Chapter 56

“Master, someone has arrived,” the old madam said from outside the door.

Xie Tingzhou raised his eyebrows, and one by one, the attendants entered the room, about six or seven of them, standing in a row in the hall.

The old madam knew this young master was picky, but she couldn’t figure out his preferences and desires, so she prepared various types.

Some were tall and sturdy, some were delicate scholars…

Xie Tingzhou’s gaze lingered on one person for an extra moment. That attendant was not tall, fair-skinned, with a small face.

The old madam, understanding, gave the attendant a push. “Master is looking at you, why don’t you go.”

The attendant approached slowly. “Master.”

Xie Tingzhou looked at him, scrutinizing him.

Seeing that everything was going smoothly, the old madam smiled and said, “He’s still a clean attendant, Master, take your time.”

The old madam led the others away, leaving only Xie Tingzhou and the attendant in the room.

The attendant had been trained. Though still a clean attendant, he knew how to serve.

He knelt on the ground and reached out to stroke Xie Tingzhou’s thigh.

Xie Tingzhou frowned, feeling a strong sense of nausea in his throat.

As the attendant’s hand moved upward, just as it passed the knee, a sudden pain struck his chest, and he was kicked to the ground by Xie Tingzhou.

The attendant, clutching his chest, looked at him in terror, not knowing where he had gone wrong. “Mr. Master.”

Xie Tingzhou waved his hand.

He got the answer he needed, but his heart sank.

The attendant scrambled to his feet and just as he opened the door, someone eavesdropping outside almost stumbled in.

Li Jifeng had heard from the old madam that Xie Tingzhou had come to the Zuiyun Tower, so he called for the attendant.

He couldn’t miss this scene, so he went straight up.

But before he could hear anything, the attendant was chased out again.

“What are you doing here?” Xie Tingzhou asked.

“Naturally, I’m concerned about you,” Li Jifeng dragged a chair closer, saying, “Afraid you might get stuck in your own thoughts. That person in your cell means something special to you, right?”

Li Jifeng chuckled, shaking his folding fan as he sat opposite Xie Tingzhou. “I’m curious too. You’re so picky, what exactly do you like?”

Xie Tingzhou’s thoughts were in disarray.

Seeing him silent, Li Jifeng continued, “In this world, it’s either men or women, and you seem to dislike them all, preferring to spend your days with animals.”

Xie Tingzhou’s gaze turned cold, a single look making Li Jifeng quickly change his tune.

“Please don’t misunderstand, I meant the Cang and Bai Yu. You don’t like either the one that flies in the sky or the one that runs on the ground.”

Xie Tingzhou didn’t respond.

Li Jifeng leaned back in his chair, continuing, “Look at me, as a prince, besides having some talent in literary pursuits, I’m utterly clueless about everything else.”

Xie Tingzhou chuckled at his self-praise. “You excel in the pursuit of pleasure, don’t you.”

Pretending not to hear, Li Jifeng said, “Isn’t seeking pleasure what life is about? You, Xie Tingzhou, as the Crown Prince of Beilin, are two steps higher in status than me, a neglected prince, yet are you living happily?”

Xie Tingzhou stared silently out the window.

For the first time in his life, he asked himself, “Are you happy?” He hadn’t been truly happy for a long time.

He had seen conspiracies, life and death struggles, generals dying on the battlefield, and famine-stricken people unable to feed themselves.

But none of that mattered to him.

He just acted on instinct, whether in warfare or political maneuvering. Neither were what he wanted. He simply feared that if he did nothing, he would decay and rot away in the darkness.

He needed to stand in the sunlight.

Li Jifeng seemed to have realized as well. His previously carefree expression faded, “Actually, I’m not happy either. I also want to stabilize the country, but look at me, those people talk behind my back, saying I’m useless. But they’re right, I am useless, I can’t do anything.”

Li Jifeng’s voice lowered, “Zhang Zhou, do you think I want to spend my days in pleasure and debauchery? But if I’m not useless, my brothers, every one of them would want me dead.”

No threat meant survival.

They were all people in high positions but were not in control of their own lives, none of them were faring well.

“So,” Li Jifeng poured him a cup of tea, “enjoy life while you can.”

Enjoy life, Xie Tingzhou understood, but he couldn’t accept himself like that.

The atmosphere was too heavy, which Li Jifeng couldn’t bear.

After finishing a cup of tea, he reverted to his carefree self, “As the books say, if two hearts are united, what does it matter who the parents are.”

Xie Tingzhou gritted his teeth and looked up, “Have you gone mad from reading?”

Li Jifeng’s gaze was sincere, “You don’t have to feel uncomfortable. I’ve seen that person, don’t worry, you must be the one he’s interested in.”

Touching a nerve, Xie Tingzhou glanced at him and stood up to leave.

Li Jifeng hurriedly chased after him, tossing the cup aside, “Let me tell you, so what if he’s a man… help—”

Seeing Xie Tingzhou draw the dagger from his waist, Li Jifeng ran for his life.

…

Shen Yu had endured beatings before and had been injured, but she hadn’t expected the whip to hurt so much.

Her entire back was burning, only the part where her chest was bound was thicker, offering some protection and reducing her suffering a bit.

Not daring to call for a doctor, Shen Yu could only tend to her wounds herself. Her back was not convenient, so she roughly applied some medicine using a mirror.

Purely hoping that luck favored certain wounds, she applied more medicine there.

Shen Yu gritted her teeth in pain, cursing Xie Tingzhou’s ancestors countless times in her heart.

She drifted off to sleep in agony and woke up parched, feeling weak all over. “Is anyone there?”

She called out, only to realize her throat was incredibly hoarse.

There was no answer from outside the door. She struggled to get out of bed, gulped down a few mouthfuls of cold tea from the kettle, then crawled back onto the bed.

Xie Tingzhou hadn’t left after all, staying overnight at the Zuiyun Tower.

Xi Feng climbed the stairs three steps at a time and saw Chang Liu standing at the door. “Where’s His Highness?”

Chang Liu raised his chin, “He’s inside.”

As Xi Feng passed by, Chang Liu stopped him, whispering, “His Highness isn’t in a good mood today.”

Xi Feng nodded and entered the room, standing silently to the side without speaking.

Xie Tingzhou leaned against the couch, flipping through pages of a book. “What are you standing there for?”

Xi Feng’s expression was serious, “I’m here to inform His Highness that Shi Yu’s punishment has been administered.”

“If it’s done, it’s done. There’s no need to report it to me.” Xie Tingzhou said calmly.

Xi Feng observed Xie Tingzhou’s expression, but there was no change. He simply didn’t turn the pages of the book for a long time.

After a while, Xi Feng, gathering his courage, asked, “I suspended his duty for three days. After that…”

Xi Feng stopped because he saw Xie Tingzhou looking at him.

Xie Tingzhou spoke calmly, “Do you all think I treat him differently?”

The answer was undoubtedly yes, but Xi Feng didn’t dare to answer.

From his silence, Xie Tingzhou already knew the answer.

Turns out, he had long been uncontrollable, and everyone could see it, except him, the one involved.

Xie Tingzhou lowered his gaze back to the book, saying lightly, “He doesn’t need to serve duty anymore. Don’t let him appear in front of me again in the future.”

Xi Feng looked up in shock, then quickly bowed his head, “And how should we handle the Yanliang Pass case after it’s concluded?”

“Let him go, if he wants to leave, let him go. If he wants to stay, find him a job in the capital.”

Xie Tingzhou didn’t even lift his head. After Xi Feng left for a long time, he turned his head to look out the window, “Bring me a jug of wine.”

Feelings arise from unknown reasons, and end without knowing why.

Perhaps not seeing someone, the longing would fade.

One would get used to it eventually, because he had long been accustomed to letting go.