Chapter 642: Key Come

Zu'an's mind stirred. He began to filter through the list of suspects in his mind.

Zhu Xie Chixin? No, that couldn't be it. He had been the emperor's confidant for years; even if there were suspicions, they wouldn't be aimed at him. The emperor's personal eunuchs? No, that wasn't right either. If they were truly suspected, the emperor could simply have them tortured without needing to specifically assign a Gold Seal Envoy like him to investigate.

That left only a few Imperial Guard generals... Before, he had been utterly confused, but after learning from the Empress that Cheng Xiong belonged to Prince Qi's faction, many of his doubts were instantly resolved.

"It's Cheng Xiong!" Zu'an blurted out.

Yun Jianyue nodded, looking as if a teachable student had emerged. "Precisely. Due to historical issues, Prince Qi wields immense influence within the military, not only among local forces but also within the imperial palace itself. If you were the emperor, would you feel secure with a crucial position like Left Guard General being held by someone from Prince Qi's faction?"

"Of course not," Zu'an replied, his face alight with excitement as he followed the deduction. "It's been temporarily determined that these assassins are connected to Prince Qi... Well, even if they weren't, the emperor wouldn't miss such an excellent opportunity. He would naturally use this incident as a pretext to purge Prince Qi's loyalists."

No wonder Yun Jianyue was so confident, unafraid even if her identity was exposed. She had foreseen that the emperor would follow their plan, using this rare opportunity to clip Prince Qi's wings. This wasn't a conspiracy; it was an open strategy, so there was no fear of it being seen through.

He looked at Yun Jianyue with a complicated expression. "Sister Matriarch, you're truly cunning."

"Thank you for the compliment," Yun Jianyue said, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "You're not bad yourself, kid."

"So, what should I do next?" Zu'an asked. With such a cunning queen by his side, why bother racking his own brain?

Yun Jianyue fell into deep thought, her beautiful face becoming unusually solemn as she pondered. After a moment, she said, "You must first go see Zhu Xie Chixin. As the Grand Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he naturally has a duty to intervene when his subordinates are bullied. Furthermore, he is the emperor's confidant and will likely cooperate with the emperor to remove Cheng Xiong, making him a great asset to you. However, there's a problem: he is notoriously suspicious. You'll need to prepare how to handle his interrogations before you meet him. Once you've connected with him, then you..."

Zu'an had been feeling overwhelmed, but her meticulous analysis suddenly brought clarity. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Whoever marries you in the future will gain a truly wise helper, like Zhuge Liang!"

"Who is Zhuge?" Yun Jianyue frowned, then scoffed. "Why would I need to marry? Even if I desired a man, I could simply take a few male consorts. Is there any man in this world worthy of me marrying him?"

Zu'an's expression turned strange. After a long moment, he exhaled, "Sister Matriarch, you're truly formidable!"

Yun Jianyue raised an eyebrow, then turned away haughtily and began fussing with her hammock, clearly unwilling to share a bed with him again that night.

Zu'an then went out to find Zhu Xie Chixin. After the recent conflict with Cheng Xiong, it would be illogical for an Embroidered Uniform Guard not to report the incident to his superior. However, halfway there, he suddenly had a thought: it had been a long time since he'd drawn a prize. The imperial palace was treacherous and full of hidden dangers, so having more life-saving abilities would be beneficial.

He found a secluded spot and summoned his Rage Value system. He hadn't checked in a while, and unknowingly, he had accumulated a total of 285,132 Rage Points. He immediately started drawing. Initially, he would wash his face and pray before drawing, but now, having drawn so many times, he was numb to it and couldn't be bothered with such rituals.

"Thank you for participating... Thank you for participating... Vitality Fruit... Thank you for participating..."

Hmm, no Tiger Tally yet? As he watched the draws, Zu'an felt a little disappointed. He had previously drawn Daji using a Tiger Tally. Although Daji's current strength was only at the peak of the fourth rank, her greatest use was enabling him to resonate with fire elements, allowing him to cultivate and use fire-based techniques. If he could draw a Valkyrie of another element, he would gain abilities from an additional elemental system.

Just as he was feeling disappointed, Zu'an's eyes suddenly lit up. He noticed the keyboard cursor resting on the "J" key. Unfortunately, this was a batch draw, and two characters flashed across the screen too quickly for him to see clearly. After patiently waiting for the draws to finish, he saw that the screen displayed one skill and 280 Vitality Fruits as his winnings.

He eagerly looked at the skill description.

**Key Come!**

**Skill Description:** As a 'keyboard warrior,' 'Key Come' is the core skill. When encountering injustice, a single 'Key Come' allows you to unleash passionate words and wield power, demonstrating what it means to have your words become law.

By using this skill, whatever you say will become reality.

**Note:** Using this skill consumes soul power. Do not boast without limits. The greater the boast, the greater the backlash after half an hour, which will cause a severe impact on your spirit. Only those at the Grandmaster level or higher, with stable spirits, can use it relatively freely. Remember, if your boast is too grand, even the spirit of a Great Grandmaster cannot withstand it; the effect of your words won't even materialize before your soul scatters on the spot.

As a keyboard warrior, you must possess this awareness: You can boast wildly behind a computer screen, but face-to-face, you must be extremely cautious with your boasts!

After reading the description, Zu'an was completely dumbfounded. 'Key Come,' words becoming law—what an unbelievably powerful skill! This was the ultimate form of a 'keyboard warrior.' As for the restrictions, they were understandable. If he were to boast about creating heaven and earth, he'd probably vanish into thin air the moment the thought crossed his mind. He didn't even need to boast that grandly; merely claiming to be more powerful than the emperor would likely lead to his instant demise.

Where exactly was this limit? Zu'an felt a headache coming on. He wanted to try it, but also feared accidentally killing himself. How embarrassing would it be to explain his cause of death in the afterlife—died from boasting? He couldn't face that shame!

He had no choice but to temporarily set the skill aside. He gave the 280 Vitality Fruits to Daji. Before, Daji was at the peak of the fourth rank; after consuming these fruits, she immediately advanced to the mid-fifth rank. The entire fifth rank required 600 Vitality Fruits. Every time he saw how few Vitality Fruits she needed, Zu'an became incredibly jealous. He himself only needed a small number of Vitality Fruits when he first started cultivating, but once his rank increased, it became almost impossible to improve using them.

After all that, he finally arrived at the Embroidered Uniform Guard's yamen. The Embroidered Uniform Guard had a dedicated office within the imperial palace, located in a secluded building called the "Embroidery Tower." The moment he saw the name, he nearly burst out laughing. It sounded far too effeminate and completely mismatched the imposing, dominant aura of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Zhu Xie Chixin had already returned upon hearing the news, his face grim as he listened to his subordinates complain about Cheng Xiong. Clearly, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was accustomed to investigating others, so being investigated themselves today was truly frustrating.

Seeing Zu'an arrive, he motioned him over. "Number Eleven, come with me. The rest of you, return to your posts. I will handle today's matter myself."

Zu'an followed him up to the second floor, which was his office. Zhu Xie Chixin slowly settled into his chair, gestured for Zu'an to sit as well, and then asked, "Do you have an old grudge with Cheng Xiong?"

Zu'an shook his head. "I only met him two days ago. How could we have a grudge?"

"Then why is he so intent on dealing with you?" Zhu Xie Chixin asked, puzzled. With his discernment, he naturally understood who Cheng Xiong's target was.

Zu'an feigned hesitation for a moment before saying, "I suspect he guessed what I was investigating, so he wanted to strike first."

"Are you implying he's the one who leaked the news of the emperor's absence from the palace to the assassins?" Zhu Xie Chixin watched him intently, his gaze unreadable.

Zu'an shook his head. "I have no proof, but after much thought, it's the only possibility."

Zhu Xie Chixin shook his head. "No, there's another possibility: Cheng Xiong's suspicion is correct, and you are indeed colluding with the assassins."

The moment he finished speaking, his eyes sharpened instantly, and his aura enveloped Zu'an.