Chapter 698: An Argument Takes Two to Tango

At this point, the officials lined up behind Zu An also grew impatient, urging him to step aside.

Zu An ignored their pleas, looking coldly at the mustached man. "You say I'm improperly dressed, and I am? Who do you think you are?"

The mustached man cupped his hands towards the main hall and sneered, "This is the power granted to me by the imperial court: to inspect the attire and bearing of all officials. Naturally, what I say goes."

"Are you intentionally making trouble for me?" Zu An's face darkened.

The mustached man looked down his nose at Zu An. "I have always enforced the law impartially. How could I possibly single you out? Why don't I trouble them? As the saying goes, it takes two to tango. Always look for the cause within yourself, instead of always blaming others."

Zu An was astounded, never expecting this man to utter such classic lines, reminiscent of certain people from his previous life.

The mustached man then said impatiently, "You're wasting everyone's time here. According to regulations, someone like you should stand aside and endure a one-hour penalty, to serve as a warning to other officials!"

Although it was early morning and the sun was already out, standing under the sun for an hour, while not physically harmful, would be extremely humiliating.

At the palace gates, officials constantly came and went. After witnessing this scene, he would quickly become the laughingstock of the entire court.

Zu An's eyes narrowed. "May I ask your esteemed name?"

"What, do you want to get revenge?" A hint of disdain flashed in the mustached man's eyes. "I am Shi Jun, the Imperial Yellow Gate Attendant, and I stand by my name. Everything today is being handled impartially; no matter where you appeal, you won't be able to touch me."

"Shi Jun?" Zu An suddenly realized. "What's your relationship with Shi Kun?"

The mustached man stared coldly at him, and after a long pause, finally said, "Shi Kun is my younger brother."

Zu An thought to himself, "No wonder he looked somewhat familiar. So he's the brother of that guy."

Shi Jun continued, "I am absolutely not targeting you because of my brother's matter. Everything is strictly official business."

The Shi brothers were very close. Since this fellow had caused his brother's death, Shi Jun naturally sought revenge.

Initially, the Shi family had been somewhat cautious due to the Crown Princess, but people from Prince Qi's mansion had communicated with them. With their cooperation, the Shi family no longer had any qualms.

As for Zu An defeating Prince Qi's heir, the Shi family hadn't taken it seriously. According to their intelligence, this fellow merely possessed some extraordinary movement techniques, and his true cultivation was, at best, at the sixth or seventh rank.

Prince Qi's heir had lost primarily due to underestimating his opponent, coupled with the secret assistance of a mysterious master.

Here in the imperial palace, what mysterious master would dare approach? The Emperor would surely strike them dead with a single blow!

Furthermore, Shi Jun himself was a seventh-rank master, which emboldened him to openly provoke Zu An.

Passing officials scoffed, knowing full well that no one would be fooled by such words. However, no one dared to speak out at that moment.

After all, there was no concrete evidence to prove he was using his public office for personal revenge, and no one wanted to offend the Shi family.

"Strictly official business, huh?" Zu An repeated his words, deliberately drawing out the syllables.

Shi Jun snorted, "No matter what you're thinking, you'll have to obey and get lost now!"

He said this deliberately to provoke Zu An. Once Zu An lost his temper, Shi Jun could call the imperial guards. He now held the moral high ground and had many ways to deal with him.

Zu An shook his head. "I just want to correct a serious mistake you've made."

"What?" Shi Jun frowned, secretly wondering if he had made any oversight. But as he reviewed the situation, he realized he knew all the rules of etiquette by heart. Even if the Emperor were called, he wouldn't be able to find fault with him.

Zu An chuckled. "Who said it takes two to tango?"

The moment he finished speaking, Zu An instantly teleported in front of Shi Jun. With a sharp slap, a red handprint appeared on Shi Jun's face.

Zu An had already returned to his original spot, rubbing his hand. The shock from the slap had been quite jarring. "See? Doesn't that make a sound with just one hand?"

Everyone around was stunned. This sudden turn of events caught them all by surprise: first, because Zu An's speed was incredible, and second, because no one had expected him to dare to strike.

Shi Jun clutched his face, his head buzzing. His mind had gone blank for a moment, and it took him a while to realize what had happened.

I was hit?

I was actually hit by this guy!

And in front of so many officials?

He immediately flew into a rage. "Zu, you're looking for death!"

Rage from Shi Jun +999+999+999...

Despite his fury, he did not impulsively strike back. Instead, he quickly calmed down. "To openly assault an official overseeing conduct and appearance, this is a grave offense! Guards, apprehend this man, give him one hundred strokes with the rod, then throw him into the imperial prison to await the Emperor's judgment!"

He recalled Prince Qi's heir being defeated by Zu An, and just now, Zu An's movement technique was so fast that even he couldn't clearly see it. Therefore, if he were to act himself, he might not be guaranteed victory.

If he couldn't subdue Zu An quickly, it would be an even greater humiliation, so it was better to use other forces.

In his capacity as an official overseeing the conduct of all bureaucrats, he was authorized to summon the imperial guards under specific circumstances.

The surrounding imperial guards were also dumbfounded. They had never witnessed such an incident in their time on duty.

In the past, officials found to be improperly dressed would always be terrified and submissively accept their punishment. Who would ever openly defy and strike the inspector?

Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty—no, has such a precedent ever occurred in any dynasty throughout history?

Thus, upon hearing Shi Jun's furious roar, they were momentarily bewildered, unsure of the proper procedure for handling such a situation.

Zu An, seizing the opportunity, said to Shi Jun, "You constantly boast about overseeing the conduct and appearance of all officials. So I ask you, what crime is it if an official is improperly dressed, or hasn't even properly put on his trousers?"

Shi Jun instinctively replied, "That would, of course, be a crime of contempt for the imperial court and disrespect. It would lead to dismissal and investigation, and in severe cases, even exile."

After speaking, he froze. "Why did I answer him?" he thought. The priority was to apprehend this fellow.

Just as he was about to urge the imperial guards into action again, Zu An's playful voice rang out, "Oh, I was just about to remind you, your trousers have fallen down."

"Nonsense, don't think that..." Shi Jun scoffed, but halfway through his sentence, he felt a sudden chill around his legs. He looked down and saw his trousers had fallen to his knees. He instantly froze on the spot.

Zu An then said to the imperial guards nearby, "This man is improperly dressed! Why aren't you quickly apprehending him, dismissing him from office, investigating him, and exiling him to the frontier?"

The imperial guards instinctively nodded, but then felt something was off, momentarily unsure what to do.

The surroundings erupted in even greater uproar, creating more commotion than before.

The officials who had just been passing by merely observed with cold indifference. Now, everyone gossiped and gathered to watch, with many secretly commenting:

"The Shi family stock is quite good; they're all fair-skinned and clean."

"But there's hardly any hair on his legs. Doesn't feel manly at all."

"Hmm, he's actually wearing such flashy shorts underneath. So refined, so refined!"

...

Hearing the whispers around him, Shi Jun looked up at the sky, uttering a high-pitched, drawn-out scream: "No!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed stiffly.

Though spitting out blood looked alarming, given his cultivation, it was actually harmless.

But it was too humiliating. In such a situation, it was best to decisively feign unconsciousness.

Damn you, Zu An!

Rage from Shi Jun +1024+1024+1024...

Zu An, taking advantage of the chaos at the palace gates, slipped directly into the imperial palace. He sneered inwardly, "You want to play by the rules with me? You don't know I'll just flip the table."

He arrived at the East Palace and idly played several games of Gobang with the portly Crown Prince, making him yell in frustration every time. Little Xu and Little He, observing nearby, secretly broke into a cold sweat. "Lord Zu is truly bold," they thought, "to dare not go easy on the Crown Prince."

Time passed, and soon the morning court at the Hall of Supreme Harmony concluded. The Crown Princess returned from outside with a solemn expression. "Gather all direct officials of the East Palace! We have a matter of life and death to discuss!"