Xiao Lan was only slightly dressed up. With faint blush on her cheeks, she was dressed in plain clothes and neatly combed hair. Her eyebrows were faintly outlined on her face like the horizon line of distant mountains. Her eyes were so clear and watery, she was even more refreshing to look at than the surrounding winter scenery.
A branch of red plum blossoms extended and hovered above her head. She weakly smiled as she stood under the opulent plum blossoms, like an interplay of pure whites and vivid reds, she appeared to be exceptionally beautiful.
Xiao Lan’s beauty was unparalleled within the Imperial Harem. That was why the other concubines still feel threatened by her even if she had fallen out of favor for so many years. She was only sixteen years old when she entered the palace, and now she was only in her twenties. In fact, she was at the prime of her age, how could anyone resist her charms?
(T/N: In the old days, one was considered a marriageable woman once you have your period. While every dynasty in Chinese history had set different legal marriageable ages for women, the most common age brackets were between 13 – 20 years old.)
It was uncertain if everyone felt the same, but Emperor Lin was certainly moved by her beauty.
From a glance, she did not seem familiar. He was perplexed by the complex emotions he was feeling inside. Perhaps there really was such a beautiful concubine within his harem that he had never seen before.
He asked, “Who are you?”
Xiao Lan whispered softly, “Xiao Lan greets Your Majesty.”
Emperor Lin was taken aback. As he began to recall his memories, Consort Xian was smiling beside her and said, “Your Majesty, surely you did not forget bestowing Lady Lan here her title of Honorable Lady?”
Xiao Lan? As in Honorable Lady Lan?
Emperor Lin looked at her again. Finally he recognized her.
He recalled she was that Honorable Lady Lan who had given birth to a foolish son.
His face suddenly sank.
When Xiao Lan entered the palace, she was exceptionally beautiful and was talented in scholarly studies. However, her personality was unpleasant, she was very reserved and would always wear a forced smile. Despite this, he still eagerly favored her. In the second year, Xiao Lan gave birth to a prince. Overjoyed, Emperor Lin promoted her and bestowed the title of Honorable Lady upon her.
Emperor Lin thought that there would be no political repercussions if he proceeded to promote her to the position of Concubine in later years. After all, Xiao Lan’s father was merely an insignificant official working in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. To promote her to the status of Honorable Lady was already considered exorbitant, considering this was only her second year since entering the Imperial Harem.
However, as the child gradually grew up, he began to show symptoms of foolishness. Even though it was a premature birth, it was reasonable if the child’s constitution was weak, but to turn out to be a fool?
With Emperor Lin’s obsession for legacies and reputation, how could he stand knowing he had sired a fool?
During their pillow talk with the emperor, the other concubines would say that Emperor Lin was supposed to be the embodiment of Heavens’ will with noble blood in his veins. Furthermore, all of his other children were all outstanding and remarkable. So why did this happen to Xiao Lan? They speculated that she was a sign of misfortune and that she had somehow provoked the Heavens’ wrath, thus this was her punishment.
Emperor Lin was a devout Buddhist, otherwise he would not have strongly supported Huguo Temple. Initially, he was already unhappy with his foolish son, but when he heard this, he thought it was sound reasoning. Thus, he had since neglected Xiao Lan and never stepped into Mingyue Palace.
However, at that time, Xiao Lan was pregnant again. No one had noticed as she was still in the early stages. Later, he received a report, saying that Honorable Lady Lan had given birth to a daughter. He was disgusted in his heart and thought she was another fool, so he simply ignored it. His disregard for Xiao Lan and her children had lasted for five years.