Lin Nianzhi replied impatiently, “I am not angry at you; I am only angry at myself!”

She didn’t seem to understand the contradiction, so she looked at her sister with her head tilted slightly.

Lin Nianzhi looked at her anxiously for a while before she finally held her hand in frustration, “Forget it, I’ll send you back home,” Then, she started to lecture her, “You even followed me all the way here. Are you not afraid that bad guys will come and abduct you?”

The little girl happily held her sister’s hand. Her eyes were slightly watery as she only recently stopped crying, but she did not make any attempts to hide the happiness on her face, “I am not afraid of anything as long as Eldest Imperial Sister is with me!”

Lin Nianzhi, “Humph!”

Lin Feilu, “Hee hee.”

The duo gradually walked away as the Empress Dowager curved her lips into a small smile, all the while remaining hidden behind the Begonia flowers.

She turned around and said to the maidservant who had served her for many years, “These two children remind me of my older sister Ying and me,” Her tone of voice became solemn as she continued to speak, “It’s just a pity that Sister Ying was harmed by detestable people and had long passed away…”

She wasn’t willing to further elaborate, so she just turned around and said, “Let us return.”

The maidservant currently serving the Empress Dowager was none other than Liu Zhi, who had been by her side for decades. She remained faithful and served the Empress Dowager ever since she first entered the palace.

Although the two of them were in a master-servant relationship, they have also formed a deep bond between them over the years. Neither of them shied away from the occasionally deeply personal conversations that would transcend the bonds of master-servant with each other.

Liu Zhi held the Empress Dowager’s hand as they continued their stroll. She then said, “The way this humble servant perceived the two princesses doesn’t seem to match up with Consort Hui’s description of them.”

The Fifth Princess was naturally adorable and she could definitely use it to her advantage, but the intimacy and her dependence towards the Eldest Imperial Princess couldn’t be faked— the emotions of the two children were very real.

What’s more was that the Empress Dowager knew the personality of Lin Nianzhi all too well. Although she used to befriend the 3rd Imperial Princess, she always seemed haughty when she was together with her. But now, even though she appeared to be impatient with the Little Fifth Princess, she was actually much more patient and considerate towards the little Fifth Princess.

Lin Nianzhi was brought up in luxury as she bore the noble position of a ‘jade leaf on a golden branch’ (2). If she could treat anyone with the slightest sincerity and care, that could only mean that the other party actually treated her with genuine sincerity as well.

(T/N: Refers to someone who was favoured or has a high position in hierarchy. Jade and gold are considered precious, so the saying paired them together to further emphasise on the noble status)

The Empress Dowager was filled with uncertainty— were Consort Hui’s words an unintentional phrase that just so happened to have a deeper meaning to it, or did Consort Hui seem to have a personal problem with the Little Fifth Princess?

The Empress Dowager pondered lazily, sighing with a harrumph; a long deep exhale from her nose, but she didn’t comment further.

There was nothing much to say that night as they returned to the palace. After having breakfast the next morning however, the palace staff outside came to pass on a message, “Empress Dowager, the Fifth Princess and the Sixth Prince have come to offer their greetings.”