Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 80 Pursuit

Chapter 80: Chapter 80 Pursuit

It was not yet dark when Yue Ke felt that Gumei had been out for too long. Could it be that the Crown Prince had returned? Had Gumei stayed in the study?

Although Yue Ke felt it was not appropriate to act rashly at this moment, why they had come to the Crown Prince’s Mansion was crystal clear to both Yue Ke and Gumei.

Anxiety and unease made Yue Ke very anxious. She went out several times but did not see any trace of Gumei.

Moreover, Yue Ke noticed that the inner courtyard of the Crown Prince’s Mansion was oddly tense. All the attendants were extremely cautious, and it was impossible to get any information from them; even those who were not so cautious knew nothing at all.

After several turns around the inner courtyard, with the sky gradually darkening, there was still no news of Gumei. Yue Ke gritted her teeth and headed towards the door leading from the inner courtyard to the outer courtyard. But who would have thought that she would be stopped in her tracks, as the guard at the door refused to even give her a chance to explain.

Yue Ke began to feel restlessness inside, yet no matter how much she thought about it, she believed that Gumei shouldn’t have met with trouble, or maybe...

"Help—someone has fallen into the river—" Just then, a female servant’s shrill scream came unexpectedly. Before Yue Ke had time to react, guards were already running towards the road in front of Yue Ke, which she vaguely remembered led to a small lake that seemed to be an extension of Siyan Lake from the front courtyard. It was not very large, covered by lotus flowers over much of the pond.

More and more people headed towards the lake in front of her. Yue Ke did not want to get involved, but she couldn’t shake off a feeling of nagging unease, and involuntarily followed the crowd forward.

Three or four guards had already jumped into the lake and were wading towards the center of the chest-deep water. Yue Ke suddenly spotted a familiar color in the middle of the lake, and stumbled, quickly grabbing the chain of the floating bridge to stabilize herself.

"It’s a female servant—" People exclaimed in horror, as the guards were getting closer to the figure in the greenish-blue clothing.

"It truly is a female servant—" The crowd murmured among themselves, and as the guards neared, they scooped up the person from the lake and hoisted her onto their shoulders. Yue Ke’s heart gave a violent leap, and she felt as though she forgot to breathe, fixating on the clothing that matched her own. Before the thought could even fully form in her mind, the crowd erupted in an outcry.

"She’s still alive—"

"Quickly, get a doctor—"

"Which courtyard is she from?" A barrage of questions filled the air, and all Yue Ke could hear was a buzzing in her ears, unsure of what she was hearing. She felt an unusually piercing glare as she got jostled by people, some even stepping over her feet as they passed.

"She’s from the Imperial Palace." Someone uttered, and then Yue Ke found herself getting pushed to the front.

"Nanny—"

"Nanny—" Yue Ke was in a daze. She wasn’t a fool; she had seen more than this in the palace.

Her first instinct upon hearing that Gumei had fallen into the water was that this was no accident, that someone wanted to harm Gumei, no, to harm them both.

"Nanny, is this Miss Gumei?" The nanny in charge of the inner courtyard inquired several times before pulling Yue Ke back from her deep thoughts. Yue Ke nodded frantically.

"She’s still breathing, she’s still breathing." The guard patted on the back, and Gumei spat out mouthfuls of lake water, followed by a shriek.

"Ah—" Gumei frantically reached for the guard who had rescued her. Caught off guard, he was scratched, the fresh red blood stinging Yue Ke’s eyes and causing two other guards to immediately restrain Gumei, not concerned with propriety between genders at this moment.

Yue Ke suddenly snapped back to reality and immediately crouched down, seizing Gumei’s soaking wet arm, which was as cold as a block of ice.

"Gumei, what happened to you?" Yue Ke desperately wanted to know what had happened.

Gumei’s body kept writhing under the grip of the two guards, slowly convulsing until she exhausted all her strength and once again fell unconscious.

"The doctor has arrived, the doctor has arrived—" Several nannies took over from the guard, carrying Gu Meng into the inner courtyard. Yue Ke, no longer able to concern herself with other matters, watched as the doctor prescribed medicine, and she personally went to prepare it.

Yue Ke’s mind was in a daze, scalded twice by the medicine pot, yet she dared not leave, insisting on doing everything herself.

The doctor said that Gu Meng’s madness was caused by the shock of falling into water, and that she would have to wake up and recover slowly.

What shocked Yue Ke even more was that the woman had been so bold as to do it openly...

However, she had no evidence at the moment, so Gu Meng must wake up.

...

Nanmen Yu had waited outside the city for three days without any news from the Nanmen Death Soldiers and had no choice but to return to the Imperial Palace.

Now, the number of guards watching over him had significantly decreased. The news of the Empress of Nanmen State’s death had already reached Nanzheng State—even delivered personally by him—and the fall of Nanmen Yu’s maternal family had also spread to the imperial court of Nanzheng State. In less than three days, the number of guards around Nanmen Yu had been reduced by two-thirds.

But Nanmen Yu remained extremely cautious, even returning to the palace every day.

The guard had grown accustomed to Nanmen Yu’s injuries, as the orders from above were to keep this hostage alive. They even tacitly allowed Nanmen Yu to scavenge for valuable trinkets amidst the dead to exchange for food. But they did not wish to go themselves—the mound of corpses was indeed a place they avoided.

As Nanmen Yu returned, he took the same path by the mound of corpses, but before he could reach it, he sensed something amiss. While he was cautious at heart, he also felt a glimmer of hope.

However, before Nanmen Yu could look back, a murderous aura loomed overwhelmingly close. He raced towards the mound, but the opponent wouldn’t allow him to escape. A fierce gust from behind aimed straight at his back. Nanmen Yu rolled away just in time to see the arrow half buried in the ground.

Before Nanmen Yu could react, flashes of cold light surged as two figures rapidly approached, brandishing Cold Blades that took Nanmen Yu’s breath away.

Nanmen Yu awkwardly dodged the first attack from the two assailants, tumbling into a ball. Although he thrust his short blade chaotically, he somehow evaded all deadly attacks, receiving only several cuts on his back and arms.

Amidst the fierce combat, the Loyal Warriors of the Wen Family hidden in the shadows remained motionless. Yan Cheng, their leader with an expression like carved stone, watched the struggle below intently.

With no skill involved, it was clear the Second Prince hadn’t sought them out to test their strength with such an incompetent opponent.

The two loyal warriors from the Wen Family in the fray seemed unhurried, having secured victory within a few moves and simply waiting for their leader’s command.

Yan Cheng waited a moment, seeing that the situation had no variables and gradually lost patience.

The Second Prince really brought such a useless man to test their strength.

Yan Cheng snorted coldly, waved his hand, and turned to walk away.

After several exchanges, Nanmen Yu began to sense something strange about the two men. Every one of their moves was lethal, but at the last moment, they spared his life, prompting Nanmen Yu’s doubts about their identities.

But suddenly, the style changed completely. These two individuals abruptly altered their cat-and-mouse attitude. Like a cat that had run out of patience, they fiercely extended their sharp claws at the mouse they had under control.

Nanmen Yu’s expression changed. Even if he had not exerted his full strength before, he could not guarantee he would escape the siege of the two men.