Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 420 - 399: One More Update

Chapter 420: Chapter 399: One More Update

Emperor Jingzhi glanced at Talented Lady Jing lying on the ground. Although the girl before him was not exceptionally beautiful, her youth and vibrant energy required no embellishment, which radiated against her clear, glowing skin.

"So beautiful?" Emperor Jingzhi was no exception. Prince Duan was one of the rare handsome men in the imperial family; otherwise, he wouldn’t have captured Lady Ru’s heart at first. Moreover, Lady Ru’s beauty indeed lived up to the words of Talented Lady Jing.

"Replying to The Emperor, yes—" Talented Lady Jing didn’t know if her response was correct, as there was no standard answer available, nor did she know what she was about to face. As she spoke, her fingers couldn’t stop trembling; her frail and pitiful appearance resembled a newly emerged lotus flower.

Although Emperor Jingzhi lacked the physical strength, his inherent temperament remained unchanged. Having been ill for several months, naturally avoiding meat and vegetables, the favor shown to Talented Lady Jing was also because she was caring. Moreover, she appeared slightly plump, which Emperor Jingzhi purely found comforting due to the soft, fragrant contact, prompting him to summon her more often.

"Come forward—" Emperor Jingzhi gestured slightly, his mood was good and his rare bout of energy allowed him some leisurely indulgence.

Talented Lady Jing paused, vaguely feeling something was different than usual. Nevertheless, she didn’t resist and quickly crawled a few steps forward to Emperor Jingzhi.

"Your Majesty—" Talented Lady Jing looked up, her eyes were watery, displaying fear and an irresistible compliance, and though not clever, she understood that Emperor Jingzhi liked her to be this way.

Sure enough, Emperor Jingzhi, "with a very good mood," extended his hand, his fingers lifting the chin of the girl before him, watching with interest the fluctuations of her chest. His fingers slowly moved down to her neck and then her chest, her trembling breaths pulsated under his touch. The warmth, greater than that of the Emperor’s, spread from his fingers, leaving him unsatisfied yet physically depleted.

"Your Majesty—" Talented Lady Jing’s voice softened to a whisper, carrying a shy coaxing tone as she proactively grasped Emperor Jingzhi’s thin hand, "Your Majesty, what is it you desire?"

Emperor Jingzhi looked up at the seductive appearance of the girl before him. Although she couldn’t compare to the astonishing encounters of his past, she was real, enough to entertain him pleasantly.

Emperor Jingzhi’s fingers hooked the garment atop Talented Lady Jing’s chest, and submissive yet coquettishly, she climbed onto the dragon bed.

"Take it slow—"

The silk curtain behind them slowly fell, and the palace maids waiting in Shengyuan Hall cautiously retreated a few steps, utterly silent.

...

"I always say the pomegranates here are sweeter than those from over there." Zheng Nianru sipped a bowl of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, the crystal clear porcelain bowl making the juice look even more vibrant and sugary, with a lifelike pomegranate flower on the spoon.

"Oh, Commandery Princess, you are wronging your servant here. The moment the best pomegranates arrived at the Crown Prince’s Mansion, I immediately picked the finest ones to send to you, Commandery Princess. Even those left in the mansion were reserved for you," Steward Hu hastily declared his innocence, and he dared not neglect her slightest need, especially since the Crown Prince quietly planned to refurbish the backyard, representing his hands-on approach to all matters, which even Steward Hu, non-political as he was, could somewhat guess.

"The Commandery Princess might not believe it, but you can ask Qi Zhu—Brother Qi Zhu personally helped choose them, and he picked the biggest and reddest ones. The leftovers were juiced because he feared they wouldn’t catch your eye," Steward Hu felt the Commandery Princess was truly hard to serve. Yet, no matter how demanding, she was the one he had watched grow up. Despite her spoiled nature, those traits were fostered by the Crown Prince himself; initially, the Commandery Princess was very adorable.

"No wonder, it seems the picker’s taste is at fault." Zheng Nianru nodded, her look meaningful as she glanced at Qi Zhu.

"Commandery Princess, whatever you say is right. My vision indeed can’t compare to yours, I have only been loyally devoted to you. Please spare me this once," Qi Zhu glanced at Steward Hu, thinking, ’Old man, if it’s about the business, talk about it, why drag me into this? And, have those two in the backyard been settled yet? This fault-finding must have caught wind of something.’

Steward Hu slapped his thigh, "How could I have forgotten about this? It hasn’t been taken care of yet; truly muddled."

"Hold on, where are you going?" Zheng Nianru stopped the departing Steward Hu. She wouldn’t have come if she hadn’t heard the news. Since Zheng Congyuan had agreed, she felt it right to maintain the bashfulness of a young lady, which was also the secret to keeping things fresh.

Thus, Zheng Nianru hadn’t intended to come, at least not until Zheng Congyuan made further moves. She wanted to maintain her composure and not rush Zheng Congyuan into action.

However, she hadn’t expected that Empress Xiao couldn’t wait, wishing she could shove everyone by her side at Zheng Congyuan to feel secure. Zheng Congyuan, having hands and feet, ended up unable to eat or sleep, constantly thinking about pushing people, always pushing people.

Zheng Nianru felt that even if she trusted Zheng Congyuan really had the ability to legitimize her status, it was necessary to put Empress Xiao in her place right from the start.

"Commandery Princess, this old servant will go check how the kitchen preparations are," said Steward Hu, not daring to move, feeling uneasy. ’If the Commandery Princess learns of the two individuals’ presence, unlike before, sent in the guise of serving, the intent of the Empress is clear without saying.’

"Steward Hu, our Commandery Princess knows you genuinely care for her. To those unaware, seeing your flustered appearance, they might think you have women hidden somewhere eager to appear—" Nian Xia gave Steward Hu a displeased look.

Yet she did not believe that the Crown Prince truly meant to dismiss these two people. She had heard these two had served the Crown Prince from a young age, and had been finely groomed by the Empress.

Steward Hu did not dare to respond, realizing the situation. ’Oh dear, when will the Crown Prince return? They can’t hold on much longer.’

"What nonsense are you thinking?" Zheng Congyuan stepped in from outside, bringing with him a hint of the chilly outside snow, and with Qi Ling following, the curtain quickly dropped down, still warm inside like spring."

Zheng Nianru immediately turned away, ignoring the person in front of her.

Fu Dong placed the tea down in front of Zheng Congyuan.

"It got cold early this morning; why did you come here?" She no longer resided at Qishun Building. Not far from Prince Duan’s Mansion, on such a cold day, even if the carriage was warm, it would still be drafty.

Zheng Nianru simply ignored everyone. Nian Xia thought her Commandery Princess’s disregard was inappropriate, especially with so many people around. And now that the Prince had returned, why was everyone still standing around?

Steward Hu wished he could flee immediately, unwilling to stay any longer. Qi Ling had just returned and had no idea what had happened, but seeing Qi Zhu signaling him, Qi Ling left as well, wondering, ’How could each servant by the Prince’s side manage?’

Zheng Congyuan stepped forward, grasping Zheng Nianru’s hand which was still slightly cool to the touch indoors.

"You’ve always been susceptible to cold, and to come out in such cold weather... you could have sent someone to inform me, and I would have come to see you," Zheng Congyuan’s voice softened, and the fingers in his palm felt unbelievably soft, as if they had no bones at all.