Chapter 335: The Wind Doesn't Stop

Yu, the divine physician, hurried over with his medicine chest, his clothes still stained with medicine. He hastily paid his respects and began his examination.

Gu Yanxi looked at him, "Take good care of His Majesty."

"Yes."

The Emperor felt a bit stifled and waved his hand at him, "Alright, go about your business."

There were already people from the Seven Stars Bureau waiting outside for a reply. Gu Yanxi stepped out, but as soon as he reached the door, he heard Gu Cheng'an suddenly utter a name from behind, "Yiqiu!"

Gu Yanxi immediately turned around.

"Yiqiu, it might be her!" Gu Cheng'an scrambled to his feet, "That's right, it's her, I remember now, when the people below were telling me about the matter of Yingshan Pass, Yiqiu happened to be there, let me think, let me think."

Gu Cheng'an paced back and forth a few times, "That's right, she said she had a purple sable greatcoat that was both beautiful and warm, and it was from there, but she had grown taller and it was a bit short on her, so she asked me to help her find another one, and I didn't think much of it and agreed. Later, when I asked people to pay attention, I found out that thing was not cheap."

Gu Yanxi had already walked back and did not interrupt him.

"Not long after, she came to me and said she had just found out that purple sable fur was both expensive and difficult to buy, so she asked me not to bother, she would have someone go to Guanwai to buy it, and I just asked her about the price in Guanwai, yes, it was from that time that I knew there was such a huge profit margin in selling things from Guanwai to our central plains, and then I had people investigate, and only then did I know that there was a black market in Yingshan Pass that specialized in selling things from inside and outside the pass, and that was when I started to have those thoughts, yes, it was from that moment on!"

The Third Princess, Gu Yiqiu!

The Emperor had already laughed angrily, "Good, very good. First, it's my concubine, and then it's my princess. Should I also wonder if this daughter is of my blood?"

Gu Yanxi turned and ordered, "Go and check if His Majesty has ever bestowed a purple sable greatcoat upon the Third Princess."

"Yes."

The palace's activities could not be hidden from those who were interested, and Gu Yanxi did not intend to hide it at this point, "Please, Your Majesty, issue an edict, ordering everyone in the palace to return to their respective positions and not to move around."

"Granted."

Gu Yanxi called Chen Qing in, "Close the palace gates and guard the Third Princess's Mingyue Palace. Lai Fu, tell your people to cooperate with the Seven Stars Bureau in investigating all palace personnel. Find out where everyone went, whether there are more or fewer."

"Yes."

"Order the Three Constellation Star to interrogate Tong Yi rigorously, but don't let her die."

"Yes."

Gu Yanxi knelt before the Emperor, "Your servant wishes to reinvestigate the case of the First Prince, please grant your servant's request."

The Emperor's expression was unfathomable, "You mean to say that behind the First Prince's affair, there are also the hands of the Chaoli Tribe?"

"Your servant dares not be certain, only by investigating will we know."

The Emperor gritted his teeth as he gave his approval. He couldn't imagine how many years the Chaoli Tribe had been plotting, gradually replacing his officials, and had even infiltrated his inner circle.

Was it possible that in another three or five years, all the people around him would be Chaoli Tribe people?

No, it wouldn't take three or five years. Perhaps in another year or two, this empire would change hands.

*

Gu Yanxi went to the Fushou Palace, and Yu Xiang hurriedly dismissed everyone and personally guarded the door.

Removing his mask, Gu Yanxi bowed his head and kowtowed, "Your grandson greets Grandmother."

The Empress Dowager sighed softly and personally helped him up. Seeing him in such a windswept and dusty state, she felt both heartache and helplessness. The most tiring tasks in the world were all shouldered by her grandson. In the royal family, there was not even one person who could help him, let alone help him, they even caused him trouble.

"You... you must take care of yourself."

Gu Yanxi helped her sit down and smiled faintly, but he couldn't say anything. The physical fatigue was far less intense than the mental exhaustion.

The Empress Dowager patted his face as she had when he was a child, "Is there anything you need Grandmother to do?"

Gu Yanxi shook his head, "I just came to take a breath of fresh air here."

"I, I'm too lazy to find out what they've done again. You, however, can't avoid it no matter how hard you try." The Empress Dowager shook her head, full of helplessness.

The Emperor even guarded against her, an old woman. She was too lazy to care about those things. The only thing she worried about was whether this uncle and nephew could stay good in the end.

“Don't go anywhere. Just let Yu Xiang stay by your side. Don't let anyone else get near you, no matter who it is. I've sent a few people to guard you in secret. No matter what happens outside, don't pay any attention to it.”

The Empress immediately frowned, “Could it be that someone is impatient and trying to rebel?”

“There are people from the Chaoli tribe mixed in the palace.”

Gu Yanxi smiled bitterly as he met his grandmother's suddenly widened eyes. How many years had it been since his grandmother had lost her composure?

“Tong Yi, who has been favored recently, is from the Chaoli tribe. Now Yi Qiu is also suspected, and I don't know what the situation is with others. I need to carefully investigate the people in your Fushou Palace, Grandmother. For now, just trust Yu Xiang Mama.”

“I understand,” the Empress took a deep breath. “Don't worry about me. I won't cause you any trouble.”

With matters outside demanding his attention, Gu Yanxi couldn't stay long, but he still personally inspected every corner of the Fushou Palace before leaving.

“There's never a moment of peace,” the Empress Dowager said, supported by Yu Xiang as she walked to the front of the hall and looked up at the sky filled with rolling clouds. “Before I die, I must make a will. When I'm dead, don't bury me with the former Emperor. Just bury me anywhere."

“Your grandson would be so sad if he heard you say that.”

“He would be sad, but he would fulfill my wish. I can't remember how long it's been since I've left the palace gates. I look at this piece of sky every day, and I almost think that's all there is to the world." The Empress Dowager stepped over the threshold and stood on the corridor. A gust of wind blew, and her clothes fluttered, as if she saw herself as a young girl with her hair in two buns going out for a spring outing on the Cold Food Festival.

So many years have passed!

Wan Niang, who was younger than her, was already dead, and she was still living a meaningless life in this small place.

“Your Majesty, it's getting windy.”

“Yes, it's getting windy.” But when does the wind ever stop? It's just a difference between a big wind and a small wind.

Gu Yanxi went to the Mingyue Palace. Along the way, he saw imperial guards everywhere, and the luxurious carved railings and jade could not hide the atmosphere of fear and anxiety.

Chen Qing chased after him quickly, “Leader, the Emperor never gave a sable fur coat to the Third Princess. I've checked the Third Princess's mother, Consort Zheng, and her identity is unquestionable. There are records from the time she conceived the Third Princess to her birth, proving that she is undoubtedly of royal blood.”

Gu Yanxi was not surprised. Consort Zheng was still favored in the palace, and she only had one princess. Her natal family, the Zheng family, had always been law-abiding and did not have as much ambition as the Tong family. Without any internal or external reasons, there was no reason for her to do something that would bring about the destruction of her clan.

As for the Third Princess, she was a princess of a country.

How could she possibly benefit if the Chaoli tribe replaced the Gu family as the rulers of Central Plains?

Moreover, she was getting married at the end of the year, and her husband was a young and promising man. With such a bright future ahead of her, why would she do this?

“Have you investigated the people in the Mingyue Palace?”

“They're being checked now.”

Gu Yanxi nodded, looked up at the high plaque, and walked in.