The atmosphere inside the hall suddenly stagnated.
Although Liang Na had anticipated that Gu Xi would definitely ask about this matter, she did not expect Gu Xi to be so direct.
She hesitated for a mont, then spoke earnestly, "Grand Tutor, to be honest..."
"Regarding this matter, even I am unaware."
She let out a deep sigh, "With the Emperor’s sudden demise, the court is in upheaval."
"I dare not act rashly; I intended to investigate in secret, but there are no leads."
Liang Na’s expression was also sowhat grim.
For she believed that Liu Bao’s death was related to this matter.
If he hadn’t suffered such a trendous blow, perhaps Liu Bao’s health could have lasted a while longer.
But alas, the instability of the court outweighs everything.
She couldn’t possibly initiate a large-scale investigation before the new ruler is firmly established, could she?
Regardless of who is behind this.
But since he can act within the palace, it clearly shows his extraordinariness.
Gu Xi kept watching Liang Na’s expression and, after a mont of silence, nodded slightly, "I understand."
"Rest assured, Empress Dowager, I will surely investigate and uncover the truth."
His expression remained unchanged throughout, yet it inexplicably offered a sense of reassurance.
Liang Na nodded slightly, saying nothing further.
Afterward, Gu Xi went to see another person.
—Cao Teng!
In past years, it was Gu Xi who placed Cao Teng by Liu Bao’s side.
And precisely because of this, Liu Bao had always valued Cao Teng highly over the years.
And Cao Teng did not disappoint Liu Bao and Gu Xi.
He had never made a mistake over the years.
Upon seeing Gu Xi, Cao Teng imdiately knelt down with so excitent, "This old servant greets the Grand Tutor."
"Rise."
Gu Xi looked at him calmly and asked, "Jixing, are you aware of the palace changes?"
"Grand Tutor!"
Cao Teng lowered his head, not daring to hesitate, and quickly replied, "This old servant truly does not know."
"When this old servant learned of this matter, the forr Crown Prince had already passed away."
"Later, this old servant also tried to investigate in secret."
"But the eunuchs of the Eastern Palace all claid ignorance, and those who might have left traces have disappeared, leaving this old servant helpless."
His eyes reddened slightly, and his tone suddenly filled with self-reproach, "The Grand Tutor and the late Emperor have shown this old servant profound grace."
"His Majesty passed away because of this matter."
"This old servant wished dearly to unmask the one behind the scenes and exterminate his entire clan!"
Gu Xi looked at him intently and waved his hand, "Enough!"
"Keep a close watch on everyone within the palace."
"This matter requires no haste."
With that, Gu Xi got up and left the palace directly...
...
Unexpected to everyone, in the days following Gu Xi’s arrival in the Capital City, he did not ntion the strange events within the palace.
He rely assisted with Liu Bao’s state funeral according to the rites.
This greatly differed from Gu Xi’s usual decisive and fierce way of handling things.
Everyone was extrely surprised.
Initially, even Gu Yi couldn’t tell what Gu Xi intended to do.
But soon after, he understood Gu Xi’s intention.
—Gu Xi is accumulating power!
The era has changed.
The court has always been a place of comings and goings; Gu Xi left the court many years ago.
Suddenly returning now.
How can he imdiately restore his forr authority?
Tis have changed, and Gu Xi’s reputation is bound to disperse over ti.
In the current situation, the key lies in Gu Xi’s political acun.
If Gu Xi truly fails to demonstrate his political skill,
and if others perceive him as having aged, his status will certainly plumt.
Rank and status are assessed based on ability.
Superficial glamour isn’t enough to support what Gu Xi needs to do next.
Clearly, Gu Xi understands this very well.
His political competence was never lacking.
He simply no longer needed these tactics in the past, not that he couldn’t deploy them.
Indeed, within a few days,
officials began visiting Gu Xi one after another.
Aside from a few of the most important ones, Gu Xi paid no heed to the rest.
The most crucial, naturally, were those with standing in court presently.
The foremost was Grand Commandant Li Gu.
Li Gu is the son of Li He; Li He and Gu Xi served in the sa administration years ago, later accompanying Gu Xi in governing state affairs.
He was highly esteed by Gu Xi.
This bond is imbued with personal affinity.
Next were Yuan Tang and others.
The ties between the Yuan Clan and the Gu Clan need no elaboration.
Ever since Gu Kang promoted Yuan An, the Yuan family has been steadfast supporters of the Gu family.
Now Yuan Tang is the most prominent of the Yuan Clan, serving as the current Situ.
Gu Xi observed each official with great subtlety.
His understanding of human nature had long reached an unsurpassed pinnacle.
Through simple interactions, he could deduce a wealth of information.
Gu Yi personally witnessed Gu Xi having soone record the officials who visited him privately.
Initially, he thought Gu Xi would first investigate those who didn’t visit.
But to his surprise, Gu Xi made an unexpected move.
He directly turned his focus on the officials who ca to visit.
According to his reasoning,
"Among these, there are surely those who harbor fear; not visiting often indicates a lack of fear and indifference to whether my attention is on them."
This reflects the thought process of a clever mind.
Gu Yi couldn’t genuinely assert that this idea was wrong either.
Because Liang Ji really did co to visit Gu Xi.
Moreover, he acted with the utmost enthusiasm, continuously pledging his loyalty to Gu Xi.
Having made this judgnt, Gu Xi imdiately initiated a thorough investigation in court.
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