The little boy who was basking under the halo had innocent eyes. When he laughed, he had a small dimple form beside his lips, just like his sister. He may not ever be as clever and intelligent as a normal child, but he was not as annoying as he initially thought of.
And he could recite the 9×9 multiplication table!
Emperor Lin stood silently by the door, listening to him stumbling and stuttering to recite the remaining parts of the 9×9 multiplication table. When he finished, he told the Little Fifth Princess excitedly,"I'm done!"
Lin Feilu stretched out her hand to touch his head, "Brother is awesome! Then these little rabbits are all yours."
Lin Zhanyuan clapped his hands happily. When he got up and ran to pick up the grass rabbit, he suddenly realised that a stranger was standing at the door not far away. He had always been afraid of strangers, so he immediately dropped his head and ran behind Xiao Lan nervously. While hiding behind her, he carefully poked out half of his head to look over.
It was exactly the same as the Little Fifth Princess's expression when she became frightened.
Indeed, they are most definitely siblings.
Xiao Lan found out that there was someone at the door. She looked up and her expression was originally sluggish, but she quickly reacted and immediately got up to give her greetings, "This Honourable Lady greets the Emperor. I wasn't aware of your presence, so please excuse this Lady for not greeting you earlier."
Lin Feilu ran over happily, shouting 'Father Emperor'.
Emperor Lin laughed. When she ran closer, he leaned over to pick her up, and then walked together with her towards the courtyard. When he walked to Xiao Lan, he smelled the faint fragrance of her body that had the same scent with the sachet he had gotten from the Crown Prince.
Emperor Lin held his daughter in one hand and offered a hand to support with the other hand, "Rise."
Xiao Lan bowed again before getting up while Lin Zhanyuan still tugged on the corner of her clothes and hid behind her. Xiao Lan pursed her lower lip and said softly, "Yuan Er, greet your Father Emperor."
Lin Zhanyuan took a peek at the strange man, then looked at his sister in his arms.
Lin Feilu silently said to him, 'Daddy'.
Lin Zhanyuan understood at once— this was a game that his sister often played with him!
As long as she mouthed the two words without saying them out loud, he should give his greetings according to the movements she had taught him and say…
Emperor Lin saw the formerly scared little boy slowly walking out from behind Xiao Lan. He bowed to him and said in a childish voice," This Prince greets Father Emperor."
Emperor Lin raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Not only could this son of his recited his 9×9 multiplication form, but he was also capable of greetings. He doesn't seem crazy nor stupid as he appeared rather obedient.
It was very easy to be satisfied when one anticipated the worst result for something. When you finally find that the outcome was not as bad as you thought, the sense of satisfaction would be immense.
His tone was fairly gentle as he spoke, "Rise."
However, the Emperor, who had been standing for a long time, bore an aura that radiated power. Lin Zhanyuan was very sensitive to the aura of other people, so when he got up, he hid in fear once again.
Emperor Lin looked at Xiao Lan, and then at his son who gazed at him curiously. Looking back at how he was back then, he was overwhelmed with emotion for a while. Lin Feilu put her arms around his neck and asked sweetly, "Father Emperor, why did you come here? Did you miss me so much that you made a special trip just to see me?"
Emperor Lin laughed and said, "Yes, I missed my Little Fifth Princess. Did you miss Father Emperor?"
Lin Feilu blinked her eyes, "I do miss you, I miss you so much!" Then, she asked in a low voice, "Did Father Emperor bring me the roast chicken from the Imperial Kitchen I mentioned last time?"
The Emperor Lin laughed, his beard piercing her soft and squishy face,"You little girl, you always think about food. I think you don't miss me at all; instead, you only miss my Imperial Kitchen."
The little dumpling's intentions were seen through as she immediately buried her head against his shoulder in embarrassment.
Once Emperor Lin toyed enough with the soft and chubby dumpling, he set her down. Glancing at the green grass, flowers and leaves all over the floor, he asked Xiao Lan, "What are these for?"
Xiao Lan lowered her eyes slightly. Her lips curled in a gentle arc and her voice was very pleasantly soft, "I am using these flowers and plants to make some small animals for the children to play with."
Emperor Lin leaned over and took a grass rabbit and looked at it, feeling surprised, "I remember your dexterous skills," He picked up the sachet that he hung around his waist, "This sachet is familiar to me when I first saw it, you embroidered it, didn't you?"
Xiao Lan raised her eyes and glanced at the sachet. Her eyes showed a hint of surprise and she nodded, "Yes."
Emperor Lin smiled and nodded, "I am wearing it very well."
He didn't mention at all the fact that he had snatched it from the Crown Prince.
Xiao Lan also smiled gently and Emperor Lin asked again, "I heard that you fell into the water and caught a cold not long ago. Is your body getting better?"
Xiao Lan replied, "Thank you Your Majesty for your concern, I am all right now." She paused, and looked up at the Emperor Lin with gentle eyes, "Thanks to the supplements that Your Majesty had sent over, this Honourable Lady recovered quickly."
The current Xiao Lan made him feel more pleased and appeared more sensible than the Xiao Lan back then.
At the time, no matter how many rewards he granted her, Xiao Lan wouldn't ever give him a gentle smile or a word of appreciation. Emperor Lin sometimes felt that she was a mere puppet with a beautiful appearance, but was without a soul.
However, she was gradually coming to life. Probably due to her new role as a mother, she now exudes a warm aura from her entire frame.
She even brought up the Little Fifth Princess so well. Furthermore, this stupid son had been unexpectedly well-behaved, too. Looking at her good looks, the 3-points favor and 7-points hesitation in Emperor Lin's heart had now turned into 7-points favor and 3-points regret.
He changed his direction towards the room, "Come in and talk, don't stand up all the time."
Xiao Lan followed him into the house with the two children.
Although the quality of life of the Mingyue Palace was much higher than when Lin Feilu first transversed here, it was still a very remote and old palace after all. Although it was very clean, tidy and had a pleasant fragrance of flowers, Emperor Lin felt that the space was too simple and crude when he entered the room.
Thinking that the trio of the mother and her children who had to live in such an environment all these years, and the fact that this situation was caused by no one but himself, Emperor Lin felt slightly guilty in his heart.
Xiao Lan walked over to the spreaded cushions. After serving him to sit down, she ordered the Qingyan who was waiting by the side to make some hot tea.
This tea was different from any other types of tea in the sense that it mainly consisted of dried flowers. After the initial taste, there was no scent of the tea as only a faint floral fragrance lingered. Emperor Lin ate a rather greasy serving of food during lunch, so he couldn't help but nod in approval as he drank a cup of dried scented tea which relieved the greasiness.
He asked, "It seems that theImperial Household Department did not provide this kind of tea this year. Did you make it yourself?"
Xiao Lan nodded and briefly explained the steps of making the dried flower tea. Emperor Lin drank another cup of it while listening to her intently. After she finished speaking, she smiled and said, "My skill level is not worth Your Majesty's praise."
The two chatted very harmoniously while Lin Feilu and Lin Zhanyuan ate snacks and melon seeds on the small couch on the other side of the room.
Lin Zhanyuan was still very curious about this stranger as he secretly asked his younger sister, "Why is mother smiling at him?"
Lin Feilu said, "Because mother likes daddy, so it is natural for her to laugh when she sees him."
Lin Zhanyuan pouted, "Mother likes me and my sister!"
In his little head, there was no existence of 'daddy'.
Lin Feilu taught him, "If there was no daddy, there wouldn't be elder brother and me either, so you also have to like daddy. A neat and complete family of four is the best."
As a martial artist, Emperor Lin had naturally sharpened hearing senses. When he heard Lin Zhanyuan's words, he lifted his eyes and gazed over. The little boy's fair and tenderly handsome face bore an angry expression, but he pursed his mouth aggrievedly and sulked after being taught otherwise by the Little Fifth Princess.
When he came to the Mingyue Palace, besides accepting his greetings in the courtyard just now, he had been consciously avoiding everything that concerned this stupid son of his. In his original plans today, he had only intended to peer in from the outside and had no intention of coming in.
After all, he had yet to be completely mentally prepared.
In the end, not only was he sitting inside the courtyard, but after listening to Lin Zhanyuan's words, he even wanted to say a few words to him.
Xiao Lan noticed his gaze and she felt slightly uneasy in her heart. She was about to say something to quickly change the subject, but Emperor Lin solemnly commanded, "Sixth Prince, come here."
Xiao Lan pursed her lower lip and her worried expression was reflected in her gaze.
Lin Zhanyuan was still nonchalantly munching on some sunflower seeds, so Lin Feilu poked him, "Brother, Father Emperor is calling for you."
Lin Zhanyuan turned his head and gave her an odd look as he explained seriously, "I am not called the Sixth Prince, I am Lin Zhanyuan."
Emperor Lin laughed, "Well, he remembers his name."
Lin Zhanyuan understood this time and exclaimed proudly, "I can even write it too!"
Emperor Lin raised his eyebrows, "Oh?" Then, he glanced at Xiao Lan, "Did you teach him to write?"
Xiao Lan looked down and muttered, "It was taught by Little Lu."
Emperor Lin thought it was rather interesting. Hence, he ordered, "Fetch a brush, ink, paper and inkstone."
Qingyan accepted the order and quickly laid out some paper and ink. Emperor Lin got up from his seat and walked to the side of the table. Looking at Lin Zhanyuan lightly, he said, "Write a few words for me to have a look at."
Lin Zhanyuan was a little frightened as he gripped onto his body slightly. Lin Feilu caressed his head, quietly comforting him, "Don't be afraid, brother. Write a few words for Father Emperor."
He had always listened to his sister's words so he glanced at her. And after receiving her encouraging look, he moved cautiously to the side of the table.
The results of Lin Feilu's long-term guidance and teaching were most definitely fruitful.
Although it was difficult to conceal the immature and frivolous handwriting, Lin Zhanyuan's brush strokes were smooth and the edged tips of the characters have even begun to appear. Emperor Lin took a few glances and even felt that the three words of this silly son were written in an even better form than that of the Fourth Prince.
That ignorant and nonchalant brat! He can't even be compared with anyone else!
Emperor Lin has always adorned those with talents. From these words alone, his impression towards his stupid son had improved slightly. After looking at the piece of parchment, he asked, "Besides your name, can you write any other words?"
Lin Zhanyuan glanced at him in fear. He felt that Father Emperor and his little sister, who were both somewhat forcing him to write, were really similar.
Holding the brush in a troubled manner, he began to write other words that he had learned.
Emperor Lin looked at the handwriting that gradually started to appear on paper and his expression gradually became more focused.
This stupid son wrote: May the country flourish in peace and prosperity.
Xiao Lan had earlier iterated that Lin Zhanyuan's literacy was taught to him by the Little Fifth Princess.
Emperor Lin blinked before looking at Lin Fei Lu who was beside him.
The little dumpling was standing a few steps behind him, so he turned around gazing towards her feet before moving the gaze upwards. When she met his gaze, she shrank her neck and lowered her head in slight guilt.
Emperor Lin solemnly questioned, "Little Fifth Princess, why did you teach your brother to write these eight characters?"
It was impossible for him to not know that those words were meant to flatter.
The little dumpling was frightened by what he said and she didn't dare to raise her head. Her entire being couldn't wait to shrink into a ball as the little strand of hair on her head seemed to curl up in fear as well.
Emperor Lin couldn't help but regret that the use of his tone was too harsh. He walked two steps forward and squatted down in front of the little dumpling. Only then did he see her crying quietly.
Her eye sockets were red and moist. Teardrops rolled all the way downwards from the small face of hers as she looked very pitiful.
Emperor Lin's heart as a father couldn't take it anymore. He raised his hand to wipe the tears on her face and said in a soft voice, "I'm not mad at you, so don't cry."
She pressed her lips and raised her head a little bit. Her nose was pink and stuffed as she said, "Father Emperor, please don't hate brother, okay?"
Emperor Lin was taken aback.
The little dumpling lightly held onto the cuffs of his sleeves, tugging on it as she cried and begged, "They all say that brother is a fool and Father Emperor hates fools the most. But my brother is not stupid. He can write, so can Father Emperor not hate him?"
After hearing her cries, how could Emperor Lin not understand?
With what kind of mood did the Little Fifth Princess bore when she was teaching her brother to write these eight characters? In the past five years, how much harm has been done to them by my actions of turning a blind eye?
Even the palace staff could freely and blatantly insult the prince as a fool. She was so young, and after hearing these words, the only way she could think of was to teach her brother to write.
She just hoped that I wouldn't hate her brother that much after seeing these words.
And what have I just done?
Lin Chongxuan, Lin Chongxuan! Are you still human?
If there was only a trace of guilt that had surfaced initially, then at this moment, this trace of guilt has begun to gush out infinitely, almost engulfing Emperor Lin's heart as a father.
The Little Fifth Princess was still wiping her tears. Lin Zhanyuan saw her sister crying and ran over anxiously and grievely after discarding the brush.
He thought that it was this stern-looking uncle who made his sister cry this intensely. He was obviously afraid of him, but he still opened his arms to stand in front of his sister, gathered the courage to look at him and said, "D-don't bully my sister!"
He was born pure and handsome. Among all the sons of Emperor Lin, only he had such a pair of clear and innocent eyes.
It's just that the eyes were red at the moment, much like the rabbit at his feet— very aggrieved and sad.
Emperor Lin's fingers were a little stiff. He looked at the two children for a long while before he sighed and stretched out his palms, landing them on the heads of the pair of children respectively as he patted them comfortably, "Okay, stop crying you two little crybabies."
Xiao Lan had also walked over at this time. She leaned forward and said, "Your Majesty, it's because this Honourable Lady had failed to educate them properly."
Emperor Lin turned to look at her and said with a rare and solemn tone, "No, you have taught these two children very well."
He took the hands of both children respectively, pulling them towards the side of the couch. He first carried Lin Feilu up before he looked at Lin Zhanyuan, who was nervous next to him, and then leaned over and carried him onto the couch as well. He tightened his grip and laughed, "You're quite heavy."
The little dumpling leaned on his legs. Then, she looked up at him for a while and asked in a low voice, "Does Father Emperor not hate brother?"
Emperor Lin coughed dryly, concealing his guilty conscience, "I am different from others, so of course not I don't hate him."
The little dumpling cheered as she suddenly leaned in to wrap her arms around his neck, giving him a kiss, "Father Emperor is the best person in the world!"
Emperor Lin didn't know when he started becoming this close with his daughter, to the point where he was absolutely smitten. But when he saw the happy expressions of the little dumpling, he smiled again as he mentally noted, daughters were meant to be pampered and cherished after all!
He glanced at Xiao Lan who was next to him and she seemed to be moved by this scene too. There was a hint of redness at the end of her eyes but a gentle smile formed on her lips, giving off a different vibe of elegance.
Emperor Lin took her hand and let out a long sigh, "I have neglected you all these years."
Xiao Lan pursed her lower lip slightly as the tears in her eyes continued to form but she did not mask her sincerity when she looked at him, "I have never blamed you, Your Majesty," She lowered her eyes and smiled, "And with these two children by my side, these years have actually gone by very well for this Honourable Lady."
There were no traces of complaint or jealousy. Instead, she was generous and magnanimous— and that made Emperor Lin happy.
The atmosphere in the house was much more harmonious than before.
Emperor Lin remembered the four snowmen the Little Fifth Princess had piled up in the plum garden when he first met her. At this moment, he looked at the children and his wife that were surrounding him— this was epitome of the phrase 'a neat and complete family of four'.
He had countless children, but at this moment, he felt like he was just an ordinary man in this world for the first time as he was overwhelmed by the sense of home. This kind of plain and warm atmosphere was something that he wasn't able to experience in any other concubine's palace.
The Emperor always mentioned that he was a lonely person, a loneliness that only he alone could understand. After bearing this position for a long time, he occasionally missed the warmth of belonging.
Xiao Lan's gentleness, his daughter's intimacy with him and his son's innocence had just made up for his lack of emotion.
Emperor Lin had completely forgotten the resistance and hesitation in his heart before coming today as he was immersed in these rare and precious moments of warmth. He hadn't taught Lin Feilu to play chess for a long time so he had the palace staff set up a chessboard to play a game or two. He was surprised to find that the chess skills of this little dumpling had improved a lot and her way of chess has started to showcase her own individual style of playing the game.
He thought of something and asked Xiao Lan,"I think your skills in chess were quite good, wasn't it?"
Xiao Lan said, "Your Majesty thinks too highly of this Honourable Lady, I have only learned a little bit."
Emperor Lin became more excited, "Come on, have a game with me."
Lin Feilu gave up her position and sat on the sidelines obediently, watching the two play against each other.
Xiao Lan lived up to the name of a talented woman who was proficient in all kinds of arts—Guqin, chess, calligraphy and painting. Sure enough, the Little Fifth Princess's chess skills were learned from her mother. With a touch of tenacity in the softness of her movements, she could eliminate the knight without leaving a trace of its armor. However, she was able to pull back a piece of her pawns by surprise in her next move.
Few people in the harem could play against him. It used to be the formerly named Consort Mei, but even her chess skills were not comparable to Xiao Lan.
However, she was still inferior to him. Xiao Lan's flexibility couldn't hold against his fierce attacks and she finally lost. Emperor Lin only felt that the game was hearty and fulfilling as he said with great interest, "One more game."
Xiao Lan glanced at the sky outside the window and asked softly, "Your Majesty, will you be staying for dinner?"
Emperor Lin didn't even think about it and replied, "Naturally."
Xiao Lan answered, "Then, this Honourable Lady is going to make some preparations."
Emperor Lin said, "Let the Imperial Kitchen handle it, there's no need for you to do it personally."
Xiao Lan looked down and smiled bashfully, "It's been a long time since Your Majesty had come for a visit, so I want to personally cook it."
Emperor Lin thought for a while, but he didn't object. As soon as he nodded, Lin Feilu crawled over with her hands and feet, "My turn, my turn! Father Emperor, it's me and you now!"
Emperor Lin laughed loudly, "Okay, let's play!"
So Xiao Lan went to cook, the father and daughter duo played chess and Lin Zhanyuan played with the rabbit in the house.
Emperor Lin didn't know about the rabbit, so he glanced at it and smiled, "The Eldest Prince also raised a rabbit; it seems like the two brothers have a common hobby."
Lin Feilu said while playing chess, "This is the Eldest Imperial Prince's rabbit!"
Emperor Lin was a little surprised, but he only thought that Lin Ting gave the rabbit to the Sixth Prince, so he didn't ask further.
In the evening, the food that Xiao Lan had cooked herself was served on the table. She had exercised her cooking skills very well over the years. It was not made in the same style as the exquisite dishes of the big fish and luxurious meat of the Imperial Kitchen. It had the warmth of home-cooked dishes and it could satisfy the picky eaters like Lin Feilu, so the taste would naturally be good.
She learned from her daughter that Emperor Lin didn't like to eat rich foods, so she made these dishes with the intent to make them lightly fresh and delicious. As Emperor Lin was used to having the meals made by the Imperial Kitchen, the sudden change in taste and flavour made him shower the cooked dishes with endless praises.
The sky gradually darkened and Emperor Lin walked out of the gates of the Mingyue Palace contentedly after making a bit of small talk.
Xiao Lan and the two children sent him off by the door. When Emperor Lin's entourage disappeared at the intersection, Qingyan and Yunyou couldn't hide their excitement and whispered, "Congratulations, Honourable Lady!"
After his visit today, everyone knew that Xiao Lan was going to be favoured once again.
She only smiled faintly before grasping the hands of both her children as they walked into the residence.
The next day, the news about Emperor Lin spending an entire afternoon in the Mingyue Palace, to the extent where he even stayed behind for dinner, had spread throughout the palace. Even though they knew that the Fifth Princess was favoured long ago, the Emperor was always reluctant to visit the Mingyue Palace. Everyone was aware that he minded the presence of that foolish son, hence there were private conversations that discussed how the Emperor wouldn't set foot into the Mingyue Palace as long as the stupid son was there.
Unexpectedly, the Emperor's actions not only became a figurative slap to their faces, but he even turned over Xiao Lan's plate within two days.
With her plate being turned over, the symbol of her regaining the Imperial favour was as obvious as the afternoon sun.
After Imperial Concubine Mei heard about the incident, she smashed yet another set of teacups. However, she was still under probation and wasn't even allowed to step outside beyond her palace gates. The palace staff in her palace had decreased exponentially as well, leaving only two or three servants behind and a huge gap in manpower.
Her father had sent her a letter not long ago, asking her to understand His Majesty's character. As of now, any actions she might take would be deemed unnecessary as His Majesty was still angry. Hence, she had to calm down and plan things out beforehand. He stated that after the flood in the Southern River was taken care of, he would return and think of a way to help her by using the pretext of 'contributing his services in the disaster'.
So besides being angry and anxious, she couldn't do anything in her current state but rely on Consort Hui.
However, Consort Hui had always been cautious. For many years, she stood behind the others and never stepped forward on her own accord. The only reason as to why she made a move towards Xiao Lan that year was simply because she was favoured and even pregnant with the Emperor's child. This meant that if Xiao Lan gave birth to a prince, Consort Hui's status in the harem would be threatened.
Currently, as Xiao Lan just received the perks of her refavourism recently, according to her personality, Consort Hui probably wouldn't make a move this quickly.
The hostile forces stood still whereas the neutrals continued to spectate from the sidelines. Only Consort Xian, who had been friends with Xiao Lan all along, came to congratulate her. Xiao Lan didn't enjoy socialising before, so there was no one to help her when she was framed and wronged. However, her current situation was much better than what it was before.
The situation in the Dynasty's Court was always closely related to what was going on in the harem.
For example, after Imperial Concubine Mei's fall in status, the standing of her maternal family's faction in court also plummeted greatly. Emperor Lin also demoted one of the Liu family's children due to a merely trivial matter. The court officials who used to butter good relationships with the Liu family now didn't seem as enthusiastic and eager now.
In the past, the Xiao family also reaped a few perks due to Xiao Lan being doted on, but these benefits were retracted the moment she fell out of favour. The Xiao family also gave up on Xiao Lan long ago, going as far as to arrange her younger cousin to enter the palace in attempts to obtain the Emperor's favour.
It was a shame that her cousin wasn't really up for it as she did not get to meet Emperor Lin more than three times since the first day she arrived in the palace. As a Pure Lady, her title was even lower than Xiao Lan's.
The Xiao family continued to put the blame on Xiao Lan, thinking that Emperor Lin was unhappy with her cousin because of her. Not a single letter was sent to the palace all these years, let alone arranging Xiao Lan to be taken care of.
Xiao Lan was even drowning in tears during the early days of no longer being favoured as she despaired, disappointed in her parents' shallow love towards her. But later with both her children by her side, she started to become more open-minded.
Now that the news of her regaining imperial favour was spreading like wildfire, the Xiao family also started to make moves. When they caught wind early on that Lin Feilu had accompanied Emperor Lin on the outing, the Xiao Family were already making small signs of taking action.
The Fifth Princess was the Xiao family's granddaughter, after all.
But when they thought about how the foolish Lin Zhanyuan, whose presence constantly angered the Emperor, was still around and the fact that they weren't sure how long the Fifth Princess could retain her favour, they temporarily halted all actions.
Currently, their concerns were abated, which led to a letter being sent from the Xiao family into the palace.
Throughout countless nights of weeping, Xiao Lan had this thought in mind: If Mother and Father could just offer me one sentence of comfort and tell me that "you still have us, don't worry about it," it would have been enough. Even if it was nothing but a lie, I would have been satisfied with that.
But there was nothing— outsiders, strangers and family members, everyone shunned her regardless.
She sent someone to deliver a letter to her parents, but the reply she received was no longer than a single line, stating that the Xiao family never raised a daughter like her. "Forget about losing favour, don't drag your maternal family into your own troubles."
And after experiencing long bouts of emotional pain, she became numb to it.
What her parents didn't provide her; she showered everything she had, all to her children.
So when she received a letter from home after so many years as she looked at the familiar handwriting filled with words of concern and sweet nothings, Xiao Lan wasn't as moved as she thought she would be.
After reading the letter calmly, she folded it in half and proceeded to throw it into the brazier that Lin Feilu used to dry her flowers.
When the Xiao family didn't receive a letter of reply from their daughter, they sent another letter within the next couple of days. Once again, they did not receive any news either. Mother Xiao then worriedly spoke to Father Xiao, "I think Lan'er is still holding a grudge due to how coldly we treated her all these years."
Father Xiao didn't bother to hide his anger, "As a child, what rights does she have to bear grudges with her parents? I think that this unfilial child has been in the palace for far too long— even her heart has transformed into a stone now!"
Mother Xiao pondered slightly before she spoke, "Next month is the Little Fifth Princess's birthday. We will enter the palace to join the banquet, so let's talk to Lan'er face-to-face when we see her. This child was always soft-hearted— she might just be a bit annoyed; however, when she sees us, she wouldn't be able to turn a blind eye against us either."
The breath of spring changed from faint to rich before it gradually faded again.
When the leaves turned green in the late spring, Lin Feilu's six-year-old birthday finally arrived.
Emperor Lin ordered a large-scale celebration that no one in the palace dared to object, done in accordance with the standards of a state banquet. The Emperor's relatives and friends were invited and they even prepared gifts for the little girl.
Not only that, but Emperor Lin even personally wrote a letter to the Empress Dowager, who was practicing the way of Buddhism in Mount Wutai. In the letter, he stated that the Little Fifth Princess's birthday celebration was coming up and she hadn't been to the palace for a little over a year. Hence, it was about time for her to return.
During her senior years, the Empress Dowager moved to Mount Wutai to practice Buddhism.
As the winner of the previous harem battle in the last reign, seeing her own son's harem battles made her very upset. She was already old and no longer wanted to partake in matters like these. Ever since she left the palace, she would be away for a year or two and only returned to the Imperial Palace momentarily only if there were any major events.
Seeing that her son had written her such an earnest letter, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but to wonder— had she really gone senile with age or was her memory already failing her?
Who is the Little Fifth Princess?
I don't remember hearing of such a person the last time I went back to the palace?
The Empress Dowager was not to be blamed.
There were many Imperial Princes and Princesses in the palace, so she didn't have to worry about the Emperor's heirs at all, which was why she rarely ever asked about them as well. Coupled with the fact that she barely ever returned to the palace, not knowing about the existence of an unfavoured princess was a normal occurrence.
After giving it some more thought, the Empress Dowager decided to pack up and return to the palace. She wanted to see who exactly was the Little Fifth Princess that was capable enough of getting the Emperor to host a birthday celebration the size of a state banquet just for her.
The Empress Dowager's return to the palace was a big event for the harem as well.
Although the Empress Dowager didn't have a habit of meddling with the affairs in the harem and she was rarely ever present in the palace, she was still the Emperor's mother. Hence, her authority was no lesser than that of the Empress. Some concubines who couldn't find a way to bewitch the Emperor would opt to gain some attention from the Empress Dowager herself.
If a concubine could obtain favours from the Empress Dowager, her life in the harem would be guaranteed even if she wasn't favoured by the Emperor.
Although the Empress Dowager didn't seem to meddle with national affairs, when a case of injustice was brought before her, she would handle it with ruthlessly effective methods that would make others gape in awe and cower in fear of her abilities.
But it wasn't exactly true to say that many people genuinely adored the Empress Dowager.
She was the victor of the previous harem battle after all; the term 'kindness' had no longer existed in her dictionary. She had already lost count of the number of lives taken by those blood-stained hands of hers.
Those in the royal family owned endless streams of wealth and the taste of power, but they would never be able to savour the affection and warmth that ordinary people could unconditionally have.
The act of practicing Buddhism only occurred to her in her later ages as she started to recall the incidents that happened in the past, causing her to start worrying about what would happen in the near future as she was engulfed by overwhelming guilt. The practice of Buddhism also emphasised the concept of 'karma', which made the Empress Dowager fear that she would descend to the gates of Hell after passing into the afterlife.
When Emperor Lin just ascended to the throne, she actually stayed behind in the harem intentionally to lend him a hand. She knew after all— with her in charge, no matter what sort of troubles were stirred by the women in the harem, 'things' , in this case, the war in the Imperial harem, would be carried out with a certain limitation to the excessiveness.
Once her greatest wish of having her son ascend the throne as the Emperor came true, she became relaxed. However, then she began to dream of the people who died at her own hands, making her stir awake from nightmares as she was unable to fully rest properly due to the lingering fear.
After listening to the advice of the eminent monk, she was set on moving to Mount Wutai. Whether it was truly effective or if it was some sort of psychological reason; she didn't know. What the Empress Dowager did know was that she no longer had nightmares since her stay. Hence, she gradually moved into Mount Wutai, devoting herself to prayers and paying homage to Buddha in the act of cleansing her past sins.
Empress Dowager was born beautiful when she was young and was often known for her very unassuming beauty. Now that she had become old, her skin was slacked and her facial features looked very prominent. Her cheekbones were especially high, showing a bit of a harshly sharp appearance that intimidated others just by the sight alone.
The Empress Dowager remembered that she even scared her own grandchildren and made them cry out of fear. They would cry as soon as she carried them, making the concubines panic slightly.
And as her grandchildren grew older, although they no longer cried and made a fuss, they maintained a very respectful and well-mannered persona in front of her, not showing the slightest sliver of familial affection.
It seemed to be her karma— fated to not being able to bask in the never-ending love and cheers from her grandchildren.
But after practicing the art of Buddhism for so many years, the Empress Dowager had long accepted the fact by being detached, not taking it personally. Thus after reminiscing during a long journey, she finally arrived at the palace that she once avoided.
Naturally, Emperor Lin brought along a group of concubines and royal children to receive the Empress Dowager. When she was alighting from the carriage, her eyes quickly took a casual glance. From there, she found that her grandchildren have grown a lot taller compared to when she last saw them.
So much so, she quickly noticed that standing between the 4th Imperial Prince and the Crown Prince was an eye-catching young girl. She was the shortest out of all the royal children and even had two buns styled on both sides of her head, secretly looking at her with a pair of intelligent eyes.
The Empress Dowager's other grandchildren lowered their heads out of fear, concealing their dread by bowing out of respect, but only she remained indifferent as if there was nothing to be afraid of. When the Empress Dowager met her gaze, she cowered to hide like a small animal, but her eyes were devoid of any fear and only filled with blinking curiosity.
The Empress Dowager thought to herself, could this be the Little Fifth Princess that the Emperor mentioned in the letter?
She didn't have a chance to look closer as everyone began to bow and greet her out of courtesy. The Empress Dowager was of an old age and she travelled a long way, so by the time the greetings were finished, her back started to become sore and she went on to the Yiqing Palace. She made a verbal statement that there was no need to greet her should there not be any emergencies or major issues so as to refrain from being bothered.
She just returned to the palace today and was getting tired, so everyone didn't want to risk offending her. If there was truly something important, they would visit her separately after this.
Lin Jingyuan accompanied Lin Feilu back to the Mingyue Palace. Casually holding onto a flower branch in his hand, he danced around and questioned, "Little Lu, how was it? Was the Imperial Grandmother scary?"
Lin Feilu replied, "No, she wasn't."
Lin Jingyuan was not convinced, "How so? Everyone among us juniors is afraid of her. If you don't believe me, ask the 1st Imperial Brother!" He shouted to Lin Ting who was walking in front of them, "1st Imperial Brother! You're afraid of the Imperial Grandmother as well, aren't you? "
Lin Ting turned back and warmly rebuked, "Don't speak of nonsense. The Imperial Grandmother treats us very well. As a junior, I am only in awe and filled with admiration."
Lin Jingyuan spreaded his hands in protest, "Listen to that, First Imperial Brother lied behind the facade of euphemism to express his fear."
Lin Ting smiled helplessly, but he didn't refute it.
Lin Feilu stretched her hand across the flowers on the side of the road as she said softly, "The point is that I'm not afraid anyways."
Lin Jingyuan looked at her lovingly before he sighed quietly, "Those who know of nothing are truly fearless."
The cogs in his mind turned quickly. Hurriedly putting the topic behind him, he turned around excitedly, "Little Lu, your birthday is only two days away. Why don't you guess what present I have prepared for you?"