Chapter 914: Flip Over

Zu'an showed no panic at all, simply smiling as he watched the other person.

Soon, a group of fierce, wolf-like guards burst in, intending to capture him. King Qi frowned, then eventually waved them away. "You don't seem afraid?" he asked.

Zu'an smiled. "Why should I be afraid? I am investigating this case under imperial decree. If Your Highness were to kill me, it would be open rebellion, and even the officials who support you at court would have to distance themselves."

King Qi snorted. "If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't need to do it myself. I could just relay what you said to my imperial brother, tell him you're trying to sow discord between us, and the Emperor himself would have you killed."

Zu'an sighed. "I'll deny everything I've said once I leave this room. When I tell the Emperor that you're framing me because I uncovered the truth about your concubine's drowning, who do you think he'll believe? Can you truly rely on the bond between you and your brother?"

King Qi was startled at first, then burst into laughter. "Haha, you truly are shameless. I admire that about you."

Zu'an also breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was quite confident the other party wouldn't turn hostile, who knew if King Qi might act impulsively? "Your Highness is a wise man, so I won't beat around the bush. I don't want to follow in the footsteps of Sang Hong, which is why I've come to form an alliance with you. This mutual exchange will benefit both of us."

"If you truly want an alliance, why would you still go to the Emperor later to report on the case?" King Qi sneered.

Zu'an sighed. "Your Highness must know how suspicious our Emperor is. Besides, he gave me a strict order: if I don't uncover the truth, I'll be exiled. I have no choice, but I've informed Your Highness in advance. With your means, I'm sure you'll find a way to resolve it."

"You are indeed a clever man, no wonder you've survived this long," King Qi remarked. "Very well, I accept you as my ally!"

Zu'an smiled slightly. "I hope we can cooperate happily in the future!"

"Cooperation it is!" King Qi's eyes gleamed, though it was unclear what he was thinking.

After Zu'an left, King Qi's consort emerged from a secret room behind a bookshelf. "Your Highness, did you truly trust him so easily?"

The smile on King Qi's face had long vanished. "Trust? It's not that simple."

"Could it be that the Emperor deliberately sent him to get close to us?" King Qi's consort frowned. "Perhaps we should secretly have someone tip off the Emperor and see how he reacts?"

"No," King Qi shook his head. "If he truly is a turncoat, I would lose a useful pawn by informing the Emperor."

"But what if he has ulterior motives?" King Qi's consort asked, worried.

King Qi smiled. "He can't gain my trust just by talking. I'll find an opportunity to make him prove his loyalty. Once he starts, he'll get drawn in step by step, and eventually he won't be able to get off the thief... *cough*... won't be able to get off the boat."

Only then did King Qi's consort breathe a sigh of relief. "But I don't like this man. The thought of him possibly becoming one of your loyal followers in the future makes me very uncomfortable. Zhi'er's leg, which he broke last time, still hasn't fully recovered!"

King Qi said coldly, "Don't worry, I'm merely using him. Once he's no longer useful, I'll make sure he pays the price for his insolence towards Zhi'er."

King Qi's consort then beamed. "Your Highness is truly far-sighted."

Zu'an arrived at the imperial palace, feeling exceptionally good today. The case was solved, he had spent a wonderful night with Zheng Dan yesterday, and this morning he had officially connected with King Qi. His future looked bright.

As for King Qi potentially betraying him and informing the Emperor, Zu'an wasn't worried at all. He was, after all, tasked by the Emperor to give King Qi a fake secret manual. When the time came, he could simply claim that all his actions were merely to gain King Qi's trust, and what more could the Emperor say?

As for King Qi himself, Zu'an had no intention of trusting him either. They were merely using each other, and the Emperor's fake secret manual was Zu'an's ultimate gift to him.

After entering the palace, the Emperor had already begun his morning court. Zu'an naturally wasn't foolish enough to wait idly outside the imperial study, so he went directly to the East Palace.

He first went to pay his respects to the Crown Prince. The portly prince pulled Zu'an into various games upon seeing him. It took a considerable effort to finally extricate himself and go greet the Crown Princess.

"Oh, it's Master Zu. This is your first visit to the East Palace in many days. It seems you've become quite busy since your promotion to Viscount," Bi Linglong said, sitting upright at a table. One hand was pinching her sleeve while the other was writing something on the desk, seemingly drawing. She didn't even lift her eyes when she spoke.

The maid, Rong Mo, who stood beside her, shot a surprised glance at her mistress. The Crown Princess was usually gracious and proper in her demeanor, and she always balanced kindness with authority towards her subordinates. She had never openly shown displeasure to anyone like this before.

*Hmph*, she thought, *Zu'an really is too annoying.*

Feeling the strong resentment in her tone, Zu'an wondered if she was upset that he hadn't come to see her lately.

However, with so many people present, he couldn't openly ask. He simply explained, "Recently, the Emperor ordered me to investigate the incident of King Qi's concubine drowning..."

Bi Linglong immediately interrupted him. "Oh, I almost forgot, Master Zu is now a favorite in the Emperor's eyes."

Rong Mo also widened her eyes and glared at Zu'an. *This fellow is actually trying to pressure the Crown Princess using the Emperor! What a nuisance.*

Zu'an was speechless for a moment. *Others might not know, but don't you? How could I possibly be allied with the Emperor?* he thought.

He cleared his throat and said, "Mainly, I was thinking I could help the Crown Princess vent her anger, so I worked tirelessly, not daring to delay. And indeed, I found some things."

Bi Linglong finally looked up, a hint of curiosity in her beautiful large eyes. "What did you find?"

Zu'an hesitated, looking around. "It concerns King Qi, and this matter is confidential..."

His implication was clear: secrets should not be overheard.

Bi Linglong waved her hand. "Momo, the rest of you, withdraw for now."

On a normal day, it would have been inconvenient for her to be alone with Zu'an. But now, with a strong reason, even if word reached the Emperor, it wouldn't matter.

Rong Mo left, puffing out her cheeks in frustration. *The Crown Princess has really changed,* she thought. *Why can't I, her personal maid, hear what's being said? It feels like she's closer to Zu'an.*

A chilling thought struck her: *Is that flattering scoundrel actually trying to vie for her favor against me?*

She didn't suspect anything else; after all, the idea of the Crown Princess developing romantic feelings for another man was simply unthinkable.

Once the door closed, Bi Linglong finally asked, "What is it... Ah!"

With a crisp slap, her face flushed crimson. She quickly suppressed a gasp and turned to glare angrily at him. "What are you doing!"

Zu'an withdrew his hand. "Who told you to deliberately make things difficult for me? You know perfectly well I can't be with the Emperor..."

After all, they were in the imperial palace, so there was no need to speak too explicitly.

Bi Linglong's face stiffened. "I told you before, once we left the secret realm, we'd revert to how we were. You're not to be disrespectful to me..."

Before she could finish, Zu'an pulled her into an embrace, and then her red lips were sealed.

"Mmmph... Mmmph..."

Bi Linglong hadn't expected him to be so bold. Feeling both shy and afraid, she instinctively tried to push him away, but his arms were like iron bands. After several failed attempts, she had no choice but to give up.

*This man is too dominant!*

She, who had always been conventional and strictly adhered to palace etiquette, was now experiencing something entirely new and unprecedented.

Memories of their time together in the secret realm flashed through her mind. A wave of sweetness welled up in her heart, and she slowly closed her eyes, beginning to gently respond to him.

Suddenly, she sniffed, instantly opening her eyes. She fiercely pushed him away, a thin layer of frost covering her pretty face. "Master Zu, you just came from someone else's embrace, and now you come to amuse yourself with me? What do you take me for!"

Rage points from Bi Linglong +444444444...