Chapter 664: Rising Suspicion

Just then, a clear voice came from nearby: "Lord Zu, what took you so long to get here?"

Hearing this, King Qi frowned.

Zu An, however, felt a surge of joy. He turned his head and looked in the direction of the voice, seeing a beautiful woman in palace attire standing gracefully. Behind her was a group of guards, led by Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun.

He quickly stepped forward and bowed. "Greetings, Crown Princess."

The members of the Demonic Sect also lowered their heads in salute. Gu Yueyi secretly glanced at her, and his eyes went wide.

From childhood to adulthood, he had only encountered enchanting demonesses and bewitching sorceresses. While they were alluring and charming, in terms of nobility and elegance, none could compare to the woman before him.

Looking at her graceful and luxurious palace gown and her various precious and extravagant ornaments, he felt his mouth go dry and his heart pounded. "I'm going to die, I'm going to die, how can someone be so beautiful? Junior Sister, it's not that your Senior Brother is disloyal to you; it's just that the Crown Princess is too stunning."

In fact, it wasn't that Qiu Honglei's appearance was inferior to the Crown Princess's; in terms of allure, she was even more striking in several aspects. The key was that Gu Yueyi himself lived at the bottom of society and usually mingled with the Demonic Sect. Therefore, the inherent quality of nobility held a fatal attraction for him.

For instance, princesses or noble ladies, if their looks were comparable, these types of people were far more appealing to him than women from the martial arts world.

The Crown Princess slowly walked over. A sweet fragrance permeated the air. This scent was unlike the common perfumes often smelled in brothels; it was a precious incense. He couldn't quite describe it, but he could only feel it smelled like burning silver.

King Qi's attention was also diverted. He looked at the Crown Princess. "Linglong, what brings you here with such leisure?"

Hearing him call her by her given name instead of "Crown Princess," clearly speaking to her from the position of an elder, the Crown Princess was secretly annoyed but couldn't openly express it. She replied, "I just sent Lord Zu to do something, but he didn't return the first time, nor the second. These days, the palace has been restless with assassins, and I was worried he might be killed by someone with ulterior motives, so I specifically came to check on him."

Zu An felt a warmth in his heart. Although this woman was a bit fierce normally, she was good at heart.

Looking at Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun behind her, it was likely they had alerted the Crown Princess. *Hmm, afterwards, I'll treat them to a meal at the Jiaofang Division.*

The Demonic Sect members were secretly astonished. They hadn't expected Young Master Zu to have such influence. He had only been in the palace for a few days, and the General of the Right Guard treated him like a brother, and now even the Crown Princess held him in such high regard.

Gu Yueyi, on the other hand, was filled with both envy and jealousy. "That Zu An guy is only a tiny bit handsomer than me, so why do all these beautiful women around him value him so highly?"

"It's like this with Junior Sister, and now even the Crown Princess is the same way. Are they even letting us live?"

King Qi's face was expressionless, but he certainly understood that the other party was making sarcastic veiled references to him. "Lord Zu is indeed a talented man who pleases others. Linglong has only known him for a few days and already values him so highly."

The Crown Princess, hearing him imply that she acted this way because the other person was handsome, was secretly infuriated. She said coldly, "I value everyone in the Eastern Palace who diligently serves the Crown Prince."

King Qi smiled, not wishing to argue further. "I have something to discuss with Zu An. Linglong, you wouldn't mind, would you?"

The Crown Princess smiled faintly. "Please proceed, King Qi. I'll wait here."

The implication was that she would be watching and hoped he wouldn't cause trouble.

King Qi smiled and said to Zu An, "Lord Zu, come with me."

Zu An bowed. "King Qi, please lead the way."

King Qi nodded and led the way to the side.

Zu An, with his back to them, waved his hand at Sun Luzhen and the others, signaling them to leave quickly.

Sun Luzhen and the others were naturally not foolish. They used this opportunity to slowly retreat. Only Gu Yueyi reluctantly stole another glance at the Crown Princess.

King Qi had already walked far away. The Crown Princess and her retinue's attention was focused on Zu An. Naturally, no one noticed them.

King Qi walked dozens of meters further and stopped at a rockery. "This spot is fine. If we go any further, Linglong won't be able to see you, and she might get worried."

Zu An respectfully replied, "The Crown Princess is considerate towards us, her humble subjects."

At the same time, he secretly grumbled, *Don't you have any self-awareness? Why is the Crown Princess worried? Isn't it because you used to casually kill people from the Eastern Palace?*

King Qi looked him over with some curiosity. "Linglong has never cared about anyone like this before. You are the first."

Zu An remained silent. He guessed that King Qi deliberately said this to make him entertain unnecessary fantasies about the Crown Princess. If he could even get the Crown Princess to fall for him, King Qi would probably wake up laughing in his sleep.

King Qi continued, "I heard that the eldest daughter of the Chu family chose you as her husband. I was truly surprised. I once met that young lady from the Chu family; calling her incredibly talented and stunning would not be an exaggeration. The families in the capital privately speculated about who this celestial maiden would eventually marry. When they heard she married you, everyone's jaws dropped. I initially found it strange, but now, with even the Crown Princess valuing you so quickly, it seems you truly possess something unique."

Zu An put on an embarrassed expression. "Actually, I'm not as good as King Qi says. At most, I'm a bit handsome, have a prominent aura, and am a bit loyal and upright... There's nothing else to speak of. All of these are far inferior to King Qi."

King Qi's face twitched. For some reason, listening to the fellow's tone, he really wanted to give him a good beating.

Rage points from King Qi +213 +213 +213...

He took a deep breath, suppressed the impulse in his heart, and wisely ended the topic. "Lord Zu, what are your thoughts on the Cheng Xiong case?"

Zu An feigned ignorance. "I've only been in the capital for a few days, and I'm just a low-ranking official. My information is limited, so I really don't know the inside story of Minister Cheng's case."

King Qi couldn't help but stare at him. *How can there be such a shameless person in this world?*

If the Crown Princess hadn't been watching from nearby, he might have just slapped him to death.

Rage points from King Qi +300 +300 +300...

Even though he was usually very shrewd, today's successive situations had broken through his composure. He said coldly, "To my knowledge, those assassins in the imperial prison only implicated General Cheng after seeing Lord Zu."

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. *This guy's reach is quite long. He even has informants in the imperial prison.*

He said calmly, "King Qi should know who truly wants to convict General Cheng. How could a minor figure like me influence the overall situation?"

King Qi looked at him with some surprise. "You're quite bold to dare to speak such words."

Zu An said earnestly, "Before King Qi, how could I dare to hide anything?"

King Qi gave a half-smile. "Really?"

Zu An patted his chest and vowed, "Of course it's true, heaven and earth can bear witness."

"Alright then, I have something to ask you," King Qi said, staring intently into his eyes. "Can the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra truly grant immortality?"

Zu An gave a wry smile. "The Emperor has already proclaimed it to the world; why ask me, King Qi?"

King Qi said coldly, "I want you to tell me now."

Zu An immediately replied, "Of course, the Emperor cannot achieve immortality through this."

(As for whether I can achieve immortality through this, I didn't say.)

Feeling the sincerity and certainty in his tone, King Qi was somewhat surprised. "Do you know that if these words reach the Emperor's ears, you could face a death penalty?"

Zu An gave a wry smile. "King Qi is a renowned wise king; surely, he wouldn't make things difficult for me."

King Qi chuckled heartily and lightly patted his shoulder. "You're a promising young man. I have high hopes for you."

Zu An's expression changed. His gaze fell on the hand on his shoulder. *Holy cow, this isn't the Bone-Melting Palm, is it? A Grandmaster's technique! If he secretly set up some internal energy, I wouldn't even know how I died.*

"Go back quickly; Linglong is getting anxious waiting," King Qi smiled.

"Thank you, King Qi." Zu An hastily departed. Being with this guy was simply too stressful.

As he walked away, a figure appeared about ten feet away from King Qi. The smile on King Qi's face vanished instantly. "Help me investigate two matters. First, what does the Emperor want with Liu Chenyu? Second, keep an eye on Golden Badge Eleven. I have a strong feeling he and Zu An are the same person; their appearances are simply too coincidental."

The person in the shadows replied in a deep voice, "Understood!"