Chapter 1360: Inducement

However, Zu'an didn't show it. Instead, he said, "Your Highness overestimates me. The Demon Emperor is one of the top two most powerful individuals in the world. If he wants to pass the throne to the Golden Crow Crown Prince, how could I possibly stop him?"

Seeing that his tone was no longer as resolute as before, the Little Demon Empress's face showed a hint of a smile: "You've misunderstood. I'm not asking you to stop the Demon Emperor; no one in the world has that much power. I'm asking you to stop the Golden Crow Crown Prince?"

Zu'an frowned, "Is there a difference?"

"Of course there's a difference," the Little Demon Empress straightened her posture, pointing in another direction. "The so-called succession ceremony actually requires the Golden Crow Crown Prince to first enter the Ancestral Imperial Mausoleum to gain recognition from the heroic spirits of past Demon Emperors. Only then will the Demon Emperor bestow his power upon him. During this period, the Demon Emperor will not be present. So, you only need to prevent the Golden Crow Crown Prince from gaining the recognition of the past Demon Emperors in the mausoleum, and that will be enough."

Zu'an secretly marveled. Even though this woman was married and had children, her fingers were still slender like a maiden's, resembling scallions. He wondered how she managed it.

However, he was not enchanted by her beauty; instead, he remained very rational: "Although the current Demon Emperor won't be there, aren't there the heroic spirits of previous Demon Emperors? Isn't that still a death wish?"

The Little Demon Empress shook her head: "It's not what you think. The so-called heroic spirits of the demon race are just a saying. How could they still be alive now, not even in a soul state?"

Zu'an thought to himself, "I've seen one that lived this long."

Seeing him ponder, the Little Demon Empress continued to persuade him: "According to my investigations over the years, this so-called recognition from past Demon Emperors is merely a formality. Historically, apart from one failure, there has never been a case of non-recognition. And just think, if the heroic spirits of past Demon Emperors were truly still present, how could the demon race have been driven to this desolate, barren land by humans back then?"

Zu'an considered it and agreed: "What happened to that one poor fellow who failed?"

"He was actually a victim of a failed struggle for the throne, replaced under the pretext that the heroic spirits of past Demon Emperors did not acknowledge him," the Little Demon Empress explained. "It's precisely because of this precedent that I dare to ask you to stop the Golden Crow Crown Prince; otherwise, would I be crazy?"

"What do you mean by 'stop'?" Zu'an asked in a deep voice.

"The best outcome, of course, would be to kill him inside," Noticing the change in Zu'an's expression, the Little Demon Empress smiled charmingly. "Don't worry, how could I bear to put you in a deadly situation? At that time, you won't need to kill him; just make him look disheveled and battered. Of course, it would be best to inflict some noticeable injuries on him, so I can use that as an excuse to claim he hasn't received the recognition of past Demon Emperors."

Zu'an thought to himself that this woman was indeed clever. At that point, no matter how the Golden Crow Crown Prince tried to explain, it would be useless. After all, everyone would see him enter perfectly fine and emerge in a terrible state, proving that the heroic spirits of past Demon Emperors had not recognized or protected him.

"You've been the Demon Empress for so many years; you must have your own loyal followers, and certainly no shortage of experts under your command. Why seek me?" He definitely intended to use this opportunity to enter due to the matter of the Unknown Land, but he also needed to clarify many things to avoid being exploited and left counting money for her.

"I do have people, but the various major forces in the royal court are aware of them, and the Demon Emperor knows about them more or less. If I send them, no matter what happens afterward, the Demon Emperor will surely know I was behind it. Subsequently, not only would it be impossible to overthrow the Crown Prince, but I myself might also be in danger." The Little Demon Empress's long, enchanting eyes gazed at Zu'an wetly. "But you are different. On the surface, you have no connection to me and do not belong to any faction within the royal court. At that time, it will be easier for people to believe it was the will of heaven."

Then she added: "Moreover, the Golden Crow Crown Prince is extremely talented. Not to mention the younger generation, even among the previous generation, very few could match him. To deal with such a top expert in the imperial mausoleum, there is probably no one else but you."

"Your Highness, please don't flatter me," Zu'an snorted. "The imperial mausoleum is heavily guarded, and various killing formations are hidden there. I have no desire to walk to my death."

"You don't need to worry about that." The Little Demon Empress handed him a token. "Holding this item, the killing formations along the mausoleum path will not activate against you, and even if you encounter guards, you will pass unimpeded."

Then she took out several sets of uniforms from under the stool: "Of course, just in case, you can wear these Golden Crow Guard uniforms. These are worn by the Demon Emperor's most personal and trusted guards. Combining these two, no one will stop you."

Zu'an was speechless.

"You've prepared all this, as if you're certain I'll agree to your request?"

The Little Demon Empress's lips curved slightly upward: "That night, I heard your passionate moments all night long. If you want to live happily ever after with Princess Xue and protect the Medusa Queen, it makes no sense for you to let the Golden Crow Crown Prince ascend to power, unless you are a faithless and ungrateful man."

She paused, then leaned closer to Zu'an, scrutinizing him with a half-smile: "Are you?"

At such close proximity, the Little Demon Empress's flawless, delicate face was entirely visible, exuding a captivating beauty. He could even clearly smell her natural body fragrance. However, Zu'an remained unfazed: "Put away these seductive tricks. If you truly want to ensnare me, I'm not interested in such petty ploys."

The Little Demon Empress smiled faintly: "Of course, I know you're the type who would dare to push a future Crown Princess beneath you on the dragon bed and ravage her without restraint—your audacity is astonishing. How about this: after everything is done, the little prince will still be young, and I'll need help to control the overall situation. You, along with your elf and snake tribes, would be the best candidates. Perhaps I might even let you become the little prince's Regent-Father."

The term 'Regent-Father' carried a somewhat ambiguous and unclear meaning. For instance, Lü Buwei was Ying Zheng's Regent-Father, Zhang Juzheng was involved with Wanli, and Dorgon with Fulin. It often involved a young empress dowager and a powerful minister collaborating to stabilize the young emperor's position, and between the empress dowager and such ministers, various scandalous rumors often arose.

Zu'an thought to himself that this woman was truly a siren, and although he knew she was speaking falsehoods, any man would inevitably feel his heart quicken.

"Don't write bad checks. I'll take these things for now and give them proper consideration back home." Zu'an put away the token and the Golden Crow Guard uniforms.

The Little Demon Empress's expression subtly changed: "This matter is extremely important. If you take the items without giving me an answer, what am I supposed to do next?"

Zu'an gave her a faint look: "Do you have any other candidates?"

The Little Demon Empress's expression flickered. This matter had been her long-standing plan. She did have a few other candidates, but in terms of both cultivation and intelligence, they were far inferior to the man before her, making failure highly probable. In that case, it would be better to do nothing at all to avoid bringing trouble upon herself.

Understanding all this, she felt relieved: "You're right. I believe you'll make that choice. We are natural allies."

Zu'an was noncommittal and simply took his leave.

After he left, the maid from before came to the side of the carriage: "Your Highness, you just let him go like that?"

Watching Zu'an's retreating figure, a charming smile appeared on the Little Demon Empress's face: "Don't worry, I trust him."

Meanwhile, Zu'an put his mask back on and returned to the square. He found an opportunity to finally make contact with Xue'er. They communicated their situations over the past few days, and upon learning that the other was safe, both felt relieved.

With many eyes around, they couldn't converse much. After sharing their feelings, they temporarily parted ways.

Returning to the Snake Clan's position, Yun Jianyue frowned: "Where did you just run off to? Hmm, there's a provocative scent on you. Did you go somewhere to have a secret rendezvous again?"

Yan Xuehen also looked at him expressionlessly.

Zu'an was speechless.

Yu Yanluo, however, chuckled softly: "I actually think this scent is quite pleasant and very unique. I seem to have smelled it somewhere before..."

At this, the three women simultaneously realized: "The Little Demon Empress!"

After all, the Little Demon Empress's fragrant carriage had passed by them outside the city gates back then.

Zu'an hurriedly gestured for them to quiet down: "Are you trying to get me killed!"

Only then did he briefly recount what had just happened.

Upon learning that it wasn't a secret rendezvous as they had imagined, the expressions of the three women softened considerably. Yun Jianyue even said, "What are you hesitating for? This is a great opportunity; go for it!"