Chapter 615: White Freeloader

Zuan was puzzled.

He had thought the Emperor kept him back privately to show favor and was happily waiting for some reward. After all, he had saved quite a few people today. Who knew he would get such a response?

"Why aren't you playing by the rules, my lord?"

His hair stood on end. His first instinct was to run, but he immediately forced himself to calm down. Although the Emperor was only speaking through a mirror, with his cultivation, crushing Zuan from a distance would be easy. After all, Brightmoon City was thousands of miles from the capital, yet a wisp of the Emperor's divine sense could still suppress the entire area.

And just now, when facing Qiu Honglei's master, the Emperor, despite not being physically present in the palace, still easily defeated him.

Even a Grandmaster wasn't his match; Zuan's own meager cultivation was simply not enough.

Zuan took a deep breath and said stubbornly, "Your Majesty, your rewards and punishments are unfair! I refuse to accept this!"

The Emperor said proudly, "In My lifetime, I have acted as I pleased. Why would I need your acceptance?"

Zuan was speechless.

*You think you're Chen Beixuan?*

However, he quickly reacted and said, "Your Majesty, you wish to achieve a form of immortality by becoming an Eternal Emperor. Surely, you wouldn't want future generations to see you as an unjust ruler who acts solely on personal whim, would you?"

*Hmph, you might not care about my opinion, or even the opinions of the people in the world, but you would certainly care about what future generations think.*

The Emperor narrowed his eyes. "It has been many years since anyone dared to speak to Me like this."

Zuan's attitude immediately became respectful. "I had no intention of offending Your Majesty. However, with the palace in chaos from assassins today, I first saved the Empress in Kuning Palace, then went to the Eastern Palace to rescue the Crown Prince and Princess. My contributions, from beginning to end, were at least among the top three, if not the first. For Your Majesty to not only withhold rewards but also threaten to amputate my limbs, I spoke out rashly in a moment of desperation. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

The Emperor snorted. "You are indeed cunning. Very well, I will give you a chance to redeem yourself through meritorious service, lest you die unrepentant."

"Redeem myself through service?" Zuan looked puzzled, but secretly grumbled to himself. *Just moments ago, he said his actions didn't require my acceptance, and now he cares about it.*

The Emperor continued, "Yes, I want you to investigate two matters for Me. If you handle them well, I will not only pardon you for your indiscretion with the Crown Princess but also reward you greatly. If you fail, you know the consequences."

"What are these matters, Your Majesty?" Zuan quickly asked, but thought to himself, *Just embracing the Crown Princess counts as indiscretion? What about the things I did with the Empress? No, absolutely must not let him know, or I'll be executed by slow slicing.*

Unaware of his thoughts, the Emperor continued, "The first matter is to investigate how those assassins managed to infiltrate the palace through such stringent security."

Zuan was somewhat curious. "Didn't Your Majesty already instruct the Generals of the Left and Right Imperial Guards to investigate?"

The Emperor glanced at him sideways. "They will conduct their investigation, and you will conduct yours. Is there a problem?"

Zuan's heart tightened. "No problem, Your Majesty." *From his words, it seems the Emperor doesn't fully trust the Generals of the Left and Right Imperial Guards.*

The Emperor went on, "The second matter is to investigate who leaked the information that I was not in the palace this time. The assassins' timing was so precise; I refuse to believe it was a coincidence."

Zuan gave a wry smile. "Your Majesty, I've only been in the capital for a few days, I barely know anyone, and my rank is low. How can I investigate such a matter? Why not let Commander Zhu Xie or others investigate? Their methods would surely be much more seasoned."

"I told you to investigate, so investigate! Why so many excuses?" The Emperor was frustrated. Usually, his ministers wouldn't dare to breathe heavily in his presence, but this fellow not only talked back but also dared to bargain.

Zuan chuckled awkwardly. "I was merely trying to think of the quickest and most effective way for Your Majesty to investigate the case."

The Emperor hesitated. Since he was assigning Zuan this investigation, some things did need to be revealed. He said, "The reason I chose you is precisely because you've only been in the capital for a few days. You have no relatives or connections here, which means fewer entanglements."

Zuan's heart stirred. "Is Your Majesty perhaps suspicious of Lord Zhu Xie and the others?"

The Emperor gave him a cold look and did not answer directly, but continued, "Only a very small number of people knew about My departure from the palace this time, yet the information was leaked. That is why I need you to investigate."

Zuan's mind was in turmoil. The Emperor truly hadn't been in the palace. "May I ask where Your Majesty went?"

The Emperor silently gazed at him. "Do not ask about things you shouldn't know."

Zuan was speechless.

Having drawn a blank, he changed the subject to save face. "Then Your Majesty must at least tell me who knew about your departure from the palace. Was it the Empress, the imperial concubines, or others?"

The Emperor said indifferently, "The Empress and the others were unaware. Only those few individuals you just met, and a few eunuchs who attend to My daily needs, knew. You can investigate them when the time comes."

Zuan was speechless.

*No wonder he called me to attend a gathering of all those high-ranking officials. It was so I'd know who the suspects were beforehand.*

*They say Zhu Xie Chixin is his confidant, yet it seems he even suspects Zhu Xie Chixin. Imperial paranoia is truly terrifying.*

*But what's even stranger is that his own wife didn't know his whereabouts, yet he told a few men. Tsk, tsk, his concubines must be truly pitiful. I heard that for years, as the Emperor approached the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, he has been diligently cultivating to prolong his life, and hasn't visited the imperial harem in years?*

*Tsk, tsk, a vast expanse of parched rice paddies. The concubines in the harem probably find vying for favor pointless now.*

At this moment, the Emperor said, "You carry the Embroidered Uniform Guard's golden medallion, which grants you sufficient authority to act expediently, so you need not worry about your official rank. However, I must caution you: during the investigation, you absolutely must not expose your true identity. Otherwise, if it affects the mission related to Prince Qi, you know the consequences."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zuan thought, *You don't need to tell me; I already know. It's much more fun constantly switching between two identities. If I revealed everything, a lot of the fun would be gone.*

"You may withdraw." The Emperor closed his eyes, seemingly either cultivating or doing something else.

Zuan breathed a sigh of relief, left the Imperial Study, and closed the door.

Outside the door, a eunuch, beaming, escorted him out. "Lord Eleven, your future is truly boundless! It's rare to see His Majesty grant a private audience to an Embroidered Uniform Guard other than Lord Zhu Xie."

Zuan's heart tightened. *It seems I need to find time to communicate with Zhu Xie Chixin, lest he resent me and cause trouble later.*

*After all, Zhu Xie Chixin is a half-step Grandmaster and wields immense power. It would be troublesome if such a powerful ally became an obstacle.*

"By the way, what is your name, Eunuch?" Zuan asked, remembering that some eunuchs who attended to the Emperor's daily needs also knew his whereabouts. *This man must be one of them, right? Is he feeling guilty and trying to fish for information from me?*

"My surname is Wen," the eunuch said with a smile. His plump, fair face exuded an amiable air.

"I am new here, so I will need much guidance from Eunuch Wen in the future," Zuan said politely, but his mind couldn't help but wander. *Why are eunuchs generally plump? Hmm, I heard that in my previous life, pig farmers had to castrate pigs to make them gain weight. I wonder if it's the same principle...*

"You're too kind, my lord," Eunuch Wen beamed with delight. *This new Golden Medallion Envoy is quite sensible and witty, unlike the previous ones who were all grim-faced, as if everyone owed them money.*

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, both departed, seemingly satisfied.

Long after leaving the Imperial Study, Zuan suddenly slapped his forehead. "Oh no, I've been played!"

He finally realized that the Emperor had never intended to punish him from the start. The deliberate intimidation was merely to make him investigate the case more diligently and to foster gratitude towards the Emperor.

*That bastard, I saved your wife and daughter-in-law, and not only do I get no reward, but you play these tricks on me? Are emperors all freeloaders?*

He fumed inwardly, but these thoughts could only remain in his mind; he wouldn't dare utter them aloud.

As he was passing by a rock garden, lost in these thoughts, a hand suddenly shot out from within the rocks and pulled him inside in an instant.