Chapter 1896: Dilemma
When they saw the scene in front of them, both Chu Youzhao and Murong Qinghe’s jaws dropped. After all, Yan Xiangu and the other academy teachers were all very famous in the capital. Countless clans wanted to meet with them, and yet they rarely got the chance to do so. But now, they were actually all greeting big brother Zu so respectfully, and furthermore acknowledging him as the libationer.
Brother-in-law is so awesome!
The two young women had felt a bit down because of what was happening as of late, but now, they finally felt a bit better. They even started to think that perhaps they would be able to make it through these difficult times.
Zu An quickly supported them back up, saying, “There's no need for excessive formality. We can just keep each identity separate. The libationer is the libationer, but when we interact in private, let’s still talk as equals.”
Yu Yanluo was the late libationer’s sixth disciple. As such, they were indeed equal. Even if it wasn't too long ago that many of the libationer’s disciples had found out for the first time that Yu Yanluo was the sixth disciple, leaving them incredibly shocked, they also envied how blessed Zu An was. Yu Yanluo had been the capital’s number one beauty, someone whose name all men had heard of.
When they heard Zu An's response, they felt more at ease.
Yan Xiangu suddenly asked, “Has teacher already passed?”
They all had hopeful expressions as they looked into Zu An’s eyes, seemingly trying to hold out for good news.
“That is indeed the case," Zu An said with a sigh.
With the death of the libationer confirmed, the mood in the place turned grim.
Qi Yaoguang rubbed the tears at the corners of her eyes, saying, “Teacher was so wise, studying everything from the heavens to man. Just how did he die?”
Zu An was a bit hesitant. However, Yan Xiangu said, “There is no harm in saying what you think. All of us know about teacher’s grudge against his majesty and wouldn’t speak recklessly outside of this place.”
When he heard that, Zu An said, “In a way, the libationer took down his majesty with him.”
That wasn’t a complete lie. If not because the libationer had paid with his life to seriously wound Zhao Han, there would be no way Zu An could have finished the job.
The libationer's disciples all had looks of grief when they heard that. In the end, they sighed and said, “We already knew that this day would come eventually, just not this quickly.”
These direct disciples naturally knew who the libationer really was, and they also knew about the grudge shared between the former dynasty and the Zhao clan. They'd thought that the libationer had already acknowledged his fate, but they hadn’t expected him to still go that far in the end.
Chu Youzhao and Murong Qinghe were completely stupefied as they listened. They had never expected to hear such shocking news! His majesty and the libationer both… At the same time, they were wondering why big brother Zu trusted them so much, realizing that they definitely had to guard this secret for him.
Zu An took the chance to introduce the two of them and asked for the libationer's disciples to help watch over them.
Shen Xuzi replied, “Libationer, don’t worry! They will definitely be safe if they stay here. Even after all these years, no one has dared to cause trouble in the academy.”
They had naturally already heard about the Murong clan’s situation and more or less guessed Zu An’s intentions. It was just a very small matter for them, though. The academy was powerful enough to shelter anyone.
Zu An was filled with gratitude. After settling that matter, he took the chance to ask Jiang Luofu, “Big sis principal, was your Jiang clan affected by the battle of Violet Mountain?”
A hint of gentleness appeared on Jiang Luofu's face when she heard the familiar way of address. She said, “Thank you for your care, libationer. The Jiang clan is currently still fine. Even though there has been a bit of disturbance, the Jiang clan and King Qi were not tied too closely. Furthermore, we are all joined by marriage, and with my academy’s level of relationship, no one dares to trouble us.”
Zu An nodded inwardly. Jiang Boyang’s eldest son had taken Pei Jienu, who was also Pei Mianman’s paternal aunt, as his wife. His second son had married Zhao Han’s daughter, Princess Changrong. The third prince had married the Yu clan’s woman… The Jiang clan had always had handsome men and beautiful women, so they were related to all sorts of different clans by marriage. Furthermore, Jiang Luofu had the support of these martial brothers from the academy, so no one would dare to touch the Jiang clan.
It seems that having more sons and daughters in this kind of society is pretty useful, huh.
“It’s good that the Jiang clan doesn’t have any problems,” Zu An said. He then asked,, “Who are the second brother and ninth sister you mentioned earlier?”
The third brother was Sword Saint Xiao Yao, someone he had met in Cloudcenter Commandery. The tenth brother was a military strategist who usually stayed at the border, so he had never met him. He knew about those two. But second brother, the doctor, and ninth sister, the singer... This was the first time he had heard them being mentioned.
Jiang Luofu shook her head slightly and said, “Their identities must be hidden. It’s best if they tell you on their own in the future, because it isn’t appropriate for me to tell you. Still, there's no need to worry. You share quite a deep relationship with them and will naturally know who they are eventually.”
Zu An was a bit annoyed that she was deliberately mystifying things. He really wanted to pull those black leggings of hers all the way down, rip off the rubber bands on them, and flick her with them like a slingshot.
A disciple suddenly ran all the way up while gasping for breath, saying, “Teachers, there are people who want to meet Sir Zu and claim to be his friends.”
“What Sir Zu? From today on, he is our new libationer,” Yan Xiangu corrected him.
The disciple was shocked. He reflexively glanced at the other teachers, and when he saw that they didn’t argue back, he knew that Yan Xiangu wasn’t joking. He quickly said respectfully, “I greet the libationer!” At the same time, he thought to himself that he definitely had to spread this huge piece of news to the other students, so he wouldn't be the only one to experience such shock.
“Please rise. Who was it that was calling me, and have you asked what their names are?” Zu An asked.
“They said thhey were Eastern Palace guards. One seems to be surnamed Piao, the other Jiao something.”
Zu An stirred, saying, “Have them come up.”
Soon after, Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun sprinted up the mountain with anxious looks. When they saw Zu An, they sighed in relief and said, “Sir Zu, the crown princess wishes for you to return to the palace.”
Zu An was a bit surprised. He nodded and replied, “I understand.” Then, he said to Chu Youzhao and Murong Qinghe, “The two of you will live here for a while. With the teachers protecting you, no one will dare to make things difficult for you.”
“Brother-in-law (big brother Zu), don’t return to the palace! It’s too dangerous!” Chu Youzhao and Murong Qinghe both grabbed his sleeves and said out of concern.
“It’s alright,” Zu An said with a smile. “I know what I’m doing, so nothing bad will happen. Don’t run all over the place; staying here properly is the best way to help me. If you need anything, ask your big sister Xie.” Then, he said to Jiang Luofu, “I’ll have to trouble you to look after the two of them a bit.”
Jiang Luofu nodded. Then, she looked at the two Eastern Palace guards. She asked quietly, “Do you need help?”
“It’s fine. I’ll be able to handle it,” Zu An said as he cupped his hands toward the teachers; he then followed Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun down Mount Yuquan.
“Sir Zu, you shouldn't go to the Imperial Palace, and you should just use this chance to run. We’ll just go back on our own and say that it was because we were too weak. They won’t trouble us too much for that,” Piao Duandiao couldn't help but say along the way.
“What do you mean, we’re too weak? We should just say that we didn’t even find Sir Zu,” Jiao Sigun corrected him.
Zu An felt warm inside when he heard the worry in their voices. He patted their shoulders and said, “Don’t worry, I have a plan.”
…
Just like that, they went to the Imperial palace. Eunuch Lu was already waiting at the palace gate. When he saw Zu An, he immediately said, “Sir Zu, you should go to the Palace of Peace. Everyone is already there.”
Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun couldn't help but say, “We received the crown princess’ orders to bring Sir Zu to the Eastern Palace.”
Eunuch Lu’s expression turned cold. He replied, “Are you using the crown princess’ name to push down the empress? Even the crown princess is at the Palace of Peace right now.”
Piao Duandiao and Jiao Sigun were intimidated by Eunuch Lu, so they could only give Zu An a look that seemed to say 'good luck'. Then, they quickly rushed to the Eastern Palace to issue a report.
Zu An followed Eunuch Lu to the Palace of Peace. Along the way, Eunuch Lu asked with a sigh, “Sir Zu, how could you be so impulsive?”
Zu An knew that the news regarding the murder of King Jin had already spread. He said calmly, “I merely sought clarity and understanding.”
Eunuch Lu gave him a look of surprise. As he watched Zu An enter, a moment later, he said enviously, “Being young truly is great. You can be hot-blooded and capable.”
When Zu An walked into the Palace of Peace, he discovered that it was full of people and that it was as noisy as a food market. The two sides were clearly arguing over something. When they saw Zu An, however, the entire room suddenly fell silent. They all turned around to look at him with strange expressions.
Zu An saw that Bi Linglong was also present, and that the Eastern Palace’s members were gathered around her. She almost seemed to rival the empress, who was in the seat of honor. The empress was dressed in a long black gown with golden phoenixes embroidered upon it; she had a solemn and dignified aura. In contrast, Bi Linglong was dressed in a white palace outfit, and her perfect facial features formed an extremely grave expression. One was a mature and elegant madam, while the other was a young lady brimming with beauty and youthfulness. Even though their statuses were special, the other ministers present couldn't help but sneak looks at the two of them. They really did each have their own beauty.
Meng Yi was the first to snap out of his daze. He pointed at Zu An and hollered, “Zu An, you actually dared to come here? Men, arrest this brute immediately!”
Zu An looked at Bi Linglong to see how she would act. He had a bit of hope deep within him, because if she completely abandoned him, there was no need for him to feel bothered any longer.
Soldiers stormed in when they received the order. Just then, however, Bi Linglong spoke up with her beautiful brows furrowed. “Sir Meng, this is the Palace of Peace. Her highness hasn’t even spoken yet, so aren’t you overstepping your authority a bit?”
Meng Yi’s expression changed slightly. He thus bowed respectfully to the empress. and said, “Your highness, please forgive me. This subject was too stirred up and acted out of line. However, this Zu An actually dared to murder a prince, a true crime that cannot be forgiven. I hope that your highness can uphold justice for King Jin!”
Many ministers kneeled down; several of them were other children from the royal family. They added, “Please uphold justice for all of us, your highness!”
When she saw the scene, Liu Ning felt a huge headache coming on and gave Zu An a resentful look.
Didn’t I just warn this damn brat not to act recklessly? I told him to talk to me if he needed anything and that I’d help him. And yet he immediately killed King Jin?!
She was angry inside, but she didn’t show anything on the surface. She said, “Linglong, King Jin was the crown prince’s own brother. How do you think should this matter be handled?”
Bi Linglong secretly praised her cunning. The empress now put all the blame onto her. If she helped Zu An, it would disappoint everyone from the royal family and the ministers, because King Jin was the crown prince’s younger brother. She would be cut off from everyone else. However, if she didn’t help Zu An, the Eastern Palace’s unity would be disturbed. If not even an important figure like Zu An could be protected, who would dare support her in the future?
Bi Linglong shot Zu An a fierce look. If it were something else, she would definitely protect him, but he had ended up causing such a huge commotion.
Just what do I do now?