After the system set its sights on the dragon throne, the princess started courting death every day.

Instantly, the skin that was hit became red and swollen, and the pale yellow tea flowed down her cheeks, neck, and soaked her hair and clothes.

Huo Xin pursed her lips and knelt down quietly.

Xiang Xin lowered his hand, maintaining his original posture, and looked at her coldly: "This prince hates disobedient servants the most."

"I dare not." Huo Xin's long eyelashes trembled and drooped, her face so taut that she appeared expressionless.

“Tomorrow, a woman named Xiao Ru will come to buy Piaoxianglou from you. No matter how she tries to bargain, the price must not be lower than 50,000 taels of silver.” Xiang Xin took out a land deed and lightly pressed his index finger on the side. “If Princess Miankang is also coming with her, the price must not be lower than 30,000 taels of silver.”

"Yes, sir." Huo Xin crawled over and put away the land deed.

Do you know who Princess Miankang is?

"The emperor's most beloved princess."

"Heh, my most beloved." Xiang Xin chuckled ambiguously, "But more important than the title of princess is that she is my sister, my only, most cherished sister, the one I need to protect for the rest of my life."

"I will keep this in mind. I will never offend the princess."

“You can’t offend her. My sister is incredibly intelligent, calm, rational, and exceptionally resourceful. She’s never one to be bullied; she’ll fight back and resist. She’ll never let anyone take advantage of her.” A smile gradually appeared on Xiang Xin’s lips. “I’ve raised my sister since she was little, and I know her better than anyone else what kind of person she is.”

Huo Xin paused, then unconsciously asked, "Then why didn't you want to see her a few years ago?"

Even when they occasionally met, they always looked displeased and would speak harshly to each other, refusing to accept any gifts sent to them. Otherwise, how could rumors of discord between the siblings have spread in the capital?

The sound of walnuts being pounded stopped again, and Huo Xin's heart jumped instantly. She immediately realized that she had said the wrong thing and opened her mouth to try to make amends, but suddenly two walnuts flew from the opposite side and slammed heavily onto the table. After a loud bang, the walnuts rolled to the ground.

Xiang Xin said coldly, "...Get out."

The door to the side room opened and closed, then fell completely silent. Xiang Xin sat slumped in the chair for an unknown amount of time, then suddenly sneered, "A fake who's taken over my sister's body, she doesn't even deserve it!"

He personally cared for his younger sister from infancy until she left the palace to live in the princess's residence. From a young age, she was mischievous, audacious, and never afraid of anyone.

At the age of six, she couldn't answer a question the emperor had given her, which angered him, and he scolded her. This struck a nerve with Xiang An, and she pointed at the emperor's nose, her eyes red and swollen, trying not to shed a tear, and roared: "The father is to blame for the son's misbehavior! Your Majesty! I couldn't answer the question, so you should reflect on your own actions first. Also, you should apologize to me!"

With a single sentence, she stunned the emperor. She vented her anger, but the consequence was that the emperor punished her by making her copy the Analects three times. Even though her hands were swollen from writing, she refused to admit her mistake.

When asked why, she replied, "It was my fault for not being able to answer the question. I accept being scolded or beaten, and I already listened to the reprimand obediently. But Father shouldn't have scolded me and my mother at the same time. He scolded my mother first, and I scolded him afterward. He has to apologize to me and admit his mistake before I can apologize to him."

"Right is right, wrong is wrong" is the principle she believes in, and she sticks to it rigidly.

Later, from some point onward, his sister gradually became quiet and docile, accepting everything and obeying in every way. When she was wronged, all she knew how to do was cry.

If it weren't for the fact that discovering the goods were counterfeit, Xiang Xin would have already sought out various shamans to exorcise the ghost.

One reason he didn't want to see her was that he didn't want to see a fake woman crying with his sister's face on her back; another reason was that seeing her face would remind him of another woman he hated.

His sister is no longer his sister.

In fact, he wasn't the only one who noticed his sister's change; Fu Qingbai did too.

That year in the Imperial Garden, my younger sister was flying a kite under a willow tree when Fu Qingbai happened to pass by. He caught a glimpse of her and could never forget her. He would approach her every day to try and become familiar with her.

Fu Qingbai reacted even more strongly than he did after noticing his sister's change.

First, he immediately drew a line and distanced himself from her. Then, for no apparent reason, he developed a habit of not looking at his sister's face, claiming it was because men and women shouldn't touch each other. In reality, since they were both in the capital, they occasionally had unavoidable encounters.

Fu Qingbai was more ruthless and heartless than him, maintaining her feigned habit until he left the capital for the border and then returned to the capital from there. Xiang Xin couldn't help but look at his sister's face; after all, her appearance hadn't changed.

However, Xiang An has changed a lot recently. The time before last, she dared to threaten him with a knife to his neck in the carriage. The last time she came to the mansion, she forced him to join her in bullying Wei Wenrun. The change is so great that even Fu Qingbai is sniffing around like a dog, abandoning his pretense and coming closer.

With a blank expression, Xiang Xin took out two luminous pearls from her brocade pouch and held them in her hands. She was secretly delighted: "It seems my dear sister has really returned."

"You're back already? How did things go?" Inside the princess's residence, Xiang An pulled Xiao Ru, who had just entered the room, to sit down.

"No," Xiao Ru shook her head. "The manager of Piaoxianglou said he couldn't make the decision; he has to ask the owner and give me an answer tomorrow. As for finding a beggar..."

Xiao Ru hesitated for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Princess, the rumors circulating in the capital have changed today."

"How did it change?"

Xiao Ru told Xiang An everything she had heard, her index finger tracing the rim of her teacup. Xiang An pondered for a moment, then asked, "Xiao Ru, how do you think this rumor will spread next?"

“This servant does not know. Lord Wei arrived at Ping Le Kang in time with his household guards and rescued the madam, which proves that Li Qinhu’s vase is indeed in Lord Wei’s hands.”

“Not necessarily. At the time, the madam of Ping Le Kang had already broken the vase she had been clutching tightly in her arms under the shoving of the guests. But the madam only said that the broken vase was a fake after Wei Wenrun arrived with his men.” Xiang An said this, raising her finger to lightly tap her forehead again. “Besides, there is no real Li Qinhu vase, only fake ones.”

Xiao Ru chuckled and covered her forehead: "This servant believes the princess. It was said by eyewitnesses present at the scene. It was said by the performing girls of Ping Le Kang themselves. The way they all spoke was so real."

"In that case, let Diao Xi go out and keep an eye on the rumors outside. Report any changes immediately."

"it is good."

"Tomorrow, I will go with you to see the owner of Piaoxianglou."

"Ah? Buying a restaurant is something I can do by myself. The princess can rest in the mansion." Xiao Ru couldn't help but glance at Xiang An's knees.

Although the princess had anticipated that the emperor would make her kneel for a while before entering the palace and was prepared, she had never done any work since she was a child and her skin was very delicate.

Even with several layers of thick cloth wrapped around her knees, her knees were still red from kneeling, which made her tremble.

Xiang An understood and chuckled, "I applied some medicine as soon as I got back, and my knee is fine now. Don't worry."