Lin Feilu calmly asked Xiao Lan, "Mother, why doesn't Father like us?"
Xiao Lan answered without putting much thought to her words, "Because I am not favored, therefore His Majesty doesn't like you either."
Lin Feilu asked again, "But Mother is so beautiful, more so than Imperial Concubine Jing. Why doesn't Father like you?"
Xiao Lan was momentarily taken aback as she recollected her memories of the past. She did not realize that her daughter was prodding her for information. She thought her daughter was just feeling frightened and wronged tonight. After a while, she answered in a small whisper, "I shouldn't be telling you these things but there is nothing to hide now. I married His Majesty because of my family. After entering the Imperial Harem, I was not good at putting up acts to please His Majesty. Soon, I began to regularly fall sick. His Majesty was not pleased with my dull and apathetic character, so he gradually stopped visiting Mingyue Palace. Later…"
Later, she gave birth to Lin Zhanyuan and was promoted from a Pure Lady to an Honourable Lady. However, as her son grew up, his abnormality gradually became more apparent. The Emperor could not bear to acknowledge that he had a fool of a son, thus he directed his displeasure at Xiao Lan and blamed her for the child's condition.
(T/N: There were as many as 300-1000 female candidates selected to enter the Imperial Harem in service to the Emperor. While the top 20-50 were bestowed with higher ranking titles, the rest of the candidates who passed the selection exams were generally given the title of "Lady", eg: "Selected Lady", "Precious Lady", "Cultivated Lady", etc. Hierarchical order in the Imperial Harem was very important, so each of these titles were also ranked. However, there are simply too many titles to count; furthermore every dynasty had their own different rankings, so it is difficult to list and rank every single title in this novel. Please bear in mind that for translation purposes, we will be focusing on the following titles: Honorable Lady, Concubine, Imperial Concubine, Consort, Noble Consort, Empress.)
Before Lin Zhanyuan's abnormality was apparent, even though Xiao Lan was not favored by the Emperor, he liked her beautiful appearance so he would still occasionally visit Mingyue Palace. Her life back then was not as bad as it was now.
However, Xiao Lan completely fell out of favor after that incident. The Emperor wished that he did not have this son, so he simply forgot the existence of both mother and son.
At that time, Xiao Lan was already pregnant with the Fifth Princess. After she gave birth, the imperial doctor had informed the Emperor, but he did not even bother to take a look. After all, the son was a fool, so it was highly likely that the daughter was not much better. These children were birthed in vain and would only smear the prestige of the imperial bloodline.
Xiao Lan fell out of favor and became a joke in the Imperial Harem because of her defective children. Even the Xiao clan, whom she belonged to, had abandoned her.
Originally, they sent her to the Imperial Palace to seek a better future for their family. Now that all prospects seemed to have been lost, they only sent a letter to warn her that there was nothing else she could do, and that she must not cause any further problems that would imperil the Xiao clan.
That was why Xiao Lan had been discreetly living through her life thus far. Even if her clan had abandoned her, she still had to be mindful for the sake of her parents, who were also a part of the clan.
Today's events were severely frightening for Xiao Lan. At first she was just simply answering Lin Feilu's question, then it gradually became a trip down memory lane. She had lived such a hard life in the palace all these years. How could she not feel aggrieved? She just had no choice but to bear them all in silence.
After listening to her story, Lin Feilu was not at all disturbed by her mother's past. In fact, she felt like whistling.
This game of life was starting to look much tougher than she expected. It seemed that before she could defeat the boss, she must capture a few key characters to obtain some life-saving buffs.
Everyone knows that the final boss in the Imperial Palace must be the Emperor.
Looking at the current situation, it would be quite difficult to go on the offensive against the Emperor right now.
Then, let's take a step back and capture the Emperor's sons first.
She wondered to herself, since Lin Zhanyuan was the sixth son, would that not mean she still had several other older brothers?
I wonder if these older half-brothers are good-looking.
Ah well, that's not important.
The most important thing she must do now was to eliminate any mob characters first before she could move on to capture her key targets.
Mob character: Concubine Xu.
Concubine Xu dared to openly bully them because she thoroughly understood Xiao Lan's character. She never had to worry that Xiao Lan would fight back at all. Although Concubine Xu was also not favored, she could oppress others to her heart's content because she was a subordinate of Noble Consort Ruan, who was favored by the courts in the Imperial Palace.
After causing the Fifth Princess to faint, Concubine Xu was still feeling a little uneasy and could not sleep that night. Hongxiu reassured her by saying, "His Majesty may not even remember the existence of this princess. Surely, my lady, you have no need to worry about that woman lodging any complaints. As soon as His Majesty lays his eyes on her, I fear that His Majesty would only be reminded of that foolish son of hers and immediately get angry."
Concubine Xu thought about it and agreed. Such a scenario was most likely to happen!
What was there to worry about? I just wanted to help get rid of evil spirits. Besides, it's too late to do anything now. I even let that little girl off lightly.
After figuring this out, she relaxed her nerves and went to bed. But when she woke up the next day, she still ordered Hongxiu to inquire about the situation in the side residence. Unexpectedly, as soon as Hongxiu left the main residence, she was surprised to see Lin Feilu standing in the courtyard.
Both the main residence building and the side residence building faced the main entrance of Mingyue Palace. There was a pomegranate tree that stood near the entrance of the main residence. During winter, its leaves had fallen; its branches and buds were bare. The morning mist had not yet cleared, but Lin Feilu was seen standing there alone, fully dressed in red, with no expression on her small face. She just silently stared at the pomegranate tree.
The courtyard was usually empty during this time in the morning, so she was surprised to see Lin Feilu standing there in silence. At first, Hong Xie was spooked by her sudden appearance, but that feeling was soon replaced by anger. She raised her voice and questioned in a displeased tone, "Fifth Princess, what are you doing standing there?"
The little girl seemed to have not heard her as she was not paying any attention to her presence. She just continued to stare at the tree.
Hongxiu followed her gaze and looked at the tree. There aren't any leaves on the tree. What's so interesting about it? She could not help but to continue questioning, "Fifth princess, what are you looking at?"
Lin Feilu slowly retracted her sight.
She looked at Hongxiu. The corners of her mouth slowly curled upwards, forming a menacing yet eerie smile. In a soft voice, she gently blurted out a few words, "There is someone up there."
Looking at Lin Feilu's creepy smile, paired with her eerie message, Hongxiu instantly felt goosebumps all over her body. Terrified, she took a quick glance at the pomegranate tree before she hurriedly scurried back into the main residence and slammed the doors shut.
Lin Feilu wiped dry the sides of her temples which were dampened by the morning mist, then turned around to go back inside the side residence as if nothing had ever happened.
Inside the side residence, Yunyou informed Xiao Lan, "The little princess said she wanted to watch the sunrise, so she went to the courtyard and waited early this morning."
Seeing Lin Feilu had returned, she asked with a smile, "Was the sunrise wonderful today, princess?"
Lin Feilu's lips turned into a smile and replied, "Yes, it was wonderful."
Qingyan approached her with a sewing basket in hand, then said with a smile, "The princess looks beautiful in red, just like a little fairy in a New Year's painting. My Lady's craftsmanship is so skillful, the clothes you make look better than those made of brocade."
Yunyou sighed, "It's a pity that we only managed to obtain these two bales of satin this year. It's only enough to make a new set of clothes each for the Fifth Princess and the Sixth Prince. My Lady hasn't worn any new clothes for many years."
Xiao Lan deftly handled her needle as she continued to sew. With a loving and tender smile on her face, she said, "It doesn't matter as I don't really go out anyway. It's Feilu who always likes to run around. Let's make her a cloak this year to keep her warm."
The three women were doing needlework under the morning light while Lin Feilu was wandering around, making herself familiar with her surroundings. Mingyue Palace was not very big, and was located in a remote area. The walls surrounding Mingyue Palace were worn and the paint was peeling off. They looked old and dilapidated, and were mostly covered by withered vines.
Compared with the magnificent and luxuriant Zhaoyang Palace which she visited yesterday, the difference was glaringly obvious.
No hurry. It will all be mine soon.
Lin Feilu said in her thoughts.
That person in the main residence must be very frightened as she had not opened her door all morning. As Lin Feilu was done with exploring Mingyue Palace, she had her lunch then she drank her medicine. After that, she decided to venture outside Mingyue Palace to map out the rest of the unfamiliar terrain.
The movements of imperial princes and princesses were unrestricted within the Imperial Palace. They had more freedoms compared to the imperial concubines. Xiao Lan never sought to restrain Lin Feilu, however she would always make sure Qingyan followed her. Last time, if Lin Feilu had not hurried to chase after her fallen kite, she would never had fallen into the water.
Lin Feilu happened to be unfamiliar with the palace grounds, so she held onto Qingyan's hand while walking around and quickly figured out the layout of the Imperial Harem. She always had a good memory and would never forget what she had heard and seen. After walking around for some time, she had already drawn up a mental map of the entire area in her mind.
Qingyan did not realize that she was being led around by the nose. She just felt happy that her princess was being so lively and talkative today. After passing through Lake Pavilion, she pointed into the distance and said, "Princess, do you want to eat persimmons? The golden persimmon garden is just right ahead. I will go and pick some up for you."
Lin Feilu nodded and the two of them walked towards the garden. As soon as they passed through the arched gate, they heard a noise coming from inside.
A group of palace maids and eunuchs were surrounding a tall persimmon tree. With anxiety in their voices, they called out, "Fourth Prince, please come down! What will happen if you fall and hurt yourself? If you want to eat persimmons, we will pick them for you! Please come down!"
Lin Feilu looked up and saw a boy standing on a tree full of persimmons. The branches were obstructing her vision so she could not see his appearance clearly. She could only see that the boy was dressed in splendid robes, and was jumping up and down on the branches like a little monkey.
Qingyan's expression changed as she said in a low voice, "Princess, let us return home for now and pick persimmons some other day."
It was difficult to meet new characters with her current status. How could Lin Feilu ever let go of this opportunity?
She asked innocently, "My brother is the Sixth Prince. Is the Fourth Prince also my brother?"
Qingyan pulled her back to one side and said, "Fourth Prince is the son of Consort Xian, not My Lady's. He is tenacious and mischievous. If he sees you, my princess, I'm afraid he would bully you."
Among all the imperial princes, the Fourth Prince, Lin Jingyuan, was infamous as a troublemaker and was often punished by the Emperor for his misdemeanors. However, he was the one who most resembled the Emperor among all the other princes. The Emperor naturally favored him because of this. At most, the Emperor would only scold him and do nothing else. As such, this Fourth Prince only grew to become more daring in his mischiefs.
If they were to get entangled in trouble with him, the only one who will suffer would be the little princess.
Qingyan was anxious, but Lin Feilu was as calm as she always was.
In short, he's just a spoiled brat.
There were many ways to deal with a spoiled brat. As long as she could figure out her target's personality, she could adopt a corresponding strategy that was most suitable to the situation in order to conquer them.
She did not rush but stood behind a tree and observed Lin Jingyuan in secret. Every Green Tea had this innate skill to accurately analyze a person's character. They could easily identify their personality type and determine which strategies they were most likely to eat up, then she would act on them and behave accordingly.
Moreover, children were much simpler and easier to assess than adults.
After observing for a long time, Lin Feilu felt that although Lin Jingyuan was a willful and unruly child, there was no malice in his the servants attempted to coax him by mentioning the Emperor and Consort Xian, the boy would just ignore them as he continued to energetically climb up the tree.
However, the servants below him began to kneel down and started crying. The prince could not take much more of this and said, "If Father and Mother punished all of you, I will just plead for forgiveness on your behalf. What's there to be so afraid of? Here, this reddest persimmon is for you."
A classic character who eats soft food but refuses hard food.
(T/N: A person who "eats soft food but refuses hard food" is someone who is amenable to soft approaches but rejects forceful coercion.)
He climbed up high and looked far away. After picking the persimmons, he looked around and saw a few figures standing near the arched gate, but they were obscured and hidden behind a tree. He immediately called out, "Who is over there? Don't make this prince come over there!"
Qingyan's heart nearly jumped out as she thought they were done for.
She pulled Lin Feilu along and knelt down, not daring to meet his eyes, "This lowly servant greets the Fourth Prince."
Lin Jingyuan was still standing atop the tree and looked down from above. There was a little girl standing next to the palace maid. Fully-robed in red, she was a fair child with snow-white skin and her hair was tied up with a cute hairpin.
She stood quietly under the tree as her eyes discreetly looked upwards. When her watery doe eyes met with Lin Jingyuan's eyes, she smiled timidly and bowed her head somewhat shyly.
Lin Jingyuan jumped down from the tree and sized her up with an imposing look. "Who are you?"
Her response was soft and sweet. "My name is Little Feilu."
The eunuch beside him advised, "Fourth Prince, this is the Fifth Princess."
The Emperor did not care about this princess so she was rarely mentioned in the Imperial Palace. Moreover, Lin Jingyuan was a carefree child. He had regular encounters with the Eldest Princess and the Third Princess, but had never even heard of this Fifth Princess until now.
He raised his eyebrows: "So you are my younger imperial sister? Then why were you hiding behind a tree?"
Lin Feilu discreetly lifted her eyes and stared at the red persimmon in his hand. She then pursed her lips, swallowed her saliva, and whispered hesitantly, "I want to eat persimmons."
After she finished speaking, she shifted her gaze to him and asked timidly, "May I?"
Her eyelashes were long and lush. With her watery doe eyes, it was as if her eyes were enveloped by a layer of mist, evoking a sense of pity from anyone who looked at her.
Lin Jingyuan immediately gave in and waved his hand in big motions, "Of course! Of course you may eat them!" He said to the eunuch beside him, "Give her all the persimmons I had just picked!"
The eunuch quickly handed the bamboo basket over to her.
Lin Feilu's eyes brightened and a happy smile appeared on her beautiful face. She reached out to take the bamboo basket, but her body staggered because it was too heavy.
Lin Jingyuan was quick to notice and he quickly extended his hand to support her. He grumbled unhappily, "Let your palace maid carry it."
Qingyan was still kneeling down out of fear of angering the Fourth Prince. She had no idea how things ended up this way. She immediately stood up, picked up the bamboo basket and retreated to one side.
Lin Feilu put her hands together, tilted her head and smiled sweetly at Lin Jingyuan. The autumnal sunlight was cast upon the red persimmons and reflected its glow on her face. Her dimple seemed to be full of warmth and sweetness. "Thank you, brother."
Seeing her smile made Lin Jingyuan feel a little embarrassed.
He was accustomed to seeing his Eldest Sister's arrogance and his Third Sister's unruliness. Moreover, his mother, Consort Xian, did not get along with the Eldest Princess's mother, Consort Hui. He actually disliked his older sister, let alone his eldest sister's little follower, the third sister.
However, this Fifth Princess, who he had never seen before, was completely different. She was tender and fragile. She looked beautiful and cute when she smiled. She wanted to eat persimmons but was also afraid to do so. These little things had aroused his young chivalrous spirit as his desire to protect her was reaching the apex.
Lin Feilu seemed to have remembered something. She took out an Asiatic apple flower that she picked up before and handed it over to him in a serious manner. "Mother said that one should return as good as one receives. Since brother gave me persimmons, I will give you this double-petaled apple flower. They say that double-petaled flowers will bring good fortune, it's very rare to find one. "
As if she were reluctant to let go, she looked at the flower for a period of time before she resolutely put it into Lin Jingyuan's hands.
The flower had been in her sleeves for some time and its petals were imparted with the warmth of her body. When it was placed into Lin Jingyuan's palm, it felt soft and warm.
Lin Jingyuan's ears turned red.
What a peerless little cutie! Such a rare lucky flower was actually given to me. She was obviously very reluctant, but she did not hesitate at all!
After she gave the flower, Lin Feilu waved at him and bade farewell sweetly, "Goodbye, brother."
She walked out with Qingyan. When she reached the arched gate, she secretly turned around and smiled at Lin Jingyuan.
In a garden full of red persimmons under the autumn sun, Lin Feilu's smile was especially enchanting. It was 30% shy and 70% adorable. Looking at her smile, Lin Jingyuan felt as if his heart had melted and was grinning from ear to ear.
After walking far away, Qingyan who was in cold sweat all this time finally heaved a sigh of relief. She looked at the persimmons in her hand and then to the little princess who was acting as if nothing had happened. She couldn't help but to ask, "Princess, does a double-petaled flower really bring luck? Why haven't I heard of this before?"
Lin Feilu did not answer and only smiled in return.
I haven't heard of it either.
The persimmons in the bamboo basket were big, red, and heavy. In the past, they could never get this many persimmons. They could only occasionally pick one or two to relieve their craving. This was because there were many unspoken rules in the Imperial Palace. Xiao Lan had to be especially careful because of her situation. She could never simply leave Mingyue Palace to pick fruits in the garden as it could easily be spun into a subject of ridicule.
However, today these persimmons were given by the Fourth Prince, and there were about a dozen of them. Not only could they eat until their stomachs were filled, the remaining persimmons could also be sun-dried and stored. If they could not finish them today, they could also pickle them and make persimmon cake. With this, the little princess and the sixth prince would definitely have enough snacks to eat.
Qingyan did not think there was anything wrong with her princess today. Instead, she felt that the little princess was just too cute, and any normal person would naturally adore her!
On the way back, they passed by a row of orange groves. Lin Feilu looked around. No one knew what went through her mind but she stopped and said to Qingyan, "I want to go pick some oranges."
Qingyan replied "These autumn oranges are grown only for ornamental purposes. They are not edible as they are very sour."
Lin Feilu did not seem to be listening and insisted, "I want two."
Qingyan did not persist to persuade her and finally went to pluck a few small oranges. One could tell that they were sour with just a glance. Lin Feilu wrapped up the oranges and put them in her sleeves before returning to Mingyue Palace.
Xiao Lan and Yunyou were still doing needlework in the courtyard. When they saw the basketful of persimmons brought by Qingyan, their expressions changed. As they were about to reprimand her, Qingyan recounted what had happened with a jovial expression on her face.
Xiao Lan was a little astonished. She turned her gaze towards Lin Feilu, who was squatting in the courtyard. She was digging out an ant's nest together with Lin Zhanyuan. Xiao Lan did not put much further thought into the matter, as she just assumed that perhaps the Fourth Prince was in a good mood today. She instructed Qingyan to peel the persimmons for the two children.
Lin Feilu sat on the threshold of the side residence with a sweet and ripe persimmon in her hand. As she bit into it and nibbled, she looked into the opposite direction where the doors of the main residence building were still shut tight.
She overheard the conversation that took place between Yunyou and Xiao Lan earlier. The other party had not opened the doors even up until now. Lin Feilu was very satisfied with the other side's reaction. She just said that there was someone on the tree and the other party got frightened so much. This proved that the direction of her plan this time was right.
Only when it was finally afternoon did the doors of the main residence open slowly. The setting sun cast its rays all over the courtyard and sifted through the bare branches of the pomegranate tree. Concubine Xu was being supported by Hongxiu when they first took a quick glance at the pomegranate tree. Immediately afterwards, they averted their eyes as they walked around it, hastily running towards the front gates of Mingyue Palace.
Lin Feilu was still sitting down on the threshold as she stared at them. Concubine Xu was frantically looking around while she panicked and met with the little girl's eyes. She felt that the little girl seemed to be looking at her, but also at something else at the same time. It felt very sinister.
The two women did not return to Mingyue Palace until it was evening. Lin Feilu had already finished dinner by this time and was playing shadow tag with Lin Zhanyuan in the courtyard.
(T/N: Shadow tag is similar to tag – but instead of touching other players to tag them, they must step on their shadows.)
As soon as Concubine Xu came in, the two children stopped laughing. In Lin Zhanyuan's eyes, she was a bad person. His mother said that he should stay away from bad people, so he attempted to pull his sister along and ran back.
However, Lin Feilu did not move. She just stood there in a daze with a blank expression on her face, staring at her intently.
Concubine Xu was feeling so fed up that she wanted to teach her a lesson. When she approached her, she realized Lin Feilu was not looking at her, but behind her instead.
She quickly turned her head around and found no one was there.
When she turned back, she saw Lin Feilu cowering with fear. Her big eyes were still staring at the position behind her, revealing an unabashed fear.
Concubine Xu suddenly felt a chill down her spine and a layer of cold sweat was dripping down her back. She felt spooked for some unknown, inexplicable reason.
Hongxiu mustered her courage and asked, "What are you looking at, Fifth Princess?"
This time, Lin Feilu did not answer her. She turned around and ran back into the side residence, pulling Lin Zhanyuan along as if she was terrified. She slammed the door shut without turning her head back.
Concubine Xu's legs went soft. Although there was nothing behind her, she did not dare to look behind anymore. She was assisted by Hongxiu and walked back to the main residence. She collapsed on her bed as soon as she entered her bedchamber.
Hongxiu gritted her teeth to restrain her trembling voice, "My lady, that girl is abnormal. Pay no mind to her."
Concubine Xu's face was pale. Even after entering inside, she still felt that her back was cold. She felt as if someone was blowing air down her neck. She immediately felt goosebumps and broke into cold sweat.
She felt that things could not go on like this. She must ask for the eminent senior monk to have a look tomorrow while he was still staying at Imperial Consort Jing's palace!
After nightfall, the atmosphere began to gradually change. The skies rumbled with thunderous roars as rain fell heavily. The constant booms and crackles from outside had only served to build up her unease.
Concubine Xu was already terrified, now she was also having a hard time sleeping. The sounds of thunder and flashes of lightning made her completely awake.
She did not know how long she had tossed and turned in her bed when suddenly she heard someone knocking on her door amidst the sound of the pouring rain. Though it was neither fast nor slow, the knocking went on periodically throughout this stormy night.
At first, she thought that she might have heard it wrong. After a while, Hongxiu came in with a lamp and said to her, "My lady, there seems to be someone knocking on the door outside our residence."
It was already late, and it was also raining heavily. Was it possible that something urgent had happened?
It was not like there had never been such a situation before. Concubine Xu did not dare to delay anymore and immediately ordered Hongxiu to open the door. Another palace maid, Luzhu, helped to dress Concubine Xu. Just when Concubine Xu was halfway through her dressing, she suddenly heard a scream from outside. It was unexpectedly Hongxiu's voice
Concubine Xu's fingers stiffened and she said to Luzhu, "Go out and have a look!"
Luzhu ran out, and after a while, it was her scream that was heard next.
A resident-eunuch who was supposed to be on night watch had also awoken. Concubine Xu's face was pale and she tried to belay her fear. She said to the eunuch, "Accompany me to take a look outside."
The two rushed all the way to the entrance of the main residence.
Hongxiu had fainted and was lying on the ground. Luzhu was crouching down beside her with a frightened expression on her face. Concubine Xu looked at them and was not paying attention to her surroundings until the eunuch next to her trembled and said, "My lady… look outside…"
Concubine Xu looked up.
A flash of lightning fell from the sky, illuminating the barren pomegranate tree in front of the entrance. There was a hemp rope hanging on the branch, swaying back and forth in the billowing wind as if some unseen force was weighing it down.
Concubine Xu felt as if her heart had almost stopped. She screamed at the top of her lungs, "Shut the door! Shut the door!"
The main residence's entrance was slammed shut, and the sound of ghosts crying and howling resounded.
After a long time, the entrance of the side residence opened silently. Enduring the heavy rainfall, Lin Feilu carried a stool and went under the pomegranate tree. She stepped on the stool, took down the hemp rope, then walked back as if nothing had happened.
Rain continued to pour down.
Qingyan and Yunyou were like sisters to Xiao Lan. They had been dependent on each other these years. Xiao Lan did not treat them as servants and did not make them keep watch at night like other palace servants. Lin Feilu slept in a room by herself and the sound of the rain obscured the sound of her movements. After returning to her room, she changed her clothes and went to bed as if nothing had happened.
Next morning, the main residence was in an uproar.
In one moment, an eminent monk came to visit. In another, there was an imperial doctor. Apparently, Concubine Xu was having a fever and was incoherently spouting nonsense. Even all of her servants were scared witless and fell ill. Concubine Xu was a loyal subordinate, so when Noble Consort Ruan heard about this, she immediately sent over two people to help.
The master of the main residence was sick. As the master of the side residence, Xiao Lan could not ignore this situation. Xiao Lan decided to visit Concubine Xu together with Qingyan. Lin Feilu naturally followed along. While she was reclining in her bed, drinking medicine, as soon as Concubine Xu saw Lin Feilu, her back began to grow cold again.
Concubine Xu was so frightened that she became haggard overnight and could only fall asleep after drinking her medicine.
There were many people walking around in the building, bringing water and medicine back and forth to her room. No one seemed to have realized that Lin Feilu had sprinkled a bowl of sugary water on the floor in front of Concubine Xu's bed. Because Concubine Xu was feeling cold, there was a hot furnace burning constantly inside the room. The temperature of the room was very high. The sugary water dried soon after it was sprinkled, leaving no traces behind.
At noon, Noble Consort Ruan sent someone to ask about Concubine Xu's condition.
A palace maid working under Noble Consort Ruan went to the main residence of Mingyue Hall. Just as she pushed open the door and went inside, she shrieked so loudly that she lost her voice.
Even the people outside the palace had also come running inside after hearing that scream.
Noble Consort Ruan's palace maid turned pale, "Insects! Lots of insects!"
Everyone saw that the area in front of Concubine Xu's bed was covered with ants and bugs. They were densely concentrated in that area, making people feel goosebumps.
The onlookers immediately got nervous and afraid. They began to whisper among themselves.
"Is it true that Concubine Xu has also become the target of an evil spirit?"
"I thought the eminent monks had already performed a purification ritual?"
"Evil spirits with deeper resentments are much more difficult to be rid of. Only the heavens know what evils this person has committed. We better leave as soon as we are done with our tasks. Let them solve their problems on their own."
Noble Consort Ruan's palace maid was severely frightened. After a quick look, she immediately returned to Yunxi Palace and reported to her master.
In this Imperial Palace, there was one empress and two noble consorts. As the daughter of the Chancellor of the Left, Noble Consort Ruan had huge influence because of her family's prestige and had been in favor since she entered the Imperial Harem. She sent people to take care of Concubine Xu not because she cared about her, but because people in the Imperial Palace knew that Concubine Xu was on her side. If anything went amiss due to lack of attention, she feared that other concubines would be bitterly disappointed in her and leave her faction.
Now after she had heard the report from the palace maid who had returned, she was shocked and could not hide her disgust, "I have meticulously looked after her, but now my generosity is spent. Do not let her enter my Yunxi Palace from now on. She will only bring us bad luck."
Concubine Xu had fallen out of favor for many years and had not given birth. In the past few years, while she relied on Noble Consort Ruan's influence, she acted arrogantly and did many cruel things. In order to gain the trust of Noble Consort Ruan, she had also taken many lives with her hands. Now that she had lost her patron, it was determined that she would be fated with a bad ending.
Concubine Xu, who was still sick in bed, was not aware of this. She was having a fever and was experiencing nightmares. Eventually, she groggily woke up due to thirst. When she opened her eyes in a daze, she saw someone lying next to her.
Concubine Xu immediately screamed out of fear, but because her mouth was too dry, she could only let out a hoarse cry.
Beside her was Lin Feilu.
No lamp was lit in the room. Only weak rays of light were coming from the lanterns that were hanging on the eaves. Lin Feilu was sitting on her knees. When she saw that Concubine Xu was awake, she slowly leaned over toward her ear and whispered, "Concubine Xu, she said she is waiting for you."
Concubine Xu's eyes widened in horror and big beads of sweat rolled down from her forehead.
Lin Feilu smiled and jumped off the bed. She picked up the fire piston next to her, turned around and asked with concern, "My Lady, are you afraid? If you are afraid, I will help you light up a lamp."
(T/N: A fire piston is an ancient firestarter. It consists of a tube of paper that is very rough. It generates sparks by friction. You can read more about it here.)
Concubine Xu shrieked with her hoarse voice, "Hongxiu! Hongxiu!"
Hongxiu fainted from shock last night, and she was even more ill than Concubine Xu. But when she heard Concubine Xu's screams, she forced herself up and walked over. Concubine Xu said weakly, "Get her out! Make her leave!"
Hongxiu said immediately, "Fifth Princess, please."
Lin Feilu left the room with a skip in her step.
Concubine Xu recalled her words, she was sweating profusely as she said in fear, "Hongxiu, light up a lamp!"
Hong Xiu lit a lamp which gradually filled the room with light. Concubine Xu's fear finally dissipated a little. Hongxiu brought a pail of hot water to wipe off her master's sweat, then left to decoct her medicine. Just as Concubine Xu was reclining on the bed to rest, she suddenly stopped when her eyes were unintentionally drawn to the lamp.
On its clean and blank lampshade, slowly, words began to appear on it.
She thought her eyes had gone bad. So she closed her eyes, rubbed them, then looked at it again. Traces of a brown handwriting appeared out of thin air and the message was beginning to be distinguishable.
There were four words written distortedly: I'm waiting for you.
This time, Concubine Xu could not even scream. Her eyes rolled back to white and she passed out completely. When Hongxiu came back after preparing the medicine, the main residence was once again turned upside down. At this moment, Lin Feilu walked back to her room and took out a brush from her sleeve.
On the desk by the window, the sour oranges she picked yesterday were squeezed dry of its liquid, then put into a small bowl.
Lin Zhanyuan had nothing to do so he ran into Lin Feilu's room. He grabbed the orange and gave it a few bites. He immediately pulled a distorted face because of its sourness as he stuck out his tongue, "Sour! Bah! Bah!"
Lin Feilu patted his head, "This is not for eating."
Lin Zhanyuan looked like a curious baby, "If not for eating, what for?"
Lin Feilu took a piece of white paper, dipped the brush into the orange juice in the bowl, then drew a smiling face on the paper. The white paper soon absorbed the juice and nothing could be seen. Lin Zhanyuan looked on eagerly. Lin Feilu took the white paper to the candlelight on the bedside and waved to him, "Come here, let me show you something interesting."
Lin Zhanyuan happily ran over and watched on as his sister put the white paper close to the candle as its light slowly warmed it. A smiling face gradually appeared on the blank paper.
He clapped his hands with joy, "Painting! It's a painting!"
Xiao Lan came in with hot water and said with a smile, "Feilu, don't play with fire with your brother."
Lin Feilu obediently nodded. She tore the white paper into pieces and threw it out along with the oranges.
After that day, Concubine Xu was bedridden. The maids and eunuchs in the main residence gradually got better, but Concubine Xi's condition did not improve as she was wrecked with delusions. Without the protection of Noble Consort Ruan, no one was there to save her from her own self-made purgatory.
Everyone in the Imperial Palace said that she was merely facing retribution for her countless sins. Even Noble Consort Ruan was afraid of being implicated, so she prayed in secret and recited Buddhist Scriptures for a long time.
Without Concubine Xu around to give them trouble, Lin Feilu's days in the side residence had finally improved. At least now they could receive their fair share of allowance and supplies. Lin Feilu was finally living a life where she could eat meat every day. The only downside from this incident was that everyone was keeping their distance from Mingyue Palace. Thus, Mingyue Palace became more and more isolated from the rest of the Imperial Palace.
Yunyou was also worried. Everyone said that Mingyue Palace was cursed, so she was also inevitably afraid. Xiao Lan did not think the same. She told her maids, "As long as you haven't done anything wrong, you don't have to be afraid of ghosts knocking on the door. Don't worry about it."
She had always been fond of peace and quiet. She harboured no desire nor greed. Her only wish was for her two children to grow up safely. Now, this situation was exactly in line with her wishes.
For Lin Feilu however, this mob-killing was just a warm-up exercise.
She estimated that one of her key targets, whom she had gained 30% favorability with, was about to come to visit her very soon.
Sure enough, a few days later on a quiet afternoon, when she was playing jianzi with Lin Zhanyuan in the courtyard, there was the sound of gradually approaching footsteps coming from outside the mottled palace walls. There was a series of anxious calls, "Fourth Prince! Your Highness! Don't run away, wait for us! That place is not going to run away anywhere!
(T/N: Jianzi or Chinese Hacky Sack read more Here.)
Then she heard an arrogant voice who protested with displeasure, "Is there any place in this palace that this prince can't go to?"
With the voices approaching the door, the eunuch finally caught up with his master and pleaded bitterly, "Your Highness! This Mingyue Palace is cursed. You must not go in!"
Was Lin Jingyuan ever an obedient person? The more someone says that he couldn't go in, the more he wanted to go. He opened the door with a push of a palm and strode in.
Lin Feilu was still playing jianzi with Lin Zhanyuan.
The sun rays were spreading warm light. When its rays penetrated the clouds, there were thin pillars of golden light. A little girl with two little buns on her head wore a light pink blouse and skirt. She was enveloped in the warm light as she played jianzi with a sweet smile on her little face. Her little figure was jumping here and there, looking absolutely adorable.
Lin Jingyuan felt that he suddenly understood the saying: "Cute Is Justice".
He retorted back to the eunuch, displaying his dissatisfaction, "My sister, the Fifth Princess, is like a little fairy. There is only immortality and good luck present wherever she is! I won't forgive you if you keep spouting any more nonsense!"
When Lin Feilu heard his voice, she raised her head and her nimble figure stopped in place as the jianzi fell on the ground. She tilted her head and looked at the door. Her small hands were held in front of her, but her big, watery eyes were filled with delight and surprise.
Lin Jingyuan walked in and shouted "Little Feilu" in high spirits.
She pursed her lips embarrassedly and smiled, revealing sweet dimples, as if she was very happy that he still remembered her name. She obediently watched as he approached closer and closer. When he walked up to her and picked up the jianzi, she raised her little face and greeted softly, "Brother Jingyuan."
His Royal Highness, the Fourth Prince, was so mesmerised by the soft and sweet sound of her saying "Brother Jingyuan" that he could not differentiate between earth and heaven.
To be reasonable, no one had ever called him so sweetly since he was born. The servants called him Your Highness, while the elders would call him Yuan'er or some other formal title. The princesses either called him the Fourth Elder Brother or the Fourth Younger Brother.
He only found out today how great it felt to be called out this way! It sounded very kind and pleasant!
Lin Feilu took the jianzi that Lin Jinyuan picked up and asked cutely, "Brother Jingyuan, why are you here today?"
Lin Jingyuan took out a withered Asiatic apple flower from his sleeves. He was full of confidence when he came over, but now he felt a little embarrassed standing in front of his Fifth Younger Sister. He scratched his head and said, "This is the double-petaled apple flower you gave me earlier. I have had maids take care of it for the past few days but it will soon wither."
Lin Feilu blinked her eyes, stretched out a slender finger and gently poked the petals. She looked as if she was thinking. She then raised her head and smiled at him, "Have no fear. I have a way!" She stretched out her hand and held onto one of his fingers. "Follow me."
Lin Jingyuan glanced at the little hands holding him and coughed dryly, concealing his embarrassment. He changed the subject as he looked at Lin Zhanyuan who had been standing beside him in bewilderment, "Who is he?"
Lin Feilu paused and slowly retracted the hand holding him.
She seemed to be a little afraid. She lowered her head slightly and said in a low voice, "It's my brother. His name is Lin Zhanyuan."
Lin Jingyuan blurted out, "That fool? He…"
After speaking, he felt a little annoyed and was about to continue speaking but then his eyes fell on Lin Feilu and his words got stuck in his throat. Her face showed an expression of hurt. Her head was sinking lower and lower, even the two small buns on her head seemed to be wilting. Her voice was dull as if she would cry anytime, "My brother is not a fool, he is just sick."
Lin Jingyuan immediately regretted his words.