Chapter 604: Calling Out Identity

Zu'an was filled with the melancholy of parting and had many things he wanted to say to Qiao Xueying. At the very least, he thought he should see her off.

However, when such a message came through his golden plaque, his expression changed instantly.

This was because the divine sense of Zhuxie Chixin was transmitted through the plaque!

Besides serving as identification, the Embroidered Uniform Envoy's waist plaque also functions as a communication device, similar to the pagers carried by traffic police in his previous life, allowing them to receive direct orders from superiors.

Of course, this function was rarely used; when it was, it usually signified an extremely urgent matter.

Furthermore, once you received a message, you couldn't ignore it. If you tried to shirk your duty and didn't rush to the scene promptly, the magic array on the plaque would record all relevant information, such as your distance from the incident location. Afterward, the Embroidered Uniform Envoys' internal affairs would use this data for commendations, rewards, or accountability.

These were common facts that Zhuxie Chixin had explained to him when he first became an Embroidered Uniform Envoy. Zu'an's only relief was that the golden plaque, besides recording basic information like distance, did not have a monitoring function. Otherwise, everything he had done would have been exposed.

This was, in fact, normal. Every Embroidered Uniform Envoy was an elite among their peers; the more capable one was, the prouder they tended to be. If a monitoring device were placed on them, recording every movement, who could endure that?

The current arrangement, which retained the notification function and recorded only the simplest information for rewards and punishments, was the optimal outcome for both parties, representing a balance.

"What's wrong?" Qiao Xueying noticed his unusual behavior and asked curiously.

Zu'an explained what had happened, while secretly wondering, "What on earth is going on? First, a horde of assassins attacked the empress's bedchamber, and now there are assassins at the Crown Prince's East Palace?"

"Are the palace guards all collectively absent without leave?"

"And isn't the Emperor the strongest person in the world? His divine sense is said to cover the entire palace. Why hasn't there been any sign of him after such major incidents?"

Qiao Xueying let out a sound of surprise. "I haven't heard of the Shadow Pavilion having any other operations. Besides, this attack on the empress's bedchamber already seemed to involve all their elites. To simultaneously attack the East Palace... I doubt the Shadow Pavilion has that much power."

After hearing her intelligence, Zu'an's heart stirred. "Then it's most likely another faction."

He still had doubts. "Isn't the coordination between these two factions too coincidental? Just now, all the palace guards rushed towards Kunning Palace, then began pursuing the fleeing Shadow Pavilion assassins. At that very moment, trouble erupted at the East Palace. It would take quite some time for those guards to rush back, no wonder Zhuxie Chixin notified all nearby Embroidered Uniform Envoys to go for rescue."

"Wait, why haven't I seen Zhuxie Chixin throughout all this?"

Unfortunately, the waist plaque was more like a one-way task dispenser and lacked any communication function.

Qiao Xueying then said, "A'Zu, you should go back quickly. Otherwise, it will be troublesome if you're held accountable later."

Zu'an hesitated. "But then I can't see you off."

Qiao Xueying smiled, pressing her lips together. "You've already seen me off by walking such a long way with me in the palace. I'm truly happy."

Zu'an embraced the girl again, feeling her slender, delicate body. "Xue'er, I'll definitely find a chance to visit you in the Elf Tribe."

Qiao Xueying's eyes curved like crescent moons, and her voice was sickly sweet. "Mm, I'll wait for you."

After parting with Qiao Xueying, Zu'an put his mask back on, entered the palace gates, and hurried towards the East Palace.

He was full of frustration and resentment. He had already made up his mind: "They made Xue'er and I part early, so I'll just go through the motions later."

Any force capable of assassinating the Crown Prince in the East Palace must be terrifying, and those sent must be master-level experts. He had no interest in risking his life to protect an idiot he had only met twice.

His attempt to feign effort at Kunning Palace hadn't been successful, so this time, he had to learn from that lesson.

However, he didn't waste time on the way; the waist plaque would record such information. Walking slowly would be too obvious.

When he arrived at the East Palace, he found the entire area in a state of chaotic slaughter.

The ground was littered with the corpses of guards and black-clad assassins; blood flowed like a river.

The East Palace's defenses were clearly on the verge of collapse. Only one middle-aged man, leading a few guards, was desperately holding on.

Judging by his official uniform, he was likely Cao Hou, the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor and an eighth-rank expert.

Prince Qi was the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, but given Prince Qi's status, it was clearly impossible for him to constantly be by the Crown Prince's side as his teacher.

Therefore, this Junior Tutor should be the Crown Prince's true mentor.

Earlier, Zu'an had been summoned to Kunning Palace by the Empress, so he hadn't had a chance to formally meet him.

Perhaps from long years of tutoring the Crown Prince, he exuded an inexplicable majesty. His attacks were upright and forceful, and he single-handedly fended off several of the assassins' top masters.

Indeed, worthy of an eighth-rank expert, Zu'an watched in admiration.

Unfortunately, he was still outnumbered. Despite his imposing presence, he could only manage a strenuous defense.

Zu'an shifted his gaze and then saw that even the Crown Princess was fighting with a sword.

The Crown Princess was already beautiful, and with her tall figure, as she fought, her skirts billowed and her waist moved gracefully, making her look like a fairy from a painting.

Zu'an couldn't help but secretly evaluate, "She's only slightly less beautiful than my Chuyan wife."

She was protecting the Crown Prince behind her, who, despite having his physique strengthened with rare treasures by the Emperor since childhood, making him much stronger than an average person, was now cowering and trembling in a corner, utterly lacking the courage to help his wife.

He had two eunuchs, Xiao Xuzi and Xiao Hezi, on either side of him. One held a stool, the other a broom, both trembling as they looked around.

Zu'an was speechless. "Are you serious? At least grab a knife! The ground is covered with corpses; any one of them would be better than this."

The Crown Princess's cultivation was probably between the fifth and sixth ranks, making her quite a master in the martial world, and most of the assassins were roughly at the same level.

Unfortunately, being a pampered Crown Princess, she lacked practical combat experience.

Several times, she was almost injured by assassins, but fortunately, a small, nimble figure was darting around protecting her.

"Evil Warding Swordplay?"

Zu'an gasped inwardly, but quickly realized it was just her movement and attack speed that resembled the Evil Warding Swordplay.

He had already clearly seen the figure: it was Rong Mo, the Crown Princess's personal maid. Her cultivation was much higher than the Crown Princess's; every time she flashed by, she would leave a wound on an opposing killer.

What surprised Zu'an even more was her weapon: not a common weapon like a knife or sword, but a small embroidery needle!

It wasn't like Dongfang Bubai; it was more like...

After pondering for a long time, he finally thought of an apt comparison: "It's exactly like when Nanny Rong pricked Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei in *My Fair Princess*."

"Damn, she really is Nanny Rong, the assassin!"

Zu'an simply couldn't associate the charming and lovely maid in front of him with Nanny Rong's wrinkled, orange-peel face.

"Wait, no, looking at the cultivation she's displaying, it's probably as high as the sixth or seventh rank. Even talents like Chu Chuyan and Pei Mianman, without special encounters, would at most reach the sixth rank. How could this little maid have such abilities, with cultivation higher than theirs to begin with?"

He immediately realized that her age was definitely not as young as her appearance suggested; she might indeed be an old nanny with a wrinkled face.

Additionally, there were already several other Embroidered Uniform Envoys in the East Palace. They had apparently been nearby on official duties or something similar and had rushed over as soon as they received the message.

Unfortunately, most of these envoys wore bronze plaques, and it seemed there was only one with a silver plaque. Although their cultivation was decent, it had little impact on the overall situation; they merely provided slight relief to the Crown Prince's side.

Zu'an made sure his mask was secure and planned to just deal with one or two assassins from a quiet corner. To his surprise, his arrival didn't go unnoticed by either side. When the assassins saw another Embroidered Uniform Envoy, they collectively frowned, though they weren't overly concerned. These envoys' individual cultivation wasn't particularly high, and they usually didn't carry the Emperor's "act on behalf of Heaven" tokens unless necessary, so they were nothing to fear.

However, when those other Embroidered Uniform Envoys saw Zu'an, their eyes lit up. "It's the Golden Plaque Lord! We're saved!"

Hearing this shout, everyone looked towards him, and several assassins, whose cultivation was clearly far superior to the others, immediately surged towards him.

Zu'an: "..."

"Damn it, I specifically put away my golden plaque to go through the motions, and you still recognized me?!"