Seeing Zu An's stunned expression, the Crown Princess said unhappily, "What, do you think I'm heartless?"
Zuan sighed: "It seems like he's a bit ruthless."
The Crown Princess said coldly, "This palace is a place that eats people. If you don't kill others, others will kill you. People who aren't ruthless will have long since died."
Zuan couldn't help but say, "Why bother? You and Bai Fei are allies now. If you guess wrong and cause internal strife, it will only benefit the people on Qi Wang's side in the end."
"I won't put my safety on someone else's kindness." The Crown Princess glanced at him. "What, feeling sorry for me? Don't forget, you and I are now in the same boat. If she reports me, I'm finished, and you'll be dead without a burial place."
Zuan fell silent, realizing that what she said was indeed true.
Seeing his reaction, the Crown Princess's tone softened: "If I weren't forced to, I wouldn't want to do this either, but you're the only person I can trust right now. I can't entrust this matter to anyone else, so don't let your emotions get the better of you."
Zu An said in a deep voice, "I know what I'm doing."
Although her plan was the safest, he didn't want to become a tool for the other party.
Seeing that he did not explicitly object, the Crown Princess nodded in satisfaction.
After the group returned to the East Palace, the Crown Princess went to her inner chamber to rest. Zu An was outside receiving congratulations from his colleagues on his promotion, but he was preoccupied with his own thoughts as he responded.
Just then, a young eunuch came to deliver an imperial decree that the emperor summoned him.
Everyone else in the Eastern Palace looked on with envy. Apart from a few powerful ministers, he was probably the only one in the entire court who had the honor of being summoned by the emperor every now and then.
They even suspected that the number of times all the concubines in the harem had met with the emperor in recent days combined did not match his.
Zu'an, however, knew his own suffering. He felt immense pressure every time he met the emperor, who was unpredictable and extremely suspicious. If he wasn't careful, he could lose his life. This time, the emperor was probably looking for him because of the previous rumors about him and the crown princess.
As expected, upon arriving at the Imperial Study, the unfathomable gaze of the dragon-robed man with a purple complexion enveloped him: "I heard that the Crown Princess has promoted you to the position of Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince?"
Zu An's heart skipped a beat. How long had it been since just now? How did he already know?
Sure enough, his spies were everywhere in the palace.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Princess has indeed promoted me to the rank of Junior Attendant."
The emperor remained expressionless: "I heard that the Crown Princess spent time alone with you, and even sent all the palace maids and eunuchs to the door?"
Zu An replied, "The Crown Princess is a woman of noble character, and since we are discussing serious matters, there is naturally nothing to hide."
"She's clever enough to know that doing this will only silence the gossip," the emperor suddenly changed the subject, "but I suspect you really have something going on?"
Zu An's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, my relationship with the Crown Princess is completely innocent. This is all a fabrication and slander. This matter has already been investigated by the three judicial departments, and even the Grand Master of Ceremonies was invited to testify. They can all testify to our innocence."
The emperor snorted: "I heard you just went to the Hundred Flowers Palace?"
Zu An thought to himself that this guy's thinking was really quite jumpy, but on the surface he was naturally respectful: "Yes!"
"Why did you go there so quickly? Did something happen there?" The emperor sat on his high dragon throne, his mood unreadable.
Zu An wondered if the emperor knew something.
However, he remained outwardly calm: "The Crown Princess suspects that Consort Bai is the mastermind behind this."
"Then why did the two of them become so friendly again not long after?" The emperor picked up his teacup and took a sip.
Zu An was no longer surprised by how accurate his intelligence was: "That's because Consort Bai is kind-hearted and quickly cleared up the misunderstanding. Moreover, with the Crown Prince's major examination approaching, they also want to work together to overcome the difficulties and don't want any unnecessary complications."
The emperor snorted: "At least they know how to consider the bigger picture."
Then he asked, "So who do you think framed you?"
Zuan said in a deep voice, "Uncertain."
"Uncertain?" the emperor sneered. "In the imperial prison, you repeatedly accused the Shi family of harming you."
Zu An explained, "That was just my wild guess. I could tell the officials of the Three Departments, but without evidence, I dare not speak recklessly to the Emperor, lest I commit the crime of deceiving the Emperor."
Seeing that he was so sensible, the emperor felt much better: "Do you know why I spared your life this time?"
Zuan tentatively asked, "Did the High Priest prove my innocence?"
The emperor sneered: "You've misunderstood something. The Grand Master of Ceremonies came to question you not to prove your innocence, but to prove the Crown Princess's innocence. A subject who has such rumors with the Crown Princess already deserves to die."
"Your Majesty, I am filled with trepidation!" Zu An broke out in a cold sweat, realizing he had underestimated him.
Damn it, I was once an emperor in the Yin Shang secret realm, but I wasn't as uncivilized as you!
The Emperor then said, "You handled the assassination case of the Demonic Cult well last time, and you also found out who colluded with the assassins in the palace. Seeing that you have talent in this area, I spared your life for the time being. This time, I will also entrust you with the investigation of the case of framing the Crown Princess. You are required to find out the mastermind behind it before the Crown Prince's grand examination. If you fail to find out, you will not live."
Zuan: "..."
People use a carrot and stick approach, but you've got nothing but sticks! I haven't seen a single carrot!
Despite inwardly cursing, he could only force a smile and say, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to find the real culprit."
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