Chapter 706: Catching the Thief and the Stolen Goods

The Crown Princess saw Zu'an right in front of her. Her eyes were initially a little dazed, making her think she was still dreaming. She instinctively reached out to rub her eyes, but the movement made her feel a chill on her body.

She instinctively looked down and saw herself lying naked in his arms. Her face instantly turned pale.

"Ah!" She cried out, but immediately covered her mouth, her voice abruptly cut short.

Clearly, even at such a critical moment, she didn't lose her composure. She knew that if her scream attracted attention, Zu'an would surely face a death sentence, and she would be ruined as well.

Simultaneously, without hesitation, she kicked him in the stomach.

Rage from Bi Linglong: 999,999,999...

Zu'an, of course, wasn't foolish enough to let her kick him. He reached out and directly grabbed her foot, sighing, "Crown Princess, we've clearly been set up!"

The Crown Princess's face flushed crimson. "You don't need to tell me that; of course I know I've been set up!"

Rage from Bi Linglong: 888,888,888...

"Let go!" the Crown Princess whispered, her face burning with shame. Her kick had been an instinctive reaction; she hadn't expected her foot to be caught. Now, with neither of them wearing clothes, their posture was incredibly indecent.

Zu'an's gaze involuntarily flicked downwards, then his expression stiffened. He awkwardly let go of her foot. "Sorry, sorry, it wasn't on purpose!"

The Crown Princess's face was so crimson it seemed about to bleed, and her heart was churning with rage. She quickly pulled the nearby blanket to cover herself, but her delicate collarbone and rounded shoulders remained exposed, looking incredibly tempting.

"Did you do anything to me just now?" After the initial anger and panic, the Crown Princess gradually calmed down. She understood that the immediate priority was to resolve this matter; other scores could be settled with him later.

Zu'an hesitated, "I don't know."

"You don't know?" The Crown Princess's blood pressure instantly soared.

Rage from Bi Linglong: 666,666,666...

Zu'an replied, "I didn't wake up much earlier than you. I also felt completely disoriented. It seems I just touched and held you, but nothing more... Don't you know if anything specific happened yourself?"

"Touched and held? And you call that 'nothing'?" The Crown Princess's eyelids twitched. In fact, as she questioned him, she had also discreetly checked under the blanket and found no signs of violation. But hearing his words, why did she want to hit him so badly?

She took a deep breath, barely calming herself down. She looked around and demanded, "Where are my clothes? Quickly bring them to me."

Her current state clearly wasn't suitable for searching for her clothes herself; otherwise, she would be completely exposed.

Zu'an turned sideways and began searching nearby. As he shifted, the Crown Princess's gaze sharpened, and she thought, "Is this guy an idiot?!"

After a quick scan, Zu'an shook his head. "There are no clothes."

Since someone was setting them up, they wouldn't allow them to put on clothes. He figured he must have woken up early, before the other party's scheme could be fully executed.

Wait, why did the Crown Princess also wake up early?

However, now was not the time to dwell on that. He quickly looked around. "Crown Princess, do you know where this is?"

It didn't look like the previous hall, but rather a private residence. Had they already left the palace? Impossible. Since they intended to frame them, it must still be within the palace.

The Crown Princess's face, already ashen from hearing there were no clothes, instinctively replied to his question, "This is not the Hundred Flowers Palace. That wretched Consort Bai wouldn't dare frame me in her own residence." Having lived in the palace for many years, she was intimately familiar with the architectural specifications, grades, and styles. The materials of the furniture and the patterns on the window lattices were not typical for a concubine's residence.

Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted outside. "It's over there! I think I just saw someone suspicious heading that way."

Zu'an was startled. The voice was somewhat familiar; it was Shi Jun, who had caused him trouble at the palace gate that morning. Could this guy be playing such a dangerous game? Daring to involve even the Crown Princess? At this moment, a realization dawned on him. No wonder Shi Jun had dared to openly target him earlier, showing no regard for the influence of the Crown Prince's faction behind him. It turned out he had planned to implicate the Crown Princess from the very beginning.

Why was he so bold as to implicate the Crown Princess?

The Crown Princess's small face was now ashen, and she was so anxious she was almost in tears. "It's over, it's over..."

She was utterly distraught. When those people burst in and saw them both naked, no explanation would be useful. Even if she claimed nothing had happened, no one would believe her. Moreover, the royal family, to conceal the scandal, would ensure her silent demise, and even the Bi family would face utter ruin.

Zu'an's hair also stood on end; he knew he was facing a life-or-death situation. Previously, the emperor had wanted to chop off his hand just for hugging the Crown Princess. If he discovered them in such a compromising state, he would undoubtedly grind Zu'an to dust.

Just then, a faint, anxious voice reached his ear: "Run quickly! I'll hold them off for a while!"

It was a woman's voice, but he didn't recognize it; he likely hadn't heard her speak before. His first reaction was that this was another part of their scheme, designed to make him walk into a trap. But he immediately dismissed this guess. Given his and the Crown Princess's current state, the people outside simply needed to rush in; there was no need for such an elaborate setup.

But who in the palace would help him? He knew that although he had made some acquaintances in the palace, they were at most casual friends. They might help with minor favors, but they would certainly not get involved in a disaster that could lead to their families' ruin.

Could it be Yun Jianyue's insider in the palace? After thinking it over, this was the only possibility, as he didn't know any other women in the palace.

Without a moment's delay, as his thoughts raced, he directly took out a set of robes from the Glazed Pearl and put them on himself. He was grateful that Mi Li had previously taught him how to refine the Glazed Pearl into his body. Without his consent, even if someone disemboweled him, they might not find the Glazed Pearl.

As for the Crown Princess, there was no time to dress her. Zu'an simply rolled her up in the blanket and jumped off the bed.

"What are you doing!" The Crown Princess cried out, both startled and angry, and struggled desperately.

Rage from Bi Linglong: 233,233,233...

Zu'an said in a deep voice, "As the saying goes, 'catch a thief with his loot, catch an adulterer in the act.' As long as they don't catch us red-handed, we still have a chance."

Bi Linglong was momentarily stunned, realizing she had misunderstood him. At this moment, his face was resolute, completely devoid of his usual frivolous and glib demeanor. It was as if he had transformed into a different person in an instant.

"Don't show your face!" Zu'an pressed her head against his chest, then smashed open the window and quickly ran in one direction.

"Over there!" Shi Jun shouted from the doorway, and a group of people immediately rushed towards them.

Zu'an dared not use his usual teleportation or even the Sunflower Phantom movement technique. Otherwise, even if he escaped, being seen and reported to the emperor would still result in a death sentence. That suspicious dog emperor wouldn't care about evidence; he only trusted his own judgment. Fortunately, his cultivation had greatly advanced recently, and relying solely on his physical agility and speed, he wasn't slow.

The sound of gongs and drums echoed behind them as many people rushed to surround and capture them. Even the palace guards had been alerted. Clearly, the other party had come prepared, having already laid a comprehensive net.

The Crown Princess's peripheral vision caught countless figures all around. Her heart sank to rock bottom. "It's over, it's over," she thought, "how can we possibly escape with so many people?" With her embarrassing appearance now exposed to so many people in public, she might as well have died in the room. Although she was wrapped in a thin blanket, she still felt no sense of security.

"Stop!" Four imperial guards rushed towards them, drawing their swords and attacking. The four were clearly well-trained, cooperating seamlessly: two aimed for his vital points, one slashed towards the Crown Princess wrapped in the blanket, forcing him to intervene, and the last blocked his escape route.