Chapter 668: Guiding Light

Prince Qi watched Zu An from afar. Zu An had just arrived in the capital and suddenly, an eleventh Golden Robe Envoy had appeared. For years, there had only been ten Golden Robe Envoys, each selected through extremely rigorous processes and requirements. This eleventh envoy seemed to have materialized out of thin air; even with Prince Qi's extensive intelligence network, not a single piece of background information could be found on him.

Furthermore, after the Cheng Xiong case erupted, Prince Qi had specifically requested the files to study them. He noted that Cheng Xiong had previously suspected the eleventh Golden Robe Envoy. Then, Zu An made a trip to the imperial prison, and the assassins collectively changed their testimonies, their confessions becoming the final blow that crushed Cheng Xiong.

Although the thought always struck him as somewhat unlikely, Prince Qi ordered his subordinates to investigate, just to be safe.

At the same time, he was also pondering the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture. Though Zu An claimed it couldn't grant eternal life, Prince Qi dared not easily believe him unless he could obtain the scripture and study it himself.

He had initially summoned Zu An precisely to try and extract information about the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture from him. However, after several interactions, he realized Zu An was by no means an easy target. Moreover, with the Crown Princess protecting him so fiercely, Prince Qi couldn't push too hard, lest it displease the Emperor.

What method could he use to obtain the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture from him?

Suddenly, an idea sparked in Prince Qi's mind, and the knowing smile he usually wore returned to his face.

Meanwhile, the Crown Princess saw Zu An return and hurried over, asking in a low voice, "Prince Qi didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Zu An made a wry face. "Does Prince Qi have techniques that, when used, don't show immediate effects but sever all of one's meridians days later?"

The Crown Princess was startled, then instinctively replied, "As a Grandmaster, he should possess such abilities."

Hearing her words, Zu An's expression darkened further.

"Did Prince Qi trouble you?" The Crown Princess's face also slightly changed.

Zu An shook his head. "No, he just asked me some questions."

There was no point in telling her much; it wasn't as if she could go settle the score with Prince Qi.

Nevertheless, he bowed in thanks. "Thank you for intervening, Crown Princess. If not for your appearance, I might have been as good as dead today."

Whether it was the exposure of the Demon Sect assassins or him being held accountable by Prince Qi, neither scenario would have ended well.

The Crown Princess hummed reservedly. "Don't overthink it. I wasn't specifically saving you. I would exert myself to rescue any subordinate loyal to the Crown Prince."

Zu An chuckled wryly. Clearly, Prince Qi's words had taken effect; the woman was afraid he might harbor some unrealistic fantasies.

He smiled and said, "We all understand your compassion for your subordinates, Crown Princess."

The Crown Princess nodded. "Let's go. Come back to the East Palace with me, so you don't get caught alone by Prince Qi again later."

Zu An hesitated. "I won't return with you, Crown Princess. I still have some unfinished business here." He needed to deal with the aftermath at the imperial prison, otherwise, everyone would suspect him.

"What else could you have to do?" The Crown Princess asked, curious.

Zu An thought for a moment and said, "The Emperor has something for me to do." This wasn't entirely a lie; infiltrating the Demonic Sect was indeed the Emperor's business, so he wouldn't fear if the Emperor found out.

The Crown Princess was surprised and couldn't help but scrutinize him more closely. This fellow was actually so favored by the Emperor? She decided she really must try to win him over.

As the Crown Princess and her retinue departed, Zu An secretly pulled aside Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun. "No need for thanks for such a great kindness. When you're free, find a time. The Pleasure House is on me."

Piao Duandiao's dark circles brightened, and he chuckled, "That's a true friend!" Even though his time at the Pleasure House had left him with aching back, he certainly wouldn't miss a chance for a free treat.

Jiao Sigun couldn't help but say, "That's not right of you. If you said 'no need for thanks,' why offer to treat us at the Pleasure House?"

Before he could finish, Piao Duandiao interrupted, "Just say whether you want to go or not?"

Jiao Sigun looked conflicted but finally couldn't help admitting, "I do!"

"Then shut up," Piao Duandiao said, patting him on the back of the head. He then smiled and bid Zu An farewell. "It's settled then. Next day off."

Zu An smiled, feeling as if he was back with friends from his previous life. "Pah, was I really like this in my previous life?" he thought.

Seeing no one around, he quickly re-entered the imperial prison. He found a way to wake the jailers, then collapsed and pretended to just be waking up himself.

When the jailers saw that the imperial prisoners were gone, they were stunned, scurrying around like ants on a hot pan.

"This could mean ruin for our families!"

The group muttered to themselves, and the head jailer frantically went to ring the alarm bell.

Zu An quickly pulled him back. "What are you doing?"

The head jailer hastily replied, "To notify the other palace guards to search for the prisoners, of course."

Zu An said, "Are you sure you want to do that? If this blows up, it could lead to the ruin of your families."

"But failing to report it is also a serious crime," the head jailer said, making a wry face.

Zu An stated, "All of us present are responsible for the imperial prisoners' escape. If the higher-ups investigate, none of us will survive."

The jailer clung to his sleeve. "Lord Zu, you're so knowledgeable, please help us with an idea."

Zu An instructed, "First, send someone to check if there's any sign of the imperial prisoners in the palace."

The head jailer paused, then quickly sent a few trusted men to investigate. Soon, a report came back: "The palace is completely calm, as if nothing happened."

Zu An also breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Sun Luzhen and the others had successfully escaped.

The head jailer looked bewildered. "How is that possible? How could imperial prisoners escape without a trace?"

"I know!" Zu An feigned sudden realization. Once he had the jailer's attention, he pulled him to a corner and whispered, "Do you remember a few gold-armored guards bursting into the imperial prison just now?" Zu An had to be discreet because of his earlier conversation with Prince Qi, which revealed Prince Qi knew about the prison events. Unsure if there were informants among the jailers, he couldn't let too many people know, to prevent rumors from reaching Prince Qi's ears.

"Were there? I don't remember," the jailer said, scratching his head in distress. His mind felt like mush; he was dazed and couldn't recall anything.

Zu An pointed at a few jailers and said, "Of course there were! They claimed to be Prince Qi's envoys. Those brothers tried to stop them from entering and even got kicked."

"Oh, now that you mention it, I think I do remember. I was quite angry at the time, but what happened afterward...?" The jailer almost pulled out his hair, still unable to recall.

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. The Forgetfulness Potion did cause memory loss, but it didn't completely erase memories; it was more like a blackout. With enough prompts, some things could still be recalled. So, his half-true, half-false prompting finally made the jailer remember Prince Qi sending people.

He continued, "Who do you think is powerful enough to rescue imperial prisoners without alarming the palace guards?"

The jailer was startled. "Are you saying Prince Qi?" He recalled that those prisoners had implicated Prince Qi as the mastermind. Could Prince Qi have rescued his own people, or silenced them?

Zu An immediately stepped back. "That's what *you* said, not me."

The jailer was startled and hastily said, "I... I was just guessing. I wouldn't dare slander Prince Qi lightly."

Zu An put an arm around his shoulder. "Now we're all in this together. Since Prince Qi took the people, we shouldn't make a fuss. Just secretly report it, and it'll be up to the higher-ups to decide how to handle it."

The jailer hesitated. "But we'd still be guilty of dereliction of duty..."

"Are you foolish?" Zu An explained. "Who is the other party? Prince Qi, the Emperor's own brother. Would the Emperor truly investigate him over this? This matter will naturally be swept under the rug. Since no one will investigate, we won't be held accountable."

The jailer's eyes lit up. "Lord Zu, you're truly our guiding light! If not for you today, we wouldn't even know how we died."

Zu An looked glum. "Is that how you use 'guiding light'?" he thought.

Nevertheless, he cautioned, "This matter is extremely important. Do not spread it outside. Too many tongues wagging, and if the court officials find out, it will surely cause another storm of trouble. Then, even if the Emperor wants to calm things down, he won't be able to, and we'll be doomed."

The jailer patted his chest and declared, "I know, don't worry. I won't leak a word. As for the other brothers, I have ways to keep them quiet."

"Excellent," Zu An said, leaving the imperial prison in good spirits. His immediate priority was to inform Yun Jianyue of the situation and get her out of the palace. Sigh, honestly, sending such a beautiful cohabiting woman away felt a little regrettable.

Just as he felt a pang of regret, a chill ran down his spine. He quickly looked behind him, but there was no one there.

"Is someone following me, or is it just my imagination?"