Lai Fu bent his waist even lower. “Has the Shizi not always been this way?”

“Hmm?”

“The Shizi, in his conduct, has always been one to verify matters fully before reporting them to you.”

The Emperor paused. It did seem… true enough. Barring exceptional circumstances, Yanxi had always investigated and confirmed matters before bringing them forward. If he suspected Hao Yue was connected to the remnants of the Chao Li tribe, detaining her and keeping her under his own watchful eye was entirely reasonable — and moreover, the investigation into the Chao Li tribe was itself Yanxi’s responsibility. When put that way, it seemed he had been overthinking things.

Setting down his book, the Emperor rose to his feet. He paced several rounds before stopping in front of Lai Fu. “So why hasn’t that boy come to admit his fault yet?”

Lai Fu dared not answer, only lowering his head further.

The Emperor had not truly expected an answer either. It was simply that, aside from exchanging a word or two with Lai Fu, he had no one else to speak to. He truly did want to press Hua Zhi — that a family which had fallen so utterly low could be brought to its present state spoke plainly of her abilities. If he opened doors for her, gave her an advantageous starting point and substantial capital, how much wealth could she generate for him? Siphoning a portion from the national treasury would hardly be a problem; surely such an endeavor could succeed. After all, had not the Weihui River been built up season after season, year after year?

He had assumed Yanxi would stand on his side as always. He had not expected that because of one woman, the boy would carry their conflict to such lengths. A woman like that was simply not virtuous. No matter what, she must never be permitted through the doors of the Gu household!

Hua Zhi, who had no idea she had earned herself fresh enmity, was still turning over the matter of Hao Yue in her mind. “This matter — you cannot sidestep it.”

Gu Yanxi gave a small nod. “His Majesty is waiting to see what I will do.”

Knowing she did not understand the Emperor as well as Yanxi did, Hua Zhi refrained from offering suggestions. She simply asked, “What do you intend to do?”

“Enter the palace to seek punishment.”

“But we still don’t know what Hao Yue has done, what she has said, or what position she has taken.”

The corner of Gu Yanxi’s mouth curved faintly. “I have held the Seven Star Sect Master in my custody for so long without ever reporting it to His Majesty. That is my offense.”

Hua Zhi considered it, then smiled. With the prerogatives of the Seven Lodge Bureau, this would not necessarily have been considered a transgression in earlier days. As for the rest — if Hao Yue had been foolish enough to reveal her identity as a prophetic seer, Yanxi could say the matter was of grave consequence and that he had withheld it to avoid alarming His Majesty while investigations were still ongoing. If Hao Yue had acknowledged only the identity of a Seven Star Sect Master, then there was much more room to maneuver.

“While you are there seeking punishment, ask as well — when will His Majesty release the funds from the private treasury? Without silver I cannot do anything.”

“Very well.” Seeing that A’Zhi’s face no longer held any trace of earlier indignation, Gu Yanxi felt relieved. He had no wish for A’Zhi to change in any way, yet if her life were at risk he would still have to raise the matter. It seemed, however, that someone had already done so on his behalf — needless to say, it must have been Elder Statesman Zhu.

“Yanxi.”

“Hmm?” Gu Yanxi looked up toward A’Zhi.

“His Majesty’s trust in you is not what it once was. The Seven Lodge Bureau, when all is said and done, is still His Majesty’s Seven Lodge Bureau. From now on — will you still be able to move freely within it?”

Gu Yanxi was silent for a moment. “The Seven Lodge Bureau has always had its rule: the Emperor comes first, the Commander second.”

Hua Zhi understood. The Seven Lodge Bureau belonged to the throne; whoever sat upon it, they obeyed. Which meant, in the end, it all came down to Sixth Prince ascending.

“I have people of my own.” Seeing A’Zhi’s look of surprise, Gu Yanxi smiled. “Who among those of imperial blood does not cultivate some measure of private strength? Those with powerful maternal relatives command even more. My mother’s people all came to me, and over the years I have trained a few of my own as well.”

He paused, then continued: “The Sixth Prince is a special case. Because of General Sun’s situation, the Sun family will not provide him with too many people for the sake of his safety, and His Majesty, wary of him, will likewise not permit the Sun family to do so.”

“We ought to assign a few more people to protect the Sixth Prince going forward.”

Gu Yanxi agreed, and moved on to another matter. “I have already sent people south to acquire the tea gardens. Other matters require proper preparation before they can be set in motion, but this one is unrelated to those concerns.”

Hua Zhi had no wish to simply sit idle, and she was also touched that Yanxi had thought ahead on her behalf in so many things. Her expression softened. “Advance the silver first. Once His Majesty releases the funds from the private treasury, I will repay you. I will keep every ledger clear and transparent — not a single copper coin will be taken.”

The two of them discussed the matter at length before Gu Yanxi finally departed, making straight for the palace without pause.

The Emperor’s sense of anticipation cooled the moment he saw Yanxi kneeling before him in respectful, proper prostration to admit his fault. Naturally, his mood soured accordingly. “When did you grow bolder than the Emperor himself? Who would dare convict you of anything?”

“This minister would not dare.”

“This Emperor says you dare quite a lot!” The Emperor restrained himself from hurling the paperweight a second time, fixing Yanxi with a hard stare. “I have kept Hao Yue within the palace, bestowing upon her the title of Noble Lady Yue and granting her residence in the Rulan Pavilion.”

Gu Yanxi had considered many possibilities, but not this one. The Emperor had not taken pleasure in his consorts for some time now. Yet given Hao Yue’s hunger for power and influence, perhaps this suited her perfectly — gain something, lose something; she was shrewd enough to reckon with that.

More important to him was what he could read in the Emperor’s attitude: Hao Yue had not spoken of her so-called gift of foresight — a gift that, in truth, had proven of little practical use.

“This minister congratulates His Majesty.”

“…” The Emperor could not even identify the source of his own irritation, only that it ran deep. “Get out of Our sight!”

“This minister has one more matter.” Gu Yanxi remained kneeling, head still bowed. “A’Zhi has asked this minister to inquire on her behalf — when will Your Majesty release the silver to her?”

The Emperor flung his personal seal across the room. “Seventy percent. I want results, and quickly.”

“This minister will convey the message.” Gu Yanxi retrieved the seal. “This minister takes his leave.”

Watching the man actually turn and walk out, the Emperor was so furious he swept everything off the imperial desk in a single stroke. “Is he truly becoming a stranger to Us? Does he think We matter less to him than some woman? Has he forgotten that everything he has today was given to him by Us?! We saved his life! Ungrateful wretch — utterly, utterly ungrateful!”

Lai Fu had his head bent nearly to the floor, wishing only that he possessed some art of invisibility so the Emperor could not see him at all.

One fears what one cannot escape — the Emperor stepped squarely in front of him and demanded, “Lai Fu, tell Us: have We ever wronged him?”

Lai Fu groaned inwardly, yet still had to answer: “His Majesty has treated the Shizi as a son. The Shizi, too, has given everything in service to Your Majesty, shouldering every burden.”

“That was before!” The Emperor landed a kick squarely on Lai Fu, venting the fury that had nowhere else to go. “Now he will not so much as glance at Us — his eyes are full of nothing but that woman. Worthless!”

“This old servant believes the Shizi is surely still thinking of how to complete matters well and bring Your Majesty satisfaction.”

The Emperor laughed coldly. In the past, he would have believed exactly that. But now it was plain as day that Yanxi had simply stopped keeping him in his heart. Otherwise he would certainly have intervened to prevent Hao Yue from being taken into the palace.

Was it not merely that he had given Hua Zhi a proper dressing-down? Very well — once this business concluded, he would have her life. He would see, then, whether his dear nephew would demand he pay for it in kind.

“Deliver a decree to Zhu Bowen: he is to cooperate fully with Hua Zhi’s endeavors. Tell him — if this business is not managed well, the Zhu family need not remain in the capital any longer. They may go to Yinshan Pass and keep the Hua family company. Are they not so close? We shall make it happen.”