Little Purple

"Why is there noise so early in the morning, Lei?" A boy wearing a dark green dragon robe came and asked Jin Lei, who was looking at the scenery out of a big window in the palace. "I could hear it all the way from my study room. So unpleasant."

"Big brother." Jin Lei greeted when seeing his brother walking elegantly toward him. "It is Yin, she seems to have invited some friends over."

"So it's going to be annoying girls and their annoying gossip again." Jin Min felt an extreme headache; he could barely finish the document he needed to present to his father this afternoon and the loud noise outside wasn't helping. The crown prince of the Jin empire was only a few months older than Hu Cheng Se and the Qing twins, but he seemed to mature faster than his peers since there was higher expectation for him as the future monarch of their nation.

Jin Lei blinked when he saw Jin Min's dark face. It was not an easy task to make the calm and usually calculative crown prince irritated. Jin Lei looked around, relieved to see that they were alone. "Shh. The walls have ears, brother." Jin Lei reminded with a look.

Jin Min halted and slowly raised one of his eyebrows. "You are getting smarter. Beginning to talk back to your big brother?"

"I have always been smart," Jin Lei said. He might be unruly and a troublemaker, but when he was with his big brother, he was calmer, albeit, only a bit.

Jin Min sighed and walked up to the window. He looked down to a nearby garden and saw a group of girls chattering and giggling. He frowned, finding the scene very unsightly.

Jin Lei looked at his brother's handsome face and said, "Brother, I recall that you are about to reach fifteen of age. You will have to choose your fiance soon. Don't be so repulsed by those high ranking girls. One or two of them might become your concubine in the future." He grabbed one of the steamed buns he brought earlier and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Hmm, you picked that smart talk about fiances along the way, too."

"Well…" Jin Lei scratched the back of his neck.

"Speaking of age and responsibilities, you are also getting older, Lei," Jin Min said. "Stop causing trouble like you did yesterday in Heavenly Restaurant."

"What did I do wrong? That waiter served me, the imperial Second Prince, the wrong dish!" Jin Lei said. "Big Brother, how could you not side with me?"

"Although he was in the wrong, it was only a small mistake, and you didn't need to throw a tantrum and split their best table in half."

"But I—" Jin Lei protested.

"Are you really going to argue about this with me?"

"Grr…" Jin Lei could not help but succumb to his older brother.

Jin Min looked outside the window again. They were on the third floor, which presented them with a nice view.

This place was Jin Min's courtyard, called the Serene Courtyard, part of the larger Serene Palace. The view from the palace's window stretched out all the way to the main gate, so he was able to spy a grand looking carriage coming through.

Although he could see the grand looking carriage moving, he was unable to see the crest that was on the flag of that carriage. He wondered which noble family owned that beautiful carriage.

"Whose carriage is that?" He turned to Jin Lei.

"Hmm, I think it is the Qing family's carriage."

"Really? How are you sure?" The carriage was just too far away to see clearly.

Jin Min turned his head and saw Jin Lei using a cup made of glass as a telescope. "The crest is similar," he said. As he further raised his hand, his sleeve slid down, revealing the dragon-like tattoo that was engraved on his right wrist.

"I see." Jin Min nodded.

"Brother, I heard that the Prime Minister has two daughters," Jin Lei said thoughtfully. "They are so beautiful that it is said that their beauty could even compete with the First Young Miss of Hu residence."

"Is that so?" Jin Min had seen Hu Bai a few times before and had to admit that she was quite a beauty. "Are you going to try and court one of them like you did with Miss Hu—no, Madam Zhi?" It would be improper to still call her Miss Hu now that she had married and become the wife of Zhi Yu.

"It is a good idea, but not what I have in mind." Jin Lei patted his brother's shoulder and smiled.