Lin Feilu looked at her and thought to herself, Isn’t this Third Princess Lin Xi, the one who fainted in the previous evil spirit incident?
Three steps away from her stood a young boy. The back of his silhouette felt faint, yet his posture was very elegant. Surrounded by a sea of bamboo, he seemed to be enveloped by an extraordinarily dignified aura. Another young boy who looked like a servant was standing beside him, pleading in a low voice, “Third Princess, His Highness still has a fever.”
Lin Xi was not willing to let this matter slide, “So what? Even if the heavens crumble today, he has to accompany this princess to the lake!”
Lin Feilu thought to herself, Why does this princess act like a street thug who’s robbing candies from a helpless little kid?
As she walked closer and closer, she finally saw the appearance of this ‘helpless little kid’ whom this thuggish princess was harassing.
What the hell?
Where did this handsome little brother come from? How can you look this handsome without angering both gods and demons!
Lin Feilu felt the urge to harass him too.
Lin Feilu had seen countless beauties over the years. If she only counted the ones she had met since arriving in this world, even mere palace maids were easy on the eyes, thus it was logical that the esteemed concubines and princes would be even more beautiful.
As someone who attached great value to good looks, she was not so easily amazed by just anyone. However, this little boy who looks to be around 11-12 years old had managed to mesmerize her.
When Goddess Nüwa created mankind, everyone else must have been mass-produced, while this boy was personally sculpted with her hands. The contours of his visage was meticulously precise: each stroke was neither too thin nor heavy. He was beautiful without being effeminate, and gentle without forgoing dignity.
(T/N: Goddess Nüwa is the mother goddess of Chinese mythology. It was said that she molded figures made from yellow earth and brought them to life, thus she is credited as the creator of mankind. You can read more here.)
Shadows cast by the bamboo leaves were intermingling with rays of sunlight, producing flickering specks of light that danced on the young boy’s figure. His appearance was ethereal, as if he was not of this world.
She once read a poem of Su Shi:
A man as handsome as you should only appear in paintings,
All I know at the sight of you is to be mesmerised.
I write and think of you till the rivers ran dry,
Only then did I know you were no mere man.
At this moment, she felt that every word of this poem was appropriate to describe this encounter.
He already had this kind of appearance at such a young age. If he grew up and developed his features a little more, he could potentially become the source of great turmoil in the hearts of all girls under the heavens!
Clearly, Third Princess Lin Xi had been bewitched.
Despite facing Lin Xi’s overbearing attitude, the young boy did not lose his composure. He was neither angry nor annoyed. On the contrary, there was a smile on his face, showing that he had calmness far beyond his peers. He said mildly, “It’s a small matter for me to accompany you to the lake, but I haven’t recovered from my cold yet. I am just worried that my illness will spread to the Third Princess. You’re finally in good health now, so you mustn’t torment yourself again.”
What he said was obviously a refusal, but his words showed his care and consideration for her. As expected, Lin Xi suddenly restrained her temper and asked somewhat happily, “You were concerned for me?”
Song Jinglan smiled slightly: “Naturally, I do care about you. The bamboo forest is very windy, so the princess should not stand out here in the open. Let’s head back first.”
Lin Xi was cajoled into obedience with just two to three sentences from him. She summoned her palace maids and turned to leave. She happened to see Lin Feilu who was looking back at her. Thinking of her previous predicament, she immediately said in an arrogant tone, “My luck must be foul. I keep running into this pesky little imp wherever I go.”
Lin Feilu retracted her gaze. Immediately, she fearfully hid behind Lin Jingyuan, clutching the corner of his clothes tightly and did not dare to look up.
Upon seeing this, Lin Jingyuan became angry as he pointed at Lin Xi and scolded, “How dare you act so conceited before me! Eldest Imperial Sister has tolerated your arrogance for far too long! If I hear you spout any of that nonsense one more time, you won’t get off the hook so easily!”