Chapter 2106: Ominous Developments

The stench of alcohol coming from the two’s bodies could be smelled from far away. It was obvious that they had just arrived from a feast. It now made sense why it had taken them so long to arrive even though they were summoned a while back.

The empress Liu Ning tried to suppress her rage as she asked, “Could it be that you two still have no idea what happened today?”

Even though these two were her seniors, she had been the empress, and was now empress dowager. Rulers and ministers were separated, so she didn’t need to show too much politeness in her speech.

“Wasn’t it just some blind ministers who wrote a letter criticizing the empress dowager? Don’t worry, we'll find some subordinates to impeach those ministers for offending their superiors,” Liu Yao said with an unperturbed smile.

“Wake up already!” Liu Ning finally couldn't suppress her rage and stood up, saying, “This entire time, there have been rumors going around the capital, saying that the volunteer army we sent to assist the Fiend races was completely wiped out by the Fiend races. More importantly, we indeed can't contact the troops on the front lines. They're using this pretext to attack me, and yet you two are treating it as just a small matter?”

Just then, Liu Guang also spoke up. “Ning’er, now that we’re talking about this matter, I didn’t agree to it when it was first brought up either, remember? You really dote on that Zu guy too much. You’re a glorious empress dowager, and yet you listen to him on everything. At this point, just who is the one ruling over this Great Zhou Dynasty?”

When she heard what he said, Liu Ning’s face darkened. She retorted, “Would you dare speak those words in front of his face?”

Liu Guang choked. He remembered what had happened to the Meng clan and definitely didn’t want to repeat that disaster.

Liu Yao tried to smooth things over and asked, “Ning’er, why are you siding with outsiders? Sure, that Zu guy is strong, but he isn’t one of us. There are many matters in which we can't completely trust him. Sigh, I even said earlier that we should have found a young lady of appropriate age for him to marry, but you just didn’t agree to it.”

Liu Guang gave him an annoyed look and said, “You make it sound so easy. His previous wife Chu Chuyan was famous for her beauty far and wide, rivaling even that of Yu Yanluo in the past. Does our Liu clan have any women like that available for marriage? Better to not fail a marriage and end up offending him anyway.”

Liu Yao chuckled in embarrassment, saying, “It’s a pity that Ning’er has already married and her status is now special. Otherwise, she'd be more than enough for that guy.”

“Shut up!” Liu Guang glared at his younger brother. Was that something one could just say so carelessly?

Ning’er is now the empress dowager, so how could we have her be with that Zu bastard?

“Enough! We’ll leave this matter be for now,” Liu Ning said, her face red.

There’s no need for you two to worry about that. I’ve already completed that mission.

Just then, Liu Guang said, “Actually, it’s not so bad that we didn’t have him marry into our family earlier. Look, the Fiend races ambushed our reinforcement army in public! This is a disaster that will definitely create an unsolvable grudge between our two sides. That Zu guy is the Fiend races' regent, and he was the one who strongly advocated for the reinforcement army, so there's no way for him to escape responsibility in this matter. He'll likely become the human race’s greatest traitor in history. Then, once his reputation is swept away, it’ll be a good chance for us to cut off our ties with him.”

Liu Ning’s phoenix-decorated eyes swept over them as she retorted, “Could it be that you all don’t fully understand the situation? This is something I also agreed to in the past. In the eyes of others, it was something that both the regent and I put into effect. Otherwise, why would the ministers publicly accuse me of misconduct?!”

“That’s why we need to cut our ties with that Zu guy using this opportunity!” Liu Yao replied. “Then, I'll instruct our people to speak up against him and push all of the responsibility onto him and say that empress dowager was deceived. Then, no one will put any of the responsibility onto our Liu clan.”

Liu Ning was shocked. She said, “Who says we have to cut ties with the regent? Did you two already forget just how terrifying the regent’s cultivation is? What matter can’t he take care of?”

She couldn't really talk about her real relationship with Zu An and could only bring out these more ‘reasonable’ excuses.

“No matter how high his cultivation is, he can’t take the entire human race as his enemy, right?” Liu Guang said skeptically. “Besides, according to the recent intelligence, he seems to have ran into the Fiend races’ sealed land. The sealed land is a place anyone would most likely die in. He still hasn’t returned despite entering for so long, so I reckon he’s probably already kicked the bucket.”

“That’s impossible! He's definitely safe and sound!” Liu Ning immediately stood up and shouted.

Liu Guang and Liu Yao were both shocked. They looked at her in confusion.

Liu Ning knew that she had forgotten her manners and quickly said, “With the strength the regent displayed previously, even if he were to experience anything dangerous, he would still be able to handle it. I think it’s best if you two don’t place your bets too early, or else you might end up offending him and lose any chances of redeeming yourselves.”

“What else can we do then? Don’t tell me we should just let those people denounce our Liu clan for our decision-making?” Liu Yao asked, starting to become a bit dissatisfied. Ever since they first met in Brightmoon City, he hadnever liked that Zu An brat. That kid had ended up climbing above him in just a few short years, which was something he found ridiculous.

“We’ll just deal with things as they arise. Don’t tell me that you two think we have something to fear in our current situation?” Liu Ning replied seriously. “The situation on the front lines is unclear, so we shouldn’t make any rash decisions.”

When they saw how firm she was with her decision, Liu Guang and Liu Yao exchanged a look. They couldn't continue to press the issue. “Then we’ll do things as you say for now.”

Liu Ning continued, “Things seem to be heading in an ominous direction. For some reason, I just feel as if something is about to happen, so you all need to be more vigilant. Father, get in touch with the Liu clan’s trusted aides to investigate the court’s movements. Uncle, you need to assign more patrols around the capital. As soon as there's any sign of military movements, you need to contact me immediately.”

“Alright,” the two agreed. After discussing some other matters, they then left the Imperial Palace.

...

When they left, Eunuch Lu walked in and said, “The two elders seem to be unhappy with the regent. Should we give them some hints regarding your highness and the regent’s relationship?”

“There’s no need for that.” A hint of fatigue appeared on Liu Ning’s face. She said, “They can be unhappy if they want to be, but it won’t affect the regent in the slightest. “By the way, is there any progress on the things I had you investigate earlier?”

“This servant already had our spies among the Fiend races look into information on the regent, but currently, we’ve only learned that he entered the sealed land. There's no information on him coming out yet,” Eunuch Lu replied with a bow.

Liu Ning was really worried, asking, “Do you think that something might have really happened to the regent?”

Eunuch Lu bowed, saying, “Your highness is currently not in the right state of mind from excessive worry. The regent’s skills are unparalleled. Even if all of the Fiend races’ soldiers have perished, the regent will definitely return safely.”

Liu Ning clearly sighed in relief when she heard his reply, saying, “I hope that's the case.”

...

Meanwhile, when the two Liu clan elders left the palace, Liu Yao couldn't help but say to Liu Guang, “Big bro, Ning’er seems to really trust that Zu guy. Don’t tell me she ended up falling for him or something?”

Liu Guang harrumphed. “That Zu guy is pretty handsome, and he’s young. Ning’er was neglected in the palace alone for so long, so it wouldn't be too surprising for her to like him. But as the empress dowager, she should understand what she should and shouldn’t do.”

Liu Guang’s unhappiness was understandable, as ever since Zu An had risen up to authority, he had never paid the Liu clan a respectful visit, which clearly meant that he was looking down on them.

We’re not even that close to each other, so why do we have to be blamed together with him?

“You have a point. Ever since she was little, Ning’er was quite sensible. She’d definitely be able to prioritize what's more important,” Liu Yao said with a smile.

“By the way, what Ning’er was worried about just now doesn’t make sense. Make sure to pay more attention to this matter. To my understanding, neither the Bi clan nor that brat King Wu are the sort to be content with doing nothing,” Liu Guang reminded before they separated.

“I got it, big bro,” Liu Yao replied immediately, but in his head, he thought he would just assign some of his people to pay attention to the matter and it would be enough. As for himself, there was no way he would actually look into it personally. The capital was a place full of sensual pleasures to enjoy. He hadn’t managed to get to his current position easily, so if he still had to do everything himself, wouldn’t that mean he had worked so hard in the past for nothing?

...

Meanwhile, in the White Jade Sect...

Yan Xuehen sat in her room in meditation. Even though she had been saved by Zu An earlier today, she still needed to patiently adjust her body’s condition. She digested the treatment she'd received today while secretly thinking to herself that Zu An’s way of saving her really was a bit too embarrassing. All kinds of memories from back then appeared in her mind. The aura inside her body immediately became chaotic, giving her a fright. She immediately focused her attention again.

Just then, someone outside knocked on her door. Zu An called out, “Xuehen...”

Yan Xuehen’s cheeks immediately burned bright red. She quickly said, “I'll do what I promised you, but not today! I... I already can’t take any more.”

Zu An was speechless. He eventually said, “I actually came just to say goodbye.”

“Huh?” Yan Xuehen was so embarrassed she almost slammed her head into the floorboards beneath her.