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

With a slight creak, the side gate opened, and the silent figures in black cloaks instantly sprang into action. Their steps were disordered, but they still entered in order. Inside the gate was Ren Xueqing, dressed in a red overcoat, who had been waiting for them for a long time.

The door closed, and everyone took off their hoods and unfastened their black cloaks, revealing their fair faces and fine silk robes. Their bearing clearly indicated that they were noblemen and ladies from various wealthy families in the capital.

Xia Ruozhi let out a soft breath and asked gently, "Why did you send out invitations to invite us to come here tonight?"

"Hmph, is that an invitation? It's clearly a threat!" The young man in blue brocade robes turned his head away childishly. He was furious at the thought of what was written on the invitation, but he really couldn't refuse to come.

"Shut up."

The green-clad youth beside the blue-clad youth gave a low rebuke. Although the blue-clad youth was full of dissatisfaction, he shut his mouth after a cold snort. Upon closer inspection, the two had quite similar features and were estimated to be only one or two years apart in age, but the green-clad youth was obviously more composed and dignified.

Ren Xueqing smiled faintly and bowed gently: "I know my words were inappropriate, so I apologize in advance. I hope you gentlemen and ladies will understand my predicament."

"Tell me in detail what you had no choice but to do," several young men and women in the corner said in unison.

Ren Xueqing waved her hand lightly, and the guard behind her stepped forward with a piece of paper. The man in front took it without understanding what was going on, and after just one glance, he looked up and asked urgently, "Is this true or false? Where did you get this information? Is it reliable? How can you verify it?"

Ren Xueqing smiled and said, "My initial thought was the same as yours, but... you should pass the note down first, and I will answer each question after everyone has read it."

The person who asked the question took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, then looked down again and carefully read through each word before solemnly passing the question on to the next person who was already impatient.

The second, the third... the tenth, the small letters were passed down one by one. Those who read them all wore solemn expressions, fell silent, and were lost in thought. Until they reached the hands of the boisterous young man in blue brocade, who exclaimed in shock: "His Majesty killed Lord Fu and seized military power?! How is that possible?!"

When he first learned that Fu Qingbai was wanted by the authorities for plotting a rebellion because he held military power, he was half incredulous, but at the same time believed that Fu Qingbai was indeed capable of doing it.

To be fair, if he were in charge of the power, he would also want to sit in the highest chair.

But he could never believe that the tyrannical young emperor was so powerful.

"Qi Yuanshi! Shut up!" the green-clad youth shouted again to stop him.

“Brother! I wish I could shut up, but how can what's written on this paper shut me up? Fu Qingbai! That's Fu Qingbai! At thirteen, he rode alone to the border to collect his brother's body, then followed his father on campaigns for three years. When his father died at sixteen, he guarded the border alone for four years. Such a gifted general, what makes Xiang Xin think he can…”

Qi Yuanshi! I told you to shut up!

“Qi Yuanshen, I will not close the gate! What right do I have to close it! What right does he have to kill him? To the Yuan Kingdom, the Fu family is full of loyal martyrs; to the people, the Fu family has a clear conscience; to the court, the Fu family is steadfastly loyal; to Your Majesty, the Fu family! The Fu family is innocent! They would go through fire and water, with unwavering loyalty! Xiang Xin…”

"Snapped--!!"

A loud, crisp slap landed heavily on Qi Yuanshi's left cheek. Qi Yuanshen's face turned ashen: "This is outrageous! How dare you address His Majesty by his name?"

Qi Yuanshi remained in the position of being slapped, his eyes lifeless and dim, as if the slap had not struck his face, but rather shattered a belief he had always held deep in his heart.

After a moment of stunned silence, his lips moved: "Brother, isn't Fu Qingbai the person you've always admired? Why, why..."

Everyone fell silent, and the scene became tense for a moment. Someone rubbed his hands and couldn't help but step forward, opening his mouth as if to say something, but someone next to him gently pulled him back.

Qi Yuanshen stared at the redness and swelling on Qi Yuanshi's face and asked only, "Qi Yuanshi, who are you?"

Qi Yuanshi suddenly looked at Qi Yuanshen, his confused thoughts flashing through every nerve in his body like lightning, the huge shock numbing his entire being.

Who is he?

He is Qi Yuanshi, but he is not only Qi Yuanshi. He is also the second son of the Qi family, a son of a military noble, and a symbol of power and influence.

His offhand remark today has disgraced the Qi family among the other scions of prominent families in the capital. He showed no respect or manners whatsoever, and had no idea what it means to be cautious in speech or to follow the proper hierarchy.

Sensing the subtle mocking glances around him, Qi Yuanshi's anger, which had been interrupted by the slap, turned into an indescribable sense of grievance that he couldn't immediately vent. His face flushed red and swelled, and he felt utterly ashamed. Without a second thought, he turned and ran.

The crowd was too late to stop him and watched helplessly as he ran out of the moon gate, filled with shock and fear.

"What should we do? What should we do? He just ran out like that. What if he gets caught by the military police?"

"It's over, it's over, we're all doomed, I think we're going to die tonight!"

"The young emperor is ruthless. Will he exterminate my entire family? Father, Mother! Your son is unfilial! Not only have I failed to bring honor to our ancestors, but now you will all die with me!"

"Ren Xueqing! You know the importance of letters, so why did you send out invitations to just anyone! You may not be afraid of death, but we are."

"Die, I'm going to die sooner or later, so I might as well die sooner and be reborn sooner. With you guys with me tonight, it's worth it for me to go to hell!"

"Shut up, everyone!"

A low growl accompanied the sharp crack of the whip, which slammed heavily to the ground. Ren Xueqing, gripping the whip, replaced her previous gentle demeanor with a fierce look: "Do you want to die if you're yelling so loudly?"

"Can……"

As soon as a woman in the crowd spoke, she was immediately met with a sharp glare from Ren Xueqing: "My Prime Minister's Mansion is not so destitute that it can't even catch a mere boy!"

“You call him a greenhorn, but you’re not that much older than him,” someone immediately retorted.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately cast admiring glances at the speaker in agreement, and the speaker, basking in the support of the crowd, proudly raised his chin.

The young masters and ladies from the capital who came tonight were all around the same age, so his words hit the nail on the head.

He thought that such a blow would make Ren Xueqing stop, but to his surprise, she calmly raised her hand in front of everyone, pointing the whip handle at him crookedly: "Su Yicheng, if you still dare to talk nonsense because of your father's official position as an imperial censor, you can leave too."

Instead of backing down, Su Yicheng took a step forward and threatened, "If I leave, how long do you think you can keep the news that you invited us to your residence tonight?"

“Okay, go ahead and tell them. Oh, right, I almost forgot…” Ren Xueqing took out a letter from her bosom and casually threw it in his face, “Please also tell them about this letter.”

Feeling the slight pain of the envelope slapping his face, Su Yicheng felt an unprecedented surge of humiliation welling up inside him: "Ren Xueqing!"

As the son of an imperial censor, he has received endless praise and flattery since birth. When has he ever been in such an embarrassing situation as to be publicly humiliated?

"Brother Su, wait a moment." Qi Yuanshen, who was silently opening the envelope, spoke up to stop him.