Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince-Chapter 370: Of course, the blame was shifted away

The next morning, while Qi Yu was still dreaming, she was awakened by a noisy commotion.

She forced her heavy eyelids open, rubbed her eyes, and slowly crawled out of bed.

Before long, Shen Nanxing pushed the door open, holding a basin of clear water in her hand.

With Qingzhou in chaos like a pot of porridge and scarcely anyone to serve, Shen Nanxing had taken it upon herself to do the work.

Qi Yu took the cloth from her hand, hastily washed her face, and asked, "What’s that noise outside?"

Shen Nanxing had already heard the noise and found out what it was; she replied, "It’s Gu You’s family, they say they’ve come to demand an explanation."

Qi Yu was momentarily speechless, then said with a headache, "Who’s out there taking care of it now?"

Shen Nanxing was silent for a moment before answering, "It’s Daoist Mo."

In the front hall, Mo Qingshan faced the Gu family members who had come to demand an explanation, equally at a loss.

He had also just found out that yesterday Shen Xiheng had stabbed Gu You to death with a single thrust of his sword.

Though the incident indeed gratified many, for Gu You’s family, it was certainly no cause for joy.

Sure enough, early in the morning, the whole family, young and old, came crying to seek justice.

Gu You’s two Madams were crying the hardest, their voices loud and piercing.

The two women were also supporting Gu’s elderly Madam, a full head of white hair and in her seventies; the combined wailing of the three could echo throughout Qingzhou.

Mo Qingshan was also unlucky; he had just stepped out the door when he ran into this troublesome situation.

And Shen Xiheng, the instigator, had already fled; he and Li Mingjue had gone to find Li Ming’an.

Zhou Hong and Cailin had also moved at the sound, slipping away from behind, leaving him alone to struggle desperately in the front hall.

"Madam, please get up first," Mo Qingshan had been persuading her until he was hoarse, but no matter what, the elder Madam Gu just knelt on the ground and wouldn’t get up.

The two Madams Gu beside her were also kneeling, one to the left and one to the right.

Behind them stood some of the Gu Residence’s servants, all quietly wiping away tears.

The scene, to the unacquainted observer, looked as if they had suffered great injustice.

"My poor, misfortunate You’er!" Despite her age, elder Madam Gu’s voice was strong, and her lament could pierce the eardrums of everyone present.

Mo Qingshan felt nauseated listening to it, thinking to himself, however bitter Gu You’s fate was, could it be as harsh as that of the hundred thousand deceased in Qingzhou?

The Gu family had blocked his way out, and he was now caught between a rock and a hard place.

As he was contemplating how to extricate himself, Qi Yu came over with Shen Nanxing.

Mo Qingshan, as if seeing a savior, stepped behind her and said to the Gu family, tears streaming down their faces, "The Princess has arrived; you can talk to her about your issues."

With that, he slipped away like a fish.

Qi Yu despised him for pushing her out as a shield, but in the span of a second, she was already surrounded by the Gu family.

Elder Madam Gu glared at her fiercely, her gaze like that of a ravenous beast, the tears stopped flowing, and with a hoarse voice she accused, "It was you people who killed my You’er!"

Qi Yu countered calmly, "Madam, you can overeat, but you shouldn’t talk nonsense."

"What do you mean by that?" Elder Madam Gu’s menacing gaze fixed on her face, as if she wished to bite off a piece of flesh.

Qi Yu parted her lips slightly, her tone indifferent, "Gu You reaped what he sowed and got the punishment he deserved; how can you say that he was killed?"

"You—" Elder Madam Gu quivered with rage, nearly spitting out blood, her hands shaking as she pointed at her.

Qi Yu swept her gaze over the faces of the Gu Family members and said in a cold voice, "Gu You, as the parent official, has abandoned the lives and safety of hundreds of thousands of Qingzhou citizens. He ought to be executed for his crimes. The fact that the Prince has not exterminated your Gu Family’s nine clans is already an act of mercy."

After dropping that remark, she bypassed the Gu Family members and headed straight for the door.

Shen Nanxing looked back and saw that the old Madam Gu had rolled her eyes and fainted.

As she collapsed, the others lost their pillar of support and, in a panicked state, helped the old Madam up and scuttled away in disgrace.

Without looking back, Qi Yu knew what had happened.

She blinked and said to Shen Nanxing, "Do you think I am too harsh?"

Shen Nanxing shook her head, "What the Princess said is nothing but the truth; it is the Gu Family who are ungrateful."

Qi Yu smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes, and softly said, "If I were merciful to the Gu Family, who would be merciful to the citizens of Qingzhou?"

Shen Nanxing pursed her lips and agreed, "The Princess is right."

The two walked to where the plague-infected citizens were being accommodated. Qi Yu covered her nose and mouth with a white cloth and examined the pulses of those who had taken the medicine.

"Even though they have taken the medicine, their pulses are still weak," Song Ling said in a low voice, approaching her side at some point.

Qi Yu nodded slightly, her expression grave, "Yes, if we cannot develop an antidote soon, we won’t be able to completely eradicate the epidemic."

"This morning, I accompanied Divine Doctor Lu for a walk in the city and discovered that the river is piled with too many rotting bodies; it’s no longer clean," Song Ling revealed another concern that added to her worries.

Curing the epidemic was only a matter of time, but Qingzhou could not be restored as the water and soil had been polluted. If not handled properly, it could trigger another disaster at any moment.

In the evening, Qi Yu brought up the matter to Li Mingjue.

Li Mingjue nodded and said gravely, "Qingzhou is but a narrow strip away from Tulan; if the water here has become tainted, the other side of the river in Tulan will inevitably be affected."

Qi Yu imagined the scenario and felt a headache coming on.

If the epidemic in Qingzhou spread to Tulan, the situation would become completely uncontrollable.

By then, Tulan might even take the opportunity to cause trouble.

"In recent years, the border of Qingzhou has been restless, and Tulan has long intended to dispatch troops, but they have never found the right moment," Li Mingjue said coldly, "Furthermore, with Dazhao Kingdom’s strong national power and well-equipped army, the Tulan Imperial Family does not dare to make rash moves."

After thinking it over, Qi Yu added, "Then we have to expose this situation before Tulan makes a move."

Li Mingjue looked at her, "How do you plan to expose it?"

Qi Yu blinked, "Of course, by passing the buck."

Li Mingjue raised an eyebrow, "What if they refuse to accept this blame?"

Qi Yu smiled slyly, "Then we’ll make them unable to deny it."

"What do you mean by that?" Li Mingjue already had an inkling of her plan, but still, he was not completely sure.

Qi Yu shrugged nonchalantly, "Isn’t Li Ming’an in correspondence with that prince from Tulan? Just pin the blame on him. I think in the eyes of the Tulan Emperor, grabbing for power is much more serious than a natural disaster."

Li Mingjue shook his head and let out a light chuckle, "The Princess is indeed resourceful."

Qi Yu glanced at him sideways, "I think what you mean to say is ’full of cunning plans,’ right?"

"The Princess indeed possesses a keen self-awareness," Li Mingjue said with a raised eyebrow.

Qi Yu huffed lightly, then turned and burrowed into the bedcovers. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Once her breathing gradually steadied, Li Mingjue silently left the room.

Read latest chapters at f(r)eewebnov𝒆l Only