High Grade Green Tea Transmigrates into a Pitiful Little Girl - Chapter 21

At first, Emperor Lin thought that this might be a fake The Analects to cover and hide something inappropriate inside. He knew the Fourth Prince’s personality the best, telling him to study was similar to wanting to take his life. He had done things like pretending to faint to avoid going to school.

He reached out his hand to take the book and opened it, but it turned out to be the real thing!

The words that he prepared to scold him couldn’t come out anymore.

The book was a bit old, and its corners were curled up, showing that it had been flipped frequently. The only uncommon thing was a withered begonia flower inside. Emperor Lin asked, “What is this?”

Lin Jingyuan answered honestly, “This is called a bookmark.”

Emperor Lin asked again, “What is it for?”

Lin Jingyuan lowered his head, his eyes spinning to an epiphany, “This son used it to mark reading progress, so I don’t have to fold the book’s corners.”

It was the first time Emperor Lin heard this statement; he raised his eyebrows, unclear if it was in praise or ridicule, “I never thought you were someone who cared that much about books. So, the begonia flower on this page means you’ve read up to here, right?”

Lin Jingyuan forced himself to say, “Yes.”

Emperor Lin smiled and said, “Then you can recite a paragraph for me.”

Lin Jingyuan, “…….” He kowtowed his head, “This son has not started memorizing the book yet. I plan to read the entire book first before starting again from the beginning.”

Consort Xian immediately followed him up, “This kid has never liked reading, but now he has started to read. He even keeps the book with him when he goes; it’s clear that he has taken it to heart. Won’t Your Majesty give him a bit more time?”

Emperor Lin no longer had the previous dissatisfied look on his face. In the first place, he loved the Fourth Prince. Seeing that he was now starting to be diligent in his studies, his heart was very satisfied. He returned The Analects to him and praised, “When scholars part ways for three days, they will see each other in a different light when they meet again later¹. Not bad!”

The Emperor’s face was filled with joy; he even had dinner in Changming Hall. Emperor Lin loved young and beautiful concubines. It had been a while since Consort Xian entered the palace, and she was relatively older now. In recent years, she had rarely received the Emperor’s grace. If it had not been for the son who was loved by the Emperor, she would probably have fallen out of favor long ago.

But the son was a disappointment, whose brain was only filled with playing. Right now, he was still young, so, naturally, Emperor Lin was still partial to him. But when he grew up in the future, if he still lacked education and skill, she was afraid that he would lose the Emperor’s grace.

Today, just a copy of “The Analects” already made Emperor Lin so satisfied. He praised her for teaching her son well and rewarded her with many things. Consort Xian was naturally very happy, but she also understood her son’s bad habits very well. When Emperor Lin left, she immediately called Lin Jingyuan and asked, “Where did this book come from?”

Lin Jingyuan was much more honest with his Mother Consort, “I got it from Fifth Royal Sister.” He suddenly remembered something, and his eyes turned bright. “The Fifth Royal Sister sealed luck in this book and gave it to me. Mother Consort, it really is lucky, isn’t it?! Royal Father didn’t scold me this time!”

Consort Xian remembered how her son had people send things to Mingyue Palace in the afternoon.

At first, she was a little angry and planned to summon Noble Lady Lan to give her a lecture tomorrow morning, but now she was not angry at all. She gave Lin Jingyuan a few words to encourage him to study more in the future. After he left, she told her senior palace maid Sui Yu, ”No need to summon Noble Lady Lan tomorrow morning. Tell the Fifth Princess to come.”

Early the next morning, the Chief Eunuch of Changming Palace came to Mingyue Palace to deliver a message.

When Xiao Lan heard that Consort Xian wanted to see the little princess, her face instantly turned pale. She anxiously held Yun You’s hand, “How can this be a good thing? What happened yesterday must have annoyed her. Quick, Qing Yan, help dress me up. I will accompany Lu’er to plead mercy.”

Lin Feilu felt that Xiao Lan’s sickly health must mostly be because she got scared by everything in the Imperial Harem.

1.  An idiom from The Three Kingdoms. It means to see someone in a new light.