"No! I'm not going!", a young child, about 7 or so years of age, pouted and stomped her shoes on the ground.
This was her way of protesting everything that she didn't like, and it usually worked. It even worked wonders when she would use it to get her brothers in trouble when she got annoyed by them.
But it didn't work this time.
The mother of the child, a stout middle aged woman, shook her head said, "No, my dear Bai Ce. You must go. How can you be a daughter of a Marquis and remain uneducated? Without etiquette and without knowledge, too?"
"What will your future husband think when he learns that his wife is an uneducated swine? That won't be very good."
The girl had no choice but to use her ultimate move. She cried out loud, screaming, "I don wanna go, daddy!"
The father was a blonde, stern faced man with a tremendous gait. He was usually very partial to his only daughter, Bai Ce, but he couldn't be willful at this time.
A noble child that doesn't go to the Imperial College is uneducated and uncultured.
This was the general sentiment of the time. True, it was, as it was a great place for children of higher classes to mingle with each other and learn many things. Even if his child was to be married off, there were not many takers of a foolish woman.
"No, Bai'er. You mustn't cry. Good children don't cry. You will have many delicious food and snacks in the college, I promise. You will also make many new friends, and have lots of friends.", the father spoke with his deep tone, smiling at his daughter.
"Besides, you will come home every three months to stay with us. It's more fun than you think, Bai'er."
The child stopped crying, as if thinking with her three braincells.
"Really? Lots of schweets?", she asked.
"All the sweets in the world.", the mother said as she hugged her daughter, he heart heavy. If she had it her way, she would have liked to have spent more time with her daughter. She was still just a baby to her.
But it wasn't. She too, had gone through the same process in her childhood, and knew it was paramount. She could do only what she could do best, pray and hope that her daughter wouldn't miss them too much.
The father rubbed his eyes and looked at the tall lanky man who stood right next to them, looking with a gentle smile.
"I'm terribly sorry for the scene, Liu Ji. You know how the children are.", the father said to Uncle Liu.
"No problem at all, Marquis Bai. You can be rest assured, the standards of the Imperial College are the highest in the entire Kingdom. Your daughter will grow up to be an excellent, intellectual, and good person."
"You know that seats are limited for the College. Only the best can enter. Why, I've got the son of a scholar sleeping in the carriage over there.", Uncle Liu exclaimed.
"Oh, a scholar sent his child to the College as well? Well, I'm sure he'll make great company for my Bai'er.", the man was pleasantly surprised.
Marquis, we're done loading the lady's bags.
An attendant came up to the Marquis and bowed before saying.
"Indeed. Well, I must be off at once, if the young lady is all ready.", Uncle Liu spoke kindly.
"That we are."
The father walked over to her daughter and put a candy in her pocket before whispering something in her ear. The child smiled widely and nodded her head.
"This is your Uncle Liu. Listen to him and ask him for help when you're in the college. And don't be willful there.", the father smiled and said.
The child nodded, looking at Uncle Liu.
Uncle Liu let a gentle smile at Bai Ce, the child, and picked her up.
The young lady almost started crying again, but controlled herself at the last second. She stared at her parents for the last time. To her, it felt like goodbye, just as a child would feel.
"Right, have your seat anywhere. Don't talk with the child sleeping over there, you won't understand him, anyways.", Uncle Liu spoke as he put the child in the luxury carriage.
For reasons unknown, he himself went to sit at the front of the carriage, commanding the horse himself.
The young lady stared around the carriage, looking for anything at all to do. The interior of the carriage was luxuriously decorated, and had leather finishes on the walls and ceilings. The glass was made of a special temper, preventing people from peeking inside, but she could see the world outside.
She looked at the roads vanishing slowly, the estate she called her home fading in the distance. Tears crept up her nose but she stifled them, saying to herself, "Good children don't cry!"
She hugged her favourite teddy bear and tried to go to sleep, but the rocking of the carriage made it difficult. It wasn't her first time in a carriage, but it was definitely harder to sleep as she was anxious and nervous.
The boredom crept in, and her eyes veered left to the boy sleeping like a log in the corner.
He must be very tired if he can sleep like this.
The carriage suddenly bumped, waking the boy up. He looked around, confused.
"Hello, my name is Bai Ce. What's yours?", she extended her hand while holding her teddy bear, expecting a response.
The boy looked like he was perplexed, before baring his teeth at her and letting out a loud howl.