Chapter 1299: Vicious and Merciless

Naturally, the so-called ‘Golden Token Eleven’ in the room was Pei Mianman. If one were to ask who in this world understood Zu An the most, whose relationship with him was closest to one of husband and wife in this world, it wouldn’t be Chu Chuyan, nor would it be Zheng Dan; rather, it would be Pei Mianman, who had spent several decades with Zu An in the Yinxu dungeon. She knew about Zu An’s Golden Token Eleven identity, of course. Zu An had even left a set of his clothes with her.

When she had learned that Zu An’s situation was unfavorable, that he might have betrayed the human race and defected to the fiend races, she almost lost her head out of anxiety. That was why she had decided to just dress up as a man and try to save him with Golden Token Eleven’s identity.

However, she hadn’t expected her cover to be blown so quickly. She had clearly done her best to hide her identity, and even tied up her chest to make it smaller, so how could they tell? However, she could only brace herself and continue.

“Do you not know that deceiving the ruler like this is a crime punishable by clan eradication?!” Pei Shao exclaimed, panicking when he didn’t hear her reply. The happiness he had felt from seeing victory in sight was already gone without a trace.

Pei Mianman harrumphed. She said through ki transmission, “Since you know the severity of the matter, don’t expose me. On the contrary, help me hide my identity.”

Pei Shao was left at a loss for words. She’s making so much sense that I don’t even know what to say. But why do I feel so wronged then?

Those from the court were confused about what was happening. Thornsun Duke, Lone Rider Attendant Zhao Shu couldn't help but ask, “You said he could return. Where is he then?”

“He went to carry out a secret mission assigned by me,” Pei Mianman said. “I have not had time to make a report to the chief commander yet, so I must ask for the chief commander’s forgiveness.”

Others might not know who Golden Token Eleven was, but how could the emperor and Zhuxie Chixin not?

The situation was quite tricky. Pei Mianman was confident that the two of them wouldn’t want to expose the fact that Zu An was Golden Token Eleven, resulting in the current situation. Of course, she was also smart, giving Zhuxie Chixin a chance to back down.

Zhuxie Chixin’s face darkened. Since this person could turn into Golden Token Eleven, they obviously knew of Zu An’s other identity too. She had chosen her stance well, at that. They could either let this end here, or choose to struggle to the end, exposing the fact that Zu An was Golden Token Eleven.

At that point, whether it was those secret missions Zu An had completed, or the Embroidered Envoy that had always remained loyal and true, the consequences of revealing that a Golden Token Envoy had been proven to have colluded with the fiend races and betrayed the state would be devastating.

Zhuxie Chixin was starting to get a headache. He secretly looked toward the emperor, but he wasn’t able to pick up anything from Zhao Han’s expression.

Because King Qi was overly suspicious, he had been secretly observing Zhuxie Chixin from the start. Even though the other person’s movements were slight, they couldn’t escape his detection. He couldn't help but find it a bit strange. Why was it that after Golden Token Eleven appeared, Zhuxie Chixin and the emperor had begun acting so strangely? When he recalled all of the things that had happened, he felt more and more that this Golden Token Eleven was completely different from the other Golden Token Envoys. He was definitely special.

The other officials, who didn’t understand the ins and outs of the situation, waited for Zhuxie Chixin to retort. After all, he had already stated that he hadn’t received any reports. However, he remained silent, not responding directly. The officials were all old foxes, and quickly realized that the situation had changed.

Bi Linglong sighed in relief. Never could she have expected the situation to take such a turn. She looked at that person with great curiosity. Just what kind of a relationship did they have with Ah Zu?

Sang Hong was also confused. Those on the court’s side might not be able to tell through the recording mirror, but he was close enough to deduce that this person was actually a woman.

In the past, he had been a bit unhappy with how Zu An sowed his seed everywhere. The series of events that had happened this time was also because of a woman. And yet, the one who had come to save the situation was another woman… Events in this world really were hard to predict…

Just then, Xu Yu asked, “Are you really Golden Token Eleven?”

He had already invested far too much in his accusation, so at this point, he could only succeed or die trying. When he saw that the situation was rapidly changing, he couldn't sit still anymore. He didn’t know why his majesty and Zhuxie Chixin refused to expose the imposter. Since they weren’t going to say anything, he had to be the one to do it.

Pei Mianman was alarmed, but she replied calmly, “Even his majesty and Chief Commander haven’t expressed any suspicion. Could it be that Sir Xu believes that your knowledge exceeds theirs?”

Xu Yu immediately began to sweat buckets. This guy’s mouth really is vicious!

Still, after being in political circles for a long time, he was able to react quickly as well. He said, “This humble official’s poor knowledge obviously cannot compare to the Chief Commander’s, let alone his majesty. However, they naturally cannot see too clearly through the recording mirror from their side, while I am a bit closer to you, so it is easier to see some details.

“According to what I know, Golden Token Eleven should be male, right? You are clearly a woman dressed as a man. Impersonating an Embroidered Envoy is a great crime. Furthermore, deceiving his majesty is a crime punishable by clan extermination. Speak, who was the one who made you do this?” he concluded, his expression and voice equally fierce.

Pei Shao was scared witless when he heard the criminal charges. If Pei Mianman’s identity was exposed, as her father, he would be finished too! As such, he coughed and asked, “Is this a woman dressed as a man? I do not have that impression. Sir Xu, please do not speak recklessly.”

Inwardly, he cursed his daughter halfway to death. At the moment, though, he had no choice but to help her out of this situation.

Sang Hong gave him a look of surprise. He would never have expected Pei Shao to speak up to help their case.

Xu Yu was alarmed. He couldn't understand why his ally would suddenly stab him in the back! Could it be that he received some information I don’t know of? When he recalled Zhuxie Chixin and the emperor’s strange attitudes, he immediately began to panic.

With Pei Shao taking the lead, his trusted aides spoke up in agreement. After all, Pei Mianman had disguised herself carefully. With the embroidered uniform hiding her figure, as well as a mask covering her face, only a select few who were extremely familiar with Golden Token Eleven would be able to tell the difference.

Xu Yu clenched his teeth. At this point, even if he backed down, he was screwed. As such, he braced himself and said, “It is easy enough to determine whether that is true or false. Just have him undo his upper garment in front of everyone and we will all see the truth.”

“Nonsense. Even though there is a recording mirror between us, this is still the court! How can we do something so disgraceful here?” Bi Linglong objected. Inwardly, however, he had felt that this Golden Token Eleven was strange from the beginning. After Xu Yu’s reminder, she finally realized that it was actually a woman.

I wonder which one of Zu An’s female friends this is… For some reason, she felt jealous and angry as she thought of that.

Considering that the crown princess herself had spoken up like that, normally, a subject was supposed to know to back down. However, Xu Yu knew that he was already going for broke. If this matter wasn’t dealt with, the consequences for him would be even more horrible. As such, he continued, “Then have an older woman bring her to a room to examine her. This matter is related to our entire country, so I hope that the truth can come to light.”

Pei Mianman sneered. “We Embroidered Envoys have always been the ones to investigate others; there has never been an instance of others investigating us! Must I prove my own innocence because of your ignorant words? How laughable!”

Bi Linglong nodded. This close friend of Zu An is quite smart. This isn’t a situation where you can act according to ordinary logic.

King Qi’s faction and the Eastern Palace’s members began a war of words, making the place quite noisy. The officials on Cloudcenter Commandery’s side were speechless. They thought to themselves, Big shots are big shots after all; they’re able to quote the classics even while fighting.

Xu Yu stepped forward and said gravely, “Chief Commander Zhuxie, this is your subordinate. Whether or not she is to be investigated rests on your decision.”

He was also extremely upset. This was clearly something they had already tacitly agreed on, so what were they shrinking back for? He couldn't just fight for it all by himself, right? Dragging in his majesty was out of the question, but there was no way he would let Zhuxie Chixin watch the situation as if he had nothing to do with it.

Zhuxie Chixin’s expression changed greatly. While he was at a loss for what to do, his ears suddenly twitched a bit, as if he had received some instructions. He thus said, “Golden Token Eleven is indeed not a woman. For the sake of the truth, guide him to the next room for an investigation. If he is innocent, then Sir Xu, you have falsely accused a Golden Token Envoy, which is a crime that bears heavy punishment. If he is a fake…”

He gave Xu Yu a fierce look. Xu Yu immediately understood. If that was the case, the fake naturally wouldn’t be given a chance to return to the room to cause further trouble.