Chapter 941: Most Blessed and Most Unfortunate Man
Zu An sought out Bi Linglong as usual, but she still refused to meet him. There were so many people in the Eastern Palace present, so he couldn't really cause a commotion. He could only leave while feeling dejected.
Just then, a eunuch came to inform Zu An that his majesty wanted to meet him. The people from the Eastern Palace had been envious of him when they first saw that, but now, they were already used to it. This man was indeed quite favored by his majesty.
Zu An was startled. Did the emperor realize something from my visits to Bi Linglong these past few days? He saw the emperor as someone he had to defeat, so he would always feel as if he were facing a great enemy whenever he was summoned to the palace.
After Zu An left, inside the room, Rong Mo gave the absent-minded Bi Linglong a look and asked, “Crown princess, is there something wrong?”
Bi Linglong snapped out of her daze and said, “It’s nothing.” Hmph, like I care if that guy dies or not.
…
Meanwhile, Zu An arrived at the imperial study. When he saw the smiling Eunuch Wen, he sighed in relief. Even though using Eunuch Wen’s expression to determine the emperor’s mood wasn’t that reliable of a method, it still helped.
“I greet your majesty.” He quickly gave the emperor a look when he entered. Sure enough, it was still the same dead horse face.
The emperor lowered his memorial[1], asking, “Did Yu Nan trouble you in any way these past few days?”
Zu An said, “Replying to your majesty, the Yu clan and the Bi clan have had some small disputes, but they didn’t seek me out.”
The emperor chuckled. “That’s only natural. The entire capital has been filled with rumors and slander over the past few days. Not even the Yu clan could suppress them by using their political influence. You’re still not important enough for them to pay attention to.”
“It’s thanks to your majesty being heroic and brilliant, or else this subject would’ve been in trouble…” Zu An showered the emperor in praise.
The emperor’s expression eased up more and more. He asked, “Do you find it strange why this emperor didn’t choose to remove Yu Xuanchong from his post?”
“Forgive this subject for being slow-witted. I really can’t understand why,” Zu An said calmly. At the same time, he was curious. Why was the emperor telling him about these things now? There was no reason for the emperor to explain these things to his subjects, right?
The emperor stood up and walked over to the bookshelf. He looked at the large map hanging from the wall and calmly said, “The Yu clan controls the world’s ki stone business; they have followers in all levels of society. Even though the position of Left Confidential Assistant is a high rank, whether or not Yu Xuanchong occupies that position won’t make a huge difference.”
Zu An nodded inwardly. The Yu clan’s wealth was equivalent to that of an entire nation. If Yu Xuanzhong resigned, he would rise up again soon afterward. The matter this time was mainly regarding Yu Nan. Even if they made it a big deal, Yu Nan would still be fine, never mind taking down Yu Xuanchong.
The emperor continued, “The Yu clan has always walked closely with King Qi. What this emperor is concerned about isn’t just a trifling Left Confidential Assistant, but rather the Yu clan.”
Zu An shivered. The emperor was already starting to gradually remove King Qi’s allies one by one. Once King Qi was all alone, that was when the emperor would strike.
Judging from the emperor’s intentions, it didn’t seem as if he was satisfied with just removing the Yu clan from their official positions, but rather, he was trying to take down the entire Yu clan? He shivered all over when he thought of that. The emperor in front of him really was vicious and merciless…
Sure enough, the emperor’s eyes shifted to a piece of land to the north. “Cloudcenter’s Yu clan. As the name implies, their main headquarters is in Cloudcenter Commandery. That is also where the court’s greatest ki stone mine is. They’ve already occupied it for so many years; that should already be enough.”
Zu An observed a moment of silence for the Yu clan. Now that they were being targeted by the emperor, their ending was already set in stone. He suddenly recalled a certain person’s exceptional appearance in their carriage. He couldn't help but mention, “Your majesty, from what I know, Madam Yu seems to be your distinguished self’s good friend.”
Even though he knew mentioning that wouldn’t do anything, Yu Yanluo had helped him out before, so he couldn't just sit there and not do anything.
The emperor turned around and gave him an ambiguous smile, saying, “Your relationship with her doesn’t seem to be bad. She even sought me out for your sake back then.”
Zu An shivered inwardly. He quickly said, “It’s because I acted without thinking back in Brightmoon City and saved her life. I believe she was just returning the favor.” He had no idea what the emperor was thinking. He obviously couldn't make it seem as if they were that close.
The emperor thus nodded in relief. After all, Yu Yanluo had been a past flame of his. There were so many outstanding men, and yet she hadn’t chosen a single one of them. Why would she take interest in an ordinary brat like Zu An? He said, “Don’t worry. Madam Yu is this emperor’s good friend. I will naturally find a suitable place for her.”
Zu An cursed inwardly, thinking, Isn’t that suitable place just your own harem? Even though the emperor pretty much never touched women to extend his life, a beauty like Yu Yanluo was an exception.
Zu An had thought that he was already complete trash, that he already had enough pretty girls around him. However, these big shots in the capital could have twenty to thirty wives, but still retain a clean image. Compared to them, he was as clean as a little white flower!
He suddenly became nervous. Why was the emperor telling him these things? Did he have another stupid mission to assign?
Sure enough, the emperor said, “You should get ready. You’re making a trip to Cloudcenter Commandery in a few days.”
Zu An was speechless. However, the emperor didn’t care about how he felt at all and continued, “The local officials of Cloudcenter Commandery have jointly written up a letter stating that Cloudcenter Commandery’s duke has already been missing for a long time. They’re asking the court to reconsider the dukedom position.”
“Hah.” He sneered. “Looks like there’s already someone impatient to rise up in this spot.”
Zu An was alarmed. Isn’t Cloudcenter Duke Yu Yanluo’s husband? That man might very well have been the world’s most blessed man alive, but now, he had become the most unfortunate man.
He asked to test the waters, “What exactly is going on with Cloudcenter Duke’s disappearance?”
The emperor replied, “It was about a year ago, I reckon. Cloudcenter Duke suddenly disappeared from the manor. No one knows where he went. At first, no one found it strange, because with his cultivation, it wasn’t too difficult to come and go from the Duke Manor. But he didn’t return even after a long time, so that was how they knew something happened.”
“Did he go somewhere, or was this a plot?” Zu An quickly asked.
The emperor shook his head. “After the event, when the local government office investigated the situation, they found that everything seemed normal. They couldn't find any traces of harm. The court was still unconvinced and sent more officials to investigate. However, they still didn’t find anything.”
The emperor was completely calm while speaking, without a trace of grief. Zu An thought to himself, Now that Yu Yanluo doesn’t have a husband anymore, the emperor is probably doing his best not to laugh out loud. But through the emperor’s reply, he guessed that the disappearance of the Cloudcenter Duke wasn’t something the emperor had done himself.
The emperor then continued, “You’re to go to Cloudcenter Duke’s territory and find out the truth regarding the duke's disappearance. Furthermore, don’t shield the Yu clan just because of Yu Yanluo, or else I won’t let you off. Do you understand?”
Zu An immediately understood what the emperor was saying. Regardless of what the reason for the mysterious disappearance was, the Yu clan had to take the blame. The emperor was going to use this chance to deal with the entire Yu clan in one go.
As such, he said respectfully, “This subject is naturally willing to share in your majesty’s burdens, but my injuries from the dungeon last time aren’t light. I haven’t been able to fully recover. Furthermore, I solved the case of King Qi concubine’s murder and even took down Yu Nan. For the sake of completing your majesty’s mission as quickly as possible, I had to use up a lot of thought. Now, my mental state is quite weak, and my head hurts whenever I try to think. My body is too weak, and it might affect your majesty’s great plans. That’s why I ask your majesty to find someone more qualified than me.”
Are you kidding me? Who the hell does the emperor think I am? Even if you’re going to employ someone to work from nine to nine, six days a week, you still need to pay them, right? But look at me! You use every chance to intimidate and bully me. I’m not some masochist; why would I resign myself to this?
Of course, now wasn’t the time to completely break off relations with the emperor. He brought up his recent contributions, which not only described his toils, but also proved his worth. As long as the emperor still had some use for him, then he couldn't throw Zu An away yet.
These were all things he had learned from that old fox Sang Hong from his visits to the Sang clan over the past few days. They were essential skills if one wanted to survive among the political circles.
The emperor’s eyes narrowed when he heard those words. He felt a bit of anger. It hadn’t been long since this little rascal had come to the capital, yet he had already learned how to negotiate with him like those other old foxes in the court!
He hadn’t liked Zu An to begin with, so he felt angrier and angrier. He felt as if he were being provoked somehow.
You have successfully trolled Zhao Han for +444 +444 +444…
Zu An was also nervous when he saw the incoming Rage points. He had confidence that the emperor wouldn’t become hostile right then and there, because he was a mature ruler, but that wasn’t guaranteed. What if the emperor really went crazy?
A while later, the emperor calmly said, “My subject has indeed worked hard during this period. I’ll order Eunuch Wen to get some spirit-recovering medicines from the imperial hospital for you. You can slowly recover on your way to Cloudcenter Commandery. Furthermore, I’ve noticed that you don;t seem to be too fond of your current viscount title, so once you complete the Cloudcenter Commandery task, I’ll raise your noble rank by another level.”
“Thank you, your majesty. This subject will do my utmost,” Zu An replied. In this age, rising in noble rank was harder than even rising in official rank. Since the emperor had already said that, Zu An knew when to stop while he was ahead. If he continued to push the issue, he might not be able to leave this place alive today.
Furthermore, he really did want to get rid of that damn Green Hat Viscount title…
1. The memorial to the emperor is a document presented by the officials of various ministries in order to request his attention regarding various issues. ☜