Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 338 - 324: Second Update

Chapter 338: Chapter 324: Second Update

Zong Yunqian remained silent, not uttering a word. The decisions he awoke with now seemed like clouds floating in the air, powerless and ridiculous.

"Father, let’s go back first—" Zong Yunqian said, needing to think things through properly.

The Duke of Qing wanted to say more, but recalling the scene that had just unfolded, what more could he say? With so many eyes upon them, the heir of the Zong Sheng Aristocratic Family naturally couldn’t be seen as ungrateful and disloyal.

"Commandery Princess—"

"Commandery Princess—" At this moment, the maids of Zheng Nianru, who had rushed over upon hearing the news and had also gone without sleep all night, were overwhelmed with joy and wept, quickly stepping in for the clumsy guards.

"Commandery Princess, let me carry you," Xing Yu immediately said, looking at her own Commandery Princess with pity. Her clothes were dirty, her hair disheveled, and Nanny Yun had already draped her own outer garment over Zheng Nianru, her eyes red-rimmed.

"Prince, please take the carriage in the back. The physician arranged by the Crown Prince will be here soon. Rest assured, with Fu Dong taking care, the Commandery Princess will be fine," Qi Zhu quickly stopped Prince Duan who wanted to ride in the same carriage as Zheng Nianru.

Upon hearing this, Prince Duan slapped his forehead. He was confused by concern; after all, taking care of such a grown daughter was certainly not convenient for him. So, he nodded and headed towards another carriage.

"Imperial Brother—" When Zheng Haoyuan saw Zheng Congyuan, he felt somewhat afraid. In the Imperial Palace, he feared no one else but was somewhat afraid of Zheng Congyuan. Now, he had no choice but to stand before Zheng Congyuan at this juncture.

Zheng Congyuan glanced at Zheng Haoyuan. Although he wanted to crush Zheng Haoyuan with his own hands, considering he had actively searched for her all night long—

"Go back to the palace. With such a commotion today, think carefully about how to explain yourself—" Zheng Congyuan said, his gaze still not leaving the carriage ahead.

Zheng Haoyuan wanted to leave with Zheng Nianru, but he didn’t dare to speak up. After waiting for a moment and being urged by Zheng Congyuan’s men, he had no choice but to leave reluctantly with his own people.

The people from Prince Duan’s Mansion also left first, as suggested by Qi Zhu, to take care in the mansion. The crowd that had surrounded Earth Spirit River all night had dispersed within half an hour.

"Commandery Princess, just hold on a little longer. Once we get back to the mansion, you can take a bath. No, first drink a bowl of hot ginger soup, Nanny Yun and the others have gone back to prepare," Fu Dong said, glancing at the carriage’s interior.

Fu Dong, being observant, immediately noticed that this carriage was different from the others and guessed it belonged to the Crown Prince. However, it was not the one that the Crown Prince usually used, which both the Commandery Princess and she had ridden in before. This carriage seemed even more formal.

Fu Dong carefully combed Zheng Nianru’s hair, which spread long across her waist without a single hairpin to be found, all lost in the river, causing her to feel a pang of heartache for her Commandery Princess who had endured such hardship.

Zheng Nianru was dazed, not having to pretend to be pitiable in front of Fu Dong. She couldn’t quite comprehend Zong Yunqian and then wondered, at this time, if Zong Yunqian proposed to call off the engagement, how would she cope?

The likelihood of returning to the palace was slim, which was the biggest benefit of this marriage. But that was all there was to it. Even if her father would provide for her and she would want for nothing, he wouldn’t allow her to continue this way indefinitely.

The only outcome would be to push her to find a low-ranking official from an honest background to marry. It seemed impossible for her to be with Ju Nanyi in this lifetime because she was already engaged, and Ju Nanyi seemed to be even more valued and appreciated by Zheng Congyuan than in the previous life.

It seemed this was the only option. Surely she couldn’t really count on Nanmen Yu as her last resort?

The situation in this lifetime was different from the previous, so whether Nanmen Yu could make a difference was still uncertain.

"Commandery Princess?" Fu Dong called out cautiously, her voice rising on the third call, but Zheng Nianru in front of her showed no reaction. Had the Commandery Princess been scared silly?

Zheng Congyuan, outside the carriage, wrestled internally over whether to go in or not. Qi Ling and Qi Zhu had already cleared the area of all but the trusted aides. However, recalling the scene he had witnessed on the sandy banks, Zheng Congyuan had no desire to enter.

The thought of another man legitimately owning her, carrying her on his back...

Zheng Congyuan’s heart surged, as if his flesh and blood boiled with the tumult.

"Commandery Princess?" Fu Dong’s voice grew louder, tinged with urgency and panic, but Zheng Nianru still did not respond. Had the Commandery Princess been scared silly?

Zheng Congyuan tentatively pulled his thoughts back, only to hear Fu Dong call out to Zheng Nianru once again.

"Commandery Princess, don’t scare me!" Fu Dong was about to reach for Zheng Nianru when the carriage curtain was suddenly lifted, and that tall figure, carrying the scent of the riverbank and the distinctly cool fragrance of a man, embraced the person before him without a moment’s hesitation.

Fu Dong was stunned, about to speak, but the next moment, she bowed her head, resignedly giving up her place, her fingers trembling. Prince Duan and the others were still outside, if this was discovered—

"Don’t be afraid, I’m here. As long as I’m here, I won’t let anything happen to you—" Zheng Congyuan’s voice was husky and tender as if he were addressing his most precious treasure.

What had he been thinking just now? What had he—

Zheng Nianru came back to her senses. She was a person who extremely disliked using her brain, for thinking too hard made it feel like it was spinning, causing a headache, made worse by the exhaustion from being up all night.

"Brother Crown Prince," Zheng Nianru’s voice barely surfaced before she burst into tears. How could she not feel wronged after enduring so much through the night? Crying in front of Zheng Congyuan felt more significant, more relieving.

Zheng Nianru stirred, and her disheveled skirt revealed her bare feet.

Upon seeing the bare feet with cuts of varying depths, Zheng Congyuan’s breath caught.

He, he was still mindful of Zong Yunqian carrying her. Why didn’t he just die already?

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