Chapter 30

Xie Tingzhou initially thought that after his advice, Shen Yu would surely calm down, but unexpectedly, he heard the sound of hooves outside the carriage again right on time.

Xie Tingzhou lifted the curtain and asked Xifeng, “It’s been said that the task of escorting the prisoners ahead is not within his scope of duty. Why is he still running back and forth?”

Xifeng innocently accepted Xie Tingzhou’s anger and said, “He doesn’t know who he exchanged patrol duties with, so…”

So, he became even more enthusiastic about running back and forth.

Others patrolled once every two hours, but he had already run back and forth within the team in half an hour.

Xifeng had never seen such an enthusiastic soldier as Shen Yu, whose enthusiasm was a bit annoying.

Xie Tingzhou dropped the curtain, and from the force with which Xifeng threw it, he could tell that his master was not in a very good mood.

After a while, Xie Tingzhou heard a low voice from inside the carriage, instructing, “Call him in.”

When Shen Yu was patrolling past the carriage, he was stopped by Xifeng.

He was puzzled. He was no longer in charge of escorting the prisoners ahead. Could it be that he had done something to annoy Xie Tingzhou again?

Among the guards, there was indeed a patrol duty, so it didn’t seem like he was overstepping.

Shen Yu dismounted, and as soon as he stepped onto the carriage, he quietly asked while holding the door, “What does Your Highness want with me?”

Xifeng said, “You’ll find out once you go inside.”

The carriage was as warm as spring, and Xie Tingzhou was still wearing only a single garment, but now it was dark green, which made his fair complexion even more noticeable.

There was a faint smell of medicine in the carriage, and there were still some medicine residues at the bottom of the bowl on the table.

Shen Yu remembered the rumors. It was said that Xie Tingzhou, who was like the God of War on the battlefield, became known as the Mr. Lan Yue because his martial arts were ruined after being injured and poisoned on the battlefield.

He thought of himself from his past life and understood that kind of pain.

Training in martial arts was like building a tall building, with no shortcuts, enduring the scorching summer and freezing winter. It was all achieved through hard work.

To suddenly have the tall building that had been built for so many years collapse was a disaster for anyone, especially someone like Xie Tingzhou.

Shen Yu looked at Xie Tingzhou, unintentionally showing a sympathetic expression.

Xie Tingzhou felt that the way he looked at him was strange. “What have you been running back and forth for every day?”

Shen Yu replied seriously, “I’ve taken over the patrol duty.”

“I remember that patrols are once every two hours?” Xie Tingzhou asked.

Shen Yu glanced up, saw Xie Tingzhou looking at him, and immediately lowered his head. “I… I’m just more diligent.”

Diligent?

Xie Tingzhou almost laughed at that. He had just taken medicine and was about to go to sleep, but he heard the sound of someone riding back and forth outside. Without even thinking, he knew who it was.

“You’re indeed diligent. Your horse might regret following the wrong person,” Xie Tingzhou said.

Shen Yu didn’t know if his face was red or not, but he felt a bit hot. Actually, he wasn’t being diligent; it was just that the journey was too slow. They only covered thirty miles a day, which was about the same speed as a military march with heavy loads.

It was too boring, and with the cold weather, he felt like dozing off even while sitting on his horse. So, he preferred to run back and forth to stay awake.

He remembered how exhilarating it was to return to the capital in his past life, riding his horse vigorously.

He even had to compete with Shen Zhao. At that time, he and Shen Zhao ran in front, while Shen Zhong’an followed behind. Occasionally, they could hear the hearty laughter of their father.

Thinking of this, Shen Yu felt unbearable pain in his heart. Shen Yan and his mother were still there, but he was alone now.

After finishing speaking, Xie Tingzhou looked at him and found that he was tightly biting his teeth, his eye sockets were red, as if he was about to cry.

He didn’t say anything, did he? He was still young after all, so sensitive that he would cry at a single sentence.

Xie Tingzhou felt annoyed at that sight. No one dared to show him a sullen face.

“Does Your Highness want me to accompany you in playing chess?” Shen Yu suddenly raised his head and asked.

Xie Tingzhou paused for a moment, thinking that he couldn’t sleep now after his nap was disturbed. It would indeed pass the time to play chess.

He called someone in to clean up, and the two of them played chess.

The carriage was very quiet, with only the sound of pieces falling. After half an hour, Xie Tingzhou accidentally glanced over and found Shen Yu sitting across from him, sweating profusely.

“Are you very nervous?”

Shen Yu: “…”

Damn, it’s so hot!

You’re just wearing a single garment, while I’m sweltering in my winter coat.

“The heater in Your Highness’s carriage is burning quite fiercely,” Shen Yu hinted.

Only then did Xie Tingzhou notice that he was still wearing thin clothing. “Then take it off.”

Only a fool would struggle with their own body. Shen Yu quickly took off her outer armor and coat, setting them aside. When she took off her inner garments and reached her undershirt, she hesitated before letting go of the tie.

She had wrapped her chest, fearing that taking off too much might reveal it.

The already petite figure looked even smaller without the winter coat, with a slight feminine touch, not at all like a martial artist.

Xie Tingzhou glanced at her but didn’t say anything. The two of them continued playing chess.

In terms of martial arts, Shen Yu could compete with anyone, but each had their own specialty. She didn’t have much expertise in music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, just scratching the surface.

But Xie Tingzhou didn’t seem to mind. Since that day of playing chess, he frequently invited her to play with him in his carriage.

Shen Yu suspected that maybe he wasn’t that good at chess either and just enjoyed crushing amateurs.

When he was in a good mood, Xie Tingzhou would give her some pointers.

Surprisingly, under the guidance of a master, Shen Yu found her chess skills improving significantly over the past few days. She also found some enjoyment in playing chess, at least avoiding the cold wind outside.

As usual, she went to play chess with Xie Tingzhou in the afternoon.

Shen Yu was already familiar with the routine. After greeting Xifeng, she entered the carriage and began undressing herself, stripping down to just her undershirt and inner shirt.

“I’m sure I can last an hour today,” Shen Yu said.

Xie Tingzhou poured tea and said, “If you take as much time to think for each move as you do for drinking a cup of tea, you could last two hours.”

Shen Yu heard the sarcasm in his words about her poor chess skills. But she was always competitive. The more he said that, the more determined she became to defeat him one day. She put even more effort into it and occasionally sought advice from Xie Tingzhou when she had doubts.

But this ancestor had a strange temper. Whether he would teach or not depended on his mood.

After the carriage had traveled for a while, Xifeng reported from outside that there were still more than ten miles to the next county town, and at this rate, they wouldn’t reach it until midnight.

Xie Tingzhou only noticed that it was almost dark now.

If they couldn’t make it tonight, they would have to spend the night in the cold wind. Shen Yu knew that Xie Tingzhou would never compromise on his comfort since he had been indulgent all this way. Sure enough, she heard him order, “Let’s enter the city first.”

The patrol went ahead to report to the front of the team, and the marching speed immediately increased.

Xifeng also switched to riding a horse alongside the carriage.

Shen Yu had been thinking about what Xifeng mentioned earlier about Huaitang County. Seven or eight miles ahead was Longjing Peak, where there was a steep terrain with a river on one side, perfect for an ambush.

A few years ago, there had been a group of bandits there. If someone in the capital wanted to silence them, choosing this location for an ambush would be ideal.

She had been lost in thought, holding the chess piece for a long time without making a move.

“Knock, knock—”

Xie Tingzhou tapped the chessboard with two fingers to remind her, “Focus.”

“Your Highness,” Shen Yu finally put down the chess piece, “Longjing Peak ahead is suitable for an ambush. We should remind the people ahead to be cautious.” She stopped there.

Xie Tingzhou glanced at her for a moment, then lifted the curtain on the carriage window, and someone immediately approached on horseback.

At this point, the speed was not slow, and the sound of hooves was everywhere.

Xie Tingzhou spoke in a low voice, and Shen Yu couldn’t hear clearly, but she saw him give a brief order before lowering the curtain.

“Continue,” he said to Shen Yu.