The princess was ordained by Heaven.

[Defense Function (Activated): Can protect the host from fatal damage]

Zheng Xun: !!!

Why is this good stuff only appearing now?

She hurriedly searched for where the Third Prince had found the jade; the more good stuff, the better.

However, seeing the effort the Third Prince had put into the jade pendant, her joy gradually cooled.

[I'm suddenly starting to wonder if my father has a special kind of "family-oriented" mentality, since some people have a "romantic" mentality while others have a "family-oriented" mentality?]

The Third Prince had never heard of the term "family-oriented brain," but he could roughly understand its meaning.

He couldn't help but smile, because "family-oriented brain" was a compliment to him.

He lost his mother when he was young. He wasn't very successful and wasn't highly regarded, but his family never looked down on him, and he was content.

People should learn to cherish what they have.

Yuan Jia's idea was so foolish. Since they were family, they were each other's last refuge. Even if he got married in the future, even if he grew up, he and his family would always be each other's support and refuge.

The search results came back quickly: this jade pendant is the only one of its kind in the world.

This was the only piece available, and it just so happened that the Third Prince found it.

This is such a precious thing.

Zheng Xun felt a little uneasy.

Actually, she can protect herself. Damn system, can't you just give me back my jade pendant?

She shut down the system, lowered her head guiltily, and considered how to explain herself.

The Third Prince gently patted her head and said in a tender tone, "Alright, if you don't want to wear it, just keep it. What's given to you is yours, you can do whatever you want with it."

Thinking that it was getting late, and not wanting to disturb Zheng Xun's rest, he didn't say much to her, just offered a few words of comfort and left.

His departing figure overlapped with the departing figure of the Crown Prince and the departing figure of Zheng Jiao riding away on horseback.

For some reason, Zheng Xun's eyes suddenly became a little moist.

Zhichun called out to her worriedly, but she shook her head and looked at the dark night sky.

What to do? I feel like I'm becoming more and more integrated into this world, and I'm starting to feel reluctant to leave...

But her brother was still waiting for her.

Will my brother forget about his new sister now that he has one...?

She took a deep breath and stopped thinking about these questions.

Very well, so you want to destroy this country? Well, she's determined to save it, and nobody can stop her!

Or, when the time is right, she could go directly to Dayong and destroy the emperor of Heguo?

The thought flashed through her mind, but thankfully she still had her senses. When an emperor dies, a new emperor will always come, and she couldn't simply slaughter the entire Brown Kingdom...

Wait, if her powers are restored, it doesn't seem like it's impossible?

The system, which had been quiet all along, seemed to sense her dangerous thoughts and began to sound alarms frantically.

The piercing alarm shone directly into her brain; she couldn't stop herself from hearing it even if she wanted to.

It's clear the system is in a hurry; if it had a physical form, it would probably jump up and give her a huge beating right now.

Zheng Xun quickly suppressed his dangerous thoughts, and the system alarms quieted down.

After a moment of silence, seemingly a little uneasy, the short alarm sounded again.

Zheng Xun helplessly swore in his heart, "No, no, I promise I won't."

Finally, the system went completely silent.

Zheng Xun breathed a sigh of relief. Well, she'd better behave herself.

Mental abilities are inherently prone to rebellion, and getting too involved with too many lives and blood will only make them more unstable. The reason she had to cultivate her character in her previous life was because she had suffered enough from the heavy sins of killing.

She weighed the empty box in her hand. Although the jade pendant was gone, she would keep the box carefully and take it with her when she left.

As for her eldest brother and third brother, and everyone in this world who loves her...

Despite their love for her, she will definitely protect Dayong and this world.

So, the next day, the entire court, which had been busy for some time and hadn't had a chance to rest, was met with a brutal attack from Zheng Xun.

Zheng Xun's thoughts began to resonate from the start of the morning court session.

The first to submit a memorial was Academician Du of the Hanlin Academy.

[What's wrong with Old Man Du? He went fishing after his shift yesterday? And he left early? What gives him the right to leave early? Just because he's seventy?]

Scholar Du: ?

Isn't that enough? He's seventy! Not seventeen!

Also, he was very kind and called him "scholar" when we met yesterday, so why is he being called "old man Du" today?

Doesn't the emperor care about how fickle she is?

Seventy is the age to take risks! You're still young, you can still strive! What kind of fish are you fishing for? Can fishing save the country?

[You're going fishing when your country is about to be destroyed? After the country falls, your fishpond will be overturned! But actually, it's pretty much the same. Back then, the old man who resigned to retire was practically pushed into the pond and drowned.]

Scholar Du: Hehe, I'm really amazing to live to eighty...

Wait...what?! He drowned?!

Brown country people, huh! Very well, he'll remember that. He may be old, but he can still wield a knife. Just you wait, you little bastards!

But why did he retire at eighty? Did he even join the cabinet?

No, no, how can officials be so complacent? We must talk to Father Emperor. The Hanlin Academy is too idle. If there's really no work to do, why not send people to Lu Yuandao to repair the irrigation canals?

At this point, the ministers had not yet realized the seriousness of the matter. They were watching the spectacle with great interest, and even felt a bit schadenfreude.

Afterwards, Grand Master of Ceremonies Jiang Weiguo and Minister of War reported on the progress of the troop reduction.

The old, weak, sick and disabled soldiers have all been released and sent home. They have been given enough silver according to their contributions, and the court has also arranged for doctors to treat their health.

Therefore, when the people heard the news that soldiers were to be recruited, they were surprisingly less resistant than in the past, and some poor people even took the initiative to ask.

After learning that they would leave at least one male child in each household, the people breathed a sigh of relief and decided to have more children when they returned home, which contributed to the population growth to some extent.

It can be said that they handled things quickly and well.

The emperor was very satisfied, but Zheng Xun was not.

What's going on? Why is it taking so long? Recruiting has to wait until next spring?

Jiang Weiguo: ...

It was harvest time, and people needed to have a good New Year in winter. By the following spring, each family would have used up a lot of their grain, making it a good time to recruit soldiers. That's how it always has been...

Surely there are some people willing to join the army now? Can't we select those with special skills for individual training? Or are they just going to sit around doing nothing?

[Alright, alright, everyone's free. Good, they'll regret it when the Brown Kingdom invades!]

[The Minister of War actually went to a brothel last night! Ha! Don't officials know they're not allowed to frequent prostitutes? Do they know how many spies are in brothels? If he gets drunk and leaks some important information, he'll deserve to die. No wonder he had a blockhead like Dong Yan; like father, like son.]

The Minister of War almost knelt down.

He was met with a barrage of stares, and he felt like crying but had no tears left to shed.

He really just went out for a few drinks, Princess, please explain!

[And Jiang Weiguo! It's fine if you're interested in Xu Ru's wife, but can you please stop using such old-fashioned and boring methods to seduce her?]