Chapter 701: An Argument Needs Two Sides

At this moment, the officials behind Zu'an also grew restless and urged him to step aside.

Zu'an completely ignored those voices and coldly stared at the man with the mustache, saying, "You say I'm improperly dressed, and I'm improperly dressed? Who do you think you are?"

The man with the mustache cupped his hands towards the main hall and sneered, "This is the authority granted to me by the imperial court—to inspect the attire and demeanor of all officials. Naturally, what I say goes."

"Are you clearly trying to make trouble for me?" Zu'an's expression darkened.

The man with the mustache tilted his head back, nose in the air. "I have always enforced the law impartially. How could I single you out? Why am I not troubling them? As the saying goes, 'it takes two to tango.' Always look for the cause within yourself, and don't always blame others."

Zu'an was immediately astonished, never expecting this man to utter such classic rhetoric from some people in his previous life.

At this point, the man with the mustache impatiently said, "You are wasting everyone's time here. According to regulations, someone like you should stand aside for an hour as punishment, to serve as a warning to other officials!"

Although it was still early morning and the sun was out, standing under the sun for an hour, while not physically damaging, would be extremely humiliating.

One must understand that all who passed by the palace gate were imperial officials. After witnessing this scene, he would quickly become the laughingstock of the entire court.

Zu'an narrowed his eyes. "May I ask your esteemed name?"

"What, do you want to retaliate against me?" A hint of disdain flashed in the man with the mustache's eyes. "My name is Shi Jun, a Palace Attendant. Everything today is handled impartially; no matter where you complain, you won't be able to do anything to me."

"Shi Jun?" Zu'an suddenly realized. "What is your relationship with Shi Kun?"

The man with the mustache stared coldly at him, and after a long pause, said, "Shi Kun is my younger brother."

Zu'an thought to himself, 'No wonder I found him somewhat familiar just now. So he's that fellow's brother.'

Shi Jun then said, "I am certainly not targeting you because of my brother's matter. Everything is strictly official business."

The Shi brothers had a very strong bond. This fellow in front of him had caused his brother's death, so naturally, he had to seek revenge.

Originally, the Shi family had been somewhat cautious due to the Crown Princess. However, people from the Prince of Qi's manor had come to communicate with them, and with their cooperation, the Shi family naturally had no more reservations.

As for Zu'an defeating the Crown Prince of Qi, the Shi family did not take it seriously. According to their intelligence, this fellow merely possessed some extraordinary movement techniques, and his true cultivation was at most around the sixth or seventh rank.

The Crown Prince of Qi's defeat was mainly due to underestimating his opponent, coupled with the secret assistance of a mysterious master.

Now, in the imperial palace, what mysterious master would dare approach? The Emperor would easily strike them dead!

Furthermore, he himself was a seventh-rank master, so he dared to openly challenge Zu'an without restraint.

Passing officials nearby scoffed, thinking, "Who would believe such words?" However, no one would come forward and say anything at this moment.

After all, there was no evidence to prove he was using his public office for personal revenge, and no one wanted to provoke the Shi family.

"Official business, huh?" Zu'an repeated his words, deliberately drawing out the pronunciation.

Shi Jun snorted, "No matter what you're thinking, you'll have to obediently listen now and get out of the way!"

He deliberately said this to provoke the other party. Once the other party couldn't control himself, he could call the imperial guards. With his legitimate authority, he had plenty of ways to handle him.

Zu'an shook his head. "I just want to correct a serious mistake you've made."

"What?" Shi Jun frowned, secretly wondering if there was any oversight on his part. But as he reviewed, he realized he was thoroughly familiar with all the rules of etiquette. Even if he called the Emperor, there would be no fault to find with him.

Zu'an chuckled. "Who said one hand can't clap?"

The moment he finished speaking, he instantly teleported in front of Shi Jun. With a crisp slap, a red five-fingered mark appeared on Shi Jun's face.

Zu'an had already returned to his original position, rubbing his hand. The recoil from that slap had been quite jarring. "See? Didn't one hand clap?"

Everyone around was stunned. This sudden turn of events was beyond everyone's expectation: firstly, his speed was too fast; secondly, no one had anticipated that he would dare to strike.

Shi Jun clutched his face, his head buzzing. For a moment, his mind had gone blank; it took him a while to react.

"I was hit?"

"I was damned hit by this guy!"

"And in front of so many officials?"

He instantly flew into a rage. "You, Zu'an, are courting death!"

Nevertheless, he did not impulsively strike back himself. Instead, he quickly calmed down. "To openly assault an official overseeing decorum, this is a grave crime! Guards, seize this man, give him one hundred strokes with a staff, and then imprison him in the Celestial Dungeon to await the Emperor's judgment!"

He recalled the Crown Prince of Qi's defeat at Zu'an's hands. Coupled with the fact that Zu'an's movement technique just now was too fast for even him to clearly see, he might not be guaranteed a victory if he attacked himself.

If he couldn't apprehend the other party quickly, the humiliation would be even greater. Therefore, it was better to use other forces.

With his current status as an inspector of official decorum, he was authorized to mobilize the imperial guards under specific circumstances.

The surrounding imperial guards were also somewhat dumbfounded. In all their time on duty, they had never witnessed such a thing.

In the past, which official found to be improperly dressed wasn't utterly terrified and obediently accepting punishment on the side? Who would openly resist and assault an inspector like this?

Since the founding of the Great Zhou — no, in all dynasties — had such a precedent ever occurred? So, hearing Shi Jun's exasperated roar, they couldn't collect their thoughts for a moment. What was the proper procedure for handling something like this?

Zu'an, seizing the opportunity, said to Shi Jun, "You keep claiming to inspect the decorum of all officials. Then I ask you, if an official is improperly dressed, even with their pants not properly worn, what crime is that?"

Shi Jun instinctively replied, "That is, of course, a crime of disrespect and contempt for court regulations, which leads to dismissal and investigation, and in severe cases, exile."

After speaking, he froze. *Why did I answer him?* The immediate priority was to apprehend this fellow.

Just as he was about to urge the imperial guards to act again, Zu'an's playful voice rang out, "Oh, I was just about to remind you, your pants fell down."

"Nonsense, don't think that—" Shi Jun scoffed, but unfortunately, halfway through his sentence, he felt a chill on his legs. He looked down, and his pants had indeed fallen to his knees. He instantly froze on the spot.

Zu'an said to the imperial guards beside him, "This man is improperly dressed! Why aren't you seizing him for dismissal and investigation, then exiling him to the frontier?"

The imperial guards instinctively nodded, but then felt that something was amiss. For a moment, they didn't know what to do.

The surroundings erupted in an even greater uproar, making more noise than before.

The officials who had just passed by had merely observed coldly. Now, everyone rushed forward to gawk, gossiping. Many were secretly commenting:

"The Shi family certainly has good genes; they're all fair-skinned and clean-looking."

"But there's no hair on his legs. Doesn't feel manly at all."

"Hmm, he's wearing such flashy shorts underneath. So refined, so refined indeed!"

Hearing the discussions around him, Shi Jun looked up at the sky, his voice sharp and mournful. "No!"

He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and then collapsed stiffly.

Spitting out such a mouthful of blood looked alarming, but with his cultivation, it was actually harmless.

But it was too humiliating! In such a situation, feigning unconsciousness was the decisive best option.

"That damned Zu'an!"

Zu'an, meanwhile, took advantage of the chaos at the palace gate and slipped directly into the imperial palace. He secretly scoffed to himself, 'They still want to play by the rules with me? Don't they know I'll just flip the table?'

He arrived at the Eastern Palace and idly played a few games of Gomoku with the chubby Crown Prince, making the latter shriek in frustration every time. This made Xiao Xuzi and Xiao Hezi, who were standing by, secretly break out in a cold sweat, thinking, 'Lord Zu has a truly bold heart, daring not to let the Crown Prince win.'

Time passed in this manner. Soon, the morning court session at the Hall of Supreme Harmony concluded. The Crown Princess returned from outside with a solemn expression. "Gather all direct officials of the Eastern Palace! There's a matter of life and death to discuss!"