The guards exchanged glances, some of them worried, and said, "Zu'an is now a baron appointed by the Emperor and also a retainer of the Crown Prince. Could it be..."

The King of Qi said calmly, "It's alright, just bring him here."

Seeing that they didn't have to do it themselves, the guards breathed a sigh of relief, bowed, and left to receive their orders.

King Qi gazed in the direction of the Eastern Palace, a slight mocking smile playing on his lips. He hadn't hidden the Crown Princess's desire to cultivate her own power, but it wouldn't be that easy.

Meanwhile, as soon as Zu'an stepped out of the East Palace gate, he was stopped by the brothers Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun.

"What's wrong?" Zu'an asked curiously, noticing the two's hesitant expressions.

After hesitating for a while, and seeing that no one was paying attention to them, Park Duandiao lowered his voice and said, "Lord Zu, you really have to be careful these days?"

"Why do you say that?" Sensing the seriousness in their expressions, Zu An's heart skipped a beat.

Jiao Sigun said, "Do you know why we were able to become the chief guards of the Crown Prince's Palace?"

"Because you are the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix of the Eastern Palace?" Looking at the weak-willed young master and the argumentative troll in front of him, Zu An couldn't help but chuckle.

The two men were taken aback, clearly not understanding what he meant, but they still said, "With our qualifications, we shouldn't be able to become the head of the Eastern Palace Guard so quickly. Our two previous head guards were outstanding among their peers in the Imperial Guard, both in terms of talent and cultivation. They were full of ambition and wanted to make a name for themselves."

"On one occasion, they saw that the King of Qi was rather arrogant towards the Crown Prince in private, and they reprimanded him. The King of Qi did not say anything at the time, but the next day, they did not show up for roll call on time. When everyone went to their residence to look for them, they found two headless corpses."

"The subordinates who joined them in criticizing the King of Qi also had their heads stolen."

"This matter caused quite a stir at the time, but it quickly faded away."

Zu An was stunned. No wonder everyone in the Eastern Palace had been acting like quails just now; there was such a precedent to follow.

Who would have thought that King Qi, who appears to be a refined and virtuous ruler, could be so ruthless?

No wonder they could rival the emperor for so many years; they really are brothers, their inherent ruthlessness and suspicion are exactly the same.

Suddenly, he noticed that Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong were looking at him with strange expressions, and he was taken aback: "Why are you two looking at me like that?"

The two said, "Back then, those people didn't criticize King Qi as harshly as you are today. You'd better pray for good fortune."

Then he sighed and left, looking like he was beyond saving and just waiting to die.

Zuan: "..."

I must say, although Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong are a bit silly, they are still quite loyal. At least they would secretly remind me, so it wasn't in vain that I spent these days calling them brothers.

However, he was not particularly afraid, because he had his own plans for offending the King of Qi.

Upon arriving at the imperial prison, General Guo Zhi of the Right Guard happened to be patrolling there. He greeted him with a friendly smile: "Oh, Brother Zu, what brings you here?"

The other party solved a major problem that had been bothering him for a long time, so he found him particularly pleasing to the eye.

Zu An smiled and exchanged pleasantries with him for a while before revealing his purpose. Guo Zhi was somewhat surprised: "Didn't we already find out the confession last time? What else do you need to investigate?"

Zu An said, "The Crown Princess asked me to come and ask again, it's just routine."

Guo Zhi looked understanding: "No problem, Brother Zu, feel free to ask. Actually, I've been having a headache lately about what to do with these guys. The Cheng Xiong case is closed, they're useless now, and keeping them here is just a nuisance. Several times I've thought about killing them..."

He made a throat-cutting gesture as he spoke, and then said, "It's a pity that the Emperor hasn't given any orders, so I don't dare to act on my own. Brother Zu, why don't you try to find out from the Emperor how I should deal with these people?"

"Brother Guo, why didn't you ask yourself? Your official rank is much higher than mine, isn't it?" Zu An was somewhat surprised that the emperor hadn't told him about releasing the people. If that was the case, it would be troublesome for him to take action.

Guo Zhi said with distress, "I dare not provoke bad luck. There were assassins in the palace, and the Emperor reprimanded us several times. Now even Cheng Xiong has fallen. Of course, I will keep a low profile as much as possible. Brother Zu, you are different. The Emperor specifically instructed that you can freely enter and leave the Imperial Prison and that I should try to cooperate with your various requests. It is really enviable. Brother Zu has only been here for a few days, and you are already enjoying the Emperor's favor."

Zu An cursed inwardly. The emperor's instructions were too tactful, and Guo Zhi might not take them seriously. It seemed that he would have to find a way to save the person himself.

He thought for a moment and said, "Then you should withdraw all the experts from the Heavenly Prison first."

Guo Zhi looked surprised: "But what if the wanted criminal escapes?"

Zuan said, "How could they escape from within the inner palace? Besides, they are still bound by the Soul-Hooking Ropes of the Embroidered Robe Envoy."

Guo Zhi was somewhat troubled: "But why do you suddenly want to withdraw the elite guards?"

Zaun pulled him aside and whispered, "I want to create a false impression for those wanted criminals, making them believe that they have a chance to escape. This way, with hope of survival, they will start to value their lives and their guard will loosen, allowing me to gather more information."

Guo Zhi's eyes lit up: "Brother Zu's move is indeed brilliant. No wonder you were able to get so much information out of him last time."

After saying that, he scurried off to have his men leave, leaving only the lowest-ranking jailers to keep the prison running smoothly.

After arranging everything, he ran out and said to Zu An, "Brother Zu, please do as you please. Recently, the Assassin's Palace has strengthened its defenses, and I have to go on patrol, so I can't keep you company."

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