[I saw it! I saw it! That so-called mystic master's face turned green!]

Where is the mystical master?! That old man?

Xu Nian had noticed the gray-haired old man sitting opposite her long ago. Even without Jiang Yuanche's introduction, she could tell from his sinister aura that made her feel disgusted that he was no good person.

She had come into contact with the Gu Master lineage.

However, in modern society, in this degenerate age, no matter how sophisticated the methods, the constraints imposed by those above prevent them from causing any trouble.

This person is different; he can drain the life force of a living person with just a word from his master, attempting to kill them!

In their time, they could have been arrested on the spot, okay?

Jiang Yuanche's smile faltered, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. "What are you saying, Princess? Master Xun is a renowned Gu Master in the Southern Frontier, highly respected by the local people. It was precisely out of curiosity about the Princess's profound arts that I traveled all this way to the capital."

The man sat calmly in his seat, casually glancing over. "Is this the old man? I thought he was one of Your Highness's servants, wondering why he was dressed so shabbily."

"Princess, please have mercy."

It was unclear what the relationship was between the Fifth Prince and the old man. Despite the insulting and slanderous words, the old man hadn't even been provoked to unleash his power yet. Instead, he frowned and lowered his voice.

Xu Nian readily agreed and didn't argue with him. She curled her fingers and pretended to pinch them a couple of times. "I have no interest in any competition. I really have important matters to attend to. Your Highness, please don't refuse again. I really don't have time."

"Hmph! Saying he has important business to attend to, in my opinion, is just a pretense to avoid taking action!"

The old man finally couldn't take it anymore. He had ruled as king in the southern borderlands for many years. Not to mention the common people, even the local prefect had to treat him with utmost respect.

Today, I was first ignored and then humiliated by a junior. Now they still treat me with such disrespect. I've already reached my limit of tolerance!

Seeing that the man had taken the bait, Xu Nian put on a troubled look, "Oh dear, old man. It's not that I don't want to compete with you, it's just... I made an appointment with someone a long time ago, and I can't just break my promise."

Jiang Yuanche stood up from his seat. "Who could possibly make you, Princess, so anxious? If it were Anqing, given your relationship with her, it wouldn't hurt to wait a bit, would it?"

"Your Highness, do you truly not wish for me to leave?"

"What are you saying, Princess? I just wanted to watch the competition. You can leave once you two have finished."

"Your Highness, Your Highness!"

"I never knew Che'er had such influence that he could have a princess perform for him!"

The authoritative voice, though not angry, came out along with the servant's flustered announcement. Jiang Yuanche's eyes widened in shock. He then looked at Xu Nian and said, "Your Majesty, may you be well."

Before he could even utter a single threatening word, the bright yellow figure turned around the screen and appeared before everyone.

Everyone in the front hall, including that old man Xun, knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

When everyone else stood up, Xu Nian was still kneeling. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I should have gone on time when Your Majesty summoned me. I have made Your Majesty come to find me personally. I deserve to die for this crime."

Alright, let him explain why Princess Fu'an has been unwilling to reveal who invited her.

Is this relationship just dragging on?!

Throughout his life, he had always been the one to outmaneuver others. This was the first time Jiang Yuanche had been outmaneuvered, and his face turned ashen, yet he still had to feign a look of shame.

He hurriedly knelt down, "Father, please forgive me. It's all my fault. I thought the princess was lying to me because she was hesitant in her speech. I've wasted your time, Father. It's all my fault."

Thank you, I appreciate the tea.

Excuse me, I'd like to ask if this is some kind of tea ceremony performance?

Xu Nian: "Friends, next I'll show you what it means to walk the path of a green tea bitch and leave her with nowhere to go. If you like it, please follow me."

As soon as she finished speaking, tears welled up in her eyes. "Your Majesty, I deserve to die. I never imagined that I would be seen this way in the Fifth Prince's eyes. It must be the rumors circulating among the people that have influenced the Fifth Prince's judgment."

Jiang Mingyun watched with her eyes downcast, each of them acting with increasing enthusiasm.

Standing behind, Eunuch Wang even turned his head away, watching Xu Nian's clumsy acting. "Princess Fu'an, if you really want to shift the blame to the Fifth Prince, you should at least tone down that affected expression on your face."

"Fu'an, get up first." In terms of closeness or distance, Xu Nian was naturally ahead of the Fifth Prince.

The emperor's pride was likely wounded by the way the fifth prince's mother had defied him to the death. Ever since Jiang Yuanche's mother died, he had grown increasingly displeased with his son.

Then, one day...

He was exceptionally handsome, with a refined and elegant appearance, surpassing even the most handsome princes in the palace. Just when he was about to rival the Crown Prince, for some unknown reason, a young prince of five or six years old fell into the water.

The palace servants around him said that the young prince had been possessed by some evil spirit and was incredibly strong; several servants couldn't stop him from jumping down on his own.

The young prince's mother was still very favored at the time. Upon hearing this, she rushed into the emperor's arms, saying that her son must have been bewitched.

In this palace, the only person who openly possesses evil magic is Jiang Yuanche.

Later, the young prince awoke. The moment he saw Jiang Yuanche, he recoiled as if he'd seen a ghost. The emperor, even more convinced, believed his favorite concubine's suspicions.

Without even a thorough investigation, they expelled Jiang Yuanche, who was only fifteen years old at the time, from the capital.

Now everyone understood why Jiang Yuanche was out of favor. Naturally, they would never mention him in front of the emperor, even after it was later discovered that although he was involved, the person who did it was the mother of another prince.

The emperor still did not summon the man back from Anyang. To this day, his gaze toward Jiang Yuanche is colder than when he looks at the other princes.

"It was I who ordered Fu'an to keep this a secret. Her silence is in accordance with my decree. Jiang Yuanche, I see you've become too accustomed to being a local tyrant in Anyang; now that you're back in the capital, you can't even tell who the real emperor is!"

"You kidnapped a noblewoman of the imperial family, a princess of the current dynasty. You imprisoned her in your residence and hired so many guards! Do you think I'm dead?!"

Jiang Yuanche's face was not pale, but he kept his head bowed very low. "Father, please forgive me. Your son dares not."

"I wouldn't dare! I think you're quite the darer!" Jiang Mingyun stood there, looking down at his son as if he were trash. "Righteousness associates with these heretical sects, what wouldn't you dare?! Issue my decree: from today onwards, the Fifth Prince is confined to his quarters for half a month and punished by copying five hundred scrolls of Buddhist scriptures!"