Chapter 576: Young Noble Lady
Translator: Pika
Zu An frowned. Even though this woman was definitely pretty, she seemed a bit too cold.
This type of coldness was different from Chu Chuyan’s. Chu Chuyan’s natural disposition was gentle and refined. Together with the Snowflake Sword she cultivated, she gave off the feeling of an ice beauty.
But the woman before him had a type of high and mighty indifference. She was clearly not that old, yet she gave off a type of dignity that didn’t match her age.
No wonder that lively fatty suddenly became like a mouse that saw a cat.
Zu An wasn’t stupid. He immediately knew that this was the crown princess.
The beautiful woman gave the two of them a look. Zhao Ruizhi stood up from his seat as if his bottom just got burned. He stood there rigidly and obediently…
She saw that Zu An was still sitting leisurely in place, casually eating fruits. She frowned.
The maid next to her saw this change in expression and immediately berated, “Outrageous! Who do you think you are? You dare sit in the crown prince’s spot?”
Zu An thought to himself that this crown princess really was incredibly arrogant. It was almost as if he was of too low status to even speak to, so she had her maid scold him in her place.
He gave that maid a sidelong look. “Your crown prince let me sit here. Do I need to ask you for permission first? Are you even anyone important?”
“You!” That maid immediately began to shake all over.
You have successfully trolled Rong Mo for +999 Rage points!
As the crown princess’ personal maid, others would try to curry favor with her wherever she went. When had she ever encountered anyone who immediately criticized her? She was so baffled she didn’t know how to respond, which made her even more angry.
Zu An sneered. Rong Mo? Why isn’t your name Granny Rong?[1]
He could tell right from the start that this wasn’t someone he could reason with.
The crown princess gave him a surprised look. She didn’t expect this person to be so daring.
You have successfully trolled Bi Linglong for +258 Rage points!
Zu An gave her a look too. This woman’s name sounded pretty nice, but the person herself was a bit too fierce.[2]
The crown princess felt increasingly unhappy when she saw his fixed gaze. She harrumphed.
She was the crown princess! Normally, all men would bow their heads in her presence. At the very least, they didn’t dare look at her.
Even the important ministers of the court would do their best to avoid looking at her too much, yet this fella stared at her in such an unrestrained manner!
You have successfully trolled Bi Linglong for +489 Rage points!
Zhao Ruizhi timidly said, “Little Mo, I was the one who told him to sit there.”
That maid was about to say something else when the crown princess stopped her. This foolish girl criticized Zu An with the crown prince’s name, yet the other party shot right back using the same name. It was completely pointless to try and argue further on this matter.
She turned her head to ask the naked eunuchs to the side, “What are you all doing here?”
Little Xu and Little He trembled as they replied, “Replying to the crown princess. We were pretending to be frogs.”
Bi Linglong: “……”
She knew what kind of person her husband was as well. These shenanigans weren’t surprising at all. As such, she changed her approach and asked, “What happened here just now? Also, who is this?”
Zu An’s eyes narrowed. This crown princess was much smarter than that maid. From the looks of it, she was looking for another reason to punish him.
Little Xu and Little He hurriedly recounted what just happened. They didn’t dare to offend the crown princess, but they were also scared of offending the crown prince, which was why the information was unbiased. They objectively explained what just happened.
But who would’ve thought that Bi Linglong would be furious upon hearing this. “Chat with frogs? Utterly preposterous! Have this sorcerer who has deceived the crown prince receive twenty strikes to the mouth as a warning to others! All those who dare to deceive the crown prince through such treacherous methods in the future are to be punished severely.”
“Understood!” The eunuchs who followed behind her walked towards Zu An with a sinister smile.
Zhao Ruizhi opened his mouth several times, but when he saw the crown princess’ ferocious expression, he guiltily swallowed down his pleas for leniency.
Zu An cursed him for being a good for nothing henpecked man. There was obviously no way he would let these eunuchs have their way. He immediately berated them. “Wait a moment!”
Bi Linglong gave him a cold look. She didn’t have any intention of talking to him.
Zu An’s face darkened. Wasn’t the normal trend to give him a chance to explain himself?
Under helplessness, he could only say, “I am a friend the crown prince invited. If you do not believe me, you can ask him for proof.” He nudged the fatty next to him while saying this.
Zhao Ruizhi seemed to have woken up from his dream. He thus said, “Linglong, he is my friend, and he didn’t lie to me. I wanted to make him my teacher so that I can learn how to talk to frogs. It’s much more interesting than the things the tutors teach me.”
“He even told you to call him your teacher?” Bi Linglong’s expression became even colder. “Absolutely shameful! There is no need for the mouth strikes, just drag him down and have him beaten a hundred times by the rod!”
You have successfully trolled Bi Linglong for +581 Rage!
Those eunuchs immediately quickened their steps and rushed at him.
Zu An gave them a cold look. Those eunuchs’ bodies immediately became ice-cold, as if they were facing something terrifying. They didn’t dare take even half a step forward.
Even the crown princess and maid’s hearts subconsciously jumped.
Why were this fella’s eyes so terrifying?
But how could they know that Zu An already experienced countless battles that placed him on the edge of life and death? He even spent several decades as the ruler of the Shang Dynasty! Together with the fact that he always carried the Tai’e Sword with him, a sword known for its dao of power, his aura already changed considerably. Normal people would feel pressure and fear when they faced him. It was just that normally, he intentionally concealed this type of aura.
There was no way he would remain polite when this crown princess treated him with such disrespect.
How could an ordinary person survive a hundred strikes by the rod? Even a cultivator would have a layer of skin shaved off, because the one hitting them would also be cultivators.
Zu An thus said coldly, “The crown prince is already so old, could it be that he doesn’t even have the right to choose who he becomes friends with, who he chooses to learn from? As a wife, aren’t you too controlling? I wonder if you think you are the crown heir and that he is just your live-in son-in-law.”
Bi Linglong’s face twitched. How could she dare admit to something like that? It would become really troublesome if this type of rumor got out. She quickly bowed to Zhao Ruizhi and said, “Crown prince, I was just worried that you might be simple by nature, so you ended up being deceived by someone else. There were no other intentions behind my actions.”
Zhao Ruizhi didn’t pick up on any of the conflict between the two of them. He said with a chuckle, “It’s fine, it’s fine.”
He subconsciously walked over to help her up when he saw her bow towards him.
But Bi Linglong instead got back up before he could do anything. Even though it looked like the crown prince supported her, Zu An was close enough to see that the two of them didn’t make any contact.
A pondering expression appeared on his face. This husband and wife relationship was interesting.
He coughed lightly and said, “Then according to the crown princess’ words, could it be that you think the crown prince is stupid, that he doesn’t even have the ability to distinguish between right and wrong?”
The others’ expressions all changed when they heard what he said. The matters of the crown prince being stupid was an absolute taboo. It was something everyone was hush hush about. No one dared to mention it publicly. Yet this fella was quite something! Not only did he say this in public, he even said it in front of the crown prince himself!
Bi Linglong was just about to say something, yet who would’ve thought that Zhao Ruizhi would say in agreement, “Linglong, what Zu An says is right! I’m not stupid.”
Bi Linglong: “……”
This idiot of a husband was messing everything up! What else could she even do about this?
But she wasn’t willing to let Zu An go just like that either. Both sides were stuck in a deadlocked situation just like that.
Wait, Zu An, this name… Why does it sound familiar?
At this time, a gentle and soft voice sounded from the side. “May I ask who Little Sister Linglong is upset at?”
Bi Linglong’s expression changed when she heard this voice. She recovered her usual smiling appearance and turned around. “Concubine Bai, what made you decide to go for a stroll around here today?”
Zu An followed the sound of the voice. He saw a slender and elegant young noble lady. She was beautiful like a spring mountain, her eyes clear like autumn waters. She was gorgeous, yet she gave off a type of dignified and unapproachable aura.
1. Momo here means granny, or old lady
2. Bi = Jade, Linglong = Exquisite