The Emperor smiled upon seeing him. "You stubborn mule, didn't I say you could handle this matter?"
The Second Prince's eyes flickered involuntarily. Such intimacy, such trust—exactly which member of the Gu family was this person behind the mask?
Gu Yanxi knelt on one knee. "Your Majesty, the Seven Constellation Bureau has discovered traces of the Chao Li Tribe in the capital."
The Emperor's smile instantly froze on his face. He stood up, exuding authority without showing anger. "Are you certain it's the Chao Li Tribe?"
"Yes, I am certain." Gu Yanxi had been watching Tong Yi all along—she still maintained the delicate, coquettish appearance of one ignorant of worldly affairs. Yet when he uttered the words "Chao Li Tribe," her body had clearly stiffened for a moment.
"Good, very good indeed! Have all the soldiers of the Five Garrisons in the capital died? Have the city defense troops all died? And your Seven Constellation Bureau—you only noticed when they were right under your noses! What have you all been doing?" The Emperor's face twitched, feeling as if the Chao Li Tribe had trampled his dignity into the mud.
Everyone in the room knelt in unison. The Emperor snorted coldly and strode out.
Like the others, Gu Yanxi waited until the Emperor had left the hall before rising. The palace attendants hurried to assist their respective masters.
Now was the moment!
Gu Yanxi suddenly struck. With lightning speed, his long whip wrapped around Tong Yi and dragged her before him. She had only time to let out a scream before he choked her and knocked her unconscious with a swift chop to the neck!
"How dare you! This is His Majesty's favored consort! What do you think you're doing?" Consort Hui, supported by her son, shouted sharply. No matter how much she envied Tong Yi, they were still on the same side—their fates were intertwined. If anything happened to Tong Yi, she too would suffer.
Gu Cheng'an sensed something amiss. Based on his understanding of Tong Yi, he tried to deduce what crime she might have committed, but no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't imagine her doing anything in the palace beyond competing for favor.
"What is happening?" The Emperor, protected by Chen Qing, returned upon hearing the commotion. His brow furrowed as he saw the consort, who had just been radiant and beloved, being held mercilessly by Yanxi.
After tossing her to his subordinate, Gu Yanxi swept his gaze over the terrified crowd. "Lai Fu, take a headcount. Anyone who conceals the truth or disobeys will be treated as a spy."
"Your Majesty..." Consort Hui's face paled dramatically. She looked pleadingly at the Emperor, hoping for a moment of his mercy. Otherwise, even if she and her son were innocent, after today's events, she would never recover.
The Emperor looked at Gu Yanxi.
Without a word, Gu Yanxi stepped forward, supported him, and led him to the window of the side palace bedchamber. He removed some horizontal and vertical wooden pieces from the window frame. Soon, a vividly carved wolf with antlers on its head, howling skyward, occupied two entire window panels. Its sharp horns seemed stained with blood, gleaming ominously.
The Emperor took a step back, his hand trembling as he pointed at the window. "The totem of the Chao Li Tribe! They actually... they actually dare to be this audacious! Investigate! Find out who made this window! I will execute their ten generations!"
"I have already sent men to investigate."
The Emperor leaned on the table, panting heavily. The emotions churning within him were indescribable—he only felt wretched, so wretched that he wanted everyone to suffer!
"When did you discover this?"
"Just now." Gu Yanxi helped him sit down. "Consort Tong is a new face in the palace. Those who come to serve you must be thoroughly investigated as per protocol. I was in a hurry to report the Second Prince's transgressions to you and had not yet attended to official duties since returning from Yinshan Pass. My subordinates had no opportunity to report this to me."The Emperor, reflecting on the preferential treatment he had given the Second Prince earlier that day, felt even more deceived. If Tong Yi was problematic, how could Consort Hui, as a daughter of the Tong family, be blameless? Indeed, with the Second Prince’s blockheaded nature, how could he have schemed against even Wu Yong without someone pulling the strings behind his back? How could he have discreetly dispatched so many military officers to the same location within two years without the Emperor’s notice?
"After meeting Noble Lady Tong at Lan Zhi Hall, I only learned of her circumstances from my subordinate’s report. Initially, I had no reason to suspect her. The Tong family is a prominent clan in the capital, their daughter is an imperial consort, and their grandson is a prince. The Tong family had no motive to act against the Daqing Dynasty."
"What made you suspect her?"
"My subordinate informed me that she had lived in Yuzhou until she was ten. Because of the Yuan Shifang incident, I have become highly sensitive to matters related to Yuzhou. Upon further inquiry into Tong Yi’s background, I grew truly suspicious." Gu Yanxi gazed at the wooden wolf towering above, as if silently mocking him. "Tong Yi is a distant relative of the Tong family. At the age of ten, after her mother passed away and her father mistreated her, she sought help from the Old Madam of the Tong family and was taken in under the name of the Tong family’s second son. It immediately reminded me of the tactics currently employed by the Chao Li Tribe, and applying them to Tong Yi’s situation made perfect sense."
"So you had Lai Fu detain me while you searched for evidence?"
"Correct."
Eunuch Lai Fu knelt to the ground. "This old servant deceived Your Majesty and deserves ten thousand deaths."
"If you deserve ten thousand deaths, then who in this imperial palace would remain alive?" The Emperor’s eyes were bloodshot and red. Suddenly, he swept the teapot and cups from the table, hurling them toward the window. "Tong Yi! The Tong family! Guards!"
Fu Gang entered promptly upon the summons.
"Tong Zhensheng has committed treason and rebellion. Arrest him immediately. I want him flayed alive, flayed alive!" The Emperor turned around, his expression ferocious. "Throw every member of the Tong family into the dungeon and interrogate them rigorously!"
"Your servant obeys." Fu Gang bowed and withdrew. The Tong family was finished, and Consort Hui, who had enjoyed the greatest favor in recent times, was finished as well.
"Bring the Second Prince here. I want to ask him if he can’t wait for me to die, if he wants to send me on my way!"
How laughable. Behind his mask, Gu Yanxi truly smiled. The Emperor cared not that border generals had nearly lost their lives, nor that the Hua family had almost been wiped out, plunging the realm into chaos. He cared not how unjustly Zeng Xian had died, nor whether the Second Prince had colluded with forces beyond the borders. All his rage now stemmed from the threat to his own life and the coveting of his throne.
Letting the silence stretch, Gu Yanxi surveyed the disarray around him and felt that all his efforts were meaningless. No matter how he patched up leaks from the far corners of the empire, it could never outweigh the havoc wrought by the Emperor and his sons. Perhaps it would be better to let the dynasty crumble under their recklessness, leaving everyone with a clean slate.
Gu Cheng’an was shoved into the room moments later, as he had been nearby. Chen Qing, aware of all he had done, showed him no courtesy.
Taking in the scene, Gu Cheng’an knew things had gone awry. Without waiting for the Emperor to speak, he dropped to his knees with a thud. "Father, I truly knew nothing of this matter. I don’t even know what crime Noble Lady Tong has committed. I beg Your Majesty to investigate clearly."
"Now you play innocent." The Emperor strode to him and kicked him to the floor, stumbling back a step from the recoil. Gu Yanxi steadied him in time to prevent further retreat.
"Did you know about sending men to exterminate the Hua family?"
"Did you know that as a prince, you colluded with the enemy?""You are aware that poison was administered to the last male descendant of the Wu family, who have guarded Yinshan Pass for generations?"
"Your son... your son was deceived and committed a grave mistake..."
Gu Yanxi suddenly interrupted him, "Deceived by whom?"
PS: The interview on August 15th will be held at Wen'er West Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou. Girls who wish to attend please join the group for easier coordination: 606531234
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