The princess regretted it.

Zhong Chuzhou leaned slightly aside, extending his hand in a gesture of invitation. Jin'an turned gracefully, her skirt fluttering slightly, as she walked steadily out of the hall. Zhong Chuzhou, hands behind his back, a faint smile playing on his lips, followed Jin'an at a leisurely pace. His gaze remained fixed on Jin'an's back, revealing an indescribable emotion.

.......

Inside the palace, Mu Zixuan was pestering Changsun Wuwang, asking him about Jin'an's past and his current situation. He also said that he had missed too much time accompanying Jin'an's growth, so he wanted to get to know Jin'an better from his good third brother who "loved" him.

Changsun Wuwang was already extremely impatient with this kind of pestering, but the man's sincere expression didn't seem fake, and his words were impeccable. He could only force a smile and answer Mu Zixuan's questions one by one, hoping that he would finish his questions and leave quickly. As Changsun Wuwang chatted with Mu Zixuan, he quietly calculated the time.

At that moment, a palace maid hurried into the hall, quickly approached Fan, the wife of Marquis Jin Wu, and whispered something in her ear. Fan suddenly stood up and involuntarily cried out, "What?" In her haste to get up, she accidentally knocked something off the table.

This action instantly startled everyone in the hall. Changsun Hongze, who was seated at the top, waved his hand, and the performances in the hall stopped. Then, the dancers and musicians retreated in an orderly manner, and the entire hall suddenly fell silent. Changsun Hongze lowered his voice and asked, "Who screamed? What exactly happened?"

Fan's face turned pale and she knelt down quickly and replied, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. It was my fault for being impolite. I lost my composure for a moment and disturbed Your Majesty and everyone else." Wu Anshuo also quickly stood up and knelt down. He didn't know why Fan was so panicked, but he didn't dare to ask more questions at this time and could only lower his head.

"I'm asking you what's the matter that makes you lose your composure like this?" Changsun Hongze asked in a deep voice, with an air of majesty in his voice.

Fan knelt there, trembling uncontrollably. She knew full well that deceiving the emperor was a crime she could not bear, and she dared not conceal it. She could only tremble and say, "Your Majesty, I just heard that my son had an accident in the Imperial Garden. I was so anxious that I lost my composure. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me."

As soon as these words were spoken, most of the people in the hall were stunned. Some stared with eyes wide open, faces filled with disbelief; others whispered to each other, discussing this sudden event. Some, like Wu Anshuo, who was kneeling, and Changsun Wuwang, who was sitting above, were both happy and worried. Almost involuntarily, their minds were racing: "It's done. But why did someone send a message? And even alert His Majesty?" Their faces displayed a complex mix of joy at impending success and worry about unexpected situations. Their eyes flickered, and they secretly speculated on the possible consequences of this event.

Of course, the Mu family was more worried about Jin'an at the moment. Zhong Wenqing hadn't returned yet, and Jin'an was nowhere to be seen. They didn't know what was going on. They didn't know whether Jin'an had successfully escaped as planned, or whether Zhong Wenqing had acted according to plan. They didn't know.

"Tell me, what happened?" Changsun Hongze frowned slightly, his eyes sharp as a torch, staring intently at the maidservant beside Fan. The maidservant shuddered, quickly knelt, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, Prince Wu somehow fell into the water in the Imperial Garden, and he has been rescued." Her head hung low, her hands trembling slightly, clearly filled with fear.

"What? Falling into the water?" Wu Anshuo exclaimed, his voice echoing throughout the hall, seeming particularly abrupt. Changsun Wuwang's face also changed, his heart suddenly sinking, but he then suppressed his shock and quietly signaled Wu Anshuo with his eyes.

In fact, Wu Anshuo felt something was wrong the moment he cried out in surprise, but since the words were out, he couldn't take them back, so he could only continue to look terrified, like a father deeply worried after hearing his son fell into the water. He was panicking, "Why did he fall into the water? Shouldn't he be in the side hall with Jin An?"

Changsun Hongze was secretly displeased and said in a deep voice, "Get up first. Since this accident has happened, there is no need to panic. I will have someone take you two to check what's going on."

Wu Anshuo and Mrs. Fan quickly thanked him and stood up. Wu Anshuo's face was still a little pale, and he felt uneasy. Mrs. Fan's face was full of anxiety, and her eyes were full of worry.

Changsun Hongze turned to look at Fuquan standing nearby and gestured slightly. Fuquan quickly obeyed and hurried forward to stand before Wu Anshuo and his wife. He bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Marquis Jinwu, Madam, His Majesty has ordered that you two accompany us to the Imperial Garden to inspect the situation." With that, Fuquan leaned aside and raised his hand, inviting Wu Anshuo and his wife to follow him to the Imperial Garden.

At this time, Prime Minister Mu suddenly said: "Your Majesty, Prince Wu actually fell into the water in the Imperial Garden. This is quite strange. Why don't you ask Your Majesty to move to the Imperial Garden!" As soon as he finished speaking, Changsun Wuwang and Wu Anshuo's faces changed instantly.

Changsun Wuwang quickly spoke up, "Prime Minister, your words are a bit harsh. Perhaps Prince Wu was in high spirits today and drank a few extra drinks, and when he went out to distribute the wine, he accidentally fell into the water. There's no need to alarm father over this matter."

Unexpectedly, just as he finished speaking, the wife of the Duke of Huguo, Changsun Wanqing, spoke up, "Your Majesty, I think the Prime Minister's words make sense! The Jinwu Marquis's family holds the title of Marquis, and their son has been promoted to Crown Prince. Now that he has fallen into the water in the Imperial Garden, this matter cannot be treated lightly."

Changsun Wuwang grew even more anxious upon hearing Changsun Wanqing's words. Just as he was thinking of how to refute her, Changsun Hongze, who was at the head of the group, spoke up, "Then follow me to the Imperial Garden!" With that, he stood up and walked out. Everyone stood up and followed him in an orderly fashion, a vast crowd. Most of them had expressions of eagerness to watch the fun unfold, and Fan hurried to catch up. For a moment, the scene was bustling with activity!

Only Wu Anshuo and Changsun Wuwang looked ashen. Changsun Wuwang thought to himself that things were not going well. This was completely beyond his expectations. He had thought everything was under control, but he hadn't imagined it would turn out like this. As he followed the others forward, he quickly thought of a response, but his mind was in a mess and he couldn't come up with a proper solution. At this moment, he could only silently pray that things wouldn't get any worse.