Vol 2 Chapter 159 (1/2)
Chapter 159: The Second Prince
It was a secret banquet located on a pleasure boat upon the Liujing River, just as before The outside of the pleasure boat looked exceptionally elegant, but without the gaudy romance-novel feel there had been on the other side of the river At that moment there were neither clouds nor rain over the river The scene was bathed in a ht winds, the waves softly lapped the riverbanks as if the river were breathing Compared to the other side, where one could hear faint sounds, this pleasure boat, arranged by the Second Prince, seemed a much cheng, Crown Prince Jing, chatted and laughed as they walked to the riverbank With their bodyguards leading their horses, the two men helped each other onto the boat There was a shed This prince seeant man, but he did not knohy he was not content to act as prince in peace Why did he feel the need to provoke such affairs within the Kingdohtly wet boards of the boat, Fan Xian's feet were just about to step onto the side of the shi+p when he suddenly heard the sound of a string being plucked He did not feel somber at all He instead felt pure-hearted and cordial as the song arose ”Leaving the clear water and green hills, I cae with a baes of the road Wine is brewed in vessels in the village, and I drink to coh drunk, the mountain children do not mock us, chrysanthemums stuck randomly in my white hair”
A smile curled the corners of Fan Xian's lips, and he entered alongside Li Hongcheng As he listened to the song, he felt more and more curious as to what kind of person this Second Prince was
The beaded screen parted, Fan Xian saw only a youngin an odd fashi+on upon a chair His head was slightly tilted to one side, and his eyes were lightly closed, with a look of satisfaction on his face as he listened to the song of the wo in the corner
Without having to ask, he knew that this young , son of the Emperor and I in an odd position indeed He was in a half-squat on top of the chair, looking a lot like a peasant resting in his field His blue-green jacket covered his legs, but ant facial features, one suddenly felt a feeling of refined tranquility, as if he had long tired of the co purely on the song
Fan Xian's first thought on seeing the Second Prince was: ”This ht was: ”This ht was: ”This hts are deep” He had his belief in his ability to look a man in the eye, but it was still an aard scene Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Li Hongcheng had long since quietly taken a seat, and Fan Xian was standing in theat the Second Prince, unsure of how to address him
The Second Prince see to the uests Of course, considering his status, it was only natural that he would make Fan Xian wait
The tune finally cauqin in her arms, bowed sincerely to the three men in the room, and quietly withdrew to the rear cha on his chair, still see ti in the air, slowly rapes left upon a sers, he took a bunch Sus
pending them in mid-air like a child, he raised his head, parted his lips and teeth, and unhurriedly bit at a very green grape He chewed for a moment, and then sed His throat trembled pleasurably as he sed; it seehly satisfying experience
Fan Xian was neither nervous nor angry He watched the Second Prince with a smile on his face His eyes were calet aith any petty tricks He tried to figure out fro at hi while later, the Second Prince sighed, slowly placing the grapes back onto the plate before he finally opened his eyes He seeuests he had invited had arrived on the boat There was the unavoidable flash of a shtly-erin
Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat That fa arded Fan Xian, who stood before him, before he suddenly spoke ”Since you've arrived, why don't you take a seat?”
Crown Prince Li Hongcheng sat to one side, s to help Fan Xian With a gentle smile, Fan Xian bowed and cupped his hands in salute to the Second Prince ”Since Your Highness is seated, I did not dare take a seat withoutmy salutations”
The Second Prince smiled as he looked at Fan Xian ”I have never welcohed ”Your Highness need not welcohness”
The Second Prince srape-juice-stained hand willfully on his blue-green jacket ”It is only you and I andupon this boat Furtherer sister's husband; there is no need for such talk of servants and Highnesses”
Fan Xian chuckled, cupped his hands in salute, and did not say anythingSince the Second Prince was fond of trifling with scholars' feelings – even though he wasn't very good at it – taking a seat would be fine
In truth, the first feords the two of the to them, but Fan Xian felt it was still quite marvelous Because the Second Prince spoke particularly slowly, and the rhythm of his speech every tie person's, any conversation with his in the listener And what Fan Xian found even er he looked at the Second Prince, theof familiarity came from He was certain that it was not because of his relationsihp with Wan'er
”This boat was built with my own money What do you think?” The Second Prince seemed to have some fervant desire to kno Fan Xian felt about the boat Fan Xian forced a s up the decorations on the boat He found that whether it was structure, or the green flowerpots in the corners, or the art and calligraphy hanging on the slanting walls, this pleasure boat did not seem like a pleasure boat at all, but more like a library He couldn't help but shake his head and laugh ”Your Majesty, this pleasure boat is thoroughly peaceful I don't know if 'pleasure' is the right word for it”