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

[Part Two: Complete the mission, become the Empress, and clear your own name.]

Xiang An said in a muffled voice, "...I remember you said, 'You won't offer me any advice on becoming an empress.'"

[Which of the above sentences provided you with advice on becoming an empress? It was merely a reminder that you should complete the tasks; presumption of duty is unwise.]

Xiang An: "..."

[If your status and power are unequal, so what if you are humiliated to death? At most, there will be another corpse in this world. I really don't understand why you humans care about a physical body.]

Xiang An couldn't help but scoff: Sure enough, she couldn't have any expectations for this broken system.

"I am a human being, and I have to live like one."

"Human? Your life isn't even worth that much. Don't believe me? Go outside the country and see. Human life is as cheap as grass. Oh, I almost forgot, you think you're extraordinary? Fine, go ahead."

[Anyway, it's not this system that can't go home. Once the system's energy is exhausted, this Heavenly Dao will crush you into nothingness, without this system even needing to lift a finger.]

Upon hearing this, Xiang An turned over, her hands unconsciously gripping the sheets tightly: "Are you threatening me?"

This system is informing you of the truth.

Xiang An: "...It's no different from a threat."

[Host, it's time to go do your mission.]

He ignored Xiang An.

[Host, go and complete the mission now, immediately!]

Xiang An remained motionless.

[Host, please complete the task as soon as possible, otherwise the system will deduct a certain amount of energy and issue a warning!]

Xiang An gritted his teeth and said, "You're forcing me!"

[Host suspected of slacking off! Please complete the task as soon as possible, otherwise the system will deduct a certain amount of energy and issue a warning!]

Xiang An: "..."

[Countdown: Ten...]

"Stop, I'll do it!"

Xiang An threw off the covers, grabbed a piece of clothing and draped it over his shoulders, then went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and tucked it into his waistband, hiding it away.

With the princess's decree, Xiang An entered the palace without any hindrance. The favored princess was indeed different; upon entering the palace, not only did no one dare to search her, but no one dared to ask any questions.

In summer, the Imperial Garden is a riot of color, with red flowers and green leaves half-hidden and half-revealed amidst the well-arranged rocks and water features. The cobblestone paths, shaded by lush greenery, meander and twist, while the shimmering water reflects the green willows and blue sky. Under the bright sunshine, everything in the Imperial Garden is thriving and vibrant, offering a refreshing and open view.

The temperature is quite high today, and the breeze that blows through the Imperial Garden is refreshingly cool from time to time, making it a perfect day for enjoying tea and the scenery.

When Xiang An arrived at the Imperial Garden, the Emperor was playing chess with Fu Qingbai.

Changfu, who was serving nearby, glanced at Xiang An out of the corner of his eye. He remembered the emperor's order that no one was allowed to approach. After thinking for a moment, he bowed and took a few steps back, preparing to quietly lead Princess Miankang away.

From afar, he saw Princess Miankang seemingly holding something reflective in her hand, rushing towards him at high speed. Changfu frowned, but before he could utter a word to stop her, a shocking event unfolded before his eyes—Princess Miankang had assassinated the emperor!

A sharp knife about three inches long sliced ​​across the emperor's vulnerable neck, and beautiful blood gushed out instantly like a spring.

Things happened too fast; everything happened in the blink of an eye.

The emperor placed the black chess piece in his hand, looking at his daughter with cold eyes, bewildered, before realizing he felt a sharp pain in his neck.

He raised his hand to touch it, and his hand was covered in a glaring red. He opened his mouth to speak, but what came out was a hoarse sound of wind breaking through the air.

His trachea and larynx were severed, and he could no longer speak.

Witnessing everything, Changfu's face stiffened, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to utter a sound for a long time. But seeing that the emperor, who had lost too much blood, could no longer sit on the stone bench and was about to fall to the ground, he mustered his strength and instinctively stepped forward to support the emperor, preventing him from collapsing to the ground.

But...and then what?

Changfu's thoughts froze. He stared blankly at the emperor, who had collapsed into his arms with wide-open eyes. He dared not think of anything, could not remember anything. His mind was like a rusty ancient machine, unable to function. He only knew to mechanically reach out to check the emperor's breath—and there was nothing.

His Majesty has passed away.

Changfu shakily looked up, wanting to call for help, but saw that the murderer, Princess Miankang, was standing three steps away with a long sword stuck straight into her chest.

The sword is thirty inches long, entirely silver-white, with ancient patterns carved on the hilt. A red tassel hangs from the end, swaying wildly in the air, showing no sign of stillness, just like the heart of its owner at this moment—panicked, helpless, and without any order.

[Warning! Warning! The system has detected that the host is about to die. The system will erase the world's memories and help the host restart for the third time!!]

Xiang An quietly closed her eyes, waiting for the game to start again.

Watching the princess and the emperor fall to the ground one by one before him, Changfu's heart trembled: "...General An...Wu..."

Fu Qingbai glanced at him, then looked away and said, "The assassin has been captured." His face remained calm as always, but his hands, hidden in his sleeves, trembled repeatedly, unable to regain his composure.

He actually killed the princess!

Even though the princess had committed the heinous crime of murdering her father and emperor, and he drew his sword in an emergency to save the emperor, he could not kill the princess, nor should he be the one to kill her, even if she was guilty.

Guilt surged violently like an earthworm turning over, shaking the heavens and the earth, and instantly engulfed him.

[Countdown: Ten, nine... one.]

Princess House.

"I heard that the third prince of Yan Kingdom, Di Yuanqing, went to the palace to meet the emperor today. It seems that he is discussing some important matters with His Majesty in the imperial garden."

"How shameless! Provoking us year after year, only to be suppressed by General Fu every year. I wouldn't even have the face to come here. He... pays respects to Your Highness!!"

The maid who was speaking screamed, the conversation came to an abrupt halt, and the group of people knelt down in terror to pay their respects.

Xiang An burst out of the room, glanced at them briefly, ignored them, and headed straight for the kitchen.

[The third restart has begun, memories have been erased, please...]

Ignoring the system's voice, Xiang An took the knife, hid it, and bravely ventured into the Imperial Garden once more.

Having learned from his previous assassination attempt, Xiang An quickly found the emperor playing Go with Fu Qingbai in the vast imperial garden.

She quickly approached, but before she could make a move, Fu Qingbai, who was engrossed in playing chess, suddenly stood up and blocked her way: "Princess, calm down—"

Ignoring him, Xiang An shoved him aside, firmly raised his knife, aimed at the emperor's neck, and stabbed him hard.

He pushed away Changfu, who came to help the emperor, and let the emperor fall to the ground. Without hesitation, he raised his knife again and stabbed the emperor in the chest.

The action of lifting and stabbing was repeated several times, and more than a dozen knife wounds appeared on the emperor's chest, each one fatal and ruthless.

The splattered blood stained the Imperial Garden red, and the stench of blood assaulted the nostrils of everyone present, creating a horrifying scene.

Xiang An was at the center of the bloody smell, but far from being afraid, she felt a sense of relief as she released all the pent-up frustration that had been building up in her heart for dozens of days.

Changfu, who had finally realized what was happening, let out a scream. The scream attracted a large number of Imperial Guards. The chaotic footsteps and the clanging of swords were all stimulating people's nerves.

Xiang An showed no intention of stopping; instead, he raised his knife even faster. Seeing Princess Miankang in such a frenzy, Changfu was already terrified, tears streaming down his face. He crawled on his knees, shouting for help as he tried to escape.

At that moment, a white-feathered arrow pierced the air and arrived.

It pierced right through my heart.