The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 126 Persuasion

“Zhao Xiulan, I’m not joking, you don’t need to be so surprised.”

Zheng Xun's tone softened slightly: "What you're doing now requires the protection of power and status. It's easier for you to act if you have a higher status. He Ruihua is still young, and nobody knows what he'll become in the future. What if he becomes the next Ding Kang? Can you guarantee he won't try to seize power from you?"

Zhao Xiulan couldn't give a definite answer.

After cutting off Ding Kang's hands and feet, she went to see him.

He lay on the street corner, so dirty that his features were unrecognizable. Most people kept their distance from him, and only a few kind-hearted people would give him a little food, which he used to eke out a living.

He looked like a dead dog.

She couldn't guarantee that He Ruihua wouldn't become the next Ding Kang, but she didn't want to see that happen.

“Xiulan,” Zheng Xun called out to her, bringing her back to her senses, “I don’t trust anyone else to handle the affairs of the academy.”

In an instant, Zhao Xiulan's shock was replaced by emotion: "But...but there are many people more capable than me."

"They are not you, and none of them have your courage, Xiulan. Don't underestimate yourself."

Zhao Xiulan, in a moment of madness, blurted out, "Princess, you shouldn't be so infatuated with me..."

Zheng Xun: ?

Zhao Xiulan realized she had said something ridiculous, but it was too late to regret it. She could only pretend that nothing had happened: "Ahem, actually, well... I don't have the surname Ding. The title of Duke of Dingguo was won by the Ding family ancestors. Why should it be given to an outsider like me?"

Zheng Xun stared at her for a while: "If you want to do things properly, you should swallow back all those lustful, pig-like words."

She never expected that she would encounter a situation in ancient times where she had to issue a warning because of her subordinate's lustful behavior—a situation she had never encountered in modern times.

In the past, it was always male subordinates who caused these kinds of incidents.

What happened to the idea that people in ancient times were conservative?

So it's different for different people.

Zhao Xiulan obediently lowered her head and listened to the scolding: "I know I was wrong, Princess."

Zheng Xun, still uneasy, warned, "What do you mean by 'I, I, I'? From now on, you can refer to yourself as your subordinate, but you can also refer to yourself as your subject in private."

臣？

Zhao Xiulan was speechless.

She's serious!

Seeing her surprise, Zheng Xun continued the previous topic, "Have you ever heard of eating offspring who have no descendants?"

"I've heard... Princess, you mean..."

“That’s the idea, just with the roles reversed,” Zheng Xun felt he had made himself clear, so he didn’t bother to explain further. Instead, he brought up another topic. “Speaking of which, I originally planned to wait until you achieved something before asking you for a title. Although the title at that time would certainly not be as prestigious as that of the Duke of Dingguo, it would be something that belonged to you and would not be so easily criticized.”

Zhao Xiulan hadn't expected there to be a factor of consideration for her in this: "Then why did the princess change her mind again?"

"Because it's convenient. Instead of you working hard from the bottom up, I can just give you orders from the top down so you can get the Duke of Dingguo's property sooner and help more people sooner."

Zhao Xiulan had been unwilling to believe or act on anything Zheng Xun had said, but this last sentence made her waver.

But she still had a concern: "But, isn't it a bit inappropriate to eat the offspring of someone who has no descendants..."

"Are you still worried about this? Zhao Xiulan, you're destined for great things. From now on, you'll not only be responsible for yourself, but also for the countless children and sisters you've taken in! If you don't even have this much courage and determination, I advise you to give up on that idea as soon as possible!"

Zheng Xun stood up, then climbed onto a stool, looking down at her with sharp eyes, pressing her relentlessly: "You not only have to fight for yourself, but also for them! Do you have the courage to fight? Do you have the courage to tear apart all the obstacles in your way?"

"Do you even know your situation? You're not a man, nor do you have a prestigious status. If you're not ruthless, how will you climb up the ladder? And if you don't climb up, how can you possibly help the world?"

"If you don't abandon your weakness and kindness, how will you fight for a place in this world that doesn't belong to women?"

Seeing her silently clench her fists, Zheng Xun's heart began to pound wildly—because of excitement.

She just wanted to ignite her ambition.

After the academy was established, she could only be its supporter. However, how to manage it and keep it running was something Zhao Xiulan had to worry about. Therefore, she had to stand up and take on the responsibility.

"Zhao Xiulan, put your hand on your heart and ask yourself, is the future I'm talking about what you want to see?"

After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Xiulan finally spoke her true thoughts, which she had never uttered aloud before: "I want to..."

"Zhao Xiulan, do you dare?"

"I dare!"

She practically roared those two words out.

But she has to do what she wants to do!

Zheng Xun nodded with satisfaction: "It's good that you can figure it out. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. If you really don't know what to do, just look at the officials in the court and see how those men do it."

Zhao Xiulan: Isn't it you, Princess, who's pushing me so hard?

"I... I think it's better to learn from the princess than from others."

"Well, there's no need for you to learn from me. My abilities are too great, so the path I've taken is unrepeatable."

She came to pave the way for them, not to set an example for them.

Zhao Xiulan: "Do we need to learn to be shameless?"

Zheng Xun snorted lightly: "No need!"

After a moment of silence, Zhao Xiulan suddenly asked, "Princess, what should I do?"

Zheng Xun really liked hearing the term "subordinate." For Zhao Xiulan's status, this term wasn't really appropriate, but it didn't matter. After all, she was a great talent, and it sounded very satisfying to refer to herself as that!

"You just focus on your work, I'll take care of the rest."

Having seen through Zheng Xun's nature, Zhao Xiulan dared not say anything more unpleasant, but cautiously asked, "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for the princess?"

“No, you just need to do your job well,” Zheng Xun paused for a moment and said earnestly, “Also, you may hear a lot of unpleasant rumors, so be prepared.”

Zhao Xiulan knew that it was nothing more than some idiotic talk like "eating off the heir's children," "ambitious," and "restless," which she had heard quite a lot of and even found a bit tiresome.

"Oh, and remember to find yourself some bodyguards who know kung fu. It would be best if you also learned some self-defense skills, so that if someone with a violent temper attacks you, at least you can protect yourself..."

Zheng Xun kept talking and assigned Zhao Xiulan a bunch of tasks, and also took on the task of finding her a master.

She seemed to feel one dark cloud after another pressing down on her head, bending her back.

If she were in the imperial court at this moment, many ministers would surely share her sentiments.

Unfortunately, she was all alone here, still reflecting on whether she hadn't tried hard enough.