The Empress Dowager never once participated in such cumbersome banquets because of her poor health.
Yet, the ones that were seated in the high and noble thrones were none other than Emperor Lin and the Empress Dowager herself. Lin Feilu, as the focal point of the banquet, sat conspicuously right beneath them.
The purpose of Emperor Lin's state banquet was to let the entire world know about the existence of the Little Fifth Princess. He wanted to let everyone see how cute and innocent his dear little princess was! The more the people boasted and praised her adorable mannerisms and appearances, the happier he got.
Have a look, this unbelievably cute Little Fifth Princess is my daughter, so just drown yourselves in jealousy and envy!
Everyone finally saw the rumored 'Fifth Princess'. Seeing that she was cute, immature and the fact that she was still a child, the various inhumane and questionable theories in their hearts diminished exponentially.
Lin Feilu was eating while listening to the ceremonial officer. He recited every detail about the gifts she received— what items were given, who presented them and so on. As the list continued, Lin Feilu felt that she truly profited immensely this time.
If I can't remain in the palace in the future due to any unforeseen circumstances, I probably won't have to live on the streets as long as I take some of these babies with me!
(T/N: 'Babies' was referring to the treasures, just in case anyone misunderstood)
As her thoughts were clouded with chaotic scenarios while she was glancing around, she caught sight of two people who portrayed a sense of eagerness through the intensity of their gazes.
Upon further inspection, the desperately-staring culprits came from a middle-aged couple sitting beneath. They looked a bit like Xiao Lan. Seeing her looking over at this moment, the woman of the couple waved her hand with excitement.
Lin Feilu pretended not to see her and withdrew her gaze as if nothing had happened.
That answer of hers basically implied, 'you never cared about me back then, so unfortunately for you, you have no right to demand my noble attention'.
In the afternoon, the state banquet ended.
After the birthday banquet, Lin Feilu officially greeted the Emperor's relatives.
People were always paying attention to the gossip in the palace. Those who attended the banquet eagerly spreaded the news about this rumoured princess. As a result, even the people of the empire who never heard of the Fifth Princess now knew of the existence of an adorable and petite imperial daughter.
Emperor Lin rewarded her with a lot of things and even sent a flurry of workers from the Imperial Engineering Sector to renovate the dilapidated Mingyue Palace a few days ago. Before, the Mingyue Palace did not have lavish flower gardens for the owners to enjoy. This time however, the workers from the Imperial Engineering Sector created a flower field in the courtyard of the palace in accordance with the requirements of the Fifth Princess. They even planted a variety of flowers that were newly cultivated by the Imperial Household Department.
The Fifth Princess also sketched a blueprint for them. According to the blueprint, the officials built a white fence around the flower field and made two small wooden houses for the little cat and puppy. Plus, they even created a small burrow for the rabbit, placing it beside the fence.
Although it looked strange, the Fifth Princess liked it. Hence, they had to follow her wishes.
Lin Feilu used to live in a small single-family villa with a tiny garden of her own. After adding the installations of many new items according to the imagery in her memory, she felt that the place definitely emanated its own unique aura.
It also did wonders in comforting her sense of loneliness in this strange time and space.
Chang Er was still rather young, so it didn't start a fight with the new Persian cat upon sight. The only indication of having a reaction was its tail swinging around in curiosity. The Persian cat however, didn't even bother to react as it just licked its paws rather elegantly.
Lin Feilu was squatting next to Lin Zhanyuan to discuss a name for the new kitten when Songyu walked over and said, "Princess, the palace staff have delivered a request. They said that Master Xiao and Madam Xiao are requesting a meeting. "
Lin Feilu has long learned from Xiao Lan about the Xiao family's indifferent attitude after her mother fell out of imperial favour. Not mentioning the fact that she wasn't the actual granddaughter of the Xiao family; as a matter of fact even if she was, the assumption of theirs that expected her to welcome them with open arms despite the long years of being ignored didn't make sense to her at all.
Xiao Lan attended the banquet today as well. The little girl was far too young to drink alcohol, so Xiao Lan drank some in her stead. Her tolerance for alcohol was pretty low, so Qingyan had led her straight to bed for a brief rest.
She also saw her parents at the banquet today and guessed that they would probably come over to the Mingyue Palace once the banquet ended. Because of that prediction of hers, she even gave Lin Feilu a few pointers on how to handle things.
Upon hearing that they have indeed shown up, Lin Feilu glanced at Lin Zhanyuan who was trying to think of a name for the Persian cat. She remained silent as she raised her eyes and signalled for Songyu to take action.
Songyu had been by her side for a very long time, so she naturally knew what the princess meant. With that small sign, she simply nodded before excusing herself. She went out and told the palace staff, "The Honourable Lady has retired due to her previous alcohol consumption in the banquet. Please tell them to visit on another day."
The palace staff accepted the order and walked towards the older couple, but he came back soon after. As they were Xiao Lan's parents, he didn't dare to irk the elders, which led him to relay their intentions word by word, "Song Yu, Master Xiao and Madam Xiao said that they rarely ever get a chance to enter the palace. Since the Honourable Lady is asleep, they want to see the princess."
Songyu smiled at him, "The princess is not in the palace and only His Highness is here. Go and ask Master Xiao and Madam Xiao if they want to see him."
How could a palace staff ever know whether or not the princess was in the palace? Upon hearing of this reply, he knew instantly that the mother-daughter-duo had no intention of meeting the elders. He quickly exited and relayed the message to both of the elders who were waiting outside, "Master Xiao, Madam Xiao, as today is the birthday of the Fifth Princess, every other palace had invited her over to play. Currently, she is not in the palace and this humble servant does not have a clue when she will return. If the two elders have to enter no matter what, His Highness is in the palace and I can relay your intentions to him."
His Highness?
That foolish prince?
Master Xiao and Madam Xiao looked at each other. They came this time just to clear up their suspicions with their daughter and even prepared to recite an entire speech for her. After raising their daughter for a little less than 20 years, they knew of her behaviour very well— even if her heart resented them immensely, she would become soft-hearted once she met her parents and listened to their 'regretful and pained' wails.
Master Xiao and Madam Xiao looked at each other. They came this time just to clear up their suspicions with their daughter and even prepared to recite an entire speech for her. After raising their daughter for a little less than 20 years, they knew of her behaviour very well— even if her heart resented them immensely, she would become soft-hearted once she met her parents and listened to their 'regretful and pained' wails.
But even if they couldn't see their daughter, they should have at least been able to see their little granddaughter. The plan was to bask her with the love and affection of two older grandparents. Just like how Xiao Lan was able to regain her imperial favour through her daughter, the Fifth Princess was still young and appeared rather innocent, which was why they thought that it was the perfect time to cultivate a good relationship with the young girl.
But what could we possibly say to that fool? He wouldn't even be able to understand anything! It can't be that we have to use him to mend our parent-daughter relationship, right? This blatant act of rejection was like a harsh dismissal towards the work and effort that they have prepared before appealing to meet their daughter.
Mother Xiao's expression faltered several times. Then, she turned her head and whispered to Father Xiao, "Perhaps the Honourable Lady does not wish to meet us."
Now that they were still in the palace, Father Xiao did not dare to comment about how his daughter was unfilial and heartless. His expression soured and turned dark as he left begrudgingly under the smiling scrutiny of the satisfied palace staff.
As soon as the two left, Songyu went back inside to report the situation.
Lin Zhanyuan had already figured out what to name the cat. He happily pointed to the puppy and said, "It's called Chang Er!" before pointing to the Persian cat, "and it's called Duan Er!"
(T/N: Chang Er means 'long ears' in chinese. In the same method, because the cat had short ears, our MC's adorable brother named it 'Duan Er' which is a translation for 'short ears')
Lin Feilu argued half-heartedly but intensely with him about the cliché name, but in the end she didn't win the argument. Hence, she could only hold back and accept the name her brother had come up with.
After Songyu reported to her of the previous situation, she commented with slight worry in her tone, "Princess, Master Xiao and Madam Xiao are the Honourable Lady's parents after all. Now that we have literally closed our doors in front of their faces, what if they were to spread rumours and hateful words about it? What if that affects the reputation of the Honourable Lady and your own?"
Lin Feilu stroked Chang Er's head as it closed its eyes comfortably, "Don't worry, they don't have the guts to speak of such nonsense."
If she assumed things correctly, the Xiao family still had to implement a 'soft-stance' policy at this stage.
Maybe after letting them have the experience of a few more 'door-closing' incidents, perhaps then the method of inciting public opinion may be adapted.
But before that happens, I want to let them have the same taste of their cold and ignorant treatment towards Xiao Lan all these years.
At any rate, Lin Feilu enjoyed the concept of a retaliating tooth for a tooth.
(T/N: Same meaning as 'an eye for an eye' or 'fighting fire with fire'. Similarly, it can mean that whatever was done to them would be returned in the same way)
Songyu nodded clearly. Then, she took out a sachet from her cuff shyly and handed it over in embarrassment. She whispered, "Princess, this is your birthday gift that was prepared by this humble servant. I have been quite busy lately, so I never really had a chance to give it to you."
Lin Feilu handed the Duan Er to Lin Zhanyuan, who happily took it over, "What is it?"
She opened the sachet and inside was a bracelet strung with small beads. The crystals were of a pink-purplish hue as they shimmered brightly under the light of the sun.
Songyu said, "This humble servant does not own anything fancy nor precious— these beads were just items that I bought from one of the ladies who are working in the palace. After I strung them together, I placed the bracelet at the altar for 49 days, chanting and praying to it every day in hopes that these beads can bless you to grow up happily and healthily no matter what."
This type of amethyst was known as a 'water bead' and it was a very common form of jewellery. However, with Songyu's wages, purchasing these beads probably used up her entire savings. Although the quality wasn't as good as the jade beads sent by the other palaces, the intentions behind the gift triumphed over the others exponentially.
Lin Feilu put it on her wrist wordlessly and rushed to hug Songyu's waist, "Thank you, Songyu! You're so nice to me!"
Songyu's eyes became red as she murmured, "You are the one who treats this servant well, princess, and I will always remember that in my heart. This is not a very precious gift, but I'm happy as long as you like it."
Lin Feilu raised her wrist and asked Lin Zhanyuan, "Brother, do you think it looks good?"
The crystal reflected the rays of the sunlight and Lin Zhanyuan nodded, "It looks great!"
She received a lot of gifts today. The presents sent over by imperial relatives of the Emperor were still stashed in the hall. Qingyan finished recording every item and recited the gifts to the young girl one by one. In short, every palace offered her a gift— there was even one from Consort Hui's palace.
After Lin Feilu listened to the recitings of the gift list, a small question mark popped up in her head.
Why wasn't there a gift from Little Pretty Boy?
Does he not know that it's my birthday today?
That can't be right, can it? He even knew of the spies that roamed around my palace; so it would be natural for him to know of my birthday banquet when it was the talk of the palace, right?
Well, it's not exactly something to yearn for either— but he could have given me a basket made out of bamboo shoots and I'd still be happy.
In Lin Feilu's heart, she considered the two of them 'pitiful and homesick souls'. Although she only focused entirely on his good looks when she first transmigrated, she sincerely treated Little Pretty Boy as a friend from then onwards.
After all, who wouldn't love such a gentle and petitely beautiful older brother?
There were very few people that she actually regarded as her friends. Hence, the hollow, empty feeling inside herself that she felt was rather inevitable.
After a busy day, Lin Feilu felt that she was even more exhausted than spending an afternoon doing martial arts in Noble Consort Xi's palace. Once the sky turned dark, she washed up and slept under Songyu's care.
She slept for an unknown period of time before she heard the sounds of small stones hitting against the window.
She woke up very abruptly. With no time to put on her shoes, she ran to the window barefoot. When she opened it, a boy with black clothes and dark hair was sitting on the wall not far away. The soft, silver beam of the moonlight fell on his frame like a draped blanket; even the purple wind chimes under the same light seemed to be more beautiful than usual.
Lin Feilu stared at him for a while. Then, she burst out laughing.
Song Jinglan flew down lightly, his footsteps lighter than the night, "What are you laughing at?"
Lin Feilu said, "Your Highness always knocks on my window in the middle of the night. It kind of reminds me of Romeo and Juliet."
Song Jinglan made a puzzled expression.
After Lin Feilu finished speaking, she felt that her metaphor was a bit risky. She faked two coughs before proceeding to stretch out her little hand towards the boy who stood outside her window, "Where is my gift?"
Song Jinglan laughed, "How does the princess know that I am here to give her a gift?"
Lin Feilu, "What else could you be here for, then?" She tilted her head, "Unless there is another spy in my palace?"
He shook his head and smiled. The gentle ray of the moonlight illuminated his eyes as he reached out and took a small wooden sculpture from his embrace, "Happy birthday, princess."
The gift was none other than a wooden sculpture of herself.
Her nose, eyes, mouth, and even the two side buns on her head were vividly crafted.
She wasn't aware that he possessed such a skill. Hence, she was stunned by the detailed sculpture of the little wooden work. If this was made in the modern era, his skill would be on par with the professors of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (1).
(T/N: This a seriously renowned school for arts and is considered the most prestigious in China. Think of it as the Harvard of art academies with amazing students and even more skilled lecturers/ professors)
She couldn't help but to glance at his hands.
The fingers on both of his hands were slender yet strong, evident by the shallow calluses on his fingertips. There were faint scars of a light pink hue that remained from the winter's frostbite, but overall, most of his wounds were healing nicely.
Realising that she hadn't commented on his work, Song Jinglan asked in a soft tone, "Do you not like it?"
Lin Feilu patted his arm earnestly, "Be confident in your crafts!"
He laughed and his eyelashes drooped slightly, "As long as you like it, that's fine. I don't really have much to offer, so I could only give you some worthless gadgets."
"Who said so?" Lin Feilu retorted, "This piece of wood was indeed worthless, but now that the figure sculpted is me, it is a priceless treasure! I want to treat it as a family heirloom and pass it on to my descendants for generations!"
Song Jinglan laughed and shook his head, "Wood will decay."
Lin Feilu thought for a while, "When Your Highness becomes rich in the future, carve me again on a jadeite next time— it'll last longer."
He looked into her eyes before he chuckled and nodded, "Okay."
After Lin Feilu's birthday, the overall temperature of the weather rose by an exponential margin. The breath of spring was now rather faint as every respective palace was making preparations for the upcoming blazing summer.
Even Emperor Lin was so busy with political affairs recently to the point where he rarely even visited the harem as his thoughts and concerns were focused towards resolving court matters. Peng Man took advantage of the time when the Emperor finished scrutinizing the memorials and stated, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has sent a lot of imperial doctors over to the Yiqing Palace; I'm afraid that she has not been in good health."
Emperor Lin was quite filial. Immediately, he set aside his governmental affairs when he heard of this news and took off to the Yiqing Palace.
When he arrived, he was surprised to find that his foolish son was there as well.
Emperor Lin's attitude towards Lin Zhanyuan was much better now. Although he still didn't fancy him all that much, at least he didn't hate him anymore. Sometimes, when Emperor Lin looked at the child's innocent eyes that were so full of purity, he felt that it was such a rare sight to see.
However, he didn't expect the Empress Dowager to adore her silly grandson this much. Lin Zhanyuan played around with Chang Er in the courtyard as the Empress Dowager was seated on a rattan chair. She watched him play around, smiling with a pleasant expression.
As soon as Emperor Lin came in, he saw Lin Zhanyuan running around with his head covered in a layer of sweat. The Empress Dowager called out to him and waved her hand, "Yuan Er, come to grandma and have some butter tea."
Lin Zhanyuan ran towards her with a flushed face. After he finished drinking a small bowl of the tea, he ran off happily again. As soon as he turned around and saw Emperor Lin coming in, his expression became a little nervous, but he was able to remember his sister's teachings to always give his greetings, "This Imperial son greets Emperor Father."
He greeted Emperor Lin, whereas the Emperor greeted the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager sat up from her chair and embraced her grandson who had been timidly hiding in her arms, "Why did the Emperor come here all of a sudden?"
The palace staff quickly moved a chair for the Emperor. Once he was seated, he smiled, "I'm here to accompany you, Empress Mother."
The Empress Dowager took her handkerchief and wiped the sweat from Lin Zhanyuan's forehead, "It's sufficient enough for Yuan Er to accompany me."
Emperor Lin closely observed the appearance of the grandmother and grandson duo before he became a little surprised, "I wasn't aware that the 6th Prince and Empress Mother were this close."
The Empress Dowager gave him a glance,"Well, we are closer than you will ever be with me."
Emperor Lin shyly faltered with that response. Then, he talked about the reason he came today with a solemn tone, "Your son has heard the officials say that Empress Mother recently called for several imperial doctors. Are you perhaps feeling sick? What did the imperial doctors say?"
The Empress Dowager's sweaty hands stopped moving, but she didn't answer immediately.
After she wiped off Lin Zhanyuan's sweat, she smiled and patted his head. Then, she said in a soft tone, "My dear grandson, go and play with Chang Er for a bit."
Lin Zhanyuan pursed his lips and gave Emperor Lin a brief glance before running away.
The Empress Mother squinted at the figure that was now chasing the puppy in the yard. Her eyes were gentle and warm, but her tone of voice was light, "I am in good health; the summonings of the imperial physicians were to discuss some past issues."
Emperor Lin answered, "Oh?"
The Empress Dowager directed her gaze at him and said, " Returning to the palace this time and meeting Yuan Er made me recall a few things that happened during the previous Emperor's reign. The previous Emperor had very few heirs as most of the pregnant concubines and consorts either had given birth prematurely, which resulted in a number of miscarriages. At that time, it was said that the previous Emperor was rather unlucky to bear the fate of never being able to have children. But all the incidents and the untold truths were all as clear as day to me. To be honest, I had to handle many things to ensure that you would be able to grow up relatively peacefully."
Of course, Emperor Lin remembered how fiercely his Emperor Father's harem fought in the previous generation. That was the reason why he now preferred gentle, kind and talented women.
Hearing the Empress Dowager suddenly talk of the older days, Emperor Lin thought she was overthinking. So he consoled her, "Your son is living healthily and I have lots of children as well. All of them are talented in their own ways, so you don't have to worry too much about that, Empress Mother."
The Empress Dowager looked at Lin Zhanyuan in the courtyard, "If Xiao Lan could give birth to a child safely, Yuan Er would have been a smart and excellent prince by now. I remember that you loved Xiao Lan very much at that time, right?"
Emperor Lin awkwardly smiled.
The Empress Dowager asked, "When she was pregnant, did the Emperor take care of her properly? Since she was able to give birth to the intelligent and healthy Little Fifth Princess in her second delivery, it just doesn't make sense for her firstborn to be prematurely born."
The Empress Dowager already laid the groundwork, but she was slightly annoyed at how Emperor Lin could not understand what she meant. Her expression became a bit more serious as she hesitated, "Empress Mother suspects that someone might have harmed Honourable Lady Xiao Lan, causing her to give birth prematurely and also indirectly resulting in the 6th Prince's mental impairment."
The Empress Dowager said quietly, "It was just suspicious to me, so I summoned the imperial doctors that had treated Xiao Lan that year."
Emperor Lin said anxiously, "Did Empress Mother manage to uncover any information?"
The Empress Mother replied,"Not yet, but the imperial doctor said that Xiao Lan was very healthy during her pregnancy and there shouldn't have been a premature birth," She looked at Emperor Lin and said with a grave tone, "This matter needs to be investigated; causing harm against an imperial child is no small crime."
Emperor Lin was originally already feeling a little guilty for neglecting Xiao Lan and the Little Fifth Princess for so many years. After learning that whatever occurred in the past might have been caused by an underhanded scheme that resulted in Xiao Lan's premature delivery and his son's mental impairment, wouldn't that mean that he was indirectly toyed with all these years?
I knew it; with the Little Fifth Princess's intelligence and creativity, how could it be possible for her brother to be this dense!
How outrageous!
Seeming to have found a catharsis for his guilt, Emperor Lin suddenly felt rather relieved. However, he was furious as he said in a deep voice, "Empress Mother, rest assured; this matter is indeed suspicious. I will get to the bottom of this incident no matter what!"
She nodded in response. Listening to Lin Zhanyuan's happy and brisk laugh, the corners of her mouth also lifted, curling into a small smile, "Yuan Er has been through so much suffering and agony for so long. As his Emperor Father, don't wrongfully make him suffer even more."
Emperor Lin nodded solemnly.
After returning to the Yangxin Palace, Emperor Lin was lost in thought for a while. Then, he summoned all of the imperial doctors who had been called by the Empress Dowager to question them again, ordering them to take out the cases that were recorded in the past and examine them in detail. He also ordered Peng Man to go to the Imperial Household Department to retrieve every available information in regards to the palace staff who served Xiao Lan back then. He wanted to see where each and every single one of the staff were currently working.
The news of the Emperor going through the older files was not kept discreet.
Both the Imperial Household Department and the Imperial Hospital were busy with this matter. Naturally, the news couldn't be concealed very well.
The people in the harem were soon aware that His Majesty seemed to be looking for the truth about the premature birth of Honourable Lady Lan.
Premature birth wasn't really considered a big matter. In addition to Xiao Lan, several concubines in the harem also gave birth prematurely. However, unlike Xiao Lan, who very luckily still managed to give birth to her child with the two of them remaining alive and healthy to this day, the other concubines had given birth to babies that died prematurely.
But looking back on this, was it really okay to say that Xiao Lan was 'lucky'?
If her child died that day, she might not have lost her imperial favour from the beginning; in fact, the Emperor would definitely sympathise with her even more. Perhaps he might even promote her rank in the harem and the possibility of her becoming pregnant with another royal child would be rather high as well.
If her child died that day, she might not have lost her imperial favour from the beginning; in fact, the Emperor would definitely sympathise with her even more. Perhaps he might even promote her rank in the harem and the possibility of her becoming pregnant with another royal child would be rather high as well.
However, it was precisely because she managed to give birth to a mentally impaired child that caused her to lose her imperial favour. It was also the reason why she ended up living in pain and loneliness for the following years.
If this incident truly involved a third party's tricks and schemes, then it couldn't be brushed off after labelled as a small crime.
Everyone had their own private discussions about the matter. After all, it's already been a few years since the incident occured. Hence, it would be very difficult to uncover anything about it now.
Naturally, those who have nothing to do with this matter merely thought of the news as a juicy scoop from the palace, but the responsible culprit for this entire incident was fidgeting nervously behind the scenes.
Consort Hui was so startled that she almost dropped the teacup in her hand. Her usually calm and collected demeanour broke and so she couldn't help but to panic at the moment, "Why did His Majesty take the sudden initiative to reinvestigate this matter?"
Her maidservant replied, "Our sources informed that it was actually the Empress Dowager who started the investigation. The 6th Prince has earned the favour of the Empress Dowager ever since Her Majesty returned to the palace. This humble servant believes that because of their close relationship…"
Consort Hui tightly squeezed the teacup in her hand as she felt her heart palpitate quickly.
So many years had passed with her managing to pull it off unnoticed. She wasn't the one who took action either— it was Imperial Concubine Mei who handled the medication.
But…
The medication that made the child mentally impaired was obtained from her!
The medication was a unique prescription concocted by village folks that was specifically made to harm someone. There would be no such medication in the palace as this was something that her maternal family had dedicated efforts to obtain. After sneaking it into the palace, she secretly passed it to Imperial Concubine Mei who commensurated herself as the sister of Xiao Lan at the time.
(T/N: In Chinese culture, you can commonly refer to a good friend as a sister/brother as a form of endearment. The concept is that although there was no blood relation, you could be considered siblings with how close you were)
If His Majesty starts to investigate Imperial Concubine Mei, based on her personality, there is no doubt in my mind that she would rat me out.
And if His Majesty starts the investigation from the prescription, the amount of folk people who actually utilised and made this medicine were rather limited, so it definitely wouldn't be impossible for His Majesty to link the clues to my maternal family.
No matter what the end result was, she wouldn't be able to break free from those shackles.
Consort Hui was upset for a while, pacing back and forth in the house a few times as she held the teacup. After bearing the position of a Consort for so many years, she was able to control her motions and calm herself down almost immediately, "Send out a message immediately. Let them know that anyone that had a hand in the incident should be under a strictly-monitored lockdown. They also have to find the doctor that gave us the medicine…"
She gave her a look and the maidservant immediately understood her intentions. She nodded briskly before exiting the palace to carry out the orders.
Consort Hui thought about something and her expression turned gloomy. She summoned her maidservant once more and whispered in her ear, "Go on, you must handle this matter with extreme caution and detail; you must not leave any traces at all."
Lin Feilu was a little surprised when he heard that Emperor Lin was reinvestigating the matter again.
Although she did suspect that 90% of the matter was carried out by Imperial Concubine Mei, she had no evidence to prove her claim. Besides, it would do her more harm than good to merely speak to the Emperor himself without proof.
She held Lin Zhanyuan's chubby face and gave him a heavy kiss as she complimented him, "It's all thanks to my brother."
Lin Zhanyuan was stunned.
Once he was out of his trance-like state, he screamed and ran around the entire house, "Sister kissed me!"
Xiao Lan was amused. Yet she reproached, gently stating that Lin Feilu should be more aware of her mannerisms. 'Females and males should always make sure that they don't become too familiar with each other if the two aren't in a relationship'— that was the policy.
"Lu Er is already 6 years old this year, you can't ignore this rule now so you have to behave properly, alright?"
Sigh, what an old-fashioned feudal era.
Lin Feilu retorted in her heart, but she nodded obediently in response to her mother's teachings.
Emperor Lin was an Emperor whose words were absolute; if he declared that he was going to do something, he would see to it until the very end. In the past, an upright admonisher said that he was a narcissist. Indeed, he was also a leader that took pride in his own name as the Emperor and felt that he was the coolest person in the world.
Sometimes, it was good to have such a flamboyant personality, but there were times where the narcissism wouldn't aid in any situation. But for the present scenario, that personality of his was ideal.
With the investigation of Emperor Lin, Consort Hui became really terrified with every passing day. She was afraid that one day, an imperial edict would show up at her palace and she would be arrested by the Supreme Court for a criminal trial.
Fortunately, she waited for the news from her maternal family before waiting for the imperial edict.
The doctor who gave them the prescription before has been found. They sent someone to annihilate the root of the problem, assassinating the doctor and staging it off as an 'accidental death' . That year, two of the people who requested the purchase were from her maternal family and they had the 'evidence' to back up their claim of using it for medicational practice. Consort Hui could trust them as they were on her side; as for the other two purchases that bore the risk of revealing an untold truth, her maternal family had also taken care of that matter as well.
The links of the medication were completely cut off— Consort Hui was no longer worried, but another news came from her mother's family.
While looking for the clues to cut off their relations with the doctor, they also spotted another wave of people who were also investigating the matter. At first, they thought that the people belonged to His Majesty, but after a secret follow-up investigation, they discovered that they belonged to the Liu family!
Consort Hui's heart sank again.
Imperial Concubine Mei's maternal household!
Why would they be pursuing this matter as well?!
Consort Hui only hesitated for a moment. In her head, she already had her answer.
Imperial Concubine Mei must have also known what His Majesty was investigating. She was the person who directly administered the medication back then. Hence, compared to Consort Hui, she was at a greater risk of being found out. And once they realised that she was responsible, she would no doubt rat out Consort Hui as well. It would be better to plunge into the depths of Hell together, after all.
Evidence was needed to convince the Emperor that Consort Hui was involved with the matter.
And the best evidence would be to find out the source of the medication.
She had long known that Imperial Concubine Mei was not one to play nice. Hence, she always took precautions and safety measures to ensure that she wouldn't be betrayed by the Imperial Concubine. However, she never would have imagined that her plans were thorough to the point where she was able to start taking necessary measures already.
The fact remained that Imperial Concubine Mei wasn't as influential as she was before. In this game of chess, Consort Hui was the one who made the first move— the doctor was dead and the links to the medication also steered clear of her way too. Now, the only remaining threat was none other than Imperial Concubine Mei herself…
Consort Hui looked at the blue sky outside the window as her gaze gradually darkened.
…
The Yinshuang Palace that was once proud of the spring breeze was only desolate and deserted at this moment.
In the summer, when the sun got stronger, Imperial Concubine Mei found that her face became even more uncomfortable as the purple scars didn't fade away. She stayed in her room for too long and occasionally, she wanted to go out and get some fresh air outside, but her skin would start to become sore when it was exposed to the sun.
After calling upon an imperial doctor, he said that her skin no longer possessed the tolerance to withstand the sunlight.
In other words, she would have to live in the dark for the rest of her life.
Whenever she thought about this, she couldn't wait to slash apart the old and the young imbeciles of the Mingyue Palace. She made two witchcraft voodoo dolls and hid them in the room. Every day, she would stab needles into them, but impaling one thousand or even ten thousand needles were insufficient to fully vent the unparalleled anger in her heart.
When she heard that Emperor Lin would start to reinvestigate the premature birth of Xiao Lan that year, the hatred in her heart eventually morphed into fear.
Once it was revealed that she was the culprit, with the way His Majesty was treating her now, she wouldn't even have the time to appeal for a chance at proving her innocence. Being by his side for so many years, she was more than aware of how heartless he could be.
Besides, her father was still handling matters at the Southern River. Coupled with the fact that her family had lost all the benefits they reaped once she lost her imperial favour, the agility of her actions could not compare to Consort Hui's as she hadn't even gotten a reply letter from her family.
Now, there are only two maidservants and one eunuch left in the Yinshuang Palace, all of whom belonged to the Liu family. Otherwise, they would not remain loyal to her in such a situation. Imperial Concubine Mei's intelligence was not to be undermined; she did notice the warning signs rather early on, after all.
The person who assassinated Lin Feilu was none other than the eunuch who sided with her. He was called Liu San and he had quite a variety of skills as he was able to silently handle a number of matters for her throughout the years.
Imperial Concubine Mei ordered Xixiang, "Send Liu San to guard my room."
Xixiang accepted the order and went out to look for Liu San. She remembered that he was heading to the Imperial Household Department to obtain his share of wages, so she didn't think much of it. It wasn't until the sky turned dark and signalled the passing of evening that Xixiang started to panic slightly when she still didn't see him return.
After hurriedly reporting the situation to Imperial Concubine Mei, her face turned pale. When she glanced at the dark sky outside the window, she felt a strong wave of anxiety rousing in her heart.