Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince
Chapter 175: Are You Not Allowed to Drink the Tea Rewarded by This Princess?

Chapter 175: Chapter 175: Are You Not Allowed to Drink the Tea Rewarded by This Princess?

"Princess Qi Yu, please have some tea," Zhirou said with a smile, holding out a cup of tea to Qi Yu.

Qi Yu scattered a handful of fish feed and did not accept the tea nor did she look at her, letting Zhirou hold the cup aloft.

Shi Zhou, with a sword in her arms, frowned and watched this maid, whose presence was a mystery.

No good deed goes unpunished; either a trickster or a thief, Shi Zhou thought dismissively.

However, she wanted to see how Qi Yu would deal with Mrs. Xie, so she stood by and quietly observed the situation.

Zhirou had only glimpsed Qi Yu briefly at the banquet and was somewhat surprised when she learned she was the Princess.

She could not believe such a beautiful and seemingly young woman had managed to survive in the capital, a place crawling with danger.

But she didn’t regard this ethereal-looking princess highly; what could a lady raised in seclusion possibly know?

When Mrs. Xie asked her to administer the drug, she refused because she did not want to stir up trouble.

However, she could not defy the orders of her mistress and reluctantly proceeded.

In the kitchen, she brewed a cup of aromatic Biluochun Tea, masking the faint scent of the aphrodisiac powder. She steadied her nerves and then brought the tea before Qi Yu.

But unexpectedly, Qi Yu completely ignored her.

Zhirou held the tea for a long time, her hand growing sore.

Yet without a word from the princess, how could a mere maid dare to act otherwise? She had to endure the ache in her hands and stand there, feeling aggrieved.

This scene also piqued the curiosity of many people at the banquet, each of them having business relations with the Gu Family, and clever as could be.

Now, seeing Mrs. Xie’s personal maid serving tea with the princess paying no heed, they understood Qi Yu’s attitude towards Mrs. Xie.

No matter how big the Gu Family’s business was, they were merely merchants, not comparable to the nobles from the capital city.

So, many of the ladies who usually got along well with Mrs. Xie merely watched in silence.

They knew that to trouble Zhirou was to slap Mrs. Xie in the face, yet no one stepped forward to speak for Zhirou.

Of those present, half were there for the spectacle, the other half simply despised Mrs. Xie’s character.

Although Mrs. Xie was somewhat attractive, she was of low birth, and after the death of Mr. Gu’s wife, was merely promoted to a concubine.

On ordinary days, taking advantage of Mr. Gu’s favor, she was often domineering, and many had taken a dislike to her.

Today, seeing Mrs. Xie with a livid face and helpless demeanor, many felt a profound sense of satisfaction.

Indeed, she was just a concubine, yet she really saw herself as the lady of the Gu Family.

While everyone was enjoying the drama, Mrs. Xie was watching from the shadows, waiting for Zhirou to administer the drug and for Qi Yu to make a spectacle of herself, planning to catch her in the act.

This aphrodisiac was potent, and its effects could not be alleviated without intimate contact.

Mrs. Xie had calculated well; not just for a princess, even a common woman caught in flagrante would be severely penalized.

She eagerly awaited the outcome, but Qi Yu had not touched the tea even after a long wait.

Growing impatient, Mrs. Xie walked to the backyard and, in front of everyone, asked angrily, "Does the princess dislike the tea from our house?"

Seeing that the fish had taken the bait, Qi Yu raised her eyebrows slightly, wiped her hands with a cloth, turned around, and said with a smile to Mrs. Xie, "This princess does not have the habit of drinking tea."

Mrs. Xie, failing to realize that she was being mocked, heard this and hurriedly said, "This is freshly picked from a tea farm just outside the suburbs, worth a great deal. Princess, please do me the honor of drinking a cup."

"Oh?" Qi Yu grew interested, took the tea, lifted the lid slightly to let the aroma escape.

Madam Xie was smug inside, thinking she had tricked her, and chuckled, "This tea is fitting only for the Princess to drink; I couldn’t bear to offer it to anyone else."

Her words flattered Qi Yu but offended everyone else.

Some women couldn’t stand her petty behavior and rolled their eyes.

Qi Yu mocked softly to herself, thinking Madam Xie really was talented, offending everyone with just an offhand remark.

It was just a cup of tea, after all. Although the tea smelled nice, it wasn’t close to the worst ones in the Imperial Palace.

What really amused Qi Yu was that the tea had been laced with aphrodisiac powder.

And it was the most potent kind, making her wonder where Madam Xie had gotten such a substance.

She covered the tea again, her eyes curving into a smile as she looked at Madam Xie and handed her the tea, laughing, "Since this tea is so precious, I shall grant it to you to drink."

Madam Xie’s smile froze as she looked at the tea pushed in front of her, stiffly declining, "Thank you for your kind intention, Princess, but this tea was specially brewed for you. It would be a waste if I drank it."

Qi Yu turned her hand and passed the tea to Zhirou, urging her, "Why not quickly serve the tea to your mistress."

Zhirou hesitated, "Princess, this..."

Qi Yu feigned a frown, displeased, "What? Can you not drink tea bestowed by me?"

Her stern face was quite intimidating, especially to maids who weren’t worldly.

Zhirou knelt hurriedly, lifting the tea above her head, and presented it to Madam Xie with a trembling voice, "Madam... this is bestowed to you by the Princess."

Madam Xie glared at her disapprovingly, raising her hand as if to slap her.

Qi Yu intercepted her, her eyes smiling as she watched her, "What are you doing, concubine?"

Madam Xie tried to pull her hand back, but Qi Yu’s grip was inexplicably strong, and her wrist felt as if it were being crushed, causing her to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.

Qi Yu was using the basic techniques she learned in medical training, knowing exactly which acupoint to press and how to make it most painful.

Seeing Madam Xie’s lips turn white with pain, she finally relaxed her hold and prompted again, "Concubine, you better drink the tea quickly."

Madam Xie shot her a resentful look, but after all, Qi Yu was the Princess and she couldn’t really retaliate.

Qi Yu cheerfully said to Zhirou, "Look, your mistress is so overheated she’s sweating. Why not hurry up and serve her the tea to help cool her down?"

Shi Zhou, who was nearby, saw everything clearly and smirked at Qi Yu’s words.

She realized at that moment that one need not resort to physical fights to conquer someone.

Zhirou tremblingly presented the tea to Madam Xie, "Madam... please enjoy the tea."

Madam Xie’s headache worsened from irritation, but in front of so many people, it wasn’t appropriate to strike or scold this servant.

She definitely couldn’t drink the tea and could only think of a way to get through it.

But before she could devise a plan, Gu Fengmian and Gu Jue, who were supposed to be in the front hall playing chess, were already heading this way.

Gu Jun saw the crowd in the back courtyard and frowned, "What happened?"

Madam Xie’s eyes darted about, and she came up with an idea.

She secretly pinched herself, squeezing out a few tears, and wailed, "My lord, you must stand up for me!"