Chapter 655: Storm Approaching

Zu An smiled faintly. "Of course, there's a way to save you. In truth, your lives are, at once, both significant and insignificant. For the high-ranking officials at court, their primary concern is the outcome of the power struggle between the Crown Prince's faction and Prince Qi's party, not your lives or deaths. This is precisely where the opportunity to save you emerges."

Having just witnessed Gu Yueyi's near betrayal, Zu An dared not say outright that he couldn't save them. Otherwise, the man would surely not cooperate and might even turn around and sell him out. So he could only use this excuse to stabilize him first, though he felt a bit sorry for Sun Luzhen and Huosan Ren, making them happy for naught.

Upon hearing there was hope of survival, Gu Yueyi instantly rejoiced. "Young Master Zu is indeed our lucky star! When I first met you in Mingyue City, I knew you were destined for greatness. Hahaha, this is truly wonderful!" He was so excited he became a bit incoherent.

Zu An rolled his eyes. "Back in Mingyue City, I don't recall you treating me like an old friend. If I recall correctly, you seemed to want to kill me back then."

At this moment, Sun Luzhen also spoke. "Thank you, Young Master Zu, for your righteous assistance. I don't know how I can repay such great kindness."

Huosan Ren added, "I apologize for any offense given on the journey to the capital. Young Master Zu, you are a magnanimous man who doesn't hold grudges against lesser individuals. I, Huosan, am extremely grateful!"

Survival is a human instinct; of course, not dying is the best outcome.

"You two are too polite. Please forgive me for not treating your injuries, otherwise, others will grow suspicious if they see it when they return." Zu An's face showed apology. He felt guilty about not being able to help them, yet he was genuinely powerless to treat their wounds.

"These minor injuries are nothing," they all laughed heartily. What people fear most is losing hope. Now that they knew there was a chance to be saved, what did a few more injuries matter?

After discussing the details with them, Zu An went out to tell Guo Zhi.

Guo Zhi was greatly surprised to learn that they had confessed. He had only intended for Zu An to try; he never expected him to actually be able to make those guys talk. What was even more unexpected was that they had confessed to their connection with Cheng Xiong.

His expression became quite complex. "Master Zu, is this really what they said?"

Zu An smiled faintly. "Does that matter?"

Guo Zhi came to his senses. "That's right, does it matter?" Currently, the Crown Prince's faction wanted to find an opportunity to deal with Prince Qi. He could also roughly guess the Emperor's intentions. Cheng Xiong was already doomed. Now, this way, his own headache was also resolved. It was a win-win situation.

Thinking of this, his spirits lifted. "Thank you, Master Zu. After this is done, you will undoubtedly be the foremost contributor."

"All of this was uncovered by Master Guo's interrogation; what does it have to do with me?" Zu An smiled meaningfully.

Guo Zhi was stunned for a moment, but he quickly realized. The other party didn't want to draw attention to himself. Voluntarily giving him the credit? He must have thought Zu An's standing was still shallow and was worried about a bad outcome after offending Prince Qi's party. But he was different. Given his position, he could perfectly absorb this credit. He didn't need to worry about retaliation from Prince Qi's party.

He couldn't help but be overjoyed. "Brother Zu has given me such a great gift! If you ever need my help in the future, just say the word." Of course, he would still need to personally interrogate them again to feel reassured, but he had to acknowledge this generous gift.

Zu An secretly scoffed. Just moments ago, he was calling him 'Master Zu,' and now he was even calling him 'brother.'

"Brother Guo, you're too kind," Zu An said, seizing the opportunity to play along. "In the future, I'll be relying on your care in the palace." These fair-weather friends, though unreliable in times of crisis, could still lend a small hand on normal days, provided it didn't harm their interests. And that was already enough.

The two emerged, chatting happily. Their closeness, as if they were about to become sworn brothers, left Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun, who were waiting outside, utterly dumbfounded.

On the way back, Pu Duandiao couldn't help but ask, "Did Master Zu know Master Guo before?"

Zu An shook his head. "No."

"Then why is he so affectionate with you?" Jiao Sigun asked curiously.

Zu An chuckled. "What can I say? I just have a natural affability, I suppose. Don't you two also feel a sense of familiarity when you see me?"

"Of course, of course," Pu Duandiao quickly chuckled in agreement. Who would be foolish enough to refute him at a time like this? Even Jiao Sigun chimed in agreement. It wasn't insincere of him; he genuinely felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with Zu An. It was strange; they hadn't had much interaction before, so why did he feel this closeness?

Both men thought to themselves: even the Crown Princess had begun to heavily rely on him in such a short time, so it was perfectly normal to feel a sense of familiarity with him. Everyone should foster good relations with him in the future; this guy was destined for a brilliant future.

The group returned to the East Palace, each lost in their own thoughts. Zu An reported the results to the Crown Princess. Her spirits immediately lifted, and she hastily summoned her trusted aides to plan their strategies for the court.

Zu An, meanwhile, leisurely waited to see how things would unfold. He first went back to inform Yun Jianyue of what he had seen in the heavenly prison.

Hearing that Sun Luzhen and the others had been tortured beyond recognition, Yun Jianyue sighed deeply. "I am the one who harmed them." She even had an impulse to break into the heavenly prison to save them, but she quickly suppressed that thought. The Emperor had already returned to the palace these past few days, and her injuries had not yet fully healed. Breaking into the heavenly prison now would be pointless, leading only to her death.

Zu An continued, "That disciple of yours has a rebellious streak." He then told her about how he had happened to encounter Gu Yueyi's near betrayal when he arrived at the heavenly prison. Then he said, "Although I lied to him and said I would save them, I certainly can't keep it secret for long. It will be a major hidden danger sooner or later."

Yun Jianyue's expression turned cold. "Then find an opportunity to kill him, so he can never speak again."

Zu An was stunned. "That's your own disciple! You're just going to kill him?" Looking at the long-haired woman whose face was now expressionless, he suddenly realized that she was the legendary ruthless Demonic Cult Leader.

At the court assembly the next day, the Crown Prince's faction ministers quickly brought up the Cheng Gang case again. Naturally, it implicated Cheng Xiong. Prince Qi's party adamantly defended Cheng Xiong; Cheng Gang, however, could be appropriately sacrificed. Originally, both sides would have engaged in some meaningless verbal sparring, and everyone would eventually go their separate ways.

Who knew that officials from the Crown Prince's faction suddenly produced fatal evidence? This was the confession of the previously captured assassins. They had detailed how they used the Imperial Entertainment Bureau to contact Cheng Xiong and his son. All sorts of details were incredibly precise. At first, Prince Qi's party officials vehemently rebutted, but later, they became increasingly powerless.

Everyone knew clearly that the assassins were captured first, and Cheng Gang's involvement with the Imperial Entertainment Bureau happened later. Unless General Guo Zhi of the Right Guard had tipped them off, what the assassins said could absolutely not have perfectly matched what happened outside. It was well known that Guo Zhi was a direct subordinate of the Emperor. Doubting him would be tantamount to doubting that the Emperor could frame Cheng Xiong, wouldn't it? No one would be that foolish! Moreover, those assassins were already doomed. What reason would they have to cooperate with Guo Zhi's narrative?

So finally, Prince Qi's party also retreated. Several high-ranking officials quickly exchanged glances. Since Cheng Xiong couldn't be saved, then they could only settle for the next best thing: severing his connection with Prince Qi and ensuring Prince Qi was not implicated. Clearly, the Emperor also had no intention of using this opportunity to directly move against Prince Qi. Agreement was quickly reached in court at an unprecedented speed: Cheng Xiong and his son, for colluding with assassins in a plot to assassinate the Empress and Crown Prince, were sentenced to extermination of their nine generations of relatives. Fortunately, the father and son had only each other, so their 'nine generations' consisted of very few people. Other implicated individuals were either executed or exiled to the frontier.

Zu An and Yun Jianyue sat at a table, drinking tea and chatting. Yun Jianyue glanced at him and said indifferently, "What, are you feeling a bit regretful?"

"It does make me feel a bit uneasy." Zu An fell silent. As someone who had transmigrated from a civilized world, he still found it a bit hard to accept such frequent executions of entire clans.

Yun Jianyue poured him a cup of tea. "That's how things are in this world: kill or be killed. If Cheng Xiong's previous attempts to frame you had succeeded, you would be the one whose clan was exterminated now."

Zu An smiled wryly. "But in a way, that wasn't entirely a frame-up. I did indeed 'collude' with you all to some extent."

"Your way of thinking is rather strange," Yun Jianyue said, looking at him in surprise. "Cheng Xiong didn't frame you because he genuinely knew about your connection with us. His motive was simply to find a scapegoat. Even if you were innocent, he would most likely have chosen you. Ultimately, both you and he are merely pawns in the game between the Emperor and Prince Qi. Your lives and deaths are not truly your own to control. Your primary concern should be how to survive longer on the chessboard, not to worry about the lives or deaths of other pawns."

Zu An's expression became serious. "Point taken!"

Yun Jianyue chuckled softly. "You only show me some respect at times like these."

Zu An was about to say something with a grin when suddenly, Eunuch Wen's voice came from outside.

"Master Eleven, the Emperor has summoned you to the Imperial Study."

Zu An and Yun Jianyue exchanged glances, and he hastily ran out.

On the way, he tentatively asked, "Eunuch Wen, why has the Emperor suddenly summoned me?"

Eunuch Wen looked straight ahead. "This humble one would not know." Seeing him act as if he didn't recognize him, Zu An was secretly annoyed. This guy was quick to accept things on normal days, but then turned his back when there was trouble. However, he immediately realized. Wasn't the other party's attitude precisely a hint?

Sure enough, Eunuch Wen, walking ahead, moved his lips slightly. "The Emperor seems to be in a bad mood today, Master Eleven. You should be careful in your handling of things."