Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 255: One More

Chapter 255: Chapter 255: One More

Zheng Nianru was hastily sent back, still in shock, and Nanny Yun’s hands and feet were trembling even now. Seeing the three of them return in such a sorry state, the people in Qishun Building were startled and hurried to attend to their washing and changing of clothes.

"Yin He, where are you going?" asked Xing Yu as she saw Yin He about to leave. They had just managed to escape with their lives, shouldn’t he be resting properly at this time?

"I dropped something; I’m going to pick it up," Yin He said with his head down, looking somewhat apologetic.

"Right, right, you’re thinking correctly. Hurry up then," Xing Yu remembered that the package she had brought with her was now long forgotten and lost in some corner.

It would be bad enough if it were lost, but it would be even more troublesome if someone else picked it up.

"Wait for me, I’ll get the matching tokens from Nanny Yun," said Xing Yu as she walked back inside. Yin He wanted to stop her but couldn’t; in fact, he didn’t need any matching tokens and was not keen on leaving the Imperial Palace.

Elder Can, who had followed along, was eager to try his luck. It seemed that something good had happened today; for the first time in forever, the Young Master had spoken to him upon returning, albeit only three short words—"Come with me." But that was still speaking, wasn’t it?

Elder Can felt that his days had a purpose now. When they arrived, perhaps Young Master would actually listen to him, and naturally, the credit would be his.

Xing Yu returned shortly, stuffing the matching tokens into Yin He’s hand, along with two dry cakes she was holding.

"Go and come back quickly."

Yin He turned and left. Naturally, he was not really going to look for something, but while something did need to be found, he had more important matters to attend to before then.

Those incompetents actually failed to injure Zong Yunqian. The items he had left behind hadn’t even been needed, and now he would have to take action himself.

Yin He was not in a hurry, though. Zong Yunqian might be strong, but today he had seen the extent of his final burst strength. With the help of the fool behind him, he was fully capable of dealing with him.

Elder Can didn’t know he was being sent to his death, but he also knew that Young Master wasn’t going out to simply retrieve something. After all, why would he need Elder Can’s help for something so trivial?

Half a shichen later, Zong Yunqian returned to the original spot. He did not come back to capture the bandits again; he knew that they were not real bandits. However, after coming down from the mountain, Zong Yunqian felt a strange sensation in his heart, as if there was something he had missed.

Zong Yunqian searched the area a few times. Looking at the traces left at the edge of the cliff, the others had indeed escaped. Zong Yunqian found it hard to believe that his moves had failed to kill a single person. This doubt grew larger in his heart.

Finally, Zong Yunqian found something unusual. He squatted down to inspect the scene on the ground more carefully. Unless one looked closely, it would be hard to notice that among the traces left by his spells, there were others intertwined, suggesting that those spells might have weakened the power of his own.

However, if those had been cast by those people, they could have confronted him directly. Besides, from the fight, Zong Yunqian could tell that although these people knew some Mystical Arts, they were clearly unorthodox and could not possess such powerful spells.

Yet at the time, there had been no others around.

Zong Yunqian dug up some soil from the ground and with Gu Dao and Xi Feng, set off back. To investigate this matter further, he would need to involve other powers. However, Zong Yunqian was in no rush, and the investigation would need to be conducted secretly.

...

Zheng Nianru had just finished her bath and was sitting blankly on the wooden couch, while Fu Dong combed her freshly dried hair, looking worriedly at her Commandery Princess.

What’s wrong with the Commandery Princess? Should she call the Imperial Physician to have a look?

Nanny Yun discreetly shook her head. Calling the Imperial Physician could only be arranged through the Crown Prince. Given the current situation, it was best to slowly sever ties with the Crown Prince.

Even if there were nothing between the Commandery Princess and the Crown Prince, it would be troublesome if Heir Zong found out about this matter.

What Zheng Nianru was thinking, however, was that she had encountered bandits. She was not a fool; she could tell that the bandits were after Zong Yunqian. If Zong Yunqian were killed before their marriage, wouldn’t all her efforts up to now have been in vain?

No, she had to escape before Zong Yunqian was killed; once the marriage was accomplished, Empress Dowager Yan Ping would have no way to deal with her.

In her previous life, the situation had been similar. After she got married, Empress Dowager Yan Ping had almost never appeared in her life.

And if Zong Yunqian died at this moment, not only would it not change the current reality, but it would also make it harder for her to plan another marriage to escape Empress Dowager Yan Ping’s control in the future.

Zheng Nianru was somewhat anxious, especially fearing that Zong Yunqian could die at any moment, which would put her in a passive position.

Fu Dong and Nian Xia thought that Zheng Nianru was so scared that they were extremely careful about everything, even speaking cautiously. Nanny Yun, together with her people, had personally checked the inside and outside of Qishun Building three times, for fear of assassins.

"Nanny Yun, what has been dropped?" When Nanny Yun was conducting her third inspection, a Hidden Guard couldn’t help but step forward, startling her. However, having met before, Nanny Yun patted her chest in relief.

"Yes, yes, a piece of jewelry was dropped." Nanny Yun couldn’t say anything else and wondered what she would do without these Hidden Guards after leaving the Imperial Palace.

No, she’d have to ask her son-in-law to retain a group like this for peace of mind.

"How about I bring some people to help you look for it? You’re making everyone anxious with all this fuss..."

"No, no need, it’s not anything important..." Nanny Yun hadn’t finished speaking when Qi Yu rushed in, almost bumping into her.

"Ah— there’s— Qi Yu, why, why did you come..." Nanny Yun was about to shout the word "assassin" but stopped herself when she saw Qi Yu’s eyes were bloodshot, feeling suddenly unable to speak.

Qi Yu ignored Nanny Yun and the Hidden Guard’s unexpected presence and headed straight for the Qishun Building.

"Hey, hey, Guard Qi Yu." Seeing this, Nanny Yun quickly followed him, wondering why he had come.

Qi Yu didn’t listen and continued to advance determinedly; Nian Xia, standing at the door attempting to stop him, was pushed aside with a single motion.

"Qi Yu, the Commandery Princess is tired and wishes to rest—" Nian Xia called after him.

As if he hadn’t heard, Qi Yu collided with Fu Dong, who was carrying out a cup of tea, causing it to clatter to the floor.

"Qi Yu, what are you doing?"

Qi Yu had already knelt in front of Zheng Nianru.

"Commandery Princess, our Crown Prince, the Crown Prince..."

Zheng Nianru rubbed her forehead; she didn’t want to deal with Qi Yu right now. What could have happened to Zheng Congyuan?

"What happened?" Zheng Nianru asked despite herself, while Fu Dong had already brought some fruit over. Until now, the Commandery Princess had hardly eaten anything, and hadn’t had much to eat outside either.

Qi Yu looked at the crystal-clear grapes and the bright red watermelon placed in front of Zheng Nianru.

"The Commandery Princess still feels like eating fruit here, while our Crown Prince has already fainted twice today and still refuses to call for the Imperial Physician." Qi Yu said coldly, recalling how in the past someone used to cling to the Crown Prince, and now had abandoned him so easily.

These past few days, the Commandery Princess had visited the Crown Prince’s Mansion only a few times, which even a person not in attendance like him could count on one hand. Each visit seemed half-hearted to him.

"What happened to Zheng Congyuan?" Zheng Nianru was taken aback, feeling exhausted she reluctantly asked. In her memory, Zheng Congyuan hadn’t had any hidden health issues.