chapter 4
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.