Chapter 1933: Unsettled Night

In this fantasy novel:

Jiang Luofu’s face reddened. “I just didn’t expect you to be so fierce today.” The young boy from back then had grown so much; for some reason, she felt a little uncomfortable in his presence.

“The Meng family brought it upon themselves. I already gave them a chance,” Zu An said, smiling at her. “I actually have a very good temper normally, Sister Jiang, you should know that best.”

In that instant, Jiang Luofu felt as if she saw the lazy youth from Brightmoon City again. A sense of familiarity welled up within her, and she spat, “Pah, you little rascal, you’re full of tricks. None of those who offended you back then came to a good end.”

In fact, it was more than that. The first time he met her, despite their vast difference in status, this boy dared to openly stare at her black stockings without an ounce of shyness. At the time, she hadn’t cared much, as it was a confirmation of her beauty. Besides, the boy was quite handsome, and he couldn’t beat her in a fight. If he harbored any wicked thoughts, she could easily subdue him herself.

But now…

Considering his current combat strength, if he were to have any designs on her, she felt she might be powerless to stop him.

The two strolled under the moonlight, leisurely and at ease, but by now, the entire capital had erupted in chaos.

Inside Prince Ying’s residence, on a high floor, a sumptuously dressed young man closed the window and slumped into a chair, silent for a long time.

His concerned confidant asked, “Your Highness?”

This person was naturally Prince Ying, another imperial prince. He and Prince Wu, Zhao Yan, were born of the same mother, Consort Xu, a concubine of Zhao Hao.

Prince Ying took a deep breath, gradually calming his emotions. “That fool, Prince Dai, has cleared the way for us. Issue the order: all previous plans are suspended. Now is the time to bide our time and conceal our strengths.”

“But we made so many preparations before…” another aide said, his face showing reluctance.

“Fool! That Zu fellow is so powerful, and he’s a favorite subordinate of the Crown Princess. Are we to support anyone else besides the Crown Prince? Even the Empress is now trying to win him over. If we still contend for the Crown Prince’s position, aren’t we just seeking death?” Prince Ying couldn’t help but curse.

Recalling Zu An’s ruthless methods just now, where even a Celestial Immortal was no match for him, his subordinates shivered one by one. Opposing him now was truly not a good idea.

“By the way, send someone to remind Prince Wu as well to keep a low profile from now on. If the things he did before are exposed, no one can save him,” Prince Ying added, remembering something else.

“Yes,” the subordinate on the left bowed and quickly withdrew.

“Are we to do nothing at all then?” someone else asked weakly.

“It’s not that we do nothing. Although Grand Tutor Zhao Shen is dead, his descendants are numerous and each holds real power. They certainly won’t swallow this humiliation. We can secretly befriend them,” Prince Ying said calmly, his thoughts becoming clearer as he spoke.

“But even Zhao Shen, a dignified Celestial Immortal, was no match for that Zu fellow. What use can his descendants be?” someone questioned.

“What do you know? Though that Zu fellow is strong, he is but one person. The world is vast, and he will inevitably need to rely on others to govern the country. Perhaps at first, everyone will be deterred by his martial power and dare not resist, but given time, people will feign compliance while actually disobeying, ensuring that any order he wishes to issue cannot be enforced. Eventually, he won’t even be able to find fault, and people might even question the rationality of his orders, gradually eroding his prestige over time.”

Prince Ying said in a deep voice, “What we need to do now is wait. When the world changes in the future, we will have our chance. Our task is to accumulate enough strength and win over enough friends before then.”

“Your Highness is brilliant!” Now the others were convinced and secretly lamented. It was a pity that His Highness was not the direct son of the former empress; otherwise, if he were to inherit the throne, he could surely lead the empire to greater prosperity, far better than that foolish Crown Prince.

At this moment, Prince Ying stood up again, pushed open the window, and looked towards the Meng family’s direction, his face filled with regret.

“What a pity for Meng Chan.”

Although he had always looked down on Prince Dai, who was purely a mediocre man, even below average, he had to admit that he had a good wife.

Back then, Meng Chan was famous for her beauty and resourcefulness, truly a formidable opponent for Crown Princess Bi Linglong. When choosing the Crown Princess, besides the young lady from the Jiang family, Bi Linglong and she were the most popular candidates.

However, the Emperor later felt that Meng Chan was too sharp and not suitable to be a future mother of the nation. In contrast, Bi Linglong was more reserved and understated, so Bi Linglong was ultimately chosen as the Crown Princess. Of course, whether this was the actual reason or if it was due to concerns about the Meng family, who had the Old Ancestor of the Eight Dukes, becoming too powerful, perhaps only the Emperor himself knew.

Later, with the Emperor’s tacit approval, Bi Linglong gradually began to display her astonishing wit and talent…

Meng Chan, struck by this setback, became disheartened. However, the Meng family’s doorstep was almost worn flat by matchmakers, as Meng Chan was a woman of both wisdom and beauty, with the backing of the powerful Meng family.

Not to mention anything else, even Meng Chan’s beauty and charm were among the best in the aristocratic circles of her time; her admirers were countless. He himself was even one of them, deeply infatuated with her. However, the Emperor ultimately decreed their marriage, giving her to Prince Dai. He could only suppress his feelings deep within his heart.

And Meng Chan completely became a caged canary. He had thought she would simply wallow in despondency. Unexpectedly, she never gave up. After the Purple Mountain incident, the series of actions by Prince Dai and the Meng family were truly astonishing, striking at the vital points of the Eastern Palace. He observed coldly, filled with immense admiration, knowing that these tactics must have originated from Meng Chan.

Truly worthy of being the woman who competed with Bi Linglong back then! Truly worthy of being the one I once admired! She was so close, just a hair’s breadth away, Meng Chan had almost succeeded. Who could have imagined that Zu An, at such a young age, could instantly kill even a Celestial Immortal? It truly wasn’t a failure of strategy; it was fate.

However, now Prince Dai and the Meng family were completely finished, and Meng Chan, as Princess Dai, was naturally finished too. If, at this moment, a hero were to appear, give her hope, and rescue her, she would surely pledge her heart to him.

Prince Ying’s mind conjured a scene of himself, clad in golden armor, descending from the sky to rescue her from the Meng mansion. His chest swelled with emotion, and he involuntarily took a step forward, even subconsciously wanting to fly towards the Meng family’s direction. However, a gust of cold night wind quickly brought him back to his senses. Such things were fine to fantasize about, but to actually do… He knew his limits very well. That Zu fellow could with one hand—no, even one finger—crush him.

What a pity…

Thinking of the tragic fate awaiting his former "white moonlight," he was filled with pity but powerless. He dismissed his subordinates, turned around, and took out a treasured pot of wine from the cabinet. For so many years, he had been extremely disciplined, rarely touching alcohol when alone, precisely because he worried alcohol would impair his judgment. But today, he just wanted to get utterly drunk.

Similar scenes unfolded in many other noble residences. While these individuals might not have had such deep feelings for Meng Chan as Prince Ying, their reactions were largely similar. They all, by unspoken agreement, halted all their conspiracies and plans. After all, Zu An’s performance today was simply explosive, and they didn’t want to accidentally provoke this living King of Hell to their door.

However, in contrast to the devastated atmosphere in the princely mansions, in a secluded courtyard somewhere in the capital, an old man was incredibly excited, slapping his thigh until it almost went numb. “I never expected the Imperial Grandson to be so formidable!”

“Truly, Heaven blesses our Great Meng Dynasty!”

At this moment, a woman beside him sighed. “It’s a pity he doesn’t seem to want to acknowledge his identity as the Imperial Grandson.” Her face was covered by a veil, so her appearance was unclear, but her figure was graceful, and she stood tall and straight, possessing a naturally distinguished demeanor.

“This is his fated responsibility, he has no choice but to acknowledge it,” the old man paced back and forth in the room, clearly agitated. After a moment, his eyes lit up. “I’ve got it! For the next period, instruct our people to find more storytellers in the streets and alleys, especially at pedestrian bridges where crowds gather.”

“Once his prestige grows higher in some time, then we will spread the rumors among the populace that he is the Imperial Grandson.”

The woman was startled, and somewhat hesitantly asked, “Won’t this completely enrage him?”

“Why would it enrage him? We are, after all, his own people. Even if he holds a grudge, it’s nothing serious,” the old man chuckled. “This fellow is just too lazy by nature. Since he doesn’t want to take charge, we’ll force him to.”

The woman looked out the window, a hint of worry in her brows. She had to admit, the other party’s suggestion was ingenious. Once the rumors about the Imperial Grandson spread, the Great Zhou court would undoubtedly become highly vigilant. At that point, even Zu An’s status as regent wouldn’t protect him; in fact, that very status would make certain individuals in the Great Zhou even more wary. Conflict between the two sides was inevitable once again. After all, tonight Zu An had only dealt with one family, the Mengs, and one Celestial Immortal, Zhao Shen; the Great Zhou court’s state apparatus had not been fully mobilized. But if it concerned a former dynasty’s imperial grandson, various factions would certainly not stand by idely as they did tonight. At that point, with the whole world as his enemy, Zu An would naturally have to turn to them for support.

The scheme was a good scheme, but… thinking of Zu An’s combat power and temperament displayed tonight, would doing this truly not lead to disaster?

Within the Sang family, several members were also in extreme shock. Watching Zheng Dan, who was ecstatically jumping and bouncing in the distance, Sang Hong secretly sighed, then said to his daughter beside him, “Qian’er, it’s better for Sisi to take his surname then.”

Given Zu An’s current displayed strength, who would dare to let his bloodline bear another’s name? Moreover, in today’s situation, Sisi taking Zu An’s surname would bring greater benefits to the Sang family, and it would also allow Sang Qian to legitimately live in the Regent’s manor.

Sang Qian shook her head. “No, let’s not. That would make our Sang family appear too opportunistic. It’s better to follow what we discussed before and let nature take its course.” She knew very well that Brother Zu had a wife, and there was still something missing in her relationship with him.

Sang Hong froze, then nodded. “You’re right, you’re thinking clearly. I was too excited.” Then he added, “But you need to put in more effort. Try to have ten or eight of Ah Zu’s children.”

Sang Qian stomped her foot, a little annoyed and shy. “Dad, I’m not a pig. How many can I give birth to in a year?”

“You can involve…” Sang Hong’s old face flushed. Ultimately, he felt a bit embarrassed and hastily said a few words before quickly departing. Aunt Mu, knowing he couldn’t bring himself to say it, had to help him out. She leaned close to Sang Qian’s ear and whispered, “Qian’er, you can actually involve your sister-in-law…”

Sang Qian: “…” Her face was already bright red with shame!