Zu An noticed that the maids had tactfully withdrawn into the distance. Of course, there was no way they could leave completely. Apart from the emperor, no other man was allowed to interact with these concubines one on one. He lowered his voice and said with a smile, âI would love to come here every day, but I fear his majesty wouldnât be too happy about that.â
A blush immediately appeared on Concubine Baiâs cheeks. She harrumphed. âYouâre getting bolder and bolder; you even dare to tease me!â She was clearly annoyed, but because she was soft-spoken, it was still nice to listen to.
âDoes your highness have some amnesia? We even swung on the swing together last time.â Zu An wasnât really saying such things out of perversion, but rather because he wanted to try and see what kind of a relationship she really had with the emperor. She was working for both the emperor and the Devil Sect, so he had no idea which side she leaned more toward. It was something that would affect many decisions in the future.
Concubine Bai harrumphed and immediately changed the topic. âSpeak, why did you come here today?â
Zu An knew that he should stop before he went too far. He didnât continue testing her, as he had already confirmed some things. âI want to borrow your highnessâ spice bag again.â
Even though he had Mirror Mirage to conceal his aura, he wouldnât be able to escape the detection of a true expert up close. He had to go as his real self in his trip to Cloudcenter Commandery, but also had to dress up as Golden Token Eleven from time to time. It was easy for there to be gaps for the enemy to detect while he changed between identities.
The previous time, the spice bag had allowed him to fool even big shots in the capital. It would therefore obviously be enough to deal with anyone from Cloudcenter Commandery.
Concubine Bai chuckled and said, âIt sounds like youâre planning to trick someone again. Fine, hand over his majestyâs decree then.â
âI donât have a decree. This time, this is just a private request,â Zu An said boldly and confidently.
Concubine Bai frowned. âMister Zu, where do you get your confidence from?â
Zu An said with a chuckle, âAs a friend, your highness should be able to help me out here, right?â
Concubine Bai replied coldly, âYou treat an imperial concubine as your friend? If his majesty heard these words, your head would already be tumbling on the ground.â
Zu An feigned shock. âIâm representing the Eastern Palace for this trip, so Iâm sharing some of the crown princeâs burdens. As the crown princeâs concubine, isnât it reasonable for your highness to provide me with some help?â
Concubine Baiâs charming face suddenly broke into a smile. âYour slick tongue never disappoints. Fine, I can give you the spice bag, but you owe me a favor. Youâll have to return this favor in the future.â
Zu An said, âIâll work like an ox to repay your highnessâ kindness.â He added inwardly, As long as you feed me enough grass.
Concubine Bai laughed in irritation. âIâm not a farmer; why would I need an ox?â She took out the spice bag from her sleeves and handed it over, however. Because she had to reach out her arm, a part of her beautiful wrist was exposed.
Zu An was about to reach out his hand to take it, but perhaps because she had already learned her lesson, Concubine Bai sent it into his hands with a flick of her finger. There was no chance for any physical contact.
âAlright, youâve already got what you wanted, so you can leave now,â Concubine Bai said and sat back down on the swing.
When he sensed the bit of body heat left on the spice bag and looked at Concubine Baiâs wonderful figure, he thought to himself, This woman is clearly already a mother, so why does she still seem as naive as a young lady?
Why do I think of the Golden Lotus whenever I see her on that swing⦠His face heated up, and he repeatedly repented inwardly. He thanked the other party and withdrew respectfully.
Concubine Bai was surprised. She had thought that Zu An would take the chance to take advantage of her, and yet he had left so obediently today? And why is he walking so weirdly?
She was from the Devil Sect after all, and she had also been a concubine in the palace for a long time. When she thought about how he had deliberately hunched his back a bit, she suddenly realized something and harrumphed. Her cheeks turned completely red. That guy really is ridiculous!
â¦
When Zu An left the Hundred Flower Palace, he finally adjusted himself again. He mumbled to himself, âMy little brother⦠Big bro over here was almost completely humiliated because of you. Youâre an experienced fella too, so why would you disappoint me like that?â
Just then, someone chuckled nearby and remarked, âSir Zu has a sworn brother? Why have I not heard about that before?â
Zu An turned around and saw several palace maids escorting a woman dressed in a gold-embroidered scarlet phoenix gown and a magnificent phoenix crown. The beautiful middle-aged madam walked over with a deathly pale-faced eunuch at her side. Who else could they be but the empress and Eunuch Lu?
âI greet your highness the empress!â Zu An immediately bowed. He had to admit that the empress was a tremendous beauty. She was clearly not young anymore, and yet she was still just as stunning. Even though she lacked the youthfulness of a young lady like Sang Qien, her mature beauty possessed a kind of unique charm. Together with her noble status, such a distinct style wasnât something any young lady could compare with.
Of course, the ugly Eunuch Lu also made her look much better. Otherwise, she wouldnât seem as gorgeous.
âI do not believe Sir Zu has responded to my words.â There were no flaws that could be picked out from the empressâ courtesy at all. Just then, in front of the other eunuchs and maids, she was simply the mother of the world, the master of the harem.
The maids all looked at her enviously. They thought to themselves, Her highness really is graceful and beautiful. When will we ever be able to become like her?
Also, werenât there rumors that Sir Zu was arrogant and despotic? He looks respectful and proper in front of her highness, though.
But how could the maids and servants know that this respectful subject had already privately done all sorts of disrespectful things to their master?
âResponding to your highness, this subject doesnât have any sworn brothers. I heard some folklore lines from the streets and was merely repeating them,â Zu An replied.
âOh? This empress hasnât left the palace in a long time. If Sir Zu doesnât mind, why donât you tell me some of those stories?â The empress walked toward a nearby gazebo and gestured for Zu An to follow her. She was the master of the imperial harem, and she was Zu Anâs senior in age too. That was why she wasnât as awkward as the other concubines and didnât need to avoid contact with outside subjects.
Zu An felt gloomy. That was just an excuse he had made up; how could he have expected that she would keep pursuing the matter? But with so many maids and eunuchs watching, he couldnât really go against her. Helpless to do anything else, he could only follow.
He began reciting, âA long time ago, there was an attractive young man whose arms were longer than his knees, a red faced man whose beard was longer than his chest, and a dark-skinned man with a full beard. They were in a peach garden, and all of them were close friendsâ¦â Fortunately, he was a transmigrator, so he knew many things and had plenty of stories. He quickly told the story of the Oath of the Peach Garden.
The empress had only planned to take the chance to have a longer chat with him and wasnât all that interested in any stories, but she was more and more engrossed the more she heard. The maids and eunuchs were also completely absorbed into this story.
At the climax, Eunuch Lu couldnât help but clap in praise, exclaiming, âThis Guan Yu is righteous and magnificent!â He immediately snapped out of his daze afterward, though, and quickly apologized. âYour highness, I have spoken out of place. This servant was too invested just now.â
Zu An had a strange look on his face. The eunuchs of his previous world either worshiped Yue Fei or Guan Yu. He hadnât expected the eunuchs of this world to be so drawn to them as well.
âItâs fine.â The empress naturally wouldnât blame Eunuch Lu and instead looked at Zu An with a smile. âThis empress is quite curious as to just how incredible that horse Diaochan was for all of the outstanding heroes to want to ride it.â
âThose guys indeed all wanted to ride herâ¦â Zu An quickly tried to deal with this new situation.[1]
âAnd?â the empress quickly asked.
âUm⦠Thatâs all I have.â Zu Anâs mouth felt dry. How could he possibly tell them the entire story of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms on the spot?
âThen Sir Zu must tell this empress the rest of the story when you hear it. Iâll be waiting impatiently.â The empress gave him a charming glance as she spoke.
Zu An knew that she was inviting him over. However, he replied, âResponding to your highness, this subject is about to depart for Cloudcenter Commandery. The rest will have to wait until I return.â Iâm not going! Big sis, Iâm not going!
Even though the empress was quite beautiful, the risks were too high. If one kept walking alongside the river, oneâs shoes were bound to get wet. How could he let the entire forest be destroyed because of a single tree? Furthermore, he couldnât help but feel that the empress was using him. Being used really didnât feel that great, so he decisively refused.
The empressâ smile instantly faded when she heard his refusal. She remarked, âSir Zu seems to have just visited Concubine Bai?â
1. Diaochan is one of the four legendary beauties. â