Chapter 741: Retribution Unfailing

Zu An felt himself collide with someone, who stumbled backward from the impact. He instinctively reached out to steady them.

His hands met with a soft, warm touch, and he froze.

At that moment, shouts and the clang of weapons being drawn echoed around him. Only then did he realize the woman he was holding was the Crown Princess, and his hand was around her waist.

He quickly released her and stepped back. “My apologies,” he said, “I was leaving in such a rush that I didn’t notice you, Crown Princess. Please forgive my clumsiness.”

Zu An had been so preoccupied with finding Ouwu that he hadn't noticed anyone approaching.

It was strange, though, what the Crown Princess was doing standing at his door so early.

He had spent most of the night in the Empress’s Kuning Palace, then returned and was occupied with Mi Li for half the day. It was already dawn.

“How dare you!” the Crown Princess’s personal maid, Rong Mo, snapped. “Offending the Crown Princess cannot be dismissed with a mere apology! Guards, seize him!”

“Wait!” The Crown Princess raised a hand to stop her attendants. “Lord Eleven’s mistake was unintentional; there’s no need to make such a fuss.”

“But…” Rong Mo began to protest.

The Crown Princess glared fiercely at her. “Girl, haven’t there been enough rumors about me lately? If this escalates, the gossip will be endless.”

Rong Mo stuck out her tongue. She then remembered the “scandal” that had just circulated about her and Zu An; another similar incident would indeed have a negative impact.

At the Crown Princess’s command, the guards sheathed their swords, and the tense atmosphere immediately eased.

“Lord Eleven, what brings you out so early?” The Crown Princess’s face flushed slightly. Though it had been momentary, the sense of security from being held in his arms and the warmth of his large hands had quickened her heartbeat.

However, Zu An’s image suddenly appeared in her mind, and her expression became extremely conflicted and complex.

Mi Li whispered playfully in Zu An’s ear, “Well, well, it seems this Crown Princess is quite fond of you too.”

As she was currently a soul body, only Zu An, whose soul resonated with hers, could see her unless she wished otherwise. Therefore, she spoke without fear of being discovered by others.

Zu An retorted impatiently, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“What?” The Crown Princess looked at him, slightly disbelieving.

Zu An gave an awkward smile. “Nothing, just talking to myself. By the way, it’s fortunate I ran into you, Crown Princess; there’s something I wish to consult you about.”

“No need for such formality, Lord Eleven, please speak freely.” A faint smile graced the Crown Princess’s face, making her appear like a lively young girl, completely unlike her usual stern and formal demeanor in the Eastern Palace.

Zu An asked, “Crown Princess, do you know who Ouwu, the Sima of Xuanwu Gate, serves?”

The Crown Princess’s delicate brows furrowed. She waved her attendants further away, then whispered, “Lord Eleven, why the sudden interest in him? Is he connected to the case you’re investigating?”

She had come here so early precisely to glean information about the case from him, concerned he might uncover what had transpired between her and Zu An previously.

“Precisely,” Zu An replied. “There are indeed some suspicious elements.”

In his view, the Crown Princess and he were naturally on the same side in this matter, so there was no need to conceal anything from her.

The Crown Princess’s eyes lit up, and she quickly said, “He belongs to Prince Qi’s faction, a trusted direct subordinate personally promoted by Duke Wei of the Qin family years ago.”

Zu An frowned. Prince Qi? The Qin family?

Could it be that the Qin family orchestrated this whole affair?

Good heavens, the Qin family is truly ruthless if they’re doing all this just to separate me and Chu Yan.

Feeling annoyed, Zu An cupped his hands and said, “Crown Princess, forgive me, but I must head to Xuanwu Gate immediately and cannot accompany you.” He turned to leave as he spoke.

“I’ll go with you,” the Crown Princess quickly said.

Noticing his puzzled gaze, she said with a hint of embarrassment, “I am also a victim in this matter, and I want to find out who is behind it.”

Zu An didn’t doubt that with her influence, she would know he was investigating her case. He nodded, and then the group quickly made their way towards Xuanwu Gate.

Upon arriving at Xuanwu Gate, they found no trace of Ouwu. When they questioned the guards, they learned he had taken leave a few days ago.

“Which exact day did he take leave?” Zu An pressed.

The guard thought for a moment before replying, “I believe it was the third day after you began your investigation here.”

Zu An’s heart sank. *Bad news.* This man had most likely fled, fearing his crimes would be exposed. He probably waited a day to apply for leave to avoid attracting too much attention right after the investigation began.

He quickly ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guards, who had arrived upon hearing the news, to intercept him at all major city gates. He knew it was likely too late for an interception, but they could at least check all major gates for records of Ouwu’s movements.

He, meanwhile, led his team directly to Ouwu’s home in the inner city. The Crown Princess wanted to go as well, but her status made leaving the palace problematic, so she naturally couldn't join them. She hurried back to the Eastern Palace.

“Where is Lord Zu?” Her first action upon returning to the Eastern Palace was to look around, but sadly, she didn't see the familiar figure.

“Lord Zu has not arrived today,” a eunuch replied cautiously.

The Crown Princess said nothing, but once alone in her inner chamber, she was so furious that she threw a pillow to the floor. “That scoundrel! He’s so unreliable when it matters most!”

This matter concerned her reputation, and she dared not send anyone else to investigate. And at this crucial moment, that man didn't even show up for work on time!

Rage points from Bi Linglong: 233233233…

Galloping on his horse, Zu An was startled to see the string of rage points appearing in his system. He wondered, *I haven't even seen her, how could I have made the Crown Princess so angry?*

“What’s wrong?” Mi Li couldn’t help but ask, sensing his distress.

Mi Li now floated lightly in mid-air; no matter how fast the horse galloped, she always kept pace with Zu An. He had no idea how she managed it.

Zu An thought to himself, *Thankfully, no one else can see her, and it’s not night. Otherwise, seeing a woman in red hovering in mid-air in the dead of night would surely scare people senseless, wouldn’t it?*

“Nothing,” Zu An replied. “I’m pondering the case; I just have a strange feeling about it.”

“It is a bit strange,” Mi Li nodded. Both seemed to have realized something and remained silent.

Soon, they arrived at Ouwu’s residence. A group of Embroidered Uniform Guards stormed inside like wolves, but found no trace of Ouwu, nor his wife and children.

“The mistress left the city with the young master for an outing a few days ago,”

“And isn’t the master on duty in the palace?”

The statements from the household’s servants and maids were all consistent.

Zu An’s brows furrowed deeply. “This complicates things. We couldn’t find Xinrui’s family last time, and now Ouwu’s family is likely gone too.”

“Not necessarily,” Mi Li said in a deep voice. “Ouwu is the Palace Gate Sima. For such a vital department, his family should not be allowed to leave the capital easily. In my era, at least, the court would never permit such a thing, and I imagine the emperor of this world would be similar.”

Zu An quickly asked one of his subordinates, and indeed, received confirmation.

He immediately left some men to continue searching Ouwu’s mansion, then led the rest toward Chongwen Gate.

The capital city was divided into the outer city, inner city, imperial city, and the imperial palace itself. The imperial palace was self-explanatory. The imperial city contained royal gardens, ancestral temples, government offices, inner court service institutions, various warehouses, and military garrisons. The inner city was typically home to high-ranking officials, nobles, and other wealthy and influential individuals, while the outer city was largely populated by common citizens.

Comparatively, the inner city’s defenses were stricter, while the outer city gates, with their heavier civilian traffic, were less rigorously guarded.

Therefore, any records of Ouwu and his family entering or exiting would only be found at the inner city gates.

While the inner city had many gates, each had a fixed function. For instance, some gates were exclusively for the emperor’s carriage, others primarily for transporting grain and water, some for building materials like bricks and timber, some for military movements, and others for prison carts.

Most people primarily used Chongwen Gate to travel between the inner and outer cities.

As the group approached Chongwen Gate, soldiers had already raised their spears defensively, calling out, “Who dares to gallop here…”

However, they quickly recognized the attire of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and their expressions instantly changed. They quickly lowered their weapons and saluted, “Greetings, sirs.”

“Who is in charge here?” Zu An asked in a deep voice.

The soldiers replied, “Reporting to your lordship, the Sima of Chongwen Gate is Lord Murong.”

“Murong?” Zu An frowned slightly. *Could it be someone from the Murong clan?*

At that moment, Mi Li said with a wry smile, “Interesting, interesting. You just ‘played’ with someone else’s wife yesterday, and now your own wife is with another man. Tsk, tsk, tsk, is karma really that swift?”

Zu An: “???”

He quickly looked up, and indeed, on the city wall, he saw a familiar figure: a graceful back clad in a long, ice-blue dress. Who else could it be but Chu Chuyan?

Alas, life has been a bit dull lately, and I’m feeling uninspired. Dear readers, do any of you have ways to spark some passion?