Chapter 740: Tensions Mounting

"The Ouyang family's carriage was moving quite fast at the time, and it hit a commoner," a soldier recalled.

"He wasn't just any commoner," another soldier corrected. "He was a local hooligan, always staging accidents and extorting money, specifically targeting ordinary carriages to throw himself in front of."

"Since he was a repeat offender and incorrigible, and his family had lived in this area for generations, and because he never caused any major trouble, we usually just turned a blind eye," another soldier quickly added, discreetly observing Zu An's expression.

Sitting on the battlements, Mi Li scoffed softly, "More likely that hooligan regularly paid them off, which is why they turned a blind eye."

Zu An was somewhat surprised that someone of the Empress's stature was so well-informed about such trivial matters. However, he wasn't there to investigate corruption among the guards, so he wasn't concerned about their misdeeds. "And then?" he prompted.

Seeing that he didn't press the issue, the soldiers collectively breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied, "Well, that day, he misjudged. The carriage looked ordinary, but the person inside was no commoner. The carriage's servant whipped the hooligan severely, cursing him while he did, saying, 'You blind dog, how dare you try to scam even an Ouyang family carriage!' That's why we remember it so clearly."

Zu An frowned. "If they were leaving the capital, shouldn't they have been as discreet as possible? Why were they so flamboyant, as if they wanted everyone to know?"

Mi Li explained, "Those nobles are accustomed to throwing their weight around. They don't consider common folk to be human. When they are 'discreet,' it's only among officials of their own rank. Why would they bother being discreet with a mere peasant?"

At this, the soldiers also expressed similar sentiments. Zu An couldn't help but glance back at Mi Li. "I didn't expect you to understand people so profoundly."

Mi Li let out a soft hmph, raising her fair, smooth chin in a haughty profile.

At that moment, Chu Youzhao, who was standing nearby, quietly tugged Chu Chuyan's sleeve and whispered, "Sister, is this person ill? He's talking to himself in thin air."

"Silence!" Chu Chuyan covered her mouth and transmitted a message with chi, "Perhaps the Embroidered Envoys have some eccentricities when handling cases. Don't provoke him, lest he make an issue of it."

Chu Youzhao saw Murong Luo nearby, his backside a bloody mess and him wailing continuously, and she nodded in deep understanding.

Though Chu Youzhao's voice was low, it didn't escape Zu An's ears. Chu Chuyan didn't speak aloud, but her lips moved slightly, clearly transmitting a message with chi, and it likely wasn't anything good. Fortunately, Zu An was wearing a mask. As long as he wasn't embarrassed, they would be.

"Ahem!" He cleared his throat and continued, "Ou Wu's official position is so sensitive. His family deliberately changed carriages to leave the capital. Didn't you suspect anything or stop them?"

The soldiers exchanged glances. Finally, one said, "Sir, everyone in the capital's high society is a lord. Rules are rules, but it's an open secret that people often send their families out of the city for sightseeing. Nobody takes that rule seriously."

Zu An frowned. The Great Zhou Dynasty appeared to be in a golden age, yet its discipline was so lax in private. This was not a good omen. He internally scoffed, *Hmph, I'm not the emperor. Why should I worry about such things?*

Another soldier then added, "We did question them, but they showed us a prince's mansion token. How could we dare stop them?"

Zu An quickly pressed, "Which prince's mansion token?"

The soldiers all shook their heads."As mere subordinates, we wouldn't dare look too closely, for fear of offending a noble.""Aren't all prince's mansion tokens more or less the same?""Who would dare impersonate a prince's mansion token? That's a capital offense."

Hearing them speak over each other, Zu An knew he wouldn't get any more information. He left one team to continue investigating the whereabouts of Ou Wu and his family there, while he took another group to Prince Qi's mansion.

"Should we take this man back to the Embroidered Office for investigation?" a silver-badge Embroidered Envoy asked, pointing at Murong Luo. He clearly knew his superior had a conflict with Murong Luo, so he asked considerately.

At the mention of the "Embroidered Office," Murong Luo's face changed drastically. That place was more terrifying than the imperial prison; those who entered either died or were crippled. The only person rumored to have come out alive recently was Young Master Shi, and even then, Grand Marshal Shi Miao had to personally retrieve him and present the family's death-exemption tablet. Shi Miao's position in court was extraordinary, and the Murong family certainly didn't possess a death-exemption tablet.

Murong Qinghe's expression also changed, and he looked at Chu Chuyan and Chu Youzhao pleadingly.

Chu Chuyan had no choice but to say, "Sir, could you please be lenient?"

Zu An hummed. "Madam Zu is indeed beautiful and speaks so sweetly. Very well, for Madam Zu's sake, I won't pursue this today. Take care of yourself and don't make the same mistake again."

Mi Li spat. "Shameless."

Zu An simply ignored her.

Murong Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but glance at Chu Chuyan, thinking that Miss Chu was indeed beautiful enough to even sway the Embroidered Envoys, who were usually so unyielding. It was truly enviable.

Chu Youzhao, on the other hand, thought about how much influence her brother-in-law had, remembering that this person had once mentioned being indebted to him.

Chu Chuyan, upon hearing the words "Madam Zu," felt a slight flush on her cheeks, making her appear even more enchanting for a moment. Even the usually resolute Embroidered Envoys couldn't help but steal extra glances at her.

"Thank you, Sir, thank you, Sir! Your subordinate will certainly be more careful next time," Murong Luo nodded profusely. Not only had he failed to impress the beauty today, but he'd also needed her intervention. The thought filled him with resentment towards the damned Embroidered Envoy.

Rage points from Murong Luo +444, +444, +444...

Zu An frowned. Was this fellow looking for death? However, he was in a hurry to get to Prince Qi's mansion, so he had no time to deal with him.

Zu An led his subordinates at a rapid pace towards Prince Qi's mansion. Along the way, his subordinates couldn't help but ask, "Chief, are we really just rushing to Prince Qi's mansion like this? Shouldn't we go back to the Embroidered Office and gather more men?"

Seeing their nervous expressions, Zu An secretly sighed, realizing the extent of Prince Qi's formidable reputation; even the fearless Embroidered Envoys felt intimidated by the prospect of visiting his residence. "We're not going to raid Prince Qi's mansion. What are you afraid of? Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Hearing him say that, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Mi Li continued to float beside him, unable to resist saying, "What do you expect to find at Prince Qi's mansion? You couldn't even investigate Shi Jun, let alone the venerable Prince Qi himself?"

Zu An replied, "I already have some clues in mind; I just need to confirm them at Prince Qi's mansion."

Soon, the group arrived at Prince Qi's mansion. Seeing a group of Embroidered Envoys approach, the mansion guards immediately adopted a wary stance and blocked their path.

Zu An stated in a low voice, "I am here by imperial decree to investigate a case. I have urgent matters to discuss with Prince Qi."

The head guard at the entrance of Prince Qi's mansion flatly refused, "Please return, gentlemen. The Prince is not in the mansion."

"Is he truly not here, or is he just refusing to see me?" Zu An frowned.

The guard snorted, "If I say he's not here, he's not here."

Zu An pressed on, "Then do you know where Prince Qi has gone?"

The guard replied coldly, "The Prince's whereabouts are highly confidential; how could they be disclosed casually?"

Zu An's expression also darkened. He took out his gold token. "Are you stalling, or are you defying an imperial decree?"

The guard sneered, "That thing might work elsewhere, but it's useless here. Unless His Majesty himself comes, none of you lackeys are qualified to enter this mansion."

Hearing his words, the group of Embroidered Envoys were both shocked and enraged. They acted on behalf of the Emperor; when had they ever suffered such humiliation? However, this was Prince Qi's mansion, and they dared not act rashly. They could only look indignantly at Zu An, waiting to see how their superior would decide.

"Huh, where is he?"

They realized that the spot where he had just stood was now empty. Just then, there was a crisp *thwack*, followed by a faint scream. Only then did everyone see that the head guard was kneeling on the ground, his mouth bloody, looking utterly miserable.

Standing beside him, Zu An casually dropped the scabbard he had snatched away onto the ground. "Let me teach you a lesson: loose lips sink ships."

The head guard, Hou Wu, felt that many of his teeth had shattered. He hadn't even seen how his assailant moved before he was struck down. He wanted to resist, but the other party's foot was on the back of his knee, making him completely unable to move.

Rage points from Hou Wu +888, +888, +888...

At this, the other guards, both startled and enraged, drew their long sabers and surrounded the group of Embroidered Envoys.

"How dare you cause trouble in the Prince's mansion!" Just then, a figure swept out from the mansion. Before he even arrived, his voice reverberated, making everyone's ears tingle.

A top master! It was well known that Prince Qi's mansion was filled with masters, and now they saw it was true.

The Embroidered Envoys secretly groaned. They had truly fallen for Sir Eleven's mischief; he had said he would be prudent, yet he acted so impulsively. Although it had been satisfying to watch the guard get beaten, they were now more concerned about their own predicament. If a real conflict broke out, none of them would likely survive.

The dozen or so Embroidered Envoys were completely surrounded by Prince Qi's guards, appearing utterly outnumbered and vulnerable.