ment…”
The crown prince `ah` once: “Parents attend?”
“Correct! The competition can be split into a literary competition, and can be a martial art competition. No matter what type of competition it is, its result can allow the emperor and empress to fully understand the depth of the crown prince’s education.”
The crown prince face soured: “Father emperor needs to deal with the court’s politics, mother empress will not rashly leave the palace.”
“Then,” Wang Yun Feng sighed, “is truly such a pity.” His expression basically didn’t show regret, instead it showed a bit of…relaxation!?
Wang Yun Feng again turned to the young princess, “Then the Zhao Prince and Zhao Princess…”
The young princess opened her mouth wide: “Mother imperial concubine has never known I fight, if father prince knew I lost, he will, he will punish me to embroider, boo hoo.”
Embroidering and what not, was too cruel, too terrifying, too inhuman.
Wang Yun Feng showed great sympathy: “Such a pity.” Ah, this time he expressed true pity. It was such a pity to not be able to see the young princess be punished, that ought to make people so happy.
The big bad wolf in a loyal dog’s clothing wagged its tail, very calmly extinguishing the violent thoughts from the source, then holding Xia Fen by the back of his collar, to the dejected two castrated young tyrants he said: “Since the two of you are here, why not come into the residence and have some tea.”
Only when he was holding a cup of tea, did the crown prince return to his senses and mutter: “Lord Wang, you are simply an adult bullying the young, deceiving us right?”
Wang Yun Feng blew on the surface of the tea once, smiling gently: “How can it be. If the crown prince can really invite the emperor and empress to watch the competition, this Wang would allow Fen Er to exchange a few blows with you.”
The crown prince was a person who didn’t give up easily, every few days he would bring the young princess with him, sometimes he would even bring the empress’ first daughter Princess Ling to come and find Xia Fen to `chat`.
Because it was close to new year, the academy was on holiday. Xia Fen had been away from the academy for too long, there wasn’t time for him to participate in the exams, Wang Yun Feng specially took him to see the academy’s headmaster. Under the fixed gaze of two cold faced people, Xia Fen placed third in martial arts, third from the bottom for literary test, after he came back, it was impossible for him to sit on his bottom for three days. For this reason, His Highness the crown prince rejoicing in his misfortune would come to the Wang residence every day holding a book, shaking his head in front of Xia Fen writing characters and studying, then like a villain he made Wang Yun Feng personally check his work, several times it caused Xia Fen so much hate he almost directly beat the crown prince up.
It was hard to come by for the young princess to comfort Xia Fen: “Actually you are much better than me, you’re third from the bottom up, I’m tenth from the bottom up, in this aspect, I should call you elder brother.”
Eavesdropping the conversation Xiao Bai ran to Hei Zi with cheeks streaming with tears: “What is actually better third or tenth?”
“Of course it’s third.”
“Then if it’s from the bottom up?”
“En, it’s still third.”
Xiao Bai got emotional, Xiao Bai ran to Juan Shu to solve the issue.
Juan Shu tweaked his ears and scratched his cheeks for a while, suddenly realising he said: “Maybe, it’s because the young master’s name is no good. If his name was like mine filled with literary reputation, ink stick, just hearing it you’ll know I have self-restraint and talent…”
Xiao Bai repeatedly spoke Juan Shu’s name several times: “There isn’t anything different, Hei Zi’s name flows right off the tongue.”
Juan Shu lifted the brush pot in the study and hit Xiao Bai’s body: “What do you know! A xiao bai,[1] actually dare to look down on me! What’s good about Hei Zi, he’s not as good as Bai Yan!”
Consequently, the passing Bai Yan glanced at the two people with extreme distaste: “The young master studied little, naturally his exam would not be good. This has nothing to do with his name.” Again rubbing his jaw, “Perhaps, the young master because of proximity to certain influences, he’s been living with you group of illiterates for too long, naturally he has also become illiterate.”
“You’re the illiterate one!” Juan Shu and Xiao Bai flew into rage out of humiliation, one after another picking up things to throw at Bai Yan.
In the Wang family, there were no illiterates, absolutely!
When it was twenty-forth of December, it unexpectedly snowed a little, this was the first snow of the winter, and was the first time Xia Fen saw snow. This person who was born on the seaside, a child who grew up in the sea water it was the first time he saw such a sparkling and translucent yet pure and limpid thing, he was so happy he rolled about in the snow.
Early in the morning Xia Ling Mei had already sat in the main hall, organising everyone to clean and sanitise. Wu Sheng and Kong Xian had also come, raising their own arms to lend a hand in the huge clean up. Every family and every household were busy, the crown prince and the young princess couldn’t stay in the palace, they ran here to find Xia Fen. At this sort of time, there weren’t many people surrounding them to serve them, Xia Ling Mei had closed off Xia Fen’s courtyard, allowing the three children to play inside, only sending a few young maids and old maids to wait on them, repeatedly urging them to not run off anywhere to play.
Xia Fen had his own private room to practice martial arts, it was deliberately constructed for him by Wang Yun Feng, the room wasn’t big, it could hold up to twenty children rolling around and wrestling inside it, on the walls hung the weapons Xia Fen had brought back from Zhuozhou,.
They were so happy, each of them picked out a weapon to exchange blows with each other. The weapons were blunt, untouched by blood. The three of them were forced by the old maids to change into specially sewn practice garments, wearing bamboo woven with leather helmets, knees, wrists, stomach, waist and back were protected by furs, in between the layers even more cotton were used. The young princess even didn’t want to wear a skirt, wearing boy’s clothes, she picked a long sword brandishing it as she advanced towards Xia Fen.
Xia Fen endured the beating, the young maids keeping watch at the side cupped their little cheeks in their hands and together screeched in alarm; the crown prince fell, the old maids wept bitter tears as if it had happened to themselves, calling for their ancestors and calling for Guanyin; when the young princess was hit that she leaned unsteadily from side to side, the group of spectators calmly chatted. Ah, the young princess had rough skin and thick flesh, when she was at the Xia residence was beaten quite a lot, now wrapped up in layers upon layers even if she was beaten even more she wouldn’t feel pain, it’s fine, it’s fine.
What’s more, the young princess was a monkey, have you seen a monkey scared to be beaten? It was more of a blessing if she didn’t beat up someone.
Ah, ah, ah, the back of the young master’s leg is being stepped on by the young princess! Young princess you’re the worse, how can you bully our young master = =
A fierce battle played out carefree and uninhibited, when Xia Ling Mei opened the room door to call them out to eat, she saw three small beasts tired to the point of lying on the floor, crying out in pain.
The insanely angry Xia Ling Mei punished them to copy from a book in the afternoon, if they didn’t finish copying they couldn’t sleep, and very wickedly tied their hair up to hang from the roof beam, their head suspended by the beam only strings were missing.
The crown prince has grown to this age, he has copied memorials to the emperor, copied scriptures, copied legal codes, but he has never copied the