"It has been quiet so far at your academy."

The Academy Head chuckled. "That may be due to the Sixteenth Prince's absence."

"Is that so?", jested a man spanning long hair past his shoulders, hands covered in ink with a heavenly smile as wide as the sky.

"Yes, Minister Zhou. That rascal bothers us so much, but he's not even the favored disciple! It's a wonder young Master Chen puts up with him," added Master Li as he recounted the trivial annoyances the Prince had caused over the years to the Minister of Education.

The Minister of Education politely nodded as he continued walking by the tributary that fed into the main lake at the academy. That day, his fairy visage struck a chord with the female servants as they fawned over the young gentleman besides Master Li. Minister Zhou paid no notice to the fans, focusing instead on hearing the insights of the disciples, masters, and teachers that made up this academy. Since starting his post a few years ago, he made a habit of frequenting the various academies over the nation, and today was the day that he visited this academy. To his surprise, all on people's minds were not the poems of ancient scholars from bygone dynasties, rather Sixteenth Prince's presence, or lack thereof.

As they were strolling by the river, a certain man passed by them, his servant carrying an umbrella to prevent his master from catching harsh sunlight. A veiled face did not allow the pair to see who it was, but Master Li shouting, "Lyu Biming!", did hint at who it might be.

The shrouded figure eyed the Minister of Education and the academy's head with disdain as he walked off in a humph.

"How dare! He may be the Prime Minister's son, but you are the Minister of Education and he reports to you...how can he treat you this way!", cried Master Li as Minister Zhou gently held him back.

Minister Zhou uncomfortably frowned, saying, "Actually, he's under the Minister of Celebration and Festivals. Many make the mistake, don't worry." He was more than used to correcting that slight error in reasoning by others. As of the late King's wishes, all the dance and music academies relegated to the other Minister's oversight instead of the Ministry of Education.

As someone who in vain struggled to distinguish music tunes from one another, he was more than glad to have that pressure off his hands. Leaving the music masters and entertainers to themselves seemed more appropriate. That did not mean he passed up the opportunity to enjoy a good concert now and then. He mused that the Minister of Celebration and Festivals was more than kind enough to show off the talents of their nation to the whole world.

"You are too kind to say it like that!", Master Li continued, pointing at the head of one of the top dance academies, Lyu Biming, as he soon faded out of sight.

"His reputation precedes him, Master Li. Let us not trouble him any further on his stroll around the capitol," Minister Zhou pleaded, pulling on the master's sleeve as he persisted in calming down the old master.

He stomped his foot on the ground firmly. "Some need to learn propriety and respect better!".

"Definitely, now let's go sit down," he asserted, hoping that this would all blow over before the Master received anymore stress. Briefly, he glanced at the trail the renowned dancer had tread, wondering what he had done wrong to offend the Prime Minister's son.

Perhaps he was simply having a bad day.

Him barging into the conqueror's study did seem to make it appear that way.

"Conqueror, I want to stage a dance."

The young king's lips twitched as he said, "Master Lyu, how can I be of service today?"

"Should I repeat myself or are you as deaf as your favorite General?"

Conqueror continued shuffling through the reports the court had given, as he slowly formed an answer. "Discuss this with the Minister of Celebration and Festivals. He would be more than happy to..."

"No, he wouldn't!", exclaimed the Prime Minister's son, bringing down his arm as he threw the fan he used to fan himself down on the palace floor.

"Really?", the Conqueror asked.

"Don't feign shock. He gave me the run-around, asking me to sign paperwork, and then letting another dance academy perform in our place at the last festival!", he cried in outrage.

"I had no idea," the Conqueror asserted. "You should bring it up with the Prime Minister if..."

"Ask my father? When the Conqueror has the final say in decisions...", the young man with hair tied behind his back claimed. His veil had been retracted to allow the Conqueror to see his face, the only clue on it that he was irritated was his fiery eyes.

"Oh, well I have many matters to attend to you see...", the Conqueror started.

"Busy? Without your seal of approval, the festival cannot go on!"

The ruler sighed. "It seems as there has been a slight lapse in judgement. Perhaps the other dancers performed better in the Minister's eyes..."

Lyu Biming laughed. "This time, I will dance. No doubt who's the clear winner."

"Do not worry. In the future, feel free to go to the Minister. He shall trouble you no longer as I will reprimand him otherwise. Anything else?" At this, the Conqueror lifted his head from his papers, grinning as he looked at his intellectual rival.

"I will perform a sword-dance in front of the court at the next court session," Lyu Biming added.

"So you shall. See you at court then," the Conqueror nonchalantly remarked.

Suddenly, a eunuch came into the room. "You dare! How dare you come into the room of the King!"

The Conqueror lifted his hand, silencing the eunuch mid-phrase. "He has a right to...after all, he is a royal. He is free to claim his birthright if he wishes."

"In your dreams," muttered Lyu Biming, as he picked up his fan, placing it near his face as he walked out of there.

Glaring at the head eunuch, the eunuch quickly scooted out of there before the Conqueror blew his fuse.

"That...********* ***** ***** ******. And ***** ***** ******. Jerk," he roared, overturning the table in front of him.

Regretting he let his temper loose, he gathered the memorials in front of him, quietly seething at Lyu Biming.

His brother had been right the other day. It was not Lyu Biming's dancing that upset him, rather the continuous game of chess the other pit against him.

Should he go against his express wishes now, the Prime Minister would kneel in front of the court, and plead, "Your Majesty" with that croon of his, causing the whole court to bow behind the minister. Indeed, there were some in the court hoping the Prime Minister's Son would take on the title of Duke as his mother was a Duchess from the previous dynasty.

Not only that, but Lyu Biming was a true shining prodigy who had been cared for since birth.

In short, everything the Conqueror was not. He, who had worked hard and slaved in the army starting as a stable boy as soon as he could talk, (he had to thank the late Empress for that honor), had educated himself bit by bit.

Could he ever hope to compare to a shining star on the horizon?

Taking a brush, he drew a quick sketch of the palace gardens. Satisfied, he lay down on the floor.

Maybe he could never be a prodigy, but there was one thing that he could pride himself in.

He played a better game of Go.

_____________________________________

Author's note: To clarify, he is not envious of Lyu Biming's abilities, just considers him a rival. If you find it weird the head eunuch only discovered his intrusion late into their conversation, a quick reminder that Master Lyu is a graceful dancer. (Also, Young Master Chen is Young Teacher of the faceclaims btw.)

And I cannot come up with a good name for the Academy now so I will name it later on.

Author's note: This is the title track for another drama-Oriental Odyssey. Both second male lead and male leads are good dudes. Mystery case-solving along with historical fiction fantasy drama. Good watch. Never watched the other one.