In the end, Zu An refused to let them bow down to him. The father and daughter of the Sang clan were both moved by his magnanimity, and their faces were filled with admiration. They used to be enemies, so they understood just how far this young man had come, and how formidable he was now.

“By the way, Ah Zu, how did you manage to survive your meeting with the emperor?” asked Sang Hong curiously. Sang Qien and Zheng Dan were staring at him with their beautiful eyes as well. None of them could understand what had happened. They had all believed that he was a dead man once they had set out for the capital.

“Perhaps it’s just His Majesty’s benevolence,” Zu An said. “I offered the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra to him. After going over it, he praised me lightly, then bestowed upon me the title of baron.”

His agreement with the emperor was the greatest secret, and he couldn’t let anyone else know the truth.

“Benevolence?” Sang Hong’s eyes shone with a mocking glint. If his emperor was truly benevolent, he wouldn’t be in the state he was in right...