Chapter 659: Life and Death on the Edge

Zu An's heart sank. The Emperor summoning him at this moment was likely not a good sign.

He didn't press Eunuch Wen for details about the Emperor's intentions. The eunuch had already been kind enough to tell him what he had; there was no need to make things difficult for him.

Moreover, the eunuch probably didn't know what the Emperor was thinking either.

The two arrived at the Imperial Study. Eunuch Wen went in to announce them first, then quickly emerged and said to Zu An, "His Majesty requests Master Zu's presence."

With that, he gave Zu An a look that implied "good luck." Zu An forced a bitter smile. At this point, he could only brace himself and enter.

Upon entering the Imperial Study, he didn't see an image in a bronze mirror this time. Instead, the Emperor himself was seated at a desk, seemingly engrossed in a memorial.

After Zu An entered, the Emperor didn't even glance up, as if Zu An were invisible.

Zu An stood to one side and bowed. "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

The Emperor remained silent. Zu An's heart sank. *Oh no,* he thought. *He's clearly upset, and it seems to be directed at me.*

He kept his gaze down, standing silently. He tried to be an inconspicuous presence, to avoid adding fuel to the fire.

After a moment, the Emperor looked up and saw Zu An's demeanor. He couldn't help but chuckle in annoyance. "Usually, when court officials come here, they're trembling with fear," he remarked. "Yet you act as if nothing's amiss."

Zu An replied, "I was worried about disturbing Your Majesty's reading of the memorials."

"Indeed, cunning as a ghost," the Emperor snorted. "How have you progressed with the task I assigned you?"

Zu An slowly replied, carefully choosing his words, "I have uncovered some clues. General Cheng Xiong of the Left Guard has been relaying messages to the assassins through his son, Cheng Gang, at the Imperial Pleasure House…"

After hearing his explanation, the Emperor remained noncommittal. "And the motive?" he asked.

Zu An replied, "Cheng Xiong is an important figure in the Qi King's faction. He likely intended to eliminate the Crown Prince through the assassins, so that the Qi King could contend for the position of Crown Prince."

The Emperor stared coldly at him. "Are you accusing my own brother, the virtuous Qi King, renowned throughout the court and country? How dare you!"

Rage value from Zhao Hao +444!

Zu An inwardly scoffed. *The Emperor is a hypocrite,* he thought. *Everyone knows you and the Qi King are already mortal enemies, and you wish you could get rid of him quickly. Yet here you are, pretending to be a benevolent brother. Who are you trying to fool?*

Of course, such thoughts were for himself alone. Speaking them aloud would be suicidal. So he tactfully replied, "Whether the Qi King truly orchestrated this from behind the scenes, your subject dare not speak rashly, but this is the most reasonable conjecture."

The Emperor threw the memorial he was holding onto the table. "Your reasoning is sound, and even the underlying motive you've presented is plausible. Another person might have actually believed your nonsense. Unfortunately, I know the Qi King would never do something so foolish."

Zu An was stunned. *If the Crown Prince died, wouldn't the Qi King be the biggest beneficiary?*

As if guessing his thoughts, the Emperor continued, "I have many sons, some of whom are exceptionally gifted and valiant. So why did I choose the current Crown Prince?"

A thought sparked in Zu An's mind. He instantly recalled the conversation he had with Chu Chuyan on their way to the capital.

Due to the late Emperor's will, the Qi King indeed had a legitimate claim to the throne. The only thing the current Emperor could use to counter this was the system of primogeniture. The Crown Prince was the Emperor's eldest legitimate son, thus his position as heir apparent was legally sound. Even those in the Qi King's faction had to acknowledge this.

But if the Emperor were to disregard the eldest legitimate son and instead appoint another son for being more intelligent and virtuous, then in terms of intelligence and virtue, how could any of the other princes compare to the Qi King?

The Emperor said coldly, "You are a smart man; surely you understand the logic here. If something were to happen to the current Crown Prince, I could legitimately replace him with another more brilliant and talented prince as the new Crown Prince. That new prince would then become the de facto eldest legitimate son. Do you think the Qi King would commit such a foolish act?"

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Zu An's forehead, as he, too, grasped the crucial point: the one who absolutely *wouldn't* want the Crown Prince dead was likely none other than the Qi King.

Precisely because the Crown Prince was such a fool, many discerning individuals in the court worried about the future of the empire, and thus automatically supported the Qi King.

If the Crown Prince were replaced by someone intelligent—no, even if it were just an average person with the capacity to maintain the empire in the future—how could those court officials dare to openly defy the Emperor, the strongest man in the world, and support the Qi King?

From this perspective, Yun Jianyue had also miscalculated. No matter how she framed the Qi King, the Emperor clearly knew that this assassination was not the Qi King's doing.

Zu An hastily said, "Your Majesty is wise. Your subject will go and investigate the true culprit again."

"Heh, investigate again?" The Emperor's smile vanished. "This time, you collaborated with the Demonic Cult to frame my Left Guard General. Who do you plan to conspire with the Demonic Cult to frame next?"

In that instant, Zu An's heart nearly stopped. Cold sweat immediately soaked his clothes.

So the Emperor knew everything!

*Wait, stay calm, don't panic,* he thought. *Perhaps he's just bluffing?*

So he feigned an innocent expression. "Your Majesty, what do you mean? Your subject is dull-witted and does not understand."

The Emperor, however, nodded approvingly. "Your composure is commendable," he said. "Even at this critical juncture, your mind hasn't collapsed."

Just as Zu An breathed a sigh of relief, the Emperor's face completely hardened. "Unfortunately, the evidence is conclusive. Any further sophistry would only be met with ridicule."

As he spoke, he tossed the memorial he had been reading towards Zu An. "See for yourself."

Zu An swallowed hard. He opened the booklet in front of him. It was clearly a secret report. As he read the contents, his mind reeled, and every cell in his body trembled.

The secret report detailed his interactions with Qiu Honglei, the courtesan from Immortal Abode in Brightmoon City, even mentioning Qiu Honglei's initiative in offering to become his concubine.

Later, on their journey to the capital, Demonic Cult experts emerged to capture Zu An, with Qiu Honglei suspected of leading them.

Based on all available intelligence, Qiu Honglei was likely the Demonic Cult's Saintess.

Furthermore, the long-haired Grandmaster who attempted the assassination was Yun Jianyue, the Demonic Cult Master, and Qiu Honglei was her direct disciple.

A few days prior, a woman resembling Qiu Honglei was seen near Zu An's baronial mansion. Afterward, Zu An visited the Imperial Pleasure House, then Cheng Gang was crippled, followed immediately by the revelation of Cheng Gang's collusion with the assassins from the Imperial Pleasure House…

The report listed numerous pieces of evidence. While some events weren't personally witnessed, various reasonable inferences were drawn, and these inferences were almost indistinguishable from the truth.

This clearly bore the hallmarks of Zhu Xie Chixin's work. *Damn it, calling me brother to my face and stabbing me in the back!*

However, he knew it was pointless to blame Zhu Xie Chixin; the Emperor had most likely ordered him to investigate Zu An. *Damn it, they're all old foxes who devour people without spitting out the bones.*

"It seems Cheng Xiong's earlier suspicions were correct," the Emperor said. "You were indeed the one who transported the assassins out of the palace." The Emperor's cold gaze enveloped him, as if he were looking at a dead man.

In that instant, the Emperor unleashed his full aura. Zu An felt the air around him become incredibly thick and viscous. He couldn't move even a single finger, as if a mere thought from the Emperor would instantly reduce him to ashes.

Zu An's mind raced faster than ever before. He pondered how to respond. His first instinct was to deny everything vehemently, as many of the records in the report lacked crucial evidence.

However, he immediately dismissed that approach. Requiring evidence for investigations was only for commoners. For the Emperor, if he believed something, would he let someone off just because there was no concrete evidence?

*Wait, the system backend doesn't seem to have registered much rage value from the Emperor?*

*And why is he telling me so much? If he really wanted to kill me, a flick of his finger would suffice. Why waste so much breath?*

Recalling the task the Emperor had assigned him, a realization dawned on him. He immediately said, "Your subject deserves death! However, I did not collude with the Demonic Cult. It was merely that I coincidentally encountered Qiu Honglei at the time. She had once saved my life, and I could not stand idly by, so I let her escape."

He spoke half-truths. Of course, he absolutely couldn't mention saving Yun Jianyue; the Emperor would never allow a Grandmaster to escape his grasp.

The Emperor stared at him emotionlessly. "Oh, so you were repaying a kindness," he said. "Am I to commend you for this?"

Zu An hastily replied, "Your subject would not dare. I know I deserve death a thousand times over. I submit myself to Your Majesty's judgment."