Chapter 570: Entering the Palace

"It's all your fault!" Even by early morning the next day, Qiao Xueying was still burning with shame and anger, repeatedly punching Zu'an's chest with her small fists.

Zu'an gave a peculiar smile. "There was a curtain between us; she couldn't see a thing."

"But I still feel weird about it," Qiao Xueying mumbled, shifting uncomfortably. If it had been Miss Chu, it might have been fine, but he was the Chu family's heir.

Were it not for her friendship with Chu Chuyan, she might have just silenced him permanently.

Zu'an twirled his fingers around her delicate braids. "You knocked her out then. Besides, if anyone was seen, it would have been me. I was outside."

Qiao Xueying snatched her braids back, her expression slightly odd. "Oh, by the way, what exactly was that 'steering wheel' you mentioned yesterday?"

"Cough, cough..." Zu'an nearly choked. "Nothing, haha."

"It's definitely not a good word," Qiao Xueying spat, her face flushing. She wondered where this guy learned so many strange tricks. Could someone as aloof as Miss Chu really allow him to behave like this normally?

Zu'an glanced out the window. "It's almost dawn. I need to head back. I have to go to the palace soon."

Qiao Xueying quickly dispelled her fanciful thoughts, her expression turning serious. "A'Zu, are you really confident? Or should we stick to my plan and get you out of the city while the gates are open today?"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Seeing her concerned gaze, Zu'an felt deeply touched and leaned in to kiss her small, red lips again.

This time, however, the kiss didn't last long before Qiao Xueying pushed him away. Her face was filled with fear and shyness. "Stop... I really can't anymore..."

Elves are naturally more delicate than humans, and Zu'an was much stronger than an average man. After a whole night's ordeal, she felt like she was falling apart.

Zu'an chuckled. "I'm not a beast; I just wanted to kiss you."

Qiao Xueying grumbled, "Didn't you say things like that less last night?"

Zu'an was speechless.

After a moment of intimacy, Qiao Xueying got up to help him dress.

Zu'an couldn't help but exclaim, "I didn't realize your hands were so nimble."

"I didn't know how originally, but I had to learn when I infiltrated the Chu family to serve Miss Chu," Qiao Xueying said, letting out a frustrated sigh. "I guess I owed you two from a past life. Not only did I fail my mission, but I also lost myself in the process."

Zu'an pinched and pulled her cheeks gently. "We're a couple too."

Hearing his words, Qiao Xueying's resentment instantly vanished, and her eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled.

Zu'an had been worried about Chu Youzhao, but Qiao Xueying assured him she would take responsibility for returning her to the Qin family, preventing any complications if he were to do it himself.

He knew she was more familiar with the capital, and given her connection to the Chu family, he felt comfortable entrusting the task to her.

He made his way back to the previous residence, hearing Zhu Xie Chixin's furious shouts from afar. "Have you found him?"

"No..."

"Are you saying you can't even confirm if he was captured by assassins or ran away on his own?"

"The situation was too chaotic last night; no one saw clearly."

"Useless! Someone! Issue an order: post wanted notices everywhere, and dispatch men to close the city gates. No one is to enter or leave until he's captured."

Zu'an knew the time was right. He cleared his throat. "Cough, cough, is the Grand Commander looking for me?"

Everyone in the courtyard abruptly turned, their eyes widening with surprise and relief upon seeing him. If the person specifically requested by the Emperor had genuinely gone missing, many heads would surely roll. So, how could they not be happy to see him return?

Zhu Xie Chixin was even more astonished. "You're unharmed?"

Zu'an gave a half-smile. "Does the Grand Commander wish me harm?"

Zhu Xie Chixin's expression turned cold. "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I wish you harm? Are you injured? Do you need treatment?"

"No," Zu'an refused outright. Heaven knew what complications might arise if he accepted treatment.

"Then let's go to the palace immediately, before anything else happens." Zhu Xie Chixin waved his hand, ordering his subordinates to prepare.

Seeing his anxious demeanor, Zu'an wondered if he had guessed incorrectly.

Zhu Xie Chixin then led a group of guards, escorting him directly towards the imperial palace.

"We won't encounter another assassination attempt, will we?" Zu'an said pointedly on the way.

"Whoever comes, dies," Zhu Xie Chixin replied curtly, clearly confident.

Zu'an looked thoughtful. At this point, Zhu Xie Chixin grew curious. "Where exactly did you go last night?"

Zu'an smiled faintly. "So many people wanted to kill me; I simply went out to hide."

Zhu Xie Chixin's expression was peculiar. "To be honest, there are very few people in this world I can't read, and you are one of them. You clearly didn't have to come back, yet you did, and you were cooperative the whole way here, as if you were eager to see the Emperor."

"Does the Grand Commander not want me to see the Emperor?" Zu'an retorted.

Zhu Xie Chixin glanced at him. "Do you know what the consequences of seeing the Emperor might be?"

"I know." Zu'an smiled, remaining calm and composed.

Zhu Xie Chixin stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. *What an interesting person.*

He stopped asking questions, and the group proceeded directly to the imperial palace.

Gazing at the red walls and yellow glazed tiles before him, Zu'an felt a sense of disorientation. The Forbidden City of his past life was already magnificent, but this imperial palace was several times grander.

Both the height of the palace walls and the grandeur of the city gates far surpassed those of the Forbidden City.

It made sense. This was a world of cultivation, where martial power was formidable, so the imperial palace naturally had to be much stronger.

He noticed that even a random guard possessed a cultivation level of at least fourth rank, with many at fifth rank.

Each one of them would be considered a master in the martial arts world. Furthermore, these individuals undoubtedly had combined attack formations, allowing them to unleash terrifying power.

He figured the imperial palace must be the safest place under heaven.

With Zhu Xie Chixin leading the way, their journey was naturally unobstructed. The group walked for a long time within the palace until they reached a palace gate, where an old eunuch was already waiting.

Zhu Xie Chixin replied, "I won't be able to go further. Follow Eunuch Li; he will take you to see the Emperor."

Zu'an paused, realizing that beyond this gate was likely the inner palace, where the Emperor's consorts and female relatives resided. Outsiders, especially men, were generally not permitted to enter.

So, if they were letting him in, did that mean they didn't intend for him to leave alive afterwards?

Nevertheless, since things had come to this, he could only adapt to the situation and hope his plan would succeed.

"Thank you, Grand Commander." After the old eunuch concluded his handover with Zhu Xie Chixin, he spoke to Zu'an in a high-pitched voice. "Come with me."

Zu'an mused that although Old Mi's voice was unpleasant, it didn't have such obvious eunuch characteristics. He must have had profound cultivation to conceal his physical defects.

He followed the old eunuch further inside. He had initially thought of trying to get closer to the man, but seeing his haughty, dismissive attitude, Zu'an decided it wasn't worth wasting his breath. The key, after all, lay with the Emperor himself.

They walked for a long distance, the surroundings becoming increasingly serene, as if they were strolling through an imperial garden.

Finally, they walked across a long covered walkway over water and stopped at a pavilion. The old eunuch said, "Wait here."

Zu'an was taken aback. "Aren't we going to see the Emperor?"

The old eunuch replied, "His Majesty is holding court, so you are to wait here first. Don't wander off."

After speaking, he left directly, leaving Zu'an alone in the pavilion.

Zu'an's expression was extremely strange. *This Emperor is really bold,* he thought. *Just leaving me alone in the inner palace like this, isn't he afraid I'll cause trouble in the harem?*

There were pastries on the table. Zu'an had been busy all night, and Zhu Xie Chixin hadn't provided breakfast, so he was genuinely hungry now.

However, he was worried about a trick and dared not eat them.

After a while, he finally couldn't sit still. Staring at the pastries he couldn't eat was too much of a test for his willpower.

So he decided to walk around, if only to familiarize himself with the surroundings.

The imperial palace was too complex. After walking for a bit, he got a little lost. Just as he was about to retrace his steps, he suddenly heard a goofy voice from ahead: "I told you to do frog jumps. When have you ever seen a frog jump while wearing pants?"