Chapter 2133: Spy Within a Spy Within a Spy

After a while, Rong Mo's voice finally came from outside, announcing, "Your Majesty, Lord Bi has arrived."

"I know. Have him wait for me in the study." Only then did Bi Linglong rise, tidy her clothes and hair, and walk out with a grim expression.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Bi Qi, who had just picked up a teacup in the study, quickly stood up and bowed upon seeing her enter. Although the person was his own daughter, with so many people in the palace, rules and etiquette could not be disregarded.

Bi Linglong waved her hand, signaling the others to withdraw. Then, she looked at him coldly and asked, "Were you also targeting the Regent King last night?"

Bi Qi did not answer her question. Instead, he asked, "Is there really something going on between you and the Regent King?"

Bi Linglong's face flushed, but her expression remained unchanged. "No. You still haven't answered my question." She felt too embarrassed to tell even her own father about her relationship with Zu'an.

Bi Qi stared at her suspiciously for a long moment. "That's for the best. After all, you are the mother of the nation; you shouldn't do anything that would make you a laughingstock."

"I don't need you to lecture me," Bi Linglong interrupted coldly. "Instead, why did the Emperor say such things?"

"I'm not clear on that. I'll go investigate," Bi Qi replied.

"What about the Regent King? Was your operation yesterday directed at him?" Bi Linglong stared into his eyes.

Bi Qi chuckled, "Our target was naturally the Liu family. How could it be the Regent King?"

"Is that so?" Bi Linglong frowned, still suspicious.

"Of course. Your father isn't that muddled. You don't need to overthink things. Yesterday, we eliminated the Liu family. From now on, you'll be in charge of the palace. There will no longer be a Grand Empress Dowager to make comments, and outside, our Bi family will replace the Liu family, becoming the most powerful family in the world. You should be happy." Bi Qi was indeed in high spirits at this moment, having planned for a long time and achieved a complete victory with one move.

"But I can't be happy," Bi Linglong said coldly. "There will be no next time for something like this, or don't blame me for disregarding our family ties."

Bi Qi nodded. "Of course. We've already won, so there won't be a next time." Despite saying this, a shadow flickered in the depths of his eyes.

Bi Linglong suddenly spoke, "That Prince Wu is ambitious; we must guard against him. Don't work hard only for someone else to reap the rewards in the end." Strictly speaking, Bi Qi's plan didn't significantly impact her interests and even got rid of the annoying Grand Empress Dowager. But if Prince Wu were to do something, it would be a world-changing event, and there would be no place for her as empress then.

"Don't worry. Your father merely used him to deal with the Liu family. Let him be smug for a while; we'll take care of him later," Bi Qi said with a profound expression.

Bi Linglong sneered, "I hope you truly have a plan, and don't let things get out of hand."

At the Sang residence, Aunt Mu and Sang Qian had been on edge until they saw Sang Hong return safely, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

"What exactly happened last night?" Sang Qian and Zheng Dan couldn't help but inquire.

"It seems Bi Qi, along with royal family members dissatisfied with the Liu family, and Prince Wu, a vassal king from outside, conspired against the Liu family. The Liu family is completely finished." Sang Hong, thinking of the Grand Empress Dowager at home, couldn't help but say, "The court has now determined that the Grand Empress Dowager colluded with the Liu family with the intention of rebellion. Therefore, she can no longer be the Grand Empress Dowager. Keeping her is truly a hot potato; in my opinion, it would be better to secretly dispose of her."

The three Liu brothers were all beheaded, and their loyal confidants were either killed or captured, with only a very few successfully escaping. They couldn't cause any significant trouble. Even if the Grand Empress Dowager regained her full strength, it would be impossible to reverse the situation now. Keeping her would only pose endless risks.

Sang Qian immediately shook her head and refused, "No. Let's not even mention that the Grand Empress Dowager and the Liu family were innocent this time. Just considering her relationship with... her relationship with Brother Zu, we cannot ignore her." Even after a night to process it, the thought of Brother Zu and the Grand Empress Dowager having an affair still felt incredibly shocking to her.

Seeing his daughter determined to protect her lover's lover, Sang Hong felt a particular headache. After thinking for a moment, he couldn't help but say, "There's something I think it's necessary to tell you..." He then roughly recounted how the Emperor had publicly accused Zu'an of seducing and bullying the Empress in court.

After hearing this, Sang Qian and Zheng Dan were both stunned speechless.

It was only after a while that Sang Qian slightly recovered. "Could it be that someone was stirring up trouble, slandering Brother Zu in front of the Emperor to harm him?" She had once met the Empress. During her time as Crown Princess, the Empress was an idol to countless women in the capital, not only a cultivation genius but also a model of a noble lady in her every word and action. Basically, every family used her as an example when educating their daughters. It was truly difficult to imagine such a perfect woman committing such an immoral act.

"Wait, if the person were Brother Zu..."

Sang Hong looked at his daughter with sympathy. His daughter was always clever, so why did she become so infatuated when it came to Zu'an? After a moment's hesitation, he said in a more tactful way, "There is indeed such a possibility. But now that I think about it, the Empress is young and beautiful, and Ah Zu is handsome and charming. Not to mention compared to that foolish emperor, even compared to the geniuses among his peers... wait, no one can compare to him."

"Ah Zu isn't just highly skilled and handsome; the key is that he's also very good at winning over girls..." At this point, Sang Hong couldn't help but glance at Sang Qian and Zheng Dan, making both of their faces flush. "Ah, living examples right here." He continued, "So it wouldn't be surprising if Her Majesty the Empress had a relationship with him."

Sang Qian opened her mouth, wanting to defend her lover, but didn't know what to say.

At this moment, Zheng Dan, who was beside her, snorted, "No need to guess. They definitely have something going on."

Sang Qian asked curiously, "Why are you so certain?"

"I know him too well," Zheng Dan said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "That guy is a walking stud. As long as she's pretty, there's no woman he wouldn't dare to flirt with." Speaking of which, that's how it was with her...

Sang Qian suddenly sighed softly, "You're right. Brother Zu is good at everything except for being a bit too much of a womanizer."

"A bit of a womanizer? He's much more than that!" Zheng Dan's voice suddenly rose. "He dared to touch even the Grand Empress Dowager, and now even the Empress..." She paused abruptly here. "Wait, something feels wrong."

Sang Qian also reacted, saying with a strange expression, "Do you think the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress know about each other's relationship with Brother Zu?"

Sang Hong also froze, realizing he hadn't thought of this aspect initially!

Zheng Dan's expression became exceptionally interesting. "Maybe they do know. Haven't the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress been at odds for years, almost tearing each other's hair out? They're probably fighting over Ah Zu."

Sang Qian, however, shook her head. "No. Before Brother Zu came to the capital, one was the Crown Princess and the other was the Empress. They were already at odds with each other then, and it had nothing to do with Brother Zu." She continued, "I've thought it over, and they likely don't know about each other's relationship with Brother Zu."

"Why?" Zheng Dan asked.

"I can hardly imagine such a perfect woman as the Empress resorting to such deadly means if she knew about this connection," Sang Qian pondered. "And I also trust Brother Zu's judgment; he shouldn't choose such a vicious woman."

Zheng Dan: "..." "You've been completely infatuated by that guy, haven't you? How can that be a reason for judgment?" Despite saying this, she still accepted the other's judgment. In a way, she also had a strange trust in Ah Zu.

"Various signs in the court recently indicate that the two women likely don't know about this connection," Sang Hong said, reflecting on recent details. "Now, the question is, should we tell the Grand Empress Dowager about this?"

Upon hearing this question, the expressions of the women became exceptionally interesting.

Meanwhile, in the Dragon Palace, Shang Hongyu's expression was even more extraordinary. Her pupils lost focus again, feeling as though she was soaring to the clouds one moment, then being plunged into an abyss the next. She had never imagined her knees could be lifted so high! If you ask how high, it was pressed right against her face.

It was unknown how much time had passed. Originally, Shang Hongyu had been the one gasping, but this time, it was Zu'an who cried out, as if he had witnessed something shocking. A vivid red and beautiful fishtail had suddenly appeared on the white jade bed.

At this point, Shang Hongyu's voice was almost tearful. "It's all your fault! I can't control it. I'll change back right away."

Zu'an quickly stopped her. "Don't change back. This is exactly how I want it."

Shang Hongyu quickly reacted, spitting, "Pervert!" However, she still listened to Zu'an and did not retract her true form. Her beautiful fishtail gently coiled around Zu'an's waist. Zu'an thought to himself that he could finally explain that classic fisherman's dilemma from his previous life.

On the other side, Karcher had searched all night with his guards but couldn't find the assassin. He couldn't help but fall into deep thought. That person's cultivation was very high; otherwise, even if his attention had been diverted, he wouldn't have discovered it so late. Furthermore, he was very familiar with the Dragon Palace's terrain and possessed some special magic artifacts. It seemed his status in the Dragon Palace should not be low.

He originally wanted to report back to the false Dragon King, but when he arrived outside the courtyard and heard the commotion inside, his expression suddenly became very interesting.

Although he asked casually, a warning sign suddenly flared in Zu'an's heart. For some reason, he immediately realized this was a very dangerous question, and one wrong move could undo all his efforts. He reacted quickly, immediately saying, "Isn't it just for the Queen to see? She's always worried about her sister's safety, so I'm just catering to her preferences."

"I see. I thought you had forgotten that Shang Liuyu is already in our hands." Karcher let out a sigh of relief.

Zu'an's heart churned with turmoil. No wonder Karcher had seemed suspicious of him before; the problem lay here! At the same time, his heart clenched again. Shang Liuyu had actually been captured by these guys. He wondered how she was doing now.

At this moment, Karcher continued, "It seems our luck has been quite good lately. We just caught Shang Liuyu and haven't even had time to interrogate her, and now we've received news of her sister and captured the Queen. It seems heaven is on our side; this major undertaking is bound to succeed."

Zu'an inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. From Karcher's words, Shang Liuyu's safety should be temporarily assured. He guessed that when he arrived at the Dragon Palace yesterday, they had just caught Shang Liuyu. Afterwards, they were busy capturing Shang Hongyu, and in the evening, Karcher stood guard outside the bedchamber to ensure he thoroughly "conquered" the Mermaid Queen, making her one of them. Later, Karcher went to pursue Ao Yong, so he hadn't had time to interrogate Shang Liuyu.

At the same time, he was curious about what this "major undertaking" Karcher spoke of was, but having learned from previous experiences, he dared not take any risks. "Now that the Queen has become one of us, how do you plan to deal with Shang Liuyu?" Zu'an probed, asking. If she was truly in danger, he wouldn't care about anything else and would rescue her first.

"I came here to discuss this with you," Karcher said with a smile. "Originally, because Shang Liuyu is so proud, torture probably wouldn't get us the location of the crown. But the situation is different now."

Zu'an's heart stirred. The crown? What crown? Why would it be in Shang Liuyu's hands? "Are you referring to her sister?" Zu'an asked, following Karcher's implication.

"Exactly. And speaking of which, it depends on whether you completely 'broke' her yesterday," Karcher said, staring at Zu'an.

Zu'an was speechless for a moment but replied, "What do you think?"

"Given the Queen's usual dignified and virtuous nature, a whole night must have shattered all her pride and reserve," Karcher said with a somewhat lewd chuckle. "But to be safe, you'll need to work overtime these next few days and visit her several more times to completely 'break' her, make her fall, and ensure she's utterly obedient to you."

Zu'an never expected such a demand. The moral standards of these guys were truly appalling. Karcher continued, "Once the Queen has truly become one of us, we'll have her appear and trick Shang Liuyu into revealing the crown's whereabouts."

Zu'an said gravely, "Given Shang Liuyu's intelligence and vigilance, even if the Queen appears, it might be difficult to deceive her, wouldn't it?"

Karcher nodded. "It seems you haven't been completely swayed by female charm. Good. So, we'll need a trick within a trick."

"What's a trick within a trick?" Zu'an secretly became wary. Compared to the false Dragon King, this guy seemed more cunning and harder to deal with. He needed to be extra vigilant.

"Even if the Queen resigns herself to it, she probably won't be too keen to actively perform and deceive her own sister. But if you're involved, it's different," Karcher said with a profound smile, a hint of excitement in his eyes, as if impressed by his own plan.

"How do I get involved?" Zu'an asked, somewhat puzzled.

"You impersonate the true Dragon King," Karcher said.

"Aren't I already doing that?"

"It's different. Right now, you've only deceived the ministers and people of other clans, but in the eyes of the two sisters, you're still an impostor," Karcher replied. "So now, you need to pretend to be the true Dragon King returning in front of them – no, primarily in front of Shang Liuyu – to gain her trust."

Zu'an listened, utterly baffled. What kind of trick within a trick within a trick was this? Shang Hongyu wanted him to impersonate the false Dragon King to deceive the false Dragon King's faction. Now the false Dragon King's side wanted him to impersonate the true Dragon King to deceive Shang Hongyu and her sister! These two groups really knew how to play games!

"That might be a bit difficult," Zu'an said, feigning reluctance. "You know how vigilant Shang Liuyu is."

"It was indeed difficult before, but now with Shang Hongyu covering for you, the chance of success is greatly increased," Karcher said, finding the plan more flawless the more he thought about it. "I'm truly a genius!"

"Well... alright then, I'll do my best," Zu'an reluctantly agreed.