Gu Yanxi went to the garrison commander’s residence.

Wu Yong came hurrying forward to meet him. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Gu Yanxi stepped straight past him and went directly to Chen Tu, who had come rushing out from the other side. “Has he confessed?”

“Yes.” Chen Tu’s throat tightened. He didn’t dare conceal a single thing. “Upon learning that Elder Master Hua had been helping to manage Yinshan Pass’s border defenses, the Second Prince knew things had gone wrong. He dispatched men here, intending to eliminate the Hua Family before the exposure. In order to lure General Wu away, they did not hesitate to activate a line they had previously established and struck a deal with the grassland tribes. The Second Prince sent a total of twenty-four men — twenty to carry out the surrounding assault, and four concealed in the shadows to cut down any who escaped the net. They hadn’t anticipated that the eldest young lady and Jia Yang would intercept them and stir up the hornets’ nest. To be absolutely certain, the men in the shadows immediately reached out to the grassland tribes. The second wave of assassins was largely made up of foreigners.”

“What did they trade with the other side?”

“Grain and tea.” Chen Tu swallowed. “Those are the two things the grasslands need most urgently right now.”

Gu Yanxi wasn’t surprised. He didn’t even blink. “Words alone prove nothing. I need evidence.”

“Yes. They have already signed their confessions. However…”

Gu Yanxi looked over at him. Faced with such an unruffled leader, Chen Tu was genuinely frightened, and he quickly continued: “Not all of those nine men were willing accomplices. But their families are in the Second Prince’s hands, which is why they… they say that as long as their families can be rescued, they are willing to come forward and bear witness.”

Gu Yanxi strode inside. Calculating the time, the Emperor had likely already received Wu Yong’s memorial. He could not possibly be anything other than furious. Once that outburst ran its course, the Second Prince would know his cover was blown. To extricate himself, the most convenient solution would be to find a scapegoat to shoulder the blame — someone who had been exiled to Yinshan Pass and harbored resentment was a perfect excuse. And those whose families were in his hands would be the ideal candidates.

Wu Yong dismissed the others and sat down beside Shizi. “This incident occurred at Yinshan Pass — I cannot possibly stay uninvolved. What if I write a memorial to submit immediately, to get ahead of this…”

“You can’t get ahead of Gu Cheng’an easily enough.” Gu Yanxi looked up. “Chen Tu, send someone riding post-haste back to the capital to find Chen Qing. Have him locate the people the Second Prince has detained. Make no rash moves for now. Contact Qu Qi and have him assist in finding more useful material. Additionally, have Chen Qing look into Zeng Xian’s matter carefully.”

“Yes.” Chen Tu acknowledged, then asked: “Should any action be taken against the Second Prince?”

“No need. I want him to panic and act recklessly.” Gu Yanxi looked toward Wu Yong. “The people beyond the pass won’t be willing to be used by Gu Cheng’an for nothing. Find out whether anything has already reached their hands.”

“These past two days Yinshan Pass has been locked down tight. Not a mosquito can fly out without my say-so. Nothing could possibly have reached their hands.”

“Then go and verify that.”

“Yes.”

“Everything connected to this matter — investigate it thoroughly. If there’s no evidence, find the evidence, and if necessary make the evidence. In all things, I need ironclad proof.” Gu Yanxi’s expression was perfectly calm, yet there were tiny sparks flickering in the depths of his eyes. “The matter of your poisoning is to be submitted together with this. The person who stole the medicine back then — I kept one of them alive. I said at the time that I would give you an answer in that matter. The time has come.”

Wu Yong’s own hatred was drawn back to the surface at the mention of it. “Yes. This subordinate has not forgotten it for a single moment.”

“Make your preparations. The prisoners will be escorted back to the capital by the Qixiu Division. We leave tomorrow.”

Both men felt a weight descend on their hearts, and answered in unison.

Seeing that Gu Yanxi had no more to say, the two of them bowed and withdrew. Out the door, they exchanged a glance, both feeling a vague heaviness. They would not be wronging the Second Prince — but how would the Emperor see it? With the First Prince barely brought down less than half a year ago, and now the Second Prince being pulled off his horse, would the Emperor trust Shizi?

In the Hua Family’s study, the new bookshelves still gave off the distinctive smell of fresh wood. A knock at the door broke Hua Yizheng’s contemplation.

“Come in.”

Hua Pingyu and Hua Pingyang entered together. “Father, you sent for us.”

“Close the door.”

Hua Pingyang closed it, and the two brothers took their positions standing before the writing desk.

Hua Yizheng gestured for them to sit. “Lu Yanxi is of the imperial family — this much I can say with certainty.”

Hua Pingyu pressed his lips together. “I have had my suspicions. Yet going through every member of the imperial family, I cannot find anyone who fits.”

“There is one person who is somewhat suspicious.” Hua Yizheng looked at his two sons. “The Shizi of the Prince’s household — Gu Yanxi.”

“You mean…”

“His mother’s maiden name is Lu.”

Hua Pingyu shot to his feet, the motion wrenching at his back wound with a dull throb, but he paid it no mind. “That Shizi? But I have seen him a few times, and he doesn’t seem quite right. And his face bears no scar.”

“A few techniques could manage that well enough.” Hua Pingyang thought for a moment. “If it really is him, it would make sense. A Shizi who is said to spend his days in Buddhist devotion and never leave the estate — isn’t that precisely the perfect cover for someone traveling under a different identity?”

Hua Yizheng’s eyes flickered. “What identity do you think it would be?”

“Nothing in the Great Qing dynasty is more mysterious than the Qixiu Division. All outsiders know is that the Qixiu Division is divided into seven lodges, and above the seven lodges there is a single leader — but no one has any idea what goes on within.” Hua Pingyang looked at his father and brother. “What identity could be more fitting than that? And besides, His Majesty’s exceptional regard for the Shizi is known to the entire court. His Majesty’s trust in him surpasses even that placed in his own princes. Installing him within the Qixiu Division is entirely plausible.”

More than plausible — there might even be plans for him to eventually take command of the Qixiu Division itself.

Thinking of that young man whose every action was decisive and unsparing, Hua Pingyang felt even more certain of his conjecture. The only remaining uncertainty lay in what specific rank he held within the Qixiu Division. “Furthermore, Wu Yong is a frontier garrison commander. Even a prince couldn’t earn that particular regard from him. Yet his manner toward Lu Yanxi was plainly that of a subordinate toward his superior. Doesn’t that speak for itself?”

Watching his eldest son arrive at sudden understanding, Hua Yizheng felt a quiet bitterness in his heart. The Hua Family only permitted scholars to emerge from its ranks — scholars shaped under those strict old rules. He had rebelled, and in the end submitted. So he had allowed his youngest son some latitude, only to discover that the Hua Family could have other possibilities beyond the pure scholarly path. Pingyang had a sharp eye for the shifting tides of circumstance and a quick mind — with the Hua Family’s full support, he could accomplish something significant.

Yet the family rules stood, and he could only think about it. He had once expected Pingyang to rebel, as he himself had in his youth. He had even thought through how he would respond if Pingyang did. But Pingyang never had. He had made himself into a man who understood the way of things — who undoubtedly had regrets in his heart, yet had never once made things difficult for him as a father. He had come to terms with it more gracefully than his father ever had at the same age.

And it was precisely thanks to this person that the Hua Family had been able to establish itself so quickly and firmly at Yinshan Pass.

Seeing that his father had said nothing, Hua Pingyu couldn’t help picking up the thread. “If he really is who we think he is, then he and Zhi’er…”

“If he truly has ulterior motives, could someone as sharp as Zhi’er have failed to see through him? Since she already knows who he is and still chooses to associate with him, the two of them have likely already reached some understanding on this matter. Let Zhi’er make her own decisions. Pingyu — you must not use your seniority to interfere.”

“I wouldn’t dare.” Hua Pingyu gave a self-deprecating smile. “She’s more capable than me in every way, better than me at everything. What standing do I have to tell her what she can or cannot do?”

For a moment the three of them fell into silence. Indeed — what standing did any of them have?