The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 317 Earth Thieves

Once it has accepted its master and is suppressed, Fei Bai is a rare and excellent steed in the world.

Zheng Xun rode it, and before long he had crossed most of the village.

As a result, when she went to a secluded spot at the back of the manor, she encountered several suspicious-looking men.

They carried heavy baskets and headed down a path.

Zheng Xun knew at a glance that they were not from the manor.

"Feibai, let's go."

Zheng Xun's patting motion was a bit too forceful, and Fei Bai instantly understood, speeding up and blocking their only path with Zheng Xun.

She reined in her horse and peered into their baskets: "Wow, what a lively scene! What are you all busy with?"

Those carrying loads and hoes looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zheng Xun's demeanor and the imposing horse she rode on clearly indicated that she was no ordinary girl. Out of caution, they did not answer rashly, but instead asked warily, "Who are you?"

"Huh? You're carrying soil from my estate, and you're asking me who I am? You're not from the estate, are you?"

One person blurted out, "Are you kidding me? This estate belongs to Princess Yuanjia, and you're not a princess..."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, as if remembering something, and quickly looked up at Zheng Xun.

His movements were so violent that Zheng Xun even heard a crisp "click" sound from his neck.

She looked back with a smile: "What? Doesn't it look like it?"

The people carrying baskets looked at each other.

Should we run?

"A direct confrontation?"

They seemed to be asking others, but also questioning themselves, while Zheng Xun, watching them openly discuss their matter: ...

"How about I excuse myself for a moment? You two can discuss it first?"

No one paid any attention to her.

Is she really a princess?

"It looks like it. Even though she was smiling when she looked at me, I always felt like she was going to chop off my head any second."

"What should we do then? We'll get caught red-handed. Or should we take a gamble? We've already come this far..."

"What are you betting on? Nine generations of your family?"

Should we ask our superiors for help?

"Seek help? And then be pushed out to take the blame?"

"What should we do then? Beg for mercy?"

"That's okay too."

Then, they put down their baskets, threw away their carrying poles, and knelt down before Zheng Xun with practiced ease: "Long live the princess! Princess, spare our lives!"

Zheng Xun: Long live the princess?

She coughed lightly: "What is your crime?"

"Theft? We only stole a little bit of soil..."

Some people, eager to prove themselves, lifted the tattered cloth covering the basket, revealing the soil inside.

"What? Do you even know what the purpose of the people who sent you here to steal soil is?"

They obediently shook their heads.

What do they know? They just do whatever they're told to do.

“Your master ordered you to steal soil because he was envious of the good harvest of seeds on the estate. He thought it was because the soil on the estate was different,” Zheng Xun straightened up and looked back in the direction of the farm. “He doesn’t know that the soil on the estate is nothing special. What’s special is the seeds. They are seeds that the people on the estate have worked hard to develop in order to solve the problem of food and clothing for the people.”

"Seeds to solve the problem of food and clothing..."

Someone murmured.

Once they realized the meaning behind Zheng Xun's words, they all disbelieved him.

Zheng Xun patiently explained, "Given my position, punishing you would be as easy as turning my hand. I have no reason to deceive you."

After a moment's thought, the thieves had to admit that what she said made sense.

Zheng Xun's voice was compassionate and tolerant: "You were all children of poor families, and you should know the significance of grain and land. If the increase in grain yield per mu comes from the land, then your masters intend to steal the lifeblood of Dayong, and their intentions are despicable. After all, the land they stole is not only sold to the powerful and wealthy for growing flowers and grass, but they also plan to sell it to the He Kingdom."

Upon hearing the words "Brown Country," the eyes of the group gradually widened.

Someone blurted out, "So, are we betraying our country?"

A man next to him nudged his arm: "No, they told us to steal from the farm, but the farm is heavily guarded, so we came to the horse farm."

Anyway, the people above were too afraid of the princess to show their faces, and the people monitoring them, not daring to offend the princess, chose to turn a blind eye. So, they got to decide what kind of soil the princess dug up.

They breathed a sigh of relief and quickly apologized to Zheng Xun: "Princess, we know we were wrong. We were forced to do this. Please rest assured, we did not touch the soil on the farm!"

“I know, that’s why I’m willing to talk to you for so long.”

Knowing that they were not in control of their own lives and that most of their choices were out of necessity, she would not make things difficult for them.

Leave the drastic measures to the masterminds behind the scenes, but the necessary warnings are still essential.

Thinking of this, she said sternly, "I will give you a chance to redeem yourselves."

"Please speak, Your Highness!"

"Go to Lord Yue Zhenghong, beat the drum and file a complaint, the bigger the fuss, the better."

Zheng Xun wanted to use this case to make an example of someone and to announce the existence of the new seed to the people. Once he had a good reputation, it would be easier to promote it in the future.

Although this era was centralized, the imperial court's control was still insufficient down to the county level.

What worries her is that those below her don't take it seriously and stubbornly refuse to try the new seeds.

The group couldn't believe that Zheng Xun had put it down so easily.

"Princess……"

"Am I the kind of person who doesn't distinguish right from wrong? Don't worry, you haven't done anything seriously wrong. Neither I nor Lord Yue will make things difficult for you."

Wei Yanxing, who was following at a distance, watched this scene and sighed, "The princess always seems to have more patience with ordinary people."

Beside her, Lü Mengying stared at Zheng Xun's figure with gentle eyes, remaining silent.

Wei Yanxing didn't care whether she answered or not, and continued to speak: "That's right. Since they are ordinary people, the wealth and honor at the top are not for them to enjoy for the time being, so the struggles at the top should not affect them."

For an ordinary person, a life free from worries about food and clothing, and without major illnesses or disasters, is enough.

Most people are easily satisfied and won't cause trouble.

How adorable are people like that!

He thought that this was probably why Zheng Xun was so gentle with ordinary people.

Zheng Xun gave them a few more instructions before letting them leave. She rode her horse slowly back to Lü Mengying and the other woman.

Zheng Xun looked at them with a smile: "How about this horse?"

Ma De was quite thorough in his work, and he even provided them with top-quality horses.

Wei Yanxing stroked the horse's back with obvious delight: "Very good!"

"You can all go and choose one."

Wei Yanxing: "Really? The princess is so generous! Long live the princess!"

"Be careful what you say and do."

Wei Yanxing chuckled.

"Princess, we don't have many horses right now. We should prioritize the soldiers and cavalry at the border. They are fighting for their lives at the front and they can't afford to be without good horses."

Wei Yanxing turned his head to look at Lü Mengying: !!

Great!

When did this person go to study communication skills?

Look at him, look at him, what does he look like in comparison?

He said solemnly, "Ahem, what do you take the princess for? The princess is the one who cares most about the soldiers. Do you think the princess is less clear-headed than you? Since you can spare two horses, it should be enough."

Lü Mengying squinted at him.

The two locked eyes, sparks flying.