"Shit...who is wandering here at this hour...?" she looked around to take a look.
Prince Yong was here for a wild hunt.
Pandas were found abundantly here.
Sambar hunt was the most fascinating thing for the Prince.
He backed his guards to not interfere in his hunt.
Henan left her horse little away and started to focus on the Prince, she had seen him before in the Shang Kingdom Palace.
Prince was chasing behind the wild sambar and it reached really away from his camp.
Just when he was ready to shot an arrow, a whole group of wild sambar attacked on him, he did not focus around his surrounding and now he was surrounded by this group of angry sambars.
He was sweating now with this sudden turn of luck.
Initially, he was thinking that today luck was great that he found sambar, who would know that Sambars were also lucky today?
The first sambar attacked him, he shot the arrow.
Then second, third, fourth jumped at him.
He wanted to run but there was no escape route.
After some time, he got injured too, Henan was waiting this moment.
She came in between the Prince and the next attacking sambar, her fast movements of sword horrified the rest of sambars still they attacked from every side, they were really angry today.
Few scratches more and she was able to run bringing the Prince out of danger.
Exhausted she fell after the long run, she could see, his camp was near.
It was late so they left the forest and reached the Palace by the next morning with the slightly wounded girl and astounded Prince.
She was given the best lodge.
Many maids were running here and there to fulfill his orders.
~~~~
"How you did this stroke_?" Prince Yong was in his Art Gallery.
It was filled with mature art pieces and many immature and children drawings.
He was leisurely sitting on a flowery cover of couchant in his tight slim robs, looking at the girl who refused to sit beside him, so that he could look more closely the drawing drawn by her.
It was a simple coal drawing of a porcelain vase engraved on was a beautiful bird with a slight touch of background scenery.
Prince bent on her to have a closer look at the drawing which feared tender girl and she crouched back shivering.
After a week of continuous torture by Prince Yong, she was helpless because he started to torture his sister and brother Lue Zhen, she gave in and started to show how she learned the coal drawing and that he could learn too.
This was the first drawing she made in front of him, her hand shivering with fear.
Prince stood up, clutched her hand and dragged her behind.
"Here take the colors and aisle, and redraw this coal drawing on the aisle and remember...this art gallery is precious... don't try to spoil anything here... I cut the hands of a maid who was dusting here and broke the brush...!!" he whispered in her ear.
He stood behind her to see her technique carefully.
"I never used colors and brush before_!" Wei Lan turned back her head not looking at his face.
"Then start using from now on_!" he ordered rudely.
She was looking at the colors and brush like someone looks at his savior, she could not deny his orders but brush and colors might do it.
She had seen the royal portraitist blending colors and using a brush to spread them in the Shang Palace when couple portrait of King and Queen was being drawn but to actually hold them was completely different from just looking.
She might drop colors or broke brush, thinking all these possibilities, she extended her hand to pick the colors which she intends to use for the vase painting.
He hurriedly stopped her hand, "Since this is your first time with colors, let me prepare it for you_take it as my generosity_ tho I am not generous most of the time_!" he was anxious that before she could teach him drawing he might kill her if she accidentally spoiled his art gallery.
She constricted her hand, thanking ancestors that she was spared from this toil.
He smoothly did the blending of colors and preparing brush for her use, Wei Lan could never imagine this rude and stout Prince to be such careful with his colors and brushes.
"Hmm...now you take it and start... I don't have a whole day to spend here...!" he glared her which she did not dare to look.
A maid came rushing, her chest huffing puffing with her rush and immediately bowed to see the Prince, "All glories for Prince_miss has just opened her eyes_!!" Prince heard and forget to learn drawing and rushed toward the grand room he devoted for her.
"Stop...stop...no need to stand on formality...take rest...!" Henan who intends to relax her back was stopped by the rushing Prince Yong and she relaxed back her shoulders.
"I am indebted to you miss... I am not one of those who do not recognize goodwill...I have ordered these physicians to cure your injuries... how are you feeling now...?"
"I am better now_ what is this place and who are you_?" Henan looked around intentionally to pretend, she did not want to get suspicious by this Prince.
"Do you live here_? Did not you know who am I_? This is the Palace and I am Prince Yong whom you helped the last day_?" Prince answered curiously.
Henan bowed her head apologetically, "I am a country girl, living in a very remote village far, pardon my ignorance_I was here to collect some herbs from the bamboo forest_I did not know your Highness Prince Yong_!!"
"You saved a stranger despite the big danger_what is your name_?" he was impressed by the innocent yet courageous village girl.
"My name...Diu_yes... it... is... Diu_!!" she looked at the watered plant and blurted hesitating.
"Indeed_this name compliment your nature and courage_very good name_!!"