Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince
Chapter 326 The Empress Wants to Kill Me

Chapter 326: Chapter 326 The Empress Wants to Kill Me

Grandmaster Liu was slightly startled; he clearly hadn’t expected her to initiate a conversation.

He neither agreed nor disagreed with the proposal and after pondering for a moment, he said to Qi Yu, "The Princess’s friend must also be no ordinary person; how could I possibly refuse to meet him?"

Qi Yu smiled, half in earnest, half in jest, and said, "Indeed, my friend is quite exceptional; I only hope that when the Grandmaster meets him, you won’t be startled."

Upon hearing this, Grandmaster Liu’s gaze flickered slightly, and he chuckled before replying, "With the Princess speaking so, it certainly arouses my curiosity about this person."

Qi Yu smiled without saying a word, yet she thought to herself that sometimes curiosity did kill the cat, old Grandmaster.

With Qiu Lian and Liu Yan involved, this matter truly didn’t fall to the Capital Governor Mansion to investigate.

Gu Qing finally managed to unload the burden, delighted to be an indifferent manager, and he led his people back home with a face full of joy.

After so many years in office, he had long since let go.

Things like promotion and wealth are insubstantial; in the capital where everyone is on thin ice, it’s fortunate enough to be able to keep one’s entire family safe.

Therefore, he had always understood the principle that tall trees catch much wind and had resolved to be an invisible person in the imperial court.

Watching his relaxed and happy departure, Qi Yu jokingly said to Li Mingjue, "This Lord Gu, it’s hard to say whether to call him cunningly astute or a shrinking turtle."

Li Mingjue glanced in the direction Gu Qing left and said solemnly, "Utter mediocrity."

He had never admired such spineless, irresponsible people.

Although Gu Qing never made mistakes, he also hadn’t done many things right.

If he had taken Chen Shi’s lawsuit against the Prefect of Jingzhao more seriously back then, he wouldn’t have triggered so many issues afterwards.

Not only would the people of Qingzhou have been liberated from their suffering months earlier, but the Empress would also not have had the opportunity to do evil.

Suddenly, Qi Yu thought of a term, ’the butterfly effect.’

Gu Qing likely never imagined that his careless action would lead directly to the current situation.

The Empress’s crimes were inescapable, and the closely linked Liu Family, even complicit in tyranny, would not have a good outcome either.

If Qingzhou were not in such a critical situation, she could have continued to play with the Empress for a while, allowing the Empress to enjoy a few more days in her fantasy.

But the current Qingzhou had already turned into a hell on earth, where people were dying every minute.

She couldn’t wait; nor could the tens of thousands of people in Qingzhou.

Qiu Lian knew this was a perfect opportunity to take down the Liu Family and naturally wouldn’t easily let go; the people he brought from the Ministry of Justice were much more professional than Gu Qing’s.

Moreover, he wasn’t fighting alone. This time, he didn’t need to be overcautious, because he knew the King of Qi was his strong backing.

As for the Empress?

Looking at these decomposed corpses, Qiu Lian sneered inwardly. He would wager his life on it; the matter was undoubtedly related to the Empress.

The Empress’s power was vast, but that was limited to the harem; the court belonged to the Emperor, and imperial authority was unquestionable.

Liu Yan had also brought people over from the Ministry of Justice, clearly intending to get involved in the affair.

Qiu Lian was not afraid of him. In this capital, what could happen that the Emperor wouldn’t know about?

While they were busy investigating the case, on the other end, in Yangxin Hall, the Hidden Guard had already reported everything in detail to Li Tianze.

"This matter was discovered by the King of Qi and his wife?" Li Tianze narrowed his eyes slightly, asking in a low tone.

The Hidden Guard knelt on one knee, standing erect, and replied, "To His Majesty, indeed, the King of Qi and his wife discovered it. While they were visiting and enjoying the Grandmaster Residence, they walked into a yard and inadvertently found several bodies hidden in the well."

"Inadvertently?" Li Tianze scoffed lightly at the explanation, "In this world, there is never really anything ’inadvertent.’"

The Hidden Guard lowered his head, not daring to respond.

Li Tianze waved his hand, "Be off now, and continue to closely watch every single move of the Grandmaster Residence."

The Hidden Guard complied with a sound, and stealthily left the Imperial Palace.

Li Tianze left Yangxin Hall and turned to Zhou Fu who was standing by the door, "How is Jingyang Palace doing now?"

Zhou Fu was stunned, "Your Majesty, are you asking about the Empress?"

Li Tianze gave him a look, and scoffed lightly, "Who else is in Jingyang Palace?"

Zhou Fu hurriedly bowed his head, his tone panicky, "Your servant misspoke. I ask Your Majesty to forgive me."

Li Tianze waved his hand impatiently, "Enough, less of such nonsense before Us in the future."

Zhou Fu wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Yes, Your Majesty."

After leaving Yangxin Hall, Li Tianze only allowed Zhou Fu to follow. They strolled about the palace for a while, and when passing by the Imperial Garden, suddenly someone threw themselves in front of him.

Li Tianze’s expression changed, and on instinct, he kicked out, sending the person flying several meters away.

Zhou Fu, shocked and sweating profusely, scolded the woman in white lying on the ground, "Bold slave, how dare you assault His Majesty!"

As he spoke, he was about to call for people to drag the woman away,

but then he saw the person lift her head, kneeling on the ground, her face full of tears, yet still retaining her beauty.

Zhou Fu startled, wasn’t this An Ruoya, the noble consort who had been sent to the Cold Palace?

An Ruoya ignored the pain in her abdomen from the kick, struggled to her feet, walked up to Li Tianze, and with a plop, knelt down again, crying out, "Your Majesty, save me!"

Li Tianze frowned down at the person on the ground, his tone harsh, "Without Our command, how dare you escape the Cold Palace on your own?"

An Ruoya cried even harder, naturally beautiful, looking pitiable with tears like rain on a pear blossom,

and having spent months in the Cold Palace, the malicious air about her had dissipated somewhat, coupled with her plain clothes, she did indeed look rather sympathetic.

After all, she was a woman he had once favored, and Li Tianze found he couldn’t say anything too harsh. Pressing his brow with a somewhat troubled expression, he said to the pitifully crying figure, "Stand up first."

An Ruoya lowered her gaze, sobbing, "Thank Your Majesty."

Her tone sounded extremely aggrieved, but in the place Li Tianze couldn’t see, her downcast brows and eyes flickered with a hint of triumph.

Zhou Fu silently retreated a few steps, having a premonition that An Ruoya was surely going to make trouble today.

And sure enough, as soon as she wobbled to her feet, she accused Li Tianze, "Your Majesty, the Empress wants to kill me!"

"Nonsense!" Li Tianze rebuked, his expression turning quite serious, but An Ruoya, who had followed him for many years, could clearly hear that there was no real anger in his tone.

She pursed her lips and blinked her moist lashes, the very picture of misery.

Having been the favored concubine for so many years, she knew better than anyone how to win Li Tianze’s affection.

Li Tianze had indeed been manipulated by her. Seeing the woman who used to be always proud and willful, now looking at him with such grievance, his expression softened somewhat.

An Ruoya seized the opportunity, sniffing and softening her tone, she spoke with a touch of fear, "Your Majesty, I truly did not lie."

Li Tianze looked at her doubtfully, it wasn’t that he couldn’t believe the Empress capable of something like this, but rather, if the Empress really wanted to kill An Ruoya, why wait until now?

Unwittingly, he started to consider the possibility based on An Ruoya’s words, asking, "Why would the Empress want to kill you?"

An Ruoya, seeing he’d taken the bait, felt a secret thrill, yet kept up her frightened facade as she said, "Because... I once inadvertently stumbled upon a secret of hers."