Chapter 798: How Is It Any Different?
The crown princess was discussing official business with important ministers inside. Zu An stayed outside to chat with Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun.
“Huh? Why do the two of you look so gloomy?” Zu An noticed that the two of them weren’t in high spirits and asked out of curiosity.
Piao Duandiao looked around carefully. When he saw that no one was paying attention, he said in a hushed voice, “The crown princess has just told us that we’re going with the crown prince during his exam. I know that as guards of the Eastern Palace, we’re supposed to share in the crown prince’s tribulations, but… But…”
Jiao Sigun harrumphed. “What are you beating around the bush for? It’s not as if he’s an outsider. It’s just that we know that this exam won’t be simple. King Qi’s side definitely won’t let this chance go. Even though our deaths aren’t guaranteed by going, it will definitely be dangerous. This might be the end.”
Zu An patted their shoulders and said, “All of you have your own families, and it’s human nature to worry, so don’t blame yourselves too much. Right, has the crown prince’s exam been decided on?”
Now that he thought about it, the emperor had even given him the task of thinking about the exam, but hadn’t bothered him about this. Ever since that night in the Palace of Peace, he no longer felt as scared of the emperor as he had before. Furthermore, the emperor didn’t rush him either, as if he had already forgotten about this matter, so Zu An was happy to play the fool.
“It has. However, we don’t know the exact details.” The two of them shook their heads.
Just then, the ministers that had been speaking inside came out one after another. A eunuch invited Zu An to come in. Zu An patted Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun’s shoulders and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you guys when the time comes.”
Piao Duandiao watched Zu An go inside with a strange expression. He bumped his friend with his shoulder. “Hey, where does big bro Zu get his confidence from?”
“Forget it, there’s no point in making him feel discouraged too.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too.”
Zu An went into the study. There was no crown prince inside; that fatty was playing with the eunuchs outside. However, the beautiful crown princess was in the study.
“I haven’t seen you for a few days. The crown princess has grown prettier again,” Zu An said with a smile.
Bi Linglong blushed. “Sir Zu really says whatever you want. There would be all sorts of rumors if other people heard what you said.”
Zu An remained unfazed. “The skies are clear and the moon is bright, so why do we need to be scared of what other people say?”
“The skies are clear and the moon is bright?” Bi Linglong couldn’t help but remember that night when they had been together, buck naked. She harrumphed inside. That really is something only this guy would say.
“I heard that the crown prince’s test has already been decided?” Zu An asked.
Bi Linglong nodded. “Indeed. The dungeon in the royal academy’s rear mountain will open up in three days. The crown prince will kill the Jade Moon Serpent to prove his ability.”
“Jade Moon Serpent?” Zu An was stunned. This didn’t sound like an easy foe at all!
“It’s a seventh ranked vicious beast. It’s much weaker than a dragon, but it’s a lot more formidable than ordinary beasts.” Bi Linglong looked worried.
Zu An was stunned. “Aren’t you just sending him to his grave then?”
He was no stranger to secret dungeons, and every single trip was a bitter struggle. Of course, those secret dungeons had all involved Unknowable Regions, so they were different from the secret dungeons this world was familiar with. However, even normal secret dungeons were dangerous.
If one put it nicely, this crown prince was simple, but if one were more straightforward, then he was someone who had learning difficulties and couldn’t function on his own. He probably wouldn’t be able to make it back after entering a secret dungeon even if he hadn’t been given any tasks, let alone if he had to kill a seventh ranked vicious beast!
Even though the seventh rank wasn’t high, would the crown prince be able to deal with it? It would make more sense if he ended up becoming a snack for that serpent.
Bi Linglong said, “This is the proposal made by the ministers from King Qi’s side, so of course we’ll oppose it. Someone suggested that the crown prince was to become the future monarch and not a general who fights on the front lines, so it isn’t even his job to fight like this. They said that what mattered more was the strength at his disposal. That was why we suggested that we build a team led by the crown prince to complete this task.”
“Not a bad plan.” Zu An chuckled. “But there’s no way King Qi’s side would agree, right? Or else you could all just send your strongest experts to protect him. The crown prince’s problem would be easily solved then.”
Bi Linglong voiced her acknowledgment. “Indeed. That’s what they said, that if we did that, then this test would become meaningless. That’s why after arguing with each other, we ended up reaching a compromise. King Qi’s side agreed to allowing the crown prince to bring people with him, but there’s a limit on their cultivation. They have to be beneath the seventh rank. Furthermore, they can’t be Embroidered Envoys or military soldiers who have gone through extensive combat formation training.”
Zu An nodded. “That’s pretty reasonable.”
After all, the cultivation levels of beasts and people were completely different. A seventh ranked beast was much more powerful than a seventh ranked human.
The crown prince’s side couldn’t exceed six ranks of cultivation, but they would have an advantage in numbers. The candidates that were picked will definitely have specialized skills. That way, even though killing that Jade Moon Serpent would be dangerous, it would still be possible. No wonder the crown prince’s side had agreed to the proposal.
“But would King Qi really be that nice?” Zu An couldn’t help but ask. This test was extremely important. If the crown prince successfully passed this exam, then King Qi’s faction wouldn’t have another chance to question his ability. Regardless of which angle he looked at it from, King Qi’s faction shouldn’t have allowed this seemingly fair test to go through.
“We also feel that they might have messed with the dungeon, but we don’t know what they’ll do.” Bi Linglong’s beautiful brows furrowed. “Sir Libationer is in charge of opening the dungeon this time, and he will only let our people in through the agreed-upon matter. Furthermore, the emperor is watching too, so none of King Qi’s men can go inside. Just what can they do?”
Zu An couldn’t help but ask, “Is it possible for the libationer to be secretly colluding with King Qi?”
Bi Linglong shook her head. “He wouldn’t. It hasn’t been long since you came to the capital, so you don’t understand the libationer’s extraordinary prestige. He doesn’t even need to rely on any faction to stand on equal footing with his majesty and King Qi, so why would he need to take such a huge risk? Furthermore, his majesty trusts the libationer, and I don’t believe he will make a wrong decision.”
Zu An thought to himself, If even that paranoid old thing trusts the libationer, then there really is no need to question the libationer’s position. He remarked, “But there’s no way King Qi will just watch this test happen without doing anything.”
“You’re right.” Bi Linglong looked at Zu An. “That’s why I need to send in as many trustworthy people as possible, and you… are the best candidate.”
“Me?” Zu An was overjoyed at her trust. “But my current cultivation is higher than the seventh rank, so I don’t think I can go in.”
Bi Linglong bit her lip. “That is a problem, but you’re around that level and not that far above it anyway. I’ll try to find a way to sneak you in.”
Zu An thought to himself, Um… I’m very far above the seventh rank. I don’t think it’ll work…
Bi Linglong suddenly raised her head and stared at him with her beautiful, burning eyes. “Are you willing to help me?”
Zu An smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you.”
Bi Linglong smiled sweetly when she received his affirmative reply. Her worry and gloom were swept away, her smile lighting up the entire room. If not for the fact that Zu An was already used to seeing all kinds of beauties, he might have been a bit stunned for a while.
The crown princess blushed when she saw him stare back at her, but she didn’t berate him at all. A strange mood settled in the room.
Suddenly, the maid Rong Mo knocked on the door. “Crown princess, his majesty has summoned Zu… Sir Zu.”
Bi Linglong finally snapped out of her daze and turned away rather rigidly to avoid his gaze. “His majesty is calling you; you should go quickly.”
“Okay.” Zu An got up to leave.
“By the way, why does his majesty keep summoning you?” Bi Linglong suddenly asked out of curiosity.
“Maybe because I’m just such a likeable person?” Zu An chuckled, and then left through the door.
Rong Mo arrived at Bi Linglong’s side and said in a discontent tone, “That guy is so shameless.”
Bi Linglong didn’t reply and instead began to think to herself. With her understanding of the emperor, there should have been no reason for him to repeatedly summon an official like Zu An!
Rong Mo continued, “Your highness, are you really going to choose him to accompany you? I can go too! My cultivation isn’t beneath his own.”
“But you’ve already reached the seventh rank. You’ve passed the secret dungeon’s restrictions,” Bi Linglong said.
“Isn’t he the same?” Rong Mo asked.
“That’s different.”
“How is it any different?”
“For example… He’s a man?”
Rong Mo was speechless.
On the other hand, Zu An arrived at the imperial study. Eunuch Wen gave him a look and couldn’t help but become shocked. It seemed the emperor’s mood wasn’t too good today.
Sure enough, the emperor immediately used intimidation the moment Zu An walked in, asking, “Have you not completed the task this emperor assigned you?”
“May I ask which task your majesty is referring to?” Zu An sneered inwardly. He had already seen through the other party’s political schemes. They might be effective against other people in this world, but for someone like him without any concept of imperial authority, once he realized what was happening, it wouldn’t have much of an effect.
“The task you were given to find a solution for the crown prince, of course. The crown prince’s exam has already been decided. Do you understand your crimes?” The emperor looked at Zu An with his sharp eyes. A powerful aura crashed down, as if he could see through Zu An’s negligence.