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

Pavilions, terraces, ponds, and waterside pavilions are surrounded by clusters of bamboo, their roots gripping the ground like whips.

The stone corridor, built of artificial hills and strange rocks, is winding and cool and shady. But once you pass through the stone corridor, the view suddenly opens up, with blue sky and white clouds, a wide stone platform, and large areas of lotus flowers of various colors, making you truly feel the joy of finding light after darkness.

Several pavilions are built in the middle of the lake, connected by several long wooden bridges, hidden among the lotus flowers and leaves.

"Princess, shall we go out?" Inside the pavilion surrounded by curtains, Xiao Ru fanned herself and couldn't help but curiously peer outside.

Willows swayed gently by the lake, the sun shone brightly, and the chess and tea tables were laden with dried fruits and pastries. Daughters of various families, dressed in green and red, chatted in twos and threes, holding round fans, admiring the flowers and lotuses, and chasing butterflies, creating a lively scene.

"If you want to go out, then go out." Xiang An took a small bite of the pastry, enjoying it immensely.

"Princess, it's much more fun to go out for the banquet. Staying in the pavilion all the time is so boring." Xiao Ru continued fanning herself without slowing down.

"I'm not going," Xiang An replied decisively.

Her willingness to stay in places where Ogihara Ao could appear at any time was already a step back.

Xiao Ru put down her fan, lifted a corner of the curtain surrounding the pavilion, and went out with her head down.

Xiang An leaned back lazily in her chair, slowly savoring the grapes. They were slightly icy, but refreshing and sweet to the core.

I heard it was a gift from the emperor; it's a rare summer fruit from the south, so scarce that she's the only one who has it at today's lotus banquet.

When the meal reached a pleasant point, one couldn't help but exclaim, "The Prime Minister is very generous!"

After eating and drinking to her heart's content, she dried her hands with a handkerchief, comfortably reclined on the chaise lounge, stretched lazily, and then praised Ren Xueqing for being so thoughtful in preparing such a comfortable recliner for her.

The Prime Minister and his daughter are both good people!

Just as she was dozing off, Xiao Ru came in carrying a plate of pastries and said happily, "Princess, Princess, the ship is here!"

船?

Xiang An lazily tilted her head.

Not far away on the lake, a small awning boat slowly pushed aside the lotus flowers and leaves, emerging from the water.

Two or three boatmen rowed the boat, while a tall, elegant young man in black stood at the bow, a silver longsword casually clad in his hand. But the sunlight outside was too bright, the sky too blue, and she was too sleepy. She glanced at it briefly, then peacefully closed her eyes.

He mumbled indistinctly, "You're really putting on an act."

He acted cool, stylish, and sophisticated. And he did it very well, making many girls by the lake blush, even more charming than the lotus flowers in the lake.

Xiao Ru didn't understand what Xiang An meant by "pretending." She stared intently at him, then curled her lip and snorted coldly, "So it's General Anwu. I wondered whose grand entourage it was!"

Upon hearing this, Xiang An forced open his eyes again, his vision blurred as he glanced at the tall figure on the boat, and said, "Quite slender waist."

"Princess, be careful what you say!" Xiao Ru quickly covered Xiang An's mouth. "Princess, you are not yet married, you should not talk about these things."

"Before a man marries, it's not just that he might be out drinking and partying for miles, but he also habitually spouts vulgarities and embellishments. I only said one sentence, three words, and he's already upset?" Xiang An said displeasedly.

“Princess, there is no such thing as a man getting married.” Xiao Ru’s face turned red. “Besides… and what you said is too absolute. There are good young men of good character in the world. It all depends on one’s luck.”

"Hmph! Trust in yourself, not in luck." With that, Xiang An stood up, lifted the curtain facing the small boat, cupped her hands into a megaphone shape, and exclaimed loudly, "Your waist is so slender, I love it! You—"

Fu Qingbai on the boat looked up at the sound, but only saw white curtains hanging naturally by the pavilion, swaying gently in the breeze.

“General, the one in that pavilion over there is Princess Miankang,” a boatman said.

Fu Qingbai nodded and looked away.

Inside the pavilion, Xiang An was being tackled to the ground by Xiao Ru, his hands covering his mouth.

"Princess! No! Unmarried women should not casually talk to men outside their marriage," Xiao Ru said urgently.

Xiang An glanced sideways at the small boat that had slowly glided into the depths of the lotus flowers on the lake. It was quite far away, and the people on the boat could no longer hear each other.

She obediently replied, "I understand."

"Really?"

"Let go."

Xiao Ru turned her head to look at the lake; the small boat had glided far away. She let go of the boat, slumped to the ground with a sigh of relief, and then looked puzzled: "That's strange."

"What's weird?"

Xiao Ru: "Today's lotus banquet, Miss Ren invited the young ladies from various families, while Madam Wang invited the young gentlemen from various families. The young ladies are on this side of the lake, and the young gentlemen are on the other side."

"At noon, Lady Wang and the ladies of other households arrived by large boat, inviting the young ladies and gentlemen to board and enjoy the lotus blossoms on the lake, using this opportunity to get to know each other. Why did General Anwu board the boat so early?"

She looked up at the sun several times, and after confirming that there was nothing wrong, she was even more puzzled.

It turns out that the so-called lotus banquet was an ancient version of a matchmaking event.

Xiang An's lips twitched slightly: "Noon..."

What bad luck.

The time of execution and beheading at the vegetable market.

"I heard that this time was specially chosen by Lady Wang through a Taoist priest, and it's the most auspicious time for a man and woman to meet, with a high chance of a successful match." Xiao Ru asked nervously, "Does the princess think this is inappropriate? Should this servant ask Lady Wang to change it?"

"No, very good." Xiang Ankuang shook his head, thinking to himself, "Being forced to attend the Lotus Banquet is no different from going to the guillotine."

Besides, they can go on their blind dates, and she can stay in the pavilion all day without seeing anyone. No one dares to urge her, so whether the time is auspicious or not doesn't matter to her.

"It's a bit strange, but thankfully the ship didn't stop." Xiao Ru breathed a sigh of relief, no longer dwelling on things she couldn't understand, and cautiously asked, "Is the princess at ease now?"

"What's there to be at ease about? Where is there anything I'm not at ease about?" Xiang Anran lay back on the chaise lounge.

Xiao Ru: "This servant suspects that the princess is deliberately avoiding the curtains because she does not wish to see General Anwu. But General Anwu is currently on the ship and will not be coming down anytime soon. Furthermore, it is not yet noon, so General Anwu is even less likely to appear rashly. In that case, why doesn't the princess simply have a good time?"

"I'm not going." Xiang An closed her eyes, preparing to feign sleep. The person she wanted to avoid was not General Anwu. "I'm going to sleep for a while. If you want to go play, then go ahead."

Xiao Ru knelt beside the chaise lounge, gently pressing Xiang An's calves, and said, "If the princess doesn't go, this servant won't go either. Princess, please sleep peacefully. This servant will stay with you. These past few nights, you've often been staring at Chunfeng and smiling, thinking about the matter of drugging General Anwu, so you haven't slept much. You've become quite haggard, and it breaks this servant's heart to see you like this."

It has to be said that Xiao Ru was very good to her and kind, but she had the wrong idea. She couldn't sleep and was thinking about how to drug the emperor.

"Whatever you want." Xiang An turned over so that Xiao Ru wouldn't see the guilt on her face. "Don't kneel on the ground, it's tiring. If you don't want to go out, sit on the stool and massage my legs."

"Yes." Xiao Ru pulled over a small round stool and sat down.

The cicadas chirped incessantly, the lotus flowers smelled pleasantly, the sun shone brightly, and a gentle breeze blew – perfect for sleeping.

A loud "plop" echoed as the ladies admiring the lotus flowers by the lake screamed, and chaos erupted among the crowd on the shore.

Hearing the increasingly loud noise outside the curtain, Xiao Ru stopped massaging, looked at the sleeping Xiang An, and reluctantly got up, lifted the curtain, and saw several servants splashing around in the lake.

After crossing the long wooden bridge and standing on the steps, she said sternly, "What are you all doing, making such a racket?"