Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 434 - 413: One More Update

Chapter 434: Chapter 413: One More Update

"Nian Ru, when we get to the palace, just follow behind me. Don’t speak unless necessary, and don’t wander off..." Prince Duan alighted from his sedan chair, still somewhat uneasy, and instructed Zheng Nianru while firmly holding her arm.

"Father, you’re treating me like a child again." Zheng Nianru softly chided, though she showed no sign of annoyance. She even playfully poked the other person.

Ju Nanyi walked behind them, only catching glimpses of that clear voice which subtly reached him, carried by the sunrays and blending into his breath as he drew it deep into his lungs. Ju Nanyi’s head, bowed low, never lifted.

Zheng Nianru suddenly stopped and turned around; Ju Nanyi didn’t want to stop, preferring to quickly put an end to such proximity. At least, without her around, he could remain calm.

Clearly, the woman had stopped on purpose and did not wait for Ju Nanyi to halt before her gaze fell upon him.

"Did the Crown Prince summon you to the palace now?" The woman suddenly asked, causing Ju Nanyi to pause, then realize that she did not speak unintentionally but seemed to be seeking certain answers from him.

A myriad of ideas instantly surged through Ju Nanyi’s mind, but the banquet hosted by Empress Dowager Yan Ping had a clear purpose. The Crown Prince summoned him for another matter.

"Her Royal Highness the Princess is overly concerned. The Crown Prince summoned me to the palace regarding the Fire Order Squad," said Ju Nanyi.

Zheng Nianru glanced at Ju Nanyi, not believing him to be lying, yet also not convinced of the truth. She knew Zheng Congyuan’s meticulous mind.

But it was no coincidence that Zheng Congyuan was in the palace and had brought his people along; at the very least, he must be worried, particularly about her.

Zheng Nianru continued walking.

The path from the palace gates to Xingqing Hall was not short. It was the first time Zheng Nianru walked openly on the official roads of the Imperial Palace. The roadside plants were not the familiar flourishing blooms seen elsewhere but appeared desolate against the palace walls, evoking a sense of sorrow under her gaze. Suddenly, Zheng Nianru recalled the fate of Nanzheng State afterward.

After three years of chaotic strife, fighting like a cornered beast, she too faced brutal moments. Repeatedly pursued in sorrow, Ju Nanyi helped her flee to the outskirts of Zheng Capital, narrowly escaping death at the hands of enemy troops several times. Furthermore, her days as the Empress Dowager were not peaceful, still fraught with chaos. Ju Nanyi was trapped in the Western Border for three years, a tense tug-of-war with Nanmen State quickly depleting the scant resources of Nanzheng State’s Imperial Treasury.

Therefore, those days were difficult. If not for Ju Nanyi’s grim perseverance, she would have died under the enemy’s random arrows long ago.

Engrossed in her thoughts, Zheng Nianru suddenly felt someone approach her. Before she could collect her thoughts, she stumbled, but Ju Nanyi, quick-eyed and deft-handed, caught her in time.

Only then did Zheng Nianru realize, lost in her musings, that she had fallen behind Prince Duan by a step. When had Ju Nanyi moved forward to almost align himself beside her?

"Your Highness, watch your step," Ju Nanyi said, his voice devoid of any fluctuation.

Zheng Nianru steadied herself and nodded slightly,

"Thank you, sir—" When Zheng Nianru looked again, the man had stepped back, as if his intervention had been out of necessity rather than an attempt at closeness. The thought Zheng Nianru had momentarily harbored receded; viewing Ju Nanyi’s perpetually stern face, she realized that their last confrontation had left a profound impression on him.

Zheng Nianru thought no further. Upcoming tasks required her utmost effort. Thus, having once been Empress Dowager in her previous life without achieving her desires, she naturally would not undertake this thankless task again in this life. There was no need to entangle herself with Ju Nanyi, let alone concern herself with the man’s increasingly petty mindset. Limited in scope, his eyes fixated only on her and their two children.

Passing through the grand square of Qingyuan Hall and the long palace path was the southeast gate to Empress Dowager Yan Ping’s Xingqing Hall, where palace maids were already waiting outside the gate, with Nanny Geng at the forefront, who approached Prince Duan immediately upon seeing him.

"Prince, you have finally arrived; Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has been waiting for you... for both you and your son," Nanny Geng said, her gaze settling on Zheng Nianru with a sigh, recalling the unrestricted days at Qishun Building—now even more so with that charismatic presence that was hard to look away from, and all the more so because of the luxurious clothes that made her indescribably noble, like a fairy from heaven.

"I would appreciate it if Nanny Geng would lead the way," Prince Duan said very courteously to Nanny Geng, who had also taken care of him in the palace. Nanny Geng shifted her gaze and hurriedly nodded.

"Prince, Commandery Princess, please follow this servant," Nanny Geng said, and the following palace maids also stepped back.

Zheng Nianru held Fu Dong’s hand, as in her previous life she had not seen the Empress Dowager Yan Ping or Emperor Jingzhi at such an age, nor had she known if they would have been able to withstand the completion of Zheng Congyuan’s plans.

Zheng Nianru felt that Emperor Jingzhi probably would not last, and it would be even harder for Empress Dowager Yan Ping to accept.

"This subject pays respects to the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, His Highness the Crown Prince——" Prince Duan knelt down respectfully, with Zheng Nianru kneeling silently behind him.

"Rise," Emperor Jingzhi’s voice was deep, and even those three words seemed breathless, his hoarse voice coming from above bearing the weariness of a man nearing death.

"Thank you, Your Majesty——" Prince Duan rose respectfully, not looking at the person above, and stood bowed to one side. Zheng Nianru naturally followed and stood beside Prince Duan.

From the moment Zheng Nianru entered, Zheng Congyuan’s gaze had fixed on the young lady before him, feeling another gaze similar to his own that had not left Zheng Nianru’s figure either.

Time fell into a brief silence, Prince Duan had nothing to say, and Emperor Jingzhi was not in a position to speak; from the moment that figure entered, he had a moment of delusion, thinking it was Lady Ru alive again, no, upon closer inspection, Emperor Jingzhi knew it wasn’t, the countenance of the girl before him only bore some resemblance to Lady Ru, but it was a different kind of stunning. Thus, even though Zheng Nianru stood on the outer side of Prince Duan, and Prince Duan blocked most of her figure, Emperor Jingzhi did not withdraw his gaze.

Zheng Congyuan’s gaze grew colder; Empress Dowager Yan Ping was the first to become restless, hoping to use this opportunity to say a few words, but seeing that it became impossible.

"Why are you all frozen, Boding, today is a family banquet, there is no need to be so formal. Emperor, am I right?" said Empress Dowager Yan Ping,

"The banquet is already prepared, let’s go over there first, eat and talk, it will be more lively." Empress Dowager Yan Ping did not look at Zheng Nianru, knowing that Zheng Nianru was like a thorn in the middle, yet she was also Prince Duan’s lifeblood.

Now, they could only take one step at a time.

"Mother is right, Fifth Brother, why be formal? It has been many years since we brothers last met," Emperor Jingzhi was also visibly moved, saying, already standing up and stretching his hand forward.

Prince Duan hesitated, was this an invitation to step forward?

Prince Duan dared not refuse, and in truth, for Nian Ru, he no longer cared about the rest.

Prince Duan stepped forward, and Emperor Jingzhi suddenly grasped Prince Duan’s hand.

"Fifth Brother, let the past go, is this your niece?" Emperor Jingzhi’s gaze finally fully rested on Zheng Nianru, extending his other hand as well, exuding a familial atmosphere.

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