Volume 2 Chapter 17

Path of a king: In this context, General Tong is trying to say that Feng Ming must not fall victim to bedroom l.u.s.t. As in the past, a King must live for his people and country – this was when King’s lived in a more honorable time.

Translation complexity (a) 烦 (fan) In this sequence, it is a play on words in Chinese, as this character means to annoy and trouble. So RT means if he meets with ‘trouble’ – i.e. dies.

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Just as they had moved closer to Yong Yin territory, news of Fan Jia’s King death due to illness reached them.

Everyone who was aware of the situation could only marvel at Official Xia’s 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 Prince’s quarters, Feng Ming attempted on many occasions to escape from Rong Tian’s 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, this…this…” the words were caught in his throat, finding it hard to carry on the topic when the Princess’s 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 King’s 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 Ming’s 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 Princess’s 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 Prince’s arrival.”

“That’s great progress! We will finally leave Fan Jia’s 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 don’t want to end up with another Lie Er.”

“Another Lie Er in your possession wouldn’t be a bad thing right? Prince will feel less lonely along this journey.”

General Tong laughed heartedly at Feng Ming’s 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 Ming’s face froze from the totally unexpected advice.

Snapping back to normal function, a forceful smile crept along his lips, “Right, right it isn’t a road a King should walk along.”

You should be telling the b.a.s.t.a.r.d Rong w.a.n.g 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 coa.r.s.e 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, “Don’t you find yourself annoying? All day long you just don’t stop! We are leaving Fan Jia’s territory and you are in no threat apart from mine when I kick you out!” **(a)

A deep man’s voice whispered lazily into his ear, “If I don’t 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 couldn’t help but to give the larger built man behind him a sharp elbow thrust.

The attack didn’t even make a dent. It didn’t stop Rong w.a.n.g 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 master’s daily drama, instead of paying any mind he sat quietly in the corner with his attention tucked inside a book.

The King’s large hands refused to stay ideal as they expertly slipped further downwards.

“Don’t 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 don’t want to because it will hurt.”

“Again with ‘it will hurt’. The King frowned before complaining, “You can’t 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 w.a.n.g 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 m.u.f.fled his laugh at Feng Ming’s expense.

The Prince’s face was like glowing embers, he took out his frustration by punching the Regent King’s 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 Yin’s territory.”

“I have nothing to fear!” declared a very smug Prince who proceeded to laughed slyly. “I’ve 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 s.h.i.+eld.”

“As a Crowned Prince, one should put himself in the lead…” commented the King.

“That won’t 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 don’t have anyone in mind…” Feng Ming had stopped mid speech to slap the King’s wayward hand as a bonus it followed his trademark glare.

“Actually, I hope Gui Sen doesn’t 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 w.a.n.g gave a rare nod of agreement, “I don’t think the successor will be Gui Sen.”

“What’s the reason?” Feng Ming looked at the man intrigued by his comment. “Isn’t 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 doesn’t become King! You must have been up to no good!

Rong w.a.n.g was proud of himself. He lowered his face and nipped at Feng Ming’s earlobe.

“Who forced him to make a move against my man?” he reasoned.

Feng Ming gave him a displeased humph!

“Don’t try to trick me! As if I’d believe that a scoundrel like you would do all this for me!”

“Hasn’t everything been for your sake?” The King’s 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 Jia’s 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? I’ve never seen the second.” This perked the Prince’s 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 w.a.n.g 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 lover’s irritated fist. Each time the King hara.s.sed 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 amba.s.sador 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 Ming’s face was flushed from being hot and bothered. The King tugged at the Prince’s collar loosening the material to reveal silky white skin that was plastered with hickeys that had been left by him.

The Prince’s lips were pursed into a playful pout, even though Rong Tian was used to seeing the younger man’s face, he couldn’t help but become intoxicated by the boy’s 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 King’s 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 Jia’s 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 wouldn’t 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, wouldn’t a useless person be more beneficial?” suggested his lover.

Rong w.a.n.g looked on with appreciation, “Pretty good reasoning, on the other hand are you aware of Long Tian’s origins?”

“His origins?”Feng Ming shook his head and his dark eyes glimmered with intrigue as they beckoned the King. Rong w.a.n.g couldn’t resist he smiled and gently kissed the boy.

Feng Ming pushed the King off with a frown, “Okay that’s enough! Don’t keep people in suspense.” He reprimanded.

The King sighed, “I should have never let you leave Xi Rei as an amba.s.sador. Since being abroad you have developed a temper.” He shook his head disapproving in a melodramatic manner before finis.h.i.+ng 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 didn’t 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 ident.i.ty 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, wouldn’t 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 Jia’s King. This would have secured an early date for Long Tian’s 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 w.a.n.g 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 Yan’s...." Rong w.a.n.g'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 w.a.n.g nodded, "Correct, we have ourselves a spy". With that statement, Lie Er who had been sitting quietly to the side placed his reading materialaside 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 doesn’t 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 w.a.n.g rejected the Prince's logic, "There are specialised spies that are planted when they are at a tender age. For example, Lie Er was a.s.signed 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?"

quot;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 doesn’t 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 pus.h.i.+ng 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 hasn’t seen my true colors! Given my knowledge in the art of war and insights for agricultural advances, wouldn’t 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."