Chapter 4 - Li FangMing (1/2)
Li FangMing
It had been a while since the Li family patriarchs had been summoned. So, they felt that it was an honor. And seeing that the Crown Prince was almost the same age as the patriarch’s seventh son, the elders decided it would serve them well if the young boy were to be brought along and introduced.
“Summon FangMing over,” the patriarch of the Li family ordered of a servant. A few moments later, the servant came back with a young boy in tow. The young boy was wearing an aqua coloured robe with a pale yellow sash around his waist. His black hair was tied up into a high ponytail. His pair of dark coloured eyes seemed to be filled with expectation.
“Father, you called?” Li FangMing asked, trying very hard to hide his eagerness. After all, this was the first time he had ever called by his father. He had, at first, thought that his father would ignore him for the rest of his life, treating him as air.
“You will join me at the Imperial Palace. I ask that you do not disappoint me,” the patriarch said in a cold tone. As soon as Li FangMing heard the tone his father used, the expectation within his eyes disappeared and replaced by disappointment. This did not escape his father’s eyes, but the older male couldn’t care less about Li FangMing’s feeling.
If it was possible, the patriarch would avoid bringing Li FangMing along. After all, he was the proof of his shame. Each time he looked upon Li FangMing, he would be reminded of the time when he was betrayed by a woman he thought loved him. But, as soon as Li FangMing was born, the woman disappeared without trace.
“Yes, father,” Li FangMing answered, bowing his head in respect. Li FangMing, despite his young age, knew that his father did not want him in the slightest. The only reason he was still in the Li household, being treated like a young master, was because the family had a plan for him. Yet, he couldn’t help but wish that, one day, his father would look at him just like how other children’s fathers would.
When they reached the Imperial Palace, Fang Ming couldn’t help but be in awe of the scenery. Everything was just as he had expected but, something seemed to be wrong with the atmosphere. The guards seemed to be running around in a panic. When they got off their carriage, Li FangMing asked his father about what was going on, only to be shushed harshly. When their carriage finally stopped, he was told to wait as his father went to meet the Emperor. That was when the Li patriarch found out that the Crown Prince had been missing for more than an hour and no one knew his whereabouts. The eldest prince had told everyone that the Crown Prince was hiding within the Cold Palace but when the servants went to find him there, there was no Crown Prince. They only thing they found was some smashed vase and an old plate that had, seemingly, been thrown across the room.
“Let this humble servant help find the Crown Prince, Your Imperial Majesty,” the patriarch of the Li family didn’t want to miss the chance to garner favor. If he could find the Crown Prince, he would surely be rewarded. The Emperor knew that the Li patriarch had an ulterior motive but as of that moment, he really did need all the help he could get so he simply nodded in agreement. The Li patriarch then bowed before he turned to return to his carriage. When he returned to his son, he just glanced at him coldly. “FangMing, you wait here!” he told his son before he started to look around for the missing prince.
After a while of waiting, the area that Li FangMing was in finally became empty with only him left. This made Li FangMing stand out despite his small stature. The young boy looked around and then walked over to the horse in front of the carriage. “It’s just you and me, horsie,” he said with a dejected sigh. He was just about to touch the horse to play with its pelt when he saw a suspicious man carrying a wriggling sack on his back out of the corner of his eyes. The way he crouched, and how his face was covered, it made him more suspicious. Li FangMing tried to call a guard, but no one was around so, he decided to follow the stranger.
After following the suspicious man for a while, Li FangMing finally found out what the man had been carrying when he took it out of the sack. It was a young boy, who looked the same age as him. Li FangMing had never seen the Crown Prince before, so he had no idea who it was. What he knew was that the young boy must be of higher class because of his clothes.
Li FangMing knew he had to save the boy. He looked around and saw a branch and a stone. The stone was not that big, but it was the size of Li FangMing’s knuckles. He knew he could never dream of beating an adult. Making use of the stick and stone he found, as well as his sash, he created a makeshift flail. But just as he finished making it, he was found out by eunuch Yang Ji.
“Who do we have here? A rat sneaking around?” the eunuch reached out to grab Li FangMing. In his panic, Li FangMing swung the makeshift flail and the stone hit the eunuch smack on his right eye. The eunuch screamed out in pain as he clutched his eyes, blood trickling down his face. That alerted the suspicious man that Li FangMing had followed earlier.
“What’s wrong?!” he took out the dagger that he had hidden with him. At first, he thought that Yang Ji had been attacked by the guards but when he saw Li FangMing, he felt silly. “Boy, what did you do to this Young Master’s companion?” he asked, eyes narrowing dangerously.
Li FangMing was immediately frozen in fear when he felt the pressure from the man. But Li FangMing gritted his inner cheek and braced himself. He knew how it felt to be hopeless. He knew how it felt when you were left alone when you clearly needed help. That was why, Li FangMing decided that he would not abandon that boy.
“I-I’ve already called the guards before I came! Release him and leave!” he yelled out. The man just laughed before he slowly approached Li FangMing.