Chapter 1089: For the Lord, Share the Burden

Bi Linglong calmly replied, "I am indeed a little worried about Master Zu."

"Oh?" Emperor Taishi didn't expect her to admit it directly and was momentarily surprised. "Why?"

"After these major events, Master Zu has become the face of the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace. At least to outsiders, he represents the Eastern Palace to a certain extent," Bi Linglong explained. Although she felt nervous, she possessed enough political acumen to understand that excessive circumspection would be useless; it was better to admit it frankly. "Therefore, if anything were to happen to him, the Crown Prince would lose a key general, and the prestige of the Eastern Palace would suffer a significant blow."

"Of course, besides Master Zu, I am also concerned about the situation of the imperial envoy delegation. Prince Qi's faction is pressing hard, and we have nowhere left to retreat," Bi Linglong said, clenching her fists, her expression somewhat cold. "If I'm not mistaken, Father Emperor sending Master Sang to Yunzhong Commandery this time is likely to uproot the Yu family, thus clipping Prince Qi's wings. So, naturally, I hope no accidents befall the imperial envoy delegation."

Emperor Taishi raised an eyebrow, and a hint of a smile appeared on his cold face. "Excellent, excellent. It proves I made the right choice in selecting you as Crown Princess. With your wisdom as a capable assistant, there's no need to worry about the future of our great endeavor."

"All of this is thanks to Father Emperor's protection and guidance," Bi Linglong said with a slight smile, bowing respectfully. Her heart, however, was cold. Had she not seen his true colors in the secret realm, she might have been overwhelmed with gratitude at this moment.

The thought that her father-in-law had always lusted after her made her feel a wave of revulsion.

No, "lusted after" wasn't quite right. As the Emperor, he didn't need to lust; he was simply arranging something that couldn't be disobeyed.

But the more she considered it, the more disgusted she felt.

Normally, many women in the realm admired a powerful figure like the Emperor.

Given Bi Linglong's disposition, had he taken her as a concubine back then, she might not have felt such strong aversion.

For the sake of her family and her lifelong ambitions, she might even have wholeheartedly offered him counsel.

However, the thought that he was planning to possess his own son and seize his daughter-in-law filled her with immense nausea.

Emperor Taishi was unaware of the deep aversion the smiling Crown Princess harbored for him. Hearing her humility and gratitude for his protection, he grew even more pleased. "Linglong, there's no need to worry. The situation in Yunzhong Commandery should stabilize very soon."

"As for that boy, Zu An, I personally bestowed the imperial decree upon him this time. Since he successfully employed it, no matter how powerful the enemy, I have settled it for him. Naturally, there's no need to worry."

Hearing that Zu An was safe, Bi Linglong felt a surge of joy, though her words were full of praise: "Father Emperor is indeed wise and mighty..."

Although Emperor Taishi was immune to the flattery of his officials, who could resist the soft praises of a charming daughter-in-law? He was greatly pleased, and with the situation in Yunzhong Commandery settled, he happily bestowed numerous gifts upon the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

Bi Linglong thanked him and departed.

The palace walls were not impenetrable, and news soon reached Kunning Palace.

"The Crown Princess left the Imperial Study with a joyful expression..." Eunuch Lu, hunched over, reported the information he had gathered to the Empress.

The mature and voluptuous Empress lay on her side on the couch, her exaggeratedly full curves becoming even more prominent due to the pose.

Eunuch Lu glanced at her, unable to help but feel envious of that boy, Zu An.

What joy and pleasure it must be to gallop across such fertile ground.

Noticing his greedy gaze, the Empress said nothing, but inwardly, she felt quite pleased. Her favorite thing was to fully display her feminine charm in front of this man. Every time she saw his frustration at seeing but not being able to touch, she felt an extraordinary sense of delight.

"Zu An is that brat's favorite, and she looks delighted, so it seems there's good news from Yunzhong Commandery," the Empress said, her eyes showing a hint of eagerness.

Eunuch Lu naturally understood her reasons. Although he felt a pang of bitterness, he didn't show it. "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Once that young man returns, Your Majesty can ask him to treat your injuries again."

The Empress gave him a half-smile. "Are you truly congratulating me, or are you feeling jealous?"

Eunuch Lu respectfully replied, "Naturally, I am truly congratulating you. This old servant is incompetent and cannot relieve Your Majesty's worries. Since Master Zu is so capable, I am naturally happy for Your Majesty."

"Hmph, you're no man," the Empress scoffed, though a look of reminiscence appeared on her face. "But you're right, Master Zu is indeed very capable. This empress almost misses him."

Hearing the Empress emphasize certain words, Eunuch Lu felt a bitter pang in his heart, thinking that Zu An must have accumulated immense good fortune from his ancestors to have such luck.

The Empress intentionally provoked him for a bit, but seeing his lack of reaction, she found it somewhat uninteresting and changed the subject. "By the way, how are the preparations for the matters I asked you to arrange?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the temple has been contacted, and everything is arranged. A secluded room has been specifically prepared within the temple where, as long as the stay isn't too long, it won't arouse suspicion. Furthermore, the external palace has also been cleaned and prepared; at night, as long as we evade the guards, there won't be a significant issue," Eunuch Lu said, lowering his head.

"You! Am I really someone so indulged in carnal desires that I need a secluded room specially in a temple?" the Empress chided him. Her main concern was that incense offerings would take place during the day, with numerous palace maids and guards accompanying her, making it too easy to be exposed.

Eunuch Lu explained, "While it would be somewhat risky, that kind of situation would actually create a greater sense of excitement. I observe that Master Zu appears refined and quiet on the surface, but deep down, he has an adventurous spirit. Didn't we have trouble getting him to come before? If this were offered as an enticement, he might just be tempted."

"Am I the kind of woman who can't be sent out, needing to resort to such illicit methods?" the Empress said, momentarily displeased. However, upon reflection, the idea of a passionate encounter in broad daylight, with a crowd of palace maids and guards waiting outside, rushing against time, seemed rather... interesting?

Thinking this, she gave a light cough. "Is the secluded room you found reliable? Are the people in the temple aware of anything?"

Seeing that she was indeed tempted, Eunuch Lu showed a hint of satisfaction. "Your Majesty, aren't you confident in this servant's arrangements? That secluded room is absolutely safe. The temple only believes it was set up by a wealthy patron and would never suspect any connection to the palace."

"That's good then," the Empress nodded with satisfaction, while looking at him with a peculiar expression. "Little Lu, where did you learn all these things? You're just an eunuch, yet you know quite a lot."

Eunuch Lu wore a fawning smile. "As long as Your Majesty is well, this servant is well."

The Empress scoffed. "Go and make the arrangements. These days, I can go out and stay a few times. I'll just wait for Master Zu to return."

"Yes!" Eunuch Lu lowered his head, his heart greatly conflicted. On one hand, he didn't want Zu An to return so soon, but on the other, he harbored a secret anticipation.

***

Meanwhile, in the ice cavern of the Great Snow Mountain, Zu An was focused on embracing Yu Yanluo to heal her injuries.

He found it a little strange. Could the backlash from the destruction of the Changxin Palace Lantern be this severe after she had just drawn it?

Her internal state was chaotic. If she hadn't encountered him, who could heal her with the Primordial Chaos Scripture, her condition would likely take years to recover from, and she would probably suffer lasting complications.

Also, what happened when her hair suddenly came loose and her entire body seemed to surge just now?

Uncle Ming could clearly have interrupted his chant earlier, but he seemed to freeze for some reason?

And he seemed to say, "You are..." What exactly did he want to say?

As he pondered, Yu Yanluo suddenly let out a soft moan and slowly regained consciousness.

Clearly, his desperate qi healing over this short period had taken effect.

As soon as Yu Yanluo awoke, she found herself held in a man's embrace and her expression immediately changed dramatically.

Just as she was about to struggle, a voice whispered in her ear: "Don't move around. Your injuries are very severe, and I don't want my efforts to be in vain."

Recognizing Zu An's voice, Yu Yanluo's tensed body instantly relaxed, and her cheeks flushed. "Thank you. You've saved me again."

"I also owe you thanks for your help just now," Zu An chuckled.

Yu Yanluo was now gradually regaining full consciousness. She quickly examined herself internally and realized her injuries were indeed severe.

It seemed that activating that technique earlier out of necessity had indeed been too strenuous.

She felt increasingly grateful for his timely rescue, but she couldn't help but whisper, "Why are you holding me in this position?"

Zu An replied, "Mainly, your injuries were too severe at the time, and the cold here is also very unusual. If I let you sit on the ground, the cold qi could easily enter your body, causing chronic illnesses that would be difficult to cure for life. That's why I resorted to this..."

After explaining, he couldn't help but smile faintly. "Is Madam feeling shy?"

Yu Yanluo turned her face away, not answering him.

Zu An said, "Our contact in the cold pool just now was more intimate than this. I imagine this should be fine."

Yu Yanluo let out a soft huff. "Your explanation is worse than no explanation at all!"