Chapter 183 - 126: Crown Prince: Brother Quan Fu, What Are You Doing with the Imperial Princess?!

Chapter 183: Chapter 126: Crown Prince: Brother Quan Fu, What Are You Doing with the Imperial Princess?!

"We’ve arrived."

After informing Zeng Anmin, the Garrison retreated the way he came.

Zeng Anmin looked at the three large characters above the palace gates and took a slow breath.

"Thank you for your trouble. Please announce that Zeng Anmin requests an audience." Zeng Anmin reached into his robes, pulled out a Token, and handed it to the gatekeeping eunuch.

The eunuch initially had a cold expression, but upon seeing Zeng Anmin’s Token, he immediately bowed, his face filled with utmost respect. "Please wait a moment, My Lord. I will return shortly."

His voice was quite shrill, but it didn’t feel overly jarring. It wasn’t much different from a normal person’s.

Zeng Anmin waited at the entrance for about a quarter of an hour before the eunuch returned and respectfully handed the Token back with both hands. "The Eldest Princess invites you in."

"Thank you, sir." Zeng Anmin accepted the Token with a smile and followed the eunuch into Yongning Palace.

They wound through several corridors. Yongning Palace was quite large, in no way inferior to his father’s Minister’s Mansion. Entering the courtyard, he saw not only rockeries but also a clear stream. The peach trees were in full, beautiful bloom.

DING DING DING...

A melodious Chime Bell rang out. Hearing this sound, Zeng Anmin knew he was about to meet the master of the palace. He adjusted his expression.

"Your Highness, the guest has been brought here," the young eunuch said, standing respectfully beside Zeng Anmin.

The sound of the Chime Bell paused slightly. The Eldest Princess’s jade-like hand, which was striking the Chime Bell, slowed for a moment before she gently waved it.

"Understood." Receiving the order, the eunuch bowed and retreated.

At this moment, only a few respectful Palace Maids remained in the courtyard, along with Zeng Anmin and the Eldest Princess sitting in front of the Chime Bell.

Zeng Anmin secretly peeked. A second glance. A third...

The Eldest Princess had an extremely narrow back, yet surprisingly possessed pulse-racing curves. The alluring arcs extended from the sides of her back all the way down to her hips. Although it wasn’t his first time seeing her, every time he did, he felt an uncontrollable urge to reach out and touch her.

"Ahem, greetings to the Eldest Princess." Zeng Anmin discarded all the distracting thoughts from his mind and bowed to the Eldest Princess’s back, his voice quite steady.

"What is it?" Losing her interest in playing the Chime Bell, the Eldest Princess placed her two mallets on a jade tray and slowly turned around. She revealed an incredibly charming face, her eyes flickering with indifference as she gazed at Zeng Anmin.

"It’s about clues regarding the map..." Zeng Anmin glanced at the Palace Maids on both sides with extreme vigilance, his face solemn.

Seeing his expression, the Eldest Princess gently raised her elegant eyebrows, a slight curve appearing on her soft red lips. Then, she gave a slight nod, her chin tracing a graceful arc in the air.

"Yes, Your Highness." As if receiving a specific order, the Palace Maids immediately bowed and withdrew. The courtyard was left with only Zeng Anmin and the Eldest Princess.

"Speak." The Eldest Princess gazed at Zeng Anmin, a hint of snow-white skin visible on her elegant swan-like neck.

Solemn and earnest, Zeng Anmin subconsciously took two steps toward her, erasing the safe distance between them. Only after getting closer did he catch a whiff of a fresh fragrance. It was an incredibly intoxicating scent.

He wondered, "What brand of perfume is she using? It smells so seductive." Of course, Zeng Anmin only grumbled this in his mind.

"Your Highness, someone is targeting me." Zeng Anmin looked at the Eldest Princess earnestly and revealed the Jade Pendant at his waist.

On the Jade Pendant, a crack was clearly visible.

When the Eldest Princess’s eyes landed on the crack on the Jade Pendant, she suddenly frowned.

"What happened?"

A stern edge could be heard in her tone. Although subtle, Zeng Anmin distinctly caught it.

He wondered, "Does the Eldest Princess value me this highly?"

Although he hadn’t interacted with her much, during their last meeting at the Liu Mansion, she had given off an impression of detached elegance, her tone rarely fluctuating. But this time...

"I don’t know. I was assassinated. Fortunately, this item saved my life at a critical moment," Zeng Anmin said in a deep voice. "And I’ve seen the person who tried to kill me."

The Eldest Princess’s expression had already returned to normal. Her calm eyes looked at Zeng Anmin, quietly waiting for him to continue.

Zeng Anmin took a deep breath, bowed to the Eldest Princess, and said, "At Huangque Nunnery on the back mountain of Fa’an Temple, there is a cripple... That cripple is a master martial artist.

"Thanks to this Jade Pendant, I survived the assassination attempt. Afterward, I immediately went to investigate Huangque Nunnery, and the clues I found seem..."

A hint of hesitation flashed across Zeng Anmin’s face, unsure if he should say it or not.

The Eldest Princess merely gave a slight nod. "Speak."

Zeng Anmin’s expression grew solemn. "They seem to point to Consort Xi."

This sentence was the crux of the matter. Sure enough, upon hearing this, the Eldest Princess frowned. It was impossible to tell what emotions lay behind her calm eyes. She looked at Zeng Anmin indifferently, and Zeng Anmin met her gaze calmly.

After a long time, the Eldest Princess said expressionlessly, "You are hiding something from me.

"Why would someone suddenly set their sights on you for no reason?"

Zeng Anmin’s heart skipped a beat. The Eldest Princess, who could use Liu Xian as a pawn to lure him into the Liu Mansion, was absolutely no fool. Therefore, it was impossible to brush her off without mentioning the secret letters he had found during the raid on Prince Qi’s Mansion.

An awkward expression appeared on his face as he scratched his head and said, "As expected, I shouldn’t hide anything from Your Highness.

"During the raid on Prince Qi’s Mansion, I discovered that Prince Qi seemed to be connected with Ren Weizhi and a certain someone behind the scenes..."

As soon as he said this, the corners of the Eldest Princess’s lips curled up slightly. She looked at Zeng Anmin with a half-smile and said, "So at that time, you and your old man set your sights on me, didn’t you?"

Zeng Anmin scratched his head awkwardly. "I just didn’t expect Your Highness to be so devoted to the country and its people—a true embodiment of justice. Fortunately, we didn’t end up going against Your Highness."

"Heh." The Eldest Princess chuckled lightly but didn’t reply, simply watching Zeng Anmin.

She knew very well that taking the initiative to seek an alliance with Zeng Anmin to avoid being targeted by Zeng Shilin... was ultimately an extremely passive choice. Her goal was to find Emperor Xi’s Map; she had no desire to participate in court struggles. Naturally, she didn’t want to clash with Zeng Shilin either.

Zeng Anmin showed a frank expression and said, "Therefore, I suspect that Consort Xi might... also have her eyes on Emperor Xi’s Map."

After saying this, Zeng Anmin lowered his head. He didn’t even need to look to know what the Eldest Princess’s expression was right now. She was definitely deep in thought.

But it didn’t matter. For the sake of Emperor Xi’s Map, the Eldest Princess had feigned compliance with Prince Qi and Ren Weizhi for so many years. She even risked throwing away the Liangyou Chamber of Commerce’s years of painstaking efforts. Whether Consort Xi was targeting it or not was irrelevant. As long as he delivered this news to the Eldest Princess, she would naturally prioritize dealing with Consort Xi.

"Consort Xi..." the Eldest Princess murmured softly. She shook her head, then fixed her gaze on Zeng Anmin and asked, "How do you plan to handle this?"

Zeng Anmin’s face turned serious, and his voice was extremely solemn as he said, "I hope Your Highness can tell me something about Consort Xi. It would aid the investigation."

The Eldest Princess narrowed her eyes. She knew that Zeng Anmin might be trying to use her. Zeng Anmin kept his head lowered, refusing to look up. He also knew that the Eldest Princess might feel she was being used. But... she wouldn’t take the gamble.

Sure enough, after a long silence, the Eldest Princess’s voice slowly rang out. She said indifferently, "You may go back. I will have someone deliver... clues regarding Consort Xi to your mansion."

"Thank you, Your Highness. I will definitely do my utmost to find Emperor Xi’s Map for you!" Zeng Anmin breathed a sigh of relief. After bowing to the Eldest Princess, he prepared to take his leave.

"Imperial Princess?" a familiar voice rang out, which turned into surprise upon seeing Zeng Anmin. "Quan Fu... What are you two..."

The Little Fatty Crown Prince stood at the courtyard entrance of Yong’an Palace, looking at Zeng Anmin bowing to the Eldest Princess in absolute disbelief. His round eyes revealed a tragic sense of betrayal.

"Greetings to the Crown Prince." Upon seeing the little fatty, Zeng Anmin wanted to casually greet him, but remembering that the Eldest Princess was beside him, he knew he indeed couldn’t act too close to him. He gave a formal bow to the Little Fatty Crown Prince.