Chapter 699: East Palace Predicament

After giving her orders, the Crown Princess entered the inner hall with a solemn expression.

Soon, the eunuchs and palace maids of the East Palace sprang into action, constantly running out to deliver messages.

In contrast, Zu'an was relatively at ease. Having only recently arrived at the East Palace, he didn't know many officials and couldn't find anyone to deliver messages to, so he had no tasks assigned to him.

No, that wasn't quite right; he still had one task: playing chess with the chubby Crown Prince.

Zu'an, absentmindedly moving a chess piece, asked, "Crown Prince, what's happening?"

"How would I know... Hey, you can't play there, I refuse!" the Crown Prince quickly said, blocking a spot on the board with his chubby hand to prevent Zu'an from playing his piece.

Zu'an chuckled wryly, withdrawing his chess piece. He realized he must have been out of his mind to even ask him.

He wanted to ask the Crown Princess, but remembering her frosty expression, he worried about incurring her displeasure. So, he poked the chubby Crown Prince beside him. "Crown Prince, it seems something big has happened. Aren't you going to check?"

"It's nothing. Linglong will handle it anyway," the Crown Prince said, waving his hand impatiently as his attention returned to the chessboard.

Zu'an sighed. "The Crown Princess is a woman after all; she has her vulnerable moments too."

The Crown Prince said carelessly, "Linglong has always managed to resolve any difficult matter over the years. Anyway, stop talking and focus on the game."

Zu'an was speechless. He could easily win even when distracted, and the Crown Prince wanted him to focus?

What sins must the Crown Princess have committed in her previous life to be stuck with such a thoughtless, foolish husband?

However, royal affairs were not his concern. While playing chess with the Crown Prince, he secretly observed the movements within the East Palace.

Soon, officials began to arrive one after another. Most were elderly or middle-aged, with few young people in sight. Many of their robes were embroidered with cranes or qilin, clearly indicating they were first-rank officials of the imperial court.

Civil officials of the first rank wore robes embroidered with cranes, while military officials of the first rank wore robes with qilin.

"Huh, why is there someone in a python robe?"

Zu'an looked, and a smile touched his lips. It was an old acquaintance: Prince Liang, Zhao Yi.

Accompanying him was an old man who, despite his white hair and numerous wrinkles, looked robust and energetic, exuding an aura of unspoken authority.

Another old acquaintance, General Wei Liu Yao, followed half a step behind him with a respectful demeanor.

Zu'an was startled. Given Liu Yao's arrogant and haughty demeanor back in Brightmoon City, who could this person be that commanded such respect?

He had only recently arrived in the capital and didn't know many people, but he could ask the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince looked up, and the fat on his face trembled in fright. "It's my maternal grandfather..."

As he spoke, he secretly hid the chess pieces under his cushion, clearly somewhat afraid of the man.

Zu'an realized. So it was Liu Guang, the Empress's father and General of Cavalry. Both the current Empress and the Crown Prince's birth mother, the previous Empress, were sisters and daughters of Liu Guang.

Liu Guang had also benefited from his daughters' high status, being granted the titles of Imperial Father-in-law and General of Cavalry. From the military rank system, his status was second only to the Grand General and General of Agile Cavalry, even higher than the two Dukes of the Qin family.

Of course, military rank was one thing, and actual power was another. The two from the Qin family controlled the selection and appointment of military officers, thus holding more real power.

Just then, Liu Guang happened to look over and walked over quickly and angrily. How could the Crown Prince's small actions escape his notice?

"At a time like this, the Crown Prince is still wasting his time playing!" Liu Guang, furious, pointed at Zu'an and declared, "Drag this fellow who enticed his master to play away and give him a hundred strokes of the rod!"

Zu'an's expression changed. He truly was caught in the crossfire, an innocent bystander.

Was he under an unlucky star today? How could he encounter so many troublesome things one after another?

Just then, Liu Yao, standing nearby, whispered a few words to his elder brother. Liu Guang's gaze towards Zu'an changed slightly. "Oh, so you are Zu'an. Although you have performed meritorious deeds these past few days, however..."

He hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly paused and cocked his ear to listen, as if someone was transmitting a message to him through qi.

After a moment, he changed his tone: "Since you are new here, ignorance is pardonable. However, as a Crown Prince's companion, you are responsible for overseeing his studies, so don't indulge the Crown Prince's nonsense anymore."

"Yes!" Zu'an said, cupping his hands in salute. "Thank you, Imperial Father-in-law."

He was curious. Could it be that Liu Yao pleaded on his behalf? But that made no sense. They had no particular relationship, and given what had happened in Brightmoon City, it would be good enough if Liu Yao didn't resent him.

Just then, the Crown Princess appeared not far away. "Everyone, please come in for a discussion."

Her voice was filled with weariness, but this lent it a unique, husky charm, which was very pleasant to hear.

Zu'an finally understood. So it was the Crown Princess who had intervened on his behalf.

"Crown Prince, you too, come in. This matter concerns you." The Crown Princess glanced at Zu'an again, a look of hesitation on her face. But realizing the significant difference in his rank compared to Liu Guang and the others, she decided it would be too abrupt to call him in and abandoned the idea.

Soon, Liu Guang and the others also followed into the inner hall. After entering, he couldn't help but remark, "Linglong seems to think highly of that young man, doesn't she?"

The Crown Princess replied, "Although Zu'an appears a bit unreliable on the surface, he is truly talented. He's only been in the capital for a few days, and Prince Qi's faction has already suffered greatly. You must have heard about him breaking Zhao Zhi's legs yesterday, right?"

Liu Guang stroked the beard on his chin and laughed heartily. "This is also the happiest news I've heard in recent years! Prince Qi and his people finally got what they deserved!"

Prince Liang, Zhao Yi, also said, "I've dealt with this fellow before in Brightmoon City. Although his cultivation is ordinary, he possesses a peculiar, almost wicked charm and always manages to turn danger into safety, leaving his enemies looking foolish."

At this, Liu Yao, who was beside him, immediately showed his displeasure. "Why are you looking at me?"

Prince Liang simply said, "Oh, just looking around."

The Crown Princess quickly intervened to interrupt the two, preventing a quarrel. "Such a person should be courted and brought over without delay. How can we possibly dishearten him over a trivial matter? That's why I just stopped Imperial Father-in-law."

Liu Guang nodded, seeming to agree with her statement.

Liu Yao, on the other hand, grumbled, "Linglong, you value him too highly. A mere ruffian from a small place, what's so great about him? At most, he's just lucky."

The Crown Princess directly ignored her foolish uncle and started conversing with the others.

Meanwhile, outside, Zu'an was chatting with Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun.

The two guards looked at him with admiration. "Big Brother, we thought you would be punished by the Imperial Father-in-law, but who knew you could turn danger into safety again? Truly admirable, admirable!"

Zu'an rolled his eyes. "Why do I feel like you're hoping I'd get beaten with the rod?"

"Big Brother, you've misunderstood, are we really that kind of people?!" The two quickly pledged their loyalty.

Zu'an couldn't help but ask, looking in the direction of the inner hall, "By the way, do you know what exactly happened?"

Jiao Sigun said with a resentful expression, "We've been punished here since just now, how could we know? But judging by the Crown Princess's appearance, it's likely something major has happened."

Pu Duandiao also nodded in agreement. "We've been in the East Palace for so many years, and we've never seen such a large-scale situation."

"Then do you know which officials went in earlier?" Zu'an continued to ask. Although he had previously heard Chu Yan explain the court situation, he only knew their names and official titles and couldn't connect them to their appearances.

The two guards explained, "The first one to arrive was Bi Qi, Right Vice Minister of the Department of State Affairs. He is also the Crown Princess's father."

Zu'an recalled the people he had just seen. Bi Qi should be the middle-aged man who arrived first.

He was quite handsome. After all, having fathered a daughter as beautiful as the Crown Princess, how could the father be ugly?

However, what struck him most was that even though he showed no particular expression, one instinctively felt he was a cunning old fox.

This feeling was strange, like watching those old TVB dramas where some characters' initial appearances were righteous and honorable, yet, looking at the actor, one would instinctively feel they were a villain.

Bi Qi gave off this feeling now. He was clearly handsome and dignified, his expression wasn't one of bitterness or deep resentment; on the contrary, he occasionally nodded to some eunuchs and palace maids. No matter how one evaluated him, he should have been a refined and handsome gentleman, yet Zu'an's first impression was that this fellow was very sinister.

"The next one to arrive was Meng Yi, Supervisor of the Central Secretariat. You seem to know the ones who just arrived, so we won't mention them," the two guards explained.

Zu'an's surprise deepened. These must be the core figures of the Crown Prince's faction. What matter could be important enough to gather them all?

The group discussed in the inner hall for most of the day. It wasn't until evening that the people inside slowly began to emerge, each with a worried expression on their face.

After those people left, Zu'an quietly went to find the Crown Princess. "Crown Princess, has something happened?"

"Crown Princess?" Bi Linglong pinched the bridge of her nose, then suddenly gave a bitter smile. "I'm afraid I won't be the Crown Princess anymore."

Zu'an was greatly surprised. "What do you mean by that?"

Having interacted with her these past few days, she had always exuded an inherent pride. He had never seen her so disheartened.

Bi Linglong looked at the Crown Prince playing in the distance, her eyes filled with helplessness. "Prince Qi's faction exerted full pressure in court today. The Crown Prince will soon no longer be the Crown Prince, so I naturally won't be the Crown Princess anymore."