"Eldest brother, Aunt has never come here. Who is she?" Among the four haha beads, a tall, dark-skinned boy suddenly asked. He was Xinghui's second son, Da Yu A, who was 10 years old today, only three or four years younger than Lan Qin. He was handsome and polite, with thick eyebrows and lips, and had the temperament of a warrior on his face.
Lanqin looked up at the young man and immediately realized that he must be the Fujin's nephew, which was why he dared to speak so rudely to her face.
“She is Father’s daughter,” the eldest prince said in a low voice.
"Heh, a mere princess dares to come and discipline the princes of the primary wife and secondary wife!?" Da Yu'a's almost disdainful tone made Lanqin feel a rare sense of shame.
But the one who felt even more ashamed was not Lanqin, but the eldest prince. Da and A's words were exactly saying that in the fourth prince's heart, the primary wife was not even as good as a princess!
Mother was someone deeply ingrained in Honghui's very being, the person he cared about most, even more than the Fourth Prince.
The atmosphere immediately fell into an awkward stalemate. Lanqin's displeasure was only momentary. Seeing the eldest prince's displeasure, she immediately said to Da Yu'a, "How dare you, at such a young age, discuss the affairs of the Fourth Prince's residence. You are such an ignorant little brat."
After saying that, Lanqin reached out and flicked Da Yu'a's nose. Because the action was so sudden, no one expected it. Da Yu'a naturally did not expect that this princess, who was about the same height as him, would comfort him like a four or five-year-old child. His face immediately turned red.
However, her words made him dare not say anything more. He had only said that in surprise and without thinking. After she said that, he dared not say anything more, after all, this was not Ulanara Mansion.
"You must be tired. Come and have some snacks, and there's also lemon iced tea," Lanqin said with a smile. She saw that the children were starting to look into her little basket, and her smile widened even more.
The Third Prince and the other children all gathered around, while only the First Prince and Da Yu A remained standing in place.
Lanqin instructed Xicha to serve the children their food, then turned to the eldest prince and said, "Honghui, Aunt Niu made you a finger guard for drawing arrows. See, it can protect your fingers from the bowstring. You practice drawing bows every day, and over time, you're bound to hurt your fingers."
After speaking, Lanqin took out the finger guards that the embroiderer had made from her sleeve and handed them to the eldest prince.
Da and A couldn't help but glance at it. He had been speechless after being rebuked by Lanqin's words, and he was already feeling uncomfortable after Lanqin flicked his nose. Now, he couldn't help but speak up sarcastically, "What's a little pain to a man when he draws a bow and shoots an arrow? How can you be so afraid of this and that like a woman?" After saying that, he looked down on what Lanqin was holding.
Although Ulanarada and A are not Xinghui's eldest sons, they are the ones who resemble him the most. They have been taught by Xinghui since childhood and are especially good at riding and archery. The fact that they were able to enter the Fourth Master's mansion as Honghui's "haha bead" shows how much Xinghui values them.
Upon hearing this, Honghui, who had been looking at what Lanqin was holding, immediately withdrew his curious gaze, turned his head away, and ignored her.
Lanqin had no choice but to withdraw her hand and turn to Da Yu'a, saying, "It's true that my finger guard can protect the archer's hand and also prolong the time it takes for the archer to draw the arrow. In battle, if one side's soldiers can draw their bows for a longer time than the other side's soldiers, who has the advantage of winning?"
Da and A were taken aback by Lanqin's words, but they couldn't think of a way to refute her, so they simply said, "Naturally, the side that can draw the bow for longer has the advantage."
"So what I, a woman, make isn't something to be afraid of, but rather something that can extend the time the archer holds the bow. So tell me, would such a thing be useful to the eldest prince?" Lanqin said meaningfully, but in her heart she was already cursing Da and A: You little brat, you have no respect for your elders, I'll teach you a lesson later.
"This, this, humph, you're all talk. How am I supposed to know if what you made can actually extend the archer's time?" Da Yu A said, somewhat annoyed and embarrassed by Lan Qin's words.
"If you don't believe me, let's try it. How long can you usually hold a bow continuously?" Lanqin asked, raising her arms and crossing them over her chest.
"I can pull the target continuously for an hour without missing it," Da Yu A said proudly. This was his forte, and none of his brothers and cousins could match him.
Lanqin was startled, but then turned to the people beside her and asked, "Among you, is there anyone whose time is comparable to that of Da and Alagong?"
When she asked, the children looked at each other but remained silent. The three children were Fu Weiting, son of Fu Jiancong, a second-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue; Zhang Rongyuan, son of Zhang Tingyu, a second-rank official in the Ministry of Justice; and Tongjia Feiyanggu, son of Tongjia Hasaqi, a third-rank official in the Court of Judicial Review. Fu Weiting and Zhang Rongyuan were about the same age as Dayu'a, while Tongjia Feiyanggu was about the same age as Honghui.
The Fourth Prince really knew how to pick people. He selected sons of high-ranking officials in the capital, all of whom were of the third rank or above. Moreover, they were two Manchus and two Hans, which was in line with Emperor Kangxi's "basic national policy" of "Manchus and Hans as one family".
Fu Weiting was about to answer when Zhang Rongyuan tugged at his sleeve. Lan Qin observed all of this, and smiled at the two children, saying, "You two are both inferior to Da Yu, aren't you?"
These words filled Da Yu'a with smug satisfaction, but they also stirred up Fu Weiting's resentment. During their stay, he and Zhang Rongyuan had constantly been bullied by Da Yu'a. On one occasion, Da Yu'a had contemptuously called them Han dogs. Although Fu Weiting and Zhang Rongyuan's fathers held official positions even half a rank higher than Xinghui's, Da Yu'a still referred to them as servants of the Manchus. This demonstrated that Manchu officials generally held a higher status than Han officials. Furthermore, Da Yu'a was Honghui's cousin, and among the group of young princes, he was the closest to the eldest prince.
"I'll give it a try." Just as Lan Qin had expected, Fu Weiting finally couldn't hold back any longer and wanted to vent his pent-up anger. But Zhang Rongyuan looked at him with some concern, though it was clear that he was on Fu Weiting's side.
Da Yu A glanced at Fu Weiting with disdain and raised his voice, saying, "Let's compete then! Today, I'll teach this servant how to serve his master!"
Upon hearing this, Fu Weiting and Zhang Rongyuan's expressions both changed, and even Lan Qin couldn't help but frown, thinking to herself: This Da Yu A's tone is really arrogant. Even Emperor Kangxi acted as a peacemaker between the Manchus and Han people in the court. This ten-year-old child actually spoke so rudely, which shows Xinghui's arrogance.
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