Chapter 706: The Defiant Charm

Despite her complaints, the Crown Princess was extremely intelligent. She immediately reacted, crying and trying to hit him, "You heartless wretch! You said you loved me so much under the moonlight, and now look at you!"

Zu An secretly gave her a thumbs-up. The Crown Princess was indeed no mere figurehead; she understood how to cooperate right away.

Zhuxie Chixin frowned. He looked at Zu An with a hint of disgust. Spouses scatter like birds when disaster strikes, let alone these two who weren't even married.

This guard probably knew this was a capital offense that could lead to the execution of his entire clan. Naturally, he'd want to clear his name, but could he really do so?

If only they had known then what they know now.

"Which division are you in? Who is your immediate superior?" Zhuxie Chixin asked in a deep voice.

"I'm from the Imperial Guard division, and my superior is Lord Qu Zhishang," Zu An replied. Having spent a considerable amount of time in the palace recently, he could answer these questions without hesitation.

Zhuxie Chixin looked to the side, and an Embroidered Uniform Guard next to him nodded, indicating that there was indeed a Qu Zhishang in the Imperial Guard division.

Only then did Zhuxie Chixin feel relieved. He then looked at the Crown Princess and asked, "And you, which palace are you from? Which governess supervises you?"

The Crown Princess lowered her head and eyes, answering cautiously, "I am from the Palace of Stored Elegance, and Governess Liang supervises me."

Having been in the palace for so long, she was even more familiar with these details than Zu An.

Zhuxie Chixin's subordinate at his side had already nodded, confirming the existence of such a person. He no longer had any doubts. "Guards," he commanded, "take them to Eunuch Wen; he will deal with them."

He didn't have the leisure to deal with their trifling affairs now. He had just received news that the Crown Princess and Zu An seemed to be having an affair, and he needed to find them immediately to suppress all information as soon as possible.

"Yes, sir!" Two Embroidered Uniform Guards acknowledged the order and led the two towards Eunuch Wen.

Zu An secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This was exactly what he had gambled on: that Zhuxie Chixin would not be in the mood to deal with other matters. Moreover, as the emperor's secret agent, Zhuxie Chixin dealt with matters of immense importance. Cases of illicit affairs between palace guards and eunuchs fell under the jurisdiction of the chief eunuch.

The Crown Princess also breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't help but secretly admire Zu An's brilliant move. No one would suspect that someone would impersonate a guard and a palace maid to have an illicit affair; after all, this was a capital offense, potentially implicating their families.

Yet, with this move, while it appeared on the surface that they were doomed, they could actually use the Embroidered Uniform Guards to escape the encirclement.

By then, just two Embroidered Uniform Guards certainly wouldn't be a match for Zu An and her. Well, she would be just an extra; Zu An alone should be able to handle it.

This was truly a case of putting themselves in a desperate situation to survive!

Her admiration grew. Zu An truly couldn't be judged by his usual carefree appearance. No wonder the eldest daughter of the Chu family wanted to marry him; he was indeed a top talent.

Zhuxie Chixin had already walked dozens of meters away when he suddenly let out a sound of surprise and turned to look at the palace maid's retreating back.

As the leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, he had handled countless cases, developing much keener insight than ordinary people.

Although this woman had an ordinary appearance, her figure was graceful, and she walked with a straight back, possessing an inherent noble demeanor. She truly didn't seem like an ordinary palace maid.

"Wait!"

Hearing Zhuxie Chixin's voice from behind, Zu An and the Crown Princess's expressions changed dramatically.

They immediately understood that something was wrong.

The Crown Princess quickly winked at Zu An, suggesting that while Zhuxie Chixin was still dozens of meters away, they should take a chance and try to escape.

Zu An subtly shook his head. This distance was nothing to a half-step Grandmaster; running early would be meaningless.

The Crown Princess bit her lip. She was utterly panicked, and only after seeing Zu An remain calm did she feel slightly more at ease.

Zhuxie Chixin brought his subordinates before the two and waved his hand, "Interrogate them separately."

The Embroidered Uniform Guards immediately understood; they were well-versed in such matters.

Although they didn't know game theory, their extensive experience in handling cases told them that even the most cooperative criminals would reveal flaws when interrogated separately.

Zu An and the Crown Princess's hearts pounded. They hadn't had time to coordinate their stories, and if interrogated separately about each other, they would be exposed immediately.

But there was nothing they could do now; they could only allow the Embroidered Uniform Guards to lead them to separate sides.

Zhuxie Chixin personally interrogated Zu An: "What is that palace maid's name?"

Zu An's heart sank. He realized that the Crown Princess on the other side faced the same question. But everything had happened too quickly, and there was no time to account for such details.

He secretly controlled the jade cong, intending to use ants to form characters on the ground to notify the Crown Princess.

However, he immediately abandoned this idea. Even if he solved this one problem, what about the many more complex problems that would follow?

Besides, the Embroidered Uniform Guards were all individuals with keen observation and hearing. Trying to use ants to notify the Crown Princess would likely not escape their notice and would instead expose a trump card.

Zhuxie Chixin's expression darkened. "What, is that question difficult to answer?"

At this point, his aura had locked onto Zu An, as if he would strike immediately if Zu An hesitated.

Zu An replied, "Her name is Tian Xiao'e..."

Just then, a figure flashed past nearby. With Zhuxie Chixin's cultivation level, he abruptly turned his head and demanded, "Who's there!"

The person didn't reply and quickly darted into the distance.

"Take them to Eunuch Wen; the rest of you, follow me!" Zhuxie Chixin immediately flew in pursuit. While these two illicit lovers, a guard and a palace maid, were somewhat suspicious, the overall issue should not be major. However, the figure that had just flashed past seemed to be a woman. Could it be Yun Jianyue from before?

Of course, just in case, he left two more Embroidered Uniform Guards to escort the two. Four Embroidered Uniform Guards would be able to handle any unexpected situations.

He then led the others in pursuit of the woman's vanishing figure. Thinking that it might be Yun Jianyue, he dared not be careless in the slightest.

Of course, he also suspected it might be the Crown Princess. He had to find her immediately, find out what had happened, and see if Zu An had truly done something to her.

After their main force had departed, the remaining four Embroidered Uniform Guards escorted Zu An and the Crown Princess outwards.

The Crown Princess's face still showed lingering shock. Her gaze towards Zu An was filled with relief; she clearly felt she would be exposed immediately when asked that question, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better.

At this moment, Zu An had no energy to respond to her. Instead, he was fully focused on communicating with Daji.

The figure that had just flashed past was precisely the Valkyrie he had summoned—Daji!

He had been left with no choice and could only use Daji to divert Zhuxie Chixin.

But Daji currently only had a cultivation of mid-fifth rank, making it too difficult for her to evade Zhuxie Chixin's pursuit.

Along the way, he used the jade cong to gain surrounding vision, informing Daji to avoid danger in advance. But no matter how skilled his micro-management, it couldn't overcome such a huge power gap.

Finally, Daji was unable to evade, and Zhuxie Chixin seized her shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going!" Zhuxie Chixin roared. Just as he was about to unleash force to severely injure her, Daji suddenly turned her head.

Zhuxie Chixin was momentarily stunned. Could such a beautiful woman exist in this world?

The woman before him seemed like a celestial fairy who had descended to the mortal world, detached from worldly concerns, yet also like a peerless enchantress capable of bringing ruin to a nation. He never imagined two such contrasting temperaments could coexist in one woman.

The other Embroidered Uniform Guards were even more captivated. Each felt a pang of pity, unable to harbor any hostile thoughts towards her.

Even Yu Yanluo, once the most beautiful woman in the capital, could not have been more beautiful than this.

Zhuxie Chixin, however, had a firm will. He immediately recovered and asked, "Who exactly are you, miss?"

Daji merely looked at him silently and did not speak.

Under her gaze, Zhuxie Chixin seemed to feel he had been rude to such a beauty and instinctively withdrew his hand.

Zu An perceived all this and almost burst out laughing. Zhuxie Chixin usually had such an effeminate demeanor that Zu An had thought he was an androgyne, never expecting him to have such an appreciation for beauty.

When had he ever been so gentle and polite to his enemies? It was clearly because Daji was too beautiful.

However, Zhuxie Chixin quickly regained his composure. "Miss, what is your purpose for trespassing into the imperial palace at night?"

Daji still didn't speak. In truth, she currently had no ability to speak.

Zhuxie Chixin's expression darkened. "If you are unwilling to speak, then don't blame me for being impolite."

After all, he was a person with a firm will. He immediately remembered his duty. This astonishingly beautiful woman appearing here was too strange, so he reached out to seize her, intending to capture her first.