Chapter 732: You Can Definitely Do It

“Empress?” Zu An’s heart stirred. He did indeed have something he needed to discuss with the Empress.

Zu An made his way to Kunning Palace, where he encountered Eunuch Lü outside the gates.

Eunuch Lü scrutinized him from head to toe, then offered a smile that looked worse than a grimace. "Go on in," he said, "Her Majesty is waiting for you inside."

Zu An felt a chill down his spine. The eunuch's gaze was so peculiar; he hoped the old man wasn't a pervert.

Inside the inner hall, sandalwood incense wafted, its unique fragrance unconsciously calming his mind.

"Greetings, Empress." With other palace maids and eunuchs nearby, proper etiquette could not be neglected.

The Empress sat gracefully on her phoenix chair, her magnificent attire accentuating her beauty. Seeing her was like glimpsing the future Crown Princess.

Although they weren't related by blood, their dignified elegance was indeed quite similar.

Hmm, no, that's not quite right. There was at least one major difference: as the Empress sat casually, one could faintly discern the full, ample curve of her hips—a feature the Crown Princess couldn't match.

Of course, the Crown Princess was also impressive; he still remembered the sensation from that day—extremely firm and elastic, a youthful feeling distinctly different from the Empress.

The Empress waved her hand, signaling the others to withdraw.

Only Little Gui and Little Zhuo remained to serve her.

Though she was the Empress, there were many taboos regarding meeting outside officials in the inner palace; someone had to remain present.

Once the palace maids and eunuchs had left, she then motioned for Little Gui and Little Zhuo to stand guard outside the door.

The two bowed respectfully and withdrew. As they passed Zu An, they gave him a friendly smile, clearly remembering his previous kindness.

Soon, only the two of them remained in the room. The Empress said calmly, "If anyone else looked at me like that, I would have long since gouged out their eyeballs."

Zu An sighed deeply. "Your Majesty possesses such beauty, yet it's confined to the deep palace, untouched. The other servants, awestruck by your status and authority, dare not look directly at you. This beauty is far too wasted. Naturally, I must take a few extra glances to compensate for their loss."

A blush appeared on the Empress's cheeks, and her initially sharp phoenix eyes softened slightly. "You certainly have a sweet tongue. However, if the Emperor heard those words, it would likely be a capital offense. His Majesty clearly wouldn't want anyone helping him do what he's supposed to do."

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. A mature woman truly was a mature woman, effortlessly making playful advances. If he were a naive youth, he might genuinely be led astray by her subtle hints.

He replied with a smile, "As long as Your Majesty doesn't say anything, how will the Emperor know?"

The Emperor was constantly threatening him, so Zu An was naturally displeased and spoke with less deference.

At this, the Empress's face darkened. "How dare you speak such disrespectful words!"

Someone else might have been truly frightened by her, but Zu An remained unfazed. "Your Majesty sent everyone else away; weren't you implying something to me?"

The Empress stared intently at him. After a long moment, she suddenly let out a chuckle. "You truly are different from other servants. I suddenly find it amusing to have a companion like you."

"Oh?" Zu An said noncommittally. "Why did Your Majesty summon me today?"

"Can't I summon you if there's no specific reason?" The Empress rose to her feet. As she moved, a refreshing fragrance wafted to Zu An's nose.

Zu An gazed at her peach-blossom-like cheeks. "Unless Your Majesty is lonely in her chambers and seeks a man."

The Empress let out a soft laugh, her phoenix eyes glinting with a strange light. "Why not?"

This time, it was Zu An's turn to be stunned.

Seeing his dazed expression, the Empress snorted. "You dog of a servant, you really do have designs on me. I don't know if you're ignorant or simply audacious."

"My courage is quite limited," Zu An said. "I've always behaved properly in this palace, never daring to overstep."

"Heh heh," the Empress sneered twice. "If you were proper, then all the eunuchs in this palace would be men. Would a timid person even dare to touch the Crown Princess?"

Zu An's expression grew serious. "The Crown Princess and I are innocent; Your Majesty should not spread rumors."

The Empress scoffed, "Someone else might believe you lack the nerve, but you even dare to disrespect me. What's a mere Crown Princess in comparison?"

Zu An didn't fall for her trap. "If I weren't innocent, would the Emperor have spared me?"

The Empress frowned deeply. "That's what I can't understand. Given Zhao Hao's temperament, even if you were innocent, the moment you became entangled with the Crown Princess, he wouldn't have let you live."

"Perhaps I'm just lucky," Zu An mused to himself, sighing. As expected of a married couple, she truly understood the Emperor well.

Ultimately, the Emperor still needed his help to deal with Prince Qi; he hadn't truly let him off the hook.

Once Prince Qi was handled, it would be the classic 'cook the running dog after the rabbit is caught' scenario.

Furthermore, he still had to investigate who framed the Crown Princess in that case. If he couldn't find them, he would likely be finished.

Damn it, he was supposed to do the Emperor's bidding, yet his life was constantly being threatened.

As the deadline approached, his irritation grew.

"Oh, that's right. The last time you had Miss Chu convey a message to me, asking me to investigate those palace maids and eunuchs for you..." the Empress suddenly began.

Before she finished, Zu An's spirits lifted, and he eagerly pressed, "Have you found any leads?"

Shi Jun had been taken away a few days ago, breaking that lead, which had been troubling him.

The Empress seemed puzzled. "You're not investigating the case yourself, so why are you so concerned?"

Zu An replied calmly, "I need to know who is secretly trying to harm me."

"I'm not so omnipotent as to uncover all that," the Empress said. "I merely eliminated some suspects. They were completely unaware of the matter, simply swept along by their companions. After much investigation, I discovered that all those individuals were summoned to the scene by seven people using various pretexts."

"Which seven people?" Zu An pressed.

The Empress walked gracefully to the side, took a small booklet from a cabinet, and dangled it. "The list is right here."

Just as Zu An reached for it, the Empress pulled her hand back, hiding the booklet behind her. "What benefit do I get from giving this to you?"

Zu An frowned slightly. "What do you want? Anything I can do, I will certainly do without hesitation."

At the same time, he was curious. She was a dignified Empress; what could she possibly lack? Why would she ask him?

The Empress smiled faintly. "You can definitely do it."

Looking at her mysterious smile, Zu An felt something was amiss. "What is it, exactly?"

The Empress didn't answer, instead changing the subject. "During the days you were imprisoned, Miss Chu came to see me. I must say, you're quite fortunate with women. Miss Chu is truly like a goddess, and she cares for you so deeply."

A soft smile appeared on Zu An's face. "She is indeed wonderful."

The Empress then continued to chat with him about Chu Chuyan for a while, before saying, "Later, Miss Chu visited me a few more times. I heard her mention that her meridians were severed due to an accident in the secret realm, and it was your heroic rescue that brought you two together."

"That must be destiny," Zu An said with a smile, thinking to himself, *Why does that foolish woman tell everyone everything?*

However, he quickly realized that Chu Chuyan was likely desperate to save him at the time, and since the Empress was one of the people who could potentially help, she had answered her questions so cooperatively.

The Empress then casually asked, "By the way, how did you save her back then?"

Zu An replied, "By a stroke of luck, I found a Trace-less Illusion Lotus, which allowed me to save her."

He certainly couldn't tell her that he had diligently worked on Chu Chuyan's body, restoring her through yin-yang harmonization, could he? If he said that, the Empress wouldn't think he was being a hooligan, would she?

"Is that so?" The Empress remained noncommittal.

Zu An said, "I've answered everything you asked. Shouldn't you give me that list now?"

The Empress still shook her head. "Come back again tonight, and I'll give it to you then."

Zu An was startled. "Why must I wait until tonight?"

The Empress replied, "Because then I'll need you to do something for me."