Chapter 1055: Is It Well Marinated?

Zu An sighed with emotion. This woman perfectly embodied the meaning of peerless beauty. He used to wonder why ancient emperors would go to such lengths for their concubines, but now he vaguely understood. For a woman as beautiful as Yu Yanluo, it was indeed easy for men to act impulsively to win her smile.

He collected his thoughts and asked curiously, "What method?"

Yu Yanluo surveyed his face, a strange expression on hers. "Didn't you just impersonate my husband? Continue doing so. Although I can see through it, others might not."

Zu An's heart stirred. "You mean to test the waters?"

Yu Yanluo nodded. "Precisely. You can return to the Duke's mansion as Jian Yan'ou and reclaim military authority. That way, even if Jian Taiding wants to rebel, he'll have no troops at his disposal."

Zu An's eyes lit up. Their biggest current crisis was Jian Taiding's control of military power, which allowed him to cause trouble at any time. Sang Hong had been forced to dispatch Prince Yan's troops from Yi Commandery.

Not only would it take time for Prince Yan's troops to arrive, but Cloud Commandery was Jian Taiding's territory. A large-scale military deployment would likely not escape his notice, and who knew what desperate measures he might resort to.

However, if Zu An appeared as Jian Yan'ou, he could take control of the army and use this identity to investigate the entire matter.

After all, Jian Yan'ou was killed by Jian Taiding. If Jian Taiding saw his supposedly dead brother reappear, he would likely be terrified out of his wits.

As the saying goes, mistakes are easily made in chaos. Zu An would just wait for Jian Taiding to reveal a weakness.

"But many people in the Duke's mansion are familiar with Jian Yan'ou. And there's a lot about his affairs, habits, and so on that I don't know. Even if I look the same, I'll be exposed before long, won't I?" Zu An said with some concern.

"That is indeed a problem," Yu Yanluo pondered for a moment. "In that case, you can pretend to have suffered a severe injury and amnesia. That would explain many things."

"Amnesia?" Zu An's expression was strange. He thought to himself that drama tropes really were useful, and he was surprised she had figured it out on her own.

"Yes. As for Yan'ou's daily habits, I can teach you." Yu Yanluo's starry eyes gleamed, no longer as placid as before. She seemed to have found something interesting.

"You know his habits well?" Zu An couldn't help but ask. He had previously heard her mention that the two of them didn't usually live together.

As if seeing through his thoughts, Yu Yanluo chuckled, "He is my husband, after all. Even if it's an act, we need outsiders to believe it, so of course, I need to know some details."

After saying this, she paused, wondering why she felt the need to explain the true nature of her and her husband's relationship to him.

Zu An, however, was incredibly surprised. "So, you and the Duke are indeed a couple in name only?"

Although he had suspected it before, this was the first time it had been confirmed.

Seeing that the topic was now open, Yu Yanluo no longer concealed it. She said with a sigh, "That's right. Because of my appearance, I attracted many... many persistent admirers. To avoid trouble, I simply decided to marry someone. This person had to have sufficient status and position to ward off those... those rivals' harassment. At the same time, he had to live not far from the Yu family, and most importantly, his character had to be good. Otherwise, if he used his husband's name to turn a fake marriage into a real one, I would be very vulnerable."

"Individually, none of these conditions were difficult, but very few people met all of them combined. In the end, I chose Yan'ou, and he has perfectly fulfilled his promises to me over the years."

"Actually, he is one of my few good friends. It was one thing not to know before, but now that I know he was murdered, I naturally must help clear his name."

"So, the Duke of Cloud Commandery never... never pursued you further all these years?" Zu An asked, incredulous.

Yu Yanluo gave him an annoyed glance. "He is a true gentleman. Do you think he's like you?"

Zu An secretly grumbled to himself. The Duke of Cloud Commandery was truly an oddity. To have such a stunning wife and actually stick to the agreement, not crossing the line even slightly — was that even humanly possible?

"Come here for special training these next few days," Yu Yanluo continued. "I'll tell you about the intricate details of the Duke's mansion, so you can successfully deceive those who served Yan'ou."

"But it's a bit inconvenient during the day. The diplomatic mission's lodge is currently surrounded by the Governor's mansion's troops, and I slipped out secretly. I'm publicly reported to be in seclusion, recovering from severe injuries. If my current situation were known, it would likely cause a huge uproar," Zu An said, his head aching.

Yu Yanluo then realized, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten. You were so energetic when we fought just now; you didn't look injured at all! Remember, Jian Taiding is a Grandmaster, and he's so injured he can't even leave his house!"

The more she spoke, the more alarmed she became, her alluring red lips remaining agape for a long time.

"Actually, I am injured as well. I was just enduring it when we fought," Zu An said modestly.

Yu Yanluo was speechless.

"You defeated me while injured? Are you insulting my cultivation or my intelligence?"

Zu An gave an embarrassed smile. "That's not what I meant. I do still have injuries; it's just that my recovery ability is strong, and my body is quite robust."

"Your body is indeed quite tough." Yu Yanluo agreed with this. In the painted world just now, she was a god-like entity, yet the monsters she created were directly smashed by his fists, and he endured such terrifying tsunamis. His physical strength seemed to be beyond human limits.

However, as soon as the words left her mouth, her cheeks flushed. She immediately realized the sentence carried a hint of ambiguity and flirtation, which was highly improper.

She secretly glanced at Zu An, seeing his clear eyes and normal expression, seemingly oblivious. Only then did she secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

She cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject. "So, when is a good time for you to come over?"

"Daytime probably won't work, too conspicuous. Let's do it at night," Zu An replied after some thought.

"At night?" Yu Yanluo's expression instantly became odd.

Zu An also realized the impropriety and awkwardly explained, "I didn't mean anything else."

"I know you didn't mean anything else," Yu Yanluo smiled gently. "How about this: it's not convenient for you to return to the lodge right now anyway, and everyone else believes you're in seclusion. So, why don't you just stay here? We can make the most of our time for training, and that way, you can return to the Duke's mansion to stabilize the situation more quickly."

"Stay with you?" Zu An's face flushed. "That might not be very convenient."

"I'm a woman and I'm not afraid; what are you, a grown man, afraid of?" Yu Yanluo frowned slightly, but quickly realized something and looked at him with a strange gaze. "You don't think I'm asking you to stay in *this* room, do you?"

"Uh..." Zu An then realized he had misunderstood.

Seeing his expression, Yu Yanluo couldn't help but scoff. "You certainly have a vivid imagination! There's a room next door; you'll stay there. People from the mansion don't usually go to that area, so your presence won't be revealed."

Zu An chuckled awkwardly. However, if he stayed here continuously, there would be some trouble with the lodge. What if Da Manman came looking for him?

"What's wrong? Is there something else on your mind?" Yu Yanluo noticed his troubled look and asked curiously.

"Nothing. Thank you for your trouble, Lady." Zu An thought to himself that he would find time to speak with Da Manman another day; it shouldn't be a big problem.

Yu Yanluo nodded. "Let me show you to the room first."

With that, she stood up and went to a wall, turning a hidden button. A hidden door slowly opened.

Zu An was startled. "They're connected?"

Yu Yanluo hummed in affirmation. "Actually, the adjacent room is also one of my bedrooms. For convenience, they're connected, but you won't be able to open this door from your side."

Zu An looked annoyed. "You make it sound like I'd sneak over in the middle of the night."

Yu Yanluo looked at him calmly with her clear eyes. "Weren't you just doing that today?"

Zu An was speechless.

He couldn't help but gaze at her eyes for a few more moments. Yu Yanluo's eyes were as enchanting as jewels and as profound as the starry sky. However, what impressed him more was the beautiful yet eerie glow that emanated from her eyes when they were fighting for their lives moments ago.

At that moment, he had indeed sensed the taste of death.

What exactly was that?

Some kind of ocular technique?

In his previous life, having watched things like Naruto, he was no stranger to ocular techniques.

However, this was clearly her trump card, and he wouldn't press her for details.

At this point, Yu Yanluo gestured to the room and said, "Because I sometimes stay here too, all the furnishings are complete. If you find anything missing, let me know. There are many eyes and ears in the Yu family, so to prevent any leaks, I'll have a maid bring it to my room, and then I'll give it to you."

Zu An waved his hand nonchalantly. "No need. A bed will be fine. I'm very easy to please."

Yu Yanluo hummed in acknowledgment. "Then you should rest first. I'll draw portraits of people close to Yan'ou in the Duke's mansion, so you don't fail to recognize them when you see them."

"That seems like too much trouble; that's a huge amount of work," Zu An said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Yu Yanluo smiled faintly. "It would indeed be a lot of work for an ordinary person, but my painting has reached the Dao. It's not that difficult for me. It's quite late now, so you should rest. I'll go to sleep after I finish drawing."

After they said their goodbyes, she closed the hidden door in the wall. Zu An lay on the bed, his thoughts swirling. He still didn't know if Yu Xuantao was truly killed by her.

However, judging from their recent interaction, this trip had been fruitful. At the very least, she wasn't the master villain he had imagined.

Moreover, with her help, dealing with Jian Taiding would be much easier.

But the headache was that the Emperor's mission this time was to deal with the Yu family...

"Hold on," he thought. "The Emperor will be my enemy sooner or later. If he wants to target the Yu family, and I secretly protect them, isn't that perfectly reasonable?"

With that thought, his mood immediately brightened. Suddenly, a unique scent, neither like orchid nor musk, wafted from the quilt.

He immediately remembered Yu Yanluo mentioning that she often slept here as well. The scent in the quilt was hers.

Such a distinct fragrance remained after all this time.

Could she have been marinated in cosmetics?

Yet, he had smelled many expensive powders and rouges at Rouge & Blossom recently, and none smelled as good as this.

Just then, the hidden door in the wall suddenly opened. Yu Yanluo, no longer her usual calm self, darted forward and snatched the quilt off him.

"This quilt is old. I'll have a maid bring a new one. Please wait a moment," she said before turning and hurrying away.

Although her tone was feigned calm, the faint blush on her neck betrayed her.