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

“It’s not difficult.” Fu Qingbai still hesitated, “It’s just—”

The emperor gave a soft "hmm," signaling him to continue.

Fu Qingbai considered his words carefully before saying, "On the day of the wedding, the bride's head will be covered with a veil, so her face cannot be seen. I was thinking, would it be better if the bride were replaced by a secret agent?"

When he saw Princess Miankang, he found her to be beautiful, with an extraordinary bearing and noble bearing. She was also quite clever, and with more training, she could even enter the Yan Kingdom to gather information through a marriage alliance.

The problem is, there's no time to train anymore.

She was a sheltered young lady who knew nothing about the Yan Kingdom. The relationship between the two countries was currently unclear, and the Yan Kingdom was already showing signs of problems. Sending her there for a marriage alliance so rashly would be tantamount to sending her to her death.

Sending a princess to a marriage alliance is already a disgrace, but now, knowing full well that such an alliance leads to certain death, they still deliberately push her towards her doom. Their consciences are truly uneasy.

Ogiwara Ao and her group had never seen the real Princess Miankang, but there was a group of women among the spies who were extremely skilled at disguise.

On the day the bride was to be married off to a foreign land, her bridal veil was draped over her head, and a female spy disguised herself and took her place. Once she left the capital, no one would know whether the princess was real or not.

The emperor asked in a deep voice, "Are you going to defy the imperial decree?"

With imperial power supreme, no one dared to defy it.

Fu Qingbai frowned slightly, then calmly knelt down: "Your Majesty, I dare not. There is something I do not understand: after years of training, spies are agile and nimble. Yan Kingdom will soon be in chaos. With their skills, they can certainly fake their deaths and leave Yan Kingdom quietly. Why does Your Majesty insist that Princess Miankang go in person?"

The emperor looked down at the boy prostrate before him, remained silent for a long time, and then said, "It's too late."

"Since you have brought it up, I will speak frankly with you: The Prime Minister has repeatedly submitted memorials with tears in his eyes, preferring to resign and return to his hometown rather than send his only daughter on a long journey to marry a foreign ruler. After his death, there were no children to mourn him at his funeral. The Prime Minister has devoted himself to the country for many years, working tirelessly and diligently. Now that he is old and the court is in a precarious situation, I cannot bring myself to harm his only daughter, whether out of sentiment, reason, public interest, or private interest."

Before the real reason was revealed, Fu Qingbai knelt on the ground, waiting quietly and patiently.

The emperor sighed: "Therefore, I had the prime minister explain this matter to Ogiwara Ao in the courtroom. After hearing this, Ogiwara Ao immediately sent people to inquire about and search for the princess's portrait, and expressed that he only wanted to replace it with my own daughter, and nothing else."

"I now have only two daughters who have come of age: Xiao Liu Ning Jing and Xiao Jiu Mian Kang. Xiao Liu was married off a few years ago, so only Xiao Jiu is left. I can't bear to send her to a political marriage, and I promised the late Empress that I would make Xiao Jiu live a peaceful and happy life."

"That day in the Imperial Study, the Prime Minister wept uncontrollably, and the censors who came to report on the matter joined in pleading for his life. I was about to send them away when, unexpectedly, Xiao Jiu—"

The emperor's words came to an abrupt halt, but Fu Qingbai already understood that what followed was that he had caught Xiang An drugging him with aphrodisiacs on the spot.

The princess committed a grave error in front of everyone. The prime minister and the censor told the princess that they were concerned for the emperor's health, but they would not let go of such a good opportunity to report to the emperor afterward. Under immense pressure, the emperor had no choice but to agree to replace her.

Compromising with his subjects does not mean that the emperor is weak or afraid of trouble; rather, it means that he has too many things to consider.

Having been in power for many years, he has experienced many things, both big and small. But it is precisely because of these experiences that the youthful arrogance has been worn away. The increasing pressure from the country and its people has forced him to abandon his personal feelings.

Power is important, and even more so, it is very important. It is difficult to hold onto, but to lose it is a dead end.

Fu Qingbai said guiltily, "I am guilty." If only he hadn't arrested Princess Miankang that day…

"It's all in the past, no need to dwell on it. I don't need her to investigate the information. She just needs to get married properly and use her identity to bring the secret guards in legitimately. She is a princess of the Yuan Kingdom, and she will have to get married sooner or later. It's her destiny, and she can't escape it."

Fu Qingbai: "Your Highness is so noble. I have no right to judge the fate of the times. I only know that I am a military general, born to protect."

“I know of your loyalty,” the Emperor said. “It’s just that Xiao Jiu was born with a mental illness, and this marriage was something she asked for.”

“Princess, she—” Fu Qingbai raised her eyes in surprise, but lowered them again in an instant, unable to look directly at the emperor’s face. “Yes.”

“Ogiwara Ao agreed to the replacement this time, and took the opportunity to demand a lot of dowry, turning what was supposed to be a profitable marriage into a loss. Fortunately, our marriage has other purposes, so you must handle this matter well. I only need the news, nothing else…” The emperor hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, his words barely audible yet leaving no room for argument, “I can’t control that.”

Imperial power is built upon countless bones, and throughout history, it has never lacked bloodshed.

On the seventh day, a fierce wind and torrential rain lashed down, with large, copper-coin-sized raindrops pounding against the green tiles. The rain was rapid and intense, eventually converging into thin streams that hurriedly flowed down the gaps between the tiles.

A green bamboo oil-paper umbrella, held by a person, quickly passes through the flower-filled courtyard. Under the umbrella, the person's pink skirt hurriedly sweeps away a few delicate flower petals from the courtyard. The petals and rainwater gather in the ditch, constantly tumbling on the surface and the bottom of the water, drifting away freely and joyfully with the water.

The umbrella was slightly raised in the rain, revealing the slender and pretty Xiao Ru beneath it. When she saw Xiang An leaning against the window not far away, holding a book in one hand and resting her cheek on the other, her eyes instantly reddened, and she called out in a hoarse voice with difficulty, "Princess!"

From the day the emperor announced the decree for the marriage alliance, all the maids and eunuchs in the princess's residence were expelled and replaced by eunuchs and palace maids from the imperial palace.

Seven days later, she finally saw the princess she had missed the most.

Xiang An, whose eyes were on the book but whose mind was actually wandering elsewhere, was brought back to his senses by the sound.

He put down his book, opened the door, and pulled Xiaoru into the room. Looking at her dress, which was soaked from the rain as she rushed there, he said unhappily, "You're here, why did you run so fast?"

Xiao Ru's voice choked with emotion: "This servant is happy, so happy."

Xiang An frowned slightly, went into the inner room and rummaged through some dry clothes: "Put these on."

“These are the princess’s clothes, this servant cannot wear them.” Xiao Ru had been taking care of Xiang An’s clothes and jewelry since she was a child, and she recognized the clothes in Xiang An’s hand at a glance. “Princess, there is a difference between noble and common people, and this must not be overstepped.”

Sensing her persistence, Xiang An reluctantly withdrew and loudly ordered the palace maid guarding the gate to bring a brazier so that she could dry her clothes.

"Princess, let's go and beg His Majesty, let's admit our mistake, okay?" Tears streamed down Xiaoru's face.

Xiang An asked, puzzled, "What do you want from Father Emperor? What mistakes do you want to admit?"

She ate and drank well during her stay at the princess's residence, and apart from being a little bored, she didn't feel uncomfortable at all.

Poisoning her father, the emperor, was an irreparable mistake that could not be undoed even with an apology. Before she acted, she even considered the possibility of dying on the spot, but she had no choice but to do it.

She had already prepared herself for the worst, and the fact that the emperor had only restricted her was already a good thing.