today unfolded?

Only one person in the scene reacted the fastest. Almost at the same moment Zu An moved, Meng Chan pulled her husband back to dodge. She had thought to herself that even if her father couldn't defeat the opponent, holding him for a short while wouldn't be an issue, and then activating the mansion's defenses would surely ensure that fellow died without a trace. It was a bit of a pity to kill someone so handsome.

Who knew that the very next second she would see the scene of her father's neck being snapped? She was utterly stunned. Her father, who had been cunning and resourceful since childhood, always with countless backup plans, had just died like this? One must remember, he himself possessed master-level cultivation!