On the other side, Gu Yanxi returned to the imperial study, placed a bundle of items on the floor, swept his robe aside, and knelt upright. As the bundle loosened, the mask of the Seven Constellation Bureau’s leader lay on top.
Lai Fu stole a glance at the Emperor, then bowed and withdrew from the room, closing the door behind him.
Gu Yanxi raised a hand and tore off the human skin mask from his face with such force that a faint tearing sound could be heard. His face reddened visibly, yet he seemed oblivious to the pain. He tossed the mask into the bundle and prostrated himself on the ground. "Your servant has shown disrespect to the Emperor. I beg Your Majesty to strip me of my rank and reduce me to a commoner."
"Gu Yanxi, are you threatening me? All for the sake of Hua Zhi?"
"Your servant dares not overestimate my own importance." Gu Yanxi lifted his head. "Since I was ten, I have served by Your Majesty’s side, learning from your teachings and receiving your protection. I have never forgotten any of it. From the day I joined the Seven Constellation Bureau at seventeen, every waking moment—from dawn till dusk—has been spent thinking of ways to share your burdens. I have… poured all my efforts into safeguarding the Great Qing’s realm and ensuring your safety. When you needed a relative you could trust, I scarred my face and kept even my own sister at a distance. When you needed a capable official, I traveled the length and breadth of the land."
Watching his imperial uncle’s face darken further, Gu Yanxi smiled faintly. "In truth, I seek nothing for myself. In this lifetime, the only thing I ask for is Hua Zhi. Since you cannot tolerate her, then I want nothing at all. I would rather live as a commoner by her side—she, at least, will not despise me. I beg you, in recognition of my years of unwavering dedication, to grant me this."
The Emperor was both shocked and enraged. He had anticipated Yanxi would make a scene and had prepared to placate him, but he never expected the young man to outright resign. He could see this was no empty threat—Yanxi truly intended to abandon everything just to be with Hua Zhi!
Snatching up a jade paperweight, the Emperor hurled it at Gu Yanxi. The heavy object struck his face, and he neither dodged nor flinched, accepting the blow squarely. Soon, a visible swelling appeared on his cheek.
"Do you truly believe I cannot see that you never intended to take her life from the start?" the Emperor fumed, rising to his feet and leaning forward with both hands braced on the desk. "Mentioning her entry into the palace was merely a test! Had she agreed, such a woman would not have been worthy of your devotion. Her choice proved you judged rightly—have I harmed her? What is this tantrum about?"
"You burdened her alone with a task that would require the nation’s resources and years to accomplish, using the entire Hua family as leverage—and you call that not harming her? How is it any different from executing her on the spot?" Gu Yanxi raised his head defiantly. "Was anything she said incorrect? Internal strife persists, external threats loom, the national treasury is depleted—and now you wish to embark on massive water conservancy projects that will drain the Great Qing dry? If the people suffer, where will you replenish military recruits? Without soldiers, how will we defend the borders? You speak glibly, turning a blind eye to these crises. Is the stability of the realm not more important than empty prestige?"
"To me, that is not empty prestige! It is proof that I have walked this earth in my lifetime!"
"Is that more important than the stability of the Great Qing?""For me, it is." The emperor's tone and expression were both icy. "I fought through countless obstacles to sit on this throne. I don't want to go to the underworld someday only to have them point at my nose and laugh at my incompetence—occupying this seat yet achieving nothing. To me, this matters more than anything!"
Gu Yanxi fell silent. He knew what his imperial uncle desired, but he hadn't expected the obsession to run so deep that an empty reputation could outweigh the empire itself. If that were the case, why had he toiled so hard to protect it?
Gu Yanxi's shoulders slumped, his entire being radiating dejection. Each word heavy, he declared, "Gu Yanxi voluntarily requests to be stripped of rank and reduced to a commoner."
The emperor's breathing grew increasingly labored. Dragging his leaden feet, he approached and looked down upon this nephew who had once been his utmost reassurance. "Are you so eager to live and die with Hua Zhi?"
"Yes."
"Even at the cost of abandoning me, abandoning your grandmother?"
"Grandmother loves me. She would grant me this."
"And I don't love you? Who in the entire court doesn't know I treat The Heir more dearly than my own sons? Is granting my wish so difficult?"
Gu Yanxi smiled bitterly. "How can one grant what is impossible? Teach me, how can I grant this?"
"How do you know it's impossible without trying?" Seeing a flicker of hesitation, the emperor's face grew more sorrowful. "Yan Xi, I don't have many years left. This is my only wish—can't you grant your uncle this?"
"If there were even a sliver of possibility, I would strive with all my might. But this matter... is impossible. I cannot conjure millions of laborers out of thin air, nor can I produce mountains of gold and silver. Tell me, without funds or manpower, how can this be accomplished?"
Gu Yanxi lifted his head, demanding an answer. How could the emperor provide one? As he had said, if he had the people and wealth, why would he go to such lengths, damaging their uncle-nephew bond just to drag Hua Zhi into this? Wasn't it precisely because he coveted her ability of turning stone into gold?
With Hua Zhi's support, he would have the funds. Manpower was simple—just impose consecutive years of increased Statute Labor. The Chao Li Tribe seemed intent on making a comeback, but their tactics revealed they lacked the strength for a direct assault. Otherwise, why resort to methods they once disdained? He truly didn't believe it mere coincidence they would attack precisely when he was excavating the canal.
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. A hint of excitement surfaced on the emperor's face. Flicking his sleeve, he clasped his hands behind his back. "Don't try to intimidate me. Even if you and Hua Zhi are willing to sacrifice your lives, she would never abandon those in the Hua family who hold her back. Just wait and see—she'll find a way. Right, later, go to the treasury and pick some fine treasures to send to Hua Zhi. Consider it my compensation to her."
Gu Yanxi felt like laughing, and he did. Pushing himself up from the ground, he regarded his imperial uncle—whose stature was no longer as imposing as in his prime, whose spirit paled in comparison to when he had saved him—and said softly, "You often say you regard me as a son, that no prince compares to our closeness. Yet, no father would force his son to death. No father would say it's fine for you to sacrifice your life. You are the sovereign, I am the subject. It has always been thus. It was my own delusion."
After kowtowing heavily three times, Gu Yanxi severed this kinship that had never weathered any storm. From then on, sovereign was sovereign, subject was subject.
"Your subject takes his leave."
Picking up the bundle he had brought, donning the mask of the Seven Constellation Bureau chief, Gu Yanxi retreated according to protocol and departed.The emperor glared with a livid face at his nephew, who had once dared to kick open his door, dared to supervise his meals, and dared to force him to take medicine. "Yan Xi, are you drawing a line between us now?"
"I overstepped in the past. Now that I am twenty-five, it is time to grow up." With another deep bow, Gu Yanxi pulled open the door and strode away.
The emperor felt a suffocating discomfort in his heart, growing more intense the more he thought about it. Even after violently trashing the imperial study, he failed to quell the raging fury within. He merely wanted to accomplish something—why was it so unforgivable?!
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