Chapter 310: The Confession

“Oh?” The Empress Dowager hadn’t expected to gain such an unexpected piece of information. She couldn’t help but grow angry. “Who has such audacity, daring to harm a royal princess? This is a blatant contempt for imperial authority! An’an, tell your Royal Grandmother, your Royal Grandmother will see justice done for you!”

How could County Princess Lin’an not know the Empress Dowager was trying to get her to talk? If the perpetrator was revealed, they could follow the trail and uncover the whereabouts of the little prince.

“An’an, don’t worry, your Royal Grandmother will definitely stand up for you. If you don’t trust your Royal Grandmother, I can even issue an imperial decree for you,” the Empress Dowager said, fully aware of Lin’an’s concerns. Indeed, she had no real intention of helping the princess, but one cannot catch a wolf without sacrificing the child.

“Royal Grandmother, Lin’an has never doubted you.” County Princess Lin’an dared not offend the Empress Dowager. With the Empress Dowager speaking to this extent, if she failed to show tact, once the Empress Dowager achieved her goal, there would be countless ways to deal with her. “It was Su Wan. She killed my mother.”

“Royal Grandmother, Lin’an is all alone now. Aside from you, I have no other relatives willing to help me. You must kill Su Wan to avenge my mother!”

Tears streaked down County Princess Lin’an’s face, yet she didn’t forget to raise another demand. “And also Tang Nuan. Before Your Majesty granted the marriage, I already told her and even petitioned you for an imperial edict to bestow a marriage between me and Zhao Wei. She showed blatant disrespect for your authority, undermined me from the roots, and stole my man. Now she serves by the Empress’s side, you must not let her go unpunished.”

“Mother’s greatest wish was for me to have a proper home.” County Princess Lin’an said urgently, “Royal Grandmother, once Tang Nuan is dead, you can rightfully issue another marriage edict, and I can take her place in marrying into the Zhao family. Zhao Wei wouldn’t dare object.”

The sorrow on Lin’an’s face vanished completely, replaced by eagerness. “Marriages can still be arranged during the immediate mourning period. But once the period of deep mourning begins, we’ll have to wait three full years. Zhao Wei is getting old, he can’t afford to wait that long.”

A flicker of mockery passed through the Empress Dowager’s eyes, though it didn’t show on her face. Instead, she said gently, with affection, “Don’t worry. Your Royal Grandmother will help you.”

After a pause, the Empress Dowager spoke in a faint, probing tone: “Is the little prince in Su Wan’s hands?”

“Yes. The second young master of the Gu family is the little prince.” County Princess Lin’an truly hadn’t expected that a mere farming family like the Gu household would dare do something so reckless, harboring a royal heir!

She offered a suggestion: “Royal Grandmother, the Gu family has acted with outrageous audacity. They’ve hidden away a royal heir, could it be that they’re plotting to usurp the throne?”

Once such a charge was made, if Gu Jingyun’s identity as the prince was confirmed, the entire Gu clan would face extermination.

The Empress Dowager cast a glance at County Princess Lin’an, so young, yet already so ruthless.

A faint smile appeared on her face. “Su Wan has entered the palace today to treat the Empress’s illness.”

Her gaze shifted toward the direction of Weiyang Palace, and she murmured softly, “It seems the opportunity has delivered itself.”

County Princess Lin’an was secretly delighted. “Once the little prince’s identity is exposed, Su Wan’s involvement in treating the Empress—what if there’s something wrong with her prescription? I heard that she once unraveled a desperate situation and received a promise from the Eldest Princess. She intends to have the Eldest Princess support the little prince’s rise to power, with the Gu family pulling the strings behind him. Eventually, they’ll find the right moment to change the Ji family’s empire into one bearing the Gu name.”

She had even thought out the motive and the charges.

“If we were to find weapons and a dragon robe hidden in the Gu residence, even if she were covered in mouths, she still wouldn’t be able to talk her way out of it.” County Princess Lin’an stroked her crooked mouth, eyes filled with a hatred that ran bone-deep.

The Empress Dowager tapped her lightly on the forehead with a finger. “If you had shown even half this cleverness on ordinary days, you wouldn’t have fallen to such a wretched state.”

County Princess Lin’an knew that the Empress Dowager had believed her words. She finally breathed a sigh of relief and said bitterly, “In the past, with Mother around, I didn’t need to use my head. But now, if I don’t start being a bit clever, I won’t even know how I end up dead.”

“All right, you may return now. With such a major incident at home, they can’t do without you,” the Empress Dowager said, dismissing her guests.

Having achieved her goal, County Princess Lin’an did not linger and left the palace to return home.

The Empress Dowager summoned her most trusted aide and gave instructions: “Plant weapons and a dragon robe in the Gu residence. At midnight, launch a full-scale operation. You must bring the second young master of the Gu family back to the palace. After that… dispatch troops to surround the Gu household.”

Once the little prince was found, she could then use his life to force the Empress to commit suicide. The Emperor could conveniently meet his end as well. That way, she could rule from behind the curtain and release the Crown Prince.

“Yes,” the trusted aide replied before withdrawing.

——

The night deepened, heavy with dew, and all was deathly still.

Over a hundred men in black moved silently through the darkness, infiltrating the Gu residence.

Shrouded in night, the Gu residence loomed dark and ominous, not a single oil lamp lit.

Clang—

Blades clashed at close quarters. The sounds of combat and agonized screams echoed without end.

Hearing the sounds of slaughter from the neighboring courtyard, Gu Qingsong’s eyes flew open. He hastily threw on a robe, grabbed a longsword, and leapt into the adjacent compound. The air was thick with the stench of blood, corpses littered the ground.

Drawing his sword and tossing aside the scabbard, a murderous aura surged from him as he carved a path of blood through the chaos, heading toward the rear courtyard to find his people.

But the courtyard was completely empty, not a single soul in sight.

Gu Qingsong froze for a moment. Lifting a hand to wipe the fresh blood from his face, he realized—this was an empty city ruse. They’d lured their enemies in to catch them like turtles in a jar.

The assassins were highly skilled, clearly an elite force raised with great care.

Yet they were all wiped out within the Gu residence. This was a deliberate move to weaken the power of whoever stood behind them.

Gu Qingsong let out a breath of relief, but his expression remained grim, a dark cloud hanging over his face. A suspicion had begun to take root in his heart.

His youngest son had died, and the Gu family had adopted a child. Now, with word that the Empress’s youngest son was hiding somewhere in the capital, and the Gu residence attacked that very night, it was hard not to draw a connection to Gu Jingyun’s true identity.

This was trouble. Serious trouble.

Gu Qingsong’s heart was in knots, anxiety gnawing at him. He had no idea where they might have gone into hiding.

The Prince Regent’s residence?

Gu Qingsong suddenly remembered that Gu Huaizhi was the Prince Regent’s sworn son.

He wanted to go, but worried he’d bring trouble with him. Stifled with frustration, he threw himself back into the melee, venting his fury through bloodshed.

Some of the Empress Dowager’s shadow guards had also noticed that the Gu family members weren’t in the residence. They sent out signals and began retreating in all directions.

But outside the estate, the Qi Family Army lay in ambush. Anyone who emerged was cut down on the spot.

Qi Sixteenth leapt onto the wall and shouted, “Are they all dead yet? Damn it, my blade hasn’t had a blood offering in ages. Today was a damn good day!”

Qi Fifth wore a stern expression and began, “You ought to thank Lin—”

Just then, a few more enemies emerged. Qi Fifth cut his words short, swiftly taking down three while one managed to escape.

Qi Sixteenth exchanged a glance with Qi Fifth, and they gave relentless chase.

With a few agile leaps, the shadow guard vanished into the darkness.

Qi Sixteenth and Qi Fifth searched the area thoroughly but found no one. Frustrated, Qi Sixteenth vented his anger by chopping down a nearby tree, then unwillingly continued the pursuit.

Not long after, a shadow guard emerged, clutching an injured arm, and made his way toward the palace.

Moments later, Qi Sixteenth and Qi Fifth stepped out, gazing in the direction the shadow guard had fled. Qi Sixteenth rubbed his nose, let out a cold snort, and the two of them headed for the Prince Regent’s residence.

——

Prince Regent’s Residence.

The entire Gu family was gathered in the courtyard where Su Wan was staying.

A few of them sat stiffly in round-back chairs, quiet as mice.

Mother Gu glanced at one, then another, fidgeting with unease. She finally asked, “We were just fine at home. Why’d we end up at the Prince Regent’s residence?”

She thought of the rumors spreading through the streets, pressed her lips together, then looked at Gu Jingyun with a complex expression. Reaching out, she pulled him into her arms. “Does this have something to do with those rumors?”

Gu Jingyun keenly sensed that all eyes had suddenly turned to him, and he began to panic, unsure what to do.

“Mother…”

From the expressions on Su Wan and Gu Huaizhi’s faces, Mother Gu could tell, it really was about Gu Jingyun’s identity. She looked at the confused and uneasy child gazing back at her, and a sharp ache surged up into her nose. Her eyes turned red as she gently stroked Gu Jingyun’s head.

This boy she had raised for so many years, now the time had come for him to return to his birth parents. To Mother Gu, it felt like having a piece of her flesh torn away. She had known this day would come, ever since they arrived in the capital, but she had never truly been ready for it. She never prepared for Gu Jingyun to leave her.

Gu Jingyun grew even more flustered. Clutching tightly to her sleeve, he asked, “Mother, what’s wrong?”

His voice was thick with emotion, heavy with a nasal tremble.

Mother Gu gently cupped his face with her rough, calloused hand. “Jingyun… you… you’re not my child.”

As the words left her lips, she turned her face away. Tears welled up and spilled over. No matter how much more she wanted to say, not a single word could make it past the lump in her throat.