Chapter 959: Warm Invitation

Zu An noticed the palace maids discreetly withdrawing to a distance. Of course, they couldn't leave entirely, as no man apart from the Emperor was permitted to be alone with the concubines in the imperial harem.

Lowering his voice, he said with a smile, "I'd be thrilled to come every day, but I'm afraid the Emperor would be displeased."

A faint blush instantly spread across Consort Bai's flawless, jade-like face. She softly chided, "You're getting bolder and bolder, daring to even flirt with me!" Although she looked embarrassed and annoyed, her voice was soft and gentle, making it, paradoxically, a pleasure to listen to.

"Does Your Ladyship have amnesia? We even swung together last time," Zu An said. He wasn't lust-driven or trying to take advantage of her; he merely wanted to use words to probe the exact nature of her relationship with the Emperor. She was both the Emperor's consort and connected to the Demonic Sect, and he didn't know which side she leaned more towards. This would influence many future decisions.

Consort Bai snorted, immediately changing the topic. "Tell me, what are you really here for this time?"

Zu An clearly knew when to stop. Through his continuous probing, some of his conjectures had been verified. "I'd like to borrow that sachet of Your Ladyship's from last time," he said. Although he possessed the Bright Mirror Non-Platform to conceal his aura, it would be difficult to hide if he encountered a top master face-to-face who meticulously investigated. On this trip to Cloudtop Commandery, he needed to appear as Zu An at times and as Golden Eleven at others, and flaws were inevitable during the transitions. That sachet had previously managed to deceive even the powerful figures in the capital, so it would naturally be more than enough to deal with the people in Cloudtop Commandery.

Consort Bai chuckled softly. "It looks like you're planning to trick someone again. Fine, bring me the Emperor's decree."

"There's no decree," Zu An said confidently. "This is just a private request from me this time."

Consort Bai's delicate eyebrows instantly furrowed. "Zu, who gave you such audacity?"

Zu An said with a smile, "As a friend, it shouldn't be a problem for Your Ladyship to help me out, right?"

Consort Bai said coldly, "Being friends with a concubine in the imperial harem? If the Emperor heard those words, your head would roll instantly."

Zu An looked surprised. "I'm representing the Eastern Palace this time, helping the Crown Prince with his concerns. As a consort of the Crown Prince, it's only reasonable for Your Ladyship to provide me with some assistance, isn't it?"

Consort Bai's tense face suddenly softened with a hint of a smile. "You truly are glib-tongued. Very well, you can have the sachet, but remember you owe me a favor; you'll have to repay it someday."

Zu An replied, "I will repay Your Ladyship's kindness, even if I have to work like an ox or a horse." He secretly added in his heart, "Just feed me grass."

Consort Bai laughed and playfully scolded, "I don't plough fields; what would I need an ox or a horse for?"

As she spoke, she pulled a sachet from her sleeve and held it out. As she extended her arm, her sleeve drew back, revealing a section of her fair wrist, which was so tender and white it looked as though water could be squeezed from it. Zu An was about to reach out and take it, but she, as if having learned from a past experience, flicked her finger and sent it through the air directly into his hand, giving him no chance for skin-to-skin contact.

"Alright, you have the item, you can leave now," Consort Bai said, issuing an order for him to depart before sitting back down on the swing.

Feeling the warmth of the sachet, which still carried her lingering scent, and looking at her incomparably beautiful figure, he thought, "This woman is clearly a mother, yet why does she act so innocently and romantically like a young girl in her daily life?" But why did he always think of some classic scenes from *The Plum in the Golden Vase* whenever he saw her swinging? He blushed, secretly muttering, "Forgive me, forgive me." After thanking her, he respectfully withdrew.

This left Consort Bai a bit surprised. She had originally thought this lazy fellow would take the opportunity to take advantage of her again, so why did he leave so obediently? And why was his posture so strange when he left? After all, she was from the Demonic Sect and had been in the harem for so long. Recalling how he had deliberately bent his body when bowing as he left, she suddenly realized. She couldn't help but softly scoff, her jade cheeks already completely crimson. "What an audacious fellow!"

Coming out of the Hundred Flowers Palace, Zu An finally managed to steady his breath. He muttered to himself, "My little buddy, oh my little buddy, your elder brother almost lost face because of you just now. You've seen the world, why are you so unbearable?"

Just then, a soft laugh came from nearby. "Lord Zu has sworn brothers? Why haven't I heard about it?"

Zu An turned his head and saw several palace maids escorting a beautiful middle-aged woman walking towards them. She was dressed in a dark red gown embroidered with golden phoenixes and wore a magnificent phoenix coronet. Beside her stood a pale-faced eunuch who looked like a ghost. Who else could it be but the Empress and Eunuch Lu?

"Greetings, Empress!" Zu An hurriedly bowed. He had to admit the Empress was an extremely beautiful woman. Though no longer young, her grace and splendor remained. While she lacked the youthful vivacity of girls like Sang Qian and Zheng Dan, her mature and glamorous charm possessed another unique allure. Especially when combined with her noble status, it was something many young girls couldn't come close to. Of course, she also benefited from the contrast of the ugly Eunuch Lu by her side; otherwise, she might not have appeared so stunningly beautiful.

"Lord Zu hasn't answered this empress's question yet?" In front of the other eunuchs and palace maids, the Empress's manners were impeccable in every gesture; she was truly the dignified ruler of the imperial harem. The palace maids looked at her with envy, thinking, "Her Majesty the Empress is truly elegant and noble. When will we ever have such bearing?" And wasn't there a rumor that Lord Zu was arrogant and domineering? Yet he looked quite respectful towards Her Majesty. But these young palace maids had no idea that this seemingly respectful lord and sovereign, in their eyes, had long since engaged in various improprieties in private.

"Replying to Your Majesty, this subject does not have any sworn brothers," Zu An answered. "I merely repeated some stories I heard from a storyteller at the Tianqiao market a few days ago."

"Oh? This empress hasn't left the palace in a long time," the Empress said. "If Lord Zu doesn't mind, could you tell me those storytelling tales?" She then walked towards a nearby pavilion, gesturing for Zu An to follow. As the ruler of the imperial harem, and old enough to be Zu An's elder, she wasn't as restrained as ordinary concubines, nor did she need to be as cautious about avoiding suspicion when interacting with outer court officials.

Zu An felt a bit depressed; he had just spoken casually, never expecting the other person to probe so deeply. But with so many palace maids and eunuchs watching, he couldn't openly defy her. Resigned, he could only follow. "A long, long time ago," he began, "there was a fair-faced man whose hands reached past his knees, a red-faced man with a long beard that reached his chest, and a dark, burly man with a full beard, who became sworn brothers in a peach orchard..."

Fortunately, being a transmigrator, he didn't have much else on his mind, but he had plenty of stories. He quickly recounted the tale of the Three Sworn Brothers in the Peach Orchard in general terms. The Empress had originally just wanted to use the opportunity to talk to him more, not being particularly interested in any stories. Who knew she would become more and more engrossed as she listened? The palace maids and eunuchs nearby also listened spellbound.

Upon hearing an exciting part, Eunuch Lu couldn't help but clap his hands and exclaim, "What a truly righteous Guan Yunchang!" After speaking, he immediately realized his mistake and hurriedly begged for forgiveness. "Your Majesty, please forgive me, this servant got too engrossed."

Zu An had a strange expression. Historically, eunuchs either worshipped Yue Fei or Guan Gong; he hadn't expected figures from his original world to hold such a great appeal for eunuchs in this world too.

"No matter," the Empress said, naturally not blaming him, but looking at Zu An with a smile. "This empress is curious, just how splendid was that famous horse named Diao Chan, that so many heroes under heaven wanted to ride her?"

"Those people indeed all wanted to ride her..." Zu An hastily glossed over it.

"What about the rest?" the Empress eagerly asked.

"Uh, that's all for the rest," Zu An said, his throat dry from talking. He had no mind to slowly tell her the entire *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*.

"Then next time, after Lord Zu hears the rest, you must come into the palace and tell this empress," the Empress said, while secretly casting a charming, alluring glance at him. "This empress is itching with impatience."

Zu An understood her invitation. "Replying to Your Majesty, this subject is about to go to Cloudtop Commandery. I'll explain the rest to Your Majesty after I return."

No way, big sister, no way!

Although the Empress was quite beautiful, the risk of getting involved with her was simply too great. One cannot walk by the river often without getting one's shoes wet, and why give up an entire forest for just one tree? Moreover, he always felt as though the Empress was "harvesting" his essence, and that feeling was quite unpleasant, so he decisively refused.

Hearing his refusal, the Empress's smiling face instantly turned solemn. "Lord Zu seemed to have just come from Consort Bai's place?"