Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 200 Second Update

Chapter 200: Chapter 200 Second Update

Eldest Madam Zong was taken aback. Which, which Commandery Princess? Why hadn’t she heard of it?

Prince Duan, who had been watching the events unfold with amusement, waiting for the right moment to leave, suddenly looked towards Zong Yunqian, who had spoken, in a panic. What did this youngster just say?

Prince Duan immediately looked at Housekeeper He beside him. Housekeeper He, frightened by what had just been said, hadn’t recovered his senses. Commandery Princess?

What had this to do with their family’s Commandery Princess?

"Which Commandery Princess?" Eldest Madam Zong asked uncertainly again, "Are you not mistaken? It’s Princess Helin from the Nanan Aristocratic Family."

"No, mother, it’s Prince Duan’s Princess Chao Ren," Zong Yunqian immediately affirmed. "That day, I had a fortuitous meeting with Princess Chao Ren, and I am fond of Princess Chao Ren."

Prince Duan shuddered. What the hell?

Gu Dao and Xi Feng shivered. Princely Heir, no, when did this happen? They had just heard today from those ladies from prominent families...

"Princess Chao Ren?" Eldest Madam Zong suddenly remembered, it seemed, there was indeed such a Commandery Princess?

In the palace? Personally taken care of by the Empress Dowager?

The next moment, Eldest Madam Zong realized the gravity of the situation. Wasn’t that Commandery Princess...

Eldest Madam Zong let out a wail immediately.

"Ah—" Now she truly felt like dying, especially with Prince Duan still there...

"You, you—" Prince Duan, as pale as death, immediately started scaling the wall. What had this youngster promised him at the outset? That this incident would be treated as if it never happened, that he had never seen Nian Ru.

"Prince Duan, every word of mine is true—" Zong Yunqian immediately turned to speak to Prince Duan.

Gu Dao was stunned. What was the Princely Heir doing? Was this real, or was it fake?

At this moment, Eldest Madam Zong no longer cared about life or death matters. Seeing Prince Duan’s state, she had to speak first.

"Prince Duan, please calm down, perhaps there’s a misunderstanding." How could the heir of the Zong Sheng Aristocratic Family marry that...

But Eldest Madam Zong also knew that the Commandery Princess was Prince Duan’s precious darling. For her, he had been suppressed for so many years.

Housekeeper He immediately clung tightly to his master, the Prince. The Prince must not act recklessly; this was the Zong Sheng Aristocratic Family, Zong Sheng, half a nation, wealthy enough to rival a country.

"Prince, Prince, please quell your anger." Housekeeper He and two attendants immediately restrained Prince Duan. Seeing that he couldn’t reach them, Prince Duan grabbed a lantern from Song Yuan’s hand and threw it.

"Prince Duan, please listen to what I have to say—" Zong Yunqian hadn’t finished speaking when the goat horn lamp was already thrown directly at his face.

Eldest Madam Zong immediately grabbed her son and jumped over the courtyard wall.

"You little rascal, make it clear, what’s all this about?" Eldest Madam Zong hadn’t expected things to turn out this way, but with Prince Duan outside, some things she could not say outright.

"Heir Zong, come out, and make things clear—"

Eldest Madam Zong grabbed Zong Yunqian, who was about to climb over the wall, and then she herself jumped over.

"Prince Duan, please calm down. I will clarify this matter, and I will definitely give the Prince an explanation," Eldest Madam Zong gave a bow.

Before Prince Duan could speak, Housekeeper He had already grabbed him.

"Prince, please calm down—"

Zheng Boding paused slightly, not understanding what Housekeeper He meant at the moment, but from their many years of familiar interaction, he knew that Housekeeper He must have something to say.

Song Gao and Song Yuan glanced at each other, their cold eyes narrowed slightly with implicit understanding, and they discreetly took a step back, noting the name Heir Zong.

Prince Duan, having no outlet for his anger and at a loss for words, flung his sleeve and turned to leave.

Upon seeing this, Eldest Madam Zong breathed a sigh of relief, but the moment she turned around, her face had turned an ashen blue, and she glared fiercely at her son.

"We’ll talk when we get back."

Gu Dao immediately pulled at the sleeve of his princely heir, "Heir, what are you doing? That Commandery Princess..."

Zong Yunqian gestured for Gu Dao not to ask and followed Eldest Madam Zong back into the house. At this moment, even the servants could sense a different atmosphere; Eldest Madam Zong’s livid face indicated the gravity of the situation.

But the heir had his heart set on a candidate for his wife, shouldn’t Eldest Madam be happy? Or was it because of the Commandery Princess? However, given the current status of the Zong Sheng Aristocratic Family, even seeking the hand of a Commandery Princess was possible.

"Kneel down—" Eldest Madam Zong turned around, and the onlookers were stunned, but Zong Yunqian was already slowly kneeling down.

"How do you know that commandery princess?" Eldest Madam Zong took a deep breath to calm herself down. As a mother, her only wish was to have Zong Yunqian marry a lady from a prominent family, to hold her grandchildren early, and as for whatever else this young man wanted to do, she did not want to intervene anymore.

But that commandery princess was a different matter.

It had been over a decade since the event with Prince Duan took place, but back then, during her prime, she remembered the incident vividly—the wild acts of Prince Duan and the breathtakingly beautiful Princess of Nanmen State.

The mere thought made Eldest Madam Zong feel faint; though she had never met that commandery princess, with such a beautiful mother, how could the daughter be far behind? It was no wonder her son had fallen for her at first sight.

"Mother, please, calm your anger. Do you remember that day when we went boating and your son changed his clothes when he returned?" Zong Yunqian looked at his mother. Since things had come to this, he could only start explaining slowly, recounting how he had happened to rescue Commandery Princess Chao Ren after she fell into the water.

"A coincidence?" Eldest Madam Zong didn’t believe in such coincidences, and immediately turned her head to Gu Dao.

"Gu Dao, you were following the heir that day; tell me, if even a single word is false, I will flay your skin."

Gu Dao fell to his knees with a thump.

"Madam, everything the heir said is true. It really was a coincidence, and, indeed, we did only rescue that commandery princess. Afterwards, Prince Duan arrived and took the commandery princess with him, and we’ve had no further contact," Gu Dao hurriedly explained. "Moreover, Prince Duan said that we should act as if the incident never happened."

Gu Dao rushed to explain, as days had passed, and he couldn’t understand why the heir had this idea now. At the time, they hadn’t known the identity of the commandery princess, but today, didn’t the heir know? Why then this sudden thought?

Eldest Madam Zong frowned and thought carefully. Prince Duan’s attitude seemed to match what Gu Dao had said, which meant the problem must lie with Zong Yunqian.

"You’ve seen it too, Prince Duan has no intention..."

"Mother." Zong Yunqian bowed again, "That day, your son didn’t just rescue Princess Chao Ren. Gu Dao didn’t tell you everything. That day, when Princess Chao Ren fell into the water, your son saw something he shouldn’t have, tarnishing the monarch’s reputation. Your son has been restless and must take responsibility as a man."

Gu Dao shuddered. Heir, no, that’s not...

Although he hadn’t seen anything, he had heard it clearly—it was the commandery princess herself...

Eldest Madam Zong’s body swayed upon hearing this.

What catastrophe had she brought upon herself, for things to have reached such a state with that commandery princess...

Oh dear, Eldest Madam Zong hurriedly rubbed her forehead, feeling dizzy and a chilling darkness enveloping her. The very thought of Old Madam finding out about this left her wishing she were dead instead.