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

If it were truly that miraculous, Madam Wei wouldn't need to say more; in this place with a high birth rate and a low survival rate, the entire capital would have already followed suit, with everyone imitating it.

Madam Wei's face flushed, and Wei Wenrun frowned, scolding, "Princess, whether it's divine or not, ancestral etiquette is something we, as sons, should abide by. Otherwise, wouldn't we be unfilial?"

He really is a cunning old fox in officialdom; with just a few words, he slapped a huge label on me.

Xiang An glanced at him, but remained calm: "Filial piety is certainly important, but may I ask Lord Wei, if we know that this matter is wrong, are we not going to correct it, or are we going to continue down the wrong path?"

"Insolence!" The emperor, who had been silent behind his desk, suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his eyes fixed on the desk. "Drag him away! Twenty strokes of the cane!"

Unaware of his mistake, Xiang An calmly explained under the emperor's oppressive presence: "Father! As far as I know, that deceased maidservant only married three years ago, and she only had a three-year-old child at home. Lord Wei's youngest son is six years old this year. How could a woman who wasn't even married three years ago have been a wet nurse for six years? How could she have been doing that for six years?"

It's no use.

You have no joke.

Two eunuchs entered obediently and forcefully dragged Xiang An out. Supported by one on each side, Xiang An experienced the strength of eunuchs for the first time. They looked pale and weak, but in fact, they were incredibly strong. Indeed, how could one serve in the palace without considerable strength?

As Xiang An struggled to turn around, he saw that Madam Wei's face was pale, and Wei Wenrun's was the same. But he didn't know what he was thinking. The next moment, he put his hands in his sleeves and looked calm and composed. The emperor's face did not soften and remained terrifying.

After being dragged across several thresholds by the eunuchs, a long bench suddenly appeared. Xiang An was pressed down on the bench and watched helplessly as a board with rows of nails appeared before her eyes. The golden sunlight shone on the nail tips, making them sparkle and shine so brightly that it terrified her.

Just as the board was raised high, a loud shout came from afar—

"Wait!"

The eunuchs carrying the cane exchanged glances, unsurprised, their expressions silently conveying, "They've come after all."

Xiang Xin ran over from afar, placed a long, soft cushion openly on Xiang An's buttocks, grinned, and said, "Alright, hit me."

The eunuch holding the cane hesitated, "Your Highness, this..."

"What do you mean, 'what ...

The eunuch carrying the cane didn't move. The palace belongs to the emperor. What are you, a prince? The emperor didn't say he would put a cane on Princess Miankang. Why should we listen to you?

"By imperial decree, the Crown Prince's deep concern for his sister and his profound brotherly affection have moved me. Therefore, I hereby grant that both of them be punished together."

Changfu, who had arrived shortly after, stood at the entrance of the execution ground and began to speak.

He stood with his feet together, meaning: "Strike, but do not break any bones, but you must stay in bed for ten days to half a month."

Upon seeing the signal, the two eunuchs breathed a sigh of relief and said in unison in a low voice, "Excuse me."

One eunuch removed the cushion, and the board fell mercilessly. Another eunuch brought over another stool, then chased after Xiang Xin, who was trying to escape, and forcefully pushed her down onto the stool, where they began to beat her.

After the twenty strokes of the cane were finished, Xiang An had fainted from the pain. When she woke up, she was lying on the bed in the princess's mansion, the burning pain on her buttocks making her gasp sharply.

The bedroom door was pushed open, and a maid came in carrying a basin of water. Seeing Xiang An's face contorted in pain, she quickly put down the basin, opened the ointment, and carefully applied it to the wound.

Despite the maid's carefulness, Xiang An was still in so much pain that he had to bite down on the pillow to suppress his cries.

After the maid finished applying the medicine, she looked up and saw An covered in cold sweat. She was so frightened that she knelt down and cried out, "Princess, spare me! I was wrong! I was wrong!"

"Get...up..." Xiang An managed to squeeze out two words through gritted teeth, panting, "Is it...is it done?"

The maid stood up tremblingly: "Okay, okay."

"Where is Xiao Ru?"

Xiang An was in so much pain that he was dizzy and lightheaded, but he wasn't so delirious that he forgot Xiao Ru, who had entered the palace with him.

She was his personal maid, and now that he was injured, how could she not stay by his side, given her personality?

The only reason she's not here is that she can't come.

The maidservant said, "Your Highness, your aunt has broken her leg and is still unconscious. She cannot come to serve you."

"What!? Ah!"

In his excitement, Xiang An braced himself on the edge of the bed, which aggravated the injury on his buttocks. The maidservant panicked and ran outside, calling out, "Someone! Someone! The imperial physician!!!"

The loud shouts were like a boulder falling into a pond, splashing water and making the once peaceful princess's residence as restless as ants on a hot pan.

After the three imperial physicians took her pulse, they exchanged glances, and one of them stepped forward and bowed: "Princess, your injury is not serious. After applying the medicine, rest and recuperate for half a month. With the Lingnan Ointment, I guarantee that not even a scar will remain."

Xiang An didn't seem to care much, and only asked, "How is Xiao Ru?"

The man frowned but didn't answer immediately.

Xiang An angrily said, "I'm asking you, how is Xiao Ru?!"

The man knelt down silently, without saying a word.

Xiang An clenched his fist and slammed it hard against the bed, yelling, "Speak! Speak!! Speak!!!"

Her anger was like mud falling into a quagmire, unable to ignite a single spark or splash a single speck of mud; its silence spoke volumes.

At this moment, everyone present, both inside and outside the house, had silently knelt down.

Finally, Xiang An cried.

She cried and struggled to crawl off the bed, her white underwear quickly becoming stained red with blood.

This time, the crowd, who had seemed to be mute, suddenly sprang into action. They tried to stop her, kowtowed, begged for mercy, and cried and pleaded, begging that Xiang An not to move and to lie in bed to recover. They were afraid that the news would reach the emperor's ears and that he would mistakenly think that they had not served the princess well and would take their heads.

Looking at the people in the room who wanted to live, and hearing the cries filling the room, Xiang An resignedly lay back on the bed, but tears kept flowing from her empty, lifeless eyes.

Her voice was hoarse: "If I let you live, how can she live?"

She didn't say who she was, but everyone knew who she was.

The oldest imperial physician stepped forward: "Your humble servant guarantees with his own head—it is possible."

The resounding voice made Xiang An look at him. He had gray hair, wore a dark blue official robe, had a wrinkled face, and sharp, piercing eyes.

Xiang An: "You have guts! From this day forward, you shall not leave the Princess's residence even for a moment."

"Your humble servant Xu Youren obeys the order."

Xu Youren's emaciated body lay prostrate on the ground.

That afternoon, Xiang An arranged for a carriage to send the imperial physician back to the palace, leaving Xu Youren behind.

That evening, Xiang An summoned Xu Youren again, still unwilling to give up, and asked him, "Can Xiao Ru still stand up?"

Xu Youren had just moved his hand when Xiang An said again, "Xu Youren, I once heard a couplet whose origin I do not know: 'I only wish there were no illnesses in the world, I would rather the medicine on the shelves gather dust.' I asked him, if there were no illnesses, and no one would buy your family's medicine, wouldn't your whole family starve to death? Do you know what he said?"