Chapter 905: Night Investigation

"What, can't I come looking for you? Aren't you disappointed it's not my sister-in-law?" The girl's eyes curved like crescent moons as she smiled.

Zu'an gasped, then said awkwardly, "Don't talk nonsense. Even if you don't care about your own sister-in-law's reputation, you should at least consider mine."

The girl disguised as a man was, of course, Miss Sang Qian, the eldest daughter of the Sang family. Zu'an hadn't expected her to appear outside Prince Qi's Mansion, seemingly waiting for him.

Sang Qian was momentarily stunned. "What the hell kind of reputation," she thought. "What reputation could a grown man like you possibly have?"

Zu'an chuckled and casually placed a hand on her shoulder. "So, what brings you here specifically to see me?"

Sensing his movement, Sang Qian stiffened, then dodged to the side with a wary expression. "What are you doing? Men and women shouldn't touch each other!"

Zu'an chuckled wryly. "You're disguised as a man. In everyone else's eyes, you *are* a man. It's perfectly normal for two men to put an arm around each other. If you keep acting so prim and proper, it'll be easy for people to see through your disguise. You know there are many eyes watching me in the capital right now."

Sang Qian knew he was telling the truth. After all, he was a key figure who had emerged alive from the secret realm, and to some extent, he had become the focal point of the struggle between the Crown Prince's faction and Prince Qi's party. Both sides would be watching him, and third-party forces would also pay attention.

This was also why Sang Qian had chosen to come out disguised to meet Zu'an today; she didn't want to expose the Sang family so soon.

So she stopped resisting. Fortunately, he merely rested his hand casually on her shoulder, with no further inappropriate gestures. She subtly breathed a sigh of relief.

"My father said you might need help, so he sent me to check on you." Sang Qian's face flushed slightly, as she had never been in such close proximity to another man before.

Zu'an couldn't help but smile. "Lord Sang truly understands me. I've indeed had some headaches lately."

He then briefly explained the task the Emperor had assigned him: "I don't understand what's there to investigate about this case. Prince Qi's Mansion will certainly not cooperate. And even if they want to investigate, wouldn't it be better to send someone else? Why send me? I foiled Prince Qi's plans in the secret realm, and they already see me as a thorn in their side, wishing they could get rid of me quickly."

After listening to him, Sang Qian frowned, deep in thought. Zu'an, beside her, observed her. The young girl was pretty, and her frowning expression was quite appealing.

"I understand now. The Emperor sent you to investigate this case probably on purpose..." Sang Qian's eyes suddenly lit up, and she was about to speak excitedly when she saw him staring intently at her, causing her words to abruptly stop.

Zu'an chuckled. "Since when did you start spouting meaningless nonsense? Of course, the Emperor sent me to investigate the case on purpose."

Sang Qian gave him a slightly annoyed glare, but still explained, "What I mean is, the Emperor never intended to uncover anything with this case. The reason he sent you is simply to... disgust Prince Qi."

As she spoke, she secretly checked his expression. Seeing no significant change, she continued, "And also to use this matter to distract Prince Qi. If I'm not mistaken, the Emperor must now be secretly preparing other plans to deal with Prince Qi."

Zu'an raised an eyebrow. He had initially thought the Emperor's move was mainly to get him close to Prince Qi so he could hand over the fake secret manual. He hadn't expected there was another hidden motive.

"Sister Qian'er, you truly impress me." Zu'an tightened his grip on her shoulder.

Sang Qian glared at him irritably. "You should worry about your own case. Even though the Emperor doesn't expect you to find anything, staying at Prince Qi's Mansion for too long is still too dangerous for you. Remember, you're the one who caused Prince Qi to be at a disadvantage among the succession candidates. If you keep lingering in front of them, even if Prince Qi is magnanimous enough to tolerate you, his subordinates might not be able to restrain themselves."

Zu'an nodded inwardly. From what he had seen at Prince Qi's Mansion today, Prince Qi's attitude was acceptable, but there were also people like Yu Nan who seemed to want to flay him alive. It was entirely possible they might attack him in secret.

"So what can I do now? Without being able to perform an autopsy on Prince Qi's concubine, there's no way to even begin the investigation." Zu'an was also frustrated.

Sang Qian sounded a little smug. "I think you'd best abandon that idea. Although she was a concubine, she was still Prince Qi's woman. How could they allow a coroner to perform an autopsy? Even the Emperor couldn't make such a request."

Zu'an asked, "Are there any female coroners in the capital?"

Sang Qian shook her head. "Coroners often deal with decomposing and gruesome bodies, so it's always been men who do that work. I've never heard of any young women willing to do such a thing."

Zu'an couldn't help but complain, "Women hold up half the sky! What kind of occupational gender discrimination do you have in this world?"

"'Women hold up half the sky'?" Sang Qian's eyes lit up. "You usually talk a lot of nonsense, but that's a rare useful statement. For that, I suppose I can reluctantly help you."

"You know a female coroner?" Zu'an asked, confused.

"I just said that most girls aren't willing to do that kind of work, but..." Sang Qian changed her tone, "I do happen to know a thing or two."

Zu'an was dumbfounded.

"How do you know about that?"

"I was bored back then, so I learned a bit about various trades." Sang Qian was a little embarrassed, as it wasn't considered proper for women to study corpses in that era. "But even if I know a bit about coroners' skills, it's useless. Prince Qi's Mansion would never let us touch her remains."

Zu'an smiled mysteriously. "I have a way!"

Later that night, Zu'an brought Sang Qian near Prince Qi's Mansion. Looking at the high walls before them, she said expressionlessly, "Is this your 'way'?"

Zu'an organized his tools as he spoke. "Since they definitely won't agree to let us examine it, we'll have to do it ourselves. Don't worry, I have excellent human-skin masks here. You can put one on to change your appearance, and even if you're discovered, your identity won't be revealed."

Sang Qian couldn't help but correct him. "If they catch us, they'll naturally find the masks on our faces. What's the point then?"

"Then don't let them catch us," Zu'an said, as he helped her put on the cicada-wing-thin mask. He had acquired it from Chen Xuan back at Black Wind Village; it truly was an essential item for mischievous deeds.

Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Sang Qian genuinely became anxious. "Prince Qi's Mansion is heavily guarded and filled with masters. If we just walk in like this, we're sure to be caught."

She had already made up her mind: if he insisted, she would immediately withdraw. If she were caught, it would implicate the Sang family.

At that moment, Zu'an said in a deep voice, "There were even more masters from Prince Qi's Mansion in the secret realm."

Seeing the resolve and confidence in his eyes, Sang Qian was momentarily stunned. Although just a second ago she had considered backing out, now she chose to trust him instead.

"Don't worry," Zu'an reassured her again. "Even if we encounter real danger, I'll save you, even if it means sacrificing my looks."

Sang Qian spat, "That guy can't be serious for more than three breaths."

"Let's go." Zu'an took Sang Qian's hand and jumped directly over the wall into the mansion.

Although the mansion had defensive formations, if such a large area were to operate them at full power constantly, the amount of elemental stones consumed would be astronomical. So, generally, only the most crucial rooms would have active formations, with other areas relying more on patrolling guards. This gave Zu'an an opportunity.

Sang Qian's heart was in turmoil. In her mind, a place like Prince Qi's Mansion was a dragon's den and a tiger's lair. Even with her cultivation, which was excellent among her peers, she knew that breaking in would lead to her being discovered and caught in less than ten breaths.

Yet, to her surprise, Zu'an moved as if on flat ground after entering. Each time, he seemed to anticipate the future, avoiding patrolling guards in advance, as if he were simply taking a stroll through his own home.

She was about to ask him how he managed this when she suddenly noticed a patrol of guards approaching them.

Simultaneously, more guards were approaching from another direction behind them, crossing paths. Clearly, the defense had no blind spots whatsoever.

Sang Qian's face turned pale because, at this point, the two of them had nowhere to hide. They would be discovered in the next second, and countless masters from Prince Qi's Mansion, alerted by their presence, would descend upon them.