"Princely Heir, let’s go," Uncle Han said coldly. Having heard what the woman had said and now seeing that aggrieved face, for whose benefit was that display? How could such a duplicitous woman be fit to be the future Queen of Nann State?
"Nian Ru—" Nann Yu took a step forward, eager to explain sothing.
Prince Duan had already snorted coldly and pulled Zheng Nianru behind him.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, we’re out of your league. Please leave quickly," Prince Duan said tensely, aware that his own n were no match for Nann Yu’s subordinates, cursing himself for not having focused on this aspect earlier, which led to their current vulnerability.
Nann Yu wanted to explain further, but Uncle Han likewise stepped forward and resolutely grabbed Nann Yu’s arm.
"Princely Heir, let’s go quickly. If we wait any longer, who knows what sches and plots might be awaiting us?"
Nann Yu knew it wasn’t the ti for talking. Glancing at Zheng Nianru, he saw her looking like a bullied girl, her tearful eyes silently accusing of all she had suffered.
Nann Yu felt as if his heart was being sliced open; things had reached this point because of him. Even now, when those around him had done sothing so terribly wrong, Nian Ru still believed in him.
Nann Yu gave Zheng Nianru a resolute look, respectfully bowed to Prince Duan, and then led his n away.
"Take it easy—" Uncle Han fud, watching Nann Yu fleeing with a face that was turning nearly as black as the bottom of a pot.
Tan Zong felt it wasn’t appropriate for him to speak up about this matter, although he strongly supported Uncle Han’s decision. However, since he hadn’t spent much ti with the Princely Heir and hadn’t fully earned his trust, if this matter wasn’t handled well, it might hinder their plans for the future.
"Princely Heir, listen to your master," Uncle Han was getting anxious, but he wasn’t the only witness to the fact that Princess Chao Ren was not a good person.
Nann Yu didn’t slow down. Listen to what? Why should he act this way? Could anything reverse what had already happened?
Prince Duan already had a poor impression of him. He had initially planned to gradually demonstrate his capabilities to Prince Duan and even felt a shift in Prince Duan’s attitude when he handed over the land deeds.
But he hadn’t expected the assassin incident to occur. There was no fault on his part in this matter. If they had not acted rashly, Prince Duan would have understood the entire sequence of events and realized that he was misunderstood.
"Ouch—" Uncle Han, already severely injured, beca overwheld with anger and anxiety, which aggravated his internal injury, causing him to suddenly collapse to the ground.
"Uncle Han, how are you?" Tan Zong imdiately knelt down, speaking in an exaggerated and contrived manner. Nann Yu halted, for this was the master who had accompanied him for many years. Even if he was angry, Nann Yu couldn’t simply ignore him.
"Princely Heir—" Tan Zong called out anxiously. Nann Yu was frustrated and the thought of shaking off these followers disturbed him.
Nann Yu turned around, realizing he had no room for maneuver. If he took his master and the others to personally apologize, offering a generous gift, perhaps it would be possible to appease His Highness Prince Duan.
"Master, how are you?" The sight of the pale-faced Uncle Han softened Nann Yu’s heart. Although his master and the others had acted rashly, it was out of ignorance and concern.
"Princely Heir, as your teacher, I was truly driven to desperation in doing this," Uncle Han sighed deeply. "How could I not know? The Princely Heir is a man of deep feelings and loyalty, but I, along with Tan Zong, secretly infiltrated Prince Duan’s Mansion, hoping to seize the opportunity to rescue you stealthily. Unexpectedly, we overheard the conversation between Princess Chao Ren and Prince Duan. The Commandery Princess said to have Prince Duan eliminate any potential threats to prevent future troubles..."
Nann Yu’s body trembled upon hearing this, disbelief prevailing—how could Nian Ru utter such words.
"You don’t believe it, Princely Heir? I wasn’t the only one who heard it; they all did," Uncle Han imdiately added, as Nann Yu looked towards Tan Zong, Second Uncle Jing, and the others. They all nodded in agreent, leaving him no room for doubt.
"Impossible, the Commandery Princess has always been... nice to ." Nann Yu still couldn’t believe it, as he rembered their first eting, and every encounter since, their interactions with each other.
"Princely Heir," Uncle Han grabbed Nann Yu’s arm and shook it vigorously, obviously sensing that Nann Yu simply didn’t believe his words. Yet, he was even more clueless about how to make Nann Yu believe him.
"Master, I’ll take you back to recover from your injuries first. Don’t worry about this matter anymore; I have my plans," Nann Yu supported Uncle Han to stand up, his tone brooking no argunt.
Uncle Han sighed, but knowing further words were futile, he could only return to the inn for now.
After settling his master, Nann Yu turned to start preparing the list of gifts. The Nann Death Soldiers had gathered various rare treasures, and many were unique heirlooms passed down for generations. While most were located within Nann State, a substantial number had already been brought to him these days.
Tan Zong watched as Nann Yu arranged and inventoried chest after chest of rare treasures and guessed what Nann Yu was planning. These were the assets they would use to vie for the throne, but now, the Princely Heir’s mind was not on the Monarch of the Nann State, but entirely focused on Princess Chao Ren.
"Princely Heir, I am not sure if I should say sothing," Tan Zong began, but before he could continue, Second Uncle Jing, along with Uncle Jingn, couldn’t hold back any longer, as they too had guessed Nann’s intent.
Nann Yu refused to listen in silence; he didn’t want to hear it, and he knew what they were going to say.
"Princely Heir, we have had a few encounters with the Commandery Princess, and to be honest, we are heartened that the Princely Heir could et the Commandery Princess during difficult tis. From the bottom of our hearts, we also like this Commandery Princess," Second Uncle Jing said earnestly, causing Nann Yu to lift his head skeptically and look towards him.
"So, even though I personally heard the Commandery Princess say we should kill the Princely Heir, I don’t believe it either. Perhaps the Commandery Princess has her difficulties, which we are unaware of. I was thinking..."
Nann Yu shuddered. How could he not have thought of that?
"What did you think of?" Nann Yu finally spoke. He was confused. He thought Nian Ru’s aggrieved eyes were because of the brash rescue attempt by Uncle Han and Tan Zong. But what if that wasn’t the reason?
"I was thinking, maybe the Commandery Princess truly does have so other difficulties. After all, she knows the Princely Heir has been wronged. Why doesn’t the Princely Heir personally make a visit, and when no one is around, ask the Commandery Princess directly? Perhaps a misunderstanding could be cleared up," Second Uncle Jing suggested, though deep down he didn’t really think so. The Commandery Princess looked indifferent and uncaring when she spoke, seeming to be a cold-hearted person. Moreover, Second Uncle Jing could see the indifference and unconcern in her eyes.
Nann Yu stood up imdiately, patting Second Uncle Jing gratefully.
"Second Uncle, thank you. I’ll go right now," Nann Yu said and turned to leave.
Second Uncle Jing looked at the boxes of treasures.
"Pack them up. The Princely Heir might not need them anymore." With such a cold-hearted person having shown her true face, there was no point in trying to patch things up anymore.
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