Chapter 1493: 阻拦

The young Demon Empress was startled, not expecting such an unsparing response from the other party. She couldn't help but feel a touch of self-mockery. Despite being the dignified empress of the demon race, it seemed her standing had vanished with the Demon Emperor's death. This thought, of course, was fleeting. She quickly grasped the reality of her situation and disregarded any fleeting notions of imperial dignity, as she was, after all, seeking a favor. Moreover, the willingness to meet her, thanks to Zu'an's influence, was a promising start.

Zu'an's influence truly was significant. The mermaid princess's words were clearly intended to make her indebted to Zu'an. What was his relationship with this mermaid princess that she would go to such lengths for him?

The young Demon Empress quickly composed herself and began to explain the purpose of her visit to Shang Liuyu. Before Shang Liuyu could refuse, she proactively offered a set of generous terms. Shang Liuyu, as expected, did not immediately refuse. Instead, she feigned difficulty, using the opportunity to demand even greater concessions for the Sea Tribe. The young Demon Empress, naturally, was no pushover and would not simply concede.

Zu'an watched, dumbfounded. The two seemingly delicate young women engaged in such a fierce verbal battle, their direct and sharp rhetoric astonishing him. They even put forth conditions that the other party would surely reject. He had expected one side to become angry and storm off, yet to his surprise, they slowly negotiated, and it seemed a deal was taking shape.

Chiwen, watching nearby, seemed eager to participate, his gaze constantly sweeping over the young Demon Empress's peerless beauty and figure. Finally, he couldn't help but interject, "I want to add a condition too. I want..."

Before he could finish, Shang Liuyu shot him a fierce glare: "Get lost!"

"Oh!" Chiwen slunk away to a corner, resuming his role as an inconspicuous observer. He had feared this aunt since childhood; despite her breathtaking beauty, she had always genuinely beaten him, leaving him with deep psychological scars.

Witnessing this, Yu Yanluo felt a pang of worry. It seemed none of the women close to Zu'an were easy to handle. What would happen if they couldn't get along in the future? Perhaps then she could enlist Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue as allies. Having faced life and death together in the Unknown Land, they had already forged a deep friendship. If Shang Liuyu were to leverage the Sea Tribe's influence, Yu Yanluo would lean towards seeking Yan Xuehen's help, given Yun Jianyue's intense aura of killing intent. Given their bond from their journey together, Yan Xuehen would surely assist her, wouldn't she?

At last, Shang Liuyu and the young Demon Empress concluded their negotiations. The young Demon Empress promised the Sea Tribe a variety of generous terms in exchange for their support for the little prince's ascension to the throne.

Shang Liuyu was very pleased, having secured rights that the Sea Tribe would otherwise never have obtained. The young Demon Empress was equally satisfied. While the Sea Tribe's current influence within the royal court might not be immense, their overall strength within the demon race was considerable. Securing their support would eliminate many future complications.

As for the extensive concessions, they were somewhat of a blank check. After all, her son hadn't yet ascended the throne, and these assets weren't truly theirs. Was public money even considered real money? Should he successfully ascend to the throne, she would deem such a price entirely worthwhile.

To demonstrate her sincerity, Shang Liuyu then instructed Chiwen to rally the Sea Tribe's forces stationed in the royal court to assist the young Demon Empress shortly. Shang Liuyu herself would not appear. Firstly, she was by nature reclusive and disliked involvement in such affairs. Secondly, it served as a double safeguard. Should the young prince's faction fail tonight, she could emerge and shift all blame onto Chiwen. After all, Chiwen was notoriously dissolute, and such actions would not be surprising from him, thus ensuring that other princes, upon ascending, would not hold the Sea Tribe accountable. Unaware that he was being set up as a scapegoat, Chiwen eagerly hurried off to gather the forces upon learning he was to assist the young Demon Empress.

Zu'an then led the young Demon Empress and Yu Yanluo toward the demon encampment. With Princess Solon acting as an intermediary, they successfully met with the demon faction's representative at the royal court. Much like her previous encounter with the Sea Tribe, the young Demon Empress engaged in extensive negotiations with the demon representatives. Evidently, the demons were reluctant to meddle in this affair and did not favor the young prince's ascension. However, they simply couldn't resist the sheer generosity of the young Demon Empress's offers... Ultimately, she made significant concessions to the demons, successfully persuading them to join their cause.

Similar to the Sea Tribe, they merely allowed Princess Solon to bring a few subordinates with them. This ensured that if anything went awry, the blame could be attributed to Princess Solon, citing her close personal ties with Zu'an and presenting it as her private undertaking, entirely unconnected to the demon race. The young Demon Empress silently cursed them as sly old foxes, yet understood that achieving this level of cooperation under the current circumstances was already a favorable outcome.

As they exited the demon embassy, the young Demon Empress cast a smiling, alluring glance at him. "Do you have any more 'dear sisters'?" she teased. "Perhaps we should make another trip?"

Zu'an's face darkened. "What are you talking about?" he retorted. "Where would I find so many 'dear ones'?"

"I'm not teasing you," the young Demon Empress replied, "I'm genuinely asking. I've noticed that any faction with a woman close to you tends to be remarkably cooperative." As she spoke, she cast a glance at Yu Yanluo. Yu Yanluo wondered why the glance was directed at her.

The young Demon Empress smiled faintly. "Sister Yu," she began, "due to the urgency, there were things I couldn't say earlier. Thank you for your support this time. Should our plans succeed, I will personally ensure the restoration of the Snake Tribe's past glory." The Snake Tribe had once been a powerful and prominent clan among the demons. Regrettably, after the previous Medusa Queen vanished, the entire tribe fell into decline.

Yu Yanluo's eyes brightened. Despite recognizing it as a tactic to win her over, she couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness. It was well known that the Snake Tribe's current influence within the royal family was negligible, with her own contribution being the only significant aid. Such a promise from the Demon Empress was extraordinarily generous. Even knowing this gesture was primarily intended to curry favor with Zu'an, she still expressed her heartfelt gratitude.

The two women instantly became more familiar, even linking arms and chatting with smiles like old friends. Zu'an privately mused that women's friendships, appearing so suddenly, might also vanish just as quickly.

Next, they proceeded to rendezvous with their various allied factions. The Elf King had also organized his forces, though the detachment was led by Qiao Xueying and Qiao Heng, who had a connection with Zu'an. The Grand Elf King himself did not make a public appearance. It was clear that after internal discussions, the entire Elf Elder Council deemed such a direct risk unacceptable, echoing the cautious stance of the Sea and Demon Tribes, and thus adopted a similar strategy.

The young Demon Empress couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment at the Grand Elf King's absence. At such a critical juncture, one additional high-level combatant could potentially tip the scales of victory. Noticing her concern, Zu'an reassured her, "Don't worry, I'm here."

The young Demon Empress offered a strained smile. While she found his confident tone peculiar, she knew he was merely at the Grandmaster level, which likely wouldn't be enough to sway the overall situation.

Following this, forces from the young Demon Empress's maternal Xiao clan arrived. Combined with the demon and sea tribes, and the segment of the Golden Crow Guards led by Lei Xin and Wu Cheng, they formed a formidable procession, heading directly towards the imperial palace. In any dynasty, the imperial palace held immense symbolic and political significance; gaining control of it was tantamount to achieving half the victory. Furthermore, the young Demon Empress's status as empress offered numerous legitimate opportunities for action.

The large contingent advanced impressively to the palace gates, where they were quickly halted by soldiers. The imperial palace was the Crown Prince's domain; how could he allow others to interfere?

The young Demon Empress stepped forward. "Even I am not permitted to return to the imperial palace?" she demanded.

"The Crown Prince has issued an order: no unauthorized personnel are permitted to enter the palace," a soldier recited mechanically.

"What Crown Prince?" a booming voice interjected. "He should be addressed as His Majesty now."

Zu'an frowned; the voice sounded somewhat familiar. Soon, a burly figure appeared atop the wall, accompanied by several familiar faces: the Lion Tribe princes, Shi Min, Shi Gong, and Shi Rong. The man leading them was, of course, the Lion King, Shi Zhentian. Concurrently, a large contingent of Lion Tribe warriors emerged on the battlements, nocking arrows to their bows and aiming them at the Golden Crow Guards below.

The young Demon Empress's expression shifted. "Shi Zhentian," she declared, "are you instigating a rebellion?"

"It is *you* who are rebelling now!" Shi Zhentian sneered. "The new Demon Emperor has appointed me to oversee the palace defenses. Are you bringing this many people to commit treason?" Behind him, princes like Shi Min cast chilling, triumphant glances at Zu'an, clearly thinking, *Winning first isn't winning; we'll be the ones who laugh last. Just wait and see how we deal with you later!*