Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince-Chapter 344 I Should Call Him Uncle

Hearing his words, Qi Yu slightly furrowed her brows.

From Zhou Fu’s implication, it was inevitable that the Empress had woven some tale to Li Tianze, angering him.

And this fury was very likely directed at her.

She coughed lightly and said to Zhou Fu, "Please wait a moment, I will change into a different outfit."

Zhou Fu naturally agreed.

Qi Yu returned to her room and, while asking Chunlan to find her a more presentable outfit, ordered the Hidden Guard of the residence to summon Shi Zhou.

The Empress didn’t have many leverage points over her, and after much thought, there was only this one.

By the time Shi Zhou arrived, she had changed her clothes and even put her hair up into a bun, styling it properly into a hairdo.

Worry painted Chunlan’s face, but she didn’t dare to say anything.

Qi Yu, on the other hand, smiled and comforted her, "It’s just a trip to the palace, nothing will happen."

A forced smile appeared on Chunlan’s face as she watched her walk towards the door.

There was a distance from the bedroom to the front hall, and Qi Yu slowed her pace, turning to Shi Zhou, "The Emperor’s sudden summons must be related to you."

Upon hearing that, Shi Zhou’s expression didn’t change and she spoke indifferently, "I’m not afraid of him."

And there were some things that needed to be settled.

Qi Yu patted the back of her hand and continued, "This time we have lost a move, allowing the Empress to get ahead. I don’t know what she has fabricated, we will have to adapt as things unfold."

By the end of their conversation, they had reached the front hall.

When Zhou Fu saw Qi Yu approach, accompanied by a woman of about her height, dressed in a white robe with a red belt around her waist and holding a sword, looking very dashing.

He initially thought that she was one of the Prince Residence’s guards, but as the person drew closer and upon seeing her face clearly, his expression suddenly changed, and pointing at Shi Zhou, he said in shock, "You... you are..."

Shi Zhou knew she bore a resemblance to her mother, so it wasn’t surprising that she could be recognized.

She nodded slightly and said to Zhou Fu, "I need to see His Majesty in the palace."

After a pause, with a mocking smile tugging at her lips, she added, "Perhaps, I should call him ’Uncle’."

Zhou Fu nearly collapsed onto the ground, his hands shaking slightly. After a while, he managed to stammer, "If that’s the case, please follow me."

Shi Zhou stepped past him and got into the coach directly.

Qi Yu, a few steps behind, said to Zhou Fu in a teasing tone, "It’s time for you to recover your composure, Eunuch Zhou."

Zhou Fu hastily composed his panicked expression and followed up.

"You really gave him quite a fright just now," Qi Yu commented with raised eyebrows as she boarded the coach.

Zhou Fu, having been by Li Tianze’s side for many years, was an old-timer in the palace and had seen all sorts of things, yet he was scared pale by the mere sight of Shi Zhou’s face.

It seemed that the incident the Empress had gone out of her way to bury had more than a little impact.

Shi Zhou responded blandly, "If he scares himself, that’s not my fault."

Qi Yu smiled and did not argue with her on that point.

The journey to the palace wasn’t long, and soon, the coach stopped in front of the palace gates.

After disembarking from the coach, Qi Yu glanced curiously back at Zhou Fu, just in time to catch him sneaking a look at Shi Zhou.

When their eyes met, Zhou Fu coughed awkwardly, betraying some guilt.

Qi Yu chuckled softly, saying nothing.

It wasn’t her first time entering the Imperial Palace, but she always felt as if this visit was different from the previous ones.

Shi Zhou also sensed this subtle difference, frowning slightly as she whispered, "Doesn’t it seem unusually quiet here?"

As Qi Yu stepped onto the stone pavement, she spoke leisurely, "Hasn’t the palace always been this quiet?"

Shi Zhou thought for a moment, and realizing it was true, decided not to dwell on it further.

But unnoticed by her, Qi Yu suddenly looked up, locking eyes with a Hidden Guard perched on the palace eaves. Then, as if nothing had happened, she diverted her gaze away.

The two of them were led to Yangxin Hall. Zhou Fu entered before them and said to Li Tianze, seated on the Dragon Chair, "Your Majesty, the Princess of Qi is waiting outside the hall."

Li Tianze’s expression paused. He closed his eyes for a moment before slowly commanding, "Bring them here."

"Yes," Zhou Fu bowed and replied.

As he turned around, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine, and his steps involuntarily slowed.

If he hadn’t misheard, the Emperor had just said, "them."

Zhou Fu’s complexion changed but quickly returned to normal.

He knew there were countless Hidden Guards in the Imperial Palace.

And they had been under covert surveillance since the moment they set foot in the palace.

Thus, it was not surprising that the Emperor knew there were two, not one, waiting outside the door.

But did he know who had accompanied the Princess of Qi into the palace?

Zhou Fu was filled with numerous questions, but he merely went outside the hall and said to Qi Yu and Shi Zhou with a smile, "His Majesty has invited the two of you in."

Qi Yu nodded slightly, "Thank you, Eunuch Zhou."

She entered Yangxin Hall first, while Shi Zhou hesitated for a moment.

It wasn’t that she dared not enter, but knowing the identity of the person seated in the hall and the relationship they shared with her made that step difficult to take.

Before coming to the capital city, she had no idea about her mother’s significant background nor how treacherous people’s hearts could be.

Even now, she wasn’t sure if this step was the right one.

But she had no other choice.

The moment her father decided to send her to the capital city, things were bound to develop to this stage.

Seeing her hesitation, Zhou Fu could guess what she was thinking and cautiously began, "His Majesty is not a bad person."

Shi Zhou glanced at him, her lips moved, and she coldly said, "My mother is not a bad person either."

With those words, she entered the hall, clutching her sword, her expression frosty.

Zhou Fu watched her back for a long time, sighing deeply.

He closed the door and, after some thought, instructed a young eunuch to leave the palace and find Prince Qi.

Right now, Li Mingjue was at the Duke Residence.

After the morning court session, he went with Shen Xiheng to the Duke Residence to discuss the relief mission to Qingzhou.

Unwittingly, the three had spent the entire time in the study discussing the matter.

The Duke intended to have him stay for dinner, urging him to stay a while longer before leaving.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Xiheng pointed at Li Mingjue and teased, "The Prince is eager to return to the Prince Residence for dinner with the Princess; he won’t stay."

The Duke was taken aback and apologized, "I’ve been inconsiderate."

He had always heard that Prince Qi and his Princess were deeply in love, but never having witnessed it, he believed the rumors to be largely unreliable.

After all, he had watched Li Mingjue grow up and knew him to be a cold-hearted and aloof person; how could he really fall deep into romantic love?

Shen Xiheng’s comment made him reconsider the matter, especially since Li Mingjue didn’t deny it, leaving him to marvel inwardly.

It seemed the rumors were not exaggerated.

While the three were chatting in the study, Shiqi suddenly burst in, dragging a young eunuch with him.

The young eunuch collapsed on the floor, gasping for air. Shiqi cast a sidelong glance at him and said to the others in a grave tone, "This man has come from the palace."

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