Shen Guiyan kept her eyes on her nose and her nose on her heart, shaking her head. “I didn’t hear anything.”

“Is that so?” Gu Chaobei narrowed his eyes and moved closer to her. “Hiding under the bed the whole time, yet heard nothing at all?”

She must have heard every word of his conversation with those people—plans that few knew about, plans that even Yuwen didn’t know.

Shen Guiyan painfully buried her face in the pillow. “Ah, my back is starting to hurt again. I need to rest for a bit. This person beside me doesn’t smell very good. Husband, you should move him to the side couch—just don’t let the servants in.”

“Yan’er.”

“I’m not listening, I’m not listening.” Shen Guiyan covered her ears. “My memory isn’t very good. I forget things in the blink of an eye. Whatever you say is useless.”

Gu Chaobei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, grabbing her hands. “Your memory isn’t good? You remember clearly who in the manor likes to eat what. How could your memory be bad?”

Her body stiffened for a moment, then Shen Guiyan sighed and looked up at him. “Husband need not worry too much. Even if this concubine heard many things she shouldn’t have, it doesn’t matter. I’ve already married you. In life and death, I’m together with you. Why would you need to worry that I would harm you?”

Once married, that was it. In this life, if he prospered, she would prosper; if he fell, she would decline too. From the moment they bowed in the wedding hall, their two fates had been tied together.

It was just that he concealed too many unknown secrets behind his back—matters of great importance. He probably didn’t trust her that much.

After looking at her for quite a while, Gu Chaobei smiled lightly. “Does my wife mean that I can trust you won’t betray me in the slightest?”

“Yes.” Shen Guiyan nodded very firmly, afraid of nodding too slowly.

Their gazes intertwined. Gu Chaobei kept smiling, but Shen Guiyan somehow saw indifference in his eyes.

Only that cold thing, upon meeting her gaze, slowly melted and gradually became invisible. After a while, he nodded, saying helplessly, “Then I’ll trust you and entrust my life to you. Wife, please don’t disappoint me.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Shen Guiyan smiled and nodded. “Mm.”

The roguish smile returned to Gu Chaobei’s face. He reached out to drag the person on the bed over to the couch, then went out to instruct the servants that without orders, no one was permitted to enter the room.

Baoshan didn’t know where she found the strength, but she somehow carried Zhuiyun all the way to the city gate on her back, running desperately. Fortunately, she had some copper coins on her, so she found a carriage to send Zhuiyun back to the manor.

Not bothering to return to the main house to report, afraid that her blow hadn’t landed in the right place, she hurriedly went to fetch a physician to examine Zhuiyun.

Zhuiyun didn’t wake for long. After all, he was a trained fighter. Before the physician’s hand even touched him to check his pulse, he had already pushed the man away.

“Where is the young madam?”

Baoshan patted her chest, looking at him. “Thank heaven and earth, I didn’t commit murder.”

Zhuiyun frowned, stood up and looked around, his whole body turning cold. “You truly brought only me back alone?”

“You should thank me, you know?” Baoshan rolled her eyes. “If I hadn’t suddenly found superhuman strength, both of us would have been done for.”

“What about the others?” Zhuiyun pushed Baoshan aside forcefully, anger on his face. “Even dogs know to protect their masters. If you were afraid of death and wanted to flee, why did you knock me unconscious? If something happens to the young madam, how will I answer to the young master?”

Baoshan was stunned by his shouting, her mouth opening before she could even explain. Zhuiyun got up and headed outside. At the doorway, he looked back at her. “Next time you want to run away, don’t take me with you. I’m not afraid of death.”

The door slammed shut heavily, startling Baoshan. She stared at the doorway dumbfounded, completely unable to process what had happened.

“He… he simply doesn’t recognize a good person’s heart!” Baoshan’s voice trembled with anger. “I’m greedy for life and afraid of death?”

Physician Liu beside her calmly continued writing his prescription. “Young people have vigorous internal heat. I’ll write a prescription to clear heat and reduce fire for you.”

Baoshan’s eyes reddened as she waved her hand. “No need to waste medicinal ingredients writing him a prescription! If he’s not afraid of death, just let him go die. What’s it to me!”

Physician Liu paused, looked up at her, and muttered quietly, “Better make two copies.”

Zhuiyun walked to the main house entrance and knelt down, taking a deep breath before shouting inside, “This servant Zhuiyun has returned to report.”

Gu Chaobei was just worrying about how to change the man in black’s clothes. Hearing this voice, his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly pulled the person inside. “Zhuiyun, come help with something.”

“Zhuiyun has failed the young master’s trust.” Entering, he knelt down again. Gu Chaobei couldn’t even pull him up, glaring at him. “What’s wrong?”

Shen Guiyan also propped herself up to look.

Zhuiyun didn’t raise his head. “The young master ordered this servant to escort the young madam. However… we encountered bandits on the road. Baoshan knocked this subordinate unconscious and brought him back. The young madam’s… life or death is unknown.”

Gu Chaobei was stunned. He had miscalculated—he hadn’t expected someone to make a move against Yan’er so early. Fortunately, she hadn’t gone.

“Baoshan came back too?” Shen Guiyan asked.

“Yes…” Zhuiyun paused, then after answering, looked up.

Over on the bed, the young madam whose life or death was supposedly unknown was lying there, full of joy. “Good that she’s safe. I’ve been worried about her this whole time. Quickly have her come in to help me up.”

Zhuiyun’s eyeballs nearly fell out. “Young Madam?!”

Wasn’t she supposed to be in the carriage? How could she be on the bed? Zhuiyun was bewildered. What about the person in the carriage?

“Stop thinking about it. Go call Baoshan in.” Gu Chaobei patted his shoulder and smiled. “We were all fooled by the young madam. Today was full of danger but no real harm. Everyone return to your positions.”

Zhuiyun couldn’t process this, but still followed orders, turning to go call Baoshan.

Baoshan didn’t need him to call her—she had already arrived at the main house. Passing by him, she roughly bumped his shoulder, then acted as if she hadn’t seen anything and went inside to attend to her young mistress.

He seemed to have misunderstood something and offended someone? Zhuiyun touched his head, standing there dumbly.

“The Sixth Prince, though his life hangs by a thread, is said to not be completely dead yet.” Yuwen Changqing stood in a secret chamber, looking at Gu Chaobei. “That personage has long wanted to kill the Fifth Prince, but didn’t expect someone to beat him to it. Who knows who it was—they helped us tremendously behind the scenes.”

“Mm.” Gu Chaobei responded absently, holding an autopsy report in his hands. “What does it matter who made the move? Plenty of people in court oppose the Empress’s faction. It’s not strange for someone to target the Sixth Prince. But the case has fallen to the Ministry of Justice again. From the Empress’s attitude, it seems I still have to investigate the Fifth Prince’s assassination case first, or face dismissal?”

Yuwen Changqing clicked his tongue twice. “The Ministry of Justice has always been a disaster-prone place. Why did you push your way in there? The assassins who went to the palace last night either died or escaped. How will you investigate? Just hand it over to the Minister of Justice.”

“True.” Gu Chaobei said, “I already have enough evidence. I don’t want to drag this out. Tomorrow I’ll go before His Majesty and close the assassin case from the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet.”

“So soon?!” Yuwen Changqing was shocked. “How do you plan to close it?”

“The evidence is all here. What more needs to be said?” Gu Chaobei said with amusement. “Most of the assassins’ corpses were palace guards. Don’t palace guards have someone in charge?”

“You mean… Shi Falong?” Yuwen Changqing frowned. “But he’s His Majesty’s man.”

Gu Chaobei snorted with laughter, put away the documents and tucked them in his sleeve, then looked up at him. “You’ve probably spent too much time idly wandering—your brain’s gone dull. Who would needlessly mention Shi Falong? The Emperor only has that one support. If you want to know how the case will be closed, just enter the palace with me tomorrow.”

Yuwen Changqing snorted coldly. “Everyone knows you, Fourth Young Master Gu, love to act recklessly. This case involves major matters. You speak so lightly of closing it—what good will come of it?”

Gu Chaobei smiled without speaking. Yuwen’s brain was slow—couldn’t blame him. After all, people like himself who were both handsome and intelligent, possessing both wisdom and beauty, were truly rare.

The Emperor had given him a difficult problem. Everyone in the realm thought it was a difficult problem—to accuse the Empress or not?

But as Yan’er had said, when the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road. He had reached the mountain and indeed found a road.

The next day, Gu Chaobei rose very early to prepare for entering the palace. The entire family, from the Prime Minister down to Zhuiyun, all looked at him with concern.

Shen Guiyan wasn’t particularly nervous. After eating breakfast, she continued lying down to sleep. In another two days, she’d be able to get out of bed.

Before leaving, Gu Chaobei even kissed her forehead. Shen Guiyan simply said as usual, “Come back early.”

“Alright.”

For the first time, he properly wore court robes and rode in an official sedan to court. Meeting the Emperor’s gaze, he wasn’t too flustered, only having someone present what he held in his hands.

“Regarding the case of the assassins’ treasonous plot at the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet, this subject has already found leads. I request Your Majesty review them.”

The Emperor sat on the dragon throne, his eyes gazing deeply at him, then accepted the presented documents and opened them to look.

Everyone discussed in low voices. Now there was already a Crown Prince, and the Sixth Prince had been attacked. If the Emperor’s assassination case also implicated the Eastern Palace, would the realm descend into chaos?

Prime Minister Gu scrutinized the Emperor’s expression with a serious face. Beside him, Yuwen Changqing was also extremely curious.

The Emperor nodded as he read. When he reached the end, his brows suddenly furrowed sharply.

Prime Minister Gu’s heart jumped, but Gu Chaobei remained calm and composed as he knelt.

“Well?” A voice came from behind the screen on the dragon throne—no need to guess who it was. The Emperor looked at Gu Chaobei several times, smiled lightly, and had someone send the documents behind the screen.

“Beloved Minister Gu is truly clever.”

The assembled officials were puzzled. If the case was solved, why would “clever” be the word of praise? If it wasn’t solved, why would there be praise at all?

Gu Chaobei smiled with his usual roguish expression. “This subject has already exhausted all efforts. The person uncovered is also of great importance. Does Your Majesty find this satisfactory?”

Prime Minister Gu glared at him, then turned to look above, also very curious about what he had written.

“Summon Imperial Guard Vice Commander Hu Chang to the hall!” the Emperor suddenly spoke.

The eunuch beside him was startled, then relayed the order. Yuwen Changqing raised an eyebrow. Why him?

Hu Chang was one of the Empress’s trusted confidants and had served in the palace for many years. Before long, he was brought over and knelt below the hall, completely bewildered. “This subject Hu Chang pays respects to His Majesty.”

The Emperor smiled as he looked at him, then said, “Vice Commander Hu, do you know your crime?”