The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 278 Monkey and Horse

After returning to the palace, Zheng Xun opened the box he had unexpectedly received.

It was filled to the brim with a stack of silver notes and some gold and silver.

There was also a note in the box, asking Zheng Xun to help him deliver these things to Yuanxiu Academy.

Zheng Xun stared at the note for a long time before having Lü Mengying deliver it to the academy.

"You must tell Lord Zhao that the gifts were sent by the Grand Tutor."

Lu Mengying left quickly, and Zheng Xun rubbed his temples.

Outside, a messenger announced that the Empress had arrived.

Zheng Xun and the empress of the harem were not particularly close, but they did have some affection for each other.

The other party treated her especially well, so she couldn't very well refuse to see them.

It happened to be mealtime, and the Empress not only came herself, but also brought a whole table of food.

Zheng Xun knew what she was thinking, so naturally he wouldn't spoil her mood.

Zheng Xun had a big appetite, so the Empress prepared a table full of dishes.

The Empress held her chopsticks, not touching a single bite, and quietly watched Zheng Xun finish eating before speaking: "Are you full? I had an extra table prepared, and I'll have it brought to you now."

“That’s not a good idea…” Zheng Xun hesitated for a moment, then compromised, “That’s fine too.”

Empress: Poor child, you used to only have one table of food, you must have never been full.

After finally finishing their meal, Zheng Xun put down his chopsticks. The Empress smiled and said, "Mingzhu Pavilion is short two servants and needs to be replaced. Would Yuanjia like to choose one himself?"

"The Empress Dowager will arrange it."

The Empress remained silent for a moment, perhaps preoccupied with something, and thus couldn't find a topic to continue the conversation.

Today is the birthday of my two eldest daughters. It must be hard for Her Majesty the Empress, as neither of her daughters is by her side. I wonder how much she must miss them.

Queen: Yes, yes, yes! You understand me!

She clutched her sleeves tightly; her daughters were thousands of miles away.

I wonder if they are sleeping well or eating well.

But she couldn't ask.

Zheng Xun was not yet fully recovered, so how could she disturb her with these matters?

But today is her daughters' birthday, and she simply couldn't control herself.

She had considered it; she would give a hint, and if Yuan Jia didn't understand, she would leave decisively.

But Yuan Jia cared about her two older sisters even more than she had imagined.

Amid her trepidation and anticipation, the curtain of light was drawn back.

"Aaaaaah! He Wuyu! Are you even capable?!"

"Don't worry, I have experience."

"But is this really the right thing to do?"

"That's right! Stand back, don't cause trouble!"

"Let me do it."

He Wuyu reluctantly put down the knife: "You know how?"

"Won't……"

Wow, Zheng Jiao is celebrating his 16th birthday, and they're fixing horseshoes!

[Although fixing horseshoes is quite a pleasant experience...]

At this moment, as the Empress looked at the light screen and listened to the voice in her heart, tears streamed down her face.

Zheng Xun: ...

Startled her.

"Mmm, Jiao Jiao has gotten so tanned and thin. I wonder how much she's suffered. She still has to fix the horseshoes..."

Zheng Xun: Was this said to me?

Sorry, she had to pretend she didn't hear it.

When the mother of the nation cries, she is no different from an ordinary person, whimpering and sighing. Zheng Xun almost lost his composure listening to her.

If she actually manages to utter a word of comfort, then it's all over; she'll be completely exposed.

Zheng Jiao was unaware of her mother's heartache; she was still eager to try repairing the horse's hooves herself.

Unable to resist her persistence, He Wuyu finally gave in: "Fine, you come here, I'll tell you one step at a time, and you do it one step at a time."

Zheng Jiao nimbly flipped over the railing: "Hehehe, Mother's good horse! Mother is here to trim your hooves!"

Queen:......

Is her daughter mentally challenged or insane?

Having vented her emotions, she finally had the mind to take a closer look at Zheng Jiao's appearance.

She had indeed lost weight, but she had also grown taller. With her sleeves rolled up, the lines on her arms were smooth, clean, and full of strength.

Most importantly, she possessed a spirit and vigor that was absent in the capital.

It's as if the bright young woman in the painting of court ladies has stepped out and become a living, breathing person.

Looking at Zheng Jiao's radiant smile, Zheng Xun couldn't help but sigh as well.

What's more captivating than beauty is the vibrant soul within that body...

The Empress nodded in agreement: Yes, yes, that's how you praise someone.

Facts have proved that it is true.

Look, He Wuyu can't take his eyes off Zheng Jiao.

She had just taken Zheng Jiao's hand, intending to teach her how to repair horseshoes.

They shook hands, but didn't take any further steps for a long time.

Zheng Jiao turned around in confusion: "Can we begin..."

Their eyes met, and they fell silent for a moment.

Wow!

Empress: I feel like something's not right, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

Zheng Jiao seemed to have forgotten it was her birthday, and was having a great time.

However, He Wuyu hadn't forgotten, otherwise he wouldn't have abandoned training to take Zheng Jiao to do what she had always wanted to do.

【Hmm, fixing horseshoes together, isn't that a kind of romance?】

The screen flashed, and the view shifted to Zheng Jin's side.

Zheng Jin sat in the carriage, holding a book.

Looking out the train window, you can see a little monkey hopping around, perched on a tree, watching them curiously.

Zheng Jin thought of the monkey named Xiao Jiu from Yuanxiu Academy and raised her hand to greet him, saying, "Nice to meet you."

The monkey scratched its head and threw the fruit in its hand at Zheng Jin.

[I'm guessing the monkey was teasing Zheng Jin because she's cute.]

The monkey threw it quite accurately, just enough to get it through the car window.

Zheng Jin was right in front of the car window, but luckily she reacted quickly and dodged.

The Queen of the Light Screen also breathed a sigh of relief.

But this relief was short-lived, because soon the monkey that had left returned, bringing not only a handful of fruit but also several monkey friends.

Zheng Jin had a bad feeling, and soon her premonition came true.

The monkeys started throwing fruit into her carriage.

Zheng Jin closed the carriage curtain and darted to a corner of the carriage.

She can dodge, but the horses outside can't.

The horse was hurt by the impact and began to become agitated.

With a neigh, the carriage started moving.

Although the horse was tied to a tree and couldn't run far, it was... very strong and lively.

Therefore, it is extremely dangerous when it crashes.

The reason they stopped was because the driver needed to go to the toilet, and there was no one outside to control the runaway horse.

Zheng Jin gritted his teeth, lowered his body, and prepared to go out to control the horse.

However, Zheng Shi outside reacted even faster.

She grabbed whatever was nearby and threw it at the monkeys.

The monkeys were so frightened that they scattered in all directions.

Zheng Shi leaped up, jumped onto the carriage, and gripped the reins tightly.

Finally, the carriage was brought under control.

Zheng Jin lifted the carriage curtain and looked at those wretched monkeys.

Suddenly, her expression changed drastically: "Zheng Shi! What did you just throw out?"

Zheng Shi thought for a moment, his face gradually turning terrified.

Zheng Jin pointed in one direction and urged, "Go pick them up quickly!"

Zheng Shi realized what was happening, but she didn't dare leave.

The horse was still a bit restless, and she was afraid it would become agitated again after she left.

So they could only watch helplessly as a monkey ran back and curiously poked something on the ground.

Please don't!

Zheng Jin, disregarding her weak limbs, quickly jumped off the carriage: "Go quickly!"