The fake eunuch was captured, but the eldest prince did not touch him.
Even if he was demoted or exiled, he was still of royal blood. Not only would Wu Yong not violate any taboos, but even the Seven Stars Division would not do anything to him when Gu Yanxi was not around. They just kept a close eye on him. Instead, the eldest prince couldn't stand it anymore and went to the guard's mansion first.
Wu Yong got the news and fled early. The place he fled to was naturally the Hua family. Now he had a good reason. He had poison in his body that needed to be detoxified, but Shaoyao could not leave Hua Zhi, so he had no choice but to deliver herself to her.
Hua Zhi was too lazy to expose him right under her nose. Now she was full of a sense of crisis. She spent most of her time in front of the sand table, simulating various terrains on the map, but doing nothing. She just watched and stood there motionless for half an hour or an hour. No one knew what she was thinking.
Hua Pingyu wanted to find out a few more questions but was stopped by Hua Yizheng. He had vaguely guessed something, and although he didn't know how serious the situation was, he also took some actions. The most obvious one was that he sent the younger generations of the Hua family to the military camp to practice riding and archery. He didn't care whether his old bones would fall apart, and he would take out half an hour every day to practice. Just like Zhier said, if something really happened, he would at least be able to run away if he couldn't win.
Gu Yanxi came back on the night three days later. Hua Zhi was already asleep at that time, but she had not slept well in the past few days and woke up for no reason. Shaoyao didn't want to disturb her, but when she saw that she woke up, she had to tell her that Brother Yan had returned.
Hua Zhi hurriedly got up, put on her clothes and went out of the house. She immediately saw Yan Xi who was waiting outside the door listening to the noise in the house.
Hua Zhi made a gesture to him to keep quiet and pulled him towards the kitchen. The temperature of her palms was a little cold, but Gu Yanxi, who had been nervous for the past few days, felt warm in his heart and gradually relaxed.
After turning on the light, Hua Zhi tied her sleeves tightly and said, "I'll make you a bowl of noodles. Sit down and relax for a while."
Seeing her unskillfully lighting the fire on the stove, Gu Yanxi felt extremely satisfied. For him, a bowl of hot noodles and a cup of hot tea were the best way to welcome her when he came back from a trip.
No matter how important the matter was on his mind, he was unwilling to mention it at this moment. He was reluctant to break the warmth in the room.
Gu Yanxi, who hadn't eaten properly for a few days, ate a bowl of noodles and a few dishes of pickled vegetables. Looking at Azhi who was quietly accompanying him, he calmly told the result of this trip, "As you expected, the Chaoli tribe and the grassland tribe colluded with each other."
As expected, Hua Zhi felt like the other shoe had finally dropped.
"It's not that the spies of the Qixu Division outside the pass didn't get the news because they failed to do their job. The other party was very secretive, and they don't trust each other. So far, they haven't reached an agreement on everything. But with this premise, they will occasionally do each other a favor."
"Just like the last time the grassland tribe cooperated with the Second Prince, they were actually cooperating with the Chaoli tribe?"
"That's about right."
Hua Zhi stroked her forehead and sighed softly, "I have always comforted myself that there can't be too many people from the Chaoli tribe embedded in the Daqing Dynasty, but you see, you have already caught several of them. It has been confirmed before that Wu Yong's concubine is one, and the fake eunuch beside the eldest prince is also one. The Daqing Dynasty is so big, who knows how many of their people there are."
Hua Zhi smiled bitterly, "I'd rather be a dog in peacetime than a man in troubled times, Yan Xi, I'm really worried that a war might break out."
It's not just because the Hua family is on the front line, but also because she comes from a peaceful and prosperous era. She doesn't need to look through history books. Other countries that are experiencing war have already told her how much suffering the people have to endure when a country is in chaos. There will be no savior. With her ability, she can't even protect herself, let alone protect her family. She can't sleep at night just thinking about the disasters that are about to befall Berlin.
"We still have time." Gu Yanxi held her cold hand, "It won't come to that."
Hua Zhi forced a smile, "Well, no, go and rest. They can't beat us for now, so there's no need to rush."
"good."
The next morning, Wu Yong was invited into the mansion. Gu Yanxi also invited Hua Yizhen and asked Shaoyao to guard the door. The four of them discussed matters behind closed doors.
"The Chaoli tribe has colluded with the grassland tribe."
The first sentence hit Wu Yong and Hua Yizheng's heart hard. Without waiting for them to say anything, Gu Yanxi continued: "I have ordered people to go to the guard pass to investigate the situation, but General Wu, you should also know that the troops in the east cannot be transferred to the north. Taizu has ordered that the soldiers guarding the pass can only be increased and not reduced at any time."
"I know." Wu Yong said bitterly, "But you should also know that the people under my command cannot stop the Chaoli tribe and the grassland tribe from joining forces."
Gu Yanxi looked at Hua Zhi with some apology in his eyes. Hua Zhi suddenly thought of what he wanted to do, "I will lend you a hand."
"Your Highness, do you mean that Qisushi will stay and help me drive away the enemy?"
Gu Yanxi shook his head. "Azhi was inspired by the method of the Heavenly Master to make elixirs and came up with a formula. He wanted to use it to dig mountains and rivers. After being studied and tested by Wu Xing of the Seven Stars Division, it can be used in more places. I have notified Wu Xing to come as soon as possible."
Wu Yong glanced at Hua Zhi and said, "I have seen the furnace explode when the Heavenly Master was refining the elixir. If it is that thing, please forgive me for being frank, but I don't think it can threaten the Chaoli tribe."
"Wu Xing has made some improvements to it. You'll know how powerful it is when you see it." Gu Yanxi had been paying attention to Azhi. He felt relieved when he saw that she didn't show any dissatisfaction. He knew that she didn't like using black gunpowder in war, but even if she didn't like it, she understood why he did it.
They all dislike war, but they must resist aggression.
"This thing must not fall into the hands of people with ulterior motives. You will need to select a group of people you absolutely trust to let Wu Xing use it. No news should be leaked before using it."
Wu Yong knew something about alchemy. He didn't believe how powerful that thing was, but he also believed that the prince was not a person who spoke without thinking, so he had a little more expectation in his heart and agreed without hesitation.
"Master Hua, there is something I need you to do."
Hua Yizheng bowed, "Please speak, my lord."
"Take stock of all the exiles at Yinshan Pass." Gu Yanxi looked at Wu Yong again, "If there is enough time, I will withdraw them all from Yinshan Pass and make it a pure military fortress. But now I dare not make a big move. I can only change Yinshan Pass into two cities, the inner and outer cities. The exiles will move to the inner city, and the outer city will be the barracks. In addition, I will ask the emperor to find a way to transfer 50,000 soldiers to Yinshan Pass."
"I would like to ask you, Your Highness, are these 50,000 soldiers under my command or are they led by others to cooperate with me?"
"It will be incorporated into your army and you will be in charge."
Wu Yong bowed and saluted, "Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness."