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

Meeting Xiang An's gaze, Huo Xin stood up and slowly walked to the window, placing her hands on the window frame and looking down at the floor below: "Princess, who are they?"

The moment she uttered the form of address, it was clear she was no longer trying to hide it.

Xiang An followed her gaze and saw several ragged beggars hiding in the shade at the street corner to escape the heat.

He pursed his lips and answered truthfully to An: "A beggar."

“They’re poor bastards.” Huo Xin chuckled. “If they don’t work hard or encounter a great opportunity, they might spend their whole lives in poverty.”

Xiang An: "..."

How could she not know?

Huo Xin turned slightly to the side: "Princess, do you think they'd be willing to spend their whole lives like this?"

Xiang An stared at her for a moment, then shook her head slightly: "I don't know. Everyone has their own way of living, whether it's good or bad, only the person who has lived it knows."

"Your Highness is truly talented, I admire you." Huo Xin replied casually, her gaze never leaving the beggar. "They are not particularly good-looking. If they go to the Nanfeng Pavilion, with their looks, learning music, chess, calligraphy, and painting might be a good way for them to make a living."

“Nanfeng Pavilion?” Xiang An asked in surprise.

Huo Xin chuckled: "What? Is the princess shy?"

"No. You continue." Xiang An looked away. She had no objection to what she was saying. She was just curious about Huo Xinju's example of Nanfeng Pavilion. When people try to make others understand their thoughts, the people or things they specifically point out are usually the people or things they are most familiar with or know best.

"Nanfeng Pavilion isn't the best, but at least you won't have to worry about food and drink. It's a thousand times better than being a beggar. Does the princess know why they don't go there?"

Xiang An glanced sideways, and the bright sunlight fell into Huo Xin's smiling eyes, making them appear as clear as glass, but without the clarity of glass. She seemed to be asking her very seriously, but her darting eyes, slightly upturned lips, and unintentionally off-key tone all hinted to Xiang An, "You definitely don't know, ask me quickly, ask me quickly."

She's a very interesting girl.

Unfortunately, Xiang An actually knew the answer to this question: "When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when people are well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame."

Huo Xin was taken aback, her eyes glazed over, and after a long while, she turned her face away awkwardly, stammering, "Cang what... what does that mean? When I was young, my family was poor and I didn't study much. The great principles I learned later were from what my patrons... no, other people said." Her voice grew softer and softer, and her words became more and more indistinct.

Naturally ignoring the word "patron" that she had let slip, he explained to An in detail: "When ordinary people have plenty of grain in their granaries, they naturally know etiquette. When they are well-fed and clothed, they naturally know honor and shame. Learning music, chess, calligraphy and painting is something for wealthy people to pass the time and have fun. Poor people struggle to make ends meet every day, so where would they get the energy to learn useless things?"

"What you said is exactly what I was thinking." Upon hearing this, Huo Xin's inferiority complex vanished, and she returned to her original state, proudly saying, "So I want to make money, lots and lots of money. I also want to be a rich person, eating and drinking to my heart's content, and playing music and drinking wine every day. So regardless of whether the princess believes it or not, the matter of investing is my personal idea and has nothing to do with my master. If the princess agrees, I am willing to give her everything I have."

Xiang An praised, "Very good, a great idea."

Huo Xin was pleasantly surprised: "You agreed?"

"I agree," Xiang An said with a slow smile. "But what do you have to offer me, this so-called 'giving everything'?"

Unfastening the purse at her waist, Huo Xin poured out several silver notes. "My entire fortune—twenty thousand taels of silver." After a pause, she took out a jade pendant. "This jade pendant is made of the finest mutton-fat jade. If I pawn it, I can get several hundred taels of silver."

Xiang An glanced down at the things on the table and smiled, "That's all?" After Huo Xin nodded, Xiang An's slender fingers lightly stroked her sleeve, "The Shu brocade dress I'm wearing is worth nine hundred taels of silver. And I can wear such a dress from the beginning of the year to the end without repeating a single one."

As soon as she finished speaking, Huo Xin's face turned completely red. She immediately reached out and gathered the things on the table together, stuffing them haphazardly into her purse. Apart from the year she first entered the brothel, she hadn't felt embarrassed in a long time, and at this moment, she couldn't stay a moment longer.

She knew Xiang An was rich, but she never expected her to be so explicit.

"Wait, you have something else that's very valuable." Xiang Anqi pressed down on Huo Xin's hand holding the silver notes, but Huo Xin shook it off, her eyes fierce. "When I was in the brothel, I sold my art but not my body. Now that I'm out of the brothel, I've finally gained my freedom. I advise the princess to be sensible and shut up, and not make things difficult for each other."

The incident happened suddenly, and Huo Xin's unexpected change startled Xiang An. After a while, she realized what was happening and reached out to press her hand down again. This time she used force, and Huo Xin did not immediately shake her off.

Xiang An hurriedly replied, "I am not interested in women."

"Then I won't either..."

"I don't need you to be my slave," Xiang An said preemptively. "I have no shortage of servants."

Huo Xin paused, then raised her head, which had been lowered, revealing her already red eyes. "Then what do you want me to do?"

"How's your math?" Xiang An released her hand and sat back in her chair. "Just now you said that all the big principles you know come from others, which means you learn quickly. Even if you don't understand something right away, you should be able to learn it quickly later. Want to give it a try?"

"Yes. Thank you for your grace, Princess." Huo Xin's eyes filled with tears as she knelt deeply on the ground.

Xiang An didn't feel happy; on the contrary, she felt regretful and heavy-hearted. In a moment of impulsiveness, she forgot how difficult her mission was to complete and forgot that if she died, everything would have to start all over again.

"If you were still in a brothel, but I wanted to give you an important position, how could I make you willingly abandon your master and choose to serve me wholeheartedly?"

Huo Xin chuckled sullenly: "The princess hasn't even signed a contract with me yet, and she's already willing to trust me? How can she compare herself to her former master?"

Xiang An raised an eyebrow, knowing that she was testing whether this trust was genuine or not, but she had to say it, so she simply said it directly: "Tell me what to do?" She couldn't tell her the real reason.

“Princess, you need not worry. No matter when, where, or how you seek me out, as long as you speak, as long as you need me, I will serve you with my life anytime, anywhere.”

"Why?"

"Perhaps the princess does not know, but I have long admired the princess." Huo Xin's eyes sparkled. "I have wanted to meet the princess for a long time, but I have no way to do so."

Xiang An frowned and remained silent.

Huo Xin: "Princess, there is no need to worry or doubt. There are many people in the capital who admire you secretly, even if you don't know their names."

He tapped his fingertips on the table and looked at An: "Your former master was also one?"

"I cannot speak of it. The most important thing in dealing with people is to keep one's mouth shut," Huo Xin said. "Including the princess, if you no longer need me to earn money in the future, I will not say anything about the princess to the next master either."