Lin Feilu had been using that hand stove for some time, and thus it had long been soaked with the light fragrance from her body. According to the social etiquette of this era, this would be considered as a lady's private property. Even if she were not keeping up with the times, Song Jinglan also did not seem to care much about it. Once Tiandong had filled up the hand stove with hot charcoal, he leisurely stuffed it inside his sleeves.
As the new year approached, the weather turned colder and colder. It was just a few days after Lin Feilu had sent the silver charcoal when the first snowfall happened.
It was cold here in the northern lands. Once snow had fallen, it would not melt until the spring of next year.
In previous years, winter was the harshest time of the year for the residents of Cuizhu Villa. The charcoal they were supplied with would produce too much smoke, yet it was not enough to keep them warm, so they would suffer from the cold. The Song Kingdom was a southern nation that did not experience cold winters, and as such, they could not adapt when they first arrived in the Great Lin Empire.
Over the past few years, they grew accustomed and managed to make do with what they had. Fortunately, Song Jinglan was physically fit and healthy from practicing martial arts all year round. He suffered no illnesses apart from the frostbite on his hands. With the silver charcoal they had received, they could finally enjoy a warm winter this year. Tiandong took a mental note and lessened his disdain for the Fifth Princess.
Although there was another princess who coveted his prince's beauty, that Third Princess only knew how to order Song Jinglan around. She would order him to help her sit here and there, or accompany her to places near and far. She never had a speck of consideration for his welfare.
However, this Fifth Princess was really different. Since they had met, she had never demanded anything out of Song Jinglan. She would even occasionally drop by to bring them gifts of kindness.
Snow had just fallen when another visitor had arrived.
Tiandong opened the gates and saw Lin Feilu. This time, his eyes were no longer filled with wariness. Lin Feilu smiled with a childish grin, "Where is Your Highness?"
Tiandong replied, "His Highness is reading inside the house."
He's studying again. What a hard-working kid.
Lin Feilu followed Tiandong into the house. As she entered, finally, the interior of the house was no longer cold and humid. Even if it was not warm enough, there was still at least a hint of warmth. She scanned the area and saw that there were only a few pieces of silver carbon in the furnace. It was an amount that was only enough to keep oneself warm.
They're using it sparingly.
Song Jinglan walked out from his room, with a gentle smile on his face he said, "The weather is so cold, why did the Fifth Princess come to visit?" He ordered Tiandong, "Go, bring more charcoal and add it to the furnace."
Lin Feilu hurriedly said, "No need, I just brought something over for you. I'll be leaving soon."
She tottered over to him, took out a rouge box from her sleeves and handed it to him. "This is a hand cream I made. Your Highness can have this and use it."
(T/N: A rouge box is a box that usually contains cosmetic creams or powder. Sometimes it is used to carry medicinal salves as well.)
Song Jinglan looked at the small box as he lightly raised his eyebrows. He picked it up and opened it in a calm manner. First, he could smell a delicate fragrance, like the scent of white plum blossoms. The box contained a soft, white paste which looked exquisitely delicate.
In a softspoken, loving tone, he asked, "Did the princess make this?"
Lin Feilu tilted her head to a side as she continued to grin. "Yes, I did. Last time I saw Your Highness suffered frostbite on your hands. This hand cream has a soft and moist texture that can nourish and protect your hands. Please remember to apply it at all times."
Song Jinglan's cracked fingers trembled faintly for a moment.
Wrapped in a cloak, this little girl in front of him just brushed off some melted snow from her hood, then she waved at him, "I'll be going now."
He lowered his eyes, then he smiled tenderly as he responded, "Thank you, Fifth Princess."
Lin Feilu had only just visited to bring a gift and was already leaving with a skip in her step. As she was running to the entrance, suddenly she seemed to have recalled something, then turned around and happily said, "By the way, Your Highness, this is the first snowfall of the year. I heard that if you make a wish when the first snow falls, your wish will come true. So don't forget to make a wish, Your Highness."
Song Jinglan was momentarily stunned, then he smiled and nodded in reply. "Alright."
Tiandong escorted her outside into the courtyard and saw the Fifth Princess's maidservant who was waiting outside. He watched on as the Fifth Princess walked away into the distance before locking the gates and returning inside.
Inside the house, Song Jinglan was studying the rouge box.
It was as she said, this hand cream's texture was very light and soft. When he applied the cream to his frostbite wounds, it really did feel like the dryness had reduced.
Tiandong whistled in amazement. He continued to ask, "Your Highness, what the Fifth Princess said just now, is it true? Will a wish made today really come true?"
When Song Jinglan was done with applying the hand cream, he tucked it away into his robes. "You can try it."
Tiangdong hurriedly ran outside the door. He clasped his hands together and made a wish, then turned around and asked, "Your Highness, do you have any wishes? Quickly make a wish while it's still snowing now."
Song Jinglan looked up to the falling snow with an indifferent expression on his face. He said in a small voice, "I don't need the heavens to grant my wishes come true."
…
When Lin Feilu left Cuizhu Villa, she did not immediately return to Mingyue Palace.
As the snow had accumulated overnight, the red glazed tiles that capped the surrounding walls were blanketed by a silvery canvas. It was a beautiful sight.
There were several servants sweeping away snow on both sides of the road, which made this road look much livelier than it was before.
When they were about to approach Yaohua Palace, Lin Feilu bade Qingyan to return home first, "I'm going to talk with Eldest Imperial Sister for some time. Since it's cold outside, you should return to the palace first."
Qingyan now knew that the little princess and the Eldest Princess had a good relationship, thus she was no longer worried for her and left after acknowledging her words. Lin Feilu gave her cloak a little shake. Holding the hand stove in her hands, she briskly walked over.
A servant was standing guard at the gates of Yaohua Palace. When their eyes met, he briefly saluted her before Lin Feilu asked, "Is the Eldest Imperial Sister here?"
The servant replied, "May the Fifth Princess please wait here for a moment. This lowly one will go and report your arrival."
Lin Feilu nodded. Not long after, a maidservant came to greet her. She lowered her head as she said, "Fifth Princess, Consort Hui is waiting for you inside."
This Yaohua Palace is such an unfriendly place.
Lin Feilu groaned internally. Putting on a compliant smile, she picked up her step and went inside.
Passing through the front hall and into the internal courtyard, she saw Consort Hui sitting on the porch. A warm furnace was placed close to her legs, and her hands were wrapped in a warm fur muff. Leaning lazily on her chair, she looked at Lin Feilu with a cold, indifferent expression.
There were also two female attendants by her sides. Looking at this scenario, it seemed like Lin Feilu was facing a panel of judges at court.
Lin Feilu gave her salutations, "Greetings, Consort Hui."
Consort Hui curtly acknowledged her. Without changing her posture, she asked in a low voice, "You're here for the Eldest Princess?"
Lin Feilu lowered her head. Her hood also followed her motions and drooped further down, causing the entire cloak to hang over her entire body, making her seem even smaller and thinner than before. She replied, "Yes."
Consort Hui asked again, "What do you want with the Eldest Princess?"
Lin Feilu replied, "This little one made something and was thinking of giving it to Eldest Sister."
Consort Hui scoffed. She raised her hand to her face and said, "My, how thoughtful of you." She cast a condescending glance upon her and lightly said, "The Eldest Princess is currently taking her afternoon nap. Since you are being so considerate, you might as well wait here until she wakes up, so you can personally deliver your gift."
Snow was still falling from the skies, and it was likely that it would only get worse. Even as they were talking for a while, there was already a layer of snow accumulating on Lin Feilu's body. Being forced to endure such humiliation, the little figure seemed to be trembling under her cloak. In the end, she curtly responded with a single word, "Understood."
A smirk appeared on Consort Hui's lips as she looked at her for a while. As she was beginning to feel bored, she gave an order to her maidservants, "Let us retire inside, I'm exhausted."
As soon as she left, Lin Feilu was left alone in the courtyard.
It was mostly quiet, only the sound of snow falling softly could be heard. Lin Feilu was standing with her head lowered, holding the hand stove in her sleeves, she then let out a yawn as she was feeling bored.
This Consort Hui is definitely not easy to deal with.
The main reason for this enmity was that Consort Hui had a deep grudge against Consort Xian. Since Lin Feilu first took refuge under Consort Xian's wing; in Consort Hui's eyes, Lin Feilu was already a part of Consort Xian's faction.
Lin Feilu often ran around the Imperial Palace — she was so small that no one would notice her as she laid low in the bushes. As such, she managed to eavesdrop on a lot of juicy gossip that were spread around.
It was said that the reason for the animosity between the two Consorts was because of a miscarriage. In the past, Consort Hui was pregnant with her first child back when she used to live in the Eastern Wing of the Imperial Harem. It was rumored that she had a miscarriage due to certain actions caused by Consort Xian. If not for the miscarriage, that child would have been the Emperor's first child, it may also have been his first son.
Consort Hui had the chance to give birth to the eldest imperial son but was robbed of that opportunity by Consort Xian. It was only after the current emperor had ascended the throne that she could conceive and gave birth to the eldest imperial princess.
If it had been a prince, on top of that, the eldest prince, she could have been promoted to the rank of Noble Consort by now.
It was likely that such deep hatred would not extinguish until the end of her life.
Lin Feilu mulled over her thoughts. The difficulty level of this mission to conquer Consort Hui's scenario was a bit too high of a hurdle for her right now; unless she decided to switch sides and make an enemy out of Consort Xian instead. But since these two figures were both of the same rank, there was not much of a difference in terms of their strength. As such, she decided to just forget about it.
Just befriending the Eldest Princess is enough.
However, this Consort Hui did not seem to be very smart. She knew that her own daughter had a good relationship with Lin Feilu, yet she still knowingly mistreated her playmate. Was she trying to actively destroy her own relationship with her daughter?
Although Lin Nianzhi seemed to love and revere her mother, she would still begrudge her own mother over this. Conversely, she would feel more sympathetic towards Lin Feilu.
If Lin Feilu were in Consort Hui's shoes, she would instead pour all her energy into doting Feilu while ignoring her own daughter. Let the Eldest Princess see how her own mother showered all her care and love to another child. Then she would constantly point out her daughter's weaknesses then compare them with the other child's strengths. Lin Feilu was certain that if done in that manner, in three days, the Eldest Princess would personally break off their friendship (between her and Lin Feilu) and would never associate with her ever again.
These harem consorts and concubines aren't skilled enough.
It was no trouble for her to endure waiting outside as Lin Feilu was having fun pondering and mulling over her own thoughts. People in this era rarely venture outside their residences. They would be panting for breath just from taking two steps outside. Poor physical fitness seemed to be the norm for people in this era, thus as such, being penalized to stand outside in the snow seemed like a severe punishment.
However, ever since Lin Feilu had transmigrated into this world, she had never stopped exercising. Recently, she even began to practice yoga together with Xiao Lan. Although this little princess' physical constitution was originally weak, Lin Feilu had already strengthened her body from a long time ago. Apart from feeling a little cold, this current situation was merely a trivial inconvenience.
It was a different story in the eyes of other people.
There was a maidservant, named Baoyou, who served Lin Nianzhi since infancy and was close to her. She was the same servant who was sent to bring the snow fox fur to the Imperial Embroidery Workshop to make a set of clothes for Lin Feilu. Her heart grew more anxious as she witnessed the Fifth Princess slowly turning into a little snowman.
She knew that the Eldest Princess had a good relationship with the Fifth Princess. She was certain that if Lin Nianzhi woke up to witness this, she would definitely become angry.
She kept watch of the situation in the main residence. Eventually, she saw that the attendants who served Consort Hui were coming out of the residence with careful steps. Consort Hui must have fallen asleep. Gritting her teeth, she decided to return to Lin Nianzhi's bedchamber, opened the curtains, and woke her up.
Lin Nianzhi awoke with a bad mood. She was irritated that her nap was interrupted and was about to blow her temper. Baoyou hurriedly knelt down and spoke in a hushed voice, "My Princess, an hour ago, the Fifth Princess came to see you. But My Lady, Consort Hui, asked her to wait in the courtyard, and she has been standing there for a long time. The snowfall is heavy outside, yet the Fifth Princess is still standing…"
In an instant, suddenly Lin Nianzhi was no longer feeling sleepy. She immediately jolted up from the bed and demanded for her clothes, "Why didn't you call me up earlier!"
Baoyou replied in a hushed voice, "My Lady had just gone to sleep…"
Lin Nianzhi knew why her mother hated her Fifth Sister, but she felt that her mother's business had nothing to do with her Fifth Sister. It was clear that her Fifth Sister was only being looked after by Consort Xian because she was a good playmate to Lin Jingyuan and they had a good relationship. For her mother to be angered by such a matter, Lin Nianzhi thought her mother was being too unreasonable.
If this were the case, Consort Xian would also get angry at Lin Feilu for being friends with Lin Nianzhi.
And if that were to truly happen, her Fifth Sister would no longer have any allies. That would be too pitiful!
As she was putting on her clothes, she ordered Baoyou, "Go and tell Fifth Sister to come inside! Tell her I'm awake!"
Baoyou hurriedly went outside.
Soon after, Lin Feilu was led inside.
She had already shaken off most of the snow that had piled up on her body, but her cloak was made of fur, so there still clumps of snow here and there. As soon as she entered, the warm temperature instantly melted every snow clump. Drops of water were forming all over her as they began to drip drop by little drop.
Lin Nianzhi saw that her Fifth Sister's lips were icy blue, so she quickly reached out and pulled her closer to the furnace for warmth. The hand stove in her sleeves had also become cold. Lin Nianzhi was angry and upset at the same time. She ordered Baoyou to replace the charcoal in her hand stove with a new one, then she angrily lectured Lin Feilu, "Just because Mother told you to stand, don't you know when to walk away? If I'm asleep, you can just come back another time! Or just let your maidservant pass on a message! It's so cold outside today, and you're not afraid to freeze yourself silly!"
The corner of Lin Feilu's lips were turning up as she smiled foolishly at Lin Nianzhi.
Another maidservant poured a cup of hot tea and brought it over. Lin Feilu took the cup and drank it all in one breath. Lin Nianzhi repeatedly chided, "Drink slowly! There's still some more! Slow down and don't choke!"
After drinking several cups of hot tea and heating herself next to the furnace, warmth gradually returned to her body. Lin Feilu took out a small, pale pink box and gingerly handed it over to her, "Eldest Sister, this is for you."
Lin Nianzhi was filled with curiosity as she took it from her hands, "What is this? Rouge?" She twisted it open and found there was a pale white paste inside. She brought the tip of her nose close to the cream to take a whiff, it smelled fragrant and soft. "This smells nice."
Lin Feilu responded, "This is a hand cream. It is used to protect your hands when you apply it." She lowered her eyes, looking a little embarrassed, "I made it myself."
Lin Nianzhi dug a tuft of the cream and smeared it on the back of her hands. After applying it, her hands were already feeling very smooth and tender.
All girls love things that are soft and sweet-smelling.
She looked at the hand cream, then looked at her Fifth Sister. She was having complicated feelings about this, so she said after a pause, "You came here just to give me this?"
This Fifth Sister was grinning as she replied, "Yep."
Lin Nianzhi was extremely touched by her. She pulled her over and dried off the water droplets on her hair buns. Pretending to be angry, she said, "Next time just let your maidservant deliver things like this. There's no need for you to come here by yourself."
Lin Feilu replied in a small voice, "But I wanted to see you, Eldest Sister."
Lin Nianzhi blushed.
The two talked for a while. Lin Nianzhi was worried that her mother would wake up and make things difficult for her Fifth Sister again, so she asked Baoyou to escort her back to her palace.
Sure enough, the first thing Consort Hui did once she woke up was to ask about the situation with Lin Feilu. Her palace maid reported the truth. Consort Hui thought that her daughter would only wake up around this time. Why had she woke up earlier than usual today?
She dressed herself and went to her daughter's room. Lin Nianzhi was sitting on the daybed, playing with a rouge box, when Consort Hui asked, "What is that?"
Seeing her mother was approaching, Lin Nianzhi slipped the box into her sleeves, "It's nothing."
Concubine Hui: "?"
This daughter of mine has never kept any secrets from me. This is the child I raised with my own hands, both mother and daughter should be of one mind and work together. So, when has she learned to lie so blatantly in front of me?!
Concubine Hui said angrily, "Did that little b*tch give you something?"
Lin Nianzhi frowned, "Mother, Fifth Sister is also an imperial princess, and is also Father's daughter. If you keep calling her that, and if someone were to hear it, I fear we may be implicated."
Concubine Hui smiled, but snarled with angry tone, "Are you reprimanding your Mother on behalf of that little b*tch?"
Lin Nianzhi looked at her seriously, "I am sincerely concerned for Mother. Fifth Sister is still a child, and she has nothing to do with the grievances that happened in the past. I hope Mother will not make things difficult for her anymore."
Concubine Hui was so angry that she no longer wanted to talk to her, so she turned her head and left.
Lin Nianzhi sighed to herself, feeling caught between a rock and a hard place.
Ever since that first day of snowfall, the skies never cleared in the capital city. Heavy snow blanketed this imperial city, and the new year was approaching closer and closer.
At the end of each year, the empress would hold a banquet to celebrate the end of the year in the Imperial Harem. Xiao Lan was not invited to the banquet in the previous years. After all, there were many concubines in the Imperial Harem, and those who were not favored became invisible and were forgotten.
But this year was different from the past. With Consort Xian around, Xiao Lan was now included in the list. The imperial princes and princesses would also attend the end-of-year banquet, thus Xiao Lan naturally had to bring Lin Feilu along.
This was Lin Feilu's first participation in a palace banquet and her first official appearance since her birth. Therefore, she could not afford to make any careless mistakes. Consort Xian also sent many bales of satin and new jewelry to Mingyue Palace so that Xiao Lan could properly prepare themselves.
All palaces were busy preparing for the end-of-year banquet, however, the only palace that remained quiet was Imperial Concubine Jing's Zhaoyang Palace.
Ever since the haunting of the evil spirits, fewer people were willing to visit Zhaoyang Palace. Later, Lin Xi was punished by the eldest prince and placed under house arrest. No one soul wanted to risk offending the eldest prince and Noble Consort Ruan, thus they avoided any association with Imperial Concubine Jing.
Buried under the heavy snow, a cold, eerie atmosphere enveloped the entire Zhaoyang Palace.
The days were short in winter, and in the evening, darkness descended just as snow fell. The lights in Zhaoyang Palace flickered and dimmed, as sounds of whispers could be heard from time to time. No one seemed to notice, up on the rooftop, there stood a dark figure holding onto a sword.
Only when night had completely enveloped the palace did the dark figure move. Lighter than the snowflakes falling from the sky, he flew down from the rooftop without making a single sound.
(T/N: That person is not literally flying down but it is a kind of Chinese martial art.)
Inside Cuizhu Villa, Tiandong carried a lamp with him as he went to heat up water for his master's bath.
A shadowy figure glided on top of their courtyard walls, and Tiandong did not even notice anything as the shadow passed over his head. By the time Tiandong had sensed something and looked up, the shadow had already entered Song Jinglan's room, who was still reading his books inside.
When Song Jinglan looked up, a sincere smile appeared on his face, "Uncle Ji, you're back."
The man standing as he held onto his sword was expressionless, and coldly spat out a sentence, "Zhaoyang Palace."
Song Jinglan smiled and responded, "Uncle Ji, you went snooping around for me as soon as you came back?"
The man's cold expression finally collapsed, overflowing with an embarrassed expression.
Ji Liang was the best swordsman known across the lands, and was a good friend of Rong Heng, Song Jinglan's maternal uncle.
When Song Jinglan was selected to be sent to the Great Lin Empire as a hostage, the Rong clan cared little aside from the benefits they could reap from his departure. The only one who was genuinely worried for his nephew's wellbeing was Rong Heng.
So he personally made a trip to Mount Cangsong and requested Ji Liang to protect Song Jinglan.
Although they were rumored to be friends, in truth, the bonds between the two were not so deep. However, when Ji Liang was young, he was arbitrarily set up by someone, to which Rong Heng had rescued him from. As one who lived by the code of the sword, a life owed is a life to be repaid. Since Ji Liang owed Rong Heng his life, now was the time to repay him.
Since coming out of seclusion five years ago, he had been covertly protecting Song Jinglan.
Although this was the Great Lin Imperial Palace, his martial prowess had long since reached its peak, only a handful of people in this world could truly pose a threat to him. It was simply an effortless task for him to traverse throughout the Imperial City. If Song Jinglan did not fall into a deep well a few years back, Ji Liang would not have revealed himself to rescue him. Song Jinglan would never have noticed Ji Liang's existence.
But ever since that day, Song Jinglan began to learn martial arts from him.
Ji Liang had no intentions to take in a disciple, but seeing Song Jinglan's innate potential, he would sometimes willingly show up at certain nights to give him some pointers. When he appeared more often, Song Jinglan's name for him changed from "Master Ji" to "Mr. Ji", then to "Uncle Ji". Ji Liang was not bothered by it.
He had been practicing martial arts all his life. He was a musclehead with no wife nor he had any children. That was why when Song Jinglan called him as such, he was actually very happy.
That was also why when Song Jinglan innocently requested Ji Liang to snoop around the Imperial Palace, Ji Liang, who was praised by the world as the best swordsman of his generation, did not seem to think anything was wrong.
It even became a habitual routine for him.
As it was his Master's memorial day last month, he had to return to Mount Cangsong. It had been two months since he had departed and returned. Once he came back, he consciously went to Zhaoyang Palace to snoop.
Habit is such a scary thing!
Tiandong had finished boiling the hot water. When he entered the house, he was shocked to see a figure on the wall. When he reacted, he was pleasantly surprised and said, "Mr. Ji, are you back?"
Throughout the initial two years when they first arrived to the Great Lin Empire, there were several times when His Highness seemed to be in grave danger, only for those dangers to turn into nothing severe. Later, Tiandong realized that it was this Mr. Ji who had been secretly helping to save His Highness' life. Since Tiandong could only feel relieved when Mr. Ji was around, and so while he had been absent, only God knows how scared and anxious Tiandong felt for the past two months.
Ji Liang nodded slightly as he kept a cold expression on his face. Arms folded under his sleeves, he kept his cold blade near his chest. He looked unapproachable.
But Tiandong knew that Mr. Ji was only tough on the outside, but actually a softie on the inside, so he was not bothered. He smiled sheepishly for a while, then he ran out again to brew another cup of hot tea for Mr. Ji. When he returned, he heard His Highness ask, "Uncle Ji, what did you hear from Zhaoyang Palace?"
As the third princess Lin Xi had always troubled Song Jinglan, Zhaoyang Palace was generally the primary observation target in Ji Liang's eyes.
Tiandong immediately raised his ears and looked serious, but he heard Ji Liang say, "It has nothing to do with you."
Lin Xi had not come to trouble His Highness for some time and since it had nothing to do with His Highness, it must mean that it did not matter at all.
Song Jinglan lowered his eyebrows and asked Ji Liang, "Is it Mingyue Palace?"
Ji Liang was a little surprised, but his surprised expression was also very subtle. Unless one was familiar with him, one would not notice the change in his expression. "Yes."
Tiandong responded in surprise, "The Fifth Princess? Are they going to do something to the Fifth Princess?"
Ji Liang glanced at him, "The Fifth Princess?"
Tiandong said enthusiastically, "Mr. Ji, you wouldn't have known, but during the two months you were gone, another princess took a fancy to His Highness!"
Ji Liang: "?"
Song Jinglan: "?"
Unaware of their reactions, Tiandong continued to enthusiastically explain, "This Fifth Princess is different from the Third Princess. She is somewhat of a nice person. You see, the silver charcoal we're using right now was sent by her. She also gave us some desserts and hand cream. by the way, Mr. Ji, you don't know what hand cream is, right? It's actually…"
Song Jinglan had to interrupt him aloud, "Tiandong."
Then only did Tiandong shut up.
Song Jinglan turned his head and looked at Ji Liang. He asked in a gentle voice, "Uncle Ji, what are they going to do?"
There was no expression on Ji Liang's face as he repeated all the words he heard.
Song Jinglan did not show much reaction, but Tiandong was completely stupefied by what he heard. When Ji Liang finished speaking, Tiandong could not help but to curse, "Isn't this too vicious of them?!"
Song Jinglan seemed to be deep in thought, Ji Liang looked at him for a while and asked, "Are you going to help her?"
Song Jinglan did not speak, only smiling slightly. Ji Liang shook his head, "This is not like you."
Song Jinglan leaned over and picked up the tongs to stoke the silver charcoal in the furnace to make it burn more vigorously. When it was done, he stretched out his hands to warm it over the furnace. The dry cracks on his hand were healing. A faint white plum fragrance wafted from his hands as he warmed them above the warm furnace.
He raised his head and asked with a smile, "Uncle Ji, do you feel warm?"
Ji Liang nodded.
Song Jinglan glanced at the flickering sparks, and smiled, "I also feel very warm."
Lin Feilu abruptly awakened from her sleep.
Someone was knocking on her window.
Bang, bang, bang, it was the sound of stones hitting on her window. She thought she was dreaming at first, so she was momentarily stunned when she opened her eyes. The room was so dark that she could not even see her fingers, but the sound of stones hitting her window became clearer, as they repeatedly knocked in a consistent, unhurried rhythm.
She rolled over and sat up. Subconsciously she thought of calling out for someone, but for some reason, the words that wanted to come out from her throat came to a halt.
She got out of bed, put on her shoes, and fumbled her way in the dark to open the window. When she walked to the window, the sound stopped abruptly. When she finally unfastened the latch to open the window, a stone flew past her ear and fell inside her room, bouncing a few times before it landed.
Outside, the cold moon hung in the night sky. The silhouette of barren trees blended into the nightscape. Fine snowflakes drifted in the wind, causing her to shiver and grumble in the same breath.
Just as she did not see anything, so did the sound vanish. She turned her head around. Borrowing the moonlight shining into her room, she looked at the stone that fell onto the floor.
Lin Feilu quietly closed the window, walked over and picked up the stone. The stone was covered with a layer of white cloth. She took the white cloth off. No lamp was alight, so she walked to the furnace in her room that was still burning with silver charcoal to read the words by the light of the fire.
It was still too dark to read clearly and the handwriting was crooked, so it took her a while to finish deciphering the message.
The night was silent, only the furnace would occasionally flare with sparks that shattered in the wind. After reading it, Lin Feilu slowly pinched the white cloth in her palm, picked up the stone, walked to the window and opened it.
There was still nothing outside.
She whispered, "Hey, can you hear me?"
Only the cold winds answered her.
She looked into the fog in the night. Regardless whether anyone heard her, she uttered in a soft voice, "Thank you."
Lin Feilu threw the stone out, then closed the window, walked to the furnace and threw the white cloth full of handwriting into the fire. The fire licked it up, and the white cloth was quickly burned. A smear of flame rose in the air, reflected in her quiet pupils.
The next morning, Lin Feilu was still asleep when suddenly she heard Yunyou cleaning the courtyard outside her room. She heard her say in surprise, "Why are there so many pebbles outside the window?"
Qingyan said, "What if it's mice? Hey, don't use your hands, those pebbles might be dirty. Quickly sweep up these dirty things."
Lin Feilu turned over under her blanket.
In the afternoon, the Imperial Embroidery Workshop sent many new winter clothes. These were all the clothes that Lin Nianzhi had previously requested for Lin Feilu. Since they were originally tailored for the eldest imperial princess, naturally the colors and the patterns of the brocades were made to be the best. Even if they were now tailored for the fifth imperial princess, the designs were just as out of ordinary.
The snow fox fur that Lin Nianzhi gifted Lin Feilu was also turned into a cloak delivered to her residence.
The cloak was made of a large red fabric material which was embroidered with a few plum blossom patterns. The snow fox's fur was pure white without a trace of impurities; it was made into a collar and a hood. Altogether it was a warm and beautiful cloak.
Xiao Lan fell in love with the cloak at first sight. She quickly asked Lin Feilu to try it on. She was a fair child that looked especially good in red. When she wore the red cloak and walked in the snow, the entire snowy landscape shone in high contrast against her as the main feature.
Yunyou could not help but to say, "The little princess was born so beautiful, why don't you wear this cloak at the end-of-year banquet?"
Xiao Lan was still smiling at first, but when she heard this, her smile faded, and she whispered, "It's not the place to make a spectacle of ourselves."
Startled, Yunyou immediately followed up, "My Lady is right."
The costumes that Xiao Lan prepared for herself and Lin Feilu for the end-of-year banquet were simple yet elegant; all of which were in colours of teal, blue and white. The designs were tasteful as befitting of their status without being too eye-catching. Xiao Lan did not use any of the jewels that Consort Xian had gifted her. Instead, Lin Feilu took possession of at least half of them.
Xiao Lan did not ask Lin Feilu what she had intended to do with the jewels. After all, it seems that her daughter was the central pillar of their livelihood now.
The end-of-year banquet was a celebration prepared not only for the concubines of the Imperial Harem, but also for the empress to pay homage to Buddha. As this banquet was only held once a year, naturally it would be a grand-scaled festival. Not only will the concubines perform their arts, but there will also be a fireworks spectacle. In ancient times like these, fireworks were not a common sight to behold. Apart from the beauty of the shapes and colors, the ancients revered fireworks simply for its ability to shoot up into the sky.
Lin Nianzhi particularly loved fireworks. She was very excited to talk about them, while Lin Feilu responded in a supportive manner, "It sounds amazing! I really want to see it!"
As if the fireworks were her creation, Lin Nianzhi explained proudly, "When the banquet is over, everyone will go to the Stargazing Court to enjoy the fireworks. When that happens, just follow me and we will stand in the best spectating spot!"
Lin Feilu nodded repeatedly.
Soon, it was the end-of-year banquet. Today was the last day of the year.
The concubines who were invited to attend had arrived at the banquet on time. Step by step, Lin Feilu led Xiao Lan into the banquet hall. Her face expressed the curiosity and joy that belonged to a little girl of her age.
The seating arrangement in the banquet hall was arranged according to each concubine's rank. Xiao Lan was almost the lowest among all the invited concubines, after all, there was only one other concubine who ranked below her. Emperor Lin had been worrying about national affairs in the past two years and had no time to select new concubines, so there was no newcomer to be favored. In the past, anyone who was favored a little had already been promoted and were at least above an Honorable Lady's rank. That was why Xiao Lan's banquet table was arranged close to the entrance of the hall.
The banquet hall was large and the tables were divided into two rows. The emperor and the empress were seated at the highest end of the row. Although Lin Feilu had considerably good eyesight, she could not get a good look at anyone further inside the banquet hall.
She could not even see the faces of the consorts, let alone any further away.
She also wanted to study the beauty of the two noble consorts and the almighty emperor up close, but she could not see anything from where she was seated.
When she shifted her gaze slightly upwards, it was a sea of flowers and jewellery sticking into every concubine's hairs.
It was nothing more than a bed of attention-seeking flowers.
How could the emperor have so many women? These are simply the ones who had been favored. How could he sleep with so many of them?
Three bells rang, and the end-of-year banquet officially began. Not only was it impossible to see their faces, Lin Feilu also could not make sense of the emperor's and empress's speech. It was very windy where Lin Feilu and Xiao Lan were seated, moreover, the emperor and empress still had to pay attention to their manners, thus it was unreasonable for them to shout loudly in the banquet hall.