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

The head servants, upon recognizing the woman as Princess Miankang's personal maid, hurriedly bowed and said, "Aunt, a young lady slipped and fell into the water while admiring the lotus blossoms. A servant who can swim is going in to rescue her."

Xiao Ru frowned: "Since someone has already gone into the water to rescue people, what's the point of you shouting and yelling on the shore? Are you trying to save lives or just making a scene?!"

The lakeside fell silent instantly, and the sounds of people struggling to save others in the lake became clear.

After scanning the quiet crowd, Xiao Ru asked, "Have you sent someone to look for Madam Wang?"

The people by the lake looked at each other, but no one spoke.

Now that things have come to this, Xiao Ru understands everything. The person fell into the water right in front of her, but apart from making a fuss, not a single person thought to ask the mistress of the house to come and support them.

"None of them are reliable!"

She randomly selected a few maids and servants from the Prime Minister's residence to go find someone.

"Please, Auntie, save my young lady! My young lady didn't slip and fall into the water, it's—"

Framing? Setting someone up? Scapegoating?

In a fleeting moment, seeing the maid in pink clothes with her hair styled in double buns, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing with tears streaming down her face, Xiao Ru's mind was instantly filled with countless methods of harming people in the palace.

Before the maid could finish speaking, she interrupted her forcefully: "Don't talk to me. I'm just a lowly maidservant to Princess Miankang. Did your young lady slip? When Madam Wang arrives, you can talk to her."

“Aunt, my young lady had a conflict with Miss Ren before, and the two almost came to blows. Just now, my young lady didn’t slip; it was Ping’er, who was by Miss Ren’s side, who pushed her! I saw it with my own eyes!”

If Madam Wang decides this, my young lady will certainly not receive justice! Please, Aunt, save her! Save my young lady!

The maid shed large tears and kowtowed desperately, her forehead soon bleeding profusely.

Xiao Ru's heart softened a little, but she still hardened her heart: "Nonsense! Miss Ren has always been gentle and refined, intelligent and kind-hearted. How could she possibly have a conflict with your young lady?"

Madam Wang is renowned for her fairness, impartiality, and integrity; she would never show favoritism over a trivial matter. It's perfectly appropriate to leave the judgment of right and wrong to her!

"No! No! That day—"

The maid cried even more fiercely and pitifully, wanting to explain, but Xiao Ru seemed to have lost patience to listen. She directly ordered the servant to hold her down and gag her, and said fiercely, "You lowly servant! The First Madam and the Eldest Miss of the Prime Minister's Mansion are such noble people, how can you, a mere maid, presume to judge right and wrong?"

Insubordination and a lack of respect for hierarchy! In this world, whoever cries or acts pitiful is right? Whether someone is right or wrong depends entirely on your own opinion? There's no such thing as a free lunch!

As soon as she finished speaking, the maid who had struggled desperately collapsed to the ground, her eyes glazed over, tears streaming down her face, as if she had lost all hope.

Xiao Ru turned her head away, looked away from her, placed her hands neatly on her lower abdomen, stood straight on the shore, her gaze fixed on the lake, as if she was thinking about something, or as if she was waiting for the person in the water to come up.

The people behind them exchanged glances, not daring to utter a single word.

Before long, Ren Xueqing, dressed in a red dress with gold embroidery on the hem, gracefully approached. She had a smile on her face, with a faint dimple at the corner of her mouth. Red blush was applied to her fair skin, and the red dress made her look bright and radiant.

This fiery person, upon closer inspection, reveals a faint, haggard expression hidden beneath her heavy makeup, a look of weariness stemming from illness.

When the young ladies, maids, and servants present saw her arrive, they hurriedly stood up and bowed. Ren Xueqing didn't even glance at them, but went straight to Xiao Ru, reached out her hands to help her up, and said gratefully, "Thank you, Aunt Ru."

Xiao Ru stood up and took a step back to create distance between them, saying in a distant yet polite manner, "Miss Ren, you're too kind. May I ask where Madam is now?"

As she spoke, she glanced discreetly at the maid following behind Ren Xueqing, feeling extremely annoyed: "They were clearly told to call for Madam Wang, so why did they bring the frail and sickly Ren Xueqing here?"

Ren Xueqing is in poor health. What if she sees the miserable state of the people she rescues later and it triggers her old illness?

“There are many female guests in the flower hall, and my mother couldn’t leave. But thinking that the situation was urgent, she asked me to come and take a look first. She will be there soon.” Noticing Xiao Ru’s frown, Ren Xueqing explained, “Don’t worry, Aunt. My body is not so weak that it can’t withstand the slightest stimulation.”

Now that things have come to this, Xiaoru could no longer persuade him to leave. Today was a banquet hosted by the Prime Minister's residence, and if anything happened at the banquet, it would be the Prime Minister's residence that should step in.

Xiao Ru nodded helplessly: "In that case, I'll leave the rest to Miss Ren. The princess is still waiting for my reply in the pavilion, so I'll take my leave now."

"Thank you for your trouble, Aunt."

Xiao Ru shook her head and turned away without looking back, but when she lifted a corner of the curtain, she softened and turned back.

The maid who had been gagged by the lake had been tied up, and the young lady who had fallen into the water had been pulled out. Several maids surrounded her and pressed on her chest, hoping to expel the water that had been choking her and save her life.

"Want some help?"

Xiang An, who had woken up at some unknown time, suddenly appeared, leaning against a pavilion pillar with his eyes half-closed, looking as if he hadn't woken up yet.

Xiao Ru was startled and took a half step back, patting her chest in relief: "Princess, you scared me to death."

Xiang An smiled at her, his dark pupils clear and beautiful. Under such earnest gazes, Xiao Ru could not bring herself to say anything against her conscience: "...She is a maid just like me. She was crying so miserably, so of course I wanted to help her."

"Xiaoru, it's good to be kind-hearted, but you also need to figure out whether she deserves your kindness."

Xiang An sat down lazily: "You are my person. Even if you are just a maid, you represent my face. The ladies present will not look down on you, but they also do not want to have anything to do with you. The same goes for the maids brought by the ladies."

So why did that maidservant do the opposite? Didn't she know that telling you was tantamount to telling me? Didn't she know what kind of occasion this was?

Xiao Ru's pupils dilated: "She knows! She did it on purpose!"

Xiang An: "It was intentional, and the girl who fell into the water instructed her to do it."

"Why?!" Xiao Ru couldn't understand. "If an unmarried woman falls into the water at a banquet and gets soaked, being seen in public will definitely damage her reputation. Even worse, if she falls into the water and isn't rescued in time, she could lose her life. This is of no benefit to that young lady."

"I don't know either," Xiang An said with a slight smile. "Did you see Ogiwara Ao outside just now?"

"What did the princess ask her?"

Although Xiaoru was puzzled, she still explained honestly.

"When I went to the kitchen to get some fruit, I heard from a maid in the Prime Minister's residence that Ogihara Ao did not come today. It seems that General Anwu was forced to come by his mother at home, and he left early by boat just now."

Neither of the two scourges are here.

Xiang An felt relieved, picked up the veiled hat from the table, and walked out of the pavilion while putting it on.

"Since they're going to such lengths to drag me into this, I'll just join in the fun. I'm bored and have nothing better to do."