Seated in his armchair, Ye Shu rested his chin on one hand as he watched General Gu Chen step forward to salute him.
Wait, why did Gu Chen arrive at my place so quickly?! Logically speaking, Gu Chen shouldn’t have returned this soon; he was occupied with official duties and wasn’t due back for a few more days.
Though certain matters remained uncertain, one thing was certain to him: either this troublemaker Gu Xici had done something to get himself exposed, or something had gone wrong with Gu Chen’s official business.
Meanwhile, hiding behind the folding screen, Gu Xici silently prayed in his heart that his elder brother hadn’t discovered him.
Observing Gu Chen finish his salute, Ye Shu stood up and returned the greeting, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding slightly. “General Gu, please rise. What brings you to this Preceptor so late at night?”
With a rather solemn expression, Gu Chen replied, “Forgive this general for disturbing the Grand Preceptor at this late hour. Might I ask if my younger brother is here with you?”
“Younger brother?” Ye Shu remarked. “Does General Gu mean to ask this Preceptor about Gu Xici?”
“Indeed. Over the past few days, my younger brother has been rather presumptuous and offensive. Due to pressing official duties, I haven’t managed him properly,” Gu Chen replied, his tone laced with apology.
Ye Shu waved a hand dismissively. “It is no matter; your younger brother… I am no longer holding it against him.”
As he spoke, Ye Shu’s gaze swept past the folding screen, catching sight of Gu Xici frantically shaking his head at him, evidently terrified that he might spill the secret of his presence. Thinking on this, Ye Shu continued, “Moreover, your younger brother is not here with me.”
Hearing this, Gu Chen nodded. Though his expression looked rather unfavorable, he bowed respectfully and said, “Very well, thank you, Grand Preceptor. This general shall take his leave.”
“Very well, I won’t see you out.”
Realizing Gu Xici wasn’t here, Gu Chen pondered for a moment before turning and walking out of the Grand Preceptor’s Residence.
Outside the Grand Preceptor’s Residence.
As Gu Chen walked the path back to the General’s Mansion, his mind was filled with tangled uncertainty. He found it difficult to fathom where Xiao Ci could have gone if he wasn’t at the Grand Preceptor’s residence.
Initially, he had assumed Gu Xici would obey his instructions and remain quietly inside the General’s Mansion, even thinking of bringing him back a small gift if he had time to spare this evening. Yet the moment he arrived at the gates, the guards had reported that the Heir had fled.
He had nearly been driven to a fit of rage by the news.
Clearly, that gift was no longer needed.
Furthermore, when he had just asked the Grand Preceptor, the Grand Preceptor stated he wasn’t there, and he trusted the Grand Preceptor’s character. Yet, a suspicious detail lingered: he had visited the Grand Preceptor’s residence several times before, and the folding screen in the Grand Preceptor’s hall had clearly been pale blue previously, but tonight it was deep gray. Could it be that the Grand Preceptor was dissatisfied with the previous color and had changed it to gray? Gu Chen harbored some doubts about this. Moreover, a lingering intuition told him that Gu Xici was right there inside the Grand Preceptor’s residence. Yet that didn’t quite add up—obviously Xiao Ci and the Grand Preceptor were at odds; if Xiao Ci were truly hiding there, why would the Grand Preceptor cover for him?
Earlier, he had also considered whether Gu Xici might have sought out his group of dissolute friends, but before coming to the Grand Preceptor’s residence, he had already checked with Prime Minister Lin, who confirmed that his eldest son hadn’t been in contact with Xiao Ci recently.
It wasn’t as though letting Xiao Ci out was entirely out of the question; it was just that he worried endlessly about his safety, given that Xiao Ci’s martial arts weren’t particularly formidable and he lacked lightweight kung fu.
Going out ordinarily was fine, but he had heard rumors that black-clad assassins had been frequently spotted lingering near the imperial palace over the past few days, murdering numerous palace maids and eunuchs. Although the General’s Mansion was some distance away from the palace, he couldn’t help feeling uneasy for his younger brother.
His younger brother’s wits weren’t the sharpest, his martial arts were mediocre at best, and he didn’t know lightweight kung fu. Ah…
Sighing deeply, Gu Chen arrived at the gates of the General’s Mansion. Just as he prepared to ask the guards if they had managed to track down Gu Xici, a guard rushed forward to report that the grand eunuch had just come looking for him, stating that the Emperor had an urgent matter to discuss and summoned him to enter the palace at lightning speed early tomorrow morning. There was also a confidential dispatch that had just been delivered specially by the Minister.
Taking the confidential dispatch from the guard, Gu Chen scanned through its contents. His expression turned stern in an instant, and he immediately ordered the guards to deny entry to anyone for the time being, while continuing the search for the Heir and bringing him back the moment he was found. With that, he turned and headed back to his chambers.
The guards cupped their fists in unison and bowed low. “Understood, General.”
Gu Chen gave a slight nod, raised both hands to adjust his collar, tucked the confidential dispatch into the inner pocket of his robe, and stepped inside the mansion.
Grand Preceptor’s Residence.
Only after Gu Chen had departed for a short while did Gu Xici emerge from behind the folding screen. Meanwhile, Ye Shu lounged lazily in his chair, wearing a knowing, meaningful smile as he looked at the newly emerged Gu Xici and curved his lips: “Well, Gu Xici, this Grand Preceptor helped you out. How do you plan to repay me?”
Still wearing the stunned expression of someone who had narrowly cheated death, Gu Xici heard Ye Shu’s question, immediately slapped his chest, and declared with resolute certainty: “Ye Shu, although your lord didn’t like you before, since you helped your lord tonight, your lord is deeply grateful. If there’s anything you need help with from now on, just say the word!”
Seeing Gu Xici looking so earnest and solemn, a flash of amusement danced in Ye Shu’s eyes.
To think… the only one bold and direct enough to express his thoughts to me like this is Gu Xici—the arch-enemy I’ve managed to encounter across two lifetimes.
Upon reflection, this arch-enemy didn’t seem quite as loathsome as he once thought. At least Gu Xici wouldn’t play dirty tricks behind his back or plot to frame him like others did.
Having known Gu Xici for so many years, he knew very well that while Gu Xici was an unruly, hot-tempered young spendthrift, he possessed a straightforward honesty. If nothing else, Gu Xici did have redeeming qualities, even if they were few and far between.
“Well, by your own words, you owe me quite a few favors, not to mention that extra slap.”
“Uh, well, that is true, but… the two of us share a common goal now,” Gu Xici said with a slightly embarrassed expression. “Don’t worry, Ye Shu, the two of us are allies now—your problems are my problems. I’ll owe you that slap for now and make it up to you later.”
With that, seemingly afraid that Ye Shu wouldn’t believe him, Gu Xici swore an oath: “If you don’t trust your lord, from now on whenever I’m with you, if I make any suspicious moves, you can just take your sword and kill me!”
Hearing this, Ye Shu did not answer him directly, instead gesturing for Gu Xici to sit in the chair opposite him. “Sit down. Weren’t you thirsty after talking for so long? Have a cup of tea first.”
Once Gu Xici had taken a seat and taken a sip of tea, Ye Shu gazed at him with deeply pensive eyes, retrieved the jade pendant that Gu Chen had nearly caused to be exposed earlier, and placed it upon the table.
Clearly engraved upon that jade pendant was the maple leaf imprint, accompanied by a small line of verse below it: Autumn clouds and red maple leaves return to the forest.
Seeing this, Gu Xici looked at Ye Shu with mild astonishment.
Ye Shu actually took out something as important as his jade pendant… Is he… really starting to trust me?
Understanding his thoughts, Ye Shu nodded toward Gu Xici. “I believe further words are redundant. I’ve already used this jade pendant to prove my sincerity in cooperating. You believe me now, don’t you?”
Gu Xici instantly perked up, his eyes brightening. “Ye Shu, you… actually took out your precious belongings and helped me even before knowing what I intended to do. Your lord is truly moved!”
Shifting his gaze to the jade pendant, he asked Ye Shu, “What does that line of small script mean? Since you’ve also been reborn, do you know what’s going on with that man in black?”
Pondering Gu Xici’s question, Ye Shu explained, “The general meaning… points to a mysterious maple leaf assassin organization hidden deep within the forest. As for that man in black, well… let me start from my past life, since there’s quite a lot of background to cover.”
Gu Xici leaned sideways, resting his chin in his hand as he propped his elbow on the wooden table. “Go ahead, Ye Shu, I’m listening.”
“In my past life, because you were constantly coming to find trouble with me and disrupting my plans, I knew very little about this jade pendant. By the time I finally uncovered some clues regarding it, you had already been hunted down by assassins and driven into the forest. When I rushed over, I found that you were already breathing your last. Before I even had a chance to say anything to you, I realized you had suffered grievous wounds and were on the brink of death. Discovering that you were losing your breath, I shook you vigorously, but you never woke up again. Since General Gu and I could be considered acquaintances, I immediately brought your remains to inform him. Upon learning of your death, your elder brother was overcome with grief. When I told him it was the maple leaf assassin organization that killed you, he insisted on charging into their headquarters to avenge you. I urged him not to be impulsive and to think twice, but I simply couldn’t hold him back. With no other choice, I followed him there; he went to the assassin organization and never returned. Later on, I discovered this was a conspiracy—a plot targeting the entire General’s Mansion, including myself. To be precise, another martial arts faction wanted to use the maple leaf assassin organization to destroy General Gu, and me as well. In truth, those men in black were split into two factions: one belonging to the maple leaf organization, and the other belonging to this separate faction, though I’m not entirely clear on the specifics of that group. When I set out to investigate them, halfway through the investigation, a female assassin wearing a white ghost mask sneaked into my residence. She claimed she wanted to kill me because I possessed this jade pendant. Her combat strength was formidable, and in the end, both of us suffered heavy injuries and died by each other’s swords.”
“And then…”
Continuing his narrative, Ye Shu said, “That brings us to after my rebirth. Realizing this matter was far from simple and likely involved a conspiracy even greater than I anticipated, I encountered you at the teahouse during the Ghost Festival. Thinking you had also been reborn, I sought to test you, but you left me utterly disappointed. Just like in your past life, you started a quarrel with me. You spoke far too much, so I devised a scheme to lure you near my estate and knocked you unconscious when you weren’t paying attention.”
“I thought it was because I slapped you and cursed you out,” Gu Xici said, shrugging his shoulders, before seeming to process something as he challenged, “Wait a minute, I didn’t hit you! Why did you lie to me?”
Snapping his fingers, Ye Shu looked at the somewhat bewildered Gu Xici and raised an eyebrow. “You misspoke it’s that you didn’t slap me in this lifetime. Isn’t it obvious? I wanted to test whether you were reborn, so I made that up to trick you.”
“You! Ye Shu… you’re going a bit too far!”
Looking somewhat displeased, Gu Xici turned his face away.
“Alright, let’s put that aside for now and consider the trouble this jade pendant has brought us. Based on what I know, quite a few people have died near the imperial palace recently; soon enough, that organization will set their sights on us.”
With that, Ye Shu led Gu Xici to the study, where he arranged for him to sleep while he himself set about searching through old texts and records.
Early the next morning.
Imperial Palace.
Zichen Hall.
Gu Chen knelt on one knee before the Emperor seated upon the dragon throne, bowing his head as he spoke, “This subject pays respects to Your Majesty. What business does Your Majesty have with this subject?”
The Emperor raised a hand to signal him to rise. “Rise. I summoned General Gu because I wish for you and Junior Preceptor Li Yan to jointly investigate a case. I am concerned that Junior Preceptor Li Yan, being a civil official, might encounter danger, so I wish for General Gu to take a few men and accompany him to investigate the case in Huai’an County. Remember, do not expose your identities.”
“What case does Your Majesty wish for this subject and Junior Preceptor Li Yan to investigate?” Gu Chen asked.
“A theft case in Huai’an County,” the Emperor stated. “I will have Junior Preceptor Li Yan brief you on the specifics. You may withdraw for now.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
After completing his formal farewell, Gu Chen left the grand hall.