Chapter 1956: A Walkthrough

“I gave Xiaoxi a lot of life-preserving medicine, and she’s a smart child too. She should be fine,” Ji Dengtu murmured under his breath, but the alcohol he was drinking suddenly didn’t taste as fragrant anymore. In the end, he caved in and rushed out of the city.

A short while later, a flamboyant madam walked over, shook her slightly plump waist, and said, “Big brother, I heard you don’t like young women, so I personally came down…” Her words trailed off into silence as she realized no one was at the table. She screeched in anger, “That bastard! How dare he take advantage of us?”

A servant meekly pointed out, “He didn't pick a lady yet, so technically… he hasn’t taken advantage of us yet, right?”

“Do you think I don’t know that? How dare he drink and dash at our Red Sleeve Brothel?” the madam cried.

…

Meanwhile, Zu An had just sent the empress off from the academy’s rear mountain. He thought about how he had envied protagonists with a harem in the past, but it was dawning on him that it wasn’t easy for them either.

When women visit one after another in succession, it really takes a toll on my waist… Luckily, I've cultivated the Primordial Origin Sutra, so my body is tough enough. I wonder how ordinary people do it.

Zu An shook those miscellaneous thoughts out of his mind as he decided to take a trip to the imperial prison. Bi Linglong and Liu Ning had raised the same subject with him, so he figured it’d be best to settle it quickly, especially since Zhao Xiaodie knew about his relationship with Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen. It didn’t take him long to arrive in the vicinity of the imperial prison.

Zhao Xiaodie was the princess of King Qi Manor, so it would look bad if she were thrown into the imperial prison without any charges. For now, she was incarcerated in a residence near the imperial prison instead. This residence was specially reserved for women of esteemed standing. After all, the imperial prison was a messy place. If the warden tried something, it wouldn’t reflect well on anyone.

Sensing Zu An’s approach, a guard quickly stepped forward to block his path, saying, “Unauthorized personnel are not…” Halfway through those words, he caught sight of Zu An’s appearance and jolted in shock. He stuttered, “P-P-Paying respects to the regent. I was blind…”

Zu An was taken aback, asking, “You know me?” He had rushed here, so he didn’t have his followers or official garment with him. He had still been worried about bumping into trouble due to that.

“My king, you’re pulling my leg. There’s no one in the imperial court who doesn’t recognize you,” the guard replied with a fawning smile. “Your portrait is the hottest painting on the streets right now.”

In the past, most officials in the capital hadn’t recognized Zu An despite his identity as a marquis and an individual favored by the Eastern Palace. There were lots of people with powerful backgrounds in the capital; there had been no reason for them to pay particular attention to a mere upstart. However, the battle with the Meng clan had shot him to fame.

“My portrait?” Zu An replied. He had asked that question in passing, but the guard’s response prompted him to stop in place.

The guard squeezed on a smile that was as obsequious as possible, explaining “Common folk buy it to ward evil, lest nobles and officials bully them. As for nobles and officials, they buy it to…”

“To?” Zu An asked curiously.

“To educate their offspring and relatives about our regent’s appearance, so they know not to cross you no matter how arrogant they usually are,” the guard finished.

Zu An was speechless.

How can they sell my portrait without paying me money as the model? If everyone recognizes me, I won’t be able to pretend to be a pig to devour a tiger.

Zu An couldn’t help but think that something was amiss about this, so he made a mental note to have the Embroidered Envoy investigate the sale of his portraits later on. With a dark expression, he entered Zhao Xiaodie’s room.

Zhao Xiaodie had been sitting dazedly by the windows, but Zu An's entrance startled her. Only upon seeing who it was did she pat her chest in relief and say, “Ah, it’s big brother Zu. That scared me.” She squeezed out a smile, but she couldn’t conceal her frailty and exhaustion.

Zu An gestured for her to sit down, saying, “I’m here to see you. Did anyone bully you along the way?”

“Who would dare bully me? I'm the daughter of King Qi, not to mention that big brother Zu is protecting me,” Zhao Xiaodie replied with a smile. “Big brother Zu, has the court decided on how it intends to deal with King Qi Manor?”

Zu An nodded and replied, “Yes. What you’re worried about won’t come to pass. The court has decided to deal with this matter privately. There’s a good chance your father’s honor will be restored, under the pretext that the two of them met with danger inside the secret dungeon.” He had decided against claiming credit for the outcome despite Bi Linglong and Liu Ning’s advice, as he thought it would be too despicable to do so.

Zhao Xiaodie had been feeling nervous about precisely that, and the verdict made her cry tears of joy. She asked, “Big brother Zu, am I dreaming?”

“You’re not dreaming,” Zu An replied with a smile. “That being said, your King Qi Manor won’t be as influential as it used to be.”

Zhao Xiaodie celebrated this good news with a dance of joy before she turned to Zu An and formally bowed to him, saying, “Big brother Zu, I’m grateful to you. It must be to your credit that our King Qi Manor is fine despite my father’s grievous sin. I don’t have the means to repay this debt, but if you don’t mind, I’m willing to offer myself…”

Cough cough. “You don’t need to do that,” Zu An said, quickly stopping her.

“Big brother Zu, I mean it,” Zhao Xiaodie said with a pout.

She was truly thankful to Zu An, as she'd thought that everyone in King Qi Manor would either be executed or imprisoned for life after the events at Violet Mountain. It was awfully lenient of the court to merely take away their fortune and influence. She knew there were plenty of people at the court who would exploit this opportunity to put down King Qi Manor.

The crown princess has fought with our King Qi Manor for many years now, so there’s no doubt she’d have taken this chance to attack us. I heard the empress, who used to be a formidable figure in her earlier years, wasn’t on good terms with father either. I wonder what kind of price big brother Zu had to pay to help me.

Zhao Xiaodie’s eyes glittered with tears.

“You can repay me by not threatening me over untrue matters,” Zu An replied with a smile.

Zhao Xiaodie knew he was referring to her threatening him over Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue, and her cheeks reddened. She said, “Big brother Zu, I was in a desperate situation and had no choice but to do something foolish. I won’t do that again. I've thought things through in recent days. Had I been unlucky enough to encounter someone vicious, they would have long since silenced me. It’s only because of big brother Zu’s kindness that I’m still alive. You’re truly good to me. I have no way of repaying you, so I can only…”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Zu An cried, sweating buckets.

What’s wrong with this woman? Why does she keep offering herself to me? She’s a princess, for god’s sake!

“I have other matters to attend to. You’ll still have to stay here for a couple more days, but you should regain your freedom soon," he said as he frantically fled the scene.

The besotted Zhao Xiaodie caressed her cheeks and murmured, “He looks charming even when he’s escaping. Ahh, how I wish to be whipped by him once more…” She squirmed in excitement as she recalled his whipping.

…

In the imperial prison, Guan Chouhai saw Zu An and let out a sigh. He asked, “Sir Zu, are you here to claim my life?”

Zu An sat down before him and replied, “Sect leader Guan, there’s no need to be so down.”

“I was haughty on Violet Mountain, but far too many things have happened since,” Guan Chouhai lamented.

Back then, they had gathered many experts to encircle Zhao Han, but the emperor had easily crushed all of them. They had later entered that secret dungeon and encountered even more formidable beings. Sect leaders on par with him, such as Xuan Bajing, had been killed as easily as chickens or dogs. And now, he was stuck in the imperial prison, with his eventual fate unknown. It was inevitable that he would feel down.

“Sir Zu, I did what I did as an individual; my sect has nothing to do with it. I hope you can look after my sect in view of our past ties," he continued.

“You speak as if you’re writing your will," Zu An said with a chuckle. “You may rest assured. It’s over now. You’ll be fine. That being said, you’ll still have to be punished for your deeds. The imperial court will be handing out punishments in due time, though it’ll be something you can take.”

“Really?” Guan Chouhai exclaimed; he was dumbstruck, as assassinating the emperor was a grievous crime regardless of the dynasty. He couldn’t believe they weren’t about to be executed for it. Even if they were still going to be punished for it, that was practically nothing at all.

“Of course,” Zu An replied.

Guan Chouhai kneeled to Zu An and declared, “I, Guan Chouhai, and everyone at the Heavenly Sorrow Sect will never forget Sir Zu’s magnanimity!”

Zu An supported him to his feet as he replied, “Sect leader Guan, there’s no need for that. What’s more important to the imperial court right now is maintaining stability. It's lost too many top-notch experts in recent days, to the point that it needs some time to recover.”

“Sir Zu is truly noble. You don’t ask for anything in return despite having done us such a huge favor. I am truly impressed by your magnanimity,” Guan Chouhai said.

Zu An was baffled, thinking, I feel as if all of them have vivid imaginations.

“I heard the wardens’ gossip. They thought I couldn’t hear them, but I am still a grandmaster, after all. Even with restrictions placed on me, my hearing surpasses that of any mortal. They said the crown princess was angered by our audacity for assassinating the emperor, and she intended to kill me as a warning to the others. At the same time, she'd reorganize the daoist sects. I reckoned our Heavenly Sorrow Sect would be wiped from the face of the world by the time she was done.

“Later, a bunch of people came and talked about how much the emperor and empress loved each other. They said she was infuriated when she learned about the death of her husband, and that she made a declaration in the imperial court that she’d hunt down every last one of us.”

Guan Chouhai looked at Zu An with a fearful expression and said, “Currently, the empress and the crown princess are the most powerful individuals in the capital. Only Sir Zu could persuade them otherwise. How can I not be grateful to you for your help?”

Zu An was speechless.

Clearly, Bi Linglong and Liu Ning had sent their people down to relay false information to Guan Chouhai and the others, so as to create the impression that Zu An was the one who had saved them. Those two women are doing me a huge favor, though the way they slander each other is truly…

Guan Chouhai took off the ring on his finger and said, “In this storage ring are the treasures I have stockpiled over many years. Sir Zu, please accept my token of goodwill, or else my heart will never feel at ease. There’ll be more once I return to the Heavenly Sorrow Sect.”

With all that had happened, if he still refused to accept Guan Chouhai’s gift, Zu An would be letting down both Bi Linglong and Liu Ning.

…

After leaving the imperial prison, Zu An returned to the academy and made his way to Jiang Luofu’s residence. He'd put aside some of the Marrow Cleansing Pills he refined for her and Ji Xiaoxi.

Since I happen to be free, I’ll pass the pills to them today.

Speaking of which, Ji Dengtu mentioned Xiaoxi went out to pick some herbs. Is she not back yet? I should ask Jiang Luofu about it later.