Zuan was speechless. He found that the women around him had incredibly vivid imaginations, and the key was that their unintentional guesses often hit the nail on the head when it came to the truth.

"Your Majesty is too kind. She is the Crown Princess; how could that be?"

Liu Ning scoffed, "I'm still the Empress, and I've never seen you hesitate to do anything during those times."

Perhaps she was thinking of past romances, for a faint blush crept onto her fair face.

"Actually, nothing is impossible. Come over here, and I'll help you win that girl over."

"Huh?" Zu'an was truly stunned, never expecting her to say that.

"Surprised?" Liu Ning laughed. "At that time, the palace and the outside world will be under our control. We can find a reason to call her over and make her serve the emperor again. Can she resist? Anyway, the crown prince is a silly boy. He doesn't know what happened and he can't possibly make decisions for her."

"Of course, it would be even more convenient if another prince ascended the throne in the future. As a deposed crown princess, no one would care whether she lived or died. She might even beg for your favor then, so that would be considered as someone protecting her."

Perhaps thinking of that amusing scene, the Queen giggled.

Zu An wondered why these two women hated each other so much.

"Why does Your Majesty dislike the Crown Princess so much?"

Liu Ning rolled her eyes: "How many mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law in the world have a good relationship? Although I'm not her mother-in-law, my sister is."

“Bi Linglong appears delicate and fragile, but she is extremely strong-willed. In recent years, relying on the emperor's support, she was arrogant and domineering. I, as the empress, suffered a lot at her hands. In the palace, everyone only knows her as the crown princess, but they have completely forgotten that I, the empress, also exist.”

"Back then, I was disheartened and had no desire to compete with her because my injuries hadn't healed. Now, the tables have turned, and I have to find a way to get back at her for the humiliation I suffered back then."

"What I've mentioned above are personal grudges. As for official matters, although the Liu family and the Bi family are nominally in the same camp over the years, there have been many conflicts and grudges between them. If the Bi family comes to power, our Liu family will surely be wiped out."

"Furthermore, Bi Linglong has the backing of the Bi family and is the rightful empress in the future. The crown prince is stupid and incompetent, so she will definitely be the one to make the final decisions. If we don't have a check and balance, the imperial power may fall into the hands of the Bi family."

Zuan frowned slightly: "Isn't that a bit of an overstatement? The Bi family shouldn't have that kind of guts."

“The Bi family doesn’t have that much courage now because they’re not strong enough. Once she holds all the power and the Bi family members are all over the court, let’s see if they dare to do it then.” Liu Ning sneered. “Bi Qi is an old fox, and Bi Linglong’s brother, Bi Zi’ang, is even more ambitious. Our Liu family will naturally protect the Great Zhou Dynasty.”

Zu An looked strange. After all that, the Liu family had turned out to be the loyalists?

However, he also knew that the Liu family did not have any outstanding descendants; they were probably just greedy for power and wealth, and had no intention of usurping the throne.

The next generation of the Bi family is much more outstanding, and correspondingly, their ambitions are much greater...

Ugh, when you hear the same thing from different people, you get completely different opinions. It's really frustrating.

"So you're planning to change the crown prince?" Zu An asked.

“It’s not that I want to change him, it’s the consensus of our group,” Liu Ning replied. “The Crown Prince was already stupid and hard to win over. Before, the Emperor strongly supported him and no one dared to say anything. Now that the Emperor has passed away, who would be willing to serve a fool as Emperor? Otherwise, the country will surely be in great chaos in the future.”

Zuan thought for a moment and reminded him, "I've met the other princes once before. They are all shrewd and capable individuals. If they were to take the throne, you probably wouldn't be able to control them so easily."

Liu Ning snorted: "The silly crown prince is easy to control, but it's Bi Linglong who controls him. What good is that to me? I might as well find someone else. At least she'll be indebted to me."

"Which prince does Your Majesty favor?" Zu An actually understood her motives, which was the dilemma. Neither Bi Linglong nor Liu Ning was wrong; everyone was acting in their own self-interest. However, their interests were at odds.

Being caught in the middle is really difficult. The key is that I can't let them know about my relationship with each other, and I have no right to offer advice.

What method can make everyone happy?

“It’s not completely settled yet. Each party has its own considerations, and there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes maneuvering going on.” Liu Ning suddenly realized, “I’ve been talking to you for so long, and you still haven’t agreed to join my side. I’ve already told you so many secrets. What if you turn around and tell Bi Linglong on them?”

Zu An said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I am not the kind of person who would betray you so easily."

Although these things were confidential, with Bi Linglong's quick wit, she had already guessed most of them.

“That’s more like it,” Liu Ning suddenly snuggled into his arms, hooking her arms around his neck. “But you’ve been avoiding that question. I’ve given myself to you, what else do you have to worry about?”

Just as Zu An was about to speak, two fingers pressed against his lips, and Liu Ning said again, "What Bi Linglong can give you is definitely not as much as what I can give you. The little demon queen of the demon race can appoint you as regent, so why can't I, the human queen, appoint you as regent as well? Now that Zhao Hao is dead, I'm the one who calls the shots in the palace. Wouldn't it be nice if we lived together in the palace like immortals?"

Holding her, he felt as if she were a ball of cotton. Zu An thought to himself, no wonder she was able to enjoy the harem's favor back then. From the former empress's sister-in-law to the new empress, she truly exuded the ultimate femininity from head to toe.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!