Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince-Chapter 343: Princess, a Messenger from the Palace Has Arrived
Chapter 343: Chapter 343: Princess, a Messenger from the Palace Has Arrived
Yuan Huan was feeling annoyed when he heard the report. His tone was dull as he asked, "Who is it?"
The servant boy said, "A gentleman who looks very strange, and a woman, the one who came with Master Shen last time."
"A gentleman who looks very strange?" Yuan Huan raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.
He tossed aside the storybook he had been halfway through writing and hurriedly got up, walking towards the door.
It wasn’t until he saw the two people that he understood what the servant boy meant by strange.
He sized up Qi Yu from head to toe and asked somewhat puzzled, "Why is the Princess of Qi dressed like this?"
Even though this person had gone to great lengths to disguise herself, Yuan Huan recognized her at a glance.
This was no gentleman, but clearly a peerless beauty.
It was just that the peerless beauty had smeared something dull and gray on her face, which made her look rather odd.
Qi Yu smiled without a word, and Yuan Huan didn’t probe further as he welcomed the two inside.
He led them to where he usually drank tea and instructed the servant boy to bring up the tea.
Qi Yu took a sip and her eyes lit up, "Biluochun Tea."
Yuan Huan smiled and said, "It is produced in Jiangnan. They only make so much each year; I specifically tasked someone to bring it from Jiangnan at a high price."
He couldn’t bear to drink this tea on ordinary days. Only when he occasionally wished to indulge in some poetic sentiment would he brew some, enjoying it alongside the sound of rain, relishing a different sort of flavor.
However, in the presence of two beauties today, there was an additional taste.
Yuan Huan sipped his tea with pleasure, his earlier gloom swept away.
He asked with a grin, "May I know why the Princess of Qi graces me with a visit today?"
He was not so narcissistic as to think that Qi Yu had come especially to see him; it must be that she needed his help with something.
Qi Yu set down her tea cup, smiled slightly, and began slowly, "About the account from last time, I haven’t come to settle it with you yet."
Yuan Huan’s smile stiffened on his face as he finally remembered the foolish things he had done before.
The incident was truly a mix-up.
He had indeed intended to gift the new storybooks he had written to the Princess of Qi, but before leaving the house, he had grabbed the wrong ones.
The erotic paintings were collected from various places and served as important reference material for his storytelling.
He would flip through them when he had nothing else to do, though not with any excessive thoughts in mind—it was purely for gathering material.
After he mistakenly gave them to Qi Yu and later discovered he had lost the expensive materials he had bought, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
But he was too ashamed to ask Qi Yu for them back, so he silently accepted the blame.
Now, as Qi Yu brought up the old matter, he quickly clasped his hands in supplication, begging, "Princess, please be magnanimous and forgive me this once!"
After speaking, he hastily explained himself, insisting it was not intentional.
Shi Zhou watched the drama unfold silently.
"It truly was an accident!" Yuan Huan reiterated.
Qi Yu, remembering the embarrassing situation from that time, wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Despite Yuan Huan’s explanation, the shame at the bottom of her heart did not subside much, and she waved her hand weakly, "I understand."
Seeing that she wasn’t angry, Yuan Huan grew bolder. He rubbed his hands together and said earnestly, "In that case, could the Princess return those few... items to me?"
It wasn’t that he was petty, but those were treasured collectibles he had gathered, which couldn’t be found on the market anymore.
Qi Yu felt awkward just thinking about it. She massaged her temples and said, "Fine, I’ll look for them when I get back and have someone send them to you."
Yuan Huan was almost moved to tears. In the end, to show his sincerity, he gathered several new storybooks he had written and personally handed them to Qi Yu. ƒгeewebnovёl_com
Qi Yu unceremoniously accepted the gift.
Shi Zhou witnessed a transaction with a hint of color and silently shook her head, unable to bear watching.
Yuan Huan did not give up on her. He vibrantely offered, "Miss Shi, would you like to see? I have some classic works here!"
Rejected again, Yuan Huan persisted, boasting, "The plots are guaranteed to be thrilling—sure to leave you wanting more!"
Shi Zhou remained indifferent; the sight of so many words gave her a headache.
No matter what Yuan Huan said, he could not sway her opinion.
After his sales pitch failed, Yuan Huan hung his head, looking listless, as if Shi Zhou had somehow wronged him.
Seeing this, Qi Yu arched an eyebrow, glanced at Shi Zhou, and said casually, "I remember, Minister Shen quite enjoys reading those."
No sooner had she spoken than Shi Zhou snatched the several storytelling booklets from Yuan Huan, which had been refused several times before.
Yuan Huan’s eyes widened, "No way, all my reasons couldn’t compare to just that one sentence!"
He felt dejected.
Indeed, his understanding of love was still too shallow.
Qi Yu, having obtained what she wanted, made her way back to the Prince Residence with Shi Zhou.
Back at the Prince Residence, the first thing she did was wash her face clean; although she found her reflection quite agreeable, everyone else looked at her with what seemed like pity, which she found utterly baffling.
After having lunch, she went back to her room to look for the erotic paintings Yuan Huan mistakenly handed her the other time.
But she turned her stack of storybooks upside down and still couldn’t find them.
She expanded her search around the room, but to no avail.
In the end, she could only call Chunlan and ask about the whereabouts of the booklets.
Chunlan said that they had not touched any of her storybooks.
Qi Yu knew she was telling the truth. The maids in the Prince Residence were well-trained, and without permission, they would never dare to touch her things.
"Could I have thrown them away?" Qi Yu scratched her head, trying hard to remember if such a thing had occurred.
Yet, she was someone who treasured storybooks. Even if those few were a bit explicit, they were given to her by someone else. At most, she would tuck them away and not read them, not carelessly discard them.
As she pondered with a furrowed brow, Chunlan suddenly suggested, "Perhaps the Prince collected them. Why not ask him when he returns?"
Though Qi Yu felt the possibility was slim, she decided to hope for the best and nodded, "That could be an idea."
She put the matter aside for now and had Chunlan brew a pot of tea.
Chunlan poured the tea for her and diligently fanned her side.
Qi Yu had broken into a sweat while searching for the storybooks, and stray strands of hair by her temples were dampened.
Chunlan felt sorry as she watched and had someone bring ice to cool down the room, which was as hot as a steaming cage.
Qi Yu had not yet had the chance to enjoy the respite when Li Bo rushed in with an anxious expression, "Princess, someone from the palace has come to deliver an Imperial Decree!"
"An Imperial Decree?" Qi Yu set her teacup down and asked with a frown.
Li Bo had run all the way, panting for breath, and shook his head to indicate his ignorance.
Qi Yu had no choice but to head toward the front hall. Chunlan followed behind, her heart filled with trepidation.
In the front hall, Qi Yu saw Zhou Fu and understood—this was Li Tianze’s doing.
She kneeled down and waited for Zhou Fu to finish reading the Imperial Decree, then asked softly after standing up, "Why has Father suddenly summoned me to the palace?"
Zhou Fu could not say much but still hinted, "His Majesty visited the Cold Palace, and upon returning, he flew into a rage. Be careful when you enter the palace later, Princess."
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