The Prince of Travelers

Family Relationship

"You're really in the delegation, huh?" tanya Li Bei ensured the steadiness of his sister who still did not perform the ceremony of maturity, but had legitimacy with his capacity as the Youngest Scholar. Li An turned to the Fourth Prince. He nodded without opening his mouth.

"Sister Bei, take good care of An'er" Li Huanran said seriously. He's been saying this repeatedly since yesterday. Li Bei was tired of hearing that. As the head of the delegation, he was indeed the most responsible for his entourage. Without Li Huanran even reminding, he would definitely keep looking after this little brother well.

"Don't I tell you? You don't need to worry," Li Bei patted the Third Princess' shoulder, "Even if I'm not next to her, there's a Twin Swordsman escorting her. After all, he's not a kid anymore."

"Right," Li An also supported the Fourth Pangeran's opinion. In fact, he would not protest if Li Huanran thought of him as a little brother in a place of privacy like at Consort Shu's house last night. However, it was another word if Li Huanran did so in a public place like the courtyard of this Eternal Happiness Palace.

"Sister An, be careful on the road," among Prince Zhizhe's family, only Li Chen and one of his younger siblings escorted Li An away. The two of them compactly asked for a hand from the Eighth Prince. Their relationship was very close as cousins.

"Sister An, don't forget" said Li Xiao, Li Chen's closest brother. Prince Zhizhe's heir has two younger siblings now. One man, one woman. This Li Xiao was still seven years old, slightly younger than the Ninth Princess, while his youngest sister who was female was still in the cradle.

"Of course, as long as I go home intact, I will bring it for you," Li An replied with a faint smile. His pessimistic-sounding words were instantly responded to by Li Huanran, “An'er! You should go home soon! You should go home safe. Don't go forward to the battlefield."

"Well ...," Li An hung up his answer, intending to tease his dear little brother, "Who knows? There may have been an intruder who broke into the Left Royal Palace. We can't predict the future."

"Your ass!"

Li Huanran reflexively touched the forehead of his little sister's light tongue, talking nothing to her, making others worry about her. He glared at Li Bei, then drowned once again, "Sister Bei, don't let An'er get hurt in the least!"

"Hah ...," Li Bei sighed in surprise. He himself had never been noticed so deeply by his biological sister. "Minors will not be deployed on the battlefield. He will definitely be safe in the Left Royal Palace. Don't worry anymore."

“True, Princess,” Wang Hongli as the head of the Eighth Prince's bodyguard spoke up, “You don't have to worry. We definitely protect the Eighth Prince with all our soul and body.”

Although Li Bei and Wang Hongli had already said so, Li Huanran still felt uneasy. Yesterday, he was mediocre. I don't know why something made her feeling worse. He has been unable to calm down since this morning.

“Kakak, I will only do my duty as an honorary ambassador in the Left Kingdom,” Li An also helped guarantee his own safety. He was already quite satisfied to see Li Huanran's worries over him. “Sister Xiang and the other princes who will advance directly into the battlefield. They can definitely get it done well and quickly.”

Li Huanran took his breath in resignation, trying to believe the words of his sister. Well, even if it's not in doubt. With the quality and quantity of the Tang Empire's large army, they would definitely win easily.

The Third Princess hugged Li An tightly as if she was still unwilling to part with him. For this one, Li An did not feel any hesitation or embarrassment about her brother. The affectionate scenery was quite rarely seen in the palace environment. Nobles tend to be more concerned with their self-esteem than what is referred to as a familial relationship.

In the middle of his embrace, Li Huanran repeated several messages that he had spoken since yesterday. He also conveyed greetings from the Little Princess before releasing his embrace. Li An only smiled faintly in response to the message. For her, there was nothing more special than the affection her brother gave her. Had Consort Ai been around, Li Huanran's position would have been with her mother.

"Oiya, I heard Rou'er was sick," Li An recalled the news that reached him this morning, "Hais. Brother, leave my regards to her."

"Surely," Li Huanran smiled wryly. He did not expect that Li Rouwei was sick this morning. Previously, he thought that the extremely nosy Ninth Princess would disturb Li An's departure.

"Sister Bei, there is a friend I want to visit" Li An said after once again telling Li Huanran, "I will join the delegation before heading outside the capital."

"Go! Make sure you are not late later," Li Bei replied lightly. He already knew the friend that the Eighth Prince was referring to. Li An took Wang Hongli away from the Eternal Happiness Palace. They rode towards a grand grand building in the center of the city. There, Li An was immediately greeted warmly by an old man.

"Eighth Prince, welcome to the Inn of the Continents of Samudra," greeted the old man. The Ocean Inn is a favorite place for foreigners to stay during their stay in the imperial capital. Since most of the guests were foreigners who came from across the continent and the semudra, the inn was also named the Inn of the Continents of Samudra. They have been affiliated with the Fuli Trade Union so that the majority of caravan members who work together in the union also stop here. There was special treatment they could get as union members.

Li An and Wang Hongli walked up to the second floor. There is a restaurant where guests eat and relax. A young man from a foreign land had been waiting for Li An there. The young man waved his hand as soon as he saw Li An arrive at the end of the stairs.

"Prince, thank you for accepting my invitation before you leave" said the young man who was none other than Ali. Currently, he serves as the young ambassador of the Caliphate. As a child of Arab descent who had lived for many years in the land of the Tang Empire, he was entrusted with taking care of various matters related to the relationship of the two countries, especially in the field of trade. In that case, Li An was his best colleague.

“I don't have much time,” reply Li An with his usual flat expression. Actually, he had asked Ali to remove the formalities between them, but Ali never paid any heed to him at all. Li An never stressed it. “Say the message you want to convey.”

“Ah, actually I just want to chat some light things with you. The conflict in the Northern Region would definitely take quite a long time. We will not easily meet in that time span,” Ali smiled understandably with the cold nature of the prince in front of him, “I hope, communication and coordination between us keep going smoothly in this serious situation.”

“I can't guarantee it. You better contact the union directors if you want to contact me about trade matters,” Li An also drank tea available at the table. Its fragrant smell became a special attraction in the Lodging of these Continents. Ali chuckled, “I understand that. Thank goodness everything went smoothly until this point.”

“How can you always be relaxed like that?” li An asked as he looked out the window. The motorcade of his entourage will be seen from here when leaving later, “Your life seems light without any burden at all.”

“That's because I enjoy life with gratitude to God,” Ali replied with a smile as bright as her face, “We have always been taught to be grateful since childhood for being grateful, with gratitude, the favors we can will always increase, including happiness in life.”

“You're lucky,” Li An smiled bitterly. His heart was shaking at that moment. There was a push coming up there, but there was also a doubt seeping in the chest. He even quibbled to deny all the turmoil in his heart, “If I could choose where I was born, I would choose the brightest earth. The luxurious life in gold is only mortality. There's no way I'm enjoying it amid the cold competition between families. In fact, the family itself is more valuable than any treasure.”

“Prince, don't you have a solid and warm family?” Ali could understand his best friend's intentions. However, it sees from a different point of view, “You do not even need a grandiose sensitivity to realize it.”

...***...

“Chen-Chen, you're late again,” grumbled Li Rouwei as soon as Li Chen got before him. He puffed his cheeks. Both of his hands were ruffled. His selfish and arrogant behavior did not change, “I've been waiting for you for a long time.”

“I have to drive Xiao’er first,” explained Li Chen did not accept the protest, “You think I can hurry.”

“Hmph! You always reasoned,” Li Rouwei did not accept his opponent's argument, “Come fast way.”

“Cih, basic Princess Shrewd!” Li Chen also followed the little princess who had stepped first, “Actually, why would I accept this ridiculous offer of yours.”

“What did you say? You yourself also want to come with Brother An right?,” Li Rouwei turned around. The move was stopped because of that, “Nevent much protest. Just run the plan! I've also been kind enough to accept your idea.”

“It's not that simple!” Li Chen grabbed her hair. He still wonders to himself. If this plan failed, he would definitely receive a heavy punishment. Especially if Li Rouwei gets hurt.

"Already, don't talk much. Come quickly to it," exclaimed Li Rouwei annoyed at the pessimistic behavior of his partner. Li Chen nodded and whispered softly, "Right, we should hurry."

"Hi! Chen-Chen, what are you doing?" li Rouwei protested as Li Chen suddenly pulled his arm to move faster. Li Chen instead told him to shut up and continue to accelerate. His premonition worsened once he reached the crowd of the capital center.

Li Chen sensed that someone was following them. Whether it was people within the palace or unexpected outsiders. Everything was equally dangerous if they were really targeting the Ninth Princess and her.

"Rou'er, don't look back," said Li Chen who instead made Li Rouwei curious and turned his head. The little princess asked innocently, "What's behind?"

"Tell me don't look back" Li Chen emphasized. His hunch is getting worse. His heart skipped a jittery sign. He regretted being invited by this naughty little girl.

"They're getting closer" whispered Li Rouwei who was beginning to understand the situation, "Chen-Chen, quickly find a way to escape before they catch us."

"Do you know them?" li Chen asked curiously. He was still trying to be calm, but his heart could not be compromised. Li Rouwei replied, "No, they must be stalkers. Come on faster."

"I know," Li Chen replied in a half-restrained voice.he also pulled the Ninth Princess into the crowded intersection. There are a lot of shops there. They went straight into one of the most crowded clothing stores.

"Young Master, Young Miss, welcome to our shop," greeted a servant girl respectfully. However, Li Chen and Li Rouwei did not notice him at all. The two brats immediately slipped in until it left the girl stunned.

"Prince Chen, Ninth Princess, it turned out that you two came here," the voice of a man made the feathers of Li Chen and Li Rouwei stand up. Both of them also immediately looked as if they could not move at all, even to blur or just turn around.

"Sister Yun, I didn't do anything. We are just a regular walk," Li Chen said after he managed to turn his head. Yun Jili who was facing him also frowned. The scholar Ruba Perak then said, "Hm? Really so? Wasn't the Ninth Princess sick this morning? How can you take a sick princess for a walk? After all, how could a prince and a little princess like the two of you be able to go outside the palace unattended?"

"Em .. it ...," Li Chen's mouth was about to lie again, but his innermost heart got in the way. He can only speak a thousand languages in this position. His mentality instantly collapsed once scorched with questions by the eminent scholar.

"Well, did the Princess come here to pick her warm clothes for herself?" Mimi who suddenly reappeared made the two boys startled, especially Li Rouwei. He felt awkward about the question Mimi asked.

"I, I ...," Li Rouwei could not lie.

"Mr Princess need not be hesitant. Come with me to choose the clothes you like" said Mimi. Li Rouwei who was still tense and confused just complied. He left Li Chen with Yun Jili alone.

"So, Prince," called Yun Jili with a grin on his face, "How are you going to give an explanation?"

...***...

"Sister Emperor, why don't you just tell Rou'er if you allow him to go to the Northern Region?" li Fengying asked who was accompanying Emperor Yung Wei to observe the preparation of the delegation to their ally, the Left Kingdom. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, he also took care of this departure.

"Not so, Zhizhe. To be honest, I would have calmed down more if Rou'er hadn't come. It was because Zhouyi allowed it. Rou'er has been whining since yesterday. He even dared to lie and bribe the physician who examined him to fake a diagnosis. Perhaps Zhouyi wanted to teach him a little lesson," Emperor Yung Wei shook his head. A faint smile was etched on his face. He was grateful that his relationship with Li Fengying was not cut off just like that even though they had different beliefs. There was nothing he trusted more in his family than this Prince Zhizhe, his most intelligent brother understood everything.

A few years ago, the Royal Family of Prince Zhizhe had caused an uproar for the Tang Empire. His proximity to the Arabs led the Minister of Foreign Affairs to embrace a religion that came from far away and abandoned his ancestral religion. Of course it had made the nobles furious. Fortunately, Emperor Yung Wei was able to act wisely so that the intelligent Li Fengying did not have to be exiled from his country.

"Hah .. My own son has also made a mistake. I had to educate him better after the affairs of this Northern Region were finished," Li Fengying's remark instead made Emperor Yung Wei chuckle, "Zhizhe, Chen'er has indeed made a grave mistake. However, Rou'er's Mistake was even greater. It was because of his burning spirit to see the outside world. Instead, we teach them the right lessons to be able to educate them well."

"Of course, Big Brother Emperor," Li Fengying nodded in reverence.