The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 318 Doctoral School

In front of Zheng Xun, Lü and Wei stopped there.

But the struggle for confidants is always like this; the battle has simply shifted from the open to the shadows.

Zheng Xun pretended not to know about their exchange: "Alright, since I've given it to you, just keep it safe. I understand your concerns, but if I ride Fei Bai too fast, it will be very inconvenient for your horses to keep up, won't it?"

Since Zheng Xun sincerely wanted to give it to them, the two of them happily accepted it: "Thank you for your generosity, Princess!"

"Let's go, go back."

Zheng Xun turned his horse around and rode back.

When Zheng Xun saw Zhou Pengtao and Ma De again, his gaze was somewhat deep: "Something unexpected happened, so you two should come along too."

After she finished speaking, she rode her horse to the front.

Zhou Pengtao and Ma De looked at each other in bewilderment.

They didn't glean anything from Zheng Xun's expression, nor did they even have time to gather information. They quickly found two horses and hurriedly followed.

Zheng Xun and his companions moved at a moderate pace, and when they arrived at Chengtian Prefecture, they caught up with the two of them.

The yamen runners on duty all recognized Zheng Xun, and they immediately bowed to her upon seeing her.

Zheng Xun waved his hand and walked past them into the government office.

When he met Le Zhenghong, he had just overheard the group explaining their purpose.

Hearing what they had done, he knew something was wrong.

That farm was the princess's treasure; everyone in the court knew how much she valued it.

He immediately burst into a tirade: "You damned idiots! Your brains are no bigger than sesame seeds, but your ambitions are higher than the sky! I don't know where they got the guts to mess with the farm. Don't they keep dogs at the pig farm and horse farm? Unleash the dogs and bite them!"

After he finished cursing, he looked up and saw Zheng Xun.

Le Zhenghong: Very good, not surprising at all.

Fortunately, he had anticipated the princess's arrival, so he didn't use too many foul language.

He smugly praised himself a few times in his heart before scurrying over to Zheng Xun and bowing: "Greetings, Princess..."

Zheng Xun stopped him: "Lord Yue."

She took a few steps closer and lowered her voice: "The farm is related to the livelihood of the people of Dayong. It is not just my business, but the business of all the people of Dayong. Therefore, this case should be tried in public. What do you think, Lord Le?"

Le Zhenghong remained calm, but still deliberately feigned fear as he agreed.

What did he think?

Who is he? What can he possibly think? He just does whatever his superiors tell him to do. Does he have any right to think for himself?

Zheng Xun looked at him with a smile.

Feeling somewhat guilty under her all-seeing gaze, Le Zhenghong quickly replied respectfully, "Of course, does the princess have any other instructions?"

"Of course, the people won't understand the seriousness of the matter just by talking. You have to tell them that the farm has just developed rice seeds that yield 500 catties per mu, and they actually intend to steal the rice seeds and sell them to the Brown Country..."

"what?!"

Le Zhenghong's voice suddenly rose sharply and was piercing and penetrating. Zheng Xun was stunned for a while before he came to his senses.

She patiently repeated what she had just said.

Le Zhenghong murmured in disbelief, "It actually worked?"

"Yes, it's done."

"Princess, are you trying to trick me? Please tell me the truth."

Le Zhenghong knew that his words were presumptuous, but what Zheng Xun said was too important for him to care about anything else.

Zheng Xun's face hardened: "Who do you think I am? Trying to fool you?"

She scoffed, seemingly disdainful.

Her attitude reassured Le Zhenghong: "Princess, please forgive me!"

He knelt down smoothly and decisively confessed his sins.

"Alright, all you need to do is handle this case well and make it a big deal."

Le Zhenghong was stunned.

Is this going to escalate?

By the way, if the new rice variety had already been promoted, it wouldn't have been so quiet.

The princess could only be hoping he would do this to pave the way for the promotion of the new rice variety.

He straightened his expression and solemnly replied, "Princess, rest assured, just watch, I will definitely handle it well."

Zheng Xun nodded gently, "Since I sent them to find you, it means I trust your abilities."

Le Zhenghong proudly puffed out his chest.

That's natural!

The position of Prefect of Chengtian Prefecture is not one that just anyone can hold. This position may seem insignificant, but it requires balancing the various forces. His predecessors did not hold the position for long, but he has been able to sit in this position steadily for so many years.

Having accepted the task, Le Zhenghong set off with great enthusiasm.

Zheng Xun shook his head slightly.

Le Zhenghong is capable, but he is not considered top-tier in the imperial court.

Moreover, he offended too many people in this position, which is why he has been unable to advance further.

Zheng Xun wanted to promote him, but he was already quite old. People in this era didn't live long, and she was afraid he would die before he became familiar with his new position...

She suppressed the thought for the time being and looked back at Ma De and Zhou Pengtao.

"This matter will take two days to process, but since you are involved in the case, it's best to stay here for now and obediently follow Lord Le's instructions."

Zhou Pengtao and Ma De had no idea what had happened and were still in a daze.

The princess has given orders that they cannot retreat.

Ma De asked hesitantly, "Princess..."

Ma De couldn't bring himself to ask, but Zhou Pengtao couldn't help but ask, "Princess, what has happened?"

"You guys go find Le Zhenghong first."

Zheng Xun offered no explanation, his gaze sweeping lightly over the two men before finally settling on Lü and Wei: "Let's go."

Zhou Pengtao stood there, not daring to stop her, and could only watch Zheng Xun's figure gradually disappear into the distance.

After a long while, he dejectedly wiped his face.

Ma De asked helplessly, "Steward Zhou, what does the princess mean by this?"

Zhou Pengtao was in a bad mood and his face was not very good, but he did not take his anger out on her. Instead, he patiently explained, "We did something wrong, and the princess is angry."

Ma De was even more confused: "What did I do wrong?"

How would Zhou Pengtao know?

"Let's go find Lord Yue. The princess isn't one to play riddles; she's probably busy."

"Manager Zhou."

"Isn't this just you trying to comfort yourself?"

"The princess is really busy..."

Zhou Pengtao couldn't explain it to him, so he simply shut up and took him to find Le Zhenghong.

Meanwhile, Zheng Xun went to find Xu Zhen.

After Xu Zhen returned to Beijing, Zheng Xun assigned him the management of the bookstore. In addition, he was also in charge of public opinion.

Zheng Xun added a new department to the imperial court: the Academy of Doctors.

She also incorporated the original work related to the bookstore into it; now this department is somewhat like the publicity department in Zheng Xun's world.

In fact, Zheng Xun originally wanted to put him in the Ministry of Revenue, since he had worked there before and had some experience and connections.

But Xu Zhen was bold and believed that it would be easier to make a name for himself in the doctoral academy.

Zheng Xun knew that the doctoral program was just a stepping stone for him; his ultimate goal was the cabinet.

Just like being sent out to work, he wanted to take the most dangerous path and reap the biggest rewards.

Like Cen Wan, he took an unconventional approach, securing his position in the court through a risky move.

But now they have taken two completely different paths.