Chapter 1549: Alarmed

“Ah?” Eunuch Wen exclaimed in surprise, thinking he had heard incorrectly.

“Furthermore, let no one else know about this,” Zhao Han continued, glowering. “I just feel that their interaction does not fit that of a ruler and her minister. I hope I am overthinking. If there is something, you are to immediately notify this emperor.”

“Understood!” Eunuch Wen replied, feeling quite shocked. Even though the emperor downplayed the situation, there was no way he would make Eunuch Wen investigate such a thing if he didn’t already have a certain level of suspicion!

The crown princess was noble and refined; she was practically the standard of an elegant and noble court lady. Not even the slightest flaw could be picked out from her etiquette after she had married the crown prince. Many people secretly thought that her beauty was wasted on someone like the crown prince, but that was something they only dared to think in private. The crown prince was the future successor to the throne. Who dared to criticize him?

Someone like the crown princess who came from a great clan was supposed to know the severity of such an action. There was no way she would do anything that crossed the line. That meant the issue had to lie with Zu An.

Even though many people said that Zu An was a bit wild, Eunuch Wen actually thought he was quite an excellent youngster. He even secretly slips me some silvers from time to time.

Zu An was bold, but it wasn’t to the point that he would dare to actually touch the Crown Princess, right? That was a crime punishable by the execution of nine generations!

Even though he felt that it was impossible, Eunuch Wen didn’t show his true thoughts at all. He bowed respectfully to Zhao Han and replied, “Understood~”

Zhao Han nodded and waved his hand, gesturing for Eunuch Wen to withdraw. In truth, with his cultivation, it wouldn’t be hard for him to monitor Bi Linglong and Zu An at all. But he was the emperor with endless things to tend to, so how could he be so leisurely?

Furthermore, after learning the details regarding the Fiend Emperor’s death, especially the existence of the Unknown Region’s immortals, he had actually gained many insights. He needed time to think properly in seclusion. For all he knew, he could even have a chance of making a breakthrough. The end of his lifespan was approaching; he needed to seize every last second.

…

Meanwhile, Zu An still didn’t know that danger was approaching. He had, however, found many materials in the Embroidery House. His Golden Token Envoy identity held more authority than Xiao Jianren, granting him access to some information Xiao Jianren didn’t.

Zu An found it a bit strange that Zhuxie Chixin wasn’t in the Embroidery House. He wondered where that man had gone. According to Xiao Jianren, Zhuxie Chixin had been gone for quite some time. He was probably carrying out some kind of top-secret mission. Zu An didn’t think too much of it, however. The Embroidered Envoys had countless secret missions. It wasn’t something to make a huge fuss over.

Zu An’s attention quickly returned to Sang Hong’s case. He and Xiao Jianren analyzed the situation for a long time. They found a file within a scroll that claimed to have found some Shadow Group assassins’ corpses within a small alley in the city.

After the matter, Embroidered Envoys had interrogated the nearby residents, but they still didn’t know what had happened that night. Because the alley was some distance away from the relay station and the surroundings were quiet, people hadn’t heard any noises. They had just felt that the night was a bit cold, causing them to pull their covers tighter around them when they slept.

Xiao Jianren picked up a magnifying glass and looked through the file. He soon voiced his surprise. “This shouldn’t be! All of the local officials were bribed, so they transferred away the city’s guards ahead of time. Shadow Group’s assassins had the overwhelming majority, so how could so many assassins have died?”

Zu An pointed at the latter parts of the file and said, “That’s why the Embroidery House’s people believe that they weren’t actually assassins from Shadow Group. After all, the alley was too far from the relay station. The local people didn’t hear any sounds of killing either.”

Xiao Jianren suddenly thought of something and asked, “Sir Eleven, if those black-clad individuals faced someone whose cultivation was much higher than them, is there a chance that they were killed without producing any activity?”

“That’s not entirely out of the question,” Zu An replied. He thought to himself and said, “Furthermore, if they had a special cultivation method or certain special skills, they would be able to silently dispatch those assassins. After all, the people living in that alley were just ordinary people. Even if there was a bit of sound, they probably wouldn’t have heard it.”

“Then is there a chance that these were Shadow Group assassins, and they were chasing after Sir Sang, but in the end, a powerful individual suddenly saved Sir Sang?” Xiao Jianren asked contemplatively.

Zu An’s eyes lit up and he replied, “That is indeed a possibility.”

When he saw Zu An’s excitement, Xiao Jianren quickly reminded him, “Sir, please don’t feel too happy yet. Currently, it seems that Sir Sang falling into Shadow Group’s hands is the most likely possibility. There’s only a very small chance of him being rescued by a passing expert.”

He found it a bit strange. Wasn’t Sir Eleven a bit too concerned with the safety of Sir Sang? Could it be that they had developed a friendship after the trip? But he had never seen them interact before on the way to Cloudcenter Commandery…

“What you say is reasonable…” Zu An said, calming down. Then, he assigned Xiao Jianren to start an investigation from several angles, hoping to find Sang Hong’s whereabouts as soon as possible. Then, he hurriedly changed and left the palace.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The Sang clan’s ladies were probably frightened at the moment. After all, Sang Hong was in danger, and Zu An had just publicly killed Yi Zhibing. Both of those could be considered a huge disaster.

Sure enough, when Zu An rushed back to the Sang manor, he discovered that it was cold and cheerless. Even most of the servants were gone. The entire place seemed deserted. Those people had clearly gotten worried that they would be involved and had run away. Zu An quickly entered and saw that the aged Mu Yi was criticizing those servants who had fled; after all, the Sang clan normally treated their staff extremely well.

Meanwhile, Sang Qien was trying to comfort Mu Yi, saying, “The Sang clan is currently facing a big disaster. They have families as well, so it is merely human nature to not want to be involved.”

Even though that was what she said, she still couldn't help but sigh. In the past, she had always been direct and efficient in her speech. Now, she sounded a bit gloomier.

Mu Yi muttered in annoyance, “It’s all my fault for being out before, almost allowing the two of you to be bullied by that Yi bastard. If something had really happened, how would I face your father?”

Zheng Dan said, “Mu Yi, you were also looking for… information surrounding father-in-law. How could you have known that something like this would happen?”

Mu Yi said gratefully, “Thank goodness Sir Zu arrived in such a timely manner. But he is still too young and reckless. Yi Zhibing is Magistrate Yi’s beloved son; how could he just let things end like this? Furthermore, many bailiffs were killed too… Should I just escort the two of you out of the capital until things quiet down a bit?”

Sang Qien and Zheng Dan both shook their heads and replied, “He told us to wait for him.”

Mu Yi thought, These two haven’t even gotten married, and yet they’re so obedient to him already. Still, she knew that their relationship really was a bit melodramatic. Furthermore, she and Sang Hong had played a part in it too, so that was a joke she had to keep to herself.

Someone said with a laugh, “Don’t worry, I’ve already taken care of things. There’s no need to be scared anymore.”

“Big brother Zu!” Sang Qien and Zheng Dan exclaimed, standing up in excitement and happiness when they saw his familiar figure.

“Be careful,” Zu An said, walking over to support Sang Qien back to her seat.

Mu Yi took the sight in with a grateful expression. She nodded toward Zu An, then left to give the three young people some space. Sang Qien blushed when she noticed Mu Yi’s actions, but when she felt Zu An’s care, she also felt warm inside.

Meanwhile, Zheng Dan was a bit jealous. Even though she didn’t know what had happened between the two of them at first, after being around Sang Qien all this time, she couldn’t help but notice the changes to Sang Qien’s belly. When she asked about it, she had then learned about the Sang clan’s plans, which made her feel both angry and embarrassed.

However, after thinking about it some more, she knew this was the only way she could properly be with Zu An. The fact that she didn’t have to hide things anymore from the Sang clan was also a good thing. Still, thinking through it rationally was one thing; she still felt as if she had stolen someone’s man.

Fortunately, she wasn’t a simple-minded person. She quickly scolded herself; the Sang clan was experiencing great difficulties at the moment, and yet she was actually in the mood to be jealous!

“Sir Zu, just how did you deal with this situation?” Sang Qien asked, blinking. She was really curious. After all, it was something she couldn't understand at all.

Zu An thus gave them a rough account of what happened. Whether it was Sang Qien or Zheng Dan, both of them were incredibly shocked. What Zu An had gone through as of late was just too unbelievable!

“The court is going too far! How can they only give you the rank of marquis after this many contributions?!” Sang Qien cursed for a while. However, she soon said in amazement, “I really want to go with big brother Zu to experience the beauty of the Fiend races’ territory.”

Zheng Dan was also in a daze. In the past, they had experienced all kinds of amazing things when she and Zu An braved several risks together. Otherwise, there was no way she would have fallen in love with him. However, after marrying into the Sang clan, she couldn't be with him anymore. Her life had become many times more boring compared to before.

At the same time, she sighed inwardly. Back then, her cultivation had clearly been a bit higher than Zu An’s back in Brightmoon City, and yet now, his cultivation had already shot into the sky. She could now only admire him from a distance. When she thought about how even if she went with him to the Fiend races’ territory, she would only drag him down, she felt even more bleak and dejected.

However, seemingly sensing her downcast mood, Zu An held Zheng Dan’s hand tightly in consolation.

Sang Qien was a bit distracted when she saw Zu An’s actions. Normally, she should have been upset when an outsider man was so close to her sister-in-law, but she didn’t feel angry at all. Instead, she felt warm, as if they were one family.

“Right, respected uncle’s case is still being investigated, but they should be able to clear up the accusation of colluding with the Fiend races soon,” Zu An said. “The Fiend races have already submitted to Zhao Han, so the relationship between the two sides will become much better. Who would try to cause trouble at such a time? Anyone who tried to ruin this kind of event would be in for a world of hurt.”

“There’s just no chance of my father colluding with the Fiend races to begin with. Someone clearly framed him,” Sang Qien said angrily. “According to how you described the court’s events, it’s most likely King Qi’s side that’s making a fuss out of nothing and wants to launch a counterattack using my dad’s situation. His majesty really is something too! He didn’t try to protect my dad’s reputation. If big brother Zu hadn’t rushed back, the consequences really would be too horrible to imagine.”

She really was a bit angry. Her dad had already been ignored once by the emperor over Brightmoon City’s affairs, and now, it had happened again? No matter how loyal the Sang clan was, their hearts now felt cold.

Zu An quickly supported her and said, “Don’t get too angry, or else it might end up harming the child.”

Sang Qien blushed and mumbled, “I’m not that weak…” Still, she still couldn't help but rub her belly. Her expression was radiant with a mother’s happiness.

“Right, I even found out another piece of information. Respected uncle is only missing right now; he might still be alive. However, we don’t know whether he was captured by Shadow Group or if he was saved by someone else…” Zu An explained, sharing the information he had gotten from the Embroidery House with the two women.

“This is the best news we’ve heard in a while,” Sang Qien said, her eyes filled with tears. “As long as my dad is still alive, there’s still a chance.”

…

The three of them talked for a long time, until the sky began darkening. However, Zu An still had to leave the Sang manor in the end. After all, in the eyes of others, he was still an outsider. Staying behind wouldn’t be good for anyone’s reputation.

He returned to his own count manor, which had now been turned into a marquis manor. After showing himself around the area for a bit, he then secretly slipped out. He was now a first-time father. How could he just stay at home alone?

He bought a large variety of goods for little children, then returned to the Sang manor again. He slipped in under cover of darkness. He had already learned all about the Sang manor’s defense formation information a long time ago, so he wouldn’t trip the alarms.

Still, when he entered Sang Qien’s room, he hesitated, worrying that he would end up scaring her if he visited her so late at night. After all, they weren’t that close, and yet they weren’t strangers either.

After thinking about it, he decided to visit Zheng Dan first. The first reason was that he wanted to get closer to Sang Qien through her, and the second reason was that he had sensed she was a bit down during the day, so he wanted to have a proper talk with her.

Thus, he snuck into Zheng Dan’s room. When he smelled her familiar scent and thought about the dark place they had been in before, he felt something burn within him. He took off his clothes and jumped into the covers. Zheng Dan was naturally frightened, but when she sensed that it was him, she completely relaxed.

“Ah Zu~” Zheng Dan tried to say something, but Zu An quickly kissed her, interrupting everything she had to say. “Mmm~”

A short period of separation would already feel long for newlyweds; and yet, the two had been apart for so long. Zheng Dan’s body also quickly softened.

Even while sparks were flying, however, a quiet voice suddenly said. “Big brother Zu, I’m still here.”

Zu An’s entire body stiffened. He was dumbfounded.