Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 287: One More

Chapter 287: Chapter 287: One More

"Commandery Princess, please—" Seeing Zheng Congyuan leave, Zong Yunqian breathed a sigh of relief. He always felt that Zheng Congyuan’s gaze upon him carried scrutiny and inquiry, which put a lot of pressure on Zong Yunqian.

Prince Duan intervened, but since he had personally acknowledged this arranged marriage, and seeing that Zong Yunqian had not acted out of line from beginning to end, he eventually considered it a stroke of good fortune that Nian Ru might never be able to cultivate in her lifetime.

Zheng Nianru was silent, staring blankly at the night sky outside. Why did Zheng Congyuan come? Did he know what happened at Xingqing Hall? Was that why he hurried over to comfort her, but why was he angry?

Zheng Nianru could easily sense that Zheng Congyuan was angry. It was during his final departure, the way he turned and swept his sleeves—barely noticeable, yet Zheng Nianru could feel that anger.

Prince Duan boarded another carriage, yet he couldn’t help but look worriedly at Zheng Nianru’s carriage. Zong Yunqian sat outside the carriage, looking very well-behaved. He ultimately did not say anything else but ordered the coachman to start driving.

The carriage moved slowly. Zong Yunqian, sitting outside, suddenly lifted the carriage curtain. Inside was pitch dark, yet Zong Yunqian could clearly sense the direction of the girl—tranquil as water.

"It seems that there are quite a few who want to kill you," Zong Yunqian teased in his natural voice. He did not believe that Zheng Nianru would be scared. Having gone through the life-threatening assassination at Siyan Lake, where the girl had remained unflustered, such an attempt might not even qualify as an assassination in her eyes.

Zheng Nianru glanced at Zong Yunqian. In the darkness, apart from the words Zong Yunqian had just spoken, there was only the sound of the carriage wheels, which still managed to irritate Zheng Nianru.

Zheng Nianru didn’t know what was causing her irritation, much like she didn’t know why Zheng Congyuan was upset.

She was already engaged. She was already engaged. In this life, she hadn’t planned for Zheng Congyuan to be part of her life. Even if it was coercion, Zheng Congyuan needed to face reality.

Zheng Nianru looked up.

"Heir Zong, we both understand that our engagement is nothing but a charade, so there’s no need to take it so seriously," Zheng Nianru suddenly said. No, it was just that she disliked it. It was not because of Zheng Congyuan.

Zong Yunqian was too shrewd and did not fancy her. Even if she tried to seduce him, it wouldn’t have much effect. So why waste time?

Fu Dong and Nian Xia immediately looked at their Commandery Princess in astonishment. Why was the Commandery Princess being so sudden?

Zong Yunqian was stunned upon hearing this, unsure how to respond for a moment. Was it because of his behavior just now?

"Commandery Princess, if I have offended you involuntarily just now, please forgive me," Zong Yunqian said solemnly. Just now he... indeed he shouldn’t have, but his actions were to dispel any suspicions the Crown Prince had against him and were somewhat impulsive due to the urgency of the situation.

Zheng Nianru was silent, and the atmosphere turned cold. The casual question Zong Yunqian had asked earlier now felt like a distant memory. Fu Dong and Nian Xia carefully dared not make a sound.

Fu Dong vaguely guessed something. When Zong Yunqian suddenly took hold of their Commandery Princess’s hand earlier, she had felt the tension in the air. No, it was she who was nervous. Why she was nervous, Fu Dong couldn’t say.

But the Commandery Princess was angry, why was she angry? Fu Dong dared not think further. Just the thought made her feel like the Commandery Princess was courting disaster.

Now that they had finally left the palace, with Prince Duan’s protection to look forward to, it seemed there was hope. But why was the Commandery Princess still floundering in the dark?

Prince Duan was the first to get off the carriage.

"Heir Zong, thank you—" Following that, he watched Zheng Nianru exit the carriage, protective like a mother hen. The entire way, Prince Duan’s eyes never left Zong Yunqian. Thankfully, the boy had acted properly, which brought Prince Duan considerable relief.

Zheng Nianru had already alighted from the carriage, standing behind Prince Duan, silent and wordless. This made Prince Duan even more assured.

"Prince, it’s getting late, so I will take my leave now," Zong Yunqian said respectfully as he bid farewell, glancing at Zheng Nianru. Seeing that she had no intention of speaking, he turned to leave.

Gu Dao and Xi Feng drove the carriage, and within the distance of a whip’s crack, they had already arrived at the entrance of Zong Sheng Residence.

"Princely Heir, about the matter you asked to be investigated..." Xi Feng followed him inside.

Zong Yunqian gave Xi Feng a cold look, and Xi Feng immediately shut his mouth. Yet he felt wronged inside; hadn’t the Princely Heir been in a hurry to get news about the Ghost Shadow these past days? He’d been almost entirely occupied with the investigation.

"Speak," Zong Yunqian didn’t know what was irritating him; after all, what Zheng Nianru said was correct—this was just mutual exploitation, an agreed upon transaction.

Gu Dao brought over tea, carefully observing Zong Yunqian, while Xi Feng had already begun to speak.

"A few days ago, traces of the Ghost Shadow were spotted on the outskirts of the capital. What I can’t understand, though, is why the Ghost Shadow would appear at Prince Duan’s Mansion."

"Perhaps the Ghost Shadow’s target was never Prince Duan’s Mansion," Zong Yunqian interjected, breaking free from his previous thoughts. He had serious matters to attend to; it was indeed nothing but a charade.

Gu Dao and Xi Feng exchanged a glance, sharing the same thought. In Weixing Mountain, their target was the Princely Heir, and that Ghost Shadow had also come for the Princely Heir.

"But Princely Heir, we’ve never had any entanglements with the Ghost Shadow, and we haven’t done anything out of line in Zheng Capital. Why would the Ghost Shadow..." target them?

Zong Yunqian shook his head; he didn’t know either.

It surely couldn’t be because of that.

Very few knew about that affair, and within Qiandao Temple, only the master and a few senior brothers knew of it. Perhaps, some brothers were unaware of it altogether.

He had learned of it quite by chance when his master was casting divinations. He had entered unintentionally, and besides him, the only others present were Master Huo Yi and Senior Brother Yu Sheng. And he had seen the divination clearly.

Zong Yunqian’s study of the divination symbols was self-taught from ancient texts and by a fortuitous encounter during his travels with a mage skilled in divination. Thus, the symbols he learned differed from those his master had deciphered. Therefore, Zong Yunqian had not discussed the matter in detail with his master, and Master Huo Yi also did not know he was familiar with divination.

The symbols from that time, Zong Yunqian realized at first glance, were a great divination, the kind indicative of Qiandao Temple displaying the dragon’s ascent.

Zong Yunqian had exited immediately and maintained a calm demeanor as if he was entirely ignorant of the divination’s meaning.

What followed, however, made Qiandao Temple’s actions even more puzzling for him. The Crown Prince had personally gone to Qiandao Temple three times, and although each visit seemed to have a very legitimate reason, Zong Yunqian knew it was because of that divination.

Moreover, the interpretation of the divination by his master was different from his own; his master believed that the Nanzheng Imperial Clan faced an unprecedented crisis.

But his own interpretation suggested that the crisis stemmed from Qiandao Temple, with the next Monarch of Nanzheng State emerging from its ranks.

Zong Yunqian had pondered for a long time on who this person might be but still had no leads. Eventually, he stopped thinking about it; perhaps, this person was not indicated in the divination symbols. That didn’t mean Zong Yunqian lacked his own ideas, though.

Nanzheng revered Spells and had revered Qiandao for many years, already possessing a foundational support among the populace. And in Dongyu, there was a precedent for Spellcasters to wield power, so no matter which mage from Qiandao Temple had such a portent, he had to prepare in advance.

Since divination involved peering into the heavens, if his master could do it, other Spellcasters naturally could too. Zong Yunqian suspected these Ghost Shadows knew something.