Third Princess Gu Yi Qiu may not be the most favored princess of the Daqing Dynasty, but she was certainly not an unfavored one—this was evident from the furnishings of her Bright Moon Palace.
Having grown up in the imperial palace and managed to earn favor, she was far from foolish. The moment the imperial guards dared to storm her bedchamber, she knew the matter was serious. Yet, confident she had committed no grave offense, she remained composed.
However, when she saw that the visitor was the head of the Seven Constellation Bureau, she visibly flinched before mustering her dignity as a princess and rising to her feet. "May I ask, Seven Constellation Bureau, what crime I have committed?"
Gu Yanxi casually took a seat and waved his hand.
Understanding his gesture, Chen Qing led everyone in the room out and closed the door behind them.
Seeing this, Gu Yi Qiu felt somewhat reassured and sat back down, waiting quietly, though her body remained tense.
"There are remnants of the Chao Li Tribe in the palace," Gu Yanxi stated. "I will ask questions, and I request Third Princess to answer truthfully."
Gu Yi Qiu’s pupils contracted sharply. "You suspect I have colluded with the Chao Li Tribe? Have I gone mad?"
"Not you." Gu Yanxi offered her a reassurance. "Think carefully—are there any suspicious individuals around you?"
Gu Yi Qiu immediately understood: the Seven Constellation Bureau did not suspect her, but rather someone close to her. Not daring to be careless, she pondered for a moment before shaking her head. "I am not the type of mistress who disregards her maids as mere tools. There have been few changes among my attendants, and no new faces should have been introduced in the past two years. Ru Gu is the one most familiar with these matters—you may summon her for questioning."
Gu Yanxi neither agreed nor disagreed and instead asked, "Where did you obtain that sable cloak of yours?"
"That was a birthday gift from my mother when I turned twelve. She learned from Ru Gu that I suffered terribly from the cold during my menstrual cycles and wanted to find something warm for me. Ru Gu was the one who found the source—she is from the north…"
Gu Yi Qiu abruptly stopped speaking. She sprang to her feet and rushed outside. Chen Qing instinctively moved to block her, but Gu Yanxi, who had followed her out, stopped him and accompanied her to the left wing.
That was where the palace maids resided, with the chief maid occupying the finest room among them.
Gu Yi Qiu kicked the door open, stepped inside, and immediately retreated, covering her mouth and pointing into the room.
Chen Qing hurried forward, spotted the figure hanging from the beam, and swiftly cut the person down. After checking, he shook his head at The Heir.
Gu Yanxi entered the room and observed a silver wolf figurine on the table, assembled from multiple pieces of silver fitted together so seamlessly that no one would discern its secret unless the parts were combined.
Just then, Qu Qi hurried in from outside. Pausing briefly at the scene, he reported, "Chief, we’ve found the person who tampered with the window, but... they’re dead."
Qu Qi handed over an object—unsurprisingly, another wolf, this one exquisitely carved from wood.
This was a provocation!
Gu Yanxi turned and left, his cloak whipping in the wind with a sharp rustle.
"Wait!" Gu Yi Qiu chased after him. "Ru Gu—Ruyi—leaves the palace every year on the nineteenth of June, claiming to burn paper offerings by the river for her deceased husband. She has maintained this habit for as many years as she has served me."
"Which river?"
"I never inquired in detail." Gu Yi Qiu strained to recall any peculiarities about Ruyi on those days. "Every time she returned, she carried a faint scent of medicinal herbs—so subtle it was only noticeable the moment she entered."
"Every single time?""Almost... but not quite. I remember there wasn't one when I was little. I don't know when it started appearing." Gu Yiqiu bit her lip. "May this princess see His Majesty?"
Gu Yanxi remained silent.
Gu Yiqiu smiled self-deprecatingly. "Does His Majesty not believe that this matter has nothing to do with this princess or my mother?"
"This official will investigate thoroughly and ensure the Third Princess is not wrongfully accused."
"This princess trusts the Seven Constellation Bureau's promise." Gu Yiqiu performed a curtsy. They all knew the head of the Seven Constellation Bureau was from the imperial family, though none knew his age or which branch he came from. Thus, she performed the gesture without hesitation.
Gu Yanxi calmly accepted her courtesy before turning to leave.
Only when everyone had withdrawn did Gu Yiqiu release her pent-up breath, leaning against the corridor pillar to steady herself. How could she have imagined that the woman who had cared for her since birth, whom she called Auntie Ru, had actually been sent to harm her!
In the imperial study, the emperor's voice was deceptively light. "The trail has gone cold?"
"Only the clue mentioned by the Third Princess remains. This subject has already deployed men, but... the prospects are slim."
"So you're telling me the remnants of the Chao Li Tribe caused an uproar in Our palace and escaped unscathed? Under the surveillance of the Five Camps, the Imperial Guards, and right under your Seven Constellation Bureau's nose, they vanished without a trace?"
"This subject is incompetent."
The emperor grew so furious he grabbed the tiger-shaped paperweight to hurl at him, but thinking better of it—since he'd only end up worrying if he actually hit him—slammed it back down with a crack. "We don't want to hear that! If you're incompetent, who else can We use?!"
Gu Yanxi endured the rebuke in silence. The frustration, anguish, and resentment in his heart—he had no one to confide in.
A Zhi wasn't here.
The emperor stood, his anger unabated. Seeing his nephew still kneeling only fueled his rage further. He yanked him to his feet and roared, "Will kneeling bring them out? Go find a way! We don't want the next person lying in Our ** to be another here to take Our life!"
Gu Yanxi bowed and took his leave.
Outside, thunder rumbled ominously. The entire sky had darkened, casting a heavy gloom that weighed even more heavily on the heart.
"Chief." Chen Qing approached. "Ruyi was saved by Consort Zheng when she was fifteen and has served her ever since. Consort Zheng trusted her implicitly, not only bringing her into the palace but assigning her to the Third Princess after her birth. One could say Ruyi raised the princess single-handedly. Consort Zheng stated that Ruyi's hometown was in Bingzhou. She fled to the capital with her parents, and the day after her wedding, her husband died unexpectedly. Her in-laws drove her out, accusing her of bringing bad luck. Consort Zheng saved her when she attempted suicide."
Gu Yanxi looked up at the sky. Judging by Yuan Shifang's age, the Chao Li Tribe's schemes had been unfolding for at least two generations. A once-ferocious nation had suddenly learned to use strategy, while the princes of the Great Qing Dynasty were busy digging their own graves.
"Activate the Eighth Constellation."
Chen Qing jolted his head up. Few knew the Seven Constellation Bureau had an eighth division—they operated among the common people. Even the other seven constellations didn't know their exact numbers or skills. They were only deployed in matters of life and death.
"Sift through the capital thoroughly. Even if we can't capture them all, we must make them suffer." Gu Yanxi's voice was icy. "Let's see how many people they can afford to sacrifice."
"Yes."The Eighth Constellation demonstrated their prowess to the members of the Seven Constellation Bureau with tangible results. By the following afternoon, nine individuals had been handed over to Gu Yanxi, one of whom surprisingly originated from the palace.
Yet the trail still went cold. Despite exhausting all methods, the Third Constellation failed to extract any information from these nine people or Tong Yi. It wasn’t that they refused to talk—they simply didn’t know. They were merely following orders, which meant there was at least one person above them issuing commands, and this person might very well be lurking in their midst.
That very night, Gu Yanxi quietly left the city. This time, he was heading north under orders.
PS: Finally managed to write past this section.
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