Description
Lin Feilu, or better known by her nickname—Green Tea Princess, was the best of all the scheming b*tches that the world had ever seen. She was the Oscar-winning actress among the masses with real life as her stage. Acting coy, slandering, feigning innocence, or playing the saint, she aced it all. Simply put, she was the proverbial villainess.
Ah, but retribution came way too early for this malicious personage and she died on her 27th birthday.
In death, Lin Feilu reflected on her career of 20 years as the Green Tea Princess. She was full of regret and remorse over the life she once led. She vowed, if there was an afterlife, she would atone for her misdeeds and be a good person.
She transmigrated into a five-year-old princess of the Dalin Dynasty. In the name of family, she had a sickly mother disfavoured by the emperor, a mentally challenged and daft older brother.
Her life was constantly in danger, with having little to eat and trying to stay warm.
The living environment was very harsh.
Lin Feilu, who wanted to be a good person: … You forced me! Sorry, I can only activate my unique skill.
Harem fight? Striving for favor? Climbing the ranks?
Apologies, but let me show you what it means to be slaughtered by a maxed out player.
Note: "Green Tea" is a woman who presents herself as innocent, sweet, and kind but is very scheming and calculative in reality.
Lin Feilu passed away on the night of her 27th birthday.
In the previous years, she would host birthday parties at her beach house, then partying with her friends from night until dawn. Even the gifts from her parents were sent there in advance.
However, this year, she contracted gastroenteritis (stomach flu) this time. She went to the hospital in the morning to get some medicine and went back to the nearby high-rise building in the city center. She lay in her bedroom and slept for a day.
She was awakened by noises in the living room at night.
After her parents separated, they had each lived in their own separate houses, but the house in the city center was jointly owned by the two and was left empty for a long time. When Lin Feilu walked out clutching her stomach, she saw her stylishly dressed mother rolling on the couch with a little wolf dog.
(T/N: "Little wolf dog" means a young handsome man.)
Lin Feilu froze for two seconds before going back to her bedroom to change clothes. After that, she slammed the door shut before leaving the house.
When she reached the garage, her mother dialled in and asked her over the phone, "Why are you here? Didn't you go to the party?"
Lin Feilu opened the door of Lamborghini. She didn't answer but instead asked a question in response, "Have you two divorced?"
"No," came the reply from Mother Lin.
A smile with a slight trace of disgust appeared on her face as she said, "I don't know what you are thinking." Before Mother Lin could say anything in response, she added, "You can continue. You can rest assured that I won't tell dad."
This was just like how she didn't tell her mother when she saw her father took a woman into the villa.
The couple had been playing their own game since she was a child. She had seen a lot of things that she shouldn't or mustn't see in those years. Apart from being disgusted, she harboured no other feelings for them now.
When she was about to hang up, the person on the other side of the line said as if suddenly recalling something, "Happy birthday, dear."
Lin Feilu started her car engine, "Thank you."
The car cruised along the coastal road and once again the phone rang. It was her toxic friend who dialled in and shouted over the speaker, "You finally picked up the call! We are in DC. Are you coming over?" After speaking, she lowered her voice and then her tone became a little excited. "Xie He is here too, saying that he will apologize on behalf of his girlfriend regarding the incident last time! Oh no, it's already an ex-girlfriend. Let her pour you coffee, she deserves it!"
Her stomach started to ache again. She clutched it with one hand while the other retained a firm grip on the steering wheel, "I'm not coming. You guys play first."
Her toxic friend was startled, "What about Xie He?"
Lin Feilu said with a smile, "I don't care about him."
The other party became speechless, "He broke up with his girlfriend because of you."
Lin Feilu replied casually, "Neither did I tell him to break up nor did I do anything."
There was only silence on the other end of the call.
There was another bout of sharp pain in her stomach. Lin Feilu lowered her head in pain and reached out to hang up the phone. Suddenly, there was a loud screeching sound of brakes in front and a large truck skidded over at high speed.
Lin Feilu quickly turned the steering wheel. Her car crashed into the guard rail and catapulted off the road, falling off the cliff and plunged into the sea.
While Lin Feilu was in mid-air, her heart was calm and there was only one thought that crossed her mind.
Surely enough, if you do too many bad things, you will suffer retribution. In the next life, I will be a good person.
However, she didn't expect that her next stint into another life would happen so quickly. It felt like she had just taken a short nap and by the time she opened her eyes again, she had already reincarnated.
Lin Feilu was stunned for some time. She raised her small hands and looked at it for a while. After that, she turned her head to look around.
There was a woman in a palace lady's costume sitting next to the bed, sewing embroidery on a piece of silk. Her facial features were very beautiful, but her facial complexion was pale and white. Her whole body was exuding a sickly aura.
Lin Feilu was still observing everything secretly when a palace maid entered, "My lady, I have brought medicine."
The woman stood up and asked, "Where is the imperial doctor?"
"Concubine Li was about to give birth so all imperial doctors were ordered to attend to her. This servant has conveyed the princess's condition to the imperial hospital personnel. This is the medicine prescribed for the princess."
The woman clutched the silk cloth in her hand tightly for a long while and finally sighed, as if resigned to accept her fate, "Fine. Go and boil the medicine, and then make some light porridge."
The maid immediately left receiving the orders. The woman turned around and saw that the little girl on the bed was awake. She was looking around with her dark eyes. The woman quickly put down the silk cloth and leaned over to the edge of the bed to pick the girl up.
Lin Feilu felt somewhat light headed. The woman's fragrance assaulted her nose as her little body was held in her arms, giving an unreal feeling.
"Dear Feilu, are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Lin Feilu shook her head as if trying to wake herself up. The woman carried her and went outside. There was a palace maid in the courtyard who was crouching under the osmanthus tree and picking out the stamens. The woman said, "When Feilu is healthy, mom will make you your favorite sweet osmanthus cake, okay?"
Lin Feilu observed the surroundings, the sight of red walls and blue tiles welcomed her sight. There was a stone table placed in the center and there was a raised platform with ancient cornices in the distance which made one feel as if you can reach the stars . There were two or three more stone tables and chairs in the courtyard. There was a large porcelain water tank on the east and west corners. There were four rooms and some randomly planted trees. This quaint courtyard was not gorgeous and seemed cold.
Lin Feilu turned her head to look at the woman. She asked in a calm tone, "What's wrong with me?"
The voice that came out was soft and childish.
The woman answered with a warm smile, "You went to play at the Linxing Pavilion in the morning, but accidently fell into the water and caught a cold. However, it's okay now. You just need to drink some medicine for a while."
Lin Feilu bit her tongue. Ah… It hurts.
After a while, the palace maid brought a bowl of medicine. The woman fed her the medicine and put a piece of sweetmeat into her mouth. The palace maid beside her smiled, "The princess is so obedient. You don't cry or make trouble when you drink your medicine."
Lin Feilu felt a headache and whispered, "I want to sleep."
The woman kissed her on the cheek and carried her back to the bed. Lin Feilu closed her eyes and heard the woman's order, "Tomorrow you will send this pair of jade bracelets to Concubine Li to congratulate her on the birth of a child. I am sick and my arrival may trouble her, so I won't visit."
"This servant will follow your orders."
At this moment, Lin Feilu was no longer as muddle-headed as before.
She was not sure how to react in this situation.
However, she had always been good at adapting to various scenarios. After taking the medicine and going to sleep, she had fully accepted this fact. During her sleep, memories that belonged to the little girl flooded her mind.
A five-year-old girl would not have known much.
She only knew that this place was the Great Lin Empire. Her mother was an imperial concubine named Xiao Lan. She had an older brother named Lin Zhanyuan who was two years older than her. Her brother was different from ordinary people — others secretly called him a fool.
The little girl was the Fifth Princess of the Great Lin Empire, but she had only met her father a handful of times.
In other words, she and her mother were not favored.
Yesterday, she was flying a kite outside. The kite broke and fell into the Linxing Pavilion. When the little girl went to pick up the kite, she met the Third Princess Lin Xi.
Lin Xi actually did not like her tattered kite, but she did like to bully her. When the two were fighting for the kite, the little girl was pushed into the water by Lin Xi. After she was rescued, she had been in a coma and suffered from a persistent fever.
Then, it was Lin Feilu who woke up again.
As a top student with a Master's degree, she tried to recall any knowledge of the Great Lin Empire, but only to no avail. She realised that the Great Lin Empire might not have been discovered by modern day society yet.
Although this place didn't look good, thinking back to the car accident she had just experienced and then looking at her intact limbs, Lin Feilu felt that she still landed on a good bargain.
The figure of the little girl in her head was gradually fading into a blur.
Lin Feilu said to the little girl in her heart, "I am someone who knows to differentiate between gratitude and grudges. I never take advantage of others in vain. Since I will be living inside your body, I will surely avenge you."
It seemed that this was the opportunity given to her by God to turn over a new leaf and make a fresh start.
Since she had promised that she would take revenge, she would definitely do it. However, revenge was a dish best served cold so she was not in a hurry. She had to figure out her current situation first. She had watched plenty of historical soap dramas. The Imperial Harem was always described as one of the most dangerous and cruelest places to be. She had to be extremely careful.
Outside in the courtyard, the sky seemed to be getting brighter. Honorable Lady Xiao Lan was finally relieved to find that Lin Feilu's fever had broken. She immediately went out and ordered her palace maid to make porridge. Lin Feilu was lying on the bed, thinking about her new life. The door creaked as it was pushed open and a small figure came over.
(T/N: "Honorable Lady" is an imperial title bestowed on an emperor's concubine. Harem titles are ranked in the following ascending order: Pure Lady, Honorable Lady, Concubine, Imperial Concubine, Consort, Noble Consort and Empress.)
He approached the edge of her bed, crouched down and called out, "Younger sister, younger sister."
Lin Feilu turned her head and saw a handsome little boy tilting his head and laughing foolishly at her.
It was her dim-witted brother Lin Zhanyuan.
Lin Zhanyuan was the sixth prince among the princes. Although he was the sixth prince in name, the truth could be seen from the fact that even the eunuchs dared to call him a fool in private. He was an abandoned prince.
The fact that the Emperor didn't like Honorable Lady Xiao Lan was also related to this.
As an emperor, having a fool for a son was simply a stain in his life.
Lin Zhanyuan's intelligence probably stayed at the age of three or four. He could only say some short words. Seeing Lin Feilu wake up, he was so happy that he patted her head, "Sister is good. Sister isn't hurt."
Lin Feilu felt that he was odd but also cute at the same time.
She grew up in a family where she had never been loved, nor was she taught how to love. She had developed an extremely egocentric temperament. In fact, her heart was apathetic and it was very difficult for her to empathize with anyone else. However, she could muster up some patience and sincerity for cute-looking children.
She smiled and said to him, "I am not hurt."
Lin Zhanyuan seemed to have understood and looked happier. He laughed so much that his saliva flowed out. He took out a handful of greasy sweetmeat from his sleeves and handed it to her like a treasure, "Eat, sister… delicious!"
He must have been keeping them hidden. The sweetmeats were all glued together and looked dirty. Lin Feilu was very picky, naturally she would not eat them. She coaxed him, "Sister doesn't want to eat. It's all brother's."
Lin Feilu's voice was soft and sweet. It was very pleasing to the ears.
Lin Zhanyuan inherited his mother's looks. Even if he was a fool, it did not affect his physical appearance. He nodded happily and put all the sweetmeat into his mouth.
Lin Feilu took this opportunity to get out of bed and look for a mirror.
As she had expected, the little girl in the bronze mirror looked quick-witted and adorable. She had a small dimple on her cheek when she laughed, which made her all the more cuter. When she grows up, her appearance would definitely not be bad.
Lin Feilu who attached great importance to good looks was very satisfied with herself.
When Xiao Lan came in, she saw Lin Zhanyuan whose face was covered with scraps of sweetmeat. She said in a helpless tone, "Didn't Mother tell you that your sister is sick and that you shouldn't be disturbing her?"
Feeling wronged, Lin Zhanyuan answered, "I miss my younger sister and want to play with her."
Xiao Lan did not seem to dislike her silly son at all. In the harem where mothers depended on their sons to secure their futures, Lin Zhanyuan's existence had cut off all her paths to ascension. However, she still gave her all to protect and love both of her children without any hint of reservation.
Lin Feilu spent her breakfast trying to figure out her overall situation.
The place where Xiao Lan lived was called Mingyue Palace. More accurately, she lived in the side residence of Mingyue Palace. It was Concubine Xu who lived in the main residence as Concubine Xu's standing was higher than hers.
(T/N: This image of a traditional Chinese house roughly illustrates Mingyue Palace's layout. As Mingyue Palace had to at least match the prestige of being part of the Imperial Harem, its size at least twice the size of what is illustrated in the aforementioned image.)
There were only two palace maids by her side. One of them was Yunyou. She was the maid that Lin Feilu saw when she woke up yesterday. She was originally a maid of Xiao Lan's family who accompanied her into the palace.
The other palace maid was called Qingyan. While other maids used various methods to leave this disfavored place, Qingyan voluntarily remained here with Xiao Lan because she had received her kindness.
Furthermore, there was also an elderly lady who had been serving in this Mingyue Palace throughout the year. She was very old so Xiao Lan did not make her do any work. Lin Feilu met her during a meal, and both sides were polite to each other.
Being disfavored also had its own benefits. At least no one would be keeping an eye on you. You would not have to be bothered by your enemies' schemes all the time. It was a good life to have if you simply lived quietly behind closed doors.
After all, she also needed time to adapt to this new environment and her new identity. She decided to observe everything first.
Don't mess up, be a good person.
At noon, Qingyan ran in anxiously. Lin Feilu was still lying on the bed, looking at Xiao Lan's embroidery work. She heard her say, "My lady, the palace servants of Imperial Concubine Jing are here! They said they are here for the princess."
Xiao Lan frowned, "What's the matter?"
Qingyan said in a worried tone, "The Third Princess caught a high fever last night. She kept screaming that she saw the little princess standing at her door. She didn't get well even after seeing the doctor. Imperial Concubine Jing said that… fighting with the little princess in Linxing Pavilion has frightened the Third Princess. She has demanded that the little princess must make amends."
It took Lin Feilu a long time to iron out the details of her current state of affairs.
Third Princess Lin Xi was the one who pushed her into the water yesterday and Imperial Concubine Jing was Lin Xi's mother.
The murderer scared herself sick, yet the victim had to apologize to her?
Lin Feilu felt that this Imperial Harem was oddly very intriguing.
When 'Lin Feilu' had an argument with Lin Xi yesterday, there was no one in the Linxing Pavilion other than a few palace maids who took care of Lin Xi. From her observations, Lin Feilu concluded that Xiao Lan did not know the truth behind that incident.
It was impossible for Imperial Concubine Jing not to know the truth, but she was still making up bogus accusations.
The titles and ranks within the Imperial Harem of the Great Lin Empire were historically similar to that of the Ming Dynasty's. From the lowest to the highest rank, they were Honorable Lady, Concubine, Imperial Concubine, Consort, Noble Consort, and lastly, the Empress.
(T/N: The Imperial Harem had its own rules and factions. Most of the women in the harem were descendents of noble clans as this was the nobles' way of showing their loyalty to the Emperor. A concubine's status was very significant to her clan, as the Emperor's favor would extend to his concubine's clan members. Every rank had its corresponding authority within the palace that came along with responsibilities. They were not mere titles. For example, the Empress is tasked with the responsibility to manage all operations within the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Harem.)
Since this was the order of an Imperial Concubine, no matter how angry or unwilling she was, Xiao Lan could only rush to Zhaoyang Palace with Lin Feilu.
Compared to Xiao Lan's nervousness, Lin Feilu was very calm and still had the mind to enjoy the scenery along the way. It was late autumn, and the Asiatic apple flowers were in full bloom. The pavilions were in picturesque disorder and the palace had a majestic aura. Compared to the Forbidden City that Lin Feilu visited on Chinese New Year, this was much more grandiose. With this, Lin Feilu felt even more energetic.
(T/N: More details on the Forbidden City here.)
It seemed that only the small side residence, where she lived, was deserted while it was quite lively and beautiful outside and everywhere else in the imperial palace.
She viewed the scenery all the way with relish. When she arrived at Zhaoyang Courtyard, she heard a girl's wail. When she walked to the door, Lin Feilu heard a shrill voice cursing, "Has that little b*tch come? Does she want me to personally invite her inside?!"
When the servant of Imperial Concubine Jing, who was standing at the door, saw Xiao Lan leading Lin Feilu in, she immediately went inside to report. Imperial Concubine Jing soon came out. She was quite a beauty. However, in Lin Feilu's opinion, her beauty was far more inferior to Xiao Lan's.
'Someone with this appearance can be promoted to Imperial Concubine. With Xiao Lan's appearance, she should at least be a Noble Consort.'
'The emperor must be blind.'
Lin Feilu only glanced twice before retracting her gaze. Next to her, Xiao Lan had already knelt down on one knee, then she tugged on Lin Feilu's hand to make her kneel too.
Lin Feilu was reluctant. The modern thoughts in her mind were still resisting feudal reality. She saw Imperial Concubine Jing suddenly take two or three steps forward. Imperial Concubine Jing lifted her hand and slapped Xiao Lan's face hard, allowing no room for explanation.
A crisp and clear sound of a slap resounded as Lin Feilu's vision blurred along with her thoughts.
After getting slapped, Xiao Lan kowtowed repeatedly instead of retaliating. She begged for forgiveness on behalf of Lin Feilu. (T/N: Reason for this will be disclosed later.)
Lin Feilu was ultimately an imperial princess. Even if she was not favored, she still had royal blood flowing in her veins, thus Imperial Concubine Jing dared not do anything to her no matter how angry she was. After slapping Xiao Lan, she looked at the beautiful young girl in front of her and said in disgust, "Go in and kneel in front of the Third Princess's bed to apologize!"
Lin Feilu was completely dumbfounded by this scene.
Imperial Concubine Jing must have learned from the imperial doctors that she had also been feverish after the incident yesterday. Thus, it would have been an arduous task if not impossible for her to walk up to Lin Xi.
However, the Imperial Harem was truly such an unreasonable place. Now that Lin Feilu's fever had subsided but Imperial Concubine Jing's own daughter contracted high fever and kept muttering nonsense, she just wanted to vent her anger. It had nothing to do with Lin Feilu.
Imperial Concubine Jing was gritting her teeth and seething with hatred, until she suddenly saw an expression of extreme horror on the face of the dazed little girl. The little girl's pupils dilated and she started sweating profusely while staring at the door of Third Princess Lin Xi's room.
With a loud cry, she hid behind Xiao Lan.
While crying, she wailed, "That person is so scary. There are aquatic plants clinging onto her body and her clothes are… dripping wet! Mom, I'm scared!"
Imperial Concubine Jing: ?
Palace maid: ?
A child's expression could not be faked. Imperial Concubine Jing's face suddenly turned pale. She glanced at the empty door and her arrogant voice trembled, "What did you see? What else is there?! Is it still there?"
Lin Feilu sobbed and said, "It is now entering Third Sister's room."
Lin Xi, who was still lying on the bed, heard these words. Immediately she shrieked out loud and fainted.
Suddenly, Zhaoyang Palace fell into chaos.
In this era, people believed in ghosts and gods. They feared and revered them. No one dared to belittle sightings of the supernatural.
Lin Xi did mention that she kept seeing the Fifth Princess standing at the door. Since she saw something, Lin Feilu might have seen something too. It's hard to tell whether the Fifth Princess was lying. It was most likely true that there was a water ghost staring at them at the door.
Coincidentally, two palace maids had died from drowning in the pond of Linxing Pavilion a few years ago and this matter had something to do with Imperial Concubine Jing. Thinking about this, Imperial Concubine Jing was more convinced that Xiao Lan could not be dealt with right now.
When she left Zhaoyang Palace, half of Xiao Lan's face had swollen up and looked painful. However, she seemed unable to feel the pain. She only grabbed Lin Feilu's small and soft hand then said to Yunyou anxiously, "Little Feilu ran into some evil spirit. Go back and prepare some offerings."
Lin Feilu was bored to death. She looked at the flowers blooming on both sides of the pathway.
In her past life, she always had been physically predisposed to sweating whenever she held her breath. She thought her condition would be fixed after transmigrating into her new body. She was not expecting it to happen when she tried it just now and decided to keep her act up until the end. In her opinion, the opponent was simply too noob.
Everyone in the Imperial Palace soon learned of the presence of an evil spirit in Zhaoyang Palace, the residence of Imperial Concubine Jing. It was said that Third Princess Lin Xi provoked an evil spirit while playing in Linxing Pavilion. The Fifth Princess, Lin Feilu, also had a fever yesterday but she was fine now.
Both children ran into the same evil spirit. However, for every grievance, someone would be held responsible; for every debt, there would be a debtor. The evil spirit only followed the Third Princess, thus it was apparent that the root cause was due to the past sins committed by Imperial Concubine Jing.
After this incident, fewer people would visit Zhaoyang Palace. The concubines who used to have frequent contacts with Imperial Concubine Jing no longer visited her. The Empress raised this matter to the Emperor. Although the Emperor was blessed by the heavens with divinity, the Empress advised it would be best for him to avoid inviting malevolence; thus the Emperor should not visit Imperial Concubine Jing for the meantime.
The Emperor agreed. Besides, there was no shortage of beauties in the Imperial Harem. In fact, he was afraid that someday he would be too busy and forget about the matter with Imperial Concubine Jing, so he specifically instructed for the removal of her plaque from his list of visitations.
In the end, the Emperor really did forget about this matter.
That was how he also forgot to reinstate Imperial Concubine Jing's plaque back on his list.
Thus, Imperial Concubine Jing fell out of favor.
Of course, all of this would happen much later. Presently, Zhaoyang Palace was still in the midst of an exorcism which was being conducted by Buddhist monks. Xiao Lan was also not any less terrified by this incident. As soon as she returned to Mingyue Palace, she had Lin Feilu accompany her as she began to conduct a cleansing ritual.
(T/N: An exorcism is a lengthy ritual that involves spiritual masters, like Taoist practitioners or Buddhist monks, to exorcise ghosts and evil spirits from places or people. A cleansing ritual can be performed alone or with others, and is usually done to commune with deities to ask for blessings or to ward off evil spirits. What happens in these cleansing rituals varies from meditation by reciting mantras to simple altar offerings like incense or fruits.)
Although Lin Feilu was not taking it seriously, in order to make Xiao Lan feel at ease, she was being cooperative.
Life in the side residence was going about its business, when suddenly a quarrel had erupted from outside. Xiao Lan seemed to have understood what had happened after hearing only a few words. With a helpless expression on her face, she said softly to Lin Feilu, "Feilu, kneel down here until the incense stick completely burns out. Mother will return soon."
Lin Feilu immediately agreed. However, as soon as Xiao Lan went out, she got up and followed her.
Outside, Yunyou was arguing with Hongxiu. This Hongxiu was Concubine Xu's palace maid, who lived in the main residence of Mingyue Palace.
It took Lin Feilu a long time to understand what was going on.
The concubines of the imperial family were entitled to a monthly allowance. They were given food, charcoal, fire and silver according to their rankings.
Concubine Xu lived in the main residence of Mingyue Palace and Xiao Lan's position was below her. Thus, every time the Imperial Household Department delivered the allowance allocated for Mingyue Palace, it would be received by Concubine Xu. However, she would intentionally deduct half of the allowance's share that belonged to Honorable Lady Xiao Lan.
Today was the day to receive this month's allowance. Yunyou was worried that their share would be forcefully taken from them again, so she went early to the Imperial Household Department to wait. However, the staff kept giving her trouble as she attempted to line up.
Although Concubine Xu was also not favored, the Imperial Household Department sided with her because she was friends with Noble Consort Ruan. When it was finally Yunyou's turn, all the provisions for Mingyue Palace had already been taken away.
After Yunyou returned and went to the main residence to claim their share, as expected, their share of supplies was reduced to half.
This led to a dispute.
Lin Feilu heard Yunyou speaking angrily, "My Lady is still raising two children. If the princess and prince dies of hunger and cold, will you be able to bear this crime?"
This was most likely not the first time that she was threatened this way. Hongxiu smiled nonchalantly and replied, "If you let your Lady eat less, won't you have enough to save?"
Yunyou was so angry that she desperately rushed forward to fight her, but was stopped by Xiao Lan.
Lin Feilu recollected her memories and recalled that Xiao Lan really did eat very little.
Their meals were not nutritious. It mostly consisted of gruel and few side dishes, but Yunyou was good at cooking. Although Lin Feilu was picky, it was not impossible for her to eat. Xiao Lan always gave the meat dishes to her two children. She didn't eat much, sometimes she even drank only a bowl of rice soup.
(T/N: Rice soup, also known as rice oil, is a layer of porridge oil that condenses on the surface of a pot when cooking porridge or cooking with rice.)
Lin Feilu thought that perhaps she was just trying to stay in shape, but in truth, they just did not have enough food to eat?!
She did not expect that the situation in the side residence was in such dire straits.
Who would believe that a concubine of a dignified emperor did not even have enough food to eat?
It should not be 'Xiao Lan' at all but only 'Xiao Nan'.
(T/N: 'Xiao Lan' means desolate mountain and 'Xiao Nan' means lonesome misery.)
Lin Feilu opened the door and walked out to follow her mother. She saw a beautifully dressed woman sitting at the entrance of the main hall, leisurely drinking tea as if she were watching a play. This person was most probably Concubine Xu.
Yunyou's eyes turned red as Xiao Lan whispered a few words to persuade her to stop making unnecessary remarks and retreated into the side residence.
Lin Feilu suddenly blurted out loudly, "Mother."
Xiao Lan turned to see her and said softly, "Why did you come out? Has the incense stick completely burned out already?"
Lin Feilu acted like a spoiled child, "My knee hurts."
Xiao Lan no longer said anything and held her hand as she bade her to return inside. Lin Feilu looked curiously in the direction of Concubine Xu and asked innocently, "Mother, why does Concubine Xu take so much food? Does she also raise two children?"
Concubine Xu entered the harem two years earlier than Xiao Lan. However, Concubine Xu's womb failed to live up to its expectations and was unable to conceive after many years.
Now that she had fallen out of favor, she could not even meet with the emperor, thus it was even less likely for her to get pregnant.
Lin Feilu's words earlier was akin to stabbing a knife into her already wounded heart.
Concubine Xu was so furious that the teacup fell from her hand. However, she could not do anything to Lin Feilu. Xiao Lan hurriedly led her daughter back to their residence. After closing the door, Yunyou gritted her teeth as she said, "She has done so many misdeeds. I pray that she never gives birth!"
Qingyan said to Xiao Lan, "Things can't go on like this. She always uses her position to suppress us. Why don't you go to the Empress and ask for justice? Even if the Empress does not care about you, she would at least care for the wellbeing of the imperial prince and princess."
Xiao Lan sighed, "If I go to the Empress, wouldn't we be attracting the attention of the whole harem? Forget it, it doesn't matter. We can make do like this."
After living with Xiao Lan in the past two days, Lin Feilu began to understand more about her character.
She was simply too kind. Sometimes, being too kind was also a form of weakness. She never thought of a solution when she encountered problems and quickly gave up. It was no wonder her standing had fallen to this state.
Even after so much had happened, she still wanted to remain as a kind person.
Xiao Lan was already accustomed to this kind of situation and did not take it to heart. After the cleansing ritual was over, she took Lin Feilu to kneel in front of the Bodhisattva statue enshrined in their residence and continued to pray for blessings.
Lin Zhanyuan sat on the cushioned mat next to her and asked foolishly, "What is my sister doing?"
Xiao Lan continued to count her rosary beads and said softly, "Your sister is praying for peace."
Lin Zhanyuan lifted his hands towards Lin Feilu, "I give all of my 'peace' to sister!"
He did not even understand what peace was. However, he was willing to give his sister whatever she needed, whether he had it or not.
Lin Feilu suddenly felt a little warm inside her heart. It was a strange, alien feeling. She did not expect to experience genuine familial love from a child who knew nothing of the world.
When she thought about it this way, she felt as if things like wealth and allowances were not so important after all. Passing her days in peace and poverty seemed quite warm and pleasant.
The prayers lasted until evening, only then did Xiao Lan feel the fear in her heart had lessened. Still, she reminded Lin Feilu several times that if she encountered any ghosts again, she must inform her immediately.
In response, Lin Feilu obediently nodded. As she was about to retire to her room, suddenly, there was an unexpected flurry of loud knocks on the gates in the courtyard.
Qingyan hurriedly opened the gates. Upon opening, they were surprised to see Concubine Xu standing outside. Accompanying her were two men garbed in Buddhist monk robes.
Then, with a swagger, Concubine Xu entered the courtyard and spoke haughtily, "Where is the Fifth Princess? I heard that she ran into an evil spirit today. I have brought someone to exorcise her. After all, I cannot allow the existence of some unclean thing, that would soil the revered prestige of Mingyue Palace."
Xiao Lan's expression changed in an instant and was about to leap in to stop Concubine Xu. However, several palace maids and eunuchs rushed to block her and grabbed Lin Feilu to bring her into the courtyard.
At first, Xiao Lan was frightened, but then her fear turned into rage as she shouted, "Concubine Xu! Feilu is the Fifth Princess of the Great Lin Empire!"
Concubine Xu confidently said with a smile, "It is exactly because she is an imperial princess that I even bothered to help with her exorcism. I would never have bothered otherwise! Even if you were to report to the Empress about this, she will also agree that what I am doing is within reason."
After that, she signalled the two monks beside her and they immediately pulled out two willow branches from behind their backs.
Xiao Lan, Yunyou and Qingyan were all immediately obstructed by the palace maids brought by Concubine Xu as they struggled to save Feilu. She ferociously cried out, "What are you up to?!"
One of the monks explained, "Willow branches are used to drive out evil spirits. We will use this to exorcise the evil spirit from the princess's body."
After explaining, he raised the willow branch up high then swiftly swung it downwards. Lin Feilu could not move as she was restrained by two palace maids. The slender willow branch struck hard on the back of her hand, resulting in a red mark and causing her to tremble in pain.
No one had ever dared to beat her like this. Not even once in her past life from infancy to adulthood.
Lin Feilu silently gritted her teeth and took in deep breaths.
I want to be a good person… I want to be a good person… F̲*̲c̲k̲ it. Anyone else wants to be a good person, be my guest. Little ol' me isn't going to take anymore of this crap.
The most urgent matter at hand was to deal with this current predicament first.
Some things can not be rushed. This Green Tea Princess can bow and submit or stand tall, for the primary purpose is to protect herself. First, she must make a tactical retreat, then only she can launch a counterattack!
(T/N: A "green tea" person refers to someone who appears sweet and innocent, but is secretly calculating & egocentric. "Bow and submit or could stand tall" means to be flexible.)
Lin Feilu immediately held her breath. Just as the willow branch was about to hit her the second time, everyone present at the scene saw the little princess fainted with beads of sweat on her forehead.
Xiao Lan screamed in horror and broke free from the palace maids who obstructed her. Concubine Xu was bewildered and she immediately looked at the monks, who were also looking at each other in dismay. In fact, she was also afraid there would be some complications, that is why she chose to use willow branches. She just wanted to make Lin Feilu suffer a little pain. Why did she faint before it even started?
At first, she suspected that this little girl was just pretending. However, when she went closer to have a look, she saw Lin Feilu's pale face which was covered with beads of sweat. Instantly, she became frantic with fear..
In truth, these two monks here were only disciples of the senior monk who was invited to perform the exorcism at Imperial Concubine Jing's palace. They only came here because Concubine Xu had bribed them. Now, as they saw Lin Feilu had fainted, they immediately panicked.
Concubine Xu said in a hurried tone, "It seems that the evil spirit has been eliminated. When the Fifth Princess wakes up, there should no longer be any major problems."
After saying these words, Concubine Xu quickly retreated with her tail between her legs.
Xiao Lan hugged Lin Feilu and paid no attention to them. She carried her into the residence with the help of Yunyou and Qingyan. Lin Feilu did not want to excessively frighten them. After all, Xiao Lan's body was weak and could not withstand too much stress. So, as soon as they entered her room, she opened her eyes 'weakly' and called out, "Mother".
Xiao Lan immediately burst into tears. While wiping Lin Feilu's body with a warm, damp cloth, she asked Yunyou to fetch the imperial doctor.
This time, she had made up her mind to blow up this matter. A mere concubine actually dared to attack an imperial princess. Although it was normal for concubines to have a fight among themselves, this was crossing the line.
Lin Feilu did not try to stop her either. She just continued to lay in bed with her eyes closed while thinking about what to do next.
With her experience in the past few days, she had understood that the Imperial Harem was a place where one could never stay away from trouble. Even if one did not look for trouble, trouble would come looking for you.
Anyone who continued to live as a good person within this Imperial Harem would only end up suffering like Xiao Lan — an easy prey for others to trample on.
In ancient times, it was common for children to die during infancy. Currently she was only five years old. Even if her soul was an adult's, her body was still that of a frail young girl. It was difficult to tell whether she could even survive a hypothetical attempt on her life.
Then again, even if she was able to grow up safe and sound, she would have only lived in vain if she were to be attacked as an adult.
She originally thought that it was time for her to enjoy life in retirement, but unexpectedly she had transmigrated into a battle arena known as the Imperial Harem.
Actually, fighting was good too. Otherwise, wouldn't her high DPS skills be wasted? She wanted to see whether this Imperial Harem could take her on and withstand her ferocious assaults.
The imperial doctor heard that the Fifth Princess had fainted, so he rushed over quickly. On the way, he heard the whole story from Yunyou and also felt that Concubine Xu had overstepped her boundaries.
Lin Feilu originally had a weak physical constitution, and she was still recovering from the drowning incident from a few days ago. The imperial doctor came over and concluded that she was merely too frail and that she fainted from shock. He wrote a prescription and instructed Xiao Lan to pay attention to her diet.
Xiao Lan wanted to make something good for Lin Feilu but she burst into tears when she remembered the pitiful amount of food left in their stores.
When everyone in the room had left, she sat beside the bed. Holding Lin Feilu's hand, she said in a choked voice, "It's all mother's fault. I didn't protect Feilu."
Lin Zhanyang was also crying and said, "Beat up the bad guys! Beat up the bad guys!"
Lin Feilu was having a little headache.
Xiao Lan suddenly reminded her of a roommate from her university days.
This roommate of hers had good looks and a good temper, unfortunately she had a low self-esteem. She was afraid of getting into trouble and would only cry when she was being bullied. She did not even know how to retaliate as her boyfriend was snatched away by another woman. She hid in her bedroom and cried for several days, only blaming herself.
Lin Feilu was really tired of such people.
Although she felt annoyed, she still decided to help her friend by snatching her ex-boyfriend away from his lover. Immediately afterwards, she dumped him, making that scumbag experience, first-hand, the pain of being abandoned.
In fact, people like Xiao Lan were still in the majority in this world. They turned big problems into small ones, and small problems into no problems at all. They did everything thinking that being a pacifist was enough. They were especially afraid of causing and getting into trouble.
However, this was normal. If everyone in this world behaved like Lin Feilu, then this world probably would have been reduced to ashes by now.
Lin Feilu calmly asked Xiao Lan, "Mother, why doesn't Father like us?"