Chapter 1132: Ambush

Jiang Luofu couldn't help but scoff, "Your mouth is as sweet as honey; no wonder you have countless female confidantes these days."

Zu An feigned surprise, "Has Headmistress tasted it? How did you even find out the secret that my mouth is sweet?"

Jiang Luofu finally became exasperated. "You, you're clearly trying to rescue Yu Yanluo, yet you make it sound as if it's all for me."

Zu An said in a low voice, "If it weren't for you, even if I wanted to save someone, I wouldn't have brought out the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture."

Feeling his intense gaze, Jiang Luofu's heart couldn't help but quicken. When he first entered the academy, she had only thought of him as a naive junior. Now, he had matured so much...

She lowered her gaze, saying with a half-smile, "You've been holding my hand for so long now. Do you know that's enough to constitute a crime of molesting a woman?"

Zu An replied gravely, "Headmistress, you're mistaken. You aren't married yet, so how can you be called a 'woman'?"

Jiang Luofu became serious. "According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, any woman who has reached the age of maidenhood is legally referred to as a 'woman'."

Zu An was speechless. He then remembered that she was ranked eighth in the academy and specialized in law. No wonder her demeanor completely changed when discussing such matters. He realized it was best not to show off his limited knowledge in front of her.

Jiang Luofu took the scripture, smoothly withdrawing her hand as she did so. "I will seal this scripture and take it directly back to Prince Qi's consort. No one else will see it, and of course, I won't read it myself either."

Zu An smiled. "Of course, I don't mind if Headmistress looks, but this cultivation method is harmful to women, so it's best not to read it." He knew the scripture was a fake Phoenix Nirvana Scripture manipulated by the Emperor, and cultivating it would certainly be dangerous. Unfortunately, he couldn't say this outright, so he could only use this method to warn her.

Jiang Luofu merely smiled without offering further explanation. In front of him, she placed the scripture into a box and applied a seal. This type of seal was developed by the academy and frequently used in military and government documents. Once sealed, opening it would inevitably break the seal, making it obvious. Her actions clearly indicated that she had no intention of secretly reading it.

After completing this, she finally placed the box into her storage pouch.

Zu An withdrew his gaze and asked curiously, "Now that I've given you the item, what method do you have to rescue Yu Yanluo?"

Jiang Luofu replied briskly, "Break her out of prison."

Zu An was stunned. He thought, *You mean this simple, crude method?*

Jiang Luofu explained, "Currently, Yu Yanluo is under strict guard by Xu Yu and the imperial envoy's people. Xu Yu is meticulous, and Sang Hong is an old fox. Trying to cunningly snatch her away from right under their noses would be incredibly difficult, almost impossible. It's better to just take her by force."

Zu An frowned. "Xu Yu holds an imperial decree, and the prison is now filled with masters, even a Sword Immortal like Xiao Yao. How can we possibly take her by force? More importantly, what happens after we break her out?" He wasn't ready to become a wanted criminal. If he were pursued by the imperial court and branded with the crime of colluding with demons, everything he had painstakingly built would be utterly ruined. Crucially, he wouldn't see any future, and there would be no place for him in this vast world.

"That's where I come in," Jiang Luofu said, leaning back against the seat, her elegant curves fully revealed. The unexpectedly smooth progress clearly put her in a good mood. "However, we need to make some preparations. I'll contact you in a few days."

"Alright," Zu An agreed. He also needed time to transport Yu Yanluo's clansmen out. If it were anyone else making such a baseless promise, he definitely wouldn't believe them, but Jiang Luofu was different; he trusted she wouldn't deceive him.

Watching Jiang Luofu's departing figure, Zu An fell into deep thought.

Initially, he had intended to unite with Prince Qi to oppose the Emperor. However, after the series of events in Yunzhong Commandery, it was clear that they could not truly be on the same side, not even outwardly.

Prince Qi's painstakingly built forces in this region had been swept away by him. When he returned to the capital – no, perhaps he wouldn't even need to return to the capital – Prince Qi's retaliation would have already begun.

Originally, if he had feigned ignorance at the last moment, he could have avoided all this. But he couldn't go against his conscience and ignore the deaths of Shen Zhou's wife and child, as well as an entire village of innocent people.

What was the point of cultivation if, despite gaining extraordinary powers, one forgot even the most basic principles of being human?

Moreover, he couldn't just stand by and watch Prince Qi's manor truly marry into the Pei family. In that case, he would use the fake Phoenix Nirvana Scripture to resolve everything once and for all.

No matter how powerful the Emperor was, he couldn't defy time; his end was not far off. At worst, Zu An would just have to lay low for a few more years. In contrast, Prince Qi was in his prime. If he truly defeated Zhao Hao and ascended the throne, Zu An's fate would be miserable.

Having thought through all this, he smiled dismissively, left money for the tea, and drifted away.

Reapplying 'Thousand Faces' to transform back into Jian Yanyou, he quickly issued various orders upon returning to the Duke's mansion, mobilizing all sorts of carriages, appearing to be preparing for a massive business transaction.

Even Zhang Ji was alarmed. She rushed over, her face full of worry, and asked, "Duke, what are you planning to do?"

"Too many things have happened recently, causing a backlog of goods that should have been delivered. Now that things have stabilized, it's natural to arrange for their normal circulation as quickly as possible," Zu An explained.

Zhang Ji sighed softly. "Duke, although I don't understand much about these matters, I can see that with Madam just arrested, how could you be in the mood to deal with these backlogged transactions?" She added, "If even I don't believe it, others certainly won't."

Seeing his silence, a hint of sadness appeared on her face. "Duke, I know I was brought here by the Second Master, and what happened between him and you... So, you don't trust me as much as you trust Liu Ji and Chu Ji." She continued, "But whether you believe it or not, I wholeheartedly consider you my husband. Only if you are well can I share in your glory. These past two days, you've frequently visited Chu Ji's courtyard, seemingly discussing something. But whatever it is, with such a big commotion now, it definitely won't escape the notice of watchful eyes. If anything is discovered, Duke, not only will you be unable to help Madam, but you yourself will also be in danger."

Zu An mused that none of these women were easily fooled; though they didn't say it directly, they had clearly guessed something. He could only say, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Seeing that he still wouldn't tell her the truth, Zhang Ji opened her mouth several times but ultimately said nothing more, departing forlornly. Watching her sad departure, Zu An felt a headache coming on. He had originally planned to avoid seeing them as much as possible, but Yu Yanluo's predicament forced him to frequently enter and exit the Duke's mansion, which was truly troublesome.

Over the next two days, Zu An successively arranged for several normal cargo teams to leave the city. His subordinates reported that each time they were rigorously searched, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

On the third day, he suddenly increased the volume of goods, arranging a large number of convoys to depart from different directions. The commandery soldiers guarding the city were clearly unprepared for this situation, and for a time, all the city gates were in a flurry. At this point, Zu An changed his attire and personally escorted one of the convoys out of the city.

The Jian family had operated in Yunzhong Commandery for many years and naturally had their own trusted associates. One of the city gate commanders in the west was their man. He had never been used before, only activated at this crucial moment. Taking advantage of the chaos, the commander secretly allowed Zu An's convoy to leave the city.

The Jian family members collectively breathed a sigh of relief, but before they could rejoice, several teams of riders quickly surrounded them from all directions. "Shouldn't the Duke be recuperating at home in seclusion? What important item are you rushing out of the city to deliver?" Xu Yu rode out from one of the teams, looking as if he had been waiting for a long time.