He rode his horse closer, leaned towards the carriage, and said with a smile, "Little bean, it's been a long time since I saw you. Did you miss your Brother Xingjiang?"

Lin Feilu glared at him. "Bad boy!"

Xi Xingjiang's eyes squinted. "You're always calling me with the same name." He winked at her again, "How boring is it to ride in a carriage, do you want to come out for a horse ride?"

Lin Feilu said, "I don't know how."

Xi Xingjiang laughed, holding the rein with one hand, and extended the other to her, "Come on. I'll take you."

She was small enough to climb out of the carriage window, but the convoy was still on the move. Wouldn't it be a bit too dangerous to do so?

She was conflicted, but Xi Xingjiang had already leaned over, wrapped his arms under her arms, and lifted her out of the carriage. Half of her was already jutted out of the window, and the next thing she knew, she was already sitting on a horse back.

Song Yu called out to the princess in panic. Xi Xingjiang pursed his lips and told her, "This viscount will take your princess around and teach her some riding skills, so don't worry."

Lin Feilu was also taken aback by his sudden action. After she had calmed down, he held the reins in both hands and yelled, "Hya!"

The horse lifted its hooves and dashed forward.

The sudden movement had forced the small and light Lin Feilu backwards, slamming into his chest due to her lack of center of gravity, and the two little knots on her head broke loose.

The cold and fresh air slapped her face. She held onto the horse's mane tightly for her dear life, in fear that she might accidentally fall and be crippled for the rest of her life. However, Xi Xingjiang decided to tease her by further increasing the horse speed. Lin Feilu felt as if her heart was about to explode and she shouted. "Xi Xingjiang, slow down!"

The youth's laughter was clear and bright in the wind. "Is it still called riding a horse if it's slow?"

Lin Feilu wanted to kill him.

Lin Jingyuan was sitting in the carriage happily eating walnut pastry. He suddenly heard something and could not help but to ask Kang An, who was next to him. "Does that sound like Fifth Sister?"

Kang An listened carefully for a while. "A little. But isn't the fifth princess in the carriage behind?"

Lin Jingyuan climbed to the window of the carriage and saw that Xi Xingjiang and his sister Little Lu were sitting on the back of a black horse. They galloped past him while poor Little Lu was screaming in fright all the way.

Lin Jingyuan was furious, involuntarily crushing the walnut pastry in his hand violently. He jumped off the carriage and shouted at the guards patrolling nearby. "You, come down!"

The guard was taken aback and quickly dismounted.

Without saying a word, Lin Jingyuan mounted the horse and chased them with a wave of the whip. He yelled while chasing, "Xi Xingjiang, you shameless fellow. Let my sister down!"

Fortunately, these princes had learned to ride and shoot since they were young. Lin Jingyuan was good at riding and rode at full speed, but Xi Xingjiang held back because of Lin Feilu so they were soon caught up by the pursuing Lin Jingyuan.

The two horses galloped in the cold wind as Lin Jingyuan yelled from his horse, "Xi Xingjiang! Stop! Are you shameless?! Bullying my sister!"

Xi Xingjiang squinted at him scornfully. "Oh, Your Majesty, your riding skills are good."

Lin Jingyuan was dying from anger. He looked at Little Lu who was shrunk in Xi Xingjiang's arms in fear and dared not to move. He was so angry that he yelled, "Believe it or not, I will report to your father to chop your head!"

Xi Xingjiang: "Hahaha!"

Lin Jingyuan: "Ahhhhh I'll kill you!"

The two rode quickly and soon overtook the entire convoy. After a while, there were sounds of horseshoes rumbling. When the trio looked back, it was the Crown Prince who was chasing after them.

A spark of glee flashed in Lin Jinyuan's eyes when he heard Lin Qing called sternly. "Xingjiang! Don't mess around! Fifth Sister is young, put her down!"

Xi Xingjiang did not want to embarrass the Crown Prince. He pouted, pulled the rein, and stopped the horse.

Lin Feilu was so blown away by the cold wind that her mind turned blank.

Her face was frozen in place.

She would not complain about sitting in the carriage anymore, the carriage was fine, really.

After dismounting, Xi Xingjiang helped Lin Feilu get down. He was immediately surrounded by Lin Qing and Lin Jingyuan who took Lin Feilu away. The two of them expressed their concerns and were finally relieved knowing that she was only freezing and it was not a major problem.

Xi Xingjiang watched the two obsessive brothers showering Lin Feilu with concern with a green foxtail in his mouth and then slowly spoke. "I just took her for a horseback ride and the two princes already can't stand it. Would you kill me if I had wanted to marry her?"

Lin Feilu: "?"

Lin Qing: "?"

Lin Jingyuan strode over to him angrily, "Who do you want to marry? I will strangle you, you shameless person!"

Xi Xingjiang rolled his eyes as Lin Jingyuan strangled him.

It was not that he could not beat Lin Jingyuan, but his aunt warned him against causing trouble and not to create conflict with the princes before he came. Otherwise, he would not be allowed to go on any trips in the future.

Xi Xingjiang could only bear with it. He rolled his eyes as he loudly yelped. "I'm just kidding! Who wants to marry a little bean who is not even as tall as my legs!"

Lin Feilu: "?"

Very good, you have offended me twice.

Lin Qing separated Lin Jingyuan and Xi Xingjiang who were entangled in a fight. He lectured them regarding the rules when traveling outside, told them not to disturb the royal convoy, and then took Lin Feilu back on horseback.

Lin Qing's horse riding was much smoother and the horse's saddle was also softer. Lin Feilu's butt did not hurt so much riding on it.

The horse grazed while slowly trotting its way back. Lin Qing was not in a hurry and was very loose with the rein, so that Lin Feilu could enjoy the scenery of the countryside.

The scenery in winter was bleak, but the field was empty and cloudless. There was nothing to be seen apart from the moving carriages, giving them a sense of vastness and liberation.

Lin Qing spoke in a soothing voice behind her, "Xingjiang has always been stubborn. Fifth Sister should not mind him."

Lin Feilu nodded obediently and asked after thinking for a while, "Brother Crown Prince, besides the hot spring, is there anything else in the palace that is fun?"

Lin Qing smiled and said, "The palace is located halfway up the mountain so the scenery is very unique. You will experience it when you reach there."

The two continued to speak in low voices. The curtains of a delicate carriage in the convoy suddenly opened, and a sweet and soft voice came from inside the car, "His Royal Highness."

Lin Feilu tilted her head to look and saw it was a kneeling maid servant who opened the curtains of a spacious carriage. Sitting by the window was a pure and beautiful woman, looking at them with a smile.

She did not know who this was, but was clarified by Lin Qing immediately when he said, "Consort Mei."

Consort Mei, one of the four consorts, was the only consort among the four who had no children of her own.

She looked young, fair-skinned and beautiful, with mesmerizing eyes. She was delicate and her beauty could compete with Xiao Lan's. It was no wonder that she has been favored by Emperor Lin these years.

Even her voice was very pleasing to the ear. She asked softly, "I just heard a commotion outside, what happened?"

Lin Qing replied, "Fourth Brother was just playing around. Consort Mei doesn't have to worry about it."

Consort Mei nodded, then looked at the little girl who was riding the horse with him, and asked with a smile, "Is this the Fifth Princess?"

Lin Feilu said crisply, "Little Fifth Princess greets Consort Mei."

Consort Mei covered her mouth, giggled softly and gracefully. "This is our first meeting, indeed you are really cute. It's a long journey to the palace. Is the Fifth Princess afraid of traveling alone in a carriage? Why don't you join me so that I can take care of you?"

Lin Feilu had met a few concubines in the palace and this was the first time she met one who expressed graciousness towards her.

She had however overheard that Consort Mei and Consort Hui were close. Considering Consort Hui's show of unconcealed displeasure and disgust toward her every time they met, Consort Mei's behavior was slightly abnormal.

If I had wanted company, wouldn't it be better to go to Consort Xian?

However, Consort Mei continued to smile. Her eyes were sincere and gentle. Neither her tone nor her expression seemed suspicious.

Lin Feilu felt a déjà vu in her heart. She seemed to have detected someone of the same species as herself.

She turned as much as she could on the horseback and bowed down to Consort Mei, replying in an innocent tone. "Little Fifth Princess dares not to disturb Consort Mei."

Consort Mei smiled. "Don't say that Fifth Princess. I have taken a liking to you. This is probably liking at first sight and I can't help but want to spend more time with you."

Lin Feilu turned to glance at Lin Qing timidly. Her glistening eyes full of hesitation.

Lin Qing knew that Sister Lin was intelligent. Knowing that she was reluctant to go, he spoke up. "Thank you milady for your kindness, but I have made an appointment with Little Fifth Princess to have tea in my carriage. She would definitely keep milady company next time."

Since the Crown Prince had spoken up, Consort Mei had no choice but to accept it. After exchanging a few more friendly sentences and smiles, she lowered the curtain and withdrew into the carriage.

Lin Qing continued to trot forward. Lin Feilu patted her chest and said in a small voice that could only be heard by the two of them. "I was scared to death."

Lin Qing smiled and replied solemnly. "You are a royal princess and she is just a concubine. Why are you afraid of her?"

Easy for you to say, an unfavoured princess can't even compare to a favored concubine.

"Among all of Father's concubines, Consort Mei is the kindest and gentlest, so you don't have to be afraid of her." He proceeded to console her.

Although Consort Mei was favored by the Emperor, she had no children. She did not pose a threat to the throne in the future so it was no surprise that the Empress and the Crown Prince had not shown her any hostility.

We really are the same species!

This Consort Mei, should not be underestimated.

Since Lin Qing claimed it, he had no choice but to bring Little Fifth Princess back to his carriage instead of sending her back to her own. Indeed, the Crown Prince's carriage was really different from hers. Not only was it much more spacious, the cushions were also very soft and warm. It was much more stable than her rickety carriage.

The servants from the entourage got the order and quickly served tea and snacks. The comfort level was doubled when there was hot tea and delicious cookies. Now this was what you call a holiday.

Not long after, they heard the cloppings of horseshoes outside the carriage, followed by "The Fourth Prince Royal Highness" chanted by the servants outside and the curtain was lifted. Lin Jingyuan crawled in together with a gust of cold air, sat down beside Lin Feilu unceremoniously, picked up a cookie and started chomping on it.

"I was about to take Little Lu to Mother's carriage, why did Third Brother bring her here?" He asked with his mouth full.

Lin Qing replied, "Why not? What's wrong with bringing her here?"

Lin Jingyuan was weirdly sour about it. "It is clear that I went to save the Fifth Sister first, but in the end Third Brother took the credit."

"…"

Are you really fighting for favoritism?

Lin Jingyuan did not care if he was being offensive. He had been jealous of the Third brother ever since the incident regarding the sachet. He finished the cookie and took Lin Feilu's hand, "Let's go to Mother's. I prepared a lot of your favourite foods."

Lin Feilu glanced at Lin Qing who was kneading his forehead while looking at Lin Jingyuan speechlessly. He was holding himself back from shouting "Get lost!"

Lin Feilu suppressed her smile as she bade farewell to Lin Qing, and then went to Consort Xian's carriage with Lin Jingyuan.

It seemed that Lin Feilu's efforts to make her way to Changming Palace and force Lin Jingyuan out of his bed everyday so that he could reach school on time had paid off. Consort Xian now loved her like her own daughter and Lin Feilu didn't have to return to her jittery carriage for the rest of the journey.

The convoy did not stop until nightfall and arrived at the overnight station.

The station obviously had been arranged in advance. The stationed officials were already waiting by the entrance when the holy convoy arrived. It was not a big station so the accompanying servants had to camp outside while the concubines, princes and princess would rest indoors.

Although Lin Feilu had only one accompanying maid servant, since Emperor Lin personally appointed her for this trip, she also had a room for herself.

After a long and tiring journey, Emperor Lin relieved everyone from greetings and passed the order to everyone to rest early after dinner as they would be departing as early as possible tomorrow so that they could arrive at the destination before dark.

Although the overnight station was not shabby, and the heating and meals were well arranged, it was still a far cry compared to the condition of the palace. No one left their rooms until the next morning.

After Lin Feilu had dinner with Consort Xian, she returned to her little room with Song Yu.

Her room was located at the corner of the second floor. A dead tree planted outside leaned very closely to her window. It was so close that she could see a bird nest perched neatly on a branch. Usually, the maid servant would stand by outside or lay a mattress next to their master's, so it would be convenient for their master to call on them in the middle of the night.

However, the heating equipment in the post station was not as good as that in the palace. Lin Feilu was worried that Song Yu would catch a cold while sleeping on the ground so she allowed her to sleep on the bed together with herself.

Song Yu knew Lin Feilu well and was very fond of her warm hearted personality and easy going character from serving the Fifth Princess for a long time. The Fifth Princess never treated her as a maid servant and she was so grateful for it. When the Fifth Princess said that she would be cold sleeping alone, she quietly turned off the light and climbed carefully into bed with her.

Lin Feilu actually treated her as an older sister. She cuddled herself into Song Yu's arms, smiling happily, "Song Yu, you are so warm!"

Song Yu smiled shyly, doing her best to be a human heater.

The sound of horses neighing and guards patrolling gradually fell silent as the night went on, and the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the wind.

Lin Feilu was indeed a little tired after sitting in the carriage for a day, and soon fell asleep with her head buried in Song Yu's embrace.

It could be just a while, or hours had passed before Song Yu suddenly struggled violently.

Lin Feilu thought she had a nightmare at first. She opened her eyes to wake her up, and from the dim light coming through the half-opened window, she saw the silhouette of a stranger standing by the bed.

The stranger held a pillow in his hand, pressing it firmly on Song Yu's face, trying to suffocate her.

Lin Feilu's heart stopped for a second. A switch in her brain suddenly flipped and she screamed.

The stranger was taken aback by her cry, completely unaware that there was someone else under the blanket. Lin Feilu always had the habit of curling herself into a ball while sleeping with her head covered. She was also a small kid so it was not surprising that the stranger did not notice her curled up next to Song Yu.

Lin Feilu backed away, screaming hoarsely "Help! Murder!"

The stranger stretched out his hand to catch her, but Song Yu, who had been released, had already got up and threw herself at him with desperate punches and kicks. The little girl's voice was already sharp, with such a scream, everyone around was awakened. The stranger let go of her, turned around and immediately jumped out of the window in fear of exposure.

Song Yu did not bother to chase after him. She panted heavily from the suffocation earlier, crying and crawling over to pull Lin Feilu towards her. "Princess! Are you okay?!"

Lin Feilu screamed so much that the moment she stopped, she bent over and started coughing violently.

The thundering sound of rapid footsteps approached, and then the door was slammed wide open. Two night guards rushed in and said anxiously "Where are the assassins?!"

Lin Feilu was still coughing and Song Yu sobbed as she exclaimed. "He escaped from the window!"

A guard rushed to the window, but saw no one below. He said to his companion. "Search downstairs!"

"Did you see the assassin's face?" He questioned Song Yu.

Song Yu shook her head. "He covered his face and it was too dark to see clearly."

While speaking, more people who heard the commotion rushed over. Xi Xingjiang came in first, carrying a sword in his hand, unlike his usual mischievous self. He rushed into the room and saw Lin Feilu coughing aggressively on the bed. "Summon a doctor. I'll stay guard here." He ordered the guard.

Song Yu sobbed. "Viscount! Someone wants to kill our princess!"

Xi Xingjiang's expression was cold as he instructed her solemnly. "Get your princess dressed first."

Lin Feilu, who was kneeling on the bed, wore only a single layer of clothing. Song Yu reacted quickly and got up to put on her coat. Xi Xingjiang crouched on the side of the bed and reached out to pat her head: "Little Lu, did you suffer any injury?"

Lin Feilu probably injured her vocal cords from screaming too much earlier in that frightful situation. Thinking about it now, she sounded as if there were ten screaming chickens at the same time. She stopped coughing, but felt like her throat was on fire, unable to say a word.

She shook her head with her eyes still filled with tears.

Consort Xian and Lin Jingyuan had also rushed over with their servants, followed by Lin Ting and Lin Qing who rushed into the room anxiously. Lin Nianzhi, who was unable to come because of Consort Hui, delegated Baoyou, her personal maid, to check out the situation.

The small room was instantly crowded with people. Song Yu repeated the scenario again while sobbing. She then added, "If the princess was not worried that this maid servant would catch cold sleeping outside and asked this maid servant to sleep with her on the bed, the assassin probably could have already smothered the princess to death."

The assassin probably did not expect a maid servant to sleep on the bed. It was also too dark to identify his target so he commited the crime blindly. If the one smothered was Lin Feilu, a five year old girl who could barely fight back, she would probably be suffocated to death.

Everyone shivered fearfully at that notion.

Lin Jingyuan was furious. "Who dared to commit a crime here?! Where are the guards?! Have you caught the culprit?"

Lin Ting and Lin Qing's faces were furious too. After all, they were older and much more thoughtful. It was Little Fifth Sister's first time out of the palace. She was so young that it was impossible for her to make any enemies. Why would the assassin take such a big risk to kill a little girl?

Moreover, there were guards stationed outside. Outsiders would not be able to get in at all, so the assassin was most likely among the entourage.

Everyone reached the conclusion except for Lin Jingyuan, who was so angry that he lost his composure.

The Fifth Princess was probably affected by the grievances and grudges from her mother's generation.

Xiao Lan had fallen out of favor for many years. Recently, Emperor Lin had gotten fond of the Fifth Princess which stirred up some worries that Xiao Lan would regain favor because of her daughter. Therefore, someone thought of using this trip as an opportunity to get rid of her.

After all, Emperor Lin was not extremely fond of the Fifth Princess yet, if the deed was done cleanly without any trace of evidence, Emperor Lin would not investigate the matter too much, even if he was furious. What's more, this was a resting station which was used for only one night and the royal convoy would be leaving tomorrow.

The royal convoy would not extend their stay just for a little princess and all clues would be gone once they left. Therefore, it was the best place to commit the crime. Since the other party dared to do it right under the emperor's nose, they must have planned it in detail. The guards would be returning from their search empty handed.

It was a clever move, but no one expected the Fifth Princess to let the maid sleep with her.

It was Lin Feilu's benevolence that saved her from this crisis.

Consort Xian stated solemnly, "This matter still has to be decided by the Emperor."

As soon as she finished speaking, an eunuch ran in from the door, reporting anxiously, "The Emperor summons the Fifth Princess."

Lin Jingyuan could not wait, "I'll go too! I must ask Father to find the one who tried to murder Little Lu!"

Consort Xian reprimanded him, "Don't cause disturbance! Kang-an, send the Fourth Prince back." She turned to address everyone on the side, "Eldest Imperial Prince, Crown Prince, Viscount Xi, you should also go back first. It's enough for me to accompany the Fifth Princess."

Emperor Lin only summoned Lin Feilu and it was not good for them to follow, so they all nodded in response.

Emperor Lin already knew what had happened from the guard's report. When Lin Feilu entered, he was already sitting in the outer room with his coat on. He was fuming in rage. Consort Mei was by his side, her hair still down and unkempt, looking flustered from dressing up hastily.

As soon as Lin Feilu entered, Consort Mei inquired eagerly before Emperor Lin could say a word, "I heard that the assassin only entered the Fifth Princess' room, are there any injuries? Has the imperial physician checked for any injuries?"

Lin Feilu remained silent, but obediently kneeled and bowed down.

Consort Xian who was standing next to her explained, "The Fifth Princess has lost her voice and can't speak up because she hurt her throat."

The last time Emperor Lin saw her was in the plum garden – a little dumpling wrapped up in a red cloak. She was intelligent and cute. The little buns on top of her head were bouncing in liveliness. However at this moment, her face was as pale as a sheet of paper. Her eyes were red and swollen. Her clothes and hair were disheveled. She was unable to even utter a single word.

She staggered when she greeted the Emperor.

Emperor Lin became even more furious. He got up and strode over to pick up the little dumpling from the ground. In close proximity, when he could clearly see her tear-filled eyes and her tightly pressed lips, his heart ached even more. He lowered his voice and comforted her as gently as possible, "Don't be afraid, Father is here."

Fresh tears filled Lin Feilu's eyes once more as she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck, sobbing silently.

Emperor Lin's fatherly heart almost shattered into pieces.

He carried Lin Feilu back to his seat. He embraced the petite body that was trembling in fear and stroked her head with his large palms in consolation. His voice fell when he asked the accompanying Song Yu, "Repeat the incident to me now."

Song Yu went into detail of the incident again.

It was a pity that she was also a victim. Too frightened from the suffocation, she was not able to see anything clearly, and therefore could not provide any useful information at all. As expected, the guards who went to track down the assassin also returned empty handed.

Emperor Lin interrogated them one by one and found nothing. If it weren't for the trembling Little Fifth Princess in his arms, he would have flipped the table in front of him. "A bunch of trash! How could you have allowed something like this to happen right under my nose? If the target was me, would you be just as powerless?"

The soldiers knelt down and begged for mercy.

Emperor Lin snorted coldly and turned to Consort Xian, who was next to him, "What does Consort Xian think about this?"

Consort Xian stood with her hands by her sides, and answered slowly, "In my humble opinion, the Fifth Princess is still young, innocent, and should have no enmity. I'm afraid this matter should be related to the previous generation."

If Consort Xian could deduce that, undoubtedly Emperor Lin could too.

The assassin was definitely someone in the entourage. As for the reason, it may be a personal vengeance, or it may have been an order from their master. Excluding the guards, there were hundreds of people included in the entourage; it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack if they were to investigate each of them.

Consort Mei hurriedly poured a cup of hot tea to calm down Emperor Lin as she urged softly, "Your Majesty, take care of your body." She paused, hesitant to continue.

Emperor Lin glanced at her and took a sip of hot tea, "Speak if you wish."

Consort Mei nodded, "I have the same thought as Sister Consort Xian. The Fifth Princess is so adorable and lovely, everyone just couldn't wait to dote on her. Why would anyone do such a thing to her? I'm afraid she was dragged into the grievances of her mother. Perhaps it was someone in the palace who had an unsolved enmity with Honorable Lady Xiao Lan and took the opportunity to retaliate tonight."

Emperor Lin nodded solemnly, as if what she said was reasonable.

He glanced quietly at Lin Feilu, who was still in his arms.

Consort Mei smiled softly, her eyes filled with concern, as if she was really sharing Emperor Lin's worries.

These words redirected Emperor Lin's anger for the assassin towards Xiao Lan, as they were all implying that Xiao Lan's own personal grievances had caused her daughter's affliction.

Emperor Lin, who already did not have a good impression of Xiao Lan, hated Xiao Lan even more after this incident.

Consort Xian also raised her eyes at Consort Mei, but said nothing and withdrew her gaze again.

Emperor Lin's face turned uglier by the second after hearing Consort Mei's words, and ordered the guards after a while, "Send someone to thoroughly investigate whether anyone who came on this trip had any grudges with Honorable Lady Xiao Lan from Mingyue Palace. Report immediately to me once anything is found."

The guard left upon receiving the order.

It was very late at night by the time the entire commotion had subsided; Emperor Lin carried Lin Feilu, who was curled up in his arms, onto the bed in the inner room, and growled in a low voice, "Little Fifth Princess will be sleeping here tonight. I want to see who would dare to come again!"

He also instructed Consort Mei who followed behind, "You should go back tonight."

Consort Mei was taken aback, stole a glance at Lin Feilu who was curled up in the bed, and gently lowered her head, "Yes."

Lin Feilu watched her slowly walking out of the room, and sneered in her heart as she closed her eyes.

You're just another high-grade Green Tea Princess pretending to be an innocent naive White Lotus in front of me.

If I'm not mistaken, it's definitely her.

Lin Feilu had always boasted that she was not a good person herself.

She had done things that good people wouldn't do. She knew it was wrong, but she harboured any guilt about it. So if God decided to punish her when she dies, she would still feel at peace.

But no matter how bad and evil she was, no human lives had ever been involved.

Murder was not something that could be commited on a whim! She was a Green Tea Princess, not a serial murderer.

But in this wicked feudal era, in the cruel, heartless harem, it was simply too cold-blooded to commit a murder on a child just because she could be a possible threat.

In contrast to the incident today, Imperial Concubine Jing's scheme was actually quite euphemistic.

Lin Feilu was aware that she had lessons to learn from this experience. By combining her Green Tea Princess methods of the new era with the customs of the old era, she strived to evolve her Green Tea Princess methods to match the current era.

She had already solved the problem of starvation and lack of clothes, now it was time to tackle the crisis of survival.

Consort Mei was indeed intriguing. She was by far the most difficult boss she had encountered since entering the palace.

Although she still had no definite evidence to prove that the person behind the assassination tonight was Consort Mei, with her sharp instincts for people of her own kind, even if the assassination was not arranged by Consort Mei, she was definitely involved.

Based on how she directed all the hatred towards Xiao Lan with her words, Lin Feilu guessed that she might have some unknown old grievances with Xiao Lan.

In short, the difficulty of the game was escalating to an extremely challenging level, extra levels of precaution would need to be exercised.

While thoughts were running in her mind as she curled up in the bed, Emperor Lin had already ordered the servants to set up a bed right next to her, separated by a curtain. The chief eunuch Pengman who was standing next to Emperor Lin advised worriedly, "Your Majesty, this new bed is unstable. This servant can stand guard by the Fifth Princess while Your Majesty can sleep in the next room."

Emperor Lin waved his hand dismissively, "No, Little Fifth Princess had been through a lot of fright tonight. I will accompany her."

While talking, he walked over and sat down by her bedside. The little dumpling had hidden herself underneath the quilt. Only her little hands that were gripping onto the quilt tightly and half of her head peeked out from underneath the quilt, revealing a pair of dark eyes that stared back at him timidly. The corners of the adorable eyes were still red, as if she was trying hard to suppress her tears. It was beautiful yet heartbreaking.

Emperor Lin reached out to caress her messy head and coaxed, "Don't be afraid Little Lu, Father is guarding you."

She pushed herself up slightly, rubbing her small head against his palm, displaying her reliance on him. She opened her mouth to speak, but only managed a croak, which sounded even more pitiful.

Emperor Lin turned his head and asked, "Is the imperial physician here yet?"

"He was summoned, but the accompanying imperial physician lives in the camp outside. He will take some time to arrive. This servant estimates that he will be here soon." Pengman reported.

As he spoke, the outside guards passed on the arrival of the imperial physician, who was permitted by Emperor Lin to enter.

The imperial physician looked as if he had rushed over hastily, carrying a medicine box. Hearing that the Fifth Princess was assassinated, he expected injuries and open wounds, and brought everything he could. After a glance, he was relieved to see that Lin Feilu had only hurt her throat.

In addition to the medicine to heal her throat, he had also prescribed some soothing and calming medication to aid the little princess from being overly frightened.

Emperor Lin passed on the order to decoct the medicine as soon as the prescription was made. By that time, it was already midnight. Pengman beseeched worriedly: "Your Majesty, let this servant stand guard here, please go and rest, there is still a full day of traveling tomorrow."

Emperor Lin yawned; he was about to open his mouth to speak when his little dumpling got up from the bed and grabbed his arm with her two little hands, shaking it gently.

She could not speak, all she could force out was a squeak, "Father, go to sleep."

Emperor Lin could not help laughing, he lifted his arm and in a swoop, the little dumpling was in his arms, "I am not sleepy. I will go to bed when my Fifth Princess finishes her medicine and falls asleep peacefully."

The little dumpling gaped at him, seemingly touched, and plunged into his arms.

Emperor Lin simply could not resist his little daughter's coquettish tactic, even his highly cultivated stone cold heart was softened.

The Emperor was a man of his word. When Lin Feilu fell asleep after drinking the medicine, he finally went to rest. Who could enter the Emperor's bedchamber? Let alone an assassin, even a mosquito could not fly in. Without a single worry, and with the aid of the calming medicine, Lin Feilu soon fell asleep.

The next morning, the sound of carriages and decampment from the outside filled the room.

When Lin Feilu opened her eyes, Emperor Lin had already finished washing and dressing with the service of the servants. In fact, it was not easy to be an emperor. There was a quote in a documentary she used to watch that said "the courtiers await in the coldness of the fifth watch of the night", which meant that the courtiers would wait for the emperor outside of the palace in the fifth watch of the night for meetings.

The fifth watch was around five o'clock in the morning, which meant that the emperor would have to get up at about four o'clock in the morning, which was harder than the third-year highschooler.

While people woke up at four o'clock in the morning for the sunrise view in Los Angeles, the Emperor had to wake up at four o'clock in the morning everyday for the view of his palace.

Lin Feilu began to admire these emperors now.

She would not have wanted the throne even if it was handed to her if she was going to be stuck in the palace.

She would pick sleep over the throne any time, any day.

Emperor Lin turned around and smiled at her wandering jetblack eyes. "Little Fifth Princess is awake." He instructed the servant next to him, "Help the Fifth Princess to get up."

Lin Feilu saw Song Yu waiting by her side. Her eyes were red from not having slept all night, but she was still smiling at her as usual.

As Lin Feilu looked at her lifesaver, she could not help but think of her brother, and the royal guard who she made an earlier promise with. She had an epiphany that the lives in the harem were destined to be ill fated.

They set out when the convoy was assembled. This time, Lin Feilu did not return to her own carriage, but was brought to the imperial carriage by Emperor Lin.

If Crown Prince Lin Qing's carriage yesterday was equivalent to a BMW, then the one Emperor Lin had was an extended version of a Lincoln.

Just yesterday she was feeling sorry for the emperor's difficulty in traveling, but today she was proven wrong.

Sure enough, the emperor would not treat himself badly.

As the entourage was on the road, the guard who had investigated all night greeted them with a fruitless report. Lin Feilu was not surprised by this result but Emperor Lin was extremely displeased and ordered him to continue the investigation.

Lin Feilu's haad regained a bit of her voice after two bowls of medicines and a night's rest. Pushing herself up from the cushion with her hands and feet, she gently shook Emperor Lin's arm, "Father, don't be angry."

She discovered that Emperor Lin, like Lin Jingyuan, liked to be treated in a coquettish manner. The anger on his face disappeared when she gently coaxed him. He laughed as he carried her on to his lap, touching the little buns on her head, and sighed. "I'm not angry. I just wanted to give Little Lu an explanation."

The little dumpling blinked and replied softly, "Little Lu doesn't want an explanation."

Emperor Lin raised an eyebrow and smiled and asked, "Then what do you want?"

She stretched out her little finger and pointed at the cakes on the table next to her, and said embarrassedly, "I want that."

Emperor Lin laughed and scratched the tip of her dainty nose, "You little greedy cat."