You are the Third Prince
"Isn't this the third prince!" Hearing Li Yunrui's call, Tang Feng turned around and saw a slightly chubby man with faint freckles on his face. He had a憨憨 (simple and honest) smile and wore a dark green wide-sleeved robe with a jade hairpin in his hair. Compared to the other two, he looked rather plain. "Third brother," Li Yunheng bowed to him. Tang Feng hadn't expected that the eldest prince and the fourth prince, who were usually at odds and spoke to each other with sarcasm, would be so amiable towards this third prince. Tang Feng had heard of the third prince before; Shen Qinghang had always called him a good-for-nothing, but now he seemed not as bad as Shen Qinghang had described. At most, he was just a weak scholar.
"Big brother, fourth brother," Jade King Li Yunye hurriedly returned the greeting. "I thought I'd come out for a walk since I didn't have classes today, but I didn't expect you to be here too." Just then, Qin Liuliu, who had run out early that morning, ran towards Tang Feng carrying a bunch of lotus flowers. "Brother, there are so many..." Seeing Tang Feng surrounded by a group of people, Qin Liuliu assumed he was being bullied. He dropped the lotus flowers, ran to Tang Feng, and shielded him behind him. "What are you doing! Are you bullying my brother?" Tang Feng grabbed Qin Liuliu and covered his mouth. "No, no, they're my brother's friends." Although Qin Liuliu was right, Tang Feng just wanted to distance himself from them and leave this troublesome place as quickly as possible.
"And this is..." Li Yunye cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Tang Feng, who quickly returned the greeting, startled. "My name is Tang Feng."
"Tang Feng, young master Tang, oh my, I've finally met you in person!" Li Yunye stepped forward and grasped Tang Feng's hand. "Come, come, come to my place. I've admired your poetry for a long time, and today is the perfect opportunity to discuss it with you." After saying that, he turned to look at Li Yunheng and Li Yunrui. "Eldest brother, fourth brother, you won't blame me for taking him back, will you?"
"Knowing you like his poetry, I figured we could have a good chat, so how could I blame you?" Li Yunrui smiled at Li Yunye. "Yunye, if you like it, go and exchange ideas with Tang Feng."
Tang Feng was dragged away by Li Yunye. Seeing this, Zhou Ziliang quickly pulled Qin Liuliu along and followed. "Thank you!" Tang Feng didn't know what Li Yunye was up to, but fearing he would be dragged into something again, he quickly thanked him.
"Don't be afraid, I'm different from them. I have no interest in vying for the throne," Li Yunye released Tang Feng's hand. "I simply love your poetry. This book was given to me by Shen Qinghang, who said that the Master copied it for you. I've read every single one of your poems; they are profound and the words are ingenious."
Tang Feng was somewhat overwhelmed by the praise. He turned to look at Zhou Ziliang, who stepped forward and said, "Thank you so much, Third Prince, for speaking up for us. The situation was indeed a bit out of control just now."
"Don't say that," Li Yunye smiled. "I just happened to run into you, and I also like Tang Feng's poetry, so I brought him out. Besides, I guess they also wanted a way to save face."
"What do you mean?" Tang Feng was a little confused. Given the tense situation just now, what kind of embarrassment was needed? It felt like they were about to force Tang Feng to reveal whose side they wanted to side with at any moment.
"Big Brother is kind-hearted and concerned about saving face. He doesn't want to fall out with Fourth Brother. Fourth Brother doesn't have many followers and lacks power, so he can't afford to fall out with Big Brother. The way those two acted just now, they must need a way out. If they really wanted to keep you, even a hundred of me couldn't take you away."
Tang Feng grabbed Zhou Ziliang's arm. "Look at this, this is the art of metaphysics! The struggle for the throne is a skill, you should learn something." Zhou Ziliang held Tang Feng's hand in his. "I'm not involved in the struggle for the throne, why should I learn this?"
"Someone invited me to the Crane-Releasing Pavilion today; you may come with me! We've got nothing else to do anyway."
Seeing Li Yunye walk forward, Tang Feng followed him, holding Qin Liuliu's hand to prevent him from getting lost. Qin Liuliu was clutching the lotus flowers he had just picked up. Tang Feng looked at Qin Liuliu and couldn't help but smile. This child was still as adorable as he had been two years ago. Tang Feng couldn't resist ruffling Qin Liuliu's head. "You're quite something, running so far with Liu Yiwan. Aren't you afraid your sister will worry?"
“Don’t worry,” Qin Liuliu said, pulling Tang Feng with her left hand and Zhou Ziliang with her right. “My sister is completely at ease with that guy now. He and my sister are now… now just like you and Brother Ziliang.” Tang Feng suddenly stopped in his tracks. “What did you say?”
"Just like my brother and Ziliang! Aren't you two a couple?" Tang Feng looked at Qin Liuliu, momentarily speechless. "This is quite a lot of information!" Tang Feng clicked his tongue. It seemed that Liu Yiwan had done quite a few things behind his back during the two years he was away! He had corrupted his good younger brother and even seduced his older sister. Tang Feng pouted and stomped his foot. "That bastard Liu Yiwan, I'll settle the score with him when we get back!"
"Okay, okay! Where did you get so angry? Don't be upset."
"Hey! Eldest sister!" Li Yunye waved towards Fanghe Pavilion. "Eldest sister?" Tang Feng looked at Zhou Ziliang. "Who is his eldest sister?"
"They're probably talking about the Eldest Princess!" Zhou Ziliang looked towards the Crane-Releasing Pavilion. "You've really something today, running into everyone just for a stroll." "Don't even mention it, I'm getting annoyed with you." Tang Feng said, but his feet didn't stop moving.
The Crane-Releasing Pavilion is a small pavilion in the middle of a lake, where lotus flowers grow. A small bridge leads to the pavilion. Just as the group reached the top of the bridge, they heard the eldest princess speak, "Third Prince! I asked you to come and admire the flowers with me, what are you dawdling for! Who are those people behind you?" The woman had willow-leaf eyebrows, cherry lips, and bright eyes that held a hint of anger. She wore a pink gauze dress, with bells hanging from her waist, and a white shawl draped over her shoulders.
"Eldest sister," Li Yunye bowed and rose to introduce, "This is Tang Feng, whom I've often mentioned to you." Tang Feng looked at the princess; wasn't this the girl he'd seen on the long steps of Jingdu that day? So she was the princess. She was indeed beautiful. Zhou Ziliang tugged at Tang Feng's hand and whispered in his ear, "Greet her respectfully; you promised me."
Tang Feng secretly pinched Zhou Ziliang's arm, gritting his teeth and grumbling, "I know! I know!" Then he bowed to the Princess, "Greetings, Princess." Li Wuyou stood up and helped Tang Feng up, "So you're the great talent! My silly little brother really likes you, he talks about you all the time." Li Wuyou waved her fan, "You don't need to be so formal. I'm not that particular about etiquette either. I think you're much cuter than my unreliable little brother. If you're willing, you don't have to bow to me. I've never liked palace etiquette anyway."
"This..." Tang Feng was momentarily stunned and didn't dare to reply. Zhou Ziliang sighed. What a mess this was! Perhaps, as Tang Feng said, he hadn't checked the almanac before going out today. "Your Highness, this isn't very proper! Xiao Feng has no power or influence; it's impolite not to pay his respects. This... if word gets out, people will definitely gossip."
Li Yunye waved his hand and said, "Brother Ziliang, you don't know this. The late Empress only had one daughter, my eldest sister. When the late Empress was alive, Father Emperor doted on her. When my eldest sister was born, he even asked his longtime friend to name her. So my eldest sister was spoiled by my father since she was a child and has no manners. If she says it's not necessary, then it's not necessary!"
"Well... I'll accept your kind offer," Tang Feng said, rubbing his sleeves, feeling a little embarrassed. He hadn't particularly liked bowing before—after all, he lived in a society governed by law, and a simple bow to elders was acceptable, but bowing to peers was unheard of. However, after so long at the academy, he'd gotten used to it. As the old saying goes, "Since you're here, make the best of it." He just hadn't expected the supposedly dignified and elegant princess to be so spoiled by her father, someone who despised etiquette even more than he did.
"Ah! That's more like it! If you have time, you can come and play with me with the third brother to pass the time. There are many things I can't learn at the academy, and sometimes I can't go because there are too many people. You can tell me more about them on weekdays, so I can tell A-Tang about them later." Li Wuyou put down his fan and walked to Qin Liuliu's side. "What beautiful lotus flowers! Did you pick these for me?"
"Ah? This... If you like it, I'll give it to you," Qin Liuliu said, holding the lotus flower up to Li Wuyou.
"Oh! You even picked lotus pods!" Li Wuyou took the lotus flowers and pods from Qin Liuliu's arms. "Come, come, sit down quickly. What are you standing for? Such a beautiful view at Fanghe Pavilion shouldn't make you forget about that damned superior-subordinate relationship." Li Wuyou sat down, peeled the lotus pods, and put them into a bowl. "Try it! Don't underestimate these small pods; they have quite a few lotus seeds. We're benefiting from our little brother's generosity. I've loved lotus flowers since I was a child. You know, they grow in the mud, yet they can still bloom such pure flowers. No wonder A-Tang said, 'A lotus in the mortal world, a water fairy rising from the mud, unstained.'"
"Ah Tang?" Tang Feng pulled Zhou Ziliang to his side and asked softly, "Who is that?"
"That's the person I like," Li Wuyou said before Zhou Ziliang could speak. Seeing Tang Feng's embarrassment, she covered her mouth and laughed. "It's not something shameful, it's just that his official position is too low, and my father doesn't like him much, so he has never supported our marriage."
The group chatted happily, but unfortunately, it was getting late. After bidding farewell to Li Yunye and Li Wuyou, Tang Feng and Zhou Ziliang took Qin Liuliu back. "I didn't expect the Princess to have such a heroic spirit."
"This is my first time meeting the Princess," Zhou Ziliang smiled. "I've heard my father mention her before. Rumor has it that His Majesty and the late Empress were deeply in love, but the late Empress was short-lived, passing away only two or three years after the founding of the Yan Yun dynasty. It's said she was bedridden for a long time and in poor health, passing away not long after giving birth to her daughter. Moreover, the princess's name was given by His Majesty's best friend at the time, who was also the first Prime Minister of the founding of the dynasty."
"A subject naming a princess?" Tang Feng looked puzzled. "According to you, isn't that... improper?"
"Who knows!" Zhou Ziliang shrugged. "Perhaps it's because he grew up alongside the Emperor! Hmm... For example, if Brother Mo Bai becomes an official in the future, given your relationship, you'll probably name his son too."
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