Chapter 746: New Discovery

Zu An's heart skipped a beat, but he showed no emotion on his face. "Today, Golden Medallion Eleven had a conflict with Murong Luo at Chongwen Gate. Chu Chuyan was also present then, and I learned about it from him. Why would the Crown Princess have such a strange idea?"

The Crown Princess's cheeks felt slightly warm. She didn't understand why she had blurted out the question. When she had encountered Golden Medallion Eleven before, she always felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity about him. Occasionally, for a fleeting moment, she would even associate him with Zu An holding her.

In her heart, there was even a faint hope that Zu An, with whom she had been intimate, and Lord Eleven were the same person. This way, she wouldn't have to agonize over certain matters.

However, she herself wasn't entirely clear about this thought, and her question just now had been an impulsive one.

Facing Zu An's gaze, she felt utterly mortified. What was wrong with her? How could she possibly connect this lecherous fellow with Lord Eleven? Lord Eleven was stern and domineering, with an inexplicable handsomeness. This guy, on the other hand, was always grinning and joking, completely unlike Lord Eleven.

As she thought this, she gradually calmed down. She lightly coughed and said, "It's nothing. I was just asking casually. Golden Medallion Eleven seemed to appear out of nowhere, and I'm merely curious about his identity."

Zu An uttered an "Oh," but secretly wiped a cold sweat from his brow. These women's sixth sense was simply too accurate.

The Crown Princess's mind was now a little flustered, and she didn't want to look at his face. She hastily summoned her maidservants, "Come, gather Prince Liang, Lord Meng, Lord Bi, General Liu… for me."

Zu An asked curiously, "Does the Crown Princess have a plan?"

These people were all staunch supporters of the Emperor's faction, each holding a high and influential position. Calling them together must be for an important matter.

"That's not for you to ask!" The Crown Princess frowned, but remembering his special relationship with her, her tone unconsciously softened. "Ouwu belongs to Prince Qi, and the Murong family behind Murong Luo is also aligned with Prince Qi. If I don't use this opportunity to purge some of Prince Qi's forces, what kind of Crown Princess would I be?"

Zu An thought to himself that Ouwu was now missing, leaving only Murong Luo. Although the Crown Princess hadn't explicitly said it, it was entirely conceivable that Murong Luo would likely be imprisoned and severely tortured by those loyal to the Crown Prince. Even if he were truly innocent, he would be tortured into confessing and implicating members of Prince Qi's faction.

"Alas, Brother Murong is truly pitiful."

Zu An felt deep sympathy for this, but why was the corner of his mouth unconsciously curling upward?

Seeing that she was about to meet with important figures, Zu An rose to take his leave. The Crown Princess nodded, but as he reached the door, she suddenly called out to him, "Oh, by the way, I asked you to find an opportunity to get rid of Consort Bai. Do you have a plan yet?"

Zu An secretly clicked his tongue. These women were truly terrifying when they were ruthless. He could only reply, "Not yet. After all, she is of noble status and has resided in the palace for a long time, making it difficult to act."

The Crown Princess knew he was speaking the truth, but she still said, "Although there's no rush, don't forget it. Take your time to think about it."

Zu An gave a perfunctory reply and then left the study. He was about to speak with the Piao Duandiao brothers to thank them for their earlier warning when a eunuch arrived to summon him to the Imperial Study to meet the Emperor.

The other people in the Eastern Palace all looked envious:

"Lord Zu is truly in high favor with the Emperor. His Majesty frequently summons him."

"Not only that, even the Crown Princess holds him in exceptionally high regard."

"We should also get on good terms with him."

A group of people eagerly went to consult Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun. Everyone could sense that they had the closest relationship with Zu An.

The two looked at the eunuchs with sympathetic expressions. "I'm afraid our method is something you eunuchs cannot learn."

There are three unbreakable bonds in life: sharing a classroom, fighting on the battlefield together, and…

Do you think these eunuchs can learn that?

"How much sorrow can one man bear? It's just like a group of eunuchs visiting a brothel."

Compared to their envy, Zu An was fully aware of his own troubles. What was wrong with the Emperor? He was summoning him more enthusiastically than he summoned his own concubines.

Thinking that he had just "cultivated" on the Empress's noble body all night yesterday, he felt a bit guilty going to see the Emperor now.

Arriving at the Imperial Study, Zu An saw Eunuch Wen at the door wearing a benevolent expression, which indicated that the Emperor seemed to be in a good mood today. Only then did he slightly relax.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Every time Zu An had come to the Imperial Study before, he felt an inexplicable worry and fear. Looking at the man on the dragon throne, he always felt he was high above, like a deity scrutinizing him.

But looking at him now, although the other's imposing aura remained, he could clearly see the other's face.

The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and the faint white hairs at his temples all showed that although he was the strongest person in the world, he was ultimately no match for the power of time.

"Why are you staring at the top of my head?" The Emperor frowned, keenly aware of the peculiarity of Zu An's gaze. He unconsciously touched the top of his head, even though there was nothing there.

Zu An thought to himself, 'I'm looking at the green hat on your head' (a Chinese idiom for being cuckolded), but of course, he dared not say this. He hastily said, "Your subject is merely marveling at Your Majesty's imposing aura. Even sitting there in casual clothes, you still seem to wear an invisible crown."

A faint smile appeared on the Emperor's face. No matter how powerful he was, he was still human, and who wouldn't like to hear flattery?

"Flattery won't help you now. How is the investigation of the Crown Princess's case progressing? If the deadline arrives and you haven't uncovered anything, We will show no leniency." Although the Emperor was pleased inwardly, he showed no sign of it, instead giving a cold snort with a stern face.

Zu An had long since figured out his routine and was no longer as worried as before. "Replying to Your Majesty, I have made some progress in the investigation these past few days…"

He then told him about the discoveries regarding Ouwu, Murong Luo, and so on. As for Xinrui's younger brother, he didn't mention it for now.

He wasn't afraid that others among the Embroidered Uniform Guards would secretly inform the Emperor.

After all, the matter had not yet been thoroughly investigated, so it was excusable not to inform the Emperor of uncertain details.

"Xuanwu Gate, Chongwen Gate…" The Emperor's pupils contracted slightly. He thought to himself, 'Zhao Jing's reach is extending further and further. These are all critical positions.'

"You've done well. You may leave," the Emperor said in a deep voice. How he would leverage this information later didn't need to be discussed with this young man; he wasn't qualified to know such things.

"Yes!" After Zu An left the study, he felt the pent-up frustration in his chest vanish. The Emperor was a man, not a god; he wasn't omniscient or omnipotent. All that talk of divine consciousness covering the entire palace was nonsense. He had "labored" on the Emperor's Empress yesterday, and the Emperor still knew nothing. Today, he still treated him like a slave, to be manipulated and reprimanded at will. Yet, the actions that once terrified him now seemed so ridiculous in his eyes.

What "number one under heaven" nonsense? In front of me, he was still a failure. And sooner or later, I would surpass him in cultivation.

"Look how pleased you are with yourself. Only you could elevate 'playing with a woman' to such a profound level." Mi Li appeared beside him at some unknown point, giving him an exasperated look.

Zu An's expression changed slightly. "Can you really read my thoughts?"

Mi Li snorted. "Why would I need to read your mind? Just looking at your smug, high-spirited face, I could guess it with my toes."

Zu An quietly looked at her and deliberately thought, 'Sooner or later, I'll strip you bare.'

Mi Li's eyebrows shot up. She reached out and slapped him directly across the face. However, this time Zu An retreated faster, narrowly dodging with a quick slide.

"Oh, so you're using the movement technique I taught you against me!" Mi Li gritted her teeth, resentment bubbling up in her heart.

Anger value from Mi Li: 233233233…

Zu An immediately shouted, "And you said you couldn't read my mind!"

"Your eyes are off," Mi Li's expression suddenly changed too. "It seems you really were thinking about all sorts of inappropriate things."

This time, she couldn't hold back anymore. She directly controlled the Taia Sword to relentlessly tap him on the head.

Passing palace maids and eunuchs nearby couldn't help but whisper:

"Is that lord practicing some technique? Why is he acting so strangely?"

"I'm more impressed by how hard his head is. It seems even a sword can't break it."

"He must be practicing sword control techniques, right?"

One day later, the Embroidered Uniform Guards finally found information about Xinrui's younger brother.

Their men found his younger brother, Huabao, in a gambling den in Gaoling County, near the capital. Unfortunately, the gambling den was too chaotic at the time, and he managed to escape.

"What?!" Zu An was furious. A group of professional Embroidered Uniform Guards had let an ordinary degenerate gambler escape?

I just realized something annoying: I got Murong Qinghe's cousin's name wrong. It was initially Murong Xiu, but then it became Murong Luo…

Never mind, I'll just make it Murong Luo consistently. After all, the name Murong Xiu only appeared in one chapter, so it's easier to change.