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Chapter 743: New Discovery

Zu An's heart skipped a beat, but he showed no emotion on his face. "Today, Golden Badge Eleven clashed with Murong Luo at Chongwen Gate. Chu Chuyan was also present, and I learned about it from him. Why would the Crown Princess have such a strange thought?"

The Crown Princess's cheeks felt slightly warm. She didn't understand why she had blurted it out. Every time she encountered Golden Badge Eleven, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity about him. Occasionally, for a brief moment, she would associate him with the way Zu An held her.

In her heart, there was even a faint thought: she hoped that Zu An, with whom she had been intimate, and Lord Eleven were the same person. That way, she wouldn't have to be conflicted about certain matters.

However, she herself wasn't entirely clear about this thought. Her question earlier was just a momentary impulse.

Under Zu An's gaze, she felt utterly ashamed and embarrassed. What was wrong with her? How could she connect this lecherous fellow with Lord Eleven? Lord Eleven was stern and domineering, and inexplicably handsome, whereas this fellow was always grinning, utterly lacking any resemblance.

At this thought, she gradually calmed down. She cleared her throat and said, "It's nothing, just a casual question. That Golden Badge Eleven seemed to appear out of nowhere, and I'm just a bit curious about his identity."

Zu An simply murmured, "Oh," but secretly wiped cold sweat from his brow. These women's sixth sense was simply too accurate.

The Crown Princess's mind was a little muddled now, and she didn't want to look at his face. She quickly summoned a maidservant, "Someone, help me summon Prince Liang, Lord Meng, Lord Bi, General Liu... to come here."

Zu An asked curiously, "Does the Crown Princess have a plan?"

These people were all staunch supporters of the Emperor's faction, each holding a high and influential position. Gathering them together must mean something important is afoot.

"That's not for you to ask!" The Crown Princess frowned, but remembering his special relationship with her, her tone unconsciously softened. "Ouwu is Prince Qi's man, and the Murong family behind Murong Luo is also aligned with Prince Qi. If I don't use this opportunity to purge some of Prince Qi's influence, what kind of Crown Princess would I be?"

Zu An thought to himself that now Ouwu was missing, only Murong Luo remained. Although the Crown Princess didn't say it explicitly, it was easy to imagine that Murong Luo would most likely be imprisoned and severely tortured by those in the Crown Prince's faction. Even if he was truly innocent, he would be forced to confess and implicate Prince Qi's people.

"Ah, Brother Murong is truly pitiful."

Zu An felt deep sympathy for him, but why was the corner of his mouth unconsciously curling upwards?

Seeing that she was about to meet with important figures, Zu An rose to take his leave. The Crown Princess nodded, but as he reached the doorway, she suddenly called out to him, "Oh, right, I asked you before to find a chance to eliminate Consort Bai. Do you have a plan yet?"

Zu An secretly clicked his tongue; these women truly became terrifying when they were ruthless. He could only reply, "Not yet. After all, she is of noble status and has resided in the imperial palace for a long time, making it difficult to act."

The Crown Princess knew he was speaking the truth. Nevertheless, she said, "While there's no need to rush, don't forget about it. Take your time to think about it during this period."

Zu An gave a few perfunctory replies and then left the study. He was about to chat with Park Duandiao and Jiao Sigun to thank them for their earlier warning, when a eunuch arrived to summon him to the imperial study to meet the Emperor.

The other East Palace staff looked on with envy:

"Lord Zu is truly in high favor with His Majesty; the Emperor frequently summons him.""More than that, even the Crown Princess holds him in exceptionally high regard.""We should also build good relations with him."...

A group of people rushed to seek advice from Park Duandiao and Jiao Sigun. Everyone could sense that their relationship with Zu An was the closest.

The two looked at the eunuchs with sympathetic expressions. "Our method, I'm afraid, you eunuchs won't be able to learn."

There are three 'iron bonds' in life: having studied together, having fought together, and having shared... intimate moments. Could these eunuchs possibly learn that? How much sorrow can one have? It's like a group of eunuchs visiting a brothel.

Compared to their envy, Zu An was fully aware of his own troubles. What was wrong with the Emperor? He summoned him even more eagerly than his own consorts.

Thinking of how he had 'tilled the soil' on the empress's noble body just last night, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty now as he went to meet the Emperor.

He arrived at the Imperial Study. Eunuch Wen at the entrance wore a kindly expression, indicating that the Emperor seemed to be in a good mood today. Only then did Zu An slightly relax.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Whenever Zu An had come to the Imperial Study before, he always felt an inexplicable worry and fear. Looking at the man on the dragon throne, he always felt he was high above, like a deity scrutinizing him. But now, looking at him again, although the man's imposing aura remained, he could clearly see his face. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and the faint strands of white hair at his temples showed that even though he was the strongest man in the world, he was ultimately no match for the power of time.

"What are you staring at on My head?" The Emperor frowned, keenly sensing something unusual about Zu An's gaze. He instinctively touched the top of his head, even though there was clearly nothing there.

Zu An thought to himself, 'I'm looking at the green hat on your head,' but of course, he dared not say this aloud. He quickly said, "I am simply marveling at Your Majesty's aura. Even dressed in plain clothes and sitting there, it's as if an invisible crown rests upon Your head."

A faint smile appeared on the Emperor's face. No matter how powerful he was, he was still human, and who doesn't like to hear flattery?

"Your flattery is useless now," the Emperor said. "How is the investigation into the Crown Princess's case progressing? If the deadline arrives and you haven't uncovered anything, I will show no leniency." Although the Emperor was pleased inwardly, he showed no trace of it, merely giving a cold snort with a stern face.

Zu An had long since figured out his routine and was no longer as worried as before. "Reporting to Your Majesty, I have made some progress in the investigation these past few days..."

He then reported his findings regarding Ouwu, Murong Luo, and others. As for Xinrui's younger brother, he didn't mention it for now.

He wasn't afraid that someone else among the Brocade-Clad Guards would secretly inform the Emperor. After all, the matter had not yet yielded conclusive results, and not informing the Emperor of uncertain details was also excusable.

"Xuanwu Gate, Chongwen Gate..." The Emperor's pupils contracted slightly, thinking, 'Zhao Jing's reach is extending further and further. These are all crucial positions.'

"You've done well. You may leave," the Emperor said in a deep voice. As for how to leverage this information later, there was no need to discuss it with this young man; he wasn't qualified to know such things.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" After Zu An left the imperial study, he felt the pent-up frustration in his chest completely dissipate. The Emperor was a human, not a god; he wasn't omniscient or omnipotent. What "divine sense" covering the entire palace? He had "sweated profusely" on the Emperor's empress just yesterday, and the Emperor still knew nothing. Today, he still treated him like a servant to be toyed with and reprimanded at will, but the actions that usually made him tremble with fear now seemed so ridiculous in his eyes.

What a load of rubbish, the so-called strongest in the world. He's still a loser in my presence, and sooner or later, I will surpass him in cultivation.

"Look at you, all smug," Mi Li, who had appeared beside him at some point, said with an exasperated glare. "Only you could get so worked up after sleeping with a woman."

Zu An's expression changed slightly. "Can you really read my mind?"

Mi Li snorted. "No need to read your mind. Just looking at your smug, triumphant expression, I could guess it with my toes."

Zu An quietly looked at her and deliberately thought, "Sooner or later, I'll strip you naked."

Mi Li's eyebrows shot up, and she reached out, aiming a slap directly at his face. However, this time Zu An retreated faster, narrowly evading it with a sidestep.

"Oh, you! You're actually using the movement technique I taught you against me!" Mi Li gritted her pearly teeth, and resentment continuously welled up in her heart.

Rage points from Mi Li +233, +233, +233...

Zu An immediately yelled, "And you said you couldn't read my mind!"

"Your eyes betrayed you," Mi Li's expression suddenly changed too. "It seems you really were thinking of something messy."

This time, she could no longer hold back. She directly controlled the Tai'a sword to repeatedly strike him on the head.

Passing palace maids and eunuchs nearby couldn't help but whisper among themselves:

"Is that lord practicing some technique? Why is it so strange?""I'm quite impressed by how hard his head is; even a sword can't break it.""He's probably practicing sword-controlling techniques, right?"...

A day later, the Brocade-Clad Guards finally found information about Xinrui's younger brother.

Their men found his younger brother, Huabao, in a gambling house in Gaoling County, near the capital. Unfortunately, the gambling house was too chaotic at the time, and he managed to escape.

"What?!" Zu An was furious. A group of professional Brocade-Clad Guards, and they let an ordinary gambling addict escape?

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