Order for Guests to Leave

Walking on the smooth, flat golden brick floor of the Crown Princess's Palace, Gu Chengyin and Xue Tian proceeded one after the other.

Not far ahead lay the magnificent main hall.

Gu Chengyin did not stop his steps, but remembering something, he glanced back.

As expected, Xiao Li'er was following closely behind him with her head lowered, her footsteps light and silent.

She looked exactly like a well-trained, tactful little eunuch.

Gu Chengyin stopped and naturally stepped half a pace to the side.

He turned around, faced Xiao Li'er, and instructed,

"Li'er, the main hall is just ahead. General Xue and I have important matters to report."

"You don't need to follow me for now. Go wait for me in the side hall."

"Hmm, if you can't find it, you can ask a female official. Just mention my name."

Hearing this, Xiao Li'er stopped in her tracks.

She raised her head, her large, crystal-clear eyes looking at Gu Chengyin as if trying to read something from his gaze.

After a brief moment of eye contact, Xiao Li'er bent her knees slightly, performed a standard eunuch's bow, and replied in a crisp voice,

"Yes, this humble servant will follow the Marquis's orders."

She straightened up, then walked back the way they came with light steps, soon disappearing into the shadows of the corridor pillars.

Xue Tian, who was standing ahead waiting, looked at Gu Chengyin with a half-smile. "Marquis Gu certainly knows how to manage his subordinates."

It was hard to tell if this was a compliment or a critique, or perhaps a bit of both.

Gu Chengyin merely smiled faintly and raised his hand in a gesture of invitation. "General Xue, please."

The two resumed their walk and arrived at the doors of the main hall.

The female official on duty had clearly been notified in advance. She silently pushed open the hall doors, and a wave of warmth accompanied by the scent of ambergris wafted out.

Inside, Luo Zhao was already seated upright in the seat of honor.

Seeing the two enter together, Luo Zhao's gaze first flicked quickly to Gu Chengyin.

Then, it landed steadily on Xue Tian.

"General Xue, you have arrived. Please sit."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Xue Tian cupped his fists in salute, then sat in the chair to the lower left of the desk, his posture as straight as a pine.

Gu Chengyin naturally took the seat opposite Xue Tian, his posture relaxed yet respectful.

Once the two were seated, Luo Zhao skipped any unnecessary pleasantries and cut straight to the chase, looking directly at Xue Tian.

"I invited General Xue here to ask about the progress regarding General Chen Busha."

Hearing this, Xue Tian's expression turned solemn. He cupped his fists and replied, "To report to Your Highness, I, along with the Internal Affairs Department and relevant authorities, have conducted a comprehensive investigation."

His tone was steady and his wording precise. "It has now been ascertained that the recent actions of Chen Busha and his troops were not an unauthorized mobilization."

"It was, in fact... a cross-regional rapid mobility drill conducted in accordance with the Ministry of War's established annual training plan."

"The relevant transfer orders could not be located in time due to a temporary oversight during the recent reorganization of the Ministry of War's archives, which led to this misunderstanding."

"Now, the transfer orders have been recovered, and all related documents, such as the drill records, have been fully supplemented and restored to the archives."

"As for the involved personnel in the Ministry of War," Xue Tian's voice turned slightly cold, "due to their incompetence and negligence, which led to the loss of important military documents and affected the internal unity of the Golden Feather Guard as well as Your Highness's reputation, they have all been dealt with according to military discipline."

Finally, he concluded, "With this, the nature of Chen Busha's actions has been clarified, and all procedural flaws have been remedied."

"I have ordered the lifting of all monitoring and restrictions. At this moment, they have returned to the ranks of the Golden Feather Guard and resumed their daily drills."

His words were watertight, covering every possible angle.

This superficial display was executed to perfection.

Luo Zhao listened quietly, her face betraying neither joy nor anger.

According to her original plan, after confirming that Chen Busha's matter was securely resolved, she would have communicated further with Xue Tian.

She intended to transfer Chen Busha and his men into the Crown Princess's Palace to take charge of daily guarding and patrolling duties, which would also free up many female officials.

But now, because of Gu Chengyin's return, the plan clearly had to change.

[You can let him go now.]

When an unsurprising instruction suddenly appeared in her mind, she could not even be bothered to get angry.

"General Xue is thorough and decisive in his work. Thank you for your hard work."

Luo Zhao nodded slightly. "Since General Chen's matter has been properly resolved and the relevant documentation procedures are complete..."

She then shifted the topic, naturally issuing a dismissal. "General Xue is busy with military affairs, and the Golden Feather Guard bears heavy responsibilities. I will not keep you any longer."

"..."

Xue Tian was clearly taken aback.

When Shangguan Yunying came to summon him so urgently with a warrant, he had assumed Luo Zhao placed extraordinary importance on Chen Busha's matter, or perhaps had other things to discuss.

That was why he had rushed back non-stop from outside the city.

In the end, right after he finished reporting and the matter was resolved, he was being shown the door?

Wasn't this a bit too pragmatic?

Xue Tian's gaze subconsciously flicked toward Gu Chengyin sitting opposite him.

He saw the young Marquis Bingjian looking down, adopting an attitude of complete detachment.

But remembering that Gu Chengyin had just returned from the direction of the inner palace, Xue Tian instantly understood.

Yes, Gu Chengyin had returned.

If Gu Chengyin hadn't returned, Luo Zhao naturally wouldn't have rushed him away so quickly.

But Gu Chengyin was back, and had clearly completed a very important task.

Therefore, his value as an outsider had greatly diminished at this moment.

A faint, complex emotion flashed through Xue Tian's heart. Although slightly displeased, he was mostly relieved.

This was fine too; it saved them the effort of dealing with each other superficially.

Moreover, he had come this time precisely to resolve Chen Busha's matter. Now that he had also earned a favor from Gu Chengyin, the trip was not in vain.

Thinking of this, a look of understanding and composure appeared on Xue Tian's face.

He stood up, cupped his fists in salute, his voice remaining steady.

"I am grateful for Your Highness's consideration. The Golden Feather Guard indeed has many military affairs to handle. Since Your Highness has no other orders, I shall take my leave."

Saying no more, he turned crisply and strode out of the hall under the guidance of the attending female official.

His back, clad in dark gold soft armor, looked tall and resolute, quickly disappearing beyond the hall doors.

The hall doors closed again, isolating the sounds of the outside world.

Inside, only Luo Zhao and Gu Chengyin remained. The air instantly became more stagnant.

Luo Zhao withdrew her gaze from the closed doors and slowly turned to Gu Chengyin.

Her cold voice carried a tense quality as she bluntly asked the most crucial question:

"How did it go?"

Gu Chengyin sat up straight.

Meeting Luo Zhao's gaze, he began to recount his meeting with Lu Fang, the contents of their conversation, everything he saw in the Inner School, and that crucial secret passage, detailing them one by one.

As he spoke, Luo Zhao sat upright in the seat of honor, her expression gradually shifting from initial solemn concentration to something complex and hard to read.

When Gu Chengyin finally finished speaking, the hall fell into a brief silence.

Only the curling smoke drifting from the gilded incense burner traced unpredictable trajectories in the air.