The princess regretted it.

The next day, Jin An woke early. She had slept well the previous night, and she felt particularly energetic. She stretched and slowly rose, a hint of joy in her eyes. After washing up and having breakfast, Jin An and Han Shuang walked into the courtyard, breathing in the fresh morning air and feeling the gentle breeze. She felt a sense of ease, as if all her worries had melted away.

At this time, Aunt Zhao came in and said, "Princess, Eunuch Fuquan has arrived and brought a lot of rewards."

Jin An was slightly stunned, then smiled and said, "Please invite him in."

After a while, Eunuch Fuquan came in with a few young eunuchs. He bowed with a big smile on his face and said, "This old servant greets the princess."

Jin An smiled and said, "Eunuch Fuquan, please excuse me. I wonder what brings you here today?"

Eunuch Fuquan stood up and said respectfully, "Princess, His Majesty has specifically instructed me to bring these gifts to you. I hope you enjoy them. Of course, if you yourself are not particularly pleased with these gifts, you can give them to your friends."

"Hmm?" Jin An was confused. What did she mean by "sending it to a friend"? She had already been surprised to receive the reward this morning, but now, after hearing what Eunuch Fuquan said, she felt as if something else had happened that she was unaware of.

"Eunuch Fuquan, what does this reward mean? I don't understand what you mean by giving it to a friend." Jin'an frowned slightly and looked at Eunuch Fuquan in confusion.

Eunuch Fuquan smiled mysteriously and said, "Princess, you may not know this, but His Majesty stayed at Concubine Chun's place yesterday. I imagine he was in a good mood, so he thought of giving the Princess a reward. As for the idea of giving it to a friend, I just wanted to mention it. If the Princess finds some reward to be to her liking, it would be a good thing to give it to a friend."

Jin An suddenly understood, a hint of joy on his face. He said, "So that's how it is. Thank you, Eunuch Fuquan, for clearing up my confusion. Then, please go and report back and thank my father for me."

Eunuch Fuquan bowed again, then left with the young eunuchs. Jinan looked at the rewards and thought to himself that his father was interested in Concubine Chun, but was afraid that if he exposed her directly, she would become the target of public criticism. So he wanted to give these rewards to Concubine Chun through his own hands. Nanny Zhao's guess was right, his father did have a good intention. Thinking of this, Jinan smiled secretly and rubbed his forehead. It turned out that his father already knew about the relationship between him and Concubine Chun. Fortunately, his father understood her painstaking efforts and did not get angry with her.

Han Shuang watched everything from the sidelines, and she didn't quite understand what Eunuch Fuquan meant. In her opinion, the emperor simply thought that the princess had a keen eye for talent and that Concubine Chun was worthy of the princess's close friendship, so he said that she could be given to a friend.

But Madam Zhao understood the emperor's intention. She looked up at the princess and saw Jin'an laughing to himself. She stepped forward and whispered, "Princess, what should we do with these rewards from His Majesty?"

Jin An put away his smile and said seriously, "Mammy, please check first to see which is my share and which is the share of the imperial concubines. Divide it and put my share in the warehouse and make a record. Keep the other share for now, and have Han Shuang deliver the things to them later."

Zhao Ma immediately understood, because the things used by the legitimate princess were different from those used by the concubines in the palace. The emperor had given two gifts, one for the princess and the other, probably through the princess, to Concubine Chun.

Nanny Zhao sighed inwardly, realizing the Emperor's thoughtfulness towards Concubine Chun. She was also worried that the princess might resent the Empress, so she glanced at Jin'an with some concern. Jin'an, however, understood her concern and offered a reassuring smile.

Upon seeing this, Madam Zhao quickly responded, "I'll check it right away." After that, Madam Zhao took Han Shuang to carefully check the reward items, distinguishing those that belonged to the princess and those that might be for Concubine Chun.

Han Shuang felt something was amiss. From what the princess and Madam Zhao had said, the gifts the emperor had bestowed on the princess included gifts for other concubines. Why was that? Her small head was ablaze with questions. While she obediently cooperated with Madam Zhao, her mind raced. Unfortunately, she had never learned these things, and having only been in the palace for a short time, she still hadn't figured it out. She figured she should find a chance to pass on a message to her master; surely, he would understand what was going on.

The items were quickly divided. Jinan's share was half the size of the other piles. Nanny Zhao instinctively wanted to move all of Jinan's share into the warehouse for record keeping. But Jinan called her back, "Nanny, since the emperor gave her a reward, please choose two items from the warehouse and send them over with the others."

Nanny Zhao went to make the arrangements. Han Shuang looked at the other reward and asked Jin An, "Princess, do you want me to secretly deliver these to Concubine Chun?"