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

"Princess...it's all my fault. I shouldn't have gone out just now." Xiao Ru followed behind Xiang An, feeling extremely guilty.

If she doesn't speak up today, the princess can simply pretend she knows nothing, and that their life-or-death struggle has nothing to do with the princess's residence.

"Why should I blame you? Even if you hadn't gone, someone would have insisted on asking me to take charge sooner or later. Besides, you've already done very well." Xiang An smiled. "To calm them down quickly, you didn't hesitate to act tough and stopped that maid from speaking recklessly twice, preventing her from being beaten to death for her disrespectful words. Xiao Ru, you saved a life."

Xiao Ru exclaimed in admiration, "Your Highness is wise; you saw right through my little scheme at a glance."

"Of course, you..." Xiang An's words stopped abruptly, his gaze drifting into the distance. Xiao Ru looked in the same direction and saw that at the exit of the stone corridor, Madam Wang was leading the way, with the ladies and gentlemen following behind.

A large and impressive group of people, their sheer size and presence drew attention.

Xiao Ru covered her mouth in surprise, wanting to speak, but saw that Xiang An had already come to his senses, put on his veil, picked up his cloak, and was preparing to leave the pavilion.

She quickly leaned closer and whispered, "Princess, is Madam Wang trying to ruin that young lady's reputation with this show of force?"

Xiang An glanced over there: "She caused trouble at the banquet held at the Prime Minister's residence. Wang Shi will naturally not let her off the hook. Let's go and see what's going on."

"Yes." Xiao Ru calmed down.

By the lake, Xia Ruozhi, who had fallen into the water, was slowly waking up. Looking at her personal maidservant who was bound hand and foot and gagged with rags not far away, as well as Madam Wang and her guests who were about to arrive, her heart sank.

What's going on? Princess Miankang didn't come? Are they just going to ignore it?

Before the tears welling up in her eyes could fall, Ren Xueqing, who was standing to the side, said with a half-smile, "Oh! Miss Xia is awake. Someone, carry Miss Xia to the guest room to change her clothes, and send a few physicians to take a look at her, lest she develop any chronic illness."

"Get away from me! Stop pretending to be a good person!" Xia Ruozhi pushed away the maidservant beside her, forced herself to stand up, and shouted, "Ren Xueqing! You pushed me into the water once, wasn't that enough? Now you want to hurt me too?!"

Ren Xueqing wiped the smile off her face, looking like she was about to cry: "What are you saying, Sister Xia? I was entertaining female guests with my mother in the flower hall until just now when your aunt sent a maid and servant to look for my mother. That's when I learned that you had slipped and fallen into the water, so I rushed over."

The implication is—I just arrived, I don't know anything, so don't try to smear me.

“Miss Xia, it is indeed as Sister Ren said; she just arrived.”

"Although Sister Ren entertained us in the courtyard, she had already left before Miss Xia fell into the water, about an incense stick's time ago."

"Yes, we were admiring the flowers and chatting happily just now. If it weren't for Madam Wang's personal maid coming over, Sister Ren wouldn't have wanted to leave."

One after another, several young ladies from noble families stood up to testify for Ren Xueqing.

Xia Ruozhi sneered and said calmly, "She left, but her personal maid Ping'er didn't. I heard Ren Xueqing instruct Ping'er to push me into the water! She told Ping'er herself: If I drown, she would say that I slipped and fell into the water. If I didn't die, she would pretend to be kind and have someone carry me away, under the pretense of changing clothes, to have someone take the opportunity to humiliate me!"

Everyone in the courtyard covered their mouths in shock, exchanging glances without speaking. The women who were able to attend the banquet today were all daughters of high-ranking officials of the third rank or above, and could not be discussed casually.

The truth was already implied without being spoken. They had grown up in the inner quarters and had witnessed countless underhanded tactics. The scene of them falling into the water today was all too familiar.

Having already made up their minds, they would only speak of what they had seen and heard, without expressing any of their own thoughts. The noble ladies who had spoken up earlier were not speaking for Ren Xueqing, but merely stating the facts.

After all, this concerns the Prime Minister's only daughter, and no matter how the matter ends, the Prime Minister will definitely investigate.

Rather than offending people later when it's discovered, it's better to speak up now and maybe even gain some benefits.

Amidst the chaos and the diverse opinions of the people in the courtyard, Lady Wang finally led her male and female guests to arrive.

Although she already knew the whole story from the maids and servants, she still asked about it in front of everyone to show that she was a fair person.

Then he deliberately asked, "Qing'er, has the young lady who fell into the water been rescued?"

Upon hearing this, Ren Xueqing burst into tears and delicately threw herself into her mother's arms: "Mother, she's been rescued. The one who fell into the water is Xia Ruozhi, the eldest daughter of Minister Xia's family. But it seems that I accidentally offended her."

"What happened?" Madam Wang gently patted Ren Xueqing's shoulder, her voice filled with pity and tenderness.

Ren Xueqing sobbed, "It's all my fault for being so talkative. If I had known earlier that Sister Xia didn't want to go into the guest room to change her wet clothes, I definitely wouldn't have said anything. Sister Xia wouldn't have taken her resentment about falling into the water out of me."

“Silly girl, you did nothing wrong. If a respectable young lady gets her clothes wet, the first thing she thinks of is to change them, so as not to have her wet clothes clinging to her body and be seen by others, thus ruining her reputation.”

What appeared to be Madam Wang's earnest admonitions to Ren Xueqing were in fact an instant awakening for everyone.

At this moment, the male guests in the courtyard all blushed, turned their heads away, and dared not look at Xia Ruozhi, who was soaking wet and whose clothes were dripping water, not far away. No one dared to step forward to drape a coat over her to cover her up.

Xia Ruozhi's face flushed red, tears welled up in her eyes, but she remained stiff and stubbornly refused to move.

Whether she's mocked or given the cold shoulder, if she leaves today, she'll lose everything, and she can't afford to lose. She can't afford to lose.

Sudden.

"It's quite lively," Xiang An remarked.

Upon hearing this, Xia Ruozhi finally let the tears she had been holding back fall—she had waited for this moment.

Everyone present knelt down and said in unison, "Greetings, Princess Miankang, may the princess be well."

"An, get up, everyone." Xiang An shook the cloak in his hand, and Xiao Ru cleverly took it and draped it over Xia Ruozhi.

"Your Highness, please save me! Your Highness, please save me!" Xia Ruozhi tightly fastened her cloak, knelt down with tears streaming down her face, and kowtowed harder and harder with each thud.

Xiang An: "Who are you?"

Giving her a cloak but not recognizing her—isn't that a huge joke?

Someone in the crowd couldn't help but laugh out loud. Xia Ruozhi blushed instantly, bit her lip, forced herself to calm down, and continued with tears streaming down her face: "Xia Ruozhi, daughter of Vice Minister Xia Lingguang, pays respects to Princess Miankang, begging Your Highness to do justice for me! In broad daylight, someone is trying to harm me!!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Xiang An pretended not to know anything and turned around with interest, saying, "Madam Wang, you are the first wife of the Prime Minister's residence, why don't you tell me what happened?"