The princess regretted it.

Chapter 339 Jiaoyu prepares to go to Tangquan

"Hmph! You better remember this!" Jiaoyu snorted, her eyes filled with anger. She shook her sleeves and prepared to leave, thinking that today was really unlucky. Returning to the palace, she ran into Lin Qian, whose temperament was so different from her usual self.

Just as Jiaoyu was about to take a step, Lin Qian whispered, "Princess, please take your time. The emperor is waiting for you to serve him, so I won't see you off. I hope everything will go well for you in the future." These words sounded like a farewell, but there was a hint of provocation in the tone.

Jiaoyu paused, but didn't look back. She just gritted her teeth and quickened her pace to leave. She secretly hated her uncle for not having Lin Qian killed.

Behind her, Xiangcao heard the subtle meaning in Lin Qian's words and muttered softly, "This Concubine Xian is too arrogant. She actually dares to speak to the princess like that." Jiaoyu was angry and said impatiently, "Shut up!" Xiangcao quickly fell silent and followed Jiaoyu away with her head down.

Lin Qian stood there watching Jiaoyu's receding figure, the smile on her face not diminishing at all, but the smile did not reach her eyes.

The maid beside her whispered, "Master, let's go!" Lin Qian withdrew her gaze, lowered her eyelids slightly, and a barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. There seemed to be something obscure in that smile.

Then, she gently turned, and with light, graceful steps, she boarded the sedan chair. Once inside, she gracefully sat down, adjusted her cloak, and whispered, "Let's go!" Her voice was like a spring breeze, gentle yet carrying an unquestionable command.

The eunuchs beside the sedan chair hurriedly and respectfully responded "Yes", then steadily lifted the sedan chair again and slowly walked along the palace road towards the Health Hall.

……

Of course, Jin'an could not hide the itinerary of Princess Jiaoyu and her servant. However, because the Zhang Mansion had very strict secret defenses, the secret guards sent out were cautious and did not dare to sneak in rashly. Therefore, they knew nothing about what happened to Princess Jiaoyu in the Zhang Mansion.

After Jin An heard this, suspicions welled up in her heart. She couldn't help but wonder: Why would Jiaoyu go to the Zhang residence at this critical moment? From what she knew of Jiaoyu, she knew she was a cautious person, not a reckless one. Logically, she wouldn't go to the Zhang residence at such a sensitive time unless she had an extremely unavoidable reason.

If it was because of Concubine Zhang, she and her second brother had already pleaded with the emperor before. The emperor's attitude at that time was very firm, indicating that there was no room for maneuver and it was a foregone conclusion that could not be changed.

After much deliberation, Jin An couldn't come up with a clear answer. Helplessly, she ordered the secret guards to continue to monitor Jiao Yu and those around her, paying close attention to who she interacted with and keeping tabs on every move. Jin An was deeply concerned, fearing that Jiao Yu, filled with resentment over Concubine Zhang's incident, would make an impulsive and wrong decision.

It was Jin'an's arrangement that inadvertently allowed Mingyue to escape from a desperate situation and was eventually rescued successfully.

The topic returned to Jiaoyu. She suppressed her anger and hurried back to her room. As soon as she entered, Xiangcao hurried forward and expertly helped her take off her cloak, gently hanging it on a rack nearby.

Jiaoyu's face was as gloomy as the sky before a storm. She walked to the chair without saying a word and sat down heavily.

When the servants of Jiaoyu Palace saw Jiaoyu return, they hurriedly and respectfully presented her with a cup of steaming hot tea. Xiangcao took the hot tea, tiptoed to Jiaoyu's side, and said cautiously, "Princess, have a cup of hot tea first to warm yourself up."

Jiaoyu slowly raised her eyes, gave her a cold look, and then took the teacup. After taking a few sips, as if unable to suppress her anger, she suddenly put the teacup down heavily on the coffee table beside her, making a crisp "bang".

Vanilla was frightened by the sudden sound and her body tensed up. She suddenly became nervous, fearing that Princess Jiaoyu would suddenly attack her.

Jiao Yu gritted her teeth and said with hatred, "None of them are good people. As soon as my mother lost power, they all wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to step up and trample on me. Who is that Lin Qian? Before, she was so obsessed with marrying my second brother that she flattered me and my mother at every turn. Now, she shamelessly enters the palace and becomes a minor noble, and she even dares to mock me."

Xiangcao lowered her head, not daring to breathe, and didn't dare to respond at all. She knew that Jiaoyu was furious at the moment, and if she said the wrong thing, she was afraid that this anger would be turned on her in an instant.

But her silence only made Jiaoyu even more unhappy. Jiaoyu suddenly turned her head, stared at her with a cold gaze, and shouted angrily: "What, are you mute? Weren't you talking so clearly and excitedly on the road earlier? Why are you silent now?"

"Princess, I was wrong," Xiangcao said timidly, quickly kneeling down. "Princess, you are a princess of the royal family, a daughter of a golden branch and jade leaf, of unparalleled noble status! I, a mere concubine, naturally cannot be compared with you. She has only just entered the palace, and the Emperor is somewhat curious about her. This little bit of favor has made her go to her head, making her lose her sense of her own weight. She is simply ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth."

Xiangcao was afraid Jiaoyu would get angry, so she quickly echoed Jiaoyu's previous words, "Look, none of the senior concubines in the palace dare to speak to the princess like she does. Even the high-ranking Concubine Cen has to be polite when she sees you, princess. Someone like her who doesn't know her limits will be dealt with sooner or later. Princess, there's no need to get angry over someone like her. It's not worth it to ruin your health."

Although Xiangcao's words didn't comfort Jiaoyu, the mention of Concubine Cen did remind her of Mingyue. It had been a few days since she'd visited this person, so she figured she'd recovered quite well. It just so happened that she couldn't come out due to some matters, but Concubine Cen was available!

She had previously sent the note to Concubine Cen, intending to use Mingyue as a threat. After all, as the personal maidservant to the head of the harem, Mingyue must have known many of her master's secrets. In this complex harem, how many women had clean hands? Jiaoyu was certain that Concubine Cen would agree to cooperate with her to protect her secrets and her position.

Thinking of this, Jiaoyu's eyes flashed with calculation and viciousness. She slowly stood up and said to Xiangcao, who was kneeling on the ground, "Get up and get ready. I'm going to the hot spring."