Important notes:
Mannerism: When speaking to Royalty, servants always refer to themselves as “lowly”, and they always offer well wishes upon seeing the important person. i.e. “I wish you a hundred years of life” or “I wish you good health”
Three measurements: In a few Asian countries, the three measurements which are the chest waist and hips are highly prized. As it is very personal information. And men just love the numbers.
Feng Ming’s name means the cry of phoenixes, as the birds are seen as good omens and joy.
------- ------- -------- --------- ---------
To Feng Ming his regimented life in the palace officially began.
He had no choice but to comply with the c.u.mbersome court etiquette required from him. For certain he wasn’t given the respect and treatment a royal should receive, to the contrary, everyone treated him like he was an important prisoner.
From the gossip Feng Ming manage to catch, the Prince was really pathetic, a complete nothing. Apart from drinking, all he did was play and upon seeing the Regent King he would succ.u.mb under his power and crumble like weak bones.
It wasn’t a secret within the palace that the Regent King violated the Prince, there was yet to be any sympathy from the people around him.
"What a b.a.s.t.a.r.d…argh." Feng Ming muttered, bored out of his mind as he sat in the Prince’s hall, he looked up and sighed.
Chiu Lan stood beside Feng Ming, staring at her master with a confused expression.
"Chiu Lan, didn’t you say Rong w.a.n.g will be here today?"
"On this matter…of Rong w.a.n.g’s whereabouts, your lowly servant dare not speculate.” She replied dutifully.
"Humph!" he groaned.
Unsatisfied he turned away from her.
All his servants when speaking on the topic of the Regent king showed admiration and fear of him. Yet, they were indifferent with sharply noticeable att.i.tudes towards Feng Ming.
Was this Cao Cao that good? The original one was merely a treacherous figure in Chinese history.
He abruptly stood up, and dashed to the door where Chiu Lan immediately followed to block his exit.
“Prince!” she cried out.
“Where does the Prince want to go?”
"I'm bored to death here, I’m going to start rotting soon!" Feng Ming growled gingerly, before quickly breaking the barrier and ran out of his quarters.
Three seconds later, the royal soldiers that stood guard outside of his area had him restrained in their hold. They returned him to his place with his temper flaring. The guards were also impatient with Feng Ming’s incompliant behavior in the past days.
Giving their respects to him they pleaded with him, "Please forgive us, Prince. Rong w.a.n.g has issued that there is potentially spies from other countries infiltrating Xi Rei, and we have been ordered to increase security and protect the Crowned Prince. You can not break the King’s rule and leave your quarters.
"I'm not a prisoner!" Even though Feng Ming raged on childishly, the guards politely excused themselves and closed the door to the Prince’s hall tightly shut.
In the past few days this scene has been repeatedly played, all resulting the same way.
Feng Ming was bored senseless, sure an ancient palace was extravagant and beautiful but even sitting day after day in such tranquil ornate surroundings would lose its appeal.
There must be a thousand secrets behind the walls of the palace, fun things that were to be discovered. However, no one was brave the crime of influencing the Prince just for the sake of his entertainment.
Even if people stood up to authority on behalf of the Prince, his name did not carry and importance.
Feng Ming kicked the foot of his bed in frustration.
"My brain will explode from boredom, how come that Master Tong Yi hasn’t even dropped by?" He was desperate, even an enemy was a cure to his uninteresting regime.
In fact the only interesting thing to happen took place the day before yesterday, when Master Tong had rushed in rudely, and picked a fight with him by initiating a war with words. This of course resulted in their comical and uncivilized scuffle. The two were clearly untrained in terms of martial arts.
His attendants could only look at each other in dismay, none of which interfered, for everyone knew the authority standing behind Master Tong Yi and no one wanted to lay a wrong hand on the heir of Xi Rei.
Not aiding either was the best choice they had.
Master Tong Yi had no clue to what the Prince had taken as drugs, within a blink the Prince before him was no longer a coward afraid of his death, instead the weakness was replaced with defiance. Tong Yi stormed out of the Prince’s hall cursing uncouthly.
Soon after he made his way to complain tearfully about what happened to Rong Tian, who never even considered the Prince as anything and treated the Royal like a slave.
Instead of getting the King to side with him, he found himself reprimanded for his actions. Rong w.a.n.g warned him sternly, and since then he dared not appear in the Prince’s quarters.
"Don’t tell me, am I going to be trapped here for the rest of my life?" Feng Ming asked as he watched Chiu Lan as she entered the room, bringing his dinner, and he began to frown.
Given that he may have a chance to see the nasty Rong w.a.n.g again, was good enough to hold onto the thought of serving him two more punches which will sure beat the boredom of being stuck in his room.
Ever since their impa.s.sioned kiss, Rong w.a.n.g approved the status of Feng Ming’s ident.i.ty, threw him into the Prince’s Halls and left him to peril.
Just as he left out another moan, he heard voices outside his chambers announcing an arrival.
"Rong w.a.n.g, I wish you good health." *
When that Cao Cao was on his mind.