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

Xiang An frowned, about to decline the offer, not wanting to leave early before exposing Xia Ruozhi's tricks, but when she looked up she saw Changfu winking at her.

Her long eyelashes fluttered gently with her eyelids. After a moment's thought, Xiang An turned and helped Madam Wang up, gracefully bowing to her as a junior: "Madam Wang, I must take my leave now. I have always heard that you are fair and just, and adept at managing the household. I believe you will know better than I, a mere young lady, how to handle today's matter."

The expressions of everyone in the courtyard changed instantly. Xia Ruozhi collapsed to the ground, while Ren Xueqing raised an eyebrow, her tears having stopped flowing unnoticed.

Lady Wang returned the greeting: "Your Majesty, I am deeply apprehensive. This matter occurred within the household, and it is only right and proper for me to handle it. I invited the Princess to the banquet to make you happy, but I never expected it to turn out this way... I hope the Princess will not take offense."

She let out a deep sigh, her face full of guilt.

Xiang An didn't reply. He took Xiao Ru out of the Prime Minister's residence. There was a golden carriage guarded by guards at the gate. The curtains and carriage were embroidered, painted, or carved with carp, auspicious clouds, and other gold powder. Hundreds of pearls of various sizes hung around the eaves of the carriage. The wheels were made of copper with gold plating, like two golden lotus petals slowly unfolding in front of us.

Xiang An paused, realizing that he hadn't arrived in this carriage.

Changfu stood beneath the carriage, bowing and smiling: "Princess, the previous carriage was too shabby. This one was specially brought from the Princess's residence."

Xiang An nodded slightly and stepped onto the carriage by stepping on the servant's back.

The carriage curtain fell, and inside, Xiao Ru removed Xiang An's veil and quickly tidied her hair, which had been flattened by the veil.

Listening to the crisp sound of the pearls from the East China Sea colliding with each other on the eaves of the carriage as it moved, Wei An smiled slightly: "Not bad."

"what?"

"The sound of pearls colliding in the East China Sea."

"Crisp and melodious, it really sounds good. Luckily, I didn't take them apart as you usually do, otherwise I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to hear them today." Xiao Ru said with a smile.

Xiang An: "Tear it down."

Caught off guard, Xiao Ru thought she had misheard: "Princess, this servant didn't hear what you said clearly just now."

Xiang An glanced at the East China Sea pearls colliding on the carriage eaves: "I like the East China Sea pearls on the carriage. I want to take them off and play with them properly." No, riding in such a luxurious carriage would make it easy to get kidnapped.

Her life could only end in the emperor's hands, not in the hands of kidnappers.

Xiao Ru suddenly realized and laughed, "No need to open it. His Majesty has bestowed several boxes of East Sea Pearls upon us. I have stored them all in the storeroom. If the princess wants to play with them, just bring out a box."

"..." Xiang An remained silent.

The East China Sea Pearl originates from a vast sea area in the east of the country. Due to the depth and breadth of the sea, it often takes a group of people half a day to retrieve only one or two East China Sea Pearls. Therefore, they are extremely rare and very expensive.

She had assumed that the Donghai Pearls on the carriage were the entirety of the collection, but little did she know that it was only the tip of the iceberg.

The lives of ancient royal families were truly...luxurious.

She gently stroked the silk cushion and said to An, "This wasn't the car I rode in this morning." She wanted the old, beat-up car from this morning.

"Of course not. Your Highness, you were already upset because General Anwu refused to attend the banquet. I was worried that the carriage was too luxurious and that General Anwu would come to greet you at the gate, so you went back to the princess's residence in a huff."

Xiao Ru pouted and looked around the carriage. "Princess, don't worry. This morning's carriage looked shabby, not as good as this one, but it's still passable. The seat cushion is made of three whole cowhides, adorned with hundreds of turquoise stones, and the carriage design was hand-painted by a famous artist. It took a year to make."

"Turquoise?" Xiang An recalled the somewhat old-fashioned carriage from this morning and couldn't reconcile it with the beautiful turquoise he remembered. He thought to himself, "Has Xiao Ru been deceived?"

"You complained that it was uncomfortable on your feet in the carriage this morning," Xiao Ru asked curiously. "Have you forgotten?"

Xiang An froze: "It hurts my foot?"

She remembered that she had gotten up too early this morning and, still half asleep, had stepped on something slippery and almost slipped. When she looked down, she saw that the carriage floor was inlaid with bluish stones arranged in auspicious and beautiful patterns, though they were quite ugly.

She was extremely disgusted at the time and casually complained, "This ugly thing is also uncomfortable to walk on."

Heaven have mercy! Forgive her for being blind! She's probably never seen anything good in her life!

Not only did she trample on the valuable turquoise under her feet, but she also complained that it was ugly!

Xiang An's lips trembled: "Take the turquoise off that carriage, I... I want to play with it too."

Xiao Ru looked puzzled, but still obediently agreed.

Xiang An sensed something was wrong and cautiously inquired, "Could it be that the princess's residence also has one?"

“…Yes.” Xiao Ru hesitated. “There are several large boxes in the storeroom. They were all specially bestowed by the Emperor to decorate the princess’s carriage.”

Xiang An's legs went weak, and she almost slid off the chair and onto the floor. Her eyes were glazed over, and she kept muttering, "Storage room... storage room..."

Just from the name, you can tell it's a room full of messy, dusty things!

Turquoise for a storage room?! Turquoise for decorating a carriage?!

What a waste!

Xiao Ru reached out to support the swaying Xiang An: "Princess, what's wrong?"

Xiang An gently patted the back of her hand and stammered, "What...what priceless treasures does our princess's residence still have?"

Xiao Ru pondered for a moment, then hesitated and said, "The princess's residence has too many things. This servant does not know what the princess is referring to as a treasure."

Xiang An: "A lantern for lighting lamps".

The lanterns in the mansion were carved with all sorts of exquisite patterns. As soon as it got dark, a candle was lit inside, and the lanterns would turn on their own. The light reflected off the patterns and cast shadows, which moved back and forth as if they were moving.

Xiao Ru said lightly, "Oh—a revolving lantern is not a treasure. It's just a matter of carving and shaving Xiangfei bamboo, and pasting it with fine Xuan paper. Craftsmen can make one in about half a month."

Xiangfei bamboo... about one plant every half month...

The seemingly ordinary words, when put together, sounded completely unfamiliar to Xiang An. If she remembered correctly, bamboo was said to be "worth its weight in gold" in ancient times. How had it become such an insignificant thing in Xiao Ru's mouth?

He spoke to Anmu Muran: "The flowers and plants in the yard."

Xiao Ru: "It was sent from a small country in the west. The emperor said: Only the most delicate flowers are worthy of the princess."

Xiang An: "Is it really that rare?"

Xiao Ru pondered for a moment, then shook her head: "It's not hard to find them, but they're really hard to raise. They need special servants to take care of them, otherwise a whole bunch of them will die if one dies."

The creature from the west was transported thousands of miles by horse-drawn carriage to be raised in the south. The temperature, climate, and soil pH were all different; how could it not die?

Xiang An: "Does the princess's residence have dedicated servants?"

Xiao Ru: "Yes. But it's alright if I die. The Emperor said: 'I would give a thousand pieces of gold for a smile from the princess.'"

Xiang An: "..."

Xiao Ru: "Princess, why aren't you asking anymore?"

Xiang An looked at her expectant eyes, as if she were saying, "Ask me quickly, ask me quickly."

Xiang An refused expressionlessly. She had discovered that what was considered a treasure by the world was nothing in Xiao Ru's eyes, no, in the princess's mansion.

The emperor showered the princess with gifts in a wholesale manner, so that even the most precious treasures became commonplace once they reached the princess's residence.