Chapter 656: Life and Death on a Fine Line

Zu An's heart sank; the emperor summoning him at this moment likely didn't bode well. He didn't press Eunuch Wen further about the emperor's reasons. The eunuch had already done his utmost by revealing what he did; there was no need to put him in a difficult position. Moreover, Eunuch Wen likely didn't know what the emperor was thinking either.

The two arrived at the Imperial Study. Eunuch Wen went in to announce them first, then soon emerged and told Zu An, "His Majesty allows Lord Zu to enter." After speaking, Eunuch Wen gave him a look that implied "good luck on your own." Zu An gave a wry smile; at this point, he could only brace himself and enter.

Inside the Imperial Study, what he saw this time was not an image in a bronze mirror, but the emperor himself, seated at a desk, seemingly reviewing memorials. After Zu An entered, the emperor didn't even glance up, as if Zu An were invisible.

Zu An stood to one side and bowed. "Your subject greets Your Majesty," he said. The emperor still didn't respond. Zu An's heart sank again, realizing the emperor's bad mood seemed to be directed at him. He stood silently, keeping his eyes downcast, deciding to play the part of a quiet, handsome man to avoid adding fuel to the fire.

After a moment, the emperor looked up and saw him. He couldn't help but chuckle in exasperation. "Ordinarily, when high-ranking officials come here, they are all filled with trepidation," he remarked, "but you, on the other hand, act as if nothing is amiss."

"I was worried about disturbing Your Majesty's review of the memorials," Zu An replied.

"Truly cunning as a ghost," the emperor snorted. "How is the investigation I assigned you progressing?"

Zu An slowly replied, carefully choosing his words. "Some clues have emerged. General Cheng Xiong of the Left Guard, through his son Cheng Gang, was transmitting messages to the assassin at the Pleasure Quarters..."

After hearing his explanation, the emperor remained noncommittal. "What about the motive?" he asked.

"Cheng Xiong is an important figure in Prince Qi's faction," Zu An replied. "He likely intended to use the assassin to eliminate the Crown Prince, so that Prince Qi could contend for the position of heir apparent."

The emperor stared coldly at him. "Are you accusing My own brother, the virtuous Prince renowned throughout the court and nation? How dare you!"

Fury value from Zhao Hao +444!

Zu An inwardly complained endlessly. The emperor was a classic hypocrite, acting saintly while being anything but. Everyone knew he and Prince Qi had long been irreconcilable enemies, and that he wished to eliminate him as soon as possible. Yet here he was, putting on an act of brotherly affection for show.

Of course, private complaints were one thing, but saying such words aloud to the emperor would be suicidal. He could only go along with it and say, "Whether Prince Qi truly orchestrated this, your subject dare not speak presumptuously, but this is the most logical conjecture."

The emperor tossed the memorial in his hand onto the table. "You found a good reason," he said, "and even explained the underlying motive logically. Someone else might truly believe your nonsense, but unfortunately for you, I know Prince Qi would never do such a foolish thing."

Zu An was stunned. If the Crown Prince died, wouldn't Prince Qi be the biggest beneficiary?

As if guessing his thoughts, the emperor continued, "I have many sons, and not a few of them are extraordinarily talented and valiant. So why did I choose the Crown Prince?"

Zu An's heart stirred. He instantly recalled what Chu Chuyan had told him on their journey to the capital. Due to the late emperor, Prince Qi indeed had a legitimate claim to the throne. The only thing the emperor could use to counter this was the system of primogeniture. The Crown Prince was the emperor's legitimate eldest son, so his position as heir apparent was legally sound; even those in Prince Qi's faction had to acknowledge this.

But if the emperor chose not to appoint his legitimate eldest son, instead choosing another son because he was wiser and more intelligent, then in terms of wisdom and intelligence, how could any of those princes compare to Prince Qi?

The emperor said coldly, "You are a clever man, so you must understand the reasoning behind this. Therefore, if something were to happen to the current Crown Prince, I could legitimately appoint another, more brilliant and talented prince as the new Crown Prince, because he would then become the de facto legitimate eldest son. Do you think Prince Qi would do such a foolish thing?"

Cold sweat instantly trickled down Zu An's back, because he had also understood the crucial point. The one who truly wouldn't want the Crown Prince to die was likely Prince Qi. Precisely because the Crown Prince was such a fool, so many discerning individuals in the court worried about the future of the empire, and thus naturally supported Prince Qi. If the Crown Prince were replaced by a clever person—no, even if he were just an ordinary person of average ability, as long as he possessed the capability to be a steady ruler in the future—why would those court officials stubbornly oppose the world's most powerful emperor to support Prince Qi?

From this perspective, Yun Jianyue had also miscalculated. No matter how she framed Prince Qi, the emperor knew full well that this assassination was absolutely not Prince Qi's doing.

"Your Majesty is wise. Your subject will investigate the true culprit again," Zu An quickly said.

"Heh heh, investigate again?" The emperor's smile vanished. "This time you colluded with the Demonic Cult to frame My General of the Left Guard, so who do you plan to collude with the Demonic Cult to frame next?"

At that instant, Zu An's heart almost stopped. Cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes. So, the emperor knew everything!

Wait, stay calm, don't panic yet. What if he's trying to trick me? So he feigned an innocent expression. "What does Your Majesty mean? Your subject is dull and does not understand."

The emperor, instead, nodded approvingly. "Your composure is good; your mind hasn't collapsed even at this critical juncture."

Zu An had just let out a breath of relief, when the emperor's expression turned completely cold. "Unfortunately, the evidence is conclusive. Any further sophistry would only make you a greater joke." With that, he tossed the memorial he had just been reading towards Zu An. "See for yourself."

Zu An swallowed hard. He opened the booklet in front of him; it was clearly a secret report. Once he saw the contents, his mind exploded, and every cell in his body trembled. The secret report detailed his interactions with Qiu Honglei, the courtesan from the Immortal's Dwelling in Brightmoon City, and even mentioned Qiu Honglei actively seeking to become his concubine. Later, on his journey to the capital, Demonic Cult masters had emerged to abduct Zu An, and the leader was suspected to be Qiu Honglei. Based on various intelligence, Qiu Honglei was likely the Saintess of the Demonic Cult. Moreover, the long-haired grandmaster who carried out the assassination was Yun Jianyue, the Demonic Cult Matriarch, and Qiu Honglei was her direct disciple. A few days ago, a woman suspected to be Qiu Honglei was seen around Zu An's baronial manor. Afterward, Zu An went to the Pleasure Quarters, then Cheng Gang was crippled, followed by the revelation that Cheng Gang had colluded with the assassin at the Pleasure Quarters...

Many pieces of evidence were listed inside. Although some events weren't directly witnessed, various reasonable inferences were also presented, and these inferences were almost indistinguishable from facts. This was clearly the work of that fellow Zhu Xie Chixin. Damn it, he acts like a brother to my face, then stabs me in the back. However, he knew blaming Zhu Xie Chixin was pointless. It was likely the emperor who ordered him to investigate Zu An. Damn it, they were all ruthless old foxes.

"It seems Cheng Xiong's earlier suspicions were correct," the emperor said. "You truly were the one who transported the assassin out of the palace." The emperor's chilling gaze enveloped him, as if looking at a dead man.

In that instant, the emperor unleashed his full aura. Zu An felt the surrounding air become incredibly viscous. He couldn't even move a finger, as if a single thought from the emperor could turn him into dust.

Zu An's mind raced faster than ever before. He pondered how to respond. His first reaction was to deny everything vehemently, since many records on the report lacked crucial evidence. However, he immediately dismissed that approach. The need for evidence in an investigation only applied to common folk. For the emperor, if he believed something to be true, would he let someone off just because there was no concrete evidence?

Wait, the system backend doesn't seem to have received much fury value from the emperor? And why would he tell me so much? If he truly wanted to kill me, a flick of his finger would be enough to finish me. Would he need to waste so much breath?

Remembering the task the emperor had assigned him, a thought sparked in his mind. He immediately said, "Your subject deserves death! However, I did not collude with the Demonic Cult. It was merely by chance that I encountered Qiu Honglei at that time. She had once saved my life, and I could not stand idly by. That is why I allowed her to escape." He spoke, half-truth, half-lie. Of course, he absolutely could not mention saving Yun Jianyue; the emperor would never permit a grandmaster to escape his control.

The emperor stared at him expressionlessly. "Oh, so you were repaying a kindness. Am I to commend you for this, then?"

"Your subject dares not," Zu An quickly said. "Your subject knows he deserves death ten thousand times over and awaits Your Majesty's disposition."