Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved-Chapter 526 - 505 First Update

"No need, I can’t stay for many days anyway, anywhere is fine to stay," Zheng Nianru lowered her head, arranging the phoenix feathers on her sleeve cuffs, so smooth and shiny, white like snow under the sunlight.

Nanny Yun opened her mouth slightly—since when was the Commandery Princess so easy to talk to? Moreover, for whom was she doing this?

Moreover, the current situation involved the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince vying for the throne. With the Commandery Princess siding with the Fourth Prince, wasn’t this creating more chaos?

"Cousin, wait a few more days; I want to give you a big surprise," Zheng Haoyuan said, somewhat uneasy. It must be a surprise. His cousin liked playing with him, and like him, she enjoyed the feeling of being high above, able to control everything. He was sure that his cousin and he were of the same kind, sharing similar hobbies and thoughts; thus, Zheng Congyuan was not suitable for her.

Nanny Yun pursed her lips, probably more of a shock, she thought.

Zheng Nianru turned to look at the youth beside her. If she were his age, and considering that Zheng Haoyuan was quite younger than her—how old was Zheng Haoyuan this year? Twelve? Nanzheng State did not follow Nanmen State’s practice where one had to wait until fifteen or sixteen to get married. Therefore, Zheng Nianru did not consider this aspect, especially since Zheng Haoyuan still had much of a child’s temperament, needing someone to accompany him in his eyes and emotions.

She was turning fourteen this year, two years older than him, so they couldn’t think along the same lines.

"What surprise?" Zheng Nianru asked, her expression warm, absentmindedly playing with the lock of hair hanging by Zheng Haoyuan’s side, lost in thought.

If that was the situation, it could be problematic. The one she intended to save could become a trouble.

What would Zheng Congyuan think, would he accommodate Zheng Haoyuan?

Zheng Nianru could not be sure. She wanted to save Zheng Haoyuan also because the real Zheng Haoyuan was not as unbearable, absurd, and bloodthirsty as the rumors suggested, and later her reputation had not been much different either, thus fostering a feeling of shared fate.

"You’ll find out when the time comes," Zheng Haoyuan didn’t move, wanting to get closer to Zheng Nianru, but the embrace earlier had exhausted all his courage. This matter always required some mental preparation for those around Zheng Nianru.

Zheng Nianru’s hand paused, her mind suddenly in turmoil. Was Zheng Haoyuan so confident because Zheng Congyuan had yet not secured his victory? Could it even be said that at this moment, the Wen Family still controlled the situation?

...

The troops of the Eastern Border and Southeast Border controlled by the Wen Family were advancing toward Zheng Capital at the fastest speed. Although, along the way, many gentry families who had initially agreed to an alliance had backed out at the last moment. However, there was a significant difference between the Southeast and Eastern Borders.

From the Southeast Border to the Eastern Border, there was a mountain range existing like a heavenly moat, a natural barrier formed to defend against seaborne raiders and protect the official salt reserves. The Southeast and the Eastern Borders were isolated by this heavenly gorge, which is why Wen Jia had previously stationed people from his second branch in the Eastern Border for long-term deployment.

The leader of the Southeast Border was Wen Sheng, the youngest sibling of Marquis of Zhenbei from Wen Family’s chief line, along with Wen Li, the third son of the second house, and a host of the Wen Family’s illegitimate children like Wen Quanwan, Wen Quangeng, and others, making the Southeast Border the most valued region by the Wen Family after the Northern Border.

The power in the Southeast Border was firmly controlled by the Wen Family. Even if the aristocratic family suddenly reneged, it didn’t concern Wen Sheng much, as it was common for minor gentry to be fickle.

Although on the surface, the Eastern Border appeared to advance northward continuously connecting with the Southeast Border in one fell swoop, two days had already gone by without any news from the Eastern Border. His men who hurried to the Eastern Border camp were informed that Wen Qun had taken a step ahead, catching him off guard.

The Eastern Border acted independently, proceeding directly to Zheng Capital, Wen Sheng swore under his breath a few times. Although he didn’t express much outwardly and was well aware of Wen Qun’s irascible nature, probably couldn’t wait for the next move and had taken initiative on his own, he could only order to catch up with all their might, making sure not to lose contact at any cost, and not to be replaceable.

"General, once we get past the Heavenly Gorge, it will take us two days to catch up with General Chang Gong." His trusted aide knew well of the General’s dissatisfaction with Wen Qun, but now was not the time for resentment, as the troops from the Eastern Border, though not large in number comprised mainly of infantry and included loyal warriors of the Wen Family, and were very strong.

"Pass the orders along, hurry on the road, and reach the foot of the mountain by sunset. March through the Heavenly Gorge at night," Wen Sheng said while sitting on his horse, holding a map in his hand, the far end of his sight was the location of the Heavenly Gorge. Ideally, this gorge was quite dangerous, but since the Eastern Border had always been under Wen Qun’s control, this area was also under Wen Family’s control, and right from the start, Wen Family had taken the initiative, the military strength of the Crown Prince in those regions was also under their control without any movement, they probably didn’t even know that Zheng Capital had already changed drastically.

"General, the mountain roads of the Heavenly Gorge are rugged, and with darkness, the paths become slippery; perhaps we should camp at the base of the mountain and cross the gorge early tomorrow morning," the Deputy General hesitated, since even during daylight, the gorge appeared dark and eerie, and it was especially fearsome at night with rumors of ferocious beasts and many folk stories about the gorge circulating among the people.

Wen Sheng snorted coldly. They had so many soldiers, were they supposed to be afraid of wild beasts?

"The essence of war is speed. Now, Zheng Congyuan has already made his preparations, and time is the best weapon. As long as we get to Zheng Capital first, and capture all the major districts and counties north of the Eastern Border one by one, Zheng Congyuan will have no room to turn things around," he retorted.

The Deputy General wanted to say more, but Wen Sheng had already spurred his horse to lead at the very front, and the pace of the troops was very fast. They reached the Heavenly Gorge before dark, which further solidified Wen Sheng’s determination to cross the gorge at night.

Seeing this, the Deputy General dared not persuade further but instead instructed the soldiers to cut many tree branches and bind pine branches with tung oil to illuminate the entire troop brightly, both to ward off wild beasts and to brighten the mountain paths, facilitating the march.

From a distance, the entire troop stretched for tens of meters, winding like a serpentine, with bright lights glowing. Fortunately, the Heavenly Gorge was seldom visited by humans; even a monkey was nowhere to be seen.

After traveling several hundred meters, the vanguards of the Southeast Border troops, nearly fifty thousand strong, were now congregated within the entire gorge, resembling a giant serpent coiling around the steep mountain.

With the entire troop moving slowly forward, the Deputy General’s heart that had been in his throat gradually settled a bit. They had been inside the gorge for two shichen, and everything seemed very calm. It seemed he had been overly worried, and he chided himself for being with the General in the Southeast Border for so many years, yet his courage had diminished.

The troop moved slowly for another shichen, approaching midnight, and the entire troop began to show signs of fatigue, with the horses neighing and discordant footsteps, and the soldiers, tired and hungry, obviously slowed down.

Suddenly, the front of the troop started causing a commotion, plunging the entire troop into a state of restlessness. freewebnoveℓ.com

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