Chapter 603: The Wonderful Man of the World

Seeing this, everyone in the hall was stunned.

Little Gui and Little Zhu, shivering in a corner, were speechless. This guy was incredibly bold, daring to embrace the Empress! Only the Emperor was allowed to hold her, yet he dared to touch her? They regretted accepting Zu An's East Pearls earlier, wondering if they would be implicated later due to this connection. They looked at Zu An with pity. If this guy somehow survived, he would likely become their colleague. Would they call him Little Zu or Little An then?

Zu An was, of course, utterly bewildered. He had originally planned to just stand by, watch the Empress dominate and show off, while he simply cheered her on. But who knew the situation would change so suddenly? The formidable Empress was suddenly in distress, and the tide instantly turned. And Empress, if you're going to run, why run towards me? And why straight into my arms? Hmm, her body was incredibly soft, and her backside was indeed quite perky... No, that's not the point. The point is, does embracing the Empress count as intimate contact? Could the Emperor tolerate this? Would other censors impeach him? Would his punishment be beheading or being dragged to the Ministry of Rites for castration? He instinctively clamped his legs together. He should have just let her fall to the ground. He had just dealt with the *Phoenix Nirvana Sutra* incident, and now he had already provoked the Emperor again? Should he find a temple to burn incense and change his luck? However, the Emperor already had certain grievances with him, so surely he wouldn't go *that* far... In less than a second, a dramatic scenario had played out in his mind.

The Empress herself hadn't expected to fall into a man's arms. A faint blush appeared on her full, oval face, whether from embarrassment or her recent injury, she couldn't tell. But she was a mature woman, not an naive maiden, so she quickly regained her composure and urgently reminded him, "Why are you just standing there? The assassins are coming!"

Zu An snapped out of his daze. Not only the assassins who had been chasing the Empress, but also the two assassins directly in front of him, lunged forward with their swords. He felt a pang of frustration, even considering throwing the Empress to them. But then he would surely be dead afterward. Saving the Empress, on the other hand, might offer him a chance at survival. All he wanted was to be a slacker. Was that so difficult? While complaining internally, he could only run with the Empress. These assassins were masters, and he was holding someone, both his hands occupied. How was he supposed to fight?

The Empress had intended to offer guidance, helping him dodge the attackers. Although injured, her eyesight was still sharp. But before she could speak, she saw Zu An twist his body a few times, leaving several afterimages, effortlessly evading the lethal attacks coming from all directions. This footwork... it looks like Mi Lianying's "Sunflower Phantasm," doesn't it? No, though similar, this footwork is far more sophisticated than Mi Lianying's. As she pondered, she suddenly saw him heading outwards and quickly said, "Don't go outside!"

Zu An stopped, looking at her with a puzzled expression. The Empress's face flushed. She whispered, "If you appear publicly embracing me like this, I won't be able to protect you afterward."

Zu An understood. For now, only a very few people had witnessed this scene. As long as the Empress didn't pursue the matter later, it would naturally blow over. But once they appeared outside, countless eyes would see them, and it would be impossible to conceal. At that point, even if the Empress or even the Emperor didn't mind, a host of upright officials, censors, and public gossip wouldn't let him off. In such a situation, the Emperor and Empress would have no choice but to kill him. Zu An felt a chill down his neck and quickly retreated, hiding behind the intact doors and windows to ensure no one outside could see them. However, he quickly realized, "Then why don't you just get down?"

As he spoke, he made to put her down, but the Empress quickly clutched his arm. "No! My internal injuries are flaring up right now; I can't move on my own." Zu An was speechless. "Your Majesty, aren't you setting me up?" Wait, why is it so soft on my arm? He glanced at her arms wrapped around him, his expression growing even more serious. "Right, if I were the Emperor, I'd find it very hard to forgive this."

At that moment, the assassins had surrounded them again. A surge of irritation welled up in Zu An's heart. It was all these guys' fault! So, he roared, "Get lost!" He immediately summoned Snow Phoenix. A wave of icy frost spread outwards. The charging assassins' eyes widened, their rushing figures gradually slowed, then completely froze in place. A visible layer of frost steadily covered their clothes, finally turning them into solid ice sculptures.

Little Gui and Little Zhu, from a distance, stared wide-eyed. This guy was that powerful? Was he really the one who bribed them and called them brothers? The Empress also stared. She had just witnessed Zu An's strange footwork, and knowing he practiced the *Phoenix Nirvana Sutra*, she guessed his cultivation was decent. But she had no idea it was *this* good! He just instantly defeated those assassins? What was that move? It seemed somewhat similar to the Chu family's "Snowflake Divine Sword."

This was precisely why Zu An deliberately used this move. He didn't want to expose many of his trump cards, but Snow Phoenix's effect was indeed very similar to Chu Chuyan's "Snowflake Divine Sword," so he wasn't afraid of suspicious individuals. However, the Empress was now thinking of something else: "This guy is clearly so powerful, yet just now he pretended to be in dire straits, forced back by two assassins? I almost died because my injuries were aggravated, while he was just slacking off?"

Anger points from Liu Ning: 555,555...

Seeing the string of anger points received in his system, Zu An almost threw the woman out. "What the hell? I saved you, and you're still angry with me?" Fortunately, the anger points weren't too high, indicating there was still a chance to salvage the situation. He gave a light cough. "Empress, where to now?"

The Empress bit her lip. "Help me to the inner chamber." "Alright." Since they couldn't go outside, he would settle her down inside first.

As they passed Little Gui and Little Zhu, the Empress subtly furrowed her delicate brows. Zu An knew she had murder in mind. Although her nature was relatively gentle, in her position as Empress, many things were beyond her control. He sighed and said, "The two eunuchs were quite helpful when they brought me here earlier." He didn't say they were his friends, as fraternizing between inner palace attendants and outer court officials was forbidden in the imperial palace, and such a statement would only harm them. Therefore, this subtle expression of his stance was sufficient.

The Empress naturally understood his plea. Having just been rescued by him, she naturally had to grant him this favor. So, she looked coldly at the two young eunuchs and said, "If I hear even a whisper of what happened today outside, your entire families will not live." "We wouldn't dare! We wouldn't dare!" The two young eunuchs kowtowed like pounding garlic, trembling even more violently than before. The Empress nodded with satisfaction. "The eunuchs serving by my side were just killed by the assassins. From now on, you two will attend to me." Little Gui and Little Zhu were stunned at first, then overjoyed. "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" They had been merely the lowest-ranking eunuchs in Kunning Palace. Now, becoming personal attendants to the Empress was an instant promotion, a level of glory and wealth they had never dared to dream of. They looked gratefully at Zu An's retreating back. They clearly understood that their escape from death today, and receiving such favor, was ultimately thanks to this man. They had only met him once, yet he proved to be so loyal. Indeed, he was worthy of being the man who dared to embrace the Empress, a truly extraordinary man. Following him, they would surely not suffer any losses.

Zu An was unaware that the two young eunuchs were already wishing they could erect a shrine for him in their homes to worship him. He carried the Empress into the inner room, where precious incense filled the air, so fragrant it seemed to penetrate to one's very bones. The Empress pointed to the phoenix couch nearby. "Carry me onto the bed." Zu An was utterly dumbfounded.