Chapter 177 Stay or Go
Asking her how much she liked Xiao Mingzheng seemed like a philosophical question. Zhong Min felt a bit awkward, especially answering it to another man, a man who always seemed to say he liked her.
However, it was not bad. After all, she had a modern soul. Such things were even easier than child's play in modern society. So, after hesitating for a moment, Zhong Min no longer hesitated.
"I've never measured how much I love him, so I can only tell you that as long as he doesn't betray me, I'll never betray him in this life." Zhong Min said this earnestly. Honestly, her love was rather selfish, seemingly centered around herself, her bottom line being to not compromise her own principles. However, there was no way around it; this was her truest thought.
After hearing Zhong Min's reply, Ning Zhiyuan fell silent. He knew that Zhong Min's words were true, and the sentence "as long as he doesn't let me down" was the girl's unique style.
"Then, the second question is, what does it mean to let you down, and what does it mean to not let you down?" After a moment, he smiled, looked up at her, and asked the second question.
Zhong Min blinked twice and replied simply, "I can tell you that. The so-called wronging me naturally refers to doing anything that is wrong to me. As for what that wronging is, that's the third question. To quote what the adults said earlier, this is all I can say. I can't say anything more."
Ning Zhiyuan couldn't help but shake his head at Zhong Min's little bit of humor, thinking she was truly learning something and applying it immediately. That was fine, though; he already knew what he wanted to know, so it didn't matter if Zhong Min didn't say more.
The two chatted for a while longer, the atmosphere becoming more like that of ordinary friends. It seemed calm, without the initial probing or testing. Their words were also insignificant and bland. Ning Zhiyuan said a few words, and Zhong Min responded with a few. If you didn't know better, you would really think it was just a casual chat between friends.
In fact, Ning Zhiyuan was really good at finding topics to talk about. At least after talking for such a long time, Zhong Min no longer had the impatience and annoyance she had before. However, seeing that if she stayed any longer, she would probably have to eat here, so Zhong Min was thinking about saying goodbye.
Although she knew that Ning Xiangfu would definitely not lack this meal, eating and chatting were two completely different things. She could still hold back from chatting with Ning Zhiyuan in his current state, but if she ate with him, it was obvious that they were not yet that familiar with each other.
"Sir, it's getting late. If you don't have any other instructions, Zhong Min has to take her leave." She didn't hesitate and directly asked to go back. Anyway, Ning Zhiyuan shouldn't detain her at this time.
People like Ning Zhiyuan are definitely masters, and what masters fear most is not failure, but having no opponent at all. This is the same as Dugu Qiubai. Masters always disdain to use some petty tricks that are not worthy of being shown on the stage.
Hearing Zhong Min say she was leaving, Ning Zhiyuan naturally didn't try to stop her. He had already figured out what she was thinking, so he didn't bother asking anyone to make any other arrangements. Many things shouldn't be rushed, but by this time today, it was almost time.
"After you finish your last drink, I'll take you out." He poured her another glass, a smile on his face.
Zhong Min hadn't expected this man to be so easy to talk to. He didn't say anything for a moment. He nodded and drank the cup. Then he stood up and said, "I don't want to trouble you to see me off in person. I can go out on my own."
But Ning Zhiyuan still stood up and said half jokingly, half seriously: "If I don't personally send you off, I'm afraid you won't be able to return safely today."
"What do you mean?" Zhong Min was stunned for a moment, then looked at Ning Zhiyuan and asked, "Could it be that the Lord had made some arrangements before, but now changed his mind?"
"It's not me. There are more than one or two people in the capital who want to kill you." Ning Zhiyuan gave her a reassuring smile: "Of course, I won't."
Following Ning Zhiyuan, Zhong Min pondered what he had just said. Could it be that besides the Imperial Secret Service, there were other forces in the capital who wanted her life? And the risk Ning Zhiyuan was so certain of and able to control must be the Imperial Secret Service. Could it be that they had discovered her whereabouts?
At this moment, many doubts flashed through his mind. Unbeknownst to him, Xi'er had been sent over by the servant to join him. Ning Zhiyuan personally escorted Zhong Min to the gate and said, "Since you are not free today, I will treat you to dinner another day. You must not break the promise then."
As he spoke, he glanced around and raised his voice a few notches higher than usual. Then he said nothing more and nodded towards Zhong Min, indicating that she could leave.
Seeing this, Zhong Min knew that Ning Zhiyuan must have some ulterior motive for doing this, perhaps deliberately telling someone hidden in the dark. And he was doing this for no other reason than to protect her, to warn those people not to act rashly towards her.
"Thank you, sir!" she said sincerely, then looked at Xier and turned away.
After Zhong Min had gone far away, Ning Zhiyuan said to his followers with a sullen face, "Go and warn them. If anyone else dares to act on their own and disobey my orders, they will be killed without mercy!"
Ning Zhiyuan flung his hand, turned around, and left. The attendant beside him seemed startled and hurriedly said yes. This was the first time he had seen his master so angry. It seemed that Zhong Min really held a great deal of weight in his master's heart. He really needed to advise those people not to provoke his master, as they would die without knowing how.
Zhong Min, on the other hand, was extremely cautious the entire way, only adjusting his direction and returning to his residence after being absolutely certain that there was no tail following him and that there was no danger. As soon as he entered the house, Zhong Min asked Xi'er to call Xiaowu and Xiaoliu into the house. What had just happened was so strange that he naturally had to ask about it.
Before Zhong Min could say anything, Xiao Wu took the initiative to report, "Sir, after you entered the Ning Xiang Mansion, I noticed that about six or seven mysterious people suddenly appeared outside the mansion. They were hiding in the dark, as if waiting for something. Xiao Liu and I naturally did not dare to be careless and kept a close watch on them. However, they did not make any other moves and just waited there. It was not until you came out of the Ning Xiang Mansion that those people reacted. Judging from their attention, the target of their waiting must be you."
"But I don't know what happened later. Those people suddenly changed their minds and retreated. They didn't follow you, sir, and didn't take any other actions. So I don't know what happened." Xiaoliu continued to add to Xiaowu's words.
After hearing this, Zhong Min confirmed her previous guess. It seemed that Ning Zhiyuan had really resolved her crisis again. However, this meant that those people should be related to Ning Zhiyuan, and obviously those people had to listen to Ning Zhiyuan, otherwise it would be impossible for a simple warning to make those people temporarily give up their actions.
Who were these people? And what kind of relationship did Ning Zhiyuan have with them? Today's events at least showed that they didn't agree with each other. At least Ning Zhiyuan didn't want to embarrass her, but those people clearly didn't.
Suddenly, the already complex capital took on a new, more dangerous air. Zhong Min seemed to sense a conspiracy. She stopped dwelling on the issue and instead asked about Xier's time in the Ning Mansion. Xier honestly told her that, although she had wandered around the mansion briefly, she was constantly accompanied by someone, so she had no chance to do anything.
"That's fine. There's no rush for this now. The most important thing right now is to further improve the security of each intelligence network." Zhong Min said as he instructed Xiao Wu, "Xiao Wu, go out and tell Mo Ming and Mo Yan to keep quiet for the time being. Each point must remain separate. That way, even if danger arises somewhere, it won't affect other intelligence networks. Have Mo Ming implement the second plan. All communications must be single-line. Unless absolutely necessary, we won't have any contact with him for the time being."
"Yes!" Xiao Wu immediately accepted the order and turned around and left.
Chu'er and Xiang'er, who were standing by, seemed to have sensed the seriousness of the situation. They exchanged glances, and then Chu'er stepped forward and said to Zhong Min, "Sir, did you find out anything when you went to Prime Minister Ning's residence today?"
"What else do we need to find out? He has no intention of hiding anything from us." Zhong Min frowned slightly and said simply, "He guessed the purpose of our visit to the capital early on. He knows everything!"
"What? What should we do?" Xier was immediately anxious when she heard it: "Master, should we leave here quickly and find a safe place to live from now on? Otherwise..."
"That's not necessary. If Ning Zhiyuan really intended to deal with you now, do you think you would be able to return safely?" Chu'er was much calmer. "It's just that this man is so powerful that he is our biggest danger in the capital, especially since our intelligence network has just been restored. We have to be on guard."
"If that's the case, shouldn't you write a letter of divorce immediately and tell the prince?" Xiang'er, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up. "The prince said that if you're in too much danger in the capital, you should immediately abort your mission and return to Muzhou, leaving everything here to Mo Ming and the others. I believe it's time for you to return to Muzhou."
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