Chapter 1127: Ambush

Jiang Luofu couldn't help but scoff, "Your mouth is as sweet as honey. No wonder you've had so many female confidantes lately."

Zu An feigned surprise, "Has Headmistress tasted it? You've even discovered the secret that my mouth is sweet."

Jiang Luofu finally couldn't take it anymore. "You scoundrel," she said, "you're clearly trying to save Yu Yanluo, but you make it sound like it's for me."

Zu An said in a low voice, "If it weren't for you, even if I wanted to save someone, I wouldn't have revealed the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture."

Feeling his intense gaze, Jiang Luofu's heart inexplicably quickened. When he first entered the academy, she had only seen him as an immature junior. Now, he had matured so much.

She lowered her gaze and said with a half-smile, "You've been holding my hand for so long; do you know that's enough to be considered harassment?"

Zu An earnestly replied, "Headmistress, you're mistaken. You haven't married, so how can you be referred to as a 'married woman'?"

Jiang Luofu became serious. "According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty," she stated, "any female who has reached the age of puberty is legally referred to as a 'woman'."

Zu An: "..."

It was then that he remembered she was ranked eighth in the academy and specialized in law. No wonder her demeanor had completely changed when this topic came up. He realized he shouldn't try to show off his limited knowledge in front of an expert.

Jiang Luofu took the secret manual and, pulling her hand away, said, "I will seal this manual and deliver it directly to the Consort of Prince Qi. I won't let anyone else see it, and naturally, I won't look at it myself."

Zu An smiled. "Of course, I don't mind if Headmistress takes a look," he said, "but this cultivation method is harmful to women, so it's best not to read it."

This manual was a fake Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, tampered with by the Emperor. He knew without a doubt that cultivating it would be dangerous, but he couldn't say so directly. He could only use this subtle way to warn her.

Jiang Luofu simply smiled without further explanation. Before him, she placed the manual into a box and applied a seal.

This type of seal was developed by the academy and was commonly used in military and imperial documents. Once applied, any attempt to open it would inevitably break the seal, making it obvious.

Her actions clearly indicated that she had no intention of secretly reading it herself.

Once everything was done, she placed the box into her storage pouch.

Zu An averted his gaze and asked curiously, "Now that you have the item, what exactly is your plan to save Yu Yanluo?"

Jiang Luofu answered succinctly, "A prison break."

Zu An: "???"

Did he really need her to state such a straightforward and brutal method?

Jiang Luofu explained, "Currently, Yu Yanluo is heavily guarded by Xu Yu and the imperial envoy's people. Xu Yu is meticulous, and Sang Hong is also an old fox. Trying to cunningly snatch her from under their noses would be incredibly difficult, almost impossible. It's better to simply take her by force."

Zu An frowned. "Xu Yu holds an imperial decree," he said, "and the prison is now filled with experts, with even Sword Immortal Xiao Yao stationed there. How can we possibly take her by force?"

"More importantly, what's the aftermath if we succeed?"

He wasn't prepared to become a wanted criminal. If he were hunted by the imperial court and branded a traitor for colluding with the demon race, everything he had painstakingly built would be utterly ruined. Crucially, he would have no future; there would be nowhere for him to hide in this vast world.

"That's where I come in," Jiang Luofu said, leaning back against her seat, her graceful figure fully revealed. The unexpectedly smooth progress clearly put her in a good mood. "However, we need to make some preparations. I'll contact you in a few days."

"Alright," Zu An replied. He also needed time to move Yu Yanluo's clansmen to safety first.

If anyone else had made such a vague promise, he would certainly not have believed them. But Jiang Luofu was different; he trusted that she wouldn't deceive him.

Watching Jiang Luofu's hasty departure, Zu An fell into deep thought.

Initially, he had intended to ally with Prince Qi against the Emperor. However, after the series of events in Yunzhong Commandery, it was clear that the two parties could never truly be on the same side, not even superficially.

The power Prince Qi had painstakingly built in this region had been completely dismantled by him. Upon returning to the capital—no, perhaps he wouldn't even need to return there; Prince Qi's retaliation might have already begun.

Originally, if he had feigned ignorance at the last moment, he could have avoided all this. But he couldn't, in good conscience, ignore the deaths of Shen Zhou's wife and children, and an entire village of innocent people.

What was the point of cultivation if, despite gaining extraordinary power, one forgot the most fundamental principles of being human?

Moreover, he couldn't stand by and watch Prince Qi's mansion genuinely marry into the Pei family. So, he would use the fake Phoenix Nirvana Scripture to put an end to all of this.

No matter how powerful the Emperor was, he couldn't defeat time. His end was not far off; at worst, Zu An would just have to lie low for a few more years.

On the other hand, Prince Qi was in his prime. If he were to truly defeat Zhao Hao and ascend the throne, Zu An's fate would be dire.

Having thought everything through, he gave a knowing smile, left the tea money, and departed gracefully.

He once again used the One Thousand Faces technique to transform into Jian Yanyou. Upon returning to the Duke's mansion, he quickly issued a flurry of orders, mobilizing various carriages, giving the impression he was preparing for a major business deal.

Even Zhang Ji was alarmed. She rushed over, her face etched with worry, and asked, "Duke, what exactly are you planning?"

"Too many things happened recently," Zu An explained, "causing a significant backlog of goods that should have already been shipped. Now that things have stabilized, it's natural to arrange for their normal circulation as quickly as possible."

Zhang Ji sighed softly. "Duke," she said, "while I don't understand much about these matters, I can clearly see that with Madam just arrested, how could you possibly be in the mood to handle those backlogged transactions?"

"If even I don't believe you, others certainly won't."

Seeing his silence, a hint of sorrow touched her face. "Duke," she said, "I know I was brought here by the former Second Master, and given what happened between him and you... I understand you don't trust me as much as you trust Liu Ji and Chu Ji."

"But whether you believe it or not, I wholeheartedly consider you my husband. Only if you prosper can I share in that honor."

"These past two days, you've frequently visited Chu Ji's courtyard, seemingly discussing something. But whatever it is, such a large commotion certainly won't escape the notice of vigilant individuals. If anything is discovered, Duke, not only will you be unable to help Madam, but you yourself will be in danger."

Zu An realized with a sigh that none of these women were easily fooled. Though they hadn't said it directly, they had clearly guessed something.

He could only say, "Don't worry, I have everything under control."

Seeing that he still wouldn't be truthful with her, Zhang Ji opened her mouth several times but ultimately said nothing more and departed dejectedly.

Seeing her heartbroken expression as she left, Zu An felt a headache. He had initially intended to avoid seeing them, but Yu Yanluo's predicament forced him to frequently visit the Duke's mansion, which was truly a nuisance.

Over the next two days, Zu An successively arranged for a few regular cargo convoys to leave the city. His subordinates reported that each one was thoroughly searched, but he didn't seem to mind.

On the third day, he suddenly increased the volume of goods, dispatching a large number of convoys to leave the city from various directions.

Evidently, the commandery guards at the city gates were unprepared for this surge, and for a while, all the gates were thrown into disarray.

At this opportune moment, Zu An changed his attire and personally escorted one of the convoys out of the city.

The Jian family had operated in Yunzhong Commandery for many years and naturally had their own trusted contacts; a general guarding the west gate was one of their men.

He had never been utilized before, but was activated at this critical moment.

Capitalizing on the confusion, the general secretly allowed Zu An's convoy to exit the city.

The Jian family members all breathed a sigh of relief. However, before they could even celebrate, several groups of riders quickly surrounded them from all directions.

"Shouldn't the Duke be at home in seclusion, recuperating from his injuries?" Xu Yu asked, riding out from the group, looking as though he had been waiting for a long time. "What important item are you rushing to send out of the city?"