Chapter 66

The chamberlain took a few steps and spoke towards the carriage, “Your Highness, I am here to deliver a message. The Emperor heard that Your Highness has arrived. Since it’s so late, he specially sent me to invite Your Highness to the palace for dinner.”

Xie Tingzhou pulled aside the carriage curtain and saw that the visitor was the godson of the Director of the Ceremonial Office, De Fu. Moreover, since everyone was watching, this statement couldn’t be false.

He turned to Shen Yu and said, “You and Chang Liu go back first.”

Shen Yu asked, “What about you?”

“Chang Liu will accompany you back, then he’ll come to fetch me. He knows how to arrange things.”

Shen Yu felt uneasy about troubling Chang Liu back and forth. “It’s better if I go back myself and let Chang Liu stay with you.”

Xie Tingzhou glanced at her. “Is it your decision or mine when it comes to the Wang Mansion?”

Shen Yu pursed her lips and turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

Xie Tingzhou got off the carriage and stood beside it, giving instructions to Chang Liu.

Jiang Lianzhi had just come out from the Ministry of Revenue and happened to see the eunuch stopping Xie Tingzhou’s carriage at Guanghua Gate.

He wasn’t familiar with Xie Tingzhou, so he merely nodded in passing.

The carriage curtain was lifted slightly again, and Shen Yu whispered to Xie Tingzhou, “If Your Highness comes back late, should I wait for you?”

“It won’t be late,” Xie Tingzhou replied, “Wait for me at Qingpu Residence.”

Shen Yu had discovered something last night and needed to discuss it with him today.

Others couldn’t discern the intricacies of their conversation at all.

This made the word think of something, and he hung his head, not daring to look up.

The curtain was lowered, and Chang Liu drove the carriage away.

Jiang Lianzhi frowned at the departing carriage and suddenly spoke, “Your Highness, may I ask who is in the carriage?”

Xie Tingzhou answered succinctly, “My people.”

With that, he walked away.

The Chamberlain covered his mouth and chuckled, whispering to Jiang Lianzhi, “Sir Jiang, please don’t ask so clearly. Some things are better left unspoken.”

Then, he followed Xie Tingzhou.

Behind them, Gao Jin murmured softly, “There have been rumors in the capital recently that Xie Tingzhou enjoys the company of young men. He once visited a young servant at the Drunken Cloud Pavilion, and there’s a favored young man by his side, presumably…”

“Unfounded rumors should not be spread,” Jiang Lianzhi interrupted sharply.

“Yes, sir,” Gao Jin lowered his head.

As the carriage moved further away, it passed through Guanghua Gate and onto Yongning Street.

Jiang Lianzhi stared in the direction the carriage had disappeared, feeling a bit absent-minded. Just now, he caught a glimpse of half a profile under the lifted curtain, which bore a striking resemblance to A Yu, but what he heard was the voice of a young man.

…

Xie Tingzhou did indeed return early, before the evening. When he entered the courtyard and didn’t see Shi Yu, he asked, “Where is he?”

Xi Feng knew who he was referring to. “He’s still having dinner.”

“Why is it so late?”

Xi Feng looked speechless. “Shi Yu thinks the prison is unlucky, so he asked Chang Liu to find a brazier for him. Chang Liu is also a bit crazy. He not only brought a brazier but also some wormwood to fumigate. They’ve been messing around in the courtyard for quite a while, making Erya cry and run to me to complain.”

Xie Tingzhou didn’t show any intention of reprimanding them. Instead, a faint smile played on his lips.

Chang Liu was not yet sixteen this year, while Shi Yu was seventeen, the perfect age for mischief.

“Let them play,” Xie Tingzhou said. “I’ll have Shi Yu come over later.”

After finishing her meal, Shen Yu came over. Xie Tingzhou had already finished washing up and was waiting in the study.

When Shen Yu entered the study, she remembered the black panther from that night. “Is Cang His Highness’s pet?”

“No,” Xie Tingzhou replied.

“How did you tame it then?”

“I didn’t tame it.”

Xie Tingzhou paused for a moment before saying, “During the autumn hunt that year, I hunted down a black panther. Later, I found out it was a recently birthed female panther. Cang is her cub. There was another one that didn’t survive.

I didn’t tame it, just raised it from a young age.”

“So when you asked me if Cang was my pet, it’s not. I should say I’m its enemy.”

Shen Yu fell silent for a moment. “Let’s talk business. Did His Highness catch that person?”

This was a plan they had discussed beforehand.

Liang Jianfang was detained in the Dali Temple prison.

The person behind him had two options: either continue trying to silence him before he spilled everything, or, if Liang Jianfang remained tight-lipped, continue to use him and leverage him against others.

Obviously, both Liang Jianfang and his accomplice had chosen the second option.

“No,” Xie Tingzhou replied.

“No?” Shen Yu raised her voice. “I took such a big risk, and you didn’t even catch him?”

Xie Tingzhou looked up at her. “I haven’t finished. I didn’t catch up to him, but I found out he went into Liu Cheng’s mansion.”

Shen Yu gave him a look. Wasn’t that the same thing? This was exactly the result they wanted.

That person could suppress the grain and fodder in Yanliang Pass and create various difficulties for them on their return journey to the capital. He must be a resourceful person.

So there must be someone from him in the Dali Temple.

Last night, Shen Yu visited Liang Jianfang, presumably causing him to waver. Even if he didn’t, the person behind him wouldn’t completely trust him.

Moreover, the Dali Temple had already questioned Shi Yu. These people were probably feeling uneasy because they had no idea how much Shi Yu knew and how much Liang Jianfang had told him.

“Will Liu Cheng send someone to silence him?” Shen Yu asked.

Xie Tingzhou propped his head up. “I just feel this matter won’t be so simple.”

“I feel the same,” Shen Yu said seriously. “But first, we need to lure someone out.”

Xie Tingzhou said, “If Liu Cheng doesn’t kill Liang Jianfang within three days, what will you do?”

“Then I’ll have to trouble you,” Shen Yu said. “Do you mind lending me two secret guards? Just to scare Liang Jianfang.”

Xie Tingzhou lazily replied, “What if I don’t lend them to you?”

“Then I’ll go by myself.”

Xie Tingzhou pursed his lips and said after a moment, “I’ve already arranged everything in the Dali Temple prison.”

Shen Yu pretended to flatter him. “His Highness is indeed powerful. Even the Dali Temple has people under His Highness’s control.”

“I have even more powerful connections,” Xie Tingzhou said.

“What?” Shen Yu reflexively asked.

Xie Tingzhou stared at her face for a moment, then suddenly turned away, saying awkwardly, “The Dali Temple has been taken care of. Now the problem is, three days later, you have to go to the Dali Temple prison again. At that time, you’ll disguise yourself as a prison guard.”

Since that night when Shen Yu said those words, Liang Jianfang had been unable to sleep well. He was on edge all day, and any slight noise at night made him think someone was coming to kill him.

In the past, he would start eating as soon as the food arrived, but now he was worried about poison being in the food. When each meal was delivered, he wouldn’t eat right away. Instead, he would set some aside in a corner, waiting for a rat to eat it and make sure it was safe before he started eating.

The first two days passed, and on the morning of the third day, Liang Jianfang woke up to find a dead rat lying by the edge of the bowl that the guard had forgotten to collect last night. The leftovers in the bowl from last night were nowhere to be found.

Liang Jianfang was terrified. It seemed the young man’s words were accurate; the authorities were indeed trying to kill him.

Since the officials had abandoned him, he only had one path left to take.

Gritting his teeth, Liang Jianfang thought, “If you treat me unfairly, don’t blame me for being ruthless. If you want me dead, I’ll drag you down to hell with me.”

As the sun set, the Dali Temple prison gradually fell into the darkness of night.

Liang Jianfang dared not sleep. He sat in the corner, leaning against the wall, staring at the direction of the prison gate.

Footsteps gradually approached and stopped in front of the cell.

The voice of a young man sounded, “Have you made up your mind in three days?”