Concern

As soon as Fu Xiuzhu finished speaking, Qingya, who was standing to the side, widened her eyes and angrily wanted to rush over and cause him trouble.

Ping An waved for someone to stop Qing Ya, then lowered his eyes and said in an ambiguous tone, "Lord Fu, the late Empress was a good mother who lost her life for me. Aren't you worried that I'll be angry if you talk about her like that?"

“You won’t,” Fu Xiuzhu said with certainty. “The moment you regain your princess status, Fu Yunjin will be useless to you, and you won’t care about her reputation.”

Hearing this, Ping An couldn't help but chuckle.

She raised her head, stared at Fu Xiuzhu for a long while, and then whispered, "Lord Fu and I... are indeed connected by blood."

Hearing this, Qingya was stunned for a moment before realizing Ping An's implication. She immediately turned around and roared at Ping An, "Ping An! What are you saying?!"

Ping An, unconcerned, had Qingya's mouth silenced before continuing, "Lord Fu, you came to see me today not just to tell me how much you despise the late Empress and how much you value me, a princess who has the late Empress's blood but is completely different from her, right?"

"Of course not."

"Let's get down to business. Stop beating around the bush. My time is precious, and I don't want to waste it on you."

Fu Xiuzhu raised an eyebrow.

Precious? He had already found out. Ping An was either clinging to Cui Shenzhi or messing around with jewelry and clothes all day long. What was so precious about him?

But he came seeking cooperation, so it was inappropriate for him to make sarcastic remarks.

"Please dismiss your attendants, Your Highness."

This means we need to discuss this in detail.

Ping An thought about it and agreed.

Once only the two of them were in the hall, Fu Xiuzhu looked directly at Ping An and said, "I want you to do what your mother is unwilling to do—to fight for the Fu family's power and profit in front of Cui Shenzhi. In return, the Fu family will fully support you. Once you give birth to your eldest son, the Fu family will lobby other aristocratic families and ministers to unite and force Cui Shenzhi to abdicate. At that time, you will no longer need to depend on him as you are now, but can rule as Empress Dowager and wield the highest power in the world."

"Turning one's hand can create clouds, turning it back can create rain."

When Fu Xiuzhu spoke, he was like a venomous snake, slow and deliberate yet infinitely seductive, so much so that Ping An couldn't help but feel a momentary flutter in her heart, but she quickly came to her senses.

Fu Xiuzhu's words sound nice, but if she really did it, she, a woman who doesn't understand politics, plus a young child, would be easily deceived. In that case, the affairs of the court would only be decided by the Fu family and by Fu Xiuzhu.

She scoffed and said, "Lord Fu, do you think I'm a fool? Who holds the highest power, me or you? Even though I've never been involved in court affairs, I can still tell the difference."

Tsk.

Fu Xiuzhu narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

He thought that Ping An, a little girl who grew up in the cold palace and had only ambition but knew nothing but how to please men, couldn't possibly realize this.

"So what if I hold the highest power? Ping An, I am your maternal grandfather. I would never harm you even if I held the highest power. But Cui Shenzhi is different."

"He's treating you well now, but that's only because you can provide him with pleasure in bed and help him stabilize the court. Once he's secured the throne and doesn't need you anymore, what kind of good end do you think you'll have as a princess who's been used and discarded by him?"

Ping An's expression changed.

—Although she seemed happy these days, she had an inexplicable worry in her heart, and now she knew what she was worried about.

However, she did not want to appear weak in front of Fu Xiuzhu, nor did she want Fu Xiuzhu to think that he could control her. She quickly suppressed her unease and said with a stern face, "What Lord Fu said makes some sense, but not much."

“Cui Shenzhi is not a member of the Cui family, yet he is still able to sit on the throne peacefully even after his identity was exposed. This is all thanks to me. I am both his lawfully wedded wife and someone who has rendered him service. Even if he no longer needs me in the future, he will not do anything to me. Otherwise, wouldn't that chill the hearts of the people?”

"On the contrary, it is you. The late Empress was your own daughter, but you stood by and watched her suffer humiliation. You knew she was murdered but did nothing about it. After learning that I was a princess, you abandoned me without hesitation. Now you say you won't harm me."

"Lord Fu, do you believe that?"

Now it was Fu Xiuzhu's turn to laugh.

“Ping An, you shouldn’t ask me that question, you should ask yourself. Do you believe that Cui Shenzhi won’t do anything to you?” Fu Xiuzhu looked at Ping An with the same eyes that of a prey caught in a trap, and said with a hint of mockery, “You are Cui Shenzhi’s wife, but isn’t Fu Yunjin Cui Sugong’s wife?”

“Fu Yunjin had no grudge against Cui Sugong, and was even pregnant with Cui Sugong’s child. In the end, she was still killed by Cui Sugong. Cui Sugong hated her so much that he didn’t even want your biological child. And you are the daughter of the enemy who wiped out Cui Shenzhi’s entire family.”

Do you think Choi Shin-ji doesn't care about this?

Ping An was speechless.

Cui Shenzhi's entire family was killed by Cui Sugong, so Cui Shenzhi must hate him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have tormented Cui Sugong like that. So, shouldn't Cui Shenzhi hate the daughter of his enemy who deceived him?

For now, she's still somewhat useful to Cui Shenzhi, and she's young and beautiful. Plus, given all the efforts she's made, Cui Shenzhi still has some feelings for her, so of course he won't do anything to her. But what about later? What if she's past her prime, or those feelings disappear, or what if Cui Shenzhi meets a girl he likes even more?

When the time comes, Cui Shenzhi will definitely treat her the same way he treated Cui Sugong, making her wish she were dead. After she is tortured to death, he will posthumously confer a meaningless title upon her. At the same time, Cui Shenzhi will have avenged himself, have a beauty in his arms, and enjoy boundless wealth, while leaving behind a good reputation for deep affection in the history books. As for her, all she will suffer will only result in the saying that she was not fortunate enough to enjoy it.

Fu Xiuzhu looked at the ever-changing expression on Ping An's face and let out a low chuckle.

Girls who haven't received proper family education are easy to fool. No matter how favorable the timing, location, or people are, they will ultimately lose because of their own stupidity. This was true for Shen Meiwu, and it was also true for Ping An.

"As for the reputation you mentioned, how many emperors throughout the ages have cared about such an ethereal thing? As long as the imperial power is secure, black can be turned into white. For example, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang took his daughter-in-law for granted because of her beauty, and it was still turned into a love story. What's wrong with Cui Shenzhi claiming that killing his wife was avenging his family?"

"Not to mention that your current situation is not as good as Fu Yunjin's back then."

“No matter how unwilling I am to support Fu Yunjin, she is still a daughter of the Fu family. Cui Sugong has to be careful and discreet to get rid of her. What about you? What do you have behind you? You have nothing. The only thing you have is Cui Shenzhi’s shaky affection.”

"Moreover, Cui Shenzhi is not Cui Sugong. His reputation is excellent both in and out of the court. If he doesn't want to tarnish his reputation because of you, he can just make up a plausible reason. No one among those ignorant people will suspect anything."

"Aren't you afraid of this situation?"

Ping An smirked, her eyes flashing with a hint of ruthlessness: "Perhaps I need a former minister as a shield to protect myself, but Fu Xiuzhu, why should I choose you? Now I am a princess, high above all others, and I am the one who has the right to make the choice, not you!"

Fu Xiuzhu scoffed, looked Ping An up and down, then turned away, completely disregarding her: "Do you... even have the right to choose?"

“Even the most ambitious ministers in the court would not choose a princess who appeared out of nowhere like you. Otherwise, you would be sitting on the throne now, not Cui Shenzhi.”

“The royal family members have royal blood, but they not only lack the ability to compete with Choi Shin-ji, they also lack the ability to elect a leader to cause trouble for Choi Shin-ji.”

"Those so-called white-robed ministers among the common people, let alone the fact that they have no influence on the court, even if they could, would they abandon Cui Shenzhi, who promised them a thousand pieces of gold, and choose you, who has the blood of Cui Sugong?"

"Therefore, your only choice is me, who is related to you by blood and is willing to cooperate with you."

"If you cooperate with me, we can each get what we want. I will let you live a life of luxury and honor, and you will have to let me hold great power. If you don't cooperate, I can simply stay where I am, but you will only have one way out: death."

Ping An didn't answer, but just stared fiercely at Fu Xiuzhu.

Fu Xiuzhu ignored Ping An's gaze and said smugly, "Take your time to think it over. Once you've made up your mind, send a message to the Fu family. I believe I won't have to wait too long."

After saying that, he turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

Watching Fu Xiuzhu's departing figure, Ping An angrily grabbed the teacup beside her and smashed it on the ground.

She had originally wanted to see Fu Xiuzhu beg her groveling, but in the end she lost her composure and became a laughingstock. That old bastard Fu Xiuzhu was really infuriating!

Ping An calmed down for a while, but her heart was still pounding. She found Qing Ya, took her hand, and said anxiously, "Mother, how much do you know about Fu Xiuzhu? Can we trust what he says? Based on your understanding of him, is there any guarantee that I can cooperate with him?"

Qingya didn't answer her, but instead roared with grief and indignation, "Ping An! Your Majesty risked her life for you, your own mother! How could you..."

"So what if she's my biological mother? She's dead! She can't hear anything anymore!" Ping An interrupted Qing Ya, saying impatiently, "Besides, with Fu Xiuzhu's personality, I don't believe Fu Yun Jin didn't hear him say even worse things when he was alive. Why should I say more? Mother, what's important now is me! Just tell me how much you know about Fu Xiuzhu!"

Qingya's response was to shake off Ping An's hand and walk away angrily.

Ping An was so angry that she grabbed two ornaments and threw them away, but there was nothing she could do. After all, things were different now. Even if she said she wanted to die, Qing Ya wouldn't believe her.

When it rains, it pours.

Perhaps because of the stimulation, Ping An's menstrual flow came at an inopportune time.

Looking at the blood-stained underwear, her expression shifted between anger and uncertainty.

She was already upset by Fu Xiuzhu's words, and now that her period was here, she felt even more worried.

Since her marriage to Choi Shin-ji, although they haven't reached the point of nightly debauchery, they've been intimate quite often, indicating that Choi Shin-ji's desires are not low. Now that she's physically unable to [do something], Choi Shin-ji…

Ping An pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, then changed her clothes and began searching around the palace. It wasn't until dinner time that she led two beautiful and graceful palace maids back to the Qianqing Palace.