The princess regretted it.

It wasn't long before she returned, but she was followed by Qingli, who was holding a tray with a bowl of steam rising from it. Jin'an looked at Qingli and then turned to Hanshuang. Hanshuang quickly walked over to Jin'an and said, "Princess, you must be getting impatient. I wanted to make something myself, but I was worried it wouldn't suit your taste, so I thought of getting some snacks. Qingli saw it, and since she's more skillful than I am, she simply cooked some noodles and quickly brought them to you while they were still hot."

After hearing what Han Shuang said, Qingli's lips curled up and her eyes were full of smiles. She put the tray on the table beside her, brought the bowl to Jin An, and said respectfully: "Princess, the noodles are a bit simple, but it's cold outside and it's better to eat some hot food to warm you up. Eat it while it's hot." Han Shuang also stood aside, looking at Jin An with burning eyes, as if urging Jin An to eat quickly.

Jin An looked at Qing Li, then at the bowl of food emitting an alluring aroma, then at Han Shuang's eager expression. She smiled and whispered, "Thank you for your hard work." Then she picked up her silver chopsticks and slowly stirred the noodles. Steam rose and warmed her face. She slowly began to eat. The noodles were smooth and crisp, the broth was delicious and rich, and warmth spread from her mouth to her whole body. As Jin An ate the hot noodles, her heart warmed, and a sense of happiness arose. How wonderful!

The stars set, the sun rose, day and night changed, and the days passed one by one. The people in the capital seemed to live their lives as if nothing had changed. The morning sun shone on the ancient streets, awakening the slumbering city.

Shops along the street gradually opened, their employees busily cleaning their shops, preparing to welcome customers for the new day. At the market, the cries of vendors filled the air, creating a bustling atmosphere. People wandered between the stalls, selecting fresh fruits and vegetables and daily necessities.

In the mansions of high-ranking officials, servants were carrying out their daily work in an orderly manner, cleaning the courtyards and preparing meals. In the imperial palace, the maids and eunuchs were still busy as usual, quietly and orderly. The imperial guards were patrolling in an orderly manner, guarding the safety of the imperial palace. In the court, ministers were arguing about big and small matters, and for the sake of the country, for the development of their own families, for themselves... they all tried their best to make plans. The emperor was going in and out of the harem more often, and almost all the concubines in the palace had lunch with him, but he basically would not stay overnight with them, including Concubine Zhang's Wuqiu Palace. Of course, except for Concubine Chun, but now the emperor always avoids people every time he goes there. So Concubine Chun is still a small transparent and quiet existence.

Ever since listening to Princess Jiaoyu's words and the message from her father, Concubine Zhang has been managing the harem with exceptional diligence. Whenever the Emperor visits the palace, she presents him with gifts. Changsun Hongze is increasingly pleased with her current actions. He no longer orders the Golden Armor Guards to investigate the past. He figures now isn't the right time to attack the Zhang family; he'll wait until victory in the north and his brother-in-law returns. So, for the time being, he's put his pressure on the Zhang family on hold; he needs them to maintain a check on the court.

Now that her favor had been restored, Concubine Zhang took advantage of the Emperor's mealtime to make a request. She softly said, "Your Majesty, I'm thinking of the many sisters in the harem, and how rarely we get together. I'd like to ask Your Majesty's permission to allow the other concubines in the palace to gather with me daily, so as to strengthen the bonds among the sisters."

Changsun Hongze raised his eyes slightly and gave Concubine Zhang a deep look. After thinking for a moment, he said, "My dear, there's no need to trouble them every day. Just let them come once every three days. Of course, you can't force them. Do you understand?"

Although Concubine Zhang was somewhat displeased, she thought, "Slow down, right?" She continued to smile brightly and quickly thanked him, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace." She knew that even though she only had to pay her respects every three days, wouldn't they gradually become accustomed to her and respect her as the superior? Allowing them to come would further consolidate her position in the harem and allow her to better monitor the movements of the other concubines. This would also help prevent the sudden emergence of an heir to the throne.

For Changsun Hongze, the stability of the harem also helped him focus on state affairs and the situation in the northern border. He understood what Concubine Zhang was thinking. The so-called reunion was simply a way for the concubines to pay their respects to her and demonstrate their status. This privilege was clearly a privilege reserved for the empress, yet it seemed she still harbored considerable ambition. But surely every woman in the harem harbored this ambition? As long as she didn't cause trouble for him, he could accept it.

Jin An had been out of the palace quite a bit recently, mainly because Mu Zixuan and Zhong Chuzhou had been gone for a while and hadn't sent any letters back. Furthermore, the weather was getting colder, and she worried that her grandmother and aunt would be worried about her cousin's situation, so she spent most of her time at the Mu residence, chatting with them. During this time, she also visited Lin Qian once and brought her a bottle of jade face cream. Lin Qian's face was almost completely smooth.

Now she is practicing the guqin and calligraphy and painting. In fact, she already knew these and had a good grasp of them. Now she just wants to make a better breakthrough. As she said herself, dancing is not the only skill she can show off. She has also mastered the guqin, chess, calligraphy and painting. It can be seen that she has put a lot of thought into them. No wonder she feels so unwilling. Jin An often thinks that Lin Qian worked so hard, but because of someone's deliberate mischief, her face was ruined and her legs were broken. If it were her, she would probably ask her father to kill that person's entire clan. When she saw Lin Qian's focused practice, she felt a sense of emotion in her heart. Don't underestimate anyone. No one should be underestimated.

Today, as usual, she had lunch at the Mu Mansion and then took a carriage back to the palace. When she returned to the palace, someone was already waiting for her in her Feiyu Hall.

The person who came was none other than the Third Prince, Zhangsun Wuwang. Upon seeing Jin'an return, the Third Prince stood up and greeted him, "Jin'an, you're back?"

Jin An looked at the Third Prince in surprise and walked slowly into the house. She untied her cloak and handed it to Nanny Zhao who came to greet her. She asked, "Third Brother, why are you here today?"

Changsun Wuwang smiled and said, "Jin'an, are you blaming Third Brother for not visiting you more often?"

Jin An scoffed inwardly, but smiled and said, "Of course not. I've heard that Third Brother is a very busy man these days. Father asked you and Second Brother to assist him with some important matters. You're usually incredibly busy, so how did you find time to come to my place today?"

Zhang Sun Wuwang narrowed his eyes slightly, smiled faintly and said, "No matter how busy you are, you can't forget your sister Jin An. I came here today because I really have something I want to discuss with Jin An."