Chapter 607: The Only Insider

"The incompetent and foolish Crown Prince ascending the throne in the future would certainly not be a blessing for the nation. For the sake of the common people, anyone capable should contribute their strength." The woman standing on the willow branch spoke. Her voice was incredibly magnetic, as clear and pleasant as ice striking together, yet also possessing the mature, alluring charm typical of an experienced woman.

Zu An thought, "Her voice is indeed pleasant, but it's a pity she almost killed me with a single sword stroke."

Shi Miao, however, was greatly startled. "Are you King Qi's person?"

After all, the first half of her statement was something often brought up by ministers aligned with King Qi, and the latter half was also what they thought, though they generally didn't dare to voice it openly out of respect for the Emperor.

The woman shook her head slightly. "I am not King Qi's person. This action is purely for the public good."

The more she insisted, the more Shi Miao suspected she was trying to distance herself from King Qi and avoid implicating him.

He suddenly felt hesitant. Given his status, he wasn't particularly keen on getting involved in the conflict between King Qi and the Crown Prince. He had initially thought it was just a simple group of assassins; he never expected to be in such a dilemma.

Zu An, who was standing by, had a strange expression. Shi Miao thought the woman belonged to King Qi's faction, but Zu An knew otherwise.

He had just seen Qiu Honglei, who was from the Demon Sect. When did the Demon Sect ever pledge allegiance to King Qi?

He had just heard Qiu Honglei mention her master. Could this woman be her master?

That would explain it. Only a woman of such unparalleled grace and beauty could have such a stunning and peerless disciple.

Although her face was veiled and her appearance unseen, her eyes, beautiful as the bright moon in the night sky, confirmed she was a peerless beauty.

Is this the Demon Sect Leader? If so, why was she intentionally or unintentionally giving the impression that she was aligned with King Qi?

Wait a minute!

A thought struck Zu An. He was no longer a political novice; he had become generally familiar with some of the court's underhanded tricks. He quickly deduced that the Demon Sect had most likely first paid a large sum to the Shadow Pavilion to assassinate the Empress, thereby diverting the main attention of the palace guards.

Then, their elites would launch an all-out attack on the Eastern Palace to assassinate the Crown Prince, framing King Qi in the process. At that point, the Emperor would be furious and seek retribution from King Qi.

King Qi, being wrongly accused, would naturally not sit idly by. Furthermore, King Qi's faction had always been powerful. Such a direct confrontation between the two sides would inevitably lead to widespread chaos.

This way, the Demon Sect would have an opportunity to seize control of the realm.

Zu An gulped. Qiu Honglei's master had an incredibly grand scheme. So far, the plan was too cunning and secretive; had he not recognized Qiu Honglei, he would never have guessed the truth.

Realizing he was the sole person aware of the truth, he decided it would be best to leave first, lest the Demon Sect Leader silence him.

His only remaining question was: Where was the Emperor throughout all of this?

Although the Demon Sect's plan was clever, with the Emperor's power, he could suppress it almost instantly.

At this moment, the woman spoke again: "Lord Shi, this matter does not concern you. Please step aside."

Shi Miao grew even more certain. The assassin knew him, so she must be connected to the court as well. "Since I am already standing here, how can I stand idly by?"

What a joke! If he hadn't come, it would be one thing, but to be here and do nothing? Wouldn't that be openly siding with King Qi? How could the Emperor let him off afterwards?

He was filled with regret. He had initially thought this was just an ordinary assassination case that he could easily handle, and the Emperor, seeing his great contribution and remembering Shi Kun's wrongful death, would likely reward and compensate the Shi family handsomely. But who would have thought the commotion here would be so massive? Today, not to mention the Crown Prince, even he himself might fall here.

The woman's voice turned cold. "Since Lord Shi insists on being obstinate, don't blame me for offending you."

No sooner had she finished her last word than she appeared before Shi Miao. She extended her fair hand, and a terrifying pressure immediately bore down, clearly intending to blast the Crown Prince behind him to death as quickly as possible.

Shi Miao's face changed drastically. He hastily mustered his full concentration, and a colossal tornado formed before him, countless wind blades swirling within it, rushing towards his opponent.

Zu An watched, dumbfounded. He had seen Shi Kun use a similar technique back in the academy's rear mountain secret realm, but the tornado Shi Kun conjured then was like a small loach compared to a mighty dragon next to this one.

Moreover, the faintly visible wind blades within Shi Miao's tornado each contained destructive power. If a person were struck, they would likely be instantly reduced to a bloody mist.

Witnessing such a powerful expert in action, he became even more determined to leave quickly. Anyway, with the Demon Sect Leader present, Qiu Honglei's safety was no longer a concern.

With a thunderous crash, the enormous tornado collided with her fair, slender palm. Instead of being shredded, it was shattered by her single palm strike.

The scattered force made the entire Eastern Palace shake, and the clashing assassins and guards inside tumbled to the ground.

Such power in a single strike—it was truly terrifying!

The woman smiled sweetly. "Your cultivation is already slightly inferior to mine, and you have to divide your attention to protect the Crown Prince and Princess. You are even less of a match for me."

Shi Miao, while regulating the turbulent qi and blood within him, replied, "Whether I can defeat you or not, I'll only know after we fight. Are you fighting with your mouth, Your Excellency?"

The woman's eyes grew cold. "You're seeking death!"

Her attacks became even more ferocious, each strike aimed at his vital points.

Shi Miao was bewildered. "I just said that casually. Do you have to get so angry?"

He had no time to think and could only hastily deploy defensive moves.

Only Zu An almost burst out laughing. "She's the Demon Sect Leader, after all," he thought. "She's accustomed to dealing with worldly people. For a woman, 'fighting with her mouth' can easily carry suggestive connotations." The woman likely thought Shi Miao was verbally harassing her, but Zu An knew Shi Miao most likely had no such intention.

"Fight, fight, fight! It's best if you eliminate Shi Miao," Zu An thought, secretly hoping for more chaos. Shi Kun's death was, after all, somewhat connected to him. He worried that if the Shi family didn't dare retaliate against the Crown Princess, they might come after him. Therefore, it would be much safer for him if the Shi family's biggest supporter was eliminated.

Unfortunately, just then, a fragrant breeze swept past. The Crown Princess, holding the Crown Prince, appeared beside him, her beautiful eyes looking at him pleadingly. "Lord Gold Token, the safety of the Crown Prince and I now depends on you."

Although Shi Miao spoke bravely, Zu An, standing behind him, could clearly feel his body trembling, and there were specks of blood on his robe, indicating he had been injured during the fierce confrontation with the woman.

The Crown Princess was intelligent. She knew it was quite dangerous to remain behind Shi Miao; if he lost focus for even a moment, the assassin might easily kill both her and the Crown Prince. So she decisively moved away. This way, Shi Miao wouldn't be distracted protecting them and could hold out longer, and what they needed most right now was time.

As for where to go after leaving Shi Miao's protection, assassins were everywhere. Originally, the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor would have been the best option, as he had high cultivation and was fiercely loyal to the Crown Prince. Unfortunately, he was also being besieged by many skilled assassins, and taking the Crown Prince there would only add to the chaos.

Therefore, the only remaining choice was the Gold Token Envoy. He had just displayed extremely powerful combat ability. Although he had been somewhat disheveled by the woman's flying sword later, that was, after all, a full-force strike from a master. His ability to dodge it was already remarkable.

Now that the most formidable female assassin was being held back by Shi Miao, none of the remaining assassins should be a match for the Gold Token Guard.

No sooner had the Crown Princess finished speaking than she felt a wave of weakness and dizziness wash over her. Then, losing her balance, she involuntarily stumbled and fell into Zu An's arms.

Zu An: "???"

"What in the world is happening? I was just about to slip away, and now you've come over here and drawn all the hostility onto me?"

"More importantly, why are you falling into my arms? Please show some self-respect!"

He had just experienced the melodramatic scene of saving the Empress. Because he had unintentionally held her, he not only gained no credit but ended up with a bad reputation.

Seeing this, the Crown Prince's eyes lit up. He also opened his arms and lunged towards Zu An. "I want a hug too! I want a hug too!"

Zu An: "..."