Chapter 49

Xie Tingzhou didn’t return from the palace until the afternoon.

The Wang Mansion was adorned with decorations, red lanterns hung everywhere.

The servants moved about silently, afraid to disturb the master of the mansion.

Xie Tingzhou went straight to the study where several confidential letters from various places awaited him.

After reading them, he lit a candlestick and burned the letters. Suddenly, he asked, “Where’s Shi Yu?”

Xi Feng replied, “I’ve already arranged for him to stay at the Lu Mingxuan.”

Xie Tingzhou glanced up.

Xi Feng immediately understood. “I’ll go find him right away.”

A quarter of an hour later, Xi Feng returned, reporting that Shen Yu was not in the courtyard. The gatekeeper at the east gate said she had left early in the morning and had not returned yet.

Xie Tingzhou didn’t say anything, he just tapped his fingers on the table and said, “It’s New Year’s Eve today. Instruct the kitchen to prepare for a celebration.”

Xi Feng asked tentatively, “Which courtyard should we set it up in?”

“You arrange it yourselves,” Xie Tingzhou said, lowering his head. “When Shi Yu returns, have him come to me.”

Xi Feng understood. He had deliberately asked which courtyard to set it up in to see if Xie Tingzhou would join them.

The answer he received was within his expectations. Ever since that person had died, Xie Tingzhou had spent every New Year’s Eve alone, and even the prince and princess couldn’t persuade him.

“Understood,” Xi Feng withdrew.

Shen Yu didn’t return until it was dark. Upon entering, she was told that Xie Tingzhou was looking for her.

She was led to the door of Xie Tingzhou’s study. The guards didn’t approach, letting her enter alone. They informed her that the study near the bamboo grove was Xie Tingzhou’s.

The location of the study was easy to recognize, and Shen Yu knocked on the door. “Your Highness, it’s me, Shi Yu.”

“Come in,” Xie Tingzhou said calmly.

The room was warmed by a stove, and a wave of heat hit Shen Yu as she entered.

She noticed that Xie Tingzhou seemed to dislike the cold; he preferred warm places, whether it was the carriage before or the study now.

“Is there something you need from me, Your Highness?” Shen Yu stopped in front of the desk.

Xie Tingzhou stared at the book in his hand. “I heard you went out.”

“Yes,” Shen Yu replied honestly. “It wasn’t my shift yet, so I took a walk while I had the chance.”

“What did you buy?”

“Just some everyday items, a few sets of clothes, and winter boots.”

Her tone was calm as she explained everything straightforwardly, but Xie Tingzhou furrowed his brows as he listened.

In the nearly one month since they arrived in the capital, Shi Yu, as Xie Tingzhou knew him, was not such a well-behaved person. Xie Tingzhou still remembered when they were at the inn’s woodshed, Shi Yu had teased him back, those mischievous eyes dancing.

“I need to talk to you,” Xie Tingzhou raised his head, and when he saw his face, he was slightly taken aback.

It seemed like it had been a long time since he had seen such an expression on the young man’s face, the last time being when he was guarding Shen Zhong’an’s body.

Seeing him remain silent for a while, Shen Yu asked, “What does Your Highness want to talk to me about?”

Xie Tingzhou didn’t speak.

Earlier in the Xuanhui Palace, Xie Tingzhou had mentioned the eyewitness, and that eyewitness was Shi Yu.

Liang Jianfang and several other criminals had been taken away by the Jinyiwei. Currently, the Three Law Departments were busy interrogating Liang Jianfang, but once they received those urgent reports, they would undoubtedly interrogate Shi Yu.

Originally, he had planned to have a detailed discussion with him about this matter, but seeing his current mood, he felt that there was no need to rush.

“There’s a banquet in the outer courtyard. You should go celebrate the New Year with them.”

“I’ve already eaten,” Shen Yu replied, then asked, “Why doesn’t Your Highness go?”

Xie Tingzhou suddenly felt a sense of inexplicable irritability. He withdrew his gaze and said, “Do you have to manage my affairs too?”

Shen Yu pursed her lips. “I dare not. If Your Highness has no further business, then I’ll take my leave.”

As she left, she glanced around. Except for the study, all the other rooms were pitch black, and she didn’t see anyone mysterious as rumored by others.

Hearing the door open and close, Xie Tingzhou couldn’t suppress the annoyance in his chest. Instead, it was fueled by those repeated “Your Highness, subordinate.”

He stood up and walked to the window, pushing it open. The cold wind that blew in seemed to alleviate his agitation somewhat, but the irritation remained.

“Bring him here.”

The bodyguard under the eaves responded, “Your Highness.”

“Where is his person? Let him in.”

When they were in Ganzhou City, Xie Tingzhou had someone keep an eye on Shi Yu. Last night, after returning, Xi Feng had asked him if they still needed to keep watching. His answer was affirmative.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Shi Yu. At least during their journey to the capital, he had been protecting him all the time. Xie Tingzhou could tell that he posed no threat to him. Otherwise, Shi Yu would have had hundreds of opportunities to kill him. Unlike the outside, Shi Yu was now a witness. Sending someone to follow him was to protect him.

The undercover guard following Shi Yu soon arrived.

Xie Tingzhou asked, “Where did he go today?”

The undercover guard replied, “First, he stood in front of the Shen Mansion for a while. Later, he went to a teahouse, then visited several shops after leaving the teahouse.”

The undercover guard tried to give a general overview. Seeing that Xie Tingzhou didn’t show any signs of impatience, he continued, “After that, he went to a candle shop, bought some incense and paper money, and spent the afternoon kneeling at General Shen’s grave.”

No wonder, Xie Tingzhou understood.

No wonder his expression earlier was like that, it turned out he had visited the grave.

The undercover guard hesitated, “But there’s something quite strange.”

Xie Tingzhou asked, “What is it?”

The undercover guard said, “Three new tomb mounds have been added to the Shen family cemetery. In addition to the graves of the two generals, there is also one for Miss Shen Yu of the Shen family. I later inquired and heard that Miss Shen Yu had been accompanying her father on border patrols for years and was also listed this time. She died in battle alongside them.”

Searching through his memory, Xie Tingzhou seemed to have heard the name Shen Yu somewhere, but he couldn’t recall where.

He returned from Yanliang Pass, and no one knew better than him what had happened there. Mountains of corpses, many bodies trampled beyond recognition by horse hooves.

Even Shen Zhao’s body couldn’t be found. Nobody mentioned Shen Yu at the border, let alone specifically searching for her remains.

If it were true, burying her bones at such a young age, perhaps she was buried on the spot, or perhaps she was burned along with those corpses, leaving nothing but ashes.

“Alright, you may leave. You don’t need to watch him anymore. Go and celebrate the New Year.”

The undercover guards were the hardest-working, and Xie Tingzhou sympathized with them. All of these undercover guards were those who had come with him from Be

ilin.

After the undercover guard left, Qingpu Residence fell silent again.

Xie Tingzhou put on his outer robe and walked along the corridor.

Xi Feng and Changliu’s courtyard was not far from his. There was a lively atmosphere there, probably because Changliu enjoyed such festivities and had probably invited many bodyguards to join in.

The noise irritated Xie Tingzhou, and he gradually walked further away. When he realized it, he was close to the Lu Mingxuan.

Xie Tingzhou turned to leave but heard the creaking sound of the door opening, followed by someone walking towards him.

Those were the footsteps of Shi Yu. Xie Tingzhou didn’t know why, but he inexplicably felt comfortable. He looked at the lantern in his hand. “Where are you going?”

“The room is a bit cold. I want to go to the kitchen to get some charcoal,” Shen Yu said. “Your Highness, please return quickly.”

That strange feeling came again, and Xie Tingzhou suddenly became alert. He seemed to dislike Shi Yu addressing him as “Your Highness.”

Perhaps it was because he had developed a habit of being wary of Shi Yu’s strange behavior along the way. Once he was addressed as “Your Highness,” it must mean that he had done something deceitful, and Xie Tingzhou would suspect that he was planning something sinister.

It must be like this.

Thinking of this, Xie Tingzhou said, “You’re too casual. One ‘Your Highness’ after another will make me think you’ve done something wrong again.”