The next morning at Court Session, Shen De keenly noticed a scorching gaze coming from the Censorate. She glanced over from the corner of her eye and, unsurprisingly, saw that its owner was Vice-Chancellor Cui. Remembering the explosive news she'd learned the night before, her expression turned strange for a moment, and she inexplicably felt a little guilty.
Wait, what did she have to feel guilty about?
It was only one possibility among countless futures. It wasn't bound to happen.
Even if it did happen, so what?
Shen De closed her eyes and steadied her roiling thoughts.
When she opened them again, she happened to hear the appointment being announced.
She and Duke Xun stepped forward one after the other. "Your daughter/Your servant obeys the decree."
The excitement and fervor of taking on official duties drove away her scattered thoughts, and her mind was filled with the task ahead. The civil and military officials looked at the Crown Princess, who bore a striking resemblance to the ruler in her youth, each harboring their own thoughts. It wasn't until the Court Session had ended that Shen De went to find Xun Zhen.
She called out from afar, "Duke Xun, please wait."
Xun Zhen had stopped even before she spoke. "Your Highness."
The ruler had never been stingy with her affection for her only daughter. She had made her Prince Yuan at birth, then named her Crown Princess only a few years later. The Crown Princess Mansion had the same facilities as the royal court, and shared the very same staff. Even the Confucian scholars among the common folk, who loved to pontificate, often sighed and said that if anything happened to the Sage one day, Her Highness the Crown Princess could ascend the throne seamlessly, without needing any adjustment period.
Xun