The princess regretted it.

When Guo heard this, she felt a sense of grievance. She knew that if she told the news, it would not only be her misfortune, but also her husband's family and her own family would face disaster.

She did not directly answer Princess Jin'an's question, but kowtowed repeatedly, "Princess Jin'an, I know I was wrong, and I beg you to spare my life. I have no intention of offending you, I was just confused for a moment, and I beg you to show mercy." Her forehead hit the ground with a dull sound.

Princess Jin'an narrowed her eyes slightly and said coldly: "Ms. Guo, do you think that you can get away with it by knelt down and admitted your mistake? If you don't tell me the reason today, I will not let you off easily." Princess Jin'an's voice was as cold as the cold wind on a cold night, which made people shudder.

Jin An knew that Guo's actions were driven by the rumors. She had to seize this opportunity to expose the truth. Once the truth was revealed, the Zhang family's plan to win over the Ministry of Revenue would be thwarted, and they might even face backlash.

Guo's heart shuddered. She knew she was in a desperate situation, with no escape. She slowly rested her head on her hands, her eyes brimming with tears. "Princess, your wife... your wife..." she stammered, words threatening to escape her lips but swallowing them back. She simply couldn't bring herself to speak them. Her face was filled with conflict and fear.

Princess Jin'an's face was as calm as water, her eyes as deep as the abyss, and her gaze faintly exuded an unquestionable majesty. She slowly said, "If you have something to say, just say it directly. Don't be so hesitant."

Guo bit her lip and finally mustered up the courage to say, "Princess, I heard someone say that you arranged for someone to break my daughter's leg. I was so sad and angry that I was disrespectful to you. But I only heard it and have no evidence. I beg you to investigate." After she finished speaking, she collapsed to the ground, feeling extremely regretful and thinking that she was finished.

Princess Jin'an listened to Guo's words, lowered her head slightly, and chuckled coldly. Then, she slowly raised her eyelids, gazing at Guo with a gaze as calm as water yet shimmering with a sharp edge. She spoke slowly, "Guo, do you understand the consequences of spreading rumors and slandering the royal family? I assure you today that I have never done what you allege. And yet, you dare to murder me based on nothing more than these unfounded rumors. You are truly audacious." Princess Jin'an's tone seemed calm, yet it carried an undeniable severity.

The eldest princess listened at the side and her face darkened. "I have also heard about your daughter's matter. Moreover, the emperor has ordered the Dali Temple to investigate, and everything will have a fair result. Now that you are acting so rashly, have you ever thought about the consequences?" The eldest princess' words were full of majesty and reproach, and her eyes were fixed on Guo.

After hearing the Grand Princess' words, Guo's body weakened even more uncontrollably, and a wave of fear surged within her. She knew her actions had indeed been impulsive. "Grand Princess, Princess Jin'an, I know I was wrong. I was simply confused when I thought of the harm my daughter had suffered. I beg Grand Princess, Princess Jin'an, to forgive me." Guo kowtowed again, tears streaming down her cheeks, her whole body trembling.

"Hmph! Let the Dali Temple judge whether you are confused or not!"

When Guo heard this, her face turned ashen and she seemed to have lost her soul.

The Grand Princess ignored Guo and was about to call for the Grand Justice Minister to deal with Guo when Jin An suddenly tugged at her sleeve. The Grand Princess was startled for a moment and turned to look at Jin An, who gently shook his head.

The Grand Princess was puzzled, but for the moment she suppressed the urge to call for help. Frowning slightly, she asked softly, "Jin'an, why don't you ask me to summon the Supreme Court Minister? This Guo is so audacious. If she's not punished, won't everyone dare to offend the royal family in the future?"

Jin An bowed slightly and said calmly, "Grandma, please calm down. If we summon the Supreme Court Justice Minister for today's incident, I'm afraid it will cause a huge uproar in the city. Moreover, the Emperor has already ordered the Supreme Court Justice Minister to investigate the matter of Guo's daughter. If we summon the Supreme Court Justice Minister for today's incident, it may appear that the Imperial Family is being too harsh, which will be detrimental to the subsequent investigation. Furthermore, Guo was impulsive because she was concerned about her daughter. It's better to give her a small warning. If she commits the same offense again in the future, it won't be too late to punish her severely."

Jin'an's words were coherent and convincing. But Jin'an had far more on her mind. If Guo were brought to the Dali Temple today, her reputation would be ruined, and her children's reputations would also be damaged. Even if the truth of Lin Qian's incident were uncovered later, Minister Lin would be alienated from his father, the Emperor. This was absolutely not the outcome she desired.

The Grand Princess listened to Jin'an's words and pondered them for a moment, feeling that he had a point. She nodded and said, "Very well, I'll do as you say. However, Guo, you've become so jealous of Princess Jin'an because of these unfounded rumors that you've even tried to make things difficult for her and even tried to harm her today. I want to ask you, once the Dali Temple's investigation is out, what will you do if your daughter's case has nothing to do with Princess Jin'an?"

Guo bit her lip, her face solemn. She lowered her head slightly, her eyes flickering. After a moment, a hint of determination flashed in her eyes, and she said solemnly: "If this matter has nothing to do with Princess Jin'an, I will definitely apologize to the princess and let her deal with me without any complaints."

The Grand Princess raised her chin slightly, her expression dignified. She stared at Guo with a sharp gaze and said in a deep voice, "Okay, I hope you will remember what I said today. Since Princess Jin'an has pleaded for you, I will temporarily forgive you this time. Please know that the majesty of the royal family cannot be offended. I will temporarily forgive you for today's matter, but if there is a next time, I will not let you off easily."

Upon hearing this, Guo was overjoyed to have escaped death. Even though she felt a lot of dissatisfaction and grievances in her heart, she could not care less at this moment. She kowtowed and thanked them, "Thank you, Grand Princess, thank you, Princess Jin'an. I will be careful with my words and actions in the future and will never make the same mistake again."

The eldest princess did not speak, but turned her head slightly, looked at Princess Jin'an with a kind gaze, and said in a gentle voice: "Jin'an, do you have anything to say?"

Jin An smiled and said to the Grand Princess, "Everything is decided by the Imperial Aunt."

The Grand Princess nodded slightly, her eyes glaring at Guo, and she said coldly, "Guo, please stand up. Go home and spend the next few days with your daughter. Don't wander around if you have nothing to do." Guo understood the Grand Princess's meaning. This was a disguised confinement, but she had no choice but to accept the punishment. After kowtowed and thanked her, she stood up and stepped aside, not daring to say another word.

The Grand Princess then cast her gaze upon the crowd once more, her commanding gaze piercing through everyone, sending tremors through their hearts. She said in a deep voice, "This concludes today's matter. I hope you all understand the importance of being cautious in your words and actions, and avoid bringing disaster upon yourselves for no reason."

Everyone felt the majesty and warning in the Grand Princess' words, and nodded respectfully in response, their expressions full of awe and caution.

Princess Jin'an had already achieved her goal for the day, and since it was getting late, she was the first to stand up. With a frosty expression, she bowed to the Grand Princess and Qin Susu, saying, "Grandma, Aunt Susu, it's getting late. Jin'an will take her leave."

The Grand Princess was no longer in the mood to deal with the following matters. She nodded slightly and said calmly, "Okay, I'll come and see the Imperial Aunt when I have time." Princess Jin'an smiled and replied, "Yes, Imperial Aunt."

After Princess Jin'an and Han Shuang left, the remaining people, all extremely discerning, bid farewell and departed the mansion one after another. Although they had failed to achieve their goal today, they had clearly understood one thing: Princess Jin'an was backed not only by the Prime Minister's Office, but also by the Duke of Protectorate's Office. Everyone thought to themselves that they must report this matter to their masters so that they could formulate a response plan.