Like Lu Jin, Bai Qingyan was full of doubts, but when she saw this so-called Yan guard, she suddenly stood up with a start. Her loss of composure left both Lu Jin and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review stunned.

“Your Majesty?” Lu Jin asked softly.

But Bai Qingyan seemed not to have heard at all, staring fixedly at that “assassin.”

The blood-covered “assassin,” upon crossing the threshold of the great hall and seeing Bai Qingyan’s shocked expression, suddenly averted his gaze and dared not look again. He knelt in the center of the gleaming hall, head bowed low, as if trying to hide his face.

Bai Qingyan’s fists at her sides were tightly clenched. She then walked out from behind her desk, walking straight toward the “assassin” kneeling in the center of the hall. Lu Jin and the Chief Justice, not understanding what was happening, hurried forward, fearing this “assassin” might harm Bai Qingyan.

“Your Majesty!” Lu Jin protected Bai Qingyan.

But Bai Qingyan waved at General Gao, stepped forward two paces, her eyes reddening as she looked at this “assassin” who kept his head lowered, covered in bloody marks.

This “assassin” before her was none other than the deputy general under Bai Qingyan’s second uncle, Bai Qiying… Gao Yuxing, the Martial Guard General of the Bai family army, was the uncle of Wu Zhe, who had lost his life while delivering the army’s march records for the Bai family army.

“General Gao…” Bai Qingyan bent down to help Gao Yuxing up.

But Gao Yuxing, enduring the pain from his wounds, shuffled backward on his knees two steps. With difficulty, he raised his shackled hands and cupped them in salute: “The Great Zhou Emperor has mistaken me for someone else.”

Lu Jin and the Chief Justice looked completely bewildered.

Gao Yuxing’s voice was hoarse, comparable to A’Yu’s, as if his throat had been damaged by smoke like A’Yu’s, perhaps even more severely.

Gao Yuxing was a close friend of her second uncle Bai Qiying. Because he wasn’t from the capital, he rarely came to the capital city, but his loyalty to second uncle Bai Qiying was unwavering.

Seeing the burn scars on Gao Yuxing’s face, which had almost destroyed his once handsome features, she felt a pang of heartache.

In the battle of Nan Jiang, everyone thought Gao Yuxing had died alongside her second uncle in Nan Jiang.

Bai Qingyan insisted on stepping forward, kneeling on one knee, her hands tightly gripping Gao Yuxing’s arms that were bloody from torture: “General Gao, every single member of the Bai family army… every comrade who once fought alongside Bai Qingyan in blood and battle, Bai Qingyan would never mistake!”

Seeing Bai Qingyan kneel on one knee like this, Lu Jin, the Chief Justice, Weizhong, and all the eunuchs in the hall hurriedly knelt.

Gao Yuxing bit his teeth tightly. Hearing Bai Qingyan mention the Bai family army, fighting in blood and battle, and comrades-in-arms, he nearly lost control of his emotions as hot tears welled up.

“Weizhong! Have someone quickly summon Imperial Physician Huang!” Bai Qingyan called out loudly, suppressing her welling tears.

Gao Yuxing shuffled backward on his knees again, his knees dragging a trail of blood on the floor. He kowtowed again: “The Great Zhou Emperor has mistaken me for someone else. I am a guard of Yan’s National Uncle, acting on the National Uncle’s orders to assassinate an important minister of the Great Zhou’s court. I willingly accept punishment and beg the Great Zhou Emperor to grant this.”

Not knowing why Gao Yuxing refused to acknowledge his identity, Bai Qingyan bit her teeth, assuming Gao Yuxing had some unspeakable difficulties. She turned and instructed: “Weizhong, please invite the two ministers to the side hall for tea…”

The meaning of these words was that she wanted to speak privately with Gao Yuxing. Lu Jin and the Chief Justice understood and immediately bowed and withdrew from the great hall.

The Chief Justice was sweating profusely. As soon as he left the hall, he hurriedly asked Lu Jin: “Minister Lu, what exactly is this assassin’s background? When you interrogated him… didn’t you uncover anything? It looks like His Majesty and this assassin are old acquaintances.”

Lu Jin shook his head and only said, “Let’s wait. This matter must have a resolution. That Regent Prince of Yan will come later, and whatever the truth is, there will be an explanation.”

The Chief Justice nodded and followed Weizhong to the side hall to wait.

Inside the great hall.

Bai Qingyan still maintained her kneeling posture on one knee, looking with reddened eyes at General Gao Yuxing, whom she had once regarded as an elder: “General Gao, there are only the two of us left in this great hall. Why does General Gao, being alive, not return? When I ascended the throne… I proclaimed to all under heaven precisely so that our Bai family army could all return with dignity! Why… why didn’t you return?”

Her choked voice made Gao Yuxing’s eyes redden as well. He slowly raised his head to look at Bai Qingyan, his lips moving soundlessly for a long while before speaking: “Little Commander Bai, Gao Yuxing… has failed the Commander, failed the Deputy Commander. I couldn’t… protect Second Master, couldn’t protect A’Qiong. I truly had no face to return.”

That single “Little Commander Bai” nearly brought tears streaming down Bai Qingyan’s face.

She gripped Gao Yuxing’s arms forcefully, holding tight, shaking her head: “Nothing could make our entire Bai family army happier… than General Gao’s return! But since General Gao has returned, why didn’t you go to the Bai mansion, but instead tried to assassinate Liu Rushi?”

Bai Qingyan hadn’t forgotten that Liu Rushi had told her that the person who tried to assassinate him didn’t seem to want his life.

If someone from the Bai family army had returned, they would surely know to go to the Bai mansion to find the Bai family, or… go to Nan Jiang to find the Bai family army.

The reason Bai Qingyan later decided to have Lu Ping remain at the Bai mansion was precisely because she feared that old members of the Bai family army might return but have nowhere to go home to, so she never removed the Bai family nameplate—the Bai family had always been there.

“Little Commander Bai, now that Great Zhou is strong, with its main forces trapped in Xi Liang, and having already stationed troops at Yan’s borders ready to advance west at any time… to destroy Yan! This is heaven’s gift to us for unifying the world… the best opportunity to fulfill the wishes of the Commander, Deputy Commander, and all the Bai family army!” Gao Yuxing’s hoarse, unpleasant voice was nonetheless extremely firm. “But Yan is using what Little Commander Bai cares about most—the people’s peace and soldiers’ lives—attempting to coerce Little Commander Bai into agreeing to their gambling-the-nation strategy. This is their delaying tactic out of fear of national destruction!”

“If Little Commander Bai doesn’t agree, it would be for your achievements, not caring about civilian sacrifices, not caring about soldiers’ lives or deaths. Such a great accusation, once made, would make Great Zhou’s court ministers worry about public opinion… even if they don’t want to agree, they must agree to this so-called gambling-the-nation strategy!” Gao Yuxing gritted his teeth. “Even if Gao Yuxing sacrifices this life, I absolutely will not let the young Yan Emperor’s treacherous scheme succeed!”

Originally, when Gao Yuxing learned that Empress Dowager Yan had stabbed Great Zhou in the back during Yan and Great Zhou’s alliance, causing Bai Qingyu’s life or death to be unknown, he planned to stake everything on avenging Bai Qingyu. Using his martial skills, he infiltrated the Zhong family, preparing to find an opportunity to gain Zhong Xingxiao’s favor, become Zhong Xingxiao’s guard, and have a chance to get close to the Empress Dowager Yan to take her life.

Later, learning that Bai Qingyu was safe and sound, he breathed a sigh of relief and planned to serve as an inside agent for the Great Zhou army that was about to attack Yan. Unexpectedly, Zhong Xingxiao began recruiting experts to escort him on his diplomatic mission to the Great Zhou.

Naturally, Gao Yuxing had also investigated clearly what this diplomatic mission to the Great Zhou was for.

Learning that this Regent Prince and Zhong Xingxiao planned to use the people’s peace and reluctance to sacrifice soldiers’ lives as excuses to concoct some gambling-the-nation strategy, Gao Yuxing was so angry his teeth itched.