Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 339 - 325 Part 1

Chapter 339: Chapter 325 Part 1

"Brother Crown Prince, I almost died," Zheng Nianru sobbed. It wasn’t feigned tears; she truly was on the brink of death. The moment she fell into the river, a huge splash of water had struck her, leaving her scalp numb, her limbs utterly powerless.

Fortunately, she knew how to swim. In her previous life, Ju Nanyi had put a lot of effort into teaching her, even saying that her fate was tied to water and it was very likely she would die by it. Therefore, she learned and became quite proficient.

Despite that, Zheng Nianru remained lazy in this life, her limbs even lazier than before. Apart from barely struggling to break the surface, she found herself utterly unable to do anything else.

But Zheng Nianru remembered the trick to relax in the water, who would have known that just as she struggled to the surface, the huge splash made by Zong Yunqian sent her plunging down again. This time, surfacing again seemed utterly impossible, for she felt a powerful force underneath her feet, as if it were trying to suck her in.

Therefore, Zheng Nianru said Zong Yunqian had harmed her, and that was without a sliver of injustice.

"I know, I know," Zheng Congyuan responded, his heart aching so much he didn’t know how to reply. He lowered his head and reached for Zheng Nianru’s feet. She was taken aback, only then noticing that her feet, soaked all night in the river water, were wrinkled, peeling, and covered with sand and mud from the riverbank.

Zheng Nianru immediately noticed the problems with the feet she took such pride in and instinctively wanted to retract them.

"Don’t move—" Zheng Congyuan’s heart hurt even more as he took a silk handkerchief from his sleeve.

"Brother Crown Prince, there’s no need. I’ll go back and bathe, then apply some..." As Zheng Nianru spoke, she was insistent on pulling her feet back.

Zheng Congyuan wouldn’t let her, and all his attention was on those feet. He gently wiped the sand and mud with the silk handkerchief, and along with it, the small wounds came into view, one by one, in front of Zheng Congyuan. They weren’t large, but enough to make his heart ache.

Fu Dong immediately handed over a damp cloth. Zheng Congyuan took it and continued to wipe slowly.

Zheng Nianru watched, stunned. She had wanted to throw herself at him, to exploit Zheng Congyuan’s heartache and affection, to cling to his embrace for as long as possible, and not allow him to get out of the carriage until they reached Prince Duan’s Mansion.

However, now, seeing Zheng Congyuan’s earnest expression, the genuine pain in his eyes, Zheng Nianru lost the rush of pleasure she used to feel, and her heart grew restless,

She suddenly dared not indulge any longer, nor dared to take advantage of Zheng Congyuan’s sincerity.

At that moment, Zheng Congyuan had his entire focus on the pair of feet that had suffered injustices. He remembered how her feet, once barefoot on the wooden board, every adorable, chubby little toe evoked admiration for the heavens’ favor. But under his protection, those feet, and their owner, still got hurt; it was his incompetence, and even more so, his negligence.

Prince Duan had no guards, and he should have realized earlier that Prince Duan, throughout all these years, hadn’t seen Nian Ru as many times as he had in a single month of the past. Therefore, even if Prince Duan had the intention, how could he possibly know how to take good care of her?

Her little temper, her love for play, her reckless actions, were not something that could be safely managed by just having Xing Yu follow her around.

Zheng Congyuan felt self-reproach, and his movements became even more sincere, radiating a devout and sacred feeling.

Zheng Nianru felt even less willing to move.

Time ticked by. Zheng Nianru initially thought that with so much time, she would have countless things to say, many grievances and complaints to pour out; she would talk incessantly, cry with choking sobs. But now, Zheng Nianru didn’t want to cry anymore.

Just sitting quietly like this, Zheng Nianru suddenly felt it wasn’t too bad.

The carriage slowly moved forward, with neither of them speaking again. Zheng Nianru didn’t know how long the man would keep wiping, so she simply stopped caring, found a somewhat comfortable position against Zheng Congyuan’s body, and let herself sway with the rocking of the carriage and the man’s movements.

Finally, the carriage came to a stop. Prince Duan waited anxiously at the doorway, with Nanny Yun and Xing Yu already on standby with clothes at the entrance.

The moment Nanny Yun lifted the carriage curtain and saw Zheng Congyuan, she almost cried out in shock—instinctively wanting to close the curtain. But having seen the world, she managed not to drop the curtain and handed over the cloak and shoes from Xing Yu’s hands.

"Commandery Princess, it’s chilly outside. Please put on the cloak before coming out." Nanny Yun’s voice trembled. Her young mistress was still leaning against Crown Prince—should Prince Duan find out, would the Commandery Princess still wish to live? And would they themselves have any chance of survival?