For as long as Zhang Fengxi knew these two men, they had always been close to each other. The reason for that was quite simple. They were related to each other, biologically.
Xie Jianyu's omega elder brother was married to Shuiran Palace Master. He gave birth to Jiang Muchen two years before his mother gave birth to his younger brother -- Xie Jianyu.
That was why Jiang Muchen always called Xie Jianyu...
"Little Uncle," Jiang Muchen turned away from Zhang Fengxi who just entered the pavilion. He was so quick to dismiss the future Supreme General of the empire. But oh well, he was the kind to dismiss even the Heavenly Emperor for the love of his life, Xie Jianyu.
Now that Zhang Fengxi thought about it, if these two really hit it off with each other, would that not be taboo?
"I don't understand the meaning of this passage," Jiang Muchen said with a faux helpless tone, clearly begging for Xie Jianyu's attention. "Can you please teach me again?"
Xie Jianyu gave Zhang Fengxi the briefest glance before he lowered his gaze and looked at the passage in the book.
Zhang Fengxi took his seat in the latest row. He took out his book and pretended to read, but his ears were tuned to the conversation between Jiang Muchen and his little uncle.
Xie Jianyu's melodious voice was soon heard when he recited the passage out loud.
"The waning moon hangs above an unknown land,
my heartbeat rose above the silence.
Crimson flower blooms on my sword,
counting the tears until we meet again."
Zhang Fengxi looked up at the duo. Was it just his imagination or did Xie Jianyu look a lot like an omega from the left angle?
"Clearly, it is a poem about two lovers who have been separated by time and distance," a voice behind Zhang Fengxi announced himself.
Jiang Muchen furrowed his brows in displeasure at the new person who just entered the pavilion.
It was Zhou Guiying, the younger brother of the current Qingyuan Palace Master. He was known for being a helpless skirt chaser, always on the look for the prettiest omegas to play with.
In short, he was a despicable player who broke hearts left and right. Very much unlike his elder brother, Zhou Guizheng.
Zhou Guiying crossed the rows of desks and seating pillows to sit right behind Jiang Muchen and Xie Jianyu.
"Am I right, Crown Prince?" he asked with a smug smile on his lips.
"You are wrong," Xie Jianyu said, wiping the smile off Zhou Guiying's face in an instant.
Jiang Muchen had to cover the lower part of his face with a book to hide his glee.
"How can it be, the verses are so romantic," Zhou Guiying argued. "Crown Prince, are you purposefully trying to humiliate me?"
Zhang Fengxi scoffed a little louder than he wanted, drawing the attention of the three people at once.
"Yo, Zhang Fengxi, Brother, are you looking down on me?" Zhou Guiying squinted at him.
Zhang Fengxi sneered at him in return.
"Brother Guiying, if I am not mistaken, that poem hails from 'Odes Of Power'. How can it contain romantic verses?"
Zhou Guiying's jaw almost dropped to the ground.
"Impossible," he said. Before he grabbed the book in front of Xie Jianyu to look at its title, the latter already held it up to show it to him.
"Odes Of Power" was written across the book cover.
"Surprising that Prince Zhang Fengxi memorizes the poems in this collection. Or was that just a coincidence?" Xie Jianyu narrowed his eyes at Zhang Fengxi in distrust.
Zhang Fengxi sucked in a deep breath before he recited the next passage of the poem.
"My Lord, my Liege, my King,
thrice I bowed my head,
yet my fealty failed to waver,
serving only the dragon on the throne."
Zhou Guiying snickered.
"It almost sounds like the king's vassal is deeply in love with the king himself. Are we sure that it is not romantic by nature?"
"Did I hear someone besmirching the heroic verses of 'Odes Of Power'?"
Zhou Guiying almost jumped off his seat. His heart pounded hard against his ribcage when he caught sight of the Grand Tutor. The elder man glared at him while making his way to the front side of the pavilion.
Behind him, more male and female alpha students poured into the pavilion and took their seats.
"No, Grand Tutor, of course not," Zhou Guiying said once he recomposed himself. "I am just admiring the way the Crown Prince recited the poem. It was so beautiful that any verse about war and destruction sounds like a heart-wrenchingly romantic verse in my ears."
The Grand Tutor arched his brows at the young man.
"Is that so? Then, now that you open your eyes and read from the book itself, what does this passage mean?"
"Erm..."
Zhou Guiying cleared his throat. He stared at the strings of characters so hard that tears started to build in his eyes.
"Well?"
"I believe that these verses tell about a general who is separated from his liege lord in a war. He is praying for his liege lord's safety from afar."
"Wrong," Zhang Fengxi mouthed from the back row.
Fate ordained that the Grand Tutor just happened to look in his direction at the most inopportune moment.
"And what would the correct answer be, Prince Zhang Fengxi?" the Grand Tutor thus asked, startling the young man in question.