Chapter 703: Catching Thieves and Stolen Goods

When the Crown Princess saw Zu'an so close, her eyes were initially unfocused, and she thought she was still dreaming. She instinctively reached out to rub her eyes, but the movement made her feel a sudden chill on her body.

She instinctively looked down and saw herself lying unclothed in his arms. Her expression instantly changed.

"Ah!" she cried out, but immediately covered her mouth, her scream abruptly ceasing.

Evidently, even at this critical moment, she didn't lose her composure. She knew that if her scream attracted people, Zu'an would surely face a death sentence, and she herself would be ruined.

At the same time, without the slightest hesitation, she kicked him in the stomach.

Zu'an, of course, wasn't foolish enough to be kicked. He reached out and directly grabbed her foot, sighing, "Crown Princess, we've clearly been set up!"

The Crown Princess's face flushed crimson. Did he need to tell her? Of course she knew she had been set up!

"Let go!" the Crown Princess whispered fiercely, her expression a mix of shame and indignation.

Her kick had been a reflexive reaction, and she hadn't expected her foot to be caught.

Now, with both of them unclothed, their posture was incredibly indecent.

Zu'an's gaze involuntarily flicked downwards, and his expression stiffened. He awkwardly released her hand, "Sorry, sorry, it wasn't intentional!"

The Crown Princess's face was so red it looked like it was about to bleed, and her heart was churning with turmoil. She quickly pulled the nearby blanket over herself, though it still revealed her delicate collarbone and rounded shoulders, a sight of immense allure.

"Did you... do anything to me just now?" After the initial anger and panic, the Crown Princess gradually calmed down. She understood that the immediate priority was to deal with this situation; other matters could be settled with him later.

Zu'an hesitated. "I don't know either."

"You don't know?" The Crown Princess's blood pressure immediately surged.

Zu'an replied, "I didn't wake up much earlier than you. I felt disoriented too. It seemed I only touched and held you, nothing more... Don't you know yourself whether anything specific happened?"

"Touched and held? And you call that nothing?" The Crown Princess's eyelids twitched. In fact, while asking, she had also felt around under the blanket and found no signs of violation. But hearing his words, why did she want to hit him so badly?

She took a deep breath, barely managing to calm herself, and looked around. "Where are my clothes? Quickly get them for me."

Her current state was clearly not suitable for searching for things herself; otherwise, she would be completely exposed.

Zu'an turned sideways and started searching nearby. As he got up, the Crown Princess's eyes narrowed. *Is this guy an idiot?!*

After a quick glance, Zu'an shook his head. "There are no clothes."

Since others were trying to frame them, they wouldn't have allowed them to put on clothes.

He figured he must have woken up early, before the other party's scheme could be fully executed.

Wait, why did the Crown Princess also wake up early?

But now was not the time to worry about that. He quickly looked around. "Crown Princess, do you know where this is?"

It didn't look like the previous hall, but rather a residence. Had they already left the palace?

Impossible. Since they intended to frame them, it would definitely still be within the palace.

The Crown Princess's face had already turned pale when she heard there were no clothes. Hearing his question, she instinctively replied, "This isn't the Hundred Flowers Palace. That bitch Consort Bai wouldn't dare frame me in her own quarters."

Having lived in the palace for many years, she was very familiar with the specifications, ranks, and styles of its buildings. The materials used for the furniture and the patterns on the window lattices here were not befitting a consort's quarters.

Just then, a commotion suddenly came from outside. "Over there! I think I just saw suspicious people heading that way."

Zu'an froze. The voice sounded familiar; it was Shi Jun, who had caused him trouble at the palace gate that morning. This guy was playing for such high stakes? He even dared to involve the Crown Princess?

At this moment, it dawned on him. No wonder Shi Jun had dared to openly target him earlier, completely disregarding the influence of the Eastern Palace behind him. It turned out he had planned to bring down the Crown Princess along with him from the start.

But why was he so bold as to dare to involve the Crown Princess?

The Crown Princess's face was now ashen, and she was so anxious she was almost in tears. "It's over, it's over..."

She was utterly distraught. When those people burst in later and saw them both unclothed here, no explanation would be useful.

Even if she claimed nothing happened, no one would believe her. And the royal family, to hide the scandal, would surely make her disappear quietly. Even the Bi family would face utter ruin.

Zu'an's hair stood on end. He knew he was also at a life-or-death moment. Previously, the Emperor had wanted to chop off his hands just for embracing the Crown Princess. If he knew they were 'frankly acquainted' like this, he would undoubtedly be ground to dust and ashes.

Just then, a faint, extremely anxious voice reached his ear: "Run, I'll stall them for a bit!"

It was a woman's voice, but he didn't recognize it, having presumably never heard her speak before.

His first reaction was that it was another part of their scheme, designed to make him walk into a trap.

But he immediately dismissed this idea. In their current state, it would be enough for those outside to simply burst in; there was no need for such an extra step.

But who in the palace would help him?

He knew that while he had made some friends in the palace, they were at most fair-weather companions. They might help with minor favors on ordinary days, but they would absolutely not get involved in a catastrophe that could lead to their families' destruction.

Could it be Yun Jianyue's informant remaining in the imperial palace?

After much thought, this was the only possibility. After all, he didn't know any women in the palace.

He didn't waste a second. While his mind raced, he directly retrieved a set of robes from the Glazed Pearl and put them on. He had to be thankful that Mi Li had previously taught him how to refine the Glazed Pearl into his body.

Without his consent, even if someone were to cut him open, they might not find the Glazed Pearl.

As for the Crown Princess, there was no time to get her dressed. Zu'an simply rolled her up in the blanket and jumped off the bed.

"What are you doing!" The Crown Princess was both startled and furious, struggling desperately.

Zu'an said in a deep voice, "As the saying goes, 'the thief is caught with the goods, the adulterers in the act.' As long as they don't catch us red-handed, we still have a chance."

Bi Linglong was startled, realizing only then that she had misunderstood him.

At this moment, his face was resolute, and the usual frivolous, slick aura was gone, as if he had instantly transformed into a different person.

"Don't show your face!" Zu'an pressed her head against his chest, then pushed open the window and dashed quickly in one direction.

"Over there!" Shi Jun at the doorway shouted, and a group of people immediately rushed towards them.

Zu'an dared not use his usual instant teleportation or even the Sunflower Phantoms movement technique. Otherwise, even if he escaped, if someone saw him and reported it to the Emperor, it would still mean death.

That suspicious Emperor wouldn't care about evidence or lack thereof; he only trusted his own judgment.

Fortunately, his cultivation had recently improved significantly, and relying solely on his physical agility and speed, he wasn't slow.

From behind, the sounds of gongs and drums could be heard as many people rushed to surround and capture them. Even the imperial guards were alarmed.

Evidently, the other party had come prepared and had already set up an inescapable trap.

The Crown Princess's peripheral vision caught shadowy figures everywhere. Her heart sank to rock bottom. *It's over, it's over,* she thought. *How could they possibly escape with so many people?*

Now that her embarrassing appearance was being seen by so many people in public, she might as well have died inside the room.

Although she was wrapped in a thin blanket, she still felt no sense of security.

"Stop!" Four imperial guards rushed towards them from the front, drawing their swords and slashing. The four were clearly well-trained, coordinating seamlessly: two attacked his vital points, one slashed towards the Crown Princess wrapped in the thin blanket to force him to save her, and another blocked his escape route.