Chapter 693: The Crown Princess's Worries

Chu Youzhao rushed to Zu An's side. "Brother-in-law, be careful!"

She thought people from Prince Qi's Manor had returned so quickly for revenge. However, Murong Qinghe, who was standing nearby, saw clearly and whispered, "It's people from the Eastern Palace."

Chu Youzhao was stunned. Just then, the riders charged straight over, surrounding them completely.

Immediately afterward, a carriage appeared behind them. A eunuch next to it lifted the curtain, and a woman in elaborate attire slowly stepped out. The golden hairpins and jade jewelry on her head glittered in the sunlight, making her appear exceptionally magnificent and noble.

"Greetings, Crown Princess!" Chu Youzhao and Murong Qinghe, having lived in the capital for a long time, naturally recognized Bi Linglong. Although they belonged to different factions, they had to admit that the woman was indeed very beautiful. What was even rarer was her inherent noble aura; the elaborate attire, which might seem overly complicated on others, only further enhanced her beauty.

The Crown Princess nodded slightly to the two of them. As they were part of Prince Qi's faction, she naturally didn't need to be overly enthusiastic; maintaining basic courtesy was enough.

Then she walked towards Zu An, her phoenix-like eyes sweeping over him from head to toe. Only after seeing no obvious injuries on him did she secretly breathe a sigh of relief. "I heard something happened to Sir Zu. This Princess happened to be passing by. They didn't do anything to you, did they?" As she spoke, she looked at Chu Youzhao and Bi Linglong with a doubtful gaze, thinking, *Prince Qi only sent these two people to deal with Zu An? Wasn't that too careless?*

Zu An hurriedly said, "Crown Princess, you've misunderstood. They are my friends."

"Friends?" The Crown Princess raised her delicate eyebrows. *This fellow is actually friends with people from Prince Qi's faction? That's truly interesting.*

Murong Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief. "We still have matters to attend to at home, so we'll take our leave first." The Murong clan had always been at odds with the Crown Prince, so her staying here was extremely uncomfortable.

At the same time, she pulled Chu Youzhao away. Chu Youzhao was initially a little reluctant, but she knew that with the Crown Princess here, she couldn't interject. Furthermore, due to her long-term stay at the Qin family, her relationship with the Eastern Palace was naturally poor, so being surrounded by people from the Eastern Palace made her uncomfortable. Therefore, she followed them away, casting a resentful look at Zu An as she left.

The Crown Princess naturally couldn't keep them. Watching the two figures depart, she couldn't help but say, "It seems your relationship with your brother-in-law is quite good." Chu Youzhao's gaze as she left hadn't escaped her notice. She was a little curious. Hadn't the Chu family expelled him at a moment of crisis before? How could they still maintain such a good relationship?

Zu An said with a smile, "Besides being handsome, I have another advantage: strong charisma. Normal people can't help but like me after interacting with me for a while."

The Crown Princess was speechless. Why did seeing that fellow's smiling face make her want to hit him?

"If there's nothing else, let's return to the Eastern Palace together." She snorted, then lifted her skirt and returned to the carriage.

"Alright," Zu An thought. *Though the Crown Princess's words aren't polite, she's quite good to me. She rushed over immediately when she knew I was in danger, and even though she's clearly annoyed now, she's still worried I might face retaliation from Prince Qi's Manor, so she's taking me to the palace.*

The journey was silent. With so many people present, no matter how eloquent Zu An was, he couldn't openly go to the carriage and speak with her.

Soon, they returned to the Eastern Palace. To Zu An's surprise, Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun were kneeling at the entrance, being punished. He was greatly surprised. "What are you two doing? Who dares to treat the Eastern Palace guards like this? This is outrageous!"

"I punished them," said the Crown Princess, walking up from behind. Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun offered Zu An a wry smile, then continued kneeling there with their heads bowed.

Zu An couldn't help but ask, "Crown Princess, why did you punish them?"

The Crown Princess glanced indifferently at the two of them. "They dragged you to the pleasure quarters for the night and didn't return with you afterward, leaving you alone to fall into Prince Qi's Manor's trap. Fortunately, you escaped unharmed; otherwise, their punishment would be far greater than this."

Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun, standing by, had resentful expressions. It was clearly Zu An who had taken them to the pleasure quarters, so how did it turn into them taking Zu An there? However, Zu An had just treated them and also encountered danger, so they were too embarrassed to expose the truth.

Zu An was startled, having not expected her to care about him so much.

Feeling his intense gaze, the Crown Princess was first stunned, then her face immediately flushed. "Don't overthink it. This Princess would do everything to save anyone from the Eastern Palace targeted by Prince Qi's Manor. It's not just about you."

Zu An smiled. "Thank you, Crown Princess. Your subordinate will certainly serve you diligently until my dying breath."

Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun, standing nearby, immediately stared wide-eyed. "Look how eloquently he's flattering her," they thought. "Big Brother truly lives up to his name."

The Crown Princess's eyes also lit up. She hadn't expected him to utter such classic words, and her gaze towards him held a hint of admiration. *He truly is someone who has repeatedly made Prince Qi and his son suffer setbacks.* But this fellow was perhaps too bold. He was actually staring at her without blinking? *Hmph, if this Princess looks away, wouldn't it seem like I'm afraid of him? How would I control him in the future? What a joke!*

So she insisted on not averting her gaze, waiting for the other party to cleverly look away first. Who knew Zu An was too thick-skinned and had no intention of looking away at all? The two continued to stare at each other like this. Gradually, the Crown Princess couldn't take it anymore, and a faint blush spread across her fair neck.

The people nearby had strange expressions, thinking, *Why does it look like the Crown Princess and Sir Zu are gazing at each other romantically? But how could that be possible?*

Just then, a chubby head suddenly leaned over. "What are the pleasure quarters?"

The Crown Princess finally snapped back to reality and naturally withdrew her gaze. She glared at the Crown Prince, annoyed, her tone slightly vexed. "A filthy place. You absolutely must not go there."

"Oh~" The chubby Crown Prince shrunk back in fright, his entire body trembling, clearly a little afraid of his wife.

The Crown Princess then hastily departed. She felt her cheeks burning at the moment. *What's wrong with me today, to make such a mistake? I need to find an opportunity to give Zu An a good lecture!* However, according to the intelligence reports, he could even deal with Prince Qi's heir. He truly was a rare talent. The Eastern Palace had been in decline for a long time, and it needed precisely such a formidable general to contend with Prince Qi's Manor. *What should I use to win him over? This fellow seems quite fond of women. A honey trap should be most suitable. But his wife is a famous beauty, so he probably wouldn't be interested in ordinary beauty... Hmm... I can't possibly do it myself, can I?*

While the Crown Princess was conflicted, Zu An was already in the Imperial Study. The Emperor, with his naturally imposing gaze, looked at him indifferently. "I previously instructed you to infiltrate the Demon Sect. Have you found any traces of the Demon Sect Master, Yun Jianyue?"