The guard brushed past Wu Yong and entered the room, handing several letters to the leader.
Gu Yanxi opened them, scanned through with a glance, then handed them back with a cold laugh, saying nothing.
Hua Pingyu looked at his father, his eyes filled with concern. From Gu Yanxi's attitude toward Wu Yong and the way Wu Yong addressed him as "Brother," it was clear that Gu Yanxi was someone of extraordinary status. How could he not know of such a person in the capital? Yet now, he couldn't match the man to anyone he knew.
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. Who could this person be, if even he didn't know him?
Hua Yizheng was also deep in thought, but he was more composed than his son, revealing nothing in his expression. He looked up at the man sitting on the edge of the bed and asked, "Does Yanxi know who is behind this?"
"Only a handful of people could reach so far," Gu Yanxi replied. Seeing the old man, who had been full of energy just the day before, now looking years older overnight, he couldn't bring himself to speak more plainly. Even though he knew it was futile to hide the truth, he didn't want the Hua family to grow even more disillusioned with the imperial family, nor did he want A Zhi to resent him because of them.
Though he was reluctant to admit it, he and the Gu family were bound by blood and shared the same fate—their fortunes rose and fell together.
Seeing the dimmed spirits of Old Master Hua, Gu Yanxi didn't know how to comfort him. The founding emperor had gone to great lengths to establish numerous rules to prevent the Gu family from repeating the mistakes of past dynasties. Yet, even now, there were signs of decline, and despite his efforts to hold things together, he couldn't reverse the tide.
No matter how much power he wielded, he was not the Emperor. If he overstepped the Emperor's bottom line, the consequence would be execution, and the Seven Constellation Bureau, passed down through generations, would cease to exist. He couldn't afford such a price. The Great Qing Dynasty relied on the Seven Constellation Bureau to an unimaginable extent—it had almost become a second court outside the imperial court. Though he appeared more illustrious than any previous leader, he also treaded more carefully than ever.
And what of the Hua family?
Hua Jingyan and the founding emperor had shared a harmonious relationship for decades. They fought for the empire together, established laws and institutions together, and in their old age, drank and reminisced about the past. Even on his deathbed, the founding emperor summoned Hua Jingyan, making him the sole entrusted minister. At the time, many feared the Hua family would grow too powerful and harbor rebellious intentions. Yet, once the new emperor had firmly secured the throne, Hua Jingyan retired, only reappearing for major events, embodying the essence of loyalty to the extreme.
Gu Yanxi had once been fortunate enough to see the Hua family's rules, which were meticulously detailed to an astonishing degree. Even the "Six Arts of a Gentleman" emphasized the art of calligraphy above all else. Hua Jingyan ensured that the Hua family would remain the most scholarly of scholars for generations. They were forbidden from serving in the six ministries and could only join the Hanlin Academy, fundamentally preventing the family from amassing power. He made the Hua family and the Great Qing Dynasty interdependent, positioning the family as a model that influenced generations of scholars and supplied talent to the dynasty. Though this inevitably raised suspicions of favoritism, the fact that the Hua family served only in the Hanlin Academy put the Emperor at ease.
For although the Hanlin Academy held high prestige, it wielded no real power.
Yet, for some reason, the Emperor had always been deeply wary of the Hua family. After years of patience, he finally seized an opportunity to move against them. If not for Hua Jingyan's successful upbringing and A Zhi's firm grip on the family, cutting down anyone who dared to reach out to the Hua family and leaving no room for discord, the scholars of the Great Qing Dynasty would not have remained so stable. The Emperor's suspicions about the Hua family would have been justified.
A Zhi stabilized the Hua family, and the Hua family, in turn, stabilized the scholars of the empire. This was the Hua family's contribution to the Great Qing Dynasty. But what was the result?If not for the Hua family having a Hua Zhi, if not for Hua Zhi happening to be at Yinshan Pass, if not for Hua Zhi possessing such remarkable skills, that group of scholars would have been utterly helpless against those black-clad assailants—none would have escaped.
Did the masterminds ever consider whose account would be settled if the Hua family met such a fate? How could they ever placate the hearts of scholars across the land?!
He also knew that A Zhi would likely exhaust every means to avenge the Hua family, undeterred even by the threat of descending into hell after death.
The one he loved... Gu Yanxi lowered his head, clasping A Zhi's hand, and whispered softly as if afraid to disturb her peaceful slumber: "I will investigate this thoroughly. No matter who is behind it, this matter will not be lightly dismissed."
Hua Yizheng's lips twitched slightly. "No matter who?"
"No matter who." Gu Yanxi looked up, the cold gleam in his eyes convincing Hua Yizheng that this was indeed his intention—not merely to placate them.
For the first time, Hua Yizheng asked outright, "Who are you!"
Gu Yanxi smiled. "A Zhi forbade me from saying. I listen to her."
"If she forbade it, it must be related to your identity. So, you are from the imperial family."
Gu Yanxi neither admitted nor denied it. Just then, Wu Yong brought Zeng Xian over. The wooden wheels made loud noises as the child pushed, sweating profusely yet stubbornly refusing help except when lifting the wheelchair over the threshold.
Zeng Xian's cheeks were sunken, his clothes hanging loosely on his frame. His expression was calm, as if he had merely come for a casual visit.
The Hua family members had all seen Zeng Xian before, but they never expected the once-elegant young man to be reduced to such a state. They wondered what could have happened to him to leave him so utterly broken, as if his heart had died within him.
Suddenly, Gu Yanxi darted in front of Zeng Xian and grasped his wrist to check his pulse. Zeng Xian allowed the action, speaking with detached calm: "A dying man holds nothing back—I will speak all I know and hold nothing in reserve."
He was indeed a dying man. Despite showing clear signs of poisoning, he remained composed as if unaffected, a testament to his endurance.
"You were involved in this as well," Gu Yanxi stated, returning to his seat. He casually picked up a handkerchief to wipe his hands before taking A Zhi's hand again—a series of actions that made the Hua family members twitch at their temples.
"Yes, I was involved."
"Then why did you choose to withdraw and have your son deliver a message to A Zhi?"
"Withdraw? I never withdrew. Aside from having Han'er deliver the message, I did everything I was supposed to do." Zeng Xian glanced at the unconscious figure lying nearby. "The message was originally intended for you. I never expected..."
Gu Yanxi's heart ached, his demeanor turning colder. "Since you claim to hold nothing back, then speak."
Zeng Xian suddenly laughed, as if recalling something amusing. "Actually, I rather regret it. If I hadn't sent Han'er with the message, it wouldn't have been long before things turned lively, don't you think? If all the exiled members of the Hua family died, wouldn't those bookworms the Hua family had kept in check cause an uproar? The emperor is arrogant, stubborn, and deeply paranoid. Not only would he fail to see any fault in his actions, he'd only become more convinced that the Hua family's influence had grown powerful enough to threaten his throne. Given his methods, he would surely send troops to suppress them."The more he thought about it, the more intriguing it became. Zeng Xian’s face flushed with excitement. "Would scholars fear this? The more they are suppressed, the more they resist. The more they believe the Hua family died unjustly, the more the situation will escalate. What would the Emperor do in his fury? Of course, he would kill—kill until rivers of blood flow, making them remember whose empire this is. But you know what? The scholars of the Daqing Dynasty, before becoming officials, all learned the Hua family’s ways. They are stubborn and unyielding. The more this happens, the more they will stubbornly insist on defending the Hua family, even at the cost of their lives. Do you think the Emperor can tolerate that?"
The Emperor could not tolerate it—everyone in the room knew that.
Hua Yizheng’s face turned ashen as he stared at the frenzied Zeng Xian and said gravely, "What good does the instability of the Daqing Dynasty bring you?"
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