Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 498 - 477 First Update

Chapter 498: Chapter 477 First Update

In the early morning, more cautious than ever, sparse sunlight penetrated the winter’s chill and streamed in. Nanny Yun sighed, but she dared not sigh near Zheng Nianru. Fu Dong and Nian Xia even wished they could tiptoe when they walked.

Just when everyone wished they could seal their own mouths, even their nostrils, suddenly, a sharp scream, filled with surprise and panic, completely broke the previous carefulness.

"Fourth Prince, why are you here?" Nian Xia’s loud voice had no restraint at this moment as she looked at Zheng Haoyuan curled up in the outer chamber’s cupboard, which was, simply, life-threatening.

The next moment, what Nian Xia thought was, how could Zheng Haoyuan be here? When did he get here? Yesterday? This morning?

Impossible, the Crown Prince’s guard was on the wall now. Not to mention a living person, even a fly wouldn’t dare to fly in here. It had to be last night, during that chaos?

Nian Xia immediately thought of how much the youth in front of her had heard, how much he had seen?

However, the youth before her buried his head in his arms, and because Nian Xia opened the cupboard door, the bright light dazed him for a moment. The next second, his heart sank to the bottom of the sea, trapped and unable to get up again.

The young man was silent, his mind in chaos, his eyes red and swollen, and for a moment, faced with an indigestible reality, it felt as if his head would never be able to process it in a lifetime.

"Shh—" Nanny Yun had been wandering outside, and at her first step into the gate, she stumbled, letting out a scream even more terrified than Nian Xia’s, without the coquette’s charm but with a woman’s roughness.

At that instant, Zheng Nianru couldn’t pretend not to hear anymore.

Zheng Nianru threw off her covers, and Fu Dong, who was about to move over, immediately did not dare, hastily attending to her Commandery Princess. Whose name did Nian Xia call out just now? Where were they?

Nanmen Yu? Had that boy lost his will to live, no longer wanting to live? As soon as Fu Dong thought about it, she felt that Nanmen Yu could no longer be described as just a boy. He was tall and muscular, full of vitality, like a newly matured cheetah.

Fu Dong thought it was impossible, with the Crown Prince’s people around, not to mention that Nanmen Yu, even a fly wouldn’t dare to venture into their yard; moreover, whether Nanmen Yu was dead or alive was hard to say now.

Nanny Yun’s hands trembled, having kicked her toe against the doorframe so hard she nearly cursed. But why was the Fourth Prince here? Wasn’t this already chaotic enough? One thing after another, was it never-ending?

No, how could the Fourth Prince be in their yard? What on earth was this ancestor trying to do?

"Ancestor, why are you here?" Ah, spit, Nanny Yun felt her family’s ancestral graves couldn’t sprout green smoke capable of turning anyone into a Prince, so she turned to Zheng Haoyuan.

The young man did not move, his head buried in his knees, his hands tightly wrapped around his body, eyes swollen and sore from the sunlight, and what was more uncomfortable was his heart.

Why did he have to be here? Why did he have to know about this? Why?

The young man didn’t know what he was resentful of, what he was sorrowful of, what he was sad about. Zheng Congyuan, why was it Zheng Congyuan.

Zheng Haoyuan was in turmoil, his own invisible heart had always been deeply hidden, never daring to speak out, no one dared. He felt such distance was best.

But.

It was like something he treasured for a long time, so much that he couldn’t bear to take it out for a glance, yet in someone else’s hands, it meant nothing.

Zheng Haoyuan was unwilling, not knowing whom to blame.

No, he should stand up, walk directly to Nian Ru, and hear from her own lips that this wasn’t true, that none of it was true. How could she possibly like Zheng Congyuan.

How could she? Clearly, clearly, that was his beloved Imperial Brother. How could he do such a thing? Was he prepared to disregard the ancestral teachings? Clearly, his Imperial Brother could have had a better choice. In Nanzheng State, any kind of woman he wanted was at his disposal. Clearly... his relationship with his cousin was the best...

Yes, he should stand up, directly ask Nian Ru why she would do this, why...

Nanny Yun gave Nian Xia a look, with people from the Crown Prince’s entourage inside and out. Another person from Fourth Prince’s estate leaving her quarters, Nanny Yun did not dare to imagine what might happen next; she was extremely distressed.

Nian Xia immediately understood Nanny Yun’s intentions. Only the Commandery Princess could deal with the Fourth Prince, who usually listened to their Monarch the most. So now, to resolve the issue quickly, the Commandery Princess had to take action.

Nian Ru frowned. What was Fu Gong doing here?

It seemed that in this lifetime, Fu Gong had not committed many heinous acts. Even the pranks that got out of hand were minor compared to those in his previous life.

"It doesn’t seem like he arrived this morning; he probably slipped in during the chaos yesterday," Nian Xia whispered, glancing outside again.

Nian Ru immediately rubbed her brows. Her relationship with Zheng Congyuan wasn’t something that couldn’t be spoken of outside. It wasn’t a big deal even if Fu Gong knew about it.

Although in her previous life, Nian Ru had little interaction with Zheng Haoyuan, this time around, Zheng Haoyuan did not seem as bad as the rumors described. Those misdeeds were just misguided mischief, and with her guidance, his taste had improved a lot. Therefore, she still believed Zheng Haoyuan wouldn’t harm her.

But he was also a problem, after all, Zheng Haoyuan was a Prince and naturally knew the ancestral injunctions.

Nian Ru stood up; her earlier discomfort had subsided quite a bit since there were important matters at hand.

"Fu Gong—" Nian Ru leaned on the doorframe and called out.

Upon hearing Nian Ru’s voice, the young man’s initial anger and idea of confronting her vanished in an instant. He darted out like a lizard whose tail had been stepped on, intending to flee from the courtyard. But as soon as he stepped out, his legs, which had been crouching for too long, were numb, and he fell forward, landing on the ground with a "thud."

The young man’s every cell filled with humiliation. Why did he have to embarrass himself here? His desperation not to stay intensified his desire to forget the pain, scramble up, and head straight for the gate. He hadn’t gotten two steps before Xing Yu grabbed him and hoisted him onto her shoulders.

"Let me down, you wretched girl—" Zheng Haoyuan kicked, bit, and tore at her. He didn’t want to stay here. Why hadn’t he left yesterday? Why did he stay? He didn’t want to ask anything, didn’t want to know anything; he just wanted things to be like before.

Nian Ru looked at the young man before her, somewhat puzzled by his sudden temper tantrum. He seemed to hate Xing Yu enough to tear her to pieces, but Xing Yu was strong and could take a beating, so for the moment, he couldn’t do much to her.

Nian Ru motioned Xing Yu over. Xing Yu carried Zheng Haoyuan over, and although Nian Ru initially hesitated to touch him, she had always found Zheng Haoyuan docile as a chick on ordinary days. So, she mustered her courage and reached toward him.

In an instant, Zheng Haoyuan, who had been kicking and thrashing, quieted down, as if he were afraid that he might accidentally kick Nian Ru. The next moment, he was overwhelmed by a sense of injustice.

With a "wah," he burst into tears.