Chapter Three.
Yan Yu walked confidently past the ministers and halted to greet Emperor Yan. Emperor Yan had no close relationship with his sons but from what he heard from others Yan Yu was the most resilient.
"Where were you?"Emperor Yan asked.
"I went to say goodbye to my pets."
"Pets? What kind of pets?"
"Rabbits."
The palace was located in Yunshan Metropolis and as the name suggests Yunshan was a hilly cold region. The palace had tiny hills and the backside of those hills was a habitat for wild rabbits. Due to his crafty nature,Yan Yu had discovered them and decided to tame them as a hobby.
"How can a boy fancy rabbits? I thought only girls can do that,"Emperor Yan laughed sarcastically.
"Father Emperor,in your opinion what should I fancy?"
"When I was your age I liked archery."
"I already started learning archery when I turned four years and I'm almost perfect at it,"Yan Yu replied boldly.
"I like your personality. If I weren't for these sly ministers who urged me to send you to Qijun State I would rest assured if the throne ended up in your hands."
"How can the throne be passed to the Eight Prince?"the few ministers around began mumbling amongst themselves.
Emperor Yan ignored the murmurs and proceeded to instruct Yan Yu what was expected of him. No one was sure how long he would live as a hostage prince but one thing for sure , he would end up spending the rest of his childhood in Qijun State.
"Father Emperor, I would like to ask you for a favour?"Yan Yu confidently requested.
"What is it?"
"Please ask the guards to escort Mother Empress back."
"Fine."
Empress weeped as the guards dragged her away. Yan Yu himself was a crybaby but with Emperor Yan's temper,he disliked crybabies the most so Yan Yu had to render himself confident. As young as he was ,he was willing to sacrifice himself for his mother. After Emperor Yan's final remarks,the envoy left after receiving good luck wishes from others.
Ever since he was born Yan Yu had only stepped out of the palace once to accompany the Empress to the Temple. That was the second time he stepped out of the palace and he wouldn't return there in the next five to ten years. Minister Bai Que was strict though he respected royalty while Minister Feng Buyi on the other hand feared royalty,he feared offending this little hot tempered prince. Most of the times throughout the journey Yan Yu went on a hunger strike and Minister Feng Buyi had to practically beg him to eat.
"If you refuse to eat you'll end up dying and those people you said betrayed you will continue living happily and even Her Majesty will forget you in a year,"this mean and sarcastic comment was from Minister Bai Que. Bai Que knew nothing about coaxing kids. The only way to toughen up this little prince was to provoke him.
"My mother will never forget me!"Yan Yu yelled in anger.
"When my little brother died at the age of four just like you everyone forgot about him after my mother gave birth to another child,"Minister Bai added.
"Really?"Yan Yu calmed down a bit trying to analyze Minister Bai's words. It was indeed true. People usually forget about the dead with time. The only way to get back at those he felt betrayed him was to live well even under most difficult circumstances. Minister Bai's method worked pretty well and the little prince cooperated with them for the rest of the journey.
On the thirteenth day of their journey is when they crossed the border and entered the Qijun State. Both states were on the peak of the Spring Season but Qijun State was warmer than Zhenyan State. Qijun State was more vibrant than Zhenyan State. There were many grasslands unlike the mountainous Zhenyan State. It was a foreign land and they were not familiar with the terrain and since it was getting dark they had to find an inn to settle down in.
As they travelled a few more kilometers the visibility began reducing. They probably thought it was because of the dark. As they stopped to analyze the situation clearly,they noticed the zone in front was shrouded in mist. This secretive and mysterious place was Wuyin Village(Mist Hidden Village). This place was shrouded in mist all year round whatever the season it was. Apparently it was one of the coldest places in the Qijun state.This village was also known for its mysterious inhabitants who slept during the day and worked at night. Since it was the only route they knew,they travelled further and entered the village. There were sounds of people doing different kinds of things be it black smiths carving tools using metals.
The inhabitants of Wuyin Village were known to be unfriendly and always had their guard up. Once the foreigners stepped into their land they noticed it immediately. Within a few minutes,the envoy was surrounded by mysterious figures.
"Who are you trespass to our land?"
Everyone was banking on Minister Bai to speak up for them but Minister Bai was tongue-tied for a moment. He didn't know whether he should reveal their identity or not.
"We're looking for a place to sleep,"Minister Feng Buyi spoke up trembling.
"Sleep?"One of the mysterious men snorted. These people disliked those who went against their routine of sleeping during the day and working at night.
"Who dares to sleep now?"
"Sir,we have travelled for long so we would like to rest,"Minister Feng requested his voice almost disappearing.
The envoy knew revealing their identity to these people wouldn't be of any help. Yan Yu who had been staying in the carriage finally alighted drawing everyone's attention.
"Distinguished gentlemen,pardon these lazy servants of mine. They like to sleep anytime with the excuse of travelling for long and feeling tired. We're here to look for the best black smith to sell us weapons,"Yan Yu spoke up confidently. Even though he was very young,they could tell he was from a distinguished family from the way he dressed. Most of the inhabitants there were blacksmiths so they all scrambled to get Yan Yu's attention.