The princess regretted it.

At the gate of the imperial palace, the carriage of the third prince, Changsun Wuwang, slowly set off and drove leisurely towards Zuixianlou.

The carriage moved steadily along the street, and pedestrians consciously made way wherever it passed. Inside the carriage, the Third Prince, Changsun Wuwang, wore a calm expression. Beneath his seemingly calm face, a subtle glint of thought slipped through his eyes. His fingers tapped lightly on the seat's armrest, his thoughts drifting back to yesterday's encounter with Jin An in the Imperial Garden.

Just yesterday, returning from paying his respects to his father, he passed through the Imperial Gardens and spotted Jin'an sitting in a pavilion, angrily discussing something with a maid. Since Jin'an's questioning of the bandit incident, he had been avoiding him. It had been several days since he last saw him. Now, having run into him by chance, and seeing that Jin'an seemed to be in trouble, how could he, always the caring brother to him since childhood, be absent at this moment? With this in mind, he resolutely turned and strode towards Jin'an's pavilion.

Today, Jin'an wore her hair in an exquisite lily-like bun, paired with a sapphire-blue headpiece adorned with kingfisher feathers, creating a dazzling spectacle. She wore a pale blue dress, its sleeves flowing like clouds. Made of soft silk, it shimmered delicately in the sunlight. Delicate silver flowers embroidered along the neckline added a touch of freshness and elegance. A silver ribbon tied around her waist perfectly outlined her slender figure. Over her head, she wore an ivory gauze dress, its subtle embroidery like a hazy mist, both mysterious and captivating. The sleeves were wide and flowing, swaying gently with her movements, resembling fluttering butterflies. She wore a pair of silver embroidered shoes, embroidered with tiny flowers, which complemented her attire perfectly. Jin'an stood there quietly, like a blooming orchid, fresh and refined, beautiful and captivating. However, at this moment, the elegant temperament of this orchid was dispersed by the expression on her face.

Jin'an was angrily telling Hongyu about Qingli's decision not to let her into the kitchen this morning. Hongyu pretended to listen attentively to Jin'an, but out of the corner of her eye she kept an eye on Zhangsun Wuwang. When she saw him turn and walk towards her, she hurriedly whispered, "Princess, the Third Prince is coming."

Jin'an understood, pulling out his handkerchief and gently wiping away the nonexistent tears. From Changsun Wuwang's perspective, Jin'an looked like he was crying. Seeing this, he quickened his pace, sprinting into the pavilion and eagerly asking, "Jin'an, what's wrong?" His voice was thick with concern. Hongyu quickly bowed to Changsun Wuwang, who gestured for her to stand.

At the same time, Jin An suddenly realized something and quickly stood up. She turned around and looked at Zhang Sun Wuwang who was coming from behind. Her eyes were slightly red at this moment, and grievance and anger were intertwined in her eyes.

She didn't explain anything to Changsun Wuwang, but bowed and saluted. Then, irrelevantly, she asked, "Third brother, are you going to pay your respects to the emperor?"

"I've already paid my respects. Now I'm heading back to Cuiyuxuan." Changsun Wuwang said softly, "What's up with Jin'an? Did someone so blind as to offend you? Tell Third Brother, and he'll help you vent your anger."

As soon as the words fell, Jin An remained silent. He sat down by himself, lowered his head, and wiped his eyes with the handkerchief in his hand. In an instant, tears rolled down his face, and his slightly red eyes became even redder.

Hongyu then spoke up, "Third Prince, you don't know how wronged our princess feels!"

Changsun Wuwang turned to look at Hongyu after hearing the voice, frowned and said, "What's the matter? Tell me."

Hong Yufu nodded "Yes," and then said angrily, "Today, when the princess went to pay her respects to His Majesty, she overheard people talking about a noble lady who had been at a flower-viewing banquet and had her leg broken by a car. Later, there were rumors that our princess was responsible. Third Prince, tell me, this is nonsense! Our princess and that lady have no grudges in the past or present, so how could she do such a thing? In my opinion, this might have been done on purpose by someone who can't bear to see the princess suffer..."

Changsun Wuwang listened to Hongyu's incessant chatter, his mind racing. Given Jin'an's temperament, he should have been making a scene. Why was he sitting here crying? Was she doing this on purpose? Did she know I'd be passing by and set me up to do something?

At this moment, Jin An suddenly looked up at him. Tears were hanging on her face like pearls on a string. Her eyes were red and swollen, which made people feel extremely distressed. She said in a trembling voice, "Third brother, will you believe that I did this?"

Changsun Wuwang quickly said seriously, "Jin'an, don't worry. Third Brother definitely knows what kind of person you are. How could our Jin'an be that kind of person? Only those people outside who don't understand you would talk nonsense like that." After a pause, he continued tentatively, "How about Third Brother go talk to the Emperor and let him make the decision for you?"

Jin An pursed his lips, looking unhappy, and said angrily, "Father already knows. When I heard it, I was so angry that I rushed to find him. Father said that he had handed the matter over to the Dali Temple for investigation and told me not to think too much about it. He also said that I have grown up and asked me to learn more from Sister Jiaoyu's steadiness and kindness. Humph!"

Zhangsun Wuwang listened to Jin'an's words and instantly realized the truth: he was being too suspicious. That was Jin'an. With her, who else but her father could stir her emotions? She wasn't hurt by other people's rumors; she was hurt and aggrieved because of what her father had said.

Thinking of this, he put on a distressed expression and said softly, "Okay, Jin'an, don't be sad. Even if others don't believe you, I, your third brother, will definitely believe you. If I knew who did this, I would definitely stand up for you. Look at you, your makeup has been smudged by crying, and you've turned into a cat!"

When Jin'an heard this, he stood up with a cry of "Ah", stomped his feet hard, then covered his face with his sleeves, turned around and left in a hurry, saying, "Third brother, Jin'an will take his leave first." Hongyu hurriedly followed him.

Changsun Wuwang couldn't help but shake his head and laugh as he watched Jin'an leave. But if he knew what Jin'an said next, he probably wouldn't be able to laugh at all.

Jin'an ran for a distance with Hongyu, and stopped when he was sure that he could not see him. Jin'an handed the handkerchief in his hand to Hongyu, and whispered: "Tell Qingli to use less ginger juice next time. It's stinging around my eyes." Hongyu smiled secretly and nodded. "Yes! Okay! I understand." The master and servant talked as they walked towards the Feiyu Hall in the palace.

.......