Once prince Soon's imperial lessons designed only for a crown prince ended, he returned to his palace to find his imperial brother indulged in the act of eating and drinking.
Prince Song on sighting his younger brother stood up and invited him over.
"Older brother, you know I'm still fourteen years old and not allowed to drink liquor"
"Hey my little brother, you should loosen up, it's just few months to your coming of age... what's the difference between now and then?"
Prince Soon chuckled helplessness at his capricious behavior, " The stark difference is , I would be considered an adult and escape getting an earful from imperial mother".
"Aww... my little child, it's not like you will drink and tell her" , he loosely placed his arm around his, grabbing him in a convincing manner.
Prince Soon"..."
"Imperial mother has eyes and ears everywhere, she will scold me and that's the least things l want. In addition,I'm not a little child", he whined, his dark eyes clouding with a warning Song understood clearly.
Prince Song retraced his hands while creating a considerable distance between them, " Suit yourself", he said. "This older brother will enjoy himself".
He paused suddenly, like one contemplating on an important manner, his iris narrowed at the table full of dishes before sizing his little brother up. "One thing is missing".
"What's that", Prince Soon asked in confusion as he traced his lingering gaze and obviously knew he had another complaint.
Noticing his younger brother's eyes, he understood what was going through his mind and laughed.
" Little Soon, this table is full but the atmosphere is not right, the voices and laughter of pretty ladies are missing", he spoke out amusingly before fixing his gaze on him.
Prince Soon with evident horror clouded in his face, moved away from him. 'How can he be so shameless?', he thought as he brushed past him to help himself to the food.
"Here is a palace, brother. If you need voices of pretty ladies, I suggest you make a quick visit to the brothel", he admonished while stressing on the word 'voice' as he picked up a skewered meat to feed himself.
"That's not what I mean, little brother", he pouted with the hurt of a misunderstood person playing in his eyes.
" l mean ,look at the pucker faces of your eunuchs and servants, no one is smiling at me, l feel like we are mourning with so many grim faces devoid of smiles, so tell me how can I survive in the midst of this".
The crown prince opened his mouth but no words came out, them he clamped it shut like he never had one.
Prince Song continued, "My dear little bro! you are very strong. I wonder how long l would have lasted in this palace if I lived here", he smiled in contentment, his smiles taunting and mocking him
" My dearest brother, you are missing a lot living in this lonely palace", he added satisfactorily as he grabbed a drumstick nearest to him, munching and sucking like his very existence depended on them.
Waves of excitement abounded in prince Soon's heart when he recalled the interesting events and news his brother always regaled him with.
"Older brother, gist me again about the things happening outside the palace", he asked out of the blue, making him to almost spit out the well grilled chicken he had in his mouth.
" No !!!", he shouted as he stood up abruptly, startling Soon and the eunuch that chose to remain invincible.
" Pay to listen, my throat almost went dry with last time's story and you didn't even bother to compensate me". He folded his hands akimbo with the pose of a defiant soldier.
"Will the best flower wine in the imperial cellar do?", he asked him quietly.
Prince Song sat down dumbfounded. He praised unabashedly.
"I must confess, being a crown prince has it's specks. You can even access the best wine and food".
Now it was Prince Soon's turn to be dumbfounded, he thought to himself.
Of course, the head of his brother is always filled with food and wine, in fact nothing else appeals to him if not food and wine ... and of course GIRLS .
"Hypocrite", he mumbled softly, while spreading his grin wider.
Well trust Prince Song and his stories, verily he started from women to ladies and finally to girls
Prince Soon almost choked on the air.
"What? You kissed the lady? Brother take it easy. But does it mean l will be getting a sister-in-law very soon?"
It became Prince Song's turn to choke on the air. "What? who told you that I have to marry every girl l kissed? Kissing helps in burning out fat and it's like an exercise to me, she's even the 6th girl I'm kissing this week"
"Yuck ! that's so gross Bro, what if you get them pregnant?"
Prince Song almost slapped his brother silly, who exactly told him that kissing gets someone pregnant.
His brother is supposedly smart but the biggest dummy when it comes to worldly affairs and knowledge. He made a mental note to teach him a lot of things and make sure he comes out from his dummy zone .
By the time he finished his stories, night came and it was time to go home.
He has been living outside the palace ever since he was two years old. He was told he's an unloved and abandoned son who the emperor has discarded. Yet, he misses this father very much.
He bade goodbye to his younger brother and left immediately to avoid the empress's reprimanding insults. Since it's a well known fact this permission came reluctantly and is only limited to once a week, he wouldn't want to give him reasons to lock him out totally.
AT THE EMPEROR'S PALACE
"The boy has left?".
The attendant nodded.
With the wave of his hand, his eunuchs and attendants left him alone.
Nobody saw the sad eyes of their ruler and a father that misses his son as he hid it completely.
"He didn't come to say Hi", he sighed.
He doesn't blame the boy for not visiting him, after all he's been distant. If he had come, he would have been denied entry so as to fool the enemies and prolong the boy's life.
"My son, l have to hurt myself for me to keep you alive. Hopefully one day, you will come to know that your father loved and missed you alot", he sighed wearily as he looked up the ceiling, his eyes filled with longing.
"For now, let's keep up with the facade" .
The suppressed tears threatened to choke him into a sob, yet he didn't let go of a single tear.
Smiling sadly, he retired to his bedchamber to sleep away his sorrow.
AT THE EMPRESS'S PALACE
She was relieved to know that the eyesore has left the palace. For the love of a son, she endured the trash continual visit to the palace .
Rage blazes like an inferno , churning her intestine to pierce each time she sets her eyes on him. The turmoil boils down at the remembrance of a piece of information she received from her spies__ Aside drinking and women, he's practically has no use , hence she doesn't view him as a threat to her son's throne.
Still, the very sight of him sets her heart ablaze for stealing the title of the firstborn prince from her son.
Another thing that sets her heart at ease is the emperor's neglect and distance. It seems he's not quite interested in the boy and that's the only thing keeping her at bay.
AT ROYAL CONSORT KI'S PALACE
She received the report of her son's departure from her court lady.
Falling into a daze, the incident of the empress's nasty treatment on his first palace visit revisited her memories.
*Slap*
The empress fumed with rage.
"How dare you come to the crown prince's palace! Did your mother send you to come and spy on my son? ", she howled in a raspy voice as her face darkened with disgust and displeasure.
The two playing kids were surprised at the empress's agitation. Innocent faces looked at her incomprehensibly as they were oblivious of the cause of the anger.
The empress raised her hands to slap the little boy again but because anger had clouded her vision, she slapped her little boy who stood up in defense.
She almost died when she saw who she had slapped. She collapsed on her knees with tears running down her cheeks, she hugged her son and asked him why he threw himself in-between.
The six years old replied shocked her, trauma of the answer outlived that of the slap.
"He is my brother. I don't know what our crime is but I can't allow him to bear the burden alone", he defended, his gaze flickering from his mother to her entourage.
"He is not your brother! He is just the son of a vixen that seduced the emperor" the empress shouted, making to deliver another slap.
"If you touch my brother again, l will go on hunger strike and never call you(Mother) again" . The shrill but imposing voice of a six years old intimidated her and made her relent on her intended actions.
After gracing the older prince with a look filled with menace, she stormed out like a tornado.
Royal consort ki witnessed what happened and smiled at the little prince who stood up against the empress and for his brother.
She thought to herself as she watched the display helplessly, 'My son, it seems am no more needed... you got yourself the biggest protector. The crown prince of the nation'.
Jolting back to the present, she sighed.
"Endure my son, it shall surely come to pass"