Chapter 1588: Old Friends Reunite

The leader from the Yan King's residence was Sun Xun, the Prime Minister. When Zu An and Sang Hong traveled to Yunzhong Commandery, they passed through Yi Commandery. There, in the Carefree Pavilion, Zu An had a conflict with Sun Ji, Sun Xun's son. Because identities were kept secret at the Carefree Pavilion, Sun Ji didn't know Zu An was an imperial envoy. Relying on his local influence, Sun Ji planned to rob and kill him.

However, things didn't go as planned; they encountered a rogue master who double-crossed them and slaughtered Sun Ji and his group instead.

Afterward, Sun Xun was both shocked and enraged. Based on the conflict at the Carefree Pavilion, he suspected Zu An. Fortunately, Zu An cleverly uncovered the true murderer, which prevented a direct confrontation between them.

Although Sun Xun outwardly accepted this outcome, who knew what he truly thought?

After all, his son's initial conflict with Zu An, and his intention to harm him, had led to the rogue master's opportunistic attack.

A narrow-minded person could easily blame Zu An. The fact that he raised a peculiar playboy like Sun Ji spoke volumes about his family's character.

At this moment, Sun Xun and his retinue arrived. Dismounting, he bowed to Zu An and the generals, saying, "I, Sun, have come on behalf of the Yan King to welcome Lord Zu and all the generals!"

"The Yan King is too kind!" Zu An responded politely with a cupped-hand salute, marveling inwardly at how Sun Xun showed no sign of anger, indicating his deep composure.

At this point, Governor Zhang Xie, standing nearby, suddenly said with a forced smile, "Lord Zu and his party are here for the Emperor's Fengshan Ceremony. For the Yan King to send only you and not appear himself seems a bit disrespectful, doesn't it?"

Although the Yan King held a high position, Zu An was in charge of a major event like the Fengshan Ceremony and was accompanied by the Emperor's personal guards, the Imperial Forest Army, effectively representing the Emperor. By custom, the Yan King should have come to welcome them himself.

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere grew awkward. Zu An hadn't expected the conflict between Yi Commandery's local officials and the Yan King to have escalated to such a public display.

During his previous mission to Yunzhong Commandery, he had merely passed through and hadn't interacted deeply with Yi Commandery's officialdom, so he hadn't realized this.

Sun Xun calmly replied, "The King was naturally preparing to welcome Lord Zu, but a distinguished guest arrived at the residence, making it impossible for him to leave. Therefore, he specifically dispatched me to greet you. Furthermore, the King has arranged a welcome banquet at the residence and invites all lords to attend."

Hearing this, Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang couldn't help but frown. What did he mean by "distinguished guest"?

Wasn't he clearly implying that this guest was more important than Zu An and his party?

What could be more insulting? Governor Zhang Xie and his entourage displayed various expressions, many appearing to enjoy the spectacle, secretly hoping for an immediate confrontation between the two sides.

They had heard that Zu An was also an impetuous hothead who even dared to disrespect the Qi King and had once broken the Qi King's heir's leg. They anticipated an interesting show today.

To everyone's surprise, however, Zu An smiled faintly and said, "Then I'll trouble Lord Sun to lead the way."

He had been looking for an opportunity to investigate Master Huo, the guest advisor at the Yan King's residence, and he couldn't let such a perfect chance slip away.

The officials of Yi Commandery, unaware of Zu An's true motive, widened their eyes, and many felt a sudden surge of disdain.

"Who said this guy was brave? He's just a coward, it seems."

"Those wild rumors are probably false, likely spread by the Crown Prince's faction to discredit the Qi King..."

Each person harbored different thoughts. However, Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang had another perspective: Lord Zu must have his reasons for acting this way.

Having witnessed Zu An's extraordinary display of power, they were now utterly impressed by him.

Sun Xun was also taken aback. He hadn't expected Zu An to be so agreeable and felt a hint of disdain, thinking Zu An was just a rising star who wouldn't dare put on airs in front of the Yan King.

At the same time, he felt annoyed. He had deliberately spoken that way to provoke Zu An, hoping he would react irrationally, which would then give Sun Xun an excuse to retaliate.

Yi Commandery was the Yan King's and his own territory. Unless the Emperor himself came, who would dare not comply?

Clearly, he hadn't fully recovered from the grief of losing his son. He had initially planned to use these opportunities to exact some revenge on Zu An, but to his surprise, Zu An didn't take the bait.

"This way, esteemed guests!" With the officials of Yi Commandery watching, Sun Xun had no choice but to lead the group toward the Yan King's residence in the city.

In any case, he had publicly diminished Zu An's prestige today, which was a considerable gain. There was still plenty of time, and he would surely find other opportunities later.

Governor Zhang Xie hesitated but decided to follow. He had originally intended to use the imperial envoys to challenge the Yan King, but with the envoys from the capital seemingly backing down, there was no point in him persisting alone.

It was best to get this task over with. Maintaining appearances was crucial; if the conflict with the Yan King escalated too much and reached the ears of those in the imperial court, who knew what further complications might arise.

Seeing that he had agreed, the other officials of Yi Commandery naturally followed.

However, not all of the Imperial Forest Army could enter the city. Captain Yang Sheng was tasked with leading them to a nearby encampment.

Wang Bolin volunteered to stay behind, as military regulations stipulated that no three high-ranking officers could all be away from the army. It would be problematic if something happened and the troops were left leaderless.

"Then I'll trouble you with this," Zu An said, patting his shoulder in encouragement.

Wang Bolin proudly puffed out his chest, subtly glancing at Zhang Zijiang. He thought, "You're good at flattery, but I can outdo you in actual work. Lord Zu is so wise and mighty; he'll surely know who is truly dependable."

Sensing his provocative gaze, Zhang Zijiang secretly scoffed, "Fool!"

Yi Commandery was indeed a major city, no less grand than Brightmoon City. The city was extremely prosperous and bustling. Besides the local residents, merchants from all corners of the land could be seen, and various cultivators were also ubiquitous.

Despite the usual crowds, many people still gathered along the route to watch Zu An and his large entourage.

"Who has such prestige that both the Yan King's residence and the Governor's office came out to greet him?"

"That young man holds such a high position! Could he be a prince?"

"Oh, he's so handsome! If I pretended to accidentally fall in front of his horse, would it lead to a 'domineering prince falls for me' romance, just like in the storybooks?"

At this moment, two elegant figures in a distant inn were also startled, simultaneously putting down their teacups. "Why is he here too?" one exclaimed.

Of the two women, one was youthful and lively, while the other was mature and imposing. Yet, both shared a captivating beauty.

"Master, this must be fate! I'm going to find him!" the younger girl exclaimed excitedly.

The older woman's expression grew somewhat uneasy. "Have you forgotten our identities? We can't be seen in public. How will you approach him with so many officials around?"

"No big deal, I'll just go at night then," the young girl replied nonchalantly.

The older woman snorted, "To watch him display affection with the woman next to him?"

The younger girl froze, then noticed Xie Daoyun beside Zu An. The two were chatting and laughing, their demeanor appearing exceedingly intimate.

"Argh, this makes me so angry!" the girl instantly fumed.