Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 46: The Truth

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: The Truth

The cave was pitch dark. From Zheng Nianru’s direction, only a small hole obscured by bushes was visible, some of which had already been trampled and broken.

The faint sound was indeed coming from a cave behind those low bushes.

Zheng Nianru’s expression also turned solemn. The sound sounded like a moan, as if someone was crying out, so she pulled Miss Xing Yu over.

"Go find Ho Sheng, and have him come here. I’ll watch from here," she instructed.

"Commandery Princess, this is not a good idea. What if...?" Miss Xing Yu disagreed, fearing the danger that might befall the Commandery Princess.

"Do you expect me to shout?" Zheng Nianru certainly did not want to leave. As long as she stayed quiet, the others should not notice her.

Miss Xing Yu was still hesitant. Zheng Nianru pushed her out forcefully, not having the time for her indecisiveness. Miss Xing Yu, anxious, stomped her foot and turned to go.

Zheng Nianru had not intended to actually go into the cave to check it out. Though she had died once, she still cherished her life dearly. She just watched from a distance, hiding deeply within the thick grass, waiting like a watcher in the field, which should not pose any major problems.

Miss Xing Yu sprinted through the dense forest, praying her chosen direction was correct. Only when she saw a narrow mountain path at the edge of the forest did she breathe a sigh of relief and quickly continued forward along the path.

"Eunuch Ho Sheng——" Miss Xing Yu finally saw Eunuch Ho Sheng limping along, looking around, who quickly turned at the sound of Miss Xing Yu’s voice.

"Miss Xing Yu, you..." Eunuch Ho Sheng had not finished speaking when Miss Xing Yu scooped him up. Eunuch Ho Sheng flailed his arms and legs, but Miss Xing Yu did not stop to explain, carrying Eunuch Ho Sheng back the way she came through the dense forest, while Eunuch Ho Sheng felt as if all his internal organs were about to be jolted out of place.

"Miss Xing Yu, you, you..." Eunuch Ho Sheng no longer knew what to say. He knew of Miss Xing Yu’s strength, having seen her lift a wardrobe singlehandedly at Qishun Building.

"Hush, Eunuch, we may have found the Fourth Prince," whispered Xing Yu as she carried Ho Sheng like a large chicken.

Eunuch Ho Sheng immediately quieted down, and the next moment he was tossed beside Zheng Nianru.

"Commandery Princess," Eunuch Ho Sheng pointed at the cave in front of them, "Is the Fourth Prince... inside?"

"It appears so." Zheng Nianru recounted what she had seen, and Eunuch Ho Sheng fell deep into thought. Ho Sheng had thought of something but was worried about disturbing whatever was inside...

There was a piercing scream from inside the cave at that moment.

Eunuch Ho Sheng’s eyes immediately welled up. He recklessly attempted to rush into the cave but was firmly restrained by Miss Xing Yu.

"Yes, it’s the Fourth Prince," Eunuch Ho Sheng trembled as he pointed towards the cave.

Zheng Nianru was skeptical; deducing it was Zheng Haoyuan’s voice from that vague cry seemed rather incredible for Eunuch Ho Sheng.

"Are you sure you can rescue him if you go in?" Zheng Nianru turned to ask.

Upon hearing this, Ho Sheng almost wished he could bow deeply to Zheng Nianru. He had been impulsive. If he went in and failed to rescue the prince, he would only put him in even greater danger.

"This old servant, this old servant is thankful for the Commandery Princess’s reminder. I was foolish and almost endangered the prince," said Eunuch Ho Sheng as he immediately took out an object from his bosom, looking earnestly at Miss Xing Yu.

Earlier, Zheng Nian Ru had witnessed the speed at which Miss Xing Yu had carried him while running, and at this moment, only she could accomplish the task.

"Miss Xing Yu, please take this and go to a distant place as quickly as possible, set off the signal flare, and our prince will be saved," Zheng Nian Ru urged.

Xing Yu looked at Zheng Nian Ru. She didn’t want to save anyone; she wanted to follow the Commandery Princess.

"Go quickly." Zheng Nian Ru waved her hand, not feeling that Zheng Haoyuan would die, because he hadn’t died last time, but was his tyranny later in life related to this incident? Hadn’t she been reborn to change her own fate, and altering others’ fate was a part of changing her own?

Xing Yu took the signal flare and sprinted out again.

"Let me go, let me go!" This time, even Zheng Nian Ru could vaguely make out it was Zheng Haoyuan’s voice.

Eunuch Ho Sheng’s eyes were brimming with tears as he fervently wiped them with his sleeve, wishing he could go in and substitute himself.

"Ah, ah, ah—help—" Suddenly, a piercing scream came from the cave, tightening Eunuch Ho Sheng’s heart, and even Zheng Nian Ru frowned.

Zheng Haoyuan’s voice grew more tormented and more desperate with each cry.

"Commandery Princess, Commandery Princess, I must go in, even if it costs me my life, I must buy time for the prince. Commandery Princess, you must escape—" Eunuch Ho Sheng was resolute about charging in, but Zheng Nian Ru grabbed him.

"Don’t be impulsive, I’ll go in with you," Zheng Nian Ru sighed inwardly, realizing that changing fate did indeed require sacrifices, even lethal ones.

Eunuch Ho Sheng, with tear-filled grateful eyes, looked at Zheng Nian Ru. Given the urgency, there was no need for further words, and quietly, the two made their way towards the cave.

Inside the cave, they found the noise to be greater than imagined. It seemed someone was relentlessly whipping, while Zheng Haoyuan’s voice sounded like he was enduring severe torture.

Still, Zheng Nian Ru wondered how Zheng Muyuan and Zheng Haoyuan, being brothers from the same womb, could harbor such deep hatred to end up in this situation today?

"Commandery Princess—" Xing Yu had already rushed back quickly, bolstering Zheng Nian Ru’s courage. The three of them quietly made their way deeper into the cave, the light becoming dimmer, the air damper. The shrill screaming and collapsing cries of Zheng Haoyuan had slowly weakened, but the fact there were still sounds meant Zheng Haoyuan was still alive.

"Who are you? Do you know who I am?" Zheng Haoyuan’s voice was weak. He glimpsed two figures in the darkness after being tossed into a cold pool of water, waking from unconsciousness. Panicking, he groped around only to discover other things in the water, rapidly moving by him like snakes.

The people by the poolside didn’t respond, but Zheng Haoyuan again heard an extremely grating noise, like someone dragging very heavy iron tools across a stone floor.

"Who, who are you?" Zheng Haoyuan immediately felt more people around; another snake slithered across his waist while all the pores of his body trembled. He tried to cry but realized he could no longer make a sound.

"Snap—" In the midst of darkness, suddenly a light flashed by, causing Zheng Nian Ru and the others to instinctively step back two paces. Following this, the light slowly turned from dim to bright, and gradually, a circular cave not even the size of a room appeared before Zheng Haoyuan, with him in the middle of a pool within it, where ripples stirred on the surface not from fresh water, but because something kept moving in it.

"Fourth brother—" Zheng Haoyuan abruptly heard a familiar voice above, frightfully looking up at the familiar silhouette against the light.

"Second brother, someone wants to harm me. Second brother, please save mes—" Zheng Haoyuan cried out desperately. With this cry, the movements in the pool became even more turbulent as he frantically tried to swim to the edge, only then realizing something firmly anchored his feet to the bottom, making it impossible to leave.

Zheng Haoyuan looked up again to see Zheng Muyuan standing by the edge of the pool, showing no intention of saving him.

"Second brother, are you the one harming me?" Even at the age of ten, Zheng Haoyuan, well-protected by Noble Consort Wen, had come to realize that his disappearance was probably long-planned.