Chapter 84 The Warmth on the Other Side

Xiao Mingzheng couldn't help but stare in amazement. Over all this time, he'd seen Zhong Min in all sorts of different ways, but he'd never seen her so relaxed, so unguarded. That genuine joy and ease was incredibly heartbreaking.

He didn't know who the "Mom" was referring to, but in his opinion, it must be the person she relied on the most and trusted deep in her heart.

He suddenly felt a little envious of the person he called "Mom." He also realized that although Zhong Min usually appeared so confident and strong, she actually possessed the same softness as other women. However, her harsh living conditions forced her to resolutely hide that softness and instead equip herself with strength.

After a long while, he finally came back to his senses and withdrew his gaze from Zhong Min's calm and warm face. He couldn't help but smile warmly, and then turned back to the desk to continue carefully examining the different plans.

Almost two hours later, Zhong Min finally woke up. She opened her eyes and was immediately greeted by the antique-style furnishings of the room. She didn't move immediately, but remained stunned for a long moment. After a while, she sighed to herself and sat up.

Suddenly, something seemed to slide down her body. Zhong Min subconsciously reached out to grab it, and then she saw that she had been covered by an extra piece of clothing without knowing when.

It turned out to be true. She smiled to herself, thinking she was dreaming. When she saw this familiar male robe, she suddenly felt an indescribable feeling in her heart.

"Are you awake?" Just as he was thinking, Xiao Mingzheng's voice came over.

She quickly stood up, straightened her clothes slightly, and walked towards Xiao Mingzheng with the robe.

"How long have I slept?" She handed the robe, still warm from her own body, back to Xiao Mingzheng, cleared her throat, and said seriously, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Xiao Mingzheng took the robe calmly, as if nothing had happened, and put it on himself: "Not long, less than two hours."

"Ah! So long?" Zhong Min was shocked when he heard Xiao Mingzheng's answer, and even forgot the slight awkwardness he had just felt.

She quickly said, "Well, Your Majesty, have you read the plan? Is there anything you find objectionable? If so, you can..."

Before she could finish her words, Xiao Mingzheng interrupted her and said, "You've just woken up and you're already asking endless questions. You can't be idle at all. Don't worry, I've handed it over to Xie Feng to arrange the preparations."

Xiao Mingzheng's words immediately made Zhong Min feel a lot more at ease. Since it had been handed over to Xie Feng to arrange and prepare, it meant that it had passed the test and there was nothing to modify.

"Then I will go find Commander Xie now. There are some things that I need to explain in person before I can feel at ease." She always likes to do things in one go, so she naturally wants to arrange everything immediately.

Seeing this, Xiao Mingzheng didn't say anything else. He nodded to indicate that he understood, and then he stopped paying attention to Zhong Min and started doing other things.

However, just as Zhong Min was about to walk out of the study, Xiao Mingzheng hesitated for a moment, and finally suddenly looked up at her and asked, "'Mom', what does that mean?"

Originally, he wanted to ask her who her mother was, but after thinking about it, he felt that it was not appropriate, so he finally asked more subtly what her mother meant.

When Zhong Min heard this, he was stunned on the spot. After a moment, he turned around and asked Xiao Mingzheng, "Did I say anything else just now?"

Xiao Mingzheng shook his head calmly. He was not surprised by Zhong Min's sudden alertness.

Hearing this answer, Zhong Min finally felt relieved. To be honest, she rarely talked in her sleep, but she had never expected such an unexpected event to happen while taking a nap here today.

Fortunately, she didn't say anything nonsense, especially things that these ancient people couldn't understand. Otherwise, I really don't know whether Xiao Mingzheng would treat her as a lunatic.

"Mom means mother." She smiled slightly, not intending to lie to Xiao Mingzheng. After saying that, she turned around and left without stopping.

Mother? Watching Zhong Min leave, Xiao Mingzheng once again revealed that rare warm smile. It turned out that she missed her mother, her family, and home.

Two days later, in the morning, the fully prepared people from Prince Mu's Palace set out on schedule, heading straight for the capital. Ning Zhiyuan was also along, making the entire team look even more impressive.

The round trip alone would take almost a month, so Luo Jiaxing didn't go with them. Instead, Xiao Mingzheng left him behind to oversee military affairs, just in case. After all, this was Xiao Mingzheng's biggest backing, so everything here was particularly important. Of course, the most trusted and capable person had to stay behind to take charge of the overall situation.

Zhong Min naturally continued to work part-time as a personal maid, and Xie Feng was still the person in charge of all security protection in Mingli.

The journey was relatively peaceful, and they walked for five consecutive days without encountering any unexpected incidents. At first, Xie Feng was very surprised and kept asking Zhong Min whether those who wanted the prince's life had changed their nature.

But after listening to Zhong Min's analysis, he suddenly understood. It was true that when he came to Beijing this time, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the court had no good intentions towards the prince. Naturally, others would wait and see what happened first to avoid wasting their energy.

However, Zhong Min also repeatedly reminded that this does not mean that there will be no problems on the way there. After all, there will always be people with different ideas, so what should be done must be done and no carelessness should be allowed.

Especially tonight, because this section of the road is all mountain roads and there are few houses along the way, so they can only choose to camp in the wild. In this case, they have to strengthen their vigilance.

Although Xiao Mingzheng was a prince, he originally came from a military background. Fighting on the battlefield was no problem for him, and even a simple camping trip outdoors was commonplace. As for Ning Zhiyuan, he didn't complain at all, but instead regarded this as quite interesting.

He had walked this route before, but because there were fewer people and the cars were strong, he was able to find a populated area to stay overnight. But this time there were so many people and horses, and no matter how fast he went, he couldn't go much faster, so it was a very different experience.

After finding a suitable open space, Xie Feng ordered the guards to rest, gather firewood and water, and prepare dinner. Soon, several bonfires were set up in the open space. Except for those who took turns guarding, everyone else sat around to rest and eat.

Xiao Mingzheng and Ning Zhiyuan sat together, chatting, though Ning Zhiyuan did most of the talking while Xiao Mingzheng listened. Zhong Min remained silent, listening intermittently. A fawn was roasting on the fire, appearing to be about 50% to 60% cooked. The fat from the tender meat dripped from the heat, sizzling as it fell onto the flames, making a particularly tempting taste.

This was brought back by Xie Feng and his men just now before it got completely dark. He originally wanted to find some small things for Xiao Mingzheng and Ning Zhiyuan to enjoy, but he was unexpectedly lucky and encountered this little deer not long after he went out.

Zhong Min had never eaten venison before. She was a bit of an environmentalist, so naturally she wouldn't eat wild animals. But now, there were so many of them in this place, and since the fawn had already been roasted, eating some wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"Don't be impatient, Miss Min'er. The meat will be ready to eat in a while." Ning Zhiyuan didn't know when he started to pay attention to Zhong Min. Seeing her staring at the deer roasting on the fire with a greedy look on her face, he thought she was very cute for a moment.

"The prince and the right prime minister haven't started eating yet, so I'm not in a hurry," Zhong Min turned around, glanced at Ning Zhiyuan, and said with a smile, "I was just thinking, sprinkle some salt on it later, it should taste good."

She knew Ning Zhiyuan wasn't mocking her, but to others, his words sounded like he was saying she was delicious. Fortunately, she wasn't a picky person and didn't care much about other people's opinions, so she simply brought the conversation to the question of whether the meat was delicious.

"You've still remembered some of the rules, which is quite impressive." Upon hearing Zhong Min's words, Xiao Mingzheng pointed at the deer and said, "When it's cooked, eat as much as you can. I want to see how much you can eat."

Zhong Min laughed heartily upon hearing this. It was true. With such a large head, she couldn't possibly eat much, so she had assumed from the outset that Xiao Mingzheng wouldn't be so stingy as to deny her a portion. Just as she was about to speak, a guard suddenly ran over, claiming they had something to report to Xiao Mingzheng.

"Your Highness, a woman has appeared from nowhere and is refusing to leave. She insists she wants to join our group into the capital." The guard said, "She refuses to leave no matter what we say. She also says she just needs to follow behind us and that nothing else will affect us."

"Give her some silver and send her away." Xiao Mingzheng frowned slightly, as if he was not satisfied that such a small matter had to be solved by him.

"Your Highness, we gave it to her, but she refused and said she wanted to come with us. She said that she and her family had come to Beijing to stay with relatives, but they were robbed by thieves on the way. Except for her, who managed to escape, everyone else was killed. She said she just wanted to reach the capital safely." The guard's tone seemed to contain a hint of sympathy, but after all, he could not make the decision, so he had to report the truth.

"So pitiful? In my opinion, Your Highness should have someone bring her here to question her clearly before making a decision. After all, she is a weak woman who has just encountered such a great misfortune. If she encounters something else, it may be difficult for her to have such good luck again." Ning Zhiyuan took over the conversation before Xiao Mingzheng spoke again, looking quite sympathetic.

Xiao Mingzheng was originally going to have the man sent away, but now that Ning Zhiyuan had spoken, he ordered the guard, "According to the Right Prime Minister's order, bring the man here first."