Chapter 716: Silencing

"Missing?" Zu'an raised an eyebrow. He supposed it was to be expected; how could such a crucial figure remain in place for people to investigate? As for whether the person was truly missing or had been silenced, he even leaned towards the latter. Unfortunately, he was currently imprisoned and unable to act, nor could he entrust such an investigation to others.

"Oh, by the way, do you know anything about Consort Bai from the Hundred Flowers Palace?" Zu'an asked urgently.

Chu Chuyan's limpid eyes showed a hint of apology. "Time was too short, and it's an internal palace matter. I didn't have time to investigate."

Zu'an took her hand. "I was too hasty. Don't worry about this; let's wait for news from the Empress."

"What exactly is your relationship with the Empress? Why..." Chu Chuyan's cool eyes were filled with confusion. "Why did her expression become so strange when she learned I came for you? Especially after hearing your remark, she wasn't angry at all; instead, she became even more kind to me."

Zu'an smiled slightly. "It's probably because the Empress owed me a favor before, so she'll find a way to save me this time. Don't worry too much."

Chu Chuyan breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good then."

After talking for a while longer, Chu Chuyan quickly took her leave. She understood the priorities; staying there was pointless. She needed to go out and leverage her connections to find a way to rescue him, rather than placing all hope solely on the Empress. Moved by her dedication, Zu'an reminded her not to act rashly out of desperation or be deceived by ill-intentioned individuals. He also told her he had a trump card and would likely overcome this ordeal. Having watched too many melodramatic TV shows in his past life, he didn't want Chuyan to do anything foolish to save him.

Chu Chuyan, being extremely intelligent, immediately understood his implication. Blushing, she scoffed, "What nonsense are you thinking?" Then, a smile like melting snow appeared on her cheeks. "I know you're concerned about me, but don't worry. I managed the Chu clan for years; there's no scheme or trick I haven't seen."

Zu'an finally relaxed. "I forgot my dear wife is an outstanding prodigy who can handle anything, haha." Since there were jailers nearby, Chu Chuyan, with her delicate composure, couldn't quite handle endearments like "dear wife" and hurried away as if fleeing.

A group of jailers, looking envious, ran over to ask him about "wife management techniques." Zu'an chatted boastfully with them while discreetly inquiring about palace affairs.

"Consort Bai? Consort Bai has always kept a low profile; few people know her recent whereabouts."

"I heard her personal maid has been missing for several days."

"Not necessarily. With such a major incident involving the Crown Prince's Palace, Hundred Flowers Palace would naturally keep a low profile. It's normal for a personal maid not to appear."

"Speaking of which, if something truly happened to the Crown Princess, Consort Bai would be the most likely candidate to become the next Crown Princess."

As the jailers discussed, Zu'an became thoughtful.

After a while, he asked again, "What's the situation with the Crown Princess now? Heh heh, this question is a bit sensitive, as both she and I are involved in the case. If it's inconvenient to answer, you don't have to say anything."

The jailers exchanged glances, then one chuckled, "Master Zu, you're too polite. We all know you and the Crown Princess are innocent. It's no big deal to tell you this."

"Exactly, exactly. Yesterday, the palace had a midwife examine the Crown Princess, and there were no signs of her being violated by a man."

"Not only that, but I also heard the Crown Princess is still a virgin."

"That's impossible! The Crown Prince and Crown Princess have been married for so long; how could she still be a virgin?"

"Our Crown Prince, well..."

If it were only about him saving them from the previous jailbreak, they might not have dared to speak so freely. The main reason they spoke so boldly was that they had received news that the Crown Princess was innocent.

Zu'an cleared his throat. "Gentlemen, please be careful with your words. This is likely malicious gossip spread to defame the Crown Prince. You must not fall for it."

The jailers suddenly understood. "So that's it! Master Zu has saved us again."

The group expressed their thanks, feeling a sense of relief, while Zu'an responded briefly before falling into deep thought. He hadn't expected the Crown Princess truly hadn't lied to him; she was indeed still a virgin after so many years of marriage. However, exposing this news at this time would likely cause her a great deal of trouble later. Surely the Emperor wouldn't be so unwise as to reveal her virginity? Could it be Prince Qi's faction? But wouldn't that clear her of suspicion in this incident? He pondered for a while, feeling increasingly bewildered, sensing that there was more to it than met the eye.

Time passed unnoticed. The chatting jailers had long dispersed, leaving Zu'an alone in his cell, contemplating the entire situation.

"Dinner's served! Dinner's served!" A jailer came, placed a food box down, and turned to leave.

Zu'an hadn't expected to get prison food so soon. He looked at the large bowl before him. Since the imperial prison didn't house ordinary criminals, the food wasn't bad. At the very least, there was plenty of white rice, some vegetables, and a few pieces of meat. Having been on the go all night, he was indeed a bit hungry. Zu'an picked up the bowl, ready to devour its contents.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. He looked up at the departing jailer. "Wait a moment!"

"What is it?" The jailer turned back, his tone slightly impatient.

Zu'an scrutinized him. "Why do you look unfamiliar? I haven't seen you before."

The jailer grunted. "I just got transferred here."

Zu'an smiled faintly. "Could I trouble you, young man, to call General Guo for me? I just remembered some important information I need to report to him."

The jailer said impatiently, "Eat your meal. General Guo doesn't have time to see you." With that, he grumbled and walked away.

Zu'an looked down at the food in his bowl, lost in thought.

He didn't know how much time had passed when General Guo Zhi of the Right Guard arrived with a group of people. "Brother Zu, the Grand Justice and the others want to interrogate you."

Zu'an lay motionless in the cell. Guo Zhi called out several times without a response, and his expression instantly changed. "Something's wrong!" He quickly unlocked the cell door, rushed to Zu'an's side, and seeing his face bruised and purple, immediately shouted, "He's poisoned! Quickly, summon an imperial physician!"

The jailers hurried out, while Guo Zhi swiftly channeled his energy, attempting to force the poison out of Zu'an. At that moment, Zhen Xueyi, Jiang Boyang, and Murong Tong also rushed over upon hearing the commotion.

"What happened?"

"Zu'an was poisoned?"

"What were you doing?!"

The three old men's voices rang out, filled with alarm and fury.

At that moment, Zu'an, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly sat up. "I'm fine."

"Huh?" Guo Zhi looked bewildered. Wasn't this guy on the verge of death just a moment ago?

Zu'an offered him an apologetic smile. "Thank you for saving me, Brother Guo. What just happened was a desperate measure on my part." He had become suspicious when he saw the unfamiliar jailer earlier. After saving the demonic cult assassin last time, he knew almost all the jailers in the imperial prison. They had been chatting and joking together recently, and their relationship was quite good. Even if a new jailer had genuinely arrived, it was unlikely such an important prisoner as himself would be handled by a newcomer. That person definitely had ill intentions!

Zu'an's first thought was that someone wanted to silence him, but he wasn't sure who. Actually, Guo Zhi was the biggest suspect, as the imperial prison was his territory, and no one was better suited to carry out such an act. Therefore, Zu'an dared not speak out at the time and could only feign poisoning. When Guo Zhi entered, Zu'an was already on high alert, in case Guo Zhi saw he wasn't dead and tried to finish him off. When the other man tried to expel the poison from him, Zu'an secretly activated the Gluttonous Devouring Art, ready to absorb all of Guo Zhi's cultivation if his inner energy intended to harm him. However, he found that Guo Zhi's internal energy was pure and gentle, indeed attempting to expel the poison. Even so, he didn't dare to be careless and only got up after Jiang Boyang and the others had arrived. He couldn't trust anyone now. Relatively speaking, Jiang Boyang was a bit more trustworthy, given his connection to the beautiful headmistress. Of course, he wouldn't completely trust him based solely on that. His main consideration was that these three Nine Ministers represented different factions, supervising and checking each other, making it impossible for any single one to act.

Murong Tong immediately frowned. "Zu'an, what on earth are you playing at?"

Zu'an sighed, pointing to the bowl of rice buried in the straw pile in the corner. "Someone tried to poison me."