Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince
Chapter 308: Indeed, Something Unusual Was Hidden in the Liu Residence

Chapter 308: Chapter 308: Indeed, Something Unusual Was Hidden in the Liu Residence

Li Huaixi hurried to Jingyang Palace, while Qi Yu, accompanied by Shi Zhou, had already boarded the carriage bound for the Prince Residence.

After letting down the curtain, Qi Yu lowered her voice and said to Shi Zhou, "Just now, the Empress kept asking about your whereabouts. I suspect she’s plotting to remove us root and branch."

Shi Zhou hummed in response, then added, "I’m not afraid of her."

Qi Yu chuckled and shook her head, "I know you’re not afraid, but the Empress has many tricks up her sleeve. However, as long as you stay within the Prince Residence, she can’t touch you."

Even if the Empress’s reach was long, it could not extend into the Prince Qiu Residence.

The Imperial City was not like Jiangnan; any small disturbance within the Imperial Palace could not escape Li Tianze’s eyes.

Upon entering the Prince Residence, Qi Yu went to the back yard to find Liu Wensheng and Feng Yue and told them about the day’s events at the Imperial Palace.

Feng Yue seemed somewhat disappointed when he heard they had not found the antidote.

But what Liu Wensheng cared about was something else, with a slight frown on his brow, "You’re saying there were several familial letters on Chen Shi’s desk?"

Qi Yu nodded and poured herself a cup of tea.

She had been busy all morning, and after having a verbal battle with the Empress in Jingyang Palace, she was parched.

"Shi Zhou looked at those familial letters from Chen Shi and even recited them. There’s nothing much problematic with the content, just some mundane family talk," said Qi Yu, swallowing the tea eagerly.

After speaking, she continued to gulp down the remaining tea.

Feng Yue, with antidote on his mind, didn’t pay attention to the other details Qi Yu had mentioned and just stared blankly at Liu Wensheng, "Is there a problem with that?"

Liu Wensheng glanced at him with a touch of irritation.

After ten years, the man was still the same as before, without any progress.

Qi Yu could sense something was off and raised her eyebrows slightly, "It seems, Sir Feng, you only caught half of what I said?"

Feng Yue looked embarrassed and bowed slightly, "I apologize."

Qi Yu waved her hand, not holding it against him, and repeated the cause and consequence of the familial letters again.

This time, Feng Yue listened intently, and almost immediately after Qi Yu finished speaking, he furrowed his brow and said, "Could it be that his family is not dead?"

Qi Yu shrugged, "Who knows?"

The Empress was cruel-hearted; who knew what she did to Chen Shi’s family.

It was possible that those familial letters were all forgeries.

She fiddled with the teacup in her hand out of boredom, her mind racing.

Liu Wensheng, however, had a dark expression and said coldly, "Given Liu Yiyao’s nature, Chen Shi’s entire family is likely in her clutches."

Otherwise, what else could she use to threaten people?

Qi Yu glanced at him, "Do you know where she’s hiding them?"

Liu Wensheng’s face stiffened, and with barely parted lips, he uttered two words, "Liu Residence."

Qi Yu raised her eyebrows slightly and said indifferently, "In that case, I’ll take a trip to the Liu Residence."

Liu Wensheng shook his head with difficulty, his tone heavy, "If Liu Yiyao finds out you went to the Liu Residence, she will surely be on her guard, and then she might indeed harm that family."

Qi Yu smiled and winked at him, "Who says it has to be an aboveboard visit? Can’t I disguise myself and make a night raid?"

Now she was a living target; how could she possibly go to the Liu Residence so conspicuously?

Wouldn’t that be openly admitting she had uncovered the Empress’s secret?

By then, even if the Empress acts out of desperation, she’ll send someone to kill her.

Liu Wensheng’s eyebrows furrowed more tightly, "You don’t know martial arts, how can you go?"

Qi Yu smiled again and shook her head, pointing at him, "Not me, you."

Liu Wensheng was startled, but Feng Yue was the first to speak, expressing his opposition, "No way!"

His face serious, he looked at Qi Yu, "Little Liuliu’s illness hasn’t fully healed, how can we let him do something so dangerous?"

Qi Yu spread her hands, her expression appearing rather helpless, "There’s no other way. It’s not hard to find someone to explore the Liu Residence at night, but with the Liu Residence being so vast, who could find the clues accurately and without error if not extremely familiar with the place?"

If she hadn’t been completely without suitable candidates, she wouldn’t have wanted Liu Wensheng to take the risk.

Feng Yue was still wanting to argue with her, but Liu Wensheng pressed his hands against him and seriously said to Qi Yu, "All right, I’ll go."

"Little Liuliu!" Feng Yue’s eyes widened, his tone intensifying a few degrees.

Seeing him like this, Liu Wensheng sighed, "Elder brother, I won’t have any problems."

Feng Yue’s brow remained furrowed, but when he spoke his tone softened slightly, "I’ll go with you."

Seeing that the two had made up their minds, Qi Yu left with peace of mind.

That evening, after returning to her room, she told Li Mingjue about what had happened in the Imperial Palace that day.

Seeing her stroking her chin, pondering something, Li Mingjue laughed, "A spy from the Liu Residence has sent back a message, and the Princess would probably be interested."

"Hmm?" Qi Yu did indeed become interested, her eyes immediately shining as she looked at him, "What message?"

Li Mingjue took out a letter from his bosom and handed it to her.

Qi Yu took it, quickly pulled out the secret letter inside, and scanned it from top to bottom, then raised her eyebrow, "It seems that the Liu Residence is indeed hiding something unusual."

She got up and burned the secret letter with the candle flame.

Brushing off the ashes from her hands, she returned to the bed and suddenly remembered something. Curious, she asked, "Did the Empress pick Liu Sisi because they share the same surname?"

In other words, these two are from the same family.

Li Mingjue, seeing that she had finally thought of this matter, laughed, "They do share the same surname, but they are not from the same family. Marquis Liu has no blood or marital ties to the Liu Residence where Liu Yiyao is from."

Hearing this, Qi Yu became even more curious, "They are not from the same family?"

Li Mingjue explained, "In the capital, there are two aristocratic families with the surname Liu, one in the eastern city’s Marquis Residence, and the other in the northern city’s Grandmaster Residence."

Qi Yu nodded slightly.

She was aware of the Marquis Residence in the eastern city, old acquaintances indeed.

Seeing her listening intently, Li Mingjue slightly curved his lips and continued, "The Grandmaster was the esteemed teacher to our ancestors and the Emperor, and although he held no real power, he was also bestowed with great favor. Liu Yiyao is the legitimate granddaughter of the Grandmaster, and when the Empress Dowager was still alive, she arranged for her to be betrothed to the then Crown Prince, who is now the Emperor, and later she became the Crown Princess Consort and today’s Empress."

After Qi Yu heard this, she muttered in a low voice, "The Empress Dowager had poor judgment."

Li Mingjue helplessly shook his head, without disputing her comment.

However, the Liu Yiyao of that era had a much higher profile than Liu Sisi, the current top talent of the capital; among the ladies from prominent families, she was the most outstanding, so it was no wonder the Empress Dowager was mistaken.

Qi Yu lay in bed, her hands cushioning the back of her head, and said, "To have raised an Empress with such a malicious nature, it’s a wonder how that Grandmaster ever became the Imperial Tutor."

After speaking, she yawned, turned over, and did not further probe the issue.

Because of this, she did not see the eyes of Li Mingjue beside her suddenly turn cold.