Chapter 296 – What the Heart Says (1)
As the haughty voice rose bustling fell, and soon the crowd quieted. Not many knew who the voice belonged to, but Ye Zhen and Mo Rongyi were the clearest as to who it was. Such arrogance and conceit only a handful in this capital possessed and this was none other than one-half of the imperious siblings- Xie Longyuan.
Princess Royal had a son and a daughter with Liu Hua being the eldest and Xie Longyuan the youngest. Just like his hoity-toity sister, this young master took shelter under the shadows of his mother’s status and bullied the people in the capital all day long. He was a perfect example of a tyrant, basking in the company of idlers and sycophants who kowtowed to and flattered the mighty while abusing and harassing the weak. He and his cronies amused themselves with drinking, loafing, and picking on people. Many in the capital avoided him and dare not confront him head-on, lest they be bullied and have nowhere to avenge themselves.
There was a time when Mo Rongyi used to fear this scourge and avoided him like the plague. But that was all in the past. Now, the little prince was only filled with deep resentment and fury having been ridiculed and bullied. This time, he wouldn’t go without a fight.
“We haven’t started the lantern fight yet. Why is the title Lantern King yours?” The little prince demanded aloud.
The days and deeds of a wastrel are hard to keep an account of. One couldn’t tell just how many people had been victims of Xie Longyuan’s harassment. That said, there was no one in the capital who wasn’t privy to his wayward ways.
The young master looked towards where the defiant voice had come from. He saw that it was a young boy and his companions, seemingly good-looking and dressed beautifully. He quickly deduced he must be the son of a wealthy family, used to having all his wishes granted. But who could ever intimidate him except for the in the palace?
“Why?” Xie Longyuan leveled his gaze at the boy, pointed to the peacock lantern, and said in an even louder voice, “That is my lantern. Why, do you think you can compete with me?”
In response, Mo Rongyi pointed to the octagonal lantern and said, “That’s my lantern. I don’t think my lantern is inferior to yours.”
Xie Longyuan burst out laughing. “Oh, there are still people who dare to fight lanterns with me! Come here and let this young master see what skills you have.”
“What skills does one need in this lantern fight? We only look at lanterns.” Ye Zhen glanced idly at the snob and saw that he had the same conduct as Liu Hua. Indeed, a brother-sister pair raised under the ‘able’ tutelage of Princess Royal.
“Well, let the judges decide which of these two lanterns is the winner.” Xie Longyuan looked at the judging panel on the stage, threatening them with his fierce face.
There were five judges on the stage. Apart from the assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, the others are all experts at making lanterns. This assistant minister knew all too well who Xie Longyuan was, and also Mo Rongyi. So, with almost no hesitation, he chose Mo Rongyi’s lantern as the king of lanterns.
However, the other four were hesitant. The two lanterns had their own characteristics, but the peacock lantern seemed more exquisite.
“Although it’s common to see a hundred birds in front of a phoenix, take a closer look.” As he spoke, with a smile, the assistant minister gently twirled the lantern. Just this small action and all the birds on the lantern seemed to have come alive.
“True God!” Someone exclaimed in admiration.
Ye Zhen looked at Mo Rongyi with surprise. “Is that the lantern you made?”
Mo Rongyi snorted calmly. “Yes, I spent a long time making it.”
“You are really amazing!” Ye Zhen sighed. “I didn’t know you had such skills.”
Xie Longyuan said with a black face, “But are a few stray birds comparable to my peacock king?”
“Don’t come out to disgrace people if you don’t have insight. No matter how beautiful the peacock is, how can it compare with the phoenix? Who dares to say that the peacock is above the phoenix?” Ye Zhen sneered.
A hundred birds paying reverence to the phoenix, a scene adorning a robe befitting only the empress dowager and the emperor. Now that he had called them ‘a few stray birds’ in arrogance, Xie Longyuan was like an ant on a hot pan, afraid he had gotten himself into trouble.
One needs to understand, like their mother who was infamous for her menacing ways, her children were no different. Ever since he was a child, Xie Longyuan had spent his days browbeating and tyrannizing people. So, this girl and boy who stood before him with their chins held high, rebutting him at every turn with even more haughtiness than his, without fearing the consequence … it was his first time encountering something like this. Would he cow down?
