Chapter 660: Great Master Should Not Be Underestimated

An Zhuan replied, "As the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor, it is indeed proper for the Crown Prince and Crown Princess to respectfully offer you tea and bow during your lectures."

The chubby Crown Prince nearby nodded, beaming foolishly in agreement, "Yes, yes."

The Crown Princess's delicate brows furrowed. She had just started to feel a little good about this fellow, and then he pulled this? And the Crown Prince's idiotic demeanor was truly exhausting.

Only Prince Qi remained expressionless. Given his current standing, he naturally knew the other party had more to say.

Sure enough, An Zhuan continued, "However, before or after each day's lesson, Prince Qi is no longer in the role of a teacher. As the saying goes, there is a distinction between sovereign and subject. At such times, shouldn't you also bow to the Crown Prince?"

Prince Qi raised an eyebrow. This fellow was sharp-tongued, but he had indeed presented a dilemma.

An Zhuan immediately looked at the Crown Prince: "Your Royal Highness, has Prince Qi finished teaching your lesson today?"

The Crown Prince scratched his head and said foolishly, "I suppose so. Are you going to come catch frogs with me?"

Seeing the Crown Princess's face ashen, An Zhuan thought, "Catching frogs, my foot! You almost ruined the momentum I worked so hard to build." He cleared his throat, composed himself, and continued, "Since today's lecture is over, shouldn't it be Prince Qi's turn to perform the subject's bow to the Crown Prince?"

Seeing Prince Qi's expressionless face, he added fuel to the fire: "If Prince Qi is unwilling to bow to the Crown Prince, does that mean you intend to usurp him?"

Prince Qi's expression finally changed. Although the struggle for the succession between him and the Crown Prince was intense, they still maintained a facade of harmony. How could such a matter be openly discussed?

Rage points from Zhao Jing +666!

He was finally enraged. He glanced at An Zhuan, and in that instant, An Zhuan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, as if death were imminent.

"Is this the pressure of a Grand Master?" An Zhuan thought with a bitter smile. What bad karma had he accumulated? He was already a cheat among his peers, yet he kept provoking the most powerful individuals in the land.

He had just been intimidated by the Emperor's aura not long ago, and now he was being pressured by Prince Qi again.

Seeing An Zhuan remain unmoving with a calm expression, a hint of surprise appeared in Prince Qi's eyes. At such close proximity, ordinary cultivators would struggle to stand under his aura and would most likely collapse to their knees. He had intended to teach this sharp-tongued fellow a lesson and neutralize the momentum he had built with his words, but to his astonishment, it had no effect?

Given the pride of a Grand Master, it would be difficult to strike a second time after an initial attack was withstood by a junior, as it would be beneath their dignity. However, Prince Qi was also a politician who prioritized practicality. Therefore, he intended to exert his pressure again, this time holding nothing back, determined to teach this fellow a severe lesson.

Just then, the Crown Princess stepped forward and stood in front of An Zhuan. Although her face was a little pale, she still looked up and said, "He has only been in the Eastern Palace for a few days and doesn't know many of the rules yet. If he has offended Prince Qi in any way, I ask for your leniency."

An Zhuan was somewhat surprised looking at the slender figure in front of him. The Crown Princess had always disliked him, so he never expected her to shield him.

Prince Qi glanced at her and smiled, "Crown Princess, you exaggerate. Why would I bother with him?"

He then turned to the chubby Crown Prince beside him: "Crown Prince, do you also wish for me to bow to you?"

The Crown Prince hastily waved his pudgy hands, "No, no!"

He had always been somewhat afraid of this teacher and elder; how could he dare to ask him to bow?

The Crown Princess glared at him, annoyed by his lack of initiative, and despised his weakness.

However, she also knew that Prince Qi's status was extraordinary, and cornering him would be unwise.

After such a commotion, Prince Qi also found it uninteresting to stay. For someone of his status, personally engaging in a verbal spat with An Zhuan would be beneath him. He soon found an excuse to bid farewell to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess wished for this "plague god" to leave quickly and naturally did not try to persuade him to stay.

As Prince Qi left, he paused beside An Zhuan and said indifferently, "Lord An, you are very good."

"Thank you for the compliment, Prince Qi," An Zhuan replied respectfully, leaving no room for fault, so as to avoid giving the other party any reason to target him.

Prince Qi's breath hitched. "Was I complimenting you?"

He snorted and flicked his sleeve, walking away.

As soon as he left, sighs of relief rippled through the Eastern Palace, indicating the immense pressure they had been under.

Although Prince Qi was the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor, he only visited occasionally. The Crown Prince's Junior Tutor primarily taught the Crown Prince various subjects, so most of the Eastern Palace staff were directly loyal to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

Amidst the admiring gazes of the crowd, An Zhuan bowed before the Crown Princess: "Greetings, Crown Princess."

As for the Crown Prince nearby, he was already mindlessly pulling eunuchs to play games, too lazy to bother with him.

The Crown Princess looked at her foolish husband, then at the man before her, and secretly sighed. The Crown Prince was not only inferior to Lord Eleven but also to this very fellow standing in front of her.

She quickly composed herself and offered An Zhuan a slight, ingratiating smile: "Lord An, we owe you much today."

"As a subordinate of the Eastern Palace, it's natural for me to share the Crown Princess's concerns," An Zhuan replied, directly omitting the Crown Prince.

Everyone around knew that the Crown Princess was in charge of the Eastern Palace, and no one found anything inappropriate with his remark.

The Crown Princess's expression grew softer, evidently pleased by his display of loyalty. "Be careful when you go out from now on."

She was reminding him to be wary of Prince Qi's retaliation.

An Zhuan smiled faintly, "With the protection of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess's good fortune, I believe I will ultimately overcome any dangers."

The Crown Princess scoffed, "You always say such flattering things. What kind of good fortune do I have?"

An Zhuan said earnestly, "The Crown Princess is destined to be the future mother of the nation; how could you not have good fortune?"

Watching the Crown Princess chuckle heartily, her personal maid, Rong Mo, behind her was startled. It seemed the man's words were constantly teasing the Crown Princess?

But what surprised her even more was that the Crown Princess didn't seem annoyed at all. "I've only been away from the Eastern Palace for a few days; could something have happened that I don't know about?"

An Zhuan seized the opportunity to say, "Crown Princess, I'd like to request a leave of absence to go to the Imperial Prison."

"The Imperial Prison?" The Crown Princess's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "What are you going there for?"

Cheng Xiong's case was already closed; the prisoners there were of no further use to her.

An Zhuan replied, "To question the assassins again and see if I can uncover anything more about 'that person'."

The Crown Princess naturally understood he was referring to Prince Qi and readily agreed, "Alright, but even if you find anything, do not act rashly. Come back and discuss it with me."

After An Zhuan left the Eastern Palace, the maid Rong Mo couldn't help but quietly ask her mistress, "Your Highness, why do you value this young man so much? Didn't you dislike him quite a bit before?"

The Crown Princess leisurely sat down, took the clear tea offered by Rong Mo, and took a sip before slowly saying, "It's not terrifying for someone to be annoying; what's truly terrifying is for them to be useless. Although An Zhuan is somewhat annoying, he is indeed a talent, and this Princess is in dire need of such talents under her command."

The ongoing struggle with Prince Qi had primarily relied on the Emperor's trusted ministers, the Liu family behind the Empress, and her own father. However, she had too few direct loyalists under her own command.

In her view, Prince Qi was not the only enemy. After defeating Prince Qi, there was still the Empress's family.

Although her initial interactions with An Zhuan had been unpleasant, he had proven quite shrewd in his subsequent actions. Taking him in as one of her own would certainly be of great help in the future.

"Sigh, since the Crown Prince doesn't handle matters, I can only worry about them myself."

Meanwhile, Prince Qi was leisurely sipping tea in a pavilion in the palace when a squad of golden-armored guards swiftly approached and saluted: "Greetings, Prince Qi. May we know your instructions for summoning us?"

It was well-known that even the General of the Left Imperial Guard had previously been one of Prince Qi's partisans, so it was incredibly easy for him to place guards within the palace.

Prince Qi looked at the goldfish swimming in the lake, a playful glint in his eyes. "Go and bring An Zhuan here."

How many years had it been since someone dared to provoke him like this?

The last time, it seemed, was several years ago when a few undiscerning guards, relying on their status as the Crown Prince's personal guards, acted arrogantly. They soon ended up as heads in wooden boxes.

How could a mere nobody disrespect someone with the dual status of Prince Qi and a Grand Master?

Moreover, many under his command were seething with anger over the Cheng Xiong case, and they needed something to appease them. It was just unfortunate for that fellow that he didn't know his place.