The attendant brought Haoyue to the door, pushed it open, and said respectfully, "Please come in, miss. The lord will arrive shortly. Please wait a moment."
"Thank you for your trouble." Haoyue smiled and inclined her body slightly, her demeanor extremely pleasant. Seeing the attendant break into a smile, she stepped over the threshold with satisfaction.
The room was ordinary, nothing she hadn't seen before. After a quick glance, she began speculating about the purpose of the Seven Constellation Bureau's leader. It was already mid-August—undoubtedly, it must be about that matter.
Footsteps sounded, and Haoyue looked toward the door, subtly sniffing the air a few times before rising to greet the newcomer.
"This humble girl pays her respects to the lord."
"At ease." The voice coming through the mask was already somewhat altered, and with Chen Qing deliberately disguising his tone, it bore no resemblance to his natural voice.
"This is the first time this humble girl has seen the lord since coming to the capital. Might it be that the matter in the south has been resolved?"
Chen Qing sat down and gestured for her to do the same. "The matter in the south has indeed been resolved, but the outcome differs significantly from what you described, Miss Haoyue."
Haoyue was taken aback. To demonstrate her sincerity, she had remained in this residence without leaving since arriving in the capital, as per the other party's request. Though rumors about the southern floods had spread in the capital, she had not heard any specifics. "How does it differ?"
"The southern floods were severe, but far from the catastrophic breach of the Xiangyang dike you described, with tens of thousands of casualties. According to the reports I received, the death toll stands at one hundred and twenty-one."
Haoyue covered her mouth with a light laugh. "This humble girl is not surprised. The lord cares for the people as his own children. Since you received the information from me, it stands to reason that you would take measures to address it. Allow me to ask this instead: without your emergency measures, would the Xiangyang dike have breached? And if it had, would the casualties have reached tens of thousands?"
"How can I answer questions about events that never occurred? You must understand that your pledge of allegiance determines whether I can trust you. What you've provided so far falls far short."
Haoyue continued to smile radiantly. "Then what would be sufficient?"
Chen Qing did not reply immediately. After a pause, he said, "Since you excel at divination, can you foretell the future of the Daqing Dynasty?"
"The leader is putting this humble girl in a difficult position. Calculating the fate of a nation is no simple matter. Even if I had the ability, I couldn't answer such a question on the spot."
Chen Qing immediately seized on her words. "So, you can calculate it!"
Haoyue lowered her head to sip her tea and did not respond.
"It seems Miss Haoyue has her difficulties. Very well, I won't press you. Please share what you can."
In the adjacent room, Hua Zhi silently praised his cleverness. By first asking about something Haoyue clearly knew but would not reveal—something she would surely hold onto as a bargaining chip—and then stepping back to give her leeway, Haoyue, in her relief, was likely to fall into the trap.
Haoyue did indeed breathe a sigh of relief. This bargaining chip was not something she was ready to relinquish yet. Since the other party had conceded, she needed to offer a bit more to smooth over the discord. Thus, she opened with a significant revelation. "If this humble girl were to say the royal family is in decline, would you believe it?"
"Mind your words, miss!"
"Only in your presence would this humble girl dare to speak freely. Since arriving in the capital, I have cast several divinations. The chaos in the hexagrams is unlike anything I have ever seen. Only one thing is certain: there is a villain by the Emperor's side, likely someone very close to him. You might consider investigating this."
"I will take note of it."Haoyue hadn't expected to offer such valuable information without receiving even a word of gratitude, immediately feeling somewhat disheartened. She pretended to sip tea to brush past the awkwardness and continued, "There is another matter I've been aware of for some time. I originally intended to confirm it before speaking, but now that I'm in the capital, it's rather inconvenient. It would be best to inform you directly: General Wu Yong at Yinshan Pass has fallen ill. I wonder if you are aware of this, my lord?"
"Oh? Can this also be divined?"
"Not at all. I learned of it while in Yuzhou. You must recall that I have thousands of followers under my command. Every cat has its own path, every dog its own way—some among them possess genuine skills. However, I haven't witnessed this matter personally, nor do I have General Wu's birth details for calculation. I only know he has summoned many physicians to his residence, so I cannot confirm whether he faces such a grave calamity."
Hua Zhi suddenly had a flash of insight. Regarding both Tong Yi and Wu Yong, what she knew wasn't wrong, but her knowledge was misaligned in time. She didn't know that Tong Yi's identity as a member of the Chao Li Tribe had already been exposed, nor did she know that the poison in Wu Yong's body had been neutralized.
In other words, in the past she remembered, Tong Yi hadn't been exposed at this point, while Wu Yong was already critically ill—news that had even spread throughout the capital. What did this mean? It meant all events had occurred ahead of schedule!
She abruptly leaned forward and seized Yan Xi's hand. Gu Yanxi gently patted hers to soothe her, making a silencing gesture.
Hua Zhi calmed down. Indeed, she was one variable. Because Yan Xi and Shaoyao had accompanied her to Yinshan Pass, they had discovered Wu Yong's life-threatening poison earlier, inadvertently resolving his crisis and strengthening the bond between Wu Yong and Yan Xi. Moreover, if Yan Xi hadn't accompanied her a second time, not a single member of the Hua family would have escaped.
And Haoyue herself was the second variable. Her appearance had caused Yuan Shifang to be exposed prematurely, thrusting the Chao Li Tribe into the spotlight ahead of time and alerting the entire court. That was why Yan Xi had been so diligent, rooting out the hidden remnants of the Chao Li Tribe within the Daqing court one by one.
Haoyue remained unaware of all this. So far, she hadn't developed an extensive network of connections, and whatever she had was in Yuzhou—she was completely blind to the situation in the capital.
If it were her, she would never rashly appear in the sight of the Seven Constellation Bureau without the means to protect herself. Being targeted by such an organization couldn't be countered with mere threats based on limited knowledge. Since she was familiar with the Seven Constellation Bureau, she ought to know this principle. What compelled her to take such a reckless step?
Haoyue ought to be intelligent, but judging by her performance today, that intelligence was significantly lacking.
The back-and-forth in the neighboring room continued.
"There is one more matter... I'm uncertain whether I should speak of it."
Chen Qing gestured for her to proceed. "Feel free to speak plainly, Miss Haoyue. Whatever you say, I will consider it carefully."
"I presume to ask you to lean closer, my lord."
This was truly a case of "Sima Zhao's heart—everyone knows the villain's motive." Hua Zhi looked at Yan Xi, who rested his cheek on one hand, leaning against the armrest as he raised an eyebrow at her. Though his expression feigned curiosity, his demeanor was somewhat provocative.
Chen Qing stood and approached. Haoyue lowered her head with a bashful expression, deliberately or not revealing her snow-white neck—a particularly alluring sight from above.
Covering the corner of her mouth lightly, she whispered a few words. Chen Qing was genuinely startled, pausing for a moment before replying leisurely, "It would be best if you keep those words buried in your heart from now on, Miss Haoyue.""I shall reiterate my position: it is only because it is you that I dare speak these irreverent words. I have said all that ought and ought not to be said. Whether to believe them rests entirely in your hands. I shall not trouble you further and will reside here peacefully. Should you have any doubts, I remain at your disposal at all times."
PS: Family banquet kept me busy all day. Only managed to polish this chapter tonight. Just one update today.
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