Zu An was taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh, "Your Majesty summoned me here in the middle of the night just to ask about this?"

When Liu Ning asked the question, she had been carefully observing his expression. After looking for a long time without finding any flaws, she revealed a faint smile: "Actually, this is not just my doubt. After what happened with the Meng family today, most of the major families in the capital are also thinking about similar issues. Your Crown Princess must also be having doubts."

No one would have thought this way before, since Zhao Hao's invincibility is universally acknowledged, while Zu An's cultivation level is worlds apart from Zhao Hao's in everyone's impression.

But after the incident involving the Meng family, everyone suddenly realized that Zu'an's strength was so exaggerated. Not to mention surpassing Zhao Hao, he definitely had the strength to be his opponent.

As luck would have it, no one else witnessed Zhao Hao's death this time. The only eyewitness was Zu An, so what could he say?

Considering that both the King of Qi and the Chief Minister seemed to have died in this upheaval, everyone...

"It's just that they're not as close to you as I am, so even if they have some suspicions, they don't dare to ask you directly."

Zuan looked strange. Bi Linglong and I are quite close, but we were busy with role-playing just now and didn't have time to ask about this.

"Your Majesty is joking. His Majesty's cultivation is unparalleled, surpassing several generations of masters. How could he possibly be defeated and killed by someone else?"

Liu Ning's smile deepened: "Good answer. From now on, answer like this no matter who asks you. I will also send people to spread this information, so that even if some people still have doubts, it won't matter."

Zuan: "..."

It turns out this woman doesn't believe me at all.

A splash of water was heard, and a section of lotus-root arm rose from the water and waved to him: "What are you standing there for, Regent? Why don't you come down and take a bath?"

Zu An raised an eyebrow: "Her Majesty the Empress is still in the pool, so it might not be convenient for me to come down."

Liu Ning rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. Did this guy now know the ways of a subject?

When did she start treating him like an empress when she was in a position of power?

"It's alright, this bath is big enough. The Regent and I can each sit on one side and not disturb each other." Liu Ning smiled. "The Regent has been in such a majestic position all day, but he's bound to have some blood on him. It's best if he takes a bath."

"I'm just afraid of dirtying Your Majesty's pool." Although Zu'an said this, he still gradually took off his clothes. He had a bit of a headache just now. After coming from Bi Linglong's place, he was covered in her fragrance. The Empress might guess something. Now it was perfect. After being washed by the hot spring water, all the smell was gone.

"Your Majesty is joking. Whether in the past or in the future, Your Majesty may freely enter and leave all my palaces. How could there be any talk of dirtiness?" As the Empress spoke, she parted the ripples of the water and swam over like a mermaid.

Zu'an had already stepped into the pool and, seeing this, couldn't help but laugh, "Didn't Your Majesty just say that if we each stay in different places, we can avoid the situation of not being able to touch each other?"

Liu Ning swam up behind him and gently massaged his shoulders and neck with her slender fingers: "The Regent is an important minister of the country, and his health is very important. The court has a responsibility to help you relieve your fatigue. Now that we are going to discuss important national affairs, we cannot have a maidservant by our side. I can only do it myself. I hope the Regent will not find me clumsy, after all, I have not served anyone much."

Zu An laughed and said, "To be personally served by the Empress is something that countless people in this world wouldn't even dare to dream of. Just this special feeling alone surpasses any maid who is good at massage."

Liu Ning's face flushed slightly as her fingertips danced across his skin, feeling the vibrant life and masculinity beneath his muscles. Her heart raced a little faster: "Are you upset that I didn't help you much before, causing you to be bullied by the Meng family and the Prince of Dai?"

"Of course not. If we were in each other's shoes, I could probably only do as much as you. As the Empress, you need to balance the demands of various factions." Zu An chuckled. Like Bi Linglong, she had initially apologized for the matter.

“Ah Zu, you are truly understanding,” Liu Ning said with some emotion. “It’s just that you’ve kept it hidden for far too long. If I had known from the beginning that you were this strong, I wouldn’t have needed to feign friendship with the various worlds.”

"Actually, if the Meng family and the Prince of Dai hadn't been pressuring me so much, I wouldn't have wanted to take action either." Zu An was also a bit troubled. Another reason he hadn't taken action before was that he didn't want to take sides, lest he have to support either the Empress or the Crown Princess, but these two women were absolutely opposed to each other.

Although he and Bi Linglong had a deeper bond in terms of both experience and affection, the Empress treated him very well, and he felt somewhat reluctant to let him help Bi Linglong beat Liu Ning.

But after what happened today, if the two women really made that request, he really didn't know how to handle it.

“Ah Zu, your caution is correct. From today onwards, you will likely become the research subject of various families. Countless people will rack their brains to crack your skills and devise killing schemes against you. Your life will probably not be so easy from now on,” Liu Ning said with some worry.

Zuan grasped her hand: "Only the mediocre are without praise or blame in this world. Let them study it. What do I have to be afraid of?"

“That’s true, Zhao Hao also dominated the world back then,” Liu Ning said with a smile.

Zuan pulled her onto his back: "Your Majesty specially invited me here, and chose such a beautiful place. Did you just want to talk to me about these unromantic things?"

Steamed by the water vapor, Liu Ning's face became even more rosy: "Then this concubine will help Your Highness rub your back."

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