The princess regretted it.

Jiaoyu looked intently at the person in the cloak. From the bright yellow cloak, she immediately knew the person's identity. This bright yellow is a symbol of royal nobility. In this palace, apart from the current emperor and a few extremely noble relatives, who dares to wear it casually? There is no doubt that the person is Princess Jin'an. Thinking of this, Jiaoyu's eyes can't help but flash with jealousy. She looked at the direction the two people went, wondering what they were doing there. As far as she knew, it was very remote and there was nothing special about it. The palace maid seemed to be holding a box in her hand. What were they going to do?

The corners of Jiaoyu's mouth curled up slightly, and she thought to herself: Could it be that Jin'an is secretly doing something secret? She turned her eyes and said to Cuiguo, "Let's go and take a look."

Jiaoyu and Cuiguo followed Jinan and the others quietly from a distance, like two cautious cats, afraid to make any noise and startle the people in front.

Han Shuang and Jin An walked leisurely, chatting softly as they headed towards Concubine Chun's courtyard. A few days ago, Jin An had mentioned to his father the idea of renaming Concubine Chun's courtyard, saying it felt awkward to leave it without a proper name. The Emperor immediately wrote the characters "Xiangsheng" (Auspicious Life) in his own handwriting. He then had them meticulously framed and hung at the entrance to Concubine Chun's courtyard. Though few knew about this yet, Concubine Chun was overjoyed. She felt it wasn't just a new name for the courtyard, but a sign of the Emperor's regard for her and her unborn child.

Suddenly, Han Shuang seemed to sense something unusual and stopped abruptly, her expression instantly becoming alert. She leaned closer to Jin An and said in a low voice, "Princess, someone is following us."

Jin An paused in her tracks upon hearing this. She subconsciously wanted to turn around to see who was following her. However, before she could make a move, Han Shuang quickly stopped her in a low voice, "Princess, don't look back. If you turn around now, you might alert the enemy. We have to find a way to shake them off first."

"Okay! Come with me. Let's go right at the next intersection. There's a place to hide over there." Jin'an responded to Han Shuang without hesitation, and Han Shuang didn't say anything else. Jin'an and Han Shuang walked at their usual pace, as if they didn't notice anyone following them. Soon, they reached a fork in the road. In perfect harmony, they turned to the right path. As they walked along the winding path, the surroundings became increasingly quiet, with only the subtle tapping of their feet on the bluestone slabs echoing in the silence.

Jiaoyu, standing behind him, looked at Jin'an and the other man in front of him, confused as to why he was here. She searched her mind for memories of this road, but there wasn't any palace where concubines lived. Determined to find out, she quietly followed with Cuiguo.

Soon, a Buddhist temple appeared before their eyes. It was a long-vacant temple, where concubines who had committed crimes in previous dynasties were punished. It had not been used since Changsun Hongze ascended the throne, and concubines who committed crimes were usually punished in their own palaces.

Time had left its mark. The main door to the Buddhist temple was closed, its once vibrant vermilion lacquer now aged and dull. Though palace servants occasionally came to clean and brush away the dust, the decay and loneliness of long periods of uninhabited life were ultimately unbearable.

However, next to the temple stands a towering ancient tree, its massive trunk requiring several people to embrace. Its rough, cracked bark resembles an ancient map, documenting the passage of time. Its vast crown resembles an open umbrella, a scene of lush, overlapping branches and leaves in summer. The gentle breeze rustles the leaves, as if telling an ancient story, adding a touch of mystery to the quiet temple. Thick roots emerge from the ground, winding their way around, some even climbing the corners of the temple, as if testifying to the inextricable connection between the temple and the ancient tree.

As a child, Jinan once stumbled upon this place. Back then, she was still young and pampered, so she didn't know what fear was. She climbed a tree and peered into the temple. She didn't like it at the time, feeling an inexplicable sense of oppression permeating the place, making her feel uncomfortable. She was young then, and didn't understand many things; she simply didn't like the place.