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Meanwhile, at the halfway point of the mountain, those present were panicking due to the activity going on above them. Even the emperor had personally gotten involved! It was easy to imagine just how terrible the situation on Golden Peak had become.
They all tried many different things to deal with the barrier, but how could the Righteous Sun Sect’s mountain defense barrier be that easy to break through? As such, they gathered back at Guidance Palace to discuss what to do.
These important ministers could take up the whole day without achieving anything under normal circumstances, let alone now that something so major had happened. Certain members of King Qi’s faction in particular had clearly received some instructions to be a hindrance, making it even more difficult for them to come to a conclusion.
Zu An didn’t even feel like wasting time with them. Instead, he moved over to the window and looked at Golden Peak with a pensive expression.
Suddenly, the Central Secretariat Assistant Director Pei Lian asked loudly, “Zu An, didn’t you bring people here to Violet Mountain to get rid of the potential dangers? Why was such a big problem overlooked?”
He was Chief Attendant Pei Zheng’s second son, and he had taken the daughter of War Chariot General Liu Guang as his wife. That meant he was pretty much as diehard a fan of King Qi as could be.
The noisy palace quickly fell silent. The other officials all looked in his direction, their expressions somewhat unhappy.
Zu An was stunned. He replied, “Previously, there was nothing wrong at all during my inspection. Afterward, however, I was always at his majesty’s side, which you all know about, and couldn't pay attention to what happened here anymore. That was probably when all of this happened.”
Pei Lian sneered and retorted, “Who knows if you did that on purpose or not? You are the Fiend races’ Regent. It’s entirely possible that you colluded with some bastards to go against his majesty.”
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Many people nodded when they heard what he said. Whether it was King Qi’s faction or the emperor’s faction, they all felt his explanation was likely.
Xie Daoyun was completely stupefied. Fiend races’ Regent?! Just how many days has it been? Did I somehow miss out on something here?
Pei Lian said to Murong Tong, “Sir Murong, you are the Supervisor of Attendants in charge of his majesty’s safety. What do you think about this?”
The Supervisor of Attendants was one of the nine ministers, and he was indeed in charge of the emperor’s safety. However, his actual authority had gradually been stripped away over the years, so his was nothing but a useless ‘high’ position. And yet today, the emperor’s other personal guards had all followed him onto Golden Peak, so as the Supervisor of Attendants, he had surprisingly become the one most suited to deal with the situation.
Murong Tong frowned, but he was still biased in favor of Zu An. He said, “Sir Zu, today’s matter really is significant. I will keep you imprisoned for now, and we will go through the entire sequence of events in our investigation after. If you turn out to have been wrongly accused, I will naturally release you. I will even offer you my sincere apologies then.”
The others nodded. Murong Tong was already showing extreme benevolence here. With his age and status, as well as his promise to apologize, he was already showing a lot of sincerity.
Murong Qinghe had previously been quite troubled at first. When she heard that her grandfather was being quite partial, she sighed in relief. This was probably the most suitable plan.
The officials’ attention all shifted to Zu An. However, he frowned and said, “Forgive me, but I can’t agree to that.”
For starters, he had grudges against many people present, and would be no different than meat on a chopping block if he agreed. If something really happened, it would be way too late for regrets then.
Furthermore, something incredibly important was happening on Golden Peak. He was more concerned with how to get involved in a way that tipped the final result in his favor. If he was imprisoned here, all those plans would go to shit!
Whether Zhao Han won and came back, or another power did, both outcomes wouldn’t be all that great for him.
An uproar broke out when the officials heard his refusal. Many people who didn’t like him voiced rebukes as if he were the criminal mastermind behind the whole event, calling for him to be executed on the spot.
Bi Ziang watched the scene unfold as a bystander, thinking, This Zu An’s background is still too shallow in the end. He climbed so far up the ladder, but he’s nothing more than a pavilion in the air. How can he compare to distinguished heirs such as us?
The brothers Qin Guangyuan and Qin Yongde asked loudly, “Brother Zu, are you worried that your safety will not be guaranteed? You do not need to worry about that. With our friendship, the Qin clan will definitely ensure your safety. Anyone who dares to act against you will become our Qin clan’s enemy.”
Zu An looked around the area. At the moment, the Qin clan’s two leaders were both fighting on the front lines. These two brothers had always been quite reliable, and it was well-known that they would be the future successors. When they made such a promise, no one doubted whether they could represent the Qin clan in that regard.
Unfortunately, Zu An still refused the olive branch they offered, saying, “Thank you for your good intentions, Qin brothers, but I have something I need to do. I can’t allow myself to be imprisoned right now.”
Many officials immediately sneered and retorted, “What do you still have to do? Could it be to scheme against his majesty on Golden Peak?”
It wasn’t just King Qi’s faction who spoke up. Even many people from the emperor’s faction voiced that suspicion. They had already begun to surround Zu An while speaking. If one person took the initiative, a fight would immediately break out. In such a situation, even the officials who were normally on good terms with Zu An couldn't really speak up for him.
Suddenly, Xie Daoyun stood in front of Zu An and stretched out her arms, blocking their way and saying, “I can speak up for big brother Zu’s sake, proving that he definitely wasn’t involved in the conspiracy against his majesty.”
“Who are you?” many important ministers asked doubtfully. They were confused as to who this nobody was, for them to speak such words.
Xie Daoyun was both beautiful and sharp. She keenly picked up on their doubts and removed her mask, as well as her hair tie. Her long hair fell down, and her stunning features were revealed.
“Lady Xie?” many people exclaimed in recognition.
Xie Daoyun’s father was a city lord. Even though he was a big shot in his region, he wasn’t worth much attention in front of major court officials such as them. However, she had another identity; she was the disciple of the academy’s Master Yan, whom no one could look down on. After all, many of the talismans and formations of the court and the great clans came from Master Yan himself.
“Miss Xie, why are you here?” Pei Zheng asked with a frown.
“My master gave me a mission to see whether there were killing formations or anything of the sort set up here, but I never expected that the Righteous Sun Sect’s great defense formation would be used to block our path,” Xie Daoyun said, her voice full of frustration because she had clearly failed her mission this time.
Just then, Bi Qi asked, “Miss Xie, why do you say that Zu An did not participate in today’s events?” He could tell that she seemed to want to speak up for Zu An, so he gave her an opportunity to answer.
Xie Daoyun’s face reddened. After some hesitation, she raised her head and said, “Because he was always with me while he was on Violet Mountain.”
“He was with you?” many people repeated with a frown. Things would indeed become a bit troublesome if Xie Daoyun served as his alibi.
Another official said with a sneer, “It is not that we are suspecting you, Miss Xie, but rather that Violet Mountain is so big. There is no way the two of you were always together, so there is still a chance that he did some things behind your back.”
Xie Daoyun took a deep breath, then said in a shaking voice, “That’s impossible, because
 because we were under the same roof at night.” Her face became entirely red before she even finished her sentence.
Zu An also looked at her with shock. He had never expected her to sacrifice her reputation for his sake.
An uproar broke out all across Guidance Palace, as was only natural for those who loved drama. They all looked at Zu An and Xie Daoyun with strange expressions, because that news was just too shocking.
Bi Ziang even started to feel a bit jealous. After all, this Miss Xie, whether in terms of her figure or her background, was an excellent choice, and yet she had ended up being taken by this brat.
On top of that, when they thought about how the incredible beauty Chu Chuyan had also belonged to this man at one point in time, many people felt hatred born of envy.
The Qin clan’s brothers were a bit unhappy too. This brat is clearly Chuyan’s husband, and yet he’s always playing around all day. How are Chuyan and the Qin clan supposed to even deal with this?