Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 71: Dog Eat Dog

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Dog Eat Dog

Father Ping froze, glanced around, and saw nothing unusual. Could it be that those people dared to kidnap someone in broad daylight?

Third Uncle Shun cautiously led Father Ping’s family to a dilapidated courtyard at the corner of the street, where an elderly villager from Pinghu Village was waiting and immediately ran over upon seeing Third Uncle Shun.

"Uncle Gu, where are the people?" Father Ping asked, puzzled as he looked around the empty courtyard, wondering if the twenty or thirty villagers had already left to take care of some business.

Upon hearing this, Uncle Gu’s eyes reddened, and after cautiously glancing around again, he led Father Ping’s family inside. In the dilapidated house, amid the rough, uneven mud floor and ragged cotton, lay a man.

Father Ping focused his eyes and immediately dropped the bundle he was carrying and rushed over.

"Big Brother Hai," Father Ping said, trembling as he looked at Hai Ye, whose body was covered in bloodstains. Hai Ye was known in the village as a top-notch fighter. When Uncle Hai could no longer escort valuables safely, the only one who could replace him was Brother Hai. However, the Brother Hai he saw now was nothing like the tall man who stood nearly six foot three inches tall as usual.

"What happened?" Father Ping turned and asked Third Uncle Shun.

Third Uncle Shun’s eyes also reddened, and he sighed heavily.

"Ah, don’t even mention it," Third Uncle Shun recounted the events of the day when Father Ping’s family had been kidnapped and the plan they had made, ending with the fact that only Hai Ye had escaped, while the fate of the others was still unknown.

After hearing everything, Father Ping staggered and sat down on the ground, aware that the villagers had always been united, but now, even if he regretted the situation, there was nothing else he could do.

"Third Uncle Shun, what should we do now?"

"Now, with the strict inspections in the Imperial City, we can’t leave, and you seem to be dressed simply but neatly. I didn’t think much of it in the urgency of the situation, but now that I see it clearly, I become suspicious. Do you have any way to settle Hai Ye for now until we can figure out how to get him out of the city?" Third Uncle Shun glanced at Father Ping.

As they spoke, Father Ping also explained his own circumstances, making Third Uncle Shun feel as if the ground was spinning—they had thought...

Father Ping clenched his teeth and glanced at Hai Ye on the ground.

"Don’t worry, Third Uncle, leave Hai Ye to me."

Father Ping hired a carriage and quietly moved the man to the back yard of an inn. Considering the rigorous checks, it was indeed not the best time to leave the city, and given Hai Ye’s severe injuries, he was not fit for long journeys.

In the inn, other than a few servants busy at work, both Uncle Jingmen and Second Uncle Jing were nowhere to be seen. Seizing the moment of distraction, Father Ping stealthily moved the man into his own room and quickly had his sons Xing Le and Xing Cheng change clothes and go to the inn’s front yard.

Xing Le and Xing Cheng, seeing that they no longer needed to move, were quite pleased—there was no displeasure at all.

...

Qi Zhu bounced into the study with a wooden box in hand, but as he reached the doorway, he immediately backed out again.

The study was quiet, and this silence was coupled with a serene ambiance not usual in ordinary days; even the breeze from Sunken Water Lake felt refreshingly pleasant.

The windows of the Crown Prince’s Mansion’s study were open, letting the sunlight pour in. Zheng Nianru lazily sat at the desk, flipping through a storybook.

The study seemed to have regained its vitality of bygone days, and even the usually tidy desk now appeared particularly comforting despite the lack of order. Steward Hu attentively served tea and water. The kitchen of the Crown Prince’s Mansion had not yet adjusted to the suddenly busy schedule, incorrectly preparing dishes twice before finally serving the Commandery Princess’s favorite pastries.

Zheng Nianru lazily dragged a thin blanket around, with her bare feet tenderly touching the corner of the blanket. Qi Ling changed her wound dressings and, carrying a water basin, dared not lift his head as he passed through the study. There had been no storybooks in the study initially, but over the past year, they had slowly accumulated. All the books Zheng Nianru enjoyed were neatly placed in a small, unobtrusive corner of the room, filling a small cabinet.

Qi Zhu felt that the Commandery Princess, being there but not looking at His Highness, was a bit pitiful for his master. He hoped that the Commandery Princess would at least glance at His Highness while fiddling with her toes.

Zheng Congyuan did not mind; knowing that she was just in the study, quiet and well-behaved as if she naturally belonged there, what did it matter whether she looked or not? It was best to leave her to her own nature.

When Zheng Nianru felt tired from reading, she put down the storybook. Nian Xia, who had been attending by her side, dozed off in the sunny window. Steward Hu quickly brought in some tea and fruits.

"Commandery Princess, please try our kitchen’s new skills."

Zheng Nianru saw Zheng Congyuan cracking a faint smile, one that did not reach his eyes, but lifted the corners of his lips momentarily like a half-blossomed cherry, gentle and lingering.

"Brother Crown Prince, are you awake?"

Qi Ling sighed over the Commandery Princess’s ability to speak untruths with her eyes open. His Highness hadn’t slept at all, so how could he have just woken up?

Zheng Congyuan naturally did not respond but merely looked at Zheng Nianru as she entered barefoot, her toes round and translucent like the tender shoots of spring.

"Are you hungry?" Zheng Congyuan asked, "Let the kitchen prepare something. We might not have all ingredients readily available."

"Oh, I’d like some crispy duck." Steward Hu immediately turned around, thinking, "Goodness, crispy duck takes a couple of Shichen to prepare. Mentioning it only now, it’s hard to even make it for lunch, and she’ll surely lose her temper if it’s not ready."

Steward Hu quickly ordered an attendant to instruct the kitchen.

"What else would the Commandery Princess like to eat? I’ll let the kitchen know all at once. It’s been some days since the Commandery Princess was here, and two new dishes have been introduced to the menu. Would you like to try them?"

"Yes, please, thanks to Steward Hu—"

With a harmless gentleness, Zheng Nianru sat by the bed and then collapsed onto Zheng Congyuan, easing the stiffness in her back from sitting too long.

"Commandery Princess, would you grace us by trying the newly made pastries?" Ah, don’t press on His Highness’s wound, Steward Hu hurriedly stepped forward.

Zheng Congyuan glanced at Qi Ling, who then got up and pulled Steward Hu out with him.

"Steward Hu, check on the medicinal soup; it’s almost time for His Highness to take his medicine."

"Oh, right, my memory fails me."

Zheng Nianru slipped her feet under the covers; poised to lie down as well.

"Stop messing around, I’m leaving so you can sleep," Zheng Congyuan got up, his injury wasn’t so severe that he needed to stay in bed.

"No, I’ll just sleep for a little while," Zheng Nianru pleaded, pulling at the blanket, her eyes pure as water and misty—to her, worn out from the long hours of reading.

"Stop being naughty, let Qi Ling fetch another blanket."

"I’m cold," Zheng Nianru mumbled, then sprawled across the blanket, wrapping one corner around herself, occupying half the bed and curling up at the foot.

Zheng Congyuan smiled helplessly, and Qi Ling’s movements grew gentler, even the sound of the birds outside the study seemed farther away.

...

Zheng Haoyuan looked at the eunuchs Cang Er brought in, furrowing his brows, unrefined and hapless.

"Is this all of you?" How had Ho Sheng not trained more Little Eunuchs; these few were hardly capable hands.

"Your Highness, we all are apprentices of Eunuch Ho Sheng, and we are most loyal to you."

Yet Zheng Haoyuan remained unsatisfied. How could such inexperienced people accomplish anything significant, and without martial arts? They couldn’t kill anyone.

Slowly, Zheng Haoyuan began to contemplate the matter of the Loyal Warriors of Wen Family.

With his second brother dead, according to the rules, the Loyal Warriors of Wen Family were now his to command. Because of what had happened in the Traveling Palace, he had avoided using those who had once served his brother and had wronged him.

But then he thought, this dog-eat-dog world, no one would mourn the fallen. Suddenly, he felt as if his vision had elevated.