Chapter 1547: Warning

Zu An was unaware of an impending crisis. At that moment, he felt utterly bewildered. He had just entered the inner hall, marveling at how exquisitely dressed, radiant, and noble the Crown Princess always was, when he suddenly received a barrage of rage points.

Rage points from Bi Linglong: +33, +33, +33...

Although the individual values weren't high, they kept coming relentlessly.

He was tempted to ask Bi Linglong what she was angry about, but with palace maids still present in the inner hall, it wasn't appropriate to speak.

"Greetings, Crown Princess!" Zu An bowed.

"Please dispense with the formalities, Lord Zu," Bi Linglong said, extending her hand as if to help him up. Her expression and body language were no different from usual.

Rage points from Bi Linglong: +33, +33, +33...

Except for that!

Zu An even wondered if she had found out about him spending the night at the Sang family's residence yesterday.

Next came the formal exchange. Bi Linglong praised his immense contributions during his diplomatic mission to Yunzhong Commandery and expressed sympathy and condolences for the delegation's unfortunate encounter in Cancheng.

Zu An naturally expressed his gratitude. The entire process was formulaic, and both knew it lacked substance, but it was necessary in front of others.

After a while, Bi Linglong asked Zu An about his time among the demon race. Just as Zu An was about to answer, she stopped him and instructed her personal maid, Rong Mo, to take the others outside to stand guard.

Rong Mo's lips were pursed so tightly one could hang a kettle from them. She naturally knew that the Crown Princess and Zu An had confidential matters to discuss that shouldn't be overheard by servants.

But while ordinary palace maids were expected to leave, did she have to avoid them too now?

Before Zu An arrived, she had been the Crown Princess's most trusted confidante, with whom nothing was typically kept secret. Yet now, many matters were being kept from her.

Was this Zu An fellow here to compete for favor with her?

Despite her displeasure, she dared not defy the Crown Princess's wishes. She led the other palace maids outside, standing guard beyond the beaded curtain. Palace rules dictated that they could not leave the Crown Princess entirely alone in a room with an outsider.

However, this distance was sufficient for the two inside. Zu An, his back to the outside, smiled at Bi Linglong. "What are you so angry about?"

"I'm not angry. Which eye of yours saw me angry?" Bi Linglong replied coldly.

Rage points from Bi Linglong: +51, +51, +51...

Zu An burst into laughter. "Every eye saw it."

Bi Linglong's expression froze. After a long silence, she finally said, "You were with the delegation for so long before. Why did you never write to me?"

Zu An suddenly understood. So that was why.

"You are the Crown Princess, after all. Wouldn't writing to you harm you?"

Bi Linglong frowned. "I didn't ask you to write private letters. Even through official correspondence, if you had shared more about what you saw and heard along the way, I would have felt your consideration. But apart from one time at the very beginning, you never wrote to the East Palace again."

"Mainly, I encountered too many things along the way later and had no time to write letters," Zu An said, drawing a sharp breath. In truth, he had completely forgotten about it.

"Oh, then Lord Zu, please tell me exactly what major events you encountered on your journey that kept you so busy you couldn't even write a letter," Bi Linglong said with a cold laugh.

"I don't know who 'Li Wanji' is..." Zu An thought to himself that even when throwing a tantrum, this young woman was adorable. He didn't mind and immediately began recounting the various events that had transpired during his journey.

Although Bi Linglong had already learned about the delegation's journey from various intelligence reports and official documents, she found herself unknowingly captivated as he recounted many previously untold details.

When he spoke of dangerous situations, she gasped repeatedly in tension, completely forgetting her anger.

"Oh, by the way, these are some small trinkets I specifically brought for you," Zu An said, taking out a few small gifts from his Glazed Orb. They weren't particularly valuable; after all, as the Crown Princess, she had seen all kinds of rare treasures.

However, these trinkets were distinctive, almost all closely related to local customs and traditions.

As expected, a full smile blossomed on Bi Linglong's previously stern face. She picked through the gifts, asking where each one came from and what cultural legends were associated with them. Zu An answered each question, feeling fortunate that he had indeed prepared, or he might not have been able to handle this situation.

After a moment, Bi Linglong picked up a few beautiful brocade boxes. "Oh, is this rouge and powder?"

"Yes, these are from Rouge Blossom, the most famous brand in Yunzhong Commandery. They're very popular there, and their style is quite different from what's common in the capital," Zu An replied. He had bought ten sets at once, but several attempts to give them away had coincidentally failed. So far, he had only managed to give one set to Tang Tian'er from Carefree Pavilion.

"You, a grown man, know so much about rouge and powder? I suspect a female confidante helped you choose them," Bi Linglong said, looking at him suspiciously.

Zu An thought to himself that this Rouge Blossom brand was indeed cursed; every time he tried to give it away, there was trouble. However, he was quick-witted and immediately explained, "Of course, I don't understand these things, so I just asked the shopkeeper to give me the complete set."

Bi Linglong finally relaxed. She opened a few jars and sniffed them, commenting, "It truly is distinct from the styles here in the capital, with a unique exotic charm. It's a pity I can't use it."

"Why not?" Zu An was taken aback. He wondered if he should just throw away all these Rouge Blossom cosmetics; they seemed to be unsellable goods.

"As the Crown Princess, everything I use daily is strictly rationed by the palace. If I suddenly started using a new type of rouge and powder, I couldn't hide it from my maids. I certainly couldn't tell them you brought it to me from Yunzhong Commandery," Bi Linglong sighed softly.

Zu An realized she had a point. An outsider giving other gifts to the Crown Princess might be acceptable, but rouge and powder were indeed too intimate.

"My apologies, I didn't think this through. I'll take these back," Zu An said, planning to discard them as soon as he left. These items were practically cursed; he could never manage to give them away.

To his surprise, Bi Linglong snatched them away. "Who said I don't want them? Even if I can't use them openly, keeping them as a souvenir is still nice."

Seeing this, Zu An couldn't help but smile. The young woman was so thoughtful, clearly afraid of disappointing him.

"By the way, what exactly happened in that Unknowable Land?" Bi Linglong asked, feigning casualness, though she was very nervous. After all, the "aura" of the Unknowable Land was too significant; it was, in a way, extremely confidential information that currently only the Emperor was privy to.

Without hesitation, Zu An immediately began to tell her everything, naturally omitting any parts involving his interactions with his female confidantes.

Seeing that he truly hadn't disappointed her, her eyes immediately curved into crescent moons.

An hour passed. Although Bi Linglong was reluctant, she had to let him leave. After all, allowing an outsider to stay with her for so long was already pushing the limits.

Not long after Zu An left the East Palace, he suddenly stopped. "Since Consort Bai has arrived, why not come out and show yourself?"

At that moment, a delicate figure emerged from behind the rockery. Her slender, graceful eyebrows, small, exquisite nose, and cherry lips made her appear like a small white flower in the cold wind, with a timid and fragile demeanor.

"How did you know it was me?" Consort Bai's voice was exceedingly gentle, and her face showed considerable surprise. After all, she possessed a special stealth technique. Although she hadn't deliberately used it just now, she didn't expect to be discovered so easily.

Zu An smiled faintly. "Your Ladyship carries a unique fragrance, like that of a fairy among a hundred flowers. It would be quite difficult not to notice it."

"Lord Zu is truly audacious," Consort Bai said, her face flushing slightly. She, of course, didn't believe he recognized her by scent; he was merely trying to tease her.

"You're mistaken, Your Ladyship! The sachet you gave me last time was immensely helpful. I'm filled with gratitude, so how could I be audacious towards you?" The other party's sachet had been very useful for concealing his cultivation level, providing great assistance at the time. While he no longer needed it now, expressing gratitude was still appropriate. He even wondered if he should also give her a set of Rouge Blossom cosmetics.

Consort Bai smiled, pursing her lips; she was clearly accustomed to his style of speaking. "We can discuss other matters later. I came to find you this time about something important: have you offended Eunuch Wen in some way?"

"Eunuch Wen?" Zu An was startled. "No, why do you ask?"

"I unintentionally discovered that he seems to be looking for someone to investigate you. And just now, he also seemed to be observing you from nearby. I deliberately went to him to stall for some time, though I don't know if it helped much," Consort Bai said, her gaze at him containing a hint of amusement, as if both concerned and watching a play unfold.

Zu An's heart tightened. Although she spoke casually, the fact that she knew of Eunuch Wen's movements suggested she was not as frail and helpless as she appeared.

The key question, however, was why Eunuch Wen would be monitoring him.

He was still not very familiar with the palace and couldn't remember the faces of all the minor eunuchs. Even if he had noticed someone nearby, he wouldn't have thought much of it.

As for Eunuch Wen, he frequently encountered him in the palace, so even though he had sensed his presence nearby earlier, he hadn't felt anything unusual. Only now, alerted by Consort Bai, did he realize something was amiss.