Chapter 29, First published on Jinjiang Literature City.
Watching the Fourth Prince walk away, Fu Mingzi finally chuckled softly, "This Fourth Prince is quite interesting."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaoyan immediately looked at Fu Mingzi and asked, "How is it interesting?"
Fu Mingzi picked up her teacup and took a small sip: "I see he always likes to talk to you, but you always treat him coldly, yet the Fourth Prince remains unchanged. Isn't that interesting?"
There must be an ulterior motive behind giving gifts. No matter how gentle Zhou Xiaoheng is, he is still a descendant of a dragon and a phoenix. He cannot keep bowing and scraping to someone who treats him coldly. However, he has been intentionally or unintentionally showing goodwill to Zhou Xiaoyan. If it is not a true brotherly bond, then there must be something he wants.
Zhou Xiaoyan smiled bitterly upon hearing Fu Mingzi's words. Fu Mingzi understood such an obvious thing with just one glance, while he, in his previous life, was blinded by greed and could never see through it. In the end, he deserved the result.
“You’ve always been this way, Fourth Brother. You’ll understand in the future,” Zhou Xiaoyan said softly.
Fu Mingzi couldn't help but smile again, then lowered her head to drink her tea.
He could see that Zhou Xiaoyan was wary of Zhou Xiaoheng, but he didn't know what Zhou Xiaoheng had done to make him so cautious.
Before long, the Ninth Prince and the Eighth Prince also arrived. The Eighth Prince was taciturn but very polite. He greeted each of his brothers before returning to his seat.
The Ninth Prince was much more arrogant, completely ignoring his elder brothers. He only said something perfunctory like "Greetings, brothers," before heading to his seat.
The other princes were fine with it, as they were used to his attitude, but the Second Prince looked rather displeased. He gave the Ninth Prince a cold look before dismounting and returning to his seat with the Third Prince.
The Third Prince, Zhou Xiaohui, son of Consort Wang, was just enfeoffed as the Prince of Lu before the new year and will marry his princess in June. Because of his ordinary background, he has always been the Second Prince's follower and is not particularly outstanding. He is very honest.
However, the Second Prince was very disdainful of everyone else, but he was very kind to the Third Prince, which was quite a strange thing.
After the princes were seated, another quarter of an hour passed before the emperor and the crown prince finally arrived. Accompanying them was the polo team that the emperor had assembled, all of whom were former imperial guards and were said to be exceptionally good at polo.
Because it was a polo match, the Crown Prince was also dressed in riding attire. The deep red riding attire made his face look somewhat pale, and the frail-looking prince seemed unable to carry off such a heavy color. The Emperor, dressed in casual clothes, chatted and laughed with the Crown Prince, appearing very approachable.
Fu Mingzi followed Zhou Xiaoyan in rising to pay his respects. The emperor smiled and waved his hand, saying, "No need for formalities. Please sit down. Today's polo match can be considered a family banquet. Please make yourselves at home."
After saying that, he smiled and looked at the Crown Prince: "Crown Prince, are you going to participate today?"
The Crown Prince smiled and nodded slightly: "I practiced with several guards for a long time a few days ago, and I have improved a bit since then. I'm afraid I'll have to embarrass myself in front of Father."
The emperor laughed and said, "You were good at polo before, and you've practiced for so long this time, you must be even better now. It looks like your brothers are going to lose again today."
The emperor's words were quite interesting. They sounded like he was praising the crown prince, but they also made the crown prince very resentful. For example, the second prince was already glaring angrily at the crown prince.
The Ninth Prince was not to be outdone and said directly, "Father, I have been practicing polo for a long time, and I will definitely not lose to the Crown Prince this time."
The emperor looked at the ninth prince, who was dressed in a pomegranate-red riding outfit. He looked like a delicate, adorable child. The emperor's eyes softened instantly, revealing a tenderness: "Ninth Prince, you are truly ambitious. Then your father will be watching your performance."
The Ninth Prince was instantly delighted and glanced smugly at the other princes.
The Crown Prince smiled tolerantly. The princes below the Third Prince didn't react much, as they were already used to it. However, the Second Prince, despite his age, still couldn't stand the Ninth Prince, who was a child. He glared coldly at the Ninth Prince, who was quite frightened by his fierce look and subconsciously took half a step back.
Seeing his expression, the second prince smiled contemptuously, snorted coldly, and turned his face away.
The Ninth Prince was both ashamed and angry, his face turning bright red. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't say it in front of the Emperor, so he could only suppress his anger and stomp his foot angrily.
The emperor seemed oblivious to this scene, and instead looked at the guards dressed in dark blue riding attire in the arena and said, "Today's polo match will begin with the princes and my polo team."
After saying that, he glanced at the princes and noticed that the sixth and seventh princes were not wearing riding attire. His face darkened again: "Sixth and seventh princes, what's wrong with you two now?"
The seventh prince's face turned bright red, and he didn't know what to say. The sixth prince, on the other hand, seemed to be used to it and lowered his eyes, saying, "Your subject is not good at horsemanship and dares not offend Your Majesty's eyes."
The emperor seemed angry, but he held back and finally shook his head helplessly: "Fine, I'm tired of talking. If you're unwilling, I can't just tie you up and force you to go." After saying that, he looked at the attendants: "There aren't enough princes, so you can fill in."
After saying that, he looked at Fu Mingzi and asked, "Are you the son of the Duke of Jingguo?"
Fu Mingzi's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly stood up and bowed: "Your humble servant Fu Mingzi, my father is the Duke of Jingguo."
"I see." The emperor smiled. "I saw that you were exceptionally brave and heroic, which is indeed due to your family's tradition. In that case, you shall also go up. I heard that your archery skills are excellent, so I imagine your horsemanship is also outstanding."
Although this logic made no sense at all, Fu Mingzi couldn't refute it at this moment, so she smiled and bowed in agreement.
With Fu Mingzi already chosen, another candidate stepped up, and in the end, Luo Xing was selected. Luo Xing looked eager and longing for the opportunity, but the Ninth Prince only frowned and glanced at the Second Prince, who had decided on Luo Xing in one fell swoop.
Fu Mingzi raised an eyebrow. He remembered that Luo Xing was quite good at polo, so it was understandable that he would step up. However, the Second Prince had glared at the Ninth Prince before, but now he was helping the Ninth Prince. He wondered what the Ninth Prince was planning.
Regardless of their intentions, he didn't care as long as these nobles didn't provoke him. However, considering the nature of polo, Fu Mingzi couldn't help but pull Zhou Xiaoyan aside and whisper to him, "Just stick close to me later. I'll try to create opportunities for you so you can show off."
Zhou Xiaoyan thought he was going to say something to him, but when he heard this, he was stunned and looked at Fu Mingzi.
The boy's face was full of youthful vigor, his eyes seemed to sparkle like stars, and he had an indomitable spirit hidden in them, as if nothing in this world could defeat him or make him care.
Yet this is the same person who always protects him and thinks of him in everything he does. Zhou Xiaoyan doesn't know why he does this. He only knows that he is afraid he can never repay this deep affection in his lifetime.
"Okay," he said softly.
Standing to the side, Wei Baocheng couldn't help but sigh upon hearing this response. Only he knew that the Fifth Prince was actually an exceptionally good polo player. Although he was slender, he was remarkably agile. If he were to play freely, even the Crown Prince might not be his match.
Fu Mingzi was unaware of these inside stories. When he heard Zhou Xiaoyan agree, his heart was filled with joy for some reason. He smiled and put his arm around Zhou Xiaoyan's shoulder as they walked into the field: "Don't be afraid to show your face. It's just a polo match. What's wrong with showing your face a little? You can't stay quiet all the time. You are, after all, the emperor's son. If you are too cautious, people will look down on you."
If it were his past self, he would have thought Fu Mingzi was mocking him upon hearing this, but Zhou Xiaoyan now knows that he is genuinely thinking of him.
Therefore, Zhou Xiaoyan simply curled his lips slightly and said gently, "I'll listen to whatever you say."
Looking at his profile, Fu Mingzi was so happy that she didn't know where to put her hands. She just scratched the back of her head and grinned foolishly at Zhou Xiaoyan.
Zhou Xiaoyan lowered his eyes, a mix of emotions welling up inside him.
This person was always sincere in front of me. Even though he was scheming and manipulative, he never concealed anything from me. How stupid I must have been in my past life to think that he had ill intentions.
Fu Mingzi saw Zhou Xiaoyan lower his eyes and thought he was embarrassed. Indeed, staring at him like that must have looked scary, so he quickly looked away and smiled as he pulled him toward the center of the field.
“I noticed something was off between the Second Prince and the Ninth Prince today. We should stay away from them. His Highness the Crown Prince seems to be a kind and easygoing person, so it wouldn’t hurt to get closer to him,” Fu Mingzi rambled on.
Zhou Xiaoyan came to his senses and admired Fu Mingzi even more. After only meeting him twice, he had such a beast-like intuition. No wonder he was able to climb to a high position in his previous life.
The Crown Prince is indeed a kind and gentle person, even if it's just an act. After so many years of this, the fake has become real.
Zhou Xiaoyan curled his lips and followed Fu Mingzi to the Crown Prince's side.
"Fifth Brother," the Crown Prince greeted Zhou Xiaoyan with a smile, "Fifth Brother's attire surpasses all ours; you truly are a person of exceptional talent and beauty."
Zhou Xiaoyan slightly curved his lips and gave the Crown Prince a rare smile: "Your Highness is too kind. Today's polo match will depend on my elder brother. I'm afraid I can only offer some encouragement on his behalf."
These words sounded casual, but the Crown Prince's expression flickered slightly. Was he just talking about the polo match, or was he trying to curry favor with him?
The crown prince finally began to take his younger brother seriously. He was indeed good-looking and didn't like to stand out much in the past, but even if he kept a low profile, he was destined for the throne in the future. It wouldn't be bad if he could be brought under his wing.
Thinking this way, the Crown Prince became even more friendly towards Zhou Xiaoyan. He even accompanied him to choose a horse and told him a few tips on polo, acting like a brother and brother, which really seemed quite nice.
Fu Mingzi himself was stunned by the scene. He had only said that the Crown Prince was lenient, and the Fifth Prince had really sided with the Crown Prince? No way... he still had that ability?
Fu Mingzi fell into deep self-doubt.
While the Crown Prince and Zhou Xiaoyan were on friendly terms, the other princes all had different expressions. The Second Prince sneered and ignored them, seemingly looking down on Zhou Xiaoyan. The Fourth Prince's gentle smile faded, and he frowned slightly. He never expected that Zhou Xiaoyan would actually side with the Crown Prince. Had he forgotten...? A sinister glint flashed in the Fourth Prince's eyes.
As for the emperor sitting at the very top, he still maintained a gentle demeanor, as if this was the most natural imperial warmth.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
