Happiness

Qiu Bai placed the teacup on the table and started drumming his fingers on the table giving off an aura of an untouchable man. He stopped and raised his index finger and his guard quickly saluted and left the room.

It was just like being in the room with a powerful person that Si Ning felt a little excited and looking forward to what Qiu Bia want to discuss with him that he had to pass a message to his guard just by drumming his fingers on the table. It was such a cool move that Si Ning wished he could also do. He knew trying something like that was useless with Ah Dai but he could always try them with Chen An. A code that doesn't involve converse would come in handy one day and the most important part was to look cool.

Even though his guard had left. Qiu Bai didn't say a word but kept looking at Si Ning almost like he was studying him.

"Your temperament has changed." Qiu Bai told him reaching for his cup and took a sip of his tea.

"It is an honor to be complemented by Prince Qiu Bai." Si Ning said softly to indicate he would take Qiu Bai's statement as a compliment rather than dig for the meaning behind those words.

Qiu Bai smirked placing his cup on the table and turned the side with the flower pattern on it to himself. "A beautiful carefully made cup with a chrysanthemum flower imprinted on it, do you know what this flower means?" He asked.

"Happiness." Si Ning replied firmly. He had no idea what the flower symbolizes but for it to be imprinted on a teacup means it doesn't represent any negativity and if he was the one that made the teacup then he would wish whoever end up using it happiness.

"Yes Happiness, longevity, and love but then what is love? What is happiness?" Qiu Bai asked as he narrowed his eyes, his fingers slowly tracing the imprint on the cup.

Si Ning wanted to yell at him to go straight to the point instead he said. "Those are terms we describe as we see fit." He also turned his teacup to see the print. The flower was drawn with a black permanent ink. Looking at it Si Ning would have thought it was just a decoration to make the cup more eye-catching and not that there had to be a meaning behind the design.

"Are you happy General Si Ning?" Qiu Bai placed the cup on the table and directed his full attention to Si Ning.

"Happiness is not a constant emotion." Si Ning replied. "Are you happy Prince Qiu Bai?" If the Prince would throw one question to the other at him then it was also fair if he did the same. He would not be the one that had to be at the receiving end.

"Who knows." Qiu Bai reached for the kettle but Si Ning was faster and he quickly refilled their cups.

"You seem to have something on your mind." Si Ning stated as he placed the kettle down. He really wanted to know why he was here so they would get the conversation over it.

Qiu Bai took a deep breath. "There was a great Emperor who made his first Concubine his Empress." He closed his eyes like he was in deep thought trying to think of what happened next. "The Empress got pregnant and they expected a healthy baby but when the Empress put to bed, she had two sons." He opened his eyes to look straight at Si Ning before reaching for his cup and took a sip of the tea, he took a deep breath before taking another sip.

"Two sons?" Si Ning was getting tired of Qiu Bai that made no move to continue his story with his extremely relaxed expression. He only stared at Si Ning yet wasn't looking at him. It was like he wanted to see what was in Si Ning's heart and Si Ning also stared back at him. He was an Actor and he wouldn't waver if he was being stared at, no matter what Qiu Bai was trying to see in his eyes, he would never reveal a thing.

Qiu Bai placed the cup down. "Tell me what do you think the fate of the son that came later is?" He continues to stare at Si Ning intensely without blinking.

"He will be the Second Prince." Si Ning stated the obvious as he stared at Qiu Bai trying to see why he asked him such a question.

"Do you think he should compete with his brother for the position of the Crown Prince?" Qiu Bai threw another at Si Ning raising his hand to support his chin as he narrowed his eyes, almost like his eyes were closed.

If Si Ning wasn't looking at him, he would have thought his eyes were closed. It was hard for Si Ning to reply instantly, it was a tricky question and he had to first put himself into the Second Prince's shoes. When he transmigrated to this world, Si Ning had thought the best thing that could ever happen to him was being a Second Prince but in the essence of being that just because you came later than the first child wasn't something he ever thought about.

Si Ning had never had a conversation about how Xiu TianZhao felt being a Second Prince and from what he saw. Xiu TianZhao seemed to support Xiu Zhicheng wholeheartedly but things might have been different if they were twins. For being a twin as the first children of the Emperor then the fairest judgment was for them to compete but that could result in enmity and then the first child would feel the position of the Crown Prince should be rightly his while the second child would want to prove his that they should compete for the position and the only way to completely solve the issue was when one of them dies. Even if one of them admit defeat and leave that doesn't mean they would not come back to claim their place. Historical dramas had taught Si Ning a lot.

"The Emperor should name the Crown Prince." Si Ning replied. This was the kind of situation only the Emperor could solve.

"And if the Emperor didn't name the Crown Prince then what if General Si Ning is in the position of the Second Prince Imperial tutor, what advice will you give him?" Qiu Bai asked as he started turning his teacup slowly to keep his hand busy.

Si Ning never knew Qiu Bai could turn into an intellectual person not even letting him off. "I will tell him to try his best and happiness will eventually come to him." It was hard coming up with a reply without affirming the Second Prince should compete or not.

"That means the Second Prince should do anything he likes and you will be backing him as his tutor." Qiu Bai smirked and straightened up on his seat then he burst out into laughter.

"...." Si Ning was glad Qiu Bai laughed if not he would have been in an awkward position of agreeing or disagreeing with his statement yet looking at Qiu Bai laughing out loud, Si Ning could tell this person had a twisted personally that he was even able to mask the purpose of asking him those questions.

This Qiu Bai was different from the one Si Ning knew even though he never spent a long time with him but the time he spends with him drinking shown that Qiu Bai was just a businessman that chases after profit but this Qiu Bai in the room with him wasn't like that. This Qiu Bai looked greedy like he was searching for something while trying not to get lost. Si Ning had a feeling that meeting Qiu Bai would change a lot of things.