Chapter 769: No Idea What to Do
Translator: Pika
“Pah!” Concubine Bai scoffed. “I just didn’t want you to do something out of impulse and cause a situation that was impossible to save.”
Zu An arrived at her side, and then looked at the surrounding petals. “You’ve already blocked their line of sight, so doesn’t that mean that no matter what I do to you, you can still save the situation?”
Concubine Bai subconsciously took a step back when she sensed Zu An’s strong, masculine presence. “Don’t… Don’t misunderstand. That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?” Zu An hooked his finger under her chin, gently raising her face up. Her cheeks really were beautiful like cherry blossoms, her skin incredibly smooth. Not even white jade or pearls could compare to her beauty.
“If you… If you continue, I… I’ll remove the flower screen around us…” Concubine Bai raised her hand, as if she were going to lower the screen.
Zu An smiled. He moved close to her ear and asked quietly, “Then why don’t you?”
Her fragrance was even stronger when he got closer. It was sweet, and yet it wasn’t overpowering. Instead, it felt fresh and clean. Was this woman the reincarnation of the flower immortal or something?
“You… How can you be so shameless?” Concubine Bai was starting to choke up. When she sensed the heat coming from Zu An’s breath, she became so nervous a thin layer of goosebumps appeared on her neck.
Zu An had a pensive look on his face when he saw her reaction. “Your highness, you really don’t seem like a mature woman who has already given birth to a child right now.”
“You don’t seem like a proper subject right now either,” Concubine Bai said hatefully.
Zu An looked her in the eyes and asked, “Whose child is the imperial grandson?” The reason he had deliberately ‘provoked’ her was mainly because he wanted to see if he could get any information from her reactions.
“Either way, he’s not yours!” Concubine Bai struggled free. She sorted out her clothes in alarm.
Zu An couldn’t help but chuckle. “I didn’t touch your clothes, so why are you fixing them?”
Concubine Bai’s face turned red. She felt that she really was too nervous right now for some reason. She looked away and ignored him.
Zu An then continued, “Is he really the crown prince’s son? That doesn’t seem like the case to me. Even the crown princess has remained chaste after being married to him for so long. I reckon he probably lacks the ability, or maybe the awareness, to do such a thing.
“Could it be that it really is as the rumors say, that this child is his majesty’s? If it really were his seed, then with his nature, would he be willing to grant his woman to another man?” he asked while staring straight at her. “Even if it’s his own son we’re talking about?”
Concubine Bai’s breathing became hurried. Her chest rose and fell intensely. “This matter has nothing to do with you, so there’s no need for you to keep asking. I won’t say anything.”
Zu An laughed. “Honestly, I really am in admiration of the Devil Sect’s methods! Not only did they manage to place you in such a high position, but you even managed to be the mother of the imperial grandson. That would mean that once the imperial grandson rose to the throne, the Devil Sect’s comeback would be inevitable.”
“What, are you going to expose us?” Concubine Bai sneered. “But you shouldn’t forget that we’re all in the same boat here! If I’m done for, you won’t be able to get away either.”
“Why so serious?” Zu An chuckled. “With my relationship with Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei, how could I report you?”
Concubine Bai said angrily, “So you finally remember the sect master and Honglei now! Just how were you treating me earlier?”
Zu An waved his hands and replied, “You already saw everything, and all I did was touch your chin. I don’t think I went too far at all.”
Concubine Bai thought to herself, So what, are you really going to strip me in revenge? She was extremely irritated. She looked away and ignored him.
Zu An said, “Alright, it looks like this is most likely your Devil Sect’s greatest secret. I won’t force it if you aren’t willing to talk about it. But I have one last question. Why would you collude with King Wu? After all, you two aren’t connected in any way. How did you even get into contact?”
After some hesitation, Concubine Bai said, “We had a bit of contact in the past.”
When he saw how ambiguously Concubine Bai spoke, Zu An sighed. “Your highness, don’t be like this. You really don’t sound like you’re talking to an ally right now.”
“What are you trying to say?” Concubine Bai frowned. She seemed to have sensed some implication behind his words.
Zu An said, “You did something that might just cause the execution of your entire clan. Who would dare to collaborate that way over such a simple friendship?”
Concubine Bai said indifferently, “There truly isn’t much between me and King Wu. If you don’t believe me, I can make a vow.”
Zu An shook his head. “The two of you indeed don’t have much of a relationship, but your relationship with Madam Wu isn’t ordinary. If my suspicions aren’t wrong, Madam Wu is your sect master’s sister, right?”
Concubine Bai’s eyes narrowed when she heard those words. Her heart rate sped up noticeably. However, she quickly reacted and said coldly, “I don’t know what you’re saying. However, I’m quite impressed by your imagination.”
“Is that so?” Zu An laughed. “But your reaction just now told me the truth.” Concubine Bai remained silent.
Zu An continued, “You’re the greatest and most mysterious spy the Devil Sect has planted in the imperial palace. Back then, even with my relationship with Honglei, as well as the life-saving grace I held toward your Devil Sect’s master, Yun Jianyue still refused to tell me about you. That means that in the entire sect, your status might be in the top two or three.
“In such a situation, how could you all dare to expose your existence to King Wu? No matter how closely King Wu is working with the Devil Sect, he’s still a relative to the emperor. Your people would never completely trust him. Furthermore, he has a longing for the throne, so he’s naturally a rival of the imperial grandson. There’s no way you would give King Wu that much leverage against you guys.
“But your alliance still exists, so there’s probably a middleman. Furthermore, Madam Wu’s degree of involvement in this matter really is quite high. She knows about the Shi clan’s matters, yet the Shi clan doesn’t know about her. That’s why she should be that middleman.
“Meanwhile, Yun Jianyue and Madam Wu both just happen to have the surname Yun. The same surname doesn’t say much on its own, but with so many coincidences lining up, I fear it’s no longer just a coincidence.”
Zu An began to feel some regret. This was a thought that had just emerged as he spoke with Concubine Bai. Before now, he had only suspected that she might have something to do with the Devil Sect. If he had realized this from the start, he might have had better results if he had asked Yun Yuqing directly.
After some hesitation, Concubine Bai said calmly, “I won’t stop you from imagining whatever you wish, but you can forget about obtaining any conclusive evidence from me.”
Zu An couldn’t help but say mockingly, “You Devil Sect people really aren’t very honest. I even helped you guys out of so many life and death situations, yet you’ve never told me the truth. On the contrary, look at the crown princess. She might be a bit more fierce to me on the surface, but she’s actually pretty good to me. I feel like I might really have to reevaluate which side is better to lean on.”
Concubine Bai became nervous. “Hmph! Isn’t the reason the crown princess is so good to you because I placed her right by your side? How can you forget favors so easily?”
“Let’s not be so superficial; we’re all adults here.” Zu An wagged his finger. “I only care about tangible benefits afterward.”
Concubine Bai sat down on the swing. Suddenly, she smiled sweetly and patted the seat next to her. “Do you want to swing with me?”
Zu An asked with an ambiguous smile, “Are you tempting me right now?”
“The reason why you feel that the crown princess is better… Isn’t it because of the skinship you experienced?” A bit of charm suddenly appeared on Concubine Bai’s innocent face. “Whatever the crown princess has given you, I can give it to you as well.”
“Why not?” Zu An didn’t explain anything and sat down right next to her.
Concubine Bai was stunned. She hadn’t expected him to agree so readily. On the contrary, she was now a bit baffled as to how to deal with this situation. Under normal circumstances, shouldn’t he at least have declined the first offer? Then, she would continue to seduce him, and she would have him in the center of her palm, right? Yet now, she had no idea how to play the game anymore!
Even though there was more than enough room on the swing for one person, it felt a bit cramped when two people used it together. That was especially the case when that fellow wrapped his arm right around her waist. He wasn’t treating her like an outsider at all!
In that instant, she felt as if she had invited a wolf straight into the house. She said in annoyance, “Big brother, please don’t touch me anymore. Why don’t we just talk?”