Blossom In Adversity - Vol. 2

C334. A Lonely Man.

Chapter 334: A Lonely Man

“Think carefully, who around you seems suspicious?”

The matter was of great importance, and Gu Cheng'an dared not think carelessly.

In the case of Zeng Xian, it was Fang Hongzhi who had framed Zeng Xian. The silver he had obtained at that time far exceeded what was planted on Zeng Xian's head, which was precisely why he had to silence him.

Fang Hongzhi’s weakness was too obvious: he was greedy, but cowardly. If he embezzled a hundred taels, he would only get forty taels, and the remaining sixty taels would be distributed to ensure his safety. Such a person would not be a member of the Chao Li tribe and could be ruled out.

It was Zeng Xian's idea to exile the generals there. Yingshan Pass had not seen any battles for many years, and things that were forbidden on the surface were very popular in secret. The black market in Yingshan Pass often produced many good things, such as beautiful furs, rhinoceros horns rarely found in the Central Plains, and so on. At the same time, the Central Plains' porcelain, silk, and tea were sold at sky-high prices there. If one could get a hold of this, even just taking a cut would be a huge amount of money.

But Wu Yong was stationed there, and as soon as he reached out his hand, he flashed a knife, and he didn't get anything good, but instead lost several people.

Later, Zeng Xian said that it was not his own people, so he changed to someone else. The attraction of that place was too great for him, and he finally made a move. Yes, Zeng Xian had instigated all these things. Could it be...

Gu Cheng'an suddenly jumped up, “It was Zeng Xian!”

“No, it wasn’t him.” Gu Yanxi rejected without hesitation.

“How do you know it wasn’t him?”

“He’s dead, leaving behind a four-year-old child.”

Gu Cheng’an didn’t understand, “What does that have to do with whether he is a member of the Chao Li tribe? Can’t members of the Chao Li tribe have children?”

“His child was born to his wife. His wife was pregnant when he got into trouble, but she was also exiled.”

The emperor turned his head upon hearing this.

Gu Yanxi pulled up a chair and sat down casually, staring at the Second Prince of the Great Daqing Dynasty through the mask, “Fang Hongzhi knew his wife was pregnant, and his goal was to eliminate the grass and roots, so he naturally would not leave her in the capital. Do you know why Zeng Xian went mad? The bailiffs defiled his wife in front of him, and they used this method to get rid of the child. His wife pretended to have a miscarriage by bleeding herself in order to preserve his bloodline, and then she died after giving birth to the child. Zeng Xian's legs were also ruined by them. If it were you, wouldn't you hate it?”

Gu Cheng'an wanted to say that he didn’t know, but he did. It’s just that he had never cared about such trivial matters.

“He hated, so he went mad. He found out that it was you who ruined his family, so he defected to you, gave you advice, poisoned Wu Yong, destroyed the Hua family, and negotiated with the people from beyond the pass on your behalf. You only thought he was useful, but you didn't know he was dragging you down to hell. He wanted a chaotic Daqing to accompany his wife for the injustice she suffered.”

Gu Yanxi said indifferently, his eyes flashing with the image of Zeng Xian's withered appearance. As a scholar, that was the most he could utilize.

“You ruined someone's family because of your selfish desires, Gu Cheng'an. How can your heart be at peace?”

“I…”

“Think again.” Gu Yanxi suddenly felt suffocated and interrupted him, getting up and walking out of the palace. He missed Ah Zhi. As long as he was with Ah Zhi, even if she was covered in medicine, he felt at peace.

He had always known that there were no clean people in the royal family. Born and raised in this mud, being as wise as Concubine Zhen was the limit. But the vast majority were assimilated into the mud in the sewage, and they couldn't be washed clean.

The emperor walked over and stood side by side with him, looking at the panicked palace maids in the courtyard. Concubine Hui stood under the eaves, nervously looking over here. When she saw him, she seemed to want to come over, but was stopped by the people from the Seven Stars Bureau.

Even from such a distance, he could feel her resentful gaze. But who was really innocent?

The emperor looked away and at Gu Yanxi. This one was truly innocent.

Patting him on the shoulder, the emperor sighed, "I'm old, and old people tend to be soft-hearted. You have to be understanding."

Gu Yanxi didn't answer, with a hint of pique.

"Do you know why I don't look at that pile of stuff you painstakingly gathered?" The emperor pounded his chest. "I dare not look, I don't want to know what he did, I don't want to know how cruel he is, I don't want to know anything at all. Zeng Xian was wronged, and I will clear his name. Wu Yong suffered injustice, and I will give him whatever compensation he wants. Although the Hua family was frightened, they are fine after all. As for colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, didn't it cause any irreparable consequences? I am the emperor, can't I tolerate him this once? But if I look at those things, I may not be able to tolerate it. The eldest son already wants my life, and I don't want to know that another son has that same cruelty. Anyway, I won't give him that position."

Gu Yanxi looked at the entrance to the palace, Gu Cheng'an stood there with a pale face.

The emperor, seemingly oblivious to his son's tension, continued, "The most fatal flaw of a ruler is a weak resolve. Look at him! Hui Fei, the Tong family, even Zeng Xian – they all manipulate him. He's like a puppet, dancing to their tune. Yet, he thinks he's so clever! How could I entrust the empire to such a man?"

"But you haven't completely cut off his hopes."

"Why would I? Having a goal can motivate him to strive for more. Even if he doesn't become emperor, he can still be a capable minister, safeguarding the Gu family's empire alongside his brothers. Isn't that a good thing?"

Turning to his second son, who was stunned, the emperor said, "You always complain that I don't value you. Have I ever neglected you all these years? You brothers have all been tutored by the same master, and whatever I've bestowed upon you has been divided equally. Even if the eldest has slightly more, it's only because he's the eldest. But because he's the eldest, the punishments he receives are also harsher. To maintain balance, I even have to carefully consider which concubine to favor. Why do I treat Tong Yi differently? Ever since I ascended the throne, I haven't dared to show any special favor to even the concubines I love, for fear of losing their lives. Now that I'm near death, I want to experience what it's like to have a sole favorite!"

Gu Cheng'an slowly sank to his knees, leaning against the door frame. He knew this was the end. His father had made it clear that he was no longer in the running. "All of you think this position is so desirable," the emperor sighed. "If I could turn back time, I would have stayed far away from it. Being a lonely emperor for all these years has been so cold, so desolate. It's so much better to be like Prince Ling, who could marry whomever he pleased and had people to clean up after him."

But since Prince Ling's son had grown up under his watchful eye and was closer to him, the emperor felt a little better. He suppressed the urge to seek trouble with Prince Ling.

As Gu Yanxi helped him sit down, the emperor felt incredibly weak. "The rest is up to you. Whatever you find, I want a thorough report."

A myriad of emotions surged through Gu Yanxi, but he swallowed them all down and responded in a hoarse voice.

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Author's Note:
These chapters are part of the main storyline and might be a bit heavy, but please don’t skip ahead! You won’t be able to follow along later. Don’t be one of those readers who disappear after enjoying the story!