Chapter 22

Outside the city walls to the north, the night sky was glowing red with the reflection of fire, and the faint smell of burning drifted in the wind.

Xie Tingzhou was followed by a guard and two generals wearing soft armor.

Shen Yu had heard that Xie Tingzhou, the Crown Prince of Beilin, had two very capable vice generals by his side, and she presumed they were the two.

Shen Yu was brought into the tent, and the two vice generals did not follow. Inside the tent, there was only Xie Tingzhou and a guard.

“Look up!” Xie Tingzhou’s voice was cold.

Shen Yu slowly lifted her head, locking eyes with Xie Tingzhou. His gaze seemed tangible, as if it could dissect a person.

But Shen Yu didn’t flinch, meeting his gaze directly, knowing that any sign of weakness would undermine her words in Xie Tingzhou’s ears.

Xie Tingzhou assessed her.

She was petite, with a small frame and face, her skin somewhat dark but with a pair of very beautiful eyes.

Without her armor, she appeared much more fragile than he had imagined.

At this thought, Xie Tingzhou was momentarily surprised. He had used the word “weak” to describe a soldier who could easily decapitate a Xijue’s head with a single stroke.

If she was considered fragile, there were few brave individuals in the army.

He shook off his thoughts and asked, “On October twenty-fifth, Shen Zhong’an led a surprise attack on the northern camp of Xijue, and the southern camp of Xijue was unable to come to their aid. Why didn’t you pursue the advantage?”

“Because it started snowing. Zhou soldiers are not adept at fighting in the snow, so we had to retreat to the camp first,” Shen Yu replied.

Xie Tingzhou sat back, his arm resting on the armrest, continuing, “Did Shen Zhong’an not discover any spies in the army?”

“He did. That’s why the plan was changed at the last minute before the attack on the twenty-fifth. The original plan was to raid the southern camp of Xijue.”

“Were you involved in it?”

“I accompanied the junior general in the attack on the northern camp, burning their provisions. After defeating the enemy, the junior general rushed to support the old general in the southern camp. I and two thousand Qingqi were responsible for transporting back some of the provisions.”

Xie Tingzhou nodded slowly, finding her account consistent with what he knew.

Asking these questions was just a way to confirm if this person named Shi Yu could speak some truth.

“Who do you think is the traitor?”

Shen Yu shook her head. “I’m not sure, or rather, I’m not sure if there’s only one traitor like Liang Jianfang.”

Xie Tingzhou’s gaze lowered slightly, falling on her hand resting by her side, clenched into a tight fist, knuckles turning white.

“Liang Jianfang has been detained by me. After the matter in Ganzhou is settled, he will be sent to the capital for trial. Is there anything else you need to report?”

Shen Yu lowered her eyes to the ground. “General Shen once sent several urgent letters to Shengjing, but received no response.”

She couldn’t reveal too much, unsure if the person in front of her was friend or foe.

Xie Tingzhou said, “This matter involves too many people. Whether the urgent letters reached Shengjing is one thing, but if they reached the Ministry of War and were suppressed is another.”

A black jade ring caught on his slender fingers, contrasting with his porcelain-like skin. He twirled the ring twice, then leaned forward slowly, casting a shadow over Shen Yu under the lamplight.

“You don’t trust me,” he said, watching her slowly, not as a question.

Yes, he was right.

She indeed no longer trusted him. Or perhaps it could be said: she didn’t know who was worthy of trust anymore.

Xie Tingzhou arrived just in time. Leading troops north from Beilin’s frontier, even in a lightly equipped rapid march, would require setting out ten days in advance to arrive just in time.

In the previous life, when Xie Tingzhou and the Qingyun Guards arrived, it was already several days after the massacre in Ganzhou, the Xijue city.

The question was, how did he know again this time?

Could he be part of it as well?

Xie Tingzhou’s gaze was as sharp as a hawk’s, possessing extraordinary insight.

Confronting such a person, the most unwise behavior would be to try to outsmart him.

“Your Highness,” Shen Yu said calmly, “I have no allies, so I dare not trust anyone lightly.”

Xie Tingzhou leaned back, a faint arc appearing at the corner of his lips. “Clearly, I have more chips than you do, and what you can lose is much less than what I can.”

Shen Yu pursed her lips. Indeed, what else could she not afford to lose?

She was almost tempted by his words.

Xie Tingzhou seemed like a careless hawk, pushing his prey into a corner but not launching a fierce attack.

“Before the matter in Ganzhou is settled, you still have plenty of time to consider, Shi Yu.”

The name that came out made Shen Yu’s heart tremble. Just now, she really felt like she had become prey in his hands. He wasn’t in a hurry to close the net, but rather watched her willingly walk in step by step.

“Go down,” Xie Tingzhou said without waiting for her response.

Shen Yu got up and walked out. As her gaze casually swept over a coat rack inside the tent, she paused her steps.

On the rack hung a dark robe with embroidered dark cloud patterns on the hem. And this robe happened to be missing a sleeve.

She discreetly pinched her sleeve.

Was that piece of fabric originally Xie Tingzhou’s sleeve? But how did it end up in her hands?

Xie Tingzhou looked up, a smile playing on his lips. “Are you wondering why the robe is missing a sleeve? But I wonder why you’re calling me father.”

She called him father? When?

Shen Yu looked at him in shock, only to meet Xie Tingzhou’s smiling face.

When he smiled, he softened considerably. Clearly, such a sharp and cold person, when he smiled, exuded a bit of wildness and recklessness.

Shen Yu left, and the smile on Xie Tingzhou’s face gradually faded. “Send someone to follow him. He should have some inside information.”

Xi Feng obeyed, “Yes, Your Highness.”

Outside the tent, two bonfires were burning, and several soldiers sat around eating roasted potatoes.

Seeing Shen Yu come out, Chang Heng waved to her, “Come over here.”

Shen Yu walked over, and Chang Heng tossed a hot potato to her. She quickly caught it and wrapped it in her sleeve, holding it in her hand.

Chang Heng looked her up and down. “Where did you learn your skills, kid?”

“I learned them from following the junior general,” Shen Yu said.

“Come sit over here,” Chang Heng took a bite of his potato, so hot that he sputtered, “Your life was saved by me. After things settle down, report to me.”

The soldier next to him joked, “General Chang is already poaching people so early?”

“What do you know?” Chang Heng pushed the man, “I’m just cherishing talent, understand?”

He turned his head and glanced at Shen Yu, then suddenly reached out, grabbed her shoulder, and patted it, “Tsk tsk, too skinny, you need to eat more. Want me to roast some meat for you?”

Shen Yu froze, quietly took half a step sideways, “If General Chang can still eat roasted meat, then eat it yourself. I can’t eat it.”

As soon as she said this, everyone lost their appetite.

Too many bodies needed to be dealt with. Otherwise, once winter passed and the weather warmed up, it would easily cause an epidemic.

Some were buried on the spot, and those that couldn’t be buried were burned. Some soldiers and Xijue people froze together and could only be burned together. The fire burned for several days and still hadn’t gone out, and during these days, there was always a smell of burnt flesh in the air.