Chapter Forty-Eight: A Good Deed to the End

“Is that legend of the Moonlight Goddess true?”

“Big sister, I actually stole that story from the internet.”

“The internet? Is that a faraway place?”

Zhao Yu was nearly sweating from Li Shishi’s persistent questioning. Wasn’t this woman in her twenties? Why did she act like such a curious child? Besides, didn’t she realize how dangerous it was to be here with him? How could she have the mind for idle chatter? Better to get straight to the point and ask why she came.

“Well, just think of it as something I borrowed from somewhere else! It’s only a legend, nothing to take seriously.”

Li Shishi let out a soft sigh and murmured, “It’s the most tragic and beautiful tale I’ve ever heard.”

She then laughed. “You needn’t be so afraid. No one knows I’m here. I came today only to warn you: there are those who want to send you out of the capital. The Emperor himself repeatedly asked if you’d ever been to see me. The court is a perilous place, and you are still so young. You must be careful. With your status and talent, one day you could shine brilliantly—just don’t draw too much attention for now.”

Li Shishi’s expression was as changeable as the weather. One moment, she looked full of self-pity and sorrow; the next, she was all smiles, even lecturing Zhao Yu.

But her words struck a chord in Zhao Yu’s heart. Clearly, someone was in a hurry to see him gone. Even the Emperor, his so-called father, seemed tempted by the idea; otherwise, he wouldn’t have let something slip in front of his old flame. On the other hand, wasn’t this exactly what Zhao Yu wanted?

With that in mind, he bowed deeply to Li Shishi. “Your advice is as precious as gold and jade. I will remember it, and one day, I will repay your kindness.”

A woman’s heart is unfathomable. In truth, Li Shishi herself couldn’t say what had brought her to Zhao Yu. Perhaps it was the sorrowful legend that moved her, or perhaps she sensed that this young prince understood her loneliness and helplessness.

With a hint of curiosity, she asked, “I nearly forgot—why did you seek me out the other day?”

“I had hoped to invite His Majesty to watch the football finals on his birthday. But now…”

At this, Zhao Yu himself felt a pang of disappointment. Even if he didn’t truly accept Emperor Huizong as his father, this body was still the man’s son. Sometimes, he couldn’t help but wish to show a bit of filial piety. Yet it seemed that his warmth would only be met with coldness.

Li Shishi nodded. “I understand. I see you have other guests, so I’ll take my leave.”

If there weren’t other guests, would she have stayed longer? The thought struck Zhao Yu, and he suddenly said, “Let me have someone escort you, sister.”

Brother Yi, though I don’t know when you and Sister Shishi became close, I’ll help you out this time. How far things go will depend on your own efforts…

With that in mind, Zhao Yu summoned Yan Qing to escort Li Shishi out the back gate.

Yan Qing was quite puzzled. Though it wasn’t his first time in the capital and he wouldn’t get lost, this seemed a matter of the prince’s private affairs—surely not something an outsider like himself should handle? Still, he obeyed and saw Li Shishi out.

Zhao Yu’s plan was well-intentioned, but he forgot one thing: a woman comes to see him, they spend a considerable time alone in the back, and when they emerge, the sweat on Zhao Yu’s brow—scared out of him by Li Shishi—hasn’t even dried. How could people not start speculating?

Oblivious to all this, Zhao Yu returned to the main hall and joined Lu Junyi and Lu Zhishen in their drinking contest.

This was the liveliest drinking session Zhao Yu had ever attended. Lin Chong, responsible for Zhao Yu’s safety, drank only in moderation. Yan Qing, upon his return, sipped sparingly. But Lu Zhishen had no such reservations: he and Lu Junyi would drink until they were in high spirits, then step outside to spar, come back in to drink, and then fight again…

Lu Junyi, too, was exhilarated; it had been a long time since he’d felt so spirited, especially in the company of a prince whose character matched his own. He accepted all of Lu Zhishen’s challenges with gusto.

In the end, Zhao Yu couldn’t keep up and left them to it, allowing the maids to help him back to rest.

It was already midnight. Though the people of Bianliang were not early sleepers, the prince’s residence was quiet, save for the main hall where Lu Zhishen and Lu Junyi still bellowed over their wine.

At that moment, a shadowy figure crept to the back courtyard’s corner gate. After making sure no one was around, the figure quietly opened the gate and slipped out…

Zhao Yu had a habit of rising early—no matter how much he drank, he always managed to get up. The maids knew this well; as soon as he got out of bed, they brought wash water and hangover soup.

“Your Highness, Commander Lin has been waiting for some time. Would you like to see him now?”

The maid who spoke was Xiuxiu, gentle and charming, hand-picked by Empress Zheng herself to serve Zhao Yu.

It was awfully early. On second thought, Lin Chong was also an early riser, but he surely wouldn’t come to see Zhao Yu at such an hour.

Rubbing his face, Zhao Yu hurried out and found Lin Chong standing at the steps, looking grave.

“What’s happened?”

“We’ve caught the man, Your Highness. Would you like to see him?”

Zhao Yu was momentarily stunned, then understood: Lin Chong must have uncovered the spy hidden within the residence. This had been brewing for some days; it was about time for a result.

“Any confession yet?”

“Forgive me, Your Highness. The contact was extremely resolute—when discovered, he took his own life. We only managed to bring back the guard, Chen San.”

Zhao Yu frowned at Lin Chong’s words. What was this? He wanted the person behind the scenes, not just a pawn.

“Take care of it. Have Mr. Yang see me as soon as he returns.”

“Understood. I’ll handle it right away.”

Lin Chong also felt ashamed. He was good at fighting, but such delicate matters were not his strong suit.

Yang Xu, under Zhao Yu’s orders, was busy setting up the courier agency and hadn’t been to the prince’s residence in days.

Of the two plans Zhao Yu and Yang Xu had devised, the football league was to raise funds, while the courier agency was for gathering intelligence.

As a young man from the twenty-first century, Zhao Yu understood better than anyone the importance of information.

Unconsciously, he wandered to the guest rooms in the next courtyard and found Yan Qing already awake, limbering up in the yard. Seeing Zhao Yu approach, Yan Qing hurried to bow.

“Greetings, Your Highness!”

“Brother Yi, did you sleep well last night?”

In truth, Zhao Yu wanted to ask if Yan Qing and Li Shishi had taken a liking to each other, but he’d been too busy drinking to inquire.

“Thank you, Your Highness, for your concern.”

“Yesterday… Brother Yi, you must be wondering why I invited you and your master to my residence?”

Fate decides things between a man and a woman, and now was hardly the time for such questions. Zhao Yu changed the subject.

Yan Qing truly couldn’t figure out why Zhao Yu had invited him and his master, but as a mere retainer, how could he dare ask?

Meeting Yan Qing’s puzzled gaze, Zhao Yu grew solemn and said earnestly, “I hope that you and Master Lu will stay and help me…”