The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 265 Born a princess's person, die a princess's ghost.

"I guess she also told you to move around more, but you only listened to half of it, didn't you?"

Consort Chun's eyes darted around guiltily: "How do you know I didn't move? I walked all the way from the palace to here!"

"Hmph, do you even remember you're a concubine? Which favored concubine is like you?"

"Then tell me, am I beautiful now?"

Zheng Xun was speechless, because even though Consort Chun was no longer as slender as a willow in the wind, she was still beautiful.

Consort Chun, hands on her hips, said smugly, "I'm already in the harem. The Empress is kind enough not to let me go hungry or cold. Even if your father dislikes me, he can't just kick me out of the palace, can he? Besides, I have you as my backer. Even if your father..."

She abruptly stopped speaking, but Zheng Xun understood her unspoken meaning.

Even if the emperor dies, with her as her backer, Consort Chun can at least maintain her wealth and status for several decades, so she has no worries or concerns at all.

Realizing she had said the wrong thing, Consort Chun silently apologized and awkwardly changed the subject: "The dishes here have a rather unique flavor."

"It tastes different from what I've had before."

Zheng Xun looked at Zhi Chun beside her, who, upon receiving her gaze, quickly said, "Your Highness, these were prepared for you by Xiang Chen."

"Xiang Chen?" Zheng Xun didn't take him with him this time, nor did he assign him any tasks. He didn't expect him to have become so engrossed in cooking. "How did he get into this?"

Zhichun blinked, looking somewhat confused.

"Call him over."

Xiang Chen had been waiting for Zheng Xun's summons for a long time.

But when the moment actually arrived, he felt a little uneasy.

Feeling uneasy, Xiang Chen arrived at Mingzhu Pavilion and respectfully bowed to Zheng Xun and Consort Chun.

"So honest?" Zheng Xun said with amusement.

"The princess may be respectful in private, but we can't lose face for her in the palace, can we?"

Xiang Chen smiled ingratiatingly, his tone friendly yet respectful, all of his unease vanished; he was still the same Xiang Chen.

"I thought you had suffered some kind of blow, but now it seems you're alright..."

Moved to tears, Xiang Chen rushed to Zheng Xun and pleaded, "Princess, you still worry about me! You care about me!"

Zheng Xun: ...

Consort Chun clutched her stomach, overjoyed: "You're quite the talker, and your cooking is excellent too. How about this, you come and work with me?"

Xiang Chen blinked and shook his head seriously: "That won't do. I belong to the princess in life and in death!"

Consort Chun tilted her head: "So loyal?"

"Does Your Highness know that I used to be a member of the Azure Dragon Guard?"

"Oh? So you're giving up a bright future?"

"My future is important, but it's not... Since I'm following the princess, I hope she's doing well in every way. The princess doesn't lack guards, so taking good care of her is my blessing in every way," Xiang Chen said proudly, raising his chin. "Besides, even as a cook, I'm the best cook! I can sneak into the imperial kitchen, which others can't even get into!"

Saying he "sneaked in" was actually just a humble way of putting it.

Even for someone with real talent, it's not easy to gain a place in the Imperial Kitchen. You can imagine how much effort and dedication he put in.

Consort Chun's expression was complicated: "You are indeed loyal."

She looked at Zheng Xun: "What should we do? The more he says that, the more I want to take him away?"

Zheng Xun said calmly, "You can't take it from me."

Xiang Chen nodded repeatedly.

Zheng Xun looked at him and said gently, "You did a great job, I like it very much."

She wasn't picky about food and rarely showed any preference for any particular type of food, but Xiang Chen had an extremely accurate grasp of her tastes.

I wonder how long and how carefully he observed to achieve this level of skill.

This was also the most satisfying meal she had ever had.

Her words were the greatest affirmation for Xiang Chen.

Everything he did was worth it at this moment.

"Princess! Please continue with your important matters. I may not have any other skills, but I will do my best to ensure that you can enjoy every meal from now on."

"Your willingness to do this is the most precious thing of all."

Consort Chun looked at the two, who were deeply in love with their mistress, and tears of envy streamed down her face.

It doesn't matter, since Zheng Xun is living in the palace now, she can come and freeload.

Zheng Xun's cook, isn't that the same as her cook?

Once she understood this, she immediately smiled broadly: "By the way, I've given the birthday gift I prepared for you to your son, Zhichun. I advise you to rest early today, otherwise you might not be able to handle those visitors tomorrow."

She ate until her belly was round and full, and when she left Mingzhu Pavilion, she held her waist and had a lazy smile on her face.

Zheng Xun sat for a while, and then watched as Zhi Chun presented Consort Chun's gift to him.

In fact, she knew that Consort Chun didn't have anything good. She was just a puppet, only superficially impressive, and didn't have much of substance.

That was indeed the case, but she never expected that Consort Chun would give her such a valuable gift.

The word "precious" means exactly what it says. Zheng Xun guessed that she had no idea what to give, so she could only give something expensive.

There were often rumors in the palace that Consort Chun was greedy and loved to eat, but unexpectedly, all the wealth she had amassed was given to her.

Thinking about this, Zheng Xun felt both amused and touched.

……

The next day, Zheng Xun indeed became busy.

In the morning, every single one of the ladies in the palace was either giving gifts or visiting each other.

Zheng Xun declined all the appointments he could, and in the morning he only met with the Empress, Consort Liang, and Consort Xian.

The first person to visit in the afternoon was Shang Wen.

Zheng Jin decided to go to Liaozhou, taking only Liu Fang with him.

In addition, Shang Wen and Qi Wuyu took Yi, Bing, and Ding back to the capital by detour, not because Zheng Jin didn't want to take them out, but because there were matters to be dealt with in the capital.

The matter of the map of the Brown Kingdom has reached the point of integration and is nearing its end. It is necessary to have someone close to Zheng Xun to take charge of the overall situation.

Jia has already gone to the Ordnance Bureau, Fu Da has been sent to the farm, Bai Zhi, codenamed Ding, went directly to Yuanxiu Academy, Zhao Lingyin entered the palace, Bai Zhi is teaching at the academy, and Qi Wuyu is studying with Duan and Liao.

Everyone shines in their respective positions, and the Great Yong continues to prosper.

Shang Wen respectfully took out three scrolls and handed them to Zheng Xun.

The three scrolls depict largely the same content, but there are three versions due to a few points of contention.

Zheng Xun looked at the neatly drawn map with satisfaction and said, "Good! Very good! You finished it faster and better than I expected!"

Shang Wen's lips curled up slightly: "Thanks to the people introduced by the princess, Lord He Qize is very skilled in geomancy. His abilities are no less than those of the second princess. His involvement has accelerated the progress of things. In addition, Lord Zou Xi is also very knowledgeable and has made great contributions."

Zheng Xun is picky; she doesn't meet many people she encounters on her travels, and the further she goes from the capital, the fewer people are willing to accept her offer.