Sheng Li's attention was grabbed by Rong Zemin who was contended. He was dancing with his friends while drinking with them. "Brother Zemin forgot that by night he will need to be in a good state. Such behavior from the Prince is not expected," Sheng Li complained and looked at Yongzheng.
"Brother Sheng, it is for today only. Brother Zemin is enjoying his bachelor's life," pronounced Yongzheng.
"Where are Brother Yu and Brother Nianzu?" Lei Wanxi asked, looking around.
"Brother Nianzu is with his mother. He will be here in a while. Little Yu will be here in a while," Yongzheng replied. He drank the wine and queried, "Wanxi, why did you refuse for marriage? Is there someone on your mind?"
Lei Wanxi laughed upon hearing the questions of Yongzheng. "I do not want to marry at such a young age. And, there is no one in my mind. No one is made to handle a person like me," Lei Wanxi stated. Sheng Li and Jian Guozhi smiled upon hearing him.
"Wanxi, you will be handled soon by someone fiercer than you!" Sheng Li proclaimed.
"Brother, are you giving me a curse?" Lei Wanxi twitched his lips and huffed. "I want to remain as the Most Desirable Bachelor Prince of the Empire. I am indeed the most handsome Prince among us all," Lei Wanxi praised himself.
"Most Desirable Prince!" Sheng Li exclaimed. "I never knew that you are the women's choice," Sheng Li muttered.
"Wanxi is! When I go to the Capital main office center, I usually hear this from the bureaucrats. Brother Sheng, there is this incident which you might have not been aware of. The incident is related to Lei Wanxi," Jian Guozhi pronounced, making Sheng Li curious regarding that.
"Why don't we sit over that pavilion? Then, we can have a nice conversation," Yongzheng suggested. They all agreed with him and went to the 'Moon Pavilion'. They took their respective seats on the floor mattress. Sheng Li put the wineglass on the floor table beside him.
The maidservants brought the snacks and drinks. They placed them on the central table and walked away. Rong Zemin had also come there.
Nianzu had also arrived there with Weng Yu. "Forgive me," Nianzu told Yongzheng and sat beside Sheng Li. Lei Wanxi gestured to Weng Yu to come near him.
"Brother Jian, please continue where you left the conversation. We all want to know why the Sixth Brother is famous among women?" Yongzheng curiously asserted.
"Brother Wanxi played a chess game in The Fun House, which is situated in the market. The player against Brother Wanxi was the son of the Minister of Law. The Fun House is dedicated mostly to upper-class people irrespective of men and women. So, you can see many women there as well in the daytime."
"How is this game related to that?" Sheng Li confusedly asked. Nianzu smiled as he also recalled the incident of that day.
"Teng Lin is a known chess player," Jian Guozhi affirmed.
"He was a known player, Brother," Lei Wanxi corrected Jian Guozhi, who nodded.
"Wanxi went there with a mask on his face and defeated Teng Lin in five minutes, creating chaos in The Fun House," Jian Guozhi stated.
"There was a bet, I think. There is this famous entertainer in The Fun House. I heard she is the prettiest among all the women and Teng Lin wanted her to be in his residence. She told Teng Lin to defeat every man in chess who'll come to The Fun House if he wants to take her from there," Nianzu proclaimed.
"What a useless bet!" Sheng Li scoffed.
"Brother Wanxi by chance went there. He saw Teng Lin defeating many good chess players until he met Lei Wanxi, who defeated him in five minutes," Jian Guozhi pronounced. "The women flocked there and requested Wanxi to show his face to them, which he did! Indeed, he has good looks with a brilliant mind which makes him the women's choice," Jian Guozhi completed his words.
Sheng Li looked at Lei Wanxi. "You never told me," Sheng Li said.
"Brother, I forgot!" Lei Wanxi answered and smiled. He picked the chopstick and picked a dumpling from it. Eating the dumpling, he said, "There is so much stress in having a woman. That's the reason I refused for my early marriage."
Jian Guozhi smiled lightly. "You made a good decision, Sixth Brother. I wish I could get a chance to choose," Jian Guozhi said in a low voice. Only Sheng Li heard him and saw the regret in his eyes while the other brothers were conversing among themselves.
"You can choose if you want to, First Brother," Sheng Li stated, looking at Jian Guozhi, who was bewildered to hear that. He picked the wineglass from the table. Averting his gaze from Sheng Li, Jian Guozhi sipped the wine.
"If the Fifth Brother would be in my shoes, then his answer would not be this," Jian Guozhi proclaimed as he put the wineglass down at the table.
Sheng Li chuckled. "I would have rebelled. I do not like to be caged," Sheng Li pronounced and looked at his other brothers. They all were smiling, laughing along with each other. "This is my first time seeing them happy, but how long!"
Jian Guozhi confusedly gazed at Sheng Li. "What are you trying to say, Fifth Brother?" Jian Guozhi inquired.
"Don't you know, First Brother?" replied Sheng Li. "You are more aware of this than me," he added.
Jian Guozhi understood what Sheng Li was trying to say. His mother always taught him to be superior as he was the firstborn and not to get close to any of his brothers, scare them with his power, which he did mostly with Sheng Li. Why? Because he was told that his father favored Sheng Li. But this was wrong! His father had chosen Jian Guozhi as the next heir apparent to the throne, but he lost it. There was no bias among them from the Emperor's side. It was the wrong teachings of his mother that blinded him and made him jealous of Sheng Li.
"Forgive me, Brother Sheng. Forgive me for treating you badly," Jian Guozhi finally apologized to Sheng Li.