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

Xiang An: "Meet him at the city gate?"

Xiao Ru's face flushed red: "Diao Xixin said that the border situation has been pacified, and he will return to the capital in triumph in three days. He misses me very much and wants to see me as soon as he enters the city." After saying that, she belatedly realized: "Princess, General Fu didn't mention that in his letter?"

So that's what Fu Qingbai asked in his letter. But why did he return earlier than before? Shouldn't he have been back another half month later?

[System, will restarting the game cause a butterfly effect?]

【do not know. 】

What a useless system!

"No," Xiang An denied immediately, then lay back down on the couch. "You can pick me up at the city gate in three days."

Xiao Ru: "Is the princess going?"

Xiang An tapped the edge of the couch with his index finger, one tap at a time, neither too light nor too heavy. This chaise lounge was supposed to be sold last year, but Xiao Ru desperately stopped her from leaving.

After a while, the knocking stopped, and Xiang An said, "I'm not going."

Xiao Ru: "Ah? Then General Fu must be feeling bad."

Xiang An pursed her lips and remained silent, then turned over, her back to Xiao Ru.

The hot wind swept across their faces, and sweat dripped down their cheeks. The sweltering heat was unbearable, yet not a single person standing on the roadside left.

The girls carried baskets filled with flowers and fruits, while vendors weaved through the crowd selling all sorts of food, and the sounds of bargaining could be heard from time to time.

Before long, the rapid sound of hooves rang out, and then one after another, the galloping horses slowed down at the city gate. The young men on horseback were all clad in armor, brave and fearless, with the general at the very front being particularly dazzling.

He stood ramrod straight, holding a helmet in one hand and the reins in the other. His jet-black hair was tied into a high ponytail with a white hair crown, falling neatly down his back. The ends of his hair swayed from side to side as the horse moved. His eyes occasionally glanced at the crowd as if searching for something.

The waiting crowd became restless, screaming, reveling, and shouting, throwing flowers and fruit at the approaching soldiers.

Thousands upon thousands of petals fell, fluttering in the wind and landing on the ground; fruits of all sizes rained down on them, but there was no pain, only pure joy. They had won; they were the victors.

Suddenly, the general at the front raised his hand and grabbed a pale yellow-green flower from among the thousands of fruits and petals. It was a Cymbidium goeringii.

Fu Qingbai looked up in the direction the orchid had been thrown. The window on the second floor of Piaoxiang Tower was wide open, and Xiang An was leaning against the window frame, smiling and waving at him in a small gesture.

"Princess! Look, so many fruits!" Xiao Ru ran in excitedly, carrying a bag of red and green fruits, which Diao Xi had given her amidst the chaos.

Xiang An casually picked one up and took a bite: "Delicious."

"They said it was wild fruit picked outside the Golden Buddha Temple in the suburbs. Fruits that have been blessed by the Buddha's light taste much better than those from other places." As she spoke, Xiao Ru placed the fruit on the table. "Huh? How did this pot of orchids end up here? Luckily I saw it, otherwise I would have crushed it."

A pot of orchids with only leaves and no flowers sat forlornly by the table leg. The flowerpot was small, and the orchid inside was also small. The only flower stalk had inexplicably lost its bloom, and the orchid was thin, small, and with messy leaves, it looked rather pitiful.

"I just admired it." Xiang An bent down and carried the flowerpot back to the flower stand, placing it next to the orchid with the most blooms. "How are the profits for Piaoxianglou this year? Does Huo Xin have any other ideas?"

"She doesn't have any ideas. This year, thanks to the dishes the princess made, we've made nearly 50% more profit than last year." Xiao Ru sighed. "Luckily, the princess took back control in time last year, otherwise Piaoxianglou would have been forced to close down by Huo Xin."

"It's expected that Huo Xin would lose money in her first business venture. Money is money, and that's that. The fact that she was able to successfully revitalize Piaoxiang Restaurant with just a few dishes I gave her, and even create many new dishes, shows that she is very suitable for business. From now on, I will no longer interfere with Piaoxiang Restaurant and will completely hand it over to her to manage, only collecting her share of the profits. How about it? Do you want to give it a try?"

"No, no!" Xiao Ru shook her head rapidly. "If the princess asks me to learn, I can learn. It's always good to have more skills. But I absolutely cannot leave the princess."

"Alright. I won't force you. Just tell me what you want to do someday. I might not understand, but I'll make sure you get plenty of money."

"Thank you, Princess." Xiao Ru quickly glanced out the window. "Princess, are General Fu and the others going to the palace to meet the Emperor now?"

"Yes. After winning a battle, one should naturally go and claim the reward."

"That's great, then Diao Xi will be able to eat palace food tonight."

Although Fu Qingbai kept sending letters from the border, he never lost a battle. His foresight and troop deployment on the battlefield made it seem as if he was born for the battlefield. As a result, he and Diao Xi made many contributions on the border, and they might even receive a minor official position.

"We can't have it for now," Xiang An said, gently stroking his teacup. "It might be half a month from now."

Xiao Ru found it strange: "The celebration banquet is going to take this long?" The previous celebration banquets never took this long.

The victory celebration banquet won't be so long; it's Ogiwara Ao who's coming. If the butterfly effect isn't too severe, things will generally proceed as before. Judging by the timeline, the invitation should already be on the emperor's desk.

Xiang An took a sip of tea: "You'll know in a few days. Let's go, let's go back to the manor and wait for Diao Xi."

The servants in the princess's residence were already incredibly excited and envious. Over the past year, many had tried to attract Xiang An's attention. It was only after Diao Xi gained the princess's favor and was introduced to General Fu that he rose to prominence.

"Princess, Diao Xi has made a great contribution. Should we reward the servants in the manor?" Qin Zheng handed the account book to Xiang An, which listed the silver that the princess's manor could use at any time.

After nearly a year of unremitting efforts, Qin Zheng is now able to manage the Princess's residence in an orderly manner, and she is equally adept at handling interpersonal relationships with all parties. Her familiarity with the people is in no way inferior to that of the most skilled steward in the capital.

"Have you asked Xiaoru?"

Xiang An was well aware of the servants' scheming, but Diao Xi's achievements today were entirely due to his own efforts. If it weren't for his hard work, ordinary people would hardly stand out under Fu Qingbai's dazzling brilliance, so there was no way she would be involved in rewarding him.

Qin Zheng: "Your aunt said she won't give you a reward."

"Listen to Xiaoru." Xiang An was not surprised by Xiaoru's decision. Xiaoru had a keen eye for people, and very few people could make friends with her.

"Yes, Your Highness. There's one more thing." Qin Zheng reached out and flipped through several pages of the ledger, finally pointing to the bottom column, "Princess, I can't find this account."

—On April 5th, one thousand taels of silver were spent.

Xiang An: "I took it and bought some steamed buns, which I then gave to a little beggar in a dilapidated temple."

In fact, she used steamed buns as bait to fish for suitable beggars to become her bodyguards in the dilapidated temple.

A whole year has passed, and her bodyguards have grown from 50,000 to 70,000. With so many people, there's a lot to eat, and thankfully, she had Xiao Ru secretly sell a lot of good stuff; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to afford to feed them. "Throwing fruit and flowers" comes from the idiom: "To shower a cart with fruit."