The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 124 Duke Dingguo

Zheng Xun's trip was to find Zhao Xiulan.

She longed to meet this woman whose personality had drastically changed... or rather, who had suddenly awakened.

Zhao Xiulan is now in charge of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. When she learned that Zheng Xun had come to visit, she went to greet him in surprise.

Jingyang and Xiaoyang followed behind her.

Bringing them along was also partly her own selfish motive; she hoped the two girls would get some exposure in front of Zheng Xun, and if they could win her favor, their future would undoubtedly be much easier.

Zheng Xun's original purpose was just to visit them, so of course he wouldn't mind.

She also brought them gifts.

Each person had a small, sharpened dagger.

Jingyang and Xiaoyang looked at each other, unsure whether they should accept the gift.

Zhao Xiulan gestured for them to take it.

Zheng Xun, however, showed no intention of giving it to them. She looked at Zhao Xiulan and asked, "You want them to accept it first, and then keep it privately?"

Zhao Xiulan chuckled awkwardly, "Nothing can be hidden from the princess. They are still young, and I'm afraid they might not know their own limitations and hurt innocent people or themselves..."

She turned her head to the side, as if afraid Zheng Xun would slap her hard across the face.

Zheng Xun: ...

It makes it seem like she's the one bullying someone.

She placed the dagger in the hands of the two little girls: "You are practicing martial arts. Smart girls should know the power of a dagger and when to use it against whom, right?"

She looked much like them, but she spoke so seriously that Jingyang and Xiaoyang had to take it seriously as well.

Seeing this, Zhao Xiulan couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth.

Kind of cute.

The two little girls looked at Zheng Xun with bright eyes and answered loudly, "We know!"

Thanks to Zhao's relentless brainwashing day and night, they already had a positive view of Zheng Xun even before they met her.

When they met the real person, they were surprised to find that Zhao Xiulan's words were not exaggerated at all.

Zheng Xun's body is only that of a ten-year-old, but she has the experience of a lifetime, having lived in the apocalypse before.

When she first came into this world, she would pretend to be an ordinary little girl, but as time went by and she came into the public eye, she began to show her talent.

They faced each other daily in the imperial court, so most people did not notice her changes, but the two young girls were captivated by her iron-blooded aura when they first met her.

Although they were born in this era, they have not yet lost their sharpness and become the typical ladies of this world. Under Zhao Xiulan's guidance, they have become even stronger and more determined.

Therefore, when they looked at Zheng Xun, they were filled with longing and admiration.

Zheng Xun also really liked their style.

Zhao Xiulan taught them better than expected.

"It's good that you know. I hope you can make good use of these two little things to protect yourselves and the things you care about."

Zheng Xun smiled at them, then turned to Zhao Xiulan: "Since we're already here, we should at least go and visit the Duke of Dingguo."

Zhao Xiulan looked somewhat troubled.

"what happened?"

"The old Duke has a bad temper."

"It's alright, lead the way."

Because the old Duke disliked Jingyang and Xiaoyang, she didn't let them follow.

Zhao Xiulan then took Zheng Xun to the old Duke's courtyard.

The old Duke suffered a stroke and used to be bedridden and unable to take care of himself; only his eyeballs could move.

His sons and grandsons wished he would die sooner so they could inherit the title of Duke of Dingguo. Although they wouldn't be so heartless as to commit patricide, they would never discipline the servants who took care of him.

Under such circumstances, the servants inevitably became lax, so the Duke of Dingguo spent a long period of time living in filth, and his back was ulcerated from bedsores.

Perhaps such days were too depressing, and he had never seen any improvement in his condition.

On the contrary, after Ding Kang died, Zhao Xiulan couldn't stand the mess in the house, so she often sent people to urge the servants to take care of him.

With the doctor's dedicated care, his condition actually improved. Although his hands and feet were still not very mobile, he was able to move around and take a few steps.

However, this did not make him grateful; instead, his personality became increasingly extreme and eccentric.

When Zheng Xun arrived, he was throwing a tantrum. The servants knew that Zhao Xiulan wouldn't blame him, so they all hid outside.

The crackling sounds inside the house never stopped, but they still chatted and laughed in high spirits.

Upon seeing Zhao Xiulan, the servants immediately bowed.

"Forget it, what's he up to now?"

The tall, thin servant in the lead spoke succinctly: "The Duke wants women, but all those who serve him are men. He ordered us servants to find some, but which woman is willing to be with him? The servants refused, and the Duke got angry..."

He finished speaking and sighed helplessly: "What a pipe dream. What would that girl want from him? His age? His inability to take care of himself?"

A servant boy next to him kicked him in the heel: "What nonsense are you spouting in front of your master?"

The tall, thin servant listened and immediately shut up.

But his friend wasn't satisfied and kicked him twice more.

The tall, thin servant boy was not convinced and immediately kicked back.

So the two of them took turns kicking, kicking each other with increasing vigor and making bigger and bigger movements.

Zheng Xun: ...

Zhao Xiulan sighed and rubbed her forehead: "Alright, stop fooling around."

After dismissing the servants, Zhao Xiulan took a few steps forward and pushed open the door.

The situation inside the house was much better than expected. Because of the old Duke's bad temper, Zhao Xiulan adhered to the principle of thrift and replaced everything fragile with wood and bamboo.

As Zheng Xun stepped into the house, he accidentally dropped a bamboo fruit plate.

The fruit platter rolled to her feet and bounced playfully.

The old Duke: I'm so angry! Even the fruit platter is bullying me!

Seeing his unpleasant expression, Zheng Xun suddenly kicked the fruit plate back.

Old Duke: !!!

"You...you ...

Zhao Xiulan stepped forward, preparing to cover his mouth. Princess Yuanjia was still a young girl; how could he swear so filthyly!

But the old Duke was stubborn and rebellious.

Originally, he was still a bit inconvenient with his hands and feet, but when Zhao Xiulan stopped him, he suddenly became incredibly agile, and not only did he stand up, he almost bit Zhao Xiulan.

Fortunately, he reacted very quickly, and before he could bite, Zheng Xun unleashed his spiritual power upon him.

The old Duke's eyes instantly became clear, his expression blank and innocent, like that of a child.

Zheng Xun breathed a sigh of relief.

[That was close, he almost actually regained consciousness.]

Zhao Xiulan suddenly turned her head to look at her. "Is this something you can say?"

Zheng Xun smiled at her in a friendly manner:

Thankfully, he didn't bite me, otherwise what if I got rabies?

Zhao Xiulan is now my greatest talent; her life is precious.

Zhao Xiulan blushed slightly.

It's embarrassing to talk about things like preciousness or not.

"Your Highness is too kind."

Zheng Xun looked confused: "I didn't say anything."

Zhao Xiulan: !!!

She said there was something wrong! The princess didn't say a word!

Could it be that Heaven knew of her momentary shyness and thus gave her the ability to read minds?

She's not a pervert! She just doesn't like little girls!