Chapter 573: Entering the Palace

"It's all your fault!" Until the next morning, Qiao Xueying was still overcome with shame and anger, her small fists ceaselessly pounding Zu An's chest.

Zu An gave an odd laugh, "She couldn't see anything; there was a curtain between us."

"But I still feel strange," Qiao Xueying squirmed uncomfortably. If Miss Chu had seen, it would have been one thing, but he was the Chu family's heir. If not for her friendship with Chu Chuyan, she might have just silenced him.

Zu An's fingers twirled around the delicate braids on her head. "You knocked her out. Besides, if anyone were seen, it would have been me. I was outside at the time."

Qiao Xueying snatched her braids back, her expression a little odd. "By the way, what exactly was that 'steering wheel' you mentioned yesterday?"

"Cough, cough..." Zu An nearly choked. "Nothing, haha."

"It definitely wasn't anything good," Qiao Xueying spat, her face flushing. She wondered how this man knew so many strange tricks. Could it be that even the aloof Miss Chu allowed him to behave like this normally?

Zu An glanced out the window. "It's almost dawn. I need to go back. I have to enter the palace soon."

Qiao Xueying quickly dismissed her whimsical thoughts, her expression turning serious. "A'Zu, are you really confident? Or should we stick to my plan and get you out of the city while the gates are open today?"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Seeing her concerned gaze, Zu An was deeply moved and once again found her delicate red lips, kissing them. However, this time, she pushed him away after only a brief kiss. The young woman's face was filled with fear and shyness. "Stop... I really can't take any more..."

Elves were naturally more delicate than average humans, and Zu An was much stronger than an average man. The night's exertions had left her almost falling apart.

Zu An chuckled, "I'm not an animal. I just wanted to kiss you."

Qiao Xueying grumbled, "Didn't you say similar things enough last night?"

Zu An was speechless.

After a moment of tenderness, Qiao Xueying got up and helped him dress.

Zu An couldn't help but sigh, "I didn't expect your hands to be so nimble."

"I didn't know how to do this originally, but I learned naturally when I infiltrated the Chu family to serve Miss Chu," Qiao Xueying said with a huff. "I guess I owed you two in a past life. Not only did I fail my mission, but I also lost myself."

Zu An pinched her cheeks and pulled them gently. "We're a couple too, you know."

Hearing his words, all the resentment in Qiao Xueying's heart instantly vanished, and her eyes curved like crescent moons as she smiled.

Zu An was originally worried about Chu Youzhao, but Qiao Xueying said she would take responsibility for sending her back to the Qin family, saving him a trip and avoiding further complications. He knew she was more familiar with the capital, and given her connection to the Chu family, he felt at ease leaving it to her.

He returned all the way to the previous residence, hearing Zhu Xie Chixin's furious shouts from afar: "Have you found him?"

"No..."

"Are you saying you can't even confirm whether he was captured by assassins or ran away on his own?"

"The situation was too chaotic last night; no one saw clearly."

"Useless! Someone, issue orders! Post wanted notices everywhere, and dispatch men to seal the city gates. No one is to enter or leave until he's found!"

Zu An knew the time was right. He cleared his throat. "Cough, cough. Is the Commander looking for me?"

Everyone in the courtyard suddenly turned, their eyes filling with pleasant surprise upon seeing him. They knew that if the person the Emperor specifically asked for had truly gone missing, many in the courtyard would likely lose their heads. How could they not be happy to see him return?

Zhu Xie Chixin was even more astonished. "You're unharmed?"

Zu An smiled faintly. "Does the Commander wish me harm?"

Zhu Xie Chixin's expression turned cold. "What nonsense are you speaking? How could I possibly wish you harm? Are you injured? Do you need treatment?"

"No need," Zu An refused outright. Who knew what trouble would arise if he accepted treatment?

"Then let's enter the palace immediately to avoid any further complications," Zhu Xie Chixin waved his hand directly, ordering his subordinates to prepare.

Seeing his anxious demeanor, Zu An wondered if he had guessed wrong.

Then, Zhu Xie Chixin led a group of guards, escorting him directly towards the imperial palace.

"Are we going to encounter another assassination attempt later?" Zu An said meaningfully on the way.

"Whoever comes, dies," Zhu Xie Chixin replied straightforwardly, clearly confident.

Zu An pondered this, but then Zhu Xie Chixin seemed curious. "Where exactly did you go last night?"

Zu An smiled slightly. "So many people wanted to kill me, so I just went out to hide."

Zhu Xie Chixin's expression was a little odd. "To be honest, there are few people in this world I can't see through, and you are one of them. You clearly didn't have to return, yet you did. And you've been very cooperative throughout the journey, as if you were eager to meet the Emperor."

"Does the Commander not want me to see the Emperor?" Zu An countered.

Zhu Xie Chixin glanced at him. "Do you know what the consequences of meeting the Emperor will be?"

"I know," Zu An smiled, remaining calm and composed.

Zhu Xie Chixin stared at him for a moment, then burst into a silent laugh. *What an interesting person.*

He asked no further questions, and the group proceeded directly to the Imperial Palace.

Gazing at the red walls and yellow glazed tiles before him, Zu An felt a sense of unreality. The Forbidden City of his past life was already magnificent, but the palace before him was several times more imposing. Both the height of its palace walls and the grandeur of its gates far surpassed the Forbidden City. He mused that it made sense. This was a world of cultivation, where martial power was formidable, so the Imperial Palace naturally had to be much stronger.

He noticed that even a casual guard's energy fluctuations indicated at least a fourth-rank cultivation, with quite a few at fifth-rank. Each individual would be considered a master in the martial world, not to mention they certainly possessed combined attack formations, which would unleash terrifying power. He figured the Imperial Palace must be the safest place under heaven.

With Zhu Xie Chixin leading the way, their journey was naturally unimpeded. The group walked for a long time within the palace until they reached a palace gate, where an old eunuch was already waiting.

Zhu Xie Chixin replied, "I cannot proceed further from here. You are to follow Eunuch Li; he will take you to see the Emperor."

Zu An paused. This palace gate must mark the boundary of the inner palace, where the Emperor's consorts and other female relatives resided. Outsiders were generally not permitted entry. *If they're letting me in, do they not intend for me to leave alive?* However, since things had come to this, he could only adapt to the situation and hope his plan would succeed.

"Thank you, Commander," the old eunuch said in a high-pitched, shrill voice to Zu An after their exchange with Zhu Xie Chixin. "Follow me."

Zu An thought to himself that although Old Man Mi's voice had been unpleasant, it didn't have such obvious eunuch characteristics. He must have had profound cultivation to conceal his physical shortcomings.

He followed the old eunuch deeper inside. He had initially wanted to try and get on good terms with him, but the eunuch appeared haughty and indifferent, so Zu An decided not to waste his breath. The key, after all, lay with the Emperor himself.

They walked a long way, observing the increasingly serene surroundings, as if strolling through an imperial garden. Finally, they walked across a long bridge over water and stopped at a pavilion. The old eunuch said, "Wait here."

Zu An was startled. "Aren't we going to see the Emperor?"

The old eunuch replied, "His Majesty is holding court, so you are to wait here first. Don't wander off."

After speaking, he left directly, leaving Zu An alone in the pavilion.

Zu An's expression was very strange. *This emperor is quite bold,* he thought. *To just leave me alone in the inner palace, isn't he worried I might defile the harem?*

There were pastries on the table. Zu An had been busy all night, and Zhu Xie Chixin hadn't provided any food in the morning, so he was genuinely hungry. However, he was worried about a trap and dared not eat them.

After a while, he couldn't sit still any longer. Staring at the pastries he couldn't eat was too much of a test of his willpower. So, he decided to look around, if only to familiarize himself with the surroundings. The Imperial Palace was too complex; he walked for a while and got a little lost. Just as he was about to return the way he came, he suddenly heard a silly voice from ahead: "I told you to learn how to frog jump. When have you ever seen a frog jumping while wearing pants?"