He reached to her with long strides without her notice and stood behind her just to look at what she was doing here despite the presence of personal guards at his lodge.
He carefully looked but could not believe, she not only draw his figure but the expression of his face at that moment were drawn out too, not only this she also draw his surrounding scenery with the coal in her hand, he felt shamed, he was Crown Prince and had all sources to learn painting while this girl whose drawing on wooden plank and with coal and surpass his ability too.
From her looks she doesn't belong to the family of King, she must be a maid, when she was completely done her drawing, she thought to run from this side before Crown Prince could notice her intrusion close to his stay lodge.
She stood up and ran, thud, 'ahh' her head collided with iron plate, her drawing and coal fell on the ground while she grasped her head in pain to see the iron plate where head struck.
Her half opened eyes fell on the iron plate and to her surprise, there was no plate, it was clear that it was a figure of someone, her pupils pop out and her eyelids expand to the maximum.
"Ancestors please save me," she only prayed in her heart. "If anyone wrong please forgave me," she made another prayer in her heart.
Expressionless Crown Prince was baffled at her sudden action, what was the use to throw egg on the rock; she only hurt her head, simply.
She bowed to the Crown Prince deeply regretting her actions.
"What were you doing here?" he asked in a dry voice, "I…" she was short of words.
"Show me the portrait you made," he ordered her, she fell to the ground and quickly bring out wooden plank, "Its coal drawing," her voice was quivering to the point that it was difficult to understand her words.
He extended his hands to grab the wooden plank.
"Wonderful, I wanted to buy you coal drawing, he looked at her this time smiling, "I…" she felt the urge to cry out loud, it seemed that Crown Prince was in a habit to make fun of others, he wanted to buy a coal drawing, was their exaggerated joke other than this one?
"How about five hundred gold coins?" with this, she passed out; it was too heavy for her small heart.
Thud…
She fell on the ground and Crown Prince thought what made her lose consciousness.
Indeed he knew the reason, if she was a maid, five hundred gold coins were equal to Kingdom Treasure for her, she must be paid in few silver coins, and he just wanted to see her reaction because her coal drawing was more worth than this.
He called for servants and they shifted her to her abode, Jie Lan saw her and started rubbing her hands with anxiety.
Wei Lan woke in the midnight muttering few words under her breath.
Jie Lan was still sitting close to her and felt happy that her sister woke up, "What happened wee?" she asked with earnestness, "Jie, I offended Crown Prince, I am doomed now," she started crying in her embrace.
She tried to comfort her but she was shedding tears like rain, she fainted again during her screams, Jie was equally anxious over her condition.
In the morning both woke up, they were sitting sleeping a very stroppy way, in normal time both would have laughed out loud over their way but now both were perplexed what to do to decrease the wrath of Crown Prince.
"I should go and apology to him before he could complain my behavior to the King," Wei Lan said determinedly.
The next day Crown Prince was ready to go back to his Kingdom, he showed his interest to take one maid as his personal maid from this place.
It was common indeed if anyone of this standing wished servants from other Palace, they could take them along.
Prince Yong wanted to learn coal drawing from this maid but he did not reveal this intention to the King. When Wei Lan heard it, she was frenzied to hear this decree for her small act of ignorance.
Jie Lan ran to beg Henan to do something to save her sister.
Henan heard and consoled, she had seen Crown Prince, he was not a wicked nature person…
In the separate pavilion, King was sitting with his four advisors, they were in deep meditation, "I wanted to let know Crown Prince that Huns were really threat," he looked at his advisors and spoke with a relaxed tone.
"I seek your pardon my King, why it was necessary to do so?" he could not understand King's intentions.
"Crown Prince of the neighbor Kingdom is also admirer of General Zhong and he expressed his wish to meet General Zhong which I drive blank with the pre-rehearsed story but clearly he did not believe it, I wanted to create supposition for him to believe that Huns were truly invincible and General Zhong lost against them because of this, though it would be insufficient but for it to be the first step not bad," they heard the plot of King and praised his cunningness in their hearts.