
一.
一 | changan
Changan sat by the pond, his frail form overlooking the koi that swam near the young, 18-year old prince.
The blossoms that fell into the pond and mixed in with the baby lilies provided a very ethereal scene.
Changan sighed and stood up, removing his slippers and raising his silk sleeping robes to dip his legs into the cool water.
It was days like these that made Changan feel so at ease and relaxed, despite all of the responsibilities placed upon him.
You see, Changan was different from his older brother, Junhui. Unlike Junhui, Changan could bear children.
With the decline of girls and women in China, boys and men, in a way, "evolved" to be able to bear children. And so, the boys who were born to be able to bear children are prized among the masses, and to have one in a royal, noble family is a blessing.
The queen of Shenzen cried out in joy when they found out Changan could bear children, or, his nickname, "the Bearer". They treated him as if he were fragile glass.
"Changan! Where are you?" The young boy's ears perked up at the sound of a familiar voice.
"Gege, I'm here!" Changan stood up, trying to dry off his legs and putting on his slippers hastily, as he called for his older brother.
They both walked through the winding paths of the Shenzen Palace's garden until they met at the middle, where the shrine of their family's graves stood, golden and glittering.
Junhui panted, as if he ran through the entire palace in search for his precious didi; his younger brother.
"So this is where I find you," Junhui hummed and pulled Changan into a hug, who gladly returned it. "Spacing out again? At the pond?"
"You already know why," Changan huffed, looking up at his brother and pouting.
Unfortunately, while Junhui was at a towering 6 feet, Changan was at a height of 5"6.
"Thinking about Jinguo?" Junhui asked, sitting both of them down by the stairs of the shrine as he pet his brother's hair.
Changan hesitated, and Junhui sensed this.
"You should move on from him, he was nothing but a prick to you," Junhui seethed, remembering what Jinguo did to Changan.
Jinguo was a prince, all the way from Hubei, who, when he found out that Changan was able to bear children, sent a messenger immediately to ask for his hand in marriage.
Jinguo was 20 when Changan was barely 14.
When the king of Liaoning allowed Jinguo to come into the palace, he instantly started to get touchy with the young Wen. During late night dinners, Changan would constantly be harassed by Jinguo, who always tried undressing him when they had to sleep.
Not to mention, Jinguo had always verbally abused the boy, telling him that if he wanted his hand in marriage, he had to try harder than his best.
Changan, now 15 at the time, was sick of Jinguo, who even had the guts to whip and hurt him when he was "defiant", and he told his father, mother and brother what awful things Jinguo had done to him.
Jinguo was left to rot on the streets, and word spread out about the horrid things he did to the Bearer of Shenzen. The people had a murderous intent and detested the prince of Hubei.
"I am, gege," Changan smiled after recalling the painful memories of his almost-husband. "I'm just . . . worried about mother's choices for my husband. She really wants me to have a strong man to protect me and our, um, potential . . . f-family . . ."
Changan blushed and Junhui laughed.
"I have high hopes for mother's verdict," Junhui reassured his brother, running his hand through the other's hair. "Mm, Kwon Soonyoung and Jeon Wonwoo from Baekje seem like nice mathes for you. Or, Lee Chan from Goguryeo? Maybe . . . Xu Minghao from Liaoning?"
"How do you know so many princes?" Changan questioned.
"Well, most of them are my friends," Junhui said nonchalantly. "They taught me how to speak Korean. However, I only know of Xu Minghao because of his notoriety among nobles. He's quite famous."
"How so?" Changan was genuinely curious about this "Xu Minghao" character.
"For starters, he's quite known to be a romantic and being flirty," Junhui put his hand on his chin, as if in thought. "He also seems more interested in women than with men who can bear children, unlike he rest of the population. However, he's actually a gentleman and his trusted servant, Hong Jisoo I believe, taught him a lot of manners despite being almost the same age as him. He's also a great at martial arts and knows how to use a bunch of weapons like swords and nunchucks."
Changan gasped. "Do you . . . know how he looks like?"
"Ooh, you like him already?" Junhui cooed and Changan hit his chest playfully. "Well, a lot of people say he's incredibly handsome, and not to mention, fit. He's the heartthrob of Liaoning, and a lot of men and women swoon over him whenever he takes a short stroll through the kingdom during early mornings."
Changan nodded, taking mental notes of what Junhui was saying.
"His sister, Jifeng, is also known among royals," Junhui commented. "She is just like him, but a bit more girly. She's the commander of the Liaoning army and she's his twin. She's also fluent in around six or more languages and her kick is strong enough to dislocate someone's jaw!"
Changan's eyes widened and his mouth formed into an "o" shape.
"You'll meet them in a week, since mother and father will be holding a "royals only" party thing to celebrate the new year," Junhui shrugged. "By the way, mother wanted to see you in your room. She wants to talk to you about your future husband."
Changan noted, and the brothers parted ways.
"Mother, I'm here," Changan said as he opened the sliding door to his quite lavish room.
"Baobao, come closer!" The queen excitedly said to her son, beckoning him to come near her. He obliged.
"What is is, mother?" Changan asked, sitting down next to his mother.
"I've come up with a conclusion!" She stated, almost proudly. "You will be marrying Xu Minghao of the Liaoning Kingdom! His father sent a letter this morning and . . . I'll let you read it!"
Changan, face red, took the parchment from his mother's hands and read the smooth handwriting.
To, Queen Jia Ai
I would like to make a proposal to you. I will let your son, prince Wen Changan, marry mine, Xu Minghao. I have heard that your son had met a terrible prince that tried to take his hand through force and I give my sincerest condolences, for your son need not go through such things.
My son, Xu Minghao, must already be familiar to you. All across China, he's already known to be handsome and talented. Not to boost my ego, but I'm very proud of my son, and I am sure that you are proud of your sons too.
A prince such as the Bearer must have a husband that can protect him and his future family well enough, so I would like to ask, on behalf of Minghao, if you would consent to them having an arranged marriage.
Yours, King Huang Qiu
Changan's wide eyes skimmed through the letter's words in disbelief, his face practically on fire as his mother looked bemusedly at her son.
"I'll be writing a letter to be sent tomorrow," The queen hummed and took out a roll of parchment and an inkstone from a nearby table, along with a beautiful brush adorned with some small jewels. "As soon as they receive the letter, Minghao and his family will come over to our palace for a celebration. You can meet him and get to know your future husband then!"
"M-mother!" Changan whined and the queen laughed; her laughter were as if a beautiful melody had been played.
"This is for your own good, Changan," The queen said, eyes fixed on the parchment paper. "Minghao will be the perfect one for you."
"So, I have to marry him? Why not Jifeng?" Changan asked.
"Jifeng is not the one for you, Changan," The queen sighed but kept the smile on her face as she put the finishing touches on her letter. "Minghao willbe able to protect you better than her."
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen247.Pro