The Prince of Travelers

Essence

"Rou'er, remember your promise yesterday," Li An said before they got off the carriage, "Take care of you and act like a princess."

"Hm," Li Rouwei only gave a small nod. His eyes blinked a few times. Her sleepiness was still clearly visible so Mimi had to dress her back up before going outside. Otherwise, Li Rouwei would look bad and ugly.

"Welcome to the Left Kingdom, Princes and delegations" greeted the Left King in his chauffeur. His eyes looked at the entire delegation at once. The front row was Li Bei. Behind him were Li An and Li Chen who followed, while Li Rouwei was between the two of them. The rest were the ministers and guards accompanying them.

The King of the Left led the delegation directly to their resting place. Along the way, he was engrossed in chatting with Li Bei. The prince was the key to his success. He showed the best possible attitude to the Fourth Prince.

"Yong Seong, the prince of the Left Kingdom saluted," Yong Seong told Li An. He watched the Eighth Prince from bottom to top. Different from most nobles, the prince from Tang was wearing a more plain and simple, but elegant outfit. There was an air of scholars emanating from him.

Then, Yong Seong noticed Li Chen. The prince was not much different from the Eighth Prince. He also had a scholar's air, but it felt thinner. Yong Seong also glanced at the princess who was standing in the middle. The princess clearly looked cold and haughty. As much as possible, Yong Seong did not want to get involved with him.

"You're not the only prince, are you?" li An asked during the trip. Yong Seong nodded. "My brothers are fighting on the front lines. They were very persistent in defending the remaining royal fortresses. If I had been a little bigger, I would have followed them."

"Aren't you afraid of war?" Li An saw that there was something in the boy who was driving her. The gripping surrounding conditions must have forced him to grow up faster than children his age. Just like Li An when his mother was arrested.

"Sa—I'm actually afraid," replied Yong Seong honestly, "But, I will continue to fight to defend the kingdom. I keep practicing every day. Later, I will not be afraid to advance to the battlefield to defend this country."

"You can definitely," Li An commented with a faint smile, "Then do you know why you fought each other, when you were one first?"

Yong Seong was silent. He did not understand because there was a prolonged conflict in the Northern Region. The boy only knew the fact that he had to defend his kingdom. He was also aware that his royal position was at its weakest at this time. Had the Tang Empire not supported them, the Left Kingdom would have already fallen into the hands of the other two kingdoms.

"I don't understand why they kept attacking us long ago," Yong Seong again replied truthfully, "Whatever it is, I have to fight for the Left Kingdom to the point of its final blood."

"You have the determination of a general," praised Li An sincerely, "When you were your age, I was determined to be the greatest scholar. Today, I have become the youngest scholar in the empire. Keep determination. Later on, you will definitely lead your own army to fight all enemies."

"Yes," Yong Seong looked at Li An in awe. The aura of the scholar that the Eighth Prince was emitting was indeed real. The prince said, "I will remember your advice forever."

"Good," Li An patted Yong Seong on the shoulder, "That's how true a prince is."

Yong Seong nodded reverently. He was delighted to meet the Eighth Prince of the empire. As a fellow prince, he hoped to continue to have a good relationship with her. But the future is mysterious. Who knows what will happen in the future?

***

"Sister, Big Brother," Li Rouwei sneaked into Li An's room. He got tired of playing alone. Since his room was opposite the big brother, he could visit at any time. "What are you doing? Studying again?"

"Hm, yeah. It's a report from the guild that I haven't read about during the trip," said Li An who turned away from his pile of papers due to the princess' call, "They can indeed walk independently. However, I must keep a good eye on him in order to make a decision when necessary."

"Fuli Trade Union?" Li Rouwei had indeed heard that this eighth elder brother was running a guild. However, he had never visited or seen firsthand how the union was proceeding.

"Yes, they serve their guests well like the senior servants in the palace," Li Rouwei nodded his head in understanding, "Em ... Affiliated it means they joined under Big Brother, right?"

"Yes, you've learned well," praised Li An sincerely. Li Rouwei also exclaimed proudly, "Of course, I'm a smart princess," Li Rouwei was curious about something, "Where can Big Brother make them want to affiliate with the guild?"

"With a good deal, honesty, trust, and profit are just as profitable," Li An said explaining the principles in the union he founded, "Basically, it is, the status as a union established by the imperial family alone had a great influence to grab their attention, especially the nobility. However, with the principle that the union upholds, ordinary people also want to try to cooperate with us. Thus, the confidence of the people in the imperial family increased."

"Sister attracts the sympathy of the people," Li Rouwei realized something, "Sister want to be emperor?"

Li An smiled and shook her head. He stroked Li Rouwei's head gently and said to her, "I've told you, I'm not interested in the imperial throne. Let the other brothers do it. I'll be a witness against them."

"really?" Li Rouwei also asked for another emphasis.

"Yes," Li An did not change the smile on his face, "May there be no bloodshed in the succession process later. I just want peace and quiet. Therefore, as much as possible I reduce my dependence on the palace."

"Hm? You want to be a rich merchant?" Li Rouwei concluded another.

Li An chuckled. His sister's words were not wrong, but his main purpose was not that. He was a prince who received a special mission from the emperor. His role was as a "tabib" at a time when the empire was sick due to the civil war. Therefore, he still needed a lot of power, influence, and insight enough to reconcile his brothers when it happened.

Unfortunately, he could not freely tell that to Li Rouwei. It could be, Empress Zhouyi deliberately placed the Ninth Princess to let her down, while the princess herself was unaware of it. That was why Li An was not too suspicious of Li Rouwei, but remained wary of her.

"Take that," Li An replied after chuckling, "I'll probably be the richest scholar in the next few years."

"Sister should have given me a lot of gifts back then," Li Rouwei pointed at Li An with a sweet smile on his lips, "I'll also be a rich scholar like Big Brother."

"Gfst!" Li An again chuckled, "Rou'er, this life essence is not to become rich. There were many rulers, but his power only became a burden to him. There were many rich merchants, but his wealth did not make him happy at all. There are many intelligent scholars and a lot of sense, but his intelligence even dropped him at an eternal loss."

"Then, why are we alive?" li Rouwei asked seriously.

"That's what I'm looking for" Li An replied as he arranged the documents, "That's the true essence of life, as well as the secret of eternal and eternal happiness. I've got a glimmer of light to grab it. Later, I must have really grabbed it."

Li An was silent for a moment, then asked her sister, "Rou'er, do you know what the door of immortality is?"

Li Rouwei shook his head inexplicably.

"He is death" Li An continued, "There are two choices in eternity: eternal pleasure or eternal misery. It is this life that determines our future."