Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 415 - 394 Second Update

Chapter 415: Chapter 394 Second Update

"Xing Yu hasn’t come back yet?" Zheng Nianru murmured naturally.

Supported by Nanny Yun, Ju Nanyi suddenly felt an illusion, as if she had already married him and was reluctantly following him home to meet his mother.

"Xing Yu went to buy pastries from Myriad Flowers Tower," she murmured.

"Xing Yu hasn’t come back yet?"

Ju Nanyi seemed to forget all the pain in her body, as if this foolish trick, which even she found laughable, suddenly had meaning, all because of her casual remark.

Return? As if this place was her home.

"Lord Ju, please lie down; the physician will be here soon," Nanny Yun said, seeing Ju Nanyi’s discomfort and guessing that perhaps a family member of his was sick. Was that why he was in such a hurry for money, and why he went to Riverfood Restaurant?

Nanny Yun then looked around this clean but unavoidably poor home, where not even one decent chair could be found for the Commandery Princess to sit on.

"Thank you—" Ju Nanyi whispered, deeply impressed by the image of Nanny Yun and her people, who was always sorry for him and frequently came to counsel him, even when he made many mistakes.

"Is that Nanyi returning?" Mother Ju’s voice came from the inner room, hoarse and dry from long-term illness caused by years of toil.

Ju Nanyi wanted to reply but felt dizzy, her head throbbing as if someone was continuously hammering at her skull. Just as she was about to speak, her body wavered, and Nanny Yun caught her in time, slowly lowering her to a chair before hesitantly stepping into the inner room.

"Is that Mother Ju?" Nanny Yun asked with a gentle voice, softening even more at the sight of the frail Mother Ju, "Lord Ju is in the outer room. He’s been injured, and by chance, our Commandery Princess saw him and brought him back. Don’t... please don’t get up, the physician will arrive soon, and it’s not serious..."

Nanny Yun didn’t know why she felt compelled to lie to Mother Ju on the bed.

Mother Ju tried to rise, propped up by willpower alone, but her body was too weak, and her coughing wouldn’t cease.

Nanny Yun couldn’t bear it and stepped forward to help ease her breathing.

"Thank you, thank you..." Mother Ju looked at Nanny Yun’s attire and poise, typically not of their kind, likely someone Nanyi met through official circles. What was said just now? Commandery Princess?

"There’s no need for thanks; we simply happened to come across this," Nanny Yun replied, unsure of what else to say upon seeing Mother Ju’s condition, suspecting she had been bedridden for a long time.

So, Nanny Yun sighed inwardly, Lord Ju truly was a rare good man, both filial and capable.

"Thank you, Nanyi he—"

"Commandery Princess, the physician has arrived." Xing Yu hurried in with the physician, knowing Lord Ju’s house without needing to ask, as merely mentioning the physician already indicated where to go.

"Lord Ju?" The physician, originally thinking he was there to see Mother Ju, was puzzled by the girl’s call and thought nothing of it. Upon entering, he saw Ju Nanyi covered in blood and was shocked, hastening forward.

The coachman busied himself bringing water and fetching medicine. Seeing this, Zheng Nianru decided there was no rush to leave now that she was here and found a chair to sit.

Ju Nanyi suddenly felt the whole house close in, as if nothing there was worthy of the celestial air of the girl before him. Yet, he felt an inexplicable sense of relief, almost thinking he had gone mad.

"Lord Ju, although these are external wounds, you must rest well to heal. I will leave you a prescription, and later, have the servant from the pharmacy bring it to you," the physician said as he packed his medicine box, careful not to look around too much but deeply curious. He had visited Lord Ju’s home many times and had never seen these people before. Naturally, they were out of place, like those noble ladies from official families. How did they come to be in Lord Ju’s home?

The physician found it improbable, but then again, with Lord Ju’s character, what kind of lady couldn’t he match?

"Many thanks, Physician. Here’s the consultation fee, and I’ve included what was owed before as well. I’d also like to trouble you to take a look at my mother; please have the young man bring the medicine over." Ju Nanyi calmly took out the handkerchief wrapped around the silver taels and openly handed them over to the physician.

Nanny Yun’s nose soured, everyone in this world has their sorrows - their Commandery Princess was one of them, and so was this Lord Ju.

Upon seeing this, even though Zheng Nianru wanted to leave, she now felt somewhat guilty about her initial malicious speculations. Had she not provoked Ju Nanyi, perhaps he would have steadily climbed to a position that wasn’t high-ranking but would ensure a peaceful and prosperous life, and marry a girl from a family of modest officials. Wasn’t this the kind of life he had always wanted?

So, perhaps from the beginning, it was she who had harmed Ju Nanyi. It was her who deliberately got close to him, seduced him, causing him to spend the latter half of his life in constant tumult, even though he held high rank and power, he was never content. Looking back now, it seems that her faults were greater.

Zheng Nianru sighed. This lifetime should have a different ending from the last; Ju Nanyi was a capable man and what Zheng Congyuan lacked by his side was precisely such a person.

These were all things she hadn’t witnessed in her previous life when she was too busy scrambling for a livelihood to spare any other thoughts. The Ju Nanyi before her wasn’t like that; rather, it was she who had never understood his truly impoverished life or seen the bitterness hidden beneath his talent.

"My lord, there’s no need to be anxious. Your mother’s illness is a chronic one, it won’t get better in a day or two. If she can rest and not overwork in the future, maybe she could..." The physician stopped there; he had encountered many such cases in his practice. He knew Lord Ju was an incorruptible official.

"Thank you, Physician." Ju Nanyi said no more. The physician left with his medicine chest, and it seemed as if Ju Nanyi only then remembered Zheng Nianru and the others.

"I’m grateful for your righteous rescue today, Commandery Princess," Ju Nanyi said, with his head bandaged, looking somewhat comical, yet his expression calm and collected as if the disheveled figure wasn’t him.

Zheng Nianru did not want his thanks.

"There’s no need for formalities, Lord Ju. You once saved the Commandery Princess’s life; it was merely a helping hand. Xing Yu..." Zheng Nianru had seen many things clearly and looked towards Xing Yu, who took out a pouch of silver taels from her embrace.

"Please accept these silver taels, Lord Ju. It was my oversight, and I hope you will not decline." Zheng Nianru personally took the silver and handed them to Ju Nanyi. If in this lifetime, the two of them could have a good start, avoiding the mistakes of their past lives.

Ju Nanyi was slightly stunned, his cheeks instantly flushed with either embarrassment or something else, even he couldn’t clearly define.

"Commandery Princess, this official..." Taking advantage of someone’s sympathy - Ju Nanyi, are you ashamed or not? But aside from this, he couldn’t think of any other way to get closer to her.

"You are an upright man, Lord Ju. It’s just a bit of silver," Zheng Nianru stated, suddenly realizing why Prince Duan had sent some servants to attend to Mother Ju in her previous life. If it hadn’t been for Prince Duan’s arrangements, and all these were things she should have done in her last life...

"Let’s go—" Zheng Nianru felt she couldn’t stay any longer, the longer she stayed, the more she felt that the outcome of her last life was her own doing. She had harmed Zheng Congyuan, harmed Ju Nanyi - Zheng Nianru was distressed.

"Lord Ju, we will take our leave—" Nanny Yun hastily bid farewell. It pained her to see Lord Ju, who was not only dealing with his own injuries but also taking care of his elderly mother. Such a fine man...

Fu Dong and Xing Yu were also worried, not leaving until they saw Zheng Nianru had already left the yard and then they quickly followed her.

Ju Nanyi stood quietly in the main house as if the air still carried her breath. This fleeting memory made the pain on his head and his body disappear as if it were sweet, as if he again had the courage to defy fate.

Now, she had noticed him, and in the days to come, he had to move towards her step by step. The regrets from his last life - he hoped to make them right this life and have all the goodness be like the memories of the time around their new marriage.

...

"Commandery Princess, Young Master Wen has arrived—" Xing Yu rushed in. Wen Zan’s visit was unexpected; usually, he would come with Zheng Haoyuan. Now, coming on his own and even sending a formal invitation, Xing Yu looked at the visitation card in her hand. Surely the people at the gatehouse hadn’t made a mistake.

"What is he here for?" Zheng Nianru was somewhat surprised, wondering why Wen Zan would come.

"To deliver something?" Fu Dong guessed. Hadn’t he just sent something? If there hadn’t been any recent shipments, then it wouldn’t be anything unusual.