Although Zu An found this rather strange, it was still a summons from the empress, so there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

He followed the two lesser eunuchs to the emperor’s Palace of Peace. He wanted to get a bit of information from these eunuchs. “Greetings, eunuchs. What shall I call the two of you?”

The two lesser eunuchs immediately smiled. “Greetings, Lord Zu.”

Since the bodies of eunuchs were lacking, they were always subconsciously treated as people of lower status. Only the eunuchs of the highest status were grudgingly shown some respect by most officials, who were full of contempt towards lesser eunuchs. It was almost as if even speaking a single sentence to them was beneath them, and the disgust in their eyes could be seen from a mile away. It was rare for them to encounter someone who treated them well, so they appreciated it.

“I’m little Zhuo,” said the slightly chubbier one.

“I’m little Gui,” the skinnier one replied.

Little Gui?

Stunned, Zu An examined the fellow’s aura. He was indeed a genuine eunuch, and not a fake like Wei Xiaobao.[1]

Regardless, he was still happy to hear a familiar name. “An excellent name. The two of you have made me remember things about my homeland, and I feel a greater kinship towards you. Here’s a small gift. Please do not refuse them.”

He gave each of them a pearl. There had been a ton of this stuff in the red dragon’s cave outside of Brightmoon City, so he gave them one each.

As someone who had extensive knowledge from his past world, he understood how terrifying of an existence eunuchs were. It was never wrong to get on good terms with them.

The two lesser eunuchs’ eyes grew wide when they saw the massive pearls, and quickly looked around. When they saw that no one had noticed, they slipped them into their sleeves and said, “Lord Zu is forthright after all!”

“Your future prospects are surely boundless!”

“I’m not worthy of such praise, really,” said Zu An with a laugh. Their conversation went extremely well after that.

When he figured it was about time, he said casually, “I wonder why the empress sought me out this time.”

“How can servants like us fathom the thoughts of our master?” The two lesser eunuchs clearly felt slightly embarrassed to say this after receiving such great gifts. As such, they added, “However, the empress has always treated people well. Lord Zu need not worry too much.”

“Oh, the empress’ mood seems to be rather good today.”

“That’s good then, that’s good.” Zu An sighed in relief.

Little Gui continued quietly, “The empress is kind, but you absolutely must not offend Eunuch Lu! He is extremely fierce.”

“Eunuch Lu?” Zu An was perplexed, but their subsequent explanations helped him clarify matters.

This Eunuch Lu was someone from the empress’ hometown, and they had entered the palace at the same time. The empress trusted him greatly, and because of his ability, he quickly became the manager of the Palace of Peace. Most of the affairs in this palace, large or small, were under his management.

“Eunuch Lu’s cultivation is extremely high. He is the publicly acknowledged number two among eunuchs in terms of cultivation. He is second only to Eunuch Wei.”

“Wait, I think he’s in the top three. There was a Eunuch Mi as well, I recall.”

“That man has already been missing for a few decades. You can’t include him anymore.”

…

Zu An had a weird look on his face as he watched their conversation. They were probably talking about Wei Dan and Old Mi! It was easy to imagine how high Eunuch Lu’s cultivation was, if he was considered on the same level as those two.

Furthermore, this Eunuch Lu actually came from the empress’ hometown and joined the palace at the same time. Could they have been a pair of sweethearts who were forced to separate because the woman was taken in as a concubine? Was the man unwilling to abandon her, joining the palace as a eunuch as well?

Damn. Just what kind of character do you have to have to do something like that…?

The more he pondered over it, the more likely it seemed. Chu Chuyan had told him that the current empress wasn’t the crown prince’s mother, but that woman’s younger sister. Just before the former empress died of illness, for the sake of her clan’s glory, she had suggested that her younger sister take her place.

There was a high chance that she already had a lover before she joined the palace. However, because of her clan, she had no choice but to accept this fate…

Chu Chuyan or Sang Hong would not have any inkling of these insider stories. Buying off these two eunuchs with two pearls was definitely worth it.

He had to find a chance to get to know little Xu and little He in the eastern palace as well…

Sigh, it’s not my fault I have so much money that I can do whatever I want.

They soon arrived outside the Palace of Peace. “Empress, we have arrived with Lord Zu,” the two lesser Eunuchs announced respectfully.

“Come in,” replied a gentle voice, which also carried a hint of prestige. This air of majesty had probably developed naturally, after being the mother of an empire for some time. Despite this, her voice still sounded extremely gentle.

Zu An couldn’t help but bring the crown princess to mind. Her voice was also rather pleasant to listen to, but she was just too fierce. You should learn from the empress.

The two lesser eunuchs pushed open the doors and led Zu An inside.

Zu An didn’t have many reservations. He had been given a secret mission by the emperor, so it was unlikely that the empress would set a trap for him here.

The interior was filled with a sandalwood and rouge scent that immediately calmed the mind of all who entered.

A lingering wisp of killing intent had still been lurking within his mind after dealing with Shi Kun, but it all disappeared now.

He looked inside. A pearl curtain separated the room into two, behind which was seated a phoenix-robed woman on a tall seat. The smoke from the burning sandalwood incense beside her made her seem hazy.

Even given Zu An’s current cultivation, he could just barely make out a middle-aged beauty. Her skin was bright, and her features were dignified. It wasn’t fair to call her middle-aged, as the women of the world of cultivation retained their beauty well. Once a cultivator reached a certain level, they could ensure that their appearance did not age too quickly.

In a world of immortal cultivators, a lady who looked eighteen, could actually be eighty, or even eight thousand years old.

This was a slight exaggeration, of course—time would still leave its marks eventually. However, compared to his past world, the effects were already considered very minimal.

Even though the phoenix robes she wore were loose, they still couldn’t fully hide her voluptuous and elegant figure. The most eye-catching part was her ridiculously mature lower body.

Her ass is huge! James Harden would be a fan for sure.

Zu An quickly greeted her while admiring her body. “Your Highness, I offer my greetings.”

One thing good about this world was that officials only needed to offer a normal greeting—they didn’t have to kowtow. The forms of address weren’t as strict as the past dynasties of his world either.

They were all cultivators after all, so they were all proud. Kneeling was just a little too shameful, and it could easily ruin one’s confidence in cultivation. Having considered all this, the emperor chose not to force the issue.

“You’re rather daring. You actually stared at me for that long,” said the empress. Her voice was cold and indifferent.

The other visitors to the Palace of Peace were all extremely respectful, and none of them dared to look directly at her. Yet this man had stared at her, and with such a fierce gaze as well! He even looked her up and down! What kind of place does this man think he is in? Does he think I'm a girl from a whorehouse?!

You have successfully trolled Liu Ning for 344 Rage points!

Following her rage, a middle-aged eunuch suddenly walked out, looking at Zu An coldly. A powerful wave of pressure spread outwards from him.

This was most likely Eunuch Lu, whom the two lesser eunuchs had spoken of. Zu An hadn’t noticed him standing in the shadows. He seemed to be at the ninth rank, at least.

Zu An began to sweat buckets. He hadn’t actually stared at her that long, but this woman was just too sensitive. He immediately explained himself. “I was expecting your highness to be a dignified and imposing woman, but I was not expecting you to be so gentle and beautiful. That was why I couldn’t help but let my gaze linger. I must ask the empress for forgiveness.”

“Gentle and beautiful?” The empress was taken aback, falling into a slight daze. It had been so long since someone complimented her beauty. The emperor was busy with his work and rarely visited the Palace of Peace, while no one else dared to say such things to her. Who was left for her to impress with her beauty?

Eunuch Lu? Hmph!

She wasn’t willing to show her vulnerable side right now, though, so she smiled and said, “Your mouth is rather slick. I now understand how Chu First Miss was duped.”

Even though she called him slick, she still had a big smile on her face. She wasn’t a fierce or violent person to begin with, so her anger quickly dissipated as well.

1. Little Gui is a reference to Jin Yong’s novel The Deer and the Cauldron.