Chapter 767: To Scheme Against
Translator: Pika
Concubine Bai’s relaxed expression finally changed. “I don’t know what you’re trying to say. King Wu’s territory is far away in North Order Commandery. Vassal state kings aren’t allowed to enter the capital without a summons. How could I possibly be his ally?”
“But I know that he’s always been in the capital these past few days.” Zu An chuckled. “I was surrounded and ambushed by the Shi clan in Xin Rui’s home this morning, and then I just happened to run into Madam Wu there.”
“The Shi clan’s people tried to kill you?” Concubine Bai frowned. Then, she harrumphed. “A group of idiots.”
Seeing that she was no longer putting on a front, Zu An chuckled. “That can’t really be blamed on the Shi clan. After all, Hua Bao suddenly ran out and was captured by the Embroidered Envoy. Then, for the sake of saving him, their casino boss ended up being exposed. After silencing that casino boss, they had to use their southern border Spirit Master Jia Sili. The Embroidered Envoy would’ve found out that they were involved sooner or later, so they could only go all out and try to pin all of the blame on me…”
Concubine Bai was quite shocked. “Judging from your description, the Shi clan should have definitely succeeded with their attack. With the forces they could transfer, they should have had more than enough resources to kill you. How did you manage to survive?”
“What can I say? I’m just too charming, and I’ve always been quite lucky. I always manage to escape somehow,” Zu An said nonchalantly.
Concubine Bai gave him a deep look. “Sir Zu’s confidence isn’t something ordinary men can have, as expected.”
Zu An harrumphed. “What’s the use in praising me now?”
Concubine Bai laughed. “I’m not just praising you; I’m starting to have a bit of sincere admiration for you. You’ve managed to do things that are completely impossible for many others.”
Then, she changed the topic. “However, admiration is one thing. You’ve slandered me, but I won’t admit to it. You should understand that I’m the crown prince’s concubine. I can only receive the greatest benefits if the crown prince rises to the throne. Why would I cooperate with King Wu and the others?”
Zu An replied, “The reason why King Wu has gotten involved in this matter is clearly out of longing for the throne, so that’s easy to understand. The crown prince isn’t so smart, while King Wu is confident in his own intelligence. How could he not have thoughts of taking his place? But eliminating the crown prince alone is useless; he needs to get rid of the strongest competitor for the throne, King Qi, first. That’s why he joined in on this plan. He wanted to kill two birds with one stone, weakening King Qi and the crown prince’s influence. At worst, they would destroy each other, and he would then obtain a chance.
“Meanwhile, since you’re inside the palace, you’re being watched constantly. It’s impossible for you to make anything happen alone. You must have other people to help you do the things you want to do; for example, killing Ou Wu and pretending that his family escaped. Also, there’s Hua Bao. To be honest, I don’t believe that a compulsive gambler like Hua Bao could escape and head to a casino from under the Shi clan’s strict watch by himself. You were probably the one who arranged for that.”
Concubine Bai continued to rock back and forth. A pretty smile surfaced on her face as she said, “Quite the interesting deduction. However, I still have the same words for you. These are your speculations; you don’t have proof. As for Ou Wu, even though I don’t know what’s going on with him, judging from how things currently look, the chances of you finding him aren’t high.”
“Judging from your tone, I reckon that Ou Wu’s corpse has already been destroyed.” Zu An chuckled. “But whether or not I find Ou Wu isn’t that big of a deal. I still have other proof.”
“Are you talking about Xin Rui?” Concubine Bai’s legs dangled as she sat on the swing, displaying her current good mood. “Since she already escaped so long ago, I believe Sir Zu must have been unable to find her.”
“Your highness, please don’t feel happy too soon.” Zu An’s eyes shifted to her fluttering dress as he said, “Your highness, don’t forget that there’s one more person. I believe King Wu and the others haven’t had the time to leave the capital yet. As long as I arrest them and interrogate them a bit, the truth should quickly come to light.”
Concubine Bai’s smile froze on her face. She said in a slightly rigid tone, “Hmph, even if King Wu is here, he’s still a glorious king. How can someone like him be captured just because you say so, or be interrogated at your command?”
“It seems Concubine Bai has quite a bit of confidence in King Wu,” Zu An said. “I don’t recommend overestimating the willpower of these nobles who were raised with a golden spoon. They haven’t experienced many setbacks. As long as his majesty gives the order, the Embroidered Envoy can easily make him speak. After all, it’s a huge offense for a vassal state king to even enter the capital. So, what do you think? Will he speak to ease his crimes out of self-preservation then?”
Sure enough, Concubine Bai’s expression changed. She became quiet, and even the swing stopped moving. Some time later, she finally spoke again. “Why did you come here to tell me these things? Was it to mock me, or have you arranged for some other people to lie in wait in case I admit to anything? Are you going to capture me, then?” She looked around while speaking, to see if there was anyone nearby.
Zu An said grimly, “There’s only one thing I want to ask you. King Wu definitely wants me dead, so why did you let me go back then? After all, you could have chosen to only let the crown princess go and have me captured by the palace staff. That would similarly achieve your objective.”
“At least you remember that I let you go that day.” Concubine Bai harrumphed. She got off the swing and walked over to Zu An’s side. “And yet in return, what I get is you pressuring me again and again.”
Zu An couldn’t help but chuckle when he heard her pitiful tone. “Using this type of pleading tone, could it be that you plan to seduce me?”
“If I really did try to seduce you, would you like it?” Concubine Bai removed the small white flower in her hair. Her mature hair bun immediately broke apart, and her long hair scattered down like a waterfall. She no longer seemed like the mother of a child, but rather like a stunning young lady.
Zu An’s heart rate quickened when he smelled her unique hundred flower fragrance. This woman really smells too good! Just how amazing would it be to have a woman like this in his arms? Just what kind of heroic deeds had the crown prince done in his past life to make this woman give birth to his child?
In that instant, the seemingly delicate and weak Concubine Bai suddenly attacked. She struck toward the main acupoint on Zu An’s chest, her glittering fingernails releasing a vicious glint.
Zu An smiled and said, “I was waiting for you to do this.”
He was absolutely not a man who would lose his head over lust and fail to do things properly in front of a girl. How could he drop his guard in their current situation? He raised his hand and pressed it against Concubine Bai’s wrist, blocking her threatening attack. Concubine Bai wasn’t fazed, and her other hand quickly shot over.
Zu An was startled. Concubine Bai’s arm looked so slender, but it actually had such great offensive power? This woman is actually at the eighth rank? But how is that possible?!
After all, Chu Chuyan and Pei Mianman were publicly acknowledged geniuses, yet before they had met Zu An, they had only been at the sixth rank. The fact that Chuyan had reached the seventh rank was because of Zu An’s help. Despite that, even though Concubine Bai wasn’t that much older than them, she was actually already at the eighth rank?
However, he quickly realized that this was the world of cultivation, and he couldn’t judge a person by appearances. It was just like the empress who, despite being much older than Zu An, looked just like a young woman. Every inch of her body felt no different from that of a young lady. This was something Zu An had personally experienced.
This was a similar situation. Even though Concubine Bai looked young, she could be much older than Chuyan and the others.
Tsk tsk tsk, I wonder if anyone in the imperial palace knows her real age. The crown princess and crown prince clearly don’t know. What about the emperor? Does he know? Zu An’s thoughts moved quickly, but his hands didn’t slow down. The two of them quickly exchanged twenty to thirty moves.
Concubine Bai was also shocked. She had already given Zu An enough credit, yet it seemed she had still underestimated him in the end. If she had known it was going to be like this, she should’ve just…
She bit her red lips lightly. Her attacks became more and more fierce. However, since neither of them wanted to alert the emperor, they both held back a bit and reined in their power at close range.
Zu An noticed that there seemed to be a rain of flower petals around him. When he tried to look past them, he couldn’t see the situation outside at all. This was probably Concubine Bai’s way of blocking the line of sight of the maids and wet nurses, preventing them from seeing anything.
He chuckled when he sensed her reservations. “Are we going to fight while pressed up against each other? That’s actually my specialty, you know?” As he spoke, he used Pei Mianman’s Feathersilk Entangling Art to lock down Concubine Bai’s arms.
Zu An pulled Concubine Bai over to him with great force. He examined her beauty as she continued to struggle up close. Her skin was fine like snow; he couldn’t find a single blemish. “Your highness must be at your wit’s end now, right?” he asked. He wanted to have a proper chat with her.
Suddenly, Concubine Bai revealed a charming smile and asked, “Is that so?” In that instant, pink mist sprayed out of her mouth and hit Zu An’s face. At such close range, even if Zu An immediately held his breath, he still couldn’t help but breathe some of it in.