Chapter 68

Xie Tingzhou walked out of the grand hall, feeling that the court and the entire Great Zhou dynasty had rotted to the core.

He stood still in place, unsure of how to explain things to her. Such a journey had resulted in such an outcome.

Shen Yu hadn’t slept all night, and Xifeng had been advising her to go back and wait, but she refused, waiting outside Yongning Street.

As the morning officials gradually dispersed, and after a long while, Xie Tingzhou finally appeared at Guanghua Gate.

Xie Tingzhou was always composed, but Shen Yu could tell from his expression that things hadn’t gone well today.

Approaching her, Xie Tingzhou asked, “Why haven’t you gone back?”

“I’m worried,” Shen Yu replied.

Xie Tingzhou nodded. “Get in the carriage and tell me.”

“I handed Liang Jianfang’s confession to Wan Ruixian. He will take the lead in impeaching Ge Liangji, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, for colluding with Liang Jianfang, resulting in our defeat,” Shen Yu said.

Shen Yu watched Xie Tingzhou’s expression closely. “Has something gone wrong?”

Xie Tingzhou looked at her and after a moment, said, “Liang Jianfang is dead.”

“What?” Shen Yu was shocked.

Xie Tingzhou said coldly, “Emperor Tongxu, upon hearing the impeachment, intended to interrogate Liang Jianfang on the spot, but the person sent to fetch him reported that Liang Jianfang had committed suicide out of fear in prison.”

“This is utter nonsense!” Shen Yu exclaimed angrily. “Liang Jianfang was so afraid of death that he committed suicide? Who would believe that?”

“Some do,” Xie Tingzhou frowned slightly. “But most importantly, before his death, he left another confession, completely different from the one he gave you.”

Shen Yu’s mind exploded with this information. “Someone forced him to write the confession, then killed him to make it look like suicide.”

“Two testimonies from the same person, completely contradictory,” Xie Tingzhou said. “Emperor Tongxu is in a bind. He can only detain both sets of people and conduct further investigations.”

Two confessions from the same person, each with opposite content, wouldn’t hold up. It seemed that the confession could no longer be used as evidence, so they would have to find another way.

She left the prison of the Dali Temple, and someone went to kill Liang Jianfang right afterward.

It seemed that someone in the Dali Temple was constantly watching, perhaps even aware of her actions.

Shen Yu pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, “I need to visit the clothing store of the Lu family.”

Seeing Xie Tingzhou staring at her, Shen Yu asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s nothing,” Xie Tingzhou looked away.

But Shen Yu continued to look at him.

Lately, this crown prince seemed a bit off. Previously, he would always argue with her a bit on the road, but recently, he seemed much more composed.

The carriage stopped in front of the clothing store.

Before getting off the carriage, Shen Yu turned back and said, “Your Highness and Xifeng, please go back first. I’ll go back to the Wang Mansion by myself.”

Xie Tingzhou didn’t get off the carriage, watching Shen Yu enter the shop.

Xifeng leaned back and said softly, “He’s no longer avoiding Your Highness. It seems he’s beginning to trust you.”

Xie Tingzhou lifted a corner of the curtain and saw the shopkeeper leading Shi Yu into the inner room.

Shen Yu asked, “Any news about the green medicine?”

The shopkeeper shook his head heavily and went to the table to open a drawer. “But there’s a letter from Hezhou that just arrived this morning.”

Shen Yu nodded and opened the letter while asking, “Any news from the Shen Mansion?”

“This…” The shopkeeper hesitated.

“Speak up.”

“Yes,” the shopkeeper said, “I personally delivered the letter and reminded Miss Second. She said…”

The shopkeeper cautiously continued, “She said that Miss Shen from the Shen family had already died at Yanliang Pass. How could some unknown person dare to impersonate Miss Shen? Perhaps they’re trying to scam money.”

Shen Yu finished reading, her hand holding the letter resting on her knee.

“Do we need to send another letter now?” the shopkeeper tentatively asked.

“No need,” Shen Yu said, “I’ll go find her myself.”

Exiting the shop, Shen Yu was surprised to find that Xie Tingzhou and Xifeng hadn’t left yet. They had parked the carriage on the side to avoid blocking the entrance for customers.

Shen Yu got into the carriage. She was a smart person and wouldn’t ask embarrassing questions.

She couldn’t ask him why he hadn’t left yet and wait for him to say, “I’m waiting for you.”

The carriage moved along the bustling street.

Shen Yu remembered the letter from Hongqiao and asked Xie Tingzhou, “About that batch of supplies, it was said that the supply officer died on the way, and the supplies disappeared. Any news?”

Xie Tingzhou made a sound of acknowledgment. “It’s said that the supplies were raided by mountain bandits within the territory of Qichang Prefecture.”

In recent years, the situation in Great Zhou had worsened. Corrupt officials abounded, and the people suffered. Some households toiled for a year only to find they couldn’t even have enough food after paying their taxes.

The number of refugees increased, and many who couldn’t feed themselves turned to banditry, if only to get a meal.

This had led to a proliferation of bandits within the borders of Great Zhou.

“Which mountain bandit would dare to raid supplies meant for the frontline?” Shen Yu snorted.

“That’s why I said it’s what’s been said,” Xie Tingzhou said calmly. “The court is short on manpower now. There hasn’t even been a clear plan to deal with bandits.”

“Can’t the various regional princes be tasked with dealing with the bandits?”

Xie Tingzhou shook his head. “Emperor Tongxu is suspicious by nature. Would he dare let the regional princes lead troops out of the capital?”

“That’s true.”

As for candidates, there was already one. Xie Tingzhou had only dared to bring two thousand Qingyun Guards with him when he escorted her. He turned back to Northern Lin after fifty miles out of fear of Emperor Tongxu’s scrutiny.

Shen Yu pondered, and suddenly a thought struck her. “Qichang, Qichang.”

“What’s wrong?” Xie Tingzhou asked.

Shen Yu suddenly grabbed his hand, excitedly saying, “The position of Qichang Prefecture! Why were the supplies lost specifically in Qichang?”

Xie Tingzhou didn’t say anything, just staring at the hand grasping his own.

It felt like something gently brushed over his heart.

How could her hand look so small? How could such a small hand wield such a long knife?

He had been looking for too long, and Shen Yu instantly sensed something was wrong, quickly retracting her hand and saying, “Your Highness, I apologize for the offense.”

Seeing her retract her hand, Xie Tingzhou felt a faint sense of disappointment.

“It’s alright.”

Xifeng outside suddenly heard the word “offense” but didn’t understand how Shi Yu had offended His Highness.

“What did you just say?” Xie Tingzhou focused his gaze.

“I remember correctly, Qichang Prefecture’s location is quite special,” Shen Yu said with excitement.

Xie Tingzhou thought for a moment and nodded. “Qichang Prefecture is adjacent to two other fiefdoms, and the other side of the official road leads directly to Shengjing.”

“Yes,” Shen Yu said excitedly. “In such a location, it’s not easy for any of the three sides to mobilize troops. So it has taken a long time to come up with a plan. Where were the supplies dispatched from? Why did they happen to disappear in Qichang Prefecture?”

Xie Tingzhou remained silent for a moment. “This should be referred to the Ministry of Revenue.”

Shen Yu remembered Jiang Lianzhi. This matter was undoubtedly related to the Ministry of Revenue. Did Jiang Lianzhi, as the Deputy Minister of Revenue, have any involvement in it?

Seeing her thoughtful expression, Xie Tingzhou asked, “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking about Jiang Lianzhi,” Shen Yu replied instinctively.

Xie Tingzhou lifted the curtain to glance at her and pursed his lips, turning his head away.

Shen Yu had begun to grasp Xie Tingzhou’s temperament somewhat. It seemed he was not pleased, but she couldn’t figure out why.

Perhaps it was because of the mention of Jiang Lianzhi. Could the two of them be political rivals?

“What I meant was,” Shen Yu reconsidered her words, “He’s the Deputy Minister of Revenue. I’m thinking whether this matter has anything to do with him.”

“No need to explain to me,” Xie Tingzhou said lightly, then leaned against the carriage wall and closed his eyes as if to rest.

Shen Yu looked at his silent face. Why did she suddenly feel like he was sulking?