The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 147 defection

In that instant, countless thoughts raced through his mind.

Seeing that he was in a daze, Zheng Xun showed no displeasure: "Old Li, are you tired?"

She was somewhat worried; things on the estate had just begun to get on track, and she couldn't afford to let anything happen to her great talent!

Li Maitian shuddered: "Not tired! Princess! I'm not tired."

Hearing this man in his fifties refer to himself as a "youngster," Xinyue gave him a kind smile.

No one criticized him, since Zheng Xun himself didn't mind, and no one else would dare to nitpick his manners.

Li Maitian sensed the tolerance and gentleness of the crowd and finally felt more at ease.

He Wuyang asked with a smile, "Would the princess like to take a stroll?"

Have you finished your work?

"No rush. We need to appease the princess first. Showing you the progress will make it easier for her to take the money."

"You're only after my money?"

"That would only be if the princess was willing to let me think about her."

Seeing this, Xinyue seemed to be deep in thought.

He Wuyang often makes jokes, seemingly disrespectful, but in reality, every word he says contains hidden respect, and he never crosses Zheng Xun's bottom line.

This is the kind of consideration that comes with power and status.

She has also met many people who are "considerate" to her, but they also scrutinize her with a critical eye. It is a kind of pity from above that she needs to win in return through different forms of flattery.

But Zheng Xun was the one who was flattered and praised. She didn't have to accommodate anyone or force anyone, because others would voluntarily bend themselves into the shape she liked, adapt to her, and agree with her.

Just think about it and you'll know how wonderful this is.

She doesn't aspire to be as good as Zheng Xun, but being two or three tenths of her level would be enough.

Zheng Xun, who was in front of her, was unaware of her ambition; she was listening to He Wuyang speak.

Li Maitian probably thought that Zheng Xun was making them farm for their own enjoyment, so he stammered, "Princess, I've heard that there are greenhouses where you can grow vegetables from other seasons even in winter."

Zheng Xun stopped walking and smiled slightly as she turned her head: "Good idea, but we don't need it now."

She patted Li Maitian on the shoulder: "Old Li, our top priority right now is to research better seeds and crops that yield more per acre. We need to make sure the people have enough to eat; everything else is secondary."

Li Maitian: ...

Oh dear, this is a huge misunderstanding. What if the princess thinks he's too ambitious?

He regretted it so much that he wanted to slap himself right now.

At this moment, He Wuyang gave him a wary look: "Old Li, you've only just met the princess and you're already trying to steal her attention? Let me tell you, no way. The princess values ​​me the most."

The topic that had initially made Li Maitian uneasy suddenly became incredibly open and honest after he brought it up, and it didn't seem so dangerous or heavy anymore.

Li Maitian visibly breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, yes, the princess must value Young Master He the most."

Lord Mu, who had been observing from the sidelines, quickly asked after they finished speaking, "Princess, what is this estate of yours...?"

"Specializing in agricultural affairs."

Master Mu asked in a daze, "How else can agricultural matters be studied?"

"Didn't Lord Mu hear us just now?"

Master Mu:......

He's feeling a bit wronged, can't we just pamper him a little?

Why are you so nice to others, but so mean to him?

He only asked a couple of questions, why did you yell at him?

Unfortunately, no one could understand his grievances, so he could only comfort himself.

Actually, he was just a little incredulous. Most women in the Brown Kingdom, due to their upbringing, unless they were noble ladies carefully groomed by a large family to become the first wife, mostly focused on their own little plot of land.

But Zheng Xun is different; all the women of Dayong are different; everything in Dayong is different.

Their women are devoted to their country and its people, their ministers are passionate about their duties, their noblemen are willing to roll up their trousers and get down to earth, and their people even support the royal family.

That's wonderful! If the Brown Kingdom could be like this, why would it not prosper?

After completing the lap, He Wuyang made an excuse to send the others away.

He took out a contract of servitude and handed it to Zheng Xun: "Old Li is honest and kind, and his family is not cunning either. I was afraid that they might be tricked into saying something or do something that would harm the estate, so I had him sign a contract of servitude."

Zheng Xun looked at him with new respect.

This kid usually seems unreliable, but I never expected him to be so cunning.

She knew that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this contract of servitude would be nothing more than a piece of paper; if something went wrong, it would become a constraint on Li Maitian.

Farming is too demanding, allowing no room for carelessness or mistakes, so they must remain "petty-minded." Whether they will change their attitude later to exploit Old Li and seize his achievements, or completely ignore the existence of this indenture, depends on their self-discipline.

Fortunately, Zheng Xun and He Wuyang were both quite self-aware.

Zheng Xun carefully put away the indenture and didn't bother them any further. He then took Xinyue and Master Mu to the neighboring estate.

As soon as they stepped into the village, a fat pig weighing about two hundred pounds charged towards them.

It's fat, but it's fast too. It's like it won't stop until it breaks three of a person's ribs.

Not far away, several people chased after the pig and were horrified when they saw Zheng Xun and his companions.

"Get away! Get away quickly!"

"The pig's gone mad! Stop it!"

Zheng Xun: ...

She carried Crescent Moon in her left hand and Lord Mu in her right, but because she was too short, she couldn't lift them.

Her eyelids twitched, and she instead wrapped her arms around their waists.

She was confident in her speed, so she remained quite calm.

But Crescent Moon and Lord Wood don't know that.

The two were nearly scared to death, their bodies stiff as rocks. If Zheng Xun hadn't possessed internal strength and special abilities, he probably wouldn't have been able to move them.

After they moved away, the fat pig, unable to contain its strength, charged straight out of the village.

Zheng Xun put down Xinyue and Master Mu, strode forward, grabbed the pig's tail, jumped onto the pig, put his elbow on the pig's neck, and with a forceful push, slammed the pig to the ground.

She was short, a stark contrast to the plump pig.

The poor pig kicked its four legs, squealing and struggling, but to no avail. Finally, it was so frightened that it forced itself to urinate.

The people chasing the pig finally arrived. With their help, Zheng Xun quickly jumped off the pig.

She sniffed her palm with disgust and smelled a strong odor of pig.

Those guys chasing the pig must be newbies who haven't seen Zheng Xun before.

After tying up the pig, they looked at the three people who did not belong to the village.

"who are you?"

Someone frowned and said seriously.

Those nearby noticed that Zheng Xun and his companions were dressed smartly and had excellent looks, so they guessed that they were important guests from somewhere and quickly helped their companions.

"Please forgive me, sir, but our estate does not receive outsiders. Have you encountered any trouble? Do you need any assistance?"

Lord Mu: Damn, even an ordinary person from a village is so clever. Dayong is a land of outstanding people and resources. Does the He Kingdom really have a chance of winning?

Zheng Xun smiled slightly, and Xinyue tactfully stepped forward: "This is Princess Yuanjia."

Yuanjia?

Which Yuanjia?

The master of Zhuangzi?

Upon realizing what was happening, the men looked terrified and immediately knelt down to pay their respects.

Zheng Xun quickly replied, "Alright, no need for formalities."

She was mainly worried that the pig might escape again if they didn't keep an eye on it while they were paying their respects.

She doesn't like catching pigs.

"How did the pigs get out? Were they free-range?"

"This is the old sow that Lord Zhou brought back from his fiefdom. It's strong, with firm meat, and it's given birth to many piglets."

Master Mu:?

"Sir," "raising pigs," "driving over from the fiefdom"?

Did he hear that right? Or is there something wrong with his brain?

"He went to great lengths."

The pigs Zhou Pengtao raised later were not as good as this one. He racked his brains but could not find the reason, so he first sent this old sow to the capital to observe and study it.

As it turned out, he raised the old sow very well, except that she was a little too lively.

Seeing that Zheng Xun didn't seem to blame them, the men breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you for your forgiveness, Princess! Your magnanimity is truly admirable!"

When his friend heard what he said, he felt that it wouldn't be right not to say something at this moment.

So he quickly added, "Yes, yes, the princess is very capable; she's excellent at catching pigs!"

Zheng Xun: ...

She forced a smile and said, "Alright, you guys go about your business. Take the pigs back first."

The men respectfully agreed, took out two large sticks, tied the pig up, and lifted it up together.

Zheng Xun followed their steps, ready to see what Zhuangzi looked like now.

Lord Mu followed closely behind her: "Princess Yuanjia..."

"Lord Mu, please speak frankly."

"Is this the pig you want to raise?"

Zheng Xun nodded.

She slowed her pace, putting some distance between herself and the person in front of her: "Mu Zhuo."

Upon hearing her earnest tone, Lord Mu immediately lowered his head and respectfully said, "Please speak, Princess."

Are you very confused?

"Yes, raising pigs and farming, what kind of business is the princess planning to do?"

"Mu Zhuo, do you still remember your ideals when you first embarked on your official career?"

New Moon: Here we go again, here we go again, she's about to start spouting her grand theories.

Keep fooling around, I don't know why she's trying to fool so many people.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Zheng Xun was facing away from her, but suddenly turned around and glanced at her.

Mu Zhuo's steps slowed, a look of reminiscence flashing across his face: "Reaching high positions and bringing happiness to all people; his merits were not in vain, and he became a capable minister who brought peace to the world."

At that time, he was still young, full of ambition and lofty aspirations.

At that time, he never felt that he was ordinary, but every day after entering officialdom, he was exhausted.

He did many things, but each one was fraught with difficulties.

Externally, he can appease neighboring countries; internally, he can reform and revitalize. He can proudly say that the stability of the Brown Kingdom today owes some credit to him.

However, he was able to achieve these accomplishments because the royal family of the Brown Kingdom was busy with internal strife during those years, allowing them, the ministers, to make decisions without anyone interfering.

But in the current Brown Kingdom, the Emperor's throne is still relatively stable... right? In short, he has enough free time to stir up trouble in the court, so implementing his decrees is much more difficult now, and he is increasingly powerless.

Zheng Xun looked at the wrinkles on his face and his white beard: "How old are you now, sir?"

"Fifty-two."

Without Zheng Xun saying anything, he already understood her unspoken meaning.

He is still a very, very long way from his ideal, but he is already old.

He couldn't wait.

He smiled wryly and said, "But what's the difference between the Brown Kingdom and the Great Yong Kingdom?"

Zheng Xun stared straight at him: "Lord Mu, put your hand on your heart and tell me, is there really no difference?"

Master Mu:......

After a moment, he said dejectedly, "Yes. But couldn't the princess have spared me some face? Did she have to be so blunt..."