The princess regretted it.

Chapter 300: The Green Palace Maid's Identity Gradually Revealed

Jin An keenly caught Concubine Cen's meaningful look, and immediately, doubts filled his heart, as if shrouded in a fog, unable to discern the hidden meaning behind it. "Concubine Cen?" Jin An frowned slightly and called out tentatively, his voice remarkably clear in the silent palace.

Concubine Cen suddenly snapped out of her thoughts. She blinked and quickly averted her gaze, subconsciously turning her head slightly to avoid Jin An's probing gaze. Her heart was surging like a raging sea. No! I couldn't say it! Back then, she had chosen silence out of fear. So many years had passed like flowing water, and now she couldn't even mention that past event.

She slowly lowered her head, her long eyelashes fluttering like a butterfly, hiding the panic and struggle in her eyes. Her hands subconsciously twisted the handkerchief tightly in her hands, and the handkerchief was crumpled into a mess in her hands, as if it was a true reflection of her tangled inner world at the moment.

Her voice was low, like the buzzing of a mosquito, with a barely perceptible tremor: "Princess, you are right. I was indeed confused. The only clue I have here is the note, and no other information. Then I will give it to you, Princess, and you can make your own arrangements."

Jin An listened to Concubine Cen's words and nodded slightly, her attention naturally returning to the note in her hand. What secret was written on this note? How was it inextricably linked to the arsonist? Her brows were furrowed, her eyes focused and solemn, lost in thought about the contents of the note. Therefore, she did not give Concubine Cen's meaningful look a moment ago any further thought.

Jin An carefully examined the note in her hand again. The handwriting on it was definitely not the handwriting of anyone she was familiar with. She pursed her lips slightly, then turned her head and looked at Concubine Cen. With a serious expression, she asked, "Does your Majesty recognize this handwriting?"

Concubine Cen shook her head slightly, a hint of helplessness in her eyes. She slowly said, "After receiving the note last night, I've been thinking about this question over and over again. The handwriting looks quite beautiful, and it's obviously written by a woman. However, among the people I know in the harem, when I think about it carefully, there is not a single person who can match the handwriting. I don't think this note was written by those concubines."

Jin An nodded thoughtfully, thinking to herself, considering the woman's handwriting, and since she'd ruled out the palace masters, it was most likely a palace maid. There were so many palace maids in the palace, and identifying one among them would be incredibly difficult, like finding a needle in a haystack. However, she still asked Concubine Cen again, "Did Mingyue mention a palace maid in green attire when she came back?"

"A maid in a green palace dress?" Concubine Cen was slightly startled when she heard Jin'an ask this. She slowly raised her head and looked at Jin'an with a puzzled look in her eyes. "What kind of green palace dress? Is this related to what's going on?"

"It's just some speculation. There is no definite evidence yet. So I want to know whether Mingyue has mentioned such a palace maid when she came back, or whether she has mentioned any strange people?" Jin An answered Concubine Cen's questions slowly, with a hint of expectation in his eyes, hoping to get some useful clues from Concubine Cen.

After hearing Jin'an's words, Concubine Cen frowned slightly and fell into deep thought. After a moment, she seemed to remember something and raised her head to answer, "Well, she never mentioned the woman in the green palace dress. However, she seemed to have said that she saw the second prince's maid talking to the third prince's little Xizi in the imperial garden."

Jin An's brows knitted together as he listened, secretly surprised: Second Brother and Third Brother's people were talking together! What secret was hidden behind this? "The maidservant beside Second Brother? Did Mingyue see it clearly?" she asked impatiently.

"She has seen that palace maid several times. Mainly because that palace maid always wears some expensive ornaments. This makes Mingyue unable to help but stand up for me every time she sees her." Concubine Cen said with a wry smile on her face, which was bitter and helpless.

"Precious jewelry?" Jin'an's eyes lit up, like twinkling stars in the night sky. He quickly asked, "What valuable items are they? Did Mingyue mention them?"

After hearing Jin An's words, Concubine Cen raised her hand and gently stroked her forehead, trying to recall. After a while, she replied a little embarrassedly, "I can't remember the details, but she seemed to have mentioned something about a gilded crabapple hairpin, an emerald bracelet, and maybe pearl earrings."

"Pearl earrings?" Jin An's heart skipped a beat. A flash of surprise flashed across her eyes, and her heartbeat quickened. She knew that within the palace, masters often rewarded capable individuals to instill loyalty in them, especially when it was inconvenient for them to do things themselves. These rewards often included precious jewelry.

While these pearl earrings weren't uncommon in the palace, the current situation forced her to pay extra attention. She had to confirm the details of the pearl earrings to see if they matched Gan Cao's description. "What kind of pearl earrings? Are they very special?" Jin An's voice trembled slightly, carrying a hint of uncontrollable excitement.

"Oh, that pearl is bigger than usual, and the color is warm. It's obvious that it is not an ordinary item. Mingyue was muttering at that time that even I don't have such a big pearl, but a palace maid actually wears it. The Zhang family is really generous." Concubine Cen smiled self-deprecatingly again, her words full of helplessness and emotion about her own situation.

Upon hearing this, Jin'an had already formed a preliminary conclusion. It seemed the person Gancao was referring to was likely related to the Second Prince's maidservant. As for whether she was the arsonist, all they needed to do was have the Imperial Guards investigate, and the truth would surely emerge. "Did Mingyue mention the maid's name?" she asked expectantly. If Mingyue had mentioned the person's name, then the mystery would be solved even more quickly.

"This, I don't remember whether she mentioned it or not. But there are not many palace maids around the second prince, so it should not be difficult to find one." After thinking for a while, Concubine Cen shook her head gently and said slowly.

Jin An nodded in agreement, thinking that she must inform her father as soon as possible so that the Imperial Guards could begin an investigation. However, she still had some concerns. She knew that her third brother had been secretly plotting against her second brother, but her second brother was straightforward and didn't have many schemes or twists and turns. She still had some trust in her second brother's character.