The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 131 Xiang's Mother

While Zheng Xun was rushing off to court in his carriage, Xiang Chen was also excitedly returning home.

He excitedly told his family about his plans, and then received two big gifts in return.

Father slapped him on the left cheek, Mother slapped him on the right cheek, the slaps were neat and bright, like a printed pattern.

He asked, feeling wronged, "Why did you hit me?"

Xiang's father: "Your grandfather was a cook, your father and I were cooks, your elder brother and sister-in-law, and your younger brother and sister-in-law were all cooks. Do you understand what this means?"

"I understand! My whole family are cooks!"

Enraged, Xiang's father slapped him on the head again: "Nonsense! Our family of cooks has finally found someone promising. You've joined the Azure Dragon Guard, a trusted confidant of the Emperor, and you'll have the chance to become a high-ranking official in the future! And now you're telling me you want to be a cook?"

Xiang Chen was taken aback by his aggressive demeanor, then muttered to himself, "But I'm no longer with the Azure Dragon Guard! What else can I do if not be a cook?"

Xiang's mother roared, "Xiang Chen! You cook, you cook, believe me or not, I'll slap you ten times!"

Xiang Chen shuddered: "Dad! Mom! Don't get agitated, let me explain!"

“I’ll explain to you…” Mr. Xiang sneered, about to launch into a tirade.

But Brother Xiang stopped him in time: "Father, Father, just listen to it."

"Father, Mother, do you think I can become the imperial chef?"

Mr. and Mrs. Xiang suddenly stopped in their tracks: "The Emperor appointed you as the Imperial Chef?"

Becoming a royal chef isn't out of the question...

"I'm now following the princess..."

Xiang's father, enraged, laughed: "You, the emperor, aren't going to go with the princess?! What kind of imperial chef would you be if you followed the princess?"

He was so angry that he looked around, and Xiang's mother silently handed him the soles of her newly sewn shoes.

Seeing his father's loving foot about to slap him, Xiang Chen retorted defiantly, "In my heart, our Princess Yuanjia is the best master!"

Xiang's father paused, "Who did you just say?"

Xiang Chen stiffened his neck and repeated, "Princess Yuanjia!"

Mr. Xiang put down the insole, and Mrs. Xiang's anger turned into a smile. Her older brother, sister-in-law, younger brother, and younger sister were all beaming with joy, as if it were New Year's Day.

"Good, good, good! How is Princess Yuanjia!"

Xiang Chen: ?

Why are you all so happy?

Madam Xiang's lips curled into a wild smile: "What nonsense are you spouting! How could Princess Yuanjia be an ordinary person? She is a princess of our Great Yong Dynasty, a celestial child recognized by our ancestors and gods!"

Father Xiang pulled Xiang Chen along, and the usually irritable and serious man forced a gentle tone in his voice: "Good son, you must work hard with the princess and make sure to serve her well."

Xiang's mother paced back and forth anxiously a few steps: "What does the fairy boy like to eat? No way! Xiang Chen, you come and learn from me. The Liu family's culinary skills are now in your hands!"

"Mother?" Xiang Chen was shocked. "Wasn't your family's culinary tradition meant to be passed down to your daughter?"

Good heavens, the princess is moving way too fast! She just released the assassin yesterday, and today his parents have been completely brainwashed.

What he didn't know was that countless ministers in the imperial court had also contributed to the spread of these rumors.

"I'm already this old, where else can I give birth to a daughter? You're the only one!"

She grabbed Xiang Chen and prepared to leave.

Xiang's father jumped up: "Learn from me first!"

Xiang's mother glanced at him, then snatched the insole from his hand and patted him on the back a few times.

Mr. Xiang was beaten and howled, but Mrs. Xiang thought the insoles weren't good enough, so she turned around and picked up a shovel.

Xiang's father shrank back: "I'll follow you! I'll follow you! Come back and learn from me again tomorrow!"

Brother Xiang and his younger brother timidly added, "They should learn from us too."

They also wanted to get involved with Princess Yuanjia.

Once in the kitchen, Madam Xiang instructed Xiang Chen to wash the vegetables: "Do you know Princess Yuanjia's taste preferences?"

Xiang Chen recalled for a moment, somewhat uncertain: "She didn't have any particular preferences... She liked everything..."

Mrs. Xiang rolled her eyes dramatically: "You're really something."

Xiang Chen didn't dare to refute, and he washed the vegetables even faster.

After a moment, he asked hesitantly, "How dare Mother lay a hand on Father now?"

Xiang's mother glared at him: "You have a problem with that?"

Xiang Chen repeatedly denied it.

His father had a bad temper. When he wasn't angry, he was a good father and husband, but once he got angry, it was common for him to hit her. His mother used to silently endure it and shed tears, but now the situation seems to have been reversed.

Madam Xiang's gaze was unfocused, as if she were recalling something. After a moment, she said softly, "I just don't want to endure it anymore. I heard that Princess Jianyang was able to send her husband to prison or even execute him. Although I am not as good as her, I am not without any power to resist."

“One night, I thought about the beatings I had been given in the past, and the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. So I got up and stabbed your father.”

Xiang Chen: !

The vegetables in his hand fell into the water with a "plop," and he stared in disbelief, saying, "Mother... what did you just mean?"

Xiang's mother ignored his nonsense and continued, "Then he woke up in pain. I cried and put a knife to his neck, asking him why he hit me. He was so scared that he wet his pants and kept saying that he would never dare to do it again."

"Then, I stopped the knife and bandaged his wound. He was probably still angry and kicked me again. The next day, I put a packet of rat poison in his food."

Xiang Chen: ! !

“I didn’t use a large dose, so he still had the strength to yell. He was resentful and wanted to hit me, so I stabbed him in the foot several times. It wasn’t fatal and didn’t affect his work, but when he tried to fight back, he couldn’t catch me even if I ran.”

Xiang Chen: !!!

He wanted to cry. His mother seemed a little mentally unstable, and he was a little scared.

His eyes darted around, and he became much more efficient at washing the vegetables.

When Xiang's mother thought of that scene, she suddenly laughed out loud.

“I’ve been entangled with him my whole life, and I don’t want to divorce him now, but I don’t want to be beaten. If someone has to suffer, let him suffer.”

She picked up a kitchen knife and, while rubbing it on the whetstone, cheerfully shared with Xiang Chen, "I have a few old girlfriends who learned from my mistakes. When they start beating their husbands, they cripple their legs first. Men, you know, they'll learn to obey after a few beatings."

Xiang Chen suddenly stood up: "I'm done washing! Mother, I think you did a great job, and I support you unconditionally!"

Madam Xiang nodded in satisfaction: "You must serve Princess Yuanjia well. I heard that she was the one who found out Princess Jianyang's husband. I am very grateful to her. She is right. Once a woman has strength and means, she can make those who bully us submit."

Xiang Chen: "You don't need to remind me. The princess is someone I'm determined to follow, and I will always put her first."

Madam Xiang nodded in satisfaction: "You should study hard with me these next few days. In a while, I will be going to work at Madam Zhao's academy. I may only come back to stay for a few days each month. If we miss each other, we may not see each other for a long time. So, I will teach you wholeheartedly this time. You must not embarrass yourself in front of the princess."

"understand!"

Xiang Chen: I didn't dare to refute it at all.

When Xiang's mother saw her obedient son, her expression relaxed considerably. Indeed, as long as you have a knife in your hand, the world becomes exceptionally compliant.

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

A spirited Zheng Xun and a listless Zheng Jin stepped into the Fengqin Hall.

The Third Prince looked at Zheng Jin, who was yawning incessantly, with surprise: "Did you go thieving last night?"

Zheng Jin raised her eyelids and glanced at him lazily: "Don't mention it."

She really didn't know where Zheng Xun got his energy from, hunting in the afternoon, reading at night, and practicing martial arts early in the morning.

Although she had soaked in the hot spring, her fatigue did not lessen at all. She drank with Nie Zhao for most of the night, and after falling asleep, she began to have nightmares. Her dreams were full of Zheng Xun's death. When she woke up the next day, her eyelids were so heavy that she could not lift them.

Today's main event is the ministers implicated because of Zhou Xuan's affair.

Most of them confessed their crimes after hearing Zheng Xun's true feelings.

Although the emperor pretended to be angry, he let those cases off lightly.

The stolen goods were redeemed by Madam Zhou.

Today, the stories of "Xu Xiu" and "Zhou Xiu" have spread throughout the country, while Zhou Xuan is waiting to die in prison, and his reputation has become infamous.

A group of writers trained by the imperial court also wrote several wonderful novels based on this story, and many men from humble backgrounds who rose from poverty to success were exposed and scorned as a result.

It must be said that since Zheng Xun entered the court, the entertainment life of the people of Dayong has become much richer, and stories have spread one after another.

And Zheng Xun's reputation, along with these stories, left an indelible mark on the hearts of the people of the Brown Kingdom.

The other minor figures who took Xu Xiu in as followers are not worth mentioning. The real highlight is the Minister of Personnel, who feels that the atmosphere in the court has become increasingly strange recently, but he still can't figure it out.

The first person to stand up and report him was Liao Hongsheng.

The fact that the two men, who used to be like brothers, are now standing at opposite ends of the spectrum is not surprising to anyone in the court.

What they were more concerned about was what the Minister of Personnel had actually done.

It should be noted that the Minister of Personnel was the most promising candidate for the cabinet after Liao Hongsheng. He had always enjoyed a good reputation in the court and had a large following, both overt and covert, who unconditionally followed his decisions.

This force is mostly not in conspicuous locations, but once united, it becomes a force to be reckoned with.

This group has another name: the die-hard Fifth Prince Party.

Of course, they were not supporting the Fifth Prince, but rather a higher authority.

Since there were no other princes to support, the cooperation between the two sides remained relatively stable.

However, after Liao Hongsheng loudly read out the ten charges against Minister Lü, the Fifth Prince remained silent.

The Minister of Personnel knelt down abruptly halfway through reading the first charge.

But his expression remained calm.

Because he was daydreaming.

At this moment, Liao Hongsheng was all he could think about.

Liao Hongsheng, like Duan Yunfeng, used to be upright and honest, and he never got along with ministers who loved to scheme and often used underhanded tactics.

But one day, Liao Hongsheng suddenly changed.

He started to become slick and ingratiating.

He became the very thing he used to despise.

At that time, countless people in the court were laughing at him, mocking his fall from grace and his tainted past, and his naive adherence to principles.