Chapter 317: Unmasking the Culprit

Gu Yanxi stormed into the General’s Mansion like he owned the place.

Wu Yong, scrambling to catch up, barely got a word out before Gu Yanxi brushed past him with zero acknowledgment, heading straight for Chen Tu, who’d bolted out from the other side like his life depended on it.

“Did you catch them?” Gu Yanxi’s voice was sharp, slicing through the air like a whip.

“Yes,” Chen Tu stammered, his throat tightening under the weight of Yanxi's gaze. Lying wasn’t even an option. “After discovering that Master Hua was assisting with the defense of Yingshan Pass, the Second Prince realized his plans were about to crumble. He sent assassins to wipe out the Hua family before his schemes could be exposed. To divert General Wu, he activated prearranged contacts with the grassland tribes. He sent twenty-four men in total—twenty to carry out the attack and four lying low to block any escapes. But Miss Hua and Jia Yang thwarted their plans and raised the alarm. Panicked, the hidden four immediately called for reinforcements from the tribes, leading to a second, even more ruthless wave of attacks carried out by foreigners.”

“And what did he offer them in exchange?” Yanxi’s tone dripped with icy disdain.

“Grain and tea,” Chen Tu confessed, his voice wavering. “Those are in high demand on the grasslands right now.”

Gu Yanxi didn’t even flinch. He’d expected as much. “Words mean nothing to me. Where’s the proof?”

“They’ve signed confessions,” Chen Tu rushed to add, “but…”

Yanxi’s gaze snapped to him like a predator zeroing in on its prey. The calm, unnerving aura he radiated had Chen Tu sweating bullets. “Not all of them are willing to betray the Second Prince outright. Their families are still under his thumb. They said… they’d testify if—if we could guarantee their families’ safety.”

Gu Yanxi strolled in, sharp and deliberate, mentally clocking the timeline. By now, the Emperor had undoubtedly received Wu Yong’s report. Fury would be inevitable.

The Second Prince? He’d be sweating bullets, knowing the leak had blown his cover. To save his own hide, he’d do the obvious—find a fall guy to take the heat.

What better excuse than the resentment brewing over Yingshan Pass and the danger it carried?

And for the perfect scapegoat?

Easy: someone whose family was under his thumb.

Wu Yong, dismissing the crowd with a wave, slid into the seat next to the Shizi. His voice was low but firm. “This mess at Yingshan Pass drags me in whether I like it or not. I’ll draft a report right now and get it submitted first…”

Gu Yanxi cut him off, his tone laced with sharp authority. “Submitting it first won’t change a damn thing compared to Gu Cheng’an showing up in person. Chen Tu, send word back to the capital. Find Chen Qing and have him dig up the Second Prince’s detainees. Nobody makes a move yet. Loop in Qu Qi—he’s got the nose for unearthing dirt. And tell Chen Qing to dig deeper into Zeng Xian. I want everything.”

Chen Tu gave a crisp nod. “Yes, but... any word from the Second Prince?”

“No need to bother. Let him squirm for a while.” Gu Yanxi turned to Wu Yong with a calculated glare. “And what about the rats outside the border? Think they’ll roll over for Gu Cheng’an without expecting something in return? Check if they’ve gotten their hands on anything worth noting.”

Wu Yong straightened, unfazed. “Yingshan Pass has been locked down tighter than a miser’s coin purse these past days. Not even a mosquito’s getting through without me knowing. It’s impossible.”

“Then make sure.” Gu Yanxi’s words were as sharp as a blade.

“Understood,” Wu Yong replied, already on his way.

“Dig into this matter like your life depends on it. Leave no stone unturned. If there’s no evidence, create some—convincingly. I don’t care how it’s done, but when you bring me something, it better be ironclad.” Gu Yanxi’s voice was steady, almost unnervingly calm, but his eyes burned with a smoldering intensity. “The poisoning and this business—they’re a package deal. As for the one who stole the medicine, I let them off once. That was mercy. I promised you justice, and the time has come to deliver.”

Hearing this, Wu Yong’s long-buried rage clawed its way to the surface. “Trust me, I haven’t forgotten. Not for a second.”

“Good. Get ready. The culprits will be dragged back to the capital tomorrow under the watch of the Seven Stars Bureau.”

The weight of those words sent an icy shiver through both men as they nodded stiffly in unison.

When Gu Yanxi fell silent, the pair bowed and made their exit. Outside the room, they exchanged uneasy glances, the burden of their task pressing heavy on their shoulders. They wouldn’t dare fabricate anything to implicate the Second Prince unjustly, but the real question was: what would the Emperor believe?

Six months ago, the First Prince had been toppled. Now, if Gu Yanxi’s accusations were true, could the Emperor trust his Shizi this time around?

*

In the Hua family’s study, the new bookshelf still carried the raw, earthy scent of fresh wood. The quiet was shattered by a firm knock, dragging Hua Yizheng out of his thoughts.

“Come in.”

Hua Pingyu and Hua Pingyang strode in together. “Father, you wanted to see us.”

“Shut the door.”

Hua Pingyang complied, closing it behind them with a click before joining his elder brother at the desk.

Without wasting time, Hua Yizheng gestured for them to sit. His voice was sharp, cutting straight to the point. “Lu Yanxi’s bloodline. It’s royal—of that I’m certain.”

Hua Pingyu frowned, his lips pressing into a thin line. “I’ve had my suspicions, but after dissecting every branch of the royal family, there’s no obvious match.”

“There’s one possibility,” Hua Yizheng said, his piercing gaze shifting between his sons. “The Prince’s son—Gu Yanxi.”

“You’re saying…”

“His mother’s surname is Lu.”

The chair scraped harshly against the floor as Hua Pingyu shot to his feet, ignoring the stab of pain in his lower back. “That Prince? I’ve seen him. He doesn’t fit the profile—and there are no scars on his face.”

“He could have covered them up.” Hua Pingyang leaned forward, his tone measured but laced with intrigue. “If it is him, it all clicks. A Prince who’s a ghost within the palace walls, but walks the streets wearing another face? It’s plausible.”

Hua Yizheng’s eyes gleamed, sharp and calculating. “What identity do you think he hides behind?”

“The Seven Stars Bureau,” Hua Pingyang replied without hesitation. His voice carried an edge as if daring anyone to challenge him. “The most elusive operation in the entire Great Daqing Dynasty. Everyone knows the Bureau exists, with its shadowy leader pulling the strings—but no one knows who or what they are. If the Prince were its head, the Emperor’s unwavering trust in him suddenly makes perfect sense. It would be the perfect cover, the ultimate role.”

Silence filled the study, heavy with implications.

Furthermore, perhaps it was all a preparation for him to take over the Seven Stars Bureau!

Thinking of that sharp, unrelenting young man, Hua Pingyang couldn’t help but feel more assured in his gut instincts. The only question left hanging was the exact role he played within the Seven Stars Bureau. “Look at Wu Yong, the border defense general—he wouldn’t roll out the red carpet even if the Prince himself showed up. But with Lu Yanxi? The way he treats him is on a whole other level. Doesn’t that speak volumes?”

Watching his eldest son finally start to piece things together, Hua Yizheng couldn’t suppress a bitter smile. The Hua family had always been a house of scholars, bound by rigid rules that shaped them into paragons of intellect and purity. He had fought against it in his youth but eventually caved.

That’s why he let Pingyang, the youngest, break free of the mold. It was only then he realized the Hua legacy didn’t have to be chained to books and ink. Pingyang’s razor-sharp instincts and quickfire decisions could shatter ceilings, carving out a path for greatness—if only the family could stand behind him.

But tradition loomed like a damn iron wall. All Yizheng could do was dream about what might’ve been. He’d once imagined Pingyang would fight back, just like he did in his younger days. He even rehearsed how he’d respond if Pingyang ever went head-to-head with him. But the kid didn’t. Instead, Pingyang quietly shouldered it all, swallowing his regrets and staying out of Yizheng’s way. That kind of restraint, that maturity—it was a lot more than Yizheng ever managed at that age.

And thank God for that. Without someone like Pingyang pulling the strings, the Hua family would’ve never found their footing so fast at Yingshan Pass.

Seeing his father silent, Hua Pingyu, unable to hold back, broke the silence. “If he’s truly the one, then what about him and Zhi’er?”

His father’s expression remained unreadable, but his words cut straight through. “If he had any hidden agenda, don’t you think Zhi’er—sharp as she is—would’ve seen through it by now? And yet, even knowing who he is, she still chooses to be around him. Clearly, they’ve come to some kind of understanding. Let her handle her own damn business. Yu’er, this isn’t your place to meddle, no matter your status.”

Hua Pingyu let out a dry chuckle, bitter and self-deprecating. “I wouldn’t dare. She’s better at everything—smarter, stronger. What right do I have to tell her what she can or can’t do?”

The room fell into an uneasy silence. Truth be told, none of them had the right.