Chapter 2872: Fooling the World

“Your Majesty!”

A group of people rushed out to welcome Confounding Crossroads. It was no exaggeration to say that their worlds would have collapsed if he had died in battle.

Several of Confounding Crossroads’ guards staggered as they escorted him. They had sustained significant injuries, though it didn’t look as if they were fatal.

After settling Confounding Crossroads down, an Annihilation faction’s expert asked him what happened and how he had sustained such severe injuries.

Confounding Crossroads replied, “That demoness’ ice spikes were too strong. Our ship was destroyed before we could react. My guards died protecting me...”

He shuddered, as if memories of that day still haunted him.

“Later, we fell into the water. Namusange initially escorted me, but the Zheng clan’s navy was hot on our tail. In the end, he valiantly sacrificed himself to cover my escape.”

Tears brimmed in his eyes as he spoke.

The Annihilation faction’s experts exchanged looks. They had just received confirmation of Namusange’s death not long ago. Confounding Crossroads’ story was in line with the facts.

“Namusange has valiantly died on the battlefield for the sake of our nation. There’s nothing more important than Your Majesty’s safety. I’m sure Namusange would be heartened to learn that you have returned to us safely,” the Annihilation faction’s experts consoled Confounding Crossroads.

Soon, an imperial physician arrived to tend to Confounding Crossroads’ injuries.

In the meantime, the Annihilation faction’s upper echelons separated Confounding Crossroads’ guards to question them individually. Their accounts of the events matched what Confounding Crossroads had told them.

Just then, the imperial physician came out. He, too, was dragged away for questioning.

The imperial physician replied, “His Majesty is severely injured, but it’s not fatal. He should recover after some recuperation.”

“Did you find anything amiss about His Majesty? Is there a possibility that someone has impersonated him?”

“I have thoroughly checked His Majesty’s body. It is most definitely him and not an impersonator.”

The crowd breathed a sigh of relief.

Next, the Annihilation faction’s upper echelons escorted Confounding Crossroads back to the capital. They decided to leave Taiwan’s Zheng clan alone for the time being. Since they were no match for the Annihilation faction on land, the Zheng clan wasn’t a major threat anyway.

Although it was also true that the Annihilation faction wouldn’t be able to cross the sea and conquer the Zheng clan any time soon, especially now that it was revealed that the Zheng clan had a formidable water user.

The powerhouses of the Annihilation faction—Jirgalang, Oboi, Suksaha, and the other kings—made sure to visit Confounding Crossroads and offer him words of consolation, though most of them sneered in contempt when they returned.

Confounding Crossroads had gone to the frontlines to build his prestige, only for his army to be wiped out. His reputation was now in shambles.

But this worked to their benefit. Having a weak emperor remain on the throne could help maintain peace among different factions for the time being. It wasn't as if they could become the Annihilation envoy anyway, so it was better to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

All kinds of rumors spread within the imperial palace. It was said that Confounding Crossroads spat blood when he heard about that, and his physical condition deteriorated further.

Consort Donggo had already been grieving for her deceased son when the emperor disappeared. That further plunged her into fright. It was a huge relief that the emperor returned safe and sound, so she exerted herself to take care of him.

Unfortunately, she caught a cold as a result, and her body soon crumbled. She passed away shortly after.

Confounding Crossroads was anguished. He held a grand burial ceremony for her and was often spotted sitting despondently in her room, crying pitifully.

His actions only further stoked the contempt of the Annihilation faction’s upper echelons.

Confounding Crossroads is indeed trash. How can someone on the path of Annihilation be so sentimental?

Confounding Crossroads dismissed the palace maids and eunuchs taking care of Consort Donggo’s bedroom and forbade anyone from approaching her quarters.

Everyone thought that Confounding Crossroads was grieving for his deceased wife, so they steered clear of his path lest he vent his emotions on them.

But in truth, Confounding Crossroads wasn’t the only one in the room. He was accompanied by the empress dowager and her beautiful maid.

“She was innocent. We didn’t have to kill her,” Confounding Crossroads said with a sigh.

Had anyone else from the Annihilation faction heard that voice, they would have been shocked. It wasn't Confounding Crossroads’ voice, but Zu An’s!

The guards had frantically tried to rescue him, but little did they know that Zu An had already taken Confounding Crossroads’ place in that short gap.

Zu An had the Crown of the Ocean Deity’s water control ability. The ocean was his turf. Naturally, Confounding Crossroads had died in the depths of the ocean without anyone knowing better.

The Little Fiend Empress harrumphed. “Yes, your Myriad Transformations is formidable. You could have fooled her for a day or two, but it was only a matter of time before she saw through you. Do you take women for fools? Do you think they can’t recognize the person sleeping beside them?”

Zu An fell silent. He understood that logic as well.

He had intentionally chosen to play the role of a grieving husband to keep the Annihilation faction’s upper echelons from seeing through his disguise. This way, they would attribute any anomalies in his character to his grief.

Myriad Transformations allowed him to impeccably take on the appearance of a target, but ultimately, they were still two different individuals. There were bound to be subtle differences in their habits and speech patterns.

There were plenty of old monsters among the Annihilation faction’s upper echelons. Some of them had to be aware of transformation skills. If they started to doubt Confounding Crossroads’ identity, that would be the first thing that would pop into their heads.

Jiang Luofu added, “Consort Donggo had a weak physique and was already nearing her end. Her death was already inevitable. Big sister Little Fiend Empress merely gave her a little push.”

The Little Fiend Empress grumbled in indignation, “Why bother explaining to him? He wants to play the good person here, so you can just let me be the bad person. Ah, no. Perhaps he was thinking of bedding Consort Donggo for a few more days. I must have gotten in his way.”

Zu An was rendered speechless. He quickly stepped forward to embrace her. “What are you saying? I was wrong. You made the right move.”

The Little Fiend Empress wasn’t planning to let things go that easily, but Zu An’s hands were too formidable. Before long, she was already trembling nonstop. “Explain yourself if you want to, but where are your hands touching...”

Jiang Luofu’s cold face reddened. She had experienced the prowess of those hands just a few days ago.

Isn’t it too much for them to do this in front of me?

She interjected with a light cough and asked, “What’s our next move? You might have taken over Confounding Crossroads’ position, but this won’t work for long.”

While they could attribute Confounding Crossroads’ change in temperament to Consort Donggo’s death for the time being, that reason wouldn’t work in the long run. The Annihilation faction’s upper echelons weren’t fools. It was only a matter of time before they saw through Zu An’s disguise.

“That’s why I wanted to have a child with you a while back,” Zu An looked at Jiang Luofu tenderly. “The Annihilation faction’s upper echelons are familiar with Confounding Crossroads, making it hard to disguise as him. But if it’s a new little emperor... They won’t be any wiser.”

Jiang Luofu’s face reddened.

A while back, when Confounding Crossroads and Consort Donggo’s child died of smallpox, the other prince was escorted out of the capital to seek refuge from the plague. That was a chance for them to replace that prince with their child.

Other than the parents, who could tell the difference between two infants?

The thought of bearing their child brought a maternal smile to Jiang Luofu’s face.

The Little Fiend Empress felt envious. “Ah Zu, are you doing it on purpose? How is it that I never got pregnant despite doing it so many times with you, but you put a baby in her right away?”

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