Chapter 106

Shen Yu looked at him, and after a while, she curled her lips and asked, “Why are you here?”

Xie Tingzhou said softly, “It’s raining, I came to pick you up.”

Suddenly, the urgent rain in her heart turned into a gentle spring drizzle.

Shen Yu’s lips trembled, her eyes stung, and she suddenly felt like crying.

Xie Tingzhou stepped forward, handing her the umbrella and taking off his cloak to put it on her shoulders. He then took the umbrella back from her hand, grabbed her wrist, and led her down the mountain, his movements so natural.

Shen Yu looked down. His sleeves were very large, covering both of their hands. The place where their sleeves intertwined, like a thread, ran along her blood vessels, she didn’t know where it was bound.

The carriage stopped at the foot of the mountain, and only after getting in did Xie Tingzhou take a closer look at her face.

She looked as if she had just been pulled out of the water, her hair wet and clinging to her face, her lips pale.

Spring had already arrived, and the carriage was no longer equipped with a brazier. He had rushed to find her all the way, and the tea on the table was cold.

“Why didn’t you know to use an umbrella in the rain?” Xie Tingzhou asked.

“I did, but the wind blew it away.” Her tone sounded a little wronged.

Emperor Tongxu had just issued an edict, and the government office had posted a notice. Shen Yu knew the verdict.

There was no doubt that Ge Liangji and Liang Jianfang were part of the defeat at Yanliang Guan. Although the case was not investigated in depth, it was a crucial step forward.

They were punished. Shen Yu wanted to tell her father and brother about this, so she went out of the city and up the mountain by herself.

Later, the mountain wind blew away her umbrella, and she hid under a tree to avoid the rain. Who knew it would get heavier and heavier.

The mountain road was rugged, and there was no moon on a rainy day. It was dark and difficult to walk. If she wasn’t careful, she might fall off the cliff. It wasn’t until the rain subsided that she started walking down the mountain.

The city gate had long been closed. She had planned to find a dilapidated temple to rest for the night, but she didn’t expect Xie Tingzhou to come and pick her up.

Xie Tingzhou opened the cabinet under the couch and took out a robe of his own.

Sometimes he would go out to meet friends or guests, and he would always keep a robe in the carriage in case he spilled wine or something and needed to change.

“Take off your wet clothes and put this on.” Xie Tingzhou said, closing his eyes.

Shen Yu was shivering from the cold. Her wet clothes clung to her body like a layer of cold, damp seaweed, making her uncomfortable.

She had been in the rain all day, and her body couldn’t warm up. It was even colder after dark, and her head felt heavy.

She looked at Xie Tingzhou. He sat up straight, his eyes closed, his hands resting on his knees, looking like he had already entered a state of meditation.

She often said that people in the martial world didn’t care about trivial matters. If she cared about these things, it would seem like she was being petty. Besides, there was really no need to be uncomfortable with her own body.

Shen Yu took off her cloak, turned her back to him, and took off the wet clothes that were clinging to her body. She left on her innermost undergarment and put on Xie Tingzhou’s clothes.

The undergarment was thin, and it shouldn’t take long for her body temperature to dry it.

“I’m done.”

Xie Tingzhou waited a moment before opening his eyes. He saw her sitting upright, wrapped in his large robe, like she was stealing an adult’s clothes, which was a little bit playful.

Shen Yu asked, “The city gate has been closed for so long, how did Your Highness get out of the city?”

Xie Tingzhou didn’t answer, instead he asked, “You know the results of the trial?”

“I do,” Shen Yu nodded and said, “It’s not perfect, but this outcome is actually what I expected. Things in this world can’t always go as you wish, but luckily there are other clues, and we can still investigate from other places.”

Xie Tingzhou picked up the cloak and threw it on her, “It’s good that you can think it through.”

Xie Tingzhou originally thought that she would be dissatisfied with this outcome, perhaps she would go to her father and brother’s graves to cry, or perhaps she would impulsively do something that couldn’t be salvaged. He didn’t expect that she had already convinced herself.

It had only been a few months, and she had grown up so fast. It was both reassuring and heartbreaking.

Growth is a process of continuous shaping, and she has been shaping herself.

Shen Yu wrapped the cloak tightly around her, hugging her knees under the cloak and curling up into a ball, “The case was closed too hastily. Someone must be interfering, not wanting to expose more people.”

Xie Tingzhou didn’t mention what he saw in the court. He asked, “What do you think?”

Shen Yu thought for a moment and said, “The case of the stolen grain and this case seem to have no connection, but they should be investigated as one case. They deliberately separated them, perhaps they were afraid of pulling out a radish and bringing out mud. Since this case was tried in the court, no matter who was covering it up, Emperor Tongxu has already tacitly approved this outcome.”

“Do you think Emperor Tongxu is involved?” Xie Tingzhou asked.

The candlelight on the table flickered, and her face also flickered between light and dark, as if there was a blush on her face.

Shen Yu said, “I’ve been thinking about this possibility all day. If he’s involved, but the events connected together contradict him.”

Xie Tingzhou gestured, “Speak boldly.”

Shen Yu frowned and said, “When the world is peaceful, the emperor will be afraid of someone becoming too powerful and threatening his position, and he will consider getting rid of them after they’ve served their purpose. But now the world is in such chaos, and the feudal lords are so powerful…”

The most powerful of the feudal lords now is Beilin.

She paused and added, “I’m not targeting you.”

“The Shen family army is the sharpest sword in Emperor Tongxu’s hand. If this sword is gone, the one who should feel the most vulnerable is Emperor Tongxu himself.”

Xie Tingzhou nodded in agreement.

The situation in the court is now full of difficulties. The garrison at Yanliang Guan is insufficient, and Emperor Tongxu dare not hand Yanliang Guan over to Beilin, so he can only send troops from other places to make up for the shortage.

This has a domino effect, making it difficult to even suppress the bandits now because there are not enough troops available. This has dragged on until the beginning of spring.

Her body gradually warmed up, but Shen Yu’s head began to feel heavy.

She steadied herself and continued, “Ge Liangji was sentenced to execution without delay, not even waiting for autumn. It’s probably because they were afraid of delaying and wanted to cut off the source here.”

She couldn’t resist the drowsiness, her voice grew softer and softer, and gradually, she lowered her head onto her knees.

After a while, Xie Tingzhou estimated that she was asleep, so he reached out to tuck the loose cloak around her.

But with a gentle tug, she fell towards him.