Chapter 49: Strange Things
Xie Tingzhou did not return from the palace until the afternoon.
The palace was decorated with lights and red lanterns were hung everywhere.
The servants walked quietly, for fear of disturbing the master in the mansion.
Xie Tingzhou walked straight into the study, as he had several secret letters from various places to read.
After reading a few letters, Xie Tingzhou lit the candlestick and burned the letters, then suddenly asked, "Where's Shi Yu?"
Xi Feng said: "He has been arranged to stay at Lu Ming Xuan."
Xie Tingzhou raised his eyes and looked.
Xi Feng understood immediately, "I will go find him right away."
A quarter of an hour later, Xifeng came back and said that Chen Yu was not in the courtyard. The gatekeeper at the east gate said that he had gone out early in the morning and had not returned yet.
Xie Tingzhou didn't say anything. He tapped the table with his fingertips and said, "Today is New Year's Eve. Give the kitchen some instructions so that everyone can celebrate the New Year."
Xi Feng asked tentatively: "Which courtyard is it placed in?"
"You guys make your own arrangements." Xie Tingzhou said, lowering his head. "When Shi Yu comes back, ask him to come to my place."
Xifeng understood. The reason why he deliberately asked which courtyard the place was held was to see if Xie Tingzhou would live with them.
The answer he got was within his expectations. Ever since that man died, Xie Tingzhou spent every New Year's Eve alone, and even the prince and princess couldn't call him.
"Yes." Xifeng stepped back.
Chen Yu came back after dark, and as soon as she entered the door she heard Xie Tingzhou looking for her.
She was led all the way to the entrance of Xie Tingzhou's Qingpu Residence. The guard did not go in, but let her go in alone and told her that the study facing the bamboo forest was Xie Tingzhou's study.
The location of the study was easy to spot, and Chen Yu knocked on the door, "Your Highness, it's me, Shi Yu."
"Come in." Xie Tingzhou said calmly.
The stove was lit in the room, and when Shen Yu entered the room, a wave of heat rushed over her.
She discovered that Xie Tingzhou seemed to be afraid of the cold. He liked warm places, whether it was the carriage before or the study now.
"Your Highness, do you want to talk to me about something?" Shen Yu stopped in front of the table.
Xie Tingzhou stared at the book in his hand and asked, "I heard you went out."
"Yes," Chen Yu said honestly, "It's not my turn yet, so I just went out for a walk because I had nothing to do."
"What did you buy?"
"Just everyday stuff, a few everyday clothes, and winter boots."
She spoke in a calm tone and explained everything in detail, which made Xie Tingzhou frown slightly.
In the nearly one month since he came to Beijing, the Shi Yu he knew was not such a well-behaved person. He still remembered the cunning eyes when he teased him in the woodshed of the inn and ended up being teased by him.
“
I have something to tell you." Xie Tingzhou raised his head and was slightly startled when he saw his face.
It seemed that he had not seen such an expression on the face of the young man in front of him for a long time. The last time was when he was keeping vigil for Shen Zhongan.
Seeing that he didn't speak for a long time, Shen Yu asked: "What does Your Highness want to tell me?"
Xie Tingzhou said nothing.
Today in Xuanhui Hall, Xie Tingzhou mentioned a witness, and this witness was Shi Yu.
Liang Jianfang and a group of prisoners have been taken away by the Embroidered Uniform Guards. Now the three judicial departments are busy interrogating Liang Jianfang, but once they review the three urgent reports, they will definitely interrogate Shi Yu.
I originally wanted to discuss this matter with him in detail first, but seeing his current mood, I felt that there was no need to be so anxious.
"There's a banquet in the outer courtyard. You can go and celebrate the New Year with them."
"I've eaten," Chen Yu asked back, "Why isn't Your Highness going?"
Xie Tingzhou suddenly felt inexplicably irritated. He looked away and asked, "You want to meddle in my affairs too?"
Shen Yu pursed her lips and said, "I dare not. If Your Highness has nothing to do, then I will take my leave."
She walked out and looked around before leaving. Except for the study, all other rooms were dark, and she did not see the mysterious Cang that everyone was talking about.
Listening to the door opening and closing, Xie Tingzhou couldn't suppress the irritation in his chest. Instead, it was fueled by the constant address of "Your Highness, your subordinate".
He stood up and walked to the window and opened it. The cold wind seemed to have relieved the discomfort a little, but the irritability still lingered.
"Someone come."
The guard under the eaves responded: "Your Highness."
"He's with his people. Let him in."
When in Ganzhou City, Xie Tingzhou had asked someone to keep a close eye on Shi Yu. After returning last night, Xi Feng asked him whether he should continue to follow him, and his answer was to continue.
It's not that he doesn't trust Shi Yu. At least on the way to Beijing, he has been protecting him all the time. Xie Tingzhou can see that he is harmless to him, otherwise Shi Yu would have hundreds of opportunities to kill him.
The capital is different from the outside world, and Shi Yu is a witness, so the purpose of sending people to follow him is to protect him.
The secret guards following Shi Yu arrived quickly.
Xie Tingzhou asked: "Where did he go today?"
The secret guard said, "First, he stood in front of the Shen Mansion for a while, then he went to the teahouse, and then he visited a few shops after coming out of the teahouse."
The secret guard tried to give a rough outline, and when he saw that Xie Tingzhou did not look impatient, he continued, "Later, he went to an incense and candle shop, bought incense, candles, and paper money, and knelt in front of General Shen's grave for an entire afternoon."
No wonder, Xie Tingzhou understood.
No wonder he had such an expression just now, it turned out he was going to a grave.
Dark Guard
After thinking for a while, he said, "But there is one thing that is quite strange."
Xie Tingzhou: "Speak."
The secret guard said, "Three new graves have been added to the Shen family cemetery. In addition to the graves of the two generals, there is another one that belongs to the eldest daughter of the Shen family, Shen Yu. I later inquired and heard that the eldest daughter of the Shen family often accompanied her father to the border. She was also on the expedition this time and died in battle together."
Xie Tingzhou searched his memory and seemed to have heard the name Chen Yu before, but he couldn't remember where he heard it.
He had just returned from Yanliang Pass, and no one knew better than him what had happened there. Corpses piled up like mountains, many of them trampled beyond recognition by horses' hooves.
Even Shen Zhao's body could not be found. No one at the border had even mentioned Shen Yu, so no one would go out of their way to look for her body.
If this is true, she would be buried in a foreign land at such a young age. Perhaps she was buried on the spot, or perhaps she was burned with the other corpses, leaving no ashes behind.
"Okay, go out, don't keep an eye on him, and go celebrate the New Year too."
Being a secret guard is the hardest job. Xie Tingzhou is considerate of his subordinates. These secret guards all came with him from Beilin.
As soon as the secret guard left, Qingpu Residence became quiet again.
Xie Tingzhou put on his outer robe and walked along the corridor.
The courtyard of Xifeng and Changliu was not far from him. There was a lot of noise and it was very lively. Changliu was a person who loved excitement, so he must have called many guards to join him.
The noise made Xie Tingzhou annoyed. He gradually walked farther and farther away, and when he found out, he was already close to Lumingxuan.
Just as Xie Tingzhou turned around to leave, he heard a door creak open, followed by someone walking towards him.
Those were the footsteps of Shi Yu. Xie Tingzhou didn't know how he recognized them so quickly, but he stood still without moving.
The footsteps stopped, "Huh? Why are you here?"
Xie Tingzhou turned around and said, "Just walk around. Do you live here?"
Chen Yu nodded, "Yes, Xifeng arranged for me to stay at Lumingxuan."
For some reason, Xie Tingzhou felt inexplicably comfortable. He looked at the lantern in his hand and asked, "Where are you going?"
"It's a bit cold in the room. I want to go to the kitchen to find some charcoal." Chen Yu said, "Your Highness, please come back soon."
That strange feeling came again, and Xie Tingzhou suddenly became alert. He seemed to dislike Shi Yu calling him His Highness.
Perhaps he had become accustomed to Shi Yu's weird attitude along the way, and once he called him "Your Highness", he must have done something wrong, and he would think that he was probably planning something sinister.
It must be like this.
Thinking of this, Xie Tingzhou said, "You should be more casual. Calling you Your Highness all the time will make me think that you have done something bad again."
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