Chapter 576: The Greatest Person Throughout History

"He?" Zu'an was startled. Someone had actually pleaded for him? He couldn't even tell if the emperor was referring to a man or a woman. Could it be Chu Chuyan? But she shouldn't have enough influence to reach the emperor.

The emperor's expression suddenly turned melancholic. He walked to the window, gazing at the distant sky. The sharp look in his eyes softened with a hint of tenderness. "I owed her a favor back then..."

His voice became almost inaudible as he finished speaking, his face filled with nostalgia, as if reminiscing about the past or the person he mentioned.

Seeing his expression, Zu'an immediately understood. From the look of it, it was clearly an old flame, and why did the emperor's expression resemble that of a simp?

There was actually a woman in the world he couldn't have?

Zu'an's gossip-loving soul burned brightly. He was very curious about the woman's identity, and even more puzzled as to why such a woman would plead on his behalf.

When did I ever meet someone like that?

He mentally went through all the women he knew, but he couldn't think of anyone.

At that moment, the emperor turned around. "By the way, how is Wanru doing these days?"

"Wanru?" Zu'an looked bewildered. It took him a moment to realize who the emperor was talking about. "My mother-in-law hasn't been doing well recently. She's been incredibly stressed dealing with all sorts of crises in the Chu family."

Meanwhile, his mind was buzzing with gossip. Qin Wanru and the emperor had a connection? Suddenly, he couldn't help but imagine his father-in-law with a green cap on his head.

Could she be the one who pleaded for me?

But that doesn't make sense. She couldn't even protect the Chu family; how could she protect me?

"Are you trying to stand up for her?" the emperor snorted. "Why did she choose to marry that Chu Zhongtian back then? Otherwise, she would be an imperial concubine now, and wouldn't have all these messy troubles."

Zu'an was speechless.

He was truly shocked. Although he had guessed there might be some past connection between them, he never expected Qin Wanru had almost become an imperial concubine.

His father-in-law must have been incredibly charismatic back then, to successfully snatch a woman from the emperor's grasp. No wonder the Chu family had been so miserable all these years.

"It's not what you're thinking," the emperor scoffed, as if seeing through his thoughts. "How could I be the kind of person who vies for a woman's affection? The reason I dealt with the Chu family is primarily because they were nobles from the previous dynasty, leaders of a large group of old aristocrats. Their fiefdoms and wealth were not subject to imperial rule, making them like a state within a state. How could I tolerate that?"

"I understand, I understand." Zu'an's expression was a little strange. He thought to himself that even if that were true, the emperor definitely harbored thoughts of striking back at a rival in love. Otherwise, with so many other nobles of the same rank, why single out the Chu family?

The emperor frowned, clearly not wanting to continue discussing the topic. "Although I promised that person to spare your life, the precondition is that you must hand over the 'Phoenix Nirvana Sutra.' Otherwise, don't blame me for disregarding old ties."

Zu'an was speechless.

"Didn't you say you disdained such ethereal immortality?"

"For other emperors, it might be ethereal, but now that the 'Phoenix Nirvana Sutra' is right before me, how can it be considered ethereal?" the emperor sneered.

Zu'an was speechless for a moment. So, the emperor had just been feigning magnanimity, making him admire him for nothing.

He feigned hesitation. "But that's my only trump card. Who knows if I'll be walking into a dead end after handing it over?"

The emperor said indifferently, "A ruler's word is law. I said I would spare your life because I promised an old friend, and I will. Do not test my patience."

Zu'an gritted his teeth, pulled out the "Forgiveness Hat" from his embrace, and handed it over. "The 'Phoenix Nirvana Sutra' exists within this hat in the form of divine consciousness. Once you put it on, you'll be able to perceive the specific scripture."

He was betting that the emperor had never seen the true form of the "Phoenix Nirvana Sutra." After all, Old Man Mi had silenced everyone who was with him back then, and it was even less likely he would report the "Phoenix Nirvana Sutra's" existence to the palace.

Later, the Grand Eunuch Wei Dan, who was sent, also didn't see the "Phoenix Nirvana Sutra," so it was impossible for the emperor to know what the true scripture was written on.

Of course, he himself naturally didn't possess the ability to leave a spiritual imprint on the Forgiveness Hat. Those were all Mi Li's work; only her cultivation and knowledge could create such a convincing illusion.

Taking the Forgiveness Hat, the emperor's eyes were met with an entirely green color. He instinctively frowned, not putting it on immediately.

"I heard that at the Sang family wedding in Brightmoon City, you also gave Young Master Sang a green hat?" The emperor's expression was somewhat dangerous.

Zu'an's heart skipped a beat. He never expected the emperor to know such detailed information. He could only answer truthfully, "That is true, but that hat was different from this one. That was just an ordinary green hat, whereas this hat records the 'Phoenix Nirvana Sutra'."

The emperor's brows furrowed deeply. "I still don't understand why you would give Sang Qian a green hat, and one that shares a design with your most precious 'Phoenix Nirvana Sutra.' According to my intelligence, your relationship with Sang Qian doesn't seem to be harmonious."

Zu'an broke out in a cold sweat. He never expected that a joke from the past would now become a vulnerability. "At the time, I didn't think of anything else. I just didn't want to give him an expensive gift, so I casually picked a cheap hat. It was a coincidence, purely a coincidence."

"Is that so?" the emperor sneered. "I thought giving someone a green hat implied seducing their wife or daughter."

Evidently, with his powerful intelligence network, the relationship between Zu'an and Zheng Dan was not difficult to deduce.

Zu'an was speechless.

How could he dare admit that? If the emperor thought he meant that, not even a few lives would be enough to pay the price.

It was well known that, besides threats to his throne, the emperor most dreaded his imperial concubines having affairs with other men.

With three thousand beauties in the imperial harem, but only one emperor, he simply didn't have the energy to attend to them all. If he wasn't careful, concubines might seek outside connections due to loneliness. That's why, throughout history, men serving in the imperial harem were castrated and made into eunuchs.

He hastily explained, "Absolutely not! Putting aside everything else, I couldn't possibly fake this hat, could I?"

The emperor nodded. "Hmph, if I hadn't sensed the profound Daoist energy contained within this hat—something even I can barely grasp—I would have had you executed the moment I saw such a green hat."

Zu'an chuckled ingratiatingly, "Your Majesty is truly wise, truly wise!"

He secretly marveled that the items produced by the Keyboard Warrior System were truly bizarre, often possessing level-ignoring properties. The "Rich Woman's Pleasure Ball" from before was a prime example; despite the vast difference in cultivation between him and Mi Li at the time, he managed to pull off a comeback with its help.

The same applied to the Forgiveness Hat. Mi Li could still faintly detect some mysterious runes and formations on it because she had extensively studied various texts and had deep expertise in this area back then.

Although the emperor was powerful, his knowledge in this specific area might not surpass Mi Li's. Thus, he could only sense the mysterious Daoist energy emanating from the hat but couldn't discern its true essence.

However, he was certain that the hat's material was extraordinary; even he couldn't create such a thing, let alone Zu'an. That's why he believed it.

But how could he have known that this guy was a cheater?

The emperor took the hat and sat back on his throne. He hesitated for a moment before finally putting it on. With his cultivation, he wasn't worried about any tricks the other party might have placed in the hat. His hesitation stemmed from the concern that truly knowing about immortality might shake many of the beliefs he had pursued his entire life.

But the temptation of immortality was too great. The great war against the demon race years ago had fundamentally damaged him, resulting in a significantly shorter lifespan than his peers. He had a premonition that he didn't have many years left to live, yet there were still so many things he couldn't let go of or felt reluctant to leave behind.

Watching the bright green hat on the emperor's head, Zu'an breathed a sigh of relief. Despite a few hitches, everything had gone smoothly enough.

His mood suddenly lightened. From ancient times until now, he was probably the first person to openly make an emperor willingly wear a green hat, wasn't he?