Chapter 99 Care

Seeing that Ning Zhiyuan was going to send her there personally, Zhong Min naturally had no objection. No matter what, with the Prime Minister by her side, even if Eunuch Wu really arranged someone else to kill her, she would not dare to act rashly. As for whether Ning Zhiyuan really had something to do or was just pretending to find Xiao Mingzheng, she was too lazy to think about it at this time.

When they arrived at the original palace gate, Xiao Mingzheng still hadn't come out. Ning Zhiyuan said nothing and waited there with Zhong Min. The guards and the occasional palace servants nearby were confused as to what the Prime Minister was doing here. Some people stepped forward to ask, but when Ning Zhiyuan waved them off, no one dared to intervene and went back to their own business.

"Your Majesty, please don't wait any longer. If you have anything to say, I will tell the prince for you. It's uncertain how long it will take for the prince to come out." Seeing this, Zhong Min felt a little embarrassed. It was not right for the prime minister to wait here with a maid like her.

"It's okay, they're all here, so it won't hurt to wait a little longer." Ning Zhiyuan smiled slightly and said to Zhong Min, "I guess the prince will be out soon, so let's wait a little longer."

After hearing what he said, Zhong Min didn't know what to say. He nodded and smiled back, then looked inside, hoping that Xiao Mingzheng would come out sooner.

Fortunately, not long after, she finally saw Xiao Mingzheng's figure. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and suddenly felt completely relieved.

When Xiao Mingzheng came out, he saw Ning Zhiyuan was there too. He was very surprised for a moment. He glanced at Zhong Min, hoping to get some clues from her, but he didn't expect to see the bruise on her neck at a glance.

"Why is Prime Minister Ning here?" He wanted to ask Zhong Min what happened, but it was not appropriate to speak immediately in front of everyone, so he greeted Ning Zhiyuan who saluted him instead.

"Your Highness, Zhiyuan was just on his way to the Internal Affairs Bureau to run some small errands. On the way, he happened to run into Miss Min'er, who seemed to be unable to find her way back. It just so happens that Zhiyuan also planned to ask for an audience with Your Highness after leaving the palace. I beg Your Highness to honor me with a meal at my humble abode tonight as a token of my gratitude for your care for Zhiyuan these past few days. So, I brought her here so that Zhiyuan can be lazy and avoid making a trip."

Ning Zhiyuan spoke very tactfully and did not deliberately explain anything. He just briefly explained both things. Considering Xiao Mingzheng's wisdom, he naturally did not need to waste words on it. As for other things, he did not say more. Zhong Min was from the Prince Mu's Mansion, and naturally someone would make the decision for her.

"Prime Minister Ning is thoughtful. I will definitely go there tonight." Xiao Mingzheng had no reason to refuse. He could see that Ning Zhiyuan's invitation to him to the dinner was true, but this time he was probably mainly here to send Zhong Min over. Otherwise, such an invitation could be done by sending someone over with a note. There was no need to go there in person.

It seemed like Zhong Min must have encountered something dangerous just now, otherwise Ning Zhiyuan wouldn't have made this special trip, ostensibly for a casual visit, but in reality, a special trip. This was naturally not the place to ask for details, so he accepted Ning Zhiyuan's favor.

"In that case, Zhiyuan will take his leave first. I look forward to your visit tonight, Your Highness." After saying this, Ning Zhiyuan bowed again, then glanced at Zhong Min and left first.

Seeing this, Xiao Mingzheng didn't say anything else. He took Zhong Min and got on the carriage prepared by the palace servants. He left the palace first and would discuss everything after he returned.

After returning to his residence outside the palace, Xiao Mingfeng asked someone to call the accompanying court physician as soon as he entered the door. He did not rush to ask Zhong Min what happened, but asked the court physician to check the bruises on Zhong Min first.

It was only this time that Xie Feng noticed the scary bruise on Zhong Min's neck. He had just gotten off the carriage and hurriedly followed the prince in, but he hadn't paid much attention to Zhong Min. He was really shocked when he saw him now.

"What's going on, sister? She was fine when she went out, why is she like this now?" Xie Feng naturally didn't know much about it. He didn't ride in the carriage with them, so he had no chance to discover it in advance.

"Nothing, I just bumped into it accidentally." Zhong Min smiled indifferently. Of course, she couldn't let Xie Feng know about this. It wasn't for any other reason, but Xie Feng had never known her true identity. Therefore, even if she trusted him, there was certainly no need to let other irrelevant people know many things, so as to avoid causing trouble not only for herself but also for others.

"Did you accidentally bump into it? How is that possible? How on earth could you have bumped into this place and made it like this?" Xie Feng was outspoken and blurted out in front of Xiao Mingzheng: "Don't lie, it's obvious that someone pinched you. Don't be afraid, who is the bastard who bullied you? Just tell me, and I will avenge you!"

"Alright, big brother, don't get excited. I'm fine, right?" Zhong Min was touched when she saw Xie Feng's genuine nature. "Don't worry. It's really nothing. I just did it by accident. Don't you think about it? The palace is a place where who would do something to a servant like me for no reason? Besides, I'm from Prince Mu's mansion after all. The prince is there. Who would dare to mess with me?"

"But..." Xie Feng naturally still didn't believe it, but before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Xiao Mingzheng.

"Don't worry about this matter. I will handle it myself." Xiao Mingzheng signaled Xie Feng not to say anything more, and then said to the palace doctor who had already rushed over: "Go check her out and see if there is anything serious."

"Your Highness, there's no need to bother. It's nothing serious. It will go away in a few days." Zhong Min didn't want to bother with so much trouble. Seeing the doctor coming towards her, she quickly said, "It's fine now. If there was anything wrong, it wouldn't have waited until now."

"Just let me see it, it's the prince's grace, why are you so reluctant?" Xie Feng heard Zhong Min say this and quickly retorted, "Besides, the doctor has to make the final decision on whether there is anything wrong. You don't know medicine, so what do you know? Sit down quickly and don't waste time."

Zhong Min hadn't wanted to make such a big fuss when she heard this. She knew her own injuries well. Although she had nearly died from them at the time, the bruises were just superficial injuries that would fade on their own in a few days. However, she couldn't stand Xie Feng's presence, and he dragged her to a chair nearby and made her sit down.

Seeing Xiao Mingzheng again, she looked like she had nothing to discuss, so she had no choice but to let the court doctor examine her. After a short while, he confirmed what she had just said.

"Your Highness, the bruises on Miss Min'er's neck are not serious. They are just external injuries and have not damaged the bones. They will disappear on their own in a few days." The court doctor then took out a small bottle from the medicine box and handed it to Zhong Min, instructing, "Miss, you can apply this ointment to the bruises before going to bed these few days. It will make them disappear faster."

"Thank you for your help." Zhong Min stood up and took the small medicine bottle handed to him by the court doctor with both hands and thanked him. Seeing that there was nothing else for him to do, the court doctor bowed to Xiao Mingzheng again and took his leave.

"You should go down and get busy too. You still have to go to the Right Prime Minister's Mansion tonight to make some arrangements and prepare some gifts." Xiao Mingzheng looked at Xie Feng and motioned him to leave as well.

Xie Feng knew that the prince was going to ask Zhong Min what had happened in the palace just now, so he naturally didn't say anything more. After nodding in agreement, he turned around and left, closing the door before leaving.

"Sit down!" Seeing that no one else was around, Xiao Mingzheng waved at Zhong Min, signaling her to sit down. "Now that there's no one else around, tell me exactly what happened in the palace."

Seeing this, Zhong Min didn't hesitate to exchange pleasantries. After nodding, she sat down on a nearby chair and then recounted the events that had occurred in the palace in detail. Of course, she made some minor revisions to avoid further complication in the sensitive areas.

After listening to Zhong Min's story, Xiao Mingzheng finally understood how dangerous Zhong Min had been. If Qin Ke hadn't suddenly changed his mind, Zhong Min would have been dead by now.

"This time, I was truly careless." He frowned slightly and said to Zhong Min, "With their power, it shouldn't be difficult for them to notice your abnormality. I thought they wouldn't act so quickly, but I didn't expect them to be so ruthless in killing. They don't even need to confirm anything. They'll show no mercy once they suspect something."

"It is better to kill someone by mistake than to let him go. This is in line with the style of this organization." Zhong Min nodded with emotion. It seems that she will have a lot of trouble in the future. Even if she regains her freedom, she will have to plan carefully to avoid being hunted down by these people.

"So it seems that Qin Ke's relationship with you was not ordinary before?" Xiao Mingzheng said with a hint of meaning. The spies had not found any information in this regard before, but since Qin Ke was willing to release Zhong Min privately at the risk of serious consequences of disobeying orders, it must be more than that.

"How should I know? Who knows that they..." Zhong Min stopped herself abruptly. She almost let something slip in her haste. She quickly corrected herself, "Who knows what they are planning? It's only thanks to Qin Ke that he showed mercy. Otherwise, with his skills, it would have been easy for him to take my life."

Having said that, she couldn't help but touch her neck. She felt a little scared. That indescribable feeling of suffocation seemed to come back again, making her very uncomfortable.

Seeing Zhong Min's unconscious movements, Xiao Mingzheng knew that she must have remembered the terrible scene where she was almost strangled to death. Although he also noticed that there seemed to be something wrong in Zhong Min's words, he did not ask any more questions to prevent her from always thinking about those bad things.

"Given your current identity, they naturally wouldn't dare to act openly. Don't go in and out of the capital alone these days. I'll take care of everything once we get back." Xiao Mingzheng suddenly changed the subject and said to Zhong Min, "You must be more careful in the future. After all, you're my security officer now. Don't end up losing your life first."