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

Today, she faces a choice between death and completing her mission.

It's a pity I can't tell the truth.

A thought flashed through his mind, and a reason that wasn't really a reason popped into his head: "Quite a few. It's just that my daughter has never seen what a man looks like after taking aphrodisiacs, so she wants to see."

Everyone gasped. It was perfectly normal for young women to have never seen a man take aphrodisiacs, but she was the first to test an aphrodisiac on the emperor.

If they wanted to test the medicine, which of the eunuchs, servants, or maids in the princess's residence couldn't be tested? Why did it have to be the emperor who had to be tested?

This has gone far beyond the scope of reckless behavior, and has led to a point of no return on the evil path of disloyalty and filial impiety.

If a princess lacks a man, what harm is there in keeping one or two male concubines with the emperor's indulgence and permission?

To be fair, Xiang An's reasons were far-fetched. The people present weren't fools; after their initial surprise, a little thought revealed the truth, which was perhaps not as simple as Xiang An made it out to be.

The crowd hesitated to voice their opinions, simply because they couldn't speak up due to her status as a princess.

The emperor looked down at Xiang An, who was kneeling, with a complicated expression and eyes full of disappointment. Finally, he sighed helplessly and waved his hand lightly: "Take him back to the princess's residence. Without my decree, no one is allowed to visit him."

This is a disguised form of house arrest.

The ministers nearby began to murmur, mainly because the punishment was too lenient.

The discussion went on and on, but no one dared to speak up. Everyone knew the Emperor's doting affection for the Ninth Princess, and it was precisely because they knew this that they dared not immediately stand up and refute the Emperor's improper handling of the matter.

If this matter is truly handled according to the law, the best course of action is to execute the victim as a warning to others, since there is no punishment in the world more severe than beheading.

Even tigers don't eat their cubs, so why would the emperor kill his daughter? Not only did no one dare to say it, but no one spoke up either.

After so many years of being in a relationship with the emperor, everyone had come to know each other quite well. They knew that there were certain kinds of face that should never be given to the emperor, while others could be given without consequence, as they could enhance the harmonious relationship between the emperor and his subjects.

Anyway, it wasn't his own daughter who was drugged, and he wasn't the one who almost fell for it. Giving a few words of advice would be in keeping with his official robes. As for whether he would become emperor or not... the old foxes present kept quiet and understood the unspoken truth.

Bai Yuchen stubbornly crawled forward on his knees and said loudly, "Your Majesty's love for the princess is understandable. However, the princess putting medicine in Your Majesty's tea is no small matter. If Your Majesty lets it go so easily, what if other princes and princesses follow suit and cause damage to Your Majesty's health? At that time, the foundation of the country will be shaken, the people will be in a state of panic, and the world will be in chaos. I beg Your Majesty to think twice."

"Then how shall I punish her?" The emperor's voice grew louder and louder with each word, "Kill her? Cut her into a thousand pieces? Tear her apart by chariots? Dismember her by five horses?"

The emperor's imposing presence caused all the ministers to break out in a cold sweat, their heads bowed to the ground. Only Bai Yuchen knelt at the very front, his back unyielding.

"Bai Yuchen, tell me, how should I punish her?" The emperor stared at him.

Bai Yuchen bowed his head: "Your Majesty, I do not know. Everything is up to Your Majesty. I have a pure heart, but I am extremely worried about Your Majesty's health. I only wish Your Majesty good health and that the country will be peaceful."

Anyone who dares to decide how to punish a princess on behalf of the emperor should first consider whether they have a strong enough neck.

In the frozen atmosphere, Xiang An knelt on the ground. This was the first time she had experienced the majesty of an ancient emperor, and she inexplicably felt a sense of fear, like being caught by a teacher for not doing homework and then waiting for the teacher to sentence her.

Fortunately, her long dress was long enough to completely cover her trembling legs, preventing her from embarrassing herself on the spot.

With her head down and eyes darting around, she caught a glimpse of black in her peripheral vision. Fu Qingbai knelt beside her, head bowed, back unusually straight. It was unclear whether he was unafraid of the emperor or because he wasn't the one who had done wrong, and therefore felt no fear.

It is truly rare for someone who grew up under imperial power to be unafraid of imperial authority.

Xiang An couldn't help but feel a bit curious, but she was too busy searching her mind for the original owner's memories of Fu Qingbai. She didn't pay attention to how the Imperial Censor Bai and the other ministers were playing their games with the emperor. All she knew was that amidst the cacophony of words from everyone in the room, the outcome remained unchanged, and she was still confined to her quarters.

Late at night, two men, one tall and one short, appeared at an inconspicuous back door in a corner of the princess's residence. After a knock, the door in the dark corner opened and welcomed the two men inside.

Clearly, the tall one is the emperor, and the short one is Changfu.

"My son, I pay my respects to my father."

Xiang An was dressed in a light green floral palace gown, draped with a thin layer of gold gauze. Her long black hair was simply tied up, so plain that not a single hairpin was inserted. The forced smile on her tired face revealed the truth that she had been forcibly dragged out of bed.

The emperor looked her over: "Asleep?"

Xiang An's lips curled slightly, his eyes filled with worry: "Too many things happened today. If I think about them for too long, my head will ache. Only when I'm asleep can I stop thinking about these things." In fact, he wasn't.

Who would be awake in the middle of the night? Only the emperor would come to visit.

Moreover, administering aphrodisiacs was something she had planned for a long time. If Fu Qingbai hadn't suddenly appeared, and after the ministers finished speaking and left, and the emperor couldn't stand her crying, while reading a book and drinking tea, she could have sent Changfu away, and her mission would have been accomplished.

Xiang An never considered unforeseen circumstances; her thinking was simple: no matter what happens, she would try it first and see what happens.

The emperor gazed at her silently, without saying a word.

Xiang An stood obediently, letting him look at her. Although she felt guilty, she was the one who did it, and she would accept whatever punishment the emperor wanted to give her.

The few dark clouds that had drifted in on the night breeze had dispersed, and the bright moon hung high in the black sky, its silvery light spreading across the earth. Crickets chirped incessantly in the grass on both sides of the road.

Changfu broke the silence by speaking up: "Your Majesty, it's late and the dew is heavy. Why don't we go back inside and talk?"

Xiang An's legs were already numb from standing, so he immediately agreed, stepped aside to guide the emperor to sit down in the main hall, brewed him a cup of tea, and then sat down at the lower end of the table.

Changfu poured some tea into another cup, drank it himself for half an hour to make sure he felt no ill effects, and then personally served it to the emperor.

Xiang An wasn't blind to the unusual method of poison testing.

Her eyelids drooped, her long eyelashes fluttering, and she said, "Since Father is so uneasy, why come to the Princess's residence so late at night?"

The emperor, who was drinking tea, remained expressionless, while Changfu, with great tact, bowed and retreated to the gate to guard it.

The emperor put down his teacup and said gently, "I don't believe you would do something like poisoning someone. Xiao Jiu, did someone close to you say something to you?"

Listen to this! The Emperor father didn't even hint at it; he directly told her to pass the buck. He probably only needs her to say the name, and even if that name doesn't exist in the world now, it will exist tomorrow.

It's such a pity that the emperor, the father of the emperor, loved his daughter so much.

Xiang An cursed the system a hundred times in his mind every day, saying it was inhuman.

Having vented her anger a little, she deliberately provoked others by saying, "The eunuchs and maids in the Princess's residence all come from the palace. Who dares to speak ill of me?"

The implication is: you trained these people, and no one dares to say anything to her. The drugging was entirely her idea; if anyone else had the idea, then it's the emperor's fault.

Just as the emperor wished, she shifted the blame entirely onto her father, the emperor. She had truly mastered the art of shifting blame.

The emperor tapped his index finger lightly: "Half a month ago, your personal maid, Xiao Ru, secretly spent a lot of money to buy several boxes of Spring Breeze Laughter."