Seeing his respectful demeanor, the emperor felt a little more at ease.

He thought for a moment and said, "Take these few days to prepare yourself. Once everything else is ready, I will send an imperial envoy to Yunzhong County. You will go with him and use your investigative skills."

Clearly, Zuan's excellent handling of various difficult cases during this period has earned his recognition of Zuan's abilities.

Zuan wasn't surprised that another minister would be sent. After all, his current status and qualifications weren't enough to convince the public, and this time he was going to investigate the Duke's case, which involved dealing with high-ranking officials. It would be more convenient for him to stay behind the scenes.

The Emperor continued, "Furthermore, I will publicly announce that I have secretly dispatched a Golden Embroidered-Robe Envoy to accompany the imperial envoy. On the surface, you will be protecting the envoy's safety as the Crown Prince's Junior Attendant and General of the Imperial Guard, but in reality, you will also be that Golden Embroidered-Robe Envoy. Do you understand?"

Zuan was immediately annoyed. So, he was protecting me on the surface, but he was also protecting me secretly. How could he get two salaries for working two jobs?

He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, why not send another Golden Embroidered Robe Envoy to accompany us, or send some other highly skilled generals to protect us? I was seriously injured in the secret realm, and I'm afraid one person is not enough..."

He has the official backing now, so it would be a disservice to himself not to make good use of this advantage. Why does he always charge into battle? Am I stupid?

Listening to him ramble on and on about his grievances, the emperor's eyebrows twitched. This guy was getting more and more cunning.

He snorted and handed something over directly.

When Zu'an received the scroll, he saw that it was an imperial edict. The emperor's words echoed in his ears: "If you encounter any powerful experts or situations that you cannot resolve when you arrive in Yunzhong County, you can open the imperial edict to help suppress them. As for how to ask for help, someone in Xiulou will teach you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zu An was overjoyed. He had witnessed the power of this imperial edict back in Mingyue City. It was truly a case of "once the imperial edict is issued, all heroes are helpless." With such a powerful weapon in hand, he could walk sideways in Yunzhong County.

Of course, there were also some hidden dangers, because the incantation before the imperial edict was a bit long and could be easily interrupted. He had also witnessed the tragic state of those people in the yellow, gray, and red robes before, so he still had to stay calm and not be reckless.

Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he tentatively asked, "Does His Majesty have anyone in mind for the imperial envoy to be sent to Yunzhong County this time?"

"I haven't decided yet..." The emperor showed a hint of fatigue. This matter was of great importance, and he had to consider all aspects. First of all, he definitely couldn't use people from the Prince of Qi's lineage. Secondly, even if he used people from his own side, it wasn't very safe. You have to know that these powerful families are all intricately connected. Two families may be enemies in terms of political views, but there may be some people in the family who are as close as brothers. Not to mention the intermarriages between the families. So it would be very difficult to choose a suitable person in all aspects.

Suddenly, he looked at Zu'an with some wariness: "Why are you asking this? What, do you have someone to recommend?"

“I do have someone to recommend,” Zu An said.

"Tell me," the emperor said, neither confirming nor denying.

Zu An said, "Minister of Revenue, Lord Sang Hongsang is upright in politics, loyal to the Emperor, and a capable minister. He should be a suitable candidate."

The emperor narrowed his eyes. Sang Hong was actually one of the candidates he had been considering these days, but there was a big difference between the one he chose and the one recommended by his ministers.

He said coldly, "What, you've learned to form cliques now? I heard you're getting very close to the Sang family."

"Your Majesty, I am deeply humbled. I have no personal motives in recommending Lord Sang," Zu An explained. "No, strictly speaking, there is a part of it. The main reason is that this trip to Yunzhong County is of great importance, and the case of the disappearance of the Duke of Yunzhong County is full of suspicious points. If I am not mistaken, there must be a huge conspiracy involved. If we go to investigate, the mastermind behind it will be restless and may even resort to desperate measures. If we find a useless ally as the imperial envoy, we may end up in danger instead. Therefore, I naturally hope that the imperial envoy who goes with us is a capable person."

“There are many capable ministers in the capital, but I have offended quite a few people while handling cases in the capital these days… After thinking it over, I can only think of Lord Sang. Although we had a grudge in Mingyue City back then, I believe in his character and he would never let personal grudges interfere with important matters.”

"A useless teammate..." Upon hearing this term, the emperor smiled knowingly. This guy's invention of the term was quite interesting. Hearing him admit that he had selfish motives and that he had a past grudge against Sang Hong, his solemn expression softened a bit, but he did not show anything. "You don't need to worry about the matter of the imperial envoy. I will make my own decision."

"Yes." Zu An secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing him say that, Sang Hong was probably safe. It was worth the risk I took to recommend him.

After leaving the Imperial Study, Eunuch Wen led him to the Imperial Hospital, where he asked the hospital to prepare some precious medicinal herbs to calm the nerves and replenish vital energy. At the same time, he exclaimed, "Lord Zu, I have never seen anyone with such imperial favor as you in all these years."

"The Emperor's grace is boundless..." Zu An replied with a smile, but his heart was completely calm. All of this was a benefit given by the Emperor for wanting him to do things, and it was something he had to fight for through various means.

However, he was still very happy because the medicinal materials provided by the Imperial Hospital included Tianhezhi, a key ingredient in the refining of Juyuan Dan.

...

After seeing off Eunuch Wen, Zu An returned to the East Palace, but Bi Linglong still didn't see him, clearly still angry about that day.

Zuan hesitated for a moment and decided not to tell her about his trip to Yunzhong County for the time being. He thought it would be more effective to tell her in a few days.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!