Keyboard Immortal - Chapter 2960

Chapter 1473: Role-playing Game

Emperor Ling of Han gave Zu An a deep look: “What is your purpose in coming to this world?”

Zu An hesitated, but Emperor Ling continued, “You want to find the soul fragments of the First True God, don’t you?”

“That’s right.” Since the True God knew this, there was no need for Zu An to hide it any longer.

“Very good. My goal is to restore order to the world. Our goals don’t conflict, so cooperation is the best choice.” Emperor Ling smiled. He had been the emperor of humanity in this world for quite some time, and even a True God couldn’t help but have some human emotions.

“It is my honor to cooperate with Your Majesty!” If the other party were the original True God of Order, he naturally wouldn’t need him. But his original body had perished, and now only a wisp of his soul remained. Although he could borrow Emperor Ling’s original imperial fortune, Emperor Ling himself was already in his twilight years, and his time was truly limited.

To rebuild the glory of order, he naturally needed external forces.

He had even been willing to cooperate with Dong Zhuo, the incarnation of the Ancestor of Annihilation, so why would he refuse someone of royal blood who had connections with the various True Gods?

“I can support you greatly in recent years, but you must swear an oath to assist my bloodline in this world to revitalize the Han Dynasty!” Emperor Ling of Han stared intently at him. Only by restoring the crumbling Han Dynasty to its peak could he use the power of order within it to be resurrected.

Zu An frowned. “I can promise you to revive the Han dynasty, but if I limit myself to assisting your bloodline, I’ll be constrained in my actions and easily exploited by ambitious individuals, which could ruin everything.”

Emperor Ling narrowed his eyes. “You want to be emperor yourself?”

“Of course not,” Zu An had experienced countless things along the way, and he had tasted the life of an emperor before. “How about this, I will do my best to assist your bloodline, but if circumstances force me, I will have to give up. The continuation of the Han dynasty is the most important thing.”

Emperor Ling was silent for a long time, clearly weighing his options. “Then promise me you won’t become emperor. Even if you don’t assist Bian’er and Xie’er, you will assist the princes closest to them.”

“Alright!” Zu An didn’t hesitate. Restoring the Han dynasty was Liu Bei’s ambition, and it didn’t conflict with his own goals.

Emperor Ling smiled. “Pleasant cooperation!”

“Pleasant cooperation!”

Emperor Ling then ordered a eunuch to summon the two princes to pay their respects to this newly appointed imperial uncle.

Not long after, two richly dressed youths entered. The older one was plain-looking, with shifty eyes and a timid air about him.

The younger one, however, was handsome and poised.

He was the first to bow to Emperor Ling of Han, proclaiming loudly, “Your subject greets Your Majesty!”

The older one, as if waking from a dream, hurriedly followed suit, saying, “Your subject greets Your Majesty!”

Seeing this, Emperor Ling frowned slightly, clearly displeased.

However, he quickly told them to rise and then turned to Zu An, saying, “Xuande, these are my Bian’er and Xie’er. I’ll have to take good care of them from now on. You two, come and pay your respects to your Uncle Liu!”

Zu An was somewhat surprised, because according to the original history, Liu Bian was probably only about 10 years old at this time, and Liu Xie was probably only three. But now they were both teenagers, significantly older than in history.

However, he wasn’t surprised. Even the True God had joined this world; if everything were still the same as in history, there would be a problem.

Liu Bian hurriedly bowed to Zu An, saying, “Greetings…Greetings, Imperial Uncle.”

Liu Xie, however, did not rush to return the bow. Instead, he looked at Zu An with curiosity, “Father, which Imperial Uncle is he? I’ve never seen him before.”

A hint of satisfaction flashed across Emperor Ling’s face, “Xuande is a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan. He used to live in Youzhou. Some time ago, he repeatedly defeated the Yellow Turban Army in the north, and his fame spread far and wide…”

Listening to the details he recounted, the two princes’ eyes were filled with admiration. Only then did Liu Xie bow to Zu An, saying, “Liu Xie greets Imperial Uncle.”

Zu An hurriedly returned the bow, thinking that this Liu Xie was indeed Emperor Xian of Han in history, and was far more outstanding than his brother.

After Emperor Ling dismissed his two princes, he asked Zu An, “Who do you think has more of a regal bearing? Don’t hesitate to speak your mind.”

Zu An carefully chose his words: “The eldest prince is simple and honest; the second prince is intelligent and outstanding.”

Emperor Ling snorted, clearly dissatisfied: “Everyone can see that Xie’er is more outstanding. I originally wanted to make him crown prince, but unfortunately, his maternal clan is too powerful, and it cannot be done for the time being.”

Zu An was somewhat surprised: “Your Majesty is the ruler of a country and a true god, how could you not be able to decide?”

It was one thing that the historical Emperor Ling could not be changed, but the one before him was a true god of order. Even if he was just a remnant soul, he was definitely not someone that He Jin could contend with.

A trace of annoyance flashed across Emperor Ling’s face: “You will know in time.”

Then he discussed with Zu An for a long time before letting him leave.

Zu An was about to leave the palace under the guidance of a eunuch when suddenly another eunuch came to deliver an imperial edict.

“Her Majesty the Empress summons the newly appointed Imperial Uncle to an audience.”

Zu An raised an eyebrow slightly. That ruthless Empress He, indeed.

Liu Xie’s birth mother was originally Consort Wang in the palace, but she was secretly poisoned by Empress He shortly after giving birth to the prince. Clearly, Empress He didn’t want Consort Wang to compete with him for power through her son.

Today, she was probably curious because she heard that Emperor Ling of Han had bestowed upon him the title of Imperial Uncle and had specifically summoned the two princes to pay

their respects. Following the eunuch to Chongde Hall, Zu An secretly sighed, realizing he truly had an inextricable connection with these empresses and empress dowagers. He wondered who this Empress He was.

Inside Chongde Hall, gilded dragon-shaped lanterns holding pearls burned, their flickering flames illuminating the painted cloud patterns on the beams and pillars.

A strong, sweet fragrance from a foreign land filled the air, making even the well-traveled Zu An feel somewhat distracted upon entering.

He thought to himself that it was fortunate that only eunuchs served in the palace and there were no men, otherwise Emperor

Ling of Han probably wouldn’t sleep peacefully. His gaze passed over the eunuchs standing below the steps and landed on the throne. There, separated by several layers of light gauze and beaded curtains, he could vaguely see that Empress He was not sitting upright in the main seat, but leaning against a soft couch in a languid posture.

However, how could mere gauze curtains block Zu An’s view? Looking closely, he saw that her black hair was tied up high, with various gorgeous jewelry and gold hairpins inserted diagonally in her hair. The black hair hanging down behind her bun was like a waterfall of ink, which made her exposed neck and collarbone appear even whiter and more delicate, almost transparent, with faint blue veins visible underneath.

Her face was extremely beautiful, but it was a kind of beauty with an aggressive edge. Her eyebrows slanted upwards into her temples, unlike the gentleness of ordinary women, but instead contained a bit of murderous aura; her phoenix eyes were slightly upturned, like a snake lurking in the shadows, watching its prey.

She gazed down the steps with a half-smile, her eyes conveying a captivating blend of youthful allure and politician’s ruthlessness.

“Have you seen enough?” Her lips were full and crimson, as if she had just drunk blood and hadn’t yet wiped it clean.

Zu An was startled, not expecting the other party to sense his spying. He hurriedly bowed, “Your subject Liu Bei greets the Empress.”

“You may all leave,” Empress He casually waved her hand.

The eunuchs and maids showed no dissent and respectfully withdrew.

After they left, Empress He’s sweet voice rang out, “If you wish to see, come in.”

Zu An raised an eyebrow, “Since Your Majesty has decreed, I shall obey.”

He stepped directly onto the imperial steps, passed through the light gauze and beaded curtains, and went straight to the soft couch, looking down at the beautiful Empress.

She wore a red brocade dress, the neckline slightly open, revealing glimpses of her fair skin.

The brocade dress was tailored to fit her figure perfectly, with a gold and jade belt cinching her waist, clearly outlining her full breasts and slender waist, yet it did not appear frivolous, but rather exuded a fatal allure—beautiful and dangerous.

She rested her chin on her hand, casually stroking a slender white spirit snake with the other, looking at the man who had approached her with some surprise: “How dare you offend me, aren’t you afraid of death?”

Zu An replied with a smile: “If you like this kind of role-playing game, I can continue playing with you.”

—

Many people have been asking how many words are left in the ending, so here’s a general answer: there are probably tens of thousands of words left. The basic framework is mostly designed, and the next step is some implementation details. However, the pacing seems a bit slow right now, so I need to think about it carefully. Also, readers who are experiencing a reading slump can check out my new book, “The List of Peerless Beauties of the Jiangshan.” Today, I released all 16 chapters of my long-held drafts in one go. Now I have a feeling of “if only I had known this would happen,” if my updates had been more consistent over the years, I probably wouldn’t have been criticized so badly, and the results would have been much better. However, insomnia, irregular sleep patterns, and a sharp decline in physical health due to age have significantly impacted my state and creativity over the years. Sometimes it’s not that I don’t want to write, but rather that my mental state can’t support it. Therefore, young people must pay attention to regular sleep patterns and exercise. Successful people in all industries eventually rely on their physical strength and energy. Recently, I’ve been trying to go to bed early and wake up early, and exercising appropriately. My mental state is much better than before; I feel a bit like I’ve returned to my youth. In the past two months, I’ve written over 100,000 words each month, double what I used to write. I hope to update more frequently and consistently in the future.