When Lin Nianzhi gifted Lin Feilu clothes the last time, she also sent over a few pots of orchids. Lin Feilu then plucked the petals of the orchids and attempted to turn them into dried flowers. Then she asked Xiao Lan to sew a very delicate sachet.
When snow stopped falling, the Imperial School reopened and classes were resumed.
The most painful thing for Lin Jingyuan every day was getting up from bed.
Fortunately, his dearest younger sister, Little Lu, would arrive at Changming Palace every morning just to get him to wake up. Hearing her say the words "Brother Jingyuan" in her soft and sweet voice every morning — Lin Jingyuan felt he could live for another five hundred years!
Under Lin Feilu's care, Lin Jingyuan set a new record for not being late to school for seven consecutive days. This pleased the teachers tremendously, thus he was rewarded with a very exquisite brush after school session today.
Although Lin Jingyuan did not like the reward, he wanted to let his Little Lu know that he had received praise.
As he ran out of the learning hall, full of excitement, he saw Little Lu standing under a snow-covered cypress tree, looking up and smiling at his third imperial brother, Crown Prince Lin Qing.
A breeze of wind blew off the white snow that piled on the branches of the green cypress.
A cloud of snow was about to fall on her head. Lin Qing raised his hand to help her block the falling snow, and the little girl smiled back at him with an even sweeter expression.
Lin Jingyuan: "…"
He listened to the sound of snow falling.
It sounded exactly like the sound of his heart breaking.
️ ️ ️ ️
Lin Jingyuan took a heavy step towards his third brother and fifth sister who were talking and laughing.
As he approached them, he saw Lin Feilu handing over a delicately crafted sachet to Lin Qing. When she laughed, her eyes were like crescent moons, and her dimples were sweet and faint.
"Your Highness, this is a gift from Fifth Sister."
Lin Qing brushed the snow off the back of his hand and smiled, "Didn't I tell you there was no need?"
Although he said that, he still took the sachet. Xiao Lan's needlework was even better than the works of the craftsmen in Imperial Embroidery Workshop, furthermore this sachet was crafted with superior intricacy. When Lin Feilu said it was a gift for the crown prince, Xiao Lan paid even more attention to embroidering a magnolia flower with the best silk thread on the sachet.
The sachet was filled to a bulge. He brought it close to the tip of his nose and smelled it. As expected, there was a very light orchid fragrance which mixed with other smells. He could not distinguish the other scents, but it did not matter as he liked the smell.
He smiled and said, "Why did you give me this?"
Lin Feilu put her hands behind her back as she tilted her head to look at him. Her eyes were clear and pure, "There is a saying in Qu Yuan's [The Lament] that goes: [I dressed in selinea and shady angelica, And twined autumn orchids to make a garland.] Your Highness is a role model of good conduct — you are as astute as an orchid and as virtuous as a silver jade tree. As such, the autumn orchid befits you, Your Highness."
Lin Jingyuan: "?"
Selinea? Angelica? What are these things? What are you talking about?
(T/N: Qu Yuan was a renowned poet during the Warring State period and "The Lament" is a political allegory in which he laments that his own righteousness, purity, and honor are unappreciated and unnecessary in a corrupt, lawless world. You can read the poem translated lyrically in English Here.)
Lin Qing raised his eyebrows slightly, as he never expected his fifth sister to be so familiar with ancient poems and could speak in such a lofty manner. All who met him would praise his exemplary behaviour, Lin Feilu's rainbow fart had just rightly hit all of his good points, thus Lin Qing felt a little more fond of her as he tied the sachet around his waist without asking for any further explanation.
Lin Jingyuan tearfully looked on as he witnessed all that was happening before his eyes.
Ah! I'm so jealous! Why don't I have one too!
He reluctantly cupped his hands together and bowed before Lin Qing, "Third Brother."
Lin Qing saw him and said with a smile, "Fourth Brother, finally you're here. By the way, why did the Imperial Teacher ask you to stay behind? Did you forget your homework?"
Lin Jingyuan aggressively jumped up and down, "Who said that? He told me to stay behind to compliment me and he even rewarded me with a brush!"
He took the brush out of his sleeves and showed it to him.
Lin Qing took it and looked at it. He nodded in response and said, "It's a good brush indeed."
Lin Jingyuan: "Do you like it? If you like it, how about trading your sachet for this brush?"
Lin Qing: "…"
Lin Feilu: "…"
Lin Qing silently handed the brush back, and motioned to express his rejection.
Lin Jingyuan pouted so much that he could hang a bucket on his lips. He glared at Lin Feilu in protest. Lin Feilu pursed her lower lip and called out sweetly, "Brother Jingyuan~"
He grunted.
Lin Feilu went over to him and tugged at the corners of his sleeves, "Brother Jingyuan—"
Lin Jingyuan almost surrendered, but then he saw the beautiful sachet on Lin Qing's waist. Thinking that it was painstakingly stitched together by Little Lu, that she plucked the orchid petals one by one, that she made this gift not for him but for someone else instead… He was upset for not being given such a level of treatment by his Little Lu, so he held his head up high and refused to respond.
Lin Qing could not help but to smile and say, "Why are you angry at Fifth Sister?"
Lin Jingyuan was internally scolding him: You still have face to ask. He shouted angrily, "She has never given me a present!"
Lin Feilu: "?"
Did I feed [The Analects] to a dog?
She could not help but to retort in a slow, low voice, "I did give you a present before… I gave you [The Analects], and…"
Before she could finish speaking, Lin Jingyuan interrupted her incredulously, "How can [The Analects] be considered a present?!"
Lin Qing: "…"
Lin Feilu: "…"
He was angry and aggrieved, "Just like this brush, it only gives me a headache!"
What should one do when a rowdy rascal of a kid throws a tantrum?
Others: Just give them a good beating.
Lin Feilu: Just put on a good show instead.
Once she blinked, immediately her eyes turned red as tears hung on her eyelashes without falling off. Her nose turned red as she choked and sobbed, "If Brother Jingyuan doesn't like it, then give it back to me. Along with the begonia flower bookmark in the book. Return everything together to me."
Lin Jingyuan: "!"
All of a sudden he stopped throwing a tantrum and hurriedly attempted to cajole his sister, "I…It's not that I don't like it, I just… Aiya! Don't cry, Brother was wrong, Brother is not blaming you anymore!"
Lin Feilu sniffed and asked in a pitiful tone, "Then are you still angry?"
Lin Jingyuan somewhat begrudgingly flailed his hands and said, "I'm not angry! Not angry anymore! [The Analects] is also a great present!"
Lin Qing was amazed.
Lin Feilu stopped crying and burst into laughter. The three of them left the Imperial School together.
As the crown prince, Lin Qing now lives in the Eastern Palace. Among all the imperial princes, he was the only one who had his own palace. On the way home, Lin Qing began to test his fourth brother on his studies by reciting a few phrases and discovered that he truly had improved. He began to recall the rumors of the fifth princess supervising the fourth prince's studies. Naturally, he began to see this fifth sister in a different light.
He liked smart people, and he particularly enjoyed being around them as there was less fuss to be had.
This fifth sister may be young, but she was much more intelligent than any of his other imperial sisters.
The three of them were talking and laughing when they passed by a small broken bridge. Suddenly they could hear sounds of a ruckus brewing from the pavilion built on top of a frozen lake.
Due to the recent heavy snowfall, the lake that used to be full of lotus flowers during summer had frozen over. Only withered lotus branches could be seen on the icy lake surface. All the concubines of the Imperial Harem loved to come here to enjoy the Zen-like atmosphere.
Looking up and seeing past the white gauze curtains of the pavilion, there were four or five women standing inside, while two people were kneeling in front of them. When Lin Feilu looked at the two at first glance, she did not recognize who they were as their heads stooped downwards. She only thought they looked a little familiar, so she took a few more glances when suddenly she realized they were none other than her mother and Qingyan!
The woman dressed in light pink robes spoke in a loud and arrogant voice, "When I tell you to kneel, you have to kneel until I am satisfied!"
Qingyan kowtowed before them and begged, "My Lady did not mean to bump into Concubine Ling. Please forgive her!"
Xiao Lan stopped her in a low voice, "Qingyan."
At this, Qingyan stopped moving and cried silently.
There were two other concubines beside the pink-robed woman, both of them covered their mouths and smiled. Their eyes were filled with the intention to mock and ridicule them.
Concubine Ling took two steps forward. She lowered her body with the help of a palace maid, and pulled Xiao Lan's hand closer to her eyes. She asked as she looked at it, "I heard that you were gifted in handicrafts. I also heard that you made many beautiful clothes for Consort Xian, is that right?"
When she finished speaking, she pushed down Xiao Lan's fingers and her fingers were bent backwards into a terrible arc. Xiao Lan turned pale from pain, but she did not utter a single word.
Concubine Ling sneered. Suddenly, a small figure rushed over from behind her and pushed her away.
Concubine Ling was half-squatting in an unstable position, so when she was pushed, she staggered. If it weren't for the maid beside her who managed to hold her up quickly, she would have fallen and hit her head on the stone table nearby.
The people around her cried out and hurriedly rushed to help her up. While they were busy clamoring about, Lin Feilu who had rushed over was already helping Xiao Lan to stand up.
Xiao Lan's expression was quite upset as she did not expect her daughter to see her like this.
She was feeling a little stuffy today, so she decided to come out for a walk with Qingyan. Hearing that the withered lotus lake had a Zen scenery, as a devout Buddhist, she became interested so she came here.
Unexpectedly, when they first arrived at the pavilion, they bumped into Concubine Ling, who was two ranks higher than Xiao Lan. Since everyone in the palace knew about the incident in the red plum blossom garden, she became a laughing stock. Everyone knew that she could no longer be favored, naturally there were those who loved to kick someone who has fallen down.
Xiao Lan wanted to pull her daughter behind her, but Lin Feilu stayed in front of her. Although she was small, she stood up in an aggressive stance as she opened her arms wide to protect her mother. She glared at her opponents with a furious expression.
Concubine Ling screamed and shouted as she was being helped up. Her voice was sharp and high-strung, "Which blind brat dares to act so impudently!"
As soon as these words fell, a stern rebuke was heard from behind her, "The only one who is acting so impudently here is you!"
Everyone turned around and saw, it was the crown prince and the fourth prince! They hurriedly paid their respects and bowed before them.
Although Lin Qing was still a young boy, he already had some degree of authority as the master of the Eastern Palace. His angry demeanor was similar to that of Emperor Lin's, as he continued, "Disparaging an imperial princess, bullying a concubine and causing mayhem in the Imperial Harem! Has the Empress's teachings fallen on deaf ears?!"
Concubine Ling was viscerally trembling. She was about to give a justification when she saw that the fourth prince was gritting his teeth and glaring at her. He looked as if he wanted to rush over to slap her, so she quickly bowed her head in fear.
Lin Qing said in a stern voice, "The Emperor is busy with state affairs, while the Empress is burdened with the trivial affairs of the Imperial Harem. As a concubine, you should abide by the rules, maintain the peace, and uphold the courtly decorum of the Imperial Palace. Yet all of you here are causing a ruckus, do you think you are all above the law?"
Several concubines pleaded for forgiveness, "Your Royal Highness, please forgive us!"
Lin Qing grunted coldly, "I will be reporting this matter to my Mother. Only she can judge you!"
After all the other concubines left with their servants, Lin Feilu began to well up in tears as she turned around and took Xiao Lan's hand and blew on it a few times. "Mother, how are your hands? Does it hurt?"
Lin Jingyuan also ran over, glanced twice, and said anxiously, "Go back and get a doctor to take a look at it!"
Xiao Lan smiled as she calmed her daughter down, "Mother is fine, it doesn't hurt." She greeted Lin Jingyuan and Lin Qing, "Thank you, Your Royal Highness. Thank you, Fourth Imperial Prince."
Lin Qing nodded a little as he accepted her courtesy. He switched off his imposing aura and turned back into a modest and polite child. He said to Lin Feilu, "Fifth Sister should accompany Honorable Lady Lan back to Mingyue Palace. Make sure to summon an imperial doctor to have a look."
Lin Feilu nodded in response, her watery eyes filled with gratitude.
Lin Qing stayed to offer a few more words of consolation before leaving by himself. Lin Jingyuan was worried that something might happen on their way home, so he simply decided to accompany the ladies on their return.
Fortunately, Lin Feilu's interjection was timely, so Concubine Ling did not have enough time to cause irreparable damage. Xiao Lan's fingers were injured but they were not seriously wounded, so the imperial doctor prescribed a medicinal salve for promoting blood circulation and removing blood clots in her fingers.
Lin Jingyuan was relieved. After playing with Lin Zhanyuan and the little rabbit, he finally left.
Before leaving, he was still thinking about the sachet made by his fifth sister. He stammered, "It's not that I don't like you giving me [The Analects], but it has a different meaning from a handmade present. I…I want something that you made yourself… as a gift."
Lin Feilu readily replied, "Sure, I'll make something for you!"
Lin Jingyuan then left elated.
On the other hand, after Lin Qing left, he went to Changchun Palace where the Empress lived, and explained the incident that happened today.
As the Empress was a dedicated Buddhist practitioner, the Imperial Harem was usually managed by the two Noble Consorts. But since the crown prince came to visit her in person to report an incident, naturally she wanted to take care of this incident on his behalf. The concubines who embarrassed Xiao Lan will not receive a month's worth of allowances and will be sentenced to house arrest for half a month.
After that, Lin Qing returned to the Eastern Palace.
As the crown prince, the load of his studies were much heavier than the other imperial princes. He also knew that he could not afford to slack off in order to retain his father's love, thus he was very strict on himself. As soon as he returned to the palace, he began to read his books and practice his writing.
During lunchtime, Emperor Lin happened to be free, so he visited the Eastern Palace to check on the crown prince's homework.
Both father and son began to discuss matters concerning the wellbeing of the country, specifically the wellbeing of commoners in the midst of a snowstorm. Emperor Lin was very satisfied with the crown prince's performance. Before leaving, a sachet with distinctive embroidery had caught his eye, so he expressed his interest in it to his son.
Lin Qing took it off his waist and handed it to the emperor.
After giving it a whiff, Emperor Lin thought that the scent was very refreshing and comfortable. He smiled and said, "It looks brand new. Is this a new product from the Imperial Household Department?"
Lin Qing replied, "No, it was given to me by Fifth Sister."
Emperor Lin just stood there for some time. He could not remember who this fifth sister was.
Seeing his puzzled look, Lin Qing spoke up and reminded him, "She is Honorable Lady Lan's daughter. Father, she is the Fifth Imperial Princess."
Oh, that fool.
The color on Emperor Lin's face faded, he looked at the sachet in his hand, suddenly he felt that it was not so special anymore, and returned it to his son. This was the first time the emperor had any impression of his fifth daughter. In the very least, Lin Feilu was no longer an unknown person in the emperor's book.
Lin Qing fastened the sachet back on his waist again.
He liked the embroidery and fragrance of the sachet, thus he would wear it everyday. The only downside was that everytime he encountered his fourth brother, he would be on the receiving end of his fourth brother's resentful stares.
Fortunately, within two days, Lin Jingyuan finally received a gift made by his Little Lu — a box of hand cream.
Hearing how she explained the process of making the hand cream, Lin Jingyuan felt satisfied immediately! This was more troublesome than making a sachet! He must really be Little Lu's favorite person!
That was until he saw his eldest sister Lin Nianzhi take out a box of the same cream and dabbed it all over her hands in class.
He also smelled the familiar white plum scent from his seatmate Xi Xingjiang's hands.
Lin Jingyuan: I think she only loved me very briefly.
️ ️ ️ ️
The Imperial School was about to close for the Chinese New Year holidays.
Lin Feilu felt that it was a bit like a winter school break. What's more interesting was that before the school break, there was a test for all students, which was similar to a school's final exam.
It was called a year-end examination here. Every year, the questions posed by the imperial teachers were different. This year's exam required students to point at things available at the exam site and compose an original poem based on those things. The students will be paired up and will point at things for each other, then they must compose poems based on those things. Altogether they must make nine stanzas of poetry, with each based on one theme.
Finally, the imperial teachers would judge all poems and decide which are the best, then finally present them to Emperor Lin. Students who wrote the top three best poems would then be given awards.
Lin Feilu thought this was much more difficult compared to the time she had to take seven or eight courses of classes in her past life.
Composing poetry wasn't a simple task. There was no way you could just simply make something up under pressure.
Obviously, Lin Jingyuan thought the same. His little head was filled with big question marks, "Why are we not testing on memorization anymore? Or debate? Or even calligraphy? I've memorized all the books, prepared for debates and practiced my calligraphy! But ultimately, this year's year-end exam turned out to be poetry?"
He had fully intended to perform well this year to make everyone admire him!
He felt this was too unfair.
He wanted to pretend to be sick and skip the exam. Finally on the day of the exam, he reluctantly went to school under Lin Feilu's supervision.
This time, all students were not required to enter the study hall. The imperial teachers set up the examination grounds in a different courtyard. Although it was cold in winter, the snowy scenery was quite inspiring, naturally it was a good place for composing elegant poetry.
Since there was no need to enter the study hall, it was alright for Lin Feilu to follow along. This was the first time she could see all the children of royals and nobles who were studying in the Imperial School. In order to prevent students from cheating, their study companions were not allowed to be present at the examination grounds.
Lin Feilu was really curious how the ancients conducted their year-end examinations, so she wanted to tag along to have a look-see. As she approached the examination grounds, she was stopped by an elderly imperial teacher.
Fortunately, Lin Qing and Lin Ting were around. WIth the support of the crown prince and the eldest imperial prince, the imperial teacher realized this young girl was the fifth imperial princess, so he did not block her from entering the grounds, instead he asked her to stand quietly to a side and not interrupt the exam.
Lin Feilu obediently obliged. Upon entering, she saw there were already more than a dozen desks displayed in an open space. The desks were all equipped with pens, inks, papers and inkstones. The imperial teacher asked all students to pair up among themselves and sit down.
Lin Qing glanced at Lin Ting and smiled, "Eldest Brother, how about you and me sit together?"
Lin Ting was silent for two seconds, not knowing what he was thinking, and finally nodded.
Lin Feilu looked at Lin Jingyuan from a distance and saw that he was talking to Xi Xingjiang. Finally the two unscholarly muscleheads sat down together somewhat begrudgingly.
When she looked around, she felt that the number of students did not match up. She mentally counted their numbers and realised there was an odd number of students. Once all students were paired up, they would sit down at their desks. Finally, all present realized there was one person who was singled out.
Song Jinglan sat alone at his desk at the far end of the exam grounds. No one was paired with him.
The imperial teacher then remembered that the Third Princess Lin Xi who still remained on the roster of attending students had already left the palace a long time ago.
The others glanced over a few times, finally they withdrew their gazes, as if they had been accustomed to such a situation. Even in the study hall of the Imperial School, the hostage prince of the Song Kingdom had also sat alone. Even Lin Xi, who used to harass him, did not want to sit next to him in class, as she felt it was insulting.
Everyone talked among themselves and the atmosphere at the exam grounds was friendly, but there existed a bubble surrounding Song Jinglan that was quiet and silent.
Despite this, he still put on a smile on his face. His eyes were lowered as he held up his sleeves while grinding his inkstone.
He looked like a poor little girl who was being isolated by her classmates in school.
It was a tolerable situation, but Lin Feilu could not tolerate this.
Lin Feilu, who was standing by the tree with a small hand stove, trotted over with small steps to the imperial teacher. She obediently raised her hand, "Teacher, there is one less person here."
The imperial teacher originally planned to ask a subordinate to pair up with Song Jinglan. When he saw her coming, his eyes lit up and he said with joy, "Alright then, the Fifth Imperial Princess can help and become his partner."
Lin Feilu tilted her head, "But I don't know how to write poetry."
The imperial teacher replied, "That is fine, all you need to do is to point at things for him."
Lin Jingyuan immediately retorted, "Teacher, I am willing to change with Song Jinglan!"
Xi Xingjiang: "?"
Then he also raised his hand, "I also want to change with Song Jinglan!"
The imperial teacher looked at these two students and had a headache, "Don't mess around! Fourth Imperial Prince and Viscount Xi, please sit down, the exam will begin soon."
The other who had never seen the fifth imperial princess before looked at her curiously before they quickly withdrew their gazes. Lin Feilu took off her cloak, folded it with her arms, then happily sat down in front of Song Jinglan.
He stopped grinding his inkstone and was sitting upright in a graceful manner while looking downwards at her.
Lin Feilu was not accustomed to sitting on her knees. After moving for a while, she found a comfortable posture, raised her head to meet his gaze, and smiled with her eyes curved like a crescent moon, "Your Highness, you look so dashing in white robes!"
Song Jinglan smiled back.
A palace official at the gates rang his gong to signal the commencement of the exam.
The courtyard that was originally noisy was now silent. There was only some occasional talking in brief quiet words.
Song Jinglan spread the paper in front of him and weighed it down with an inkstone. He held up his brush and said, "Fifth Princess, please start."
Lin Feilu found it odd and interesting. Her eyes brightened up as she turned her head to look around, and finally pointed to a withered Chinese redbud vine behind Song Jinglan, "That one."
Song Jinglan turned around and looked at it a few times. After thinking for a moment, he began to compose his poem.
Lin Feilu leaned slightly forward, her chin propped up with her tiny hands, as she watched him write with a brush. Stroke by stroke, his calligraphy was like the flowing of clouds and water. It was as if he breathed an air of beauty onto the paper.
The handwriting was very different from the one she remembered on the message that was thrown in with the pebble.
Perhaps that was written with his left hand instead?
He quickly finished composing one poem, lifted the paper to dry and set it aside. He continued, "Go on."
Lin Feilu pointed to a dry well that was not too far away, "That one."
Song Jinglan thought for a moment. Then he began to compose another poem.
His hand movements were so fast, it was as if composing poems was as simple as eating white rice. Lin Feilu looked around while he was writing, Lin Jingyuan and Xi Xingjiang were still staring at each other, and not a single word had been written yet.
After another poem, Lin Feilu could not help but to ask, "Your Highness, is it easy for you to compose poems?"
Song Jinglan raised his eyebrows slightly, and a small smile appeared in his beautiful dark eyes, "I'm just casually making them up."
He said he was casually making them up, and it seemed like he was speaking the truth. Lin Feilu stretched out her hand and took one of the papers and looked at it. The calligraphy was very beautiful, but the verses were indeed a little too simple if she were to compare it to her literary knowledge.
Is it because I have memorized too much of Li Bai and Du Fu, so now that I feel what he writes is just mediocre?
(T/N: Li Bai and Du Fu are famous Chinese poets during the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty is well-regarded as the "Golden Age of Chinese Poetry" due to their literary contributions.)
Even I know how to write verses like "a blaze of brilliant reds and purples trails the hills"!
Even as he composed eight stanzas of poems, they were all poems with simple verses. If she were to follow his style of writing, Lin Feilu felt that she could also compose three hundred stanzas poems right on the spot.
(T/N: What Lin Feilu means is that the level of Song Jinglan's writing, ergo the acceptable standard for this exam, was as simple as writing metaphors. She was previously comparing the standard to Li Bai and Du Fu, as their poems consisted of complex imagery, condensed connotations and lyrical sense, all which are difficult to achieve for common folk, much less for children.)
Song Jinglan spread out the last paper, weighed it down with the inkstone, and looked at her with a gentle smile, "The last one."
Lin Feilu pointed at herself with a finger.
Song Jinglan was stunned for a moment.
He heard her say in a small voice, "Me."
His writing hand was hanging in the air, and a drop of ink dripped from the tip of the brush. But he reacted quickly, shook his head and smiled. He removed the ink-stained paper and replaced it with a new one. After laying it out, he replied to her in a warm voice, "Alright."
This poem did not take much longer than the ones before.
Lin Feilu guessed that he probably wrote something along the lines of: "Little girl, white and fair, jumping up and down, very cute".
After writing, she perked her head up to take a look, but Song Jinglan had already picked up the paper and placed it at the bottom of his pile of poems. Then he handed the nine papers to the imperial teacher.
All students began to turn in their papers one after another.
Lin Jingyuan and Xi Xingjiang were still at each other's ends, pinching each other until the end of the exam, accusing each other of embarrassing one another. Xi Xingjiang seemed to feel that arguing with this little boy who was only a few years younger than himself was a little below his station. Finally, he decided to ignore him after throwing away his brush, and shouted at Lin Feilu who was not too far away, "Little Bean, do you want to go horse riding?"
Lin Jingyuan became even furious, "It's such a cold day today, do you want to freeze my Fifth Sister to death?!"
Xi Xingjiang glanced at him a few times. Slowly, he teased, "She is not as weak as Lin Jingyuan, nor is she as stupid as the the Fourth Imperial Prince, who does not know how to write poems."
Lin Jingyuan was so angry that he yelled and rushed forward to fight him, but Lin Qing sternly stopped him.
Suddenly it was rowdy.
Lin Feilu stood up and rubbed her knees which were sore from kneeling. Still thinking about the last poem, she asked Song Jinglan, "Your Highness, what did you write in the end?"
Song Jinglan arranged the brush and papers on his desk. He was still looking at her with a kind smile, "I'm just a little educated, so I just casually composed it, Fifth Princess does not need to bother."
Lin Feilu pursed her lips, "This is the first time someone wrote me a poem. It is of great significance to me. Hasn't Your Highness heard of this song?"
Song Jinglan looked at her for a long time, "Hmm?"
Lin Feilu cleared her throat and sang in her pearly voice:
"For you, I wrack my brain to write the words
For you, I do the impossible
For you, I learn to play the zither and write lyrics
For you, I'm losing my mind."
(T/N: Lyrics for contemporary Chinese song "为你写诗"/"I write poems for you" by Kenji Wu/Wu Ke Qun. "Zither" and "piano" can be used interchangeably depending on context.)
Song Jinglan: "…"
Lin Feilu: "…"
Awkward.
It's time for her to stop her habit of teasing beautiful boys.
Song Jinglan froze for a while, then shook his head and smiled
He was always smiling, and Lin Feilu was used to seeing his smiles. But she felt that this time, his smile was different.
It seemed like that was warmth in his eyes now.
Now that school was on break, Lin Feilu did not have to wake up early to make sure Lin Jingyuan would not be late to school. Finally, she could enjoy rolling around under the warmth of her blanket.
The snow that had stopped for a few days was falling down again, however it was not as heavy as before. The snowstorm that Emperor Lin was worried about did not happen, thus he was in an elated mood. He even visited the Imperial Harem more often.
Recently, everyone in the Imperial Palace was busy as they were preparing for the banquet of the New Year Eve's reunion banquet for the imperial family. The previous year-end banquet was a banquet for the Imperial Harem's concubine. This reunion banquet on New Year's Eve was a grand banquet for all the relatives of the imperial family.
Lin Feilu heard from Xiao Lan that there will be ninety-nine dishes at the reunion banquet. The ninety-nine dishes symbolizes a grand reunion, known as the Guiyi Banquet, and is a traditional event in the Great Lin Empire. Lin Feilu was just salivating over the thought of eating so many dishes.
It was such a pity that, due to her status, she was not allowed to attend the reunion banquet.
After a few days, the results for the year-end examination were released.
The imperial teachers selected ten poems from hundreds of poems and presented them to Emperor Lin, who would finally decide the best three.
The poems were written anonymously so that the inspectors would not know which student wrote which poems.
However, in previous years, it was always Lin Ting and Lin Qing who would win with their answers always in the top three.
After reading all ten poems, Emperor Lin did not hesitate to pick the one that depicted a young girl. He said to the imperial teacher, "This is extraordinary, it is worthy to be the best poem of all. Which of my princes wrote this?"
The imperial teacher looked through the roster and was a little surprised, "To answer Your Majesty, this poem was written by Song Jinglan, the prince of Song Empire."
Emperor Lin was taken aback for a moment, then picked it up and read it again, "Prince Song? I remember that he was mediocre in his studies and had never produced any good works in previous years." He looked a little deeper, "Bring his other eight poems and show them to me."
The imperial teacher submitted eight other poems and replied, "It is strange to say, of the nine poems written by the Song Empire prince, the other eight are mediocre and fall into stereotypical metaphors. Only the poem about the girl is outstanding, and it is a genuine piece of work."
After reading them one by one, Emperor Lin finally calmed down, and said quietly, "It looks like it was just a stroke of luck." He pondered, "If this is the case, let's put this poem in third place. Those who deserve to be rewarded must be rewarded, after all our Great Lin Empire must be graceful."
The imperial teacher cordially responded, "Understood."
The results of the Imperial School's year-end exam were revealed. Crown Prince Lin Qing came in first, Eldest Imperial Prince Lin Ting was second, and Song Jinglan came in third. Emperor Lin had their rewards delivered to each of their residences respectively.
All this time, everyone thought Song Jinglan was just an average Joe who never stood out. That was why this sudden display of talents shocked everyone. However, Emperor Lin had announced that it was merely purely a stroke of luck, so after the shock had worn off, everyone did not think much about it as they were busy preparing for the New Year.
Lin Ting and Lin Qing were the most outstanding of the imperial princes, so Emperor Lin summoned them to his palace to praise them. He also rewarded new trinkets and treasures to both of his sons. As they left Yangxin Palace, Lin Qing smiled and said to Lin Ting, "This time I won first place again, although I still prefer Eldest Brother's plum poem."
Lin Ting smiled shyly, "It's nothing compared to Third Brother's bamboo poem."
Lin Qing looked at him with his ponderous eyes, but found that his eldest brother was as sincere and simple-minded as ever. At such times, any suspicions that had arisen in his heart would melt away as he smiled.
Lin Qing stepped on the stairs and said with a smile, "Eldest Brother, we can compete again when it's hunting season in spring. Don't go holding back yourself for me."
Lin Ting shook his head, "You know that I don't like to hunt."
Lin Qing shrugged, "Alright, then I will hunt a mountain rabbit for Eldest Brother, then I'll give it to you as a companion."
Lin Ting smiled crookedly, "That sounds good."
He had received praise and rewards from his father, and was feeling happy in his heart. As he briskly walked back to Yaohua Palace, he found there were guests in his home.
Every year before the Chinese New Year, the Ruan family would send people to deliver gifts to their residence. Although Noble Consort Ruan did not lack anything, she still cared for her maternal family. This time it was an aunt of hers. They were holding hands and talking happily inside their residence.
Seeing that the Eldest Prince had returned, his maternal aunt; Aunt Ruan, smiled and greeted him with a bow. Lin Ting accepted her greetings and politely helped her up.
Noble Consort Ruan saw the jade ink slab in her son's hand and smiled as she asked, "His Majesty rewarded this to you?"
Lin Ting replied, "Yes."
She asked again, "What did the Crown Prince receive?"
Lin Ting pursed his lower lip, his voice lowered unconsciously, "Third Brother received the same jade ink slab as I did, but with an additional jade pendant fan."
Concubine Ruan's smile faded a bit. Aunt Ruan was observant and hurriedly smiled and said to Lin Ting, "The prime minister is always thinking of Your Highness. He knows that Your Highness likes small animals, so he got this well-behaved puppy some time ago. It is very healthy as it has been staying with me. Now that I've entered the Imperial Palace, I finally get to deliver it to Your Highness now."
Lin Ting did not pay attention at first. After listening to her, he saw a cage in the corner of the house. In the cage was a pure white puppy, it looked like a fox and it was very cute. Seeing he was looking at it, it began to wag its tail happily at him.
Lin Ting's eyes froze, as if afraid, he quickly retracted his gaze and lowered his eyes.