Chapter 2263: The Art of Ten Thousand Transformations

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Zu An had Liu Ning sit down. "You're injured; you should be resting properly. Why are you running around?"

"I just wanted to see you. Why didn't you come in person when you were rescuing those people?" Liu Ning replied, a hint of resentment in her voice.

Sang Qian and Zheng Dan suddenly realized something. *Wait a minute,* they thought, *he said he was cultivating, but the Empress is here now. Were they cultivating together?*

Zu An said, "I did have something to attend to just now. How about this: you rest here, and I'll take them to tour the palace."

"What would it look like for an Empress Dowager to spend the night in the Hall of Mental Cultivation? You might not care about your reputation, but I do. I'll head back now; you don't need to see me out. Just take them around the palace yourself. It's their first time here, so don't neglect them."

Of course, Zu An didn't let her return alone. He saw her back first, then strolled through the palace with Sang Qian and Zheng Dan.

Zhang Zitong had originally intended to accompany them with her guards, but Zu An declined.

This left Zhang Zitong feeling a bit deflated, thinking that her role as commander of the imperial guards seemed quite useless given how powerful her lord was.

"Ah Zu, was that long-legged girl your mistress?" Zheng Dan asked with a smile in the Imperial Garden.

Zu An's face darkened. "I have no relationship with her whatsoever. What are you thinking? And she's not called 'long-legged girl'; her name is Zhang Zitong. The Zhang family showed me kindness, which is why I appointed her to that position."

The two women knew more or less about Zu An's background, and Zheng Dan couldn't help but apologize. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. Relax; think of this place as home," Zu An said, taking their hands.

Both women blushed simultaneously. Fortunately, there were no eunuchs or palace maids nearby, or their identities might have become rather awkward.

"The palace is indeed beautiful," Sang Qian remarked with a sigh.

"But for many living deep within its walls, this palace is like a cage," Zu An mused. "They are like pampered canaries, unable to find freedom their entire lives."

"The concubines and palace maids in the inner court are truly pitiful," Zheng Dan sighed emotionally.

"However, that situation will change starting with me," Zu An stated firmly. "I will respect the wishes of the palace concubines and maids; those who wish to leave the palace will be allowed to." He added that as an ordinary person himself once, he now helps common people whenever he can.

Currently, there were very few concubines in the imperial harem. Firstly, Zhao Ruizhi was somewhat simple-minded and had no interest in such matters. Secondly, Zhao Hao had been nearing the Five Declines of Heavenly Beings and spent his days in seclusion. Even the stunningly beautiful Empress had been alone in her chambers for years, so he had no inclination to seek out other concubines.

There were, however, many palace maids, most of them young and beautiful. It was cruel to keep them confined in the palace, waiting for their youth to fade away.

"Brother Zu has a benevolent heart, which is rare among nobles," Sang Qian said, gazing at her beloved with tenderness in her eyes. The world might call him a lecherous scoundrel, a shameless villain, or even a cruel killer, but she knew very well that Brother Zu was a good person, a very, very good person.

Zheng Dan also hooked her arm around his shoulder. "He truly is the man I admire!"

Although she was a young lady from a merchant family, she had spent years in underground gangs and naturally understood the attitude of the powerful towards ordinary people.

Zu An hadn't expected to receive two "good person" compliments. He chuckled, pulling both women into an embrace. The three of them then sat on a long bench by the lake, admiring the moonlight and chatting about what had happened since they last met.

Both Zheng Dan and Sang Qian felt a profound sense of warmth. They had been invited into the palace by the Empress Dowager earlier that day and brought to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to see him, worried that he might make some unreasonable demands.

While they were willing to secretly spend time with him at the Sang residence, in the unfamiliar imperial palace, under the watchful eyes of the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and countless others, they certainly didn't want to engage in such acts, which would lead to them being looked down upon.

Now, Ah Zu was so considerate of their feelings, engaging in such a pure, spiritual exchange. It brought them an inexplicable sense of happiness.

After such a heartwarming night, the next day's morning court saw virtually all civil and military officials in attendance. This demonstrated a supportive stance, thanks to the extensive visits made by the academy's masters, the Qin family, the Jiang family, and others the previous day. Everyone had gradually moved from initial shock to acceptance of this monumental change.

Furthermore, with Yu Rui, one of the Eight Dukes, taking the lead, everyone eventually bowed to Zu An, Bi Linglong, and the Empress Dowager.

In the imperial court, Bi Linglong announced new personnel appointments, which were largely anticipated by everyone.

As the saying goes, "one emperor, one set of officials," and it had always been this way.

Aside from the few principal offenders who met a grim fate, they were, of course, no longer qualified to appear in court.

Next, Zu An proposed elevating the Sea Race King to the status of Emperor, formally ranking alongside the Human Emperor and the Demon Emperor.

Although many traditionalists in the court were somewhat displeased by this, everyone knew perfectly well that the Sea Race's strength was comparable to that of the Human and Demon Races. If they truly wished to declare themselves emperors, there was little anyone could do, and it was better to foster good relations.

If anyone should be more concerned, it was the Demon Race, as the Sea Race had previously been nominally subservient to the Demon Emperor.

However, Zu An was now the Demon Race's Regent, and the young Demon Empress, who was in power, was literally "wearing the same pair of pants" with him. Clearly, she would not oppose the Sea King's ascension to Emperor.

Many suddenly realized something significant: the Demon Race obeyed Zu An, the Sea Race Empress was established by Zu An, and he was also the Regent for the Human Race. In essence, he was the true co-ruler of the world, an unprecedented achievement in history.

Any lingering discontent among the officials quickly subsided. With the Regent wielding such immense power, who would be foolish enough to oppose him?

Seeing no objections, Zu An mentioned that in a while, delegations from the Demon Race and Sea Race would arrive in the capital. The three powers would form an alliance to jointly resist external enemies.

Originally, everyone had believed their world was self-contained, leading to constant internal struggles. Now, discovering a vaster world beyond, with its demons and devils coveting their realm, provided a basis for such an alliance.

Of course, all this hinged on Zu An's immense influence across the three races; otherwise, even with a basis, reconciliation or an alliance would be impossible.

After the morning court concluded, Zu An went to visit Gao Ying. Pei You had been attending to him, and he had shaved his beard clean; his spirit and vitality had clearly returned.

Gao Ying's complexion was visibly improving, becoming ruddier. He would likely make a full recovery soon, possibly even waking up faster than Qiu Honglei.

After all, Qiu Honglei's condition was due to her involvement with higher-level powers.

"You must know about the Pei family's situation by now," Zu An said, looking at Pei You.

Pei You nodded. "Brother Zu, you spared my father's life and merely exiled him. I am already extremely grateful. I truly feel unworthy of the subsequent honors you've bestowed upon me."

Zu An smiled faintly. "I am currently short of reliable assistants, and unfortunately, there aren't many I can truly trust; you happen to be one. A true man should never shy away from responsibility. Moreover, only by accepting this can you gain enough power to protect your family and have the opportunity to restore the Pei family's glory in the future."

Pei You's eyes were filled with gratitude, and he choked out, "Thank you!"

Zu An patted his shoulder, saying nothing more.

In the following days, Zu An found himself with a rare period of leisure. Bi Linglong and Liu Ning were truly perfect professional managers; they consistently handled everything in an orderly manner.

In the past, the two had been fierce rivals, but now, while not intimate, they at least avoided undermining each other.

All the civil and military officials secretly marveled, "The Regent truly possesses remarkable abilities." Even when Zhao Hao was alive, he couldn't get the two women to cooperate.

The only event Zu An would need to personally attend in the coming days was the wedding of Chu Youzhao and Murong Qinghe.

In his spare time, Zu An had been gathering information about demons and devils. One day, he suddenly took out a peculiar bead.

It was what remained after he had killed the Master of Myriad Transformations and reduced him to ashes with the White Lotus True Fire.

He had known then that it was certainly a treasure, but he hadn't known how to use it, and various matters had later caused delays.

The moment he held the bead in his hand, the "Skill System" on his keyboard suddenly lit up.

"Detected learnable skill on item – Art of Myriad Transformations. Do you wish to learn it?"