Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince
Chapter 328: The Infamy of Princess Qi has Spread Throughout the Imperial Palace

Chapter 328: Chapter 328: The Infamy of Princess Qi has Spread Throughout the Imperial Palace

Hearing this sentence, Adi looked at her incredulously, "You are a person from Princess Qi’s camp? But you’ve clearly always been by the Empress’ side."

Thanks to the people from Jingyang Palace who would occasionally come to cause trouble at Xuanruo Pavilion, she was as familiar with them as one is with one’s own family treasures, able to match each of their appearances and names without fail.

She was also well aware of how important Treasure Bead, the personal maid, was to the Empress.

She was the person closest to the Empress, and the one who understood the Empress the best in the entire Imperial Palace.

But now, this person was telling her that she belonged to Princess Qi.

How could she not be astonished?

"I... I don’t believe you!" Adi said with a wary look, "Unless you can produce some proof!"

Expecting her reaction, Treasure Bead, upon hearing these words, took out a jade token from her bosom, upon which the character "Qi" was engraved.

Adi had a similar jade token on her person, which in the Imperial Palace, served as a symbol of certain status, indicating that the bearer was a trusted confidant of their master.

In critical moments, it could not only be used to prove one’s identity, but also to command others in place of their master with the authority of the token.

Tokens like these were almost impossible to forge.

For one thing, these tokens were carved from expensive jade, and if they were fake, they would easily be detected.

For another, the symbols on the jade tokens were very hard to imitate, as each master had their own symbol of identity, which included not only the character denoting their status, but also a pattern.

Adi took the jade token and scrutinized it carefully—the character "Qi" was engraved on the front, while the back bore the image of a falcon.

Although she did not know whether Princess Qi’s chosen emblem was a falcon, the token in its entirety was lustrous and cool to the touch, evidently authentic.

After returning the jade token to Treasure Bead, she let her in through the door, still muttering, "If you dare to deceive me, I will tell Princess Qi and let her flay you alive!"

Treasure Bead’s lips curved into a smile, her tone full of conviction, "Miss need not worry—if I were not a person from Princess Qi, how would I dare to speak so?"

Adi shrugged, "Who knows?"

However, in her heart, she was already eighty percent convinced.

Setting aside all else, Princess Qi’s ill-repute was widespread throughout the Imperial Palace—anyone daring to impersonate one of her people would face a dreadful end!

On the other end, at the Grandmaster Residence, it was time for the evening meal.

Qi Yu and Li Mingjue, being guests, were naturally expected to stay for the meal.

And since the two of them had stayed, Qiu Lian had no choice but to accept, reluctantly donning a grim expression as he dined in a place that made him utterly uncomfortable, in the presence of those he would least like to see.

Though Grandmaster Liu appeared amiable, those who knew him were aware that he was an extremely serious man.

Thus, during the meal, no one dared to make the slightest sound in his presence.

Qi Yu, while internally criticizing the blandness of the food as if it had lost all taste, also carefully took her servings in the subdued atmosphere of the Grandmaster Residence.

She even felt as if the people there were not breathing.

Even Madam Liu, who had been a source of annoyance for her in the morning, was now utterly silent, leading the uninformed to think she might have been replaced beneath her skin.

Barely getting through the meal, Qiu Lian made his escape as if sliding on oil, hastily bidding goodbye.

However, before leaving, he did not forget to station people to guard the backyard to prevent the Liu Family from tampering with the several corpses.

Liu Yan was very dissatisfied with his actions, seeing Qiu Lian’s moves as purely self-serving, looking to take the opportunity to suppress him.

But everything Qiu Lian did was by the book, and even reporting him to the Emperor would reveal nothing worthy of criticism.

Thus, no matter how reluctant Liu Yan was, he had no recourse.

For the moment, however, the most troublesome matter for him was not dealing with Qiu Lian, his nemesis.

It was not someone else, but Prince Qi and his princess.

In the study, Liu Yan said with a grave face, "Why did grandfather decide to keep Prince Qi and his princess here?"

If he were unwilling, Prince Qi and his princess couldn’t possibly have the cheek to stay the night at the Grandmaster Residence.

"What’s wrong with that?" the Grandmaster, Liu, sat upright in his chair, only replying indifferently.

Although his age was advanced, the dignified composure he had cultivated since his youth had not slackened in the slightest.

This was also one reason everyone in the Grandmaster Residence felt awe towards him.

Even though this propriety might be feigned, maintaining it for an entire lifetime was quite terrifying.

Therefore, regardless of how the Grandmaster treated the servants with courtesy on a daily basis, always presenting a pleasant demeanor and never beating or scolding them, whenever they saw the Grandmaster, they were as timid as mice before a cat, not daring to make the slightest mistake.

On the contrary, Madam Jiang, the Grandmaster’s wife, often hit and scolded them, never showing any kindness. Yet, they didn’t feel the slightest fear towards her and even thought that her behavior was normal.

After all, Madam Jiang showed her anger as it arose, never carrying today’s ire into the next day, scolding anyone she found displeasing on a whim.

Such a person seemed transparent, having no guile — all they had to do was please her earnestly.

In contrast, the Grandmaster was far too inscrutable; facing him, everyone’s hearts were in their throats, never knowing when he might erupt.

Liu Yan naturally wouldn’t tremble before his own grandfather like the servants did, but he had to admit that the invisible pressure emanating from the Grandmaster always loomed over him.

As a child, he had to excel in every lesson to earn a single word of praise from his grandfather.

Even now, having become the Minister of the Ministry of Justice and a person of influence in court, he would consult his grandfather on any significant matter, not daring to make rash decisions.

There were many reasons, but Liu Yan knew that his actions represented not just himself, but the entire Grandmaster Residence, and his sister, who had long since become the Empress of the harem.

This time was no exception; his first thought was the impact that this matter would have on the Grandmaster Residence and the Empress.

Liu Yan didn’t dare to question his grandfather’s decision, so he could only express his concerns, "What if they come across something by chance? Wouldn’t that be problematic?"

Having held a high position for many years, he was adept at reading people.

Though he had always seen Qiu Lian as a formidable opponent, he knew that man’s straightforward nature made him relatively easy to fool.

But Prince Qi was different.

He was the son the current Emperor valued the most and the top choice for Crown Prince in the eyes of the civil and military officials.

Previously, when Prince An was here, they balanced each other out, and the situation remained stable.

But what a pity that Prince An fell, and fell so miserably, being exiled to the ghostly place of Qingzhou.

Now, with no rival left, Prince Qi stood unchallenged in the court.

Liu Yan never engaged in factional struggles because he belonged to neither Prince An’s camp nor Prince Qi’s.

He pleased neither side, yet offended none.

For everyone knew, the entire hope of the Grandmaster Residence rested upon the Empress alone.

But the Empress was not favored, and over the years, she had only borne a princess.

It had not been easy for there to be a stirring in her belly again, and Liu Yan had been thrilled about this for several months.

At this moment, it was the final juncture. As long as the Empress could give birth to a Dragon Son, he would be the designated Crown Prince, and in the future, he would become the Emperor of Dazhao.

At such a time, he dearly hoped that no disturbances would arise in the Grandmaster Residence.

Seeing the full-blown color of worry in his eyes, the Grandmaster heaved a sigh in his heart. He still lacked the calm of great men, and with such disposition, how could he achieve great things?

The Grandmaster looked at Liu Yan and spoke with a placid tone, "I kept them here because I want to make them useful to me."