Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince
Chapter 180 Catch the Assassin

Chapter 180: Chapter 180 Catch the Assassin

The chess piece in her hand suddenly fell to the ground, Qi Yu’s complexion changed, and her tone trembled slightly, "What did you say?"

Gu Jingping also looked somewhat shocked.

The servant pointed in the direction of the door, gasping for breath as he said, "Just now, the Prince was assassinated at the execution ground and had already passed out by the time he was brought back home."

Qi Yu stood up and hurriedly ran towards the front courtyard.

In the room, Shiqi was protecting Li Mingjue as he lay down, his expression anxious. He was about to go and fetch Qi Yu when he saw his Princess already rushing in hurriedly.

He moved his lips and knelt down, saying, "Princess, the Prince, he..."

Qi Yu waved her hand to cut him off. She couldn’t be bothered to listen to his confessions now; saving the person was the priority.

On the bed, Li Mingjue had an arrow inserted into his chest, sweat dripped from his forehead, and his lips had already turned purplish-blue.

Qi Yu quickly checked and fortunately, the arrow had not hit any vital spots.

But the arrow was poisoned, and she dared not take it lightly.

After administering a Qingfeng Pill, she took his pulse to confirm that the poison was under control before she sent everyone else out.

She hastily removed Li Mingjue’s upper garment and took him into a secluded space.

Carefully, she removed the arrow, then non-stop disinfected and bandaged the wound. By the time she was done, it was already evening.

During this time, those waiting outside were extremely anxious.

Shen Xiheng was still relatively calm; he knew Qi Yu’s medical skills were excellent and she would surely save Li Mingjue.

But Zhou Hong tried several times to push the door open and enter, and even after being stopped by Shen Xiheng, he still felt somewhat indignant, "The Prince is gravely injured, and the Princess, being a mere woman, has no medical knowledge, how could she possibly heal the Prince!"

Although he had heard rumors and knew that the Princess of Qi was a person of great virtuous blessing, could mere rumors ensure the Prince’s safety?

Shen Xiheng knew he was more anxious than the others, but still patiently persuaded, "Commander Zhou, do not worry, the Princess surely has a way to heal the Prince."

"How can I not worry!" Zhou Hong sighed heavily, his expression anxiously fixed on that wooden door, as if trying to bore a hole through it.

The Emperor had sent him specifically to protect the Prince, but now, the assassination had happened right under his watch, and the Prince was even wounded by an arrow.

If anything were to happen to Li Mingjue, he wouldn’t want to live either.

Just as he was fretting, the door was opened from inside.

Qi Yu, carrying a strong smell of blood, her white robe stained with spots of blood, stated coldly, "He’s safe now."

Hearing this, Shen Xiheng breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Zhou Hong was not quite convinced and with furrowed brows, he asked, "Princess, may I enter the room to see?"

Qi Yu stepped aside, not stopping him.

The man was already safe, he could look if he wanted to.

Zhou Hong hurried inside and saw the man lying on the bed, pale but with the purplish hue on his lips gone, and the wound well treated. He finally felt relieved.

But he still looked around the empty room dubiously, furnished only with a few pear wood furniture pieces.

With nothing here, how did the Princess treat the Prince’s wound?

Qi Yu, having been busy all afternoon, came out to find a cup of water to drink and saw the doubtful expression on Zhou Hong’s face, realizing he had grown suspicious.

The situation had been urgent before; she hadn’t had time to consider everything.

The others present were all intelligent people who, upon careful thought, would realize there was much hidden information.

But Qi Yu was not worried that they would say anything. Shen Xiheng went without saying, and Shi Zhou and Gu Jingping were not talkative either.

It was just that she couldn’t quite grasp Zhou Hong’s temperament.

After all, he was Li Tianze’s man.

But Zhou Hong did not say anything, only responding indifferently, "Thank you for your effort, Princess."

Qi Yu slightly raised her eyebrows, noting his sense of timing.

She had Shiqi stay in the room, and went to the study with the others.

After sitting down, her expression grew colder, "Has the assassin been captured?"

Zhou Hong bowed his head and knelt down to apologize, "My apologies, Princess. The scene was chaotic at the time, and the assassin escaped."

Qi Yu allowed him to stand, but Zhou Hong refused.

She sighed softly, looking at Shen Xiheng with a somewhat tired expression, "Describe the situation at that time again."

Shen Xiheng, with a good memory, slightly closed his eyes, and recreated the scene, "Just after noon, Gu Songhua was beheaded. Suddenly, a group of assassins rushed out from the crowd, wielding knives and charging onto the stage to assassinate the Prince. Zhou Hong and I resisted fiercely, but the attackers were clearly prepared. Suddenly, several stray arrows flew towards us, hitting the Prince."

"After the Prince was wounded, the attackers retreated. Although we sent a few men to pursue them, the attackers had already found hiding spots, and they vanished within moments."

After hearing the report, Qi Yu tapped her fingertips lightly and asked, "Has the city gate been closed?"

Zhou Hong nodded, answering, "It was closed immediately, and the constables have been searching the city, but they have not found anyone suspicious."

The expressions of everyone in the room grew more somber. Qi Yu instructed Zhou Hong to continue searching the city with his men.

Gu Jingping volunteered eagerly to join, but Zhou Hong stopped him, not wanting to bring someone without martial arts skills.

Shen Xiheng patted his shoulder, then left with Zhou Hong, sword in hand.

Gu Jingping looked dejected, but Qi Yu winked at him, "Don’t worry, I need your help with something."

"What is it?" Gu Jingping was instantly interested.

Qi Yu smiled mysteriously and simply said, "The secrets of heaven cannot be revealed."

She returned to the room to check on Li Mingjue’s condition. His breathing was weak, but the poison within him had been cleared. However, he would need a few days to wake up.

Qi Yu gently stroked his pale cheek, stood up, changed into black clothes, tied her hair neatly, and applied a human skin mask.

The murderer was definitely still in the city. If the person wasn’t found soon, more people would suffer.

She needed to capture the person quickly.

Upon seeing her change her attire, Shiqi knew she was going out and spoke with a worried tone, "Princess, the assassin came ferociously. There might be dangers if you go out now."

Qi Yu glanced at him, and said indifferently, "Take good care of the Prince, otherwise, I will take your life."

Having said that, she left with the disguised Gu Jingping and Shi Zhou.

The three wandered around the city for a while. Gu Jingping, noticing the streets were much quieter than usual, whispered, "Princess, where are we going?"

Qi Yu tapped him with her fan, "I told you not to call me Princess."

Gu Jingping grimaced, bearing the pain, and nodded, "Yes, yes, Young Master."

It was unclear what Qi Yu was planning. Not only had she dressed as a young master, but she had also made him don a servant’s attire.

As Qi Yu walked, she didn’t spot any suspicious individuals on the streets.

If anything, the three of them looked rather suspicious.

She asked Gu Jingping, "Where is the easiest place to hide from the search?"

With the city on high alert, those assassins must have, like them, changed their clothes and found a place to hide.

Gu Jingping thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up, pointing to a small three-story building not far away, "Over there."

Qi Yu and Shi Zhou looked in that direction and saw a signboard hanging, inscribed with the words "Manlouchun."

"What place is this?" Qi Yu raised an eyebrow, sensing it was not a respectable establishment.

Gu Jingping touched his nose, looking somewhat sheepish, and turned away, "It’s... a place where some indulge in pleasures of flowers and willows."