Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince-Chapter 331: The Empress is Now Besieged on All Sides

Chapter 331: Chapter 331: The Empress is Now Besieged on All Sides

Qi Yu sighed inwardly for a while before continuing to ask, "Whose side are you really on?"

From Cuiyu’s reaction, she was definitely not on the side of the Grandmaster’s wife, Madam Jiang.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have disclosed so many things that were unfavorable to Madam Jiang.

Cuiyu fell silent for a moment before speaking faintly, "I belong to no one."

Qi Yu tapped her fingertips lightly on the table twice and chuckled, "If that’s the case, why would you tell me so much?"

Cuiyu remained silent.

Qi Yu didn’t press further; she stood up, walked over to Cuiyu, leaned forward slightly, and stared unwaveringly into her eyes before suddenly saying, "You detest what Madam Jiang has done, yet you are under her control. Life must not be easy for you."

Upon hearing these words, Cuiyu’s eyelashes trembled lightly, and a hint of struggle appeared in her eyes.

Qi Yu then purposely asked, "Are you with the Empress?"

This time, the struggle in Cuiyu’s eyes shifted into disdain and contempt.

It was clear that she had quite an issue with the Empress.

Qi Yu already had a few guesses in mind as she observed Cuiyu, who remained silent, and said methodically, "You may leave now."

Cuiyu looked up slightly, her eyes reflecting confusion as she looked at Qi Yu.

She had thought she would be silenced.

But to her surprise, the Princess of Qi had let her go so easily.

A flicker of emotion passed through Cuiyu’s eyes as she slowly stood up from the ground, bowed to Qi Yu, and said, "Thank you, Princess of Qi."

After speaking, she turned and left the place.

Liu Wensheng couldn’t figure out what Qi Yu was plotting by releasing her that easily. Didn’t she worry that Cuiyu might betray them?

Qi Yu smiled slightly, her tone full of certainty as she said, "She won’t do that."

With that, she winked at Liu Wensheng and urged, "What are you waiting for? Hurry and follow her; see which direction she goes!"

Liu Wensheng gave her a look, and his figure quickly vanished in the thick night.

Feng Yue wanted to follow, but when he reached the doorway, Liu Wensheng’s figure was already nowhere to be seen.

He pursed his lips, feeling too embarrassed to stay in the room with the other two, and hid himself in a tree in the courtyard.

Qi Yu closed the door, turned around to face Li Mingjue with a smile, and asked, "Can the Prince guess how the Grandmaster Residence plans to deal with you?"

As she said this, not a trace of nervousness was evident on her.

She clearly didn’t take the Grandmaster Liu and Liu Yan’s little tricks seriously.

Li Mingjue also showed no signs of worry on his face; he merely scoffed lightly, "No need to guess, I already know they must intend to use the position of Crown Prince as their tool."

Qi Yu sat down beside him, hesitated for a moment, but eventually asked the question she had long kept in her heart, "Prince, have you ever considered... aiming for a higher position?"

If Li Tianze heard these words, her life wouldn’t be enough to pay for the consequences.

But she wasn’t afraid.

Right now, the situation in the capital appeared stable, but undercurrents were surging.

The downfall of the Empress and the Liu Family marked the beginning of this turmoil.

What awaited her after this was only the harshness of wind, frost, rain, and snow.

And all of this was closely related to the man before her eyes.

The time had come for a showdown.

Li Mingjue raised his hand and gently stroked her furrowed brow, asking softly, "What if I had indeed thought of that?"

It wasn’t just Qi Yu testing him; he too wanted an answer.

If he truly wanted that position, would she join him in the pursuit?

Qi Yu shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and said, "If the Prince wishes for that position, then go for it."

Her tone was so casual it was as if they were discussing not the supreme throne but a cabbage in the market.

Li Mingjue’s initially tense mood dissipated like smoke in the wind at her words.

He chuckled softly, almost with a sigh, "My Princess is indeed... one of a kind."

Qi Yu, quite shamelessly, accepted his compliment and returned the favor diplomatically, "It’s the Prince’s discerning eye that is a cut above."

Li Mingjue’s lips curved upward slightly at her words, all his worries seemingly dissolved into silence.

With their hearts exchanged, they continued to discuss the matter at hand.

The setting and timing were both wrong; countless eyes within the Grandmaster Residence might be watching them, and more importantly, it was essential to take down the Empress as soon as possible.

As the night deepened, Qi Yu poured herself a cup of tea to refresh her mind.

She also casually poured one for Li Mingjue and added, "Since the Grandmaster wishes to use the position of the Crown Prince to pressure you and enrage our father the Emperor, we might as well go with the flow and let them have a taste of their own medicine."

Li Mingjue nodded slightly, "Our father the Emperor, whose health is as robust as a dragon, detests nothing more than his subjects bringing up this matter in his presence. If Liu Yan brings it up, he will surely leave a mark in our father’s memory."

Qi Yu nodded in agreement and then said, "The Grandmaster Residence has staked all its hopes on the child in the Empress’s womb, but that child is doomed not to be born."

Pausing, she sneered coldly and continued, "I guess this affair is mostly the handiwork of the Empress and Madam Chen Shi. The Grandmaster might have heard some rumors but pretends to be unaware. As for Liu Yan, he has always been kept in the dark, still clueless about the grave mistake his dear sister has made behind his back."

For years, there had been no stir in the Empress’s belly, and she was out of favor in the harem as well. She couldn’t contain herself any longer.

She chanced upon Chen Shi, a stroke of blind luck akin to a blind cat finding a dead mouse, daring to scheme for the Dragon Son.

But what the Empress had failed to anticipate was the huge hidden danger Madam Chen Shi had left for her.

Recalling the secret letter she had received from the palace earlier that afternoon, Qi Yu scoffed lightly, "By now, An Ruoya has completed her act. The Empress is beset by troubles both inside and out."

While they were discussing this, Liu Wensheng, who had gone to follow Cuiyu, had returned.

He pushed open the door. Feng Yue also leapt down from the tree and followed him into the room.

Having stepped out and now back, Liu Wensheng’s complexion seemed a few shades darker than before, and with gritted teeth, he said, "Liu Yiyao is simply insane!"

Although it wasn’t Qi Yu’s first time hearing him address the Empress by name, the cold hardness of his tone was unprecedented.

Out of curiosity, she asked, "What unimaginable thing has the Empress done now?"

Having seen so much of the Empress’s sham actions, Qi Yu remained composed no matter how outrageous the news she heard.

But she was about to be proven wrong the next second.

Liu Wensheng’s voice was chilling as he said, "She actually intends to use the child in Liu Ning’s belly to replace her own."

Hearing that name made Qi Yu feel uneasy.

Could it be such a coincidence?

"The Liu Ning you mentioned... What relation is she to the Empress?" Even the thought of a certain possibility sent a chill down Qi Yu’s spine.

Liu Wensheng closed his eyes briefly, then said with some difficulty, "Liu Ning is her sister."

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