Chapter 610: The Only Witness

"A muddle-headed and foolish Crown Prince ascending the throne would certainly not be a blessing for the empire. For the sake of the common people, anyone capable should do their part." The woman standing on the willow branch spoke, her voice exceptionally magnetic, as clear and pleasant as ice cubes clinking together, yet also possessing the mature allure inherent to an elder sister figure.

Zu An thought, "Her voice is indeed pleasant, but it's a pity she almost killed me with a single sword stroke."

Shi Miao, on the other hand, was greatly surprised. "Are you Prince Qi's person?"

After all, the first half of her statement was frequently uttered by ministers aligned with Prince Qi, and the latter half was essentially what those people thought, though they usually refrained from saying it aloud out of respect for the Emperor's dignity.

The woman shook her head slightly. "I am not Prince Qi's person; this action is purely for the public good."

However, the more she insisted, the more Shi Miao suspected she was trying to distance herself from Prince Qi and avoid implicating him.

He suddenly felt a flicker of hesitation. Given his status, he was not keen on getting involved in the struggle between Prince Qi and the Crown Prince. He had initially thought it was just a simple group of assassins; he never expected such a dilemma.

Zu An, standing by, wore a strange expression. Shi Miao believed the woman belonged to Prince Qi, but Zu An knew otherwise.

He had just seen Qiu Honglei, and she was a member of the Demonic Sect. Since when did the Demonic Sect pledge allegiance to Prince Qi?

He had just heard her mention her master; could this woman be her master?

That would explain it. Only a woman of such unparalleled grace and beauty could have such a stunning and peerless disciple.

Although her face was concealed by a veil, her eyes, as beautiful as bright moons in the night sky, attested to her being a peerless beauty.

Is this the Demonic Sect Leader? If so, why was she intentionally or unintentionally giving the impression that she was aligned with Prince Qi?

Wait!

A thought sparked in Zu An's mind. He was no longer a political novice and had become somewhat familiar with the treacherous schemes of the imperial court. He quickly surmised that the Demonic Sect members had likely first hired people from the Shadow Tower to assassinate the Empress, thereby diverting the attention of the palace guards.

Then, their own elites would emerge to assassinate the Crown Prince in the East Palace and frame Prince Qi. At that point, the Emperor would be furious and seek retribution from Prince Qi.

Prince Qi, being wrongly accused, would naturally not sit idly by. Coupled with the Prince Qi faction's long-standing power, a direct confrontation between the two sides would inevitably plunge the empire into chaos.

In this way, the Demonic Sect would have an opportunity to contend for power over the realm.

Zu An swallowed hard. Qiu Honglei's master had an ambitious plan. So far, this scheme was incredibly cunning and secretive; had he not recognized Qiu Honglei, he would never have guessed the truth.

Realizing he was the sole person privy to this secret, he decided it would be best to leave quickly to avoid being silenced by the Demonic Sect Leader.

His only remaining question was: where had the Emperor been throughout all of this?

Though the Demonic Sect's plan was clever, given the Emperor's power, he could suppress it almost instantly.

At this moment, the woman spoke again. "Lord Shi, this matter does not concern you. Please step aside."

Shi Miao's conviction grew stronger. The assassin recognized him, which meant she must also be involved in court affairs. "Since I am already standing here, how can I stand idly by?"

What kind of joke was this? If he hadn't come, it would be one thing, but to be here and do nothing? That would clearly align him with Prince Qi. How could the Emperor spare him afterwards?

He was filled with regret. He had initially thought it was just an ordinary assassination attempt, something he could easily handle. He imagined the Emperor would see his great contribution and, remembering Shi Kun's wrongful death, would lavishly reward and compensate the Shi family. But who knew the commotion would be this grand? Today, not only the Crown Prince, but even he himself might perish here.

The woman's voice turned cold. "Since Lord Shi is so stubborn, don't blame me for offending you."

As soon as she finished her last word, she appeared before Shi Miao. Her pale hand extended, releasing a terrifying pressure that surged forward, clearly intended to instantly kill the Crown Prince behind him.

Shi Miao's expression changed drastically. He instantly mustered his full concentration, conjuring a massive tornado in front of him, filled with countless wind blades that crashed towards his opponent.

Zu An watched, dumbfounded. Back in the academy's secret realm behind the mountain, he had seen Shi Kun use similar techniques, but the tornado Shi Kun created then was like a small loach compared to a giant dragon when set against this one.

Moreover, the faintly visible wind blades within Shi Miao's tornado each contained destructive power; anyone struck by them would likely be instantly reduced to a bloody pulp.

With such a powerful figure in action, he became even more determined to leave quickly. In any case, with the Demonic Sect Leader present, Qiu Honglei's safety was no longer a concern.

With a deafening boom, the colossal tornado collided with the opponent's pale, slender hand. Instead of being torn to shreds, it was dispersed by her single palm strike.

The scattered force caused the entire East Palace to tremble, and the assassins and guards fighting within all stumbled to the ground.

Such terrifying power in a single blow!

The woman smiled sweetly. "Your cultivation is already slightly inferior to mine, and you also have to divide your attention to protect the Crown Prince and Princess. You are even less of a match for me."

As Shi Miao regulated the turbulent Qi and blood within him, he replied, "Whether I can win or not, I'll only know after fighting. Are you fighting with your mouth, Your Excellency?"

The woman's eyes grew cold. "You seek death!"

Her attacks became even more ferocious, each strike aimed at his vital points.

Shi Miao looked utterly bewildered. "I just said that casually; do you really need to be so angry?"

He had no time to think and could only quickly put up his defenses.

Only Zu An almost burst out laughing. She's the Demonic Sect Leader, after all. The people she usually interacts with are all experienced schemers. A woman 'fighting with her mouth' could easily be interpreted in a certain way. The woman probably thought Shi Miao was verbally harassing her, but he knew Shi Miao most likely had no such intention.

"Fight, fight, fight! It's best to eliminate Shi Miao," Zu An thought, secretly hoping for chaos. Shi Kun's death was, after all, somewhat related to him. He worried that if the Shi family didn't dare retaliate against the Crown Princess, they would come after him. Therefore, it would be much safer for him if Shi Miao, the Shi family's greatest patron, were removed.

Unfortunately, at that moment, a fragrant breeze swept past. The Crown Princess, holding the Crown Prince, had appeared by his side, her beautiful eyes looking at him pleadingly. "Lord Golden Token, the safety of the Crown Prince and I now depends on you."

Although Shi Miao was putting up a tough front, from behind him, she could clearly feel his entire body trembling, and there were specks of blood on his robes, indicating he had been injured during the fierce confrontation with the woman.

The Crown Princess was intelligent. She knew that staying behind Shi Miao was quite dangerous; if he lost focus even for a moment, the assassin might kill both of them. So, she decisively left. This way, Shi Miao wouldn't have to divide his attention protecting them and could hold out longer. What they needed most now was time.

As for where to go after leaving Shi Miao's protection, assassins were everywhere. Originally, the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor would have been the best option, as he had high cultivation and was loyal to the Crown Prince. However, he was also besieged by many skilled assassins, and bringing the Crown Prince there would only add to the chaos.

Thus, the only remaining choice was the Golden Token Emissary. He had just displayed extremely powerful combat abilities. Although he had been in a bit of a predicament later due to the woman's flying sword, that was, after all, a full-power strike from a Grandmaster. His ability to evade it was already quite remarkable.

Now that the most formidable assassin, the woman, was being held back by Shi Miao, none of the remaining individuals should be a match for the Golden Token Guard.

No sooner had the Crown Princess finished speaking than she felt a sudden wave of weakness and dizziness, losing her balance and falling involuntarily into Zu An's arms.

Zu An: "???"

"What is going on? I was just about to make a quiet escape, and now you come running to me, drawing all the aggro?"

"More importantly, why are you falling into my arms? Please maintain some dignity!"

He had just been through the dramatic incident of saving the Empress, where an unintentional embrace led to him gaining no credit but instead attracting trouble.

The Crown Prince, standing nearby, saw this and his eyes lit up. He also opened his arms and lunged towards Zu An. "I want a hug too! I want a hug too!"

Zu An: "..."