Chapter 741: Appropriate Retribution
Translator: Pika
Zu An sensed that he had bumped into someone, and that the other party had fallen backward from the force. Subconsciously, he reached out to grab them.
However, his senses were filled with a soft and fragrant feeling, leaving him shocked. He could hear multiple voices berating him and the sound of weapons being drawn. Soon, he realized that the person in his embrace was actually the crown princess, and his arm was around her waist.
He quickly let go and took a step back, saying, “I apologize. I was in too much of a hurry when I left and accidentally bumped into the crown princess. I ask the crown princess for forgiveness.”
Zu An had been completely focused on looking for Ou Wu just now and hadn’t noticed that there was someone outside. This really was quite strange. What was the crown princess doing in front of his residence so early? He had worked so hard in the Palace of Peace last night, and then he had chatted with Mi Li for a long time. The sky had already turned bright.
“Nonsense! Do you think a trifling apology is enough after you’ve offended the crown princess? Men, arrest this man immediately!” the crown princess’ personal maid Rong Mo shouted fiercely.
“Wait!” The crown princess stopped her subordinates. “Sir Eleven didn’t do it intentionally. There’s no need to criticize him further.”
“But…” Rong Mo still seemed to have more to say.
The crown princess glared at her and retorted, “Do you think I don’t already have enough rumors going around about me? If you start something over this too, I’ll have even more people talking about me!”
Rong Mo wasn’t too happy to hear those words, but she remembered that the crown princess had just had a ‘scandal’ with Zu An. Having something similar happen so quickly afterward would indeed be a bad thing.
The guards all sheathed their blades when they heard what the crown princess said, and the atmosphere immediately eased.
“Why is Sir Eleven in such a hurry this morning?” the crown princess asked, blushing slightly. Even though he had only held her for an instant, the feeling of safety she’d experienced in his arms, as well as the heat she’d felt, had still made her heart rate quicken. However, Zu An’s figure suddenly appeared in her head and her expression immediately grew conflicted.
Mi Li said teasingly by Zu An’s ears, “Look at you. Looks like even the crown princess has some feelings for you.”
Zu An said impatiently, “Stop speaking nonsense.”
“What?!” The crown princess looked at him in disbelief.
Zu An smiled awkwardly and said, “It’s nothing, I was talking to myself. Actually, it’s a good thing that I ran into you here, crown princess. I have a matter that I need your guidance on.”
“I’m not worthy of asking for guidance from. However, please speak your mind, Sir Eleven.” The crown princess had a faint smile on her face, as if she were a young and lively girl. It was entirely different from the strict appearance she usually displayed in the eastern palace.
Zu An asked, “Does the crown princess know who Xuanwu Gate’s Ou Wu is?”
The crown princess’ pretty brows furrowed. She waved her hands to have her subordinates move a bit further away. Then, she asked quietly, “Why is Sir Eleven suddenly asking about him? Is it because you’ve discovered something about him in your investigation?”
She had come here so early because she wanted to learn more about his investigation. She had been worried that he might really find out what had happened between Zu An and herself.
Zu An replied, “Indeed, there are some suspicious things.” In his opinion, he and the crown princess were naturally on the same side, so there was no need to hide anything from her.
The crown princess’ eyes lit up. She quickly said, “He’s someone from King Qi’s faction. He was someone the Qin clan’s State Duke of Prestige personally brought up.”
Zu An frowned. King Qi? Qin clan? Doesn’t this mean that this matter was caused by the Qin clan? What the hell? Is the Qin clan really willing to go that far to rip me and Chuyan apart?
He was getting really annoyed. He cupped his hands and said, “Crown princess, please forgive me. I need to visit Xuanwu Gate, so I’m unable to keep you company.” He turned around to leave after speaking.
The crown princess quickly said, “I’ll go with you.” Seeing his confused expression, she said in a rather embarrassed manner, “I am a victim of this matter too. I want to see just who was responsible for framing me.”
Zu An knew that with her ability, the crown princess definitely knew that this investigation was related to her. He nodded in response. Then, their group quickly headed to Xuanwu Gate.
When they arrived at Xuanwu Gate, Ou Wu was nowhere to be seen. When Zu An asked the imperial guards for information, he learned that Ou Wu had asked for a leave of absence a few days prior.
Zu An asked, “When did he ask for a leave?”
The guards thought for a bit and then replied, “It might have been three days after you came to investigate.”
Zu An thought to himself, This is bad. This fellow probably fled because he was scared of being caught, which was why he waited a day before asking for a leave. He didn’t want to make it seem as if he left as soon as he was investigated.
He quickly ordered the Embroidered Envoys to intercept Ou Wu by looking in the various cities, but he knew that there wasn’t too much hope of stopping him. However, he could at least locate the records of Ou Wu’s through the various gates.
Next, he brought his men to Ou Wu’s residence in the city. The crown princess wanted to go too, but it was quite troublesome to leave the palace with her identity, so she couldn’t. As such, she quickly returned to the eastern palace.
“Where is Sir Zu?” the crown princess asked as soon as she returned to the eastern palace. She had looked all over the place, but she didn’t see Zu An’s familiar figure.
“Sir Zu hasn’t shown up yet today,” a servant replied carefully.
The crown princess didn’t say anything. She went into her inner chambers alone, and threw her pillows angrily to the ground. “That rascal! He’s so unreliable during such an important time!”
This matter was related to her reputation, so she didn’t dare talk to anyone else. However, that fellow actually hadn’t come to work on time at such a crucial moment!
You have successfully trolled Bi Linglong for +233 +233 +233…
…
Zu An was currently focused on the case. When he saw the string of Rage points appear, he jumped in fright. I didn’t even meet her, so how am I getting these Rage points?
“What’s wrong?” Mi Li asked when she sensed Zu An’s strange condition. She floated through the air beside him. Even though the horse Zu An was riding was rushing quickly, she still managed to keep up perfectly. He had no idea how she was doing so.
Zu An thought to himself, Thank god no one else can see her. It wasn’t nighttime yet either, so if people saw a red-clothed woman flying through the sky, wouldn’t they be really frightened?
“It’s nothing,” Zu An replied. “I’m thinking about the case right now. I feel as if there’s something fishy.”
“It is quite strange.” Mi Li nodded. The two of them seemed to have thought of something and didn’t continue the conversation.
…
They arrived at Ou Wu’s residence soon afterward. A group of Embroidered Envoys charged in ferociously. However, they didn’t find Ou Wu, nor did they find his wife.
“The madam left with the young master a few days ago, going on a vacation trip.”
“Isn’t the master on duty in the palace?”
The servants and maids all said the same thing.
Zu An frowned and said, “This is getting quite troublesome now. We couldn’t find Xin Rui’s family last time, so I don’t think we’ll be able to find Ou Wu’s family either.”
“That might not be the case,” Mi Li said seriously. “Ou Wu is a government gate official. Someone in such a key position shouldn’t be allowed to leave the capital so easily. At the very least, in my era, such a thing was never permitted. I don’t believe the emperor of this world would think otherwise.”
Zu An immediately asked his subordinates for confirmation and received the information he needed. Then, he left behind some people to continue the search in Ou Manor. Afterward, he brought the rest to the Chongwen Gate.
The capital was divided into the outer city, inner city, imperial city, and the imperial palace. The imperial palace was self-explanatory. The imperial city contained the royal gardens, ancestral shrine, government office, the internal affairs organization, and many storerooms, as well as some stationed troops. All sorts of high officials and nobles resided in the inner city, as well as rich and powerful members of society. The outer city was home to the more common people.
That was why, if Zu An wanted to find out whether Ou Wu and his family had left, he could only find such records at the inner city’s city gates.
Even though the inner city had many gates, every single gate had a specific purpose. For example, only the emperor’s carriage could pass through some gates, while some were for the transportation of water and food. There were some gates that specialized in brick and wood, some for troops, and some for escorting prisoners. However, most people passed through the Chongwen Gate to travel between the inner and outer city.
Zu An and his group hurried to the Chongwen Gate. They were met with soldiers whose spears were raised in vigilance.
The soldiers began, “Who dares to spur on horses here…” But when they saw the Embroidered Envoys’ uniforms, their expressions changed greatly. They quickly put away their weapons and said politely, “We greet Sir Eleven.”
Zu An asked sternly, “Who is in charge of all of you?”
The guards answered, “Replying to sir, the Chongwen Gate’s supervisor is Sir Murong.”
“Murong?” Zu An frowned. Was there something wrong with the Murong clan?
Just then, Mi Li spoke with an ambiguous smile, “How amusing… You just toyed with someone else’s wife last night, yet today, your own wife is together with another man. Tsk, tsk, tsk, revenge really did bite back quickly this time, hm?”
Zu An was confused. He quickly raised his head. Sure enough, he saw a familiar figure in the building, dressed in a long, ice blue dress. Her rear figure was sweet and fair. Who else could it be but Chu Chuyan?