Chapter 573: Young Noblewoman

Zu An frowned. He felt that while the woman was beautiful, she was too cold.

This coldness was different from Chu Chuyan's aloofness. Chu Chuyan was naturally ethereal and serene, and her cultivation of the "Snowflake Divine Sword" made her seem like an ice queen.

However, the coldness of the woman before him was an air of condescending indifference. Although she didn't look old, her demeanor exuded a maturity and authority that belied her age.

No wonder the plump man next to him, who had just been cheerful and lively, now looked like a mouse seeing a cat.

Zu An was no fool; he immediately understood that she must be the Crown Princess.

The beautiful woman glanced at both of them. Zhao Ruizhi immediately sprang up from his seat as if his butt was on fire, standing at attention like a good child.

She frowned when she saw Zu An still leisurely eating fruit while seated.

Noticing her expression, a maid nearby immediately understood and stepped forward to scold, "How dare you! Who do you think you are, sitting in the Crown Prince's seat?"

Zu An thought to himself that this Crown Princess was truly arrogant. She even felt that speaking to him would demean her, so she sent her maid to play the villain.

He cast a sidelong glance at the maid. "Your Crown Prince told me to sit here. Do I need to ask your permission? And who are *you*?"

"You!" The maid trembled with rage.

Rage value from Rong Mo +999!

As the Crown Princess's personal maid, she was accustomed to being flattered everywhere she went. She had never encountered anyone who dared to directly insult her like this. For a moment, she couldn't react, which only made her angrier.

Zu An secretly mused, "Rong Mo? Why not Rong Momo?" Her sharp tongue suggested she wasn't easy to get along with.

The Crown Princess beside him gave him an unexpected glance, surprised by his audaciousness.

Rage value from Bi Linglong +258!

Zu An also looked at her. Her name was pleasant, but she was a bit fierce.

Feeling his direct gaze, the Crown Princess grew even more displeased and let out a snort.

As the Crown Princess, men typically bowed their heads and dared not look at her in her presence.

Even important court officials would avoid looking at her too much to prevent suspicion, yet this fellow was brazenly staring.

Rage value from Bi Linglong +479!

At this point, Zhao Ruizhi timidly said, "Xiao Mo, I really did tell him to sit here."

The maid was about to speak again, but the Crown Princess stopped her. It was pointless for this foolish girl to challenge him in the Crown Prince's name when the other party was also using the Crown Prince's name.

She turned her head directly to the disheveled eunuchs nearby and asked in a low voice, "What are you doing here?"

Little Xu and Little He tremblingly replied, "Replying to Your Highness, we were imitating frogs."

Bi Linglong: "..."

Knowing her husband's character, she found such bizarre behavior to be par for the course. So, she rephrased her question: "What happened here just now, and who is this person?"

Zu An narrowed his eyes. This Crown Princess was much smarter than her maid; it seemed she intended to find another reason to punish him.

Little Xu and Little He quickly gave a rough description of what had just happened. They dared not offend the Crown Princess, nor did they wish to displease the Crown Prince, so their account was impartial, merely stating the facts of the recent events.

To their surprise, Bi Linglong became furious upon hearing their account. "Communicating with frogs? That's preposterous! Guards, give this scoundrel who misled the Crown Prince twenty slaps to the face as a warning to others. From now on, anyone who dares to use such bizarre and seductive tricks to bewitch the Crown Prince will be severely punished!"

"Yes!" Following her command, several eunuchs behind her grinned sinisterly and approached Zu An.

Zhao Ruizhi opened his mouth several times, but seeing the Crown Princess's sharp gaze, he guiltily swallowed his plea.

Zu An cursed him silently, calling him a henpecked husband. Of course, he wouldn't let these eunuchs strike him, so he immediately retorted, "Wait!"

Bi Linglong gave him a cold glance, showing no intention of replying.

Zu An felt frustrated. Normally, shouldn't she ask, "What more do you have to say?"

With no other choice, he said, "I am a friend invited by the Crown Prince. If you don't believe me, you can confirm it with him." As he spoke, he nudged the plump man beside him with his elbow.

The nearby Zhao Ruizhi seemed to wake from a dream and then said, "Linglong, he really is my friend, and he hasn't deceived me. I even want to invite him to be my teacher to show me how to talk to frogs. It's much more interesting than what the Grand Tutor and Junior Tutors teach."

"He even enticed you to become his disciple?" Bi Linglong's expression grew even colder. "Truly audacious! Guards, forget the slaps; drag him out and give him a hundred heavy rod blows."

Rage value from Bi Linglong +581!

Seeing this, the eunuchs quickly accelerated their pace and lunged towards him.

Zu An turned and gave them a cold stare. The eunuchs felt a chill run through them, as if they had seen something terrifying, and dared not take another step forward.

Even the Crown Princess and her maid involuntarily flinched.

Why were this man's eyes so terrifying?

They had no idea that Zu An had fought on the brink of life and death countless times, had been an emperor in the Yin Ruins Secret Realm for decades, and constantly carried the Sword of Authority. His entire demeanor was incredibly unique; ordinary people would feel pressure and fear in his presence, though he usually deliberately concealed this aura.

Now, seeing how ruthless this Crown Princess was, he had no reason to be polite.

How could an ordinary person survive a hundred rod blows? Even a cultivator would be severely injured, as those delivering the blows would also be cultivators.

Zu An then coldly stated, "The Crown Prince is already an adult. Does he not even have the right to choose his friends or decide what he wants to learn? As his wife, aren't you overstepping your bounds? One might think *you* are the Crown Prince and he's just a son-in-law who married into your family."

Bi Linglong's expression shifted slightly. How could she possibly agree to such a treacherous statement? If it reached the ears of those with ill intentions, it would be a huge problem. She quickly bowed slightly to Zhao Ruizhi. "Your Highness, I was merely concerned that your pure nature might be exploited by others, with absolutely no other intentions."

Zhao Ruizhi, completely oblivious to the verbal sparring between them, cheerfully said, "It's fine, it's fine."

Seeing the Crown Princess bow to him, he instinctively reached out to help her up.

However, Bi Linglong stood up a step ahead of him. Although most people saw it as the Crown Prince helping her up, Zu An, who was very close, noticed that their bodies never actually touched.

A hint of amusement appeared on his face. The relationship between this couple was rather interesting.

He lightly coughed and continued, "Does Your Highness's implication mean that the Crown Prince is foolish, lacking even the slightest ability to discern?"

Hearing his words, everyone else's expressions changed drastically. The Crown Prince's foolishness was an unspeakable secret, carefully avoided by all. Yet this fellow not only revealed it but did so right in front of the Crown Prince.

Bi Linglong was about to reprimand him when, to her surprise, Zhao Ruizhi on the side chimed in, "Linglong, Zu An is right. I'm not foolish at all."

Bi Linglong: "..."

With such a problematic husband jumping in to hinder her, what could she do?

However, she was unwilling to let Zu An off so easily, and the two sides remained in a standoff.

Wait, the name Zu An sounded somewhat familiar.

Just then, a gentle and pleasant voice came from nearby: "Sister Linglong, who are you angry with?"

Hearing the voice, Bi Linglong's expression subtly changed, but she quickly adopted a smiling, graceful demeanor as she turned around. "Consort Bai, what brings you here today?"

Zu An looked in the direction of the voice and saw a slender young noblewoman not far away. She had eyebrows like spring mountains and eyes like autumn water; though inherently beautiful and enchanting, her entire presence exuded an aura of gentle dignity and untouchable reverence.