"Moreover," the emperor paused, then sneered, "if he really finds an opportunity, he won't even have time to kill you, so how could he possibly save you?"

Zu An remained silent, knowing he was referring to something. The assassination attempts from the Qi King's side had been relentless along the way; although the two sides hadn't met, a deep-seated hatred had already formed.

Of course, the emperor's repeated emphasis on this point was not without ulterior motives; he wanted to make him appear more benevolent and considerate of himself. But was he truly benevolent?

Wei Dan, as his trusted eunuch, had always served him wholeheartedly, but died far from home. To this day, the emperor has not asked a single question about him.

Clearly, he was worried that the death was related to him, so he deliberately ignored the issue because he was more useful to him at the moment.

It's hard to say whether the emperor will hold a grudge for this in the future, but in any case, the emperor is a cold-hearted person.

"Then what should we do?" Zu'an asked cooperatively, knowing that the emperor must have a plan.

The emperor tossed him a waist token. Zu An took it and saw that it was engraved with a unicorn pattern. This was the mythical beast Xie Zhi, which had the ability to distinguish between loyalty and treachery, good and evil. He had seen it on the clothes of the Embroidered-Robe Envoy before.

However, this sign is gold, which looks much more sophisticated than many of the embroidered envoys I've seen before.

The Emperor said, "I hereby bestow upon you the title of Golden Embroidered-Robe Envoy, which is only valid under Zhu Xie Chixin. You may use this title to act as you see fit when necessary."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Zu An was overjoyed and hurriedly put away the token. This was a good thing. He had seen those Embroidered-Robed Envoys acting on behalf of the Emperor and they all looked quite dashing. The key was that he was now a high-ranking member of the Embroidered-Robed Envoys. Wouldn't he be able to walk sideways in the future?

As if sensing his thoughts, the emperor said, "Don't reveal your identity. You should know that what you're doing is special. Once some people find out that you are a Gold-Rank Embroidered-Robe Envoy, you will die even faster."

"Thank you for your advice, Your Majesty." Zu An was secretly alert. The Embroidered-Robe Envoy always represented the Emperor's confidants. If Prince Qi knew that he had this token, he probably would not believe anything he said.

The emperor then continued, "That's just your covert identity. For your own safety, don't tell anyone. In addition, we need to arrange another identity for you publicly. Hmm, since Prince Qi is the Crown Prince's tutor..."

He pondered for a moment, then summoned a eunuch: "Issue the decree: Zu'an is hereby granted the title of Baron for his meritorious service in presenting the 'Phoenix Nirvana Sutra,' with the title..."

He paused, seemingly thinking of what title to give him, then his eyes lit up and he had an idea: "The title is Phoenix Man."

Zuan: "???"

"Your Majesty, absolutely not! Change the title!" Zu An's face turned green. How could he ever face anyone again with the title of "phoenix man" (a man from a poor background who achieves success)?

The emperor's face showed displeasure: "Nonsense! What you've presented is the 'Phoenix Nirvana Sutra,' what else should we call you if not 'Phoenix Man'?"

He had originally intended to use this title to provoke the King of Qi, so how could he easily change it? He then added, "In addition, appoint him as the Crown Prince's attendant to supervise and accompany the Crown Prince in his studies."

Zu An instantly understood the emperor's plan. The Crown Prince's attendant was essentially a companion to the emperor, though of a higher rank, also serving as a secretary and attendant. Meanwhile, the Prince of Qi was the Crown Prince's tutor. Both were officials of the Eastern Palace, and their interactions would be natural and wouldn't arouse suspicion.

However, he couldn't help but complain in his heart. The Prince of Qi and the Crown Prince were fighting so hard for the right to inherit the throne that they were practically brain-dead. In the end, they even arranged for the Prince of Qi to be the Crown Prince's teacher. He wondered which genius came up with this idea.

Of course, that's not the point. The point is that he doesn't want to be a "phoenix man" (a man from a poor background who achieves success).

Unfortunately, the emperor clearly had no patience to argue with him any further. He waved his hand, signaling him to leave. They had talked about everything that needed to be said. As an emperor, he had many other things to do, and he couldn't afford to waste his time on Zu'an.

Zu'an wanted to appeal again, but the eunuch next to him was terrified and hurriedly pulled him out.

The eunuchs couldn't stop him, but the emperor waved his sleeve, and an invisible wave of energy forced him out the door.

Just before leaving, he vaguely saw the emperor take out the green hat again and put it on his head, stroking the brim as he pondered something. Clearly, no matter how detached he had spoken before, as a human being, a person whose life was nearing its end, how could he so easily give up the temptation of immortality?

Zuan curled his lip and snorted. "You say no, but your body is quite honest."

At this moment, Zhu Xie Chixin, who had been waiting outside, walked over and said, "Congratulations, Phoenix Man!"

The emperor hadn't deliberately kept those conversations private, so he heard them too.

Although the words were meant to congratulate, the tone was cold, giving off a sinister feeling.

Zuan's eyelids twitched: "Just call me by my name, don't call me by this, it's creepy."

Zhu Xie Chixin was somewhat puzzled, but he didn't care much and said, "Then I'll take you out of the palace."

He turned around and started walking ahead.

Zuan was in a bit of a headache; being around this guy was definitely unsettling. He hesitated several times, wanting to explain that he was also an Embroidered-Robe Envoy, but the other man's unapproachable expression made it impossible for him to find an opportunity.

After leaving the Imperial Study, the two wandered around the palace. Suddenly, Zu An realized that this was also the inner palace. Zhu Xie Chixin could have entered, so why had he been handed over to that eunuch Li?

It seems that he and the emperor were working together to lure the snakes out of their holes and catch all the lurking creatures in one fell swoop.

Since I arrived in the capital, the Qi King's forces have suffered heavy losses because of me; it seems I have completely offended them.

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