Lin Feilu quickly raised her head and glanced at her, fingers tightly squeezing the sachet. The rims of her eyes were coloured red as she choked out a wavering voice,"I heard that Eldest Imperial Sister was sick. This is a traditional Chinese medicine sachet I obtained from Imperial Doctor Meng. It is good for… for curing diseases."
She squeezed her hands and slowly handed it towards her.
Lin Nianzhi's gaze shifted downwards and noticed that the sachet was beautifully made. The pink brocade that was embroidered with her favorite peach blossoms gave off a strong scent of medicinal fragrance.
She heard her continue, "I don't know if Eldest Imperial Sister already used the sachet I sent over last time, but this time, Imperial Doctor Meng increased the dose for the medicine— that is why the scent has gotten stronger."
Last time? What did she mean by 'last time'?
Lin Nianzhi wanted to ask, but she suddenly realised.
She heard from Baoyou previously that the Little Fifth Princess once tried to visit her once when she was confined within the palace grounds, which led to her Mother Concubine to send the little girl away under the pretence that she was sick.
She probably meant the sachet that she sent over that time, but I think it was thrown away by Mother Concubine.
Lin Nianzhi suddenly felt a strange feeling surge within her heart. Seeing how the little girl looked like she was on the brink of tears, she stretched her hand and accepted the sachet, "It was useful."
"Really?!" Lin Feilu raised her head happily as her flushed eyes seemed to consist of small stars that shone brightly within her pupils. However, when her gaze met Lin Nianzhi's slightly moody face, she resembled the form of a withered plant as she buried her head and said in a muffled voice,"Oh…"
Lin Nianzhi nodded and tied the sachet around her waist as if nothing had happened. She said, "Return now, the sun is too bright."
Lin Feilu nodded slightly and trudged her feet slightly. As if she was afraid of trampling on the ants on the ground, she walked forward slowly.
Lin Nianzhi still felt a bit awkward as there was something close to an uneasy knot that remained gnawing in her heart. Seeing the little girl reduced to this unhappy state, LIn Nianzhi wanted to laugh as she thought to herself, let's see if you truly leave just like that.
Sure enough, she stopped after walking for a few steps. She turned her head back with an expression that indicated her innocence as her mouth was pouted, facing downwards. She seemed to be under immense grief, but she tried her best to not let any tears flow while she asked, "Eldest Imperial Sister, can I still like you in the future?"
Lin Nianzhi thought she was going to say something else, so she didn't expect the little bean to ask this question. She suddenly felt confused before she turned her head and said awkwardly, "You can like whoever you want to! I'm not the one forcing you to like or hate anyone, after all!"
After a while, feeling the cuffs of her sleeves being tugged onto slightly by a tiny hand, the little girl asked semi-expectantly and half apprehensively, "Then…Will you still like me?"
Lin Nianzhi's neck was a little stiff, so she slowly turned her head to look at her. It took her a long time before she moved her lips and asked lightly, "Little Fifth Princess, my Mother Concubine did those horrible things to your Brilliant Mother and brother— do you not hate me?"
The little girl blinked her shiny eyes.
She leaned her head back and her voice was crisp, "I read something in a book before— the fault lies not with parents, nor should the consequences befall the spouses or children(1). I think it makes sense, don't you think so too, Eldest Imperial Sister?"
(T/N: Means that no one but the offender should be held guilty for his/her crimes unless there were accomplices involved. Those innocent remains innocent regardless of their relationship with the guilty)
Lin Nianzhi stiffened.
She was still so young, but she already knew that there was a clear distinction between the innocent and the guilty. What's more was that Lin Nianzhi belonged to the perpetrator's side, so what kind of innocence was she trying to feign when the Little Fifth Princess approached her with nothing but pure intentions?
She should be able to have a deeper understanding of the concept that the Little Fifth Princess understood.
Lin Nianzhi suddenly felt ashamed of her grievances and anger during this period of time.
She held the little girl's hand that remained tugging the cuffs of her clothes and walked together towards Yaohua Palace.
Before Lin Feilu could react, she followed her footsteps in a daze and whispered, "Eldest Imperial Sister?"
Lin Nianzhi pretended to be nonchalant,"The weather is really hot, so let's go to my palace and have some sour plum soup before heading back."
As soon as she spoke about eating, Lin Feilu immediately became notably happier and nodded, "Mm!"
She followed her pace, holding Lin Nianzhi's fingers with her small hands.
Lin Nianzhi felt that her little hand was soft, which in turn, was making her heart melt out of cuteness as well.
When Lin Feilu finished drinking the sour plum soup and left the Yaohua Palace contentedly, the then blazing sun was now hidden behind the thick clouds, forming shadows on the ground. She walked to the big tree and glanced back at the gorgeous palace behind her.
The fault lies not with parents, nor should the consequences befall the spouses or children. As long as Lin Nianzhi chose not to go against her, this sisterhood they shared was still salvageable.
Fortunately, although Lin Nianzhi had a stubborn personality, she was not bad-hearted and knew how to distinguish between right from wrong.
She genuinely was starting to adore this beautiful and bright young lady a little bit more.
The summer wind blew the white clouds and the sun seemed to be playing hide-and-seek with her. Lin Feilu was in a good mood, stepping on the shadows as she played all the way back home. In summer, the plants in the Imperial Palace were very luxuriant and the coverage of the greenery was very high. Lin Feilu thought that Emperor Lin should be awarded an award for being a sanitation expert.
When walking through the pathway that was hidden by flowers and plants, someone suddenly rushed out of the bushes next to her and slammed into her lap.
In this palace, Lin Feilu was recognized as the second shortest person but there was another one who was shorter than her already tiny stature.
She had always felt that this body was stunted by malnutrition in the past. It was unreasonable for her to know that her height hadn't even surpassed the height of a man's legs when she was already at a ripe age of six!
But the person who crashed into her suddenly was shorter than Lin Feilu.
Her head was about up to her waist as her hair was combed into a neat bun. Because she couldn't stand firmly, she hugged on to Lin Feilu to stabilise her staggering body before she raised her head to 'hush' twice at her.
Someone that is actually shorter than me has appeared!
Lin Feilu got a little too excited.
She hushed back cooperatively and asked in a low voice, "What are you doing?"
The little child said, "I'm hiding from Xiaqing!"
Lin Feilu asked again, "Who is Xiaqing?"
The little child replied, "My maidservant!"
Lin Feilu, "Then who are you?"
The little girl pouted, "I'm Weiwei!"
Weiwei? Lin Feilu then realised that before her was the youngest princess in the palace— Imperial Concubine Su's daughter, the 6th Imperial Princess, Lin Wei.
No wonder she was shorter than me— a mere baby who was about 2 or 3 years old would naturally be shorter than my height.
Not far away, a maidservant was eagerly shouting, "6th Princess! Where have you gone? Stop hiding, this humble servant begs you to please come out!"
Just by listening to her voice, Lin Feilu thought that the maidservant might just cry there and then.
Lin Feilu's skirt was tugged on a few times as the girl fussed, "Squat down! Squat down! You're too tall…"
Lin Feilu, "…"
After being in the palace for so long, it was her first time hearing someone said that she was tall…
She squatted down very cooperatively and even crouched low behind the flower with the little baby. The two then looked at each other for a while before the child asked her, "Who are you?"
Lin Feilu said, "I am your elder sister."
The little girl stared at her round eyes and took some time to process the information. When she finally reacted, she was nodding her head, "Oh~~~" Her child-like voice dragged on for a long time before she shouted happily, "Elder sister!"
Was this how Lin Jingyuan and the others felt when I looked at them?
That's way too cute!
Lin Feilu took her little hand, "Weiwei, we have been hiding for a while now, let's go out together."
The little child was quite temperamental, "Don't want! Not enough!"
(T/N: The girl is really young, so her sentences are translated in a way that expresses her childlike manner and incomplete grammar. Will gradually 'improve' her sentences as she grows up in the story.)
It was only a matter of a few words for Lin Feilu to deal with grumpy and temperamental children. She said, "Next time, come to the Mingyue Palace to find me. I will hide and play with you all day, alright? Elder sister even has a kitten, a puppy and a little bunny in the palace."
The little girl was convinced as a trail of saliva was now visible as she smiled, "Yay!"
So Lin Feilu took her hand and walked out.
Xiaqing paled with anxiety as she went around looking for the Princess along with a few other palace maids. It was a capital crime to lose sight of a Princess and she would have been punishable by death.
Unexpectedly, the road to her afterlife dimmed as she saw the 5th Princess walking towards her while she was holding the hand of the 6th Princess. She smiled and said to her, "Next time, keep a closer eye on the 6th Princess, alright?"
Xiaqing almost cried as she uttered words of gratitude and bent her body to carry the 6th Princess in her arms.
Lin Wei fidgeted in her arms a bit before she eagerly said, "Elder sister, I'll come over to see Kitty, Puppy and Bunny!"
Lin Feilu, "Okay!"
Having lived with the children in the palace for a long time, she almost forgot that there was an adult soul living in her.
Using her cuteness as a weapon came naturally to her as well.
After solving the two bosses, Lin Feilu was now a lot more relaxed. In fact, she had thought about killing before. After all, the martial arts drama had the greatest saying— 'if you don't eliminate the roots of the weeds, it will grow again when the spring breeze blows'. Death was the safest way to ensure any plans wouldn't be foiled.
But when she really thought about that step, she found that no matter how she convinced herself, she couldn't overcome the murderous hurdle in her heart.
She could watch the guard's suicide and ignore the fate of Yuyin being taken away, but it was still very difficult to initiate the act of murder herself.
Sigh, blame the school's ideological and moral education for being so successful. I have become a model citizen who abides by the law.
Amidst summer, the busiest thing for the palace staff was to stab the cicadas on the trees with a bamboo pole.
It was already really hot, so the added noises from the cicadas were really annoying.
Because the weather was too hot and the palace was worried about the possibilities of the students getting heatstroke to and from class every day. Hence, the school began its daily classes an hour earlier, which meant that they would finish an hour earlier as well.
Before, the students could somewhat sleep in at times. But with the newly arranged time, the Imperial School was full of the yawns and groans of sleepy and bored students.
Lin Feilu couldn't bear it either.
I can't believe I have to go through a self-study period even after transmigration!
She regretted sitting in the first row because the positions in the back row where students could sleep peacefully sounded like a great idea. (QAQ)
Moreover, Little Pretty Boy didn't attend many classes recently. Lin Feilu only found out when she inquired, but it turned out that the relationship between the Great Lin Empire and Song Empire had been a bit strained recently. The reason was because the Huai River that was situated in the middle of the two countries, had entered the flooding season. The two countries then got into a slightly tense scuffle due to the topic of water profitability that occurred annually.
At such times, Song Jinglan, who was the enemy's royal hostage, would stay behind closed doors and reduce his sense of existence. After Lin Feilu heard this, she felt strange.
Without Little Pretty Boy seated beside her, sitting in the front row held no purpose anymore.
Lin Feilu hesitated to find Lin Qing before she euphemistically expressed her desire to swap their positions to sit at the last row.
Lin Qing, "…"
Was it because Fifth Sister, who was hardworking and studious, had become unwilling to learn after spending a long time with Fourth Brother?
While Lin Qing was heartbroken, he couldn't hold back after seeing his fifth sister's watery and pleading eyes. He then ordered for her position to be changed.
With the Crown Prince's orders, Lin Feilu's brush, ink, paper and inkstone were quickly moved to the last row. She felt slightly embarrassed as she looked at Lin Qing's unconcealed eyes that were filled with grief. Then, she tried to cajole him, "Brother Crown Prince is the best and bestest person in the world~!"
(T/N: Once again, I know 'bestest' doesn't exist, but emphasising her childlike behaviour because she's trying to be cute and she's 6)
Lin Jingyuan, who was very happy to finally be able to sit with his sister, Little Lu, became confused, "?!"
He looked at Lin Feilu incredulously, "Why?! Why has the best and bestest person in the world turned into Third Brother!"
He looked devastated as he asked, "Wasn't it me?!"
Lin Feilu thought, this is bad.
But the car didn't turn over that fiercely(1)— the problem wasn't serious and she still had time to salvage the situation from escalating any further.
(T/N: A phrase to explain that a situation wasn't entirely hopeless and was still somewhat salvageable)
Lin Jingyuan saw Little Lu turn her head as she blinked her large and gleaming eyes and said very seriously, "The Confucian Teachings not only has Confucius but also Mencius; likewise, the Buddhist monks not only have Xuanzang but also Huineng— this means that there most definitely can be two best and bestest people in the world!"
Lin Qing, "?"
Although fourth brother is not very clever, you can't fool him like this can you, Little Fifth Princess? I can't even continue listening to your words, let alone him…
Lin Jingyuan, "Oh yes! Your words do make some sense, Little Lu!"
Lin Qing, "?"
Forget it, what did you expect from fourth brother?
Lin Qing casted a helpless and funny look at Lin Feilu before he turned and left.
Lin Jingyuan eagerly moved his belongings next to Lin Feilu. After sitting down, he watched her obediently sorting out her books. He then leaned in and said in a low voice, "Although third brother and I are both the best and bestest people in the world, let's get the facts straight— I am still a little better than him, alright?!"
Lin Feilu turned her head and looked at him sweetly, "Brother Crown Prince is the best person in the world's eyes, but Brother Jingyuan is the best person in Little Lu's heart."
Lin Jingyuan's heart raced, Ahhhhh, my sister is so obedient!
Lin Feilu could finally doze off with peace of mind after satisfying the rowdy child. Ever since classes were held at an earlier hour, the stubborn children in the back row became a lot quieter as every child was drifting off to sleep.
Lin Feilu was sleeping comfortably when someone suddenly pulled her side buns and woke her up from her scrumptious dream of eating fried chicken.
She turned her head angrily and glanced at the culprit. Xi Xingjiang was sitting obliquely behind her, lying on the desk with one hand supporting his chin as his other hand was still pulling onto the red ribbon that tied her side buns in place.
Seeing her turning her head angrily, he just let go before he winked at her and smiled, "Little Bean, isn't it easy to learn? How can you learn when you're hanging out with bad students like us?"
Lin Feilu, "It's none of your business!"
She moved the cushion aside and inched a little further away from him before she laid her head down on the table to sleep again.
After a while, Xi Xingjiang poked her armpit with a brush again.
Lin Feilu was about to die of anger. If it weren't for the mentor who was still teaching classes, she really wanted to pummel him to death with the inkstone that was beside her hand.
This kind of boy who pulled the hair of female classmates in school is simply a tumour of the classroom! A cancer!
Lin Feilu pulled out her trump card, "Believe it or not, I will tell Noble Consort Xi!"
Xi Xingjiang, "Oh, have you learned how to snitch on others? Are you going to have my aunt beat me?"
Lin Feilu: "I can tell the Noble Consort that you enjoy my side buns and ask her to tie two for you as well."
Xi Xingjiang, "…"
He retracted his hand decisively before he looked at the direction of the mentor without squinting, appearing to listen attentively to the class that was in session.
Truth be told, his aunt was someone who could really do this kind of thing. She had even made him wear a dress before when he was a young child.
With the Noble Consort Xi serving as her protection, Lin Feilu slept beautifully. After waking up, she read the contents of the book that the mentor was talking about. Memorizing it by heart, the brass bell rang and signalled the end of school.
She ran back to the Mingyue Palace and shouted as soon as she entered the palace compounds, "Yunyou! Did the popsicles I left in the morning finally freeze yet?"
Yunyou received her instructions and didn't do anything all morning but guard the pile of ice cubes. Once there were signs of melting, she continued to add the ice sent by the Imperial Household Department to keep the temperature low.
Now, she opened the quilt and looked at it. The popsicles in the bamboo tube have indeed condensed, so she replied, "Princess, it's almost done."
Lin Feilu ran in hurriedly. She sweated profusely throughout the entire walk home, so she squatted down beside the ice bucket and enjoyed the cooler atmosphere. She picked up a small wooden stick and poked it. The popsicles in the bamboo tube were still a little soft— it didn't meet her expectations, so she could only consider these as 'ice blended' instead.
She could not help but feel a little disappointed.
Yunyou said, "Princess, if you want to make it into ice, I'm afraid you have to take it to the ice cellar."
Lin Feilu thought so too. After she rested for a while, she ate the semi-frozen popsicles as ice blended smoothies.
She used rose milk and honey to make it taste very delicious. It was considered pretty good to be having ice blended smoothies in a place like this.
After eating, she prepared an appropriate amount of rose milk and poured them into the prepared bamboo tubes respectively. Then, she had Songyu and Yunyou hold them as they went to the Imperial Household Department with her.
Although there was no refrigerator at this time and era, as an extremely luxurious palace, it had a large artificial underground ice cellar. Ice cubes were stored in it throughout the year. The ice cubes used to cool the summer heat in the palaces were all transported from here.
Lin Feilu explained her intentions. Naturally, the imperial Household Department would not refuse such a small request from the Little Fifth Princess. After receiving permission, she put all of her bamboo popsicles in the ice cellar.
When school ended on the next day, Lin Feilu didn't return to the Mingyue Palac; instead, she went to the Imperial Household Department.
According to her request, the palace staff had packed the frozen popsicles in an ice box. Lin Feilu asked Song Yu to hold them while she took one out to eat. After one bite, the milky icy ice shavings crumbled in her mouth. With the fragrance of roses and the sweetness of honey, it was so cooling to have one in this scorching summer.
After finally being able to eat some similar foods that were in abundance in her previous life, Lin Feilu was moved to tears.
Songyu looked at her expression and couldn't help but wonder, was it that delicious?
The ice box could guarantee that the ice popsicles will not melt for an hour. After returning to the Mingyue Palace to have lunch, Lin Feilu gave one to each of the palace staff. For a certain time, there were only the sounds of the crunching bites of ice and Lin Zhanyuan's sloppy licks of the popsicles that resounded throughout the entire palace.
In the end there were two sticks left in the ice box. She resolutely refused Lin Zhanyuan's request for another one under the pretence of getting diarrhoea should one have too much of the ice popsicles. Then, she took the two ice popsicles and ran off.
She hasn't been to Cuizhu Villa for a while.
Currently, she wasn't as carefree as before because she was watching every move and paying attention to everything around her. Song Jinglan stayed behind closed doors recently because that was the best way to protect himself. If she visited him frequently, things might instead become detrimental to him.
The sun was extremely hot during that particular afternoon. She felt like she was almost tanned after running throughout her journey.
The weather was hot and not many people were willing to go out, which was why the palace remained quiet. Only the sounds of the cicadas rang from time to time, which adds to the overall atmosphere of summer.
The bamboo door of the Cuizhu Villa was closed. When Lin Feilu ran to the door, she had planned to knock on the door as usual, but when she glanced at the courtyard wall that wasn't too high next to her, she felt that it was time to show her real skills.
I have practiced a ton of martial arts with Noble Consort Xi for so long— even though I still can't fly well, I can probably scale up the wall without much trouble.
Children were inherently light, so it was easier to practice Qinggong(2). Lin Feilu placed the ice box on the ground. Holding a popsicle in one hand, she stepped back a few meters as she stared at the courtyard wall in front of her solemnly. Taking a deep breath that filled her abdomen, she sprinted forward with her legs. Then, she slammed onto the wall with her whole body but managed to rise in the air as she made a leap across the other side of the wall.
(T/N: Originated from Chinese Martial Arts, typically Wushu, it's a technique for jumping off vertical surfaces)
As a result of not being disciplined while learning, as soon as her feet touched the wall, her body laxed. Lin Feilu slipped on her feet and she was going to fall down. Fortunately, her eyes were quick and her hands were agile, allowing her to somehow sprawl her upper body on the surface of the wall whereas her lower body was hanging in mid-air.
Song Jinglan, who heard the commotion, saw the little girl lying on the wall of his courtyard in a weird posture as soon as he came out.
After lying on her stomach for a while, her strength was almost depleted and her body was sliding down a little bit. She could probably avoid the crisis if she threw away the ice popsicles in her hand, but she couldn't bear to do so. Hence, she could only grit her teeth and hold on. Seeing Song Jinglan come out, she suddenly yelled, "Your Highness, I'm about to fall, help me…"
Before she finished speaking, she felt that the white shadow in front of the door moved like a gust of wind as it reached her side in the blink of an eye. He leaped easily onto the wall, leaned over and hugged her small body, embracing her lightly but firmly as they jumped down.
Lin Feilu's elbow was sore to the point where she felt that it was about to break. Her hands were also trembling, but the popsicles in her hand were still held very tightly. When her eyes met his questionable gaze, she couldn't help but feel complacent.
Song Jinglan stretched out his hand to take the two popsicles from her hand and asked with a smile, "You're giving these to me?"
Lin Feilu nodded boredly.
He took a glance before asking, "What is this?"
Lin Feilu answered, "Rose milk popsicles," She added muffledly, "It's almost melting."
Song Jinglan handed one of them to her before he took her little hand, walked to the doorstep and sat down, "Then hurry up and eat."
Lin Feilu sat next to him, her two little feet slightly in a tiptoed position as her elbows were just enough to support her legs. First, she licked the melted outer layer and then, she proceeded to bite it.
Song Jinglan also took a bite. The sound of ice popsicle cracking was calm yet resounding as they were the only sounds heard in the quiet afternoon. She just felt that there was just a certain pleasurable feeling to hear those sounds that she couldn't quite explain.
No one spoke. The eaves blocked the sunlight as the duo sat under the shadow of the roof. The summer breeze blew as they smelled the fragrance of bamboo and enjoyed some rose milk flavoured popsicles.
The heat seemed to dissipate when the popsicles were in their stomach.
Lin Feilu's lips were flushed and red from the cold after eating the popsicle. She licked the ice slags that lingered on the corner of her mouth before she turned her head and asked, "Is it delicious?"
Even the action of a Prince raised by a Royal Family eating a popsicle was pleasing to the eye. Song Jinglan held the sliced wooden stick and nodded, "Mm, it's a relief from the heat."
Lin Feilu was very proud, "Then I'll bring some more for you tomorrow," Her small body leaned back slightly against the steps and her legs stretched forward. Her tone was full of comfort, "Summer without popsicles is just incomplete."
Song Jinglan tilted his head and glanced at her, eyes filled with the summer light, "Will the Princess be using the front door or going over the wall tomorrow?"
Lin Feilu was immediately uncomfortable.
Is it such a difficult task to not bring up my embarrassing past?
She looked straight ahead and used a cold tone to reply to his question, "It's not that I'm not good at scaling the wall, but that the wall of Your Highness's place is too slippery."
Song Jinglan nodded thoughtfully, "Then, I"l ask Tiandong to clean up the moss on the wall another day."
His tone is so solemn, but she didn't even know if he was joking or being serious.
Lin Feilu looked at him and sulked for a while before she suddenly asked, "Your Highness, you are so good at martial arts! Who did you learn it from?"
Song Jinglan's eyes remained unchanged, but the corners of her lips curled in a small arc, "An uncle."
But he has been in the palace for so many years; did he even leave the palace at all? Lin Feilu felt curious, "Where is he?"
Song Jinglan closed his eyes and tilted his head back slightly. The sunlight fell on his chin, his smiling voice was soft and low, "In a place that you can't see."
AD
He's playing riddles with me again. It seems like Little Pretty Boy has a lot of secrets of his own.
But living in an enemy country, it's normal to have secrets— continue to be vigilant and one would live for a long time. It would only be surprising if he had let down all of his guards and told her the truth straight away.
Lin Feilu was the type of person who would be thoroughly questioning someone's answers, but she said enthusiastically in relation to the topic, "Your Highness is so powerful already, so that uncle should also be very good, right? Can you teach me? Is there any way to fly high up in the skies in a faster and easier method? I've been practising for a long, long time."
And the results of that practice? I can't even get past a wall!
How infuriating!
Song Jinglan laughed wildly and turned his head to look at her, "There is no shortcut to martial arts. As the saying goes, 'train for 39 times in winter and more in summer'(1). Everything is done according to the steps and procedures," Seeing her eyes gradually cloud themselves with a playful hint of resentment, he pursed his lower lip and changed his words, "If the Princess really wants to fly…"
Lin Feilu looked at him expectantly with gleaming eyes.
Song Jinglan, "I can take you on a flight."
Bullsh*t!
That isn't how the word 'flight' is used, okay?!
Song Jinglan finally couldn't help but break into laughter when he looked at her saddened and rejected expression. He then raised his hand to touch her little side buns as he said, "Alright, Noble Consort Xi is a heroine among women, so the Princess should follow her example and train hard. When you have a good grasp of the fundamental skills, I'll teach you Uncle Shi's unique skills, okay?"
Lin Feilu snorted reluctantly.
Not far away from where they sat, a knock on the courtyard's door sounded as Tiandong's voice echoed from beyond the door, "Your Highness, I'm back."
Song Jinglan withdrew his hand and got up to open the door. As soon as the old wooden door was opened, he saw Tiandong holding an ice box outside as he asked strangely, "What is this? Why is this at our door?"
Song Jinglan glanced at it and knew that it was brought by the little girl. Hence, he reached out to take it and asked him, "Was today's trip alright?"
Tiandong pouted, "I gave so many reasons and took such a long time to explain everything, but they just took a few pieces of residual ink sticks(2) for me."
(T/N: A block of ink that is about the size of a chocolate bar. Ground it against an inkstone, add some water and you get ink. The residue here probably refers to the size of an eraser— very small compared to what it was)
He took out a handkerchief from the cuffs of his sleeves— it was covered in scraps and bits of ink. Song Jinglan glanced at them but he didn't seem to mind, "It's fine as long as we can use it."
Lin Feilu also came over at this time. Tiandong saw her and said happily, "Oh, the Fifth Princess is here."
Lin Feilu smiled and nodded. Then, she pointed and asked them, "What is that?"
Tiandong glanced at Song Jinglan. Ignoring Song Jinlang's gaze that was full of warning, he quickly said, "His Highness was not allowed to attend the Imperial School for a while and the ink in the house has run out. I have asked the Imperial Household Department for a new block of ink several times. However, they just wouldn't give in. I did manage to get some scraps of ink from them today, though."
A scholar without ink was equivalent to a soldier without a gun!
Lin Feilu immediately shared the hatred that Tiandong felt, "How could they do such a thing!"
The Imperial Household Department was already cutting corners with the treatment they provided the Cuizhu Villa with for some time. Recently, the situation between the Great Lin Empire and Song Empire have been tense, so the mistreatment probably became even more dire. Forget about the scarce amount of food and clothes they were given on a daily basis— to not even provide him ink to write with was just too much.
What a tough life my Little Pretty Boy is going through!
AD
Song Jinglan looked at the little girl's angry expression as he smiled and tried to comfort her, "It's okay, these are enough."
You're already in such a miserable state but your smile remains so beautiful. Sigh…
Lin Feilu pursed her lips. As she thought of a solution, her eyes lit up, "Don't get the ink sticks from them in the future, you can get it from fourth brother!"
Song Jinglan said helplessly, "How can I do that?"
"Why not?" Lin Feilu said, "He would even personally offer a thanks."
Song Jinglan, "…"
She took the ice box from his hands with a smile and clasped it with both hands across her chest. She shook her head and said goodbye to him, "I'm going back now because I'll be going to Noble Consort Xi's palace to practice this afternoon. I'll come back tomorrow to treat Your Highness to ice popsicles again."
Song Jinglan smiled and replied affirmatively.
When Lin Feilu left, Tiandong asked curiously, "Your Highness, what is a popsicle?"
Song Jinglan glanced at him lightly, "You talk a lot lately."
Tiandong pursed his lips and shut up.
In the evening, there was a knock on Cuizhu Villa's door again. Tiandong went to open the door and was surprised to find that the Fourth Prince's eunuch, Kang-an, was standing outside their door.
Kang-an shoved the objects in his hands into his grasp as if he was a thief, "This is what the Fourth Prince asked me to send over. He also told me to relay a word of thanks to your Prince!"
With that being said, he ran away.
Tiandong, "…"
Tiandong, "…"
This scene was rather familiar as Tiandong felt a sense of déjà vu. It reminded him of the first time the Fifth Princess had sent Qingyan to deliver some items to the Cuizhu Villa.
Tiandong opened the package and looked at it. Inside, it was filled with an entire ink set that ranged from brushes to papers.
…
As soon as Lin Feilu returned to the Mingyue Palace, she could hear the sound of a child's cries from a distance. Lin Zhanyuan was usually the only one who could cry like this around here.
But the voice didn't sound like his at all. It was of a softer timbre and there was a slight mispronounced articulation to it. When she got closer, she heard the crying voice calling out the word, 'sister'.
Lin Feilu trotted over and saw the palace maid Xiaqing, whom she had seen last time, walking out of the Mingyue Palace with a baby girl. Two young palace maids were beside her, coaxing the baby girl as they walked, "Princess, be good, okay? Since the Fifth Princess is not in the palace right now, let's come and visit her next time, alright?"
The little baby girl wailed and howled, "No! I want my sister! I want to play hide-and-seek with my sister!"
Lin Feilu called out to her with a smile, "Weiwei."
The crying stopped immediately as the little baby looked over with tears in her eyes. After seeing Lin Feilu, she happily blew a bubble of snot, "Sister!"
She leaned outwards with a tremendous force. Xiaqing hurriedly put her down and bowed to Lin Feilu whereas Lin Wei had already stumbled over and hugged her. An entire face of snot and tears were all over her clothes, "Sister, Weiwei is here to play hide-and-seek with kitty!"
Xiaqing spoke cautiously from the side, "Fifth Princess, our Princess has been clamouring to come to you for the past few days, so this humble servant brought her here."
Lin Feilu nodded as she took out the handkerchief in her arms and wiped the little baby's face. She wiped the snot that was all over her chest before she took the child's hand and walked into the Mingyue Palace.
Xiao Lan didn't know when her daughter met the Sixth Princess. Just now, she became a little overwhelmed when she saw the little baby crying and looking for her sister. Now that she saw her daughter bringing the baby back into the palace, she didn't inquire about it and just ordered Qingyan to boil a serving of milk.
The flower field that Lin Feilu tended to was already filled with lush flora. The Imperial Household Department knew that she liked flowers and plants, so she would be the first to receive any new flowers.
Now, there were roses, Jasmines and moth orchids in the flower field— the contrasts of the reds and purples appearing enchanting to the eyes. Next to the fence of the flower field were the homes of her small animals. There were palace staff who tended to them every day, so there was neither odour nor stains. In fact, the place gave off a faint scent of floral fragrance as they were placed near the flower field.
It was also Xiaqing's first time coming to the Mingyue Palace. She ordered the two younger palace maids to stand under the corridor. She felt that although this place was not as luxuriously decorated as her Imperial Concubine's palace, it had a very natural atmosphere that was very different from what she was used to.
Lin Feilu walked over with the little baby and knocked on the roof of the small wooden house, "Chang Er, come out and greet the guests."
The little white dog that was having a nap heard its owner's voice. It ran out happily as it wagged its tail, itching to be in her arms as soon as it came out.
Lin Wei widened her eyes and said inarticulately, "Puppy!"