Chapter 609: Double-faced Beauty

The Crown Princess gazed at Zu An's retreating back, her eyes dazed. She had always been the one protecting the Crown Prince, yet as a woman, she, too, yearned for the protection of a strong man. Unfortunately, her current position forced her to keep such thoughts hidden, never daring to reveal them. But at this moment, he shielded her, facing the formidable assassin alone.

She now knew the assassin was a Grandmaster, powerful enough to defeat even Grand Marshal Shi Miao, who was also a Grandmaster. How could this Gold-Ranked Emissary possibly stand a chance? Yet, he remained resolute, guarding her and confronting the deadly peril by himself.

The Crown Princess recalled a line from a romance novel she had once read: "No woman can refuse a man willing to sacrifice his life for her." She had scoffed at it then, dismissing it as the author's baseless fantasy. But now, having experienced it firsthand, she suddenly understood perfectly.

She wasn't sure what compelled him to protect her so fiercely—whether it was duty, a mission, or something else. She couldn't discern it, nor did she wish to. All she knew was that she would never forget the imposing figure of that man in that moment.

Just then, a sinister voice echoed from behind: "What insolent wretch dares to cause trouble in the Imperial Palace!"

She saw a dark red figure emerge, its morbidly pale skin, rarely touched by sunlight, and its cold, gloomy phoenix eyes unmistakably identifying the newcomer: Zhu Xie Chixin!

At his arrival, the Crown Princess breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the man protecting her would not die.

Zu An, too, let out a sigh of relief. "You're finally here, big brother," he thought. "Otherwise, I'd have started to wonder whose turf this palace really was." He had only just heard Zhu Xie Chixin rushing rapidly towards them, which was why he had deliberately put on an expression of heroic self-sacrifice, shouting slogans for all to hear. After all this, how could he not get a promotion and a raise? He certainly hadn't anticipated that his unintentional actions would lead to an entirely different outcome.

Zhu Xie Chixin was incredibly swift. In an instant, he exchanged a palm strike with the long-haired woman. Both were shaken; the woman was sent flying backward, and Zhu Xie Chixin's body swayed.

"Oh?" Zhu Xie Chixin looked at her in surprise. "Her cultivation seems to be beyond that of an ordinary Grandmaster." He harbored no worries, however. His command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard struck fear into the hearts of civil and military officials, a reputation not merely built on the Emperor's favor, but fundamentally on his own formidable power. He was already a Grandmaster at the peak of his power, and a recent epiphany had subtly propelled him to the verge of becoming a Great Grandmaster. Throughout the entire court, besides the Emperor and Prince Qi, few dared to claim a decisive victory against him.

"To possess such high cultivation at your young age is truly impressive," Zhu Xie Chixin lamented, seemingly filled with genuine regret. "You had a promising future, but regrettably, you chose to seek death by assassinating in the Imperial Palace."

The long-haired woman chuckled softly. "I've long heard of Grand Commander Zhu Xie's awe-inspiring reputation among court officials. Your imposing presence today certainly lives up to the rumors. However, aren't you a little too confident? Do you truly believe you've already won?"

Zhu Xie Chixin's expression remained impassive. "More words are pointless," he stated. With that, his figure transformed into a bolt of lightning, appearing even swifter than Zu An's teleportation. As he moved, his entire body ignited with crimson flames, resembling a phoenix.

Zu An secretly clicked his tongue. He had always felt a bone-chilling cold whenever he saw Zhu Xie Chixin, assuming he was ice-aligned. To his surprise, he was fire-aligned. And his combat stance, it truly seemed as if he had cultivated the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, embodying the very image of a phoenix reborn. This thought made him a little envious. While his own authentic Phoenix Nirvana Scripture possessed many miraculous abilities, it certainly didn't offer such spectacular visual effects in combat.

Just then, the Crown Princess's gentle voice reached him from behind: "Esteemed sir, are you injured?"

Zu An was startled. Every previous encounter with the Crown Princess had shown her to be aloof, her tone authoritative, even somewhat fierce. When had she ever spoken so gently to anyone? He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. "Thank you for your concern, Crown Princess. They are just minor injuries, nothing to worry about." In truth, he was completely uninjured. But how else could he highlight his heroism if not by exaggerating slightly?

The Crown Princess's red lips parted slightly as she gazed at the tall figure before her, thinking, *This is what a true man is—he bleeds but doesn't cry.* Unlike the Crown Prince, who would complain for half a day if he merely bumped into a table corner.

Zu An grew increasingly puzzled. Why was the Crown Princess staring at him so blankly, saying nothing? He cleared his throat and quickly asked, "Crown Princess, are you injured anywhere?"

The Crown Princess's face flushed slightly, and she shook her head. "It's nothing serious," she replied. She did, in fact, have some wounds, but she couldn't very well explain them to a man.

At that moment, the Crown Prince eagerly cried out, "I'm hurt, I'm hurt! Look, my head just hit the pillar and there's a big bump, it's all swollen."

The Crown Princess was speechless. Indeed, comparisons were infuriating. She looked at him, then at her own husband. She felt utterly drained.

Zu An couldn't help but smile faintly. "Crown Prince, there's no need to worry. It's just a minor superficial wound. We'll have an imperial physician prescribe some medicine for it, and you'll be fine."

"But it really hurts," the Crown Prince whined, pouting. He then turned to the Crown Princess. "Before, when I bumped myself, Mother Queen would always blow on it for me. Linglong, why don't you blow on it for me? Maybe it'll heal faster."

The Crown Princess was almost bristling with irritation. *Does he see me as his wife or my mother?* With a cold expression, she scoffed, "Blow on it yourself."

"Oh~" The Crown Prince, long accustomed to her formidable presence and secretly a little afraid of her, dared not protest further. He could only pitifully stick out his lower lip and continuously blow upwards.

Zu An was speechless. "It truly was my imagination just now," he thought. "The Crown Princess really is quite formidable."

Just then, the Crown Princess moved closer to him, her voice once again soft. "How should I address you, esteemed sir? I don't believe I've seen you before." Gold-Ranked Embroidered Uniform Emissaries were notoriously mysterious, elusive like dragons. Yet, as the Crown Princess, she had encountered a few before. Although they all wore masks, she could sense that the man before her was different from the others.

Zu An held up his waist token, showing her the number etched on it. "I am Eleven," he said. Gold-Ranked Embroidered Uniform Emissaries never revealed their true names, identified only by numerical designations, so there was nothing to conceal. Furthermore, he intended to receive recognition for his contributions later, so naturally, the Crown Princess needed to know who had saved her and the Crown Prince.

Now it was the Crown Princess's turn to be surprised. "Eleven? Aren't there only ten Gold-Ranked Emissaries?"

"Oh, I was only recently promoted," Zu An replied, feeling a touch of exasperation. From what he understood, each Gold-Ranked Embroidered Uniform Emissary typically commanded numerous Silver-Ranked Emissaries, who in turn oversaw countless Bronze-Ranked ones. Yet, for some reason, he was a lone commander. He had, of course, surmised the Emperor's intentions: granting him this gold token was merely to facilitate his future actions and make it easier to complete the task of undermining Prince Qi, without truly bestowing him with significant authority.

"Just promoted?" The Crown Princess blinked. "You truly are young and accomplished, sir."

"You flatter me, Crown Princess," Zu An replied. Accustomed to her usual aloof demeanor, her gentle tone now felt somewhat unfamiliar. Upon hearing his reply, the Crown Princess offered a faint smile. Her words had been a deliberate test; for some reason, she had subconsciously hoped this emissary wouldn't be an old or middle-aged man.

Zu An was momentarily stunned. The Crown Princess was naturally beautiful, but her usual solemn expression often masked some of her charm. Now, smiling, she was truly radiant and captivating.

"Linglong, you look so beautiful when you smile," the Crown Prince remarked, stopping his blowing and staring at her with wide eyes. "I haven't seen you smile much." Foolish though he was, there was a natural human affinity for beauty.

The Crown Princess shot him an irritated glare. *Why don't I smile? Don't you have a clue?*

Just then, Qiu Honglei lunged forward with her sword. She was utterly displeased, thinking, *Is this Crown Princess from a brothel? Flirting with men the moment it's a little safe? And with her own husband right there!* Seeing this, the other assassins also charged forward, intending to capture the leader first. If they could eliminate the Crown Prince, the mission would be worthwhile, no matter how heavy their casualties.