In truth, Lin Anran had not written much in the self-reproach letter, nor had she admitted to pushing the Noble Consort down the stairs.
She had merely guessed the Empress Dowager’s thoughts and catered directly to them in her apology letter. She wished for the imperial bloodline to flourish, for the concubines of the harem to bear many children, and even proposed holding a grand selection for the Emperor to fill every vacancy in the harem so that more women could bear imperial heirs.
A good stud horse was either mating or on the way to mate.
A man who was not a good stud horse was not a good emperor.
As long as the Emperor remained busy “spreading his seed,” he would have no time to trouble her.
After the morning greetings concluded, the Empress Dowager dismissed all the other concubines, leaving only Lin Anran behind.
As the Worthy Consort departed, she deliberately passed by Lin Anran and reminded her again, “Your Majesty had best not do anything foolish that would anger the Empress Dowager.”
She still intended to use the Empress to restrain the Noble Consort.
Once all the concubines had left, the Empress Dowager ordered someone to bring Princess Shengshi over.
Before long, a delicate little girl of three, as exquisitely carved as jade, entered the main hall under the guidance of a matron. She properly greeted the Empress Dowager before timidly looking toward Lin Anran, fear obvious in her eyes.
Even so, she still gathered the courage to softly say, “This daughter greets Mother Empress.”
The moment Princess Shengshi appeared, Lin Anran’s body began trembling uncontrollably. A wave of sorrow surged up from the depths of her soul, and tears streamed down her face before she could stop them.
These were the original owner’s emotions.
Under the torment of postpartum depression, the original owner had been unable to stop herself from hurting the daughter she loved most.
She had sunk into a swamp of helplessness, consumed by regret while despair gnawed at her heart, until she became an uncontrollable monster.
How hopeless must the original owner have been to choose death in exchange for another soul to care for her child?
She would rather trust a complete stranger to treat her daughter kindly than trust herself not to hurt the child again.
Driven by those emotions, Lin Anran slowly crouched down, opened her arms, and revealed a gentle smile to Princess Shengshi.
“Little A’Li, can Mother hug you?” she coaxed softly.
Lin Anran had already made her voice as gentle as possible, yet Luo Li still looked frightened. It was enough to show just how deeply the original owner had hurt her.
Lin Anran had never expected a single smile to break through Luo Li’s defenses. She had already prepared herself for a long battle.
But just as Lin Anran was about to withdraw her hands, the little girl slowly walked toward her instead.
Perhaps Luo Li truly longed for a mother’s love.
Perhaps she sensed Lin Anran’s goodwill.
Or perhaps she simply did not want Lin Anran to be punished by the Empress Dowager.
Slowly, the little girl opened her tiny arms and wrapped them around Lin Anran’s neck.
The moment that soft, tiny, warm, sweet-smelling child entered her embrace, Lin Anran’s maternal instincts were awakened. A broad smile spread across her face as she gently hugged the precious little girl.
Afraid of frightening Luo Li, Lin Anran merely held her softly and refrained from any overly intimate gestures.
“Mother Empress, this daughter missed you.”
The child’s tender, sugary voice melted into Lin Anran’s ears. Luo Li’s excessive obedience and maturity made Lin Anran genuinely fond of her from the bottom of her heart.
It was as though she saw her own childhood self reflected in Luo Li.
Suddenly, she wanted to protect Luo Li—and also protect the little girl she herself once had been.
Smiling, she said, “Mother Empress missed little A’Li too. Then… would little A’Li like to come home with Mother?”
At that moment, Lin Anran felt that becoming a mother painlessly was not such a bad thing after all.
But before Luo Li could answer, the Empress Dowager’s furious voice rang out.
“From now on, Luo Li will remain by this dowager’s side and go nowhere else.”
Then she looked sternly at Luo Li and ordered in an almost commanding tone, “Luo Li, come here to your Imperial Grandmother.”
Luo Li feared and respected the Empress Dowager as well.
Although the Empress Dowager had never beaten or scolded her, Luo Li clearly understood that she was not the only child cherished here. More than anything, she wanted to stay with her mother.
Her mother needed her.
When the Empress Dowager saw that Luo Li did not move, her voice turned cold.
“Luo Li!”
The little girl trembled instinctively. Fearful tears welled up in her eyes, yet she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
The sight made Lin Anran’s heart ache even more.
Holding Luo Li tenderly, she respectfully looked toward the Empress Dowager.
“Mother Empress, little A’Li is still young. This is the age when she most needs her mother—”
“Bang!”
Before Lin Anran could finish, the Empress Dowager slammed her hand heavily onto the table in anger.
“You still know you are Luo Li’s mother? Anyone unaware would think Luo Li wasn’t your biological daughter! Otherwise, how could you have beaten her so severely, leaving her body covered in bruises?”
The accusation shocked Lin Anran.
She hurriedly lifted Luo Li’s sleeves to inspect her arms. Although two months had passed and many of the bruises had faded, traces of the beatings could still be seen on the child’s skin.
Luo Li was only three years old.
How much pain must she have suffered to be beaten like this by her own mother?
And yet, even so, all it had taken was one smile from her mother for her to walk over, hug her, and say she missed her.
If Lin Anran had initially only pitied Luo Li’s circumstances, then now those feelings had transformed completely into deep affection and tenderness.
“Mother Empress, don’t cry. This daughter doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“This daughter knows Mother Empress didn’t mean it. Mother Empress was just sick, so you couldn’t control yourself. This daughter has never blamed Mother Empress, so Mother Empress doesn’t need to blame yourself either.”
Luo Li softly comforted Lin Anran in her childish voice, even reaching out her tiny hand to wipe away the tears on Lin Anran’s face.
Only then did she turn toward the Empress Dowager and plead, “Imperial Grandmother, please let Luo Li return to Mother Empress’s side! Imperial Grandmother still has older brothers, older sisters, younger brothers, and younger sisters with you, but Mother Empress only has Luo Li.”
The Empress Dowager truly adored this sensible legitimate granddaughter and did not want her returning to the Empress’s side to suffer again.
The Empress was a madwoman. Who could guarantee she would not suddenly go mad again and beat or scold Luo Li?
“If Imperial Grandmother misses Luo Li, Luo Li can come visit often,” the child pleaded again. “Luo Li will even bring sweet snacks for Imperial Grandmother, alright?”
Lin Anran added, “This concubine will bring little A’Li daily to pay respects to Mother Empress. I only ask Mother Empress to allow this concubine to bring little A’Li back to Fengyi Palace. I promise I will cherish and protect her well and devote myself wholeheartedly to raising her there from now on.”
The hidden meaning behind her words was clear: let me take Luo Li away, and from now on I will remain quietly inside Fengyi Palace, focusing solely on raising Luo Li. I will be too occupied to interfere with the other concubines bearing children.
Naturally, the Empress Dowager understood the implication.
Even though Lin Anran was threatening her, she did so with lowered brows and a submissive attitude. The Empress Dowager found herself unable to refuse and equally unable to explode in anger. She could only swallow the grievance bitterly.
Though she did not truly believe the Empress would treat Luo Li kindly, for the sake of continuing the imperial bloodline, she could only sacrifice Luo Li alone.
Otherwise, no one could predict whether the Empress, if denied Luo Li, might go mad again and harm the imperial heirs.
“Luo Li, once you return to Fengyi Palace, if you suffer any grievance, you must come tell Imperial Grandmother. Imperial Grandmother will definitely stand up for you. Understand?”
Luo Li nodded obediently and timidly replied, “Thank you, Imperial Grandmother. Mother Empress will treat Luo Li well.”
Watching the little girl lower her eyes to hide the tears within them, Lin Anran realized Luo Li likely already understood that although the Empress Dowager liked her, such affection became worthless in the face of利益—she could still be sacrificed and used.
At an age when she could barely control her own bladder, the child had already learned to read expressions and weigh people’s moods.
No wonder people said the imperial family was the most heartless of all.
From now on, Lin Anran would dote on Luo Li herself.
She would cherish her to the heavens.