The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 219 Flaw

It is said that everything is difficult at the beginning. Zheng Xun's most chaotic six months in Dayong have passed, and with the arrival of the New Year, everything seems to be going smoothly.

Things were progressing steadily in Jiangzhou, while new storybooks were arriving in the capital, replacing the previously suggestive anti-government books.

Zheng Xun strolled around casually, and the stories told by the storytellers in the teahouses were either works by philanderers or by Madam Xia.

These stories spread so quickly not only because the book's content was captivating, but also because of Tao Heng's marketing efforts.

When he first arrived, the situation in Jiangzhou was extremely dire.

The bookstore had been entrenched in Jiangzhou for a long time, and gradually expanded its scale over time.

At its peak, the bookstore was the only place where women in the inner quarters and scholars would go when they needed new books.

If a bookstore suddenly appeared, it might arouse suspicion among many people, but by slowly infiltrating and gradually becoming like boiling a frog in warm water, people have become accustomed to its presence.

If it weren't for Tao Heng, a stubborn man with meticulous attention to detail, and Zheng Xun, an omniscient being, the bookstore could have remained dormant for a long time.

Tao Heng led Zheng Xun to a secluded alley.

At the end of the alley, there is a dilapidated shop.

"here it is?"

"Yi Guan Bookstore was gradually squeezed out of the mainstream due to the emergence of many new bookstores. Later, because it could not make ends meet, it had to move to a dilapidated storefront."

Zheng Xun raised an eyebrow: "Still open?"

"It won't be able to continue operating for long."

"You've kept it for so long, have you used it for fishing? How many have you caught?"

Tao Heng immediately smiled and said, "The princess is incredibly insightful."

Nowadays, the bookstore barely survives thanks to a few regular customers who don't like to move.

However, after fishing for so long, the Brown Kingdom had long since realized the bookstore's abnormality, and they hadn't sent anyone to Tao Heng for quite some time.

But it'll be soon; it'll be time to close the net soon.

Zheng Xun gestured for Tao Heng to lead the way: "Come on, let's go see your fish."

Tao Heng dawdled, his steps seemingly glued to the ground, unwilling to move an inch.

"Why don't you leave?"

Tao Heng was startled by her question, which was asked in a flat tone.

It's no wonder he was timid; the princess was all-knowing and all-powerful, and with just a little thought, she could tell he was lying.

He couldn't hide it no matter what...

However, he feared that the princess would dislike his behavior.

Zheng Xun could tell he was hiding something. Instead of questioning him or checking the system, she gently asked, "What's wrong?"

"Princess!"

Tao Heng knelt down on the hard ground with a thud.

"Get up and talk."

Tao Heng didn't get up, but lowered his head and said awkwardly, "The fish... are all dead."

"Oh? How did he die?"

Tao Heng honestly replied, "I used it."

Zheng Xun: ?

She was very curious about what it meant to use it, and how he used the word "person".

Tao Heng didn't dare to keep her in suspense and honestly said, "For example, there was a case of husband killing last month. The husband often beat and kicked his wife, and later even tried to sell their young daughter. The woman couldn't bear it anymore and killed her husband. I... felt that she did nothing wrong, so I let an undercover agent from the bookstore take the blame for her."

He felt so guilty in front of Zheng Xun that he didn't dare to lift his head.

Zheng Xun stared at him for a while: "Tao Heng, you did this on purpose."

"Your Highness, I do not understand what you mean."

"You don't understand? If you don't understand, why bring up this case? Isn't it because you know I'm a woman, and I should be more tolerant of other women?"

Normally, the two acted more like friends. Although Tao Heng was respectful to Zheng Xun, he did so in a way that was almost imperceptible.

This was the first time the two had spoken as master and servant after reaching an agreement.

Tao Heng remained silent.

It wasn't that he didn't want to defend himself, but Zheng Xun saw right through him, and he couldn't defend himself because everything she said was true.

He did indeed want to take advantage of her soft heart and let the matter drop.

But this was just a small trick and a cover-up. He knew that what he was doing was very outrageous in the eyes of most people, and might even be labeled as heresy.

He knew Zheng Xun wasn't a rigid person and believed she wouldn't mind his unscrupulous methods, but out of caution, he always wanted to give himself more security.

As a result, something went wrong while they were providing these guarantees.

He often took pride in his quick wit, but now he's finally tasting the bitter fruit of being too clever.

Evil, no matter how small, can lead to disaster if it goes too far...

He was right.

Zheng Xun didn't actually care about his ulterior motives. He never intended to harm her. They shared common interests and positions, which was the biggest reason why she felt at ease.

As for what methods he uses, it doesn't matter. In any case, her nature is the same as his; they both stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

She just didn't want anyone to find her weaknesses.

Although he could not successfully exploit her weaknesses, Zheng Xun did not like the feeling of being completely figured out.

She calmed herself for a moment, composed herself, and said expressionlessly, "Tell me, where did you use the other undercover agents?"

This time, Tao Heng could only try to suppress his excessive cleverness and honestly confess.

"There was a brown-skinned man I used as bait to lure people from Jiangzhou. Believe it or not, I actually managed to catch quite a few spies. But before I knew it, the bait was eaten."

"And that guy... Jia, back then, some martial arts people wiped out his whole family. After he grew up, he developed a fire bomb. The enemy's entire family, including the ground and their lives, were blown to smithereens. I admired his skills, so I used an undercover agent to replace him."

Tao Heng paused, intending to conceal something, but ultimately didn't dare: "I've investigated his past. He's not a bad person, and he's grateful for kindness. The main reason I saved him was to use gratitude to coerce him into doing things for me."

What else could Zheng Xun say? Now that she had given him the person, was she going to give him away again?

That must not be possible.

"There was another spy who got a dirty disease because he was too promiscuous, so I sent him back to the Brown Country."

Zheng Xun: You're the one who's really being sarcastic.

"Your Highness should know that due to the plague, some villages in Dayong became deserted. The investigation at that time revealed that the elderly and children were used to make so-called longevity pills. However, the whereabouts of some of them are still very unclear and have never been determined..."

Zheng Xun raised an eyebrow: "You found out?"

Tao Heng nodded reservedly: "Although the process was a bit difficult, we did figure it out."

"Tell me."

"Actually, one thing is true: the Brown Kingdom people did indeed spread a plague in Dayong, but they accidentally lost many of their own people. They discovered that no matter how powerful their weapons were, without a shield to protect them, they could easily injure themselves. So, they started kidnapping Dayong people to test their medicines."

Zheng Xun's expression remained indifferent.

Tao Heng couldn't help but steal a glance at her.

The princess should have known about this long ago, but for some reason, she never mentioned it or reminded him, otherwise he wouldn't have had the opportunity to find out about these things.