Chapter 725: Big Stick

Seeing Zu An's stunned expression, the Crown Princess said with displeasure, "What, do you think I'm as vicious as a viper?"

Zu An sighed. "It does feel a bit ruthless."

The Crown Princess said coldly, "This imperial palace is a man-eating place. If you don't kill others, others will kill you. Those who aren't ruthless will have tall grass growing on their graves."

Zu An couldn't help but say, "Why go so far? You and Concubine Bai are allies now. What if your guess is wrong and it causes internal strife, ultimately benefiting Prince Qi's faction?"

"I won't entrust my safety to others' kindness," the Crown Princess said, glancing at him. "What, are you feeling sympathetic? Don't forget, you and I are in the same boat now. If she exposes me, I'm finished, and you'll die without a burial place."

Zu An fell silent, understanding that what she said was indeed the truth.

Seeing his reaction, the Crown Princess's tone softened. "If it weren't absolutely necessary, I wouldn't want to do this, but you are the only one I can trust now. I absolutely dare not rely on anyone else for this matter, so don't be emotional."

Zu An said in a deep voice, "I know what I'm doing."

Although her plan was the safest, he didn't want to completely become her tool.

Seeing that he didn't explicitly object, the Crown Princess nodded with satisfaction.

After the group returned to the Eastern Palace, the Crown Princess went back to her inner chambers to rest. Outside, Zu An accepted congratulations on his promotion from his colleagues, responding to them while preoccupied with his own thoughts.

Just then, a young eunuch arrived with an imperial decree: the Emperor wished to see him.

Everyone else in the Eastern Palace looked on with envy. Apart from a few immensely powerful ministers, he was probably the only official in the entire court who had the privilege of being summoned by the Emperor every now and then. They even suspected that the total number of times the imperial concubines in the harem had seen the Emperor lately couldn't compare to his.

Zu An, however, knew his own difficulties. Every time he met the Emperor, the pressure was immense. The Emperor was temperamental and highly suspicious, and a slight misstep could cost him his life. This summons was most likely due to the previous rumors involving him and the Crown Princess.

As expected, upon reaching the Imperial Study, the dragon-robed man, whose face was flushed with a purple aura, fixed his unfathomable gaze on him. "I hear the Crown Princess has promoted you to Crown Prince's Chief Secretary?"

Zu An's heart tightened. How little time had passed, yet he already knew? Indeed, the palace was full of his informants.

"To Your Majesty, the Crown Princess did indeed promote me to Chief Secretary."

The Emperor's face was expressionless. "I hear the Crown Princess was also alone with you, sending all the palace maids and eunuchs out to the door?"

Zu An replied, "The Crown Princess's character is upright and beyond reproach, and we were discussing important matters, so naturally there was nothing to hide."

"She's clever, knowing that acting this way can silence rumors," the Emperor said, his tone suddenly shifting. "But We, on the other hand, strongly suspect there might actually be something between you two."

Zu An's expression changed slightly. He quickly said, "Your Majesty, please discern clearly. The Crown Princess and I are completely innocent; it was entirely a case of slander and rumor. This matter has already gone through a joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices, and even His Excellency, the Libationer, was asked to use his 'heart-questioning' ability. They can all prove our innocence."

The Emperor snorted. "I hear you just went to the Hundred Flowers Palace?"

Zu An thought, *This guy's thoughts really jump around.* On his face, he remained respectful. "Yes!"

"Why did you go there first thing? Could something have happened there?" the Emperor asked, sitting on his high dragon throne, his mood unreadable.

Zu An thought, *Could the Emperor know something?* But outwardly, he remained relatively calm. "The Crown Princess suspected Concubine Bai was the mastermind this time."

"Then why, after such a short time, were the two of them chatting so happily again?" the Emperor asked, picking up his tea and taking a sip.

Zu An was no longer surprised by the accuracy of his intelligence. "That's because Concubine Bai is kind-natured and quickly cleared up the misunderstanding. Also, with the Crown Prince's Grand Examination approaching, they wanted to work together to overcome the difficulties and avoid any further complications."

The Emperor snorted. "At least they still understand the importance of the bigger picture." Then he continued, "So who do you think framed you?"

Zu An said in a deep voice, "I'm not certain."

"Not certain?" the Emperor sneered. "In the imperial prison, you were insistent that people from the Shi family were harming you."

Zu An explained, "That was just my wild guess. I could say it to the officials of the Three Offices, but without proof, I wouldn't dare speak carelessly to Your Majesty, lest I commit the crime of deceiving the Emperor."

Seeing him so sensible, the Emperor felt much more at ease. "Do you know why We spared your life this time?"

Zu An tentatively asked, "Did His Excellency, the Libationer, prove my innocence?"

The Emperor sneered, "You've misunderstood one thing. The Libationer came to use his 'heart-questioning' ability not to prove your innocence, but to prove the Crown Princess's innocence. A subject, having such rumors with the Crown Princess, would already deserve death countless times over."

"Your subject is terrified!" Zu An broke out in a cold sweat. It seemed he had still underestimated him. *Damn it, I was also an emperor in the Yin-Shang Secret Realm, but I wasn't as dishonorable as you!*

The Emperor then said, "You handled the previous Demonic Cult assassin case well, and you uncovered those within the palace who colluded with the assassins. Seeing your talent in this area, We temporarily spared your life. This case of slandering the Crown Princess will also be handed to you to investigate. You are to find the mastermind before the Crown Prince's Grand Examination. If you fail to find them, you needn't live either."

Zu An: "..."

*Others believe in combining carrots and sticks, but you only have sticks, not even a single carrot!*

Despite cursing inwardly, he could only smile outwardly. "Yes, your subject will do his best to find the true culprit."

"Remember to investigate using your identity as Golden Token Eleven," the Emperor reminded him, then slightly closed his eyes, signaling for him to withdraw.

Zu An's heart stirred. Taking the opportunity, he said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, something strange happened earlier."

"Speak," the Emperor said, seemingly unperturbed, appearing to regulate his breathing and energy.

Zu An said, "Earlier, I noticed someone secretly tracking and investigating me. But no matter what method I used, I couldn't find them. That person seemed extremely proficient in the art of concealment."

As he spoke, he carefully observed the Emperor's expression, as he had previously guessed that the mysterious person might have been sent by the Emperor. But after spending this time together, he felt it was increasingly unlikely. Of course, he didn't lower his guard, wanting to glean some information from the Emperor's expression.

"What?" The Emperor suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze becoming extremely sharp in an instant. "If you say that person is proficient in the art of concealment, why did you discover them?"

Zu An replied, "I have a special ability that allows me to sense people within a certain range around me. I could feel that he was nearby, but I couldn't locate him no matter what."

He had previously tricked the Emperor into believing he had inherited all of Old Man Mi's cultivation, so the Emperor knew he was a master. Therefore, there was no harm in telling him these things, as these skills were merely minor tricks in the Emperor's eyes.

As expected, the Emperor did not press further. Instead, he fell into thought: "With your current cultivation, someone who can hide from you..." After a while, he seemed to have thought of something and said in a deep voice, "You don't need to worry about this matter. We will send someone to handle it ourselves."

"Yes!" Zu An had already obtained the information he wanted, and he left feeling satisfied.

After leaving the room, Eunuch Wen escorted him out. On the way, he said with a smile, "Master Zu truly enjoys great imperial favor. In all these years, I haven't seen many who are as highly regarded by His Majesty as Master Zu."

"Eunuch, you flatter me," Zu An grumbled inwardly. *Imperial favor, my foot! It's just constant beatings! Humph, sooner or later, I'll make sure your harem gets a taste of my own 'sticks' too!*

After exchanging pleasantries with Eunuch Wen for a while, he thanked him for his previous care for Chu Chuyan, then departed in a friendly atmosphere, with Eunuch Wen thinking, *This young man is quite sensible.*

He returned to White Sand Courtyard and changed into the attire of Golden Token Eleven, then went directly to find General Guo Zhi of the Right Guard.

Upon learning his intention, Guo Zhi cupped his hands and said, "If there's anything you need help with, Master Eleven, just say the word."

Although his official rank was higher than Zu An's, the Embroidered Uniform Guard's status was special, and Golden Token Envoys were all mysterious and unpredictable figures. Moreover, Zu An was currently on an imperial mission, so he naturally dared not offend him.

Zu An asked, "I need to check all records of people entering and exiting the palace gates within the past few days."