Chapter 662: Confrontation

"Your subject greets the Crown Prince and Crown Princess!" Zu An said loudly.

The atmosphere in the room had been extremely strange; even the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were forced to lower their heads. Naturally, everyone else in the Eastern Palace was silent, holding their breath, fearing they might invite trouble. Suddenly, such a loud voice rang out, instantly capturing everyone's attention.

The eunuchs standing beside the Crown Prince, Xiao Xuzi and Xiao Hezi, were dumbfounded, thinking, "This fellow is truly bold to dare to provoke at a time like this." Meanwhile, the guards with whom he had a good relationship, Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun, frantically winked at him from afar, signaling him not to speak carelessly.

Zu An felt a warmth in his heart, realizing these friends weren't made in vain. However, he had his own agenda and walked directly towards the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, saying, "Oh, besides the Emperor, who else deserves such reverence and a tea ceremony from the Crown Prince and Crown Princess? Who is this person?"

Offending King Qi publicly was a deliberate decision. He knew that during his journey to the capital, he had encountered several assassination attempts, most of which were sent by King Qi. Was it necessary to be polite to someone who wanted him dead? Furthermore, all the events that had occurred since his arrival in the capital made it clear that the conflict between them was irreconcilable. For instance, because of him, Murong Tong of King Qi's faction was transferred from a crucial department like the Imperial Inspector's office, and now Cheng Xiong, the General of the Left Guard, was also dead. Even if King Qi were magnanimous, his trusted subordinates would certainly despise Zu An to the bone.

Moreover, he dared not believe King Qi could truly be so magnanimous. Therefore, it was better to offend him openly and, at the very least, gain the Crown Princess's strong support. As for the Emperor's command to give the fake secret manual to King Qi, there was no time limit for that anyway, so he could put it off indefinitely.

As he spoke, he looked at King Qi, who was seated in a chair, and secretly marveled, "Such a mature and elegant uncle, in my previous life, would definitely have been a heartthrob for young women."

King Qi looked back at him, his gaze showing no discernible emotion. Even his system backend didn't register any rage points from King Qi. Zu An was secretly vigilant, realizing how profound this man's cunning was. He would need to deal with him carefully in the future.

The Crown Princess, however, looked at him with delight. She had always found him somewhat annoying, but today, seeing him, she found him exceptionally pleasing to the eye. Though her heart was full of mirth, she feigned a scolding expression on her face and said, "This is the wise King Qi, praised by all under heaven. Zu An, how can you be so rude?"

She deliberately emphasized the words "wise and virtuous," subtly mocking him for being called a wise king yet intentionally bullying a junior today. She knew perfectly well why he was deliberately making this show today. It was clearly because of the recent Cheng Xiong case; an official from the Crown Prince's faction had effectively caused his death. Losing such a significant general, King Qi's frustration was understandable. Whether for himself or for his subordinates, he needed to vent his anger. So, when King Qi intentionally challenged her and the Crown Prince, she just held her nose and endured it. After all, they had gained the real benefits, so if he wanted a bit of reputation, he could have it. But with Zu An's arrival, she suddenly realized that perhaps they didn't have to yield any reputation to King Qi after all.

"Greetings, King Qi," Zu An said, bowing with a feigned expression of humility and apprehension.

"You are Zu An?" King Qi's expression as he looked at Zu An was complex. He knew that in the long-standing struggle between him and the Emperor, he had always held the upper hand. In his mind, his opponents were never this foolish nephew or the niece who thought herself clever; his true rival had always been his elder brother on the dragon throne. The Emperor was indeed unrivaled, but ultimately, he couldn't defeat time. Moreover, the Crown Prince was simply too inept, so the tide had gradually turned in King Qi's favor.

That was until Zu An suddenly appeared. First, he brought forth the 'Phoenix Nirvana Sutra,' which promised immortality, catching King Qi completely off guard. When he first heard this news, even his mind, which had been calm for many years, became flustered. If the Emperor could truly live forever, what would be the point of his struggle? Upon the release of this news, even some court officials who had secretly sided with him began to waver. These individuals had aligned with him not out of genuine liking, but because the most powerful Emperor was destined to die, and the Crown Prince was too useless to be supported. He had been overwhelmed dealing with this series of changes recently. Then, after Zu An arrived in the capital, he directly and indirectly caused two crucial positions—Imperial Inspector and General of the Left Guard—to fall out of King Qi's control. It could be said that this was the most severe loss for King Qi's faction in years.

"Could it be that this fellow is naturally antithetical to me?" The thought had barely formed before he suppressed it. At his level of cultivation, he didn't allow such powerless thoughts.

Zu An replied, "Indeed, I am Zu An, and I have long admired King Qi's great reputation."

King Qi's eyebrow twitched. "He just challenged me, and now he claims to have long admired my name? Isn't that blatant sarcasm?" he thought.

Rage points from Zhao Jing: 99!

Feeling this surge of rage points, Zu An was also quite dejected. "You're a Grandmaster, after all, with immensely powerful soul force. You shouldn't be contributing so few rage points!" he thought. "The Emperor's name suggests a power that spans the heavens, while yours seems confined to the capital. No wonder you can't compare."

Still, personal complaints aside, King Qi could not be a weakling, having contended with the Emperor, the strongest man in the world, for so many years. In recent conversations with Yun Jianyue, she had mentioned that there were only two and a half people in the capital whom she truly feared. Two were the Emperor and King Qi. As for someone like Zhuxie Chixin, he didn't even count as half a person; at most, he was merely a slightly troublesome ant.

King Qi took a small sip from his teacup before calmly stating, "Just now, it seemed from Minister Zu's words that you found my request for the Crown Prince to offer tea somewhat improper? As the saying goes, 'In all learning, a strict teacher is difficult to please; only when the teacher is strict is the Way respected, and only when the Way is respected do people know to revere learning.' This is an ancient principle. Minister Zu, having previously lived among the common people in Brightmoon City, may not have heard of it."

Hearing King Qi's veiled insult about his lack of education, Zu An didn't get angry. He merely smiled and said, "However, the Crown Prince is, after all, the heir apparent to the nation, destined to ascend the throne in the future, and the Crown Princess will also become the Empress. For King Qi to act in such a manner is, ultimately, somewhat contrary to the duties of a subject."

At these words, many in the room gasped. The eunuchs Xiao Xuzi and Xiao Hezi turned deathly pale, while Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun secretly sighed, "It's over, it's over. He dared to speak to King Qi like that. He's doomed." Even Rong Mo, the Crown Princess's personal maid, tensed up defensively, fearing that King Qi's anger might implicate the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. But if he were to strike, even at her full strength, she wouldn't be a match, let alone now, still recovering from severe injuries. Thinking this, she couldn't help but secretly resent Zu An for being such a troublemaker.

Rage points from Rong Mo: 233,233,233...

Only the Crown Princess felt as refreshed as if she had eaten chilled watermelon on a hot summer day. She was utterly delighted and found Zu An increasingly pleasing to the eye. She hadn't realized this fellow was so loyal to her. She resolved to greatly cultivate him in the future.

King Qi's eyes narrowed slightly, but he quickly reacted, immediately stating, "There are two instances when a ruler does not treat his subject as a subordinate: when the subject acts as the 'shi' (personator of the deceased) in a ritual, and when the subject acts as a teacher. According to the rites of the Great Learning, even if teaching the Son of Heaven, one does not face north, thus honoring the teacher."

Zu An thought to himself, "Fortunately, I received nine years of compulsory education before transmigrating, or I wouldn't understand your pretentious rhetoric." The meaning of King Qi's words was: A ruler does not treat a subject as a subordinate in two specific situations: firstly, when the subject acts as the chief officiant in a sacrificial rite, the ruler must not treat him as a subordinate but respectfully accept the officiant's arrangements; secondly, when the subject acts as a teacher during the ruler's own studies, the ruler must also not treat him as a subordinate but respectfully accept the teacher's instruction.

Although this was a world of cultivation, for the stability of the nation, a set of customary rites had been established over thousands of years. When a teacher imparted knowledge and explained classics to a ruler, they were not required to observe the etiquette of a subordinate. If a ruler, while listening and learning, forgot their imperial dignity and instead studied respectfully and diligently, that was a true sign of honoring the teacher.

His meaning was clear: if even a ruler behaved this way, how much more so should the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. The Crown Princess also blinked her beautiful eyes, gazing at Zu An. She had just held her nose and endured because of this very reason, and she was very curious to see how Zu An would respond. For some reason, she had a feeling that this fellow would not disappoint her.