Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 89: Strike Again

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Strike Again

Yan Cheng had just arrived and hadn’t had the chance to report on the assassination attempt when he suddenly caught sight of Zheng Nianru.

Surprised, he almost died of shame when that assassination attempt failed. Instantly, he developed respect for his current young master. Yan Cheng originally thought this ordeal was to humiliate them, not realizing that even after so many years within the Imperial Palace, they had failed to detect the presence of such a formidable opponent, who was in no way inferior to the Hidden Guard by the Crown Prince’s side.

But the Fourth Prince had discovered them, and had already realized that they were at a disadvantage with a few casual remarks.

In his shame, Yan Cheng nonetheless took action. As soon as he calmed down, the first thing he did was to approach the hostage from Nanmen State.

Oddly enough, the mysterious powers that surrounded the hostage from Nanmen State vanished overnight, as if nothing had happened, leaving no trace or clue within the Imperial Palace.

But as long as Nanmen Yu was there, Yan Cheng was not afraid of being unable to find clues. After following him for three to four days, Yan Cheng’s men discovered that Nanmen Yu’s most frequent contact was with the Commandery Princess Chao Ren before him.

The intricate and entangled relationship suddenly made Yan Cheng very surprised by the appearance of Zheng Nianru, particularly since the Fourth Prince seemed to rely quite heavily on Princess Chao Ren.

"Cousin, please sit down and don’t move; I’ll get you something delicious to eat,"

Zheng Haoyuan said excitedly as he got out of bed, showing no signs of his earlier illness except for his still somewhat pale cheeks.

Cang Er hurriedly offered to fetch something, saying, "Your Highness, you don’t look sick at all. Wouldn’t the Commandery Princess think that your servant has lied to her?"

"Fu Gong, Cang Er said you were ill. Where do you feel unwell?" Zheng Nianru didn’t find anything amiss with Zheng Haoyuan’s eagerness to bring her food and other items.

"I still feel a bit weak, but seeing my cousin has made me feel much better," Zheng Haoyuan said with dark circles under his eyes and a smile free of any impurity, bright as blooming gardenias.

"Commandery Princess, it was the spell of Master Ling Yi that was brilliant. He drew out the evil qi from His Highness’s body in one go, that’s why His Highness recovered so quickly," Cang Er hurriedly explained, while diligently serving fruit to Fu Dong and Nian Xia and fetching a footstool.

At Qishun Building, Fu Dong and Nian Xia often sat without much formality, and there was even less formality at Zheng Haoyuan’s place.

Yan Cheng found this bizarre scene somewhat incomprehensible.

But why did the little prince want him to assassinate Nanmen Yu?

From his investigation, the relationship between Nanmen Yu and Commandery Princess Chao Ren also seemed to be very close; they shared a carriage, and even those two shops outside the palace appeared to be the commandery princess’s doing.

Could it be that those people belong to the commandery princess?

No, those people did not seem like they were from Nanzheng State.

Yan Cheng slowly unraveled the complicated relationships, but however he tried, he couldn’t explain why their little prince outwardly had such a good relationship with the commandery princess, yet secretly wanted to kill her "business partner."

"If I had not fallen ill, cousin, you wouldn’t have come to see me," Zheng Haoyuan’s voice whined, peeling lychees from the glazed bowl, "My mother consort just sent these over, they’re especially sweet; try them."

Yan Cheng’s tangled thoughts suddenly paused, and he looked up strangely to see their little prince eagerly peeling lychees, waiting for the commandery princess to eat them as if his satisfaction depended on her taking a bite.

This is...

Commandery Princess Chao Ren is the little prince’s cousin? Yes, that’s right. Such a good relationship between siblings doesn’t appear to be anything significant.

But why did he feel a chill run down his spine and a sense of unease all over his body when he had just listened to the low voice of the little prince?

Yan Cheng glanced at Cang Er with an air of a resigned sycophant, as if he didn’t find anything about the previous scene peculiar in the slightest.

Zheng Nianru didn’t stay long since she was already tired from being out all day. After exchanging a few words, she took her leave.

Zheng Haoyuan didn’t try to keep her either. He escorted her partway and then turned back.

"How did things go?" Zheng Haoyuan asked with a hint of impatience in his voice.

Yan Cheng immediately lowered his head. With such close relations between the Fourth Prince and the Commandery Princess, if there were some problems with Nanmen Yu that warranted killing him, one would expect the Fourth Prince to inform the Commandery Princess first, not deliberately conceal it from her.

But as it stood, the Fourth Prince seemed to be intentionally keeping it from her.

"Your Highness, this servant believes we should proceed with caution. The Hostage from Nanmen State has not been alone these past few days. He has spent most of his time near Qishun Building, even leaving the Imperial Palace with the Commandery Princess twice. To avoid alarming them, this servant has not yet made a move. This servant is waiting for the right moment to strike, silently and unnoticed..."

"Fool, so many days have passed without a hint of action," Zheng Haoyuan’s face darkened. Going out twice, it seemed like they were inseparable every day.

"Please punish this servant, Your Highness..."

"Can’t make a move at night? Do you think I don’t know that boy is bothering the Commandery Princess? If it weren’t for him bothering her, what use would I have for you?" Zheng Haoyuan felt that Eunuch Shun Zi’s idea was better, to release a few venomous snakes deep in the night into his quarters. He didn’t believe they couldn’t kill the boy.

Yan Cheng was taken aback. He had guessed countless reasons why the Fourth Prince might want to kill the Hostage from Nanmen State but never expected the answer to be so brutally simple.

Uh, it’s just because Nanmen Yu is bothering Princess Chao Ren, that he should be killed? Not because Nanmen Yu has conducted himself improperly? Nor because he’s discovered some mysterious forces?

"Your Highness, rest assured, this servant will certainly complete the task," Yan Cheng affirmed, his voice tough. Since those people left no trace, it might be best to take advantage of this opportunity to act first, kill first, and talk later.

"How will you complete it?" Zheng Haoyuan was out of patience. He would only be able to sleep once Nanmen Yu was dead, preferably tonight.

Yan Cheng was taken aback.

"This servant will send out the elite among the loyalists..."

"Using a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken. What elite and non-elite? A few eunuchs could beat him half to death," Zheng Haoyuan said, getting irritated. Mentioning House Guards, he scoffed. They were utterly useless. "Tonight, I will take matters into my own hands. You bring a few men and fetch a few things for me."

Yan Cheng was stunned, instinctively feeling this plan was unsound. However, before he could voice his concern, he heard Cang Er’s voice.

"Your Highness, it will certainly be done tonight. That Hostage from Nanmen State deserves to die."

Yan Cheng’s gaze darkened. At this point, speaking the truth was no longer possible.

"What are you waiting for? Truly not the brightest bulb," Zheng Haoyuan scoffed, looking at Yan Cheng kneeling on the ground. He was not at all useful, no wonder the Mother Consort discarded him and tossed him over to him.

Yan Cheng, stubbornly resolute, clung to a sliver of hope that the group of mysterious men, currently without a trace, could be handled by merely protecting the Fourth Prince while releasing those venomous snakes. The task could be completed within half an hour, achieving two ends with a single action.

Still cautious, Yan Cheng called upon ten or so reliable Loyalists. Each carried a half-bag of venomous snakes, regardless of the species, all that Eunuch Shun Zi kept were brought along.

"Your Highness, with so many, Nanmen Yu will have no chance of escape," Yan Cheng immediately reassured. Otherwise, His Highness wouldn’t agree to bring so many people.

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