Chapter 1981: Marriage Alliance

**Fantasy Novel**

"You've misunderstood," Zu An explained. "It's not that they treated me poorly; it's that I don't want to use my power to encroach upon the common people's interests."

The Little Demon Empress looked somewhat bewildered. "I've never encountered such a thought process before. If everyone were like you, I doubt anyone would want to be an official. You're a regent, yet you live so frugally."

"Normally, it's fine," Zu An replied. "It's just that recently, refining artifacts requires a massive amount of resources." He then briefly explained his recent activities to her.

The Little Demon Empress immediately became interested, asking him many questions in a row. Finally, she exclaimed, "I don't care! You are also a regent of our Demon Clan, so what you research cannot be exclusively for the Human Clan."

Seeing her slightly uneasy expression, Zu An chuckled. "Don't worry, the Demon Clan is also my home. Besides, I have you, don't I?"

He silently added in his mind, 'And Yu Yanluo,' though he knew it wasn't appropriate to mention her to the Little Demon Empress.

The Little Demon Empress, who had been quite tense, instantly brightened. "Your words are so sweet; I almost want to taste them."

Zu An: "..."

Demon Clan women truly are more passionate and uninhibited.

Zu An cleared his throat. "Right, the Human Clan's Empress Dowager wants to meet with you to discuss an alliance between our two clans to fight the invading demons."

The Little Demon Empress didn't answer. Instead, she asked, "I heard that Empress Dowager was a beauty who captivated countless men in her youth, which is why Zhao Hao chose her as empress. Now, her charm seems to surpass her past self; she looks radiant every day, not at all like a woman who just lost her husband."

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. He could only say, "They were a couple in name only. Now that Zhao Hao, that towering mountain, is gone, she's simply in a better mood."

"It seems you know her quite well," the Little Demon Empress said with a faint smile. "Are you two perhaps involved?"

Zu An: "..."

Why do these women always try to set traps with their words?

"Let's talk business. Be serious," Zu An said, annoyed.

"Alright," the Little Demon Empress said, not pressing further. "With the demon invasion, our two nations should indeed unite. However, there's the question of who will lead."

Zu An frowned. "The Human Clan is stronger right now. It might not be realistic to expect them to cooperate by following your lead. Of course, I'll try my best to ensure equal status in the cooperation between our two nations."

"It's not as simple as you make it sound. When the Human Clan's Empress Dowager and I meet, a crucial question arises: who calls on whom?"

"If either of us goes to the other's territory, it will be seen as an act of submission. The Human Clan's Empress Dowager would likely refuse to come to me, and it's absolutely out of the question for me to go to her."

Zu An was taken aback. "Is such a small matter really that serious?"

"Of course!" the Little Demon Empress raised her voice. "After the ceasefire with your Human Clan a while ago, many radicals within the Demon Clan felt the royal court was too weak externally. I barely managed to suppress them. Now that Zhao Hao is dead, many individuals on the Demon Clan's side are already restless. The crucial point is that this external demon invasion cannot be publicized, so if we ally with the Human Clan and appear to be weak towards them, I fear there will be major internal turmoil on my side."

As she spoke, she pinched her brow, clearly troubled.

Zu An recalled the situation of the Demon Clan: it was a loose tribal system where various clans merely submitted to the royal court as a common leader. The royal court's control over local areas wasn't very strong.

Many members of these tribes were aggressive and single-minded. Trying to reason with them or ask them to endure temporarily for the sake of the future would be like playing a lute to a cow.

"What should we do then?" Zu An couldn't help but feel a bit troubled. If this matter wasn't handled well and led to animosity between the two clans, the idea of a united front against external threats would become impossible.

"Well, I have an idea," the Little Demon Empress suddenly said with a mischievous smile. "Your Emperor could marry a woman from our Demon Clan's royal family. That way, everyone saves face, and it would be much easier to arrange a meeting using that pretext."

"That's not a bad idea," Zu An nodded. "Which royal woman? Do you have someone in mind?"

"Yes, there is," the Little Demon Empress replied casually. "Princess Nan Wu of the Peacock Royal Clan. She's beautiful, extremely intelligent, and capable. I imagine she could make significant contributions to the friendship between our two clans."

"Kong Nan Wu?" Zu An was startled. He never imagined it would be her. The image of the beautiful woman surfaced in his mind. She had once shown him kindness; could he really let her marry this foolish emperor?

"What's wrong? Reluctant?" The Little Demon Empress had been observing his reaction and chuckled at his expression.

"Why would I be reluctant?" Zu An lightly coughed. "I just think Princess Nan Wu is proud and might not be content to be subordinate. The new Empress here is also a proud woman and might not tolerate her. If they end up clashing, it could easily damage the relations between our two nations."

The Little Demon Empress said with a faint smile, "You've said all that, but aren't you just reluctant to let go of Princess Nan Wu?"

Zu An: "..."

"Alright, alright, I was just teasing you," the Little Demon Empress jested. "Putting aside Princess Nan Wu's noble status, I can't simply ignore her wishes and decide her marriage. Even if she agreed, I could never allow a Demon Clan woman to marry into the Human Clan. It would look like a humiliating marriage alliance."

"If it's impossible, why even bring it up?" Zu An said, somewhat speechless.

"It's impossible for a Demon Clan woman to marry into the Human Clan, but a Human Clan princess or similar could certainly marry into the Demon Clan," the Little Demon Empress finally revealed her true intention.

Zu An retorted, "If your Demon Clan considers marrying off a daughter to be humiliating, then isn't it the same for the Human Clan? They have the advantage now, so they'd be even less likely to agree."

"Under normal circumstances, they certainly wouldn't agree," the Little Demon Empress said, feigning mystery. "But there's one person whom I believe the Human Clan wouldn't refuse."

"Who?" Zu An asked, curious. "The Demon Emperor is still young; it's probably not yet time for him to marry."

"Who said it was him? It's clearly you," the Little Demon Empress said with a sly smile.

"Me?" Zu An shook his head like a rattle-drum. "No, absolutely not."

What a joke! His life was already a chaotic mess with all his female confidantes; why would he want to get involved in something like this?

"Who says no?" the Little Demon Empress laughed. "Your status is unique, and with your current power and position, I'm sure countless Human Clan women would want to marry you. Plus, you're also a regent of our Demon Clan. For you to represent the Demon Clan and marry a Human Clan woman would also be a matter of pride for us, a win-win situation!" She continued, "As for why it isn't you marrying a Demon Clan woman, well, you're human by birth. If a Demon Clan woman were to marry you, they might feel it implies weakness on our part."

Seeing that he still declined, she had no choice but to say, "If your refusal leads to the Human and Demon Clans being unable to cooperate, and the world is invaded by demons, your sin would be immense."

"Don't try to pressure me with that," Zu An said coldly. "I won't use marriage as a bargaining chip."

"Fine, then I have no other ideas," the Little Demon Empress said, looking weary. "Let the Human Clan's Empress Dowager worry about this; I won't bother with it anymore."

Zu An knew she meant well and felt his tone had been a bit harsh. He then explained, "Your suggestion isn't practical. Zhao Hao did have a few daughters, but they're all married now. The current Emperor has no daughters, so there are no unmarried princesses in the royal family."

"It doesn't have to be a princess or a royal daughter," the Little Demon Empress said with a sly smile. "For example, what about your Princess of Qi? The Human Clan's court probably finds her an eyesore anyway. Wouldn't it be perfect to marry her into the Demon Clan? I'll keep an eye on her then, so she won't be able to interfere with your philandering outside."

Seeing her increasingly outrageous suggestions, Zu An quickly changed the subject, asking about the Second Prince's battle in the sealed land.

When this topic came up, the Little Demon Empress's expression also turned serious, and she earnestly discussed various pieces of intelligence with him.

They continued talking for another half hour until even the Little Demon Empress felt the pinch of the audio-visual mirror's cost, forcing them to quickly end the call.

However, after his recent conversation with the Little Demon Empress, he realized the situation was dire. He decided to inform those close to him first, to prevent them from being caught off guard and falling victim to the demons' schemes, leading to irreversible regret.

He went to the location of the imperial court's official audio-visual mirror, which was typically only used for matters of national military importance.

He approved his own request to use it under the pretext of notifying all major sects in the realm, and no one dared to stop him.

The first person he called was Yun Jianyue. He hadn't heard from her in a while, and a faint unease lingered in his heart.

The audio-visual mirror hummed continuously, emitting waves of special fluctuations that spread into the distance, but the call never connected on the other end. His heart sank.