Chapter 601: Who Threatens Whom

Seeing Zu'an momentarily stunned, the empress finally came to her senses. A flush spread across her gentle face: "What are you thinking? My injury has flared up; I can't sit. I can only lie down on the bed!"

Zu'an gave an awkward smile: "You scared me to death; I thought you..."

The empress scoffed, "You thought I was inviting you to bed with me? Your mind is full of filthy thoughts. I don't know what Chuyan saw in you."

Zu'an, who was carrying her to the bed, paused in surprise at her words: "Your Majesty knows Chuyan?"

"I met her years ago. Her character and appearance are both top-notch. Countless noble youths in the capital were captivated by her at first sight." The empress's tone was filled with admiration.

Suddenly, her body stiffened, and her brows furrowed. She couldn't speak another word.

She felt something hard pressing against her. At first, she wasn't particularly concerned, thinking it might be a dagger or some other weapon.

However, she quickly realized that *it* changed shape, and then it dawned on her: this was the imperial palace; how could he have brought a weapon in?

Her face first flushed red, then darkened: "You insolent boy, how dare you harbor such thoughts towards me!"

Rage from Liu Ning +233!

She was no ignorant maiden and certainly didn't blush or feel shy like ordinary girls. Instead, she reprimanded him directly.

Zu'an groaned inwardly, forced to explain: "You can't blame me for this. Any normal man, holding a warm, soft, beautiful woman so tightly, would be abnormal if he didn't have some kind of reaction."

Even he felt this explanation was a bit shameless. What the hell was going on!

The empress sneered repeatedly: "But isn't your reaction a bit too exaggerated?"

Zu'an's face was now thicker than a city wall. "This just proves how incredibly charming Your Majesty is."

Fuming, the empress laughed mockingly: "Oh, so I should be pleased, then?"

Zu'an gently laid her horizontally on the bed and sighed: "Your Majesty, you're not an ordinary woman. You should know I didn't do this on purpose. In fact, I never wanted to get involved in this matter at all. It was... cough, cough, fate. So why dwell on such a minor thing?"

The empress naturally understood his point, but she was accustomed to her high status and felt that letting him off so easily would be too lenient. "Hmph, how can such a matter be considered minor for a woman? You've even shown disrespect to me, proving that you fundamentally disregard the Emperor and the law. You're a blatant traitor and rebel. Do you think I should inform the Emperor and have you beaten to death to prevent future trouble?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than she noticed a fierce glint in Zu'an's eyes. A heavy body suddenly pressed down on her.

"You... what do you want?" Feeling the oppressive presence so close and smelling the long-unfamiliar masculine scent, the empress suddenly panicked. Her usual composure vanished, and she hastily recoiled.

However, Zu'an pressed a hand directly onto her shoulder, looking down coldly at the woman beneath him: "Woman, you're not understanding the situation. I just saved you. Not only do you not thank me, but you dare to threaten me?"

The empress's eyes widened. "That's still no reason for you to disrespect me!"

She was now filled with regret. Her earlier deliberate intimidation was merely a standard political tactic—the carrot and stick approach. She had just brandished the stick and was about to offer the carrot to appease and win him over, but who knew this guy wouldn't play by the rules and just hit her with another stick?

Didn't this fellow understand any court etiquette? And she was the empress! How dare he treat her like this? He was indeed a rebellious traitor, defying both ruler and father, deep down.

But little did she know that ever since entering the palace, Zu'an had been on edge. The surrounding powers were simply too formidable—whether the Emperor, Prince Qi, or even the noble families in the capital. If they truly wanted his life, he had no means to protect himself.

Constantly walking a tightrope, trying to curry favor with all sides, he was already at his breaking point. A suppressed fury simmered within him. Then, this situation with the empress arose, and seeing her act as if she was repaying kindness with enmity, he could no longer contain his anger.

Ultimately, he was a transmigrator, and he didn't hold the native Emperor and Empress in the same awe as ordinary people.

Zu'an looked at her coldly: "Your Majesty needs to understand that you actively delivered yourself into my arms. I haven't even accused you of seducing me, and yet you're turning around and accusing *me* of disrespect?"

"I seduced you?" Even the empress, usually mild-tempered, couldn't help but explode in rage. "I am the mother of the nation, the esteemed empress! Would I seduce a ruffian like you?"

Rage from Liu Ning +444 +444 +444...

Zu'an scoffed: "You can't be so sure. Your Majesty might appear glamorous on the surface, but the deep palace is lonely. You might very well long for a man."

The empress's face instantly turned cold. "Bastard, do you know that for that single remark, both I and the Emperor could have your entire clan executed multiple times over?"

Rage from Liu Ning +999 +999 +999...

Always threatening to execute his entire clan!

Zu'an's temper flared. "Your Majesty probably hasn't grasped the situation. There are still so many assassins outside right now. Even if I kill you, everyone will just assume the assassins did it. No one will suspect me at all."

The empress's breathing grew ragged, her full chest rising and falling rapidly. Yet, she dared not utter the words "You wouldn't dare."

From the moment this man started, all his actions proved that he truly was capable of anything. She certainly didn't want to die here just for a moment of satisfaction.

Her eyes darted about, a plan forming in her mind. Her tone softened: "Alright, I was wrong just now. I apologize. Please step back; let's talk properly."

She had already decided: once everything settled down, she would send Eunuch Lü to secretly dispose of this scoundrel.

Zu'an watched the backend continuously refreshing with "Rage from Liu Ning +1024!" He thought to himself, "If it weren't for this, you really would have fooled me."

He sighed: "Your Majesty plans to appease me first, then dispose of me afterward, don't you?"

The empress was startled. Did this fellow read minds? How did he know what she was thinking?

However, her face immediately paled as she realized she was in trouble. Since this guy knew what she intended, how could he possibly let her go? There were so many assassins outside right now; he could simply pin the blame on them.

The only witnesses were the two young eunuchs outside, but they knew nothing of cultivation and could easily be silenced.

At this thought, she no longer dared to hesitate. Mustering the vital energy she had painstakingly accumulated, she pressed a palm towards his chest.

Zu'an was already prepared. He grabbed her wrist and pinned it to the bed, instantly dissipating the power she had gathered.

The empress was on the verge of tears. She recalled how, in her prime, her cultivation might not have dominated the world, but she could have easily defeated someone like him with a single palm. Now, like a tiger fallen into a plain, she was being bullied by a dog—no, suppressed by a dog. It was truly pathetic.

Zu'an instinctively summoned the Death-Bringer Dagger from his Glazed Pearl and moved it towards her neck. The empress distinctly felt the chill from the blade, penetrating to her soul—it was the taste of death. She sighed and instinctively closed her eyes.

The Death-Bringer Dagger stopped at her fair neck. Zu'an's expression flickered. To be honest, he wasn't someone who killed indiscriminately, and killing her like this genuinely made him uncomfortable.

However, if he didn't kill her, it would be difficult to resolve the situation later, leading to endless trouble.

He was now in a difficult predicament, like someone riding a tiger who couldn't dismount.

Sensing his hesitation, the empress opened her eyes and sneered: "What, are you afraid to touch me now? If you respectfully kowtow three times and apologize, I might consider forgiving you."

"Kowtow to your sister!" Zu'an exploded in rage and smacked her plump, peach-like buttocks directly.

The empress was instantly dumbfounded, staring at him blankly, momentarily losing her ability to speak.

Once he started, Zu'an found he couldn't stop. He repeatedly spanked her. And surprisingly, the feel was quite good.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Stop hitting me!"

"I-I'm-sor-ry... Isn't that enough?"

"Ah~"

...

A high-pitched, yet suppressed cry rang out. Zu'an was instantly dumbfounded. Was this woman really so fragile?

The empress's eyes were now heavily tear-filled, her body trembling uncontrollably. Gritting her teeth, she declared, "I will definitely tear you into a thousand pieces!" Her voice was tinged with a sob.

She hailed from a prominent clan. Since she could remember, her elder sister had been the empress, and later she herself became the empress. Her status had always been revered, and she lived a life of luxury and comfort. Never had she encountered such a situation.

She was about to curse him further, but her mouth was covered. "Mmm... Mmm..."

Zu'an lifted his head, wiped his moist lips, and said coldly, "You keep saying I've offended you, and you use that to threaten to kill me. Alright, then, I'll truly offend you right now. If anything happens to me later, the Emperor will know you've been touched by another man. Then, let's see how you remain empress. You should know very well what choice to make."

The empress was completely stunned. But after a brief moment of anger, she immediately realized that she genuinely had no way to retaliate against him afterward.

Just then, a cold snort suddenly came from the doorway not far away: "What a pair of adulterers!"