Consort Xian was reminded of the report of her son sending things to Mingyue Palace this afternoon.
At first, this made her angry. She had planned to summon Honorable Lady Xiao Lan the next morning to admonish her. But now, she was no longer angry. Instead, she gave Lin Jingyuan an earful and told him to be more studious from now on. When Lin Jingyuan left, she passed her orders to Suiyu, her personal maid-in-waiting, “You don’t need to bring Honorable Lady Lan tomorrow morning. Bring the Fifth Princess instead.”
So the next morning, the chief eunuch of Changming Palace came to Mingyue Palace to deliver her message.
When Xiao Lan heard that Consort Xian wanted to meet with the fifth princess, her face turned pale. She held onto Yunyou’s hand as she anxiously said, “What should we do? The consort must be infuriated with what happened yesterday. Qingyan, quickly help me get dressed. I’ll accompany Feilu to beg the consort for forgiveness.”
Lin Feilu felt that Xiao Lan’s sickly disposition was likely a result from living her life so fearfully in this Imperial Harem.
Seeing Xiao Lan, the eunuch said with a smile: “Honorable Lady Xiao Lan, My Lady only wishes to meet the Fifth Princess.”
Xiao Lan was caught in a dilemma. She took off the jade bracelet on her wrist which was given by her mother when she entered the palace. It was also the only jewelry she had. She handed it to the eunuch and whispered, “Did the Princess do something to anger the Consort?”
The eunuch continued to smile as he accepted the bracelet, “Be at ease, Honorable Lady. My Lady is in a good mood. The Princess is a fortuitous person. Nothing bad will happen to her.”
Xiao Lan breathed a sigh of relief when she heard this. However, she was still worried, so she gave Lin Feilu a few more words of advice before watching her leave with the eunuch.
It was still early in the morning as an autumnal breeze swept through the air. At this time, Lin Jingyuan had already departed for the Imperial School. When Lin Feilu followed the eunuch into Changming Palace, Consort Xian was sitting on her daybed, sipping on a bowl of snow lotus porridge.
The room was decorated with pearls and a mild fragrance wafted in the air. It was more luxurious than Imperial Concubine Jing’s Zhaoyang Palace. It was apparent the quality of one’s life in the Imperial Harem was bound to one’s rank and title. Lin Feilu only looked around once and did not ogle any further. She lowered her head as walked up to Consort Xian and greeted her, “Little Lu pays respect to Consort Xian.”
Consort Xian knew about the fifth princess, but this was her first time meeting her in person.
The little girl was dressed plainly and had a delicate appearance. There were two small buns on the top of her head. She still exuded an air of child-like innocence, but her facial features were exquisite and she looked extremely adorable. Her eyes were especially radiant, like pearls that glitter in the dark night.
She looked a little nervous, but her etiquette was immaculate. At first glance, one could tell she was just a simple and obedient little girl.
Consort Xian said with warmth and affection in her voice, “Get up quickly.” She turned her head and smiled at Suiyu, “She’s just like her mother. This one will grow up beautifully.”
Suiyu also smiled and nodded: “As you say, My Lady.”
Consort Xian personally took Lin Feilu’s hand and made her sit on the daybed. She asked, “Have you already had breakfast?”
Lin Feilu lowered her eyes and shook her head gently, “Not yet.”