Song’yu looked to be around fifteen to sixteen years old. Her eyes seemed bloodshot and swollen from crying for a long period of time. Lin Feilu knew why she cried, but she did not prompt any questions and happily pulled her inside. Lin Feilu said innocently and cutely, “From now on you will be my personal attendant! Let’s get along well!”
Song’yu had been serving in Zhaoyang Palace for a long time and had long been accustomed to Lin Xi’s barbarism. This was the first time she had encountered such a well-behaved princess.
She responded in a low voice, and Lin Feilu happily took her to see their pet rabbit.
On the third night since her arrival at Mingyue Palace, Song’yu discreetly walked over to the furnace and took out a letter from her sleeves. Once she confirmed no one was around, she threw the letter into the fire.
The flames rose, and the letter was quickly burned to ashes.
The words from her brother before his death echoed in her ears.
—— After I die, if the fifth princess of Mingyue Palace abandons you: do whatever it takes to deliver this letter to the empress. If the fifth princess retrieves you and treats you well: then burn this letter. Remember not to let anyone know, that includes the fifth princess. Serve her with all your heart.
Song Yu was illiterate. She did not know what was written in the letter.
She just listened to her brother, and with tears in her eyes, she burned it.
♠️♠️♠️♠️
Since such an unfortunate incident happened on the last day of the year, the empress felt it was an inauspicious sign. On the first day of the new year, she immediately invited an eminent monk to the Imperial Palace to pray for blessings.
Lin Feilu discovered that the Great Lin Dynasty was very similar to the Northern and Southern dynasties in their strong belief in Buddhism. This reminded her of the great poet, Du Mu, and his poem: “Of the 480 temples built by the Southern Dynasties, Many towers and terraces still remain erect in the misty rain.”
(T/N: The Northern and Southern dynasties was a period of time in China which lasted between 420-589 AD. During this period, the process of sinicization accelerated among the non-Chinese arrivals in the north and among the indigenous people in the south. This process was also accompanied by the increasing popularity of Buddhism, which had been introduced since the 1st century, and Daoism, which had been slowly gaining influence as well.)
Although it seemed as if Du Mu was exaggerating about the four hundred and eighty temples, given how arts and culture had significantly flourished during that period of time, it was actually considerably conceivable. Now, this Great Lin Dynasty also displayed a great degree of devotion to Buddhism by erecting a dedicated national temple known as the Huguo Temple. Those who come into the Imperial Palace to pray for blessings are the eminent monks of Huguo Temple.
For some time, even the air in the Imperial Harem was choked with the fragrance of sandalwood. Before this, Lin Feilu was not a believer. However, after the incident, her conscience was pricked. Seeking penitence, now she genuinely recites scriptures together with Xiao Lan as they prayed together for blessings.
Although news about Imperial Concubine Jing was blocked, there were many people who witnessed the scene that night, thus it remained a popular discussion behind closed doors for some time. The concubines who befriended Imperial Concubine Jing in particular still had doubts over the matter, thinking that she may have been framed.
But after mulling over it for a long time, none of the concubines in the Imperial Harem could guess who did it. The entire setup was decisive and ruthless, there was no way for the condemned to redeem themselves. Speaking of which, it sounded a lot like Imperial Concubine Jing’s style…
Not a single soul had ever suspected Mingyue Palace to be related to the matter.