Chapter 193: The Arrival of Mid-Autumn
Late at night.
The Residence of the Virtuous Prince welcomed two new guests. With Lu Xiaofeng and Sikong Zhaixing already present, the usually quiet residence felt unusually lively.
Although it wasn't Mid-Autumn yet, Chu Yang had still set up a table of food and wine in the courtyard. Over the years, he'd rarely ended a night without getting drunk when drinking outside, but this was his first time drinking within the Virtuous Prince's residence.
"You shouldn't have come back."
Guo Bujing, dressed in his casual clothes, sat directly opposite Chu Yang, a troubled look on his face.
"I caused you to lose your position as Commander of the Imperial Guards. I'll punish myself with a drink."
Chu Yang lifted his cup and drained it in one go.
"Whoever holds the Commander post makes no difference to me. I've never cared for these things. Without such trivial burdens, at least Six Gates won't be as poorly managed as before."
Guo Bujing's expression was calm, without a trace of regret—he truly didn't like the Commander role.
His aversion to political games didn't mean he couldn't read the Emperor's intentions. With just Six Gates, it was impossible to balance the two Divine Marshals, so the Emperor had assigned him the title of Commander of the Imperial Guards.
"True. Without all the nonsense tying you down, you even had time to capture the River-Flipping Bandit."
Chu Yang smiled as he looked at Chai Hu, who was sulking over his wine.
"Hahaha! So, old Chai, even you got caught!"
Sikong Zhaixing, an old acquaintance of Chai Hu's, burst into hearty laughter when he heard the famed Guo Hero had recruited him.
Chai Hu turned his head away in shame, only to meet Lu Xiaofeng's smirking face.
Being old acquaintances, he naturally also knew Lu Xiaofeng.
"Big guy, I told you long ago you'd get caught sooner or later. Honestly, your whole 'robbing the rich to help the poor' thing was way too crude—any basic investigation could've traced it back to you."
Lu Xiaofeng shook his head in mock disappointment.
"This is the legendary Lu Xiaofeng? My disciples always say he's a brilliant investigator."
Guo Bujing admired Lu Xiaofeng and, for once, let a smile appear.
Chu Yang knew Guo's intention—he wanted to bring Lu Xiaofeng into Six Gates.
"In front of Hero Guo, who could claim to be a true hero? Please don't tease me."
Lu Xiaofeng waved his hands modestly. Like most martial artists, he held Guo Bujing in high regard.
"You two can stop flattering each other now. You're ruining the taste of my wine."
Chu Yang turned to Guo Bujing and asked, "What brings you and Chai Hu here so late at night?"
Guo Bujing sighed. "Chai Hu told me everything that happened today. Fortunately, he wasn't foolish enough to act rashly. But more than that, he brought me some information."
"Chai Hu, tell them."
Startled out of his sulk by Guo Bujing's voice, Chai Hu slowly turned around and said, "After the Prince left the palace today, the new Commander Li suddenly gathered most of the Imperial Guards and began secretly drilling battle formations inside the palace."
"They were specialized formations meant to counter martial experts. As a lay disciple of the Buddhist sect, I've seen similar formations before."
Guo Bujing continued, "My old subordinates in the Imperial Guards have either been dismissed or reassigned elsewhere."
"Chai Hu, having only recently joined and with no ties to me, still has a clean record and was barely allowed to stay. That's how he caught wind of this."
Sikong Zhaixing snickered. A bandit like Chai Hu being described as having a "clean record"? That was a first.
Guo Bujing shot him a glance.
Lu Xiaofeng immediately elbowed Sikong Zhaixing hard and whispered, "Are you nuts? You've committed just as many crimes as he has. You really want to end up in the Heavenly Prison?"
Sikong Zhaixing fell silent at once, sweat breaking out across his forehead.
He and Bai Zhantang were cut from the same cloth—they enjoyed stealing but never targeted the poor. Most of the time, it was just for fun, a way to prove their skill. Often, they'd even return the items afterward.
Corrupt officials' money, however, was another story.
In these times, Robin Hood types were hardly rare, and as long as they didn't go overboard, Guo Bujing generally turned a blind eye.
"Years ago, Grand Secretary Yan's residence was robbed—some silver went missing."
Guo Bujing's offhand remark made Sikong Zhaixing break out in a cold sweat.
Rumors said thirty thousand taels of silver had been stolen from Yan Song's estate. Yan had privately sought Guo's help to recover the funds, but Guo never approved the case.
Yan smashed up his own home in anger but didn't dare make it public—after all, where would a Grand Secretary get thirty thousand taels? If word got out, how would he explain it to the Emperor and court?
The missing silver was never accounted for, but Guo knew it had been used for disaster relief.
The operation had been led by Sikong Zhaixing and his band of thieves. Even the "Saint of Thieves," who hadn't yet retired, had taken part.
As for Chai Hu—his methods were too crude. He'd been kicked out of the group before he could even qualify as a lookout, which had caused friction between him and Sikong.
"Grand Secretary Yan is filthy rich. Losing that bit of silver is nothing to him."
"Well said, Your Highness."
Chu Yang and Guo Bujing exchanged a toast, signaling the matter was officially closed.
Sikong Zhaixing's legs went weak—he hadn't expected Guo Bujing to have known the truth from the very beginning.
Before he could even catch his breath, Lu Xiaofeng leaned in with a smug whisper.
"See? It pays to have friends in high places."
Sikong had no choice but to bow to Chu Yang in respect.
"Lu Xiaofeng, since you call yourself the Prince's friend, why didn't you stop him from coming back? With your brains, you must've known the consequences."
Thinking of this made Guo Bujing fume, casting a disapproving glance at Lu Xiaofeng.
"Hero Guo, that's a bit unfair. His legs are his own—how was I supposed to stop him?"
Lu Xiaofeng looked genuinely baffled.
Sensing the tension rising, Chu Yang lifted his cup with a smile, cutting in before they could argue further.
"My return to the capital was my own decision. No one else bears any responsibility. Lord Guo, no need to worry—come, have a drink instead."
"How can I not worry?" Guo's tone suddenly sharpened. "Martial power has its limits. No matter how strong you are, you can't stand against tens of thousands of cavalry. Even Divine Marshal Zhuge wouldn't dare claim he could escape from an encirclement of eighty thousand Imperial Guards."
"Your Highness, don't be arrogant!"
Chu Yang set down his cup and shook his head. "Some things Divine Marshal Zhuge wouldn't dare say, but I can."
"Your Highness!" Guo was distraught, but there were things he simply couldn't say aloud. As a subject, his loyalty lay with the Emperor.
Even if he resented the Emperor's obsession with power and felt sorrow for the suffering of the people, he could not betray him—doing so would make him disloyal and unjust, an unbearable weight on his conscience.
Yet deep down, Guo wished someone would rise to change this broken world and rescue the people from their misery.
That someone was Chu Yang.
Human hearts often fall into conflict.
Guo's conflict was this: loyalty to the Emperor meant betraying the people, but staying true to justice meant removing the Emperor from his throne.
Though he knew Chu Yang might rebel, he still turned a blind eye—neither helping nor hindering—torn and anguished inside.
He urged Chu Yang to leave, hoping he could live to fight another day.
Not throw his life away in a fit of emotion and leave the world without hope.
"Lord Guo, I appreciate your kind intentions. But as I said earlier—there are things only I can do."
"If I retreat today, then again tomorrow, how far must I retreat before it ends?"
"Even if I back down to the edge of a cliff, would the Emperor really let me go?"
"His greatest regret now is probably letting me live all these years."
Chu Yang's words left Guo Bujing silent. But then Guo changed the subject.
"While the capital sings and dances, the south teeters on the brink. The demon races have swallowed the Eastern Isles, and their numbers have multiplied. Once they finish mopping up the demonic uprising, how will the south defend itself?"
"I might be able to keep retreating—but can the people of this world?"
"The generals guarding the frontiers have already proclaimed themselves kings. Even if the common folk escape the demons, they might still die at the hands of these warlords."
"Lord Guo, how long must this chaos drag on?"
Guo's face turned red with guilt. His fists clenched, his whole body trembling, before he let out a long sigh. "Enough. If Your Highness is resolved, I won't try to stop you. But the next time you enter the palace, I will accompany you."
He believed there was little chance Chu Yang would return alive, and this pledge showed his intent to die alongside him.
Naturally, Chu Yang saw through his resolve and shook his head. "That won't be necessary."
Guo's voice was firm. "If Your Highness won't listen to advice, then I won't listen to you either. No need to say more."
Then he smiled in relief and added, "I've served as Chief Constable of Six Gates for so many years and haven't made the world any better. I couldn't even ensure a good life for the people. I must give them some kind of answer."
Even someone as thick-headed as Chai Hu could hear the fatal resolve in Guo's words—let alone the astute Lu Xiaofeng and Sikong Zhaixing.
All three bowed their heads in solemn respect.
Having made his position clear, Guo drained his cup and took his leave without giving anyone a chance to persuade him.
"Big guy, aren't you leaving with Hero Guo?"
"I'm off duty for the next couple of days. He told me not to go back until this is all over."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"How should I know? I just do what I'm told."
"Tch. Never seen you so obedient before."
"Who the hell wants to take orders from a thief?"
"Watch your mouth. I'm the King of Thieves!"
Barely a few exchanges in, Sikong and Chai Hu were bickering again. Lu Xiaofeng ignored them and quietly walked over to Chu Yang.
The two gazed at the moon, which was growing rounder and brighter—like polished porcelain.
It wasn't even Mid-Autumn yet, and the moon was already this beautiful. Who knew how breathtaking it would be on the night of the festival?
"I walked around the city today. Something happened that made me feel this duel isn't what it seems. I plan to investigate."
"Care to share?"
"Someone set up a gambling ring on the Mid-Autumn duel and ended up dead under strange circumstances. I also ran into Ye Gucheng—something felt off about him…"
"If you're curious, then go find out."
"When you told me Ye Gucheng's sword-heart wasn't pure anymore, what did you mean?"
"You'll know when you get to the bottom of it."
"You can't just tell me now?"
"No."
"Fine then. I'm off. See you on the night of Mid-Autumn."
With a sigh, Lu Xiaofeng called Sikong Zhaixing and left the Residence of the Virtuous Prince. Chu Yang hadn't interfered to preserve the plot's course—he wanted to see what gave Ye Gucheng the courage to target the Emperor.
Li Xunhuan had once told Chu Yang that ever since the great upheaval, the Royal Family's true reliance wasn't on the eighty thousand Imperial Guards but something else—something that rendered martial assassins powerless.
Chu Yang trusted Li Xunhuan. If he said so, there must be truth to it.
Whether this conspiracy would succeed depended on how solid the trump cards in Ye Gucheng and the Prince of Pingnan's hands were. In any case, even if Lu Xiaofeng uncovered the truth in the end, he would definitely stand by and do nothing.
If Lu Xiaofeng and Ximen Chuixue didn't step in, then apart from saving himself, the Emperor had no one else to rely on.
Because everyone who could save him was busy participating in the encirclement and suppression of Chu Yang.
People like Cao Zhengchun and other top experts within the palace...
After seeing Lu Xiaofeng off, Chu Yang noticed that Chai Hu was still sitting in the same spot, wolfing down food with no intention of leaving. You could call him slow, or say he had a thick skin—either way, you wouldn't be wrong.
"I've got a friend who's probably returning to the capital in a couple of days. I'll introduce you two when the time comes."
Chu Yang was looking forward to seeing Li Gexiao and Chai Hu meet. He wondered whether there'd still be a chance for them to form that little team that punished evil and promoted justice.
"Since he's Your Highness's friend, he's definitely a top-notch hero! I'd be glad to be friends with him!"
Chai Hu gave a goofy laugh, then smacked his lips and said, "Even a monkey dared to call in help to rob the treacherous Yan Song's home back in the day. I may not get along with him, but I still admit he was a real man."
The two of them chatted a bit longer. Seeing that Chai Hu intended to keep eating, Chu Yang took his leave and instructed the old steward to find Chai Hu a room for the night once he was finished.
It was obvious that Guo Bujing had brought him here to keep him at the Prince's estate and prevent him from getting caught up in anything.
Time flew by, and before long it was the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Before night even fell, red lanterns were already hanging all over the capital. The city was as festive as the New Year, even the slum streets next to the Virtuous Prince's estate were aglow.
That bright moon in the sky belonged to both the rich and the poor—for once, something was truly fair.
The old steward had gotten up very early, leading the servants in a flurry of activity. The estate was huge, and decorating it was no easy task. With few hands to help, it was exhausting work.
Fortunately, they had Chai Hu—a natural laborer who not only enjoyed hard work but also had the strength of an ox.
Chu Yang wanted to help the servants decorate, but the moment he picked something up, he nearly scared the old steward out of his wits. The elderly man actually got down on his knees to beg him to stop, shouting "Your Highness, you mustn't!" no matter what.
In his view, the Prince used to be unreliable, yes, but at least he still knew the difference between master and servant, and wouldn't put them in an awkward position.
Now, though?
He'd gone off for a while and returned even more absurd than before. Who knew how many embarrassing incidents he'd cause from now on?
At that thought, the old steward looked at Chu Yang with a face full of despair, not at peace until he put down what he was holding and stepped away from the servants' "work zone."
"This estate's become completely unlivable!"
Chu Yang cursed under his breath as he walked out the front gate of the estate. As he looked up, he saw Cao Zhengchun approaching with an imperial decree in hand.
"Your Highness, what a coincidence—I was just looking for you. His Majesty has issued a decree."
"Hand it over."
Chu Yang reached out and took the decree straight from Cao Zhengchun's hands, leaving the latter momentarily stunned. By protocol, Chu Yang should have knelt to receive the decree.
"My health's been poor lately—especially my knees."
"Your Highness must take care of your health."
Cao Zhengchun couldn't help but twitch at the corners of his mouth at Chu Yang's excuse.