Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 191: First Update

Chapter 191: Chapter 191: First Update

"I only saw the Eldest Madam had asked the ladies from the Wuxing Aristocratic Family and the Nanan Aristocratic Family over for tea." You probably want to go yourself, Xi Feng picked up the shoes thrown on the ground.

Yunqian slightly frowned, do the Wuxing Aristocratic Family and the Nanan Aristocratic Family just so happen to have daughters ready for marriage?

"Isn’t it said that this visit to the capital is to decide on the Crown Princess Consort’s candidate?" Even if there are, with the Crown Prince right there, why would these aristocratic families overlook Zheng Congyuan, a perfectly good choice, and pick him instead?

Gu Dao brought over the meal, and just as Yunqian had taken a few bites, Lin Xiang, the maid from the Eldest Madam Zong’s side, had already arrived.

"Tell her I’ve gone to sleep." Yunqian immediately stuffed his chopsticks into Gu Dao’s hand and dashed to hide in the inner room.

Xi Feng couldn’t stop her, and Lin Xiang had already entered.

"Miss Lin Xiang, the Princely Heir has already gone to sleep."

"He’s asleep and still eating?" Lin Xiang naturally didn’t believe it.

"Miss Lin Xiang, as you can see, it’s Gu Dao who is eating," Xi Feng said, determined.

Lin Xiang glanced at the two men, then at the inner chamber, and not daring to intrude forcefully, she stamped her foot and turned to leave.

Seeing the person leave, Yunqian finally let out a sigh of relief and came out.

"You two, you can’t even stop two women, all the years of food you’ve eaten have gone to waste." Yunqian chided them while sitting back down at the table.

"Pack up things, once the Empress Dowager’s birthday is over, we’ll set off."

"Princely Heir, aren’t we going to Qiandao Temple first?" Gu Dao was startled, what about what Master Huo Yi said?

"We’re not going now, the master wouldn’t blame your family head," said Yunqian while quickly eating. Gu Dao was stunned; he didn’t mention that he and Xi Feng had already been warned by the Eldest Madam, by hook or by crook, to ensure the Princely Heir wouldn’t slip away again.

"Princely Heir, I think it will be difficult this time," Gu Dao glanced at his own master, "unless you own up to the matter of the Crown Prince’s wife."

Yunqian smacked Gu Dao on the head with a chopstick.

"Are you stupid? Hurry up and eat; I have other orders for you after you finish," Yunqian pointed to the seat beside him.

Gu Dao and Xi Feng weren’t like the servants from the Zong Sheng Aristocratic Family; they had been with Yunqian since they were young, accompanying him on long journeys over mountains and rivers, visiting places of interest, so they weren’t burdened with too many rules.

Gu Dao took the chopsticks unwillingly and sat at the side, while Xi Feng brought in some chilled watermelon.

"Princely Heir, I saved this especially for you, eat it quickly." Xi Feng put down the things and headed out, he knew he hadn’t reached the door when several figures had already charged in.

"You rascal, weren’t you asleep? My people couldn’t even call you." Madam Zong couldn’t pretend any longer after maintaining a good temper all day.

"Mother, wasn’t it Xi Feng who woke me up to eat watermelon? Xi Feng said this was specially saved for me by the kitchen at Mother’s behest, so how could I not eat it?" Yunqian immediately acted playfully and cheerfully, quickly picking up a piece of watermelon and offering it to Madam Zong.

"I don’t want it, come here, I have something to tell you." Eldest Madam took a deep breath, knowing that anger was useless, and at his age, it certainly wasn’t right to hit him.

"Please have a seat, Mother." If you won’t eat the watermelon, I won’t stand on ceremony.

Eldest Madam watched her son’s way of eating, pursed her lips to say something, but then she remembered there was something more important to talk about and decided to endure it for now.

"Your grandmother wants to arrange a marriage for you and has her eyes on Miss Tang Wei, the younger sister of the Princely Heir from the Wuxing Aristocratic Family, as well as Princess Helin from the Nanan Aristocratic Family. Which one do you think..."

"Mother, we are choosing just by their names?" Zong Yunqian had already finished a watermelon, took the handkerchief from Gu Dao’s hand, wiped his hands haphazardly, then picked up another slice and started eating again.

The female servant beside Eldest Madam Zong couldn’t help but lower her head and giggle. Even the servant boys with some standing in the mansion had better manners than the Heir.

Eldest Madam Zong turned and glared fiercely at her female servant before speaking again.

"Of course not. Your grandmother’s idea is that since there are seven days until the Empress Dowager’s birthday, why don’t we invite a few ladies from the aristocratic families to the mansion for tea and ask them to bring the young misses, without regard for primogeniture. As long as their character is decent and their appearance passable, neither your grandmother nor I will..."

"Mother, the selection for the Crown Princess Consort hasn’t been settled yet. Is it really okay to do this?" Zong Yunqian finished wiping his hands and stopped eating. "Mother, I am really tired. I want to sleep."

"Don’t go, listen to me first." Eldest Madam Zong grabbed Zong Yunqian’s arm, "You don’t need to worry about this. I’ve heard that the candidate for the Crown Princess Consort is about to be decided, and all that’s left are the formalities."

Zong Yunqian yawned greatly, his face a picture of misery.

"Mother, I’m truly tired, let’s talk about this another time." It seems that he can’t leave after the Empress Dowager’s birthday. Anyway, his presence or absence didn’t matter much. If it weren’t for the trip to the Southern Frontier being convenient on his way to Zheng Capital, he would have slipped away a long time ago.

"I’m only waiting for one word from you, whether you agree or not, give me an answer. Once you agree, I’ll leave," Eldest Madam Zong insisted, how could she leave? If she didn’t handle the matter well, she would be berated again tomorrow, and it would all be her fault.

"Fine, fine, I’ll listen to everything Mother says," Zong Yunqian nodded helplessly.

Eldest Madam Zong immediately breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that Zong Yunqian was indeed exhausted, she couldn’t bear to tire him further.

"Then get some good rest..."

Gu Dao watched his master, agreeing so quickly, he must have some other trick up his sleeve.

...

The first thing Zheng Congyuan did upon returning to the Crown Prince’s Mansion was to dispatch another troop. This time, he didn’t use the people from the Hidden Guard, but instead drew a team from the Imperial Guards.

The Imperial Guards had always stayed within the palace, responsible for Emperor Jingzhi’s security. The present-day Imperial Guards had been divided into three parts. When the Eldest Princess and Zheng Congyuan each got their mansions, part of the Imperial Guards became Zheng Tianxin’s Hidden Guards. And Zheng Congyuan’s Hidden Guards were also from the Imperial Guards.

But apart from these, over the years, other forces within the Imperial Guards had also gradually come under Zheng Congyuan’s control. On the surface, it looked like the Imperial Guards only comprised the part within the palace, but in secret, the leader of the Imperial Guards, Zhu Wen, had expanded it back to its original size.

Zhu Wen was originally under Zheng Congyuan, and later followed his orders to personally train these recruits.

Zhu Wen was startled when he suddenly received Zheng Congyuan’s orders, wondering what the Crown Prince’s purpose was since the men under his training had not yet appeared publicly.

Despite his suspicions, Zhu Wen quickly assembled a thirty-man team with the authority of the Imperial Guards and directly joined the investigation.

In fact, finding some unusual things wasn’t without traces to follow. Qi Yu’s men interrogated all the guards, and bit by bit, the incident was pieced together, focusing on the moment of entry to the women’s quarter.

Qi Yu quickly identified several suspicious places.

Two guards were found missing, who were clearly impersonators among the guard detail, and these two had been in contact with Heir Zong of the Zong Sheng Aristocratic Family.

Afterward, Qi Yu found out that Heir Zong later appeared near the lake, and this time the evidence was irrefutable.

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