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“What?!” Zu An exclaimed, feeling both shocked and happy. He grabbed her arm and asked, “Where is Sang Hong?”
Everyone was looking for Sang Hong at the moment, and Sang Qien was really worried too. Zu An was a good friend of Sang Hong’s now too, and had been worried that something really dangerous had happened to him. Now that he had received news, how could he not be happy?
Chu Chuyan had a strange expression. She looked into the room and replied, “He was inside your house. You never came back, so of course you didn’t know.”
Zu An was confused. His first reaction was that she was messing around. But when he saw that she wasn’t kidding at all, he quickly reacted and ran inside.
Chu Chuyan followed him in and said, “When I left the White Jade Sect, I wanted to go to the Fiend races’ territory to find you. But knowing your nature, I figured you probably wouldn’t spend too long on that side and would definitely come back. I was worried that I would miss you along the way and that we’d be far from each other again. That’s why I came back to the capital to wait for you.
“When I passed by Silkworm City, I just happened to see Sang Hong being chased by a group of black-clad men, so I saved him in passing. Unfortunately, I arrived too late and couldn't save the others in the Imperial Envoy Fleet.”
Zu An suddenly realized what had happened! No wonder the Embroidered Envoy’s records had mentioned that it was especially cold around that area that night; so it was because Chuyan had used her Snowflake Sword! He should have realized that earlier.
Chu Chuyan brought Zu An to a secluded room; it was a place where all manner of junk was normally piled up, so few people in the manor ever went there. She said, “I hid him here. Because the Imperial Envoy Fleet affair was definitely related to many, many things, I was worried that news would get out and didn’t even let those in your own manor know. I waited all this time for you to come back, but you never returned even in the evening!”
Zu An couldn't help but chuckle bitterly inside when he heard the hidden grudge she carried. She had probably only snuck in at night to preserve the secret, but he had already ran over to the Sang manor by then.
When the door opened, Zu An saw Sang Hong sleeping, hidden in the shadows. His condition wasn’t that good; his entire body was wrapped in bandages. It was easy to imagine how many injuries he had received from the battle that night. His face was incredibly pale, clearly the result of excessive blood loss. Zu An quickly moved over to check his condition. Fortunately, Sang Hong had received prompt treatment; even though his injuries were severe, there was no danger to his life.
“Chuyan, I really am thankful for what you did. If not for you, he probably wouldn’t have survived,” Zu An said as he fed Sang Hong a pill he had obtained from the Fiend King Court, looking at Chu Chuyan gratefully.
“We’re one family; what are you thanking me for?” Chu Chuyan replied. She couldn't help but grin. “If I remember right, we even used to be enemies with him in Brightmoon City, and yet we’ve gone to such lengths to save him. The events of the world truly are hard to predict.”
“That’s why the entire Brightmoon City affair, for me, was a thorough and crushing defeat. Only, meeting all of you was my greatest reward,” Sang Hong said with a sigh. He had gradually woken up, and just happened to have heard their conversation.
“Respected uncle, you’re awake?” Zu An replied as he supported Sang Hong.
Sang Hong smiled at him and said, “If not for the young miss, this old life of mine would have been done in at Silkworm City.”
“Just what exactly happened in Silkworm City? People all said you had been colluding with the Fiend races,” Chu Youzhao asked curiously. When she saw that everyone else was looking at her, she quickly added, “I don’t believe that, of course.”
Murong Qinghe’s eyes widened. She was also curious about that. The case of the Imperial Envoy Fleet’s destruction had been the focal point of discussion between the great clans recently.
Sang Hong gave the two a look. After being in the capital for so long, he recognized the girls as well. He thought for a bit, then said, “That night, I encountered Shadow Group’s assassins…”
He had been roused awake by a great fire in the middle of the night. When he rushed out, he had been surrounded by an organized group of black-clad assassins. He had done his best to break out, but he had been seriously injured and couldn't shake them off. Just as he felt absolute despair, Chu Chuyan had saved him.
Chu Youzhao and Murong Qinghe were both shocked when they heard the story. After all, they were from distinguished families. Even though they had some experience, when had they ever been through something so dangerous?
Even someone like Zu An, who had often wandered along the brink of life and death, was surprised. He thought to himself that the chances of survival in such a situation really were slim. He felt a bit conflicted inside, saying, “It’s all my fault for not being with the Imperial Envoy Fleet that you almost died.”
He had been sent to guard the fleet, and was supposed to manage the Armed Escort Division that followed it. However, he had headed into the Fiend races’ territory due to his own selfish desires, causing Sang Hong’s protection to become much weaker.
Sang Hong shook his head and said, “This matter has nothing to do with you. Seeing as they wanted to act against me, they would have already been plotting actively. If they could even bribe the local officials, you would have been factored in if you were there, and they would have sent even more people. You would have been in danger as well. With more enemies, I might not even have had the good fortune of being able to escape.”
Even though he hadn’t seen the Embroidered Envoy’s reports, as an old fox of the political circles, he had immediately realized that there was something wrong with Silkworm City’s local officials. Zu An just revealed a weak smile and didn’t argue.
Just then, Chu Youzhao couldn't help but exclaim, “What kind of background does Shadow Group have? They even dare to try and assassinate the Imperial Envoy! Isn’t that rebelling against the state?!”
Murong Qinghe added, “I heard a rumor that even the Embroidered Envoy couldn’t identify the one behind Shadow Group, and only managed to track down some mid-rank leaders.”
Zu An thought, That’s not just a rumor; the Embroidery House really doesn’t know who the boss of Shadow Group is. Of course, there was also the chance that only the emperor and Zhuxie Chixin knew who it was, and access to such information wasn’t given to the Golden Token Envoys.
Sang Hong suddenly said, “Ah Zu, I want to meet with the emperor.”
Zu An replied with a frown, “Your injuries are still so serious. Let's discuss things after your injuries improve a bit.”
In Sang Hong’s current condition, he couldn't move around as he pleased. Despite that, he insisted, “I can’t wait any longer. The one behind the scenes knows I haven’t died and won’t leave the matter at that. I’m too scared to even return to the Sang manor for fear of bringing the girls harm. If I hadn’t been unconscious when Chu First Miss brought me here, I wouldn’t have agreed to come here either.”
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“Respected uncle, you’re treating me like an outsider here. Why would I be worried about those things?” Zu An replied. He continued, “Right, who’s the one behind all of this?”
Sang Hong looked around at the others. He didn’t say anything.
Murong Qinghe realized something and said, “I’m going to withdraw for a bit.”
However, Chu Youzhao quickly grabbed her and said, “Little sister Qinghe is one of us; you can trust her.”
Murong Qinghe was really happy when she heard her big brother Chu say that.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you two, but rather that this matter is too important. Knowing will only bring you harm. I don’t want to do that to the two of you,” Sang Hong explained.
Zu An knew Sang Hong was right. Thus, he said, “Alright. I’ll bring you to the palace immediately.”
“It would be best if you change your outfit a bit to mislead others,” Sang Hong reminded him, “I suspect that there are people watching your house. After all, our relationship is common knowledge.”
“It’s fine. We can just go straight there,” Zu An calmly replied. There was a mysterious confidence in his voice.
Chu Chuyan was still worried, saying, “I’ll escort you all.”
Zu An didn’t want to worry her. Furthermore, they had been separated for so long that he didn’t want to be apart from her again, so he agreed.
Chu Youzhao made a fuss about going as well, but Chu Chuyan refused, saying, “You two should wait here for more information. That way, we’ll have someone to provide support too.”
When she heard her big sister’s unquestionable tone, even though Chu Youzhao was unwilling, she could only agree.
Zu An quickly arranged a carriage to send Sang Hong out; he and Chu Chuyan sat by his side. The carriage moved straight toward the Imperial Palace. Zu An was now a count and a famous person from the Eastern Palace, so few people caused his carriage trouble. Along the way, he asked, “Respected uncle, is the one behind the scenes King Qi?”
“So you already knew after all,” Sang Hong said, unsurprised. “Indeed, he likely didn’t want Cloudcenter Commandery’s events to return to the capital. I have proof of his misconduct. He probably wanted to wipe away all the evidence.”
“It wasn’t all that hard to predict,” Zu An said. He remained silent for a moment before saying, “At the time, I obtained clues from the wooden sword, after which you investigated some more details. Those would definitely have a huge effect on King Qi. Still, I didn’t expect him to be so bold and take such a risk out of desperation.”
“King Qi has already suffered losses again and again. If I present the proof found in Cloudcenter Commandery to the entire court, his decades of hard work will only become more of a lost cause. He can’t be blamed for taking desperate action,” Sang Hong said before shooting a glance at Chu Chuyan. “Chu First Miss is exceptionally sharp, actually arranging for your honorable brother to monitor Miss Murong to keep her from sending out any information.”
It was no secret that the Murong clan backed King Qi. Chu Chuyan nodded slightly in response.
Meanwhile, Zu An laughed and wrapped his arm around Chu Chuyan’s shoulder, saying, “Of course my wife is smart!” However, when he realized that Sang Hong was another father-in-law of his, he suddenly felt that such a public display of affection was a bit inappropriate.
Chu Chuyan blushed and secretly gave him a pinch. With her nature, she wasn’t used to being so intimate in front of other people. Zu An was about to say something when his expression changed.
Suddenly, the carriage walls ruptured. Several dozen military crossbows turned the carriage into a porcupine!