Chapter 910: Translation Flipped Over

Zu'an showed no sign of panic, simply smiling as he looked at the other person.

Soon, a group of fierce, wolf-like guards burst in, ready to apprehend him. The Prince of Qi frowned, then waved his hand, signaling them to withdraw. "You don't seem afraid?"

Zu'an smiled. "Why should I be afraid? I am here to investigate a case by imperial decree. If Your Highness were to chop off my head, it would be an open rebellion, and even the officials who support you at court would have to distance themselves, wouldn't they?"

The Prince of Qi snorted. "If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't need to do it myself. I could simply relay your words to my imperial brother, claiming you're trying to sow discord between us, and the Emperor would have you killed."

Zu'an sighed. "I won't acknowledge anything I've said once I leave this room. When the time comes, I'll tell the Emperor that you framed me because I uncovered the truth about your concubine's drowning. Who do you think the Emperor will believe? Is the bond between you brothers truly that reliable?"

The Prince of Qi was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. "Haha, you are indeed shameless. I admire that about you."

Zu'an also breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was quite confident the other party wouldn't turn hostile, who knew if he might impulsively do something foolish? "Your Highness is a smart man, so I won't beat around the bush. I don't want to end up like Sang Hong, which is why I came to form an alliance with you. This way, we can exchange information and benefit each other."

"If you truly want an alliance, why would you still report the case to the Emperor later?" the Prince of Qi sneered.

Zu'an sighed. "Your Highness must know how suspicious our Emperor is. He also gave me a death order: if I don't uncover the truth, I'll be exiled. I have no choice, but I've informed Your Highness in advance. With your resourcefulness, I'm sure you'll find a way to handle it."

"You are indeed a smart man, no wonder you've survived this long," the Prince of Qi remarked. "Very well, I acknowledge you as an ally!"

Zu'an smiled slightly. "I hope we can cooperate happily in the future!"

"Happy cooperation!" The Prince of Qi's eyes gleamed, his thoughts unknown.

After Zu'an left, the Princess of Qi emerged from a secret room behind a bookshelf. "Your Highness, did you really trust him so easily?"

The smile on the Prince of Qi's face had already vanished. "Trust? It's not that simple."

"Could the Emperor have sent him specifically to get close to us?" the Princess of Qi frowned. "Perhaps we should secretly have someone tip off the Emperor and see how he reacts?"

"No," the Prince of Qi shook his head. "If he truly proves treacherous, informing the Emperor would mean losing a useful pawn."

"But what if he has ulterior motives?" the Princess of Qi worried.

The Prince of Qi smiled. "To gain my trust, he can't just talk. I'll find an opportunity to make him offer a pledge of allegiance. Once he takes the first step, he'll sink deeper and deeper, eventually unable to get off the... *cough*... unable to get off the boat."

The Princess of Qi finally relaxed. "But I don't like this person. The thought of him possibly becoming one of your trusted followers makes me very uncomfortable. Zhi'er's leg, which he broke, still hasn't fully recovered!"

The Prince of Qi said coldly, "Don't worry, I'm just using him. Once he's no longer useful, I'll make sure he pays for his arrogance towards Zhi'er."

The Princess of Qi then beamed. "Your Highness is truly far-sighted."

***

Zu'an made his way to the imperial palace, in an exceptionally good mood today. The case was solved, he'd spent a wonderful night with Zheng Dan, and this morning he'd officially established a connection with the Prince of Qi. His future looked bright.

As for whether the Prince of Qi would betray him and tell the Emperor, Zu'an wasn't worried at all. He was tasked by the Emperor to give the Prince of Qi a fake secret manual anyway. If he later claimed everything he said was merely to gain the Prince of Qi's trust, what could the Emperor say?

Zu'an himself also chose not to trust the Prince of Qi; they were simply using each other. The Emperor's fake secret manual was the ultimate 'gift' Zu'an had prepared for him.

After entering the palace, the Emperor was already holding court. Zu'an, naturally, wasn't foolish enough to wait outside the imperial study, so he went directly to the Eastern Palace.

He first went to pay his respects to the Crown Prince, who, upon seeing Zu'an, pulled him into various games. It took considerable effort to finally get away and go greet the Crown Princess.

"Oh, it's Master Zu. This is your first visit to the Eastern Palace in many days. It seems becoming a Viscount has made you quite busy," Bi Linglong said. She sat gracefully at a desk, one hand holding her sleeve, the other writing something on the desk, seemingly drawing. She didn't even lift her eyes when she spoke.

The maidservant Rong Mo, standing nearby, glanced at her in surprise. The Crown Princess was usually gracious and proper in her dealings, employing both kindness and strictness with her subordinates, never openly showing displeasure to anyone like this before.

*Hmph, Zu'an truly is annoying,* Rong Mo thought.

Sensing the strong resentment in her tone, Zu'an wondered if she was upset that he hadn't visited her lately.

However, with so many people present, he couldn't openly ask. He simply explained, "These past days, the Emperor ordered me to investigate the matter of the Prince of Qi's concubine falling into the water..."

Bi Linglong interrupted him directly. "Oh, I almost forgot. Master Zu is now a favorite of the Emperor."

Rong Mo also stared wide-eyed at Zu'an. This fellow dared to use the Emperor to pressure the Crown Princess; he truly was a nuisance.

Zu'an was speechless. *Others might not know, but don't you? How could I possibly be allied with the Emperor?* he thought.

He cleared his throat and said, "Mainly, I wanted to vent the Crown Princess's anger, so I worked tirelessly, not daring to delay. And I really did find some things."

Bi Linglong finally looked up, a hint of curiosity in her beautiful large eyes. "What did you find?"

Zu'an hesitated, glancing around. "It concerns the Prince of Qi. This matter is highly confidential..."

His implication was clear: secrets are not meant for more than two ears.

Bi Linglong waved her hand. "Mo Mo, you all may leave first."

Normally, it would have been inconvenient for her to be alone with Zu'an, but now she had a plausible reason, so even if news reached the Emperor, it wouldn't matter.

Rong Mo puffed out her cheeks and left, looking displeased. *The Crown Princess has really changed,* she thought. *Why can't I, her personal maid, hear what she says? It feels like she's closer to Zu'an.*

A sudden realization struck her: *Is that sycophant trying to compete with me for favor?*

She didn't suspect anything else; after all, it was inconceivable that the Crown Princess would develop romantic feelings for anyone else.

After the door closed, Bi Linglong finally asked, "What is it... Ah..."

Accompanied by a sharp smack, her face flushed crimson. She quickly suppressed a gasp and glared back at him angrily. "What are you doing!"

Zu'an withdrew his hand. "Who told you to deliberately make things difficult for me? You know perfectly well I couldn't possibly be allied with the Emperor..."

After all, they were in the imperial palace, so there was no need to speak too explicitly.

Bi Linglong's face hardened. "I told you before, after leaving the secret realm, we would revert to how things were. You are not to be rude to me..."

Before she could finish, Zu'an pulled her into his embrace, and her red lips were sealed.

"Mmm... mmm..."

Bi Linglong hadn't expected him to be so bold. Feeling both shy and afraid, she instinctively tried to push him away, but his arms were like iron bands. After several failed attempts, she gave up.

This man was too forceful!

Always proper and observant of palace etiquette, she was now experiencing something entirely new and unprecedented.

Scenes from their time together in the secret realm flashed through her mind. A wave of sweetness filled her heart, and she slowly closed her eyes, beginning to gently respond to him.

Suddenly, she sniffed, instantly opened her eyes, and pushed him away forcefully. A thin layer of frost seemed to cover her pretty face. "Master Zu, you just came from someone else's tender embrace, and now you come to amuse yourself with me? What kind of person do you take me for!"

Rage points from Bi Linglong +444+444+444...