After giving her instructions, the Crown Princess entered the inner hall with a solemn expression.

Soon, the eunuchs and maids of the Eastern Palace sprang into action, running out to deliver messages.

On the contrary, Zu'an was relatively relaxed. He had only been in the Eastern Palace for a short time and did not know many officials. When he asked Zu'an to deliver a message, he could not find anyone to do so. Therefore, he did not have any tasks.

No, there's still a task: to play chess with the fat prince.

While absentmindedly placing pieces on the chessboard, Zu'an asked, "Your Highness, what happened?"

"How should I know... Hey, you can't play here, I won't do it!" The prince hurriedly used his fat hand to block a certain spot on the chessboard, preventing Zu'an from making a move.

Zuan chuckled, put the chess piece away, and realized he must have been out of his mind to ask him that question.

He wanted to ask the Crown Princess, but remembering her frosty expression just now, he worried about incurring her wrath. So he nudged the fat man beside him: "Your Highness, it seems something serious has happened. Aren't you going to take a look?"

"It's alright, we have Linglong anyway." The Crown Prince waved his hand impatiently, his attention returning to the chessboard.

Zu An sighed: "After all, the Crown Princess is a woman, and she also has times when she is weak."

The Crown Prince said nonchalantly, "Over the years, Linglong has been able to solve even the most difficult problems. Sigh, stop talking and focus on the game of chess."

Zaun was speechless. "I can win easily even when I'm distracted, and you expect me to play properly?"

What terrible things did the Crown Princess do in her past life to end up with such a heartless and foolish husband?

However, he didn't need to worry about royal affairs. While playing chess with the Crown Prince, he secretly observed the movements of the Eastern Palace.

Soon, officials arrived one after another, mostly elderly and middle-aged people. There were very few young people to be seen. Many of them had embroidered cranes or qilin on their robes, clearly indicating that they were high-ranking officials of the first rank in the court.

The official robes of civil officials of the first rank feature cranes, while those of military officials of the first rank feature qilin.

Wait, why is there a python robe too?

Zu'an glanced at it and chuckled. It turned out to be an old acquaintance, King Liang, Zhao Yi.

Accompanying him was an elderly man. Although he had a full head of white hair and many wrinkles on his face, he looked energetic and exuded an aura of authority.

Another familiar face, General Liu Yao, followed half a step behind him with a respectful attitude.

Zuan was taken aback. Given Liu Yao's arrogant and haughty attitude back in Mingyue City, who was this person?

He had just arrived in the capital and didn't know many people, but he could ask the Crown Prince.

The prince looked up, then his chubby face trembled with fright: "It's my maternal grandfather..."

As he spoke, he secretly hid the chess pieces under the cushion, clearly somewhat afraid of his opponent.

Zu An realized that it was the Empress's father, General Liu Guang. The Empress and the Crown Prince's birth mother, the previous Empress, were sisters and both were Liu Guang's daughters.

Liu Guang also rose in rank because of his daughter, and was appointed as the father-in-law of the emperor and the General of Chariots and Cavalry. In terms of the military system, his status was second only to the Grand General and the General of the Flying Cavalry, and even higher than the two dukes of the Qin family.

Of course, military rank is one thing, but real power is another. The two members of the Qin family who are in charge of selecting and appointing military officers have more real power.

Just then, Liu Guang also happened to look in this direction and hurried over. How could the Crown Prince's little tricks possibly escape his notice?

"What time is it? The Crown Prince is still indulging in frivolous pursuits." Liu Guang was furious and pointed at Zu An, saying, "Drag this fellow who is bewitching his master to play around and give him a hundred strokes of the cane."

Zuan's expression changed; he had truly been caught in the crossfire.

Is today a day of bad luck? Why are so many unpleasant things happening one after another?

Just then, Liu Yao ran over to his older brother and whispered a few words in his ear. Liu Guang's gaze towards Zu An also changed slightly: "Oh, so you're Zu An. Although you've done some good deeds these days, but..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly stopped, tilting his head to listen to something, as if someone was speaking to him through telepathic communication.

After a while, he changed the subject: "Since you are new here, then ignorance is no excuse. However, you are a servant of the Crown Prince and have the responsibility to supervise the Crown Prince's studies. Don't play along with the Crown Prince's nonsense in the future."

"Yes!" Zu An cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you, Father-in-law."

He wondered if Liu Yao had spoken on his behalf. But that didn't make sense; they had no connection whatsoever, and given what happened in Mingyue City, it was already a miracle that Liu Yao didn't hold a grudge against him.

Just then, the Crown Princess appeared not far away: "Please come in and discuss this matter."

Her voice was full of weariness, but this gave it a unique, smoky charm that was extremely pleasant to listen to.

Zu An finally realized that it was the Crown Princess who had come to his rescue.

"Your Highness, come in too. This matter concerns you." The Crown Princess glanced at Zu An again, her face showing hesitation. However, considering the vast difference in rank between him and Liu Guang and the others, calling him in would be rather abrupt, so she abandoned the idea.

Soon, Liu Guang and the others followed into the inner hall. After entering the room, he couldn't help but say, "Linglong seems to be quite interested in that kid?"

The Crown Princess replied, "Although Zu'an seems a bit unreliable on the surface, he is a talented person. He has only been in the capital for a few days, and Prince Qi has already suffered serious damage. You should all have heard about how he broke Zhao Zhi's legs yesterday."

Liu Guang stroked his beard and laughed heartily: "This is the happiest thing I've heard in recent years. Even the King of Qi and his ilk have met their match!"

King Zhao Yi of Liang also said, "I had dealings with him before in Mingyue City. Although his cultivation is average, he has a kind of evil aura. He always manages to turn danger into safety and makes the enemy look bad."

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