Die For Love: The Last Romance Of The Ming Dynasty(ON-GOING DYSHEN FANFIC)

The Marriage Selection(Part 2)

As the young heir to the throne Prince Zhong-Lang walks away from his elder brothers, he cannot help but wanting to release out his frustrations. As he continued to walk, he saw the palace garden and he decided to go there to think and vent his frustrations as he sauntered over to the garden and when he saw a rock, he threw it angrily at the pond.

"My elder brothers always treat me like a child! How dare they underestimate me?! I am the heir to the throne! They should have trust in me! They know of my abilities, yet they still treat me like a child and underestimate me! I am not a boy! I am a man! Just because they are older than me is that they get to do this to me?! It's not fair!!" Zhong-Lang lamented as he threw another stone at the pond and sighed as he sat down on the rock and slumped his face on his hands.

"Little one, what are you doing here alone? Why the frustration?" a voice suddenly said to him.

Zhong-Lang raised his head sadly. "Master Lin?! What are you doing here?" he asked as he faced and greeted his teacher and mentor.

Master Lin sauntered to the young heir sitting on the rock near the pond. "What happened, my prince? Is something the matter? What is bothering you?" he asked the heir to the throne.

"Teacher, how do i make them understand?! I only wanted to do this for my sister!" cried Deng-Yuan. "I'm the heir to the throne alright, but why do they treat me this way?! Is it because of my age?!" he continued to lament. "Sometimes i think that being the next king has so many restrictions! If only....If only i could make my own rules! Of course, i would want what's best for my sister, but i also wanted to test who is deemed worthy of her and this land...But still...." he sighed.

"Son, things in life is not simple." said Master Lin. "You are the youngest of the emperor's children and his heir. So you can't blame your siblings and your parents for mollycoddling you." he continued. "I know, child. I know you want to think for yourself and make your own decisions and i praise your maturity despite your age and your willingness to learn and your love for our people. His majesty the emperor your father has made indeed the right decision to make you the next king of this country."

Zhong-Lang still frowned despite the praise he received from his teacher. "Sir, forgive me. But there are times that I wish I wasn't the heir to the throne." he said.

"Why so?"

Zhong-Lang stood up and sauntered in the garden from near the pond he was sitting at. He was deep in thought for almost five to ten minutes and after that he began to speak again.

"Sir, I may be the future emperor, but why? Why can't I make my own decisions?! Why can't my brothers and sisters and my parents respect my abilities?! Just because I'm a child?! It's not fair!" Zhong-Lang continued to rant. "To tell you the truth Master Lin, i feel Sister Chang-Ping's pain! She saved the country, just like what the legendary heroine Hua Mu-Lan did, but instead of being praised by Father, she was punished by placing her in an arranged marriage! I know I don't get a say on this just yet, but even if I don't get a say on these matters because to be frankly honest.....I don't even know what to think anymore..."

Master Lin noticed the words his student had said and began to take the words right out of his mouth. "So are you telling me that you feel pressured on being the next heir to the throne, is that it?" he asked.

The teacher noticed his student's silent answer.

"And as much as you want to follow your own path and do your own ways, you are afraid of breaking the rules, am I correct?" he asked his student once more. "This child wants to grow up too fast." he smiled at the thought.

The young heir nodded to his mentor silently.

"Sir, what am I going to do?! I need to do something! I can't always be a doormat for everybody just because I am a young boy! You know how much I admire Sister Chang-Ping, right? Honestly, I envy her! She isn't the heir to the throne but she can do whatever she pleases and she bends the rules all the time!" Zhong-Lang vented. "I want to show my family and the people that I am worthy too! I want to show them my strengths! But, is being a king this easy?! No! I have heard kids of my age, they envy me! But they don't understand what I go through every day! As much as I long to serve the people, you are right. Sometimes being the next king is difficult! I envy my brothers so much, they have little responsibilities and they are not pressured that much! Sister Chang-Ping is so strong! I may not know what love is about yet, but I want her to be happy and I want to see that someone is worthy of her and of this kingdom!"