Emperor Lin raised his eyebrows in surprise, his facial muscles gradually softened, his eyes disclosing approval as Lin Jingyuan finished reciting the rest of the content.
When he finished, Emperor Lin nodded approvingly, “Yes, it seems that what the imperial teacher said was true. You have made progress. You may take a seat.”
Lin Jingyuan felt like he had just escaped from the gates of hell. He wiped off the sweat on his forehead and was about to get up after a kowtow when he heard Consort Mei asking curiously with a hand obscuring her mouth, “What did the Fifth Princess say to the Fourth Prince that lit your lightbulb?”
Emperor Lin, who was so focused on Lin Jingyuan and did not pay attention to the little dumpling beside him, raised his eyebrows and looked over to her.
Lin Jingyuan cursed inside. I’m going to kill Consort Mei.
Lin Feilu’s heart lurched. She did not expect that her act of helping Brother Prince was caught red-handed. She quickly glanced at Emperor Lin, her already petite body seemed to have shrunken into a ball as she immediately buried her head further into the cloak, trying to conceal herself as much as she could; her body language screaming “You can’t see me, you can’t see me”.
Emperor Lin was drunk by her cuteness.
His voice boomed deliberately in authority, “Little Fifth Princess, what did you just say to the Fourth Prince?”
The little dumpling trembled. Raising her head reluctantly, she confessed with a scrunched up face, “I…I said…” She sniffed, and started hiccuping.”It…” Hiccup “the first…” Hiccup…
Emperor Lin could no longer hold back, and burst out laughing.
The joy in Consort Mei’s eyes faded a lot.
The little dumpling almost teared up; her hiccups and sniffles were so pitiful that Lin Jingyuan felt so enraged and distressed. He suddenly went into a loud outburst, “Father! Don’t blame Fifth Sister! I’m a fool, Fifth Sister was just trying to help me! Father, please punish me, I’m willing to receive the punishment instead!”
Unexpectedly, Emperor Lin just gave him a disgusting look and replied, “Go to the side.”
Lin Jingyuan watched as his beloved father treaded down and picked up Fifth Sister who had been wiping her tears under her cloak, and returned back to the couch.
The little dumpling was sitting on his lap, latching onto his robes with her small hands, and observing him secretly for a long time. She asked in a small voice, “Is Father angry?”
Emperor Lin smiled tenderly and fed her a piece of the fruit that Consort Mei had so much trouble peeling, “I’m not angry, is it sweet?”
The little dumpling smacked her lips, then only curved her lips into a smile, “Sweet~”
Consort Mei was watching silently. “…”
Emperor Lin probed her, “Does Little Fifth Princess know the “The Book of History”?”
The little dumpling pinched her index finger and thumb together softly, and replied, “I know a little bit.”
Emperor Lin knew that she was smart, but he did not know that she could read. “The Book of History” was very simple for Lin Jingyuan who has studied in the Imperial College for several years, but it was very difficult for a five-year-old girl who has never been to the Imperial College.
Emperor Lin suddenly remembered that Xiao Lan was literate.
He distinctly remembered that when she first entered the palace, he heard from the palace staff that a Pure Lady Xiao Lan brought a few large boxes into the palace. The boxes were nothing but scrolls and brushes. It was because of that he flipped her plate first among the newcomers.
Amazingly beautiful and talented, she was made perfectly for him.