Yingtao Fu served both as the Minister of War and also a General. He was in charge of military affairs army organization, deployment and logistics. Yingtao Fu resided in Jinshi Harbour in the North guarding both land and sea.
Some months ago he had sent his wife Yu Fengran and his daughter Yingtao Hua back to Mingzhou. Since she had spent most of her life with her father at the military camp, Yingtao Hua was fond of doing archery. She had inherited most of her father's traits. Her gamine nature made her parents think it was right for her to go back to Mingzhou and practice being a girl before it was too late.
Still at Mingzhou she set up archery targets and did archery. Her mother couldn't tame her wild pert nature anymore and just let her be. That morning she woke up early and went to do archery. After some time a maid was sent to call her back.
"Miss ,today is your first day for the lecture at the Imperial Palace. You can't be late."
"Got it. You may go." Yingtao Hua dismissed her.
The maid unwillingly left as Yingtao Hua resumed her archery. The maid came back a few minutes later to remind her again.
"You can just ask for a sick leave for me. Is it compulsory to attend the first lecture?"
"Miss,if you don't report the first day they might say you've disobeyed the Emperor's orders and you might get yourself in trouble,"the maid spoke slightly bowing her head as a way of persuading her.
"What trouble? I will just go report there the first day and then tomorrow I won't go."
Several carriages of sons and daughters from noble families were parked outside the Imperial Palace. It was their first day at the Imperial Palace so they arrived in time. At the palace the royal siblings took their time to prepare themselves well. Wen Mingye's figure allowed him to look elegant in all colours but he believed black suited him the most. He normally dressed by himself and therefore Xue Yao didn't participate much in dressing him up.
"Your Highness you messed Mizi gongzi's room the other day and now he will be your literature teacher."
"Mizi Yue ?"Wen Mingye asked in surprise.
"Yeah. You didn't know?"
"I will get a chance to see his face. They say the Heavens can't grant you everything. He's talented in poetry, painting,music and instrument playing so I'm sure he lacks one thing ,probably his facial appearance. He must be ugly that's why he hides his face."
"But your Highness I've seen people who are granted everything."
"Like me right?"Wen Mingye spoke humorously.
"You're so narcissistic,"Xue Yao snorted.
The students assembled outside Wenxue Hall as if they were waiting for further instructions. Wen Mingye showed up dressed in black carrying his black jade Scholar's Chest. Wen Xiang arrived shortly and everyone turned to look at her dolled up in a serene light blue dress that evoked the sense of calm and elegance. The dress was completed by white floral embroidery that added a touch of nature- inspired beauty.
The white floral embroidery was meticulously crafted,featuring what happened to be cherry blossoms which was often associated with femininity. The dress had a high collar which was adorned with detailed patterns. The sleeves were long and flared out towards the ends giving the dress a graceful silhouette.
A belt cinched at the waist to emphasize her slender waist and to keep the dress in place. The skirt portion of the dress fanned out in pleats from the waist , creating a voluminous and regal look. The pleats added texture and dimension to the dress, enhancing it's overall grandeur. Her hair had a traditional updo with golden hairpins nestling it.
On her left hand she carried her beautiful Scholar's Chest and on her right hand she carried a round fan with engraved patterns of butterflies incorporated with golden accents.Qingyun Ge was surprised to learn her identity.
The most awaited person was Crown Prince Wen Hai. He came dressed up in fancy rich royal blue dragon robes adorned with embroidery that featured intricate patterns representing his esteemed status as the Crown Prince. He wore an ornate and elaborate headdress which included beads and other decorative elements that created a regal appearance.
He loved going extra with everything to gain attention as the most noble one among his counterparts.His Scholar's Chest was made of pure shiny bluish glass with constellation patterns on it that resembled a mythical creature. Since glass was a heavy material,he had his servant carry it for him. The others watched him with mixed feelings of admiration and slight fear because of the arrogance that drooped from every step he took and every glance he took.
The others paved way for him to enter the classroom first. The desks in the lecture hall were crafted from mahogany and were rectangular in shape with a flat top surface. The seats were just simple low-level stools with intricate patterns carved on them. The number of students was sixteen with each gender consisting of eight students so the seating arrangement consisted of two major columns separated by the hallway .
One column was for the boys and the other was for the girls.The columns consisted of four rows each where the students sat in pairs creating a sense of camaraderie . It was a Natural Rule for members of the Royal Family to occupy the front seats so Wen Hai and Wen Xiang chose the front seats to emphasize their status as royals. Wen Mingye didn't seem to recognize this Natural Rule. He sat at the last row with a guy called Ye Xingchen. Everyone settled down and anxiously waited for the teacher to show up.
Mizi Yue walked in wearing an ancient Chinese headpiece jewellery with intricate designs across the forehead along with midnight blue robes. He carried a large plain octagonal scholar's chest on his left hand and a folded hand fan on his right hand.
Since Bamboo was a light material,it was convenient for him to carry a larger Scholar's Chest than the students'. The students stood up to greet him and he signalled them to take their seats.The girls were excited to see him. What did they do to deserve such a handsome teacher? One warm and welcoming smile from Mizi Yue melted the girls' hearts especially Wen Xiang. Mizi Yue placed his Scholar's Chest on the table that was placed on a raised dais ,snapped his fan open revealing its intricate patterns of crescent moons and stars and took a seat behind the table.Wen Mingye was stunned to learn he was totally wrong about Mizi Yue's appearance.
The picture of how he had messed up Mizi Yue's room suddenly became vivid in his mind and he looked down in embarrassment.