Noble Consort Ruan took a look at him, then smiled at her aunt, "Father is so caring."
After talking for a while, Aunt Ruan left. Before leaving, she smiled and said to Lin Ting, "Your Highness, this dog is named Chang Er."
As soon as she left, Noble Consort Ruan, who was lazily leaning on her daybed, ordered a palace maid, "Send the dog to the prince's room."
Lin Ting's fingers trembled. He took two steps forward, knelt down, and whispered, "Mother, I don't want to raise it."
Noble Consort Ruan was inspecting her nails, as she asked in a soft voice, "Why don't you want to raise it? Don't you like these the most?"
Lin Ting knelt and said nothing.
Noble Consort Ruan looked over and her voice gradually became severe, "You're afraid I will order you to kill it again, is that right?"
Lin Ting's back suddenly straightened out. Clenching his teeth, it took a long time before he plucked up the courage and said, "Yes. I don't want to raise it nor to kill it. Mother, please fulfill my request."
Noble Consort Ruan was so furious that she laughed. She sat up straight and looked at him for a long while, and spoke solemnly, "Ting'er, get up."
Lin Ting gritted his teeth and stood up slowly. When he raised his head, there was the stubborn look of a hot-blooded youthfulness in his eyes.
Noble Consort Ruan sighed, she stretched out her hand to pull him to her side, and asked softly, "That time when I told you to kill that rabbit, do you blame me and despise me for it?"
He did not speak. He just shook his head.
Noble Consort Ruan looked at him and said, "You feel that your mother is cruel, because you still don't understand how to survive as a part of the imperial family. You are so weak and kind-hearted; it would have been fine if you were born in an ordinary family, but you are born in the imperial family. This place is a battlefield, where everyone carries a weapon with them. You may treat others kindly, but others may treat you without any single shred of sincerity. You must rely on yourself to fight for everything in the future. If you do not learn to be cruel now, how can you learn to fight in the future?"
Lin Ting whispered, "I have never wanted to fight for anything."
Noble Consort Ruan laughed to herself mockingly, "Whether you want to fight or not, you are born into this position, everything has already been set in stone."
Lin Ting's eyes were becoming redder. As he was still trying to say something, she waved her hand, and sat back lazily, "Fine, I have a migraine for the past few days, so I won't lecture you any more. If you don't want to raise it, just throw it away."
Lin Ting was overjoyed. But before he could express it, he heard his mother coldly say, "Throw it into the beasts' enclosure." Then she instructed the chief eunuch beside her, "Wangyang, you accompany the prince and watch him do it with your own eyes. Report to me once he has done it."
The beasts' enclosure was a place where ferocious birds and ravenous beasts were being kept inside the Imperial Palace.
Such a weak puppy would only become food for the beasts.
Lin Ting stared at his beloved mother in disbelief. He moved his lips, but he could not say a word.
Lin Ting said nothing on the way to the beasts' enclosure as he held the puppy. Wangyang was loyal to Noble Consort Ruan, naturally he would not disobey her order. Wangyang could only persuade Lin Ting, "Your Highness, my Lady is doing this for your own good. When Your Highness grows up, you will understand. You should just pretend it's already dead and throw it with your eyes closed. It will be over soon."
Lin Ting ignored him. The puppy was sitting obediently in his arms, sticking out his little pink tongue and licking his fingers.
He had loved animals since he was a child, in return, animals have also been kind to him. Whether they were cats, dogs or birds, all animals were willing to approach him willingly.
But he could not protect them.
With red eyes, he hugged the puppy, kissed its moving ears, and whispered something softly.
Wangyang was walking in front. When he heard a sound, he looked back then sighed and turned back. He spoke to himself in his heart, "It's no wonder my Lady would use this method to forcefully teach him. The Eldest Prince is truly too kind-hearted."
The beasts' enclosure was located in a very remote part of the Imperial Palace. As they passed by a courtyard filled with wild grass, Lin Ting, who had been silent, suddenly threw the puppy over the dilapidated courtyard wall.
The yard was covered with several layers of dead branches and fallen leaves, so the puppy did not get hurt when it landed. It was whimpering for a while, then it stood up, limping on one leg, and ran away.
This area was an abandoned section of the Imperial Palace, furthermore there were stories of people drowning in the wells around this area. As such, Wangyang did not dare to go any further in and said, "Your Highness!"
Lin Ting looked at him coldly, "Tell Mother whatever you want!"
Once he finished his words, he turned around and left him.
Wangyang looked at the dilapidated courtyard, and then at Lin Ting who was walking away from him. Wangyang stomped his feet and could only return to the palace.
In Yaohua Palace, Noble Consort Ruan was lying on her daybed as her palace maid massaged her temples. Listening to Wangyang's report, her eyes flickered. However, she was not angry. She just said with a lazy smile, "That's the first time he's stood up for something."
Lin Ting did not return to Yaohua Palace, but hid alone in an abandoned courtyard and cried for a while. Then he wiped away his tears and walked towards Mingyue Palace.
When he was about to arrive, he heard Fifth Sister's and Sixth Brother's laughter from behind the courtyard wall. When he came closer, he saw they were having a snowball fight in the courtyard.
Seeing him push the door in, Lin Feilu unreservedly threw the snowball in her hand at him. Lin Ting was so stunned that he did not evade it and received the full blow of the snowball to the chest.
Lin Zhanyuan clapped his hands and laughed, "Big Brother Rabbit lost!"
His originally depressed and upset mood was slightly lessened. Lin Feilu smiled as she ran over and took his hand, "Eldest Brother, let me show you the snowmen I made!"
It was the first time Lin Ting had heard of and seen snowmen. At this, he thought his Fifth Sister was really amazing.
As soon as he came in, Lin Feilu found him crying. She played with him for a while. When she saw he gradually regained his smile, she pulled him into the house and patted his head like an adult and asked, "Eldest Brother, what's the matter with you?"
Fifth Sister was probably the only person in this palace who was willing to listen to his thoughts.
Lin Ting's voice was depressed as he told her what had happened.
He knew in his heart that he did not agree with his mother, but he also did not know how to refute her. He wanted to remain filial and obedient, but he also wanted to protect the things he loved.
He was the eldest son of Emperor Lin and the eldest prince in this palace. He would always play the part of a gentle elder brother in front of his younger siblings, but in truth, he is only twelve or thirteen years old.
Lin Feilu did not say anything unnecessary after listening to him.
This was his own life. It was enough that his mother micro-managed so much with his life.
She just took his hand and said with a smile, "Eldest Brother, let's go and retrieve that puppy"
Lin Ting was stunned, "But… it's very far away. The puppy might have already ran away, I wouldn't know where to find it."
Lin Feilu took his hand and walked out, "If we can't find it today, we will find it tomorrow, if we can't find it tomorrow, we will find it again the day after tomorrow until we find it!"
Lin Zhanyuan was still stacking his crooked little snowmen in the courtyard. Seeing they were going out, he quickly ran over, tilted his head up and asked, "Where are Big Brother Rabbit and Sister going?"
Lin Feilu smiled and said, "We're going to find a puppy. When we find it, we'll bring it back so you can play with it."
She was not sure when Lin Zhanyuan learned how to act like a spoilt child, as he approached Lin Ting and tugged at the corner of his sleeves, "I want to go too."
Lin Ting took his Sixth Brother's cold hand in his palm. He held his younger sister in one hand, and pulled his younger brother in the other hand. Once again, he turned into that reassuring gentle brother and said, "Alright, let's all go together."
The number of times Lin Zhanyuan had ever left Mingyue Palace was countable on the fingers in one hand.
The scenery outside was strange and bewildering to him. He was feeling a little afraid as he held onto Big Brother Rabbit. He followed after his footsteps, carefully looking at this new world he had never seen before.
Lin Ting asked him, "Does Sixth Brother like to play outside?"
Despite his bewilderment, he still remembered who he was as he nodded vigorously in response, "I like it!"
Lin Ting said warmly, "From now on, I'll take you out to play more often."
Lin Zhanyuan said, "Bring Little Sister!"
Lin Ting laughed, "Alright, I'll bring our little sister along as well."
The puppy was left behind around the outskirts of the Imperial Palace, thus it was a given that the patrolling guards here were stern and somber. When Lin Ting walked up to the entrance of the ruined courtyard, the red wooden doors were left ajar. He gently pushed it open and called out the puppy's name, "Chang Er!"
Initially, they had intended to start their search for the puppy here, but as soon as the three of them entered, a small ball of white fluff was peeked out from a thick pile of dead leaves. It wagged its tail as it rushed to Lin Ting's feet, brushing against his ankles with its small head.
Lin Ting was surprised and delighted. He picked it up, not caring about the dirt and broken leaves which covered its pure white fur. He asked happily, "Were you waiting for me?"
It did not matter whether the puppy understood his words or not. It was now wagging its tail more vigorously.
Lin Ting's nose reddened as he leaned forward and kissed the puppy. Then, he turned his head while suppressing his excitement and said to Lin Feilu, "We found the puppy."
She smiled and touched the puppy's head, "Good boy, Chang Er."
Lin Zhanyuan had never seen such a well-behaved and good-looking puppy as he stood beside them in astonishment. Lin Ting hugged the puppy for a while, then handed the puppy to Lin Zhanyuan. He spoke softly, "From this day onwards, I will leave Chang Er in your care, Sixth Brother."
Lin Zhanyuan could not fully comprehend what Lin Ting had just said, as he doubtfully pointed to himself. Eventually, he understood what his Big Brother Rabbit asked of him and happily accepted the puppy.
Lin Ting did not return to Yaohua Palace until later that evening.
Even though Lin Ting was upset, he was still mindful of his manners and went to pay respects to his mother before retiring to his room. Noble Consort Ruan did not say much to him, but only waited for him to leave before asking Wang Yang, "Where did you say Lin Ting went this afternoon?"
Wang Yang replied cordially, "My Lady, His Highness went to Mingyue Palace."
"Mingyue Palace?" Noble Consort Ruan had no impression of this little palace. It was not until a palace maid had reminded her of the plum garden incident that she remembered that was where the unfavored Honorable Lady Lan lived.
Wang Yang continued, "His Highness seems to get along well with the Fifth Princess."
She knew of the young fifth princess. She heard that the fourth prince only started to study hard under this fifth princess's supervision, thus she was deeply cherished by Consort Xian. Noble Consort Ruan did not care much about this matter, so she stopped asking more questions.
New Year's Eve was fast approaching, and the Imperial Household Department had increased the expenses for each palace in preparation for the New Year celebrations. Lin Feilu asked Qingyan to send a basket of silver charcoal to Cuizhu Villa.
Qingyan had long been used to the princess's frequent delivery requests, that was why she became familiar with the servant boy who dutily kept watch of visitors. She was no longer as flustered as the first time they met, and the two would talk and laugh about a thing or two.
It has been one year since Lin Feilu arrived in this world. She did not have any particular attachments in regards to New Year celebrations. In her past life, she would travel all over the world for New Year's. She had neither celebrated or experienced a New Year's Eve dinner. She also never had any relatives to visit over the New Year's celebrations.
However, it was different now. Xiao Lan had Lin Feilu accompany her to decorate their home with window paper-cuts and spring couplets from early in the morning. In the midst of the ice and snow, Mingyue Palace, once a bleak and lonesome place, was now dyed with an air of jubilant joy.
(T/N: Window paper-cuts, or "window flowers", are decorative artwork and are usually made to celebrate Chinese New Year. A couplet is a pair of lines of poetry. Each line is written vertically on a scroll of paper and is placed either on the sides of a door or as hanging scrolls inside a home. Spring couplets are poetry written especially to celebrate the New Year.)
With some scraps of fabric, Xiao Lan even sewed a red scarf for the two crooked snowmen in their courtyard. They looked oddly adorable after wearing them.
Lin Feilu had been feeling a little piggish since she learnt about the Ninety-nine-course meal served at the Great Reunion Banquet.
The Great Reunion Banquet has been a tradition since the founding of the Great Lin Empire. All ninety-nine dishes were unique dishes and all recipes were passed down to the present. Lin Feilu thought to herself, they must be very delicious!
However, in addition to inviting the emperor's relatives, the only concubines who were allowed to attend the Great Reunion Banquet were the empress, the two noble consorts, and the four consorts. Although the emperor's children were not exactly barred from attending the banquet, they could only do so if the emperor had given his blessings to them.
Thus, Lin Feilu was not qualified. When she went to the Changming Palace to entertain Consort Xian, she acted cutely and asked Lin Jingyuan to secretly bring a few dishes outside of the banquet venue, just so she could have a taste.
Lin Jingyuan fully agreed to her request, although he added a remark in disgust, "To be honest, the dishes served at the Great Reunion Banquet tasted horrible."
Lin Feilu: "?"
Lin Jingyuan continued, "It's very oily and greasy. Since everything is served on one table, all the dishes had to be brought out at once. What's more, there are so many people attending the banquet. By the time you get to eat, all the dishes would have gone cold. Every year, I would get a bad tummy ache from eating all those cold dishes."
Lin Feilu: "…"
If it's that bad, then why would the royals still hold the banquet every year?
As if he could read her mind, Lin Jingyuan quickly added on, "Although the food isn't great, the Great Reunion Banquet is a tradition passed down from our ancestors. It is said that the country would fall into dissonance if the Banquet is not held. That is why even our Great Father would force himself to take a bite out of every dish every year, even if he dislikes it."
Lin Feilu was surprised, "Father doesn't like to eat it too?"
Lin Jingyuan: "That's right, Father shares the same tastes as I do. Both of us dislike greasy food." When he said this, he lowered his voice and shared a little secret, "Father would leave midway through the banquet every year, in fact, each time he would visit the plum garden, next to the banquet hall, just to sooth his senses."
He secretly followed his father twice. He saw that a tea station had already been prepared in advance by a palace servant in the plum garden, making tea to alleviate the emperor's nausea.
It was not a good idea to spread news of the emperor's behavior, especially when Emperor Lin himself was hiding this fact. Only Lin Jingyuan, with his bold temperament, would dare to follow after the emperor.
Before this, Lin Feilu had been coming out with new strategies. Once the celebrations for Chinese New Year were over, it was time to find a way to get in touch with the MVP of this Imperial Palace. Unexpectedly, she had come to learn of one of the emperor's secrets as if it were sent by the Heavens.
She could not help but to look at Lin Jingyuan with more affection.
You really are my lucky charm.
Lin Jingyuan: Little Fifth Sister seems to be looking at me with more admiration. Hehe.
Soon, it was the day of New Year's Eve.
Mingyue Palace was brimming with merriful laughters. Xiao Lan even personally cooked a full-course meal with Yunyou. After they finished their meal, the snowfall gradually became heavier as the sky turned into evening.
Xiao Lan had already instructed Qingyan to close the gates of their residence earlier before the fall of evening. A burning hearth kept their house warm, and everyone was ready to stay up all night on New Year's Eve.
When she went to call Lin Feilu, she saw that her daughter had put on the red cloak that Lin Nianzhi gave her, carrying a basket covered with a piece of cloth. She was all dressed up and seemed to be ready to go out.
Xiao Lan was startled, "It's getting dark, where are you going?"
Lin Feilu did not tell her the truth, "I made a promise to meet with Fourth Imperial Brother. He said he would bring out a few dishes from the Great Reunion Banquet for me to eat."
Xiao Lan did not know whether to laugh or cry as she replied, "You greedy little piggy, it's dark and cold now. Yet you still want to go out just to eat. Can't you eat tomorrow?"
Lin Feilu shook his head solemnly, "No, it won't taste good when it gets cold tomorrow!"
Xiao Lan said, "Then I will let Qingyan and Song'yu accompany you."
Lin Feilu shook her head, "It's not yet dark, I can go by myself. There are so many people in the banquet hall that it won't be good for others to notice us. There will be many guards patrolling tonight, so nothing bad will happen."
Xiao Lan still had a few more words to speak to her daughter, but Lin Feilu had already scurried away, carrying a lantern in the other hand.
Tonight, the banquet hall was brightly lit up. There was singing and dancing, and it was comparable to the Spring Festival Gala back in her past life. The relatives of the imperial family who were partaking the banquet entered the palace one after another.
Emperor Lin was the last to enter the venue, and when he came, the banquet officially began. After he toasted his wine cup, the dishes began to be served. Emperor Lin sat in the highest position, watching the ninety-nine dishes served one by one. Careful to not reveal his expression, he was already sighing inside his heart.
This again.
Couldn't the chefs in the Imperial Kitchen make the Great Reunion Banquet dishes more delicious? How could they all be so unpalatable?
He was born a prince, that is, so he had been eating this banquet since he was able to speak, year after year, for more than 30 years. Still, the thought of eating this for decades more to come was absolutely terrifying.
It was just a matter of his personal taste. Apart from his fourth son, everyone else seemed to think the food was pretty good.
As expected, his fourth son, Lin Jingyuan, who resembled him the most, also had the same tastes as himself, thus was the only one who could understand his feelings.
Thinking of this, Emperor Lin could not help but to look at Lin Jingyuan, who was uncomfortably moving about in his seat as if there was a thorn in his side. Emperor Lin raised his wine glass and paid compliments to Consort Xian.
He gave so many words of praise that it stunned Consort Xian.
What did I do? Why am I suddenly being praised?
When all ninety-nine dishes were served on the table, Emperor Lin tasted them one by one. After completing this task, he was eager to leave.
Everyone was accustomed to his behavior of leaving to rest halfway through the banquet. In the absence of Emperor Lin, the imperial relatives became more comfortable, soon there was a lot of laughter in the hall.
Walking outside the hall, a palace servant was already waiting outside with a lantern, and asked in a soft voice, "Your Majesty, will you go to the plum garden now?"
Emperor Lin endured the greasy feeling in his abdomen and nodded.
Because of the heavy snow tonight, he did not instruct his palace servant to make tea in advance, as he planned to air out his discomfort and appreciate the smell of plum blossoms. As he approached the plum garden, suddenly he heard a small voice coming from inside. The rustling sound of snowfall clashed with the young, fragile voice, so he could not hear the voice clearly.
The palace servant beside him was about to chase the people inside the plum garden out, but Emperor Lin lightly waved his hand for him to stop.
Snow was falling heavily amidst the dark night. Thus, he was curious to see who was so interested in enjoying plum blossoms at such a time.
He walked in lightly, and through the clusters of gorgeous red plums, he saw a little girl in a red cloak, kneeling under a plum tree.
She resembled a small ball wrapped in a red cloak. He could not make out how she looked.
Behind her, there were four snow dolls, neatly lined up from big to small, with noses, eyes, and red scarfs. They looked adorable.
It was the first time that Emperor Lin had seen such a thing. He was surprised. Standing on the spot and looking at it, he heard the little girl kneeling on the ground and making a wish, "Dear Fairy Goddess, can you hear me? If you are listening, please blow a little wind."
Tonight was already a windy night with heavy snowfall. When she said this, the wind kept blowing, so she looked happy and said, "So you're here, Fairy Goddess? Then I'll start to make a wish!"
Emperor Lin: "…"
He saw the little girl earnestly bowing down, her little hands in front of her were red with cold, as she said, "I wish for my Royal Father to be safe and healthy, and also for the world to be peaceful."
When she finished saying her wish, she bowed down once and raised her head again.
"My second wish is for my Mother to live auspiciously and to be always happy."
"My third wish is for my Brother to live a carefree life, free from sickness and misfortunes."
When Emperor Lin heard her talking about a royal father, he looked at her in surprise. He wondered if this was his own child? But why did he not remember… No, there was one.
This child was Honorable Lady Lan's daughter, the Fifth Princess.
He thought she was a fool like her brother, but the longer he observed her, it was clear that this child was articulate with her words and had no symptoms of foolishness.
He had never seen this daughter of his, but now he had seen and listened to her sincere wishes. He was the first of her wishes, and she also hoped for world peace at such a young age. He was shocked.
After making these three wishes, she made one last wish for herself.
Emperor Lin said in his heart, I want to see what you will ask for.
He heard the little girl swallowing her own saliva, looking a little piggish as she said pitifully, "For my fourth wish… This Little Lu wishes to have a taste of the Great Reunion Banquet! Oh Fairy Goddess, just one bite would be enough!"
Emperor Lin could not hold back as he burst out laughing.
His laughter shocked her. She quickly looked up at the arched entrance and got up hurriedly before she turned around to abscond into the plum forest.
Emperor Lin quickly stepped forward and said, "Do not run away."
The eunuch beside him raised the palace lantern to shine the path forward. Emperor Lin walked up to the four snow dolls to take a closer look, only to find that the four snow dolls were in different shapes and sizes. The biggest one looked similar to himself?
He searched inside the plum forest for a while without seeing anyone, until he heard the sound of movement above his head and looked up. The frightened little girl had climbed up the tree at some point. She was holding a heavy stick and cautiously looking downwards.
Her hood slid down from her head. She was hugging the tree trunk in a naive manner, appearing childish and adorable. Under the light emitting from the lantern, her eyes were watery and her skin was snow-white. Her small lips were pressed into a line, looking at him pitifully.
Emperor Lin could not help but to happily ask, "What are you doing up there? Are you not afraid of falling?"
She pursed her lips and looked at him for a while, then asked in a low voice, "Who are you?"
She did not seem to know who he was. It was a normal reaction, after all, she had never met her father before.
Emperor Lin deliberately teased her, and said, "I was sent by the Fairy Goddess to make your wish come true."
Unexpectedly, the little girl in turn glared at him with her watery eyes as she replied furiously, "Do you think I'm so easy to be fooled?!"
Emperor Lin laughed loudly.
She pursed her mouth. Perhaps she was running out of strength, as she was beginning to loosen her grip on the tree trunk and almost fell out from the tree.
Emperor Lin hurriedly walked under the tree and stretched out his hand, "Come down first."
The little girl spoke in a pitiful voice, "I…I dare not."
Emperor Lin said, "Jump down, I will catch you."
She looked at him and blinked. Her voice was soft as she asked with uncertainty, "Really? Will you really catch me?"
Emperor Lin said, "Yes, I will. Now, jump down."
She took a deep breath and put on a brave expression. As soon as she closed her eyes and let go of her hand, it was as if a small ball had fallen into his arms.
Emperor Lin was also a martial artist, and since the plum tree was not too high, he was certain he could catch this little girl's fall.
Petals of plum blossoms also rained down as she fell. This little dumpling wrapped in a red cloak fell into his arms, as gorgeous red plum blossoms fell all over her. She appeared like a little forest spirit running through a plum blossom forest.
She opened her watery eyes, looked around, then smiled sweetly at him, "You caught me!"
A dimple formed on her face as she smiled. She was a beautiful and well-behaved child. Emperor Lin suddenly felt a sense of regret for neglecting his own daughter for so many years.
️ ️ ️ ️ ️
The little dumpling moved about in his arms, as she said thanks in a milky voice, "Thank you, Uncle."
Emperor Lin was now around thirty-seven years old — a charming uncle who is in the prime of his life. Looking at his sons and daughters, he knew that he was quite good-looking. Furthermore, he was proud of his excellence in both literature and martial arts.
He raised his eyebrows and put down the small dumpling. She was only a little bigger than an infant. Her head's height did not even reach his knees. Her red cloak hugged her body, which accentuated her snow-white skin and star-like eyes.
As soon as she raised her head, the hood slid off the back of her head, revealing two small buns on the top of her head. Two red ribbons were wrapped around each bun, and they hung over her ears obediently. She appeared like a pink jade that was exquisitely carved, as if she was a living fairy who jumped out from paintings.
He was reminded of Xiao Lan's beauty. This little ball had definitely inherited all of her mother's charm.
Emperor Lin squatted down in front of her, touched her little buns, and asked with a smile, "Your name is Little Lu?"
The little dumpling nodded, "Yes."
Emperor Lin asked again, "It's so late and it's started to snow again. What are you doing here?"
The little dumpling replied subconsciously, "I'm waiting…" She pressed her lips abruptly, holding back the words that followed.
Emperor Lin laughed, "Waiting for what?"
The little dumpling shook her head with her small mouth tightly closed. Her big eyes flickered as she refused to speak.
Emperor Lin thought for a while, then pointed to the four snow dolls next to him, "You did this?"
At this, she spoke, her voice was soft and cute, "Yes, these are called snowmen!"
Emperor Lin looked carefully, and found that the eyes of the little snowmen were fruit pits, their noses were carrots, and their necks were wrapped with a red scarf. Overall they looked a little ugly, but it was oddly cute as well. It looked like something this little dumpling would make.
He pointed to the biggest snowman and asked, "Who is this?"
The little dumpling said, "That's my Father." She did not wait for him to continue to ask as she ran over with her short legs, and pointed to him one by one, "This is my Mother, this is my Brother. This is me."
After she finished speaking, she said very proudly, "A family of four — a full house!"
Emperor Lin thought of Xiao Lan and that foolish son. He felt uneasy, but the little dumpling in front of him was really cute, and his heart wavered.
At this time, the eunuch carrying the lantern also came over. The light dispelled the darkness amidst the heavy snowfall. The little dumpling also squatted in front of the snowmen and excitedly told him how she made them. When she turned her head around, she was abruptly stunned.
Emperor Lin was tilting his head and listening to her talk. Seeing she had stopped, he smiled and asked, "What's the matter?"
He saw her eyes fall on his clothes.
Due to the formality of today's event, he was dressed in black and red robes, with dragons embroidered on the front.
The little dumpling's lovely brows gradually frowned as she looked at the dragon pattern, and then at him. After a long time, she hesitated and asked in a low voice, "Are you… Are you… Your Majesty?"
What a smart little snow dumpling.
Emperor Lin smiled and said, "What do you think?"
Suddenly, the little dumpling's light and lovely expression disappeared. She seemed to be a little nervous and a little scared. She moved backwards in a daze. She stood a little farther away, not as close to him as she was just now, and then knelt down on the snowy ground, paying her respects to him.
"This little one pays homage to Royal Father."
Listening carefully, he could hear there was still some tremor in her milky voice.
It seems that he had frightened her.
Emperor Lin walked over and pulled her up, squatted in front of her and looked carefully, and said with emotion, "My Fifth Princess, so this is how you look like."
The lively little dumpling now lowered her eyes, and did not dare to talk to him like she did before. The little figure shrank inside her cloak, and even the little buns on her head looked a little pitiful.
Emperor Lin patted her head and could not help but let out a soft voice, "I am your father, you do not have to be afraid of me."
She looked up at him, then quickly lowered her head.
The eunuch next to him reminded, "Your Majesty, the time is up. It is time to return."
After all, tonight's event was the Great Reunion Banquet. Since he had left halfway through, he had to return to continue socializing with his relatives.
As soon as Emperor Lin nodded, he heard the little dumpling eagerly saying in a low voice, "This little one bids Royal Father farewell"
Emperor Lin happily replied, "Oh, you're shooing me away?"
She hung her head and shook it vigorously.
Emperor Lin stood up, dusting the pile of snow off his body. He instructed the eunuch beside him, "Find two people and send the Fifth Princess back to her palace. The road is slippery in the dark, do take care."
The eunuch had not spoken yet when the little dumpling replied anxiously, "I won't go back! I'm still waiting for someone!"
Emperor Lin glanced at her, "Oh? Who are you waiting for?"
Now that she knew he was her royal father, she did not dare to hide it, and whispered, "Wait for Fourth Brother to bring me food…"
Emperor Lin almost laughed out loud.
This little dumpling was as greedy as a pig. No wonder his fourth son was fidgeting inside the banquet hall and looking out frequently. It seemed like they had a prearranged agreement.
Tonight was supposed to be a merry night of celebrations, it was better not to put a damper on their little acts of fun. This little dumpling was a little scared when she first saw him, so it was best not to worsen her image of him any further.
There were many palace guards on the New Year's patrols, so the palace should be safe. Thinking of this, Emperor Lin did not force her, and after asking her a few words, he left with the eunuch. When he returned to the banquet hall, looking in the direction of Consort Xian, Lin Jingyuan had already left the table.
He could not help but put a little smile on his face.
During the banquet, everyone saw that His Majesty was in a good mood, so there was another toast to congratulate him. The banquet continued all night long with festivity.
On the other hand, Lin Jingyuan, who had sneaked out with a small food box, also met Lin Feilu at the agreed place.
He was a little happy, and moved a little faster, but when he ran to her, he saw her watching the night in the distance, and she did not even notice him when he came.
Lin Jingyuan stretched out his hand and shook the box before her eyes, "Little Lu!"
She was startled, and when she saw him back to her senses, she pursed her lips and smiled, "Brother Jingyuan, you're finally here."
Lin Jingyuan sat down next to her and quickly took out the things, "Eat this, it's still hot, I picked the dishes that tastes good."
Lin Feilu nodded, took the chopsticks and ate it, and said softly to him after tasting, "It's delicious, thank you, Brother Jingyuan."
She said that, but Lin Jingyuan felt that she seemed to be preoccupied with something on her mind. A few days ago, she was obviously looking forward to the banquet. Now that she had tasted it, why did she not seem to be happy?
He could not help but ask, "Little Lu, what's the matter with you? Did someone bully you?"
Lin Feilu picked up the food with her chopsticks. She pursed his lower lip, raised her eyes and glanced at him. She wanted to say something, but she stopped and just grinned reluctantly. She whispered, "No, it's just a little bit cold."
Although he was very nervous, he still realized that she was not telling the truth, but if Little Lu was reluctant to tell the truth, he did not press her any further. He only replied, "Then eat! I'll take you back to your palace when you have finished eating!"
Lin Feilu nodded obediently.
The heavy snowfall on New Year's Eve had stopped the next morning. On the first day of the New Year, the sky was clear. This was an auspicious sign.
Everyone stayed up all night on New Year's Eve, so everyone only went to bed early in the morning. Since no one would visit Mingyue Palace, Xiao Lan did not get up in a hurry, and everyone slept in together.
Unexpectedly, around noon, someone was knocking on the gates of Mingyue Palace.
Qingyan, who was keeping watch last night, hurriedly put on her clothes to open the door, and was startled when she saw who the visitors were.
Standing outside the door was a eunuch. She recognized this eunuch as the personal attendant of the emperor. He was followed by a group of palace servants, holding food boxes in their hands. The eunuch smiled and said, "Good morning. His Majesty has gifted a meal to the Fifth Princess. The food is freshly made, and it is still hot."
Qingyan's eyes widened.
Fortunately, she was an experienced palace maid and did not lose her manners, as she hurriedly ushered them inside, then hurriedly went to report to Xiao Lan.
Xiao Lan was also shocked. She hurriedly washed up and dressed herself. When she went out, dozens of dishes were already set on the table. The eunuch stood next to the door as he smiled and said, "We shall leave now so we won't disturb the Princess's meal, farewell."
Xiao Lan recovered at this moment and winked at Qingyan. Qingyan took out a bag of silver and handed it to the eunuch.
The eunuch pretended to shirk twice before 'reluctantly' accepting it, and left with the group of people.
As soon as he left, Qing Yan asked Xiao Lan blankly, "My Lady, what just happened?"