Two Sons Compete
“Princess DanYang, you’re going to teach Yu Fu? I fear that you aren’t even on Yu Fu’s level!”
Gu Yi was young and had a direct personality. He would speak whatever was on his mind and laughed loudly while speaking.
Princess DanYang instantly felt embarrassed.
She slightly furrowed her brow, and the second prince gave her a look, telling her not to argue with Gu Yi.
After Gu Yi stopped laughing, Gu JiuGe tried to mend the situation, saying: “Princess, don’t take it to heart. Yu Fu is indeed well-learned. These days, she has been improving by leaps and bounds while studying under Teacher Lin. Teacher said that even fourth brother is on the verge of being unable to compete with her!”
The second prince raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Lin FengMiao, Teacher Lin, is a renowned scholar. To be able to receive his praise, sister Yu Fu must truly be talented. DanYang, it’s your loss.”
Princess DanYang’s face blushed even harder upon hearing this. Initially, she had wanted to use this chance to visit Marquis Gu’s Manor more often, but who knew that she would embarrass herself.
Since they were in front of Gu ShuBai, she could not act out. She could only act as if nothing was wrong and nod, “It was because sister Yu Fu looks young that I thought that she was still learning to read. It was my fault.”
“Second prince’s praise is misplaced. Princess DanYang, how about you and I go sit inside?”
Yu Fu had not forgotten that her purpose for coming here was to separate the second prince and Princess DanYang to ensure that she did not cause any trouble.
The second prince became even happier to hear this, thus he let them go inside. Gu ShuBai ordered for some chilled fruit juice to be sent inside.
“Gu Yi, I haven’t seen you shoot in a long time. I wonder if you have improved at all?”
The second prince handed the bow to Gu Yi, and the latter confidently received it without any reservations.
“You’ll find out once I’ve shot!”
The boys trained in archery outside, and Yu Fu obediently sipped her cold sour plum drink while sitting under the awning.
Princess DanYang’s face remained red for a while. It was only after she recovered that she found that she was drinking very slowly and steadily, taking one sip at a time.
“Sister Yu Fu, don’t be so restrained. Didn’t I tell you last time to call me sister DanYang? Why did you just call me princess?”
Restrained?
Yu Fu awkwardly put down the small bowl.
She had only just drank the bird nest soup before coming over. Now, she was unable to drink anything else, thus she was drinking so slowly.
If she did not drink, she would need to speak with Princess DanYang. She truly did not want to think of something to chat with her about.
Who knew that she would be misunderstood as being restrained.
“Yes, sister DanYang.”
Princess DanYang was screaming internally. Last time, those young misses had visited and spurned Yu Fu for not being Marquis Gu’s daughter, and they had all left, while she was the only one who had stayed. Yu Fu was clearly very grateful for that.
Why was it that she now felt a little bit distant?
“Sister Yu Fu, watch my second brother shoot!”
Through the thin fabric, Princess DanYang saw the second prince suddenly raise the bow and cheerfully told Yu Fu to watch.
Yu Fu looked over. The arrow flew straight, and though it landed on the target, it did not hit the red center.
Princess DanYang saw that her interest was weak and knew that after seeing Gu ShuBai’s archery, she could not bring herself to praise the second prince’s skill. It was inevitable that she would look down on it.
“Elder brother being able to hit the target is already quite amazing. There’s no need for him to hit the center. In the future, he will be the ruler to unite the country. There won’t be any need for him to personally ride on to the battlefield. This level is already good enough!”
Who knew if she was just overly hasty to repair his reputation or if she felt that Yu Fu was too young and could not understand, but Princess DanYng spoke very directly.
Yu Fu thought quickly and looked at her while feigning ignorance.
“So second prince has already been announced as the crown prince? I did not know about this previously. If I had known, I should have called him crown prince.”
Only now did Princess DanYang realize that she had misspoken.
For the sake of not losing face in front of Yu Fu, she remained stubborn and said: “Though second brother has not yet been announced as the crown prince, he is Father Emperor’s only son born from the Empress. In the future, he will definitely become the crown prince. Right now, it’s because he is too young, and Father Emperor wishes to have him train for a few more years.”
Yu Fu sneered internally.
Her guess was correct. Sure enough, Princess DanYang’s dignified bearing and graciousness were completely hollow.
Just looking at how angry she became from Gu Yi’s earlier mocking, it could be seen that this was the case.
Whether it was her kindness towards herself or others, it was all for the sake of getting closer to her eldest brother.
Could it be that eldest brother also knew this, and this was why he showed no acceptance for her feelings?
“Un, it’s definitely like this.”
Yu Fu carelessly agreed, plucking a purple grape that was covered in beads of water. Without even peeling it, she tossed it into her mouth.
“So cold!”
Seeing her occupied with eating, Princess DanYang scornfully smiled and relaxed.
If Yu Fu was smart, she would remember the improper words that had just been said and reveal them. That would be bad.
“Grapes taste better when peeled. Dian’er, why haven’t you peeled some grapes for Yu Fu?”
With Princess DanYang having spoken, her personal maid stepped forward. Moving the grapes from in front of Yu Fu over, she began to peel them.
Yu Fu could only sit there and obediently eat them. One would be peeled, and she would eat one. She ate until her little cheeks were completely round.
As she ate, someone outside suddenly reported.
“The eldest prince has arrived!”
The eldest prince?
Yu Fu held a grape in her mouth. She wondered to herself, the second prince was here, so why had the eldest prince also come?
Since they were brothers, they should have come together. Why would one come before the other? It really was odd.
Princess DanYang’s expression changed and instantly looked to be very irritated, but she quickly recovered her usual expression.
“Sister Yu Fu, the eldest prince has come. Let’s go out.”
She said the eldest prince and not eldest brother. Yu Fu keenly noted that there was some friction between the siblings of the imperial family.
Walking outside, she saw what could be considered friction.
“Eldest brother, why have you suddenly come? I came to Marquis Gu’s Manor today to ask for advice on archery. Could it be that eldest brother didn’t know?”
The second prince stood in front of the eldest prince, but there was none of the respect that a younger brother should show. Instead, he was full of bravado.
“Father Emperor said that we, as princes, should come to the marquis manor more often to become learned and trained in martial arts. I was thinking of finding a time to come without disrupting them. Hearing that second brother came today, I also came over. Does this not save the young sirs quite a bit of trouble?”
The eldest prince was calm and reasoned. Yu Fu looked from a distance and saw that he was thin and that he was not as tall as the second prince.
If he was not a few years older than the second prince, it might be that he would look more like the younger brother than the older brother.
Gu ShuBai and the others said: “Eldest prince is too modest. How could it be a disruption? Everyone learning from each other is a great thing.”
The eldest prince smiled in agreement, but the second prince’s face became a little ugly. In front of outsiders, the eldest was always better at putting on an act.
“Eldest brother, you came?”
Princess DanYang stepped forward at the optimal time and slightly bowed with an impeccable smile.
Two Sons Compete
“Princess DanYang, you’re going to teach Yu Fu? I fear that you aren’t even on Yu Fu’s level!”
Gu Yi was young and had a direct personality. He would speak whatever was on his mind and laughed loudly while speaking.
Princess DanYang instantly felt embarrassed.
She slightly furrowed her brow, and the second prince gave her a look, telling her not to argue with Gu Yi.
After Gu Yi stopped laughing, Gu JiuGe tried to mend the situation, saying: “Princess, don’t take it to heart. Yu Fu is indeed well-learned. These days, she has been improving by leaps and bounds while studying under Teacher Lin. Teacher said that even fourth brother is on the verge of being unable to compete with her!”
The second prince raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Lin FengMiao, Teacher Lin, is a renowned scholar. To be able to receive his praise, sister Yu Fu must truly be talented. DanYang, it’s your loss.”
Princess DanYang’s face blushed even harder upon hearing this. Initially, she had wanted to use this chance to visit Marquis Gu’s Manor more often, but who knew that she would embarrass herself.
Since they were in front of Gu ShuBai, she could not act out. She could only act as if nothing was wrong and nod, “It was because sister Yu Fu looks young that I thought that she was still learning to read. It was my fault.”
“Second prince’s praise is misplaced. Princess DanYang, how about you and I go sit inside?”
Yu Fu had not forgotten that her purpose for coming here was to separate the second prince and Princess DanYang to ensure that she did not cause any trouble.
The second prince became even happier to hear this, thus he let them go inside. Gu ShuBai ordered for some chilled fruit juice to be sent inside.
“Gu Yi, I haven’t seen you shoot in a long time. I wonder if you have improved at all?”
The second prince handed the bow to Gu Yi, and the latter confidently received it without any reservations.
“You’ll find out once I’ve shot!”
The boys trained in archery outside, and Yu Fu obediently sipped her cold sour plum drink while sitting under the awning.
Princess DanYang’s face remained red for a while. It was only after she recovered that she found that she was drinking very slowly and steadily, taking one sip at a time.
“Sister Yu Fu, don’t be so restrained. Didn’t I tell you last time to call me sister DanYang? Why did you just call me princess?”
Restrained?
Yu Fu awkwardly put down the small bowl.
She had only just drank the bird nest soup before coming over. Now, she was unable to drink anything else, thus she was drinking so slowly.
If she did not drink, she would need to speak with Princess DanYang. She truly did not want to think of something to chat with her about.
Who knew that she would be misunderstood as being restrained.
“Yes, sister DanYang.”
Princess DanYang was screaming internally. Last time, those young misses had visited and spurned Yu Fu for not being Marquis Gu’s daughter, and they had all left, while she was the only one who had stayed. Yu Fu was clearly very grateful for that.
Why was it that she now felt a little bit distant?
“Sister Yu Fu, watch my second brother shoot!”
Through the thin fabric, Princess DanYang saw the second prince suddenly raise the bow and cheerfully told Yu Fu to watch.
Yu Fu looked over. The arrow flew straight, and though it landed on the target, it did not hit the red center.
Princess DanYang saw that her interest was weak and knew that after seeing Gu ShuBai’s archery, she could not bring herself to praise the second prince’s skill. It was inevitable that she would look down on it.
“Elder brother being able to hit the target is already quite amazing. There’s no need for him to hit the center. In the future, he will be the ruler to unite the country. There won’t be any need for him to personally ride on to the battlefield. This level is already good enough!”
Who knew if she was just overly hasty to repair his reputation or if she felt that Yu Fu was too young and could not understand, but Princess DanYng spoke very directly.
Yu Fu thought quickly and looked at her while feigning ignorance.
“So second prince has already been announced as the crown prince? I did not know about this previously. If I had known, I should have called him crown prince.”
Only now did Princess DanYang realize that she had misspoken.
For the sake of not losing face in front of Yu Fu, she remained stubborn and said: “Though second brother has not yet been announced as the crown prince, he is Father Emperor’s only son born from the Empress. In the future, he will definitely become the crown prince. Right now, it’s because he is too young, and Father Emperor wishes to have him train for a few more years.”
Yu Fu sneered internally.
Her guess was correct. Sure enough, Princess DanYang’s dignified bearing and graciousness were completely hollow.
Just looking at how angry she became from Gu Yi’s earlier mocking, it could be seen that this was the case.
Whether it was her kindness towards herself or others, it was all for the sake of getting closer to her eldest brother.
Could it be that eldest brother also knew this, and this was why he showed no acceptance for her feelings?
“Un, it’s definitely like this.”
Yu Fu carelessly agreed, plucking a purple grape that was covered in beads of water. Without even peeling it, she tossed it into her mouth.
“So cold!”
Seeing her occupied with eating, Princess DanYang scornfully smiled and relaxed.
If Yu Fu was smart, she would remember the improper words that had just been said and reveal them. That would be bad.
“Grapes taste better when peeled. Dian’er, why haven’t you peeled some grapes for Yu Fu?”
With Princess DanYang having spoken, her personal maid stepped forward. Moving the grapes from in front of Yu Fu over, she began to peel them.
Yu Fu could only sit there and obediently eat them. One would be peeled, and she would eat one. She ate until her little cheeks were completely round.
As she ate, someone outside suddenly reported.
“The eldest prince has arrived!”
The eldest prince?
Yu Fu held a grape in her mouth. She wondered to herself, the second prince was here, so why had the eldest prince also come?
Since they were brothers, they should have come together. Why would one come before the other? It really was odd.
Princess DanYang’s expression changed and instantly looked to be very irritated, but she quickly recovered her usual expression.
“Sister Yu Fu, the eldest prince has come. Let’s go out.”
She said the eldest prince and not eldest brother. Yu Fu keenly noted that there was some friction between the siblings of the imperial family.
Walking outside, she saw what could be considered friction.
“Eldest brother, why have you suddenly come? I came to Marquis Gu’s Manor today to ask for advice on archery. Could it be that eldest brother didn’t know?”
The second prince stood in front of the eldest prince, but there was none of the respect that a younger brother should show. Instead, he was full of bravado.
“Father Emperor said that we, as princes, should come to the marquis manor more often to become learned and trained in martial arts. I was thinking of finding a time to come without disrupting them. Hearing that second brother came today, I also came over. Does this not save the young sirs quite a bit of trouble?”
The eldest prince was calm and reasoned. Yu Fu looked from a distance and saw that he was thin and that he was not as tall as the second prince.
If he was not a few years older than the second prince, it might be that he would look more like the younger brother than the older brother.
Gu ShuBai and the others said: “Eldest prince is too modest. How could it be a disruption? Everyone learning from each other is a great thing.”
The eldest prince smiled in agreement, but the second prince’s face became a little ugly. In front of outsiders, the eldest was always better at putting on an act.
“Eldest brother, you came?”
Princess DanYang stepped forward at the optimal time and slightly bowed with an impeccable smile.
