She did not expect that the situation in the side residence was in such dire straits.
Who would believe that a concubine of a dignified emperor did not even have enough food to eat?
It should not be 'Xiao Lan' at all but only 'Xiao Nan'.
(T/N: 'Xiao Lan' means desolate mountain and 'Xiao Nan' means lonesome misery.)
Lin Feilu opened the door and walked out to follow her mother. She saw a beautifully dressed woman sitting at the entrance of the main hall, leisurely drinking tea as if she were watching a play. This person was most probably Concubine Xu.
Yunyou's eyes turned red as Xiao Lan whispered a few words to persuade her to stop making unnecessary remarks and retreated into the side residence.
Lin Feilu suddenly blurted out loudly, "Mother."
Xiao Lan turned to see her and said softly, "Why did you come out? Has the incense stick completely burned out already?"
Lin Feilu acted like a spoiled child, "My knee hurts."
Xiao Lan no longer said anything and held her hand as she bade her to return inside. Lin Feilu looked curiously in the direction of Concubine Xu and asked innocently, "Mother, why does Concubine Xu take so much food? Does she also raise two children?"
Concubine Xu entered the harem two years earlier than Xiao Lan. However, Concubine Xu's womb failed to live up to its expectations and was unable to conceive after many years.
Now that she had fallen out of favor, she could not even meet with the emperor, thus it was even less likely for her to get pregnant.
Lin Feilu's words earlier was akin to stabbing a knife into her already wounded heart.
Concubine Xu was so furious that the teacup fell from her hand. However, she could not do anything to Lin Feilu. Xiao Lan hurriedly led her daughter back to their residence. After closing the door, Yunyou gritted her teeth as she said, "She has done so many misdeeds. I pray that she never gives birth!"
Qingyan said to Xiao Lan, "Things can't go on like this. She always uses her position to suppress us. Why don't you go to the Empress and ask for justice? Even if the Empress does not care about you, she would at least care for the wellbeing of the imperial prince and princess."
Xiao Lan sighed, "If I go to the Empress, wouldn't we be attracting the attention of the whole harem? Forget it, it doesn't matter. We can make do like this."
After living with Xiao Lan in the past two days, Lin Feilu began to understand more about her character.
She was simply too kind. Sometimes, being too kind was also a form of weakness. She never thought of a solution when she encountered problems and quickly gave up. It was no wonder her standing had fallen to this state.
Even after so much had happened, she still wanted to remain as a kind person.
Xiao Lan was already accustomed to this kind of situation and did not take it to heart. After the cleansing ritual was over, she took Lin Feilu to kneel in front of the Bodhisattva statue enshrined in their residence and continued to pray for blessings.
Lin Zhanyuan sat on the cushioned mat next to her and asked foolishly, "What is my sister doing?"
Xiao Lan continued to count her rosary beads and said softly, "Your sister is praying for peace."
Lin Zhanyuan lifted his hands towards Lin Feilu, "I give all of my 'peace' to sister!"
He did not even understand what peace was. However, he was willing to give his sister whatever she needed, whether he had it or not.
Lin Feilu suddenly felt a little warm inside her heart. It was a strange, alien feeling. She did not expect to experience genuine familial love from a child who knew nothing of the world.
When she thought about it this way, she felt as if things like wealth and allowances were not so important after all. Passing her days in peace and poverty seemed quite warm and pleasant.