Chapter 1898: A Choice
When King Dai heard that the empress wanted the Embroidered Envoy to investigate Zu An, he was delighted. He thought, Isn’t this Zu bastard dead for sure now?
The Embroidered Envoy was a group of murderous brutes. Whenever they appeared, it signified misfortune for the target, no matter who it was. In the past, countless officials had been left destitute and homeless because of the Embroidered Envoy. Their womenfolk had all been sent to the government brothel.
King Dai had heard that Chu First Miss was Zu An's wife, and a stunning beauty at that. When the time came, he'd be the first to use her services!
My little brother King Jin, I treat you quite well, don’t I?
Hm… Madam Jin must be quite lonely now all by herself. I’ll have to pay a visit to console her too.
When he thought about how much King Jin had normally looked down on him, the older brother, by relying on the fact that he was the child of the late empress, he felt incredibly wronged. On the other hand, he had met Madam Jin a few times. She was sweet-tempered and enchanting, and had left him with a deep impression.
As Zhao Han had doted on King Jin a lot and pitied his weak constitution, he'd feared that King Jin wouldn’t be able to keep a strong-willed woman under control. Furthermore, King Jin likely wouldn't even have a long life, so the great clans hadn't been willing to marry their daughters to him. In the end, Zhao Han had found a gentle, virtuous, and capable wife for him. That way, she could stay at his side to take good care of him.
In terms of appearance and figure, King Dai's own Madam Dai wasn’t inferior to Madam Jin at all, but his own madam was too direct and too intense in personality. It was hard for him to act with much of the dignity of a man in front of her. In contrast, Madam Jin was truly a woman who was soft and gentle like water. Whenever he saw the tenderness with which she treated King Jin, as well as her sweet appearance, he had felt incredible envy. He'd always thought that was what a woman was supposed to be like!
Of course, because Madam Dai was the Meng clan’s miss and had the massive Meng clan behind her, he didn’t dare to rashly offend her. He didn’t even dare to mess around with others or visit places such as red light districts, either.
However, when he thought about how Madam Jin was now a widow, as the pillar of her family was now dead, he imagined that she would be full of despair and anxiety in the future. He couldn't help but feel a flame burn within him.
Just then, the empress called out to the crowd. “Does anyone have any objections to what this empress has said?”
“Your highness is brilliant!” those present replied with a bow. Having the Embroidered Envoy investigate the situation was the most suitable option, after all. The Embroidered Envoy had always been strict and fair, punishing vicious offenders severely.
King Dai gave the empress’ exaggerated curves a glance. He quickly pulled back his gaze, however.
Just what did the empress eat to grow like that? Her waist is clearly so thin, and yet her butt is so big. It looks as if it would be really easy for her to bear children, and yet she didn’t have a single child. It seems father emperor didn't work very hard in his later years.
His beautiful stepmother really was a source of fantasies. He had even dreamed about her before. That dream had been really amazing, but when he woke up from it, he was drenched in cold sweat. Whether it was his father's imperial power or the empress’ prestige, they both prevented him from showing even the slightest bit of disrespect.
“Does Linglong have any objections to this?” the empress asked as her gaze fell onto the crown princess.
Bi Linglong nodded slightly and said, “We will do everything as your highness suggests.”
Many subjects present had strange expressions. The empress and crown princess were the two people with the most authority in the capital at present. Normally, they always fought against each other and tried to undermine each other, so many things just couldn't be resolved. And yet today, they surprisingly agreed. If the two of them were so cooperative all the time, there would be far fewer internal disputes in the court.
The empress nodded and said, “Since the marquis is now a suspect, you cannot move around as you please either, so you will stay behind in the palace to be watched closely. Once the Embroidered Envoy has investigated the truth, we can then continue the discussions.”
This is the perfect time to keep this brat here, to keep me company.
When she thought about the time they would spend together, she couldn't help but look forward to it. Even though she was the empress, she was definitely not as pure and bright as others thought. She was full of vexation and feelings of grievance. Only after he came had she realized that being a woman was actually such a blessing.
Bi Linglong’s eyes lit up as well. If Zu An had to stay in the palace, they would have more opportunities to meet.
Even though the other subjects felt that it was a bit inappropriate for a subject to remain in the Imperial Palace through the night, they were also worried that he would run if he left. If he stayed here in the palace, the Embroidered Envoy would keep an eye on him, so there wouldn’t be any problems. Thus, they didn’t oppose the suggestion.
Zu An knew that the empress was doing this to shelter him, so he didn’t refuse her good intentions.
Soon after, the empress had Eunuch Lu find a place for Zu An to settle down. At the same time, she sent out the order to the Embroidery House to investigate the case of King Jin’s murder.
Eunuch Lu brought Zu An out of the Palace of Peace. They arrived at a secluded place, and he said with a smile, “Sir Zu can do as he pleases.”
“Are you not going to lock me up?” Zu An replied with a smile.
“Sir Zu must be joking. The empress was merely saying that to appease the others; how could she lock you up? However, I must ask Sir Zu to not leave the Imperial Palace to not trouble the empress too much,” Eunuch Lu reminded him.
“Alright,” Zu An casually agreed. Meanwhile, in his mind, he was wondering how he would sneak out.
“Right, once those ministers leave, Sir Zu can go and look for the empress. Her highness is always thinking about Sir Zu,” Eunuch Lu said. His expression was calm at first, but the more he spoke, the more excited he became. A hint of redness even appeared in his eyes.
Zu An was speechless. In truth, he had already figured out what was happening after being around them for so long, realizing that Eunuch Lu was one of the empress’ pursuers. He had even been willing to be ‘purified’ in order to enter the capital with her. And yet now, he was the one egging him on to be with the empress, looking even more impatient than the main characters themselves. Just what kind of ‘great selflessness’ was that?
Hm… But I guess with these kinds of selfless friends, the more there are, the better.
…
After bidding Eunuch Lu goodbye, Zu An arrived at his own side courtyard and changed into his Golden Token Eleven outfit. He went to the Embroidery House and looked for the front balding Dai Seventh and Mediterranean sea balding Chen Eighth, in order to have them investigate the case of King Jin’s death. Xiao Jianren’s injuries were too severe, so Zu An didn't want to trouble him over such a small matter.
However, Dai Seventh and Chen Eighth didn’t think of it the same way. Both of them replied while shaking in fear, “Boss, this touches upon the death of a king, and the other is a rising star under the Crown Princess! How can we investigate a case like this?”
Zu An said calmly, “All you need to do is judge that King Jin died from excessive fear.”
“Huh?” Dai Seventh and Chen Eighth exclaimed, stunned. In the past, even if they had instructions while investigating cases, it had always been rather tactful. Now, they were actually being told exactly how to conclude the case. Wasn’t this a bit too direct?
“Is there a problem?” Zu An asked.
“None at all, none at all. We will of course follow our boss; just say the word!” Dai Seventh and Chen Eighth replied with a chuckle.
Sir Eleventh was now the Chief Commander, so he had the final say in the Embroidery House. Of course they were going to listen to him. As for how King Jin had really died, that wasn’t important.
Zu An patted their shoulders and said, “Do well, and with this achievement, it’ll be enough to promote you to Silver Token Envoys.”
“Thank you, Sir Eleven! No, thank you, Chief Commander!” the two exclaimed happily. After braving the threat of death for so many years, bigger and harder tasks had always found them, but promotions never had. And yet, when they clung to Sir Eleven’s thick thighs, they were met with success after success!
“Apart from that, there's another matter I need the two of you to investigate closely, which is the reason why King Jin targeted the Murong clan and the marquis. I want to find out if anyone instigated them from behind the scenes," Zu An added. He'd always had a feeling that this situation wasn’t that simple. King Jin had mysteriously targeted him fiercely, and seemed to have had no intention of ever backing down. As soon as Zu An dealt with him, he was immediately accused of misconduct, as if someone had been hiding in the shadows and waiting for him to fall into their trap.
“Understood. We've heard that Madam Jin is currently keeping watch by King Jin’s coffin. While investigating King Jin’s cause of death, we'll also investigate her and the people in the manor,” Dai Seventh and Chen Eighth replied.
After arranging these things, Zu An then paid Xiao Jianren a visit and told him to rest well.
…
With that, he finally left the Embroidery House. He changed his outfit and decided to make a trip out of the palace.
Then, however, he saw Bi Linglong walking directly toward him, escorted by maids and eunuchs. Amid her attendants, she looked like a crane among a flock of chickens, elegant and noble. The red beauty mark between her brows made her perfect and exquisite face seem even more stunning. The golden ornament in her hair was like an invisible finger that constantly tugged at the heartstrings of any onlookers.
“Sir Zu, this crown princess has some things to ask you about,” Bi Linglong said in her clear and beautiful voice, a look of delight flashing through her eyes when she saw him.
The two of them quickly arrived at a lake gazebo. The servants were all ordered to guard them from afar. It was normal for there to be some private things to talk about after such a huge thing happened to Zu An; besides, the gazebo was quite open and the two could be seen from afar, so it wasn’t inappropriate.
“Why did the empress help you?” Bi Linglong immediately asked the most pressing question as soon as they sat down. The other subjects hadn't sensed anything back then, but she knew the empress had acted to help Zu An.
“It might be because she's lusting after me,” Zu An replied in a bashful manner. A madam who had been neglected for a long time really had astonishing fighting strength! If not because his body was special, he probably wouldn't have been able to subdue that fierce steed.
“Be serious,” Bi Linglong said in annoyance.
“I am being serious…” Zu An said helplessly. Why did no one believe him when he was telling the truth, and yet they believed all of his lies?
He was worried that she would actually get to the heart of the matter, so he quickly changed the topic, saying, “By the way, I have something to ask the crown princess too. If there came a day when Sir Bi and I were both drowning, and you could only save one, who would you save?”
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