Chapter 48

This morning’s meeting in the Xuanhui Hall lasted for the entire morning.

Today was New Year’s Eve. Emperor Tongxu remembered that Xie Tingzhou had just arrived in the capital and declined the invitation yesterday, saying that there were still many matters to attend to in the mansion.

After leaving the Xuanhui Hall, Xifeng immediately followed. Seeing Xie Tingzhou’s expression, he didn’t speak until they were on the carriage.

“Liu Cheng is targeting Your Highness so blatantly, trying to shift blame onto you. It seems like he’s getting desperate.”

Xie Tingzhou rubbed his temples. “Do you remember what happened during the Spring Hunt that year, when I kicked his son off his horse?”

Xifeng thought carefully. “There was something about it. His son broke his leg and was bedridden for months. Is Your Highness suggesting that he’s seeking revenge?”

Xie Tingzhou shook his head. “He’s making it too obvious. It’s unclear whether he’s seeking revenge or using it as a cover for his true motives.”

Xifeng disliked the atmosphere of Shengjing. Everyone here seemed to wear a mask, making it difficult to discern their true intentions.

…

Shen Yu didn’t have duty today, so she took a stroll in the courtyard before leaving the house.

Instead of climbing over the wall, she swaggered out through the east gate.

The servants of the Wang Mansion knew that the prince had arranged for her to stay in the Luming Pavilion, but they couldn’t determine her identity and didn’t dare to stop her.

She walked to the vicinity of the Shen Mansion. The gates of the Shen Mansion were tightly shut, without even a red lantern hanging outside, appearing desolate.

Stalls weren’t allowed near official residences. Shen Yu walked several streets and arrived at Baoshan Street, where she found a teahouse and took a seat. She ordered a pot of tea and some snacks.

She had been to this teahouse before, and it was always bustling. She wondered why it was so quiet today.

“Xiao Er.”

The waiter was leaning against the counter, yawning lazily. When he heard her call, he walked over. “What can I do for you, guest?”

Shen Yu asked, “Why is it so quiet in the teahouse today?”

The waiter shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s like this every New Year’s Eve. Who would go out on such a big day?”

Shen Yu realized that she had forgotten about the time while on the journey. Today was actually New Year’s Eve.

In previous years, she had always celebrated with her father and brother. But now…

Shen Yu collected herself and smiled. “That’s a shame. I just arrived in the capital and wanted to hear some interesting stories. It seems like that won’t be happening.”

“If you’re looking for stories,” the waiter perked up, “no one knows Shengjing better than me. I’m always running errands here. Nothing escapes my ears.”

“Please, have a seat and tell me,” Shen Yu poured him a cup of tea. “What’s your name?”

The young man, despite being dressed in relatively modest clothing, wasn’t someone from an ordinary family to afford such attire. For him, a waiter, to be treated so kindly was rare, so he happily sat down.

“Just call me Xiaoshan. If the young lady wants to hear some interesting stories about Shengjing, I’m your man.”

Shen Yu tossed a peanut into her mouth. “Feel free to share anything recent.”

Xiaoshan pondered for a moment. “There was a funny incident last month. The son of Minister Liu from the Cabinet, who was kicked off his horse by the Crown Prince of Beilin many years ago, oh, the Crown Prince of Beilin is now known as the Lanyue Prince. Have you heard of him?”

Shen Yu nodded with a smile.

She thought to herself, Not only have I heard of him, I’ve even slept with him.

“So, last month, Liu Yu heard that the Crown Prince of Beilin was coming to the capital and boasted at the Qionghua Pavilion that he would teach him a lesson. Guess what happened?” Xiaoshan took a sip of tea and continued, “He got drunk that night and fell from the building, breaking his leg. What a coincidence, he broke the same leg as before.”

Shen Yu chuckled. “That’s quite unlucky.”

“Indeed,” Xiaoshan said. “Oh, and a few months ago, Assistant Minister Jiang went to propose marriage to the General’s Manor, but he was unexpectedly rejected. Can you believe it? Miss Shen from the Shen family must be blind not to choose him. How high are her standards if she didn’t even fancy Assistant Minister Jiang? I’ve seen Assistant Minister Jiang before; there’s no one as charming in Shengjing.”

Shen Yu forced a laugh. This gossip was hitting a little too close to home.

I don’t know if I’m blind or not, but if you keep talking like this, you might end up mute!

“Oh, look at me,” Xiaoshan slapped his own forehead. “The Shen family has a history of loyalty and sacrifice. I shouldn’t speak ill of Miss Shen like this.”

“The Shen family is indeed unfortunate. Three deaths in a row,” Shen Yu interjected.

“What did you say?” Shen Yu interrupted abruptly. “Three dead?”

The waiter paused, bewildered. “You didn’t know? The old general, the young general, and Miss Shen, they’re all dead!”

Shen Yu clenched her fists. “Which Miss Shen?”

“Must be Miss Shen, the eldest daughter. She often went to the border and was said to have died in battle.” The waiter sighed heavily.

Shen Yu’s expression darkened slightly. “Is the news reliable?”

“Of course,” the waiter said matter-of-factly. “I even went to see it on the day of the Shen family’s funeral. Three coffins were there, but they say they couldn’t find the young general’s remains, so they only erected a cenotaph.”

Shen Yu’s mind raced.

Something wasn’t right. She clearly informed Shen Yan in her letter that she wanted to cremate their father and, after the three-year mourning period, bring his ashes to the border to reunite him with their mother along the river.

But what was happening now completely deviated from the path she had set.

She inexplicably became the deceased. Shen Yu was now considered dead in the world.

Why was this happening?

Had the Green Pharmacy failed to deliver the message, or was there some other problem in between?

Shen Yu pressed a silver ingot onto the table and asked, “Do you want to earn some extra money, Xiao Er?”

The waiter’s eyes widened at the sight of the silver. Rubbing his hands together, he grinned, “Why, sir, who wouldn’t like money? But… is this task difficult? You know, I’m just a waiter. Besides running errands, I don’t do much else.”

“I need you to run errands,” Shen Yu said, tossing the silver into his arms.

The waiter caught it with glee and bit into it. He beamed. “Sir, just give me your orders.”

“I want you to keep your ears open for any news and also watch what you say,” Shen Yu said.

“What if I hear something? How should I relay it to you?”

Shen Yu had no reliable subordinates at the moment, but she couldn’t blindly trust the waiter either, so she said, “When I need you, I’ll come. You don’t have to find me.”

The waiter nodded with a smile.

Shen Yu stood up, intentionally flipping back her cloak to reveal a dagger at her waist. With a smile, she said, “Goodbye, little brother.”

The waiter clearly saw the dagger, his smile fading as he murmured, “Watch your mouth, don’t leak any information.”

Leaving the teahouse, Shen Yu wandered the streets, visited several shops, and then entered a clothing store.

“Shopkeeper, do you have any fashionable styles?”

The shopkeeper looked up, his expression changing in an instant, and immediately smiled. “Sir, what kind of styles are you interested in?”