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

Qi Yuanshen and Qi Yuanshi, one dressed in blue and the other in green, stood quietly three steps away, their beauty like jade crowns.

"We saw the princess from afar and came to pay our respects. We hope we haven't disturbed her meal?" Qi Yuanshen said.

"No." Xiang An stood up, supporting himself on the table.

"That's good." Qi Yuanshen pulled his younger brother, who hadn't looked up at all, and Qi Yuanshi staggered forward a big step: "Your Highness, just now my mother saw you eating alone from afar and was captivated. Overwhelmed with emotion, she wrote a poem for you, but was too shy to come and let you see it. I wonder if Your Highness would do me the honor of taking a look?"

"Your mother?" Xiang An asked, puzzled. The last time he saw the mother of the two brothers was when Qi Yuanshen came to apologize. She was a quiet woman who didn't talk much.

Taking the note, Xiang An saw the words "Be careful tonight" written on it. He understood. Now that they were in the palace, they had to be careful with their words and actions. However, it would damage a woman's reputation if a man and a woman exchanged notes casually. Therefore, they used their mother's name to send her a message.

Xiang An: "I understand, thank you. But how did you know?"

How come Xiang Xin found out, Fu Qingbai found out, and now the two brothers know too?

Is the royal palace a colander?

Qi Yuanshen tilted his head slightly, not looking at her, but said, "General Fu."

"Okay, thank you." After a pause, Xiang An deliberately said loudly, "Your mother's poem is excellent. I like it very much. She can write more in the future."

Qi Yuanshi was taken aback and opened his mouth to speak, but Qi Yuanshen pulled him back and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your praise, Princess. My mother will be very happy to hear this."

After saying that, Qi Yuanshen forcibly dragged away Qi Yuanshi, who looked unwilling.

Standing behind Xiang An, Xiao Ru, who had read the note, timidly spoke up: "Princess, this servant wants to return to the Princess's residence."

Xiang An smiled, her eyes crinkling, and teased, "Scared? Weren't you just about to follow me in killing and setting fires?"

"Princess, this is different..."

"Don't be afraid," Xiang An said, placing his hands on Xiao Ru's shoulders. "So many people have come looking for your princess, are you still afraid?"

"But……"

"Have you forgotten how powerful your princess is?" Xiang An raised an eyebrow, hinting. Xiao Ru immediately recalled the miraculous disappearance of the food in the princess's mouth, and her heart calmed down unconsciously.

"Princess, are you free now?" Ren Xueqing returned.

“Tonight I am truly loved; people who want to speak with me come and go in waves,” Xiang An said.

Ren Xueqing covered her mouth and smiled: "Princess is always loved."

The music of string and wind instruments never stopped, the drumbeats were dense, and the crowd moved with the dancers' steps. Standing outside the hustle and bustle and observing, an endless sense of sorrow suddenly welled up in my heart.

Turning around, Xiang An stood on the decorated bridge in the garden, looking down at Ren Xueqing. Behind her were bright lights, which made Xiang An take a while to come back to his senses. The water flowed gently under his feet, and unknown insects hidden in the pond chirped melodiously.

Leaning on the railing, Xiang An said calmly, "Miss Ren may speak now."

"Princess, recently..."

"Wait a minute, have you thought carefully about where you are, what you should say and what you shouldn't say? Prime Minister Ren should have taught you that."

“...Alright,” Ren Xueqing frowned slightly and took out a red invitation from her sleeve. “The lotus flowers in the lotus pond in my backyard have been gradually blooming recently. In half a month, a lotus appreciation banquet will be held at my home. I would like to invite the princess to come to the mansion to appreciate the lotus flowers.”

"Oh?" Xiang An opened the invitation, only to find it was a visiting card for her upcoming visit to the princess's residence the next day. "Was it written incorrectly?"

"No," Ren Xueqing said gently, the jewels adorning her veil subtly reflecting a faint light. "Your Highness is of noble birth, and I wish to know what Your Highness likes so that I can make arrangements accordingly. I wonder if Your Highness would grant me this opportunity?"

He lightly pinched one corner of the visiting card, tapping the other corner lightly against the railing, and casually asked Xiang An, "May I ask if Xia Ruozhi, daughter of Right Vice Minister Xia Lingguang, was invited to the lotus appreciation banquet?"

"...Yes. The princess doesn't like her?"

Xiang An avoided answering: "You and she don't get along, so why did you invite her?"

Ren Xueqing was taken aback, not expecting Xiang An to know this. After a moment, she said, "Although I had a slight grudge against her not long ago, it is not enough to not invite her. We are all women, and we are all in the capital. If I invite others but not her, wouldn't that be considered excluding her? I do not presume to be a tolerant and magnanimous person, but I have never thought of cutting off all contact with her."

What if she wants to frame you?

"She went to my home. How could she possibly frame me in my own home?"

"Does framing depend on the location?"

"Thank you for your warning, Princess. I will be more careful. But I will still invite her. Women have it tough enough as it is, and we shouldn't make things difficult for each other over something that hasn't happened yet."

The chirping of the unknown insects in the grass suddenly stopped, and the croaking of the frogs that had been hidden for a long time began to rise and fall.

"Miss Ren, you may come to the Princess's residence tomorrow afternoon." Xiang An accepted the visiting card. "I look forward to Miss Ren's arrival."

"Princess, please don't be anxious." Ren Xueqing walked onto the small bridge and stood with Xiang An. "There is something that I have been curious about for a long time. I wonder if the princess could give me an answer?"

Xiang An: "Go ahead."

Ren Xueqing blinked slowly and lowered her head slightly: "Does the princess have a good relationship with the two Qi brothers?"

After thinking for a moment, Xiang An replied, "It's alright."

Ren Xueqing looked up instantly, her eyes filled with excitement: "Really?!"

Xiang Anmu nodded: "...Mm."

Ren Xueqing clenched her fist and slammed it heavily into her other palm. "I knew it! How could that idiot Qi Yuanshi possibly be favored by the princess?!"

Xiang An: "…………"

It turned out to be jealous.

Xiang An: "I am not familiar with Qi Yuan, but I am quite close to him."

“Princess, don’t be fooled by Qi Yuanshen’s kind and gentle nature. He’s actually engaged to Zhang Mengshu, the daughter of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.” Ren Xueqing took Xiang An’s hand. “She has a very good personality. I know her well. I’ll introduce you to her at the lotus viewing banquet.”

"……it is good."

After the matter was settled, Ren Xueqing let the palace maid lead her back to her seat, while Madam Wang had already been craning her neck to look in their direction countless times.

Watching Ren Xueqing's figure gradually emerge from the dim light and walk into the light, closer to her mother's side, Xiang An felt the sorrow she had been suppressing well up again. She also wanted to go home.

Her eyes stung, and Xiang An hurriedly looked up at the starry sky. The starlight was so dazzling that it brought tears to her eyes.

"Did a bug get in your eye?"

A cold voice broke the endless loneliness.

Xiang An looked up and saw Xiang Xin standing quietly among the shadowy flowers and grass. A dim stone lantern was half-hidden among the flowers and grass by the path. If he were to wear a white robe instead of his prince's robe, he would look exactly like a demon.

Xiang An remained silent, turned her gaze away, and was about to leave when she suddenly heard light footsteps behind her, rapidly approaching her. She turned around to stop Xiang Xin from making a scene, but a tremendous force suddenly pushed her away.