The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 168 Face to face

His tone was even a little proud, as if he thought he had done something amazing.

Li Xiaojun, who had been pulled in front of him, came face to face with Zheng Jin. Seeing her anger, he smiled awkwardly: "Greetings, Princess, greetings..."

Zheng Jin said patiently, "Move aside."

Doesn't she know who the culprit is?

Besides her brain-dead father, who else could have this ability?

The emperor could never have imagined that his carefully cultivated image would completely collapse because of this one move, and that his children now see him as a madman.

The emperor released Li Xiaojun, sat back in his chair, crossed his arms, and said with a more serious expression, "Isn't he just a male concubine? What's the problem?"

The Crown Prince said helplessly, "Father, she is a woman; she should respect herself..."

He was met with three pairs of cold stares halfway through his sentence.

He was so frightened that he swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Zheng Jin ignored him and continued to look at the emperor: "There's no problem. The problem is that I'm still young."

"It's not like he has to do anything. Just let him coax you. He wouldn't dare to do anything more."

Zheng Jin: ...

Aren't you afraid I'll be scammed?

"Don't worry, I'm watching over you all the time. I won't let you suffer any real harm. It doesn't matter if you get scammed now. With me here, nothing serious will happen. But if you get scammed without any preparation in the future, you might lose your heart and your life."

The princesses he raised were all exceptional talents, capable of governing the country with their literary skills and securing peace with their martial prowess. Even if they were just good-for-nothings who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun, they were still his precious gems.

He would never allow them to be controlled by petty romances or led by the nose by a man.

So what if they are women? They have power and status. Since they haven't done anything immoral or unethical, what can't they do?

The Crown Prince was shocked. So that's how it is.

Zheng Xun, who had been staring at him, narrowed his eyes.

[So that explains why my brother was so agitated.]

[Did Father Emperor use this tactic not only on Zheng Jin, but also on the Crown Prince?]

The Crown Prince and the Emperor, who were the instigators, already knew what she was going to say.

The crown prince practically wanted to pounce on him and cover his mouth immediately.

However, the emperor would not allow him to disturb Zheng Xun. At this moment, by diverting Zheng Jin's attention, her anger naturally dissipated.

"Well, better to die than to die myself," he knows that very well.

Back then, the Crown Prince was a fresh-faced young man, radiating brilliance.

Even a crown prince is not immune to youthful infatuation.

[And so, he fell for his head maid.]

The head maid was five years older than him, but she was pretty and gentle. She wouldn't blindly obey the Crown Prince; instead, she would offer appropriate advice.

In short, the ignorant crown prince was completely captivated.

Although he wasn't particularly assertive back then, who was he? He was the Crown Prince of the Great Yong Dynasty. Who could refuse the Crown Prince of the Great Yong Dynasty?

With this in mind, he frankly told the head palace maid his thoughts.

The palace maids around the Crown Prince were all handpicked by the Empress, and the head maid had no intention of currying favor with the emperor.

Startled by the Crown Prince's words, she immediately sought help from the Empress.

The Empress knew she was a good person, so she gave her two choices: one was to teach the Crown Prince about human affairs, and as his first woman, she would naturally hold a place in his heart; the other was to let her return home early to enjoy her retirement.

[The palace maid, with unwavering resolve, chose the second path without hesitation. Before the crown prince could react, she packed her belongings and fled in a flash.]

The Crown Prince learned of all this and even scolded the Empress.

Zheng Jin narrowed his eyes. Good, good, he's made something of himself. He made a fool of himself and then blamed his mother.

She felt a little itchy to touch it.

Even though her older brother is the crown prince, it's not a big deal for her to teach him a lesson, right?

However, Zheng Xun would tell her that she didn't need to put in any effort at all; with the emperor present, he would take care of it.

Because of the departure of his beloved, the Crown Prince was filled with resentment and wrote more than a dozen bitter poems, which are still kept by the Empress. In the future, if he ever disobeys the Empress, she will recite a few lines of his poems in a sarcastic tone, and he will immediately shut up.

Up to this point, everything was fine, but one day, he suddenly told the emperor that he was going to pursue the woman he loved and that he would no longer be the crown prince!

Zheng Xun paused here.

Why was the former crown prince so sensible? I wish he were still this sensible now.

She sighed regretfully before continuing her thoughts.

The Emperor was furious with his actions. He had high hopes for him and would certainly not allow him to be ruined by women.

Therefore, the Emperor decided to properly cure his love-struck brain.

After that, the crown prince was surrounded by several women of varying shapes and sizes.

The Crown Prince was just beginning to fall in love, but being at a rebellious age, he believed it was all a scheme by his father, so he ignored all the women.

"Yes, that's not wrong, it really is Father's scheme."

Although the Crown Prince was very vigilant, he must not underestimate the cunning of women, especially since these women were all intelligent people carefully selected by the Emperor.

Knowing that the emperor couldn't possibly want them to seduce the crown prince, they treated this plan as a bounty hunt.

When a woman, especially a very beautiful one, is not swayed by love, she is the most skilled heart-stealing thief.

The crown prince shifted his feet; he already wanted to leave.

He'll never like gossiping again!

The emperor glanced at him briefly, raised his hand and made a gesture. Instantly, several people appeared and blocked the crown prince.

One of them was Zheng Shi, who almost slipped off the roof beam because he got too excited while eating melons.

Zheng Xun glanced at her, and even muttered something to himself:

[Zheng Shi is so diligent? He's even vying for the Emperor's secret guard duties? Poor kid, it's good that you want to work, no need to fight for it. As your good master, of course I'll satisfy you, and I'll keep you busy in the future.]

Zheng Shiru was devastated, and she hid herself away listlessly, looking as aggrieved as a child.

Zheng Jin wanted to tell Zheng Xun not to change the subject, but she couldn't say it yet; she hated it.

Fortunately, Zheng Xun quickly picked up on what he had just said.

The beauties' methods were endless, and the crown prince, being rather inexperienced, couldn't outmaneuver them in either cunning or ruthlessness.

Thus began his repeated experiences of being attracted and rejected.

[Someone plays a character who covets wealth and status; she has just confessed her feelings to the crown prince, and then immediately enters the emperor's harem.]

[Someone played the role of a cunning schemer, and then secretly stole his achievements and handed them over to other princes.]

[And so, the Crown Prince's heart fluttered twenty times in six months, and he was also dealt a blow twenty times.]

Why do I get so easily attracted to you? What can I say? I can only say you deserve it.

Zheng Jin: ...

Is he really so forgetful? How come he can fall for the same trick twenty times?

She was truly mistaken. It turned out that her loving older brother was actually a lecherous scoundrel, only that he had been taught a lesson by their father and had lost his nerve.

The emperor helplessly supported his forehead.

Hearing this story again still makes it seem absurd.

The crown prince usually seems quite clever, but he always manages to do some silly things that are both infuriating and hilarious.

Zheng Jin finally snapped out of her daze and got back to the main point: "Father, I don't need male concubines."

However, by this time her momentum had weakened considerably.

The emperor did not retract his order because of her refusal: "Have you seen it?"

Zheng Jin shook her head.

"Then why don't you need him? Go see him first, and get to know him better," the emperor glanced at Zheng Xun, "I won't send anyone to supervise you. Be conscientious, and after a while, come back and tell me whether you need him or not."

Zheng Jin: ...

With Zheng Xun around, why is there a need for supervision?

She said with a headache, "Father! I'm not the eldest brother!"

Crown Prince: ...

The emperor shrugged: "Who knows?"

[Exactly, who knows? In the original future, didn't she wait for Nie Zhao her whole life?]

[Nie Zhao was already dead then, so all she could get was a ghost. I wonder if she would be afraid if they actually met.]

Zheng Jin's lips twitched slightly. What on earth was all this?

[Hmm... However, if Nie Zhao is worth it, then Zheng Jin's deep affection wasn't misplaced.]

But having more choices isn't a bad thing; Father's loving heart is truly rare.

Emperor: Yuanjia understands me!

Crown Prince: They're in love, what are they meddling in for?

Zheng Jin still wanted to make a last-ditch effort: "But, my daughter's house hasn't been built yet, so even if I have male lovers, there's nowhere to support them!"

The emperor said nonchalantly, "What's the big deal? We can just set up a courtyard outside the palace and keep the people there. It won't take much trouble."

Zheng Xun, always eager for drama, exclaimed, "I have an empty yard!"

Zheng Jin stared at her for a moment.

Once the emperor has made a decision, Zheng Jin has no choice but to comply.

Zheng Jin knew she would ultimately fail, but considering that having a courtyard outside the palace would allow her to leave more often, she reluctantly agreed.

Once she left, the Imperial Study returned to silence.

Zheng Xun sat down to attend to his business, but the Crown Prince suddenly spoke up: "Father..."

[Hmm? That hesitant tone? Has the Crown Prince been deceived by a woman again?]

Crown Prince: Am I that kind of person?!

Emperor: You are!

His eyes suddenly turned fierce, startling the crown prince so much that he shook his head repeatedly.

Having finally convinced the emperor, the crown prince dared not hesitate to speak this time.

"What does Father intend to do with my fifth brother?"

The emperor paused for a moment as he wrote.

"Do you have any ideas?"

The crown prince felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

Why are you asking him about this?

No matter what he says, he'll always seem to be disliked by both sides.

Is Father trying to test him?

But what if he doesn't want to be tested? Or should he go and guard the mine for his third brother? But the Crown Princess is pregnant; if he leaves now, wouldn't he be seeing the child for the first time?

The emperor could tell from his shifty eyes that the man's mind was no longer on the matter.

He inexplicably felt a tightness in his chest, purely out of anger. He cursed "unfilial son" and looked at Zheng Xun, who was seriously dealing with official business.

When she remained silent, her aura was very similar to his, and his anger subsided somewhat: "Yuan Jia?"

Zheng Xun did not look up, nor did he stop writing: "There are two methods; let's see which one Father Emperor prefers."