Chapter 600: The World's Extraordinary Man

Everyone in the hall was stunned by the sight.

Little Gui, trembling in the corner, was speechless.Little Zhuo was also speechless.

This guy is incredibly bold! He actually dared to embrace the Empress. Only the Emperor is allowed to touch her; how dare he?

They regretted accepting the Oriental pearls from Zu An earlier, wondering if they would be implicated later because of this connection.

Their colleagues looked at Zu An with pity. If he miraculously survived this, he would likely become one of them. Would he be called Little Zu or Little An then?

Zu An, of course, was also utterly bewildered. He had originally planned to just stand by, watch the Empress dominate and show off, and simply cheer her on from the side.

But who would have thought that the situation would change so suddenly? The Empress, who had just been so formidable, instantly faltered, and the tables turned in a flash.

And Empress, if you're going to run, why run towards me?

And then, into my arms! Her body was incredibly soft, and her backside was indeed quite shapely... Uh, that's not the point. The point is, does embracing the Empress count as intimate physical contact? Will the Emperor tolerate this? Will other censors impeach me?

Will my punishment be beheading, or will I be dragged to the Imperial House of Rites to be castrated?

He instinctively clamped his legs together. He should have just let her fall to the ground if he had known this would happen.

He had just dealt with the matter of the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra, and now he's already provoked the Emperor again so quickly. Should he find a chance to visit a temple and burn incense to change his luck?

But since the Emperor has already worn my cuckold's hat, surely he wouldn't treat me that way...

In less than a second, his mind had conjured an entire melodramatic saga.

The Empress also hadn't expected to fall into a man's embrace. A faint blush flashed across her full, oval-shaped face, whether from shyness or her recent injury, she didn't know. But she was a mature woman, not an innocent maiden, and quickly regained her composure. She urgently reminded him, "Why are you just standing there? The assassins are coming!"

Zu An snapped out of his daze. Not only the assassins who had been chasing the Empress, but also the two assassins directly in front of him, all lunged forward with their swords.

He felt a pang of frustration and even considered throwing the Empress to them.

But if he did that, he would surely be dead afterwards. Saving the Empress might be his only path to survival.

I just want to be a slacker. Is that so difficult?

While complaining internally, he could only run with the Empress in his arms. These assassins were masters, and with one person in his embrace, both his hands were occupied. How could he fight?

The Empress had originally intended to offer guidance, helping him dodge their attacks. Despite her injuries, her eyesight was still keen. But before she could speak, she saw Zu An twist his body several times, quickly leaving behind afterimages, and easily evading the lethal attacks coming from all directions.

This movement technique... it seems like Mi Lianying's "Sunflower Phantom"?

No, though similar, this technique is far more sophisticated than Mi Lianying's.

As she pondered, she suddenly saw him running towards the outside and quickly said, "Don't go out there!"

Zu An stopped, looking at her with a bewildered expression.

The Empress's face flushed. She whispered, "If you appear in front of everyone openly embracing me like this, I won't be able to protect you afterwards, even if I wanted to."

Zu An understood. For now, only a few people had witnessed this scene. As long as the Empress didn't pursue the matter later, it would naturally blow over.

However, once they appeared outside, countless eyes would see them, and it would be impossible to keep it a secret. At that point, even if the Empress or the Emperor didn't mind, a host of upright officials, censors, and public gossip wouldn't let him off. In such a situation, even the Emperor and Empress would have no choice but to kill him.

Zu An felt a chill down his neck. He quickly retreated, hiding behind the intact doors and windows, ensuring they wouldn't be seen by anyone outside.

But he immediately realized, "Then why don't you just get down?"

As he spoke, he made to let go, but the Empress quickly clung to his arm. "No! My injuries are acting up right now; I can't move on my own."

Zu An was speechless.

Sister, aren't you just setting me up?

Huh, why is it so soft on my arm?

He glanced at where she was holding his arm, his expression growing even more serious: Right, if I were the Emperor, I'd definitely find it hard to forgive this.

At this moment, the assassins had surrounded them once again.

Zu An's anger flared. It was all these guys' fault!

So he roared, "Get lost!"

He directly summoned the Snow Phoenix, and a wave of icy frost spread outwards. The charging assassins' eyes widened, then their rushing figures gradually slowed down, coming to a complete halt on the spot.

A visible layer of frost gradually covered the surface of their clothes, eventually transforming them completely into ice sculptures.

Little Gui and Little Zhuo in the distance stared in disbelief. This guy was that powerful? Was he really the same person who had bribed them and called them brothers?

The Empress also stared, wide-eyed. She had just witnessed Zu An's strange movement technique and knew he possessed the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra, so she had guessed his cultivation was good. But she never imagined it would be this powerful!

He actually instantly defeated these assassins?

What was that move? It seemed somewhat similar to the Chu family's "Snowflake Divine Sword."

This was precisely why Zu An had deliberately used this move. He didn't want to expose many of his trump cards, but the Snow Phoenix's effect was indeed very similar to Chu Chuyan's "Snowflake Divine Sword," which would prevent suspicions from anyone paying close attention.

However, the Empress was now thinking about something else: this guy was clearly so powerful, yet he had just pretended to be in grave danger, pressed hard by two assassins. She, herself, had nearly died from her injuries acting up, while he was just loafing around?

Rage points from Liu Ning +55 +55 +55...

Seeing the string of rage points he received, Zu An almost threw the woman away. What the hell? He saved her, and she was still angry at him?

Fortunately, the rage points weren't too high, indicating that the situation could still be salvaged.

He cleared his throat lightly. "Empress, where do we go now?"

The Empress bit her lip. "Help me to the inner chambers."

"Alright." Since they couldn't go outside, he would settle her down inside first.

As they passed Little Gui and Little Zhuo, the Empress's delicate brows furrowed slightly.

Zu An knew she had murderous intent. Although her nature was relatively gentle, being in the position of Empress meant many things were beyond her control.

He sighed and said, "The two eunuchs were quite kind when they brought me here earlier."

He didn't claim they were his friends. For inner palace attendants to befriend outer court officials was a major taboo in the imperial palace; saying so would only harm them.

So, subtly expressing his attitude like this was enough.

The Empress naturally understood his plea. Having just been saved by him, she naturally had to grant him this favor. So, she looked coldly at the two young eunuchs. "If I hear even a whisper of today's events outside, your entire families will cease to exist."

"We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare!" The two young eunuchs kowtowed like pounding garlic, trembling even more violently than before.

Only then did the Empress nod in satisfaction. "The eunuchs attending to me were just killed by assassins. From now on, you two will serve by my side."

Little Gui and Little Zhuo were stunned at first, then overcome with ecstasy. "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

They were originally just the lowest-ranking young eunuchs in Kunning Palace. Now, becoming personal eunuchs to the Empress was like ascending to heaven in a single step—a level of glory and wealth they had never dared to dream of.

They looked gratefully at Zu An's retreating back. They knew clearly that their escape from death today, and receiving such favor, was ultimately because of this man.

They had only met him once, yet he proved to be so loyal and righteous.

Indeed, he was worthy of being the man who even dared to embrace the Empress—a truly extraordinary man. Following him in the future would surely bring no loss.

Zu An had no idea that the two young eunuchs now wished they could set up a shrine for him at home and offer worship. He carried the Empress into the inner chambers, where precious incense filled the air, so sweet and intoxicating it seeped into one's very bones.

The Empress pointed to the phoenix bed nearby. "Carry me onto the bed."

Zu An: "???"