The Full Moon Tower had several hundred people in total. Saving them all would be difficult.
There were many reasons not to slaughter them, but Qian Xingzhi needed one perfect excuse to push things forward.
After the morning court, she called Yuan Mo over. "Any good news recently?"
Although Yuan Mo and Yuan Bai were very different in build and appearance, their way of doing things was almost identical—it took a great deal of effort to get even one more word out of him.
The question was a bit vague. Yuan Mo hesitated. "Lord Qian, your wedding next year… does that count?"
What nonsense. Qian Xingzhi silently closed her eyes. "I want to know if there's any happy event in the court recently that could make His Majesty happy. The more it benefits his position, the better."
Yuan Mo replied in bureaucratic tones, "I'll look into it for you, my lord."
A flash of inspiration struck Qian Xingzhi. She stopped him. "Wait, also ask Lord Lu if there's any news about the war in the Northern Frontier."
In just two hours, Yuan Mo returned with news.
"The various factions in the court have been quiet these past few days. Nothing major happened. However, there's news of a great victory in the war. Just now, the Seventh Prince sent a message to the capital that he will be returning to the court soon."
The excuse came so quickly. Only a few people knew about this news right now. Qian Xingzhi had to step in before the good news was made public.
She rushed to the palace on horseback. Inside the Imperial Study, besides Jun Anche, there was also a consort. Qian Xingzhi guessed this was Consort Wen, the mother of the Seventh Prince, who had recently regained the emperor's favor.
"Your Majesty, I observed the celestial signs last night. The Huagai sixteen stars are perfectly aligned, indicating great fortune. Among them, seven stars are bright, which is an omen of Your Majesty's rule over the world. It seems good news is coming. I congratulate Your Majesty."
Jun Anche couldn't suppress the smile that tugged at his lips. He nodded again and again. "Good, it's truly something to celebrate. Lord Qian, you may not know, but just now, Lao Qi sent word that he has defeated the Northern Barbarians. To have such a son warms my heart."
Qian Xingzhi hurriedly offered more congratulations, saying many flattering words that made Jun Anche almost lose his bearings. Just then, she shifted her tone: "However…"
She pretended to hesitate, afraid to spoil Jun Anche's mood. The emperor was in high spirits and didn't mind her hesitation. "Don't worry, just say what you have to say."
"Your Majesty," Qian Xingzhi studied Jun Anche's expression, "the Huagai sixteen stars are averse to killing, relocations, and indulgence in pleasures. Otherwise, unexpected troubles may arise."
At the end of the month, there would be an execution that was practically a massacre. It was all too easy to connect the dots. Jun Anche indeed stopped smiling. After a moment of thought, he spoke. "Did Lao San send you?"
Even if the entire court believed Qian Xingzhi was the Third Prince's man, she could never admit it. But outright denial wasn't feasible either; she couldn't commit the crime of deceiving the emperor. "Your Majesty, although I have received guidance from the Third Prince, it is Your Majesty's trust that made me the Director of the Observatory. The Third Prince did not send me here."
"Then… in your opinion, what should be done about the Full Moon Tower matter?"
The first rule of not getting yourself killed was to never teach the emperor how to do his job. Qian Xingzhi replied respectfully, "I only know how to observe celestial signs and report the facts. Your Majesty is wise and decisive; you need not waver because of this."
Jun Anche smiled helplessly and shook his head. "You're afraid of death. That's fine. Since we've pacified the Northern Frontier, I was planning to grant a general amnesty anyway. But the Full Moon Tower matter involves the royal family's reputation. I have no choice but to impose heavy penalties. Have them all sold into slavery and sent to the palace for hard labor."
Qian Xingzhi said, "Your Majesty is wise."
Leaving the palace, Qian Xingzhi didn't rush to inform the Third Prince. Instead, she sent Yuan Mo to ask Lu Yu to find a suitable time for a face-to-face meeting.
That night, at the hour of the zi, Lu Yu brought Yuan Bai and scaled the wall into Qian Xingzhi's courtyard.
The courtyard had been completely renovated, thanks to Yuan Mo. Qian Xingzhi hadn't asked him to do it; according to Yuan Mo, he simply couldn't stand the mess. Besides, now that he was following Qian Xingzhi, his workload was halved, and his efficiency was so high that he had too much free time.
"I've managed to look into the identities of these dozen or so people on the list," Lu Yu said, pointing at the names. "These few are trusted men the Third Prince secretly inserted from elsewhere in recent years. They handle the Full Moon Tower's ledgers and personnel changes. These below seem primarily responsible for cleanup work for the Third Prince. The rest are selected from the Third Prince's personal guards, presumably to maintain order at Full Moon Tower."
"So the Third Prince started meddling with Full Moon Tower's operations long ago, not just since the incident in Nanchuan," Qian Xingzhi analyzed, following Lu Yu's line of thought. "It seems this list doesn't include the Third Prince's lovers either? He doesn't appear to be as obsessed with beauty as he pretends."
"Perhaps money and power appeal to him more," Lu Yu remarked sarcastically. "Looks like our Third Prince's paramours will be disappointed."
Qian Xingzhi glanced at Lu Yu. Every time he wore red, it was unusually striking, with a charm all its own. A thought came to mind, and she couldn't keep her mouth shut. "Being my lover won't disappoint. Care to give it a try, big brother?"
Lu Yu's brow twitched violently. If it weren't for Qian Xingzhi being useful and his own momentary lapse of pity, why would he endure this torment every day? "Qian Xingzhi, stop your smart mouth. Now I'm truly worried for Miss Liang. You'd better find a way to call off this marriage yourself."
Qian Xingzhi shrugged and dropped the subject. "Big brother, can you arrange for me to visit the prison where these people are being held?"
"That's simple. Just tell me what you want to do."
Qian Xingzhi rubbed her chin. "Just want to try my luck. If I find anything, I'll tell you."
Lu Yu made no comment. "Wait for Yuan Mo to contact you. If there's nothing else, I'll be going back."
Lu Yu thought about what was about to happen in a few days and hesitated to speak. But Qian Xingzhi suddenly asked, "You're backing the Seventh Prince, aren't you?"
She always probed like this, unexpectedly. Lu Yu found it amusing. "What makes you say that?"
Qian Xingzhi spoke playfully, "The news from the Seventh Prince came too quickly today. It wouldn't be strange if he had contacted you first. During the Nanchuan incident, you used the underground passage to arrange for rioters to take the Third Prince hostage. Just as the Town-Northern General returned to the capital, His Majesty sent him to Nanchuan. When the Northern Barbarians invaded, the Seventh Prince happened to be granted the title of General King and sent on campaign."
Lu Yu didn't deny it. "Just based on that?"
"The Seventh Prince first emerged at the New Year celebration, which was indeed a good time to attract attention. He saved His Majesty, showing his skills. If someone had whispered in His Majesty's ear about the Seventh Prince at the right time, making him believe in the prince's martial prowess and ability to command troops, it would have been easy."
Lu Yu nodded in agreement, a smile almost spilling from his lips. Under the night, his red robes gave him a somewhat bewitching look. "Anything else?"
Qian Xingzhi steadied her heart and continued her wild guesses. "Of course. Before the celebration, you wanted me to come up with a reason why the ritual didn't work. The assassination attempt on His Majesty was just my bluff. One cannot predict whether an event will happen, but one can prepare in advance to ensure it happens."
This speech made Yuan Bai and Yuan Mo's hearts race. They exchanged glances, unsure how Lu Yu would handle it, so they silently leaped onto the roof.
Lu Yu smiled warmly, poured tea for Qian Xingzhi, and said, "I'm all ears."
"But then His Majesty himself arranged the assassination, disrupting the original plan. Still, the Seventh Prince got to show his face, so the plan wasn't a complete failure."
"Then why not guess what the original plan was?"
Qian Xingzhi pretended to think deeply. "That's hard to guess. But since the idea was to assassinate His Majesty, it would have been easy to just arrange an assassination attempt on the Seventh Prince instead, creating an omen that he would be the future king."
"Oh no," Qian Xingzhi immediately backtracked. "That kind of buildup is too eye-catching and would seem like overstepping. It would be better to arrange an assassination of the crown prince and have the Seventh Prince resolve it. That way, His Majesty would both fear the crown prince's rising influence and take notice of the Seventh Prince."
Having said these head-lopping words, Qian Xingzhi affirmed herself, "Mm, that could work. What do you think of my random guesses?"
The red-clad demon finally spoke. "If this were a month ago, Qian Xingzhi, your head would be on the ground by now."