Zu An couldn’t help but sigh in amazement. This world of cultivation made everyone in it more attractive than the people of his previous world.

Perhaps it was because she had once been a powerful cultivator, but time hadn’t left behind any traces on the empress’ body. Her skin was as smooth as a young lady’s, yet she also carried a maturity that young ladies could never hope to have. Zu An could sense the suppleness and softness of her body even through her clothes.

Zu An realized that the emperor had left just now. 

Is that guy a freaking eunuch? Why did he still leave the palace after meeting with such a mature and stunning beauty?

 However, he was in a bad mood right now. He said coldly, “Was your highness trying to harm me on purpose? Did you want to use his majesty to get rid of me?”

She had arranged for him to meet her in the Palace of Peace at night, yet the emperor had just happened to show up here. The emperor rarely came here, after all. Could there really be such a coincidence in this world?

The empress sighed and said, “If I wanted to harm you, then I wouldn’t have come out here to see you. Honestly, I don’t even know why his majesty would come here today.”

Zu An refused to comment. He only asked, “What do you need me for? Can you tell me now?”

The empress looked around and said, “Let’s talk inside. There are too many eyes here.”

Zu An frowned and stayed put. The empress smiled ambiguously and said, “What? Are you scared that I’ll eat you inside?”

Zu An harrumphed. He was really upset right now. Even though he knew that she was teasing him, he took a large step and passed her. “I’m quite curious as to just what kind of methods your highness is going to use against me.”

…

When Zu An entered the empress’ room and smelled the expensive fragrance in it, he secretly swallowed an antidote pill first for fear of being poisoned. Ji Xiaoxi had given him many medicines before, but he had been careless last time in the Hundred Flower Palace and neglected to use them.

After he took the pill, he felt a bit more at ease. He looked around and asked, “Why is it so dark?” The Palace of Peace was quite dark. The lights were much dimmer than usual.

The empress walked over, her long dress dragging along the smooth floor, making her seem even more glamorous. “Why would I leave all those lights on? Having such a vacant place brightly lit would only make it even more uncomfortable.”

When he sensed her strong hidden resentment, Zu An couldn’t help but ask, “Why doesn’t his majesty visit your highness often? Is there some embarrassing truth that can’t be revealed?”

The empress chuckled. “You’re quite the bold one, aren’t you? If his majesty heard you say that, you might already be dead.”

Zu An gave her an indifferent look and said, “I’m just concerned about his majesty’s dignified body.”

The empress was left speechless. Eventually, she said, “You really are something.” She couldn’t help but give Zu An a few looks before continuing, “I know what you’re thinking. I can tell you that there’s nothing wrong with his majesty’s body.”

Zu An had a strange expression as he carefully looked at the beautiful woman in front of him. He didn’t think there was any man who wouldn’t be tempted by this kind of stunning beauty. Since there was nothing wrong with the emperor, then was there something wrong with the empress?

The empress’ face blushed when she saw his gaze. “What are you thinking? The reason his majesty hasn’t stayed with any of his harem is because he doesn’t have much time left. For the sake of preserving as much longevity as possible, he already started to refrain from such things a long time ago.”

Zu An immediately understood. “So that’s what’s happening. However, if he can’t even touch women, then what fun is left in being number one in the world?”

The empress harrumphed. “That’s something only a kid like you would say. The joy authority can bring you is far greater than what other things can provide. Once you reach his level, you’ll find many things more interesting than women.”

Zu An didn’t agree with her statement at all. 

When I was an emperor in Yinxu, I still felt these things were more interesting.

The empress’ gaze rested on the blood covering Zu An's back. She reached out her hand to touch his wound, but she was worried that her golden fingernails would hurt him. “Does it hurt?”

Zu An said indifferently, “Not too badly.” He had experienced far worse pain, so this much was nothing. However, the mental blow was too much. It had made him question many of his previous thoughts and decisions.

The empress walked over to the side of the room. She squatted down by a cabinet, revealing her mature and full figure. She quickly returned with several bottles of medicine and said, “Take off your clothes. I’ll help you apply some medicine over your wounds.”

Zu An was stunned. He said with a frown, “Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”

He couldn’t help but glance around. He saw that Eunuch Lu had already left, and he hadn’t even seen a single eunuch or maid after entering the Palace of Peace. He felt something was strange.

The empress said,  “You were punished because of me. I feel quite apologetic as well, which is why I wanted to compensate you somehow.”

Zu An’s expression turned strange. 

What the hell is the empress up to?

The empress laughed when she saw Zu An’s expression. “What’s wrong? The man who had the boldness to play around with the crown princess and even dared to hit my bottom is suddenly becoming shy?”

She hadn’t seen it herself, but while others might believe that nothing happened between him and the crown princess, with her understanding of Zu An, she knew that he had definitely done something.

“Woman, you’re playing with fire right now.” Zu An had already been upset to begin with. Now that he was being teased like this, he decided to just take off his clothes and expose the wounds on his back. He really wanted to see what this woman was up to now.

Even though the empress was already mature and experienced, when she saw the strong and healthy body of the man in front of her, including his muscles that carried explosive power, her heart rate still quickened. She remarked, “I didn’t expect you to actually be so muscular, even though you usually have that weak and scholarly appearance.”

Zu An frowned. “What exactly does your highness need me for?”

“There’s no rush. Let’s talk about it later.” The empress had a faint smile on her face. She lifted her dress and sat down behind him. She scooped out a bit of ointment with her finger, and then gently applied it over his wounds. “That damn servant really was vicious. He didn’t hold back at all.”

Zu An said indifferently, “They were the emperor’s orders. No one dares to show any negligence.”

This was a world of cultivation, so beatings were naturally a bit different from ancient times. The ones who carried out punishment specialized in dealing with cultivators as well. Furthermore, the tools they used all had special runes carved into them, making it harder for the beaten to resist.

“Hm? It’s nice to be young. Your injuries have already healed so much.” The empress’ fingers gently caressed the area around the wound on Zu An’s back. The shocking heat and elasticity coming from his skin even made her eyes become misty. This was the vigor of a young man. She had already almost forgotten this kind of heart palpitating feeling.

Zu An frowned. The empress was sitting right behind him, and the two of them were almost within reach. He could even smell the fragrance coming from her body. Her fingers were extremely sleek and soft, but the sensation made the rage he felt go further out of control. For fear that something might happen, he said darkly, “Your highness, are you seducing me right now?”

The empress chuckled and said, “I’m merely applying medicine for you.”

Zu An was speechless. What the heck was going on? If a concubine were to hear him speak so directly, shouldn’t their expression have immediately changed, followed by them making some distance? There was definitely something fishy going on, but this woman refused to admit it. A mature woman was much better at grasping the tension in relationships than a young woman, after all.

Zu An could no longer sit still and got up. “If your highness needs nothing else, then I’ll leave first.”

The empress grabbed his hand. “What’s wrong? Were you scared that badly by the crown princess? Are you scared that I might frame you too?”

Zu An sighed and said, “Am I wrong? Your highness’ behavior today is extremely strange. I have reason to suspect that this is all a badger game.”

“Badger game?” The empress was stunned. She had never heard such a term before. However, she could roughly guess its meaning. She sighed and said, “I am a woman as well.”

Zu An frowned as he waited for the empress’ next words.

The empress sat down. Her usual dignity and fierceness no longer showed between her brows, instead being replaced by weakness and melancholy. She said, “It has already been at least ten years since he last stayed the night here. I know he’s trying to prolong his life as much as possible, but I’m still in my prime! Staying all alone here in this palace makes one feel lonely.”

Zu An’s heart rate quickened. However, he didn’t trust her so easily. “Does your highness know that what you’ve just said is enough to have your entire clan destroyed?”

The empress slowly stood up. She took a step forward, closing the distance between them. Zu An could even see her eyelashes tremble lightly, and he could feel her breath. Her misty eyes stared calmly into his as she said, “If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t dare to say such things. However, you’re different. I know that you have no respect for his majesty, so you’re also the only one who would dare to do certain things.”