He saw the little girl earnestly bowing down, her little hands in front of her were red with cold, as she said, “I wish for my Royal Father to be safe and healthy, and also for the world to be peaceful.”
When she finished saying her wish, she bowed down once and raised her head again.
“My second wish is for my Mother to live auspiciously and to be always happy.”
“My third wish is for my Brother to live a carefree life, free from sickness and misfortunes.”
When Emperor Lin heard her talking about a royal father, he looked at her in surprise. He wondered if this was his own child? But why did he not remember… No, there was one.
This child was Honorable Lady Lan’s daughter, the Fifth Princess.
He thought she was a fool like her brother, but the longer he observed her, it was clear that this child was articulate with her words and had no symptoms of foolishness.
He had never seen this daughter of his, but now he had seen and listened to her sincere wishes. He was the first of her wishes, and she also hoped for world peace at such a young age. He was shocked.
After making these three wishes, she made one last wish for herself.
Emperor Lin said in his heart, I want to see what you will ask for.
He heard the little girl swallowing her own saliva, looking a little piggish as she said pitifully, “For my fourth wish… This Little Lu wishes to have a taste of the Great Reunion Banquet! Oh Fairy Goddess, just one bite would be enough!”
Emperor Lin could not hold back as he burst out laughing.
His laughter shocked her. She quickly looked up at the arched entrance and got up hurriedly before she turned around to abscond into the plum forest.
Emperor Lin quickly stepped forward and said, “Do not run away.”
The eunuch beside him raised the palace lantern to shine the path forward. Emperor Lin walked up to the four snow dolls to take a closer look, only to find that the four snow dolls were in different shapes and sizes. The biggest one looked similar to himself?
He searched inside the plum forest for a while without seeing anyone, until he heard the sound of movement above his head and looked up. The frightened little girl had climbed up the tree at some point. She was holding a heavy stick and cautiously looking downwards.
Her hood slid down from her head. She was hugging the tree trunk in a naive manner, appearing childish and adorable. Under the light emitting from the lantern, her eyes were watery and her skin was snow-white. Her small lips were pressed into a line, looking at him pitifully.
Emperor Lin could not help but to happily ask, “What are you doing up there? Are you not afraid of falling?”
She pursed her lips and looked at him for a while, then asked in a low voice, “Who are you?”
She did not seem to know who he was. It was a normal reaction, after all, she had never met her father before.
Emperor Lin deliberately teased her, and said, “I was sent by the Fairy Goddess to make your wish come true.”
Unexpectedly, the little girl in turn glared at him with her watery eyes as she replied furiously, “Do you think I’m so easy to be fooled?!”
Emperor Lin laughed loudly.
She pursed her mouth. Perhaps she was running out of strength, as she was beginning to loosen her grip on the tree trunk and almost fell out from the tree.
Emperor Lin hurriedly walked under the tree and stretched out his hand, “Come down first.”
The little girl spoke in a pitiful voice, “I…I dare not.”
Emperor Lin said, “Jump down, I will catch you.”
She looked at him and blinked. Her voice was soft as she asked with uncertainty, “Really? Will you really catch me?”
Emperor Lin said, “Yes, I will. Now, jump down.”