Chapter 942: Incident Occurs

Upon seeing his respectful demeanor, the emperor felt a little more at ease.

He thought for a moment and said, "Prepare yourself over the next few days. Once all other arrangements are in place, I will dispatch an imperial envoy to Cloudriver Commandery, and you will accompany them. At that time, you can utilize your investigative abilities."

Evidently, Zu An had resolved various difficult cases brilliantly during this period, which had earned him the emperor's recognition of his abilities.

Zu An was not surprised that another official would be dispatched. After all, his current status and experience were insufficient to command respect, and this time they were investigating a duke's case, which involved high-ranking officials. It would actually be more convenient for him to remain in the background.

The emperor continued, "Furthermore, I will publicly announce that a Golden Embroidered Uniform Guard will secretly accompany the envoy. Ostensibly, you will be protecting the envoy's party as the Crown Prince's Chief Steward and a Commander of the Imperial Guards. But in reality, you will also be that Golden Embroidered Uniform Guard. Do you understand?"

Zu An was instantly annoyed. "So, I'm the one protecting them openly, and I'm also the one protecting them secretly? Will I get paid for two jobs?"

He quickly said, "Your Majesty, why not dispatch another Golden Embroidered Uniform Guard to accompany us, or perhaps send some powerful generals as escorts? Your humble servant suffered severe injuries in the secret realm recently, and I fear I might be insufficient on my own..."

After all, he now had official backing; it would be a disservice to himself not to fully utilize this advantage. "Charge into battle every time? Am I stupid?"

Listening to him babble on with his complaints, the emperor's eyebrow twitched. This fellow was becoming more and more of a cunning old fox.

He snorted and directly handed something over.

Zu An took it and saw it was an imperial decree. The emperor's words already echoed in his ears: "If, upon reaching Cloudriver Commandery, you encounter any insurmountable master or situation, you may unroll this imperial decree to help suppress them. As for the precise method of invocation, someone from the Embroidery Chamber will instruct you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zu An was delighted. He had witnessed the power of this imperial decree back in Brightmoon City. Indeed, with the decree unleashed, all heroes were powerless. With such a formidable weapon in hand, wouldn't he be able to strut around Cloudriver Commandery?

Of course, there were also hidden dangers. The decree's activation chant was rather long and easily interrupted. He had personally witnessed the tragic fate of Huang Huihong and others earlier, so he still needed to play it safe and not be reckless.

A thought suddenly occurred to him. He tentatively asked, "Does Your Majesty have a candidate in mind for the imperial envoy to Cloudriver Commandery this time?"

"Not yet decided..." The emperor showed a hint of weariness. This matter was of great importance, and he had to consider all aspects. First, he definitely couldn't use anyone from Prince Qi's faction. Secondly, even using someone from his own side wasn't entirely safe. One had to understand that these noble families had intricate connections; two families might be political enemies, but within their families, some individuals might have brotherly ties, not to mention intermarriage between families. Therefore, selecting someone suitable in all aspects was very difficult.

Suddenly, he looked at Zu An with some vigilance. "Why do you ask this? What, do you perhaps have a candidate to recommend?"

"Your humble servant does indeed have a candidate to recommend," Zu An said.

"Tell me," the emperor said noncommittally.

Zu An said, "The Minister of Revenue, Master Sang Hong, is politically upright, loyal to Your Majesty, and a capable official. He should be a suitable candidate."

The emperor's eyes narrowed. Sang Hong was indeed one of the candidates he had been considering lately. However, there was a vast difference between a choice he made himself and one recommended by a subordinate.

He said coldly, "What, have you learned to form factions now? I hear you're quite close with the Sang family."

"Your humble servant is greatly alarmed. Your humble servant has absolutely no selfish motives in recommending Master Sang," Zu An explained. "No, strictly speaking, there is a partial selfish motive. The main reason is that this trip to Cloudriver Commandery is of great importance, and the disappearance of the Duke of Cloudriver is full of suspicious points. If my suspicions are correct, a massive conspiracy is surely involved. If we go to investigate, the mastermind behind it will surely be restless and sleepless; they might even be driven to desperate measures. If we choose an incompetent teammate as the imperial envoy, we might end up putting ourselves in danger instead. Therefore, I naturally hope that the imperial envoy accompanying us is a truly capable person."

"There are many capable officials in the capital, but I've offended quite a few people while handling cases in the capital recently... After much thought, I could only think of Master Sang. Although we had grievances back in Brightmoon City, I trust his character; he would never let personal grudges interfere with important matters."

"Incompetent teammate..." Hearing this term, the emperor smiled knowingly. This fellow's invented terms were quite interesting. Upon hearing him admit to partial selfish motives and old grudges with Sang Hong, the emperor's stern expression softened a few degrees. However, he showed nothing openly. "You need not worry about the imperial envoy; I have my own judgment."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zu An secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing him speak like this, Sang Hong was most likely confirmed, and his significant risk in recommending him had not been in vain.

After leaving the imperial study, Eunuch Wen took him to the Imperial Hospital. While having the Imperial Hospital prepare some valuable calming and qi-replenishing medicinal herbs, he sighed, "Master Zu, I haven't seen anyone with such imperial favor as you in so many years."

"The Emperor's grace is immense..." Zu An responded with a smile, but his heart remained perfectly calm. All of this was simply a benefit the emperor offered for getting things done, and one that he had to cleverly strive to obtain.

Nevertheless, he was still very pleased, because among the medicinal herbs provided by the Imperial Hospital, there was actually Sky Crane Ganoderma, a primary ingredient for refining the Core Gathering Pill.

After bidding farewell to Eunuch Wen, Zu An returned to the Eastern Palace. Bi Linglong still refused to see him; clearly, she was still angry about that day.

Zu An hesitated for a moment, deciding not to tell her about his trip to Cloudriver Commandery for now. Telling her in a few days might be more effective.

After making a brief appearance at the Eastern Palace to show her he had returned safely from the imperial study, he found an opportunity to leave the palace.

He did not return to his viscount's manor. Instead, he first went to the Sang family residence.

After hearing his account of what happened in the imperial study, Sang Hong sighed, "You took a dangerous gamble."

Zu An's expression was calm. "Uncle, you wouldn't always be content to remain in the background, would you? This trip to Cloudriver Commandery is a good opportunity."

Although Sang Hong had recently been reinstated as the Minister of Revenue, nominally overseeing the nation's financial expenditures, the actual power was still controlled by the high-ranking officials in the Imperial Secretariat. He was merely an executor.

In other words, he did the exhausting daily chores while others claimed the credit and benefits.

"My virtuous nephew has given me a great gift," Sang Hong said with some gratitude. Though he thought highly of Zu An, he hadn't expected him to reciprocate so quickly. "But you took too great a risk this time."

Sang Qian, standing nearby, also gazed at Zu An in a daze. Back when the Sang family was in the emperor's immense favor, they were surrounded by sycophants and flatterers. After the Sang family fell into trouble, she truly witnessed the fickleness of human nature.

She finally began to understand her father's painstaking efforts. An alliance with Zu An was indeed a wise choice.

Zu An chuckled, "Uncle, you're too polite. Although there was some risk this time, His Majesty is currently more focused on the affairs of the Yu family. Naturally, he will choose truly capable individuals to go, so it only *seemed* dangerous."

Sang Qian, standing by, was filled with emotion. Not long ago, Zu An's political actions were quite naive, but after her father's guidance a few times, he quickly learned to act like an old fox who had been in politics for decades. Such talent was truly enviable.

"However, this matter in Cloudriver Commandery is quite complicated." The group chatted for a while longer and eventually came to a unanimous conclusion.

Of course, it was precisely because it was complicated that they had the opportunity to go. They believed that with their abilities, they should be able to handle the matter well, so they weren't overly concerned.

After Sang Hong chatted with him for a while, he noticed Zu An occasionally glancing around. He then said to Sang Qian, "Qian'er, take A'Zu to see your sister-in-law. He's very knowledgeable; perhaps he can find a way."

Sang Qian gradually felt less resistant to this matter than before. She readily agreed.

On the way to the inner chambers, Zu An hurriedly asked, "Qianqian, what happened to your sister-in-law?"

A faint blush flashed across Sang Qian's pretty face. Though they had known each other for a while, she was still somewhat unaccustomed to his familiar address. "My sister-in-law, I don't know what's wrong with her. Lately, she's been having nightmares every night. Her spirit has been weakening daily, and she's lost a lot of weight. Many physicians have examined her, but none could diagnose the cause."

Zu An was greatly startled. One must know that cultivators' physiques were far superior to ordinary people's; they rarely fell ill, but when they did, it was usually a serious illness. And for a condition that even physicians couldn't diagnose, who knew if there wasn't some major underlying problem.

He quickly picked up his pace, walking faster than Sang Qian, and rushed straight to push open Zheng Dan's boudoir door.

Sang Qian, behind him, stiffened. The way he moved, so familiar with the place, suggested he had been in there quite a few times before.

Zu An pushed open the door. He saw Zheng Dan sitting in a chair, lost in thought. Previously, she had always been radiant and charming, but now, her face revealed a weak pallor. Even her plump and alluring oval face had thinned considerably, almost becoming a melon-seed shaped face.

At this moment, Zheng Dan subconsciously turned her head. Her previously vacant eyes lit up with joy upon seeing Zu An. "A'Zu!"