Chapter 545: End?

Following this, Xiao Tuo, as agreed, spread the news. She had never been so anxious, and quickly found herself in a state of trepidation, fearing loss and hoping for gain.

Unfortunately, no matter how much she hoped, the outcome of the test was obvious.

Zu'an's previous speculation was not wrong. Evidently, Lian's jealousy had made him lose some rational judgment. Palace intelligence became scarcer, and the intervals between reports grew longer; he had long harbored doubts.

Soon after, news came from the palace that Xiao Tuo had been granted the title of 'Fu'. He fell silent.

He knew clearly that this was all he could offer Xiao Tuo.

When Xiao Tuo sent more intelligence at this time, how could he dare to believe it? He casually tossed the intelligence into the trash.

Xiao Tuo waited anxiously for three days, but there was no reaction from Lian's side. Her initially hopeful heart gradually sank to rock bottom. At the same time, she suddenly felt a sense of relief.

If the other party had truly acted according to her intelligence, she wouldn't have known how to face it.

Of course, these were all subconscious reactions on her part; she was completely unaware of them at the moment.

Zu'an, however, understood everything clearly. In fact, he had already completely broken down her psychological defenses before this. The reason he intentionally staged this scene was merely to give her an honorable way out, to provide her with a reason to convince herself.

Zu'an came up behind her, gently embracing her soft body. “The agreed time has passed. Have you given up now?”

Xiao Tuo let out a soft sigh, finally making up her mind. She turned around and bowed gracefully, “My King, from this day forward, Xiao Tuo will be devoted to you with all her heart and wholly belong to you.”

Zu'an chuckled, “Many times, sweet words alone are useless. Action is what truly matters.”

Xiao Tuo shot him a resentful glance, a hint of shyness and charm flashing in her eyes, and then slowly knelt down.

Zu'an's breathing quickened immediately. Though they had been inseparable and had explored various intimate activities as a couple during this period, she had never taken the initiative in this manner before.

Previously, knowing she was a spy sent by the antagonist, he hadn't been particularly gentle, and had ‘taught’ her several times.

At that time, although Xiao Tuo didn't object, the humiliation in her eyes was impossible to conceal, and he continuously received notifications of her increasing rage.

This sometimes made Zu'an quite nervous, fearing she might resort to a desperate, self-destructive act.

Although this was merely a soul trial, if he were truly damaged, it was hard to guarantee it wouldn't affect his real body.

Thus, each time left him in a state of painful pleasure.

This time, however, was vastly different. She showed not a shred of resentment; instead, she was utterly gentle and considerate.

Only then did Zu'an believe that she had truly surrendered her heart.

However, he suddenly noticed a clear tear trickling from her eye. He couldn't help but frown slightly, and as he wiped away her tear, he asked, “Are you still thinking about the past?”

“Mmm…” Xiao Tuo took a breath, then shook her head. “This tear is merely a complete farewell to the past.”

Hearing this, Zu'an felt a surge of tenderness. He scooped her up into his arms, then turned and entered the inner chamber. The atmosphere in the room quickly warmed.

After Xiao Tuo had fully surrendered her heart, subsequent events naturally unfolded. During this time, Zu'an had already eliminated all of Lian's potential external allies through various false intelligence and arrangements.

Now, Lian was truly isolated, with only a few direct descendants of powerful families remaining loyal, and, of course, many spies Zu'an had planted.

Originally, dealing with Lian's core power was quite troublesome. His special status, as the son of the previous King's predecessor, meant he still commanded a considerable amount of influence.

However, Xiao Tuo was very familiar with these matters. With her intelligence, dismantling these individuals with targeted measures became as easy as a skilled butcher carving an ox.

After these matters were settled, news also arrived from the front lines: Pei Mianman had returned victorious. The Qiang people were utterly crippled, and it was foreseeable that they would be unable to threaten the Shang kingdom for a very long time.

When Pei Mianman returned with her army, Zu'an, accompanied by all his civil and military officials, personally traveled tens of miles out of the city to welcome her.

Everyone considered this appropriate, seeing it as a political maneuver by the King to win over his Queen and inspire his people.

Only Zu'an knew best that he was motivated more by longing. It had been several months since her departure. If it weren't for the multitude of issues he needed to resolve in Yin capital, he would have rushed to the front lines to be with her.

Soon, the silhouette of an army appeared on the horizon. At its head, a figure rode a white steed, wearing a beautiful golden armor set, which shimmered brightly in the morning sun. The entire person truly resembled a divine maiden.

“The Queen is truly beautiful.”

“She must be the most beautiful woman in our Great Shang.”

“More than just the most beautiful woman, she's also the Great Shang's foremost War God!”

“But her breasts are really big!”

“Are you courting death?”

Many commoners also followed them out of the city to welcome her. Hearing their whispers, Zu'an was not offended. Instead, a slight smile appeared on his face, as he recalled his own reaction upon first seeing Pei Mianman.

After a long separation, and the thought that this perfect woman belonged to him, he was naturally too delighted to care.

Before this, Pei Mianman had exuded more femininity, making anyone who saw her at first glance feel she was the epitome of womanhood. But now, she possessed an added aura of heroism, which he knew was forged in the blood and fire of battle.

The two temperaments combined perfectly, creating a unique charm.

Pei Mianman saw him, a look of joy appearing in her eyes, and spurred her horse directly towards him.

Zu'an commanded, “All of you, stand guard here. No one is to approach.”

Many of the conversations between him and Pei Mianman could not be overheard by outsiders. As their prestige was now extremely high, no one naturally objected.

“Manman, you've finally returned.” Zu'an held her hand, filled with emotion.

Pei Mianman snorted, “If I hadn't returned, the imperial harem might have already been in an uproar. These days, many people have been describing to me how you spent your days carousing with that girl named Xiao Tuo in the palace.”

“You wrong me! That was the Grand Priest's scheme to sow discord between us,” Zu'an protested bitterly.

Pei Mianman gave a half-smile, “Are those people lying? Did you not engage in intimate relations with that Xiao Tuo in the palace?”

Zu'an felt a bit awkward. “That was merely playing along with his scheme. I only managed to successfully win Xiao Tuo over by ‘sacrificing my charms’. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy to deal with the Grand Priest.”

As he spoke, he explained the situation in the capital.

Pei Mianman's expression then softened slightly. “You always manage to make your philandering sound righteous, but in my opinion, it's just using public affairs for personal gain.”

Zu'an knew she harbored some resentment. Saying anything more at this moment would be inappropriate, so he simply held her tightly. “Manman, you've truly worked so hard these past few months.”

It went without saying that to defeat the ferocious Qiang people, she must have poured immense effort into the front lines.

Pei Mianman said softly, “You've worked hard too. On the front lines, at least the enemy was visible. But in the capital, you had to contend with various unseen enemies. Furthermore, you had to continuously provide logistical support to the army. And your Huang Yue and Bai Mao were received. Without your steadfast support, I might not have been able to integrate the army so smoothly and thoroughly…”

The two embraced, pouring out their hearts to each other. Unbeknownst to them, time flew by quickly. The officials couldn't help but come to remind them several times.

Pei Mianman shyly pushed Zu'an away, and only then did they return with the army to the city.

Next, Zu'an leveraged the lingering prestige of the great victory against the Qiang people to purge the rebellious factions in the capital who had colluded with the Qiang during this period.

Lian was naturally among them. Even if incriminating letters hadn't been found as evidence, given the couple's current authority, others had nothing to say.

After Lian was dealt with, Pei Mianman was appointed Grand Priestess, according to Fu Shuo's original plan, thereby completely bringing divine authority under the King's control.

To reward Pei Mianman for her military achievements, the court deliberated and decided to cast an owl-shaped bronze vessel (Xiao Zun) for her, and to bestow upon her a jade phoenix. Additionally, the Jade Cong that was originally in Lian's possession was also transferred to the new Grand Priestess.

Both of them felt the flow of spiritual energy around these three items, which contained highly intricate magical formations. They were clearly not ordinary artifacts. If they were in the real world outside, they would undoubtedly be top-tier magical treasures.

Unfortunately, they knew this was merely a soul trial, and these items could not be taken out. Thus, they felt no excitement.

What they were thinking was that with the external enemies defeated and the internal traitors dealt with, they should be close to passing the trial.

To their surprise, however, the sun continued to rise in the east and set in the west, days passed one after another, but they never received notification that the trial had ended.