Chapter 52

Shen Yu dared not move a muscle, shifting her gaze.

The bookshelf on the wall moved aside, revealing a small door with a faint yellow light inside.

The light grew brighter, and then Shen Yu heard footsteps.

She couldn’t help but laugh bitterly, sighing at her own misfortune. She didn’t know whether it would be better to be bitten directly by the black panther or to fall into Xie Tingzhou’s hands.

She watched as Xie Tingzhou slowly approached, not even sparing a glance at her on the ground as he walked out of the hidden door.

He must have just taken a bath, as steam still rose from his body.

Wearing a loose moon-white robe draped over him, he casually pushed up the sleeve at the candlelight, revealing a cold white forearm.

Xie Tingzhou extinguished the tinder, then calmly walked over and squatted down to look at her.

Shen Yu held firm to the principle of not moving unless the enemy moved first, waiting for Xie Tingzhou to speak first.

“What were you trying to steal?” Xie Tingzhou asked.

“I wasn’t trying to steal anything,” Shen Yu replied, lacking conviction.

Xie Tingzhou’s eyes hid a sharpness. “I warned you before, Shi Yu.”

Shen Yu nervously replied, “I just wanted to take a look at the letters about the Yanliang Pass case.”

Xie Tingzhou glanced around. The two stacks of military and staff letters remained untouched, while Xifeng’s letters scattered on the ground, among which one had been pulled out but not opened yet.

“Curious?” Xie Tingzhou picked up the letters with slender fingers and quickly scanned them. He then leaned down, casting his shadow over Shen Yu, as if he had substantial weight.

“I’ll read them to you.”

His semi-wet hair slipped off his shoulder, and a drop of water hit Shen Yu’s forehead.

The icy sensation made her tremble, eliciting a low warning growl from the black panther.

Xie Tingzhou lightly touched her forehead with his fingertip, his voice almost sighing, “Truly disappointing.”

His hand didn’t move away but tapped her forehead twice.

“Cang.”

Xie Tingzhou called out, and the black panther immediately withdrew its front paws and stepped back a few steps, still in a defensive posture.

Shen Yu didn’t dare to get up and continued to lie on the ground, looking up at him.

“Have a look,” Xie Tingzhou said.

The paper floated lightly onto her face, and she sat up to read it under the lamp.

Accompanied by Xie Tingzhou’s voice, “You stole such a large sum of money in Pingtan County, yet no one reported it to the authorities. Let me guess, the merchants in Pingtan County are wealthy beyond compare, and a few thousand taels of silver is just a drop in the bucket for them.”

“Or,” he paused, “are you simply lying?!”

Shen Yu had just finished reading the letter. It wasn’t about the Yanliang Pass case at all; it was the reply to his investigation into her, detailing that very incident.

Shen Yu bit her lip, unable to meet Xie Tingzhou’s gaze.

Xie Tingzhou sat down in the chair behind the desk. “Do you have anything else to say?”

After a while, Shen Yu finally spoke up, “Yes.”

She lifted her head to look at him. “I never intended to harm you, nor have I ever intended to do anything against you. But for people like us who have been together all this way, trust is perhaps too early to talk about. We are both the same, so there’s no need to speak of disappointment.”

For some reason, she felt a little sad.

She didn’t know if it was because she didn’t find what she wanted to see or because she felt sad for setting up such a situation for him.

Xie Tingzhou tightened his lips and closed his eyes. “Bring him in.”

Outside the door, the lights suddenly brightened, and Xifeng and Changliu appeared at the entrance.

Xie Tingzhou closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. “Take her away.”

The guards immediately came in, intending to pull her up from the ground.

“I’ll go by myself,” Shen Yu said, getting up and following the guards out.

The night sky above Qingpuju seemed to be covered with thick clouds, making it oppressively dark.

Cang seemed to sense his master’s mood and lay motionless in the corner of the study. Hai Dongqing under the eaves tidied his wings and rested without moving.

After escorting the person to the dungeon, Xifeng and Changliu returned to report.

“Your Highness,” Xifeng stood at the door and said, “Shen Yu has been taken to the dungeon.”

Xie Tingzhou stared at the letters on the table.

As Shen Yu had said, he only cared about the Yanliang Pass case. The importance of military confidential letters was higher than that of the Yanliang Pass case, but he hadn’t touched them.

“Did he resist?” Xie Tingzhou asked.

Xifeng reported truthfully, “No, he didn’t resist or put on shackles. He walked into the dungeon by himself.”

Xie Tingzhou sighed.

With Shi Yu’s skills, although he couldn’t escape unscathed, it was possible for him to make a desperate attempt to flee, but he didn’t run.

Was he confident that Xie Tingzhou wouldn’t kill him, or…

When there was no sound inside, Changliu pointed outside, signaling Xifeng to follow him.

The two walked to a place slightly away from the study.

Changliu asked, “What do you think His Highness meant? I heard that on New Year’s Eve, he and Shen Yu ate noodles in the kitchen. Shen Yu cooked, and later, His Highness even escorted him back to Luming Pavilion.”

Xifeng leaned against the wall for a moment, feeling the coolness before leaning against a pillar. “How would I know?”

“Aren’t you spending a lot of time with His Highness?” Changliu retorted.

“Aren’t you spending time too?” Xifeng asked back.

“I’m two years younger than you, okay?” Changliu muttered to himself. “I always feel that His Highness treats Shen Yu differently, but I also don’t think His Highness is the type to walk that path.”

Xifeng suddenly slid down against the pillar.

Changliu noticed the clue and cautiously asked, “Could it be? Is there something I don’t know about?”

Xifeng had been uncomfortable these days and couldn’t see through Xie Tingzhou’s thoughts, so he decided to speak up and let Changliu come up with ideas together.

After listening, Changliu was shocked and didn’t speak for a while. After a long time, he said, “Oh no, oh no, the North Lin Mansion is doomed, right? Hey! Why did you hit me?”

Xifeng slapped him on the back of his head. “You’re talking nonsense about unfounded rumors!”

Changliu rubbed his head. “Did His Highness deny it at the time?”

“No,” Xifeng replied.

“Then that’s it, right?” Changliu walked around for a few circles. “Let’s make a bet. I bet that His Highness will release him in a few days, and you bet that he won’t.”

“I also bet he will release him.”

Changliu rolled his eyes. “Who was talking about unfounded rumors just now?”

Xifeng: “…”

Guests arrived at the North Lin Mansion that day.

It was Li Jifeng, the ninth son of the current emperor.

Xie Tingzhou had many drinking buddies in North Lin, but not so many in Shengjing, and Li Jifeng was considered a top figure.

The two had met during the spring hunt that year.

The enemy’s enemy is a friend. Li Jifeng was extremely annoyed by Lu Yao, the son of the second assistant in the Cabinet, but the royal family’s control was too strict. Although he was an imperial prince, he couldn’t find an opportunity to deal with that troublemaker.

But Xie Tingzhou was different. As the eldest son of North Lin, even the royal family had to give him some face.

Since Xie Tingzhou had kicked Lu Yao off his horse and broke his leg that year, Li Jifeng practically regarded him as a confidant, sticking to him like glue when Xie Tingzhou was in Shengjing.

The warm pavilion was as warm as spring, with the sound of flowing water and the scenery of artificial mountains outside the window.

Li Jifeng was so hot that he took off his outer robe and leaned on the couch to play chess with Xie Tingzhou.

Today, Xie Tingzhou’s chess moves were aggressive, and he seemed to exude a murderous aura, defeating Li Jifeng step by step.

Li Jifeng scratched his head and made a move. Seeing that Xie Tingzhou was about to make a move, he quickly stopped him. “Don’t be so fierce. I’ve only been late for a few days, and you’re so depressed. It’s like I’m some unfaithful lover. You don’t know how busy I’ve been these days…”

“Let go,” Xie Tingzhou said coldly.

Li Jifeng clicked his tongue and let go. “It’s New Year’s, why are you so murderous?”