I respectfully replied, “I was just lucky. Ma Ke’s not far from reaching the Magister level either.”
The prince laughed. “You’re a really humble child. You have accomplished so much, but you aren’t arrogant at all. It’s really rare for this to happen. I’ll need you to help me discipline Ma Ke in the future as I have high expectations for him. Since his elder brother doesn’t have much abilities, I plan to pass all of my duties to him.” The prince seemed to be a very good natured elder.
I smiled and replied, “Ma Ke has been really hard working. I’m sure he will meet your expectations.”
The prince replied, “Let’s hope so. Since you are a friend of Ma Ke’s and the same age as my son, I’m not being formal to you, so please stop calling me prince. It makes me feel like we are far from each other. From now on, you can just call me uncle Ao Er.” Even though I knew he’s trying to pull me to his side, my good impression of him kept on increasing.