Qingyan approached her with a sewing basket in hand, then said with a smile, “The princess looks beautiful in red, just like a little fairy in a New Year’s painting. My Lady’s craftsmanship is so skillful, the clothes you make look better than those made of brocade.”
Yunyou sighed, “It’s a pity that we only managed to obtain these two bales of satin this year. It’s only enough to make a new set of clothes each for the Fifth Princess and the Sixth Prince. My Lady hasn’t worn any new clothes for many years.”
Xiao Lan deftly handled her needle as she continued to sew. With a loving and tender smile on her face, she said, “It doesn’t matter as I don’t really go out anyway. It’s Feilu who always likes to run around. Let’s make her a cloak this year to keep her warm.”
The three women were doing needlework under the morning light while Lin Feilu was wandering around, making herself familiar with her surroundings. Mingyue Palace was not very big, and was located in a remote area. The walls surrounding Mingyue Palace were worn and the paint was peeling off. They looked old and dilapidated, and were mostly covered by withered vines.
Compared with the magnificent and luxuriant Zhaoyang Palace which she visited yesterday, the difference was glaringly obvious.
No hurry. It will all be mine soon.
Lin Feilu said in her thoughts.
That person in the main residence must be very frightened as she had not opened her door all morning. As Lin Feilu was done with exploring Mingyue Palace, she had her lunch then she drank her medicine. After that, she decided to venture outside Mingyue Palace to map out the rest of the unfamiliar terrain.
The movements of imperial princes and princesses were unrestricted within the Imperial Palace. They had more freedoms compared to the imperial concubines. Xiao Lan never sought to restrain Lin Feilu, however she would always make sure Qingyan followed her. Last time, if Lin Feilu had not hurried to chase after her fallen kite, she would never had fallen into the water.
Lin Feilu happened to be unfamiliar with the palace grounds, so she held onto Qingyan’s hand while walking around and quickly figured out the layout of the Imperial Harem. She always had a good memory and would never forget what she had heard and seen. After walking around for some time, she had already drawn up a mental map of the entire area in her mind.
Qingyan did not realize that she was being led around by the nose. She just felt happy that her princess was being so lively and talkative today. After passing through Lake Pavilion, she pointed into the distance and said, “Princess, do you want to eat persimmons? The golden persimmon garden is just right ahead. I will go and pick some up for you.”
Lin Feilu nodded and the two of them walked towards the garden. As soon as they passed through the arched gate, they heard a noise coming from inside.
A group of palace maids and eunuchs were surrounding a tall persimmon tree. With anxiety in their voices, they called out, “Fourth Prince, please come down! What will happen if you fall and hurt yourself? If you want to eat persimmons, we will pick them for you! Please come down!”
Lin Feilu looked up and saw a boy standing on a tree full of persimmons. The branches were obstructing her vision so she could not see his appearance clearly. She could only see that the boy was dressed in splendid robes, and was jumping up and down on the branches like a little monkey.
Qingyan’s expression changed as she said in a low voice, “Princess, let us return home for now and pick persimmons some other day.”
It was difficult to meet new characters with her current status. How could Lin Feilu ever let go of this opportunity?
She asked innocently, “My brother is the Sixth Prince. Is the Fourth Prince also my brother?”
Qingyan pulled her back to one side and said, “Fourth Prince is the son of Consort Xian, not My Lady’s. He is tenacious and mischievous. If he sees you, my princess, I’m afraid he would bully you.”