Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince
Chapter 305: Break Her Legs for Me

Chapter 305: Chapter 305: Break Her Legs for Me

While everyone at the Imperial Hospital was being played for fools by Mo Qingshan, Shi Zhou had already stealthily entered Chen Shi’s room.

Her qinggong was quite good; she made no noise when walking, so on her way over, not even the Imperial Palace’s hidden guards noticed anything unusual about her.

Shi Zhou took a glance at Chen Shi’s room where the furnishings were simple, with only a bed, a writing desk, and a wardrobe.

At first sight, everything in the room was clear at a glance.

Shi Zhou first searched his single-person bed carefully; the beds in the Imperial Hospital were all custom-made, simply a plain wooden plank bed with no place to hide anything.

She then turned her gaze to the writing desk, on which only a set of the Four Treasures of the Study and a few letters lay.

The set of Four Treasures of the Study seemed valuable and was out of place in the room, clearly a gift from some noble, she inferred.

Shi Zhou guessed it must be a gift from the Empress.

She picked up each item from the set of Four Treasures of the Study, carefully examining both the inside and outside. They were delicate but ordinary, with nothing worth investigating.

After putting everything back in its place, she picked up those letters. They seemed to be from Chen Shi’s family, full of caring words, and there was nothing unusual about them.

Yet Shi Zhou still read them carefully and committed the contents to memory.

Finally, there was the only wardrobe in the room that seemed capable of hiding anything. She quietly opened the wardrobe, which contained two sets of clothes, identical to the ones that Chen Shi wore, likely custom-made imperial doctor’s clothes from the palace.

The clothes were neatly arranged, with nothing hidden in the sleeves. Shi Zhou, frowning and unwilling to give up, searched the wardrobe thoroughly once more, leaving no corner unchecked, yet found nothing.

Reluctantly, she closed the wardrobe door and took another look around the shabby room before lightly stepping out.

As she left, she disguised herself as a palace maid who had come to fetch medicine, lowering her head, and walked out meekly yet openly.

In her hand, she carried a bag of medicine she had grabbed at random and returned to Princess De’s quarters.

As she entered, Qi Yu had just waved the nanny away and brightened upon seeing her.

However, Shi Zhou shook her head, "I didn’t find the antidote."

Having said that, she recounted everything she had seen in Chen Shi’s room.

After listening to her story, Qi Yu wore a peculiar expression, "You’re saying there were several family letters on his desk?"

Shi Zhou nodded and relayed the contents of the letters.

Her memory was good; although not word-perfect, she had managed to recall about ninety percent of them.

After she finished, Qi Yu raised an eyebrow with a teasing look, "Some time ago, Prince had someone investigate this Imperial Physician Chen. It was said that he came from a poor background, of common origin, but more importantly, his entire family died out before Chen Shi entered the palace."

"What?" Shi Zhou widened her eyes in shock, a tingling sensation crawling over her scalp.

If Chen Shi had no family left, then those letters on his desk became highly suspicious, even eerie.

It was almost suspicious enough to be the makings of a horror story.

Qi Yu tapped her fingertips on the teacup a few times and smiled, "It seems that this Imperial Physician Chen indeed harbors many secrets."

Shi Zhou furrowed her brows, still immersed in the unsettling feeling that had washed over her upon learning the truth, "Who could be writing to him then?"

Qi Yu took a sip of tea to calm her nerves, then set the cup down and supported her chin, thinking for a while before saying, "Perhaps, it really was his family."

"But didn’t you say that his entire family had perished?" Shi Zhou’s slender eyebrows tightened further.

Seeing her look as if she was facing a formidable enemy, Qi Yu chuckled, "That was merely my speculation. Perhaps the so-called death was just a Blind Eye Technique."

Shi Zhou understood, "You mean to say, the Empress did it?"

With a languid hum, Qi Yu said, "Since the Empress was able to make Chen Shi utterly devoted to her, she must have some sort of leverage."

She had heard earlier that Chen Shi’s family had long since passed away and hadn’t thought much about it.

But with the appearance of these several family letters, the direction of events had become somewhat strange.

More than the Empress using Chen Shi’s family to coerce him, what made her even more curious was why the Empress would seek out Chen Shi in the first place.

In other words, what unusual thing did Chen Shi possess that was worth the Empress taking such a risk, preferring to replace the entire Imperial Hospital just to bring someone powerless into the Imperial Palace?

What exactly was she scheming, or rather, what was she trying to conceal?

Qi Yu was pondering when suddenly, a Palace Maid entered and said to her, "Princess Qi, the Empress has summoned you."

"The Empress? What does she want with me?" Qi Yu sat upright, showing no intention of getting up, as she asked the kneeling Palace Maid.

The Palace Maid lifted her head, glanced timidly at Qi Yu, and said, "I do not know."

She was there under orders, delivering a message from the Empress’s trusted Treasure Bead.

Qi Yu did not make it difficult for her, motioning with her hand for her to rise. "Since the Empress wishes to see me, naturally, I shall make a visit."

The Palace Maid quickly got up and led the way.

Qi Yu followed her, slowing her pace a little, and whispered to Shi Zhou, "I guess it’s you the Empress wants to see."

Shi Zhou’s expression remained unchanged as he replied indifferently, "If she wants to see me, then let her. I am not afraid of her."

Qi Yu scoffed lightly and said to him, "The Empress just wants to confirm your identity. But even if she finds out, it won’t matter much—she wouldn’t dare make a move on you in front of so many people."

This time, Shi Zhou responded coldly, "She also couldn’t best me."

Qi Yu seldom felt a headache, wondering how to tell Shi Zhou that in the Imperial Palace, the Empress’s orders outweighed everything else.

Moreover, if the Empress really wanted to forcibly keep Shi Zhou, it would be inappropriate for her to refuse outright.

As they neared Jingyang Palace, Qi Yu suddenly grabbed Shi Zhou and shook her head, "Perhaps it’s better if you don’t go in."

If the Empress really did detain the person, it would require considerable effort on her part to maneuver the situation.

Shi Zhou’s lips pressed together, not fully agreeing with her suggestion.

But she also knew that Qi Yu was right—this was the Imperial Palace, not a place where one could take action at will.

Qi Yu patted the back of her hand, reassuring her, "It’s okay, I’ll be out quickly. You go and wait in Xuanruo Pavilion. The Empress detests Noble Consort Wan the most and won’t go looking there."

Shi Zhou nodded slightly and watched Qi Yu enter Jingyang Palace before turning to head in the direction of Xuanruo Pavilion.

But just a few steps away, she realized a very serious problem.

She did not know the way.

All the palaces in the Imperial Palace looked the same, and besides the main paths, there were countless small paths.

On her previous visits to the palace, she had simply followed Qi Yu, paying more attention to the sights around her, without fully learning her way.

If it were like the wide, straight path from the Imperial Hospital to Noble Consort De’s Hongyang Palace, she could remember it, but although Xuanruo Pavilion was close to Jingyang Palace, one had to pass through a garden with several branching paths in between.

Shi Zhou stood in the garden, looking around, thinking that she might as well just pick a path at random—after all, if she was wrong, she could just return the way she came.

Yet, no sooner had she taken a step, she heard a haughty woman’s voice from behind her, scolding her, "You lowly servant, how dare you block this Princess’s path!"

Shi Zhou glanced sideways and saw a young girl dressed in a pink robe sitting on a palanquin, pointing at her, and scolding her with an unhappy face.

Seeing that this ignorant Palace Maid was still foolishly standing there, Li Huaixi grew even angrier. To the Palace Attendants surrounding her, she commanded, "Come here, break her legs!"