Lin Wei was a little scared yet slightly excited. With that, Lin Feilu grabbed her hand and put it on Chang Er's head and touched it. Chang Er had just taken a bath so its fur was clean and fluffy, which was why it felt pretty good to the touch. Lin Wei glanced at her elder sister who was eagerly smiling at her as she boldly touched Chang Er's head.
Chang Er was trained to be well-behaved by Lin Feilu as it never bit nor barked. Being touched by a soft little hand, it turned around and stuck its tongue out into the little baby's palm.
Lin Wei laughed as she was licked by the puppy.
Lin Feilu took Duan Er and Bunny out to play with her for a while. The little baby was coaxed into obedience by the animals and even forgot about playing hide-and-seek with her sister.
After a while, Lin Zhanyuan, who woke up from a nap, also came out. Suddenly, he saw a little baby in the yard and stared at her blankly for a while.
Lin Feilu introduced the two of them to each other in a friendly manner.
Lin Wei couldn't call out the word 'brother', so her honorific term sounded a bit more like 'guo guo'(3). Lin Zhanyuan was still very happy that he had another little sister.
(T/N: Brother in chinese is read as 'ge ge')
His IQ remained stagnant at the age of three, which was about the same age as Lin Wei was now, so their wavelengths were also on the same frequency with each other. The two of them had no trouble talking to each other— their communication was perhaps even smoother than when he conversed along with Lin Feilu.
After all, as an adult, Lin Feilu sometimes couldn't understand much of what Lin Zhanyuan was trying to say…
In this aspect, Lin Wei was obviously better than her.
She had a lot of fun with Lin Zhanyuan.
There were very few children in the palace. The current youngest was the Seventh Prince from the Concubine— Beauty Li's son, who was only recently born. He was still only one years old and was still unable to speak.
This made Lin Wei hold the position as the second-youngest. Her other siblings were too old for her, so Lin Wei had no playmates of the same age. Even as she played hide-and-seek, she could only do so with a maid who was a dozen years older than her. Now that she met Lin Zhanyuan, she truly gained a companion of the same age.
It wasn't until the sun was about to go down that Xiaqing, who was waiting on the sidelines, came over and said, "Fifth Princess, this humble servant has to take the Princess back."
When the little baby heard this, she hugged Lin Feilu's leg, "I won't go back, I won't go back, I won't go back! Sister, don't make Weiwei leave!"
The Sixth Princess was having a temper and that was something that even Imperial Concubine Su couldn't do anything about. Xiaqing immediately casted a look at the Fifth Princess, pleading with her silently to offer some assistance.
Although the Fifth Princess was only six years old this year, she was just slightly older than the child…
But no matter how Xiaqing looked at it, she was much more reliable than her own Princess!
Lin Feilu received Xiaqing's distressed signal and touched Lin Wei's head, "Weiwei, do you know the story of the Gatekeeper God?"
The little baby shook her head blankly, "Weiwei doesn't know."
Lin Feilu, "Every palace has a Gatekeeper God who only protects the people who live in that palace. Every night, monsters that eat children will sneak out to catch some stray children, but because of the Gatekeeper God, the monsters can't get in!"
The little baby was so frightened by the phrase 'monsters that eat children' that her face turned pale white with fright.
Lin Feilu said regretfully, "Elder sister's Gatekeeper God in this palace only protects me; not Weiwei. Only the Gatekeeper God in the Linjing Palace, where Weiwei lives, can protect Weiwei from being captured by the monsters."
The little baby blinked profusely and her tears were about to flow out. She quickly turned around and rushed towards Xiaqing, "Carry me!"
Xia Qing, "…"
Lin Feilu smiled and watched the little baby girl being carried away obediently. She waved at her when she saw her off at the gates, "The child-eating monsters dare not come out during the day, so Weiwei can come and play with sister in the daytime."
The little baby pursed her lips but reluctantly nodded.
When she was taken back to Linjing Palace, Imperial Concubine Su had just returned from Noble Consort Ruan's palace. She was sitting on the soft couch in the inner room and drinking some tea when she heard her daughter's crisp voice shouting outside, "Gatekeeper God? Weiwei's Gatekeeper God, where are you? Come out and play with Weiwei."
Imperial Concubine Su was both amused and helpless. She put down her teacup and went out, greeted with the sight of her daughter chaotically running around the hall looking for someone.
She asked Xiaqing who was beside her, "What did she hear this time? Where did she go just now?"
Xiaqing replied, "Just now, the Princess woke up and was clamouring to go to the Mingyue Palace to find the Fifth Princess. Imperial Concubine was not in the palace and the Princess was crying so badly that this humble servant had to take her there."
Xiaqing had already reported to her about the last time they encountered the Fifth Princess. Imperial Concubine Su and Xiao Lan had never had an interaction before, so she didn't really take it to heart.
However, the next day, Lin Lan was expressing her intent to go to the Mingyue Palace to play with a 'kitty and a bunny'. Imperial Concubine Su coaxed her with a few words and with a child's typically forgetful nature, the baby's attention was quickly diverted. It's just that today, although her intention was only to greet Noble Consort Ruan and exchange a few pleasantries, it was already late when she returned.
Xiaqing recounted what happened to Lin Wei in the Mingyue Palace that afternoon, including the story that Lin Feilu told at the end.
After hearing this, Imperial Concubine Su found it quite interesting, "I can't even get Wei Er to calm down on a normal day of tantrum-throwing. The Fifth Princess is quite intelligent. All she used was a story and she was able to get Wei Er to give in— she is indeed as smart as the rumours speak of her."
Imperial Concubine Su was the main daughter of an aunt of Noble Consort Ruan. Although the two cousins have an average relationship, Noble Consort Ruan's mother had a good relationship with her own mother. That was why Madam Ruan often explained in her letters that her daughter should take good care of her cousin in the palace.
The harem was unpredictable, so having a pair of well-informed sisters looking out for each other could very well prevent any unwanted disasters.
When Imperial Concubine Su entered the palace, Noble Consort Ruan already bore the position of a Noble Consort. Under her care and guidance, Imperial Concubine Su did not even participate in the struggles of the harem. She was promoted to the position of an Imperial Concubine very smoothly and even managed to give birth to a daughter safely.
Putting it lightly, Noble Consort Ruan's temperament was straightforward; in cruder words, she had a sense of arrogance to her temper. However, she did have the means to be arrogant. She had a great family background, her looks were stunning and her father played an important role as the Prime Minister of the Great Lin Empire— she was the overall complete package!
Everyone in the palace knew that Noble Consort Ruan had a bad temper and was difficult to serve. However, there was no trace of scheming on her part—she was quick to say things straight to the point and she would sometimes be a bit rash.
Emperor Lin was frightened by the violent fights that occurred in the previous Emperor's harem, so he tended to favour gentle and kind women. Nevertheless, he also adored Noble Consort Ruan's straightforward and no-nonsense temperament.
Which was why he condoned her arrogance.
Imperial Concubine Su was rather different from Noble Consort Ruan. Although they both had the same beautiful and flamboyant appearance, her personality was brighter and her tolerance level was much higher as well. No matter what came in her way, she took it all unfazed.
She didn't seem to like or dislike anything. But after she gave birth to her daughter, her feelings and emotions became more evident.
Lin Wei ran in circles a few times, but she couldn't find her Gatekeeper God. When she turned around, she saw her Mother Concubine smiling. Imperial Concubine Su stood by the door as she looked at her daughter, but the little baby immediately ran towards her.
Imperial Concubine Su picked up her daughter and wiped away the sweat from her forehead. She heard her daughter ask anxiously, "Mother Concubine, have you seen Weiwei's Gatekeeper God? Weiwei can't find him. Will he leave us if I can't find him?"
Imperial Concubine Su pointed to the open space in front of the door. Then, she raised her eyebrows and said in surprise, "Why would he? Isn't the Gatekeeper God just standing right there?"
The little baby stared at said area for a long time. However, when she couldn't see anything, she finally turned her head aggrievedly, "But Weiwei can't see him anywhere."
Imperial Concubine Su kissed her chubby face, "Only older children can see the Gatekeeper God. Weiwei is too young, so you need to eat more and grow up quickly."
So at dinner, Lin Wei, the 'head of the house'(1) that would usually throw tantrums during mealtimes, finally didn't have to be chased around the courtyard in an attempt to escape. Now, she obediently finished her meal without causing any additional fusses.
(T/N: 'Head of the house' as in, the child is so fussy to the point where everyone in the palace has to tend to her because they couldn't do anything about her)
Imperial Concubine Su was very satisfied, so she instructed Xiaqing, "The Fifth Princess has helped me a lot, pick a few things from our storehouse and send them over to thank her."
Lin Feilu, who got up early the next morning, received a gift from Imperial Concubine Su. Then, she started to express her doubts.
I practically frightened her daughter, so why did she send something over to thank me?
There were so many beauties in Emperor Lin's harem— that was the reason why Lin Feilu hadn't recognized them all despite spending a long time here. During breakfast, when she asked Xiao Lan about Imperial Concubine Su, Xiao Lan was also rather clueless and she didn't know the answer to most of her queries. She only told her that Imperial Concubine Su was the cousin of Noble Consort Ruan and the two often communicated within the palace.
When it came down to Noble Consort Ruan, however, Lin Feilu was already more than familiar with her antics.
Wasn't that the mother who forced Lin Ting to kill the pets and devoted herself to nurture her son into a beast?
Although Lin Feilu had yet to interact with Noble Consort Ruan, she seemed completely different from the arrogant and rash Noble Consort in the eyes of the palace servants.
She might truly just be arrogant, but it was impossible for one to be straightforward without a hint of schemes and tricks.
Judging from what Noble Consort Ruan did and said to Lin Ting, her intention to fight for power was actually rather obvious. Being able to force her son to kill animals with his own hands was not an exaggeration to describe her as cruel.
How could Noble Consort Ruan, who had such thoughts, be an impulsive and reckless woman?
The most painful truth in the world was not the phrase 'I can't do it'. Instead, the worst phrases were 'I might be able to do it, I just need a little bit more…'
And that phrase directly correlated not only to Noble Consort Ruan and the Empress, but also Lin Ting and the Crown Prince.
Whether the discussion was about the authority of the Ruan family or Prime Minister Ruan's reputation in the Great Lin Empire, neither were at a lower level when compared with the traits of the Empress— in fact, they might actually be better.
Therefore, Lin Feilu could understand Noble Consort Ruan's unwillingness and unrelenting desire for her son to be put on the throne.
Despite that, Emperor Lin and the Empress never took precautions against Noble Consort Ruan. Of course, this was partly related to Lin Ting's docile character that never wished for the right to succeed the throne, but it was also due to Noble Consort Ruan's character that confused everyone over the years.
When everyone thought of her as a merely favoured, arrogant and impulsive person, it was difficult to notice some of her more discreet actions. Even if something shady happened in the harem, no one would suspect that it was her doing.
Everyone said that Noble Consort Ruan had a bad temper whereas her likes and dislikes were blatantly written on her face. With that in mind, they presumed that she would never cover up any hint of hatred or resentment towards anyone and would punish you on the spot.
It awed and impressed everyone, but it did not raise any defensive red flags.
If Lin Feilu hadn't had those few substantial interactions with Lin Ting, she too would have been confused by this illusion and assume that she was another 'Hua Fei'(2) figure.
(T/N: Hua Fei refers to a pretty concubine that is favoured by the Emperor and acts however she likes due to the Imperial favour. Usually, arrogant concubines like these were often targets of the harem)
Since Noble Consort Ruan had such a persona, then Imperial Concubine Su, who was close to her, was probably not a simpleton either.
Lin Feilu was not sure about Imperial Concubine Su's attitude towards the Mingyue Palace since she hadn't actually come in contact with her. Hence, she only explained to Xiao Lan on how she should be cautious and pay attention to her safety. The last thing she wanted was to come back from the Imperial School and relive a repeat of the near tragic incident in the garden with the bees.
…
The little baby who was frightened by the 'monsters' yesterday pulled herself together and managed to regain her unlimited energy. As soon as her eyes opened, she started clamouring about wanting to find her sister and play with the pets.
Imperial Concubine Su tried to calm her down for a long time. But then, she did want to see for herself what sort of interesting things were at the Mingyue Palace that managed to attract the undivided attention of her daughter. So after coaxing Lin Wei to have her breakfast, she took her to the Mingyue Palace.
Due to Lin Feilu's explanation, Xiao Lan originally planned to stay inside the entire day and ordered Qingyan to dismiss anyone under the pretence that she was not feeling well. Unexpectedly, Imperial Concubine Su, whom she had never met before, was right at the door.
She initially thought that the visitor was up to no good, but Imperial Concubine Su's only intention was to bring her daughter over to play. After talking to her, she learned that Lin Feilu was attending classes in the Imperial School and was not in the courtyard, so she coaxed Lin Wei again, "Your sister is not here at the moment, so how about we come again in the afternoon?"
As they had already arrived after coming all the way here, the little baby refused to give in. She struggled from her arms and stumbled to the small wooden house next to the flower field. Patting the roof roughly like how Lin Feilu did yesterday, she shouted, "Chang Er! Puppy!"
The little white dog ran out of the small wooden house happily. Smelling the familiar scent of the little baby, it started to wag its tail and pounced on her.
Lin Wei giggled with joy and instantly forgot about her Mother Concubine.
Imperial Concubine Su looked at her for a moment before she said to Xiao Lan, who was beside her, with a light smile, "This flower field is well managed."
Xiao Lan also smiled listening to the comment,"It's all done by Lu Er. That child has always liked flowers and plants."
Imperial Concubine Su's gaze fell on the rabbit nest next to the small wooden house. She had frequent contacts with Noble Consort Ruan, so it wasn't a surprise for her to recognise the rabbit that Lin Ting had raised since his childhood. In addition to that, she also knew that her cousin forced her son to kill the rabbit in order to train the mentality of the eldest Prince.
Unexpectedly, not only did the rabbit escape the jaws of death, but it was secretly being raised here by the Fifth Princess.
Upon glancing at the little white dog playing with her daughter, she seemed to remember that the Ruan family had sent a dog into the palace before. She heard that it escaped, so what was it doing here?
How interesting.
Seeing that Imperial Concubine Su didn't speak, Xiao Lan just looked at her with an inquisitive gaze. Imperial Concubine Su didn't know about the secret between Lin Feilu and Lin Ting, so she felt slightly uneasy. However, she quickly retracted her wary emotions and praised with a light smile, "I heard that the Fifth Princess is smart and quick-witted. Indeed, I think that the claim is true."
Xiao Lan lowered her eyes and smiled.
Imperial Concubine Su waited for Lin Wei to play for a while longer before she embraced the child, intending to leave the Mingyue Palace as she carried her daughter. The little baby was having fun with the puppy and the kitten, so when she was picked up, she started to burst into tears.
Imperial Concubine Su also was very troubled as she tried to coax her softly, "Your sister is not here and it's not fun for Weiwei to play alone. When your sister comes back, I'll bring you over to play again, alright?"
The reason why the little baby was called 'the little baby' was because she was known to be unreasonable and fussy.
She cried and howled, but when she had a glimpse of someone, she pointed to the door and yelled, "Brother is here! Weiwei can play with brother!"
Imperial Concubine Su turned around. There, she saw a little boy hiding behind the door and poking his head into the garden.
Every time a stranger came to the Mingyue Palace, Lin Zhanyuan would hide somewhere. Despite the fact that he saw his new little sister playing happily, he didn't dare to intrude and come to play together with her.
Xiao Lan called to him, "Yuan Er, come and greet Imperial Concubine Su."
Lin Zhanyuan walked over in a dignified manner. He had mastered the art of perfecting the royal etiquette with Lin Feilu as he bowed to Imperial Concubine Su in a proper manner. Lin Wei had already jumped over and hugged his leg, sulking as she called out pitifully, "Brother!"
The little sister's face was full of tears and snot as Lin Zhanyuan looked down at her. Then, he pulled the cuffs of his sleeves as he wiped her face clean little by little.
In the end, he patted her head and said seriously, "Sister, be good. Don't cry, alright? Good children don't cry."
Lin Wei really stopped crying as she took his hand and ran to the edge of the flower field. There, she squatted down and pointed at the rabbit's burrow, "Brother, I can sing the children's song you taught Weiwei to sing yesterday!"
After she finished speaking, she clapped her hands and sang, "Little bunny, be good and open the door; open it quickly, I want to come in~!" Then she shook her head abruptly, singing fiercely and firmly, " I won't, I won't, no means no! Mum hasn't come back so I won't open the door!"(3)
(T/N: This nursery rhyme is about a wolf trying to get into a house of rabbits when the mother left the house. Before she left, she told the kids to not open the door to whomever was outside no matter who they were unless it was her)
Imperial Concubine Su, "Pfft…"
I am too good at giving birth, for I have given birth to such an adorably lovely daughter.
Of course, this was also the children's song that Lin Feilu sang every time she needed to coax Lin Zhanyuan. After he taught his sister to sing the tune yesterday, the little baby secretly practised under the covers for a long time before she went to bed at night.
Xiao Lan had been tense and nervous since the arrival of Imperial Concubine Su. Now that she saw this scene unfold and heard the Imperial Concubine's laugh, her tense spirit relaxed and she couldn't help but laugh as well.
Imperial Concubine Su said after she laughed, "I can't do anything about this child. Since she wants to play here, please help me to take care of her, sister."
Xiao Lan naturally replied affirmatively.
When Imperial Concubine Su entered the palace, Xiao Lan had already fallen out of favour, so this was the first time the two officially met each other. Imperial Concubine Su couldn't just remain here the entire day, so after entrusting Xiaoqing with a few orders, she left the Mingyue Palace.
As they were walking out, Imperial Concubine Su's personal maid asked worriedly, "Imperial Concubine, are we just going to leave the princess here? Wouldn't it…"
Imperial Concubine Su listened to her concerns as she laughed in her heart. Her voice softened unconsciously as she replied, "Wei Er rarely has a playmate. The Sixth Prince is pure and kind and Brilliant Lady Lan is gentle— there's no harm done in leaving her there."
The maid nodded and said, "Imperial Concubine, yesterday, Noble Consort Ruan requested for you to help her choose a satin pattern this morning, so please don't forget it."
Imperial Concubine Su said softly, "Let us go then."
The morning sun was not intensely bright. When Imperial Concubine Su came to Yunxi Palace unhurriedly, the Imperial Embroidery Workshop already delivered a horde of multicoloured brocades to the palace. Noble Consort Ruan was already starting to go through her choices when she heard the palace staff announce Imperial Concubine Su's arrival. Her voice resonated and echoed from within the room, "Come in and give me some advice; I'm about to go crazy with the amount of colours there are."
When Imperial Concubine Su walked into the room, she saw brocades of various tones filling the room. The Yunxi Palace would always be the first to get the first pick among any precious or valuable goods that the Imperial Palace obtained.
The two were chatting while they selected different fabrics. Suddenly, Noble Consort Ruan pointed to Imperial Concubine Su's waist and asked, "Where did you get that on your body?"
Imperial Concubine Su looked down and saw that there was a speck of white dog hair clinging onto her dress.
It probably got on me when I was talking to Weiwei before I left. Noble Consort Ruan didn't see what it was, so Imperial Concubine Su just removed it with her handkerchief.
She replied in a faint voice, "Perhaps some cotton seeds that were blown by the wind got stuck to my dress when I was on my way here."
Noble Consort Ruan did not think that there was anything wrong with what she said, so they happily continued discussing the brocade selection.
…
After Imperial Concubine Su left, Xiao Lan asked the palace servants to prepare some milk and snacks to prevent the Sixth Princess from going hungry. She raised a daughter before, so it wasn't a problem for her to take care of the little baby.
After Lin Zhanyuan finished eating the snacks, he looked at the sun above his head before he clapped his hands and said happily, "It's time to see grandma!"
Lin Zhanyuan would usually greet the Empress Dowager once every two days since she didn't intend to leave the palace anytime soon. He didn't often go for outings, so when he did, he would usually end up in the Yiqing Palace. However, he knew that he would always be given a bunch of goodies to snack on with each visit, so he always liked to play with his grandma.
It's just that Lin Zhanyuan was a little conflicted because he had his new little sister by his side today. He didn't want to leave his sister, but he also wanted to see his grandma. Hence, he finally took her little hand and asked seriously, "Does sister want to go see grandma with me? "
Since her elder sister was absent, she would naturally follow where her brother went. Therefore, she nodded her head without hesitation.
As soon as they got to the Yiqing Palace, they saw the old woman sitting on the rattan chair in the courtyard. With that, the little baby wailed.
The story about the Empress Dowager having the ability to scare her grandchildren was not just a legend. After a month of being born, she had once been frightened by the sight of the Empress Dowager.
Lin Wei was already a crybaby, but upon seeing the Empress Dowager's prominent cheekbones and stern face, she remembered the story of the child-eating monster told by her sister yesterday and she almost fainted from crying.
The good mood of the Empress Dowager, who was eager to welcome her good grandson, was completely shattered by this crybaby! She remained silent throughout the whole commotion.
Lin Zhanyuan hurriedly wiped her tears and patted her head, imitating the way Lin Feilu treated him when he cried, "Don't cry, don't cry! My sister is the best and most obedient child in the world!"
The little baby cried and pointed to the Empress Dowager, "Weiwei is afraid…"
Lin Zhanyuan couldn't understand what she was afraid of.
He scratched his head suspiciously and looked at his sister. Then, he turned to look at his grandma before he finally thought of something. He patted his chest proudly, "I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid! Look at me!"
He ran over to the Empress Dowager's side. Standing on his tiptoes, he kissed her on the side of her cheeks.
The Empress Dowager's heart was warmed by the soft and affectionate kiss of her good grandson.
The Empress Dowager's heart was warmed by the soft and affectionate kiss of her good grandson.
No matter how intimate people acted during the ancient times, there was never such a blatant display of affection amongst royalty. However, it was proven that he was much influenced by Lin Feilu's adorable behavior after spending so much time around his sister.
After Lin Zhanyuan finished kissing her, he turned his head and said seriously to the little baby, "Grandma is not fierce! You can also kiss her!"
The tone of his voice expressed the same level of excitement where one would say, 'This is delicious! You should try some!'
Lin Wei looked at him blankly before she looked at the Empress Dowager.
At her age, she wanted to imitate everything and anything.
Listening to her brother, she inched over step by step with wide eyes. Due to her brother's encouraging gaze, she tried her best to move towards the Empress Dowager's face.
Soon, the Empress Dowager was covered in snot.
When Xiaqing brought Lin Wei back to the Linjing Palace, she held several boxes in her arms.
Imperial Concubine Su came back from Noble Consort Ruan's palace. Leaning on the soft bed as she read a book, she took a glance at the boxes and asked in a low voice, "What are those?"
Xiaqing said, "It was given to the Princess by the Empress Dowager."
Imperial Concubine Su thought that she was mistaken, but she sat upright instantly, "Who?"
Xiaqing replied, "The Empress Dowager."
She brought the boxes over. They contained a golden lock, a jade necklace and a blood jade pendant that was in excellent condition.
Imperial Concubine Su couldn't believe her eyes.
The Empress Dowager never liked her and Lin Wei. When Lin Wei was only a month old, Lin Wei was already known as a friendly child that got along with everyone; only when she was with the Empress Dowager did she cry uncontrollably. Back then, no amount of coaxing worked on her.
After that, the Empress Dowager never summoned her and her daughter again. Then, she went to Mount Wutai to practice the art of Buddhism. Upon returning this time, Imperial Concubine Su originally brought Lin Wei to greet her. However, the Empress Dowager refused under the pretence that she was not feeling well and a child's cries would do nothing to aid her ailment.
It seemed like she was still bothered by the incident.
Imperial Concubine Su originally thought that she would guide her to gradually make amends with the Empress Dowager once she became a bit older and more sensible. However, she didn't expect that in a twist of events, the Empress Dowager actually took a liking to her already?
Xiaqing wasn't with the children when it happened and she didn't know what was going on either, so she just said, "The Sixth Prince went to greet the Empress Dowager and he brought the Princess along with him."
Imperial Concubine Su grabbed her daughter who was running around all over the floor into her arms and asked her, "Did Wei Er meet Imperial Grandmother just now?"
The little baby nodded happily, "Wei Wei saw her! Imperial Grandmother gave Weiwei a lot of things!"
Imperial Concubine Su asked again, "Is Weiwei no longer afraid of Imperial Grandmother?"
"I'm not afraid!" Lin Wei flipped through the gifts in the box with her short hands, "Brother said that Imperial Grandmother is not fierce! Weiwei also tested it out— she isn't fierce."
Imperial Concubine Su couldn't help but laugh for a long while. Despite asking about the details, she still didn't know what happened when the kids arrived at the Yiqing Palace. However, the fact that her daughter won the favour and the adoration of the Empress Dowager also eased one of the worries in her heart.
So, the Mingyue Palace received another gift from Imperial Concubine Su.
Lin Feilu, who just came back from the Imperial School, looked at the valuable jade pieces in the house. Does Imperial Concubine Su have a crush on someone in our palace or something?
Xiao Lan worriedly told her about Imperial Concubine Su's visit in the morning, "For some reason, she seemed to be paying attention to Chang Er and that rabbit, so I got a little uneasy."
Lin Feilu remembered that the relationship between Imperial Concubine Su and Noble Consort Ruan were rather good. Thus, she thought she was a goner.
Would Noble Consort Ruan bring a group of people to beat Chang Er and the rabbit to shreds?
And would she befall me with the sin of 'raising pets on my own accord'?
In the end, after waiting for several days, Lin Feilu didn't even see the shadow of Noble Consort Ruan.
She didn't know if Imperial Concubine Su didn't recognise the pets or if she had deliberately concealed the truth for her. But after hearing about Xiao Lan's description, Imperial Concubine Su obviously did recognise the animals at that very moment.
There wasn't even a proper interaction between the two of them, much less a friendship. Hence, there was no reason for Imperial Concubine Su to cover up something like this against a member of her own family.
She really has a crush on someone in our palace!
In the end, Lin Feilu didn't receive any punishments from Noble Consort Ruan, but she was granted with an invitation to accompany Emperor Lin on an excursion.
They were only in the middle of summer and the weather was getting even more devious. It was a royal custom to avoid the cold in winter and the heat in summer. The summer palace was built on the Taihang Mountains and it was called the Lanxing Palace. Compared to the Hot Springs Bathhouse, this one was a lot more luxurious and larger.
Moreover, Lanxing Palace was located in the deep mountains where there were many kinds of beasts roaming around. The entire mountain was a perfect hunting ground for the royals and the nobles. This was also where Emperor Lin would conduct the Annual Summer Hunt.
Xiao Lan managed to enter the Lanxing Palace once during her first year of moving into the palace. At that time, she was blessed with the Imperial favour, so among the lower-ranking concubines, she was the only one who received the gift of accompanying His Majesty.
That's why it wasn't surprising to know that she became the target of the other concubines' envy and jealousy.
This time, not only the names of Xiao Lan and Lin Feilu were on the list, but even Lin Zhanyuan was invited.
Even though Lin Zhanyuan was no longer a toddler and long matured into the age of a boy, the farthest place that he had ever been to was undoubtedly the Yiqing Palace. To know that he was going to see a wondrous space filled with myriads of plants and animals excited him to no end. His enthusiasm kept him up late at night, and ever since he received the Imperial Decree, he started to count down the days till the anticipated day.
The Empress Dowager did not return to Mount Wutai, so she naturally accompanied him on the summer vacation. The day before departure, she sent someone to the Mingyue Palace to relay a message. 'The distance would be very long and it would be rather inconvenient for the carriage to be full of people.' Since Xiao Lan had to take care of the Fifth Princess, she asked Lin Zhanyuan to accompany her on the journey.
This was Lin Feilu's second time venturing out of the palace ever since she came here. Her status then and her current standings were quite different— even the carriage was much more luxurious and comfortable than it was before. The areas outside the palace were cleared entirely as the streets were very notably empty. She lifted the curtains and looked out for a long time, secretly thinking that when the timing was right, she would find an opportunity to go out to the palace to play.
After two days of bumpy roads, the entourage finally arrived at the Lanxing Palace.
As soon as they entered the mountain, the temperature dropped almost instantly, and the sultry heat they experienced along the way disappeared immensely, replaced by a cool breeze with the light scent of the surrounding trees. As the entourage marched, the birds in the forest were startled. Lin Feilu was still in the carriage when she saw a rabbit jumping wildly around the forest.
Several princes rode ahead on their horses and Lin Jiwen even drew out his bow and arrow in an attempt to shoot the easy prey. However, he was stopped by Lin Ting.
He gently persuaded his brother, "The Summer Hunt hasn't commenced yet, so just let it live for a while longer, second brother."
Lin Ting was always soft-hearted, but because the Summer Hunt was a tradition of the Great Lin Empire, he could only stop his brother with his higher authority.
Lin Jiwen put away the bow and arrow reluctantly.
Ever since he intentionally injured Song Jinglan in the Arena, Lin Feilu didn't have a good impression of him.
For his little sister, who never seemed to express her dislike towards someone, Lin Jingyuan was very happy that she shared his same hatred towards their older sibling. He made a snarky comment full of sarcasm when he saw what he tried to do, "Woah, considering how eager you were to show off your skills, it seems like second brother has immensely improved in archery."
Lin Jiwen turned his head and glared at him, but he didn't know how to refute that claim. Thus, he only harshly scolded, "At least it's better than your usual cheats and lazy attitude!"
Lin Jingyuan was only naughty and playful, so he never focused on the things that actually mattered. However, he was not stupid as he was actually quite clever.
He retorted, "Who are you calling lazy and a cheater? I can recite 'The Analects of Confucius', does second brother know how to? I can still recite the 'Book of Documents', does second brother know how to? The 'Serene Analects' I wrote the day before was praised by the mentors, but was second brother praised at all?"
Lin Jiwen almost vomited blood due to his boiling anger, "You…!"
Lin Qing had to intervene, "Enough! Father Emperor is still in front, so it's not proper for us to be noisy in public! When we get to the palace, both of you are to copy the 'Brother Analects' ten times each! If you can't finish it, you are not allowed to participate in the Summer Hunt!"
Lin Jiwen, "…"
Lin Jingyuan, "…"
For the sake of Little Lu, I really paid too much of a price. QAQ
His aggrieved face turned to look at Lin Feilu's carriage.
Lin Feilu, who leaned halfway out of the carriage's window to watch the brothers' argument, sat back silently after realising it ended.
There was a pond in the small palace allocated to Xiao Lan. The water surface of the pond was always covered with white and pink lotus flowers. Thus, the name of this small palace was also very artistic as it was called the He Se Palace(1).
(T/N: Lotus= He, Colour= Se. The Palace was literally named 'Lotus Colour Palace')
When they arrived at the palace, they rested and took some time to get used to their surroundings. The Sumer Hunt was scheduled to commence in three days.
This time, the two Noble Consorts and the two Consorts accompanied the excursion. In addition to Imperial Concubine Su, whom Lin Feilu already knew about, there were three other concubines— one of them was Fair Lady Xie. She was already five months pregnant, but due to the hot weather, she had a low appetite for food. After listening to the imperial doctor's suggestion, Emperor Lin brought her along to help her raise the baby at ease.
The deep mountains, which were usually silent all year round, suddenly became lively.