Villainess Wants To Turn Over A New Leaf Chapter 10: 91 to 100, a manhua/chinese comics/漫画 fanfic

Lin Feilu was despondent for several days, feeling guilty over the death of that palace guard. Every day, apart from praying to Buddha, she was either reading or practicing her writing. Some days, she was unwilling to even leave her room.

Today, when she was teaching Song Yu to write her name in the room, suddenly she heard the sound of pebbles hitting against her half-opened window.

Gradually, more and more pebbles were being thrown and struck against the window like a torrential rain. Song'yu had a quiet and introverted personality, thus she was scared of all this ruckus. However, she still remembered her oath to serve and protect her master, thus she mustered every fibre of her being to investigate the cause behind the noise. Lin Feilu thought of Song Jinglan first when she heard the noise, but she quickly denied it.

Making such a ruckus during the day under this beautiful blue sky was not something that pretty boy would do.

She called Song'yu to stand back as she walked over to open the window by herself. It was not snowing anymore. The sun was barely peeking out from behind the clouds, casting a few crowns of light from above. There was snow piling on the branches and the eaves of their house. It was a sea of white, thus, Xi Xingjiang, who was dressed in black while sitting in a tree, was particularly conspicuous.

He loaded another slingshot in his hand and was aiming at her window. When he saw her opening the window, he released the slingshot with a smile and whistled at her.

Lin Feilu angrily cursed, "You-! Bad boy!"

Xi Xingjiang was not bothered. He dangled his feet leisurely and asked with a smile, "Little bean, where is my gift?"

So many things happened in the past few days that she had completely forgotten about it. Looking at her reaction, Xi Xingjiang lowered his head slightly, then suddenly he spoke in a loud voice, "Wow, so you forgot about it? You little liar."

Once he finished speaking, he slammed the soles of his feet on the tree trunk. His entire being flew down from the tree, gliding in the air, and floated to her window.

He propped his upper body against the window sill, and raised his hand to grab and tug her hair bun.

Lin Feilu grabbed her head and backed away, fiercely retorting, "I did not forget!"

Xi Xingjiang stretched out his hand bluntly, "Then give it to me!"

Lin Feilu glared at him before turning around and instructing Song'yu who was frightened by this scene, "Go and get the hand cream in my makeup box."

Song'yu quickly went to retrieve it, and Xi Xingjiang was a little curious when she heard her mentioning the words 'hand cream'. When it was delivered to her hands, she opened the lid — it was fragrant and soft. Suddenly he looked disgusted, "What is this?"

Lin Feilu replied, "Hand cream! Apply it on your hands to protect your palms from frostbite! If you don't want it, then return it back to me!"

Xi Xingjiang took a look at her and stuffed it into his breast pocket, "Who said I don't want it?"

He smiled and leaned over, propping his head up with an elbow on the window sill. "Little bean, I heard that a few days ago, someone died in the Imperial Palace?"

He only brought it up on a whim. He did not expect Lin Feilu to become uneasy at the mention of this news, even the maid beside her had bowed her head down in a stiff manner.

Xi Xingjiang was taken aback. His previously frivolous posture immediately became a little bewildered as he panicked to say something else. "Eh nevermind, I was just asking casually. Were you frightened?" He reached out and patted her small head. He attempted to console her with his childlike logic, "It's alright, there's nothing to be afraid of. After all it's just one dead person, right? I have seen many more dead people on the battlefield."

Lin Feilu: "…"

With the way some people behave with lack of tact,it was no wonder why some people rather choose to live a single life.

She was worried that Song'yu would be upset by this, so she turned her head around and said, "Go and make a cup of hot tea for the Viscount."

Song'yu obeyed and left the room. Oblivious, Xi Xingjiang responded, "I'm not thirsty."

Lin Feilu ignored him, instead she asked him about a matter that piqued her interest, "So you've been on the battlefield?"

Xi Xingjiang began to speak with pride, "Of course, I lived with my dad in the borderlands for a few years when I was young. Do you know what it's like there? It's much colder over there than here. The river turns frozen with a thickness of three feet of ice, so soldiers can walk on the ice during winter."

As he talked about his memories of living in the borderlands, he was full of joy. The way he spoke was more eloquent than a storyteller; it was uncertain whether he was simply feeling nostalgic, or he wanted to avert any attention from the topic that had scared her before.

"Yong Kingdom had always been eyeing that piece of land at the frontier, so they occasionally sent people to harass us from time to time. My father finally decided to teach them a lesson, so he led three thousand cavalry and set out to ambush them. So I hid among one of the supply cargoes, it was not until they began to set up camp that I was discovered by my father. By that time, it was too late to send me back, so Father told me to stay in the camp and to never leave the campgrounds."

Lin Feilu chipped in and said, "I guess you must have done the exact opposite."

Xi Xingjiang glared at her, "Don't interrupt me!"

Lin Feilu: "…"

He continued, "In the middle of that night, the Yong army launched an ambush and raided the camp. They did not know that my father had deliberately thinned our defenses in the camp. He waited for the Yong army to walk right into our camp, by then the rest of the army was waiting outside the camp and we had them surrounded! In that battle, with just three thousand cavalry, we killed more than tens of thousands of Yong soldiers. Piles of corpses were strewn about, and blood was flowing all across the snowfields!

Lin Feilu: "Ew…"

In his excitement, Xi Xingjiang had been going on and on until he had forgotten about what happened just now. Seeing that she was so disgusted, he bottled up the rest of his excitement and stopped telling his story. Suddenly he thought of something and eagerly asked, "How about a trip to the hunting grounds? Have you ever rode a horse?"

Hm, I certainly never rode a horse before.

Lin Feilu asked, "Where are the hunting grounds?"

Xi Xingjiang said, "There's one right here inside the Imperial Palace. It's where your imperial brothers practice horseback riding and archery. So you've never been there before? Alright then, I will take you there! Just so happens I'm also rearing a young horse there, I'll let you experience riding one."

Lin Feilu had not been out for some time as she had been idling her time away inside her residence. She realized it was high time for her to be out and about to at least get some exercise, so she did not decline his invitation. She informed Xiao Lan of her afternoon plans, then she wrapped herself in a warm cloak and followed Xi Xingjiang outside.

Although it was not snowing anymore, cold winds continued to blow. With the cold weather and the incident at the year-end banquet, recently everyone has been reluctant to come out of their palaces, thus the entire Imperial Palace was very quiet. It was as if it had been deserted.

The hunting grounds were located on the outskirts of the Imperial Palace, as such it was quite a far distance to get there. Lin Feilu was beginning to regret agreeing to Xi Xingjiang's earlier suggestion halfway through the journey.

It was so cold, her face was starting to hurtfrom the icy wind burns. She no longer wanted to go, but Xi Xingjiang refused to relent and dragged her all the way to the hunting grounds.

Although Lin Feilu exercised regularly, how could she compare to a martial arts practitioner? Soon, she ran out of breath. She was panting in huge gulps of cold air and gasping exasperatedly, when suddenly she choked up and was painfully coughing in tears.

Only then did Xi Xingjiang frantically let go of her hands. He squatted in front of her and pulled his sleeves clumsily to wipe her tears, "If you don't want to go, don't go then, no need to cry over this!"

Lin Fei was angry at him, "Who is crying! I just choked!"

Xi Xingjiang bursted out in laughter. He continued to squat in front of her as he teased, "Call me 'Brother Xingjiang', then I'll carry you on my back."

Lin Feilu refused to play along and ignored him. She re-fastened her little cloak and strided forward in broad strokes with her stubby little legs.

The high walls that marked the hunting grounds were in sight now. In this weather and this time, the princes who often practiced horseback riding and archery would not be here. Apart from a few palace guards, the hunting grounds seemed to be empty. With Xi Xingjiang present, the guards certainly would not stop him, but they curiously sized up the little girl whose eyes were peeking out from her cloak.

As soon as the two of them entered the seemingly empty hunting grounds, a galloping sound of a horse was heard. Soon, it was followed by a sharp arrow that pierced the air and punctured the target board behind Lin Feilu.

The young archer was not expecting anyone to suddenly appear. He was shocked, but he had already loosened his bow, and it was too late to redirect the arrow, so he could only scream, "Move!"

At that very moment, she could hear Xi Xingjiang say, "Don't be afraid! You are short!"

Lin Feilu: "?"

Then the arrow swept over her head and pierced the target board.

She was really frightened. After all, she had never experienced such a thing. When she slowly turned her head around, she saw Xi Xingjiang beside her with a very confident grin.

He said: "See, told you, you're short."

️ ️ ️ ️

Since Xi Xingjiang was still in the mood to tease her, he must have been very confident that the arrow would never have struck her.

The young archer was sitting on horseback, and the target board was quite tall. Considering his Little Bean's height, unless the archer was a blind man shooting arrows on the ground, it was impossible for the arrow to be directed at her. In fact, it was safer for her to not move.

Lin Feilu was tempted to drop kick and bust his kneecaps just to knock some sense into his tactless personality.

Just as she was still glaring at him, the young archer cued a halt and the horse neighed. It raised its front hoofs and came to a stop. He jumped down from his horse and walked towards them hurriedly. He anxiously asked, "Are you hurt?"

Lin Feilu turned to look at the young boy.

He looked about the same age and height as Xi Xingjiang. He was fitted in dark red riding robes with a patterned neckline, and a jade belt hung fastened around his waist. He was dressed neatly and elegantly. The quiver on his back was inlaid with gold edges. Even the lustrous black bow he held was gleaming despite the overcast gloomy winter skies. One look was enough to tell these were not the belongings of an ordinary person.

Lin Feilu already had a hunch as to who this young boy could be just as Xi Xingjiang spoke and confirmed her thoughts.

He cupped his hand and bowed before him, "Your Royal Highness." He smiled and continued, "No one was hurt. In fact, it was quite far off."

Sure enough, this young boy was her third imperial brother, the empress's son — Crown Prince Lin Qing.

Lin Qing nodded slightly. Seeing that the two were standing upright, safe and sound, the uneasiness between his clean-cut eyebrows and eyes slowly disappeared. Lin Feilu had heard rumors about this prince before. Everyone praised him for his model behavior: gentle, courteous, humble, modest and studious — it was no wonder he was greatly favored by Emperor Lin.

Looking at him in person now, it would seem that the rumors were true. Although he was the crown prince and carried himself with an air of nobility, his gestures were very elegant and courteous. There was no arrogance in his eyes, unlike the way most nobles do when they look down on those beneath their stature. However, as he looked at others, she could feel his eyes were a little too intense. It was as if he was hiding many thoughts in them, while maintaining a composure that did not fit his age.

Lin Feilu copied Xi Xingjiang's movements and obediently bowed before him as well. She spoke in a clear voice, "Fifth Sister greets His Royal Highness."

(T/N: Lin Feilu is referring to herself in third-person here. This is a common way to refer to oneself while appealing as a harmless junior to the other party. However, this usually only works in favour of children, as referring to yourself in third-person is seen as childish.)

Just as Lin Feilu had studied Lin Qing's appearance, so did he. This little girl was fair-skinned, with rosy red cheeks, healthy pink lips and pearly white teeth. Her eyes were twinkling with enthusiasm. When she smiled, dimples would faintly appear on her face. Overall, she was a lovely child.

Seeing that Lin Feilu was brought by Xi Xingjiang, he could not help but to ask, "Xingjiang, is this your sister?"

Xi Xingjiang looked at him like he had seen a ghost, "What? Your Highness doesn't even recognize your own sister?"

Lin Qing was taken aback, then he looked back at Lin Feilu. He went quiet as if he was thinking deeply, then shook his head and smiled, "You do look somewhat familiar, are you my Fifth Imperial Sister?"

Lin Feilu obediently responded, "That's right."

Xi Xingjiang crossed his arms and stood beside him as he sneered, "Your Highness has such a cute little sister, yet you did not know about her until now. I'm so envious. If I had such a sister, I would definitely hug and play 'catch' with her every day."

(T/N: By 'catch', he literally wanted to toss her up and down in the air, just like how adults would do to a baby.)

Lin Feilu: "…"

Lin Qing: "…"

This guy is so obnoxious.

Fortunately, he did not continue this topic. Instead, he turned his head to look at the target board with many arrows stuck to it. He asked Lin Qing, "It's so cold outside today. Why did Your Highness come here alone to practice horseback archery?"

Lin Qing smiled slightly, "The weather may be cold, but I dare not to neglect my training."

Xi Xingjiang grinned, "I bet you just want to secretly hone your skills and place first in the upcoming spring hunt. Isn't that right?"

Lin Qing's eyes were frigid for a moment, then they quickly returned to normal. He looked down and smiled, "Xingjiang, you make such funny jokes."

Lin Feilu suddenly felt that if Lin Qing became the ruler and Xi Xingjiang became one of his vassals, it was highly likely that it would not take very long for Lin Qing to decide to chop off his head.

It looked like Xi Xingjiang had more to say, so Lin Feilu receded inside her cloak and sneezed a little, which interrupted their conversation. Looking at her, Lin Qing asked, "Fifth Sister, did you catch a cold?" He could not help but to ask Xi Xingjiang, "The weather is cold, why did you bring her here? This place is windier than the other parts of the palace."

Xi Xingjiang replied, "I brought her here to see my horse. Also to teach her horseback riding and archery."

Lin Qing was half joking and half reproaching, "You're being unreasonable. Fifth Sister is still so young and small. You can be as stubborn and unruly as you like, but now you also want to corrupt my sister with your behaviour. And now she's caught a cold. You should send her back to her palace now."

Xi Xingjiang said, "No way, we came all the way just to be here. Actually, why don't we have a little spar right now? Just one round?"

Lin Feilu: "…"

This guy probably won't even know how or why he'll die in the future.

Lin Qing did not speak, instead his eyes grew more intense by the second. Lin Feilu could not stand being in this situation anymore. She pulled the corner of Xi XIngjiang's sleeve and childishly asked in a gruff, "Where is your horse?"

Only then did Xi Xingjiang remember their main purpose of visiting the hunting grounds. Finally he stopped courting with death (read: anger Lin Qing) as he smiled and said to Lin Qing, "Forget it, I'm taking Little Feilu to see my horse. Let's spar another day, Your Highness."

Like a gentleman, Lin Qing courteously replied, "I look forward to it."

Lin Feilu cupped her hands, this time she clumsily bowed before Lin Qing, "Fifth Sister bids farewell to Your Highness."

(T/N: Lin Feilu continues to speak in third-person to Lin Qing.)

Lin Qing was amused by her little antics and casually raised his hand to help her up, "There's no need for Fifth Sister to act so reserved. You should return home once you're done with your visit to the stables." He seemed to have thought of something as he took off a high quality jade pendant that hung on his waist and handed it to her. He said, "This jade was blessed by an eminent monk to ensure good health and safety to its bearers. Since our first meeting happened so out of the blue, I can only present this to Fifth Sister to mark this occasion."

Lin Feilu pursed her lips. Her gaze darted back and forth, looking at the jade pendant then back at Lin Qing. Finally, after receiving the jade pendant with her hands, she said softly, "This little one has nothing valuable on person at the moment. Fifth Sister will definitely return with a gift next time."

Lin Qing smiled and said, "No need, your good intentions are enough and well-received."

After such a series of events, Lin Qing did not continue his practice. He asked one of the palace guards to lead his horse back to the stables and left the hunting grounds while the other two children watched on as he left.

Lin Feilu looked at the jade pendant for a while. She detected a faint scent of sandalwood from the jade. A gift from the crown prince was not to be taken lightly. Furthermore, jade pendants were fragile and could easily break. She tucked the jade pendant into her robes properly and patted her small chest. She raised her head towards Xi Xingjiang who had been standing beside her and said, "The Crown Prince is really nice."

Xi Xingjiang led her to the stable, and he agreed: "I think he's pretty nice too."

Lin Feilu: "…"

Yeah right, of course you do.

With a single sentence you've already offended people two or three times. When the time comes, you probably won't even know why you die at their hands on any day.

Lin Feilu felt that this Xi Xingjiang was perhaps one of the most stupid person she had ever met asides from Lin Xi since she started her life in this Imperial Palace. Even Lin Jingyuan was better at reading other people's moods. As the successor of the Zhenbei Marquisate and a future Great General of the Imperial Army; when Lin Qing succeeds to the throne in the future, if Xi Xinjiang were to continue acting as senseless as he is now, it's likely that his days will be numbered.

(T/N: Lin Feilu means that when Xi Xinjiang officially becomes an vassal of Lin Qing and continues to act so rudely and insensitively in front of Lin Qing, Lin Qing will be forced to punish, or in extreme cases, execute Xi Xinjiang either out of personal enmity or to uphold courtly decorum. What Feilu thinks is sensible, as judging from Lin Qing's reaction, the two boys don't seem to be on best friend terms. For Xi Xinjiang to speak so brashly with Lin Qing is going against the strict social hierarchy of the Imperial Palace.)

Lin Feilu was worried that she might be brooding over the futures of these little fellas a wee bit too much.

The horse that Xi Xingjiang raised had an ebony fur coat and was of an excellent breed. It did not stir even as they approached the horse. Instead, it proudly held its head up high. It was not even bothered by the presence of its master. Xi Xingjiang reached out to pat it, but the horse sneezed right in his face.

However, he was not bothered by it. He turned around and smiled and said to Lin Feilu, "Such a fierce horse needs to be tamed. When it grows up, I will train it before presenting it to you. How about I give this horse to you once I've tamed it?"

Lin Feilu replied, "Sure."

Xi Xingjiang grinned and said, "Then first you must call me Brother Xingjiang. Maybe if I feel good about it, I might even present it to you now."

The little bean angrily shouted back at him, "Xi Xingjiang! You shameless…!"

Xi Xingjiang was taken aback for a moment, then he became overjoyed, "What are you scolding me for? This little beanie has no respect for seniority."

Lin Feilu scowled and made faces at him.

Traces of snow were swept up by cold winds as they rose from the snowpile then fluttered down. The sun retracted further into the clouds, and not a single ray of sunlight was to be seen. Xi Xingjiang was worried that it was about to snow and it would be difficult to traverse. Thus, they did not stay any longer, as Lin Feilu snugly bound herself in her cloak, they left the hunting grounds together.

After that day, there was heavy snowfall for a few days. By now, snow had built up to a height of almost half a person, and sounds of snow-clearing could be heard everywhere in the Imperial Palace.

When Lin Feilu followed Xiao Lan to greet Consort Xian, she heard her chant a few words of prayer. If snow continued to fall and turned into a snowstorm, it was likely that the civilians would face the brunt of this disaster. Emperor Lin was concerned for the welfare of his subjects, thus he had been in talks with his ministers for a solution every day. As such, he had not entered the Imperial Harem for a long time.

Of course, the concubines of the Imperial Harem could not care less about the livelihood of common folk. They only look forward to the emperor's visits to the Imperial Harem and hope he would flip their nameplates more often.

(T/N: Officially, how the emperor decides to sleep with his concubines is by the order of their ovulation cycles. On top of that, since there are more concubines than is accounted for in the days of the month, the emperor is presented a tray of wooden plates with the names of his concubines on it. He would randomly pick one to flip over then proceed to sleep with the selected concubine. Sometimes, the emperor completely forgoes this process and would frequently visit his favorite concubines instead. That is why it was considered a big deal if the emperor decided to visit at the drop of the hat, since that meant you had his favor and attention.)

As Consort Xian was speaking, suddenly the topic seemed to turn towards Xiao Lan. Seeing Xiao Lan had lowered her head as she embroidered a flower, suddenly Consort Xian smiled and asked, "Honorable Lady Lan hasn't seen His Majesty for many years now, isn't that right?"

Xiao Lan's fingers trembled slightly, almost stabbing herself with the needle. She whispered back, "Consort Xian is right. It has already been four or five years."

Consort Xian looked at Lin Feilu, who was eating snacks next to her, and sighed, "So, even Little Lu has never seen her father for so many years."

Consort Xian said slowly, "No one has been admitted into the Imperial Harem in the past two years. On top of that, His Majesty's visits to the harem have been less frequent as of late. There are only familiar faces here, perhaps His Majesty is already disinterested with the rest of the harem. Although you've entered the harem many years ago, your beauty has not faded from when you first came here. I'm sure His Majesty will like you."

Xiao Lan still continued to reply in a soft voice, "Consort Xian, surely you jest."

Consort Xian took her hand and smiled meaningfully, "The red plum blossoms in the palace have been blooming very nicely as of late. It would be a beautiful sight to behold amongst the snowy landscape. Let's plan a day where you can accompany me to enjoy watching the plum blossoms."

Lin Feilu finished eating the snack in her hand when heard Xiao Lan reply, "Understood."

The concubines in the Imperial Harem had always been worried that Consort Xian would push Xiao Lan back into the eyes of Emperor Lin.

And it was about to finally happen.

️ ️ ️ ️

On the way back to Mingyue Palace, Xiao Lan was mostly silent.

From the moment she took the initiative to get close to Consort Xian, she was actually mentally prepared. But when this moment really came, she felt somewhat complicated. But she knew in her heart that this was the only way that she could entrench a foothold in this palace life. In the very least, she should do it for her children.

Hidden under her sleeves, her cold fingers were held by a pair of warm and soft little hands. Her daughter asked her in a soft voice filled with concern, "Mother, do you not want to meet Father?"

Xiao Lan was stunned. She wrapped her little hand with her fingers and smiled, "It's not up for me to decide. His Majesty is our sovereign, we have no say in what will happen."

The palace servants were clearing snow from the roads. Only a few clumps of snow would periodically fall from the tree branches, their falling sound was muted by the howling winds. Lin Feilu asked, "Mother, you told me before that you liked someone else before entering the palace. Are you sad because you still miss that person?"

Xiao Lan did not expect her daughter to remember her little monologue from some time ago. After a long silence, she sighed softly and said as she walked, "I was a little sad when I first entered the palace, but I have learned to let go of it in the last two years. He has already married a wife. I've heard that his wife gave birth to a pair of sons and daughters for him. Now that the lute and zither are in harmony, and he has both sons and daughters, Mother is happy for him."

(T/N: "Lute and zither in harmony" is a Chinese saying that refers to a harmonious and happy marriage between husband and wife.)

She paused, then said again, "It's just that the Emperor's favor is unpredictable. Once you step into the harem to fight for His Majesty's favor, I am afraid that in the days to come, our lives will no longer be peaceful."

She was worried that she would not be capable enough to protect her two children.

Lin Feilu squeezed her finger and smiled to relieve her fears, "Mother, don't be afraid, I'm here for you."

Xiao Lan patted her little head, she felt grateful for her daughter. Her son was poisoned since infancy which turned him into a fool, but her daughter was born so wise and intelligent. Now that she thought about it, perhaps this was the Heavens' way of compensating her.

After a few days of heavy snowfall, it finally stopped again. Thick layers of snow had piled up on all the branches of the plum garden. Red plum blossoms were in full bloom as they popped out from the white snow in the courtyard. It was a beautiful, picturesque sight to behold.

In the past few days, in preparation of all disaster prevention measures, Emperor Lin had not left his study for a long time. When he received news of a new flower season, he decided to take a break and enjoy viewing at snow plum blossoms.

The situation with this snowstorm had caused him to be overwhelmed with work. He could only relieve his stress now by appreciating the snowy wonderland in his palace.

Emperor Lin was considerably a frugal emperor. He did not like putting on airs nor flaunt his power. His greatest wish was to leave behind an honorable legacy who will be known for generations as a wise emperor. That was why when he was in power, he paid great attention to his own conduct and was careful to never leave any flaws that may become a point of contention for future historians.

When he went to the plum blossom garden to enjoy the scenery, he only brought along a chief eunuch, who was a close friend of Emperor Lin, called Pengman.

Pengman was a chief eunuch who always accompanied Emperor Lin. Under him were three apprentice eunuchs, one of whom received the favor of Consort Xian and quietly reported all news of Emperor Lin's whereabouts to Consort Xian.

So when Emperor Lin had arrived at the plum blossom garden, Consort Xian had already brought Xiao Lan along and was inside.

Emperor Lin did not have any suspicions, after all, everyone had the right to visit this garden and enjoy the scenery. When he was approaching the garden, he heard sounds of laughter inside the garden walls. Pengman said, "Your Majesty, there seems to be people inside."

Emperor Lin lightly waved his hand, "That's alright. Listening to their voices, it sounds like Consort Xian. I haven't inspected Jingyuan's homework for a long time now, so this will be a good opportunity to ask about it."

Together, they walked through the arched entrance of the garden.

Red plum blossoms were blossoming in full splendour amidst the snowy backdrop. Facing the arch, there stood Consort Xian, who was speaking with a smile. Standing in front of her was another woman whose back faced the arch and was wearing a pale white formal dress. Her figure suggested she was delicate and frail, yet her posture remained upright and proper. The mere sight of her figure from behind was alluring enough to pique anyone's interest.

The only ladies who could be on such good terms with Consort Xian must be one of his concubines inside the Imperial Harem. However, Emperor Lin could not recognize who this person was, in fact she seemed unfamiliar. In the past two years, he had immersed himself with work to manage state affairs, thus he had not conferred any new concubines. He was surprised to not have already known such a beauty within his own harem.

He walked a few steps forward. When Consort Xian saw him, she appeared pleasantly surprised as she hurriedly bowed before him, "Greetings, Your Majesty. Did Your Majesty have business here?"

The woman in front of her also turned to bow before the emperor, but because she kept her head down, Emperor Lin could not see her appearance clearly. He smiled in return as he approached them, "Do these flowers only bloom for you? And none for me? Alright, you may all rise."

The two straightened their backs and stood up.

Xiao Lan still hung her head low. Emperor Lin said, "Raise your head."

Then, Xiao Lan slowly raised her head.

Xiao Lan was only slightly dressed up. With faint blush on her cheeks, she was dressed in plain clothes and neatly combed hair. Her eyebrows were faintly outlined on her face like the horizon line of distant mountains. Her eyes were so clear and watery, she was even more refreshing to look at than the surrounding winter scenery.

A branch of red plum blossoms extended and hovered above her head. She weakly smiled as she stood under the opulent plum blossoms, like an interplay of pure whites and vivid reds, she appeared to be exceptionally beautiful.

Xiao Lan's beauty was unparalleled within the Imperial Harem. That was why the other concubines still feel threatened by her even if she had fallen out of favor for so many years. She was only sixteen years old when she entered the palace, and now she was only in her twenties. In fact, she was at the prime of her age, how could anyone resist her charms?

(T/N: In the old days, one was considered a marriageable woman once you have your period. While every dynasty in Chinese history had set different legal marriageable ages for women, the most common age brackets were between 13 – 20 years old.)

It was uncertain if everyone felt the same, but Emperor Lin was certainly moved by her beauty.

From a glance, she did not seem familiar. He was perplexed by the complex emotions he was feeling inside. Perhaps there really was such a beautiful concubine within his harem that he had never seen before.

He asked, "Who are you?"

Xiao Lan whispered softly, "Xiao Lan greets Your Majesty."

Emperor Lin was taken aback. As he began to recall his memories, Consort Xian was smiling beside her and said, "Your Majesty, surely you did not forget bestowing Lady Lan here her title of Honorable Lady?"

Xiao Lan? As in Honorable Lady Lan?

Emperor Lin looked at her again. Finally he recognized her.

He recalled she was that Honorable Lady Lan who had given birth to a foolish son.

His face suddenly sank.

When Xiao Lan entered the palace, she was exceptionally beautiful and was talented in scholarly studies. However, her personality was unpleasant, she was very reserved and would always wear a forced smile. Despite this, he still eagerly favored her. In the second year, Xiao Lan gave birth to a prince. Overjoyed, Emperor Lin promoted her and bestowed the title of Honorable Lady upon her.

Emperor Lin thought that there would be no political repercussions if he proceeded to promote her to the position of Concubine in later years. After all, Xiao Lan's father was merely an insignificant official working in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. To promote her to the status of Honorable Lady was already considered exorbitant, considering this was only her second year since entering the Imperial Harem.

However, as the child gradually grew up, he began to show symptoms of foolishness. Even though it was a premature birth, it was reasonable if the child's constitution was weak, but to turn out to be a fool?

With Emperor Lin's obsession for legacies and reputation, how could he stand knowing he had sired a fool?

During their pillow talk with the emperor, the other concubines would say that Emperor Lin was supposed to be the embodiment of Heavens' will with noble blood in his veins. Furthermore, all of his other children were all outstanding and remarkable. So why did this happen to Xiao Lan? They speculated that she was a sign of misfortune and that she had somehow provoked the Heavens' wrath, thus this was her punishment.

Emperor Lin was a devout Buddhist, otherwise he would not have strongly supported Huguo Temple. Initially, he was already unhappy with his foolish son, but when he heard this, he thought it was sound reasoning. Thus, he had since neglected Xiao Lan and never stepped into Mingyue Palace.

However, at that time, Xiao Lan was pregnant again. No one had noticed as she was still in the early stages. Later, he received a report, saying that Honorable Lady Lan had given birth to a daughter. He was disgusted in his heart and thought she was another fool, so he simply ignored it. His disregard for Xiao Lan and her children had lasted for five years.

Seeing her again after five years, he could not immediately recognize her.

It has been five years, yet her beauty never faded. On the contrary, her gloomy personality that he disliked in the past was gone. Instead, now she wore an exceptionally gentle and graceful expression.

He was most certainly moved by her beauty, but Emperor Lin was not an inept king who was solely weak to beautiful women.

He could not like her as he immediately thought of that fool for a son of his.

Emperor Lin's expression sank visibly, and Consort Xian was taken aback. Before she could speak, Emperor Lin said quietly, "I hope you enjoy the beautiful scenery. I still have documents waiting to be reviewed. I will be leaving now."

Consort Xian could only pay her respects as he left.

As soon as he left, she looked at Xiao Lan next to her and could not help but to sigh.

Consort Xian definitely noticed the pleasant surprise in the emperor's eyes just before, but to walk away so decisively after remembering who Xiao Lan was, clearly he recalled the sixth prince and became unhappy. It was a waste of her meticulous arrangement, and she could not help but to feel disappointed.

I'm afraid there's no way to bring Honorable Lady Lan back into His Majesty's good graces.

However, Consort Xian still loved Lin Feilu, thus she was not angry with Xiao Lan. She also took Xiao Lan's hand to comfort her, "I'm sure His Majesty is just very busy with the country's affairs. When this cold winter passes, I will arrange for Sister to meet with His Majesty again."

Xiao Lan herself knew that it was impossible, thus she was not disappointed. She just smiled and nodded.

The encounter between Emperor Lin and Xiao Lan quickly spread throughout the Imperial Palace. The concubines in the harem knew that this encounter was arranged by Consort Xian, but none of them expected the emperor to react the way he did.

The concubines who caught wind of this news had a good laugh by themselves. Consort Xian had placed her bets into the wrong basket, and Xiao Lan humiliated herself. Before this, they were afraid that Xiao Lan might regain the emperor's favor and make a comeback within the Imperial Harem, but now they were not worried at all. As long as that foolish son of hers lives, Emperor Lin would never embrace her again.

It was highly presumptuous to think she could easily climb up the ranks just from hugging Consort Xian's thigh.

These mocking gossip circulated throughout the palace which made Consort Xian very angry. She even punished a few palace maids who happened to have discussed the matter in front of her. However, Xiao Lan was not bothered and was mostly unaffected by all this. She continued to live her life quietly, but she reduced the frequency of her visits to Consort Xian's palace.

It was also not a big deal for Lin Feilu. In the first place, she never had any expectations for Xiao Lan.

To tackle the MVP of the Imperial Palace, the best way to do it is with her own hands.

However, she was not in a rush to do so. After all, before Emperor Lin, there were still many more minor targets to capture, such as the recently-encountered Crown Prince.

Unlike the other imperial princes she had met before, this particular crown prince was a young boy with deep machinations. After all, he had been crowned as the heir to the throne since he was an infant. Everyone around him would watch his every move. He was never permitted to make any single mistake in anything he did, thus it was no wonder he had such a meticulous character.

This was not a boy whose heart could be won through flattery or with a smile.

But she liked to challenge the impossible, for it made life much more interesting to her.