Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince
Chapter 172: Who Has Taken a Fancy to My Fan?

Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Who Has Taken a Fancy to My Fan?

Gu Jingping looked on with mixed emotions as he instructed the butler to pull the senior Madam away and kneel down. He then said to Qi Yu, "I hope the Princess will forgive us."

Qi Yu, rubbing her temples, said, "Get up!"

Wasn’t the scene chaotic enough?

Gu Jingping hurriedly got to his feet, knowing she would not trouble these two further.

Qi Yu asked Gu Jingping to stay at the residence to take good care of the two ladies, while she, along with Zhou Hong and Shi Zhou, headed for the government office.

Knowing the bandits had been eliminated, the city had regained its previous liveliness.

In tea houses and restaurants, many people were discussing the arrest of Gu Songhua.

"This is indeed great news! That corrupt official Gu Songhua has finally been arrested!"

"If you ask me, it’s about time. That scoundrel has caused the deaths of so many people!"

"Last year during the locust plague, so many people petitioned the court, but that official not only ignored them but also arbitrarily shut the city gates, preventing the refugees from entering. Such sin!"

"..."

Qi Yu heard a few comments and silently sighed. It appeared that this Lord Gu truly lacked the people’s support.

However, with such conduct and style, his arrest was indeed warranted.

His official hat was surely removed. Now, it was a matter of whether he could keep his life.

As they walked, Qi Yu asked, "Commander Zhou, what are your thoughts?"

Zhou Hong answered indifferently, "Such a person is not worth sparing."

Qi Yu was not surprised by his words; she had long seen that Zhou Hong, though quiet, was full of a sense of justice.

She then glanced at Shi Zhou, who, holding her sword, responded coldly, "In Tuyun Village, people who fear death like him are subject to a beating."

Qi Yu chuckled lightly, which alleviated some of her heavy mood.

Upon reaching the government office, the constables led them to the prison.

Li Mingjue and Shen Xiheng were standing inside, listening to Gu Songhua pleading his innocence.

"Prince, please spare my life, I really had no other choice!"

Li Mingjue, with his hands behind his back, listened to him finish, then said coldly, "If you had no means to resolve it, why didn’t you report it to the court?"

Gu Songhua was rendered speechless. Shen Xiheng glanced at him with disgust and said, "Lord Gu, in your eyes, are tens of thousands of lives less important than the official hat you wear?"

Hearing his questioning tone, Gu Songhua slumped to the ground, mumbling to himself, "But I really had no way."

"Shut up!" Qi Yu’s anger rose as she stepped forward and glared fiercely at him. "You keep saying you had no way, yet why did you close the city gates and let those people starve to death outside the city!"

"This..." Gu Songhua had no rebuttal.

At that moment, his mind had indeed been clouded with foolish thoughts, leading him to devise such a harmful tactic.

The desperate eyes of those people were vivid in his mind; he stood above them on the city wall, watching them starve to death.

Seeing his cowardly demeanor, Qi Yu was so frustrated she felt like kicking him.

Li Mingjue gently patted her back, calmed her, and ordered that Gu Songhua be locked up in prison, making sure the government officials guard him well.

After leaving the government office, everyone felt low-spirited.

Qi Yu asked, "What do you plan to do with those bandits?"

Li Mingjue answered indifferently, "Let them stay in jail for a few days, then release them."

"But..." Qi Yu hesitated.

What if those men caused trouble again?

Li Mingjue looked at her, a slight smile appearing in his eyes, "Of course, it’s to release the tiger back to the mountain."

Qi Yu raised her eyebrows slightly, "Aren’t you afraid they’ll come back for revenge?"

Li Mingjue chuckled lightly, "I was waiting for them."

Seeing that he had already made plans, Qi Yu did not worry.

After returning to the residence, the group ate their meal and then dispersed.

The next day, Li Mingjue, Shen Xiheng, and Zhou Hong went to the outskirts of the city to inspect the mess left behind by Gu Songhua.

Qi Yu took Shi Zhou to the Gu Residence, where Gu Jingping, with dark circles under his eyes, came out and greeted them with a bitter smile, "Last night, both Madams wailed all night long."

Qi Yu nodded knowingly, no wonder there was no sound now; it seemed they were cried out.

Gu Jingping looked at her hesitantly and asked, "Princess, I don’t know... what will happen to my father?"

Qi Yu shook her head and sighed, "I’m afraid His Majesty will not let him off easily."

Gu Jingping’s expression turned stunned, and after a moment, he slowly replied, "If so... it is what it is."

Qi Yu could not bear to see him like this and patted his shoulder, comforting him, "At this point, the Prince will try his best to protect your family."

Gu Jingping, with his head down and feeling dejected, said, "Thank you, Princess."

Qi Yu knew nothing she said now would make a difference, only time would allow him to understand.

After a few more words of comfort, she left.

Upon leaving the Gu Residence, Qi Yu thought of her maternal family living nearby. Since there wasn’t much going on, she and Shi Zhou got into a carriage and headed towards West Gusu.

West Gusu City also had a Suiyu Pavilion. Qi Yu alighted from the carriage, looked at the familiar sign, and laughed to Shi Zhou, "Although my grandfather has given me the Suiyu Pavilion in the capital city, I have seldom visited it."

Shi Zhou looked around at the room full of gold and silver jewelry and exclaimed, "I didn’t expect that the Princess is such a wealthy person."

Qi Yu winked at her, "Naturally."

As the two walked inside, the proprietor, seeing their simple clothes but lovely faces and extraordinary demeanors, greeted them with a smile, "May I know what the distinguished guests would like to pawn today?"

"Pawn?" Shi Zhou asked.

The proprietor was taken aback for a moment, as Suiyu Pavilion was renowned worldwide, and everyone knew it was a pawnshop.

However, Shi Zhou rarely left the mountain and naturally had never heard of it.

Qi Yu smiled, "Proprietor, we are not here to pawn anything. Is Elder Gu here?"

Upon hearing this, the proprietor became somewhat cautious, "May I ask what business the lady has with our Elder Gu?"

Qi Yu took off the Jade Pendant at her waist and handed it to him, "Take this to Elder Gu, he will know."

The proprietor looked skeptical, but the Jade Pendant indeed did not look ordinary.

He let a servant watch the shop while he went to the backyard to find Elder Gu.

Qi Yu pointed to the jewelry in the room and said to Shi Zhou, "If there’s anything you like, just tell me."

Shi Zhou did not stand on ceremony and pointed to a piece of Blood Jade in the store, "This one."

Qi Yu knew what she was thinking and laughed, "I think Mr. Shen would not fancy it."

Shi Zhou frowned and asked, "Why?"

The piece of Blood Jade seemed to be an extremely rare treasure, valuable beyond measure.

Qi Yu scanned the store and eventually picked up a fan, telling Shi Zhou, "Mr. Shen doesn’t lack such exotic items, and I’ve never seen him wear any Jade, which I suppose he finds too vulgar."

Shi Zhou humbly accepted the lesson, unfolded the fan, and seeing the delicate landscape painting and magnificent poetry on it, nodded and said, "Indeed, it’s quite nice."

Qi Yu pointed to the name below the poem and whispered to her, "This is a true piece by a scholar from the previous dynasty. Mr. Shen often recites his poetry; considering it, this is not cheaper than the piece of Blood Jade and is one of a kind."

Shi Zhou’s eyes lit up, and she clutched the fan tightly in her hand.

Qi Yu generously told the servant, "Wrap up this fan."

The servant looked troubled, "Miss, you may not know, but this is our young master’s favorite fan; he does not easily part with it but keeps it here for display."

As he spoke, a strikingly handsome figure suddenly walked into the shop and smiled at the two, "Who is interested in my fan?"