The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 266 Rumors

Zheng Xun did not give name cards to most of the students he met; he only offered a few words of encouragement to leave an impression on each other.

She valued quality over quantity when it came to talent, so apart from the four from Wuzhou Academy, only two from Liuhe Academy reached a tacit understanding with her.

She didn't plan to have much contact with those two.

They were primarily the subjects of her observation.

She was quite curious whether their faith would remain so steadfast if they were left unattended for a period of time.

A fleeting thought crossed Zheng Xun's mind, and he nodded: "They did a good job."

"Princess, what's next..."

"I will let Mu Zhuo handle the rest. You don't need to worry about it. Just rest for a while, and then I will let you enter the court for training."

Shang Wen's first reaction was to refuse.

As a member of the Azure Dragon Guard, he should be protecting his master, but he opened his mouth and hesitated.

He asked himself, which path do I prefer?

Actually, it would be more comfortable for him to stay by the princess's side. After all, he is relatively shy and prefers to do things quietly rather than interacting with people.

But where would the princess need him?

Thinking this to himself, he casually asked the question.

Zheng Xun raised an eyebrow slightly: "You just need to follow your heart, there's no need to worry about me."

Shang Wen frowned and pondered for a long time: "Princess...may I stay by your side?"

"I'm not kicking you out."

Zheng Xun thought Shang Wen had decided to give up his chance to enter the court, but to his surprise, he first breathed a sigh of relief, and then said without any burden: "Princess, the Bowen Academy, which was suggested by Qin Duzhi, has been largely completed. I would like to go to the Bowen Academy."

The work at the Bowen Institute was leisurely and quiet. Others might find it boring and lacking in prospects, but it was just right for him.

Zheng Xun nodded: "Okay... Do you want to take a shortcut or rely on yourself honestly?"

"I want to... rely on myself."

"As for the outcome, I cannot guarantee it... Moreover, it will inevitably be more difficult and slower for you to rely on yourself. Can you wait that long?"

"I can wait!"

Shang Wen understood that relying on oneself naturally meant taking the proper path of the imperial examination.

He considered himself to be somewhat confident in his academic abilities.

As someone the emperor had carefully selected for the crown prince, how could he possibly lack real ability?

He lowered his head and said shyly, "Princess, I can do it. Even if I can't, you will still take me in, right?"

"nature."

"In that case, I cannot give others the opportunity to criticize the princess."

Zheng Xun raised an eyebrow: "I'm not afraid of criticism..."

"Princess, don't be afraid, but I can't cause you any trouble. Please trust me, Princess."

The place he chose is destined to offer the princess little help. If the princess still has to worry about him, then he should feel ashamed and apologize.

Zheng Xun propped his forehead up and looked at him for a long time before finally saying, "Okay, go back and study hard for the exam."

Upon hearing this, Shang Wen wisely withdrew.

After he went down, Zheng Xun unfolded the map and carefully memorized every detail. He then covered it with thin paper and made three copies to keep.

"Zheng Jiu!"

The name that came out made her pause for a moment, and after a moment of silence, she called out again, "Mengying."

Lu Mengying entered with light steps: "Princess!"

"Have someone send this to Song Zhiling, and remember not to let it pass through Mu Zhuo's hands."

With a serious expression, Lü Mengying accepted the order and went to carry it out.

It wasn't that Zheng Xun didn't trust Mu Zhuo, but rather that his position was too conspicuous. Although he knew part of the map of the Brown Kingdom and could verify it with him, there were too many eyes around him.

She was unwilling to take that risk.

With a map in hand, verification becomes much simpler.

After dealing with the matter, Zheng Xun got out of bed and walked around for a while.

She had been lying down for too long, and her legs were a little weak. Fortunately, she had supernatural abilities and internal strength, which allowed her to unblock the meridians and blood vessels in her legs.

The most difficult thing is that although she appeared to be unconscious, she was actually fully conscious.

Time always seemed to pass incredibly slowly when she was awake; she had almost forgotten how to walk.

She doesn't want to be unable to even stand up in a fight in the future, so she needs to recover as soon as possible...

Not long after they left, the next group of visitors arrived.

This time, Liao Hongsheng and Imperial Censor Jiang were the ones who came.

It was inconvenient for all the court officials to rush into the Pearl Pavilion, so they could only send out two representatives.

Zheng Xun smiled and gestured for them to sit down: "We'll meet in a couple of days, Lord Liao and Lord Jiang, why bother making a special trip?"

Liao Hongsheng looked Zheng Xun up and down carefully.

If Zheng Xun didn't know what kind of person he was, he probably would have thought he was a pervert.

She raised her arm helplessly and said generously, "Lord Liao, I'm really fine. Now that you've seen it with your own eyes, are you relieved?"

Seeing that she wasn't struggling, Liao Hongsheng breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that the princess is alright. Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

Lord Jiang nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes! If you feel unwell, please don't suffer in silence. Princess, you must rest well these next few days. As for state affairs, with us ministers here, there won't be any major trouble."

“I’m not some porcelain doll, you’re all being too nervous,” Zheng Xun chuckled. “But what’s wrong with Lord Liao’s head?”

She noticed a large bump on Liao Hongsheng's forehead as soon as he came in.

Liao Hongsheng touched his nose: "Ahem, well, I bumped into it by accident."

Zheng Xun knew he was lying without even checking the system. She wasn't fooled and looked at him with a half-smile.

Liao Hongsheng lowered his head further and further under her gaze.

[Tsk tsk, Liao Hongsheng's gotten bolder since I last saw him...]

Liao Hongsheng wouldn't dare!

He confessed helplessly, "Actually, everyone wanted to see the princess, and no one was willing to give in. Then those brutes started fighting for no reason. I was innocent..."

Lord Jiang burst into laughter: "You were the one who wanted to launch a sneak attack, but you ended up getting accidentally injured..."

"The one surnamed Jiang!"

Lord Jiang was not intimidated by his roar and said confidently, "Anyway, you can't hide it from the princess."

Liao Hongsheng patted his round belly and sighed.

I really hope the princess stays away from the lives of those ministers.

Zheng Xun knew what he was thinking, but she just wouldn't change her mind.

She chuckled softly, "Alright, here you go."

She took out a bottle of medicine and handed it to Liao Hongsheng, indicating that he should treat it first.

To her surprise, she never imagined that the habit of carrying medicine with her would still be so applicable in this world.

Liao Hongsheng took the bottle and diligently applied the medicine.

Zheng Xun leaned back and suddenly called out, "Zhichun, go and ask Consort Chun if I need to intervene."

Zhichun paused for a moment, then replied and strode out.

The others couldn't hear it; at that moment, an argument broke out outside the Pearl Pavilion.

It was called an argument, but in reality, it was Consort Chun unilaterally berating the uncouth palace servants of Mingzhu Pavilion.

It wasn't anything serious; it's just that Consort Chun ate too much at her place yesterday and left with a big belly, which led to a rumor.

The rumors started by saying Consort Chun had a big belly, then spread to that she was pregnant, and that she was waiting for Zheng Xun, her powerful backer, to return before revealing the news.