Chapter 2222: Wedding Bows

Compared to her big sister’s shock, Shang Liuyu was much calmer in comparison. After all, she had already seen how powerful Zu An was in the Tomb of Ten Thousand Dragons, so she had already made mental preparations. But right now, she was feeling more bashful.

Why does Ah Zu keep holding me in his arms? The Ocean races’ people are all kneeling on the ground right now… I’m sure news of this will soon spread throughout the entire Ocean race territory.

Of course, while she was feeling shy and embarrassed, she also felt a bit gratified. Which young lady didn’t dream about such a thing? They all dreamed about their lover descending from the heavens like a deity. This scene right now…

She immediately got rid of that thought as soon as it appeared. There was a trace of redness on her cheeks.

We are only like siblings! What kind of nonsense am I thinking?

Zu An’s voice echoed in the heads of every Ocean race individual like a divine decree. “Previously, I only had the patience to listen to what you said out of respect for Shang Liuyu and Shang Hongyu, and yet you all think that I really am scared of you?”

“We wouldn’t dare, we wouldn’t dare!” The Ocean race subjects who had previously objected were all shaking all over and kowtowing as they begged for mercy.

It felt as if the entire world’s will was looking down on them and exerting its pressure, preventing them from producing the slightest thought of rebellion. Every inch of their bodies was shaking. They were already regretting their actions severely.

If we had known you were so amazing before, why would we dare to utter a word? None of us are tired of living yet…

“You’re begging for forgiveness? Then it’ll depend on whether the queen is willing to forgive you all or not.” Zu An gave Shang Hongyu a smile.

Shang Hongyu’s face now truly turned red. She naturally knew that he was helping her establish her authority here. After all, now that the Dragon King had died, a queen like her would only have power in name, and she'd lack a bit of pressure. Even though people had seen how she purged the monsters, not many really feared her. A clear example was that when she spoke up for Zu An earlier, those subjects hadn't paid her any attention.

She took a deep breath and said, “The regent was kind enough to help us, and yet not only did we not thank him, we instead repaid kindness with evil words. Sir regent was so generous, but we cannot just pretend that this didn’t happen.

“All those who spoke words of opposition will have their government titles decreased by three ranks and forfeit their salaries for three years!”

This was a good chance to clean out some of these individuals who had relied purely on their seniority to hold their positions. Then, she could place her own trusted aides in those positions. Of course, she couldn't be too cruel, or else it wouldn’t be in line with her reputation of being virtuous.

“Thank you, your highness! Thank you, regent!” Those subjects all bowed in gratitude. Right now, they were truly grateful, because when they saw what happened to that unlucky official earlier, they'd thought that they were done for. And yet now, they were actually able to stay alive! Her highness really was virtuous! In that instant, Shang Hongyu’s position in their hearts became much higher.

Zu An nodded slightly and said, “Out of respect for the queen, I will tell you the truth that you all wished to hear before.”

Those who were kneeling were stunned. They didn’t dare to even say a thing.

Shang Hongyu and Shang Liuyu were a bit confused. They didn’t know what he was preparing.

“The real situation is that Ao Yong coveted the throne. He and his trusted aides set up a great suppression formation in the Tomb of Ten Thousand Dragons’ hall, and launched a rebellion. Together with the monsters who were all at the peak of the earth immortal rank, and the awakening of many powerful reanimated beasts in the main hall, that was how the Dragon King died. In the end, I could only save Shang Liuyu alone.

“I wanted to hide this from the Ocean races, as the most important thing right now is to recover, rather than entering another period of inner turmoil. Thus, I didn't speak of this matter. I didn’t expect that the people Ao Yong sent would still not be convinced. As a result, I have to tell you the truth so that no further unexpected events will happen among the Ocean races.”

He had used absolute power to convince the masses today, but he was worried that once he left, there would be hidden dangers for Shang Hongyu to deal with. That was why he patiently explained these things.

Everyone liked looking for some new drama to listen to. Regardless of when it was, they felt as if there was some plot or conspiracy going on, let alone the fact that the Tomb of Ten Thousand Dragons trip this time was indeed full of suspicious events. But they were often ignorant as well. As long as one gave them a believable conspiracy, gave them a ‘villain’, they would be satisfied and think, 'it was as I expected'. Few people would think even deeper.

Sure enough, when they heard his words, everyone present immediately looked as if they understood. All of them looked at Ao Yong’s people with anger. Quite a few of them had actually known about Ao Yong’s plans. As such, when they heard the explanation, they immediately believed it.

Ao Yong’s people were shivering in fear. They wanted to run, but under this powerful pressure, they couldn't move at all.

Shang Hongyu also reacted and said with a cold expression, “Men, arrest Ao Yong’s faction and carefully interrogate them!”

“Understood!” Her trusted guards immediately restrained Ao Yong’s faction.

Shang Hongyu then bowed toward Zu An and said, “Thank you so much for your help, regent. It is already dark, so why not stay at the Dragon Palace for a bit of rest?”

Zu An was worried about the situation at the capital. He was worried that everything could already be over on that side after so long. But he still had to discuss many things about the Ocean races with Shang Hongyu, and he had to support her in stabilizing the situation here. At the same time, Shang Liuyu’s injuries also needed treatment, so he nodded in agreement.

Shang Hongyu brought Zu An into the Dragon Palace. All of the Ocean race officials sighed in relief.

“We really don’t know how to tell good from bad. The regent clearly helped us eliminate those terrifying monsters, and yet that was how we treated him. We really are wretched.”

“Thank goodness the queen and the regent have a good relationship, or else there might’ve been rivers of blood today.”

“It isn’t just the queen; there is also the queen’s sister who is also close to him. If it weren’t for both of these sisters mediating things, our Ocean races might’ve really been done for this time.”

….

At first, many people had been angry that Zu An and Shang Liuyu were so close, but now, they were hoping for their relationship to become even closer.

When there wasn’t that big of a difference in strength between two parties, it was easy to feel jealousy. However, when that difference widened past a certain degree, that kind of jealousy would disappear, and instead be replaced with admiration.

Soon after, the events that took place spread throughout the entire Dragon Palace, and then throughout the whole ocean rapidly.

Many clans secretly discussed things among themselves.

“Now that the Dragon King has died and so many elders have died, and with young master Ao Yong’s faction also being purged, our Ocean races have really been weakened. What if an enemy invades us? Things might become really bad then!”

“Exactly. He is the human and fiend sides’ regent. What if the humans and fiends target us? He will definitely side with them.”

“It’s actually easy enough to solve this problem.”

“Oh? What does this brother suggest?”

“I heard that the regent is a bit fickle in love, and our queen has always been known for her beauty. If those two can walk together, the regent will also be one of us in the future. We wouldn’t have to fear humans or fiends anymore then, right?”

“The Dragon King has just perished, so this is a bit inappropriate, right?”

“What is inappropriate about it? The Fiend races’ late Fiend Emperor perished, and yet didn’t the Second Empress and the regent end up together? There was the crown princess of the human side before, and even the human empress seems to be mysteriously close to the regent. Our Ocean races are already falling behind! The queen should be sacrificing herself for the sake of the Ocean races, and in my opinion, her relationship with the regent seems to be quite good.”

“That’s right, our Ocean races have another advantage compared to the humans and fiends, which is that our queen has a little sister. If the sisters move together, their allure will definitely surpass that of the Second Empress and human empress.”

…

Similar conversations were taking place all across the various clans. There were even some people who wanted to send some people to give the Mermaid Queen a push. The main reason was because the strength Zu An had shown was too astonishing. Whomever someone like this decided to side with, the scales would lean in that direction.

The humans and fiends had already seized the advantage here. Their Ocean races had to prepare themselves too. And all they had to do was give up a single woman; on top of that, she and Zu An were even an ideal couple. This wouldn’t be too much of a humiliation for the queen.

As for the Dragon King who had just died, no one really cared about him. That wasn’t completely unexpected, as countless subjects had their wives stolen by the Dragon King. They had been furious, but they hadn’t dared to say a thing. They all felt it was a deserved end for the Dragon King.

They naturally wouldn’t show the queen any disrespect, but why did they feel a strange sense of vengeful joy at the thought of urging the queen to seduce the regent?

…

Meanwhile, Zu An had just returned to the Dragon Palace. With his identity, he naturally couldn't stay in the same chambers he had stayed in before. That was why Shang Hongyu arranged an especially extravagant palace for him to live in. This was a place reserved for individuals on the level of the late Fiend Emperor and Zhao Han when they visited, and it had only been used twice in the past. They hadn’t expected it to be of use again today.

Zu An had Shang Liuyu remain in the palace and focused on treating her injuries, and he also helped her digest the Mermaid Ancestor’s inheritance. He would be leaving soon, so he was trying to help out as much as he could.

“How do you feel now?” Zu An asked with concern after helping her circulate her internal energy.

Shang Liuyu was dripping with sweat, with steam coming out of her entire body. Her usually cool facial features were now a bit rosy, like a glistening apple that one couldn't help but want to take a bite out of.

“Much better. With your help, my injuries might heal a month earlier.” Shang Liuyu twisted her body, as the stickiness covering her was a bit uncomfortable.

“That’s good then.” Zu An sighed in relief. “Once you recover, focus on cultivating in seclusion so you can completely absorb the Mermaid Ancestor’s inheritance.”

Shang Liuyu voiced her understanding. Then, she looked at him with her big eyes and said, “You were a bit cool today.”

“Only a bit?” Zu An immediately sounded a bit dissatisfied.

“Because you’ll always be that little brother to me,” Shang Liuyu said with a smile.

“I'm definitely not little, though!” Zu An reflexively blurted out, but he immediately regretted it as soon as he spoke those words.

A red blush covered Shang Liuyu’s neck. She got up unnaturally. “I'm still sweating quite a bit, so I’m going next door for a bath first.”

Zu An was a bit hesitant, “Should I send you back to your own place? Getting treatment here is one thing, but if you take a bath here, it might not be good for your reputation.”

Shang Liuyu rolled her eyes. “You still have the nerve to say that? You carried me in front of all of those people for so long back then. My reputation has already been completely destroyed because of you.”

Zu An was speechless.

“Sorry.”

“What is there to be sorry about?” Shang Liuyu didn’t seem to mind. “I was too weak to even stand. If you hadn’t carried me, I might’ve really made a fool of myself. I should actually be thanking you.”

“You were the one who protected my physical body, so I should be thanking you.” Zu An also smiled.

As expected of big sis Shang, she’s not as pretentious as normal young ladies.

“You would’ve been fine even if I wasn’t there. You were clearly already back.” Shang Liuyu gritted her teeth in annoyance when she said that. Even though there was a reason for it, she felt really embarrassed when she knew that he had been watching her performance the entire time.

“Are the two of you doing your wedding bows or something? Why are you going back and forth like that?” A charming laugh came from the entrance.

A white-clad figure slowly walked over. Shang Hongyu wasn’t in her usual outfit, but instead wore a snow-white dress that made her look simple and elegant. The white waistband she wore in a simple manner made her waist look even more slender and beautiful.