Seeing a flurry of rage points in the system, Zu An knew she was truly angry.
He immediately realized that Zheng Dan's scent on him had been detected by her. He cursed inwardly, wondering how many times he had made such a foolish mistake. He needed to find a way to solve this problem quickly. Washing up and changing clothes was the safest option, but often it wasn't practical. Hmm, he recalled a veteran character in a novel from his previous life who had used the juice of green tangerine peels to mask the scent of perfume. He resolved to try it next time.
However, the immediate priority was to unravel the present predicament. Zu An showed no panic. Instead, he sighed, “I can’t believe that after all we’ve been through, after facing so many life-or-death situations together, you still don’t trust me.”
Hearing his weary tone, Bi Linglong couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. She recalled how he had risked his life to protect her throughout their time in the secret realm, and a sense of guilt crept into her heart.
However, she was also intelligent and not so easily fooled. She quickly reacted, “Heh, don’t tell me that isn’t another woman’s perfume on you?”
“This is indeed a woman’s perfume…” Before Zu An could finish, Bi Linglong’s eyebrows shot up. Then he immediately changed his tone. “However, it’s the scent of Prince Qi’s concubine.”
Bi Linglong was utterly confused. For a moment, she was bewildered. Hadn’t Prince Qi’s concubine died? How could he carry her scent?
“Last night, I snuck into Prince Qi’s mansion to investigate a case. At a critical moment, I hid in Prince Qi’s concubine’s coffin…” Zu An then calmly recounted the events of the previous night. Of course, he conveniently omitted any mention of Sang Qian, to avoid stirring up her jealousy again.
“You’re really brave. Prince Qi’s mansion is like a dragon’s den. Are you injured?” As expected, Bi Linglong’s attention was diverted. She quickly scrutinized him from head to toe, fearing he might have a wound.
“Several times, I nearly got caught and walked a circle around the gates of hell,” Zu An said with feigned lingering fear. In truth, it hadn’t been that dangerous, but he wanted to create that impression.
Sure enough, Bi Linglong felt a surge of guilt. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be unreasonable,” she stammered. “I just… I just…”
Zu An said gravely, “I thought after facing life and death together in the secret realm, there wouldn’t be any more worldly misunderstandings between us. But it seems I was just wishful thinking. If you doubt me over such a small matter, then enemies could easily drive a wedge between us with any trivial thing, and we might even turn against each other…”
Seeing a glimmer of tears in his eyes, Bi Linglong felt a sharp pain in her heart. She quickly said, “I’m sorry, I won’t doubt you again casually. It’s just that these past few days I’ve been waiting for you every day, and you never came even once. I was upset, which is why I… acted that way just now.”
Given her usual proud nature, these words would have been impossible for her to say. However, Zu An’s acting was too convincing. He had unsettled her so thoroughly, and seeing his disheartened appearance, she felt her own heart ache. She felt as though she was about to lose something, which was why she had uttered those words without realizing it.
Zu An looked at her with a half-smile. “So, you’ve been waiting for me every night.”
A blush immediately spread across Bi Linglong’s pretty face. “I meant during the day, not at night!”
“Same difference,” Zu An chuckled. He tenderly lifted a strand of her white hair. “It seems the palace tonics haven’t been very effective lately.”
Bi Linglong finally couldn’t sit still. Their relationship was already intimate, but not yet formalized, and she still had the mindset of a young girl who couldn’t tolerate such teasing. “Don’t talk nonsense,” she said. “Anyway, I lock my private chambers at night. Don’t come over.”
Zu An chuckled and pulled her into his embrace. “I haven’t even said I’m going to ‘replenish’ you, and you’re already thinking that way.”
Bi Linglong blushed deeply and playfully punched him with her fists.
Just then, Rong Mo’s voice came from outside. “Crown Princess, His Majesty is about to conclude court. Eunuch Wen sent someone to urge Master Zu to go wait there first.”
It was unthinkable for the Emperor to wait for a subject. While sometimes the Emperor might act on a whim, today Zu An had requested an audience, so how could he make the Emperor wait?
Bi Linglong quickly pulled away from him. As she straightened her clothes, she urged, “Be careful.”
After what had happened in the secret realm, every audience with the Emperor now felt like a walk near the gates of hell.
“Don’t worry, I need to keep this life to ‘treat your injuries’,” Zu An said. He kissed her cheek, then left with a smile.
Bi Linglong covered her face, letting out a small, exasperated sound. This fellow was truly shameless. She had originally intended to keep her distance from him, but she couldn’t resist his relentless forwardness. She found herself unconsciously yielding to him.
However, she soon thought of his so-called ‘treatment for injuries,’ and instantly fell into an internal debate: should she unlock the secret passage mechanism…?
Meanwhile, Zu An arrived outside the Imperial Study. Soon after, the Emperor returned, and Zu An was summoned inside.
“What brings you here in such a hurry?” The Emperor took a sip from his teacup. The morning court session had left his throat parched, and he took the opportunity to clear it. At this moment, it clearly wouldn’t be mistaken for a hint to dismiss his guest.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, I have concluded the investigation into the drowning of Prince Qi’s concubine, which you tasked me with,” Zu An said, maintaining a respectful distance. A sudden thought flashed through his mind: he had just been embracing and kissing the Crown Princess. Surely her scent hadn’t rubbed off on him and been detected?
However, men were naturally less sensitive to such scents. Moreover, the Emperor and the Crown Princess rarely had private interactions, so he probably wouldn’t notice. Hmph, I still have Zheng Dan’s scent and Prince Qi’s concubine’s perfume on me. If he could discern Bi Linglong’s scent among them, I’d cut off my head and let him kick it like a ball.
“So quickly?” The Emperor’s brow furrowed. “Tell me, what happened?”
Zu An’s heart tightened. The Emperor’s first reaction wasn’t surprise or delight, nor did he ask who the culprit was. Could he already know something?
So he relayed his findings, while observing the Emperor’s expression. Sure enough, when the Emperor heard that Prince Qi was the murderer, he showed no trace of surprise.
“How was it uncovered so quickly?” the Emperor frowned.
Zu An was taken aback. “Isn’t it good to solve the case quickly?”
“Of course not,” the Emperor said displeased. “I tasked you with this case not only to investigate the truth, but also to use this opportunity to draw closer to Prince Qi, and then find a way to give him the fake secret manual. Now that you’ve uncovered the truth so quickly, what about the fake manual?”
Zu An thought, ‘Just as I expected.’ For the Emperor, the life or death of a woman was of no concern. He cared more about those who threatened his power.
He then explained, “Your Majesty need not worry. I have already gained Prince Qi’s initial trust.”
“Oh?” The Emperor immediately grew interested. “How so?”
“Before entering the palace today, I made a trip to Prince Qi’s mansion and pretended to pledge my allegiance to him…” Zu An recounted the morning’s events, mixing truth with falsehood. He concealed only his true intention of forming an alliance with Prince Qi. All other details were revealed, including Prince Qi’s own words.
This was part of his original plan. Operating between two powerful figures, he couldn’t treat them as fools; they would eventually discover his covert actions. Rather than let that happen, it was better to proactively disclose it. Normally, Prince Qi would assume he would hide this from the Emperor, and the Emperor would assume he would hide it from Prince Qi. However, Zu An did the opposite. He became a 'sea king' playing both sides, but while other 'sea kings' kept pretty ornamental fish in their ponds, his pond contained two ferocious great white sharks.
After hearing his account, the Emperor was indeed greatly pleased. “You truly are a talent, young man!”
He was quite excited. He paced back and forth in the study, evidently processing the information he had received. After a moment, he stopped pacing. “Prince Qi doesn’t trust people easily,” he said. “He will certainly set some extremely difficult tasks for you to accomplish later.”
Zu An smiled and said, “So, at that time, Your Majesty’s cooperation might be required.”
The Emperor also smiled. “You really are as cunning as a ghost, young man. Zhao Jing probably never dreamed he would fall into your hands.”
[4 minutes ago] Chapter 1124: Owing
[9 minutes ago] Chapter 1123: Transaction
[14 minutes ago] Chapter 1122: You Will Choose Whom?
[18 minutes ago] Chapter 1121: For Whatever One Wishes
[24 minutes ago] Chapter 1120: Important Person
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