Chapter 56: Wu Xiansheng Takes Office
"There's one more thing," Hua Zhi said softly. "Fourth Aunt's delivery date is approaching. We should prepare the midwife and all necessary items for childbirth, so we won't be caught off guard if she goes into labor early."
Old Madam slapped her forehead. "Look at me, forgetting such an important matter. Cuixiang, go find Granny Liu. Offer her sufficient silver and invite her into the residence."
"Yes, I'll go right away."
Before the family was raided, these preparations would have been made long before this stage. It wasn't surprising that Grandmother had forgotten—even she had only just remembered.
Thinking that Shaoyao should be awake by now, Hua Zhi took her leave.
On the covered corridor, Bao Xia whispered, "Is Old Madam trying to elevate other young ladies to compete with you?"
"Grandmother isn't acting out of personal motives." Hua Zhi knew her grandmother feared her poor health wouldn't sustain her much longer, and wanted to identify others in the Hua family who could assist her while she still held authority. This intention deserved appreciation.
"Find an appropriate time to visit them and inform them what they need to prepare."
"Yes."
In the study, Gu Yanxi fiddled with the silver hairpin and few taels of broken silver in the wooden box while listening to Chen Qing's report.
"The trap is fully set, just waiting for them to step into it."
"Place someone by Second Prince's side."
Chen Qing's heart jumped. "Heir, he's a imperial prince. Placing someone near a prince—regardless of the outcome, if the Emperor finds out, you won't escape consequences..."
"Then we must ensure the Emperor doesn't find out. Send Qu Qi."
"Heir..."
Gu Yanxi finally looked up at him. "Does my decision require your approval to be implemented?"
Chen Qing knelt on the ground but remained firm. "This subordinate oversteps, but these are imperial family matters. No matter how much the Emperor trusts you, it can't compare to their father-son bond. I worry you'll face collateral blame like Old Master Hua did."
Chen Qing was no ordinary subordinate. The same age as Gu Yanxi, his mother had been the personal maid of Gu Yanxi's mother. Being close in age, he had served the young master since childhood. After the Princess Consort passed away, they suffered hardships together, nearly losing their lives. Later, when their situation improved and Gu Yanxi gained the Emperor's favor, Chen Qing—despite being past the ideal age for martial arts training—forced himself through sheer determination to develop exceptional skills, earning his position as chief steward through his own abilities.
Naturally, Gu Yanxi treated him differently. At most, Gu Yanxi would extend five parts trust to anyone, and Chen Qing was the only one who received all five. Even Shaoyao ranked slightly lower.
The wooden box snapped shut. Gu Yanxi eventually offered some explanation. "From April until now, we've captured five Southern Border spies in the capital. Their individual testimonies showed no issues, but when connected, patterns emerge. I suspect they came to contact someone, though the mastermind operates cautiously—even the Southern Border spies didn't know who they were supposed to meet. It wasn't until the He family was targeted recently that I confirmed my suspicions."
Chen Qing gasped in disbelief. "You suspect the Second Prince of colluding with the enemy?"
"He's the prime suspect. But moving against the He family has alerted them. Have all our people lie low recently. Qu Qi must not act rashly for now—wait for my orders."
"Should we inform the Emperor first?""No need." Gu Yanxi's eyes held a trace of mockery. "As you said, they are father and son. Without any evidence, reporting this would at most disqualify the second prince from the imperial succession. Everything else would be covered up. The Emperor cannot afford the shame of a prince committing treason, and I would bear the full wrath of both father and son."
"But even if you present the evidence, you won't benefit from it!"
"That depends on how the evidence is delivered. What if we have the first or third prince submit it?"
Chen Qing immediately understood. "This subordinate comprehends. I shall notify Qu Qi at once."
"Not so fast." Gu Yanxi opened the wooden box, his lowered gaze showing none of the ferocity from moments before. "Send someone to buy a residence south of the city, not far from the Hua family. It needn't be large—just enough for Shaoyao and me. I'll be staying with the Hua family for some time. Do not seek me out unless it's urgent."
Chen Qing didn't understand what his master was planning. Wasn't this looking like an attempt to get closer to the Hua family's eldest young lady?
"What is it?"
Chen Qing quickly shook his head. "You already have a residence in the southern city, regularly maintained. You could move in directly."
"Too large." How could a mere martial arts instructor afford a multi-courtyard residence? Gu Yanxi considered Wu Xiansheng's financial means. "A single courtyard will suffice, two at most. Make it quick."
"...Understood."
Watching his master clutch the box, Chen Qing grew more certain of his speculation. An inexplicable sense of paternal pride welled up within him. At last! His twenty-four-year-old master was finally showing interest! Now when the Emperor brought up arranged marriages, his master would finally have grounds for refusal!
Though the Hua family was far from being their social equal nowadays, he thought highly of their eldest young lady. She was far superior to those sheltered noble daughters. The mere fact that she wasn't afraid of his master made him wish his master would marry her quickly.
Once his master married, he could start considering his own future. With these thoughts, Chen Qing felt like walking on air, his heart blooming with joy.
Completely unaware of his steward's far-reaching thoughts, Gu Yanxi went to the Hua family early the next morning when dawn was just breaking.
The Hua children had been informed yesterday that they would be practicing martial arts with Wu Xiansheng to strengthen their bodies. Children of this age were generally interested in martial arts training, and most appeared enthusiastic. Even those who were reluctant pretended to be pleased.
Though Hua Zhi felt sorry for the children having to rise so early, she had no intention of changing the schedule. The principle of "the plan of the day lies in the morning" was practiced to the extreme here—officials had to rise by 3-5 am, while students woke up a little later. Except for pleasure-seeking young masters who stayed up all night, no one slept until the sun was high.
After introducing the children to Lu Xiansheng, Hua Zhi departed. How to win over these children and make them willingly continue their studies despite the hardships would depend on Lu Xiansheng's skills—she only cared about the results.
Gu Yanxi's method was simple and crude. Releasing just ten percent of his fierce aura made the children too scared to move. They followed every instruction with utmost obedience.
Peeking from nearby, Shaoyao nearly rolled on the ground laughing. While mentally scolding the heir for bullying children, she found it immensely amusing. The heir acting as martial arts instructor to a group of Little Radishes—ha ha ha ha! She couldn't wait to go back and tell Chen Qing about this!After Gu Yanxi performed another set of elegant and imposing fist techniques, not a single child was absent the next morning.
What child doesn't dream of being a hero? With such an impressive role model before them, they too wanted to become that formidable!
Children are particularly concerned about saving face. Even if their bodies ached with every movement, seeing their peers acting as if nothing was wrong made them all pretend to be unaffected. Gritting their teeth and pushing through the pain, they desperately followed the master's commands to complete each movement, unaware that their companions were equally persevering through clenched teeth.
In this competitive atmosphere, remarkably, not a single person fell behind.
PS: Both updates are released together, ladies remember to check the previous chapter.
Kongkong sometimes revisits the previous book. Honestly, it has many issues, and I barely resisted the urge to recklessly revise it. However, I'm particularly satisfied with the concluding segment—that scene is incredibly vivid. If it were adapted into a drama, it could freeze on that photograph, with Zai Muyang's Weibo caption serving as narration. Perhaps a few netizens' comments could also be included, creating a visual sense of prosperous stability.
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