Feng Yu Jia Tian

:. Chapter 1 & 2 .:
Early next morning Feng Ming and his entourage were due
to set off,
Chiu Lan and the other girls had risen with the sun and
entered Feng Mings
chambers to assist him into his travelling garments.
The case of the Crowned Prince being sent on a diplomatic
mission was a
grave matter. Naturally, there was an emphasis to uphold
presentation and
etiquette. Needless to say, this included the extensive
amount of clothing and
personal adornments Feng Ming had to wear.
The inner robes, outer coat, boots, cloak, jade pendants
Feng Ming had stood like a store mannequin for over two
hours when
Chiu Lan frantically made last minute adjustments to his
completed attire.\
It is ready now. Chiu Yue stepped back to double check
the collective efforts

of the maids. She smiled and said, What Country has a

more attractive Crown
Prince than Xi Rei?
Unfortunately, the Crown Prince wasnt smitten with the
compliment. The
heavy gold crown that rested upon his head was starting to
give him a migraine,
internally wishing that someone would put him out of his
misery. Everything
about this trip and the added burden of the official
clothing made him feel
uncomfortable.
The matter of travelling to Fan Jia was tormenting him.
There was the
whole aspect of mindlessly heading towards an adventure
where he might
meet his doom. Although his impending death was
weighing heavily on his
mind, Feng Ming couldnt help but to feel the kick of
excitement pushing
through.

Chiu Xing had grown accustomed to the Crown Prince over

the past
months, and knew that Feng Ming was good natured and
kind so she purposely
teased him knowing there wouldnt be any dire
repercussions.
If the Regent King sees our Prince, I wonder what praises
he will say.
She giggled.
Let alone Rong Wang, it is very likely the Third Princess
of Fan Jia will
be smitten with our Prince once she lays her eyes on him.
The maids continued to chatter whilst Feng Ming was
occupied with his
thoughts.
Why hasnt Rong Wang come by? Chiu Xing asked.
Yesterday, Rong Wang sent a messenger to forward that
he was busy,
and could not personally see our Prince before his journey.
Chiu Lan replied.
I refuse to believe it, our Crown Prince is leaving for
abroad and the

Rong Wang does not want to see our precious Prince off?
Chiu Yue
interjected.
Feng Ming snorted at the mention of the two words Rong
Wang.
Suddenly, a rush of footsteps heading towards the Princes
chambers
could be heard, the anticipation of his visitors sent Feng
Mings heart racing.
As the footsteps slowed down, he could distinguish two
sets of feet
heading his way.
Once the visitors made way into the Princes halls, they
loudly announced
themselves.
Greetings your highness!
Respects to your highness!
Quenching his hopes, the visitors were actually General
Tong and Official Xia,
both men presented themselves in formal attire and had
been meticulously

dressed for the occasion.

So it was you twoFeng Ming resigned.
He wasnt in a mood to admire their clothing, seeing it
wasnt Rong
Wang, his complexion darkened a few folds. His once
excited eyes now a black
void.
General Tong bowed and spoke, Rong Wang has ordered
the two of us to
assist your journey. Your humble servant have prepared
five thousand elite
troops to protect Your Highness, General Tong will ensure
Your Highness will
have a safe and pleasant journey.
Under the command of Rong Wang, Official Xia will be
by your Highnesss
side to attend to your health. Naturally, a stockpile of
herbal medicines and
ingredients have been prepared for the journey in case of
any contingencies.
Feng Ming had fought to suppress the urge, but he couldnt
keep his mouth shut

any longer so he quickly asked, And Rong Wang?

Rong Wang is burdened with political affairs, incapable of
sparing any
time, he has ordered the two of us to relay his greetings and
well wishes for the
Princes success. But
But what? An irritated Feng Ming pressed.
General Tong then reached from behind him and
brandished a sword, and
with both hands offered it to the Prince.
The King has bequeathed this sword to your possession.
Feng Ming resentfully whisked his face away from the
parting gift.
Humph! What am I meant to do with a worn out crappy
sword? Feng
Ming was pissed at the pathetic gift the Regent King had
sent in his absence. He
turned to Chiu Lan, instructing her, Take that out and feed
it to the dogs!
Trying not to laugh at her masters request, Chiu Lan
covered her laugh and in a

small voice whispered, His Royal Highness, it is

impossible to feed this item to
the dogs.
Behind Feng Ming, a series of muffled laughs was coming
from his
maids. Upon hearing their amusement Feng Ming quickly
reflected on what had
left his mouth. His face burned with embarrassment.
Chiu Xing leaned closer to her master and quietly advised
him, If His
Royal Highness is dying to see Rong Wang, shall I send a
request by a
messenger?
Who wants to see him? No one is allowed to go
anywhere! he replied with
scorn.
General Tong was a stern man, and had not budged from
his position and
persisted in waiting patiently for the Prince to receive the
gift. Contrary to the
hardy man, Official Xia was laughing his face off.

Official Xia regained his composure and knowing the day

was wasting
away at this rate, he took over the duty of the sword
transferal.
Does His Royal Highness know of the origins of this
sword? he asked,
attempting to entice the Prince.
Feng Ming gave the offending item a longer inspection,
taking note of the
slender blade, and the a modest inlay, a large thumb sized
dark jewel on the hilt.
Apart from these there wasnt anything spectacular about
the sword, it was
simple.
Then he recalled the stories about Wei Xiao Bao in The
Deer and the
Cauldron, the hero of that story was given a dagger that
could change smelt
iron upon contact with anothers weapon.
He inwardly thought of how great his own luck was for
the Regent King

to offer a rare old sword which might not even pass the
grade to give haircuts.
Humph!
Regardless of how mystical and great the sword was Feng
Ming was not
letting Rong Tian off the hook.
So whats the history behind this sword? As he queried
his subject as
his curiosity finally got the better of him and he picked up
the blade and
promptly unsheathed it for inspection.
The metal had not in the least lost luster, toying with the
sword in his
hand Feng Ming turned around and gave a table close by
him a good whack. He
lifted up the blade and studied the damage, there wasnt
even a mark left on the
surface. It absolutely did not live up to his already low
expectations.
Now Feng Ming was even more disappointed and he
discarded the
useless sword on the table without second thoughts.

This is a broken sword! he spat bitterly.

Your Highness should not be so quick to anger. Official
Xia will explain
to you the antecedents of this precious treasure.
The old man gave the Prince a courteous bow before
retrieving the
abandoned gift, lifting the blade in his hands his face was
gentle as he started to
explain.
This blade is called Unparalleled, one of three strange
devices highly
treasured in Xi Rei. Indeed it is not sharp, nor is it
stunningly attractive. It is
likely favorable to use a meat cleaver that beheads chickens
than use this to
fight directly against your enemies. Would Your Highness
be interested in to
postulating why it is classified as a strange device?
Feng Ming looked at the people around him, who too were
sharing a
bewildered and clueless look to Official Xias question.

How am I supposed to know?

The old man chuckled.
Well indeed, Xi Reis most treasured items are tucked
neatly away, and
are hardly mentioned. It comes as no surprise that no one
has heard of their
origins let alone their existence. Official Xia is a lover of
strange things, and I
have studied countless rare items. After the old man
boasted he continued,
Although Unparalleled is given this name, this sword is
actually part of a
pair. Ancient documentations mention two brothers who
were ancestors to the
An lineage. They had attempted over countless years to
defeat an incredible
demonic monster. Running out of options they finally
conjured a trick to
overwhelm their enemy.
At this point Official Xia captivated everyones attention
with his story.

Oh? What was this plan of attack? General Tong urged

the story teller
with full interest.
These two brothers employed magic of their own, it took
them ten years
to complete their spell, using their own blood to cast two
precious swords, and
then incited an unparalleled curse upon the weapons.
An Unparalleled Curse?
Yes, an unparalleled curse. Official Xia nodded to
confirm,
According to the legend, the brothers created these swords
so that although
these swords are two separate entities, they were fated to
share the same
unparalleled destiny together. In case one should meet his
peril, the other shall
follow suit and meet the same end.
Feng Mings eyes jacked wide open, It couldnt be that
they ended up
giving one of these swords to the monster and then one of
the brothers

committed suicide, thus killing the monster with the

imposed curse?
Official Xias eyes lit up with admiration and he
exclaimed, His Royal
Highnesss intelligence ceases to amaze me, I have never
met anyone that could
be your rival.
Your Highness is spot on! The eldest brother tricked the
monster into
taking up one of the swords, and he promptly committed
suicide. The monster
finally died according to plan. The youngest brother
survived and lived on to
govern a region till it prospered and this land finally
became the foundation for
Xi Rei. The youngest brother was in fact the first King of
Xi Rei. The two
Unparalleled swords were returned to the first King and
since been kept well
hidden within the Imperial Palace out of the sight and
knowledge to everyone.

With the closing line of the story, everyone had their eyes
on the sword. The
scrap metal now had a number of new found admirers. It
didnt look as dull as it
had moments ago.
Chiu Lan crossed the line and trembled as she asked,
Official Xia, whywhy
did Rong Wang bequeath such an ominous item to His
Royal Highness?
Feng Ming gave the magical sword a long firm look before
releasing a deep
breath, walked over and took hold of the cursed sword. He
lifted it into view for
more in depth survey, running his fingers along the dcor
and length of the
blade. With hint of sadness he muttered, II will take
care of myself.
To Official Xias joy the Prince had finally accepted the
gift.
General Tong looked at Feng Ming and bowed again,
Your humble

servant will do his utmost protect Your Highness, I shall

serve Your Highness
as Rong Wang has entrusted me.
Chiu Lan interrupted, The time is almost here for your
departure Your
Highness.
Feng Ming nodded, Chiu Lan was quick witted and
responded, stepping
forwards to help him remove the ornate sword that had
occupied his belt and
replaced the spot with his new acquisition.
The occupants left the Princes hall as a group, Chiu Xing
was at the rear of the
procession and she tugged on Chiu Yues sleeve, frowning
as she asked, I still
dont understand, why isnt His Highness angry at Rong
Wang for such a
deplorable gift?
Lets put it this way, Unparalleled swords comes as a
pair, so if one is
with our Prince, where is the other one?

Oh!...I know, is it
Chiu Yue quickly sealed the loud mouth with her hands.
She giggled and smiled
back at her friend
Now you know right? Lets hurry and follow. Our carriage
is the one
behind the Princes.
Hence, Xi Reis Crowned Prince An He left his country en
route to Fan
Jia with a procession lead by General Tong and Official
Xia, where they were
followed by a grandiose entourage of five thousand
soldiers.
:. Chapter 3 .:
During the Princes diplomatic journey, countless officials
governing
various regions of Xi Rei naturally provided his reverence
with their utmost
hospitality. His journey was accompanied by music and
celebrative welcomes
all along the way, until the entourage finally made their
way to the outskirts of

Xi Rei on the seventh day.

However, to arrive at their ultimate destination, Feng Ming
and his
retainers would have to cross a country called Ruo Y an.
Ruo Yan was similar
to Xi Rei, a country situated in mountain ranges and slopes.
Ruo Yan bordered
Xi Rei, Fan Jia and Tong Guo.
In this era with the vast number of countries spread across
the land, parties of
ambassadors journeying was a common event, thus, Ruo
Yan was a major
transit portal with a regular stream of important officials.
Once Feng Mings group arrived at the border between the
two countries,
he had to wait for official correspondence concerning the
passage through Ruo
Yans territory. They rested the day. When night fell,
Zhang Qian, the local
official in charge of the area the foreign Prince had entered
personally arrived to

greet the important guest and welcomed the weary travelers

to an extravagant
banquet prepared especially to fit the mans status.
During the feast, the crowd was in high spirits and frequent
toasts and
flattering speeches were offered to the Prince. General
Tong strictly upheld his
duty, protecting the Prince as he enjoyed himself. The large
man refused any
alcohol offered to him, preferring to stand on guard with
one hand rested on the
hilt of his sword ready to serve his purpose if required.
Contrary to his
gallantry, official Xia loved his liquor and had a large
capacity for his favorite
beverage, even after his hundredth refill he appeared
completely devoid of any
signs of intoxication.
Prince An Hes great appetite for good wines was
notorious, poor Feng
Ming was a victim to the late Princes only ability. Feng
Ming couldnt falter

his guise and forced down countless and seemingly endless

cups of strong
alcohol served to him throughout the evening.
In reality, Feng Ming had actually never consumed alcohol
in his
previous life, and his initial encounter with alcohol was
when he woke up in Xi
Rei. It wasnt surprising after a few glasses of wine his
alcohol tolerance was
met, he barely had a grip on staying upright and his sense
of orientation went
out the door.
Around him, he was only aware of the blaring music in the
great hall and
the masses of dancers that made his head spin and eyes
blur.
Early next morning, he had the joy of reflecting on the
unfriendly
consequences of alcohol, a devil of a jackhammer like
hangover.
Feng Mings head was just about to split open, as he
struggled to open his

drowsy eyes, it was a challenge to sober from the

drumming pain in his head.
Even his vision remained slightly fuzzy.
He raised a hand and rested it on his forehead before
releasing unearthly
groans of pain several times over.
Prince is awake?
Who was beside him?
He had never heard this voice before.
Feng Ming reluctantly turned to face the stranger and with
one look
jumped out of his skin.
To his surprise sharing the other side of his bed and lying
within the cozy
blanket was an astoundingly beautiful youth. Soft slender
eyes, translucent skin
perfect like jade that had a healthy luster and long silky hair
that covered his
shoulders. Although his bed partner was a man, the stranger
was exuding an air
of seduction.

The most frightening aspect the attractive strangers arm

jutting from the
covers, the youths smooth exposed flesh was tainted with
encircling marks
around his wrist. The skin was sore and red, which didnt
leave much to the
imagination. The sight made Feng Ming flush from head to
toe.
Although Feng Mings feisty and defiant behavior towards
Rong Wang
was long in the past, the Prince was very clear what those
marks were and under
what circumstances it takes to acquire them.
Moreover, according to how raw the wounds appeared one
could
extrapolate that there was a high probability that they were
formed last night.
Youwho are you? How did you get in here? Feng
Ming stuttered backing
away from the stranger that shared his bed whilst
maintaining the sheets over
his own body.

Your Highness has actually forgotten about me? The boy

winked,
before issuing an accusing look then he diverted his gaze
and bit his lip before
answering the Prince.
Last night, against General Tongs attempts to persuade
you, Your
Highness refused to release me from your embrace.
WHAT? the Prince let out a very loud bewildered
scream, refusing to believe
the young man.
Feng Ming recalled Rong Wangs casual comments about
homosexuality
and how it was rampant across the lands. Especially within
the Royal
household, it was normal for an official to present a male
pet as a gift in order to
gain favor and promotion to their noble statuses.
With all his might, he tried to recall any remnants of last
night, a hard task as
his memory was completely evading him on this occasion
to spite him.

Uneasily, Feng Ming motioned to lift up his corner of the

bed spread and
secretly peer down to verify his fears. Instantaneously, he
retreated further to his
side of the bed with his form completely disconsolate.
Confirming his suspicions not even a thread covered the
boys body, he
was completely butt naked and whatever clothing he had
worn was now
scattered about the bedside.
It was completely needless to enquire further what
happened between the
two.
The youth bellowed a laugh, What is the matter my
Prince? Last night
you were very unconstrained, and the present Prince is
completely different. Is
the Prince no longer fond of Lie Er?
Lie Er inched closer and frightened the poor Prince, who
reacted by
withdrawing so quickly he smacked the back of his head
against a bedpost.

When the Princes head connected with the pillar, Lie Er

immediately
stopped in his tracks, he pouted before solemnly asking,
Prince, why do you
fear Lie Er? Lie Er should be afraid of Your Highness,
look, Prince played so
rough with me I was at the verge of death from the passion
you enforced on my
body on this bed last night.
The stranger lifted his slender arms and extended them in
front of Feng
Ming, the tender flesh was patterned with an array of
purple and red.
If it was someone else in his shoes, they might have been
proud of their
workmanship on the young boy. However, for Feng Ming
all he could feel was
embarrassment from ear to ear. This was his first time
consuming another
man, furthermore to add to his shame his drunk self
covertly plastered love bites

all over the young mans body for his sober self to
discover.
Theres a saying how alcohol can cause chaos by altering
ones nature, and
should not be taken lightly.
He seriously shouldnt have drunken even a drop!
As Feng Ming repented his sins a thousand times over
inside, he managed
to stammer to his bed partner, A mistakethis is a
misunderstanding!
Misunderstanding? Lie Er faced Feng Ming with a dead
pan expression
and his large doe like eyes grew watery. It seems like he
was refraining himself
from speaking. With such a forlorn look Feng Ming felt a
twinge of guilt
welling inside. Just as Feng Ming was at the point of
offering a few words of
comfort, Lie Er abruptly chimed in to cut him off with a
sudden smile which
also displayed his adorable dimples.

His Highness claims this is a misunderstanding, so be it.

What happened
was a misunderstanding. Lie Er agreed in a calm soft
voice.
Feng Ming relaxed.
Lie Er then continued, Lie Er, was originally a slave of a
rich nobleman
living near the borderlines of Ruo Yan, last night Your
Highness dragged me
off and refused to release me. My master has already
bestowed Lie Er as a
present to Prince.
The younger boy tore off the quilt, then unexpectedly
climbed out of the
bed with haste and knelt down on the ice cold ground and
bowed his head.
Prince is already Lie Ers new master, if Prince feels
dissatisfied with
Lie Er after last night, please punish Lie Er at your will. Lie
Er will not dare to
complain.

In his wildest imagination, Feng Ming could not foresee

that the boy would
resort to such an extreme reaction, without thinking he
blurted out, What are
you doing!?
Hurry up! Get up! You will freeze to death.
Lie Er is nothing but a lowly slave, if Prince dislikes Lie
Er, I shall commit
suicide on Your Highnesss command.
Winter was breathing is harsh winds, its icy tendrils lashed
the land, and
the chill was not spared in this bedchamber. Outside snow
blanketed the
grounds, and the great snow storms were at their peak.
Given these conditions,
Lie Ers naked body shivered uncontrollably and was
beginning to lose color.
Feng Ming didnt know what else to do, he quickly
followed suit and
jumped out of the bed to pry the boy off the ground and
hauled him by the arm
back into the warm confines of the quilts.

I do not resent you. Please dont casually commit suicide

for my sake.
Feng Ming surrendered.
Lie Er rubbed his eyes, If the Prince does not have a need
for Lie Er, Lie
Er can only die.
I didnt say I dont want you.
Prince will permit Lie Er to attend to His Highness?
Feng Ming pondered over the matter intensively and he
looked at Lie Ers
longing face. He could only think to himself about how
strange a slave-only
society was, and that he had to ignore every ounce of
decency in him that
pushed of modern day human rights beliefs. In this case if
he didnt put his
morals aside, there was a high chance the kid would end up
killing himself.
Finally, he dipped his head and nodded.
You can serve me, you only need to cater for fetching tea
and water

changing his tone to the most threatening he could feign, he

enunciated, You
are absolutely forbidden to attend to me in bed.
Lie Er made a small grunt of agreement and nodded his
head.
Feng Ming reiterated himself and added Even if I am
drunk, and order you to
join me in bed you must not climb in.
Another small noise and a nod came from the boy, then the
brows on his
pretty face furrowed.
His voice was troubled as he murmured within threshold,
But if I dont
listen to masters instructions it will be
Thats why I am making an overriding instruction, in the
case I ever get
drunk again and demand that you join me to do anything in
the nature to what
happened last night, you must bring a pail of cold water and
tip it on me, until I
sober up.

Lie Er stared at his new master red faced, hesitating before

finally answered
with a yes.
With that aside Feng Ming whispered, Let me ask you,
about last night apart
from General Tong, who knows about this incident? Surely
not everyone is
aware.
I am not too sure, Lie Er replied honestly and shook his
head, I was
solely preoccupied with attending to Prince I paid no
attention to anything else.
I hope that no one else knows about this, Feng Ming
stuck his tongue out with
a grimace.
The Prince was crafting up a master plan to conceal his
tryst when outside he
heard Chiu Yues voice.
His Highness, official Xia as advises that it is time to
leave. Prince, please
arise and change.

Chiu Lans voice followed, Pardon your humble servants,

we are going to
enter now.
Feng Mings eyes jacked right open and frantically looked
around him, Lie Er
was still naked under the covers with him.
He desperately shouted his desire not to be interrupted,
No, Dont!
Dont come in!
His three chamberlains eyed each other, confused to why
the Prince would
forbid them to enter. However, they heeded his request and
had paused in their
footsteps just outside the entrance to the room, daring not
to intrude.
Your Highness? The girls voiced their concerns.
Im not feeling well so I dont want to see anyone at the
moment.
Prince, if you are unwell then your servants will send for
Official Xia to
check your condition.

No! Its not necessary! Feng Ming body tensed, before

faking two
scratchy coughs, stalling as he quickly manifested
nonsensical excuses Im not
ill or anything, Im actually quite healthy, its just
something to do with my
bodys immunity, thats all. He dearly hoped that they
bought his terrible
acting skills. Hey, even if I tell you guys, you wont
understand, anyway I
dont want anyone to enter at this moment.
The three maids looked at each other in dismay, all of them
reluctantly replying
to their master.
As Prince orders.
Feng Ming stumbled out from the bed and scrambled to get
himself clothed, his
complex outfit was usually catered by his maids, if not
Rong Tian would ease
him into the garments in the right order. Unsurprisingly,
left to his own devices

a very flustered Feng Ming easily created a tardy mess of

himself.
Unlike his new master Lie Er had managed to clothe
himself without any
qualms, thus the sight of the poorly attired Feng Ming
made had him hold bad a
giggle. Doing his best to suppress his laugh, he gestured to
the Prince, Please
allow Lie Er to serve the Prince.
Placing a halt to any further wardrobe catastrophes, the
younger boy
stepped closer to the Prince and in an orderly manner
helped correct the
mistakes made.
Feng Ming had feared the worst, after their night of passion
he didnt want to be
entangled with a sultry slave who may persist in giving him
unnecessary bodily
contact, he watched the boy, who busied himself
wholeheartedly to aid him.
Feeling no ulterior motive or any wandering hands on his
body Feng Ming

gradually calmed down.

Once dressing was completed, Feng Ming faced Lie Er,
looking sternly before
ordering, Be obedient and stay here for now, after I leave
you can take your
exit a bit later. If you dont want to be a slave, I have no
issues with you
deserting your role you can be a free man.
The Prince scolded himself internally, being told to be
obedient by King Rong
was beginning to influence his own behavior.
His servant refused the generous offer shaking his head.
Lie Er will not leave and shall remain by your side. Lie Er
has never
been grace with a kind master like Prince.
Feng Ming knew his company was awaiting his presence
before they could set
off, and there was no quick fix for what had happened
between him and the
youngster. Without further delay he gave Lie Er a
reassuring pat on his shoulder

before walking out of the chamber in silence.

After he stepped out to join the gathered carriages, he
found Chiu Lan and the
other maids standing patiently next to his personal cart.
Chiu Yue promptly
parted the heavy extravagant curtains that adorned the
carriage for her master to
enter.
Chiu Xing swiveled around, taking a head check before
asking
nonchalantly, Prince, is he not going to come?
Feng Mings throat tightened, timidly he asking, Who are
you talking
about?
Who else but Lie Er, wasnt he Princes present?
Chiu Lan interjected, Last night His Highness was
resolute in demanding Lie
Er from Rou
Yans official, insisting the evening was too cold to spend
alone and that
someone must accompany you.

Thats right! His Highness also proclaimed that if they

refused to give you Lie
Er, youd kidnap him during the night too!
As his maids filled his memory lapses, he nearly face
planted on the floor of his
carriage from their quotations, he couldnt help but burn
with embarrassment.
He didnt know whether to laugh or cry, I, last
nightwhat else did I
say?
The three women saw the blood literally drain from the
Princes face, so they
quickly stopped teasing him and unanimously shook their
heads.
Feng Ming didnt really want to pursue the matter further,
so he slumped to one
side of the carriage and spent a moment aloof with his own
thoughts.
Shortly, the fact that the whole world was now fully aware
of his prowess
clicked inside. So it was pointless to conceal it.

He beckoned Chiu Lan, Go and collect Lie Er from my

bed chamber, he
shall travel with the carriages, tell him he doesnt need to
follow us secretly
anymoregiven that everyone knows.
As you wish.
Chiu Lian left to relay the message and quickly returned
with Lie Er in tow. The
young man happily paid his respects to the Prince before
scuttling off into the
attendants carriage.
The party proceeded with their long distance route, and it
would take
roughly eleven days through Rou Yans territory before
they would finally enter
Fan Jias territory.
:. Chapter 4 & 5 .:
Winter scenery stretched across the land, unfortunately for
Feng Ming the
group travelled along the major highways of Rou Yan
hence all that was in sight

were barren mountains and the sporadic rice fields. Even as

a tourist the sight
became dull and repetitive.
Three days had passed since they set off, Feng Ming had
been cooped
alone inside his personal carriage and he was at edge of
losing his mind, being
surrounded by four walls wasnt doing much for his sanity.
Sticking his head out the window, he spotted General Tong
who appeared
awe-inspiring as he rode alongside the motocade, spurring
his well train horse
back and forth as he inspected and oversaw the party.
General Tong! Feng Ming shouted from his perch.
His loyal servant immediately urged his horse towards the
Princes
carriage to subserviently answer his call.
What is Your Highnesss orders?
How many days till we arrive?
Not long my Prince, within five to six days we will be out
of Ruo Yans

territory and crossing the boundary of Fan Jia. Eleven more

days, we shall reach
Fan Jias capital city.
Feng Ming lamented his disappointment, Its going to take
that long?
The pace and progress we have made so far is extremely
good, although Fan
Jia and Xi Rei appear close in terms of proximity. In
comparison, travelling to
the remote country of Lin Dan takes up to three full
months!
Feng Ming grumbled, and diverted his attention to General
Tongs magnificent
steed. A mischievous smile stretched across his lips.
General Tong, your horse
His Royal Highness, I am under King Rongs strict orders.
Our journey is
exposed to danger, to prevent any incidences under no
condition is the Crowned
Prince permitted to ride a horse. I, Tong Jian Min
absolutely will no dare to
disobey King Rongs command.

The generals grave tone squashed any hope in Feng Ming,

the Prince resigned
dejected with his head down casted as he returned to the
prison like sanctuary of
his carriage.
If Id known earlier I wouldnt have agreed to this trip,
I will either get beaten to death by Fan Jias third Princess
or if I am
lucky bore myself to death before I get there.
It was quite the struggle to occupy his brain till nightfall,
when evening
finally set in the travelers stopped at a clearing, pitching up
tents to spend the
night.
Feng Ming was in a hurry to leave his cell, jumping out of
his carriage
and seeking the warmth of his tent.
Chiu Lan and the two other maids followed behind, and
busied
themselves with helping Feng Ming prepare his bedding.

Whilst amidst in her duties, Chiu Xing suddenly let slip, I

wonder how
Lie Er is doing?
Chiu Yue giggled and replied, Whats this? Is this why
youve been peeking
out of the window every day? Did you want to catch a
glimpse of him?
Chiu Lan contributed to the friendly banter aimed at Chiu
Xing, Dont blame
her, its Lie Ers fault for being born to be so attractive.
Bah! Chiu Xing spat, her reddened face betraying her as
she retaliated, Who
says that he is attractive? I certainly didnt! When it comes
to appearances, our
Prince is winning in that department!
The said Prince was slowly taking off the clothing items he
could manage,
starting with the muffler around his neck, hearing his
servants ridiculing one
another made him laugh. With a straight face he
contributed asking Chiu Xing,

If you want to see Lie Er so badly, perhaps I shall

summon him here.
Chiu Lan clapped gleefully, Thats great. I shall inform
him that he has
been summoned by the Prince.
Within minutes, the maid was back bringing the young man
to the small group.
Lie Er had already changed into a servants attire. He
presented himself in front
of Feng Ming and made his respects before enquiring,
What do you desire your
Highness?
Nothing in particular, I just wanted to see how you are
going, its been
several days are you getting accustomed to this
environment? As he spoke
Feng Ming studied the youth in front of him, the longer he
looked the more he
felt that something was out of place.
Chiu Yue also gasped, scurrying over to take a closer
inspection before

clicking her tongue, Why do you look so thin? she was

genuinely concerned.
Chiu Lan concurred with the remark, When I first saw
him, I thought he
looked much thinner than when he joined us. His eyes are
hollowed with dark
bags and his eyes are red. When I asked him about it, he
refused to give me an
answer.
Hearing his maids comments, Feng Ming frowned, Are
you unwell, why
didnt you say anything?
Lie Er kept still and did not say a word.
Chiu Xing approached her master and leaned towards his
ear to whisper,
Prince should ask whether he is being bullied by the other
chamberlains.
Feng Ming wasnt familiar with matters concerning the
pecking order of
attendants, he asked with much suspicion, Is there
someone here that has been
bullying you? Who is it?

Lie Er offered the Prince a forced smile, shaking his head

in denial, I am
from Ruo Yan as well as being a male slave it is only right
that they bully
someone like I.
Bastards! Feng Ming leaped onto his feet and stomped
around infuriated I
will teach them a lesson!
Although Chiu Lan was tender in years, she was amazingly
wise. She quickly
snatched Feng Mings sleeve and advised him otherwise.
Prince, these attendants that serve you are all gifts from
noble families
of Xi Rei, if you impose punishment on these individuals,
the nobles are likely
to find out and be offended. Additionally, there is another
resolve to the
problem. If Prince permits Lie Er to sit in another carriage
wouldnt it be
better?
Thats right. We still have to travel quite a distance so it
would be

inappropriate to punish anyone anyway. Ill deal with them

when we return to
Xi Rei.
He glanced over at Lie Er, pausing to think before asking,
Well, where is
Lie Er going to take a seat?
How about he joins the carriage the three of you girls are
sharing? He
suggested.
We are all maids, and he is a boy! How can sharing a
carriage with us be
proper? Chiu Lan laughed making her opposing point
clear.
Then we shall have Lie Er sit in a carriage by himself.
Feng Ming
proposed.
Thats even worst, if he was issued his own carriage when
the other servants
see him they will be burning with envy, it will only lead to
more bullying!
Feng Ming was out of ideas, knitting his brows in thought,
his eyes lit up with a

plan If he shares my carriage with me, then I wont be

bored senseless!
This solution was the best, and the three women did not
object.
Lie Er didnt oppose, with a wry smile he looked at his
Master.
Feng Ming felt the hairs down his back stand, it was better
if Lie Er
didnt show him that smile, that smile reminded Feng Ming
of their night
together. His mind sending signals, reminding him that the
boy was still a male
slave. If they shared a carriageFeng Ming may have to
stay on guard, fighting
off any attempts by the younger boy to seduce him.
The Prince cursed himself, however, he had already agreed
to such an
arrangement and he wasnt the type of person to go back on
his words. The
more he stressed about it, it became apparent that perhaps it
would be better to

organise Lie Ers personal space as early as tomorrow for

his own sake.
--- --- ---Surprisingly once Lie Er joined him in his
carriage, the youth remained
obedient and sincere, occupying the corner of the confined
space with a book in
hand which held his attention.
Feng Ming had originally feared for the worst, and stayed
on edge ready
to guard against any flirtatious onslaughts from his servant.
Instead he found
himself slightly ashamed for thinking Lie Er was going to
attack him. As the
younger man remained harmless for the first half of the day
they spent together,
Feng Ming could truly gauge the heart of this gentleman
with his own measure.
Determined that he wasnt going to be torn to shreds by a
sexual beast, he
finally worked up the courage to prompt Lie Er to have a
chat with him.

Lie Er, what is interesting in Ruo Yan? I want to hear

about the fun parts
in the country.
The younger man glanced up from his book and looked at
the Prince, he
placed his book aside, Fun places? Is the Prince asking
about beautiful
scenery?
Lie Er was very familiar with Ruo Yan, so it was effortless
as he
enlightened his master with numerous stories. Not only did
he inform the Prince
about the specialities of his country but he even
demonstrated a vast knowledge
of the other eleven countries, telling the Prince about scenic
wonders and
interesting facts.
The Prince was gobsmacked and exclaimed, Lie Er, you
are really
something! You know so much about everything!
Lie Ers facial expression changed with the praise, a smile
beaming on

his face I like to read, my previous owner had a large

collection of books and I
was allowed to read. Sadly, all these fun places Ive talked
about, Ive never
been to.
Being accompanied by Lie Er eased the boredom, Feng
Ming was
amused enjoying the boys company as well as being able
to learn more about
the world around him.
In this way, another five days breezed past, and the party
from Xi Rei had
made their way out of Ruo Yan.
By morning, the group arrived at the borderline of Fan Jia.
Fan Jia was
earlier informed that Xi Reis Crown Prince was personally
acting as an
ambassador. At the borderline, they were only greeted by a
minor official who
offered a few words, hastily instructing the party how to
reach the capital, Le Xi
before waving them off.

The cold treatment was a complete contrast to the kind

hospitality that
welcomed the Prince in Ruo Yan.
Chiu Lan jeered discontented, Such a lowly official,
doesnt he know that this
is the Crown Prince and his consort!
She snorted.
He is not aware of his position in terms of hierarchy.
Even in the dead of winter, Official Xia had had his fan
opened and in
action.
Little maid is too nave, Fan Jia Kings son in law died in
Xi Rei, we
approach their borders and are lucky that they did not greet
us with knives and
bows.
Feng Ming listened and his face paled.
General Tong chortled, Dear Prince theres no need to
panic, King Rong
has already corresponded with Fan Jia, If Fan Jia was
unwilling to repair our

relationship; our King would not have sent you to here as

an ambassador.
With those words of reassurance, Feng Ming felt a bit of
peace.
That evening, the group pitched tents to rest within the
borderline region.
The Princes three maids and male chamberlain helped him
prepare for
bed, and when they finished tucking him in they too
retreated for a good nights
rest.
In the middle of the night a sudden rapping woke Feng
Ming from his
slumber, he called out into the darkness, Who is it?
Your Highness, it is me. Its late at night but I cannot
seem to rest. I
wanted to have a talk with Your Highness.
Feng Ming sat up, and leaned against the backboard of his
bed before
reaching for a jacket and draping it over his shoulders.
Ah, Official Xia, Please enter.

I apologize for disturbing your rest my Prince, Official

Xia pushed the door
open and made his entry. He walked and grabbed a tall
backed chair and moved
it closer to the Princes bed and sat down.
The reason why I have come at this hour is to discuss that
servant from
Ruo Yan.
Lie Er?
Yes.
Feng Ming cocked and eyebrow, Whats wrong with Lie
Er?
He is a suspicious character. The boy joined us without a
real reason or
cause. Recently the Prince has become dangerously close
with this stranger. A
true citizen of Ruo Yan normally loves his country and
would refuse to leave
his homeland willingly. Not only that, he hasnt tried to
escape. He has not
demonstrated any regret or emotions of leaving his country.
I had even ordered

the other chamberlains to bully him and he bared it all with

clenched teeth. Not
even voicing against his mistreatment. It is likely this is all
a ploy to trick the
Prince to allow him to share the same carriage. This is what
I have managed to
deduce from his actions so far, we must beware as he is a
calculating person,
and certainly not as simple as he portrays himself.
Do you mean
In Xias opinion, he is likely a spy that Ruo Yan has
pinned onto the Prince.
The skinny old mans eyes narrowed, coldly adding The
King of Ruo Yan had
a male consort called Fu Er, who apparently died of an
illness less than half a
month ago. I stumbled across portraits of his lover, and I
was shocked to see
that Lie Er is a spitting resemblance of the late Fu Er. How
could there be such
an uncanny coincidence? There is something fishy.
Feng Ming shivered.

If Lie Er was a spy sent by Ruo Yans King, why would

they want to tail
my activities? Does he plan to do something to me?
Official Xia grinned, shaking his head.
Prince should not over think matters, in the short term he
should not
bring you any harm. There are various countries at war or
on the verge of war.
Hence spies are a common entity, there are dispersed
throughout the countries
like stars in the sky. Where would you find influential
people of a country
without spies amongst them? Lie Er is such a person, he
might have a worth
later on so he may live for the time being. However, he will
not have access to
classified material. If a war breaks out with Ruo Yan we
can use him in
negotiations. Such beautiful people are a rarity. If the
Prince wishes to bed him,
do as you like.

The old mans laughter was somewhat different than usual

and it took a
while for the Prince to work out what the man meant. When
it registered, Feng
Ming immediately blushed, waving his hands at the absurd
suggestion.
No, I wont be doing that!
Official Xia continued to chat to him before heading back
to bed.
As the door closed shut behind him, the Prince was left
with his thoughts,
spending the rest of the night with Rong Tian on his mind.
If the Regent King was by his side at this very moment,
even if there was
a hundred spies around him he wouldnt be afraid.
He reached out into the cold, feeling around for his
unparalleled sword,
grabbing it and bringing the cold metal into his embrace.
Dawn was a few hours away before he slipped into sleep.
:. Chapter 6 .:

Since Feng Ming learned of Lie Ers suspicious character

and the
possibility he could be spy, he dared not to open his mouth
so casually. Within
their enclosed quarters he hesitated before speaking and
eventually the
conversation between the two completely dried. Lie Er
naturally felt the strong
transformation in his Masters attitude but treated the issue
with indifference.
Instead the servant continued his duties beside Chiu Lan,
assisting the Prince
with changing, bathing and meals.
Over the next several days Feng Ming closely observed the
youngster.
The Prince could not detect any abnormalities in Lie Ers
behaviour. Monitoring
the boy gradually became unnecessary, thus it was not long
until Feng Ming
abandoned the bothersome duty. Feng Ming was well
aware that spies run

rampant in every country and the matter didnt deserve the

amount of fuss.
Moreover, Official Xia had previously spoken on the
matter, that the likelihood
Lie Er would pose any immediate danger was extremely
low.
With these points in mind, the Princes heart was set at ease
and his own
antisocial faade gradually relaxed.
The troupe was on their eleventh day of travel within the
borders of Fan
Jia, before the exhausted men finally reached their
destination the capital called
Le Xi.
In contrast to Xi Reis modest and barren winter landscape
around the
capital and within the palace, the city of Le Xi was full of
vitality. The streets
were decorated with vibrant colours far as the eye can see.
This effect wasnt
due to any natural splendour on behalf of mother-nature but
rather the effect of

the women whom roamed the streets adorned with bright

colours and
extravagant clothing.
Upon passing through the Citys main gates Feng Ming
curiously lifted
the curtains of his carriage and peered outside before
commenting, The girs
here are so beautiful. Their taste in clothing isnt bad at all
and much better than
Xi Rei.
Prince, if the girls were to hear you say that youll no
doubt get an
earful. Lie Er glanced out of the window with disinterest
and returned his
attention to his books.
Feng Ming stuck out his tongue.
After a moment, Lie Er unhurriedly informed him, Of the
eleven
countries, the most beautiful women are from Fan Jia, and
the most handsome
men are from Xi Lei. An Xun was fortunate to secure a
Princess from Fan Jia.

Hey, how did you learn of An Xun? Feng Ming asked

suspiciously.
Lie Er was not in the least panicked by the Princes change
in tone, he
dully replied, For a Prince of Xi Rei to marry into Fan Jia
is not a small matter,
even a slave like me is aware of this event. The servants
eyes were still
focused on his reading material.
The Prince could sense it now, Lie Ers fickle temperament
stood out like
a sore thumb. There was no trace of the little pitiful sheep
to the slaughter act.
Instead his servant became sincere and blunt. Feng Ming
thought to himself,
that act might have worked on the King of Ruo Yan but
perhaps he has given up
on seducing me.
Grinning to himself, Feng Ming couldnt help but to
secretly admire his
will against falling for such traps of attraction.

Not long after, the team reached the outskirts of the

Imperial Palace. Only
to be cordoned off by the main gates that remained tightly
shut.
General Tong and Official Xia stood guard as Feng Ming
dismounted
from his transport just outside the walls of the palace,
almost an hour passed
and no one came to greet him.
The short tempered General Tong was the first to express
his
dissatisfaction frowning as he scoffed aloud, Is the King
of Fan Jia unaware
that your Highness has arrived?
Official Xia shook his head, The messengers we had
deployed in
advance to announce our arrival has already returned.
Humph! Tong was not pleased, he reached for his sword
and raised his
eyebrows, This is preposterous! Our Prince has travelled
days on end from

afar, only to be forced to wait out in the cold with no

reception befitting of his
status!
Suddenly a sharp voice cracked the tense atmosphere, Our
revered An
Xun travelled all the way to Xi Lei to deliver medicine, and
how was he
treated?
Stunned and speechless, every pair of eyes looked up as the
door leading
into the palace dramatically opened to herald the presence
of a man dressed in
white. Behind him were more than a thousand elite troops
arranged in strict
lines. The vast number easily belittled the handful of
soldiers Xi rei had bought
along for this diplomatic mission. The atmosphere was
thick, Fan Jias military
displayed their weapons high and proud, the Prince could
feel the murderous
aura steaming from each foreign soldier.

It felt like it was only a command away before the men

would have Xi
Reis Prince hacked into minced meat.
The sight of the blood thirsty people in front of him was
enough to make
him feel faint. Inwardly, Feng Ming cursed General Tong
for not leading a five
thousand men strong army to pay Fan Jia a house visit. It
was obvious that the
King of Fan Jia did not welcome the soldiers of Xi Rei into
his palace perhaps
this was a good sign for the diplomatic party to retract their
visit. Unsure of how
to react, Feng Mings hands unconsciously snaked down to
the Unparalleled
Sword sitting on his hip.
He turned back and searched for direction from General
Tong, who stared
back with intensity. The man was on guard and ready to
attack given the word.
It was Official Xia that knew Feng Ming was scared and
apprehensive. In

whisper he guided the young Prince, Your Highness

should not stand down on
this matter, or else lives will be endangered.
The old man continued, The man in white is called Gui
Sen, he is the
husband of the eldest Princess hence next in line to inherit
the throne.
Feng Ming repeated Xias wise words.
Yes, I must not show any weakness.
Memories of all the martial arts movies Feng Ming had
watched as a kid
in his previous life flooded back, the bottom line still held
fast in this realm,
whoever showed any sign of weakness would always be the
first to fall in a
decisive battle. Using a few seconds, the Prince racked his
brain for a solution
to the problem at hand, trying to break down any useful
information he had
retained from Rong Tians lectures. An idea struck him like
lightning and he

cleared his throat before speaking with an equalled

authority in his tone.
My dearest Royal Uncle, An Xun met a tragic end at the
hands of
assassins within Xi Reis palace, and at the same time my
father was targeted
and ruthlessly murdered. An He is distraught over the
sudden loss and could not
fathom how deeply heartbroken her highness is over
Uncles death especially
now she is a widow. Therefore, I have travelled from Xi Le
in order to form a
collaborative effort with Fan Jia to hunt the perpetrators to
these malicious
crimes. Furthermore, I would like escort her Highness back
to Xi Rei to live
out her natural life.
He had practiced parts of these lines a thousand times over
mind during
his journey into enemy territory, now his voice was steady
and convincing and
suitable of a noble Prince.

Gui Sens cold eyes seared into Feng Ming, their intense
gaze left the
Prince unable to breathe, then he issued, By the decree of
the King of Fan Jia,
he has stated: To the Prince of Xi Rei who has journeyed
from afar, I am unwell
and currently unable to greet you personally, I have ordered
my oldest son in
law, Gui Sen to take responsibility to welcome you to our
land and address your
affairs.
Feng Ming let out a sigh of relief, thankful that the King
did not order the
visiting party to be exterminated on sight. Now that his wits
were about, he
collected himself as there were duties to fulfil. Not wanting
to disappoint the
Regent Kings teachings Feng Ming stood proud and
clasped his hands in front
of his chest to offer the older man a respectful salutation.
Under these circumstances, thank you for your trouble.

Prince An He, Gui Sen will give your words of advice, An

Xun was
married into Fan Jia. The Third Princess is still addressed
with her esteemed
title in this country. Casually calling her your Royal Aunty
will not suffice.
Feng Ming was just about to answer yes as he felt a tug at
his sleeve. It
was Official Xia, this action bought about the Prince to
swallow the word. As
his quick thinking allowed him to realise if he portrayed
himself as a yes-man at
this moment, people were certain to feel that Xi Reis
Prince was subservient,
lacking confidence and authority. It was important not to
depreciate his rank,
especially if it meant lowering the value on his head.
A faint smile edged across the Princes face, Royal Uncle,
thank you for
your good intentions. However, An Xun was An Hes uncle
thus it is natural for

me to respect the Third Princess as my Royal Aunty, the

name endears her as
part of our Royal family. Besides, An He is here for that
exact purpose, to escort
Aunty back to Xi Rei.
Gui Sen was taken aback by Feng Mings display of
extraordinary ways
with words, carefully studying the boy with his eyes before
questioning the
rumours he heard, concerning Xi Reis incompetent Prince,
a good for nothing
wine sack and food bag. Now he was a witness to the
contrary. Gui Sen took
note of Feng Mings unusually elegant and beautiful
appearance. The boy was
not only a pretty shell, but had proven that he had an
intelligence to match.
There was a silent understanding between the two men. The
Prince had made it
clear that he wasnt a push-over.
If it is so, then I have nothing further to say. Gui Sen has
already

organised lodging for the Prince, if the Prince could follow

my lead.
The large man signalled with his hand, and immediately
servants drew
out a majestic white horse.
This horse was flawless, even comparable to the Regent
Kings horse,
White Cloud.
Feng Mings eyes widened like a child seeing a toy that
wasnt his, he
was burning with envy. Bringing him back to reality was
the voice of Official
Xia, Prince, lets return to our carriages. We need to travel
to our arranged
accommodation.
The Prince nodded slight, giving the old man a short grunt
before
returning his attention to the Gui Sen who had mounted the
great animal. The
man appearance was awe inspiring, like a hero radiating
high spirits.

With a final glance Feng Ming resigned and shuffled into

his carriage,
gritting his teeth before murmuring to himself, I must find
a good horse for
myself, and he snorted, I want to ride a horse too
---The Princes entourage found themselves in a modest
hotel, after sorting
out the rooms and placements, Gui Sen retreated.
Early tomorrow morning, Gui Sen will personally come to
chaperon
Prince An He to see the Third Princess.
Good, thank you Royal Uncle.
At long last everything was settling down, Feng Ming let
out a big sigh of
relief.
Lie Er chided him, Do not get too comfortable, youll be
meeting the
Third Princess tomorrow. Winning her over is the most
critical objective you
have on this expedition. In the event that the Third Princess
refuses to make

amends with Xi Rei, Im afraid Fan Jia Wang would

unlikely dissolve the army
he has sent to Xi Rei.
Feng Ming was taken by surprise by the remark which
started to upset his
mood. Seeing her masters gloomy expression, Chiu Lan
quickly stepped in to
offer words of comfort.
Dont stress your Highness! You will win over the Third
Princess with
your natural talents and charm. Prince made his aweinspiring presence felt
today, standing strong and upholding Xi Reis prestige
during the confrontation
at Fan Jias Imperial Palace gates. Who wouldnt develop a
soft spot for you!
Theres no doubt, the Third Princess would absolutely
protect her precious
nephew from danger.
Hearing Chiu Lans attempt at a consolidating speech Feng
Ming laughed
bitterly.

Chiu Lan, shes my Aunty. I cant exactly employ the

honey trap
method* right? He moaned again.
Everyone burst out laughing.
Chiu Xing covered her mouth, holding down her giggles
before saying,
Its getting late, and Prince has an early start tomorrow
morning. If you dont
retire early tonight your plans might be ruined by the
presence of black eye
bags!
Being in reason, the crowd dispersed. Prior to taking his
leave, Official
Xia had anticipated the Prince to be anxious over the vital
meeting. He took the
liberty of dosing the Princes dinner with a powdered
medicine which would
calm and sooth the boys nerves, helping him to a good
nights rest.
Feng Ming managed through the night without even the
slightest stir,

when he woke up the next day he felt energised and not in

the least concerned
with the upcoming challenges.
He did find his lack of fear it a bit strange, after a few
seconds wondering
over the matter he accredited himself for possessing strong
psychological
qualities. Frankly, he felt ready to march towards death.
This new found mental
will power certainly helped to double his confidence.
Breakfast was served to him in a timely fashion, once he
had finished his
meal Giu Sen had already arrived.
General Tong had welcomed their guest; the man donned
an outfit of sky
blue, accompanied with complementing cloak and an
informal crown, one could
tell some time was invested to carefully coordinate the
dashing outfit.
Upon seeing Feng Ming, a smile slipped out across the
older mans face.
He raised his hands in gesture of respect.

The Third Princess is awaiting your company in her

residence, lets set
out now.
Feng Ming was surprised to be issued such a warm smile,
finding it funny
how a friendly gesture made him take a second analysis of
Giu Sen.
The man was certainly not lacking in the looks department,
and could
easily be the poster boy for the men in this era. Feng Ming
was curious to see
whether the second in-law son would be just as handsome.
:. Chapter 7 .:
Sand box: Think of ancient etch-a-sketchers. Basically a
blackboard
using sand!
Poem recitals back in the day, it was completely classy to
break into
poem or song if the circumstances are fitting. There were
poems for all sorts of
occasions such as weather, beauty, love, nature etc. It
helped to savour the

moment.
Sleeve flicking: Think long flowing sleeves being thrown!
It was a body
language to display discontent.
************************************************
****************
Following Gui Sens lead, a smaller delegate from Xi Rei
travelled southwards for an hour to reach the Third Princesss
official resident.
When they finally arrived, with what the eye could tell, it
was evident
that the Third Princess was doted on by her father. Her
home was a mansion and
its grandeur design was on par with the Imperial Palace.
Guarding the main
door on either side were two giant carved lions* from white
jade, as well as ten
fine soldiers on the lookout.
Feng Ming dismounted from his carriage, his eye glued to
the amazing
details of his Auntys home. Suddenly a strange feeling
welled inside him, but

he didnt know what the cause was.

Gui Sen continued his role as the tour guide, Prince An
He, this is the
Third Princesss residence. The Old King spoils her most
out of his three
daughters, she was granted special permission to select any
land she wished to
establish her home and she personally oversaw its
construction. This place she
has chosen has mountains for neighbours and overlooks a
lake. The main house
and the pavilions were designed with consideration to
preservation the natural
surroundings. The innovations that has gone into building
this estate has been
the topic of much praise. The Third Princess is a talented
woman and it is
unfortunate An Xun met an untimely demise, sadly leaving
behind an
unmatched beauty to drift alone.
Gui Sens casual introduction actually broke into an
impromptu recital of

a very lengthy poem.*

Feng Ming stood completely clueless about construction
and architecture.
He didnt understand Gui Sens words either. It was best he
followed Rong
Tians principle, if he didnt understand something he had
to feign that he did,
so he nodded his head little by little, giving the man a
rather idiotic smile to
show his admiration. Whilst inside, Feng Ming was
thinking:
How could you be happy that the Third is the most
cherished! You better
watch out, or else the throne would be passed to the widow,
then youd all be
crying over spilt milk!
By now every member of the party was ready. Gui Sen did
a bit of
primping by straightening his outfit before ushering the
visitors towards the
front gate.

Before they could even make a step through the door, to

their surprised
the guards barricaded the entrance, stopping them in their
stride.
Your Highness, do not proceed, the Third Princess has
given orders that
she will be declining any guests today. She is currently
occupied and wishes
that your Highness entertain Prince An He, she will meet
with the Prince at a
later date.
Gui Sen blanked in a moment of surprise, Yesterday, I had
already
announced to the Third Princess about the meeting today.
The Prince if Xi Rei
is now before her doorsteps, how can she alter our
appointment so casually?
The guards were in a difficult situation, they offered their
apologies with
submissive salutations before commenting, Your
Highness, please do not take

offense. An extremely important guest suddenly arrived

this morning and her
Highness couldnt decline their company."
To have the door slammed in their faces first thing in the
morning made it
obvious that the Third Princess was giving them the cold
shoulder. The party
could only look at each other in dismay.
General Tong was fired up by the disrespect, If the Third
Princess has
her hands tied with entertaining important guests, then what
of our Prince who
has travelled over a thousand miles? Is he just a lowly
visitor?
Lie Er was part of the entourage for the day and his role
was to wait on
Feng Ming. Upon hearing General Tongs outburst, the
servant laughed to
lighten the mood. General Tong, theres no need to set off
your fuse, its no
great hindrance, lets have King Gui Sen, entertain us for
the day.

Within the young mans interjection there was a hint of

criticism towards
Gui Sens abilities to adequately cater to his visitors.
Especially since such an
important meeting he had arranged was now back benched.
With three son in-laws all revving for the throne, they
werent exactly
best of friends. In the foreground the men feigned amicable
relations, whereas
in reality they each held each other akin to fire and water.
Now that An Xuns was nothing but a corpse, and the Third
Princess
freshly widowed, Gui Sen was gearing up to inherit the
throne with one less
competitor. Listening to Lie Ers provocative words, Gui
Sen instantly changed
his mind. Recalling the old hostility between the sons in
laws, he felt that the
Princess had planned to deliberately embarrass him in front
of everyone.
The thought that such a crafty woman was going to get the
best of him,

made something snap inside.

Gui Sen sneered, Hey, naturally it is first come first serve.
Who could be
more important than Prince An He. Gui Sen really want to
see just how great
this guest is!
He paused before bellowing out, Get out of my way!
before diving
straight through the gate.
The Imperial guards patrolling the Thirds residence were
all well aware
that their master would not have the chance to rise as the
Queen of the country.
Instead, it was one of the two Kings left, they didnt think
twice before
removing the road block and promptly stepping aside and
out of the future
Kings way, knowing better than to offend the man, they
did nothing but stand
down.
Feng Ming watched on, shaking his head in disbelief before
he sighted

with an afterthought:
Women of ancient times are really pitiful, her husband just
passed away
and yet they are already bullying her. Her guards couldnt
even defend her
perimeters. In the end what use is her fathers love? Well I
guess theres a good
point to it all, if Gui Sen and the Third Princess are at each
others throats, it
will be an easy task to persuade her to return to Xi Rei with
us.
Following their leader, the small delegate tailed Gui Sen
into the
Princesss residence. In a hurried manner, they passed
several magnificent
courtyards filled with sporadic cherry blossom trees.
Lie Er picked up his pace, bee lining in a brisk fashion until
he was just a
step behind his Master. He leant in to whisper to the Prince,
The visitor is the
King of Li, called Ruo Yan. This man ascended the throne
less than two years

ago and has successfully increased the Country of Li to a

higher standing. He is
an extremely powerful man across the eleven countries.
From what Ive heard,
the Queen of Li had only passed away and now he is here
secretly to visit the
Third Princess. It is extremely probable that he is here to
discuss matters of
marriage with the Princess.
Feng Ming lowered his voice and asked, How are you so
sure that the
guest is Ruo Yan?
There are several carriages parked outside the Princesss
residence. I
noticed one in particular that stood out above the rest. This
one had carvings of
royal insignias on either side. If one didnt pay enough
attention, it is not
apparent.
The Prince poked out his tongue, he hadnt even noticed
any other

carriages parked outside. Lighting his face to check on the

enraged Gui Sen, he
found the man still determined to sully forth.
Feng Ming turned his attention back to his servant, Since
we are gatecrashing, arent we going to bump straight into the
King of Li?
Lie Er grinned barely hiding the joy he was receiving in
this potentially
disastrous event. This stroke of bad luck will serve Gui
Sen right.
Lie Er, Gui Sen hasnt offended you in any way, why are
you acting this
way?
Your Highness didnt see how Gui Sen looked at you! It
was like he
wanted to eat you up, crushing your bones and all!
Feng Ming raised an eyebrow, a bit puzzled before
frowning, You must
have been seeing things? He seems fine to me.
His servant snorted.
Hmph! Im no stranger to understanding the looks in
mens eyes and his

are definitely like a wild hungry dog being presented with a

juicy slab of meat!
Feng Ming shivered at the description and reminded
himself that he must
stay alert.
Another few minutes, the group entered an elegant
courtyard that was
stood out from the rest. Alternating cherry blossom plants
of white and reds
littered the garden, each in full bloom. The light alluring
fragrance of flowers
permeated the air. From an invisible source, one could hear
a therapeutic
trickling of water in the background, it was sweet sounding
and soothing.
They had finally reached the Princesss personal quarters.
Even Gui Sen
was cooling down his previously unbridled fury, at the
same time his walking
pace was more docile.
Everyone was beginning to hype themselves up, even
though there was

an uncertainty to whether their visit will end in failure or

success. Regardless,
each person couldnt help but to carry themselves with an
air of dignity to keep
up appearances.
In silence the group reached a sizable pavilion, the main
entrance was
shielded by a curtain with a delicately embroidered
phoenix. Suddenly, the
material was parted, and out stepped a maid dressed in long
emerald green
robes. She was quite pretty and had delicate features,
especially her eyes which
had a bright glow to them.
Seeing the unexpected guests she paced quickly towards
them, flashing a
sincere smile in attempt to lighten the awkward situation.
Standing in front of
Gui Sen, she took a deep bow, My respects to King Gui
Sen. The Third
Princess is currently entertaining a guest who has arrived
from afar. The

Princess has requested for Your Highness and Prince An

He to await her at the
reception hall.
Gui Sen was familiar with this maid; the girl was highly
ranked and
personally served the Princess like a shadow. There was no
doubt she was also
very cunning and eloquent, the girl knew the delegate had
rushed in and had not
heeded the requests at the front gate. Without consulting
the Princess, the maid
had spoken on her masters behalf, immediately offering a
waiting period within
the residence. Gui Sen didnt bother to argue and instead he
offered her a wry
smile.
Oh, shed go so far as to have Prince An He wait at one
side, who could
possibly be so important? Making the Princess play
favourites?
The blunt question was returned with a sweet smile and a
set of dimples,

Your servant does not know either, but there were two
strange men. Ever since
they arrived, theyve done nothing but scribble in the sand
box*. If the Princess
labels them as important guests, then they are treated so.
Feng Ming and Lie Er made eye contact and both boys
signalled in
agreement at how crafty this little maid was. She was very
clever, manipulating
Gui Sens big ego. She had managed to entice him to
challenge the Princesss
authority.
Gui Sen grunted with displeasure, flicking the sleeves of
his garments in
frustration behind him as he walked right into her trap, If
thats the case, lets
see just how strange these guests are.
:. Chapter 8 .:
Gui Sen nearly tore apart the dainty curtains as he selfrighteously made
his entrance.

Feng Ming promptly caught up to the mans side, however

before he
disappeared under the shade, he paused and turned his head
back to issuing a
glance directed at the cunning maid, that girl sure had given
them a performance
worthy of an applause.
In her wildest calculations, she hadnt anticipated the
Prince to shadow
along Gui Sens intrusion, as their eyes met Feng Ming
gave her a mischievous
grin. Wasting no more time he signaled the small envoy to
cross with him into
the grounds of the Princesss halls.
Beyond the curtains, Feng Ming and Gui Sen were now
standing in the
middle of grand courtyard, and straight in the groups path
was an extravagant
building. Official Xia cleared his throat to loudly herald the
arrival of their
Prince, An He Crowned Prince of Xi Rei, has arrived to
pay a visit to His

Royal Aunt. With our greatest sympathize for the Your

Highnesss recent loss.
In a subservient manner Xia told his master Official Xia
and the rest will
await your Highness outside. Less than a blink of an eye,
the old man quietly
extricated through the parted doorway. The two men and
the reminder of the
Princes entourage then proceeded through a small door
leading to the main
household.
No one responded to their announcement, but there was
definitely voices
streaming from a room nearby.
Ah! Gui Sen sounded genuinely surprised, recognizing
one of the
speakers. His eyes widened, as his mind registered the
voice to the face of the
notoriously powerful King of Li.
The King of Lis voice was silvery and modulated, with a
deep

undertone. It had no trouble travelling to the visitors ears

from afar.
Lie Er couldnt contain himself, his face planted with a big
smile of
delight as he tried to figure out what exactly was taking
place from the direction
of the voices.
Almost seconds later Gui Sens complexion waned, his
eyes had a
murderous glow of red it was obvious that the man was
suppressing his anger
from boiling over. He glanced over at Feng Ming who
stood silently, saying
nothing the older man left unexcused in a hurry.
Feng Ming was perplexed by the mans departure, so he
shrugged
defeated in his attempt to make an audience with his aunt.
Deciding to take his
company out of the area and await further instructions back
at the main
courtyard.

By now Official Xia had gathered hints and made his

deduction, It
appears one of the guests the Princess is paying audience to
is the King of Li.
His master nodded, and asked, How did you draw that
conclusion?
The Third Princess, a connoisseur of mathematics and
world famous for
her obsession and innate talents in the matter. Being
widowed recently, the only
one that could engage her Highness with such fascination is
most likely, the
great master of arithmetic from the Country of Li, Dong
Fang Tian.
Why did you mention the King of Li?
Prince, dont forget, there are two guests, if the Princess
deems one to be
a very important guest, than the other present and could
only make Gui Sen
retreat silently with his tail between his legs is no doubt, the
King of Li.

Is it possible, that Rou Yan intends to rely on Master

Dong to help him
win her affections and entice the Third Princess to follow
him back to Li to be
his new Queen?
Official Xia was stunned, before admiringly replying with
flattery, Prince is
extremely clever! The country of Lis trickery certainly
didnt last long
undetected under your watchful eyes. Official Xia had a
similar notion.
The Prince laughed and flashed Li Er a complacent signal
with his eyes
before continuing casually, Isnt it better this way! Now
we wont have go
through with the troubles of convincing her to migrate to Xi
Rei. Let her have a
second chance with love, Ruo Yan can marry her. We can
wish them happiness
and a blissful life together until ripe age.
Official Xia shook his head, then solemnly replied, Such
absurd events

absolutely cannot transpire, the problem lies in Ruo Yans

ambition to annex his
power, he aims to dominate the world. If he marries the
Third Princess, theres
the likelihood he will instigate revenge by convincing the
King of Fan Jia to
bring upon military forces to beat down the doors of Xi
Rei. This trap is like a
net cast by a fisherman, no doubt the King of Li will
benefit from both our
losses.
Then what are weFeng Ming face painted with serious
concern
turned and faced the scholar, hesitating mid-sentence.
The man looked stared at the Prince sternly, gritting his
teeth before
softly whispering one word.
Destroy.
You mean we should intervene?
Feng Ming thought to himself, if they were going to
meddle in Ruo Yans

plan, on Fan Jias turf to prevent the Princess hitching

herself into a second
spring, it wasnt going to be an easy task.
Given their opponent was the fearful King of Li, Ruo Yan.
Feng Ming snaked his hand behind his neck, rubbing the
sudden stiffness
to try and expel his tension, Are we really going to wreck
it for her?
Official Xias eyes held him firmly, before giving
affirmation with a nod, Yes,
for the sake of Xi Rei, there shall be no marriage.
The young man blinked before resigning with a groan,
Well, l guess we better
intervene to prevent a disaster.
One could detect the dispiritedness behind the Princes
voice he really
wanted to burst into tears, why couldnt things be simpler.
After their deliberation over the matter, Feng Ming and his
group
remained in the area waiting for the Princess to send word.

The small group was stationed out in the open courtyard,

exposed to the
harshness of the winter. Each individual couldnt deny that
they were numbed
down to their bones.
Feng Ming finally hit breaking point and suddenly he
called out, An He
is here to pay respects to His Royal Aunt!
Again, there was no indication that he was welcomed. After
about half a
joss-sticks time, there was the sound of a soft female voice
calling out to them.
Please Prince, you could have proceeded straight into the
main hall long
before, why did Prince stand outside in the cold for so
long?
The Prince who waited patiently to be beckoned by the
conceited Princess
cursed the woman inwardly several times over, any trace of
sympathy fly out
the window. She had done it on purpose! He bickered as he
stomped towards

the main hall. Nonetheless, he was relieved to be addressed,

so he replied
respectfully, Royal Aunt is ones elder, An He dare not
trespass, only entering
when he has been granted permission.
From the depths of the house, a melodic laughter rang.
Everyone standing in the courtyard looked at each other
bewildered. Then
the curtains in the main entrance to the halls suddenly
parted. The maid called
Fen Yan, which they had the fortune of meeting earlier,
was now accompanied
by another servant girl who was dressed in red.
Fen Yan walked down a flight of stairs to greet the Prince,
her dark crow-like
eyes sizing up the Prince for a moment before she bowed,
The Third Princess
invites Prince An He inside. Additionally, the Princess
wants An He to
understand that the halls in this part of her residence are
quite small and

inconvenient thus she recommends that your Highnesss

attendants advance to
the guest reception hall for some light refreshments.
Feng Ming did not expect he would be heading in there
alone, and the great
responsibility of operation Destroy now rested upon his
shoulders.
Immediately his eyes turned to Official Xia and General
Tong, with a very
pitiful look about them.
All three men could agree on one thing, the fact that the
Princess was
even willing to see Feng Ming was a stroke of luck, with
the positive turn on
events it came as a big relief to know that they werent
permanently pushed to
the side due to any egocentric charade. The Princes two
senior advisors
encouraged him forwards.
Feng Ming watched on as his men were led to the reception
room by the

maid dressed in red. He was left alone to fend for himself,

regardless of his rank
he felt like he was wrongedor at least someone up in the
heavens was having
too much fun toying with him.
Thinking of the intimidating occupants of the room that
awaited his
arrival, the King of Li, a woman who just lost her husband
and a formidable
math genius was enough to make him queasy. He was
contemplating whether
hed need to anoint the ground he walked on. Fen Yan had
already parted the
length of shades for him to pass through, a gentle laugh
escaped her lips, Dear
Prince, you will freeze to death, make haste and please
come in.
There was no alternative route he could take, bracing
himself he summoned the
courage to put his best foot forward to bite the bullet.
... to be continued ...
Feng Yu Jiu Tian

Volume 2 Chapter 9
Forced into the tigers den, Feng Ming armed himself with
courage and stepped with his best foot
forwards to bite the bullet.
Upon entering the building and making his way into the
inner chambers he was welcomed by
warmth, the air inside was laced with a distinct smoky
scent. It was the smell of aromatic incense.
Feng Ming felt like he was visiting a Buddhist temple, the
air was thick but the smell was rather
pleasant. Listening carefully, Feng Ming caught the sound
of a water flow hidden in his surroundings.
It created a serene and calm atmosphere. He continued his
way until he finally reached the inner
sanctum.
His eyes rested on three individuals, sitting casually in the
main room. An attractive woman sat in
between two men, she was wearing a deep plum coloured
dress, the design of her outfit was long
and graceful. The cuffs of her sleeves were decorated by
extremely detailed trims and patterns. Her

cheeks were naturally a shade of peach blush and her eyes

were as sharp and bright as lacquer.
There was no doubt in Feng Mings mind that she was the
Third Princess, she was really living up to
her rumoured beauty. He was used to seeing pretty girls on
television, none the less he had his fair
share at admiring beauties from all over the world.
However, she was a rare specimen in this ancient
world; he nodded slightly in appreciation but didnt feel
embarrassed about his eyes lingering on her.
The Princesss personal attendants were standing to the side
of the room, Fen Yan stood near her
master. All of them were observing Feng Ming secretly and
they were bewildered by the Princes
calm composure and the fact that he didnt intend to
intrude.
Official Xia was right on the money, the two men
accompanying his Aunt were indeed the King Li,
Ruo Yan and the math genius Master Dong.
The trio sat around a sand pit, purposely installed for
etching their discussions and calculations.

Master Dong appeared quite brutish, grizzly and unkempt.

The man had a big upturned pompous
nose. Feng Ming never would have guessed the man was a
genius if he had passed him on the
streets.
The old man was holding a bamboo pole in his hand, and
was occupied with drawing and discussing
his work. The Third Princess was completely caught by the
lecture, her head bobbed as she
processed the information.
Looking at Rou Yan, Feng Ming figured the King was in
his twenties, appearing mature Feng Ming
guessed he was perhaps around twenty seven or eight. His
appearance was nothing special, and at
his waist was a very modest looking sword. If it wasnt for
Lie Ers and Official Xias warnings, Feng
Ming wouldnt have felt Ruo Yan was much of a threat. To
be honest, he really couldnt see how the
man was anything to be reckoned with.
The Prince continued to monitor the proceedings of the
party he wasnt really invited to, he didnt

want to ruin the happy atmosphere. He guessed that the

moment he opened his mouth and
interrupted the exchange of knowledge he would be
immediately escorted out for his impertinence.
It was cold outside and having to brace the chilly winter
wind again wasnt on his menu.
Knowing better, he resigned and chose to quietly wait in
the sidelines. He found a seat and settled
himself down. From his location, he sat listening in and
playing the role of the obedient and
respectful youngster.
Masters Dongs voice was very light and everything that
left his mouth was professional jargon.
Feng Ming barely even understood half the sentences that
the man spoke. The prince basically
continued to rot away in the shadows for almost an hour.
Boredom was one of his worst enemies
and this was a cruel. He cursed inwardly, his suffered in
silence. Thinking to himself, he should have
marched right in and announced himself to the Princess to
save his current brain punishing wait. But

no, he wanted to look generous and caring, by not crashing

the class only god knows how long he
would have to wait until he gains an audience with his
Aunt.
Ancient people were terrible at interpersonal management it was obvious they placed little value
on peoples precious time. Fan Jia and Xi Rei currently
arent in the best part of their political buddy
relationship. One would have thought matters of a Country
would be more important that minor
discussions about maths theorems.
In a rare moment, Master Dong finally came to a pause as
he finished a long winded explanation.
Seeing the mans mouth finally shut for the first time, Feng
Ming let out a heavy sigh.
The Prince gathered his wits and motioned to leave his
perch believing now was the opportunity to
finally greet the Princess.
Instead, he was shot down before even having his bottom
off his seat.
The Princess pulled the scholar back into discussion,
Master Dong, the tools youve discussed

appear naturally easy to use but being able to digest the

reasoning behind them is a very complex
process, on a national level it would take a lot of manpower
to teach the basics.
The old man replied, Your Highess is correct, however, I
have studied numerous math tools used for
solving advance mathematics. Each has their pros and cons.
Even if they are simple they might not
be sufficiently precise, and some tools although accurate
can be extremely complicated. This tool is
now regularly used in the Li Palace, and has been proven
time after time as the best candidate for
solving complex problems that we have. It would take a
month or two for the most talented to
master the use.
Feng Ming rolled his eyes and groaned to himself, they
were starting their talk again.
Unknown to Feng Ming, once he had entered the room Ruo
Yan had paid very close attention to him.
The King caught Feng Mings soft disgruntled sound and
gave the boy a fleeting glance.

Ruo Yans lips curled into an amused smile, with a touch of

arrogance he suddenly spoke: Ive heard
of Xi Reis King Rongs capabilities in mathematics,
perhaps the Crowned Prince is well learned in this
area. Does the Prince have any opinions on Master Dongs
new calculating tools?
The King of Lis sudden bidding towards the outsider
immediately brought all eyes onto the Prince.
Catching him off guard, Feng Ming quickly arranged his
composure and sat with his back as straight
as plank.
How the hell was he to know anything about number
theorems!?
Instead of answering the Kings request, he pushed the
question aside and took advantage of this
moment to grab the Princesss attention.
Feng Ming flashed his Aunt a big warm smile, he stood up
and moved towards the three and gave
her the proper greetings, kneeling on one knee with his
hands clasped and raised to the level of his
head.
An He is here to visit his Royal Aunt.

The Third Princess simply replied nonchalantly, Prince

please rise, you have travelled from afar, it
must have been very tough.
Feng Ming was genuinely surprised that their meeting
would be very civil, and there was no mention
of the death of her husband, An Xun. A bit dazed by her
reaction, Feng Ming returned to his seat his
eyes focused on his Aunt.
Royal Aunt, An He has travelled to escort you back to Xi
Rei. An He will definitely treat Aunty as his
own mother. Would your Highness promise to return with
me?
An Xun travelled to Xi Rei in order to claim the throne,
and my father has deployed troops from Fan
Jia to Xi Rei in our countrys best interests. For the
Crowned Prince to travel under a peaceful notion
over a great distance, it is highly unlikely that you only
want to welcome a stranger to move to Xi Rei.
For all this trouble, what is the true reason for coming
here?
The Princesss eyes turned towards the surface of the sand
box, her gazed looked beyond the

granules. As if deep underneath the pile of sand, she had

hidden away her treasures and joys. Her
red lips parted, If all your efforts are just for the sake of
obtaining power and wealth, then it is
exhausted. Such earthly measures are always changing.
Isnt it better to invest your time in creating
ageless and unbreakable laws and theorems for
mathematics? What do you say, Crowned Prince,
am I correct?
Feng Ming was silent for a good length of time, he would
have never thought the Princess would
have such views on politics and that she was this fanatic
and passionate about math. The Prince
didnt know how to respond.
Ruo Yan stole the spotlight and praised the woman,
Princess certainly has a lot of experience and
your innate talent is extraordinary. Ruo Yan has heard of
Princesss intelligence and wisdom for
many years, today I have taken the liberty to propose to
you. Naturally, you would become my
Queen. Princesss identity is highly praised and befitting of
the position, no one would dare oppose

my selection. You shall not be disturbed or challenged for

your interests. In fact you will be free to
research and develop at your own pace. Furthermore,
Master Dong will be there to aid your learning.
You will be able to excel and become a Master yourself.
With me by your side day and night, how
can this not be paradise on earth?
Master Dong quickly affirmed his Kings claims, That is
correct, this old man would be able to teach
you whilst you are in the Country of Li. If this was to
happen, it would be a joy to all.
These remarks were obviously attempts to impress the
Princess and win her heart. The Princess
turned her eyes to briefly study the Kings face before
returning her attention back onto the sand.
Feng Mings alarms were blowing off, ever since he set out
for Fan Jia Official Xia had given him
plenty of leads and taught him how to deal with certain
situations if they were to arise. However,
the matter of Ruo Yan proposing marriage to the Third
Princess so quickly and without shame came

as a big surprise. Feng Ming didnt have any backup plan

up his sleeve to counter this situation.
It was easy right? He had one objective, and that was to
ensure the proposal does not succeed.
It was evident that the Princesss heart was wavering and
she was contemplating the idea. Thus in a
rush to put a halt in Ruo Yans plan, Feng Ming interjected
with a sounding shout.
No way, thats impossible! Letting out his roar, all eyes
diverted their attention onto him again.
As soon as he opened his mouth, Ruo Yans deep gaze
fixated on him. This time there was a strange
flash in the mans eyes, they were pinning him down like a
vicious tiger waiting to shred its prey to
bits.
Feng Ming was breaking out in a cold sweat.
No wonder everyone warned him to watch out for Ruo
Yan, the fear he struck in people with just his
powerful gaze alone was enough to live up to his
reputation.
The Kings sharp eyes switched and the tense moment
slipped away as his face softened and broke

into a smile before gently asking.

Prince An He, are you implying that the Third Princess is
forbidden to marry me?
Feng Mings back was literally drenched with sweat by
now. He gritted his teeth and stood his
ground by replying, Thats not what I meant, considering
Aunty is obsessed with math, she should
be returning with An He to Xi Rei. Xi Rei is well known
for excelling in academics, including math.
Thus it is more suitable for Her Highness to study in Xi
Rei.
Desperate times called for desperate measures, Feng Ming
had no idea whether Xi Rei was known
for arithmetic. He was pulling the claim completely out of
thin airgod help him.
Master Dong immediately laughed out loud and sneered
before turning a blind eye on the boys
mistake.
The Third Princess looked at Feng Ming with scorn,
mathematics was her lifes passion and people
making false claims wouldnt pass lightly under her
judgment. Her expression darkened, Prince An

He, you should pick your words carefully, everyone knows,

that the country with the title of most
advance knowledge in this area of study belongs to the
Country of Li. Naturally, Master Dong is the
highest ranked scholar in this field. For the sake of coaxing
me to follow you home to Xi Rei, why
would you give me such false words?
Feng Mings face turned beet red.
The Kings piercing eyes enjoyed every bit of humiliation
the Prince was feeling. The boys pretty face
blushing caught the tigers attention; the King felt
something in his heart for a very short moment
before coughing.
His eyes remained on the boy, Since the Crown Prince is
so proud of Xi Reis advancements,
perhaps Prince An He would like to demonstrate math tools
currently used in Xi Rei?
The Kings didnt offer him a friendly invitation, it was a
trap purposely and thoughtfully organised to
ridicule him. If Feng Ming was to discuss theories with
Master Dong upfront, it would result in
nothing but a mess.

Feng Ming stared at the carpet in front of him, he was

anxious to find a way out of this trap. Walking
over hot bricks he forced himself to think hard and fast of
any modern knowledge that could rescue
him from this potential disaster. Tools werent a big
problem, but the only issue was he was only
familiar with using a computer or a calculatorwhere was
he going to find one in this archaic world?
With a stroke of luck, Feng Ming had given Fen Yan a
good impression; the maid servant threw him a
life line. Leaving her post she kneeled beside her master
and whispered softly into her ear, Your
Highness, Master Dong is here. It is natural that Prince An
He would feel intimidated by his presence.
Perhaps a private audience with you tomorrow he would be
more comfortable in sharing his
knowledge with your Highness?
The Princess glanced over to her nephew, indeed the poor
boy was sweating in discomfort, feeling
that he had learned his lesson she was about to nod and
pardon him. Only to be interrupted by Feng
Mings loud shriek.

The Prince leap into the air, bolting towards the trio and
was barely able to contain himself, shouting:
Ive got it! Ive got it!
The unwarranted outburst stunned everyone.
Feng Ming ignored everyones reaction and instead danced
excitedly in front of his Aunt.
The best tool for the trade, Ive got it! A big smile eased
across his face before he furthered, To be
able to use it, I need to first ask Your Highness for a few
important things.
Oh? The Princess was taken aback, What do you need?
Ill need about fifty perforated pearls, ten gold thin wires
and two strips of wood.
Dont you need a wooden block? She asked.
I dont need one.
During this era, the majority of tools used for complex mat
were designed based on algorithms
engraved into a wooden surface. Everyone in the room was
surprised that Feng Ming would not be
requiring any carving tools or a wooden base. The Princess
was genuinely curious to what Feng Ming

was going to do with pearls, wire and flimsy bits of wood.

Regardless, she had her servants fetch the materials. Once
gathered and passed to the Prince. He
quickly threaded the pearls into strings with the gold wire
and tied the ends to the strips of wood.
Laying his work gently on the ground he finally declared
happily, This is it! The tool that has last
throughout the ages! Even when the westerners were shown
this, they were amazed by this
invention.
With quick thinking, Feng Ming managed to improvise a
very simple abacus.
The Third Princess was at the edge of her seat, her eyes
locking down on the strange contraption.
How does this thing work?
Even the King was intrigued; the older man peered
curiously to the same spot before glancing up at
the Prince. His eyes lingered on the boys smiling red lips.
Ruo Yan coldly snickered, Such a pitiful looking tool, its
quite laughable.
Despite the Kings attempt to downplay this unseen
invention, Master Dong studied the contraption

before concluding, turning his focus on the Prince. This

device may seem simple. But how it can be
used baffles me. Please, Prince An He enlighten us and
explain the theory behind the usage. The
scholars tone was very different from the rough reception
Feng Ming had first received.
Feng Ming tried to hide his victorious grin. Who would
have thought, a tool that has existed in China
for over a thousand years and still used in the modern
world would completely stump a genius.
He cleared his throat, and looked at the Third Princess,
offering her a smile to melt her heart, If Her
Highness would state a problem?
What do you mean?
Such as addition or subtraction, for instance one hundred
and eighty eight plus three hundred and
ninety seven equals? Feng Ming explained triumphantly.
Soon he found the atmosphere changed. The Third Princess
gave him a strange look, Such a simple
calculation, why would you even use a tool?
What? Feng Ming replied.

Had he made the mistake to assume that the people of this

world was very backwards in terms of
arithmetic knowledge? Perhaps they have already
established a tool that was on par with the
capabilities of an abacus? He was sinking deeper into his
own trap, what other tool was there apart
from an abacus?
Sweat was breaking out again.
The tension between the study group dropped, the Princess
was unimpressed, and Ruo Yan sneered
as the Prince was making a spectacular mess of himself.
Only Master Dong appeared to be
interested in what Feng Ming had to say.
This was looking bad.
Feng Ming had boasted so loud and proud about his
invention, to retreat at this moment would only
mean shame.
Feng Ming wiped his forehead with his sleeve; he gritted
his teeth before pulling out his last cards.
Well then, if I could request the Third Princess for a
subject for me to solve? The abacus looks

dainty but theres no problem on heaven and earth that this

wont be able to find and answer to.
He thought to himself:
If she gives me one thats completely out of my range, Ill
claim that only King Rong would be able to
solve it with an abacus, thus Ill try and convince her Xi
Rei is the best place for her.
The Princess obliged, given how confident the Prince made
himself out to be. Although a still
skeptical, she nodded and said. Alright I have a good
question for you.
Suddenly, the crowd's attention focused on her lips, Feng
Ming was especially nervous his eyes
didnt even blink in anticipation.
Whilst the Prince had his attention on his Aunt, he was
oblivious to the pair of intense sharp eyes
that targeted him.
The problem is
Volume 2 Chapter 10
Well, my question is... The Princess paused, cutting off
mid-sentence. Her eyes glimmered, they

had an aura of elegance and it was without a doubt they

were beautiful like the rest of her. She
released s soft laugh.
Feng Ming consulted with his inner conscience. His Aunt
was one fine-looking widow thanks to An
Xuns blood on his hands. It will be such a pity to destroy
her second spring. With that thought, Feng
Mings flashed his eyes onto the King of Li.
This proved to be an untimely mistake on the Princes
behalf, the very moment he turned to face the
man, their eyes locked. The Kings gaze was sharp as the
tip of a blade, and they did a great job of
piercing into the Prince. Feng Ming could easily
imagine electric sparks streaming from the mans
eyes.
Rong Tians gaze had the same level of electrifying
intensity, however, it was different. Feng Ming
would turn into gooey hot mess, his heart and brain
would be completely flustered, as if he had
accidentally poked his finger into a power socket.
Instead, Ruo Yans gaze was startling, like cracks of
lightning and once he struck, you were left

surrounded by a harsh chill. The unfriendly gesture, was

etched into Feng Mings mind, he couldnt
help but break into a cold sweat. Feng Ming never knew
that a man could send him trembling with
unease by the mere use of his eyes.
The pinning stare lasted for a brief moment although
the effects lingered on the Prince. Ruo Yan
switched on a more amicable look and nodded in
acknowledgement to the Prince. The Kings action
sent every last strand of hair standing on his body, Feng
Ming shifted from his spot from discomfort.
As he backed away, he felt a tug on his sleeves.
Prince? Fen Yan asked gently.
Huh?
The maid gave him a giggle, Prince An He, the Third
Princess has given her question to you.
Oh? Feng Ming was amazed by his own
absentmindedness.
Any reason to break away from Ruo Yans line of fire was
good at this point. Feng Ming pulled his
sleeves down and patted the beads of sweat from his
forehead before turning his attention back to

the Princess.
The Princesss observant eyes noticed her nephews paled
complexion, with a frown she continued,
Why is the Prince in a panic? . She thought for a
moment, before advising, As for the question I
have set for you, there is currently no defined method
to resolve an answer efficiently. Nor has
anyone come close to solving the problem. Therefore,
it is completely understandable that
answering this question on the spur of the moment is
beyond your capabilities.
Reassuring his Aunt that this challenge was the last of his
problems Feng Ming replied, Im fine, Im
just feeling a bit cold. With that said, he automatically
turned his attention to the sand pit. The
question, installed for him was neatly drawn out with a
bamboo stick. Studying closer, his Aunt had
drawn a perfect circle, almost as if she had drawn it with a
compass.
The audience were all focused on the shape in front of
them, it was clear that the topic was centric
around a circle.

Feng Ming frowned, A circle?

Dont tell me you want me to find the circumference of a
circle or the area of one?
Now he was secretly kicking himself on the inside for not
listening, he might as well play the fool,
Royal Aunty, forgive me, as for the question, An He did
not understand clearly, could you inform me
again?
The Third Princess was surprised to see Feng Mings
persistence, she stated, The Prince must be
well acquainted with this area of mathematics to have
such confidence in a topic with little
negativity.
Ecck! Feng Ming had a gut feeling that he was supposed to
know the question just by looking at the
shape she drew.
Is this how the ancient folk set out questions? What does
she want me to answer?
Fortunately for Feng Ming, lady luck was smiling on him.
Fen Yan, out of kindness whispered softly
just within his ears reach.

Your Highness, the Third Princess requested the

calculation of how many granules of sand does it
take to fill a globe.
In the end, Feng Mings worst concerns were coming true,
even in this era mathematics was well
developed. The young man quickly forced himself to
think quickly. A bolt of lightning struck his
thoughts as he realised, the question was basically
asking him, how to work out the volume of a
sphere.
He laughed inwardly, isnt this a piece of cake?
Given relief, Feng Mings tensed muscles could finally
relax. The Prince offered his eager audience a
smile before blurting, Well, if it is this question, it is rather
simple. If one seeks the volume of a
sphere, it can easily be solved by a formula. First we will
need to kno w the radius and the formula is
four thirds multiplied by pie and further multiplied by
radius cubed. ***
Feng Ming had answered nonchalantly, as if it was the
simplest problem he had encountered.
Everyone in the room was surprised.

The Princess face was painted with confusion, she

queried, Aunt cannot follow your prompts,
whats clap? And whats Ah? What did you mean by four
thirds and cubed?***
Its quite simple, if Aunt would review what I have
mentioned here. Feng Ming grabbed the
bamboo pole and etched in the formula on the surface of
the sand. He drew a line from the centre
of the circle that extended to the edge to represent the
radius.
He patiently explained, This line is given the name R, and
pie is roughly a number valued at 3.14159,
and cubed indicates a value to the power of three. Four
thirds is the same as, four parts divided by
three.
Feng Ming was very fortunate, that during his younger
years hed often get punished writing out
formulas by his maths teacher. Now, not only did he
retain his knowledge for a broad range of
formulas, he could explain them in a detailed manner. This
was sufficient to pull off his stunt of a
maths genius.

Fen Yan was astonished, how the belittled Prince had

instantaneously managed to captivate
everyones attention. All eyes in the room was drawn to
where he had made scribbles during his
lecture.
Master Dong, was wide eyed and eager, it was clear
the man was still trying to process this new
found information. The mans jaw coated with a grey
bearded jittered. Naturally, as a proud
researcher in the field, Master Dongs first reaction was to
send a servant to retrieve measurement
tools, so he could immediately exercise Feng Mings
solution. He wanted to test whether such
profound formula would solve this challenge.
Prior to the Princes induction, as part of his research,
Master Dong had manually quantified the
number of sand granules in a given sphere. However, this
was a primitive method, and an attempt to
work backwards trying to find any patterns in the numbers.
They had simply filled certain spheres
with their capable volume of sand. The contents of the
spheres were measured in pre-weighed

boxes. This tedious manner was carried out over various

sizes of containers. When brush and paper
arrived, Master Dong jotted down the calculations and
found that Feng Mings formula gave the
same answer to his research.
This affirmed, Feng Ming was a serious contender, the
faces of the Third Princess and Master Dong
could only be described as shocked. Both of them
were true enthusiast of the art of arithmetic,
studying countless years and placing their souls into
research. Seeing such an unearthly challenge
resolved before their very eyes, they could only stand in
awe. It was truly, a heaven sent moment
and both were extremely touched by the turn of events.
Master Dong choked on his words as he struggled to
make a coherent sentence, Third
Princess...this...is really the same...as our manual
quantification.
The Third Princesss face was still suspended in
disbelief, the quick pace at which Feng Ming
provided the answer to a baffling problem left her
feeling flustered. A blush washed across her

cheeks, as if she was being coy with a sweetheart.

The Princess turned her head suddenly towards her
maidservant, Fen Yan.
Quickly, go retrieve a brush, ink and paper. Record
everything. And her servant made a wild dash
to bid her masters orders.
Returning her attention onto her nephew, her face
glowed with anticipation, Prince, seems like
your talents as a mathematician was underestimated, there
are countless questions which has not
been solved, and yet to witness a solution to one unravelled
before my very eyes, there is nothing I
can offer in return. Please Prince, accept my gratitude and
respect.
The woman immediately, dropped to her knees, giving him
a deep prostrated bow.
Feng Ming snapped into action, Please Aunt, An He does
is not deserving of your praise! Not in a
million years would Feng Ming foresee the Princess to be
enrapt to this extent, and at once helped
her back onto her feet.

As he was supporting his Aunt to stand upright, Master

Dong had followed suit out of excitement.
The old mans eyes brimmed with tears of joy.
Old Dong, was also very disrespectful to your Highness.
Please forgive my rudeness. The old man
knelt on his knees and offered him a deep bow.
Feng Mings face was red as a tomato, given that he was
trying to preserve a bit of modesty, but it
was a tough job as he had to help people back onto their
feet left and right.
Please, dont mind me. Please rise. Feng Ming muttered
slightly abashed.
Whilst this took place, Ruo Yan sat as the silent bystander
with his sharp watchful eyes.
After much trouble and chaos, everyone finally returned to
their seats that surrounded the sand box.
The Third Princess was still rallied with energy, she
couldnt resist issuing another question, This
formula is certainly advance, even for our current standing
in mathematics. Can Prince explain, how
we can apply the Abacus for calculations?

Indeed, such a clever tool. If Old Dong could have the

privilege of understanding the mechanisms,
he would certainly die a happy man. Master Dong chimed
in.
Feng Ming had actually forgotten about the Abacus he
had boosted about, the contraption laid
undisturbed in the middle of the room. Sure, he could pull
off basic calculations with addition and
subtraction. However, he had never used the abacus for
complex calculations. How was he going to
give them an answer!
Master Dong waited for a response enthusiastically, but
seining hesitation from the Prince, he gave
his own question a thought and suddenly realised,
Oh, this is Xi Reis invention. If the Prince is
uncomfortable with sharing the countrys secret knowledge
then please refrain from obliging.
One could read disappointment stamped all over the
Third Princesss face, and her feelings were
made clear by her silence.
At this moment, it wasnt good to offend the Princess. This
would mean taking a step back to square

one. So far, Feng Ming and his blunders have managed to

make great progress, and it was best to
exploit this avenue whilst it was still active.
He had to get his Aunt to promise to return with
him,after his own experience with Ruo Yan,
although short, he was very sure that the King of Li was
in fact a terrifying man and the Princess
would probably be better off not marrying him.
Given this circumstance, a bright spark flashed inside Feng
Mings mind. He dipped his head down,
thinking for a short while before returning his attention to
the crowd around him. A triumphant and
charming smile eased across his lips.
He arose from his seat, and looked at his audience; this
included making eye contact with Ruo Yan.
This was the second time their eyes met, although it was
momentary, it wasnt any easier than the
first. Feng Mings heart was erratic and in distress even
with the short contact. However, this time
he managed to switch on a calm facade, his face
remained indifferent, as if he was brushing the
negative vibes off effortlessly.

Finally, his eyes settled on the face of his Aunt, with an air
of elegance he brought his hands clasped
together to give her a greeting of obeisance.
With a tone of deference he reasoned, In truth, Ah He
cannot be fully credited for the formula
demonstrated today. My explanation is only partial, in fact
King Rong was the one who created this
formula. Im unclear in which methods he used to create
such a solution. However, this shouldnt
matter as upon returning to Xi Rei, Aunty would have
plenty of time to confer with the Regent King.
Naturally, Master Dong is also welcomed to join us in Xi
Rei. An aggregation of the smartest people
in the field solving all these earthly challenges is a
rare opportunity, and our findings would be a
blessing from the heavens.
Feng Ming had thrown the silly old man a lifeline, seeing
that he was winning in this tug of war he
did him a favour and offered to save him from Ruo
Yans clutches. Once Feng Ming had finished
announcing his offer, the Princess was on the edge of her
seat. No one could argue that the Princes

invitation, to join a league of scholars, to combat difficult

challenges in her beloved field of studies
was extremely attractive. In contrast, Ruo Yans offer was
wanning in prestige.
The Princess worded her response tactfully, as Ruo Yan
was still present, she replied faintly.
Thank you Prince, I have heard of Xi Reis Regent Kings
feats over many matters. It would truly be a
splendid experience to witness his abilities for problem
solving first hand.
It was clear on where the Princess sentiments lay, after this
confrontation. Ruo Yan knew he was out
of the game, in terms of mathematics. He retained his noble
demeanour and offered the Princess a
slight smile, and didnt pursue the matter vocally.
The King pinned his eyes onto Feng Ming, his glare was
alike sharp arrows piercing into the Prince,
the only person to obstruct his objectives.
Feng Ming had also been keeping tabs on the King of Li in
the corner of his eyes. For the ill back
digging look he was receiving, Feng Ming could only wish
he could return it with equal animosity.

However, he was afraid as having the mans cold stare

linger on him, made him feel like a frog in the
vicinity of a viper, ready to pounce onto a meal. He was
frozen to the ground.
Hearing the Princesss positive response gave him relief, at
least he managed to accomplish half of
his goals. It was best he stayed clear of Ruo Yan and
search for means to seal the deal later on.
Finding a reason to end his discomfort, he quickly cupped
his hands again and directed to his Aunt,
To trouble my Aunt today for such a long time, An He is
best to take his leave.
The Princess and Master Dong didnt hide their expressions
of dismay, as both were unwilling to let
go of the Prince from their discussion.
His Aunt exclaimed, Prince, you are leaving so soon?!
Thats right, this Old man has many questions pertaining
to this subject to discuss.
Feng Ming was beginning to feel like a pin cushion, and
Ruo Yan was the one doing the stabbing, no
one in their right mind would stand around and subject
themselves to this psychological pressure.

Feng Ming waved his hands in protest, My apologize, I

have matters to attend to. An He will make
sure to visit another time.
Seeing the situation was helpless, the Princess stood
up and personally saw her guest out of her
manor. Shortly, General Tong and the rest of his
entourage made their way out from the waiting
from where they had spent most of their time resting and
drinking tea. The party met in front of the
main gates.
It was a promising sight, when the Third Princess stepped
out and attentively saw off her nephew to
the door. Regardless, everyone inwardly felt that there
was something strange about what had
happened.
After climbing into the horse drawn carriage, not only Lie
Er but Official Xia had squeezed into the
small space to accompany the Prince. The only one riding a
horse was General Tong, as his stature
was a bit too big to be welcomed into the carriage.
The first words to leave Official Xias mouth when he
scooted into the chamber were,

Congratulation Prince, Prince certainly has god sent

powers, to be able to win over the Third
Princess and persuade her to side with Xi Rei.
Feng Ming flashed him a grin, What gave it away?
Lie Er interjected, Its really obvious, its her attitude
towards you. Prior and after, who cant tell the
difference?
Furthermore, Lis King, Ruo Yan gives off an
unfavourable feeling, and his appearance is not very
attractive, perhaps he failed in his attempt to propose a
marriage on that basis. Recognition must be
given to the Princes courage. This humble Xia had
suspected that due to Princes youth, Prince may
not be able to stand his ground whilst facing such a
fearful man. It appears my concerns were
unrequired.
The zany old man let out a hearty chuckle, giving a nod of
acknowledgment to Feng Ming.
Feng Ming thought of Ruo Yan, his brain flooded with the
overbearing weight the man imposed onto
him just by staring at him. He shuddered at recalling the
scene. He shook his head and grumbled

bitterly, Dont mention him again, that man is horrible.

When Im near him I cant help but tremble.
His face pulled strange expressions as if he was trying to
get a bad taste out of his mouth.
Nonetheless, in the end Ruo Yan could not match up with
Princes brilliant streak of tact. He was
unable to capture the heart and mind of the Third Princess.
Thats right, how did Prince coerce the Princess? What
kind of clever trick did you employ? And
how did you deal with Ruo Yan?
It was going to be a long story from start to finish,
so Feng Ming did his best and incorporated
gestures with his hands and makeshift drawings on the
ground, giving very animated detail as the
group travelled back to their stay.
Both Lie Er and Official Xia were infatuated with every
minor detail, and at the end they couldnt
help but cheer and applaud the Princes moves.
As the debriefing concluded, Official Xia sighed, Xia
knew King Rong was well versed in history,
geography and astronomy. I did not expect him to have
reached such a high plateau in the field of

mathematics.
This statement clicked with Feng Ming, considering he
fabricated this lie for the sake of boosting Xi
Reis credentials, he giggled to himself.
In a short time, the fleet had made their way back to the
hotel. Inside, Chiu Lan and the rest of his
servants had awaited their return for the whole day.
Hearing the bustle of their masters return, they
ran eagerly to greet him outside.
The Prince was welcomed with the smiling faces of his
three closest maids, each of them ushered
him inside, and helped him change into his indoor outfit.
Chiu Lan praised Congratulations Prince, in a few days we
will be able to escort the Third Princess
back to Xi Rei. If news reaches King Rong, he would be
certainly happy of your success.
How did you guys know? Feng Ming was surprised,
word certainly leaked out fast. He hadnt even
mentioned it to the girls.
Chiu Xing was straight forwards, nodding with a grin,
Naturally, because our Prince is suave,

outstanding and charming, he has no match in the

world. It is only right that the Princess would
return with us.
Oh please, Chiu Xing. We used those words yesterday!
You should find something fresh to say!
Chiu Xing pouted, Hmph! Im only speaking the
truth. Everyday His Highness is very charming;
therefore we can say it on a daily basis. Chiu Lan, its not
my fault you decide to read Official Xias
and General Tongs faces to figure out that it is good
news. What does that say about your taste?
Feng Ming laughed at the petty bickering and decided
to do some damage control by raising his
hands.
Okay, alright thats enough. Weve manage to pull today
off without much of a hitch. We should be
able to return to Xi Rei quite soon. We should all be
happy.
With that statement, the three maids giggled and steered the
conversation into gossip and curious
ramblings. Questions such as, what the Princess looked
like, and whether she lived up to rumour

were first on the agenda.

The hotel was filled with chatter and laughter.
Chapter 11 & 12
The next day, the weather suddenly intensified and the
chills soon turned into icy deposits.
The courtyards were now heavily cloaked with a thick layer
of snow.
Early in the morning, Gui Sen had made his way to visit the
countrys important guests at
their stay.
Perhaps it was an unspoken standard for Fan Jia, even the
men of were not an exception to
the rule of beauty. Gui Sen had presented himself, dressed
head to toe in black. Even his
cape was made from a glimmering material that was jet
black. Gui Sens pale skin was
translucent and flushed with blood from bracing the cold.
His complexion matched the flakes
of snow that he had gathered on his cape. One couldnt
deny that he was handsome and
elegant under a certain light and his presence demanded
brilliance.

Feng Ming had originally intended to hibernate longer in

his cosy bed. However, his plans
were disrupted when Chiu Lan and his two other maids
tugged the weary Prince out of bed
and he certainly didnt go without a fight. When they
eventually dragged him out they
assisted the Prince in making himself presentable to his
guest, naturally it was best if he
received his visitor than keeping him at bay.
You are quite an early bird, my Royal Uncle in-law.
When Feng Ming stepped out from his
private quarters he was greeted with the sight of Gui Sen
sitting casually sipping on a cup of
tea. Feng Ming cupped his hands together and raised them
to bid the man a greeting of
respect.
Feng Ming had woken from slumber, and was content with
staying warm and toasty indoors
hence there was no plans to leave this comfort. Naturally,
he was dressed for the occasion,
adorning an exquisite purple silken gown. His neck, wrists
and waist were girted with

trimmings from a deer pelt that Chiu Lan had especially

chosen to compliment his outfit.
Even though what he was wearing was decided on the spur
of the moment, Feng Ming pulled
it off with grace and a noble temperament which was very
unique to his overall appearance.
Upon lifting his head to look at the Prince, Gui Sens eyes
lit up, he arose from his seat and
grinned.
Gui Sen has purposely paid a visit to congratulate Prince
An He. Yesterday, Princes
unparalleled talents and prestige has already made the
Third Princess yield. The display you
made has awakened a yearning in the Third Princess,
persuading her heart towards Xi Rei.
The Third Princess has expressed her wishes to our great
King, so that she may be able to
return to Xi Rei with the Princes entourage.
To everyones surprise, the turn of events was running very
smoothly, no one would have
fathomed that the Third Princess would scramble to seal the
deal at such a lightning pace.

All that escaped Feng Mings lip was a stunned noise,

Ah! He turned his head towards
Official Xia and General Tong, and they both had an equal
expression of disbelief drawn on
their faces.
Additionally, the King believes that the death of An Xun
and Xi Reis involvement should
be pardoned, hence, the King has already given orders to
Fan Jias army to immediately
withdraw.
In an unhurried manner, Gui Sen gave the foreign group the
most important piece of news.
General Tong laughed out whole heartedly, clapping in
delight and proclaiming, This is
great!
Official Xia saluted Gui Sen, and sincerely spoke, Thanks
to the generous assistance of King
Gui Sen, otherwise our success would have not been
possible. Xi Rei will never forget your
Highnesss benevolence.
Gui Sen returned with a smile, shaking his head in denial of
his part, You flatter me. Gui

Sen naturally had to help family.

The modest man turned towards Feng Ming and an
amicable manner told him, Three days
later, the King will personally summon the Prince and
invited to a grand feast. Meanwhile,
for the next two days, Prince An He can enjoy his time and
appreciate Fan Jias winter scape.
How does it sound if Gui Sen introduce you to areas of
interest?
Feng Ming didnt really have anything he could or could
not do whilst he was in Fan Jia, but
hearing that he would be able to go out and play, he quickly
recalled Gui Sens fine-looking
looking stallion he had met earlier and was just about to
nod his head when Lie Er interrupted.
Prince, during these next two days perhaps we can slip out
and head off and blend in, so we
can try out all the delicacies amongst the civilians?
Official Xia immediately continued, Ah, thats right, if
everybody knew that we are an
envoy from Xi Rei, then we wont be able to experience the
everyday lifestyles of the people

in Fan Jia. Wed certainly miss out on the daily customs.

If this is what youd like, naturally I can take the Prince to
visit the commoners.
Lie Er interjected with a dubiously statement whilst
smiling, Your Highness, you stand out
with your impressive demeanour and you are well
recognised in this country, how would you
be able to play a meagre civilian?
Gui Sen face blanked, If thats the case, then perhaps Gui
Sen will not accompany the
Prince.
The older man turned to give Lie Er a disdained look
before directing his attention to Feng
Ming. In semi-scathing voice he finished, Prince, Gui Sen
has other matters to attend to
today, I shall take my leave.
Once Gui Sen was out of sight, Feng Ming scratched his
head and swivelled to focus his
confusion onto his servants. His face scrunched up in a
frown, For what reason were you all
treating Gui Sen with such a terrible attitude? He was going
out of his way in kindness to

accompany me. Perhaps I would have even had the chance

to get his permission to ride his
horse...
Official Xia kept an enigmatic expression on his face as he
patted his whiskers and persisted
in his silence.
Lie Er ignored Feng Mings antagonising glare, and for a
while he didnt reply but he finally
answered with a degree of respect for his master, Prince,
Gui Sen only ran into a snag
yesterday and he was completely dejected and depressed,
so why would he appear normal to
give us good tidings?
I dont know... Feng Ming was perplexed with what he
was meant to be getting from Lie
Ers words, and he wasnt ashamed to ask his subordinate
the answer, Tell me why?
Lie Er stole a furtive glance at Official Xia, and offered the
Prince a smile in return for all the
pressing, Im just a lowly servant, how would I know.
However, Official Xia should
certainly know.

Feng Ming immediately placed his attention to the old man.

Under many sets of watchful eyes, Official Xia paused in
his therapeutic strokes of his
whiskers. Sighing, he finally submitted, The Third
Princess is excessively impatient. Gui
Sen is overly enthusiastic about it all, and the Great King of
Fan Jia is acting too warm
towards us. There is certainly something wrong under these
circumstances. Old Xia is
currently unable to digest the inner workings of this
dilemma. However, it is not a simple one.
Prince must take caution and proceed with care.
General Tong reinforced, Thats right, Fan Jia is very
different from Xi Lei, Prince
absolutely cannot leave this building at will.
Inwardly Feng Ming cursed, even if I was in Xi Lei, I
couldnt even leave my quarters at
whim.
Seeing everyone keep a grave expression on their faces,
Feng Ming couldnt help but feel a
sense of fear. He arched his shoulders in discomfort and
scolded, Alright, everything is

always suspicious, did King Rong send you to scare me on

his behalf?
After all, he knew something was wrong with the smooth
sailing he was riding, so he could
only be obedient and stay in the hotel, only to watch the
snow fall on to the landscape from
his window. Chiu Lan, Chiu Xing, Chiu Yue and Lie Er
accompanied him by playing and
keeping the Prince entertained. General Tong and his men
remained indoors to secure the
premise and only Official Xia slipped out to carry out
business. No one knew what he was
getting up to.
---When night fell, Official Xia scuttled back in a hurry.
General Tong immediately pulled the old man aside, and
the two spent what seemed forever,
exchanging whispers in a private area.
Feng Ming and Lie Er received news of Official Xias
return, and the two young men caught
sight of the engaged pair and quickly joined the party.

Official Xia? the Prince prompted.

The advisor abruptly turned to the Prince and gave him a
polite salute, Oh, Your Royal
Highness.
Official Xia youve been absent all day.
Thats right, and it has been quite rewarding. The old
man stroked his beard, and motioned
his audience to settle down on a seat around him so he
could divulge closer details of his new
insights.
There are two matters at hand, firstly, the informants I
have sent have returned. It appears
that last night, the great king of Fan Jia suddenly fell ill to a
strange disease, he almost died in
the morning and it has been a miracle that he has recovered.
After his brush with death, he
immediately summoned the Third Princess to his Palace.
Feng Mings eyes wedged wide open, he scratched his head
in disbelief, To knock on
deaths door the night before and to be soundly alive by the
morning. Hey, it looks like Fan

Jias medicine is well developed. He swiveled quickly to

Lie Er and made a note,
Sometime before we head back to Xi Rei, we should make
sure we recruit a Tai Yi from Fan
Jia to take with us.
Lie Er shook his head in disapproval, In terms of
medicinal studies and knowledge in this
world, is there anyone that could match Official Xias
expertise in this area? Theres certainly
something suspicious about this situation.
Everyone was on common ground with that idea, all their
eyes focused on Official Xia in
anticipation.
The old man nodded, Indeed, not that I wish to gloat.
According to Old Xias experiences,
the Kings illness has only been countered temporarily.
Rather his health is like an arrow at
the end of its flight. In less than three days, Fan Jia may be
mourning at his funeral.
Feng Ming let out a startling shout.
What! Thatthatcantthe King of Fan Jia is hosting
our farewell banquet exactly three

days later.
Lie Er remained calm, he dipped his head in thought before
asking the trusted advisor,
Official Xia, how can you be so certain that the King of
Fan Jia would die?
Official Xia stood proudly and fondled his beard, giving off
a slight smile. According to my
inquiries into Fan Jia Kings symptoms, it appears that this
was not a sudden impact from an
unknown serious illness. In fact, all his symptoms are akin
to that of being poisoned over a
long duration. It is only coincidental that his symptoms
flared to life threatening levels in the
past day. To the best of my estimations, he has been slowly
absorbing the poison.
It was the beginning of another Royal conspiracy, Fan Jia
and Xi Rei were sharing the bad
luck in this department, and not even the highest position in
the kingdom was spared from
this devious plot.
Fortunately for me, Im just a counterfeit Prince and in
three months Ill be tossing in my

white towel, to enjoy my auspicious retirement.

Feng Ming patted his chest, and asked in a low and
cautious voice, Considering the King has
been poisoned, have they not caught the culprit?
Slow acting poison is extremely hard to come by, and only
a handful of people in this world
would know the potency of the raw materials, and for the
effect to manifest after such a long
time, along with the myriad of perplexing symptoms which
are similar to other diseases.
Even after a bout of illness one would not detect traces with
a silver needle **. The cycling
pattern of illness and recovery would repeat several times,
two or three times usually before
death would finally overwhelms the victim.
General Tongs eyebrows knitted together, Who is so
bold, daring to harm the head of state,
Fan Jias King?
Since it is a slow acting poisoning, the culprits are likely
people surrounding the King.
Firstly, we must place hunting the murderer aside as we
must focus on our own pending

issues.
The old man flicked the fan he always held in his hands
open, and waved it a few times
before turning his attention to Feng Ming.
Prince, the Third Princess attitude towards Gui Sen is very
strange and old Xia here has
figured out why there is strain between the two.
Xia, please speak your mind.
Official Xia rose from his seat, and with his eyebrows
arched and he slowly walked
concentric around the table, he finally turned to face the
crowd with his opening explanation,
Firstly, why would the Third Princess be so eager to
relocate to Xi Rei. It could be that she
anticipated her father having a short reign, and once the
good King is dead, whether it is her
first or second in-law that takes the throne, either way
would be disadvantageous for her. It is
logically, better that she left as early as possible and seek
refuge in another country.
This speculation was extremely reasonable, and everyone
was obviously clear on the Third

Princesss intelligence and surely it didnt only cover the

field of mathematics.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Secondly, why would the King order the withdrawal of the
army? The man paused here
and gave them all a cheeky smile leaving them to guess,
Anyone have the slightest clue to
why?
Feng Ming and the rest bowed their heads down, a flash hit
the Prince instantly.
Is it because of Ruo Yan?
Xia applauded the Princes reponse, Prince, your mind is
sharp and on track. Indeed, it is
due to Ruo Yans presence.
General Tong pushed forth, Considering Ruo Yans
sudden proposal to the Third Princess
for her hand in marriage it is an obvious measure to seize
the throne. The Great King of Fan
Jia is no fool that sits ideally.
The King is well aware that whatever disease he has been
plaguing his body has seeped well

into his vital organs and is beyond a cure. Prior to his death,
he would want to see his most
beloved daughter leave the country in safe passage to Xi
Rei. This exchange comes with a
personal favor of his withdrawal of Fan Jias army in Xi
Rei. He wishes to leave his country
on the path of a prosperous future and if Fan Jia happens to
encounter any complications
there would be one more ally to lend a hand.
Official Xias one man show successfully became a relay
of input, and each participant
contributed to unravel the overall situation.
Even Lie Er voiced his speculation, The Third Princess
appears as if she does not care for
such worldly matters, however, she is King Fan Jias most
valuable chess piece. As long as
she is in Xi Rei and is in favor of the Crowned Prince, it
would be easy for any requests to
send out troops to solve problems.
The man servant continued.
Moreover, a large garrison of his military is currently far
away from home, if the King is

about to pass over, of course he would want the army to

return, it would help contain any
unsettlements or uprisings during the countrys mourning
period.
Feng Ming bit his lower lip, and concluded in dismay,
"That is to say, even without my
stellar performance in front of the Princess, she would have
agreed to return with me to Xi
Rei. Well, here I was thinking the mathematics Ive
retained from high school was actually
useful to me.
Official Xia consoled him, Prince, why dismiss yourself in
such a manner? If it wasnt for
the Princes outstanding efforts in front of the Third
Princess, how would the King feel
assured in Xi Reis capabilities to safe guard the Princess or
aid the country in need.
Furthermore, he may have been compelled in accepting
Ruo Yans proposal, and only
declined due to his confidence in Xi Reis Prince.
Feng Ming was pleased with the old mans reasoning, and
dimples formed as a smile eased

across his lips. His brows lightened with the change in his
mood and he returned to his usual
lively self. If Rong Tian was by his side at this very
moment, it is very likely that the man
wouldnt be able to resist sneaking a kiss.
The advisor went on to say, Thirdly, there has to be
motive behind why Gui Sen has been so
accommodating.
The Prince was eager to show his flare, raising his hand
with enthusiasm.
Thats due to the possibility that Gui Sen also knows the
grave danger the illness is placing
the King in, and he is the most prospective person in line to
inherit the throne. Naturally it
would have him prancing around in high spirits, whats
more, hed hope wed whisk the
Third Princess to Xi Rei which would mean he would have
one less thorn in his side.
General Tong shook his head in disagreement, Princes
speculations are quite sound but I do
not feel Gui Sen is in a rush to have us depart, in fact I
sense hed hope wed stay even

longer.
Thats right, ideally he would desire that we remain until
the period a new King ascends the
throne.
Official Xia nodded and he reached for his cup of hot tea
that was sitting on the table and
took a sip before further commenting.
Gui Sen was eager to pass us the message so early in the
morning, and strangely offered to
escort the Prince without any hesitation. This is his move to
keep the envoy in a relaxed state,
to assure us that Fan Jias Kings condition is not serious.
In case there is truly a Royal burial
to take place soon, we will have to remain for the Third
Princesss sake and we would be
required to accompany her until the King has been
appointed.
Feng Ming was perplexed by the idea and he questioned the
motive sarcastically, Why
would we need to stay? Surely they dont intend to fatten
us up with their supplies and let us
overstay our welcome?

Official Xia suddenly lowered his voice and the corners of

his lips drew upwards into a
mysterious grin.
As long as I disclose one important factor to Prince,
Prince would immediately understand.
The old man deliberately paused perking the attention of
his listeners as they anticipated the
next line.
With a smile he continued, After finding out Ruo Yan was
in Fan Jia, I had organised spies
to monitor his whereabouts and movements. Does the
Prince know, after yesterdays session
with the Princess, where was his next destination?
The gears were in motion inside Feng Mings brain, then
his face immediately soured and he
blurted out, Gui Sen?
Thats right. He went to see Gui Sen. As his proposal
failed, the Princess is no longer any
use to him, and expectedly he would seek to ally himself
with the one next in throne.
Feng Ming shook his head, Thats doesnt seem correct,
how would Ruo Yan know that the

King would die soon?

Ruo Yan is a well versed man and extremely
knowledgeable therefore there is not much that
could be concealed from him. Moreover, he would have
been aware of the Kings medical
history. Although the Kings previous attacks have never
been as severe this time, there
would have been notable signs of the Kings ailing
wellbeing.
Feng Ming nodded in agreement, inwardly he thought:
If this is the case, Ruo Yan is indeed a force to be reckoned
with. His ambitions and thirst for
power gives him premise to instigate the poisoning of Fan
Jias King.
The Prince scrunched his face and asked the old man, Ruo
Yan and Gui Sen are dealing in
the shadows, theres a large chance it would be matters to
assist Gui Sens accession to the
throne.
Hmph! So what if Gui Sen gets his seat, what does Ruo
Yan receive in return? No wonder

Gui Sen has been acting so certain that he is undoubtedly

first in line. However, what I still
dont comprehend is, why would Gui Sen need us to
remain in the country? Does he have
plans to harm the Third Princess?
It seems as if it was better he had kept his questions to
himself, once he had opened his mouth
and shot his queries off like rockets, everybodys face
turned stiff and stern.
All their eyes stared at their master.
Feng Ming blinked innocently, Whats the matter?
General Tong seemed a bit embarrassed and he turned his
face away from the Prince. Official
Xia pinched his beard and closed his eyes.
Only Lie Er didnt shy away from the question, in fact he
was trying to contain his giggles.
Moving closer to Feng Ming he whispered gently into his
ear, Prince, Gui Sen isnt after the
Third Princess, he is after you.
What? Harm me? Feng Mings eyes shot wide open,
What does he have against me?

Lie Er didnt give him an answer straight away, but instead

gave the Prince a good sizing by
looking him up and down and he clicked his tongue before
responding, Prince, when you
lock eyes with people, not only Gui Sen, but even Lie Er
feels like his bones have melted.
General Tong swung his head back and scolded the
servants insolence, Lie Er, you are
merely a lowly attendant, how dare you address the Prince
in such a manner? Dont think that
the Prince favors you that you can disregard the difference
in status.
Lie Er shrunk back and bowed his head down after being
reprimanded for his actions.
Feng Ming tugged at Lie Ers sleeve chasing clarity, Do
you mean Gui Senhe
When Feng Ming thought about it, he could recall Gui
Sens eyes watching him attentively
and the man always smiled as he monitored him. The
thought alone, sent a chill down his
neck.

Lie Er shot a glance at General Tong, then again he moved

over to his master and whispered,
Its not a problem for us if Gui Sen is after you, we are
more afraid that you are part of his
dealings. Gui Sen and Ruo Yan may have been making
arrangements for the transition of the
throne. One of the conditions may be Your Highness.
What? Just the mere thought of being traded between the
two men left him a bitter taste
and he could imagine the sinister appearance of both men
during their secret meetings.
Goosebumps suddenly washed over every inch of his skin
and the hairs on his body stood up
simultaneously.
With a shaky voice he reasoned, Thats impossible, Im
the Prince of Xi Rei, how can they
dare to use me
What came to mind was Gui Sen taking him hog tied and
manhandling him over to the
clutches of Ruo Yan, the scene that played out in his brain
immediately left him numb.

Official Xia exclaimed, If we were to remain to see the

Kings funeral, Fan Jia will sooner
be in Gui Sens control, there will be no restraints on what
they would dare to commit!
THUMP!
General Tong suddenly gave the table a pounding which
startled everyone.
He stood up abruptly and raised his eyebrows, and in a
heavy voice said, Fan Jia is facing
huge imminent changes, there is no time to lose, we must
set out to leave as soon as possible.
Feng Ming was still in a state of shock by the tigers roar,
trying to settle his nerves back to
resting state however he was the first to agree with the
general. His head bobbed up and down
furiously like a chicken pecking at specks of grain on the
ground.
He repeated, Yes, thats right. We should take heed and
leave as soon as possible.
Prince is seeing the matter in the same light as your
humble Xia. The official batted his fan
a few times.

However, we cant just up and go as we please. We are

honorary guests from afar, whom
want to take the Third Princess away, in the least we ought
to hold a discussion with the
Third Princess and the King before we can take leave.
Alright, lets see that we pay a visit to the Third Princess
this very night and gain her word
in person that she will return with us to Xi Rei.
Official Xia continued, General Tong, if we make our
move tonight and approach the
Princess. Naturally, she would seek an audience with her
father. If everything goes as plan,
we could be expected to be summoned to see the King as
early as tomorrow, and then we can
ask to take leave directly.
Feng Ming nodded, Okay, lets do it this way.
Finally after making proper arrangements, General Tong
set off in a hurry, rushing towards
the Third Princesss residence.
CHAPTER 13

Lie Er turned his focus to the old man, Official Xia,

there were two matters to be
dealt with. Youve finished discussing the first one, what is
the second?
In a stern voice, the man replied. The remaining
issue only concerns only the
Prince. As a servant Lie Er, you dare to pry?
Lie Er gave the Official a disgruntled cold Humph! and
soon turned his attention to
his master. A slight grin drew across his lips, I know
you want to have a
confidential discussion. Well, Ill see myself out and carry
on with my duties. Shortly
after, the young man waltzed out the door and shut it
attentively after his exit. He
then left to seek the other servants.
Feng Mings eyes left the door and back to the remaining
occupant of the room.
Official Xia, why did you intentionally target Lie Er?
He was only prompting the
continuation of our talk.

A nasty sneer drew across the advisors lips, Prince,

do you not feel as an
attendant, Lie Er seems quite knowledgeable and
overly bold for someone in his
rank? Additionally, all the events he has given foresight
into have proceeded with his
predictions.
Havent we discussed this matter already? He may be a
spy however as youve said
he is unlikely to bring me any harm. In fact he may be able
to even help me so let
him.
Spies can be taken advantage of, but they can never be
fully trusted. The old man
rebutted whilst stroking his beard with concern.
I am worried about Prince, under these circumstances you
are well aware that he is
untrustworthy, yet youve continued to invest your
confidence in him.
This Feng Ming was genuinely surprised by his
advisors comment.

Indeed, even though Feng Ming knew of Lie Ers

questionable origins, he held the
young man in high regard. Lie Er had an unspoken unique
charm, and unknowingly
everybody began to rely heavily on him.
The Prince was experiencing an unsettling alarm, if Lie Er
was using his charima and
virtue to shuttle in between countries, indeed it would
be very hard to put up a
guard.
Official Xia continued, Up until now, Lie Er has openly
showcased his talents. He is
making it explicit that he is not as simple as he appears.
Preciously because of this,
we have taken our guards down and relaxed in his
presence.
Feng Ming nodded silently in agreement. He had a
good point Lie Er does seem to
have a repertoire of psychological strategies up his sleeve.
Official Xia was satisfied with the Princes response. The
old man rekindled the need

to be alert around the spy. Seeing that he had

addressed the mater, he gave his
master a smile.
We can discuss Lie Er at a future date, its hard to say
perhaps Princes charm has
him wrapped around your little finger and he is indeed
serving you wholeheartedly.
Taking a deep breath, As for the second agenda, its
this he paused and carefully
took out something tucked inside his sleeve pockets.
He held out the item and
whispered, King Rong wrote a letter.
Really? Feng Ming immediately jumped with joy, What
did he write? Quickly, pass
it to me!
The moment the Princes hands reached out to snatch
the letter the old man drew
back and chortled and shook his head in disapproval.
Prince, compose yourself, have you lost your sense of
etiquette? Let me explain.
King Rong sent three letters in total. Each of them
has been personally addressed.

One for General Tong, the second to myself and the

last was for the Prince. We
have already digests our individual letters in private.
The Prince should proceed to
do so alone.
The old man finally revealed the contents in his hands for
taking. In his palm laid a
small capsule made out of wax.
Feng Ming blinked curiously as the odd container was
presented to him; he reached
for it and inspected the casing at a closer proximity.
Walking towards a window for a
source of light, he held it above him trying to see
whether there was enough
transparency to hint at what may be inside. Inwardly, he
cursed the King for getting
up to such strange antics to send a simple letter. Naturally,
he had no idea what he
was meant to do with the capsule.
Reacting quickly to the Princes confusion, the advisor
immediately cleared his throat
and began to explain.

Prince, to open the capsule youll need to knead the wax

in your hands until it can
be peeled back.
Oh Feng Ming followed the mans instructions and
pinched the wax between his
thumb and fingers under the capsule gave and split open.
Interestingly, he found a
lump of black gauze-like material that had been carefully
wrapped.
This time Feng Ming didnt require any assistance and his
fingers worked quickly to
unravel the expensive looking material.
As he stripped back the layers, the material was not
black as he had originally
thought. Instead, it was layer open layers of words
written in black ink on a near
transparent cotton gauze. When he finally finished, the
letter spread out could easily
cover half the top of a large table.
Huh? Feng Ming was taken aback as he tried to
process the extremely strange

letter that lay before him. His excitement had already

dissipated. Originally, he was
very eager to find out what comforting thoughts the man
had have written. Perhaps
even how the sly bastard would write about how much he
was missed and beg for
forgiveness for sending him out on a diplomatic mission.
Now that he had time to settle down and read,
unexpectedly the densely written
letter was solely composed of one word repeated.
An. **read notes
An? What is that supposed to mean?
If the King missed him excessively, shouldnt the
letter be filled with Feng Ming?
Then again, such a corny romantic act would never
spout from the romantically
challenged Rong Tian.
Is it unlikely that the letter was delivered by mistake? Feng
Mings face scrunched up
in frustration.

Prince, Official Xia glanced at the Princes unsightly

reaction and he pretty much
guessed the young man was stumped to what was before
him.
Does the Prince know of the Royal rituals in praying for
safety?
Praying for safety? repeated slowly as he dug back
into his memories, although
the impression was not very deep he did recall Rong Tian
teaching him about it.
Was he to blame? The Prince was taught too fast and the
contents way too much for
him to handle. On top of the teaching process Feng
Ming was under constant
harassment from the King and he was barely able to
concentrate on their studies.
Naturally, it would be easy for him to forget.
Official Xia stepped in with his bountiful wealth of
knowledge to quickly explain: A
special ceremony is conducted to pray for protection
for someone important. The

prayer will immerse their body in pure environment

for seven days and devote
themselves to a diet of vegetables. In front of god
should they pray and write An
religiously and repeatedly. King Rong intended to have this
delivered to you so you
can carry it with you at all times and remain safe.
Feng Ming stared blankly and his face faintly washed with
a blush. He knew his face
quite easily lit up like a beacon so he dipped his
head downwards to avoid eye
contact with the old man. Under his breath he
murmured to himself, Such
superstitious nonsense. If you are desperate enough for
these types of antics why
pressure me into leaving in the first place
But the mere thought of the King not eating meat for
seven days softened Feng
Ming, as it was a quasi sacrifice. Feng Ming decided to
give the man a break.
Prince, this letter

Although its all superstition, at least having

something prepared is better than
being empty handed. Especially, if I get requested to
see that terrifying Rou Yan.
As the Prince spoke, he carefully tucked his personal letter
into his sleeve pocket.
Official Xia gave the Prince a questionable look and
laughed teasingly which only
acted to escalate Feng Mings embarrassment. With
out a further word, the Prince
left and sought the company of his servants.
In the middle of the night, General Tong who braved
the snow was back and he
immediately made his way to see Feng Ming and
Official Xia to pass on the news,
The Third Princess is aware of our critical situation,
and tonight she will ask the
King of Fan Jia to meet with your Highness to hasten our
departure.
Official Xia asked, General Tong, when you paid an
audience with the Princess did
you touch upon her fathers strange illness and symptoms?

Hey! The General face was normally righteous and

friendly but now he was
revealing a sly smile. If she read between the lines, I
did secretly deposit certain
details about poisonings and such. The Third Princess is
clever and will naturally she
catch onto the hints and hopefully voice her concerns to the
King.
Feng Ming interrupted in a boisterous manner, Looks like
Gui Sen is about to meet
with bad luck!
The King of Fan Jia is severely ill and with the countrys
politics as unstable as it is
now, it is highly unlikely he would have Gui Sen
executed.
However, Gui Sen being in the line of fire is
unavoidable.
Lie Er let out a bout of giggles.
Thats better than Gui Sen stalking our Prince in circles.
Everyone burst out in a fit of laughter, only Feng
Ming remained silent and red
faced.

Official Xia proceeded to ask the General another

question, Did you mention
anything about the poisoning of her father and how it will
induce his death soon?
Why would I say that? If I was to tell the Third Princess
the whole truth would she
be willing to leave Fan Jia?
Thats good. Official Xia nodded his head in approval. In
a blink of an eye the old
man changed the topic to uplift the mood.
Given that our Prince will be summoned by the King of
Fan Jia tomorrow morning,
it is best that we prepare our baggage for our journey
ahead.
Great! they said unanimously.
Each person looked at everyone else with smiles
beaming off their faces, eager to
start packing their baggage for the journey home.
As Official Xia had speculated, the next morning a
messenger was sent to the
Princes hostel and An he was sincerely summoned by the
King to pay a visit at his

palace.
Chiu Lan and the two younger maids dressed the
Prince carefully in a set of his
finest robes, smiling as she said, This is the last day in Fan
Jia and you are going to
make the King speechless when he lays his eyes on you!
Chiu Lan, you make it sound like the only thing going for
me is my appearance.
Thats not right, there are countless men with ability in
this world, however, Prince
with both ability and good looks is only a handful
amongst these men!
Chiu Lan covered her mouth when she let the comment
slip, but proceeded to finish,
As I said, the women in Fan Jia are the most
beautiful however, the men from Xi
Rei are the most handsome. I even had a wager with Chiu
Xing that Prince would be
able to scout a beautiful woman from Fan Jia to become
our Princess.
Chiu Xing exclaimed after laughing, Even if you
dont bring back a princess, the

Third Princess is a good prize to take home too!

The three girls were excited to see the famous beauty
of Fan Jia. The more they
thought about it the higher their levels of anticipation.
They began to whisper to
each other of all the possibilities.
Feng Ming had learnt over time why the power of
three women would be able to
beat any of the trios he knows of from stories and
history. Feeling helpless he
allowed the women to chat as they finished the final
ornaments on his costume
including his saber. Considering how he had dodged
all the bad luck, he was
prepared to march though the gates of the palace and finish
his mission.
Volume 2 Chapter 14
Fan Jias Imperial Royal palace was composed of several
magnificent and distinctive red
buildings. The perimeters were boldly decorated to
showcase the Kings grandeur.

Feng Ming had led General Tong and Official Xia into the
main entrance to the Kings
palace but Li Er was required to remain in the carriage due
to his lowly status.
By this time, the heavy snow fall had stopped. But inside
the palace grounds, the floor
was absolutely spotless. It was obvious that the palace
maids had worked towards
sweeping every speck of snow off the ground.
Gui Sen had been awaiting Feng Mings arrival along the
main hallway, once seeing the
party arrive he scurried across to greet the Prince.
Prince, we meet again. Gui Sens face was beaming with
a smile. His demeanor showed
no signs of being disgruntled with having his
companionship rejected openly the day
before.
The older man took Feng Mings hands into his own, and in
a grave voice he warned, To
be honest to Prince, the Kings health has not been fairing
well in the past days. It is

likely you were summoned upon the Third Princesss

instigation. Prince needs to be
cautious around that woman. She has already made
arrangements with Master Dong
and Ruo Yan.
Feng Ming was stunned for a brief moment.
Gui Sen was already rolling around in treachery, and now
he dared to front as a friend
and provoke distrust between the Third Princess and Xi
Rei.
What a despicable man.
Feng Ming turned his gaze on the man, the corner of his
lips jerked into a soft smile. In
a low voice he replied, Thank you Royal Uncle for your
warnings However, during our
visit in town, we heard the people on the streets discussing
the state of the King. It
seems they suspect that it is not ill health consuming their
King but rather a case of
poisoning. Royal Uncle, you need to take care with your
own meals.

Although Feng Ming had only intended to toy with his

Uncle, it was like he had served
the man a final blow. All color immediately drained from
Gui Sens face. The older mans
mind was off somewhere momentarily before he
regained his composure. He quickly
asked, Prince, where did you come across such news?
On the streets, its the current talk of the town!
Feng Ming feigned innocence and
pretended to be shocked, Dont tell me Royal Uncle has
not caught wind of this rumor?
This The man stuttered, This
It was obvious that Gui Sen was harboring a guilty
conscious. Failing to talk coherently
was a dead give away.
Gui Sen clasped his hands in respect to the Prince as he
dismissed himself.
Gui Sen has many state matters to attend to, my
apologies for not being able to
accompany Prince. Please remain here as the King shall
summon your presence soon.

The man hurried away, most likely to investigate the

word spreading amongst the
people of Fan Jia.
Feng Ming giggled at the thought, shortly messengers that
had left to herald the King
returned.
Our King is unwell and currently needs his rest. It is
unadvisable for a large audience
to attend. The Prince may proceed alone.
Proceed into the palace alone? General Tong was the first
to lash out his dissatisfaction
and looked for consensus from Official Xia. He politely
cupped his hands and signaled
to the messengers.
Please report to the King, General Tong is under direct
orders from King Rong to never
leave the Princes side by even a step. With all due
respects, is it possible for Tong to
accompany the Prince to great his Highness?
Feng Ming passed the General a glance.

If the regent king had laid orders for General Tong to act as
a shadow, why did he not
bring up this spirit of loyalty when Feng Ming was asked to
proceed alone into the Third
Princesss inner residence?
The attendant that was sent as a messenger served the
King directly, he replied
dutifully, That being the case, please excuse me as I
will return to seek the Kings
command.
The man disappeared once again, and returned roughly half
an hour later to address
the Prince.
The King is out of sorts and is no condition to see too
many visitors. If the Prince is
apprehensive about proceeding to the palace alone, please
consider seeking an audience
two days later when the King has recovered. At that time,
he would be able to hold a
session in the proceedings hall where many people can be
catered to.

Feng Ming thought to himself, I am afraid in two days I

may have to visit the King in
heaven.
Feng Ming knew that he shouldnt delay matters so he
hurriedly flashed a signal with
his eyes towards Official Xia. The ball was in Official
Xias court, it was up to him to
decide what should happen next.
The old man stroked his beard as he muttered softly, Since
it cant be helped, our Prince
shall pay his respects to the King of Fan Jia.
But General Tong interjected.
General Tong, there is no need to be concerned. The
Prince is wise, brave and nimble.
He will be safe in the palace, we can rest assured.
Feng Mings forehead was beading with sweat.
An Xun was also had such characteristics and it was also in
a similar palace setting
where he lost his life and his head was almost halved like a
watermelon by King Rongs
blade.

The attendant bowed to Feng Ming.

If all is in order, may Prince please follow my lead?
Feng Ming stood still in a moment of hesitation, which led
to Official Xia giving him a
friendly joist from behind to encourage him to get a move
on.
Feng Ming thought inwardly, perhaps Official Xias
eagerness was a sign that
everything was running as expected. Most importantly, he
knew it was unfitting for a
Prince to wimp out, just because he had to approach Fan
Jias King alone. Working up
the courage, his hands balled into fists, he walked
forwards with his chest proudly
protruding and head held high.
The inner sanctuary of Fan Jias Imperial palace stood out
from the smaller palaces and
residences that Feng Ming had seen so far in the country.
Instead of small passages
leading to each building, there were large and spacious
avenue-like paths. It was styled

like the Classical Gardens of Suzhou from Feng

Mings world. Perhaps the Fan Jia
palace was also built with consideration in
mathematical or celestial significance.
Regardless, it was apparent that they had a great
respect for natural terrain and
scenery.
Feng Ming continued to follow at the heels of the attendant,
turning left and right on
what seemed to a complex and interweaving path. It felt
like forever, when they finally
arrived at the bottom of the main steps outside the Kings
resting chamber.
The long staircase was composed of beautifully polished
white jade. The path threaded
through two rock mountain displays. Once you surmounted
the mountain pass you were
greeted with a charming entrance. Overall, one could sense
the dignity, elegance and
artistry from such an arrangement. If this design was
entered in a modern day

architectural contest, it would be a clean sweep of the first

prize.
As Feng Ming occupied himself with being amazed, two
men entered the grounds by a
door in the opposite direction they had come. They walked
closely, one after the other.
Feng Ming turned around, his face contorted in confusion
as he did not expect the King
of Fan Jia to have other guests.
As the men closed in, he continued to stare in their
direction so he could identify them.
The blood drained from his face, the proud chest he
held immediately deflated as if
someone knocked the air out of his lungs.
The man that in the lead was a palace attendant, however, it
was who followed that set
off Feng Mings alarm. It was none other than Ruo Yan. A
mere look from the man would
make the Prince freeze on cue.
Prince An He, we meet again. He cupped his hands
and gave the Prince a sign of
acknowledgment.

In fact, Ruo Yan had quickly noticed the Prince and

decided to join him at the bottom of
the staircase.
The Prince had originally intended to deal with matters
quickly. He didnt expect that
he would come face to face with the last person he wanted
to see. In fact, he had an urge
to hide behind the attendant or bolt away safely. As he
contemplated his next move, in a
calm and collected manner Ruo Yan shifted purposely
blocked access to the stair case.
Even if he wanted to, Feng Ming didnt dare to push the
man aside and flee into the
palace. He had to stand his ground and swallow the fear
clogging his throat. He nodded
his head in acknowledgment.
Is the King of Li also here to pay his respects to the King
of Fan Jia?
Ruo Yans eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the Prince. A
hint of a smile lifted on the
corner of his lips. I have caught word that the King is
unwell. Naturally, I will be here

to pay my respects. What is the Princes agenda with the

King?
I? An He is also here to pay respects.
The King clicked his tongue and teased.
Ruo Yan was under the impression that Prince was feeling
unease in Fan Jia. In fact I
sensed that you may be seeking the King for an earlier
pardon to leave with the Third
Princess.
The man was purposely inciting Feng Ming. However, the
Prince could see through the
mans trick. He wasnt that foolish to walk into the trap.
In a cool manner Feng Ming replied, You are correct.
An He wishes to hasten the
departure. Fan Jias rich scenery is beautiful but An He
must make haste. Xi Rei is
without a leader and due to setbacks with escorting
the Third Princess, An Hes
accession to the throne has been postponed. It is important
that I return to Xi Rei as
soon as possible.

Upon hearing the Princes reasoning, the King

chuckled. His eyes fixed onto Feng
Mings own. The Prince turned rigid, as if he was struck by
a bolt of lightning.
Feng Mings heartbeat ran erratically, his eyes were wide in
fear and he took a few steps
back.
Ruo Yan found mused with watching Feng Mings
reaction.
Ending his charade, he acted as if something finally
dawned on him.
Oh, I was wondering why the Prince was frozen like a
statue. As it turns out, I was in
the Princes way. To speak bluntly, Prince is also blocking
my way.
A cold sneer stretched across the Kings lips, his words
packed a double entendre.
He stepped aside, and gestured with his hands.
Prince, please advance. He invited.
No, it is better that King Li takes the lead. Feng Ming
declined.

Prince, I insist. Even the presence of the attendants, King

Li suddenly reached out and
audaciously grabbed Feng Mings shoulders.
The unwanted touch almost scared the Prince out of his
skin. Instead he scrambled up
onto the first step to break off the mans contact.
I will go first then. He quickly muttered.
Ruo Yan chuckled and followed closely behind.
Why is this flight of stairs so long and winding?
Feng Ming felt like he was being followed by a hungry
tiger, his heart would not settle
and now he was venting his problems by cursing the
architecture and design of the
Kings inner sanctuary that he had admired only moments
before his current ordeal.
All of a sudden, Ruo Yans voice interrupted his thoughts.
The sword at Princes side, could it be the unparalleled
sword?
Ah? Feng Mings voice trembled as he nodded hastily in
reply, Yes, it is.
I didnt expect him to identify the sword with just a glance.

Then it dawned on Feng Ming, if Ruo Yan knew of

the swords history and origins,
perhaps he would suspect the other sword is in the
Regent Kings possession. The
moment their swords are drawn, and if Feng Ming is struck
down on the very spot he
stood. This would mean the same would happen to the
Regent King. Xi Rei would be in
absolute chaos!
Ruo Yan has ambitions to conquer the land, wasnt this
scenario befitting of his wishes?
The more Feng Ming pondered over the matter it was
anything but reassuring as the
thoughts made the hairs of his body stand.
At the same time, as he was enwrapped with his thoughts
he failed to pay attention to
his footing.
AH! he choked in horror as he felt his balance slip away .
Such a misfortunate mix of absent minded treading and the
winter slicked jade surface!
He was now flying helplessly backwards.

From behind, a pair of strong hands clamped down on Feng

Ming s lower waist. Within
a flash, Ruo Yan s form pressed against the Prince to
cushion his fall.
Ruo Yan gazed down at the Prince.
It was as if Feng Ming had voluntarily thrown himself into
the King s arms.
Prince needs to take caution, the staircase is made with
white jade, given the snow fall
it is a dangerous path.
Ruo Yan s warm breath tickled the back of Feng
Ming s ears. Their encounter was
growing more and more into an embarrassing and awkward
event.
Feng Ming s face was so close to the man, he could see a
strange look in Ruo Yan s eyes.
The unwelcomed stare he was receiving was sending him
into panic.
I know it is slippery. He muttered as he attempted to free
himself.
Sadly, Ruo Yan s swordsman training left him with a grip
to be reckoned with.

Feng Ming struggled to prostrate himself, let alone free

himself from the King s vice like
hold.
From afar, it would even appear as if Feng Ming was
deliberately leaning into Ruo Yan s
embrace.
Ruo Yan didnt spare Feng Ming, teasing the Prince again,
Prince, you are not going to
stand up?
This time the King was more assertive, breaking
further into the Prince s personal
boundary. He had pressed his lip against the ridge Feng
Ming s ear.
Ruo Yan blocked off the view for the attendants that were
following behind. Taking this
opportunity, he stuck out his tongue and gently licked
Feng Ming s ear. With an
audacity that only would reach the Prince s ear, he
whispered, I didnt expect such
happenings within the hierarchy of Xi Rei s Royal Palace.
Surely the Regent King has
savored you already.

Feng Ming shuddered, his skin prickled as goose bumps

popped up from head to toe. His
face was beaming red as he gritted his teeth and glared
ferociously at the King.
Lowering his voice, he growled: Let me go.
Ruo Yan laughed at Feng Ming s attempt to bare his fangs.
Oh, there is such passion in your eyes. Truly are not fit to
be a Prince. Perhaps the role
of a lover would be better adapted.
Having his fill of toying with the Prince, Ruo Yan finally
loosened his hands.
As the deadlock was released, Feng Ming sprang from
the devil s clutches. He quickly
clambered up the stair case, placing a few steps of
separation from the King. Feng Ming
whisked his head and gave the King another death glare
before bolting up the rest of
the climb towards the King of Fan Jia s chambers.
CHAPTER 15
When Feng Ming raised the issue of an earlier departure
with the King of Fan Jia, he

was surprised that the King readily agreed, and in a rather

cheerful manner.
After a series of discussions over organizing the envoy s
return, the King changed the
subject. He had caught word of Feng Ming s
scholarly ways and couldnt resist
witnessing the talent himself.
News has reached the Palace that Prince has deciphered
one of the world s unsolved
mathematical problems. Prince has shocked all by your
abilities.
Feng Ming felt the eyes that had been carefully
watching him dig deeper like thorns
against his skin. Under all the attention, he forced a
smile and waved his hand in
dismissal.
Your Highness flatters me. However, An He should not be
credited with such prestige
as An He did not solve the problem. In fact it was the
Regent King who imparted his
knowledge.

Oh, it appears that Xi Rei s Rong Tian embodies the

fearlessness of youth as well high
intellect. King rong and the King of Li are both well
distinguished men, and of high
caliber in skills and talents. But who would have
thought, that King Rong is well
versed in mathematics!
The King of Li smiled and replied, Ruo Yan is not
deserving of such high praise. It is
King Rong whom is truly extraordinary. Ruo Yan has
been enlightened by the Regent
King s abilities. Moreover, it was a surprise that the
Crowned Prince also embodies
scholarly intellect in addition to his attractive appearance.
It can be said, they make a
formidable pair.
As Ruo Yan spoke, his eyes traveled in an equivocal and
unscrupulous manner along
Feng Ming s body. The un-welcomed attention
warranted an angry glare from the
Prince.

Whilst the Fan Jia King was not paying attention, Ruo Yan
seized the opportunity to toy
with the Prince.
He flicked his tongue outwards ever so slightly and
motioned a gentle lick. The croquet
gesture sent Feng Ming s reflex flying. His hand shot up to
protectively cup the ear that
the King had licked earlier. His eyes peeled back in shock.
Feng Ming s naive reaction caused Ruo Yan to chuckle.
The man lifted a cup of wine to
his lips, and casually imposed, Since the Prince is
proficient in the art of algorithms
and such, Ruo Yan would like to seek guidance in a few
difficult problems.
With Ruo Yan s persistent treading and provocations,
Feng Ming was fuming with rage
inside. Playing his cards right, he maintained a completely
calm and indifferent face.
A nonchalant smile spread across his lips, Oh,
certainly the outstanding King of Li
does not possess problems he cannot resolve. Perhaps the
purpose is to challenge An

He s abilities.
Upon hearing the words exchanged between the two young
men, the King of Fan Jia s
interest perked. He had already notice an odd tension
between the two when they had
first entered his domain. Now they were confronting each
other, and what better to do
than to sit on the sideline and watch the show.
Ruo Yan clicked his tongue in disapproval.
How could I be as heartless as to purposely place the
Prince in an awkward situation?
If Prince is afraid, then I shall refrain from detailing the
questions in mind.
In this way, Feng Ming was going to lose face in front of
the King of Fan Jia. He gave
Ruo Yan a cold snort, King Ruo s question is?
Inside Feng Ming thought smugly: The Third Princess has
promised to return with me
to Xi Rei, even if I fail to answer your stupid question it
won t be a chip off my shoulder
in any respects!

Then I shall proceed, the smile extinguished from the

King s face as he sternly gave
the riddle.
There is a giant boulder, weighing one thousand jins.
There is a small child, and his
arms are only able to lift ten jins. The question ishow
does the child move this rock?
Fan Jia s King bellowed a hearty laugh, This is
preposterous, is it joke? How could a
child barely out of is diapers shift such a heavy boulder?
Feng Ming stood dumbfounded. He had no qualms in
solving the question. He was
surprised that the people who seem to be quite
mathematically advance for their time
had not grasped the fundamental laws of physics.
Ruo Yan had anticipated his question would stump the
Prince, he flashed a smug grin
towards the young man s direction.
It was obvious the King was purposely pushing all of his
buttons. Feng Ming was at
boiling point and rage had been building inside him.
Now tendrils of his rage was

spilling out, encouraging him to abandon the fear that Ruo

Yan normally incited in him.
Feng Ming furthered the moment of silence, he feigned as
if Ruo Yan had deliberately
made things difficult for him. His brows knitted together as
if he was deep in thought.
Just when everyone thought the Prince would surrender and
beg the King s pardon,
Feng Ming suddenly clicked his tongue and shook his head
with disappointment. Before
solemnly replying, Why is King Ruo asking such a
simple problem? Surely this cant
be the most difficult and baffling unsolved problem in the
Country of Li!
The Prince laughed.
The solution is easy! All you need is a long sturdy
bamboo pole and a flat stone. The
two can be used together as a lever system. The position to
where the fulcrum should
rest can be calculated. A lever will amplify an input
force. A small child can use his
body as the counterweight...

Compared to mathematics, science was Feng Ming s

element. As the men were dining,
Feng Ming conveniently used his chopsticks as props
to demonstrate the theory. His
explanation was clear cut. The two King s were
astounded.
In actual fact, scholars of Li had only recently made
groundbreaking formulas to solve
the problem and had not release the news to the academic
world. Ruo Yan had intended
to use his knowledge against Feng Ming, only to have
it completely backfire as the
Prince continued to explain the solution in layman terms.
He was speechless.
This Crowned Prince was clearly not a useless simpleton
as humor has it.
There was a mysterious magnetism in the young man s
behavior and appearance that
attracted people to him. Unexpectedly, the Prince had the
brains to match his seamless
looks.

Ruo Yan pondered for a moment, before revealing the next

challenge. His sly eyes lit up.
Feng Ming had been monitoring the Ruo Yan and he
could tell the man was up to
another devious act as he caught the slight change in the
King s eyes. The Prince was
no fool. He knew Ruo Yan was going to trouble him with
another problem. As a counter
measure Feng Ming took a pre emptive strike and stopped
the King in his tracks.
One hears of King Ruo s adept abilities in the field, An
He has heard of an interesting
mathematical problem. Would the King would be game to
attempt an answer?
Given the situation, the Prince had just responded to the
King s supposedly advance
question. It would be embarrassing if he declined to answer
one from the Prince.
Please ask, Prince. Ruo Yan sneered.
A wealthy King wanted a new crown. He handed a
craftsman five jins of pure gold.

The craftsman was indeed a master artesian. When the

crown was finished, it was
worthy of gods. However, the King suspected the artesian
pocketed gold when he was
forging. He summoned his servants to weigh the
crown, and indeed the crown
weighed five jins. However, the King could not be
entirely sure that his newly forge
crown is pure gold. In fact he suspects that his crown has
been contaminated with other
metals. As for the question King Ruo, how would one
determine whether the crown is
gold or a composite metal formed from gold and silver?
After the Prince introduced the problem, the two King
exchanged bewildered looks.
No one would have thought the Prince would issue a
complicated problem. The King of
Fan Jia reached to touch his own crown as he wondered
whether it too, was solid gold.
Ruo Yan had a useful subordinate, Master Dong to assist
him. Usually, they would be

able to make a breakthrough. However, the Prince s

question was complicated and
unfathomable. Ruo Yan could not help to speculate that
perhaps Xi Rei has overtaken Li
in terms of mathematical scholarship and knowledge.
Perhaps Li was no longer the
dominant force that means his country will lose the prestige
of being number one.
As advance as Li was, it was possible Xi Rei has been
secretly overtaking them.
A dark thought crossed Ruo Yan s mind, perhaps we will
need to capture the Prince
and force him to spill some secrets...
The young King s eyes fixed onto the Prince.
Feng Ming was elated with his next revelation. He
was oblivious to the strange look
aimed at him. Instead, he was thinking about the glory
he would receive when he
explains one of ancient Greece s greatest discovers to
these ancient people.
Underneath the stoic face he presented, he could
hardly contain himself. Trying to

suppress his laughter had his stomach tying knots.

Given the King of Fan Jia had a daughter who was a
master in mathematics, over the
year he too had developed interested in the discipline.
Feng Ming s question definitely
held his interest. After pondering the solution, the King
relented and inquired, Such a
difficult question, Prince, how does one determine whether
the crown is pure gold?
Feng Ming soaked his success, feeding off Ruo Yan s
deflating ego.
In a matter of fact tone he replied, Actually, it is quite
simple. Your Highness, which is
bigger in size, five jins of silver or five jins of gold?
The King answered with no delay, Naturally, it would be
five jins of silver! Then if you
mix silver and gold, that means the alloy would be larger
than just solid gold.
That is spot on, however even if an alloyed crown is
heavier. The king s crown was
designed with intricate carving details. How does one
differentiate whether the crown

was conveniently carved down to the appropriate size and

weight?
Feng Ming clapped his hands excitedly.
If the King would be as kind as to organise two identical
basins and have them filled to
the brim with water. Once you place your crown and five
jins of pure gold, you shall
receive an answer! **
Ruo Yan is an intelligent man thus even without a
demonstration, the solution
immediately clicked in his head. However, his face
was plastered with astonishment.
There was an intensity in his eyes are he stared at the young
man in awe.
Such a simple and strange method to solve such a difficult
problem was entirely foreign
and unheard of.
After a further lengthy two hour discussion in the King s
chambers, Feng Ming not only
obtained permission to set off the next day, he also gained
victory over the King Ruo.

The man suffered a complete defeat; with his tail between

his legs
Feng Ming wore his triumph with stride, as he
marched out of the palace gates.
Catching sight of their Prince, General Tong, Official
Xia and Li Er immediately
swarmed towards him.
Prince, what was the outcome?
Oh, actually when I was on my way to see the King, I
encountered the King of Li, Rou
Yan. Feng Ming sounded dejected.
What? General Tong face was pale with alarm, he
persisted, Was Rou Yan s intention
to interfere and create problems?
Perhaps he has blocked Prince s departure from Fan Jia?
Official Xia added.
The two men s complexion had seen better days, their
face were solemn and
anticipating an answer from their Prince. Both were
deeply repenting for not
accompanying the Prince.

About that. He wore a poker face and teased in a stern

voice.
Feng Ming calmly observed the two men s nervous
behavior before giving away the
game in a loud burst of giggles!
Haha! I am going to die of laughter. Get inside the
carriage and I will explain the rest!
Once the men loaded themselves on the carriage, Feng
Ming explained the happenings
in chronological order.
As he vividly recounted the events that folded out, he
guffawed endlessly . When he
reached the part describing Ruo Yan s complete
embarrassment he almost fell off his
seat.
Dont you guys think it s hilarious too? Feng Ming
prompted as he hugged his
stomach.
Feng Ming was the only one giggling away at his story.
The three men had listened on
with gripping concern. Their faces only showed dismay.

They exchanged glances before Official Xia finally broke

their silence, This strange
method of solving the problem, how in the world did Prince
conceive such a solution?
General Tong followed, Surely such a technique is our
country s national treasure, yet
Prince so casually divulged this information to a tyrannical
man like Ruo Yan?
I am more afraid that Prince has made his abilities
apparent, Ruo Yan will not let you
off the hook for his shame. Lie Er bit his lower lip and
spoke in a timid voice.
Feng Ming didnt take offence from the trio s doubts,
instead he thumped his hand
against his chest and proclaimed, Nothing to fear, I
am well versed in many
disciplines, water displacement and density calculations
are merely a scratch on the
surface of what I know. Anyhow, scientific knowledge
should be shared to allow for
advances. As for the King of Li, Ruo Yan...

The mere thought of the man reminded Feng Ming of

the King s inappropriate
behavior . Feng Ming trembled with the mental backflashes but forced the imagery out
of his mind.
Consoling him-self, he muttered softly, Regardless, we
will be leaving for Fan Jia
tomorrow. If he dares to approach Xi Rei and tries to
make an advance at me again,
Rong Tian will exterminate him!
What advance?! The three men shouted out in unison.
Feng Ming would rather die than have such an
embarrassing thing out to public so he
quickly dismissed any notions of being molested,
No, you guys are jumping to
conclusions!
- - - - - - - - -When the Prince returned to the hostel with
his small party, the positive news quickly
spread, evoking uproars of happiness. After all, everyone
had been away from home for
a long time. Everyone was yearning to return to their
homeland.

Messengers were also sent to inform the Third Princess of

the departure, asking her to
meet the envoy at the main gates of the city. They will
finally leave for Xi Rei.
It was an occasion to be celebrated, that evening a big
feast was held. General Tong
brought out two enormous jars of expensive and high
quality rice wine. They were
gifts from the King of Fan Jia. Upon laying his eyes on the
prized alcohol, Official Xia
smoothly gravitated towards them.
Chiu Lan and the other servants were encouraged to join in
the festivities. General Tong
also insisted Feng Ming try the rare wine.
Since discovering Lie Er in between his bedsheets the last
time he drank. Feng Ming
was firm about not drinking alcohol. However, his
determination was extremely weak
against peer pressure. His cheeky maids urged him on
and Lie Er was beside him,
coaxing cup after cup.

His low alcohol tolerance emerged once again, first he lost

his sense of direction and
then he suffered a complete black out.
The Prince suddenly woke in the middle of the night, his
head in a daze as the drunkard
stupor was beginning to wear off.
At least they had tucked him in. However, his eyes flicked
open as soon as he sensed
something was out of line. Turning on his bed, he
found himself looking into large
glassy eyes.
You are in my bed, AGAIN!? Feng Ming shrieked. The
familiar face was sharing his
sheets. Lie Er had not been asleep.
The young man blinked innocently, Prince, it s not
my fault! You are being
unreasonable. I was in charge of escorting Prince to rest,
yet when Lie Er tried to leave
Lie Er was tugged down and held tight. Prince was crying
and kicking and demanding I
stayed.

Feng Ming was exasperated he scolded, Didnt I give

orders to douse me with cold
water to wake me up?
Lie Er shook his head, No, not on a cold day, the Prince
can easily fall sick.
Let me get ill, it is better than forcing you into bed! he
exclaimed.
With tomorrow set for departure, wouldnt the Prince
falling to illness be the last
objective? His servant reasoned.
That..., Feng Ming was speechless. Damn the boy had a
point.
Moreover, Lie Er behaved, Prince can check and see
that Lie Er is still wearing his
undergarments.
With that said his servant playfully grabbed his hand under
the sheets and ran it down
his clothed body.
Feng Ming quickly flung his hand out of the boy s grip and
gently pushed the other s
body back.

No touching! No contact He enforced.

Suddenly, Feng Ming noticed Lie Er s face was
contorted in discomfort. He moaned
loudly in pain. The Prince had no idea what he had
triggered.
What s wrong Lie Er?
Nothing. Lie Er lied between gritted teeth and he shook
his head for a faulty attempt
at reassurance.
Hearing his reply and seeing the boy s facial reaction,
Feng Ming was not convinced.
Riding on his suspicions he prompted.
Are you sick?
No, it s nothing.
Then why are you guarding your chest? Let me have a
look.
Dont mine me your Highness.
Being told not to care about his subordinate, Feng Ming
was driven to find the answer.
He was pretty confident that Lie Er was trying to conceal
something from him.

With a loud snort of defiance, he stated, The more you

deny me, the more I want to
see.
Using new grappling techniques he had learnt from Rong
Tian, Feng Ming wrestled Lie
Er into a submissive position. The young man tried to
wriggle his way out.
He gasped in pain, his face waning in color before he
finally submitted and asked for
mercy.
Alright, Lie Er will let Prince see, but please do not ask
anything. Lie Er will keep his
mouth shut.
The servant finally removed the hand he held protectively
over his chest.
Feng Ming reached between the openings of his
garment and felt his chest. To his
surprise, the young man s chest was bound in thick layers
of gauze.
You are hurt? he swallowed in shock.
Lie Er nodded.

When did you get this injury? Who did this to you?
Lie Er looked at his master dearly, his eyes were smiling as
if they seem to reflect what
was on his mind, look, you are already asking a million
questions.
Feeling moisture at his fingertips, Feng Ming
exclaimed, This is terrible! You are
bleeding profusely!
Lie Er immediately reached to cover his master s
mouth and said, Your Highness,
dont be so loud!
We have to re-dress your wound right now! he insisted.
Lie Er sighed, resigning to his master s doting.
The medicinal herbs are in my room.
In a valiant manner, Feng Ming immediately volunteered,
I will fetch it for you.
People cant know about this, please Prince.
Ah... Feng Ming recalled that Lie Er was a man of
suspicion, perhaps the reason why
he was hurt...

Lie Er was very sensitive to the change in the Prince s

eyes.
He voiced himself, Does Prince suspect Lie Er of wrong
doing?
That s not the ... Lie Er interrupted him, his eyes staring
sternly into his own.
Prince, Lie Er said cordially, Please believe Lie Er, Lie
Er will never harm Prince.
Feng Ming peered into Lie Er s eyes. The boy was
watering up. He nodded.
I believe you. I believe that you will never harm me.
Okay, I will sneak out and
retrieve your medicine.
He briskly climbed out of bed and draped a cloak around
his slender form to brace the
cold outside.
His footsteps were soft as he made his way towards Lie Er
s room. There was no snow
on this night but the winter winds were unrelenting. As
soon as he opened his bedroom
doors, the wind bombarded his exposed cheeks and sent
chills up and down his body.

Cautiously he tipped toed his way to Lie Er s room, once

he was inside he rummaged
through the young man s belongings. Sure enough, he
found medicine and wrappings.
However, there were also a few questionable items and
artifacts.
Perhaps these are contraptions that a spy would use in this
era.
Lie Er had a certain gift, one wanted to trust his every
words. Feng Ming had surprised
himself. He had wholeheartedly believed him. Wanting to
return to help his servant he
quickly grabbed the items and left.
Stepping back out to the hostile weather, Feng Ming
thought inwardly: Certainly
everyone is nice and cozy in their beds in this forsaken
weather.
Only this sneaky Prince was out prowling the darkness, but
what if he was mistaken for
a thief...
On that thought, a flash of movement suddenly caught the
corner of Feng Ming s eyes.

He barely whisked around to catch the shadow of a tall

blackened man.
Feng Ming s eyes were going to pop out of the socket,
when he wanted to scream for
help, the black figure s hand clamped down tightly
over his lips immediately
extinguishing his voice.
The tall and threatening stranger had raided the Prince s
temporary residence and dared
to attack the Prince of Xi Rei!
Under whose command was this assailant working under?
What a miserable end! Regret washed over the Prince.
Maybe he should have kept his
mouth shut instead of parading his victory over Ruo Yan.
Did the King take offence?
Was this an assassin to root out the trouble? Oh, god what
kind of torture was he in for!
With his thoughts running a mile a second, Feng Ming was
feeling light headed.
The strong man, kept his hand firmly over the Prince s
mouth. The other hand pinned

the young man s hands behind his back. The strangers

form was pushing against him
leaving no room to maneuver.
The hidden eyes stared into Feng Ming s panic-stricken
ones. He pressed his masked
face against the side of the Prince s ears and bit down
lightly.
The masked man softly laughed.
Did you miss me? teased a familiar voice.
As soon as the man whispered into Feng Ming s ear,
the Prince s world was shaken
upside down.
His hands that were bound tightly were suddenly freed.
Feng Ming flipped around and
punched the man hard in the stomach.
Through gritted teeth he scolded, Rong Tian! You bastard!
I...
Before he could finish chewing his lover out, Rong
Wang s hand snapped over his
mouth again.

Feng Ming was scared half to death, he even had

tears welling up. His fist pounded
against Rong Tian s chest endlessly.
Rong Tian pulled down his mask to exposed the handsome
and chiseled face that Feng
Ming had yearned for.
The taller man removed his hand from his lover s mouth
and quickly replaced it with
his own to smoother the Prince s rage. The little Prince
continued to thump fists against
the King s chest.
Nothing could ever beat the taste of the Prince s soft and
sweet lips.
Once their lips touched, they battled and attacked each
other with their tongues. The
anger inside Feng Ming was turned into a fevered passion.
Rong Tian gave his lover a
thorough oral inspection as his techniques melted the
Prince into a wanton mass.
Their contact broke only when Feng Ming was
beginning to suffocate. Now that the

Prince s anger was sedated he allowed himself to be held

in the King s embrace.
In the dead of the night, King Rong pulled his lover in the
shadows of a corner out of
sight from passer-bys.
Why are you here all of a sudden?
Once I caught news of King Ruo s presence in Fan Jia, I
immediately set off. How can
I allow you to be thrown into a pit with a vicious wolf?
He flashed Feng Ming a doting smile, and pulled the young
man closer.
What about Xi Rei?
No one knows that I have left, it wont be an issue as long
as we get back at god s
speed. Once we return, you will ascend the throne.
Even General Tong and Official Xia are in the dark?
Yes, there is no need to let anyone else know about my
presence in Fan Jia. Otherwise
it will be dangerous.
Feng Ming pointed out his flaw, Then why are you telling
me that you are supposedly

in hiding? I am telling you now, I am quite stupid. I wont

be able to hide you well!
Now, how is my little Prince stupid? The Prince s
abilities and intelligence has shocked
the world. He praised.
Rong Wang grinned, as he fondly bit his favorite spot on
Feng Ming s ear.
As for keeping concealed, that s not much of a challenge.
All I need to do is to hide in
the Prince s bed.
It was the Prince who taught me that Every moment of a
lover s tryst is precious.
Rong Tian grabbed his hand and pulled him towards his
bedroom.
In my bed? Then it clicked.
Feng Ming had been so engrossed with seeing his lover to
the point that his mind had
completely blanked out on his original objectives. Now
that they were heading towards
his bed, Feng Ming remembered Lie Er!
Lie Er who was lying partially undressed in his bed!

As he was dragged to the door, Feng Ming broke into a

cold sweat.
Volume 2 Chapter 16
Rong Wang was on the verge of making his way through
the doors when Feng Ming
moved with lightening speed to barricade him. His reaction
speed was akin to a cat that
had its tail treaded on.
Dont go in!
Rong Wang was baffled by his sudden insistence.
Why? he asked his eyes boring down onto his lover.
Becausebecause Feng Ming s frantic eyes locked
onto Rong Tian s own, his hands
reached to dab at the sweat beading off his forehead.
That s because my sleeping pallet is not big enough for
the two of us to share!
He nervously observed Rong Wang s reaction in fear
the man was suspicious of his
hidden agenda.
Rong Wang cast a fleeting confused look at the closed
doors, then, as if it suddenly

dawned upon him, a gentle smile grew from his lips.

Is that so? he commented before he stepped
forwards and sandwiched the Prince
between him and the cold wood of the entry.
His large hand reached up to lightly caress Feng Ming s
lips, before bending his own to
spoil them with a soft kiss. He pulled the young man into
his arms.
Standing outside at this temperature is turning you to
ice. Rong Tian s seductive
magnetism quickly distracted Feng Ming s initial motives
of his guilty conscience.
If the bed is unfitting, why dont you rest on top of me?
With that said, Rong Tian
kicked the doors open and whisked the Prince inside. He
lifted the boy effortlessly into
his arms before striding towards the bedchamber. The
warm air moved like currents
embracing their chilled forms. The room was fragrant and
threads of smoke danced in
the air from the daily incense that Chiu Lan had set alit.

Soon the pair was directly across from the bed in which Lie
Er laid.
The bed is spacious enough. The King judged, glancing
down at Feng Ming who was
nestled in the crook of his arms. Feng Ming s heart could
just about bungee jump from
his chest, his face paled. As long as you feel it is big
enough.
Inwardly, he added - Three will be a crowd
The delicate tassels highlighted the fine drapery that hung
on the bed frame creating a
private cloaked space for within. It was this cover that was
prolonging the agony.
Feng Ming watched Rong Tian in gripping silence as the
older man carried him step by
step closer to where an imminent storm brewed, spelling
his doom.
He prayed.
God, I hope Lie Er was smart enough to hear us and made
his way out without a trace.
Please be an empty bed.
It has to be an empty bed! Otherwise I am a dead man

With his eyes shut and deep in prayer, a soft and attractive
voice waffled from behind
the partition.
Prince has finally returned, why was Prince out for such a
length of time?
Rong Tian halted in his footsteps with the unexpected
voice. He coldly stared at the
drapes before slowly turning his attention to the man in his
arms and giving Feng Ming
a condescending look.
The eyes glaring into him made Feng Ming tremble
with fear his guts harbored a
foreboding feeling that Rong Tian would violently rape him
as punishment.
Even if he didnt have sex with Lie Er, Rong Wang would
never believe him.
Grotesque and disturbing images of sick and twisted
revenge taken out by jealous men
from Ancient history flashed in Feng Ming s mind. Oh, he
trembled from top to toe.
Rong Wang issued him a deceiving smile before gently
asking, Feng Ming are you cold?

You are shivering.

The fake sincere smile the King was fronting was a
hundred folks more dangerous than
any threat from Ruo Yan.
This is a disaster!
What a cruel world!
Is this the calm before the tempest?
Feng Ming primal instinct had him close his eyes tight, like
an ostrich he buried his face
into the crook of the King s arms.
Rong Tian chuckled suggestively, prompting the Prince to
rest on the bedside, one hand
reached to lift the drapes to reveal Lie Er. The servant was
in a simple tunic, his body
reclined on the bed with one white jade-like arm
propping up his head. The boys
childlike eyes met with the intensive glare of the King.
Feng Ming held his breath, his thoughts in conflict.
Should I or shouldnt I help Lie Er? If I save him it would
be even harder to wash away
this misunderstanding!

If I dont do anything
Why are you here? demanded an unimpressed Rong
Tian.
Caving into the tremendous mental pressure, Feng Ming
could cry he shied away from
the bed.
I dont know! I dont know anything! the Prince
proclaimed.
Lie Er reaction was to the contrary, in a calm manner he
lifted the quilt and slipped out
of the bed to kneel obediently at the Kings feet. In a small
voice he made grace. Lie Er
pays his respects to his master. Today is the Princes last
day in Fan Jia territory. Lie Er
is worried, so stayed watchfully beside His Highness.
The young servant lifted to glance at the Regent Kings
expression. Seeing that there
was no advert expression, he laughed playfully.
Lie Er has not done anything. Prince belongs to the
master. Lie Er dares not meddle.
I will forgive you for not daring! You have grown!
However, you are still so mischievous

and frivolous, nothing like your mature brother!

King Rong gave a cold snort, Have you settled matters in
Yong Yin?**
Lie Er received Masters instructions and secretly
arranged to exterminate his post.
Ensuring that no trace is left to doubt my disappearance in
Yong Yin, the King of Yong
Yin truly believes I have died of illness. He replied
dutifully.
The King made a sound of approval.
You have been carrying out espionage in Yong Yin
long enough it was time you
returned to Xi Rei.
Rong Tian nodded and then turned his attention to the
Prince that sat stupefied on the
sidelines.
Feng Ming, I will let you know, I have assigned my best
men to safeguard you. You
have met Rong Hu. Although Lie Er is naughty, he is quick
witted and adept at dealing
with contingencies. I feel a little peace of mind to know
they are by your side.

Thump!
Feng Ming? Feng Ming!? Rong Tians deep voice
permeated the room as he looked at
the Prince in distress.
Master, it appears the Prince has fainted...
--- --- --- ---The next day, the envoy from Xi Rei finally
departed with an additional member, the
Third Princess. Their departure was majestic and grand.
However, during this period it
was said that the Prince had fallen ill. In the carriage he
settled in seclusion to nurse
his ailments along the beginning of a long journey home. It
appears when the Prince
was sick he had a bad temper. From time to time one
could hear him curse along with
the various sounds of objects being smashed. Not to
mention the sharp sound of skin
being slapped.

For everyone on the outside, they all inwardly awed by

the male chamberlain on the
receiving end of the abuse. Curiously, each time Lie
Er left the carriage he was
unscathed, completely without even a slightest bruise on
his face.
After three or four days the bitter chiding and cluttering of
random items died down.
Instead, they were now replaced with interesting moans
that made people blush.
The curtains that decorated the carriage in winter were
thick and far from transparent.
One would could only listen on and imagine what was
taking place inside.
Chiu Lan listen, they are giggled Chiu Yue.
They are what? Lie Er is good looking, it s only
natural the Prince would give into
temptation. Chiu Xing commented.
Well it s not like I am saying anything about it in
particular but I am afraid someone
might feel teased Chiu Yue before Chiu Xing slapped
her on the shoulder.

Pouting as she scolded, Dont make fun of me! The

Prince s business with Lie Er has
nothing to do with me!
Chiu Yue choked back her laughter before giving her
playmate what she wanted to hear.
Yes, yes. It s not any of our high and mighty Chiu Yue s
business. Nonetheless, how
would the Regent King handle the matter when we return to
Xi Rei?
On the other hand, General Tong ushered his horse to stride
beside Official Xia s to ask
question that has been bothering him.
Official Xia, weve been on the road for four days yet the
Prince has not shown his face
this
Official Xia waved battered his fan back and forth, stroked
his beard and explained, A
journey can be lonely, Lie Eris a rare specimen. Would
General Tong be so eager as to
dampen the Prince s leisure?
But if this persistsI am afraid there will be detrimental
affects to the Prince s body.

No ailments shall reign over the Prince s body as long as

Official Xia is around, General
Tong can rest assured.
The matter was settled and the party continued to travel day
and night for another two
days where they finally left the borders of Fan Jia. They
will now travel through Yong
Yin for another seven days before they would reach Xi Rei.
Volume 2 Chapter 17
Just as they had moved closer to Yong Yin territory, news
of Fan Jias King death due to
illness reached them.
Everyone who was aware of the situation could only
marvel at Official Xias incredible
foresight.
Once the Third Princess was informed, she fell into deep
sorrow and wept for her loss.
Inside her carriage her tears flowed out. Her misery
extinguished her energy . In the
Princes quarters, Feng Ming attempted on many occasions
to escape from Rong Tians

clutches and after much difficulty he finally slipped out to

console the Princess.
Please royal Aunt, you are going to overexert yourself.
The King had been sick for a
length of time, thisthis the words were caught in his
throat, finding it hard to carry
on the topic when the Princesss face was stained with
tears.
Feng Ming was unable to give her any advice. In all
honestly, his time with the late
King was short and the man had left no real impression.
Secondly, it was obvious to all
that the Kings death was sudden and worthy of
suspicion. However, he and Third
Princess understood this moment was not the
appropriate time to instigate
investigations.
Regardless of what era or dimension there are always
conspiracies and treacherous
schemes being brewed and carried forth. It is a sad fact of
human nature.

Feng Ming spent a long time comforting the grief stricken

woman. Whilst he sat beside
her, he could not help but to think about his own situation.
What would happen if he did
not have Rong Tian? How many times would he have been
devoured by his enemies?
The thoughts gave him an unappetizing gut feeling, he
released a heavy sigh.
His Aunty continued to weep in bouts of soft sobs, seeing
Feng Ming had accompanied
her for the worst part she finally decided to pack away her
emotions.
She wiped away her tears and finally broke her silence,
Father has departed and my
tears are worthless. When I think of my absence beside my
father when his life expired,
I feel burdened that I have failed my filial duties. Being
born in royalty has numerous
challenges. There are times when one will be helpless.
These tears of mine are
inadequate.
She heaved, changing the subject.

Oh! My dear Prince, you must take care of yourself.

Hearsay in days past you had a
cold and was confined to your carriage.
Feng Mings face burned before he dipped his face down
and murmured, Yes, indeed.
An He shall wear enough clothing to avoid catching a cold
again.
Inside the Prince cursed the Regent King who was
avaricious, insatiable and above all,
his vigor knew no boundary.
He remained for a short time to offer more words of
support before finally slipping out
of the Princesss carriage.
As soon as he made his exit, he was greeted by General
Tong and Official Xia.
In two more hours we shall cross the official borders into
Yong Yin. A grand feast and
entertainment has been arranged to welcome Princes
arrival.
Thats great progress! We will finally leave Fan Jias
territory.

The Prince recalled how generous Master Zhang had

been when he held a reception for
the envoy.
He swallowed before nervously raising a matter with
Official Xia, Official Xia, if
Master Zhang approaches me to be his drinking buddy you
must intercept him! I dont
want to end up with another Lie Er.
Another Lie Er in your possession wouldnt be a bad thing
right? Prince will feel less
lonely along this journey.
General Tong laughed heartedly at Feng Mings
expense and he lowered his voice,
speaking with a serious tone.
In earnest, Prince must take care of his body, making love
excessively is not the path of
a King. **
Feng Mings face froze from the totally unexpected advice.
Snapping back to normal function, a forceful smile crept
along his lips, Right, right it
isnt a road a King should walk along.

You should be telling the bastard Rong Wang instead of

me!
The men continued to converse about matters, afterwards
each returned to their carriage
to sit back for the journey.
As soon as Feng Ming stepped into his quarters, he was
lifted up into a tight embrace. A
large coarse hand slid behind his neck and began snaking
southwards into the folds of
his clothing.
Feng Ming clenched his teeth before fiercely chiding the
perpetrator, Dont you find
yourself annoying? All day long you just dont stop! We
are leaving Fan Jias territory
and you are in no threat apart from mine when I kick you
out! **(a)
A deep mans voice whispered lazily into his ear, If I
dont annoy you one day, you
will cry yourself to death. **(a)
I want to cry right now, take a good look at your
handiwork on my neck! What have

you done with your bites? The Prince couldnt help but
to give the larger built man
behind him a sharp elbow thrust.
The attack didnt even make a dent. It didnt stop Rong
Wang from playing along and
replying with an exchange.
Ouch! Be careful you might hurt your arm doing that!
Feng Ming was not impressed he gave the King a grunt of
frustration.
Lie Er was immune to his two masters daily drama,
instead of paying any mind he sat
quietly in the corner with his attention tucked inside a
book.
The Kings large hands refused to stay ideal as they
expertly slipped further downwards.
Dont touch me!
If you want me to stop touching you then let me enter
you. The King had no disgrace
in his direct proposal while keeping his voice sultry.
Feng Ming immediately declined with a shake of his
head, his voice hinting at his

cowardice. I dont want to because it will hurt.

Again with it will hurt. The King frowned before
complaining, You cant refuse my
touch.
Irrespective of your demands, as long as I feel pain you
will have to restrain yourself.
Nesting together in such close proximity each day, who
can resist? he argued.
Take Lie Er for a model example, he is great!
Oh, Rong Wang shot the young servant a glance, Would
he dare?
Even though Lie Er appeared as if he was completely
engrossed in reading, his ear was
always perked. He quickly put down his book and
respectfully replied, No, I would
never.
The servant muffled his laugh at Feng Mings expense.
The Princes face was like glowing embers, he took out his
frustration by punching the
Regent Kings waist.

If you bother me again, I will scream and tell our men that
you deserted your post in Xi
Rei!
The King clicked his tongue. And whom did I secretly and
unconditionally rush across
the plains to Fan Jia for?
This deadlock atmosphere between the two lovers
remained for most of the day,
however, their bickering eventually died down.
Eventually, their conversation steered
into serious business.
Now that we are out of Fan Jia, we have more reason to be
cautious. If Ruo Yan was to
deal with you he may have an unpleasant surprise
waiting for you in Yong Yins
territory.
I have nothing to fear! declared a very smug Prince who
proceeded to laughed slyly.
Ive got you, General Tong and his elite troupes. I
am not afraid of any challenges.
Even if the heavens were against me you will be my
shield.

As a Crowned Prince, one should put himself in the

lead commented the King.
That wont be the case once we are back in Xi Rei.
Completely carefree he shrugged.
Hey, speaking of which Fan Jia must be in for a ride.
There will be a funeral held for
Fan Jia s late King. Calamity is bound to ensue inside the
palace. There must be a fierce
battle for the throne, who do you suppose will take the top
spot?
Who do you want it to be? the King prompted.
Well, I dont have anyone in mind Feng Ming had
stopped mid speech to slap the
Kings wayward hand as a bonus it followed his trademark
glare.
Actually, I hope Gui Sen doesnt ascend the throne. He
has been colluding with Ruo
Yan to work against me.
Hmph! I manage to escape their crafty schemes based on
my wit and critical thinking.
Rong Wang gave a rare nod of agreement, I dont think
the successor will be Gui Sen.

Whats the reason? Feng Ming looked at the man

intrigued by his comment. Isnt
Gui Sen the eldest husband in law and by default he is next
in line right? He also has the
support of Ruo Yan. It would be a wonder if he doesnt
become King! You must have
been up to no good!
Rong Wang was proud of himself. He lowered his
face and nipped at Feng Mings
earlobe.
Who forced him to make a move against my man? he
reasoned.
Feng Ming gave him a displeased humph!
Dont try to trick me! As if Id believe that a scoundrel
like you would do all this for
me!
Hasnt everything been for your sake? The Kings face
was not suited for a miserable
expression, what he was showing Feng Ming was rather
amusing.
The Prince broke the strange atmosphere by jesting with
the King. After a while they

left the tangent and returned to Fan Jias succession

matters.
Gui Sen is indeed a capable man, but as far as I know, the
second in-law, Long Tian is
a greater force.
Oh? Ive never seen the second. This perked the Princes
interest, he keenly pressed,
Given the in-laws I have seen, it appears that very
attractive men are married into the
family. What does the second in-law look like?
Extremely handsome and a man of high caliber yet he is
still less attractive than yours
truly. Rong Wang replied shamelessly.
The Prince targeted the earlier spot with a healthy punch.
Rong Tian shook his head, Gee, looks like you are
becoming more uncouth and
outrageous, once we get back to Xi Rei I will thoroughly
deal with you.
Since making Feng Ming faint from suspense Rong
Tian was subjected to daily
encounters of his lovers irritated fist. Each time the King
harassed him the young man

offered him a punch or a kick in return, though to

the King the abuse was more
endearing than it was painful.
Any fear of the King had been erased from Feng Ming as
now he held his nose high and
could boldly declar, Since leaving for Fan Jia on my
ambassador mission, it was made
aware to me that I possess charm and unparalleled
knowledge, above your own.
The Prince broke free from the arms that were lugged
around him. He turned around to
look Rong Tian square in the eyes before smirking,
You should quickly beg me to
teach you my knowledge on mathematics or else you
will make a fool of yourself in
front of the Third Princess!
The ambient temperature inside the small room was as
warm as spring, Feng Mings
face was flushed from being hot and bothered. The King
tugged at the Princes collar
loosening the material to reveal silky white skin that was
plastered with hickeys that had

been left by him.

The Princes lips were pursed into a playful pout, even
though Rong Tian was used to
seeing the younger mans face, he couldnt help but
become intoxicated by the boys
natural allure. He studied the Prince with admiration
before pulling the boy into his
arms.
Alright, I will beg you.
Well, if you want me to teach you any mathematics, you
must kneel before me and call
me your master!
I am not begging you to teach me any knowledge. Rong
Tian whispered into his ears,
I am begging you to promise me that you will never leave
my side again.
Feng Ming was stumped by the Kings sudden proposal. He
could even feel his nose
tingle and his eyes water. He gritted his teeth and dabbed
his eyes with his sleeve.
Who exactly is the guilty party here? Obviously you
forced me to go to Fan Jia, and

now you are audacious enough to act if I was the one

that deserted you. Spat the
Prince.
Yes, that was my fault. admitted the King.
Less of this nauseating sappy talk, you were on about Fan
Jias second King in line.
You were saying how handsome he was before you
digressed on the topic. Hurry and
continue.
Yes, Prince An He. He mocked the Prince. But as always
when it came to discussing
serious matters Rong Tian was full of enthusiasm.
Long Tian is not an active man on the political scene. He
keeps to himself and is well
conserved and responsible. One would feel that he knows
his place. Thus, his outward
appearance is misleading, hiding his true potential and
abilities. In fact, he is one of the
most intelligent scholars of his generation, a formidable
man. Thus, if I was Ruo Yan I
wouldnt invest my stakes on Gui Sen, a man who
rolls in the limelight. He is most

likely fostering support for Long Tian in the background.

The King explained.
If he wants to keep a tamed puppet to do his
bidding, wouldnt a useless person be
more beneficial? suggested his lover.
Rong Wang looked on with appreciation, Pretty good
reasoning, on the other hand are
you aware of Long Tians origins?
His origins?Feng Ming shook his head and his dark eyes
glimmered with intrigue as
they beckoned the King. Rong Wang couldnt resist he
smiled and gently kissed the boy.
Feng Ming pushed the King off with a frown, Okay
thats enough! Dont keep people
in suspense. He reprimanded.
The King sighed, I should have never let you leave Xi Rei
as an ambassador. Since
being abroad you have developed a temper. He shook
his head disapproving in a
melodramatic manner before finishing his story.
At a tender age, Long Tian traveled the realms to gain
knowledge. He was originally

from Yong Yin. He was very young when he arrived in Fan

Jia where he met the second
Princess. Not long after he married her and became the
second in-law.
Sounds like a nice saga.
An Xun and Gui Sen were suspicious of his history so
they had secretly arranged an
nvestigation but their spies could not find any leads.
Or perhaps he really didnt have much background, but
what was more important was
that he was a skilled man, just like me Feng Ming boasted
brazenly .
Rong Tian shook his head, his gaze lifted and his
eyes appeared to stare off to the
distance.
Long Tian identity is dubious, he did not come from a
prominent family, yet he gained
the favor of the Second Princess and married into the royal
family. No matter how you
look at it, there has to be a force behind this arrangement. I
have my reservations as I
suspect he is from Li.

Li? Feng Ming was surprised by the revelation but

immediately pondered over the
situation. If it is like that, then once Long Tian ascends the
throne, wouldnt Ruo Yan
annex his kingdom? But even if Long Tian is originally
from Li, it is unlikely he would
obediently hand over the reign.
Ruo Yan has access to rare and unique medicines on his
side, Long Tian may even be
held hostage over his own life. Perhaps it was Ruo
Yan that organized the deadly
concoction of poison to be administered slowly to Fan
Jias King. This would have
secured an early date for Long Tians succession to the
throne.
Feng Ming was speechless, "That puts a twist to the
plot! We may have wrongfully
suspected Gui Sen. General Tong had even approached the
Third Princess to inform her
about the conspiracy that was brewing. We even borrowed
her word of mouth to alert,

the late King of Fan Jia. By doing so, we have

unknowingly aided Long Tian's cause."
Once the Prince finished, Rong Wang tensed. Feng Ming
could feel the muscles holding
him stricken. He whisked his head around and beckoned,
"What's wrong?"
"That's right...Xi Rei provided a catalyst to accelerate Ruo
Yans...." Rong Wang's face
was stern, deep in thought as he was picking his brains with
this challenge, he
murmured to himself, "Ruo Yan...Long Tian...Xi Rei's
envoy."
The man was focused. Even Feng Ming didn't want to
interfere with his train of thought.
The Prince sat patiently watching the King ponder over
their problems.
"That's it!" The answer struck him like a bolt of lightning.
The King lifted his head in
triumph. "There is a leak."
"A leak?" Feng Ming scratched his head.
Rong Wang nodded, "Correct, we have ourselves a spy".
With that statement, Lie Er

who had been sitting quietly to the side placed his reading
material aside and turned his
attention to his Master.
The Prince knitted his brows, skeptical about the King's
claim. "A spy? How could we
have a spy amongst us? General Tong was blind to the
situation and accidentally helped
Long Tian."
"I should have noticed earlier." Rong Tian muttered before
asking his lover, "Feng
Ming, think about it. Why did you all suspect Gui Sen had
ill intentions towards Fan
Jia's King?"
"I am not sure, since the beginning I felt that Gui Sen
would be the likely candidate to
carry out underhanded such killing off the King. It doesnt
help that he is quite a
despicable man."
Feng Ming stuck out his tongue.
"It's Official Xia." Lie Er's sharp voice joined into the
discussion, Feng Ming turned his

head around.
Lie Er gravely input, "Gui Sen has been giving us countless
connotations which have
led us to believe the culprit is Gui Sen, which has driven
our hostility against him.
However, it is a fact that Gui Sen does have negative
intentions against the Prince."
"Official Xia?" Feng Ming shook his head in disbelief.
"That's impossible, how could he
be the spy? Rong Tian, hasn't he been a trusted member of
the court and the royal family's
personal medic? He is a veteran, there's no chance it is
him."
Rong Wang rejected the Prince's logic, "There are
specialised spies that are planted when
they are at a tender age. For example, Lie Er was assigned
to Yong Ying, had I not
summoned his return to be your bodyguard he would have
stayed beside the King of
Yong Yin for the rest of his life."
Feng Ming peered back at his servant who was faintly
smiling as he nodded his head in

agreement.
"But Official Xia..."
The King patted his shoulder, and softly spoke a hint,
"Although the second in law keeps
to himself, such a man would not go undetected by a person
of Official Xia's calibre.
Since arriving in Fan Jia has he advised you to be cautious
of Long Tian?"
Feng Ming thought carefully about this point, his head
slightly bobbed as he processed
the information. Then suddenly he recalled something
important, he turned to the King.
"That's not right, when I paid the Third Princess a visit. It
was Official Xia that had
wanted me to disrupt Ruo Yan's proposal. If he was from
Li, why would he have me do
such a thing?"
"I have a few reasons." Lie Er's eyes were downcast as he
unravelled his opinions to his
masters.
"Firstly, Ruo Yan has Long Tian under his thumb. Whether
his proposal is a success

doesnt matter. Seeking the Princess's hand in marriage is

only a decoy as he would have
colluded with Long Tian under wraps. Nevertheless, this
distraction is important so he
can disguise his sudden arrival in Fan Jia. Effectively
decreasing the amount of suspicion
he may arouse from the people of Fan Jia. This move also
eradicates any
misunderstandings that could have flared up by his
presence. Secondly, Official Xia had
truly underestimated the Prince's intellect. It was most
likely his original intention was to
have the Prince become a laughing stock in front of the
Princess. However, that was not
the case. Prince succeeded in pushing the marriage to a
halt."
This was a reasonable surmise of the situation, who would
have thought Feng Ming
harboured such a wealth of knowledge, even the famous
Master Dong and Third Princess
was left in awe.

The King agreed with a nod, "Ruo Yan's plan is intricate,

even if he cannot claim Fan Jia's
throne by a proper means via marriage with the Princess.
He will have Long Tian ascend
and he will be the master puppeteer. Regardless of which
alternative has been undertaken,
it appears Fan Jia has already been swallowed whole by
him."
Thinking about the ones that were closest to him could be
informants, Feng Ming let out a
sigh before arguing one last doubtful point.
"If Ruo Yan wanted to seize victory with his own hands,
why would he waste his time
working with Gui Sen?"
"Oh Prince!" Laughed Lie ER. "Has Prince forgotten the
news we received about Gui
Sen and Ruo Yan collaborating was told by Official Xia."
Feng Ming's face soured, King Rong could sense young
man's sadness. He brought the
man into a hug before coaxing, "We will not be taking
immediate action or make any

allegations on Official Xia. But if he really is an informant,

he will make his move in
Yong Yin's territory, then we will catch him red handed
with evidence."
"Why would he make a move on me?" He looked at the
solemn faces of Rong Tian and
Lie Er. Feng Ming couldn't help but tremble.
"Why target me? I am merely..." protested the Prince
before the King smothered his
words behind a kiss.
He smiled warmly, "Upon setting his eyes on you, Ruo Yan
would be determined to lure
you to spend a night with him. Now that he is aware
of your heightened abilities in
mathematics you have more value. Without a doubt he
will do anything necessary to
secure and claim you to strengthen Li's power."
"Another important factor, he must break the alliance
between the Prince and King
Rong or else his ambitions to dominate the world would
face many challenges in the
future." Lie Er who had been at the side added.

Feng Ming patted his chest, "Well then, isn't it

fortunate that he hasnt seen my true
colors! Given my knowledge in the art of war and
insights for agricultural advances,
wouldnt he personally lead troops to abduct me?"
With this remark the carriage filled with laughter.
Their hearty laughter diminished just in time as the carriage
came to a stop.
Official Xia's voice announced, "Reporting to the Prince,
we are in Yong Yin. Official
Zhang has been waiting for our arrival. Prince can
disembark when he is ready."
Volume 2 Chapter 18
The men s laughs ceased.
Rong Tian lowered his head, He wont be making a move
now, however if he incites you to make
any changes to the original journey plans, it may be the
prelude of his treachery .
Feng Ming affirmed the King s warning with a nod before
quietly leaving the cart with Li Er.
Prince, Official Zhang has been awaiting your arrival.
Official Xia greeted the Prince with a big

grin as he pointed towards his welcoming party.

Since the Prince has outdone himself in Fan Jia, Prince s
status as reached a new plateau.
Countries are eager to cater to you. This time they sent a
delegate to greet us fifteen Li ** away
from the city! Prince is certainly the pride of Xi Rei.
Feng Ming heeded the King s cautions so he was on alert.
He watched the old man s moves very
closely whilst he nodded his head absentmindedly.
Nearby Official Zhang was gathered with a small crowd of
important figure heads, they were
pleased to see him.
It s been many days, pray the Prince has been well? The
warm official smiled ear to ear as he
lifted his cupped hands to greet the Prince. Yong Yin s
Zhang Qian at your service, we have been
looking forwards to this reunion.
Sorry for all the trouble.Feng Ming sincerely replied.
The hostel for the Prince and his guests have been
prepared, Zhang has readied a grand feast.
Please Prince proceed towards the city.

Everyone was weary from being on the road for days on

end so naturally the chance to rest was
enticing. The envoy from Xi Rei made haste and entered
the city to celebrate their achievements
thus far.
When night settled in, the promised grand feast was
buzzing with energy and the scent of
tantalizing food permeated the air. Official Zhang played
personal host to the Prince. Feng Ming
invited General Tong, official Xia and Li Er to accompany
him.
Rong Tian stayed hidden in Feng Ming s new sleeping
quarters at the inn. Before Li Er s departure
the King commanded, Go along, be careful.
Li Er was a clever one, during the entire evening he stayed
beside the Prince. Each time alcohol was
thrust in front of his master he would swiftly interfere and
down it in his place. Lie Er was an
abnormally attractive youngster, even for his age he was a
skilled courtesan. Switching on an air of
charm and seduction was child s play as he immediately
attracted many of the guests. He gave Feng

Ming a run for his money in the limelight.

After three rounds, Official Xia s face was flushed as he
radiated alcohol s warmth. He shuffled
closer to the Prince and tug softly at Feng Ming s sleeve.
Gaining the Prince s attention he
whispered, Li Er is acting strange today, Prince better stay
alert.
Although Li Er had been dragged a short distance away by
Official Zhang he kept in check by using
his peripheral vision. Seeing that Official Xia was only
chitchatting to his master he returned to the
duty of consuming endless cups of heavy wine.
Official Xia glanced towards the outside and asked,
Prince, I want to talk to you privately. Perhaps
if would be better to step outside.
If the same question had been asked yesterday, Feng Ming
would have darted outside with no
reservations. Today he shook his head calmly and
whispered, It s cold and dark outside, Official Xia
if you have something you wish to tell me, you can do it
here.

The old man chortled and stroked his beard. He was rather
tipsy and started to speak rumblings
like a drunkard. The Third Princess is famous far and
wide, yet she is not the most beautiful
woman in the world. Do you know who has that title?
Feng Ming blinked and shook his head.
The old man heaved and looked out of the window to the
starry sky. In a sad tone he gave the
answer, She is a songstress from Fan Jia, her name is Mei
Ji. She was originally born into nobility.
At fourteen she was given the title of the most beautiful
woman in the world. Unfortunately, her
father committed an offence to the King. The King had
every male in the family executed and all
the women were abducted and sold to various trades. She
eventually wounded up in entertaining
men by performing as a singer.
The Prince looked at the female entertainers that were
performing for him and his party. He
thought about the stories he knew from his other life, how
women were treated like a commodity in

the flesh trade. Such a tragic life she must have had. It was
like her life came from the dramas on
television. He couldnt help but to sigh, How sad.
However, with her virtue and intelligence, within a year
she became well acquainted with the big
guns from several countries. She accumulated enough
wealth to be able to buy her independence
back from her masters.
As he spoke Xia s face was becoming more animated and
so was his demeanor. He knitted his brows,
However, she did not want to leave the entertainment
business, rather ascended back into a noble
status she remained a lowly singer.
Oh? Feng Ming was surprised and pressed, Why did
she?
There was a faint smile on the old man s lips, When she
was asked, she said that All men in the
world are the same, there is no one worthy to entrust her
happiness and future to. Even if she left
the industry she would still hold the same sentiments.
The Prince shook his head.

Her ideology is a bit extreme, surely after a while she will

figure out that she wants someone to be
there for her. Once she finds the right man to settle down
with she would change her mind.
Prince, Mei Ji has a prestigious title thus her suitors come
in endless streams. If they werent
dignitaries they were wealthy and extremely capable
people. None of them has ever convinced her
otherwise. Finally, one day an anonymous youth asked to
be served by Mei Ji.
Feng Ming tilted his head in curiosity, That kid captured
her heart?
Correct. Official Xia firmly replied. He stroked his beard
and nodded.
This young man sat in front of Mei Ji for four hours and
did not utter a word and left.
What? He didnt even say anything? How did he manage
to win her heart? Was he mute? Feng
Ming frowned, a bit disappointed.
His subordinate laughed, Prince, you are really an
interesting character. The young man had not

even conversed with her, but when he got up to leave Mei

Ji finally broke the silence.
She said, I was wrong.
Wrong?
Yes, after intensely staring into the juvenile eyes in silence
for hours on end, it dawned on Mei Ji
that not all the men in this world are the same. She finally
felt a slither of hope that men can be
trusted. When the young man left, she told her maids, If
that youth becomes a King one day, Mei Ji
is willing to serve him as a concubine. Not long after she
paid her dues and left the limelight. She
has since lived in seclusion and her whereabouts are
unknown.
The Old man was lost in thought his eyes were distant as if
he was savoring the elegant and sweet
memories of Mei Ji.
Such a beautiful woman carries her self so, how can men
not dream of her? The corners of his
mouth curled into a bittersweet smile. Does Prince know
who the youth was?

Feng Ming blanked momentarily he wasnt acquainted with

many people let alone ones with such
capabilities. Within a second the answer hit him and he
blurted, Rong Wong?
Prince is really clever. The man reached over to pour
Feng Ming a bowl of medicinal soup.
King Rong was quite young when he left Xi Rei on his
first official tour . Indeed it was our King that
stole the heart of the number one beauty. This news made
an incredible impact across every country.
It also heightened caution, as a formidable power was
rising in Xi Rei. King Rong became a
legendary hero at the same time Ruo Yan was given a
similar title.
A distasteful sourness was welling in the back of Feng
Ming s throat. He had known Rong Tian and
Ruo Yan were famous across the realms and idolized as
heroes. It was that he thought his lover s
claim to fame was contribution to some type of historical
event. He was not pleased to find that the
King s heroic title was issued under the premise of
courting women.

Official Xia was unaware of the Prince s displeasure he

continued to praise the King, Rong Wang
makes Xi Rei proud, his words can persuade many. On the
battlefield he is flawless, who can put up
a fight against him?
Feng Ming pouted and bitterly muttered, Silence is a
golden sound. Mental strategies are better
than someone who hogs the spotlight. It is more effective to
keep your plans under wraps, like me. I
would not be yelling out commands.
Silence is a golden sound.** The man repeated thinking
about the Prince s words before his face
became animated again.
Does Princewant to see just how attractive Mei Ji is?
A woman like her to be won over by the likes of the Regent
King was very tempting. It immediately
perked Feng Ming s interest so he swiveled around and
asked, Do you have a painting of her
portrait?
If there were cameras in this age it would have been great,
they could capture her and he could

have seen her in much refined detail.

I dont have any portraits.
Seeing the Prince s disappointment Official Xia exposed a
sly smile.
However I have caught word that, Mei Ji lives in the
outskirts of this city. The distance is around 3
Li, in place called Endless Red Valley. There are several
hot springs, safflowers** are in bloom all
year round it is truly a beautiful sight. We can sneak out
and take General Tong s horse and ride
there to seek her out. On the way back we can enjoy the hot
springs, doesn t it sound good? If we
leave and return within four hours we are guaranteed not to
be noticed.
Face with such a tempting suggestion Feng Ming was
feeling restless he knew the hidden dangers
behind the invitation. Had it not been for the Regent King
s insight and now the cloud of doubt
hanging over the Official s head he would have nodded
and rushed out of the city with out anyone
detecting them.

Feng Ming shifted his eyes and nodded, Alright, I will go

with you. and he continued, Can you
fetch Li Er for me? I will head back to my room and
change into more appropriate riding gear. I will
meet you back in the courtyard. I will secretly ride General
Tong s prized horse and about Official
Xias horse
The old man rushed, Prince does not need to worry about
my ride. Please go and prepare.
Feng Ming took advantage of the drunken atmosphere to
slip out unnoticed. The feast was still in
full blast. When he made his way to the exit he signaled Li
Er with his eyes before quickly pacing
towards his bedchamber.
Volume 2 Chapter 19
Once Feng Ming slipped quietly from the banquet hall, he
was greeted with pitch black.
As he made haste to return to Rong Tian, he occasionally
encountered guards on patrol.
Each personnel carried a handy spear to ward off attackers.
The warm atmosphere of the party and the lively music was
isolated within the banquet

room walls.
The wind was beginning to pick up and its tendrils attacked
Feng Mings bare skin. The
Prince shrugged and nestled his head into his collar hoping
to trap what heat he could.
The Regent Kings suspicions he had desperately tried to
deny were now a harsh reality.
Hearing the Kings accusations was one case, when it came
to play it left him numb.
With a deceitful smile Official Xia had attempted to lure
him into a trap. It appears no
matter where he goes he was surrounded by conspiracies
waiting to jump at him, even
in his own backyard. He shuddered at the thought and an
uneasy feeling welled inside
the pit of his stomach.
He was horrified.
Rong Tian he choked out as he entered the
bedchamber. The calm facade he held
during the banquet crumbled. He threw himself into Rong
Tians arms and whispered
incoherently , Official Xia reallyhe really

Finding his lover trembling, the Kings heart melted. The

Prince had directly sought his
arms for comfort. He held the young man firmly in an
embrace.
In a soothing voice he reassured the Prince,
Everything will be fine. He cant hurt
you.
Feng ming looked up, his eyes were watery and innocent
like a newborn fawn. Feng
Mings distress was pulling at the Kings heart strings. He
planted a soft kiss on Feng
Mings ear.
As long as I am here, no one will hurt you. he affirmed.
Feng Ming was caught up in their moment of tenderness
before his thoughts wavered to
remind him of Mei Ji. The sour sentiments returned, he
grunted and wiggled out of the
Kings hold.
He dabbed at his eyes before reporting in detail the
conversation he had with Official
Xia.

Once he reached the tale of a young man who won

over the worlds most beautiful
woman just by his gaze Rong Tian understood why the
young man was grumpy.
The King was embarrassed as he awkwardly explained, I
was a hot blooded youth, I
heard about this incomparable beauty
Feng Ming interrupted him and gave him an accusing
glare that had the intensity of a
thousand suns. Here I was assuming it was just a
ridiculous story Official Xia spun to
coax me.
The Prince was reminded of the Kings flirtatious nature,
perhaps monogamy wasnt his
game. Maybe in each country Rong Tian had a beauty
hiding in seclusion waiting for
the day he became a King. Then they would come
forth and all, willing serve as a
concubine.
Feng Ming thought about the eleven countries that were in
disagreement. That was a

large sum. He couldnt help but to vent his frustration.

He snatched up the bedside
curtains, squeezed it between his clenched fists and gnawed
the material.
The King found Feng Mings reaction amusing he reached
to gently yank veil from the
Princes mouth.
A large hand delicately caressed the boys cheek, If you
hate me, you should bite me
instead. He eagerly replaced the curtains with his hand for
Feng Ming to punish.
Feng Ming wasnt willing to carry out his anger on the
King, his face darkened and he
turned his head away from the offer.
Your plan to feign an injury to boost an enemys
confidence wont work this time.
Our time should be used to focus on how to deal with
Official Xia.
Rong Tian repeated Feng Mings interesting use of words
feign an injury to boost an
enemys confidence several times before returning on to
the critical situation.

As matters have reached this point, I have no choice but to

reveal myself. Right now
Official Xia is awaiting your arrival in the courtyard. I will
order Rong Hu to capture
him from the shadows and keep him confined. Then I
shall summon General Tong and
have him lead our three thousand troops to surround
and scour the valley. If they
discover Lis soldiers staging an ambush then we will have
our evidence against Xia. In
case there is no ambush, I shall order Rong Hu to release
Xia. Rong Hu has always on
the low and his identity is always masked. We can
pass Xias abduction off to an
unknown assailant from an enemy country.
Feng Ming could see that Rong Tian had given their
problem a considerate assessment
before organizing his tactic. He even calculated room for
error and how to deal with the
aftermath. He admired the Kings thinking and he muttered
to himself before warning

the King, You better order General Tongs troops to be

careful, if Mei Ji truly lives in
seclusion in that valley we dont want to accidentally bring
her any harm.
The Kings face blanked from surprise before it transited
into an appreciative smile. He
ridiculed Feng Ming, Why are you being so attentive
towards Mei Ji? I just saw
someone chew out their anger on an inanimate object.
Feng Ming was not amused nor did he yield. He
coldly replied, This is the worlds
greatest beauty that was won over by a four hour staring
contest. She is in line to be a
concubine. Naturally , we have to protect her so she can
fulfill her wishes.
Rong Tian clicked his tongue and shook his head. He
motioned to hold Feng Mings
hands in his own and stared deeply into his lovers eyes.
His deep voice masked with sultry seduction, The land
is vast under the heavens but
there will only be one Feng Ming.

The Kings words triggered something within the Prince, as

if a hammer was trying to
engrave the message on his heart. Feng Ming studied the
man s eyes his pupils were
dilated and only had him in frame and focus. The
connection he felt with Rong Tian
sent an indescribable entity of warmth surging through
every vein and artery.
Feng Ming bit his lip. Succumbing to the Kings
sycophancy he finally issued the King
a sweet smile.
Stupid, I will teach you a saying: water flows three
thousand Lis but I dare to only
drink from one ladle. **
The King eagerly copied.
Oh, the water flows three thousand Lis but I dare to only
drink from one ladle.
Rong Wang looked at the Prince with awe, he ushered the
young man into position as he
gave him a bow of respect. I am grateful for the Princes
guidance.
Feng Ming sighed and shook his head.

Looks like no one can ever compete with Rong Tians

talent with honeyed words.
The King abruptly called out to his servant in the shadows.
When Rong Hu appeared he
was given the order to capture Official Xia.
Hand in hand the King lead Feng Ming out of the
bedchamber and together they made
their way to the banquet hall.
The pair made a dramatic entrance, when everyone realized
their presence, their sudden
appearance left the room in astonishment, completely
stumped and frozen in place like
statues.
Li Er had been drinking but was sober enough to
understand the Kings presence meant
a change in plans. He immediately made his way to his
rightful post beside the Prince.
General Tong, approach to receive my command.
The General had been sitting aside and he too had
mentally blanked when the King
made an unexpected appearance. He had taken his charge
very seriously, not a drop of

alcohol touched his lips as he was on duty to protect

Feng Ming. The Kings
authoritative voice had woken him from being stunned. He
bellowed a response, Tong
is present. He immediately jumped to his feet and dashed
to his Master.
Our Intelligence has reported a challenging situation.
Soldiers from Li are hiding in
Endless Red Valley three Lis away from this city
preparing an ambush for the Princes
envoy. Lead your men to disperse and scatter their
campaign. Remember not to
exterminate every last one until you have thoroughly
interrogated them about the actual
situation. Then you can lead our men back.
As you bid. He gratefully received his orders.
General Tong has always been a
military buff. In comparison with cavorting with women or
drinking senselessly he had
a taste for battle. He was excited to be facing another
enemy. He grabbed his treasured
sword and jumped straight into action.

Watching Tong take is leave Rong Tian finally pivoted his

attention to the people at the
welcoming party. With a smile he encouraged, My
apologies for troubling everyone,
Rong Tian was afraid for our Crowned Princes safety and
had rushed through the starlit
nights. If the musicians and dancers can resume song
and dance, we will continue
enjoying this evening with an endless flow of liquor.
A low ranked official from the borders of Zhang Qian
had heard of the Xi Reis
legendary Regent King, Rong Tian. Upon the Kings
unexpected visit, he did not know
how to proceed in terms of entertaining or addressing the
King in an appropriate manner.
Taking the King s cue he echoed.
Yes, thats right, we should enjoy ourselves. He
turned around and signaled the
entertainers to pick up from their last note.
The celebrations were revitalized. Once again the
atmosphere was teeming with chatter

and laughs. The only difference was that now no one dared
to approach the Prince for a
toast as an important figure head was beside him.
Feng Ming s hand rested beneath the table Rong Wang
refused to release his hold.
The Prince was worried about General Tongs condition
and how their decisions would
pan out.
After a while he decided it was meaningless to be
concerned with the matter now that it
was out of his hands.
Taking from Rong Tian s example, he made a
conscious effort to relax with the
company before them.
and inwardly rambled.

He lifted his chin up and smiled

In truth only a powerful figure with tenacity could

survive through conspiracies and
battles.
Feeling how weak he was compared to Rong Tian, he
couldnt help but feel a tinge of
frustration.

Rong Tian had been monitoring the young man,

sensing discomfort he prompted,
Whats the matter?
Feng Ming shook his head, Nothings wrong,
The King laughed.
Thats what I like about you. His lovers laughter eased
his tension..
For counter measures against such complicated ploys, I
am your best shield.
Under the table, the Kings tightened his grip.
Volume 2 Chapter 20
Within six hours General Tong returned unscathed to
update his Masters.
Reporting to Prince and King Rong once we reached
Endless Red Valley our men
scoured the surrounding forests. We indeed discovered
a sizable army of a thousand
scattered in position for an ambush. Our army of three
thousand annihilated the enemy.
Three hundred were captured. The enemy s death toll
is high, we estimate only one

hundred escapees. Their General was defeated by my

sword and his head was collected
as a token.
Tong waved at a subordinate whom walked forth to present
a blood drenched severed
head.
Rong Wang was accustomed to the sight of blood and did
not flinch or batter an eyelid
upon the presentation of his men s trophy. On the other
hand, it was Feng Ming s first
time to see a detached human head still dripping with fresh
blood. He couldnt help but
squirm uncomfortably.
Official Zhang eyed the scene before him and thought
inwardly: Although the Prince is
quite talented he is too timid. It is apparent that the Regent
King is in charge of the
final decisions.
Under the table, the King could feel Feng Ming s hands ice
over. He nodded to the foot
soldier to dispose the offending gore.

Although General Tong was sent out in the deep of a cold

winter s night for a fierce
battle he was still excited as if the adrenaline of the
battlefield had not left him.
As he discussed their skirmish Tongs expression changed.
He started to analyze the
opposition.
Strangely enough the men did not appear to be robbers as
our intelligence reported.
Rather they all adorned and spoke with accents from the
country of Li. Furthermore,
the Prince s original route of return does not pass through
the Endless Red Valley. Why
were they there? If they wanted to target the Prince, did
they think one thousand men
could come close to defeating our army of five thousand?
The King glanced over to the Prince and chuckled.
As for these questions, perhaps
Official Xia will be kind as to indulge us.
Rong Tian s voice boomed as he ordered, Bring Official
Xia.

Rong Hu had efficiently manhandled the court advisor

in the courtyard. He had
captured and bound the target with no complications. The
old man was left gagged and
helpless in a wooden shed and only Lie Er was informed of
the location.
General Tong was completely in the dark about the cloud
of suspicion around Official
Xia s identity. However, he was an observant man so he
did wonder where the old fool
had disappeared to during the night. Now before him, one
of the most trusted men of Xi
Rei s court was escorted into the banquet room by Lie Er .
The old man s hands were
secured tightly like a prisoner.
The General stiffened and his expression waned. Official
Xia, why did you suddenly
become a prisoner?
Rong Wang toyed with the small wine cup in his hand,
rolling it several times between
his long fingers. He looked at the old man and smiled.

Although captured Official Xia had kept his ears alert, he

heard thundering footsteps It
wasnt difficult to deduce that soldiers led by General Tong
were off to fight.
To see the Kings face before him dread washed over him,
Xia knew his scheme was
discovered. His unrelenting eyes stared coldly at the King
and a smile stretched across
his lips.
What an ill-conceived plan, if I had known the Regent
King would grace our journey
Xia would have heightened his caution by a hundred fold.
You have been a trusted member of the Royal court for
countless years, yet you dared to
conspire and bring harm to the Crowned Prince, are you
aware of the consequences of
your crime?
Xia is originally from Li where I have been in favor of
generations of King s. Concealed
in Xi Rei, collecting military intelligence is my duty to my
people.

The Old man knew his time was near instead of cowering
he wanted to live his last
moments with dignity. Standing up to Rong Wang whilst
proudly stating, A question
for the King, what is Xia guilty of if he is just repaying the
kindness of his homeland?
Rong Tian looked at the spy amused, he shook his head.
Even on your final breath you
flaunt your tongue. Since you want to die a hero, I will
grant you your wish. Without
hesitation he summoned an execution crew. Behead him
and send the head as a token
to Ruo Yan with the request that Xia will be given a suiting
burial for his status in his
true country.
Feng Ming had spent many days on the road with
Official Xia. During this time
although the old-timer wasnt pleasing to the eye he
proved to be humorous, amicable
and practically a walking textbook. Xia taught him
literature, customs and countless

topics. To have the King order an execution without a blink

of his eye, Feng Ming could
not bare the thought. The young man reached out to
tug at Rong Tian s sleeve in a
private plea for leniency.
Rong Wang intercepted quickly, Prince does not need to
be soft hearted, Xia willingly
committed to be a spy for our enemy , it is natural he would
have calculated the chance
that this day may come.
Feng Ming was about to speak out when Rong Wang
turned around and advised him in
a whisper.
Think about the situation, if Xia s plan succeeded you
would have fallen into Ruo Yan s
clutches. What would have been your result?
Feng Ming swallowed, shuddering at thought. Being
reminded of Ruo Yan made him
uncomfortable, recollecting the man s unwanted
attention. However, it was really
unfortunate to end Xias life as the man had profound
knowledge and unique talents.

The Prince turned towards the departing party, the soldiers

were ushering the old man
out.
He shouted, Hold on! Official Xia!
Feng Ming left the platform with a cup of fine wine in
hand. He stood in front of the
prisoner.
Official Xia, you have taught me countless things on this
journey, An He is grateful for
everything.
Thank you your Highness. He received the cup and
momentarily exchanged a glance
with the Prince before tilting his head back to down the
contents.
Official Xia although a spy, you display extreme loyalty to
your country. This is a trait I
admire. Feng Ming continued with a soft tone, Knowing
the cost of the risks you take
would equate to death, Ruo Yan is cruel to send one s
own to slaughter . Is the price of
his ventures truly worth your life? Rong Wang is wise and
resolute it is inevitable that

he shall unify the countries under the heavens. If Official

Xia was to dedicate his talents
in the King s efforts you will become a person of legend.
Even though An He s life was
nearly played into your hands, An He still trusts Xia.
An He requests for Xia to
renounce ties with Li and contribute to Xi Rei s plight.
The Prince s offer was reasonable and fair, not only was
Official Xia stunned for words
the entire hall of people stood speechless and shocked.
A few droplets trickled from the wine cup that Rong Tian
had purposely filled to the
brim. His hands trembled from the weight of the words that
left his lover s mouth.
The King was completely impressed by Feng Ming s
generous offer , everything was for
his sake. It was clear that Feng Ming was serious and
whole heartedly invested in
aiding the King s campaign to unify the world
The delicate and fragile frame suddenly appeared to
stand taller and shone with a
gallant aura.

Official Xia s face blanked then a lively glimmer returned

to his eyes. Send one s own to
slaughter. The old man repeated several times before
bellowing out with laughter.
Prince s persuasive techniques have surpassed that of the
Regent King s. As for the
King of Li, he is a brilliant man of this age and I shall
never claim to be akin to him, I
am merely acting my role as a stepping stone.
He ceased his laughter as his eyes looked the Prince up and
down.
If Prince was born in the country of Li, wouldnt that have
been better? Anyhow this
wont pose a challenge as my King is adept on many
levels and abilities. There will be
more than one plan to gain his objective. It appears our
King is infatuated by Prince and
wont merely be depending on Xia s plan.
The old man spoke with such self confidence that his words
triggered the alarms within
Feng Ming and Rong Tian.

After he finished his speech, he cupped his hands together

and bid everyone in the room
a sign respect and a final farewell.
Gentlemen, Xia will take leave and advance forth. With
his departing words he turned
around and began to laugh mockingly as he strode proudly
out to meet his end.
One could admire Xia s bold and defiant demeanor.
Feng Ming was cemented as his eyes followed the court
advisor until he was completely
out of sight.
Rong Wang worried about the young man being
disheartened over the whole affair he
stepped down from the raised ledge and made his way to
Feng Ming.
Standing behind the Prince he placed his hands firmly on
his shoulders. What s the
wrong?
The Prince shook his head, It s nothing. His eyes stared
at the path where a dead man
just walked.

In case I am captured and sentenced to the chopping

block I need to be bold and
unyielding to my last breath like Xia.
Rong Wang didnt know whether to laugh or cry . He
pulled the Prince back to their table
and scolded him.
Who curses their own death? He poured a cup of wine
and delivered it towards Feng
Ming s lips.
Have a drink.
The Prince stared at the high quality wine with
apprehension. He shook his head.
No, when I start drinking he protested.
Nothing will harm you when I am present. Actually that is
precisely the reason why
you should. The King coaxed his eyes formed sly
slits as he teased, perhaps once
intoxicated you wont complain about pain.
This was the man s intention, Feng Ming was more
convinced to refute. He shook his
head again and again to reject the beverage.

The two sat in view of the other guests, one was a Crowned
Prince and the other a world
famous Regent King. The two were bickering and no one
dared to disturb, instead they
watched on.
Just take a sip. The King urged with jest.
No, you have bad intentions. The Prince growled.
If you dont drink I will force it down your throat.
Bastard, I told you I dont want to.
Feng Ming wasnt just trying to avoid alcohol rather it was
the indecency of it all that he
wanted to dodge. The heat quickly escalated and the Prince
stormed away from his seat
next to the King. Lie Er expected events to turn out of
hand but for General Tong this
opened display made him feel embarrassed. Surely, these
two treasures of their country
shouldnt tarnish Xi Rei s prestige.
Tong turned his attention to Zhang, Official Zhang, the
night is waning would it be
better to

Their humble host cut the General off midsentence, Ah,

the night is waning he had
been fixated on the two leader s flirtatious banter. After
being prompted by the General
he refocused his thoughts and announced, Indeed, the
night is no longer young, Zhang
will take his leave.
The occupants of the room followed suit, each bidding
their goodnight wishes. The
boisterous officials left the banquet hall leaving it peaceful.
General Tong didnt want to
interfere with his Master s private matters or drinking
session so he quickly ushered
Lie Er to stand guard outside.
Feng Ming and Rong Wang were the sole occupants of the
large room.
Originally, Rong Tian worried about Feng Ming falling
into depression over Xia s
dismissal. Seeing the young man s gloom gradually lift
gave him peace of mind.
He finally submitted and put down the cup.

Alright, if you dont want to drink I wont force you

but we shall head to our
bedchamber. As soon as he finished he whisked the
Prince into his arms.
Feng Ming didnt resist and giggled into the man s chest.
Given that I am not a fan of
pain, how about you let me the Prince stopped mid
sentenced, his body tensed and he
curled into a ball.
How about letting you do what? The King sensed
something was astray as the
younger man stiffened in his arms. He glanced down
to study the Prince s face. The
lively hues of pink had left his cheeks, his cheeks ghastly
pale. The young man hands
pressed tightly against his abdomen, the source of his
immobilizing pain.
Feng Ming what happened?
Hurts he choked between gritted teeth.
Hurts? The King immediately paused and carefully
rested his lover on the floor before
taking a slender wrist to check his pulse.

The doors to the hall were flung open, General Tong

and Lie Er had listened to the
strange moments rushed inside.
In the depths of his belly, there was an incessant and
crippling pain. As if someone was
disemboweling his body while he was alive.
It hurts Less than minutes since his body manifested
such symptom, Feng Ming s
lips were already tainted blue. The young man pinched
the King s sleeves tightly.
Gently wailing, Rong Tian, it hurts
Dont be afraid. His voice reassured, listening to
Feng Ming s calls was slicing his
heart into bits. Part of him forced himself to stay grounded
as he comforted the Prince
and monitored his weakening pulse.
General Tong nervously watched on, waiting for the
King s diagnosis. Seeing his
Master s deterioration and cold sweat Lie Er retrieved a
warm towel to cleanse him.
King Rong, the Prince

Rong Wang suddenly contracted his hand away from his

lovers wrist. In a hasty deep
voice he ordered General Tong, immediately transmit my
command. Lower the blade
and spare a life. Bring Official Xia here!
Affirmative
Sensing that time was of the essence the General sprang
into action, howling the King s
order as he made his way out.
Lie Er remained by his ward s side. Master, Prince
appears to have improved.
With the efforts to aid him, Feng Ming s pain subsided.
With labored breath he asked,
Are you going to release Official Xia?
Rong Wang looked at Feng Ming, Are you feeling
better? He lifted the young man into
his arms.
That pain hit me out of nowhere but I feel much better
now.
Feng Ming had bitten his lower lip during his ordeal. Upon
seeing the bloodied wound

Rong Wang s eyes soften and he couldnt help but to lick

the spot clean.
Maybe youve eaten something bad. I warned you about
being cautious around food.
Just because it is cold weather you shouldnt gorge yourself
on random foodstuff. Youve
upset your stomach, right?
The onslaught of Feng Ming s sudden cramps left as
fast as they arrived. After
exchanging a few words with the King, his face was rosy
and flushed.
Lie Er sighed with relief.
Within a flash General Tong rushed into the hall and knelt
down on one knee, his face
full of disappointment. Reporting to the Prince and
Regent King, Xia was beheaded
before I could intercept. The General looked up to be
pleasantly surprised to see Feng
Ming alive and well in the King s arms.
Oh! Prince you are well? he exclaimed wide-eyed.
Feng Ming nodded, Yes, perhaps it was something I
shouldnt have ate. The Prince

was still brooding over Xias execution, he stared

accusingly at the King. Unfortunately,
if the pain had kicked in earlier we could have spared
Official Xia s life.
Rong Tian s face darkened and he smirked. Indeed,
if I had known you were so
unwilling to part with him, I would have spared his life.
Ultimately the execution was carried out under your order,
did I not plea for mercy?
That evening Feng Ming fell into a deep sleep beside Rong
Tian. Once he felt the Prince
was sound asleep the King left the bed and covered
himself with a fur cloak before
silently leaving the bedroom. Once outside the bedchamber
he found a secluded corner
to summon Lie Er and Rong Hu.
During Feng Ming s stay in Fan Jia, did he ever make
contact with Ruo Yan?
Li Er replied, Your Highness, twice. Once was a
meeting at the Third Princess s
mansion and the second at the King s palace.
Has Ruo Yan physically touched Feng Ming?

Rong Hu stepped in, Your Highness, at the Princess

s mansion I monitored the
situation through a window. Ruo Yan was staring at the
Prince for the entire meeting.
However, they were separated by two seats. There was
nothing physical. At the King s
palace Ruo Yan maintained a distance with the Prince.
However
Rong Wang s face soured, his eyes flared. He quickly
followed, However, what?
When the Prince was mounting the stairs he slipped and
Ruo Yan caught him from
behind with a hug.
Rong Hu watched his master s face darken a few shades,
an uneasy tingling sensation
washed over him.
He caught him? Rong Tian s fists clenched into a ball
inside his sleeves, his eyebrows
knitted. Ruo Yan specializes in the use of drugs and
poison, Feng Ming is unable to
guard against him. How can you be so careless?

Li Er and Rong Hu both broke out into a cold sweat.

Rong Hu knelt in front of his
master and dared not to make a sound. His younger brother
gave their Master a quick
glance before saying, Master, was the Prince poisoned?
Feng Ming s pulse was abnormal and that was no
ordinary abdominal pain. The fierce
look on the King s face had softened, he now spoke in a
more calm and collected manner.
The cold wind whistled as the King paused.
Did Official Xia organize the Prince to visit Fan Jia s
King alone?
Li Er nodded.
Since the meeting was deliberately arranged by Xia, Ruo
Yan would have known in
advance that he will have the opportunity to corner Feng
Ming. Ruo Yan has mastery in
poisons and his spy was an expert with medicine. It
wouldnt be farfetched to claim they
have conspired to lace the Prince with poison.
The icy wind permeated the King s cloak, the chill hitting
his heart.

It was Rong Hu s incompetence, I failed to protect His

Royal Highness, please punish
me as you see fit Master.
The King lowered his head in thought before
conceding, What has happened is not
entirely your fault. It was I. I shouldnt have sent him as
our ambassador . Initially he
didnt want to go. There was deep remorse in the man s
voice.
Rong Hu and Li Er were familiar with their Master s
temperament but for the King to
expose his emotions to them they were taken by surprise.
Rong Wang has always been unrestrained but he had fallen
deep for the Prince s allure,
completely trapped in the Princes trap.
Their Master was not a simple man, after a short episode of
repentance he immediately
issued his plan.
He commanded, Ruo Yan will not kill Feng Ming
immediately. Whatever he has
administered is a slow acting poison. Rong Hu, leave
and infiltrate Li. Monitor Ruo

Yan s actions and find out what type of poison has been
used. If you discover an antidote,
steal it and make your way back. I will return to Xi Rei at
god s send speed to announce
the truth to the nations about my birthright. I will
ascend the throne as King as a
statement to Ruo Yan making it clear that control of Feng
Ming doesnt equate to power
over Xi Rei. Li Er, ride the fastest horse back to Xi Rei
report to the Queen and ask her
to prepare a ceremony for my rise to the throne.
Yes, Master. The brother s accepted in unison
Rong Wang paused, Not a word about the Prince s
condition. The Prince has to be kept
in the dark. You may go.
After plotting his plans, the Regent King trudged back to
the bedroom.
As he pushed the doors open, Feng Ming s voice beckoned
him.
Where have you been? the young man propped himself
up on the bed, he was slightly
disorientated and he rubbed his eyes wearily.

Rong Wang quickly paced to the bedside and smiled. Why

are awake? It is still dark.
I reached for you and only touched the cold sheets. You
had disappeared. Feng Ming
nested his head beside Rong Wang s torso. With a
suspicion in his tone, Did you
secretly meet with Mei Ji?
You are imagining things.
The young man giggled.
If you want to see her, you should visit her openly. I am a
dignified man, not a girl who
will get jealous.
Mei Ji is much older than both you and I, did you not
consider the number of years she
has reign the world with her title?
Oh, then even older sister types are your taste? Rong
Tian, how can you be so wild?
Feng Ming tugged at the King s ear, making the King
laugh deeply.
The King s light response prompted Feng Ming to
ask, What? No refute from you?

Arent you the best at retorting?

Retorting to this statement? Y ou must teach me how to
refute my Prince.
The Prince grumbled and let the gears in his brain churn.
Suddenly it hit him.
You should reply: Youth is wasted if one is not wild.
Oh? Youth is wasted if one is not wild.
The pair spent the remaining dark hours of morn
chattering away. The sun s glow
greeted them through the windows.
Rong Wang was determined that from yesterday onwards,
the man in his arms will be
protected by his own two hands forever .
The envoy departed for Xi Rei the next day, by traveling
persistently for four days and
nights the party finally returned to the capital of Xi Rei.
Li Er had relayed the King s order to the Queen, all the
necessities for the succession of
the throne was ready.
The ceremony commenced as soon as Rong Wang and
Feng Ming arrived within the

palace.
The nations across the realms were in a big uproar by this
controversial news.
Who would have known one of the world s heroes, Rong
Wang was the rightful heir?
In fact, the Crowned Prince An He s real name was Feng
Ming. It was announced that
Xi Rei s previous King had organized a substitute to
protect his bloodline.
Ten days later, Rong Tian could finally adorn his rightful
crown and status as King of Xi
Rei.
Due to Feng Mings service to the country, he was
bestowed the title of King Ming. Rong
Tian s former residence was granted to the young man, all
the riches and antiquities
were also passed onto a new master.
Though this was just for show as Feng Ming remained in
the Prince s residence with
Chiu Lan and the other maids still in attendance.
Everyone in the court praised Feng Ming, compliments
numbers surpassed the amount

he received as the Crowned Prince.

When matters settle down the two Kings could finally
reflect.
Congratulations, this little imposter Prince has finished his
task. Feng Ming beamed.
Feng Ming, thank you for being by my side.
Feng Ming felt like vomiting, he waved his hand in
dismissal. Dont be corny. Even
without me around you are more than capable to step up as
Xi Rei s King. An Xun s
challenge would have been a piece of cake for you
The King stared deeply into Feng Ming s eyes, You
promised to aid my conquest to
unify the lands under the heavens, dont forget your
words.
The younger King laughed.
Here I thought you were worried about me. Instead you
are just taking advantage of
my genuine talents. He nodded and continued, Dont
worry, a nobleman s words are
his bonds.

Well, can I have your word? Before I conquer this realm

you will never leave my side.
Are you afraid I will have a change of heart? Feng
Ming pointed to himself and
grumbled in dissatisfaction.
No, Rong Tian shook his head and gently replied, I am
afraid you will die.
THWACK!
Feng Ming landed one square on the King s eye.
Are you cursing me? You just became Xi Rei s
King and you want me to croak it
already?!
The King grimaced.
Arent you are becoming more heavy handed?
Volume 2 Chapter 21
In the forty fourth year of the Yuan dynasty, Rong Tian
ascended the throne and claimed the title
of the official ruler of Xi Rei. The newly appointed King
optioned to retain the name bestowed
upon him by the late King Rong. As a sign of respect and
gratitude for the man who raised him.

Rong Tians rightful title from then onwards was the King
of Xi Rei.
Feng Ming was also promoted to a new title, King Ming.
In the past, countless countries placed Rong Tian under
observation as a man of interest. He was
certainly a formidable force to be reckoned with?more so
now with his rightful rise in rank as the
leader of Xi Rei.
The brave and tactful new master of Xi Rei was
undoubtedly causing ripples amongst the eleven
warring countries across the lands. Naturally he posed a
threat to them all.
For political gain and favor, presents and treasures flowed
in steadily from numerous countries
after they caught word of Rong Tians ascension.
Even the tiny country of Yong Yin that bordered north of
Xi Rei sent their oldest Prince, Yong Yi
to personally congratulate the new King..
Even the enigmatic country of Li sent an envoy to pay their
respects. The chosen messenger was
Ruo Yans sister, Miao Guang.

------------------The soldiers were out and about in force and the streets in
the capital were immaculate. The
fresh spring atmosphere that accompanies the month of
March was quickly settling into Xi Rei.
The envoy from Li finally arrived to their foreign
destination after an arduous and long journey.
When they arrived in the capital they were escorted to the
palace where Rong Tian gave them a
warm reception. .
Feng Ming remained a resident of the Crowned Princes
quarters.
Tell me, what did Ruo Yans sister bring as a gift? his
eyes lit with excitement.
There wasnt anything special, just a box.
That simple? Feng Ming slumped back in
disappointment.
The two of you hold the titles of legendary heroes,
shouldnt he at least send something more
interesting.... he muttered unsatisfied.
Rong Tian chuckled softly and delivered a piece of peeled
fruit to his lovers mouth.

He and I would never be able to co-exist. Would he be

capable of sending me anything of use?
Was there anything inside the box? the young mans
curious nature was not completely
quenched.
A black pill, dark as the eyes of death was inside. Rong
Tians face changed slightly for a
moment with the thought. Shaking off the image he coaxed
his lover, if it was something worthy
of your attention I would have brought it to you already.
Feng Ming nodded his head feeling that it no longer
mattered.
Chiu Lan served her master a cup of hot tea. As she handed
the steaming up carefully to the
young man she giggled lightly and whispered.
King Ming why not ask King Rong if Princess Miao
Guang is beautiful or not?
Thats right! he exclaimed in a hushed voice before
bolting over to tug at Rong Tians sleeves.
Is the Princess beautiful? he prompted.
No. Rong Tian replied bluntly.

His large eyes blinked, Why did Ruo Yan send his own
sister to Xi Rei?
Im not Ruo Yan so I dont have a clue to what his
intentions are. Perhaps there was no one else
available to leave the country.
The King reached over and gave Feng Mings cheek a
couple of pats.
The weather is fine today, we can go for a ride. He
offered.
Yes! he replied with no delay. .
In the shadows a conspiracy was brewing and closing in
silently on its target.
- - - - - - - - - - - -White cloud galloped like the wind
brushing over the fresh green grass of the field that
surrounded the palace. Feng Ming cheered the animal on,
and the young man s riding skills had
improved tremendously. Rong Tian felt assured enough to
permit his lover to ride his favorite
steed alone.
The Kings eyes followed the young man before him riding
wildly in laps. Although the Kings face

sported a smile, it was a hardened mask. Under his carefree

expression there was an eerie dark
cloud. The arrival of Lis envoy was ominous.
Rong Tian had summoned the party earlier that day, and
now his thoughts trailed over to his
meeting with the Princess.
Lis Miao Guang is here as a substitute her dearest King,
whom wishes you prosperity and
fortune.
In the main hall, Miao Guang was adorning the costumes
from her country. She gave her
salutations to the King with no sense of rush.
The Princess has traveled from afar, thank you for your
troubles. He spoke with a standard
formality.
It is my pleasure to be able to see the renowned King of
Xi Rei with my own eyes.
The Princess was about sixteen years old and her
appearance had nothing on the Third Princess.
However her status was much more important she was
the only sister of the King of Li, Ruo

Yan.
Rong Tian issued her a cold smile, Lately how has your
King faired?
My royal brother is well, thanks King Rong for the
concern.
The thought of the mysterious poison that dwelled inside
Feng Ming infuriated Rong Tian. There
was nothing else he wanted to do than to destroy Ruo Yan.
However, seeing that the man had
sent his only sister to pass on his greetings the King knew
better than to lose his grace.
Instead he forced a grin through his gritted teeth and asked,
Princess has traveled countless
days to represent King Ruo, what extravagant gift is in
store for me?
The girl smiled slyly, My brother informed me that King
Rong would be able to easily guess what
the gift is.
Oh? Rong Tians smile diminished and his heart
constricted.
King Ruo must forgive me as I cant speculate what grand
gift he has in store for me, so if the

Princess will do me the honor.

Miao Guang lifted her head and analyzed the Kings
expression, her own face revealing dimples.
Why the rush, perhaps King Rong has taken a guess. She
reached into the folds of her clothing
and produced a small copper trinket box. She handed the
container to an attendant who then
passed it to the King.
He didnt hesitate to open it, surprisingly a lone lack pill sat
nestled inside.
Without furthering the formal exchange, he invited the
Princess to enter a private room so that he
could get straight to the point.
What is the purpose of the Kings gift?
The young lady smiled, My brothers intention eludes me,
who is to know how my brother
thinks?
She was amused by Rong Tians cold and serious
expression and she laughed like a naive girl.
However, this time I can take a guess or two at my
brothers notions.

Princess if you may.

King Mings intelligence and resourcefulness is
unparalleled in our world, however, I heard that
he recently became infected with a mysterious disease.
A mysterious illness? It appears whom ever your brother
comes in contact with contracts an
illness. He snorted.
My brother appreciates people with abilities and potential,
of course he could not bear to let
young King Ming slip away from the human realm. He
must have ordered me to present King
Rong with a lifesaving cure.
Rong Tian demonstrated his suspicion, Why is King Ruo
offering such a gesture of
kind-heartedness?
My brothers intentions are always good. Miao Guangs
eyes lit up with pride.
However, the medicine would only be a temporary
measure to alleviate symptoms. If you want
King Ming to fully recover, I am afraid he will have to
journey to Li. My brother would personally

oversee and tailor medicine to help King Ming..

Ruo Yans scheme was finally revealed.
Rong Tian gritted his teeth, his eyes flashed furiously,
Hand over Feng Ming, dont even dream
about it!
The Princess clicked her tongue.
I have long heard about King Rong s extraordinary
insight and experience. Who would have
thought King Rong would show Miao Guang such a scary
expression?
She didnt even bat her eyelids and it was obvious that Ruo
Yan had meticulously walked her
through his plans. Without a sense of fear, she shook her
head, If King Rong is unwilling to part
with King Ming there are other ways to circumvent the
problem. King Rong please lend me an
ear.
With no reservations she gracefully approached the King
and whispered...
Rong Tian! Rong Tian!! The sound of Feng Mings
energetic voice interrupted the Kings train of

thought. He looked up and found Feng Ming and White

Cloud hurtling towards him. In no time the
two were directly in his path. Feng Ming did not slow down
and suddenly decided to pull off an
acrobatic stunt. He laughed as he dismounted by flipping
off White cloud and promptly landed on
top of Rong Tian. The King caught the young man but the
momentum of his impact sent the pair
rolling a few times.
Be careful! the King scolded.
Feng Mings contagious laughter rang in the field.
They finally collected themselves and sat up.
How many times have I warned you not to mess about, or
else I will forbid you to ride again!
Rong Tian growled looking at his lover with concern.
Are you hurt?
No! Not even a scratch! Feng Ming grinned.
I really want to hit you... Rong Tian glared at him, his
hand reached to dislodge the weeds that
were caught in Feng Mings hair.

White Cloud also calmed down, and slowly paced back to

idle next to the pair. His silky tail
swinging side to side as he obediently grazed.
Volume 2 Chapter 22
Was there ever any country that didnt have to detain chaos
within their nation and
fend off trouble from abroad?
Rong Tian spent an unhealthy portion of the day deep in
discussion with the officials
which assisted his efforts to run Xi Rei. The moment
business concluded the King
hurried towards the direction of the Crowned Prince s
quarters.
In mid-step a courteous voice interrupted him.
Your Highness please wait, the Empress has requested to
see you.
Rong Tian halted and turned around to find Xiang
Fen, the Empress s most trusted
maid.
Was there anything in particular the Empress wanted to
discuss?

Xiang Fen bowed, This lowly servant doesnt know what

the Empress has in mind. I
was only instructed to bring King Rong to the
Empress s palace once the morning
proceedings were over.
Rong Tian gave the sky a quick evaluation for time before
deciding his move.
He nodded, I will meet with her now.
Before leaving he motioned for a guard to approach, Go
and inform King Ming I have
an audience with the Empress. I will return soon and our
trip outside of the palace will
take place later.
After his order he followed the lead of Xiang Fen towards
the Empress s residence.
The servant guided him outside of the room where the
Empress was resting.
The Empress had not changed much apart from her
clothing. Her attire was upgraded
from a Queen to a more extravagant Empress Dowager.
Inside the room she was reclined on a lounging daybed
where she peacefully read.

Empress, I have arrived. The King announced.

Hearing her son s voice just beyond the door the Empress
s face eased into a smile. She
placed her book down and greeted her son.
The King is here? Come in, sit beside me. She opened
the door and took the King s
hand in her own to guide him to his seat.
The Empress never had the opportunity to be so intimate
with her own child. Although
her son was now a fledging adult she was eager to use all
the chances she had to become
closer.
Rong Tian has always behaved in an elegant and collected
manner in front of his mother.
For the woman to lead him by hand, he couldnt help but to
feel a bit embarrassed. The
hesitation was short lived as he quickly threw away any
reservations.
Empress, what is the matter? he asked genuinely
concerned.
What could bother me now? You have safely ascended the
throne and your head is in

the right mindset to guide this kingdom. I feel nothing but

ease. Then she let out a
sigh.
Im just waiting for the day Xi Rei will have a sturdy
foundation for the future.
Empress needs not to worry. I will oversee the growth of
our army and the wealth of
our nation to enrich the lives of every citizen.
Your Highness, the Empress paused before explaining
herself, I speak not of such
issues. Rather the King s heir. You will soon be eighteen,
taking a wife is the natural
step of a King.
Rong Tian s face froze momentarily with her
announcement.
Taking a wife? his face was dumbfounded.
The issue of marriage had previously been mentioned by
the court officials. Rong Tian
would have none of their badgering. In fact he lashed out
and demanded his peers to
never mention the topic again.

For years Lou Lan had carefully watched over Rong

Tian from the shadows. She
restrained her emotions when her own flesh and blood was
placed into a foster family.
She silently stood beside him to see the day he could
rise to his rightful place. Her
journey to this point of their lives had been uneasy. Fill
with self sacrifices and lifelong
commitments. Rong Tian knew his mother had devoted her
life to him and the kingdom,
although they were not familiar he still held her in high
esteem.
Instead of bluntly refuting his mother, Rong Tian replied,
Empress, I am still young, it
is not the time now. Besides
His mother stopped him midway.
There is no need for the King to evade the subject. What
the King s heart desires how
can I not understand? The woman s eyes held a bright
glimmer, she could see right
through her son.
After all, isnt everything for the sake of King Ming?

Empress he stammered.
I understand the importance of King Ming s stake on your
heart. However, I would like
to give you a word of caution. Regardless of his worth and
standing in your life, he is
unable to bear an heir. King Ming is a man of logic, he
will understand the situation.
After your marriage and the new Queen is with child. There
are no longer any problems
that can divide you from King Ming.
The Empress studied her son s expression.
She continued to persuade him in a soft and slow voice, I
have heard that the King of
Li s sister s appearance is nothing special, however
the young maiden is tactful and
intelligent. These virtues may be beneficial to Xi Rei.
Given she is posted at our city for
sometime, does the King feel that she is suitable?
Rong Tian s eyebrows knitted in a frown and with a deep
voice he demonstrated his
distaste.

Ruo Yan has wild ambitions, why would I ever consider

marrying his sister and give
her the title of Xi Rei s Queen?
The Empress laughed.
Oh, when it comes to a woman s inclinations, I am more
experienced than the King.
The Empress motioned to her servants to leave the room.
She leaned in and whispered in Rong Tian s ear, I have
surmised that the Princess is
here with bad intentions. Once a woman marries, her heart
naturally grows fond of her
husband. With Miao Guang s knowledge we can
easily overtake King Ruo. Surely
subduing the Princess will pose no challenge for the King?
The Empress had a good point.
Moreover, Ruo Yan was the only real obstacle standing
before his own dreams to unify
the lands under the heavens.
Without further thought, Rong Tian shook his head,
Empress, there is no need to

further discuss Princess Miao Guang. I will deal with her.

As for my wedding we can
deliberate at a future date.
The words had left his lips in a harsh manner and he stood
up.
His eyes met with hers, he wanted to make things clear. I
once said something to you,
and it seems like you have forgotten. I will say it again.
His eyes pierced through her.
If you treasure Rong Tian you should treat Feng Ming as
your own child.
His impassioned words took her by surprise. Her eyes
looked blankly back at her son.
Rong Tian dismissed himself giving her some parting
words, For countless years the
Empress has fretted over Xi Rei s future. It is time for you
to live and enjoy a happy and
prosperous life. As for the wedding, I will be my own
judge. King Ming is awaiting my
company and I shall not keep him waiting. Empress must
take care, when I am able to,
I will come more often to pay you a visit.

Rong Tian has always respected his mother for her

efforts over the years. However,
listening to her mention his marriage drove him to a
breaking point. His short and
uncharacteristic outburst was to defend Feng Ming. At
this point, he felt like his
supporters were targeting his lover. After he placed his
foot down on the matter he
disappeared quickly.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Originally Feng Ming was
excited and anticipating his trip with the King. He didnt
expect their plans to be halted. When the servant arrived to
inform him about the delay
Feng Ming was disappointed. Additionally, Lie Er had
disappeared somewhere with his
own agenda, leaving Feng Ming bored and agitated. Chiu
Yue noticed her master s need
for companions so she quickly gathered the other usual
suspects to cure him.
Chiu Lan, Chiu Xing and Chiu Yue attended Feng Ming
and the little party gossiped
about recent news.

Drastic changes have been occurring in Xi Rei since King

Rong s rise. They say that the
King will host a competition to recruit the best heroes
among the ordinary people in our
Kingdom. People who rise up to the challenges and portray
strength, intelligence and
talent will be selected to become officials in the court.
In that way, people who arent nobility can also become
an official?
Chiu Xing wriggled with excitement and blurted, Had I
known earlier I would have
sent word to my hometown! My fellow brothers are all
strong and fit. Maybe the King
would come to appreciate them.
Chiu Lan laughed at the maidens positive reaction, Chiu
Xing you are really quick
with your hopes. She clapped her hands.
Feng Ming was secretly please. Rong Tian had adopted his
principle of meritocracy.
Chiu Lan continued, Another strange thing is happening
in Xi Rei. Ive been seeing

many people digging on the hillsides. It looks like a messy

number of channels and they
seem to be plowing the ground in preparations to plant.
There are also strange pipes
around. Is the King using the mountains to farm?
How could that be? Hillsides are too steep and where
would the water come from?
Chiu Yue looked skeptical.
Feng Ming laughed.
You guys are silly, have you never seen terraces before?
But then again when I told
Rong Tian about it he was surprised.
A terrace? Chiu Xing asked. The three young maids
looked at each other.
Having the opportunity to flaunt the essence of Chinese
culture, Feng Ming asked the
maids to fetch several flower pots. Once gathered he tipped
the dirt on top of the ground
and went into lecturer mode.
The girls were no way near the perceptive level of
King Rong, they were left a bit

confused.
Chiu Lan prompted, I still dont understand, how would
there be any water uphill?
Ive explained this for so long, how can you not
understand? Feng Ming let out a big
sigh and helplessly looked at his three confused students.
Being a teacher is not an easy task he sighed again.
What ever it is and where the water comes from, shouldnt
we just go and see it?
This proposal was quickly swallowed by Feng Ming s
appetite. His eyes lit up like a
child with candy he gently tapped Chiu Yue s cheek and
exclaimed, Not bad, you are
my brightest student! Given Rong Tian isnt around Im
going to die of boredom. So we
should go on a field trip and see terraces so I can teach you
how the system works. It s
called seeing something in practice.
Chiu Lan has always been the more mature and responsible
voice of reason in the group,
If the King finds out we left the palace without his consent
he wont be happy.

What should we be afraid of? I am King Ming! We can

freely move about the palace
right? Anyhow, it s not like Im going alone, I have
three beautiful maidens to
accompany me.
Chiu Xin jumped up and agreed, We should take a look!
Weve been cooped up in the
Prince s quarters ever since King Ming returned from Fan
Jia.
Chiu Yue pouted and grumbled, Well, it has been fine for
King Ming. King Rong often
takes you out to accompany him. Youve had no need for
us to attend to you outside of
the palace.
Yes, yes. I understand this time I will take you all with
me! Feng Ming generously
promised the girls.
Chiu Lan finally came around and nodded, Going out is
possible but we shouldnt stray
too far from the palace. Otherwise
Chiu Lan, dont be a worry wart!

Feng Ming was never strict on ranking and how the maids
should act around him. The
three girls were completely spoiled under his rule. They
knew King Rong doted on Feng
Ming and seeing their master would have their backs
covered they immediately reached
for the opportunity to have a scene change.
The girls giggle as they assisted their master into his
riding gear. They ordered the
stables to prepare four good steeds. They flashed the guards
Feng Ming s royal seal and
were out of the palace in a jiffy.
In an unhurried manner, they made their way towards
the busy slopes within the
capital and near the palace. The terracing and irrigation
works were well underway.
With a better visual aid Feng Ming could properly lecture
his students. Pointing out the
start of the construction and answering any questions the
girls had.
Oh, I see now! Chiu Xin nodded her head as she was
getting around the idea.

Chiu Lan laughed gently, This is indeed the thinking of

our powerful King Ming!
Well, of course! Ming Wang is beautiful and talented
but
Chiu Yue you can stop now! We all know Ming Wang is
handsome and talented!
After guiding the girls about the terraces and completing
their objective they should
have returned to the palace. But the beautiful scenery and
freedom was enticing. The
sky was still bright and the day was still young. Feng Ming
felt like a pet monkey that
was released out of a cramp cage. He wasn t willing to go
back to it immediately.
Chiu Xing egged him on, Ming Wang, Fan Jia s third
Princess lives in the outskirts of
the capital. Shall we pay her a visit?
After the Third Princess arrived she made a request to live
on the outskirts of town.
Rong Tian kept his promise and treated her as the ranking
of a Queen. He bestowed

land with breathtaking scenery and ordered Xi Rei s

best craftsman to construct a
mansion fitting to her tastes and requirements.
She didnt ever have to worry about her meals or clothing.
Compared to living a lonely
and impoverished life in Fan Jia this was the better
alternative. It was a great
suggestion to pay the Princess a visit. This would provide
an opportunity for Feng Ming
to practice some of the mathematical theories he had learnt
recently.
In truth, Feng Ming was reluctant to cut their road trip
short. He wasnt that eager to
return to the dull residence inside the palace.
Their master issued a nod.
Chiu Lan mothered them again, The Princess s
residence is in the outskirts of the
capital, King Rong is not here. Perhaps King Ming should
not leave the capital.
Chiu Yue was the most playful of the girls, What is there
to be afraid of, we have King
Ming s seal! We can leave the capital easily!

Volume 2 Chapter 23
Chiu Yue was the most playful of the girls, What is there
to be afraid of, we have King
Mings seal! We can leave the capital easily!
Chiu Lan shook her head, It is out of the question,
the capital is rampant with
foreigners who have come to congratulate the King.
There are countless envoys and
their footmen stationed at the border of the capital. What
would we do if they kidnap
King Ming? Among other things, if we run into Princess
Miao Guang s party
The maid often listened to Rong Tian s exchanges with
Feng Ming. Topics ranged in
political and national struggles. For the young lady to try to
analyze the consequences
in a rationalizing methodology , it was rather cute.
Hearing his servant s words struck fear in him, nothing
scared him more than Ruo Yan.
And to hear that his troops may be prowling the capital sent
a chill down his spine.

Shaking his head he finally submitted, If that is the case,

then we shall not leave the
capital. With his declaration, the other two maids
naturally didnt pursue the matter
further.
Chiu Lan beamed him a smile, Ming Wang is the
smartest.
Well, the smartest one is you! Chiu Xin tugged gently at
Chiu Lan s ear.
Chiu Yue looked around and an idea hit her, she moved to
tug at her master s sleeve.
Ming Wang, I heard that Princess Miao Guang is
very pretty, shall we go visit her
instead?
The King of Li s sister? Chiu Xing interrupted, can she
even be compared to our Third
Princess?
Chiu Yue pushed her nosy friend aside, The other
attendants have been saying she
grinned and moved closer to whisper into Feng Ming s ear.
The King sought a private audience with the Princess.
Their discussion was long and

intense.
King Ming, seeing that we wont leave the capital we
should pay the Princess a visit.
Anyhow, Feng Ming wasnt in a rush to return to the
palace. His interest was perked
and he wanted to see the Princess for himself.
He nodded, Very well, Id like to see that the King s
sister bear no resemblance to her
dreadful sibling. Butwhere is she staying? Someone
should go inquire about her
whereabouts.
Chiu Lan covered her mouth and laughed. Chiu Xing
caught her and shouted, Chiu
Lan must know! King Ming you should ask her!
Feng Ming took the cue, Chiu Lan, if you know where
Princess Miao Guang is staying
then you should speak up.
Chiu Lan had taken up one of Feng Ming s bad habits,
teasing people. Chiu Xing and
Chiu Yue pestered her continuously for the answer.

Chiu Lan finally gave up and lazily replied, I overheard

the people who oversee the
foreign envoys that she is living in an annexed royal
mansion not far from the palace.
Then we shall head over there! Feng Ming chanted.
Let s go and take a look at the
King s sister!
On his command the small party galloped towards the
northern side of the palace.
As for Miao Guang, to be paid a visit by the man who her
brother was enamored with
was a godsend.
Xi Rei s King Rong really lived up to his reputation,
meeting the man in flesh, Miao
Guang could already tell he was a tricky one to deal with.
Moreover, King Rong would
never take up her offer for marriage. There was also a
potential threat he would keep
her as a hostage.
However, her own brother was not a simple man. He had
long anticipated the possibility

of this outcome, the fact King Rong would delay his

response to her proposal.
Everything was going precisely as planned, she needed this
time. As long as Rong Tian
doesnt declare war with the country of Li, she would
be treated as royalty and her
access would not be restricted.
She had to exploit the time she had left in Xi Rei to make a
move on Feng Ming.
What does the man who won the hearts of the two
legendary heroes look like?
Upon receiving the announcement from an attendant, Miao
Guang hurried to fix her
make up, and then quickly sat down in the middle of the
room to wait for the arrival of
her guest.
Youre Princess Miao Guang? Feng Ming blurted
out with surprise. On his only
mission out of Xi Rei territory he visited Fan Jia, a country
famous for its beautiful
women, with the Third Princess being one of the finest
gems. He had a strange notion

that the women of this era were all ethereal and goddess
like.
Miao Guang s mundane appearance came as a complete
shock. In earnest he was rather
disappointed. After the initial moments he realized his
outburst was very rude. He felt
guilty and immediately apologized, Im sorry,
ImreallyI. he stuttered.
The princess gave him a faint smile, and gently asked, Are
you King Ming?
Yes, I am. But you can call me Feng Ming. He
was more comfortable with people
addressing him by his name and hated the nonsense of
people his age having to call him
by his official title.
The two exchanged looks.
Are you Ruo Yan s sister? You dont look alike. I mean
you are better than him by far .
Really?
Feng Ming didnt know but beneath Miao Guang s
calm exterior she was trying to
control the shockwaves of meeting him.

She knew the men of Xi Rei were collectively the

most handsome men under the
heavens. Her brother was also quite a handsome man
himself. But to meet Feng Ming
in person she could understand why her brother was
enwrapped by the man s charms.
Water.
Upon laying eyes on Feng Ming, that was the word that
came to mind. The man s eyes
were glistening, playful and mysterious. The lighting
reflected off his doe eyes and
made one feel the power of the seas, deep and magnificent,
wild and full of vitality.
Miao Guang knew her brother the best and could
instantaneously understand how he
must have felt. For such a rare specimen to be born into
royalty, why would her brother
let him slip away? This person was pure and
refreshing as water, surely countless
maidens would swoon and gravitate towards him.
They remained in silence studying each other before
Miao Guang flashed him a

sweetened smile.
King Ming is well known for his advance knowledge in
mathematics. My brother has
told me much about your abilities. He even spoke of the
battle he had with you at the
Fan Jia palace. He told me how he was defeated and was
left completely red faced. I
laughed so hard my stomach was about to burst.
Then in a whisper she continued, My brother has never
been so disgraced in his life!
Feng Ming was really fooled by his own misconceptions. In
no way would he have ever
guessed that Ruo Yan s sister was so outspoken and
candid. She was better than her
treacherous sibling by a hundred fold. This occasion made
it obvious that just because
people are related it cant determine their personality ,
rather he suspected that Ruo Yan
must have inherited all the bad genes!
He chuckled.
A young Princess is more fun! Each time the Fan Jia s
Third Princess speaks with me,

she always keeps the formalities. The Empress too,

referring to herself in third person.
It irritates me to no ends.
Feng Ming didnt hesitate to bombard her with more
personal questions. He moved closer to her.
Princess, how old are you?
Miao Guang secretly cast a glance at Feng Ming s temple,
beneath his translucent skin
there was a hint of purple. Inwardly she thought: It appears
a more obvious symptom is
beginning to surface after one month. I wonder how
distressed King Rong will become.
She grinned, Im two eights.
Twenty eight? Are you really that old? Feng Ming stared
at her with bewilderment. He
shook his head. You surely defy your age.
King Ming you are an interesting person too, I am not
twenty eight, I am sixteen years
old.
Ah! Then you are younger than me! Feng Ming dragged
a chair up beside the Princess

and sat casually sat down.

At such a young age, how could Ruo Yan have the
heart to send you here as an
ambassador?
Miao Guang had never experienced such informalities
with a dignitary. She
momentarily froze on the spot.
Sixteen is the standard age of marriage for women,
how can I be young? She
answered.
Marriage? Feng Ming repeated dumbfounded, he looked
her up and down. One could
easily forget she was Ruo Yan s sister.
It s young and you are thinking about marriage? he
laughed lightheartedly until it
dawned on him.
His laughter died.
Marriage was a normal milestone in life. Rong Tian was
at the edge of seventeen and
Miao Guang was sixteen. When young adults hit the age of
requirement they marry, if

Ruo Yan sent his only sister to Xi Rei, is the purpose to

The trouble brewing inside his mind wasnt hidden well on
his face, the happy go lucky
smile quickly melted from his face.
Miao Guang had a hunch what the King was thinking.
King Ming what is on your mind?
II He frowned, shook his head and dismissed her
concern. It s nothing.
Does Rong Tian intend to get married? From Feng Ming s
knowledge marriage was one
of the most popular themes hed see in dramas set in
ancient China. The thought of
Rong Tian desiring to wed and it left him with a
distasteful bitterness. His stomach
knotted.
I wont conceal the truth from King Ming, Miao Guang
lent in and whispered into his
ear, I am here to seek marriage.
Seek marriage? Feng Ming murmured.
Yes, when we caught word of King Rong s claim to the
throne, my brother ordered me to

seek marriage with King Rong in order to fortify Li s

stability. As soon as King Rong
takes the offer, Miao Guang shall remain here. I will not
return to Li.
That s right, Rong Tian is a King, he will have to get
married to ensure his lineage will
continue to reign and that means he will
Feng Ming felt like he was cut in half by a bolt of lightning
for a moment he couldn t
move, his body felt cold and his face waned.
Congratulations Princess. He managed but his mood to
chat with her disappeared he
stood up and gave the Princess a respectful gesture. I have
to head back now, Princess
please take a rest.
King Ming please stay a bit longer, Miao Guang has
something she would like to say to
you privately.
She motioned to the attendants in the room to step down
and once they were gone she
secured the door and looked silently at the King.

She suddenly dropped down to her knees and knelt at his

feet her lips were pursed and
her eyes watered.
Miao Guang is to be bold as to wish King Ming to do
something for her.
Feng Ming was startled he took a step back, Princess,
what is the meaning of this! he
blabbered.
Do you want me to leave Rong Tian s side? Do you want
me to never see him again? he
continued frantically.
This was the sort of pitiful love triangle one would read in
romance novels based in the
warring states period of China. Unfortunately his own plot
was turning for the worst,
even for a modern person like him he was finding it hard to
swallow.
The answer from the Princess knocked him out of the
water, Please help me escape
from Xi Rei s capital King Ming!
What? Feng Ming stared at her like a confused madman.
You want to escape? Don t

you want to be Xi Rei s Queen?

King Rong would never wholeheartedly marry me but in
order to keep peace between
our two nations he may consider the marriage. Miao
Guang broke into sobs and
wallowed, I cantI just
Hearing the Princess s strange request allowed Feng Ming
to calm his own emotions
and shake of the disbelief.
You want to escape?
Yes, the only purpose of bring a Princess is to be a
political marriage tool. I was forced
to come to Xi Rei by the orders of my brother.
Please rise up, you dont have to kneel before me.
Knowing that she was no longer his
rival in love Feng Ming s mood immediately did a
one eighty. He assisted her by
propping her up.
He frowned, But if you defy your brother s command you
will never be able to set foot
back in your homeland. What will be of you then?

Of course Miao Guang s rejecting the position of Queen

was great news for Feng Ming.
With that said he was now on her team.
The young lady s face reddened and with her head bowed
she whispered, As long as
King Ming can escort Miao Guang fifty Li away from the
capital of Xi Rei, Miao Guang
has a destination in mind.
Where are you going to go?
This she hesitated.
If you dont tell me, how can I help you?
Is King Ming really willing to help me? Her eyes shone
with hope and disbelief. She
looked at him shyly, biting her lips before her face turned
scarlet.
King Ming have you heard of Yong Yin s oldest Prince,
Yong Yi?
The country of Yong Yin s Prince?
Miao Guang nodded, bashfully biting her lip. He also
came to Xi Rei to congratulate

King Rong. As long as I can breakaway from my

attendants, he will be waiting for me
fifty Li outside the capital of Xi Rei.
Oh! It clicked. He clasped his hands in delight, The two
of you are courting, then
Ming Wang! Miao Guang was embarrassed to have her
love life discussed so openly.
She urged him, Please dont tell anyone about this, if this
leaks out it would lead to
many troubles. Not only will Xi Rei, Li and Yong Yin be
involved other countries will
become hostile. So
So I will keep my lips sealed.
Yes, she reaffirmed.
I know, Feng Ming nodded. You can escape and then
we can fabricate a story that the
Princess died of an illness whilst she was in Xi Rei.
Then our country wont be
accountable and they will not be able to trace the
whereabouts of the Princess. I have an
attendant called Lie Er who specializes in this kind of
stuff

Miao Guang shook her head and looked at the King sternly.
King Ming, did you forget
that we cant let anyone find out? Otherwise the
consequences could become serious.
Okay, I wont whisper a word to anyone. He stuck out
his tongue cheekily.
For him to chance upon such an amazing eternal love story
Feng Ming couldnt help but
to feel geared up. Excitement was bouncing inside his
stomach. Inwardly he cursed Ruo
Yan for being a scum of the earth, exploiting his own sister
in such a manner.
The pair continued their heated discussion for an hour
before Feng Ming left.
All his maids had waited for him outside in the gardens,
when they saw him appear
they flew over to bombard him.
King Ming you were in there so long! We were so scared
you were in trouble, we were
about to send someone to inform the King!
What did the Princess say? The door was suddenly shut,
what ever she said she is Ruo

Yan s sister, King Ming you must not let her fool you!
Feng Ming shook his head and said, She s actually quite
pitiful.
What? Pitiful? gasps the girls.
Pretend I said nothing, his hand shot to cover his
mouth. He turned to Chiu Lan,
About our little sneaky adventure today, no one is to speak
a word of it to Rong Tian.
But Ming Wang, you are out of the palace already and the
King would definitely have
found out by now, how can we deny it?
That s fine but at least no one is to speak of our visit to
Princess Miao Guang, otherwise
he will worry. Perhaps he will become so furious he would
transfer you all to attend
another master! Feng Ming threw in a bit of intimidation
to seal the deal.
Chiu Xing patted her chest bravely, That wouldnt be the
case would it? We met the
Princess alone and she doesnt even pose a threat. Then
again, I caught a glimpse of the

Princess and she is definitely not a person the King would

become jealous about if you
wanted to meet with her. In the end the arguments all lead
to appearance. The girls
loved to gossip and it wasnt long until all three girls
compared Miao Guang with the
Third Princess.
Feng Ming has long been accustomed to the noisy bunch,
he mounted his horse. Inside
he couldnt help but feel full of energy and a strong
sense of responsibility . He was
hiding a big secret.
Once they returned to the Crowned Prince s quarters they
noticed the eerie atmosphere.
All his guards were knelt down outside his residence, their
bodies trembling in silence.
Seeing their master s return they were somewhat relieved.
One of the servants quickly
greeted him, King Ming please enter immediately, the
King Rong declared if he didnt
see you soon he will behead us all.

Chiu Lan and the other girls dared not to go in, instead they
betrayed their loyalty and
pushed Feng Ming closer to the door before quickly
slipping out of sight.
FYJT VOLUME 2 CHAPTER 24-END
The chapter I read is one chapter off of where sooky left
off, but here are the quick summaries:
Chapter 24
Once Feng Ming went inside his room, Rong Tian was
waiting for him and asking him where he went off to.
"I went outside the palace." Feng Ming blinked his eyes.
"Who allowed you to run about everywhere?"
Feng Ming surprised, asked Didnt you said that as long as
Im in Xi Lei, I could do anything and no one will harm me?
Rong Tian stated that he will teach Chiu Lan and the maids
a lesson since they have become obnoxious lately.
"The person that wanted to go was me, you cant teach
them a lesson."
"Youre right, I have to teach you a lesson first" Rong Tian
quickly placed his face next to Feng Ming sighed and chuckled,
"If the same thing happens next time, I will definitely teach you
a good lesson. Haha, where did you go?"

Eventually, Rong Tian and Feng Ming had a hot make out
session where Feng Ming bit Rong Tians neck and he slapped
Feng Mings butt saying, You dare bite the King of Xi Lei,
what arrogance.
Feng Ming tries to persuade Rong Tian to cut the crap of all
the foreplay and head straight in - stating that he is not afraid of
the pain.
Hearing this, Rong Tian is of course crazily pleased, but
unfortunately he couldnt fit himself inside Feng Ming.
Feng Ming was disappointed and started crying and Rong
Tian asked him, What happened today that made you change
your attitude and want to be eaten by me?
Feng Ming replied, I just wanted to let you know that I
can also give you pleasure. (Feng Ming is jealous after hearing
that Miao Guang was sent to Xi Lei for a supposed marriage to
Rong Tian).
"Of course you give me pleasure."
Surprisingly, Rong Tian tells Feng Ming that when he was
younger, he used to be a bottom and he will allow Feng Ming to
top him.
Feng Ming excitedly accepted, You are the best! In this
world, you are the one that treat me the best!

Eventually, they switched position and heres their

conversation:
"Feng Ming, being on top doesnt mean that you have to
tear rip all the clothes."
"Sorry, sorry, I was so excited, I couldnt control myself."
"Gently." Rong Tian groaned, "I wasnt like this to you."
"Sorry"
Chiu Lan was outside and kind of spied on them. She
didnt hear Rong Tian much as she heard Feng Ming, Little
Tian Tian, you are so muscular!
"I love you very much!"
"Can we do this next time too?"
A few hours later all the moaning and noises stopped as it
seems that both of them were tired out.
Rong Tians body is covered with bite marks and he told
the maids to prepared his bath, while Feng Ming is happily
sleeping and smiling in his sleep.
Volume 2 Chapter 25
It was well past noon by the time Feng Ming woke up. As
he opened his eyes, Rong Tian
came into view. The King returned to his side after
dealing with the morning

proceedings in the royal hall.

A grin stretched across the Kings face as he watched Feng
Ming stretch.
Are you tired?
Isnt that something you should have asked me last
night? A spark lit, Feng Ming
thought for a moment and shook his head. No, shouldnt I
be the one to ask. So my little
Tian, are you worn out? he whispered unnaturally.
Rong Tian coiled back, Feng Ming, dont use such a
strange tone with me and dont call
me little Tian.
The King grabbed Feng Ming and hoisted him over his
shoulder, deciding that he would
personally dress the scoundrel today.
Dont you have to attend court? prompted Feng Ming.
I have and Im back already, He planted a kiss on Feng
Mings neck, Youve slept a lot
today.
Who would have thought finishing the deed could be so
exhausting, Feng Ming frowned,

I feel like every bone in my body has been shattered.

But you seem perfectly fine.
Perhaps people who practice martial arts since childhood
are suitable for that kind of
exercise?
Rong Tian turned rigid.
You should have focused harder when I ordered you to
learn martial arts. Instead, you
slacked off. He scolded.
Rong Tian remained calm and collected. He did well to
make if Feng Mings exhaustion
was nothing out of the ordinary.
The toxins are sinking in and he is showing signs he is
losing his physical strength
Recently, even though Feng Mings mentality was lively a
sprite, his physical stamina
would quickly deplete from a little bit of physical exertion.
Meanwhile, a figure had slipped into the perimeters of
the Princes bedchamber. He
kept himself well hidden and crouched under an open
window.

Rong Tians gaze darted towards the same direction, a

timely hand signaled to him. It
was his spy, Li Er.
Rong Tian glanced down at the man resting in his
arms, Feng Ming, you should
continue to rest, I have business to handle.
Thats fine, you should go. See you later.
What immaculate timing! I also have an important matter
to deal with.
Just because Feng Ming had the best night of his life, it
didnt mean he had erased his
responsibility to the Princess.
Rong Tian was reluctant to leave. The King lingered a bit
longer before departing.
After his exit, Chiu Xing brought her master a light
breakfast. She studied Feng Ming,
curiously, and tried to force down her giggles.
What are you laughing at? he asked with a hint of
irritation.
Congratulations, King Ming! She cheered.

Feng Mings face turned beet, he treated her with a

nasty glare. Dont you dare go
spreading gossip!
Chiu Lan entered the chamber and chimed in with her
laughter. She whispered,
Theres no need to gossip, everybody knows!
Everybody!? Feng Ming froze and jumped up before
demanding, Who is everybody?
Chiu Lan, why go and frighten poor King Ming like
that? Chiu Yue also joined the
gathering.
In total, it is just the three of us. She continued.
Feng Ming soothed his racing heart with a few quick pats
on his chest.
He looked at Chiu Lan with a serious expressuib, What
happened between me and
Rong Tian should not travel to anothers ears. After all,
Rong Tian is the King of Xi Rei.
Chiu Lan laughed hysterically before gasping, For Xi
Reis King to show display such
deep affection for you, King Ming is truly fortunate!

Feng Ming dreaded hearing anymore of his impudent

servants teasing him so he
quickly scoffed down his meal.
I need to go out, alert the stables to prepare a horse. He
ordered with haste.
Where will King Ming go?
Thats right, King Rong was furious about yesterdays
venture.
I need to see the terraces again, I will return soon.
Didnt we go yesterday? the girls pleaded.
There are slight adjustments I want Rong Tian to make.
But I need to check before
talking to him about them. What an elaborate lie he could
weave.
Chiu Yue looked at him with expectation, Will you take us
along?
Feng Ming shook his head, Next time! and bolted out of
the Princes residence before
the girls could hold him back any further.
The attendant who led out his horse asked for Feng Mings
permission to allow him to

follow. Feng Ming bluntly refused. His servant dared not to

push the matter again but
pleaded, King Ming, please come back early! Yesterday
we came very close to losing our
heads!
Got it! Hya! He shouted as he flicked the harness to send
his ride into full speed.
Once out of the palace grounds, his true intentions were
never the construction work.
He had a promise to keep.
He was going to be the string of fate to ensure that Princess
Miao Guang and the Prince
Yong Yis happiness would come to fruit. In case he was
followed, he exercised a skill he
learnt from watching crime flicks. He deliberately
strolled around the city before
ducking into a secret location. There he changed into
simple commoners clothing that
he had prepared earlier. He slipped back into the crowd as
an anonymous man and got
back onto his horse. Wasting no more time as he raced
towards the scheduled meeting

location, an embassy located north of the palace.

Princess Miao Guang had long awaited Feng Mings
arrival. Once she saw him, she
quickly had him dismount and follow her into a private
room. She closed the door firmly
behind them.
King Ming is finally here! I couldnt sleep a wink last
night. I was worried King Ming
would forget about me.
How would I have? Feng Ming planted himself down on
a chair before sculling down a
big mouthful of hot tea. I left the palace as soon as I was
able to. We didnt have much
time to talk over things yesterday, so how about sharing
your big escape plan with me
now.
I was waiting for King Mings suggestion! You thought I
had a master plan ready to go?
She laughed before chewing on her bottom lip in thought.
Actually this I am facing several big challenges.
Firstly, I would have to leave the

capital secretly. Secondly, I will need to escape any

pursuers and lastly, no one can know
about my final destination. If my brother caught word, he
would send a raging army to
Yong Yin to demand for my return!
You have highlighted important points. Feng Ming
thought for a while before looking at
the Princess, To leave the capital without a trace
Dont stress about this part King Ming, Miao Guang has it
sorted! She grinned.
Thats good, now about escaping your pursuers. We
will need to find someone as a
diversion. Reading marital art novels werent entirely
wasted on Feng Ming.
Yes, this is where I hit a barricade. Her facial expression
dimmed. She laughed bitterly,
The person who acts as my escape goat needs to be wise
and brave. They need to know
every detail of my plan. She averted her gaze.
Several of my close confidants wanted to be the
person to ward off my pursuers.

However, in case they are caught by Xi Reis soldiers they

will face nothing but peril.
They will be tortured to reveal my location.
She sighed.
Alas, how can Miao Guang allow the closest people to her
to die for her the sake? Miao
Guangs happiness is not worth anyone sacrificing their
lives.
She sat down beside the King with her head downcast.
Feng Ming never expected Lis Princess to be so kind
hearted. Although her appearance
was not anything amazing, her heart was radiating with
beauty.
Seeing the young girl pained with her burden, Feng
Ming couldnt hold back from
playing a hero by helping the weak. He felt a strong sense
of protection towards her.
I will act as your diversion he proclaimed.
Ah! King Ming, you Miao Guang looked wide eyed
with surprise. She shook her head,
No, King Ming you are too important, you must not do
something like this!

Of course I can! If I act as a distraction, in the event I was

caught Rong Tian would
likely only give me a severe reprimanding. He would
never torture me. As for your
destination, my lips will remain sealed. Is the Princess
reluctant because I may not be
brave and quick-witted enough?
Miao Guang looked at him with a tender and grateful
expression, The relationship
between Li and Xi Rei is not the friendliest. There is a
grudge between King Ming and
my brother. Why would you be so kind to Miao Guang?
Doesnt King Ming fear this
could be a scheme between Miao Guang and King Li
against you?