Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince
Chapter 196: I Need Your Help With Something

Chapter 196: Chapter 196: I Need Your Help With Something

Qi Yu raised her eyebrows, "Why?"

Zhou Lanting somewhat embarrassingly lowered his head, no longer sporting the unruly demeanor from before, abjectly humble to the extreme: "I have known Gu Jingping since childhood. When we met a few days ago, Brother Gu was drunk and spoke of many incidents concerning the Princess. I figured the Princess, being so kind-hearted, would surely help me."

Qi Yu nodded understandingly.

It was indeed Gu Jingping, that loudspeaker.

Seeing her expression soften, Zhou Lanting seized the opportunity and pursued further, "Princess, that young Miss from the Su Family is my cousin. I am well aware of her personality; she would certainly not be the type to run away from marriage. Thus, I believe she might have been hidden away by someone or might have met with harm."

Qi Yu knit her brows slightly, not expecting that this marriage elopement indeed involved other hidden affairs.

She pressed her brows and asked, "If that’s the case, why haven’t the Su Family members gone looking for her?"

Losing a daughter, wouldn’t they be frantic?

Yet in recent days, the affairs in the government office had been handled by Zhou Hong and Shen Xiheng, with both reporting daily to Li Mingjue. If the Su Family had really gone to the authorities, it was impossible for them not to know.

Upon hearing her words, Zhou Lanting cracked a wry smile, "The Princess is unaware, but my uncle and aunt care greatly about face and felt that a marriage escape would damage their reputation, so they publicly claimed not to have such a daughter. They neither sent people out to seek her, nor reported it to the authorities. I too considered going to the officials, but I also feared enraging my uncle and aunt. If the matter escalated, who knows what else might be said, hence I could only resort to this strategy."

He spoke obscurely, but Qi Yu understood clearly.

If he acted recklessly and stirred up a major commotion, not only would it displease the Su Family, but it also affected the reputation of Miss Su.

Men and women are naturally distinguished, and he and the young Miss Su also shared a cousin relationship. If some gossipmongers spread rumors, saying Miss Su fled from the marriage because of him, then both of their reputations would be ruined.

Therefore, Zhou Lanting, deeply troubled, turned to her for help in finding the young Miss from the Su Family after hearing about her from Gu Jingping’s mouth.

To amplify the impact of this matter, he had also gone to great lengths, not only disguising himself as a storyteller, but also concocting the story with a mix of truth and fiction, and spreading it around the city each day.

Moreover, upon seeing her enter this teahouse today, he orchestrated this scene, attracting her attention, and then logically presented his own request.

It was indeed calculating to the extreme.

Qi Yu sighed, "Well then, it still involves a human life; I cannot ignore it."

Zhou Lanting’s face showed a look of joy as he continuously thanked her, bowing his hands.

Qi Yu interrupted his gesture, "This matter requires careful deliberation; we must not startle the snake by hitting the grass."

Zhou Lanting was puzzled, "Startle the snake by hitting the grass?"

Qi Yu gave him a look and explained, "According to what you’ve said, if Miss Su didn’t run away but was taken and confined instead, then the person who did it so stealthily must be someone with an extremely close relationship to her."

Zhou Lanting’s face showed shock, "Could it be my uncle and aunt?"

Qi Yu glanced at him dismissively, "What are you thinking? If your uncle and aunt are such face-conscious people, how could they hide someone and thus confirm her guilt of fleeing the marriage?"

Zhou Lanting nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.

Qi Yu continued, "If it wasn’t the Su Family, then the Lin Family is very much suspect."

At that moment, her eyes narrowed slightly, her hands propped on the window sill, her gaze falling on the Lin Family pastry shop opposite the Suxiuji embroidery studio.

Zhou Lanting followed her train of thought and, after some contemplation, broke out in a cold sweat, incredulous, "Why would the Lin Family do such a thing?"

Seeing him utterly bewildered, Qi Yu silently shook her head.

"You should go back for now. Come to my residence at noon tomorrow, and I will explain further to you."

Zhou Lanting, with a blank expression, nodded and left with his folding fan in hand.

Qi Yu left the tea shop, took a few steps forward, and made a round through the Suxiuji embroidery studio and the Lin Family’s pastry shop.

Suji sold exquisite embroidery and silk fabrics, which felt very good to the touch; Qi Yu caressed them twice, seemingly unable to bear parting with them.

Several maids with delicate features stood in the shop, and upon seeing the young master with an aristocratic bearing, they all shyly lowered their heads.

Qi Yu curled her lips into a smile, turned to a maid who kept glancing her way, and asked, "How much is this handkerchief selling for?"

The maid, clad in a pink spring shirt, immediately approached, keeping her head low without daring to look at her, whispered, "Two taels of Silver."

Qi Yu nodded with a smile, but thought to herself disparagingly, two taels of Silver for a handkerchief, are they trying to rob me!

She put the handkerchief down, picked up a round fan to look at, and browsed through the store’s offerings. She casually selected a few items and asked the maid to wrap them up for her.

When it came to paying, Qi Yu directly took out a bar of gold, dazzling everyone present.

The maids accompanying other customers looked over with envy, admiring her good looks and generosity, wondering which family’s young master she might be.

Having collected her items, Qi Yu then visited the Lin Family pastry shop across the street.

The goods here were much more affordable; a box of osmanthus cakes cost just a few hundred wen.

She bought one box of every pastry and placed them on the carriage to take back to the estate.

Shi Zhou sat in the carriage surrounded by various pastries, helplessly holding his forehead, "There really was no need to buy so much."

Holding the pastries contentedly, Qi Yu said, "There is a need; there are many people in the estate, and the maids can have some too."

Shi Zhou knew she liked to eat all kinds of pastries, yet she had a small appetite and could only taste a little of each kind.

In the end, others would benefit from the majority of her purchases.

Indeed, upon returning to the estate, Qi Yu tasted a few and, finding them mediocre, distributed them among the maids.

Seeing her sipping tea calmly, Shi Zhou couldn’t help asking, "How do you plan to find the Su Family’s young lady?"

The young lady from the Su Family had been missing for over a month, and it wouldn’t be easy to find her.

Qi Yu smiled, "No rush, I suspect the young lady from the Su Family is still in the city."

Shi Zhou looked at her skeptically, "But if she were in the city, how could Zhou Lanting be unable to find her?"

If the search were narrowed down to a single city, the difficulty of finding someone would greatly reduce.

Qi Yu smiled without answering, only saying, "You’ll know in time."

That evening, Qi Yu discussed the matter with Li Mingjue, naturally omitting some details, particularly the treasonous words spoken by Zhou Lanting.

Otherwise, Zhou Lanting’s life might be in danger.

After listening, Li Mingjue asked, "Can you find the person?"

Qi Yu touched her chin, giving an answer, "There’s a very good chance."

At the moment, she already had some ideas, but what the truth of the matter was, she still had to see.

Li Mingjue observed the thoughtful person before him, chuckling as he shook his head.

Qi Yu lay in bed, turning over and over for a while, then poked his shoulder, "Are you asleep?"

Li Mingjue’s eyes remained closed, but he secured her mischievous little hands, his voice husky, "What is it?"

Qi Yu struggled a bit, but finally freed her hands. Dissatisfied, she poked his cheek a few times, indulging herself before she slowly said, "I just remembered, there’s something I need your help with."