The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Xu Ru was too lazy to argue with him. She stood up and gave him a solid kick: "You didn't know? You didn't know about your affair with Aunt Fang? Or you didn't know you were planning to murder your elder brother? You did this yourself, and you still dare to deny it!"

Xu Jun's face turned deathly pale.

Oh no, oh no, everything's been exposed!

He clung to a sliver of hope, pleading in a mournful voice, "Father? What are you saying? I don't understand..."

The officials watching were somewhat impressed by his stubbornness.

Even if he's been dead for eight hundred years, his mouth will still be hard even if his bones are broken.

Xu Ru coldly said, "Actually, you don't need to confess. I'm your father. If I really want to deal with you, it's just a matter of saying a word."

He waved for the guards to drag Xu Jun away.

Xu Jun looked dazed for a moment. Just as the guards were about to make their move, he suddenly found the strength to lunge at Aunt Fang.

"It's you! You bitch! You must have betrayed me!"

Xu Jun considered himself mediocre, but he always outwardly respected his elder brother, so he couldn't possibly have been exposed; that meant someone had informed on him.

But the guards couldn't stand by and watch him act so recklessly, so they dragged him back like a dead dog.

Sensing impending doom, Xu Jun roared in anguish, "Father! Do you want my life? I'm your child!"

"When you plotted to murder your elder brother, did you ever think of showing mercy?" Xu Ru remained unmoved.

Children? He has plenty of children.

Madam Xu finally snapped out of her shock. She took a sip of tea and said sarcastically from above, "You still don't understand. The most ruthless one has always been your father."

So the poison was aimed at Xu Ru!

You idiot! You can't even tell what's important!

Xu Jun's veins bulged, his expression crazed: "What do you know?! Your eldest brother is your child, of course you'll speak up for him! I'm just unwilling, just because he's the legitimate son..."

Knowing that the situation was already decided, the guards did not give him a chance to express his resentment. They covered his mouth and dragged him away.

Letting him break free once was already a dereliction of duty; if he does it again, their reward money will surely grow wings and fly away.

After Xu Jun was dragged away, the surroundings fell silent instantly.

Xu Ru's complicated gaze fell on Aunt Fang: "Do you have anything to say?"

“I never expected that the blind and mindless master would suddenly become enlightened. It was my lack of carefulness in acting. There is nothing I cannot admit.”

It's a bit of a pity that she hasn't had a chance to see her 500 acres of land yet. She's already planned to plant lots of rice, fruits, and vegetables...

She sighed, kowtowed to Madam Xu, and then suddenly pulled out a hairpin and stabbed it fiercely into her neck.

A scream rang out, and Aunt Fang took a few deep breaths before calmly closing her eyes.

Madam Xu stared blankly at the scene, then loosened her grip on the chair armrests and instructed the servants, "Give her a proper burial."

Everything is over.

Zheng Xun felt no excitement at the spectacle; instead, he felt a pang of regret.

[What a pity, if Aunt Fang hadn't been raised in the brothel and taught to be short-sighted, she might have achieved great things.]

-----------------

Even after the melon is eaten, life goes on as usual.

I don't know what went wrong with those court officials, they suddenly started accusing each other, and some even took off their official robes and knelt down in the Fengqin Hall to confess their crimes.

It was nothing more than charges of embezzlement and dereliction of duty. The embezzled money was poured into the national treasury box by box, and the Minister of Revenue never stopped smiling.

The imperial prison was overcrowded, the Dali Temple was extremely busy, the Qinglong Guards were moving from one mansion to another, and the emperor was also working late into the night every day. As a result, Zheng Xun was assigned more official duties, and she was forced to keep busy.

The uproar lasted for several days, and the storm had not yet subsided, but things gradually came to a head, making them much easier to handle.

Eunuch Li felt sorry for Zheng Xun, who was so young and working so hard. Seeing that she didn't gain weight no matter how much he fed her, he secretly complained to the Empress.

Then, the Empress gently advised the Emperor not to be too harsh on her.

The emperor stubbornly refused to back down: "Zitong, you don't understand Xun'er. Her energy is far greater than you imagine. I am her father, how could I be so lacking in self-control?"

"But has Your Majesty considered that she is only ten years old?"

"So what? Zitong, she's not an ordinary child."

The couple remained deadlocked for a while before finally giving in and canceling Zheng Xun's training in handling palace affairs.

Zheng Xun was indeed pleased upon hearing this, and then immediately asked to leave the palace.

The emperor refused: "What are you going to do outside the palace again? Give me a reason, and maybe I can be lenient with you."

"Your subject wants to learn martial arts!"

She's been so busy lately that her gossip system is practically exploding with activity, and she's poured all her superpowers into it, which has significantly reduced her ability to protect herself.

This greatly displeased her, who had long lived in crisis.

The emperor looked at her as if she were an idiot: "Why go to such lengths when the best experts are right here under my command?"

Zheng Xun pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized.

“That’s true,” she said, but then she remembered something. “I also need to go out of the palace to see Aman and Afeng.”

"The servants in the princess's residence should be better at taking care of people than you are."

However, she has indeed been busy these days, and there is no doubt that she will continue to be busy in the future. She has also worked very hard, so although he was merciless in his criticism of her, he did grant her a half-day off.

Zheng Xun was very dissatisfied with the half-day time allotted, but her protests were ineffective.

She cursed the damned feudal society in her heart, and slipped out of Fengqin Hall with lightning speed, fearing that the emperor would catch her and take her back.

She encountered Xu Ru on the way, who was on his way to the palace. She greeted him as usual, ignoring the wound on his face.

Because she's already used to it.

Since the last incident, Xu Ru has been acting strangely, visiting Madam Xu every day. Madam Xu was so annoyed by him that she eventually resorted to violence.

At first, the court officials found it novel, but now they've stopped laughing at him and even find it hard to look at him without the scars on his face.

Xu Ru was very enthusiastic: "Princess Yuanjia, if you have time, you must visit my home. My wife has long admired you."

The princess has a bright future ahead of her. Xu Ru has no other skills but is good at scheming. How could he possibly let go of such a good opportunity?

Zheng Xun gave him a half-smile and replied ambiguously, "Next time for sure."

She didn't want to waste time talking to him, so she said she had urgent business to attend to and left in a hurry.

On this trip out of the palace, she first visited Ah Feng and Ah Man, then gathered some gifts. Without wandering around, she returned to the palace with her luggage.

When delivering the gifts, the first place she visited was Jingyue Palace.

The sixth prince looked much better, and when he saw her, a look of surprise appeared on his face, and his eyes shone brightly.

Consort Xian was also delighted: "Sweet... Xun'er is here, would you like some almond shortbread? Aunt Ping will make it for you."

She was like an ordinary woman. When the children came to visit, her reaction was to cook something delicious. This behavior was not bad, but it was rather abrupt for a palace concubine.

Zheng Xun turned his head to the side: "Thank you for your concern, Sixth Prince and Consort Xian, these past few days. Xun'er brought you some little trinkets."