Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 208 Second Update

Chapter 208: Chapter 208 Second Update

Lan Xing finally realized something was amiss. From his line of sight, the figure in black seemed to be enshrouded in a rainbow glow, and there were faint traces of water on the ground around him.

Lan Xing advanced with curiosity two steps forward and then quickly walked up to the figure in black.

"Elder Can—" Lan Xing began, panic-stricken, this, this...

He saw the figure in black’s already melting fingers slowly shake toward Lan Xing, and with a light click, the ice that covered his head finally melted due to the scorching sunlight, scattering fragments of ice as they fell.

Lan Xing dared not make any sudden moves, but wasn’t ice Elder Can’s forte?

Lan Xing wanted to ask but was afraid to; in the next moment, the ice encasing the figure in black also slowly melted away, and the rigid body of the figure in black collapsed.

"Elder Can—" Lan Xing called out anxiously, the figure in black finally let out a breath, his voice raspy, aged, and bitter.

"I am alright—" the figure in black began to slowly move his arms, struggling to crawl outside, step by step, his limbs gradually recovering as if he were a snail.

Lan Xing, concerned, was about to follow and take a closer look when suddenly, a voice came from inside the hall. Yan Xia, leading the young boy, had already come out.

Lan Xing then earnestly regarded the boy for the first time, his gaze complex, yet it was only for an instant before he turned and walked into the hall.

...

Zong Yunqian entered the palace, making his way to Xingqing Hall, while Empress Dowager Yan Ping took a fancy to recall the Enigma Sutra from Qiandao Temple. Zong Yunqian, overseeing Mage Huo Yi’s six major disciples, practiced the Enigma Sutra.

However, Empress Dowager Yan Ping only discussed the content of the scriptures, which Zong Yunqian studied regularly. There was nothing that needed to be concealed, and as the scriptures were available to all disciples of Qiandao Temple, even the common folk could study them if they were inclined. Zong Yunqian merely expressed his own understanding in his usual manner of speaking, but Empress Dowager Yan Ping still didn’t quite grasp it.

It wasn’t that Zong Yunqian was deliberately being enigmatic—it’s just that this matter required a particular aptitude, beyond the understanding of ordinary people.

Empress Dowager Yan Ping, not understanding, wasn’t annoyed but instead showed great approval and bestowed many gifts, instructing her maids to hand them over to the two servants who accompanied him.

Initially, Empress Dowager Yan Ping acted on a whim, but seated in a position of power, even a capricious act could stir up waves below. When Zong Yunqian came out of the main hall, Gu Dao and Xi Feng, who were waiting outside, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Princely Heir, let us return quickly," Gu Dao suggested, holding a heap of items, hoping they could appease the Old Madam’s anger when they got back.

Yet Zong Yunqian glanced at the walls of Xingqing Hall. Regarding Princess Chao Ren, he knew very little. Even if he intended to learn something more, the stories were diverse and mostly unreliable.

"No hurry—" Zong Yunqian grew curious. This Princess Chao Ren, who had been confined in the palace by Empress Dowager Yan Ping for over a decade—if he could meet her now, he might persuade her to join him in this play. After all, it would be only beneficial and not harmful to her, otherwise, she wouldn’t have taken such a bold step on that day.

Zong Yunqian originally planned to go through Prince Duan, thinking there was a fair chance with a just cause, but now it seemed that this idea only concerned the Princess herself.

Gu Dao and Xi Feng noticed Zong Yunqian diverging onto a more secluded path, no longer the way to the palace gates. Just as they were about to speak up, two nannies with stern expressions blocked Zong Yunqian’s way.

"Stop right there, this is a restricted area of the Harem. Leave at once." Zong Yunqian was taken aback, surprised that even in this desolate area, there were nannies guarding it.

"Good day, Nannies. I am Zong Yunqian of the Zong Sheng Aristocratic Family, having lost my way after leaving the Empress Dowager’s palace, unaware of my location. Could you two nannies please direct me to the palace gates?" Zong Yunqian immediately said with respect.

The two nannies saw this and their expressions improved slightly.

"So it’s Heir Zong, you’ve gone the wrong way. How come there isn’t a nanny to escort you out?"

"There was indeed one, but just after coming out, the Eldest Princess’s people arrived with gifts, and the nanny went back in to greet them, so I had to leave on my own," said Zong Yunqian, looking obliging and naturally possessing a face that was likeable.

"If that is so, Heir Zong can exit through the back garden, and you will be outside Xingqing Hall. From there, if you head east, you will see Hanguang Hall, and past Hanguang Hall is the East Gate. Heir can leave from there."

"Thank you, Nanny." Zong Yunqian didn’t say much more, thanked them, but then glanced behind the two nannies—a very narrow path. At the end of the path, he could faintly make out a gate, albeit a very small one that didn’t seem to befit a place where a Commandery Princess would reside.

"Heir, where are we going?" Gu Dao caught up and couldn’t help but ask.

Zong Yunqian looked around and finally began to understand something. This pathway was lush and green, but it faintly seemed to circle around a courtyard, with glimpses of old spotted walls amidst the verdant trees.

Suddenly, Zong Yunqian leaped up, and as expected, behind the lush trees, there was a dilapidated courtyard, where flowers bloomed profusely, obviously tended by someone.

Gu Dao and Xi Feng were startled; this was the palace, and the Heir shouldn’t be reckless. They could only grit their teeth and follow him up to pull their Heir back.

"Heir, let’s hurry up and leave. This must be what they call the Cold Palace."

"Have you ever seen a Cold Palace where someone takes such meticulous care of the flowers?" Zong Yunqian didn’t think so.

He didn’t know the exact location where Empress Dowager Yan Ping kept Princess Chao Ren confined in the palace, but from what he could see, this had to be the right place.

"Heir, this is inside the palace..." Gu Dao immediately tried to pull Zong Yunqian away.

Zong Yunqian had already leaped onto another section of the wall. From here, the buildings, although dilapidated, seemed inhabited, which further confirmed his guess.

Zong Yunqian didn’t come down, but continued along the top of the wall, then to his surprise, he noticed that one side of the building was decrepit, while the other was very delicate. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Then, he saw Zheng Nianru taking a nap under the eaves, behind the gauze curtains.

Zong Yunqian’s lips unconsciously curved up, not knowing if it was the victorious feeling of a young man using his smarts to find something, or perhaps seeing the serene scene made everything suddenly seem pleasing to the eye.

Gu Dao and Xi Feng caught up and their eyelids twitched at the sight.

"Heir, let’s hurry up and leave while we haven’t been discovered," Gu Dao said, tugging at Zong Yunqian’s sleeve, refusing to let his Heir go any further.

"Hey—" Zong Yunqian suddenly spoke out.

Xue Liu, who had been sitting by the wooden couch, was startled into leaping up and then saw Zong Yunqian sitting atop the wall.

Zheng Nianru opened her eyes and saw Zong Yunqian within her line of sight. She glanced at Xue Liu.

Xue Liu understood. The Crown Prince had taken the Hidden Guards away these past two days and hadn’t sent them back yet, so it made sense that they could have gotten in.