Zu An thought to himself, "What do you mean by this? You were all smiles just now, and you turned on me like that?"
However, he reacted quickly: "In a sense, I am also representing the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace on this mission to Yunzhong County. Since I will be away for a long time, I paid my respects to the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, and the Crown Prince's concubine before I left, to listen to their teachings and see if they have any instructions."
The Queen's breath hitched. She had originally intended to use this opportunity to give him a warning, but she never expected him to react so quickly.
Taking the opportunity, Zu'an said, "If Your Majesty has nothing else, I will take my leave now, as I still need to prepare for various matters concerning my journey to Yunzhong County."
"Lord Zu is truly loyal to the country and devoted to His Majesty." The Empress was very displeased that he was using official business as an excuse to brush her off, and she spoke sarcastically.
"Your Majesty flatters me. This is my duty." Zu An's face flushed. He knew better than anyone that he could not be considered loyal to the Emperor in any way.
The Empress was a little annoyed and really wanted to retort, "Is it your duty to work on me?" However, with palace maids present, she ultimately prevailed over reason: "It is fortunate for His Majesty to have a minister like you to share his burdens. You may leave."
Anger points from Liu Ning: +358 +358 +358...
Zuan clicked his tongue inwardly, thinking to himself, "Loneliness—the young woman's anger is no joke."
He naturally didn't say anything at that moment and left in a hurry.
Seeing that Zu'an was avoiding her like the plague, the Empress lost all interest in strolling around and returned to her palace with a livid face.
After dismissing the palace maids and eunuchs, she asked Eunuch Lü, who was standing alone, "Young Lü, am I old and faded, no longer attractive?"
Eunuch Lü hurriedly showered her with praise: "Your Majesty is in the prime of your life and incomparably beautiful. If you are not charming, then there is probably no woman in the world who is charming."
The Queen snorted: "If that's the case, why did that guy avoid me like that? As if I were going to eat him up."
Eunuch Lü said, "Perhaps Lord Zu has some concerns. After all, this is in the palace, and if he reveals any flaws, he will be doomed."
"If I'm not afraid, what is he afraid of?" The Empress was quite annoyed.
Eunuch Lü looked at her with a resentful expression, thinking that the Empress had never been such a proactive person, but this time she had taken the initiative to go to Zu An time and time again. Presumably, that guy really had extraordinary talent, which made her want to try it.
Thinking of this, his heart ached with a strange mix of emotions. In the end, he could only muster his spirits and shower the empress with compliments on her beauty in an attempt to cheer her up.
After listening for a while, the Empress waved her hand impatiently: "Alright, alright, it's been the same old story over and over again all these years. I'm tired of it, even if you're not. Get out of here."
Eunuch Lü was truly on the verge of tears. Zu'an was extremely cold to him, yet he still greeted him with a smile. He was by Zu'an's side, showing concern and taking care of him, but Zu'an treated him like this.
However, he had gotten used to it over the years. Although he felt wronged and angry for a moment, his anger quickly dissipated. He bowed to her and then silently withdrew.
...
The night before the imperial envoy's departure, Zu'an deliberately stayed in the palace and arrived near the Bilinglong Palace through a secret passage at the bottom of the well.
Hearing the crisp knocking sound, Bi Linglong, who was lying on the bed, instantly grabbed the short sword beside her, looked warily at the floor below the bed, hesitated for a long time, and then opened the mechanism to enter the secret room: "Who is it?"
“Me!” Zuan replied from behind the wall.
Hearing Zu An's voice, Bi Linglong secretly breathed a sigh of relief and put down her short sword, but her voice remained icy: "Do you know that breaking into my palace so late at night is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family? Considering the merits you have rendered to the Crown Prince, I will give you one chance. Get out of here!"
Zuan fell silent. This woman really held a grudge; even after all this time, she still hadn't gotten over it.
He had no choice but to say, "I'm leaving tomorrow."
On the other side, Bi Linglong fell silent, and after a long while, she replied, "So what?"
Zu An sighed: "The case of the disappearance of the Duke of Yunzhong is extremely complicated and involves a wide range of forces. There must be some people who don't want me to find out the truth. When the emperor is far away, I may not be able to come back alive. That's why I wanted to see you before I left, so as not to leave any regrets for the rest of my life."
He had barely finished speaking when the door to the secret chamber creaked open, and Bi Linglong stood before him with a frosty expression: "We haven't even set off yet, why are you saying such unlucky things?"
Zuan smiled slightly: "Looks like you still care about me."
"Pah!" Bi Linglong spat. "Who cares if you live or die?"
After saying that, he turned around and was about to close the door to the secret room.
Zuan wasn't some clueless bookworm; at a time like this, he wasn't about to let her close the door. He darted inside.
"What are you doing!" Bi Linglong was startled and took a step back. "If you don't leave, I'll call for help!"
Zu An looked into her eyes and said, "You can call someone to execute me by slow slicing, and I won't complain at all."
Bi Linglong was both embarrassed and anxious by his lazy appearance: "How can you be so shameless!"
Taking the opportunity, Zu'an pulled her into his arms and said softly, "You're only realizing this now?"
"Let me go!" Bi Linglong panicked, flailing her hands and trying to push him away.
Sensing that the other party wasn't using any Yuan Qi, Zu An naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to let her go.
Bi Linglong struggled for a while, her strength waning, and their lips drew closer and closer until they were pressed tightly together.
This time, Zuan was very gentle, and Bi Linglong clearly felt his love, her body becoming softer and softer.
...
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