The Rise of the Ying Clan

The next day, around noon time, Uncle Liu and Xuanye arrived at Quanqiu. The so-called Quanqiu was merely a big village located in a vast prairie.

 Xuanye was immediately brought to meet the chief of the Ying Clan people. And he was surprised to see that the house of the number one person in Quanqiu, was worse than his father's house. The house was only bigger compared to the house of a common middle-income person in the capital.

 "Greeting, Chief Ying," said Xuanye greeting Ying Qi, the chief.

 Ying Qi, the chief of the Ying Clan, was around fifty years old. He was a big tall man with a thick beard. He wore coarse hemp clothes with a fur cape on his shoulder. Stood on his side were his sons and grandsons.

 "Young man, so you are the person that was sent by the king to stay here and learn how to take care of horses!" Ying Hong said. He didn't expect to see a young man who looked very gentle and refined, with such a handsome face.

 "Yes, I am, Chief Ying," Xuanye politely replied.

 Meanwhile, the arrival of Xuanye had been heard by many people in the Quanqiu. Many people were curious to see the young man who was sent by King You to live with them, given that the young man was said to be very beautiful. Those people came to Chief Ying's house and waited patiently to see the young man leave the house to check how good-looking he was.

 "Aye, I wonder if the king knows that life here is not easy. And sending you here to take care of horses, is hard labor for a weak young man like you," Chief Ying shook his head. "Asking you to work here means sending you to death!"

 Xuanye knitted his eyebrows and said nothing.

 "Since the letter from the king is clear, that you have to be here and work until he calls you back, then I can't do anything. But probably, you better just stay at the village and help with cleaning the horses and chariots instead of going outside," the chief said again.

 "Chief, I could do it. I'm not a weak young man. I'm sure that I could be a good horse caretaker, " Xuanye said.

 "You are such a refined young man. You will get a sunburn, and your hands might be hurt by the thorns and bushes in the wild. I'm not sure if you could do it."

 "I could. And if you don't give me a chance to try, then how do you know?"

 Chief Ying looked at Xuanye and said, "Since you insist, then I will let you work with my son Ying Kai. Ying Kai, " Chief Ying called his youngest son who stood on his left side.

 "Yes, father," a young man with a nice shape mustache replied and saluted with his fists.

 "This young man should follow and assist you when you herd our cattle and horses. Treat him kindly like how you treat your own younger brother. Don't let him ill and feed him well. He may have to learn a lot from you," the chief said to his son.

 Ying Kai complied with his father's instructions.

 "Thank you, Chief! Thank you, older brother," Xuanye said and he made a salute with his fists.

 "Xuanye, I still hope that you could teach Ying Kai and my other sons and grandchildren how to read and write in the Zhou system!" the chief said.

 "If they are willing to, then I don't mind at all," Xuanye said. He could feel that he started to like this old chief.

 "Alright, you join us for lunch now," the chief said. "Consider this as your welcoming party! Come, follow us!"

 Xuanye nodded and followed the chief to go for lunch.

 The moment Xuanye stepped out of the building, the many people waiting outside were immediately excited to take a peek at the young man who had just arrived from the capital. Some of them were young people, men, and women. And they were all very surprised because, in their entire life, they had never seen a man as handsome as Xuanye.

 Some of them could not even control themselves. "He's even more beautiful than any beautiful girl," they said. Some people even rushed forward to get closer to Xuanye to check if he was that good-looking. Some of them even touched his cheeks and pulled his hands to feel his noble hands.

 Xuanye was shocked.

 "Please behave to my guest," said Chief Ying in a loud voice. Although he spoke in a loud commanding voice, he was not angry. Instead, he felt amused when he saw the people were so enthusiastic. 

"Xuanye, people here, have never seen anyone as beautiful as you. You should forgive them!"

 "Aye, I'm not angry, Chief. I'm just…not used to," Xuanye said.

 "All of you, listen!" said the chief making an announcement. "Xuanye is the son of Marquis Qi. He's sent by the king to learn how to take care of horses and chariots. Therefore, he will work with my son Ying Kai. Please be polite and kind to this young man! And if any of you see him in trouble, don't hesitate to help him!"

 With the instruction, the people knew that the chief respected the young man. They knew that they should not disrespect him.

 The first thing that Xuanye had to do, was to change his clothes. He changed his clothing with a simple style of clothing that was used by the people of Quanqiu. He also tied his hair the way the local people did.

 The next day, Ying Kai picked up Xuanye to take him to see the horses in the prairie.

 Ying Kai saw that Xuanye had changed his clothes and his hairstyle. He punched lightly on Xuanye's shoulder and said, "Little brother, at least you could adapt our clothing. I hope that you could also adapt the life as horse-keepers!"

 "As long as you're willing to guide me, then I am sure I could make it," Xuanye answered and smiled widely. His smile revealed his white neat teeth. And with his beautiful bright eyes, his smile carried such an innocent aura that made everyone like him.

 "Aye, the job might be too harsh for you. You should let me know when you feel tired or you think you could not make it," Ying Kai said.

 Xuanye nodded, "I will work hard, Big Brother!"

 "Let's go now!" Ying Kai said. He took Xuanye to the horse stable and showed the horses. Inside the stable, many workers work to clean the stable, feed the horse, and even brush the horse's hair.

 "Do you know how to ride a horse?"

 "I only know how to drive a one-horse chariot and a two-horse chariot. I will be very pleased if you are willing to teach me how to ride a horse," Xuanye answered.

 "Alright, we will pick a horse for you to learn," Ying Kai said. And with that, he walked toward a two-month-old horse and patted the small young horse, and laughed, "This little horse, is suitable for a beginner like you!"

 Xuanye was a bit surprised, the horse was too small for a tall young man like him. Many workers in the stable also laughed when they saw Ying Kai pick the young horse for Xuanye. Xuanye felt a bit offended.

 "Little horse for a beautiful man," one of the workers laughed and mocked Xuanye.

 "Shut up!" Ying Kai scolded the man. "This young man is the new teacher sent by the king to teach my father's children how to read and write. He doesn't know how to ride a horse yet. Therefore I chose this little horse for him. Although this horse is still young and little, by the time Xuanye could ride a horse easily, this horse also grows big and tall!"

 "Argh, Big Brother, please forgive my ignorance. At first, I thought that you wanted to mock me by giving me this little horse. But I'm wrong. You're a man who is full of consideration," Xuanye said politely and he saluted with his fists.

"Aye, aye! You're too polite! Don't salute too much! I'm not used to it!" Ying Kai laughed. "Come…let me teach you how to ride a horse! Take it easy, and don't be afraid! This young horse is tame and suitable for a beginner like you!"

 Xuanye complied, and he listened carefully to Ying Kai's instructions.

 Ying Kai taught and guided Xuanye meticulously.

 Although at the beginning Xuanye was not used to the backward way of life of the people there, after some time, he enjoyed his work and his friendship with them.

 Xuanye and Ying Kai developed a close friendship. Ying Hao who was several years older than Xuanye treated Xuanye like his own younger brother. From Ying Kai, Xuanye learned how to take care of horses, horse riding, and archery.

 After a month, Xuanye had been able to take horses and ride horses properly. And Ying Kai didn't lie, the foal that he picked up for Xuanye was indeed a fine horse. 

 That day, was the first time Xuanye went with Ying Kai and the other workers to the prairie to herd their horses.

 Ying Kai carefully observed Xuanye who now looked dark and looked much stronger than the first time he came.

 "Xuanye, at the beginning my father was worried that you may not be able to work in the field like this. He's wrong. You're not a weak man after all!" Ying Kai praised Xuanye. 

 "Aye, you all look down on me just because I come from the capital city!" Xuanye laughed. "Give me more time, and I will be able to tame the wildest horse in the prairie!"

 "Hahaha," Ying Kai laughed. "I like your spirit, Little Brother! Come, let's go further west and hunt!" He galloped his horse, followed by Xuanye.

 Overall, the job and life were a bit tougher than Xuanye had expected. Yet he was a hard-working young man, and he would not give in to any circumstances. He had to prove to his father, the king, and the people that he was not a weak beautiful man. He's a strong man, and it's not his fault if he's born with such a beautiful face and unblemished jade skin.

 Sometimes, Xuanye and Ying Kai had to go to the prairie for days to herd their horses.

 That day, when they rode their horses to return to the city, they saw Chief Ying and his men waiting for them.

 Ying Kai and Xuanye hopped off their horses and made a salute to the chief.

 "Young man, you're a good horse-rider!" Chief Ying patted Xuanye's shoulder. "Ying Kai has done a good job!"

 "Thank you, Chief!" Xuanye smiled widely. "It is all because Big Brother is a good tutor!"

 "Hmm, and now it's your turn to be a teacher for him!" the chief said. "Start from tomorrow, you should teach my children!"

 In the third month, the chief decided that Xuanye should stay inside the city to teach Ying Kai and the other seven children of the chief.

 ===============

 That day was the first day for Xuanye to teach the children of the chief. Xuanye was a bit nervous since four of his students were older than himself. 

 Xuanye wore his best robe to go to the room which was arranged to be his classroom.

 When Xuanye arrived at the classroom door, he didn't expect to see the chief, who had been waiting for him. The chief deliberately waited in front of the classroom to welcome Xuanye.

 "Chief," Xuanye politely bowed at the chief. "Chief, you are a senior. You should not come here by yourself. If you need me, you could tell your subordinate to summon me, you don't have to come to see me by yourself!"

 The chief laughed and said, "Xuanye, for more than twenty years, the King of Zhou had never sent anyone to be a teacher for my people. And we also have no talent to be sent to the capital to learn. I am so glad that you are willing to teach my children how to read and write. I also hope that you are willing to teach them the Zhou rituals and etiquettes, " The chief humbly said.

 "Xuanye, will do his best," Xuanye kneeled and made a kowtow to respect the chief.

 "Please, arise," the chief laughed. "Our ancestors originally came from the Central Plain. But then since we lived far away, we were so much influenced by the barbarian customs. You could see that many of our people, dressed and styled their hair like the Quanrong or the other barbarian peoples. It is…such a big disgrace," the chief sighed.

 Xuanye pondered for a while and replied, "Although clothing and hairstyle reflect the identity, but it is the behavior conduct that is the most important."

 The chief looked gloomy and sighed again. "You should teach my children about the rituals, teach them how to read and write, literature, other things! Otherwise, I'm afraid that in the next generation, my tribe would be barbarian!"

 Xuanye complied and followed the chief to enter the classroom.

 "All of you arise, and pay respect to your teacher," the chief instructed his children.

 His children obediently paid salute with their fists as instructed by their father. 

 Xuanye had a task to be a teacher for the chief's seven sons and a daughter.

 The chief had three daughters. The student - Muying was the youngest daughter of of the chief. She was a fourteen years old girl with a beautiful charming face. She was charming and loved by her father and her brothers. And not only her family, but almost everyone Quanqiu adored her. Many young men in Quanqiu wanted to marry her.

 As a beloved child of the chief, the chief only allowed Muying to wed a young talented man. But Muying herself, who realized that she was the most beautiful girl in Quanqiu, put one requirement for her potential candidate: handsome. She wanted a talented and handsome nobleman. After Xuanye arrived in Quanqiu, who could be more illegible to be her partner if not Xuanye?

 When the chief introduced Xuanye to his children, Muying - the only female in the classroom was astonished as she had never imagined that there was a man who was so beautiful.

 Muying with a choked voice said, "He's so beautiful…he's even more beautiful than me!"

 The chief and the other students laughed, while Xuanye was dumbfounded. He didn't expect that a young girl would speak such a thing in front of him and many other men.

 "Please, forgive my daughter's rudeness!" The chief said. He then continued, "You see, Xuanye! I'm sure that the people of Zhou would think that my daughter has no manners at all! They are right. We have no manners since we have no teacher who can teach us. Therefore, please help me to educate my children so they will have the manner of the Zhou people!"

 Xuanye politely bowed and complied to the chief.