Chapter 638: Fatal Blow

The chaos caused by the assassins earlier was one thing; at that time, no one paid attention to this area. But now the Crown Prince and Crown Princess are in a nearby room, people from the Eastern Palace are also outside, and Eunuch Lu and his men are guarding the entrance. How dare he!

Yet for some reason, the oppressive closeness of the other party gave her a completely new experience. Rationally, she strongly rejected and even detested his insolence, but every cell in her body seemed to be cheering. Both her body and mind had been calm for far too long. This man made her feel as if she were seeing the Emperor for the first time upon entering the palace.

She took a deep breath, dispelling the alluring thoughts in her mind, and tried her best to keep her voice from trembling: "Do you know what you are doing?"

Zu An said calmly, "I'm just making sure Your Majesty understands our relationship. If you keep calling me a dog slave, I won't be so polite."

The Empress's breathing quickened, and her full chest rose and fell dramatically. Her normally majestic eyes seemed about to well up with tears. "How exactly do you plan to be impolite to me?"

Zu An's breath caught; he truly didn't know. He had only intended to scare her into granting him some concessions, but her reaction was far too intense.

The Empress smiled, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Little man, don't pretend you can actually do anything to me. Even if I lay here and let you do as you please, would you dare?"

For some reason, as she spoke, there was a faint hint of expectation in her heart. Realizing this, she was startled and decided to suppress such thoughts.

Zu An was speechless.

He had to reluctantly admit that he truly dared not do anything to her. The Emperor was far too powerful; a single thought could kill him. Although the Emperor didn't frequent the imperial harem much these days, there were no walls that could keep out all secrets. With his divine senses, anything that truly happened would certainly not escape his notice. Although the Empress was as tempting as a ripe peach, he wouldn't take such a huge risk, especially since he still had a whole "forest" waiting for him.

Seeing him stunned, the Empress sneered, pushing him away. "Bluffing is useless in front of me. From now on, we'll keep to our own affairs. Just keep that matter secret, and don't even dream of using it to control me."

This was actually all Zu An wanted, but admitting it now would make him lose face. Mature women truly weren't as easy to fool as young girls. Oh dear, why did it feel like he was being teased back? How awkward.

Just then, someone suddenly walked in through the door. Zu An and the Empress instantly straightened their bodies, increasing the distance between them.

The Empress was somewhat displeased. "What are you doing in here?"

It was Eunuch Lu who entered, his sinister gaze fixed on Zu An. "Your Majesty, should this old servant kill this fellow?"

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. The other party was a Ninth-Rank master, and at such a close distance by the door, if he was intentionally probing, it would be difficult to hide what happened inside the room from him. He had been careless! However, he wasn't particularly afraid. With his current cultivation, although he couldn't defeat the old eunuch, self-preservation wouldn't be a big problem. Furthermore, the Empress wouldn't want this matter to escalate, so she naturally wouldn't call for others' help.

The Empress gave him a surprised look, not expecting his expression to remain calm. She shook her head. "No need. I know what I'm doing."

Then she glared at the eunuch with displeasure. "Didn't I tell you to guard outside? Who told you to come in on your own?"

Eunuch Lu's sinister expression immediately changed into a fawning smile. "Your Majesty, I primarily entered because I overheard some important news outside that I wished to inform you about."

Zu An watched, speechless. This guy's ability to change expressions was too fast. What a remarkable bootlicker; just keep at it, and in the end, you'll have nothing.

"Speak," the Empress said, having returned to her initial languid state. She lay back down on the couch.

Seeing her graceful curves, Eunuch Lu's eyes immediately became fervent. But upon remembering something, they quickly dimmed again. He then turned back to glance at Zu An, his expression hesitant.

"It's alright, Master Zu will be considered one of us from now on," the Empress chuckled softly. She didn't mind building goodwill in such small matters to improve their relationship.

Seeing Eunuch Lu glare at him with hostility, Zu An was speechless. *Big brother, you've lost your masculinity, why do you see everyone as a love rival?*

Only then did Eunuch Lu speak. "Reporting to Your Majesty, General Cheng Xiong of the Left Guard is currently leading a thorough investigation of the Embroidered Uniform Guards in the palace."

"Investigating the Embroidered Uniform Guards? Has he lost his mind?" The Empress was aghast. The Embroidered Uniform Guards were the Emperor's trusted subordinates; where did Cheng Xiong get such audacity?

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. He instinctively felt this was a conspiracy aimed at him.

At this, Eunuch Lu replied, "It seems he received intelligence that yesterday, assassins disguised in Embroidered Uniform Guard outfits slipped out of the imperial palace. So today, they are investigating the number of uniforms each Embroidered Uniform Guard in the palace possesses. Some of the Embroidered Uniform Guards are displeased and are confronting him."

Zu An felt a bucket of cold water poured over his head. He immediately realized that this was indeed targeting him! Presumably, Cheng Xiong had returned empty-handed last night, felt unsatisfied, and came back for more. This time, his investigation was extremely thorough; he even uncovered the fact that Zu An had previously used Embroidered Uniform Guard outfits to help Xue'er leave the palace. Although he was ostensibly confronting other Embroidered Uniform Guards, he was actually waiting to deliver a fatal blow to Zu An. Yun Jianyue was still hidden in his room. They had barely evaded detection last night, but if they searched again today, it would probably be much harder to conceal. What should he do? What should he do now?

His mind raced, and he felt some regret. He had underestimated the intelligence of people in this world; they weren't like NPCs from games. Anyone who could reach a high position was undoubtedly clever. He frantically thought of a solution. His first thought was to ask the Empress for help. But how could he ask? If he didn't reveal his identity as an Embroidered Uniform Guard, why would the Empress help an unrelated one? And if he told her his other identity, how would he explain helping an assassin out of the palace? Then she would likely guess that he knew the assassin, which would create more trouble. Furthermore, her backing was the Liu clan, and if she knew his identity as an Embroidered Uniform Guard, there was no guarantee she wouldn't reveal it to her family. That would make things even more dangerous; neither the Emperor nor Prince Qi would tolerate him. Should he inform Zhu Xie Chixin then? He definitely wouldn't stand by while his subordinates were bullied, and their relationship had been very friendly during their chat yesterday... No, no, that wouldn't work. If an old fox like Zhu Xie Chixin found out he had let an assassin go, it would be even more troublesome.

While he was pondering, the Empress on the soft couch said with a smile, "Cheng Xiong is one of Prince Qi's faction. This time, he's worried that the Emperor might use this opportunity to remove him from his crucial position, so he's grasping at straws. Never mind, let him and the Embroidered Uniform Guards fight among themselves."

Zu An's heart stirred. Cheng Xiong was part of Prince Qi's faction? No wonder he was so diligent in this investigation. Wait, I think I have a solution.

"Your Majesty, since there's nothing else, I will take my leave." Zu An bowed to the Empress. In front of others, one still had to maintain proper decorum.

"Eunuch Lu, see him out," the Empress waved her hand. She seemed to prefer not to be alone with Eunuch Lu.

"Yes," Eunuch Lu said, leading Zu An out the door. His expression was rather grim.

Zu An thought to himself that he had inadvertently touched the goddess Eunuch Lu yearned for day and night. It was natural for him to feel some resentment; it seemed Zu An had thoroughly offended him.

Outside the door, Eunuch Lu closed it casually. Then, with an expression that suggested he wanted to speak but hesitated, he finally said, "You truly have the heart of a thief but lack the guts. Are you really that afraid of the Emperor finding out?"

Hearing his tone of exasperation and disappointment, Zu An was dumbfounded. *This isn't how I imagined it at all! Why does it feel like he's actually encouraging what I just did? Aren't you supposed to adore the Empress? Why would you instigate another man to approach her? And his eyes look quite excited. Eunuch Lu, could it be that you're a 'Green Eunuch'?*