Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 442 - 421: One More Update

Chapter 442: Chapter 421: One More Update

"What are you doing?" Zheng Nianru could tell by the look in Ju Nanyi’s eyes that he meant business. Before Ju Nanyi had a chance to reach out, a fist had already landed on his body, "Ju Nanyi, you traitor, you ..."

Even if the girl’s punch was light, Ju Nanyi’s left shoulder was injured, and even a light punch caused a sharp pain. Ju couldnary within did not have the heart, but he knew it was not the time to hesitate.

"Don’t move—" Ju Nanyi’s voice was lower, carrying a coaxing tone he hadn’t noticed himself—it was only the tone that was gentle; his movements were swift, fierce, and precise.

"Ugh—" Zheng Nianru turned her head away, her stomach already churning violently, and at that moment, she vomited until she was completely empty. When she turned back to face him, her eyes were teary and filled with grievance, displaying a distress that seemed maximized.

It pained Ju Nanyi inside, as if he could feel her distress, trivializing the wound on his own left shoulder.

"It’ll feel a bit better after you throw up..." Ju Nanyi didn’t know why he felt he had to explain. At this moment, Zheng Nianru was not yet at the stage where she was impervious to reason and still able to listen. Ju Nanyi averted his gaze, forcing himself to calm down. It wasn’t the time to think about these things. He quickly tore a piece from the hem of his robe and handed it over.

Zheng Nianru did not hesitate, wiping the corner of her mouth as if accustomed to such actions, then frowned and shuffled deeper into the stone cave.

Seeing this, Ju Nanyi inwardly sighed in relief and began to continue clearing the mud and dry branches inside the stone cave.

Zheng Nianru watched his movements, noticing how the increasingly bigger hole was becoming clean. But shouldn’t they be thinking about how to escape now?

The next moment, Zheng Nianru noticed the dark red bloodstains on the man’s sleeve. Was he injured? It was then that she noticed he had been using only his right hand. Although he was trying hard to conceal it, Zheng Nianru still saw it.

Zheng Nianru thought, in this life, she really hadn’t intended to harm Ju Nanyi, so naturally, she preferred that he avoid suffering whenever possible.

Ju Nanyi was gathering some dry branches at the entrance of the cave when he heard the woman’s voice behind him.

"Are you injured?" If there were no others around right now, Ju Nanyi would have thought he heard wrongly, surprised, he looked up and saw the woman indeed asking him.

"It’s nothing serious, probably just a dislocation." Ju Nanyi said, because of the bad angle, he couldn’t fix it himself, and moreover, Ju Nanyi believed that they wouldn’t be staying here for long.

With Prince Duan around, he would naturally send people to look for them. When Prince Duan encountered problems, the first person he thought of was the Crown Prince, and with the Crown Prince’s men involved, it was possible that they might be found without having to wait overnight.

"Aren’t we preparing to leave this?" Zheng Nianru, looking at Ju Nanyi as he inspected the seams of the cave entrance behind, asked somewhat puzzledly, even if it was to hang clothes outsides, it would let people see them.

"We can’t now, those people probably haven’t left yet and are searching for us." Ju Nanyi simply explained, even such a simple exchange steadied his mood considerably. This reassurance, although incomparable to the sweetness of their initial marriage, was better than later days when they would be like enemies, meeting without anything to say.

If he had to choose, Ju Nanyi would prefer these calm days, just to be by her side... this would be enough.

Zheng Nianru said no more. With the trust accumulated from her previous life, she still believed him. After all, she now had no grievances or grudges with Ju Nanyi. Given Ju Nanyi’s character, if no one offended him, he certainly wouldn’t offend others. Thus, she had nothing to worry about.

Zheng Nianru knew of Ju Nanyi’s ambition. If not for her interference in his previous life, he would have served steadily beside the Crown Prince as a capable official. Though it would have been hard work, it would have sufficed for a stable life.

"Don’t worry, you saved me, and the Crown Prince will make good use of you," Zheng Nianru finally spoke up, feeling a bit cold at the moment, but naturally, she would never wear that coat again.

Ju Nanyi glanced at Zheng Nianru, remaining silent. The mention of the Crown Prince didn’t surprise him. The Crown Prince and Prince Duan had a close relationship. If he had been unaware of the reason behind it before, he certainly understood now that the Crown Prince wanted the forces under Prince Duan’s command and also feared them.

Ju Nanyi only knew that these forces were left by the Former King, possessing the strength of an entire army and sustained by a treasure left by the Former King. In his previous life, he had only learned about it after Zheng Nianru suddenly stole his token and launched a rebellion.

Though forced into rebellion, it was hard to say whether that decision was absolutely right or wrong given the circumstances. After all, history doesn’t grant a second performance, and Zheng Nianru had succeeded.

Zheng Congyuan’s military forces were split in two, caught between fronts, but due to a misjudgment of the situation, he focused his forces to deal with the Fourth Prince and the Wen Family’s troops. This scenario was the proverbial "when the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits," fitting Zheng Nianru perfectly at the moment.

Seeing that Ju Nanyi did not respond, Zheng Nianru scoffed inwardly, well aware that Ju Nanyi, the reticent man, wouldn’t show any emotion in front of her unless absolutely necessary, simply enduring everything. Even if she showed false tenderness, he might be pleased, but only slightly more relaxed in his expression than usual.

Ju Nanyi discovered what seemed to be a space behind a crevice in the Stone Cave; as he bent down to enter, he felt a wave of moisture and suddenly cheered up, crawling a few more steps forward until the dirt on the rocks gave way to damp vapors.

"Where are you going?" Zheng Nianru felt a bit scared, though she didn’t want to call out, she couldn’t help it. What does it mean to leave her alone here? What if there were snakes or bugs?

"I’m fetching some water for you," Ju Nanyi turned his head back and said, his mood inexplicably brightened, as if they were casually chatting like in their previous life.

Zheng Nianru’s throat moved; she was indeed a bit thirsty.

Seeing no further comments from outside, Ju Nanyi continued crawling deeper. After a few meters, the space suddenly opened up into a large area. Although the light was dim, Ju Nanyi could still feel that the space was huge and the air was breathable, which suggested there were other exits.

This discovery gave Ju Nanyi some reassurance, and he walked a few more steps inside, finding just as he had anticipated, even a protruding dry rock face, much more comfortable than outside.

Ju Nanyi turned around and did not continue exploring.

"You’re out?" Zheng Nianru noticed Ju Nanyi emerging and finally relaxed, turning her head around and even feeling that her previous worries were somewhat comical. She wasn’t worried about Ju Nanyi, but about herself.

"I found a bigger cave," Ju Nanyi said. "It’s spacious and might even have water."

The moment Zheng Nianru heard this, she swiftly turned to face Ju Nanyi and blurted out a question.

"Did you find an exit?" In other words, there was a big cave behind this small cave. Didn’t that mean they might not have to die here?