Chapter 618: White Freeloader

Zuan was puzzled.

He had initially thought the emperor kept him behind to show favor, and was happily anticipating some reward, as he had, after all, saved many people today. To his surprise, he received such a statement instead.

*He thought, "Why isn't he playing by the rules?"*

His hair stood on end, and his instinct was to flee. However, he quickly forced himself to calm down. Although the emperor was speaking through a mirror, with his cultivation, it would be easy for him to crush Zuan from a distance. After all, when Moonbright City was thousands of miles from the capital, a mere wisp of his divine sense could still suppress the entire area.

And just now, facing Qiu Honglei's master, the emperor, despite not being physically present in the palace, still easily defeated him.

Even a Grandmaster was no match; his own meager cultivation was completely outmatched.

Zuan took a deep breath and, bracing himself, said, "Your Majesty, your rewards and punishments are unfair! I refuse to accept this!"

The emperor, with a proud expression, stated, "Throughout my life, I have acted as I see fit. Why should I need your acceptance?"

Zuan was speechless.

*He thought, "Who does he think he is, Chen Beixuan?"*

However, he quickly recovered and said, "Your Majesty, you wish to achieve a form of immortality by becoming an eternal emperor. Surely, you wouldn't want future generations to see you as an unjust and capricious ruler who acts merely on personal whim, would you?"

*Hmph, you certainly don't need to care about my opinion, or even the opinions of the common people. But you absolutely wouldn't disregard the judgment of future generations.*

The emperor narrowed his eyes. "It has been many years since anyone dared to speak to me like this."

Zuan's attitude immediately became respectful. "I had no intention of offending Your Majesty. It's just that today, with the palace in turmoil due to assassins, I first rescued the Empress in Kunning Palace, then went to the Eastern Palace to save the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. My contributions, from beginning to end, were arguably not first, but at the very least among the top three. For Your Majesty not to reward me is one thing, but to threaten to sever my limbs? So, in a moment of panic, I spoke out of turn. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

The emperor snorted. "You are quite cunning. Very well, I will give you a chance to atone for your actions and prove yourself, lest you die feeling wronged."

"Atoning for my actions?" Zuan asked, a puzzled expression on his face, though he secretly scoffed. *Just now he said he didn't need my acceptance for his actions throughout his life, and now he's suddenly concerned about it.*

The emperor continued, "Yes, I want you to investigate two matters. If you handle them well, I will not only pardon you for your impropriety with the Crown Princess, but also greatly reward you. If you fail, you know the consequences."

"What are these matters?" Zuan asked quickly, while thinking to himself, *Just holding the Crown Princess is considered impropriety? Then what about everything I did with the Empress? No, absolutely must not let him know, or I'll be executed by slow slicing.*

Unaware of his thoughts, the emperor continued, "The first matter is to investigate how those assassins managed to infiltrate the palace through such heavy security."

Zuan was a little curious. "Didn't Your Majesty already assign the Left and Right Imperial Guard Generals to investigate?"

The emperor cast a sidelong glance at him. "They will conduct their investigation, and you will conduct yours. Is there a problem?"

Zuan's heart tightened. "No problem." *From his words, it seems the emperor doesn't entirely trust the Left and Right Imperial Guard Generals.*

The emperor continued, "The second matter is to investigate who leaked the information about my absence from the palace this time. The assassins' timing was so precise; I don't believe it was a coincidence."

Zuan gave a wry smile. "Your Majesty, I've only been in the capital for a few days. I hardly know anyone, and my rank is low. How am I supposed to investigate something like this? Why not have Commander Zhuxie or someone else investigate? Their methods would surely be much more seasoned."

"Just investigate as I've told you. Why so much chatter?" The emperor was irritated. Usually, his ministers wouldn't dare breathe heavily in front of him, but this fellow not only dared to talk back but even haggled.

Zuan chuckled sheepishly. "I was just trying to think of the quickest and most effective way for Your Majesty to investigate the case."

The emperor hesitated, then, considering that he was entrusting Zuan with the investigation, realized some information needed to be shared. "The reason I chose you is precisely because you've only been in the capital for a few days. You have no relatives or connections here, which means fewer entanglements."

Zuan's heart stirred. "Is Your Majesty perhaps suspicious of Commander Zhuxie and the others?"

The emperor gave him a cold look but didn't answer directly, continuing instead, "Only a very small number of people knew about my absence from the palace this time, yet the information was leaked. That's why I need you to investigate."

Zuan's mind reeled. *The emperor really wasn't in the palace!* "May I ask where Your Majesty went?"

The emperor silently glanced at him. "Do not ask what you should not ask."

Zuan was speechless.

Having been rebuffed, he decided to change the subject to save face. "Then Your Majesty must at least tell me who knew about your departure from the palace. The Empress, concubines, or others?"

The emperor said indifferently, "The Empress and the others did not know. Only the few people you just saw, and some eunuchs who attend to my daily needs, were aware. You can investigate them yourself when the time comes."

Zuan was speechless.

*No wonder he called me over to attend a gathering with all those high-ranking officials. So, he wanted me to know who the suspects were in advance.*

*They say Commander Zhuxie is his trusted confidant, but it seems he even suspects Zhuxie. The paranoia of emperors truly is terrifying.*

*But what's even stranger is that his whereabouts were unknown even to his wives, yet he told a few men. Tsk tsk tsk, how pathetic it must be to be his consort. I heard that in recent years, with the emperor nearing the Five Declines of Heaven and Man, he's been solely focused on cultivation to prolong his life and hasn't visited the imperial harem for many years.*

*Tsk tsk tsk, a vast field of parched rice paddies. Those concubines in the harem must find it pointless to even compete for favor now.*

At this moment, the emperor said, "You possess a Golden Tablet of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which grants you the authority to act as needed, so you needn't worry about your official rank. However, I must warn you: do not under any circumstances reveal your true identity during the investigation, otherwise it will interfere with the mission involving Prince Qi, and you know the consequences."

"Yes!" Zuan thought. *I already know that without you telling me. It's much more fun constantly switching between my two identities. Laying all my cards on the table would spoil a lot of the enjoyment.*

"You may withdraw," the emperor said, closing his eyes. It was unclear if he was cultivating or doing something else.

Zuan breathed a sigh of relief, left the imperial study, and closed the door.

A eunuch outside the door, beaming, escorted him out. "Lord Eleven, you truly have a promising future! It's rare for His Majesty to grant a private audience to an Embroidered Uniform Guard member other than Commander Zhuxie."

Zuan's heart tensed. *It seems I need to find a time to speak with Commander Zhuxie to avoid accidentally incurring his jealousy, which would cause trouble for me later on.*

*After all, Zhuxie Chixin is a Half-Grandmaster with immense power. It would be problematic if such a powerful ally turned into an obstacle.*

"By the way, what is your name, Eunuch?" Zuan asked, remembering that eunuchs who attended to the emperor's daily needs were also privy to his whereabouts. *This person must be one of them, right? Is he feeling guilty and trying to extract information from me?*

"This humble one's surname is Wen," the eunuch said with a smile. His plump, fair face exuded an amiable air.

"I'm new here," Zuan said politely, "and I'll need a lot of guidance from Eunuch Wen in the future." *Yet his mind couldn't help but wander.* *Why are eunuchs generally so fat? Hmm, I heard that in my previous life, pig farmers had to castrate pigs to make them gain weight. I wonder if it's the same principle...*

"You're too kind, Sir," Eunuch Wen instantly beamed with delight. This new Golden Tablet Envoy was sensible and witty, unlike the previous ones who were all bitter and resentful, as if everyone owed them money.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, they both parted ways, satisfied.

Long after leaving the imperial study, Zuan suddenly slapped his forehead. "Oh, I've been played!"

It finally dawned on him that the emperor had never intended to punish him. The deliberate intimidation was actually a tactic to make him more diligent in the upcoming investigation, and to make him grateful to the emperor.

*Son of a bitch, I saved your wife and daughter-in-law, and not only do you not reward me, but you play these tricks on me? Are all emperors freeloaders?*

He fumed internally, but these thoughts could only remain in his mind; he wouldn't dare utter them aloud.

He was currently passing by a rock garden, lost in thought, when suddenly a hand emerged from the nearby rocks and pulled him inside in an instant.