They had gone through several pots of tea, yet Gu Yanxi showed no intention of leaving, and Hua Zhi didn’t mention it either.
Without needing to say it aloud, they both knew what they were waiting for.
It wasn’t until the sky had darkened that Wang Rong, with a tense expression, was led in by Bao Xia. He glanced at Hua Zhi, hesitating over whether he should speak.
Gu Yanxi also looked at Hua Zhi, though the meaning behind their gazes was entirely different.
After a moment’s thought, Hua Zhi dismissed everyone else but remained herself.
She knew that whatever Wang Rong had to say must be of great importance, and Lu Xiansheng had given her a chance to completely extricate herself from the matter. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She would rather face danger than remain blind and deaf, leaving herself entirely at the mercy of others.
Gu Yanxi gave her a deep look, then tapped the armrest of his chair, signaling Wang Rong to speak.
“His identity has been confirmed—it’s the Sixth Prince.”
Gu Yanxi wasn’t surprised. He had been watching Hua Zhi closely and noticed that she, too, showed no sign of surprise.
“What happened in the palace?”
“The Fourth Prince, hoping to gain the support of the person behind the Sixth Prince, used some tricks to make the First Prince target the Sixth Prince. He had intended to rescue the Sixth Prince at a critical moment to win his favor, but the Sixth Prince was too vigilant. With the help of loyal servants and guards, he managed to escape on his own. Now, both the First Prince and the Fourth Prince have sent people to search for him.”
Gu Yanxi narrowed his eyes and leaned back, adopting a completely relaxed posture. “Any clues found?”
“None. Shaoyao cleaned up the trail thoroughly.”
“Lead them out of the city.”
“Understood.” After a pause, Wang Rong asked, “To what extent should we go?”
“Make them think the Sixth Prince has gone east.” Gu Yanxi’s smile turned cold. With a prince missing in the palace, he wanted to see how long they could keep it hidden. It was a good opportunity to see what cards they held.
He had no interest in the power struggles among those of equal standing—whoever won did so by their own ability, and whoever lost had only themselves to blame. But targeting a younger brother who had lost his mother, was not yet ten years old, and posed no threat to them—that disgusted him.
Before leaving, Wang Rong stole a glance at the eldest daughter of the Hua family, whose expression remained completely unchanged, and inwardly gave her a thumbs-up. Truly, she was the one his Highness had set his sights on!
Yet, Hua Zhi was not as calm as she appeared. The struggle for the throne had once seemed far removed from her, but now she realized it was right before her eyes.
She had considered the possibility that the child might be a prince, but she hadn’t expected it to involve such a messy affair.
“The Sixth Prince’s mother was the late Consort Zhen, and her maternal family is…”
“Lu Xiansheng, it’s better if I don’t know these details.”
“You’ve already heard this much. A little more won’t change anything.” Gu Yanxi smiled. “Consort Zhen’s maternal family is the Sun family.”
The Sun family? Which Sun family? Surely not the one with the garrison commander guarding the pass.
Hua Zhi suddenly looked up, her expression shifting. Just now, Lu Xiansheng had said the Sixth Prince had gone east. Could it be…?
“That’s right, it’s that Sun family—the family of Sun Qi, the garrison commander. Consort Zhen was his only daughter.”
It was rare to see Hua Zhi’s composure break, and Gu Yanxi watched with amusement. He had always thought Hua Zhi was exceptionally sharp. If she were a man, the Hua family would surely have advanced further under her leadership.
Hua Zhi had already pieced everything together. “With Consort Zhen gone, the Sixth Prince is Commander Sun’s only remaining bloodline.”
“Exactly.”"So that's why the other princes want to pull the Sixth Prince to their side while he's still young—both eliminating a formidable rival and gaining a powerful ally for themselves."
"Exactly."
Hua Zhi continued her analysis, "Now that the Sixth Prince has disappeared, the First Prince and Fourth Prince will surely spare no effort to find him. Otherwise, this matter cannot be concluded—the Emperor cannot remain unaware that he's lost a son forever."
Gu Yanxi imitated Hua Zhi's manner and poured tea for her. After she finished speaking, he raised his eyes to glance at her and hummed in acknowledgment.
"The Sixth Prince cannot remain in the Hua family."
"You've got it backwards—the Hua family is the most suitable place for the Sixth Prince to stay."
Hua Zhi frowned, "This will implicate the Hua family. We cannot withstand the wrath of either the First Prince or Fourth Prince."
"Right now, who knows how many people they've sent out searching. Moving the Sixth Prince at this time isn't wise. I know what you're worried about—rest assured, I'm here."
'Rest assured, I'm here.' These words had always been something Hua Zhi said to others—this was the first time someone had said them to her. Her mind went blank for a moment, her heartbeat momentarily faltered, and the person sitting before her suddenly seemed different.
Hua Zhi lowered her gaze, forcing her thoughts back to the matter at hand.
Lu Xiansheng was right—the fact that so many people were searching meant the Sixth Prince's whereabouts hadn't been discovered yet. Rashly sending him away might instead attract attention. It would be better to continue as before—when Ying Chun carried him inside, she had covered him with a cloak. Only those serving in her rooms knew about it. If she paid closer attention to comings and goings, there shouldn't be any problems.
However, this was like a time bomb—who knew when it would explode. Once the situation calmed down, they needed to send him away quickly.
"Would Lu Xiansheng like to meet the Sixth Prince?"
Seeing that she had understood, Gu Yanxi nodded, "I need to see him. I have matters to ask him about."
Hua Zhi stood up, "Please follow me."
After bringing him back, Hua Zhi had settled him in the front courtyard. Although the child was young, he was still an outside guest—bringing him directly into the inner courtyard wouldn't be proper for anyone.
It was only a few steps from the study to the adjacent room. Hua Zhi hadn't originally planned to get involved in what followed, but after some thought, she still followed Lu Xiansheng inside.
The child was leaning against the bed, gently rubbing where it itched badly from his wounds. When he saw someone enter, he instinctively stopped moving. When he clearly saw who had come, his expression changed. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the man bow in greeting: "Lu Yanxi pays respects to Your Highness the Sixth Prince."
Lu Yanxi...
The Sixth Prince immediately understood and swallowed his words, nodding as he said, "Rise."
Hua Zhi curtsied, "This common woman pays respects to Your Highness the Sixth Prince. Please forgive my earlier offense."
The Sixth Prince looked at her with moist eyes, his child's voice surprisingly mature as he said, "I really like the name A Jian."
Hua Zhi bowed again.
The light in the Sixth Prince's eyes gradually dimmed, his tone softening as he spoke again, "Thank you for saving me."
"Your Highness chose my carriage among so many—this shows it was heaven's will. I merely followed divine arrangement." Hua Zhi bowed once more, "I still have matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you further."
Watching her withdraw and close the door behind her, the two—one tall, one small—finally turned their gazes back to each other.Gu Yanxi gave a slight bow. "Greetings, Your Highness the Sixth Prince."
The Sixth Prince smiled bitterly. "Brother Yanxi, please don't mock me."
"I didn't expect you to get involved, nor did I think they would be so bold. What happened to the men Commander Sun left with you?"
"Two are dead, two are missing, and the other two were sent out on errands by me at the time. They should be looking for me now."
PS: I'm back home after a day of travel. Just one update today.
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