Chapter 1938: 凝香池

Zu An was startled for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle. "Your Majesty called me here in the middle of the night just to ask about this?"

When Liu Ning first posed her question, she had been carefully observing his expression. After scrutinizing him for a long time and finding no flaws, a faint smile appeared on her face. "Actually, this isn't just my doubt. After what happened with the Meng family today, most of the influential families in the capital are likely pondering similar questions. And your Crown Princess, she must also be wondering."

Before this, no one would have thought such a thing, as Zhao Hao's invincibility was universally acknowledged, and in people's minds, there was a world of difference between Zu An's cultivation and Zhao Hao's. But with the incident involving the Meng family, everyone suddenly realized how astonishing Zu An's power truly was. Even if he didn't surpass Zhao Hao, he certainly possessed the strength to be his opponent.

Coincidentally, no one else witnessed Zhao Hao's demise; Zu An was the sole eyewitness, so couldn't he say whatever he pleased? And considering that Prince Qi and the Libationer also seemed to have died in this great upheaval, everyone... "It's just that their relationship with you isn't as close as mine. Even if they have suspicions, they wouldn't dare ask you directly."

Zu An's expression was peculiar. Bi Linglong was indeed very close to him, but they had just been busy with their role-playing, so she hadn't had the chance to ask.

"Your Majesty is joking," he said. "The Emperor's cultivation was unparalleled, surpassing generations of masters. How could he possibly have been defeated by someone else?"

Liu Ning's smile deepened. "A good answer. No matter who asks you in the future, reply the same way. I will also have people spread this narrative, so even if some still harbor doubts, it will be useless."

Zu An: "..." It seemed this woman didn't believe a word he said.

The sound of water rippled, and a segment of an arm, fair as a lotus root, rose from the water, beckoning him. "Regent, what are you standing there for? Aren't you coming down for a bath?"

Zu An raised an eyebrow. "Your Majesty is still in the pool. It might be inconvenient for your humble servant to join you."

Liu Ning rolled her eyes exasperatedly. Did this fellow suddenly remember his duty as a subject? When he was being assertive earlier, when had he ever treated her as the Empress?

"It's fine. The bath is large enough. The Regent and I can each stay on one side and not disturb each other," Liu Ning said with a smile. "You've been mighty all day, Regent, but you're bound to have some bloodstains on you. It's best to wash them off."

"I'm just afraid of dirtying Her Majesty's bathwater," Zu An said, though he gradually began to undress. He had been a bit bothered earlier; coming straight from Bi Linglong, his body was still imbued with her scent, and he worried the Empress might guess something. This was perfect; a wash in the spring water would remove all traces.

"The Regent jests," the Empress said, parting the water and swimming toward him like a mermaid. "Whether in the past or in the future, the Regent is free to enter and exit any place belonging to me. How could there be any talk of 'dirtying' it?"

Zu An had already stepped into the pool by then and, seeing her approach, couldn't help but chuckle. "Didn't Your Majesty just say we'd each keep to a side to avoid improper closeness?"

Liu Ning swam behind him, her slender fingers gently massaging his shoulders and neck. "The Regent is a vital minister of the state, and your health is of utmost importance. The court naturally has a responsibility to help alleviate your fatigue. Since we are discussing important state affairs, we cannot have maids attending. I must do it myself. I hope the Regent won't find me clumsy; after all, I haven't really waited on anyone before."

Zu An smiled. "To be personally served by the Empress – countless people in this world wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing. This unique feeling alone surpasses any maid skilled in massage."

Liu Ning's face flushed slightly, her fingertips dancing on his skin. Feeling the surging vitality and masculinity beneath his muscles, her heartbeat quickened a few beats. "Are you blaming me for not helping you much before, letting the Meng family and Prince Dai bully you?"

"Of course not. If our positions were reversed, I would likely have done no more than you. As the Empress, you need to balance the demands of various factions." Zu An laughed wryly. Like Bi Linglong, she too had initially apologized for the matter.

"Ah Zu, you are truly understanding," Liu Ning said with a sigh of emotion. "It's just that you hide your strength too well. If I had known from the start that you were this powerful, why would I have bothered to play a deceptive game with all those major factions?"

"Actually, if the Meng family and Prince Dai hadn't pushed so hard, I wouldn't have wanted to act," Zu An admitted, a slight headache forming. Another reason he hadn't acted before was to avoid taking sides, lest either the Empress or the Crown Princess demand his support, as these two women were absolute rivals. Although his experiences and feelings with Bi Linglong were deeper, the Empress had also treated him very well, making him somewhat reluctant to help Bi Linglong against Liu Ning. Yet, after today's events, if both women truly made such demands, he honestly wouldn't know how to handle it.

"Ah Zu, your caution is also wise. From today onwards, you will likely become a subject of study for all the major families. Countless people will rack their brains to decipher your skills and devise traps against you. Your life probably won't be so easy from now on," Liu Ning said with some concern.

Zu An took her hand. "Only the mediocre are free from praise or blame in this world. Let them study me; what do I have to fear?"

"That's true. Zhao Hao also dominated everyone in the world in the same way back then," Liu Ning chuckled.

Zu An pulled her onto his back. "Did Your Majesty specially call me here and choose such a beautiful place just to talk about such unromantic things?"

Steamed by the water vapor, Liu Ning's face became even more flushed and rosy. "Then this concubine shall scrub the Prince's back."

The address "this concubine" made Zu An's heart flutter. For her, the dignified Empress, to adopt such a girlish demeanor was truly delightful.

A question arose in his mind: with her hands held by his, what would she use to scrub his back? But he soon understood. Feeling that astonishing softness, his entire body relaxed completely.

Meanwhile, in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, several young palace maids were slowly grinding various spices. Holding tools resembling inverted jade bowls, they gently pressed the various spices on the table, a fine sheen of sweat appearing on their temples.

During their work, the young maids couldn't help but chatter amongst themselves: "Everyone, be gentle. These spices are very precious; Her Majesty managed to acquire them with great difficulty." "We know!" "Her Majesty seems to care much more about her appearance lately. She never used to spend so much effort on dressing up." "Hmph, Her Majesty is naturally beautiful. Even without dressing up, she's stunning. She's just even more beautiful when she does." "Perhaps something joyful happened recently. I've noticed Her Majesty looks radiant, her complexion is much better than before, and her skin is fair with a rosy glow, even better than us young girls'."

Just then, a young maid in the corner weakly said, "But what happy events could there be recently? I heard the Emperor has passed away."

As soon as she spoke, the room fell into an eerie silence. "Silence!" After that, no one dared to say another word.

An unknown amount of time passed before Liu Ning slowly opened her eyes, startled to find herself lying on the phoenix bed. Recalling the moments that had just transpired, her entire body flushed crimson. "How utterly embarrassing! I actually fainted."

She decided firmly that next time, it shouldn't be in the bath. Perhaps she had soaked for too long, as she felt completely dizzy, her endurance significantly weaker than usual. She only remembered being sent to the heavens by Zu An multiple times, her mind going blank, until she finally lost consciousness completely.

Covering her burning cheeks, she bit her lip lightly. "Everyone in the capital only learned today how incredibly powerful he is, but I've known for a long time—he's unbelievably strong."

As the Empress of a nation, and once a top-tier politician who played chess at the same table as Zhao Hao, she had initially approached Zu An intending to use him as a mere tool. Yet, she never expected to realize her failure with just the very first encounter. No matter how many schemes or tricks, they were like paper in the face of absolute power. No matter how much defense or planning she put in place, the other party could always, with sheer force, drive straight through, directly to her heart.

She still remembered how Eunuch Lu had once marveled that he had never seen her in such a state. "Nonsense, of course he hadn't, because that was the look of a woman utterly conquered."

Although sometimes she still felt a touch of reluctance, this situation didn't seem so bad after all. Her old injuries, suffered years ago, had finally healed, and her strength was also gradually recovering. Now, she was once again in charge of the imperial harem, and the Liu family had surpassed the Bi family to become the foremost maternal relatives... More importantly, she had experienced unprecedented joy. Thinking of all that had happened yesterday, she felt completely infatuated.

When Zu An left the imperial palace, dawn was breaking. He went straight to the Sang family, visited his daughter, and also had a discussion with Sang Hong. After all, now that he was Regent, many court matters required someone to help him manage them. Relying entirely on either Liu Ning or Bi Linglong wasn't ideal, as these two women were at odds. Sang Hong had been in court for many years and knew who genuinely possessed ability, who could be drawn over, and who truly belonged to the various aristocratic families...

After several hours of private conversation, it was already broad daylight. Zu An needed to return to the academy's back mountain. He planned to seclude himself for a period on Yuquan Mountain to quietly cultivate and integrate the seven cultivation techniques from the "Baopuzi Scripture."

Zheng Dan directly approached him. "Ah Zu, I want to go to the academy with you too. I'm nominally Master Yan's disciple, but I haven't studied with him for even a day."

Long ago, Zu An had helped her become a disciple of Yan Xiangu, but due to the Sang family's posthumous child plan, she had to stay at home "awaiting childbirth," so she never had the chance to study. However, after witnessing Zu An's formidable power yesterday, Zheng Dan felt a faint sense of loss amidst her joy and excitement. It was important to remember that her cultivation had once been higher than Zu An's. In Brightmoon City, they had fought side-by-side, and they had faced life and death together in the Red Dragon's Lair... But now, the gap between them was growing wider, and she couldn't even clearly see his back anymore. If the disparity between them became too vast, and they were no longer on the same path, even the strongest past feelings would eventually fade. This wasn't anyone's fault; such was the way of the world. Therefore, she resolved to cultivate diligently from now on.

Zu An knew that her talent was among the best of the students in Brightmoon City, and she had indeed been delayed by various factors over the past two years, so he naturally agreed.

As they were talking, Sang Qian also rushed into the room. "Brother Zu, I also want to go to the academy and cultivate properly!" Not only had she always offered strategies for the Sang family, but her cultivation aptitude was also good, and in terms of strength, she was similar to Zheng Dan. She, too, felt a sense of urgency. She disagreed with Aunt Mu's absurd previous suggestion, as serving someone with beauty alone could not last. Moreover, there were simply too many beautiful women around Brother Zu, so she felt a strong sense of crisis and wanted to keep pace with him, only then would she be qualified to help him in the future.

Zu An was slightly taken aback, as she had only recently given birth. However, after a moment's hesitation, he quickly agreed. His only dilemma was deciding whose tutelage she should enter and what field she should study.