It was her haughty Elder Imperial Sister. She was arguing with someone and was shouting angrily, "Xi Xingjiang, I swear I will command someone to beat you up!"

There was another voice which was only asking to add more fuel to the trouble. "Oh my, I'm so scared! So scared that I don't think I can sleep tonight!"

Lin Nianzhi let out an angry sarcastic shriek.

Xi Xingjiang? Lin Feilu recalled that this person was that aggravating viscount that messed up her neat buns.

Since these NPCs have been conveniently delivered to my doorstep… Isn't it a waste of this chance encounter if I don't try to capture them today?

Stuffed to the brim with white plum blossoms, Lin Feilu tied the pouch around her waist, then hurriedly strided towards the garden gates. Under the shady canopy of the trees, from a distance she saw a lavishly dressed Lin Nianzhi from head to toe. She was stomping her heels in anger while the palace servants around her were attempting to appease her.

After all, this boy was the son of a Great General and the nephew of Noble Consort Xi. Lin Nianzhi knew that nothing good would come from getting tangled in complicated matters involving him.

Not far away, facing her was a young boy clad in black robes, who was sitting cross-legged on the railing of the bridge. He was bearing a face that looked like it deserved a nice, good slap.

As a martial arts practitioner, he had a developed an acute sense of hearing. Despite not visibly noticing any figures, he could hear the sounds of pitter-patter of footsteps, so he turned his head around. Emerging from behind the garden walls was a little girl whose head was fully adorned with white plum blossoms. Initially, he was stunned, then a big smile slowly appeared on his face.

He jumped off from the bridge railing and walked towards her in a few steps. Before Lin Feilu could even react, she felt someone was tugging at one of her head buns. "We meet again, Little Bean."

Lin Feilu glared at him angrily as she clutched her head. She turned away from him and fled towards Lin Nianzhi.

Lin Nianzhi was still furious. Seeing Lin Feilu had suddenly appeared, the tone of her voice was maladjusted as she spoke aggressively, "Why are you here? What are you doing here?"

Lin Feilu ran up to her. She tilted her head upwards, looked at her with a harmless and obedient expression on her face, then responded in a loud voice, "I heard that Eldest Imperial Sister was being bullied in Baimei Garden, so I've come to help you!"

Lin Nianzhi was taken aback. Although now she felt guilty for her previous tone, she awkwardly turned her head around and said nothing.

Lin Feilu turned around to stand in front of Lin Nianzhi. She spread out her short little arms and fiercely glared at Xingjiang. "Don't bully my Eldest Sister!"

Xi Xingjiang wrapped his arms around his chest. He curled his lips as he was amused by this little girl, "Why do you think your Eldest Sister has such a bad temper? I'm just sitting here, minding my own business and not obstructing anyone. Yet she insists that I must step aside and give her a wide tell, don't you think she deserves to be bullied?"

Lin Nianzhi was filled with so much fury that she nearly wanted to curse him, "Xi Xingjiang, you…"

Before she could finish her sentence, the little bean in front of her had retorted loudly in a childish voice, "My Eldest Sister is the most beautiful girl in the world — all beautiful girls have the right to have bad tempers!"

Xi Xingjiang: "?"

Lin Nianzhi: "…" She tugged a corner of her little Fifth Sister's robes as she unabashedly spoke in a small voice, "It's… My temper isn't all that bad."

Throughout the ages of mankind, no one can resist the persuasive powers of a flattering rainbow fart*. No one.

(T/N: "Rainbow fart" is an abstract saying for high praises.)

Once upon a time, Lin Feilu once joined a fandom out of sheer boredom and became an outstanding copywriter. As such, it was simply child's play for her to make up hundreds of compliments without ever repeating them. However, it was clear that this level of flattery was enough to deal with Lin Nianzhi.

For the first time, this proud princess had blushed from being praised.

But it was super effective. Now, she was not angry at all. What Xi Xingjiang? Who cares? Didn't you hear what her little sister said? The most beautiful girl in the world is worthy of the worst temper in the world!

Once she got over her embarrassment, Lin Nianzhi cleared her throat. She stretched her hands out and grabbed her little Fifth Sister's hand. With a haughty expression, she said, "Fifth Sister, let us depart from here. There is no need for us to interact with this kind of person."

Lin Feilu made a wry face at Xi Xingjiang while she obediently clung onto her Eldest Sister's hand and was planning to leave with her.

Meanwhile, Xi Xingjiang was tutting behind them and deliberately continued to provoke the pair, "You said she is the most beautiful girl in the world? You've got to be kidding me. I think you look better than her."

As he finished his sentence, the resulting effect was immediate.

As expected, Lin Nianzhi's expression instantly soured. Her fingers' grip around Lin Feilu's hand stiffened and were slowly loosening.

Lin Feilu held onto Lin Nianzhi's fingers and turned her head back to look at Xi Xingjiang without changing her expression, nor was there any expression of guilt. She sighed childishly and retorted in an aggrieved tone, "You're still so young, yet your eyes seem to already gone blind?"

Xi Xingjiang: "?"

Looking at his defeated expression, Lin Nianzhi laughed so hard that her stomach ached. Whatever little resentment that had arisen before was now completely erased. She had no desire to interact further any longer with Xi Xingjiang, so she said, "Fifth Sister, come to Yaohua Palace with me. The Ministry of Internal Affairs had just delivered some winter fruits this morning. I'll bring you along with me and you can have some of them."

Lin Feilu smacked her lips like a gluttonous little kitten and replied, "Okay."

Ah, my Fifth Sister just keeps getting cuter and cuter!

Standing frozen in place, Xi Xingjiang looked on as the crowd of people drifted away. His gaze lingered on Lin Feilu as he smirked and let out a snicker.

This little bean has such sharp razor fangs. Wait till I see her next time, see if I'll take off one of her little head buns.

…

After walking for some distance, Lin Feilu suddenly remembered something and informed Lin Nianzhi, "Eldest Imperial Sister, I forgot to let my maidservant know that I was leaving along with you. She might become anxious from trying to look for me everywhere."

Lin Nianzhi waved her hand, "That's not a big deal." She commanded a maidservant behind her, "You, return to Baimei Garden and keep watch. If you see the Fifth Princess' maidservant, let her know."

The maidservant adhered to her instructions and left the group. Lin Feilu gave an affiliative smile. She tilted her head as she looked at Lin Nianzhi and appeared to have thought of something. She quickly took out the hand stove in her sleeve and handed it to her. "Elder Sister, this will warm your hands. There's still a little bit of warmth to it!"

Lin Nianzhi took a glimpse and saw it was another hand stove. It looked different from the one she gave herself last time. The design of this hand stove seemed very old, in fact, it should no longer be procurable in this palace since they were all disposed of. Who could still be using this odd thing in this vast palace?

Lin Nianzhi suddenly felt a pang of guilt gnawing inside her heart.

The entire time, the previous hand stove was chucked somewhere in her palace and she forgot to return it to her Fifth Sister. Mingyue Palace had always been lacking in goods and supplies, so Lin Nianzhi deduced that this current hand stove was the only good hand stove they had. Otherwise, this Fifth Sister of hers would not be using such an outdated piece of junk.

Feeling a little perplexed, she denied it and said, "You can have it for yourself! Don't go catching another cold, or else I'll have to call another physician to attend you!"

Lin Feilu tilted her head again and complied with a big grin on her face. "Thank you, Eldest Sister. Eldest Sister is so kind."

Lin Nianzhi grunted in a proud manner.

This was the first time Lin Feilu had ever been to Yaohua Palace. Yaohua Palace was exquisite and luxurious, which was fitting as the residence of one of the four consorts and Emperor Lin's favorite daughter. Consort Hui loved orchids, so the hall was filled with a diverse variety of orchids. There were even some that bloomed in winter, known as Cold-growing Cymbidiums. As soon as the pair's entourage entered the palace, its enchanting fragrance wafted throughout inside.

Lin Nianzhi saw her staring intently, so she generously offered: "You seem to like them? If so, you can take away two pots with you later when you leave."

Consort Hui was not in the palace, so Lin Nianzhi asked one of the servants: "Where is Mother?"

The servant replied: "Your Highness, my Lady has gone to visit Consort Mei."

Consort Hui and Consort Mei had a good relationship as they both belonged to the same faction.

Lin Feilu recalled there were four consorts in this palace. Consort Shu gave birth to the second prince, Lin Jiwen. Consort Xian gave birth to the fourth prince, Lin Jingyuan. Consort Hui gave birth to the eldest princess, Lin Nianzhi. The only consort who had no children was Consort Mei.

In this harem where mothers were only as valuable as their children, Consort Mei was an exemption as she was promoted to the rank of consort despite being childless. It was clear that this Consort Mei was a cunning woman and a formidable character.

However in this moment, Lin Nianzhi seemed to have forgotten that this Fifth Princess belonged to Consort Xian's faction, which meant she was one of her own mother's enemies. Instead, she happily led her into Yaohua Palace. She ordered her servants to bring all kinds of delicious food and fun toys, letting her little Fifth Sister take whatever she desired.

Lin Feilu obediently sat herself down on a warm cushioned daybed and put aside the worn-down hand stove. She looked a little nervous and was careful with every bite she took out of her snacks. But every time when she looked at Lin Nianzhi's direction, she would put on a smile full of sincerity.

Lin Feilu's big watery eyes seemed to be filled with genuine affection for her.

The first time when Little Feilu met her, she could not help but sing praises of her beauty. It made Lin Nianzhi very pleased with her.

If Lin Nianzhi had a tail, it would be wagging so furiously until she had propelled herself up into the skies.

She ordered a maidservant to bring the previous hand stove and also presented a new, exquisite hand stove. "I'll return this back to you. This other one was recently provided by the Imperial Household Department. It is better to use this one than the previous one. I already have one for my own personal use, so you can take this and use it." Looking at the worn-out hand stove again, she continued, "You should get rid of that old one instead."

(T/N: "Ministry of Internal Affairs" is changed to "Imperial Household Department")

Lin Feilu shook her head as she insisted, "It is still usable."

Lin Nianzhi felt a strange sense of distress in her heart. She fiercely rebuked, "What's the use of this junk?! Not even my maidservants would use this!" She turned to her maidservant and said, "Take this and dispose of it!"

The maidservant looked at Lin Feilu and muttered softly: "Fifth Princess, our Princess just wants to care for you. This old hand stove will not keep you warm, furthermore it will easily scald your hands. This lowly servant will dispose of it for you. Please use this new hand stove instead, you will definitely like it."

Lin Feilu looked at them, slowly stretched out her hand to take the new hand stove and held it in her palm. Then she broke into a smile, "It's so warm."

Lin Nianzhi proudly proclaimed, "In the future, whatever you lack or want for, you should directly ask for it from me. As long as I'm here, how can I allow you to be mistreated?" She took a good look at her again and asked: "Why are you wearing this cloak again? The previous time I met you, you were also wearing this. Don't you have other winter garments?"

Lin Feilu replied in a whisper, "This one is the warmest."

Lin Nianzhi immediately ordered her maidservant, "Send those winter garments which were received a few days ago from the Imperial Embroidery Workshop to Mingyue Palace."

The maidservant replied, "My Princess, you are much taller than the Fifth Princess. I am afraid that the sizes may not be suitable for her."

Lin Nianzhi thought for a while before she continued on, "Then take it to the workshop and let them alter the changes to them. By the way, didn't Uncle send over a snow fox skin a few days ago? Take that along and let them make a new cloak for Little Fifth Sister."

Lin Feilu waved her hands repeatedly, "No, Eldest Imperial Sister, I don't need them. I'm still very young and small, I won't be able to wear them."

Lin Nianzhi glared at her and responded, "Why can't you wear them? Have you seen any other princess in this palace that wears clothes as shabby as you do?!" When she finished, she felt that her words might have been a little too hurtful, so she added another sentence: "You are the Fifth Princess. You have the right to wear whatever you like!"

Lin Feilu was moved to tears and looked at her with keen eyes.

Lin Nianzhi felt a sense of satisfaction as if she had performed an act of noblesse oblige.

(T/N: Noblesse Oblige is a French saying which means 'the responsibility of the wealthy is to give generously'. This has a similar effect to the original Chinese sentence which was literally "Lin Nianzhi felt the satisfaction of saving commoners".)

The maidservants received their orders and left. Lin Nianzhi dismissed all the other servants then sat on the soft daybed with Lin Feilu, eating melon seeds and playing with her nine-rings puzzle.

Since her early childhood, she had always loved playing with puzzles. Even as a young child, she managed to solve a simpler version of Nine-Rings. As she grew older, the difficulty of these Nine-Rings also increased. This one she had recently attempted to solve was the most complex puzzle she had encountered, so far she had not managed to solve it for the past few months.

Lin Feilu nibbled on her snacks as she watched on. Suddenly she spoke, "Eldest Imperial Sister, I think this clasp can be reversed."

Lin Nianzhi was taken aback, "You know how to play this?"

Lin Feilu shook her head earnestly: "No, this is my first time seeing this."

Lin Nianzhi looked at her suspiciously before she proceeded to listen to her suggestion and reversed the clasp. Unexpectedly, it worked. She became a little excited and asked Lin Feilu: "What's the next step?"

Lin Feilu tugged at her little buns, pouting and pondering in deep thought before she said, "I don't know either. Shall we study it together?"

Lin Nianzhi nodded happily: "Okay! Let's do it!"

The two began to study the nine-ring puzzle together.

Lin Feilu had never played this, but she could not resist a good mental exercise for her high IQ brain. When she was in elementary school, she was the champion of the 6×6 Rubik's Cube Juniors Competition. Seeing how Lin Nianzhi played with the Nine-Rings, she immediately grasped the nature of the game.

In fact, she already knew how to solve it. However, to rein in Lin Nianzhi, it was unwise to appear to be smarter than her.

So she could only suggest ambiguous hints, which led Lin Nianzhi to think she was intelligent enough to solve the puzzle by herself, but in reality she was still somewhat lacking compared to Lin Feilu herself.

When the maidservant returned from the Imperial Embroidery Workshop, the nine-rings puzzle that had troubled Lin Nianzhi for months was finally solved.

Lin Nianzhi was delighted. Immediately she looked at her fifth sister in a different light.

That idiot Lin Xi could never understand how to solve even the simplest nine-rings. She felt as if she was playing a lute to a cow whenever she attempted to guide her. Although Little Feilu may come across some stumbling blocks which required Lin Nianzhi to guide her through, at least Little Feilu could keep up with her own thought processes.

Before meeting Lin Feilu, she would only listen to Lin Xi's instigations, thus she inadvertently also came to dislike this fifth sister very much. But now she realized that the words of a stupid person were inherently unreliable.

She recalled Lin Xi's complaint yesterday and then asked Lin Feilu: "Did you go to the Imperial School yesterday?"

Lin Feilu was startled, as if she did not expect she would know about it. So she explained hurriedly, "I…I didn't go inside, I was just observing away from the steps to the terrace…"

Lin Nianzhi said in a comforting tone, "I'm not trying to accuse you, don't be afraid. I'm just curious, why did you want to go to the Imperial School?"

Lin Feilu lowered her head, the two small buns on her head also tilted downward, and she replied in a timid voice, "I heard from Fourth Imperial Brother that the Imperial School is a place where the all royal children study. But I've never been there, so I got a little curious and wanted to take a look."

Lin Nianzhi understood the stratification of the palace.

The unfavored prince and princess were not blessed by the Emperor, thus they were not qualified to enter the school. But the more she understood it, the more she could not comprehend it.

Lin Xi can attend the Imperial School even with her level of idiocy. Little Fifth Sister is so intelligent, so why can't she attend the school?

Lin Nianzhi had a fiery temperament. Depending on Emperor Lin's adoration for her, she was always very straightforward and would say whatever she wanted. She immediately jumped off the daybed, dragged Lin Feilu along and said, "Come, I will accompany you to meet the Emperor and ask him to let you attend the Imperial School!"

Unexpectedly, Little Feilu was not happy at all. She was surprised at first, then she grabbed Lin Nianzhi's wrist and anxiously spoke: "We must not do this, Eldest Sister!"

Lin Nianzhi was displeased. "Why not? I will ask our Royal Father for your sake. Father loves me dearly, so he will definitely agree to my wish."

Lin Feilu pulled on her sleeves and whispered slowly word by word: "Elder Imperial Sister, it will not work."

Lin Feilu lowered her eyes as her voice turned a little sad: "Our Royal Father does not favour my brother, that's also why he doesn't like me. If Eldest Sister is seen with me, Father will somehow associate me with you when he meets you in the future. This would become troublesome for you."

She looked into Lin Nianzhi's eyes. Her soft voice was very firm as she said, "I cannot trouble my Eldest Sister just for my own sake."

Lin Nianzhi felt immensely touched by her words.

In this palace, no matter who it was, anyone who sought her favor only wanted to benefit from her. Even the Third Princess, Lin Xi, just because they had a good relationship since childhood, she often accompanied her and Emperor Lin. This was how Lin Xi managed to receive the favor of the Emperor.

But this Little Feilu befriended her purely because she liked her. Lin Feilu would take the initiative to care for her well-being, now she was also taking care to not implicate her with any troubles.

What a cute and kind little angel.

Lin Feilu turned around and began to laugh and smile, "Besides, I'm still young. So I'm not in a hurry to go study at the Imperial School."

Just as Lin Nianzhi was internally wrestling with her thoughts, suddenly she heard the palace servants announced, "The Lady has returned."

Consort Hui's voice came from outside the door, "What is the Princess currently doing?"

The palace servant replied, "The Princess and the Fifth Princess are playing together inside."

Consort Hui was taken aback: "The Fifth Princess?"

Earlier she had just asked Nian'er to teach that little girl a little lesson outside of the palace, so why did she bring her back to their palace instead? If things were to go wrong, she was still considered royal blood. If Her Majesty the Queen were to investigate this matter, she would never be able to extricate herself out of this mess.

Consort Hui anxiously walked in to have a look.

The children were hugging their small hand stoves as they peeled the little melon seeds and ate them with care. It was obvious that this was just a warm, homely scenario.

Slowly, Consort Hui's thoughts turned from worry into a question mark.

Lin Nianzhi happily called out "Mother", and Lin Feilu obediently gave her salutations, "Little Feilu pays her respects to Consort Hui."

This was also Consort Hui's first time seeing Lin Feilu. She hated Consort Xian to her bones, thus naturally she did not warmly welcome her. She said coldly: "You may rise." Then she turned to look at her daughter with a displeased expression, "Why are you not practicing your words? What are you doing here?"

Lin Nianzhi affectionately responded like a baby: "I've finished practicing in the morning. I'm playing nine-rings with Little Fifth Sister." She picked up the solved nine-ring puzzle and said, "Mother, look at this! I've solved it!"

A smile finally surfaced on Consort Hui's face. His Majesty favored intelligent princes and princesses. Of course she was very proud of her daughter who was born so smart for her age.

She took a glance at Lin Feilu then said quietly: "The Princess still has to practice reading. If there's nothing else, the Fifth Princess should return to her palace."

Lin Feilu obediently obeyed with her head bowed towards her.

Seeing her mother's bad attitude towards Lin Feilu, Lin Nianzhi pursed her mouth, but did not dare to intervene. She only winked at Lin Feilu secretly while Consort Hui was not paying attention. Little Feilu smiled back at her. Holding two hand stoves, she left Yaohua Palace.

As soon as Lin Feilu left, Consort Hui began to reprimand her daughter, "I told you to teach her a lesson outside the palace. Why did you bring her back to the palace? Also, those two new hand stoves in her hands, did you give them to her? "

Lin Nianzhi replied, "Yes."

Consort Hui was displeased, "Don't interact with her. Didn't you know that Lin Xi was punished by the Eldest Prince because of her?"

Lin Nianzhi pursed her lips: "That's due to her own stupidity. Mother, I've decided to spend less time with Lin Xi in the future."

Consort Hui was taken aback for a moment. "Why? Aren't you two sisters who grew up together?"

Lin Nianzhi replied earnestly: "As the saying goes: he who handles vermilion will be reddened, and he who touches ink will be blackened. I worry that her stupidity will negatively affect my intelligence."

Consort Hui: "…"

Not long after Lin Feilu had left Yaohua Palace, she saw Qingyan who seemed to be waiting anxiously for her at the fork in the road. Seeing that her princess had exited, Qingyan hurriedly approached her. She seemed to be on the verge of bursting into tears as she cried out, "Princess, you've finally come out! Are you alright? Are you injured anywhere?"

Lin Feilu held out one of the hand stoves and passed it to her, then she said with a smile, "It's not as if I've entered some torture chamber, in fact, Eldest Imperial Sister was very kind to me. See, she even gave me these."

Qingyan breathed a sigh of relief before she continued to express her fears, "I was so scared when I heard from a palace maid that you were going to Yaohua Palace with the Eldest Princess. If you did not come out when you did, I was about to go look for help from Consort Xian."

Lin Feilu tilted her head and looked her in the eye. "I thought you were well-versed with the palace's affairs? Don't you know that Consort Xian and Consort Hui don't get along with each other?"

Qingyan replied, "This humble servant certainly knows, but still I was afraid for you, princess…"

Lin Feilu lightly interrupted, "As long as you know not to ever take such drastic actions. After all, you belong to Mingyue Palace. Should a misstep were to happen, you wouldn't be the only one who would be affected."

Qingyan lowered her head. "Understood, milady. This humble slave was wrong."

At this, Lin Feilu took her hand and said in a soft voice, "I know, you were only so anxious because you care for me. However, if I had dared to go in the first place, that would mean that I was absolutely certain that nothing bad would happen to me. You've been serving by Mother Consort's side for so many years, that's why I trust in you the most. I hope you will be more careful in the future."

Qingyan was moved beyond measure.

It was at this moment that she realized how different her little princess was now, but she welcomed this change. After all, life in Mingyue Palace was getting better day by day, thus she was happy to loyally serve and protect her masters.

She playfully handled the brand-new hand stove. As she walked, she happily squealed, "Princess, this hand stove's handicraft is really exquisite. Once we return to the palace, this humble servant will make a little handbag for you, so you can keep the hand stove inside and it will remain warm for a longer period."

The two were chatting as they walked on. When they passed by the small bridge in Baimei Garden, a pebble suddenly fell from from nowhere and hit the ground right beside Lin Feilu's feet.

A sharp sound was produced as the pebble bounced off the ground. Qingyan jumped with fright as she exclaimed in a loud voice, "Who did this?!"

No one answered. Lin Feilu took two steps forward, another pebble fell and hit the ground right before her toes. The force behind the trajectory of the thrown pebble was very accurate as it was just enough to scare her without hurting her. Anxiously, Qingyan stood in front of Lin Feilu and continued, "Who dares to harm the Fifth Imperial Princess right here in this palace?!"

Lin Feilu's expression went pale as she searched around her surroundings. Suddenly she thought of something, then she raised her head and directed her gaze towards a tall tree nearby.

As she expected, a black-robed boy was sitting on a bare tree branch. He was holding a slingshot in his hands, aiming at her with a smirk on his face.

This rascal viscount sure is very patient to have waited in this spot for so long.

Qingyan followed Lin Feilu's gaze and looked up as well. Once she recognized who the young boy on the tree was, her expression drastically changed as she hurriedly bowed to greet him. "This lowly slave greets the Viscount. My Lord, please stop teasing our Princess."

Xi Xingjiang let out a little chuckle. "Little Bean, where's your feisty spirit? You're getting scared from just this?"

Lin Feilu looked up and gave him a mean look, "I'm not afraid of you! Come down here!"

Xi Xingjiang folded his arms across his chest, sitting cross-legged as he leaned against the tree trunk. "Why don't you come up instead?"

Lin Feilu shot him a wry face as she responded, "Gross, only monkeys climb trees!"

For a moment, Xi Xingjiang was stunned, then he suddenly cheerily said, "Who said I climbed up here? I got up here by flying!"

Lin Feilu: "I don't believe you! Not unless you show me how you did it!"

Xi Xingjiang: "Then I'll show you how to fly."

So he used the Qing Gong style of flying to come down from the tree.

(T/N: You can read about Qing Gong Here. It is basically a chinese martial art style.)

As he glided down from above, the young boy's black robes and black hair were flailing blithely in the wind. His handsome visage was a picturesque sight to behold.

He flew down and landed right in front of Lin Feilu. It was at this moment when she realized something was amiss.

Lin Feilu was grinning as she asked, "Why did you get down?"

Xi Xingjiang: "?"

She was right, why did he come down?

Xi Xingjiang then realized he had been fooled and played right into his Little Bean's hands.

However, he was not angry. While he was thinking this little trick of hers was funny and interesting, he reached out to grab one of her hair buns. Lin Feilu expected this, so she quickly protected her little head and pedaled backwards, fiercely telling him off, "Don't touch my little bun-buns!"

Xi Xingjiang asserted himself, "In the first place, who gave you permission to have such cute little bun-buns?"

His Little Bean seemed a little embarrassed as she turned her face away from him, but she quickly turned back around and continued to scold him, "Even so, you're not allowed to touch them!"

Xi Xingjiang was about to die from her unbearably sweet cuteness, so he raised his two hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright, I won't touch them."

It was truly a struggle for him to talk to her while he was standing. As it was common for children who practiced martial arts to develop faster, he was naturally very tall for a 12-13-year-old boy. So he stepped forward and lowered his body into a squatting position in front of her.

As soon as he squatted down, he smelled there was a refreshing fragrance coming from her. Xi Xingjiang looked around and saw there was a bulging little pouch fastened around her waist. He reached out and poked it, "What's in here? Smells nice."

This time, his Little Bean did not challenge him and replied in a soft, cute voice, "White plum blossoms."

Xi Xingjiang became interested. "If you're making a scent pouch, just a small amount would be enough. What are you trying to do with this many? It's not even beautiful and just gets in the way."

This boy may look dull due to his rowdiness, but his line of thinking was actually very meticulous.

Arrogantly, Lin Feilu raised her little head up high, "I'm not telling you!"

As soon as these words fell, Xi Xingjiang snickered as he grabbed the little pouch and forcefully yanked it off from her. He joyfully taunted, "If you won't tell me, I won't return this to you."

Lin Feilu panicked as she struggled to grab her pouch. He laughed as he stood up with his arms raised high. Dangling the little pouch in mid-air, he continued, "What do you say?"

The Little Bean was about to explode from frustration at him as she stared at him fiercely for a long time. Suddenly, she seemed to have thought of something. She pouted cutely and complained in a tone as if he had wronged her, "Didn't you say that we are friends? How can friends bully friends like this?"

Xi Xingjiang was ecstatic. "Now you remember that we're friends? Why didn't you say that when you helped your Eldest Sister to bully me?"

This Little Bean's little bun-buns bobbed up and down as she shook her little head. "Aiya, at that time I really just forgot about it."

Xi Xingjiang: "…"

Can't take this anymore, she's too damned cute.

He squatted down and lowered his head as he helped to tie the little pouch back on her waist. As he was fixing it up, he asked, "Little Bean, what is your name? You didn't tell me last time."

Lin Feilu replied, "You're lying. You already know I'm the Fifth Princess. How can you not know my name?"

Xi Xingjiang finished tying the pouch and dusted off his hands. In a half squat position, he looked at her with a genuine smile on his face, "I haven't asked anyone about it. I want to hear you tell me in person."

She let out a huff and lifted her chin. After a short while, she confidently stated, "My name is Little Lu."

"Little Lu." Xi Xingjiang mumbled her name repeatedly before he proceeded to pat her on her head as he smiled. "What a lovely name."

He looked up to the sky, then handed over the slingshot he had just used to tease her with. With a smile on his face, he said, "I have to go now. I'll give this to you, take it as a present to commemorate our first meeting."

My, how very romantic of him to give this as a first meeting commemoration.

Lin Feilu mentally complained, as she put on a happy face while she accepted the slingshot. Xi Xingjiang continued, "I gave you a gift, what will you give me?"

She tilted her head and thought for a while. She bit her lower lip as she wiggled the little pouch on her waist and answered, "I plan to turn these white plum blossoms into a hand cream. When it's done, I will give you one box of it."

Bewildered, Xi Xingjiang asked, "Hand cream? What's that?"

His Little Bean became annoyed. With a look of disgust on her face, she replied, "Aiya, you'll know when the time comes. Now go away."

Xi Xingjiang was grinning as he frantically waved her goodbye before he finally turned around and strode away. Lin Feilu held the slingshot in one hand, pulled back the bowstring with the other, aimed at the back of his head, and launched something at him with a "whoosh" sound.

All this time, Qingyan was mortified as she looked on from the sides, but she was even more impressed and admired this little princess from the bottom of her heart.

It seemed as if there was no one she could not handle.

Especially adept in reforming arrogant little princelings.

She looked at the little pouch curiously and also asked, "Princess, what is a hand cream?"

Lin Feilu talked as she walked, "A kind of silky paste. It protects your hands from becoming dry and chapped after you apply it."

Qingyan was astonished, "The Princess is so smart, you seem to know everything. It's the first time this humble servant has heard of such a thing."

Lin Feilu smiled, "I came across it by coincidence when I was reading Mother Consort's book collection. It's nothing that novel."

In her previous life, there was a period of time when she used to indulge in handicrafts. All kinds of soap, essential oils, hand creams; she could make them by herself as she knew the procedure. Some materials may be lacking or missing in this life, but she could just use beeswax to solve the problem and make a simpler version of hand cream.

When they returned to Mingyue Palace, Lin Zhanyuan was standing at the gates with the little rabbit in his arms. As soon as he saw her, he threw a tantrum, "Little sister went out to play without me!"

Lin Feilu smiled as she consoled him, "This little sister did not go out to play, but to do business." She untied the little pouch and held it out towards him, "Doesn't this smell nice?"

Instantly, Lin Zhanyuan forgot his anger as he sniffed and smelled it, "Nice!"

Lin Feilu smiled and patted the rabbit in his arms.

After they entered the house, she wrote a list of materials she needed to make the hand cream with some ink and a brush, then gave it to Yunyou and asked her to go to the Imperial Household Department to collect the materials.

Since these were insignificant little things, they should be easy to obtain.

She also asked Qingyan to deliver a basket of silver charcoal to Cuizhu Villa.

Mingyue Palace was now under the protection of Consort Xian, therefore there was an abundance of silver charcoal in their stores. It was fine to take some of them as gifts, but Qingyan began to hesitate when she was reminded of who was living in Cuizhu Villa. It was right for her princess to maintain a good relationship with her imperial siblings and noble peers, but why should she care for the hostage prince of an enemy country?

It was not a good thing to get involved with such people.

But now, in this Mingyue Palace, Lin Feilu's prestige was greater than Xiao Lan's. Although Qingyan was uncertain, she did not dare to question her princess's orders. After putting some silver charcoal into the basket, Lin Feilu put the hand stove she had used just now into it as well before letting Qingyan go.

Qingyan was anxious as this was the first time Qingyan personally visited Cuizhu Villa. She stood in front of the bamboo door for a long time before she plucked up the courage to knock on the door.

Tiandong was grinding the inkstone as his young master was practicing his handwriting, when a knock on the door came as a surprise.

He didn't like people to visit them.

This was a place full of dangers, and not a single soul in it was benevolent. When someone would visit, that usually meant trouble.

Song Jinglan did not stop his hand as the ink strokes flowed fluidly as writings on the paper. His thin lips curved into a smile as he nonchalantly spoke, "We can warm ourselves with some charcoal now. Go and open the door."

Tiandong received his orders and ran to open the door. He was met with a nervous palace maid who placed the basket of charcoal on the floor. She hastily mentioned, "The Fifth Imperial Princess has ordered this lowly servant to deliver this silver charcoal to you," then she turned and ran. Tiandong exclaimed his surprise and annoyance at her form.

He immediately burned the charcoal and moved the burner into the house. The cold room was slowly warming up. After Song Jinglan had finished practicing his handwriting, he walked over to the burner and stretched his red, chapped hands to warm them up. Uncomfortable at this sight, Tiandong pleaded, "Your Highness, the frostbite on your hands are getting worse. Perhaps it is best if you refrained from practicing your sword practice for a while?"

Song Jinglan did not seem to be bothered as he responded, "This much is nothing."

Tiandong handed over the small hand stove to him, "Your Highness, this is the hand stove that the Fifth Princess returned to us. It seems to be different from ours."

Song Jinglan reached out and fiddled with the hand stove.