Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 426 - 405: One More Update

Chapter 426: Chapter 405: One More Update

Zheng Nianru looked at Ju Nanyi, and the man within her gaze didn’t move at all, not even altering the posture of pouring his wine, calm and unhurried. Zheng Nianru admired Ju Nanyi’s ability to keep up a front, just like Zheng Congyuan.

So what? As long as they were in bed, she could easily break Ju Nanyi’s defenses, making him abandon his last line of resistance and collapse into an embarrassed retreat.

"Lin Sheng, go fetch another jug of wine," said Zheng Nianru, glancing at the person standing behind Ju Nanyi. Lin Sheng sensed that something was not quite right, but the next moment he thought he was overreacting. After all, Lord Ju was a man even Housekeeper He could not praise enough. What was there to worry about?

Lin Sheng turned and left, while Fu Dong watched him go. She felt uncertain about what her Commandery Princess was planning, but she sensed that something was amiss.

"Lord Ju, are you interested in me?" Indeed, before Fu Dong could shake off her foreboding feelings, she heard her Commandery Princess utter words that made her wish she could hide in a hole.

Fu Dong became tense at once, "Commandery Princess, what are you doing? The Crown Prince has already agreed with you. Just wait a few more days, and the Crown Prince will surely find a way. Why would you provoke Lord Ju? This Lord Ju is a gentleman of integrity, a white moonlight in the sky, a learned man whose gaze would dare not defile anything."

"Commandery Princess, are you feeling warm?" Fu Dong hurriedly knelt down. The heat from the furnace was rising, and it was time to take off the cloak. Fu Dong’s main desire was to prevent her Commandery Princess from saying anything more—just drink this cup of wine quickly and leave, please, no more embarrassment.

Ju Nanyi was momentarily stunned. If it weren’t for his past life’s memories and his understanding of Zheng Nianru, he most certainly wouldn’t know how to handle himself. But the question from the woman before him brought him not the slightest joy; instead, his heart slowly sank.

It was because she didn’t care about him that she spoke so casually, wasn’t it? So why? In his past life, he didn’t think he had appeared before her as often as in this one, and Prince Duan’s impression of him wasn’t as profound as now.

Where did things go wrong?

Heir Zong? That person in his memories who never showed any urgency concerning her?

"The Commandery Princess possesses a celestial beauty, and as a normal man, of course, I am fond of beautiful things. Moreover, the Commandery Princess has a kind heart and has shown me favor; it’s only natural for me to admire you," Ju Nanyi slowly began to speak. Zong Yunqian? But Prince Duan had already called off the engagement, in fact, Prince Duan had personally told him that the woman before him had not the slightest objection.

Zheng Nianru was somewhat surprised to hear this response. It was neither a denial nor an acknowledgment; Ju Nanyi was very clever. Without such cleverness, he could not have turned the tables in such a disadvantageous situation. But this was not the answer she was seeking.

Zheng Nianru suddenly leaned toward the man, a bold move that startled Fu Dong, who had just taken off her Commandery Princess’s cloak. She nearly dropped the clothes in her hands, and if there hadn’t been those clothes, Fu Dong would have desperately wanted to pull her Commandery Princess back.

A rich and mellow fragrance suddenly invaded all of Ju Nanyi’s senses, causing his pupils to constrict in an instant. Zheng Nianru did not miss this detail, further confirming her guess.

It dawned on her belatedly that, in her previous life, she might have been the one being played. He clearly had feelings for her but pretended to be austere and uninterested, making her the one to seduce him, to approach him first, and this perception nearly fooled her for a lifetime.

How could she have not realized in her last life that Ju Nanyi was also so scheming.

"Lord Ju, I believe you are also aware that this Commandery Princess has already broken off the engagement with Heir Zong," Zheng Nianru’s voice was soft and tender, the heat from the brazier curling up, intoxicating the will and carrying an impulse to lead one into sin.

Ju Nanyi took a deep breath, inhaling the dense fragrance into his lungs, into his viscera. How long had it been since he had smelled such a familiar scent, the scent from his memories? Although it was different from the later version, the main note had not changed; familiar yet crisp, devoid of the later frivolity and irritation.

Ju Nanyi didn’t know how to reply, just wanted to indulge in the intoxicating fragrance, not wanting to awaken, nor to think again, and yet, he was very clear in his heart that what was before him was nothing but a fleeting illusion, she was not really...

Ju Nanyi slightly turned his head, unsure of how to face this version of Zheng Nianru, unsure of how to make a move that could completely change the current situation.

"Commandery Princess, I am but a humble scholar from a poor family..." Ju Nanyi started, with a similar line, but with added bitterness. He had deceived himself more than once, Zheng Nianru had not taken notice of him just for the military power he held in his hands later on.

"Lord Ju misunderstands, Prince Duan’s intent is only to wish for the Commandery Princess’s safe and peaceful life, not expecting her to achieve fame or great status. Lord Ju, you also know that Prince Duan once highly valued those new scholars in Lin Garden, who are from families as noble as yours. Had it not been for Zong Sheng’s family seeking an imperial edict from the Empress Dowager..." Zheng Nianru spoke slowly, her fingers caressing the rim of the wineglass, as if those fingers had magic powers, making it impossible for a man to take his eyes off them, seeing only the shadows of those soft, scallion-like fingers.

All of a sudden, Ju Nanyi felt restless within. Was this her attempt to seduce him? No, he was very clear about her seductiveness, how easily she could captivate his heart. Whether it was at the beginning or after he made a mistake, she could effortlessly dissipate all his displeasure and make him willingly, without regret, risk his life for her, just for her smile.

But that was not the case now, not at all. Everything she said, every action, carried perfunctory overtones. She didn’t even wish to conceal her disregard, those flickering scallion-like shadows stabbing at his inner self, forcing him to confront the raw truth.

Zheng Nianru’s sidelong glance caught the man’s panic and disarray, and she couldn’t help but sneer inwardly; in this lifetime, Ju Nanyi couldn’t deceive her, and was naturally even more vulnerable than in her previous life.

Fu Dong was truly getting a headache. Commandery Princess, what on earth are you saying? Let’s hurry up and go, lest Lord Ju dares not come in the future, and after Prince Duan has gone through so much trouble...

Zheng Nianru suddenly reached out, directly touching the man’s hand on the table. This sudden move took the man by surprise, from having no defense, to shock as he turned his head suddenly. Under Fu Dong’s gaze, he nearly fainted, the man suddenly leapt up, as if scratched by a cat, retracting his hand at the same time he was a foot away from the table, not leaping out of the Warm Pavilion, which Fu Dong considered was only because the pavilion was sheltered tightly on all sides.

Ju Nanyi looked at Zheng Nianru with anger, rage, as if the woman’s gesture had desecrated him, and how was it not a desecration? It violated his truest feelings, the turmoil of all his emotions, the sleepless nights, it desecrated all the resentment and indignation festering in his heart.

How dare she?!

When they had first met, she had taken care to present herself as pure and innocent before him...

She...

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