Chapter 1553: Bitter Waiting
Chapter 1553: Bitter Waiting
Don’t tell me even Eunuch Wen is interested in the Unknown Region and wants some information from me?
Or maybe he’s actually one of King Qi’s spies? What, is he trying to do something to help King Qi right now?
Zu An quickly dismissed those thoughts. Eunuch Wen was the emperor’s most trusted subordinate. If even someone like that had been bought out by King Qi, Zhao Han would have already died several times over.
There’s no way he’s here to get between me and the Crown Princess, is he? Zu An thought in horror.
When she saw his expression, Concubine Bai knew her reminder had been useful. She didn’t talk any more about that; instead, she said, “Sir Zu, I heard that you encountered people from the Devil Sect during this trip too. Were there any dangers back then?”
Zu An had already suspected Concubine Bai had a relationship with the Devil Sect for a long time. She was clearly asking because she was curious about the Devil Sect’s affairs. As such, he returned the favor and said, “Thank you for your concern, Concubine Bai. It wasn’t anything major. Although, I met the Devil Sect Master along the way.”
“Ah! I heard that the Devil Sect’s Master Yun Jianyue was a bloodthirsty murderer and a people-eating[1] demoness,” Concubine Bai said in surprise.
Zu An couldn't detect anything unusual from her expression. He thought to himself, No wonder this woman was able to do so well in the Imperial Palace! He couldn't pick out any problems at all. He muttered, “That woman indeed eats people…”
The charming and gentle events between the two of them appeared in his mind. An appreciative smile unknowingly appeared on his face.
Concubine Bai was stunned. She had merely used that term as an expression; why did Zu An’s reply make it seem as if Yun Jianyue really did eat people? How is that possible? Why would she do that?
Fortunately, Zu An snapped out of his daze and shared his experiences in that time with her. Of course, things related to the Unknown Region were too sensitive. He only picked some of his interactions with Yun Jianyue to share.
However, that was enough to make Concubine Bai listen with keen interest. She couldn't help but sigh, saying, “I’m so envious of all of the amazing experiences you’ve gone through in the vast world outside.”
She suddenly felt rather alone and dejected. She was more like a canary bound to the world within the Imperial Palace. Most importantly, her status was quite awkward. She was the crown prince’s concubine in name, but in reality…
When he saw the dejected look on her face, Zu An felt pity for her. He blurted out, “I’ll take your highness out for a stroll if there’s a chance in the future.”
Concubine Bai was stunned at first, but then her small face flushed with color. She said, “I’ve stayed here for too long, so it’ll be bad if other people see us. I’ll be leaving for now.” She didn’t wait for Zu An’s reply and left in a hurry.
When he saw her leave like a frightened rabbit, Zu An couldn't help but laugh. I wasn’t trying to feed you a carrot or anything; what are you acting so scared for?
Still, he soon recalled Eunuch Wen. His mood quickly darkened. He couldn't just go over and ask the man why he was following him, right? He planned to discuss it with Bi Linglong when he went to the Eastern Palace the next day. As he already knew Eunuch Bai suspected the two of them, he had to avoid meeting with her even more.
In the past, he would have felt very nervous in such a situation. At the moment, though, the best strategy was to do nothing. Either way, there was no way Eunuch Wen would be able to get any proof.
When he left the Imperial Palace, Zu An first made a trip back to his residence to show his face. Otherwise, going straight to the Sang manor would easily draw unwanted attention.
Someone leaped out excitedly to greet him as soon as he arrived at his place, exclaiming, “Brother-in-law~”
Zu An was stunned. A young man with pretty features ran over and picked up his hands in excitement. It was none other than the cross-dressing Chu Youzhao.
Nearby, the tan-skinned Murong Qinghe blinked. She normally felt that her big brother Chu was quite mature and earnest, but why was it that he always acted like such a child whenever he met his brother-in-law? To a certain degree, he even looked a bit… feminine.
“Huh? Why are you here?” Zu An asked. He thought to himself that these two really were always around each other. He wondered how they were going to deal with the truth later.
Two beauties together… Just the thought alone is great.
“What, you didn’t want to see me?” Chu Youzhao replied, looking crestfallen.
“No way!” Zu An exclaimed, taking out a small pile of gifts. “Your brother-in-law even brought you a bunch of local goodies.”
He couldn't help but praise his own wit. Before leaving, he had sent some of his Fiend race subordinates to purchase gifts. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to deal with so many people once he came back.
“Brother-in-law is so great!” Chu Youzhao exclaimed. Her mood immediately became as bright as the sun in summer. Even though she came from a big clan, she had always been raised as a son and taught how to live properly. These kinds of things had all been forbidden. However, that had only increased her sense of longing.
Forget about her, even Murong Qinghe craned her neck over. After all, these were things that could only be obtained from the Fiend King Court, and were rarely seen on the human side. When Zu An saw that, he picked up another bag and gave it to her. Murong Qinghe was shocked and happy, exclaiming, “There’s even some for me?”
“The Lesser Return Pill little sister Qinghe gave me last time was really helpful, so I’m just repaying the favor a bit. I’m actually the one who’s embarrassed here,” Zu An said sincerely. When he was injured by the Snow Lady in the Great Snowy Mountains, the Lesser Return Pill she gave him had helped him take on a good share of the injuries.
Murong Qinghe had a brilliant smile as she replied, “Big brother Zu speaks too politely! You are big brother Chu’s brother-in-law, so you’re naturally also… ahem. It wasn’t much, so big brother Zu doesn’t need to thank me like that.”
If the situation didn’t involve Chu Youzhao, she was always a formidable and valiant girl. But whenever it did involve Youzhao, she became a star-struck dummy.
They chatted for a while longer. Chu Youzhao asked curiously, “Right, why weren’t you home last night?”
Zu An was alarmed. Wouldn’t things be blown out of proportion if he told her he had stayed at the Sang manor? He replied, “I went out on a trip and came back really late. That’s probably why we didn’t run into each other.”
He knew that Chu Youzhao’s status was special and the clan had strict rules. She had to return to the Qin clan very early each day. The first reason was that they were worried that a girl like her would get in trouble, and the second was that her crossdressing could be exposed.
“Youzhao, he’s lying to you,” an aloof and ice-cold voice suddenly said.
Zu An’s entire body froze. He looked toward the source of voice in disbelief.
A beautiful, watery-blue figure stood by the entrance. Her eyes were bright; her skin was fair like snow. Her facial features looked as if they had emerged from a drawing. However, there was a natural hint of icy coldness to her expression. A cold winter breeze blew past, sending her beautiful hair dancing and her dress fluttering. She looked like an ice queen. Fortunately, the fiery red silk band around her waist added a hint of liveliness and tender beauty to her appearance.
“Big sis!” Chu Youzhao exclaimed, happy and surprised. She jumped straight into the other woman’s arms. Only when the woman hugged her little sister did a hint of gentleness appear in her ice-cold eyes.
Murong Qinghe’s first reaction when she saw her sweetheart hug such a beautiful woman was disbelief. But when she heard the words ‘big sis’, she realized that this was Chu first miss!
When Chu Chuyan first arrived at the capital, it had caused a stir among the young nobles. She had been on par with Madam Yu back in the day. In the past, Murong Qinghe had had the chance to meet her; and yet, even as they met again, she was still shocked by Chu Chuyan’s astonishing beauty.
More important was the distinct, otherworldly air Chuyan gave off. That aura, as if it came from a goddess above the clouds, made Murong Qinghe envious. Still, she didn’t feel great. She just didn’t want her big brother Chu to be so intimate with another woman, even if she was his big sister.
What is up with the Chu clan anyway? They have no boundaries at all between men and women! Also, does big brother Zu not have any objections to his wife and her little brother being together?
Zu An naturally had no objections. He actually felt very moved as he called out, “Chuyan~”
At the same time, he was curious. The item around her waist seemed to be the Primal Skysilk! Hadd Yan Xuehen given it to her?
Chu Chuyan’s eyes resembled a snowy peak as she stared at Zu An calmly, saying, “You said that you came back really late to Youzhao, but I waited here all night yesterday and didn’t see you.”
Zu An began to sweat buckets.