"Mother will come after you, Zi'er", said a beautiful woman wearing a pheonix crown. The tears trickling down from her eyes and the pearls on her crown were shining equally, making her look like an immortal fairy from heaven.

"Mother will follow you soon, okay?"

The little Zi'er nodded her head. Unlike other days, she didn't have any hairpin on her hair, not her favourite moon pandent dangling from her waist, not even her bangles.

She had a lot of questions but she didn't ask, she didn't dare.

She is afraid to hear the answer though in her little heart she knew it.

"Will father also come with you?" her doe eyes glimmered in hope.

Mother never lies.

"He can't Zi'er, everyone has their own way of walking, sometimes our ways meet and we stay together and when the ways go differ...."

A bearded man in iron armour pushed the door open and came forward with a pair of anxious eyes.

"Your highness, the time has come. We must leave now."

.............

"Mother...."

The woman smiled brightly and hugged Zi'er.

"Xiao Zi, for you... I wish that you take a normal way. Grow up healthy and marry a person who loves you alot. Alright?"

While saying this she slowly slipped a jade ring inside the sleeves of Xiao Zi.

"Commander, Zhang, my hope lies on you."

Commander Zhang bowed by putting his palm together.

"Farewell, Your highness."

Zi'er left with Commander Zhang hearing her mother whispering with Nanny Xu.

"Your highness, why don't you think this over? Little princess is just a child, oblivious to the way of world. You should accompany her."

Her mother didn't reply anything.

Zi'er knows, she knows too well. The path which her father follows is always same with her mother's.

There's no detour in that way.

_____________________

"Xiao guo, guo'er ... wake up! Xiao guo!"

In a weekly market of Jin kingdom a woman is shaking a boy vigorously to wake him up.

"Won't work, it won't work." She gasped for breath and lift up a big tub of water pouring all of it on that boy's head.

"Rain, rain...it's raining. Aunt du, it's raining." The boy hastily woke up and creating a lot of noise but became puzzled immediately.

"Haah!! it's not raining though. Who poured water on me then?"

"Aigoo!! You stupid, sleeping again in my shop?"

The merciless aunt du grabbed his ear and start dragging Xiao guo out of the shop.

"Aahh!! it hurts aunt, ouchhh, I'm dying... your little guo is dying...."

"Die then...die, sleeping all day, why don't you die!!"

"Aunt du..."

She dragged him out of the store and made him stand there.

"Listen, today is the royal wedding of the Second Prince with the Princess of Chu. Many young ladies will come, get them to visit my shop and buy a lot of items. Go!!!"

The little boy Xiao guo who wished to sleep a little more : ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ

"Can't she let me sleep a little more! I'm not growing tall because of this...Who will marry me if I don't become tall and strong!"

However, these complains are all made silently in his little heart, can't be told too loud.

The maids and court ladies in the harem and eunuchs in the court were on edge today, one mistake and who knows who'll breath his or her last. Everything today must be done perfectly.

Eunuch Xiao chi entered Noble consort's place in a haste. Gasping for breath, he asked the first person he saw for the whereabouts of the head eunuch.

"You shouldn't disturb them now and even if you enter, behave properly. Don't anger our consort, otherwise we'll be dead."

A little maid gave a strict warning and showed him the way.

"Alright, alright, only if her highness the Noble consort could keep her posture." Xiao Chi also didn't hesitate to tell her off. After all he is among the favorite pupils of Head eunuch Gu.

"Why? What happened?"...

Xiao Chi scoffed at the maid's ignorance and whispered in her ear.

"His highness, the first prince...."

He didn't have to finish the rest, the maid immediately covered her mouth in terror and ran outside, leaving Xiao Chi alone.

_____________

The head eunuch Gu was on standby with Commander Zhao. Inside, the Emperor of great Jin, Huangfu Xiang, was playing chess with his Noble consort.

The Emperor who was on his sixties looked calm and composed, on the contrary the Noble consort, Zhao Mingxi was smiling like an enchantress. Zhao Mingxi was still in her late forties and her painstaking effort to keep her youth wasn't in vain.

However, this Emperor was happy to get along with his favourite consort in this manner.

The land which consort used as bet in this game was already gone to Emperor's pocket.

"Your majesty! have mercy, you already have my son, now you're taking my land as well."

The Emperor laughed out loud. "Doesn't all things that you possess belong to me already, Xi'er?"

Zhao Mingxi stealthily looked at Commander Zhao, then carefully placed the words.

"But Your majesty, I only have Xiao Bai. Now that he is marrying a princess, what if he.... if he feels ashamed of this consort..."

Saying this the Zhao Mingxi strated crying.

"Xi'er, didn't you say that our Mubai is always the most filial? How could he belittle his mother?"

The Emperor got up from his seat.

"Rest assured. He is the child, I, This emperor had chosen himself."

Consort Zhao knew that pushing this matter would only waste the game. After so many years, she still couldn't get the title of Empress.

"Haste makes waste! If situation turns sour I'd have to wait for my son to take over the throne. The first prince, haah! he could never be my match."

"Reporting to His majesty, the Emperor...."

Xiao Chi entered in a hurry and knelt on the ground.

"What's the matter?" The Emperor, being puzzled looked at the head eunuch.

"Pardon my negligence, Your majesty. This is one of my disciples, he still didn't learn etiquettes well. So he had made a mistake."

"Alright, What's the news you were going to report?"

"Y...Your majesty! The first prince has arrived!"

"Pretty ladies, here. Your face will reflect your pure soul and your smile will reflect inner beauty. A heart which is pure, a smile which is pleasent which man will refuse that?"

Xiao guo was standing outside the shop and surrounding him were the women who came to buy jewellery and make up.

"Xiao Guo, how long are you gonna stand here? my legs are numb already."

Duan yi, Xiao guo's friend called him impatiently. Xiao Guo could only make gesture for him to wait and then continue with his customer calling.

"Come, Come here..... a little touch on your skin, makes you look forever evergreen."

__________

"Xiao Guo..."

Before big brother Duan could yell, Xiao guo put his palms together and bowed, "**This younger brother is deeply ashamed big brother Yi. Please punish me."

"Haiiz, there you go, with your cocky ways as always."

"Alright, alright, Big brother Yi, ease your anger, okay? Tell me what happened?"

Duan Yi came closer and whispered, "The royal marriage is doomed. You know why?"

Xiao Guo only blinked his eyes innocently, truth to be told, he doesn't care about anything that doesn't concern his pocket and his aunt.

"Ahh, you dimwit. The First Prince is coming back."

The first prince......

That's something Xiao Guo is aware of, not by hearing a lot of rumours from Duan Yi and others, but he, himself wanted to know about this person.

It was when Xiao Guo heard that in the army of the First Prince even a commoner can become a general.

"Is he coming back for real this time?"

Xiao guo was extremely happy, his eyes were shining.

Duan Yi shook his head being helpless. "Are you an idiot? In this whole world only you're happy for the first prince."

Xiao guo who is still happy : (✯ᴗ✯)

"But this time no one can stop him. The news spread only after he crossed the city gate. I bet he is already on his way to the palace."

Whenever the first prince tried to enter before, he was always sent back from the city get. Since he is only son of the Emperor who grew up in the battlefield, so the first prince was always roaming around killing enemies on border or accomplishing secret missions.

"What a relief! I can finally meet him."

"HEY!! Are you crazy?".... Duan Yi couldn't help but glare at Xiao Guo and shout loudly.

Then he looked at the surrounding and whispered carefully.

"Do you even know that he is going to ruin the royal wedding?"

"Big brother Yi, why would he do that?"

"Don't you know? the first prince once injured his that part...(coughs) ... I mean, he, with a woman, can't do anything. So he is jealous of his second brother marrying a princess."

Our Xiao Guo, who's brain just short-circuited : (⊙_◎)

______________

Outside of the market, Xiao Guo, Duan Yi and all other people gathered, the imperial guards came out to clear the road. The first prince would be going from this path.

"There, look there, that's the First Prince."