Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 102 Duke of Jing Ci

Chapter 102: Chapter 102 Duke of Jing Ci

As night fell, the summer heat had not yet faded, and below the two-zhang-wide eaves of the Qishun Building a solitary-plank encircling bed was placed, simple and rustic. The wood emitted a refreshing scent of agarwood, and aligned on the tea table beside the Arhat bed were plates of various fruits; bright red lychees swirled within a glass jar filled with ice water, and the sweet aroma of pears mixed with the scent of the wood, as if soaked in honey.

Due to the heat, the pastries brought from the small kitchen were very delicate and tiny, the lifelike flowers, and the vivid little animal sculptures all temptingly crafted to catch the eye and prompt one to take a bite.

Zheng Nianru had no appetite, idly fiddling with her fragrance pouch with an inexplicable touch of displeasure.

Xing Yu also carefully placed a rabbit just within the Commandery Princess’s line of sight under the eaves, not daring to let go and play, hoping the Princess would glance over yet also afraid of aggravating her.

Fu Dong, holding a fan, was lightly fanning and originally thought the Princess’s temper would not subside so quickly; she must go to the Crown Prince’s Mansion and make a scene, expecting a carriage full of flattery, or perhaps only when the Crown Prince had given Ju Nanyi a stern reprimand would she let it go.

Yet, when the carriage arrived at its destination, the Princess directly returned to the Harem, leaving Fu Dong puzzled about certain matters. Nanny Yun’s advice seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. Even she felt that now was the time to continue winning over the Crown Prince as the best course of action.

Of the four maids around Zheng Nianru, Fu Dong was the eldest. Nian Xia was cheerful but not very thoughtful, Xue Liu was pragmatic without overthinking, and Xing Yu only had the advantage of being hands-on, so Fu Dong was the one who pondered the most.

Although the Princess was Prince Duan’s sole offspring, in Fu Dong’s eyes, this status was not as good as that of an ordinary noble’s daughter. Fu Dong, who had experienced hardship, had accompanied Zheng Nianru every step of the way to this day, knowing the Empress Dowager’s abhorrence of them—abhorrence was putting it mildly—as the Empress Dowager would have been content only if the Commandery Princess had been drowned as soon as she was born.

Therefore, under such circumstances, clinging to the Crown Prince was their only choice. The Empress Dowager’s loathing intensified with each of the Princess’s stubborn rebellions, to the point where she even contemplated killing Zheng Nianru and even Prince Duan. Every time Zheng Nianru shared with Prince Duan the hardships imposed on her by the Empress Dowager, it led to an argument between them, gradually wearing down the Empress Dowager’s patience.

Afterward, Prince Duan’s visits grew fewer and farther between, often sick and bedridden, while the Princess’s life became even harder. It was not until that winter, when the Princess nearly perished at Ice Lake, that Nanny Yun truly woke up to reality. Prince Duan couldn’t save her, nor could he get her out of the palace; in fact, he almost lost his own life as well.

All this was discovered only after the Crown Prince saved the Princess, when Qi Jin and Qi Yu found slow-acting poison in Prince Duan’s food and drink, realizing the truth of the situation.

Fu Dong felt that even now, the Crown Prince remained their best choice.

The Imperial Guard of the palace was under the Crown Prince’s control. Successful in keeping them safe within the Qishun Building, even the Nannies assigned to watch over them were seamlessly replaced by the Crown Prince’s people, allowing them to live comfortably as they did this day.

Suddenly, Nanny Yun hurried in from outside, her panic especially noticeable at a time when everyone else was walking on eggshells, and she nearly took a tumble in her haste.

Nian Xia was about to help her, but Nanny Yun couldn’t wait to reach Zheng Nianru’s side.

"Your Royal Highness the Princess, Your Royal Highness—" Before Nanny Yun could finish, several people were already approaching the Qishun Building.

Fu Dong grew anxious, and the fan in her hand stopped fluttering. Xing Yu quickly dropped the rabbit and rushed under the eaves.

Zheng Nianru knitted her brows slightly. Who in the palace could come and go as they pleased? On closer inspection, Zheng Nianru still recognized one of the newcomers.

A man from Nanmen Yu’s entourage? That one appears to be a guard previously brought in by Nanmen Yu.

Tan Zong glanced at the Duke of Jing Ci in the middle, feeling that this course of action might be inappropriate. However, Prince Duan had already detained His Highness the Princely Heir, and by the looks of it, the Princely Heir had no intention of resisting.

Naturally, the most crucial element here was none other than Princess Chao Ren standing before him.

"Your Royal Highness Princess," the Duke of Jing Ci recognized the person before him. Although during Zheng Nianru’s several visits to the inn, the Duke had been bedridden and had no suitable opportunity to meet her, yet as a mentor of Nanmen Yu, he had not prevented it.

The Duke of Jing Ci clearly felt that, after getting to know the Princess, the Princely Heir had become more diligent than before and had managed to make a breakthrough all at once.

"Are you Nanmen Yu’s people?" Zheng Nianru put down the hollowed-out golden fragrance pouch in her hand and hesitated, wondering what had happened that caused these people to seek her out.

What had Father done?

Could it be that he wanted to kill Nanmen Yu? Zheng Nianru rejected this guess the next moment. During the critical moments of the rebellion, Prince Duan couldn’t even provide assistance, let alone the fact that Nanmen Yu’s people had already arrived, and rescuing Nanmen Yu from Prince Duan’s clutches would be a piece of cake.

"Your Royal Highness is wise and has seen through our origins at a glance," the Duke of Jing Ci did not want to start things off on a stiff note. His voice was neither servile nor overbearing; after all, he was the mentor of Nanmen Yu and could claim to be a senior to the lady before him.

Tan Zong glanced at the Duke of Jing Ci with some helplessness. Her Royal Highness didn’t guess, she knew, right?

"Speak, what is it?" Zheng Nianru lowered her head, slowly placed her foot down, and gently swung her legs, the tip of her Kesi silk embroidered shoes barely visible.

The Duke of Jing Ci furrowed his brows, feeling that the lady’s behavior was somewhat inappropriate—neither serving tea nor offering a seat, as if she were interrogating a servant.

"Your Royal Highness, I am the mentor of Nanmen Yu. I have come to seek a favor from the Princess," the Duke of Jing Ci couldn’t care about decorum anymore. The woman before him was indeed beautiful, but she seemed to regard no one with importance to such an extent. It was clear she might not hold the Princely Heir in very high regard.

Zheng Nianru felt that her temper today was unusually mild. So many people had come knocking, and yet she hadn’t lost her cool. Well, it was her own fault for dismissing all of Zheng Congyuan’s Hidden Guards. It was her too-kind heart that let people take advantage of her.

"I am not particularly fond of doing favors for others. If there is nothing else, please leave." What now? Was she expected to oppose her own father? She wasn’t foolish. Her father was her father, even if he was a bit weak and indecisive, he was still the father who cherished her the most.

The four of them were taken aback, suddenly falling into a dead end. It seemed as though the game was over before it had begun, with just a couple of sentences leading them into a stalemate.

Nanny Yun had already started preparing to send the guests away. Did these people not understand the rules at all? Did they think they could come and go as they pleased?

Xing Yu stepped forward, about to speak, but the Duke of Jing Ci had already beaten her to it, his expression ashen and angry.

"You, although you are the Commandery Princess of Nanzheng State, since you will become the Crown Prince’s Wife of our Nanmen State, behaving without proper etiquette like this..." Hadn’t he made his identity clear?

"What Crown Prince’s Wife? Nonsense, utter nonsense. You old man don’t know what’s good for you, causing a ruckus in our Qishun Building?" Nanny Yun immediately began shooing them away. They still had the Crown Prince’s people here; this was tarnishing our Princess’s reputation!

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