Disliked Name
“Why is sister DanYang also here? Oh, it must be for the sake of the eldest, right?”
The eldest prince gently teased her, and Princess DanYang’s emotions instantly became a mess. Her eyes began to shyly drift in Gu ShuBai’s direction.
Gu ShuBai’s expression did not change. It seemed as though he did not understand what the eldest prince meant. His eyes remaining focused.
Princess DanYang retracted her gaze in disappointment.
The eldest prince knew when to stop and stopped his teasing. His eyes then turned to Yu Fu, who was hiding behind her.
“This one should be young miss Yu Fu, right?”
He passed by everyone else and stepped forward. Without any concern for his own status, he slightly squatted down and spoke with Yu Fu while staying even with her eye level.
Yu Fu was in a daze and forgot to greet him. It was only after a few moments had passed that she slightly bowed.
“Greetings, eldest prince.”
“You really are a pretty girl. I frequently hear people in the palace talk about you, saying that you are smart and clever. Even though this is our first meeting, I came without a gift. I hope that young miss does not mind.”
Saying this, he removed the jade pendant from his waist and handed it to Yu Fu.
It was a very nice piece of white jade. The carving was exquisite, which made it clear that this was not a normal item.
Yu Fu hastily took a step back, “Something worn by the eldest prince must be of the highest quality. A young child does not dare accept such a valuable item.”
Hearing what she said, Gu ShuBai smiled. When this smile was seen by Princess DanYang, she found it dazzling.
This was the first time that Yu Fu herself admitted that she was a child.
The eldest prince also smiled. Maintaining his squatted position, he turned to look at Gu ShuBai, “Eldest, Yu Fu refuses to accept the gift. How can I thank you for your hospitality?”
Gu ShuBai looked carefully. Though the piece of jade was indeed quite good, it did not look like something that could only be worn by the imperial family, nor was it something that the eldest prince usually wore.
It was far more likely that he had prepared it specifically for this visit to the marquis manor.
“Yu Fu, it would be ungracious to not accept the eldest prince’s kindness. Just accept it.”
Eldest brother had told her to accept it. That meant that she should accept it.
Yu Fu did not think about it any further and received the jade pendant, smiling at the eldest prince.
The second prince saw this smile and felt his heart get pierced.
He felt that Yu Fu had not smiled so warmly when she had faced him earlier.
Even more of a problem, he had been entirely preoccupied with using archery training as an excuse to cozy up to the young sirs of Marquis Gu’s Manor and ended up forgetting to prepare a gift for Yu Fu.
Now, he had lost out to his eldest brother by a lot!
“Eldest prince, it’s fine to just call me Yu Fu.”
He had a noble status, yet he continued to call her young miss. This was a little too polite.
Moreover, Yu Fu liked that he squatted down to meet her eye level. This gave her a feeling of being respected, thus she wanted to be a little closer with the eldest prince.
“Since that’s the case, there’s no need for Yu Fu to call me eldest prince. I am only three years older than your eldest brother. How about you also call me big brother?”
Yu Fu hurriedly shook her head, running over to Gu ShuBai and tugging at his sleeve.
“I already have eldest brother.”
Her small hands were cold. While moving, she accidentally brushed Gu ShuBai’s wrist. Thinking about it, she must have eaten too many of the chilled foods under the awning.
Having been clung onto by her in front of so many, Gu ShuBai’s mood instantly improved.
The eldest prince was startled and slowly stood up, “My name is Ning YiZhao. How about calling me brother YiZhao?”
Yi, one of its meanings was assistance.
Yu Fu mulled over this name for a while before looking back up and smiling sweetly.
“Brother YiZhao!”
…
After the eldest prince and his siblings left, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
“I was worried earlier that the eldest prince and the second prince were about to begin fighting. The eldest prince was fine, but the second prince looked like he was ready to fight when he saw him. Even I could see the bloodthirst!”
Gu Yi sat crosslegged in fear on a chair, only recovering after downing a cup of cold sour plum drink.
The row of targets a hundred paces away still recorded the results of the earlier archery.
Naturally, there was no need to talk about Gu ShuBai and his siblings. Even the youngest, Gu Yi, could accurately hit the red center with very little deviation.
As for the eldest prince and the second prince, their skills were a little lacking. Comparatively, the eldest prince was better than the second prince, hitting the center at a higher rate. It was clear that he had put in some more practice.
“The eldest prince came today as an unfriendly guest. His intent was to compete with the second prince. How could the second prince not be looking for a fight?”
Gu JiuGe looked up at Gu Yi, “Next time you’re in front of Princess DanYang, don’t say that sort of thing. She is not as lenient as you believe.”
Yu Fu’s ears instantly perked up. She wanted to hear what Gu JiuGe had to say about Princess DanYang.
Gu Yi snorted and looked over at Yu Fu, “Of course, I know that! It was she who mocked Yu Fu first. That’s why I used those words to push her down. That way, she won’t feel so full of herself and make Yu Fu feel miserable.”
The attitudes of the young misses from the previous time were known by all. They also had no desire to see that scene replay itself.
Yu Fu quietly asked Gu ShuBai, “Eldest brother, do you think that Princess DanYang is like second brother said?”
The words Princess DanYang were already enough to make Yu Fu’s opinion perfectly clear.
Gu ShuBai smiled and patted her head, “Is this still not clear enough?”
If even a young child like Yu Fu could understand it, how could they fail to understand?
Yu Fu carefully thought about what he said and suddenly understood.
Indeed, things were sufficiently clear. Princess DanYang pursuing Gu ShuBai was something that everyone knew, yet he never gave the slightest reply. This was more than enough to make his stance known.
Who knew why, but knowing that Gu ShuBai had no feelings for Princess DanYang suddenly calmed her down.
“Eldest brother, what do you think?”
Gu Xiang suddenly turned around and asked Gu ShuBai.
“What were you guys saying?”
Gu ShuBai was startled, finding that he had not been paying attention to their discussion. He had been completely focused on talking to Yu Fu.
Gu Xiang repeated himself: “We were saying that the eldest prince and the second prince are going tit for tat. Who exactly does His Majesty favor more?”
One was the eldest son, and the other was the son of the official wife.
To a country that adhered so tightly to the rules like Eastern Ling, choosing either one as the crown prince would be reasonable. Moreover, the two received equal amounts of support and praise in court.
As for who would inherit the throne, it really was hard to say.
“His Majesty does not have many children. Aside from the eldest prince and the second prince, the other princes are either lower in the line of succession, have some sort of disability, or their abilities are just average. These two princes both have the support of the officials, but the most important official has not yet chosen a side.”
In Eastern Ling’s court, the most important official…
Was that not just Gu HuaiJiang?
Everyone seemed to have come to a sudden realization, “Eldest brother means to say that the eldest prince and the second prince used His Majesty’s advice to visit our manor, but it was not to train in archery. Rather, they were here to curry favor with our Marquis Gu’s Manor?”
Based on His Majesty’s trust in Gu HuaiJiang and his standing in court, it could be said that the prince supported by Gu HuaiJiang would almost certainly become the crown prince.
Gu ShuBai’s gaze landed on Yu Fu’s hand. A dark-green ribbon wrapped around her fingers with a white jade pendant hanging from it. It was currently swinging back and forth.
“Yu Fu, do you like the eldest prince or the second prince?”
“They’re both pretty good and both treat me very well. But brother YiZhao, he must not be too fond of his name, right?”
Swinging the pendant back and forth, Yu Fu suddenly looked up and asked him this question.
TN: The Yi in YiZhao’s name can mean “To assist a ruler”
Disliked Name
“Why is sister DanYang also here? Oh, it must be for the sake of the eldest, right?”
The eldest prince gently teased her, and Princess DanYang’s emotions instantly became a mess. Her eyes began to shyly drift in Gu ShuBai’s direction.
Gu ShuBai’s expression did not change. It seemed as though he did not understand what the eldest prince meant. His eyes remaining focused.
Princess DanYang retracted her gaze in disappointment.
The eldest prince knew when to stop and stopped his teasing. His eyes then turned to Yu Fu, who was hiding behind her.
“This one should be young miss Yu Fu, right?”
He passed by everyone else and stepped forward. Without any concern for his own status, he slightly squatted down and spoke with Yu Fu while staying even with her eye level.
Yu Fu was in a daze and forgot to greet him. It was only after a few moments had passed that she slightly bowed.
“Greetings, eldest prince.”
“You really are a pretty girl. I frequently hear people in the palace talk about you, saying that you are smart and clever. Even though this is our first meeting, I came without a gift. I hope that young miss does not mind.”
Saying this, he removed the jade pendant from his waist and handed it to Yu Fu.
It was a very nice piece of white jade. The carving was exquisite, which made it clear that this was not a normal item.
Yu Fu hastily took a step back, “Something worn by the eldest prince must be of the highest quality. A young child does not dare accept such a valuable item.”
Hearing what she said, Gu ShuBai smiled. When this smile was seen by Princess DanYang, she found it dazzling.
This was the first time that Yu Fu herself admitted that she was a child.
The eldest prince also smiled. Maintaining his squatted position, he turned to look at Gu ShuBai, “Eldest, Yu Fu refuses to accept the gift. How can I thank you for your hospitality?”
Gu ShuBai looked carefully. Though the piece of jade was indeed quite good, it did not look like something that could only be worn by the imperial family, nor was it something that the eldest prince usually wore.
It was far more likely that he had prepared it specifically for this visit to the marquis manor.
“Yu Fu, it would be ungracious to not accept the eldest prince’s kindness. Just accept it.”
Eldest brother had told her to accept it. That meant that she should accept it.
Yu Fu did not think about it any further and received the jade pendant, smiling at the eldest prince.
The second prince saw this smile and felt his heart get pierced.
He felt that Yu Fu had not smiled so warmly when she had faced him earlier.
Even more of a problem, he had been entirely preoccupied with using archery training as an excuse to cozy up to the young sirs of Marquis Gu’s Manor and ended up forgetting to prepare a gift for Yu Fu.
Now, he had lost out to his eldest brother by a lot!
“Eldest prince, it’s fine to just call me Yu Fu.”
He had a noble status, yet he continued to call her young miss. This was a little too polite.
Moreover, Yu Fu liked that he squatted down to meet her eye level. This gave her a feeling of being respected, thus she wanted to be a little closer with the eldest prince.
“Since that’s the case, there’s no need for Yu Fu to call me eldest prince. I am only three years older than your eldest brother. How about you also call me big brother?”
Yu Fu hurriedly shook her head, running over to Gu ShuBai and tugging at his sleeve.
“I already have eldest brother.”
Her small hands were cold. While moving, she accidentally brushed Gu ShuBai’s wrist. Thinking about it, she must have eaten too many of the chilled foods under the awning.
Having been clung onto by her in front of so many, Gu ShuBai’s mood instantly improved.
The eldest prince was startled and slowly stood up, “My name is Ning YiZhao. How about calling me brother YiZhao?”
Yi, one of its meanings was assistance.
Yu Fu mulled over this name for a while before looking back up and smiling sweetly.
“Brother YiZhao!”
…
After the eldest prince and his siblings left, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
“I was worried earlier that the eldest prince and the second prince were about to begin fighting. The eldest prince was fine, but the second prince looked like he was ready to fight when he saw him. Even I could see the bloodthirst!”
Gu Yi sat crosslegged in fear on a chair, only recovering after downing a cup of cold sour plum drink.
The row of targets a hundred paces away still recorded the results of the earlier archery.
Naturally, there was no need to talk about Gu ShuBai and his siblings. Even the youngest, Gu Yi, could accurately hit the red center with very little deviation.
As for the eldest prince and the second prince, their skills were a little lacking. Comparatively, the eldest prince was better than the second prince, hitting the center at a higher rate. It was clear that he had put in some more practice.
“The eldest prince came today as an unfriendly guest. His intent was to compete with the second prince. How could the second prince not be looking for a fight?”
Gu JiuGe looked up at Gu Yi, “Next time you’re in front of Princess DanYang, don’t say that sort of thing. She is not as lenient as you believe.”
Yu Fu’s ears instantly perked up. She wanted to hear what Gu JiuGe had to say about Princess DanYang.
Gu Yi snorted and looked over at Yu Fu, “Of course, I know that! It was she who mocked Yu Fu first. That’s why I used those words to push her down. That way, she won’t feel so full of herself and make Yu Fu feel miserable.”
The attitudes of the young misses from the previous time were known by all. They also had no desire to see that scene replay itself.
Yu Fu quietly asked Gu ShuBai, “Eldest brother, do you think that Princess DanYang is like second brother said?”
The words Princess DanYang were already enough to make Yu Fu’s opinion perfectly clear.
Gu ShuBai smiled and patted her head, “Is this still not clear enough?”
If even a young child like Yu Fu could understand it, how could they fail to understand?
Yu Fu carefully thought about what he said and suddenly understood.
Indeed, things were sufficiently clear. Princess DanYang pursuing Gu ShuBai was something that everyone knew, yet he never gave the slightest reply. This was more than enough to make his stance known.
Who knew why, but knowing that Gu ShuBai had no feelings for Princess DanYang suddenly calmed her down.
“Eldest brother, what do you think?”
Gu Xiang suddenly turned around and asked Gu ShuBai.
“What were you guys saying?”
Gu ShuBai was startled, finding that he had not been paying attention to their discussion. He had been completely focused on talking to Yu Fu.
Gu Xiang repeated himself: “We were saying that the eldest prince and the second prince are going tit for tat. Who exactly does His Majesty favor more?”
One was the eldest son, and the other was the son of the official wife.
To a country that adhered so tightly to the rules like Eastern Ling, choosing either one as the crown prince would be reasonable. Moreover, the two received equal amounts of support and praise in court.
As for who would inherit the throne, it really was hard to say.
“His Majesty does not have many children. Aside from the eldest prince and the second prince, the other princes are either lower in the line of succession, have some sort of disability, or their abilities are just average. These two princes both have the support of the officials, but the most important official has not yet chosen a side.”
In Eastern Ling’s court, the most important official…
Was that not just Gu HuaiJiang?
Everyone seemed to have come to a sudden realization, “Eldest brother means to say that the eldest prince and the second prince used His Majesty’s advice to visit our manor, but it was not to train in archery. Rather, they were here to curry favor with our Marquis Gu’s Manor?”
Based on His Majesty’s trust in Gu HuaiJiang and his standing in court, it could be said that the prince supported by Gu HuaiJiang would almost certainly become the crown prince.
Gu ShuBai’s gaze landed on Yu Fu’s hand. A dark-green ribbon wrapped around her fingers with a white jade pendant hanging from it. It was currently swinging back and forth.
“Yu Fu, do you like the eldest prince or the second prince?”
“They’re both pretty good and both treat me very well. But brother YiZhao, he must not be too fond of his name, right?”
Swinging the pendant back and forth, Yu Fu suddenly looked up and asked him this question.
TN: The Yi in YiZhao’s name can mean “To assist a ruler”
