Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 53 Crisis

Chapter 53: Chapter 53 Crisis

Noble Consort Wen waved her hand, and a shadow immediately darted toward Ho Sheng.

"Stop——" Zheng Haoyuan rushed out like an arrow, threw himself in front of Ho Sheng, and spread his arms to block the guard.

Noble Consort Wen’s face changed drastically, instinctively trying to intervene. Fortunately, the guard was agile and quick. As soon as Zheng Haoyuan lunged forward, he had already withdrawn his hand.

"Your Highness——" the guard respectfully bowed and then retreated behind Noble Consort Wen, his appearance so ordinary that he didn’t stand out in the crowd.

"Mother Consort, why do you want to kill Ho Sheng?" Zheng Haoyuan looked up at Noble Consort Wen, his voice filled with grievance and anger.

Ho Sheng was the only person left beside him who treated him well.

Noble Consort Wen’s outstretched hand, initially panicky, gradually lowered and returned to her usual cold and noble demeanor.

"Gonggong, why are you here?" Noble Consort Wen did not want to explain. Such matters, she was unwilling to mention even a single word.

"Mother Consort, if I wasn’t here now, would I never see Ho Sheng again?" Zheng Haoyuan stood up, his small form positioning itself in front of Ho Sheng.

Mother Consort had already said she would not pursue this matter any further, as if nothing had happened, as if the Second Prince had died by accident. Yet, she turned around attempting to kill the very person she spared.

"Gonggong, you don’t understand adult matters. Mother Consort has her unavoidable difficulties," Noble Consort Wen insisted, without changing her mind.

"As a son, I guarantee with my life that Ho Sheng will not utter a word," Zheng Haoyuan said coldly.

"Your Highness, an old servant’s life is worthless," Eunuch Ho Sheng looked at his own prince, at this moment free of any grievance, only wishing there had been no misunderstanding caused for his sake.

"Ho Sheng, you are my man, and your life is also mine; only I can decide whether you live or die," Zheng Haoyuan interrupted Ho Sheng, his voice resounding firmly.

Noble Consort Wen’s face showed a flicker of complicated emotions, and before she could speak, Zheng Haoyuan had already turned his head, staring directly at her.

"Mother Consort, you had already agreed with me not to pursue this matter. Yet, the moment you turned around, you wanted to kill my man; are you deceiving me?" Zheng Haoyuan articulated each word, suppressing the anger surging in his chest.

"Gonggong, it’s not what you think, Mother Consort was just..."

"Just what? Do you think my men are unreliable? Then please, Mother Consort, meticulously investigate the Loyal Warriors of the Wen Family, including the poisons once sent by my Second Brother which are still in my palace. A simple investigation by you will reveal everything," Zheng Haoyuan continued.

"Gonggong, Mother Consort was just in a moment of haste and acted recklessly," Noble Consort Wen took a step forward, not answering Zheng Haoyuan’s question, but gently took his hand.

"How could I not trust you? Mother Consort just didn’t want you to remember this incident in the future, which is why I acted," Noble Consort Wen said gently, "Now, I only have you as my sole prince, and naturally, I have to consider everything for you."

Zheng Haoyuan turned his head, somewhat incredulous that such gentle words could come from a Mother Consort who was usually scolding or punishing him, and was momentarily overwhelmed.

"Alright, I will not kill him then. But from now on, you can’t be so impulsive. What if the servant just now had injured you?"

"I realize my mistake," Zheng Haoyuan lowered his head, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"My prince, why have you come?" Ho Sheng was profoundly moved, reached out to touch Zheng Haoyuan but then let his hand drop half-way, deeming it inappropriate. He immediately knelt down, "This old servant thanks you for saving my life, Your Highness."

"Rise, come——"

Two guards entered at the command, respectfully awaiting instructions.

"Pack up Ho Sheng’s belongings and move them to my courtyard," Zheng Haoyuan ordered.

Two guards exchanged glances but quickly complied, hurrying to pack up their belongings.

Zheng Haoyuan seemed to have grown up in an instant, his expression shifting from anger to calm. He understood why his Mother Consort had acted this way. Zheng Muyuan was already dead. Such a scandal was not necessary to be divulged. Thus, those who knew the secret would not meet a good end.

Zheng Haoyuan’s body abruptly stiffened. His cousin. Given his Mother Consort’s temperament, how could she possibly spare his cousin?

Zheng Haoyuan took off running. Ho Sheng opened his mouth to shout, but with his intelligence, how could he not guess what Zheng Haoyuan was thinking at the moment? He could only silently sigh to himself.

The Commandery Princess is His Highness’s benefactor.

Zheng Haoyuan dared not delay for a moment, his mind not even sure if his Mother Consort had already made her move. Ho Sheng was one of their own after all, but his cousin was not. Moreover, although his cousin belonged to Prince Duan’s people, now that Prince Duan was powerless and had no troops, Mother Consort would not consider her at all.

"Your Highness—"

"Get out of the way—" Zheng Haoyuan kicked away the guard at Zheng Nianru’s courtyard door, his bad premonition growing stronger.

"Cousin, Cousin—"

Xing Yu opened the door, poking her head out, and upon seeing Zheng Haoyuan, she immediately cracked a grin.

"Fourth Prince, are you awake?" Xing Yu promptly opened the door wider and seeing two guards lying on the ground, gleefully prepared to give another kick, but Zheng Haoyuan stopped her. As hateful as Mother Consort was, Xing Yu acting this way would only make her want to kill his cousin even more.

"Xing Yu, is my cousin here?" Zheng Haoyuan asked urgently, not waiting for Xing Yu to respond before running into the courtyard.

"Fourth Prince, Fourth Prince—" Xing Yu hastily chased after him. Zheng Nianru had already come out from inside the house; Zheng Haoyuan immediately ran over and embraced Zheng Nianru’s waist recklessly.

"Cousin, it’s my fault, I almost got you into trouble." Zheng Haoyuan’s nose tingled with emotion. His cousin had saved him, yet his Mother Consort wanted to repay kindness with enmity, and he was utterly unable to protect his cousin. Zheng Haoyuan wished he could be as powerfully strong as Xing Yu at that moment, so he could protect his cousin.

...

The official statement outside the palace was that the Second Prince had an accident, and he had long been exhausted by a chronic illness.

However, Prince Duan had not expected that just at this moment, the Crown Prince would suddenly send a message to him, mentioning that this matter was related to Nian Ru and fearing that Noble Consort Wen might harm the Commandery Princess.

When Prince Duan heard from the guard who brought the message that the Second Prince had been carried down from the mountain and that the Commandery Princess had somehow become involved, and furthermore, that Noble Consort Wen had already stationed guards around Zheng Nianru, Prince Duan wished he could have sprouted wings and flown there. He stepped down from his carriage, hating to waste even the breath it took to gasp for air.

Upon seeing the guards outside Zheng Nianru’s courtyard, Prince Duan immediately felt anger rise within him. She was the Commandery Princess after all; did Noble Consort Wen really think she ruled over the entire Nanzheng State already?

"Prince Duan—" The two guards who had just gotten up saw the newcomer and immediately felt guilty....

"Get out of the way—" Prince Duan kicked the guards away. "Get back, it’s not your place to interfere with my people."

Seeing this, the two guards did not dare to stand their ground and one stealthily went back to report.

Prince Duan immediately pushed open the gate to the courtyard.

"Prince—" Xing Yu came up to meet him, about to smile, but then she suddenly remembered something and turned to run back into the courtyard.

"What’s the hurry? Stand still. What has happened?" Prince Duan did not pause his stride, firing off several questions without intending to wait for Xing Yu’s answers, and pushed open the door to the inner courtyard.

"Cousin, I’ll go back and bring all the treasures from the storeroom for you." Zheng Haoran clung stubbornly to Zheng Nianru’s arm, half of his body hanging on hers, watching a rabbit graze in the corridor.

Prince Duan’s breath caught in his throat, and combined with the previous run, he nearly suffocated.