Chapter 3 - The Eldest Prince and the Crown Prince (2/2)

Qin YiJun eyed the place as he hesitated. “Brother, can we just go somewhere else? This place is dark and scary,” Qin YiJun said, silently pleading his elder brother with his eyes. “And it is also dirty…” he added as he looked down on the dust covered ground.

Qin ChenJi was slowly getting annoyed with this little brother of his but he still held it in as he once again faked a smile. “YiJun, it is only a little dirt! When you are older and start training, you will be covered in dirt everyday! Imperial father says that if boys don’t get dirty once in a while, they can never grow up to be a brave man!” his tone was very convincing and Qin YiJun, who was scared before, suddenly got a surge of bravery.

Qin YiJun walked over and took his place. He squatted down and looked up at Qin ChenJi with reverence. He had just learned something new from his older brother. “If I do this, will YiJun grow up to be a brave man?”

“Of course! Now, I will move the barrel to cover you! Later, you be quiet or you will get found out!” Qin ChenJi said as he started to move the barrel to hide Qin YiJun’s figure. When he was finally hidden, Qin YiJun heard his brother say: “Remember! Just keep hiding and don’t move from this spot. Eldest brother will go and lead the servants away. Don’t worry, your eldest brother will make you win this game!” After Qin ChenJi left, Qin YiJun continued to hide. An hour passed, then another hour, and Qin YiJun was getting bored.

“Wait, elder brother never told me when the game ends. What if it already ended?” Qin YiJun wondered anxiously as he gripped at his clothes. More time passed and his anxiety grew. He wanted to get out and check but, in the end, he went against his instinct. Choosing, instead, to trust the words of his beloved eldest brother. “Eldest brother said to wait. When the game ends, he will come pick me up,” Qin YiJun giggled to himself as he imagined the servant’s face when he won the game. Suddenly, a loud crash was heard nearby, and Qin YiJun yelped in surprise.

“Are you sure he’s here?” came a voice that Qin YiJun was not familiar with. It sounded rough, and based on the voice, Qin YiJun imagined the owner would look like a bear.

“The informant says he’s hiding here. Let’s just search around,” came another unfamiliar voice. The new voice sounded like one of the eunuchs YiJun knew, but he couldn’t quite recall which one.

YiJun became scared and he quickly covered his mouth, fearing that the sound of his breathing would give away his location. Unfortunately, even that did not help. He could hear footsteps getting closer and before long, the barrels that were placed in front of him were moved away. The action was crude and rushed, so when one of the barrel covers fell beside Qin YiJun due to the rough movement, he let out a fearful shriek.

“Brother! I found him!!” the one who sounded like the eunuch exclaimed. Qin YiJun saw that they had covered their face, so he couldn’t figure out who they were. Seeing that he had been found out, Qin YiJun only had one thing to do. Run!!

Qin YiJun grabbed the first thing he could reach, threw it at to the masked figure’s face and then ran. He ran as fast as his small legs could take and even then, it wasn’t enough. He had forgotten that there were two of them and the other one had now caught him.

“Oi! Are you okay?” the guy with the rough voice asked his partner.

“I’m alright. So, you caught him? What do we do?”

“Oi!! Your face!!” the rough guy yelled out and Qin YiJun saw that the cloth that covered the other guy’s face had fallen off.

“Yang Ji! Help this prince!” Qin YiJun quickly screamed out when he saw the face of the eunuch he knew.

“You idiot!! Now that he has seen you, you don’t have much choice. I could let him go, and you will end up dying or we could kill him and bury him where no one will know,” the one holding Qin YiJun said, and it made the blood within Qin YiJun grow cold.

“Killing him is too much! How about we just kidnap him? If we can sell him to the Zhu Emperor…” the eunuch’s suggestion made both Qin YiJun and the other guy’s eyes widen.

“You truly are a eunuch! If we could sell him, we could get reward enough to last several generations! Quick, get me that sack over there!” The gruff sounding man concurred with his partner in crime.