Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince
Chapter 204: Then Punish Something Else

Chapter 204: Chapter 204: Then Punish Something Else

As the song ended, Cai Yun slowly stood up and curtsied.

Below the stage, a group of wealthy young masters clapped enthusiastically, some incessantly throwing Silver and gold onto the stage.

It was the utmost extravagance.

Lin Wenxuan was among them, wishing he could give his entire fortune to the beauty.

The madam watched the scene with uncontainable joy; she knew that Cai Yun was a money tree that would fetch a handsome price.

The faces of the other ladies, however, were not so pleasant to look at. Before Cai Yun appeared, they could enjoy the thrill of being held in high regard for a while, but as soon as Cai Yun came out, they were mercilessly discarded.

Qi Yu observed everyone’s expressions and couldn’t help but find it amusing.

Zhou Lanting still shook his head in disgust, "This is too ludicrous."

To think that for the sake of a courtesan, they would forget all the saintly books they had read over the years and make such a fool of themselves was a complete loss of face for all the literati in the world.

Qi Yu watched him with amusement but said nothing.

She had seen even more ludicrous scenes; compared to the grand personalities of the capital city, this was but a case of the lesser meeting the greater.

Cai Yun leisurely descended from the stage, approaching the madam, who was too busy counting money to keep up, and said, "Madam, today I’d like to invite a gentleman to enjoy the flowers in the backyard."

The madam paused, "Which gentleman has caught your eye?"

On usual days, Cai Yun never took the initiative to mention accompanying guests; it was mainly out of consideration for her own dignity that she reluctantly engaged in activities like playing music or boating.

This was a first.

Her words made all those generous young masters who threw treasures her way rub their hands in eager anticipation, each one believing himself to be the chosen one.

But Cai Yun did not spare them a glance, heading straight towards a corner of the room.

The crowd was taken aback, craning their necks to see who this lucky person was to have garnered Cai Yun’s favor.

Could this person have extraordinary abilities?

In the entire room, only Qi Yu and Zhou Lanting remained unmoved; they didn’t think that such "good fortune" would fall upon them.

They neither contributed money nor sat in a prominent location, so getting noticed would have been surprising.

Qi Yu sipped her tea with a calm expression. Besides the pot of tea in front of her, she didn’t touch any other snacks or wine; who knew if they had been tampered with.

But soon, as she saw the person who approached her, she was completely dumbfounded.

Zhou Lanting’s astonishment was no less than hers.

The two looked at each other, while Cai Yun, with a shy and timid look, glanced at Qi Yu, "Would the gentleman be willing to join me in admiring the flowers?"

Her voice was soft and timid, melting the hearts of those who heard it.

But Qi Yu was not among these people; she just felt her scalp tingle.

Who could tell her why she was always the subject of such bizarre romantic encounters?

Lin Wenxuan was one thing, after all, he was a man, but what was the deal with Cai Yun?

Although the two had met before, it had been such a long time since then, she would hardly remember such a person had she not visited Manchun Building today.

She rubbed her forehead silently for a while, then spoke to an eagerly anticipating Cai Yun in a dry tone, "I’m terribly sorry, but you should find someone else."

Zhou Lanting also found it incredible, but he quickly figured it out.

In this circle, who was the fairest of them all if not the person by his side?

He glanced at Qi Yu, his eyes twitching.

If the Prince found out about this, he didn’t dare to imagine which of the two of them would suffer a worse fate.

However, he figured that the Prince probably wouldn’t lay a hand on the Princess; in the end, he was most likely the only one who would bear the brunt of misfortune.

Cai Yun had taken notice of the person sitting in the corner since their last encounter in Manchun Building, unable to forget that face ever since.

The person was elusive, and after a long period of eager anticipation, she had finally managed to wait for him to appear.

The song "Phoenix Seeking Phoenix" I just played, was also for that person to hear.

Throughout, she kept an eye on the corner, seeing that he was only quietly drinking tea, not looking up even once, which made her heart sour.

It took a lot of courage for her to approach him, only to be rejected in the end.

Cai Yun looked down sadly while Qi Yu felt completely numb.

She hadn’t done anything, so why did she feel like she was the scum of the earth?

The situation grew awkward for a moment, when the madame quickly came out to smooth things over, "Perhaps the young master is preoccupied with other matters, let us meet another time."

Cai Yun timidly raised her head, glancing at Qi Yu.

Qi Yu quickly gestured with her hands, wishing she could just slip into another space.

She had come to enjoy Lin Wenxuan’s misfortune, how did she end up getting involved herself?

Luckily, she was far enough away that Lin Wenxuan, who had passed out from drunkenness, did not notice her.

But those young nobles couldn’t stand to see a beauty with such a sorrowful expression and glared at her with dissatisfaction.

Qi Yu never expected that she would attract such romantic troubles; it was truly a misery she couldn’t voice out loud.

And she couldn’t just tell everyone in front of her that she was actually a woman.

Otherwise, not only would she face condemnation, but she might also be beaten and thrown out.

In the midst of this standoff, a dark figure suddenly walked through the door, emitting a pressure that weighed heavily on everyone.

Everyone was captivated by his handsome features. Qi Yu lowered her head, breathing a sigh of relief. But she saw Zhou Lanting, looking green, tell her, "Princess, the Prince has arrived."

"What?" Qi Yu hurriedly looked up. When her eyes met Li Mingjue’s frosty gaze, she felt a shudder through her body.

This time, she was truly done for.

She cursed Shiqi in her heart several times before forcing a smile, drawing closer, and softly saying, "Prince, what brings you here?"

Li Mingjue’s face was cold as he glared at her, "What did you promise me?"

Knowing she was in the wrong, Qi Yu quickly catered to him, "No, it’s not what you think, I came here for rightful business."

The two’s intimate gestures also drew curious glances from others.

Cai Yun suddenly felt a surge of crisis, stepping forward to ask Qi Yu, "Young master, is it that I’m not good enough?"

Qi Yu almost wanted to kneel to her, thinking now was not the time to create more chaos!

Sure enough, Li Mingjue scoffed, his gaze towards Cai Yun chilling to the extreme.

Qi Yu’s mind swiftly found an idea.

Holding onto Li Mingjue’s arm, she faced Cai Yun with total seriousness, "Miss Cai Yun, as you can see, I am ’cut sleeve,’ I like men."

Cai Yun’s pupils trembled, unable to believe what she had just heard.

Feeling somewhat guilty, Qi Yu coughed before finishing her thought, "So, it’s not that you’re not good enough, it’s just that we’re not suitable for each other."

After saying this, she tugged at Li Mingjue’s sleeve and quickly left this place of trouble.

Zhou Lanting, left behind, heaved a sigh of relief as if he had survived a great catastrophe, and couldn’t help but think to himself that it was quite the spectacle indeed.

Before leaving, he approached the unconscious Lin Wenxuan and, making sure no one was paying attention, kicked him hard in the groin.

When he returned to his residence, Qi Yu was being punished in the study room, copying out the Heart Sutra. She had only written a few characters when she looked up at Li Mingjue, who was looking on with indifference, and pleaded with her hands pressed together, "Prince, I know I’m wrong, I won’t ever go to such a place again!"

Such a thick book, when would she be able to finish copying it?

Li Mingjue put down the book he was holding, turned back, and on seeing the few crooked characters on the white paper, his eyelid twitched.

Seeing his expression soften slightly, Qi Yu quickly dropped the pen, moving closer, and continued to beg pitifully, "I truly realize my mistake, please punish me with something else, I really can’t copy anymore!"

At those words, Li Mingjue’s eyes darkened.

With a long arm, he scooped her up and strode towards the door. In Qi Yu’s panicked expression, he said ambiguously, "Well then, we’ll punish you differently."