Chapter 350: Haoyue Comes to the Capital.

Finally, with the Emperor's begrudging permission, Gu Yanxi emerged from the stifling palace confines post-curfew, not to head home for a well-earned rest, but to march straight to the Seven Stars Bureau. His steps carried purpose, but his patience was visibly hanging by a thread.

It was at this precise moment—how conveniently timed—that Chen Qing seized the opportunity to deliver his report. "Prince, Haoyue has arrived in the capital," he declared, as if the news wouldn’t spark immediate ire.

Gu Yanxi froze mid-step, slowly pivoting to face his subordinate with a sharp glare that spoke volumes of his displeasure. "And what, pray tell, were you doing instead of keeping an eye on her?" he asked, his voice cold enough to freeze over hell itself.

"I brought her here," Chen Qing replied, his tone as neutral as one could muster when confessing to dropping a loaded crossbow at your superior’s feet.

Gu Yanxi, however, wasn't the type to fly off the handle. No, his position within the Seven Stars Bureau and the Emperor’s good graces were secured through a dangerous mix of cunning and restraint. He merely gestured for Chen Qing to follow him into the bureau’s confines.

"Speak," he commanded, his tone sharp but unhurried—a knife held just shy of the throat.

"Yes." Chen Qing knew best how much of a threat Haoyue posed, so he didn't dare to hide anything. "Following your orders to Yuzhou, I intended to extract more information from her. But this time, she wouldn’t play along. She openly declared her intent to come to the capital. If I tried to stop her, she made it clear I’d bear the consequences. Whether it was bluff or bravado, I wasn’t willing to take the gamble. She calls herself a prophet, after all, and prophets don’t wander without some kind of safety net. I had no choice but to bring her here and house her under my supervision."

Gu Yanxi nodded slowly, a faint smirk curling at the edge of his lips—a predator’s patience. "She’s not to be eliminated just yet. Keep her close, but on a tight leash. What’s her demeanor been like?"

"Cooperative so far. No outrageous demands," Chen Qing replied, though his confidence wavered under the weight of Gu Yanxi’s gaze.

"Good. Now listen carefully," Gu Yanxi said, leaning back against the high table with a calculated air of menace. "You will avoid frequent contact with her. The leader of the Seven Stars Bureau does not have the luxury of orbiting around one woman’s whims. If you keep running back to her, you’ll tip your hand, and she’ll use that against us. Don’t underestimate Haoyue—anyone bold enough to challenge me has claws sharper than they let on. She is not an easy person to deal with."

Chen Qing bowed his head, his voice tight with understanding. "Yes, I understand."

Shifting gears without missing a beat, Gu Yanxi asked, "How’s the southern situation? Any significant casualties?"

Chen Qing moved to the high table, retrieving an opened secret letter and presenting it to his superior. Pouring tea with practiced ease, he added, "I’ve dispatched people to verify the reports. If they’re accurate, the credit goes to Eldest Miss Hua."

Gu Yanxi took the letter, his expression unreadable as he scanned its contents. Behind his calm exterior, the wheels of strategy turned—because in his world, every piece on the board, no matter how insignificant, had its place in the game.

He read the letter attentively and his gaze softened. Just as they had decided before, they had diverted some of the flood pressure by clearing several river channels and sacrificing the county of Lingzhou.

They had managed to avoid a major flood disaster that hadn't occurred in decades. Although the victims were still suffering from lack of food and clothing, and fertile land was destroyed, the number of deaths was only over a hundred, smaller than the losses from last year's flood disaster. This was already a great stroke of luck.

In terms of credit, Ah Zhi deserves the most.

But now was not the right time to showcase the credit. With Patriarch Hua's performance at the Yingshan Pass and the unsuccessful assassination attempt on the Hua family by the second prince, the Emperor was siding with Hua family. If the Hua family were to be wiped out now, the second prince would naturally suffer the consequences.

However, with the Hua family unharmed and the second prince taking the blame, the Emperor was unwisely protective. When Gu Yanxi thought about this, he couldn't help but feel helpless.

He had thought that the suffering of the Hua family would evoke the Emperor's old sentiments, but it only made him more displeased. Presenting Ah Zhi's credit to the Emperor at this time might earn her a reward, but whether that reward would be a prize or a punishment was uncertain.

Gu Yanxi put down the letter and instructed, "Record this matter, make sure to be detailed. Figure out how to write it properly, and show it to me once done."

"Yes." Chen Qing smiled and agreed, knowing that whenever the matter involved Eldest Miss Hua, the Shizi would be particularly attentive. No matter how great Haoyue's intentions were, it wouldn't matter. Although Haoyue, like Eldest Miss Hua, was a rare talented woman, their goals were different. Gu Yanxi was probably more eager to silence her forever and not let her threaten Daqing.

Thinking of Haoyue, Chen Qing hesitated and asked, "Prince, do you plan to meet her?"

"In a few days, when Ah Zhi recovers, I will take her with me."

"Understood." Chen Qing now had a better understanding.

The Shizi was keeping Haoyue under close watch in the Seven Stars Bureau, fearing that someone in the royal family might target her. Even though a few people in the Seven Stars Bureau were aware of her existence, they didn't know her background.

Allowing Eldest Miss Hua to see her showed the Prince's trust in her.

*

As the first rays of a crisp morning crept in, the sunlight dutifully nudged Hua Zhi awake, as if honoring some unspoken pact, right on time.

When at home, one tends to feel lazy, lacking energy. She just lay there without moving.

Ying Chun raised the curtain and spoke softly, "Fourth Lady was here last night. You had already drifted off, so she didn’t disturb you."

Hua Zhi blinked, her response lagging in a way that hinted at either weariness or calculated detachment. "Oh? Was there an issue?"

"I couldn’t say," Ying Chun replied, her voice a shade too neutral to be unintentional. "But she didn’t seem entirely... pleased."

Hua Zhi was not oblivious to the matters in the inner courtyard, she was just too lazy to investigate. Let others fuss and fret over such trivialities; Hua Zhi had mastered the art of apathy, and she wasn’t about to break a sweat now.

Dealing with those daily affairs was something she preferred to avoid. She was well aware that the obedience shown by the Hua family members was not genuine; if not for her timely intervention, support from her grandmother, and control of the family's finances, how could the whole family not have a few dissenters?

Now, was someone trying to create trouble for her after she had already gained control of the entire Hua family?

"I will have breakfast with Mother, you go and inform Fourth Aunt. I will see her later. Today, don't follow me. Summarize the matters regarding the seafood business. I want to be informed when I return."

"Understood."

Hua Zhi, after hesitating for a moment, got out of bed and went to the eldest lady's courtyard after tidying up.

As soon as the eldest lady saw her, she smiled, "I just knew you’d show up. Naturally, I went ahead and prepared all your favorites."

Hua Zhi, ever the quiet observer, let her gaze drift over her mother with faint amusement. "Well, you certainly look radiant. Did Father write something particularly sweet to butter you up this time?"

Her mother shot back with feigned indignation. "What ridiculous nonsense are you spouting now?"

But Hua Zhi wasn’t buying it. "Your face says it all!"

With a rosy complexion and a loving look in her eyes, it seemed like she had spent the whole night sleeping with Father's letter.

Suppressing a chuckle, Hua Zhi shook her head. Her parents were, without a doubt, a match made in melodrama heaven. Father, with his cold, scholarly exterior, never spared his children more than a fleeting word. Yet behind closed doors, he was penning sappy love poems to Mother, of all people. Hua Zhi had once stumbled across them—an experience she could only describe as both cringeworthy and oddly entertaining.

And her mother? Oh, she was a master of duality. All soft-spoken vulnerability with her children, but in her husband’s presence, she wielded authority with a flair that Hua Zhi, somewhat begrudgingly, found irresistibly captivating. She had caught glimpses of it before, purely by accident, of course, and couldn’t help but marvel at the dynamic.

Realizing she’d lost this round, Zhu Shi opted for a tactical retreat. Pinching Hua Zhi’s cheek in a gesture equal parts affection and admonishment, she breezed toward the kitchen to direct the servants. Moments later, she returned, carrying a steaming bowl of soup. Setting it down in front of her daughter with theatrical finality, she declared, "I may not have a say in what happens beyond these walls, but in my courtyard, my rules reign supreme. Now, drink every last drop."

Hua Zhi downed the soup with determination, while Zhu shi exclaimed, "You drink soup in such a peculiar way."

"It all ends up the same way, right?" Hua Zhi sat down nonchalantly. "I'm doing well, didn't you notice how I came back with a few extra pounds this time? The food in the north may not be refined, but there are some good things. Grandfather and others happily stuffed me with food."

"That's how it should be." Zhu Shi's eyes reddened slightly, feeling proud and sad at the same time. How much had her daughter sacrificed for the Hua family?

If they were to show no gratitude, she wouldn't stand for it.

———TN: That concludes today's translation session. I’ll have more content uploaded within the next two days at the very latest—assuming, of course, life doesn’t throw any more delightful curveballs my way. Until then, enjoy the wait.