The study was dimly lit.
The candle on Shen Yao's desk had burned low, its flame flickering in the still air.
He sat in the dark, his gaze fixed on the dying light, his mind still turning over the events of the night.
He knew it was a scheme. Of course it was. And he recognized the young man at the center of it—the one who had bullied a child in the tea shop that day.
The name eluded him, but the face was clear.
Ling, he thought.
The surname was Ling.
He remembered Xi Shu mentioning it once, but he couldn't recall the full name. He sat in the dark for a while, his thoughts circling, until he sat up straighter.
That young man —the one I helped at the tea shop.
He recalled a face from a few minutes ago.
Wei Lin. At least, that's what Xi Shu called him.
He was the same one saw with Shen Miao tonight.
He sighed.
It had been a long night.
He rose from his desk and walked to the window.
"Yu Xie."
A shadow stirred behind him. Yu Xie dropped from the ceiling, landing on one knee, his head bowed.
"Young Master."
Shen Yao turned to face him.
As if remembering something important he frowned slightly looking at him.
"During the banquet, where did you go?"
"Why wasn't I able to feel your presence?"
Now that everything had quieted down, he finally noticed that since he had stepped into the banquet, he couldn't feel Yu Xie's presence
He frowned slightly directing his gaze full of inquiry at the man kneeling in front of him
But Yu Xie remained silent, his head still bowed. He was not surprised to have been found out, but he was not going to explain himself. They would meet eventually.
Shen Yao studied him for a long moment.
The candle flickered. The wax pooled at its base.
Finally, Shen Yao sighed accepting that he wouldn't get anything out of him. At least not yet.
"What did you find out?" he said heading behind his desk and taking his seat.
Yu Xie nodded
"After the banquet, one of the maids was seen sneaking out of the princess's mansion"
Shen Yao frowned "Where's she now?"
Yu Xie bowed his head lower "She was recaptured by the guards of the princess's mansion"
"Before they could question her, she reportedly swallowed poison."
"Does the princess know of this?"
"She should"
The study fell into silence again
"Alright then"
"I need you to investigate. The Ling family. The second branch. Everyone who attended the banquet tonight. Whether ally or foe" He paused. "Especially the sixth prince and the crown prince. I need to know if they were involved."
Yu Xie's gaze flickered briefly. Something close to acknowledgment.
Shen Yao rubbed his brow, the exhaustion finally catching up with him.
"You may leave"
Yu Xie nodded then blended back into the shadows in the room.
Shen Yao glanced at the letters scattered across his desk.
Even after crossing into another world, somehow work had followed him.
He almost laughed.
Apparently even transmigration comes with overtime.
Though a bit of coffee would have helped.
Already exhausted, he groaned softly and moved toward the door.
Reached out and extinguished the remaining candles, one by one, until the study was dark.
He had only recently entered this world, yet somehow it already felt warmer than the coldness he had known in the modern world.
He headed to his own courtyard for the night.