The princess regretted it.

Jin An watched her steps. Although they were a little slow, she didn't seem to have any problem. He thought she had recovered quite well. He looked up at her face again. Although it was covered by makeup, if he looked closely, he could still see faint marks on her face. She withdrew her gaze, leaned closer to Qin Susu, and looked at her with a flickering gaze. His eyes glanced at Guo Shi without leaving any trace.

Seeing her expression, Qin Susu understood that she had something she wanted to ask Lin Qian in private. So she smiled gently, blinked, and then stood up and said to Guo, "Madam Lin, I heard that the garden in your house is very beautiful. Could you take me to see it?"

Guo was slightly startled, but then she reacted quickly and replied, "Madam, you are too kind. The garden is just an ordinary place. If you don't mind, I will take you there right away."

Qin Susu smiled and nodded, then looked at Jin An and said, "Princess, you can chat with Miss Lin slowly. Madam Lin and I will go for a stroll in the garden."

Jin An smiled and nodded slightly, and Qin Susu left the room with Guo and the maids. Only Jin An, Lin Qian, Han Shuang, and Zi Yun were left in the room. Lin Qian became a little nervous. Although she had a plan, she was not 100% sure that Jin An would agree to her suggestion.

Jin An also winked at Han Shuang and Zi Yun, and they understood and retreated, standing in the corridor with their backs to the hall door. Jin An looked up at Lin Qian and said calmly, "Miss Lin, is your injury healed? Are there any sequelae?"

Lin Qian quickly replied, "Thank you for your concern, Princess. I am fine now."

Jin An nodded slightly and asked, "I heard that you have the idea of entering the palace. I wonder why? Can you tell me? I want to hear the truth."

Lin Qian was slightly startled, then lowered her eyes and said softly, "I won't hide it from you, Princess. My father has always placed great hopes on me since I was little, and he has indeed spent a lot of effort to train me. He hoped that one day I would bring honor to the family. However, because of a dance performance, my life was almost ruined. Fortunately, I was lucky and pulled through." At this point, she raised her eyes and looked directly at Princess Jin'an. Her eyes were filled with sorrow, and then turned into tenacity. "After going through this ordeal, I have learned a lot. Although my father holds the position of Shangshu, he is still weak and vulnerable compared to those aristocratic families. I am truly unwilling to accept this humiliation, and I hope to find the best protection."

Then, Lin Qian couldn't help but laugh at herself and said, "However, I know I am far from worthy of this best protection. Because in my opinion, only by gaining the favor of His Majesty can I obtain the best protection. And only His Majesty is someone those people dare not easily provoke. Although I know my status is low, I still hope to enter the palace and seek the protection of the emperor's grace. Therefore, I would like to ask the princess to pity me and help me."

After listening to her, Jin An saw that she was looking at him sadly, and said calmly: "Did you enter the palace just to seek shelter?" Although her tone was light, the implicit pressure could not be ignored.

Lin Qian bit her lip lightly, her face paler than before. She swallowed softly, "I do have other ideas. Even if I can't accomplish much, if I become the Emperor's concubine, I think it will upset some people. As long as it makes her unhappy, I'm willing to do it. Princess, aren't you angry that they've schemed against you like this?"

"How dare you!" Jin An uttered these two words softly, looking at Lin Qian with cold eyes.

Lin Qian immediately rose from her chair, holding onto it and slowly knelt. "I have overstepped my bounds. Please forgive me, Princess! I cannot hide anything from you, but I truly..." Lin Qian bowed her head slightly, her voice trembling. "I truly hate those who harmed me with a deep hatred. I know my status is low, and I shouldn't have such thoughts, but I simply cannot swallow this indignation. I am willing to enter the palace, serve you with all my heart, and bring peace to our family."

Jin An listened, pondered for a moment, looked at Lin Qian and said: "Lin Qian, you know, the imperial palace is not as easy a place to survive as you think. There are constant struggles in the harem, and if you are not careful, you may be doomed. How can you be sure that you can stand out from all the women? Moreover, the harem is now under the control of Concubine Zhang. Aren't you afraid?"

Lin Qian raised her eyes and replied firmly, "Princess, I am not afraid. I have made up my mind and am ready to face anything. I also believe in you. If I can get your help, I will definitely share your worries. I will do anything for you. Although Concubine Zhang controls the harem, she has not been able to move into the central palace for so many years. So, she is not invincible. I am willing to be a sharp blade in your hands, and I only hope that you can protect my family for me."

Jin An looked at Lin Qian quietly, and after a moment's silence, he said, "You should get up first. I will consider this matter again. Are you sure you can pass next year's draft? Your legs?"

Lin Qian slowly stood up, holding onto the chair, and said firmly, "Princess, as I said earlier, my father has put a lot of effort into training me. Dancing is just one of the skills I have learned."

Upon hearing this, Jin An lowered his head and smiled slightly, nodding slightly. "I understand. However, I just took a closer look at your face, and it seems your appearance is damaged. You will be eliminated from the first round of the selection. Do you have any way to repair it?"

After hearing what Jin An said, Lin Qian knelt down again without hesitation. "The reason why I requested to meet with the princess is also for this selfish reason. I want to ask the princess to give me the imperial medicine."

"What?" Jin An looked at her in confusion. "I want to ask for the Jade Face Cream from the palace." Lin Qian bit her lip and said with courage.

"Jade Cream?" Jin An chuckled, "You're really calculating!" Lin Qian's face grew paler, and the knuckles of her fingers that were holding onto the chair turned white.

"However, I can give it to you, but I want to see the Lin family's sincerity." Jin An said slowly, word by word, his eyes fixed on Lin Qian.

Lin Qian didn't quite understand what Princess Jin'an meant by this. What did the Lin family's sincerity mean? She looked at Jin'an with a twinkling look in her eyes, "Princess, what sincerity do you want? Please tell me!"

"You should get up first. You should discuss everything with your father. Your father has risen from a commoner to the position of Minister. My father highly values his intelligence and ability. I heard that he is currently busy with the food and fodder issues in the northern border. I imagine he must be very tired." Jin An paused, then continued, "Speaking of the northern border, the war situation is tense right now. I am very worried about my uncle."