Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 44: The Carriage

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: The Carriage

Eunuch Ho Sheng paused, tears still hanging on his cheeks.

"Commandery Princess, you said... you said our prince is in the Traveling Palace?" Ho Sheng trembled all over, "Commandery Princess, have you seen our Fourth Prince?"

Zheng Nianru looked at Eunuch Ho Sheng, who was serious, trying to be happy yet dare not, and faintly felt something was amiss.

"You did not know Fu Gong had already arrived at the Traveling Palace? Noble Consort Wen didn’t know either?" Zheng Nianru asked again.

Ho Sheng stiffened, nodding slowly.

"Fourth Prince is here?" Ho Sheng was ready to get up and search when Nanny Yun held him back.

"Steward Ho, don’t rush, Fourth Prince found us last night, I arranged a bed in the outer chamber for the prince to sleep. This morning, Second Prince had people take him away," said Nanny Yun, picking up a coat left unattended on the side.

"Look, isn’t this the Fourth Prince’s outer robe?"

Eunuch Ho Sheng immediately took the robe, tears flowing again, unsure if they were from happiness or grievance. This was the robe the prince wore when he left the palace, and these past few days without his care, how had the prince managed?

"Thank you, Commandery Princess, thank you," Eunuch Ho Sheng cared for nothing else and followed to go to Second Prince’s place, to see their master and to feel reassured.

"Let’s go, I’ll join as well," Zheng Nianru stepped forward, somehow feeling that something was wrong. Moreover, since it involved her, Zheng Haoyuan had disappeared, and surely someone in the Traveling Palace must have seen Zheng Haoyuan. Eventually, it would all point back to her.

Ho Sheng said Noble Consort Wen did not know about Fu Gong’s arrival, and if Second Prince found out about Fu Gong first, he would have immediately informed Noble Consort Wen.

Fourth Prince feared Noble Consort Wen, yet Second Prince was extremely filial and knew the gravity of the matter, so why wouldn’t he inform Noble Consort Wen?

"Th-thank you, Commandery Princess," Eunuch Ho Sheng, now also not caring for anything else, walked toward Second Prince’s courtyard, supported by Xing Yu.

...

"Where are you taking me?" Zheng Haoyuan finally realized something was off, "Where is Second Prince’s courtyard?"

"Fourth Prince, please remain calm, Second Prince always dislikes being disturbed, so he resides a bit far; just through this forest and we will be there," the two eunuchs behind him spoke.

Zheng Haoyuan’s eyes flickered, clearly his cousin had said otherwise. His cousin had said that his second brother lived in the courtyard behind hers, close to him; only Second Prince could protect him from their mother’s scolding and allow him to stay in the Traveling Palace and see his cousin later.

Yet Zheng Haoyuan did not directly expose the two men’s lies, but instead began to observe the surrounding environment.

Previously, out of excitement, he hadn’t paid attention to the environment around him, but thinking carefully now, he had already passed the uphill behind his cousin, left the Traveling Palace, and arrived in the forest.

"Right, I forgot there’s still something at my cousin’s, let’s go back and pick it up before heading to Second Prince’s place," Zheng Haoyuan stopped walking, tentatively said, pretending to be calm, and sneakily watched the two men’s reaction. Where were his loyalists, why weren’t they seen?

"Fourth Prince, Second Prince is waiting for you; once you meet Second Prince and are spared from Noble Consort’s punishment, it won’t be too late to fetch the item," the two eunuchs said with smiles, yet Zheng Haoyuan now realized, these two didn’t seem like eunuchs at all, wearing the eunuch attire sloppily, clearly not the grade worn by the eunuchs who served close to the prince.

"I don’t want to; I want to go now," Zheng Haoyuan turned around and ran, changing directions and starting to run.

The two men immediately chased after him, and in between gasps, one of them lifted Zheng Haoyuan up, hoisting him into the air.

"Let me go, you two dog servants, dare to seize this prince," Zheng Haoyuan kicked hard, but couldn’t hit the other party at all.

"Stop wasting time; let’s go—" another man said coldly; they did not care about Zheng Haoyuan’s struggles and just carried him on their shoulders, running off.

...

"Second Prince—" a loyalist rushed to Zheng Muyuan, who was in the midst of bathing; Zheng Muyuan frowned, though the last cleansing before the prayer ceremony the next day was crucial. The pool water contained the Mystical Arts of Master Yin He; carelessness was not an option.

"What has happened?" Zheng Muyuan was in a good mood, if everything went smoothly tomorrow, he could bid farewell to his semi-crippled body and welcome a new life.

"Noble Consort has arrived, people from the palace have already come to the Traveling Palace, Fourth Prince has disappeared," the loyalist quickly reported.

Zheng Muyuan’s leisurely hand resting on the edge of the tub paused for a moment but then resumed its leisurely position; what did it matter if they knew? Hiding someone for a day wasn’t hard.

After tomorrow, Zheng Haoyuan would appear, and he would die. Everyone would just think Fu Gong was merely indulging in his whims.

Zheng Muyuan stood up, putting on a robe that hung nearby; his frail body took three tries just to wear the robe, but Zheng Muyuan was not in a hurry, slowly adjusting the texture of his attire.

"Noble Consort—" a hasty voice came from outside the door.

"Noble Consort, His Highness is currently bathing," the eunuch said, following yet not daring to truly intervene.

"Fu Xin," Noble Consort Wen said anxiously. The Loyal Warriors of Wen Family had always been under Fu Xin’s command. Due to Master Yin He’s influence, half of the power of the Imperial Forest Guard was now in Zheng Muyuan’s hands. Seeking Fu Gong was the most effective method.

The eunuch dared not hesitate and immediately opened the door.

"Fu Xin."

"Mother Consort, why have you come?" Zheng Muyuan, dressed in a simple robe, with his wet hair loosely hanging, walked out from behind the gauze curtain. His clean, earthly detachment made him seem untainted by the world.

Noble Consort Wen’s heart immediately softened. Fu Xin was not well; could he withstand such worry?

"Fu Xin, Fu Gong is missing," Noble Consort Wen began. Fu Gong was unruly and had developed a reckless nature, unaware of the dangers outside the palace. What if he encountered someone...

"When did he go missing?"

"Two days ago, Ho Sheng searched all the way to the Traveling Palace, but found nothing."

"Mother Consort, do not panic. I will dispatch all the Imperial Forest Guards, and the Loyalists will investigate secretly. We will definitely find him," Zheng Muyuan said, pausing three times, his complexion pale and appearing as though he might collapse at any moment.

"Fu Xin, don’t worry. Master Chang Zhen will arrive before nightfall, and we will surely find Fu Gong," Noble Consort Wen reassured Zheng Muyuan, stopping him from speaking further, fearing that even a few more words might tire him.

"This son understands. If my men find Fu Gong, I will have them report to Mother Consort immediately," said Noble Consort Wen, who, without the luxury to linger, immediately left with the token of the Imperial Forest Guards.

In no time, even the usually idle Traveling Palace became a flurry of activity. The Imperial Forest Guards, an already conspicuous presence, were now thoroughly searching the palace.

...

Cunning as a fox, Ho Sheng immediately sensed something was amiss. The Imperial Forest Guards, now under the command of the Second Prince, were conspicuously searching for the Fourth Prince within the palace.

Even if Ho Sheng did not want to overthink, he had to suppress his impatience as bits of information started to connect.

The matter of the Second Prince providing the Fourth Prince with two Loyal Warriors from the Wen Family was known to him, yet he dared not interfere. He had thought these people would eventually belong to the Fourth Prince after the death of the Second Prince; becoming familiar with them beforehand was not a bad thing.

Yet, this time when leaving the palace, Zheng Haoyuan only brought these two people.

Ho Sheng knew further that the Loyal Warriors of Wen Family, even while serving under the Fourth Prince, would follow the commands of the Second Prince as long as he lived.

Ho Sheng stifled his urge to go directly to the Second Prince and inquire about everything. Years of deep palace scheming had subtly alerted him that something was inherently wrong.

"Eunuch He?" Zheng Nianru stood still, she was not foolish; given such disturbance, if the Second Prince knew of Zheng Haoyuan’s whereabouts, he would definitely inform Noble Consort Wen.

Therefore, only one possibility remained: Zheng Muyuan did not want to tell Noble Consort Wen.

Eunuch Ho Sheng immediately stood respectfully beside Zheng Nianru. He was familiar with this Commandery Princess’s background; she could not be involved in such affairs, lacking both the motive and the rationale to sneak the Fourth Prince out of the palace.

Moreover, the servants from Qishun Road, including Xing Yu and Xue Liu, had described the appearance and attire of the two individuals accompanying the Fourth Prince—details they couldn’t have fabricated.

"Commandery Princess, although this servant is dull-witted, I too perceive some discrepancies here. Might the Commandery Princess accompany this old servant a while longer? We should wait and see," Ho Sheng suggested, now calmer. However, he still couldn’t fathom the Second Prince’s intentions.

Unable to guess, he ceased trying. The Second Prince had gone through great lengths. Presumably, the Fourth Prince was of some use; since he was useful, he wouldn’t be killed easily.

"Fine—" Zheng Nianru agreed, albeit reluctantly, especially since the courtyard of this very Zheng Muyuan gave her an ominous feeling.

A guard hurriedly left and returned within less than half the time it took to drink a cup of tea, escorted by a frail shadow back to Zheng Muyuan’s courtyard.

"Eunuch Ho Sheng, who is that?" Zheng Nianru suddenly asked.

Xing Yu, sharp-eyed, recognized it as the figure they had encountered in the cave that day, and he suddenly gasped.

"Commandery Princess, that guard was the one who took away the Fourth Prince." Wasn’t it a eunuch? If it wasn’t for her personally seeing the Fourth Prince leave with an eunuch, how could it have changed to a guard’s attire?

Eunuch Ho Sheng’s heart sank.

"Commandery Princess, that is Master Yin He; the guard is likely one of the Second Prince’s men."

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