Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince
Chapter 168: The Gu Family is Full of Eccentrics

Chapter 168: Chapter 168: The Gu Family is Full of Eccentrics

Shi Fuyou looked over the secret letter with a rather solemn expression and spoke to Zhou Ruhai only after a long while, "Only a few years of peace have passed, and some have already forgotten how brutal the war was back then."

"United long we must divide, and divided long we must unite. It’s the natural trend of the world, it’s just that the actions in the capital city are somewhat too hasty."

"Since it has come, then let it be. Inform the Hidden Guard to be on alert."

"Yes." Zhou Ruhai complied and left to carry out his orders.

Once he left, Shi Fuyou’s tense expression relaxed slightly. After closing the door, he turned a vase on the table, and the originally solid wall thunderously cracked open, slowly retracting to both sides.

The next day, Shi Zhou left just like that, truly leaving behind a letter, shouldering his pack, and secretly descending the mountain.

By the time Shi Fuyou learned of this, Shi Zhou was already nearly at Ping’an Town.

"Summon someone!" Shi Fuyou shouted, and four or five guards rushed in from outside the door.

Shi Fuyou said to Gu Qi, "You take a few men to Gusu and bring the young lady back!"

Gu Qi, following orders, took his men and departed.

They galloped all the way and arrived at Ping’an Town just as the last boat of the morning had departed.

Shi Zhou, standing by the boat, waved at them, smiling brazenly.

After provoking Gu Qi, she embraced her sword, entered the cabin, and lay down on the narrow bed to rest.

Her eyes closed, yet her mind was full of Shen Xiheng’s face.

Shi Zhou clutched at her chest, her brow slightly furrowed.

Noon had just passed when Qi Yu stretched lazily.

She had accompanied Li Mingjue to the Gu Residence earlier that day and felt utterly exhausted.

Apart from Gu Jingping, there were hardly a few normal people in the Gu Residence in total.

That official, Gu, was still alright, handling things with care and propriety, and could be considered to have a sense of when to advance or retreat.

But he was somewhat too timid, turning pale at the mention of the recent bandits’ raids. Those unaware would think the bandits had done something to him.

As for his two Madams, one was falsely compassionate, the other was tricky and harsh. From the moment they entered, they constantly ridiculed each other.

It seemed as though they feared others wouldn’t notice their poor relations.

It was hard to understand how Gu Jingping grew up unscathed in such an environment.

Gu Jingping had a younger brother, Gu Sheng, born of the tricky and harsh second Madam, a five-year-old who was extremely mischievous, the sort who would climb onto the roof if not spanked for three days.

Gu Sheng’s noise gave Qi Yu a headache, and after sitting awhile, she began to miss Qi Mu and Qi Yun in the distant capital city.

She wondered how they were doing now.

Seeing her ignore him, Gu Sheng pouted his lips, hugged her leg, and began to cry loudly, startling Qi Yu.

Enduring her irritation, she pried off the little "devil’s claws" and threatened in his ear, "If you dare wipe your snot on me, I’ll sell you off!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Sheng immediately let go of her hand, no longer daring to approach her.

The second Madam, holding Gu Sheng, showed no apology in her expression, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Our Sheng is just born out of wedlock, naturally he doesn’t catch the fancy of nobles."

Qi Yu almost couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes.

Like mother like child indeed.

Being utterly annoyed by these women, she found an excuse and went to the front hall to find Li Mingjue.

They were discussing the matter of the bandits.

After listening for a while, Qi Yu felt that compared to the former Heifeng Village, these were far inferior.

However, the matter of the bandits was also odd. Nobody knew from which mountain these bandits had descended.

Upon arriving in the city, they seldom did anything more harmful to the population than occasionally robbing the rich to help the poor.

Gu Songhua mentioned them with such hatred that his teeth itched, and he grimly said, "Prince and Princess are unaware, those bandits come to the city every few days, putting everyone on edge."

Qi Yu slightly raised her eyebrows and asked, "Since the bandits are few in number and not organized, why doesn’t Mister Gu let the arrest officers capture them?"

Gu Songhua was taken aback and responded, "Those bandits are extremely vicious, and with just over ten constables in the government office, how could they possibly capture them?"

After hearing this, Qi Yu did not speak.

She always felt there was something off about this Mister Gu.

Li Mingjue reassured him with a few words and then left the Gu Residence.

Gu Jingping accompanied them to the government office to consult the County Magistrate and constables for a clear understanding of the situation.

Shen Xiheng’s injury on his back had healed, but he looked spiritless.

Gu Jingping wanted to bring a doctor to see him, but Qi Yu stopped him, "Mister Gu need not worry, Mister Shen has a malady of the heart that requires treatment of the heart."

He had no choice but to drop the matter, and he looked at the dispirited Shen Xiheng strangely, finding him completely different from the gentle and cheerful Mister Shen he remembered.

Upon reaching the government office, Qi Yu saw these constables, all frail-looking, and furrowed her brow.

They looked so weak and sickly, hardly resembling constables at all; let alone repelling bandits, keeping their own lives safe would be good enough.

Gu Jingping touched his nose, somewhat embarrassed, "In recent years, the city has been quite peaceful, and the constables have neglected their training, so they don’t appear as robust as before."

A muscle in Qi Yu’s forehead twitched, feeling she must have been mistaken earlier; this entire Gu family was so peculiar!

Li Mingjue did not mind this, and he instructed the head clerk to review important cases from the past two years in Gusu City.

After listening, he was silently contemplative.

There was nothing unusual, maybe he was overthinking?

But bandits do not appear out of nowhere; there must be a reason.

Shen Xiheng, who had inspected Jiangnan a few months ago, was more familiar with the situation here than the others. After listening quietly, he added, "When I was in Gusu a few months back, there were no signs of bandits causing trouble."

The head clerk, not accustomed to encountering so many important figures from the capital city, spoke tremulously, "Mister Shen is right; the issue with the bandits has only arisen in these recent months."

After asking some more questions, the group left the government office.

They were now staying in a residence to the east of the city without revealing their identities loudly; blending in with the pedestrians on the street, nothing about them stood out.

Qi Yu, accustomed to dressing as a man, wore women’s clothes today because of the visit to the Gu Residence, feeling utterly constricted and uncomfortable.

She and Li Mingjue walked ahead, Shen Xiheng closely following by their side, with Zhou Hong and Gu Jingping behind them.

Three Hidden Guards accompanied them as well.

Usually, having so many people nearby would be reassuring.

But a vague unease grew within Qi Yu. Her clear eyes occasionally glanced over the lively scenes inside the city, while her hand, concealed within her sleeve, quietly grasped Li Mingjue’s wrist.

"What’s wrong?" Li Mingjue, sensing her action, asked as he looked down.

Qi Yu slowed her pace and spoke in a soft voice, "Don’t you find it strange?"

Her unease grew increasingly strong.

Li Mingjue clasped her hand in return, sensing her anxiety. His brow subtly furrowed, and he suddenly stopped.

"Shiqi!" Suddenly, several arrows flew towards them; he shouted and shielded Qi Yu.

Shiqi drew his sword swiftly, blocking the vicious arrows for him.

The moment the arrows fell to the ground, the previously peaceful and joyous scene vanished entirely. The vendors, who seconds before had been haggling with customers, transformed into vicious thugs, each clutching a knife with a sinister gleam in their eyes, slowly encircling them.

In a flash, Qi Yu suddenly remembered, on their way to the government office earlier, the street vendors didn’t look like this.