Chapter 598: Interrogation

Once the Empress's anger subsided, Eunuch Lu, who had been quite imposing, retreated again and quickly disappeared into the shadows, as if he had never been there in the first place.

Having previously speculated about his relationship with the Empress, Zu'an couldn't help but glance at him again. He happened to catch Eunuch Lu secretly gazing at the Empress behind the beaded curtain, his eyes no longer fierce but filled with tenderness.

Unfortunately, the Empress didn't spare him a second glance.

Zu'an wished he had some melon to snack on; there was clearly something going on between these two. However, it seemed to be a one-sided affair for Eunuch Lu.

Speaking of which, this fellow was truly foolish. Even if he loved her, why would he sacrifice his manhood for it?

Even if a woman loved him deeply, what meaning could such profound love hold if he no longer had his manhood? No wonder the Empress didn't even deign to look at him directly.

Eunuch Lu averted his gaze, only to find Zu'an staring at him. He couldn't help but feel a little confused. What was with the sympathetic look in this guy's eyes?

After a moment, the Empress, having finished her chuckle, asked, "I heard something happened at the East Palace today?"

"Yes," Zu'an replied with a regretful expression, "another Imperial Tutor's assistant, Shi Kun, accidentally injured himself in a vital area while playing a game. The Imperial Hospital was unfortunately unable to save him, and he passed away prematurely." Zu'an found himself increasingly impressed with his own abilities; he was now like those old political foxes, with lies flowing effortlessly from his lips.

"Blaming the Imperial Hospital, that's quite a clever method," the Empress chuckled softly. "I suppose the Crown Princess taught you to say that?"

"This is indeed the truth; no one needed to teach us," Zu'an replied, unable to gauge her true intentions and thus not daring to reveal the full truth.

The Empress looked at him with a hint of surprise. "I thought you were a slippery character, but it seems you possess some integrity after all."

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty," Zu'an replied, looking rather dejected. He thought, 'Why does that sound like an insult? Oh well, you're highly ranked, so you're always right.'

"You've met the Crown Prince more than once," the Empress asked gently. "What is your opinion of him?"

Zu'an wasn't surprised that the Empress knew he had met the Crown Prince several times; it would be a failure for her as Empress not to know such minor palace affairs. "The Crown Prince is pure and possesses a noble, ancient simplicity," he replied.

The Empress snorted. "Are you using the same answer you gave the Emperor to placate me? Tell me the truth."

Zu'an: "..."

'To tell the truth, the Crown Prince is a complete idiot, an imbecile. But can you accept that? Even if you don't blame me, how will I get by in the palace afterward?'

He couldn't avoid the question. A thought suddenly struck him, and he quickly said, "Although the Crown Prince's abilities are ordinary, with the Crown Princess as a virtuous assistant, I believe there won't be much of a problem."

'Everyone says mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are natural rivals, and you just specifically mentioned the Crown Princess, so I suppose your relationship isn't very good.'

As expected, upon hearing "Crown Princess," the Empress instinctively frowned. "Linglong's abilities are indeed excellent," she said, "but unfortunately, she is too domineering. In the future, the Crown Prince might become her puppet in her hands."

Zu'an blinked. 'Empress, we've just met. Isn't it inappropriate to speak so candidly about such deep personal matters? Or is your resentment towards your daughter-in-law so strong that you can no longer contain it?'

"Why am I telling you all this?" the Empress said with a self-deprecating smile. "You wouldn't go back and tell the Crown Princess, would you?"

Zu'an immediately replied, "Did the Empress say anything? I didn't hear a thing."

The Empress: "..."

Eunuch Lu, standing nearby, couldn't help but glance sideways, thinking, 'Such a brazen and shameless person actually exists in this world.'

"You are indeed a clever one," the Empress sighed. "It doesn't matter whether you say this or not; she already knows anyway."

Zu'an fell into thought. On the surface, with Prince Qi and the Crown Prince contending for the throne, the Empress and the Crown Princess should be aligned. However, since the Empress was not the Crown Prince's birth mother, her position would become somewhat awkward even if the Crown Prince successfully ascended the throne in the future.

The Crown Princess represented the interests of the Bi family, while the Empress represented those of the Liu family. In time, these two factions would most likely come into conflict.

If the Crown Princess were a gentle person, it would be fine, but her strong personality meant that the Empress, as the future Empress Dowager, would likely find herself on pins and needles.

'Is she telling me all this specifically to win me over? After all, I am now one of the Crown Prince's close associates.'

"Don't overthink it," the Empress said, looking deeply at him. "You just need to do your job well, protect the Crown Prince, and supervise his studies. Just don't act as recklessly as you did today."

Zu'an bowed and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"By the way, can the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' truly grant immortality?" the Empress suddenly asked.

Zu'an's heart tightened. He figured all the previous rambling was just a smokescreen; this was her true purpose for calling him here. "The Emperor has already announced to the world that there is no immortality," he replied.

The Empress gave a faint, enigmatic smile. "You and I both know that the Emperor said that deliberately to calm the hearts of the people, which is why I'm asking you personally."

"I have already presented the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' to the Emperor," Zu'an replied. "If Your Majesty is curious, why not ask the Emperor to see it?"

Hearing his words, the Empress looked somewhat dazed. In truth, she had asked the Emperor before, but he had told her that the scripture was stored as a divine consciousness and could only be read three times. Eunuch Mi had read it once, Zu'an once, and the Emperor once, causing the scripture to dissipate completely, making it impossible for her to see.

She merely thought the Emperor was deliberately making excuses and didn't press further. Little did she know that Zu'an's "Forgiveness Hat" was originally a one-time use item; after its use, it reverted to an ordinary hat, and the divine consciousness engraved on it dissipated. To explain this, Zu'an had concocted the three-read limit, which had successfully placated the Emperor, and now, unexpectedly, it had even fooled the Empress.

Eunuch Lu, seeing her lost in thought, spoke up on her behalf, snapping, "When the Empress asks you a question, you simply answer! Why are you beating around the bush? Is it you questioning the Empress, or the Empress questioning you?"

Zu'an secretly curled his lips. 'This bootlicker is truly something, but no amount of flattery will get him what he wants.' He then said, "Practicing the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' cannot grant immortality. Otherwise, the Emperor would never have let me go."

The Empress nodded slightly; she had actually guessed the same. "Very well, I won't ask you about that anymore. Let me ask you another question: What exactly happened to Wei Dan?"

Zu'an's heart skipped a beat. He quickly said, "I don't know what Your Majesty means. Who is this Wei Dan, and why are you asking me about him?"

"Eunuch Wei served in Kunning Palace for several years in his early days and took good care of me," the Empress said calmly. "He was only later transferred to serve the Emperor. The Emperor may not care about past affections, but I cannot do the same. I must ultimately get to the bottom of this."

"In the past, Eunuch Mi defected with the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' and was never heard from again," the Empress continued. "Recently, however, we received intelligence that he was apparently in Brightmoon City. The Emperor then dispatched Wei Dan to apprehend Eunuch Mi and retrieve the scripture. Now, both Eunuch Mi and Wei Dan are missing, yet the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' is with you. If I don't ask you, then who should I ask?"

Zu'an forced a bitter smile. "Does Your Majesty perhaps think I killed him? Although I haven't been in the capital long, I've heard many people mention that Eunuch Wei's cultivation is profound and that he is a grandmaster of his generation. How could I possibly kill him?"

"So now you're not denying knowing him?" the Empress snorted. "Although your cultivation is not as high as Wei Dan's, you could very well have ambushed them when he and Eunuch Mi were both severely injured, then killed them and seized the treasure."

"Your Majesty overestimates me," Zu'an said. "Both of them are grandmasters; even if they were severely weakened, they would still be beyond what I could handle. The reason I have the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' is that Eunuch Mi gave it to me before he died."

Eunuch Lu, standing nearby, let out a soft "hmm," clearly surprised.

The Empress also couldn't help but ask, "From what you're saying, it seems old Eunuch Mi killed Wei Dan? But how is that possible? Wei Dan's cultivation was superior to old Eunuch Mi's."

"Has Your Majesty perhaps forgotten that old Eunuch Mi cultivated the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' for decades?" Zu'an explained. "He was already far stronger than before. It's just that Wei Dan's cultivation was truly exceptional. Although Eunuch Mi killed Wei Dan, he was also killed by Wei Dan's dying counterattack. Since old Eunuch Mi and I had spent some time together at the Chu family's residence and were, to some extent, friends despite the age difference, he passed the scripture to me before his death."

His words were nine parts truth and one part fabrication. In fact, he wasn't afraid of them knowing what had happened that day; after all, everyone already knew he possessed the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture'. His only concern was not to expose the secret that old Eunuch Mi had tried, and failed, to possess his body.

As if on cue, Eunuch Lu, standing nearby, let out a cold snort. "Nonsense! Mi Lianying was cunning and treacherous by nature. Even on his deathbed, he would only take the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' to his grave to prevent anyone else from obtaining it. How could he possibly grant it to someone else?"

Zu'an couldn't help but sigh. 'Indeed, only eunuchs truly understand other eunuchs. This fellow must have been old Eunuch Mi's confidant, understanding that he couldn't possibly have such a noble side.'

He was just pondering how to explain when suddenly, an alarm sounded from outside: "Assassins!"

No sooner had the words fallen than several streaks of black light pierced directly through the doors and windows, shooting towards the Empress inside.