Once matters involved the imperial family, things became complicated.
But if she were asked to swallow this grievance, Hua Zhi couldn't do it. She didn't dare imagine what would have happened if she hadn't coincidentally come here, if she hadn't coincidentally had Jia Yang by her side, if she hadn't been entrusted by Mr. Zheng to deliver something to Zeng Xian, if she hadn't shown that moment of softness toward Zeng Han...
Without all these coincidences, none of the fifty-four members of the Hua family along with their loyal servants would have survived. How could she persuade herself to simply let this matter go?
Didn't they want to extort silver? Though she couldn't personally deal with them, she could offer them a path to wealth—one that would lead straight to hell!
"I've already had the Seven Constellation Bureau send all witnesses and evidence back to the capital." Sensing A Zhi's tension, Gu Yanxi assured her, "I will give the Hua family justice."
Hua Zhi blamed herself for not trusting Yanxi more. She lowered her head. "I'm sorry."
Gu Yanxi shook his head gently. "Officially, as a prince of the Daqing Dynasty, he colluded with foreign enemies and poisoned the descendants of loyal officials. Charging him with treason wouldn't be unjust. The Crown Prince has completely lost power, and the Second Prince, as the eldest among the remaining princes, already has more opportunities than the others. I cannot let this opportunity fall to him. The Daqing Dynasty cannot have a treasonous heir apparent. Personally, I also don't want you to cut ties with me because of him."
Hua Zhi bit her lip lightly. If Yanxi's approach had been to cover up this matter, she would indeed have severed ties with him.
Her silence was answer enough. Gu Yanxi smiled bitterly. This identity that everyone in the world coveted had always been an obstacle between them. This A Zhi!
Hua Zhi suddenly looked up. "What will happen to you?"
"Hmm?"
"If this matter is exposed, what will happen to you?"
"I won't implicate myself. All the evidence will be ironclad."
Hua Zhi frowned. "Your imperial uncle trusts you, but this is still his son after all. He might still take his anger out on you."
"If he vents his anger on someone, it means he already dislikes that person. He has never disliked me."
"In other words, he dislikes the Hua family, which is why he would vent his anger on them."
Gu Yanxi was taken aback. A Zhi's reaction was too sharp.
"That's right. If he liked them, he would protect them no matter what. That's only human nature." Hua Zhi let go of all the tension in her body, including the stubborn anger in her heart over the injustice done to the Hua family and Hua Jingyan. She really wanted to throw the Hua family's ancestral rules in the emperor's face and make him see how generation after generation of the Hua family had conducted themselves.
No, the Emperor must know. How clever her ancestor was—when establishing those rules, he never concealed their purpose. This was, in a way, an umbrella of protection held over the Hua family. It's just that some emperors were clear-eyed and clear-hearted, while others were blind in both eyes and heart.
Looking at the man whose expression was calm but whose hand gripped hers tightly, Hua Zhi felt heartache for him too. In his position, when had he ever been comfortable? She wouldn't make him more uncomfortable.
"Was my father seriously injured?"
"The injury didn't hit any vital areas." Though the wound was quite deep, Gu Yanxi deliberately didn't elaborate. The Hua family naturally wouldn't say too much about this to A Zhi either. What had already happened didn't need to be spelled out to make A Zhi worry.
Hua Zhi was indeed relieved. She hadn't expected her father to throw himself in front of her to block that knife.
"What do you plan to do with that child?" Gu Yanxi subtly changed the subject.
"Zeng Xian's son? Bring him back to the capital. By the way, is his son on the list of convicts?"Gu Yanxi sat at the head of the bed, letting A Zhi lean against him as he recounted Zeng Xian’s story in full detail. Without the support of Zeng Xian’s lingering resentment, the narrative sounded less tragic and desperate, yet Hua Zhi remained silent for a long while. The officialdom was truly the darkest place in the world, and it had always been so since ancient times.
"So, Zeng Xian never registered Zeng Han’s household registration here? The child is still undocumented?"
"Exactly. After returning to the capital, the child must first go through the official approval process under my name. The Hua family cannot afford to let anyone exploit this loophole."
Hua Zhi nodded. "I’ll follow your lead."
Hearing such words from someone usually as formidable and seemingly invulnerable to all poisons always brought particular joy. Gu Yanxi gently rubbed his forehead against hers. "I’ll take the opportunity to clear Zeng Xian’s name. It will benefit Zeng Han in the future."
"Will it cause trouble for you?"
Seeing her greater concern was for him, Gu Yanxi smiled. Even though the topic was far from pleasant, it seemed that as long as he was speaking with A Zhi, all negative emotions vanished.
"That sum of silver ultimately ended up in the Second Prince’s pocket. Clearing the case is merely adding another straw to his burden. The Seven Constellation Bureau has done this before and will do it again. Historically, whenever members of the royal family have committed offenses, the Seven Constellation Bureau has handled them. This case is no different from the others."
Only then did Hua Zhi feel somewhat reassured. As long as there was precedent, it was manageable.
Drowsiness gradually washed over her. Remembering Shaoyao’s advice not to push herself, Hua Zhi nestled against Yanxi and asked one last question, "Has your identity been exposed?"
"I never disclosed it, but it’s likely been guessed." Gu Yanxi kissed her hand. "Sleep now. These are all minor matters."
How could they be minor? Hua Zhi thought as she drifted off. This was a major event—meeting the family!
Her breathing gradually grew steady and deep. Gu Yanxi rose, carefully lifted her, removed the quilt behind her, and gently laid her back down. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he gazed at A Zhi, whose lips were as pale as her face, softly wiping the sweat from her forehead and smoothing aside the damp strands of hair stuck to her skin.
She hadn’t uttered a single sound of complaint since waking, but how could she truly be free of pain? She was merely enduring it silently.
Outside the room, under the corridor, not only Shaoyao was waiting, but Zeng Han and Hua Pingyu were there as well.
The moment Gu Yanxi stepped out, Shaoyao sprang to her feet. "Has Hua Hua fallen asleep?"
"Yes. How much longer will she sleep?"
"I remember my master said it depends on the person. Those with a stronger constitution tend to sleep longer, but even my master didn’t know exactly how long."
Gu Yanxi nodded. "Go keep watch."
"No need to tell me," Shaoyao muttered, stepping inside. But as soon as one foot crossed the threshold, a small gust of wind swept past her—the child who had been crouching nearby darted in ahead of her.
After a moment’s thought, Shaoyao let it go. Given Hua Hua’s nature, this child would undoubtedly become part of the Hua family sooner or later. Since he was practically one of their own already, there was no need to fuss over such details now.
Gu Yanxi walked up to Hua Pingyu and cupped his hands in respect. "Uncle, please take me to see Old Master Hua."
Hua Pingyu gave him a deep look, then, supported by his attendant, led the way to the study.
Hua Yizheng was not surprised by Gu Yanxi’s arrival. Though he had already guessed his identity, his attitude remained largely unchanged. Dismissing the others, he said to his eldest son, "Guard the door."
"Yes."
The two men sat down, and Gu Yanxi took the initiative to explain his purpose. "I request that you, Old Master, submit a memorial detailing the Hua family’s encounter with the assassination attempt.""If we go into detail, Zhi Er's affairs will be exposed to the world."
"So what?"
Hua Yizheng looked at her deeply, "If exposed, who would dare marry Zhi Er in the future? Would our Hua family's daughter still marry into a military family?"
Gu Yanxi smiled, "No, they won't have the chance."
PS: Out of three chapters written, nearly two had to be scrapped as the direction was off. Will make up for it tomorrow.
OpenNovel