The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Unable to control Shen Canglan, the Second Prince had no choice but to back down after a brief standoff.

"What's her name?"

"Shen Xingqiong means radiant with starlight and possessing a pure and noble heart."

"She's gentler than I expected. Have you... have you told her about me?"

Shen Canglan shook his head.

"Then let's not talk about it. It's better if we don't know," the Second Prince murmured.

Shen Canglan smiled slightly: "I never thought of telling her now."

Shen Xingqiong has her and so many uncles. She will be the young master of Cangjian Manor in the future. Whatever she wants, her mother can give her. Telling her that she has a father will only cause her trouble.

She can raise children very well on her own.

When she grows up and understands things, she will slowly tell her everything.

Before that, she had to let her Xingqiong know that she was her child, not someone else's.

The second prince was only somewhat melancholy, but Zheng Xun, who knew everything, could hardly contain his laughter.

[My God! Shen Canglan told Xiao Xingqiong that she was born on her own. As for why other families need parents, but she only needs one person, it's because she's stronger.]

Then, in her innocent and childlike voice, Xiao Xingqiong decided that she would become very strong in the future, strong enough to have a child.

Shen Canglan had Young Master Jing bring Xiao Xingqiong back for the Second Prince to see, and then gave the father and daughter some time to spend together.

Seeing that there would be no result on the matter he was concerned about today, Zheng Xun decisively turned off the live stream.

So, will Shen Canglan actually send the things over? If she doesn't, I'll have to go there myself to ask for them.

Everyone was curious about what Zheng Xun valued so much, but no one dared to ask. As a result, everyone who attended court today felt neither here nor there, and remained absent-minded after returning home.

Meanwhile, Zheng Xun requested a long leave from the emperor.

Upon hearing her purpose, the emperor snapped the pen in his hand with a "crack".

"You said you want to go out?"

Zheng Xun nodded.

The emperor sighed, “When the children grow up, they always want to run away.”

Only he remained in this luxurious golden cage, wielding power while enduring loneliness.

Zheng Xun was speechless.

"I'm just going out, it's not like I'm not coming back. I'll be back for dinner tonight."

The emperor coughed lightly: "You should at least tell me what you're planning to do first?"

"Your subject wishes to visit the Hanlin Academy."

She wanted to recruit some talented people for herself, and also needed help from Zheng Jin's side.

"Fine, go ahead."

Zheng Xun, however, showed no intention of leaving immediately.

"Anything else?"

“Brother…when will Father release you? Being confined at home all this time won’t do any good. It would be better to release you so Father can teach you more. You’ll definitely improve.”

The emperor remained silent.

Zheng Xun stared at the floor tiles, silently cursing in his heart.

[I've wanted to release them for a long time, I've even offered them a way out, are they going to take it or not?]

The emperor sighed deeply: "I know what I'm doing."

Since he had already said that, Zheng Xun didn't say anything more and immediately bowed and withdrew.

After she left, the emperor asked hesitantly, "Is it alright to let her out at this time?"

Li Xiaojun, the emperor's most trusted and favored confidante, immediately spoke up: "Your Majesty, rest assured, the princess and the crown prince are both extremely intelligent. Those rumors are just false, and falsehoods cannot become truth. Moreover, nothing can hide from Princess Yuanjia's eyes."

"Hmph, public opinion can melt metal, and accumulated slander can destroy bones. I'm afraid that if it gets too widespread, it will affect the relationship between Yuanjia and the Crown Prince..."

However, the more you forbid people from talking about this kind of thing, the more it will spread in private. Now, it all depends on the reactions of the Crown Prince and Yuan Jia.

Zheng Xun was unaware of the emperor's worries. He left the imperial study and went straight to the Hanlin Academy.

As soon as I stepped into the Hanlin Academy, I bumped into a middle-aged man who looked to be about 30 years old.

Upon seeing Zheng Xun, the other person stared at her blankly for a long time, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

Realizing what had happened, he acted faster than he thought, turning around to run.

Zheng Xun grabbed his clothes: "Lord Shi, why are you running? Am I that scary?"

Lord Shi forced a distorted smile: "No, no, no, the princess is magnificent and approachable, not scary at all."

"Really?" Zheng Xun looked him up and down suspiciously.

Something's not right, something's definitely not right. Let me see what's going on.

Zheng Xun's thoughts came out like a thunderclap from a clear sky, waking up everyone in the Hanlin Academy who were buried in their work.

Ahhhhh!

What's with this fiend here?!

Then, one by one, heads with puzzled expressions poked their heads out from inside the door.

Lord Shi was on the verge of tears and almost knelt down before her.

He was an honest and upright official; he really didn't do anything heinous!

He hasn't done anything to wrong me, so why is he avoiding me?

Lord Shi breathed a sigh of relief.

[But this Lord Shi is quite interesting, isn't he? His original name was Shi Zhenxiang, but he cried and begged his parents to change it for him.]

There's nothing to laugh at about a name, but he has a hapless older brother. This Shi Da is useless, but he's jealous of those who are successful, so he's cynical, curses the heavens and the earth every day, and is more prone to exploding than if he'd eaten three pounds of gunpowder.

Shi Da was always resentful about his younger brother becoming an official, so he always spoke sarcastically to Lord Shi, and especially liked to call him by his old name.

Lord Shi was very annoyed with this older brother, but since they were family, he tolerated it as much as he could. When he couldn't stand it anymore, he would put on his official robes and stroll in front of him to make him break down his defenses.

But what happened a few days ago? Shi Da got carried away with his cursing, first cursing officials, then the rich, and later even the emperor.

Lord Shi couldn't take it anymore. If he let him keep cursing, he was afraid his family would have to play a nine-player match-9 puzzle game.

So he devised a plan, subtly inquiring about a minor official position that could be bought for just a few hundred taels of silver.

Some people looked at Lord Shi in disbelief.

Does he still have this ability?

Lord Shi quickly shook his head. He wasn't some old man who had hanged himself and was tired of living. With Princess Yuanjia around, who would dare to cause any trouble?

Only those familiar with Master Shi knew that he was up to something.

[It just goes to show that stupid people shouldn't try to scheme. That Mr. Shi actually believed all that nonsense he spouted.]

During that period, Shi Da treated Lord Shi extremely well, all in order to get through his connections and give him a chance to buy an official position.

After enjoying his brother's respect for several days, Lord Shi was one day plied with alcohol and told a name.

Shi Da, that simpleton, was overjoyed and immediately went to their door with the silver.

He hadn't expected that the other party was in cahoots with Lord Shi. The evidence of Lord Shi bribing officials was irrefutable, yet he was sent to the imperial prison just like that.

Instantly, countless admiring and wary gazes fell upon Lord Shi.

However, while Shi Da's donation of his official position was a sham, there were indeed individuals in the Hanlin Academy whose official positions were obtained through illegitimate means.