Chapter 890: Monitoring the Jade Pendant

Zu An said, "I don't know what happened after that."

The Emperor looked utterly confused.

Zu An quickly explained, "At that time, I saw how powerful the octopus monster was and knew I couldn't fight it. I quickly covered for the Crown Prince and Crown Princess to escape. Who knew the octopus monster would pursue us? I resisted with all my might, but its tentacles knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, only the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were left, and the octopus monster was nowhere to be found."

The Emperor fell silent. While Bi Linglong's account differed from his in several details, it largely aligned. If everything had been identical, he would have suspected collusion.

Earlier, Bi Linglong had mentioned that after Zu An was knocked unconscious, countless tentacles of the octopus monster surged towards them. In her despair, she suddenly saw golden light emanating from Zhao Ruizhi's body, and then she was immediately stunned by a powerful shockwave. She didn't know what happened next. When she woke up, she saw the Crown Prince covered in injuries, and the octopus monster had vanished without a trace.

"It seems my spiritual clone perished with that octopus monster," the Emperor mused for a moment, finding this the most plausible explanation. He also knew that his clone shared his mindset; with his personality, if exposure was imminent and Zu An were still conscious, he would never have allowed him to live.

However, if it had been Bi Linglong, he might have knocked her out beforehand and spared her life. After all, he was very satisfied with this beautiful and capable daughter-in-law in many aspects, and the family power behind her was complex. Replacing the Crown Princess would be quite troublesome.

"But what kind of octopus monster could cause my spiritual clone to perish with it?" Zhao Hao found it incredible. He then asked for more details, including how they had activated the grand formation.

Zu An answered each question. He did not reveal the full truth directly but allowed the Emperor to deduce Xu Fu's identity and his connection to the ancient dynasty from the various pieces of information. People are like that: you subconsciously guard against what others tell you, but you tend to believe deeply in answers you deduce yourself.

As expected, based on the various pieces of information, the Emperor deduced that the octopus monster was an ancient powerful being who had created such an evil formation in pursuit of immortality.

"No wonder it could cause my spiritual clone to perish with it. It's a pity that secret realm was destroyed, or I could have gone to see firsthand how it intended to achieve immortality," the Emperor pondered for a long time, then asked many more details.

Seeing that his main concern was the Yin-Yang Five Elements Grand Formation, Zu An immediately understood the Emperor's thoughts. However, there was nothing to hide: suitable Five Elements bodies were incredibly difficult to find, let alone pure Yin and pure Yang bodies. Moreover, the formation was so complex, and many of its intricacies had been lost over time, making it impossible for the Emperor to replicate.

Just then, Eunuch Wen's voice came from outside: "Your Majesty, the item has been retrieved."

"Come in," the Emperor said indifferently.

Soon, Eunuch Wen entered with quick, small steps, holding a jade pendant. Throughout the process, his gaze remained fixed straight ahead, not even glancing at Zu An on the stretcher. Zu An, however, frowned slightly. He felt that the jade pendant looked somewhat familiar.

The Emperor took the jade pendant and simultaneously asked, "How is the Crown Prince?"

Eunuch Wen replied, "He sustained some injuries, and the imperial physicians have already treated him. However, he seems to have suffered a great shock; that will likely take time to recover from."

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. He finally remembered why the jade pendant looked familiar: it was the Crown Prince's personal pendant. Why would the Emperor request it?

Just then, the Emperor spoke, "Let him rest well for now. Don't disturb him."

"Yes!" Seeing no further instructions, Eunuch Wen exited the room, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

The Emperor toyed with the jade pendant in his hand, then suddenly said, "I specially placed this jade pendant on the Crown Prince. My original intention was that if something happened to him, it could record who harmed him. I thought I would never need it, but I used it today after all."

Hearing this, Zu An felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. It was over. He had accounted for everything except this. If that jade pendant had recorded the situation at the time, ten lives wouldn't be enough for him.

He reacted quickly, hurrying to say, "Your Majesty's foresight is truly remarkable, inspiring immense admiration in our generation." As he spoke, he tried his best to control his physical reactions, keeping even his heartbeat largely normal. Throughout the process, he dared not use his primal energy, as the Emperor would surely detect it. He could only rely on his powerful mental fortitude to remain calm. Indeed, it was fortunate he had experienced so much; his nerves had long since become incredibly thick and resilient. Otherwise, anyone else would have already revealed abnormalities to the suspicious Emperor.

The Emperor scrutinized him for a moment, then slowly said, "So, I'll ask you one last time: was there anything untrue in what you just said?"

Zu An quickly replied, "This humble subject is terrified and would not dare deceive Your Majesty." *What a joke,* he thought. *Admitting anything now would be tantamount to suicide. How could he possibly confess at a time like this?*

The Emperor nodded slightly, his gaze returning to the jade pendant in his hand, seemingly hesitating.

At this moment, a bead of sweat began to seep from Zu An's temple. The Emperor, sensing something, immediately looked up: "Are you nervous?"

Zu An replied, "My whole body aches terribly. The imperial physician gave me some medicine earlier, and now my stomach feels a bit uncomfortable. I'm concerned about losing my composure before Your Majesty."

The Emperor frowned. However, being familiar with various palace methods, he immediately realized that subordinates had probably given Zu An some strong medicine to ensure he could come and answer questions.

"You may withdraw for now," the Emperor said, waving his hand. Noticing that Zu An was still on the stretcher, he called for two young eunuchs to enter.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

As the two young eunuchs carried him out of the Imperial Study, Zu An secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The reason he had been sweating was his fear that the Emperor would play back the jade pendant's contents right in front of him. If that happened, no matter what the pendant had recorded, he would be silenced. Now that he was being allowed to leave, it proved that the Emperor temporarily believed his previous statements. As long as there was nothing incriminating in the jade pendant, he would have passed the test.

*Hmm, as long as there's nothing incriminating inside...* To be honest, at this point, he had done everything he could. The rest was up to fate.

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study, a faint golden light appeared on the Emperor's fingertip as he touched the jade pendant. Immediately, the pendant floated into mid-air and projected a scene like a projector.

A colossal octopus monster was seen entwining Zhao Ruizhi, its countless tentacles filling the screen. Even through the projection, the terrifying oppressive aura could be felt. Zhao Ruizhi, emanating golden light, was actively resisting the tentacles' attacks.

However, as the golden light intensified, the projection from the jade pendant cut out. The Emperor remained silent, assuming that the clashing energies of both sides at that moment had been too powerful, damaging the jade pendant's recording function. Nevertheless, the footage he had just seen was enough to explain the situation. The Emperor could clearly see that his spiritual clone had been pushed to use its full power.

"Alas, man proposes, God disposes. Who would have known that such a formidable and ferocious creature was hidden within a small secret realm?" The Emperor's expression shifted between cloudy and clear. He suddenly looked towards the academy's direction. "That secret realm is usually managed by the academy's people. Did that old fellow, the Libationer, truly not know, or did he deliberately set a trap?"

Zhao Hao was naturally suspicious; in that instant, many possibilities flashed through his mind. He immediately issued an order, summoning his trusted ministers to the palace for an urgent discussion.

Meanwhile, on the stretcher, Zu An's lips curved into a slight smile, for he knew he had passed the test. If the Emperor had truly seen anything incriminating in that jade pendant, he would have already been pursued and utterly destroyed.

Just then, the two young eunuchs said, "Lord Zu, His Majesty has specially prepared a guard's chamber for you to stay in the palace. This is an immense imperial favor!"

"Indeed, indeed! So many external officials aren't even qualified to stay overnight in the palace. His Majesty must have specifically granted this out of compassion for Lord Zu, who was severely wounded saving the Crown Prince and Crown Princess."

The two young eunuchs chattered on, clearly believing that Zu An, having accomplished such a great feat, would surely become a favorite of the Emperor in the future, and thus wanted to curry favor.

Zu An, however, sneered inwardly. The Emperor's action was clearly to place him under house arrest in the palace first, preventing any news from leaking out. Still, this was fine; staying in the palace had its own advantages.

He pointed to the east: "Don't go back to the guard's chamber yet. I want to go to the Eastern Palace."