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

Xiang An snorted coldly and turned his head away, ignoring him.

But as soon as Master Xuanqing spoke, everyone's eyes were instantly drawn to the wall. Most of them were curious and puzzled, but the only one who was enthusiastic and happy was Xiang Xin. He laughed and said, "Little Jiu, do you like this palace covered in snow?"

Xiang An didn't want to pay attention either, but her eyes couldn't help but look into the distance. White snowflakes fell on the golden glazed tiles, and the thick snow filled the grooves, forming two very distinct yet harmonious colors with the red wall below. Dressed in red and white, it was exceptionally enchanting.

She said, "I like it."

When Master Xuanqing heard this, he relayed it to Xiang Xin. Xiang Xin was overjoyed and excitedly ordered the eunuchs to bring a ladder, declaring that she wanted to go up and see the snow scene in the palace with her.

Watching seven or eight eunuchs support Xiang Xin, whose legs were weak, as she shakily climbed up step by step, a sly smile curled at the corner of Xiang Xin's mouth, her bright eyes filled with anticipation, as if she were waiting for something interesting.

Master Xuanqing, with his sharp eyes, noticed the old man's smile and immediately sensed something was amiss. He reached out and grabbed the emperor's cloak, saying, "Your Majesty, the walls are too dangerous. If you want to see the snow scene of the palace, you can see it completely from the Star Gazing Tower."

The Star-Gazing Tower was the tallest building in the palace, with nine stories high. Normally, only the Imperial Astronomical Supervisor would go up there to observe the stars at night.

“I know.” Xiang Xin grabbed the cloak and pulled it from his hand. “But Xiao Jiu isn’t there.”

A cold wind blew by, freezing my hands, but the white fur on the cloak seemed to come alive, its tail tip twitching incessantly.

Xiang Xin struggled to climb the ladder, and after finally sitting down, before she could even speak, Xiang An floated down and said, "Let's talk inside."

Elder Xuanqing's face stiffened, his eyes wide with anger, almost spitting fire. Xiang Xin, who had just sat down, saw his reaction and quickly asked, "What did Xiao Jiu say?"

With the emperor present, Master Xuanqing had no choice but to swallow his pride and tell him about Xiang An's escape from the wall.

Xiang Xin was taken aback, then burst into laughter after a few moments: "Xiao Jiu is still the same Xiao Jiu, so mischievous."

Upon hearing this, Master Xuanqing breathed a sigh of relief, but the next moment, Xiang Xin, who was laughing, suddenly changed her expression: "Master Xuanqing has deceived the emperor, he shall be fined one year's salary."

The punishment he deserved was still handed down, even though the emperor was pleased.

However, Master Xuanqing never cared about things like gold and silver. Living in the palace, as long as his needs weren't too great, he certainly wouldn't starve.

Facing the biting cold wind, Xiang Xin sat on the wall and watched the snow scene for a while before saying he wanted to go down. So seven or eight eunuchs and four imperial guards carefully carried him down.

"Your Majesty—!!" Master Xuanqing's terrified, piercing scream tore through the sky—

One of the eunuchs slipped, tripping over all the others who were supporting him. Xiang Xin, who was being carried in mid-air, lost her balance instantly, and the other four imperial guards were also affected. Everyone staggered and couldn't stand steadily, and Xiang Xin, who was being carried, was in great discomfort.

Fortunately, the four Imperial Guards were skilled in martial arts and had a very stable lower body. They held onto Xiang Xin's other side of her body and did not let go, quickly lifting Xiang Xin off the ground at an angle.

Things happened very quickly. In the blink of an eye, as soon as Xiang Xin landed, Daoist Xuanqing immediately pushed aside the four Imperial Guards and carefully reached out to lift the cloak that had been haphazardly covered Xiang Xin's face in the chaos—her face was pale and her expression was stiff.

Were you startled? Or did you bump into something? Was it premeditated murder? Or...?

What should be done about the original kingdom? The new emperor has only been on the throne for less than a year, and the people's hearts are still unsettled...

In a fleeting moment, countless thoughts raced through Xiang An's mind, while the Taoist priest Xuanqing, standing beneath the wall, was so flustered he could barely stand. His lips moved, but he remained silent for a long while before finally letting out a furious roar: "Summon the imperial physician!"

"Yes, yes." Changfu ran off, his steps uneven.

The stunned crowd quickly came to their senses and hurriedly lifted Xiang Xin from the ground into the sedan chair, heading straight for the emperor's bedroom.

Having witnessed everything, Xiang An panicked and wanted to follow along to see what was happening, but the barrier's area was only so big, and that small area had expanded in the last two days for some unknown reason.

"Fu Qingbai, let's go out and see!"

He rushed through the door and shouted at Anzhiwa.

After calling her for a long time, Fu Qingbai was sleeping soundly and peacefully on the bed. Suddenly, Xiang An remembered that he couldn't hear her and that he had just taken medicine.

Fu Qingbai's wound has not yet healed. The medicine he is given every day contains a rather spicy ingredient. At first, it causes him unbearable pain for about fifteen minutes, but the treatment effect is surprisingly good.

In order to help patients better tolerate the effects of the medicine, imperial physicians would usually prepare some drowsy and sleep-inducing medicine for them on the day of administration.

Xiang An paced anxiously back and forth in the room a few times. Suddenly, chaotic footsteps and voices sounded outside the courtyard, and he could vaguely hear words like "Your Majesty" and "coma".

Without thinking twice, Xiang An went out the door again. He searched for a long time in front of the yard but didn't see anyone. However, the muttering didn't stop. Without hesitation, Xiang An went straight to the backyard and found them.

Behind the backyard was a narrow, dark alley. A group of Taoist priests stood there, three or four of them huddled together talking in hushed tones. Occasionally, when they got excited, some of them couldn't control their voices.

Xiang An stood beside them listening—Xiang Xin was frightened by the imperial physician's diagnosis after taking her pulse.

Despite numerous acupuncture treatments by the imperial physicians, Xiang Xin remained unconscious. By this time, the first group of ministers who had received the news had already entered the palace.

An official from the Imperial Observatory publicly stated that "there are too many Taoist priests in the palace, which are disturbing the dragon's energy. We should kill a few Taoist priests to show our sincerity." However, this was suppressed by Taoist Master Xuanqing. Now, the ministers have invited the Empress Dowager to discuss which Taoist priests to kill.

Upon hearing the details, the Taoist priests began to argue. Some suggested gathering everyone's strength to escape the palace, while others disagreed, believing that as long as the emperor was awakened, immense wealth and power would follow. Still others wanted to wait and see, not to rush things.

Everyone had different ideas, and someone suggested a show of hands to vote. But when the results came out, some people disagreed and refused to do anything, and some even asked for another vote.

The consequence of refusing to acknowledge the outcome is that things become increasingly chaotic, and the more chaotic things become, the more restless people become. In fact, some Taoist priests even resorted to violence in the alleyways.

Seeing that there was nothing more to hear, Xiang An turned around and went through the wall into the room. Unexpectedly, he looked up and met a pair of dark and beautiful eyes.

— Fu Qingbai woke up.

Xiang An was taken aback: "How did you wake up?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than the sounds of fighting came from the alley just a wall away. She immediately understood: the enemy was so close and the noise was so loud, it was impossible for her not to wake up.

Fu Qingbai leaned against the wall, his dark eyes filled with deep thought. Xiang An stopped talking and quietly watched him.

After a long while, the front gate was kicked open from the outside with a loud bang.