Chapter 1: Another Blind Date
Chapter 1: Another Blind Date
The early spring was bitterly cold, especially in the morning.
Xiao Rui stood in the garden Gazebo, gazing eastward where the sun had not yet risen, but its light already brightened the edge of the sky. He looked somewhat lonely.
“Seventh Prince, the morning air is chilly. You should go back inside, or else the Fourth Prince will find out and punish this old servant again,” an elderly servant behind him said with a bow, speaking cautiously.
Xiao Rui snapped out of his thoughts and smiled. “It’s fine. Fourth Brother knows my habit. I’m thirsty. Go get me some water.”
“Understood, Seventh Prince.” The old servant quickly left.
Watching his hurried back, Xiao Rui suddenly laughed.
Why did he laugh?
Seven parts helplessness, three parts reflection.
After all, anyone who encountered something like transmigration—suddenly bidding farewell to the information age and arriving in this feudal dynasty, unfamiliar with the people and the land, separated from family and friends—would find everything hard to adjust to. As for reflection… well, at least the identity he transmigrated into wasn’t some cliché plot like being an illegitimate child, a live-in son-in-law, or a poor commoner.
He was the Seventh Prince of the Great Xia Kingdom!
An Imperial Prince! A very prestigious status. If he worked hard, he might even become emperor someday.
Become emperor?
Xiao Rui was so frightened he quickly shook his head. He didn’t dare to think about it.
To begin with, there was his father, the emperor, who was diligent and ambitious, firmly in control of power both internally and externally.
On the same level, he had six older brothers and two younger brothers, each one a shrewd character.
He wasn’t like them. His mother had passed away early, his grandfather’s family wasn’t a prominent noble house, and he didn’t enjoy his father’s favor. On regular days when he saw his father, he rarely even had a chance to speak.
He hoped the cliché drama of “nine dragons vying for the throne” wouldn’t happen.
He hadn’t reached the age to establish his own residence yet, so he could only stay at Fourth Brother’s house for now. He would wait until he turned eighteen a year later, then submit a memorial, honestly establish his residence, and settle for being a carefree Prince.
He would stroll with horses, tease birds, and find one… ahem… a few beautiful companions to spend his life with perfectly.
Perfect!
But, just as a tree desires stillness yet the wind does not cease, there were always people and matters forcing him to move forward, weren’t there?
Where was the peaceful passage of time? One always moved forward bearing burdens.
Just then, the old servant returned with a cup of clear tea.
“Seventh Prince, this servant was afraid the tea would get cold, so it’s brewed a bit hot,” the old servant said respectfully.
Xiao Rui smiled. “Put it on the stone table. I’ll let it cool before drinking.”
The old servant set down the tray and said, “Seventh Prince, I just saw Steward Wang. He asked this servant to relay a message. After you finish enjoying the scenery, please go see the Fourth Prince. He said the Fourth Prince has important matters to discuss with you.”
Hearing this, Xiao Rui immediately frowned, feeling somewhat gloomy.
This Fourth Brother of his always liked to meddle with him. Sigh, the burdens he bore at this stage were all this guy’s handiwork. Why did he always have to use him to build connections, even though it was natural for him to covet the Heir Apparent Position?
Just because he was staying at his residence, did that mean they were in the same camp? Wasn’t he worried that he might be a spy sent by one of their other brothers?
He was still an Imperial Prince, after all. At least give him some face and suspect that he might be a competitor!
He didn’t know what kind of trouble was being cooked up this time.
Living under someone else’s roof, he had no choice. Xiao Rui’s mood worsened, so he simply stood up, walked down the stone steps, and went to see this Fourth Brother.
The morning sun leaped out, and the sky brightened.
Entering an exquisite house, he saw the Fourth Prince, Xiao Feng, practicing martial arts.
Xiao Rui stopped beside the screen wall and watched Xiao Feng moving up and down. He had to admit, he admired his skill. That cheap father of his had established the Great Xia Kingdom amidst surrounding nations relying on his formidable martial prowess. Xiao Feng had inherited this strength and was the best in martial arts among all the Imperial Princes.
But he had only inherited that one strength.
“Seventh Brother, you’re here,” Xiao Feng said, finishing his moves. A maid beside him handed him a hot towel, and he wiped his sweat with a smile.
Xiao Rui said respectfully, “Fourth Brother.”
Xiao Feng warmly pulled Xiao Rui inside. “Seventh Brother, you get up early every day just to look at the scenery. That’s too boring. Why not practice with me? Our Great Xia Kingdom was founded on horseback. As an Imperial Prince, how can you be too weak to tie up a chicken? How can you share our father’s burdens?”
Xiao Rui glanced at his actions—tightly gripping his wrist. Alright, it seemed the trouble this time wouldn’t be small. As for sharing their father’s burdens? Was he testing him?
“Fourth Brother, I haven’t eaten yet. I’m hungry. Can we talk about practicing after I have a meal?” Xiao Rui said with a look of difficulty.
Xiao Feng laughed heartily. “You, you’re just lazy.”
Once inside, the two sat down.
Xiao Rui ate the small sweets on the table, not daring to ask or say anything.
Seeing Xiao Rui foolishly eating without asking about the reason he was summoned, Xiao Feng grew a bit anxious and proactively said, “Seventh Brother, you’re almost seventeen. In another year, you can establish your residence.”
“Mm-hmm…” Xiao Rui’s mouth was full of pastries, and he mumbled something unintelligible.
Xiao Feng frowned slightly, then smiled again. “You, you’re not young anymore, yet you’re still like a child. Look at your Eighth Brother. He’s a year younger than you, but he has already become a disciple of the great scholar, Master Qiu, and is highly recognized by the scholars in the Capital City for his literary talent. You need to work hard.”
Xiao Rui swallowed the pastry and deliberately said with envy, “Eighth Brother has great literary talent. Among us brothers, Fourth Brother is skilled in martial arts, and Eighth Brother excels in literature. The people of Capital City have given you two the titles Martial Prince and Literary Prince. In the future, you will surely be our father’s right and left arms.”
“Really?” Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng looked rather pleased.
Fake! Xiao Rui really wanted to roll his eyes, but he still nodded obediently.
Xiao Feng laughed heartily. “You often linger in the marketplace. If you’ve heard such rumors, they must be true.”
After a pause, Xiao Feng continued, “Seventh Brother, I called you here for no other reason. You’re not young anymore, and you’ll establish your residence next year. So, I’m arranging another blind date for you. You have time to meet her today, right?”
Again? Damn it, you have the nerve to say “again”!
He couldn’t even count on his fingers how many times this was. How many times had he introduced blind dates? He wasn’t part of his camp!
Trying to use his marriage to build connections for himself—was this a political marriage or what?
“Seventh Brother, don’t refuse right away. This girl isn’t ugly, she’s not old, and her appearance is quite outstanding…” Xiao Feng sounded somewhat aggrieved, clearly hurt by Xiao Rui’s countless reasons for refusal before.
Xiao Rui rolled his eyes. He was considering whether to use his trump card—just say he was gay, the kind that couldn’t be straightened—to completely kill this guy’s matchmaking intentions.
In the end, he couldn’t bear to ruin his already limited reputation—at least his orientation was still normal.
“Fourth Brother, I…” Just as Xiao Rui was about to refuse…
Ding-dong…
A ghostly bell-like sound rang in his mind.
Xiao Rui’s words immediately stopped.
He picked up the teacup and took a sip, using the moment to quickly close his eyes.
In his mind, that information code he hadn’t seen for days appeared again:
“Name: Xiao Rui
Identity: Seventh Prince of the Great Xia Kingdom
Talent: Does being a transmigrator count? If not, then none
Advent Points: 45/100
New Task: Accept the blind date task requested by Xiao Feng”
Only these lines of text. Nothing else.
Yes, really nothing else.
Xiao Rui felt a strong urge to complain.
This strange information code had followed him through his transmigration here. It only popped up to give a prompt when there was a new task; otherwise, it was nowhere to be seen. It should at least introduce itself, so Xiao Rui could be happy that he had also obtained some awesome cheat, gained some System.
Besides the text, there wasn’t even a System spirit. It should at least have a design or a pattern. Black background with white text seemed too low-class.
He could tolerate the lack of System introduction, but at the very least, there should be an explanation—what were Advent Points? What were they for?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
“Fourth Brother, I agree.”
So, Xiao Rui obediently agreed. He had no choice. He was like traveling the martial world with a sword sheath—lacking the sword.
“Which family’s girl is it?” Xiao Rui asked.
“Hehe, the second daughter of the Loyal and Brave Marquis,” Xiao Feng said with a grin.
“Pfft…”
Xiao Rui spat out the water he had just drunk.