Min Li had thought and had come up with the perfect plan for the crown prince’s acceptance.
What the prince wanted most was the respect and approval of his people. What Min Li had done by making the crown prince hold his rear end at the courtyard that day had undermined that.
A king had to not only command the respect of their people but the fear too. People had to know not to cross him, so no scheme was plotted against him. A king’s subjects needed to know that if they did cross him, fire would be rained down around them and they would perish even by their own sword.
Although Min Li was sure the people would always love and respect their crown prince, she had known she was going to have to find a way so that Fenhua wasn’t self-conscious about whether his people feared him or not.
Now that the attention was on Min Li, she was going to find a way to make him feel as if he was being revered as the future king.
When Min Li had gotten up, she immediately moved in front of Fenhua and kneeled down in front of him with her head looking at the floor in respect.
Now, everyone in the vicinity were not only looking their way, but they were silent too.
Min Li peeked at Fenhua. Fenhua looked in utter confusion, but luckily, he didn’t seem angry at her.
Min Li cleared her throat and got started on her plan.
“Your highness, let it never be said that you are not great.”
Min Li realised she had to speak up, no one seemed to know what she was saying.
“YOUR HIGHNESS. LET IT NEVER BE SAID THAT YOU ARE NOT GREAT. YOU ARE WONDERFUL. YOU ARE MAGNIFICIENT. YOU ARE GREAT IN EVERYTHING YOU DO.”
She looked up again. Everyone around Min Li were looking extremely shocked, but the prince, the crown prince was looking at her in amusement. His face gave Min Li the confidence to press on.
“HOW WONDERFUL YOU ARE. HOW GREAT. OUR FUTURE RULER. OUR ONLY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY.”
Min Li had used all the compliments she knew of to praise the prince. She chastised herself for not listening enough when Lily and Rose spoke about the crown prince. If she had, she would have been able to go on for hours upon hours.
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Her lack of knowledge in complementing the prince meant it was time to move on.
“YOUR HIGHNESS, THANK YOU FOR SHOWING ME MERCY FOR ALL MY MANY SINS I HAVE COMMITTED AGAINST YOU. THANK YOU FOR ONLY KILLING MY MANY COUSINS AND FARM ANIMALS.”
Min Li looked up again to see the reaction of the people. Everyone had looked happy before, but now a few looked utterly confused. The people who looked confused were the ones who knew she didn’t have any cousins that she knew of, she was an orphan without any biological family. They probably also knew that she definitely didn’t have any farm animals. She wouldn’t know what to do with them.
“THANK YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS, FOR ONLY CHOPPING A FEW OF MY FINGERS OFF WHEN I DESERVED A WHOLE HAND CUT OFF. THANK YOU THAT WHEN YOU CUT THEM OFF YOU WERE MERCIFUL ENOUGH TO EVENTUALLY PUT THEM BACK ON.”
Again, Min Li looked up to gage the reaction of the people around her.
They all looked absolutely horrified. GREAT. They were looking at the crown prince like he was a monster.
Even Fenhua raised his eyebrow at that one. She guessed that one was taking things a little bit too far.
Min Li decided that it was time for her shenanigans to come to an end. It was time for the others to enjoy the celebration and she was getting hungry.
Standing up, Min Li turned around and faced the whole audience, she opened her mouth wide bellowing, “EVERYBODY THANK YOUR FUTURE KING FOR HIS GRACE.”
Everyone seemed scared for their future fingers, toes and all pliable appendages. Apparently, word had made its way even outside the great hall and down the many steps where the groups of fifteen-year-olds were standing. At once everyone, except the king and queen, all knelt before Fenhua.
“THANK YOU FOR YOUR GRACE, YOUR HIGHNESS.” the words resounded loudly over all the walls of the great hall. Min Li was quite sure that people might even been able to hear it over in a different kingdom.
Evidently, the people were so scared that they had acquired in the last twenty seconds the ability to be able to speak in sync with one another.
Fantastic.
“YOU MAY RISE.”
That was all that Fenhua said but his face told the full story. Happiness shone through every pore in his body. He looked happier than she had seen him in a long time.
There was only one person who looked completely dismayed by the scheme.
The queen looked on at what was going on in horror. Her mouth had dropped open looking at Min Li. Betti the head maid was about to a partner in her complaints about Min Li. Looking at the queen’s face now, Min Li was certain that the queen wouldn’t only take part but take the lead.
Maybe it was the bowing down before a man for the queen. The queen had never bowed down before a man who was not the king before, that much was certain. If she had did so, the king would have definitely fed that poor man’s body to the lions, put him deep in a dark dungeon or even, Min Li’s personal favourite, said “off with his head.”
The queen definitely didn’t want Min Li making such an unladylike scene even in praise of her son when she was planning on finding Min Li a bachelor, someone who could take care of Min Li forever.
The king looked like he was going to laugh, but after he glanced at his wife the smile was wiped off his face. He sure had a mean poker face, but after checking that the coast was clear, he winked at Min Li.