Chapter 728: Big Stick

Seeing Zu An's stunned expression, the Crown Princess said displeasedly, "What's wrong? Do you think I'm heartless and vicious?"

Zu An sighed, "I do feel you're a bit ruthless."

The Crown Princess said coldly, "This imperial palace is a man-eating place. If you don't kill others, they will kill you. Those who aren't ruthless will have tall grass growing over their graves."

Zu An couldn't help but say, "Why go so far? You and Concubine Bai are allies now. What if your guess is wrong and it causes internal strife, ultimately benefiting Prince Qi's faction?"

"I won't entrust my safety to others' good intentions." The Crown Princess glanced at him sideways. "What, feeling sorry for her? Don't forget, you and I are in the same boat now. If she exposes me, I'm finished, and you'll die without a burial place."

Zu An fell silent, realizing what she said was indeed the truth.

Seeing his reaction, the Crown Princess's tone softened. "If I wasn't forced, I wouldn't want to do this either. But right now, you're the only one I can trust. I can't entrust this matter to anyone else, so don't let your emotions get the better of you."

Zu An said gravely, "I know what I'm doing."

Although her plan was the safest, he didn't want to completely become her pawn.

Seeing that he didn't explicitly object, the Crown Princess nodded in satisfaction.

After the group returned to the East Palace, the Crown Princess retired to her inner chambers to rest. Zu An remained outside, receiving congratulations on his promotion from his colleagues. As he responded, his mind was heavy with worry.

Just then, a young eunuch arrived to deliver an imperial decree: the Emperor summoned him.

Everyone else in the East Palace looked at him with envy. Among all the court officials, apart from a few incredibly powerful ministers, he was probably the only one who had the privilege of being summoned by the Emperor every now and then.

They even suspected that the total number of times concubines in the imperial harem had met the Emperor recently couldn't compare to his.

Zu An, however, knew his own difficulties. Every time he met the Emperor, the pressure was immense. That man was temperamental and highly suspicious; one wrong move and his life would be forfeit. This summons was most likely due to the recent rumors about him and the Crown Princess.

Sure enough, upon arriving at the imperial study, the man in the dragon robe, whose face was suffused with a purple aura, fixed him with an unfathomable gaze. "I hear the Crown Princess promoted you to Crown Prince's Chief Secretary?"

Zu An's heart tightened. How much time had passed since then? Yet the Emperor already knew?

Indeed, the palace was full of his informants.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Princess did indeed promote me to Chief Secretary."

The Emperor's face was expressionless. "I hear the Crown Princess was also alone with you, sending all the palace maids and eunuchs to the door?"

Zu An replied, "The Crown Princess is pure-hearted and honorable. We were discussing official matters, so there was naturally nothing to hide."

"She is clever indeed, knowing that by doing so, she can better silence wagging tongues," the Emperor suddenly changed tack. "But I, on the other hand, suspect there truly is something between you two."

Zu An's expression subtly changed. He quickly said, "Your Majesty, I am innocent in my dealings with the Crown Princess. This is entirely a baseless accusation and slander. This matter has already undergone joint interrogation by the Three Judicial Offices, and even Minister Jijiu was asked to ascertain our intentions. They can all prove our innocence."

The Emperor snorted. "I hear you just went to the Hundred Flowers Palace?"

Zu An thought, *This guy's thought process really jumps around.* On the surface, he replied respectfully, "Yes!"

"Why did you go there first? Did something happen there?" The Emperor sat on his high dragon throne, his mood unreadable.

Zu An wondered if the Emperor had found out something.

But he remained relatively calm on the surface. "The Crown Princess suspected that Concubine Bai was the mastermind behind this."

"Then why were they chatting so happily again not long after?" The Emperor picked up his tea cup and took a sip.

Zu An was no longer surprised by the precision of the Emperor's intelligence. "That's because Concubine Bai is kind-hearted and quickly cleared up the misunderstanding. Moreover, with the Crown Prince's grand examination approaching, they both want to work together to overcome this challenge and avoid any further complications."

The Emperor snorted. "At least they understand the importance of the bigger picture."

Then he continued, "So, who do you think framed you?"

Zu An said gravely, "I'm not certain."

"Not certain?" The Emperor sneered. "In the imperial prison, you were repeatedly accusing the Shi family of harming you."

Zu An explained, "That was merely my wild guess, something I could say to the officials of the Three Offices. But without evidence, I dared not speak carelessly to Your Majesty, lest I commit the crime of deceiving the Emperor."

Seeing his astuteness, the Emperor felt much more comfortable. "Do you know why I spared your life this time?"

Zu An tentatively asked, "Did Minister Jijiu prove my innocence?"

The Emperor sneered, "You're mistaken about one thing. Jijiu was asked to ascertain intentions not to prove your innocence, but to prove the Crown Princess's. For a subject to be involved in such rumors with the Crown Princess, it would already be more than enough to warrant death."

"Your humble servant is terrified!" Cold sweat trickled down Zu An's back. It seemed he had still underestimated the Emperor.

*Damn it, I was an emperor in the Yin-Shang Secret Realm myself back then, but I wasn't as underhanded as you!*

Only then did the Emperor say, "You handled the last case of the Demonic Cult assassins well, and you uncovered those in the palace who colluded with the assassins. Seeing your talent in this area, I temporarily spared your life. This time, I'm entrusting you with investigating the case of slandering the Crown Princess. You are to find the mastermind behind it before the Crown Prince's grand examination. If you fail to uncover them, you won't need to live anymore."

Zu An was speechless.

*Others combine carrots with sticks, but you just keep swinging the stick, not a single carrot in sight!*

Despite his inner frustration, he could only smile outwardly. "Yes, Your Majesty, your humble servant will do his utmost to find the true culprit."

"Remember to investigate as Golden Token Eleven," the Emperor reminded him, then slightly closed his eyes, signaling him to withdraw.

Zu An's heart stirred. Seizing the opportunity, he said, "Your Majesty, something strange happened earlier."

"Speak," the Emperor replied, serene as an old deity, seemingly absorbing vital energy.

Zu An said, "Earlier, I discovered someone secretly tracking and investigating me, but no matter what method I used, I couldn't find him. That person seemed extremely skilled in the art of concealment."

As he spoke, he carefully observed the Emperor's expression. He had previously suspected that the mysterious person might have been sent by the Emperor.

However, after spending this time with him, he increasingly felt it was unlikely.

Of course, he didn't lower his guard, hoping to glean some information from the Emperor's expression.

"What?" The Emperor's eyes snapped open, his gaze instantly piercing. "If you say that person is skilled in concealment, then how did you discover him?"

Zu An replied, "I have a special ability that allows me to sense people within a certain distance around me. I could feel he was nearby, but I couldn't find him at all."

He had previously tricked the Emperor into believing he had inherited Old Man Mi's cultivation, so the Emperor already knew he was a formidable expert. Thus, he wasn't afraid to tell him this, as these skills were merely minor tricks in the Emperor's eyes anyway.

Sure enough, the Emperor didn't press further but instead fell into thought. "With your current cultivation, someone who can evade you..."

After a moment, as if he had thought of something, he said gravely, "You don't need to concern yourself with this matter. I will send someone to handle it."

"Yes!" Zu An had obtained the information he wanted and left, feeling satisfied.

After leaving, Eunuch Wen escorted him out, saying with a smile on the way, "Lord Zu, you truly enjoy immense imperial favor! In all these years, our family hasn't seen many who are as highly regarded by His Majesty as you."

"You flatter me, Eunuch Wen," Zu An said, inwardly grumbling, *Imperial favor, my foot! It's nothing but beatings with a stick at every turn. Hmph, sooner or later, I'll make your imperial harem taste a few of my own sticks.*

After exchanging pleasantries with Eunuch Wen for a while and thanking him for his previous care of Chu Chuyan, Zu An departed in a friendly atmosphere, leaving Eunuch Wen thinking, "This young man is quite shrewd."

He returned to the White Sand Courtyard, changed into the attire of Golden Token Eleven, and then went directly to see Guo Zhi, the General of the Right Imperial Guard.

Upon learning his purpose, Guo Zhi cupped his hands and said, "If there's anything you need help with, please don't hesitate to say so, Lord Eleven."

Although his official rank was higher, the Embroidered Uniform Guard's status was special, and Golden Token Envoys were all mysterious figures. Moreover, since Zu An was now acting on imperial orders, Guo Zhi naturally dared not offend him.

Zu An asked, "I need to check all records of people entering and leaving the palace gates within the past few days."