Consort Xian instructed Suiyu to serve another bowl of snow lotus porridge for her, then said with a smile, “Quickly try this porridge.”
Lin Feilu bit her lower lip, looked at Consort Xian, and said, “Thank you, Consort Xian.” She slowly picked up the spoon and lowered her head to eat.
She was also very courteous in eating. She chewed and swallowed slowly without making any sounds. It seemed that she had never eaten such delicious porridge before as her eyes were literally twinkling. Children never hide their emotions as their emotions are always on full display on their faces.
After she finished the porridge, Consort Xian asked someone to make butter tea with desserts from the Imperial Kitchen. Lin Feilu liked to eat sweets, but in her past life, she had a strict diet to maintain her figure and skin complexion. After her transmigration, she could not even eat sponge cakes or milk tea as they do not exist in this life. Moreover, Xiao Lan also could not afford any sweets. Today, she was finally able to treat her tastebuds to a feast.
She did not hesitate out of politeness and stuffed her cheeks full with snacks, fully displaying a child-like naivete.
Consort Xian discreetly observed Lin Feilu for a long time and finally concluded that this was indeed an innocent child. The caution in her eyes was extinguished. After she finished her snacks, Consort Xian smiled and asked, “Fifth Princess, how old are you this year?”
Lin Feilu licked the corners of her mouth and politely replied, “Milady, I am five years old.”
Consort Xian smiled and said to Suiyu, “Apart from Imperial Concubines Su’s daughter, Fifth Princess is the youngest child in the Imperial Harem. Moreover, she is so well-behaved. No wonder Jingyuan talks about his fifth younger sister every day.” She looked at Lin Feilu and asked, “I heard that you gave Jingyuan a copy of ‘The Analects of Confucius’ yesterday?”
Lin Feilu nodded gingerly, “Yes.”
Consort Xian asked again, “Why did you give him ‘The Analects’?”
Lin Feilu said in a childish voice, “Since Fourth Brother gave me many gifts yesterday, I thought I should also give him something in return but…” She lowered her head in a bit of annoyance and the two small buns on her head also bobbled. Her voice also became lowered and muffled, “Fourth Brother doesn’t lack anything and I also don’t have anything to give him. Later, I recalled my mother once told me that knowledge is very important for succeeding in life, so I gave him ‘The Analects of Confucius’.”
Hearing what she said, the smile on Consort Xian’s face became even brighter and she could not help but see Lin Feilu in a better light, “I did not expect Fifth Princess to be so well behaved and studious at such a young age. If only Jingyuan was as sensible as you, I would be much more at ease.”
Lin Feilu looked at her with a serious expression, “Fourth brother is very nice. He is really, very nice.”
Consort Xian was amused by her words, “You are the first person to praise him like this.”
In her eyes, the fifth princess was straightforward, innocent, well-behaved and polite. Compared to the Eldest Princess Lin Nianzhi and the Third Princess Lin Xi, this girl was far more likeable. As Consort Xian conversed with her for almost two hours, she began to like this little girl more and more inside her heart.
Of course, she did not like the eldest princess because of her birth mother Consort Hui. They never got along with each other ever since that time when they both lived in the Eastern Palaces. The two consorts had fought openly and covertly among themselves for many years, and they regarded each other as a thorn in their eyes.
(T/N: The Eastern Palaces are a region of the Imperial Harem that houses 6 palaces of the same style, and are reserved as living quarters for the emperor’s concubines. Historically, the harem palaces in both Forbidden Cities of Nanjing and Beijing are sectioned into several regions that are named after general directions.)
However, Lin Feilu was different. Her mother was just an Honorable Lady. Not only was she not favored by His Imperial Majesty, but she was even despised by him because she gave birth to a fool. This Honorable Lady was not a threat to her in any case.
Consort Xian knew her son very well. He was a spoiled young rascal that detested studying. Any words of admonishment from her or His Imperial Majesty would go in through one ear and out from the other. He was charging full steam ahead on the downward path to becoming a wayward prince.