The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 146 Extreme Pull

"Family matters? So that's your excuse for doing whatever you want?"

However, Qiu Dayong could not change his mind just because of a few words from her.

“She’s my wife. If she doesn’t want to be beaten, then she can leave! I didn’t stop her!”

But where can she go?

Jin Hua Niangniang's family was not wealthy. Her parents died early, and her elder brother and sister-in-law were the ones who ran the household.

They themselves are struggling to make a living, how could they possibly take in Jin Hua and her daughter?

In Da Yong, it was possible to establish female households, but Jin Hua Niang did not have the ability to support herself. Her whole family were farmers, and she herself only knew how to farm.

however……

She had no money, no land, and no place to live.

If she wanted to survive, she would have no choice but to sell herself and work for a wealthy family.

A slave's child is also a slave.

I'm not rich now, but at least I'm still an upright person. But if I sign that indenture, my life will be out of my control for the rest of my days.

Holding onto this thought, she endured until now, but in the end, she couldn't save either her own life or her daughter's.

"See? You know she has nowhere to go. She eats and drinks my food. Without me, she would have died long ago. I've let her live this long, so what's wrong with hitting her?"

Zhao Xiulan fell silent, not because she was convinced by him, but because she felt that talking to him was a complete waste of time.

"Take him away!"

Two Red Eagle soldiers quickly covered Qiu Dayong's mouth and dragged him away.

Zhao Xiulan didn't look at him again. She straightened Jinhua's clothes and helped her to sit up straight.

She looked up at Zheng Xun and the others: "It's getting late, so I won't see you off."

Zheng Xun knew that she definitely didn't want to be disturbed right now, so she tactfully led Lord Mu and Xinyue away.

After dropping off Master Mu at the post station, Zheng Xun and Xinyue returned to Mingzhu Pavilion.

After dinner, the two of them sat facing each other, each holding a cup of tea.

Zheng Xun smiled and looked at Xinyue: "Have you made a decision?"

Crescent Moon didn't respond, but instead asked, "Do you want me to go back to Brown Kingdom?"

“Once you return to the Brown Kingdom, you will become a pawn. What use is a pawn to me?”

new moon:……

What nonsense about abandoning children? That's really rude of you.

However, hearing this reassured her.

That godforsaken place, Brown Country, let whoever wants to go go, she certainly doesn't want to.

She tentatively asked, "What does the princess need me to do?"

Zheng Xun's earnest urging to keep her in Dayong couldn't possibly be for her own good, could it?

Zheng Xun blinked innocently: "Hey, am I that kind of person?"

Crescent Moon looked at her earnestly: "Yes."

Zheng Xun clicked her tongue, and the next moment, she said solemnly, "Xinyue, I will give you three choices."

"Princess, please speak."

"First, I will set you free, but from now on you will be an ordinary citizen. If you want status and wealth, you will have to work hard for it yourself."

"Secondly, you are quite good at playing the zither, chess, calligraphy and painting. Yuanxiu Academy is currently short of teachers, so I can recommend you for the position."

Crescent Moon's eyebrows twitched: "And the third one?"

"Third, help me with my affairs."

"doing what?"

"What did the Brown Kingdom ask you to do?"

"What else can she do? She can only use her beauty to please men, whisper sweet nothings in your father's ear, and send messages to the Brown Kingdom."

Zheng Xun lifted the lid of the teacup, and steam rose from the tea, obscuring her face.

"What I need you to do is the same thing that the Brown Kingdom needs you to do."

Logically speaking, these words should never have been said before testing Qingxin Yue's attitude.

Her bluntness wasn't because she trusted Crescent Moon.

Instead, she discovered that she could see all of Crescent Moon's information from the system. What does this mean?

This shows that the New Moon's stance has completely sided with the Great Yong.

She can track her movements through the system.

She wanted to know what choices and stance the new moon would take. Her words were half serious and half probing, waiting to see how the new moon would choose.

Coincidentally, Xinyue had similar thoughts to her.

"That's the princess's father, the emperor. As far as Xinyue knows, he's treated you quite well, hasn't he? So, is the princess testing Xinyue now?"

Zheng Xun smiled meaningfully, but did not answer.

The emperor was right about her; she was just used to scheming and leaving herself a way out.

Now, she can also use the system to understand the emperor's thoughts, but what if the system disappears? What if the emperor changes? What if the emperor doesn't want her to succeed him?

As the saying goes, people's hearts are fickle, and apart from her brother, she has limited trust in both people and the system.

Seeing her silent demeanor, Xinyue felt a surge of anger rising within her.

"I thought you were different, but what do you mean? You talk a good game, but how are you any different from the Brown Country people? Aren't you just trying to use me?"

Zheng Xun put down her teacup, her expression unchanged: "Why get so agitated? I've given you a choice. If you're unwilling, you can choose the two paths mentioned earlier."

She paused, then looked at her in surprise: "You don't actually think that I'm still treating you like a princess, do you?"

She felt sorry for Xinyue's plight, but she didn't intend to be the one to suffer the loss!

The crescent moon remained silent.

That's not what she thought at all; she just didn't like being used.

But Zheng Xun is right, she does have other options now, it's just that...

However, she still harbored ambitions and was unwilling to settle for mediocrity. Realizing this, she began to feel ashamed and angry.

Thinking of this, her mind was instantly sobered up as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over it.

A schoolteacher? Someone who earns their status through hard work?

It's not that it's impossible, but it's too slow. She's afraid she'll die on the way.

Her face destined her to be an ordinary person; how could an ordinary person protect themselves? Was she destined to live in hiding her whole life?

She gave a bitter smile. Was she really going to go down that path after all?

Holding onto her pride, she stubbornly declared, "If I really want to enter, I can do it on my own. Once I'm in the inner palace, I can naturally break free from the control of the Brown Kingdom. No matter how powerful the Brown Kingdom is, it can't possibly extend its reach into the inner palace of the Emperor of Dayong!"

"What about the poison in your body? It'll take ten days for the poison to take effect, right? Are you sure you can find an antidote?"

Crescent Moon suddenly turned her head to look at her, a chill inexplicably creeping down her spine.

She forced a smile: "Princess, you're joking."

"A joke?" Zheng Xun chuckled. "As long as the Brown Kingdom isn't stupid, they can't possibly be completely unchecked by you. Otherwise, how would they guarantee your loyalty?"

Crescent Moon was silent for a moment, then sighed and said in a defiant tone, "The princess guessed right."

She had originally intended to appease the Brown Kingdom by secretly allying with the Great Yong and then gradually make her move, but now it seems that no one is a fool.

“New Moon, you absolutely cannot stabilize the Brown Kingdom on your own. The antidote is not as easy as you think. Each of your antidotes contains another toxin. The longer it drags on, the more complicated your situation will become. You have only swallowed a few poison pills now, but in the long run, your lifespan and body will inevitably be affected.”

Crescent Moon blinked in disbelief: "How does the princess know all this?"

She even suspected that Zheng Xun was bluffing her, but her reason told her that this was indeed something the Brown Kingdom was capable of doing.

She lost all strength, slumped onto the table, and buried her head deeply in her arms.

Slowly, tears soaked her arm.

Her mind went blank, and the spirit that had sustained her for so many years suddenly collapsed.

What is she doing? What is the meaning of her existence? Did she commit too many sins in her past life, so God is punishing her like this?

Despair surged like a tide, dragging her toward the abyss.

She struggled, but it was all in vain.

Suddenly, a small hand gently patted the top of her head: "New Moon, I'm not threatening you. Although the poison in your body is complex, it's not impossible to cure it."

Crescent Moon paused for a moment, then looked up and asked, looking aggrieved, "What do you want me to do now?"

“You don’t need to do anything,” Zheng Xun blinked, his expression as calm as ever. “The choices I just gave you were all based on the premise that you are still alive. No matter what you choose, I will have people do their best to detoxify you.”

Crescent Moon's tone remained uncertain: "Can it really be solved?"

"Yes, absolutely, definitely."

"You just said there was only hope."

“I’m afraid you’ll think I’m arrogant if I make too many promises,” Zheng Xun shrugged. “But let me make this clear first: if you don’t work for me, I won’t pay for the medicine and consultation fees you need for the detoxification.”

Tears welled up in Crescent Moon's eyes and rolled down her cheeks: "You're so mean! You slapped me and then gave me a sweet treat, but the treat was rotten!"

Zheng Xunping's use of "I" to refer to herself is definitely a tactic to feign approachability. However, when she needs to use her power to intimidate others, she transforms into the aloof and superior "This Empress."

They do many righteous things, but they are unscrupulous in their methods.

It was too complicated and contradictory, and for a moment, Xinyue didn't know how to face her.

But she still falls for this, and she has no choice but to accept this "sweet date".

She muttered to herself, "This isn't some little fairy, she's clearly a little demon."

She raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her face and smiled, "I've made up my mind. I'll choose the third path."

Her smile was like sunlight breaking through the clouds, possessing a magnificent and awe-inspiring quality, like the sun breaking through the clouds after a rainstorm.

Zheng Xun looked away.

She was afraid that if she watched any longer, she would soften her heart.

She had always thought that Crescent Moon knew how to exude charm, but now it seemed that she didn't.

If she were to truly use her beauty, few would be able to resist her charms. To win a smile from her, many would probably be willing to give up their kingdoms.

"You've made a decision so quickly?"

Xinyue nodded: "There's no way around it. I feel like I was born to live in a golden palace. Power, status, and wealth are always better than nothing."

If she was forced into it, she would never have been willing to be used, much less willing to sell her beauty.

However, Zheng Xun was very good at understanding people's hearts. She loosened her shackles and made her clearly see that she was an ordinary person who could not live without the mundane wealth of this world, and was even more reluctant to die.

So she obediently returned to Zheng Xun's side, that wicked man, and willingly put the shackles back around her neck.

Zheng Xun asked again, "Don't you regret it?"

"No regrets."

Crescent Moon's tone was calm, but her attitude was particularly firm.

Zheng Xun, pleased with his success, smiled and said, "Well then, it's a pleasure to work with you."

"Pleasant to work with."

Crescent Moon paused, then emphasized, "But you'd better live up to expectations. I'll follow right behind you, waiting for our chickens and dogs to rise to heaven."

"Hmm, you can rest assured when I handle things."

And so, that night, Zheng Xun and Xinyue officially "hooked up" together.

……

The following day, Zheng Xun, along with Xinyue and Master Mu, began their second day of travel.

After reuniting with Lord Mu, Crescent Moon looked at him with a subtle, sympathetic gaze.

Lord Mu felt his scalp tingle under her gaze. Finally, unable to sit still any longer, he said tactfully, "New Moon, you are still young..."