Gu Yanxi did not press him further. He had no intention of giving away the silver hairpin either — he kept it in his closed palm, his hand behind his back. “These things she never told even her own family, much less would she have said anything to all of you. But I felt you should know. Do not think her invincible, and do not take for granted that all of this is simply what she is supposed to do.”
Hua Pingyang smiled bitterly. These were Hua Family matters by rights — it was not for an outsider to point fingers. Yet the things he had just learned had struck him too hard, and the man before him had helped Zhi’er at every turn, so that no matter what this Master Lu said, it somehow all felt warranted.
Gu Yanxi was the sort of man who had never even put the princes of the capital — clawing at one another’s throats — in his eyes. He could, for Hua Zhi’s sake, treat the Hua Family members with goodwill. But that did not mean he would place them on a pedestal. To earn his genuine regard, one needed to have something to show for it.
He had said all of this to Hua Pingyang not to display his own usefulness, but rather because he thought well enough of Hua Pingyang to say it. Had it been Hua Pingyu sitting here, he would not have said an additional word.
“You can also set aside those unnecessary worries of yours. The person I have chosen for myself, I would not lower her worth for anything. Until Hua Zhi gives me her answer, I will conduct myself with propriety and keep within the bounds of decorum. This is my promise. Shao Yao may be my person, but she sincerely considers Hua Zhi her friend. With her along, no one will be able to take advantage.”
That promise was all Hua Pingyang had wanted. He trusted this man to mean what he said — even if his very surname was perhaps a false one.
Hua Pingyang said nothing more. He gave a deep bow, opened the door, and left. His retreating figure looked somewhat desolate. No words could have expressed what he felt — gratitude least of all. In all the places where the family could not reach, this man had already helped more times than anyone could count. He had no wish to ask whether Zhi’er knew of his feelings, no wish to press her on her own intentions. What he should be thinking about, what he needed to do, was how to bring the Hua Family back to the capital, intact, with not one person lost.
Until then, everything else was empty talk.
Gu Yanxi carefully wiped the hairpin clean and tucked it back against his body. He pushed open the window and stepped aside. Shortly after, Xu Gui used the ledge to vault in through the opening. Seeing the Shizi was in the process of changing, he hurried forward to assist.
Gu Yanxi spread his hands wide. “Your identity cannot be exposed. Stay here and keep watch. If anyone dares break into the room next door in the night — kill them.”
“Understood.” Xu Gui’s eyes lit up with a burning brightness. He had been at Yinshan Pass for four years — four years of playing a role, keeping up appearances. What he missed most was the clean, exhilarating feeling of carrying out a mission at the Shizi’s side. A single word, spoken with the weight of killing intent, was enough to make him tremble with excitement from head to toe.
The night was deep and dark. Two figures lay silently on the roof of the General’s residence, pressed low against the snow. Shao Yao grumbled inwardly — dark night, high winds, the perfect hour for murder and fire — yet her body did not twitch so much as a fraction, as though she felt no cold at all.
Gu Yanxi made a gesture. Shao Yao gave a nod. With perfect wordless understanding between them, one slipped inside and the other kept watch.
Gu Yanxi was entirely familiar with residences of this kind. He made straight for the master bedroom.
In the still of the night, every tiny sound was magnified beyond all measure. With one party making no effort at concealment and the other on high alert, the sleeping figure snapped upright, sword in hand. “Who’s there?”
Gu Yanxi stepped out of the shadows. He had not covered his face, made no effort to don dark night-infiltration garments — only dressed in neatly gathered clothing. He walked, as naturally as you please, to the center of the room and, more like the master of the house than the man standing at the bedside, lit the lamp on the table.
“General Wu. It has been a while.”
Wu Yong recognized the visitor and felt a sharp lurch in his chest, followed immediately by a wave of relief. Had it been anyone else, he would have trusted no one — but knowing this was a man of the Seven Constellations Bureau put him at ease.
That he knew the Shizi Gu was affiliated with the Seven Constellations Bureau was thanks to a case the two had once worked together to resolve. Thinking of the man’s character and the person who stood behind him, Wu Yong — who had been groping through the darkness for months — finally glimpsed a faint glimmer of hope.
Gu Yanxi looked Wu Yong over carefully as he drew closer, and understood at once why even someone as meticulous as Xu Gui had not detected his illness until now. Compared to four years ago, he was somewhat more weathered in bearing — but from head to toe, there was not the slightest trace of sickness.
“What brings you here? Has the Emperor issued some decree to be conveyed?”
“I came originally on a private matter. I did not expect to find the situation here so fraught with undercurrents.”
Wu Yong gave a bitter smile. He felt rather useless himself.
“I’m told you’ve been ill. I wouldn’t have guessed.”
“I also feel I am not ill — yet the fact is that I am, and no one has been able to determine the cause.” Wu Yong’s gaze was sharp and intent as it fixed on Gu Yanxi. “I wonder if the Shizi might be willing to enlighten me. I cannot think of whose path I have crossed. The Wu Family is stationed far out on the border and has never inserted itself into the capital’s factional disputes. Whoever sits on that seat, we guard Yinshan Pass all the same. What manner of person would want to destroy the Wu Family?”
“How can you be sure it was not someone from beyond the pass?”
“I looked into it — it was not them. Even if they genuinely intended to encroach across the border, they would not use a method as slow and grinding as this. Someone who wants me to die slowly without any traceable cause — who would cover up something so contemptible with a veil of decency — could only be one of our own.”
Though the Wu Family’s line had narrowed to a single man in this generation, his mind was sharper than any of his predecessors’. Gu Yanxi’s impression of Wu Yong was good, and so he spoke plainly.
“I cannot say with certainty. Had I still been in the capital right now, I would never have known that Yinshan Pass had fallen into such a precarious state. The number of people with the capability to orchestrate this is small. And moreover — whoever it is has a certain knowledge of the Seven Constellations Bureau, and has been guarding against it.”
Gu Yanxi’s mouth curved slightly at the corners. “You were clearly aware that Yinshan Pass was growing unstable, and yet you sent no memorial to the court. Have you discovered something?”
“They’re trying to take my life, and I’m not allowed to protect myself?” Wu Yong looked at him, then rose and walked to the writing desk. He pressed several points on its surface, and the desk split apart — hollow inside all along.
He retrieved several items from within and passed them to Gu Yanxi. “I have someone in my service who is skilled at forging handwriting. After intercepting these letters, I used that ability to lay a few traps for them.”
Gu Yanxi opened the letters and read through them one by one. Then he unfolded the silk — thin as a cicada’s wing — and even as composed as he was, his pupils contracted involuntarily. It was a detailed map encompassing the entire northern territory.
Remarkable. Absolutely remarkable.
Gu Yanxi looked up, his eyes cold. “I will take these with me. If you have anything else on hand, give it all to me.”
“This is everything. The other party is not foolish — they would not leave me so many loose threads to pull.”
He slowly folded each item and tucked them inside his robe. Gu Yanxi’s expression remained composed. “The Wu Family’s guardianship of Yinshan Pass was decreed by the founding Emperor himself, a sworn edict declared with his own lips. On his deathbed, he left the charge: so long as the Wu Family harbors no treasonous intent, Yinshan Pass belongs to the Wu Family for a day. For generation after generation, your family has never overstepped. Every Emperor who has reigned has never harbored any desire to reach into Yinshan Pass. The trust between the imperial house and the Wu Family has been handed down across generations. Wu Yong — do not let the account of one man be settled against the whole of Da Qing. He is not worth that.”