The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 184 Reaching Consensus

Cen Wan's eyebrows twitched slightly: "I'd like to hear the details."

“You and I both know that this is a difficult start, so I don’t intend to get rich overnight,” Zheng Xun rubbed his hands together, looking somewhat lewd. “Let’s get the titles and official positions settled first. Then, the die is cast, they’re on our ship. If they want to go any further, it will depend on whether I agree.”

Seeing that Zheng Xun seemed certain that she would rank at the top of the list as long as she participated in the imperial examination, Cen Wan couldn't help but chuckle: "Thank you for your trust, Princess, but..."

[Hurry up and say yes! I thought Cen Wan was a heroine like Shen Canglan, but who would have thought she'd be so indecisive?]

[With Zhao Xiulan, Jianyang, and others paving the way ahead, she's still hesitating and looking back.]

Perhaps I should consider finding someone else to support?

The Cen father and daughter's pupils constricted, their faces showing terror as if they had seen a ghost.

They opened their mouths to speak, but like the people in the capital, they couldn't say anything.

The two pointed at Zheng Xun in shock.

However, Zheng Xun's gaze swept over them, but he seemed not to notice anything unusual.

Zheng Jiu and Zheng Shi quickly pulled one of them aside and explained their innermost thoughts one-on-one.

Cen Wan: "Are you making up a storybook?"

Dean Cen: "You must be joking, right?"

Zheng Jiu and Zheng Shi did not continue to explain.

Some things, you just have to see for yourself to know if they're true or false.

After all, they know very well that things like "heartfelt words" and "live broadcasts" sound like fantasy. It's normal not to believe them. Those who believe them immediately are either too shocked or are somewhat abnormal.

Zheng Xun rubbed the knuckles of his left hand, a thoughtful expression on his face.

However, because this era did not require women to have the ability to become high-ranking officials or nobles, women with such abilities as Cen Wan were extremely rare.

After all, not everyone has the courage to break free from their constraints and a father who loves and protects her so much.

For people in this world, Zheng Xun's thoughts might be a little hard to understand, but it's clear that she praised two people with one sentence. Dean Cen felt very comfortable after being praised by her, while Cen Wan was deeply moved by the words "becoming a prime minister and being granted a title."

She thought she had long since come to terms with reality and that her heart was as calm as still water, but as it turned out, she just hadn't encountered a storm as powerful as Zheng Xun.

She suddenly spoke, her tone brimming with a passion she herself hadn't even realized: "Princess, is it really possible?"

Zheng Xun seemed momentarily confused by her sudden change in attitude, but she quickly regained her composure.

“Good girl, this question shouldn’t be asked of me, but of your own heart,” she said, walking up to Cen Wan with an extremely serious expression. “With my support, do you think you still have the courage?”

Cen Wan's heart pounded faster and faster, her chest trembling: "I have it! I have it!"

Dean Cen suddenly raised his hand and wiped his slightly moist eyes.

The academy's disciples have been idle for too long, so he will arrange for someone to set the questions, making sure to give the students participating in this preliminary examination a warm and welcoming experience.

Yes, these people also have a master-disciple relationship with Wanwan. If they can enter the court together, they can support each other.

Isn't that how things are in the imperial court? It's either the East Wind prevails over the West Wind, or the West Wind prevails over the East Wind.

If she has more supporters, Wanwan will face less resistance.

Ok……

He was already quite old; otherwise, he would have made a name for himself in the imperial court for Wanwan's sake.

Alas, there wasn't much he could do. Besides training more students to accept women as officials, all he could do was cook a few good meals for Wanwan.

His skills shouldn't go to waste, and since Wanwan happens to want to learn, he'll cook for her every day from now on!

Cen Wan had no idea what kind of torment she was about to suffer.

At this moment, Zheng Xun extended his hand: "Cen Wan! I wish you a bright future and a meteoric rise in your career."

Cen Wan's smile was as bright as the warm sun. She reached out and touched Cen Wan's palm. Their hands clasped tightly, and they both felt each other's determination.

Master Cen suddenly leaned close to their clasped hands: "What are you doing...?"

The atmosphere between Zheng Xun and Cen Wan was just right, and his hat was inexplicably a bit of an eyesore.

But Cen Wan was happy right now, so she simply said gently, "Father, you go ahead and do your work, okay?"

Upon hearing her voice, Dean Cen's face contorted in pain, as if he could barely bear it: "Is your voice damaged?"

Cen Wan: ...

[What does Master Cen know? This is called a "clamped sound," a way of expressing affection when facing a person, animal, or object that one likes.]

Wanwan only serves food in front of me, not others, because she likes me!

Dean Cen: ...

If he wasn't mistaken, Wanwan was just talking to him, right?

What exactly is she trying to embellish her image with?

Never mind, she's a princess, she has the final say.

With the exam questions on his mind, he hesitated before speaking: "Princess, since Wanwan is also going to participate in this special imperial examination, I should avoid suspicion. I wonder if it would be possible for the princess to preside over this preliminary examination?"

Zheng Xun: "Are you sure?"

"Of course, only entrusting this matter to the princess can put our minds at ease."

"I am unaware of the academic level of your students."

"It's okay! I believe in them!"

Actually, he thought that the princess in the capital, who lived a life of luxury, probably wouldn't be able to set any difficult questions.

Regardless of how far the students of the academy can go later, passing the preliminary examination will give them an extra round of experience, which will only benefit them in the future.

Only Zheng Jiu and Zheng Shi knew that he had believed it too soon.

Zheng Xun raised an eyebrow: "Alright, don't worry, I will definitely live up to the dean's expectations."

Dean Cen smiled smugly, bowed to Zheng Xun, and took his leave.

Although the time was short, he urged the students to adopt the right attitude and make the most of every moment.

His departure spread the competitive spirit he had picked up from Zheng Xun to every corner of the Wuzhou Academy.

As a result, the academic atmosphere at the academy became even stronger.

If this were a fantasy world, the literary atmosphere it generated would surely nurture several calligraphy masters.

After Dean Cen left, Zheng Xun smiled at Cen Wan and said, "Go back and prepare well. I won't give you any advance notice."

Cen Wan was even more composed than she had expected.

She was always engrossed in her studies, even though she knew that what she had learned might not be of any use. But a sense of unwillingness kept her going.

No wonder people always say that opportunity favors the prepared mind.

Her efforts were not in vain.

She gained a sense of fulfillment and joy from this process, and just when she had given up hope of a fruitful outcome, she suddenly encountered the most surprising reward.

After seeing the father and daughter off, Zheng Xun turned around and went to prepare the exam papers.

Having agreed to the task, she had no intention of being perfunctory.

She created the exam papers extremely quickly; they were sent for reprinting in just one day.

The people printing the exam papers worked overtime and finally finished printing all the exam papers by the second day.

On the third day, the students stepped into the hastily prepared examination hall.