Lin Qing’s temperament and boundless potential never wavered, but occasionally, there would be a shockingly uncharacteristic stern look reflected in his eyes.
But no matter how the two change, they still doted on Lin Feilu as always.
Lin Ting would send the small animals that he occasionally rescued to the Mingyue Palace for her to raise them. Where there used to be two small wooden houses next to the flower field, now became an animal haven for the little pets that she reared. Sometimes, Lin Ting would come and sit in the field, surrounded by the pets. The animals would lie near his feet, on his knees, arms, or shoulders.
Only at times like this would he smile sincerely, just like he did back then.
Lin Feilu also often went to the Eastern Palace holding kites, marbles, miniature wooden horses, and other props that she made. She would pester her dignified older brother, the Crown Prince, to play with her, and he could never say no. Every time she asked him to, he would avoid the palace servants’ watchful eyes and secretly play with her for a bit.
This was the only thing she could do for them to have a moment of happiness and relaxation in this exhausting battle for the throne.
In particular, Lin Jingyuan couldn’t understand these two Imperial brothers, “What benefits are there to being an Emperor? You get tired and never have freedom; you can’t even sleep in! I wouldn’t want to even if someone handed the title over to me for free!”
Lin Feilu sighed, “If only everyone had the same thoughts as you.”
Of course, Lin Jingyuan only dared to complain about this in secret. Once, when his mother, Consort Xian, heard his remarks, she beat him violently without saying anything and even grounded him in confinement for half a month, making Lin Jingyuan very angry.
Last year, when Lin Ting became an adult, he had already built a mansion outside the palace known as the Royal Qi Residence and no longer lived with the other royals. This year, Lin Qing was an adult, but he still lived in the Eastern Palace. The two do not need to attend the classes in the Imperial School anymore, either. With one living outside the palace and the other living inside the court, the number of times they meet suddenly decreased.
When the Royal Qi Residence was first built, Lin Feilu had made her way there. She initially thought that he would build a yard dedicated to rearing animals according to her eldest brother’s temperament.
However, not a single animal was seen in the Royal Qi Palace.
Lin Feilu thought about returning the small animals to him; he was the one who saved them, after all. Since he wasn’t living with Noble Consort Ruan anymore, he should be able to keep animals according to his will.
Unexpectedly, Lin Ting refused.
He said, “I can’t take care of them well, so keep them.”
Lin Feilu felt that her eldest Imperial brother had indeed changed.
This change made her feel slightly uneasy, but there was nothing she could do.
She was worried about the future of her two brothers, but Lin Jingyuan was rather at ease— eating well and sleeping soundly every day. He began to look up to the Royal Qi Residence and started looking forward to the fact that he would get his own in two years. Recently, he heard that Emperor Lin intended to choose a land for him. Because of that, he got so excited to the point that he couldn’t wait to take Lin Feilu out to inspect the location of his new home.
Listening to the hidden meaning of his words, Lin Feilu felt that he wanted to build an amusement park.
Over the years, she had been familiar with going out of the palace. Since Lin Nianzhi got married, she had a reason to go out and play wildly before roaming the streets and alleys of the capital.