Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 429 - 408: Second Update

Chapter 429: Chapter 408: Second Update

"Lord Ju, you have finally come to work," Yu Yuan said as he impatiently approached Ju Nanyi before he could set down the documents in his hands. The Crown Prince had allowed you such a long break and you took it exactly as given? How unusually honest of you.

"Mmm—" Ju Nanyi was never a man of many words, even to Yu Yuan and those who had worked with him for a long time, he politely bowed first.

"Oh my, no need, Lord Ju. You arrived just in time; we’ve been incredibly busy these days." Yu Yuan hurriedly explained. In Lord Ju’s absence, they realized everything became chaotic when busy, unlike the usual training at the camp. The Crown Prince intended for them to blend into the Imperial Forest Guard and start getting involved in some matters.

"You have worked hard during this time, Lord Yu" Ju Nanyi understood the Crown Prince’s arrangements. The Crown Prince had wanted to do this for a while, but there wasn’t an opportunity, so during Master Yu Sheng’s blockade, they got a valid reason to enter the Imperial Forest Guard legitimately.

"Lord Ju, I dare not assume command and have just been waiting for your return to take charge," Yu Yuan said as someone brought in a stack of documents. He thought that in the Imperial Forest Guard, just as guards, dealing with fighting and exorcising demons was still manageable for him, but these documents were giving him a headache.

"Put them down. I’ll try to get through them as quickly as possible," Ju Nanyi did not shirk his duty, washed his hands, and was ready to start. Yu Yuan quickly nodded, not daring to disturb him further, and left.

As Ju Nanyi read through some of the Fire Order Squad’s logs, he found it peculiar. Were all these the Crown Prince’s doing? Starting with the orders from the Crown Prince to search for the Northern Meng Savage in Simon, the series of actions seemed unrelated on the surface, but Ju Nanyi was no longer the old self, with a deep understanding of Nanzheng’s powers.

These were all the Wen Family’s influences — starting from a month ago when the Crown Prince began having the Fire Order Squad clear the Ghost Shadow in the entire Zheng Capital, his interest gradually shifted. From Ghost Shadow to the Northern Meng Savage, to several officials consecutively held accountable, it seemed dispersed on the surface, but Ju Nanyi knew these were all strengths of the Wen Family, even later, the Northern Meng Savage had caused significant troop losses on the battlefield, and it took him lots of effort to deal with the Northern Meng Savage, the last of which became an entertainment in the palace’s fighting arena.

So, by that time, did the Wen Family already possess a significant number of Northern Meng Savages? And had the Crown Prince already realized the Wen Family’s intentions?

Ju Nanyi felt something was amiss. Currently, the Wen Family showed no signs of activity, and the Crown Prince’s actions could very well alarm them. Moreover, the Crown Prince could have acted more covertly, ensuring that not all events were connected. Perhaps, the imperial court’s officers had not noticed anything, but the Wen Family must have...

"Lord Ju, for the recent shifts starting today, shall I stand in for you, and then you can take over tomorrow?" Yu Yuan quietly popped his head in to ask.

Ju Nanyi snapped back to reality from his cluttered thoughts and nodded.

"That sounds good. I’ll list down a few critical matters in the meantime and reiterate them with the brothers during tomorrow night’s gather," said Ju Nanyi.

If it were him, certainly he did not have the audacity of the Crown Prince. Perhaps, at this time, the Wen Family had not yet grown into the formidable power they would be in the future. The Crown Prince’s early actions were also a warning to the Wen Family while they were still fledgling.

Ju Nanyi stood up. He needed to go out and personally verify some things to ascertain them. Ju Nanyi put on his coat, remembering that the Wen Family had suddenly attacked, allied with the Northwest Border forces, and initially struck at the Northwest Border, catching General Ling’s border army off guard, leaving only less than one-third to escape the debacle. Just as this border crisis erupted, the Southeast Border then faced an invasion by a foreign enemy, and the Crown Prince’s people had not yet reached the Southeast Border when the Wen Family rebelled.

He was ordered to lead the few guards to support the Northwest Border troops in the crisis. It was also because of this that he had a fierce battle with a group of monsters in the Northwest Border and thereby acquired a secret, albeit one Ju Nanyi had never believed. But in this lifetime, he needed to first verify it.

...

Old Master Wen Kang hurried into the palace under the cover of night while Noble Consort Wen was arranging the winter clothes for the Fourth Prince, not expecting Old Master Wen Kang to come.

"Brother, why have you come so late?" The situation with Emperor Jingzhi was improving, still, except for Jing Chongrong, two newcomers had just been appointed. Although Noble Consort Wen was doubtful about the palace rumors, the rumors were countless, and even she didn’t know whom to believe. What was more infuriating was that each of the newcomers was eager, seeming almost ready to seize any opportunity to get closer to Chenyuan Hall.

Noble Consort Wen was troubled by the palace matters, naturally not paying attention to the recent movements in the imperial court.

"Noble Consort, have you heard anything these days in the palace?" Old Master Wen Kang dared not speak directly, especially since Emperor Jingzhi had awakened, appearing very vigorous, and he also could not determine whether it was the Emperor’s or Zheng Congyuan’s idea.

"What’s the matter?" Apart from those concubines vying for favor, what else was there to hear in the palace?

Old Master Wen Kang looked at Noble Consort Wen, his sister who, though over forty, still retained her charm and, living in luxury and nobility, likely had forgotten the days when the Wen Family trembled with fear.

Old Master Wen Kang slowly explained the situation from start to finish.

Noble Consort Wen frowned.

"Brother, they are just trivial matters. Could it be a coincidence?" hearing this made Noble Consort Wen feel sleepy? She was not very clear about these, but she knew some of the Wen Family’s movements.

"Noble Consort, you might not know, do you remember when the Fourth Prince suddenly inquired about our Northern Meng Savage? At first, this servant thought that the Noble Consort had told His Highness."

Noble Consort Wen was startled; she had not told Fu Gong about this. Why was her brother suddenly mentioning this? She thought he was just trying to amuse Fu Gong. At that time, her relationship with Fu Gong was strained, so she let him keep that savage.

"Brother, you mean that wasn’t a gift from you to Fu Gong, but something Fu Gong asked you for?"

"Yes, so you see, those who knew we had a savage, aside from the Wen Family, someone else knew," Old Master Wen Kang said, thinking over it again, realizing that was the reason he had to come to the palace overnight.

If it were not for Zheng Congyuan suddenly starting to investigate the matter of the savage, based just on those few officials being removed, Old Master Wen Kang might have thought it a coincidence. But with the savage involved, he suddenly wasn’t so sure.

Noble Consort Wen sat up straight, looking meaningfully at Old Master Wen Kang before her.