The princess regretted it.

Chapter 301 Jin An reminds Concubine Cen that there is something wrong with the current situation in

Could it be that the Third Prince had tricked the Second Prince into doing this? But thinking carefully, Jin An felt that this was unlikely. Although the Second Prince had not been particularly close to him since childhood, he had never once put him in a difficult position, let alone plotted against him. On the contrary, he had often silently defended him. Therefore, he would never do such a treasonous act. However, the people around him were all chosen for him by Concubine Zhang. To put it bluntly, they were all spies planted by the Zhang family.

The relationship among them became more and more complicated, giving Jin An a headache. However, all of this had to wait until the identity of the palace maid was verified. Thinking of this, Jin An folded the note in his hand, stood up, and said to Concubine Cen: "Your Majesty, please think about whether there is any information you have missed. Time waits for no one. I will first tell my father about the information you just said and Mingyue's matter. He will arrange for the Imperial Guards to investigate immediately. I estimate that Mingyue should still be alive, because they may want to use Mingyue to force you to confess to this crime. So Your Majesty, please don't worry."

After saying that, Jin An was about to leave with Han Shuang and the others. When they reached the door, they looked up and saw a group of palace maids and eunuchs outside. They all looked like frightened birds, with panic expressions on their faces, their eyes wandering, their steps hurried, and they would shrink back in fear at the slightest movement.

Seeing this, Jin An sighed slightly in his heart, turned around, looked at Concubine Cen who stood up to see him off, and said solemnly and firmly: "Concubine Cen, as the master of a palace, all matters in this palace, big and small, depend on you. Your mood and state are like a weather vane, which can influence the atmosphere of the entire palace. I hope that Concubine Cen will take care of herself and stabilize the situation." After she finished speaking, without waiting for Concubine Cen to respond, she turned around and left quickly.

Concubine Cen stood there, slightly stunned, somewhat confused by Jin'an's words before leaving. With delicate steps, she slowly approached the door and peered outside, carefully taking in everything around her. Only then did she understand what Jin'an meant. The palace servants were whispering among themselves, their eyes filled with fear and uneasiness. The entire palace seemed shrouded in a gloomy haze, lifeless.

She gently closed her eyes, as if to isolate herself from the chaotic scene, and then slowly opened her eyes. However, at this moment, the light in her eyes and the state she presented were completely different from before, as if she had become a different person, revealing a sense of determination and decisiveness.

She parted her red lips and softly called out, "Cui Liu." Though her voice was low, it echoed lingeringly in the silent palace. Cui Liu then hurried out from a side hall, her steps slightly flustered. She approached Concubine Cen, knelt in greeting, and timidly asked, "What is your Majesty calling for?"

Concubine Cen stared at her straight, her eyes so deep that they seemed to see through people's hearts, making Cui Liu feel even more flustered. She wondered what the Empress's intention was in suddenly calling her over and then remaining silent for a long time.

Just now, she had seen Princess Jin'an and her group hurried in. She was terrified, and since Concubine Cen hadn't summoned her, she'd been cleaning in the side hall and hadn't dared come in. Now, just as Princess Jin'an had left, the Empress summoned her. She'd assumed she had some urgent instructions, but she hadn't said a word, simply staring at her intently. She was filled with panic, racking her brains but unable to figure out what she'd done wrong. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, a panic.

She spoke cautiously, her voice like the buzzing of a mosquito: "My Lady?"

Concubine Cen continued to stare at her intently and spoke slowly, "Did you know that Princess Jin'an came just now?"

"Your Majesty, I know." Although Cui Liu couldn't figure out the Majesty's intention in asking this question, she was honest by nature and answered truthfully.

"Since you knew the princess was coming, why didn't you come and serve her? Don't you even know to serve a cup of tea? Hasn't anyone taught you these palace rules since you entered the palace?" Concubine Cen's voice was flat, without any ups and downs in it. But even such calm words, every word was like a heavy rock falling, hitting Cui Liu's heart and making her panic.

Cui Liu's legs went weak when she was asked this question. She fell to her knees with a plop, her body shaking like a sieve. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Your servant, your servant..." For a moment, she was so panicked that she didn't know how to answer.

Just as she was sweating profusely and trying to find a suitable excuse to prevaricate, Concubine Cen's slow voice sounded again, with unquestionable majesty: "This palace wants to hear the truth!"

Cui Liu was so frightened that her delicate body trembled. She quickly crouched down as if to curl herself up into a ball, her voice trembling violently: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was just scared."

"Afraid? What are you afraid of?" Concubine Cen pressed on, her tone so calm that it was almost cruel, and continued to ask.

"Shortly after the fire in the Imperial Garden last night, the Imperial Guards came to the palace to investigate with murderous intent. We were so scared that we didn't know what was going on. In addition, Aunt Mingyue did not return home all night, and everyone was worried and panicked. I was keeping watch for Your Majesty, and I know that you didn't sleep all night either. Just now I saw Princess Jin'an coming in a hurry. I, I..." At this point, Cuiliu hesitated and didn't dare to say anything more.

"Keep talking!" Concubine Cen's two brief words were like a sharp command. An invisible sense of oppression came over her and rushed straight towards Cui Liu.

Cui Liu gritted her teeth and mustered up the courage to continue, "I thought Your Majesty had done something wrong and Princess Jin'an found out, so she came to cause trouble for Your Majesty. I was afraid of being implicated, so I didn't dare to come. It was my dereliction of duty! Please forgive me, Your Majesty!" As Cui Liu spoke, she kowtowed like pounding garlic, and her forehead touched the ground with a dull sound.

Upon hearing this, Concubine Cen understood why the people in her palace were acting like this. They all thought she had committed some crime and was about to fall from grace, or even face severe punishment. So, fearing the consequences for themselves, they acted so chaotically and without proper manners.

Thinking of this, Concubine Cen sighed softly, understanding the underlying meaning of Princess Jin'an's words. If she, the mistress of a palace, was a lifeless being, consumed by sorrow, fear, and confusion, listless and withered, then surely the others within would follow suit, completely enveloped by negativity. They already lived in this harem of undercurrents and peril, constantly trembling and treading on thin ice, relying solely on their mistress's authority and composure for a sense of security. Now that she had lost her spirit, they felt as if they had lost their backbone and direction, naturally acting in a chaotic and disorganized manner, living in a state of fear.