Chapter 111

Xie Tingzhou got into the carriage first. As he bent down to enter, he straightened up again and turned back, saying, “Since you said it’s getting late, why aren’t you getting in yet?”

Shen Yu reluctantly followed, getting into the carriage. She saw Xie Tingzhou raise his hand and throw a set of clothes at her.

Shen Yu quickly caught them. When she saw what she was holding, she was startled and immediately looked up at his face.

Xie Tingzhou turned his face slightly towards the other side, leaving only a cold profile for Shen Yu.

She looked at the jailer’s clothes in her hand and finally understood where his “When will you learn to trust me?” came from.

He wasn’t trying to stop her. He had already arranged everything for her, paving a safer and smoother path.

Xie Tingzhou couldn’t describe his feelings at the moment. He thought that after all this time, she was starting to trust him, but she still chose to go it alone.

Shen Yu rubbed the jailer’s clothes with her fingers, feeling the softness of Xie Tingzhou’s heart through the rough material.

They had been together all along, and he had helped her so much. All her gratitude couldn’t be contained in a single “thank you.”

She opened her mouth, but suddenly didn’t know what to say.

After a while, Xie Tingzhou spoke, “Put them on first. Dali Temple is almost here.”

Shen Yu snapped out of her thoughts. She was thin, so she put the jailer’s clothes directly over her own. It made her look a lot more robust.

The carriage was too conspicuous, so it stopped before reaching Dali Temple.

Xie Tingzhou said calmly, “I’ll wait for you here. Come out as soon as possible.”

Shen Yu said, “Okay, an hour and a half, no, an hour at most, I’ll be out.”

Xie Tingzhou nodded slightly. When she was about to lift the curtain and go out, he suddenly grabbed her hand.

Shen Yu turned back abruptly, looking at her wrist, “What’s wrong?”

“Wait for me to come back, we’ll talk.” Xie Tingzhou said softly.

Shen Yu didn’t know what he wanted to talk about, but her heart couldn’t help but start to race.

Xie Tingzhou gently squeezed her wrist, “Don’t be afraid. Everything inside has been arranged. Just follow them in.”

Shen Yu nodded, and after getting out of the carriage, she turned back again, “Then… I’ll go.”

Xie Tingzhou smiled slightly, “Okay, go.”

They were near Guang Hua Gate.

Shen Yu followed the jailer who had come to meet her. She showed her badge at the gate of the government office, but she couldn’t help but look back towards the palace alley, towards the darkness.

The carriage was no longer visible, but she felt like there were a pair of eyes watching her silently.

Since she was reborn, this was the first time she felt so confident.

It was the time when the jailers were changing shifts. The guards at the gate checked her badge and let her in.

Dali Temple had indeed increased security. There was a guard every three steps and a guard every five steps. It was heavily guarded.

If she had decided to sneak in tonight, it would have been difficult to see Ge Liangji without alarming the guards.

When she entered the Dali Temple prison, the guards inside were much more relaxed. They probably thought that with such tight security outside, even a fly couldn’t get in.

The prison warden led Shen Yu to the door of a cell and said in a low voice, “Brother, please understand. This is as far as I can take you. The keys to the cell are in our master’s hands.”

Shen Yu nodded and said, “Thank you.”

Ge Liangji wasn’t asleep.

Tomorrow at noon, his head would be chopped off. He leaned against the wall and thought, his life hadn’t been too bad, but he had flipped his car at the very end.

He heard voices talking at the door and asked, “It’s this late, who else wants to take my life?”

Shen Yu looked at the person in the cell, “I’m not here to take your life.”

Ge Liangji pulled at his clothes, “Then you’re here to ask about the truth.”

“Not exactly.”

“Then what is it?” Ge Liangji asked curiously.

“You’ll know when you see me.”

Ge Liangji glanced towards the cell door. The light was dim, and he couldn’t see the person clearly.

He saw the person take a torch from the wall and slowly approach. The face finally appeared in the light.

Ge Liangji rubbed his eyes, his face suddenly changed, “You, you’re Shen Yu! But weren’t you already…”

“Just pretend I’m already dead.”

She and Ge Liangji hadn’t met many times. They had only exchanged greetings a few times when he met Shen Zhong’an. They weren’t familiar.

Shen Yu put the torch back on the wall, “I’m here today to get an answer for my father and brother. I want to ask you on their behalf, why did you do this?”

Ge Liangji lowered his head and didn’t say anything.

Shen Yu said, “My father was a true soldier, straightforward and wouldn’t engage in empty talk. The friends he made were those he trusted. Obviously, he trusted you, but you didn’t.”

Ge Liangji lowered his head and didn’t say anything.

Shen Yu continued, “I can’t let them die in vain.”

Ge Liangji suddenly looked up and said in a low voice, “A’yu, I remember your father called you that. A dying man’s words are good. Listen to me, don’t investigate this case anymore. If you investigate further, it will be your death.”

“I’ve already died once.” Shen Yu said calmly, “Death isn’t that scary. A guilty conscience is what’s scary.”

“Why are you so stubborn, just like your father.” Ge Liangji shook his head and said, “Isn’t it good to live well?”

Shen Yu said, “I also want to ask you, can you die with a clear conscience if you die unclearly?”

Ge Liangji looked much older. Although he was only in his fifties, he looked like he was in his seventies or eighties.

“There’s no one else. I said it in my confession. I did everything.”

“Do you think I’ll believe you?” Shen Yu asked, “Do you think my father would believe you? Actually, I saw Liang Jianfang before he died. He told me that there were other spies in the army, and they didn’t know each other. But you said that he was the one who colluded with the Western Jue people. You were clearly lying.”

“Tell me, Uncle Ge.” Shen Yu grabbed the cell door, “I beg you to tell me.”

Ge Liangji looked at her, his expression moved for a moment. He didn’t know what he was thinking, but he still shook his head, “I can’t say too much. Or rather, I don’t know as much as you think.”

“There were three plans in total. One was to collude with the Western Jue, the second was the grain, and the third was to close the city gate. The first two plans were foiled by you. The third plan was to close the city gate. Because once Shen Zhong’an returned to the capital, he would have an army of 100,000. If this matter wasn’t investigated thoroughly, it wouldn’t be possible to stop him. And they couldn’t let him investigate.”

Shen Yu gripped the wooden railing tightly, “What kind of hatred could make them do something so cruel?”

Ge Liangji shook his head, “Maybe you were wrong from the beginning? Maybe the reason for killing Shen Zhong’an in the first place wasn’t anything else, but because some people were trying to protect themselves.”

Shen Yu was stunned, but she didn’t have much time to think. Ge Liangji continued, “I used my life and a secret to save the lives of over a thousand people in the Ge family. It was worth it. I can’t say anything more. When I go to the underworld, I’ll apologize to your father.”

“But how can you guarantee that after you die, they won’t go back on their word?”

Ge Liangji suddenly smiled, “I left a talisman for my children. Even if I die, as long as the talisman is still there, they won’t dare to act rashly.”

Shen Yu wanted to ask more, but suddenly the prison warden’s voice came from the other side of the cell.

“I’m sleepy. If only I had some fiery liquor right now.”

Shen Yu’s brow furrowed. This was the pre-arranged code word, indicating that something had changed.