《Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince》


 Chapter 1

    ?Chapter 1: A Token of My Love


    The great Qiu Kingdom consisted of as many as fifty provincial states and several major towns. One such town was Xinshui Town which was situated in the heart of the Southern Province.


    ¡°Miss Hua, the Shui Family has agreed to your marriage with their eldest son. Finally, Miss Hua, you will live happily with your love,¡± Zhi Hui, the personal attendant of Li Hua informed her.


    Li Hua, who was getting her hair brushed with a servant¡¯s help, was delighted to hear that. She told the servant to stop and stood up.


    ¡°Zhi Hui, has the Shui Family already left?¡±


    ¡°Miss Hua, they are still in the guest room conversing with Master Xu,¡± Zhi Hui replied, keeping her gaze low.


    Li Hua walked out, followed by Zhi Hui.


    They hid behind a pir and peeked inside the guest hall.


    ¡°Miss Hua, the young master is so handsome. She shall confess her feelings to the Young Master tonight,¡± Zhi Hui suggested to her.


    .....


    Li Hua blushed and smiled seeing how Shui Feng Lao was smiling while conversing with her family.


    Suddenly, Shui Feng Lao looked out and met the gaze of Li Hua, who immediately hid behind the pir as she was shy.


    ¡°What happened, Miss Hua?¡± Zhi Hui asked with confusion and tried to take a peek when Li Hua told her not to do so.


    ¡°I think he saw me,¡± Li Hua said in a low voice and told her that they should leave.


    ¡°Li Hua!¡± She heard her name from the recognized voice. ¡°Let¡¯s have a small conversation, Li Hua,¡± Shui Feng Lao requested. Zhi Hui left quickly, giving them privacy.


    Li Hua turned to him, but because of her shyness, she could not peer at him.


    ¡°May I hold your hand?¡± Shui Feng Lao asked. Li Hua could not believe that all of this was real. She extended her hand out and Shui Feng Lao grabbed it gently. He took her with him to a pavilion near the pond.


    He let go of Li Hua¡¯s hand and admired the beauty of the full moon. ¡°Li Hua, I have known you for a long time. That¡¯s why when my Father told me about you, I agreed to marry you. I like you, Li Hua,¡± Shui Feng Lao confessed his feelings.


    Li Hua smiled and felt that she was in the seventh sky.


    ¡°At least, look at me,¡± Shui Feng Lao urged.


    Li Hua slowly lifted her head and finally peered at him. Those dark orbs were so shiny and bright. Her heart thumped against her chest just by gazing into those eyes.


    ¡°I-I,¡± she stuttered and moved her right foot back and forth because of nervousness. She had to confess her feelings as well to him. Shui Feng Lao nted a soft kiss on the middle of her forehead and then looked into her eyes.


    ¡°I wanted to tell you that Shui Feng Lao will keep you happy. I promise you. I know that you have not been to the outside world. Shui Feng Lao will give you the entire happiness that exists in this world,¡± he promised her.


    Li Hua was overwhelmed by such a beautiful confession before her marriage.


    ¡°Even I-¡± she paused as she heard the screams of the people. Both Li Hua and Shui Feng Lao turned to look at the source of those screams.


    ¡°What¡¯s that? Did someone get injured?¡± Li Hua asked and confusedly looked at Shui Feng Lao.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and see,¡± He suggested to her and the two left the pavilion.


    Xu Guang Li came out of the guest-chamber with Shui Xiaoqing, followed by their wives and the other servants when they saw the unknown men with swords.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Xu Guang Li questioned and shouted for the soldiers, who quickly came to protect them.


    ¡°Master Xu, the Xu Family is used of treason. The King sent the-¡± before the servant couldplete his words, an arrow pierced straight through his chest and he died.


    ¡°Ahhhhh,¡± the women shouted and chaos urred in the Xu Residence. The servants started to run to save their lives.


    ¡°Master Shui, you shall return from the backdoor of the residence,¡± Xu Guang Li told him.


    ¡°What are you saying, Friend? I will fight with you and protect you all,¡± Shui Xiaoqing stated and their younger sons came forward. Xu Guang Li ordered his son to safely escort his mother and sister along with Shui Xiaoqing¡¯s wife.


    ¡°My Lord,¡± their respective wives shouted as the two sons took them away.


    Both Guang Li and Xiaoqing jumped into the fight. ¡°Someone has conspired against you,¡± Xiaoqing told Guang Li as he pierced his sword into the chest of the soldier.


    Oppositely, Shui Feng Lao and Li Hua encountered two unknown soldiers. Feng Lao pushed Li Hua behind his back and dodged their attacks. He took out the fan which was on his sash and defeated one of them, thus snatching the sword from him.


    Li Hua got scared to see this when another soldier caught her and she shouted for Shui Feng Lao¡¯s help.


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± he quickly killed the other one and threw the closed fan towards the unknown man, who had taken Li Hua hostage. It hit in the middle of his forehead. Taking the chance, Shui Feng Lao pulled Li Hua towards him and asked her if she was okay.


    ¡°Come,¡± he said and started to run, dragging her with him. They reached outside the guest-chamber and were shocked to see so many dead bodies- mostly of the servants of the Residence.


    ¡°Father,¡± she shouted as she saw him fighting with tens of soldiers.


    Xu Guang Li pushed those soldiers away and killed them swiftly. He turned to look at his daughter. ¡°Run away!!¡± Guang Li shouted.


    Xu Guang Li shouted from the other side, ¡°Take Li Hua away, Feng Lao.¡±


    Li Hua shook her head as tears filled in her eyes. She saw Zhi Hui¡¯s dead body lying on the ground and she could not hold her tears.


    ¡°Li Hua, go away!!¡± Her father again shouted at her while fighting with another assassin.


    ¡°Li Hua, we have to leave,¡± Shui Feng Lao told her.


    ¡°We cannot. Our fathers are fighting. Go help them,¡± Li Hua told him. A strange feeling had upied her heart and it was scaring her.


    A speeding arrow came towards her when Feng Lao immediately swirled her. The arrow hit his right arm and he winced in pain.


    ¡°Feng Lao,¡± she called his name for the first time and started to cry, who held her hand.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he urged her and dragged her along with him. Li Hua looked at her father, whose dress was stained in blood.


    ¡°Father!¡± She shouted again as two arrows hit her father. However, Feng Lao did not stop and dragged her away from there. They reached the backyard anyhow. Feng Lao killed a few other assassins, who were after them, and told Li Hua to leap the wall.


    Li Hua outstretched her arms and grabbed the top of the wall, but she was unable to leap it. Feng Lao came to her and quickly pushed her up. He also climbed on the wall and went to the other side, making Li Hua jump with her.


    ¡°Save the others too,¡± Li Hua requested him.


    ¡°The situation is too tough inside,¡± he said and grabbed her hand, but she did not move forward.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Your family is also inside,¡± Li Hua stated. Feng Lao¡¯s expressions turned gloomy because he saw the dead bodies of their respective mothers and brothers earlier. However, he did not let Li Hua see them.


    He heard the tearing sound of fabric and found Li Hua had torn the end of her skirt. She quickly tied it around Feng Lao¡¯s arm. ¡°Go in and save everyone,¡± Li Hua told him.


    ¡°Li Hua, I need to protect you,¡± he said and grasped her hand tightly. They both ran towards the forest, however, to their misfortune the assassins had followed them.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t we go to your residence?¡± Li Hua asked him. ¡°The soldiers could have helped us,¡± she suggested to him.


    Feng Lao stopped and so did she. ¡°Li Hua, it was a nned assassination for both of our families. We need to go to the Qiu Kingdom¡¯s Capital to know the answer,¡± Shui Feng Lao affirmed when an arrow hit his chest.


    ¡°Ahh,¡± he stumbled when Li Hua held his arm. He quickly went along with her in the bushes and hid behind them.


    ¡°Feng Lao,¡± she worriedly said and started to cry again. Feng Lao pulled out the arrow from his chest and Li Hua pressed it tightly. ¡°Wait, I will-¡±


    ¡°Li Hua, run away. You need to survive. You need to go straight from this route and will reach a small vige. I will stop them and follow you,¡± Feng Lao shut her up and instructed her where to head to.


    ¡°I will not leave you alone. Let¡¯s go together,¡± Li Hua grabbed his arm.


    ¡°There are assassins here. I need to stop them else both of us will die. Go ahead. If I don¡¯t reach within a day, resume your journey by yourself,¡± Feng Lao stated and ced his hand on her cheek. His eyes were also misty while saying such things to Li Hua.


    ¡°You are scaring me,¡± Li Hua said in a low voice when Feng Lao quickly removed his red jade ring with a golden flower pattern on it from his index finger.


    He inserted it into the index finger of Li Hua and said, ¡°This is a token of my love.¡± He knew that he would die too because the assassins were quite stronger than him.


    ¡°Feng Lao,¡± she murmured.


    He caressed her head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look behind and keep running till you reach the vige. Don¡¯t worry about me. Okay?¡± He asked her.


    Li Hua hummed as tears continuously streamed down her eyes.


    ¡°On the count of three- one, two, and three!¡± Feng Lao said and pulled her up. He pushed her towards the route of the vige and gestured to her to run. Li Hua turned and started to run while Feng Lao went to the other side to distract the assassin.


    ¡°I wish I could stay longer with Li Hua. But this was it!¡± He thought in his mind and took the sword out of his sheath.


    ~~~~~


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    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2: Be Ready To Serve Me


    A carriage stopped in front of the Imperial Gates of the Qiu Royal Pce. The atmosphere seemed colder than usual despite it being early summer time.


    The carriage¡¯s door was pushed and it opened with a bang. A young man in his early 20s stepped his foot on the footte and stepped out of the carriage. He had worn a ck Hanfu dress while his hair was tied into a bun, held intact by a knot holder.


    Qiu L¨®ng Wei closed his eyes and took a deep breath in.


    ¡°Finally, I am home,¡± he pronounced. His eyes shot open and he walked in.


    The gatekeepers had kept their heads low and when L¨®ng Wei approached them, shivers ran down their spines as he walked inside the giant gate.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes fell on his eldest brother, Qiu Xiaoming, the Crown Prince of the Qiu Kingdom. Behind the Crown Prince, a line of servants could be seen.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei averted his gaze from Xiaoming. It was indeed an insult in everyone¡¯s eyes toward the Crown Prince.


    As L¨®ng Wei walked past the Crown Prince without formally greeting, Xiaoming stopped him.


    ¡°Wee to the Royal Pce, Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xiaoming warmly said and tilted his head. ¡°We all missed you for five months,¡± he added.


    L¨®ng Wei halted at his ce and chuckled. Xiaoming wondered why L¨®ng Wei gave such an expression.


    ¡°I never thought that my absence would bother the Crown Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and finally gazed into his eyes.


    ¡°The Youngest Prince shall not forget his manners. He should not forget that he¡¯s standing in front of the Crown Prince,¡± Eunuch Lishi scolded L¨®ng Wei for his insolent behavior.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, be quiet,¡± Xiaoming said sternly and he instantly lowered his head.


    ¡°It seems the five months¡¯ punishment in the Cold Pce was not enough for the Sixth Brother.¡± Another familiar voice fell into their ears and they looked in that direction except for L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°If you are going to act this way, then I am afraid you¡¯ll be punished again,¡± Qiu Mu, the Second Prince said as he came forward and bowed before the Crown Prince.


    He stood straight and turned to face L¨®ng Wei. ¡°It is understandable that your mother failed to put values in you, but at least do not disrespect the teachings of the respected Royal Mother,¡± asserted Qiu Mu.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the respect earned?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him and chuckled. ¡°And since when the Second Brother started to preach about respect?¡± He scoffed at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you are nothing before me, Sixth Brother. I am the General in the army,¡± Qiu Mu reminded him of his position.


    ¡°That¡¯s why the great General lost the war against the famous Zhuan tribe,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked. It was evident that he was making fun of Qiu Mu¡¯s capabilities.


    ¡°Don¡¯t start an argument in the morning,¡± Xiaoming intervened between them and prevented it from turning into a heated argument.


    ¡°The Sixth Brother shall greet the Royal Father and Royal Mother first,¡± Xiaoming suggested to him.


    L¨®ng Wei did not answer him and walked away.


    The Fourth Prince, Qiu Tianjie had alsoe there but when L¨®ng Wei ignored his presence, it troubled him.


    ¡°He has not changed a bit,¡± Qiu Tianjie said as he came near his elder brothers. He bowed before them and then stood straight.


    ¡°It must be his anger towards us,¡± Xiaoming proimed. ¡°He was alone in the cold pce for five months, so his agony is understandable.¡±


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, the Sixth Brother does not respect his elders or the people around him. He is selfish and only thinks about himself. I wonder why the Crown Prince is lenient towards him. If I would be at his ce, then I would have punished him until he understood the meaning of respect,¡± Qiu Mu said in exasperation.


    ¡°Brother Mu, Sixth Brother is the youngest among all of us. He needs love and care,¡± Xiaoming made him understand. ¡°I have important work, so I will take my leave,¡± he said and walked ahead, followed by his servants.


    The two Princes bowed their heads until the Crown Prince vanished from their sights.


    L¨®ng Wei walked through the corridor to reach his chamber. He had knitted his brows and displeasure was visible on his grimace. As he turned, a Pce maid hit him and the tray from her hand fell. The teapot fell and the hot water inside it fell on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand.


    However, L¨®ng Wei did not even hiss in pain when the hot water fell on his hand.


    The Pce maid immediately grasped his hand and wiped that water while blowing air on it. ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness,¡± she said with a worried look.


    L¨®ng Wei was astonished to see a woman holding his hand. He gazed at her face and looked at her facial expressions.


    ¡°I will call the Royal Physician for His Highness,¡± the Pce maid said and slowly let go of his hand. ¡°Please punish me for hurting the Royal body,¡± she asked humbly.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her and looked at his hand. He could still feel her touch on his skin. He liked the way she did not fear him and even touched him, knowing it was prohibited to touch a Royal Prince.


    He studied her face closely and found something unusual about her. Her fairplexion with pink cheeks and pink luscious lips was no lesser than of a woman from a reputed noble family. Also, her hands seemed softer even though she was a pce maid.


    ¡°I am a Pce maid in the Queen¡¯s manor,¡± she answered.


    ¡°I asked your name,¡± L¨®ng Wei cleared her.


    ¡°It is Li Hua, Your Highness,¡± she pronounced her name. ¡°Please punish me for hurting His Highness,¡± Li Hua requested. Her voice did not tremble and it puzzled the Prince.


    ¡°You seem new here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I joined two months ago, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°How do you know that I am a Prince?¡± He asked and leaned down, bringing his face closer to her to look into her eyes.


    However, Li Hua did not lift her eyes. ¡°The robes His Highness is wearing are enough to show that he¡¯s a Prince,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± they heard a feminine voice. He stood straight and looked at his front. Li Hua immediately got on her knees and started to clean the mess that she had created.


    Princess Jingfei came forward to them and looked down at Li Hua, who was silently picking up the broken pieces of the porcin teapot when Jingfei put her foot on Li Hua¡¯s right hand. She cried out in pain and her hand got cut.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at Jingfei and asked her what she was doing.


    ¡°It should not bother you, Sixth Brother. I am teaching a petty maid to not make mistakes anymore,¡± Jingfei stated with a stern expression.


    Li Hua pressed her lips tightly and felt blood ooze out of her palm.


    ¡°Everyone in the Pce thinks that they are well taught. Don¡¯t you think I can punish her better than you?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her.


    Li Hua¡¯s eyes welled and tears formed in them.


    ¡°Sixth Brother can leave,¡± Jingfei told him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to order me,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and gazed at Li Hua. He stepped closer to Jingfei and then whispered in her ear, ¡°Stop torturing her if you don¡¯t want to cryter.¡±


    He slowly moved back and gazed into her eyes with a smirk on his face. Jingfei moved her foot from Li Hua¡¯s hand, who took a breath of relief. She looked at her palm and then quickly put the broken porcin pieces on the tray.


    Jingfei walked past them followed by the two servants.


    Li Hua stood up, keeping her head low, and stepped forward when L¨®ng Wei stood in front of her.


    ¡°Be ready to serve me, Li Hua,¡± he told her when she lifted her eyelids to peer at him. ¡°You are the first woman, whom I will let enter my chamber,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and grinned.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3: In the Cold Pce


    Li Hua wondered what L¨®ng Wei meant by that. She knitted her brows and then lowered her head.


    ¡°Get your hand checked. I will see youter, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and walked away. Li Hua looked at her hand and then quickly paced towards the Royal Kitchen.


    ¡°Li Hua, what happened to your hand?¡± Her friend, Ju Lin said as she saw blood on Li Hua¡¯s palm. Ju Lin worked in the royal kitchen with hundreds of other servants. Ju Lin took the tray from her and saw the broken porcin pieces on it.


    ¡°I hurt my hand while picking the pieces up,¡± Li Hua said and finally wrapped the handkerchief on it. It did not seem right to say that she got punished by the inner court head, Princess Jingfei. She tied it on her palm when Ju Lin advised her to check it with the physician.


    ¡°It is a minor cut,¡± Li Hua said when the senior courtdy scolded them for cking off from work. They both apologized and walked inside the kitchen.


    Li Hua prepared another set of a teapot, teacups, and a small container consisting of powdered chamomile tea leaves. She covered it with the lid and carried the tray up.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Ju Lin told her, who was picking the vegetables in a basket. Li Hua nodded and left for the Hall, where the King and Queen were seated.


    .....


    She halted and the doors were opened for her. She walked in and bowed before the King and Queen.


    ¡°You took time to bring the tea,¡± Zhu Liling said, who¡¯s the Queen of Qiu Kingdom.


    ¡°Forgive me for gettingte, Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua apologized. The Crown Prince entered the hall and greeted his both parents, followed by the other Princes and the Princesses.


    Jingfei narrowly nced at Li Hua and took her seat after greeting her father.


    ¡°Where is the Sixth Prince?¡± Qiu Zedong, the King, asked and looked at Xiaoming to answer.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei returned a few minutes ago, Father. He will be here soon,¡± Xiaoming said. Li Hua prepared the tea for them. She served the King first, followed by the Queen and the other members of the Royal Family.


    ¡°Father, L¨®ng Wei has still not changed. He talks back. He doesn¡¯t respect his elders at all. I am afraid, Father, but he should have stayed in the Cold Pce for eternity. This Pce is not for him,¡± Qiu Mu said in annoyance and picked the cup to drink the tea when the hot tea burned his lips. The day was not good for him. How would it be? His biggest trouble had returned to the Pce.


    ¡°I found the Sixth Brother was taking the side of a petty servant,¡± Jingfei announced and gazed in the direction of Li Hua, whose eyes were lowered.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, Sister Jingfei. Does he even care about anyone else except himself?¡± Qiu Mu said with a chuckle. He could never believe that L¨®ng Wei would take the side of a servant.


    ¡°Everyone be quiet,¡± Qiu Zedong said sternly and they stopped conversing.


    ¡°Call Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Zedongmanded Eunuch Gao Bing, who left the hall. The King did not touch the teacup and the Queen asked him about it.


    ¡°I am waiting for Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Zedong said. The others also did not touch their teacups.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei pushed the chamber¡¯s door and found nothing had changed. Everything was kept in its ce.


    He unbuttoned the overcoat from his right shoulder and yanked it off. Picking up the clean overcoat, he wore it. He recalled the incident where Li Hua touched his hand.


    ¡°Why did I not get angry?¡± He murmured. A simr incident had urred with him when a pce maid mistakenly threw the water at him. He urged his father to cut her hands, but around Li Hua, he reacted differently.


    Probably the reason was her boldness to ask for the punishment, instead of forgiveness.


    ¡°Forgive me Your Highness for intruding in your thoughts,¡± Eunuch Gao Bing said while apologizing. ¡°The King has asked for your presence in the hall,¡± he informed.


    L¨®ng Wei turned to face Gao Bing, who had kept his gaze low.


    ¡°I am tired. I will meet Fatherter,¡± L¨®ng Wei refused to meet his father.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness. But if the Sixth Prince does not go with me, then I will get punished,¡± Gao Bing said with a worried look.


    ¡°Then, get punished, Eunuch Gao Bing,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, ignoring his plea. He settled on the hardwood low back armchair, resting one leg above the other.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince cannot refuse themand of the King,¡± Eunuch Gao Bing threatened him.


    He chuckled and rested his elbow on the armchair. His chin rested on it and he said, ¡°Gao Bing, you should beg me instead of lecturing me.¡±


    Gao Bing widened his eyes in exasperation. ¡°The Sixth Prince shall not disrespect me. I am the highest rank Eunuch in the Qiu Pce,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Gao Bing, you lost your chance to convince me. Now, I will tell my dear Father how you used his name to build a residence for yourself for free,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and stood up from the chair. Gao Bing was terrified to hear him.


    ¡°What happened? Did you think no one would find out? s! Nothing is hidden from me, Gao Bing. Even though I was locked in the Cold Pce for five months, I know everything that happened in this Pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed with a smirk and walked past him.


    Gao Bing ran after the Prince to convince him not to say anything to the King. However, L¨®ng Wei did not pay heed to him. He walked through the corridors and soon reached outside the Greeting hall.


    Gao Bing came near L¨®ng Wei and whispered, ¡°I will do anything that the Sixth Prince wants me to. Please do notin about me to the King.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t step backter, Gao Bing,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and the giant mahogany doors opened. He stepped inside followed by Eunuch Gao Bing.


    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4: His Prating Gaze


    As soon as the doors opened, L¨®ng Wei walked in and stopped in the middle of the hall. He looked into his father¡¯s eyes; bowed before him, bringing his hands up and lowering his head. Eunuch Gao Bing quickly stood beside the throne where the King and Queen were seated.


    ¡°Greetings to my Royal Father and Mother,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and kowtowed before them to show respect towards the King and the Queen. He stood straight and brought his hands down, meeting the gaze of his father.


    King Qiu Zedong rose to his feet and walked to him. He patted his shoulders and then embraced L¨®ng Wei warmly. Everyone gazed at the King in bewilderment.


    He pulled away and looked into the eyes of his youngest son. ¡°Hopefully, you will not make any mistake that will force me to send you away from me. I missed your presence,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    ¡°Missed my presence?¡± He chuckled. ¡°Father never once visited me in the Cold Pce. He should not show fake affection towards me,¡± L¨®ng Wei blurted out with exasperation.


    Everyone in the hall was not surprised to see his blunt behavior.


    ¡°Be respectful towards your father. Don¡¯t forget that he¡¯s the King,¡± Zhu Liling reprimanded L¨®ng Wei for his behavior.


    .....


    ¡°He has been busy with the Kingdom¡¯s work. Thest time His Majesty visited the Prince, he locked himself in the chamber. You are a grown-up man, yet your acts are no less than a young child, who always throws tantrums,¡± Queen Zhu Liling got furious at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°If it was a fake affection, the Sixth Prince would have never stepped into this Pce even aftermitting crimes and making so many mistakes,¡± Qiu Zedong said in a hoarse voice.


    The King came to his seat and told the Queen to calm down.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. He always got scolded by everyone. He turned to leave when his eyes dropped on Li Hua. He looked at her hand and found that she did not go to the physician.


    ¡°Sixth Brother, please take your seat,¡± Xiaoming said humbly. ¡°Let¡¯s have the morning tea together,¡± he opined.


    L¨®ng Wei, who had nned to leave the Greeting Hall, now decided to drink tea, after seeing Li Hua. He settled on the seat at the end as he was the youngest in the family.


    Li Hua walked to L¨®ng Wei and got on her knees. The other pce maid was holding the tray while Li Hua prepared the tea for him.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s gaze was fixed on Li Hua¡¯s hand. He did not like it that she ignored hismand. Li Hua picked up the teapot and poured the hot water into it. The chamomile tea leaves dissolve well in the hot water.


    She picked the tter on which the cup was ced and forwarded it to L¨®ng Wei, who did not hold the cup.


    ¡°Sixth Brother, pick the cup,¡± Xiaoming said from the other side.


    L¨®ng Wei outstretched his hand and brought it near the tter. However, instead of holding the cup, he ced his hand under her palm.


    ¡°Why did you not get it checked?¡± He asked Li Hua, who was puzzled to hear his question. For a brief moment, their eyes met and she pulled her hand back. To her surprise, L¨®ng Wei did not let it go.


    Ai Fen, the Second Princess, found L¨®ng Wei conversing with a pce maid and knitted her brows.


    ¡°Your Highness, please let my hand go,¡± Li Hua requested humbly, keeping her voice low.


    ¡°I need more tea,¡± Ai Fen said.


    Li Hua kept pulling her hand back, but L¨®ng Wei was adamant about not letting her hand go. Li Hua was scared because if anyone would notice them, she would get punished.


    ¡°Please, let my hand go,¡± Li Hua urged, ¡°Your Highness,¡± softly.


    ¡°Did you not hear me? I need tea,¡± Ai Fen said loudly this time. Everyone looked in their direction.


    ¡°Forgive me for the dy, Second Young Princess,¡± Li Hua said and pleaded with L¨®ng Wei to let her go.


    ¡°She is making tea for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced while letting her hand go and then looked at the other servant. ¡°Serve the Second Princess,¡± he ordered her.


    ¡°Sixth Brother, only she can serve the tea. This is one of the Pce rules,¡± Ai Fen reminded him about the rule where only the appointed tea server could serve the tea to the royalty.


    L¨®ng Wei took the teacup from her. Promptly, Li Hua rose to her feet and walked to Ai Fen. She served the tea to her and stood back at her ce with a bowed head.


    ¡°Father, the Third, and the Fifth Prince will arrive in the capital by the evening,¡± Xiaoming informed the King, who hummed.


    ¡°When will the Crown Prince get married? The Prime Minister is willing to give his daughter¡¯s hand in marriage to the Crown Prince. The youngdy is well versed not only in the household chores but also in warfare.¡± Qiu Zedong reminded Xiaoming about the marriage.


    The Queen gestured to Li Hua to serve the tea to the King.


    ¡°Father, I am still considering it,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to consider, Crown Prince?¡± Qiu Mu remarked and put the teacup on the table. ¡°The Prime Minister¡¯s daughter is the most eligible bride for the Crown Prince,¡± Qiu Mu delivered his opinion.


    ¡°I feel the same. The Crown Prince must not dy anymore,¡± Queen Zhu Liling opined. ¡°Li Hua, serve the tea to the Crown Prince,¡± shemanded in her soft tone.


    ¡°Miss Cha is indeed the finest among manydies,¡± Xiaoming agreed with his mother¡¯s words. He shifted his gaze at Li Hua, who had prepared the tea for him.


    L¨®ng Wei noticed the prating gaze of Xiaoming on Li Hua. He did not like this sight. That gaze made him feel insecure. He plonked his teacup on the table, grabbing everyone¡¯s attention towards him.


    ¡°The tea did not taste good. I hate chamomile,¡± L¨®ng Wei said loudly and stood up. The King frowned seeing his youngest son¡¯s inappropriate behavior. No matter how much he would punish him, it would only increase his insolent behavior.


    ¡°Take your seat, L¨®ng Wei,¡± King Qiu Zedong said in an angry tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡± L¨®ng Wei retorted and left the hall. Li Hua was puzzled to see the childish and insolent behavior of L¨®ng Wei towards his elders. He should be punished, yet the King didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Father made a mistake by not extending his punishment. He is still the same and his arrogance is only increasing day by day,¡± Tianjie said furiously.


    ¡°However, Brother L¨®ng Wei was calm around a person. He did not get angry at the servant, who threw hot water at his hand,¡± Jingfei said out of the blue while sipping the tea.


    ¡°What does the First Sister mean?¡± Qiu Mu asked.


    Li Hua got nervous to hear her. Jingfei tilted her head to look at her but did not say anything.


    ¡°Only marriage is the solution for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s odd behavior. If a womanes into his life, then he will start understanding the world around him,¡± Qiu Zedong said and looked at his wife. ¡°What do you say, My Queen?¡± He asked her opinion.


    ¡°Whatever His Majesty thinks is right for the youngest Prince,¡± Zhu Liling replied.


    ¡°Who will marry L¨®ng Wei? Father must not forget that he killed his own mother when he was fifteen. The list of his sins is never-ending. No woman can survive with him, Father. Brother L¨®ng Wei has to spend his life alone, probably in the cold pce,¡± Qiu Mu said with a chuckle.


    Li Hua was silently hearing them and it bewildered her how the youngest son of the family was treated. She had heard about L¨®ng Wei, but she never knew he would kill his own mother. Indeed, the man was dangerous. But the thing that troubled her the most was, why he was spared after he killed his mother. Shouldn¡¯t he be punished?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask any of my children¡¯s opinion on it,¡± Qiu Zedong said. He stood up from his seat, followed by his wife and the children.


    The King and Queen left first. Xiaoming also left after them but stopped near Li Hua. He tilted his head and said, ¡°Follow me,¡± before leaving the hall.


    Li Hua wondered why the Crown Prince told her to follow him. Did he find out that she was the one who mistakenly threw hot water at L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand?


    Li Hua halted outside the Crown Prince¡¯s manor. If it was about L¨®ng Wei, then she would have been punished by now. Did Xiaoming find out her real identity? She had disguised herself well and made sure not to make any mistakes. She could not be caught this early when she had not achieved her aim.


    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5: Another Meaning


    ¡°The Crown Prince has asked you toe in,¡± the courtdy told Li Hua, who walked in.


    She kept her gaze low and she stopped in the middle of the chamber.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, give us some privacy,¡± Xiaoming urged, who promptly left the chamber.


    Li Hua tightly pressed her right hand¡¯s fingers on her left ones and the skin turned paler. It was the first time the Crown Prince summoned her and her nervousness was increasing with each passing second.


    Xiaoming outstretched his hand. ¡°Forward your right hand,¡± Xiaoming said in his gentle voice.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Royal Highness?¡± Li Hua was confused to hear the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Your right hand, Li Hua,¡± Xiaoming repeated his words.


    .....


    Li Hua forwarded her hand when Xiaoming pushed the long sleeve of her dress up. ¡°You injured your hand,¡± she heard him say.


    He had a tiny circr box that had a white ointment in it- the expensive medicine that only royals could use. He took a small portion of it in his fingers when Li Hua immediately pulled her hand back.


    ¡°It is healed, Your Royal Highness,¡± Li Hua answered. She could not understand why Xiaoming was showing concern towards her.


    ¡°Are you going against themand of the Crown Prince?¡± Xiaoming threatened her and asked her to bring her hand forward again.


    Li Hua worked ordingly with themand of the Crown Prince and forwarded her right hand. Xiaoming gently grasped it. He removed the handkerchief that she had tied around her hand.


    She felt a little strange because it was a crime to even touch the Crown Prince let alone hold his hand.


    Xiaoming applied the ointment in a circr motion over Li Hua¡¯s palm. ¡°You have soft hands,¡± Xiaoming deduced. ¡°The wound is deep. It might get an infection if not treated well,¡± he added.


    Li Hua had heard from her fellow pce servants that the Crown Prince was a calm and gentle person. People loved him because he was ready to help them anytime.


    ¡°Who did this to you?¡± Xiaoming¡¯s sudden question brought her out of those thoughts and she peered at him.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I was picking the broken pieces of porcin cups. While doing so, my hand got cut,¡± Li Hua told the half-truth.


    ¡°Hmm. Why don¡¯t you work for me?¡± Xiaoming asked her.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness?¡± She was confused to hear the Crown Prince.


    ¡°I want you to work in my manor as my personal attendant. I will talk to my mother regarding this,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    Li Hua was not able to understand what to reply to in this situation. She had worked hard to enter the Queen¡¯s manor and she could not leave that. Not until she would find the true culprit behind her today¡¯s state.


    However, more than the Queen, the Crown Prince was involved in the Kingdom¡¯s work. It would be nice if she got close to him. She could find the culprit behind the mass murder of not only her family but also the Shui family.


    Indeed, Xu Family was charged with treason, but till now she was unable to find the reason.


    ¡°I will be d if the Crown Prince allows me to work for him,¡± Li Hua epted his offer.


    Xiaoming smiled and put her sleeve down. ¡°Keep it with you,¡± he handed the ointment box to her. ¡°I will talk to my mother regarding your transfer to my manor,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I cannot keep it, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The servants might take another meaning of it,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°Let them take another meaning,¡± Xiaoming affirmed while Li Hua gaped at his response. However, she did not put much thought into it. ¡°You may leave,¡± he motioned his hand in the air.


    Li Hua bowed and came out of the chamber. Eunuch Lishi looked at her with skepticism when she quickly left the ce. She stopped near the pir and looked at her hand.


    ¡°Why does His Highness want me to work as his personal attendant?¡± She murmured.


    A low scream escaped her mouth when she was pulled behind the pir and pinned on it. She widened her eyes to see L¨®ng Wei, who had pulled her.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡± She was puzzled and at the same time, a little scared because if anyone would see her, then she would be punished severely.


    ¡°Why did you go alone to the Crown Prince¡¯s chamber?¡± L¨®ng Wei queried her and found the handkerchief was no longer around her palm. He let go of his grip on her shoulders and checked her right palm.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°I was right,¡± he murmured when Li Hua pulled her hand away.


    ¡°Your Highness, you cannot do this. I will be punished if-¡± she paused as L¨®ng Wei hushed her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what I can do,¡± he said in a menacing tone, which intimidated Li Hua a little when she felt a sudden pain in her palm. She frowned and looked into his eyes, which were reading every emotion of hers.


    ¡°It¡¯s hurting,¡± she said in a low voice.


    L¨®ng Wei let go of her hand and said, ¡°the one who gave you this scar, has to bear the same pain or even more.¡± His finger brushed against her skin as he tucked the hair strands behind her ear.


    ¡°What does His Highness mean?¡± Li Hua asked. She recalled all sorts of rumors about the Youngest Prince. The reason he was locked in the Cold Pce was that he brutally thrashed the son of the Prime Minister, then burned a residence that belonged to the first Concubine¡¯s brother, and many other incidents.


    Indeed, earlier she did not focus much on him, but the way L¨®ng Wei approached her, somewhere made her worry.


    ¡°You are smart enough to know what I mean,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and patted her head before leaving.


    That gentle pat reminded her of Feng Lao. Her eyes filled with tears and she took a deep breath.


    ¡®I cannot let myself fall weak,¡¯ she told herself before walking away.


    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6: Li Hua belongs to me


    At the Great Orchid Pavilion, Jingfei was eating the fresh strawberries. The two maidservants were standing beside the chair on which Jingfei was seated. They both were fanning the Princess.


    ¡°First Princess,¡± Lin Jie, the personal attendant of Jingfei, bowed before her, ¡°I saw Li Hua going to the Crown Prince¡¯s manor. Upon asking, I found that the Crown Prince had asked for her presence.¡±


    Jingfei stopped eating and lifted her hand. Another servant handed her a white silk handkerchief, and she wiped her fingers with it.


    Ai Fen looked at Jingfei, who was seated a few meters away from her on the chair.


    ¡°Call Li Hua here,¡± Jingfei said, and the servant took the handkerchief from her. She stepped back while Jingfei stood up from the chair.


    Lin Jie followed themand of Princess Jingfei and left the pavilion.


    ¡°Sister Jingfei, why are you bothered about a lowly pce maid?¡± Ai Fen asked her.


    .....


    ¡°Sister Ai Fen does not know what this maid did. I have been ignoring her for many days. Earlier she attempted to seduce the Sixth Brother andter the Crown Prince. Sister Ai Fen, it¡¯s a crime for a servant to even go even one foot near the Prince if he or she does not belong to their respective manor,¡± Jingfei stated and asked for the stick.


    She had decided to hit Li Hua¡¯s hands with which she held L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hands. Also, she would hit on her legs so that her feet never led her to the Crown Prince¡¯s manor.


    Ai Fen thought, only she had noticed what happened in the Greeting Hall. To avoid the punishment for Li Hua, she even tried to help her. She knew if the First Princess would find out, then she might punish Li Hua severely.


    Lin Jie came to the pavilion with Li Hua, who got on her knees. Her forehead touched the floor, and she apologized for the mistake.


    ¡°This maiden already knows that she hadmitted the crime,¡± Jingfei said with an evil smirk and told Li Hua to get up.


    Li Hua acted on Jingfei¡¯s order. However, she kept her head low.


    ¡°Why did you go to the Crown Prince¡¯s manor?¡± Jingfei asked her and held the stick that the servant had brought for her.


    ¡°I-I,¡± Li Hua stuttered. She did not know what to say or what not to. So, she decided to keep quiet.


    ¡°Forward your hands,¡± Jingfei said. Li Hua acted on hermand.


    ¡°Close your fists,¡± Jingfei stated.


    Li Hua curled her fingers to close them, ready to take the punishment.


    ¡°Sister Jingfei shall not waste time over a petty pce maid. Moreover, she belongs to the Queen¡¯s manor. Her Majesty will not like it.¡± Ai Fen again tried to prevent Li Hua from getting the punishment.


    ¡°If Sister Ai Fen has the problem, then she can leave the pavilion,¡± Jingfei pronounced and raised the hand which had the timber stick. The servants tightly shut their eyes in fear.


    Ai Fen averted her gaze as she knew that Jingfei would not listen to anyone now.


    ¡®Whoosh!¡¯


    Li Hua heard the sound of the stick hitting a hand, but she found it was not hers. She slightly opened her eyes and saw a familiar figure in front of her.


    ¡°Sixth Brother!¡± Jingfei knitted her brows. Ai Fen promptly rose to her feet upon seeing L¨®ng Wei in the orchid pavilion.


    Li Hua was shocked to find L¨®ng Wei in front of her. Why did he intervene in the middle?! Why did he get the hit?


    ¡°Get aside, Sixth Brother. I have warned him not to intervene in the matters of the inner pce,¡± Jingfei stated with a frantic expression.


    ¡°I told you not to test my patience,¡± L¨®ng Wei said in his deep voice, shooting a baleful nce at her. He snatched the stick from her and broke it into two pieces. ¡°If I jump to the violence, then the First Princess will not even stand before me.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s minatory words troubled everyone in the pavilion.


    ¡°The Sixth Brother shall not go beyond his limits. He might go to the cold pce again,¡± Jingfei stated, not intimidated by his threatening words. She did not like that he humiliated her in front of many servants in the pavilion.


    Li Hua found it was getting messier. However, the most troublesome thought she had, was why L¨®ng Wei took a stand for her. He was never bothered by the servant¡¯s matters. Then, why today?


    ¡°I love to go beyond my limits. Father will not send me to the cold pce so soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Everyone knows that for the Son of Dragon, there are no set limits. Since the First Princess initiated a fight against me, I will surely make her cry in pain every day,¡± he affirmed and turned to look at Li Hua, who had lowered her head.


    He looked at the pavilion¡¯s entrance and saw the Crown Prince was entering.


    ¡®Why is he here?¡¯ he wondered, frowning.


    Upon seeing the Crown Prince, everyone bowed though L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t bother to do so.


    ¡°I was the one who ordered Li Hua toe to my manor, First Princess. You are not authorized to punish anyone in the pce whenever you please,¡± Xiaoming said with a menacing look and turned his gaze to look at Li Hua.


    ¡°The Crown Prince does not know that this lowly servant tried to seduce my two brothers,¡± Jingfei bitterly said. She was fuming in anger to see that Xiaoming was taking the side of Li Hua.


    ¡°Seduce us?! Sister Jingfei, watch your tongue,¡± Xiaoming shouted at her.


    Jingfei apologized to Xiaoming and red in the direction of Li Hua.


    ¡°Li Hua belongs to my manor as I have taken permission from Her Majesty, and she has agreed to my request. I want Princess Jingfei to act her age and never trouble my people,¡± Xiaoming reprimanded her and looked back at Li Hua.


    L¨®ng Wei did not like the way Xiaoming imed his right over Li Hua. He was the one who was supposed to bring her to him. He had nned to talk to his father about Li Hua.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± Xiaoming told Li Hua, who turned to leave when L¨®ng Wei grasped her hand.


    ¡°I have imed her already. I am afraid but Li Hua belongs to me, Crown Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei announced, shocking everyone present in the orchid pavilion.


    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7: His Generosity, and his Brotherly Love


    20 minutes ago:


    Xiaoming, after sending Li Hua went to meet his mother as his mother sent a message to meet her.


    Eunuch Lishi and the six maidservants stayed outside the chamber while Xiaoming walked in. He saw his mother looking at the jewelry pieces which were newly designed.


    ¡°Greetings to the Royal Mother.¡± Xiaoming brought his hands up and bowed his head. Zhu Liling put the jade hairpin on the case and turned to look at her son.


    ¡°Crown Prince, please take a seat.¡± Zhu Liling went back to the cushioned seat of a mahogany wood broad chair which was decorated with motifs and painted in red. Xiaoming sat on the simr-looking broad chair at her left to the front.


    ¡°The Crown Prince is growing older day by day. When His Majesty was of your age, he already had two concubines,¡± Zhu Liling told Xiaoming, who understood what his mother wanted.


    ¡°I am only 24, Royal Mother,¡± Xiaoming answered, keeping a tiny smile on his lips. ¡°I will have an official wife first, then keep the concubines,¡± he expressed his desire.


    .....


    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you marry Miss Cha Yifei?¡± Zhu Liling asked the Crown Prince¡¯s opinion. Xiaoming stayed quiet, which bothered his mother.


    ¡°Is there someone my son likes?¡± Zhu Liling modified her question this time.


    Xiaoming shook his head. ¡°Royal Mother, I want a woman who will be different from the noble youngdies. Maybe, I will encounter such a youngdy soon.¡±


    ¡°What kind of woman does my son desire? I will surely find one for him,¡± Zhu Liling stated. ¡°The Crown Prince is very well aware of the people¡¯s mouth. Usually, the princes marry early. His Majesty and I are still awaiting the day when the Crown Prince will say yes to the marriage. People gossip about many things. Hopefully, the Crown Prince will understand his mother,¡± Zhu Liling exined her son. Though, she did not directly tell him how people question his sexuality.


    ¡°What if I agree to have an official wife?¡± Xiaoming asked her, which brought a smile to Zhu Liling¡¯s lips. ¡°I can have a wife to shut people¡¯s mouths. However, I want the Royal Mother to give me a month to find a suitable wife for myself,¡± Xiaoming put forward his condition.


    ¡°It seems the Crown Prince has already found someone,¡± Zhu Liling said with a tiny smile. Xiaoming refused it when he heard his mother say, ¡°The Crown Prince must not forget that I am his mother. Is thedy from a noble family? The Crown Prince can share it with his mother.¡±


    ¡°Royal Mother, there is no one in my mind. I want time because selecting concubines is a difficult task too. I have heard about the concubines of Father, who mostly are neglected. I feel bad for them, so I don¡¯t want women to suffer with me,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°However, keeping concubines is a must for the Crown Prince so that as many heirs can be produced. It will strengthen the Crown Prince¡¯s power among the other Princes,¡± Zhu Liling exined to him. ¡°Look at your father. His two brothers could not get the throne as your grandfather found him a capable heir,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Royal Mother, have you ever met with the concubines of my Father? They live in misery and wait for him toe to them. They are excluded from anything that happens in the Pce. Some of them died childlessly. I don¡¯t want any woman to suffer with me that way,¡± Xiaoming expressed his concerns.


    ¡°His Majesty will be upset if he finds out what the Crown Prince thinks of having multiple concubines. His Majesty might scold me too for not teaching the Crown Prince well,¡± Zhu Liling asserted.


    Xiaoming did not want to discuss it anymore, so he deviated from the topic.


    ¡°Royal Mother, I have a request to make,¡± Xiaoming said humbly. ¡°The tea servant from the Royal Mother¡¯s manor, I want her in my manor as my attendant,¡± he made the request.


    ¡°Li Hua?¡± Zhu Liling arched her brow up.


    ¡°Yes, Royal Mother.¡±


    ¡°May I know why?¡± Zhu Liling wanted to know the reason for this sudden request.


    ¡°Royal Mother, my personal attendant, has left because of an illness. Eunuch Lishi has been checking for an attendant. However, today in the Greeting Hall, when I saw Li Hua, I thought she would be perfect to be my attendant,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    ¡°The Crown Prince can keep her. Indeed, Li Hua is good at work,¡± Zhu Liling agreed to Xiaoming¡¯s request, who thanked his mother.


    ¡°I shall take my leave, Royal Mother. Thank you again for epting my request.¡± He stood up and bowed before leaving.


    As they left the Queen¡¯s Manor, Eunuch Lishi informed the Crown Prince about selecting an attendant.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, I have already found one. You don¡¯t need to appoint any attendant for me,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness,¡± Eunuch Lishi agreed, who gestured to the servant to tightly hold the royal umbre.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, may I know who will be the new attendant for the Crown Prince?¡± Eunuch Lishi asked.


    Xiaoming halted at his ce, and immediately the servants behind him stopped. ¡°What is going on in the orchid pavilion?¡± he murmured. Eunuch Lishi looked in that direction.


    ¡°Is the Sixth Prince getting punished?¡± Eunuch Lishi mumbled.


    Xiaoming¡¯s eyes fell on Li Hua, who was standing behind L¨®ng Wei, and it bewildered him. He decided to check what was happening in the pavilion, so he turned left and descended the few stairs. The servants followed him, and soon he reached the orchid pavilion.


    ~~~~~~


    Present time:


    After the Crown Prince announced to everyone that Li Hua was his personal attendant, he got ready to leave. He told Li Hua to follow him when L¨®ng Wei intervened.


    ¡°I have imed her already. I am afraid, but Li Hua belongs to me, Crown Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei announced, shocking everyone.


    Xiaoming turned to look at L¨®ng Wei, wondering what he meant with that.


    Jingfei and Ai Fen were also perplexed to see L¨®ng Wei¡¯s strange behavior. ¡°It seems this pce maid has indeed seduced the Sixth Brother,¡± Jingfei remarked.


    Li Hua gulped and tried to remove her wrist from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s grip. Now, no one could prevent her from getting punished.


    ¡°Sixth Brother, Li Hua belongs to my manor. The Royal Mother and I had a conversation over this. It is not good for you to hold the hand of a pce maid and im your right over her,¡± Xiaoming said politely, which made L¨®ng Wei chuckle.


    ¡°What made the Crown Prince apply ointment on Li Hua¡¯s hand? Isn¡¯t she a mere pce maid?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him back. Xiaoming curled his right hand¡¯s fingers which L¨®ng Wei noticed.


    Li Hua widened her eyes. She had not expected L¨®ng Wei to be blunt. He did not even think, for a second, that his every action and word would bring more trouble to her. But what could she even say except stand mute?


    ¡°What am I hearing? The Crown Prince-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t intervene in our conversation, First Princess!¡± L¨®ng Wei snapped her while narrowly ncing at her.


    ¡°Sixth Brother, I do not want anymotion to happen in the morning. Let her go. We can have our conversation in private,¡± Xiaoming said calmly.


    ¡°Your favorite sister started thismotion.¡± L¨®ng Wei said in an informal tone. ¡°I don¡¯t believe in private conversation. That sounds more like a cowardly act to me, Crown Prince,¡± he affirmed, with a stern tone.


    ¡°Sixth Prince, are you going against the order of the Queen and the Crown Prince?¡± Eunuch Lishi scolded L¨®ng Wei this time. ¡°You cannot speak this way with my Lord,¡± he added.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi knows well how to cajole the Crown Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked while smirking, and Eunuch Lishi felt humiliated.


    ¡°The Crown Prince iste in getting permission from his dear mother. I already delivered the message of having one attendant for me to the Royal Father. The Crown Prince has thousands of servants in his grand manor. Let this youngest prince keep at least one servant for him. I know that the Crown Prince is known for his generosity, and his brotherly love is not hidden from anyone,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and turned the tables in his favor.


    ~~~~~


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 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8: I will burn this Pce


    Xiaoming knew that L¨®ng Wei was the most stubborn child among them. However, this time, he did not want to fall weak in front of his request.


    ¡°Sixth Brother, our Father has nothing to say in this matter. Li Hua belonged to the Queen¡¯s Manor, so her decision matters. Moreover, the Royal Father did not speak any such thing to the Royal Mother, else she would not have let Li Hua serve me,¡± Xiaoming presented the facts before L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I wonder why the Crown Prince is adamant to have Li Hua in his manor.¡± L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes. ¡°What will the servants think if the Crown Prince continued to im that Li Hua should be his personal attendant?¡± His question wasn¡¯t wrong. Jingfei already had other thoughts in her mind.


    The Crown Prince seemed possessive of Li Hua. His gaze was different from her and it made her wonder if Xiaoming liked this pce maid. The thought itself was giving her a cringe.


    ¡°Fine.¡± L¨®ng Wei let go of Li Hua¡¯s wrist, who found the marks of his fingers on her wrist. She caressed it and saw his knuckles were bleeding because of the hit from the stick.


    ¡°I will take formal permission from the Royal Father so that the Crown Prince will not have any objection,¡± L¨®ng Wei announced and turned his gaze at Li Hua. ¡°We will meet soon,¡± he said and left the orchid pavilion.


    ¡°Come. Eunuch Lishi will tell you about your work,¡± Xiaoming said and walked down the stairs. Li Hua looked at the broken stick and walked behind the Crown Prince.


    .....


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, the Sixth Prince does not do right in the Orchid Pavilion. He is supposed to show respect to you. His Royal Highness shouldin about it to His Majesty once,¡± Eunuch Lishi started to fill Xiaoming¡¯s ear. However, Xiaoming didn¡¯t pay heed to it.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, I will be in my study for a while. Don¡¯t trouble me till the lunch hours. Also, don¡¯t let anyonee in,¡± Xiaoming said upon reaching his manor. He turned to go to study when saw Li Hua. ¡°Bring me lunch at noon,¡± he ordered her and walked away.


    Eunuch Lishi also went after his master while the rest of the servants stayed outside the chamber with their bowed heads.


    Xiaoming picked the book on governance which he had half-read. However, he was unable to focus on it. His mind was filled with L¨®ng Wei¡¯s look that he gave him before leaving the pavilion.


    ¡°Why is he troubling me?¡± Xiaoming mumbled and frowned. He leaned his back on the chair and pressed the temple of his forehead.


    ~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei reached outside the King¡¯s manor. He walked into the foyer which directed him to the Hall of Justice. Two stone lion heads were carved at the bottom of the stairs of the Hall of Justice. L¨®ng Wei climbed those stairs and soon reached the top.


    Thest time he came to this side was a year ago. That time he wanted to go outside the capital. Luckily, his father had granted him permission to go out. He then killed the minister, who made fun of him in front of all the ministers. He chuckled upon recalling those memories.


    He stepped inside the Hall of Justice when saw a chain of servantsing out, holding trays in their hands.


    A high rising tform with a few stairs was held up by the golden arches. It had a redwood table with intricately carved motif patterns, brimmed with golden edges underneath it, with a throne deposited behind it.


    King Qiu Zedong was seated on the Dragon throne, dressed in a bright golden gown stitched with red-golden embroidery on it. Several pearl ringlets were around his neck and he was holding the royal stamp in his hand. The fingers had golden and jade rings on them.


    The Prime Minister and Eunuch Gao Bing were surprised to see L¨®ng Wei in the Hall of Justice.


    Qiu Zedong put the stamp aside. ¡°Why is the Sixth Prince here?¡± He gestured to him to take a seat after L¨®ng Wei greeted him. But he did not take the seat.


    ¡°Father, I want a personal attendant, who will serve me,¡± L¨®ng Wei requested his father.


    Qiu Zedong was amused to hear his youngest son¡¯s request. ¡°You should have talked with Gao Bing regarding this,¡± he said and sped his fingers.


    ¡°Royal Father, I had talked to Eunuch Gao Bing about this, who assured me that Li Hua would be my personal attendant. Because he did not deliver the message to you at the right time, the Crown Prince took Li Hua as his personal attendant,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced and looked at Gao Bing, whose eyes grew bigger.


    Qiu Zedong was puzzled to hear L¨®ng Wei. Earlier he had told him that he did not want any servants. But today he was demanding to have a personal attendant.


    ¡°Gao Bing, why did you not inform me?¡± Qiu Zedong asked him.


    ¡°It slipped from my mind, Your Royal Majesty,¡± Gao Bing answered and then sincerely apologized. He knew if he would not support L¨®ng Wei in his lie, then the Sixth Prince would not let him sleep in peace.


    ¡°But Prince L¨®ng Wei, why this particr pce maid?¡± Qiu Zedong asked in skepticism.


    ¡°Because she can handle my tantrums and my temper. It is Eunuch Gao Bing¡¯s mistake that he didn¡¯t inform the Royal Father and the Crown Prince took her in his manor,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with displeasure and clenched his fists.


    ¡°Your Royal Majesty, I will look into the transfer of Li Hua to serve the Sixth Prince,¡± Gao Bing stated. He wanted to clear the matter with L¨®ng Wei as soon as possible.


    ¡°But the Crown Prince has already taken her into his manor. Find another attendant for the Sixth Prince,¡± Qiu Zedong ordered Gao Bing.


    ¡°No, Royal Father. I want Li Hua to serve me. Except her, I won¡¯t allow anyone in my chamber,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    The Prime Minister, Kang Xi, was suspicious of L¨®ng Wei. What was he nning? The first thought that came into his mind. Was this pce maid on of his allies? The cunning nature of L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t hidden from anyone. No one knew what new evil things were going on in his mind.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this petty matter in the evening. It is not the time to talk about the transfer of a pce maid,¡± Qiu Zedong decided.


    L¨®ng Wei snickered upon hearing his father¡¯s decision. ¡°It¡¯s not a petty matter, Royal Father. I will leave the Pce if Li Hua can¡¯t be my personal attendant,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    The three of them were shocked to hear him. Gao Bing and Kang Xi smiled internally. It would be good if L¨®ng Wei left the Pce. No one cared about it. His presence only brought troubles to them and many others.


    ¡°What nonsense is the Sixth Prince spatting?!¡± Qiu Zedong lost his temper and shouted at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°It is your first day aftering out of the cold pce. Instead of reflecting upon your mistakes, the Sixth Prince is bothering me for a petty matter,¡± he got enraged with L¨®ng Wei¡¯s childish behavior.


    ¡°I will burn this pce if the Royal Father keeps telling me it¡¯s a petty matter. Eunuch Gao Bing promised me that he would transfer Li Hua. Is this the way everyone is going to treat me? I don¡¯t care if I get punished for my stubbornness, but I want my father to fulfill my wish,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Qiu Zedong red at Gao Bing, who got on his knees. ¡°Forgive me, Your Royal Majesty,¡± Gao Bing had to apologize for no reason. He had promised L¨®ng Wei that he would help him in any situation.


    ¡°Fine. She will be transferred to your manor. If you evere to me for such matters, then I surely will punish you. Just because it is your first day in the Pce, I listened to you,¡± Qiu Zedong epted L¨®ng Wei¡¯s request, who finally turned happy. He thanked his Father.


    ¡°I will be d if the Royal Father gives me this in writing,¡± L¨®ng Wei urged. Qiu Zedong picked a sheet and wrote his decision on it. Stamping on it, he forwarded it to him.


    L¨®ng Wei walked to his father and took the sheet from him.


    ¡°I am overwhelmed by the Royal Father¡¯s benevolence,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and came down.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Qiu Zedong caressed his beard. ¡°Gao Bing, go with the Sixth Prince and look into the matter,¡± Qiu Zedong ordered Gao Bing, who stood up and acknowledged the King¡¯s order.


    Gao Bing came near L¨®ng Wei and showed him the way out.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince didn¡¯t do right by involving me in his lie,¡± Gao Bing said in a low voice.


    ¡°At least, it¡¯s better than your lie,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, folding the sheet.


    Gao Bing made a face in anger, but except for following L¨®ng Wei silently, he had no other way.


    L¨®ng Wei would throw the judgment of his father at Xiaoming, who earlier showed off his power.


    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9: Only my rules work


    Kang Xi looked at the King, who was reading a plea. ¡°Prime Minister Kang Xi, look into this matter and tell the Crown Prince to clear the matter,¡± Qiu Zedong instructed Kang Xi, who took the scroll from the King.


    ¡°Your Majesty, the Sixth Prince¡¯s behavior is still the same. People usually talk about the Sixth Prince and his evil ways to trouble the people around him,¡± Kang Xi said when saw Qiu Zedong beaming at him.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Majesty. I meant that it is the time when the Sixth Prince should work on his personality. He must understand that his behavior can lead him to his own downfall,¡± Kang Xi said while being careful of his words.


    ¡°Kang Xi, you have been with me since childhood. When L¨®ng Wei was born you know what the old monk said,¡± Qiu Zedong said and recalled the day L¨®ng Wei was born.


    ¡°He is the Son of Dragon, who will change the history of this Great Kingdom,¡± Qiu Zedong said while remembering the words of the old monk.


    Kang Xi smiled. ¡°Pardon me, Your Majesty, but I think the old monk misread the stars. The Sixth Prince killed his mother. Hemitted the biggest sin. That¡¯s why he is called the Sinned Prince. The acts of the Sixth Prince are enough to show that he will bring doom on himself and also malign the image of the Qiu Family.¡±


    Kang Xi¡¯s remarks displeased Qiu Zedong. He was his childhood friend, so he forgave him. ¡°Prime Minister Kang Xi, I do not want to hear this ever again. L¨®ng Wei is a dear child to me. All his acts are a way to grab attention,¡± Qiu Zedong pronounced, thus shutting the mouth of Kang Xi.


    .....


    ¡°Forgive me for speaking wrongly about the Sixth Prince,¡± Kang Xi said half-heartedly. He had not forgotten how L¨®ng Wei beat his son five months ago. In his eyes, L¨®ng Wei was a spoiled, mannerless child, who happened to be born from a mistake.


    ¡°Prime Minister Kang Xi, I understand your anger towards Prince L¨®ng Wei. Forgive him for his mistake. Two young men ended up fighting over trivial matters. For you, I even sent the Sixth Prince to the Cold Pce,¡± Qiu Zedong reminded him and told him to let go of the grudge against L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I am grateful for that. However, I would have forgiven the Sixth Prince if he had felt a bit of remorse towards his actions,¡± Kang Xi proimed softly. Qiu Zedong did not overstretch the matter and hummed.


    ~~~~~~


    ¡°Don¡¯t make faces at me. I might destroy your face. The pce maids are already scared to see your face. I don¡¯t know how they will react after it is destroyed,¡± L¨®ng Wei warned Gao Bing, who apologized to the Prince.


    ¡°His Highness always thinks wrong about this senior and respected Eunuch,¡± Gao Bingined. ¡°This is thest favor that I did on the Sixth Prince.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei halted upon hearing his words. ¡°Favor?¡± He snickered. ¡°Gao Bing, I did you a favor by not telling the King about your illegal ways to loot the Kingdom. You owe me a big favor and you must keep helping me until I get satisfied with your work,¡± he said with a stern expression.


    Gao Bing silently agreed to the Sixth Prince and they resumed walking.


    ¡°The Crown Prince has ordered not to let anyone in,¡± Eunuch Lishi informed them and beamed at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Lower your eyes if you don¡¯t want me to take them out,¡± L¨®ng Wei, upon noticing Eunuch Lishi¡¯s beam, threatened him.


    ¡°Tell your Crown Prince that Father has given the order in writing,¡± L¨®ng Wei handed the rolled paper to Eunuch Lishi, who quickly opened it. ¡°I am taking Li Hua away. Don¡¯t disturb the Crown Prince now. He might kick you out,¡± he said, changing the expression into a serious one, and walked away.


    ¡°Is it true, Senior Eunuch Gao Bing?¡± Eunuch Lishi asked Gao Bing, who nodded in agreement.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince created a scene in the Hall of Justice. He emotionally ckmailed the King,¡± Eunuch Gao Bing briefed about the incident.


    ¡°ckmailed?¡± Eunuch Lishi frowned.


    ¡°Yes. He started to say that he would leave the Pce if this pce maid would not be his attendant,¡± Gao Bing stated.


    Suddenly, L¨®ng Wei appeared from behind the pir. ¡°Gao Bing, you can nder meter. First, inform the inner pce head, who looks after the appointment of the servants about Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei ordered him.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi has to first show the order of His Majesty to the Crown Prince,¡± Gao Bing said.


    ¡°Fine,¡± L¨®ng Wei agreed and turned his gaze to Eunuch Lishi, ¡°show me where Li Hua is. I am desperate to take her away.¡±


    Eunuch Lishi told L¨®ng Wei to follow him, who was apanied by Eunuch Gao Bing.


    Li Hua was standing outside the Crown Prince¡¯s chamber. Half an hour had passed, and she still was not told what her work would be. In thest few hours, so many things happened that troubled her. L¨®ng Wei was the name of danger, and she encountered him with her foolishness.


    The footsteps fell into her ear, and she straightened her back. The Crown Prince would soon be near her. But when her eyes fell on the familiar dress and shoes, she gulped and lifted her eyes.


    ¡°I havee to take you back,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced, and his lips twisted into a smirk.


    She had immediately lowered her head as soon as the Senior Eunuch started to speak.


    ¡°His Majesty has given the order to transfer you for the service of the Sixth Prince,¡± Eunuch Gao Bing informed her.


    A few maidservants narrowly gazed in her direction.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince has not ever taken any servant to his manor, so make sure to serve him well. You will be punished-¡± before he couldplete those words, L¨®ng Wei shut him up.


    ¡°In my manor, only my rules work. Ignore Eunuch Gao Bing¡¯s words and listen to me only,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua replied in her soft voice.


    ¡°Come with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and turned to leave. He walked ahead and found Li Hua was more than a foot away from her. ¡°I want you to walk close to me,¡± he loudly said.


    Eunuch Lishi looked at Eunuch Gao Bing¡¯s face, and said, ¡°Did the Sixth Prince bang his head on the wall?¡± His voice was audible to L¨®ng Wei, who answered in ce of Gao Bing.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bang my head, but I can bang your head on the wall behind you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and snickered. ¡°Just stay away from me if you don¡¯t want to-¡± he stopped speaking as he saw Li Hua¡¯s inquisitive gaze at him. Those eyes enchanted him the moment they met his gaze.


    ¡°Thank you, Eunuch Gao Bing,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and walked away with Li Hua.

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10: To noble family women


    L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua reached the manor. Two plum trees in the courtyard on which red-headed birds were sitting and chirping. A swing was ced in the middle of them, slightly ahead of those trees.


    A small pond was at the center of the courtyard. Its water was so clear that one could see the fishes inside them. Unlike the other manors, the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor was peaceful.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to sleep in the servant¡¯s quarters anymore.¡± Li Hua heard L¨®ng Wei, who had halted at his ce. She also stopped and wondered what he meant by that.


    ¡°What does His Highness mean?¡± Li Hua asked, twiddling with her fingers.


    ¡°You will be in my manor every time. Later in the evening, you can bring your belongings here,¡± L¨®ng Wei cleared her doubts.


    Every time!


    Li Hua was wary of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s intentions toward her. The way he protected her, fought for her, and then brought a legal verdict from the King was giving her a second thought.


    .....


    Her eyes were still fixed on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s right hand. She wanted to check it once to make sure it would not bleed anymore. She also wanted to thank him for preventing her from getting a hit.


    ¡°Your Highness, I am grateful for your help. Shall I call the Royal Physician for His Highness?¡± Li Hua first expressed her gratitude to L¨®ng Wei and then showed her concern towards his injured hand.


    ¡°Why shall I see the Royal Physician?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°Umm... His Highness¡¯s hand, it¡¯s injured,¡± Li Hua replied and lifted her head to meet his gaze. L¨®ng Wei lifted his hand and looked at it. He chuckled because he didn¡¯t even feel the pain.


    ¡°Do you know how to dress the wound? Do it for me.¡± L¨®ng Wei forwarded his hand.


    Li Hua flickered her eyes and lowered them. ¡°It is not my work, Your Highness. I will call the Royal Physician,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Then, leave it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and put his hand down. He picked the flower petal from over her head.


    ¡°Pear blossom,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and hearing the meaning of her name from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mouth, she peered into his eyes again. She thought he did not formally study, unlike the other princes. The fellow pce maids had gossiped many times about the Sixth Prince. They said that L¨®ng Wei refused to study and even troubled the royal teachers, who were appointed for him.


    His hand glided down and it traced the sides of her left face. His calloused index finger stopped under Li Hua¡¯s chin. ¡°Li Hua name is given to noble family women,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Li Hua gulped and tightly pressed her fingers with the other hand¡¯s thumb. No one ever put thought to her name. During the appointment as a pce maid, the chief pcedy had asked her, but then she didn¡¯t mind it.


    ¡°How did you enter the Pce?¡± L¨®ng Wei modified his question.


    Li Hua lowered her eyes. ¡°Your Highness, my grandmother gave me this name. Because of my beautiful features, I was perceived as a girl from a noble family. So, she ended up giving me this name,¡± Li Hua gave an exnation to the Sixth Prince. He forced her to look into his eyes.


    ¡°You are indeed beautiful despite belonging to the servant ss. Now, answer the second question,¡± L¨®ng Wei demanded and looked at her plump, rosy lips.


    ¡°I am more interested in knowing why you entered this Pce. I believe many eyes will be on you, especially the men from the noble ss, and I won¡¯t exclude the Royal family.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s deep gaze bore her soul and it somewhere intimidated her.


    ¡°Money,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°My family is buried under a huge debt, Your Highness. I remember someone from the town telling me that the pce maids are paid well. So, I applied to be the Pce maid,¡± she, after putting a careful thought, answered him.


    ¡°Which town do you belong to?¡± L¨®ng Wei promptly asked her.


    ¡°Xinshu-¡± Li Hua paused as she was not supposed to talk about her real town. ¡°The vige near Xinshui town,¡± she immediately corrected her mistake.


    L¨®ng Wei studied her eyes once again and then let go of her chin. Li Hua felt relieved.


    ¡°Xinshui town is a chief town of the Kingdom. Let¡¯s visit it someday,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness?¡± Li Hua was perplexed. Why would he visit the town with her?


    ¡°Bring breakfast for me. I am hungry,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and walked away. He ascended the stairs and walked inside the door to his chamber.


    Li Hua heaved a sigh of relief because she thought she had almost gotten caught. L¨®ng Wei was way more observant than she had thought. She went to the royal kitchen, where she found the maids gossiping about her.


    She silently walked to the royal chef. ¡°The Sixth Prince has asked for breakfast,¡± Li Hua informed him, who instructed his assistant.


    On the tray, arge bowl filled with rice noodles was put. Li Hua covered it with a lid and put the freshly prepared water chestnut cake pieces on a tter.


    ¡°It is strange that the Sixth Prince appointed a maid in his service,¡± the assistant royal chef Xiwan said, putting a tiny bamboo steamer that had dumplings in it.


    ¡°Even I am surprised with my appointment in the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor,¡± Li Hua said. Xiwan smiled and gave her best wishes. Li Hua thanked him and left the royal kitchen.


    She pushed the door and stepped in with a tray in her hand. ¡°Your Highness, the meals are here,¡± she informed L¨®ng Wei, who had his back towards her. He ced the tray on the bed and put everything on the table.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled out the chair for him and settled on it. She first tasted the food and upon getting the confirmation that the meals didn¡¯t contain any poison, she asked L¨®ng Wei to start.


    ¡°Did you eat?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her, and tilted his head to gaze at her.


    ¡°The breakfast period for the servants is over, Your Highness. I will take my lunch,¡± Li Hua answered when L¨®ng Wei pulled out the chair beside him.


    ¡°Sit,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her. Li Hua¡¯s eyes grew big and she refused politely.


    ¡°You cannot refuse any of mymands,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Sit before my mood gets ruined,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°How can this servant-¡± she paused when found the re of L¨®ng Wei at her.


    Li Hua promptly moved to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s right side and sat on the chair. Two months ago, she got to sit on such chairs. However, after the massacre of her family, her life turned upside down.


    L¨®ng Wei handed the chopsticks to her with which she had tasted the food earlier.


    He then picked the chopsticks for him and put the water chestnut cakes on the tray. ¡°I don¡¯t like chestnut cakes. You are lucky that I cannot even get angry at you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he put some noodles on the tter.


    ¡°Your Highness, forgive me for my mistake,¡± Li Hua apologized.


    He put the tter in front of her and asked her to eat.


    ¡°First, His Highness shall eat,¡± Li Hua said. She was still not able to understand the nature of L¨®ng Wei. What he was up to? Why he was doing all this for her?


    L¨®ng Wei started to eat while Li Hua¡¯s eyes got fixed on his right hand¡¯s knuckles. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t His Highness let me call the Royal Physician?¡± Li Hua¡¯s question made him stop eating.


    He tilted his head and bore his gaze at her. She lowered them, thinking it would be rude to meet his gaze time and again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t allow anyone to touch me. If you are concerned for me, then you can dress it for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Getting no response from Li Hua, he began eating again. ¡°Eat your food before it gets cold,¡± he told her while chewing the noodles.


    Li Hua started to eat too. L¨®ng Wei noticed the way she was eating food. ¡°You eat like a nobledy.¡± His sudden statement made her cough. L¨®ng Wei picked up the water ss and brought it near her mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stare at me. Drink it,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her. Li Hua sipped the water while the Sixth Prince caressed her back. Li Hua was never shown care by any man. It was too intimate and, at the same time, scary for her.


    She leaned away and said, ¡°I am fine, Your Highness. Thank you.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei put the ss down on the table and opened the lid of the bamboo steamer. He started to eat a dumpling and put another on Li Hua¡¯s tter, which still had noodles left on it.


    ¡°Eat the chestnut cakes,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her as he finished eating. He picked up the napkin and dabbed his mouth with it. He, then pushed the bowl away and rested his elbow on the table¡¯s surface. His head rested on his calloused hand as he peered at Li Hua.


    He observed her every single expression and movement. He even noticed that her right hand was still in pain.


    ¡°If Princess Jingfei¡¯s hand gets a scar, she will never think of harming you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said out of the blue, and Li Hua stopped eating. She tilted her head to look at the Sixth Prince and saw a grim expression on his face.


    ¡°Your Highness, your words sound wrong,¡± Li Hua gathered her courage to speak those words. ¡°It will bring more problems for this servant if His Highness keeps protecting me for no reason.¡± Li Hua did not want to remain ignorant of his words. She did not want to see her in the other way.


    ¡°Li Hua, you should not have grabbed my attention, then. I am your biggest trouble, whom you have to handle till yourst breath,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and smirked.


    ~~~~~


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    The Second Husband

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11: Exceptionally Beautiful


    Crown Prince Xiaoming came out of the study at noon and saw Eunuch Gao Bing with Eunuch Lishi. They both greeted him, who asked Gao Bing about the asion toe to the manor.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, earlier the Sixth Prince hase to the Hall of Justice regarding the transfer of the pce maid,¡± Eunuch Gao Bing nced at Eunuch Lishi as he forgot Li Hua¡¯s name.


    ¡°Li Hua, Senior Eunuch,¡± Eunuch Lishi answered him.


    ¡°His Majesty has given the royal verdict for the transfer of Li Hua in the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor for his service,¡± Eunuch Gao Bingpleted his words and handed the verdict of Qiu Zedong to Xiaoming.


    He read the verdict and tightened his grip on both sides of the paper. ¡°Why did the Royal Father agree to this without consulting me?¡± Xiaoming got furious and put his hand down, holding the written verdict.


    Eunuch Gao Bing lowered his head.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, the Sixth Prince ckmailed the King. He said that he would leave the pce,¡± Eunuch Lishi informed the Crown Prince, who was displeased to hear it.


    .....


    ¡°Where is Li Hua?¡± Xiaoming questioned Eunuch Lishi.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince took her to his manor as per His Majesty¡¯s orders, Your Royal Highness,¡± Eunuch Lishi replied.


    ¡°How dare you let her go?¡± Xiaoming shouted at Eunuch Lishi, who immediately got on his knees. He started to apologize for his mistake.


    ¡°The Crown Prince cannot object to the verdict of the King, that¡¯s why I let the Sixth Prince take Li Hua to his manor,¡± Eunuch Gao Bing told Xiaoming. He had promised L¨®ng Wei that he would help him and sort out this matter for him.


    ¡°Where is the Royal Father? I would like to meet my father,¡± he said, calming down a little.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, the King may get angry if he sees the two Princes fighting over a pce maid,¡± Eunuch Gao Bing advised Xiaoming not to take the matter back to the King. He did not even care about this matter, but he was scared of L¨®ng Wei.


    Xiaoming walked ahead when Eunuch Lishi stood up. ¡°Your Royal Highness, where are you heading to?¡± He ran after the Crown Prince.


    Eunuch Gao Bing also walked behind them. More than the King and the Crown Prince, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s terror was troubling him. He had to stop the Crown Prince from meeting the King or the Sixth Prince. Eunuch Gao Bing could see the sword hanging on his neck from both sides.


    Xiaoming did not go to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s manor, instead, he chose to go to meet his father. Eunuch Gao Bing came in front of the Crown Prince¡¯s way and said, ¡°The Crown Prince shall calm down. Today the King has received much important work to do. The Crown Prince can meet himter in the evening.¡±


    He prayed internally that the Crown Prince would agree to him.


    ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing, don¡¯t stop me from meeting my father. Move away if you don¡¯t want to get punished,¡± Xiaoming said in a fit of rage. Eunuch Lishi gestured to Gao Bing to let go of the Crown Prince, who silently stepped away from his way.


    ¡°I think Prince L¨®ng Wei will definitely beat me up,¡± Gao Bing murmured while looking at the Crown Prince and Eunuch Lishi, who walked ahead of him.


    ~~~~~


    Qiu Mu was seated on the chaise lounge with one leg over the other. His right elbow rested on the bolster and he had a wine ss in the other hand.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Crown Prince and Sixth Prince fought for a mere pce maid in the orchid pavilion,¡± Eunuch Wuting informed him.


    ¡°What?¡± Qiu Mu eximed.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. The First Princess was punishing the tea servant from the Queen¡¯s Manor when the Sixth Prince protected her. The Crown Prince arrived a littleter, iming that this pce maid belongs to his manor. So, the two Princes had a heated argument,¡± Eunuch Wuting narrated the incident to Qiu Mu.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei protected that tea servant. That¡¯s strange. He never even nced at them,¡± Qiu Mu said and put the wine ss on the table.


    ¡°The Crown Prince is furious because the Sixth Prince brought the royal decree from His Majesty to let him have a pce maid in his service,¡± Eunuch Wuting asserted.


    ¡°What is this going on?¡± Qiu Mu chuckled and stood up. ¡°Where is the Crown Prince?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, I heard the Crown Prince is heading to the King¡¯s manor to talk with him,¡± Eunuch Wuting replied.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Qiu Mu said and walked out. He was well aware of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s behavior. His acts were not surprising to him. But why was the Crown Prince bothering himself over a mere pce maid?


    ¡°Your Highness, the Crown Prince even put the ointment on that pce maid¡¯s hand.¡± Eunuch Wuting¡¯s words were shocking for Qiu Mu. He did not want to believe that Xiaoming had feelings for a pce maid. L¨®ng Wei loved to trouble them, so as soon as he found out about it, he decided to take this pce maid away from the Crown Prince.


    Qiu Mu¡¯s thin lips curled up into a smile. For the first time, L¨®ng Wei did something entertaining in his eyes. Qiu Mu wondered what would happen if the King found out that his two sons were fighting over a pce maid. The Crown Prince would be punished surely and it might finally produce his hatred towards L¨®ng Wei.


    Xiaoming had always tried to protect L¨®ng Wei thinking he was the youngest among them. Qiu Mu and the others never liked it because Xiaoming, being the Crown Prince, tolerated and encouraged L¨®ng Wei¡¯s behavior.


    He halted when Eunuch Wuting told him about Princess Jingfei, who was calling out for him. Qiu Mu turned and saw Jingfeiing from the front.


    ¡°Second Brother, where are you heading in hurry?¡± Jingfei asked.


    ¡°To the Royal Father¡¯s manor. I heard something happened in the Orchid Pavilion. The Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince fought for a pce maid,¡± Qiu Mu stated.


    Jingfei got annoyed upon hearing him. ¡°The Crown Prince scolded me for no reason. Li Hua is seducing the two Princes, Second Brother. The Crown Prince was acting differently for her. He scolded his sister in front of many servants,¡± Jingfeiined to him.


    ¡°That¡¯s odd. The Crown Prince usually remains calm. He has headed to the Royal Father¡¯s manor as L¨®ng Wei has taken this servant to his manor,¡± Qiu Mu stated.


    Jingfei frowned. ¡°But Second Brother, Li Hua, belongs to the Crown Prince¡¯s manor as per the Queen¡¯s order. Then, how the Sixth Brother took her away.¡± She was confused.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei brought a royal verdict from the Royal Father. I think a huge fight is going to break out. That¡¯s why I need to be in the Father¡¯s manor. I will see the First Sisterter.¡± Qiu Mu took his leave and walked away. Jingfei also decided to follow them.


    ~~~~~~


    The Crown Prince bowed before his father and then took the seat on a broad mahogany cushioned chair.


    ¡°What¡¯s the asion that the Crown Prince demanded to see me at this hour?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°It was a request, Royal Father,¡± Xiaoming answered. ¡°Forgive me for disturbing you at this hour, but if it is not important, then I will not havee,¡± he said humbly.


    Qiu Zedong patiently waited for the Crown Prince to speak further.


    ¡°Royal Father, I requested the Royal Mother to transfer Li Hua to my manor, which she did. The Sixth Prince should not have asked the Royal Father for the royal order,¡± Xiaoming said calmly.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince never had any servant in his service. Moreover, he had the conversation regarding this with Eunuch Gao Bing earlier than the Crown Prince had a conversation with the Queen,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. Gao Bing felt his throat getting dried. Such a big lie, if the truth came out, then he would be hanged to death.


    ¡°The Sixth Brother could have another servant in his service. Why Li Hua? She was supposed to serve me. She is the most trustable servant that I could have for my personal chores,¡± Xiaoming sounded angry and upset.


    Qiu Zedong knitted his brows. He found his two sons were fighting for this pce maid, the tea server. If he remembered, Li Hua was exceptionally beautiful to be a servant. He decided to call Li Hua and find out the matter.


    ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing, call Li Hua this instant,¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s voice roared in the chamber, and his voice intimidated the three of them.


    ¡°Royal Father, I didn¡¯t mean to involve her for no reason. I want the Royal Father to take his verdict back,¡± Xiaoming urged.


    ¡°The Crown Prince doesn¡¯t have the right to object to my decision. Go and bring her here,¡± Qiu Zedongmanded Gao Bing, who rushed out of the chamber.


    ~~~~~~


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    The Second Husband

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12: Over my Dead body


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words troubled Li Hua. The more she thought about it, the moreplicated his character felt to her.


    ¡®Li Hua, you should not have grabbed my attention, then. I am your biggest trouble, whom you have to handle till yourst breath.¡¯


    She shut her eyes as she ced the tray on the counter of the royal kitchen.


    ¡°You look troubled,¡± Xiwan, the assistant chef, said and handed a ss of water to Li Hua. His eyes fell on the chestnut cakes, so he asked her why she took them for the Sixth Prince.


    ¡°Brother Xiwan, I did not know that the Sixth Prince hates chestnut cakes,¡± Li Hua answered and drank the water.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince is allergic to chestnut cakes. You are lucky that he did not punish you,¡± Xiwan answered.


    Li Hua ced the water ss on the counter and said, ¡°The Sixth Prince should have punished me, but he did not. Isn¡¯t it strange? Also, the way His Highness speaks to me forces me to take the second meaning.¡±


    .....


    ¡°Li Hua thinks that the Sixth Prince likes her,¡± Xiwan said, and Li Hua widened her eyes. ¡°When you were with the Sixth Prince, I heard from the pce maids. The Sixth Prince fought for you with the First Princess. I have been working here for three years, but never once did I saw the Sixth Prince taking a stand for a pce maid,¡± he stated when he heard the announcement regarding the preparation of lunch.


    ¡°I shall leave. Stay strong, Li Hua,¡± Xiwan cheered her up. However, before leaving he handed her a bamboo basket full of fresh cherries. ¡°His Highness likes cherries. Take the basket with you,¡± he said and walked away.


    Li Hua picked up the bamboo basket and walked to the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei was checking the dagger that he ordered thest time he was in the pce. ¡°Why is she taking time to return?¡± he murmured when the doors opened and a smile carved on his lips.


    However, it soon disappeared as Gao Bing walked in. ¡°Greetings to the Sixth Prince,¡± Gao Bing said and bowed half-heartedly. ¡°His Majesty wants Li Hua toe to his manor,¡± he informed L¨®ng Wei, who immediately stood up from the chair.


    ¡°Why?¡± he questioned him. Eunuch Gao Bing was terrified as he saw the dagger in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hands.


    ¡°The Crown Prince hase to the King¡¯s manor. So, His Majesty has turned angry,¡± Gao Bing said what he had observed earlier.


    Li Hua entered the chamber and saw Eunuch Gao Bing, who was d to see her.


    ¡°The King wants to see you. Follow me,¡± Gao Bing told Li Hua and turned to walk out. He wanted to run away from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sight as soon as possible but halted when the dagger passed by his right cheek and hit the door ahead of him.


    Li Hua was also startled to see what the Sixth Prince did. Her heartbeat raised in an instant.


    L¨®ng Wei was dangerous. His mind was unpredictable.


    Gao Bing found his knees getting weaker as he fell to the floor.


    ¡°Did I tell you to leave?¡± L¨®ng Wei walked past them and took out the dagger that had pierced through the door¡¯s wood. He pulled it out and put it inside the sheath in his hand.


    ¡°I told you to handle it well, Gao Bing. You like to anger me, right?¡± L¨®ng Wei came near Li Hua and looked inside the bamboo basket. She was intimidated by him, so she took a step back.


    Eunuch Gao Bing started to cry. ¡°Your Highness, I did everything you told me to. How could you scare this innocent Eunuch this way? I-I thought my neck-¡± he paused and continued weeping.


    ¡°You messed up everything. You were not supposed to take this matter back to the King,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and scratched the temple of his forehead.


    ¡°Your Highness, you can punish meter. First let¡¯s head to the King¡¯s manor, Sixth Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he stopped crying and stood up.


    ¡°Why am I called to the King¡¯s manor?¡± Li Hua intervened in their conversation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything in front of the King. Let me handle everything,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her and took the basket from her hand. He put it on the table and continued, ¡°I won¡¯t let him take you.¡±


    Eunuch Gao Bing was perplexed to hear him, and so was Li Hua.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei walked into the King¡¯s chamber and found Qiu Mu and Jingfei were also present. Eunuch Gao Bing stood beside the seat of the King and lowered his head.


    ¡°Royal Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei bowed his head and, then stood straight.


    Li Hua, who was behind the Sixth Prince, stepped forward and got on her knees. Her forehead touched the ground as she greeted the King.


    ¡°I heard what happened in the Orchid Pavilion. For a pce maid, the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince are fighting with each other,¡± Qiu Zedong said, with a stern tone.


    ¡°ording to the First Princess, you tried to seduce my two sons. Do you know how grave crime you havemitted?¡± Qiu Zedong questioned her in his hoarse voice.


    ¡°Royal Father, Li Hua never did that. Princess Jingfei inferred the wrong meaning,¡± Xiaoming said immediately after the Kingpleted his words.


    ¡°Royal Father, ask Li Hua if she let the Crown Prince apply ointment on her hand or not. She even was holding the hands of the Sixth Prince not once but twice,¡± Jingfei stated, with a furious expression. She wanted Li Hua to get punished because of whom she got humiliated.


    ¡°Is it true?¡± Qiu Zedong asked. ¡°How dare a servant do this to the Princes?¡± he shouted at Li Hua, who opened her mouth to apologize to the King.


    ¡°Royal Father, I let her touch my hand. Everyone runs away from me, but Li Hua did not. She has won my heart which no one has ever able to do,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and shifted his gaze to Jingfei.


    Li Hua was surprised to hear his answer. She did nothing except show concern. She regretted getting into his eyes. What if they find out about her past? She would die without knowing the truth. Her revenge would never bepleted if something wrong happened today.


    ¡°Why are you jealous of Li Hua? Since when did you start caring, who touched my hand or not?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s tone turned informal.


    ¡°Sixth Brother, be respectful towards the First Sister,¡± Qiu Mu scolded L¨®ng Wei, who ignored his words.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, I have not asked you to answer me. I am asking this pce maid because of whom my two sons are troubled,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. ¡°Li Hua will be punished for her brazen mistake. She was not supposed to make my sons lose their mind,¡± he announced his decision.


    Xiaoming widened his eyes and thought to protect Li Hua. He had not imagined that his father would punish an innocent person instead of solving his matter with L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Over my dead body,¡± L¨®ng Wei said loudly. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the Crown Prince, but I indeed have lost my mind a long time ago,¡± L¨®ng Wei announced with a menacing look.


    ~~~~


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    The Second Husband

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13: Making a ce in my Heart


    ¡°Over my dead body,¡± L¨®ng Wei said loudly. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the Crown Prince, but I indeed have lost my mind a long time ago,¡± L¨®ng Wei announced with a menacing look.


    Qiu Zedong turned furious to see how L¨®ng Wei is protecting a pce maid. In just a day he got mesmerized with her! He was unhappy with Li Hua and decided to throw her out of the pce to seduce his son.


    ¡°How dare you say such words in front of the King? You were not supposed to enter here when I allowed Li Hua only,¡± Qiu Zedong stated and clenched his fists.


    Xiaoming stood up from his seat and got on his knees. ¡°Royal Father, please calm down. I didn¡¯t mean to anger you. Please forgive me for my mistake. I ept the decision of the Royal Father,¡± the Crown Prince said while keeping his eyes low.


    Li Hua was trembling in fear. She could see herself standing at the cliff¡¯s end.


    ¡°What is wrong with the Crown Prince? He is also saving this pce maid,¡± Jingfei said. She put more oil in the fire to anger the King. She knew that Qiu Zedong was short-tempered. The present situation was best to punish all those three. Never did she feel so humiliated as she felt today. So, she wanted those three to be punished brutally, especially Li Hua.


    ¡°I had not expected such foolishness from the Crown Prince.¡± Qiu Zedong was disappointed in Xiaoming. He was not listening to the King¡¯s judgment. ¡°How dare he ask for forgiveness for this pce maid?¡± he questioned Xiaoming.


    .....


    ¡°Royal Father, it¡¯s the fault of this seductress. She made the Crown Prince this way. Brother L¨®ng Wei has already lost his senses, so nothing can be expected from him. But the Crown Prince¡¯s behavior is bothersome,¡± Qiu Mu said this time.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I didn¡¯t seduce the Crown Prince nor did I seduce the Sixth Prince,¡± Li Hua spoke finally. She could bear everything but could never bear someone pointing his finger at her character.


    ¡°By mistake, the hot water fell on the hand of the Sixth Prince. Indeed, I held His Highness¡¯s hand but that was out of reflex. If His Majesty wants to punish me for that mistake, then I will ept it. The First Young Mistress punished me though by putting her foot on my right hand with which I touched His Highness¡¯s royal body. I do understand my ce, Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua without fearing the King.


    She remembered how timid she used to be. However, the day her family died and Feng Lao rescued her, she decided to not remain a weak person anymore. If she had been strong enough, she would not have left Feng Lao behind.


    Xiaoming found out that Li Hua lied to him about her hand injury. He tilted his head to look at her and found her head was still touching the floor mat beneath her.


    L¨®ng Wei took a deep breath in and grabbed the arm of Li Hua. He pulled her up, she peered at him. ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize for the mistake you never made,¡± he said as he bore his gaze at her. ¡°Royal Father, punish me because I started it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and turned to look at Qiu Zedong.


    The King was awestruck by the way his son protected Li Hua. He never cared for the people, then why her. He would have loved it if Li Hua was from a noble family, but a servant ss he could never ept. That¡¯s why the Sixth Prince¡¯s acts made him furious.


    ¡°Li Hua will wash the clothes in the washer¡¯s house for a day. No one will help her if someone does, I won¡¯t hesitate to cut his hands,¡± Qiu Zedong announced the punishment for Li Hua while staring at L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled out the dagger which he had put inside his sash and took it out of the sheath. He walked to Qiu Zedong and handed him the dagger.


    ¡°Cut my hands, then, Royal Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a stern look and forwarded his hands. ¡°I will go against the wish of the Royal Father. A king must do a fair justice. Punish us three children, who started it. The Princess should not have hurt her hand when I was the one supposed to punish her. The Crown Prince should not have called her to his manor despite knowing the consequences. A servant will be punished no matter what his master does. It¡¯s not the fault of Li Hua that she ended up touching my hand, and making a ce in my heart which no one was ever able to do.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei had never feared anyone, not even the King. This was the thing that Qiu Zedong liked about him.


    Jingfei, on the other hand, was scared. What if the King punished her too. But then, she was the inner pce head. She could do this without anyone¡¯s permission.


    Oppositely, Qiu Mu was thinking about why their father did not cut L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hands. At least, he would not trouble him ever.


    ¡°Royal Father, I made a mistake by calling Li Hua in my manor,¡± Xiaoming epted his mistake and rose to his feet. ¡°I should have remained cautious of my actions. Li Hua never seduced me. When I saw the cut on her hand, I could not help but apply ointment to her palm. Please punish me for my mistake.¡± He bowed his head.


    Qiu Zedong felt stuck. He could not punish his both sons and make it into gossip.


    ¡°I dismiss this matter. You all may leave. Li Hua can stay behind,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°Why?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked promptly, ¡°Royal Father.¡± He didn¡¯t forget to use the title.


    ¡°Leave before I change my mind,¡± Qiu Zedong said. ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing, take them out,¡± he ordered.


    L¨®ng Wei walked out, followed by the others.


    Li Hua felt nervous and saw the King had taken his seat. Her eyes looked at the floor mat beneath her.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei never took the punishment for anyone,¡± Qiu Zedong initiated the conversation with her. ¡°He has been a troublemaker since his childhood. He loves to see people around him getting punished. He loves to bring the evil truths of people around him. But he never once stood for anyone until today.¡±


    Li Hua did not know what to say at this point. She herself had no idea why L¨®ng Wei did that.


    ¡°It seems L¨®ng Wei has built a likeness towards you. The more I will punish him for fighting and standing for a servant, the more he will do that. So, I want you to not respond to his feelings,¡± Qiu Zedong instructed her.


    Li Hua would never ept his feelings because she had a lover, Feng Lao. No one could ever take his ce in her heart. She promptly agreed with His Majesty¡¯smand.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I know my limits. I will nevermit a crime to ept the feelings of a Prince,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°This shall remain between us. Now, you may leave,¡± Qiu Zedong told her and motioned his hand in the air.


    Li Hua bowed ny degrees before leaving the King¡¯s chamber.


    ~~~~~~


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    The Second Husband

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14: Not a Possession


    Qiu Mu and Jingfei had already left the King¡¯s manor while Xiaoming and L¨®ng Wei stayed back, waiting for Li Hua toe out.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince should not haveplicated the matter. Today because of his foolishness, an innocent person was going to be punished,¡± Xiaoming told L¨®ng Wei, who snickered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me foolish. The Crown Prince was the one, who was adamant to have Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked and continued to look towards the door.


    ¡°Why does the Sixth Brother want to have Li Hua? Is it true that she made a ce in his heart?¡± Xiaoming asked while keeping his gaze at the door.


    ¡°Why is the Crown Prince interested in that? He has more important work than this one,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Eunuch Gao Bing and Eunuch Lishi found the two Princes again arguing over Li Hua. Though, they had maintained decency while conversing with each other.


    ¡°Is the Sixth Prince scared that someone else can take Li Hua from him?¡± Xiaoming¡¯s question made L¨®ng Wei look at him.


    .....


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t get scared of anyone. The things I possess remain with me only, Crown Prince. I cannot tolerate when someone else ims his right on my things,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. Their sharp gazes on each other would make anyone feel that a serious fight would break out between the two.


    ¡°Li Hua is not a possession or a thing, Sixth Brother,¡± Xiaoming asserted and met L¨®ng Wei¡¯s gaze. ¡°She is a person, Sixth Brother.¡±


    ¡°Does the Crown Prince like Li Hua?¡± L¨®ng Wei came straight to that point. He did not like to beat around the bushes. ¡°She cannot be his wife except a concubine. With me, it will be the opposite,¡± he affirmed.


    Till now, L¨®ng Wei had understood why Xiaoming was so adamant to have Li Hua. He did not agree to marry the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter and kept looking at Li Hua in the Greeting Hall. That was the moment when L¨®ng Wei understood what his eldest brother was thinking in his mind.


    ¡°Sixth Brother jumps to the conclusion hastily,¡± Xiaoming answered. ¡°He dreams of marrying a woman from the servant ss,¡± he added.


    ¡°The Crown Prince didn¡¯t answer what I was looking for,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed and the two red into each other¡¯s eyes.


    The two Eunuchs tried to overhear their conversation, but the two Princes were talking in extremely low voices.


    At that moment, the doors open. Li Hua walked out and they looked in her direction. L¨®ng Wei walked to her, and so did Xiaoming.


    ¡°What did His Majesty say?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°His Majesty forgave me for thest time. His Majesty showed his kind benevolence to this pce maid,¡± Li Hua said, keeping her eyes down.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± L¨®ng Wei said when Xiaoming stopped them by apologizing to Li Hua.


    ¡°Please, Your Royal Highness, don¡¯t apologize to this servant. It was my fault,¡± Li Hua asserted and took out the ointment box from her sleeve. She forwarded it to him and said, ¡°I do not want to be the center of more problems.¡±


    Xiaoming did not want to take it back when L¨®ng Wei picked it from her palm and threw it toward Eunuch Lishi, who caught it. ring into the eyes of the Crown Prince, L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°The matter ends here. You shall leave first as you are the eldest.¡±


    Xiaoming turned and descended the stairs, followed by Eunuch Lishi.


    Eunuch Gao Bing came near L¨®ng Wei and said, ¡°The Sixth Prince was so cool inside. I thought His Majesty would indeed cut his hands.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to look at him. ¡°You were so desperate to see my hands getting cut,¡± L¨®ng Wei snickered.


    ¡°What is His Highness saying? This Eunuch always wants his best. The Sixth Prince shall not think that this Eunuch thinks bad of him,¡± Gao Bing said humbly.


    ¡°I know what you think about me, Gao Bing,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°You want me to remain locked in the Cold Pce for eternity. You want me to leave the pce so that you keep looting the Kingdom and its resources,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and wrylyughed.


    Gao Bing looked around and got terrified for a second. ¡°The Sixth Prince shall not speak this way. What if,¡± he lowered his voice, ¡°someone hear him?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei did not reply to him and looked at Li Hua. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Li Hua,¡± he said and they both left the King¡¯s manor. Gao Bing kicked in the air in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s direction and then stood straight, making sure no one looked at him. He went back inside the King¡¯s chamber.


    Li Hua silently walked behind L¨®ng Wei, who stopped near the orchid pavilion. His eyes beamed at Jingfei, who wasughing with Ai Fen.


    ¡®Ruining my morning and afternoon, how can she smile. The Royal Father did not punish her, but I won¡¯t spare her,¡¯ he told himself internally.


    Li Hua wondered what he was thinking, but didn¡¯t ask him. L¨®ng Wei resumed walking after a few minutes and soon reached his manor with Li Hua.


    Li Hua stood near the door. She had decided not to go near him, after finding out what was in the Sixth Prince¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Help me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with annoyance. Li Hua lifted her head and found him standing with his hands out. She walked to him and lifted her hands. Unbuttoning the overcoat from the shoulder, she walked behind him and pulled the overcoat off the Sixth Prince¡¯s arms.


    Li Hua folded the overcoat and walked past him when L¨®ng Wei grasped his arms. She tilted her head and the next second, she was pulled back.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Li Hua rested her hand on his arm, which was around her waist.


    ¡°No one is here. Tell me the truth. What did the King tell you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°I have already told His Highness,¡± Li His said.


    ¡°I can see through the lies easily. You are my person, so don¡¯t hide anything from me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I am not His Highness¡¯s person,¡± Li Hua corrected him and pulled herself away when L¨®ng Wei drew her close. She was on her toes as her face came close to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s.


    ¡°You are!¡± L¨®ng Wei authorized.


    Li Hua averted her gaze from him. The more she would argue with him, the more it would turn into a headache.


    L¨®ng Wei lifted his other hand and brought it under Li Hua¡¯s chin. Turning her face towards him, he said, ¡°You can¡¯t run away from me, Li Hua. So, whatever my oldie father has told you, take that out of your head.¡±


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    The Second Husband

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15: Take a Deep Breath


    L¨®ng Wei let go of her and went to the broad chair to sit on that. His elbow rested on the bolster, his right legid straight while his left knee was in the air.


    ¡°What is in that basket?¡± L¨®ng Wei looked toward the bamboo basket. Li Hua immediately walked to the table and picked it up.


    ¡°Fresh cherries, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°I want to eat,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Li Hua walked near him and got on her knees. She took out one cherry and using the small knife took out the seed from it, before forwarding it to L¨®ng Wei, who said, ¡°Feed me,¡± and opened his mouth.


    Li Hua moved forward on her knees and fed the cherry to L¨®ng Wei. She continued to feed the Sixth Prince, but her mind was somewhere else.


    It would be best if she had not agreed to the Crown Prince¡¯s request of shifting to his manor. The Queen¡¯s Manor was better. Now, with the Sixth Prince, she was stuck. He was more interested in creating problems for the people than including himself in the pce matters.


    ¡°Your focus shall be on me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and she came out of her thoughts.


    .....


    ¡°His Highness¡¯s statements and words are worrisome. I will be punished severely if-¡± she could notplete her words as L¨®ng Wei put the cherry in her mouth.


    ¡°Who will punish you in my presence? Not even the King can do that,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°Chew,¡± he told her.


    Li Hua chewed slowly. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes darted at her lips which turned redder after the juice of cherry touched them. When she licked them, it made him want to kiss her. Deeply.


    Li Hua brought the cherry near L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mouth, who leaned back. She moved more towards him and put the cherry in his mouth. L¨®ng Wei ate that while admiring her features internally.


    ¡°Who told you that I like cherries?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked out of the blue.


    ¡°The assistant chef, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°Xiwan!¡± L¨®ng Wei said immediately.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to him,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°What does His Highness mean?¡± Li Hua was confused to hear him.


    ¡°I meant what I said. Xiwan is the same age as you,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡®So? If they are the same age then why can she not talk to him?¡¯ she thought.


    L¨®ng Wei found her thinking hard. He did not want her to grab men¡¯s attention. Why was he not in the Pce when she entered? It was the Prime Minister¡¯s fault, who cried in front of the King to send him to the Cold Pce. Such insolent jerks!


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°You can eat the rest,¡± he said, looking into the basket.


    ¡°Your Highness, I cannot eat the food that is meant to be for the Royal Family,¡± Li Hua told him.


    ¡°In other manors that rule worked. My manor, my rules,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and sat up. His feetnded on the ground and he looked for his shoes which he had thrown earlier recklessly.


    Li Hua kept the bamboo basket on the round table and wiped her hand on the dress she had put on. She picked up the shoes and brought them to L¨®ng Wei.


    Getting on her knees, she ced them before his feet. She almost touched his feet to help him wear the shoes when he stopped her.


    ¡°I can wear them,¡± he said and bent down. Their faces came closer. Li Hua promptly moved back and lowered her head. ¡°Come, I will show you something,¡± he said and rose to his feet.


    ¡°You are not hungry, right? Because it needs a lot of strength,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I am not hungry, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua answered. L¨®ng Wei led the way to an open yard. He went to the small storehouse and brought out a bow and a quiver, full of arrows.


    Li Hua was surprised to see that. So, was she supposed to stand with an apple on her head? The Sixth Prince would aim at her and her breath hitched, thinking if he failed to aim, she might die.


    ¡°Take it,¡± he told her, forwarding the quiver at her. Li Hua grabbed it and wrapped her arms around it.


    Thest time she had picked it was when she went to the Shui residence. She used to watch him practicing in the morning for four hours. She had dreamt of an entire life with Feng Lao, but it could note true.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled the bow and put the arrow on it. He targeted the tree which was in the middle of the yard. She wondered why he did not ask for the wooden targets from the barracks. They were better than the stem of the tree. The arrow might get broken because of its thick stem.


    Li Hua got stunned when the arrow pierced through the bark of the tree instead of breaking.


    How?


    She promptly looked at the Sixth Prince, who took another arrow from the quiver. He shot it and the arrow that was earlier stuck to the thick stem of the tree was pierced from the middle with the second arrow that he had shot a few seconds ago.


    ¡°Do you want to try?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s question brought her out of her thoughts.


    ¡°How can I, Your Highness?¡± She refused politely.


    ¡°Until you won¡¯t try, you won¡¯t know,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and grabbed the quiver. He put it on the wooden floor of the patio and took out an arrow from it.


    Grabbing Li Hua¡¯s arm, he made her stand in front of the tree, ten meters away. ¡°Your Highness, I never did it. I am not suitable for this,¡± Li Hua urged.


    ¡°You are more than capable,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°You need to be strong like me.¡±


    Li Hua outstretched her arm upon his instruction and then put the arrow. L¨®ng Wei scratched the middle of his forehead and then stood behind her. His palm rested on her shoulders.


    ¡°Rx your shoulders. Straighten your back,¡± he whispered in her ear. Li Hua acted on his instructions.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid when you are aiming at your enemy. The first step is to end the fear inside you.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand rested on hers which was holding the arrow. Li Hua tilted her head to look at him and their eyes met.


    ¡°I am handsome, right?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips twisted into a smirk.


    Li Hua instantly averted her gaze from him. ¡°Focus just above the arrows where I aimed at,¡± he said.


    ¡°Take a deep breath and let it go.¡± L¨®ng Wei pulled his hand away and stepped back. Li Hua let go of the arrow, but it fell on the floor a meter away from her.


    ¡°I am not made for it, Your Highness,¡± she said and forwarded the bow towards him.


    ¡°You are made to do everything. Until your arrow reaches that tree, you are not allowed to sit, rest or take meals. I will see youter,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smile and left the yard.


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    The Second Husband

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16: His Notorious n


    L¨®ng Wei reached the Royal Kitchen, and upon seeing him, the servants immediately stopped working and lowered their heads. The Royal chef quickly came to the front and bowed before the Sixth Prince.


    ¡°It is our great pleasure to see the Sixth Prince after a long time,¡± the Royal Chef, Shu Wenxu, said in a humble tone.


    ¡°Shu Wenxu, one must not tell a lie,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked and looked for Xiwan. He was standing near the counter with his head low.


    ¡°Xiwan, follow me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and walked out of the royal kitchen. Everyone looked in his direction while he was confused about why he got summoned. He stepped forward and reached near Shu Wenxu, who told him to be careful. Xiwan bowed and walked out.


    The servants resumed the work while taking a breath of relief.


    L¨®ng Wei stopped near the curved dome wall, which connected to the main corridor of the pce. Xiwan also stopped upon seeing the Sixth Prince had suddenly halted.


    ¡°Is Li Hua close to you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    .....


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness,¡± Xiwan was confused to hear his question. He found the sharp re of L¨®ng Wei at him, and he lowered his eyes. ¡°I want the truth only,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°She rose to the rank faster than many others, Your Highness. Everyone knows her well,¡± Xiwan answered.


    ¡°I want to know about you only. For others, I don¡¯t care,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Your Highness, indeed, this servant has a good levelmunication with her. She is like a younger sister to me. When she entered the pce, she used to get scared easily, so I used to guide her,¡± Xiwan told L¨®ng Wei everything. Xiwan was the servant, who was appointed to take care of the meals of the Sixth Prince. He was well aware of his behavior. So, he decided to stay voracious with the Sixth Prince.


    L¨®ng Wei came to him and hung his arm around his shoulder. ¡°Xiwan, you are my favorite person in this pce. So, I have some faith in you. Don¡¯t talk to Li Hua much as she is in my service now,¡± he told him.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Xiwan said and smiled.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled his arm back and locked his hands behind his back. ¡°Xiwan, did something happen behind my back?¡± he queried Xiwan.


    ¡°Everything went in silence, Your Highness,¡± Xiwan answered. ¡°However, I heard about a strange thing. A loyal official of His Majesty got charged for treason,¡± he informed L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Who?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°The official from Xinshui town, Minister Xu Huang Li,¡± Xiwan answered. ¡°I heard his entire family was killed,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I am not interested in that, Xiwan. I am asking about the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, with a displeased look. He thought he would find out something intriguing from the pce.


    ¡°Leave,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him.


    Xiwan bowed and turned back when L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell Li Hua about my choices. You are not supposed to do that.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness,¡± Xiwan said after turning to L¨®ng Wei, who walked away.


    ¡°So, His Highness indeed likes Li Hua,¡± Xiwan said and went back to the royal kitchen.


    ~~~~~


    The Queen, Zhu Liling, found out about the incident that happened in the King¡¯s manor. She was surprised to see that the servant, whom she had sent for the Crown Prince¡¯s service, got transferred to the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor.


    It somewhere had troubled her. How could L¨®ng Wei win the argument against the Crown Prince? Moreover, why did the King let the Sixth Prince have Li Hua? Did the King not value her decision?


    ¡°Your Majesty, the King did not overstretch the matter as it could have spread among the servants. The two Princes were arguing over a pce maid. His Majesty also said that he was disappointed with the Crown Prince. Also, the Sixth Prince¡¯s words regarding a pce maid were not appealing to anyone. He did not even fear His Majesty while expressing his feelings for a pce maid,¡± Eunuch-in-waiting, Wu Lianying, informed the matter to the Queen.


    Zhu Liling knitted her brows. Her son had indeed disappointed the King by arguing for a pce maid. But the question was why he did that.


    ¡°Where is the Crown Prince?¡± Zhu Liling asked Wu Lianying.


    ¡°Your Majesty, the Crown Prince had his lunch and then left for the meeting with the ministers headed by the King,¡± Wu Lianying answered, keeping his head low.


    ¡°When the meeting gets over, tell the Crown Prince to meet the Royal Mother once. Inform the Sixth Prince that the Queen is heading to his manor,¡± Zhu Liling said and rose to her feet. Eunuch Lianying bowed his head and walked out.


    Zhu Liling extended her hand out, and the pce maid handed her the mirror. She took it and looked at herself in the mirror. She adjusted the crown over her head and returned the mirror to the pce maid.


    ¡°Your Majesty, the other Princes, and the Princesses already knew what the Crown Prince did. His Royal Highness should not have fought for a pce maid. What if any of them tried to spread the rumors?¡± Court Lady Chu Mu expressed her worries.


    ¡°No one will dare to spread any negative fact about the Crown Prince. They all know that the King will get angry. Moreover, everyone respects the Crown Prince. He always helps the people irrespective of their ss or societal status,¡± Zhu Liling affirmed and joined her hands which she had kept near her belly.


    Eunuch Lianying came inside and bowed. ¡°The message has been sent to the two princes¡¯ manor, Your Majesty.¡±


    Zhu Liling wanted to know why L¨®ng Wei adamantly took Li Hua away. L¨®ng Wei was never interested in women. Suddenly, he showed his interest in Li Hua. The Queen wanted to check if the Sixth Prince had feelings for Li Hua or if it was all a part of his notorious n against the Crown Prince.


    The old monk¡¯s words were still in her mind.


    ¡®The Sixth Prince will change the destiny of the Qiu Dynasty. He is meant to be a ruler, and no one can change his path. The Son of Dragon will uplift the miseries of the poor and make this kingdom prosperous.¡¯


    Every time she used to see L¨®ng Wei, this prophecy would revolve in her head. Though L¨®ng Wei was never interested in the kingdom¡¯s matters, however, this slight fear still existed in her mind.


    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17: The Two Lions left open


    Jingfei was seated on the patio on a floor mattress and looked at herself in the mirror. The beautician that she had appointed had brought the pearl powder that was the secret of the beauty of the Queen, her Royal Mother.


    Beautician Mu forwarded the box filled with pearl powder to Jingfei, who thanked her for arranging it.


    ¡°First Young Mistress, the son of the First General will not be able to take his eyes off you. This pearl powder will give a radiant glow to the young mistress¡¯s skin,¡± Lin Jie said with a smile.


    Jingfei looked at the mirror and admired her smooth skin. ¡°What about the moonmilk cream? Did you bring it?¡± She asked and gracefully extended her hand out. Beautician Mu handed her another box which had the moonmilk cream.


    Jingfei asked her to apply that on her face. Beautician Mu rose to her feet and asked the Princess toy down on the floor mattress. Jingfeiid down while Beautician Mu sat on her left. She took the cream in her fingers and gently applied it to Jingfei¡¯s cheeks.


    Gently she massaged the Princess¡¯s cheeks. ¡°The First Young Mistress¡¯ skin is the most glowing one after the Royal Queen,¡± she praised Jingfei, who felt proud of herself.


    ¡°First Young Mistress!¡± Lin Jie said with a shocking expression.


    .....


    Promptly Jingfei opened her eyes and found the troubled expression on her face. Beautician Mu had also widened her eyes and pulled her hands back.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Jingfei asked.


    ¡°Y-your face,¡± Lin Jie said with a stutter. Jingfei immediately sat up and picked up the mirror.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± She screamed and tossed the mirror on the table. She put her hands on her face. ¡°Why did it happen to my face?¡± She asked and again picked up the mirror and saw the red pimples all over her cheeks and even her forehead. Wherever the cream was applied the pimples had appeared.


    At that moment, they heard augh and everyone looked toward its source. L¨®ng Wei wasughing loudly, while holding his stomach.


    He continued tough until his cheeks hurt. ¡°Princess Jingfei¡¯s face looks no less than a red monkey¡¯s face,¡± L¨®ng Wei, after controlling hisughter, remarked. He wiped the tears from the edges of his eyes and walked to Jingfei, who had tears in her eyes. Her blood boiled with anger, and she decided to p L¨®ng Wei for his mischief.


    A Princess was not supposed to p the Prince. She could have been punished for doing so, but she did not care. L¨®ng Wei should not have yed with her face.


    She rose to her feet and marched to L¨®ng Wei, who was still giggling. She raised her hand to p him when L¨®ng Wei caught her hand in the middle of the air. Lin Jie and the other maidservants on the patio lowered their heads.


    ¡°Leave my hand, Sixth Brother,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°I told you not to y with me. It¡¯s nothing in front of what you did in the morning, despite my warning. You are so proud of your face, so this is a small gift from me to you. Now, seduce the son of the First General as much as you want,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced and twisted his lips into a smirk. He pushed her, and she almost fell to the floor but managed to stand straight.


    ¡°The Sixth Brother did this to me for that petty servant!¡± Jingfei was infuriated that L¨®ng Wei harmed her face because of Li Hua. ¡°You will be punished for what you did along with that whore,¡± Jingfei screamed at him, forgetting to use a formal tone with him.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s facial expressions darkened as he heard the word ¡®whore.¡¯ He fisted his palms and took another step towards her. ¡°Whom are you calling a whore?¡± L¨®ng Wei frowned.


    ¡°Li Hua. Isn¡¯t she a whore like your mother!?¡± Jingfei crossed her limits, and it enraged L¨®ng Wei. He strangled her neck, and the maidservants rushed to them.


    Jingfei¡¯s nails dug into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand, who was ring into her eyes. ¡°Li Hua is not a whore. She is not like her,¡± he spat at her and gritted his teeth.


    ¡°Your Highness, please leave the First Princess,¡± Lin Jie said and grabbed his arms when he pushed her away. Lin Jie¡¯s head banged against the edge of the wooden table, and it started to bleed.


    ¡°You should not have provoked this ferocious dragon, Jingfei,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, forgetting his sister was four years older than him. Jingfei closed her eyes, but L¨®ng Wei did not leave his grip on her neck. He would not even flinch to kill her.


    Suddenly, a hand grasped L¨®ng Wei¡¯s arm and pulled him back. Jingfei fainted andnded on the floor while L¨®ng Wei turned to find, who stopped him.


    ¡°First Young Mistress,¡± Lin Jie ran to Jingfei and asked the maidservants to help her carry her inside the chamber.


    The Sixth Prince was pped across the face, and he shot his re at the person.


    ¡°Did the Sixth Brother have lost his mind?¡± The Fourth Prince, Qiu Mingquan growled at L¨®ng Wei. The Fourth Prince was one of the five finest swordsmen in the Kingdom.


    ¡°Yes, I have lost my mind. Jingfei should not have used the wrong word against her,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he left the patio in anger.


    Mingquan went behind him and grabbed L¨®ng Wei¡¯s arm, who yanked it off. They faced each other like the two lions left open for a fierce fight.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget your manners, Sixth Brother,¡± Mingquan told him, with a stern tone.


    ¡°The Fourth Prince should not lecture me. I am in a terrible mood, and I swear, I won¡¯t hesitate to kill if anyone tries to stop me,¡± L¨®ng Wei warned Mingquan and turned to leave.


    The Fourth Prince rested his palm on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s shoulder, who turned and grabbed the cors of his hanfu dress. ¡°I let you p me. I can break your hand for what you did,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with annoyance.

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18: Never afraid of the Consequences


    Li Hua¡¯s fingers were bruised after practicing for a long. Why was the Sixth Prince adamant to make her learn it? She wiped the sweat from her forehead from the back of her sleeve. Again, she put the arrow on the bow.


    Her hands started to tremble. The scorching, harsh summer heat had tired her out. Luckily, L¨®ng Wei let her have breakfast with him, or she would have fainted by now. Her vision started to blur, and she shook her head.


    At that moment, she recalled Feng Lao¡¯s words.


    ¡®One must not overstress himself while training. Indeed, surpassing your limits is emphasized. But if you are unable to get a result, then you need to stop.¡¯


    Li Hua put her hands down and sat down on the patio. She took deep breaths. ¡°I cannot do it anymore,¡± she murmured. Shey on it and looked at thenterns hanging above her head.


    Some letters were carved outside thentern¡¯s surface.


    ¡°All your wishese true,¡± she read the words written on thentern.


    .....


    ¡°You be what you think,¡± she read from anotherntern, and a chuckle escaped her mouth. She did not agree with this. Your fate would decide what you would be. It was not in your hands. She had nned a whole life with Feng Lao. She taught herself well how to be a virtuous wife.


    She heard the footsteps and turned to look, if L¨®ng Wei had returned. She walked inside the chamber and walked out to the front yard when she saw the Queening in her direction.


    She immediately lowered her head and joined her hands near the belly.


    The Queen stopped in front of Li Hua, and the servants halted at a foot distance from her. Zhu Liling found out that the Sixth Prince was not in the manor. She remembered that L¨®ng Wei mostly sat outside in the swing when he would be present in the manor. She asked Li Hua.


    ¡°His Highness did not mention where he was heading to. However, His Highness said that he would return in the evening,¡± Li Hua answered humbly.


    ¡°The Crown Prince¡¯s image was tarnished today. You should have stopped the Crown Prince when he offered to put ointment on your palm. Because of a pce maid, the Crown Prince was scolded and humiliated,¡± Zhu Liling scolded Li Hua, who stayed quiet.


    ¡°I need answers, Li Hua. Did you in any way go close to the Crown Prince?¡± Zhu Liling demanded answers from Li Hua.


    ¡°This pce maid never tried to go close to the Crown Prince, Your Majesty. That¡¯s a grave crime, which this pce maid will nevermit,¡± Li Hua stood firm for her character. She was nervous inside out. What if the Queen punished her for betraying her!? Li Hua had been with the Queen for two months, and never once was she punished.


    Queen Liling knew that the King had already ended the matter, so she decided not to stretch it. What if L¨®ng Wei would go to the King toin about her? Her main reason to visit the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor was to check what was going on in his head. Since he was not present in the manor, there was no use arguing with a mere pce maid.


    Eunuch-in-waiting, Wu Lianying, came forward and whispered near the Queen¡¯s ear. She widened her eyes. ¡°Princess Jingfei fainted.¡± Zhu Liling was shocked to hear it. She turned to leave and tilted her head to say, ¡°Li Hua, because you served me well, that¡¯s why I left you unpunished.¡±


    Li Hua bowed further. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kind generosity,¡± she said. The Queen left for the First Princess¡¯s manor, followed by her servants.


    After the Queen and her servants left, Li Hua stood straight and looked towards the grand door. She knitted her brows and looked at her hands. Li Hua went back to the open yard to practice. She still had to answer L¨®ng Wei when he would return. She did not want to anger him because he was far more dangerous than anyone in the pce.


    He was not only outspoken but brave too. He was never afraid of the consequences. Moreover, his decision-making ability was remarkable. No matter how bad the situation would turn, L¨®ng Wei knew how to turn it right. He knew how to change the direction of the wind.


    She picked the bow and arrow once more, ready to aim where the Sixth Prince had told her to. Li Hua recalled her father¡¯s words, Xu Huang Li, with that. She was ten years old at that time and happened to enter her father¡¯s study, who was reading the famous book by Philosopher Lu Qiao.


    ¡°Li Hua, do you know who is considered the strongest man?¡± Xu Huang Li asked the young Li Hua.


    ¡°Father, in my opinion, who knows how to fight but at the same time ispassionate. A big heart is also the symbol of strength,¡± Li Hua answered her father.


    ¡°Li Hua, everyone thinks that, but ording to Philosopher Lu Qiao, the strongest is the one who knows how to handle the toughest of the situations. Suppose you get attacked by enemies, your strength doesn¡¯t matter. But your presence of mind does,¡± Xu Huang Li stated. Young Li Hua hardly understood the words of her father at that time.


    After so many years, she finally got to see a person who could be considered the strongest among all.


    The arrow left the bow, and this time it reached near the lowest portion of the tree. She smiled and found it to be a big achievement. But her task was to hit the target above those two arrows which L¨®ng Wei had hit.


    She continued to practice until the early evening. She had given up and decided to give an exnation to L¨®ng Wei behind her failure. After collecting all the arrows, she put them in the quiver. She went towards the tree and tried to take out the arrows when got cut on her fingers.


    ¡°Ahhh,¡± she winced in pain and pulled her hand back. ¡°How could these be fixed so strongly into the bark?¡± she wondered and walked away. Putting the bow and quiver at their ces, she came inside the chamber. She looked towards the door and wondered why the Sixth Prince had not returned.


    ~~~~~~


    Please do s on the story??. More chapters areing.


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19: The Dragon himself descended


    L¨®ng Wei threw the pebbles into thergeke in front of him. The Sixth Prince had been doing this for four hours. Suddenly, he heard the cks of the thick wooden stick and snickered.


    ¡°I am not in the mood to listen to lectures,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and threw another pebble into theke. The ripples formed on the water surface, and soon the pebble sank into the water.


    The old man stood on his left and found L¨®ng Wei had already collected many pebbles to throw into the water. This child always wondered him for his acts, and it brought a smile to his lips.


    The old man caressed his beard and said, ¡°It is weird to see the Sixth Princeing here right aftering out of the Cold Pce.¡±


    ¡°Why? Do you own thiske? I cane here whenever I want toe,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He was irritated at the old man. He did not like every time the old man would nag at him for no reason.


    ¡°Tell me, what do you see?¡± the old man asked L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t answer him, and he got an intution that something big had happened to him. The old man tried to sit down.


    .....


    ¡°Ahh, my knees. They are aching. At least, help me to sit down,¡± the old man asked L¨®ng Wei for help, but he didn¡¯t nce at him. Somehow, the old man sat down on the ground beside L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°What happened?¡± the old man asked.


    ¡°I am annoyed, Yuze,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I am not in a mood to talk to anyone. It might anger me more,¡± he said and this time threw the pebble with more strength.


    ¡°Talk to Li Hua then. She might lessen your anger,¡± Yuze said and put the thick stick t on the ground.


    ¡°How did you find out about her?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°I can see the future,¡± Yuze said. ¡°I read your stars when you were born. The dragon himself descended to earth from heaven and has a chosen bride for him,¡± Yuze said. Yuze was the old monk, who lived uphill behind the imperial pce. He used to predict and forecast the future.


    ¡°And what did you see?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him. He was eager to know what Yuze predicted this time.


    ¡°What do you want this old monk to say?¡± Yuze asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me anything,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and kept throwing the pebble. The old monk stayed quiet and smiled.


    ¡°Jingfeipared Li Hua with thete concubine of the King,¡± L¨®ng Wei finally told the old monk. He never called her ¡®mother.¡¯ ¡°I almost had killed her but the Fourth Prince intervened,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t supposed to do this to his half-sister,¡± Yuze said. ¡°The King will punish him again,¡± he said worriedly.


    ¡°I am not afraid of punishment. I might get flogged or be locked in my manor for a few days,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Yuze nced at the right hand of L¨®ng Wei and found his knuckles had been bruised. ¡°The Sixth Prince doesn¡¯t take care of his body. I will treat his wound,¡± Yuze said and grasped his hand gently. However, L¨®ng Wei yanked it off.


    ¡°It¡¯s not needed,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and put his hand on his right, but didn¡¯t find any pebble. ¡°I am leaving,¡± he said and stood up from the ground.


    Yuze also rose to his feet. ¡°I have prepared some sweets,¡± he told L¨®ng Wei, who promptly agreed.


    ¡°I am not in the mood to eat the sweets,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and walked ahead.


    ~~~~~~


    Zhu Liling was furious to find out what L¨®ng Wei did to Princess Jingfei. He destroyed her daughter¡¯s face and then strangled her neck.


    Everyone was waiting for L¨®ng Wei to enter the Hall of Justice, where the King would decide his fate. Qiu Zedong had not expected that on the first day of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s return, he would create more chaos in the pce.


    ¡°Royal Father, the Sixth Prince must not stay in the pce. The more he will stay here, the more it will bring troubles for us,¡± Qiu Mu appealed in front of the King.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I also think the same. This act of the Prince was not only shameless but also unforgivable. His Majesty shall not be lenient on the Sixth Prince this time,¡± Zhu Liling supported Qiu Mu and requested the King for severe punishment for L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Royal Mother, it is still unknown if the Sixth Prince reced the cream or not,¡± Xiaoming said. Qiu Mu, Qiu Tianjie did not like that the Crown Prince again sided with the Sixth Prince.


    ¡°The Crown Prince listened to the attendant-in-waiting of the First Princess. The Sixth Brother did it because she punished Li Hua,¡± Qiu Mu chuckled and scoffed at him.


    Qiu Mingquan and the Fifth Prince, Qiu Zhang Xi nced at each other.


    ¡°Let the Sixth Princee,¡± Qiu Zedong said and looked towards the door. The King then narrowly gazed at Gao Bing, who bowed and, once again left for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s manor to fetch him.


    Qiu Zedong was tense because he was under everyone¡¯s pressure. Princess Jingfei was his eldest daughter. He could not let go of this matter. But he also did not want to punish L¨®ng Wei. Every time he punished him, his heart would also feel the pain.


    Everyone in the family wanted him to stay in the Cold Pce, and it always ached his heart that even L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t ready to understand him.


    Gao Bing was happy that L¨®ng Wei would soon be thrown out of the pce. In his eyes, the work that no one would be able to do in years, Li Hua, did on the first day of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s return.


    ¡®I will promote that pce maid after L¨®ng Wei gets thrown out of the pce.¡¯ Gao Bing had decided it. Since he looked into the appointment of maidservants in the manors, it was easy for him.


    He internally smiled and paced towards the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor.

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20: Admire her beauty


    L¨®ng Wei reached his manor and saw Li Hua, who was lighting a rectangrntern that was put at the left end of the chamber. He was mesmerized to see her. The bright yellow radiance of thentern fell over her face, making her features more visible. Those long eyshes, long hair, red cheeks, and pouty lips made L¨®ng Wei admire her beauty. Internally.


    Upon seeing her, his remaining anger had vanquished. Li Hua turned with a small white candle in her hand. ¡°Your Highness,¡± she promptly lowered her eyes and again lifted them.


    ¡°Your Highness, the King has summoned you to the Hall of Justice,¡± Li Hua informed him. L¨®ng Wei walked to her and took the candle from her. Her eyes flickered, and she averted them when L¨®ng Wei¡¯s fingers touched hers. He blew off the candle and threw it on the floor.


    ¡°You look pretty, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Weiplimented her.


    Li Hua¡¯s eyes grew bigger and their eyes met again. She found that the distance between them wasn¡¯t appropriate and stepped back. Her left foot twisted and she fell to her left side when L¨®ng Wei caught her arm.


    Her loose tendrils fell upon her face and in between the gaps of those strands, she looked at L¨®ng Wei, whose gaze was still fixed on her. He made her stand straight and then tucked the loose tendrils behind her ear.


    ¡°Your Highness, I will do,¡± she stepped back promptly while being careful and lowered her head.


    .....


    ¡°Sixth Prince, you have returned.¡± They heard the voice of Gao Bing and looked towards the door.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you send His Highness to the Hall of Justice?¡± Gao Bing scolded Li Hua as he entered the chamber.


    ¡°Who told you that you can scold her?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him. Gao Bing instantly apologized to the Sixth Prince.


    ¡°Your Highness, why did you harm the First Princess? Everyone is angry with you. The King and the Queen are upset with you,¡± Gao Bing said softly.


    ¡°So, that is the reason why the Royal Father summoned me?¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured and walked ahead. Li Hua and Gao Bing followed him to the Hall of Justice.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince must stay quiet in front of the King, else he might get kicked out of the pce,¡± Gao Bing advised L¨®ng Wei. He knew that no matter what advice he would give to the Sixth Prince, he would do what his mind told him to! Gao Bing wanted to remain good in the eyes of the Sixth Prince until his presence in the pce.


    Upon getting no answer from L¨®ng Wei, Gao Bing wondered what had happened to him.


    ¡°Everyone is saying that the Sixth Prince should go back to the cold pce for his entire life. The mischief he did today is beyond forgiveness,¡± Gao Bing said, after a minute of pause.


    Li Hua wondered what L¨®ng Wei did that Eunuch Gao Bing was speaking this way to the Sixth Prince.


    Soon, they reached outside the Hall of Justice. It was the second time that Li Hua, came to this ce in a single day. The more she wanted to be away from the King¡¯s and the Crown Prince¡¯s eyes, the more she would appear in front of them. Now the Queen also knew about the matter, so Li Hua was even more awkward going inside.


    However, she was tied with her duty to follow wherever her master would go.


    Therge mahogany doors opened for them, and they walked in. Li Hua stood where the other attendants were standing while L¨®ng Wei and Gao Bing walked ahead.


    L¨®ng Wei greeted the King and the Queen, before looking into the eyes of his father.


    ¡°Why did the Sixth Prince rece the moonmilk cream with a toxic one? Why did the Sixth Prince strangle the neck of the First Princess? The First Princess is still unconscious because of the reckless actions of the Sixth Prince.¡± Qiu Zedong ended up raising his voice at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Is it true that the Sixth Prince destroyed the face of the First Princess because she punished Li Hua when he told her not to?¡± Zhu Liling asked him which the King had skipped.


    Li Hua looked in the direction of L¨®ng Wei and blinked her eyes several times. She did not want it to be true.


    ¡°The First Princess¡¯s face will turn into a normal one in a few days,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered nonchntly. He didn¡¯t deny that he wasn¡¯t behind that mischief. Qiu Mu looked at Xiaoming, who had earlier shown his trust in L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°The Crown Prince¡¯s trust has been broken. His Royal Highness thought that the youngest prince would not do such mischief,¡± Qiu Mu didn¡¯t stay quiet and blurted out.


    ¡°Why did the Sixth Prince strangle the First Princess?¡± Qiu Zedong inquired about the second question.


    ¡°Because shepared Li Hua to yourte concubine. She called Li Hua a-¡± he paused as he didn¡¯t want Li Hua to hear it. Everyone in the Hall of Justice was stunned to hear L¨®ng Wei.


    Li Hua gulped and wondered what could have made L¨®ng Wei angry that he tried to strangle Princess Jingfei to death.


    He clenched his fists tightly and took a deep breath.


    ¡°I ept whatever punishment His Majesty will grant me except going to the Cold Pce. However, I want His Majesty to tell his first daughter to stay away from me and not ever say such a thing. Next time, I won¡¯t hesitate to kill her. She was lucky that the Fourth Prince intervened.¡± L¨®ng Wei, without any fear, told the truth to Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°Your Majesty, this time, I will give punishment to the Sixth Prince. It is now the matter of the inner pce. His Royal Mother will teach him to be respectful to his elders,¡± Queen Zhu Liling requested the King.


    ¡°My Queen, let¡¯s end it here. Princess Jingfei and Prince L¨®ng Wei, both are close to my heart. I will give the appropriate punishment to the Sixth Prince this time,¡± Qiu Zedong didn¡¯t want the matter to go into the inner pce.


    ¡°Your Royal Majesty, I only want to teach the Sixth Prince how he must behave with his elders. The Sixth Prince was even found holding the cors of the Fourth Prince,¡± Zhu Liling asserted. Qiu Zedong could not refuse the Queen and agreed to it.


    ¡°Whatever My Queen feels right, can do. She must tell the First Princess not to bring the Sixth Prince¡¯s mother in the fights,¡± he stated. Zhu Liling nodded her head.


    Qiu Zedong tilted his head to look at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°I will announce the punishment in the morning,¡± the King decided, bewildering everyone in the Hall of Justice.


    ¡°Everyone is dismissed,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. The Crown Prince stood up first. He bowed before the King and Queen and left for his manor. Gradually, the other Princes also left.


    L¨®ng Wei came near Li Hua, and the two left the Hall of Justice.

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21: Your touch burns me


    L¨®ng Wei reached his manor with Li Hua. He reclined on the lounge while pinching the skin between his brows. Li Hua lit the candles and put them on the table when she heard him say, ¡°I don¡¯t like the chamber illuminated with so many candles. One candle is enough.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua answered and blew off the other four candles on the stand. She asked L¨®ng Wei if she should bring dinner for him.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Li Hua turned to go to the royal kitchen when L¨®ng Wei asked her if she readied the bathhouse.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness, I have not. I will do it now,¡± Li Hua stated. She didn¡¯t remember L¨®ng Wei telling her to prepare the bathhouse for him. She silently walked out of the chamber and after twenty minutes, she returned, informing the Sixth Prince that the bathhouse was ready to use.


    L¨®ng Wei rose to his feet and walked to the washroom with Li Hua. She was frightened because it was her first time serving a Prince, helping him in the bath. Though, she did hope that L¨®ng Wei would send her out. But why would he do that? She was a mere servant, who had to follow her duties, irrespective of her choice.


    When L¨®ng Wei outstretched his arms, she walked to him and opened the knots on the dress after the sash. Without making any eye contact with the Sixth Prince, she slowly pulled down the robe from down his shoulders and went behind his back. She slowly pulled it off and put it into the basket.


    .....


    She again came to the front and opened the knots on Zhongyi (the inner clothing usually of white color) near the left side of the chest. She was careful that her fingers would not touch his skin in any way. Her eyes fell on the strange birthmark that he had just above his left chest.


    She found a birthmark of pinkish color and was somewhat intrigued by it. Taking her eyes off it, she stepped away and put this inner clothing in the basket.


    She twiddled with her fingers as she was supposed to remove the pants. How she was supposed to do that. She gulped in anxiety.


    ¡°Stay back,¡± she heard L¨®ng Wei, who had removed his pants. He entered the bathtub and dived into the water. Coming out, he wiped his face and rested his elbows on the bathtub.


    Li Hua picked the pants from the floor and put them in the basket. She was supposed to put the scents into the water, but she was too frightened to go near the bathtub.


    She turned to look at the shelf and found many essences in the porcin bottles. She picked one and gradually walked towards the bathtub while keeping her eyes glued to the floor.


    She opened the lid of the essence and poured a few drops into the water. For an unknown reason, she thought that the Sixth Prince had his eyes fixed on hers. She tightly pressed the bottle because of the nervousness.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you taught to serve the royals?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s question made her tenser.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness, but I never served a Prince,¡± Li Hua said. She wondered if he would punish her for answering that way.


    ¡°But you are trained to do everything. In the pce, those things happen which you can never imagine,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and finally Li Hua made contact with her eyes. Her throat had already gone dry because of that statement.


    ¡°You were lucky among many young maidens that you got the entry in the Queen¡¯s Manor,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. He was right. Li Hua was lucky that she got the Queen¡¯s Manor instead of any of the Prince¡¯s manor.


    ¡°Pour the water,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and averted his gaze. Li Hua quickly put the essence back in its ce and picked the wooden hemispherical water carrier. She filled it with water, forgetting to check if it was too hot, and gradually poured it on his shoulders.


    L¨®ng Wei felt the water was too hot. ¡°It will burn me,¡± he said. Immediately, Li Hua checked the water and found it was too hot. She found his shoulder had turned red and she apologized to him.


    ¡°I apologize for my mistake. I did not intend to do that, Your Highness. I forgot to check its hotness,¡± she mumbled.


    She ended up stroking the skin where it was red. L¨®ng Wei caught her wrist and she looked at him.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± she murmured when L¨®ng Wei turned to her. She lowered her head, preventing her eyes from seeing the Sixth Prince. She pulled her hand back but found L¨®ng Wei had held it tightly.


    ¡°Are you supposed to y like this?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°No, Your Highness,¡± she shook her head.


    ¡°Your touch burns me more,¡± L¨®ng Wei said in his deep tone. Li Hua clutched the edge of her dress tightly and found her heart beating exceptionally faster than usual. She was definitely intimidated by that statement.


    He let go of her wrist upon finding her scared and asked her to finish the work soon. She used the bath bean shower gel but was hesitant to apply it to him. After that statement came out, she was scared to touch him.


    ¡°You can leave,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her. ¡°This is thest time I am letting you leave like this. Prepare your head because next time, I don¡¯t want you to hesitate because soon we will have a bathing ritual,¡± he stated and told her to leave the shower gel box.


    Li Hua was surprised that L¨®ng Wei let her go. She was indeed too scared to do that. But what did he mean by a bathing ritual? She tilted her head in amusement.


    ¡°Leave before I change my mind,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Li Hua stood up and dashed out of the bathhouse.


    She rested her palm on her chest. ¡°That was too scary. However, the Sixth Prince was considerate of me,¡± she murmured. She recalled what happened in the Hall of Justice. For her, L¨®ng Wei harmed Jingfei. He wasn¡¯t supposed to do that for a servant.


    Li Hua decided to talk to the Sixth Prince regarding this. She went to the royal kitchen and brought the dinner to the chamber.


    Setting the table, she waited for L¨®ng Wei toe, who soon arrived at the chamber. She pulled out the chair for him on which L¨®ng Wei settled. He told her to sit as well.


    ¡°You won¡¯t eat with the servants anymore. Have your meals with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he picked the rice grains from the chopsticks.


    Li Hua nodded and silently started to eat.


    ¡°Did you practice well?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°I did, but I could not target the aim,¡± Li Hua answered and put the rice in her mouth. She chewed them and heard him say,


    ¡°You will soon learn to aim,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Your Highness, may I ask something?¡± Li Hua gathered her courage to speak.


    ¡°You can ask anything any time,¡± L¨®ng Wei permitted her.


    ¡°Why did His Highness rece the cream? Was it because of me?¡± Li Hua queried and gulped. She expected him not to say that it was because of her.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to peer at her.


    ¡°She harmed my person despite my warning,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°And why did His Highness strangle the First Princess?¡± Li Hua knitted her brows together. Who was the concubine with whom Jingfeipared her? She wanted to know and she was also curious about what Jingfei exactly said that made L¨®ng Wei angry.


    ¡°When we be closer, then I will tell you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Why does His Highness think we can get close?¡± Li Hua asked. She realized that L¨®ng Wei indeed had feelings for her, but why? She didn¡¯t want him to like her because that would only be a hindrance in her path to revenge.


    ¡°Because I like you,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    Li Hua widened her eyes. She did not know the Sixth Prince would be this straightforward. It was only the first day. It was an ident that she stumbled upon his path.


    ¡°Since I like you, I will get close to you, so you will. Then, I will share my secrets with you,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°His Highness cannot like a servant,¡± Li Hua stated without thinking that it might offend L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I can like whoever I want to like, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Only you can be my official wife. You are the apple of my eyes,¡± L¨®ng Wei confessed.

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22: Pretend to be sleeping?


    Official Wife! What did the Sixth Prince mean by that? How could he even think about it? She wanted to end it here. If she would get punished, then she would ept that too. Except for Feng Lao, no one could be her husband.


    ¡°Your Highness, I am afraid, but that¡¯s not up to you to decide. Also, I love someone else,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°Who?¡± L¨®ng Wei immediately asked her. A grim expression appeared on his face.


    ¡°It is not appropriate for me to speak about my personal matters with His Highness,¡± Li Hua politely refused to talk about the man whom she loved.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about whom you love. I only care about you,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and began to eat again.


    Li Hua wondered what L¨®ng Wei would be thinking in his mind. Why was the Sixth Prince so unpredictable? Was he thinking of marrying her? She would be stuck if the King ordered her to marry.


    Her eyes darted to his right hand. The knuckles had turned bluish, and she got tenser. Her heart had melted for him the moment he took a hit for her. She had never been hit, and probably that would be her first time to get a blow from the stick.


    .....


    But L¨®ng Wei protected her.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t His Highness scared of the punishment?¡± Li Hua¡¯s question made L¨®ng Wei stop eating his meal. ¡°His Highness harmed the First Princess despite knowing that he might be given severe punishment. She¡¯s the Queen¡¯s daughter, and His Majesty will not let it slide,¡± Li Hua said with a troubled look.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled. ¡°I like to see that you are concerned for me,¡± he stated.


    Li Hua opened her mouth to speak but then closed it.


    ¡°Punishments make you stronger, and also, it¡¯s an easy way to subdue the anger of the person before you. Why do you think I didn¡¯t feel the pain when the hot water fell on my hand?¡±


    Li Hua recalled that the Sixth Prince didn¡¯t flinch when she mistakenly threw water at his hand. She didn¡¯t want to believe that his hand was put in boiled water. Goosebumps appeared on her body after having a small thought of it.


    ¡°I got hit many times. I even forgot the count,¡± L¨®ng Wei said proudly and curled his right hand¡¯s fingers.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a proud thing, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°A royal body isn¡¯t meant to be harmed. If His Highness does not take care of his body, then it will trouble himter when he turns old,¡± she opined.


    ¡°You will be there to take care of your oldie husband then,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed that made Li Hua loss of words. She couldn¡¯t utter a single word after that. She averted her gaze away while L¨®ng Wei smiled, noticing her reaction.


    Soon, they finished their meals. Li Hua thanked the Sixth Prince for letting her eat with him and started to put the dishes on the table. She left for the Royal Kitchen, and heard the servant whispering about her.


    She put the tray on the table, where the other servants nced at her, in the hateful way. She understood why they behaved that way but exining them would only increase the gossip.


    She silently left the royal kitchen with a jar of fresh water in her hand. Entering the chamber, she saw L¨®ng Wei reclining in the lounge and had closed his eyes. Her eyes again fell on his right hand. She put the water jar on the table and walked out.


    After a few minutes, Li Hua returned with the first-aid box in her hands. She decided not to break L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sleep and walked near him. Getting onto her knees, she put the first-aid box quietly beside her and opened it. She took the ointment in her fingers and gently, without disturbing the Sixth Prince¡¯s sleep, applied it to his knuckles.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Li Hua was intimidated to hear his voice and gazed at him in astonishment. ¡°Did I disturb His Highness sleep?¡± She asked.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°If you apply the ointment this way, then anyone will wake up,¡± he replied.


    Li Hua blinked a few times and lowered her eyes. She almost withdrew her hand when she heard L¨®ng Wei say, ¡°Do I have to pretend to be sleeping to make you apply the ointment? What an amusing way to show concern!¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t show any concern, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said and continued to apply the ointment.


    ¡°You cannot lie to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Li Hua finished applying the ointment and moved her hand back when L¨®ng Wei caught it.


    ¡°Your fingers are bruised. Let me help you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. With a swift motion, he pulled Li Hua up. He made her sit on the chaise lounge. Li Hua told him that she would do it herself. L¨®ng Wei had put his right foot on the floor while his left foot was still on the lounge. He pulled her close, and their faces came closer.


    Li Hua moved back a little upon seeing that proximity.


    ¡°You must feel lucky that the Sixth Prince wants to apply ointment on your bruises. I never did this,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He applied it gently over her fingers and asked her about the secret of the soft hands.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness?¡± She was puzzled.


    ¡°A servant¡¯s hands are rough. Mostly the lower ss works as servants, and their hands are rough because of the physical work they do,pared to the noble ss and royal ss,¡± L¨®ng Wei cleared his words. ¡°You look like a daughter from a noble ss family. Everything about you is different.¡±


    His fingers traced the small length of her fingers. Li Hua felt vulnerable in front of the details that the Sixth Prince provided her. He noticed too many things in her in just a day. That was strange!


    ¡°Did you bring your belongings?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    Li Hua shook her head. ¡°I was waiting for His Highness¡¯ return as I had to inform him about the King¡¯s summon.¡± She again attempted to let her hand go from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s grip, but she failed.


    ¡°The more you will run away from me, the more it will make me keep you closer,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed when Li Hua made an effort to remove her wrist from his hold.


    His fingers moved to her palm where the cut was still prominent. ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone touch you except me.¡± Li Hua gaped at him. ¡°Understood?¡±


    ¡°I never let anyone touch me, Your Highness. I also do not want His Highness to do this to me,¡± Li Hua said sternly.


    ¡°You let the Crown Prince touch you,¡± L¨®ng Wei reminded her and then clicked his tongue, ¡°I am an exception among all. After all, I am L¨®ng Wei.¡± He smirked with a gleam in his eyes.


    Li Hua stopped blinking and gulped. L¨®ng Wei let go of her hand. ¡°Sleep on this chaise lounge,¡± he told her. ¡°You need to watch me closely,¡± he affirmed and stood up.


    ¡°Your Highness, that is inappropriate. I might be thrown out of the pce formitting the crime by staying in the same chamber as His Highness,¡± Li Hua immediately made him aware of the consequences that she had to bear. ¡°I shall stay outside,¡± she opined.


    L¨®ng Wei went to bed and picked up the quilt. He brought it to Li Hua and put it on the foot of the chaise lounge. ¡°Sleep,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and blew off the two candles while thenterns at the four ends of the chamber kept glowing.


    He returned to the bed and removed his shoes before lying on the bed.


    ¡°I am tired, Li Hua, so I don¡¯t want anymore arguments. The day was fun. If you leave in the middle of the night, be ready to face my anger,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and closed his eyes. Li Hua could not help but silently sleep on the chaise lounge.


    ¡°Does His Highness not need this quilt?¡± She asked in a low voice. However, no response came, so she covered herself from the quilt and slept off.


    After two months, she got to use such a quilt. It was warm, and it made her sleep soon.


    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23: In this dangerous ce


    Li Hua walked through the cobblestone path of her house. Everything was so quiet. It seemed no one was present in the residence.


    She was scared of quietness and aloofness. She ran through the corridor of the residence but found no one.


    ¡°Father! Mother!¡± She called them out and ran down the stairs, holding the long skirt. Her feet stopped as she saw her father¡¯s body lying on the ground in blood, surrounded by many dead bodies.


    ¡°Father,¡± she murmured, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She heard the nking and turned to look, when she saw her elder brother was fighting with a masked man.


    ¡°Elder Brother,¡± she stepped forward when the sword pierced through her brother¡¯s body, and she screamed. She brought her hands to her ears and did not want to hear the sound of swords¡¯ nking. ¡°Please, don¡¯t kill,¡± she murmured when a hand grabbed her arm.


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± the voice called her name softly.


    She gradually opened her eyes and realized it was a nightmare. She could feel the tears on her cheeks and wiped them from the back of her palm.


    .....


    Ever since she lost her family, such nightmares had be prominent. She sobbed and tilted her head. To her surprise, L¨®ng Wei was standing tall in front of her.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡± She immediately sat up and wondered if he was the one who called out her name. Did he hear her screams? If he had, then it would be tough for her to exin to him. She clutched the edge of the quilt tightly, pondering over L¨®ng Wei¡¯s possible questions for her.


    ¡°Soon, the cleaner wille,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and locked his hands behind his back. Li Hua realized that L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t hear anything, which meant she didn¡¯t scream. It was only a nightmare.


    Li Hua got down from the chaise lounge and carried the quilt in her arms when L¨®ng Wei took it from her.


    ¡°Your Highness, I will do,¡± Li Hua said and walked behind L¨®ng Wei, who took the quilt to bed. He threw it on the mattress and turned to gaze at Li Hua.


    ¡°Forgive this servant for waking upte, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said with guilt and lowered her head. L¨®ng Wei walked to her and stroked her hair.


    Li Hua lifted her head to peer at him.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯ll tell the truth soon because only I can help you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Li Hua¡¯s eyes grew bigger upon hearing the statement. He moved his hand down from her head and traced her face from the back of his pointer finger. ¡°Whatever you have in your mind, you can share that with me. Except me, who will help you in this dangerous ce,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a tiny smile on his lips as he withdrew his hand back.


    Li Hua pondered why he said so and lowered her eyes.


    ¡°I am heading to the Greeting Hall. Everyone is waiting for me,¡± he told her.


    Li Hua could not believe that she had slept for so long. ¡°Your Highness, could you please give me ten minutes? I will freshen up and dress up soon,¡± Li Hua requested. She was surprised that L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t scold or punish her for waking up sote.


    ¡°You need to take a bath and change clothes which will take at least half an hour,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Moreover, you are not needed in the greeting hall. Stay here. I will meet you at breakfast. Don¡¯t tell anyone that you woke upte,¡± he exined to her and left the chamber.


    Li Hua found another side of L¨®ng Wei. He was considerate of people, or probably, he was considerate of her only. She ruled out that fact. L¨®ng Wei loved to y with people. The previous day, he might have done the same.


    ¡®A prince can never like a servant,¡¯ she told herself.


    ¡°Li Hua, don¡¯t go to the servant¡¯s quarters.¡± Li Hua was shocked to see L¨®ng Wei back in the chamber. But he was near the door.


    ¡°You might get punished in my absence. Use my bathhouse. No onees in my manor without my permission. The cleaner wille an hourte. You have enough time till then,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and went away.


    Li Hua bit her bottom lip. The Sixth Prince was concerned for her. The previous day¡¯s talks of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s started to roam in her head.


    Why?


    The only question that she had in her mind for him.


    ~~~~~~


    The five princes encountered each other in the corridor leading to the Greeting Hall. The two princesses also arrived, except the First Princess, who was told to rest in her chamber.


    They all greeted the Crown Prince, who responded to their greetings.


    ¡°Sixth Brother will be punished today. I wonder what our Royal Father has thought about,¡± Third Prince Tianjie said and looked at Ai Fen. ¡°How is the First Sister?¡± he queried.


    ¡°I have not met the First Sister Yet, Third Brother,¡± Ai Fen answered.


    ¡°The First Sister is better thanst night. She has epted her mistake of using a bad word for the Sixth Brother¡¯ste mother,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    ¡°Forgive me, Crown Prince, but Brother L¨®ng Wei was angry because Li Hua was called a whore. The Sixth Brother never respected his mother, and he doesn¡¯t care if anyone uses a bad word against her. He only cares about a petty pce maid,¡± Qiu Mu said. His words felt provoking to Xiaoming, but he decided not to argue with the Second Prince.


    ¡°Every time the Sixth Brother returns from the cold pce, something big happens in the pce,¡± the Third Princess, Xiaolian, said.


    ¡°However, yesterday¡¯s incident wasn¡¯t expected of anyone. The Sixth Brother didn¡¯t even flinch to do such a heinous act,¡± Zhang Xi pronounced.


    ¡°We are no one to decide on this matter,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°The Crown Prince is wrong. Brother L¨®ng Wei killed his mother. Does the Crown Prince think he will not do the same with us? He loses his senses any time, anywhere. We need to convince our Royal Father to find a permanent solution to this problem,¡± Qiu Mu affirmed, and the rest agreed with him.


    ¡°I have be so popr that in this pleasant morning, I am the topic to be discussed.¡± They all turned and found L¨®ng Weiing in their direction.


    Xiaoming didn¡¯t find Li Hua and wondered why she didn¡¯t apany L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Sixth Brother, the First Sister¡¯s face is charred by those pimples. At least, show remorse for your acts,¡± Xiaolian scolded him.


    ¡°Sadly, I don¡¯t feel many emotions,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and walked past her. He didn¡¯t greet any of them and walked ahead.


    ¡°Mannerless!¡± Qiu Mu muttered.


    The Crown Prince gestured to him not to say anything and walked ahead, followed by them.


    L¨®ng Wei was astonished to see Yuze in the Greeting Hall, who was smiling at him. L¨®ng Wei furrowed his brows together and then turned to look at his father, who was patiently waiting for his arrival in the Greeting Hall.


    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24: I want to marry her


    In the Greeting Hall, the Princes and the Princesses were puzzled to see the old monk, Yuze. Thest time Yuze came to the pce was five months ago when L¨®ng Wei was punished and sent to the Cold Pce.


    ¡°It is our pleasure to meet respected Monk Yuze,¡± Xiaoming said humbly.


    Yuze smiled and replied, ¡°I am d that the Princes and the Princesses are happy to see me.¡±


    ¡°No one is happy to see you,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and picked up the teacup. Qiu Zedong told L¨®ng Wei to be respectful towards Yuze, who told the King to let it go.


    ¡°Monk Yuze onlyes when the Sixth Brother is around,¡± Qiu Mu snickered. ¡°It seems Monk Yuze favors the Sixth Prince more than the others after he made the prophecy about him,¡± he remarked and sipped the tea.


    ¡°I equally favor every Prince,¡± Yuze stated.


    The King apologized to the old monk for the odd behavior of his sons. ¡°Monk Yuze is here to read the stars for the Crown Prince¡¯s soon-to-be wife,¡± Qiu Zedong said, and everyone was astounded to hear that except L¨®ng Wei, who was not interested.


    .....


    Xiaoming gazed at his mother, who was looking at the King. He had told his mother to give him time, then why she didn¡¯t talk to the King regarding that.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to discuss the punishment of the Sixth Brother, Royal Father?¡± Qiu Mu asked. He was less interested in the matter of the Crown Prince¡¯s marriage. Unless L¨®ng Wei would not leave the pce, it would be tough for him to breathe in peace.


    L¨®ng Wei put the teacup on the table and said, ¡°The tea isn¡¯t of my taste.¡± The tea server lowered her head in fear.


    ¡°Royal Father, announce my punishment first. The marriage matter can be discussedter. Everyone is gathered here to know my punishment,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, after he heard Qiu Mu.


    ¡°The First Sister is still in pain, so it will be best if the Sixth Brother gets punished,¡± Xiaolian said and looked at the King.


    Yuze found that Qiu Zedong was troubled. Why would he not be!? His children were not good to L¨®ng Wei, and it was not only their mistakes. Even L¨®ng Wei was at fault too. Yuze wondered what punishment the King had thought for L¨®ng Wei this time.


    ¡°She should remain in pain to know that she did wrong by calling my person a whore,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, ring at Xiaolian. Yuze found that anger inside L¨®ng Wei has still not subsided.


    ¡°Sixth Brother, a servant cannot ever be the person of a royal prince or princess,¡± Tianjie reminded him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask anyone¡¯s opinion on this,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, thus shutting the Third Prince¡¯s mouth.


    Zhu Liling didn¡¯t like the way L¨®ng Wei spoke against her daughter. She had spared her acts for a long time, but today she would not. After the King would announce L¨®ng Wei¡¯s punishment, she would also punish him.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei should not have harmed the First Princess because of a mere servant. The more I hear from him about Li Hua, the more I feel like kicking her out of the pce.¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s words dumbfounded everyone in the Greeting Hall. No one expected that the King would say that, but why would he refrain from doing so?


    ¡°However, I cannot kick her out either. People will gossip that a servant made the King weak, who kicked her out of the pce to make his younger son understand. I have decided not to punish the Sixth Prince, but Li Hua, who started this,¡± Qiu Zedong announced his decision.


    Xiaoming objected to his father¡¯s decision. ¡°An innocent must not be punished, Royal Father.¡±


    Yuze smiled a little and caressed his long beard. He waited for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s response, who had his on the King. He wanted to see how L¨®ng Wei would save Li Hua.


    ¡°In my presence, no one can even touch her,inL¨®ng Wei told his father.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince cannot object to the decision of the King. I will consider it treason if he does that,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed in a loud yet furious tone. ¡°Li Hua will be flogged a hundred times,¡± he dered.


    L¨®ng Wei got onto his knees, which was unanticipated by everyone in the Greeting Hall. He rested his palms beside his knees and bowed. His forehead touched the floor beneath him, and he requested, ¡°Royal Father, I apologize for creating the nuisance in the pce.¡±


    It was an unpredictable situation. L¨®ng Wei lowered himself to save a servant, especially a woman. He was indeed in love with Li Hua, which made him do this.


    Qiu Mu could not believe his eyes. Li Hua did magic to L¨®ng Wei, but how? How was it possible that he requested the King not punish Li Hua?


    Qiu Zedong was already annoyed with L¨®ng Wei¡¯s yesterday¡¯s act, and this request of his not to punish a servant offended him. ¡°Has the Prince lost his mind? How dare he lower himself for a mere servant? For a woman?¡± Qiu Zedong questioned him.


    ¡°Royal Father, I love her, and I want to marry her. She is not a ¡®mere¡¯ servant but an important person to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, keeping his head low.


    ¡°Marry her?¡± Qiu Zedong rose to his feet and shouted at L¨®ng Wei. On the second day of his return, he had to say this to his father! Zhu Liling upon seeing the anger on her husband¡¯s face also stood up.


    ¡°Please calm down, Your Majesty.¡± Yuze finally intervened.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t lift his head. He stayed in that position because that was the only way to calm his father down.


    ¡°Monk Yuze, I am afraid, but the Sixth Prince has lost his senses. How could he tell me this in the morning? How could the Sixth Prince think of marrying a servant?¡± Qiu Zedong shrieked out.


    The rest Princes and the Princesses had also stood up from their seats as their parents were standing.


    ¡°Your Majesty, no one will marry Prince L¨®ng Wei. It doesn¡¯t matter if the woman is from a noble family or from a servant family. Everyone is scared of the youngest prince. Also, the King himself told me earlier that the Sixth Prince needs a woman to keep him in control,¡± Yuze pronounced with a warm smile.


    Yuze wasn¡¯t wrong either. No woman showed interest in marrying L¨®ng Wei. The King usually used to have conversations with the high-ranking ministers, but hardly anyone was willing to give his daughter¡¯s hand in marriage to L¨®ng Wei. They weren¡¯t even scared of punishment.


    Zhu Liling oppositely thought if L¨®ng Wei married a servant, then it would only benefit her son. Everyone wanted to secure their position in the pce. The Queen didn¡¯t fear any prince as she feared L¨®ng Wei. The prophecy was still in her head. Without anyone¡¯s support, L¨®ng Wei would remain weak.


    ¡°Your Majesty, we should go with Monk Yuze¡¯s advice. Prince L¨®ng Wei, if loves Li Hua, then we can make them marry,¡± Zhu Liling threw her card and smirked.


    ¡°Royal Mother, Li Hua cannot be the official wife of the Sixth Brother. She belongs to the servant ss.¡± Xiaoming intervened in that discussion. He could never let L¨®ng Wei marry Li Hua. He had his eyes on her since the day she served him the tea for the first time.


    ¡°Crown Prince, does it matter if Li Hua belongs to the lower ss? No one is willing to be the Sixth Prince¡¯s wife. Monk Yuze is absolutely right. The status does not matter, at the moment,¡± Zhu Liling stated and turned to look at Qiu Zedong. ¡°Your Majesty, let¡¯s agree to Monk Yuze¡¯s advice,¡± she opined.


    Qiu Zedong frowned. It was not what he had thought!


    ¡°I respect Monk Yuze a lot. But I cannot agree with him. My son worths a better woman, not a pce maid,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°What if heaven wants this, Your Majesty? Will His Majesty¡¯s answer be the same?¡± Yuze¡¯s question made Qiu Zedong contemte.


    ~~~~~


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    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25: One Hundred Floggings


    The King looked at L¨®ng Wei, who had never bowed this way before him, not even when he was sent to the cold pce many times. He always epted the punishment without any request, but today he was begging for someone else¡¯s life.


    How could his son fall in love with a pce maid whom he had no interaction with? She only touched his hand in concern, and he fell in love with her!


    Ridiculous!


    The King could not either ignore what the old monk and his queen said. No one would marry L¨®ng Wei. If the King forced any official, or minister to give his daughter¡¯s hand in marriage, L¨®ng Wei might rebel and would not hesitate to kill the woman. It was a major problem.


    Yuze¡¯s words that what if heaven decided it for L¨®ng Wei, had also forced the King if his son was destined to marry a pce maid.


    His son was already a weak Prince. L¨®ng Wei had no support from his mother¡¯s side, who was the daughter of a low-rank official.


    After L¨®ng Wei killed his mother, his maternal side called him a beast and broke every rtionship with him. L¨®ng Wei himself tarnished his image to an extent that even the people hated him, let alone the ministers.


    .....


    None of his children ever favored L¨®ng Wei, so he wasn¡¯t even sure what they would do to L¨®ng Wei after he passed away.


    The King was in a dilemma. He had thought if he would punish Li Hua, L¨®ng Wei would apologize since he specially asked the King to transfer her to him. Jingfei was also irked because L¨®ng Wei was taking a stand for a pce maid. Therefore in the King¡¯s eyes, punishing Li Hua was the best.


    If he forcibly made his son marry a woman from a noble ss, then she would definitely die. But if he allowed him to marry Li Hua, then things would not be in his favor. He looked at Monk Yuze, who looked calm to him. So, he decided to have a discussion with him.


    Qiu Zedong settled on his seat while everyone looked at him in curiosity. The decision that everyone was waiting for. Qiu Mu had no problem if L¨®ng Wei married Li Hua. He would be aughing stock and be humiliated only.


    Except for the Crown Prince, no one was bothered about who L¨®ng Wei would marry.


    ¡°Your Majesty, what¡¯s your decision?¡± Zhu Liling asked, who sat beside him.


    Qiu Zedong frowned to see L¨®ng Wei was still in a kneeling position.


    ¡°I will discuss with Monk Yuze first about the Sixth Prince¡¯s marriage. However, Li Hua will be punished for the mistakes of L¨®ng Wei. If she had not started it, it would not have happened,¡± Qiu Zedong announced his decision.


    ¡°Royal Father, I would like to say something,¡± Xiaoming thought to convince his father.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear from anyone. It is the King¡¯s decision. Whoever will raise his voice will be punished, along with her,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    L¨®ng Wei stood up and clenched his fists together. ¡°I challenge His Majesty¡¯s decision. Jingfei stepped on Li Hua¡¯s foot. She did wrong. His Majesty must have punished your daughter as well. She called her a whore. Is this the way the royal children are taught? Is this the way the First Princess is taught? Justice shall prevail both ways, Your Majesty,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, with a re.


    ¡°Is the Sixth Prince pointing a finger at my teachings?¡± Zhu Liling clutched her hand on the bolster.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince has himself not learned manners. At least, we are respectful to him. I don¡¯t think that the First Sister did anything wrong,¡± Qiu Tianjie asserted and looked in the direction of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I never pointed a finger at anyone¡¯s character, Third Prince. I might be rude, but I never involved anyone¡¯s character in my conversation,¡± L¨®ng Wei reminded him. ¡°You all forget that respect is earned, not begged,¡± he pronounced, gazing into the eyes of his father.


    Yuze had not imagined that L¨®ng Wei would go this extreme for Li Hua. He decided to intervene.


    ¡°Your Majesty, while I came to the pce, I found a few pce maids and servants gossiping about yesterday¡¯s matter. They all think that the Sixth Prince is at fault. The ministers must have known about it now. They will also think that the King did an injustice. In my opinion, the King must punish his son instead of this pce maid because he¡¯s the one who made mistakes. That is the utmost justice in my eyes,¡± Yuze affirmed.


    Qiu Mu was startled to hear that Yuze asked the King to punish L¨®ng Wei. He smiled internally.


    ¡°I also agree with Monk Yuze¡¯s words,¡± Xiaoming said and tilted his head to look at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°The one who made mistake, must be punished,¡± he affirmed.


    Qiu Zedong agreed with Monk Yuze and told Gao Bing to take L¨®ng Wei for the floggings.


    ¡°No less than a hundred floggings,¡± he instructed Gao Bing, who bowed before him and left with L¨®ng Wei.


    Qiu Zedong didn¡¯t feel like drinking tea and asked everyone to be dismissed. The Queen stood up first and bowed before leaving the hall, followed by the others.


    ¡°What did Monk Yuze mean by it¡¯s what heaven wants?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°Did the King ever notice Prince L¨®ng Wei standing for anyone?¡± Yuze proposed.


    ¡°That is strange, Monk Yuze. I neglected his every fault but marrying a servant, I can never ept,¡± Qiu Zedong was adamant about not letting his son marry Li Hua.


    ¡°The King has forgotten my prophecy for Prince L¨®ng Wei. He is supposed to make this Kingdom prosperous, but with the help of a woman. The dragon has his bride chosen at the time of birth. The birthmark on Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s body isn¡¯t a normal one. Let the Sixth Prince marry Li Hua, Your Majesty,¡± Yuze advised Qiu Zedong, who furrowed his brows together.


    ¡°If the King thinks that Prince L¨®ng Wei will have no one to support, then he is wrong. He is destined to rule over the vastnds of the Qiu Kingdom, and he will make it. He has his ways to make impossible things possible, Your Majesty,¡± Yuze made the King understand.


    ¡°Monk Yuze, I also want my son to change into a good person. But his acts make me worry. It has not even been two days for him in the pce, and he created such a mess here. As a Prince, he is not supposed to take a stand for a pce maid. He never did it,¡± Qiu Zedong was still upset about L¨®ng Wei standing for Li Hua.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei never stood for anyone. That¡¯s what makes it more intriguing. The King must think who could be this woman, which made his youngest son behave the other way,¡± Yuze suggested to Qiu Zedong, who contemted the old monk¡¯s words.


    ~~~~~~


    Gao Bing was a little worried for L¨®ng Wei, who was tied to a t surface on the support of his abdomen. Usually, Gao Bing would be happy, but today he was not. One hundred floggings were no less than death for someone. However, the King was so enraged at his son¡¯s behavior that no one objected to it.


    The most disturbing thing was that Monk Yuze asked the King to punish L¨®ng Wei. He always protected him, so why did he do the opposite today?


    The other Princes had alsoe to the punishment ground to watch L¨®ng Wei getting punished. Ai Fen had already left because this was too disturbing for her.


    L¨®ng Wei outstretched his hands, which were tied tightly, so that he would not attempt to get up or stop the person who would hit him with therge t wooden stick.


    Even the flogger was scared if he should hit the Sixth Prince or not. ¡°Hit me, already! This chance you will not get easily,¡± L¨®ng Wei told the flogger, who raised the stick and hit his back. He purposely did it lightly when Qiu Mu told him to be firm.


    Mingquan looked at the Crown Prince, who was silent. It surprised him that Xiaoming agreed to one hundred flogging punishment for L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Do with your entire strength,¡± L¨®ng Wei told the flogger, who started to whip his back. L¨®ng Wei clenched his fists tightly, but there was not a single frown line on his forehead.


    ¡°Finally, the Sixth Brother will understand what the First Sister underwent,¡± Zhang Xi said and looked at his other brothers. Mingquan did not agree with him.


    ¡°A leopard never changes its spot. I don¡¯t think Brother L¨®ng Wei will be affected by this punishment,¡± Mingquan opined. ¡°He wille out as a stronger person,¡± he proimed.


    ¡°Fourth Brother, no one can stand after one hundred floggings. The Sixth Brother will remain in his manor for at least a week,¡± Qiu Tianjie said. Qiu Mu agreed with him and smiled.


    Oppositely, Xiaoming found that L¨®ng Wei easily epted it for Li Hua. Though he was happy that Li Hua did not get punished, the thought of L¨®ng Wei protecting Li Hua was making him feel insecure.


    ~~~~


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    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26: Marry L¨®ng Wei


    Li Hua looked towards the entrance and found it had already been over an hour. The breakfast she brought had already gotten cold. Li Hua fidgeted with her fingers, wondering when the Sixth Prince would return. She decided to go out and check on him.


    She went towards the Greeting Hall when she encountered Xiwan, who was taking the meals for the Crown Prince. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Xiwan asked her.


    ¡°Huh? What does Brother Xiwan mean?¡± Li Hua queried him.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince is flogged badly. He is on the punishment ground. The Crown Prince will return in a few minutes, so I have brought meals for him,¡± Xiwan said and tilted his head to look at the servants behind him.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Li Hua arched her brows.


    ¡°No one knows. I only heard Eunuch Lishi, but he didn¡¯t say much,¡± Xiwan replied. ¡°I shall take my leave,¡± he said.


    Li Hua stepped back while Xiwan left her sight. She hastened to the punishment ground and found the Princes on the tform while L¨®ng Wei was being flogged. She widened her eyes and heard the soldiers near the pir that was the 65th flogging.


    .....


    ¡°I heard he saved a pce maid. He harmed the First Princess. When the King decided on the punishment for the Sixth Prince, he objected to it. No wonder, his mind is unpredictable. Who takes the punishment for a servant?!¡± One of the soldiers said, and Li Hua overheard them.


    ¡®The Sixth Prince might die,¡¯ she thought and decided to intervene. It was because of her L¨®ng Wei harmed the First Princess. But the most terrible thing was the Princes were enjoying it. She gazed at Xiaomingz and wondered why he did not stop it. He was known as the Kindest among all. Then, why?


    ¡°70,¡± she heard the loud voice of the flogger.


    Li Hua lifted her long skirt a little and then ran towards the flogger to stop him. She did not know why she intervened at that moment.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she Li Hua?¡± Tianjie said and looked at his brothers. Xiaoming stepped forward and rested his hand on the handrail.


    ¡°What¡¯s she doing here?¡± Xiaoming murmured and furrowed his brows together.


    Li Hua stood in front of the flogger and tightly shut her eyes. ¡°Please, don¡¯t hit His Highness,¡± Li Hua said, outstretching both of her arms. Seeing her, the flogger stopped and looked towards the tform.


    ¡°Hey! Move away, else you will be beaten along with him,¡± Qiu Mu said in anger.


    L¨®ng Wei had heard Li Hua¡¯s soft voice and tilted his head to look at her. ¡°Get aside,¡± he said in a hoarse voice. Li Hua shook her head.


    ¡°His Highness should not take the punishment for a servant,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    ¡°Why did she intervene? This pce maid has the guts to do it,¡± Qiu Mu muttered, clutching his hands on the handrail. He turned to go down when Xiaoming stopped him.


    ¡°Li Hua, get away. The King has given the punishment to the Sixth Prince. Don¡¯t intervene in this,¡± Xiaoming loudly said.


    Li Hua turned immediately and got on her knees. ¡°I beg His Majesty to ask the flogger to stop. I am willing to take the punishment,¡± Li Hua said and lowered her head.


    ¡°Li Hua, leave the ground. Trust me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Though he was beaten so much, his voice didn¡¯t tremble. ¡°Wait for me in the chamber,¡± he stated.


    However, Li Hua did not move away. She herself did not know why she did that. She would be kicked out for this. Probably, she wanted to repay the kindness that L¨®ng Wei showed to her.


    Monk Yuze and King Zedong were standing on the other side of the punishment ground. Yuze caressed his beard and smiled. ¡°Your Majesty, has anyone ever tried to protect Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± he asked Qiu Zedong, who shook his head.


    ¡°Li Hua is protecting the Sixth Prince. Among all the people, she thought to plead with you. Did anyone of the Princes or the Princesses ever try to plead with His Majesty for their youngest brother? A woman who has no status in front of the King and his family has stood firm to protect Prince L¨®ng Wei. She is the destined bride, who will change His Majesty¡¯s son,¡± Yuze made the King understand.


    ¡°Throw her out of here,¡± L¨®ng Wei told the flogger with a stern tone, who grasped the arm of Li Hua. He pulled her up and asked the soldiers to take her away. Li Hua yanked her arm away from him, and in the event, she saw the King was standing on the other tform. She ran to him, and everyone looked in her direction, except L¨®ng Wei, who was unable to move much.


    Qiu Zedong was astonished to see Li Huaing to him.


    She panted and quickly got on her knees. Her forehead touched the cold wooden floor beneath her. ¡°Your Majesty, I beg for my master. Please forgive His Highness. The Sixth Prince will not be able to stand if he gets one hundred floggings,¡± Li Hua requested the King, who was amused to hear her.


    The Princes on the other tform decided toe near the King.


    ¡°Why are you begging for the Sixth Prince? Do you also have feelings for my son as he ims for you?¡± Qiu Zedong asked her.


    ¡°No, Your Majesty. I can never have feelings for the Prince,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°I am pleading because His Highness did it for me. I do not know why the Sixth Prince grew feelings for me, but it was my fault,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°I will not punish him if you agree to my one condition,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°I am ready to ept anything His Majesty will say,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    Qiu Zedong didn¡¯t say anything as he saw the Princesing near them. They bowed before them when Qiu Mu said, he would throw out Li Hua for interfering in the punishment process.


    The King moved his hand up, looking towards the flogger. ¡°Stop!¡± Qiu Zedong in a loud voice.


    The Princes got confused, and so were, Eunuch Gao Bing and the flogger.


    ¡°Royal Father, thirty floggings are still left,¡± Qiu Mu said. Yuze found how desperate the Second Prince was to make L¨®ng Wei sore with that beating.


    The two soldiers unchained the shackles from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s wrists and helped him in standing up. ¡°Take the Prince to his chamber,¡± Qiu Zedong instructed them, and they acted on the King¡¯smand.


    L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t in a state to speak, so he just left.


    Qiu Zedong looked at Li Hua, who was still on her knees.


    ¡°The Princes shall leave,¡± Qiu Zedong told them. Xiaoming wasn¡¯t ready to leave, but when his father raised his voice, he left.


    ¡°I took back the punishment because no one ever requested me not to punish him this harshly. Every time he made a mistake, everyone asked me to punish him to death. But L¨®ng Wei is my son. I am a brutal and tyrant King, but for my children, I am a soft person,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    Li Hua listened silently to the King. She totally agreed with him that no one bothered to save L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Marry L¨®ng Wei and change him into the person that I want him to be. I want to see the changes in him in one month. Failing to do so, you will be beheaded,¡± Qiu Zedong pronounced while Li Hua widened her eyes.

 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27: My First Secret


    ¡°Marry L¨®ng Wei and change him into the person that I want him to be. I want to see the changes in him in one month. Failing to do so, you will be beheaded,¡± Qiu Zedong pronounced while Li Hua widened her eyes.


    She lifted her head and looked into the King¡¯s eyes before lowering them.


    ¡°A person born in low ss isn¡¯t allowed to marry a child born in high ss, especially in a royal family. I made this decision because Prince L¨®ng Wei will not marry another woman. He made numerous mistakes, but he never did anything selflessly for another person. However, you turned out to be an exception,¡± Qiu Zedong told Li Hua, who was unaware of that.


    ¡°You have a day to give me the answer. I will give you a second option as well. If you do not want to marry L¨®ng Wei, then you will leave this pce tomorrow morning. Whatever your answer will be, tell me about that in the evening. I will be in the royal garden for an evening walk,¡± Qiu Zedong stated and walked away. Eunuch Gao Bing followed the king while Yuze stayed back.


    As soon as the King left the pavilion, Yuze decided to speak to Li Hua.


    ¡°Young Lady, everything that happened to you has a purpose hidden behind it,¡± Li Hua heard Yuze¡¯s voice. She nced at him and found an amusing smile on his lips. ¡°Handling Prince L¨®ng Wei is the most difficult task. He never felt good towards anyone, but for you, he always thinks good. Who knows this marriage brings benefits for you! L¨®ng Wei will keep you above everything. Such opportunities are rare to find,¡± Yuze affirmed and left behind the King.


    Li Hua stood up and pondered over the words of the King. She had to leave the pce if she would not agree to marry L¨®ng Wei. Withoutpleting her mission, she could never step out of the pce. However, if she agreed to marry, she had to change L¨®ng Wei within a month.


    .....


    Furthermore, she was married to Feng Lao in her mind. The red jade ring that Feng Lao handed to her was evidence of it. She could never betray her love for him.


    She looked towards the bottom of the stairs and found the old Monk, conversing with the King.


    ¡®Everything that happened to you has a purpose hidden behind it. Who knows this marriage brings benefits for you!¡¯ Li Hua recalled the words of the old monk.


    ¡®If I ept this marriage, then I will be directly involved in the pce affairs. I can find who was behind the assassination that day,¡¯ she thought. Li Hua left the punishment ground soon and went to the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor to check on him.


    The King and the Old Monk were present in the manor.


    She walked closer to the chamber and heard L¨®ng Wei¡¯s voice. ¡°I hate everyone in the pce.¡± Those words felt painful and full ofints, which L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t able to speak.


    Eunuch Gao Bing saw her and gestured to her toe inside. Li Hua walked in and stood beside Gao Bing.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince knows that his Royal Father is short-tempered. He should have let the pce maid take the punishment,¡± Qiu Zedong said and told the royal physician to apply lotion on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s back.


    ¡°I will break your hands if you tried to touch me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, ring at the royal physician, Peng Yuxian, who had a bowl full of lotion on his one palm.


    L¨®ng Wei rested on the support of his abdomen on the mattress while his left temple rested on the pillow.


    ¡°Why is the Sixth Prince so obstinate?¡± Qiu Zedong asked him.


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei saw her figure and happily called out her name. ¡°Give the bowl to Li Hua. She will apply lotion on my back,¡± he instructed Peng Yuxian.


    The King and the old monk turned to look at Li Hua, who lowered her head.


    ¡°Go. Help the Sixth Prince,¡± Qiu Zedong said and left the chamber with Yuze. Eunuch Gao Bing walked after the King.


    ¡°Leave!¡± L¨®ng Wei sternly told Peng Yuxian, who handed the bowl to Li Hua and left, closing the doors behind him.


    ¡°Go and lock the door from inside,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Li Hua, who acted upon hismand. She came back to the bed and asked him to remove his upper body clothes.


    She put the bowl on the round table and made him sit. Li Hua brought her hands to the cors of the overcoat and slid them down L¨®ng Wei¡¯s arms. He looked at her face closely and again was mesmerized. She slowly untied the knots on the dress and yanked it off his shoulders. Her fingers touched his skin and she recalled the words that he told her in the bathhouse.


    She stood up and sat behind him. Slowly she pulled the dress down his muscr arms. Li Hua was confused to see that L¨®ng Wei¡¯s back wasn¡¯t red or purplish. Usually, after floggings, one¡¯s skin would turn red or purplish.


    L¨®ng Wei handed the bowl to her and asked her to apply the lotion.


    ¡°Your Highness, your back looks absolutely fine,¡± Li Hua said.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to narrowly nce at her. ¡°borate!¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°The floggings usually leave your skin red,¡± Li Hua answered.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled his dress up his shoulders, and it perplexed her. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you are a good observant,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and threw the overcoat aside on the bed.


    He turned to face her and rested his right elbow on the pillow. His left knee was in the air while his right knee was lying t on the mattress.


    Li Hua thought to stand up when L¨®ng Wei told her to stay seated. He took the bowl from her and put it aside.


    ¡°Why did you intervene?¡± He asked her with a stern tone.


    Li Hua found she was unable to speak. Since yesterday L¨®ng Wei hadn¡¯t spoken to her this way as he did now, and it turned her throat go dry.


    ¡°Li Hua, that flogger is my man. He acted to beat me,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced, and Li Hua¡¯s eyes grew bigger. ¡°I told my first secret as you jumped in to save me. I like it when you get concerned for me,¡± he said, with a grin.


    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28: On this Bed


    Li Hua was unable to believe the truth L¨®ng Wei revealed to her. She again asked him if he was telling the truth to her or pranking her.


    ¡°My back is proof that I didn¡¯t get any beating,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°I could not let myself get a hit when I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Also, the Royal Father punishes me every time with floggings. This time it was one hundred floggings. My back would have been broken,¡± he stated and started tough.


    ¡°I am so proud of my brain,¡± L¨®ng Wei praised himself.


    Li Hua could not believe that she jumped in to save him. The King had given her two options: either to marry L¨®ng Wei or to leave the pce. She decided to tell the King what L¨®ng Wei did because that was the best thing.


    She rose to her feet when L¨®ng Wei asked her about the reason to stand up.


    ¡°I am going to His Majesty to tell him what His Highness did,¡± Li Hua answered. L¨®ng Wei was dumbfounded to hear her.


    ¡°Have you lost your mind? I told you the secret because I believe you. You are not supposed to reveal my secret to everyone,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    .....


    ¡°Because I plead for His Highness. I am not supposed to follow the wrong and support it,¡± Li Hua stated and turned to go when L¨®ng Wei caught her wrist and pulled her down. She was pinned to the bed while he was hovering over her.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Li Hua frowned and twisted her hands to let go of his grip.


    ¡°When I told you to leave, then you should have listened to me. Now, you cannot go to the King to tell the truth. I will tie you up on this bed if you try to defy me,¡± L¨®ng Wei warned her.


    Li Hua bit her lower lip as she found herself stuck. She should not have intervened when it was an act. She decided to talk to the King in the evening in private, but what if that angered the king. However, if she would not tell the King, she had to ept the marriage to him.


    She jolted when she felt L¨®ng Wei¡¯s finger¡¯s tip on her lips. ¡°I am eager to make you mine,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he slowly let go of her other wrist.


    Li Hua moved her head away. ¡°His Highness isn¡¯t supposed to do this,¡± she said and asked him to get away. L¨®ng Wei moved away from her while she quickly got up and stood meters away from him.


    ¡°Li Hua, I trust you a lot. If you tell my Royal Father, then he will not believe you. Trust me. You will get punished, and again I need to protect you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, with a confident smile. The conviction in those words intimidated her. L¨®ng Wei was indeed not an easy person to handle. His mind was the most mysterious thing in the world.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at the dishes on the table and asked Li Hua if she would not invite him for breakfast.


    ¡°The food is cold,¡± Li Hua replied frigidly, ¡°Your Highness.¡± She went towards the table and put the bowls, and tters on the tray as she decided to take them back to the royal kitchen. Also, she wanted to calm herself down.


    Being a servant, she could not even say anything to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°You can get angry at me if you want to,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua scoffed while mumbling, ¡°As if I won¡¯t be punished for scolding the Prince.¡± She carried the tray in her hands and turned when got startled. L¨®ng Wei was standing close to her. His palms rested on the edges of the table, and the tray between them prevented their bodies froming in contact.


    His fingers touched her temple, then jaw, and rested under her chin. ¡°I can allow you to scold me, get angry with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. The grin on his lips never left. His eyes for the nth time fell on her lips. When would he get the chance to taste them? He thought.


    ¡°Your Highness, the breakfast hour will be over soon.¡± Li Hua gently pushed L¨®ng Wei from the tray in her hands and dashed out of the room.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and looked at his fingers.


    ~~~~~~


    Xiaoming didn¡¯t eat a single grain, and it worried Eunuch Lishi. He asked the Crown Prince to start eating, but Xiaoming was in his deep thoughts.


    The scene of Li Hua saving L¨®ng Wei kept reflecting in front of his eyes. The way she begged the King to withdraw the Sixth Prince¡¯s punishment kept shing. Why did she do that? She could have lost her life because of L¨®ng Wei.


    Xiaoming never felt jealousy towards L¨®ng Wei until today. The way he took a stand for Li Hua in front of everyone didn¡¯t please him at all. Last night, he could not sleep well. Li Hua was in his eyes for a long time. He had thought that after a certain period, he would bring her to his manor before confessing his love for her.


    But L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t let it happen. The Sixth Prince even challenged the Crown Prince that he would make Li Hua his official wife. Monk Yuze had also told the King to let L¨®ng Wei marry Li Hua and his mother, she seemed so excited.


    No, he could not let it happen. L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t supposed to marry Li Hua. The good thing was that the King did not agree with it. So, he was somewhat relieved.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, did the Royal Father go back to his manor? What about Monk Yuze?¡± Xiaoming queried.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I heard from Eunuch Gao Bing earlier in the royal kitchen that His Majesty and Monk Yuze will be together till evening. Monk Yuze is here to read the stars for the soon-to-be wife of the Crown Prince,¡± Eunuch Lishi said with a broad smile.


    Xiaoming had almost forgotten about that matter. Why did his mother not talk with his father about his disinterest in the marriage? He left the meals in the middle, perplexing Eunuch Lishi.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, what happened?¡± Eunuch Lishi sounded worried.


    Xiaoming did not answer him and went to his father¡¯s manor. He wanted to stop his father from making him marry the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter.


    As he reached outside the chamber, the maidservant informed him that the King was having his breakfast with Monk Yuze.


    Eunuch Lishi stopped behind Xiaoming. Panting. ¡°Your Royal Highness, why did youe here at this hour?¡± His brows furrowed together.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi must return to the manor. I have urgent work to discuss with my Royal Father,¡± Xiaoming ordered. Eunuch Lishi silently left while Xiaoming waited for his father to finish his morning meals.


    After fifteen minutes, the grand chamber doors opened. The maidservants came out, taking the dishes back to the royal kitchen. The Crown Prince asked a maidservant to inform the King about him.


    After a minute, the Crown Prince walked in as his father allowed him to enter.


    He greeted him and Monk Yuze.


    ¡°Why did the Crown Prince wait for fifteen minutes to meet me? It seems that matter is crucial,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. ¡°Please take a seat, Crown Prince,¡± he gestured towards the seat.


    Xiaoming thanked his father to give him the time and took his seat.


    ¡°Royal Father, I would like to make a humble request,¡± Xiaoming said. His fingers were curled and rested on his knees. Qiu Zedong wondered what his eldest son wanted to request.


    ¡°Royal Father, could you please not look for a bride for me?¡± Xiaoming urged. ¡°I do not want to marry the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter,¡± he said truthfully.


    ¡°May I ask the reason?¡± Qiu Zedong asked as he rubbed his fingers.


    ¡°Royal Father, I have seen Miss Cha as a younger sister since the childhood,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    Qiu Zedong hummed. ¡°Who will you marry then? Don¡¯t you want a powerful family¡¯s support?¡± he queried the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Royal Father, I have decided to look for a bride myself. Please grant me a month¡¯s time,¡± Xiaoming requested and lowered his head.


    ¡°How is the Crown Prince going to find a bride?¡± Qiu Zedong asked him.


    Xiaoming¡¯s mind went nk. He had not thought much because, in his eyes, Li Hua was the perfect woman for him.


    ¡°Why is the Crown Prince pushing his marriage?! He is the eldest child, and he must marry soon. After him, his sisters will be married off,¡± Qiu Zedong reminded Xiaoming.


    ¡°Forgive me, Royal Father,¡± Xiaoming said.


    Monk Yuze read the facial expressions of the Crown Prince and said, ¡°His Majesty shall give a month¡¯s time to the Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°Monk Yuze, the rumors have spread among people. That¡¯s why I am concerned,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°I understand His Majesty¡¯s worries. But sometimes it is better to wait than make a decision in a hurry,¡± Monk Yuze asserted. ¡°Moreover, the birth year information of Miss Cha that His Majesty handed me, I nced at it before having my breakfast. Miss Cha stars are not suitable for the Crown Prince,¡± he exined to the King.


    Xiaoming lifted his head to nce at Yuze. He could not express how happy he was! Qiu Zedong had no words left to further go on with this conversation.


    ¡°Crown Prince, many capable young, nobledies are in the Kingdom. I want to hear an answer from you soon,¡± Qiu Zedong said. Xiaoming happily thanked both his father and Monk Yuze.


    His worries had ended today about his marriage. A month was enough to take Li Hua back from L¨®ng Wei. He took his leave with a victorious smile.


    ~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    As per promise, I will give mass release on Monday and Tuesday.


    Next week¡¯s s target:


    50 PS a week = 5 chaps mass release


    150 PS a week = 10 chaps mass release


    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29: I am Possessive


    L¨®ng Wei drank the water and ced the ss on the table. For some reason, he found breakfast tastier than the other days. Probably, because Li Hua brought it with so much love.


    ¡°Since my back is hurt, I cannot go out for a few days, otherwise everyone will be suspicious of me.¡±


    Li Hua nced at him with displeasure and put back the dishes on the tray. ¡°Since His Highness does not need anything, I will rest in the room that was assigned to me,¡± Li Hua informed him, who immediately got up.


    ¡°Rest here. I told you to bring everything here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Li Hua shook her head and made him aware of the consequences that she had to face as a servant.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about anything. Moreover, you still have not reached your aim,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, boring his gaze at her. Li Hua¡¯s eyes furrowed at the Sixth Prince¡¯s sudden statement. ¡°I told you to aim above the arrows that I had shot yesterday,¡± he rified.


    Li Hua blinked her eyes before lowering them. ¡°Your Highness, I don¡¯t want to learn it.¡± She confessed to having no interest in learning archery.


    ¡°You need to learn to protect yourself,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as his index finger brushed the skin of her forehead. He tucked the loose hair strands behind her ear and peered at her. ¡°What if you get attacked in the future!? You live with me, who loves to get himself involved in some of the dangerous tasks. You need to save me too when the timees. You need to stay firm and kill your enemies,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    .....


    Li Hua was intrigued to hear his words. She had never thought about learning warfare. If she had, there was a possibility that she could save her family too. She could have killed the assassins. She was taught to be an ideal, noblewoman for her future husband. She never bothered to spend time increasing her strength.


    Tears started to appear in her eyes, but she held them back anyhow. ¡°I will return after taking them back to the royal kitchen, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said. This time her tone was full of determination as if she found the missing direction towards her revenge. If she would learn to use weapons, she would be able to kill her enemies.


    ¡°Bring your things here while you¡¯ll return,¡± he told Li Hua, who nodded.


    L¨®ng Wei stepped away from her path. While walking, the words of L¨®ng Wei created a blunder in her head. Why did she never think about learning to use weapons? She was more into finding the information which she still had not found.


    Minutester, Yuze entered L¨®ng Wei¡¯s manor unannounced. Immediately, the Sixth Prince started to whimper like a baby and acted as if he was severely affected by the floggings.


    ¡°Yuze, I want to rest. Go back to your ce,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while walking toward the recliner.


    Yuze didn¡¯t listen to him and settled on the other recliner. ¡°The Prince shall not act before me,¡± Yuze said with an amusing expression. L¨®ng Wei scrunched his brows and first locked the doors from inside.


    Taking his seat, he asked Yuze why he came to the pce.


    ¡°To help you,¡± Yuze answered.


    ¡°No. You always praise my stars, and othersugh at me,¡± L¨®ng Wei corrected him.


    ¡°The Young Lady is brave. She jumped to save you. The Prince must be feeling extremely happy,¡± Yuze stated. L¨®ng Wei smiled and nodded his head.


    ¡°I wonder why the Sixth Prince brought the topic of marriage so early?¡± Yuze caressed his beard and stared at L¨®ng Wei in skepticism.


    ¡°So, you are here to know the reason why I put forward my proposal for Li Hua in front of my Royal Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei rested his palm on his right knee and then leaned back on the recliner.


    ¡°The Crown Prince likes Li Hua, and I also like her. The Crown Prince is angry after I took Li Hua to my manor, so he will do anything to take her back from me. I am the Prince without power while he is the Crown Prince. No matter how hard I tryter, everyone will agree with him. Yuze knows that I am possessive of what I nce at,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to Yuze, who smiled upon hearing him.


    Yuze was well aware of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s personality. He was ten steps ahead of the other princes around him. Though his ways would be cunning sometimes, he would not lose against others. Every single act of his had gained him something. Yuze got curious about how the youngest prince thought of all this, so he asked him about it.


    ¡°When did the Sixth Prince realize all this?¡±


    ¡°Last night,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and smiled. ¡°I am surprised that you helped me and convinced the King. Royal Father was angry about it,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I inform the Sixth Prince that Li Hua destined to be his bride? It is the order from Heaven,¡± Yuze affirmed.


    L¨®ng Wei lifted his head and asked him how he found out about Li Hua. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you can foresee the faces too,¡± he remarked and chuckled.


    Yuzeughed and motioned his hand in the air, refusing him. ¡°When the timees, I will definitely tell the Sixth Prince about it,¡± Yuze stated.


    ¡°There¡¯s no use in keeping secrets from me,¡± L¨®ng Wei reminded him.


    Yuze rose to his feet and moved ahead with the help of the thick stick in his hand.


    ¡°Why did you evene to the pce when your knees hurt? Are you sure you can climb that uphill?¡±


    ¡°Is the Sixth Prince concerned about this old man?¡± Yuze arched his brow.


    ¡°Of course. You are the only one whom I can share everything with,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated without any hesitation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This old man will not die this early,¡± Yuze assured him. ¡®Not until I will make you achieve what Heaven wants for the Son of Dragon,¡¯ he told himself in his mind.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t bring the sweets,¡± L¨®ng Wei suddenly asked him as he recalled the sweets that Yuze had prepared for him.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince didn¡¯t want to eat them, so I gave them to kids whileing to the pce,¡± Yuze answered. ¡°I will make more,¡± he added.


    ¡°No need. Li Hua will make some for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei giggled and it made Yuze happy. Li Hua, who was passing through the door, heard L¨®ng Wei¡¯s giggles. It confused her, and when the door opened, she immediately lowered her head as she saw Monk Yuze.


    Yuze smiled, seeing her, and asked her if she made the decision. Li Hua shook her head and wondered if Yuze also knew about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lie.


    ¡°Such an opportunity will nevere to you, Young Lady. Sometimes you are a door away from what you want because you do not dare to open it,¡± Yuze said something which made her look at him.


    Yuze studied the confused expressions on Li Hua¡¯s face. ¡°L¨®ng Wei will help you reach your goal,¡± Yuze said with a smile and descended the stairs.


    Li Hua stopped blinking upon hearing him. What did Monk Yuze mean by those words? She looked inside the door and found L¨®ng Wei¡¯s gaze at her. She gulped and scrunched her eyebrows.

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30: No lesser than a Curse


    Jingfei touched her face while looking at her face in the mirror. The pimples had reduced along with the redness. Royal Physician Peng Yuxian asked the First Princess to keep applying the lotion made of herbs, mainly flowers, on the face.


    ¡°Physician Peng, my face will be back to its original self, right?¡± Zhu Liling looked anxious.


    ¡°Of course, First Young Mistress,¡± Peng Yuxian assured the Queen.


    ¡°If Her Majesty says then may I take my leave?¡± Peng Yuxian humbly asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Zhu Liling said, and the Royal Physician left the chamber.


    Jingfei put the mirror down and looked at her mother with teary eyes. ¡°Royal Mother, today I was supposed to meet the son of the First General. The Sixth Brother ruined my face and then almost killed me,¡± Jingfeiined to Zhu Liling, whose heart was wrenched to hear her daughter¡¯s words.


    ¡°His Majesty punished the Sixth Prince- ¡®No less than one hundred floggings¡¯,¡± Zhu Liling again told her daughter.


    .....


    ¡°Royal Mother, Father should have sent the Sixth Brother back to the cold pce. What if my face would have been ruined permanently? No one would have even nced at me.¡± Tears streamed down Jingfei¡¯s cheeks which worried Zhu Liling. She stood up and walked to her.


    She embraced Jingfei and caressed her head. ¡°Nothing will happen. Princess Jingfei¡¯s skin will again be glowing.¡± Zhu Liling consoled her daughter and promised her that she would reprimand L¨®ng Wei.


    After a while, Zhu Liling pulled away from the hug and asked Lin Jie to take care of the First Princess. The Queen left the chamber and decided to call L¨®ng Wei. She still had to punish him. First, for destroying her daughter¡¯s face; second, for strangling her and third, for not respecting his elders.


    Eunuch Wu Lianying found that the Queen was in extreme anger after seeing her daughter¡¯s state.


    ¡°Eunuch Lianying, call Prince L¨®ng Wei right away,¡± Zhu Liling ordered, who immediately left to bring the Sixth Prince. She soon reached her manor and rested on the seat. The maidservants were terrified because the Queen was furious.


    Zhu Liling rubbed her fingers as the face of her daughter kepting in front of her eyes. Just because he was the youngest prince, she neglected his other mistakes all the time.


    Eunuch Lianying reached the chamber and bowed before the Queen. Gasping for air, Eunuch Lianying said, ¡°Your Majesty, the Sixth Prince is unable to get up from the bed after getting the floggings.¡±


    Zhu Liling stood up in anger and stepped forward. However, she stopped as her eyes fell on Qiu Zedong, who had promised the Queen that he would have had his lunch with her.


    Eunuch Lianying stepped away, keeping his head low. Zhu Liling bowed Before the Qiu Zedong, who told her that she looked troubled.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I returned from the First Princess¡¯ chamber. She has been crying since it was an important day for her. However, the Sixth Prince ruined it for her. I am tense about my daughter, Your Majesty. I have never asked anything from His Majesty, but today I request him to send Prince L¨®ng Wei to the Cold Pce,¡± Zhu Liling urged and downcasted her gaze.


    Eunuch Lianying stood behind Zhu Liling and got on his knees. He also pleaded with the King on behalf of their Queen to send L¨®ng Wei away from the Imperial Pce. The maidservants in the Queen¡¯s Manor got on their knees, seeing that, and lowered their respective heads.


    ¡°Your Majesty, please send the Sixth Prince away from the Imperial Pce!¡± All the servants made a formal request with Qiu Zedong, who was displeased to hear it.


    ¡°Everyone, be quiet!¡± Qiu Zedong roared. ¡°Leave!¡± Hemanded them. Upon getting themand of the King, they could not help but leave the chamber.


    Once the servants left, Qiu Zedong said, ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing, go to the door.¡± Gao Bing stepped back and soon left their sights.


    ¡°My Queen, I cannot agree with this request of yours. However, I have made my decision on Sixth Prince¡¯s marriage. The Queen wanted me to make L¨®ng Wei marry Li Hua. I am ready for it.¡±


    Zhu Liling was surprised to learn about it, but at the same time, she was happy too. What could be the biggest punishment for L¨®ng Wei than marrying a woman from the servant ss? He would be humiliated all his life which would no lesser than a curse for him.


    With that, the prophecy of the old monk would be false.


    ¡°No one is ready to marry the youngest prince. Moreover, I think that Li Hua is capable to change the youngest prince.¡± Qiu Zedong was sanguine about his decision.


    After a thorough discussion with Monk Yuze, he had faith that Li Hua would make his son understand the world. For her, L¨®ng Wei was ready to bear any punishment, so for her, he would definitely be changed. He had this thought in his mind.


    ¡°I am with His Majesty¡¯s decision. He is right that Prince L¨®ng Wei shall marry Li Hua. They both suit each other. I apologize for my wrong behavior.¡± Zhu Liling had turned calmer. She even decided not to punish L¨®ng Wei. She was extremely happy with the King¡¯s decision.


    ¡°I am d that My Queen supports my decision,¡± Qiu Zedong said and took a seat with her on the recliner.


    ¡°My Queen, I have another important matter rted to the Crown Prince¡¯s marriage. The stars of the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter are not favorable for our eldest son. Furthermore, the Crown Prince has asked me to give him one month¡¯s time.¡±


    Zhu Liling got tensed to hear that. In her eyes, the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter was perfect for Xiaoming. However, she was helpless.


    ¡°I wonder what the Crown Prince is up to. He has already dyed his marriage for three years,¡± Qiu Zedong said and shook his head. The Eldest Prince had to marry so that others would marry, but here opposite would happen soon. The Youngest Prince would marry first, which was necessary.


    ~~~~~~


    Please do s andments on the story.


    THANK YOU


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31: I want to Kiss you


    Li Hua outstretched her arm, holding the bow, and looked towards the target, where she had to shoot the arrow. Earlier, the way she was forced to lie for L¨®ng Wei had angered her. The Queen had asked for the Sixth Prince¡¯s presence, and he asked her to lie.


    L¨®ng Wei gripped Li Hua¡¯s fist, which was on the string. She tilted her head, and her brows furrowed. ¡°Empty your mind. If you think about me, then how will you aim for your target?¡± She blinked her eyes and tried to pull away from his grip.


    ¡°Stay firm,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and gave a pat on her shoulder. ¡°You need to focus on your aim first, nowhere else. Close your one eye and fix your gaze at it,¡± he instructed her.


    Li Hua closed her right eye and looked at the aim where had to shoot the arrow. Gradually, L¨®ng Wei moved his hand back. ¡°Release,¡± he said. Li Hua acted on hismand and the arrow hit the stem of the tree, but not where it should be.


    Li Hua smiled as she was able to reach the stem of the tree. A day before, her arrows could not reach the vicinity of the tree. She picked another arrow and kept hitting. Her confidence had built after the first hit.


    L¨®ng Wei went to the patio and picked the paper fan. He opened it and started to fan himself. ¡°Li Hua, you need to learn to use a sword as well,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Li Hua put her arm down with which she was holding the bow and turned to look at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Will His Highness teach me?¡± she asked curiously.


    .....


    ¡°Of course. Who will teach you except me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. ¡°Keep practicing,¡± he said with a stern tone while fanning.


    Li Hua turned to him and pointed the arrow at him. L¨®ng Wei amusingly nced at her and sat straight. ¡°Shoot,¡± he told her while smirking.


    ¡°His Highness will get hurt,¡± Li Hua said with a yful smile.


    ¡°Then why did you point the arrow at me?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her.


    ¡°To scare His Highness,¡± Li Hua answered and smiled. L¨®ng Wei saw her smiling for the first time. Her innocent, sweet smile fluttered his heart, and it gave him immense pleasure. Did anyone ever smile at him the way Li Hua did? No one except Yuze. Everyone made faces at him, cursed him, and looked at him with disgust.


    Probably, that was the reason that he fell hard for Li Hua. She not only showed concern for him but also soothed him whenever he was angry. Only two days had passed and it made him turn crazy for her.


    L¨®ng Wei walked to her and found her smile faded. She stepped back as the bow in her hand lowered.


    She pursed her lips tightly and thought to turn away when L¨®ng Wei grasped her hand. He drew her closer and his other hand wrapped around her small waist.


    ¡°I have told my Royal Father that I want to marry you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Li Hua downcasted her eyes, wondering why the Sixth Prince brought up this topic.


    ¡°Look at me when I am talking to you,¡± he urged her, who promptly lifted her eyelids.


    ¡°Why does His Highness want to marry me? He can get any woman he wants,¡± Li Hua said, gathering her courage.


    ¡°I am not made for any woman. Only you can make me go crazy,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Your one smile is enough to pound this heart.¡± He let go of her wrist and pointed his finger at his chest.


    ¡°I have told His Highness that I love someone else,¡± Li Hua said, keeping her tone firm.


    ¡°s! I am not ready to share you with anyone. I may kill the man, who tries to nce at you the other way. Forget him and remember me only,¡± L¨®ng Wei authorized. His hot breath fanned against her lips, and again his eyes locked on her rosy, luscious lips.


    Li Hua¡¯s eyelids flickered upon hearing his response. She wanted to say many things, but she could not.


    ¡°I need to practice, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua tried to divert the topic and averted her gaze from him.


    L¨®ng Wei, instead of letting her go, caught her wrist once again and brought it near his chest. ¡°Feel my heartbeat, Li Hua. It is what I feel for you,¡± he confessed. She found his gaze boring through her soul. She did not want to feel that heartbeat, but could not help. It was faster than usual.


    Confused, she peered into his eyes once again. ¡°Your Highness, how can I forget someone whom I love for a long time? It is not possible for me,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I will make you forget him. Nothing is impossible for L¨®ng Wei. You have not seen what I can do for you. No force on this earth can stop me from making you fall in love with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed, which baffled Li Hua.


    His hand made its way to her neck, then cheek, and started to caress it. She studied his eyes which were as pure as the mountainke. She could see the affection for her in his eyes. That was strange! She should not think this way, but could not refrain from it either.


    ¡°I want to kiss you, but I will wait,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, fixing his gaze on her lips. Li Hua¡¯s breath hitched upon hearing his sudden confession.


    A kiss?


    ¡°A woman fantasizes in many ways about her first kiss. Once the kiss will be sealed between us, then there¡¯s no way you will turn back.¡± L¨®ng Wei moved his gaze away from her lips to her eyes.


    ¡°You can breathe.¡±


    Li Hua let out a deep breath and asked him to let her go.


    ¡°This is thest time, I am letting you go just because you are too terrified,¡± affirmed L¨®ng Wei while slowly pulling away. Li Hua stepped away immediately and turned away.


    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32: To put an end


    Mingquan carried the fresh fruit basket and went to the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor. He was anxious for him and also wanted to apologize to his younger brother for pping him yesterday.


    As usual, the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor was peaceful. Everything was so quiet. He turned to ascend the few stairs to reach the main corridor when his eyes fell on L¨®ng Wei, who was seated at the broad wooden handrail in the corridor.


    ¡°Sixth Brother must rest in his chamber,¡± Mingquan said as he reached near L¨®ng Wei, who had a dice in his hand.


    ¡°Why is the Fourth Prince here?¡± L¨®ng Wei curiously gazed at him, swirling the dice in his hand.


    ¡°I want to apologize to the Sixth Brother,¡± Mingquan said and handed the fruit basket to L¨®ng Wei, who chuckled. He threw the basket and it hit the ground. The fruits fell out of the basket.


    ¡°I hate it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He bore his gaze at the Fourth Prince, who did notin as he was aware of his attitude.


    ¡°You can leave. Don¡¯t enter as I do not allow outsiders,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a displeased look.


    .....


    ¡°I am your elder brother, not an outsider,¡± Mingquan corrected him.


    ¡°For me, the Fourth Prince is an outsider. We are half-brothers not brothers,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and averted his gaze from him.


    ¡°I know the Sixth Prince is furious at all of us. However, I pped him because he should act his age and respect his elders. I am truly sorry for the words he had to hear about his mother,¡± Mingquan said softly.


    ¡°Fourth Prince, did I ask for your apology?¡± L¨®ng Wei tilted his head and gazed towards the entrance which was visible from his sight. ¡°Please don¡¯t bother me and leave,¡± he said in a stern tone. His brows drew close as he didn¡¯t like the presence of the Fourth Prince around him.


    Mingquan had no words left and he knew that arguing would not result in anything. So, he quietly left L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sight. However, before stepping out of the manor, he picked the fruits that had fallen to the ground, put them into the basket and left.


    L¨®ng Wei heaved a sigh of relief as he found Mingquan had left. He stood up and went towards the yard, where Li Hua was practicing. He found her lying on the patio floor and it terrified him.


    He ran to her and got on his knees. ¡°Li Hua,¡± he whispered her name. To his surprise, she was sleeping soundly on the patio floor. Her disheveled hair blocked the view of her face. He gently brushed her hair away from her face and decided to take her inside.


    Carrying her up in his arms, making sure that he would not disturb his sleep, L¨®ng Wei took Li Hua inside his chamber. He ced her gently on the mattress and pulled the quilt up to cover her.


    He caressed her head before leaning down and kissed the middle of her forehead. He couched back and smiled. ¡°That was to put an end to your worries, Li Hua. You must have suffered for two months without me in the pce,¡± he mumbled.


    ~~~~~~


    Qiu Mu started tough when he heard Mingquan. ¡°Why did the Fourth Brother even go to see him? He doesn¡¯t care for others. He acts as if he is the eldest child,¡± Qiu Mu remarked and picked the cup full of wine.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is not fully at fault. Even the First Sister made a mistake. She should not have called his mother-¡± Mingquan could notplete his words as Qiu Mu interrupted him in the middle.


    ¡°Fourth Brother, the Youngest Prince doesn¡¯t care what we or people say to his mother! He got angry because Li Hua was dragged into this,¡± Qiu Mu exined to him and drank the wine from the cup he was holding.


    Qiu Mu filled the cup again with wine. ¡°It is unbelievable that a servant made L¨®ng Wei into a crazier person. I am waiting for the day when people will taunt him about marrying a servant.¡± He started tough upon thinking about that.


    ¡°Second Brother, L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t the type to listen to anyone¡¯s taunts,¡± Zhang Xi stated and looked at Mingquan. ¡°Fourth Brother thinks that he has a motive to do all this. Moreover, we must not forget about the prophecy,¡± Zhang Xi reminded them.


    Qiu Mu againughed and stopped after a while. ¡°He cannot be the Son of Dragon. That oldie lied to our Royal Father so that he would be called great. He cannot foresee the future. It is all to manipte the King,¡± he affirmed.


    Mingquan shook his head. ¡°Sixth Brother is capable of doing many things if he wants to. Monk Yuze isn¡¯t wrong about him. He has the capability to change even the King¡¯s decision. He killed his mother and epted the crime without any remorse. He didn¡¯t shed a single tear that day. He is different,¡± Mingquan justified what he had noticed in L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Brother Mingquan, the Royal Father adores him because he is the youngest among us. That¡¯s why he melted. Indeed, the Sixth Brother is different. He is still a child, an arrogant one, who loves to annoy people around him to grab their attention,¡± Qiu Mu ruled out his justification. He never believed that L¨®ng Wei could be someone important with a sane mind. He was an egoist in his eyes and would always remain one.


    ¡°We are older than him. We should not stand any insult from him. He is not worthy of any care because he only ridicules it. So, it is better to stay away from him. Conversing with him only ruins one¡¯s mood,¡± Qiu Mu advised the Fourth and the Fifth Princes. He gulped the wine from the cup.


    Mingquan was still not ready to agree with Qiu Mu¡¯s words. L¨®ng Wei killed his mother for a reason and that reason was unknown to many. He had the desire to discuss it with his father, but taking the name of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother was prohibited in front of the King.


    ~~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    Sorry, I was unable to give a mass release. Something has happened in my family and for that reason, I was busy outside in the work. Hopefully, you all will understand.


    THANK YOU


    HAPPY READING


    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33: I am ready to marry


    Li Hua¡¯s sleep broke abruptly, and she immediately sat up on the mattress. Her mouth fell open when she saw L¨®ng Wei on the same bed but opposite her. His temple rested on his calloused fist.


    Li Hua recalled that she was practicing until she thought to take a rest for some time. However, as soon as sheid on the patio floor, she fell into a deep slumber.


    So, the Sixth Prince put her on the bed. She looked towards the door to make sure it was closed. Because if anyone would see them in this state, then it would be trouble for her. She found the daylight had also lessened and realized that it was evening.


    She moved out of the bed without making any noise. She walked to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s side and covered him with the quilt. It was the time when she had to give an answer to the King about whether she would agree to marry the Youngest Prince or be ready to leave the imperial pce.


    She stepped back and wore the shoes. Quietly she left the chamber to meet the King. The sky had turned redder as the sun had sat down. She halted outside the semicircr wall entrance of the Imperial Garden.


    Li Hua curled her fingers into fists and went inside. The exquisite flower nted on both sides of the cobblestone path. The bottom of her gown touched the ground, and with each step, her heartbeat raised.


    For the first time in her life, she had to make a decision that would decide her entire future. A single mistake could destroy anything.


    .....


    Agreeing to her marriage with L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t an easy decision. Though the Sixth Prince had proposed to her already for the marriage, she was still skeptical about it. A man who saw her for the first time fell for her. The man was not an ordinary one.


    Li Hua¡¯s eyesnded on the King, who was standing at the shoreline of theke. Theke was covered far and wide with lotuses. Eunuch Gao Bing saw her and informed the King about the same.


    Li Hua found that the servants had left the Imperial Garden. She realized that it was supposed to be a private conversation.


    ¡°Greetings to His Majesty,¡± Li Hua said softly, keeping her head low.


    Qiu Zedong narrowly nced at her. ¡°I thought you would note,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I cannot act against the order of the King,¡± Li Hua answered.


    Qiu Zedong¡¯s hands were locked behind his back, and he took a deep breath before turning to her. ¡°So, what is your decision?¡± He waited for Li Hua¡¯s answer, who pursed her lips together.


    ¡°Before answering me, I would like to remind you to keep the words of Monk Yuze in your head. Monk Yuze¡¯s words should not be ignored. Now, you can tell me your decision,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted.


    ¡°Your Majesty, firstly, I would like to thank Monk Yuze, who thinks that I will be the perfect bride for the Sixth Prince. Secondly, I would like to thank His Majesty for stopping the punishment of His Highness in the middle. I am d that His Majesty acknowledged the humble request of this servant,¡± Li Hua expressed her gratitude before giving her answer.


    The King found something strange in Li Hua. Her way of speaking was different from the many pce maids in the pce. However, he didn¡¯t put much thought into it. His main focus was on her answer.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua lifted her eyelids, ¡°I am ready to marry the Sixth Prince.¡±


    Finally, Li Hua gave her answer. The decision was tough for her. However, to reach her goal, she had to ept this proposal. Also, Monk Yuze¡¯s words were still in her head.


    Li Hua was ready to go inside the door where, a big opportunity was awaiting her. If she could find the answer behind Xu and Shui¡¯s family¡¯s assassination in this way, then she was ready to marry the Prince, whom everyone was afraid of! Indeed, it was a better way to find the answer because she would get to know the kingdom¡¯s matters easily.


    She remembered thest words of Feng Lao.


    ¡®Go to the imperial capital. It all started from the capital.¡¯


    The fire of revenge was burning in her heart since the day she lost everything- Her father, her mother, her elder brothers, her best friend, and her lover.


    She had pledged to take revenge on everyone who were involved in all this. Li Hua knew it was someone from the pce, but she was unsure about the person. Her first doubt was the King, but being a servant it was difficult for her to find out.


    However, once she would be the official wife of L¨®ng Wei, she could easily find the answers. The answers were buried deep in the ground.


    ¡°I am ready to marry the Sixth Prince. However, I need at most two months to change the Sixth Prince. Can His Majesty grant me the two months¡¯ time for this?¡± Li Hua requested.


    Gao Bing was amazed to hear Li Hua. He had thought that she would leave the pce. But she did the opposite. Probably because bing an official wife of a Prince was a golden chance.


    Qiu Zedong smiled and hummed. ¡°Great. You made a wise decision. I will give you two months¡¯ time. Bring my son to the right path. You have to bear the consequences of every mistake he will make, from now onwards. If you fail to fulfill this mission, then be ready to get beheaded after two months.¡± The King agreed to give two months¡¯ time to Li Hua, but with a condition which she readily epted.


    ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing, prepare an imperial order. Miss Li Hua will marry Prince L¨®ng Wei on an auspicious day,¡± Qiu Zedong instructed him.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Gao Bing bowed his head while acknowledging the order from the King before leaving the Imperial Garden.


    Qiu Zedong looked back towards theke and said, ¡°When Prince L¨®ng Wei was born, a prophecy was made. His stars showed that a dragon had descended from heaven. Monk Yuze called him the ¡®Son of Dragon¡¯. However, he never acted like one. When he turned fourteen, he did something terrible. He took the life of his mother, who was one of my concubines.¡±


    Li Hua was shocked to hear all that. She had heard about this from the servants, but not in detail.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t listen to anyone and his wicked ways forced me to send him to the Cold Pce many times. For the first time, he showed an interest in a person. I have faith that you will change him into a better man. Also, find the reason why he killed his mother andmitted such a grave sin,¡± Qiu Zedong told her, who was astonished to find that even the King didn¡¯t know why the Sixth Prince killed his mother.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Majesty. But will the Sixth Prince tell me about it?¡± Li Hua was doubtful about it.


    ¡°If he can stand for you, protect you, then he will definitely tell you about it. Prince L¨®ng Wei is a secretive person. I had asked him numerous times why he killed his mother, but he never once opened his mouth. As soon as you find it, report it to me,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted.


    Li Hua nodded her head.


    She found it strange that no one had known why L¨®ng Wei killed his mother. The King dismissed her and told her to wait for the imperial order.


    Li Hua bowed and left the Imperial Garden.


    ~~~~~


    Please ,ment and review if you have not given yet.

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34: Other man have You


    Li Hua arrived in the chamber, holding a tray in her hand. She found L¨®ng Wei was still asleep and set the tray on the table. She first lit thenterns on the four corners of the chamber and ced the candle on the stand.


    She walked to the bed and softly asked him to wake up. When, he didn¡¯t, Li Hua reached her hand to his shoulder and poked it. ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s evening. Please wake up.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei opened his eyes gradually and peered into her ck orbs. He tilted his head and looked at her hand, which was near his shoulder. Li Hua curled her fingers and almost pulled back her hand when L¨®ng Wei caught it.


    He pulled her down and circled his other arm around her waist. With that, their faces came dangerously close to each other. ¡°Your Highness, it is not appropriate to do it.¡± Li Hua wasn¡¯t intimidated this time, and twisted her wrist in his grip.


    ¡°Li Hua, I never did anything inappropriate to you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and leaned toward her. He embraced her warmly. Her eyes grew big, but the more she tried to pull away, the more L¨®ng Wei drew her close.


    She felt his hot breath on her neck, and it sent shivers in her entire body. She did not want to imagine what he would do after they would get married. No, she could not let anything happen between her and L¨®ng Wei, which would make her feel guilty in front of Feng Lao.


    Nheless, L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t the type to hear anyone. She didn¡¯t want to ept this marriage, but there was no choice left.


    .....


    ¡°Li Hua, I have a dream. A strange one.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s voice fell on her ears. Li Hua slightly tilted her head and found that his face was still buried in the crook of her neck.


    Li Hua judged that voice. It sounded low and full of displeasure. ¡°What kind of dream, Your Highness?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You will be scared to hear it,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. Li Hua pondered over that statement. L¨®ng Wei gradually pulled away from the hug.


    ¡°Did His Highness see a ghost in his dream?¡± She naively asked. L¨®ng Wei chuckled and shook his head. His fingers brushed on her left temple as he tucked the loose tendrils behind her ear.


    ¡°I am not scared of non-existing beings,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°It was something else,¡± he replied.


    Li Hua wondered what could be scariest than a ghost dream. At that moment, she realized if it was rted to his past when he lost his mother. Even she had the strangest dream about her family. So, there was a possibility that L¨®ng Wei would have dreams about himself and his mother.


    ¡°The tea will get cold, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said, turning his mind away from the strange dream. She went towards the table, where she had put the tray earlier, and started to prepare the tea for L¨®ng Wei. Since the Sixth Prince hated chamomile tea, she brought chrysanthemum tea this time.


    The spoon swirled in the teacup as the dry powdered flower mixed into the hot water. L¨®ng Wei had settled on the chair and kept his gaze fixed on Li Hua.


    Li Hua handed the teacup to him when L¨®ng Wei asked her to make one for herself. She didn¡¯t refuse it and made one cup for herself. Taking a seat, she sipped the tea. The Sixth Prince observed the way she drank the tea.


    Like a noble familydy!


    ¡°The Crown Prince likes you, so I would like you to stay away from him,¡± L¨®ng Wei warned her. Li Hua was shocked to hear him. How could he say such a big thing to her?


    ¡°You are doubtful.¡± It didn¡¯t surprise him as he arched his brow before rxing it. ¡°Why do you think I asked for your hand in marriage just a day after my return?¡± He posed a question.


    ¡°If I had not, then he would have taken you as your concubine. He does not agree to marry when many capable women are around him. I hate it when his eyes lingered on my woman.¡± L¨®ng Wei sipped the tea and ced the cup on the top of the table.


    ¡°His Highness might have noticed something wrong.¡± Li Hua wasn¡¯t ready to believe him.


    ¡°My eyes see what others cannot. You are a naive girl, Li Hua. Such a remarkable beauty is enough to skip many hearts. The Crown Prince has also fallen for you. Except for me, no one noticed it. That¡¯s why we both fought for you. You already have won over my heart, so I will not let any other man have you.¡±


    Each word of L¨®ng Wei made Li Hua realize that he was too possessive of her. If she would put a thought to it, then she would not deny that Xiaoming had shown care towards her.


    ¡°Li Hua, you do not appear to belong to the low ss. I feel that the Crown Prince must have noticed it too.¡± L¨®ng Wei again started to talk about her status in the social section. It frightened her a little about how L¨®ng Wei found out about it. Probably, he was intimidating her to get the truth from her.


    ¡°Tell me before anyone else finds out. You cannot fool my eyes. You belong to a noble family,¡± L¨®ng Wei jumped to the conclusion. Li Hua blinked a few times before refusing it.


    ¡°Many people have-¡±


    ¡°I do not belong to that section of people. Take your time. I will help you for whatever reason you are here in the pce. You only need to do one thing for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and found the curious gaze of Li Hua on him. She was too eager to know what he wanted from her.


    He leaned forward and gestured to her the same. Li Hua moved closer such that their faces were now inches apart.


    ¡°Love me more than your life,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Li Hua quickly averted her gaze from him.


    ¡°Whatever His Highness has thought, is merely an illusion. If he doubts the region where, I belong, he cane with me. I will show him, my family,¡± Li Hua said with a determined tone.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips twisted into a smirk. ¡°And if ites out to be a lie, then you have to bear the consequences.¡± His domineering words didn¡¯t scare her. Li Hua was indeed surprised that L¨®ng Wei¡¯s suspicions were too strong for her, but she could not trust him at any cost.


    She would never forget that L¨®ng Wei was known for his cunningness. He might be sounding sweet, but his hidden intentions must be dangerous.


    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35: Because it turns into Hatred


    Xiaoming lifted his head and the brush in his hand fell. The sheet on which he was writing got ruined as the brush hit it. ¡°Li Hua will marry L¨®ng Wei?!¡± Xiaoming asked Eunuch Lishi to confirm.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness.¡± Eunuch Lishi kept his head low. ¡°Li Hua was seen in the Royal Garden. The King had a private conversation with Li Hua. After that, Eunuch Gao Bing was asked to prepare the official order. The King has put a seal on it and by the morning it will be announced officially,¡± Eunuch Lishi exined to the Crown Prince.


    Xiaoming clenched his fists. He underestimated L¨®ng Wei. There was no way that he could stop this marriage from happening because he would be questioned.


    He stood up and mmed his hands on the table before him. Eunuch Lishi stole nces at his master, wondering why a marriage with a servant bothered the Crown Prince.


    Without uttering any word, Xiaoming left the study room. Eunuch Lishi ran after him, but Xiaoming was too fast, so Eunuch Lishi lost him soon.


    He stopped outside the manor of L¨®ng Wei and walked in. He reached outside the chamber of L¨®ng Wei and pushed the door. To his surprise, L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t present in the chamber, or the corridor. Even Li Hua was not present. He wondered where the two had probably gone.


    His eyes fell on the tray on which teacups were put. ¡®Did they have tea together?¡¯ he thought and it hurt him. Li Hua was going away from him. He would do everything to stop this marriage, without letting anyone be skeptical of him. He had to send L¨®ng Wei back to the cold pce.


    .....


    ¡°What is the Crown Prince doing here?¡± Xiaoming immediately turned upon hearing L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei walked to him and studied the Crown Prince¡¯s facial expressions well. It seemed too pale to him. ¡°The Crown Prince looks sick,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°May I know why he is here?¡± L¨®ng Wei looked inside the door, ¡°and then he was checking my chamber.¡±


    Turning his head back to Xiaoming, L¨®ng Wei waited for his answer.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei seems fine. I wanted to see if he¡¯s doing well,¡± Xiaoming lied to the Sixth Prince, whose gaze had already bore through his soul. ¡°Did he get it checked with the Physician Peng?¡± Xiaoming showed his concern.


    ¡°Li Hua applied the lotion on my back, Crown Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered with a cocky smile. Xiaoming¡¯s brows flinched slightly which L¨®ng Wei noticed. ¡°My body can¡¯t be touched by random people. Only Li Hua can touch it,¡± he stated and noticed every single reaction of Xiaoming. He could not tell how pleasurable this moment was! But at the same time, L¨®ng Wei hated seeing Xiaoming¡¯s feelings towards Li Hua.


    ¡°A servant cannot touch a Royal body,¡± Xiaoming reasoned, ¡°Sixth Brother.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°Li Hua is not a servant for me,¡± he asserted. ¡°Why is the Crown Prince so bothered by it? Why doesn¡¯t he admit that he likes the woman whom I love?¡± The direct questions made Xiaoming shut.


    ¡°I am only starting the rules,¡± Xiaoming dodged answering L¨®ng Wei¡¯s questions.


    ¡°Rules?¡± A chuckle again escaped L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t follow any rule,¡± he said, with a firm tone.


    ¡°Then the Sixth Prince needs to follow them. He is a part of the Qiu Royal Family. He represents the entire Royal Family,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    ¡°Indeed, I am more popr than the Crown Prince. He must be proud of his youngest brother. My name is enough to terrorize people¡¯s souls. Such a threat they have from my name, Crown Prince.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words seemed odd to Xiaoming.


    ¡°Indeed, Brother L¨®ng Wei is popr for his bad actions. The family¡¯s name gets tarnished with that. I hope he will notmit any such mistakes that he did yesterday,¡± Xiaoming stated, referring to the attack on Jingfei.


    ¡°Sadly, L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t care about your lovely sister, nor does he care about this family. My acts shall not bother the Crown Prince. I am a small person in the Kingdom, whose actions don¡¯t even make much difference,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. ¡°The Crown Prince told me to y when I was a child, and I am following his words,¡± he reminded him.


    Xiaoming recalled the day when he told L¨®ng Wei to enjoy and y as he was the youngest among them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Crown Prince. I won¡¯t snatch the Crown from your head. If I had to, then I would have done it a long time ago,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°I am happy in this world, and I hope I will continue to be. Else,¡± he paused, and his facial expressions turned into a serious one, ¡°I need to find a new way to y.¡±


    Xiaoming gulped as he found L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words intimidating and threatening. For an unknown reason, those eyes scared him. L¨®ng Wei never talked about the Crown, then why today? Xiaoming didn¡¯t want to overstretch their conversation, so he decided to retire to his manor.


    ¡°Please take care of yourself, Sixth Brother,¡± Xiaoming caressed his arm before putting it down. ¡°I bid my goodnight to the Sixth Brother.¡± He walked past him when he heard L¨®ng Wei say,


    ¡°The Crown Prince forgot to congratte his youngest brother on his marriage.¡±


    They both turned and beamed at each other. Their expressions were not pleasant ones.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the Crown Prince here to see Li Hua?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his brow and took another step toward him.


    ¡°Keep your eyes away from Li Hua. I told the Crown Prince that I would make Li Hua my official wife soon,¡± he said with a victorious smile.


    Xiaoming fisted his palms. For the first time in his life the Crown Prince wanted to punch L¨®ng Wei hard. However, it would make him small if he did that. He was the eldest son who had some dignity.


    ¡°One must not keep his anger inside his heart because it turns into hatred. Take it out, Crown Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei provoked Xiaoming, who smiled a little.


    ¡°I am not like the Sixth Prince, who loves violence to take out his anger,¡± Xiaoming remarked.


    ¡°That¡¯s why the Crown Prince lost to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei promptly stated. ¡°Ahh, he should have hit me because from now on, his heart will get filled only with hatred towards me,¡± he affirmed and scrunched his brows together.


    ~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    Hope you all are doing well.


    This chapter was more about Xiaoming and L¨®ng Wei¡¯s strange rtionship as the half-brothers. Many mysteries will be unfolded soon.


    We are far behind the goal of PS this week. I hope you keep voting to make it reach into a good PS rank.


    THANK YOU


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36: Made for each other


    Li Hua, who had hidden behind the pir, overheard the entire conversation between L¨®ng Wei and Xiaoming. The way L¨®ng Wei conversed with his eldest brother made her feel weird.


    The way L¨®ng Wei asked Xiaoming if he liked her, made her feel strange. She never hadmunication with the Crown Prince, so there was no way he would like her. Li Hua decided to talk to L¨®ng Wei and request him not to associate her name with the Crown Prince in any way.


    She already was guilty of lying to the King. But it was her foolishness that she fell into the trap set up by L¨®ng Wei. The way he imed his right on her was giving only one thought to her- L¨®ng Wei knew something about her. Nheless, he should have exposed her by now. Instead, he wanted to help her.


    ¡®Did the Sixth Prince ever visit Xinshui town?¡¯ she wondered, but then she ruled out this fact because L¨®ng Wei was in the cold pce for five months. Her family was killed two months ago. There was no way that L¨®ng Wei had any idea about it. Probably her exceptional beautiful features, L¨®ng Wei got suspicious of her.


    Li Hua found that L¨®ng Wei kept provoking Xiaoming, who remained calm. The way he was pacifying the Sixth Prince showed his intellect and humble nature as the Crown Prince. That¡¯s why everyone praised the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Why does the Sixth Brother think that hatred will arise in my heart for him? He is my youngest brother. My mother never taught me to carry the evil traits with me. I was not here to see Li Hua. I was anxious about you, Brother L¨®ng Wei. It is my dinner time. I bid my warm goodnight to the Sixth Brother,¡± Xiaoming stated and left the manor.


    ¡°Liar!¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled.


    .....


    ¡°His Highness shall not talk arrogantly with his elders,¡± Li Hua came to the front, from behind the pir.


    ¡°This is the way I am,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and turned to face her. He walked to her and leaned down so that their faces came to the same level. ¡°I appreciate that you agreed to marry me. For the first time, I can feel happiness,¡± he said.


    Li Hua was bewildered to hear his statement. ¡°His Highness usually smiles,¡± she stated. ¡°It is not the first time he felt happiness.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t get my words, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as his right hand circled her waist. He pulled her up, and she was now on her toes.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± She ced her palms on his chest to push him away.


    ¡°I feel happy after troubling others. However, this happiness is different because you are ready to love me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and smirked.


    Li Hua¡¯s jaw dropped down. However, keeping her humble self intact, she said, ¡°Your Highness, I epted the marriage because I had no other way. I cannot leave the pce as I need to pay the debt of my family.¡±


    She wanted to tell L¨®ng Wei that there was no way she would love him. But telling it now would only increase the series of arguments between them. First, she needs to get herself away from him.


    Meters away!


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay your family debt. Do you want me to meet your grandmother? I can send you home and thene to take you. Usually, the marriage ritual goes that way,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and waited for her response.


    Tears appeared in her eyes. She recalled how she had imagined Feng Lao woulde in the red Hanfu dress to pick her up, and they would be happily married. An entire life with him, she had knitted in her dreams.


    ¡°You are from the vige near Xinshui, right? I will ask Gao Bing about your house address,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°No.¡± Li Hua said in a loud voice, and it made him arch his brow. ¡°My grandmother is no more. In the evening, I received a message about it,¡± Li Hua lied. She had no idea why she told such a lie.


    L¨®ng Wei brought his face close to her and shifted to her ear. ¡°You don¡¯t know how to lie. I admire how you lied about a person¡¯s life. We indeed are made for each other,¡± he whispered. Li Hua curled her fingers. Her body jolted when L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips brushed her earlobe.


    She pushed him away with her entire strength and coveted her ear with her palm. ¡°Why did His Highness do that? He¡¯s not supposed to act this way,¡± Li Hua suddenly turned angry. She averted her gaze from him and felt extremely terrible for betraying the love Feng Lao carried for her.


    ¡°To tell you that I have entered your life. Forget the man you love,¡± L¨®ng Wei without being hesitant told her. Li Hua¡¯s eyes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly. The anger was still apparent on her face. She could not tell him what the King had asked her to do. She needed to change L¨®ng Wei in two months¡¯ time, otherwise, she would be beheaded. Indeed, her benefit was hidden in it, but at the present, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s behavior was giving her a signal that she should run away from him.


    ¡°I would have been thrown out of the pce if I had not agreed. I jumped to save his Highness and begged to pardon his punishment,¡± Li Hua said as she lowered her hand from her ear.


    ¡°So, a spark indeed exists between us,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, with a smirk. ¡°I won¡¯t eat here today. You can eat and sleep.¡± He turned to leave, which perplexed Li Hua.


    ¡°Where is His Highness going at this hour?¡± She asked as a responsible attendant.


    But L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t answer her. She walked behind him, thinking if she angered him.


    ¡°Forgive me for raising my voice, Your Highness,¡± she said and halted at the top of the stairs while L¨®ng Wei was at the bottom.


    He turned and smiled. ¡°I love it when you get angry at me,¡± he stated and told her not to worry about him. Li Hua wondered why he said so. He soon vanished from her sight.


    ¡°The Prince will get physical after our marriage. I need to think of something before that,¡± she murmured and again touched her ear, where she felt the slight brush of his lips.


    ~~~~~


    Xiaoming broke the chopsticks in his hand, and it perplexed Eunuch Lishi. ¡°Give a new pair of chopsticks to the Crown Prince,¡± Eunuch Lishi told the maidservant.


    ¡°There is no need. I am not in a mood to eat,¡± Xiaoming said and stood up. ¡°Don¡¯t follow me,¡± he told Eunuch Lishi with a stern tone, and then he walked out of the chamber.


    Those challenging eyes of L¨®ng Wei wereing in front of him every second. He reached the ground and picked the bow. Picking an arrow, she started to shoot. He was enraged by the way L¨®ng Wei provoked him.


    He recalled the day when they were kids. Monk Yuze hade to the pce that day and showed his deep concern towards L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡®He is the Son of Dragon, Your Majesty. His path is decided. No one has the ability to surpass him.¡¯ Xiaoming happened to hear those words.


    He went to L¨®ng Wei, who, for the first time, had picked a sword. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, it is not the time for you to use these. You are the youngest among all, so you must y all the time.¡±


    The arrow hit the center of the wooden pole as he recalled those words. L¨®ng Wei remembered his words well and even implemented them in his life.


    Then, why today those words appeared different. It seemed L¨®ng Wei warned him. Did he miss something all these years?


    ¡®Whatever Brother L¨®ng Wei is thinking, I will not let ite true. I need to find a way to bring Li Hua to me. I never lost to anyone. The Youngest Brother cannot defeat me,¡¯ he told himself internally.


    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37: An amazing way to Stop


    L¨®ng Wei jumped over the bench and settled on it. He rested his sped hands on the table and tilted his head to look at Yuze, who had a bowl in his hands.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei looks happy,¡± Monk Yuze said while putting the bowl in front of L¨®ng Wei, who smiled. He picked up the chopsticks and swirled them into the bowl full of rice noodles.


    ¡°Yuze foresees the future. He must know why I am happy,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed as he looked into the bowl.


    ¡°I can see certain events, Prince L¨®ng Wei. If I could see everything, then I would be a God,¡± Monk Yuze corrected him as he brought another bowl for him. He sat opposite L¨®ng Wei on the bench.


    ¡°Li Hua is alone in your manor. ording to you, the Crown Prince likes Li Hua. What if hees in the night? Prince L¨®ng Wei has angered him already,¡± Monk Yuze said and studied his face.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want, Yuze,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a grin and started to slurp the noodles, along with the soup.


    ¡°Why did the Prince n all this? Is it really love?¡± Yuze asked with a serious expression.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei chewed the noodles in his mouth and nodded. ¡°Can I not fall in love? Yuze said that my bride is already chosen, who is none other than Li Hua. Still, he is asking me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Because the Sixth Prince¡¯s mind is unpredictable to me,¡± Yuze asserted. L¨®ng Wei leaned back on the bench and looked up at the sky.


    ¡°I am indeed in love. She asked me if I was good when the hot water fell on my hand.¡± L¨®ng Wei smiled upon recalling that day and nced at Yuze. The smile didn¡¯t fade even for a second. ¡°No one ever asked me if I was good. The Crown Prince asks sometimes about my well-being, but that¡¯s indeed a fake one,¡± he said while letting out a sigh.


    ¡°Why does the Sixth Prince think that the Crown Prince¡¯s concern is fake towards him? He even stands for his youngest brother. He argues for him with his other brothers and sisters,¡± Yuze affirmed and slurped the soup with the porcin soup spoon.


    ¡°He is not what everyone takes him to be,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. His tone was serious, and so were his facial expressions. ¡°Behind that gentle face, a brutal face is hidden. Yuze must have noticed that too,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and again continued to eat.


    ¡°Did the Crown Prince say something to the Sixth Prince, which made hime to such a conclusion?¡± Yuze was curious to know.


    ¡°I need to go back, Yuze. Eat your food.¡± L¨®ng Wei avoided telling the old monk. He picked up the bowl and drank the remaining soup before he plonked it on the table.


    ¡°Do you want more?¡± Yuze asked.


    ¡°No. I am full,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°Yuze, I wonder why the Emperor called Li Hua in the Royal Garden. Li Hua didn¡¯t tell me the reason. She only said that she would be thrown out of the pce. I think my Royal Father has threatened her. Also, she¡¯s hiding something from me rted to her life,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Yuze what he had noticed in Li Hua.


    ¡°Why would a young woman agree to marry you in two days? The King pardoned your punishment because of her. His Majesty never saw anyone taking a stand for you,¡± Yuze briefed him. However, he refrained from telling the main part.


    ¡°That was what I wanted,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. Yuze smiled and ate the remaining noodles in the bowl. Once he finished, L¨®ng Wei took his leave. Yuze told him not to roam outside the pce.


    ~~~~~~


    Li Hua didn¡¯t want to take her dinner without the presence of the Sixth Prince. What if someone woulde and see her eating in the Prince¡¯s chamber. She might get punished for it. So, she went to the patio and settled near the stairs. Her elbow rested on her knee while her chin was on her calloused palm.


    She looked at the tree stem and found the two arrows were still on the tree. ¡°His Highness must have practiced a lot,¡± Li Hua murmured. A cool breeze blew, and her long hair swung with it.


    ¡®How will I change the Sixth Prince? His thoughts are at a level where, if I reach, I can lose my mind. But I cannot be beheaded either. If I somehow find out the truth in the two months¡¯ time, then I am willing to be beheaded,¡¯ she thought and lifted her head to look at the night sky.


    The waxing crescent moon was glowing pale yellow. She recalled the legend about the lovers, who met once a year on a full moon day. ¡®I wish such legends could be implemented in real life. I wish I could see Feng Lao once,¡¯ Li Hua thought. A tear rolled over her cheek, which she quickly wiped off.


    She sat straight when she heard the footsteps. Upon turning, she found L¨®ng Wei, who had returned. She rose to her feet and bowed before him.


    L¨®ng Wei walked to her and lifted her chin. ¡°Did you miss someone?¡± he asked. Li Hua found herself tongue-tied and started to fidget with her fingers.


    His thumb grazed over her soft cheek. ¡°If you ever miss someone, you can recall me. Your heart will be at peace.¡± L¨®ng Wei said in his low-deep voice.


    Li Hua stepped back and lowered her head. ¡°I want His Highness not to touch me without my will,¡± Li Hua spoke out her mind.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and took another step toward her. Li Hua lifted her head to peer at him and found him taking another step toward her. ¡°Why did you agree to marry then?¡± He asked and found her stepping backward.


    ¡°Because I cannot leave the pce,¡± Li Hua answered, ¡°I need to pay debts.¡±


    ¡°No. You agreed to marry me for your benefit too. At least, be truthful with me. Since I am the one who will help you,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°What did my father tell you to do?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Ahh,¡± Li Hua let out a low scream when her foot slipped off the end of the patio. Fortunately, L¨®ng Wei caught her and pulled her up. Her hands rested on his arms while their faces came closer.


    ¡°Your Highness, please let me go. His Majesty said I would be thrown out of the pce if I don¡¯t agree to marry the Sixth Prince,¡± Li Hua told him the half-truth.


    ¡°Li Hua, you agreed to marry an unknown man for that reason,¡± he arched his brow. ¡°If we get married, I will officially be your husband. We will have rights to each other. Tell me a valid reason which will make me not touch you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Li Hua gulped. ¡°I love someone else. It is the only valid reason I have, Your Highness,¡± she said. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s other hand went behind her head, and he drew his face close to him.


    ¡°That¡¯s an invalid reason. You would not have agreed to marry me if you had loved someone else. Li Hua, the more you will hide the truth this way from me, the more it will make me mad,¡± L¨®ng Wei berated her.


    ¡°How can I believe in His Highness? What if he will kill me if I tell him the truth,¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°Li Hua, do I look like an insane man?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her.


    ¡°His Majesty wants me to change His Highness,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°If I am unable to do it, then I will be beheaded,¡± she finally revealed the truth to him.


    ¡°Then, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. I have already changed myself for you,¡± L¨®ng Wei assured her.


    ¡°Then, why doesn¡¯t His Highness refuse to go with this marriage? Since I love someone else, there¡¯s no use marrying me,¡± Li Hua tried to persuade L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t n all this to step back from the marriage,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I do not like it when you repeat the same thing time and again. I don¡¯t care who you love. I care about you and me. Changing me is one of the most difficult things. I will love to see how you change my ideologies,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°That means I will get beheaded after two months,¡± Li Hua deduced.


    ¡°No one knows what will happen after two months,¡± L¨®ng Wei reminded her.


    ¡°So, His Highness thinks that I can change him?¡± Li Hua questioned him.


    ¡°If she will love me, then it¡¯s possible,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and looked at her lips. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.


    Li Hua started to hup, and it made L¨®ng Wei smile.


    ¡°I know an amazing way to stop your hups,¡± He said and leaned down to kiss her lips when Li Hua covered her mouth with her palm. His lips touched the middle of her palm and their eyes locked.


    She pushed him away, and subsequently, her foot slipped off the patio. She tightly held the cors of L¨®ng Wei, who swirled, and the next second, they were on the ground.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s back hurt as it hit the ground while Li Hua fell on top of him. Her lipsnded on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips, who softly mewled.


    ~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    Please do s. We are very far from the target.


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    The Second Husband

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38: Soft touch of your Lips over mine


    Li Hua promptly lifted her body and apologized to L¨®ng Wei. She touched his lips and found the smirk on them. Pulling her hand away, she sat on the grassy ground and turned her face away. She touched her lips and tightly shut her eyes.


    ¡°We already kissed,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a grin. ¡°You kissed me first, Li Hua,¡± he added to not keep any confusion between them.


    ¡°That was an ident, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua opined and turned to peer at him. ¡°Please forget about this. Such idents should not be remembered,¡± she affirmed and was ready to stand up.


    L¨®ng Wei clicked his tongue and drew her towards him by grasping her wrist. ¡°idents are the cause of many oues,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I can still feel that soft touch of your lips over mine.¡± His eyes glued to her lips once again.


    ¡°I am hungry, Your Highness. The Kitchen will be closed soon.¡± She changed the topic. L¨®ng Wei pulled her up along with him.


    ¡°A kiss has already sealed between us,¡± L¨®ng Wei teased her.


    ¡°That was not a kiss, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua stated.


    .....


    ¡°I am not getting you. If two lips touch, then it is considered a kiss,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Li Hua opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it. Was there any use to exining him? It was an ident. A mere ident! She scrunched her brow and cursed herself internally to push him away.


    ¡°Why do you look so troubled?¡± He snapped his fingers in front of her eyes. ¡°Do you want me to kiss you? Then, it will no longer be considered an ident,¡± L¨®ng Wei said huskily and leaned his face down to level up to her.


    ¡°No,¡± Li Hua said and turned away. She bit her lower lip and then ran out of his sight.


    Li Hua stopped near the pavilion and gasped for the air. She rubbed her lips and let out a frustrated sigh.


    ¡°Li Hua!¡±


    She turned and saw Ju Lin, who had a porcin water jar in her hand. Li Hua smiled upon seeing her.


    ¡°I heard you were going to get punished,¡± Ju Lin said worriedly, and the two started to walk. ¡°Is the Sixth Prince troubling you? No servant was appointed in his service ever,¡± Ju Lin stated.


    Li Hua would not agree with Ju Lin. L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t trouble her. Instead, he defended her from getting punished. The way he stood for her and begged with the King for her life, it seemed he was not the type that everyone thought.


    Wait! She was not supposed to think this way about him. She knitted her brows together.


    ¡°Why are you not speaking, Li Hua? His Highness didn¡¯t hurt you, right?¡± Ju Lin looked at her hands.


    ¡°Ju Lin, His Highness didn¡¯t hurt me,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°Do not worry about me.¡±


    ¡°I am d. You are the only one with whom I can talk and share everything with,¡± Ju Lin stated. Both of them soon reached the Royal Kitchen, where a few servants could be seen. Many were retired to their respective rooms.


    Li Hua and Ju Lin had their dinner together in the Servants¡¯ Dining Hall. ¡°Li Hua, does the Crown Prince like you? Strange rumors have spread about you,¡± Ju Lin said while eating the rice from the bowl.


    ¡°No. I never went near the Crown Prince. Don¡¯t believe in such rumors,¡± stated Li Hua and picked the seaweed from the tter. She ate that and drank the soupter.


    ¡°Li Hua, how dare you to seduce the Princes?¡±


    Li Hua and Ju Lin turned to look. They saw several maids with higher ranks than then. Li Hua stood up, leaving the food in the middle.


    ¡°I heard that you were even alone with the Crown Prince in his chamber.¡± One of them, dressed in a maroon Hanfu dress, walked to her.


    Ju Lin also got up from her seat and nced at Li Hua.


    Li Hua decided to keep quiet and kept her head low. Ju Lin came forward to Li Hua¡¯s rescue. ¡°Senior Sister Nuo, Li Hua didn¡¯t do anything. The Crown Prince has called her into the chamber. It is alreadyte,¡± she tried to pacify the maidservant.


    ¡°Li Hua, did you touch the Sixth Prince¡¯s hand when you clearly know it is not allowed?¡± Another maidservant asked her, who was the third rank servant in the Queen¡¯s Manor.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do that. I was too scared the moment hot water spilled on His Highness¡¯s hand. That is why I touched His Highness¡¯s hand out of the reflex,¡± Li Hua answered.


    She felt a p on her cheek, and she brought her hand to it.


    ¡°Keep your eyes low. You think that such a lie would work in front of me.¡± Senior Nuo scolded Li Hua in front of everyone. Ju Lin widened her eyes and looked at Li Hua.


    ¡°It was not a lie, Sister Nuo,¡± Li Hua said and looked into her eyes. Her cheek had turned red, and the marks of the fingers were visible on them. It was the first time someone pped her. Her eyes turned misty, and her blood boiled with anger.


    ¡°You cannot re into the eyes of Senior Sister Nuo.¡± Li Hua heard one of them, but she didn¡¯t lower her eyes.


    Li Hua gulped the anger inside her. Clutching the edges of her dress tightly, she lowered her eyes.


    ¡°Sister Nuo, she should be thrown in the dark room for a night.¡± Li Hua heard another voice. She was on the verge of crying, but she held back her tears.


    ¡°None of you can decide what my punishment will be! I belong to the Sixth Princes¡¯ manor. So, His Highness is the one who will decide my punishment,¡± Li Hua gathered her courage and spoke. The matter had already ended, and no one had the right to decide on it.


    ¡°So, you are defying the rules of an ideal servant. You need to shut your mouth at your mistake,¡± Senior Nuo remarked and raised her hand to p her again, but someone caught it in the middle of the air.


    She turned her eyes to look and was shocked to see the person in front of her.


    ¡°Yo-your Highness,¡± Senior Nuo said in a trembling voice.


    Every servant turned silent and lowered their heads upon seeing L¨®ng Wei in the servant dining hall.


    Li Hua lifted her head and peered into the eyes of L¨®ng Wei, whose jaw clenched in anger as his eyes fell on her left cheek.


    ¡°Shall I kill her?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Li Hua.


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 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39: Her insult is my Insult


    L¨®ng Wei waited for Li Hua in the chamber and when she didn¡¯t return, he decided to go to the royal kitchen. However, upon not finding her in the kitchen, he wondered where Li Hua would have gone.


    ¡°Xiwan!¡± L¨®ng Wei called out for the assistant chef, who was leaving for the servant¡¯s quarter. Seeing the Sixth Prince, he walked to him and bowed.


    ¡°Did you see Li Hua?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°She is in the servants¡¯ dining hall, Your Highness. She is having her dinner,¡± Xiwan answered. L¨®ng Wei walked out of the royal kitchen and went to the dining hall. She should not stay outside for too long.


    He halted when he saw many servants near Li Hua. When he heard a petty servant shouting at Li Hua, his blood boiled in anger. He marched towards them and caught the servant¡¯s hand in the middle of the air.


    ¡°Yo-your Highness,¡± Senior Nuo said in a trembling voice.


    Every servant turned silent and lowered their heads upon seeing L¨®ng Wei in the servant dining hall.


    .....


    Li Hua lifted her head and peered into the eyes of L¨®ng Wei, whose jaw clenched in anger as his eyes fell on her left cheek.


    He pushed away Senior Nuo and gripped Li Hua¡¯s chin. He tilted her head and looked at her left cheek. ¡°Did she do that?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her and saw the tears in her eyes.


    ¡°Why are you silent?¡± His voice reverberated in the hall, sending shivers to everyone¡¯s bodies present in the dining hall.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness.¡± Senior Nuo got onto her knees and begged for forgiveness. Her forehead touched the ground, and her entire body trembled in fear. She didn¡¯t know that the Sixth Prince would show himself at this hour. So, begging for forgiveness was the only way to calm his anger.


    ¡°Shall I kill her and bury her alive in this hall?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and waited for Li Hua¡¯s answer. The servants were frightened to hear the Sixth Prince. No one had expected that L¨®ng Wei would appear in the middle.


    ¡°Y-Your Hi-Highness, as the senior rank servant, I was only teaching Li Hua what she should be around the P-Princes. Ple-ase, fo-forgive this servant,¡± Senior Nuo managed toplete her apology.


    ¡°Shut your filthy mouth! How dare you raise your hand at her? You all will die today. I won¡¯t spare anyone,¡± L¨®ng Wei shouted as his fingers stroked Li Hua¡¯s cheek.


    The other maidservants also got on their knees and started to beg for their lives. The chief of the servants, Senior Court Lady Chu, arrived. She came forward and bowed before the Sixth Prince.


    ¡°Your Highness, I will look into this matter. Please calm down,¡± Senior Court Lady Chu said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to meddle in this matter,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and pulled out the dagger from the sh around his waist. He threw the sheath away and was ready to stab the hand with which a petty servant hit his Li Hua. No, he would kill her as he immediately changed his mind.


    ¡°Let it be, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said softly.


    ¡°I cannot,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and told Senior Nuo to get up, who rose to her feet. He brought the dagger to her neck, ready to slit it, when Li Hua held L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand.


    Everyone was frightened and wondered what would happen next. The Sixth Prince looked in a terrible mood, and they were praying for their lives.


    ¡°Put your hand down if you don¡¯t want others, who witnessed and encouraged this, to die here,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her with a stern tone. Li Hua furrowed her brows together. She did not want another gossip to ur, which could affect both of them next morning.


    ¡°Senior Nuo has apologized for her mistake, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said and stood in front of L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Let¡¯s head back, Your Highness,¡± she said, in her calm voice.


    Senior Nuo rubbed her hands together while pleading for her life. ¡°I will never hurt Li Hua, Your Highness. It was foolish of me to raise my hand on her. Please forgive me, Your Highness,¡± She started to p herself.


    L¨®ng Wei grasped Li Hua¡¯s wrist and gently pushed her away. ¡°Sadly, I don¡¯t forgive. You should have thought about it before pping my person,¡± he said and slit her throat with the sharp de of the dagger. The blood drops fell on his face and the upper portion of his dress.


    Li Hua was aghast with L¨®ng Wei¡¯s action. He was not supposed to kill someone for a tiny mistake. He did not think for a second before slitting her neck off.


    Everyone was terrorized to witness it and feared that the Sixth Prince would also kill them. L¨®ng Wei threw the dagger on the floor and looked at the other servants present in the hall. ¡°This is my first andst warning to everyone present here. Her insult is my insult. So, don¡¯t try to provoke me. I turn mad when someone tries to go against my wish,¡± L¨®ng Wei loudly said. The servants kept their heads low and stayed quiet. His threatening words were enough to scare them.


    ¡°Send dinner in the chamber,¡± L¨®ng Wei told the Senior Court Lady and dragged Li Hua with him.


    L¨®ng Wei halted when they reached the chamber and let go of her hand while turning to her. Li Hua had her eyes low. He was still enraged and wanted to kill everyone present in that dining hall, but for Li Hua, he controlled himself because he didn¡¯t want to scare her.


    He reached out his hand to her left cheek and stroked it. ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe here when they surrounded you?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s voice was hoarse.


    Li Hua upcasted her eyes to meet his gaze. She had tried to defend herself, but Senior Nuo pped her. If she would look from a servant¡¯s perspective, Li Hua deserved to be punished.


    ¡°I did wrong by touching His Highness¡¯ hand,¡± Li Hua said, in a low voice. Her lips quivered, showing she would break into tears any second.


    ¡°No. You did nothing wrong,¡± L¨®ng Wei authorized as his fingers started to stroke her cheek. ¡°You should have run to me, the moment she scolded you for no reason. I am your shield, Li Hua. I never got this hurt. It¡¯s strange, and this strange fire inside me tells me to burn them alive.¡± He grimaced and clenched his other hand.


    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40: Mine


    Li Hua was perplexed to hear the words of L¨®ng Wei. She lifted her hand, and her fingers touched his face. She wiped the blood drops that earlier fell on his face. For some reason, she was thankful to him. The way he stood for her and called her his person gave him a sense of security.


    L¨®ng Wei caught her hand and asked her what she was doing.


    ¡°Wiping the blood,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch her filthy blood. I will wash my faceter,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and, put her hand down. His gaze again fixed on her cheek. ¡°It must be hurting,¡± he said worriedly.


    ¡°His Highness might get punished in the morning. He did not have to kill Senior Nuo for such a small mistake.¡± Li Hua was concerned about what the King would think. For her, the Sixth Prince killed a servant. The King would definitely punish L¨®ng Wei severely. ¡°His Highness should have let it go,¡± she stated.


    ¡°I won¡¯t get punished for killing a servant. She made a grave mistake, not a minor one. You belong to me, and if anyone raises a hand on you or harms you, I can punish him or her,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, with a stern tone. ¡°Moreover, you will be my wife soon. I cannot tolerate if anyone harms you,¡± he stated.


    Li Hua felt strange. They were two unknown people, who had different destinies to fulfill. How could their paths get entangled? She wasn¡¯t supposed to be in his world, but the more she wanted to run away from him, the more he would attract her to him.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei embraced her and caressed her hair. ¡°Forgive me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He sounded low and guilty. He never felt apologetic to anyone. But for Li Hua, he was!


    Li Hua should have pushed him away, but she did not. Her hands reached near the sash,and he held the edges of his hanfu dress. Tears poured down her cheeks. ¡°I never got pped, Your Highness,¡± she said in a broken voice.


    Thest time she cried was two months ago. For more than a week, she mourned for her family. She usually stayed quiet, kept herself as low as possible, and never fell weak in front of anyone by crying. But she could not help herself today.


    Li Hua missed her old days when she got treated no less than a princess. She was the most pampered child in her family.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s grip around her tightened as he pulled her closer. ¡°I know. I promise that I will never let you get hurt,¡± he said. After a while, Li Hua stepped back from that hug and stood awkwardly.


    A knock on the door grabbed their attention. ¡°Your Highness, I have brought the dinner,¡± Senior Court Lady Chu said, who gestured to the maidservant to keep the tray on the table.


    ¡°Rece all the servants, who were bothering Li Hua. I don¡¯t want to see them in the Pce, else I will kill you along with them,¡± L¨®ng Wei openly threatened Court Lady Chu.


    ¡°I will talk with the Senior Eunuch in the morning, Your Highness. Please enjoy your dinner,¡± Court Lady Chu said.


    ¡°You two may leave,¡± L¨®ng Wei motioned his hand in the air. Senior Court Lady Chu left along with the maidservant, shutting the doors behind them.


    ¡°Does His Highness like to threaten everyone?¡± Li Hua asked curiously. ¡°They are here to earn money. His Highness should not have asked the Senior Court Lady to suspend them from work,¡± she opined.


    L¨®ng Wei grasped her hand and took her to the table. Making her sit on the chair, he said, ¡°I did what was right.¡± He handed her the chopsticks and told her to finish her food. He walked out of the chamber. After a while, he returned in a new pair of clothes, and his face was also cleaned.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t start?¡± L¨®ng Wei was perplexed, and he walked to her.


    ¡°Will His Highness not eat?¡± Li Hua looked at the cuisines in front of her. ¡°The food seems to be for the Sixth Prince,¡± she stated.


    ¡°I had my meal with Yuze,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°A big bowl of rice noodle soup,¡± he said. He saw the inquisitive look on Li Hua¡¯s face.


    ¡°Ahh, I call him Yuze or oldie sometimes.¡± L¨®ng Wei took the seat beside her.


    ¡°His Highness shall respect his elders. He is much older than the Sixth Prince. He looks like a grandpa. Shouldn¡¯t His Highness be considerate of Monk Yuze¡¯s age?¡± Sheined and put the tter in front of him, which had grilled fish slices over it dipped in the specially prepared sauce.


    L¨®ng Wei rested his elbow on the table surface and rested the temple of his calloused hand. ¡°You have started to act like my wife,¡± he remarked.


    ¡°No!¡± She promptly said and handed him the chopsticks. ¡°His Highness shall eat first,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Since you want me to, then I will not refuse,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and asked her to start eating as well.


    Suddenly, in the middle of the meal, L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°Li Hua, this was thest time I let you get hurt. It won¡¯t ever happen. Trust me.¡±


    Li Hua blinked a few times when L¨®ng Wei averted his gaze from her. ¡°You are not made to bear someone¡¯s torture. A woman like you deserves to be happy at all the time,¡± he said.


    Li Hua felt strange when those words came out of the Sixth Prince. ¡°Why is His Highness so thoughtful of me?¡± She asked.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t, then who will?¡± He tilted his head as his brows arched.


    Li Hua gradually downcasted her eyes and then focussed back on eating. She felt something strange in her heart upon hearing those words. Her fingers tightly gripped the chopsticks, and she started to eat quicker than before.


    ¡°I have answered you many times that I love you. You are mine, and that¡¯s why I am thoughtful of you.¡± He cleared her confusion, who had slowed eating. Li Hua could feel the genuineness in those words, but she could not even react to those words.


    NEW BOOK ALERT


    The Second Husband

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41: Her Sweet Spot


    Li Huaid down on the chaise and turned to face L¨®ng Wei, who was on the bed. Though the candles andnterns were extinguished, thenterns¡¯ light from outside peeked through the door gaps.


    She was unable to sleep. So much happened in this short time. She was unable toprehend all this. Why did this happen, and what would happen ahead? She had to change L¨®ng Wei, but he was not the type to listen to anyone. Li Hua requested him to let go of the senior servant, but he didn¡¯t hear her out.


    ¡°Is His Highness asleep?¡± She asked softly. Getting no response, she realized he had drifted off to sleep.


    ¡°What happened? Are you scared? We can share a bed if you want to,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smirk. Li Hua was dumbfounded to hear him. She pondered, why was the Sixth Prince so shameless?


    ¡°Answer,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Does His Highness not feel anything while taking anyone¡¯s life?¡± Her question made him snicker.


    ¡°What do you want to know exactly?¡± L¨®ng Wei queried her.


    .....


    ¡°I already cleared my question to His Highness,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°Umm... you can say that,¡± L¨®ng Wei gave a vague answer to her. ¡°Are you scared of me?¡± His question perplexed Li Hua, who promptly refused.


    ¡°Li Hua, are you the only daughter and child in your family?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    Li Hua decided to lie to him. Because he would ask more questions from her, and she might get trapped in that. ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± she replied in her humble voice.


    ¡°When will you tell the truth to me?¡± The question this time was straight. ¡°You said your grandmother died, but you did not shed a single tear. I am surprised to see a person like me,¡± he remarked.


    Li Hua gulped and wondered what she should say in that situation. Either she had to ept that she lied to him or she had to make another story.


    ¡°I am an orphan, Your Highness. I was taken in by an olddy a few months ago, so she became my family. I am a servant, who needs to be emotionless most of the time.¡± The story wasn¡¯t false. Indeed, an olddy took her in after she left Xinshui town, but, she shortly passed away.


    ¡°Sometimes I feel I don¡¯t deserve to be happy,¡± Li Hua said and sighed.


    ¡°One¡¯s happiness lies in him or her. Indeed, rtionships matter, but not all the time. Enjoy what you have. That way you will be happy,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I have nothing. I lost everything,¡± Li Hua said and tears fell from the edges of her eyes. She didn¡¯t realize that she said something which she should not have. L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes in suspicion but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°You have me. The Son of Dragon! You have everything until you are with me.¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t want her to feel lonely. He reminded her that he would be her husband soon. They would be each other¡¯s families soon.


    ¡°You entered the pce without any preparation. The people who are close to you will betray you first. So, don¡¯t trust anyone here because everyone wants to rise in rank,¡± L¨®ng Wei advised Li Hua, who agreed with his words, ¡°especially the Crown Prince. A day wille when you have to save me from him.¡±


    Li Hua knitted her brows. What did he mean by that? Why did she have to save him? He was already capable enough to get away from any punishment.


    ¡°The Crown Prince helps everyone around him. He is the most humble person in the Kingdom. I think His Highness has some misunderstandings about the Crown Prince,¡± Li Hua defended Xiaoming.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°He is my half-brother. So, I know him better than you. None of my half-brothers and sisters should be taken lightly. Once you will be my wife, the real game will start, Li Hua.¡± His words sound more like a warning to her. She was curious to know more, but L¨®ng Wei ended the conversation by saying he needed to sleep.


    ~~~~~~


    In the morning, Li Hua woke up early and tidied everything in the chamber. L¨®ng Wei was still asleep, draped in the quilt. She didn¡¯t disturb his sleep and freshened up before he would be awake.


    She clipped her hair well after drying them and returned to the chamber. L¨®ng Wei had woken up, but he had covered himself with the quilt. Only his face was visible while his eyes were closed. He seemed tired.


    ¡°Good morning, Your Highness.¡± Li Hua wished him the morning and asked him to get up. ¡°In half an hour, the Sixth Prince has to go for the morning tea. It will not be good if he getste,¡± Li Hua opined and held the edge of the quilt to pull it away.


    L¨®ng Wei caught her wrist, and the next second, she was on hisp. Her hands were on his arms, and a few of her hair covered one side of her face.


    ¡°I love to make people wait for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and tucked the strands behind her ear. ¡°You smell good on this lovely morning.¡± He drew her close and buried his face in the crook of her neck. Li Hua¡¯s breath hitched when his nose nuzzled her neck.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± she urged. Her fingers dug into the material of his dress.


    ¡°It¡¯s my affection, Li Hua,¡± he whispered before kissing her sweet spot, right below her ear. She widened her eyes and wrestled herself away. However, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s arms were still around her waist.


    ¡°Why did His Highness do that?¡± She asked in bewilderment. She was angry at him, but it sounded enchanting to L¨®ng Wei. He pulled her up, and their faces came closer.


    ¡°To make you feelfortable. You need to fall in love with me. So, I try to be affectionate.¡± L¨®ng Wei smiled, and the pad of his finger brushed against the bridge of her nose.


    Li Hua found his smile adorable. It was rare to see L¨®ng Wei smile. He usually would be in anger, but around her, he usually smiled.


    ¡°His Highness shall get ready,¡± Li Hua reminded him. ¡°The bathhouse pool is ready. The water may get cold if he dys,¡± she reasoned.


    ¡°Hmm. I am heading to the washroom first,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as his hold loosened around her waist. Soon, he let go of her, who quickly stood up.


    ¡°I will see you in the bathhouse,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and walked out.


    Li Hua wanted to refuse to help him, but he had already left without listening to her. She brought her hand near her neck and stroked where L¨®ng Wei kissed her. ¡°Feng Lao, that was nothing,¡± she murmured, ¡°so, forgive me.¡±


    ~~~~~


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 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42: Annoy me more


    L¨®ng Wei trailed his fingers on the hot water surface while thinking about Li Hua. He had put on his satin robes so that it would not be an ufortable situation between the two. He looked towards the door, waiting for Li Hua toe in.


    Five minutes... Ten minutes... Fifteen minutes.


    Time passed, but she didn¡¯te to the bathhouse. L¨®ng Wei washed and dressed in the new pair of clothes that Li Hua had put for him. He went to the chamber and found Li Hua with a maidservant. They both were cleaning the chamber.


    L¨®ng Wei heaved a sigh of relief. For a second, he thought that Li Hua was taken before the King forst night¡¯s incident.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Li Hua weed him with a smile, ¡°I helped her clean the chamber.¡± She referred to the maidservant, who bowed her head. ¡°You can leave, Sister Jia,¡± Li Hua told her.


    The maidservant left the chamber while keeping her head low.


    ¡°His Highness¡¯ hair is still wet. Please sit on the chaise, I will dry it,¡± Li Hua said and went to the dressing chamber. L¨®ng Wei followed her and settled on the chaise in front of the dresser.


    .....


    Li Hua took a clean towel and stood behind him. She took a section of hair and blotted it with the towel.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at her through the mirror and opened his mouth to speak. ¡°I waited for you toe.¡±


    Li Hua stopped her work momentarily but again began it. ¡°His Highness didn¡¯t tell me to apany him,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°So, we are going to y this way,¡± His right eyebrow arched, ¡°interesting!¡±


    ¡°You are supposed to do my every work. That includes helping me in bathing too,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and tightened his hold on the bolster on his left side.


    ¡°Your Highness, I have asked to appoint a servant to help you. I am allergic to the scent that His Highness loves to use in the water.¡± Li Hua cleverly escaped from the trap that L¨®ng Wei set for her. She knew he wanted her to touch his body. She would never do that!


    ¡°Then, throw that scent away. Use what you love. I didn¡¯t ask you to appoint a helper for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with annoyance. He didn¡¯t want to get angry at her and ruin his entire day.


    ¡°What if His Highness hates the scent that I love?¡± She posed the question. She stepped back when L¨®ng Wei turned to face her.


    He pulled her down and pinned her on one the nt side of the chaise. ¡°Don¡¯t y smart with me. Annoy me more, and I will teach you a good lesson,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, with a menacing expression.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know my truth would annoy His Highness,¡± Li Hua said with pouty lips.


    L¨®ng Wei clicked his tongue. ¡°You did that intentionally. Let¡¯s see how you will escape the other days.¡± He smirked and let go of her. Li Hua fiddled with the towel in her hand and stood straight. L¨®ng Wei turned back to face the mirror and smiled upon seeing the horrified expression on her face.


    Li Hua blotted his hair with the towel for the second time and put it away. She picked theb and brushed his hair. She made a hair bun of his hair, keeping some hair strands loose. Putting the knot holder on the bun, she used a gold hairpin to keep it in its ce.


    L¨®ng Wei stood up and came near her.


    ¡°You look pretty today,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°You always look, but today the glow is more,¡± he said and brought his hand to her right cheek. He caressed it for a while, before bringing his hand down. ¡°I am still hurt because of yesterday¡¯s incident. Let¡¯s go. Father will announce our marriage today,¡± he stated and walked past her.


    They reached the greeting hall, and Li Hua stood behind the seat on which L¨®ng Wei was seated. It was the first time L¨®ng Wei had arrived earlier than expected.


    Mingquan reached the chamber and was astonished to see the Sixth Princee on time in the hall. ¡°Good morning, Sixth Brother,¡± Mingquan greeted him. ¡°Are you good?¡± He asked worriedly.


    Li Hua looked at L¨®ng Wei, who didn¡¯t respond to Mingquan¡¯s morning greetings. That was so rude of him.


    The other Princes and Princesses also arrived, who were shocked to see L¨®ng Wei. They took their respective seats. Jingfei didn¡¯t like the presence of Li Hua.


    ¡°The sun rose from the west today, I believe,¡± Qiu Mu remarked and looked at Tianjie, who smiled.


    Xiaoming looked at Li Hua, who was standing behind L¨®ng Wei. He found L¨®ng Wei was ring at him. Probably because he was checking out Li Hua.


    ¡°Crown Prince, you didn¡¯t ask your younger brother how he is doing,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, with a stern tone.


    ¡°He seems well. The floggings hardly left any effect on him,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°It seems that the Elder Prince wanted me to be in bed for many days,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°He didn¡¯t even congratte me. I am still waiting for his wishes,¡± he said and looked at the ring on his pointer finger.


    The Princes wondered what L¨®ng Wei would probably be saying.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to congratte the Sixth Prince. Because our Royal Father may change his decision,¡± Xiaoming said, beaming at him.


    Li Hua, for a brief moment, gazed towards Xiaoming. Before anyone¡¯s notice, she lowered her eyes. What did the Crown Prince mean by that statement?


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°Unfortunately, that will not happen,¡± he nced at Xiaoming, ¡°not even in the Crown Prince¡¯s worst nightmare.¡±


    ¡°What kind of conversation is going on between the eldest brother and the youngest one?¡± Qiu Mu asked as their conversation puzzled him, including the others.


    Before Xiaoming could answer, the King and the Queen entered the greeting hall. Everyone got up and bowed their heads.


    Qiu Zedong and Zhu Liling took their seats on the throne. ¡°I am surprised to see Prince L¨®ng Wei in the hall on time,¡± Qiu Zedong said, with a smile.


    ¡°Li Hua woke me up earlier, Royal Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei admitted.


    Qiu Zedong passed a smile to him and asked everyone to sit. The tea server served the tea to the King and the Queen first. Later, she served tea to other Princes and Princesses.


    Qiu Zedong sipped the tea and put it back on the table. ¡°I was informed about the incident in the Servants¡¯ Dining Hall,¡± Qiu Zedong said as he looked in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s direction.


    ¡°I killed a servant because he pped Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°You killed a servant?¡± Qiu Mu was shocked to hear it.


    ¡°When the Royal Father has already punished me, the matter ended at that instant. The servant did wrong by hitting my person,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Why did the Sixth Prince kill the other servants, who were quiet and only present in the hall?¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s voice sounded furious.


    Li Hua looked at L¨®ng Wei with skepticism. When did he do that? He told her that he would spare the others.


    ¡°I did not kill them, Royal Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and looked at Xiaoming, whose gaze had fixed on him.

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43: For my Benefits


    ¡°I did not kill them, Royal Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and looked at Xiaoming, whose gaze had fixed on him.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei threatened the servants that he would also kill them for witnessing the wrong they did to Li Hua,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    ¡°Does His Majesty have proof regarding their mass murder?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    Senior Court Lady Chu walked in and bowed before the King. She gave testimony against L¨®ng Wei. ¡°His Highness did say those words, Your Majesty.¡± Li Hua wondered if L¨®ng Wei killed Ju Lin, as well and wondered why Sister Jia didn¡¯t inform her in the morning.


    ¡°There lies a difference between action and words,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°I didn¡¯t kill anyone except that maidservant, who hit Li Hua,¡± he epted.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei killed so many innocent servants just for Li Hua. The Royal Father shall rethink his decision to marry them,¡± Xiaoming finally said. ¡°I believe that Brother L¨®ng Wei should be considerate of others¡¯ lives as well. If the servant did wrong, then he must have informed either father or me. He must not takew in his hands,¡± Xiaoming pronounced.


    Li Hua gulped because the entire matter once again revolved around her.


    .....


    ¡°How many servants are found dead?¡± Zhang Xi asked curiously.


    ¡°Thirty servants,¡± Xiaoming answered and looked towards Li Hua. ¡°The biggest proof is Li Hua herself. She can verify if the Sixth Brother was in his chamberst night or not,¡± he suggested.


    Everyone looked at Li Hua, who did not know what to answer.


    ¡°Come forward,¡± Qiu Zedong told her.


    Li Hua acted upon the King¡¯smand. ¡°Where was the Sixth Princest night?¡± Qiu Zedong asked her.


    Li Hua had fallen asleep the previous night, so she had no idea whether L¨®ng Wei had walked out in the middle of the night or not. She was in a dilemma about how to answer it.


    ¡°Li Hua, speak the truth only. A servant had seen Prince L¨®ng Wei leaving his manor in the mid-night,¡± Xiaoming said in his humble tone. Li Hua was shocked to hear him. L¨®ng Wei left in the night to kill them. But in the morning... Wait! He was feeling sleepy in the morning.


    ¡°Li Hua¡¯s silence clearly shows that the Sixth Prince had gone outside in the mid-night,¡± Zhu Liling said and nced at the King. ¡°His Majesty has already inquired from the servants in this matter. Prince L¨®ng Wei was seen outside his manor, thatat the same time, the servants got murdered,¡± she asserted.


    Li Hua had nothing more to say.


    ¡°It seems the Sixth Prince has turned crazier after the Royal Father agreed to his marriage with Li Hua. First, he fought with me, then he harmed Sister Jingfei, andtely, he killed these servants. I used to defend my youngest brother in every possible situation. However, today I cannot defend him. The Royal Father must send the Sixth Brother to the Cold Pce for at least a year,¡± Xiaoming demanded the punishment for L¨®ng Wei.


    Qiu Mu was astonished to hear Xiaoming. A smile appeared on his lips and he nced at Tianjie and Zhang Xi.


    ¡°Royal Father, I am also scared of the Sixth Brother. He already once tried to kill me. What if he kills me just because I tried to reprimand the acts of a pce maid,¡± Jingfei requested Qiu Zedong and looked at Li Hua, who was at the center of the hall.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. Like all the time, he was alone. Everyone wanted him to be away. But it didn¡¯t upset him. He had pledged to himself that he would never leave the imperial pce.


    ¡°Your Majesty, the Sixth Prince didn¡¯t kill any of the servants except Senior Sister Nuo,¡± Li Hua pronounced, astonishing everyone in the hall, including L¨®ng Wei. He thought he did not believe him that was she kept quiet.


    ¡°A servant will definitely praise his master. Moreover, they both are supposed to marry, so she will be benefited the most. If the Sixth Brother goes to the Cold Pce, then this marriage will no longer happen,¡± Qiu Mu affirmed and looked toward Qiu Zedong. ¡°Father shall not believe the words of a pce maid.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, I am not defending the Sixth Prince for my benefits. Everyone knows the Sixth Prince¡¯s nature. I will be considered a fool to ept this marriage. However, I will tell the truth, only. I didn¡¯t see His Highness leaving the chamber,¡± Li Hua pronounced.


    The King was amazed to see that again Li Hua stood for his son. He knew that if his son would have killed so many servants, then he had admitted his crimes.


    L¨®ng Wei rose to his feet and came to the center of the hall.


    ¡°Royal Father, I left the chamber in the middle of the night,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua promptly turned her head. She gaped at him in bewilderment and then downcasted her eyes. Why?


    Xiaoming smiled a little when L¨®ng Wei epted the truth.


    ¡°I happened to leave the chamber at exactly the same time when those thirty servants were killed in the servants¡¯ quarters.¡± Li Hua¡¯s head spun upon hearing his confession. But for some reason, she wasn¡¯t ready to believe that he lied to her.


    ¡°However, I didn¡¯t kill them,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and tilted his head to look at Li Hua, ¡°because I told Li Hua that I would spare those servants¡¯ lives if she would let me kill the one, who insulted her.¡±


    He looked back at the King and said, ¡°Fortunately, I have solid evidence that I didn¡¯t kill those servants. If His Majesty allows, then I would like to present my evidence,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, with a confident tone.


    Xiaoming wondered what the evidence could be!


    ¡°The Sixth Prince is allowed to do so,¡± the King allowed him to present the evidence.


    L¨®ng Wei bowed and walked out of the hall. After a while, he came with two unknown people inside. One of them was dressed in ck robes, and the other person was Monk Yuze.

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44: I must take what is Mine!


    The man dressed in ck robes had bruises on his face. The King asked about him from L¨®ng Wei and also inquired about Monk Yuze.


    ¡°Your Majesty, this man murdered those servants in their sleep. Prince L¨®ng Wei chased him uphill, where I reside. I ended up catching him along with the Sixth Prince,¡± Monk Yuze said.


    Tianjie raised doubts. ¡°How will we believe it? Who knows Brother L¨®ng Wei hired someone to escape this,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I agree with Brother Tianjie¡¯s words,¡± Zhang Xi supported the argument of Tianjie.


    L¨®ng Wei raised his hand and showed them the royal seal that he had retrieved from the man. ¡°Now, everyone can believe me. This royal seal belongs to the royal family. Except for me, everyone possesses it. I didn¡¯t take back my seal after returning from the Cold Pce. Eunuch Gao Bing still has my seal,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and smiled.


    Qiu Mu stood up and walked to L¨®ng Wei. He snatched the royal seal from him and checked it. Turning towards Qiu Zedong, he said, ¡°It¡¯s indeed of the royal family.¡±


    ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing, do you have the royal seal of Brother L¨®ng Wei?¡± Qiu Zedong asked to confirm.


    .....


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. It is with me. I forgot to return it to the Sixth Prince and neither His Highness asked about it,¡± Gao Bing answered.


    ¡°Royal Father, someone from the family wants me to leave this pce. I wonder, who could be this ruthless to kill so many servants.¡± L¨®ng Wei nced at everyone and finallynded his gaze on Xiaoming.


    ¡°Everyone must show their seals,¡± Xiaoming suggested and turned his head to look at Qiu Zedong. ¡°If the Royal Father allows, then may I ask for the seal that the Sixth Prince possesses,¡± Xiaoming requested humbly.


    Qiu Zedong gestured to Gao Bing to bring the royal seal that L¨®ng Wei possessed, who left the hall.


    The Princes and the Princesses showed their seals to the King. Gao Bing had also returned with the seal and showed it to Qiu Zedong, who examined every seal.


    ¡°Who gave you this seal?¡± Qiu Zedong asked the man, whom L¨®ng Wei had captured.


    ¡°I do not know, Your Majesty. I was given the order and the seal to enter the Pce without any suspicion,¡± the man answered and pleaded to spare his life.


    ¡°Every Prince and every Princess wants me to stay in the Cold Pce. Is this the work of all of them?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned skeptically.


    ¡°The Prince shall not think this way. No one wants him to leave,¡± Zhu Liling answered softly.


    L¨®ng Wei snickered. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it, Royal Mother. I need justice this time. Every time, I get punished for the wrong I did. Today, I was doubted by everyone for the mistake I never made,¡± he said.


    ¡°A thorough investigation will be made on this,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. ¡°Till then this man is imprisoned. Prince Qiu Mu will look into it,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Father, I have a request to make,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Everyone was curious about what L¨®ng Wei had to say.


    ¡°You are allowed to make,¡± Qiu Zedong permitted him.


    ¡°I want His Majesty to give me the authority in the Pce matters and also in the Kingdom¡¯s matters. I want to investigate this matter myself,¡± L¨®ng Wei made the request to his father.


    Xiaoming widened his eyes as he didn¡¯t expect it to happen. Firstly, he was surprised that L¨®ng Wei caught the man that he had hired. Secondly, he was frightened. If L¨®ng Wei got the slightest power, everything might ruin.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince cannot ask for any power. If he is granted any such power, then he might abuse it,¡± Qiu Mu objected to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s request.


    ¡°I also feel that the Youngest Prince still needs to work on himself,¡± Zhu Liling advised the King.


    ¡°The Second Prince is the one, who abuses power. If he wants, then I can tell everyone what he has been doing with the position of being the General,¡± L¨®ng Wei mocked Qiu Mu. The Second Prince felt humiliated and gulped the anger that had built inside him.


    ¡°Everyoneined to the Royal Father that I only trouble people around me. Now, I want to work for them, so everyone is opposing me. I don¡¯t understand what this family wants from me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and let out a sigh.


    ¡°Today¡¯s incident made me realize that I must not keep ying and kill my time doing nothing. I must take what is mine!¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced while boring his gaze at Xiaoming.


    Monk Yuze smiled and stepped forward, holding his stick. ¡°Your Majesty, it seems the Sixth Prince has realized his duties as a Prince,¡± Monk Yuze said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that Father shall grant any such power to Brother L¨®ng Wei. He will keep troubling others,¡± Tianjie opined.


    ¡°Or I may bring those realities out, which our Father is unaware of! You all wanted me to work for the Kingdom and stop being selfish. I am ready to do it,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, shutting Tianjie¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°I also want the Sixth Prince to realize his duties as a Prince. I am d that he is finally ready to serve the Kingdom. I grant him equal power as the other ones, lower than the Crown Prince¡¯s power and the Second Prince¡¯s power,¡± Qiu Zedong announced his decision.


    L¨®ng Wei lifted his hands to the level of his shoulders and bowed his head. ¡°Thank you, Royal Father. I will not disappoint him,¡± L¨®ng Wei assured him and lifted his head.


    ¡°Royal Father, what about my marriage?¡± He asked curiously.


    ¡°I have prepared the royal decree. I announce your marriage to Li Hua. You both will be married after two days. Li Hua will stay in another chamber for these two days,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a smile. He was delighted to see how his son tackled the situation. He was d that Li Hua, unlike other people, didn¡¯t leave his son¡¯s side. He nced at Monk Yuze and realized that he had made a good decision.


    ¡°Thank you, Royal Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a victorious smile.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince cannot see his bride for two days. Court Lady Hong, please take Li Hua to the chamber prepared for her,¡± Zhu Liling stated. Court Lady Hong came forward and asked Li Hua to follow her.


    Li Hua bowed before the King and the Queen. She turned to leave when L¨®ng Wei whispered, ¡°I wille to see you.¡± She narrowly gazed at him and found him smirking. She gulped and quickly left the chamber.


    Oppositely, Xiaoming clenched his fists. He failed to stop this marriage. But how did L¨®ng Wei find out all this? Fortunately, he prepared another royal seal for himself. So, he didn¡¯t get caught today, else it would be an end for him.


    ~~~~~~


    Thank you for 4 Golden Ticket s. Hopefully, the story will get more tickets.


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 45

    45 Can I taste them?


    After the royal family had their tea together, everyone left for their respective manors. Though, L¨®ng Wei had stopped Xiaoming from leaving the hall.


    ¡°Why did the Crown Prince do it?¡± The disastrous look on his face showed that he would kill Xiaoming right at that moment.


    ¡°I did nothing,¡± Xiaoming refused inly. ¡°If the Sixth Prince doesn¡¯t have anything to ask, then he shall excuse himself,¡± he said, with a stern tone.


    ¡°I have many things to ask. But I know that the Crown Prince will never answer me. I told him not to awaken my beast. Now, I have gained the authority as the other princes. Soon, I will gain more power than the Crown Prince. Hopefully, he will stop troubling me by then.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words seemed threatening.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince can gain as much power as he wants,¡± Xiaoming said and patted his shoulder before leaving the hall.


    L¨®ng Wei left the hall to check on Li Hua. He wanted to exin to her. He didn¡¯t kill anyone, and he also wanted to thank her for standing for him. He knew that Li Hua might have believed that he had killed the servants and broken her trust because of his past acts.


    However, he found Eunuch Gao Bing in the corridor, waiting for him. ¡°Here,¡± Gao Bing forwarded the royal seal to L¨®ng Wei, ¡°His Highness shall keep it safe.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei put the royal seal inside the pocket of his dress and walked ahead.


    .....


    ¡°Today His Highness looked marvelous,¡± Gao Bing said as he followed him. ¡°His Majesty was not in a good mood when he found out that thirty servants were found dead,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Why are you good to me?¡± L¨®ng Wei halted at his ce and tilted his head to look at him. ¡°My question should be, why are you praising me?¡± He asked with skepticism.


    ¡°I am His Highness¡¯s well-wisher,¡± Gao Bing said. L¨®ng Wei burst outughing and told him not to tell a lie about it.


    ¡°No. You are scared of me. You think I may reveal your secrets someday to my father. Then, my father will kick you out,¡± L¨®ng Wei corrected him. He noticed the horrified and bewildered expressions on Gao Bing¡¯s face. It made him smile, and he walked ahead.


    It took him fifteen minutes to find the chamber, where Li Hua would reside for two days. He stepped forward to walk inside when the maidservant stopped him. ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness, but you cannot see Miss Li Hua for two days.¡± She quickly got on her knees to plead with him, ¡°I will be punished if His Highness defies the order of the Queen.¡±


    ¡°No one will inform the Queen,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and told her to open the doors. More than the Queen, the maidservant was scared of L¨®ng Wei. She rose to her feet and opened the doors for him. L¨®ng Wei walked in with a broad smile on his lips.


    He saw Li Hua was on the chaise, fiddling with her fingers. L¨®ng Wei found that the Court Lady that the Queen sent with Li Hua was not in the chamber. He stepped back and went towards the door to lock it from inside. Once he was done, he went back to see Li Hua.


    ¡°Why are you nervous?¡±


    Upon hearing L¨®ng Wei¡¯s voice, Li Hua jumped from her ce. She swiftly stood up and bowed.


    L¨®ng Wei stopped in front of her. His hands were still behind his back.


    ¡°Why is His Highness here? Her Majesty has given the clear instructions that he cannot,¡± she paused when L¨®ng Wei drew her close with his right arm wrapped around her waist, ¡°see me,¡± shepleted her words in a low voice. Her hand rested on his arm while the other one, remained in its ce.


    ¡°Do you not want answers from me regarding the unprecedented murders?¡± He arched his brow.


    ¡°Will His Highness answer me?¡± She was sanguine that he would tell her the exact reason. ¡°How did His Highness find all that?¡± she was astonished to see what happened in the Greeting Hall.


    ¡°Li Hua, why did you stand for me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°I-I,¡± her eyelids flickered as she tried to think what to answer.


    ¡°Is it too tough to be truthful with your future husband?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired from her. ¡°Tell me what did you feel at that moment. Everyone was against me. You should have also believed that I killed them, but you shocked me. I won¡¯t deny that I never killed anyone. It was an easy escape for you since you have a lover. Why did you take my stand?¡± He bored his gaze at her.


    Indeed, it was the best chance to escape that marriage, but she didn¡¯t. Because everyone wasn¡¯t aware of his caring side. Also, she wanted to repay what he did for her. He saved her thrice, andst night¡¯s incident had somewhere made her feel secure around him.


    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t see him leaving the chamber. Also, I trusted his words when he said he would spare everyone,¡± Li Hua gave a simple exnation.


    ¡°Li Hua, thank you.¡± L¨®ng Wei smiled. Those eyes seemed to hurt as if they remembered something painful.


    ¡°In the Pce, no one wants me to stay back because of my mischievous, and sometimes, cunning acts. I have been to the cold pce many times. That is why I left in the middle of the night to check if everything was safe because I knew my enemy would use my words against me. Luckily, I caught the murderer.¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t go into many details and briefed her.


    ¡°That¡¯s why His Highness was feeling sleepy in the morning,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Hmm. I ran miles of distance to catch him. He had left the pce earlier. He ended up making a mistake and used the route of uphill where Yuze resides,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Li Hua found that Monk Yuze was the only well-wisher of L¨®ng Wei in the pce.


    ¡°His Highness shall address Monk Yuze respectfully,¡± she reprimanded him. L¨®ng Wei chuckled and shook his head.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes lingered on her lips. ¡°Can I taste them?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Your lips. I want to feel the taste of your lips,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Li Hua shook her head.


    ¡°But we have already kissed,¡± he reminded her, ¡°once.¡±


    ¡°That was an ident, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua promptly replied. She asked him to let her go, but his grip tightened around her.


    ¡°Fine. I understood,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and quickly left a peck on her cheek.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± She hit him in the arm and bit her lips. ¡°That¡¯s not allowed. We cannot do such things. Let¡¯s make some rules before moving forward with this marriage,¡± Li Hua pronounced.

 Chapter 46

    46 Kissing me Willingly


    Li Hua put forward a condition about making rules. If she would not make it now, then L¨®ng Wei would keep doing that. She had to maintain a good distance from him while being in the marriage.


    ¡°Fine. But you won¡¯t ask me not to touch you. That rule will not exist between us,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°Also, we will sleep together, so any such rule if you want to make, then that¡¯s not possible,¡± he said with a smirk. No way she could escape him.


    Li Hua¡¯s jaw dropped down. Those two rules were most important. If they would not exist, then there¡¯s no point in making any rule.


    ¡°Why are you not speaking?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her.


    Li Hua looked at him with an upset look. ¡°His Highness shall know that I wanted those two rules to be most followed in this marriage,¡± she replied.


    ¡°You don¡¯t hate it when I get affectionate,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Li Hua curled her fingers and, with inquisitiveness, gazed into his eyes.


    ¡°I do not like it either,¡± Li Hua answered, ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Why? Don¡¯t tell me you cannot betray your lover! You already did. You agreed to this marriage. Do you think I will ever let you go?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her.


    Li Hua was agonized listening to his words. He was right that Feng Lao would never forgive her if they ever met in the afterlife. But it was all for him. She had to find the truth, and it was the only remaining way.


    .....


    ¡°Your silence tells me two things: either your love is one-sided, or the man who you love is dead.¡± Li Hua gaped at him as tears filled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t stick to the past. Your present and future are me. So, keep your focus on me,¡± L¨®ng Wei advised her.


    ¡°Do you genuinely not like it when I get affectionate to you? Last night it was different. You cried your heart out, and it felt like you always wanted a shoulder, but you never got one. In my arms, you feel safer. Around me, you feel good. The earlier you will realize it, the better it will be.¡± L¨®ng Wei furrowed his brows together. He knew it was too early for Li Hua to believe his words, but he would keep making effort to win her heart and her soul.


    Suddenly a knock urred on the door, and they both heard Court Lady Hong¡¯s voice. Li Hua asked L¨®ng Wei if he locked the door.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± She rolled her eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone toe in when we are into such an important conversation,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and grinned.


    ¡°Miss Hua, why is the door locked? Please open it.¡± This time, Court Lady Hong said aloud. She wondered if Li Hua fell asleep and if she was unable to hear her.


    ¡°Your Highness, leave me. I need to open the door,¡± Li Hua urged him.


    ¡°If she sees us together, she may take another meaning.¡± The smile never faded from his lips, and it troubled Li Hua. ¡°Fine. I will let you go if you kiss me on the cheek,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, ¡°else, let Court Lady Hong shout. It will be fun if she sees that you and I are so eager to be each other¡¯s.¡±


    Li Hua fell out of words. How could he say such things? But did she have any choice? An idea clicked in her mind and she agreed to kiss him.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled back his arm and leaned down to reach the level of her face. He tilted his face to show her his right cheek. ¡°Kiss here,¡± he pointed at his cheek.


    Li Hua carefully took a step back and asked L¨®ng Wei to close his eyes.


    ¡°Why? I have to witness it,¡± L¨®ng Wei refused to close his eyes. They both heard how Court Lady Hong talked about breaking the door. ¡°Do it quickly before the door is broken,¡± he stated.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am telling His Highness to close his eyes,¡± Li Hua requested again. L¨®ng Wei closed his eyes. Li Hua moved her hand in front of his eyes and got the opportunity to run away from his sight. She lifted her skirt and ran towards the door.


    She held the woodentch and lifted it to open the door when L¨®ng Wei caught her wrist. The next moment she got swirled and pinned to the door behind her.


    Court Lady Hong and the maidservant wondered why the door made such a sound. They saw the shade of Li Hua and wondered why she was on the door with her back.


    ¡°Miss Hua, what happened? Please open the door,¡± Court Lady Hong stated.


    Li Hua twisted her wrists in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s grip. ¡°How dare you fool me? Now this door won¡¯t open unless you kiss me on my lips,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. He changed his condition the moment she tried to escape from him without fulfilling his earlier wish.


    ¡°Your Highness, please let me go. It will not be good if the Queen finds out that His Highness came to see me,¡± Li Hua tried to manipte him.


    ¡°If you kiss me, then I will leave. The more time you take, the moreplex it will be,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He took another step toward her and felt her breath that fanned against his lower lip.


    ¡°Can we not agree to the kiss o-on the cheek?¡± Li Hua looked at his right cheek and shook his head.


    ¡°Please,¡± she urged.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with kissing on the lips?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked, keeping his voice low. ¡°You should not have angered me,¡± he added. He understood she would not kiss him this easily. So, he agreed to let her kiss his cheek.


    ¡°I won¡¯t close my eyes this time,¡± he said. Li Hua hummed and tiptoed. She pecked on his cheek and immediately leaned back.


    ¡°Done,¡± she said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even feel it. You only brushed your lips. You need to kiss my cheek.¡± L¨®ng Wei was dissatisfied with the kiss that she gave.


    Li Hua took a deep breath and again leaned forward to kiss him. Her lips almost touched his right cheek when L¨®ng Wei tilted his head, and their lips connected.


    Li Hua widened her eyes in shock while L¨®ng Wei smiled. ¡°Thank you for kissing me willingly.¡± His grip on her hands loosened, and he kept stepping backward.


    Waving at her, he said, ¡°Have your breakfast. I will see youter.¡± He turned his back to her and went towards the window. He jumped out of it. On the other hand, Li Hua stood in shock at her ce.

 Chapter 47

    47 Second Name of Trouble


    ¡°Does His Majesty believe me now? The Youngest Prince is no lesser than the other ones. He only needs time to get onto his destined path,¡± Monk Yuze stated. ¡°But it is amusing to see that someone from the family tried to send Prince L¨®ng Wei to the Cold Pce,¡± he said with skepticism.


    Both Qiu Zedong and Yuze were on the pavilion of the King¡¯s Quarters, surrounded by ake.


    ¡°Monk Yuze, I also found it strange. I used to think only L¨®ng Wei could kill anyone mercilessly. But this mass murder was something unusual,¡± Qiu Zedong stated and his brows furrowed.


    ¡°That¡¯s why the Sixth Prince asked for the authorization from His Majesty. When the King suspended his power being the Prince, he did not feel any particr emotion. He was never interested to have even power or authority as a Prince. However, today the spark inside him was different.¡±


    Qiu Zedong hummed. He liked that his son was ready to serve everyone around him. Was it because of Li Hua? For a second, the King could only think of her. L¨®ng Wei would have never thought of bing serious if it was not for Li Hua. The girl was different indeed.


    ¡°Why is the King smiling?¡± Monk Yuze was curious to know.


    ¡°I have never thought that L¨®ng Wei would ever be asked me to give him the authority back. It has been five years, but he never once asked until today. Li Hua must be important to him. The girl did the work which no one was able to do,¡± Qiu Zedong remarked and chuckled in astonishment.


    ¡°When destiny ys its game, the oue is indeed full of surprise,¡± Monk Yuze stated and looked at theke. ¡°It takes two years to grow a lotus from seed to a flower. Prince L¨®ng Wei will also take time to grow and will bloom into a beautiful flower,¡± asserted Yuze. Qiu Zedong agreed with his words. The King¡¯s faith in L¨®ng Wei had suddenly built after today¡¯s incident.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I will be out for a few weeks from the Kingdom,¡± Monk Yuze informed the King.


    .....


    ¡°Why, Monk Yuze?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°I need to visit the shrine, Your Majesty. At this time of year, I usually go to the shrine,¡± Monk Yuze reminded the King.


    ¡°Ah, forgive me for not remembering it. I think I am getting old. My memory isn¡¯t sharp anymore as it used to be, Monk Yuze,¡± Qiu Zedong said with an apologetic look. ¡°I will miss Monk Yuze¡¯s presence in the Pce. I wonder if my son will remain in control or not.¡±


    Qiu Zedong again expressed his concern toward L¨®ng Wei. Usually, around Yuze, L¨®ng Wei used to stay quiet. One reason was that Yuze had looked after L¨®ng Wei since he was a child.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Li Hua will end your worries. The girl will definitely change your son. Prince L¨®ng Wei will not create any more trouble because his soon-to-be wife will be affected the most by his actions. Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s affection for Li Hua will never let him do something that can separate them.¡± Monk Yuze assured Qiu Zedong, who was relieved to hear him.


    Far from the pavilion, Tianjie and Zhang Xi looked at their father, who was with Monk Yuze.


    ¡°What does the Third Brother think that those two are talking about?¡± Zhang Xi looked at Tianjie, who had a scroll in his hand. ¡°Is it about L¨®ng Wei?¡± He arched his brow.


    ¡°Yuze always talks about the Sixth Brother. Yuze is the one, who prevents L¨®ng Wei from getting punished. He always reminds our father about that rubbish prophecy,¡± Tianjie said as his jaw clenched and his grip around the scroll tightened.


    ¡°A Dragon is a holy symbol. Its association with a person like L¨®ng Wei is in itself a sinful act. His mother had also disowned him even after that prophecy, then what can we expect from the others,¡± Tianjie chuckled as he mocked the prophecy.


    ¡°It seems Monk Yuze wants to make an important position of himself,¡± Zhang Xi pronounced. Tianjie hummed and lifted his hand which was holding the scroll.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get the approval of this new work from the Royal Father. At the moment, it is more important,¡± Tianjie suggested to him and they walked towards the pavilion.


    Gao Bing stopped the two Princes and politely apologized to them.


    ¡°Forgive me, Prince Tianjie, Prince Zhang Xi for stopping you two from going further ahead. His Majesty has given the clear instructions that no one shalle to the pavilion.¡± Gao Bing kept his head low.


    Tianjie looked at Zhang Xi and the two left the King¡¯s manor. As they entered the main corridor of the pce, they both got frightened when an arrow passed across them and hit therge wooden pir beside them.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this shooting the arrows in the pce?¡± Tianjie shouted and saw L¨®ng Wei, who was on the left side of the corridor. He came to them and took out the arrow from the pir.


    ¡°When did you learn it?¡± Zhang Xi asked him.


    ¡°Why shall I tell the Fifth Prince?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him and looked at the scroll in Tianjie¡¯s hand.


    ¡°So, the Third Brother will ask the Royal Father to allow the construction of the new bureau office. It is a nice way to embezzle the funds of the Kingdom¡¯s treasury,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and grinned.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei shall not trouble us,¡± Tianjie said.


    ¡°I am the second name of Trouble,¡± L¨®ng Wei smirked, ¡°how could the Third Prince forget about it?¡±


    ¡°Earlier, Brother L¨®ng Wei made big promises in front of the Royal Father. Now, he is again into his old annoying tricks to annoy others,¡± Tianjie affirmed.


    ¡°Third Prince, if I want,¡± L¨®ng Wei took further steps towards Tianjie and halted in front of him, ¡°I can bring his hidden work for the people out. Royal Father will surely love to see his great works.¡±


    Zhang Xi gulped and looked at Tianjie. L¨®ng Wei bore his gaze at Tianjie and after a while, stepped back, wearing a broad smile on his lips. ¡°Sadly, I am busy with other work. I want to find out, who was so desperate among the Princes, who hired an assassin to kill 30 innocent servants,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and stepped aside. ¡°Please go-ahead toplete your evil works.¡± He taunted them and walked away.


    ¡°How did he find out?¡± Tianjie asked.


    ¡°How would I know, Third Brother?¡± Zhang Xi was himself confused.


    ¡°He looks like a hungry lion, who is left open in the forest after days,¡± Tianjie stated and knitted his brows together.


    ~~~~~~


    Li Hua lifted her hand, and her fingers touched her lips. A tingle ran across her spine as she recalled the kiss that she gave to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°He is clever,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°Who is clever, Miss Hua?¡± Court Lady Hong asked her, who was standing behind her.


    Li Hua lifted her head and looked at the mirror to see Court Lady Hong¡¯s reflection. ¡°No one,¡± she replied and looked at how the maidservant was applying hair oil to her roots. After two days, she had to marry L¨®ng Wei, and the preparation had started already.


    The exquisite hair oil which only royals used was given by the Queen to her. The hair was considered the most important beauty symbol of any woman. To make the hair softer and scented such an exquisite oil was applied to her hair.


    When she was the young miss in Xu Family, her personal attendant, Zhi Hui used to give her a massage oil. She missed it badly today. Her dead body shed in front of her eyes, and Li Hua closed her eyes in fear. Her breathing suddenly became ragged, and she asked the maidservant to stop.


    ¡°What happened, Miss Hua?¡± Court Lady Hong asked her.


    ¡°It¡¯s enough,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°I am allergic to the scented oil.¡± She made an excuse because that massage made her recall Zhu Hui.


    Court Lady Hong gestured to the maidservant to stop. ¡°Miss Hua should have told me earlier. After two hours, she has to wash the hair,¡± Court Lady Hong stated. Li Hua nodded her head and felt that her vision was getting blurrier. She shook her head and fiddled with her fingers.


    ¡°I need water,¡± Li Hua mumbled and stood up. She looked for the water jar. Court Lady Hong told her that she would give her water, but Li Hua didn¡¯t listen to her. She was unable to walk straight and somehow reached the table.


    With a trembling hand, she poured the water into the ss and drank it. Some of the water fell onto her clothes and before she could put the ss down, it fell off her head.


    The falling sound of ss made her shut her ears with her palms. ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± She screamed because she started to hear the screams of the men and women.


    ¡°Miss Hua! Miss Hua!¡± Court Lady Hong ran to her when Li Hua fell to the floor.

 Chapter 48

    48 A Lesson


    ¡°What happened, Physician Peng? Why did Li Hua faint?¡± Court Lady Hong asked as Peng Yuxian examined Li Hua.


    ¡°I am unable to understand the cause, Lady Hong,¡± Peng Yuxian replied, who put Li Hua¡¯s hand down and pulled the long sleeve down.


    ¡°Miss Hua asked for the water and then she screamed,¡± Court Lady Hong again briefed. Peng Yuxian was puzzled to hear it. ¡°Ah, Miss Hua said that she is allergic to the oil. Probably because of that she fainted,¡± Court Lady Hong suggested.


    ¡°Miss Hua doesn¡¯t seem to have an allergy to oil. Her scalp would have been affected if she was allergic,¡± Peng Yuxian rified. He refuted the fact that Li Hua was allergic to the hair oil used.


    ¡°Then, what could be the reason, Physician Peng?¡± Court Lady Hong questioned with a concerned expression.


    ¡°It can be found only after Miss Hua will be awake,¡± Peng Yuxian replied. Court Lady Hong nodded and stood straight. They both waited for Li Hua to wake up, who after a while gained consciousness.


    ¡°Miss Hua, how are you feeling?¡± Peng Yuxian asked in a humble tone. Li Hua was bewildered to find herself on the bed and recollected what happened to her earlier.


    Peng Yuxian observed a thin line of frowns on Li Hua¡¯s forehead and asked about the same. ¡°What happened, Miss Hua? Lady Hong informed me that you screamed aloud before fainting,¡± Peng Yuxian tried to find the reason behind her sudden unconsciousness.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t answer him. Peng Yuxian nced at Lady Hong, who asked Li Hua to tell the Royal Physician.


    .....


    ¡°I felt weak suddenly,¡± Li Hua lied to them. ¡°I felt my head get heavy and I felt dizzy,¡± she asserted while fidgeting with her fingers.


    ¡°Alright, Miss Hua. You need to eat healthy meals and don¡¯t put any kind of pressure on yourself. You have servants in your service,¡± Peng Yuxian suggested to her. Li Hua nodded her head and apologized for troubling them. Peng Yuxian rose to his feet while picking up the bag. Court Lady Hong bowed before him, who left the chamber.


    Lady Hong handed the water ss to Li Hua, who thanked her. She sipped the water and wondered why she fainted recalling her. It happened for the first time with her.


    Lady Hong took the water ss from her and put it on the table. ¡°If Miss Hua is feeling better, then she should follow me to the bathhouse. Her hair needed to be washed,¡± she said humbly.


    ¡°I am better, Court Lady Hong,¡± Li Hua answered and got down from the bed. They both left for the bathhouse, where a few maidservants could be seen. One of them helped her in taking off the clothes. She was left in the white thin satin robes.


    Li Hua carefully lifted her one leg and itnded on the wooden surface of the bathtub. She put another leg too and settled on its one end. The rose petals were spread on the water surface and herbal essence was also mixed into the water.


    The maidservant took a section of her hair and washed them with normal water. She felt ticklish when the water hit her scalp and then traveled down her body. After that, rice water was used to remove the oil from her scalp and hair. Several orange-sized balls were used which were made of honey locust powder into the water and bubbles created in the bathtub.


    She took such a bath after a long time. Though, the products used in the Pce were much more exquisite than used in noble families. Her eyes closed automatically, and she let the maidservants help her wash.


    At that moment, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face came in front of her. She promptly opened her eyes and sighed. ¡®I need to make some rules with him, but he won¡¯t let me. I need to find a way so that he will agree with me,¡¯ she thought.


    ~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei crossed the main pce ground to go to the barracks when he encountered Mingquan, who had returned after practicing with his sword. Mingquan passed a tiny smile to him, but L¨®ng Wei ignored him and walked ahead.


    ¡°Sixth Brother is still angry,¡± Mingquan mumbled and walked ahead to his manor.


    L¨®ng Wei entered the barracks gate and asked one of the soldiers to take him to the prison where the man was taken in the morning.


    ¡°General Qiu Mu is the one who will investigate the matter. He has been told that no one can go to prison without his permission,¡± the soldier informed L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Tell your General to stop resting and do some work. The King has permitted me to interrogate the man. After all, I am the one who caught him. Take me to the prison, else I will drag you to the King,¡± L¨®ng Wei threatened him. The soldier found himself tongue-tied and took the Sixth Prince with him.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± the son of the first General, Hei Huang Xi, greeted L¨®ng Wei. He was the Commander in the Qiu Army. L¨®ng Wei thought to greet him and stopped at his ce.


    ¡°What is His Highness doing here?¡± Huang Xi asked with curiosity.


    ¡°I¡¯ve to interrogate someone,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    Huang Xi was astonished to hear it. ¡°I heard that the Prince again did mischief with his elder sister,¡± he stated.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°I taught her a lesson,¡± he corrected him. ¡°If you do not have any further queries, then please excuse me,¡± he said.


    Huang Xi stepped away to give the way to L¨®ng Wei to go ahead. ¡°Hopefully, the Prince will stay in the pce for a long time,¡± Huang Xi stated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This time, I won¡¯t leave,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him and soon vanished from his sight. Huang Xi decided to follow the Sixth Prince and went after him.


    L¨®ng Wei stepped into the prison. The soldier was going to close it when Huang Xi told him not to do so and stepped inside. He closed the door behind him and saw the man in ck robes was chained in shackles.


    ¡°Can you tell me where you meet the person, who ordered you to kill those thirty servants? Also, how did you recognize them? All the servants have simr dresses and it is difficult to remember the faces,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I was told that they would head to the same quarter yesterday night. That¡¯s why it wasn¡¯t difficult for me to target them,¡± the man answered. L¨®ng Wei understood that someone from the servants¡¯ quarter sent those servants to the same quarter.


    ¡°The person met me after the curfew urred near the forest. I was unable to see the face. I was given one hundred golden coins which I readily epted,¡± the man exined to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Who told you to meet in the forest?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    ¡°I got a message, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Where is it?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked for it.


    ¡°I burned it as per the instructions,¡± the man answered.


    ¡°Tell us the location of the forest where you met this unknown man,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. Please don¡¯t kill me,¡± the man rubbed his hands together, pleading with them.


    ¡°This you should have thought before killing thirty innocent servants,¡± Huang Xi affirmed.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be killed. I assure you. You did your job. Just make me reach the person who made you do this. I promise, I will save you from the King¡¯s next judgment,¡± L¨®ng Wei said in a confident tone. His words were full of assurance and it somewhere made the man trust his words.


    Huang Xi nced at the Sixth Prince, who again asked about the forest location. The man told him the route and L¨®ng Wei left the prison. Huang Xi also followed the Sixth Prince to help him in the investigation.

 Chapter 49

    49 Can break any Rule


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, what happened exactly? Could you please exin to me? I can be great help to you,¡± stated Huang Xi as the two walked on the broad cobblestone path.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone¡¯s help. Commander Hei Huang Xi shall not poke his nose in my matter,¡± L¨®ng Wei said rudely.


    Huang Xi grasped L¨®ng Wei¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Why is the Prince sulking? He must take thismander¡¯s help. I am good at investigating such crimes.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei forced a smile on his lips. ¡°Sadly, I don¡¯t have trust in this greatmander,¡± he stated and resumed the walk after yanking his arm off Huang Xi¡¯s grip. He kept walking ahead while Huang Xi followed him.


    Near the horse stable, L¨®ng Wei stopped when a maidservant appeared in front of him. She was panting and bowed before the Sixth Prince. ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to be near Li Hua for her service?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her. He had told her to stay close to Li Hua. If anything would happen, then she had to report to him as soon as possible.


    ¡°Yo-your Highness, I was with Miss Hua only. Earlier, Miss Hua screamed and fainted. So, I was searching for His Highness to inform him,¡± the maidservant answered while catching her breath.


    Huang Xi was bewildered to hear that. Before he could ask, L¨®ng Wei walked away. The maidservant followed the Sixth Prince, and the two reached the Western Pce, where Li Hua was residing.


    L¨®ng Wei entered the chamber and found Li Hua on the bed. ¡°I heard you fainted. What happened?¡± He asked as he settled on the mattress beside her. Li Hua could not even get time to sit straight on the mattress.


    Court Lady Hong was shocked to see L¨®ng Wei in the chamber. ¡°Your Highness, you are not supposed to be here.¡± She got troubled and asked him to leave. However, L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t listen to her words.


    .....


    Li Hua, who was in a half-lying position, used her elbows to lift her body. She straightened and shook her head. ¡°Nothing happened, Your Highness. You shall leave.¡± Li Hua decided not to tell him and urged him to leave the chamber.


    ¡°Why did she faint?¡± L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to look at Court Lady Hong.


    ¡°Miss Hua also refused to tell me. Physician Peng was also puzzled, Your Highness,¡± Court Lady Hong answered. ¡°His Highness shall as it is not considered a good omen to see the bride before the marriage,¡± she requested.


    L¨®ng Wei told Court Lady to leave the chamber, who didn¡¯t argue as it would only lead to the increased temper of L¨®ng Wei.


    Once the door closed, L¨®ng Wei turned to look at Li Hua, whose knees were in the air. She downcasted her eyes.


    ¡°Did you eat your breakfast?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua answered. L¨®ng Wei moved his hand towards her feet and pulled her towards him. Her legs rested on hisps while their faces came infinitesimal closer. For a second, her breath hitched. ¡°I don¡¯t want to force you to tell the truth. But if you still do not trust me, then it will hurt me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    He looked at her hair which looked shinier to him than before. He lifted his hand, and his fingers brushed her temple. ¡°Why did you scream and then faint?¡± L¨®ng Wei tucked the hair strands behind her ear.


    ¡°Your Highness, when I got the oil massage on my hair, I recalled my close friend, who is no more. I felt strange, and my breathing also became ragged. I ended up screaming,¡± Li Hua told L¨®ng Wei but didn¡¯t go into details.


    ¡°It must be tough on you since you lost so many dear ones,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and stroked his fingers in her long, silky hair. Li Hua hummed. ¡°Why did you not tell them?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I thought I would be called insane,¡± Li Hua replied.


    L¨®ng Wei was amused to hear her response. ¡°Do you want to go out with me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible, Your Highness. It is the second time you broke the rule ande here,¡± Li Hua stated and pulled her legs up when L¨®ng Wei grasped her right ankle. Her high-waist skirt pushed up, and her milky, white leg was visible. She widened her eyes and reached her hand to push it down before L¨®ng Wei would see it.


    ¡°For you, I can break any rule thousands of times. Moreover, the Queen will be happy only if I break this rule. In her eyes, it is a bad omen to see the bride two days before the marriage day. So, it will delight her only,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°I will show you something... beautiful,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°What? I cannot go outside the pce, Your Highness. His Highness may like to break rules, but I hate it,¡± Li Hua said, with a stern tone.


    ¡°And I love to make people break the rules,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smirk, and his fingers grazed over her bare leg. Li Hua forgot to push the skirt down and gaped at him. She looked down and pped his hand. He pulled back his hand, and she quickly covered her leg, at the same time, putting her feet on the floor.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at the hand on which Li Hua pped. ¡°You have smooth skin. I wonder how long I will control myself.¡±


    Li Hua looked at him in astonishment and gulped seeing the grin on his face. Did he imagine something he should not have?!


    ¡°I am sleepy.¡± Li Hua made an excuse to make me go out.


    ¡°You never got to sleep when you worked as a servant,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°No one will find out. After our marriage, you won¡¯t be allowed to go out for days or even months. Then, you will regret it.¡± He started to convince her.


    When Li Hua did not agree, he thought of using another trick. ¡°If you refuse to go out with me, then I will stay with you all the time for two days,¡± he said with a smirk.


    Li Hua sighed, and her brows furrowed. ¡°Fine, I will go out with His Highness. But he must promise me something.¡± She put forward her condition. ¡°His Highness will not see me until the marriage day,¡± she affirmed.


    ¡°Fine,¡± L¨®ng Wei agreed immediately.


    Li Hua had not expected it. ¡°I want to make myself restless to see you in these two days. The love between us will strengthen then,¡± he, with a smile, stated.


    He rose to his feet and outstretched his hand to her. Li Hua didn¡¯t ce her hand on his palm when L¨®ng Wei bent a little and grasped her hand tightly. He pulled her up and said, ¡°This is better.¡±


    ¡°Will the people not see us? Then-¡± she paused as L¨®ng Wei put his index finger on her lips.


    ¡°Shhhh. No one will see,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and called the Court Lady Hong in. He put his hand down and turned to look at her.


    ¡°We are going out. Make sure no one finds out,¡± L¨®ng Wei instructed Lady Hong, who rebelled against his idea and asked him not to do so.


    ¡°We servants will get punished, Your Highness,¡± Lady Hong expressed her concern.


    ¡°Not until they find out that Li Hua is outside. So, do your job well,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smile and dragged Li Hua out with him.

 Chapter 50

    50 Bloom everyday in Love


    Li Hua had never been to this route on which she was with L¨®ng Wei. They both were inside the pce, but she didn¡¯t know the exact location. Her hand was still in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hold. ¡°Your Highness, who uses this route?¡± She asked. Nervous.


    ¡°No one. It has bandoned, that is why you can see how weeds have invaded this route. It has not been cleaned for months, I think,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°What if Court Lady Hong is unable to hide the truth!? They will get severely punished,¡± Li Hua again expressed her concern and halted. L¨®ng Wei, who was a step ahead of her, also stopped.


    He turned to look at her. ¡°Nothing will happen. Can¡¯t you trust me?¡± His eyebrow arched.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said and turned to leave when she felt a pull. An arm wrapped around her waist, and she got carried up.


    ¡°Eh?¡± She gazed at L¨®ng Wei in confusion as her hands-on its own, locked around his neck. ¡°Your Highness put me down,¡± she said, with a stern tone.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t carry you to put you down. Also, don¡¯t be a timid person anymore.¡± He turned and started to walk. Li Hua asked him to let her go because if someone would see them, then a problem might get created.


    ¡°The more you tell me to put you down, the tighter I will hold you,¡± he affirmed. ¡°When I said no one walks on this route, then no one does.¡± His firm tone made her keep her mouth shut. She didn¡¯t protest anymore and let L¨®ng Wei walk.


    However, she could see his face better than before. If a woman did not know his name, she would easily fall for his charm. Indeed, he had gotten good looks. She would not deny it. Suddenly, she shook her head and scolded herself for thinking that way for L¨®ng Wei.


    .....


    She almost had lowered her eyelids when they captured a ck dot that was on the left side of his neck at the center. She lifted her hand and put her pointer finger on it.


    L¨®ng Wei slowed down and nced at her, who lifted her eyes. ¡°I thought it was a ck dot. It is a mole,¡± she said and passed a tiny smile while withdrawing her hand. It again went behind his neck and locked with the other hand.


    ¡°You are not supposed to act like this openly,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness.¡± Her doe-like eyes made his heart skip a beat. ¡°I got curious,¡± she said in a low voice.


    ¡°You have no idea what you do to me. Next time, I won¡¯t hold myself,¡± he said in his deep voice. Li Hua pondered over his words and found he had resumed the walk.


    ¡°You smiled at me for the first time. I fell in love with you again,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, with a bright smile. Li Hua gaped at him and then averted her gaze. She found the route hade to an end, and now they were somewhere isted. She looked far and wide. To her surprise, the hill was more visible from this part of the pce. The top of the mountain could be seen covered in snow despite this being the summer season.


    She wondered how far that mountain was from them.


    L¨®ng Wei gently put her down. Her feetnded on the ground. Before she could adjust her high-waist skirt, L¨®ng Wei started to brush it down while being on his knees.


    He got up and asked her if she could walk well on the hill route.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Hua nodded her head.


    ¡°Is it true? Because I will carry you again if you are unable to,¡± L¨®ng Wei again asked to confirm.


    ¡°It is true,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Come,¡± he forwarded his hand and grasped her hand. The two started to walk towards the forest.


    Li Hua, who always had remained within the four walls of her house always wanted to explore the outside world. That was why she had decided that after her marriage, Feng Lao would take her on various trips. However, she was wrong. Her fate had written something else for her.


    She peered at L¨®ng Wei. ¡®I never knew that I would get to explore new things with this unknown man,¡¯ she thought. For her, L¨®ng Wei was an unknown person. His nature was still unpredictable to her. She could not trrust him either because that word left her life two months ago.


    Li Hua panted as the uphill was too nt in its height. The freshness of the air and a different sort of scent was the reason that made her keep walking. It was something unusual she had ever encountered or felt.


    ¡°Li Hua, I can carry you on my back, if you want. The ce is a little far. I am a regr on this route, so I don¡¯t get tired.¡± L¨®ng Wei showed his concern.


    ¡°I like to walk, Your Highness. I feel that I will keep visiting this ce,¡± Li Hua said, out of the blue. ¡°I mean, this ce is quiet, and I like such ces,¡± she exined.


    ¡°Indeed. It is the best ce to spend our time together, get to know each other, and fall in love,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. Li Hua would always get tongue-tied whenever he would talk about falling in love with her. She felt terrible that someday she would have to betray him, and his heart might break.


    Soon, they reached the tabrnd, where the entirend was surrounded by flowers, rare ones which Li Hua had never seen. That¡¯s why she found the scent so soothing for her mind. The flowery scent had mixed with the air and with the gentle breeze had spread the entire downhill.


    ¡°Wee to the Land of Flowers, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua tilted her head to peer into his eyes. She had many questions in her mind. If it was of the Royal Family? Were the soldiers around keeping a check? What if someone would report them.


    Before she could ask him, she got dragged along with L¨®ng Wei, who had started to run. The two ran across the flower bed, which was unknown to her. Unbeknownst to her, she started to smile while running with L¨®ng Wei, and when they reached almost the center, they stopped.


    L¨®ng Wei let go of her hand and turned to her. Standing behind her, he put his hands on her shoulder and asked her to rx. ¡°No one from the pcees here,¡± he whispered in her ear.


    ¡°Take the negative thoughts off your head and feel this happiness, Li Hua. With me, your new life has started. Like these thousands of flowers, we will bloom every day in love and spread that love in each other¡¯s life.¡± L¨®ng Wei dropped another message in her ear.

 Chapter 51

    51 She never wanted me


    Indeed, she would step into a new life after her marriage to L¨®ng Wei. His words made her skeptical if he knew something about her. He even had asked her to tell him first as only he would help her. She fiddled with her fingers, for a while, before turning to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Your Highness, I would like to ask something from you,¡± Li Hua urged.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Li Hua¡¯s inner voice stopped her. What if he did not know, and she ended up revealing something she should not have? After all, L¨®ng Wei was the son of the Qiu Family. Before she could take her revenge, he might kill her. She had seen a different side of him. No matter how strangely everyone treated him, he never once thought to get separated from them or talk of taking any sort of revenge for demeaning him.


    L¨®ng Wei snapped his fingers in front of her eyes. ¡°How long will it take you to speak?¡± He questioned.


    Li Hua walked past him and put her fingers on the flower which she saw first. It was a peony, and she softly stroked its petals. ¡°Does His Highness like peonies?¡± She changed her question.


    L¨®ng Wei turned and hummed. He walked to her and plucked one peony. Li Hua nced at him as his hands went over her head. He put it in between her hair around the hair bun.


    ¡°Peonies remind me of your face,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered as he put his hands down. ¡°So, my likeness towards them can¡¯t be described in simple words,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°His Highness likes to say cheesy lines,¡± Li Hua said and started to walk ahead. L¨®ng Wei followed her and agreed with her statement.


    .....


    ¡°But only to you. I don¡¯t speak with any other woman as I do with you,¡± he stated. ¡°Li Hua, there¡¯s a waterfall on this hill and a giantke too. Yuze lives near theke,¡± he informed her.


    ¡°Oh, Monk Yuze lives on this hill.¡± Li Hua was surprised to hear.


    ¡°Hmm. He is a Monk so he will live in the hills only. Next time, we will go to the waterfall,¡± L¨®ng Wei assured her. Li Hua halted, and so did he.


    She promptly turned to him. ¡°But earlier, His Highness said that I would not get any chance to go out of the pce once we would be married. Did His Highness trick me?¡± She inquired.


    ¡°Yes, I tricked you,¡± L¨®ng Wei readily epted, ¡°else, you would not havee. You would have been sadder thinking about yourte friend.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, did Ju Lin find dead too?¡± Li Hua recalled her. ¡°She protected me at the time, some of the fellow maidservants tried to threaten me,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°I do not know whom you are talking about. I will ask the chief head of servants quarter about it,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°I will find the culprit soon. I am not remorseful of their deaths, but I am angry that someone tried to put me at me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated as his jaw clenched. He knew that it was Xiaoming, but he would never ept it unless he found evidence against him.


    ¡°His Highness shall not use such words. He shall try to control his anger. If he was unable to catch the one, who killed them on someone¡¯s order, then today he would have been gone to the Cold Pce,¡± Li Hua said, and her brows furrowed.


    ¡°Are you concerned for me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked amusingly.


    ¡®No. I need toplete my mission, and I will need you till the end,¡¯ she thought.


    ¡°The ce is indeed lovely,¡± Li Hua changed the topic. ¡°Did His Highnesse with his mother here?¡± Usually, a child woulde to such ces with his or her mother. Her mother also used to take her to the flower garden in Xinshui town.


    Li Hua found how L¨®ng Wei¡¯s facial expressions changed to a grim ones. Then she realized that she was not supposed to talk about his mother. He killed her, and his memories with her might not be like other children.


    ¡°Forgive me for crossing my limits, Your Highness.¡± Li Hua did not dy in apologizing and lowered her eyes. She felt embarrassed to suddenly bring his mother into their conversation.


    ¡°She never wanted me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Li Hua lifted her eyelids and peered into his eyes. ¡°Yuze brought me here when I turned three. I told you that Yuze lives nearby, so I became a regr here,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. Surprisingly, he didn¡¯t get furious at Li Hua.


    Usually, he would lose his temper if someone, bring his mother into the conversation. He hated her from the bottom of his heart and still did. Probably, because of his love for Li Hua, he remained in control.


    Li Hua wondered what could be the reason that L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother never wanted him. He was her child, so there was no way she would despise him. Because it was L¨®ng Wei¡¯s personal matter, she didn¡¯t dig into it anymore.


    ¡°Your Highness, we can meet Monk Yuze. He will feel good seeing the Sixth Prince.¡± Li Hua wanted to brighten his mood, and since Yuze was close to him, he would feel better.


    ¡°I am not here to meet Yuze. I am here to spend time with you,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Li Hua was stunned to hear him. She again felt terrible for hurting and lying to him. No matter what her mind would say about him, her heart could see how protective he was of her.


    ¡°What if I never fall in love with His Highness? Will he love me the same way as he does today?¡± Li Hua ended up asking him.


    ¡°Why will you never fall in love with me? My love for you will only grow with time,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He was confident about it. There was no question that he would let her go easily.


    Li Hua could not tell him about Feng Lao, the one who sacrificed his life to save her. She could never forget the deep love that he carried for her till hisst breath. Falling in love with L¨®ng Wei was impossible for her, even if he would help her achieve her aim.


    Li Hua opened her mouth to speak when L¨®ng Wei put his index finger over her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear if it is rted to him. I am an ardent lover. You will find it soon,¡± he stated. His breath fanned her forehead. He took another step toward her, to close the distance between them.


    His hand slowly moved to one side of her neck, and he caressed it. ¡°Li Hua, you won¡¯t find a man like me, who is ready to devote himself to you. I will be better than him. It is too early for you to judge me,¡± he affirmed.


    Li Hua nodded and took a tiny backward step. She was intimidated by those words. Indeed, there was none like L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Let¡¯s sit over there,¡± Li Hua pointed towards the tree, which was a little far from them. She lifted her skirt a little and advanced towards the tree. Since they were outside and alone, she decided to converse with him about the rules that they must follow after their marriage.

 Chapter 52

    52 You won¡¯t step back


    Thank you ¡°mags98¡± for 4 Golden Tickets.


    *********


    Li Hua looked at the flowers, which were swinging along with the breeze. The beautiful sight delighted her heart. L¨®ng Wei, who seated beside her, was only gazing at her.


    ¡°Your Highness, let¡¯s talk about the rules we have to follow in this marriage,¡± Li Hua initiated the conversation and tilted her head to peer at him.


    ¡°What rules do you want to make? I already told you to exclude two things: not to ask me not to touch you, and we will sleep together,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Those are the ones, which I wanted the most to follow,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I excluded them,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and smirked. Heid down on the grassy ground and looked at the tree above him. He gazed at Li Hua, who looked troubled. He grasped her wrist and pulled her down.


    ¡°Ahh.¡± A low scream escaped her mouth as she fell over him. Her hand rested on his chest while her face hovered above his. Before she could get away, L¨®ng Wei held her hand, which was on his chest, and pulled her down.


    One side of her face rested on his chest while her wrists were in his grips. Her eyes grew big as she heard his heartbeat. It was racing, and it made her wonder if it was because of her.


    .....


    ¡°Your Highness, could you please let me go?¡± Li Hua requested.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to run away,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Li Hua assured him.


    He let go of her wrists, and she lifted her body on the support of her palms. She got away from him when L¨®ng Wei asked her to lie down. He stretched out his arm, ¡°put your head over my arm.¡±


    Li Hua stared at him for a while, before lying down, keeping a short distance between them.


    ¡°It is a pear blossom tree,¡± Li Hua said as her eyes fell on the leaves and the tiny, white flowers.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± He shifted to her, his left knee was in the air while his right leg was lying t on the ground. She narrowly gazed at him and moved a little away from him.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to touch me?¡± His question made Li Hua nce at him. ¡°I am not like those kinds of men, who like to harass women. I respect you and always be careful around you. Holding hands, hugging you, and kissing you, are all sorts of affection that I want to show you from my side. Neither I ever forced it nor will I ever in future,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted with authenticity.


    Her eyes closed when a flower petal fell over one of the eyelids. L¨®ng Wei picked the petal while she opened her eyes. His calloused pointer finger was now on her cheek, stroking it. ¡°Do you hate it?¡± He asked.


    Li Hua shook her head. ¡°But I do not like it either,¡± she replied.


    L¨®ng Wei lifted his finger from her cheek. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Li Hua answered and gulped.


    ¡°Tell me how you spend your days as an orphan? You met the olddy in the vige near Xinshui town. Then, what happened? Not everyone is kind in this world. I am surprised to see that she took you in,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Why is His Highness suddenly interested in knowing that?¡± Li Hua was perplexed.


    ¡°To know your life,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    Li Hua bit her lower lip before licking them. ¡°I missed my family. I made a few friends but eventually lost them. Grandma was indeed a kinddy to take me in.¡± Li Hua made up a story.


    ¡°What about His Highness? Did he always go to the Cold Pce after troubling others?¡± Li Hua was inquisitive.


    ¡°My childhood was good. I was sent to the Cold Pce first when I killed her,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. Li Hua was a little shocked to hear it. So, he indeed killed his mother. She found he didn¡¯t even flinch while saying such a thing.


    ¡°Then, I became a regr at the Cold Pce,¡± he said and smiled.


    ¡°Why did His Highness smile? It is not a good thing, I suppose,¡± Li Hua opined.


    ¡°The Cold Pce is in Xinshui Town which is known for its hills andkes. Though, I was the only one, who lived in the Cold Pce along with a few servants in my service,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Li Hua was shocked to hear that the Cold Pce was in Xinshui Town. Howe she never found it out? How would she? Her father and brothers never told her what happened outside. She was only allowed to go out during the day and had limitedmunication with girls from the other noble families.


    ¡°No one knows where the Cold Pce is except the people in the Imperial Pce. If I were ever sent to the cold pce, my powers as the Prince would be taken away, including the Royal Seal that I earlier took from Gao Bing,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her.


    ¡°Was His Highness allowed toe out of the Cold Pce? During the day?¡± She was interested to learn more. He might have known about what happened two months ago in Xinshui. He must be aware of her. That was why, he continuously asked her to tell him why she had entered the pce.


    ¡°Li Hua, why do I hate the Cold Pce?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Li Hua was puzzled to hear him.


    ¡°Once you enter the Cold Pce, you cannote out unless the King orders you to,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Li Hua found out that L¨®ng Wei was locked for five months in the Cold Pce, so there was no chance that he knew about the deadly incident that urred two months ago.


    ¡°What did His Highness do that he had to go to the Cold Pce for five months?¡± She curiously asked.


    ¡°I beat the Prime Minister¡¯s son and even burned a residence. Kang Xi is a close friend of my father, so the Royal Father punished me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with annoyance. ¡°I also need to teach a lesson to Kang Xi,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Your Highness, you are not supposed to beat anyone randomly for no reason,¡± Li Hua urged him.


    ¡°I beat him for a reason. He tried to kill the woman who he left pregnant,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°WHAT???¡± Li Hua was thunderstruck for a second. ¡°Then, why did His Highness get punished? Shouldn¡¯t the son of the Prime Minister be punished?¡± She was bewildered.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell because she had requested me to keep her identity hidden,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°That¡¯s not right. Your Highness, you should have told his Majesty about the wrong he did. How could he do something like this? And you got punished for no reason. His Highness could have told the Crown Prince. His Royal Highness would have helped the Sixth Prince,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Li Hua, I get irked when you praise the Crown Prince in front of me. Do not do it again. Kang Huijuan would have inly refused that he ever knew that woman. She was from a poor family, working as a servant in the residence. Do you think it is easy to bring justice? It is all written in books, but it is too tough to implement. Moreover, Kang Xi and Kang himjuan had forced the woman to lie. Later, they might have killed her. So, I used my method to punish him. His right hand is still not healed,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and smiled with pleasure.


    Li Hua was surprised to hear the thoughts of L¨®ng Wei. He was a thoughtful person. Then, why did everyone call him selfish!?


    ¡°Where is that woman now?¡± Li Hua queried him.


    ¡°She is somewhere safe,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°How will she bear everything alone? People may ask her about the child¡¯s father. Then, what will she say?¡± Li Hua looked troubled. She was anxious for the woman.


    ¡°A woman can do anything for her child, no? She will survive. Don¡¯t worry about her,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°His Highness must tell it once to the King,¡± Li Hua suggested him. ¡°What if he tries to do it with another woman? We cannot let it happen, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said, desperate to punish Kang Huijuan.


    ¡°Do you want to punish him my way? Father won¡¯t be able to punish him because of Kang Xi. It will be fun,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with an amusing smile. ¡°After our marriage, we can do it,¡± he said.


    ¡°But if the King or anyone found out, then we both will get punished,¡± Li Hua expressed her concern.


    L¨®ng Wei clicked his tongue. ¡°No one will find out. But you won¡¯t step back. Because this time, I will punish him severely. One, for abandoning the woman he left pregnant, and second, to send me to the cold pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a grin.

 Chapter 53

    53 Deserves someone Better


    Xiaoming stood in front of his father and lowered his head. ¡°Royal Father, the assassin consumed the poison just before Prince Qiu Mu could start his investigation,¡± Xiaoming informed Qiu Zedong, who looked troubled.


    ¡°Did you not remove the rings? Did the Second Prince not get the assassin examined properly?¡± Qiu Zedong questioned him.


    ¡°Father, he was examined properly. I had no idea how the tiny poisonous root was found in his robes,¡± Qiu Mu said and clenched his fists. ¡°Commander Huang Xi informed me that the assassin had told about the forest, where he met the person after curfew hours, who ordered him to murder the thirty servants.¡±


    ¡°Did you send a unit of soldiers in that forest? I want the expeditious results, General Qiu Mu,¡± Qiu Zedong raised his voice. The sternness in his voice was clear to show that he didn¡¯t like the clumsy behavior of Qiu Mu. ¡°Since the First General is not present in the Capital, it¡¯s the responsibility of the Second General to limit the crimes.¡± Qiu Zedong reprimanded Qiu Mu, who apologized to his father for the dy.


    ¡°I want the oue, General Mu,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a menacing expression.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Give me a day, Your Majesty. I will find out who is behind all this,¡± Qiu Mu urged his father, who was already annoyed seeing the sluggishness of the Second Prince.


    ¡°You may leave,¡± Qiu Zedong told Qiu Mu, who bowed and left the private chamber of his father.


    Xiaoming told his father to calm down. ¡°Father, as per your orders, the preparation has started for Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s marriage. Since the Pce will be opened to the chief officials of the Kingdom on the marriage day, I was thinking of raising the security,¡± Xiaoming expressed his desire.


    ¡°Of course. Tighten the security,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed. ¡°I wished to see you get married first. However, you refused again. The youngest is getting married while the eldest is still a bachelor,¡± the King remarked.


    .....


    ¡°I will also marry soon after finding an appropriate woman for myself,¡± Xiaoming said humbly.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t the Crown Prince go for a concubine first? Many low-rank officials¡¯ daughters are willing to be your concubine,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    Xiaoming, for a second, flinched. He did not want to take any concubine. However, conveying such a thought to his father would only anger him. So, he stayed quiet.


    ¡°I will ask the Queen to look for a concubine for the Crown Prince,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed and a tiny smile appeared on his lips.


    ¡°Royal Father, I don¡¯t want to take any concubine,¡± Xiaoming requested him.


    ¡°Why?¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s brows furrowed.


    ¡°I would like to bring an official wife first,¡± Xiaoming answered. He again refrained from saying that he didn¡¯t want more women in his life. Being the Crown Prince was not easy. He was supposed to follow the norms, the principles, decided by their forefathers. Nheless, he was confident that someday he would convince his father.


    ¡°Why did the Crown Prince fight for Li Hua?¡± The King¡¯s sudden question startled Xiaoming. ¡°The Crown Prince cannot fool his father. Did he have feelings for Li Hua? He can tell the truth to me,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted.


    Xiaoming gulped and pressed his thumbs tightly against his fingers.


    ¡°The Crown Prince deserves someone better. Moreover, Prince L¨®ng Wei fell for Li Hua at first sight. No one is ready to marry him, so Li Hua was the best choice for him,¡± Qiu Zedong exined to Xiaoming.


    ¡°Yes, Father,¡± Xiaoming agreed with his father¡¯s words, but deep down in his heart, he was hurt.


    ¡°Is there anything the Crown Prince wants? I can fulfill his wish. I don¡¯t want any kind of jealousy among my sons for a mere woman,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    ¡°The Royal Father has given this Prince everything,¡± Xiaoming politely refused.


    ¡°The Crown Prince always wins my heart with his words, his actions. I am proud of the Crown Prince,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a smile. Xiaoming passed a tiny smile to his father.


    ¡°Miss Cha will be present in the marriage hall. It is a good chance for the Crown Prince to find how sophisticated, well-mannered and intelligent the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter is!¡± Qiu Zedong again started to praise the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter.


    ¡°Father, I do not want the Prime Minister to get involved with the Qiu Family with my marriage to his daughter. The Royal Father also knows that Prime Minister Kang Xi isn¡¯t a trustworthy person.¡± Xiaoming spoke about what was revolving in his head for months or years.


    ¡°Kang Xi is the most loyal person around me. He saved your father¡¯s life from the enemy,¡± Qiu Zedong corrected the Crown Prince. ¡°Moreover, I wanted his daughter to be the Crown Princess. Miss Cha possesses not only beauty but also a smart brain. For the Crown Prince, she is perfect in my eyes,¡± he stated.


    Xiaoming highly doubted it. Though he had never seen him, from his mother, he heard simr words. But they were his parents. They would only exaggerate about a woman from a high-ranking noble family. He decided to leave and made an excuse before the conversation would stretch.


    Xiaoming stopped near the stairs which led to the garden. ¡°Where is L¨®ng Wei? I need to destroy every evidence before he will catch me,¡± he murmured and pinched the skin between his brows. It was his first time doing such a thing. He thought that he would seed in this, but he underestimated L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°There is no way that she woulde to me,¡± he murmured and sighed.


    ¡°What is the Crown Prince talking about?¡± Mingquan suddenly appeared from behind, and it startled Xiaoming.


    ¡°Fourth Brother, you here?¡± Xiaoming thought to divert the topic. ¡°I was thinking to take a walk in the garden,¡± he said.


    ¡°Oh. But it¡¯s afternoon, Your Royal Highness,¡± Mingquan answered.


    ¡°In the evening,¡± Xiaoming replied. ¡°I shall take my leave. I still have a little work toplete,¡± he said humbly.


    ¡°Sure, Your Royal Highness.¡± Mingquan bowed while Xiaoming left to his chamber.


    Mingquan squinted his eyes in skepticism. ¡°Whom does the Crown Prince refer to? Who was supposed toe to the Crown Prince?¡± He muttered.


    ~~~~~~


    Thank you riemc for so many gifts.


    This week¡¯s goal:


    50 GTs and 200 votes: 7 chapters on Monday


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 54

    54 We will never Kiss [Bonus chapter]


    Li Hua looked into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes. She was not aware of his ways of punishing people. She didn¡¯t want them to be too gore, which she could not watch. ¡°Does His Highness punish brutally?¡± Her curious gaze was still on him.


    ¡°Why? You won¡¯t join me if my ways turn out to be brutal? Don¡¯t you know punishment alwayses with brutality? Else, the culprit keepsmitting the mistakes,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her.


    ¡°I am ready,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°That was quick,¡± L¨®ng Wei was amused by her answer and lifted his body. His right side was still toward her, and he leaned close to her. Li Hua immediately put her pointer finger on his chest, not letting him close the distance between them.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at her finger and then into her eyes. ¡°What is this?¡± he asked.


    Li Hua blinked a few times before replying, ¡°I don¡¯t want His Highness to do anything inappropriate.¡± Quickly, she moved her head away from his arm and sat on the grassy floor. L¨®ng Wei chuckled and rested his body on his right elbow.


    ¡°Why do you think I am doing something inappropriate with you? I never knew such an innocent-looking woman has some dirty thoughts roaming in her head,¡± L¨®ng Wei teased her.


    Li Hua gaped at him in shock. She didn¡¯t possess dirty thoughts and said aloud. ¡°His Highness¡¯s thoughts are dirty, not mine,¡± shemented.


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that statement. Indeed, I have dirty thoughts for you in my mind,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while smirking. Li Hua opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it. She averted her gaze from him.


    .....


    ¡°Ahhh.¡± She was pulled down to the ground. L¨®ng Wei caged her between his arms as he hovered over her.


    ¡°It¡¯s not wrong to have dirty thoughts about the woman you love,¡± he stated. Li Hua gulped and shook her head in disagreement.


    ¡°It¡¯s wrong,¡± she said.


    ¡°How do you know it¡¯s wrong? How do you know what¡¯s going in my head is dirty?¡± His questions left her tongue-tied.


    ¡°I only thought to hug you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and brushed the tiny fringe out of her face. ¡°You sulk easily. You think negative things first. You think that I want to take advantage of you,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Because of the way His Highness acts.¡± She put the me on him. ¡°He even kissed me without my permission. So, I have valid reasons to doubt him,¡± she opined.


    ¡°You kissed me willingly. The first time, in the garden. Though, you named that as an idental kiss with no meaning. The second time also you kissed me willingly. I only tilted my head a little.¡± The amused look on his face only deepened. It appeared he wouldugh at her anytime.


    ¡°Oppositely, I kissed you,¡± he ced his finger on her right cheek, ¡°here. Twice. You stole my kiss, yet you are putting me on me. That¡¯s bad, Li Hua.¡±


    Feng Lao was supposed to give her the first kiss. What crimes did she had done in her previous life that L¨®ng Wei became her first kiss? For a second, this thought struck her head.


    ¡°Shall we kiss here?¡± His sudden question made Li Hua¡¯s jaw drop. ¡°It¡¯s a good ce to make a memory,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°No,¡± Li Hua crossed her hands.


    ¡°When will we kiss then? Last time, it was for a millisecond,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked.


    ¡°We will never kiss,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°What?¡± L¨®ng Wei started tough. He couldn¡¯t get enough of teasing her. How could she even say that so easily?


    ¡°What if I make you desperate to kiss me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen,¡± she was confident, ¡°never.¡±


    ¡°I will make you desperate for it. I like challenges,¡± he said and again smirked.


    Her stomach growled and she quickly brought her hands over her belly. L¨®ng Wei moved away from her. ¡°It¡¯s almost lunch hour. Let¡¯s have food in Yuze¡¯s house,¡± he said and helped her in getting up. He pulled her up along with him and bent a little to dust off her high waist skirt.


    He held her hand and took her to Yuze¡¯s home.


    After walking a few meters, they crossed a footbridge under which a small stream could be seen. ¡°It¡¯s a minor stream from the mountain,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her, and the two soon crossed that bridge.


    They were on a path that was surrounded by giant bamboo trees. ¡°I used to get trained in this forest.¡± He recalled the old days, and a smile formed on his lips.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the Prince supposed to learn and practice in the Pce?¡±


    ¡°The Princes did not want me to practice, so I never did with them,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange,¡± Li Hua mumbled.


    They stopped as they reached therge hut. She found that the wooden hut was decorated well. L¨®ng Wei let go of her hand and asked her to follow him.


    ¡°Yuze! Yuze!¡± L¨®ng Wei called him out.


    Li Hua hit his shoulder and it bewildered him. ¡°Call Monk Yuze with respect,¡± she said and walked past him.


    ¡°Oldie! Oldie! Oldie!¡± L¨®ng Wei shouted at the top of his lungs. Li Hua turned and ran to him. She covered his mouth with her palms and not speak this way.


    ¡°I will,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he pushed her hands down.


    ¡°Monk Yuze is older than His Highness. He must respect the old monk,¡± Li Hua made him understand.


    ¡°Fine. I will call him Monk Yuze. I will start calling him with respect,¡± he stated, and it delighted Li Hua, ¡°but under one condition.¡±


    ¡°What condition?¡± Li Hua asked with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°Kiss me,¡± he brought his face closer to her, ¡°here,¡± he put his index finger over his lips.


    Li Hua could not expect any lesser thing from him. She flicked her fingers hard at the middle of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s forehead, who screamed at the top of his lungs. He started to rub his forehead and scowled at Li Hua, who wasughing.

 Chapter 55

    55 Let¡¯s stay this way


    L¨®ng Wei put his hand down and advanced toward her. Li Hua turned and started to run. She saw Yuzeing and quickly drifted in his direction and stood behind him. ¡°Monk Yuze, please save me,¡± she requested him, who found L¨®ng Wei angry.


    ¡°Yuze, get away,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him.


    ¡°Why?¡± Yuze asked.


    ¡°She hit me,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and pointed his finger towards the middle of his forehead, ¡°here.¡±


    ¡°Because His Highness kept calling Monk Yuze by his name.¡± Li Hua said while peeking from behind Yuze. L¨®ng Wei advanced to her when Yuze stopped him from using his stick.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei shall stay where he is! The youngdy isn¡¯t wrong either. Prince L¨®ng Wei shall turn respectful. It is time when he must change his social behavior,¡± Yuze made him understand.


    L¨®ng Wei huffed and stepped back. Yuze turned to look at Li Hua, who had a tiny smile on her lips. ¡°Wee to my small house, Miss Hua,¡± Yuze said and asked them to follow him.


    Li Hua stayed close to Monk Yuze on his right side while L¨®ng Wei was on the left side. ¡°We were hungry. So, I thought about bringing her here,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°You did well. I will leave for the shrine tomorrow morning. I will return after a few weeks,¡± Yuze informed him and tilted his head to look at Li Hua. ¡°At this time, I will visit and stay in the Buddhist Shrine for a while, Miss Hua. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend your marriage, but my blessings are with you both,¡± he stated and asked them to sit around the table.


    .....


    Li Hua waited for L¨®ng Wei to sit first.


    ¡°You should have attended my marriage. Your Buddha won¡¯t punish you if you reachte in the shrine,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Yuze was more than a family for him. His presence was important for him on such an asion.


    ¡°Blessings are crucial not the person,¡± Yuze asserted and patted L¨®ng Wei¡¯s shoulder. Li Hua found how calmly the Sixth Prince would talk with Yuze. He had hardly conversed with any of his family members this way.


    ¡°Sit,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Li Hua.


    ¡°First, His Highness shall sit,¡± she said humbly. L¨®ng Wei pushed her down on the bench and walked to the kitchen with Yuze. Li Hua was stunned for a second and found them going away.


    ¡°You brought Miss Hua out of the Pce,¡± Yuze said and pushed the kitchen door.


    ¡°She was upset. So, I brought her to the flower valley,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and rested himself against the counter while folding his arms. ¡°She loves someone from her ce. I am confused if the person is alive or dead,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Yuze smiled and ignited the fire in the stove. He put a cauldron over it. L¨®ng Wei filled it with water and helped Yuze in cooking rice noodles for them.


    ¡°Then why did Miss Hua agree to marry the Sixth Prince?¡± Yuze asked as he stood straight.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to get kicked out. Every time she gives a strange exnation about her family, instead of telling the truth. She is in the pce for a purpose which is still unknown to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Yuze smiled and went towards the counter. He had to prepare the rice noodles from the flour. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei needs to rece the man who has taken the ce in Miss Hua¡¯s heart with him. That is going to be tough. He unexpectedly rushed his marriage,¡± Yuze remarked and put his stick against the counter support.


    ¡°It seems I have to tell Li Hua the truth first. I will do it after the marriage,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and watched Yuze kneading the flour.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince has found something interesting about Miss Hua,¡± Yuze said and smiled. ¡°Yet, he refrains from telling this old man,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Yuze already knows. Even he¡¯s hiding something about Li Hua from me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Yuze gazed into his eyes and nodded. He continued to knead the flour and asked L¨®ng Wei to go outside as Li Hua was alone.


    L¨®ng Wei left the kitchen and found Li Hua on the bench. He sat beside her while his back faced the table. His elbows rested on the table and he tilted his head to look at Li Hua, who looked surprised.


    Li Hua moved a little away which L¨®ng Wei noticed. He also moved towards her. ¡°I didn¡¯t forget how you hit the Prince in the middle of the forehead,¡± he said and she stopped moving.


    ¡°I apologize to His Highness. However, His Highness must ept that he needs to be respectful with Monk Yuze,¡± she affirmed. L¨®ng Wei studied her eyes, without uttering any word.


    ¡°Have you ever seen me talking with anyone in the pce as I talk with Yuze? I respect him, that is why my tone is polite with him,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°You should do something about the mistake you made.¡± He reminded her about the flick that she gave earlier at his forehead.


    Li Hua leaned forward and told L¨®ng Wei that he was free to flick at her forehead as punishment. Her head crowned like a proud crane bird.


    ¡°You think that would be enough,¡± his brow arched, and his lips twisted. ¡°I expect more punishment,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Then, His Highness can punish in whatever way he wants to punish,¡± she said. L¨®ng Wei ducked his head down and nted a kiss in the middle of her throat.


    Li Hua promptly moved back, forgetting that she was almost at the edge of the bench. She fell back when L¨®ng Wei caught her arm and pulled her up. ¡°You get surprised easily.¡± That smirk on his lips made Li Hua nervous.


    ¡°Has His Highness lost his mind? I told him that he cannot-¡± she paused when L¨®ng Wei interrupted her words in the middle.


    ¡°I cannot kiss you on the lips. There¡¯s no such condition you put forward about kissing you elsewhere.¡± L¨®ng Wei put his finger down. ¡°Moreover, I won¡¯t agree to any other condition. It was kind of your punishment to flick at my forehead,¡± he said while grinning.


    He let go of her arm and rested his elbow against the table. ¡°You are such a shy girl,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked and gestured to her toe close. Li Hua refused, so he leaned to her ear and whispered, ¡°If I had kissed another woman, she would have demanded more from me.¡±


    ¡°Sadly, I don¡¯t fall in the category of those women,¡± asserted Li Hua and told him to keep a distance from her.


    ¡°My arm isn¡¯t touching yours,¡± he said in amusement.


    Li Hua turned speechless and decided to sit on the other side of the table. She rose to her feet and walked to the other side to sit on the bench. L¨®ng Wei immediately turned to face her and asked her to sit beside him.


    She shook her head. ¡°I willin to Monk Yuze if His Highness keeps troubling me,¡± she threatened him, who started tough.


    ¡°Yuze, Li Hua isn¡¯t sitting beside me. She said she wouldin to you if I asked her to sit by my side.¡± L¨®ng Wei loudly said and tilted his head.


    Li Hua bit her lower lip and knitted her brows together. ¡°If you don¡¯te now, then I wille,¡± he said, with a serious tone and almost stood up when Li Hua got up. She settled beside him and turned her face away.


    L¨®ng Wei rested his forehead on her shoulder, and it made her jerk. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything. Let¡¯s stay this way,¡± L¨®ng Wei urged her.

 Chapter 56

    56 The Earring


    L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua returned to the Pce, after having lunch with Yuze, using the same abandoned route. L¨®ng Wei tried his best to get more time with Li Hua. However, he could not seed.


    ¡°We could have stayed till the evening,¡± L¨®ng Weiined to Li Hua.


    ¡°His Highness does not care for other people¡¯s lives, but I do care. I don¡¯t want Court Lady Hong to get punished,¡± Li Hua stated. They both turned left when they saw a few foot soldiersing from the front.


    Li Hua widened her eyes. ¡°His Highness told me that no one uses this route,¡± she said with an intimidating look when L¨®ng Wei grasped her wrist. Before the soldiers could see them, L¨®nh Wei took her away.


    ¡°Why are we running to the forest? We must return to the pce, Your Highness?¡± Li Hua asked and held the one edge of her skirt up to match L¨®ng Wei¡¯s steps.


    ¡°We won¡¯t go to the forest in uphill,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I saw the Second Prince, whom you failed to notice,¡± he said while panting. She got surprised when L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t take the forest route, instead, he took her to the other route.


    ¡°Second Prince?¡± She murmured and looked at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°I told the Sixth Prince not toe outside. I will not save His Highness unlike thest time if we get caught,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°This woman!¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered and stopped. Li Hua also halted and gasped for air.


    ¡°We should have used the forest route. His Highness said earlier that no one goes uphill. Why are we on this route?¡± Li Hua panicked when L¨®ng Wei looked around. He pulled her with him and went to the left.


    .....


    The route still had trees on both sides. L¨®ng Wei took Li Hua inside the forest and hid behind a tall tree. His back rested on the thick stem of the tree while Li Hua was in front of him.


    ¡°The assassin took this route to escape without getting into anyone¡¯s notice. The Second Prince has gone to investigate the uphill,¡± L¨®ng Wei said in a low voice.


    ¡°How does His Highness know?¡± She was astonished.


    ¡°Father has given the responsibility to the Second Prince to look into the matter. I forgot that he would first search the uphill to find if the assassin left any clue and also will question Yuze. He does not trust me,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her.


    ¡°His Highness should not have taken me out. What if theye here?¡± She asked while keeping her voice as low as possible.


    ¡°They won¡¯t,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and found that her one earring was not in her ear. He touched her ear when Li Hua pped his hand. He clearly remembered that she had earrings in both of her ears. ¡°Where is your other earring?¡± He asked. Li Hua quickly touched her ears and found one was missing.


    ¡°Stay here. Don¡¯t move an inch from this ce. I will punish you if you do,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and vanished from her sight.


    If Qiu Mu found the earring first, then he would take his investigation to the wrong side. Moreover, the jewelry that Li Hua had worn was from the pce. Qiu Mu wasn¡¯t that fool not to recognize the jewels from the pce.


    L¨®ng Wei somehow reached the intersection of the two routes: one to the uphill and the other to the level forest. He carefully checked the ground for a few minutes while looking above, towards the uphill.


    He walked forward on the path which led to the forest and finally saw the earring. A smile appeared on his lips, and he almost bent to pick it up when he heard the voice of Qiu Mu.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, why are you here?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei turned to look at Qiu Mu and carefully stepped over the earring. ¡°The Second Prince has a poor memory. Father had granted me permission to look into this matter. Since this time, someone has tried to put his me on me,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Earlier, Qiu Mu had thought that it was L¨®ng Wei, who lied to everyone. However, after the murder of the assassin, his suspicion over L¨®ng Wei was over.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei must know that the assassin is dead,¡± Qiu Mu informed him. It didn¡¯t surprise him as he knew that the Crown Prince would not let him live.


    ¡°That was inevitable,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Why is the Second Prince here? He hardlyes to this side or should I say that it¡¯s his first time,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked.


    ¡°I need to find why the assassin took the route uphill. He had the royal seal with him, yet he used this route. Also, how he found out about it. Except for Monk Yuze and the Second Brother, no one uses this route,¡± Qiu Mu said with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°Because on this route, security is nil,¡± L¨®ng Wei reasoned. ¡°The Assassin must have been told to use it. Apart from the members of the royal family, no one knows about it.¡±


    ¡°No one in the royal family is as heartless as Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Mu remarked smugly. He wanted to provoke L¨®ng Wei, who smiled at him, thus surprising him.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I am saying, Second Prince. Who is this person as heartless as me? Who could order the murder of the thirty servants to throw me out of the pce?¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Qiu Mu furrowed his brows together. ¡°I will talk with the Sixth Princeter. I need to search the uphill forest,¡± he said and turned to go ahead. L¨®ng Wei watched Qiu Mu going away, and once he disappeared from his sight, he quickly bent and took the earring in his hand.


    He put it in a silk handkerchief and put it inside his pocket. L¨®ng Wei returned to the ce where he had left Li Hua.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡± She advanced to him. ¡°Did His Highness find the earring?¡± She looked terrified.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± L¨®ng Wei patted the right side of his chest. ¡°I have kept it inside my pocket. Let¡¯s go before the Second Prince will see us two,¡± he said and held out his hand. Li Hua was hesitant to grab it when L¨®ng Wei pinned her to the thick stem of the tree.


    ¡°Your Highness!?¡± She gaped at him and reached out her hands to his shoulder to push him away.


    ¡°Li Hua, I will miss you. I still wish for a kiss from you. I indeed look too desperate for it. Hopefully, you will prepare yourself well for the wedding night. I want it to be memorable,¡± L¨®ng Wei whispered before letting her arms go. He grasped her hand and took her back to the pce.

 Chapter 57

    57 The Wisest and the Stupidest [Bonus chapter]


    Court Lady Hong was relieved to see Li Hua. Moreover, Li Hua was lucky that no one came in her absence in the chamber.


    ¡°Miss Hua, after the marriage with the Prince, her responsibilities will grow. Since Miss Hua lived as amoner, she must not be aware of what an ideal royaldy is!¡± Lady Hong started to lecture her. Had she known that Li Hua belonged to a prestigious noble family, she would not have said this.


    It was strange that L¨®ng Wei noticed her actions even though she refrained from following her old habits. How? That man was indeed strange. It was good that she did not need to see him until the marriage day.


    Marriage day!


    She sighed upon recalling L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. She agreed to marry him but forgot that he would demand sexual favors. They would be husband and wife. How would she handle that? He even refused to consider any of her rules which she wanted him to abide by.


    Her heart rate increased, and every kind of thought started to appear in her head. She started to tap her foot on the floor when Lady Hong scolded her.


    ¡°Miss Hua, where is your mind? I have been calling your name. You are not supposed to do it,¡± Lady Hong reprimanded her.


    ¡°Lady Hong, the Sixth Prince loves me. But I do not love him,¡± Li Hua said, which puzzled Court Lady Hong.


    ¡°Please be specific, Miss Hua.¡± Her tone turned humble.


    .....


    ¡°Do I need to fulfill my duties as a wife on the first day of marriage?¡± Li Hua rified her question to her.


    ¡°Of course, Miss Hua. You are supposed to do it on the wedding night. After that, you will be given dates to spend the night with His Highness,¡± Lady Hong asserted. She said so easily that it appeared to be a big matter. However, for Li Hua, it was.


    ¡°Miss Hua, it is the duty of a woman after marriage. She is lucky to be epted as the Sixth Prince¡¯s wife. What if she would have been asked to be his concubine? She would not have ever been able to see His Highness¡¯s face after the first night,¡± Court Lady Hong stated. She was right at her ce. But Li Hua did not want such a fortunate life. She was supposed to do it with Feng Lao, who¡¯s no more.


    L¨®ng Wei was a good person, but he was too desperate for everything.


    ¡°Why is Miss Hua afraid? She can share her worries with me. I am here to help her only,¡± Court Lady Hong said humbly.


    ¡°Lady Hong, I am too scared for it. A woman shall be given a choice, no?¡± Li Hua asked her.


    ¡°Forgive me, Miss Hua. A woman¡¯s duty is to serve her husband and look after her family. She must fulfill her duties at all costs,¡± Court Lady Hong answered.


    Li Hua bit her lower lip and fidgeted with her fingers. She was troubled by the thought of her wedding night. What if she would mix a pill, which could make L¨®ng Wei sleep, right after he would enter the chamber.


    ¡®Yes. I can mix a sleep-inducer pill in the wine that His Highness will drink with me,¡¯ she thought and smiled. But the question was whom she would ask for a sleep-inducing pill. Was there someone whom she could trust in the pce?


    ¡®Senior Brother Xiwan!¡¯ only this name appeared in her mind. She had to meet him somehow. It was impossible to meet him in the bright daylight. Nighttime was the best time to meet him.


    ¡®I need to meet the Senior Brother tonight. How will I go out? Senior Brother stays in the kitchen until thest meal of the servants, nearly 10 pm. Wait! I cannot meet the Sixth Prince, but I can go out and meet everyone else until today. Ah, how could I forget this?¡¯ she smiled as she found a way to keep L¨®ng Wei away from him.


    She had decided to find several excuses for the other nights if she would ask to spend them in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chamber. From her end, she would not be intimate with L¨®ng Wei and, in any way, would not betray Feng Lao.


    ~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei reached outside the manor of the Crown Prince. As he walked on the cobblestone pavement of the courtyard, the servants lowered their heads.


    ¡°Where is the Sixth Prince heading to?¡± Eunuch Lishi stopped L¨®ng Wei from going to the Crown Prince¡¯s chamber.


    ¡°I want to see the Crown Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Forgive me, but the Crown Prince asked not to disturb him,¡± Eunuch Lishi said as he beamed at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°For his youngest brother, he¡¯s always free,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and walked past Eunuch Lishi, who quickly stood before him. He outstretched his arms, preventing L¨®ng Wei from going inside. Because of the Sixth Prince, Xiaoming was troubled. And Eunuch Lishi did not want him to ruin his master¡¯s mood because of L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled at the way Eunuch Lishi acted in front of many servants. He also decided to y with him. ¡°Royal Father!¡± L¨®ng Wei slightly bowed his head. Eunuch Lishi got puzzled and turned his head to look. L¨®ng Wei got the chance. He pushed Eunuh Lishi away and ran upstairs.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Eunuch Lishi screamed upon falling to the floor. His back hurt, and a few servants ran toward him. L¨®ng Weiughed and left his sight.


    ¡°Stop Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Eunuch Lishi shouted at the servants, who were helping him to stand up. Two of them went behind L¨®ng Wei, but he had already reached the Crown Prince¡¯s main chamber.


    L¨®ng Wei without hearing the maidservant stepped into the chamber. She went after him to stop him, but it was in vain.


    L¨®ng Wei found Xiaoming was doing calligraphy.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Royal Highness. I had asked the Sixth Prince to wait,¡± the maidservant apologized to the Crown Prince.


    ¡°You may leave,¡± Xiaoming said humbly. ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone enter anymore,¡± he ordered her. The maidservant bowed and stepped backward before stepping out of the chamber.


    Xiaoming¡¯s focus was still on the sheet and the brush which he had held. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is too desperate to see me these days,¡± he remarked and put the brush in the holder. He lifted his eyelids and peered at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°The Crown Prince is the one who made me desperate to see him,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied menacingly. ¡°Why did he kill the assassin?¡± He directly jumped to the question.


    ¡°What does the Sixth Prince mean?¡± Xiaoming acted unaware.


    ¡°The Crown Prince knows well.¡± He advanced to the desk and bent down, cing his palms on the desk, ¡°what I mean.¡±


    Xiaoming smiled and asked L¨®ng Wei not to show him the attitude. ¡°Since Brother L¨®ng Wei is here to waste my time, he must leave,¡± he gestured to the main door.


    L¨®ng Wei looked down, and his eyes fell on the sheet on which Xiaoming had earlier written something.


    ¡°Only the wisest and stupidest do not change.¡± L¨®ng Wei read, and his lips twisted into a smirk. He gazed at Xiaoming. ¡°Hasn¡¯t these words said once by the great philosopher Confucius?¡±


    ¡°I am surprised that Brother L¨®ng Wei remembers the philosophy of Confucius,¡± Xiaoming affirmed.


    ¡°Which one am I, and which one are you? Shall I tell?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him and put his finger on the word, which meant stupidest.


    ¡°This is me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Xiaoming lowered his eyes to nce at it and smiled.


    ¡°In everyone¡¯s eyes, except yours,¡± L¨®ng Weipleted his words and smirked. ¡°The Crown Prince should not have yed dirty with me. But it is good. You get stronger if you y with a person of your level,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and dashed out of the chamber.

 Chapter 58

    58 Stolen the Heart of this Prince


    Mingquan was practicing with the sword when a maidservant disturbed him. ¡°Your Highness, forgive me for intruding on your practice. The Sixth Prince is here,¡± she informed while keeping her head low.


    Mingquan put his hand, which had the sword in it. He was surprised to hear that L¨®ng Wei hade to meet him. He put the sword into the sheath and handed it to the servant, who brought a clean towel for him. Mingquan wiped the sweat from his forehead. He went to wash his face and hands before going into his chamber.


    Once entered, he found L¨®ng Wei seated around the floor table.


    ¡°Would the Sixth Brother like to have tea?¡± Mingquan asked humbly, before taking the seat in front of him.


    L¨®ng Wei shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t drink tea in the evening,¡± he answered.


    ¡°Why has Brother L¨®ng Wei decided to see me?¡± Mingquan was curious to know.


    ¡°I want a favor from the Fourth Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°I helped him once, and now, he shall repay me,¡± he asserted.


    Mingquan was amused to hear his youngest brother¡¯s words. He recalled the help that L¨®ng Wei provided him two years ago. However, at that time, he told Mingquan that one day he would ask for repayment for the help.


    ¡°Sure, Sixth Brother. I am ready to repay him.¡± Mingquan agreed to return the favor that L¨®ng Wei did once to him. ¡°What does the Sixth Brother want?¡± He asked.


    .....


    ¡°I want him to keep the Crown Prince busy in the morning after we will have tea in the greeting hall,¡± said L¨®ng Wei and noticed the inquisitive gaze on Mingquan¡¯s face.


    ¡°How long do I need to do it?¡± Mingquan did not ask L¨®ng Wei the reason why he had to keep Xiaoming busy and readily epted to help him.


    ¡°Fifteen minutes,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°The Fourth Prince didn¡¯t ask why I wanted him to keep the Crown Prince busy,¡± he stated and kept his gaze fixed on him.


    ¡°If I ask, I will not get any answer,¡± Mingquan reasoned. He was right. L¨®ng Wei would never tell him what he was up to.


    L¨®ng Wei stood up and was ready to leave when Mingquan stopped him. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei shall thank me before leaving,¡± he suggested.


    ¡°The Fourth Prince will return my favor because I did a favor to him once. There is no room for thank you,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and left the chamber.


    He was hungry, so he went to the royal kitchen to ask Xiwan to send some snacks to his chamber. To his surprise, he saw Li Hua on the same route to the kitchen where he was, looking happy. The only difference was that he came from the direction opposite to her.


    ¡°What made her happy in my absence?¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured. ¡°Her smile is beautiful.¡± He smiled and advanced to her.


    Li Hua halted when her forehead hit something hard, and she immediately apologized. But when she lifted her eyes, she was shocked to see L¨®ng Wei in front of her.


    She promptly turned her back to him and walked straight on the route from where she hade. Li Hua lifted the edges of her skirt and started to run. At the moment, she was more eager to reach the chamber because if L¨®ng Wei would catch her, he might ask her hundreds of questions.


    More than the punishment from the Queen, she was intimidated by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s kind of punishment. She slowed down at the top of the stairs. She saw a line of servants ascending the stairs, who had bamboo baskets in their hands. As they came closer, she found that the baskets carried roses, peonies, and water lilies inside them. The servants at the front had baskets filled with rose petals.


    ¡°Why did you run away from me?¡± A familiar, deep voice fell into her ear. She turned and, because of the shock, stepped back.


    ¡°Ahh,¡± she screamed as her foot slipped off the top stair and her hand hit the basket that one servant had carried, who was on the top of the stairs. He staggered, and the basket in his hand eventually fell into the air in an attempt to save himself from falling.


    Li Hua, oppositely, dipped backward. L¨®ng Wei grasped her wrist tightly and fiercely pulled her up, securely wrapping his arm around her waist.


    The flowers from the basket fell, and the petals of the roses fell over them. Their eyes met, leading to an intense eyelock between the two. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hold was firm on her waist, and the smile on his lips widened.


    With the thud sound of the basket on the ground, their eyelock broke. Li Hua realized how close they both were! She could feel his breath and even could hear her racing heart. Her eyes fluttered as she was dazed by it.


    L¨®ng Wei gently straightened her while keeping his gaze fixed on her face. That was the least romantic thing that he had ever expected to happen in the evening. Li Hua was in his arms while the petals fell over them! Truly a dream for him. The smile didn¡¯t fade even for a second from his lips and he picked the rose petal from the top of her head.


    ¡°I almost fell because of His Highness,¡± Li Hua said while pulling her hand back.


    ¡°And I love to save you every time you fall,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied in his deep voice. His thumb traced the edge of her lips, and once again, they peered into each other¡¯s eyes.


    Li Hua yanked his hand off her face and took a step back. To her surprise, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s other hand was still on her waist.


    ¡°Why did you run away?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her as he leaned down to her ear. She gulped but kept a normal expression on her face.


    ¡°Only two people run away: one, who has stolen something; second, whomitted a crime,¡± L¨®ng Wei whispered in her ear. ¡°Which one are you?¡± He queried.


    ¡°Neither I steal anything, nor did Imit any crime,¡± Li Hua answered without getting scared and pushing him away. Her palms were still on his shoulders.


    ¡°Wrong!¡± L¨®ng Wei took another step to close the remaining distance between them. Li Hua wondered if he found out why she was outside. But how? She didn¡¯t even discuss it with Court Lady Hong.


    ¡°You have already stolen the heart of this Prince,¡± he corrected her and smirked.

 Chapter 59

    59 Full Right to be Jealous


    ¡°You have already stolen the heart of this Prince. Thus, you havemitted a crime too,¡± L¨®ng Wei corrected her. His lips twisted into a smirk.


    The other servants had walked past them while the one who could not save the basket from falling started to pick the petals and put them into the basket.


    Li Hua moved away and started to help the servant in picking the petals. ¡°Forgive me, Brother. I increased your work,¡± Li Hua said and ran to the bottom of the stairs to pick up the basket.


    ¡°You are no longer a servant. Don¡¯t do this anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her, who did not listen to him. He nced at the servant, who happily took Li Hua¡¯s help.


    He descended the stairs and pulled her up. ¡°Leave it and go to your chamber.¡± He took away the basket from her and asked the servant to take it from him.


    ¡°Just like Brother L¨®ng Wei, Li Hua also doesn¡¯t bother to follow themand of the Queen.¡± Both of them heard a voice and turned to look.


    Li Hua lowered her head upon seeing the Third Princess. She stopped before Li Hua and looked at her. ¡°When the Queen has strictly instructed you not to meet Brother L¨®ng Wei, then you should not have,¡± Xiaolian said sternly.


    ¡°Forgive me, Third Young Mistress,¡± Li Hua apologized.


    L¨®ng Wei grasped Li Hua¡¯s wrist and pulled her behind his back. He stood in front of Xiaolian and said, ¡°Talk to me, not her. Also, start respecting her.¡± His tone seemed threatening.


    .....


    Xiaolian chuckled and she opened her mouth to speak. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, a servant remains a servant. Sixth Brother doesn¡¯t respect anyone around him and he¡¯s expecting me to respect his bride. Impossible! Unlike the First Sister, I will never tolerate your behavior.¡±


    Li Hua came forward and apologized to Xiaolian. ¡°I did not intend to unfollow the instructions of Her Majesty. His Highness mistakenly encountered me here. Please forgive me.¡± She kept her tone as humble as possible. L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t speak as Li Hua pressed her fingers tightly on his wrist, gesturing for him not to speak.


    ¡°It is good that you have realized your mistake,¡± Xiaolian said and walked past them. Once she left, L¨®ng Wei questioned Li Hua about why she apologized for no reason.


    ¡°I shall leave, Your Highness. I will answer you after our marriage.¡± She let go of his wrist and turned to leave.


    ¡°Li Hua, don¡¯t apologize for no reason, especially from these people. I don¡¯t like it.¡± He sounded angry. Li Hua didn¡¯t utter a single word and went back to her chamber.


    Upon reaching the chamber, she took a breath of relief. Xiwan helped her and gave her the pill that induced sleep. Court Lady Hong found Li Hua smiling and asked the reason for it.


    ¡°I recalled an old memory,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°I will send tea for Miss Hua,¡± Lady Hong informed her and walked out.


    Li Hua quickly took out a tiny, folded piece of paper from inside her long sleeve in which Xiwan had put the pill. ¡°I need to keep it safe for two days,¡± she murmured and looked around the chamber.


    She looked at the bed and put it beneath the mattress. ¡°I won¡¯t let the Sixth Prince seed in this,¡± she murmured and smiled.


    ~~~~~~


    Xiwan looked at L¨®ng Wei, who was on the recliner. ¡°Your Highness, I brought your favorite snack- fried dumplings,¡± he stated and put the tray on the table near the recliner.


    L¨®ng Wei held out his hand and quickly Xiwan handed him a stick that had four dumplings in it.


    ¡°Why did Li Hua go to the kitchen?¡± L¨®ng Wei took a bite of the dumpling. He chewed and waited for Xiwan¡¯s answer.


    Xiwan recalled the words of Li Hua. She requested him not to tell anyone because if anyone would find she was facing troubles in sleeping, she would be asked questions. So, he decided to lie to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think of lying to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei warned her. His facial expressions didn¡¯t appear pleasant. Xiwan gulped and found himself in a dilemma.


    ¡°Li Hua asked for a sleeping pill, Your Highness.¡± Xiwan finally told the truth to L¨®ng Wei, who was bewildered to learn that Li Hua asked for such a pill.


    ¡°Why?¡± He arched his brow.


    ¡°Because she is unable to sleep properly these days. Before marriage, Li Hua wants a good sleep,¡± Xiwan replied.


    L¨®ng Wei ate the remaining dumplings while contemting. Why did she lie to Xiwan? For two days, she slept in his chamber in front of his eyes. She slept peacefully both days. Xiwan took the stick from him and put it on another te.


    ¡°You must call her Miss Hua. I don¡¯t like it when you pronounce her name,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I will keep in mind, Your Highness,¡± Xiwan replied humbly.


    ¡®She should have asked the appointed Court Lady for a sleeping pill. Why did she approach Xiwan?¡¯ L¨®ng Wei looked at him. ¡®He is my loyal. He will never lie to me. If what she said is true, then it¡¯s not a good thing. Her past is haunting her and I need to help her,¡¯ he thought and asked for another dumpling stick from Xiwan.


    ¡°Xiwan, how did Li Hua join the pce as a servant?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    He found it strange, but questioning L¨®ng Wei would only raise his temper.


    ¡°Miss Hua passed several rounds in her first attempt. Many were surprised to find that Li Hua,¡± his tongue slipped and he promptly apologized for his mistake, ¡°Miss Hua surpassed servants who joined earlier than her. That¡¯s why within a month, Miss Hua was asked to join the Queen¡¯s Manor by Her Majesty herself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s indeed impressive,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°It seems she was aware of the servants¡¯ works and their etiquette,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Did she ever talk about her life? From where she came etc.¡± L¨®ng Wei with inquisitiveness nced at Xiwan.


    ¡°Miss Hua had told me once that her family got murdered in the hands of unknown men. However, she refrained from telling me more. I also respect Miss Hua¡¯s privacy, so I never bothered to ask her,¡± Xiwan answered.


    ¡°Why are you telling me this now? I have told you to report me everything!¡± L¨®ng Wei suddenly turned furious and huffed. ¡°And why she told you so many things.¡± The anger and annoyance were visible on his face and voice too.


    Xiwan found it a little funny that L¨®ng Wei was getting jealous of him. ¡°His Highness doesn¡¯t need to be jealous of me. I am a senior brother to Miss Hua,¡± he exined to him.


    ¡°Of course. I have full right to be jealous of you. When I asked her, she didn¡¯t utter any word. However, to you, she told such a big thing. Wasn¡¯t I supposed to know all this first?¡± He suddenly lost his temper and sat on the recliner. He ate the dumplings and threw the stick on the floor, didn¡¯t care where itnded.


    ¡°His Highness is with Miss Hua for only three days. That¡¯s why she is taking time to open up with him,¡± Xiwan stated, and asked L¨®ng Wei to calm down.


    ¡°Did she tell you that she loves someone?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her with curiosity.


    Xiwan shook his head. ¡°Does Miss Hua love someone else?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t know who this jerk is!¡± L¨®ng Wei fisted his palms.


    ¡°If Miss Hua had loved someone, then she would not have agreed to marry His Highness. It is not easy to forget someone whom you love,¡± Xiwan said and found the beam of L¨®ng Wei at him. ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness, if I again said something wrong.¡±


    ¡°I will make her forget him. She indeed has many secrets. Don¡¯t speak about our conversation to her,¡± L¨®ng Wei sternly told him.


    ¡°Of course, Your Highness,¡± Xiwan said.


    ¡°You may leave. Take this with you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, looking at the te with fried dumplings. His mood was ruined to hear that Li Hua didn¡¯t trust him. Xiwan picked up the te, put it on the tray, and silently left the chamber.


    ¡°She gets nightmares about her family. Then, why she lied to me and said that she was an orphan,¡± he mumbled.

 Chapter 60

    60 The real game has begun [Bonus chapter]


    Qiu Mu gulped the wine from the ss, and after finishing it, he plonked it on the table. ¡°Why did the Crown Prince kill those thirty servants?¡± Qiu Mu, with inquisitiveness nced at Xiaoming, who looked troubled.


    ¡°Because I wanted Brother L¨®ng Wei to go back to the Cold Pce,¡± Xiaoming affirmed before looking at Tianjie and Zhang Xi. ¡°I did it for us. For years, I only stood for our youngest brother. However, this time he did something which scared me. I was concerned for the safety of my brothers and sisters,¡± Xiaoming exined to them.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei is sharp. I am unable to believe that he could not fall into this trap,¡± Tianjie stated. ¡°The Crown Prince doesn¡¯t have to worry. We brothers are with him,¡± he assured Xiaoming.


    ¡°Yes, Crown Prince. We all want L¨®ng Wei to leave the Imperial Pce. Is there any way if we can put the entire me on him?¡± Zhang Xi asked and looked at Qiu Mu, who shook his head.


    ¡°The man that the Crown Prince hired told everything to L¨®ng Wei. If the Crown Prince had told me earlier about his n, then I would not have let him meet that man. Even Commander Huang Xi knows about it. There¡¯s no chance we can put me on L¨®ng Wei.¡± Qiu Mu showed them the mirror and it tensed them.


    ¡°Let this matter get buried,¡± Tianjie suggested to them.


    ¡°Father will punish me for not investigating. Moreover, L¨®ng Wei has regained his powers. He is also into this case. So, he will by hook or crook try to bring the truth out. I am well aware of his cunning ways,¡± Qiu Mu remarked and picked the wine jar. He filled the ss with the wine and put it down.


    ¡°We can only bring a puppet forward to take the me,¡± Zhang Xi stated. ¡°The Crown Prince told us that L¨®ng Wei is searching for the evidence,¡± he opined and curled his fingers around the wine cup.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Brother Mingquan?¡± Xiaoming asked them. ¡°I asked him to join us. Then, why didn¡¯t he join us?¡± He looked at Tianjie and waited for the answer.


    .....


    ¡°Fourth Brother has sprained his ankle while practicing. Physician Peng has asked him to take a rest,¡± Tianjie informed Xiaoming, who rubbed the temples of his forehead.


    ¡°The Crown Prince does not have to worry when he has destroyed every piece of evidence. We have many such officials whom L¨®ng Wei troubled in the past. We can ask any one of them to take the me,¡± Zhang Xi again suggested the same idea to Xiaoming, who contemted for a while.


    Tianjie lifted the cup and sipped the wine. He gazed at Qiu Mu and gestured to him to say something.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t supposed to leave the manor in the mid-night. If some other person takes the me, then the security of the imperial pce will be questioned. More suspicions will grow,¡± Xiaoming concluded.


    ¡°I know who can help us,¡± Xiaoming said


    ¡°Who?¡± Qiu Mu instantly asked.


    ¡°The servant who was present with Li Hua and stood for her- Ju Lin,¡± Xiaoming stated and smiled. He was relieved that he didn¡¯t order Ju Lin to kill that assassin.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi! Eunuch Lishi!¡± Xiaoming called out for him.


    Eunuch Lishi entered the private chamber and bowed before the Crown Prince. ¡°Bring the servant named Ju Lin here,¡± Xiaoming ordered him. The other three princes were confused to hear him.


    Eunuch Lishi dashed out of the chamber after getting themand of the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Ju Lin?¡± Qiu Mu asked.


    ¡°Someone, who will not let my name appear in all this,¡± Xiaoming replied with a confident smile.


    ¡°If the Crown Prince allows it, may I ask something from him?¡± Tianjie asked humbly.


    ¡°Sure, Third Brother,¡± Xiaoming allowed him to do so.


    ¡°The Crown Prince does not need it to take it to heart. I am only curious to know about it. Does he have feelings for that servant Li Hua?¡± Tianjie enquired.


    Qiu Mu and Zhang Xi shifted their gazes at Xiaoming to hear his answer. They were also curious to know about it.


    ¡°Why would I develop feelings for a servant?¡± Xiaoming chuckled. ¡°I am good to many people around me. It is just that Li Hua served us tea for over a month, so I decided to protect her from getting involved with Brother L¨®ng Wei.¡± He elucidated them.


    ¡°Brother Tianjie, the Crown Prince, has high standards. Li Hua is made for L¨®ng Wei.¡± Qiu Mu made fun of L¨®ng Wei andughed. Tianjie and Zhang Xi also started tough.


    Xiaoming curled his fingers and his fists clenched in anger. He had to lie about his feelings about Li Hua to all of them.


    Eunuch Lishi reached the private chamber in a few minutes. Panting.


    ¡°Your Ro-Royal Highness,¡± Eunuch Lishi caught his breath which worried Xiaoming. He asked him to rx first.


    After turning stable, Eunuch Lishi said, ¡°Your Royal Highness, Ju Lin has left the pce in thete evening. She no longer works in the pce.¡±


    Xiaoming was shocked to hear it, and he mmed his hand on the floor table before him.


    ¡°Are you sure, Eunuch Lishi? The servants cannot leave the pce except under special conditions,¡± Zhang Xi said and asked him to confirm once again.


    ¡°It is confirmed, Your Highness,¡± Eunuch Lishi said.


    The three tilted their heads to look at Xiaoming, who had scrunched his brows.


    ¡°Did he do this?¡± Xiaoming murmured and gulped.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei was on the bed with his right leg over the knee of his right leg. Eunuch Gao Bing was near the other end of the bed, facing the Sixth Prince.


    ¡°As per the Sixth Prince¡¯s orders, I sent Ju Lin somewhere safe,¡± Gao Bing said.


    ¡°If anything happens to her, your life wille in danger too,¡± L¨®ng Wei warned him.


    ¡°That will not happen, Your Highness,¡± Gao Bing assured him. ¡°But I wonder why His Highness asked me to hide a servant in my residence.¡± He looked baffled and wanted an exnation from L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei got up, and his feetnded on the floor. He gestured to Gao Bing to sit beside him, who gulped. He was unsure whether he should sit or refuse L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°You won¡¯t ever get a chance to sit beside me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Gao Bing, with terrified steps, walked forward and sat beside L¨®ng Wei, who hung his arm around his shoulder.


    Gao Bing widened his eyes in a shock. He tilted his head to peer at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Gao Bing, have you ever wondered about being seen as a hero among beautifuldies and gentlemen?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°What is His Highness saying?¡± He was perplexed by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words.


    ¡°I will help you get a raise in your ie and make you a hero,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a broad smile and pulled his arm back. ¡°Your residence is built from illegal money. I believe you don¡¯t have any problem keeping a servant in your grand residence.¡± Those words seemed like a reminder and a threat to Gao Bing that if he would not help L¨®ng Wei, then his truth would be exposed.


    Gao Bing stood up and smiled. ¡°I understand, Your Highness. I am fortunate to be of a useful help for the Sixth Prince,¡± he said sweetly.


    ¡°You may leave, Gao Bing,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Gao Bing made a face at him and left his chamber. ¡°Does he think I am his servant?¡± He muttered. ¡°One day, he will beg me.¡± He turned his head to look at the door and saw L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°The day will nevere when I have to beg you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Gao Bing apologized to him and ran away before L¨®ng Wei could burst his anger at him.


    L¨®ng Wei went to the balustrade, and settled on the broad wooden rail. His back rested on the pir. His right leg lied tly on the wooden rail, while his left foot touched the ground.


    ¡°The real game has begun!¡± He muttered and smiled.


    ~~~~~


    I hope you are enjoying it!!

 Chapter 61

    61 About his Past


    ¡°Miss Hua looks beautiful in this beautiful Hanfu dress,¡± Court Lady Hongplimented Li Hua. She had put on a in, sky-blue Hanfu dress. The white jade hairpin on her hair bun was the perfect match with the dress.


    ¡°Everything seems so expensive,¡± Li Hua said as she looked at the mirror.


    ¡°It has to be expensive.¡± The Queen¡¯s voice fell into Li Hua¡¯s ears, and she promptly stood up. Stepping forward, she bowed before Zhu Liling. This sudden visit of the Queen was unexpected to her.


    Zhu Liling lifted Li Hua¡¯s chin and smiled at her. ¡°Don¡¯t be like a servant anymore, Li Hua,¡± she said and put her hand down, ¡°Li Hua¡¯s wedding dress is ready, and the auspicious time is out as well.¡±


    Zhu Liling tilted her head slightly when a maidservant came forward with the red wedding dress with golden embroidery over it. Zhu Liling picked it from her hands and forwarded it to Li Hua.


    ¡°Keep this in your possession. You have to look beautiful tomorrow. You will use the Queen¡¯s beauty products, which I personally use. Tomorrow morning, I will send a few gold jewelries.¡± Zhu Liling informed Li Hua, who was surprised to hear all this.


    She was astonished to see that the Queen did not consider her a servant. She downcasted her eyes and looked at her wedding dress. Tears appeared in her eyes, and she was on the verge of crying. Unable to control herself, she burst out in tears, which perplexed everyone present in the chamber.


    Li Hua recalled how her mother had called the designer from the capital to prepare a wedding dress for her. Her fingers clutched the dress tightly, and she cried profusely.


    ¡°Li Hua, what happened?¡± Zhu Liling got worried to see her crying and caressed her arm. She took Li Hua to the recliner and made her sit on it. Court Lady Hong swiftly brought a ss of water and handed it to the Queen, who gave it to Li Hua.


    .....


    ¡°Drink it,¡± Zhu Liling said. Li Hua grabbed the ss and drank water. Court Lady Hong put the ss on the table and wondered why Li Hua cried out of the blue.


    Zhu Liling, who sat beside Li Hua, wiped the tears from her cheeks and asked her the reason behind her sudden emotional burst.


    ¡°I-I recalled myte mother,¡± Li Hua said in a low voice. ¡°She always used to say that she would prepare a beautiful wedding dress for me. Seeing it today, I could not control myself,¡± she said and lowered her head, ¡°please forgive me for disturbing everyone.¡± She sobbed and wiped the tears on her eyes from the back of her index finger.


    ¡°It is understandable at this moment. Every woman recalls her mother only when a wedding dress is given to her. When I came to this pce, my mother also handed me the wedding dress.¡± Zhu Liling emphasized with her.


    She lifted her hand and caressed Li Hua¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore. I had asked the Head, who looks after servants¡¯ affairs, and he informed me that you have no family. I had thought of sending a message to them. From tomorrow, this royal family will be yours too. You cane to me any time if you feel troubled,¡± Zhu Liling said in her soft tone and pulled back her hand.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Did Li Hua have her breakfast?¡± Zhu Liling looked at Court Lady Hong for the answer.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± She immediately replied to the Queen.


    ¡°Give us some privacy.¡± Upon Zhu Liling¡¯s order, the servants left the chamber.


    ¡°Li Hua, the decision to marry my youngest son, must be toughest for you,¡± Zhu Liling initiated the conversation about L¨®ng Wei. Li Hua would not deny that it was a tough decision for her. But to achieve her aim, she had no other way.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has been notorious and a troublemaker from a young age. Probably because his mother failed to look after him. She did not give her son enough time, and this built anger inside him. Yesterday, King and I were together when he told me that Prince L¨®ng Wei listens to you well. His Majesty thinks that Li Hua has the ability to bring Prince L¨®ng Wei on the right path. Not only this, she can bring the truth out. The truth why the Sixth Prince killed his mother.¡±


    Li Hua was bewildered to hear it and, for a few seconds, peered into the Queen¡¯s eyes before lowering them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that the Sixth Prince will tell me any such thing when I am not even a part of this family, Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua reasoned.


    Zhu Liling smiled a little. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is eager to marry Li Hua. He loves you, else he would not have rushed this marriage and created such havoc in the pce. Li Hua, we all want to help Prince L¨®ng Wei, and knowing the truth about his past is important to us. Whatever you will find, report that to me if you are unable to tell the King. I am worried for my youngest son,¡± Zhu Liling said with a troubled expression.


    Li Hua was unable to grasp anything. Why did she have to find out how L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother died? She wasn¡¯t interested in his life. And she was not evenfortable asking him anything rted to his past.


    ¡°What are you thinking, Li Hua?¡± Zhu Liling¡¯s question brought her out of those thoughts.


    ¡°Nothing, Your Majesty. Surely, I will report it to Her Majesty if I find anything out. However, I cannot guarantee it,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I am d that you agreed to this. The Sixth Prince will surely tell Li Hua about his past. When someone loves you dearly, he shares everything with you. Prince L¨®ng Wei keeps himself isted from us, it troubles us. We want him to be like the other princes,¡± Zhu Liling affirmed. Li Hua nodded her head, and told the Queen not to worry.


    Zhu Liling stroked Li Hua¡¯s hair and blessed her. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is lucky to marry you. I shall take my leave. I need to look into the preparation for tomorrow,¡± Zhu Liling said and rose to her feet. Li Hua also stood up and bowed before her.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty, for this precious wedding dress and other valuables,¡± Li Hua again expressed her gratitude.

 Chapter 62

    62 Everyone needs a Friend


    Mingquan asked Xiaoming if he could spare him a few minutes as he had something important to discuss with him.


    ¡°Of course, Fourth Brother. What is it?¡± Xiaoming got inquisitive.


    ¡°I am unable to discuss it here. If the Crown Princees to my manor that will be great,¡± Mingquan requested. Xiaoming could not refuse him and went to the Fourth Prince¡¯s manor.


    ¡°How is Brother Mingquan¡¯s foot? I heard that he sprained his ankle,¡± Xiaoming expressed his concern.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a major problem, Your Royal Highness. Forgive me for not attending the small meetingst night that the Crown Prince had with the rest of the brothers,¡± Mingquan apologized humbly.


    ¡°May I know why what was the topic of discussion in that meeting?¡± Mingquan queried.


    Since they were outside, Xiaoming refrained from telling what he discussed with the rest of the brothers, except L¨®ng Wei.


    They soon reached outside Mingquan¡¯s manor. The guards and the servants in the manor bowed upon seeing the Crown Prince. They entered the chamber and settled around the floor table. Eunuch Lishi stayed outside.


    ¡°What does Brother Mingquan want to discuss?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    .....


    ¡°I want us brothers to make efforts to make Brother L¨®ng Wei feel what a family is!¡± Mingquan stated. ¡°He is 20 years old. We all have a slight gap in our ages. Nothing changed in these twenty years for him. He is still the same and I feel because of our behaviors toward Brother L¨®ng Wei, he is adamant not to change himself.¡±


    ¡°Brother Mingquan said three days ago that a leopard cannot change its spots,¡± Xiaoming reminded him. ¡°Does he think that Brother L¨®ng Wei will change just because we want this?¡± He shook his head and continued, ¡°I have tried every method to make Brother L¨®ng Wei feel that I care for him; this family cares for him.¡±


    ¡°The Crown Prince¡¯s replies seem strange to me. He always said to us brothers that Brother L¨®ng Wei wants the warmth of his elders.¡± Mingquan was puzzled to see that Xiaoming refused to help L¨®ng Wei in any way.


    ¡°Brother Mingquan, I am upset that Brother L¨®ng Wei almost killed my younger sister. At least, he should respect women.¡± Xiaoming looked angry. ¡°Oh, I forgot that he had never respected a woman, else he would not have killed his mother. All these years, I was wrong about Brother L¨®ng Wei. No matter how much I will do for him, he will always taunt me, trouble my close ones,¡± Xiaoming affirmed.


    ¡°My humble apologies, Crown Prince, but that day the First Sister did wrong byparing Li Hua with his mother. Sister Jingfei should not have to call Li Hua a whore. That word in itself triggered Brother L¨®ng Wei since he loves Li Hua. Every human has dignity including the servants,¡± Mingquan said, keeping his tone polite.


    Xiaoming was angry too that his sister used such a word for Li Hua.


    ¡°I shall take my leave. I have to visit the government office today,¡± Xiaoming stood up and was ready to leave when Mingquan stopped him.


    ¡°The Crown Prince did not give me any answer whether he will help me and ask the other brothers to support me,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°Brother Mingquan, no one wants Brother L¨®ng Wei to be in the Imperial Pce. Though, I am happy to help you. I also want him to feel that we all are a family,¡± Xiaoming said with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s discuss itter.¡± He walked towards the door.


    Mingquan fiddled his fingers, wondering how to stop the Crown Prince from leaving for his chamber. However, he did not rush as it could make Xiaoming suspicious of him.


    Mingquan followed him and saw him off. ¡®It will take five to ten minutes for the Crown Prince to reach his manor. Hopefully, Brother L¨®ng Wei willplete his work before that,¡¯ he thought.


    Xiaoming could not believe that Mingquan would request such a thing from him. ¡®I was luckyst night that he didn¡¯t attend our meeting. Else, he would have told our Father about it. I need to tell the other Princes to keep it to themselves,¡¯ he thought and asked Eunuch Lishi to send a message to the other three princes to meet him urgently.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei opened the window of the Crown Prince¡¯s chamber after putting effort for more than five minutes. He finally seeded in opening it and climbed up, before jumping in tond in the chamber.


    With quiet steps, he went towards the desk where Xiaoming usually did his work. He opened the drawers of the desk and checked the documents inside. He was hoping to find evidence, that he could use against Xiaoming to make him confess the truth.


    He looked into the documents which were mostly rted to the kingdom. He put them inside the drawer and checked the second one. A few brushes and ink sticks were kept in that drawer. He closed it and checked the third one, which was slightly smaller in space.


    Again he found nothing and rose to his feet. He checked the shelves where a few books were put. He checked them but found nothing.


    L¨®ng Wei had searched almost the entire chamber but found nothing. He heard the footsteps and decided to run before someone would catch him. He opened the window and jumped out. Closing it from outside, he disappeared from the yard before any servant could notice him.


    L¨®ng Wei halted near the corridor which was connected to the King¡¯s manor and stood against the pir.


    ¡®He might have gotten rid of the evidence if any. Why would he keep any evidence around? If he can kill these thirty servants, then he must have done many things in the past. It is just everything is unknown to us,¡¯ he thought.


    The Second Princess, Ai Fen, wasing from the front and saw L¨®ng Wei. She greeted him and L¨®ng Wei lifted his head. ¡°How is the Sixth Brother?¡± She asked humbly.


    ¡°Fine,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and looked out towards the open yard where servants were sweeping the floor.


    ¡°I made some sweets. Would Brother L¨®ng Wei like to taste them? I earlier gave them to our Royal Father and Royal Father.¡± Ai Fen asked him, who shook his head.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei likes these sweets,¡± Ai Fen started to convince him. L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to nce at her and then at the maidservant, who had a tray in her hand in which he saw a few tters covered with silk cloth.


    ¡°I am not interested,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, which disheartened Ai Fen. He decided to leave before Ai Fen would say anything more.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, we are a family,¡± Ai Fen stated. He scrunched his brows and wondered why she was saying such words. ¡°I prepared sweets for everyone in our family. I would have been happy if Brother L¨®ng Wei had tasted them,¡± she stated.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°My presence doesn¡¯t matter in the pce. You can serve the others,¡± he said and walked ahead. He went to the stable to get a horse and check the ce which the assassin had told him about.


    As he hopped on the horse, Huang Xi also came on a horse from the front and smiled at him.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± he raised his hand, which had the sword in it. ¡°I am lucky to reach at the right time. Let¡¯s go to the forest and find the appropriate evidence,¡± Huang Xi encouraged him.


    ¡°Does Commander Huang Xi not have any other work? Why does he trouble me all the time?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him and pulled the reins on the horse. He moved ahead of Huang Xi, who followed him.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Prince L¨®ng Wei ept my friendship?¡± Huang Xi asked as he approached him on the horse.


    ¡°Friendship? I don¡¯t need a friend,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Soon they got out of the main gates of the pce.


    ¡°Everyone needs a friend, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Huang Xi opined.


    ¡°You shall be with the First Princess,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked.


    ¡°Why?¡± Huang Xi¡¯s brows furrowed.


    ¡°She always looks for you. She has a crush on you,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t like her,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°Whoa! That¡¯s great. For you, she does thousands of makeup treatments. We can be friends then,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and kicked the horse, which picked up speed.


    Huang Xi was astonished to hear it and chased him on his horse. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, if I had liked the First Princess, then he would not have epted my friendship. That¡¯s strange. It is a unique way to keep the grudges,¡± Huang Xi opined as he again reached near him on the horse.


    ¡°Of course. I like to keep the grudges this way only,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. Today, he had not kept his hair open. Instead, it was tied into a hair bun.


    Huang Xi smiled and they both soon reached the location, where the assassin met the chief culprit.


    They hopped down from their respective horses. Huang Xi tied them to a tree and walked ahead with L¨®ng Wei. They searched the area for quite a long time, but they were unable to find anything rted to the incident. L¨®ng Wei thought he might find anything that Xiaoming would have mistakenly left, but he was wrong.


    Huang Xi put his hands on his waist. ¡°Your Highness, do you have any suspicion on anyone?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I know who the culprit is, but I don¡¯t have evidence,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Who?¡± Huang Xi got curious.


    ¡°I cannot tell,¡± L¨®ng Wei refused to tell him and turned to go back where they hade in. ¡°I need to buy a gift for Li Hua,¡± he murmured and asked Huang Xi if he knew any good jeweler¡¯s shop in the market.


    ¡°His Highness can ask the royal jeweler instead of going to the market,¡± Huang Xi suggested to him.


    ¡°I do not like that Royal Jeweler. He used me once of stealing his gold,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with annoyance.


    ¡°The King didn¡¯t punish him for using the Prince!¡± Huang Xi was bewildered to learn about it.


    ¡°Sadly, a gold bar was found in my room,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered when he felt something beneath his shoe. He halted, and so did Huang Xi.


    ¡°What happened, Your Highness?¡± Huang Xi asked as he saw L¨®ng Wei bending on his knees.


    L¨®ng Wei picked the tassel, which had a white jade on it. When his foot pressed it, the jade had broken slightly. He picked up the broken piece too and carefully looked at it.


    ¡°The jade seems expensive,¡± Huang Xi said.


    L¨®ng Wei nodded. ¡°Because it belongs to a Prince,¡± he affirmed, and his lips twisted into a smirk.

 Chapter 63

    63 Say one more Word [Bonus chapter]


    Huang Xi kept asking L¨®ng Wei about the Prince who did this to him, but he stayed quiet. They both were on the horses and were heading to the market.


    ¡°Your Highness, let¡¯s tell this to the King,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°I will tell my Royal Father after my marriage. Now, I have to prepare some gifts for Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, with a broad smile. Huang Xi was surprised to see the love in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes. Everyone was wrong about him. He did care for the people whom he loved.


    Upon reaching the market gates, they both hopped down from their respective horses. Mostly the people had only heard about the Sixth Prince, but hardly anyone had seen him.


    Oppositely, most of the people were aware of Commander Huang Xi. People who walked past them bowed upon seeing themander.


    ¡°Your Highness, I will hold the reins of your horse as well.¡± Huang Xi offered his help, but L¨®ng Wei refused him. L¨®ng Wei hardly used toe to the market. He hade to the market a year ago when he heard about the beginning of the summer festival.


    They walked past a few shops where women¡¯s essories were sold when Huang Xi held L¨®ng Wei¡¯s arm. He nced at him, who said, ¡°these five shops sell women¡¯s essories including clothes. The quality of the product is nice here.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei nodded and wondered what he could buy for Li Hua. Huang Xi told him that he would find a ce for the horses, till then he could check in those shops. L¨®ng Wei agreed and went to the first shop.


    It will be foolish not to believe that L¨®ng Wei has breathtaking features. Among all the Princes, he is the most good-looking one. However, handsomeness and beauty aren¡¯t everything.


    .....


    However, when he entered the first shop, the youngdies started to whisper among them.


    ¡°He seems to be from an elite social ss.¡±


    The owner of the shop came running to him. Seeing L¨®ng Wei¡¯s clothes, he found him rich and from a well-off family. It was his chance to sell him as many products as he could.


    ¡°Young Master, how can I help you?¡± the shop owner asked humbly from L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Do you sell gold jewelry?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    The shop owner¡¯s eyes gleamed with happiness. He finally found a rich young man. The day was auspicious for him.


    ¡°Of course, Young Master. Please follow me to the second floor,¡± the shop owner told L¨®ng Wei. At that moment, something grabbed his attention and he went to the third stall.


    The women, who were present there, showed him the way and he picked one green-colored jade ring. The shop owner told him that he would show him better jade rings. The one L¨®ng Wei had held was a cheaper one.


    ¡°Bring the jewelry here. I am not interested in going upstairs,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. The shop owner immediately agreed and asked his workers to bring the gold jewelry downstairs.


    ¡°Young Master, would you like to sit on the chair? Shall I bring tea for the Young Master?¡± the shop owner asked.


    ¡°I am good. It is not tea time, so I won¡¯t take tea,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and looked into the rings. He found the young women gazing at him and for a second, he wondered if they recognized him. It made him happy that everyone was scared of him.


    ¡°May I know for whom this young master is selecting the rings?¡± L¨®ng Wei heard a feminine voice and tilted his head to look. He looked at her from top to bottom and bottom to top.


    ¡®Ady from the noble family.¡¯ He realized from her attire.


    ¡°Do I know you?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s tone seemed rude to thedies present in the shop. Wasn¡¯t a person from the noble family supposed to be gentle in his tone?


    ¡°Since I don¡¯t know you, then I should not be telling you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and asked the shop owner how much longer it would take.


    ¡°Just a few minutes, Young Master,¡± the shop owner answered and excused himself to check upstairs.


    L¨®ng Wei found that none of them were aware of him, so he decided not to tell them. He selected a few jade rings and kept them aside.


    ¡°How could this young master talk rudely to the daughter of the prestigious minister of the Kingdom?¡± Another voice fell into his ear. A personal servant saving her mistress.


    ¡°Watch your tongue before speaking to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said without looking at this young woman.


    The women got intimidated to hear him. Hardly any man from the noble ss talked this way.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei started to threaten the young women even in the market. That¡¯s the only thing that one can expect from him.¡± A familiar voice fell into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s ear. Everyone in the shop was terrified to hear that the person before them was none other than the rumored Sinned Prince.


    For a second, those young women¡¯s hearts had skipped a beat because of his good looks, but after knowing that he was the Sixth Prince, they took several steps back from him.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan, it has been a long time,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and turned his head to gaze at him. ¡°How is your hand?¡± He smirked and saw the bandage around it.


    Everyone started to whisper among themselves while the young woman, who earlier asked L¨®ng Wei, thought to leave. As she turned to leave, L¨®ng Wei asked her about his father¡¯s position.


    ¡°Don¡¯t trouble this young woman, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Kang Huijuan said.


    ¡°Your servant threatened me with his name. I would like to know about him. If you will not, then I need to find myself,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted,pletely ignoring what Kang Huijuan said.


    ¡°M-my father is in the Min-ministry of personnel,¡± the young woman replied and gulped.


    ¡°Miss Qing Yi, don¡¯t be scared of the Sixth Prince. He likes to show off his power when he is nothing,¡± Kang Huijuan said with a smug look.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan, do you want me to shut your mouth for eternity?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his brow. ¡°Don¡¯t act like a gentleman. Forgot the reason behind your broken hand?¡± he asked, ¡°or shall I publicly announce it?¡±


    Huang Xi reached the shop and found both L¨®ng Wei and Kang Huijuan staring at each other.


    ¡°The punishment for staying in the Cold Pce for five months wasn¡¯t enough for the Sixth Prince,¡± Kang Huijuan remarked.


    The shop owner came downstairs with his workers and found the coldness in the air.


    ¡°Young Master, I have brought the designs,¡± the shop owner humbly said.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± L¨®ng Wei turned to look at him, who asked him to sit around the table. L¨®ng Wei took the seat while Huang Xi stood beside him. Most of the youngdies left the shop because of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s fear.


    The shop owner found it strange, but he decided to sell as much as he could to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Because of the Sixth Prince, everyone left the shop. He is a jinx in everyone¡¯s eyes.¡± Kang Huijuan said, and the shop owner heard it too. He was shocked to see the person in front of him was Prince L¨®ng Wei. He trembled in a fear that L¨®ng Wei noticed.


    Huang Xi asked Kang Huijuan to respect the Prince.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi, no one respects the Sixth Prince. He doesn¡¯t deserve to be respected. Wherever he goes, disaster happens. He even beat me for no reason,¡± Kang Huijuan started to provoke L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan, I think your dear father didn¡¯t inform you. I have gotten my power back. Say one more word, and I will drag you to the pce, tying you in the ropes,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a menacing expression, on his face.


    ¡°Show me the earrings, hairpins, and jade rings. I want to purchase them for my soon-to-be wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei told the shop owner, who showed him the hairpins first.


    Kang Huijuan turned silent but did not leave the shop. ¡®How could someone marry him!? I need to find out who he will marry,¡¯ he thought and silently left the shop.


    It took an hour for L¨®ng Wei to select the hairpins, jade rings, and other precious jewels for Li Hua. He looked at the green jade ring, on which a gold flower pattern was carved.


    ¡°Miss Hua will surely like them,¡± Huang Xi told L¨®ng Wei, who hummed with a smile.


    ¡°How much does it all cost?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked the shop owner, who was a little hesitant at first. ¡°Do you want toe on the road by selling all this to me free of cost?¡± His question made the shop owner smile a little.


    ¡°Your Highness, I am a small seller in the market. I am truly happy that a royal prince decided to buy jewels from my shop. I am thankful to His Highness,¡± the shop owner expressed his gratitude first, before telling him the amount.


    L¨®ng Wei took out the pouch and handed him the gold coins as payment. After the packing was done, L¨®ng Wei was ready to leave the pce.


    Upon reaching his manor, L¨®ng Wei told Huang Xi to give him the remaining boxes.


    ¡°I will put them inside, Your Highness,¡± Huang Xi said humbly.


    ¡°No need. I don¡¯t allow outsiders to enter my manor,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and asked him again about the remaining boxes.


    Huang Xi didn¡¯t argue with the Prince and put the four boxes above the ones which L¨®ng Wei had carried. He stepped down the stairs while L¨®ng Wei walked in through the entrance.


    ¡°It is tough to be his friend. I have been trying for fourteen years,¡± Huang Xi murmured and left for the barracks.

 Chapter 64

    64 ¡®I Love you, Li Hua¡¯


    Kang Huijuan met Tianjie in the pce and told him how L¨®ng Wei humiliated him in one of the market¡¯s shops.


    ¡°What was the Sixth Brother doing in the market?¡± Tianjie asked him.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince bought some precious jewels for his soon-to-be wife. I wonder who wants to marry the Sixth Prince. Which Minister gave the hand of his daughter to Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± Kang Huijuan, with inquisitiveness nced at Tianjie for the answer.


    Tianjie chuckled beforeughing. ¡°Minister¡¯s daughter?¡± He controlled hisughter and said, ¡°It is a servant. He fell in love with a servant. Did the Prime Minister not tell you? I thought this news has circted among everyone in the capital.¡±


    Kang Huijuan also started tough upon learning about the truth. ¡°A servant?¡± Tears appeared in the edges of his eyes as he continued tough along with Tianjie. ¡°His choice is just like him. But how could he fall in love with a servant? This servant must be happy to marry him,¡± Kang Huijuan deduced and finally stoppedughing.


    ¡°His bride is beautiful, though. No one can tell she belongs to a servant ss,¡± Tianjie affirmed.


    ¡°Is it so? I would like to see her. Who is this woman who has stolen the heart of L¨®ng Wei? He never nced at any woman, yet he is head over heels for this servant!¡± He remarked with an astonished look.


    ¡°Why do you want to see a servant? Also, her status is raised after she epted the offer to marry L¨®ng Wei. She has be a nobledy, so not anyone can see her,¡± Tianjie replied.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie, I was joking. Why would I be interested in looking at a servant?¡± Huijuan lifted the tea cup and sipped it.


    .....


    ¡°How is your hand? It looks better than before. You are able to move it.¡± Tianjie said and looked at his right hand.


    ¡°Of course. It is better now. The internal tissues have healed,¡± Huijuan answered. ¡°I never expected that the five months would pass so soon and he would return. He said that he got his power back. Is it true, Your Highness?¡± he scrunched his brows.


    ¡°It¡¯s true. L¨®ng Wei now has equal rights as us princes,¡± Tianjie replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a good sign. I remember that L¨®ng Wei previously has never asked to give back his power. It is strange he asked for it after so many years.¡± Huijuan was a little suspicious.


    ¡°Does it matter? We all know he will only create more trouble. Royal Father has agreed to his marriage, thinking it will bring him on a better path. But everyone knows what kind of person he is! I bet that Li Hua will not survive with him for more than a day after their official wedding,¡± Tianjie pronounced with certainty. The two talked for long before Huijuan took his leave.


    ¡°I want to see who Li Hua is. I want to tell her not to marry L¨®ng Wei. I want to see his reaction when this woman will step back from the marriage,¡± Huijuan muttered. He stopped a maidservant, who was heading to the Queen¡¯s Manor.


    ¡°Do you know where Li Hua is?¡± Huijuan asked him.


    ¡°Miss Hua is in the Western Pce, Young Master,¡± the maidservant answered humbly. Huijuan smiled and left for the western pce. However, he could not meet Li Hua unless he got permission. No way he would be able to meet her when he did not belong to the royal family.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei is lucky this time. I will give him a surprise on his wedding day. Just one more day and he will be aughing stock,¡± Huijuan murmured and smirked.


    ~~~~~


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei wants you to wear these hairpins and earrings tomorrow. I want you to wear this precious jade bracelets which will look beautiful around your wrists. I will make you wear the jade ring after officially bing your husband. I love you, Li Hua.¡± Xiwan said what L¨®ng Wei had instructed him to.


    Li Hua was surprised to hear the message from Xiwan¡¯s mouth. Her cheeks flushed red when she heard, ¡®I love you, Li Hua.¡¯ Did L¨®ng Wei have to say this to Xiwan? He was her senior brother.


    ¡°Miss Hua, His Highness has sent the jewels in this box,¡± Xiwan informed her and handed it to Court Lady Hong.


    ¡°Why is Senior Brother Xiwan calling me Miss Hua?¡± She was perplexed. Did by any chance L¨®ng Wei ask him to say it?


    Xiwan smiled. ¡°Because this youngdy is no longer amondy. I shall show my respect towards her,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Why does the Prince send all this when Her Majesty has already sent them?¡± Li Huained and looked troubled.


    ¡°Is there any problem Miss Hua? She can tell me as I will deliver her message to the Sixth Prince,¡± Xiwan said humbly.


    ¡°Senior Brother Xiwan, the Queen has told me to wear the jewels that are selected by her. How am I supposed to wear those given by the Sixth Prince? I don¡¯t want any trouble tomorrow,¡± she stated while fiddling her fingers.


    ¡°I will ask the Sixth Prince, and then I will answer Miss Hua,¡± Xiwan replied.


    ¡°No need, Senior Brother. Can he tell the Sixth Prince that I will wear the hairpins His Highness selected for me the next day?¡± Li Hua requested Xiwan, who promptly agreed to her.


    After Xiwan left the chamber, Court Lady Hong said, ¡°Miss Hua, the Sixth Prince might get angry if she refuses to wear these jewels.¡± She looked at the box in her hand before putting it on the table.


    ¡°Court Lady Hong, I cannot wear them either. Her Majesty¡¯s order is supreme,¡± Li Hua pronounced. ¡°The Sixth Prince might not get angry at me.¡± Since L¨®ng Wei had promised her not to see her until the marriage day, there was nothing to fear about. And if he argued with her on the wedding day, then it would be best because he would stay away then.


    ¡®I will wear the jade ring that Feng Lao gave me,¡¯ she thought. ¡®I am his only, and this marriage is for a namesake.¡¯

 Chapter 65

    65 Give us some privacy


    ¡°Your Highness, Miss Hua said that she will wear what the Queen has told her. From the next day, Miss Hua will wear what the Sixth Prince wants her to,¡± Xiwan delivered Li Hua¡¯s message to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Hmm. Tell Court Lady Hong to arrange a meeting for her. Since we cannot see each other, tell her to put a translucent curtain between us. I need to talk to Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei instructed Xiwan.


    Xiwan looked at L¨®ng Wei with inquisitiveness, who asked him if he had a problem delivering the message.


    ¡°Absolutely not, Your Highness.¡± Xiwan lowered his eyes. ¡°Miss Hua said that she does not want any trouble before the marriage,¡± he answered.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even start troubling her. I am gentle with her,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and rose to his feet. He wore the shoes and walked out of the chamber. Xiwan followed him and asked where he was heading to.


    ¡°To see her. She forced me to see her,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and descended the stairs when Xiwan came in front of him.


    ¡°My humble apologies for stopping the Sixth Prince this way. However, I think that His Highness shall not break his promise. I will surely ask Court Lady Hong to arrange a meeting for you both, where the Sixth Prince and Miss Hua will not look at each other.¡± Xiwan calmed him down while agreeing to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s previous suggestion.


    ¡°Go then. Tell Lady Hong to do it in ten minutes. I need to talk to Li Hua. Also, tell Li Hua to not provoke me to see her face-to-face,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a stern tone. Xiwan bowed and ran out of the manor.


    He stopped outside Li Hua¡¯s chamber to catch his breath. Wiping the sweat from his forehead using his long sleeve, he said, ¡°The Sixth Prince has an urgent message for Miss Hua.¡±


    .....


    Court Lady Hong let Xiwan get in, who informed them what L¨®ng Wei wanted. Li Hua got troubled to hear that. Why did he want to meet her? Did he not understand the meaning of a promise? But she could not do anything either, except follow L¨®ng Wei¡¯s order.


    ¡°Then, in the next chamber, I will make the arrangements for both Miss Hua and the Sixth Prince,¡± Court Lady Hong said. Xiwan turned to leave when Li Hua stopped him.


    ¡°Senior Brother, why is His Highness doing it?¡±


    Xiwan turned to gaze at Li Hua. ¡°His Highness wants to see Miss Hua wearing the jewelry that he has brought for her. Miss Hua, the Sixth Prince never even bought anything for himself. It is a big thing that His Highness wants to give you everything that is in his capacity.¡± Xiwan made Li Hua understand.


    He found her upset and asked her why she agreed to the marriage if she was unable to decide whose orders to follow.


    ¡°What does Senior Brother Xiwan mean?¡± Li Hua looked puzzled.


    ¡°Miss Hua, since you agreed to marry the Sixth Prince, you must follow his orders. Until you follow His Highness, you do not need to fear anything,¡± Xiwan said with a smile.


    ¡°But it can create arguments among the Queen and the Sixth Prince,¡± Li Hua opined. Earlier, Xiaolian scolded her for meeting L¨®ng Wei and not following the Queen¡¯s orders.


    ¡°The Queen must have already known about it. If Her Majesty had to demand answers from the Sixth Prince or Miss Hua, she would have done it by now,¡± Xiwan told Li Hua.


    ¡°Miss Hua, since you call me a brother, I would like to tell you an important thing. The Sixth Prince wants to marry a servant, which has already made him aughing stock in many eyes. I should not be saying this, but except the King, no one bothers whom the Sixth Prince marries.¡±


    Li Hua was surprised to learn about that. She found Xiwan was quite close to L¨®ng Wei. He even knew what he liked, what he hated, and his other traits. L¨®ng Wei was not the type to even make anyone his friend. Then, howe he let Xiwan know about him?


    ¡°I shall take my leave, Miss Hua.¡± Xiwan left for the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor.


    Five minutester, Court Lady Hong came to Li Hua and asked her to follow her. Li Hua walked behind her and they reached the patio. Arge curtain partitioned the two sitting spaces. Li Hua upon Court Lady Hong¡¯s instructions sat on the left while on the right side of the curtain L¨®ng Wei was supposed to take the seat.


    ¡°Why did the Court Lady agree to the Sixth Prince? She could have told Senior Brother Xiwan that it was impossible to meet today.¡± Li Hua was still upset about meeting L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Miss Hua, the Sixth Prince doesn¡¯t listen to me or anyone here. If I had stopped him, he would havee to meet Miss Hua without asking to make such an arrangement. It is surprising that His Highness kept his promise of not seeing you, instead, he would be on the other side of this curtain,¡± Court Lady Hong said. She left the patio to check if L¨®ng Wei arrived or not.


    ¡°I know the Sixth Prince will even break his promise. It is all His Highness¡¯s way to see me and tease me. He must be feeling lonely,¡± she murmured.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei came to the patio with Court Lady Hong and found therge curtain which prevented him from looking at Li Hua.


    ¡°Give us some privacy,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her. Li Hua lifted her eyes and looked at him through the translucent curtain. Court Lady Hong stepped back and soon left them alone.


    L¨®ng Wei sat on the floor chair on the right side of the curtain. ¡°It seems you are eager to see me, that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t listen to me when I told you to wear them,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Your Highness, in the morning-¡±


    L¨®ng Wei interrupted her in the middle. ¡°Who are you going to marry?¡±


    ¡°The Sixth Prince,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°Then, do what I say. I bought them for you. It took me a lot of time to select them,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. The wind blew and the curtain swung along with the air, showing his face to her. But she promptly averted her gaze from him.


    ¡°Did the Queene to punish you when I saw you yesterday?¡± His question confused her. ¡°No, right? She doesn¡¯t bother about it. So, this promise that you took from me has no meaning. Because I respect your decision, I agreed to it,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her.


    ¡°What if the Queen asks me why I didn¡¯t wear the jewelry that she asked me to? His Highness shall not anger her,¡± Li Hua tried to make him understand.


    ¡°I will tell her. Don¡¯t bother about it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua lowered her head and fidgeted with her fingers. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°I slept well, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°That day you had a nightmare. So, I thought if you have trouble sleeping,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°No, Your Highness. Anyone would get good sleep on such a soft mattress,¡± Li Hua said. L¨®ng Wei hummed.


    ¡°Ju Lin is safe,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Li Hua, who was delighted to hear it.


    ¡°I will meet herter,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°You cannot. I have sent her out,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Li Hua was bewildered to learn about it. L¨®ng Wei sent Ju Lin! But where?


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask anyone or discuss it with anyone. It is between us. I have put my trust in you,¡± L¨®ng Wei warned her.


    ¡°May I know why His Highness sent Ju Lin out?¡± She was curious to know. She found him silent. ¡°I will wait for His Highness¡¯ answer. Hopefully, he will tell me tomorrow,¡± she then said.


    ¡°Li Hua, forget about your past lover tomorrow when you will take the vows with me. I don¡¯t want you to keep him in your mind anymore.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s tone was soft. Li Hua looked away because it would not be going to happen.


    ¡°I have not taken my breakfast in the morning. So, I will leave as I am hungry. I am eagerly waiting for tomorrow,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and rose to his feet. ¡°L¨®ng Wei loves you,¡± he told her and it made her eyes widen. She recalled how he sent the same message through Xiwan.


    ¡°His Highness should not have asked Senior Brother Xiwan to say that,¡± Li Huained and lifted her head.


    ¡°What did I say to him?¡± L¨®ng Wei acted unaware.


    ¡°Those words, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°I said many words. Which words are you talking about? Be clear,¡± L¨®ng Wei demanded and smirked.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Li Hua replied, ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei smiled. ¡°You need to answer with the same words. When a man confesses his feelings to his woman, she should respond to him too,¡± he stated. Before Li Hua could speak, L¨®ng Wei left the patio.

 Chapter 66

    66 Very much Interested [Bonus chapter]


    L¨®ng Wei found Kang Huijuan outside his manor, and it infuriated him. He decided to ignore him and stepped on the first stair when Kang Huijuan grabbed his arm.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head and nced at the arm that Kang Huijuan was holding. ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness,¡± he said and put his hand down, ¡°I heard His Highness is getting married,¡± he initiated the conversation.


    ¡°You love to know about the things going on in the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked.


    ¡°Anything rted to the Princes or the Princesses spread like a fire. And then, the Sixth Prince chooses to marry a servant, which is an interesting topic of discussion among everyone,¡± Kang Huijian said and grinned.


    L¨®ng Wei turned to go inside when he heard Kang Huijian¡¯s words, which boiled his blood in anger.


    ¡°I heard she is beautiful. I wonder what she looks like. Care to share this servant with me.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei clenched his fist and punched him hard. He fell to the ground, and he started tough. L¨®ng Wei jumped at him and pulled him up by grabbing his robes.


    ¡°Last time I spared you, but not this time.¡± L¨®ng Wei gritted his teeth while ring into his eyes.


    ¡°Kill me then, L¨®ng Wei. Who knows with my death, you will forever be locked in the cold pce?! Let¡¯s suppose I won¡¯t die, then I will make sure to take Li Hua away from you and make her my-¡± he paused when L¨®ng Wei strangled his neck. Veins popped out on his forehead. His other hand grasped Kang Huijuan¡¯s right hand which he twisted.


    .....


    ¡°Kang Huijuan, do you think I am afraid of you? I should have removed this right limb of yours that day. Don¡¯t provoke me anymore and don¡¯t say rubbish from your filthy mouth,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and pushed him away. Kang Huijuan put his hands on his neck and started to cough.


    ¡°Leave before I cut your tongue,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He knew how to control his anger. He also knew that Kang Huijuan hade to provoke him. Just a few more days and then he would bring the true face of Kang Huijian in front of everyone. He would punish him for speaking incorrectly about Li Hua.


    ¡°What will you do about the punch you gave on my face?¡± Kang Huijuan asked after turning stable. ¡°I will make sure to send you to the cold pce, L¨®ng Wei,¡± he said.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan, I have no intention to go back to the cold pce. Do you think it¡¯s easy to make me work against my will? On such a big event in my life, I spared your life. Yuze always says to me that sometimes it is good to ignore foolish people,¡± L¨®ng Wei mocked him this time. ¡°Start removing the evidence, Kang Huijuan. Because soon, I will reveal your truth,¡± he affirmed and left his sight.


    Kang Huijuan was terrified to hear hisst words. ¡°Evidence?¡± He murmured and got puzzled. ¡°No way he can have anything against me.¡± He was not ready to believe L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words either. He stepped back and soon left the pce.


    L¨®ng Wei found Xiaoming waiting for him in the chamber. He didn¡¯t like that the Crown Prince entered his chamber when he was not present.


    ¡°Why did the Crown Princee here when I was not present here?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him in anger.


    ¡°I suppose I can go anywhere in the Pce of the Kingdom, Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xiaoming said and gestured to him to take the seat. ¡°Let¡¯s have the conversation over the murder of thirty servants,¡± he stated.


    L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes in suspicion before taking the seat on the chaise lounge. ¡°Does the Crown Prince want to ept his crimes?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    Xiaoming smiled. ¡°Nothing will happen if I ept that I have hands behind the murder of those thirty servants. Why will the Royal Father punish the Crown Prince for taking the lives of mere servants?¡±


    The confidence in Xiaoming¡¯s tone bothered L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°However, if the truthes out, then everyone will see what the Crown Prince truly is!¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced, keeping the tiny smile on his lips.


    ¡°Then, why doesn¡¯t the Sixth Brother tell the Royal Father now?¡± Xiaoming challenged him. Both of them stared into each other¡¯s eyes before L¨®ng Wei opened his mouth to speak.


    ¡°The Crown Prince shall know that, unlike the others, I do note in his words. The way he speaks makes me sick. He pretends to be a different person when we both know what he is!¡± L¨®ng Wei growled in a deep, menacing voice.


    ¡°What does the Sixth Brother want to keep his mouth shut?¡± Xiaoming finally came to negotiate with him.


    ¡°Umm... nothing,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°The Crown Prince shall leave because I need to take my lunch,¡± he said and gestured to the door.


    Xiaoming stood up and was ready to leave.


    ¡°Crown Prince Xiaoming must know that he cannot buy me. I can achieve things on my own. All these years, I did not have the will to involve myself in politics, but now I am very much interested. The Crown on your head, I will take it soon. After all, I am the chosen son of Dragon, so I must be like a Dragon.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words intimidated Xiaoming. He had not expected that L¨®ng Wei would be interested in the crown, the throne, or anything rted to the pce.


    ¡°The Sixth Brother is weed to do anything he wants. Bing the Crown Prince isn¡¯t easy. People must have faith in you, Ministers must support you and most importantly, your mother should be the official wife of the King,¡± Xiaoming reminded L¨®ng Wei. ¡°To my knowledge, the Sixth Brother doesn¡¯t possess any of these things,¡± he said, with a stern tone.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t tough for me to gain people¡¯s trust and ministers¡¯ support. As for the official wife of the King, if my mother had been alive, there would be no chance she would be the Queen because she was a concubine. The Crown Prince shall prepare himself to fight me.¡±


    Xiaoming didn¡¯t stay any longer in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chamber as it would only increase his anger and ruin his mood.


    L¨®ng Wei took out the tassel from his pocket. ¡°Luckily, I didn¡¯t keep it here. Else, he would have found it out. He must have checked my chamber,¡± he murmured.

 Chapter 67

    67 I will torture you everyday


    Finally, the wedding day arrived. Li Hua could not sleep well the entire night. No, she was not excited about her marriage with L¨®ng Wei, but she feared what would happen after the marriage? Because of that reason, she tossed and turned on her bed for the entire night.


    ¡°Why did Miss Hua have dark eye bags? Did she not sleep well?¡± Court Lady Hong got worried. She remembered that Li Hua had gone to bed early in the night, then why had this happened.


    ¡°Can I sleep a bit more, Court Lady Hong?¡± Li Hua asked her andid down on the bed. What did she even ask? Sleep more?! She could not sleep the entire night, and she needed a good sleep to recharge herself else, she would indeed faint in the wedding hall.


    Pulling the nket up, she closed her eyes.


    ¡°Miss Hua, the Queen will be here in a while. I suppose that Miss Hua cannot sleep,¡± Court Lady expressed her concern, which Li Hua ignored. Her eyelids were getting heavier because of the sleep that was ready to take over her.


    ¡°Miss Hua! Miss Hua!¡± Court Lady Hong repeatedly called out Li Hua¡¯s name, who had already fallen into a deep slumber.


    Her eyes opened, and she tilted her head. To her surprise, the Queen was standing tall in front of her. She found herself on the bed, and in one swift movement, her feetnded on the ground, and she bowed before the Queen.


    Shocked. Embarrassed. Bewildered.


    ¡°Will the Royal Mother punish Li Hua for sleeping till mid-noon?¡± Li Hua heard the voice of the Third Princess, Xiaolian.


    .....


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Majesty, for being unable to wake Miss Hua up.¡± Court Lady Hong was on her knees, apologizing to Zhu Liling.


    Li Hua also apologized to the Queen. ¡°Forgive me for sleeping for too long, Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua said in her humble tone.


    ¡°A servant can never be a virtuousdy,¡± Jingfei remarked, who was also present in the chamber. She had no intention toe to see Li Hua. However, she could neither refuse her mother for not apanying her.


    ¡°Why did Li Hua wake upte on her wedding day?¡± Zhu Liling asked. Her tone was soft.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Li Hua could not sleep the entire night. Li Hua thought to take some sleep in the morning, but it turned out to be noon. Please punish me for my recklessness.¡± Li Hua repeatedly apologized and even asked the Queen to punish her.


    ¡°Li Hua must be restless before her wedding day.¡± Zhu Liling brought her hand under her chin. ¡°She should not be asking for punishment on such an auspicious day,¡± the Queen said and asked Court Lady Hong to start the preparation to make Li Hua ready.


    ¡°I will see Li Hua in the wedding hall,¡± Zhu Liling said before leaving, apanied by the three other Princesses.


    Li Hua was taken to the bathhouse. She repeatedly apologized to Court Lady Hong for sleeping sote. She removed herst night¡¯s clothes and put on a white satin robe before entering the bathtub.


    The warm water calmed every nerve in her body, and it soothed her out. Her tiredness because of not getting proper sleep had gonepletely.


    The servants helped her bathe. Various essences were used in the water, along with the rose water. The expensive soap bar and the exquisite hair shampoo from the Queen¡¯s manor had been sent for her.


    After getting a proper bath of two hours, she was brought back to the chamber. Two maidservants dried her hair using a conventional method, where the heat of the incense sticks was trapped in tiny cauldrons and then that would dry the moisture in the hair.


    Court Lady Hong brought Li Hua¡¯s wedding dress which she had to change.


    ¡°Why is the dress torn?¡± Court Lady Hong was shocked to see the red wedding dress. Li Hua was shocked to hear her and asked the maidservants to let go of her hair.


    She swiftly rose to her feet and walked to Court Lady Hong. ¡°Miss Hua, I have kept it safe. How could this get torn?¡± Tears appeared in Court Lady Hong¡¯s eyes. The maidservants had also turned upset. It was an inauspicious thing that could ever happen to a bride. Li Hua took them in her hand to check and found it was intentionally cut, from many ces.


    ¡°Did someonee here after Miss Hua left for the bathhouse?¡± Court Lady Hong inquired of the maidservants, who remained quiet. One of them answered that they all were present in the bathhouse.


    Court Lady Hong started to scold them when Li Hua asked her to calm down.


    Suddenly they heard augh echoing in the chamber and they all were shocked to see Jingfei. She folded her arms and came to Li Hua, who lowered her eyes.


    ¡°Did the First Princess do it?¡± Court Lady Hong asked her.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jingfei answered and gazed at Li Hua, who did not utter a word. ¡°Go and tell the Sixth Prince I did it,¡± she said with an evil grin.


    Jingfei picked the phoenix robe of the wedding dress and looked at the big hole that was made at the center. She started tough again.


    ¡°The First Princess should not have done this. It was an auspicious day for Miss Hua,¡± Court Lady Hongined. She could not raise her voice either, as it would increase the tension between them. Court Lady Hong belonged to the Queen¡¯s manor, but she was humble in nature. If she wanted, she couldin about it to the Queen, but that would only increase Li Hua¡¯s troubles.


    A woman, who cannot prevent her wedding dress from getting destroyed, can never lead a happy married life- everyone knows this.


    ¡°Just like this torn dress, your life is also ripped. Because of you, my beautiful face bore such torture, and the Sixth Brother tried to kill me. Stop dreaming of bing the official wife of the Sixth Brother. It is the time when you should run away from the pce because if by any chance, you get married today, I will torture you every day,¡± Jingfei threatened Li Hua, who lifted her eyes for a small fraction of time, their gazes met.


    Jingfei threw the robe on the floor and stomped her foot over it.


    ¡°First Princess!¡± Court Lady Hong got shocked and tried to stop her.


    Jingfei pressed the wedding robe down her foot and stained it with the dust. Court Lady Hong got on her knees and tried to remove the dress from under Jingfei¡¯s feet, but it was in vain.


    Jingfei chuckled and left the chamber.

 Chapter 68

    68 Your good fortune has begun with me


    Court Lady Hong stood up, grabbing the robe in her hands. ¡°Miss Hua, I will tell the Queen and bring a new wedding dress for her.¡± She told her not to be scared and wait a little for her.


    ¡°Court Lady Hong, I will wear it. Please don¡¯t tell the Queen,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°But, why?¡± Court Lady Hong was puzzled to hear her. ¡°We are supposed to arrange a new wedding dress for Miss Hua. In two hours, the wedding ceremony will start.¡± She looked troubled and worried.


    Li Hua smiled and took the wedding robe from her. ¡°I do not want the Sixth Prince to know about it. Somehow, His Highness will find out about it, and then anything can happen. Court Lady Hong is well aware of the Sixth Prince,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°I know the needlework. I can make the dress better. Please provide me with the needle-threads box, a silk red, and golden fabric, and I will renew it,¡± she assured Court Lady Hong.


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°No ifs and buts, Court Lady Hong. We have limited time to turn it into something wearable,¡± Li Hua reminded her. Court Lady Hong nodded and asked the servant to bring what Li Hua had demanded.


    Li Hua settled on the bed and spread the upper robe of her wedding dress on the mattress.


    ¡°It ispletely destroyed, Miss Hua. I shall tell the Queen about it. I will make sure the word doesn¡¯t go to the Sixth Prince,¡± Court Lady Hong assured Li Hua.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince will find out anyhow. I don¡¯t want any more fights because of me,¡± Li Hua stated. She didn¡¯t want L¨®ng Wei to create any trouble that would bring him to the door of the cold pce. She would be thrown out before even starting anything. No! She would not let this happen.


    .....


    The maidservant brought the wooden box and put it on the mattress.


    Li Hua opened it and picked a few threads from one of the sections carved inside the box. She picked the needle and put the golden thread in it.


    She used the scissors to cut the fabric and covered the giant hole, which was at the front. Court Lady Hong wondered how Li Hua would make it wearable and unnoticeable to the others.


    An hourter, Li Hua put down the needle and showed the dress to Court Lady Hong and the maidservants present in the chamber. It surprised them. No one could say that the dress was torn. Li Hua made the flowers using silk fabric and covered the tiny holes with them. She hadpletely changed the dress look. Though the Queen would recognize the dress, it wasn¡¯t a matter of concern.


    Li Hua had made a design with threads at the front with the red silk covering the torn part. She had stitched the way that it appeared that an experienced tailor did the embroidery on it.


    Luckily, the high waist skirt had not torn much, so it didn¡¯t take her time to repair it.


    ¡°Miss Hua is talented,¡± Court Lady Hong praised her, which made her smile. These were many of the few household chores, in which no one could beat her. She vividly remembered how she defeated the nobledies in a contest of embroidery organized once in the Xinshui town.


    That was the first time, when Feng Lao praised her and had a tiny conversation with her. It was one of the best memories that she held for him.


    ¡°Miss Hua,e down to get dressed in your wedding dress,¡± Lady Hong said. The maidservants helped Li Hua in wearing that dress.


    Once she wore the dress, she settled on the puffy stool in front of the dressing table. The dress looked light when it was in the hands, but once it was worn, its heaviness was easily felt.


    Her hair was brushed, and then it looped into a hair bun. Court Lady Hong brought the box that L¨®ng Wei gifted Li Hua yesterday, which had all sorts of essories in it.


    The golden hairpins were put straight into therge hair bun. Two locks of her hair strands were kept loose, which hung down to the side of her temples.


    The buyao was put at the top of her head and fixed well into her hair. She felt that her head would bury in the weight of those essories.


    Now, it was her turn to apply makeup to her face. The beautician brought the soft pad to Li Hua¡¯s cheek and applied the powder to them. Li Hua closed her eyes as if it was time to apply the eye makeup. The red colores extracted from the roses were put over the eyes.


    She then brought the tiny brush dipped in red to her forehead and made a beautiful plum-shaped flower mark between Li Hua¡¯s brows.


    Li Hua opened her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked pretty. However, she was not a bit happy.


    ¡°Please part your lips, Miss Hua,¡± the beautician said and put the red paper between her lips. Li Hua pressed her lips tightly to it, and the red color filled her lips. The beautician used the brush to draw the lip lines and spread the lip color evenly.


    A red powder was applied to her cheeks, making it appear like a natural blush.


    ¡°Miss Hua looks pretty. She has a beautiful face,¡± Court Lady Hongplimented her. Li Hua passed a tiny smile to her and looked at the jade bangles which L¨®ng Wei had purchased for him. She was ready to wear them when a maidservant came to deliver a message.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince is here,¡± the maidservant informed Li Hua, who was surprised to hear it.


    Court Lady Hong walked out to ask L¨®ng Wei about the reason for himing to the Western Pce.


    ¡°I want to see her. Tell the servants to leave the chamber,¡± L¨®ng Wei said coldly. Court Lady Hong furrowed her eyebrows and walked in. She informed Li Hua, who was perplexed.


    Court Lady Hong asked the other maidservants to follow her, and they all came out of the chamber soon.


    L¨®ng Wei walked in and closed the door behind him. He saw Li Hua in front of the dressing table. However, she had covered her face with the veil.


    L¨®ng Wei walked to her and looked at the table where the four red jade bangles were ced. ¡°I am d that you had not worn them,¡± L¨®ng Wei picked the one jade bangle and got on his knees.


    Li Hua clutched the material of her dress and gently grasped her hand. He put two jade bangles on her right wrist while two on her left wrist. Li Hua didn¡¯t utter a word and looked through the veil at his face. He looked happier than the rest of the days.


    ¡°With this, I have tied your fate with me. Your good fortune has begun with me, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    She flinched when L¨®ng Wei kissed the knuckles of her right hand, and she curled her fingers.


    ¡°The wedding is in the next ten minutes. Prepare yourself to be the wife of L¨®ng Wei.¡± He rose to his feet after gently putting her hand on herp.


    He saw the jade rings, which he bought for them and picked them up. ¡°You didn¡¯t wear these earrings,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked after putting the jade rings inside his pocket.


    ¡°I am still not ready, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°I want to help you wear them, but I know you won¡¯t be ready to show your face. A promise is a promise between us,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Come soon,¡± he added and walked out of the chamber.

 Chapter 69

    69 The Wedding [Bonus chapter]


    The rednterns were hanging from the entrance to the main courtyard, where the wedding would take ce. The papers with ¡®fortune¡¯ and ¡®double happiness¡¯ written on them, were hung everywhere in the courtyard.


    With the setting of the sun, thenterns were lit. Therge banquet was ready at the other end. Upon the King¡¯s orders, the ministers and other important officials of the Kingdom, hade to attend L¨®ng Wei¡¯s wedding.


    L¨®ng Wei returned to the courtyard after meeting Li Hua. He heard the whispers of the ministers in the corridor about him marrying a servant. He descended the stairs and saw the Prime Minister with a few other ministers.


    ¡°I wish the Sixth Prince a great happiness and married life,¡± Kang Xi said. ¡°Since no noble man offered his daughter¡¯s hand to the Sixth Prince, it became inevitable for him to take a servant as his wife,¡± he mocked him off andughed along with the other ministers.


    ¡°I would say that no noble man¡¯s daughter was noble enough to be my wife. Since you havee to attend my wedding, then attend like a guest. Else, he is most wee to leave this wedding. Your presence will only irk me,¡± L¨®ng Wei humiliated him in front of the other ministers, who did not dare to open their mouths.


    L¨®ng Wei walked ahead to the wedding hall, where everyone was waiting for him.


    He greeted his Royal Father and Royal Mother upon reaching the wedding hall.


    ¡°The Prince looks good in the wedding robes,¡± Qiu Zedong said and walked to him. He patted the shoulders and arms of L¨®ng Wei, who thanked his father for agreeing to his marriage.


    Jingfei looked in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s direction and scrunched her nose. ¡®When Li Hua will note to the wedding hall, then this smile will disappear on its own,¡¯ she thought. Her eyes fell on Huang Xi, who came with his father, the First General, Hei Chengxi.


    .....


    Jingfei joined her both hands, which rested on her belly, and she formally greeted the General, followed by his son, who, was the Commander of the Qiu Army.


    Hei Chengxi, with his son, Hei Huang Xi, went towards the King and the Queen to greet them. Qiu Zedong weed them and appreciated their presence at the wedding. Huang Xi went toward L¨®ng Wei andplimented his looks.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince is ready to steal the hearts of many women in today¡¯s wedding,¡± Huang Xi said while teasing him. L¨®ng Wei caught his hand, which was on his cors.


    ¡°I was removing this petal,¡± Huang Xi said and showed him the flower petal. L¨®ng Wei let go of his hand and told him not to touch his wedding dress.


    ¡°I dare not to, Your Highness,¡± Huang Xi said with a smile. ¡°At least, wear a smile on your lips. Your bride gets scared of you,¡± he stated and tried to make him smile.


    ¡°Why is Commander Huang Xi smiling with Brother L¨®ng Wei? Since when did they both get close?¡± Tianjie asked and looked at Qiu Mu, who shrugged off his shoulders.


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Qiu Mu answered.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, we have brought a present for you at your wedding,¡± Hei Chengxi said, and he turned to look at him- a giant box that was well decorated. Qiu Zedong told L¨®ng Wei to ept the present, which he took and thanked the First General.


    A servant came forward and took the present from L¨®ng Wei. Hei Chengxi presented several more gifts to L¨®ng Wei and his soon-to-be wife, Li Hua.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Huang Xi told me that the Sixth Prince fell in love with a beautiful youngdy. I am d that His Majesty took a great decision to let them marry each other,¡± Hei Chengxi said and patted the shoulder of L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei nced at Huang Xi, who had worn a broad smile on his lips.


    ¡°Greetings to the First General,¡± Xiaoming said and bowed before him. He semi-formally greeted Huang Xi.


    ¡°Greetings to the Crown Prince,¡± Hei Chengxi joined his hands and bowed his head. ¡°It is a great pleasure that the First General reached safely to the capital and, despite being tired, came to attend the wedding of my dear brother,¡± Xiaoming expressed his gratitude.


    Zhu Liling smiled upon seeing the way her son conversed with the General. The King¡¯s concubines present in the wedding hall praised Xiaoming with Zhu Liling, who continued to smile.


    ¡°The strategy that the Crown Prince had suggested to pacify the unrest among the working ss in the North worked greatly. I shall appreciate the mind of the Crown Prince. His Majesty must be proud of his eldest son,¡± Hei Chengxi said and smiled.


    ¡°It is time for my wedding. The General can praise the Crown Princeter,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked when Qiu Zedong scolded him for talking rudely with the First General.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t like when someone praises the Crown Prince,¡± Zhang Xi said from the back, and Qiu Mu supported his words.


    ¡°At least, be humble to the wedding guests, Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Mu told him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not start arguing in the hall. Forgive me, Brother L¨®ng Wei, for bringing another topic on such a special asion,¡± Xiaoming apologized humbly.


    ¡°General Hei, forgive the Sixth Prince for his rude behavior.¡± Qiu Zedong apologized to Hei Chengxi, who asked the King not to do it.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince is still a kid. I don¡¯t mind his words,¡± Chengxi said and walked away, standing at his ce, followed by his son.


    The priest asked to bring the bride to the wedding hall as it was an auspicious time. L¨®ng Wei was asked toe to the altar, which he did. The noises died down, and everyone waited for the bride to arrive at the wedding hall.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s heart was already restless, and with each passing second, the beats only increased. He could hear and feel his erratic heartbeats. The sound of anklets fell into his ears, and he saw Li Huaing from the front, followed by some young maidservants.


    Jingfei was shocked to see Li Hua in the wedding hall. She had destroyed her wedding dress, then how could it be possible that there was not a single scratch on the dress. She found flowers on the wedding dress, which amused her.


    ¡®Did she wear a new dress? But, how?¡¯ she wondered.


    Zhu Liling was surprised to find that the dress appeared from what she had given Li Hua. It looked more beautiful than before, and to her surprise, the embroidery at the front was the one that grabbed not only her attention but many others in the wedding hall.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled brightly as Li Hua took steps toward him. He found it was difficult for her to walk in the wedding dress and heavy essories. That¡¯s why he selected the lighter ones for her to make sure that she wouldn¡¯t feel disturbed. However, it seemed she was still feeling troubled. He got down from the altar, shocking everyone, and held Li Hua¡¯s hand, who got surprised.


    ¡°What is he doing?¡± Tianjie whispered near Qiu Mu¡¯s ear.


    ¡°He is turned mad in a servant¡¯s love,¡± Qiu Mu remarked and giggled with Tianjie.


    L¨®ng Wei brought Li Hua to the altar and stood on her right.


    Li Hua looked at the portrait of the Jade Emperor through the veil. She tightly pressed her fingers against each other and then lowered her head. She had put on the jade ring that Feng Lao had given her, and tears filled her eyes.


    The priest instructed them about the first, second, and third bows to enter into the marriage, which they both followed.


    They kowtowed to the heaven and earth; then King and the Queen; and finally bowed to each other.


    ¡®Father, Mother, and my elder Brothers, I will surely find the culprit. You all were always excited to see me in the wedding dress. Feng Lao, even if I married Prince L¨®ng Wei, it is nothing. So, forgive me. I have you in my heart, and no one can rece you. I will avenge not only the murder of my family but yours too,¡¯ she told herself in her mind.


    The priest dered them husband and wife. The drums started to beat and the firecrackers blew.


    Everyone congratted them and blessed them- mostly pretended to give blessings to them while only a few of them, truly wished for their happiness.


    Court Lady Hong came forward and took Li Hua to the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor in the bedchamber, while L¨®ng Wei went to the banquet for attending a wedding feast with everyone.


    ¡°This first toast is for my youngest son,¡± Qiu Zedong said loudly and raised the wine cup. He brought it to his lips and sipped the wine. After him, the rest of the people present at the banquet drank the wine.


    The feast went on tillte at night. Zhang Xi waspletely drunk. Qiu Mu and Tianjie took him to the chamber. The guests had left already. The King, the Queen, and the concubines had already left for their respective chambers.


    L¨®ng Wei stood up from his seat and was ready to leave when he heard Xiaoming.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, I wish you a happy married life.¡± He tilted his head to look at him and found him drunk. ¡°But how will I live? She is the one whose image I have engraved in my heart, before you,¡± he stated and lifted his head to look into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel good to hear such words from the Crown Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°He needs to move on because Li Hua is mine now,¡± he stated, and left for his manor.


    Xiaoming threw the wine cup, and it smashed on the floor. ¡°She will be mine,¡± Xiaoming murmured.

 Chapter 70

    70 The Wedding night- Part Li Hua waited for the Court Lady Hong to go out. She had to mix the pill in the wine ss. ¡°Court Lady Hong shall leave to rest. I will wait for the Sixth Prince,¡± Li Hua said while fidgeting with her fingers.


    ¡°I need to stay outside the entire night, Your Highness,¡± Court Lady Hong said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Li Hua looked confused.


    ¡°Because I am the head servant for this manor. Also, in the morning, I need to take the bedsheets to make sure that the Sixth Prince and-¡± she paused when Li Hua asked her to stop.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince doesn¡¯t like anyone¡¯s presence in the chamber, Court Lady Hong. Why doesn¡¯t she wait for the Sixth Prince outside? I don¡¯t want His Highness to be angry at me for not informing the Court Lady,¡± Li Hua said. She had to send her out at any cost. If she would fail, then everything would be ruined.


    Court Lady Hong did not want L¨®ng Wei to get furious at Li Hua on his wedding night, so decided to leave the chamber. She closed the red mahogany doors from outside and waited for the Sixth Prince to return.


    Li Hua quickly moved the veil off her face and checked the wedding wines that they both were supposed to drink. She quickly took out the pill which she had wrapped in a tiny piece of paper and put it in one of the cups. She mixed it well and smiled. The moment she heard the voice of L¨®ng Wei, she promptly settled on the middle of the mattress on the bed and covered her face with the veil.


    ¡°Please stay in your quarter tonight. I don¡¯t want anyone to stay in my manor apart from me and my wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei clearly told Court Lady Hong, who bowed and left the manor.


    L¨®ng Wei pushed the door which scared Li Hua. She tightly clutched her dress material and heard his footsteps getting closer. As per L¨®ng Wei¡¯s order, only a few candles were glowing in the chamber.


    .....


    He picked the red auspicious stick and gradually lifted the wedding veil from Li Hua¡¯s face. First, her plump red lips were visible to him. It is said that lips are the mirror of one¡¯s character and predicament. Her lips always had tempted him towards her.


    Her small nose was visible to him, followed by her eyes which were the purest thing that he had ever seen. One could see one¡¯s soul through one¡¯s eyes. L¨®ng Wei did the same. He did not blink and kept his gaze in her eyes. The beautiful plum blossom flower centered at her forehead increased her beauty manifolds and he could not help but admire her more internally.


    Li Hua, oppositely, wondered what the Sixth Prince would be thinking? His intent gaze on her made her nervous with each passing second.


    ¡®Why is he staring at me?¡¯ Li Hua thought.


    Merely a few seconds had passed, and it felt like hours. The constant tension continued to grow between them. She started to sweat when L¨®ng Wei took a step toward her. She averted her gaze from him and wondered when they would drink the wedding wines.


    When he leaned down, she forgot to breathe. Their faces were so close that if L¨®ng Wei would even move a millimeter, their lips would touch.


    ¡°Breath,¡± she heard him say and the next moment he knocked his forehead against hers, ¡°you are not supposed to die today.¡±


    Li Hua gulped and let out a deep breath and took a deep breath in. Wait! They were breathing the same air and it made her heart race wildly in fear. She wanted to move away but found herself glued to her ce. Her throat went dry and she found the knots forming in her stomach due to the continuous growing fear in her.


    When L¨®ng Wei was done admiring her, he stood straight and turned to look at the small table on which wedding wine cups were put. Before he could pick the cup, Li Hua promptly stood up and handed him one.


    ¡°Here, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said and forwarded the cup to him. L¨®ng Wei took the cup from her.


    ¡°Have you taken your dinner?¡± he asked to which she nodded her head. He smiled and asked her to drink wine at the same time as hers.


    Li Hua hummed and picked up the cup. She brought the wine cup near her mouth, and so did L¨®ng Wei. The two drank at the same time and put the cups on the tray.


    ¡°It tasted sweeter,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and wiped his lips using his thumb.


    ¡°Is His Highness sleepy? I know he is tired from the day¡¯s activities,¡± she asserted and internally smiled. ¡®His Highness will fall asleep in a minute. Senior Brother Xiwan had told me that this medicine is quite effective to fall asleep,¡¯ she thought.


    L¨®ng Wei took a step closer to him. ¡°Shall we move to the next part?¡± He asked.


    ¡°N-n-next part?¡± She stuttered and took a step back. Her eyebrows arched in a surprise. ¡°What does His Highness mean?¡± She asked. This time she didn¡¯t stutter. She told herself that she did not have to be scared of him and continued to take the backward steps while he kept advancing toward her.


    ¡°Ahh,¡± she screamed when the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed and she fell on the mattress while L¨®ng Wei hovered over her.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± she looked away and put her small hands on his chest, preventing him to kiss her.


    ¡®The Sixth Prince should fall asleep by now, then why is he awake?¡¯ she thought and weird thoughts upied her head.


    L¨®ng Wei lifted his right hand and ced it over her left hand. His fingers grazed over her fingers while his eyes remained glued to her. Her brows furrowed and she looked at her hand when L¨®ng Wei¡¯s fingers stopped at the jade ring that she had put on her pointer finger.


    ¡°Whose ring is this?¡± His voice was not gentle anymore, neither it was soft. Instead, it was domineering and threatening. The sudden change in the color of his pupils intimidated Li Hua or was it a mere illusion?


    He asked her again. This time he nced at the red jade ring on her pointer finger.


    When she did not respond, his palm went on her nape, and he pulled her up, forcing her to look at him.


    Li Hua pulled her hand back from his, but L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t let it go. Instead, he took out the red jade ring from her finger.


    ¡°You are my official wife now. In your life, only one man shall exist, and that¡¯s me!¡± L¨®ng Wei authorized, clenching his fist which was holding the jade ring.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince cannot force his decision on me. Even if he takes my body, he can never take my heart,¡± Li Hua said, with a stern tone.


    L¨®ng Wei clicked his tongue and twisted his lips into a smirk.


    ¡°Watch your words, Li Hua. Not only your body will be mine, but your heart and soul too. I go crazy for the things that are precious to me. You are my wife, so my craziness for you is beyond description.¡±

 Chapter 71

    71 The Wedding night- Part 2 (Satisfy my Desire)


    Li Hua furrowed her brows together upon hearing his words. ¡°Your Highness, please give me my ring back,¡± she demanded, without fearing him, ignoring his previous words.


    ¡°Li Hua, he was your past and I am your present. How could you even think of wearing this jade ring?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s jaw clenched in anger.


    ¡°I had told the Sixth Prince that I am in love with someone. He should not have married me. In my heart-¡± she paused when L¨®ng Wei¡¯s pointer finger rested on her lips.


    ¡°Shhh.¡±


    She looked at him in bewilderment when he quieted her down.


    ¡°He is no more. So, loving a dead person is of no use,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about a third person tonight. It is a special night for us,¡± he affirmed and slowly moved his hand back.


    ¡°Your Highness, please get away,¡± Li Hua turned polite and calm. She was perplexed to find that L¨®ng Wei was not sleepy. How could the sleeping pill not react to him?


    ¡°Why did you ask for a sleeping pill from Xiwan?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sudden question widened her eyes in shock. How did he find out about it? Did he see her?


    She pretended to not know anything about it.


    .....


    ¡°What is His Highness speaking?¡± She acted to be unaware of any such thing.


    ¡°Xiwan is loyal to me. He tells me everything. Also, you lied to him that you are unable to sleep. Do you also take me as a fool?¡± L¨®ng Wei was upset with her. ¡°Why are you quiet?!¡± He raised his voice at her. However, he didn¡¯t let his anger overpower his mind.


    Li Hua could not believe that the person whom she trusted was not trustworthy. He told L¨®ng Wei everything. But the most troubling matter was why L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t fall asleep till now? Did Xiwan give her the wrong pill?


    Since there was no way to hide the truth from him, she decided to speak her mind.


    ¡°Because it is our wedding night, I think the Sixth Prince will ask me something which I cannot give him. That¡¯s why I decided to mix the sleeping pill in the wine that His Highness took,¡± she told him the truth.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say earlier that I can im your body but not your heart?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his brow and looked down at the buttons on her upper garment. He brought his hand to the first button and looked back into her eyes.


    ¡°I can open them if I want to. I can satisfy my desire if I want to,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. He was hurt by her act. Could she not trust him a bit?


    Li Hua parted her lips as she breathed heavily. She looked at the fingers of L¨®ng Wei which were on the button of her robe.


    ¡°My desire for you has grown since the day I saw you. If I wanted, I could undress you at this moment, Li Hua,¡± he said, ¡°but in a man¡¯s life, that¡¯s not everything. I don¡¯t lust on you. I need your love and want to love you equally or even more.¡±


    Li Hua realized that she angered L¨®ng Wei because of the assumptions she made of him. From her childhood, she knew only one thing: that only a few men respected women. Rest only lusted over them. She thought the same for him.


    L¨®ng Wei let go of her hands and leaned back. He turned away and pinched the skin between his brows. ¡°Use me as much as you want, but love me too. I won¡¯t spare you if you ever tried to betray me. You are the first person, for whom I am ready to be a sacrificialmb,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Li Hua used her elbows to sit on the mattress. ¡°His Highness can sleep on the bed. I will be on the recliner,¡± she suggested in a low voice and stood up to walk ahead when L¨®ng Wei caught her wrist.


    ¡°We will sleep together,¡± he stated.


    Li Hua tilted her head and their eyes met. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t want it, I will not cross the line. As long as you won¡¯t start desiring my love, I will not be intimate with you. However, I will do everything to make you feel my love and make you excited for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and stood up. His hand rested on the side of her cheek and he stroked it.


    An unknown tension again existed between them. She found him moving closer as their noses almost touched. But why didn¡¯t she push him away? Her lips again let out a breath that fanned L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips. Everything about her intoxicated him from the day he saw her. She could smell the perfume he had used. Her eyelids had moved down as their noses kept nuzzling. She could feel the air getting hotter around them.


    L¨®ng Wei knew that on the wedding night, Li Hua would bring the man whom she loved. The mere thought of it infuriated him. But it had been only five days. He could not push his feelings on Li Hua and knew if he would act like a lustful beast, Li Hua would only be scared.


    In everyone¡¯s eyes, he was already one! But in Li Hua¡¯s eyes, he wanted to be a perfect and lovely husband. His eyes lingered on her lips which were redder than the other days.


    ¡°Li Hua.¡±


    As soon as her name fell out of his mouth, she moved her eyelids to peer at him. She found their lips were mere millimeters away from touching.


    ¡°Tell me about your past if you don¡¯t want me to kiss you at this moment,¡± he demanded. He knew she would never kiss him, so it was best to know the truth from her.


    Li Hua gazed into those dark pairs of eyes which were desperate to know the truth. Why did he suddenly bring it? She could feel his thumb making circles on her cheek and it made her heart race. That proximity was too much for her. This man was indeed dangerous to her.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the daughter of Xu Guang Li?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked, revealing another truth that he knew about her.


    Li Hua was stupefied to hear his question? She had stopped blinking. Did she hear right? No way L¨®ng Wei could know this. How was this possible?


    ¡°Since you are not ready to tell me, then let¡¯s kiss,¡± he said. His hand moved behind her head, and he drew her close for a kiss.

 Chapter 72

    72 The Wedding night- Part 3 (Released from Prison)


    ¡°Since you are not ready to tell me, then let¡¯s kiss,¡± he said. His hand moved behind the back of her head and he drew her close for a kiss.


    His lips brushed on her soft, feathery lips. The moment their lips met, it sent electric pulses in their respective bodies. For L¨®ng Wei, this kiss was crucial on their wedding night. He kept the kiss gentle.


    L¨®ng Wei moved his lips, first on her bottom lip and then at the upper lip. The taste of the rose of the lip color that she had used fell on his tongue. Her bodily odor drove him crazy. But he could not force her. The only thing that he desired, for now, was a kiss.


    A mutual kiss.


    That would bond him for eternity with her.


    Li Hua closed her eyes. She was unable to understand whether to respond to his kiss or to push him away. Her mind felt dizzy with those thoughts. She had never had her first kiss. Though she kissed L¨®ng Wei twice, those were mere for a second or even less.


    Li Hua finally moved her lips after fighting with her double thoughts. But before it could turn into something she didn¡¯t want, she bit his bottom lip. Promptly, L¨®ng Wei pulled away and put his thumb on his lower lip. He smirked and saw Li Hua looking at him in inquisitiveness.


    ¡°I like your boldness,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and put his hand down. The blood was still on his lips and he thanked her for responding to his kiss.


    ¡°I did not, Your Highness¡± Li Hua replied. Her mind had diverted for a second when his lips captured hers, but then she recalled Feng Lao which made her do it.


    .....


    ¡°You did respond to my kiss, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and smirked.


    She walked past him and picked up the pillow to go to the recliner.


    ¡°How long are you going to hide it? Isn¡¯t Xu Guang Li your Father?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her again. It put her in a dilemma. She was unable to understand how he knew her father.


    ¡°How can I trust His Highness?¡± Li Hua put forward her question and turned to gaze into his eyes. To know a person, one must look into the person¡¯s eyes. But reading L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes was difficult and even hard. Still, she wanted to try it.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you marry me to use me and then kill me when your work will be over!?¡± He was straightforward this time. He stood in front of her and leaned down so that their faces came at the same level.


    ¡°Li Hua, why do you think I asked for my power back?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    She knitted her brows in bewilderment. L¨®ng Wei knew those things which she never discussed with anyone. But, how?


    ¡°Why are you mute? Are we going to spend this beautiful night this way?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her. ¡°Is me being a sacrificialmb not enough for you to trust me?¡± He questioned her.


    Li Hua finally opened her mouth to speak. ¡°Why does His Highness pretend all this time?¡± Her first question made L¨®ng Weiugh which confused Li Hua.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stood tall after controlling hisughter. ¡°I never pretended. I always asked you to tell me the truth. You were the one who told me every sort of lie,¡± he reminded her and took a step forward.


    Li Hua took a step back.


    ¡°I know your entire family. I know what happened that night. Aren¡¯t you curious to know?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked with a grin on his face. He nned that he would tell her everything after they would get married and now it was the time.


    ¡°How? No one knows about it,¡± Li Hua asserted and continued to step back. She stopped when got hit against the round table. Her one palm rested on its edge while the other tightly held the pillow in her hand.


    ¡°I am different from the others. I know everything going on around me. It is just the information that¡¯s useful for me, I work on that first,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    He finally trapped her between his arms and continued to smile. ¡°Do you think that our first encounter was in the pce? You have such a poor memory, Li Hua. I have remembered you for a long time. Our first kiss wasn¡¯t here but in Xinshui Town. You kissed me that day and made me wonder who this magical woman was! Unaware of my identity, you showed one of your purest emotions to me. So, my love for you started that day. Why do you think I was adamant to marry you? Why do you think I fought with the Crown Prince? Why do you think I didn¡¯t let you get a hit? Why do you think I nned all this?¡±


    nned all this?!


    Those questions of L¨®ng Wei shocked Li Hua. She was unable to recall if they ever met. No way she could meet him. She wasn¡¯t even allowed to step her foot out of the Xu Residence. Mostly she went to friendly gatherings, and she never interacted with any man.


    She squeezed the pillow in her hand tightly when L¨®ng Wei leaned closer to, her but ducked his head to reach her ear.


    ¡°Xu Guang Li will be proud of his daughter. A caged bird finally got released from the prison. But this birdnded in another prison, where anything could have happened to her. That¡¯s why L¨®ng Wei had to return as soon as possible to help this bird which will soon transform into a phoenix,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced solemnly. Li Hua opened her eyes and narrowly gazed at him.


    He slowly leaned back and again peered into her eyes.


    Those doe eyes were filled with tears.


    ¡°Are any of them alive?¡± She asked with high hopes. She wished her father to be alive, at least. ¡°Are they?¡± Her long eyshes fluttered as the tears came down to the edges of her eyes.

 Chapter 73

    73 Can His Highness not be a little gentle? [Bonus chapter]


    L¨®ng Wei found desperation in Li Hua¡¯s eyes to know if anyone was alive in that deadly assassination. His heart ached to see the tears on the edges of her eyes. He lifted his hands, and his fingers wiped those tears.


    ¡°No. Unfortunately, they all are dead,¡± L¨®ng Wei finally replied.


    Li Hua lowered her head, but L¨®ng Wei held her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t let the tears fall from your eyes. Be strong,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her. Li Hua gulped the lump which had formed in her throat and did not break into tears.


    ¡°What about Feng Lao?¡± Li Hua asked.


    L¨®ng Wei got confused when he heard that name. ¡°Who is he?¡± Unaware of the name, he waited for her answer.


    ¡°Shui Feng Lao is the one who I love, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°I was supposed to marry him. That jade ring,¡± she looked at his right hand, ¡°is the token of his love that he gave me before sending me away. Is he alive?¡± She asked with high hopes. She waited for him in the vige for a week, but he never came. She wasn¡¯t strong enough to go back and check into him.


    L¨®ng Wei let out a frustrated sigh. ¡°Forget him. It is thest time, I am hearing his name. I don¡¯t care if he is alive or dead. All I care about is you. This ring,¡± he showed her the red jade ring, ¡°has no meaning in your life.¡±


    He stepped back and threw the flower vase that was on the table. It smashed into pieces. Li Hua got scared with his sudden burst of anger.


    He picked a broken piece of the porcin vase and cut his index finger. Blood dripped out of the cut, and the drops fell on the floor.


    .....


    He turned to look at Li Hua, and the pad of his index finger touched the middle of her forehead, right between her brows. She gaped at him in bewilderment and closed her eyes when she felt his cold finger on her forehead.


    He made another flower petal with his finger on her forehead. ¡°A symbol to show that we both spend the night together. Now, I will not answer any more questions of yours unless you are curious to know,¡± he stated and put his hand down, not worrying his finger was still bleeding.


    Li Hua downcasted her eyes. A strange silence prevailed between the two. He was silent because his anger had not subsided. While, Li Hua was silent to find that L¨®ng Wei knew everything about her.


    She put the pillow on the table and grabbed the right hand of L¨®ng Wei, who gazed at her in astonishment. ¡°His Highness shall not hurt him,¡± she said softly and took out the handkerchief from inside her long sleeve. She tied it around his finger, who looked at her grimace. The candle lights had turned dimmer. Only the upper halves of the bodies were visible.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t His Highness tell everyone that I am the daughter of Xu Guang Li? Why did His Highness stay quiet? I am curious to know.¡± She tied the handkerchief around his finger and looked into his eyes.


    ¡°Because I love you more than anything else. I had not expected to see you in the Pce. But destiny wanted this. The moment I saw you, I decided to marry you. I had no intention to tell anyone about your real identity,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He scrunched his eyebrows when he saw the shadow on the doors.


    Without wasting any second, he carried Li Hua up in his strong arms, to which she resisted.


    ¡°Someone is here,¡± L¨®ng Wei whispered and swiftly came to the bed. He gently put her down and again hovered over her. He buried his face in her neck while she tightened the hold on his arms.


    ¡°Stay still,¡± he whispered.


    Li Hua blinked her eyes out of nervousness. When his breath fanned against her neck, she shuddered and closed her eyes. It seemed his lips would touch her skin at any moment.


    ¡°Can you act?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Eh?¡± She didn¡¯t understand what he meant.


    ¡°Act as if you are enjoying it,¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words fell into her ear. ¡°The person outside, is sent to check if we both are consummating or not,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°H-how?¡± Li Hua was unaware of what to do and how to act.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you taught all this?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. ¡°You must be aware,¡± he whispered.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know... how to act in such a situation,¡± Li Hua replied and found her throat getting drier.


    ¡°Then, should I teach you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    Outside the Sixth Prince¡¯s chamber, the head Eunuch from the Queen¡¯s manor, Eunuch Lianying, and Court Lady Hong were present.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince, if found that we are keeping an eye on them, he might get angry,¡± Court Lady Hong said in a low voice.


    ¡°The Queen will ask for the report in the morning. Also, it is one of the inner pce rules to make sure that the royal prince consummates with his official wife on their wedding day. Court Lady Hong should have taught the youngdy about it,¡± Eunuch Lianying scolded Court Lady Hong, keeping his voice low.


    He peeked through the gaps between the doors and found that the light was dinner, than usual. He blinked his eyes several times before again peeking inside.


    ¡°Lady Hong, the Sixth Prince is in bed. Why isn¡¯t there any movement?¡± he murmured. ¡°It has been ten minutes, and no sound can be heard. Did the Sixth Prince lose his interest in his wife so early?¡± He mumbled when he heard the cry of Li Hua.


    ¡°It hurts, Your Highness!¡± Li Huained.


    He tilted his head up to look at Court Lady Hong, and they both smiled. She quickly pulled him away and told him not to disturb them.


    ¡°His Majesty also wants to know whether his youngest son is interested in women or not. All these years, Prince L¨®ng Wei never had shown any interest towards them,¡± he whispered near Court Lady Hong¡¯s ear, who smiled.


    ¡°Ahhh. It hurts.¡±


    They both heard another cry and suppressed their giggles.


    ¡°Li Hua, the first time is always painful,¡± L¨®ng Wei loudly said.


    Eunuch Lianying and Court Lady Hong covered their mouths with their respective palms so that L¨®ng Wei would not hear their giggles.


    ¡°Can His Highness not be a little gentle?¡± Li Huained.


    Court Lady Hong gestured to Eunuch Lianying to leave, and they soon left the manor.


    L¨®ng Wei turned his head to look and no longer found the shadows on the door. He moved away from Li Hua andid beside her.


    ¡°You sounded so-¡± he paused when Li Hua covered his mouth with her palm. Her cheeks flushed red because of the pain that L¨®ng Wei gave her.


    ¡°His Highness should not have pinched me so hard. Anyone would cry loudly,¡± she stated when L¨®ng Wei pushed her hand down.


    ¡°I only pinched your forearm, but your cries showed that you were experiencing pleasure,¡± he said and smirked, ¡°especially when you said, ¡®Can His Highness not be a little gentle?¡¯ I wonder what you will do when we do it in real!¡±


    ¡°How could His Highness say such a thing? I said that because of the enormous pain I felt. His Highness¡¯ mind is dirty,¡± she mumbled.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°So, Li Hua does know what a dirty mind is!¡± He remarked. ¡°Can she tell me the example of having a dirty mind?¡± He started to tease her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said and looked at his arm.


    ¡°His Highness pinched me,¡± she grasped his arm, pushed his sleeve up, and pinched his forearm, ¡°like this.¡±


    To her wonder, he didn¡¯t cry out when she applied more force, but he didn¡¯t scream. Their eyes met again when she heard him say,


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel such small pains.¡±


    Li Hua slowly pulled her hand back when L¨®ng Wei caught it.


    He pushed her sleeve up and looked at her skin, where he had pinched her. It had reddened. He carried his weight on his right elbow and blew the air over that region which had turned redder.


    She tried to pull it away, but L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t ready to let it go. He circled his fingers over her skin. ¡°You have such smooth skin. You must have grown up as a pampered child of the house. I am d that you made a safe escape from Xinshui. I am d that you were safe for these two months,¡± he stated.


    ~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    I wish we reach 200 PS target this week along with 50 GTs target.


    HAPPY READING ??

 Chapter 74

    74 To Touch


    Li Hua¡¯s sleep broke with a sudden jerk, and the first thing she saw was L¨®ng Wei beside her. His face was too close to her, so she moved slightly away from him.


    Last night, they conversed for a long time. She was troubled with the thought of her wedding night, but she was happy that nothing had happened between them. However, she vividly remembered L¨®ng Wei¡¯sst words before he fell asleep.


    ¡®We both will avenge the murder of the Xu Family.¡¯


    For the first time in these two months, she felt so secure and safe. She could not believe the person, who everyone despised, had such a beautiful side.


    ¡®When did I encounter His Highness? I am unable to recall anything,¡¯ she thought and gazed at the sleeping face of L¨®ng Wei which appeared calm.


    At that moment, she recalled Feng Lao¡¯s jade ring, which L¨®ng Wei had seized from her the previous night. She quietly got up and decided to search in the pockets of his robes.


    She moved slightly closer to him and brought her hands above his chest. She remembered seeing how he put the ring inside his pocket before carrying her to the bed. Her fingersnded on the cross neck of his dress. She slowly pushed it up and looked at his face, making sure he would not wake up.


    She gulped and found the cold sweat forming in the back of her neck. It seemed she was entering the lion¡¯s den, and if, by any chance, he would wake up, she would be dead.


    Yet, she wanted to try it. She had to take that jade ring back despite the punishment that she would get from him in the morning. She loosened the sash on his waist, and the cross neck cors also got loose.


    .....


    She pressed her lips together and moved her hand inside, to his left side. She leaned down and almost reached the pocket.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you touch your husband in his sleep and act like a doe when he is awake.¡± His deep voice fell into her ears, and she immediately turned her head to look at him.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± She murmured and gradually pulled her hand back. L¨®ng Wei caught her wrist and pulled her down, circling his other arm around her waist.


    She twisted her hand and politely asked him to let her go.


    ¡°Now, I will let you go when you kiss me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and smiled. Li Hua shook her head and kept pulling herself away. Nheless, she found his grip kept tightening around her waist.


    ¡°Why does His Highness ask for a kiss every time? He should not act immorally in the morning,¡± asserted Li Hua, and she again requested him to leave her.


    ¡°Look who¡¯s giving me the lesson! You were the one, who acted immorally in this early morning. You wanted to touch my chest. Don¡¯t lie because it is written on your face,¡± he stated while grinning from ear to ear.


    ¡°Your Highness, I never intended to do that. I was searching for the jade ring,¡± she told him the truth.


    ¡°I threw it away,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Li Hua got upset. ¡°Why did His Highness throw my ring away without asking me?¡± She was angry at him. It was the first and thest gift that Feng Lao ever gifted her.


    ¡°Do you like to make me jealous every moment? I told you not to bring it up.¡± L¨®ng Wei got annoyed at her. He moved his hand away, and Li Hua quickly shifted away from him. Her back touched the wall behind her.


    L¨®ng Wei sat up and looked at the head essories that were on the bedside table, which he had removed from her hairst night. At least, she allowed him to do it, else he had thought she would deny it.


    ¡°Li Hua, get down from the bed,¡± L¨®ng Wei urged her.


    Li Hua held her heavy dress and climbed down from the bed. L¨®ng Wei threw the quilt away and looked at the sheets. ¡°Court Lady Hong wille anytime soon,¡± he murmured, and Li Hua looked towards the door.


    ¡°Why would shee, Your Highness?¡± Li Hua queried him.


    ¡°To take the bedsheet away. She will check if we consummated or not,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and went towards the table. He picked up the knife and came towards the bed.


    ¡°Why did His Highness bring the knife?¡± Li Hua asked in confusion.


    ¡°We need blood,¡± he replied. Before she could speak further, he cut his palm and blood, started to drip from it.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Li Hua got worried and saw him leaning to the center of the bed. He brought his hand above the clean white sheet, and it was stained with blood.


    He put the knife back on the table and pressed his thumb on his palm. ¡°Let it dry,¡± he told Li Hua, who walked to him and asked him why he did that.


    ¡°To prevent the fingers pointing at you,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and smiled.


    ¡°How could His Highness cut his hand without thinking that it might be harmful?¡± Li Hua concerndly said. She found the blood had still not healed and she quickly grasped his hand.


    ¡°The bleeding isn¡¯t stopping, Your Highness. You weren¡¯t supposed to act so recklessly,¡± she mumbled when L¨®ng Wei told her not to worry about.


    He pulled away from his hand and told her to remove her upper robe.


    ¡°What?¡± She widened her eyes.


    ¡°Do what I am telling you to,¡± he stated, ¡°if you don¡¯t want the real consummation tonight with tens of servants lining outside the manor.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°I am not telling you to be naked, My Princess. Just remove the upper robes andy in the bed,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her and found the cut had clotted.


    He turned to Li Hua and brought his hands to the buttons of the topmost robe.


    ¡°I will do, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Let me do it. The Husband is supposed to do it on the wedding night,¡± he said and unbuttoned the topmost robe that she had put on. He pulled it down her arms, and her bare arms were visible to him. He put that on the bed and brought his hand on the sash around her waist.


    Once he removed it, the dress loosened, and her inner clothes were visible too. She turned her back to L¨®ng Wei and said, ¡°I¡¯ll do the rest.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I am going to the bathhouse. I will wait for you. Get into the bed and wait for Court Lady Hong to arrive,¡± he said and left the chamber.


    Before Li Hua could ask him why he would wait for her, he was already gone.

 Chapter 75

    75 I will go insane [Bonus chapter]


    Court Lady Hong entered the chamber after the Sixth Prince left and found the broken vase on the floor. The first thought that came to her mind was if the Sixth Prince harmed Li Hua in any way, but she was assured when she saw Li Hua peacefully sleeping.


    She gestured to the two maidservants, one of whom, cleaned the floor.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Court Lady Hong softly called out Li Hua, while shaking her arm, who gradually opened her eyes, and smiled at her.


    Li Hua acted to feel soared and sat on the bed. ¡°I will ask the royal chef to send the nutritious soup for Her Highnesster,¡± Court Lady Hong said and nced at the second maidservant. She picked the in white silk dress and asked Li Hua to wear it as they would head to the washroom.


    As L¨®ng Wei had instructed her, she had removed her upper robes, keeping on the inner clothing. Her feetnded on the floor, and she put on the thin silk robe. Her eyes caught Lady Hong¡¯s eyes, which were focused on the red stain on the bed sheet.


    ¡°Her Highness performed her duty well,¡± Court Lady Hong said. ¡°She was shy before the marriage.¡± Li Hua found her smiling, and she smiled too.


    ¡°Indeed, Court Lady Hong. Li Hua knows her duty well as a wife,¡± she said humbly and made the knot on her dress. She rose to her feet, and they left for the washroom.


    ¡°Court Lady Hong, did the servant pick the clothes of His Highness from the bathhouse?¡± She asked, after brushing her teeth and washing her face with the rice water.


    ¡°His Highness is still bathing. No one is allowed to go in,¡± Court Lady Hong replied. Li Hua hummed and wondered if she could go in. She had to if she wanted to get the jade ring back.


    .....


    ¡°I will be back soon,¡± Li Hua said and walked out of the washroom. Court Lady Hong ran after her, but couldn¡¯t find her outside.


    ¡°Where did Her Highness go?¡± She got tense and waited for her return.


    Li Hua halted outside the bathhouse where L¨®ng Wei was present. She gently pushed the door and peeked inside. She could only see a small part of the bathhouse. Steam from the hot bathtub was visible, but she was unable to see the Sixth Prince.


    Li Hua looked for the basket in which L¨®ng Wei would have put his clothes. She opened the door a little more and walked in without making any noise. She smiled upon seeing the basket. To her surprise, L¨®ng Wei was not present in the bathhouse.


    It delighted her, and she got on her knees. She searched for the jade ring in the clothes but didn¡¯t find the jade ring. She looked into the sleeves, but nothing was there.


    ¡°Are you done searching?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her, and she immediately stood up. She found him half-naked and lowered her head.


    ¡°C-Court Lady Hong is waiting for me. I-I shall take my le-leave,¡± Li Hua said while stuttering. She could feel his burning gaze at her. Turning, she was ready to leave when L¨®ng Wei caught her arm and stood in front of her.


    She widened her eyes, seeing his naked torso so closely. She turned her head away and requested L¨®ng Wei to move away.


    ¡°We will bathe together in the hot spring,¡± he said. Before she could stop him, L¨®ng Wei dragged her to the other end. He slid the door, and they both were now in a small yard with a hot spring in the center. She was unaware of it, or she didn¡¯t bother to explore.


    ¡°Your Highness, I need to go back.¡± Li Hua wasn¡¯t ready to get into the hot spring with him. She kept pulling her hand back, but he would not let it go.


    ¡°I told her not to disturb us,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and scooped her up in his arms. ¡°My Princess, let¡¯s dive in the hot spring and enjoy our time together,¡± he said and advanced to the hot spring.


    Li Hua kept her body away from him and didn¡¯t wrap her hands around his neck. L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t mind it either.


    ¡°His Highness told me that he will not cross the limits unless I do,¡± she reminded him. L¨®ng Wei lifted his foot andnded it in the hot spring. He made her stand up. Li Hua¡¯s body was more than half-submerged in the water because of her small heightpared to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I can make efforts to make you break those limits,¡± he affirmed and sshed water on her face. Quickly, she closed her eyelids and heard L¨®ng Wei¡¯s giggle. She wiped her face and opened her eyes, but he was not in front of her.


    Her breath hitched when felt L¨®ng Wei¡¯s breath on her ear. ¡°This hot spring water rxes one¡¯s mind and body. Your Qi will be stabilized and you¡¯ll feel better than before. I had thought ofing here at night with you, but then I changed my n,¡± he whispered.


    He rested his hand on her right shoulder and she narrowly gazed at him. ¡°Let¡¯s sit for a while,¡± he said.


    She turned to him. ¡°I won¡¯t sit in this hot spring with His Highness unless he gives me the jade ring,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°I threw it away,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. His expressions were on the verge of getting grimmer.


    ¡°His Highness should not lie. He put it inside his pocket,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°Feng Lao gave it to me. Hisst memory is important to me, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua kept her words simple.


    That name was sufficient to anger him. He brought his hand to the back of her head and pulled her into a kiss, but stopped before they couldnd on her lips. ¡°What should I do with you? I can¡¯t even get angry at you,¡± he whispered before her lips. Li Hua had stiffened at her ce and her lips quivered because of the closeness between the two.


    However, she didn¡¯t meet his gaze because she knew they were burning with desire for her.


    ¡°If you think that he is alive and I will let you go to him, then you are wrong,¡± he said and finally she peered at him. Her chest rose and fell because of the anger that built inside her at that moment.


    ¡°Let me go, Your Highness. I want to leave now,¡± she said sternly without fearing the consequence awaiting her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t allow you to leave,¡± he authorized. Li Hua pushed him away and turned to leave. Her foot slipped on the hot spring¡¯s bed, and she fell into the water.


    L¨®ng Wei also dived into the water and prevented her from falling. He crashed his lips on hers before pulling themselves out of the water. Their lips were still connected. Li Hua¡¯s hands were on her shoulders, and she gaped at him in shock.


    She almost withdrew from the kiss, but L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand on the back of her head drew her again. His other hand remained on her waist, keeping her intact at her ce.


    For the third time, she had taken Feng Lao¡¯s name in front of him. He hated it. He hated to hear that she loved him. It made him go insane.


    Suddenly, he withdrew and stepped back. ¡°Take his name and I will seal your lips with a kiss again,¡± he warned her. The kiss whichsted for a few seconds was not out of anger, it was out of love. He didn¡¯t want it to look like a forced one in any way. He only wanted to show her that his feelings were stronger than anything for her, even stronger than Feng Lao.


    He ran his fingers through his hair and continued to step back. ¡°I think I have to leave because if I stay longer, I will go insane,¡± he affirmed and left the hot spring, leaving Li Hua in dismay.


    She lifted her hand, and her fingers touched her damp, moist lips. She finally recalled her first encounter with him.


    She quickly got out of the hot water and ran after L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Your Highness,¡± she called him, who was on the patio of the bathhouse and was ready to go in.


    ¡°I am not in a mood to talk. And don¡¯t ever ask me about that jade ring or say that bastard¡¯s name in front of me!¡± L¨®ng Wei said furiously and soon left her sight.


    ¡°You were the person, who I encountered at the beginning of the winter. I recalled everything,¡± Li Hua murmured and knitted her brows.

 Chapter 76

    76 Li Hua¡¯s First Encounter and First Kiss


    The sun was shining bright in the clear blue sky. With the arrival of early winter, the temperature had turned colder. The plum trees were blooming with beautiful plum flowers.


    In the pleasant weather, Li Hua dded in a white hanfu with pink peonies on it was walking on the cobblestone path with a bamboo basket in her hand.


    This was the third time in the year when she came out of the Xu Residence with her attendant Zhi Hui and a few servants apanied by a few soldiers to the famous uphill of the Xinshui Town. Her birthday was approaching. It was after two days and after many requests her father, Xu Guang Li let her go to the Xinshui uphill without her brothers¡¯ presence.


    Li Hua had picked some flowers and filled the basket with them. She wanted to learn soap making and collected the flowers with good essence.


    Because she had told Zhi Hui not toe behind her, she walked ahead where her father always used to tell her not to go. Whenever she asked, he used to say only one thing, ¡°A deep forest lies ahead with dangerous animals. It is said a beast lives in the forest. But he doesn¡¯te out. However, if you go around it, you feel like going inside.¡±


    Li Hua was curious to find out if her father told the truth or not. Because she once asked about it her elder brother, who had refused to know anything about it.


    Lifting the edges of her gown, she continued to walk ahead and realized that the ce looked prettier. There was a huge freshwaterke and its water was so clear that one could see his reflection in it. She went closer to it and looked at her face and smiled.


    ¡°After two days, I will turn 18, then I will prepare myself to propose to Feng Lao,¡± she mumbled and brought her palms together in excitement. She smiled and found butterflies had started to dance in her stomach.


    At that moment, the burbles from thekewater fell into the ears of this young maiden, who widened her eyes. Did the beast appear? It was the first thought in her mind. ¡®But Father said that he neveres out,¡¯ she thought. Li Hua was too scared to even look at her right or left.


    .....


    However, when the sound got prominent, she realized that someone was drowning in the water. She looked at her right, far and wide, but saw nothing. Later, she looked to her left and a few plum blossom trees along theke bank prevented her from seeing more.


    Li Hua walked ahead with slow steps and, to her surprise, she saw a man¡¯s body lying on the surface of the water.


    The bamboo basket from her hands fell and the different flowers that she plucked earlier, spread on the stone pathway.


    Li Hua looked around for help but finding no one around, she jumped into the water.


    The huge ssh of water startled the young man and he gradually opened his eyes. To his surprise, a petite, young maiden approached him and grasped his arm.


    The young man immediately closed his eyes, acting as if he fainted. Li Hua with much struggle took him out of theke and started to take deep breaths.


    ¡°Hey! Wake up!¡± She patted his cheeks and then checked his pulse. ¡°Why is his body cold? Is he dead?¡± she wondered and it panicked her. Wiping the water from her face from the back of her palm, she lowered her face and rested her ear on the middle of his chest.


    The young man opened his eyes again and wondered what the young maiden was doing. But whatever it was, he was curious to know, so he closed his eyes again.


    She heard the faint heartbeats of the young man. Quickly, she brought her face above his and pressed his nose between her soft fingers. With her other hand, she opened his mouth and gave him mouth-to-mouth respiration.


    The young man opened his eyes wide. The young maiden then pressed her soft palms to the middle of his chest.


    ¡°Please, wake up!¡± Her soft voice fell into his ears.


    She again cupped his face when their eyes met. ¡°What are you doing?¡± The deep voice of L¨®ng Wei fell into the ears of Li Hua and she widened her eyes. The young man was the Sixth Prince.


    ¡°Why... you...¡± she stuttered when L¨®ng Wei sat up.


    Li Hua was on her knees, wiping her lips while L¨®ng Wei was noticing her facial features. He chuckled upon recalling her act.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you dead?... I mean, weren¡¯t you drowning?¡± Instead of replying, she asked him.


    They both asked each other at the same time.


    ¡°Others have to die before wishing for my death,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and it intimidated Li Hua. ¡°I thought about swimming and lying on the water surface for a while,¡± he asserted.


    She said, ¡°you can not swim in theke water whenever you please. And what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± She covered her eyes with her palm and continued, ¡°you cannot roam around naked in such a holy ce when the weather is cold. Where are your manners? If anyone sees you, then you¡¯ll be punished.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei was amused to hear the words of this young maiden. He lifted his hand and grasped her other hand.


    ¡°Ahh,¡± Li Hua screamed and found herself on the top of L¨®ng Wei. Her right hand was resting on his shoulder while her face was inches away from his. She stopped blinking for a few seconds.


    For the first time, she found someone more handsome than Feng Lao. Her heart indeed skipped a beat to see him from this proximity. His features were divine to be called a beast. Those sharp eyebrows, pointed nose, shiny hair which were parted from the left and reached his shoulders, the sharp jawline, and the thin lips, were breathtaking for any woman.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± His deep voice again fell into her ears and she came out of her thoughts.


    ¡°Why should I tell you?¡± Li Hua retorted at him and pushed him away, before getting up. She lifted her gown a little and ran away after picking up the bamboo basket.


    ~~~~~


    Li Hua recalled her first meeting with L¨®ng Wei in Xinshui. Indeed, she was the one who kissed him first, but how did he find out her name. She didn¡¯t tell him her name.


    She looked at herself in the mirror as her hair was tied into a high bun supported with a headgear. However, at her request, the majority of the hair was left open. The golden buyao decorated her hair. The danglings hung loose down her hair. She put on the long and thin earrings, with pearls hanging at the ends, which L¨®ng Wei had bought for her.


    After a long time, she got to wear the dress which only nobles and royals could use. Golden was only restricted to royals, so it was her first time wearing this color.


    Her yellow thin sleeve blouse had a low-cut neckline, with a broad golden band on the edges of the blouse. A beautiful red silk knot was made, just below the center of her chest, and the wide bands of the knots were hanging long.


    The golden high waist skirt was embroidered with an exquisite, fine design that perfectly matched her blouse.


    She stood up and outstretched her arms. A golden overcoat moved up along her sleeves and covered her bare shoulders.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince is waiting for the Princess outside,¡± Court Lady Hong informed Li Hua, who wore the shoes and walked out of the chamber, followed by her handmaidens.

 Chapter 77

    77 Pink and Red Hanfu


    L¨®ng Wei, who was in the main courtyard, was mesmerized to see Li Hua. She had worn the earrings that he purchased for her. His anger vanishedpletely after seeing her. A smile carved on his lips.


    Li Hua was surprised to see L¨®ng Wei smiling at her. He indeed had strange mood swings.


    ¡°Shall we go, Your Highness?¡± She asked when he continued to stare at her.


    ¡°Of course,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied, and the two left for the greeting hall.


    ¡°Your Highness doesn¡¯t look angry anymore. Earlier, he did not even listen to me,¡± Li Huained to him.


    ¡°It vanished when I saw you. You enchanted me with your eyes,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied, and Li Hua felt he was again flirtatious with her. ¡°Father will bestow upon you the title of Princess today. Are you happy? The work you could not do in two months, I did it in two three days,¡± he proudly said.


    Li Hua looked back and saw Court Lady Hong was following them with the handmaidens. Looking forward, she scolded L¨®ng Wei to talk about it openly. ¡°What if anyone will hear it? His Highness shall not forget that we are followed by a few servants.¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Court Lady Hong, maintain two feet of distance from us,¡± L¨®ng Wei loudly said. ¡°No one will hear us,¡± he whispered, in her ear, before pecking on her cheek. Li Hua arched her brow while tilting her head. She found him acting as if he did nothing.


    ¡°Can His Highness not stop doing it? I do not like it,¡± Li Hua urged him.


    .....


    ¡°What did I do?¡± L¨®ng Wei acted unaware of it.


    ¡°His Highness does it anytime, anywhere. He kisses me whenever he pleases,¡± she said, with an aggressive tone.


    But to him, that aggressive tone was more like musicing out of zither. He was madly in love with her, so even in her aggression, he could feel the love for him.


    ¡°I do not consider that a kiss. It is a peck. Your vocabry has issues, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Also, you should admit that you like it when I am affectionate with you. My kind of love is rare or impossible to find,¡± he asserted.


    Li Hua lost against him in the arguments. Whatever she would say, he would twist them into something different, thus defeating her.


    They ascended the stairs to the greeting hall when L¨®ng Wei asked Li Hua if she would be able to walk in those heavy robes. ¡°If you cannot, then my arms are ready to lift you,¡± he said and smirked.


    ¡°This dress isn¡¯t heavy, Your Highness. And even if it were heavy, His Highness doesn¡¯t need to lift me. I can walk well even in heavy dresses,¡± Li Hua cleared him.


    ¡°You look lovely in pink and red. I remember watching you ying with your friends in that hanfu dress. That smile on your face, I can never forget it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and halted at the stair one step ahead of Li Hua.


    L¨®ng Wei recalled how he went to the Xu Residence and saw Li Hua ying blindfold with her friends. Seeing her smile, herugh, he felt a strange happiness in his heart. He only found pleasure in doing mischievous things. However, that day, he felt happy just by looking at her.


    Extremely happy!


    She lifted her head while he tilted to the left to nce into her eyes. He held out his hand and waited for Li Hua to catch it. The servants behind them had stopped two feet away from them.


    She realized that he stalked her during his stay in Xinshui Town. But he wasn¡¯t allowed to leave the cold pce. How and when did hee to the Xu Residence!?


    Xiaoming stopped in the corridor upon seeing them. He was hurt because Li Hua had be the official wife of L¨®ng Wei. He was jealous to see them together. He fisted his palms in anger and found Li Hua¡¯s loving gaze on L¨®ng Wei. In the morning, when he found out that they had both consummated, he felt terrible for not forwarding his n early.


    ¡°Crown Prince, Brother L¨®ng Wei has turned crazy because of a servant.¡± Qiu Mu made L¨®ng Wei fun and smiled.


    ¡°Hold it.¡± L¨®ng Wei gestured to her and looked at her hand. ¡°Many eyes are on us. Let¡¯s be a lovely couple and make everyone jealous,¡± he stated. His voice was audible only to Li Hua, who ced her hand on his palm. He pulled her up gently and made her walk on the stairs.


    Xiaoming¡¯s heart broke into pieces upon seeing the two. That smile on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face bothered him, and more than that, he was bothered by the rxed face of Li Hua.


    ¡°Brother Tianjie has lost the bet. Our Sister-inw is alive and safe with Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Mingquan reminded him about bet, which he made two days ago.


    ¡°Fourth Brother, it is only the beginning. Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mind goes wild at any moment. His hands are already filled with his mother¡¯s blood. One who can kill his mother can kill anyone,¡± Zhang Xi pronounced. They continued to walk ahead while, from the opposite side, Xiaoming and Qiu Mu came.


    L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua reached the top of the stairs and encountered them. She lowered her eyes.


    ¡°Greetings to everyone,¡± Li Hua said softly, and for a brief moment, her eyes met Xiaoming¡¯s gaze. She again lowered her eyes and wondered why L¨®ng Wei did not greet his elders.


    ¡°Wee, Sister-inw Li Hua in the royal Qiu Family,¡± Mingquan said in his polite tone, carrying a pleasant smile on his lips.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said. She did not know what more to say. It was the first time Prince Mingquan had talked with her.


    ¡°Sister-inw does not look like a servant anymore,¡± Qiu Mu said and looked at her from up to down.


    ¡°The Second Prince loves to insult my wife every time he encounters us,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and gritted his teeth. ¡°This is thest time he called my wife a servant.¡±


    He beamed at Qiu Mu, who chuckled and went towards the Greeting Hall. He didn¡¯t want to argue with L¨®ng Wei and ruin his morning. If Qiu Mu had to ept the truth, then his every morning ruined after L¨®ng Wei¡¯s return.


    The other Princes, including the Crown Prince, also walked after Qiu Mu to the Greeting Hall.


    ¡°Why did the Sixth Prince talk so badly with his elder brother?¡± Li Hua scolded him. The one thing that she hated was when someone disrespected the elders. ¡°I was a servant, Your Highness. This fact cannot be denied,¡± she opined.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to bring it anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, adamant not to agree with her words.


    ¡°The Second Prince has full rights to say it. My identity is of a servant in their eyes. His Highness shall not get angry for this reason. To earn respect, first His Highness has to learn to give respect to the people around him,¡± Li Hua lectured him well. She recalled that her mission was to bring him to the right path and make him act like a Prince. A humble Prince.


    ¡°I never disrespected him. I didn¡¯t call him a loser general,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness!?¡± Li Hua gaped at him, and she was shocked to hear his words for the Second Prince. He was not only L¨®ng Wei¡¯s elder brother, but also the renowned Second General in the Qiu Army.


    L¨®ng Wei huffed and walked ahead. Li Hua quietly followed him and let out a sigh.


    The King, who had stopped by the pir, heard their small argument. A smile formed on his lips. ¡°This girl is indeed unique. She has the guts to talk back to him, knowing the fact that L¨®ng Wei is short-tempered,¡± he said and looked at his Queen.


    Zhu Liling heard her husband¡¯s words and smiled. ¡°Indeed, Li Hua is strong enough to scold our youngest son,¡± she agreed with the words of Qiu Zedong. They both then resumed the walk towards the Greeting Hall.


    ~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    Thank you for 100k+ views. Tomorrow, I will give 3 chapters for this reason. Thank you for the gifts, GTs, powerstones.


    THANK YOU


    HAPPY READING??

 Chapter 78

    78 A week with my wife


    Qiu Zedong and Zhu Liling settled on the throne. The tea brewer served them the tea first, followed by the others. Qiu Zedong lifted the teacup.


    ¡°Wee to this family, Princess Li Hua,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a broad smile. Promptly, Li Hua stood up and bowed before the King. Her right hand covered the back of the palm of her left hand. The long sleeves of the overcoat reached her thighs.


    ¡°I am thankful to Your Majesty, who thought me capable enough to be a part of this royal family,¡± Li Hua said humbly.


    Qiu Zedong smiled. ¡°I am impressed with the manners of Princess Li Hua,¡± he praised her and looked at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°I am hopeful that Prince L¨®ng Wei will learn from his virtuous wife,¡± he stated.


    ¡°My humble apologies, Royal Father. But Brother L¨®ng Wei can never learn manners since his mother forgot to do her duty well. A mother is the first teacher of the child. However, in Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s matter, his first teacher failed in doing her duty,¡± Tianjie remarked. He left no ground to humiliate the Sixth Prince, who was not bothered about it.


    Li Hua nced at him and found the calmposure on his face. Usually, a child would get angry if his/her mother would be insulted, especially after her death.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie, this is thest time I have heard such a thing about myte concubine. Respect the dead. Also, keep in mind not to bring her into the conversation,¡± Qiu Zedong scolded the Third Prince, who apologized to his father.


    ¡°Li Hua, have a seat and enjoy the tea,¡± Zhu Liling said.


    Li Hua bowed and sat down on her seat. She picked the teacup to take a sip. Jingfei from the other side looked at Li Hua and gulped the anger inside her.


    .....


    ¡®I can never ept that a servant has titled a Princess,¡¯ she told herself and tightened her hold around the teacup. ¡°I heard that our dear Sister-inw is skilled in soap making,¡± Jingfei pronounced and looked at her father & mother. ¡°Can I request my Royal Father to let me hold a small meeting, where the Sister-inw can teach us soap making?¡± Jingfei put forward her humble request.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed, beaming at Jingfei. Everyone in the hall got confused when L¨®ng Wei looked at his father. ¡°Li Hua doesn¡¯t know how to make soap. The First Princess has a misunderstanding,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, the soap makers cannot lie about it. My Sister-inw had helped them once. Brother L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t present in the pce, so he might not be aware of it,¡± Jingfei argued with him. However, she kept her tone as polite as possible.


    ¡°I am well aware of my wife¡¯s habits,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°Royal Father, since we are newlyweds, I wish to go somewhere with Li Hua. If the Royal Father allows it, can I take my wife to the famous Xinshui Town?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked his father.


    Li Hua gaped at L¨®ng Wei, wondering what was going on in his mind. Why did he bring the name of this town in front of them? What if someone is suspicious of her!? Many insecurities surrounded her head.


    ¡°I do not hold any position, at the moment, nor am I interested. I want to spend a week with my wife far from the pce in Xinshui Town. If the Royal Father allows us to go, it will be great,¡± L¨®ng Wei put forward his request.


    Qiu Mu nced at Xiaoming and gestured to him. Xiaoming realized that it was the best time to divert L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mind from the matter. He would get time to clear everything from his path.


    Before Xiaoming could speak, the Queen, spoke.


    ¡°Your Majesty, why don¡¯t we allow them to go? Prince L¨®ng Wei is right. He doesn¡¯t hold any position in the Kingdom, so he is free to roam around. Also, if they want, they can stay in the Cold Pce. Though the Cold Pce is a ce isted from the outside world,¡± Zhu Liling started to convince her husband. She also wanted the Sixth Prince to stay away from the pce for a while.


    ¡°I thought that the Prince would celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival with his family,¡± Qiu Zedong said. He was not ready to let L¨®ng Wei go to Xinshui Town when he returned a few days ago.


    ¡°I also feel that Brother L¨®ng Wei shall spend time with his wife. Who knows there¡¯s a change in his personality after his return to the pce?¡± Qiu Mu supported the decision of the Queen.


    Qiu Zedong brought the teacup to his lips and sipped the tea. After contemting, he said, ¡°I will allow it, but on one condition.¡± L¨®ng Wei and the others wondered about the condition.


    ¡°I will fulfill the condition that my Royal Father put forward,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Commander Hei Huang Xi and a section of highly- trained army soldiers to apany them,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    Jingfei didn¡¯t want it to happen. She thought that she would celebrate the festival with Hei Huang Xi. She had to get close to him and if he apanied L¨®ng Wei, then her n would be ruined.


    ¡°I agree to my Father¡¯s condition,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Initially, he had thought to not let anyone apany them, but Hei Huang Xi was trustworthy. Also, more than him, he was worried for Li Hua¡¯s safety, who might be the target of his enemies. Since he had dered his love for her, his enemies were well aware that if they would harm Li Hua, then it would directly harm him.


    ¡°The First General may not like it if his eldest son is away from his family on such an important festival,¡± Jingfei said, ¡°Royal Father.¡± She could not let Huang Xi leave the capital when she had gotten the perfect opportunity to be close to him.


    ¡°What is the First Sister saying?¡± Qiu Mu raised the concern. ¡°It is the duty of a General, or a Commander, to serve the royalty. Why would the First General be upset about it?¡± Qiu Mu did not want L¨®ng Wei to stay back because he had to clear the evidence against Xiaoming.


    ¡°Second Brother, the Second Commander can apany them. The First General returned two days ago only,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°I want the First Commander to apany them for a reason. The Second Commander¡¯s shoulder is injured. His state may get worse if he doesn¡¯t take proper rest,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°So, when will the Sixth Prince leave with his wife?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°Day after tomorrow, Royal Father. The following week is the Dragon Boat Festival. I want to show Li Hua around. She had never been outside,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and tilted his head to look at her with a smile.


    She knitted her brows and averted her gaze from him. ¡®Why does the Sixth Prince want to go to Xinshui? There¡¯s nothing in the town left, except some painful memories. He must look into the Royal Family, who was behind my family¡¯s assassination,¡¯ she thought and soon finished the tea in her cup.

 Chapter 79

    79 Wifey, you make me go crazy


    ¡°Why are you quiet?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Li Hua when they both came out of the Greeting Hall. ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy about going to Xinshui? The ce where everything started.¡± He carried an amusing expression on his face and continued to smile.


    Li Hua looked around and found the servants were still two feet behind them.


    ¡°Your Highness, how can I be happy? I lost everything in that town. We must start from the pce. Nothing has left in Xinshui.¡± She kept her voice as low as possible.


    ¡°Li Hua, we will not find an answer here,¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s tone turned into a serious one. ¡°Also, the Royal Father can never ask to assassinate the Xu Family. Your father was one of the reputed ministers in the Kingdom,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and wrapped his arm around Li Hua¡¯s shoulder.


    She stiffened at her ce when L¨®ng Wei leaned close to her.


    ¡°Your Highness, please be within your limits,¡± Li Hua urged him and tilted her head to look at his hand, which was firmly holding her shoulder.


    ¡°You shall call me Husband, Wifey,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°We are newlyweds, so we need to be more affectionate to each other. When you talk formally with me, it seems to me that I am conversing with an unknown person,¡± he exined to her.


    ¡°I must remain formal with the Sixth Prince,¡± Li Hua said. She put her hand on his, which was on her shoulder. Putting it away, she took a step away. ¡°This is the appropriate distance between us,¡± she affirmed.


    ¡°I have seen couples holding hands. They call each other: Dear Husband, Dear Wife. Isn¡¯t that more romantic and affectionate? Why can Li Hua not call me Dear Husband?¡± Heined to her.


    .....


    ¡°The Sixth Prince can get the woman, who will call him ¡®Dear Husband¡¯,¡± Li Hua remarked when she realized that she should not have said it.


    ¡°When I already have you, then I don¡¯t need to bring another. You may get jealous if your husband brings another one,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and walked ahead.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be,¡± Li Hua said and walked after him.


    ¡°Do you even know the meaning of jealousy?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her and slowed down to match her steps. ¡°You may be ready to kill me if I will use my charms on the other women,¡± he said confidently.


    ¡°His Highness can woo the other women,¡± she challenged him.


    ¡°Then, I should begin with you, Wifey,¡± he affirmed and quickly closed the distance between them. His arm wrapped around her waist, and he drew her close.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Li Hua was startled for a second. He took out the folding fan that was on the one side of the sash, and brought its one end under her chin.


    Turning her face to look at him, he said, ¡°Call me husband if you don¡¯t want to be kissed openly.¡±


    Court Lady Hong ended up hearing L¨®ng Wei and smiled. ¡°The Youngest Prince is very romantic,¡± she murmured and pursed her lips together.


    Li Hua scrunched her brows and took it as a joke. ¡°His Highness must not joke like this. Take off your arm, Your Highness,¡± she urged him and yanked away from the folding fan which L¨®ng Wei had held.


    ¡°Did my words sound like a joke?¡± L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to narrowly gaze at Court Lady Hong and the servants, before peering back into Li Hua¡¯s eyes. ¡°Answer truthfully,¡± he added.


    ¡°His Highness¡¯ words did not sound like a joke,¡± Court Lady Hong replied. The handmaidens¡¯ agreed with her.


    ¡°Call me husband, or I will kiss you,¡± L¨®ng Wei cleared her, ¡°many eyes are on us. Your Senior Brother Xiwan will also go from this route to the King¡¯s Manor. In a few minutes, he will be here. Would you like us to kiss before him?¡±


    The never-ending smirk made Li Hua gulp. He was not only shameless, but also a good ckmailer.


    L¨®ng Wei put the folding fan back inside his sash.


    ¡°Dear Husband, please take your arm away from my waist.¡± Li Hua finally titled him ¡®Dear Husband¡¯ and made a humble request to him.


    ¡°Wifey, can you say it a little loud? These days I am unable to hear well,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and grinned.


    Li Hua bit her bottom lip and faked a smile.


    ¡°How long are you going to make me wait, Wifey? My patience is running out and I might,¡± this time L¨®ng Wei put his calloused fingers under her chin, ¡°kiss you.¡±


    Li Hua put her palms on his chest to push him away, but L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t let her go.


    ¡°My Wife is so adamant!¡± L¨®ng Wei clicked his tongue and ducked his head down while his arm pulled her up. Li Hua tightly shut her eyes when felt the pad of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s index finger on the bridge of her nose.


    ¡°I am surprised to see that you are so eager to kiss me,¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words fell in her ears. ¡°Wifey, you make me go crazy,¡± he said and pulled back his arm. He saw the tint of red on her cheeks which had spread till her ears.


    ¡°You are blushing,¡± he remarked and smiled again.


    Li Hua promptly opened her eyes and found him smiling at her. For that brief moment, her heart raced wildly and she quickly averted her gaze from him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t blush. It was the heat that turned my cheeks red,¡± Li Hua reasoned.


    ¡°Strange!¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t believe her statement. ¡°I made you blush. You should ept it,¡± he whispered and turned to look at Court Lady Hong.


    ¡°Court Lady Hong, take the Princess to the manor. Make sure she takes her breakfast,¡± L¨®ng Weimanded her.


    ¡°Does His Highness not want to take the breakfast?¡± She queried him.


    ¡°Already missing your husband.¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his brow in amusement.


    ¡°No.¡± Li Hua shook her head and bowed her head before walking away. Court Lady Hong and the servants behind her bowed before the Sixth Prince, before running after Li Hua.


    L¨®ng Wei ced his right hand on his chest. ¡°It will take a lot of effort to open her heart for me,¡± he murmured and walked ahead.

 Chapter 80

    80 Remove the Second Prince [Bonus chapter]


    Hei Huang Xi could not stop smiling upon seeing L¨®ng Wei, who for the first time, initiated the conversation with him.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi must have gotten the message of the King,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°May I know why he is smiling so much?¡± He squinted his eyes in suspicion.


    ¡°This is the first time the Sixth Prince initiated the conversation with me,¡± Huang Xi answered, ¡°that¡¯s the reason behind this smile, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°I met His Majesty earlier. I have to guard the Sixth Prince and his wife on their journey to Xinshui Town. I am ready for it.¡± Huang Xi put his hand on his chest. ¡°I will protect you both with my life,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi is so enthusiastic to go on this journey,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked.


    ¡°Your Highness, what about the white jade tassel that you found in the forest two days ago? Will we not inform the King about it?¡± Huang Xi asked.


    ¡°It is not the right time,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°What is the Sixth Prince waiting for? He must tell the King so that everyone will know that he wasn¡¯t the one who murdered those thirty servants,¡± Huang Xi suggested to L¨®ng Wei, who shook his head.


    ¡°Huang Xi, that¡¯s not important at the moment. I have already proved my innocence in this matter. I have to give my wife some time, so I will stay away from trouble for a while,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed with a bright smile. Huang Xi was surprised to hear the Sixth Prince.


    .....


    ¡°It seems His Highness is madly in love with his wife,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°Of course,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°Huang Xi, we can be friends on one condition,¡± he put forward.


    ¡°What condition, Your Highness?¡± Huang Xi got curious.


    ¡°You need to bring your father¡¯s seal,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Pardon me?¡± Huang Xi was shocked to hear L¨®ng Wei and looked around. ¡°Did I hear something wrong?¡± He again asked to confirm.


    ¡°Your father¡¯s seal. I need it. If you bring it, then we will be friends,¡± L¨®ng Wei repeated his words.


    ¡°Does His Highness know that it¡¯s an impossible task? Father will kill me if I try to even pick it. He will ask me hundreds of questions. Also, he is the first General. Can His Highness not give me some other task? I will surelyplete that.¡± Huang Xi humbly refused to bring his father¡¯s seal. However, he asked L¨®ng Wei to give him some other task.


    ¡°Huang Xi, I do not get scared of anything. This is the simplest task I have given you. I can bring it on my own. However, you always ask me to make you my friend, so I thought to see if you are capable enough to give me the shoulder in my every work,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to him.


    ¡°May I know why His Highness needs it and for how long?¡± Huang Xi asked.


    ¡°I need it for a week,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°I cannot tell the reason to have the First General¡¯s Seal,¡± he cleared Huang Xi, who sighed.


    ¡°A week? The Sixth Prince wants to take the seal to Xinshui Town?¡± Huang Xi arched his brows and anxiously gazed at L¨®ng Wei, who hummed.


    ¡°It seems you are unable to do it,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined.


    ¡°I will do it. I will bring the seal, Your Highness. The Sixth Prince must keep his promise to make me his friend.¡± Huang Xi agreed to bring his father¡¯s seal to L¨®ng Wei, who was astonished for a second. He had not expected that Huang Xi would be so eager to be his friend.


    ¡°Great. I will wait for you toe to my manor,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and left thekeside. Huang Xi wondered how would steal his father¡¯s seal. He never stole anything in his life. But it was a golden chance to be L¨®ng Wei¡¯s friend, or else he would not even talk to him during the entire journey.


    L¨®ng Wei ascended the stairs of the Crown Prince¡¯s manor and went straight to his chamber. The maidservant didn¡¯t stop him from going inside. Eunuch Lishi scolded L¨®ng Wei for entering unannounced when the Crown Prince was taking his morning meals.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, please calm down,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Can I have my breakfast with the Crown Prince?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked, beaming into the eyes of Xiaoming.


    ¡°Never. The Sixth Prince shall leave,¡± Eunuch Lishi pronounced.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, bring the food for my youngest brother. He wants to have his breakfast with his eldest brother.¡± Xiaoming ignored what Eunuch Lishi said earlier.


    ¡°Sure, Your Royal Highness.¡± Eunuch Lishi could not refuse themand of the Crown Prince and instructed the maidservant to bring breakfast for the Sixth Prince.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips curled up into a smile and he settled in front of the Crown Prince. He took the chopsticks from Xiaoming¡¯s hands. ¡°The Crown Prince will not mind if his youngest brother will use the chopsticks that are specially designed for him. Correct me, Crown Prince, if I am wrong,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Eunuch Lishi gaped at L¨®ng Wei. His acts always boiled his blood.


    ¡°Of course, Brother L¨®ng Wei can use these chopsticks.¡± Xiaoming allowed him to use them. He asked for another pair and asked L¨®ng Wei why he didn¡¯t have his first breakfast with Li Hua.


    ¡°Li Hua?¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°The Crown Prince shall address her as Sister-inw. Only I can pronounce her name,¡± he said with a stern tone.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince must not forget that he¡¯s sitting in front of the Crown Prince of the Kingdom.¡± Eunuch Lishi could not control his anger and raised his voice at L¨®ng Wei, whose lips curled up from one side.


    ¡°Shall I throw Eunuch Lishi out or will the Crown Prince ask him to leave?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Xiaoming, which seemed insulting to Eunuch Lishi. However, before he could speak, Xiaoming asked him to leave and also told the other servants to leave the chamber.


    Thest maidservant, who served the meals to L¨®ng Wei, also left after bowing. Once the door closed, Xiaoming asked L¨®ng Wei about his real reason to visit his chamber.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we first have our breakfast?¡± L¨®ng Wei opined. ¡°The Crown Prince¡¯s mood will get ruined if we start conversing. Let¡¯s have breakfast.¡± L¨®ng Wei brought the soft tofu in front of his mouth and ate it. Xiaoming also started to eat. They had their breakfast in utter silence. While Xiaoming could not eat well, on the other hand, L¨®ng Wei enjoyed it.


    The Sixth Prince brought the water ss to his mouth and drank from it. Plonking the ss on the table, he thanked Xiaoming for letting him do breakfast with him.


    ¡°I know the Crown Prince will not confess easily. Well, I have evidence against him. If I want, I can show it to our father,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced and took out the tassel from his pocket. He put it on the table, and Xiaoming looked at it.


    The faint smile from the Crown Prince¡¯s lips had disappeared to see the tassel.


    ¡°What¡¯s the use of gathering the support of the Second Prince, who could not even find this before I got my hands on it?¡± L¨®ng Weimented and once again made fun of the capabilities of Qiu Mu.


    Xiaoming held out his hand to pick the tassel. But before L¨®ng Wei picked it up and put it inside his pocket. ¡°Shall I go to our Father and tell him what his dearest, eldest son did?¡± L¨®ng Wei waited for his response.


    ¡°If Brother L¨®ng Wei wanted to tell our father about it, then we would not be here,¡± Xiaoming deduced.


    ¡°Absolutely correct!¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone to find out about it. Who cares about the lives of those thirty servants? Hundreds of people die daily. The Crown Prince only ended the miseries of those thirty servants.¡±


    Xiaoming was unable to understand what L¨®ng Wei wanted. He was unable to see what was going on in his head.


    ¡°What does the Sixth Brother want?¡± Xiaoming asked him.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled and gestured to him toe closer. Xiaoming leaned forward and so did L¨®ng Wei. ¡°I want him to remove the Second Prince from the position of General.¡±


    Xiaoming gaped at him in bewilderment.


    ¡°Why? Is it too difficult for the great Crown Prince? He has one week to do it. The day I return from Xinshui, I want the Second Prince toe down from the position of the second General,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Ah, I forgot to tell the most important thing to the Crown Prince,¡± he leaned back and sat straight.


    Xiaoming furrowed his brows together.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think of assassinating me during my journey to Xinshui because this evidence will reach the King even in my absence. Even my death will lead to the doom of the Crown Prince. So, he must make a wise decision. I will not deny the fact that he is the smartest amongst all of us,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed while stressing the word smartest and smirked.


    L¨®ng Wei stood up. ¡°I must leave, Crown Prince. He shall not fool his youngest brother in any way. I am hundreds of steps ahead of him. So, he must make a wise decision and execute a proper n against the Second Prince to remove him from the position of General,¡± L¨®ng Wei repeated his words. He turned and left the chamber.


    Xiaoming mmed his hand on the table. ¡°How can I make such a big mistake?¡± He muttered.

 Chapter 81

    81 Crazily searched for you


    Li Hua looked at the precious and expensive gifts which the Queen presented to her. Her entire chamber was full of the presents which the Queen gave to her.


    ¡°Court Lady Hong, what shall I do with all these essories?¡± Li Hua asked upon looking at the jewel sets before her on the table.


    ¡°The Princess will wear them,¡± Court Lady Hong answered. ¡°I will keep them safely in the cupboard, Your Highness,¡± she informed her and asked the servant to help her.


    ¡°Li Hua!¡± A familiar voice fell into her ears, and she looked towards the door. L¨®ng Wei was at the door, smiling at her. She rose to her feet and bowed. The servants had stopped momentarily as L¨®ng Wei walked in.


    Li Hua lifted her head and found L¨®ng Wei in front of her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to bow upon seeing me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and grasped her hand. ¡°Come. I will show you something,¡± he said and he dragged her out with him.


    ¡°Did His Highness take breakfast?¡± Ying Lili asked.


    ¡°Yes. I had my breakfast with the Crown Prince. You didn¡¯t skip your breakfast, right?¡± He asked, and the two stepped out of the manor.


    Li Hua shook her head and asked him where he was taking her.


    .....


    ¡°Outside,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    Li Hua halted, and so did L¨®ng Wei. ¡°I cannot step out of the pce,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Of course, you can,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered, ¡°go anywhere with me.¡±


    ¡°His Highness can get harmed if he goes out without security and permission,¡± Li Hua opined and pulled her hand back. She looked up at the sky and found how bright it was! ¡°It will be too hot outside,¡± she reasoned.


    ¡°I was taking you to the waterfall. Before our journey to Xinshui, I want you to see the majestic waterfall with me,¡± he asserted and again held her hand. ¡°The weather is pleasant in the hills. If you feel tired, I will carry you in my arms,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Your Highness, we can goter to see the waterfall. The Queen wants me to prepare sweets for everyone for tomorrow¡¯s tea ceremony.¡± Li Hua was unable to go because tomorrow, along with the Queen, the King¡¯s concubines would be present along with the three princesses. She had to prepare five types of sweets which needed a lot of work.


    ¡°That tea ceremony isn¡¯t important. I will help you in making those sweets. Xiwan will also help you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He was excited to visit the waterfall with Li Hua.


    ¡°How could the Sixth Prince say this? The tea ceremony is important for me. He doesn¡¯t know about the inner pce,¡± she stated.


    ¡°So, you won¡¯t go with me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked to confirm.


    ¡°My humble apologies, Your Highness. But I cannot.¡± Li Hua bowed. L¨®ng Wei took another step to her before carrying her up, in a bridal style, in his arms.


    ¡°Your Highness, please put me down.¡± Li Hua urged him.


    ¡°No,¡± L¨®ng Wei inly refused and started to walk. ¡°Hold me tight else, you may trip off my arms,¡± he warned her.


    ¡°Also, you should call me Dear Husband. You forgot that we are married,¡± L¨®ng Wei reminded her.


    ¡°He should first stop, and then I will call him ¡®Dear Husband¡¯,¡± Li Hua stated and looked at theundry workersing from the front. ¡°Your Highness, put me down before they will see us,¡± she said in a low voice.


    ¡°Let them see,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and kept walking. Li Hua brought her face close to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chest and shut her eyes. Her fingers tightly clutched his overcoat while her other hand was on his shoulder.


    ¡°Please put me down, Dear Husband. I am ready to go with my husband to see the waterfall,¡± Li Hua pronounced and astonished L¨®ng Wei.


    When she called him ¡®Dear Husband¡¯, ¡®my husband¡¯, he felt extreme happiness. He let her down but didn¡¯t leave her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Wifey,¡± he said, and the two went to the unused path to reach the hill.


    After an hour, they reached the top of the hill. ¡°How long do we need to walk, Your Highness?¡± She again forgot to address him as Husband


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you get on my back?¡± He suggested to her. ¡°No one is here. You and I, a few animals and birds are around us,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Animals?¡± Li Hua arched her brow.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t His Highness tell me earlier? We shall leave. What if we got attacked?¡± Li Hua looked around and looked towards the bamboo forest, which was ahead of them.


    ¡°Wifey, the animals lie deep in the forest. Not here. I was only scaring you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and smiled. Li Hua didn¡¯t like his joke and walked past him.


    L¨®ng Wei followed her. He approached her and again held her hand.


    ¡°At the end of this bamboo forest, there¡¯s arge waterfall,¡± he informed her. Fifteen minutester, they heard the sound of falling water, and soon the giant waterfall was visible to them. The bamboo forest was left behind, and a new forest had started.


    The waterfall radiated the blue color and was gushing over the rocks joyfully. When the water toppled into the pool, it foamed at the bottom. Li Hua walked ahead and looked into the serene pool. The water was so clear that she could see the pebbles and water nts waving gently beneath the pool.


    ¡°Did you recall our first meeting?¡± He asked her out of the blue.


    ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°No,¡± she refused and lied to him.


    ¡°Let me tell you the vivid description of that day,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Li Hua turned to look at him, who had started speaking. ¡°A young maiden dded in white hanfu with red embroideries on it which looked like peonies flower was on the cobblestone path. She had a bamboo basket in her hand and was smiling brightly. Like a full-bloomed flower, her face was glowing.¡± He took steps toward her while narrating their first meeting.


    Li Hua, for a moment, stopped blinking and peered into his eyes.


    ¡°And then she suddenly jumped into the water to save this man because she thought he was drowning. She gave him mouth-to-mouth respiration, thus bing the first woman to kiss him, to show concern for him. It was love at first sight for L¨®ng Wei, and when he asked her name, she ran away,¡± L¨®ng Wei described the day of their first meeting.


    Li Hua, without uttering anything, turned away, facing the pool in front of her. She gulped because L¨®ng Wei was standing right behind her. His hot breath fanned her ear, and it shuddered her.


    ¡°You kissed an unknown man and forgot him, but he could not forget you,¡± he whispered in her ear, ¡°or is she acting to forget everything?¡±


    ¡°I am not acting,¡± Li Hua promptly answered. For some reason, she did not want to ept it. She wanted to forget their first meetingpletely. She had forgotten until in the morning, in the pool, she recalled everything. However, if Li Hua would admit it, then L¨®ng Wei would call it destiny. She didn¡¯t want to ept her destiny this way.


    She turned to him and found his intense gaze on him. He lifted his hand, and from the pad of his index finger, he traced her face. ¡°Lying will not give you a solution. You should not have jumped into the water, Li Hua. If you hadn¡¯t, then I would not have crazily searched for you.¡± His calloused pointer finger rested under her chin, and their eyes got glued to each other.

 Chapter 82

    82 Seduce me


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t falter even for a second, while Li Hua blinked a few times before turning away. She found he was still behind her. She moved her feet up when L¨®ng Wei circled his arm around her belly to draw her back.


    Her back hit against his chest, and she stiffened. ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± He asked her.


    ¡°I do, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°Then, trust my feelings too,¡± he urged. ¡°I never convinced anyone, the way I do to you. You won¡¯t find a man like me, Li Hua. That night I couldn¡¯te. Forgive me. You don¡¯t know how troubled I was when I didn¡¯t find you in the residence.¡±


    ¡°Did His Highness bury my family¡¯s bodies? I ran away like a coward,¡± Li Hua said, and tears streamed down her cheeks.


    ¡°No. I could not do that. I didn¡¯te out of the cold pce for three days,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°However, I was able to save your elder brother,¡± he informed her.


    Li Hua¡¯s eyes widened and she promptly turned to L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Really? Who? Why didn¡¯t His Highness tell me earlier?¡± Li Hua was shocked to hear him.


    ¡°Yes. It is Xu Zifan,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you in the pce because Court Lady Hong follows us everywhere. She is from the Queen¡¯s manor and if she ended up hearing it, then things would have gone worse,¡± he exined to her.


    ¡°My First Brother is alive,¡± Li Hua was delighted to know about it. She rested her head on the middle of his chest and continued to weep. ¡°Thank you, Your Highness. I will even sacrifice my life for His Highness, who saved my Senior First Brother,¡± she stated.


    .....


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to sacrifice your life for me. I don¡¯t allow that. Just love me, and I will do wonders in your life,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Li Hua lifted her head and wiped the tears from her cheeks before peering into his eyes.


    ¡°What about my promise to Feng Lao? I have known him since childhood. My heart is connected to him,¡± Li Hua said. She wanted to be truthful with L¨®ng Wei. She didn¡¯t want him to get hurt if she would not ept his feelings.


    L¨®ng Wei pressed his lips to Li Hua, who gaped at him in shock. ¡°A tiny punishment for taking his name in front of me,¡± he said and slowly leaned back. ¡°If your heart was connected to him, you would not have run away that night. I won¡¯t deny that you had turned selfish that night. If he was your everything, then you should have stayed by his side. But you didn¡¯t,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Li Hua got hurt to hear him, but it was the truth.


    ¡°Does His Highness know about the Shui Family? That night-¡± she paused when L¨®ng Wei put his palm on her mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move. Stay this way. Someone is here,¡± L¨®ng Wei whispered. Gradually, he lowered his hand down. He brought his face close to her, whose eyes grew big. He heard the slight noises that came from the bushes earlier. Did someone follow them?


    The man behind the bushes was unable to hear the conversation between Li Hua and L¨®ng Wei. He peeked out of the tree and found them kissing. Slowly he moved backward and soon disappeared into the bamboo forest.


    ¡°Your Highness, what happened?¡± Li Hua asked, keeping her voice low. L¨®ng Wei tilted his head and thought to check around. Taking out the folding fan, which was inside his sash, he opened it and started to fan himself. Li Hua was perplexed to see his acts and stunned to hear his words.


    ¡°Li Hua, would you like to climb on this tree?¡± he asked as he reached near one of the trees which was surrounded by bushes. He checked its surroundings but found nothing.


    He looked toward Li Hua and found the distance between them wasrge. No way would anyone be able to hear their conversation because of the sound of the waterfall unless one would talk loudly.


    Li Hua twiddled her fingers and wondered what L¨®ng Wei was doing. It seemed he was looking for something. ¡°Did His Highness lose something? Shall I help him search for it?¡± She offered her help.


    L¨®ng Wei closed the fan in his hand and put it back inside his sash. He came to her and grasped her wrist. ¡°Let¡¯s go over there,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, gesturing to the huge rock, which was close to the waterfall.


    ¡°No. What if we fell into the water?¡± She refused.


    ¡°I won¡¯t push you off that rock,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed, and he dragged her towards the huge rock with him. The sound of the waterfall became prominent, and the two soon climbed to the giant rock to sit on it. Li Hua sat down first, and found they were approximately five meters above the water surface. L¨®ng Wei sat beside her when she asked him what he was looking at.


    ¡°Someone was here,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    Li Hua was dumbfounded to hear him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He didn¡¯t hear our conversation. Luckily, the waterfall saved us,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Is His Highness sure about it? Why was someone following us?¡± Li Hua asked him.


    ¡°Because I am the notorious Prince, who troubles others,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Li Hua ended up smiling which amused him, so he asked the reason behind her smile.


    ¡°Maybe someone wants to find out if the Sixth Prince is really in love with a servant.¡± Li Hua¡¯s deduction was notme either. ¡°I mean, His Highness proposed for the marriage after his second day of return. So, it may be a suspicious thing in many eyes,¡± she rified her point.


    ¡°That can be a possibility,¡± L¨®ng Wei agreed with her words. Xiaoming could be the one, who sent his man after them, to find out if L¨®ng Wei was in love with Li Hua or if he acted to snatch Li Hua from bing his concubine.


    L¨®ng Wei rested his upper body¡¯s weight on his palms whichid tly on the rock surface while he closed his eyes.


    Li Hua nced at him and admired his handsome features. But more than those features, she felt attracted to his character.


    Usually, men and women feel shy when they first get attracted to each other.


    But L¨®ng Wei was different. He never shied away from confessing his feelings to Li Hua. Somewhere, in her heart, L¨®ng Wei had started to upy his ce.


    ¡°Li Hua, you don¡¯t need to stare at me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and turned his head to meet her gaze. Li Hua promptly came out of her thoughts and looked in front of her.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t staring,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°Then, were you admiring me?¡± he asked.


    Li Hua nodded and realized what she did. ¡°No,¡± she immediately refused and peered at him, who smirked at her. ¡°I mean, I didn¡¯t admire His Highness that way,¡± she molded her words and passed a tiny smile to him.


    ¡°In what way?¡± L¨®ng Wei leaned forward to her while she leaned back.


    ¡°Th-that w-way,¡± she stuttered.


    ¡°Exin,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Li Hua bit her bottom lip before licking it with her tongue.


    ¡°Did you just seduce me?¡± He asked and opened his mouth in surprise, which bewildered her.

 Chapter 83

    83 I decided to know evil, to end the evil!


    Li Hua shook her head and looked at the waterfall behind him. ¡°Does His Highness know what¡¯s the origin of this fall?¡± She asked. She thought avoiding his question would be the best. However, L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t respond to her. An awkward silence prevailed between them.


    Li Hua kept looking elsewhere, but not for a second dared to meet his gaze. His eyes were dangerous because it was impossible not to feel anything after looking at them.


    She felt her throat getting drier and her lips too. She fidgeted her fingers and wondered what she should say. With each passing second, her nervousness also increased.


    But what made L¨®ng Wei say such a statement? Li Hua didn¡¯t do any obscene act which would make him feel this way. She felt the cold sweat forming on her forehead and at her nape.


    L¨®ng Wei, oppositely, kept studying her face. The woman was unable to keep a steady expression on her face. When she bit her bottom lip and licked it, it seemed seductive to him. Had he known that his words would have made her nervous, he would not have said it.


    He didn¡¯t either want to divert his attention to anything else. He waited for her to look at him. However, when she didn¡¯t peer in his direction, he decided to make an effort.


    He held out his hand to put it over Li Hua¡¯s. She jolted for a second and ended up looking at him. ¡°Calm down,¡± he said.


    ¡°Why did His Highness say that?¡± She was curious to know.


    His thumb traced her bottom lip before pulling it back. ¡°Because you bit it, licked it. I felt the urge to-¡± he paused when Li Hua put her palm on his mouth. He lifted his hand and grasped her wrist. Bringing her hand down, he continued, ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t say.¡±


    .....


    ¡°Will His Highness tell me about him?¡± Li Hua requested. L¨®ng Wei was surprised to hear her request. Did she start to show interest in him? ¡°His Highness knows many things about me, but he hardly speaks about him. I also want to know about him,¡± Li Hua asserted. She had to know what made him kill his own mother and why he troubled everyone? Why was he disrespectful to everyone around him, except a few people.


    ¡°What do you want to know about me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°Anything that His Highness would like to tell me which I am unaware of: his hobbies, his likes, and dislikes,¡± Li Hua briefed him.


    ¡°My chief hobby is to gather information about everyone around me. That includes mostly the evilest acts of them. Then, I ordingly, use them for my benefits,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Li Hua gulped to hear about his hobby. She thought he would reply that he loved to y games or horse-riding or training. But to her surprise, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hobby was strange, but in a good way.


    ¡°How does His Highness find out about others¡¯ evil acts?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei found how inquisitive she was to know it, so he promptly replied, ¡°I spy on them.¡±


    Li Hua nced at him in perplexity. ¡°Spy? Isn¡¯t that a difficult task?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Of course, it is! You must show your enemy that you are weak. When the right timees, you must attack them with their weakness. It is what I do. I have clutched Gao Bing in my ws. He is the Senior Eunuch, who holds a good power. Ju Lin¡¯s life was in danger, so I asked Gao Bing to keep her in a safe ce which he did,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her with an example.


    Li Hua was dumbfounded to hear him. Her eyes grew big. She found the facade that L¨®ng Wei carried around.


    ¡°However, I was never interested in getting power. I only like to trouble, ckmail the people around me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and smiled.


    ¡°Is His Highness interested in power now?¡± She looked at him inquisitively.


    ¡°Yes. To find the answers for you, I must take it. You are my most precious treasure, who suffered through hell. When Yuze, for the first time, told me that I have the blessings from heaven as the Dragon¡¯s Son, I promptly acknowledged his prophecy. But he kept telling me to focus on bing a true leader. A Dragon rules over every species, that is what Yuze wanted for me. But I was not interested in it.¡±


    Li Hua found out because of her, L¨®ng Wei decided to climb up and rise to gather power. But it was weird too.


    L¨®ng Wei found the reason in Li Hua to assemble power for himself. The woman, who asked him for the first time if he was good, made him dedicate his life to her. He found the purpose of his life because he saw her goodness. If good people like her existed in the world, then he was ready to protect them.


    ¡°Also, he wanted me to do good deeds to eradicate evil. But if good can vanish from evil, then everyone would be happy and satisfied. Then, I decided to know evil, to end the evil,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. Li Hua was slightly confused and intimidated by hisst statement.


    ¡°Is it true that His Highness killed his mother?¡± Li Hua didn¡¯t hesitate to ask him and kept peering at him.


    ¡°Why are we bringing her in the middle of this conversation?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s tone was not pleasant at all. It seemed her question infuriated him.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness. I became a little curious to know. His Highness doesn¡¯t seem evil to kill-¡±


    ¡°I killed her,¡± L¨®ng Wei confessed before Li Hua couldplete her words. For some reason, her heartbeat raised, and she saw his eyes looked strange.


    ¡°Killing your parents is the biggest sin, and I did that,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°Why?¡± Li Hua frowned, and a frightening expression appeared on her face.


    ¡°Are you scared of me?¡± He asked.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t answer him for a while.


    She clutched her dress tightly. She had not expected him to give such an answer. She thought he might be lying, but he was not. Those eyes, those facial expressions, were enough to tell that.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she finally answered and lowered her head.


    ¡°Did my father tell you to find the reason for her death?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked, which stupefied Li Hua. Howe he found out? She thought of lying to him.


    ¡°No,¡± she refused.


    ¡°Learn how to lie. Since my love for you is immense, I forgive you,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced and stood up. He forwarded his hand and asked Li Hua to hold it.


    She ced her hand on his palm, and he pulled her up. She promptly pulled her hand away and stepped forward to walk ahead of him when her foot slipped off the rock, and she fell into the pool of water.


    ¡°Li Hua!¡± L¨®ng Wei shouted her name, and without wasting any second, he also jumped off the gigantic rock.


    The water flow was immense because of tue closeness of the waterfall, so it became difficult for Li Hua toe up, and she found herself drowning in the water. Her bodily movement got restricted, and her eyes started to close.

 Chapter 84

    84 Found her Adorable


    L¨®ng Wei grasped Li Hua¡¯s arm and pulled her out of the water. She took a deep breath and started to cough. He brought her out of the pool and caressed her back. ¡°Are you good?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. He wiped the water from her face and waited for her answer.


    ¡°The rock surface is slippery. You should not have left my hand,¡± asserted L¨®ng Wei and brushed the hair strands from her face. When she became stable, L¨®ng Wei pulled her up and found her trembling in the cold.


    He removed his overcoat and then the upper robe. Covering her from it, he carried her in his arms and left for Yuze¡¯s house. That ce was the closest, where they could take shelter for some time.


    Making her stand on the ground, he asked her to wait for a few minutes. Li Hua tightly clutched the overcoat around her and waited for L¨®ng Wei to return.


    He, on the other hand, went to the main door. Yuze always left a key for L¨®ng Wei in case he wanted toe to the house in his absence. The key was inside the wall in a hole. He took out the brick and from the box, took the keys out. Quickly, he opened the lock on the door and pushed the door.


    He went to Li Hua and brought her inside the house with him. He brought her to the second room as the first one was of Yuze. ¡°I will bring the clothes for you. Stay here. Then we can leave for the pce,¡± he opined.


    ¡°From where Your Highness?¡± She asked. ¡°I cannot use a Monk¡¯s clothes,¡± she said with a trembling voice when L¨®ng Wei walked out of the room.


    After some time he returned and brought a clean pair of clothes in his hands. He removed the overcoat from Li Hua¡¯s body and asked her to change. Li Hua looked at the robes. ¡°I will be outside,¡± he said and put the clothes in her hands. He walked out and closed the doors behind him.


    Li Hua found the clothes were men¡¯s clothes. She quickly changed into them, but the dress was too loose for her size. She told L¨®ng Wei that she had changed, who opened the door. A smile appeared on his lips as he found her adorable. He walked to her and folded her sleeves up.


    .....


    ¡°You are like a baby,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and looked at the knot that she had made in a hurry. He brought his hands to her chest and made a tight knot. She wanted to stop him but didn¡¯t.


    ¡°His Highness shall also change,¡± Li Hua suggested to him.


    ¡°There was only one pair of clothes,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Oh. Then, why did His Highness give me these clothes? Shall I remove them? He can-¡± she paused as L¨®ng Wei put his index finger over her mouth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to catch a cold,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I don¡¯t get sick easily,¡± he affirmed. Li Hua nodded while gradually moving his hand up. Brushing off the tiny fringes from her forehead and cheek, he tucked them behind her ear.


    ¡°You can remove these head essories. Wear themter,¡± L¨®ng Wei advised her.


    A married woman would remove the hair essories before going to bed. It was considered a bad omen to remove them for no special reason. Li Hua exined it to him about it, and he was astonished to hear her. So, she considered her his woman.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to feel heavy because of them. Let me help you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and carefully removed the buyao from her head. He put it on the small circr table and then removed the hairpins. Li Hua narrowly gazed at him, who was behind her.


    He came to her front and got on her knees. The pants that she had worn were oversized. He asked her to lift her left foot.


    ¡°Why?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Do you want to fall, walking in those heavy clothes?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her. She shook her head and asked him what she would do.


    L¨®ng Wei grasped her foot and she promptly rested her hand on his shoulder. He folded the cuffs of the two legs and rose to his feet.


    ¡°Come,¡± he said and walked ahead of her. Li Hua followed him and they came to the main kitchen, where they had their lunch when they first visited Yuze¡¯s ce.


    L¨®ng Wei asked her to sit while he went towards the stove. Li Hua thought to help him, so walked toward him. ¡°What does His Highness want to eat? I will cook for him,¡± she offered her help.


    ¡°No. Sit over there,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her in a stern tone. Li Hua tried to convince him to take her when he scolded her and sent her back to the table.


    L¨®ng Wei prepared rice balls and tofu noodle soup for them. After thirty minutes, he brought the two bowls and put them on the table. ¡°Start eating before it gets cold,¡± he told her and put the chopsticks over the bowl before her. He went to the kitchen to bring rice balls on a tter.


    Putting it on the table, he sat in front of her and the two started eating. Li Hua was surprised to get the taste of the tofu -noodle soup.


    ¡°What happened? Did you not like them?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious, Your Highness.¡± She passed white teeth smile to him. ¡°It is astonishing to see that a Prince knows how to cook,¡± she praised him.


    ¡°I poured my heart while preparing the food for us. This was the first time my wife would be going to eat the food made by my hands. So, I need to make it delicious,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°You won¡¯t find a man, who is good at cooking,¡± he stated.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t mean that. However, his words were true. Hardly any man cooked or enter the kitchen except the male chefs.


    Li Hua silently ate when L¨®ng Wei asked her to eat the rice balls. ¡°Tell me if you want to eat more.¡±


    Li Hua found him so calm even after she brought his mother out of nowhere in their conversation. He usually would get angry, but with her, he was not. She decided to sincerely apologize to him.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± she softly said, and the Sixth Prince looked at her, ¡°I am truly apologetic for my earlier question. I will not do it ever.¡±

 Chapter 85

    85 Sees him or Portrays him


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± she softly said, and the Sixth Prince looked at her, ¡°I am truly apologetic for my earlier question. I will not do it ever.¡± Li Hua kept her gaze fixed on him.


    ¡°You never made a mistake, so you do not need to apologize,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Li Hua didn¡¯t agree with his words.


    ¡°I have no right to ask His Highness about such things. Please forgive me,¡± she humbly said.


    ¡°You have the right to ask me anything, Wifey. You have every right to know about me, but you need to fall deeply in love with me. When the time wille, I will surely tell you why I killed her. However, by that time, I would expect you to trust me. I know you will hate me if I tell you the truth,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Those words hit hard in Li Hua¡¯s head.


    ¡°Why will I hate His Highness?¡± She asked curiously. ¡°There must be some solid reason behind that. I will not hate him. This I can assure him,¡± Li Hua stated with assurance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you believe the rumors that had spread about me among the people? Since I killed the person, who brought me into this world, I am capable to do any sin.¡± L¨®ng Wei was interested to know her opinion on that.


    ¡°If I had been the previous Li Hua, I surely would have believed those rumors. I don¡¯t carry any preconceived notions about any person anymore. When my family was murdered, strange rumors spread among the people. I saw how people without knowing the truth started to judge the Xu Family,¡± Li Hua rified to him. ¡°Your Highness saved my Senior First Brother. He is definitely not the person, which everyone sees him or portrays him.¡± She smiled at him and lowered her eyes to look into the bowl.


    L¨®ng Wei slightly lifted his body and brought his hand behind her nape. Before Li Hua could understand, she felt the soft brush of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips over hers. She widened her eyes and moved her head back.


    However, L¨®ng Wei drew her to him and crashed his lips on hers. She gripped the chopsticks tightly and shut her eyes tightly. L¨®ng Wei also closed her eyes and continued to kiss her until she responded to him.


    .....


    ¡®Why my every kiss is with the Sixth Prince? It was supposed to be Feng Lao,¡¯ she thought. Her mind blew off when L¨®ng Wei kissed her, not wanting to let her go. Her body responded on its own and she also moved her lips against him.


    They both withdrew from the kiss after a minute. Li Hua immediately lowered her eyes and felt terrible for reciprocating his kiss. She should not have done that.


    L¨®ng Wei studied her face. ¡°That¡¯s why I love you,¡± he confessed for the nth time, ¡°Li Hua.¡±


    She again lifted her head to meet his gaze.


    ¡°Your eyes never judged me. You are the same as before, for me. I promise you that I will kill the person, who made you suffer. I will rip him apart, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei promised her again. He slowly pulled his hand back and sat back on his seat.


    ¡°I remember when His Highness told me that he was not allowed to go out of the Cold Pce. Then, how did he find out that I belong to the Xu Family? He must havee outside,¡± she said and squinted her eyes.


    ¡°Just like you lied to me, I also lied. There¡¯s no force in this world which can capture me inside the four walls,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. ¡°It wasn¡¯t tough for me to find you,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°May I know how?¡± Li Hua asked. She had to find that how much L¨®ng Wei stalked her.


    ¡°Finish your food first. We will have the rest of the conversation in the manor,¡± he affirmed. Li Hua hummed and quickly finished eating. L¨®ng Wei smiled to see how curious she was. He served her one more bowl of noodles despite her refusal.


    ¡°You need strength,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°You didn¡¯t even practice archery in these few days,¡± he reminded her.


    ¡°His Highness does not let me practice,¡± she remarked and started eating.


    ¡°Then, after returning to the pce, you will practice,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t His Highness tired?¡± She wanted to escape the training. ¡°I can practice tomorrow,¡± she asserted. Even though she had made up her mind to practice archery, it was too tough for her. The scorching heat of the sun would take away her entire strength. Moreover, she didn¡¯t need it because she would not kill her enemy throw an arrow.


    ¡°I am not tired,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Don¡¯t think about running away. You must be a good archer,¡± he opined.


    ¡°That¡¯s not needed, Your Highness. There are several other ways through which I can fight with my enemy,¡± Li Hua argued with him.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and decided to make her aware of the strength that she possessed. She was a little mouse that anyone could catch and put in a cage. She was lucky that her appearance was unknown to the enemy, else she would have been dead by now.


    Li Hua plonked the bowl on the table and wiped her lips from the back of her palm. ¡°It was satisfying. Thanks to Your Highness, I got to eat such a delicious meal,¡± Li Hua said with a smile and waited for him to finish. Once he finished, she grabbed the bowls and tter to wash them when L¨®ng Wei snatched them from her.


    ¡°You will wet your clothes,¡± he said, and he went to the backside where a small well was constructed. Li Hua followed him and found him washing the dishes.


    ¡®How could a Prince do such chores? Li Hua, go and help him,¡¯ she told herself and ran to him. Squatting down, she quickly snatched the bowl from him and started to wash it. ¡°The Prince isn¡¯t made for this work. Since he cooked for us, I must wash these dishes,¡± she reasoned and washed them. L¨®ng Wei used the remaining water in the bucket to water the nts.


    He put the bowls and tter back in the kitchen. After locking the house, they both left for the pce.

 Chapter 86

    86 Show me your Strength


    Court Lady Hong was worried to see both L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua in disheveled states.


    ¡°We went to the waterfall in the uphills,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her before she could ask him. ¡°Get your Princess ready and send her to my chamber. Make her wear a pink hanfu,¡± he ordered them and left the chamber.


    Court Lady Hong came near Li Hua and smiled. ¡°Bring the dress which the Sixth Prince mentioned earlier,¡± she instructed the maidservant. ¡°Your Highness, where did you get these clothes?¡± She asked curiously.


    ¡°In M-¡± she paused wondering if she should tell her. ¡°His Highness had these clothes,¡± Li Hua stated and went towards the dressing table. She removed the ornaments that she had put on and waited for the servant to bring the dress.


    ¡°The Queen has sent the message, Your Highness. She asked about the progress in the preparation of the sweets,¡± Court Lady Hong informed her. Li Hua had forgotten that she had a tea ceremony tomorrow. She did not even start because of L¨®ng Wei.


    Immediately she turned to face Court Lady Hong. ¡°The Sixth Prince took me to the waterfall. I could not prepare anything. I will start the preparation after meeting the Sixth Prince,¡± she assured Lady Hong, who bowed.


    ¡°Tomorrow the concubines will also be present in the tea ceremony. I hope Her Highness will impress everyone with her amazing cooking skills,¡± Court Lady Hong stated. ¡°Since Her Highness never had the opportunity to y music, so she must start learning it. After her return from Xinshui town, I will arrange the sses for Her Highness.¡±


    Li Hua already knew how to y Guzheng (simr to a piano, however, the size is small) and flute. Because she belonged to the noble Xu Family, she got the training to y music. She was stuck on whether she should tell her about it or not. After putting a lot of thought into it, she decided to tell her about it.


    ¡°Court Lady Hong, I know how to y Guzheng and the flute.¡±


    .....


    It surprised Lady Hong. She wondered when and how Li Hua learned the music since it was restricted among the working ss.


    ¡°In my vige, a great musician came once, who stayed for three years. He used to teach music to many young kids. I was one of them.¡± To escape the suspicion, Li Hua knitted a lie and told Court Lady Hong.


    ¡°Your Highness is talented. Her Majesty will be surprised to know about it. In the tea ceremony, her highness can show her talent to everyone,¡± Court Lady Hong suggested to Li Hua, who nodded.


    The servant brought the dress and they changed Li Hua¡¯s clothes. After applying the red lip color, Li Hua was finally ready. She recalled that L¨®ng Wei had seen her in that color dress in the Xu Residence.


    ¡®What if he tries to kiss me again? I already had responded to his kiss. He will tease me and demand another kiss,¡¯ she thought and a strange fear started to build inside her.


    ¡°Your Highness, shall we leave?¡± Court Lady Hong asked her, who hummed. They reached outside the chamber of L¨®ng Wei. The servant pushed the door for Li Hua, who went inside and the doors were shut behind them.


    She looked around the chamber and didn¡¯t find him. She heaved a sigh of relief and stepped forward only to take a seat on the recliner when the doors opened and she turned back.


    Her eyes widened to see L¨®ng Wei, who was walking half-naked shamelessly. She turned away and it made L¨®ng Wei chuckle.


    ¡°Why is His Highness so shameless? He is not supposed to roam naked around,¡± sheined.


    ¡°I have put on this thin silk robe. It¡¯s so hot outside. Also, I am not nakedpletely,¡± he stated and stood behind her. ¡°Finally, you wore the dress which suits you the most.¡± She could feel his proximity but she didn¡¯t dare to look at him.


    ¡°Why are you shy? It is because your husband looks handsome, right!?¡± He whispered in her ear. In response, she shook her head.


    ¡°Li Hua isn¡¯t shy, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°You are! It¡¯s good to get shy from the person for whom you have feelings,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Li Hua didn¡¯t want his words to be true, so she promptly turned to peer at him.


    ¡°I am not shy,¡± she said in a stern tone.


    ¡°Then,¡± L¨®ng Wei removed the thin satin robe from his body and exposed his upper body to her, ¡°what about now?¡±


    Li Hua gulped and looked down. That tanned skin and those taut muscles that one would get after rigorous training, made Li Hua admire him for a minute. He took another step toward her, and Li Hua immediately stepped back.


    ¡°You told me that you have many ways to attack your enemy,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Of course. I know how t-to,¡± she found herself stuttering, ¡°to kick and hit the person before me.¡±


    ¡°With this small body of yours, any man would overpower you easily,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. He continued to advance to her while she retreated in disarray.


    ¡°His Highness shall not underestimate me,¡± Li Hua affirmed. ¡°I stayed alone for a week after...Ahh,¡± a low scream escaped her mouth as the back of her knees hit the chaise.


    ¡°Show me your strength then,¡± L¨®ng Wei challenged her.


    ¡°Really? What if His Highness started to cry?¡± She asked, which made L¨®ng Weiugh.


    Wiping the tears from the edges of his eyes, he asked, ¡°If you lose, then be ready for a kiss.¡±


    ¡°Huh? No. Why is His Highness putting such a condition?¡± Li Hua immediately refused.


    ¡°So, you ept your defeat,¡± his brow arched in astonishment. He didn¡¯t think that Li Hua would ept her defeat so easily.


    ¡°No. I never epted my defeat, Your Highness. He cannot put forward such a condition,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°But you reciprocated my kiss earlier. I know you wanted to kiss me more. I am a good kisser, right?¡± L¨®ng Wei smirked.


    ¡°I never wanted to kiss him. I-I didn¡¯t do it. His Highness noticed something wrong.¡± Li Hua refused to admit that she ever reciprocated his kiss.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and pushed her down on the chaise. Before Li Hua could react, he pushed her arms above her head and pinned them on the chaise. ¡°Your Highness, let me go,¡± she requested and tried to leave her grip on his hand.


    ¡°Li Hua, I am preparing you for the future. You must show me if you are capable enough to run away. ordingly, I will put effort into your training. What if there¡¯s another man in my ce? What will you do? Will you be able to run away?¡±


    Li Hua found herself helpless, and she had stopped struggling too. She never thought that way. She found that in that position, she could do nothing. This was the reason that she wasn¡¯t allowed to go out alone without her brothers¡¯ presence.


    ¡°I won¡¯t ever let you be in such a situation. Still, I want you to work on your strength. Learn archery and eat healthy meals to build your strength. It is your revenge, Li Hua, not mine. If I tell the truth, I don¡¯t even feel remorse whether you lost your family or not. Since my love for you is so strong, I cannot help but feel those emotions for you. However, in the end, you are supposed to do it. Don¡¯t remain weak anymore. That night many things could have changed if you knew how to move a sword or how to shoot arrows.¡±


    His words struck like a thorn in Li Hua¡¯s heart. Her eyes became moist. He was right. She should work on her strength. She was thankful to him for showing him that side of hers- a weak side. Like a coward, she ran away and never looked back.


    She lowered her eyelids, and tears streamed down her cheeks.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you to cry.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words fell in her ears and she again nced at him. ¡°Don¡¯t be weak anymore. Our enemy can be much stronger than us. We don¡¯t have the time to cry.¡± His grip loosened from her hands, and he brought his thumb to her cheek. Wiping the tears off her cheeks, he said, ¡°Your brother had lost one limb that night. I want you to remove the limb of the man who did this to your brother. I can also do it, but I want you to do it, Li Hua.¡±


    His words filled Li Hua¡¯s mind with encouragement and enthusiasm. ¡°My Senior First Brother lost his limb?¡± She was dumbfounded to learn about it. ¡°He was one of the best archers in the Kingdom. Why did it happen?¡± She muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s the time for you to pick the weapon. It¡¯s time for you to be the shield of your elder brother. Don¡¯t remain a timid, shy, and weak girl anymore. You have arge potential inside you. When you can survive for two months in the pce without getting into anyone¡¯s notice, then you can do anything. Always remember in this world, if there¡¯s a dangerous ce, then it¡¯s the Pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    ~~~~


    Please don¡¯t forget to give GT vote.

 Chapter 87

    87 My Friendship and My Loyalty


    ¡°Brother Xiaoming, I have a request to make to you,¡± Jingfei said. They were seated on the floor chairs around a floor table.


    ¡°What does Sister Jingfei want to ask about?¡± Xiaoming asked in his humble tone.


    ¡°I want Brother Xiaoming not to let Commander Huang Xi apany Brother L¨®ng Wei on his trip to Xinshui Town,¡± Jingfei urged him.


    ¡°May I know the reason?¡± Xiaoming curiously gazed into the eyes of his younger sister.


    ¡°Because I want to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival with Commander Huang Xi. Brother Xiaoming knows that I have had feelings for Commander Huang Xi for a long time,¡± Jingfei asserted and sighed. ¡°I thought Brother L¨®ng Wei would refuse for anyone to apany him as he always does, but he didn¡¯t this time,¡± sheined.


    ¡°Sister Jingfei, I will talk with Father and ask him to send anothermander with Brother L¨®ng Wei and his,¡± he took a slight pause, ¡°wife,¡± beforepleting his words.


    Jingfei thanked Xiaoming for acknowledging her request. He told her not to worry and asked her if her face was good.


    ¡°Yes, Brother Xiaoming. Thanks to the ginseng root extract, the glow has returned,¡± Jingfei stated. ¡°The Royal Father did not punish Brother L¨®ng Wei severely even after he attempted to destroy my face. Instead, he fulfilled the wish of his youngest son.¡± She looked both upset and angry.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei did get punished with the beatings of the floggings,¡± Xiaoming reminded her. ¡°It must have hurt him too,¡± he asserted, showing his concern.


    .....


    ¡°Brother Xiaoming, the Sixth Brother openly challenged me saying if I would be able to win Huang Xi¡¯s heart with my destroyed face or not.¡± Jingfei didn¡¯t hesitate to inform the Crown Prince. ¡°Can Brother Xiaoming not do something which will make Brother L¨®ng Wei and his wife stay away from the pce. Since the Cold Pce in Xinshui, Brother Xiaoming can request our Father to let the Sixth Brother stay in the cold pce,¡± she suggested to Xiaoming.


    ¡°I cannot ask our Royal Father about such a thing. He needs his all children to be around, in the Imperial Pce,¡± he opined. ¡°Also, Brother L¨®ng Wei will not do any such mischief anymore,¡± he reasoned.


    ¡°I understand, Brother Xiaoming. However, Brother L¨®ng Wei had his powers back. I wonder who murdered those thirty servants and made such a foolish mistake. Brother L¨®ng Wei can be a danger for us,¡± Jingfei asserted and tried to manipte Xiaoming because if anyone could convince Qiu Zedong, then it was Xiaoming.


    ¡°Sister Jingfei, nothing will happen. She shall leave as I have to rest,¡± Xiaoming crisply ended their conversation. Jingfei bowed and rose to her feet.


    ¡°Thank you again, Brother Xiaoming.¡± Jingfei again bowed before leaving the chamber.


    ¡®I also want him not to return, but I cannot do anything. L¨®ng Wei has my tassel with him. If he presented it to our Father, then everything would end. The figure of mine which took years to build will get destroyed. I cannot let it happen.¡¯ Xiaoming contemted and let out a frustrated sigh.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, I am going to meet my Father,¡± Xiaoming stood up and asked him not to follow him. Eunuch Lishi acknowledged the orders of the Crown Prince and stayed back in the chamber.


    ¡°But His Royal Highness wanted to rest,¡± Eunuch Lishi murmured.


    ~~~~~


    Qiu Zedong summoned Commander Huang Xi after his conversation with Xiaoming.


    ¡°Greetings to Your Majesty,¡± Huang Xi brought his hands up, joined them, and bowed before the King.


    ¡°Huang Xi, please take a seat,¡± Qiu Zedong said humbly and gestured his hand towards the chair in front of him.


    Huang Xi nodded and settled on the chair. His calloused hands rested on his knees as he looked straight at the King.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi does not need to follow the Sixth Prince and his wife to Xinshui Town,¡± Qiu Zedong announced. Huang Xi¡¯s eyes widened as he had not expected such a decision from the King.


    ¡°May I know why, Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t mymand enough?¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s hoarse voice fell in his ears. However, Huang Xi didn¡¯t stop himself from speaking his mind since he had to apany L¨®ng Wei at all costs.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I want to befriend the Sixth Prince on this journey. I have been trying to do it for a long time. When His Majesty announced that he would send me with them, I was extremely happy. Because I got the opportunity to know Prince L¨®ng Wei. I have found a friend in him and I want him to acknowledge me as his friend by showing my loyalty towards him.¡±


    Huang Xi didn¡¯t stay quiet. Those thoughts had lingered in his mind for a long time. When the King suddenly withdrew his order to send Huang Xi with L¨®ng Wei it made him upset. His chance to prove to L¨®ng Wei that he could be a great friend was almost lost.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi, no one ever tried to befriend my youngest son. I am astonished to hear his thoughts. My elder daughter has grown her feelings toward Commander Huang Xi, and she wants to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival with him. That¡¯s why as a father of a daughter, I made this decision. I believe that Huang Xi will get ten more chances to befriend Prince L¨®ng Wei.¡± Qiu Zedong, shone the light on the matter which Xiaoming discussed with him earlier.


    ¡°I am afraid, Your Majesty, but Prince L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t easy to please. I do not know when I will get another chance to prove my friendship and loyalty to him. His Majesty already knows that Prince L¨®ng Wei never let anymander apany him. It is my golden chance, and I cannot let it go to waste,¡± Huang Xi exined.


    Qiu Zedong found himself in a dilemma. If he didn¡¯t fulfill the wish of his daughter to celebrate the festival with Huang Xi, she would feel that her father discriminated against her. However, L¨®ng Wei needed a friend too. He needed loyal people around him for his safe future.


    ¡°I will converse with the First Princess if His Majesty allows. I understand that as a father, His Majesty has to fulfill the wish of his daughter. That¡¯s why I want to talk to the First Princess.¡± Huang Xi offered a suggestion to Qiu Zedong, who asked him what he would say to Jingfei.


    ¡°My duty as the Commander, Your Majesty,¡± Huang Xi answered.


    Qiu Zedong, after having a deep contemtion, allowed him to see Jingfei. He called Gao Bing and asked him to take Huang Xi to see Jingfei.

 Chapter 88

    88 Act like a Wife


    Hei Huang Xi bowed his head as Eunuch Gao Bing left the patio. Jingfei upon learning that Huang Xi wanted to see her, looked at herself for the nth time. She wanted to look attractive to him. She asked her handmaiden whether her dress looked good on her, who agreed.


    Jingfei came to the patio and apologized to Huang Xi for making him wait for so long.


    ¡°It has only been five minutes, First Princess,¡± Huang Xi said and passed her a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to this low-rank official,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°What is Commander Huang Xi saying? His rank outnumbers many officials¡¯ ranks,¡± Jingfei opined.


    ¡°However, the rank of the Royal First Princess is still higher than me. She shall not apologize to me for no reason,¡± he stated. Jingfei fell for his nature once again. Despite being the son of the First General, he never showed off his power.


    ¡°Why did Commander Huang Xi ask to see me out of the blue?¡± Jingfei asked softly.


    ¡°I heard from the King about the request that Princess Jingfei made,¡± Huang Xi said. The smile on Jingfei¡¯s lips started to vanish. ¡°Princess Jingfei shall not have asked me to stay back just because she wants to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival with me. I am a Commander for whom his dutyes before any work or festival,¡± Huang Xi said without realizing that those words hurt Jingfei.


    ¡°The First General returned to the capital after many months, so I thought that his son must be with him. Brother L¨®ng Wei can even go with his wife alone to Xinshui Town. It is not a big deal for him.¡± Jingfei molded her words before putting them before Huang Xi.


    ¡°The First Princess should not have thought about it,¡± Huang Xi said. His tone sounded unpleasant to Jingfei. She felt that Huang Xi was angry at her.


    .....


    Huang Xi didn¡¯t like when Qiu Zedong told him that Jingfei had feelings for him and wanted to celebrate the festival with him. He decided to clear Jingfei about his heart and his thoughts toward her.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei shall not like me anymore,¡± Huang Xi stated.


    Jingfei gazed at him with inquisitiveness, waiting for him to speak further. When he did not, Jingfei opened her mouth to speak. ¡°May I know why Commander Huang Xi said that? Does he like someone else?¡±


    ¡°Because I do not like Princess Jingfei,¡± Huang Xi said inly. ¡°I do not want her to keep her feelings for me,¡± he stated.


    Jingfei chuckled. ¡°Since Commander Huang Xi could not give a satisfactory reason, then I must go ahead with my feelings for him,¡± she opined.


    ¡°I believe my reason was clear enough, First Princess. Please do not hold your feelings for me because I will never like you. If my words hurt the First Princess, then I apologize to her,¡± Huang Xi said and bowed. He turned to leave when he heard Jingfei¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi has to develop his feelings for me. If he has rejected me because of another woman, then I will kill that woman,¡± Jingfei confessed before him.


    Huang Xi arched his brows and turned back to face her. ¡°Pardon me, First Princess. I didn¡¯t reject your feelings because of another woman. I said based on what my heart and mind told me. The First Princess shall not be possessive,¡± Huang Xi rified to her.


    Jingfei stepped toward him and halted an inch before him. ¡°Commander Huang Xi, then I will make my ce in your heart. Forgive me for interjecting in Commander Huang Xi¡¯s duties. I will not make any such mistake anymore.¡± Jingfei smiled at him. She had calmed down. Huang Xi didn¡¯t say anything anymore as he had to meet L¨®ng Wei. He had to give him the seal of his father.


    ¡°Please allow me to leave,¡± Huang Xi said and bowed. Jingfei thanked him foring to see her and rify her. Huang Xi smiled faintly and left the patio.


    Jingfei clenched her fists because Huang Xi refused to attend the Dragon Boat Festival with her. ¡®I need to do something. I cannot let him leave. L¨®ng Wei has always been a trouble to me. I cannot lose against him,¡¯ she thought and she scrunched her brows.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei sat on the chaise lounge while Li Hua remainedid on it. The things that L¨®ng Wei told her, opened her eyes and made her aware of many things which she still was unaware of.


    ¡°Where is my Elder First Brother, Your Highness?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°I will tell you when you behave like a wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei put forward a new condition in front of her. ¡°Are you inviting me toy by your side?¡± He asked when Li Hua realized her position. She immediately sat up and put her feet on the floor.


    ¡°His Highness has already told me many things, then why can he not tell me about my Elder First Brother?¡± Li Hua asked. Her doe eyes were enough to melt the heart of L¨®ng Wei. But he would not fall weak before her. If he had not made an effort, then it might have beente. He was already impatient around her, but for her, he even learned to keep patience.


    ¡°Act like a wife if you want to know more about Xu Zifan,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°I did act like a wife, Your Highness. I am doing every duty that a wife does,¡± Li Hua tried to convince him.


    L¨®ng Wei shook his head and grasped her hand. She jolted and it made him chuckle. ¡°You don¡¯t consider me as your husband. It hurts me,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I do,¡± Li Hua said in a low voice and lowered her eyes. Her eyes fell on his chest and she averted her gaze from him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t. Every second with you feels like a year. I be more and more impatient with each passing second,¡± he asserted.


    Li Hua¡¯s flickered wondering what she should answer him. Suddenly a knock on the door made both of them aware of their surroundings. Li Hua finally heaved a breath of relief while L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mood turned off.

 Chapter 89

    89 You are the only one I have


    L¨®ng Wei picked the thin silk robe from the floor and wore it. He opened the door and was surprised to see Huang Xi, who had this enthusiastic smile on his lips.


    ¡°Your Highness, I brought it,¡± Huang Xi informed L¨®ng Wei and lowered his head. He found that L¨®ng Wei had only put on the thin silk robe on his upper body when he realized that he disturbed the Sixth Prince.


    ¡°Is His Highness busy with his wife?¡± Huang Xi asked. ¡°Please forgive me for intruding out of the blue. I will returnter,¡± he bowed and stepped back to leave when L¨®ng Wei stopped him. He stepped out and closed the doors.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Huang Xi and the two walked ahead to the other chamber. Huang Xi closed the door behind him upon L¨®ng Wei¡¯s order and advanced on him.


    Taking out the seal from the pocket, Huang Xi showed it to L¨®ng Wei. ¡°I brought it, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± said Huang Xi with a proud smile.


    L¨®ng Wei took the seal from him and checked its authentication.


    ¡°It is real, Your Highness. I asked my Father to give me his seal,¡± Huang Xi stated. Upon noticing the inquisitive gaze of L¨®ng Wei on him, he continued, ¡°If I had stolen it or reced it, then Father would have been suspicious. So, I decided to ask him. I said that I might face danger while apanying the Sixth Prince and his wife.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei smiled and hummed. ¡°You used my name to take the seal from your father,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes. It was the best avable option. Father also cares for the youngest prince,¡± Huang Xi said while keeping a smile on his lips. ¡°So, does His Highness ept my friendship? Will he consider me his friend?¡± Huang Xi was eagerly waiting for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s answer.


    .....


    ¡°Why do you want me to be your friend? Everyone runs away from me. The First General favors the Crown Prince. Did the Crown Prince ask you to befriend me?¡± He asked Huang Xi.


    ¡°I knew that the Sixth Prince would raise suspicion on my loyalty. However, he also knows that I tried to be his friend since we were kids. I have no ill intention for him,¡± Huang Xi stated.


    ¡°I want a valid reason, Huang Xi,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Because he¡¯s different from the others,¡± Huang Xi answered.


    ¡°Do you know I use people for my benefits? I may use you and throw you away when you won¡¯t be needed anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei tried to intimidate him. However, Huang Xi¡¯s neutral expressions amused him.


    ¡°The Royals use the people, don¡¯t they? However, I have full faith in Prince L¨®ng Wei that he will never try to take advantage of me. I believe even if he takes advantage of me, then, it will be for the good,¡± Huang Xi affirmed and curled his lips up for a tiny smile.


    ¡°So, you mean that the rest of the royal family members are using you all?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his brow and Huang Xi left out of the words. He was stuck on what he should say.


    L¨®ng Wei forwarded his hand while Huang Xi gazed at him in bewilderment. ¡°Let¡¯s be friends, then. You have passed the exam. Thank you for the seal,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and gestured to him to shake his hand.


    Huang Xi shook hands with L¨®ng Wei and thanked him for trusting him. After a while, they both pulled their respective hands back.


    ¡°Will you not ask what I want to do from this seal?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    ¡°If His Highness thinks that he must tell me, then he can. Else, I will not ask. He must need it for a good cause,¡± Huang Xi replied.


    ¡°Then, I won¡¯t tell you. You may leave,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°Thank you for this seal.¡± Huang Xi bowed and thanked L¨®ng Wei for acknowledging him as his friend. He left while L¨®ng Wei looked at the General¡¯s Seal.


    L¨®ng Wei heard the familiar sounding out from his chamber and quickly advanced towards the door. He was perplexed to see Jingfei, who was giving something to Li Hua.


    Li Hua took the bamboo dumpling steamer from Jingfei and thanked her. ¡°I tried it for the first time. Since Li Hua has be a part of this family, I thought to bring some for her and Brother L¨®ng Wei. Brother L¨®ng Wei usually refuses to take anything from us, but I hope Li Hua will eat these with him.¡±


    ¡°I will inform His Highness about this. We will surely eat them, First Princess,¡± Li Hua assured her. ¡°I would like to apologize for the Sixth Prince¡¯s behavior with her. I am d that the shine on her face has returned once again.¡±


    ¡°When you know that I don¡¯t like to take anything from any of my step-siblings, especially from you, then did you bring the dumplings?¡± L¨®ng Wei stepped inside his chamber and halted before them.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, let¡¯s forget about the old matters. Jingfei as an older sister made dumplings from her hands for everyone in the family.¡± She kept her tone as polite and sweet as possible.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and took the bamboo steamer from Li Hua¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Court Lady Hong, taste it,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Jingfei was shocked to hear him and the colors on her face blown off.


    ¡°It is not meant for servants, Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Jingfei stated, keeping her tone polite.


    ¡°But since these are for me, I can give them to anyone I want,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. He opened the lid and asked Court Lady Hong toe forward. His eyes remained fixed on Jingfei.


    Cold sweat started to form on the palms and at the nape of Jingfei.


    Court Lady Hong came forward and brought her hand to the steamer when Li Hua picked the one. ¡°I will eat since the First Princess made them for us with so much love,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    L¨®ng Wei asked her to put it down. However, Li Hua didn¡¯t listen to him and ate the dumpling.


    L¨®ng Wei handed the steamer to Court Lady Hong and asked Li Hua to throw the dumpling out of her mouth, but she didn¡¯t. She chewed it for a while. ¡°It is delicious, First Princess,¡± Li Hua said and passed her a tiny smile. ¡°Thank you for the dumplings. We will eat the rest too,¡± Li Hua assured her.


    Jingfei could not stop but embraced Li Hua warmly. ¡°Li Hua, thank you.¡± Jingfei pulled away and nced at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mix anything, Brother L¨®ng Wei. Unlike him, Jingfei will never stoop low and her younger sibling this way,¡± Jingfei stated and took her leave.


    ¡°If I found anything wrong, then don¡¯t expect me to spare you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, in a stern tone and narrowly gazed at her. Jingfei didn¡¯t respond and walked out of the chamber, followed by her attendants.


    As soon as Jingfei left, L¨®ng Wei ordered Lady Hong to throw out the dumplings. Li Hua lowered her eyes and twiddled her fingers. L¨®ng Wei seemed furious, and it appeared that he would scold Li Hua for not listening to him.


    Court Lady Hong ran out of the chamber with the bamboo steamer in her hands.


    ¡°Jingfei might have mixed something in it. She doesn¡¯t like you and me a bit,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, looking at Li Hua, who kept her head low.


    ¡°Your Highness, if anything happens to me, then he will have the reason to gain more power. No one will consider His Highness notorious. Instead, everyone will think that even the Sixth Prince has enemies around him,¡± Li Hua stated and lifted her head. L¨®ng Wei was astonished to hear the words of Li Hua.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do such a thing to prove to anyone that I can have enemies. You are not allowed to take such risks, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince did so much for him. I must at least do something which can make everyone believe that he¡¯s not the one who always creates troubles,¡± Li Hua stated and lifted her eyelids to peer into his eyes.


    ¡°I want you to not risk your life for me. You are the only one I have and I cannot bear anything happening to you. Don¡¯t trust any of them. They all want me to disappear,¡± L¨®ng Wei made her understand.

 Chapter 90

    90 Ai Fen and Huang Xi


    Jingfei returned to her chamber and settled around the floor table. She seeded in feeding at least one dumpling to Li Hua. Jingfei was upset when Huang Xi told her that he didn¡¯t like her and she should give up on her feelings for him.


    She could not have let it happen. He was hers. So, by hook or crook, she would dy L¨®ng Wei¡¯s and Li Hua¡¯s trip to Xinshui town.


    ¡°If anything happens to Li Hua¡¯s then, the Sixth Prince may put me on the First Princess,¡± Lin Jie expressed her concern.


    ¡°Nothing will happen until she takes her night meal. She will be sick for a day or two. Then, they have to halt their n to go to Xinshui,¡± Jingfei stated. ¡°Lin Jie, did you bring what I have asked for you?¡± She lifted her head.


    ¡°Yes, First Princess.¡± Lin Jie turned to the servant and took the silk fabric from her. ¡°What does the First Princess want to do with it?¡± Lin Jie queried as she ced the folded silk fabric on the table.


    ¡°I need to design a beautiful robe for Commander Huang Xi,¡± she replied and stroked her hand over the fabric.


    ¡°Pardon this servant, First Princess, but the Commander hurt your feelings. He sounded angry and it seemed he didn¡¯t like that the First Princess tried to stop him. He never sounded this rude with the Second Princess,¡± Lin Jie affirmed while being on her knees.


    ¡°Second Princess?¡± Jingfei arched her brow. ¡°Sister Ai Fen talks with Commander Huang Xi?¡± She chuckled and asked Lin Jie to exin to her.


    ¡°I saw the Second Princess distributing sweets to everyone in the family before the marriage of the Sixth Prince. She had encountered Commander Huang Xi beforeing to you, so handed him the sweet to taste. Who knows if the Second Princess is the reason for the coldness of Commander Huang Xi towards the First Princess.¡± Lin Jie¡¯s words troubled Jingfei. Everyone knew that she had feelings for Huang Xi. Then, how could Ai Fen do this to her? She clenched her fists but calmed her down.


    .....


    ¡°Sister Ai Fen might have given the sweet to Commander Huang Xi because he had encountered her. Sister Ai Fen also knows her boundaries.¡± Jingfei didn¡¯t believe Lin Jie¡¯s words that Ai Fen could evere between her and Huang Xi.


    ¡°The First Princess is na?ve. Sometimes a sweet-looking and a calm person is dangerous too. The way Commander Huang Xi smiled at her and she smiled back at him was different, First Princess.¡± Lin Jie filled the ears of Jingfei, who started to get insecure.


    Jingfei was still not ready to believe Lin Jie. Ai Fen was not the type who would ever betray her. ¡°I don¡¯t mind it, Lin Jie. I know my second sister,¡± Jingfei affirmed, showing her faith in Ai Fen.


    ¡°But the First Princess must not forget that the Second Princess is her step-sibling. These days even blood rtions betray each other. Step-rtions are not to be trusted, First Princess. Also, men¡¯s minds are strange. What if Commander Huang Xi falls for the Second Princess instead of the First Princess?¡± Lin Jie raised many insecurities and suspicions in Jingfei¡¯s mind, who had clutched the silk fabric tightly.


    Jingfei stood up and decided to see Ai Fen. She had to make sure that Ai Fen would not do any such thing which would sour their sisterly rtionship. Lin Jie followed the First Princess, who had headed to meet Ai Fen.


    In the royal garden, Ai Fen picked a few scented flowers in a bamboo basket that her handmaiden had held. ¡°Second Princess, what will you do with so many flowers?¡± Qiqi asked in curiosity.


    ¡°Qiqi, Royal Father likes to taste different herbal flower teas. So, I thought of collecting some for my Royal Father and Mother. Moreover, tomorrow Sister-inw Li Hua will prepare tea for everyone. I am thinking of giving her some. Her tea skills are too good,¡± Ai Fen said while keeping the tiny smile on her lips. She looked into the basket. ¡°I think these will be enough,¡± she said and took the bamboo basket from Qiqi.


    ¡°Second Princess, let Qiqi carry it.¡± The handmaiden didn¡¯t want her mistress to carry it.


    ¡°It is not heavy, Qiqi,¡± Ai Fen said and dly climbed up the stairs.


    ¡°Second Princess, that day when you offered the sweets to the Sixth Prince, then he coldly refused to taste them. If the Second Princess gives these flowers to Princess Li Hua, then the Sixth Prince may get angry at her.¡± Qiqi knew that L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t like to take anything from the royal family members.


    ¡°Qiqi, these are from the royal garden. I do not think that Brother L¨®ng Wei would raise any objection,¡± she confidently said and reached the corridor.


    ¡°Qiqi, I was thinking of taking permission from the Royal Father to go out and see the market,¡± Ai Fen stated.


    ¡°His Majesty might not allow the Second Princess to go out alone. Last time the Second Prince had apanied her, but this time His Highness seems busy,¡± Qiqi asserted.


    ¡°I will ask the Fourth Brother to apany me then,¡± Ai Fen proimed and she decided to go to meet her father first. To her surprise, she found Commander Huang Xi present in the private chamber of the King.


    ¡°My humble apologies for intruding in when my Royal Father is discussing something important with the First Commander. Ai Fen willeter.¡± She bowed and was ready to leave when Qiu Zedong told her to stay.


    ¡°Why did Princess Ai Fene? Our conversation has ended,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°Royal Father, I wanted to go to the market. It has been four months since Ist went out,¡± Ai Fen asserted.


    ¡°These days the market is crowded because of the uing Festival. The Second Princess shall go after a week,¡± Qiu Zedong replied.


    ¡°Father, I will tell Brother Mingquan to apany me along with a few soldiers,¡± Ai Fen said.


    ¡°The Princes are busy these days. Prince Mingquan has gone outside with the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister. The other Princes are busy with the Kingdom¡¯s work. Prince L¨®ng Wei will not apany the Second Princess, so it is better for her to wait for a week.¡± Qiu Zedong politely refused.


    ¡°If His Majesty allows, then I can apany the Second Princess,¡± Huang Xi interjected. Qiu Zedong nced at him and readily agreed to it.


    Ai Fen looked at Huang Xi, who rose to his feet and bowed before the King. ¡°Please follow me, Second Princess,¡± Huang Xi said humbly.


    She nodded at him and thanked her father before leaving the chamber. Ai Fen had already told Qiqi to keep the flowers in her chamber ande to the main entrance gates of the pce.


    Huang Xi prepared the pnquin for Ai Fen and asked her to get inside it. He put his hand on the pnquin¡¯s top so that Ai Fen¡¯s head would not get a hit. He pushed down the thin curtain and waited for Qiqi to return.


    Qiqi reached while panting. She got onto her knees and pushed away from the curtains. ¡°Second Princess, the First Princess is in the chamber. She doesn¡¯t look in a good mood. She wants you to meet her right now,¡± Qiqi informed Ai Fen, who was bewildered to hear her.


    Huang Xi listened to their conversation and asked if everything was good. Qiqi stood up and lowered her head. Ai Fen came out of the pnquin and apologized to Huang Xi for causing him trouble. ¡°Commander Huang Xi, my elder sister wants to see me. If he has time, then he can wait,¡± Ai Fen requested.


    ¡°Sure. My tasks for today are over. Princess Ai Fen can take her time,¡± Huang Xi affirmed. Ai Fen thanked him and left for her chamber with Qiqi.


    Huang Xi decided to follow her and went behind her.


    ~~~~~~


    Jingfei was on the chaise lounge, waiting for Ai Fen to return. When Qiqi told her that Huang Xi would follow Ai Fen to the market, her anger reached cloud nine.


    ¡°I have told the First Princess that the Second Princess and Commander Huang Xi have something between them. Lin Jie is upset because her mistress was treated badly by Commander Huang Xi while he has free time to apany the Second Princess,¡± Lin Jie asserted.


    ¡°Sister Ai Fen didn¡¯t do right by betraying me,¡± she murmured.

 Chapter 91

    91 Your Husband cares for you


    Ai Fen bowed before Jingfei and found that the First Princess was furious for some reason. She lifted her head and asked Jingfei why she called her so suddenly.


    ¡°Sister Ai Fen, I didn¡¯t expect it from you,¡± Jingfei said. Ai Fen confusedly nced at the First Princess.


    ¡°Pardon me, First Sister? Did I make any mistake unknowingly?¡± Ai Fen asked humbly.


    ¡°Yes. Sister Ai Fen tried to get close to Commander Huang Xi,¡± Jingfei said with a displeased look. ¡°I trusted Sister Ai Fen a lot, yet she has to do it.¡± Ai Fen got confused when she heard her.


    ¡°First Sister, how could you say this? I never got close to Commander Huang Xi,¡± Ai Fen asked and nced upon Lin Jie, who was gazing at her with suspicion.


    Qiqi came forward and got on her knees, keeping her back straight while her hands rested one over the other. ¡°First Princess, the Second Princess never did any such thing. I swear on my mistress¡¯s behalf. The First Princess surely has some sort of misunderstandings,¡± Qiqi humbly told Jingfei, who chuckled.


    ¡°Stop telling lies, Qiqi. If it wasn¡¯t true, then why is Commander Huang Xi following the Second Princess to the market?¡± Lin Jie questioned her.


    Ai Fen frowned and looked at Jingfei. ¡°First Sister, I never did it. Please don¡¯t believe the words of a mere servant. I am well aware of the feelings of the First Sister towards Commander Huang Xi. He was ready to apany me to the market on the King¡¯s order. Since all of my brothers are busy, Father told Commander Huang Xi to follow me. If the First Sister doesn¡¯t believe Ai Fen, then she can ask our Royal Father about the same,¡± Ai Fen exined everything to Jingfei.


    Jingfei nced at Lin Jie, who had lowered her head. Jingfei felt that she came into the words of a servant. She stepped toward Ai Fen and held their hands. ¡°Forgive your elder sister for doubting the Second Sister,¡± Jingfei apologized to her. ¡°I should have not used her this way. Please forgive Jingfei.¡± She again requested while caressing Ai Fen¡¯s hands.


    .....


    ¡°I have noints from the First Sister anymore. I just want her to not believe anyone¡¯s words. Ai Fen will never betray her elder sister,¡± she forgave Jingfei, who thanked her and assured her that she would scold Lin Jie for her mistakes.


    Ai Fen forced a smile on her lips. Since Jingfei was her elder, she did not say anything to her. Moreover, she was the Queen¡¯s daughter. ¡°I will not go to the market, Sister Jingfei. I will go some other day when any of my elder brothers will be free,¡± Ai Fen affirmed, which overwhelmed Jingfei¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Sister Ai Fen is such a great younger sister to me. Jingfei will also apany her Second Sister to the market when you go to the market. Please do tell me,¡± Jingfei stated. Ai Fen nodded at her. Jingfei soon took her leave. She was surprised to see Huang Xi outside Ai Fen¡¯s chamber.


    Huang Xi bowed upon seeing her and then stood straight, looking inside.


    ¡°Sister Ai Fen doesn¡¯t feel good. Commander Huang Xi shall leave,¡± Jingfei told him. Huang Xi tilted his head to nce at Jingfei.


    ¡°The Second Princess looked healthy before. What happened to-¡± he paused when Ai Fen interrupted him.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi, my head is aching. I don¡¯t think I will go to the market. My humble apologies for wasting the precious time of themander this way,¡± Ai Fen apologized and lowered her head.


    ¡°The Second Princess is embarrassing Huang Xi. I usually get free at this hour, so I thought to apany her highness. Please take a good rest. I shall leave,¡± Huang Xi stated and turned to leave when Jingfei stopped him.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Commander Huang Xi apany me to the market?¡± Jingfei¡¯s statement bewildered Huang Xi. ¡°He is free at this hour, so he can apany me, right?¡±


    Huang Xi turned to her and nodded at her. ¡°Of course, First Princess,¡± Huang Xi agreed.


    ¡°Sister Ai Fen, do you want me to buy you something? I will bring it for you,¡± Jingfei asserted. Ai Fen refused and asked her to enjoy it. Jingfei hummed. ¡°Take a good rest, Sister Ai Fen,¡± Jingfei said and walked ahead. Huang Xi peered at Ai Fen for a while and then left behind Jingfei.


    ¡°Why did the Second Princess lie about having a headache?¡± Qiqi asked Ai Fen.


    ¡°So that Sister Jingfei can spend her time with Commander Huang Xi. It will be great if twoe close to each other,¡± Ai Fen said with a smile. ¡°Moreover, I need to ask Li Hua if she could make the tea from the flowers that I plucked earlier. I may go to the market some other day,¡± Ai Fen asserted and walked inside her chamber.


    ¡°My Mistress is so kind,¡± Qiqi murmured and followed her in.


    ~~~~~~


    ¡°Your Highness, my energy is drained. I don¡¯t think that I may be able to train more,¡± Li Huained while wiping the sweat from her face. She brought her hand down which was holding the bow. ¡°These clothes are too heavy and ufortable to train with,¡± Li Hua mumbled and turned to look at L¨®ng Wei, who was on the patio.


    L¨®ng Wei rested on the support of his right elbow which was on a bolster. His right leg was t on the floor mattress while his left knee was in the air. He had a cup of wine in his left hand which he was enjoying.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to train and be strong? If you cry like this, I am afraid, you won¡¯t be a great archer like your eldest brother,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced and brought the wine ss to his lips. He sipped it and smiled.


    Li Hua turned her back to him and stomped her leg on the ground. ¡°If you think that I am the hero, who will keep his heroine weak while protecting her, then you are wrong, Wifey. When you burn like a sun, you give a great oue,¡± L¨®ng Wei gave encouragement to her.


    ¡°How could a husband enjoy his wine while pushing his wife into this kind of training? Shouldn¡¯t he help her?¡± She muttered and scoffed. Pulling the string of the bow, she let it go. The arrow hit the bark of the tree, but could not pierce it.


    She picked another arrow from the table and put it on the bowstring. Stretching her arms out, she was ready to release the arrow when L¨®ng Wei put his hands over hers.


    ¡°At least give your heart and soul to this training. You shall burn in revenge to burn others,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Of course, your husband cares for you. If he had not then, he would have let her roam weakly,¡± he asserted.


    Li Hua tried to push him away when she got a scolding from him.


    ¡°Stay still, Li Hua. At the present moment, I am your teacher, not your husband. You are my disciple,¡± he whispered near her ear.


    ¡°Whenever you shoot this arrow, remember what happened to you. You would have been happily enjoying your life with your family. The cries of your family members, the servants in the Xu Residence- remember them. However, don¡¯t let yourself fall weak. That¡¯s an enemy of yours. You need to be perfect and be good at warfare,¡± L¨®ng Wei kept saying in her ear.


    Li Hua recalled the night when her father was fighting with the masked assassins. She ran away while her father died and numerous others.


    The arrow released from the bow and pierced through the bark of the tree this time. L¨®ng Wei smiled and said, ¡°this much is enough to kill the enemy before you.¡±


    He handed another arrow to her which she readily put on the string. L¨®ng Wei put his hands behind his back and watched her. After a minute, she released the arrow and it pierced through the bark easily.


    ¡°Good. Can you hit the spot above my head then?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her and she promptly shifted her gaze at him.


    ¡°What does His Highness mean?¡± Li Hua asked him when L¨®ng Wei walked to the tree. He removed the arrows from its bark and threw them on the ground. He faced Li Hua while his back rested against the tree, he said, ¡°Shoot the arrow above my head. My life is in your hands now.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, I have yet to be good at archery. Please get aside,¡± Li Hua requested him.


    ¡°What if I am attacked by someone? You need to shoot the enemy. Will you think the same? Will you let me die or will you pick your bow to shoot that enemy?¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. His questions intimidated Li Hua. What if something happened wrong and she ended up shooting L¨®ng Wei. He might die. No, she could never do it.


    ¡°Li Hua, when I can have faith in you, can you not have faith in me? Shoot the arrow right above my head,¡± L¨®ng Wei loudly said. Li Hua gazed into his eyes and gulped.


    She again put the arrow on the bowstring and after a few seconds released it.

 Chapter 92

    92 Clinging to me


    Li Hua shot the arrow towards L¨®ng Wei, who caught it because it was going to hit his face. Li Hua widened her eyes and her heart raced wildly in fear. She threw the bow and rushed to him.


    ¡°I warned His Highness that I am not good at this. What if he would be injured because of me?¡± She got worried and fidgeted with her fingers in fright.


    L¨®ng Wei put his hand down. ¡°The speed of the arrow that you shot was slow. Anyone would catch it and your concentration is more on the person before you instead of your aim. Li Hua, throw the fear out of you,¡± L¨®ng Wei again started to lecture her. Li Hua lowered her head while silently listening to him.


    ¡°Forgive me. I will try to-¡± she paused as L¨®ng Wei put his hands on her shoulders and made her look into his eyes.


    ¡°Not try. You need to put your everything into this training, Li Hua. You need to be strong physically. I want my wife to be equally strong as me or even more,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted while peering into her eyes.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Li Hua nodded at him. L¨®ng Wei looked at her broad forehead which was covered in sweat and the tiny fringes of her hair were stuck to it. He brought his left hand to her forehead and wiped the beads of sweat.


    ¡°Every bead of your sweat will give you a positive result in the long run. Trust me, the training seems difficult for now, but with time it will be easier,¡± stated L¨®ng Wei.


    Li Hua felt strange in her heart. She always heard that women shall remain inside the four walls, serving her family, her husband, and her children. Even Feng Lao told her not to ever carry the weapon because her hands were not made for them.


    Why was L¨®ng Wei different?


    .....


    These few days with him imprinted a great influence on her. His qualities had attracted her to him. Though she didn¡¯t want to ept those unnamed feelings in her heart that had started to develop.


    ¡°There is a snake behind you,¡± L¨®ng Wei pranked her.


    Li Hua jumped from her ce and unbeknownst to her, hugged L¨®ng Wei tightly while her legs wrapped around his waist. That was the least unexpected thing that L¨®ng Wei anticipated. He thought she would hug him, but this he didn¡¯t even expect in his dream.


    Due to the sudden jump, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s back hit the trunk of the tree behind him while his right arm securely wrapped around her waist.


    Li Hua who was still unaware of the position they were in kept her eyes shut. ¡°Your Highness, do something,¡± she said in a low voice. She opened her eyes when heard theugh of L¨®ng Wei. Leaning back, she looked at him, who had stopped hisughter. She realized how she had clung to him.


    No wonder, L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t let her go. His grip on her waist was firm.


    ¡°Why did His Highness prank me?¡± Li Hua questioned him.


    ¡°To make you hug me. But you did something more,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and smirked. Li Hua blinked her eyes a few times and asked him to let her go. He shook his head.


    ¡°I still need to practice, Your Highness.¡± Li Hua slowly brought her hands to his shoulders and curled her fingers.


    ¡°Evening has fallen. There¡¯s no need to practice anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Evening means your husband will-¡± Li Hua put her palm over his mouth, thus preventing him from speaking something which she didn¡¯t want to hear. Her mind was already juggling between the strange thoughts that were revolving in her head.


    ¡°Your Highness, please put me down,¡± Li Hua requested again. L¨®ng Wei used his other hand and put her hand down.


    ¡°My arm isn¡¯t on your waist anymore. You are the one, who is still clinging to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced when reality hit her. She immediately put her legs down and stepped back when L¨®ng Wei drew her towards him by wrapping his arm around her waist. He twirled her, and this time her back gently hit the trunk of the tree.


    He leaned down and kissed Li Hua softly. Moving his head back, he gazed into her doe eyes. Li Hua pursed her lips together, but unlike the other times, she didn¡¯t scold him for stealing a kiss without her consent. Though she soon had averted her gaze from him.


    He gradually pulled away from her when Li Hua ran out of his sight.


    He chuckled and turned to look, but Li Hua had disappeared.


    Li Hua stopped near the door of her chamber and touched her lips. ¡°I should not have run away. His Highness will think that I blushed that was why I ran out,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°Your Highness, the bathhouse is ready.¡± She heard Court Lady Hong¡¯s voice and turned behind. ¡°Please hurry to the bathhouse because the Second Princess will soone to see Her Highness,¡± she informed Li Hua.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The Second Princess said she¡¯ll tell Her Highness personally,¡± Court Lady Hong answered. Li Hua hummed and went with her to the bathhouse.


    Li Hua put the water over her shoulders using her palms and caressed it. ¡°This warm water has vanished the numbness in my body and even vanished my tiredness. Court Lady Hong, did you ever find a man who asked you to be strong, train yourself instead of being a virtuous wife?¡±


    Li Hua was deeply influenced by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s character. She wanted to know Court Lady Hong¡¯s opinion on such men since she was senior to her.


    Getting no response from her, she turned to look and quickly moved to the other side of the bathtub.


    ¡°What is the Sixth Prince doing here?¡± She was bewildered to see him and a little afraid too.


    She looked down and took a sigh of relief because the water was covered with rose petals. She moved a little down so that her corbone and shoulders would not be visible to him anymore.


    ¡°I thought to y with my wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced and advanced closer to the bathtub.


    ¡°STOP!¡± Li Hua loudly said, ¡°I am done. I need to change. Will His Highness go out?¡± She asked and looked towards the door.


    L¨®ng Wei, amused by her statement, kept walking to her. Li Hua kept moving in the water when she heard him say,


    ¡°I will jump into the bathtub if you move away from your ce.¡±


    She glued to her ce and asked him what he wanted. L¨®ng Wei finally reached to her side and asked her to show her right hand. Li Hua first hesitated and then slowly brought it out of the water. L¨®ng Wei looked at the bruises. ¡°I will bring the ointment for you. I needed to check the scratches and wanted to confirm if you got any wounds while practicing,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. I won¡¯t do anything without your consent. Kissing is allowed though,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and stood up to leave. Li Hua gazed at him in astonishment as he left soon. For a second, she thought that he wanted to bathe with her.

 Chapter 93

    93 My beast to Unleash


    L¨®ng Wei picked the ointment from the Royal Physician Peng Yuxian for Li Hua. While returning to his manor, he encountered his father, who was heading to the royal garden for the evening walk. L¨®ng Wei couldn¡¯t ignore following Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°Greetings to the Royal Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei bowed.


    ¡°Ahh, Prince L¨®ng Wei!¡± Qiu Zedong was surprised to see his son. He hardly used toe to the royal garden. ¡°What is the Prince doing on this beautiful evening? Isn¡¯t he supposed to be with his wife?¡± Qiu Zedong asked him.


    ¡°I saw the Royal Father, so I thought of having some conversation with him,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. Qiu Zedong was surprised by his son¡¯s words. Gao Bing also was astonished because L¨®ng Wei hardlye to converse with his father. It was the King, who used to call him for the conversation.


    ¡°However, I want it in private,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and nced at Gao Bing, who upon the King¡¯s gesture walked away. Qiu Zedong started to walk while L¨®ng Wei followed him. They both went to the bridge over theke and stood in the middle of it.


    ¡°I never thought that L¨®ng Wei would personallye to me to have a conversation. This marriage indeed did something to him,¡± Qiu Zedong said and smiled.


    ¡°I always wanted to converse with the Royal Father alone, but I could not get an appropriate time,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°The Royal Father may assume that I made an excuse,¡± he added.


    ¡°I know L¨®ng Wei¡¯s nature. So, I won¡¯t assume that he made an excuse,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed. Both of his hands were behind his back. Locked. ¡°So, what does L¨®ng Wei want to talk about?¡± He waited for his son¡¯s answer.


    ¡°I want to ask the Royal Father why he asked Li Hua to find out the reason that I killed my mother.¡± The King promptly turned his head to gaze at L¨®ng Wei and wondered how his son found out. Probably Li Hua ended up telling him. He might have threatened her.


    .....


    ¡°Because my son trusts Li Hua more than anyone. He loves her and I thought that L¨®ng Wei will tell her the reason behind the murder. That one mistake of his turned him into a Sinned Prince in everyone¡¯s eyes. I still do not believe that L¨®ng Wei can kill his own mother,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    ¡°Did Father ever care about her?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his brow. Showing such expressions to the King was considered rude and insulting. However, L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t care about it.


    ¡°A King is taught to distribute his love equally to all of his concubines,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    L¨®ng Wei sneered as he was not satisfied with the answer of his father. ¡°I only ended her pain. I don¡¯t care if Imitted the biggest sin,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Qiu Zedong was dubious about his son¡¯s reply.


    ¡°I urge the Royal Father not to tell Li Hua to look into my past. I don¡¯t want my beast to unleash by recalling a woman whom I still hate,¡± L¨®ng Wei requested Qiu Zedong. The anguish in his voice could be felt.


    ¡°Why do you hate your mother? What crime did shemit?¡± Qiu Zedong didn¡¯t hesitate to ask. ¡°If L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t want Li Hua to look into it, then he must answer me,¡± he demanded the answer once again from his son. He already had asked L¨®ng Wei numerous and every time he got disappointed.


    ¡°I shall leave. Li Hua must be waiting for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and bowed. ¡°Thank you for giving me your precious time, Royal Father.¡± He didn¡¯t forget to express his gratitude before leaving.


    ¡°Why does he hate her?¡± Qiu Zedong murmured and sighed.


    Mingquan greeted L¨®ng Wei, who ignored him and walked past him. It bothered Mingquan and he walked after him. ¡°When someone greets, then the person must return the greetings,¡± Mingquan told him.


    ¡°Stop lecturing me,¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s anger outburst at him and he halted. Mingquan was not surprised to see this behavior of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Forgive me, if I angered Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°May I know the reason behind his anger?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t annoy me, Fourth Prince. I am not in a good mood,¡± L¨®ng Wei warned him and walked away.


    ¡°What happened to the Sixth Brother? Even after marriage, he hasn¡¯t changed,¡± he muttered and left to meet Qiu Mu.


    ~~~~~~


    Jingfei didn¡¯t find anything worthy to buy in the market and decided to return to the pce. The one thing that kept bothering her was that Huang Xi didn¡¯t utter a single word. She tried many times to converse with him, but he ignored her.


    She had heard whispers when she passed through the main street about her beauty. The streets were cleared for her and people remained standing on both sides of the streets.


    During the return journey to the pce when she came near the pnquin, Jingfei mistakenly twisted her foot. Lin Jie asked him if she was alright.


    ¡°I think I am unable to walk using this foot,¡± Jingfei said. Her expressions showed that she was in pain. She nced at Huang Xi, who looked at her foot.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry back to the pce. The Royal Physician can examine the foot of the First Princess,¡± Huang Xi opined and asked Lin Jie to help the First Princess. Jingfei somehow got inside the pnquin and on Huang Xi¡¯s instructions, they returned to the pce.


    On the main grounds of the pce, Jingfei stepped out of the pnquin. ¡°Commander Huang Xi, it will be good if you escort me back to the chamber,¡± Jingfei stated.


    ¡°I would love to if the First Princess¡¯s attendant wasn¡¯t present here. I need to go back as my working hour is over, Your Highness,¡± Huang Xi crisply replied. ¡°Also, the First Princess shall act better from the next time,¡± he stated and left the pce ground.


    Jingfei was shocked to hear what Huang Xi said to her.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi always forgets that he is standing in front of the First Princess. He doesn¡¯t respect her at all,¡± Lin Jie said in annoyance.


    Jingfei clutched the edges of her dress and angrily went to her chamber. Lin Jie was surprised to see her mistress walking straight.


    ¡°First Princess, wasn¡¯t your foot got twisted?¡± Lin Jie scrunched her brows.


    ¡°No. I lied, thinking Huang Xi would show concern for me. But I was wrong,¡± she said with a displeased look.

 Chapter 94

    94 If you had not captured my Heart


    Li Hua looked at the flowers which were in the basket. She thanked Ai Fen for bringing them to her. ¡°I will definitely use these flowers, Second Princess, but I am afraid they cannot be used tomorrow. The petals need to sun dry before using them in the tea,¡± Li Hua exined to Ai Fen, who nodded at her.


    ¡°Sister-inw, hopefully, Brother L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t harsh with you,¡± Ai Fen expressed her concern.


    ¡°No, he isn¡¯t, First Princess,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°It is my first time visiting Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s manor. dly, he married and it became possible. He never let any of use here. Royal Father and Royal Mother cane since they are the King and the Queen,¡± Ai Fen informed Li Hua, who asked the reason behind it.


    ¡°No one knows, Li Hua,¡± Ai Fen replied. ¡°I can call you by your name, right? If you do not like it then I¡¯ll call Sister-inw.¡±


    ¡°The Second Princess can call me by the name,¡± Li Hua stated. Ai Fen thanked her and asked her if her hand was healed. Li Hua immediately curled her fingers not wanting Ai Fen to see the bruises and cuts that she got. L¨®ng Wei had told her to keep it a secret from everyone.


    ¡°It has already healed, Second Princess. Thank you for your kind concern,¡± Li Hua humbly said.


    ¡°May I ask something from the Second Princess?¡± Li Hua requested her.


    ¡°Li Hua can ask anything from me. It will be better if she calls me Sister Ai Fen. I will feel good,¡± Ai Fen said and passed a tiny smile to her. Li Hua shook her head and said that she could never pronounce her name.


    .....


    ¡°May I know why?¡± Ai Fen asked. ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate. We are a family now. Li Hua is a part of this Royal Family,¡± Ai Fen reminded her. Li Hua found that the Second Princess was gentle and humble. On numerous asions, she had seen Ai Fen stopping Jingfei from severely punishing the servants.


    ¡°What did Li Hua want to ask?¡± Ai Fen asked again.


    ¡°Why does the Sixth Prince not like to interact with his elder brothers and sisters? Why does he not have much interaction with other people around him?¡± Li Hua asked Ai Fen.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask such questions from me instead of asking a third person?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s voice fell into her ears and she found him walking in through the door. They both stood up from their seats.


    ¡°Li Hua, it is better to ask the Sixth Brother. I will take my leave here,¡± Ai Fen said. Li Hua bowed before her while she left. She lifted her head when L¨®ng Wei asked her why she didn¡¯t ask him.


    ¡°I thought His Highness would not answer me,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°Also, I wanted to know the Second Princess¡¯s opinion.¡± Her right hand¡¯s fingers rested over the back of the palm of her left hand.


    L¨®ng Wei gestured to Court Lady Hong to leave them alone, who walked out, thus closing the doors behind her. L¨®ng Wei walked to her and opened the tiny box which had a gel-like ointment in it. He grasped Li Hua¡¯s right hand and applied it gently over her fingers.


    ¡°I do not like any of them. They annoy me. They must first consider me as their brother,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied to her question.


    ¡°What about the second question?¡± Li Hua arched her brow.


    ¡°I domunicate with people around me. You, Xiwan, and a few others,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Li Hua didn¡¯t seem satisfied with his answer. But she didn¡¯t ask him either. L¨®ng Wei applied the gel to her left-hand fingers and palm.


    ¡°Why did you suddenly get curious about me that you decided to ask such questions from the Second Princess?¡± She met his eyes and opened her mouth to speak.


    ¡°She said that the Sixth Prince hardly let anyone enter in this manor. So, I got curious to know why he doesn¡¯t talk with his siblings,¡± Li Hua briefed him.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t my siblings. They are the step-ones,¡± L¨®ng Wei corrected her and blew the air on her fingers. Li Hua felt the uneasiness in his voice. However, she had seen all of his elders were good to him.


    ¡°Even if His Highness does not like them, he must respect them. He will be considered immoral if he continues to do it,¡± Li Hua asserted and he lifted his eyelids to peer at her.


    ¡°Then, I want to be immoral. Is it wrong to be immoral?¡± He domineered and it bewildered Li Hua. Which human would like to be immoral? People respected those who are humble, polite, and with high moral values.


    ¡°Convey your thoughts instead of talking internally,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Li Hua.


    ¡°Why does His Highness think that being immoral is good?¡± Li Hua got inquisitive.


    ¡°I don¡¯t consider myself immoral. I give respect to the King, the Queen, the two consorts, and the other concubines. I also respect the General and the Commanders in the army. The only people I don¡¯t respect who have this mask of goodness on their faces,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her.


    ¡°The Crown Prince is respected by many, loved by many because of his polite and caring nature. The Sixth Prince shall try to be like him. Everyone will love him then,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°The Crown Prince isn¡¯t what you think,¡± L¨®ng Wei sneered, recalling his recent act. How he tried to frame L¨®ng Wei in the murder of those servants andter tried to buy him!


    ¡°I don¡¯t love anyone¡¯s love except yours. Love me with my faults as I do to you,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°What faults do I have?¡± She was never told by anyone that she had any faults. She was called the epitome of perfection in her house and among the other youngdies.


    ¡°Even after getting the biggest betrayal, thinking that people are nice. Running away like a coward instead of staying in Xinshui. Refusing to train despite having the fire of revenge,¡± L¨®ng Wei revealed the major faults of her.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t expect him to call her a coward. She already regretted that, but she also entered the pce to find the truth.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stay back? I searched every corner of Xinshui. I had gone crazy. You have no idea how I spent those two months in the cold pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned and found her eyes had turned misty.


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t run away, they would have killed me too. Indeed, I am not strong like the other women, but I needed to survive to know the truth. Feng Lao had told me to go to the capital,¡± Li Hua pronounced. Her tone was filled with anger.


    ¡°How could you trust Feng Lao?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her.


    ¡°His Highness doesn¡¯t need to tell me whom to trust or whom not to. Unlike him, I do understand emotions, and I know what it feels like to be betrayed. Moreover, His Highness shall not say anything against Feng Lao,¡± Li Hua remarked. She was infuriated at him.


    ¡°If there would be another person at your ce, I would have killed that person for speaking this way to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and he brought his hand on her neck. ¡°You are lucky that it has to be you. If you had not captured my heart, I would not have carried this much pain for you. For others, my emotions are nil, but for you my emotions are indescribable. Do not ever lecture me. I don¡¯t like it.¡± He warned her and, at the same time, caressed her neck. Li Hua¡¯s breath hitched because of the nervousness and strange intimidation that built in her heart. For the first time, she found him what others used to describe him.


    A Danger from whom she should keep no rtion!


    L¨®ng Wei let go of his hand from her neck and decided to leave. He did not want to take his anger out on Li Hua. He stepped back while Li Hua carried a strange expression on her face after hearing his words.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see each other in the morning. I do not want us to fight for a third person. It makes me lose my control,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and continued to step back before walking out of the chamber.


    ¡°Feed her dinner in the evening. Make sure that no one meets her. If I find out that she met or stepped out then, it will be yourst day on this earth,¡± L¨®ng Wei threatened Court Lady Hong, who immediately agreed to his order.

 Chapter 95

    95 Only you have seen my happiest and worst moment [Bonus chapter]


    Li Hua didn¡¯t like what L¨®ng Wei told her. She waspletely wrong about him. She thought he was a different person, but he was worse. Hecked empathy, and he had married her for his benefit.


    ¡°Your Highness, please eat your food before it gets cold,¡± Court Lady requested Li Hua for the third time.


    Li Hua looked at the dishes before her.


    ¡°I do not want to eat,¡± Li Hua replied. She was infuriated at L¨®ng Wei. He didn¡¯t even know who Feng Lao was, yet he had to call him a betrayer. Did he even know the meaning behind losing a family? Indeed, she was weak because, unlike him she could not put her brain to look into other people¡¯s affairs. Her n was to be the top-tier pce maid and get the information from the Queen. Her way was simple, unlike L¨®ng Wei¡¯s, who believed in violence and hurting everyone around her.


    At that moment, her inner voice spoke to her, ¡®Maybe you are wrong, Li Hua. You have seen that side of the Sixth Prince, which no one has ever. The Sixth Prince¡¯s words cannot be denied either. You should not have left the residence. Also, he married you to help you better.¡¯


    ¡°Why am I affected by those words? He is no one,¡± she murmured and shut her eyes. Court Lady Xu worriedly looked at her and wondered why Li Hua was acting that way.


    She recalled her father¡¯s words which he had read in a book.


    ¡®Never get swayed by the sweetness of words of a person.¡¯


    Li Hua put down the chopsticks, which bewildered Court Lady Hong.


    .....


    ¡°Why did His Highness note?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°I do not know, Your Highness. The Sixth Prince told me to make sure that you have your dinner meal. If Her Highness refuses to take her meal, then I may get punished,¡± Court Lady Hong informed Li Hua, who was shocked to hear her.


    ¡°But I cannot have my dinner without the presence of my...¡±


    Did she just ept that L¨®ng Wei was her husband? She shook her head.


    ¡°Why should I wait?¡± She mumbled and again picked the chopsticks. She almost picked the first morsel, but could not eat it. She would not have been sitting this peacefully if L¨®ng Wei had not married her.


    ¡°I want to see the Sixth Prince,¡± Li Hua expressed her desire. ¡°I will have dinner with him,¡± she stated and stood up.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Sixth Prince has strictly instructed me that if Her Highness goes out, then this will be myst day in this body.¡± Court Lady Hong stopped Li Hua and pleaded with her not to step out of the chamber.


    ¡°Court Lady Hong, I am only going to His Highness¡¯s chamber. I don¡¯t think-¡± she paused when Court Lady Hong got on her knees.


    ¡°I beg Her Highness not to step outside,¡± she again requested Li Hua. She felt stuck and settled back on the chair.


    Li Hua silently ate and after a few minutes, she told Court Lady Hong that she was done eating. She picked up the napkin and dabbed her mouth from it to make sure no grain would leave on her lips.


    ¡°But a major portion of the food is left untouched, Your Highness,¡± Court Lady Hong said.


    ¡°Because I feel full,¡± Li Hua lied to her. Court Lady Hong called a maidservant inside, who carried the tes and dishes back to the royal kitchen. ¡°Court Lady Hong, could you please fill the water jar? I forgot earlier, it was empty,¡± Li Hua urged her.


    Court Lady Hong nodded and left for the kitchen to bring water in the jar. Li Hua took it as an opportunity and dashed out of the chamber.


    ~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei, who was on the patio, looked at the half-moon in the dark sky. Because of the summer heat, some clouds appeared in the sky. The moon yed hide and seek among those clouds.


    He looked down at the wine ss in his hand. ¡°She must be scared of me.¡± He pped his fingers lightly on his mouth. ¡°Why can you not keep this tongue in control?¡± He questioned himself. His mood was ruined from the moment he conversed with his father.


    L¨®ng Wei gulped the wine. ¡°Only you have seen my happiest and worst moment,¡± he pointed his finger towards the moon and smiled a little. ¡°I found a friend in you, who remains silent all the time and listens to me. At least, you do not lecture me as the others do,¡± he muttered and filled the ss with the wine.


    Smiling, he brought the ss near his mouth and sipped the wine from it. ¡°It tastes sweeter when I am in pain,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and chuckled. ¡°Only this wine knows how to make me happy.¡± He quaffed pint after pint of the wine until he heard the familiar footsteps.


    He turned to look and saw Li Hua in front of him.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Why is His Highness drinking?¡±


    Both L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua asked different questions from each other at the same time. She found the dim light on the patio which wasing from the chamber. She went towards the chamber while L¨®ng Wei wondered where she went. He put the ss on the floor and stood up when Li Hua returned with a woodenntern that she had held with a stick that was attached to it.


    She ced it on the other end of the patio and stood straight, facing L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Lanterns are used for a reason,¡± she stated. ¡°It is not good to stay in dark, Your Highness.¡± She kept her tone soft and looked at the ce, where L¨®ng Wei was seated. He had put two wine jars on the table while the cup was on the floor.


    When she came in, she had heard L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words- ¡®It tastes sweeter when I am in pain. Only this wine knows how to make me happy!¡¯


    Why was he in pain? Was it because of her? She wanted to know.

 Chapter 96

    96 I only came to see... my Husband


    ¡°Go back,¡± L¨®ng Wei lifted his hand and moved his fingers, gesturing to her to leave.


    ¡°I cannot go back,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°I want to talk with His Highness,¡± she said and walked to him. Standing in front of him, she asked, ¡°Why should I not believe Feng Lao?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear his name. Go back. I am drunk,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. The strong smell of alcohol hit Li Hua¡¯s nostrils.


    ¡°But His Highness looks sober enough to have a conversation with me,¡± Li Hua asserted. Earlier, when she got angry, she thought of many bad things about him. However, now she was in front of me, she felt different.


    Why did she have such conflicted thoughts for him?


    She looked down and grasped L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand, which let her hold. She brought him towards the bedchamber and made him sit on the bed. ¡°Did His Highness take his meals?¡± She asked softly again and let go of his hand. ¡°I could only eat three morsels because the Sixth Prince wasn¡¯t present,¡± she informed him.


    ¡°Then, what meaning shall I take of it?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and smiled. ¡°It is odd. You fought with me, yet I could not get angry at you. How could I turn into this kind of person?¡± He muttered and demanded an answer from her.


    ¡°But we didn¡¯t fight. It was merely an argument, Your Highness. Indeed, I had turned furious when he told me that I ran away like a coward and asked me the loyalty that Feng Lao had for me,¡± Li Hua exined to him.


    ¡°However, since I trust His Highness I believe that he didn¡¯t say such a big thing without finding something about Feng Lao. Did he lie to me earlier that he doesn¡¯t know him?¡±


    .....


    Li Hua deeply contemted L¨®ng Wei¡¯s statement. She was unaware of many facts which L¨®ng Wei knew. Only he could answer her.


    L¨®ng Wei held her hand and pulled her down. He fell back on the mattress while Li Hua was on top of him. Before she could sit up, L¨®ng Wei wrapped his arm around her, not letting her move away.


    ¡°Why do you take that name again and again?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her. ¡°You married me, so just talk about us.¡± He closed his eyes for a little longer before opening them. ¡°The expression that you carried at that time clearly showed that you also thought of me as a sinful person. You already have called me immoral,¡± he said while peering into her eyes.


    ¡°Did His Highness drink because I infuriated him?¡± Li Hua ced her hands on his shoulders to move away, but it was in vain.


    ¡°No. I wanted to drink,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°But it isn¡¯t good to drink too much,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°You said that I am sober enough to converse with you. So, I believe that I did not drink too much. Would you like to drink with your husband? He might tell you some of his secrets,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her to have wine with him.


    Li Hua shook her head. ¡°I cannot handle more than a cup, Your Highness. I am not a person who will listen to a person¡¯s secrets when the person is drunk,¡± Li Hua rified.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled and brushed the pad of his finger on the bridge of her nose. Li Hua shut her eyes for a second and again peered at him. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t His Highness let me go?¡± She requested.


    ¡°Where will you go then?¡± He asked.


    ¡°To my chamber. His Highness can drink then,¡± Li Hua said.


    Court Lady Hong, who arrived outside the Sixth Prince¡¯s chamber, wondered if she should go in or not. When she returned from the kitchen after filling the water jar, she didn¡¯t find Li Hua in her chamber.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t inform the Sixth Prince, then he may get angryter,¡± she murmured and opened her mouth to speak.


    ¡°My humble apologies, Your Highness. I have an urgent matter to report to you,¡± Court Lady Hong said. ¡°The Princess...she¡¯s not in her chamber.¡± She quickly got on her knees, and her forehead touched the cold floor. ¡°Your Highness, please forgive me,¡± she begged for her life.


    Li Hua realized that she had fooled Court Lady Hong to see L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Your Highness, please do not punish Court Lady Hong. She did nothing. I was the one who made a fool of her to meet His Highness. He had told Court Lady Hong not to let me step out, but I had no other way,¡± Li Hua said and joined her both hands.


    L¨®ng Wei sat up, keeping his grip tight on Li Hua¡¯s back, and said, ¡°Li Hua is with me. You can leave.¡±


    Court Lady Hong, who was outside the chamber, was relieved to hear it. She thanked him for forgiving her and left.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head and found Li Hua was looking towards the door in concern. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you can also make a fool of someone.¡± An amusing grin appeared on his lips.


    Li Hua turned her head to meet his eyes. ¡°I had no other way,¡± she said and found how she was on L¨®ng Wei¡¯sp. She decided to move her legs first when L¨®ng Wei ced his other hand on her legs, keeping them intact where they were.


    Li Hua¡¯s toes curled and she started to feel nervous. ¡°Let¡¯s begin your punishment then,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°M-my punishment?¡± Li Hua gaped at him in confusion.


    ¡°Hmm. You let the olddy leave. When I said that you must not step your foot out, then you should not have,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t go out of the manor. I only came to see,¡± she paused for a second, ¡°my Husband,¡± beforepleting her words. She clutched the fabric of his dress. If she would call him ¡®her husband¡¯ then, he definitely would let her go.


    ¡°Sadly,¡± L¨®ng Wei took a few fringes between his fingers and smelled them, ¡°your husband will have to punish you,¡± he whispered in her ear before brushing his lips on her earlobe.


    ~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    Sorry for not being able to update. I have been sick. I got a severe cold...kinda covid symptoms. I tried to write but because of a severe headache, I could not. Hopefully, you¡¯ll understand.


    THANK YOU


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 97

    97 Raging my Desires more


    ¡°Sadly,¡± L¨®ng Wei took a few fringes between his fingers and smelled them, ¡°your husband will have to punish you,¡± he whispered in her ear before brushing his lips on her earlobe.


    Promptly, Li Hua moved her head back and covered her ears with her palms. Her cheeks had turned like a ripened tomato and the tint had spread till her ears. She felt the heat that had developed not only on her ears but the cheeks too. She regretted her decision of conversing with him when he was not sober enough.


    ¡®Li Hua, never go near a drunkard man. If possible, change your route!¡¯ She recalled the words of her second brother when once she saw a drunkard lying in the middle of the market. She had decided to help him, but her second brother refused.


    Now, what she should do to run away. Except using force, there¡¯s no other way. Since L¨®ng Wei was drunk, she would either hit him or kick him and run back to her chamber. He would not be able to catch her.


    She decided to hit him as he was holding her legs, but his grip on her legs was not tight. She used her entire strength and hit his arm. Hard.


    L¨®ng Wei cocked his brow and nced at his arm when Li Hua pushed him away. L¨®ng Wei fell back while she quickly grasped the edges of her high-waist skirt to run out.


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei snickered as he whispered her name and sat up. He found her going out of the chamber and chased her bare feet. Li Hua quickly turned left on the corridor and jumped the three stairs. She reached her chamber and pushed the door.


    There was a smile on her plump lips. A smile of a small victory against L¨®ng Wei. Panting, she turned and closed the doors behind her. She decided to lock it from inside and quickly did that. Putting the key away on the table beside the door, she took deep breaths.


    ¡°Now, His Highness even if wants toe inside, cannot,¡± she murmured and turned to go to bed when her forehead bumped into something hard. She rubbed her forehead and looked up.


    .....


    Her eyes grew bigger as she saw L¨®ng Wei in front of him. Her lips quivered and she took a tiny step back when she tripped, but she managed to bnce herself.


    She lowered her head and twiddled with her fingers, not getting what to say. How to react and what to do. She had even locked the door from inside, but the question was how L¨®ng Wei reached earlier than her. She had noticed that he was gasping which meant he had also run.


    ¡°How did His Highnesse here?¡± She managed to ask.


    ¡°I jumped the walls,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°What was that?¡± He asked her and stepped toward her when she stepped back.


    ¡°Good thing that you locked the door. Because now, you and I will spend the night together. I didn¡¯t know you were such a naughty woman,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked and smirked.


    Li Hua gaped at him and then smiled. Her eyes turned normal and she said, ¡°I was checking if I can run away from a strong person like the great Sixth Prince. He has told me that I should be physically strong in such situations. So, I thought to check my strength once,¡± she manipted her words well. ¡°Didn¡¯t I do good? I did win in escaping,¡± she said and averted her gaze from him.


    When L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t speak for a few seconds, she started to yawn. She brought her palm to cover her mouth and yawned again. ¡°I am tired, Your Highness. I must sleep. Tomorrow, I need to wake up early,¡± she forced the smile on her lips and walked ahead. Li Hua heaved a sigh of relief as she walked past him.


    ¡°Stop, Wifey. My hangover is gone after you made me jump those walls. The night is long and I want us to enjoy it.¡± He stepped closer to her while Li Hua for an unknown reason got glued to her ce. Her feet didn¡¯t take her away from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s reach, but where would she run to? She closed the door and had even locked it.


    No chance to run out!


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s fingers traced her arms upwards and rested on her shoulders. He leaned closer to her left ear. ¡°You indeed are smart. But I don¡¯t allow any man to hold you the way I do. I will not let you fall into such a situation. Also, the way you hit me was an act of raging my desires more for you,¡± L¨®ng Wei whispered. She gulped the lump that had formed in her throat. Now, she didn¡¯t even have the courage to narrowly gaze at him.


    ¡°I never tried to increase His Highness¡¯s desires,¡± she murmured. Even in that situation, she got the courage to murmur.


    ¡°Your acts did.¡± His voice again fell into her ear and she could feel his breath fanning on her neck.


    She blinked her eyes trying to think of something that would stop L¨®ng Wei from doing what he had in his mind. ¡°His Highness has promised me that he will not do anything to me without my consent,¡± she recalled his words from the wedding night and turned to face him.


    One must face the fear and her fear was L¨®ng Wei¡¯s desire for her.


    She peered into his eyes, not moving them even for a second. Her chest rose and fell because of the strange silence that had developed between the two.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± L¨®ng Wei moved the pad of his finger on Li Hua¡¯s right cheek while keeping his gaze fixed on her eyes, ¡°nothing will happen without your consent.¡± He slid his foot a little ahead so that their bodies at least came in contact with each other.


    Li Hua curled her toes inside her shoes and let out the aire out of her mouth. She lifted her eyelids and found that he was ogling her. She fiddled her fingers and felt the cold sweat forming on her nape. That gaze wasn¡¯t right, but it wasn¡¯t wrong either.


    What it was, she was unable to understand!


    His touch on her cheek made her body heat up as if she suddenly got a fever.


    Despite that, she didn¡¯t stop staring into his eyes. When their faces came close, she didn¡¯t realize. That breath of his quivered her lips once again and made her throat get dried. She parted her lips to take in the air. For a fraction of a second, she looked at his lips. Those were close to her, and anytime would im her.


    She stopped breathing and clutched her dress upon feeling the brush of his lips on hers.

 Chapter 98

    98 An amusing way to calm me down


    She got frozen when his lips brushed over hers. But L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t go forward with the kiss. Instead, he kissed her cheek. ¡°Is it enough?¡± His deep voice again fell on her ears.


    He stood straight and gradually moved his hand back. Li Hua didn¡¯t answer him because she was entangled in her conflicting thoughts toward him. However, her gaze never left his.


    ¡°Why does the Sixth Prince never answer me?¡± After a long pause, she asked him. ¡°His Highness always deviates from my question. He keeps in the dark for a while before answering me,¡± sheined to him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect your trust from him to vanish this soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked. ¡°You said that you trust me more after I helped you. Were you genuine in your reply? Because if I tell another bitter truth to you, you will be infuriated at me. Because ording to you, I do not feel emotions towards anyone so I do not understand them.¡±


    Li Hua lowered her head. ¡°I loved him for a very long time, Your Highness. We noble family women are told to be virtuous in every act of ours. I was not allowed to go out because of various reasons. However, Feng Lao was different. He used to tell my father to send me out with my brothers at least. The world I saw was limited to Xinshui¡¯s main town. The love which started in my teenage years kept growing for him in all these years.¡±


    ¡°My anger is apparent when His Highness says anything about Feng Lao. I apologize for what I said to the Sixth Prince.¡± Li Hua¡¯s humble apologies irked L¨®ng Wei.


    He walked past her and went to the bed. ¡°Let¡¯s sleep,¡± he said and pulled the quilt up to cover himself. Li Hua looked in his direction and found his back was facing her. She realized that Feng Lao was still angry with her.


    Her feet dragged her to the bed. Removing her shoes, sheid beside L¨®ng Wei, looking at his back. She lifted her hand to tap on his shoulder, but she pulled it back.


    ¡°His Highness is right that I must not trust anyone blindly. That¡¯s why I have started to doubt Feng Lao too. The Sixth Prince at least saved one of my elder brothers, so I know that he will not say such a big thing baselessly.¡± Li Hua was unable to sleep, so she decided to talk to L¨®ng Wei and clear what was inside her heart.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei turned to her and peered into her eyes. ¡°I want you to be ready for the worst. Such a big massacre happened in Xinshui to one of the renowned noble families. Li Hua, I hate this man for a reason. Because he was unable to protect you well. Anything could have happened to you in the pce. The Crown Prince wanted to make you his concubine. That¡¯s why I fought for you. Luckily, he took time and made advances the day I returned. I am an egocentric person, but for some reason, for you, I am selfless.¡±


    Li Hua got shocked when she learned that Xiaoming wanted to make her his concubine. Indeed, that day she felt weird when he asked her if she would like to be his personal attendant. But she ignored it.


    ¡°I cannot me Feng Lao fully. He didn¡¯t want anything to happen to me. Maybe that¡¯s why he sent me away,¡± Li Hua opined.


    ¡°We will get our answers in Xinshui,¡± L¨®ng Wei kept his answer crisp. ¡°If he will be alive, then I won¡¯t hesitate to kill him even if you hate me for the rest of our life,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t understand why he spoke that way. She was sure that he was dead. If he would be alive, then he would havee to see her. But he never came.


    ¡°Is my Senior First Brother well? Since the time His Highness told me that he¡¯s alive, I am curious to know how he is living. It seems the Sixth Prince has made a n. That¡¯s why my Senior First Brother didn¡¯te to the capital toin to the King about this,¡± Li Hua stated and knitted her brows. ¡°Also, if my father was such a renowned nobleman, howe no one ever talked about it?¡± She was inquisitive to know.


    ¡°Xu Zifan is a strong warrior. I appreciate his strong will even in tough times. Indeed, I have some ns. That is why I told him not to do anything unless I found the reason. In the Pce a few people indeed know, but does it matter to us? Thousands of people die daily. One minute of mourning would have been done but no one had bothered to investigate because it didn¡¯t matter,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her.


    ¡°Why is my family get ughtered? Does His Highness think of any name?¡± Li Hua asked him.


    ¡°Shall we sleep? Tomorrow you have such a big day. You need to prove yourself the worthiest daughter-inw of the Qiu Family,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced and gradually closed his eyes. He wrapped his hand around Li Hua and drew her close.


    She gaped at him, who said, ¡°You have an amusing way to calm me down. I had been drinking the entire night if you wouldn¡¯t havee to see me. Thank you for making me feel that I have someone who cares for me.¡± He snuggled to her and soon drifted off to sleep.


    Li Hua also closed her eyes. Though L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t answer her fully, he cleared a bit of her confusion. She wasn¡¯t naive anymore as she got to see her surrounding differently. She got to know that people, who looked good, and talked good wouldn¡¯t be your well-wisher all the time.


    ~~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    Sorry for not being able to update. I have been sick. I got a severe cold...kinda covid symptoms. I tried to write but because of a severe headache, I could not. Hopefully, you¡¯ll understand.


    THANK YOU


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 99

    99 Bullied his Wife


    After the morning greetings to the King and the Queen, taking morning meals with L¨®ng Wei, Li Hua returned to her chamber. She wore the dress that the Queen had selected for her. dded in the golden hanfu dress, and wearing a beautiful headwear, she was ready to go to the Queen¡¯s Manor, where the tea ceremony would take ce.


    The golden hairpin had the danglings on both sides, reaching the bottom of her ears. The flower petal mark between her browspleted her appearance as a married woman.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Consorts will also be present, and they may try to humiliate you as the Sixth Prince¡¯s wife. Her Highness must try to remain calm,¡± Court Lady Hong informed Li Hua, who nodded her head. She was confused as to why the consorts weren¡¯t present in the morning tea hours in the Greeting Hall.


    However, before she could ask, she heard L¨®ng Wei¡¯s voice. ¡°Li Hua can answer them if they try to humiliate her. I wished to be a part of this tea ceremony, but I am restricted to do so. Though I will be around you.¡± L¨®ng Wei walked to Li Hua and looked at the headpiece that she had put on. ¡°It must be heavy to carry such a headpiece. I love to see you with open hair,¡± he said in a low voice.


    Court Lady Hong, who was standing in their vicinity, ended up hearing them and smiled. However, before L¨®ng Wei could notice it, she pursed her lips together.


    ¡°Indeed, it is a little heavy, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua touched the headpiece over her head and sighed.


    ¡°Then, just remove it. I will talk to the Queen,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I cannot remove it, Your Highness. It is not ufortable. Also, if Iin about such small things, then how will I bear a bigger burden than this thing?¡± She argued with him. She took a promise from L¨®ng Wei that he would not intervene in today¡¯s tea ceremony.


    L¨®ng Wei nced at her right hand which forwarded to him. He put his palm over her hand and pulled her close. Leaning to her ear, he whispered, ¡°Wifey, I won¡¯t intervene, but I will definitelye to see you. I heard you will y Guzheng. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t intervene.¡± He leaned back and peered into her eyes.


    .....


    Li Hua shook her head. ¡°If I found His Highness around, then my attention may divert. So, His Highness must better note around,¡± she urged him.


    ¡°Oh. Your heart has already started to flutter because of me,¡± L¨®ng Wei cocked his eyebrow and teased her.


    ¡°I will gette if I keep talking to the Sixth Prince,¡± Li Hua stated, ending their conversation. She wore the golden pot bottom shoes with heels and left with Court Lady Hong, followed by two personal attendants.


    She had never imagined that marrying into a royal family was this tough. Official wives of the Princes must look way more beautiful than the rest. Somehow, she reached the manor. She lowered her head to lift her dress and ascended the stairs.


    One head servant of the manor led her to the main patio of the manor. It was surrounded by the artificial pond. On that patio every royaldy was seated, waiting for Li Hua.


    Jingfei wondered why Li Hua didn¡¯t get sick. She heard noble consort Xiuying say, ¡°The Sixth Prince got a beautiful wife for himself,¡± She gazed at Zhu Liling, who nodded at her.


    Li Hua stopped in the middle of the patio; gave formal greetings to the Queen, Noble, Virtuous consorts, and the concubines present. Zhu Liling praised Court Lady Hong for teaching Li Hua about the formal greetings, who bowed before her to express her gratitude.


    Li Hua then gave formal bows to the three Princesses. Ai Fen smiled seeing Li Hua and looked at her mother, Noble Consort Xiuying, who had started to speak.


    ¡°Virtuous Consort Ruoxi and I could not attend the marriage of the Sixth Prince. It was unexpected that Prince L¨®ng Wei would marry earlier than the eldest son of the Qiu family,¡± Xiuying remarked. ¡°Your Majesty, these days, the rumors about the Crown Prince¡¯s sexuality had risen again,¡± shemented, to which Virtuous consort smiled.


    ¡°Noble Consort Xiuying, the Crown Prince is searching for a suitable bride for him. The Crown Prince doesn¡¯t want someone who will misuse her powers in his name. Noble Consort Xiuying knows it well. The King punished her severely when she tried to hid her son¡¯s mistakes by using an innocent servant.¡± Xiuying felt humiliated by Zhu Liling¡¯s words.


    ¡°Li Hua, we all are eager to drink the tea prepared from your hands,¡± Zhu Liling said, in her soft tone and gestured to Eunuch Lianying, who came forward. He bowed before the Queen first and then turned to Li Hua.


    ¡°Please take this seat,¡± Eunuch Lianying said, gesturing to the floor mattress, right before her. She sat down gracefully while the servants brought two-floor tables to put before her. On one table, various tea powders extracted from flowers were mostly put along with a fresh honey pot. While on another table, the porcin teapot with warm water and teacups were put.


    Eunuch Lianying had instructed three other maidservants to bring Guzheng.


    Li Hua ced her left hand gently on her right wrist so as not to let the long sleeve hit any of the small pots, which had crushed tea powders. She decided to serve Jasmine tea, which was known for its fresh and longsting fragrance. Using rose,vender, and chrysanthemum, she started to prepare it.


    ¡°Li Hua, did Prince L¨®ng Wei not try to harm you?¡±


    Li Hua stopped swirling the tiny silver spoon while mixing the hot water into the teacup.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t an appropriate time to discuss such things, Virtuous Consort Ruoxi. Let Li Hua prepare the tea without any disturbance,¡± Zhu Liling said. The Queen¡¯s tone was polite yet filled with fury. She asked Li Hua to continue, who resumed her work.


    Li Hua put the first teacup on the te, and the maidservant brought it to the Queen, who took its scent first. Everyone on the patio was handed their respective teacups. Jingfei put it on the table and waited for what her mother had to say.


    Zhu Liling tasted the tea and found the mellow taste of every flower used. Also, the right proportion of sugar used kept the original taste of the Jasmine tea. Sheplimented Li Hua for preparing Jasmine tea. The sweet freshness of the tea was enough to lighten up the mood.


    Li Hua thanked the Queen for liking the tea made by her.


    Zhu Liling¡¯s eyes fell on the Guzheng and asked Eunuch Lianying why it was brought.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Princess Li Hua knows how to y it. Last evening, Court Lady Hong has sent a request to me that Princess Hua wants to y it today, in this tea ceremony,¡± Eunuch Lianying exined to Zhu Liling, who was impressed to hear it. The Consorts, the concubines, and the Princesses were surprised to find that a woman from the lower ss knew to y Guzheng.


    ¡°If Her Majesty allows, I would like to y this Guzheng while they enjoy their respective Jasmine teas,¡± Li Hua requested to the Queen, who immediately granted her permission.


    The servants again filled their tea cups while the floor tables from the front of Li Hua, were taken away. Arge table, the same as the size of Guzheng, was ced before her, who was ready to y it.


    L¨®ng Wei, who was behind the pir of the corridor which led to the patio, was witnessing this site. He captured every single moment with his eyes. Though, he was unable to hear their voices. However, seeing Li Hua calm, he was assured that no one had bullied his wife till now.

 Chapter 100

    100 Softness and Empathy


    Li Hua started to y the guzheng. She plucked the strings with her right hand and pushed the strings with her left hand to change and regte the pitch.


    All the royaldies were astonished to hear the melodious tones that Li Hua yed on the guzheng. The song she yed was, ¡°The Last Winter Night¡±, by the great musician Bao Binglun.


    ¡®Howe this servant knows about this song?¡¯ Jingfei wondered and looked at her mother, who always had liked Li Hua. She would not deny that her tea skills were exceptional, but her musical skills were extraordinary.


    L¨®ng Wei, who was standing behind the pir, smiled upon hearing the music that Li Hua yed. He recalled how Li Hua used to y music, mostly in the Xu Residence. That was the only way to keep her happy, even inside those four walls.


    Li Hua recalled how her mother taught her music when she turned four. The first musical piece that she yed for her was ¡°The Last Winter Night.¡± Li Hua¡¯s eyes filled with tears, and she closed them. The tears appeared on the edges of her eyes. Her heart ached to recall those moments with her mother, which could be visible in that music.


    The smile on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips disappeared. He realized that Li Hua recalled something which she should not have. The music that she chose depicted not only the happiness of a man but also his sadness. However, it was upon the person if he could y the notes well and bring out the true essence of the song.


    Li Hua finished ying the guzheng and rested her palms over the strings. She opened her eyes gradually and lifted her eyelids to look at the Queen.


    Zhu Liling realized that the music had ended while she had forgotten to drink the tea. Li Hua yed the guzheng so beautifully that everyone was immersed in it. Zhu Liling could not stop herself but praised Li Hua, who had lowered her eyes again.


    ¡°Li Hua, that was beautiful. I am surprised to find that you know about the song by the famous musician, Bao Binglun,¡± Zhu Liling said and put the teacup on the table. Noble Consort Xiuying, Virtuous Consort Ruoxi, and the three concubines, also agreed with the Queen¡¯s words.


    .....


    ¡°Royal Mother, I have a doubt that how can a servant know such a musical piece? Also, Sister-inw yed the guzheng so well as if she is trained in this,¡± Jingfei stated and nced at Li Hua with suspicion.


    ¡°I learned from a musician in my vige. He used to teach the young kids for free despite their status,¡± Li Hua lied to them.


    Zhu Liling nodded and asked Jingfei if her doubt was clear.


    ¡°Yes, Royal Mother. Sister-inw is exceptionally talented,¡± Jingfei said, beaming at Li Hua.


    Xiaolian looked at Jingfei and said, ¡°Is the First Sister jealous of our Sister-inw? The First Sister has been learning the guzheng for a long time, yet she is unable to gain mastery over it.¡±


    The Queen¡¯s daughter was humiliated in front of everyone, which Zhu Liling could not handle. She nced at the First Concubine, who scolded Xiaolian for speaking that way about the First Princess.


    ¡°Forgive me. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt the First Princess,¡± Xiaolian said.


    ¡°Li Hua, the Sixth Prince is lucky to find you as your bride. Else, everyone knows that he¡¯s not suitable for any woman. I am still shocked that you are alive on the third day of the marriage. Prince L¨®ng Wei is the definition of danger that one must absolutely avoid. However, it is understandable that for a servant it was a wonderful opportunity to be a daughter-inw of the Qiu Family.¡± Noble Consort Xiuying didn¡¯t stop herself from humiliating L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Respected Noble Consort, I believe that the Sixth Prince is an ardent lover. Most of the people around His Highness failed to see his good side. Recently, thirty servants got murdered, and my husband, was framed for it. It clearly shows that someone more dangerous than the Sixth Prince is also present among us,¡± Li Hua proimed in her humble tone, shutting Xiuying¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°I think Li Hua has seen the wrong side of Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Noble Consort Xiuying didn¡¯t stop herself from arguing. She didn¡¯t want to lose the argument against a mere servant.


    ¡°The one who cannot respect his mother, the one who cannot feel the love of a mother, the one who killed his own mother, can never be an ardent lover. Just because Prince L¨®ng Wei said that he loves Li Hua doesn¡¯t mean that he will keep loving her. A leopard never changes its spot. Li Hua must remain careful of Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xiuying stated and nced at Zhu Liling, ¡°am I right, Your Majesty?¡±


    Zhu Liling nodded. ¡°Li Hua must remain cautious of the Sixth Prince. If she finds any trouble with him, she shall inform me,¡± she told Li Hua.


    ¡°If Her Majesty allows, then I would like to say something,¡± Li Hua asked for permission.


    ¡°You are allowed,¡± Zhu Liling permitted her.


    ¡°Your Majesty, the Sixth Prince indeed has created troubles for many people around him. I do not know what happened in His Highness¡¯s past. However, when he protected me from getting the punishment from the First Princess, I felt that he does possess softness and empathy in his heart. Maybe His Highness¡¯ past was too stressful that it made him be what he is today. Still, I will keep Her Majesty¡¯s advice in my mind,¡± Li Hua opined.


    She remembered what L¨®ng Wei had told her. He hated his mother for some reason and that reason was bigger than the step he took.


    Jingfei snickered and raised the teacup. ¡°Sister-inw is no longer a servant. She is enjoying this royal life thanks to Brother L¨®ng Wei. That¡¯s why she is making the bridges in his praise,¡± she asserted and took the scent of the tea before sipping it.

 Chapter 101

    101 I was not supposed to reveal it!


    L¨®ng Wei stopped a servant who wasing from the patio with a tray in her hand. Seeing L¨®ng Wei, she started to tremble. ¡°What is happening there?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s gaze was fixed on Li Hua.


    ¡°Princess Li Hua is praised for the musical piece that she yed,¡± the servant replied. She didn¡¯t tell anything more because that would show that she¡¯s not loyal to the Queen.


    ¡°Nothing more?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and turned his head to look at her. She shook her head. L¨®ng Wei let her go and again looked towards the patio. ¡°Their expressions show that something serious is going on. Noble Consort Xiuying must be humiliating Li Hua for marrying me,¡± he murmured and mmed his hand on the pir.


    Li Hua looked at Jingfei, who was drinking the tea. ¡°The First Princess is right. A servant cannot even dream of such a life. However, everyone in the pce is scared of the Sixth Prince including the servants because of his previous acts. So, no one could ever see what he truly is!¡± Li Hua replied to Jingfei.


    Jingfei moved her eyes from the cup and nced at Li Hua. She put the cup on the table and smiled. Looking at her mother she said, ¡°Royal Mother, I used to think that Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s wife will be polite unlike him. However, it is again a disappointment.¡±


    ¡°I think the same. Li Hua must keep her tone in check. The First Princess is the daughter of the Queen of the Qiu Kingdom. If Li Hua will talk this way with her, then it will show that she¡¯s brazen like the Sixth Prince,¡± Virtuous Consort Ruoxi reprimanded Li Hua.


    ¡°My humble apologies, if I sounded rude,¡± Li Hua apologized and bowed, keeping her hands on her belly.


    ¡°I heard that Li Hua tried to get close to the Crown Prince,¡± Second Concubine Hu Jia said. ¡°Forgive me, but it is what I heard from many people in the pce. I do feel that Li Hua remains loyal to her husband,¡± shemented on her character.


    ¡°The Crown Prince¡¯s name did not need to be dragged in this. The Second Concubine shall remain in her limits.¡± Zhu Liling could not tolerate the way Hu Jia brought Xiaoming into the middle of all this.


    .....


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I will also agree with the words of the Second Concubine. Li Hua did try to seduce the Crown Prince. Rumors also say that the Crown Prince asked Li Hua toe to his chamber,¡± Noble Consort Xiuying stated. She wanted to humiliate the Queen because of Xiaoming¡¯s acts. This was the first time Xiaoming made such a mistake and she wanted to take this opportunity well to make sure that more rumors would spread about him.


    Li Hua curled her fingers and raised her head.


    ¡°I never tried to seduce the Crown Prince. I can never dare to do it. Respected Noble Consort shall not malign the image of the Crown Prince by adjoining his name with me. Her Majesty is well aware of my nature. It has been more than two months for me in this pce and no such incident ever urred,¡± Li Hua took a stand for herself.


    ¡°Li Hua is right. She never tried to do anything like this. Noble Consort Xiuying must keep her tongue in control,¡± Zhu Liling scolded her.


    ¡°What would Noble Consort Xiuying like to say about her son¡¯s act who tried to molest a servant in his manor?¡±


    They were astonished to see L¨®ng Wei on the patio. Li Hua could not believe that L¨®ng Wei broke his promise and again intervened.


    ¡°Greetings to Her Majesty and the others,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and put his hands down. He looked again at Xiuying and continued, ¡°Oops! I was not supposed to reveal it.¡± He covered his mouth before putting his hand down and smirked.


    ¡°What does the Sixth Prince want to say?¡± Zhu Liling asked L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I had promised the Second Prince that I would not tell anyone about it. He asionally harasses the beautiful young servants,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°The Noble Consort loves to throw mud on other people instead of looking at what his son is doing,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and chuckled.


    ¡°Thank you, Sixth Prince, for bringing such an issue to the limelight.¡± Zhu Liling saw the p of humiliation that Xiuying got. How dare she maligns Xiaoming¡¯s image? Now, she had gotten a way to show the King the immoral acts of the Second Prince.


    ¡°Your Majesty, the words of the Sixth Prince should not be taken as truth. My son will never do this,¡± Xiuying said confidently.


    ¡°I can present the proof if the Noble Consort wants me to. If she wants the world to know the immoral acts of her son, then she is wee to take the action,¡± L¨®ng Wei challenged her.


    The confidence in his tone intimidated her. How could Qiu Mu molest the female servants in his manor? She decided to keep quiet rather than turn the matter into a big issue.


    ¡°It seems the King must know about this. Prince Qiu Mu is not only the Second Prince in the Qiu Family but also the Second General,¡± Zhu Liling asserted. Xiuying nced at the Queen and requested her not to do any such thing.


    She stood up and knelt down. Behind her, the servants from her manor also got on their respective knees.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I will reprimand Prince Qiu Mu. Also, all this happened five months ago. Prince L¨®ng Wei informed us about it today, so there¡¯s no meaning left to look into this matter,¡± Noble Consort Xiuying argued. ¡°Please let this issue slide,¡± she again requested.


    Zhu Liling smiled victoriously. ¡°Since Noble Consort Xiuying requested me then I will let it slide,¡± she assured her. Xiuying thanked her and promised her that she would talk with Qiu Mu. Zhu Liling nodded at her.


    Xiuying rose to her feet and returned to her seat.


    ¡°Today¡¯s tea ceremony has barred the male¡¯s entry for a reason, yet the Sixth Prince entered,¡± Zhu Liling said.


    ¡°I had to, Your Majesty. I do not like it when someone throws dirt at my wife¡¯s character. Since the Noble Consort wasn¡¯t present when I confessed my love for her, then I must again repeat this today. Li Hua never seduced anyone. Because she showed care towards me, I fell for her. I want everyone present here not to say anything about Li Hua¡¯s character. Next time, I won¡¯t be calm like today, but will create havoc,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and looked at Li Hua, who had sat quietly.


    ¡°The tea ceremony has almost ended. We all enjoyed the teas prepared by Li Hua. Then, she also yed guzheng for us. What does Li Hua want to have? I will fulfill her wish,¡± Zhu Liling announced. Jingfei had not expected this from her mother.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Li Hua does not want anything personal for her. It was her duty to serve her family the first tea after the marriage. I am d that everyone liked it,¡± Li Hua said. Zhu Liling found Li Hua had no greed. She must agree that Li Hua was well-behaved. If she would be a noble family daughter, then she wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to make Xiaoming¡¯s wife.


    ¡°However, I have a small request from Her Majesty. If Her Majesty allows, I would like to say it,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Sure. You are allowed,¡± Zhu Liling permitted her.


    Li Hua lifted her head and said, ¡°I want Her Majesty to punish those in the future who will ever say that the Sixth Prince killed his mother and he will do the same with me.¡±


    Everyone was confused to hear her request.


    L¨®ng Wei was dumbfounded to hear her. Li Hua could have asked anything. Why did she ask for such a thing? His brows furrowed together.


    ¡°Sister-inw, that request is impossible to fulfill. Some truths cannot be hidden,¡± Xiaolianmented.


    ¡°Third Sister is absolutely right. A person must keep remembering his mistakes, his crimes till the end of his life,¡± Jingfei proimed.


    ¡°Since she is the Royal Mother, she must tell the Princes and the Princesses not to say such a thing to the Sixth Prince. I want Her Majesty as the Queen to tell the respected Consorts and the Concubines not to bring things rted to the Sixth Prince¡¯s past.¡± Li Hua ignored what Jingfei and Xiaolian said. She again rified her request to Zhu Liling.

 Chapter 102

    102 It hurts me as well [Bonus chapter]


    Zhu Liling got tied with the request that Li Hua made. She couldn¡¯t ignore it either, so she acknowledged her request. ¡°Fine. If any such thing gets reported to me, then, I will punish the person.¡±


    Li Hua bowed and thanked her for epting her request.


    ¡°The tea ceremony ends here. Everyone may dismiss,¡± Zhu Liling announced. She stood up and left the patio first, followed by the others. Eunuch Lianying nced at both L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua before leaving.


    Li Hua stood up and turned to look at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Why does His Highness intervene?¡± She asked in anger.


    ¡°It was important to intervene,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and walked away. Li Hua followed him while her servants walked behind her. They stepped out of the main entrance when L¨®ng Wei held his hand out. Li Hua didn¡¯t hold it and stepped forward to descend the stairs. However, L¨®ng Wei grasped her wrist and helped her in descending the stairs.


    ¡°Why did you request the Queen that no one shall say anything to me rted to my past?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her. ¡°You could have asked anything. It was a great opportunity to ask something which could be useful for you,¡± he opined. The two walked gradually ahead to their manor.


    ¡°I do not like it when someone tries to judge the Sixth Prince,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°Since he did many things for me, so I could do such a small thing for him,¡± she affirmed. A deep silence persisted between them till they reached their manor.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t His Highness ever tell what the Sixth Prince did to those young female servants? He should have told the King about it,¡± she proimed.


    ¡°Li Hua, the Second Prince, and I had never promised about it. Also, I could not inform the Royal Father because the Second Prince would have told them to shut their mouths. I lied that I have evidence,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    .....


    Li Hua gaped at him. ¡°Pardon me?¡± She was unable to believe his words. ¡°Did His Highness really lie?¡± She again asked to confirm. Court Lady Hong, who was told to stay outside the chamber, ended up hearing it as Li Hua was loud enough. She wondered what the Sixth Prince lied about. She leaned close to the door to listen to their conversation.


    ¡°Keep your voice low. Court Lady Hong is outside. She might listen to us and then inform the Queen,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Li Hua in a low voice. Li Hua nodded her head.


    ¡°I lied about not having evidence. I have to be confident while telling a lie. But it is good that at least I am able to tell the wrong that the Second Prince is doing. The Queen will try to find out on her own. Noble Consort Xiuying has captured the heart of the Royal Father, which the Queen doesn¡¯t like. Let the two fight in all this,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and brought his hand on the headpiece that Li Hua had worn.


    ¡°I will help,¡± he said and removed the essories that were used to decorate it. Li Hua looked at L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face and found the smile on his lips. She studied his face well.


    ¡°Is there something on my face?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. He downcasted his eyelids to meet her gaze, who shook her head promptly. ¡°Then, are you admiring my handsome features?!¡± He asked in amusement.


    ¡°No!¡± She averted her gaze from him.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and put the hairpins and gold studs on the small table. He carefully removed the headpiece from over her head. Li Hua felt relieved. He put the headpiece on the table and then stroked her hair.


    ¡°You look tall today,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he didn¡¯t notice that Li Hua had worn pot bottom shoes with heels.


    ¡°I have worn these shoes,¡± Li Hua said and slightly lifted her high-waist skirt to show the shoe to him. L¨®ng Wei hummed and wrapped his arm around her waist. He pulled her close and their bodies pressed against each other.


    Li Hua bit her bottom lip and put her palms on his chest to gently push him away.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± He arched his brow.


    ¡°For?¡± Her eyes flickered.


    L¨®ng Wei brought his face a little closer to hers. She closed her eyes, moving her head back. ¡°To go to Xinshui,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and smirked. Li Hua pried her eyes open and nodded at him.


    ¡°You wanted me to do something else, right?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°W-what?¡± She stuttered.


    ¡°You wanted a kiss from your husband,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Why would I want that?¡± Li Hua asked. ¡°Do I not need to train today?¡± She tried to divert his attention from her.


    ¡°Since we have to travel tomorrow, you don¡¯t need to train,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and pulled her chin to look at him. ¡°Focus here,¡± he urged her. Li Hua gulped and moved her eyes to his face.


    ¡°I missed watching you ying guzheng. Though, I heard it. The song you yed was beautiful: filled with happiness and, at the same time, enriched with sadness,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°They might have doubted that you know such a great song.¡±


    ¡°I lied to them. I told that a musician in the vige taught it for free to the kids,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I am blessed to find such an exceptionally talented woman. She knows how to handle the situation calmly. I, would like to apologize to you, because you weren¡¯t supposed to hear anything regarding your character. I will not let it happen again,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and moved his hand to her cheek. ¡°It hurts me as well, when they try to say anything about your character. After our return from Xinshui, I will teach them a lesson,¡± he promised her.


    ¡°Teach a lesson? How? Will His Highness do something simr to what he did with the First Princess? If it is so, then the Sixth Prince doesn¡¯t need to do anything,¡± Li Hua stated. ¡°He needs to prove to everyone that he is one of the finest princes among them,¡± she opined.


    ¡°You need not worry. I will not let my namee this time,¡± L¨®ng Wei assured her. His hand, which was on her cheek, now slowly moved to her nape.


    ¡°Let¡¯s kiss, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with gleaming eyes.

 Chapter 103

    103 We will make it Intense


    ¡°Let¡¯s kiss, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with gleaming eyes. His hand on her waist pulled her up and their lips almost touched. ¡°Just allow me to kiss you. I won¡¯t unless you give consent. We both are made for each other,¡± he whispered.


    Li Hua peered into his eyes. Her fate was indeed interlocked with L¨®ng Wei. After knowing that he was on her side, she took back her n to kill him. Also, her heart had started to respond to him. It never happened when she was around Feng Lao.


    She gradually closed her eyes, giving the consent to L¨®ng Wei, who didn¡¯t even wait for another second. Their noses touched and he captured her lips.


    Li Hua¡¯s fingers clutched the fabric of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s dress. Although, he kissed her many times, but not like this. Everything about the kiss seemed so different. Sparks traveled down her spine when L¨®ng Wei sucked her lower lip. She moved her lips along with him, copying the same, what he was doing to her.


    She moaned when his tongue glided over her lips. Her insides electrified and burned at the same time with a high intensity of pleasure which she was unaware of until today. No matter how much she denied the attraction towards him, it could not be hidden today.


    L¨®ng Wei enjoyed how he took the kiss to the next level of their intimacy and she allowed it. Those lips always tempted him to kiss her like there was no end. When her soft lips moved over his lips, it burned him with the desire of wanting more.


    It was his first kiss with her after having full consent from her. He wanted to keep it as memorable as possible for both of them. When he traced her bottom lip with his tongue, he heard her moan. It was sensual for his ears. He nibbled her and when she parted her lips, he shoved her tongue in.


    Li Hua¡¯s hands which earlier were on his chest now were locked behind his neck. She clung to him for her dear life and fully reciprocated his kiss with equal fervor. She could not believe that she was the one, who was moaning. What obscene thing did she do? For a second, her mind was struck with this thought. But it soon vanished when her inner voice told her that he was her husband to whom she indeed was attracted.


    Her face was flushing red while he looked calm andposed. His lips soon transferred to her cheek, to her jawline, and then to her neck. He suckled her sensitive spot, right below her ear, making Li Hua gasp.


    .....


    She permitted him for the kiss which turned into an intense makeout session. Gradually, she opened her eyes while her hands slowly moved to his shoulders. Unable to meet his gaze, she wondered what to say and what not to say!


    L¨®ng Wei knocked his forehead against hers and asked her to look at him. His breath fanned against the bridge of her nose. Li Hua slowly moved her eyes up and found the mischievous glint in them.


    L¨®ng Wei found the blush that had formed on her cheeks. He smiled because he was the reason behind that blush. ¡°You also feel something for me, right?¡± He asked her.


    Li Hua had no answer for this. She was confused about her feelings toward him. She was unable to understand why she even kissed him. How could her body, her heart go out of her mind¡¯s control? She nced at him in inquisitiveness.


    L¨®ng Wei hugged her and ced his hand on the back of her head. ¡°Thank you for taking the first step towards me. I will soon clear the doubts from your mind for me. What your heart wants isn¡¯t hidden from me anymore. You will fall deeply in love with me,¡± he said. His hand slowly moved from her waist to her back as he caressed it.


    ¡®Did my heart really start to beat for him?¡¯ she wondered and knitted her brows.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled away from the hug and still found her silent, stealing gazes from him. ¡°Are you shy?¡± He could not help himself but asked her.


    Li Hua nodded. ¡°I did it because,¡± she paused when her eyes locked with his, ¡°because I wanted to t-try.¡± She pursed her lips together and shut her eyes tightly. She was giving him the excuse, which she was unable to understand.


    ¡°It is good that you wanted to try it. Next time, we will make it intense,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a never-ending smirk on his lips. Li Hua fidgeted with her fingers and found her cheeks getting hotter.


    ¡°How will His Highness make it intense?¡± She was curious to know. ¡°Please don¡¯t get the wrong meaning,¡± she promptly said.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and smiled. ¡°Your heart and mind want me. You didn¡¯t want to try the kiss, but you wanted to feel its essence with me. Wait for a while to have another heated kiss between us,¡± he stated.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t want to ept what he said, but she could not deny it either. Indeed, her mind and heart had gone crazy, which made her do that. ¡°Can His Highness go out of the chamber? I need to change to somethingfortable,¡± Li Hua requested.


    L¨®ng Wei nodded at her and asked her to join him for lunchter. He went to the door and opened it when Court Lady Hong immediately stepped back and bowed. ¡°It is not good to watch private moments between the couples,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and walked away.


    Li Hua covered her face using her both palms. ¡°How could I lose my mind?¡± She mumbled.


    L¨®ng Wei kept smiling as he returned to his chamber. He saw Qiu Mu waiting for him and it didn¡¯t surprise him. Noble Consort Xiuying must have reprimanded him.


    Qiu Mu marched to L¨®ng Wei and grasped the cors of his robes. ¡°How dare you spread such a rumor about me? L¨®ng Wei, you are jealous of my position, right?¡± Qiu Mu gritted his teeth.

 Chapter 104

    104 Better not to misbehave


    ¡°How dare you spread such a rumor about me? L¨®ng Wei, you are jealous of my position, right?¡± Qiu Mu gritted his teeth.


    L¨®ng Wei grabbed his hands and put them down. ¡°This was thest time the Second Prince did this to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei warned Qiu Mu.


    ¡°Why did you lie about me in the tea ceremony?¡± Qiu Mu asked him. He fisted his palms, controlling his anger while L¨®ng Wei checked his dress before looking at him.


    ¡°I never lied. Indeed, he molested those young female servants,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°He has no remorse for his acts. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t reveal it to the others. Your mother should not have crossed her limits and humiliated my wife. If she had not said anything wrong about my wife, I would not have revealed the dark secret that the Second Prince possesses,¡± he exined to him.


    ¡°I know that you do not have any evidence against me,¡± Qiu Mu stated. He already had reced those female servants, so there was no way L¨®ng Wei would ever find anything.


    ¡°It is not tough for me to find out the evidence,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and smirked. He moved the jade ring on his index finger with his other hand¡¯s finger and continued, ¡°even if the Second Prince has destroyed those pieces of evidence, I can find them. Better not to misbehave with me if you don¡¯t want the news to fall into the King¡¯s ears.¡±


    Qiu Mu scrunched his brows. The Queen already knew, so she definitely would tell the King. His image would be destroyed. He walked past L¨®ng Wei in anger and stopped when Li Hua appeared suddenly. She gave him the way and immediately got aside while Qiu Mu walked out.


    Li Hua understood that Qiu Mu hade to ask L¨®ng Wei about the matter which he revealed to everyone on the patio. She could sense a new danger in which L¨®ng Wei might fall.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Li Hua stepped into the chamber. L¨®ng Wei immediately turned to her and looked at her.


    .....


    ¡°You look pretty,¡± L¨®ng Weiplimented her and asked Court Lady Hong to set a lunch table for them.


    ¡°Your Highness, pleasee this way with me,¡± Li Hua said and went to the broad patio, where she could speak with him in private. L¨®ng Wei followed her and asked her what she wanted to discuss.


    ¡°The Second Prince can harm His Highness. He should not have revealed-¡±


    ¡°Shhh!!¡± L¨®ng Wei ced his index finger on her lips. ¡°Nothing will happen. I know him better than anyone,¡± stated L¨®ng Wei and put his hand down.


    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t be overconfident. You never know what will happen in the future. His Highness must remain cautious,¡± Li Hua reasoned with a worried expression.


    ¡°Li Hua, Prince Qiu Mu is a coward. Presently, he will try to destroy every piece of evidence. Also, if he had to kill me, then he would not have waited for me to grow up into such a handsome man.¡± L¨®ng Wei put his hands on her shoulders, ¡°At least, he will not try to do anything like this with any other female servant.¡±


    Li Hua calmed down slightly, but the fear in her heart was still persistent. Tomorrow, they had to leave for Xinshui. What if something bad happened during the journey? Her heart had turned restless when L¨®ng Wei lifted her chin to peer at him.


    ¡°You are acting like a typical wife. I like the way you care for me. Trust me, nothing will happen. I have prepared everything,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I think that His Highness must be careful this time. They all wanted you to stay in the Cold Pce forever. So, they may plot anything big,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°Li Hua, the journey will be safe. Prince Qiu Mu is not that dangerous. He will never try to harm me or kill me. Also, don¡¯t underestimate Commander Huang Xi. Come,¡± he put his arm around her shoulder, ¡°let¡¯s have our lunch.¡± He brought her to the main chamber.


    ~~~~~~


    ¡°The pill that Physician Peng handed you, was it really effective? Because nothing happened to Li Hua. She didn¡¯t get sick,¡± Jingfei said and nced at Lin Jie, who was on her knees.


    ¡°First Princess, I surely have brought the right medicine from Physician Peng. Li Hua¡¯s immune is probably too strong, and the pill could not affect her,¡± Lin Jie opined. Jingfei rolled her eyes in anger.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I had instructed you to bring strong and effective medicine. Huang Xi will leave tomorrow with them. Everything is going wrong,¡± Jingfei said in annoyance.


    ¡°If the First Princess allows, I can bring the pill again. This time, I will ask Physician Peng to give a strong pill which can make Li Hua fall sick,¡± Lin Jie suggested to Jingfei, who refused.


    ¡°It will be tough to reach Li Hua. Today, I saw that they both havee incredibly closer. That was an unusual sight to witness. Brother L¨®ng Wei used to be alone, but now he has Li Hua. She seems clever to me. The way she asked my mother to punish those if they bring Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother during the conversation is clear to show that she¡¯s smart. This girl is different,¡± Jingfei stated and furrowed her brows together.


    ¡°Li Hua was a servant. Suddenly, she got married to a prince, which has filled her with arrogance, First Princess,¡± Lin Jie remarked.


    Jingfei shook her head. ¡°She is not arrogant. She is smart in a different way,¡± Jingfei corrected Lin Jie. ¡°I do not know how to stop Huang Xi. He seems adamant of going with them,¡± she murmured.


    At that moment, a maidservant came running inside. She was panting and bowed before Jingfei.


    ¡°First Princess, the King is angry with the Second Prince. Sources said that he might be given a severe punishment if the Second Prince is found guilty,¡± the maidservant informed Jingfei, who promptly rose to her feet.


    ¡°Did the Second Prince get summoned by the King?¡± Jingfei queried.


    ¡°Yes, First Princess. He has asked the Princes to gather in the private chamber,¡± the maidservant replied. Jingfei found that her father was furious. If Qiu Mu were found guilty, not only he willi be stripped of his title, but he will lose his dignity.

 Chapter 105

    105 Li Hua is as dignified as the Queen [Bonus chapter]


    Qiu Mu trembled in fear when the summon from the King arrived. There was nothing to be scared of, since he had already destroyed evidence. But L¨®ng Wei would be present, so he was troubled.


    Wiping the sweat that had formed on his forehead, he left for the private chamber, where every Prince had toe.


    ¡°Your Highness, nothing will happen. The King has called to confirm it,¡± Eunuch Shi Rang said to Qiu Mu. He asked him to calm down and took a deep breath before entering the private chamber. The first person he saw was L¨®ng Wei, and his blood boiled in anger.


    Qiu Mu stopped and greeted his father formally, who was on the seat, looking furious. Qiu Mu lifted his head and brought his hands down.


    ¡°Prince Qiu Mu surely knows why I called him and the other princes here.¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s sound didn¡¯t sound pleasant, and it made Qiu Mu wary. ¡°Is it true if he molested the female servants in his manor?¡± Qiu Zedong jumped straight to the question, without beating around the bush.


    Qiu Mu nced at L¨®ng Wei, who had this amusing smugness on his face. It irked him. But what he could do in the present situation, except watch him smirk.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Eunuch Shi Rang came forward and got on his knees, ¡°that¡¯s aplete lie. Prince L¨®ng Wei tried to nder the kind and honest image of Prince Qiu Mu.¡±


    ¡°I asked the answer from the Second Prince!¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s voice roared in the chamber, which terrified him.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I will nevermit such a crime. I am not only the Prince of the royal Qiu Family but also a respected general in the army,¡± Qiu Mu denied the usations put against him. He looked at L¨®ng Wei, who was busy ying with the jade ring on his index finger.


    .....


    ¡°Royal Father, Brother L¨®ng Wei must provide evidence before using me,¡± Qiu Mu said. The bitterness and hatred in his tone for L¨®ng Wei were visible.


    ¡°Royal Father, I feel the same. Brother Qiu Mu can never do such an obscene thing. Brother L¨®ng Wei is lying to tarnish Brother Mu¡¯s image,¡± asserted Tianjie, taking the stand for Qiu Mu.


    ¡°I never came to tell our Royal Father about it. The Second Prince shall get angry at the mother of the Crown Prince, who brought the matter immediately to our Royal Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to know. Why did the Sixth Prince not tell me about it? In today¡¯s tea ceremony, he suddenly announced it! Does he have any idea how badly the Second Prince¡¯s reputation has been affected?¡± Qiu Zedong raised his voice at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I would like to question my Royal Father why the Second Prince¡¯s mother pointed her finger at Li Hua¡¯s character?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned his father.


    ¡°It was an important tea ceremony for my wife. Yet, the Noble Consort had to say such a thing for my wife. I did the same with her son.¡± L¨®ng Wei, instead of revealing the truth, molded it. He showed everyone that he lied about that.


    ¡°Did Brother L¨®ng Wei lie about it?¡± Xiaoming asked, arching his brow.


    L¨®ng Wei nodded his head. ¡°Yes, I lied,¡± he stated.


    Qiu Mu gaped at him in confusion. He didn¡¯t expect that L¨®ng Wei would lie. Why? Why did he lie? The question started to bother Qiu Mu.


    ¡°Li Hua is also a human. No matter what ss she belongs to, she is also a person. If her character can be pointed out like this, then, I believe that Prince Qiu Mu¡¯s character too. Our Royal Father is the King, yet he is angry because his son¡¯s name is tarnished. It doesn¡¯t matter to him that his dear Noble Consort made fun of my wife, his daughter-inw,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and let out a chuckle.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, Li Hua isn¡¯t as important as Brother Qiu Mu. He has a dignity while-¡±


    ¡°Stop preaching about dignity to me, Fifth Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei intervened and did not let Zhang Xiplete his words. ¡°Li Hua is as dignified as the Queen of this Kingdom. She is as pure as the ocean¡¯s depth,¡± he proimed and looked at his father.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t the Royal Father punish his Noble Consort? She not only dragged my wife into all this mess but also,¡± L¨®ng Wei nced at Xiaoming, ¡°tried to tarnish the image of the most precious prince of this family- the Crown Prince!¡±


    Qiu Zedong didn¡¯t like the prank that L¨®ng Wei yed on Qiu Mu.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, the talks among women shall remain among them. Also, the Queen is in charge of the Inner Pce. I have nothing to say about this. However, Prince L¨®ng Wei did wrong by intervening in the tea ceremony. Many servants were present on the patio. How will Prince L¨®ng Wei correct this?¡± The King¡¯s tone had softened.


    ¡°Royal Father, I don¡¯t understand this justice. Why must I correct my mistakes?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, how dare you to question the decision of the King?¡± Tianjie nced at Zhang Xi.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei shall not challenge the Royal Father¡¯s decision. He is forgetting that he¡¯s in front of the King. The rebellious nature isn¡¯t good for long. It may be considered treason,¡± Zhang Xi proimed.


    Xiaoming was well aware of this crime of Qiu Mu. He wondered why L¨®ng Wei lied at thest moment. What was in his head? He squinted his eyes and kept studying L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face.


    ¡°I will talk with my Noble Consort. I don¡¯t want any such thing to happen in the future,¡± Qiu Zedong said. ¡°Li Hua is the first daughter-inw of this family. Also, it is wrong to associate her name with the Crown Prince. Regarding the lie about Qiu Mu, I want Prince L¨®ng Wei to take full responsibility for it and apologize to his elder Second Brother. In the future, no such thing shall happen. I will not let it slide. I will give you a severe punishment if you do so,¡± he warned L¨®ng Wei, who nodded.


    Qiu Zedong stood up, and the Princes lowered their heads. Gao Bing followed the King as he left the private chamber.


    L¨®ng Wei and Qiu Mu stayed back while the other princes left. L¨®ng Wei walked to Qiu Mu and leaned to his ear.


    ¡°You should be thankful to me that I supported your lie in front of everyone. Now, the Second Prince owes me something. He shall keep in mind that from now onwards, he must not get on my nerves,¡± L¨®ng Wei whispered and leaned back to beam into his eyes.


    Eunuch Shi Rang stood up and tried to hear what L¨®ng Wei said, but he could not. L¨®ng Wei smirked at Qiu Mu and then left the private chamber.

 Chapter 106

    106 I have to Kill him


    L¨®ng Wei stopped upon seeing Xiaoming, who was in the corridor of the private chamber. They both took steps toward each other and halted.


    ¡°Crown Prince, I made your way a bit clearer. It is now easy to remove the Second Prince from the position of the General. I hope that the Crown Prince will not disappoint me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. His lips curled into a smirk.


    ¡°Will the Sixth Prince surely give me my tassel back?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Of course. I will forget the incident that ever happened with those thirty servants. I will forget that the Crown Prince tried to put me on me and return his tassel only if he does what I want,¡± L¨®ng Wei again reminded him about the condition between them.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei wants me to find the evidence against Brother Qiu Mu? It is impossible for me,¡± Xiaoming stated and clenched his fists which were behind his back.


    ¡°Nothing is impossible for the great Crown Prince. When he can hire an assassin to kill the servants then, he can do anything,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°Li Hua must be waiting for me. I shall take my leave,¡± he said and left Xiaoming¡¯s sight soon.


    Xiaoming understood what L¨®ng Wei wanted. He wanted to create a rift between Qiu Mu and him. Qiu Mu could do anything for Xiaoming. L¨®ng Wei was clearing the strongest people around Xiaoming and the first such person was Qiu Mu.


    If Xiaoming would go against Qiu Mu then, he would be his enemy. However, if he didn¡¯t do anything then, L¨®ng Wei would reveal the truth to their Royal Father. Xiaoming was stuck badly.


    ~~~~~


    .....


    Li Hua looked for L¨®ng Wei from the balutrade. It had been thirty minutes, and her heart kept sinking with the thought that L¨®ng Wei might get punished.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Sixth Prince had strictly instructed that you must finish your lunch. Since the King has called every Prince, the meeting will take time to end,¡± Court Lady Hong advised Li Hua, who turned to look at her.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince might get punished too,¡± Li Hua said. After L¨®ng Wei told her that he had no evidence against Qiu Mu, she was confident that the King must have scolded or punished L¨®ng Wei for failing to produce evidence.


    ¡°Court Lady Hong, shall we go out? Let¡¯s check and find when the Sixth Prince will return,¡± Li Hua suggested to her. ¡°Please don¡¯t say no. If the Sixth Prince gets punishment then, it will not be good. Let¡¯s go and see.¡± She requested Court Lady Hong and grasped her both hands.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do this, Your Highness. Let¡¯s go and see if the Sixth Prince is alright.¡± Court Lady Hong agreed to take Li Hua out, and they both left the manor. As they reached the western corridor, they encountered Xiaoming, who was astonished to see Li Hua.


    Li Hua promptly lowered her eyes and greeted the Crown Prince. His heart used to get fluttered every time he would see Li Hua. Only he knew how much it hurt seeing Li Hua with his youngest brother. Had he taken the step to make her his then he would not have to see this day.


    Li Hua thought to ask Xiaoming about L¨®ng Wei. But she stopped herself when she recalled what L¨®ng Wei told her. Xiaoming had feelings for her and for no reason, she wanted to talk to him. Li Hua kept her head low and waited for Xiaoming to go ahead.


    However, to her wonder, he didn¡¯t move from his ce. It seemed to her that he had his gaze on her. It seemed ufortable to her. ¡°Please excuse me, Your Royal Highness,¡± Li Hua said humbly. She decided to leave his sight as soon as possible.


    ¡°The Royal Mother praised your tea skills and,¡± Li Hua looked into his eyes, ¡°also your music skills. I apologize to you that your name is joined with me even after you are married to Brother L¨®ng Wei.¡± Xiaoming kept his tone polite but he wasn¡¯t formal with her.


    ¡°The Crown Prince doesn¡¯t need to apologize. My name was never associated with him. It is a misunderstanding among many. Hopefully, my husband will clear it,¡± Li Hua asserted. She didn¡¯t know why she used ¡®my husband¡¯ in front of Xiaoming. But it would be best to avoid any further conversation with Xiaoming.


    He bored his gaze into her pupils. When Li Hua called L¨®ng Wei her husband, he felt that he was stabbed directly in his heart. When did he build such strong feelings for Li Hua!? For her, he killed those thirty servants. He never did such a henious thing in his life.


    Without saying anything anymore, Xiaoming walked ahead. Li Hua was perplexed to get such a reaction from him. But she didn¡¯t put much thought into it and walked ahead to find L¨®ng Wei.


    Li Hua reached outside the private chamber and found the doors were half-closed. No one was present outside, and she found out that everyone had left already.


    She heard strange voices that came from inside the private chamber. She asked Court Lady Hong to stay back and went inside the chamber. With quiet steps, she walked in, and the sounds became clearer.


    ¡°I cannot owe anything to L¨®ng Wei. I must find a way to close his chapter,¡± Qiu Mu said and looked at Eunuch Shi Rang.


    Li Hua¡¯s eyes grew bigger, and she hid behind the pir before they could notice her.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince will leave for Xinshui tomorrow, Your Highness,¡± Eunuch Shi Rang stated. Qiu Mu hummed.


    ¡°I will make sure that he will never return to the pce this time. All these years, I didn¡¯t do anything against him. But this time, I have to. Before L¨®ng Wei bes a real threat to me, I have to kill him,¡± Qiu Mu asserted.


    Li Hua thought about going out when almost got hit by thergentern beside the pir when she was pulled back and pinned to the wall of the pir.

 Chapter 107

    107 Words aren¡¯t enough to show


    Li Hua widened her eyes upon seeing Mingquan, who gestured to her to keep quiet by putting his pointer finger on his lips. He slowly pulled his hands back from her wrists and peeked out of the pir. Qiu Mu and Eunuch Shi Rang had their backs to them.


    He grasped the edge of her sleeve and brought her out of the chamber without getting to their notice. Letting Li Hua¡¯s sleeve go, he asked her to leave. Court Lady Hong confusedly looked at them.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t here. He had left the earliest,¡± Mingquan informed Li Hua. ¡°Sister-inw shall leave to the manor,¡± he stated. Li Hua bowed at him and walked away. She was scared after what she heard from Qiu Mu. Cold Sweat started to appear on her hands and her face. She started to run towards the manor, and it confused Court Lady Hong.


    ¡°Princess Consort, please, walk slowly. You may trip,¡± Court Lady Hong told Li Hua to be careful, who didn¡¯t listen to her. She was terrified and wanted to tell L¨®ng Wei about it. She wanted to tell him to postpone his n to go to Xinshui.


    As soon as she reached the manor, she went towards L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chamber, where they were having their lunch earlier.


    ¡°Where did His Highness leave? He should have returned,¡± Li Hua said, and she quickly grabbed the ss of water from the table. She found her hands were trembling, and the ss almost fell from her hand when a warm pair of hands held them tightly.


    Li Hua lifted her head and saw L¨®ng Wei in front of her. Her restless heart slowed down to race, but tears appeared in her eyes. L¨®ng Wei brought the ss near her mouth, and she opened her mouth to drink it.


    ¡°Court Lady Hong, leave us alone. Keep a servant outside, and you can retire to your room till the evening.¡± L¨®ng Weimanded her, who, without any argument, left the chamber after closing the doors behind her.


    Li Hua finished drinking water while L¨®ng Wei put the ss on the table. His hand, which was on her right shoulder, kept caressing it. ¡°Do you feel good?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her. Li Hua nodded at him.


    .....


    ¡°I wasing to the manor. Where did you head to?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°I was nervous, thinking about what would be happening in the private chamber. So, I decided to check once. Your Highness, your life is in danger,¡± Li Hua said with a worried look.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled out a chair for Li Hua and made her sit on it. ¡°You get panic attacks. We need to do something about it. I don¡¯t want you to get scared of small things,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and sat on the other chair, beside her.


    ¡°Your Highness, the thing which I heard isn¡¯t small,¡± Li Hua stated, and she turned emotional. ¡°The Second Prince wants t-to-k-kill the Sixth Prince. He is after your life, Your Highness,¡± she knitted her brows in fear and asked him what they should do.


    L¨®ng Wei grasped her both hands and gently caressed them. ¡°First, calm down. I won¡¯t die from the Second Prince¡¯s hands. I still have a bigger purpose to fulfill. Also, he needs a smart brain to kill a person like me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and smiled.


    Li Hua got furious to see the way he reacted. ¡°Your Highness, why are you like this? He is the General in the army. He can do anything to you. Let¡¯s postpone our journey to Xinshui. The Second Prince said that he would not let you return to this pce. I have lost everyone close to me, precious to me. I am already burdened with their mass deaths. I cannot handle seeing His Highness get harmed in any way. I have a weak heart.¡±


    Tears streamed down Li Hua¡¯s cheeks. She admitted that her heart was the biggest problem in her aim. She could bear everything, but the loss of a person with whom she got close, she could never bear.


    ¡°What name should I give to your concern?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and wiped the tears using his thumb. ¡°Most humans possess weak hearts. But with circumstances, they be stronger. It¡¯s not wrong to be weak. I am surprised to hear that I became a precious person to you. Li Hua, when I y a game, only I win. I have nned everything well. I won¡¯t get harmed,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and put his hand over her head.


    ¡°Will His Highness not postpone this journey?¡± Her brows furrowed together and she patiently waited for him to answer.


    ¡°I cannot. We need to leave for Xinshui tomorrow. Prince Qiu Mu may knit a trap for me, but he will get trapped in it. I am L¨®ng Wei, the descendant of Dragons. A dragon is undefeatable,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a confident tone. He could not postpone the journey to Xinshui for many reasons.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince is myst hope for everything. If anything happens to him, it is an end for me too. That¡¯s why I want him to think once more.¡± Li Hua showed him that she was selfish in her aim. She was concerned for him because L¨®ng Wei was the only person who could help her till the end.


    ¡°Then trust the actions of thisst hope of yours. I don¡¯t do anything without putting thought into it,¡± stated L¨®ng Wei and called the servant inside.


    ¡°The food has turned colder,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. The maidservant picked up the tray and put the dishes on them. She left the chamber to bring the hot food for them.


    ¡°What did the King say? Did His Majesty ask for evidence from the Sixth Prince?¡± Li Hua asked with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°Umm... nothing much happened. Let¡¯s not discuss that because that matter is between the Royal Father and his sons.¡± L¨®ng Wei refrained from telling what happened in the private chamber.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°You still address me ¡®Your Highness.¡¯ I want you to be more affectionate to me. If you call me ¡®Dear Husband¡¯, I will feel good. You can pronounce my name too if you are ufortable with that. I won¡¯t mind,¡± L¨®ng Wei made a small request. ¡°It is not difficult to say, right?¡± He arched his brow.


    Li Hua¡¯s lips curled up into a tiny smile. She found it cute. ¡°I cannot pronounce the name of the Sixth Prince,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°I will call him as,¡± she paused and found the glint in his eyes, ¡°the title that I must use.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei sighed and leaned back on the chair. ¡°Li Hua, we took wedding vows that day. We are husband and wife. If you keep calling me as the others do then, everyone will think there¡¯s no spark between us. You and I aren¡¯t in love,¡± he asserted.


    Li Hua put a tiny smile on her lips. ¡°Your Highness, sometimes words aren¡¯t enough to show that two people are in love. Actions y a bigger role,¡± she stated.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s brow cocked up in amusement. He held out his hand and pulled the chair towards him on which Li Hua was seated. She gaped at him and found L¨®ng Wei¡¯s gaze on her lips. She ced her pointer finger on them. ¡°Let¡¯s not do anything. Earlier, that was a mistake,¡± she stated.

 Chapter 108

    108 That night I was present


    L¨®ng Wei moved his head back and chuckled. ¡°Why do you always imagine that I will kiss you if we stand or sit close?¡± He tilted his head and twisted his lips into a broader smirk.


    ¡°His Highness¡¯s acts are enough to show that,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°All I wanted to stare into your eyes. You have a naughty mind, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and continued to tease her. The maidservant came inside with a tray in her hand and started to put the dishes on the table. Li Hua quickly moved away from L¨®ng Wei by pushing her chair back to its original ce.


    Li Hua picked up the chopsticks and started to eat. The maidservant bowed and stepped back. The lunch went in silence. However, L¨®ng Wei kept his eyes fixed on Li Hua, who could feel that burning haze. She didn¡¯t dare to look at him and somehow finished her food.


    The maidservant cleaned the table and took the dishes back to the royal kitchen. Li Hua asked L¨®ng Wei if she could go back to her chamber.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I am tired,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°I want to sleep for a while,¡± she lied.


    ¡°Sleep here then. I will watch you sleep,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Pardon me?¡± Li Hua was bewildered by his words. ¡°If His Highness continues to watch me then, I won¡¯t be able to sleep,¡± she stated.


    .....


    ¡°Fine. Take a good rest. I will be outside for a while. I will see you in the evening. I would like to have tea made by your hands in the evening,¡± L¨®ng Wei expressed his desire. Li Hua nodded and promised him that she would brew the tea for him. She rose to her feet and bowed.


    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t do any mischievous thing,¡± Li Hua urged him, who hummed when Li Hua took a promise from him. He gave the promise to her, who smiled and left the chamber.


    L¨®ng Wei tapped his fingers on the table¡¯s surface and then stood up. He walked out of the chamber and closed the doors from outside. ¡°Prince Qiu Mu will dig his own grave if he harms me. He will be easily removed from the General¡¯s position,¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured. He turned and descended the stairs.


    L¨®ng Wei reached the barracks and searched for Huang Xi. He found out that Huang Xi had note since he would apany them the next day for the journey. He was resting in his residence. He decided to go to Hei Residence and meet Huang Xi once.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei!¡± Mingquan dly called him and walked to him. L¨®ng Wei saw the sword in his right hand and realized that he must be practicing.


    ¡°How is Sister-inw?¡± Mingquan¡¯s question bewildered L¨®ng Wei. ¡°She was a little tense after what she heard in the private chamber. I was also present there,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°For how long?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei should have told the truth, instead of lying. The Second Brother will destroy every piece of evidence. Also, he wants to kill you.¡± Mingquan said the same words as Li Hua. ¡°I think I shall inform the Royal Father,¡± he opined.


    L¨®ng Wei nced at him in amusement. ¡°What is going on in the Fourth Prince¡¯s head?¡± L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes in suspicion.


    ¡°I would love to tell the Sixth Brother if he had considered me as his well-wisher even for a second,¡± Mingquan stated. L¨®ng Wei chuckled and decided to leave when Mingquan¡¯s words stopped him.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, let me apany you. I know that you are brave enough to tackle small obstacles. However, this time you are married. Everyone knows how much you love our Sister-inw. The enemies¡¯ first target will be her,¡± Mingquan affirmed. ¡°I am one of the undefeatable swordsmen. I will safely escort you both to Xinshui,¡± Mingquan offered his help.


    L¨®ng Wei turned to him and bored his gaze at him. ¡°Sadly, I don¡¯t trust any of the Princes,¡± he rejected Mingquan¡¯s help, who smiled a little.


    ¡°I would not have saved my Sister-inw from getting noticed by Brother Qiu Mu if I was Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s enemy,¡± Mingquan asserted. He briefed L¨®ng Wei on what happened in the private chamber.


    ¡°That is what is bothering me the most. Why does the Fourth Prince want to help me?¡± He tilted his head and looked at the soldiers, who wereing in their direction. ¡°I shall take my leave,¡± he said.


    ¡°The night Brother L¨®ng Wei killed his mother, I was present. Is it enough to show that I am his well-wisher?¡± Mingquan questioned him. L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t expect Mingquan to be present on that day.


    ¡°I won¡¯t reveal anything as it was Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s matter with his mother. All I want to do is to help him,¡± Mingquan stated. L¨®ng Wei furrowed his brows and walked away without answering Mingquan.


    ~~~~~


    Qiu Zedong took the seat while Noble Consort Xiuying got seated on the other broad, puffy-cushioned chair. ¡°I just had my lunch, Your Majesty. If he had informed me about his arrival then, I would have waited for him,¡± Xiuying replied.


    ¡°I had my lunch with my Queen,¡± Qiu Zedong answered. ¡°What happened in the tea ceremony should not have happened,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I agree with His Majesty. The Sixth Prince should not have used my son of no reason. This is what happens when you are grown without a mother¡¯s presence,¡± Xiuying remarked and left no opportunity to humiliate L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Noble Consort Xiuying, you cannot tarnish the character of Li Hua after her marriage. She is the first daughter-inw of this royal family and she also has dignity,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed. Though he had been polite, it seemed he was angry at Xiuying.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Majesty. It wasn¡¯t even serious. I was only asking Li Hua if she indeed seduced-¡±


    ¡°She never did that,¡± Qiu Zedong cut her words in the middle. ¡°If Noble Consort Xiuying had not humiliated Li Hua, then her son would not have been humiliated. I don¡¯t want Noble Consort Xiuying to repeat this kind of mistake in the future. Else, I will punish her,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted in a harsh tone.


    Xiuying lowered her head and apologized to him. Qiu Zedong didn¡¯t sit anymore. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has apologized to Prince Qiu Mu. So, refrain from doing anything. I don¡¯t want the royal family members to fight amongst each other,¡± Qiu Zedong warned her before leaving her manor.

 Chapter 109

    109 My Heart fluttered


    Huang Xi was shocked to know that L¨®ng Wei hade to see him. He quickly wore the overcoat and ran out to the main patio of the residence, where L¨®ng Wei was waiting for him.


    ¡°Your Highness, why don¡¯t you take the seat? The Young Master will take time... a few minutes to arrive,¡± the chief servant of the residence, Fu Kai, humbly requested to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I am here,¡± Huang Xi reached on the patio. He was panting, which clearly showed how fast he ran from his chamber to the patio. Fu Kai walked to him and asked him if he was good.


    Huang Xi nodded and rested against the pir of the patio, gasping for air.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and asked Fu Kai to bring water for his young master. Fu Kai quickly got down to the patio and asked a servant to bring water.


    ¡°You could have walked instead of running,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I could not stop. It is the first time the Sixth Prince visited his friend,¡± Huang Xi stated and smiled. Fu Kai came to the patio with a tray in his hand. Huang Xi picked up the ss and drank water. L¨®ng Wei refused to take water and asked Fu Kai to leave them alone for a while. Fu Kai bowed and left the patio again.


    L¨®ng Wei sat on the broad handrail and folded his arms. ¡°Huang Xi, let¡¯s change the route tomorrow,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness? May I know the reason?¡± He then asked.


    .....


    ¡°I want us to go through the mountain. It will be tiresome, but we will not feel the summer heat. We may reach 3-4 hourste in Xinshui, but that will be better,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined.


    ¡°Your Highness, but the mountain route is not easy to cover. Also, I have not even checked it. What if we encountered bandits?¡± Huang Xi raised several doubts. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to go through that route,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Huang Xi, I have traveled to Xinshui using that route twice,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and put his arms down. ¡°It¡¯s not difficult to use. There are no bandits in the forest because of the presence of wild animals. But animals mostly appeared at night time,¡± he exined to Huang Xi.


    ¡°Your Highness, what is the reason behind this? Does His Highness think someone can attack us?¡± Huang Xi asked. ¡°I request His Highness to be honest with me,¡± he urged L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°The Second Prince will not let me return to the Pce. I need to be careful,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    Huang Xi nodded. ¡°Then I will go and check the normal route,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°No. Send another carriage tomorrow morning on the same route. I would like to know if the Second Prince really wants to kill me.¡± L¨®ng Wei instructed Huang Xi.


    ¡°How does His Highness find out that the Second Prince wants to kill him?¡± Huang Xi was curious.


    ¡°That¡¯s not important for you. n ordingly for tomorrow. I have put trust in you, so don¡¯t get failed in it,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Huang Xi bowed and assured him that he would not let anything happen to them.


    L¨®ng Wei stood up and was ready to leave when Huang Xi asked him if he could discuss with him a matter rted to Jingfei.


    ¡°What about her?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei wants to marry me, but I don¡¯t want to marry her,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°The First Princess loves you. For you, she applies all sorts of beauty products on her face. If you tell her, she will burn inside out,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and smiled.


    ¡°I am stuck, Your Highness. My father wants me to marry Princess Jingfei. I tried to ignore the matter for a year, but now, it seems he will not let it slide,¡± Huang Xi asserted.


    ¡°I wish I could help you, Huang Xi. But I can¡¯t do anything about this. The First Princess already hates me, and if I do anything, then she may harm Li Hua when I will not be around,¡± L¨®ng Wei inly refused to help him.


    ¡°Your Highness, I only wanted to share with you. I have no one to share my thoughts with. I know that involving the Sixth Prince will onlyplicate the matter,¡± Huang Xi said and forced a smile on his lips.


    ¡°Just tell the King about what you feel. He will not force this marriage on you,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested to him.


    ¡°My Father will not like it,¡± Huang Xi stated and sighed. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t want to disappoint the King. I thought if I ignored Princess Jingfei, she would stop making an effort towards winning my heart. I feel stuck, Your Highness,¡± he said with a heavy heart.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei has liked you for a very long time. She always unts about it,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated as he recalled her acts.


    Huang Xi lowered his head and scrunched his brows. ¡°Well, prepare for tomorrow. You can think about what to do about the proposalter,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and walked to him.


    ¡°I envy the Sixth Prince for this reason. He speaks out his heart and does what he thinks is good for him,¡± Huang Xi said and chuckled.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t stopped you from being rebellious. Do what gives you happiness,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed and patted his shoulder. ¡°I will leave now,¡± he said and left the patio.


    L¨®ng Wei hopped on the horse and returned to the pce. He went to check Li Hua, if she was asleep or not in her chamber. Pushing the soft, silky curtain away, he looked at Li Hua. She was on the bed, sleeping peacefully. He removed the overcoat and put it aside before settling on the bed.


    He caressed her head for a while before lying down beside her. His eyes didn¡¯t leave the sight of her face for a second. ¡°My heart fluttered when you said you cannot lose any more people who are close to you. You are the only person who has wanted me to live since the day I met you,¡± L¨®ng Wei mumbled.


    Li Hua turned to his side, and her armnded over his chest while her right leg entangled with his. L¨®ng Wei tilted his head and smiled. ¡°You will regret seeing yourself in this position,¡± he said, and smiled for a while. He looked at her pouty lips and moved closer to her.


    ¡®No!¡¯ His inner voice stopped him. ¡®She might get offended if you kiss her, when she was asleep.¡¯


    But who would tell her? L¨®ng Wei smiled and pressed his lips gently to hers. He looked at her face as he moved back and smiled again. His fingers brushed the fringes off her face.


    ¡°Li Hua, I hope your heart is ready to witness everything in Xinshui,¡± he murmured with a worried look.

 Chapter 110

    110 I must love my Husband


    Li Hua gradually opened her eyes and blinked a few times upon seeing L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Why am I dreaming about him?¡± She murmured and again closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she pried open her eyes, and they grew wider.


    She immediately slid back while pulling the nket. Her back hit the wall behind her. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sleep broke because of her, and he rubbed his eyes. ¡°What is His Highness doing on my bed?¡± She asked.


    L¨®ng Wei sat up on the mattress. ¡°We both always sleep together. Why are you reacting this way!? Ahh, my leg is aching. You have such strong legs,¡± heined.


    ¡°What does His Highness mean?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, you were holding me tightly close to you. I wanted to leave, but you weren¡¯t letting me go. That¡¯s why I had to sleep beside you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and smiled.


    ¡°His Highness is lying. I don¡¯t have such weird sleep habits.¡± Her grip on the nket loosened, and it moved down. Since she had removed her upper garment before sleeping, her bare shoulders, arms, and cleavage were visible to L¨®ng Wei.


    He looked back into her eyes. ¡°Sometimes it happens. Since your mind, your heart wants me, so it reacts automatically. You pulled me down and clung to me.¡± L¨®ng Wei started to tease her. He looked at her foot which was peeking out of the nket.


    ¡°Your Highness, my mind and... Ahhh,¡± she let out a scream when L¨®ng Wei drew her close to him, grasping her foot gently. With his other hand, he pushed away from the nket.


    ¡°You always sleep by my side. You never get scared, but now, you are reactingpletely opposite. Why? You know that I won¡¯t do anything without your consent. Still, so much insecurity!¡± He muttered and clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. ¡°I admit that I pecked your lips while you were sleeping,¡± he affirmed.


    .....


    ¡°That was without my permission. His Highness did wrong, then,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Li Hua, that was out of care. You told me that I¡¯m emotionless, but I do feel these types of emotions. I think you need to understand my feelings,¡± he said, and he put his hands on her bare shoulders. At that moment, she realized that she had removed her upper garment and gulped.


    ¡°Your Highness, please wait for me in your chamber. I will bring tea for us, and then, I will brew it for you,¡± Li Hua suggested to him. Her fingers clutched the fabric of the nket, and she bit her bottom lip in nervousness. She didn¡¯t want L¨®ng Wei¡¯s focus toe to her body.


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced her name softly.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Li Hua again nced at him.


    L¨®ng Wei cupped her face in hisrge palms. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be scared of me. I am well aware of your choice,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I am not scared.¡± Li Hua scolded herself internally for lying to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°What are you scared of?¡± L¨®ng Wei modified his question. ¡°You are taught everything about loving a husband and performing your duties. Still, you pretend that you know nothing,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I never pretended, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°I am still not ready,¡± she said in a low voice.


    L¨®ng Wei locked his arm around her shoulder and flipped her to the mattress. She gaped at him and curled her fingers tightly into fists.


    ¡°Why are you not ready?¡±


    ¡°His Highness already knows,¡± Li Hua replied and again gulped. She felt her throat getting drier with those questions.


    ¡°Is he still in your heart!?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked straightforwardly. ¡°I am sure my love is stronger than his. I am confident that your heart started to consider my feelings. It is you who is stopping yourself from acknowledging me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He again looked like a desperate lover. But what could he do?


    Li Hua had alreadyprehended that her heart acted strange around L¨®ng Wei. It would make her happy, sad, cautious, excited, etc. around him. Feng Lao was associated with her for more than ten years, so forgetting him was difficult too. However, she remembered well, how L¨®ng Wei asked him why she trusted Feng Lao.


    ¡°Your Highness, it is tough to answer now,¡± Li Hua said. That was the best answer in her eyes. ¡°His Highness can give me more time, I feel,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°What is the guarantee that you will return my feelings equally? Will you love me?¡± He asked. Though, he had told her many times that he would make her heart beat for him. But that insecurity was still hidden deep inside his heart.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± L¨®ng Wei retreated and sat straight. He turned his back to her, which bewildered her. ¡°I look too desperate for your love. I have lost my mind,¡± he stated and climbed down from the bed. Looking at the upper garment that Li Hua must wear, he handed it to her.


    ¡°I will wait for you,¡± he said. The sadness in his voice and eyes were visible. He wore his shoes and was ready to leave when Li Hua started to speak.


    ¡°Your Highness, I had imagined myself as a wife in a normal house, as the wife of Feng Lao. My humble apologies for taking that name. But my destiny wanted something else for me. It brought me here and made me meet the Sixth Prince. I will always be loyal to His Highness,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei turned to face her.


    ¡°I also feel that His Highness¡¯ love is strong. We both met at thatke not because of a coincidence, but because of this destiny. If I hadn¡¯t met His Highness, then he would not be helping me today,¡± Li Hua stated and passed a tiny smile to him.


    ¡°Yes. If you had not jumped in thatke, I would not have even nced at you. You have made a ce in my heart, and for some reason, I get hurt when you refuse my feelings. Nothing bothers me, but everything about you does bother me,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    ¡°My mother told me one thing when I entered the marriageable age. I must love my husband no matter what,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Then, why are you stubborn and holding your past?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°Your Highness, he was my first love. It is not easy to forget someone whom you know for more than ten years. It takes time,¡± Li Hua stated. She didn¡¯t want to say this. Li Hua thought to tell him that she would be devoted to him only. But she did the opposite.


    L¨®ng Wei bent to her and pulled her chin to meet his gaze. ¡°Then, forget him with this,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and crashed his lips on hers.

 Chapter 111

    111 My Wife felt Pleasure


    Li Hua¡¯s eyes slightly grew big when L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips met hers. Her bodynded on the mattress, and it sank under her weight.


    However, she didn¡¯t stop him. She wanted to feel it and closed her eyes.


    With equal fervor, she returned his kiss. It was the second time when she had lost her senses while having a kiss with L¨®ng Wei. Her mind, her body, and her heart wanted more for it.


    Why?


    She felt his hand on her shoulder, caressing it while the kiss never stopped. She was running out of breath, but she didn¡¯t want him to stop. What was this? Did she start to lust over him? No, she could not. Probably it was her deep, buried desires, which she always heard from youngdies around her or read in stories.


    Something was indeed wrong with her. She had promised herself that she would not go intimate with L¨®ng Wei. However, presently, she was under this spell of him, which wasn¡¯t ready to leave her. She gasped when L¨®ng Wei finally let go of her lips. She opened her eyes to meet his gaze.


    ¡°You want me. Your body reacts differently to what you say,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. ¡°I want to im every inch of your body.¡± His tone was determined and strong.


    Li Hua lowered her eyelids as her heart started to race wildly. She didn¡¯t know what to say in this situation. She kept panting while fighting with her inner self. It was she, who always lost control in front of him. She shuddered when L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips touched the skin of her neck. She stopped breathing and blinking. Her heart started to beat erratically.


    She curled her toes. L¨®ng Wei showered the kisses on one side of her neck. She did not want him to stop. Why?


    .....


    And it happened!


    She let out a cry... a small one when he nipped her skin, where her neck met the shoulder. The next second, she moaned when he licked the bite mark and then, he kissed it. She pressed her lips tightly and covered her mouth after hearing her moan.


    She was embarrassed to find her body reacting this way. But she felt good experiencing this pleasure.


    L¨®ng Wei smirked and kissed over the lovebite that he had just given her. Later, he brought his face above hers. He equally took care of not crushing her with his heavy weight.


    His hand grasped her wrist, and she slowly moved her hands away from her mouth. ¡°That was not supposed to happen,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°Please forget what you have heard,¡± she requested him, which appeared as if she begged for her life.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°I cannot. It¡¯s the first time my wife felt pleasure,¡± he stated and tilted his head to see the bite mark, which had turned redder. ¡°I even put the mark on you. This lovebite shows that you already have surrendered to me. You want me to love you,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    L¨®ng Wei studied Li Hua¡¯s facial expressions and pulled her up as he settled on the mattress. ¡°You never experienced love, Li Hua. You only had a crush on him. Love never existed between you two. However, with us, it¡¯s the opposite. You care for me; you get worried if the King calls me; your heart gets restless for me. It is love and the earlier you understand it, the better it will be.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei showed her the mirror of her feelings which she still wasn¡¯t ready to ept. She, in nervousness, clutched the material of her dress tightly and again lowered her eyes. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, in her body because of what happened a few minutes ago.


    ¡°I will wait for you,¡± L¨®ng Wei got down from the bed. ¡°You have a beautiful body. I want to touch every inch of it. Hopefully, you will soon realize your feelings and your desires for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a grin before leaving the chamber.


    Li Hua looked down and found her cleavage was visible to him the entire time. She quickly pulled the nket up and hid her face in it.


    Wait! Did she blush?


    She slowly put down the nket and looked towards the door. Putting her palms on her cheeks, she shook her head.


    ¡°Princess Consort!¡±


    Li Hua lifted her head and found Court Lady Hong in front of her. She had a smile on her lips. ¡°Come, I will help you in getting ready,¡± she said humbly.


    Li Hua slowly got down from the bed while Court Lady Hong looked at the bedsheets. ¡°Does Court Lady Hong want something?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°No, Your Highness. I was checking if,¡± she looked towards the bed.


    ¡°Ahh, nothing happened, Court Lady Hong,¡± Li Hua said and bit her lower lip. She felt embarrassed. One thing that she didn¡¯t like about the pce was the appointing servants, who would look into your private life.


    She came towards the dressing table and tilted her head a little to get the perfect view of the left side neck, where L¨®ng Wei left the mark. She picked the face powder and applied it to it. ¡°What if someone will see it!?¡± She mumbled, and the spot turned white. She sat on the puffy stool and picked theb to brush her hair.


    ¡°I will call the servant, Your Highness,¡± Court Lady Hong said.


    ¡°It is not needed. I can do it,¡± Li Hua said with a smile and started tob her hair. Her thoughts again lingered on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. He wanted to touch her entire body. This thought made her blush again.


    ¡°Your Highness, why are you smiling?¡± Court Lady Hong¡¯s question brought her out of her thoughts, and she saw a smile on her lips.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she promptly replied and quickly brushed her hair. She looked at the head essories and wore them. ¡®Li Hua, His Highness yed with your mind. I am not like this. I cannot act this way,¡¯ she told herself and wore thest piece of head essory. She put on the earrings and stood up.


    Li Hua outstretched her arms, and Court Lady Hong put the upper garment through her arms to her body. Li Hua put her hands down and turned to her.


    Court Lady Hong looked at the powder which had covered the hickey, and it made her smile. ¡°It seems both the Sixth Prince and the Princess Consort areing closer with each passing day,¡± she said while making a perfect knot on the silk garment in the middle of her chest.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t utter a word. She could not lie to her, but she didn¡¯t either want to admit that she was getting close to L¨®ng Wei.


    Court Lady Hong stepped back and bowed. ¡°I will bring the tea for His Highness. Then, the Princess Consort can brew it for him,¡± she said softly.


    ¡°Can I go to the kitchen? I will pick the tea leaves myself,¡± Li Hua opined.


    ¡°Of course, Your Highness,¡± Court Lady Hong agreed to her, and the two left for the royal kitchen.


    Li Hua felt good aftering to this side of the imperial pce. She watched the servants, who were preparing for evening¡¯s dinner. Her life had gotten busier like them once. How fast the night changed. She became the wife of the Prince, and her entire life changed.


    The servants, who walked past her, bowed before her. Even if she wanted to stop them, they would not. It was what they were taught. Forced respect for someone who they didn¡¯t even like. Li Hua was well aware of the fact that not many people like her. However, they had to act respectfully towards her.


    She reached the royal kitchen and found the chefs cutting the vegetables. However, they were far from her, so they continued to do their work.


    Xiwan saw Li Hua and decided to go to her. He wiped his hands with a clean cloth, and he advanced to her. Bowing before her, he asked if she wanted something.


    ¡°Senior Brother Xiwan, could you please tell me what tea shall I make for the Sixth Prince? He doesn¡¯t like Chamomile tea,¡± Li Hua said and waited for his reply.


    Xiwan got confused when Li Hua said that L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t like Chamomile. ¡°I think the Princess Consort has a misunderstanding. The Sixth Prince likes Chamomile a lot,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Really?¡± Li Hua arched her brows in surprise. ¡°Then, I will brew chamomile tea for the Sixth Prince,¡± she stated. Xiwan nodded and asked her to wait. After a minute, he returned with a tray in his hand and handed it to her.


    ¡°Here, Your Highness,¡± Xiwan forwarded the tray to Li Hua, which she grabbed before Court Lady Hong could. Everything was on the tray that she needed for the tea. She thanked Xiwan and left for the manor.

 Chapter 112

    112 The Precious Jade Ne


    Xiaoming re-read the words on the scroll, but to his dismay, he could not understand a word. His entire concentration had gone to Li Hua. Her face was appearing before his eyes and it was bothering him.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, is everything good? These days the Crown Prince seems lost,¡± Eunuch Lishi worriedly said.


    Xiaoming didn¡¯t answer him and tossed the scroll on the table. ¡°I want to be alone,¡± Xiaoming said. Eunuch Lishi bowed and walked out of the study chamber. He was suffocating inside and there was no one with whom he could share all these thoughts.


    Soon, this one month would pass and he would be forced to marry or select the concubines.


    He didn¡¯t want to sleep with any random woman and then produce heirs only to forward the lineage. He didn¡¯t want to be like his father, who did not even look at his concubines except for three of them. But he was the Crown Prince, who was supposed to do it.


    The biggest worrisome matter for him was the thing that L¨®ng Wei wanted from him: the removal of Qiu Mu from the position of General. He had decided to request L¨®ng Wei to forget his mistake, but he stopped because L¨®ng Wei would never forgive him.


    He rested back on the chair and rubbed his fingers on his forehead. ¡®I shall go out for a while,¡¯ he thought and got up from the chair. He opened the door and Eunuch Lishi immediately bowed.


    ¡°I will be out for a while,¡± Xiaoming informed Eunuch Lishi.


    ¡°I will apany the Crown Prince,¡± Eunuch Lishi said.


    .....


    ¡°No,¡± Xiaoming refused him.


    ¡°May I know where the Crown Prince is heading to?¡± Eunuch Lishi asked politely.


    ¡°Even I don¡¯t know,¡± he murmured and walked ahead.


    Xiaoming reached the stable and the stable master brought the horse for him. ¡°The Crown Prince came to the stable after a long time,¡± the stable master, who was an old man, said and smiled.


    ¡°You are right. I thought of going out for some air,¡± Xiaoming said and caressed the face of the horse, who liked it. ¡°Heji, how have you been?¡± Xiaoming asked his white horse, who kept neighing.


    ¡°Heji missed his master,¡± the stable master said. Xiaoming hummed and hopped onto the horse.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, please take security with you,¡± the stable master said with concern.


    ¡°You know that I love to go out alone. Don¡¯t worry. Nothing will happen. I will not go far,¡± Xiaoming said and pulled the reins on the horse. Heji picked up the speed and started to run.


    The night was falling and the sky was turning dark. The redness from the sky started to disappear. Xiaoming, after riding the horse for twenty minutes, tightly pulled its reins. Heji stopped and Xiaoming jumped down from its back. Heji lowered his head and started to graze on the ground.


    Xiaoming kept walking forward and stopped at the bank of the pond. ¡°What should I do?¡± He murmured and walked across the bank, trying to find a way.


    At that moment, his inner voice told him to admit his mistake in front of the King. He could not guarantee that L¨®ng Wei would not ckmail him in the near future. If L¨®ng Wei could keep the secret of Qiu Mu hidden for such a long period, then he could do anything.


    ¡®Father will forgive me if I ept the truth. I will tell the Royal Father that I did it so that I could marry Li Hua. My Royal Father already knows that I love Li Hua. He will definitely understand me. I cannotmit a second crime just to save myself. I cannot let Qiu Mu lose his position because of me.¡¯


    Xiaoming had found a way to get out of this terrible situation that was bothering him for many days. He knew that his father would be disappointed in him, but it was the best solution. He even had stopped eating, stopped sleeping, and stopped smiling like before. His one mistake brought him to the point where he could not do anything except worry. He was not this kind of person.


    He looked back and found Heji was still grazing on the ground.


    He got cautious when he heard strange voicesing from the water. He turned to look, but could not see anything after a foot away because of the darkness. He took out the dagger which was hidden inside his sash and with quiet steps, he moved forward.


    His breath hitched when someone pointed the de of the dagger at his neck. He didn¡¯t utter any word and tightened his grip on the dagger that he was holding.


    ¡°Give me the money!¡±


    Xiaoming heard the voice of a woman and he tried to move when the de brushed the skin of his neck. Blood oozed out and the woman told him, ¡°If you move an inch, then this de will bury deep inside your neck. Better give me the money and I will let you go.¡±


    ¡°I have nothing,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie,¡± the woman said.


    ¡°I am not lying,¡± Xiaoming stated. ¡°You shall not harm me as I am-¡±


    ¡°Shut up!!¡± the woman said. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me,¡± she sternly said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t carry any money with me. I¡¯ll give you the precious jade ne. Could you please step back?¡± Xiaoming tried to convince her. He could not believe that he was captured by a woman this way.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. I know your tricks. You will overpower me as soon as I step back. Give me the money,¡± the woman again demanded the money from him. She was adamant about not stepping back. ¡°Also,¡± she grabbed his hand, which was holding the dagger, ¡°throw it!¡± she said.


    Xiaoming was surprised to find that she even noticed that in that darkness. For now, it was wise to act on hermand. He threw the dagger, and it hit the ground.


    ¡°Now, I am unarmed. Move this dagger away. I can take the jade ne out then,¡± Xiaoming urged her. The woman came forward to face him and it astonished him. Her face was covered with this ck cloth and only her eyes were visible. It seemed to him that the woman was quite young, but her acts showed that she was experienced in all this despite her young age.


    ¡°You look from a rich family, yet you don¡¯t carry any money,¡± the woman scoffed and moved the dagger down and cut the fabric of his dress. Xiaoming moved his eyes down and saw his robes were torn from the cors.


    ¡°I will check myself. Don¡¯t try to act smart. I won¡¯t even hesitate to kill you,¡± the woman warned him and her fingers touched the skin of Xiaoming, who fisted his palms. She pulled out the jade ne from his neck.


    ¡°Ahh.¡± He felt slight pain as the woman pulled the jade ne with a sudden force.

 Chapter 113

    113 Cheerful Smile that can melt


    ¡°Do you have any other jade essories?¡± The woman asked, keeping the dagger on his neck. Xiaoming removed the three jade rings that he had on the fingers of his left hand.


    ¡°Here,¡± Xiaoming said. The woman put them inside her pocket and slowly stepped back. ¡°Get your wound checked if you don¡¯t want to die,¡± the woman warned Xiaoming and soon disappeared from his sight.


    Xiaoming brought his hand on the right side of his neck and returned to his horse, Heji. Mounting on it, he returned to the pce. As Heji slowed down near the Imperial Gates, two soldiers came running to the Crown Prince, and he got down from the horse.


    ¡°Take Heji to the stable,¡± Xiaoming said and went to his chamber. He had already instructed a soldier to bring Physician Peng to his manor.


    Eunuch Lishi was shocked to see Xiaoming¡¯s dpidated condition. His dress was torn, and it was stained with blood near the neck. ¡°Your Royal Highness, how did it happen?¡± Eunuch Lishi panicked and shouted at a servant.


    ¡°Go and bring Physician Peng!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Eunuch Lishi. Physician Peng must be on his way,¡± Xiaoming said and settled on the bed. He removed the sash first and then removed the upper robe.


    ¡°Did His Highness get attacked by enemies? Shall I inform His Majesty about it? It is a serious matter, Your Royal Highness,¡± Eunuch Lishi suggested.


    Physician Peng arrived soon and greeted the Crown Prince before examining him. He dressed Xiaoming¡¯s wound, and gave the pills to him, which would reduce his pain.


    .....


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, luckily, the cut was not deep,¡± Physician Peng said and looked at the red marks on Xiaoming¡¯s neck. ¡°Did someone use force on the Crown Prince¡¯s neck?¡± Peng Yuxian asked worriedly.


    ¡°I will call the First General immediately,¡± Eunuch Lishi said when Xiaoming stopped him.


    ¡°It is nothing serious,¡± Xiaoming answered, and asked Peng Yuxian if he did the work, then he could leave. Physician Peng stepped back and bowed before him. He picked up his bag and left, while Eunuch Lishi tried to convince Xiaoming to let him inform the King.


    ¡°A cat scratched me,¡± Xiaoming stated, ¡°it was a big one.¡±


    ¡°A cat?¡± Eunuch Lishi was bewildered to hear him. ¡°It was indeed a dangerous cat. The Crown Prince¡¯s clothes are torn. I will bring a new pair of clothes for the Crown Prince,¡± Eunuch Lishi said humbly.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, have the robbers in the capital increased recently?¡± Xiaoming asked out of the blue.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Royal Highness, but I don¡¯t have knowledge on this,¡± Eunuch Lishi truthfully replied.


    ¡°Bring me the lists of robbers in the capital,¡± Xiaoming ordered Eunuch Lishi.


    ¡°My humble apologies, but it is difficult to find the actual number of robbers in the capital.¡± Eunuch Lishi didn¡¯t find it feasible.


    ¡°Ask the Royal Inspector. I need it by tomorrow afternoon,¡± Xiaoming ordered him. Except for acknowledging the order of the Crown Prince, Eunuch Lishi had no way out.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness.¡± Eunuch Lishi bowed and walked out of the chamber.


    ~~~~~~


    Li Hua put the tray on the table and nced at L¨®ng Wei, who was on the recliner. He got down from it and walked to her. He stood on her left and ducked his head. ¡°The love bite, did you like it?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. Li Hua narrowly gazed at him.


    ¡°Can His Highness not remain quiet?¡± Li Huained. ¡°I need to keep my focus on the tea while brewing it,¡± she stated and asked him to take a seat.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the seat after my wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t respond this time. She put the dry chamomile flowers in the teapot along with mint leaves. Later, she poured hot water into it and picked the teapot. Swirling it, she waited for five minutes to get the desired color and the scent.


    L¨®ng Wei keenly observed her movements and got mesmerized by her. His lips curled up into a smile and his heart got fluttered.


    Li Hua ced her hand over the lid and poured the tea into the porcin cup. ¡°Your Highness, please take your seat,¡± Li Hua requested.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit first?¡± L¨®ng Wei pulled out a chair for her. Li Hua, without objecting or arguing with him, settled on the chair. L¨®ng Wei sat beside her and brought the cup near his mouth.


    Taking its scent, he heaved a sigh of relief. He took the first sip and found it extremely tasty. The reason was simple: Li Hua prepared it with so much love.


    ¡°Why did the Sixth Prince lie the other day saying he hates chamomile tea?¡± Li Hua finally asked him. She clearly remembered how L¨®ng Wei left in the middle of that day after saying that he hated Chamomile tea. ¡°Today, he is enjoying it. It is strange,¡± she said and poured a cup of tea for her.


    L¨®ng Wei licked his lips. ¡°I was annoyed that day. The Crown Prince had his deep gaze at you. So, I said in anger. It is my favorite,¡± he stated and again sipped the tea.


    Li Hua also sipped the tea like a nobledy, and it brought a smile to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips again.


    ¡°Li Hua, do you want something from me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. ¡°You can ask anything for yourself. Your wishes, you can share them with me. Back in Xinshui, you were bound to four walls most of the time. You must have wanted to enjoy it like the other people. You can ask me, and I will surely fulfill your wishes,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Li Hua was awestruck by his words. She put the teacup on the table and said, ¡°The Sixth Prince had given me everything. I don¡¯t want anything.¡±


    ¡°No. The things which I gave you were of my choices, not yours. I still do not know your likes, your dislikes. I want to see Li Hua, which I saw in Xinshui. That cheerful smile that can melt anyone¡¯s heart, thatugh that can delight the person in front of her. I want to see that Li Hua, which she left in Xinshui in the Xu Residence,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.

 Chapter 114

    114 My deep attraction towards you


    Li Hua didn¡¯t blink for a few seconds before lowering her gaze. A chuckle escaped her mouth. ¡°How can I be that person? All of them are no more,¡± Li Hua asserted. Her eyes turned misty.


    L¨®ng Wei felt the sadness in her voice. He didn¡¯t try to talk anymore on that topic as it would only sadden Li Hua, which he could not handle.


    ¡°Your Highness, but after two months, I again found happiness,¡± Li Hua said with a glint in her eyes. ¡°I am grateful to His Highness for it. I am d that he didn¡¯t forget me amidst all this. He remembered me and protected me as soon as he saw me. I am truly thankful,¡± she said with a tiny, and warm smile. She picked up the teacup and finished the remaining tea in it. L¨®ng Wei also finished the tea, and this time, he poured it for them.


    ¡°Li Hua, I fell in love with you at first sight. So, I can never forget you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said softly and pushed the teacup towards her. ¡°Drink it,¡± he said.


    ¡°How did His Highness enter the Xu Residence? How did His Highness find out about me? I never told him my name.¡± Li Hua was interested to know. ¡°Here everyone thinks that the Sixth Prince never left the Cold Pce,¡± she stated while being perplexed.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t tough to find you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I will answer your every question in Xinshui,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Why?¡± She was curious.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s where it all started. My deep attraction towards you, those sleepless nights, those exciting mornings- everything rted to us began in Xinshui,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. ¡°For the first time in my life, I found something so interesting, so amusing that I was unable to resist.¡±


    Li Hua¡¯s eyes darted at him. Her heart skipped a beat upon hearing his words. L¨®ng Wei indeed was crazily in love with her. She could not only sense this in his voice, but also in those eyes.


    .....


    Was this what they call true love?


    A question popped in her head, and she drew her brows together.


    ¡°When His Highness didn¡¯t find me in Xinshui, then did he,¡± she paused, ¡°cried? Did he get upset?¡±


    ¡°I never cry,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°However,¡± he pointed his index finger at his heart, ¡°it got hurt. Badly. From my childhood, I never felt many emotions like the others. I never felt sadness. But upon not finding you in the residence, I suddenly felt empty. I felt that my soul had been taken away from me. I didn¡¯t want to live anymore.¡± He put back his hand on the table, ready to pick the teacup.


    Li Hua was dumbfounded to hear his answer. She could feel those emotions that L¨®ng Wei described in the words.


    ¡°Then, did His Highness think that I also died?¡±


    ¡°No. Your body wasn¡¯t inside the Xu Residence. Also, your brother already had told me that you left the residence before assassins could attack you, or harm you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°After a week, I found out that you are in the pce,¡± he revealed another truth to her.


    Li Hua¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°I told Xiwan to keep an eye on you. I had not expected that you would be in the pce. It only shows how brave you were!¡± L¨®ng Weiplimented her and smiled.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t His Highnesse earlier? He always says that he¡¯s ten steps ahead of everyone, yet he didn¡¯te after finding out about me,¡± Li Hua grumbled at him. ¡°He cannot say that he could not step out of the Cold Pce. I know he does all sorts of illegal things.¡± She bit her lips and apologized for the slip of her tongue. ¡°I mean, His Highness does not get scared of anything, so he could havee to see me,¡± she stated.


    L¨®ng Wei gulped the tea from the teacup and plonked it on the table. He rested his elbow on it. On his calloused fist, he rested his chin. ¡°Li Hua, the Royal Father would have gotten suspicious of me. I neverin when I get punished. I had dly epted it, so I needed to be away from you,¡± he exined his past situation to her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you would need me so badly,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°You grew up so much in these two months. Xu Zifan has told me that you cannot stand anyone¡¯s scolding. You must have undergone a lot of things. But I believe, this all made you strong,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Li Hua agreed with him. ¡°Indeed, this all helped me grow a little stronger. I never knew what a servant¡¯s life was! What it feels like to be paid monthly? How much it mattered to get apliment for your work. I always got everything on demand. However, I learned to be patient.¡± She looked at the teacup again and drank thest sip of the tea left.


    ¡°Your Highness, I don¡¯t want to anger you, but I must know this,¡± Li Hua said. L¨®ng Wei understood what Li Hua wanted to ask. ¡°Is he alive?¡± It was important for her to know.


    ¡°Why? Will you go to him and leave me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her. His biggest fear was losing Li Hua.


    ¡°No. I will never. I cannot betray the person who gave me the protection,¡± Li Hua answered, keeping a tiny smile on her lips. ¡°Is he alive?¡± She repeated her question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Your Highness, that night the Shui Family was present too in the Xu Residence. Did His Highness retrieve their bodies? I am sure he did. My First Elder Brother must have told him,¡± Li Hua affirmed. She was desperate to know about them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s forget about that. We had enough of those conversations,¡± L¨®ng Wei announced. He no longer wanted to discuss it. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about us. We still have to know each other. Your brother will not like it if I am unable to answer about his sister.¡± He diverted the topic back to her.


    ¡°My First Brother will not ask anything,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°He will,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and felt sudden hotness in his body. He found Li Hua¡¯s cheeks were turning red.


    ¡°Why am I feeling hot?¡± He heard her whisper, and their eyes met.


    Li Hua¡¯s vision started to blur, and she felt strangely attracted to L¨®ng Wei. A broad smile carved on her lips, and she got up. She went towards the bed with staggered steps and rubbed the sides of her neck.


    ¡°It¡¯s hot,¡± she mumbled. Li Hua pulled out the knot of her dress in the middle of her chest. The garment slid down her body and fell to the ground. L¨®ng Wei rose to his feet and walked to Li Hua.


    He walked to Li Hua, who had held the pir of the poster bed. She wanted to remove the remaining pair of clothes from her body. It was too hot for her to bear.


    ¡°Li Hua.¡±


    She heard her name in his deep voice and turned to look at him. ¡°Your Highness.¡± She ced her hand on his chest and gradually moved it to his cheek. She tiptoed and kissed him.

 Chapter 115

    115 About intercourse


    Her lips movements were slow when L¨®ng Wei pushed her away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± he urged her.


    L¨®ng Wei realized that aphrodisiac was mixed in the tea, which they drank. That¡¯s why they both were feeling this way. More than him, Li Hua had gone out of control. Before anything could happen, he lifted Li Hua in his arms.


    ¡°Y-Your Hi-Highness,¡± she stroked his cheek with her palm.


    ¡°Li Hua, don¡¯t!¡± L¨®ng Wei urged her. He was getting out of control too, but if he starte, then they would not stop. He could not let anything happen between them this way. Her touch was ying with his mind, screaming at him to take her to the bed. Shaking off his head, he somehow reached the bathhouse.


    He slid the door and walked in before closing it. Looking at the pool of cold water in the bathtub, he quickly walked to it. L¨®ng Wei put his right foot in, and the water sshed out. Taking in his other leg, he carefully sat down, and their bodies submerged into the water.


    He took a dip with Li Hua and, within a few seconds, came out of the water within seconds. Li Hua gasped for air. She tightly locked her hands around him. Li Hua promptly moved away as she felt better and lowered her body into the water.


    ¡°What was that? I suddenly felt-¡± she paused and peered at his lips. She kissed him, and deep frowns appeared on her forehead.


    L¨®ng Wei stood up and started to remove his clothes. ¡°Did someone put anything with tea leaves?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her as he threw his clothes out of the bathtub. He didn¡¯t remove his pants and nced at Li Hua, who was staring at his naked body.


    .....


    ¡°I asked something,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and sat down in the pool of water.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Your Highness. Forgive me for that. I didn¡¯t mean to do that,¡± she said in a low voice and covered her face with her palms. She felt embarrassed for doing this intimate thing with him.


    ¡°Someone put an aphrodisiac drug in hot water. You know about it, right?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her, and she peeked from the gaps, between her palms.


    ¡°To increase s-s,¡± she was unable to say when L¨®ng Weipleted her words.


    ¡°To increase sexual drive.¡±


    Li Hua shut her eyes tightly, and she further lowered her body into the water. She wanted to bury herself deep in the ground. She kissed him and even removed her clothes. How could she even do it?


    ¡°Did you prepare everything yourself?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Senior Brother Xiwan did,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°Xiwan?¡± L¨®ng Wei knitted his brows. ¡°Did someone ask him to do this? But, who? Did he betray me?¡± He murmured and looked at Li Hua, who had still covered her face with her palms.


    ¡°Court Lady Hong had apanied you to the kitchen, right?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her. ¡°Look at me,¡± he raised his voice.


    Li Hua gradually put her hands down and looked at him. ¡°Yes, she did. But why will she do such a thing? Also, Senior Brother Xiwan can never do such a thing,¡± Li Hua opined.


    ¡°Did you hand the tray to Court Lady Hong?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°Hmm. She asked me again and again despite my refusal. So I could not help but hand the tray to her,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°She mixed an aphrodisiac drug in hot water. Did she get suspicious of us? Did she know that we both have not consummated?¡± L¨®ng Wei thought of many such possibilities.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t tell Court Lady Hong about all this. She cannot know about this on her own. And even if she knew it, she would have told me to do my duties well. Using an aphrodisiac isn¡¯t the correct way.¡± Li Hua didn¡¯t want L¨®ng Wei to punish Court Lady Hong without proof, nor did she want him to be suspicious of her.


    L¨®ng Wei outstretched his hand into the water and grasped Li Hua¡¯s wrist. She gaped at him, and the next second, she found herself on hisp.


    ¡°Your acts are enough to show her that you are not giving enough attention to your husband. It is not a normal household. It is the pce. Everything is recorded and scrutinized here. Here, your first duty is to produce an heir,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°You would have cried tomorrow if I had also lost my control. And more than you, I would have been hurt,¡± he stated.


    ¡°But I acted as per the Sixth Prince¡¯s order. I didn¡¯t let her get doubtful of me,¡± Li Hua replied and curled her fingers.


    ¡°Court Lady Hong has been serving the royals for over thirty years. She knows a woman better than a woman knows herself. It¡¯s not tough to study you. She must have been suspicious of you,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible. I have been careful, Your Highness.¡± Li Hua was still adamant about her statement.


    L¨®ng Wei snickered and ducked his head to look at the lovebite. ¡°You covered it with facial powder earlier,¡± he moved his fingers over the spot and peered into her eyes.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t give it so that you could hide it. It has a reason, Li Hua. Luckily, we are leaving for Xinshui tomorrow. Else,¡± he paused.


    ¡°Else what, Your Highness?¡± Li Hua queried.


    ¡°Else, you were taught all sorts of things about intercourse. A date would have been fixed, and she would have been present with Chief Eunuch to witness it,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    ¡°W-what?¡± Li Hua¡¯s jaw dropped down.


    ¡°In the pce, all such things happen. You cannot escape it. Luckily, the Queen isn¡¯t involved in all this because she doesn¡¯t care what happens in my life. Else, it would have been difficult for you to make any excuse,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Li Hua was perplexed and shocked to hear all this. The pce wasn¡¯t a good ce to live. She thought. A woman was even forced into this.


    ¡°I believe His Highness would have saved me then,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Why? A man only enjoys it,¡± L¨®ng Wei reasoned.


    ¡°But His Highness does note in that category of men,¡± Li Hua replied and smiled.


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡± L¨®ng Wei was interested to know her opinion.

 Chapter 116

    116 Deep Hidden Desires


    ¡°On the wedding night, His Highness clearly admitted that he does not lust over me. He wants it to happen when I will also fall in love with him and when I want it to happen,¡± Li Hua reminded him of his words.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled and intertwined their fingers. He brought her hand over his chest and let her feel it. ¡°You wanted to touch my body, right?¡± He asked and let her fingers rest on his chest. The taut muscles on his chest made Li Hua gulp.


    She peered into his eyes and continued to roam her fingers on his chest.


    ¡°I never saw His Highness practicing, working on his body ever,¡± Li Hua said in a low voice.


    ¡°I want to spend time with Wifey, so I could not practice,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°You will drool if you see me practicing,¡± he said with a confident tone.


    ¡°No. I never drool over a man,¡± Li Hua stated and pulled her hand back. She urged him to let her go.


    ¡°I have no intention to let you go,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and traced her corbone with his fingers. ¡°You are no longer shy. It seems you have started to getfortable around me,¡± he affirmed and rested his chin on her bare shoulder. His fingers moved right below her nape.


    Li Hua pushed him back. ¡°It¡¯s cold. The effect of the drug has gone, Your Highness,¡± she said.


    ¡°Li Hua, since we are in our right mind, let¡¯s resume where we both left,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested to her.


    .....


    ¡°Eh? What is His Highness talking about?¡± She asked.


    L¨®ng Wei gazed at her lips. ¡°You kissed me in the chamber. However, I respected you and stopped you. Now, you shall reward me for my honesty in this rtionship,¡± he opined. ¡°Ahh, the drug brought your true self out. You desire for me, yet you refuse to admit it.¡± He had a satisfied smirk on his face.


    ¡°That was...that was...¡± she got stuck and lowered her eyelids. She was unable to believe her mind. It again betrayed her. She pursed her lips together.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you want. Just admit it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and kissed her nose tip. Li Hua gaped at him again when her chin was lifted.


    ¡°But that was under the effect of that drug,¡± she reasoned.


    ¡°Indeed. But that¡¯s what you want the most. It brought out your deep desires,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and kissed her bottom lip first, followed by the upper lip. He kept the kiss gentle and let her enjoy it too with him.


    Suddenly, she felt the heat rise in her body once again. Every time his lips moved on hers, she felt the tingles on her body. She had be addicted to his kisses and this was something she always heard or read in books. Her hand gently moved on his nape while the other moved to his hair.


    L¨®ng Wei gave them enough time to breathe while keeping it as passionate as possible. The tip of his tongue traced her bottom lip and she parted her lips. She wanted to feel his tongue inside her mouth, ying with her tongue- she wanted to experience what she had read in those romance books which her personal attendant used to bring for her.


    L¨®ng Wei shoved his tongue inside her mouth. He could taste the chamomile tea and the tinge of mint while savoring her.


    And then she moaned! The moment L¨®ng Wei¡¯s tongue touched hers, she could not help but let out a moan. He withdrew back and again kissed her. With one swift movement, he carried her to the t surface above the bathtub. The water sshed on the wooden floor.


    He pinned her hands down and started to kiss her hungrily. Li Hua didn¡¯t protest. Instead, she responded to him with equal vigor.


    They both gasped for the air, after L¨®ng Wei slowly backed out from the kiss. The slow and sensual movements turned wild in the short span of time. L¨®ng Wei realized that the effect of the aphrodisiac still persisted on them. That¡¯s why he stopped before he would hurt Li Hua with his acts.


    He slowly pulled her up and wiped the water droplets from her face. ¡°Forgive me if I-¡±


    Li Hua put her index finger on his lips. ¡°I wanted to do it, Your Highness. Please don¡¯t apologize.¡± She slowly put her hand down.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how much I wanted to hear that,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and smiled. ¡°I can feel that you are acknowledging me,¡± he said and hugged her. His one leg was still floating into the water while the other was bent a little.


    Li Hua¡¯s lips curled into a tiny smile. Li Hua slowly moved her hands up and put them on his back. L¨®ng Wei smiled too upon feeling her hands on his back. This was the first time she hugged him back. He could not express the happiness that he felt at that moment.


    ¡°Well, you should call me ¡®Dear Husband¡¯ in front of Court Lady Hong. They will not get suspicious of you then. I hope you¡¯ll listen to me this time,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I will try,¡± Li Hua agreed to him this time.


    He sent her to the chamber to dress up before she could catch a cold.


    However, before leaving he said, ¡°Li Hua, let¡¯s stroll in the garden for a while. The effect of the aphrodisiac drug is still persistent.¡± Li Hua hummed while L¨®ng Wei left for his chamber.


    ~~~~~


    Xiaoming looked at the wound through the mirror. ¡°I need to hide it properly. Tomorrow morning, the Royal Father will ask about it. I don¡¯t want to lie,¡± he murmured and put the mirror down.


    Eunuch Lishi confusedly nced at Xiaoming. Earlier, he looked so angry, while now, he was smiling, mumbling within himself. He found the actions of the Crown Prince strange, especially when Xiaoming ate the dinner happily. He got curious to know the reason behind it.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, may I know, what is the reason behind your smile? Pardon me, but for the past few days, the Crown Prince was upset,¡± Eunuch Lishi asserted.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, is my face recognizable?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Pardon me?¡± Eunuch Lishi was perplexed to hear the Crown Prince¡¯s question.


    ¡°If I go among people, will people fail to recognize me?¡± Xiaoming rified his question.


    ¡°Hehe. Your Royal Highness, indeed your face is recognizable. The face as good as the Crown Prince doesn¡¯t exist. He shines like the full moon, and his eyes-¡± he paused when Xiaoming showed his palm to him.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, I want to know if people can recognize my face. Not an answer full of praises,¡± Xiaoming stated. ¡°This person could not recognize me.¡± His thoughts again went to the woman, who robbed him.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, are young women indulged in the robbery?¡± Xiaoming sped his fingers and put them on the table.


    ¡°For the money, anyone can do the robbery. But why is the Crown Prince asking about robbery?¡± Eunuch Lishi was dubious about the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi remembers his assignment, right? If he fails to produce the list regarding the robbery to me tomorrow, he will be punished,¡± Xiaoming stated, with a stern expression. ¡°Also, inform the jewelers in the capital to inform me if a womanes to him with a jade ne and three jade rings.¡±


    It would be easier to find the woman who robbed him this way.


    ¡°Did the Crown Prince get robbed?¡± Eunuch Lishi asked and realized he didn¡¯t see the rings, which Xiaoming usually used to wear.


    ¡°Someone wanted the money badly. Just make sure to do it properly, Eunuch Lishi,¡± Xiaoming told him again. Eunuch Lishi assured the Crown Prince that he would bring what he needed.


    ¡°I am going to sleep.¡± Xiaoming stood up and went to his bedchamber.


    As Xiaomingid down he told himself in his mind, ¡®I will find you. You may be surprised to know that I¡¯m the Crown Prince.¡¯

 Chapter 117

    117 Behind your mother¡¯s death


    The next morning, L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua took the blessings of the King and the Queen. Qiu Zedong told L¨®ng Wei to take care of himself and Li Hua too. He hugged L¨®ng Wei and patted his back.


    Li Hua found out that Qiu Zedong¡¯s love for L¨®ng Wei was extreme. Usually, a father would get angry at his son for making trouble for everyone around him. However, Qiu Zedong¡¯s love for his youngest son was not hidden from anyone.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled away from the hug and stepped back. ¡°Royal Father is getting too emotional. I will return in a week with Li Hua,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I know. But for a father, his child¡¯s safety is at the top. Prince L¨®ng Wei has enemies around him because he always creates troubles,¡± Qiu Zedong expressed his concern.


    ¡°I have the Second General as my elder brother. Who will harm me when I have his protection,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and tilted his head to look at Qiu Mu, who sneered at him.


    ¡°Last night, I had this strange dream. I was being attacked and the Second Prince protected me,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced and smiled.


    ¡°Did you get such a dream? Then, postpone this journey. Monk Yuze says that such dreams are a signal for us,¡± Qiu Zedong opined.


    ¡°Royal Father, the dream meant that my elder Brother will protect me no matter what,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and told Qiu Zedong not to worry. ¡°We might gette if we stay for longer,¡± he added and looked at Li Hua. Forwarding his hand, he waited for her to put his hand on his palm.


    Li Hua put her hand on his palm and he gently closed it while gradually closing the distance between them.


    .....


    Xiaoming looked at them and asked them to be careful on the journey. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, do send a message upon your safe arrival,¡± he requested to L¨®ng Wei, who nodded.


    They bowed once again before the elders and left the greeting hall.


    Huang Xi greeted them as soon as they reached the main imperial gates of the pce. Li Hua felt awkward to see themander bowing his head. She felt that it was because of her title as the Princess Consort of L¨®ng Wei.


    Huang Xi lifted his head. It was his first time seeing Li Hua. For some reason, he found her familiar.


    ¡°What happened?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him, who shook his head.


    He went towards the carriage and opened the doors for them. L¨®ng Wei helped Li Hua get into the carriage. She lifted the long gown and ascended the stairs before stepping into the carriage.


    ¡°Why were you staring at her?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Huang Xi.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness. I think I have seen the same face somewhere, but I think it was my delusion,¡± he stated. L¨®ng Wei was not surprised to hear it. He decided not to reveal anything to Huang Xi until they reach Xinshui.


    ¡°You prepared everything, right?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked, who nodded his head.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, I will also apany you on this journey to Xinshui town.¡± They both heard Mingquan¡¯s voice and looked in his direction. Mingquan halted before L¨®ng Wei. ¡°The Royal Father has ordered for it,¡± Mingquan said and showed him the tiny scroll.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want the Fourth Prince to trouble himself,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and stepped forward when Mingquan grabbed his arm.


    ¡°It is not the time to argue, Brother L¨®ng Wei. I will only be of help. Think about your wife before making any decision,¡± Mingquan said.


    L¨®ng Wei turned to look at him. After staring at him, for a few minutes, he took the scroll from him and tore it into pieces. Huang Xi gulped to witness that. ¡°The Fourth Prince can return,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I don¡¯t need you,¡± he affirmed.


    Mingquan snickered and opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Royal Father is searching for the reason behind your mother¡¯s death. If Brother L¨®ng Wei cannot allow me to apany him, I will tell our Father about this,¡± Mingquan proimed. He had no way left except to ckmail L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°What do you know?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Does the Sixth Brother want me to say it here?¡± Mingquan queried and his brows furrowed.


    ¡°Yes.¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t hesitate.


    ¡°She had a-¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± before Mingquan couldplete his words, L¨®ng Wei interrupted him, ¡°the Fourth Prince can apany us.¡± Mingquan was d to hear it and looked behind. His horse was brought by the stable head.


    Huang Xi nced at L¨®ng Wei in bewilderment. A secret rted to his mother. What could it be? He was curious to know too. Huang Xi knew that L¨®ng Wei never revealed the exact truth behind killing his mother. But he got curious to know after what Mingquan said.


    L¨®ng Wei knitted his brows. He had not expected Mingquan to know about it all this time. The troublesome thing was that he never talked about it. Why? Mingquan had thousands of chances to tell this to their father. But he never did it.


    Mingquan moved close to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s ear and said, ¡°I am worried that¡¯s why I decided to apany you and your wife. I don¡¯t seek any benefits from you. I only want you both to be safe.¡± He stepped back and peered at L¨®ng Wei, who was still in confusion.


    Mingquan hopped on the horse while L¨®ng Wei got into the carriage. Huang Xi closed its doors and went to his horse. Mounting it, he asked the chauffeur to start. The carriage moved forward, and they left for Xinshui.


    Li Hua opened the window and looked outside the carriage. ¡°If you are sleepy, then you can lean on my shoulder,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°But I am not sleepy yet,¡± Li Hua replied.


    She found Mingquan was also apanying and asked the reason for it from L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°He is one of the best swordsmen. The Royal Father wants him to go with us to Xinshui,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    Li Hua quickly closed the window. ¡°The Fourth Prince will find out about me then. Why didn¡¯t His Highness stop him froming with us?¡± Li Hua got anxious andined to him.


    L¨®ng Wei took a deep breath in and crossed his arms. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± he said and closed his eyes.


    ~~~~~


    Qiu Mu looked at the soldiers, who were ready to chase the carriage. ¡°You all know what you have to do, right?¡± Qiu Mu asked them, who nodded.


    ¡°Only kill L¨®ng Wei. Don¡¯t harm others. Your main focus should be L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Mu instructed them.


    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± they all said in unison and left to kill L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°You made a mistake this time. All these years, I bore your sight. Now, go to hell. How could you tell everyone that I molested those petty servants? This punishment is to y with me,¡± Qiu Mu said with a grim look on his face.

 Chapter 118

    118 Admit your crimes


    Qiu Mu overturned the table when he found out that L¨®ng Wei again hoaxed him. Eunuch Shi Rang was troubled to see the anger of Qiu Mu.


    ¡®I am ten steps ahead of you.¡¯


    Qiu Mu¡¯s head spun as those words kept banging against his head like a stone hitting him. He started to throw everything that came in his hand to subdue his anger.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, I will kill you,¡± he threw the dagger in the air and it hit the wooden wall. His chest rose and fell because of the anger. The person he hated the most was L¨®ng Wei and this hatred was for many years. L¨®ng Wei used to leave no ground to humiliate him. He not only doubted his capabilities as the General in the army but also as a Prince.


    ¡°My Lord, please calm down,¡± Eunuch Shi Rang requested him and quickly filled the ss with water for him. Shi Rang forwarded it to Qiu Mu, who pushed it away. The water sshed on the floor and the metal¡¯s voice echoed in the chamber.


    ¡°Just get lost from my sight!!¡± Qiu Mu screamed at Shi Rang, who bowed and turned to leave. However, seeing the Crown Prince in front of him, he stopped.


    Qiu Mu was perplexed to see Xiaoming in the early morning in his chamber. Xiaoming looked around and found Qiu Mu destroyed many things for no reason.


    ¡°Give us some privacy,¡± Xiaoming told Eunuch Shi Rang, and Eunuch Lishi. They both walked out of the chamber, shutting the doors behind them.


    ¡°Forgive me, Crown Prince. I didn¡¯t intend to do it,¡± Qiu Mu said and let out a frustrated sigh. ¡°It is all because of him.¡± He gritted his teeth in annoyance.


    .....


    ¡°Brother Qiu Mu should not have to go this extreme. Brother L¨®ng Wei loves to get on the nerves of the people around him. Why did Brother Qiu Mu n to kill him?¡± Xiaoming scolded Qiu Mu while keeping his tone polite.


    ¡°Because he did something which almost ruined my reputation,¡± Qiu Mu affirmed.


    ¡°Brother Qiu Mu should not have molested the young female servants,¡± Xiaoming remarked and knitted his brows. ¡°You cannot fool me. I am your elder brother,¡± he stated.


    Qiu Mu chuckled at him. ¡°Molested? They were the ones who showed interest in me. It isn¡¯t wrong when you get attracted to someone,¡± Qiu Mu said. ¡°L¨®ng Wei wanted to snatch away my position. That is why I did it. The Crown Prince knows that he¡¯s a threat to us. If he dies, everything will get resolved.¡± Qiu Mu tried to get the support of Xiaoming.


    ¡°Tell the truth to the Royal Father,¡± Xiaoming said with a in expression on his face.


    ¡°Pardon me?¡± Qiu Mu tilted his head. He was shocked to hear that statement.


    ¡°Admit your crimes, Brother Qiu Mu. It is not good to treat a woman this way. You are a prince and if words go out, the situation will deteriorate,¡± Xiaoming opined. He wanted Qiu Mu to realize his mistake.


    ¡°The Crown Prince shall not forget that it was mutual. I never-¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t Brother Qiu Mu marry any of them? Why did Brother Qiu Mu throw them out of the pce? Why did Brother Qiu Mu make them see the false dreams of bing his concubine? Why did their condition be worse than before?¡± Xiaoming posed several questions in front of Qiu Mu.


    ¡°What has happened to the Crown Prince? What is he talking about? In the Pce, isn¡¯t it normal? I admit that it was the attraction for a few moments, but why would I make such petty servants my concubines? They should feel happy that I at least nced at them. The Second Prince of the Qiu Kingdom isn¡¯t any ordinary person.¡±


    Qiu Mu failed to understand that what he did was heinous in Xiaoming¡¯s eyes. The one thing Xiaoming hated was when a man proudly said that he could do anything with a woman.


    ¡°Be ready to get punished, Brother Qiu Mu. Imagine someone doing all this to one of our sisters. Will your thoughts be the same? You have time till the afternoon to think. If you do not go to the King yourself, then I will inform him,¡± Xiaoming pronounced and turned to leave.


    ¡°Before preaching to me about right and wrong, the Crown Prince must look at what he did. He killed thirty servants,¡± Qiu Mu stated, which made Xiaoming stop in his way. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he admit his crimes first?¡± He questioned him.


    ¡°Of course, I will admit it. I am heading to meet our Royal Father,¡± Xiaoming said, and he left the chamber.


    Qiu Mu threw the vessel on the floor and fisted his palms. ¡°It all happened because of L¨®ng Wei,¡± he muttered.


    ~~~~~~


    Xiaoming halted outside the manor of the King. Since today was not the court session, the King was taking a bath in the hot water spring of his manor.


    Eunuch Gao Bing informed Qiu Zedong about the Crown Prince¡¯s sudden visit to him.


    ¡°Tell the Crown Prince to wait for me in my private chamber. Give him tea,¡± Qiu Zedong ordered Gao Bing, who bowed and walked away.


    Xiaoming refused to take the tea and asked Gao Bing if he would wait.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t His Royal Highness take a seat?¡± Gao Bing asked humbly.


    ¡°That is not needed, Eunuch Gao Bing. Thank you for asking,¡± Xiaoming said and passed a tiny smile to him. Eunuch Gao Bing guessed that Xiaoming was in some trouble. He walked out to learn the truth from Eunuch Lishi.


    ¡°Greetings to the Senior Eunuch,¡± Eunuch Lishi was d to see that.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, is everything good with the Crown Prince?¡± Gao Bing queried.


    ¡°Did the Senior Eunuch also notice it?¡± Eunuch Lishi arched his brow. ¡°I am afraid, but I also do not know. These few days, the Crown Prince was in some deep trouble. He didn¡¯t sleep, eat well, and could not concentrate on his work. However, the previous night,¡± Eunuch Lishi looked around and moved closer to Eunuch Gao Bing, ¡°he was happy. He ate properly and then had a good sleep.¡±


    ¡°That seems strange, Eunuch Lishi. I think he hase to discuss it with his father. The Crown Prince usually shares his problems with his father more than his mother,¡± Gao Bing said. Eunuch Lishi agreed with his words.

 Chapter 119

    119 She is not suitable


    The King wore the silk robe and tied a loose knot on it. He reached his chamber and found Xiaoming was standing instead of sitting on the chair. Upon seeing his Father, Xiaoming greeted him formally and bowed.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t the Crown Prince take a seat?¡± Qiu Zedong asked and settled on the broad cushioned red mahogany wood chair, which had beautiful golden patterns carved on it.


    Xiaoming got on his knees and put his palms on the floor.


    He bowed, and his forehead touched the floor. Qiu Zedong was bewildered to see this act of the Crown Prince.


    ¡°I am here to admit the biggest crime I evermitted, Royal Father,¡± Xiaoming started to speak. Qiu Zedong widened his eyes, wondering what the Crown Prince had to say.


    ¡°The Royal Father knows well about my feelings for Li Hua. For some reason, she stole my heart, and I wanted to marry her. Because of the strange fear inside my heart, I was preparing for the right time. However, by then, Brother L¨®ng Wei arrived at the pce and imed that he was in love with Li Hua. The Royal Father agreed to their marriage which I was unable to ept. That¡¯s why I made a n. I thought if the Sixth Brother somehow returned to the cold pce, then I could marry Li Hua again. I hired that assassin and ordered him to murder those thirty servants. I framed Brother L¨®ng Wei for no reason. Please punish me, Royal Father.¡±


    Xiaoming didn¡¯t hesitate to reveal the truth to his father. It was the best solution for his every problem- to admit his crime and get punished for it.


    ¡°Royal Father, please punish me for not only taking the lives of those thirty innocent servants but also putting the false usations on my youngest brother. I deserve to be punished,¡± Xiaoming said.


    Qiu Zedong could not believe that his first son went this extreme for a mere woman. He didn¡¯t like to know that for Li Hua, Xiaoming also forgot L¨®ng Wei was his youngest brother. His duty was to protect him not to harm him.


    .....


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Xiaoming would do something like this. I had told him that he didn¡¯t deserve Li Hua as his wife. She is a servant, who will never benefit him. As the Crown Prince, his main focus should be on how to strengthen himself. Did he not think even once that his actions could make me force to dethrone him?¡± Qiu Zedong shouted at Xiaoming, who kept his head low.


    ¡°I will ept the punishment dly, Royal Father. I am ready to repent the mistake that I have made. I will apologize to Brother L¨®ng Wei when he returns to the pce. If the Royal Father thinks that I am not capable of the Crown, then he can take it away,¡± Xiaoming pronounced.


    ¡°Xiaoming!¡± Qiu Zedong lost his temper. ¡°How dare you tell me what to do and what not to do? Does this all look like a y to you?¡± He could not believe that Xiaoming talked about giving away the Crown.


    ¡°If a Prince makes a mistake, he is punished to bring him on the right path. However, if the Crown Prince makes a mistake, he is supposed to hide it. The Ministers, and the officials all will be ready to go against you. Don¡¯t you know destabilization in power benefits them the most?¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s words forced Xiaoming to look at him.


    ¡°Does it mean the Royal Father will not punish me?¡± Xiaoming was confused. He again downcasted his eyelids and waited for his father¡¯s reply.


    ¡°I will announce my decision when both L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua return to the pce. I am d that Xiaoming didn¡¯t hide his crime from me. However, before their return, I will give another punishment to you. I cannot let it go unnoticed either,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted.


    ¡°I am willing to ept any punishment that the Royal Father will give,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Meet the family of those thirty servants,¡± Qiu Zedong told Xiaoming, who promptly agreed to him.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t going to be easy. When you will see their sad faces, you surely realize that as the Crown Prince, your duty is to protect them, not to take innocent lives. I want you to take care of their families,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. Xiaoming agreed to what his father told him. He was in deep guilt after that day. He should not have done such a wicked thing. He indeed had lost his mind while ordering their murder.


    ¡°Xiaoming, you remember the prophecy for L¨®ng Wei, right?¡± Qiu Zedong asked him out of the blue.


    Xiaoming lifted his head again to peer into his Father¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yes, Royal Father,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°He has a bigger aim in this life. I know as the eldest son of the family, you are destined to be on this throne after me. Don¡¯t ever think that L¨®ng Wei will try to snatch it from you. In terms of leadership, no Prince is better than you. So, don¡¯t feel insecure because of that prophecy. L¨®ng Wei focuses his mind on the wrong things and it will take time to bring him on the right track. As his eldest brother, your duty is to protect him and lead him,¡± Qiu Zedong exined to Xiaoming.


    ¡°I understand, Royal Father. However, Brother L¨®ng Wei thinks that I am his enemy,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°Every time I tried to help, he thought the same.¡± He looked upset.


    ¡°Because L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother never took care of him. Since she never did, he grew up that way. He finds new ways to get the attention of people around him. Neither my Queen nor my Consorts put attention on him the way a mother should do. He thinks of everyone as his enemy. Being the eldest brother, it¡¯s your duty to make him feel secure.¡±


    Qiu Zedong didn¡¯t want Xiaoming to hate L¨®ng Wei just because he could not marry Li Hua. The thought troubled him, because of Li Hua Xiaoming didn¡¯t think of L¨®ng Wei. He had seen Xiaoming protecting L¨®ng Wei even from the punishments, but this was something unexpected from his side.


    ¡°Royal Father, I understood your words. I again sincerely apologize for my terrible mistake. I will wait for my Royal Father¡¯s judgment,¡± Xiaoming said while remaining seated on the floor.


    Qiu Zedong hummed. ¡®If Li Hua doesn¡¯t seed in her mission, I will have to kill her. She¡¯s not suitable for this royal family,¡¯ Qiu Zedong thought in his mind.

 Chapter 120

    120 Miracles do not happen


    Li Hua yawned and turned to look at L¨®ng Wei, who had his head resting on the wall of the carriage. She slightly moved toward him and their arms touched. She found him sleeping, so put her head on his shoulder. She felt rxed and closed her eyes.


    L¨®ng Wei gradually opened his eyelids and narrowly gazed at Li Hua. A smile formed on his lips upon seeing her. After a while, he slowly pushed his hand behind her back and without disturbing her sleep, he snuggled her close.


    He looked outside of the window that Li Hua had opened again and saw Mingquan on the horse. Since they were on the hilly route, the chauffeur drove the carriage slowly.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mind went back to the day when he killed his mother. He had made sure that no one would be around. Did he chase him? That was impossible. ¡®I killed her in the middle of the night when everyone had fallen asleep. Since she was a concubine, her chamber was far from where the Princes resided. How could he find out about it?¡¯


    L¨®ng Wei contemted every possible way he could. But nothing could exactly match his thoughts. He would not deny that Mingquan was sharper among the other princes.


    ¡®Why does he want to protect me? He never acted this way. What¡¯s going on?¡¯ L¨®ng Wei wondered, and deep frowns appeared on his forehead.


    Li Hua moved in her sleep, and he looked down. It must be difficult for her. He brought his warm hand to her forehead and caressed it.


    Mingquan, who was outside the carriage, nced at them. A tiny smile appeared on his lips. He was unable to believe his eyes that L¨®ng Wei was taking care of his wife in extremely careful way.


    ¡®Brother L¨®ng Wei must love her a lot. For her, he fought with everyone. Hopefully, Li Hua will change the Brother, and he will start acknowledging us too.¡¯ Mingquan thought in his mind and again looked straight ahead. He was impressed by L¨®ng Wei. He had changed the route to reach Xinshui. It was difficult to cover, but safer than the other one. Though, it would tire them terribly.


    .....


    ~~~~~


    Xiaoming closed the book of literature and poetry. He picked the brush from the stand and dipped it into the ink on the inkstone. Spreading the sheet on the table, he calligraphed a poem that he had thought of for a long time.


    With a single stroke, he wrote on the sheet. Moving his hand away, he looked at the sheet. A smile formed on his lips. After admitting his crimes, he felt light. The heavy burden on him had finally been removed. However, he wasn¡¯t sure what punishment the King would give after L¨®ng Wei would return with Li Hua.


    ¡°The Royal Mother did take care of Brother L¨®ng Wei. Then, why did the Royal Father say that L¨®ng Wei never got the care of a mother? He has been strange since a young age,¡± Xiaoming murmured.


    He heard the sound of anklets and lifted his head. His mother, Zhu Liling, was standing in front of him. Quickly, he put the brush on the inkstone and stood up.


    ¡°Greetings to the Royal Mother.¡± Xiaoming rested both of his hands on his abdomen and bowed. He raised his head and asked his mother to take a seat, who settled on the chair and nced at Eunuch Lianying, who understood her gesture. He asked the servants to follow him out.


    ¡°May I know the reason behind the sudden visit of my Royal Mother?¡± Xiaoming asked humbly.


    ¡°Please take the seat, Crown Prince,¡± Zhu Liling said, and Xiaoming came forward to sit on the floor chair.


    ¡°The preparation of the Dragon boat festival has been started. This time many young nobledies will visit the pce. The Prime Minister¡¯s daughter will also be present. Since the Crown Prince told mest time that he is not interested in her, I decided to invite the other court ministers¡¯ daughters to this festival,¡± Zhu Liling said proudly.


    The never-ending smile on her lips clearly showed that she already had selected nobledies for him in her mind.


    ¡°Royal Mother, I don¡¯t think that anyone could steal my heart. I am looking for someone different,¡± Xiaoming asserted. He didn¡¯t want his mother to keep her hopes high. Because in thest, he would only refuse marrying the woman of her choice.


    ¡°The Crown Prince doesn¡¯t even know any of them. How can he judge that any of them are not of his choice?¡± Zhu Liling asked him.


    ¡°I have heard about those nobledies. Eunuch Lishi always briefs me about every new woman once in a while,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    Zhu Liling smiled a little. ¡°The Crown Prince has a sister too. If he will get married soon, then his sister will also get a good proposal,¡± she affirmed.


    ¡°It¡¯s already decided with whom my younger sister will marry. Hei Huang Xi whom she loved for a long time. I urge the Royal Mother not to make efforts when nothing good wille out,¡± Xiaoming affirmed.


    ¡°Does the Crown Prince mean that this time again, he would try to dy his marriage?¡± Zhu Liling knitted her brows in concern. She didn¡¯t want Xiaoming to dy his marriage again, as it would give the ground to ridiculous rumors against him.


    ¡°Royal Mother, I have promised the Royal Father that I will find a suitable official wife for myself within this month. The Royal Mother must not trouble herself,¡± Xiaoming proimed, keeping his tone humble.


    ¡°I won¡¯t do anything for a month, Crown Prince. I invited them so that the Crown Prince can watch them and decide ordingly. No matter what, the Crown Prince has to marry any one of them,¡± Zhu Liling cleared him.


    ¡°Yes, Royal Mother.¡± Xiaoming agreed with her words. He didn¡¯t want to argue with his mother again over this matter. Xiaoming was well aware of every daughter of those court ministers. Most of them would want to seize power and benefit their respective families.


    ¡°Royal Mother, please do not worry. I will definitely find someone for me within this month,¡± Xiaoming assured Zhu Liling, who was delighted to hear him.


    ¡°Your Mother is eagerly waiting for that day,¡± Zhu Liling said. She looked towards the desk and asked him if he was again writing poems.


    ¡°Just one, Royal Mother,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    Zhu Liling nodded her head. ¡°I will take my leave then. Tomorrow, Miss Cha will visit the Crown Prince,¡± Zhu Liling said.


    ¡°Pardon me?¡± Xiaoming was shocked to learn about it. ¡°Why will she visit me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I have called her to the pce, so she asked me if she could visit the Crown Prince. I allowed her. I hope the Crown Prince will not mind,¡± Zhu Liling replied and waited for Xiaoming to speak.


    ¡°My mother thinks that I will not be able to find a suitable woman for myself within this month,¡± Xiaoming said while smiling.


    ¡°Whatever a mother thinks for her child is best,¡± Zhu Liling opined. ¡°Miracles do not happen this way. The Crown Prince is in search of a woman for four years, yet he is unable to find one. I will be d if he finds one. However, if for any reason, if the Crown Prince fails to find one, I shall prepare,¡± Zhu Liling affirmed.

 Chapter 121

    121 Your luck and determination


    Xiaoming didn¡¯t like it that his mother again went on the same topic. Out of all the women, why did his mother have to select the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter?


    ¡°Then, the Royal Mother shall not invite the daughters of those ministers after two days. Since in her mind, in her heart, Miss Cha has already taken the ce of an ideal woman for his son.¡±


    Xiaoming had initially thought not to argue over it, but it seemed that it was necessary- to voice out what he truly wanted. He understood that his mother had the biggest role in what he was today. He respected her for this. But he couldn¡¯t handle it when despite his refusal, his mother was adamant about making the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter marry him.


    Zhu Liling settled on the chair again. ¡°The Crown Prince is forgetting that he needs to select a few concubines too,¡± she asserted. Qiu Zedong had talked to Zhu Liling many times and asked her when Xiaoming would select concubines.


    ¡°Concubines?¡± Xiaoming frowned. ¡°I won¡¯t select any,¡± he said with a grim expression.


    ¡°What is the Crown Prince saying?¡± Zhu Liling slightly raised her voice at Xiaoming. ¡°I will select the concubines for the Crown Prince. You should be happy that I invited them to the pce. I would like to know your opinion on that,¡± Zhu Liling pronounced.


    ¡°Forgive me, Royal Mother,¡± Xiaoming apologized, ¡°but I don¡¯t want any concubine. We had a detailed conversation over this earlier too. I had told my mother why I want to have only an official wife. Being a woman, the Royal Mother knows the life of a concubine. I don¡¯t want anyone to suffer this way with me when I cannot distribute my love to all.¡± Xiaoming once again rified to his mother.


    ¡°Who is telling the Crown Prince to love all of them? He only needs to spend a night with the selected concubines and-¡±


    ¡°Enough, Royal Mother,¡± Xiaoming clenched his fists. ¡°I have some urgent matters of the Kingdom to look over. Please excuse me.¡± Xiaoming decided to leave his chamber before he would say anything to his mother in anger.


    .....


    ¡°The Crown Prince cannot defy the rules of the inner pce. I will select two concubines for him within this week if he continues to refuse it,¡± Zhu Liling stated, with a stern tone.


    ¡°I will converse with the Royal Father,¡± Xiaoming said and left his chamber. He was annoyed after having a conversation with his mother. Why did she have to bring all this and ruin his mood?


    Eunuch Lianying saw himing out and bowed. Xiaoming ignored him and walked ahead.


    He stopped outside the manor of the King but didn¡¯t go inside. It would not be good if he troubled his father, after arguing with his mother. He decided to calm down before taking any steps.


    ~~~~~


    Li Hua opened her eyes and sat straight. Tilting her head to the right, she found L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand on her right shoulder. ¡°I hope the nap was good.¡± His voice fell into her ears, and she turned her head to look at him.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± L¨®ng Wei lifted his other hand and wiped the saliva from her mouth using his sleeves.


    ¡°You drooled,¡± he said. Li Hua got cautious and started to wipe her mouth.


    ¡°I have already wiped it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and put his hand down. Li Hua also put her hands on herp and fidgeted with her fingers. ¡°His Highness can let go of his arm from my shoulder,¡± she said in a low voice.


    ¡°I cannot,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°How did you reach the capital? I could never ask you in the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and lowered his head to meet her gaze.


    ¡°At first, I didn¡¯t know that the capital was near Xinshui. I spent a night in the forest. I used to get scared of darkness, but that night, my fear of darkness vanished as if it never existed. Feng Lao told me the route which I had to follow. I only followed that. Luckily, I met a kind olddy, who took me home and gave me clothes and food. That time I decided that I must go to the pce to find the answers. So, I asked her about the procedure to enter the pce. I left her house and took a cart to reach the capital. Then, I directly applied in the pce for the job of a maidservant.¡±


    Li Hua briefed him on how she managed to enter the pce.


    ¡°I admire your luck and determination. You knew nothing, yet you made the toughest decision of your life,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He had seen her, observed her. She was the type to scare away easily.


    ¡°His Highness told me that the circumstances make you stronger. I lost everyone and somewhere, the thought didn¡¯t let me sleep. I had to find its cause and staying in fear wasn¡¯t an option.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei found her so calm, yet her voice seemed depressing.


    ¡°His Highness asked me why I didn¡¯t stay in the residence. If I had, then I would have died. Those assassins killed everyone mercilessly. My Father asked me to run away. It was supposed to be the most memorable night, but it turned into a darkest night for me,¡± Li Hua said. This time her voice didn¡¯t quiver, else most of the time, she would pause to say this. For some reason, she could feel the new energy inside her.


    Probably, she was going to her hometown, where she would meet her eldest brother- the only person from her family who survived.


    L¨®ng Wei brought his hand to her head and snuggled her, close to him. He didn¡¯t speak anything this time and only patted her head, trying tofort her, which she needed the most.


    Li Hua closed her eyes and felt the warmth. Her heart fluttered even with that small action of L¨®ng Wei. It must be her good deeds that she found a person like L¨®ng Wei, who was ready to do anything for her.

 Chapter 122

    122 He is cunning


    Eunuch Lishi brought the list of the robbers from the royal inspector and reached the manor with happiness. When the maidservant outside the chamber informed him that Xiaoming wasn¡¯t present, it confused him.


    ¡°Where did the Crown Prince go?¡± Eunuch Lishi queried her.


    ¡°Earlier Her Majesty hade. They had a conversation and the Crown Prince left in anger,¡± the maidservant answered. Eunuch Lishi hummed and decided to wait for Xiaoming. He walked inside and looked at the desk.


    Eunuch Lishi put the folded paper on the desk. He cleaned the brush which was on the inkstone and put it on the brush stand. He cleaned the desk and stepped back.


    Luckily, Xiaoming returned in a few minutes. Eunuch Lishi greeted him and told him that he had brought the list of those robbers that the Crown Prince had asked for.


    Xiaoming, who had pulled up his face picked up the folded sheet. He opened it and looked through the names. He could not find any woman¡¯s name and it saddened him.


    ¡°What about the other task that I had given you?¡± Xiaoming tilted his head to narrowly gaze at him.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I thought to present this list first,¡± Eunuch Lishi replied.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Xiaoming wasn¡¯t happy with his answer. ¡°I had given a small task to Eunuch Lishi yet he could not properly do it. I want the result within an hour. I am already in a terrible mood, so better bring what I need,¡± Xiaoming said.


    .....


    Eunuch Lishi bowed. ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness. Please forgive me for not working properly,¡± he apologized and slowly took backward steps before stepping out of the chamber.


    Xiaoming crumpled the paper and threw it away. He mmed his hands on the desk. Nothing was going the way he wanted to. He turned and leaned himself against the desk.


    ¡°Why can I not do what I want? Why do I need to be careful with every step? Why do I need to have so many women in my life? Will one not suffice for everything?¡± Xiaoming mumbled and let out a frustrated sigh, and, he closed his eyes.


    A maidservant came inside, informing him about Qiu Mu, who wanted to see Xiaoming.


    ¡°Let him in,¡± Xiaoming permitted Qiu Mu to see him. The maidservant bowed and walked out. After a while, Qiu Mu walked in and saw the Crown Prince near the window. He walked to him and halted a foot away from him.


    ¡°Greetings to the Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°I told the truth to the Royal Father. He will announce the judgment on the matter when Brother L¨®ng Wei returns,¡± Xiaoming informed Qiu Mu, and tilted his head. Qiu Mu lifted his head to nce at him.


    Xiaoming turned to look at Qiu Mu. ¡°It is the time that you must admit the crime which you havemitted,¡± Xiaoming advised him again.


    ¡°Crown Prince, there¡¯s no evidence about it. So, why I shall ept the false usation?¡± Qiu Mu¡¯s words stunned Xiaoming.


    ¡°Brother Qiu Mu, if Father finds out from some external source, then you may get into the problem.¡± Xiaoming tried convincing Qiu Mu. ¡°Think about those women. Don¡¯t you feel remorseful of your acts?¡± Xiaoming questioned him. He wanted Qiu Mu to at least listen to his conscience.


    Getting no response from Qiu Mu, Xiaoming said, ¡°I will tell the Royal Father if Brother Qiu Mu doesn¡¯t. I will tell him that he even plotted to kill Brother L¨®ng Wei.¡± He thought of threatening Qiu Mu, who smiled.


    ¡°The Crown Prince must not forget that he also wanted this. He also wants L¨®ng Wei to disappear from our sight,¡± Qiu Mu said and walked to Xiaoming. Grasping his arms, ¡°Fine. I made a mistake. I admit it. But will that solve anything? If the Crown Prince tells our Royal Father, then my position will fall into danger. The extraordinary support that I give to the Crown Prince, I may lose it. He will fall weak too. It has been months, and I never repeated any such thing, Crown Prince. Can you not trust me?¡±


    Qiu Mu peered into Xiaoming with a pleading look. He didn¡¯t want it to spread among people because he would lose everything.


    ¡°If Brother Qiu Mu doesn¡¯t ept it in front of our Royal Father, then Brother L¨®ng Wei may reveal itter. He is cunning and will not let it slide away. He will use it against Brother Mu. That¡¯s why I want him to say the truth and beg for forgiveness. I want Brother Qiu Mu to think well,¡± Xiaoming advised him again.


    ¡°I will be honest. Brother L¨®ng Wei exaggerated it. I never molested them. I got physical with them because they also showed interest in me. I lost interest in them... it¡¯s tough to exin,¡± Qiu Mu stated and pinched the skin between his brows.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I want Brother Qiu Mu to take responsibility for it. If he isn¡¯t wrong, then why did he throw them out? He should have let them work in the pce,¡± Xiaoming proimed. Somewhere, he was not believing Qiu Mu¡¯s words.


    ¡°I got mesmerized by their beauty. For five months, I have not even done it. I mean... they started to ask me to make them my concubines, so I stopped showing interest in them. As I said, it was mutual, I wasn¡¯t the only one to be med here. They also liked it. Also, I only got close to five female servants in different time. Sending them away from the pce was the best option, Crown Prince,¡± Qiu Mu exined to Xiaoming.


    ¡°If I tell the Royal Father, then he will be disappointed seeing that I got attracted towards servants,¡± Qiu Mu said. ¡°I thought my attention was enough for them. However, they wanted me to make them concubines. I know that hardly anyone would believe me, but it is the real truth. The revtion that L¨®ng Wei made was a half-lie,¡± Qiu Mu affirmed.


    ¡°Why does Brother Mu have to do all this? It seems you used them for pleasure because when they asked you to include them in your life, you stepped back saying they are mere servants. It¡¯s not right,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    Qiu Mu had made up his mind that he would kill L¨®ng Wei anyhow. He failed to kill him in the capital, but not in Xinshui.


    ¡°The Crown Prince shall not get worried. I will handle it my way. Thank you for listening to me.¡± Qiu Mu bowed and was ready to leave when Xiaoming asked him again to think properly. Qiu Mu hummed and walked away.

 Chapter 123

    123 Is it too tough to say?


    The carriage stopped at the entry gate of Xinshui town. Huang Xi showed his identity token to one of the guards deployed at the gate. He immediately greeted the Commander and returned the token to him.


    He gestured to the other soldiers to open the gates, who pulled the lever. The giant gate opened up. Li Hua peeked outside the window, and L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t stop her.


    Li Hua was amazed to see such a big gate was present in Xinshui. Her father never let her go out, so she could never get to see these things. Since it waste at night, she could not see much. She leaned back in her seat and smiled.


    ¡°I can feel my hometown¡¯s air,¡± Li Hua said in a low voice.


    She gazed into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes. ¡°Your Highness, I am eager to see my brother,¡± she said, but she looked anxious. She moved close to L¨®ng Wei and leaned toward him to whisper,


    ¡°The Fourth Prince and the Second Commander will get suspicious. What will we do then?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to look at her. ¡°You don¡¯t need to think about that.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words assured her, and she smiled. She decided to move back to her ce when one of the wheels of the carriage bumped over a huge pebble, and the carriage faltered.


    Li Hua¡¯s body pushed against L¨®ng Wei, and her lipsnded on his cheek. She immediately moved back, covering her mouth with her palm while he nced at her in amusement.


    ¡°That was a mistake,¡± she slowly put her hands down, ¡°your Highness.¡±


    .....


    ¡°You make a lot of mistakes these days,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as his lips twisted into a smirk. L¨®ng Wei moved to her while she moved back until her back hit the carriage while L¨®ng Wei closed the distance between them.


    He ducked his head while Li Hua tightly shut her eyes. He gently grasped her hand and brought it near his mouth. He kissed her knuckles while Li Hua opened her eyes to watch him.


    ¡°Got disappointed?¡± He arched his brow, which confused Li Hua. L¨®ng Wei lifted her chin with the pad of his index finger and said, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we celebrate this small victory of ours?¡±


    ¡°Victory?¡± She furrowed.


    ¡°Hmm. We entered Xinshui,¡± L¨®ng Wei whispered.


    ¡°How?¡± She pried at him.


    ¡°Of course, with a kiss. It is mandatory,¡± L¨®ng Wei said huskily and smiled.


    ¡°They can see us,¡± Li Hua gestured towards the window. L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to look outside and realized Mingquan was behind the carriage.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and looked back at her. He discovered that Li Hua was no longer refusing to kiss him. They both looked into each other¡¯s eyes for a while. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face moved closer to Li Hua, and their noses touched. She felt tingles and sparks in every inch of her body as their lips connected.


    L¨®ng Wei kept the kiss gentle, whichsted for a few seconds. A soft kissnded on the middle of her forehead. He again peered into her eyes and passed a smile to her.


    ¡°I love you,¡± he said.


    Li Hua gawked at him and pursed her lips together.


    ¡°Is it too tough to say?¡± he asked.


    Li Hua nodded.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s make it easier. You can say, ¡®me too, Dear Husband¡¯.¡± He smiled brightly.


    Li Hua fiddled with her fingers and looked out of the window again.


    ¡°I will wait for your reply,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t respond to him and kept her gaze outside. L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t force her because he knew, in her mind, Feng Lao was still present.


    ¡°You won¡¯t share kisses with a person if you don¡¯t have feelings for that person,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Li Hua totally agreed with him, but she didn¡¯t speak.


    L¨®ng Wei gave up and looked the other way. ¡®I can¡¯t lose my patience. Be gentle around her,¡¯ he told himself.


    ~~~~~~


    Xiaoming red at Eunuch Lishi, who failed to find the woman. He didn¡¯t dare to look into Xiaoming¡¯s eyes and kept his eyes low.


    ¡°Please punish me, Your Royal Highness.¡±


    ¡°How could you not find the jade ne and the three jade rings?¡± Xiaoming was disappointed in him.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Royal Highness,¡± Eunuch Lishi again apologized. ¡°Some shops were closed today. So, I couldn¡¯t check into them. I will do it tomorrow, Your Royal Highness. Please do not be angry,¡± he opined and requested to give him another chance.


    ¡°I will go tomorrow,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, people may recognize you. I will ask General Hei to apany us,¡± Eunuch Lishi stated.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want this matter to go out. Eunuch Lishi, what¡¯s wrong with your mind?¡± Xiaoming again scolded him. ¡°I will hide my face. It¡¯s not tough to do that. You can apany me since not many have seen you,¡± he added.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness,¡± Eunuch Lishi agreed with what Xiaoming said.


    Xiaoming recalled the eyes of the woman. ¡°How could she not recognize me? Even my clothes are made from the finest silk ever. And not every noble wears a jade ne and rings. Wasn¡¯t it enough for her to know that I am a Prince?!¡± He murmured.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, shall I bring dinner for you?¡± Eunuch Lishi asked.


    ¡°Later,¡± Xiaoming said.


    Eunuch Lishi left the chamber while Xiaoming fell back into that woman¡¯s thoughts.


    He picked the brush and dipped it into the ink. Spreading a sheet on the table, he started to draw what he had seen the previous evening. Half an hourter, he prepared the sketch. ¡°Those fearless eyes, that firm grip, and that determined voice- everything about her, is so special,¡± he mumbled as he looked at the sketch of the woman.


    Eunuch Lishi tried to take a peek when Xiaoming nced at him.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I was informed that the Queen hade in the afternoon,¡± Eunuch Lishi said.


    ¡°What do you want to say?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, Her Majesty, wants your good. The Crown Prince needs to be stronger politically too. I know that admirers of the Crown Prince arerge, but all the ministers cannot be trustworthy. With the marriage with Miss Cha the Crown Prince will get benefited the most,¡± Eunuch Lishi said while being careful with his words.

 Chapter 124

    124 A man bes soft around his woman


    ¡°The Crown Prince needs to select the concubines because with that he will bring more noble families to support him. Her Majesty only wants to secure the future of the Crown Prince,¡± Eunuch Lishi said humbly.


    Xiaoming understood his mother¡¯s concern. Eunuch Lishi was right: to be politically stronger Xiaoming needed a strong minister¡¯s support. However, he didn¡¯t want multiple women in his life. He could never share bed with many women.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, I would love to marry a simple woman with a simple background rather than a woman from a noble family,¡± Xiaoming announced.


    Eunuch Lishi was bewildered to hear his words. ¡°Pardon me, Your Royal Highness. The Crown Prince needs to think about his future,¡± Eunuch Lishi said.


    ¡°I know what I need in the future, Eunuch Lishi. I don¡¯t want to see myself not being able to love any of the women I take. I want love. I want someone who will support me without any greed. Keeping too many women is a headache for me. I don¡¯t want that,¡± Xiaoming rified to Eunuch Lishi.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, being the Crown Prince you cannot deny this fate. You need to choose at least one concubine and an official wife. The Crown Prince will be considered inappropriate for this position, if he keeps refusing it.¡± Eunuch Lishi attempted to make Xiaoming understand. If such a thing would fall in Qiu Zedong¡¯s ear, he might rece Xiaoming.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, this is thest time I heard this from you. I will not tolerate it next time. The Royal Father will never rece me. You don¡¯t need to put stress on my marriage. I will find a suitable woman for myself,¡± Xiaoming sternly said. Eunuch Lishi apologized to him for speaking that way.


    ¡°I will sleepte. Eunuch Lishi is dismissed,¡± Xiaoming said, thus ending the conversation between them.


    Eunuch Lishi bowed and left the chamber, closing the doors behind him.


    .....


    ¡°They won¡¯t let me survive if I don¡¯t get married within this month,¡± he muttered.


    ~~~~~


    Li Hua ced her hand on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s palm and rested her right foot on the footte. L¨®ng Wei helped her get down and brushed the fringes behind her ear. Mingquan looked at them and smiled.


    ¡°A man bes soft around his wife,¡± Huang Xi whispered near Mingquan¡¯s ear, who agreed with him. He looked at thergest main building in the cold pce and then gazed at L¨®ng Wei, who was busy admiring Li Hua in the moonlight.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, we shall head inside,¡± Mingquan said, who hummed.


    Li Hua¡¯s heart was racing because it was restless. She was going to see Xu Zifan, her first brother. When L¨®ng Wei¡¯s warm palm held her hand, she turned a little stable.


    The cold pce keeper, Eunuch Qian He, was waiting for them at the top of the stairs. Behind him, four pce servants were standing withnterns in their respective hands.


    Qian He bowed before them. ¡°Show Prince Mingquan his chamber,¡± he instructed one of the servants, who came forward. He asked Mingquan humbly to follow him.


    Mingquan looked at L¨®ng Wei and then left with the servant.


    Once he left, L¨®ng Wei asked Qian He to show the chamber to Huang Xi and the other soldiers, the chaffeur, who were more tired than them. Qian He nodded. He asked Huang Xi and the others to follow him.


    Huang Xi bid the goodnight to L¨®ng Wei and left.


    L¨®ng Wei turned to look at Li Hua. ¡°Calm down,¡± he said and started to walk, dragging her along with him. Therge corridor seemed a never-ending way to Li Hua. After taking many turns, they finally stopped outside a room. Outside it, two fire torches were hung on the walls.


    ¡°Is Xu Zifan awake?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked the servant, who was standing outside the room.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°You all are dismissed,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. The servant bowed and left their sight.


    L¨®ng Wei pushed the door, and it opened. ¡°Come,¡± he said, and Li Hua stepped inside the room. He closed the door and asked her to go ahead. Li Hua didn¡¯t even stop for a second and ran inside to see her brother.


    Her feet halted as she saw Xu Zifan in front of him. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she ran to him. She tightly hugged Xu Zifan and started to weep like a baby.


    ¡°Elder First Brother,¡± she said softly and tightly shut her eyes. She could not express this feeling. She found peace in her brother¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± Xu Zifan called out her name and put his left arm around her back. He patted her back and smiled.


    L¨®ng Wei also reached the main chamber and sat on the chaise lounge silently, letting the brother-sister enjoy each other¡¯spany.


    Li Hua sobbed as she gradually withdrew from the hug. She looked at her brother, who had a tiny smile on his lips. She looked at his right arm, which was no more. ¡°I thought I lost everyone,¡± Li Hua said and she again started to cry.


    Xu Zifan caressed Li Hua¡¯s head. ¡°I survived thanks to Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± he said and looked at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to express my sincere gratitude towards Prince L¨®ng Wei. However, I know, life is dedicated to him,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°Watch your words, Xu Zifan. I am too greedy for people¡¯s lives,¡± he asserted.


    Li Hua wiped the tears from her cheeks.


    ¡°Elder First Brother, you lost your arm. Isn¡¯t it painful? I can see that you have also lost weight,¡± Li Hua said with a concerned look. ¡°Why did it happen?¡± She again turned emotional while looking at her brother¡¯s right sleeve, which was hanging loosely.


    ¡°It has been over two months. The pain has gone,¡± Xu Zifan replied. ¡°Now, that I have seen my sister, I will gain weight,¡± he said and smiled.


    ¡°Elder First Brother still loves to joke,¡± Li Hua said with a tiny smile.


    ¡°Li Hua looks beautiful. I am d, you married Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xu Zifan said. ¡°He adores you a lot,¡± he kept smiling. Li Hua wondered if L¨®ng Wei had nned all this long ago.


    ¡°Sadly, your sister still doesn¡¯t feel anything for me. If I say ¡®I love you¡¯, to her, she doesn¡¯t respond,¡± L¨®ng Weiined.


    Li Hua¡¯s jaw dropped down. She gaped at him, who grinned at her. Xu Zifan smiled upon hearing L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Women are usually shy to express their feelings, Your Highness. Their actions speak louder,¡± Xu Zifan pronounced. Li Hua felt awkward. L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t even hesitate to speak about such things in front of her brother.


    ¡°Umm... actions?¡± L¨®ng Wei smirked and for some reason, it made Li Hua blush which he noticed.


    He rose to his feet. ¡°We shall head back to our chamber. You both can resume your conversation in the morning. We are hungry and tired,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    ¡°Can we not have our dinner with my Elder First Brother?¡± Li Hua requested him.


    ¡°I had my dinner earlier,¡± Xu Zifan lied. He knew that L¨®ng Wei wanted to spend his time with Li Hua and he didn¡¯t want to be a bone of contention between them. ¡°We can have breakfast together in the morning,¡± Xu Zifan opined.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Li Hua again hugged him. ¡°It feels so unreal, Elder Brother. I can¡¯t express my happiness,¡± she said and pulled away.


    ¡°Li Hua, I never knew you would be this strong. Your brother is proud of you,¡± Xu Zifan said as his eyes filled with tears. ¡°Have a good night¡¯s sleep. I will see you in the morning,¡± Xu Zifan told her and stroked her hair. Li Hua hummed and walked to L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei turned and left the room while Li Hua followed him. He closed the doors behind him and took Li Hua with him.

 Chapter 125

    125 Your Family, your Husband and your Lover


    Li Hua was awestruck to see the chamber. It was no lesser than a grand hall. The mahogany furniture was right under the arched ceiling of this grand chamber. One thing that shocked her was that the chamber was well lit and well decorated.


    The long curtains were hanging loose around the pirs. She walked ahead and reached the other side of the chamber, where a huge bed was ced at the center. It was surrounded by the red curtains and the bedsheet used was red. She wondered if L¨®ng Wei asked the servants to decorate the chamber this way. One thing that she was sure about was that L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t like vibrant colors.


    She turned and gazed at L¨®ng Wei, who had followed her inside.


    ¡°Your Highness, you do not like such colors. Then, why did His Highness ask the servants to decorate this grand chamber?¡±


    ¡°Did I ever say that I hate vibrant colors?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°No. But in the pce,¡± Li Hua lifted her hand, ¡°the room isn¡¯t well decorated.¡±


    ¡°I like to keep that ce dark,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and reached out his hand to remove the unbuttoned overcoat from his shoulder. He removed it and threw it on the floor.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner. I am hungry,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and walked away. Li Hua picked up the overcoat from the floor and put it on the bed. She ran after him and sat on one of the mahogany chairs.


    Three maidservants walked in and set the table for them. They stepped back and upon L¨®ng Wei¡¯s order, they left.


    .....


    Li Hua used to think that the cold pce was full of miseries. However, it seemed the opposite to her. Everything about it was different. She wouldn¡¯t deny that L¨®ng Wei was happier being in the cold pce because it was luxurious!


    She picked the chopsticks and looked at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Your Highness, thank you. I am extremely happy. I got to see my brother. Thank you for saving my brother¡¯s life,¡± Li Hua said.


    L¨®ng Wei gazed at her. ¡°I will give you hundreds of surprises to make you happy,¡± he stated. ¡°Start eating,¡± he said.


    Li Hua smiled a little and began eating. L¨®ng Wei found that she ate more than usual in her regr diet. It delighted him.


    ¡°Your Highness, what if the Fourth Prince and Commander Huang Xi see my brother?¡± Li Hua suddenly expressed her concern.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Will His Highness tell them about my identity?¡± Li Hua queried.


    ¡°I need to tell them because Huang Xi is already suspicious of you,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°How? I swear I never-¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the General¡¯s son,¡± L¨®ng Wei interrupted her in the middle. ¡°He might have seen you as he hade to Xinshui with his father. I think it was two years ago when he came to Xinshui,¡± he said.


    ¡°But I never went out. I don¡¯t remember the General visiting the Xu Residence,¡± Li Hua reasoned.


    ¡°But he has seen you somewhere. I heard him say this. I will converse with him tomorrow morning. He is a good person. I let him apany us because he will be of help. So, don¡¯t worry,¡± L¨®ng Wei assured her.


    ¡°I believe in His Highness,¡± Li Hua said and again resumed eating.


    ¡°I told you to address me as ¡®Dear Husband¡¯. Can¡¯t you do this small thing for me?¡± L¨®ng Wei sulked.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it sound too cheesy?¡± Li Hua¡¯s right eyebrow arched.


    ¡°It sounds more affectionate,¡± L¨®ng Wei corrected her. ¡°Do you want to show your feelings through actions?¡± He thought to tease her.


    ¡°Pardon me? Actions?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, earlier, you blushed on the same word. ording to your beloved brother, women show their feelings more through their actions. I wonder what your actions will be?¡± L¨®ng Wei said and smirked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what His Highness is thinking in his mind,¡± Li Hua said, pretending that she didn¡¯t understand his words.


    ¡°The same as what you are thinking in your head,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and licked his lips. Li Hua gulped, and her eyes flickered. She quickly lowered them to avoid his gaze and focus on eating.


    Li Hua finished her meals earlier than him and picked up the ss of water. After drinking water, she felt full. ¡°It was such a delicious dinner,¡± she said and waited for L¨®ng Wei to finish the food.


    ¡°Will we go to the Xu Residence tomorrow?¡± Li Hua asked out of the blue.


    ¡°If you want to, then we will go,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Of course, I want to. I want to check.¡± Li Hua sounded low as she once again recalled that night. ¡°It was burned, right?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Hmm. The assassins put it on fire. I won¡¯t stop you from visiting your house. However, I want you to remain strong,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he put the chopsticks down. He had finished eating his meals.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I will be able to see it. Let¡¯s not go tomorrow,¡± Li Hua changed her decision immediately and stood up. She walked away while L¨®ng Wei called a servant inside. He drank the water and walked to the innermost part of the chamber. He found her standing near the window, looking at the night sky.


    He silently advanced to her and stood beside her. ¡°I missed this beautiful night sky,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°However, it still feels empty.¡± She tilted her head to look at him.


    ¡°What should I do to make it full?¡±


    ¡°His Highness cannot make it full,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°Before going to sleep, I always used to look at the night sky. I had my family, my people and my loved ones around me. That¡¯s why it appeared beautiful and full. However, now, it no longer appears the same,¡± she proimed.


    L¨®ng Wei leaned against the window and crossed his arms. ¡°I am also your family, your husband and your lover. I believe that I can fill that emptiness,¡± he said, with a confident tone.


    L¨®ng Wei moved his hand in the air, gesturing to her toe to him. Li Hua came near him and put his hand on her shoulder. He turned along with her as his arm wrapped around her, drawing her close.


    ¡°I also found this sky empty until I watched it with you today,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.

 Chapter 126

    126 His Evil Past


    ¡°His Highness shall not lie to cheer me up,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lie,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    Li Hua averted her gaze from him. ¡°Did His Highness never look at the night sky? It looks extremely beautiful on a Full Moon,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°I did but not the way you did. I never knew it feels full and bright with your loved ones,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°The Prince has a family, yet he failed to sense it,¡± Li Hua remarked.


    ¡°Having a family doesn¡¯t mean that they are close to you,¡± L¨®ng Wei argued with her.


    ¡°But they do care for His Highness,¡± Li Hua stated. L¨®ng Wei knew everything about her, but she didn¡¯t know a single thing about him. That¡¯s why she decided to talk with him about them so that he could open up with them.


    ¡°Nobody cares except the Royal Father and Yuze,¡± L¨®ng Wei said coldly. ¡°When my mother never cared for me, then why would others do it?¡± For the first time, he initiated a conversation about his mother.


    ¡°How can His Highness be sure about it?¡± Li Hua queried and waited for him to reply.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei yawned. ¡°Ahh, I am tired. Let¡¯s sleep.¡± He pulled his arm away from her shoulder and went towards the bed. He removed the knot holder from the hair bun and let the hair spread down. Removing his upper garment, he got into the bed. Resting his temple on his calloused hand, he asked Li Hua to join him.


    Li Hua understood that he ignored her question. She was also tired from the journey, so decided to sleep and not go further deep into the matter rted to his mother. She removed the overcoat before getting into the bed. However, she kept a safe distance from L¨®ng Wei who grasped her arm and drew her to him.


    ¡°It is better now,¡± he said and covered them with the duvet. Li Hua looked at him and asked him to close his eyes.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± she urged.


    L¨®ng Wei closed her eyes when he felt her soft lips on his cheek. He instantly opened his eyes and found Li Hua had pulled the nket up, which covered her face. He touched his cheek, and his lips curled up into a broad smile.


    ¡°What was that?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked, waiting for her to peek out of the nket and answer him.


    ¡°A way to say thank you,¡± Li Hua said in a low voice. Li Hua, who was hiding inside the nket, pursed her lips together. She didn¡¯t want him to pull the nket away. Because if it happened, then she would not be able to hide the blush that had appeared on her cheeks.


    ¡°That was an amusing way to say thank you,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°You almost exploded my heart,¡± he said huskily. She realized that he had moved closer. Even though there was a nket between them, she could feel his heartbeat.


    ¡°Are you going to y hide and seek?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°No. I am unable to sleep in the light.¡± Li Hua could not believe that she made such an excuse. She opened her mouth and breathed out.


    ¡®Why is His Highness not speaking? Did he fall asleep?¡¯ Li Hua thought. Li Hua thought to take a peek and slowly pushed the duvet down. To her surprise, all the candles were already blown off, except two or three. She saw the shadows of the objects on the wall and wondered if L¨®ng Wei had left.


    ¡°Hhhh,¡± she breathed out when an arm wrapped around her belly. Of course, it was L¨®ng Wei¡¯s arm. She shuddered when his hot breath fanned her nape. She tightly clutched the nket while trying to maintain her breathing. Her body stiffened as his lips brushed on the crook of her neck.


    He nuzzled her neck for a while. ¡°You should rx your body,¡± he whispered in her ear. Li Hua acted on hismand and eased down.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Li Hua softly said.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°My all secrets are revealed to His Highness. However, I do not know anything about him till now- His secrets and his past. I want to know about him,¡± Li Hua said. It was more of a request.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t my present self better?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned. ¡°One must live in the present,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t he tell me about his past?¡± She directly posed the query this time. ¡°Please don¡¯t take me wrongly. I am curious to know you more,¡± she rified.


    ¡°Li Hua, do you love me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t expect this question from him. ¡°Why did His Highness bring it?¡± She was perplexed.


    ¡°Because it is important. Make the effort to be mine. I believe in the give-and-take philosophy. Till now, you have seen my good side. My evil side is yet toe out. You probably hate me for that. However, if you start loving me, it will be easier for you to know me better.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words confused Li Hua. What evil side did he talk about?


    ¡°I can assure His Highness that I will never hate him,¡± Li Hua affirmed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what evil side His Highness is talking about. However, I am sure, his evil side is because of an evil past,¡± she deduced.


    ¡°Why do you think my past is evil?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s question put her in a dilemma. Did she make him angry? If she would say that it was because of his mother, he might get annoyed, and if she would stay quiet, he might jump to a false conclusion.


    After contemting, she said, ¡°His Highness¡¯ previous statements make me say that. Forgive me, if I stepped out of my boundary and hurt His Highness,¡± she promptly apologized to him.


    ¡°A clever answer,¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered. ¡°I am born this way, I think,¡± he stated. ¡°Is it enough to end your curiosity?¡±


    Li Hua shook her head. ¡°No,¡± she refused. ¡°His Highness says that he loves me, yet he cannot trust me with his secret, his past, and him,¡± Li Hua made a big statement. It surprised L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I have already entrusted myself with you. If it was not my trust in you, we wouldn¡¯t have been together,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°No. There is a difference between love and trust,¡± Li Hua again disagreed with his statement. ¡°Because His Highness loves me, that¡¯s why he is with me. He has told me this many times. Once the love fades away, everything ruins,¡± she asserted.

 Chapter 127

    127 Caressing her back


    ¡°Because His Highness loves me, that¡¯s why he is with me. He has told me this many times. Once the love fades away, everything ruins,¡± Li Hua reminded him.


    ¡°Where there¡¯s love, there¡¯s trust,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°Love fades when the other person betrays you and stops showing interest in you,¡± he stated.


    ¡°If you want me to start discussing my life, at this hour, then we won¡¯t be able to finish. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let my Father kick you out of my life. The more you¡¯ll try to incite me to tell you about my mother, the more I¡¯ll refrain.¡± Thosest words came as a warning for Li Hua. She didn¡¯t speak anymore and pped his hand.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t pull his hand back. ¡°You get angry with those whom you love,¡± he whispered in her ear.


    ¡°His Highness is fast in making his own assumptions,¡± Li Hua asserted and continuously pped at the back of his hand. Tired, she stopped and narrowly gazed at him. ¡°Let me go,¡± she said in a stern tone.


    ¡°Sleep if you are done hitting my hand.¡± L¨®ng Wei said and moved close to her, thus closing the remaining distance between them. His eyes gradually closed, and he drifted off to sleep.


    Li Hua could not fall asleep for long. Probably because this was a new ce for her or because she was too restless to know everything. She turned to face L¨®ng Wei, who was soundly sleeping.


    ¡°My brother didn¡¯t say anything about Feng Lao. He also put his trust in you,¡± she mumbled. Xu Zifan was close to Feng Lao. They both were best friends. Xu Zifan was the one who told his father, Li Hua should marry Feng Lao. However, in the present time, his words were different. Was it because Feng Lao died that night!? So, he didn¡¯t want his sister to think of him.


    She needed answers to many questions. Tomorrow morning, she would find everything from her brother. Tears appeared on the edges of her eyes. The candlelight started to turn dimmer, and soon the darkness surrounded the bedchamber. She again broke into tears and kept crying silently until L¨®ng Wei¡¯s warm hand started caressing her back.


    .....


    She wondered if he was awake, but he was not. It seemed he did it unknowingly in his sleep. Li Hua buried her face in his chest and tried to fall asleep. She realized that no matter how much she wanted to keep her distance from L¨®ng Wei, in the end, she wanted to fall in his embrace. After all, he provided her the warmth, the support and the care, which she needed the most.


    ~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei woke up from a deep slumber. His eyelids were half-open, and found something heavy on his chest. Looking down, he found Li Hua¡¯s head on his chest, and a chuckle escaped his mouth.


    He carefully put his hand under her head and gently brought her down, making her sleep on his arm. Brushing off the hair from her face, he found the marks of the tears on her cheeks.


    Staying in the bed, for a while, he quietly slipped out of the nket and stood straight. Outstretching his hands, he came out of the bedchamber and found Eunuch Qian He waiting for him toe out.


    ¡°Good morning, Your Highness. I hope you got a good sleep,¡± Qian He said.


    ¡°Hmm. Let the Princess Consort sleep. She is tired from the journey,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and walked ahead. Qian He stayed back and waited for Li Hua to wake up.


    L¨®ng Wei freshened up and left to see Mingquan. He thought of sending him back to the capital if only he would agree. The maidservant appointed in Mingquan¡¯s service let L¨®ng Wei go in.


    Mingquan, who was enjoying his morning tea, was surprised to see L¨®ng Wei. He smiled and asked L¨®ng Wei to take a seat. L¨®ng Wei settled on the floor chair. Mingquan served the tea to him.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t the Fourth Prince tell our Father about it when he was present? Our father is desperate to know why I killed her.¡± He straightforwardly jumped on the question to which he wanted to know the answer.


    Mingquan smiled and rested his hands on his knees. ¡°I already have told you that I don¡¯t want to intervene in your private matter with yourte mother,¡± he rified.


    ¡°Yet he ckmailed me to apany me?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his brow with a suspicion. ¡°What does the Fourth Prince want from me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Nothing. If I wanted something, I would have asked you a long time ago,¡± Mingquan replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust the Fourth Prince¡¯s words,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, I never betrayed you,¡± Mingquan opined. ¡°They don¡¯t want you to return to the pce. Brother Qiu Mu might have failed to harm you this time, but he will do it again. That¡¯s why I am here,¡± Mingquan stated. The expressions on his face seemed genuine. However, L¨®ng Wei still could not believe that Mingquan had suddenly be his well-wisher.


    ¡°The Fourth Prince never tried to save me before. I have gotten punished hundreds of times, but he remained quiet. Why is he showing this concern out of the blue?¡± L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes.


    ¡°Because you needed to get punished for the wrong you did. Troubling isn¡¯t the correct way to make people learn. Only you will be seen as the wrong person. I know thatst time why you beat up Kang Huijuan- because he made a servant pregnant and tried to kill her. However, it backfired on you. He could not get punished,¡± Mingquan stated. L¨®ng Wei was surprised to find that the Fourth Prince knew many things.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t regret that he was sent to the cold pce five months ago. Because if it had not happened, he would not ever meet Li Hua.


    ¡°Prove everyone that you are the worthiest prince. You are not a sinned prince, and you are indeed the son of the dragon. I will give you my support,¡± Mingquan affirmed.

 Chapter 128

    128 I let him live


    L¨®ng Wei sneered upon hearing Mingquan. ¡°I am surprised to hear that you want to support me. If I am not wrong, you equally want me to disappear like them. I don¡¯t want to know what people think of me. I don¡¯t want you to see me as the worthiest prince. I don¡¯t want to raise their expectations for me. I will go on the path which I paved. Also, I don¡¯t like to be get ckmailed. Tell the Royal Father whatever you know about that day.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei looked at the teacup and raised it. He gulped the tea from it and plonked it on the table.


    ¡°I should thank Brother L¨®ng Wei for having the morning tea with him,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°Yesterday was thest time I ckmailed Brother L¨®ng Wei. I understand because of his mother¡¯sst words to him, he walked on a path that no one would like to. I do hope that Brother L¨®ng Wei starts to see me as his ally.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei got up and put his hands behind his back. ¡°Then, I want the Fourth Prince to show me that he truly wants my good,¡± he challenged him. Mingquan epted it dly.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, let¡¯s have a friendly sword fight,¡± Mingquan said, ¡°tomorrow in the morning. I would like to see if Brother L¨®ng Wei is capable enough to defeat me.¡± Mingquan wanted to check L¨®ng Wei¡¯s capabilities. He remembered years ago, L¨®ng Wei easily lost against all the princes, or was it a deliberate intention of him to show everyone that he was weak.


    ¡°I am here to spend the time with my wife, not to y with swords,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    ¡°My Sister-inw will like it. She also needs such kind of entertainment. If Brother L¨®ng Wei is scared to lose, then I won¡¯t pressure him,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°I ept it,¡± L¨®ng Wei promptly said. ¡°I hope you will use your full strength on me,¡± he affirmed and smile before walking away.


    ¡°He seems confident. I would love to see what he has learned all these years,¡± Mingquan murmured and brought the teacup near his mouth.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei had deep frowns on his forehead. He halted by the pir. ¡°He knows everything about that night. Strange! He remained quiet all these years. And why did he ask for this sudden friendly swordfight with him?¡± His lips twitched. ¡°Li Hua willugh at me if I lose the fight. However, if I show my true strength to the Fourth Prince then, he would find out that I pretended all these years,¡± he murmured.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± a maidservant softly addressed him.


    L¨®ng Wei turned to look at her and asked her to speak.


    ¡°Young Master Xu Zifan wants to see you,¡± she informed L¨®ng Wei, who hummed and told her to leave first. After a while, L¨®ng Wei left to meet Xu Zifan.


    ~~~~~


    Xu Zifan greeted L¨®ng Wei, who took a seat on the chaise lounge. He asked Zifan to settle on the other one.


    ¡°Is Li Hua still resting?¡± Xu Zifan asked.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed. ¡°I didn¡¯t wake her up as she¡¯s tired from the journey. I will bring herter to have breakfast with you. Then, you two can have a long conversation,¡± he said and smiled.


    ¡°I want to converse with His Highness first. It is good that she¡¯s still asleep,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°I want His Highness not to let her see Feng Lao,¡± Xu Zifan requested.


    ¡°Why?¡± L¨®ng Wei tilted his head. ¡°She must know to open her heart for me,¡± he opined.


    ¡°She will get hurt. It will break her down,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°Feng Lao rescued her that day and then asked her to leave Xinshui. What do you think is happening? Why did he y such a trick on her? Shouldn¡¯t she know all this more than anyone? To be strong, you need to feel broken inside-out,¡± L¨®ng Wei reasoned.


    ¡°His Highness doesn¡¯t know at all how much she-¡±


    ¡°Xu Zifan, I might look like an emotionless being, but for Li Hua, I am not. Why do you think Feng Lao is still alive?¡±


    ¡°Because his residence is highly secured. It is impossible to go in and especially kill him,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, did you lose your mind when you lost this arm?¡± L¨®ng Wei got blunt with him. ¡°I let him live. That is why he is living a peaceful life. Breaking into his residence will only take minutes for me. However, I won¡¯t do it now. Someone is behind him who wiped out the existence of the Xu Family. It is not the King. I can assure you this,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°I trusted Feng Lao more than anyone. We both grew up together and studied together. Never in my worst nightmare, I thought he would do betray me this way. When this thing can hurt me so badly, then, I can imagine what Li Hua will go through. She will not be able to handle it. That¡¯s why I want His Highness not to reveal the truth to her. I beg him,¡± Xu Zifan pleaded with L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°There¡¯s no use in begging me, Xu Zifan. I listen to myself only. What I feel is right, I work on that,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°The earlier Li Hua knows, the better it will be,¡± he pronounced. ¡°But I won¡¯t tell her now. I need to enjoy my days here with her,¡± he stated and smiled.


    Xu Zifan nodded. ¡°As His Highness feels right,¡± he said.


    ¡°She will ask you about Feng Lao surely. What will you tell her?¡± L¨®ng Wei curiously gazed at him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll lie. That¡¯s the best I can do,¡± Xu Zifan answered. ¡°Your Highness, is my sister not willing to love you? Pardon me for going into this private matter, but as her brother, I must know. ordingly, I will help her understand. If mother would have been alive, she had told her, instructed her. I, as her brother, have to tell Li Hua her duties,¡± he said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell her that. I don¡¯t want her to be forced into this. She has started building feelings for me. It will take time for her to reciprocate my feelingspletely. Because of Feng Lao, she¡¯s stuck between her mind and heart. She is unable to understand what she wants,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Xu Zifan nodded and thanked him for taking a good care of his sister.

 Chapter 129

    129 Locked in the dungeon


    Li Hua looked at herself in the mirror. She was dded in a peach-colored hanfu dress. Some of the fringes were braided near her front head while her back head hair was left open. Butterfly winged clips were used on her hair, and the danglings hung down to the bottom of her ears.


    ¡°Where is the Prince?¡± Li Hua asked one of the maidservants, who was standing close to her.


    ¡°His Highness didn¡¯t inform any of us,¡± the maidservant answered.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Li Hua was dejected to learn about it. In the pce, L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t even wake up until she did. However, in the cold pce, he woke up early and even left somewhere without informing her. She was upset with him and decided not to talk to him.


    ¡°Umm... do you know where my brother is? I forgot the route. Please lead my way to my elder brother¡¯s chamber,¡± Li Hua requested the same maidservant.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness. None of them can take you to your brother¡¯s chamber,¡± Eunuch Qian He intervened. ¡°His Highness will be back soon, then the Princess Consort can go with him,¡± he humbly said.


    Li Hua hummed and thanked him for the answers.


    ¡°Will Her Highness like to take the tea? I will send tea for her,¡± Eunuch Qian He asked her.


    ¡°Thank you, but I will drink tea with my elder brother,¡± Li Hua answered. Qian He nodded and looked at the servants. He asked them to leave, who bowed and silently left.


    .....


    ¡°Eunuch Qian He, may I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°Anything, Your Highness. This Eunuch will be d to answer Her Highness¡¯s queries,¡± Qian He stated.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± A smile was carved on Li Hua¡¯s lips. ¡°Can Eunuch Qian tell me if the Prince goes out of the cold pce? Does the King not find out about it? Also, it seems the cold pce is full of luxury.¡±


    Seeing Li Hua¡¯s curiosity, Qian He started tough which bewildered Li Hua. He apologized for it and said, ¡°The loneliness is the punishment, Your Highness. When he gets punished, he¡¯s forced to live in the dungeon for months.¡±


    Li Hua was shocked to hear him.


    ¡°A dungeon?¡± She mumbled.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. In the dungeon, His Highness used to sleep and eat for a month. The punishment to be kept in the dungeon depends on the period for which His Highness came here. Thest time the punishment was for five months, so Prince L¨®ng Wei was locked in the dungeon for a month.¡±


    Eunuch Qian¡¯s words upset Li Hua. Why did the King ask to keep his son in a dungeon? This kind of behavior was not even done with the animals.


    ¡°But since no one from the pcees here, His Highness may go out,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°No. The dungeon has a locking system. Every time, His Highness got punished, the King sends a person from the pce, who closely watches His Highness¡¯s activities,¡± Qian He answered.


    ¡°Is the dungeon dark?¡± Li Hua got curious.


    ¡°It is built underground. So, it is indeed dark there. Even light can¡¯t escape in that ce,¡± Qian He said. Li Hua¡¯s heart sank to hear all this.


    ¡°After staying in the dungeon for a specified time, can the Prince go out of the cold pce?¡± Li Hua questioned.


    ¡°Yes. But not to the main city center. This ce is unknown and restricted tomoners and even many of the nobles,¡± Qian He stated. Li Hua recalled the day when she met L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t bad. The ones who should be punished are enjoying their lives happily. I think the punishments were too harsh for His Highness,¡± Li Hua said in a low voice. She recalled the crimes of the prime minister¡¯s son and felt the injustice.


    She understood why L¨®ng Wei was so rebellious and cold to his family. No one could understand his pain. She recalled how mostly all the princes and the princesses asked the King to send L¨®ng Wei back to the cold pce. The Queen, the consorts, and the concubines, none of the mothers tried to understand him. But she was surprised to find that L¨®ng Wei bore the punishment instead of telling the truth to the King.


    In her eyes, the respect for him had increased. She was happy that she got to find this side of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Eunuch Qian, how many times has His Highness visited this cold pce and stayed here?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°From the age of 8, Prince L¨®ng Wei regrlyes here. I still remember the time when he was brought here for the first time. He broke all the things here,¡± Qian He said, and started tough. He stopped hisughter and then, in a serious tone, ¡°I understand that as a young child, he must be annoyed to stay away from his family.¡±


    Li Hua grasped the sadness in Qian He¡¯s tone.


    ¡°There¡¯s a time when His Highness stayed here for more than a year. He was locked in the dungeon for five months,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°May I know when?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°When His Highness killed his mother.¡± A gloomy expression appeared on his face while narrating this to Li Hua. ¡°The King was furious at the Prince. Everyone wanted him to punish Prince L¨®ng Wei to death. However, the King sent him here andmanded that the Prince must be locked in the dungeon for an indefinite period of time,¡± Qian He said and sighed. Before Li Hua could ask him more, he took his leave as he had to check the preparation of the morning meals.


    ¡°His Highness suffered a lot. But, why?¡± She murmured when heard L¨®ng Wei¡¯s voice.


    ¡°You look pretty.¡±


    She lifted her head and nced at L¨®ng Wei. She found him smiling.


    ¡®Why does he always smile? Behind that smile is a dark past, a dark life,¡¯ she said internally.


    L¨®ng Wei snapped his fingers in front of her eyes. ¡°Where did you get lost?¡± He asked.


    Li Hua shook her head, ¡°nothing.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, let¡¯s go out today,¡± Li Hua requested him.


    ¡°Do you mean the Xu Residence?¡±


    ¡°No. I want to look around the cold pce. I want to visit thatke where we met,¡± Li Hua pronounced.


    ¡°Fine,¡± L¨®ng Wei agreed to her and gently grasped her hand. Pulling her close he whispered, ¡°but I prefer to go into the water with you. If you agree, then I will definitely take you to theke.¡±


    He leaned back and peered into her eyes.

 Chapter 130

    130 A promise is necessary


    Li Hua nodded at him but she put forward a condition. ¡°If His Highness shares with me how he lived in the cold pce, I will definitely get into theke water with His Highness,¡± she stated.


    L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes. ¡°Why are you suddenly interested in that?¡± He waited for her answer.


    ¡°Because you are my husband and I must know everything rted to you,¡± Li Hua affirmed. L¨®ng Wei was amused to hear her answer. Her tone was informal with him and he liked it. This is the second surprise he got from her. Last night, the sudden kiss on his cheek and presently, acknowledging him as her husband.


    ¡°Sure,¡± L¨®ng Wei said when Li Hua showed him her pinky finger. He cocked his eyebrow, expecting an exnation on that.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust His Highness,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°A promise is necessary between us. If he lies to me, then he will fall sick,¡± she stated.


    L¨®ng Wei immediately locked his pinky finger with his. ¡°Great. This promise has bound me to tell you the truth,¡± he said and again drew her close, gripping her hand this time.


    Li Hua, unlike the other times, didn¡¯t avert her gaze. Instead, she kept them fixed on him. He dipped his head and kissed her lips. Looking straight into her eyes, ¡°the promise has beenpleted now.¡± He smirked and put their hands down.


    ¡°Xu Zifan is waiting for us. Come,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and they both left the chamber.


    Xu Zifan weed them. Li Hua already had pulled her hand away from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s grasp and bowed before her brother to show the curtsy.


    .....


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it anymore, Li Hua. You are the Princess Consort who possesses a higher rank than me,¡± Xu Zifan told her.


    ¡°I must show respect to my elders no matter what,¡± Li Hua said and tilted her head to look at L¨®ng Wei, ¡°did His Highness greet my elder brother?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei let out augh. ¡°Why would I do that?¡± He questioned her.


    ¡°His Highness is younger than my elder brother. He must respect him,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Li Hua, don¡¯t say such a thing to the prince. Please forgive Li Hua for her clumsiness,¡± Xu Zifan said as he looked at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Friends do not greet each other,¡± L¨®ng Wei cleared Li Hua¡¯s confusion, who had pulled up her face. She walked ahead and sat around the floor table. Xu Zifan and L¨®ng Wei took seats after her.


    As the breakfast was served to them, Li Hua found Xu Zifan using the chopstick with difficulty with his left hand. She found it was trembling. She held the hand of her brother and looked into his eyes. ¡°Shall I help my Elder Brother?¡± Li Hua asked him as she took the chopsticks from him.


    ¡°I can eat, Li Hua. It happens sometimes,¡± Xu Zifan said when Li Hua brought a piece of cooked tofu near his mouth. Xu Zifan opened his mouth and ate the tofu. He smiled and chewed it.


    For five minutes, she helped him eat the meals when L¨®ng Wei suddenly stopped her. ¡°Let your brother eat by himself. He needs to be efficient with his left hand,¡± he advised her and asked her to return the chopsticks to Xu Zifan.


    ¡°But my elder brother¡¯s hand is trembling,¡± Li Hua said when Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°His Highness is right. I need to be proficient in using my left hand. Don¡¯t worry about me. Eat your food before it gets cold,¡± Xu Zifan stated. Li Hua didn¡¯t like that L¨®ng Wei interrupted her. She could see the uneasiness her elder brother faced, while using his left hand.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, does your sister pull up her face whenever she gets scolded?¡± The sudden question of L¨®ng Wei confused Xu Zifan, and he looked at Li Hua.


    ¡°She has always got pampered being the youngest child of the Xu Family, so sometimes she does pull up her face,¡± Xu Zifan said truthfully.


    ¡°Elder First Brother, I never did it,¡± she affirmed.


    ¡°You did,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and took the morsel of tofu into his mouth. He chewed it and nced at Li Hua, who beamed at him for a few seconds.


    ¡°Will His Highness leave us, brother and sister, alone after finishing his breakfast meal?¡± Li Hua requested him.


    ¡°Of course,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°if only you start addressing me as ¡®Dear Husband¡¯,¡± he smirked.


    Xu Zifan smiled, seeing how flirtatious L¨®ng Wei was with Li Hua, whereas she gaped at him. She again felt embarrassed and bit her lower lip.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, if you marry someday, then will you like your wife to address you as dear husband or themon title the other people use for you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°It will be good if she calls me dear husband,¡± Xu Zifan answered and smiled.


    ¡°Then, why does your sister always address me as ¡®your highness¡¯, ¡®his highness¡¯? I have asked her numerous times to call me-¡± Li Hua pushed a big tofu piece into his mouth, which made him stop.


    ¡°One shall not talk while eating,¡± Li Hua told him, keeping a broad, fake smile on her lips. She turned to look at her brother and said, ¡°Please ignore His Highness¡¯ words.¡± She stressed the word ¡®His Highness¡¯.


    Xu Zifan was surprised to find that Li Hua was much more open andfortable around L¨®ng Wei. Around Feng Lao, she was shy, nervous, and unable to express her thoughts. He was happy that L¨®ng Wei held his sister¡¯s hand in the toughest time. However, he was scared of how Li Hua would react once she found out about Feng Lao. He gazed in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s direction, who was teasing Li Hua.


    They finished their breakfasts, and the maidservants came to take away the dishes. Li Hua gestured to L¨®ng Wei to leave, who shook his head. She had no way to send him away, so finally, she said, ¡°My Dear Husband must go out. Li Hua wants to converse privately with her elder brother.¡±


    Xu Zifan looked at L¨®ng Wei, thinking about what would be his answer.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, will you close your eyes?¡± L¨®ng Wei requested.


    ¡°Why?¡± Li Hua was startled to hear his request and, in that second, strange thoughts appeared in her mind. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes were glued to her, not blinking at all.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    L¨®ng Wei leaned toward Li Hua, who pursed her lips together. To her surprise, L¨®ng Wei dipped his head to her ear. ¡°Don¡¯t cry too much. It will hurt me,¡± he whispered.


    Li Hua¡¯s heart fluttered at that moment and her eyes met his. He passed a smile to her and left the chamber, leaving Li Hua dumbstruck.

 Chapter 131

    131 Is she a part of gang?


    Xiaoming, after having his breakfast left with Eunuch Lishi to the market.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, today Miss Cha ising to the pce. Her Majesty will get angry for defying her orders,¡± Eunuch Lishi presented the concerns before the Crown Prince.


    ¡°This is more important for me,¡± Xiaoming said and looked out of the carriage¡¯s window.


    ¡°I may get punished, Your Royal Highness.¡± Eunuch Lishi knew that Queen Zhu Liling would ask to punish him with floggings. Also, if the matter goes to the King, then no one could save Xiaoming from his wrath.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you get punished,¡± Xiaoming said. His wordsforted Eunuch Lishi.


    ¡°But what about the Crown Prince? The Prime Minister will surely inform His Majesty if the Crown Prince fails to meet Miss Cha today. His Majesty may punish the Crown Prince,¡± Eunuch Lishi anxiously said.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, let me ask you something,¡± Xiaoming said, and he tilted his head to focus on Eunuch Lishi. He was ready to listen to the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Have you ever seen me happy?¡± Xiaoming asked. ¡°I may smile in front of the others, but I am not like the others. I want to fight for my happiness. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let anything happen to this crown. If I can let my parents wait for four years, I can convince them too,¡± he stated. Confidence shone in his voice.


    ¡°Will His Royal Highness find a suitable woman for him within these few weeks?¡± Eunuch Lishi asked. ¡°The Crown Prince must not judge Miss Cha because of the Prime Minister. She¡¯s ady with all the qualities that the Crown Prince is looking for.¡± He tried to convince Xiaoming to meet and converse with Miss Cha once.


    .....


    Xiaoming sighed and averted his gaze from him. Soon, the carriage stopped outside the market, at a ce, which was restricted to everyone except the royals. Xiaoming got out of the carriage while Eunuch Lishi stepped out after him.


    Xiaoming had taken a disguise to make sure that no one would recognize him while he would easily do his work.


    Xiaoming had already mapped the shops, and where they would head to. Since she robbed those jade jewels from him, she would never visit those shops which are meant for nobles. Such jewelers would be suspicious of her and might have reported her to the royal inspector.


    Xiaoming and Eunuch Lishi visited four shops in an hour, but could not find anything about the woman.


    ¡°In my opinion, the Crown Prince shall hand this work to the royal inspector. The Crown Prince doesn¡¯t need to trouble himself.¡± He didn¡¯t want Xiaoming to trouble himself in the scorching summer heat. Also, he was worried about how the Queen would react upon finding the Crown Prince.


    ¡°I cannot do that,¡± Xiaoming said and halted outside an antique shop. He read the letters on the board hanging at the top of the door.


    Xiaoming stepped foot into the shop and found a few people surrounding the table, where he supposed the owner was seated. Eunuch Lishi also entered and found that the shop wasn¡¯t clean. Xiaoming looked around and found many old things in the shop.


    ¡°Does the young master need anything?¡± he heard a voice and turned to look. A middle-aged man with a wooden box was standing behind him.


    ¡°I want to inquire about something,¡± Xiaoming said and the man asked him to speak.


    ¡°Do you ept jade jewels in exchange for money?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    Eunuch Lishi whispered in his ear, ¡°Your Royal Highness, it is an antique shop.¡± Xiaoming gestured to him to stay quiet.


    ¡°Of course. We ept them too,¡± the middle-aged man answered and put the box on the table, which was surrounded by a few people. They turned to look at them and checked them out from top to bottom.


    ¡°However, you look from a well-off family. Why do you need money?¡± The middle-aged man inquired and turned to look at Xiaoming.


    ¡°Did a young womane here yesterday with a jade ne and three jade rings?¡±


    Eunuch Lishi thought to reveal the truth about his identity when he heard the middle-aged man say, ¡°manye here. If you are specifically to know about a woman, then you are at the wrong ce. Yesterday no woman visited this shop.¡±


    Xiaoming was disappointed to hear him.


    ¡°But a man hade with a jade ne and three jade rings. I think you are being robbed. These days young men are into robbery because ofck of work,¡± the middle-aged man said and opened the box which he had put on the table.


    ¡°Please check it once if these are yours,¡± the middle-aged man asked Xiaoming, who stepped forward, and to his surprise, they were the same jewels that he handed to that woman.


    ¡°You can take them if you want to, but you need to pay me,¡± the middle-aged man said.


    ¡°Are you sure it was a man?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Yes. It was a man,¡± he replied.


    Xiaoming was bewildered to know about this. He clearly remembered her voice, her eyes, and even that slight touch on him. It was definitely a woman. Probably she sent her brother to sell those jewels so that he would not be able to find her.


    ¡°Clever,¡± he mumbled and looked at the jade rings. ¡°How much did you give him?¡± Xiaoming asked him.


    ¡°100 silver coins,¡± the middle-aged man replied.


    Xiaoming realized that the man exaggerated the amount. Though, the value of those jewels was even higher than that. Since, he wanted them back, so he decided to pay him.


    ¡°I will give you 70 silver coins. I know that you have given even less to the man who sold them to you,¡± Xiaoming said and put the silver coins on the table.


    He grasped the box and was ready to leave when the man said, ¡°I polished them a few minutes ago. 30 silver coins for my hard work, Young Master.¡±


    Xiaoming chuckled and looked at the ne which indeed was shining. He asked Eunuch Lishi to pay them and walked out of the shop.


    ¡°Is she a part of a gang? That¡¯s why she didn¡¯te here. Instead, she sent someone,¡± Xiaoming concluded the second possibility. Eunuch Lishi was happy to see that they finished the work earlier than expected. Now, they would return to the pce, and the Queen would not be angry anymore at them.


    In the carriage, Xiaoming didn¡¯t utter a word, and it troubled Eunuch Lishi. Was he not happy after getting his things back?


    ¡°Why does the Crown Prince still seem lost?¡± Eunuch Lishi asked.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Xiaoming said. Eunuch Lishi understood that the Crown Prince didn¡¯t want to share anything with him. He remained silent, and soon they reached the pce.


    Eunuch Lishi got out of the carriage, holding the wooden box in his hands. He waited for Xiaoming to step out when the door closed.


    Xiaoming opened the window and looked at Eunuch Lishi, who was on the ground.


    ¡°Tell the Royal Mother that the Crown Prince cannot see Miss Cha today. He has an important matter to look into,¡± Xiaoming instructed him and ordered the chauffeur to take back the carriage, where they had headed earlier.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness,¡± Eunuch Lishi before couldplete his words, the chauffeurplied with the Crown Prince¡¯s orders.


    Eunuch Lishi stepped back immediately as the carriage turned again to the main gates of the pce and, with lightning speed, it vanished from his eyes.


    ¡°Her Majesty will severely punish me,¡± Eunuch Lishi murmured.


    ~~~~


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 Chapter 132

    132 Chosen pairs from Heaven


    Li Hua tightly clutched her hands and looked at Xu Zifan, who had his gaze fixed on her. ¡°Before I ran away with Feng Lao, I saw our father. Several assassins were attacking him. The Shui Family head was also helping him.¡± Her voice started to quiver. She didn¡¯t know it would be this difficult to ask about their father.


    ¡°He could not live. I tried to save him,¡± Xu Zifan said. He was on the verge of crying, but for Li Hua, he didn¡¯t want to. ¡°There were hundreds of assassins that day. I failed to save our mother and second brother too,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    Li Hua lowered her head. Tears rolled over her cheeks and fell on her hands. ¡°We never did anyone wrong. Then why did it happen?¡± She bawled and shut her eyes tightly. ¡°Father always helped people. Who could be his enemy and n such a thing?¡±


    Xu Zifan stood up and walked to her. He put his hand on her head and stroked it. He didn¡¯t want to tell her that it was the Shui Family. They had nned all this.


    After a while, she became stable. Using her long sleeves she wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks. Xu Zifan settled beside her and patted her back.


    ¡°Did the Elder Brother find Feng Lao? Is he-¡± she paused as a lump formed in her throat.


    Xu Zifan found himself stuck. ¡°I do not know,¡± he lied to her.


    ¡°It means the Shui Family is also wiped out,¡± Li Hua mumbled and took a deep breath in before pursing her lips tightly.


    ¡°Li Hua, Prince L¨®ng Wei buried the bodies of our family members, and the people working in the residence outside the cold pce,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    .....


    ¡°But the assassins had set the residence on fire, right after they left,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Since that day most of the people were outside, so His Highness was able to retrieve their bodies,¡± Xu Zifan cleared her confusion.


    ¡°I could not find anything in the pce. There was hardly any conversation that happened among the royals. I served the Queen, for almost a month before the Sixth Prince returned,¡± Li Hua briefed him. ¡°The servants talked about it, but not many were interested,¡± she added.


    ¡°Father was a rank 3rd official. So, it is understandable that no one bothered to discuss such a matter rted to the Xu Family. It must have been tough for you. I wanted toe to take you, but Prince L¨®ng Wei stopped me,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°Why did His Highness stop my elder brother?¡±


    ¡°You would be beheaded. No one knows your real identity in the pce,¡± Xu Zifan replied. ¡°They had considered you as a spy, who fabricated her identity to enter the pce,¡± he pronounced and pulled his hand back.


    ¡°I wanted to marry Feng Lao. I dreamed of my entire life with him. I think it was my bad luck that it all happened. If I hadn¡¯t told the Elder Brother to talk with our father regarding my feelings towards Feng Lao, it would not have happened.¡± Li Hua med herself. Her eyes once again turned misty.


    ¡°Li Hua, it was never your fault. Do not me yourself. It was all nned. Maybe it was bound to happen this way,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°When you were born, a famous monk visited Xinshui. I was six years old at that time. I forgot the monk¡¯s name, but he predicted a beautiful future of yours,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    Li Hua, with inquisitiveness nced at him.


    ¡°The monk said that you were chosen as the dragon¡¯s bride,¡± Xu Zifan proimed.


    ¡°Pardon me?¡± Li Hua got perplexed. ¡°Father and Mother never said such a thing to me. Why is the Elder Brother revealing it today?¡± Her puzzled expressions wereprehensible to Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Li Hua, since you resided in the pce for over two months, you must have found out the prophecy about Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°Yes. It is said that he is the son of the dragon,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°I am talking about this prophecy only. Prince L¨®ng Wei and you are chosen pairs from heaven,¡± he affirmed. His lips curled up into a tiny smile.


    ¡°Father and Mother never revealed it to you for a reason. Xu Zuwen was four at that time, so he also didn¡¯t know about it.¡± When Xu Zifan started to recover from the injuries, L¨®ng Wei confessed in front of him that he would marry Li Hua as he loved her. That¡¯s when he recalled the words of the monk.


    ¡°Why did they hide it from me?¡±


    ¡°As I said, our Father was Rank 3rd official. It means you were supposed to be the concubine of the prince instead of the official wife. He did not want you to suffer. That¡¯s why he decided to hide it from you. Also, there was no way to believe that one day you would marry Prince L¨®ng Wei and be his official wife,¡± Xu Zifan revealed the truth to her, which stunned Li Hua.


    She already hadprehended that L¨®ng Wei¡¯s and her meeting was more than a mere coincidence. However, she never had imagined that it would already be destined. She recalled Monk Yuze, who told her the day when she visited his ce: ¡®Destiny has brought you to Prince L¨®ng Wei.¡¯


    Still, her heart sometimes asked her not to forget Feng Lao. The person who saved her without thinking about his life.


    ¡°Is Elder Brother telling me to forget my memories about Feng Lao? That night he gave me a jade ring. He told me that he woulde and I must remember his love. I am in a dilemma, Elder First Brother,¡± Li Hua said.


    Xu Zifan totally understood the dilemma of Li Hua. She always saw herself with Feng Lao. However, the troublesome thought was why he saved her. Why did he pretend that he loved her?


    ¡°What happened, Elder First Brother?¡± Li Hua saw the frowns on Xu Zifan¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Li Hua, you must look at the present. Now, Prince L¨®ng Wei is your husband,¡± Xu Zifan said. Despite L¨®ng Wei¡¯s warning, he decided to make Li Hua understand.


    ¡°If mother would be alive, she would have told you one thing: serve your husband well and love him with all your heart. Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s affection for you cannot be described in a few words. You must see him as your everything. You are married to him. Looking at your past, clinging to it, will not do anything good,¡± Xu Zifan stated.

 Chapter 133

    133 A capable person


    Li Hua nodded and lowered her head. ¡°I understand, Elder First Brother,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°Elder First Brother liked the daughter of the Townhead. Will he marry her? He should also start his family,¡± she asserted.


    Xu Zifan¡¯s eyes filled with tears, but he didn¡¯t let them fall. How would she tell her that Feng Lao married her? Not only that, she was one month pregnant.


    ¡°No one will marry your brother, Li Hua. Also, she got married. She found someone better than me,¡± Xu Zifan said and looked at his right hand.


    Li Hua felt the pain in her brother¡¯s eyes. ¡°My Elder First Brother will find a girl better than her. It doesn¡¯t matter if you lost your hand. I know my brother is a capable person even with one hand,¡± Li Hua encouraged Xu Zifan, who passed a tiny smile to her.


    Xu Zifan found that it was over an hour. Still, their conversation wasn¡¯t over.


    ¡°Did the Prince n everything beforeing to the imperial pce?¡± Li Hua asked her brother. She knew if she would ask L¨®ng Wei, he would only give vague answers.


    ¡°Yes. I woke up after a week. It took me another week to recover from the minor injuries when Prince L¨®ng Wei told me he wanted to marry you. Since you were working as a servant in the pce, he had to n everything carefully,¡± Xu Zifan briefed her. ¡°I feel that Prince L¨®ng Wei is better than Feng Lao,¡± he said and noticed Li Hua¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Both are iparable,¡± Li Hua gave a crisp answer. ¡°However, His Highness is different from all the men. I mean, it is tough to understand His Highness. No one can tell when he will be happy or when he will get angry or sad. I never knew a single meeting with a person can make you go crazy for that person,¡± Li Hua asserted and again recalled their first-ever encounter near theke.


    Xu Zifan was surprised to learn that Li Hua had feelings for L¨®ng Wei. It delighted him. He wanted her to forget Feng Lao as soon as possible and wanted her to move ahead in her life. He kept praising L¨®ng Wei.


    .....


    ¡°Elder First Brother, did His Highness ever tell you why he killed his mother? Since His Highness called you his friend, he must have told you,¡± Li Hua said and waited for his reply.


    ¡°Never. I didn¡¯t dare to ask,¡± Xu Zifan replied. ¡°But I heard from Eunuch Qian He that he indeed killed his mother. He also didn¡¯t go into details, neither did I think to ask more.¡± Xu Zifan was also puzzled as to why a person like L¨®ng Wei killed his mother. He was a thoughtful person, yet he didn¡¯t hesitate to do such a thing.


    ¡°Are you scared of him? I had also heard that no family was willing to give his daughter¡¯s hand in marriage to Prince L¨®ng Wei. However, it seems otherwise. He adores you a lot. Maybe the reason behind his mother¡¯s death was something big. Maybe the Prince has no way but to kill her,¡± Xu Zifan asserted.


    Li Hua frowned and shook her head. ¡°His Highness didn¡¯t show interest in other women. I highly doubt if His Highness killed his mother,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Li Hua, why do you want to know?¡± Xu Zifan asked her.


    ¡°Because the King wants me to find the answer. He wasn¡¯t ready to make me marry the Prince. However, on this condition, His Majesty allowed us to marry. I must find the reason and tell the King within two months,¡± Li Hua narrated to her brother.


    ¡°What if you fail?¡± Xu Zifan arched his brow.


    ¡°The King will throw me out of the pce,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s a serious issue. You are the official wife of Prince L¨®ng Wei. His Majesty cannot throw you out,¡± Xu Zifan affirmed. ¡°Also, even if you find out, in my opinion, you shall not tell His Majesty. If Prince L¨®ng Wei hid it for years, then the reason must be big,¡± he advised her.


    Li Hua agreed with Xu Zifan¡¯s words.


    They conversed till the afternoon when Xu Zifan told her that she should go back.


    ¡°We can meet in the evening too,¡± Xu Zifan said. Li Hua again hugged her brother and closed her eyes.


    ¡°Elder First Brother, you are not alone anymore. Brother doesn¡¯t need to worry. We will find the culprit soon.¡± Li Hua¡¯s wordsforted him, and she gradually pulled away.


    Taking her leave, she somehow reached the grand chamber. To her surprise, she didn¡¯t find L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Where did His Highness go?¡± She asked one of the servants, who didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°May I know where Eunuch Qian He is?¡± Li Hua queried. Getting no response from them, she understood that they didn¡¯t know. She left the chamber to find where L¨®ng Wei was.


    ~~~~~


    Xiaoming stopped outside the same antique shop where he hade earlier. He walked in and found the middle-aged man was negotiating price with a customer.


    After waiting for a while, the customer left, taking his amount.


    ¡°The Young Master returned again. What does he want?¡± The middle-aged man asked.


    ¡°Who sold you my jewels?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°I already told you that it was a man,¡± he replied and snickered. ¡°Are you an inspector? Why are you making such inquiries?¡± He was dubious of Xiaoming¡¯s behavior.


    ¡°I want to reach the person, who robbed me. I am not an inspector. If I would be, then I would have raided this ce,¡± Xiaoming affirmed. The workers in the antique shop nced at the owner, who stood up from the chair.


    ¡°He is a regr here. Come tomorrow. Hees to sell valuables to us every second day,¡± the middle-aged man said. Xiaoming asked him why he didn¡¯t tell him earlier.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t ask with desperation,¡± the middle-aged man pronounced.


    Xiaoming hummed. He pondered who could these robbers be. They looted people, yet they were not caught.


    Why?


    ¡°Hey, young man!¡± The middle-aged man called him. Xiaoming came out of his thoughts and nced at him.


    ¡°Since I told you about that person, shouldn¡¯t you reward me?¡±


    Xiaoming chuckled and took out the pouch full of money. He took out a gold coin. ¡°This is more than sufficient,¡± Xiaoming showed him the gold coin and put that on the table.


    ¡°If the information gets incorrect, you¡¯ll be punished,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°Don¡¯t try to fool me if you don¡¯t want to rot in prison,¡± Xiaoming threatened him.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± The middle-aged man squinted his eyes in suspicion.


    Xiaoming looked around and decided to reveal his identity. He took out the token and showed them.


    ¡°I am the Crown Prince, Qiu Xiaoming,¡± he introduced him and put back the token. ¡°I want to capture that person tomorrow. So, make sure not to make any mistakes. I will reward you if I get my hands on the person,¡± he said.


    ¡°Also, don¡¯t let this go out. Else, you won¡¯t see the day after tomorrow,¡± Xiaoming gave another warning.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness,¡± the middle-aged man immediately bowed and apologized to him for speaking informally with him.


    ¡°At what time will hee?¡± He questioned.


    ¡°The time is not fixed, Your Royal Highness. Sometimes heeste while sometimes hees early in the morning,¡± he replied humbly. Xiaoming hummed and left the antique shop.

 Chapter 134

    134 I need a wife, not a Crown Princess


    Xiaoming was stunned to find her mother and daughter of the Prime Minister, Kang Cha Ying. He nced at Eunuch Lishi, who was standing near the chaise on which the Queen was seated.


    Xiaoming, stepped forward and greeted his mother, who asked him to take a seat. He nodded and settled on the broad mahogany chair. Cha Ying stood up and formally greeted the Prince.


    ¡°Why did the Royal Mother let Miss Cha Ying wait? I had sent the message through Eunuch Lishi that I may gette because of urgent work,¡± Xiaoming said. He didn¡¯t like that Zhu Liling was adamant to make him meet Cha Ying. He thought if he would return to the pcete, he didn¡¯t have to meet Cha Ying.


    ¡°Crown Prince, Cha Ying was ready to wait for you. She is such a patient woman,¡± Zhu Lilingplimented her. Cha Ying smiled and kept her eyelids low.


    ¡°I would say she wasted her precious time. The time, which she could use somewhere else, she wasted waiting for me,¡± Xiaomingmented. Cha Ying lifted her head and, for a brief moment, looked at the Crown Prince.


    Zhu Liling thought to divert the topic. ¡°Cha Ying, you shall present the gift which you have prepared for the Crown Prince,¡± Zhu Liling said. Cha Ying nodded and stood up. Her personal attendant stepped forward, who had a robe in her hand.


    The navy blue colored robe had red and golden embroideries on it. ¡°Your Royal Highness, Cha Ying prepared this silk robe with her own hands. She worked for over a month on it,¡± she said and halted before the Crown Prince, who didn¡¯t want to take it.


    Zhu Liling gestured to Eunuch Lishi, who quickly came forward and took the robe from her. ¡°His Royal Highness liked the present of Miss Cha Ying,¡± Eunuch Lishi answered on behalf of Xiaoming and put the robe on the table.


    ¡°Royal Mother, would you like to give us some privacy? I want to have my lunch meal with Miss Cha Ying,¡± Xiaoming requested Zhu Liling, who was extremely delighted to hear him. ¡°I want to thank Miss Cha Ying through this lunch meal,¡± he stated.


    .....


    Cha Ying blushed to hear Xiaoming. It was unbelievable to her for a few seconds that Xiaoming wanted to have lunch with him.


    ¡°Sure, Crown Prince.¡± Zhu Liling rose to her feet. In her respect, they both also got up from their respective seats. They kept their heads low until the Queen left their sights and followed the servants of her manor.


    Once the Queen left, Xiaoming asked Eunuch Lishi to send the lunch meals for them. Eunuch Lishi delightedly left the chamber to instruct the maidservants.


    ¡°Cha Ying would like to thank the Crown Prince for epting her present and, also allowing her to have lunch with him.¡± She was the first woman with whom, the Crown Prince would take his lunch meal. The thought itself fluttered Cha Ying¡¯s heart.


    Once the maidservant set the lunch table for them, Xiaoming dismissed every servant from the chamber, including Eunuch Lishi. They took the seats on the floor chairs. Cha Ying waited for Xiaoming to eat first. Once he took the first morsel, she picked up the chopsticks and started to eat.


    Xiaoming watched her way of eating, her way of holding expressions, and her way of carrying herself. She was too perfect for him. Her qualities would flutter the heart of any may except him. In his mind, she was already out of being his official wife.


    ¡°Miss Cha Ying must be happy to see me and have lunch with me,¡± Xiaoming said, and their eyes met. ¡°She is the daughter of the Prime Minister, so she has gotten some perks. Without my permission, no woman can see me or give gift to me or have meals with me,¡± he affirmed and took a small bite of tofu on the chopsticks.


    ¡°I would not deny that,¡± Cha Ying replied and, she again focussed her gaze on the rice bowl before her.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Miss Cha Ying marry until now? Women are supposed to marry earlier than men. I believe that she must have gotten many good marriage proposals,¡± Xiaoming curiously said. ¡°Is it because I haven¡¯t married till now?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I would say that the King and the Queen think that I am suitable to be the daughter-inw of this royal family,¡± Cha Ying answered him. It was a clever reply. Xiaoming found that she portrayed that his parents were the one who initiated this marriage proposal with her.


    ¡°I have been given a month¡¯s time to select an official wife for myself. There are many young brilliantdies outside. Why should I select Miss Cha Ying?¡± Xiaoming straightforwardly came to the main question. He wanted to judge her true personality. His mother told him numerous times that Cha Ying wasn¡¯t like the Prime Minister. However, her earlier statements forced him to believe the other side too.


    ¡°Because I am the most suitable woman to be the Crown Princess,¡± Cha Ying answered. ¡°Her Majesty informed me that the Crown Prince has asked for a month¡¯s time. It has been four years, yet he could not find anyone,¡± she asserted.


    Xiaoming smiled and looked into her eyes for a few seconds. Her words pissed him off. He didn¡¯t say anything and started to eat. He had realized that Cha Ying could never be his wife.


    ¡°Please finish your food before it gets cold,¡± Xiaoming said while being polite.


    Cha Ying sipped a little water from the silver ss and put it on the table. She dabbed her mouth with the napkin and put it down.


    Xiaoming had also finished his meals and called a servant in.


    The maidservant cleaned the table and left silently. The awkward silence was killing Cha Ying when Xiaoming finally broke the ice.


    ¡°Miss Cha Ying, I need a wife, not a Crown Princess,¡± he proimed with a menacing expression on his face. ¡°If my title does not exist, then the Crown Princess will also dissolve to exist,¡± he affirmed.

 Chapter 135

    135 I¡¯ll burn him alive


    ¡°Miss Cha Ying, I need a wife, not a Crown Princess,¡± he proimed with a menacing expression on his face. ¡°If my title cease to exist, then the Crown Princess will also dissolve to exist,¡± he affirmed.


    Cha Ying nced at Xiaoming in bewilderment. She kept the smile on her lips and opened her mouth to speak. ¡°Your Royal Highness, pardon me, but I do not agree with your first statement. There¡¯s no difference between the title of the Crown Princess and an official wife.¡±


    She could feel that Xiaoming was trying to reject her, but she would not let it happen.


    ¡°Miss Cha Ying, why do you think you are the most suitable woman to be my wife?¡± Xiaoming slightly modified his question this time.


    Cha Ying¡¯s lips curled up into a broader smile. ¡°Because I am perfect in everything. I am not only proficient in household chores, but I also have a sound knowledge of politics, governance, and warfare. Hardly any woman possesses such skills as I do.¡± She was boastful and full of pride. Her every word clearly showed that.


    ¡°Miss Cha Ying, I would like to have a wife who will be full of imperfections. I don¡¯t like perfect people,¡± Xiaoming pronounced.


    Cha Ying let out a chuckle. ¡°Will the royal family ever ept a woman with imperfections? Will the King and the Queen ept that? Will the ministers, officials and themoners ept it?¡± Cha Ying sounded as if she was mocking Xiaoming¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°Why should I care what the others would think?¡± Xiaoming asked her and sneered. ¡°I had thought that Miss Cha Ying was different from her father. However, I was wrong. You and I can never be husband and wife,¡± Xiaoming proimed.


    The smile that Cha Ying had forced on her lips started to diminish. Did he reject her? No, that could not happen.


    .....


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, that was a blunt statement about my character,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Miss Cha Ying perfect in everything? I believe that she¡¯s perfect in bearing the insult too,¡± Xiaoming stated, with a menacing expression. ¡°She should watch her tongue. She¡¯s sitting in front of the Crown Prince,¡± he added.


    Cha Ying¡¯s eyes filled with tears.


    ¡°This was our first andst meeting. I will ask Eunuch Lishi to escort her to her house,¡± he said and called Eunuch Lishi in. He instructed Eunuch Lishi to safely escort Cha Ying. ¡°Take the robe away too. I do not ept the robes from the woman, who will never be associated in any way.¡±


    Eunuch Lishi was shocked to hear Xiaoming, but saying anything would only increase his anger, so he silentlyplied with the Crown Prince¡¯smand.


    ¡°Then, that servant was suitable in His Royal Highness¡¯s eyes?¡± Cha Ying suddenly brought Li Hua into their conversation which had already ended from Xiaoming¡¯s side. Eunuch Lishi widened his eyes.


    Cha Ying snickered. ¡°The Crown Prince rejected me because of Li Hua. Am I right!?¡± She asked without fearing that she was sitting in front of the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Watch your tongue, Miss Cha Ying. She has a higher rank than you. Be respectful and don¡¯t try to get into the royal family matters when you know nothing. Before I punish you along with your father, please leave.¡± Xiaoming had lost his temper, but he remained polite.


    Cha Ying stood up and left in anger while Eunuch Lishi followed him.


    ¡°I was right. She¡¯s behind the title. Who dared to spread rumors about Li Hua?¡± Xiaoming muttered and gritted his teeth in anger.


    ~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei beheld the sight of the Shui Residence. It was no longer the ordinary residence anymore, but the Governor¡¯s residence. Shui Xiaoqing became the Governor of the county one month ago.


    ¡®Shall I set it on fire?¡¯ L¨®ng Wei asked himself and clenched his fists. His hands were locked behind his back while his gaze was fixed on the top building in the residence. ¡®You can¡¯t lose control this way,¡¯ he told himself when heard a heavy masculine voice.


    He turned to look and found a man in histe 40s in front of him. Judging by his dress, he realized that the man must be the head-servant of the residence.


    ¡°Who are you? Are you new here?¡± The man asked and stepped towards him.


    ¡°I was wondering how much it has cost to build the new building,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and pointed his finger at the tall building whose top was visible from outside, ¡°or it was built from the taxes that the Governor looted from the people or other illegal works.¡± L¨®ng Wei tilted his head with a smirk on his lips.


    ¡°What?¡± The man knitted his brows. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words angered him and he shouted at him. ¡°Do you want to go to prison?¡± He threatened L¨®ng Wei, who snickered.


    ¡°Next time, if we meet then that will be yourst day,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a menacing expression and walked away.


    The man took L¨®ng Wei as some freak and walked into the residence.


    While returning to the Cold Pce, L¨®ng Wei halted when a woman stopped in his way, who hadrge bamboo basket. ¡°Please buy some flowers, Young Man. These are fresh flowers and have pleasant scents in them,¡± she started to convince him to buy a few flowers from her.


    L¨®ng Wei thought of buying some for Li Hua. ¡°Can you make them into a bouquet?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. The woman smiled and nodded. She tied a small string obtained from nts around the stems of the various flowers. L¨®ng Wei handed her the silver coin and took the bouquet from her.


    He inhaled the scent of the flowers and a smile again carved on his lips.


    ¡°Young Man, a silver coin is too much for these flowers. These value 20 cents. I do not have-¡± she couldn¡¯tplete her words as L¨®ng Wei told her to keep that and walked ahead.


    He used the secret route to the hill and after an hour reached the cold pce. He went straight to the chamber and found Li Hua on the recliner. She was sleeping and he let out a deep breath.


    ¡°When did she sleep?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Eunuch Qian He, who had followed him in.


    ¡°An hour ago, Your Highness. Princess Consort has waited for His Highness. She didn¡¯t even take her lunch,¡± Qian He informed L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°You were supposed to tell her to have her lunch. Did she not have her lunch with Xu Zifan?¡± He asked and put the flower bouquet on the table near the recliner.


    ¡°No, Your Highness,¡± Qian He replied.


    ¡°Leave.¡± L¨®ng Wei dismissed him and went to Li Hua. He saw the tear marks on her face. ¡°I told you not to cry too much. All this happened because of Feng Lao. I will burn him alive,¡± he pledged as he stroked Li Hua¡¯s cheek.

 Chapter 136

    136 Prepare for the worst


    Li Hua opened her eyes and felt the slight pain in her neck. She recollected that while waiting for L¨®ng Wei, she fell asleep. She rubbed her eyes and sat straight.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take your lunch with Xu Zifan?¡±


    Li Hua turned to her left and found L¨®ng Wei. He walked to her and picked the bouquet from the table. ¡°Here, it is for you.¡± He forwarded the bouquet to her, who looked shocked.


    L¨®ng Wei gestured to Li Hua to take that. Li Hua lifted her hand and grabbed the bouquet.


    She smiled and brought the flowers closer to inhale the scent.


    ¡°Did His Highness go out? Without me?¡± She arched her brow as it upset her.


    ¡°I thought to take a stroll while you were with your brother,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he brought his thumb to her right cheek. ¡°It seemed you didn¡¯t listen to me.¡± His thumb stroked her cheek.


    Li Hua lowered her eyelids. ¡°I could not help, Your Highness.¡±


    He lifted her chin, ¡°look at me while speaking,¡± he urged her and slowly pulled his hand back.


    .....


    ¡°We were a happy family, Your Highness. My father never did anyone wrong. My Elder First Brother lost his right arm. He is in a lot of pain. Not because of his arm, but also because he could not able to save anyone. He didn¡¯t tell me, but I could sense that. Also, my elder brother loved someone. But the woman married someone else. So many things happened in such a short time,¡± Li Hua narrated to L¨®ng Wei. Once again, tears filled her eyes.


    ¡°Someone conspired against your father,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and held out his hand. Li Hua put her palm on it, and he pulled her up. His left hand rested on her waist. ¡°Your father was too good for this world,¡± he stated.


    ¡°What does His Highness mean?¡± Li Hua was puzzled by his statement.


    ¡°Straight trees are cut first. Your father was an honest and upright person. That¡¯s why his entire family had to see this kind of fate,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my father¡¯s fault, who was honest and helpful,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°Is His Highness saying that a person should not be good to others?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Let¡¯s have our lunch, and then we will go out,¡± he said with a smile and called a maidservant in. He asked her to bring meals for them and took Li Hua to the floor table.


    ¡°Li Hua, will you allow me to kill the person who did this to you and your family?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°I will kill him with my hands, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Do you mean it?¡± L¨®ng Wei wanted to confirm and twitched his lips.


    ¡°Of course, I mean it,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°I have pledged myself that I will kill the person with my hands,¡± she affirmed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know how to use a weapon. How will you do that? Instead, you can ask me, and I will finish him for you. I will burn him alive,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, with a stern tone. Li Hua didn¡¯t want L¨®ng Wei to involve himself in any such crime, so she refused to agree with him.


    ¡°Your Highness, this is my revenge. I will learn to use the weapon. I will start practicing from tomorrow,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°It will take you years to be good with swords and arrows. It will take you years to kill the person behind it. Allow me to take your revenge. However, I need something in return.¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested to her and also put forward a condition.


    ¡°What does His Highness need?¡± Li Hua was perplexed.


    ¡°You,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°I want you to trust me, love me and not stop me from what I will do to the person. I will keep teaching you the art of usage of weapons,¡± he proimed.


    ¡°Does His Highness know about him?¡± She asked.


    L¨®ng Wei refused and shook his head. Since Xu Zifan told her not to speak about Feng Lao this soon, he decided to remain quiet.


    The maidservant came and set the table for them. L¨®ng Wei asked her to leave. They both started to eat while a silence persisted between them. After finishing their meals, the same servant cleaned the table and left.


    ¡°Li Hua, have you heard that famous saying: Sometimes the most loving person to you can betray you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°Why would someone who loves you will betray you?¡± Li Hua posed another question.


    ¡°There are many reasons,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. However, he refrained from telling her. ¡°You must prepare for the worst too,¡± he advised her.


    ¡°It seems His Highness knows a lot. I think he has the knowledge of who nned all this,¡± Li Hua deduced.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled. ¡°If I had, then I would not have even dyed cutting that person¡¯s head and presenting it to you,¡± he said and smirked, ¡°after taking your permission if I can take your revenge.¡± He rified her.


    ¡°Is His Highness serious?¡± She bit her lower lip.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°I will allow His Highness to kill the person if,¡± she paused and stared into his eyes.


    ¡°If?¡± L¨®ng Wei leaned forward and kept his gaze intact on hers.


    ¡°If he tells me why he killed his mother. The day he tells me, His Highness is free to kill the person,¡± Li Hua stated.


    L¨®ng Wei snickered. He had not expected Li Hua would ask this from him. ¡°Are you sure you can kill the person if I don¡¯t agree to your condition?¡± L¨®ng Wei posed his question differently this time.


    ¡°His Highness is underestimating me,¡± Li Hua said. She was confident that she would kill the person. After all, it was her revenge.


    ¡°Fine. You are free to kill the person. I would love to see how you will do it.¡± He leaned back and smiled. ¡°However, if you fail, then I will take the lead. I will kill the person for you,¡± he proimed.


    ¡°I will do it. His Highness doesn¡¯t need to take the lead,¡± she opined.

 Chapter 137

    137 Living alone in the Cold Pce


    Xiaoming asked Eunuch Lishi to keep quiet, but he didn¡¯t.


    ¡°His Royal Highness should not have given back the robe. If Her Majesty finds out, then she will not like it. Miss Cha Ying made the robe with so much love,¡± Eunuch Lishi stated.


    Xiaoming tossed the scroll on the table, and Eunuch Lishi shut his mouth. ¡°Will Eunuch Lishi keep quiet? And stop praising her in front of me. If I heard another word from Eunuch Lishi¡¯s mouth, then he better be ready to stop serving me. I will rece him with another Eunuch of the pce,¡± Xiaoming scolded him, and then warned him not to repeat the same mistake.


    ¡°Forgive me to anger His Royal Highness. This Eunuch should have controlled his tongue. But she didn¡¯t look in a good mood. What if the Prime Minister tells this to the King and the Queen? I am worried about the Crown Prince,¡± Eunuch Lishi rified why he was concerned.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi doesn¡¯t need to worry about that,¡± Xiaoming said as he calmed down a bit.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness.¡± Eunuch Lishi bowed. ¡°If the Crown Prince doesn¡¯t mind, then can he tell me what made the Crown Prince angry at Miss Cha?¡± It was important for him to know.


    ¡°She is behind the Crown Princess¡¯s title,¡± Xiaoming replied and clenched his fists as he recalled her words. ¡°My mother was wrong about her. She¡¯s not the woman with whom I can live happily. Also, I hate those who think they are perfect in everything.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei was one such person in his life. Xiaoming would not deny that L¨®ng Wei was more perfect than him, and it annoyed him.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I told her that she should not dream of marrying me. She should be grateful that I forgave her. She dragged Li Hua into our conversation, which irked me the most. Li Hua is at a rank higher than her, yet she sounded rude. Eunuch Lishi, find the person who is spreading rumors about Li Hua and me.¡± Xiaoming ordered Eunuch Lishi, who epted it.


    .....


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, Miss Cha Ying should not have brought the matter rted to Li...,¡± he paused and then corrected himself, ¡°Princess Consort Li Hua and you. It is a crime to say such innsolent thing to His Royal Highness.¡±


    Eunuch Lishi now,pletely understood, why Xiaoming was pissed off at Cha Ying. Now, if the King and the Queen questioned Xiaoming or scolded him, Eunuch Lishi would defend his master.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, my humble apologies, but tomorrow is the beginning of the dragon boat festival. Her Majesty has invited not only the daughter of the Prime Minister but also several of the young nobledies in the evening. The Crown Prince must tell the Queen about this incident so that she would ordingly take a decision on it,¡± Eunuch Lishi suggested to Xiaoming. He liked the suggestion and thought to talk to not only his mother but also his father.


    ¡°I will see both Father and Mother in the evening,¡± Xiaoming told Eunuch Lishi, who smiled and excused himself. The task that the Crown Prince had given him, he had toplete.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei liked the confidence of Li Hua. However, he knew that she would fall weak in front of Feng Lao. He got up from his seat. ¡°Let¡¯s go out.¡± He held out his hand which Li Hua caught and he pulled her up.


    ¡°Since we will be alone, I am expecting that you¡¯ll address me as ¡®Dear Husband¡¯,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we alone here?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°Notpletely,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and they started to walk. ¡°I wonder why you are adamant about not calling me affectionately. Your husband wants to see your love for him,¡± he asserted and they came out of the chamber.


    L¨®ng Wei brought her to the region where thergeke was situated. She looked around and found it was extremely calm. It seemed time had stopped at that ce. Theke was surrounded by a deep forest on the other side. She let go of his hand and started to walk on the cobblestone pavement.


    L¨®ng Wei followed her and the two stopped near the same ce, where they both had encountered each other for the first time.


    ¡°Why was His Highness in the water that day?¡± Li Hua asked and tilted her head.


    ¡°Umm... I wanted to feel peace,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°His Highness¡¯ body looked like a corpse, floating in the water,¡± Li Hua stated. ¡°I contemted and realized that he wanted to feel nothing. Am I right?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei smiled a little but didn¡¯t answer her question.


    ¡°It must be tough living alone in the cold pce. That¡¯s why My Husband came here to feel nothing,¡± Li Hua asserted. He shifted his gaze to her and peered into her eyes.


    ¡°My husband promised me that he will tell me about his life if I get into the water with him. I am ready,¡± Li Hua stated and her fingers touched the fingers of his hand. L¨®ng Wei kept staring into her doe eyes and curled his fingers around her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to get into the water and get sick,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I can see that Qian He already told you something. Wifey was never curious about me,¡± he proimed and smiled.


    ¡°Is His Highness breaking his promise?¡± Li Hua asked in bewilderment. He shook his head.


    ¡°I changed my mind to get into the water,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I found out that His Highness was locked in the underground dungeon of the cold pce,¡± Li Hua said without blinking and continued to stare at him.


    ¡°I was,¡± L¨®ng Wei epted. ¡°Say whatever Qian He told you at once,¡± he demanded.


    ¡°When His Highness was eight years old, he was sent to the cold pce for the first time. He has visited this ce numerous times since then and got locked in the dungeon for a specific period of time.¡± Li Hua refrained from speaking about the time when he killed his mother. She didn¡¯t want to annoy him when everything was going smoothly.


    ¡°I would like to see the dungeon where His Highness stayed,¡± Li Hua expressed her desire and finally blinked.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I want to feel what My Husband felt while staying in the dungeon,¡± she affirmed.

 Chapter 138

    138 I would have kidnapped you


    L¨®ng Wei brought his hand to her waist and drew her for a hug. ¡°You don¡¯t need to see the dungeon. You need to first focus on your revenge. It is not the right time to know about me.¡± His other hand went to the top of her head.


    ¡°Why?¡± Li Hua moved her head back and lifted it to look at him. ¡°Since we are in the cold pce, it is the right time to know everything about you,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°In the imperial pce, everyone asks His Majesty to send you to the cold pce without knowing how tough it is. When we return, I want to tell them My Husband is human too. He doesn¡¯t deserve that kind of treatment.¡± Li Hua was determined to fight for L¨®ng Wei and stood by his side.


    ¡°Your Highness, after finding answers here, we will return to the capital. Then, we will bring the evil face of the Prime Minister¡¯s son because of whom you have to suffer,¡± Li Hua opined.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s heart fluttered upon hearing Li Hua¡¯s words. That caring side of Li Hua because of which he fell for her. The day he met her for the first time was a hard day for him. He indeed wanted to feel nothing. He felt it was unfair that the King didn¡¯t try to find out why he beat Kang Xi¡¯s son.


    ¡°Only you do not look at me with disgust,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I cannot help but fall for you,¡± he confessed.


    Li Hua felt her tongue-tied from his words. He again admitted his feelings for her. ¡°The first time we met and I brought you out of the water, what came up in His Highness¡¯s mind?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°I thought, who tried to pull me out, who tried to touch me? Who had the dare to kiss me? Why did this woman not want me to die?¡± L¨®ng Wei told her the questions that appeared in his mind at that moment.


    ¡°His Highness acted well. Also, that was not the kiss. That is a method to save someone, who gets drowned in the water,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    .....


    ¡°But I did not drown. I was alive and safe. That¡¯s why for me that was definitely a kiss,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed, ¡°the first kiss.¡±


    ¡°Then, how did His Highness find me?¡± Li Hua went towards the tree beside theke and rested her back on it. Her arms crossed in front of her chest. ¡°The town is so big with many houses,¡± she stated.


    ¡°I chased you,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    Li Hua gaped at him in bewilderment. ¡°In those wet clothes? Wasn¡¯t His Highness cold? My father scolded me a lot that day. I jumped into the water in the wintertime, and the next day I got cold. What about His Highness? Did he get sick?¡± Li Hua was curious to know.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get sick. I have a tough body,¡± L¨®ng Weiplimented himself.


    ¡°Is His Highness lying?¡± Li Hua wasn¡¯t ready to believe it. It was cold that day. Though the sky was clear, the weather was cold.


    ¡°I am not lying,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°You have a weak body. That¡¯s why you got sick,¡± he stated.


    ¡°No. I have a strong immune system. The weather was cold. I don¡¯t get sick in the summertime,¡± Li Hua stated. She didn¡¯t like it when L¨®ng Wei said that her body was weak.


    ¡°The Xu Residence was well secured from the front. I don¡¯t think His Highness sneaked in that day,¡± Li Hua concluded.


    ¡°Of course. I need to prepare myself to see you. My thoughts were too disoriented at that time.¡± He recalled the time when he chased Li Hua to her residence. His mind was entirely upied by her. Everything about her was special to him.


    ¡°Then, how did His Highness orient his thoughts? What preparation did he make? Did he ever enter the residence?¡± Li Hua¡¯s curiosity kept increasing. L¨®ng Wei walked to her and halted in front of her.


    ¡°I never oriented my thoughts for you. It is good to see myself restless for you.¡± He smirked and was ready to answer the rest of the questions. ¡°I had to hide myself well to enter the residence. Also, I needed a fake ID to enter,¡± he replied.


    Li Hua was shocked to hear him. She wasn¡¯t expecting L¨®ng Wei could enter the residence.


    ¡°When did His Highness enter the residence? How did he enter my house?¡± Li Hua questioned.


    ¡°After two days of seeing you. I entered as a servant. You were ying with some of the youngdies present in your residence,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and stepped close to her. She rested her hand on one side of Li Hua, on the tree trunk, and beamed into her eyes.


    ¡°Do you want to know what happened next?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    Li Hua nodded her head.


    ¡°dded in the white silky gown, with two beautiful golden hairpins on the left side of the hair, your long shiny hair was swinging with that cold breeze. That sight of yours mesmerized me. I think that¡¯s why your father did not allow you to go out. Men would have gone crazy to see you daily.¡± L¨®ng Wei took a few hair strands in his hand and inhaled the scent from them.


    Li Hua was astonished to hear his words. He observed too many things about her.


    Her heartbeats picked up speed, and she felt his hot breath fanning against her ear. ¡°Do you want to hear more?¡± He asked. Li Hua hummed and narrowly gazed at him.


    ¡°In the evening, you were lighting antern. Your personal attendant was asking you not to do that. Still, you were not listening to her. As you moved your hands up, your sleeves moved down. The white-milky hands peeked out from them. Your smile brightened as yellow light fell on your pretty face. It seemed that I was looking at a jade beauty from heaven.¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. His fingers continued to y with her hair.


    ¡°So, His Highness was stalking me. If my father and brothers had found out about His Highness, then they would have beaten you,¡± Li Hua remarked.


    ¡°I would have revealed my real identity and proposed to marry you,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted, and he brought his face in front of hers.


    ¡°My father would have refused,¡± Li Hua said, with a confident tone.


    ¡°Then, I would have,¡± he further lowered his face, leaving a hair strand distance between their lips, ¡°kidnapped you.¡±

 Chapter 139

    139 I deserve a normal life


    Li Hua giggled upon hearing L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. ¡°Kidnapped me?¡± She chuckled. ¡°That would be difficult,¡± she said.


    ¡°How?¡± L¨®ng Wei looked at her in amusement.


    ¡°My First Brother was a great swordsman. He had defeated His Highness,¡± Li Hua asserted. ¡°No one could defeat my elder brother,¡± she praised Xu Zifan.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled. ¡°Li Hua, you are forgetting that I can do anything for the things I want,¡± he proimed. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I go crazy for the things which capture my eyes?¡± He looked for an answer in her eyes.


    ¡°I am not a thing, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua corrected him.


    ¡°Indeed, you are a beautiful possession that everyone would like to have,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°You possess such a wonderful power of making a person like me go crazy. I never ran after a person, the way I did for you. I indeed had lost my mind, after that day,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    Li Hua felt heat rising in her cheeks. She bit her lower lip and fiddled with her fingers. Her eyes fell on his kissable lips and then back to the eyes.


    ¡°Shall we go ahead?¡± Li Hua moved her hand in the air. She wanted to escape his sight. Several kinds of thoughts were appearing in her head that she didn¡¯t want to think about. She slightly moved her feet to move away and averted her gaze from him.


    L¨®ng Wei caught her arm and pulled her back. He pinned her on the trunk of the pear blossom tree. She stopped blinking and breathing too for a few seconds. Her fingers curled so did her toes inside the shoes.


    .....


    ¡°My favorite fruit is pear, my favorite flower is the pear flower and-¡± L¨®ng Wei paused as his gaze bored her.


    ¡°And?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°My favorite person¡¯s name originates from this pear tree. I found different meaning of my life here. A realization I got that day. Do you want to know what realization I had that day?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. He sounded serious and desperate to tell her. Li Hua nodded at him.


    ¡°That I deserve a normal life,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    Those words seemed simple yet there seemed a deep meaning hidden behind them. L¨®ng Wei had not had a normal life. But why? Li Hua kept staring into his eyes.


    Li Hua tiptoed and kissed the top of his cheek near the left eye. L¨®ng Wei looked at her in bewilderment as she put her feet down. ¡°I thought His Highness needed it,¡± she murmured and lowered her eyes.


    The next moment, their noses touched first and her face was lifted. L¨®ng Wei angled her face and opened his lips to kiss her upper lips. His body moved closer to her while her body convulsed. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s other hand moved to hers which were near her chest, joined with each other. He brought one of them to his shoulder while the other, she lifted on her own.


    Their faces moved as the kiss proceeded. Li Hua locked her hands behind his neck. She drew him close, not wanting to leave that kiss. They slowed down the rhythm of their lips and gradually pulled away. The grip of her hands loosened and she took deep breaths. She was dangerously attracted to him. He had made her go insane.


    Her insides screamed at her that she had built feelings for him. She liked him differently. She never felt this way with Feng Lao. Around him, she was always shy. However, it was the opposite with L¨®ng Wei. She acted immediately ording to her mind.


    But, presently, after having the heated kiss with him, she wanted to bury herself deep down in the earth. She pursed her lips together wondering what L¨®ng Wei would say.


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± he pronounced her name.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She responded but didn¡¯t look at him.


    ¡°Admit that you like me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, keeping a tiny smile on his lips. ¡°You like me, don¡¯t you?¡± He arched his brow.


    ¡°Your Highness, it is almost evening. Shall we head back?¡± Li Hua ignored his question and finally lifted her head. ¡°They must be looking for us. Also, I promised my elder brother that I would have my evening tea with him,¡± she stated.


    ¡°No one is looking for us,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Xu Zifan can wait for more. He knows that we both are newlyweds. We need some alone time,¡± he asserted.


    Li Hua found it was tough to escape now.


    ¡°Why did you kiss me on the cheek? What meaning shall I take?¡± He was desperate to know.


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°You are bing bolder. I like it,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and grasped her hand. ¡°Come, I will show you something good,¡± he said and took her away.


    ~~~~~~


    Tianjie looked at Qiu Mu and folded his arms across his chest. ¡°I don¡¯t think Brother Qiu Mu shall go to Xinshui. It is too risky,¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°Why do you think so? I need to go to kill L¨®ng Wei. Else, he will destroy our lives,¡± Qiu Mu affirmed.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei is smart,¡± Zhang Xi spoke this time. ¡°Brother Qiu Mu, if you get caught, things will ruin,¡± he opined.


    ¡°Do you also think that I¡¯m weaker than him?¡± Qiu Mu turned furious.


    ¡°I never thought that, Brother Qiu Mu. What if someone sees you in Xinshui? Also, what lie will you tell to the Royal Father?¡± Zhang Xi questioned him. ¡°It is better to send a highly trained assassin,¡± he suggested to Qiu Mu.


    ¡°I agree with Brother Zhang Xi¡¯s words. Send the assassins. Three will suffice,¡± Tianjie affirmed. ¡°However, there exists a problem. Brother Mingquan and Commander Huang Xi are also in the cold pce.¡± He suddenly recalled them.


    ¡°I need to bait L¨®ng Wei so that he wille out of the cold pce. ¡°The soon we get rid of him, the better it will be. We can live our lives in peace without any disturbance,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I still advise Brother Qiu Mu to send the assassins,¡± Zhang Xi asserted. ¡°Why to have his filthy blood on your hands? Brother Qiu Mu doesn¡¯t need to dirty his hands by killing him. Let the assassins handle this work,¡± he reasoned.

 Chapter 140

    140 No, I hate him


    L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua stopped at the small hilltop from where the Xu Residence was visible. It was in a dpidated condition. Though it was from the point, where they both were standing, the rooftops of the residence were still visible.


    Li Hua nced at L¨®ng Wei, who had his hands locked behind his back. ¡°That night the back side of the Xu Residence burned down into ashes. However, shortly after the fire, the rain started, so the fire was extinguished.


    Li Hua looked back towards the residence. Tears appeared in her eyes. ¡°Your Highness, let¡¯s go tomorrow to the Xu Residence. I want to visit my house,¡± Li Hua made up her mind to go to the Xu Residence.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her.


    Li Hua nodded her head. ¡°I want to check many things at my house,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. Then, we will go to the market to enjoy with the people,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested to her.


    ¡°The people recognize me,¡± Li Hua stated. A sudden fear appeared on her face. ¡°Then what will I answer?¡± Li Hua asked. ¡°I ran away that day while my family members fought alone. Won¡¯t I be called a coward, a selfish person? Also, none knows about the Sixth Prince. It is not a good idea to go to the center of the market at such a festival.¡± Li Hua put forward all the cons of going to market, among the people.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°It is the time when I must show to people who I am. As soon as you stepped into my life, I decided that I would never return to this cold pce after being punished. Also, who knows our enemy will be dumbstruck to see you alive, your brother alive.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words sounded as if he had a big n in his mind.


    ¡°Is my enemy in this town?¡± Li Hua asked.


    .....


    ¡°I think so. The person who nned the assassination against your family was indeed close to your father, who knew everything about the Xu Residence. It¡¯s indeed someone from this town,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. Li Hua had the hunch that her husband knew everything about the culprit. But he was refraining from telling anything rted to that.


    ¡°His Highness shall tell me who is behind all this. Does my Elder First Brother know about it?¡± Li Hua turned desperate to know. Her gaze fixated on him, eagerly waiting for him to answer.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at the sun which was on the horizon. The redness had spread in the sky and thest few rays were falling on the earth. ¡°Li Hua, we must return. The forest here isn¡¯t good. Animalse out after sunset,¡± L¨®ng Wei advised her and grasped her hand.


    ¡°I won¡¯t go unless His Highness tells me the truth,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    ¡°I only made assumptions,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°The assumptions that you failed to make,¡± he rified to Li Hua.


    ¡°I know His Highness is lying. He¡¯s hiding from me. I won¡¯t ever forgive me if he doesn¡¯t tell me the truth within this week,¡± Li Hua stated. ¡°I mean it. I will never forgive His Highness. I will stop these feelings from building inside me for him. I will distance myself from him.¡± Li Hua said some harsh things to him. But, at the same time, she confessed that she started to like him.


    L¨®ng Wei amusingly stared into her eyes. The redness that had spread in the sky slowly started to diminish.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You will find everything before leaving Xinshui,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He took a step towards her. ¡°Just admit that you like me. Though you already have, I would like to hear it,¡± he demanded and didn¡¯t blink.


    ¡°Does His Highness know who did this to my family?¡± Li Hua questioned instead of answering him.


    ¡°Do you like me?¡± L¨®ng Wei also questioned her and took another step toward her such that there was no space left even for the air.


    ¡°His Highness didn¡¯t answer my question,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°Neither did you,¡± L¨®ng Wei promptly replied.


    ¡°No, I hate him,¡± Li Hua said loudly and turned away to leave. Her back hit his chest as L¨®ng Wei pulled her back.


    ¡°It means that you like me,¡± L¨®ng Wei whispered in her ear. Li Hua tilted her head and red into his eyes.


    ¡°His Highness should check his ears. I clearly said that I hate him,¡± Li Hua said with annoyance and hit the middle of his abdomen with her elbow. She walked ahead quickly.


    ¡°Ouch! That hurts, Wifey,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and followed her. He approached her and suddenly lifted her in his arms.


    ¡°Leave me,¡± Li Hua pped at his shoulders and threw her legs in the air.


    ¡°Stay still. Do you want us to fall and get injured?¡± L¨®ng Wei raised his voice.


    ¡°Yes. It is better for me to fall than staying in His Highness¡¯s arms,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°There may be snakes here. It¡¯s better for you to be in arms,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her.


    ¡°Snakes are better,¡± Li Hua muttered.


    ¡°Then, I will leave you here and return to the pce. Animals will be happy to have you as their feast,¡± L¨®ng Wei tried to intimidate her.


    Li Hua¡¯s ears turned red in anger. ¡°Then, His Highness can leave me here. He thinks that I am weak and can¡¯t go back,¡± Li Hua challenged him.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled and it confused her. ¡°Indeed, you are weak,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and started to walk. ¡°Now, stop arguing with me. I would have dropped you here if you hadn¡¯t been in my mind and heart,¡± he stated.


    Li Hua averted her gaze from him and decided not to talk to him.


    The sky turned dark sooner than it was expected. Li Hua looked around and realized that she could not see well except in the eyes of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°His Highness can put me down. Then, we can walk fast,¡± Li Hua opined. She had pledged not to speak to him, but in this situation, she had to.


    ¡°So, you finally spoke,¡± L¨®ng Wei taunted her. ¡°We are close to the cold pce,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°It was because of the situation we are in,¡± Li Hua gave an exnation.


    ¡°So, you also seek benefits in people,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked.


    ¡°No,¡± Li Hua refused and wondered where their conversation was heading to.


    ¡°Then why do you like me? Because I helped you or because you like the way I am,¡± L¨®ng Wei again jumped back to the same question. After Li Hua admitted that she had feelings for him, he was frenzied.


    ¡°I will tell when His Highness tells me the truth,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Hmm. Then, be ready to learn the truth tomorrow,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. Li Hua was delighted to hear him. She would not spare that person.


    ~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    Will L¨®ng Wei tell her truth about the Shui Family? How will Li Hua react upon finding out Feng Lao betrayed her? Do answer in thements!


    Also, if we reach 300 unlocks this month or more, there are various rebate prizes for the privileged buyers only. They will get a certain amount of coins back the following month. Let¡¯s reach this goal quickly.


    THANK YOU


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 141

    141 I will not force him


    The next morning, in the pce, Xiaoming was reprimanded by his mother as she found out about thest day¡¯s incident.


    ¡°I had told the Crown Prince not to create any trouble with the daughter of the Prime Minister. Why did he send the robe back that Cha Ying made for him? Since when did the Crown Prince start disrespecting and hurting people?¡±


    Eunuch Lianying told the Queen to calm down. ¡°Your Majesty, it is an auspicious day. The Prime Minister¡¯s daughter will be present today. The Crown Prince will make up with her,¡± he suggested to the Queen.


    ¡°Royal Mother, she cannot be my wife. She wants to be the Crown Princess. That¡¯s why I sent back the robe along with her. I do not want to give false hopes to Miss Cha Ying.¡± Xiaoming remained calm while answering his mother.


    ¡°What is the Crown Prince saying?¡± Zhu Liling was confused by Xiaoming¡¯s statement that Cha Ying wanted to be the Crown Princess.


    ¡°If the Royal Mother allows, can we talk in private?¡± Xiaoming humbly requested her. Zhu Liling nced at Eunuch Lianying, who bowed and asked the servants to leave the chamber. Eunuch Lishi looked at Xiaoming anxiously and left with Eunuch Lianying.


    Once everyone left, Zhu Liling asked him to speak.


    ¡°Thank you, Royal Mother, for sending everyone out,¡± Xiaoming lifted his head and continued, ¡°I asked a question from Miss Cha Ying: Why should I select her? Her answer was: she¡¯s the most suitable woman to be the Crown Princess. She could have said ¡®wife¡¯ instead of ¡®Crown Princess¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Cha Ying thought using a title is better, my son. Why did you get angry for such a small matter?¡± Zhu Liling was unable to understand her son¡¯s mind.


    .....


    ¡°She made a second mistake too when I told her that I am not interested in marrying her. She brought Li Hua into our conversation. She said that I refused to marry because of Li Hua. What more can I expect from Miss Cha Ying? I felt insulted for speaking this way to me. It is a pce matter and she is not even a part of this pce. Yet, she had to say such a thing to me. After marriage, if I am unable to love her, which I am sure that I never will, Miss Cha Ying will keep bringing Li Hua into our rtionship.¡±


    Xiaoming¡¯s anger was clear while speaking his thoughts with Zhu Liling.


    ¡°Cha Ying associated your name with Li Hua!?¡± Zhu Liling was upset to learn this. It angered her that Cha Ying didn¡¯t even think it was the Crown Prince whom she was conversing with.


    ¡°Royal Mother, please don¡¯t force me to marry her. As a mother, you will always want me to be happy. I know that with Miss Cha Ying, I will never be happy. Her first impression on me has cleared everything. Miss Cha Ying is out of this selection. If the Royal Mother still forces me to reconsider my decision, then I am afraid I will ask my Royal Father to punish Miss Cha Ying and the Prime Minister. I want to keep it private, that¡¯s why I am quiet.¡±


    Xiaoming announced his decision to his mother. He knew that his mother wanted to consolidate power with him, but he didn¡¯t want to ruin his life just for power. There were better Ministers than the Prime Minister, who would be loyal to him till the end.


    ¡°Cha Ying should not have said all such things to the Crown Prince. I used to think she was a mindful, young woman. This was not expected of her.¡± Zhu Liling was also disappointed in her. ¡°Since the Crown Prince doesn¡¯t want to marry her, then I will not force him,¡± she announced her decision, making Xiaoming happy. He thanked her for understanding him and bowed.


    Later he excused himself and left for his manor. Eunuch Lishi was delighted to find that the Queen agreed not to let Xiaoming marry Cha Ying. ¡°I need to go out today. I wille in the evening,¡± Xiaoming informed Eunuch Lishi.


    ¡°May I know where the Crown Prince is going? Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. The officials are on leave.¡± Eunuch Lishi was confused. ¡°Also, the few ministers¡¯ daughters will alsoe today. His Royal Highness shall shift his outside work to ater date,¡± he suggested to Xiaoming, who shook his head.


    Xiaoming put the dagger inside its sheath and turned to look at him. ¡°If I do not go out today, then I may lose,¡± he asserted.


    ¡®She robbed me. If she can rob the nation¡¯s Crown Prince, then she can do anything. I want to find this woman.¡¯ He contemted and gazed at Eunuch Lishi, who looked perplexed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will be back before the festival starts here. If anyone asks about me, then tell them that the Crown Prince does not want to see anyone,¡± Xiaoming instructed him.


    ¡°What if His Majesty calls for the Crown Prince? What excuse shall I make, Your Royal Highness?¡± Eunuch Lishi furrowed his brows.


    ¡°I have already talked with my Royal Father. He will note here,¡± Xiaoming replied and went to the study desk. He opened the drawer and took out a pouch that was full of gold coins. Putting it inside his pocket, he left for the market.


    Xiaoming rode another horse to reach the same shop and asked the owner if he could take care of his horse. The middle-aged man told his name.


    ¡°His Royal Highness can call me Much¨¦n.¡±


    Xiaoming hummed while Much¨¦n took the horse to the nearest stable in the market while Xiaoming settled on the chair, away from the entrance so that he would note to the notice. The servant of the shop asked Xiaoming if he would like to drink the water, and, who refused.


    ¡°Is he a young man?¡± Xiaoming asked about the person.


    ¡°He is the same age as our master,¡± the servant replied.


    ¡°I thought it would be her brother,¡± he murmured. Much¨¦n returned and checked on the Crown Prince. ¡°His Royal Highness must be feeling hot. Shall I fan him? The day temperature, these days is soaring high,¡± Much¨¦n said and quickly took out a paper fan.


    ¡°Give it to me,¡± Xiaoming stated. Much¨¦n forwarded his hands, on which he had put the fan. Xiaoming picked it up and asked him to resume his work. ¡°Inform me when hees,¡± Xiaoming told him. Much¨¦n nodded and bowed again before walking away.

 Chapter 142

    142 5- colored Silk threaded Braid


    Thank you ¡°mags98¡± for 11 GTs.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei dropped Li Hua at Xu Zifan¡¯s and then came to the garden where Mingquan was waiting for him apanied by Huang Xi.


    He found that Mingquan was ready to have a sword fight with him. Huang Xi greeted L¨®ng Wei and asked him where his wife was.


    ¡°I cannot do it today,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Let¡¯s postpone it to some other day. I need to take Li Hua out. Also, it¡¯s the day of the festival. We must enjoy the day,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed and looked at Mingquan.


    ¡°How much can I trust the Fourth Prince?¡± His question puzzled Mingquan.


    ¡°Umm...he knows this answer already,¡± Mingquan replied, after thinking for a few minutes. Huang Xi looked at both of them.


    L¨®ng Wei brought his hand forward which had a braid made of thick silk threads in it. ¡°Forward your hand, Fourth Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei urged him. Mingquanplied with his request and forwarded his left hand. L¨®ng Wei pushed his sleeve up and tied the 5-colored silk threaded braid around his wrist.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this for children?¡± Huang Xi interrupted in the middle. ¡°On the Dragon Boat Festival, children wear these to ward off the evil of diseases,¡± he stated and nced at L¨®ng Wei. Mingquan also looked at his youngest brother in bewilderment.


    .....


    ¡°It is to show that I have put my faith in the Fourth Brother,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. Mingquan widened his eyes when he heard ¡®Fourth Brother¡¯ from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mouth. He never addressed any of the Princes as ¡®Brother¡¯. It was the most unexpected that he could ever imagine happening. L¨®ng Wei pulled his hand back while Mingquan looked at the braid.


    Huang Xi was d to see that L¨®ng Wei had acknowledged the Fourth Prince as his brother. Last night, Mingquan told him that L¨®ng Wei never considered that he had any elder brothers or sisters. This was indeed a surprise.


    Mingquan thanked L¨®ng Wei for it. ¡°I am overwhelmed with this surprise of Brother L¨®ng Wei. I am d that he sees me not only as his well-wisher but also as an elder brother,¡± he asserted and smiled brightly


    ¡°I want to share something important with you both,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Huang Xi and Mingquan nced at L¨®ng Wei, who went towards the pavilion made at the center of the garden. They followed him and then took their seats around a table.


    ¡°What is it about?¡± Mingquan asked and put the sword on the table.


    ¡°About Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°What about the Princess Consort?¡± Mingquan queried.


    ¡°Li Hua is the daughter of Xu Guang Li,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. Immediately, Mingquan recalled Xu Guang Li.


    ¡°You mean, the daughter of Xu Guang Li, whose family died in a deadly assassination?¡± Mingquan asked. He remembered well that Qiu Zedong had talked about it with them. ¡°Xu Guang Li¡¯s eldest son was one of the finest, known swordsmen in the Kingdom,¡± he added.


    ¡°I had this feeling that I had seen the Princess Consort somewhere. Now, I recalled that two years ago, I visited Xinshui with my father for some work. We visited the Xu Residence at that time. That¡¯s where I saw Princess Consort,¡± Huang Xi answered and looked at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°How did my Sister-inw be a servant? Everyone thinks that everyone is dead in the Xu Family,¡± Mingquan got confused and waited for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s answer.


    ¡°Xu Zifan and Li Hua are the lone survivors of the Xu Family,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Mingquan was shocked to learn that Xu Zifan was alive. But where was he? Before he could, L¨®ng Wei answered on his own. He revealed many mysteries to them.


    ¡°Why did Brother L¨®ng Wei reveal it to us?¡± Mingquan asked. ¡°I think it was all a part of his n to bring the Sister-inw here. What is he up to?¡± He squinted his eyes in suspicion.


    ¡°Did our father try to investigate this matter?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Mingquan, who shook his head.


    ¡°Thousands of officials are present in the kingdom. Xu Guang Li came to notice because the massacre was unexpected despite having such a strongw and justice system in the Kingdom. That¡¯s why Father talked with us about it. After that, officials were provided with more security in terms of trained military soldiers,¡± Mingquan narrated to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Did the Royal Father not ask to investigate?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. Being far from the pce, at that time, he had missed this information.


    ¡°Investigation was done, but nothing serious was found. Brother L¨®ng Wei, the kingdom has thousands of matters to solve. When the court begins, the most important matters are discussed. So many people die daily, so this matter was not discussed much. A mourning event was surely organized because everyone considered Xu Guang Li as an honest official,¡± Mingquan revealed the rest of the information to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°My Father tried to look into this matter,¡± Huang Xi answered. ¡°Late Xu Guang Li was close to my father. However, Father didn¡¯t find anything,¡± Huang Xi stated.


    ¡°The Shui Family is behind that massacre,¡± L¨®ng Wei told them.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Shui Xiaoqing the current Governor of this county?¡± Mingquan asked.


    ¡°Yes. I want the Fourth Brother to go to the Governor¡¯s residence,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°What is in Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mind?¡± Mingquan asked. ¡°Shui Xiaoqing will be surprised to see a Royal Prince. Then, they will ask me questions,¡± he opined.


    ¡°Tell them that I am here with my wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness. But isn¡¯t it supposed to be a secret?¡± Huang Xi again intervened.


    ¡°I will do it,¡± Mingquan said. L¨®ng Wei smiled and thanked him.


    ¡°I want to meet Xu Zifan,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Li Hua is with him at the moment. The Fourth Brother can see himter,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Mingquan nodded his head. He asked L¨®ng Wei to exin to them the n that he had been working on. If there were any more secrets, he must reveal them.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing more. Everyone will gather near the river in the evening for the festival. I will see you there, Fourth Brother. Shui Xiaoqing will surely invite you with his son,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Mingquan hummed and decided toply with L¨®ng Wei¡¯s n.

 Chapter 143

    143 Only I can look at her


    Mingquan and Huang Xi had a detailed conversation about Li Hua with L¨®ng Wei. He told them not to reveal about the Shui Family¡¯s true face to Li Hua.


    L¨®ng Wei knew that after a certain period of time, Li Hua¡¯s identity would be revealed in the pce. The King might get angry at them for hiding it. Li Hua might get severely punished for falsifying her identity as a servant. That¡¯s why L¨®ng Wei needed support, who would protect them from the King¡¯s wrath.


    After realizing that Mingquan was truly his well-wisher, L¨®ng Wei decided to trust him and told him everything along with Huang Xi. They both were the ones whose support he needed for a long time.


    Qian He brought Li Hua and Xu Zifan to the pavilion. L¨®ng Wei stood up and walked to them. ¡°I told them everything,¡± L¨®ng Wei informed them.


    Mingquan and Huang Xi had also stood up from their respective seats.


    Li Hua arched her brows. Nervousness swept her mind and body. Mingquan was the Fourth Prince and if he told the King, then they would be dead.


    Mingquan came forward and looked at Xu Zifan, who bowed his head. Mingquan was shocked to see his right arm. The worst that could happen with him. His right arm was everything to him being a swordsman.


    ¡°I told them everything as it was important,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and looked at Li Hua. ¡°They are trustworthy,¡± he stated. Li Hua was surprised to hear him. He never trusted anyone easily.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, I am d you are safe and alive. Brother L¨®ng Wei told us everything,¡± Mingquan said and ced his hand on his left shoulder. ¡°I always wanted to meet you because you are one of the finest swordsmen in the Kingdom,¡± he stated and put his hand down.


    .....


    ¡°I was, Your Highness,¡± Xu Zifan corrected him. His voice sounded painful.


    ¡°In my eyes, you still are. It won¡¯t surprise me if you be proficient with your left hand too,¡± Mingquan encouraged him. Xu Zifan smiled and nodded his head.


    ¡°Do you remember me? I am Hei Huang Xi. Two years ago, I visited the Xu Residence with my father,¡± Huang Xi introduced himself while briefing them about the past. Mingquan nodded his head.


    ¡°Of course, I remember you, Huang Xi,¡± Xu Zifan replied. Huang Xi nced at Li Hua.


    ¡°Princess Consort, you have grown up so much since that time. You used to be shy earlier,¡± Huang Xi said and smiled. Xu Zifan looked at his sister and agreed with Huang Xi¡¯s words.


    ¡°Huang Xi, you noticed too many things,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked and beamed at him.


    ¡°Is His Highness jealous?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Only I can look at her. Move away your eyes,¡± L¨®ng Wei showed his possessive side to them.


    ¡°Princess Consort is like my sister,¡± Huang Xi said and found that deadly stare of L¨®ng Wei at him. ¡°I am rifying to His Highness so that he will not have any misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°You better not remind me that you have seen Li Hua before me,¡± L¨®ng Wei warned him. Mingquan wasn¡¯t surprised to see L¨®ng Wei¡¯s possessive side toward Li Hua. It delighted him that for L¨®ng Wei, at least, there was one person for whom he was ready to show normal human emotions.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t intend to anger His Highness,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°But you did,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°I apologize. I won¡¯t ever bring it,¡± Huang Xi stated, with a smile. L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t reply to him and averted his gaze.


    ¡°Li Hua, let¡¯s go to the Xu Residence,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°All of us?¡± Li Hua gaped at him.


    ¡°Yes. Sister-inw, we need to check it,¡± Mingquan said. Huang Xi agreed with him.


    ¡°It has been more than two months, so we still need to check the residence,¡± Huang Xi proimed. Li Hua nodded her head and nced at L¨®ng Wei. She was still wondering what forced him to tell them the truth.


    ¡°Won¡¯t people see us?¡± Xu Zifan raised a doubt.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the Xu Residence far from the main town center? Also, I know the route from which we can go easily without getting in anyone¡¯s notice. Though I want people to know who we are!¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to them.


    ¡°What is cooking up in His Highness¡¯s mind?¡± Li Hua squinted her eyes.


    ¡°You will like it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and grasped her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. It is the time to go to the ce which left a deep scar in your and Xu Zifan¡¯s heart,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and walked ahead, followed by the others.


    With every step, Li Hua¡¯s heart was thumping louder. After walking for half an hour, they came on the main path, which led them to the Xu Residence. As they approached it, Li Hua turned teary-eyed. The incident shed in front of her eyes. Her steps slowed as she found it difficult.


    L¨®ng Wei narrowly gazed at her before tilting his head.


    ¡°Li Hua, if you don¡¯t want to go in, then we can return from here,¡± Xu Zifan said. Mingquan agreed with his words.


    ¡°No. Li Hua will go in. If she doesn¡¯t go in today, then she can never face it,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Li Hua looked into his eyes, and her nose turned red. Anyone could tell that she would burst into tears at any moment.


    She clutched her fingers around his hand tightly. Li Hua recalled how beautifully the residence was decorated that night. Red and yellownterns were hanging at each corner of the residence. Those happy, cheerful voices fell into her ears and she closed her eyes.


    ¡°Li Hua doesn¡¯t seem in a good state,¡± Xu Zifan said worriedly.


    L¨®ng Wei kept gazing at her, whose eyes were shut. ¡°If she goes back, then it will show that she¡¯s a coward,¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t refrain from using a harsh tone. He provoked her. After all, she had promised him she would kill the enemy from her hands.


    ~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    I have decided to give 3 chapters a day on the story. I will give Mass release on achieving specific targets.


    THANK YOU


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 144

    144 I won¡¯t harm her


    With a sudden jerk, Xiaoming¡¯s sleep abruptly broke. He found the paper fan on the floor. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. He picked up the paper fan and put it on one of the shelves which was covered in dust. It had been four hours, and that person didn¡¯te.


    He massaged his nape and came out to check. To his surprise, the shop was filled with customers. He immediately stepped back and went back to the chair. ¡°I never waited for someone. I am the Crown Prince,¡± he murmured and settled on the chair.


    Even the chair was rough, and he could feel the pain he was feeling in his back. It wasn¡¯tfortable at all. On top of that, he was thirsty and hungry. He could not drink or eat outside. However, he needed water, and he got restless.


    He stood up when Much¨¦n came there and bowed. ¡°Does His Royal Highness need water?¡± He humbly asked.


    ¡°Yes. Bring in a clean ss,¡± Xiaoming said while keeping his voice low. Much¨¦n nodded his head and after a few minutes, escaping the eyes of the customers, brought a ss of water for him.


    Xiaoming was reluctant to drink it but his throat was dry. However, before drinking he asked Much¨¦n to drink it first.


    Much¨¦n nodded and lifted his head such that it faced the ceiling. Opening his mouth, he drank a little and gulped. Looking at Xiaoming, he said, ¡°His Royal Highness can drink it.¡±


    But for some reason, Xiaoming didn¡¯t feel like drinking. ¡°Take it away. I do not want to drink,¡± Xiaoming said and drew her brows close.


    Much¨¦n silently left while Xiaoming patiently waited for the person toe.


    .....


    ¡®If heeste, then what will I do? I need to return to the pce at the specified time,¡¯ he thought.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, he¡¯s here,¡± Much¨¦n suddenly came inside and informed Xiaoming, who promptly stood up from the chair. He walked out with him and looked at the man. This time he had hairpins mostly jade hairpins.


    Xiaoming gestured to one of the workers to close the door from inside while the others caught the man from his arms.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± The man shouted at them.


    ¡°Stay quiet. You are standing before the Crown Prince of the Kingdom,¡± Much¨¦n told the man, who stopped struggling to get released from their arms. He was scared to find that the Crown Prince was standing in front of him.


    ¡°Do you work for a woman?¡± Xiaoming asked the man. ¡°Speak the truth. Else, I will send you to rot in prison for your entire life,¡± Xiaoming told the man. Much¨¦n also asked to tell everything to the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Did a woman give you these hairpins?¡± Xiaoming modified his question. ¡°If you tell me the truth and take me to the woman, you will be rewarded.¡± Xiaoming decided to bait him and took out the pouch from his pocket. He opened it and showed a gold coin to the man.


    ¡°Fifty gold coins are enough for you, and you don¡¯t need to rob people like this,¡± Xiaoming affirmed. ¡°You are making me wait too much. Tell me about the woman and take fifty gold coins. Try lying, and I will give you to the royal inspector,¡± he again threatened him.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I will tell the truth. Please do not punish me. I do what I am told to,¡± the man pleaded with Xiaoming and agreed to tell him the truth. ¡°However, I want His Royal Highness to provide me security because if this truth goes out, then they may punish me,¡± he requested Xiaoming.


    ¡°In the presence of the Crown Prince, no one will try to harm you. I will send you to the adjacent town for better living,¡± Xiaoming promised him.


    ¡°Thank you for your kind benevolence. Your Royal Highness, I am a part of a small organization. It consists of ten members, and one such member is Liu Jin Yu,¡± the man informed the Crown Prince.


    ¡°So, you are a part of an organization that steals away the money and other precious jewels from the people,¡± Xiaoming chuckled and wondered what organization could it be about which no one knew in the capital.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness.¡±


    ¡°Show me the ce, where this organization is working,¡± Xiaoming told him. The man nodded his head. Much¨¦n came close to Xiaoming and asked him not to go alone.


    ¡°Give me the token of your identification,¡± Xiaoming said and gestured to the two men to leave the arms of the person.


    The man quickly took out the token and forwarded it to Xiaoming. He examined it and then looked into the eyes of the man. ¡°Call the Royal Inspector, Much¨¦n,¡± Xiaoming instructed.


    Much¨¦n bowed while the man got scared.


    ¡°I told everything to the Crown Prince. I beg His Royal Highness not to call the Royal Inspector,¡± the man said as he got on his knees while panicking.


    Much¨¦n looked at the Crown Prince, wondering if he should go or not. ¡°I need someone to apany me. I cannot go unarmed,¡± Xiaoming rified and gestured to Much¨¦n to leave, who bowed before heading out.


    ¡°I want to see Liu Jin Yu. Where will she be at this hour? I will spare you if you tell me her exact location and take me to her,¡± Xiaoming told the man while keeping the condition.


    The man lifted his head and said, ¡°Jin Yu hase to the market. Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, so it is the best day to-¡± he paused and lowered his eyes.


    ¡°To rob the people, especially nobles,¡± Xiaomingpleted his words.


    ¡°Is she trained in martial arts?¡± Xiaoming asked the man.


    ¡°She knows a little,¡± the man replied and joined his hands. ¡°I beg His Royal Highness not to harm Liu Jin Yu. She is a kind person. We do this because we have no other way to live,¡± the man requested Xiaoming.


    ¡°I won¡¯t harm her,¡± Xiaoming assured him and brought his hand to his neck. Those eyes again appeared before his eyes. The woman seemed a smart one because she frequently robbed people, yet didn¡¯t ever get caught.

 Chapter 145

    145 Her own internal battle


    Li Hua opened her eyes and peered into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes. She gave a simple nod to him and gently pulled her hand from his. She stepped forward in gradual steps towards the residence. Xu Zifan nced at L¨®ng Wei, who followed Li Hua. Mingquan gestured to Xu Zifan, and they went after them.


    Li Hua looked at the door, which was locked from outside using the wooden lock. Li Hua opened it and pushed the door. The front yard from outside was enough to tell what was in the rest of the residence. The front yard was filled with dry leaves.


    ¡°Will you not step inside?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    Li Hua hummed and lifted her skirt a little. She walked in and kept walking until she reached the center. She looked at the pirs, which had burn marks. Because that day rain urred, the house could not burnpletely.


    She looked towards the chamber where her family was present with Shui Family. She recalled how she hid behind the pir that day while looking at Feng Lao. A sigh escaped her mouth. She was on the verge of crying.


    She turned her head left and recalled how her father was surrounded by the enemies that night.


    Mingquan and Huang Xi thought of investigating the other parts of the residence, so they left. Now, L¨®ng Wei and Xu Zifan stayed behind, keeping their eyes on Li Hua.


    Li Hua lowered her head. The tears rolled down her cheeks, and she covered her face with her hands. She started to weep again, and that sound was painful enough to tear anyone¡¯s heart into pieces.


    ¡°My father died here,¡± she mumbled while sobbing. Xu Zifan could not bear that sight and stepped forward when L¨®ng Wei stopped him by putting his hand on his shoulder.


    .....


    ¡°It¡¯s her fight. Don¡¯t intervene in it,¡± L¨®ng Wei advised Xu Zifan.


    ¡°She is my sister. I can¡¯t see her in pain, Your Highness,¡± Xu Zifan argued.


    ¡°And she is my wife. As her husband, I know what is best for her. She has to undergo this pain from which she ran away, hid away. She gets nightmares because of that night. Let her fight her own internal battle, Xu Zifan,¡± L¨®ng Wei retorted at him.


    He never told Li Hua how she cried in her sleep. Sometimes, she would say in her sleep that she missed her home, while the other times, she wanted to visit it once. She would apologize in her sleep for running away. L¨®ng Wei had wanted to put an end to all these. For him, it was unbearable to watch Li Hua this way.


    Xu Zifan clenched the fist of his left hand and stayed back. He let Li Hua cry and recall everything from that night.


    After a while, Li Hua stopped and went to the ce where she had seen her personal attendant¡¯s body lying in the pool of blood. Both L¨®ng Wei and Xu Zifan went after her.


    ¡°His Highness loves my sister, yet he is easily watching her in pain. The idea ofing here wasn¡¯t good. My sister is only troubled with all this,¡± Xu Zifan againined to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t see her this way, then wait for us in the front courtyard,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him. Xu Zifan turned silent.


    Li Hua decided to go to her parents¡¯ room, her second brother¡¯s room. If there would be any valuables left, she would collect them and keep them in their memories.


    ¡°Where are you heading to, Li Hua?¡± Xu Zifan could not help but ask.


    ¡°To my second brother¡¯s room,¡± Li Hua replied and hastened towards Xu Zuwen¡¯s room. As she stepped up the stairs when it broke from the middle. She lost her bnce and fell forward. L¨®ng Wei and Xu Zifan ran to her.


    L¨®ng Wei helped her in getting up, and asked her if she was fine. He checked her palms and wrists to make sure that she didn¡¯t wound herself.


    ¡°I am fine, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said. L¨®ng Wei finally looked at her face and saw how red her eyes had turned. Even her cheeks and nose were red.


    L¨®ng Wei wanted to kill everyone in the Shui Family at that instant. It all happened because of them that she underwent so many problems. He put her hands down and gazed at Xu Zifan, who asked her a question.


    ¡°Why are you going to Xu Zuwen¡¯s room?¡±


    ¡°I want to keep a few things which I can keep in the memory of my Second Brother and my parents,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°The middle part of the residence is burned. You won¡¯t find anything. I tried to collect them two months ago. But everything was burned to that side,¡± Xu Zifan informed Li Hua, who was disheartened to learn about that.


    ¡°I cannot have anything rted to them, which I can keep as their memories,¡± Li Hua said and wiped the tears from the pad of her fingers.


    ¡°Since you cannot go to the middle part of the residence, then we must go to the front yard,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested to her. ¡°Whatever is in your head, you can tell us,¡± he opined.


    ¡°Can we go to the backyard, Your Highness?¡± Li Hua asked him.


    ¡°Is there something in the backyard?¡± L¨®ng Wei knitted his brows.


    ¡°Maybe I will find something rted to Feng Lao,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°We ran away from the backyard,¡± she added.


    Xu Zifan looked at L¨®ng Wei, who seemed infuriated.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing left in this residence, Li Hua,¡± Xu Zifan said. ¡°Everything was burned down. Only a part of the residence is standing tall. Here, everything was destroyed that night,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Li Hua lowered her head. ¡°The person has to pay for this. He has to pay for his crimes. He destroyed our family, Elder First Brother. He took the lives of so many innocent people. Our mother, the otherdies in the house, everyone died. Because of him, my elder brother had almost lost his life,¡± Li Huamented and came towards Xu Zifan. She rested her head on his chest and closed his eyes.


    ¡°We were so happy,¡± she mumbled. Xu Zifan rested his hand on her head and patted it.


    ¡°We will definitely kill that person,¡± Xu Zifan stated and looked at L¨®ng Wei, whose forehead had deep frowns over it.

 Chapter 146

    146 Finally, I caught you


    The Royal Inspector, Lu Bojing, bowed upon seeing the Crown Prince. Xiaoming instructed Lu Bojing about the work, and at the same time, scolded him for not having any idea about such an organization.


    ¡°Lead our way,¡± Xiaoming told the man and then gazed at Much¨¦n. ¡°The conversation here shall remain within this shop. If I find any single word regarding this matter goes out, then be ready to die,¡± Xiaoming threatened him.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, none of us will ever talk about it,¡± Much¨¦n assured Xiaoming, who hummed.


    The man walked out of the shop, apanied by Xiaoming, and Lu Bojing.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness did right by putting on a disguise. However, not many people have seen the Crown Prince,¡± Lu Bojing said. They entered the crowded market, where merchants from every corner of the Kingdom hade. At this time of year, the merchants earned well by trading in the capital.


    ¡®This market is perfect for her to rob everyone,¡¯ Xiaoming thought. The man continued to walk while Xiaoming and Lu Bojing kept a safe distance from him.


    They soon reached the market center where mostly the nobles had gathered. The man told Xiaoming that Liu Jin Yu was present in that crowd only.


    ¡°Find her. Also, send us the signal as soon as you find her,¡± Xiaoming said while looking at the ribbons that were hanging on a stall on a string. The man nodded and walked away.


    ¡°Follow him,¡± Xiaoming told Lu Bojing, who left. Xiaoming lowered the conical hat on his head. His eyes fell on Cha Ying, who had just gotten down from the pnquin, and immediately turned his back in her direction.


    .....


    ¡®What is she doing here?¡¯ Xiaoming thought and stepped forward when a group of five men came in his direction towards the stall. He took several steps back and again turned back to leave as soon as possible. He escaped Cha Ying¡¯s eyes and went to the side far from her.


    Xiaoming kept his eyes wide open. Though he also had no idea who the woman was because he only had seen her eyes. Among that crowd, it was difficult to find Liu Jin Yu. However, the man had described her features, so he was trying to look for her.


    Xiaoming gradually moved across the ce where mostly noble families were gathered. He realized that Liu Jin Yu would not make the mistake to go into the crowd, where most men were present. He again shifted his attention to the noble women and thought to check among them.


    Lu Bojing came running to him and whispered in Xiaoming¡¯s ear. He smiled and they went where the man had found Liu Jin Yu.


    ¡°She is there,¡± the man informed Xiaoming, pointing his finger in the northeast direction. He described her attire to them which they easily recognized. Liu Jin Yu was ascending the stairs on the bridge which was constructed on a small stream. The bridge was fully crowded- a perfect ce to rob without getting into anyone¡¯s notice.


    ¡°Stay on the other corner,¡± Xiaoming said and ran towards the bridge while Lu Bojing to the other side.


    Xiaoming ended up hitting Cha Ying¡¯s arm and she fell to the floor.


    ¡°Miss, are you okay?¡± Her personal attendant immediately got on her knees and helped her in getting up. Cha Ying found that her dress was torn from the bottom which upset her. She turned to look to find who hit her. But the man had already vanished from her sight.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back,¡± Cha Ying told her personal attendant in annoyance and walked away.


    Xiaoming panted as he reached the foot of the bridge. He took a deep breath and ascended the stairs. He stood on his toes to see the face of Liu Jin Yu. Xiaoming pushed away the people and kept walking ahead. He saw her stealing a pouch. It surprised him that the nobleman was so busy with his fellows that he didn¡¯t even realize that he was being robbed.


    Xiaoming reached her and caught her wrist. He pulled her back, and shended on him. Her left hand rested on the right side of his chest. ¡°Finally, I caught you,¡± Xiaoming said.


    Liu Jin Yu tried to pull her hand away but found his grip quite stronger. The gazes of the people on the bridge fell on her when she decided to run away. She pushed him away. Xiaoming fell back with that force on a few men, who asked him to be careful.


    Liu Jin Yu ran away to the other side of the bridge when she saw the royal inspectoring from the front. She stepped back and looked at the people. Some were still busy admiring the dragon boats. She silently moved ahead and walked past them.


    She again encountered Xiaoming, who was ready to defeat her this time. She moved her eyes around and decided to climb the bridge handrail on the left because that was the only way to run to the other side.


    Xiaoming didn¡¯t want to shout and ask people to help him because a few of them might recognize him, thus increasing his troubles.


    However, he could not lose her either. It would be defeated if he lost her again. He decided to shout and tell people that she was a thief. He did that, and the people on the bridge became alerted.


    Liu Jin Yu reacted instantly, and pushed a man to her left.


    She somersaulted andnded on the handrail. Xiaoming had not expected that she would be this good.


    People started to scream and quickly stepped back, thus gathering on two sides of the bridge.


    Lu Bojing threw the dagger in her direction, which she dodged easily and ran ahead on the same bridge. ¡°Royal Inspector, don¡¯t attack her,¡± Xiaoming shouted at her and found that she had jumped down from the handrail.


    He asked the people to move and ran after her.


    Liu Jin Yu ran as fast as she could while Xiaoming and Lu Bojing chased her.


    Luckily, Xiaoming had a conical hat over his head, so hardly people could see his face.


    Liu Jin Yu looked behind and increased her speed. She put her skirt down and saw arge grouping from the front. She quickly mingled among them and lowered her head.


    Xiaoming and Lu Bojing stopped as they saw thisrge group of women, dressed in colorful dresses.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I will find her with the other inspectors,¡± Lu Bojing opined and asked him to return to the pce.


    ¡°No,¡± Xiaoming said.


    Lu Bojing moved closer to him and whispered in his ear, ¡°We are at the residence of the musicians and dancers. They have seen His Royal Highness. If anyone would see the Crown Prince, then it would be a trouble.¡±


    Xiaoming could not disagree with his words. He was stunned when saw Eunuch Gao Bing and Eunuch Lianying stepped out of the residence.


    ¡°What are they doing here?¡± Xiaoming murmured and further lowered his head. He was already annoyed that he lost Liu Jin Yu.


    Oppositely, Liu Jin Yu found that Xiaoming had not left till now. ¡®I am stuck. Who is he? How did he find me?¡¯ she thought. ¡®I need to stay among thesedies until he goes away.¡¯ She decided.

 Chapter 147

    147 His strength


    Xiaoming kept looking at Eunuch Lianying and Eunuch Gao Bing. They both were talking with a seniordy in her forties. He decided to leave the pce and ask Lu Bojing toe to the pce tomorrow.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness.¡±


    ¡°The horse on which I rode to the market, Much¨¦n, had left it in a stable,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one stable in the market. Please follow me this way, Your Royal Highness,¡± Lu Bojing said. Xiaoming walked away with him. Liu Jin Yu took a breath of relief upon seeing them leave.


    She decided to run away and slowly stepped back when she stopped.


    ¡°Where are you leaving?¡± A well-dresseddy in herte thirties asked Liu Jin Yu. ¡°Stand straight in your ce if you don¡¯t want to get punished,¡± she reprimanded Liu Jin Yu.


    ¡°But I do not-¡±


    ¡°Are you talking back? Don¡¯t forget your manners,¡± thedy told her. The few youngdies around her looked at her which made her feel awkward. She had forgotten when she was scoldedst time.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening over there?¡± Thedy at the front had worn a red Hanfu dress which had ck borders embroidered with golden color. She was called Lady Gu Yen. Gao Bing and Lianying also looked in that direction.


    .....


    ¡°Nothing, mydy,¡± thedy in herte thirties said and bowed.


    ¡°We need to leave for the pce earlier,¡± Lady Gu Yen said as she looked at the beautiful youngdies in front of her.


    Liu Jin Yu widened her eyes. They had to go to the pce! But why?


    ¡°I would like to tell you all before leaving for the pce. A dancer¡¯s bodily movements are necessary to capture the heart of the audience in front of him or her. Today, you all need to give your best performance because all the Royal Family members will be present,¡± Lady Gu Yen exined to them.


    ¡°We understand, Lady Gu Yen.¡± All the young women said in unison. Liu Jin Yu got worried when he heard her. She could not go to the pce. She looked around and found the soldiers a few meters away from them.


    ¡®If I try to leave, then they may get suspicious. Let¡¯s do this then. I will follow them to the pce. In the pce, many will be present, so hardly anyone will notice me when I sneak out.¡¯ Liu Jin Yu decided and took a deep breath.


    Lady Gu Yen turned to look at the Eunuchs. ¡°His and Her Royal Majesty will surely like today¡¯s performance along with the other regal family members,¡± Lady Gu Yen assured them who were delighted to know that.


    She turned back to look at those young women when her eyes fell on Liu Jin Yu. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you dressed well? What is wrong with your hair?¡±


    Everyone looked in her direction and she looked at herself. She had worn a fine silk dress, but her hair had turned messier after running so much.


    ¡°Min Su, take her inside. Get her ready within ten minutes,¡± Lady Gu Yen instructed thedy who was standing near Liu Jin Yu. She bowed and gestured to Liu Jin Yu to follow her.


    They entered the residence and silently followed Min Su.


    Min Su pped once and a servant entered. ¡°Give the white hanfu dress with broad pink strips,¡± she ordered the servant, who bowed and after a while, brought that dress.


    Liu Jin Yu wore that dress. Min Su applied light makeup on her face and then asked another servant to brush Liu Jin Yu¡¯s hair. Min Su looked at the silk dress which Jin Yu had worn earlier.


    ¡°It seemed you got this dress as a present from a nobleman,¡± Min Su deduced. Jin Yu nodded her head and fiddled with her fingers. She felt her head getting heavier as the hair essories kept increasing.


    For a moment, she was puzzled to see her reflection in the mirror. ¡°Follow me,¡± Min Su said. Liu Jin Yu again followed her out. Eunuch Gao Bing¡¯s eyes fell on her and he asked Lady Gu Yen to keep Liu Jin Yu in the center.


    ¡°Yes, Eunuch Gao Bing,¡± Lady Gu Yen said.


    Liu Jin Ye, for the first time in her life, felt scared. She told herself nothing would happen, but her heart kept getting restless. She ignored it and went back to her ce.


    ~~~~~


    Eunuch Lishi was relieved to see Xiaoming, who removed the fake mustache and threw it away. Eunuch Lishi found that Xiaoming was again in a bad mood.


    ¡°Prepare the bathhouse. Keep the water cold,¡± Xiaoming ordered Eunuch Lishi, who bowed and quickly walked out. Xiaoming opened the knot of the hat under his chin and put it on the table. He was so close to her.


    ¡°I cannot believe a woman defeated me twice,¡± Xiaoming murmured and unbuttoned the overcoat from his shoulder. That somersault shed in front of his eyes. ¡°She is highly trained in martial arts,¡± he muttered and opened the sash that was tied around his waist.


    The dress loosened and he settled on the broad chair. ¡°Give me water,¡± Xiaoming told a maidservant present in his chamber. She quickly filled the ss with water and handed it to Xiaoming.


    He drank the water and asked for another ss. His head was spinning not because of that scorching heat but because of that woman, who made him question his strength.


    He handed the ss to the maidservant and pinched the skin between his brows. ¡°How can someone be so powerful?¡± Xiaoming kept thinking about Liu Jin Yu when Eunuch Lishi interrupted his thoughts.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, the bathhouse is ready to use,¡± Eunuch Lishi informed Xiaoming.


    Xiaoming rose to his feet and left for the bathhouse. Eunuch Lishi helped the Crown Prince remove his clothes. Xiaoming put on a thin silk robe and got into the bathtub.


    ¡°His Royal Highness didn¡¯t even have his lunch meal. I am afraid if-¡±


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, wait outside,¡± Xiaoming interrupted him in the middle, who silently left the bathhouse.


    ¡°Liu Jin Yu, the next time, I will have my hands on you,¡± Xiaoming pledged himself.

 Chapter 148

    148 A big secret


    Mingquan and Huang Xi returned to the main courtyard after checking around the residence. They found Li Hua with Xu Zifan, near the door.


    ¡°Was it a good idea to bring the Sister-inw here!?¡± Mingquan asked and nced at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Sometimes it is good to escape the painful memories,¡± he suggested.


    ¡°I have opposite thoughts on it,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Li Hua won¡¯t be able to kill her enemy if she forgets what happened here,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Why does His Highness want the Princess Consort to kill her enemy? To my knowledge,te Master Xu never let her daughter even step out of this residence, let alone fight or kill someone,¡± Huang Xi affirmed.


    ¡°Huang Xi, a person remains weak for a period of time. With time, he grows stronger. Li Hua is that person. She has asked me to let her kill the person who did this,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and looked at Li Hua, who had clung close to her brother.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, we have retrieved something from the inner side of the residence,¡± Mingquan informed and forwarded a burned notebook. ¡°A few of its pages are burned, but a few are readable. It is of Xu Guang Li. You should keep it,¡± he stated. L¨®ng Wei grabbed it and put it inside his pocket.


    ¡°The Fourth Brother shall go to the Governor¡¯s Residence,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Mingquan nodded and looked at Huang Xi.


    ¡°I was thinking of apanying the Fourth Prince,¡± Huang Xi said. L¨®ng Wei refused him to do so. He asked him to take Xu Zifan safely to the cold pce.


    ¡°Where is His Highness going?¡± Huang Xi asked.


    .....


    ¡°To the center of the town. I want to explore the town with Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and smiled.


    ¡°The people may recognize the Sister-inw. Is Brother L¨®ng Wei sure that no problem will arise?¡± Mingquan expressed his concern. ¡°The words will spread like a fire and may reach our Royal Father¡¯s ears. What will Brother L¨®ng Wei do then? His wife can be punished for lying,¡± he opined.


    ¡°I have nned out everything, Fourth Brother,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I will discuss that partter,¡± he added.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, Royal Father will punish the Sister-inw to death. The ministers will call it treason because she had taken a false identity. I hope whatever Brother L¨®ng Wei has in his mind it will only aid him.¡± Mingquan was confused at L¨®ng Wei¡¯s decision.


    ¡°The Fourth Brother will help me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and smiled. ¡°The Royal Father will indeed be upset to know that Li Hua hid her identity, but he will be happy to find that his youngest son is married to a noble¡¯s daughter,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. Mingquan smiled and hummed.


    ¡°I never knew that Brother L¨®ng Wei would start to trust me to this extent,¡± Mingquan remarked.


    ¡°The Fourth Brother has given me the biggest reason to trust him,¡± he replied. ¡°Let¡¯s start our work then,¡± he added and walked towards the main door.


    Xu Zifan and Li Hua bowed seeing them. L¨®ng Wei walked to Li Hua and put his hands on her shoulders. ¡°You cried so much today,¡± he said.


    ¡°Anyone would cry recalling the old, painful memories,¡± Huang Xi said. L¨®ng Wei narrowly gazed at him, who turned quiet and apologized.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and put his arm around Li Hua¡¯s shoulder. He took her out while the three followed them. Huang Xi locked the door with a wooden lock.


    Xu Zifan left with Huang Xi while L¨®ng Wei took Li Hua to the market. She was reluctant at first but then he convinced her. Mingquan excused himself as he had to go to the Governor¡¯s Residence.


    ¡°Your Highness, many know me in the town,¡± Li Hua stopped. ¡°For everyone, I am dead,¡± she opined.


    ¡°We cannot hide the truth about you for long. One day my father will find out,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°What if we never tell them? For His Majesty, I am a servant,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I want you to live with your real identity with dignity,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and his brows drew close. ¡°I cannot hide Xu Zifan forever in the cold pce. After a week, he will go back with us to the capital. Since he is your only family member left, I want him to stay close to you,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Your Highness, the King might punish us all, especially you,¡± Li Hua said worriedly.


    ¡°Why will my father punish me? I saved a person from dying. I did nothing wrong,¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s brow cocked up with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°To hide the truth,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    ¡°That¡¯s up to me to handle. I brought you to Xinshui for a reason. The lie that has spread here, we must vanish it from people¡¯s minds. They must know that the Xu Family¡¯s daughter survived and is now the Princess Consort in the royal Qiu Family,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. Li Hua¡¯s eyes again turned teary.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what His Highness is up to. But I will trust him,¡± Li Hua said and again wiped the tears from the pad of her fingers.


    ¡°Did you ever wonder why you had limited ess to go out from your residence?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Li Hua.


    ¡°Because my father was scared of my safety. And His Highness told me earlier that I am,¡± she paused as she felt awkward praising herself.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled. ¡°That was my deduction. You are beautiful enough to flutter anyone¡¯s heart around you. However, your father¡¯s mind had something else,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°What was in my father¡¯s mind?¡± Li Hua waited for his answer.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we need to find out,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. Li Hua sighed. For a second, she thought that L¨®ng Wei knew a big secret that was hidden from her. She recalled Xu Zifan¡¯s words regarding the prophecy which the old monk had made. She wanted to ask L¨®ng Wei about Yuze¡¯s visit to Xinshui, but not now. There¡¯s a probability that Yuze had shared about her with L¨®ng Wei.

 Chapter 149

    149 Under Heavy Scrutiny [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°Many officials will see us from here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he looked at the road ahead of him. ¡°Are you ready to get recognized, Wifey?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and tilted his head to peer at her.


    Li Hua nodded at him. ¡°I will not be scared anymore. His Highness is right. Someday, the truth about me, will be revealed. I don¡¯t need to hide anymore because I have His Highness by my side,¡± Li Hua stated.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled. ¡°Is this your way of proposing to me?¡± His brow arched in amusement. ¡°You love to confess your feelings in an interesting way,¡± he said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t confess my feelings, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua rified his misunderstanding. ¡°I am using His Highness. He told me that I could use him as my shield in any situation,¡± Li Hua reminded him of the words he told her on the wedding night.


    L¨®ng Wei ducked his head and softly kissed her cheek. Li Hua¡¯s eyes grew bigger, and she immediately stepped back, covering her cheek with her palm.


    ¡°How could His Highness do this in the open?¡± Li Hua scolded him.


    L¨®ng Wei couldn¡¯t help but smile at her. He saw the tint of red that had appeared on her cheeks. ¡°When you can confess so beautifully in the open, then I can also return those feelings this way in the open,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. Li Hua gradually put her hand down and started to walk ahead of him.


    L¨®ng Wei stood straight and followed her.


    ¡°I have not been to the market. So, you need to guide me,¡± L¨®ng Wei informed her.


    .....


    ¡°His Highness shall not lie. I remember now that he was the one who sent a rose flower with a red ribbon attached to it. He didn¡¯t even care that time my father could catch him,¡± Li Hua asserted and recalled the day when she received a red rose that a servant brought to her.


    L¨®ng Wei was surprised to hear that she remembered about it. ¡°I didn¡¯t send the flower to get into your father¡¯s eyes. If I had to, then I would have brought the flower myself,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°What did you do with that flower?¡±


    ¡°I thought Feng Lao sent me,¡± Li Hus replied.


    ¡°You hurt me with that answer,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°The only man I hadmunication with outside my family was Feng Lao. So, I thought that he sent that flower. I had kept it safe inside a notebook,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°Did you ask him?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°No. I was too shy to ask about it,¡± Li Hua stated. ¡°Forgive me for having a misunderstanding at that time,¡± she apologized.


    ¡°Then, how did you realize today that I sent that flower?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her.


    ¡°Because only the Sixth Prince can act that way,¡± Li Hua affirmed. ¡°He was secretly stalking me, so it was obvious that he would not give the flowering in front of me,¡± she proimed and halted to look at him.


    ¡°I wanted toe in front of you and propose to you in front of your family. However, for some reason, I could not. That¡¯s why I sent that flower in someone¡¯s hands,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined the reason behind sending the flower.


    ¡°What was the reason?¡± Li Hua gazed at him with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°Umm... Royal Father had found out that I was roaming outside the cold pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Oh, then?¡± Li Hua got curious to know. ¡°Who could do this?¡±


    ¡°I was put under heavy scrutiny. That time Qiu Mu hade to Xinshui. I think he saw me,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°His Highness shall not take the name of the Second Prince. He¡¯s his elder brother,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°He is only three years older than me. Also, I have decided to take the name of those people, whom I don¡¯t like,¡± he affirmed. Li Hua was stunned to hear his weird decision. He indeed loved to take troubles. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about us. We both are here to spend time together, not to talk about anyone unimportant in our lives,¡± he muttered and grasped her hand.


    ¡°These days kids don¡¯t even understand not to hold hands openly. Such mannerless kids.¡± They heard a rudement that came from an old woman, who looked from a noble family. Li Hua tried to pull her hand back, but L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t let it go.


    The old woman was in a sedan and the porters had stopped for a while at that ce.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you shut your eyes!?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked the olddy. ¡°Are you feeling jealous seeing us this way? I guess when you were young, your husband didn¡¯t hold your hand this way.¡±


    Li Hua¡¯s jaw dropped down upon hearing the reply of L¨®ng Wei to the olddy. She had not expected that he would argue with a person almost thrice his age.


    The porters and servants started to giggle.


    ¡°I can hold my wife¡¯s hands, hug her and kiss her wherever I want to,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced and dragged Li Hua with him. The old woman could not open her mouth. She had never seen such an ill-mannered and unruly person.


    ¡°Why did His Highness say such words to the olddy? Did he not understand the word ¡®respect¡¯?¡± Li Hua inquired. ¡°Also, it is inappropriate to hold hands,¡± she stated and finally pulled her hand back.


    ¡°Why is it inappropriate? I held my wife¡¯s hand, not her daughter¡¯s. Who is she toment about it?¡± L¨®ng Wei got furious. ¡°She should be happy that I didn¡¯t punish her formenting on me,¡± he asserted.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t like the childish behavior of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to the market,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± L¨®ng Wei got confused.


    ¡°His Highness may get angry at anyone. I don¡¯t want that to happen,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I won¡¯t unless no onements on us,¡± L¨®ng Wei assured her.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good. His Highness has to promise me that he will not say anything to anyone in the market. If he promises me, then I will lead him to the market. Else, we both will head back,¡± Li Hua affirmed and forwarded her hand.


    ¡°Fine,¡± L¨®ng Wei put his palm on hers, ¡°I won¡¯t do anything. I will stay quiet.¡± He promised.

 Chapter 150

    150 A Rare diamond


    Xiaoming outstretched his arms and the maidservant pushed the golden-white overcoat into his arms. She picked up the belt and clutched it around his waist.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, you had such a small quantity of meal earlier. If His Royal Highness will not take care of his meals, then it can affect his body,¡± Eunuch Lishi expressed his concern. He had turned happy thest day when Xiaoming smiled and had taken his full meals. But today again Xiaoming was not in a good mood.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, I do not want to hear anything. I may scold you if you utter another word,¡± Xiaoming warned him. Eunuch Lishi lowered his head and didn¡¯t speak anymore.


    Xiaoming looked at himself in the mirror. He was in no mood to even attend the Dragon festival event. However, as the kingdom¡¯s Crown Prince, it was his duty to indulge himself in such events. He settled on the puffy vanity stool and the servant ced his shoes in front of his feet. He helped Xiaoming wear the white socks first and gently put his feet into the shoes.


    Xiaoming stood up and checked his hair bun once again. He brought his hand above his abdomen while the other hand remained on his side. They left for the pce¡¯s grand courtyard, where the event would take ce.


    Xiaoming encountered his three younger sisters, who stopped to greet him. He forced a smile on his lips and returned their greetings.


    ¡°How am I looking, Your Royal Highness?¡± Jingfei asked.


    ¡°Beautiful,¡± Xiaoming answered. ¡°All the three sisters look pretty today. They all look good all the time, but today it¡¯s different,¡± Xiaoming praised the three of them and walked ahead.


    Jingfei thought only she looked the prettiest. Her elder brother¡¯s words disappointed her, so she asked Ai Fen and Xiaolian about the same.


    .....


    ¡°The First Sister is looking prettier than any of thedies in the pce,¡± Xiaolian said. Ai Fen agreed with her words.


    ¡°Thank you, my sisters, for your kindpliments. I wish Commander Huang Xi would be present today. I prepared for this day for over a month. Brother L¨®ng Wei never wants my happiness, that¡¯s why he took Huang Xi with him.¡± Jingfei was still upset with L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Sister Jingfei, the Sixth Brother, is married. For the protection of Li Hua, Commander Huang Xi has to apany them. Else, Brother L¨®ng Wei never let any general ormander apany him, even in the earlier times,¡± Ai Fen humbly said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like Li Hua for this reason. A mere servant became the Princess Consort in this family. She is evil like her husband,¡± Jingfei said with annoyance and stepped forward. Ai Fen didn¡¯t like the way Jingfei always ridiculed Li Hua. Xiaolian gazed at Ai Fen and gestured to her to walk.


    The grand courtyard was decorated withnterns in central space, hanging in the air while the broad mahogany chairs, with small mahogany tables in front of them, were ced on both sides of the central space.


    The two Consorts, the concubines and the Princes hade already and had taken their respective seats while the Princesses took their seats after them.


    Some reputed ministers were also invited with their respective families. When the King finally arrived with the Queen, everyone stood up and bowed their heads. Qiu Zedong settled on the throne with Zhu Liling.


    ¡°You all can take your seats,¡± Qiu Zedong said. Eunuch Gao Bing and Eunuch Lianying stood at the sides of the King and the Queen.


    ¡°The Crown Prince looks good today. Many ministers¡¯ daughters will attend this marvelous function. I hope he will find l suitable concubines among them,¡± Qiu Zedong told Xiaoming with high hopes.


    ¡°Yes, Royal Father,¡± Xiaoming forcefully agreed to what his father desired for him.


    Prime Minister Kang Xi came forward to give his humble greetings to the King and the Queen with his son, Kang Huijuan, and his daughter, Kang Cha Ying.


    ¡°Your Majesty, thank you for inviting us to this grand event,¡± Kang Xi said and looked at his son. Kang Huijuan came forward and bowed before them.


    ¡°How is your hand, Kang Huijuan?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°It is better now,¡± he answered. ¡°Thank you for asking, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Cha Ying looks pretty. Prime Minister Kang Xi¡¯s daughter is no less than a rare diamond among manydies of the Kingdom,¡± Zhu Liling could not stop herself from praising Cha Ying, who thanked the Queen for herpliment.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, Cha Ying, told you that yesterday you had lunch with her. My daughter was overwhelmed by the hospitality of the Crown Prince. I am d that he liked the small present prepared by my daughter.¡± Kang Xi said.


    Xiaoming got puzzled upon hearing thest words of the Prime Minister and gazed at Cha Ying. He understood that Cha Ying lied to her father about the rejection she faced from him. Also, he was confused to see his mother¡¯s behavior. She was again praising Cha Ying in front of the King.


    ¡°Prime Minister Kang Xi, Cha Ying had prepared the robe with so much love that the Crown Prince could not hide his happiness,¡± Zhu Liling said.


    The others present in the courtyard also heard their conversations.


    ¡°The Crown Prince will marry the daughter of the Prime Minister. Brother Qiu Mu will get married after him,¡± Tianjie told Qiu Mu, who smiled and looked at Jingfei.


    ¡°The First Sister will marry after this,¡± Qiu Mu said and picked the wine ss.


    The King was d to hear that Xiaoming liked the efforts put by Cha Ying. He was ready to announce his son¡¯s marriage at the earliest. Finally, the Kingdom would get its Crown Princess.


    The ministers gossiped amongst each other.


    ¡°The Kang Family will get stronger with this marriage,¡± one minister said.


    ¡°Of Course,¡± the second minister stated. ¡°Now, to get into the eyes of His Majesty, our daughters must be taken as the Crown Prince¡¯s concubines,¡± he added.


    Xiaoming got stressed upon hearing the words of his father and his mother. He didn¡¯t want to tell in front of everyone that he rejected Cha Ying. But all these acts were forcing him to tell his real conversation with Cha Ying. Even his mother took aplete 360¡ã turn.


    Eunuch Lishi bent a little down to whisper in Xiaoming¡¯s ear. ¡°Your Royal Highness, please tell the truth to His Majesty.¡± Xiaoming tilted his head and shook his head, and decided to talk with his father after the event would be over.

 Chapter 151

    151 Run, Liu Jin Yu!


    Liu Jin Yu was told to be at the center during the dance performance. She tried to convince Lady Gu Yen, but she was not ready to listen to her.


    ¡®I don¡¯t even know how to dance. Everyone would notice me,¡¯ Liu Jin Yu thought. She grasped the hands of Lady Gu Yen and started to plead with her.


    ¡°My Lady, I was never in the center during the dance performance. What if I ruined the performance? The entire royal family would be present. The King might punish all of us if I make any mistake. I beg you to reconsider my request.¡± Liu Jin Yu knew that Gu Yen would not like to receive any such punishment from the King, Gu Yen, would not let her be the center dancer.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Gu Yen said, ¡°however, since you are beautiful, you must remain at the front with the other dancers.¡± She allowed her not to be at the center, but with a condition. She nced at her hands which Liu Jin Yu still held.


    Promptly, Liu Jin Yu withdrew her hands and stepped back. She went back to her ce. While Gu Yen instructed them on how to begin the dance, Liu Jin Yu lost her thoughts.


    ¡°The masks are here,¡± a youngdy came with fifteen masks and showed them to Gu Yen.


    ¡°Distribute them,¡± Gu Yen said. Liu Jin Yu was slightly happy when she found that she had to cover her eyes using the mask. She quickly wore it. However, it was heavy.


    ¡°Each mask is made of precious metal silver. So, return them after the performance gets over,¡± Lady Gu Yen already warned them. Liu Jin Yu was internally cursing the royal family to organize such dances and a huge event when it could work for the betterment of the people.


    But the rich never cared about the poor!


    .....


    Liu Jin Yu was told to stand in the second ce on the left, and after a while, they went to the grand courtyard. She copied the steps of the other youngdies around her and tried to walk elegantly. That heavy mask was making it difficult to even keep the head straight, she wondered how the other dancers had their heads straight.


    ¡®It all happened because of that man. May Heaven break his neck!¡¯ she could not prevent herself from cursing him.


    The dancer in front of her stopped. Her eyes widened to see the grand courtyard. Her head spun upon seeing so many nobles. She tried to take a peek at the front and saw the small figures of the King and the Queen seated on the thrones on a high rising tform.


    It was her first time seeing them and it thrilled her. The rarest sight of the King and the Queen was difficult formoners like her. She lowered her head as she saw the youngdy in front of her start to walk. Liu Jin Yu went after her and they stopped upon reaching the center.


    All the youngdies formally greeted the King and the Queen first before starting the dance.


    Qiu Zedong liked the curtsy of the dancers. Eunuch Gao Bing smiled as the King looked happy. He whispered something in the ear of his Queen, who smiled and agreed with him.


    The mask dance started. Liu Jin Yu was good at copying people from a young age, so it was not difficult for her to match their steps. Also, earlier, she asked one of them to teach her the steps. She was suspicious of her, but then Liu Jin Yu convinced her that she was also a part of that group. She made a good excuse saying her sister¡¯s leg twisted a day before this performance.


    The long sleeves of their dresses moved in rhythmically as their hands swung in themon direction. An important part of the mask dance was that the movement of the face and arms were indispensable.


    While dancing, Liu Jin Yu realized as a woman she always wanted to do dances. However, her responsibilities were huge, so she lost a part of herself where she could truly act like a woman.


    On the high-rising tform, Xiaoming looked anxious. He kept thinking about the lie his mother told along with Cha Ying.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness must focus on the dance,¡± Eunuch Lishi whispered in Xiaoming¡¯s ear before straightening himself. Eunuch Lishi had noticed that the Noble Consort Xiuying had her gaze on the Crown Prince.


    Xiaoming looked toward the ground and saw the dancers swirling in circles. The music yed was good. But presently, he was not enjoying it.


    At that moment, his eyes caught something interesting. He recognized Liu Jin Yu even through that mask. A broad smile carved on his lips. It surprised him that she knew how to dance. Upon keen watching, he found out that Liu Jin Yu¡¯s steps were not as refined as the other dancers. But it was barely noticeable.


    He understood everything. The moment he lost Liu Jin Yu, the group of dancers came from the front. She had hidden among those dancers.


    Xiaoming tilted his head a little. Eunuch Lishi bent down and widened his eyes when Xiaoming ordered him to bring one of the dancers to his chamber. However, he wanted Eunuch Lishi to be careful.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make any mistakes. I will rece you if you make the slightest of mistakes. Also, tie her with ropes, especially her hands and feet. Keep your eyes on her all the time. Don¡¯t move an inch from your ce.¡± Xiaoming gave careful instructions to him.


    Eunuch Lishi quietly sneaked away to take Liu Jin Yu as soon as the dance was over. Xiaoming turned happy again. Heaven was so good to him that he brought Liu Jin Yu on her own to him.


    Soon the mask dance was over and the dancers bowed before leaving the ce. The opening of the event with such a dance indeed delighted the King. He looked towards the vacant seat for the Sixth Prince. He missed his presence. For two years, L¨®ng Wei couldn¡¯t celebrate this day with him.


    ¡°It was a great performance, Your Majesty, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Qiu Zedong agreed with Zhu Liling¡¯s words and smiled.


    Liu Jin Yu took a breath of relief and decided to run away before she would get into any more trouble. She removed the mask and handed it back to Lady Gu Yen. She looked around and found that lion dancers were ready for their next performance. While Gu Yen was praising themselves, she took backward steps while lifting her skirt a little.


    ¡°Run, Liu Jin Yu!¡± She told herself and turned when she saw Eunuch Lishi with two soldiers with him. Immediately, she lowered her head, not wanting to get into his eyes. The people present in the tent house were surprised to see him and bowed.


    Liu Jin Yu got nervous when Eunuch Lishi stood before her. He gestured to the soldiers and Liu Jin Yu¡¯s both arms were caught tightly. She lifted her head and before she could protest, she was dragged away by those soldiers.


    She was thrown to the floor and tied with the ropes as the Crown Prince had ordered. ¡°What are you doing? Leave me!¡± Liu Jin Yu protested but it was of no use. Eunuch Lishi put a band of cloth around his mouth to prevent her shouts from going out.


    ¡°You should not have troubled my master, young girl!¡± Eunuch Lishi said and smiled.


    ...


    logo

 Chapter 152

    152 Mine only


    ¡°The market is fully crowded,¡± Li Hua said and heard the loud voices. She lifted her head and found colorfulnterns hanging in the air.


    ¡°It looks beautiful,¡± Li Hua murmured, and a tiny smile appeared on her lips. She tilted her head and peered into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes. ¡°Elder First Brother should have also apanied us,¡± Li Hua expressed her desire.


    ¡°To be a bone of contention between us?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and took her inside.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness. When did my Elder First Brother be a bone of contention? His Highness shall not say such a thing,¡± Li Hua retorted at him.


    ¡°Fine. Then, next time I will bring Xu Zifan with us. If I flirt with you in front of Xu Zifan, then don¡¯t stop me,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. Li Hua opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out of her mouth. She always lost against him in arguments.


    ¡°Young man, why don¡¯t you buy something from our shop?¡± They both heard a masculine voice and turned to look at it. Li Hua refused him when L¨®ng Wei immediately agreed with her. He dragged Li Hua with him to the shop.


    ¡°Are you two newlyweds?¡± The man in his early twenties asked them.


    ¡°Yes,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered, and the two ascended the stairs to enter the shop. It was a cloth house for women with high-quality silk hanfu dresses. Many noble women were present in the shop. Li Hua turned a little nervous because of it.


    ¡°What kind of dress does the Young Master need for his wife?¡± The same man asked.


    .....


    ¡°The most expensive one and the rarest one,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and looked at Li Hua, who had lowered her head. He moved his head close to her ear and whispered, ¡°You don¡¯t need to feel nervous around your husband. You are no longer the young maiden named Li Hua, but you are now Princess Consort Li Hua.¡±


    Li Hua gazed into his eyes and hummed.


    ¡°It is my first time seeing the Young Master in the town,¡± the man said after telling another worker to bring the dress, which L¨®ng Wei asked for.


    ¡°Yes. I am from the capital. However, my dear, lovely wife is from Xinshui,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. He refrained from telling about his identity. The man smiled when a young maiden came to him. She informed him that her mistress wanted him to show the dresses.


    ¡°He is showing the dresses to us. Ask another worker in the shop,¡± L¨®ng Wei interrupted their conversation. Li Hua pinched the forearm of L¨®ng Wei, who turned to look at her. She shook her head.


    ¡°You called us to the shop, so you must assist us,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and smiled while arching his brow.


    ¡°Of Course, Young Master,¡± the man answered and asked the young maiden to ask her mistress to wait for a while. He asked them to take the seats, but L¨®ng Wei refused.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    ¡°I am Fei Jinshi,¡± the young man replied.


    The worker brought the desired dress from the first floor. Fei Jinshi showed the hanfu dress to L¨®ng Wei, who found that the dress was indeed made of a high-quality silk. The embroidery looked perfect for the dress. L¨®ng Wei wondered if it would fit Li Hua.


    ¡°I will ask the helper to take measurements, Young Master,¡± Fei Jinshi told L¨®ng Wei, who stopped him. He grabbed the dress to check himself if Li Hua would fit in that dress when a young woman also grabbed its other edge.


    ¡°It will not fit your wife¡¯s body. She is of small height. Instead, I would like to buy it,¡± the youngdy answered and asked Fei Jinshi to give it to her.


    ¡°Leave it,¡± L¨®ng Wei told the youngdy. Li Hua held the arm of L¨®ng Wei, who narrowly gazed at her. ¡°I can buy a better dress for my wife at the other shop,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Li Hua was happy because the Sixth Prince didn¡¯t start any argument.


    ¡°However, once a thing or a person grabs my attention, then it¡¯s mine only,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and turned to look at the youngdy. ¡°Let go of it. Go away and look at the other dresses,¡± he rudely said. Li Hua was puzzled to see his reaction. He had promised that he would not behave wrongly with anyone.


    The young woman was intimidated by his voice and moved her hand away.


    ¡°Fei Jinshi, I am your regr customer, yet you brought such a rude customer in the shop. I may report this incident to my father,¡± the young woman was not ready to give up on the dress.


    L¨®ng Wei snickered. ¡°What is wrong with the noble people these days? They love to show off their power for no reason,¡± L¨®ng Wei started the argument. Li Hua asked him to stop when he told her to stay quiet.


    ¡°Lawfully, I am the one who chose this dress before you. Unless I refuse to buy it, you cannot have it. So, there¡¯s no need to report such petty matters to your noble father,¡± L¨®ng Wei made her understand.


    The few people in the shop turned to look at them.


    Fei Jinshi asked the youngdy to calm down. He assured her that he would show her another dress.


    ¡°But this one is a rare piece,¡± the youngdy was adamant to have that dress.


    ¡°Miss, you can take it,¡± Li Hua said and took the dress from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand. She put it on the table and grasped L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand to take him out of the shop. It was such a small matter, yet he had to argue for no reason.


    ¡°That was a wise decision by you,¡± the youngdy stated. Fei Jinshi nced at L¨®ng Wei, who looked in a terrible mood.


    Li Hua stepped forward to leave with her husband. To her surprise, L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t budge from his ce.


    ¡°What does your father do?¡± L¨®ng Wei red into the eyes of the young woman.


    She chuckled and asked him to be respectful. ¡°You might apologize for your behavior if you find out about it,¡± the youngdy said, who was full of pride.


    ¡°Is there someone born who can make me apologize to him? I doubt that¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°If you want to show off your family, then you must do it right,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Mydy¡¯s father is the first rank official in the Crime and Law department.¡± This time the personal attendant spoke with a prideful expression. ¡°So, you should be respectful to her and apologize for your wrong behavior,¡± she added.


    ¡°So, your master misuses his power,¡± L¨®ng Wei deduced. ¡°I wonder if the King knows about it,¡± he looked confused and then showed his white teeth smile, ¡°I think it¡¯s the time to inform His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°The King isn¡¯t avable for people like you,¡± the youngdy remarked.


    Li Hua knew that it was the end for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s patience. She looked into the eyes of the young woman.


    ¡°Please be respectful towards my husband, Miss,¡± Li Hua spoke this time. ¡°Every person in this Kingdom has dignity, and every person is equal before thew. Every person¡¯s voice can reach His Majesty. This dress has been maligned with your touch, so I will not like to buy it,¡± Li Hua humiliated her in front of dozens of people, and looked at L¨®ng Wei, who was astonished to see this side of Li Hua.

 Chapter 153

    153 Just for Ten Seconds


    The young woman didn¡¯t like Li Hua¡¯s remark about her. He called her hands malign. Li Hua was standing in front of L¨®ng Wei, red into her eyes. She apologized to Fei Jinshi for creating such trouble for them.


    L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua turned to leave when the young woman stopped them. She stood in front of Li Hua and asked her to apologize. When Li Hua didn¡¯t respond, she raised her hand to p her when L¨®ng Wei caught her hand in mid-air.


    ¡°I tried hard to listen to you and keep my promise, Wifey,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as a grim expression surrounded his face. His grip tightened on the young woman¡¯s wrist, who tried to pull her hand away.


    ¡°Shall I cut your hand and present it to your dear father?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her and arched an eyebrow at her.


    Everyone present in the shop was terrified to hear L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. The young woman¡¯s attendant came forward and asked her not to create trouble for himself. She asked him to let go of the hand of her mistress.


    ¡°I promised you that I would not create any trouble as long as people would be good to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei spoke to Li Hua, who asked him to let her go.


    ¡°Apologize to my wife. Get on your knees,¡± L¨®ng Wei told the young woman and yanked her hand off. The force was huge. She fell back and cried out. The people, who were mostly women, didn¡¯t dare to involve themselves in that fight.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this to a woman,¡± Li Hua told L¨®ng Wei in a low voice and walked out of the shop. She knew that once she would leave, L¨®ng Wei would automaticallye after her.


    ¡°I will return, Young Lady. The mistake you made today, your father must pay for it,¡± L¨®ng Wei threatened her. ¡°Ahh, the King is avable for his son all the time. So, I don¡¯t need any special permission to meet my father.¡± L¨®ng Wei finally revealed his identity to her.


    .....


    Everyone in the shop was shocked to learn that it was a Prince, and they started to gossip among themselves. The young woman on the floor gulped to find out when her attendant immediately got on her knees to apologize for her mistress¡¯s mistake.


    ¡°Who is her father?¡± L¨®ng Wei turned to look at Fei Jinshi. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When Qiu L¨®ng Wei is present, then no one can eveny a finger on you. Tell me truthfully about her father.¡±


    The young woman stopped breathing when she heard that he was the Sixth Prince. She immediately lowered her eyes because of the sudden fear that surrounded her mind and body. The noises died down, and no one dared to look in his direction.


    Fei Jinshi bowed before him and truthfully answered L¨®ng Wei. ¡°It is Official Yang Daoshing, Your Highness,¡± Fei Jinshi replied and gulped.


    ¡°Noted. I would love to have this dress, but since my wife doesn¡¯t want it, you can sell it to this youngdy,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and again looked at her, who crawled to her. She begged him not to do anything to her father. She joined her hands and pleaded with him. ¡°I will apologize to Her Highness for my behavior,¡± she stated.


    ¡°My wife doesn¡¯t need your apology anymore. Do not worry. I am not in a mood to kill your father,¡± L¨®ng Wei got on his knees and smirked, ¡°rather, I would make him beg on the streets with his dear family.¡±


    The young woman started to cry while L¨®ng Wei left the shop.


    Li Hua was at the bottom of the stairs. She saw L¨®ng Weiing out of the shop and turned her back on him. She walked ahead in anger. She didn¡¯t want him to create any scene. However, he did not listen to her. It upset her that her husband still did not listen to her. Two months would pass soon, and she might get kicked out. Though L¨®ng Wei would not let it happen, she didn¡¯t trust her fate.


    L¨®ng Wei reached near her and asked her if she was upset. Li Hua didn¡¯t answer and kept walking.


    ¡°Answer me,¡± L¨®ng Wei urged her, but she didn¡¯t respond and continued to walk ahead without realizing where they both were heading to.


    ¡°Do you hate my ways? Do you hate that I am like this?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s question stopped her. He also halted, and the two-faced each other.


    ¡°Anyone would,¡± Li Hua replied finally.


    ¡°I want to know about your sole answer,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like his ways. He must be polite to the people around him. I do not like it when someone insults him,¡± Li Hua asserted. L¨®ng Wei nced at her in surprise. He didn¡¯t expect this kind of answer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate His Highness. I will never. I only want him to be the person, which his well-wishers want him to be,¡± Li Hua affirmed. Their eyes didn¡¯t blink for a while as they continued to peer at each other.


    L¨®ng Wei closed the distance between them and hugged her tightly without caring about their surroundings. Li Hua was stunned by his action. She tightly clutched his robes. His left hand moved to the back of her head as he drew it close while his gaze focussed on the personing from the front.


    ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s the market. We cannot do this here,¡± Li Hua whispered. Her right foot moved against the ground as she felt it was extremely embarrassing. So many people were present around them. She brought her palms to his chest to push him lightly, but his grip around her tightened.


    ¡°Just for ten seconds, Li Hua. Let¡¯s stay like this for ten seconds,¡± L¨®ng Wei requested. Li Hua didn¡¯t protest anymore.


    Feng Lao walked past them and gazed narrowly at L¨®ng Wei before advancing ahead. L¨®ng Wei knitted his brows, and the veins popped out on his forehead.

 Chapter 154

    154 Feeling of Love?


    Li Hua¡¯s words deeply touched L¨®ng Wei¡¯s heart. She never judged him for his acts, and it always delighted him. Suddenly his eyes fell on the sedan chair from which a nobleman stepped down. He had a bodyguard and several soldiers surrounding him.


    ¡®Feng Lao!¡¯ L¨®ng Wei recognized him and clenched his fists in anger. He nced back at Li Hua, whose eyes had darted at him. It was a perfect opportunity to let Li Hua see Feng Lao, but his heart told him not to let it happen.


    He took a tiny step to her to close the distance between them and hugged her tightly. ¡°Stay like this for ten seconds,¡± he said while keeping his gaze fixed on Feng Lao.


    Li Hua stayed that way and didn¡¯t move back. A smile formed on her lips and her fingers rxed from his robes.


    Feng Lao narrowly gazed at L¨®ng Wei as he walked past them. L¨®ng Wei knitted his brows in anger, while the veins popped on his forehead. It was the best chance to kill Feng Lao in front of everyone. The town must know what Shui Feng Lao and his family did to the Xu Family.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡± Li Hua¡¯s soft voice fell in his ears, and he drew away. Some of the people smiled seeing them, while some started to gossip.


    A hue of red had formed on Li Hua¡¯s cheeks. L¨®ng Wei never stopped himself from expressing his love for her, even in public. L¨®ng Wei looked in the direction in which Feng Lao headed and decided not to go in that direction.


    ¡°What is His Highness looking at?¡± Li Hua asked and curiously looked in the same direction where L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes darted.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and asked Li Hua to take him somewhere, where they both could have fun while watching the boat festival.


    .....


    ¡°Will His Highness like to go to thekeside?¡± Li Hua asked him. L¨®ng Wei hummed and they went in the direction opposite to where Feng Lao had headed to. Li Hua found that L¨®ng Wei looked tense. What could be the reason behind that? Was it because she asked him to be like the other princes?


    L¨®ng Wei held Li Hua¡¯s hand tightly as the market started to turn crowder.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think I will be able to see Li Hua and Feng Lao meet. She will get hurt seeing him. She still has the soft space for Feng Lao. Xu Zifan is right that Li Hua would breakpletely. That bastard betrayed her badly. Then, will it be good to hide the truth from Li Hua?¡¯


    L¨®ng Wei contemted and narrowly nced at Li Hua, who looked happy. If Feng Lao had truly loved her, then he would not have asked her to run away that day. However, it was still a mystery to L¨®ng Wei why Feng Lao didn¡¯t kill Li Hua. No one was spared that night except Li Hua, who made a safe escape from Xinshui. Why did he protect her?


    ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    He came out of his thoughts and found Li Hua, called him out, a lot of times.


    ¡°What happened?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°Thenterns will glow soon near theke,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± L¨®ng Wei cocked his eyebrow.


    ¡°It¡¯s evening time, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said in a low voice. ¡°They will start lighting thenterns. We also need to do that. Let¡¯s walk faster.¡± Li Hua¡¯s sudden enthusiasm and excitement astonished L¨®ng Wei. He hummed, and they hastened towards theke where many people were heading.


    ¡°You should address me as Dear Husband.¡± L¨®ng Wei, for the nth time requested her. Li Hua smiled and lifted her skirt a little.


    ¡°We need to get a good spot near theke,¡± Li Hua said as she matched the long steps of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Shall I carry you in my arms? You are literally running to match my steps,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined as he slowed down.


    ¡°It¡¯s a public market. Also, I love to walk,¡± Li Hua refused him politely. She looked at the front when L¨®ng Wei grasped her arm and twirled her. The next second he lifted her into his arms, astonishing her.


    ¡°Please put me down,¡± Li Hua asked him and curled her fingers. L¨®ng Wei shook her head as his lips curled up into a smile.


    Li Hua pursed her lips together and bit her bottom lip. ¡°Please, Dear Husband.¡± She found the gazes of people on them and it made him feel embarrassed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lift you to put you down, Dear Wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei implied and started to walk.


    The people on their front started to give them the way. The young women giggled among themselves while praising L¨®ng Wei for being such a good husband. Some even got jealous to see them.


    The Courtesans, who had alsoe to the market, were astonished to see the acts of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I wonder who this person is! He has no shame in lifting his wife in his arms among so many people,¡± a young official remarked while moving the paper fan in the air.


    ¡°Young Master Tang, it seems the young man doesn¡¯t care about the world in front of his wife. Bing such a man is difficult,¡± the courtesan, who was standing by his side, reasoned.


    ¡°Is Courtesan Luo Zhishi dreaming about such a man?¡± the other young master asked while a chuckle escaped his mouth. Luo Zhishi could only smile and shook her head.


    ¡°I think that I have seen her,¡± another young master said and looked at Tang Zhaodong.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t she resemble thete daughter of the Late Official, Xu Guang Li?¡± Tao Jingren stated. Luo Zhishi looked at Tang Zhaodong, who didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°Have you lost your mind? The entire Xu Family is dead,¡± Tang Zhaodang nullified Tai Jingren¡¯s statement. ¡°Also, if Li Hua would be alive, then Shui Feng Lao had married her instead of marrying the daughter of the Townhead,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I thought that she resembled Miss Li Hua,¡± Tao Jingren murmured.


    ¡°Courtesan Luo Zhishi, I will take my leave here,¡± Tang Zhaodang said and bowed. Luo Zhishi bowed at him. Tang Zhaodang left with his other friends. He decided to check once if Tao Jingren¡¯s words were true.


    ¡°Why are you going towards theke?¡± Mu Zhou asked Tang Zhaodang. His friends also nced at him with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°I thought of watching the dragon boat,¡± he made an excuse.


    ¡°Aish! Let¡¯s have drinks at my house,¡± Tao Jingren offered and hung his arm around Tang Zhaodang, who yanked it away lightly.


    ¡°No. I have enough drinks for today,¡± Tang Zhaodang replied and took his leave. Mu Zhou found his acts strange.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei gently put Li Hua on the ground, who started scolding him. ¡°It was embarrassing. I even addressed him as Dear Husband, despite that he didn¡¯t stop. What if people recognize us?¡± Li Hua started to panic.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this what we want?¡± L¨®ng Wei brushed the fringes behind her ear which had covered her cheek.


    ¡°We want this, but,¡± she paused as L¨®ng Wei¡¯s index finger pressed on her lips.


    ¡°Then, let this world know. You no longer have to hide. You are Xu Li Hua before Qiu Li Hua, so let¡¯s not forget that identity. You need to keep it alive until the very end. Let the consequencese our way. I will handle those consequences for you. You no longer have to think about oues with me. You no longer need to feel shy or embarrassed,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed and put his hands on her shoulders.


    An intense eyelock urred between them.


    Li Hua¡¯s heartbeat picked its speed and she questioned herself, ¡®Is this the feeling of love?¡¯

 Chapter 155

    155 Fails to find


    In the pce, the event ended with a lot of celebration. Everyone enjoyed the evening along with the grand fist. The King distributed many presents to the performers at the event. The King, the Queen, and the Crown Prince went to theke pavilion to watch the youngdies lighting thenterns across theke.


    ¡°Crown Prince Xiaoming must select a few concubines among them,¡± Qiu Zedong reminded him, who decided to speak about it.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I think the elder daughter of the Minister of Law and Crime Department can be the First Concubine of the Crown Prince. Her features are beautiful. She carries herself gracefully and her stars are also good for this family,¡± Zhu Liling informed Qiu Zedong, who looked towards the young woman towards which the Queen pointed her finger.


    ¡°Pardon me, Royal Father, Royal Mother,¡± Xiaoming brought his hands up and lowered his head. The King and the Queen gazed at him.


    Xiaoming lifted his head while Eunuch Lishi got anxious about what the Crown Prince would say next.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a concubine, Royal Father, Royal Mother,¡± Xiaoming cleared them. Zhu Liling forced a smile on her lips and told the King that Xiaoming was stressed that¡¯s why conversing this way.


    ¡°I am not stressed, Royal Mother,¡± Xiaoming didn¡¯t hesitate this time. He looked back into the eyes of his father and continued, ¡°Royal Father, I cannot handle many women in my life. I cannot distribute my love equally to every woman I take into my manor. I only need one whom I will cherish until myst breath.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that it¡¯s eptable to the ministers? What will you answer in the Court?¡± Qiu Zedong asked Xiaoming and waited for his answer.


    ¡°If My Father allows me, then I surely will convince the ministers and gain their support,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    .....


    ¡°It is a rule in a Dynasty. The one who will have the Crown has to go for multiple marriages,¡± Qiu Zedong reminded him. ¡°If you cannot produce as many heirs for the Kingdom, you will fall weak,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Royal Father, but it is not necessary to have multiple women to be the strong King. I know My Royal Father cares for me and wants my best. But I put thought into it for a long time. I didn¡¯t escape from my marriage for four years. It is the opposite. I searched for a woman who would not only be my wife, but also the Crown Princess,¡± Xiaoming exined his points to his father. Before his mother would y with his life, he would clear the matter with his father and convince him to let him have only one woman in his life.


    ¡°What about the daughter of Kang Xi? I heard that you asked her to have lunch with you. You also liked the robe that she made with her hands.¡± Qiu Zedong was curious to know his decision. Zhu Liling looked at her son, wondering what would tell.


    ¡°Royal Father, Kang Cha Ying can never be my wife,¡± Xiaoming answered and gazed at his mother before returning his gaze to his father.


    ¡°I had sent the robe back with them. I had lunch with Miss Cha Ying because I wanted to have a conversation with her. Since you both have told me how great she is, I thought to test her. However, she failed my test. I do not want to see this royal family falls apart because of her,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    Qiu Zedong nced at Zhu Liling, who lowered her eyes.


    ¡°Also, Miss Cha Ying tried to point her finger at Li Hua¡¯s character and associated my name with her.¡± Xiaoming didn¡¯t hide it anymore.


    ¡°What does the Crown Prince mean?¡± Qiu Zedong asked for rification.


    ¡°When I refused the feelings of Miss Cha Ying, she instead of epting it told me that I did it because of Li Hua. Royal Father, I forgave her because her father is the Prime Minister and my father¡¯s close friend. Li Hua and I had nothing. I only showed care towards her that day and everyone started to spread baseless rumors. I did not like it that a member outside the royal family said such words to me.¡±


    Xiaoming finally blurted out everything which he had in his heart since thest day. He had thought to solve it calmly, but Cha Ying lied in front of everyone which infuriated him.


    Qiu Zedong realized that it would not be wise if he forced Xiaoming to marry Cha Ying. She already said something which was enough to taint their rtionship. He wanted his son¡¯s happiness, so he announced his decision.


    ¡°Since Miss Cha Ying wasn¡¯t thoughtful while having her conversation with the Crown Prince, I debarred her from the selection of the Crown Princess. I will deliver this same decision to Kang Xi,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. Xiaoming got extremely happy to hear about it. He thanked his father to listen to him and understand him. Xiaoming smiled as his biggest dilemma was over now.


    Qiu Zedong patted Xiaoming¡¯s back and looked at the other side of theke, where the young women were present. ¡°Hopefully, the Crown Prince selects his wife soon. Two weeks are going to pass. If he fails to find a wife for him, I will take the action.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Royal Father. Thank you for giving me time despite I dyed in my marriage for such a long time,¡± Xiaoming expressed his gratitude. Qiu Zedong hummed and turned to look at the Queen, who forced a smile on her lips.


    After the King took his leave, the Queen instructed Eunuch Lianying to send the nobledies to their respective houses. She left while Xiaoming and the others bowed before her.


    Xiaoming heaved a sigh of relief. He not only convince his father for letting him have only one woman as his official wife but also made his father disapprove of Cha Ying as the potential candidate for the Crown Princess¡¯s selection.


    He smiled and returned to his manor to meet Liu Jin Yu.

 Chapter 156

    156 Return the money that I¡¯ve lost


    Liu Jin Yu kept struggling while being tied to the ropes. But her efforts went in vain. Eunuch Lishi had his eyes fixed on her all the time while two other bodyguards were also present in the chamber.


    But why did they bring her here? Did any of the Princes want to share a night with her!? She widened her eyes and gulped in fear. It all happened because of that man, who chased her in the broad daylight.


    ¡°There is no use to struggle, Young Lady,¡± Eunuch Lishi told her, who red into her eyes. A maidservant came inside and informed Eunuch Lishi about the Crown Prince. Liu Jin Yu didn¡¯t hear them because of the distance.


    Eunuch Lishi turned to look and waited for the Crown Prince to enter. Liu Jin Yu heard the door sliding and realized that the Prince had entered. She was unable to see her face because he was near the pir and only his left arm was visible to her.


    Eunuch Lishi walked to Xiaoming and told her that he kept his eyes on the woman whom he asked to bring to the chamber. Xiaoming praised him and asked him to leave along with the two bodyguards.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, but what do you want to do with her?¡± Eunuch Lishi whispered.


    ¡°I have to investigate her,¡± Xiaoming replied and asked Eunuch Lishi not to let this out. Eunuch Lishi assured the Crown Prince. He blew off the majority of the candles andnterns in the chamber before leaving with the bodyguards.


    Liu Jin Yu found the lights got dimmed in the chamber. She got tense and weird thoughts started to appear in her mind. She was strong enough to fight with ten men at once, but if she would fight in the pce, then only she would be harmed.


    Her eyes darted to the silhouette of the Crown Prince, who still had note to her side. She saw his shadow and found him removing his clothes. It was a dead-end for her. For the first time in her life, she felt like crying. No, even if she would have to die, she would not let anything happen to her body. She would ept the death with dignity instead of sharing a bed with an unknown man.


    .....


    She slightly rose her head as the Crown Prince approached her. Shock prevailed in her mouth when she recognized that face from the night two days ago.


    She had robbed a Prince!


    Wait! The man who was chasing her earlier was the same Prince. He had this mustache over his lips and the bamboo hat on his head that she was unable to recognize him. But now, when he was so close to her, she easily recognized him.


    Xiaoming got on his knees and brought his hands behind her head. She stiffened at her ce. Xiaoming removed the cloth from her mouth which prevented her from speaking earlier.


    Xiaoming finally got to see her face without the mask. He found this strange expression on her face as if she was curious about something.


    Xiaoming lowered his hand and grasped her arm to turn her away. He started to untie the rope from her hands.


    ¡°Did you recognize me?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Yes, Yo-your H-h-high-highness.¡± Liu Jin Yu found her voice trembling in fear. Xiaoming chuckled and freed her hands from the rope. She twisted her hands and brought them to the front. Her wrists had turned red and deep marks had formed because of the rope.


    She quickly brought her feet closer and untied the rope from them. Xiaoming still stayed on his knee. His right hand rested on his right knee as he peered into her eyes.


    Liu Jin Yu immediately got on her both knees and bowed before him. ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness, for that day. I beg for His Highness mercy,¡± Liu Jin Yu started to apologize. It was the only way in her eyes to prevent herself from getting punished. Her hair clip loosened in her hair and it fell to the floor.


    Xiaoming smiled and stood up. He asked her to get up. She immediatelyplied with his demand and kept her gaze low. Xiaoming settled on the broad chair and rested his hands on the bolsters on the two sides.


    ¡°Liu Jin Yu robbed the Crown Prince of the Kingdom that night,¡± Xiaoming finally revealed the truth to her. She gaped at him and was stunned to find that she was in front of the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I beg for his kind mercy on me,¡± Liu Jin Yu again apologized and bowed. Her forehead again hit the floor. ¡°I will return His Royal Highness¡¯s belongings to him,¡± she said.


    ¡°How will you return them to me? Even if you work for hundred years, you won¡¯t be able to give me the price of those precious jewels,¡± Xiaoming stated. He decided to y with her. ¡°It is better for you to ept the death,¡± he tried to intimidate her.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I will return them to you. I promise,¡± Liu Jin Yu said with a confident tone.


    ¡°I already brought them back from Much¨¦n,¡± Xiaoming said which shocked Liu Jin Yu. ¡°The cost rose because of the amount I paid to him,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Also, youmitted another grave crime, Liu Jin Yu. You pushed me away in front of so many people. You tried to ridicule my strength,¡± Xiaoming affirmed.


    ¡°Never! I can never do this with His Royal Highness. That time I was too scared of being caught. Please forgive me this time, Your Royal Highness. I will do anything that His Royal Highness tells me to do. But please don¡¯t punish me to death,¡± Liu Jin Yu requested again.


    ¡°What will you do for me?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    Liu Jin Yu lifted her head to look at him. ¡°Anything, Your Royal Highness,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    Xiaoming rose to his feet and again walked to her. He asked her to get up, and immediately, Liu Jin Yuplied with hismand.


    ¡°Return the money that I¡¯ve lost while taking back my precious jewel,¡± Xiaoming said, and he amusingly smiled at her.

 Chapter 157

    157 I am not a normal Woman


    ¡°Return the money that I lost while taking back my precious jewel,¡± Xiaoming said and amusingly smiled at her.


    ¡°May I know how much it costs, Your Royal Highness?¡± Liu Jin Yu humbly asked. She remembered him telling her that even if she would work for a hundred years, she would be unable to pay it.


    ¡°Three hundred gold coins,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    Liu Jin Yu widened her eyes. ¡°But Much¨¦n gave us fifty gold coins only. His Royal Highness is ripping me off,¡± she blurted out.


    ¡°If you got fooled, then it is not my fault. The jade rings that you took from me were worth one hundred gold coins and then the jade ne two hundred gold coins. I paid Much¨¦n to get those jewels back. However, I will not take that amount,¡± Xiaoming rified.


    ¡°Give me one week, Your Royal Highness. I will surely pay you three hundred gold coins,¡± Liu Jin Yu said in a confident tone.


    ¡°May I know, how?¡± Xiaoming questioned. Liu Jin Yu pursed her lips together. ¡°If you are going to rob someone, then I am not going to take that. Also, I have no intention of letting you out,¡± Xiaoming proimed.


    ¡°That should not matter, His Royal Highness. I will bring the money in a week. I request His Royal Highness to let me go,¡± Liu Jin Yu again pleaded with him and lowered her eyelids.


    ¡°Lu Bojing is searching for you if you step out of here. The organization that you are a part of may get busted,¡± Xiaoming stated and locked his hands behind his back.


    .....


    Liu Jin Yu wondered how Xiaoming found out so much about them. She had to leave, but it seemed the Crown Prince would not let her go.


    ¡°Then, how will I pay three hundred gold coins to His Royal Highness?¡± Liu Jin Yu asked with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°Work in my manor. I will teach you how to do hard work instead of looting people,¡± Xiaoming said with a smile.


    ¡°My profession should not matter to His Royal Highness. I loot only those who are well off,¡± Liu Jin Yu affirmed.


    ¡°You are so proud of this profession of robbing. You will die if you step out of my manor. You inflicted an injury on the Crown Prince¡¯s body,¡± Xiaoming said and yanked the cor away to show his neck to her. Liu Jin Yu bit her lower lip.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to kill His Royal Highness. That was only to threaten him,¡± Liu Jin Yu convinced him. She could not stay in the pce and work like a donkey. It would be better for her to go outside and work.


    ¡°But others will take it as a nned assassination against me. The people in your organization will be beheaded with them,¡± Xiaoming showed her the other side of her acts. ¡°My Royal Father will not take a second to punish you to death,¡± he added.


    Sweat started to appear on Liu Jin Yu¡¯s forehead. Her hands turned sweaty and she didn¡¯t know what to do anymore. She peered at him when he dabbed his silk handkerchief on her forehead.


    ¡°You have a night to think about it,¡± Xiaoming stated and slowly pulled his hand back.


    ¡°What if I refuse? I will pay more to His Royal Highness, but can he not let me go?¡± Liu Jin Yu searched for an answer in his eyes.


    ¡°If you refuse then be ready to face death,¡± Xiaoming asserted. This time it was a bit serious. The smile was no longer on his lips. He looked at her from top to bottom and again met her gaze.


    ¡°In these clothes, you don¡¯t look like a robber, but a woman from a noble family,¡± Xiaoming remarked.


    ¡°Anyone would look good in a silk dress,¡± Liu Jin Yumented.


    She had heard that the Crown Prince was a gentle, kind, and loving person. But it waspletely opposite. ¡°His Royal Highness is known to be a kind person. Can he not spare me once?¡± She didn¡¯t stop requesting him. She would do it until the very end.


    ¡°I am already kind enough to you. You hurt me twice yet I didn¡¯t do anything. Also, there is no use to manipte me. So, it is better for you to work here. It is not to do hard work. Your body is unlike others. It is strong enough to do even the men¡¯s work,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°What about the people who are waiting for me?¡± Liu Jin Yu questioned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you live with your family,¡± Xiaoming deduced.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Liu Jin Yu agreed with him, ¡°but those people are my family. They will be troubled not to see me.¡±


    ¡°You are no longer associated with them. You will tell them tomorrow that you are no longer a part of their organization,¡± Xiaoming stated. Liu Jin Yu opened her mouth to speak when her stomach growled. She looked down and tightly shut her eyes.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi!¡± Xiaoming called him in, who quickly came inside and bowed before him.


    ¡°Bring meals for Miss Liu Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming ordered him. Eunuch Lishi cocked his brow in surprise but didn¡¯t raise any questions. He left the chamber while Xiaoming asked Liu Jin Yu to follow him. She silently followed him and they entered the dte.


    Xiaoming gestured for her to sit and she quickly sat on the floor chair. ¡°Thank you, Your Royal Highness, for the meals. I haven¡¯t eaten since noon.¡± She expressed her gratitude and smiled.


    Xiaoming sat on her front. He found that he was not scared of him despite his strong title. He liked her personality. ¡°Who taught you martial arts?¡± He asked with curiosity.


    ¡°I learned by myself,¡± Liu Jin Yu replied.


    Xiaoming was amused to hear her answer. ¡°His Royal Highnesscks strength.¡± She mocked him. ¡°He let his guard down while roaming around theke. He was lucky that night. An assassin could have appeared that night and harmed him.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t let my guard down,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°His Royal Highness did. He should not roam around without any skilled bodyguard,¡± Liu Jin Yu affirmed.


    Two maidservants walked in with trays in their hands. Eunuch Lishi stood back and left with the maidservants.


    ¡°Start eating,¡± Xiaoming told Liu Jin Yu, who asked the Crown Prince if he didn¡¯t want to eat.


    ¡°I already had my dinner,¡± Xiaoming replied. Liu Jin Yu hummed and picked the chopsticks. She moved the lid away from the bowl and found the chicken soup in it. She looked at the red bean rice dumpling, called zongzi, traditionally.


    She picked one and inhaled the aroma of the rice dumpling. She removed the thread around the leaf inside which the rice dumpling was put. She started to eat it and felt so relieved. Xiaoming chuckled at the way she was eating.


    ¡°Women aren¡¯t supposed to eat that way,¡± Xiaoming interrupted her in the middle of the meal. He saw the rice grains that had spread around her mouth. Instead of eating with chopsticks, she used her hands. It made Xiaoming feel a little cringe.


    Liu Jin Yu let out a deep breath and shook her head. ¡°I am not a normal woman, Your Royal Highness. I eat this way only. The food feels tastier when one uses a hand,¡± she proimed.


    Xiaoming didn¡¯t like her logic. He decided to make her understand and picked a pair of chopsticks. He took a tiny quantity of rice dumplings using the chopsticks. He ate them and chewed them properly. He gulped the chewed food and put the chopsticks on the table.


    ¡°You are supposed to eat this way without making any noises. You should eat quietly,¡± Xiaoming made her understand.


    ¡°If I started to eat the way His Royal Highness mentioned, then I may get tired and disinterested in food,¡± Liu Jin Yu refused to eat the way Xiaoming taught her. She picked a chicken leg with her left hand and started to eat with the rice dumpling.


    Xiaoming scrunched his brows and held his head. ¡°It seems you have been hungry for years,¡± he remarked.


    ¡°Of course, Your Royal Highness,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, ¡°I never had such delicious food in my entire life. Regal life is great.¡± She licked her fingers and put the small bone of the chicken on the te.


    ¡°You had robbed so many nobles. You earned enough money to feed your stomach with good food,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, robbers are better humans than the nobles. I bet His Royal Highness never looked around his Kingdom. Many people like me crave good food,¡± Liu Jin Yu pronounced and again focussed on eating.


    Thatst statement left a big impression on Xiaoming¡¯s brain. He realized that keeping Liu Jin Yu close to him would benefit him for a long time.

 Chapter 158

    158 I like His Highness


    Li Hua asked L¨®ng Wei if he ever traveled in a boat. L¨®ng Wei refused and asked her if she wanted to travel in the boat.


    ¡°Yes. It is fun to ride in a boat. Touching the water and feeling the freshness of the air, makes one¡¯s mind calm down. This was what I heard from my Second Elder Brother once. He had traveled to the adjacent town of Xinshui by boat. I asked him to take me as well, but Father didn¡¯t allow me.¡± Li Hua recalled an old memory of Xu Zuwen.


    ¡°I will take you in the boat to the other town. We can go tomorrow if you want,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined.


    ¡°I want to find the truth first,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°We have a week here to spend time. We can find the truthter,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He didn¡¯t want her to see Feng Lao. He would not be able to see her heartbroken.


    ¡°Your Highness, you promised me that you will tell me about the culprit today,¡± Li Hua reminded him of what he said the previous night.


    ¡°I lied,¡± L¨®ng Wei firmly answered. ¡°I need time to find the person.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Li Hua sounded hurt.


    ¡°You confessed yesterday that you have started to like me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with inquisitiveness. He wanted her to say that she had feelings for him. But because he didn¡¯t fulfill his promise, she might not ept her feelings again. She might again lie to him.


    .....


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny it anymore, Your Highness. I like His Highness,¡± Li Hua admitted truthfully what was in her heart. She tightly pressed her fingers and pursed her lips together. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that I started to see him differently from the other people when he helped me and stood for me. I truly felt overwhelmed because of his actions. However, I feel attracted to him not because he married me or saved my brother.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t blink for a while and asked her the reason behind her attraction toward him.


    ¡°Can I tell this in the cold pce?¡± Li Hua requested him and looked around.


    ¡°What difference will it make? You can tell me here,¡± L¨®ng Wei seemed desperate to her. She bit her lower lip and moved a bit close to him.


    ¡°Some people are still looking at us. I feel a little awkward,¡± she whispered and then stepped back.


    ¡°Then, shall we head back? You are hungry too.¡± L¨®ng Wei waited for her reply. Li Hua hummed and agreed with him. She turned to her right to walk ahead when L¨®ng Wei pulled her back by grabbing her wrist.


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei softly called out her name.


    ¡°Yes?¡± She responded and curled her fingers.


    ¡°Can we kiss?¡± He asked her.


    ¡°No,¡± Li Hua immediately answered.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled and let go of her hand, and she went ahead of him.


    ~~~~


    Tang Zhaodang searched for Li Hua near the river. However, among the crowd, it was impossible to see her.


    Tang Zhaodang remembered that none of the dead bodies were found in the residence that day. It was kind of mysterious to everyone in the town. Though the residence had burned down, so many thought the people in Xu Residence burned into ashes.


    ¡°Tao Jingren might have seen something wrong. Why did I even get in his words?¡± Tang Zhaodong mumbled in his mouth and looked at the dragon boat which was floating in the river water. A year ago, when everything was good in the town when his friends Xu Zifan and Xu Zuwen were alive, they hade to this same spot to see the dragon boat.


    ¡°You both have promised me that we will meet at this dock every year to mark our friendship,¡± he murmured and sighed.


    He got a push and turned to find that the crowd on the dock had increased. He decided to leave as his head was aching because of the wine he had earlier.


    Coming down the dock, his eyes fell on the people standing across the river, watching the floating dragon boat. The children were screaming in happiness while some were ying with each other.


    Tang Zhaodang had turned hopeful when Tao Jingren told him that he saw someone simr to Li Hua. But he was wrong.


    A dead person could never be brought back to life.


    His eyes saw L¨®ng Wei, who had a broad smile on his lips. He looked in the direction where L¨®ng Wei had his focus. Tang Zhaodang was shocked to see Li Hua. He brought his hand near his mouth. ¡°She looks like Li Hua. No! She is Li Hua,¡± he murmured and stepped forward when got hit by a heavy man,ing from his right.


    They both apologized to each other. Tang Zhaodang quickly ran towards Li Hua. It was unbelievable for him for a few seconds.


    ¡°Li Hua!¡± Tang Zhaodang pronounced her name.


    L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua looked around as they heard her name. They saw a nobleman had approached them.


    ¡°Li Hua, you are alive and safe!¡± Tang Zhaodang said with immense happiness on his grimace. He stepped forward, stretching out his arms when L¨®ng Wei stood in front of Li Hua and pushed him away.


    ¡°Do you wish to die?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him. Li Hua got worried as one person had recognized her already. But she didn¡¯t know him. It was her first time seeing Tang Zhaodang.


    ¡°Get away. I want to see Li Hua,¡± Tang Zhaodang, unable to recognize L¨®ng Wei, talked rudely with him.


    L¨®ng Wei clicked his tongue with the top of his mouth and then chuckled. ¡°Get your eyes away from my wife if you don¡¯t want me to take them out!¡±


    Tang Zhaodang was surprised to find that Li Hua was married. Why did she marry another man when she loved Feng Lao?!


    ¡°We shall head back,¡± Li Hua told L¨®ng Wei, who agreed to her.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Tang Zhaodang ced his hand on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s shoulder, who narrowly gazed at him. ¡°Who are you?¡± He finally asked.


    Li Hua nced at L¨®ng Wei, wondering if he would tell the truth or not.


    ¡°I am Qiu L¨®ng Wei, the Sixth Prince of the Qiu Kingdom, the youngest child of the great King of this Kingdom.¡± L¨®ng Wei dly introduced himself.


    Tang Zhaodang immediately pulled his hand back from his shoulder. L¨®ng Wei turned to look at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call the name of my wife. Be respectful towards her,¡± he stated and caught Li Hua¡¯s hand. He took her away while Tang Zhaodang stood dumbfounded at his ce.

 Chapter 159

    159 I must meet Shui Feng Lao


    L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua reached the cold pce. L¨®ng Wei sent Li Hua to the chamber with Eunuch Qian He while he went to see Mingquan.


    L¨®ng Wei saw the servants taking away the dishes in the trays. He walked in and found Mingquan had his dinner with Huang Xi and Xu Zifan.


    Huang Xi and Xu Zifan rose to their feet upon seeing L¨®ng Wei. They bowed and asked him about his time with Li Hua.


    ¡°It was good. A person recognized Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and took a seat around the floor table.


    ¡°Who!?¡± Xu Zifan asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and asked a servant to bring wine for him.


    ¡°Did Brother L¨®ng Wei reveal his identity to the person?¡± Mingquan asked. L¨®ng Wei hummed and told him that it was necessary.


    ¡°Everyone will be shocked to find that the daughter and the son of the Xu Family are alive,¡± Huang Xi stated. ¡°The Shui Family head mighte to see them,¡± he asserted with a smile.


    L¨®ng Wei nodded at him. ¡°This is what I want,¡± he said and shifted his gaze to Mingquan. ¡°What happened in the Governor¡¯s Residence?¡± He asked.


    .....


    ¡°They are surprised to see me in the town. I told them I came with my Sixth Brother and Sister-inw to Xinshui. Shui Xiaoqing has invited us as Brother L¨®ng Wei wanted,¡± Mingquan informed L¨®ng Wei.


    The maidservant walked in and bowed before them. She put the wine jar on the table and then the wine cups. She rose and bowed before leaving the chamber as L¨®ng Wei dismissed her.


    L¨®ng Wei stayed silent. He picked up the wine jar and filled the sses with the wine. He handed the wine sses to each of them and then picked thest ss. Sipping the wine, L¨®ng Wei furrowed his brows together.


    Mingquan nced at Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Did you know Shui Feng Lao is going to be a father soon?¡± Mingquan¡¯s question came out of the blue. L¨®ng Wei stopped sipping the wine and tilted his head to look at Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Is it true?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Xu Zifan answered.


    ¡°Why did you hide it from me?¡± L¨®ng Wei frowned at him. ¡°When did you find out?¡± He then asked Xu Zifan. He apologized to the Sixth Prince first.


    ¡°Two weeks ago, I went out. I wanted to check if Feng Lao was living a happy life,¡± Xu Zifan said. ¡°Then I found out that he will be a father soon,¡± he asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei plonked the wine cup on the table in frustration. Huang Xi and Mingquan were confused to see L¨®ng Wei act this way.


    ¡°Li Hua wants to know about Feng Lao. I had nned to make her see him. However, my heart stopped me from doing so. I am d that I did that,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this what my Sister-inw wanted? She wants to see the culprits who killed the Xu Family. Why is Brother L¨®ng Wei hesitating now?¡± Mingquan realized that L¨®ng Wei had hidden another deep secret. He wanted L¨®ng Wei to be honest with them.


    L¨®ng Wei again picked up the ss of wine and took a few sips. ¡°Li Hua liked Feng Lao. She was supposed to marry him that night,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Li Hua loves Feng Lao. I saw her a few months ago and fell for her at first sight. I decided to marry her as soon as my punishment would get over. However, everything was ruined that night. Somehow, Li Hua escaped and the person who helped her escape the residence was Shui Feng Lao. She came to the pce to search for the culprit.¡± L¨®ng Wei told him in a brief how it all started.


    ¡°That¡¯s why Brother L¨®ng Wei was too desperate to marry her. Did he n all the things that happened in the pce within two days of his return?¡± Mingquan would not be surprised that L¨®ng Wei made a thoughtful n to marry Li Hua.


    ¡°Yes.¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t hide the truth from the Fourth Prince. ¡°It was necessary to marry her. I love her, so I must have her,¡± he said possessively.


    ¡°It isplicated,¡± Huang Xi spoke out. ¡°If Princess Consort Li Hua loves Shui Feng Lao, then how will we kill him? She will stop us. Now, I realized why my mother used to say that sometimes love bes a weakness,¡± Huang Xi concluded and bit his tongue as he found the sharp re of L¨®ng Wei at him.


    ¡°What if Shui Feng Lao saved the Sister-inw from getting killed?¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°Why do you think so? The Shui Family knew the Xu Family for a long time. Feng Lao might have pitied your sister at that time or probably he also liked her.¡± Mingquan stated two possibilities.


    ¡°Both are false,¡± L¨®ng Wei declined both possibilities that Mingquan presented. ¡°He tricked Li Hua,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Feng Lao never confessed his feelings to Li Hua except for that night. He took her to the pavilion, which was isted, just to confess his feelings. Li Hua was the only person from the Xu Family who was outside the guest chamber. They wanted to kill all of them in the residence so that no one would be suspicious of them. Most of the evidence was lost when the residence caught fire. Because Li Hua was out, things went out of the n.¡± L¨®ng Wei made them understand.


    ¡°Why would Feng Lao leave Li Hua in the forest? In short, he helped her,¡± Xu Zifan pronounced.


    ¡°No. He tricked her in the wrong direction. Probably, it was her destiny to meet me in the pce. It is the time when I must meet Shui Feng Lao. That man is amusing,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. He curled his lips into a grin and continued, ¡°Xu Zifan, you need to take care of your sister tomorrow. Don¡¯t tell her too many things.¡±


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, do I need to apany you?¡± Mingquan asked.


    ¡°Of course. We need to find out many things tomorrow,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and smiled.

 Chapter 160

    160 Me or Feng Lao


    Li Hua looked at the dishes before her. Qian He asked Li Hua if the Sixth Prince did not buy anything for her.


    ¡°His Highness tried to buy a hanfu dress. However, something happened so I refused His Highness to buy it,¡± Li Hua said. She asked Qian He if L¨®ng Wei knew about Shui Feng Lao.


    ¡°I do not know anything about it, Your Highness,¡± Eunuch Qian He humbly replied.


    Li Hua was highly doubtful of him. L¨®ng Wei used to go out. There was a huge possibility that he might have seen Shui Feng Lao. A strange thing she noticed was that none of the Shui Family members were present in the graveyard. What could be the meaning of this?


    Li Hua stood up and walked out of the chamber but stopped to see L¨®ng Wei in front of her. He passed a smile to her and hung his arm around her shoulder.


    ¡°Were you missing me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked as he took her inside. Eunuch Qian He bowed to see him. L¨®ng Wei gestured to him to leave, who stepped backward and turned near the door. He closed the door behind after stepping out.


    ¡°Where did His Highness go?¡± Li Hua queried as she settled on the floor chair. She picked the chopsticks and looked at the delicious rice dumplings before her.


    ¡°I had a short conversation with the Fourth Brother, Huang Xi, and Xu Zifan,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. Li Hua hummed and started to eat. ¡°I had a ss of wine with them. Would you like to drink wine today?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I will take only one ss, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua stated. ¡°Today it¡¯s good to drink realgar wine,¡± she reminded him.


    .....


    ¡°I know,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and called Qian He in. He ordered the Eunuch to send the realgar wine for them. Qian He brought the wine for them and left the chamber. They had their dinner first and then L¨®ng Wei poured the wine for them.


    He toasted the wine ss with Li Hua. ¡°This is for taking a step towards me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smirk on his lips. He brought the silver ss near his mouth and took a sip.


    ¡°A step towards His Highness? How?¡± Li Hua curiously looked at him.


    ¡°You confessed earlier about your feelings for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and took another sip of the wine. Li Hua lowered her eyes and slowly brought the ss near her mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t drink much if you can¡¯t hold it. Even a sip would be enough,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to lose senses after having such a strong wine.¡±


    ¡°Then, why did His Highness ask me to drink with me?¡± She raised her right eyebrow and took a sip. ¡°I can hold one ss of wine,¡± she affirmed.


    L¨®ng Wei called for a maidservant, who cleaned the table for them.


    ¡°I have shown my faith in His Highness. I hope that he will not hide anything from me.¡± Li Hua¡¯s words perplexed L¨®ng Wei. He wondered in what sense she said those words. He studied her facial expressions for a while.


    ¡°What if I hide?¡± L¨®ng Wei amusingly nced at her and leaned back on the floor mattress. His left elbow rested on the bolster while his right knee rose to the air. He swirled the wine ss in his hand and glued his eyes to her.


    ¡°I will run away,¡± Li Hua replied and put the ss lightly on the table.


    ¡°I will catch you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°No. I will run far away,¡± Li Hua argued.


    ¡°To where?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Umm... somewhere far.¡± Li Hua didn¡¯t exactly know where. But if L¨®ng Wei would lie about Shui Feng Lao with her, then she would definitely run away from him.


    ¡°And where is that ¡®somewhere far¡¯ exactly? Would you like to borate on it?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned. He gulped the remaining wine and put the ss on the table.


    ¡°If I borate it, then His Highness may catch me easily,¡± Li Hua proimed and again picked the ss. ¡°I didn¡¯t see any of the Shui Family members¡¯ graves,¡± she finally said which was roaming in her head for a long time. ¡°Are they safe?¡± She asked him.


    ¡°Umm... they are present in the graveyard. You failed to notice it as you were busy with your father¡¯s, mother¡¯s, and brother¡¯s grave,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Then, His Highness shall take me tomorrow,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Sure,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°However, except your parents, brother, I hardly recognize anyone,¡± he affirmed.


    Li Hua nodded her head and sipped the wine. L¨®ng Wei filled his ss when Li Hua asked him to pour one for her as well. L¨®ng Wei leaned forward and poured the wine into the ss that she had held.


    ¡°Does His Highness not really know about Feng Lao? I doubt that he doesn¡¯t know him. Nothing is hidden from His Highness. I have a strong intuition that he knows about Feng Lao,¡± Li Hua stated and looked into the wine ss.


    L¨®ng Wei realized that Li Hua turned sharper than he thought. He didn¡¯t think that she would put so much thought into that. He had to tackle the present situation with her. Also, he was upset with the way she asked about Shui Feng Lao. He could see the concern in her eyes for another man.


    It made him burn in jealousy.


    ¡°Why are you interested in other men when you are married to me?¡± L¨®ng Wei cocked his brow and gulped the wine present in the ss. He didn¡¯t leave a single drop in it. ¡°It makes me extremely jealous. You should be concerned for me. However, never once did I see that concern in your eyes for me,¡± he said with a displeased expression and rubbed his fingers.


    Li Hua blinked her eyes and found that she hurt him. ¡°I apologize to His Highness. I must be careful with my words,¡± Li Hua stated.


    L¨®ng Wei clicked his tongue and kept ring into her eyes. He picked up the wine jar to pour another ss. After he poured the ss full, he drank it in one go. His lips got wet with the wine. He wiped his lips with the pad of his fingers.


    ¡°You like me, but you are unable to move him away from your head. I am unable to understand,¡± he pointed his index finger towards her chest, ¡°your heart, if it beats for me or for Feng Lao.¡±


    Li Hua gulped and pressed her fingers together tightly. She wanted to run away from his gaze as it bore through her soul.

 Chapter 161

    161 When I always desire for you


    ¡°You are again silent,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and a chuckle escaped his mouth. ¡°You shall go to the bed,¡± he said. He didn¡¯t want to get furious at her because of Shui Feng Lao. Li Hua bowed and stood up. She went to the inner chamber.


    L¨®ng Wei gritted his teeth and rose to his feet. It annoyed him that Li Hua left without answering him. Why!? She should have answered him, instead of leaving. All this shows that she was still in love with Shui Feng Lao. He reached the inner chamber and found Li Hua had removed her upper robe. She was removing the hair essories when found the reflection of L¨®ng Wei in the mirror.


    She ignored his presence and continued to do her work. She brushed her hair while stealing nces at the mirror. L¨®ng Wei was at the same ce and his gaze didn¡¯t look pleasant.


    She put theb on the vanity table and turned to walk to the bed. Her eyes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly out of nervousness while cold sweat formed in her hands.


    ¡°Li Hua, what is in Feng Lao that I do not possess?¡± L¨®ng Wei finally spoke. He walked to her and halted before her. ¡°What does that bastard possess that Ick?¡± His voice roared in the bedchamber and it intimidated Li Hua.


    She didn¡¯t dare to look into his eyes. She felt his fingers under her chin and he pulled it up. ¡°I want an answer, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei demanded. The re in his eyes bore holes in Li Hua¡¯s body. Her mind had gone nk. She was unable to understand what she should reply to him.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand went to the back of Li Hua¡¯s head and he drew her close. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel anything for me?¡± His fingers pressed on her scalp and she let out a low cry.


    ¡°His Highness is hurting me,¡± Li Hua said as her eyes filled with tears.


    ¡°What about you? Your silence is killing me more,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. ¡°It is making me mad. Why there is this strange look, full of concern for Feng Lao while for me it was never present? It hurts badly. Why can¡¯t you see my genuine feelings for you?¡± He questioned her. Li Hua rested her right hand on his left forearm and requested him to let her go. Because of the wine, he had lost his senses.


    .....


    She finally looked into her eyes. ¡°Please let me go,¡± she urged.


    L¨®ng Wei closed the distance between them as he pulled her close. His left hand circled her waist and their lips almost touched. Li Hua squeezed her eyes tightly while her heart raced at an exceptionally high speed. It felt to her that it would explode. She thought he would kiss her, but he had stopped.


    ¡°I love you so much that I am even unable to touch you, kiss you when I always desire for you. You only see him while you are with me. It is torturing for me. Why do you do this? Do you hate me too? Why did you get worried for me that day? Why did you make me fall in love with you when all you think about is Feng Lao.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s tone turned gentler.


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate His Highness. I have told him this many times. I promised His Highness in the market that I would tell him in the cold pce why I like him,¡± Li Hua finally spoke. Her eyes were glued to him while her hand caressed his right arm.


    L¨®ng Wei got inquisitive to know.


    ¡°He understood me when I never hadmunication with him. It feels like he has read my mind. I was shy enough to open up to men outside my family. However, with His Highness, I learned what I want. My father, my brothers, and even Feng Lao always told me to stay away from weapons. They always said my hands aren¡¯t made to touch them. However, His Highness saw me differently. My heart fluttered for him at various moments.¡± Li Hua brought her other hand to her chest near her heart.


    ¡°Even with Feng Lao, I never felt this way. I like His Highness because he brought out my real self which I always wanted to see in me. Answering back to the people, I never did it until I got married to His Highness,¡± Li Hua properly exined to him what she felt about him.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s anger went away. His heart melted upon hearing her. His fingers on her scalp moved away and they gently entangled in her hair.


    ¡°I apologize for my behavior,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I am worried about His Highness too. More than anyone, I am concerned for him. Probably, in my present situation, I am unable to express that concern. Feng Lao saved me that night. If he is alive, I want to question him why he didn¡¯te to see me. Why did he lie to me? Why did he force me to believe that he loved me?¡± Li Hua finally revealed what was in her heart.


    ¡°I don¡¯t love him anymore. If I had, then my heart wouldn¡¯t have built feelings for His Highness,¡± Li Hua confessed to him. Her right hand slowly moved up and her soft fingers brushed his left cheek. She gently stroked his cheek for a while.


    L¨®ng Wei felt guilty for raising his voice at her. Li Hua was different from everyone. He knew it better than anyone. He knew his jealousy of Feng Lao was the chief reason behind his anger.


    L¨®ng Wei dipped his head and buried his face in the crook of her neck. He hugged her, wrapping his arms securely around her. Li Hua rested her hands on his back. Her feminine scent was intoxicating for him. He withdrew back, not wanting to lose control of himself.


    Li Hua was surprised by his sudden withdrawal. ¡°Let¡¯s sleep. We both are tired,¡± he said and walked past her when Li Hua grasped his hand. L¨®ng Wei looked down, then he looked into her eyes, wondering if she wanted to say anything more.


    Li Hua tiptoed and nted a soft kiss on his lips. A tiny smile formed on her lips and she immediately turned away. Her cheeks flushed red. ¡°His Highness wanted th-that, so I-¡± she couldn¡¯tplete her words as L¨®ng Wei pulled her towards him and captured her lips.

 Chapter 162

    162 A soft spot


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s heart beat faster and faster when Li Hua¡¯s lipsnded on his. He drew her to him. Their eyes met once more. He inclined his face towards her. The faint smell of wine came out of her parted lips.


    His lipsnded softly on hers while his hands secured her at a ce. The taste of wine mixed with the rose lip color she had used, fell into his mouth. Li Hua tasted the strong scent of wine in his mouth.


    She was the reason for his happiness. True happiness. She not only told him how much he meant to her but also decided to keep him in her heart. He was foolish, who thought that she still loved Feng Lao. She didn¡¯t. She had moved ahead and acknowledged L¨®ng Wei as her other half.


    The edges of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes dampened with tears. It was the most unusual and astonishing thing that happened to him. Tears never appeared in his eyes whether it was an extremely happy moment or a sad moment.


    Li Hua, on the other hand, felt relieved after speaking her mind with him. The likeness she once carried for Feng Lao was very different from the one she carried for L¨®ng Wei.


    The eternally blissful kiss ended after a long time. They gradually opened their eyes and panted. Li Hua uplifted her eyes to peer at him. To her surprise, she found tears on the edges of his eyes.


    Did he feel immense happiness that brought tears to his eyes? Why did L¨®ng Wei¡¯s acts always make her fall in love with him? That man had a tough interior and exterior. However, for her, a soft spot rested in his heart.


    L¨®ng Wei brought her hands to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. Li Hua curled her fingers around his hands. ¡°Li Hua, you eliminated many of the confusions from my head. I am d that I seeded in winning a small part of yours. I still have to go the long way,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    ¡°I feel the same, Your Highness. We both have a long way to go. Please do not ever think that I will leave you or will hate you. I do not care about your past self. I feel that the reason for your past acts must be big- a kind act maybe. After we will find the answers here, I will help His Highness build his image. I want to proudly tell everyone that my husband is an exceptional person one can ever meet or know about.¡±


    .....


    She gently pulled her hand back and reached them to his eyes. Wiping the tears from the pad of her fingers, she said, ¡°It shows that His Highness loves me a lot.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Even words are less to express it,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. However, he knew one thing. He would never change his path. The path which Li Hua wanted him to walk on was not made for him. But it wasn¡¯t the right time to discuss it.


    ¡°We should sleep,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested to her. Li Hua hummed and went to bed. L¨®ng Wei excused himself and after a few minutes, he returned to the bedchamber. Li Hua was already on the bed. He removed the overcoat first, then blew off the candles.


    ~~~~~~


    Liu Jin Yu¡¯s stomach was full after having the heavy meals. The food for the regal people was exceptionally delicious. This taste she would remember until she would die.


    ¡°We distribute free grains to the people on monthly basis,¡± Xiaoming suddenly said. ¡°Yet people are unable to eat it?¡± He wasn¡¯t ready to believe her words which she mentioned earlier.


    Liu Jin Yu leaned back on the floor chair as her right knee lifted into the air while her right forearm rested on it. ¡°Your Royal Highness, it is not true. We crave good food. However, there¡¯s one thing that regal peopleck,¡± she affirmed.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Xiaoming questioned.


    ¡°Eating alone in their respective chambers. There¡¯s no fun in that. Carry yourself gracefully, and be perfect in everything. Earlier, His Royal Highness stopped me for my table manners. However, I feel it is good to be imperfect sometimes,¡± Liu Jin Yu asserted. Xiaoming was astonished for a second by her philosophy. She was indeed a different type of woman.


    ¡°Did anyone ever say to you that you are a pretty woman?¡± Xiaoming realized what he said, so he modified his statement quickly, ¡°You have a good face. You could have applied for the pce works. Later, you would be promoted to a seniordy position. That was better than stealing,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, the Pce is not a ce for me. I cannot stand the nagging of the higher-ups. I am a short-tempered woman,¡± Liu Jin Yu rified.


    Xiaoming didn¡¯t deny that fact. She wasn¡¯t made to be caged. However, in the pce, even the toughest person became timid. ¡°You need to work for me to repay the debt,¡± Xiaoming reminded her. Liu Jin Yu asked him once more if she could not work outside.


    ¡°No.¡± Xiaoming stood up and locked his hands behind his back. ¡°You will work here in my manor. It is a kind of punishment for you. I want you to realize that there¡¯s a price one must pay when one harms the Crown Prince,¡± Xiaoming stated and curled his lips into a smirk.


    Liu Jin Yu sighed as she was unable to convince him. ¡°What work do I need to do, Your Royal Highness?¡± She humbly asked.


    ¡°Cleaning the chamber, taking care of my chores with Eunuch Lishi, then cleaning the bathhouse, washroom. Basically, you need to every single chore in this manor. You shall use your strength into something good,¡± Xiaoming stated and smiled as if he would enjoy her state. She should not have run away when he was there to catch her.


    ¡°I am sleepy. Stay outside with the other servants,¡± Xiaoming told her and walked to his bedchamber when Liu Jin Yu followed him, who was unaware about it.

 Chapter 163

    163 Capital City of Qinping


    L¨®ng Wei woke up early in the morning and left the bedchamber. He went to the private room, where he had left the diary which Mingquan had given him yesterday. The few pages were charred while on the front few pages the ink had disappeared. The diary was quite thick, depicting that Xu Guang Li was using it for a long time, probably for many years.


    He flipped the pages until he found the page where the ink was clearer than before. He read whatever was written on the page. Xu Guang Li used to keep a log of his personal details and getting this diary was helpful to L¨®ng Wei to some extent. Only if he found something useful.


    He flipped pages after pages in the search of something useful for him until he stopped at one page.


    ¡°I am concerned for my dear daughter, Li Hua. She has turned eighteen today. Whenever I see her, my heart bes calm. However, it gets restless too. The prediction that the old Monk madees to my head,¡± L¨®ng Wei read the words. His eyes were glued to thest sentence and recalled his conversation with Yuze when he returned to the imperial pce after five months.


    ¡®Li Hua is the answer to your problems.¡¯


    L¨®ng Wei clearly remembers his words and when he asked him how he knew about Li Hua, Yuze told him that he could see some future events.


    ¡°Did Yuze visit Xinshui? Why didn¡¯t he tell me?¡± L¨®ng Wei pondered and started to read further.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want Li Hua to marry the Prince. She isn¡¯t made for pce life. And as the time passed, I found the Prince isn¡¯t someone my daughter should be with. The old monk¡¯s words alwayse true. That¡¯s why I decided to marry my Li Hua to the eldest son of the Shui Family. Feng Lao is a gentleman. I will do it soon so that she will be safe from the wrath of the prediction.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei snickered upon reading those words. ¡°Father-inw, I am a good person to Li Hua. Your daughter is safer with me than with Feng Lao, who married as soon as you all died,¡± L¨®ng Weiined and tossed the diary over the table. Those words of Xu Guang Li annoyed L¨®ng Wei.¡±


    .....


    He leaned back on the chaise lounge and looked at the wooden ceiling. ¡°Father-inw didn¡¯t know about my nature, that¡¯s why he said such words. I must read more.¡± He decided and sat straight. He picked the diary again and continued reading.


    One thing that he noticed through Xu Guang Li¡¯s writing was that he was only concerned for Li Hua. He had written some of his work in the diary, but those didn¡¯t seem important to him.


    ¡°I got a mysterious message from someone in the capital. This high-quality paper is only used in the Capital city of Qiping. Is it about my-¡± L¨®ng Wei quickly flipped the page but to his surprise, the ink had spread on the entire page? The water had dampened the pages and even it was burned from the lower end. L¨®ng Wei tried hard to read those characters, but it was in vain.


    He flipped more pages, but every page after that was in a simr condition.


    ¡°Who sent him the message from Qiping?¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured. ¡°I must find out about that message. Xu Zifan doesn¡¯t know anything about it. It means Xu Guang Li didn¡¯t share it with anyone.¡± He rubbed his fingers together and again leaned back on the chaise lounge. He put his hands under his head and stared at the ceiling.


    ¡°I thought its origin is Xinshui town. To my knowledge, hardly any minister paid heed to a third-rank official. Who can do this from Qiping? And why did this person do this?¡± L¨®ng Wei mumbled. He contemted for more than an hour. The private chamber had started to fill with light. He had to return to the chamber before Li Hua would start to search for him. He hid the diary well and before leaving, he wrote a message for Xiwan.


    ¡®It is in Qiping.¡¯


    L¨®ng Wei wrote those words on a tiny piece of paper. He prepared a thin paste that could make the ink disappear. Applying it over the dried ink, he found the ink had disappeared. He folded it into a small piece of paper and left the private chamber.


    ~~~~~~


    Xiaoming woke upte and it stunned him. He never woke upte, then why today. He asked Eunuch Lishi why he didn¡¯t wake him up.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I tried, but you asked me to go out and not to disturb you,¡± Eunuch Lishi replied.


    ¡°I did?¡± Xiaoming was confused to hear it. He was unable to remember anything like this. He must be in a deep slumber. He asked Eunuch Lishi about Liu Jin Yu.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, Jin Yu is cleaning the bathroom. She said that she had to pay His Royal Highness,¡± Eunuch Lishi answered and it brought a smile to Xiaoming. He didn¡¯t know she would do the work so enthusiastically.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, Her Majesty sent a message in the early morning,¡± Eunuch Lishi informed Xiaoming, who got down from the bed. He tied the knot of his upper garment and asked him to speak.


    ¡°Her Majesty wants to have breakfast with the Crown Prince,¡± Eunuch Lishi said. Xiaoming hummed and left the chamber. After freshening up and taking a bath, he got ready to go to the greeting hall.


    ¡°Liu Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming pronounced her name.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness!¡± Liu Jin Yu loudly said and came forward, keeping her head low. Eunuch Lishi narrowly gazed at her as he didn¡¯t like her interaction with the Crown Prince.


    Xiaoming looked at her clothes from the night and nced at Eunuch Lishi. Her clothes were wet from the bottom and sleeves. ¡°Give some clothes to Liu Jin Yu. Servants¡¯ clothes will do better,¡± Xiaoming instructed Eunuch Lishi.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness.¡±


    ¡°Pick that bun knot holder and put it on my head,¡± Xiaoming asked her.


    Liu Jin Yu lifted her head and pointed her finger toward her. ¡°Me?¡± Her left eyebrow arched in inquisitiveness.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xiaoming turned to face the mirror and looked at his cors.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, you should bring a few sets of servant dresses for Liu Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming told him, who bowed and left the dressing chamber.


    Liu Jin Yu carefully picked the holder and found it was made of pure gold. There were precious stones embedded in a few ces and her eyes shone to see them.


    She went to Xiaoming, who stood tall in front of her. Liu Jin Yu lifted her hands and found that Xiaoming appeared to be taller than usual. She then looked at his feet and found that he was on his toes.


    Liu Jin Yu went away, and it confused Xiaoming. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you to leave,¡± he said when she brought a stool. She climbed it and now smiled.


    ¡°His Royal Highness should not y childish games with his manor¡¯s servants,¡± Liu Jin Yu asserted.


    ¡°You are too smart. I didn¡¯t expect it,¡± Xiaoming said when she put the holder with heavy force on his head. Xiaoming felt as if she was hitting him intentionally.


    ¡°Do it carefully. You are not supposed to hurt me,¡± Xiaomingined to her and scolded her, at the same time.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Royal Highness. It is my first time doing such work,¡± Liu Jin Yu said and twisted her lips into a smirk.

 Chapter 164

    164 I punished you


    ¡°You get too informal with the Crown Prince,¡± Xiaoming reminded her and lifted his head when she hit the side of his head. She bit her lips and immediately apologized to him.


    Xiaoming gazed at her with inquisitiveness. ¡°Your Royal Highness, you should not have looked when I am done putting this hairpin,¡± Liu Jin Yu said in a low voice and showed him the gold hairpin in her hand. ¡°Kindly forgive me, Your Royal Highness. I know His Royal Highness will forgive me because he¡¯s a kind, gentle-loving heart.¡± She tried to calm him down.


    Xiaoming chuckled and kept ring at her face. Liu Jin Yu thought to not look at him and inserted the hairpin through the holes inside the hairpin. ¡°It is done, Your Royal Highness,¡± Liu Jin Yu said and without meeting his gaze, she stepped back when her foot slipped off the stool.


    Xiaoming outreached his hand to hold her arm but then didn¡¯t catch her. He let her fall and the next second, she hit the floor with a loud bang. Xiaoming started to giggle while covering his mouth. Liu Jin Yu beamed at her and he pursed his lips together.


    ¡°His Royal Highness did it intentionally,¡± Liu Jin Yu said and stood up while caressing her back. ¡°He could have prevented me from falling, yet he let me fall. He isn¡¯t kind as I used to think,¡± she snapped at him.


    ¡°I punished you for what you did to me,¡± Xiaoming reminded her about her act. She hit his head. ¡°If there would be any other person at my ce, then he would have cut your arms,¡± he stated. Liu Jin Yu made a face at him.


    ¡°I am not a pce maid, Your Royal Highness. I do not either get trained like the others,¡± Liu Jin Yu proudly said. ¡°I do not know what to do and what not to. I can pay His Royal Highness in a single day if he let me go. However, he¡¯s adamant to have me in his manor. So, I decided to do what I want. His Royal Highness may throw me out on his own when he will get irritated with me,¡± she said with a broad smile on his lips.


    ¡°Do you know the meaning of your name?¡± Xiaoming questioned her.


    ¡°Of course. Jin means money,¡± she smirked, ¡°and Yu means excellence.¡±


    .....


    ¡°No.¡± Xiaoming shook his head. ¡°Jin means stingy and Yu means house. So, you are a stingy person.¡± Xiaoming said and smiled.


    ¡°If I am a stingy person, then why don¡¯t His Royal Highness throw me out?¡± Liu Jin Yu questioned him and crossed her arms. ¡°I didn¡¯t know His Royal Highness liked to keep stingy people around him. This means he¡¯s stingy too,¡± she remarked without fearing she was in front of the Crown Prince.


    Xiaoming found himself tongue-tied. Liu Jin Yu was good at ying with words. He stepped forward while pointing his index finger towards her when she said, ¡°I sting, Your Royal Highness. If His Royal Highnesses near me, then it can spread to him as well,¡± Liu Jin Yu said and scrunched her nose.


    Xiaoming curled his finger and put his hand down. ¡°Go and wash the clothes. Your debt has increased to 500 gold coins,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Pardon me?¡± Liu Jin Yu was shocked to hear him. ¡°I didn¡¯t steal anything this time,¡± she rified.


    ¡°This is the third time you tried to harm me. I forgave you for the first two times. Also, your tongue should remain in control,¡± Xiaoming stated in his calm tone.


    ¡°That is wrong, Your Royal Highness. No one saw that I hit or harmed His Royal Highness. He cannot show such a willfulness,¡± Liu Jin Yu voiced. She didn¡¯t like the way he increased her debt.


    ¡°I can. I am the Crown Prince. I can do whatever I want. My words be rules, Stingy Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming said and smirked. He walked out of the chamber. Liu Jin Yu clenched her fists tightly.


    ¡°Calm down, Jin Yu. He is the Crown Prince while you are a mere servant in his manor for some time,¡± she told herself and turned to look towards the door.


    ¡°Jin Yu never remains calm when someone dies wrong to her. I will trouble the Crown Prince to the extent that he will himself ask me to leave the Pce,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated and smiled.


    ~~~~~


    ¡°Where is the Crown Prince lost?¡± Qiu Zedong asked while bringing the teacup near his mouth.


    Xiaoming came out of his thoughts and looked at Qiu Zedong. ¡°Nowhere, Royal Father.¡± He picked up the teacup and sipped the tea. He liked its taste.


    ¡°I heard that the Crown Prince will no longer marry the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter,¡± Qiu Mu said out of the blue and everyone looked in his direction.


    ¡°Brother Qiu Mu heard right,¡± Xiaoming confirmed. Noble Consort Xiuying and Virtuous Consort Ruoxi looked at each other.


    ¡°The Crown Prince got angry to hear Li Hua¡¯s name. It means the Crown Prince has special feelings towards the wife of Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Noble Consort Xiuyingmented.


    ¡°Noble Consort Xiuying, apologize for saying such a cruel thing!¡± Qiu Zedong got angry at her. ¡°Don¡¯t let me force me to think that you started to believe such groundless rumors,¡± he didn¡¯t refrain from reprimanding her in front of everyone.


    ¡°Royal Father, please calm down. The Second Mother was only curious to know as she was not present here at the time it all happened,¡± Xiaoming intervened between the two. ¡°I must rify to her that helping doesn¡¯t mean that one has an interest in that person. It is in my nature to help someone without thinking that people may take the wrong meaning out of this,¡± Xiaoming calmly handled it.


    ¡°Noble Consort Xiuying knows the Crown Prince well. Yet, she has to embarrass him. She disappointed me.¡± Zhu Liling averted her gaze from her.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Majesty,¡± Xiuying apologized and gazed at Xiaoming, ¡°please forgive me, Crown Prince. I must keep my tongue in control.¡± She got humiliated in front of everyone.


    ¡°The Crown Prince will marry within this month. Until his marriage, no one will say anything against him. If I find any baseless rumors, then I will punish the person without listening to any excuse, he or she makes,¡± Qiu Zedong announced to all of them.

 Chapter 165

    165 Those Provocative Moves


    ¡°His Highness shall take me too with him,¡± Li Hua requested.


    ¡°I would love to but I don¡¯t want the men in the governor¡¯s residence to see my wife¡¯s beautiful face,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°You are well aware of the fact that it angers me,¡± he remarked.


    Xu Zifan could not help but smile, seeing how the Sixth Prince flirted with Li Hua. ¡°It is strange to see His Highness this way,¡± Huang Xi whispered. Both Mingquan and Xu Zifan agreed with his words.


    ¡°Yesterday, so many men looked at me, but His Highness didn¡¯t do anything at that time. His Highness is making an excuse to run away from me. He knows that I will ask thousands of questions from him,¡± Li Hua said and got upset with him.


    ¡°Li Hua, there¡¯s no excuse that can keep me away from you. Also, I can answer your hundreds of questionster too. It is a political work. As I said, we must prepare ourselves for the truth which will be revealed soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei made her understand. Li Hua pouted her lips. It still looked like an excuse to her.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t His Highness take me then? How would they believe His Highness without looking at his wife¡¯s face?¡± Li Hua questioned him. ¡°His Highness seems suspicious,¡± she squinted her eyes.


    ¡°Fine. I will tell you the truth,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Mingquan, Huang Xi, and Xu Zifan wondered what truth L¨®ng Wei would reveal to Li Hua. Would he tell her about Shui Feng Lao?


    ¡°A dance has been organized. Only men can be present in that. Women aren¡¯t allowed,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    .....


    Mingquan smiled upon hearing his lie.


    ¡°A dance?¡± Li Hua¡¯s eyelids fluttered. She looked at her brother, who had his gaze towards them. She stepped closer to L¨®ng Wei. Keeping her voice low, she asked, ¡°Does His Highness like to watch dances? He told me that no woman interests me. Then, why does he have to watch such dances? Did he lie to me?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei smirked to hear her. Her words showed that it would burn her in jealousy if L¨®ng Wei looked at other women, especially while watching them dance.


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t like dancers to perform dances?¡± L¨®ng Wei decided to burn her in jealousy. If that lie could do the work and make Li Hua¡¯s heart restless, then why not put oil into the fire?


    He turned to look at the three of them who were trying to listen to their conversation. ¡°Xu Zifan, do you enjoy watching the dance? I bet you do. Don¡¯t lie in front of your dear sister,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked the opinion of Xu Zifan.


    ¡°My elder brother isn¡¯t like His Highness. He doesn¡¯t like to watch such kinds of dances,¡± Li Hua said on the behalf of her brother.


    ¡°Xu Zifan is a man before a brother,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°Tell your sister, Xu Zifan. She must know the truth,¡± L¨®ng Wei encouraged him.


    Li Hua peered at her brother, waiting for Xu Zifan to answer.


    ¡°Your Highness, what kind of-¡± he paused as he was too hesitant to answer it.


    ¡°Sister-inw, men do like to watch dances. It is one kind of source of our entertainment,¡± Mingquan answered this time. ¡°However, not all men enjoy that. I believe your brother doesn¡¯t fall in that category. However, as a man, I¡¯d say we like to watch it,¡± Mingquan proimed and rified her doubts.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Li Hua looked back at L¨®ng Wei, who was still smiling.


    ¡®So, he likes to watch those provocative moves by those dancers.¡¯ She thought and silently walked away. She didn¡¯t argue with him anymore as she was dejected to know that.


    The smile on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips disappeared and he gestured to Xu Zifan to go behind her. He bowed and ran after Li Hua.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince doesn¡¯t need to tell such a lie to Princess Consort. She is now upset with His Highness,¡± Huang Xi stated.


    ¡°It is the way to make my love bond stronger with her,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°Also, it was difficult for me to resist her request when she urged with those doe eyes,¡± he said and walked ahead.


    Mingquan and Huang Xi followed him.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, what will you say to Shui Xiaoqing? Everyone thinks of you as the troublemaker. When I told him yesterday, he looked a little hesitant to wee you,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°I want to have some good conversation with him,¡± L¨®ng Wei crisply replied. He recalled the words that he read in the ounts that Xu Guang Li left. The origin of all this was Qinping, but the Shui Family was also involved in it. L¨®ng Wei wanted to find the truth on his way from Xiaoqing. He had 3 more days left and within these three days, he had to find out many secrets.


    ¡°Your Highness, since we are heading to the Shui Family, we may encounter Shui Feng Lao. How will His Highness react in front of him? Also, will His Highness reveal about Princess Consort?¡± Huang Xi asked some strong questions from L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I do not know until I face Shui Feng Lao today,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei has to handle everything calmly,¡± Mingquan advised him. ¡°Shui Feng Lao is a smart person with a good presence of mind,¡± he informed L¨®ng Wei, who was descending the wooden stairs.


    He turned to look at them, after reaching the bottom of the stairs. ¡°Fourth Brother, do you think that someone from Qinping is behind this?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°From the capital?¡± Mingquan arched his brow. ¡°Why did Brother L¨®ng Wei say so?¡± He queried.


    ¡°Yes. The diary you gave me, I read it. Xu Guang Li had received a message from Qinping,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°It was the only useful information that I could get from it,¡± he added.


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Mingquan clearly refused.


    ¡°We need to find out about their allies from Qinping,¡± affirmed L¨®ng Wei and turned to go ahead.

 Chapter 166

    166 Kill L¨®ng Wei


    ¡°Cheng Shi, I would not have sent you the message if it had not been important,¡± Qiu Mu said and looked at the man dressed in white robes. ¡°I will give you the desired amount of money if you do my work,¡± he stated.


    Cheng Shi nced at Qiu Mu in amusement. ¡°What does the Second Prince want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Go to Xinshui Town and kill L¨®ng Wei. You are one of the best swordsmen in the Kingdom. No one can escape your de,¡± Qiu Mu told Cheng Shi while looking at his sword which was on the floor. ¡°In Xinshui, L¨®ng Wei has gone to spend time with his wife. You must harm him only. Hei Huang Xi and Brother Mingquan are also present in Xinshui, so be careful of them,¡± Qiu Mu exined to Chang Shi the work he had to do.


    Chang Shi picked up the teacup and sipped the tea from it. ¡°I do not need money this time,¡± he stated and put the teacup on the table. He peered into the eyes of Qiu Mu, ¡°I need something more from you.¡±


    ¡°I will give you. What do you want?¡± Qiu Mu questioned him.


    ¡°I want to be the Governor of Qinping,¡± Chang Shi stated. ¡°Make me the Governor as soon as I kill Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± he stated.


    ¡°It is not difficult for me. I will do it. You will be the Governor of Qinping if you kill L¨®ng Wei. He is in Xinshui for three more days. You need to kill him within these three days. Don¡¯t harm anyone else,¡± Qiu Mu again instructed him.


    ¡°Your Highness, I understand,¡± Chang Shi said and again picked the teacup. Qiu Mu thanked him for agreeing to him.


    ¡°May I know why His Highness wants Prince L¨®ng Wei to die? He isn¡¯t even a threat to his position,¡± Chang Shi asserted and looked into the teacup.


    .....


    ¡°He can be a threat in the near future. I don¡¯t want such trouble in my life,¡± Qiu Mu stated and clenched his fists. He looked down at the table. Raising the teacup, he finished the tea in a go.


    ¡°Is it because of the prophecy?¡± Chang Shi questioned him.


    Qiu Mu chuckled and started tough. He didn¡¯t believe in prophecy and then L¨®ng Wei¡¯s acts proved the prophecy wrong. ¡°The prophecy has nothing to do with this. Since the day he returned to the Cold Pce, he has gotten on my nerves,¡± Qiu Mu affirmed and plonked the teacup on the table.


    Chang Shi hummed. ¡°I shall leave, Your Highness,¡± he stood up. Qiu Mu also got up from his seat and again asked him to be careful. Chang Shi left the Second Prince¡¯s manor soon after.


    ~~~~~~


    ¡°Elder First Brother, do men really enjoy the dances?¡± Li Hua asked Xu Zifan after much hesitation. She never had such a conversation with her brother. It was a little awkward for her, but she was desperate to know what L¨®ng Wei liked.


    ¡°Yes. Are you tense thinking that your husband may get seduced to see them?¡± Xu Zifan asked her directly. Her cheeks and ears turned red like a ripened tomato. It was the first time she heard the word ¡®seduce¡¯ from her brother¡¯s mouth. Probably the reason was that she never talked about such things with him.


    ¡°Li Hua, it is a source of entertainment, not getting seduced every time. Prince L¨®ng Wei loves you only. No one can capture his heart. So, you should not need to be insecure,¡± Xu Zifan assured his little sister. He was surprised to find that Li Hua grew up so much that he could have such a conversation with her. He remembered how Li Hua used to get shy before asking about Feng Lao. L¨®ng Wei changed her in many aspects.


    ¡°Elder First Brother, Mother always used to say that a woman¡¯s most precious jewel is her husband. Since in the pce, the Princes are allowed to have many women for them, so I get insecure. The game of heart is unpredictable,¡± Li Hua told her brother, who agreed with her words.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is different from other men, Li Hua. I won¡¯t deny that there are many more beautiful women than you in the Kingdom, but it isn¡¯t about beauty or charm. Prince L¨®ng Wei told me that he saw the concern for him in your eyes on your first encounter with him. He never saw that concern even in his mother¡¯s eyes. So, his love for you only increases,¡± Xu Zifan made her understand.


    ¡°Elder First Brother, I want to find out about his past. You have told me to leave it, but I cannot. Lately, I found many things which troubled me. Until I find the answer, I will not be able to understand His Highness fully,¡± Li Hua stated. Xu Zifan didn¡¯t stop her this time. He could see that Li Hua spoke this as L¨®ng Wei¡¯s wife. It would be good if she found out everything about him.


    ¡°As my sister likes, she must do that,¡± Xu Zifan answered.


    ¡°Elder First Brother, in the pce, no one likes the presence of His Highness,¡± Li Hua said. The pain and sadness in her eyes were visible. ¡°Everyone thinks bad about him. Though His Majesty gets emotional while seeing all this, as the King he cannot stop himself from announcing punishment to his youngest son. I want to gain his lost respect. I want everyone to respect His Highness. I promised him this, but I don¡¯t know how to do it.¡± The confusion was clearly visible on her face.


    ¡°Li Hua, Prince L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t care what people think of him. I believe that he developed this kind of personality to make his own authority among the five other princes. Also, Prince L¨®ng Wei is prophesied to be the dragon¡¯s son. Do you know its true meaning?¡± Xu Zifan queried Li Hua, who shook her head.


    ¡°The ruler. Prince L¨®ng Wei was born with the stars of the King,¡± Xu Zifan answered. Li Hua¡¯s eyes grew big to hear that.


    ¡°Now, if he were always kind, gentle, and graceful like the other princes, he would have died long ago. It could be one of the reasons that he showed himself as a person who only creates troubles. In the pce, Prince L¨®ng Wei can trust only a few, maybe two or three people. Rest are his enemies. It is one of the reasons that our father didn¡¯t want you to marry him because your life would havee in danger. I thought about this the previous night,¡± Xu Zifan exined to her in detail.


    ¡°I decide to know the evil, to end the evil. That¡¯s why I chose evil instead of good,¡± Li Hua said. Xu Zifan arched his brows in confusion. ¡°His Highness told me this. ¡°I am still unable to understand what kind of ¡®evil¡¯ he wanted to know,¡± Li Hua proimed.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince is mysterious,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°Is the Elder First Brother not scared like my father that I can get harmed? If he knew about the old monk¡¯s prophecy, he could have stopped His Highness to marry me. Since he discussed it with you already,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°I think Shui Feng Lao is alive. My Elder First Brother also knows about it, but he will not tell me too,¡± Li Hua suddenly brought up the topic of Feng Lao.


    ¡°I thought that with Prince L¨®ng Wei, you would be happier. Also, even if Shui Feng Lao had been alive, I would not have let you marry him,¡± Xu Zifan pronounced. Li Hua was shocked to hear him.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because he doesn¡¯t deserve you. Now, you won¡¯t ever think of Feng Lao. You have already stepped forward in your married life. A dead man¡¯s name has not taken,¡± Xu Zifan told her. Li Hua hummed and kept looking at her brother.

 Chapter 167

    167 Be my friend


    ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing, why did you bring these scrolls? You could have told Eunuch Lishi to do this. I have plenty of servants in the manor,¡± Xiaoming said and nced at Liu Jin Yu. She scrunched her nose and turned to leave. Her feet had soared from prolonged standing.


    ¡°Jin Yu,e here!¡± Xiaoming said as she turned to leave. Liu Jin Yu gritted her teeth and walked to him. ¡°Align them into a stack, Jin Yu,¡± he ordered her.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, these are the ounts from the five important provinces of the Kingdom. His Majesty wants the Crown Prince to end this work within this week,¡± Gao Bing informed Xiaoming, who nodded at him. He took his leave.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, you shall go out,¡± Xiaoming told him. He bowed and stepped backward before stepping out of the chamber. He closed the doors behind him as soon as he stepped out.


    Liu Jin Yu stacked the scrolls and was ready to leave when Xiaoming stopped her. ¡°You cannot make faces for me. You always disrespect me, who is the Crown Prince,¡± heined. Xiaoming had seen the weird facial expressions that she would make for him, every time he would order her for work.


    ¡°I do not dare to do this, Your Highness. His Royal Highness assumed too much,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated. ¡°I would like to ask something from the Crown Prince,¡± she said.


    ¡°Ask,¡± Xiaoming permitted her and picked the top scroll from the stack.


    ¡°What will be my monthly wages, Your Royal Highness?¡± Liu Jin Yu asked. ¡°Also, I am not a registered servant in the pce. So, I can go out whenever I please. Outside, it is easier to make money. However, His Royal Highness has captivated me. May I know the reason?¡± She affirmed.


    ¡°Your monthly wages are the same as we give to the other servants.¡± Xiaoming lifted his eyes and peered at her. ¡°Indeed, I cannot make you a registered servant. You will be questioned and then the organization you are a part of being busted. I cannot let you go out because I don¡¯t want you to loot or steal anymore. I want you to understand the importance of earning money with hard work. I didn¡¯t captivate you. I only protected you from getting beheaded,¡± Xiaoming¡¯s crisp answers to each of her questions made her tongue-tied.


    .....


    ¡°Why did His Royal Highness protect me? I robbed him and he should have punished me right away. I am not made to do this work. Also, I know what hard work is. The Crown Prince is the one who must understand it. When society doesn¡¯t give you the reason to survive, you make your own ways to survive among them.¡± Liu Jin Yu didn¡¯t remain calm for long and answered him back.


    Xiaoming put the scroll on the table and stood up. He walked to her and halted in front of her. ¡°I found you amusing for some reason,¡± Xiaoming answered. Liu Jin Yu drew her brows together. She got puzzled when she heard him.


    ¡°I never found anyone who didn¡¯t recognize me right away. You were fearless and I got defeated by you. That¡¯s what bothered me the most. A woman is better than me in strength. You are still daring enough to look into my eyes,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    Liu Jin Yu lowered her eyelids. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to defeat His Royal Highness. How could I recognize the Crown Prince when he never showed himself to the people?¡±


    ¡°That means my face is like every other ordinary person in the Kingdom,¡± Xiaoming was disappointed to hear her. ¡°Also, I admire it somewhere,¡± he added and stepped back. Leaning against the desk, he folded his arms across his chest.


    ¡°Sitting on the chair of the Crown Prince is the most difficult work.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu again lifted her head and peered into his eyes.


    ¡°How is it difficult? The Crown Prince has hundreds of servants to serve him all the time. His personal chores are already done by the pce maids and other male servants. He doesn¡¯t even change his clothes himself,¡± Liu Jin Yu affirmed.


    Xiaoming put his hands down and a chuckle escaped his mouth.


    ¡°Jin Yu, unlike you, I need to think hundreds or maybe thousands before speaking on a matter. I have to be wise with my words. Sometimes, I cannot even voice my opinions. Believe me, my work is the hardest. At least, you can run away after making a mistake, but where I will run,¡± Xiaoming proimed. All of his words made Liu Jin Yu realize that she crossed her limits. She found that she turned him upset.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, you can run away too if you want to,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. She sounded optimistic to him.


    ¡°How?¡± Xiaoming was curious to know.


    ¡°Just run away for a while. After calming down your mind, you can return to this ce. The Crown Prince has the highest powers after our King. So, I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s difficult for him to run away. He only needs to prepare his mind,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated and amusingly smirked.


    Xiaoming was too impressed by her words. He hardly had seen any woman like her with such open thoughts.


    ¡°Jin Yu, would you like to marry the royal or any noble family if you were from the noble ss?¡± Xiaoming suddenly changed the topic which perplexed her.


    After a thoughtful contemtion, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t think I fit in their world. Your Royal Highness, I love to enjoy life. I don¡¯t want my life to get trapped in the four walls,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Even if you had the chance to be the Crown Princess?¡± Xiaoming¡¯s question made her eyes widen. ¡°What if you were granted a huge power to rule over people?¡±


    ¡°Umm... I would not have married. Ruling over the people isn¡¯t my cup of tea. I like to befriend people. Is power more important than one¡¯s life?¡± She questioned him back.


    Xiaoming forwarded his hand. Liu Jin Yu nced at his hand in confusion. ¡°Then, be my friend, Liu Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming said.


    She was stunned to hear him. ¡°What is going on in the Crown Prince¡¯s head? Why would he befriend me?¡± She questioned him.


    ¡°Because I need someone to share my true thoughts,¡± Xiaoming stated. ¡°I will protect you till the end if you be my friend. You may need a friend like me in the future.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu blinked her eyes finally and again looked at his hand. She lifted her hand and stopped. ¡°Can I touch the Crown Prince? Isn¡¯t it a crime to touch the Crown Prince since I belong to a low ss?¡± She asked him.


    ¡°In these four walls, no one will know except you and me,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°His Royal Highness is right,¡± Liu Jin Yu said and shook hands with him. Xiaoming smiled at her, and so did she.


    Eunuch Lishi, who was watching them through the gaps between the doors, was shocked to hear the Crown Prince. He saw their hands joined.


    ¡®I need to throw her out of the pce before the Crown Prince gets attracted to her.¡¯ Eunuch Lishi thought in his mind and stood straight.

 Chapter 168

    168 Pretend to be good


    L¨®ng Wei looked around the guest hall. The chief servant of the house, Fu Kai, recognized L¨®ng Wei and recalled the way he talked with L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Ah, you are the person from that day,¡± L¨®ng Wei acknowledged, smiling.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. I am surprised that His Highness recognized me,¡± Fu Kai said while keeping his gaze low.


    ¡°Of course, I have to remember you. That day, you talked rudely with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and picked up the silver ss from the tray that the servant had forwarded to him.


    ¡°Please forgive me for my mistake, Your Highness,¡± Fu Kai requested L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I don¡¯t forgive people easily,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and Fu Kai looked into his eyes. Shivers of fear ran through his entire body. He was well aware of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s nature. He believed in killing rather than forgiving. ¡°However, I can forgive you if you be useful to me in the future,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    Huang Xi nced at Mingquan, who was confused. ¡®What is going on in Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mind?¡¯ he thought.


    ¡°Surely, Your Highness,¡± Fu Kai assured him. L¨®ng Wei smiled and sipped the water from the ss. He put the ss on the tray while the servant walked away.


    ¡°It seems the Governor doesn¡¯t respect the Princes and the Commander, who are higher ranked than him,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked and looked at Fu Kai for an exnation.


    .....


    ¡°Your Highness, Lord Shui and the Young Master will be here soon. Some important work hase in, so they got busy with that,¡± Fu Kai humbly replied. ¡°I will go and check on my Lord,¡± he said, and was ready to leave, but L¨®ng Wei stopped him.


    ¡°Let it be, Fu Kai. I love to wait,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Fu Kai gulped as the air in the guest hall continued to turn colder. For some reason, Fu Kai thought he was on the verge of his death.


    ¡°Would the Princes and the Commander like to have some sweets?¡± Fu Kai asked.


    Mingquan and Huang Xi politely refused him.


    ¡°What¡¯s the asion that you are offering us sweets?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    ¡°Nothing special, Your Highness. I thought you all might want to taste the sweets from Xinshui,¡± Fu Kai stated, and gulped. He fiddled with his fingers with nervousness and found his hands were turning sweaty.


    L¨®ng Wei got out of his chair and approached him. He hung his arm around Fu Kai, who was stiffened at his ce. ¡°You think too much, Fu Kai. Why don¡¯t you show me the residence? It is my first time visiting the house of a nobleman,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined.


    ¡°It is a good idea. You must show Brother L¨®ng Wei around the residence,¡± Mingquan encouraged Fu Kai.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Fu Kai replied. Beads of sweat formed on the temple of his forehead. What if he killed him? He had two daughters who were still unmarried.


    ¡°Your Highness, I don¡¯t think it is inappropriate for you to keep your arm around my neck. I am a lowly servant,¡± Fu Kai said. He wanted to stand at least a metre away from the Sixth Prince.


    ¡°It is fine. I don¡¯t consider you a ¡®lowly¡¯ servant. When you can raise your voice at me, then I believe that you can do anything,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced and asked him to walk faster.


    Fu Kai showed him the main courtyard of the house, followed by the other important parts of the residence. L¨®ng Wei was surprised to see the artificialke premises. He found that the Shui family were living infort and joy.


    ¡°Earlier, your master wasn¡¯t the governor. I heard Xu Guang Li was supposed to be the Governor. The family was assassinated brutally,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and finally pulled his arm back. He stepped onto the bridge while Fu Kai followed him.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Xu Family was murdered on one deadly night by a few bandits, not the assassins. The Xu Residence lies near to the forest, which is prone to bandits,¡± Fu Kai asserted.


    ¡°Bandits?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his brow.¡±I thought Xinshui town had a low crime rate,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Your Highness, bandits mostly stay in the forest area,¡± Fu Kai stated. ¡°Your Highness, this grand pavilion is the choice of my young master. He is a lover of art,¡± he started to praise Shui Feng Lao. L¨®ng Wei could not stop chuckling at him.


    ¡°Your Highness, I think My Lord and the Young Master might have reached the guest hall,¡± Fu Kai said. He could not stand L¨®ng Wei¡¯s gaze anymore.


    At that moment, a young woman appeared in the pavilion. She was with a few servants, who were conversing with her. Seeing them, she stopped when Fu Kai said, ¡°Lady An, this is the Sixth Prince.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, this is An Niao, the wife of the Young Master, Shui Feng Lao,¡± Fu Kai introduced them.


    An Niao bowed before the Sixth Prince. L¨®ng Wei ignored her greetings and left for the guest hall. An Niao found it strange when her personal attendant told her that L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t a good person.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because he killed his mother and then did many other crimes,¡± the personal attendant told An Niao, who was stunned to hear her.


    L¨®ng Wei, on the other hand, was infuriated to see Feng Lao¡¯s wife. The face of Li Hua appeared before his eyes. What if Li Hua had seen this? Would she be able to handle the betrayal that Shui Feng Lao gave her?


    They reached the guest hall. L¨®ng Wei saw Shui Xiaoqing and Shui Feng Lao in the hall. They both stood up to greet him.


    ¡°We are overwhelmed to see the Sixth Prince in our residence,¡± Shui Xiaoqing said in his humble tone.


    ¡°If you were overwhelmed to see me, then you would not have made me wait along with my Fourth Brother and Commander Huang Xi. Don¡¯t use flowery words with me. I don¡¯t like it when the people pretend to be good when they are evil from the inside,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced and tilted his head to look at Shui Feng Lao, who had lifted his head to look at him.

 Chapter 169

    169 Bury you alive


    ¡°His Highness has gotten super sensitive,¡± Huang Xi whispered. Mingquan heard him and thought to intervene.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t mind the words of my younger brother. Since Governor Shui Xiaoqing and his son didn¡¯t arrive on time, he didn¡¯t like it,¡± Mingquan humbly said and asked L¨®ng Wei to take his seat. Fu Kai felt a little relieved after reaching the guest hall.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness. The matter was urgent. Please forgive us for making you wait,¡± Shui Xiaoqing apologized to L¨®ng Wei whose eyes were glued to Feng Lao.


    ¡°I will order the tea for the Princes and the Commander,¡± Xiaoqing said and looked at the servant. He gestured to her, who left to bring the tea.


    ¡°I heard that Shui Feng Lao will soon be a father,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Everyone looked at him in bewilderment.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. My son will be a father soon,¡± Xiaoqing, with a broad smile on his lips, looked at Shui Feng Lao. He looked back again at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Your Highness, I heard about your marriage. I would like to congratte you and from my side, I want to present this small gift to you and your wife,¡± Xiaoqing said and looked at Fu Kai.


    ¡°I don¡¯t ept gifts from anyone except the ones who are close to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Shui Feng Lao didn¡¯t like the behavior of L¨®ng Wei. However, he could not say anything to him because he was the Prince.


    Xiaoqing felt terrible to hear L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. He understood why everyone disliked the presence of L¨®ng Wei. He was not only insolent in behavior, but also didn¡¯t respect the elders.


    .....


    ¡°Yesterday, I asked the Fourth Prince. However, he didn¡¯t tell me about your resting ce. I think both the princes and themander shalle to this residence. We will make great arrangements for you all. The Sixth Prince can bring his wife too,¡± Xiaoqing suggested to them.


    ¡°We are at a much better ce than this one,¡± L¨®ng Wei said before Mingquan could speak. ¡°In terms of security, our ce is much better,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Does the Sixth Prince mean that the Shui Residence is not safe?¡± Shui Feng Lao spoke finally. L¨®ng Wei met his gaze and nodded at him.


    ¡°Earlier the chief servant of this house told me that Xinshui has bandits too. Who knows, bandits attack us princes and kill us the same way as the Xu Family was killed,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced, ring into the eyes of Shui Feng Lao.


    Shui Xiaoqing looked at Fu Kai, who was terrified. He didn¡¯t know L¨®ng Wei would bring out such a thing in front of his master.


    Mingquan smiled a little. He could not believe that L¨®ng Wei found useful information from Fu Kai so quickly. Huang Xi was also surprised to hear L¨®ng Wei. In the short span of time, he would find out things that usually needed time.


    ¡°What happened?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked them as he saw the color on their faces fly away.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Xu Family died because of a well-nned assassination, I believe,¡± Huang Xi decided to stretch that topic. ¡°The Xu Family¡¯s eldest son was one of the legendary swordsmen in the Kingdom,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°So, Commander Huang Xi thinks that someone was behind those innocent deaths. Who could it be? Who could be so jealous of them? Was it for power?¡± L¨®ng Wei continued to stare at Shui Feng Lao.


    The servant arrived with two tea servers and bowed. They started to serve tea to each of them.


    ¡°Your Highness, the head of the Xu Family, was not a high-ranking official. So, I don¡¯t think that it was rted to power,¡± Shui Feng Lao answered. ¡°Also, why did His Highness bring such a thing in his first meeting with us?¡± He asked.


    L¨®ng Wei was studying him well. ¡®What Li Hua finds in him which I am unable to find out? He answered so casually about Xu Guang Li as if he never mattered to him. He fooled not only Li Hua but everyone in the Xu Family.¡¯ L¨®ng Wei thought in his mind.


    ¡°Why are you getting furious over this? Don¡¯t you know I get curious over such matters?¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t use any honorifics with him either. ¡°Also, my curiosity increased more when I heard people of Xinshui Town gossiping that the Xu Family was close to the Shui Family,¡± he added.


    ¡°Indeed, we were close. Late Xu Guang Li was my dear friend. However, that night was dreadful. No one knew that such a thing would happen to the Xu Family. Had I known, then I would have protected my friend and everyone in that family till myst breath,¡± Shui Xiaoqing proimed.


    L¨®ng Wei clenched his fist and the teacup in his hand broke. The hot tea fell in his hand and clothes and his hand got cut.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Mingquan got worried and stood up.


    ¡°I am fine, Fourth Brother,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. He sounded low and he looked at his hand. ¡°I think the tea was too hot. That¡¯s why the teacup broke,¡± he said and looked at the blood in his hand. Everything Shui Xiaoqing said about that day was a lie.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think that I can bring my Li Hua here. Shall I return with her and keep her in the dark?¡¯ L¨®ng Wei thought.


    ¡°Your Highness, pleasee with me. Your hand is bleeding,¡± Feng Lao suddenly stood in front of L¨®ng Wei, who lifted his eyelids to peer into his eyes.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, please go with Shui Feng Lao. Get your wound treated,¡± Mingquan suggested to him. L¨®ng Wei stood up and left the hall.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t mind the words of the youngest prince,¡± Mingquan told Feng Lao, who went behind L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince should follow me this way,¡± Feng Lao said and outstretched his left arm. L¨®ng Wei followed him, but then he halted at his ce.


    ¡°I don¡¯t allow others to touch me except my wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. Feng Lao, who was meters ahead of him, turned and tilted his head in amusement.


    ¡°The wound in His Highness¡¯s hand may get infected. I don¡¯t want His Majesty to get angry at my father for letting the Sixth Prince get hurt,¡± Feng Lao asserted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t tell such a petty matter to my father,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and went towards him. He again stopped just a few inches before him.


    ¡°I just hope that I won¡¯t find anything terrible that may force me to do something which I don¡¯t want to,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and turned to leave the residence right away. Because if he would stay for another second, then that would be thest day of Feng Lao on earth.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Feng Lao stopped him, ¡°it is good to make trouble for people. However, if you create any trouble for the Shui Family, then I may forget that you are the Sixth Prince.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei turned back to face Feng Lao. ¡°Don¡¯t challenge me, Feng Lao. Do you think that I will be scared of you?¡± He arched his brow.


    Feng Lao chuckled. ¡°His Highness fears His Majesty. The King would not like to find that his son tried to threaten the noblemen in Xinshui,¡± he stated with a stern tone.


    L¨®ng Wei punched him hard and he fell to the wooden floor. Before Feng Lao could stand up, he pushed him with his leg and put his foot in the middle of his chest. ¡°Shall I bury you alive here? Say one more word and I will do that too,¡± L¨®ng Wei provoked him.

 Chapter 170

    170 I want to see Li Hua


    A few of the servants saw them and ran to them. They asked the Sixth Prince to let Feng Lao go. L¨®ng Wei gulped in anger and walked away. Shui Feng Lao sat up and started to cough. He rubbed his chest while a servant brought a ss of water. Feng Lao drank the water and wondered why L¨®ng Wei did that.


    L¨®ng Wei came out of the Shui Residence and halted at the bottom of the stairs. He walked ahead in anger when Tang Zhaodang stopped him. He tilted his head and red at him.


    ¡°Brother, yesterday we met in the market. I am sure you remember me,¡± Tang Zhaodang said in a polite tone and looked at the Shui Residence. ¡°What was the brother doing here?¡± He asked.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± L¨®ng Wei interrogated him.


    Tang Zhaodang looked back at him. ¡°I want to see Li Hua,¡± he expressed his desire. ¡°I want to meet her.¡±


    When Tang Zhaodang grabbed L¨®ng Wei¡¯s arm, he chuckled and walked past him. L¨®ng Wei nced at his arm and then at him. ¡°Take your hand off me,¡± he sternly said.


    ¡°First take me to Li Hua, Brother. I will tell Shui Feng Lao if you don¡¯t take me with you,¡± Tang Zhaodang threatened. L¨®ng Wei knitted his brows and yanked his arm away from Tang Zhaodang¡¯s grip.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and looked once again at the Shui residence before leaving. Tang Zhaodang was perplexed to find that they were on the forest route, which was prohibited to everyone. Suddenly, L¨®ng Wei stopped, and so did he.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    .....


    ¡°I am Tang Zhaodang.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± L¨®ng Wei waited for his response.


    ¡°You are the Sixth Prince,¡± Tang Zhaodang replied. ¡°Before His Highness can ask me, I will tell him. People are gossiping about the Sixth Prince in the market,¡± he asserted. ¡°I had to pretend that I did not know him so that he would let me apany him. I am surprised to find that Li Hua is alive.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with Shui Feng Lao? And why didn¡¯t you tell him till now if you knew about Li Hua?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired, and his brows furrowed.


    ¡°Are we going to talk about all this here?¡± Tang Zhaodang asked and looked around the forest.


    ¡°It is the best ce,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Li Hua¡¯s two elder brothers, Shui Feng Lao and I were close friends,¡± Tang Zhaodang said, and a faint smile formed on his lips.


    ¡°Li Hua didn¡¯t talk about you. She doesn¡¯t know you,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    ¡°Of course. She can¡¯t know who I am because I¡¯ve only seen her a few times. I only saw her a few times in the residence, but she wasn¡¯t supposed to meet the men from other families except Feng Lao,¡± Tang Zhaodang stated.


    ¡°Answer my former question. Why didn¡¯t you tell Shui Feng Lao about Li Hua?¡± L¨®ng Wei again repeated his previous query.


    ¡°Because if Li Hua agreed to marry His Highness, then the reason must be big. Xu Zifan had told me that Li Hua and Shui Feng Lao would marry soon. If Li Hua was alive, then why didn¡¯t she return to Feng Lao?¡± Tang Zhaodang stated.


    L¨®ng Wei realised that Feng Lao hadn¡¯t told anyone about his betrayal. No one in the town knew about that night. They weren¡¯t even aware that the two families met that night.


    ¡°I will answer your every question if you pass my exam.¡± L¨®ng Wei put forward a condition to Tang Zhaodang.


    ¡°Exam?¡± He eximed and arched his brow.


    ¡°Yes. I will let you meet my wife too,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°What do you I need to do, Your Highness?¡± Tang Zhaodang asked. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips twisted into a smirk, and he stepped toward him. He whispered in Tang Zhaodang¡¯s ear, who was shocked to hear L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°That¡¯s difficult, Your Highness,¡± Tang Zhaodang replied.


    ¡°Then, you can forget meeting her and knowing the answers,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    ¡°I will do it.¡± Tang Zhaodang immediately changed his decision.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled. ¡°You can go back, Tang Zhaodang. Let¡¯s meet tomorrow here after lunch. I would like to see if you are capable enough to work for me or not,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and patted his shoulder.


    Tang Zhaodang bowed and left L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sight.


    ~~~~~~


    Zhu Liling red at Eunuch Lishi, who was on his knees. ¡°Your Majesty, I didn¡¯t know that the Crown Prince would befriend a woman from a low ss. If I had known this, I would have stopped him,¡± Eunuch Lishi exined to the Queen.


    ¡°What is the name of this woman?¡± Zhu Liling asked again.


    ¡°Your Majesty, it is Liu Jin Yu,¡± Eunuch Lishi answered.


    ¡°The Crown Prince first refused to marry Miss Cha Ying. Later, he asked His Majesty not to let him have concubines. And now, he is befriending a woman who has no social status whatsoever, ¡°Eunuch Lianying pronounced. ¡°Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is digging his own grave. In my opinion, Her Majesty needs to talk to the Crown Prince,¡± Eunuch Lianying suggested to the Queen, who stayed silent for a while.


    She rubbed her fingers and asked Eunuch Lishi to stand up. ¡°I am d that Eunuch Lishi informed me about this. Bring Liu Jin Yu here. I would like to converse with her,¡± Zhu Liling ordered Eunuch Lishi, who bowed and left the Crown Prince¡¯s manor.


    ¡°Xiaoming wasn¡¯t like this earlier. First, he was after Li Hua, then this new youngdy,¡± Zhu Liling murmured.


    ¡°Your Majesty, you can throw this youngdy out of the pce! Only two weeks remain. We have to make sure that the Crown Prince doesn¡¯t find any women by then. The daughter of the Prime Minister is the most suitable for the Crown Prince. He needs to umte power more than the other princes, and his marriage with Miss Cha Ying will do it.¡±


    Eunuch Lianying started to fill the ears of Zhu Liling.


    ¡°His Majesty has agreed to the Crown Prince¡¯s request. If I try to go against His Majesty, then he may get angry at me. Also, I have another woman in mind,¡± Zhu Liling stated. ¡°I do not want the Crown Prince to get involved with any petty woman and ruin his future because of that. His involvement with Li Hua has already tarnished his image many times,¡± Zhu Liling stated. Eunuch Lianying was surprised to find that the Queen had another woman in her mind.


    He could not let it happen. If he wanted to rule over a part of the kingdom, he had to make the Crown Prince marry Kang Xi¡¯s daughter.


    ¡°Your Majesty, the Kang Family is strongest among all the noble families in the Kingdom. What if the Prime Minister makes an alliance with any of the remaining four princes to marry his daughter to any of them?¡± Eunuch Lianying forced the Queen to think the other way.


    Noble Consort Xiuying and Virtuous Consort Ruoxi were two suchdies other than her who might take advantage of this situation. If another prince became powerful, then Xiaoming would fall in danger. He might be weaker and might be forced by the ministers to step down as the Crown Prince.


    ¡°I cannot let it happen,¡± Zhu Liling murmured. ¡°Eunuch Lianying, arrange my private meeting with Prime Minister Kang Xi,¡± she ordered him, who grinned as he was finally able to convince the Queen.

 Chapter 171

    171 A Huge Debt


    Liu Jin Yu was a little scared to find out that the Queen wanted to meet her. She asked for the reason from Eunuch Lishi, who replied, ¡°Her Majesty didn¡¯t tell me.¡±


    They soon arrived at the Queen¡¯s Manor. She was astonished to see the manor where the Queen lived. It was not onlyvish but also the most beautiful manor she had seen until now.


    She halted behind Eunuch Lishi upon reaching the outside of a chamber. He tilted his head a little and said, ¡°Be respectful towards the Queen and greet her properly. Also, don¡¯t lift your head unless you are told to.¡± Liu Jin Yu nodded her head to his instructions.


    However, she didn¡¯t know how to greet a Queen. Before she could ask, the doors opened and they walked in. Liu Jin Yu¡¯s heart thumped loudly against her chest. It was okay to see the Crown Prince, but seeing the other regal people terrified her. She kept her head down and halted as Eunuch Lishi ahead of her also stopped.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Liu Jin Yu is here,¡± Eunuch Lishi informed the Queen. Liu Jin Yu tried to steal the nces of the Queen despite Eunuch Lishi¡¯s warning to her.


    Her eyes fell on the golden embroidery of Zhu Liling¡¯s dress, and finally on her face. She was stunned to see the Queen. Wasn¡¯t she the mother of two children? How could she look so beautiful and youthful even at this age!? She had lowered her gaze before the Queen could see that she was looking at her out of curiosity.


    Eunuch Lishi stood aside while Liu Jin Yu got on her knees. She outstretched her hands above her head andid her palms t on the floor. ¡°Greetings, Your Majesty,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, and wondered if she should get up or stay in that position.


    She decided to stay that way. Eunuch Lishi widened her eyes while a few maidservants started to giggle at the way Liu Jin Yu greeted the Queen.


    Even the Queen could not stop smiling. Eunuch Lianying and others also smiled to see her.


    .....


    Liu Jin Yu heard the faint giggles and thought to move her head to look at what was going on. But she stiffened in her ce when she heard the voice of the King.


    ¡°My Queen!¡±


    Qiu Zedong¡¯s eyes fell on Liu Jin Yu. Zhu Liling promptly got up from her seat and greeted the King. ¡°His Majesty came unannounced,¡± Zhu Liling said as she slowly lifted her head. The giggles had already died while Liu Jin Yu remained in that position.


    ¡®Should I greet the King? It seems he¡¯s standing near me, but where?¡¯ Liu Jin Yu thought in her mind.


    ¡°Yes. I thought about having a conversation with My Queen. It has been a long time since we-¡± he paused when he heard a loud thump on the floor. His eyes again fell on Liu Jin Yu, who had turned to her right.


    ¡°Greetings to the Great King of the Qiu Kingdom,¡± Liu Jin Yu said in a loud and firm tone. Eunuch Lishi scolded Liu Jin Yu for cutting the words of the King in the middle. Liu Jin Yu bit her tongue as she realised that she had made a mistake.


    Would they kill her? No! This could not happen.


    ¡°Who are you? And why are you greeting this way?¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s heavy voice fell in her ears.


    ¡°I-I...¡± Liu Jin Yu found herself stuttering for the first time. She was in front of the King, so it was evident that she would not be able to speak clearly.


    ¡°I am Liu Jin Yu, Your Majesty.¡± She finally introduced herself.


    Qiu Zedong smiled the way she greeted her and went towards the Queen. He sat on the broad mahogany chair along with Zhu Liling.


    ¡°Is this a new servant in the Queen¡¯s Manor?¡± Qiu Zedong asked curiously.


    ¡°She is from the Crown Prince¡¯s manor,¡± Zhu Liling replied in her soft voice.


    Liu Jin Yu was surprised to hear the Queen¡¯s voice. She had heard from the people that the Queen was the rarest of the beauties present in the kingdom. She had now seen her and heard her voice, and she could surely say that the regal family women were rare charms in the kingdom.


    ¡°Get up!¡± Liu Jin Yu heard Qiu Zedong¡¯s voice. She sat up first and then stood on her knees. ¡°It seems you do not know how to greet the royalty. How did you even enter the Crown Prince¡¯s Manor?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°Your Majesty, His Royal Highness brought...¡± She could notplete her words as another voice echoed in the chamber.


    ¡°Royal Father, I selected her.¡± Xiaoming appeared out of the blue. Liu Jin Yu tilted her head to look at him, who narrowly gazed at her. ¡°She is good at washing the washroom and bathhouse. Among the female servants, she¡¯s good at strength, and can even do manly chores easily,¡± Xiaoming exined to his father.


    Liu Jin Yu wondered if he was praising her or humiliating her.


    Zhu Liling thought to tell Xiaoming not to attract unwanted attention anymore.


    ¡°The Crown Prince does not need to select any particr female servant for him, especially when the people are ready to take inappropriate meanings,¡± Zhu Liling stated.


    ¡°What is the Queen trying to say?¡± Qiu Zedong asked her.


    ¡°Your Majesty,st time because of Li Hua, the Crown Prince had to hear some insolent words about him. I don¡¯t want such rumors to spread anymore,¡± Zhu Liling stated.


    Liu Jin Yu knitted her brows and wondered if the Queen thought that she would try to seduce the Crown Prince. One thing she hated the most was when people tried to make their own assumptions about her. She could not stop herself and interjected in that conversation.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I would like to say something here,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. She, without waiting for the King¡¯s or Queen¡¯s permission, started to speak, ¡°Why would people adjoin my name with the Crown Prince? I am a mere servant, who works in His Royal Highness¡¯s manor to pay off my debt. I haven¡¯te to the pce to associate my name with the Crown Prince.¡±


    Xiaoming was stunned to hear her. She spoke without even thinking that she was in front of the King and the Queen. Xiaoming thought to apologize before things could go worse.


    ¡°Did the Crown Prince give you money?¡± Qiu Zedong asked her.


    Liu Jin Yu found herself stuck. She came up with an excuse. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. His Royal Highness helped me when I asked for his help. I needed money to pay the loan shark from whom my father took a huge debt. His Royal Highness helped me, so I agreed to repay his kindness by working in his manor.¡± She didn¡¯t want the King and the Queen or anyone else to find out that she was professionally a robber.


    Xiaoming could not believe that she formted such a big lie.


    ¡°Where did you find the Crown Prince? He hardly goes out, and it¡¯s not like anyone can recognize him.¡± Qiu Zedong asked another question.


    ¡°I asked for His Royal Highness¡¯s help yesterday at the event. I had heard about his kindness, so I thought if he could help me. I was also a part of the dance in yesterday¡¯s event,¡± Liu Jin Yu asserted.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask me?¡± Qiu Zedong queried her.


    ¡°I tried, but the security was so tight that I was unable toe to His Majesty for help. The Crown Prince was standing with less security, so I thought to ask for His Royal Highness¡¯s help,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated. She made a perfect lie that would never be caught. She would then be safe from all sides.


    Eunuch Lishi knew the truth, but he stayed quiet because of the Crown Prince.


    ¡°The Crown Prince is good to his people. I am proud of him,¡± Qiu Zedong said, looking at the Queen. ¡°My Queen does not need to see everything as negative. Li Hua¡¯s case was very different. Also, no such incident will be repeated. I believe in the Crown Prince,¡± Qiu Zedong said, and nced at Xiaoming.


    ¡°Yes, Royal Father,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°We will depart,¡± he bowed before them and returned to his manor with Liu Jin Yu and Eunuch Lishi.


    ¡°That woman is amusing,¡± Qiu Zedong said, and he looked at Zhu Liling, who agreed with her husband¡¯s words.

 Chapter 172

    172 I am interested in women, not men!


    Xiaoming looked at Eunuch Lishi and shouted at him. ¡°Why did you go to my mother!?¡±


    Liu Jin Yu was bewildered to see the Crown Prince¡¯s anger. She stayed quiet and waited for her turn to get scolded by him.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, you have been with me for eighteen years. I trust you more than anyone around me, yet you have to do this with me. I strictly told you not to let the word go out regarding Liu Jin Yu. Then why did you do this?¡± Xiaoming bellowed at him once again.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, please forgive me,¡± Eunuch Lishi said while keeping his gaze down on the floor.


    ¡°Leave my sight!¡± Xiaoming told him. ¡°Don¡¯te before me unless you give me a valid exnation,¡± he ordered. Eunuch Lishiplied with the order of the Crown Prince and left the chamber.


    Liu Jin Yu slightly lifted her head to look at the Crown Prince, who was staring at her. ¡°Why did you tell such a lie in front of the King?¡± Xiaoming questioned her.


    ¡°To save us both. If His Majesty had found out that His Royal Highness brought me to his manor without any servant selection process, he would have definitely punished me first. In my opinion, the Crown Prince should let me go. His Royal Highness¡¯s mother thinks that I am trying to get close to him. That¡¯s why Eunuch Lishi took me to the Queen, I feel. Your Royal Highness, the pce is not a ce where the prince can converse with a person, especially a woman from a low-born family.¡±


    Xiaoming totally agreed with her words. But he didn¡¯t want her to leave the pce. Around her, he would feel calm, and he could be what he was!


    ¡°I will pay the debt of the Crown Prince by working hard. Even if it takes me years, I will keep working to pay him back,¡± Liu Jin Yu proimed.


    .....


    ¡°No. You cannot leave. I have reprimanded Eunuch Lishi. He will never do any such thing,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, how long will I be here? The Crown Prince cannot force me to stay here for a long time. I have a life of my own. I cannot handle the life of a pce. His Royal Highness has no idea how scared I was when the Queen summoned me. It felt like today was myst day in this body,¡± Liu Jin Yuined to him.


    Xiaoming realized that he had trapped Liu Jin Yu which was indeed wrong. He should not snatch her freedom. He only wanted to see her once. He wanted to see the woman who defeated him so easily.


    ¡°Stay for two weeks. I will be married in two weeks. Then, I will send you away. I won¡¯t evere to see you. Don¡¯t worry, I will not tell anyone about your real identity, your work, or the organization that you work for,¡± Xiaoming said. For some reason, he felt weirdly sad saying all these things to her.


    Liu Jin Yu walked up to him and asked him to show his hand.


    ¡°Pardon me?¡± Xiaoming got perplexed.


    ¡°Your hand, Your Royal Highness.¡± Liu Jin Yu looked at his right hand. Xiaoming lifted his hand and she grasped it gently. He had never seen such a daring woman in his life. She had lied so confidently in front of the King and the Queen, and now, she was holding the Crown Prince¡¯s hand.


    She went to his study desk while dragging him along with her. She picked the brush, dipped it in the ink, and made a ck dot in the middle of his palm.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± He asked when she put the brush back in its ce.


    ¡°His Royal Highness holds great power. If he ever loses focus, then he must focus here. He must look at the middle of his palm and remind himself who he is! I saw His Royal Highness wasn¡¯t able to say what his mind possessed at that time. You are the Crown Prince, and you can speak your thoughts fully. You cannot fear anyone. So, look here and think this when you get nervous,¡± Liu Jin Yu opined. Xiaoming stopped blinking and continued to peer into her eyes. How could she see his hidden side when he didn¡¯t even open up to her?


    Liu Jin Yu pulled her hand back while Xiaoming put his hand down. Also, she talked so casually with him as if his title never mattered to her.


    ¡°I heard from the servants that the Crown Prince isn¡¯t marrying because he likes men. Is it true?¡± Liu Jin Yu asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. I like women. I mean, I am interested in women, not men. Just because I dyed my marriage doesn¡¯t mean that I like men.¡± Xiaoming¡¯s temper suddenly burst.


    A maidservant, who was standing close to the door, heard it. She could not hear the previous conversations because of the low intensity of their voices. She decided to tell Noble Consort Xiuying about it and left silently.


    Liu Jin Yu noticed that her shadow was no longer on the door and smirked.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. May His Royal Highness find a woman soon for him,¡± Liu Jin Yu said and bowed before him. She recalled the beauty of the Queen and thought of telling Xiaoming about it.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, your mother is incredibly beautiful at this age. I was surprised to see Her Majesty¡¯s face,¡± said Liu Jin Yu and lifted her head to again gaze at him.


    ¡°Yes. My mother looks beautiful despite her age.¡± Xiaoming agreed with her words, and a smile formed on his lips. However, the smile soon disappeared, which Liu Jin Yu noticed. He went to the chaise lounge and sat on it.


    ¡°What happened to the Crown Prince? Why did his smile disappear out of the blue?¡± Liu Jin Yu waited for his response.


    ¡°My father brought two more consorts and a few other concubines despite having my mother as an official wife. My mother is so beautiful, yet that beauty could not capture his heart for a long time. I should not be saying this, but I do not like it,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    ¡°The king needs to strengthen himself. Noble families help the king get stronger by entering into political marriage alliances with them. A time wille when the Crown Prince has to undergo this as well,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated. ¡°He has to learn to distribute his love equally to all the women he has,¡± she made him understand.


    ¡°No. I asked my royal father not to force me to have consorts or concubines. I will have only one official wife. I have only two weeks left to find the woman of my choice,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    Liu Jin Yu was surprised to hear him. ¡°The Crown Prince took an incredible decision. I didn¡¯t know that he¡¯s so thoughtful,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°His Royal Highness will surely find the woman of his dreams,¡± she encouraged him.


    ¡°Jin Yu, thank you for listening to me. I need to go somewhere tomorrow. You will apany me too,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°An undercover?¡± Suddenly, Liu Jin Yu seemed excited.


    ¡°No. I have to apologize for my mistake,¡± Xiaoming replied. ¡°Imitted a grave crime to win someone,¡± he said, and Li Hua¡¯s face shed in front of his eyes.

 Chapter 173

    173 Did His Highness enjoy the dance?


    L¨®ng Wei sat on the bank of theke while his elbows rested on his knees. After what he found from Tang Zhaodang, he realized that the entire Shui Family hid the truth from everyone. However, along with this, he found out that no one knew, that night two families were gathered to talk about Feng Lao and Li Hua¡¯s marriage.


    ¡°Feng Lao saved Li Hua. What could be the reason behind this? His face looked stoic and unreadable,¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured. He was in a dilemma about whether to reveal the truth to Li Hua or not. But if he kept her in the dark for too long, the consequences might be dangerous.


    ¡°If she faces him, Feng Lao will tell the truth,¡± L¨®ng Wei concluded. His inner voice told him not to do so. He needed to find the truth on his own. Someone from Qinping was also involved in it. L¨®ng Wei had thought of every minister in his mind, but he was unable to understand who could be the person who had enmity with the third rank official.


    ¡°Is it because of the prophecy?¡± Suddenly, the thought of Yuze¡¯s prophecy reflected in his mind. ¡°Xu Guang Li didn¡¯t tell Li Hua about the prophecy. Xu Zifan happened to hear about it and told Li Hua about it two days ago. Did someone murder the Xu family because of the prophecy?¡± L¨®ng Wei was perplexed and ced his right hand near his mouth.


    ¡°Aish! Everything seems like a spider web.¡± L¨®ng Wei sighed andid down on the grass. His hands went under his head, and he looked at the pear tree providing him with shade.


    As the sun set, L¨®ng Wei decided to return to the cold pce. He reached the cold pce in the evening and found Li Hua near the cold pce¡¯s gates. Along with her, Xu Zifan, Mingquan, and Huang Xi were present too.


    ¡°Where did His Highness go? We were worried to death, especially Princess Consort,¡± Huang Xi anxiously said.


    ¡°I had some work,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and grasped Li Hua¡¯s hand. He took her with him while she silently followed him.


    ¡°Where could the Sixth Prince go?¡± Huang Xi mumbled.


    .....


    ¡°I think it is because of Shui Feng Lao. Let¡¯s wait for Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s responseter. At present, he should be with his wife. Now, it is not a fight between two families but something more,¡± Mingquan opined. When he saw Shui Feng Lao smiling, he knew L¨®ng Wei was upset.


    Li Hua and L¨®ng Wei reached the chamber when Li Hua asked him where he was. L¨®ng Wei remained silent and removed the sash from his waist.


    ¡°Did His Highness enjoy the dance?¡± Li Hua asked. She sounded upset, which L¨®ng Wei noticed easily.


    ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired, loosening the knots in his upper garment.He settled on the chaise lounge when Eunuch Qian He handed him water.


    Li Hua noticed L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand while he attempted to take the silver ss from Qian He. She immediately grasped his hand and looked at the cut on his palm. ¡°It seems His Highness¡¯ hand got cut by a sharp object. Did something happen, Your Highness?¡± She asked with a worried expression.


    Before L¨®ng Wei could tell, Li Hua asked Qian He about the first-aid kit. Qian He quickly walked out of the chamber to fetch it.


    ¡°It is a petty cut. The blood is already clotted. Why panic over such a small wound?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her and pulled her down. He rested his head on her shoulder.


    ¡°Did His Highness get into a fight again? Did he get angry at anyone? Did he beat the person?¡± Li Hua asked several questions of him at once.


    ¡°The teacup broke in my grip,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Then, did the hot tea spilled on his hand? Did the Governor not provide a physician to His Highness?¡± She asked and stood up as Qian He returned, holding the first-aid box in his hand. She thanked him and put it on the table.


    ¡°I don¡¯t allow anyone else to touch me except you,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°What about when the Prince was a kid? If he got injured, then he might have allowed the Royal Physician to treat his wounds,¡± Li Hua remarked, picking up the cotton pad to wipe the blood on the clot formed. She used liquid medicine and applied it to the wound.


    ¡°Ahh, my childhood days were different,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°My adulthood days are different,¡± he proimed.


    Li Hua wrapped the bandage around his hand. ¡°The wound was deep, Your Highness. His Highness should be careful,¡± she said, and tied a small knot on the back of his palm. L¨®ng Wei gestured to Qian He to leave, who silently left the room.


    Li Hua put his hand down and closed the first-aid box. ¡°Where was His Highness? Everyone was anxious for him,¡± Li Hua again asked him.


    ¡°I was strolling around the market. I will tell you when the timees,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. Li Hua nodded and downcast her eyelids.


    ¡°Is His Highness searching for the culprit? Why doesn¡¯t he involve me too? After all, it is my revenge,¡± Li Hua opined.


    ¡°I will when the right timees,¡± L¨®ng Wei assured her. ¡°Li Hua, I want to ask a question from you,¡± he said.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Li Hua said as she was ready to answer his question.


    ¡°How much do you trust me?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    Li Hua blinked a few times. ¡°If I answer that I trust His Highness more than my life, then will he believe me?¡± She queried.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled at her. ¡°Are you sure?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Hua said in a firm tone. ¡°His Highness can test me,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Your words are supreme to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and looked at his hand. ¡°Li Hua, this fight is going to be tough. I am still unable to understand who could be your father¡¯s enemy. Only three days left and we need to return too, else my father will get angry. Our presence in the pce is important too.¡± He tilted his head to look into her eyes.

 Chapter 174

    174 The bad, naughty side


    After having dinner with Li Hua, L¨®ng Wei asked her to sleep. But she was unable to sleep, so she asked L¨®ng Wei to let her apany him.


    ¡°We will have men¡¯s conversations,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t wee here to spend time with each other?¡± Li Huained while keeping her voice low and turned to go to the bedchamber. L¨®ng Wei ended up hearing her, and he grabbed her wrist.


    She beamed at him and asked him to let go of her hand. He drew her back and wrapped his arms around her waist. ¡°Forgive your husband,¡± he said, and knocked his forehead against hers.


    Li Hua lifted her eyes to peer at him. ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± she said and moved her head back before averting her gaze from him. ¡°His Highness has such bad habits. He told me that no woman could capture his heart, yet he went to see the dance of those dancers. He stayed out for an entire day without thinking about me.¡± She bit her lip and quickly modified her statement, ¡°I mean us. He didn¡¯t think once that my elder brother and I were waiting for his return.¡±


    The smile on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips kept broadening. His heart was overwhelmed to see that Li Hua wanted his attention. He decided to y more with her.


    ¡°Since when did watching the dance be a bad habit?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired and waited for her response. The amusing smile on his lips turned into a smirk.


    Li Hua shot a re at him. ¡°Isn¡¯t it? I have heard that some dancers even steal the hearts of the men and-¡± L¨®ng Wei restrained her speech by pressing his index finger against her lips.


    ¡°Exclude me from that list. You took the entire space in my heart the first day I saw you,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed in his deep voice as he slowly put his finger down.


    .....


    ¡°But I have heard that men get swayed by the dancers. They are called enchantresses for a reason,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°Who knows, His Highness might have gotten enchanted by any of them,¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°But you enchanted me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I didn¡¯t even see you dancing, yet I got head over heels for you.¡± Li Hua liked his words, and a tiny smile appeared on her lips. He pulled her chin up and kissed her softly. Li Hua reciprocated his kiss, and the two looked into each other¡¯s eyes.


    Li Hua wanted him to kiss her passionately, but at the moment, she was too shy to initiate a kiss with him. She closed her eyes, and wanted him to kiss her.


    He kissed her intently. His lips were warm and gentle. His fingers, which were holding her chin, were now on her cheek as he stroked it while deepening the kiss.


    Every time he would kiss her, her mind would be struck by lightning. She would fill with desires, and she wanted those lips to feel on her body too.


    He moved his right foot ahead while Li Hua moved her left foot back. Doing this, they soon reached the bed.


    She gasped for air when he let go of her lips and moved to her neck. Li Hua¡¯s hands went to the knot of his dress, which was a little loose. She untied the loose knot and, the next second, she was on the bed.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips were still on her neck, and she let out a cry when he bit just above her corbone. When he licked and kissed the same ce, she moaned. He again brought his face above hers while his right hand continued to caress her hair.


    ¡°It seems you want more. I haven¡¯t taken a bath, so we will stop here,¡± he said, and nted a kiss on the top of her head. Li Hua got upset when L¨®ng Wei stopped. It was weird, right? She wasn¡¯t like this before. She didn¡¯t hesitate this time and hugged L¨®ng Wei by drawing him down. Their bodies pressed on each other. For L¨®ng Wei, it was surprising.


    ¡°I will be a good wife to you,¡± she said in a low voice.


    L¨®ng Wei was unable to believe her words. In these few days, she gave him lots of surprises. He could feel now that Li Hua was ready to ept him from the heart too.


    ¡°But I like to see your bad side, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while she let her arms go from around his neck. He moved away from her and rested his body weight on his left elbow while his right hand was now on Li Hua¡¯s belly.


    Li Hua tilted her head. ¡°Bad side?¡± Li Hua arched her brow.


    ¡°Yes. The bad, naughty side,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and grinned at her. Li Hua stopped blinking and gaped at him. ¡°I believe you have that side, Wifey. I love to see that more than your good side,¡± he stated.


    ¡°NO!¡± Li Hua refused him. ¡°I don¡¯t have any such side, Your Highness. He thinks so bad,¡± she muttered and quickly turned her back to him. L¨®ng Wei started to stroke her hair and leaned down to whisper in her ear.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Li Hua gulped. Her cheeks were already flushed by his statements and now he was provoking her more. It was his tactic to know what she was!


    ¡°Yes,¡± she answered. ¡°I am sleepy,¡± she said and closed her eyes.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled the quilt up and covered her with it. ¡°I will break the walls of that side for you, Wifey,¡± he asserted. Li Hua furrowed her brows, but she didn¡¯t respond to him. There was no such thing as a bad or naughty side to her.


    ¡°Is His Highness not sleeping?¡± Li Hua asked after a while.


    ¡°I have an important matter to converse with the Fourth Brother. You should sleep,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°His Highness can go. I will sleep,¡± Li Hua stated and moved further away from him.


    ¡°I will go after you will fall asleep,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and continued to caress her head.

 Chapter 175

    175 Stop being emotional first


    L¨®ng Wei left the chamber after Li Hua fell asleep. He could not discuss regarding Tang Zhaodang while Li Hua was present. As per his order, Eunuch Qian He already asked Mingquan, Huang Xi, and Xu Zifan toe to the private chamber in the cold pce.


    Upon arriving, Huang Xi and Xu Zifan stood up from their respective seats.


    ¡°Please forgive me for keeping you all waiting untilte,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he sat in one of therge chairs.Huang Xi and Xu Zifan also took their respective seats.


    ¡°What happened between Brother L¨®ng Wei and Shui Feng Lao?¡± Mingquan asked.


    ¡°Your Highness, did you punch Feng Lao and kick him to the floor? Did His Highness threaten Feng Lao that he would burn him alive? This was what the servants said before Shui Xiaoqing. He wasn¡¯t happy, and he said he wouldin about it to the King,¡± Huang Xi said with a worried look.


    ¡°Yes. Shui Xiaoqing didn¡¯t look happy after that incident. Feng Lao also said that Brother L¨®ng Wei talked rudely with him and then disrespected him,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Did I suppose to worship him?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked them. ¡°I have seen Li Hua in pain because of him. Because of him, she had to suffer so much. What if she had been dead by now even before I could reach her? I wanted to kill him right away, but I stopped myself. He married, has a wife, living happily with her while he put Li Hua into a life which she never deserved.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s anger again burst out. ¡°Let Xiaoqing inform the King,¡± he said, looking at Xu Zifan.


    ¡°For some reason, I am hesitant to tell Li Hua about the Shui family. I do not want her to face them anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and sighed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep this topic aside. I have another important matter to discuss,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I met Tang Zhaodang. He recognized Li Hua yesterday. Today, when I left Shui Residence, we met.¡±


    .....


    ¡°Tang Zhaodang, Feng Lao, I, and myte younger brother were close friends. How is he?¡± Xu Zifan asked.


    ¡°He is desperate to know about the Xu family. However, I refused. I gave him a task. Let¡¯s see if he fulfils it or not,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°If Tang Zhaodang saw the Sister-inw, then why did he not tell Feng Lao?¡± Minquan intervened and raised a doubt.


    ¡°I do not know. But it is good for us,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°The Shui Family covered that night¡¯s incident very well. Feng Lao betrayed his friends too. However, it is still unknown why he let Li Hua go that night,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and his eyebrows furrowed.


    ¡°That¡¯s the biggest mystery to solve,¡± Xu Zifan said. ¡°Your Highness, I don¡¯t want to meet Tang Zhaodang,¡± he expressed his desire.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I cannot trust him. I am afraid to trust people after what Feng Lao did to me. Tang Zhaodang is also his friend. ¡°Who knows he¡¯s with him and attempting to harm my sister?¡± Xu Zifan imed.He recalled how strong his friendship was with these two people. He could not trust him anymore.


    ¡°Xu Zifan is right. What if Tang Zhaodang tells Feng Lao? Brother L¨®ng Wei should not have taken the Sister-inw out. Words spread faster than any other thing,¡± Mingquan opined.


    ¡°Then, the enemy will make the worst move. Feng Lao will search for Li Hua. Currently, my fear is how to tell Li Hua. I have these conflicted thoughts. I want to tell her, but at the same time, I do not want to,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, rubbing his fingers against each other.


    Li Hua heard their entire conversation. She could not believe her ears. The Shui Family betrayed them, and Feng Lao was a part of it. He married another woman, and it brought tears to her eyes.


    ¡°I want to see Feng Lao,¡± she said, and came forward from behind the pir.


    ¡°Li Hua!¡± L¨®ng Wei got anxious to see her and walked toward her while the others stood up from their respective seats. Li Hua had clenched her fists and her eyes were filled with tears.


    ¡°I want to see him, right now,¡± Li Hua urged L¨®ng Wei and finally peered into his eyes. Her eyes turned red, and tears streamed down her cheeks.


    Xu Zifan came forward and told Li Hua to calm down.


    ¡°I am calm, Elder First Brother. I didn¡¯t expect my brother to lie to me when I asked about Feng Lao.¡± She sounded angry and betrayed. ¡°They killed our family. How could my brother stay quiet? Why did he not kill Feng Lao right away when he found out about him?¡± Li Hua shouted at him. She had lost her conscience at that moment. She forgot that Xu Zifan was her eldest brother.


    Xu Zifan lowered his gaze to her. ¡°Your brother could not do that,¡± he said in a low voice.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I will do it now,¡± Li Hua pronounced.


    ¡°Are you sure? Do you think you can go there?¡± L¨®ng Wei intervened this time.


    ¡°His Highness should not talk to me. He has no right to converse with me. He lied to me and kept lying. I asked him numerous times about Feng Lao. However, he decided to lie.¡± Li Hua was disheartened by him. He promised her many things, yet he hid the truth from her.


    ¡°Li Hua, don¡¯t speak this way,¡± Xu Zifan told her. She turned and decided to leave when L¨®ng Wei caught her arm.


    ¡°Where are you leaving without listening to me?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    Li Hua turned to look at him and asked him to leave her arm.


    ¡°I won¡¯t. You will go to the Shui Residence, and then what? Are you daring enough to kill him the moment you see him? Do you think that the soldiers present there will spare you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her several questions.


    ¡°Why does His Highness always doubt me? He thinks I need him all the time,¡± Li Hua remarked.


    ¡°Li Hua, you should not speak to-¡±


    ¡°Let her speak. I want to know what is in her mind,¡± L¨®ng Wei stopped Xu Zifan from intervening between them.


    ¡°You always cry. Will you go in front of him with this crying face? Stop being emotional first,¡± L¨®ng Wei reprimanded her.

 Chapter 176

    176 The view here is better


    Huang Xi stepped forward to stop L¨®ng Wei when Mingquan stopped him by grabbing his arm. ¡°Let L¨®ng Wei handle this,¡± he said in a low voice.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to His Highness if I go with a crying face or a smiling face. I will kill Feng Lao for the wrong he did to my family. I will kill all of them,¡± Li Hua stated, with a firm tone.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled her toward him. ¡°Come to your senses, Li Hua. I didn¡¯t know you would act this stupid.¡± His words seemed humiliating to her.


    ¡°Leave everyone!¡± L¨®ng Wei statedMingquan was the first one to leave the chamber, followed by Huang Xi.


    ¡°Did I need to give you a separate order to leave this chamber?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Xu Zifan. He asked L¨®ng Wei not to be too harsh with Li Hua. Xu Zifan left and closed the doors after stepping out.


    ¡°Did I act stupid or did His Highness? He lied to me every single time. He asked me to trust him while he didn¡¯t trust me at all. In his eyes, I am a weak woman who needs his constant support,¡± Li Hua said and started to beat his chest with her hands.


    ¡°How could hee here without taking the head of Feng Lao? How could he not kill him the moment he saw Feng Lao?¡± Li Hua started to cry and rested her head on the middle of his chest.


    L¨®ng Wei realized that she was not in her right mind. He put his hands on her back and caressed it. ¡°Cry as much as you want to now. But you won¡¯t shed a single tear because of him after today,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He made the decision to tell her everything. Since she was aware of the half-truth, so hiding the entire truth was no longer useful.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you because I get hurt when you cry. Also, you loved him once. It would have been difficult for you to see him with his happy family. However, I was aware that someday I would have to reveal the truth to you. But I wanted to find many other answers too,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    .....


    Li Hua took a step back and peered into his eyes. She had stopped crying after weeping for more than twenty minutes. She wiped the tears from the back of her palms. She had made up her mind that she would never cry for Feng Lao.


    After five minutes, he asked L¨®ng Wei, ¡°Did he be the Governor?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei made a shaky motion with his head.¡±No. His father is the Governor,¡± he replied to her question.


    ¡°The Shui family was present that night. It was all their n to kill us. My father, my mother, and my second brother, along with my personal attendants. They killed everyone that night. How could they do this to us? We trusted them so much. My First Brother has lost his arm and it pains me to see him in that state. More importantly, why did Feng Lao take me to the forest? Why did he tell me to run away? I want to ask him these questions now. How could he sleep in peace, taking the peace from my and my elder brother¡¯s life?¡±


    Li Hua had hundreds of questions in her head. Also, the anger to kill them with her own hands.


    ¡°Li Hua, someone from the capital helped them,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and put his arm around her back. He brought her to one of the chairs and made her sit on it while he stayed on his knee. His hands held her hands and his gaze was on her.


    ¡°It made my blood boil to see Feng Lao as much as it did yours. The moment I saw him, I wanted to bury him alive in the ground. However, I stopped myself for a reason. It was a well-nned conspiracy against the Xu family. I need to find the real culprit, who is hidden in Qinping. Had I killed Feng Lao, then nothing good would have happened.¡± L¨®ng Wei, in his calm voice, made Li Hua understand.


    ¡°Also, you do need my constant support. Without me, you will not be able to do anything.¡± L¨®ng Wei made her aware of a bitter truth. Li Hua didn¡¯t deny it anymore and apologized to him for the sudden burst of her emotions. Upon hearing about Feng Lao, she could not stop herself. She was devastated and at the same time, she was infuriated at herself for trusting Feng Lao.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want them to sleep at night. I want them to cry daily in pain. I want each of them to experience what it feels like to be in hell. Your Highness, I want to see them get tortured daily. Every single person in the Shui Family must feel what the Xu Family felt that night.¡± Li Hua didn¡¯t want to show any mercy to the Shui family.


    ¡°Fine. We will do that,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Can I share a n with His Highness?¡± Li Hua asked him.


    ¡°Sure. Go ahead,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as a tiny smile formed on his lips. ¡°However, I would like to ask you if you are fine. We can have the rest of the conversation in the morning,¡± he opined. Li Hua needed to rest and after this sudden revtion of truth, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s worries had increased more.


    ¡°I am fine. I need to prove to His Highness that I am not weak,¡± she stated.


    ¡°I only said once that you are weak. After that, I never said that. Earlier, I only wanted to calm you down. A person does wrong things when he is angry. I would like to apologize for my misbehavior. I raised my voice at you, so forgive me for that,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I apologize too for talking wrongly to His Highness,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°I never got angry at you. So, you don¡¯t need to apologize to me. This is the trust between us that made you raise your voice at me. That showed your authority over me. I am all yours, Li Hua, so you can say anything to me. I won¡¯t ever mind. However, I may scold you when you lose the path,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and patted the back of her palms.


    ¡°His Highness knows how to calm down,¡± she remarked, and ended up giving him a wide smile that showed her teeth. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s heart was finally at rest to see her smile.


    ¡°Will His Highness get up and sit beside me?¡± She asked


    ¡°The view here is better,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Is he telling the truth? He lies way too much,¡± Li Huained.


    ¡°It is the truth,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°From here, I can see your face better. The facial expressions are clear from here. Also, I learned one thing at a young age. Whenever your mother or wife is angry, be on your knees, and hold her hands.¡± He looked at her hands and brought them near his lips.


    He kissed her knuckles and said, ¡°Your hits were like a feather touch.¡±


    ¡°If I had hit His Highness with full force, then he would have cried,¡± Li Hua remarked as her eyes turned misty.


    ~~~~~


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 Chapter 177

    177 The lies they spread


    Li Hua kept her eyes on him despite they were again filled with tears. ¡°Your Highness, doesn¡¯t it hurt when the person you trusted the most betrayed you? I am not supposed to cry for him, but those memories hurt. If I hadn¡¯t asked my Eldest Brother to talk with myte father about letting me marry Feng Lao, probably I would not have seen this day.¡± She regretted everything at this moment.


    ¡°Then, they would have found another way to kill all of you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°The things which are bound to happen cannot be changed,¡± he proimed.


    ¡°Feng Lao was close to my Elder First Brother. I wonder how he must be feeling after knowing all this. He must be broken from inside more than me,¡± Li Hua said and her lips quivered.


    ¡°Tonight, you can regret everything. If you want to weep, then you can do that too. As I said earlier too, after today, you will never cry thinking about that betrayal or other things associated with that. You need to be an irondy, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. Li Hua nodded and wiped her eyes from the pad of her fingers.


    ¡°If His Highness allows the others toe inside, then that will be better,¡± Li Hua requested. L¨®ng Wei got up and went to the door. He slid them and walked outside. To his surprise, Mingquan, Xu Zifan, and Huang Xi hadn¡¯t left.


    ¡°How is she?¡± Xu Zifan asked him first.


    ¡°Better. You all cane inside,¡± L¨®ng Wei told them and stepped aside from the door. Promptly, Xu Zifan went inside followed by the other two.


    Xu Zifan halted to see his sister and the first thing he felt appropriate was to apologize to her.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t make me embarrassed by doing so. It wasn¡¯t your fault either,¡± Li Hua said. Her nose was still red and a slight redness was present on the cheeks too. L¨®ng Wei told Xu Zifan to take his seat, which he did.


    .....


    ¡°Sister-inw, I admire that you didn¡¯t take too much time to understand the situation. The Shui Family is currently holding the power which is highest in any county or province. So, it would be foolish to go and kill any of them. Also,¡± Mingquan looked at L¨®ng Wei and continued, ¡°brother L¨®ng Wei found out that someone from Qinping is also involved.¡±


    ¡°His Highness told me about this,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°I understood that I cannot make any decisions in a hurry,¡± she said.


    ¡°The Fourth Brother retrieved a personal diary of yourte father from the residence. Some pages are burned while on some pages ink has dispersed because of the water. I read it and from there found that Xu Guang Li had received a letter in the past from Qinping. He had written about it in that diary. However, the next pages were not clear enough because the water had wet those pages.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei informed both brother and sister about it.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, do you know anything about this?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. ¡°Your father might have been troubled. You would have noticed that too,¡± he said and wondered if he knew.


    ¡°Father never discussed it, nor did I see him troubled. Also, I didn¡¯t know he kept a diary for himself.¡± Xu Zifan had no idea about the message that his father got from Qinping.


    ¡°I had seen it several times. Our father would be lost in some thoughts,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°Mother also asked him once, but he said it was the workload.¡±


    ¡°When did you find out?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Last summer,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°Did Princess Consort ever ask her father the reason for his worries?¡± Huang Xi inquired this time.


    ¡°I did a few times. I made a special tea for him, but he never shared anything. Probably, he thought I was too young to know all that,¡± Li Hua replied. She recalled the only thing she used to care about was getting married to Feng Lao.


    ¡°If he was unable to share with his wife or sons, then there are few chances that he would share his worries with Sister-inw,¡± Mingquan concluded.


    ¡°Father went to Qinping for some workst year in the summertime. But he didn¡¯t let either Xu Zuwen or me apany him,¡± Xu Zifan informed them. ¡°He said it is a meeting organized by an official. So, lower rank officials from seven towns were invited including this one,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°It could be a lie too,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°Below the second rank, hardly officials are invited for meetings. Even sometimes second rank officials aren¡¯t prioritized. So, your father lied.¡±


    ¡°He visited usst summer,¡± Huang Xi answered. ¡°But I do not remember anything about the meeting,¡± he stated.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s clear now that Xu Guang Li indeed got a message from Qinping, but from whom it is unknown. We will find itter. Currently, we need to find out who helped the Shui Family and,¡± L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to look at Li Hua, ¡°why Feng Lao asked Li Hua to leave Xinshui. Why did he save her but not the others?¡±


    ¡°I still think that he was affectionate towards Princess Consort,¡± Huang Xi said. ¡°What if he had family pressure to marry that woman?¡± He raised suspicion.


    ¡°No. He never loved me. If he did, then he would havee to find me as per the promise. But he never came. That night he confessed but that was all a lie. Even though I went to his home several times with my brothers, he never once admitted his feelings. It was me who always did that. However, that night, he admitted. I asked him to save my father, but he didn¡¯t. My father was surrounded by enemies, but not Shui Xiaoqing. Now, I remember it. How could I be so naive and ignore that?¡±


    They were surprised to find that Li Hua¡¯s thoughts aligned with L¨®ng Wei¡¯s. He also had made the same assumptions as hers.


    ¡°Princess Consort, the Sixth Prince also had concluded the same. Whoa! You two are definitely made for each other,¡± Huang Xi said with a broad smile. Li Hua nced at L¨®ng Wei, who was smiling at her.


    ¡°Li Hua wants to share a n with us,¡± L¨®ng Wei informed them.


    ¡°A n?¡± Xu Zifan eximed.


    ¡°Just like they destroyed us, I will do the same,¡± Li Hua asserted. ¡°I heard that Shui Xiaoqing told the Fourth Prince that he wouldin to the King about the Sixth Prince¡¯s behavior. The time hase when the Elder First Brother and I must show ourselves to them. The lies they spread among the people, we must lift the curtain from those lies,¡± she affirmed.

 Chapter 178

    178 He has to die


    Xu Zifan didn¡¯t want Feng Lao¡¯s wife to suffer. So, he decided to tell Li Hua about it which would help her judge rationally.


    ¡°Li Hua, Feng Lao is going to be a father soon. The one who he got married to was the one whom I was supposed to marry.¡± Xu Zifan revealed the most important truth to her. L¨®ng Wei, Mingquan, and Huang Xi were unaware of the fact that the woman Feng Lao married was Xu Zifan¡¯s choice once.


    ¡°He has to die, Elder First Brother. I cannot show any mercy to any of them. Justice shall be served and for that, every single person who was present in our house that night will have the same fate,¡± Li Hua said. It didn¡¯t matter to her anymore if Feng Lao¡¯s wife was pregnant or not.


    ¡°It seems Xu Zifan is getting weak because of the woman he loved,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked. Li Hua nced at her brother and saw the sadness in his eyes.


    ¡°Brother, who knows that her family is also involved in this? This is not the time to be weak,¡± Li Hua proimed in a firm tone. L¨®ng Wei smiled and fell for this side of hers.


    ¡°You are right. However, Yang Mei is pregnant, so let¡¯s not involve her. She and the life inside her have nothing to do with all this,¡± Xu Zifan suggested to her.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, my thoughts are different from yours. If Feng Lao suffers, Yang Mei will suffer too, and so will her child. Even if we do not involve her, she will get involved somehow,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined. Mingquan agreed with his words and wondered if they would spare Feng Lao.


    ¡°Sadly, I am not in the mood to spare him. He has to die,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced and frowned.


    ¡°So, tomorrow, will we all go there? Shui Xiaoqing is upset with the Sixth Prince¡¯s behavior.¡± Huang Xi went back to the n that Li Hua had thought of.


    .....


    ¡°We will go in the evening. I have given an important task to Tang Zhaodang. If he aplishes that task, it will benefit us. The Shui Family will be trappedpletely,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°What did Prince L¨®ng Wei ask Tang Zhaodang to bring?¡± Xu Zifan queried.


    ¡°I will tell you tomorrow,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°I suppose you still like Feng Lao¡¯s wife. Will you be able to see her tomorrow with another man!? The man who was once your friend.¡± He wanted to find out if Xu Zifan would start to beg him to spare Feng Lao upon seeing Yang Mei or not.


    ¡°My family is above everything. I do not have any feelings for Yang Mei anymore. I was only concerned about her because my father always taught me to respect women and never let them suffer, especially if any of them were pregnant,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°I will read your face tomorrow when you two will be in front of each other,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, looking at Li Hua.


    ¡°What will you do after seeing him? Will you question him and his father?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°His Highness will find out tomorrow,¡± Li Hua said, and she turned her head left to look at Mingquan and Huang Xi. ¡°I want to thank the Fourth Prince and Commander Huang Xi, who are ready to help us.¡±


    ¡°Sister-inw, you are a part of the regal family. We are supposed to help each other. You don¡¯t need to thank me,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°His Highness is right. I am supposed to serve the regal family until myst breath. That¡¯s my duty as the Commander,¡± Huang Xi said, and she gave a tiny smile.


    ¡°It iste at night. We should leave for our respective chambers to rest,¡± Mingquan suggested to them.


    ¡°Sure. Forgive me for taking too much time for everyone,¡± Li Hua apologized.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t be apologetic,¡± Mingquan said, looking at L¨®ng Wei.


    He stood up and walked to Li Hua. He held out his hand, which Li Hua grabbed. He pulled her up and said goodnight to the others before leaving with Li Hua.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, everything will be good tomorrow,¡± Mingquan assured him and left for his chamber, followed by Huang Xi, who yawned at the door.


    Xu Zifan looked at his right arm, which he had lost. ¡°Feng Lao, why did you turn so selfish? Why did you support your father that day? Why did you marry Yang Mei out of all the women? You were well aware of my feelings for her, yet you didn¡¯t think of me once,¡± Xu Zifan murmured. He epted in front of everyone that he had no hard feelings for Yang Mei, but it was all a lie.


    L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua arrived at the bedchamber. ¡°Your Highness, I think it will be tough for my elder brother to see Yang Mei. I don¡¯t think he stopped his feelings for her,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°He will tomorrow. She looked too happy in her life,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and stood behind her. He removed the overcoat that she had put on. ¡°I wonder if you will stay strong in front of Feng Lao. When you have feelings for someone and the person betrays you, it hurts a lot,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he put the overcoat on the chaise lounge.


    Li Hua turned to look at him. ¡°His Highness will see tomorrow how strong I have be,¡± she stated. ¡°I am hurt that His Highness kept lying to me until the very end. For some reason, Feng Lao¡¯s betrayal didn¡¯t hurt me much. But His Highness¡¯s lie did hurt me a lot.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei approached her and gave her a warm embrace. ¡°I found out that I must not lie to you. I won¡¯t hide anything from you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua moved her head back to peer at him. ¡°Then, he must tell us about him as soon as we solve the matter here,¡± she said. L¨®ng Wei surprised her by lifting her into his arms.


    ¡°First, we must sleep. A night of good sleep is necessary before attacking the fort of enemy,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and took her to bed.

 Chapter 179

    179 A formal letter of apology [Bonus chapter]


    In the Imperial Pce, the Prime Minister took the scroll from Eunuch Gao Bing. After the King told him that the Crown Prince was not interested in marrying Cha Ying, Kang Xi turned restless. He decided to talk to the king once more and asked Gao Bing if he was avable.


    ¡°His Majesty isn¡¯t free till the afternoon,¡± Gao Bing informed Kang Xi. ¡°I shall take my leave. His Majesty will get angry upon not finding me.¡± Gao Bing left the corridor, while Kang Xi decided toeter to meet the King.


    He turned to leave when he saw Eunuch Lianying approaching him. They greeted each other when Eunuch Lianying delivered the Queen¡¯s message to the Prime Minister.


    Kang Xi wondered why the Queen wanted to meet him privately. Eunuch Lianying looked around before whispering near Kang Xi¡¯s ear, ¡°It is about the Crown Prince and your daughter.¡± Kang Xi widened his eyes in surprise and agreed to go with Eunuch Lianying.


    Kang Xi entered the Queen¡¯s chamber, his hands sped and resting near his abdomen.His head was low and he lifted his hand to greet Zhu Liling. A long pellucid curtain in front of him was hanging several inches above the ground. On the other hand, Zhu Liling was seated on a mahogany chair embellished in golden patterns.


    ¡°Greetings, Your Majesty.¡± Two maidservants slightly raised the curtain. Zhu Liling asked Kang Xi to take the seat Kang Xi sat on his knees on the cushion that another maidservant had put in front of him.


    ¡°His Majesty must have told the Prime Minister how his daughter insulted the Crown Prince,¡± Zhu Liling said.


    ¡°I apologize for the mistakes that my daughter made. She was not aware of her actions, Your Majesty,¡± Kang Xi said. ¡°She is such a thoughtful girl, yet she made such a mistake. Please forgive her, Your Majesty.¡± Kang Xi kept his apologies sincere and genuine and bowed.


    ¡°Prime Minister Kang Xi, I want to give a chance to your daughter. I want her to win the heart of the Crown Prince within these two weeks,¡± Zhu Liling said. Kang Xi lifted his head and looked at Zhu Liling through the curtain. He was delighted to hear the decision of the Queen. He had not expected that the Queen would like to give a chance to Cha Ying.


    .....


    ¡°However, I would like to clear a few things with the Prime Minister. Cha Ying will never speak inappropriately with the Crown Prince. She will also formally apologize to the Crown Prince. I don¡¯t like women filled with arrogance. So, tell your daughter if she wants to be the Crown Princess, then she has to throw all her arrogance.¡± Zhu Liling sounded furious but because the Kang family was one of the strongest ones in the Kingdom, she could not let the opportunity slip off her hands by not making Cha Ying marry Xiaoming.


    Kang Xi immediately agreed to the Queen¡¯s condition. ¡°Your Majesty, this time you will not find anyint from my daughter¡¯s side. She regretted what she did. She wanted to apologize to the Crown Prince, but she didn¡¯t get a chance to do that. I am d that Her Majesty has given Cha Ying a chance.¡± Kang Xi didn¡¯t want to lose this opportunity at any cost. Once his daughter would be the Crown Princess, then he would gradually take control over the Kingdom.


    ¡°This conversation must remain private, Prime Minister Kang Xi. I like Cha Ying a lot, and I see potential in her to lead the kingdom with the Crown Prince. I hope you have understood my words,¡± Zhu Liling said.


    ¡°I understand well, Your Majesty. This time my daughter will not give any chance ofint to Her Majesty,¡± Kang Xi assured the Queen.


    ¡°Tomorrow at 10 a.m. I would like to see Cha Ying. Tell her to prepare a formal letter of apology for the Crown Prince. He will no longer be angry at her after receiving a sincere apology,¡± Zhu Liling suggested to Kang Xi, who nodded his head inpliance.


    After a long conversation, Zhu Liling asked the Prime Minister to leave. Kang Xi dly left for his home. This time he would not let her daughter make any mistake. This was thest chance for Cha Ying to stand in the eyes of the Crown Prince.


    ~~~~


    Liu Jin Yu wiped the sweat beads from her forehead with her long sleeve. She was too tired to carry therge royal umbre for Xiaoming.


    She tried to get into its shade when Eunuch Lishi scolded her. Xiaoming tilted his head a little and asked Eunuch Lishi about his anger.


    ¡°Nothing, Your Highness. Jin Yu tried to get under the royal umbre. She is still new to all this work, so I must teach her,¡± Eunuch Lishi said while walking behind him. However, he was also outside the umbre.


    Xiaoming didn¡¯t say anything and continued to walk. They reached the orchid pavilion where he was supposed to meet his brothers and sisters.


    ¡°Stay here,¡± Eunuch Lishi told Jin Yu when Xiaoming asked her to follow him. Liu Jin Yu was happy to hear him. She would finally be protected from the scorching summer heat.


    She handed the umbre to the male servant behind her and ran after the Crown Prince. Eunuch Lishi asked her to be careful in front of the other princes and princesses.


    Upon seeing the Crown Prince, everyone stood up from their respective seats. They bowed while Xiaoming took his seat.


    ¡°Please make yourselvesfortable,¡± Xiaoming said after taking the seat. Liu Jin Yu stood behind Eunuch Lishi silently and kept her head down.


    ¡°We appreciate the Crown Prince taking time out of his busy schedule for us,¡± Tianjie started the conversation and asked the tea server to serve them tea.


    ¡°For my brothers and sisters, I can take out as much as they want,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Did the Elder Brother appoint a new servant in his manor?¡± Jingfei asked as her gaze fell on Liu Jin Yu.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xiaoming replied, and picked up the teacup to inhale the scent of the tea served to him.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the dancer from the event that was organized two days ago?¡± Qiu Mu recognized Qiu Jin Yu, who lifted her eyes to look at him. She wondered what to answer him when Xiaoming intervened.


    ¡°Yes. She will work temporarily for me. She asked me to help her with the debt she had on her head,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°Oh. The Crown Prince shows kindness to any random person,¡± Qiu Mu remarked, and looked in the direction where Liu Jin Yu was standing. He looked at her from top to bottom and faintly smiled.

 Chapter 180

    180 The Sachet


    Liu Jin Yu found that the three princes apart from the Crown Prince weren¡¯t good in terms of their behavior. They would like to brag about nothing. While the First Princess and the third Princess characters also weren¡¯t likeable to her. The one thing that bothered her was the gaze of Qiu Mu in her direction. She wanted to take his eyes out, but because she was a mere servant in front of him, she could not do that.


    ¡°The Sixth Brother is returning after two days. He will be here on the third day with his wife,¡± Zhang Xi proimed. ¡°Our troubles will start again. Even after marriage, I don¡¯t think he will have changed,¡± he remarked. L¨®ng Wei had previously threatened to inform their father about Tianjie¡¯s and Zhang Xi¡¯s illegal activity.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want him to return,¡± Tianjie said.


    ¡°I want the same. It¡¯s better if he stays away from us,¡± Jingfei said. ¡°Because of him I lost my chance to be close to Commander Huang Xi,¡± sheined again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak this way. Prince L¨®ng Wei is the youngest of all of us. We must not speak this way about him. As I said earlier too, he is troubled because he needs love,¡± Xiaoming told all of them. He had to apologize to him once again for his behavior. He wanted to repent for his mistake. He was also ready to get punishment for the wrong that he had done with L¨®ng Wei.


    Liu Jin Yu was impressed with the Crown Prince¡¯s words. He was a thoughtful person towards everyone around him. She had heard about L¨®ng Wei-the Prince who killed his mother. He had everything in him that a prince should not possess. Everyone feared him, but she wanted to see him once. His personality had always amused Liu Jin Yu. He was the only person who dared to go against the will of everyone.


    ¡°This time Brother Mingquan acted strangely. He followed L¨®ng Wei, saying he wanted to protect him,¡± Tianjie said and his brows furrowed.


    ¡°Because this time Li Hua traveled with Brother L¨®ng Wei. Since she is Princess Consort, her safety is a priority. That¡¯s why Commander Huang Xi also apanied them. Also, Brother Mingquan has important work in Xinshui.¡± Ai Fen cleared Tianjie¡¯s doubts.


    ¡°Sister Ai Fen is right. More than the Sixth Prince, his wife needed the protection.¡± Qiu Mu backed her words. He was internally happy that his n to get rid of L¨®ng Wei would seed.


    .....


    Their conversation ended soon, and the Crown Prince was the first one to leave the pavilion. Liu Jin Yu held the umbre for him and they soon reached his manor. Xiaoming asked Eunuch Lishi to prepare a pnquin for him.


    Eunuch Lishi bowed and left. Liu Jin Yu came forward and adjusted the cor of Xiaoming¡¯s dress. ¡°Your Royal Highness, thank you for taking me inside the pavilion. I have a request to make,¡± she said, and lifted her head to peer into his eyes.


    ¡°Speak,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Since we are heading out, will His Highness allow me to go and meet my people? I disappeared without telling them anything. I won¡¯t tell them that I am in the pce. I don¡¯t want them to worry about me. I will never forget His Royal Highness¡¯ favor on me,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    ¡°Sure. You will have twenty minutes to reach the river bridge. Do not bete,¡± Xiaoming said, and he flicked his fingers in the middle of her forehead. Liu Jin Yu cried in pain and promptly stepped while rubbing her forehead. Xiaoming smiled and asked her to keep a certain distance from him.


    ¡°You could have said this calmly too,¡± Liu Jin Yuined, while forgetting she was in front of the Crown Prince.


    ¡°I told you to be respectful to me. I am the Crown Prince,¡± Xiaoming reminded her.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Royal Highness,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, and bowed ny degrees. Xiaoming looked at his waistband and took out the sachet from it. He outstretched his hand toward her, while she looked at him in bewilderment.


    ¡°Keep it with you,¡± Xiaoming said. Liu Jin Yu stood straight and took the sachet from him. She wondered what it was when Xiaoming told her, ¡°It is a sachet which specifically belongs to me. Since you are going out, I don¡¯t want you to fall into any danger. It contains a special, rare perfume inside it.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu brought the sachet closer to her nose and inhaled the scent. It was magical. She never had inhaled such a scent before, and her lips curled up into a smile. ¡°That¡¯s why His Royal Highness smells so good,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°What do you mean? Do I not smell good the other times?¡± He cocked his brow and twitched his lips. Xiaoming realized his question wasn¡¯t appropriate and asked her to ignore his words. ¡°Don¡¯t get caught. I won¡¯te to save you,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Then, His Royal Highness shall give me the sword,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated.


    Xiaoming went to the third shelf and brought a dagger with him. He gave it to Liu Jin Yu. ¡°Don¡¯t lose it. I don¡¯t want any trouble. Also, be on the bridge in twenty minutes. If you fail to do so, I wille to the ce where you are heading,¡± Xiaoming threatened her.


    ¡°Does His Royal Highness know about the ce where I work?¡± Liu Jin Yu asked.


    ¡°Of course. My men found the ce. It isn¡¯t tough for me to find it,¡± Xiaoming affirmed. ¡°So, if you think of running away, don¡¯t do that,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, Liu Jin Yu doesn¡¯t run away without fulfilling her promise. I have to stay here for two more weeks. Then, I will leave,¡± Liu Jin Yu gave him her words. Xiaoming smiled and nodded his head.


    Liu Jin Yu put the sachet in her pocket and hid the dagger inside her waistband. She recalled the royal inspector who was also behind her that day.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, that day the Royal Inspector was also behind me,¡± Liu Jin Yu said anxiously.


    ¡°I have told him to stop looking for you. Don¡¯t worry. From my end, you will encounter no difficulty. If you think you will be in danger, then let me apany you after Iplete my work,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°I do not want to disturb His Royal Highness. Thank you for helping me so much,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, and they left the chamber.

 Chapter 181

    181 Keep your eyes on the ground


    L¨®ng Wei reached the ce where he had asked Tang Zhaodang to meet him. He didn¡¯t expect that Tang Zhaodang woulde, but he had. He was pacing and halted to see L¨®ng Wei. He bowed before him and looked at him.


    ¡°Your Highness, I was unable to do what you have asked me to,¡± Tang Zhaodang¡¯s words disappointed L¨®ng Wei. He had thought that he could use the evidence against the Shui family when he went in the evening with Li Hua to the Shui Residence.


    ¡°However, I have brought something which could surely make the Prince believe me,¡± Tang Zhaodang said. L¨®ng Wei wondered if it could be. Tang Zhaodang took out a folded sheet of paper and showed it to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°What is it?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked as he took it from Tang Zhaodang.


    ¡°His Highness must see it himself,¡± Tang Zhaodang replied. L¨®ng Wei unfolded the paper, and the first thing he saw was the royal stamp on the paper. He turned the paper upside down and started to read it.


    ¡°This was the official order which Late Official Xu Guang Li had received from the higher authority,¡± Tang Zhaodang said. L¨®ng Wei read the words written on it. ¡°I was supposed to deliver it to him, but the next day, I found he was no more,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Who gave you this?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°Shui Feng Lao gave me this the previous evening. A few hours before the Xu family was murdered brutally,¡± Tang Zhaodang answered.


    ¡°Why did he give it to you?¡± L¨®ng Wei enquired, his brow furrowed.


    .....


    ¡°He said that he had to leave in the evening to another city. Since it was evening, I didn¡¯t bother to go to the Xu residence. Had I gone to the Xu residence, then I would have at least saved them.¡± Tang Zhaodang said and sighed in frustration.


    ¡°Can I see Li Hua once? Also, are the others alive? In the morning, there were no bodies in the Xu Residence except the servants. Everyone in Xinshui thinks that the Xu Family members were burned alive in the fire.¡± Tang Zhaodang was too desperate to know about the Xu Family.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t bring what I wanted,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°But I brought something which could be helpful to His Highness. Your Highness, I am a fourth-rank official. I am not allowed to even meet the governor except in special circumstances. Going into the Governor¡¯s Residence and bringing out that specific scroll which His Highness wanted was tough for me.¡± Tang Zhaodang exined his situation to L¨®ng Wei, who was least interested in knowing that.


    ¡°Feng Lao is going to refuse that he ever handed you this piece of paper,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Though it carries a piece of useful information. It says that Xu Guang Li was supposed to-¡± L¨®ng Wei paused as he heard the sound of someone walking on the dry leaves. He turned to look and wondered if Tang Zhaodang brought someone with him.


    L¨®ng Wei was relieved when Huang Xi appeared in his sight.¡±Your Highness, Princess Consort, sent me after you. Don¡¯t scold me. You can scold your wifeter,¡± Huang Xi stated, and halted before him. Tang Zhaodang recognized Huang Xi and greeted him.


    ¡°Are you Tang Zhaodang?¡± Huang Xi asked. He nodded and lifted his head.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Huang Xi gazed at L¨®ng Wei, who told Tang Zhaodang that they were leaving.


    ¡°You should leave first,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Tang Zhaodang.


    ¡°Your Highness, Princess Consort told me to bring Tang Zhaodang with us,¡± Huang Xi said in a low voice, but it was audible to Tang Zhaodang. He was delighted to hear that Li Hua had allowed him to meet her.


    ¡°He failed in his task,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I cannot take him with us.¡±


    ¡°Will you be able to handle the anger of Princess Consort?¡± Huang Xi raised his eyebrow and looked at Tang Zhaodang.


    ¡°If you betray us from here, then I will have no option but to kill you,¡± Huang Xi told Tang Zhaodang with a menacing expression.


    ¡°And how do you know that he won¡¯t betray us?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired of Huang Xi.


    ¡°Your Highness, if Tang Zhaodang had to betray us, then he would be here with the enemies. Enemies¡¯ main aim was to kill everyone in the Xu Family,¡± Huang Xi asserted. ¡°Princess Consort is waiting for us. She said that she will not even drink a drop of water if His Highness doesn¡¯t bring Tang Zhaodang with him.¡± He delivered the remaining message from Li Hua to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°It is unbelievable to hear that Li Hua posed such demands. She used to be a timid woman,¡± Tang Zhaodang said with a tiny smile on his lips.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head and red at him. ¡°Only I can pronounce her name and a few others. Also, keep your eyes on the ground while conversing with my wife. If your gaze meets hers, then I will kick you out instantly,¡± L¨®ng Wei instructed Tang Zhaodang.


    ¡°Your Highness, you are too possessive for Princess Consort. That¡¯s not good,¡± Huang Xiined.


    ¡°Huang Xi, you too from now onwards, you won¡¯t look at Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and scrunched his nose before walking ahead. Huang Xi chuckled and turned to gesture to Tang Zhaodang toe with them.


    Tang Zhaodang was shocked to find that the cold pce was in Xinshui. However, it was so luxurious that one would like to spend his entire life in this ce. He internally thought the Sixth Prince was lucky toe to the cold pce, far from pce trouble. He barely knew how tough it was for L¨®ng Wei to stay in the cold pce.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°Your Highness, they are present in themon gathering hall,¡± Huang Xi answered. L¨®ng Wei nodded and stepped up onto the stairs.


    Tang Zhaodang stopped outside the chamber and looked inside. Huang Xi turned to him and asked him to hurry.


    He stepped inside, and the first person he saw was Xu Zifan. A bright smile appeared on his lips, and he soon covered the remaining distance between them to hug him tightly.

 Chapter 182

    182 The real message is hidden


    Tang Zhaodang hugged Xu Zifan tightly and soon, they withdrew from the hug. He put his hands on his shoulders. ¡°Friend, you are alive and safe! I missed you and Xu Zuwen. Where is he?¡± He asked and turned around. However, he didn¡¯t find anyone except for Li Hua and a new face, which he was unaware of.


    His eyes briefly met Li Hua¡¯s, and he immediately lowered them. ¡°Greetings to Her Highness. I am d to see her,¡± Tang Zhaodang said, keeping a tiny smile on her lips.


    He turned to look at Xu Zifan when he finally realized that his right arm wasn¡¯t present. ¡°What happened to your arm?¡± Tang Zhaodang asked.


    ¡°The person who attacked Xu Zifan that night cut his right limb,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied, and sat on the chair and pulled Li Hua down beside him. He looked at Eunuch Qian He and asked him to give him water.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a seat, Tang Zhaodang?¡± Mingquan asked him. Huang Xi took him to the chair and asked him to sit. They all took their respective seats.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, you don¡¯t need to be suspicious of Tang Zhaodang. He will not betray you as Feng Lao did,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed after he drank the water. Xu Zifan¡¯s coldness was too evident even when he didn¡¯t speak a word.


    ¡°Did you suspect me?¡± Tang Zhaodang asked Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Forgive me. Feng Lao betrayed me, so it was tough to trust the others,¡± Xu Zifan said coldly.


    ¡°I forgave you. Where is Xu Zuwen?¡± Tang Zhaodang inquired.


    .....


    ¡°He is no more,¡± Xu Zifan answered. Li Hua¡¯s eyes were filled with tears, and she wiped them with the pad of her fingers. ¡°Except Li Hua and I, no one survived,¡± Xu Zifan answered.


    Tang Zhaodang wasn¡¯t able to respond to that. Since the day he saw Li Hua, he had hoped that they were all alive and safe. But his hopes were shattered.


    ¡°His Highness saved me that night,¡± Xu Zifan said, looking at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°How could Shui Feng Lao do this? We were all friends. What happened that night?¡± Tang Zhaodang knitted his brows.


    ¡°Sometimes for selfish reasons, friends betray each other,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°He has fooled everyone in Xinshui. Not only he, but his entire family fooled the people of Xinshui,¡± Li Hua pronounced at this time. She was anguished by the Shui family¡¯s betrayal.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, what happened that night? How did it all happen?¡± He asked again.


    ¡°The Shui Family hade to our house for Li Hua¡¯s marriage proposal. Soon, a blood bath urred, and everything was destroyed. My parents, my brother, and the people in the residence, all lost their lives. Feng Lao took Li Hua to the forest that lead to the vige adjacent to Xinshui and asked her to run away.¡± Xu Zifan briefed that day¡¯s incident.


    ¡°How could they spread a lie about it? No one knows that the Shui Family ever visited the Xu Family. We all are told that bandits attack the Xu Family. Did their soul not tremble once while performing such a dreadful act?¡±


    ¡°Those who are blinded by power, they are ready to do anything. Tremble word doesn¡¯t even exist in their dictionary unless their true faces are exposed or they are in front of the door of death,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced and chuckled.


    ¡°Brother Zhaodang, is he happily living? Did he even shed a single tear for us?¡± Li Hua asked Tang Zhaodang.


    ¡°He is happy. He asked his close friends not to talk about it. ¡°After that day, his interaction with me was limited,¡± Tang Zhaodang replied, keeping his gaze low.


    Li Hua turned to look at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Will we go in the evening to see them? I have to ask some questions from him,¡± she stated.


    ¡°I will tell you in a while,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°If you have more questions from Tang Zhaodang then ask now,¡± he told her. Li Hua shook her head.


    ¡°Now, I will ask the remaining questions from Feng Lao only,¡± Li Hua announced her decision. L¨®ng Wei wanted to ask her why she told Huang Xi to bring Tang Zhaodang when she had only one question, but before he could ask her, she opened her mouth to speak.


    ¡°I am going to the chamber,¡± she stated, and stood up. L¨®ng Wei got up and asked Qian He to apany Li Hua. Once she left, L¨®ng Wei sat down.


    ¡°Li Hua must be upset to hear what Tang Zhaodang said,¡± Xu Zifan stated and nced at him. ¡°The wounds from that day cannot be healed, Tang Zhaodang.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe with your sister to the town and tell the truth to everyone?¡± Tang Zhaodang queried. ¡°The Shui Family would have been punished by now,¡± he opined.


    ¡°Li Hua wasn¡¯t here. She was in the pce,¡± Xu Zifan answered.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you two go to Xu Zifan¡¯s chamber to converse?¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested them. Xu Zifan agreed with his words and asked Tang Zhaodang toe with him.


    Once they left, L¨®ng Wei took out the folded paper from his inner pocket and looked at Mingquan.


    ¡°Read it once,¡± he urged. Huang Xi went to him and handed the folded paper to Mingquan, who opened it.


    ¡°The stamp is from the pce,¡± Mingquan stated, and looked at L¨®ng Wei in bewilderment.


    ¡°Shui Feng Lao gave this to Tang Zhaodang, saying he should deliver it to Xu Guang Li. He told Tang Zhaodang that he would leave tomorrow for another city for some work,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Why did Shui Feng Lao give it to him when it was nned that Xu Guang Li would die in the evening?¡± Mingquan questioned. Huang Xi took the paper from Mingquan and read the message in it.


    ¡°Fourth Brother, if Shui Feng Lao knew what was inside the envelope, then he would not have handed it to Tang Zhaodang,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and recalled his remaining conversation with him before Huang Xi appeared.


    **shback started**


    ¡°He gave you this paper without any envelope?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°It was inside the envelope. Feng Lao was in a hurry and told me that he collected it from the town¡¯s administration office. It was in an envelope, but I decided to take a look at it yesterday. After that day, I never checked it until yesterday.¡± Tang Zhaodang narrated it to L¨®ng Wei, who was amused to hear it.


    **shback ended**


    ¡°His Highness is right. It was from Qinping¡¯s administration office. Xu Guang Li was supposed toe to Qinping after two days to submit the financial report of Xinshui Town,¡± Huang Xi pronounced.


    ¡°The message is something else,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and stood up. Mingquan and Huang Xi were puzzled to hear him.


    He took the paper from Huang Xi and rubbed his fingers over it. ¡°This message is a cover-up. The real message is hidden behind it,¡± he stated and turned the paper. Huang Xi understood and ran out to get antern.


    He returned and opened thentern¡¯s cover. Mingquan also went near them when L¨®ng Wei ced the backside of the paper over the me at an appropriate distance so that it wouldn¡¯t burn.


    The letters started to appear at the back and a smile formed on his lips. ¡°Feng Lao himself left an important clue for us,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and pulled his hands back. He read the message and a grim expression appeared on his face.


    The trio looked at each other as they were dumbfounded by what was written on the paper.

 Chapter 183

    183 Rted to the prophecy


    L¨®ng Wei could not believe his eyes upon reading the message. He thought that no one from the pce would be involved in this. But he was wrong. The pce was involved.


    ¡°Your Highness, Xu Guang Li used to meet someone in the pce. Someone was putting pressure on Xu Guang Li for his daughter¡¯s life,¡± Mingquan said and looked at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°I had never seen Xu Guang Li in the pce. Not even once,¡± he said.


    ¡°Because they met in private, not necessarily in the pce. The message that he mentioned in his diary must be rted to Li Hua. Someone wanted Li Hua to die. But, why?¡± L¨®ng Wei was confused and he knitted his brows together.


    ¡°Why would someone want to kill Princess Consort? She isn¡¯t even a threat to anyone in the pce. She is the kindest noble woman I have ever seen, who doesn¡¯t even look for luxury and power,¡± Huang Xi concluded.


    L¨®ng Wei wondered if someone from the pce knew about the prophecy that Yuze made for Li Hua. But Yuze didn¡¯t even tell him about the prophecy. Then how could someone from the pce know about it?


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep it hidden from Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Again?¡± Huang Xi eximed.


    ¡°Yes.¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, I think that night Feng Lao saved the sister-inw. He didn¡¯t betray her. We should not make any wrong assumptions about Feng Lao,¡± Mingquan suggested to L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Sister-inw does no longer possess any feelings for Feng Lao. So, Brother L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t need to get insecure that she would choose Feng Lao.¡±


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei snickered. ¡°Fourth Brother, he is involved in the murder of the Xu family. He didn¡¯t save Li Hua that night.¡± He was adamant about the assumption that he had made in his head. If Feng Lao had to save Li Hua, then he would have taken her to his residence, where assassins would not have dared to go. At present, he could not make them understand, so he decided to stay quiet.


    ¡°I will see you two in the evening,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and left the hall. He wanted some alone time to tie the strings of the things that he found out a few moments ago. He didn¡¯t go to see Li Hua. Instead, he went to the chamber, where he used to stay alone in earlier times.


    L¨®ng Wei ced the paper on the table. ¡°Why did this person threaten to kill Li Hua? However, the message was deliveredte. In the evening, the assassins had already created havoc in the Xu residence,¡± he murmured and rested his hands on the table. He re-read the message and then took out Xu Guang Li¡¯s diary.


    ¡°He got the message from Qinping after many years of Li Hua¡¯s birth... almost eighteen years. Why was it that the person in the pce did not know or do anything earlier? Was it really rted to the prophecy or was Xu Guang Li involved in a work which brought this deadly fate to his family?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mind was upied with many unanswerable questions.


    He began to read the diary once again in the hope that he had not missed anything. However, even after spending an hour, he could not find anything that could help him to get the answers to his questions.


    ~~~~~~


    Tang Zhaodang apologized to Xu Zifan for noting that evening. ¡°Had I delivered the message at your house, then such massacre could have been prevented,¡± he muttered in a frustrated tone.


    ¡°I had asked Feng Lao why he agreed to marry Yang Mei. He told me that he could not hold onto the past for long, so it was better to move on.¡± He cursed him for the betrayal he had given to all of them.


    ¡°If the Sixth Prince had note that night, then even I would not be in front of you. Xu Zuwen died in front of my eyes. His body was half burned. He didn¡¯t deserve this kind of death. I could not tell Li Hua everything because she was already broken apart. I couldn¡¯t even get to see my mother and my father.¡± Xu Zifan¡¯s eyes turned teary. The edges of his eyes were wet with tears.


    ¡°It must be so painful for you, bearing everything alone. I cannot even imagine myself in your position,¡± Tang Zhaodang said, and he clutched the fabric of his dress tightly from his knees. ¡°I want to kill him with my own hands for doing this. All this time, he was only pretending to be nice. Even his father talks about justice all the time, yet he did such an injustice to all of you.¡± He gritted his teeth in anger.


    ¡°I am only worried for Li Hua. She wants to see Feng Lao. I asked Prince L¨®ng Wei not to let them meet, but it is inevitable now. Who knows if Feng Lao will be truthful in front of her?¡± Xu Zifan brought his left hand up and wiped the tears from his eyes.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, I have a question regarding the Sixth Prince. We all know that he killed his mother. Do you think he is good for your sister?¡± Tang Zhaodang¡¯s question was legit in the eyes of a person, who was unaware of L¨®ng Wei. But the people who knew him had different opinions on it. Xu Zifan was one of those people.


    ¡°He gave my sister a new life. He protected her from the danger that could have fallen on her. I do not know what happened in His Highness¡¯s past. But I surely know that my sister is safe and happy with him. For her, His Highness defied many rules in the pce. Even if I have to choose a man for Li Hua a thousand times, it will be Prince L¨®ng Wei only. He not only respects my sister but also adores him more than anyone.¡± Xu Zifan didn¡¯t hesitate topliment L¨®ng Wei. Probably that was the only possible way, he could thank L¨®ng Wei- by eliminating the negative thoughts from the people¡¯s minds.

 Chapter 184

    184 Quiet and Aloof [Bonus chapter]


    Mingquan was surprised to learn that Li Hua hade outside his chamber to have a conversation with him. He asked the maidservant to let here inside. As Li Hua¡¯s figure appeared in his sight, he passed a smile to her while she bowed to him.


    ¡°Please, take a seat,¡± Mingquan said and waited for her to sit first. After Li Hua settled, he sat down and asked if L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t apany her.


    ¡°His Highness didn¡¯t return to the chamber yet,¡± Li Hua replied. Mingquan pondered over that. Had L¨®ng Wei gone out to investigate the letter? But where he would go when no one could answer his question.


    ¡°Why did the Sister-inw visit me?¡± Mingquan asked. He knew that she wanted to know something from him.


    ¡°Your Highness, I have put a lot of thought into it. Since the Shui Family was involved in my family¡¯s murder, they deserve death only. I want to kill them from my hands, but if I take justice in my hands, then it will not be justice anymore.¡±


    ¡°Does the sister-inw want to punish them differently?¡± Mingquan inquired. ¡°She is right. She cannot make the decision regarding the Shui Family. Also, it is not anymore between the Shui Family and the Xu Family. Since you know that someone from Qinping is involved, then it will be appropriate to tell all this to the King,¡± Mingquan suggested to her.


    ¡°I have thought the same, Fourth Prince. However, my husband will not spare Feng Lao and if I stop him or I don¡¯t kill Feng Lao, my rtionship will be questioned. My Husband may think that I have feelings for Feng Lao. I do not want His Majesty to punish my husband for no reason. That¡¯s why I request the Fourth Prince, if any such situation arises in the Shui residence, please intervene and stop him.¡±


    Li Hua hade with high hopes to Mingquan. After L¨®ng Wei had ended his bitterness towards Mingquan, things changed. Li Hua realized that L¨®ng Wei consulted Mingquan various times and even listened to him.


    ¡°I understand. I will do my part if anything goes wrong. I won¡¯t let Brother L¨®ng Wei do anything which forces our father to punish him.¡± Mingquan¡¯s words were full of assurance and it calmed her restless heart.


    .....


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness. I will never forget your kind help,¡± Li Hua said, keeping the tiny smile on her lips.


    ¡°Sister-inw, I am d that you made a wise decision. In Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes, the rules andws are nothing. He thinks that they only obstruct justice,¡± Mingquan affirmed. Li Hua agreed with his words.


    ¡°Did the Fourth Prince ever try to help...¡±


    ¡°Many times. However, he refused every time or ignored me. He doesn¡¯t trust his half-siblings,¡± Mingquan rified her few doubts.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Li Hua wondered why L¨®ng Wei never trusted the people around him.


    ¡°He was quiet and aloof from a young age. He was different from the other kids of his age. Since I was young, I only heard it from our mothers or older siblings. However, as we grew up, Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s thoughts started to deviate from all of us. I was surprised to see this side of Brother L¨®ng Wei. His feelings for you must be on a level which I am unable to describe.¡± Mingquan told certain things about L¨®ng Wei to Li Hua.


    ¡°I think he was a neglected child. He hates his mother. Did his mother despise him?¡± Li Hua asked. It was the best moment to know the answers which L¨®ng Wei refrained from talking about.


    ¡°I do not have knowledge regarding it,¡± Mingquan answered. As per his promise to L¨®ng Wei, he didn¡¯t tell Li Hua. It would break the trust between the two brothers.


    ¡°Sister-inw, I would like to tell you a few things. As soon as the King finds out that you are a nobleman¡¯s daughter, it will delight him. But the lie you told may also offend him.¡± Mingquan had the fear that she would get severe punishment because of the interference of the Queen and the others.


    ¡°I have thought about it as well, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua answered and knitted her brows.


    ~~~~~~~


    The pnquin stopped at the top of the bridge. The people were already told to stay five meters away from the pnquin, and soldiers had surrounded it well. It was said that the Crown Prince had stopped for a while to rest.


    Eunuch Lishi went close to the pnquin and said in a low voice, ¡°Your Royal Highness, Liu Jin Yu isn¡¯t present here.¡±


    Mingquan¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, and he slightly moved the curtain to look outside. He found Liu Jin Yu and came running in his direction. ¡°She is here,¡± Minquan said, and he let go of the curtain.


    Eunuch Lishi scrunched his brows to see her and scolded her for making the Crown Prince wait.


    ¡°Please forgive me,¡± Liu Jin Yu said while panting. Xiaoming looked at her through the curtain and found the blood on her hand. However, he didn¡¯t say a word since he was in the market center. Many eyes were on him.


    ¡°We are leaving,¡± Xiaoming ordered. Eunuch Lishi immediately instructed the porters to carry the pnquin, and they soon left for the pce. During the entire return journey, Xiaoming¡¯s focus was on Liu Jin Yu. He found that there were no frowns on her forehead despite the injury that she had gotten.


    ¡®Why is she so different from the other women?¡¯ Xiaoming was curious to know.


    The pnquin stopped inside the imperial gates as the porters carefully put it on the ground. Xiaoming came out and left for his manor. Liu Jin Yu¡¯s throat was getting drier while her body was giving up. While returning, three masked men attacked her. The fight was fierce, but somehow, she managed to return.


    They had entered the main pce and were crossing through theke pavilion. Liu Jin Yu¡¯s vision was getting blurred and she felt intense sweating in her body. She shook her head, trying to remain in her senses when she got a push.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I havee to apologize to you.¡± Xiaoming heard a familiar voice and halted, followed by the others. He turned to look and found Cha Ying before him. Eunuch Lishi slightly smiled upon seeing her.


    Xiaoming¡¯s eyes fell on Liu Jin Yu, who had closed her eyes, and she fell into theke filled with lotuses.


    ¡°Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming shouted and rushed forward. He pushed Cha Ying away, and without a second thought, he jumped into the water.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness!¡± Eunuch Lishi shouted in concern.


    Xiaoming pulled Liu Jin Yu out of the water and patted her cheek. He brushed off the hair from her face. ¡°Jin Yu! Jin Yu! She¡¯s unconscious,¡± he murmured. He came out of theke, carrying Liu Jin Yu in his arms, and ordered Eunuch Lishi to bring the Royal Physician Peng to the manor.


    Cha Ying was shocked to see all this. Xiaoming was concerned about a mere servant and it heightened her temper. But she didn¡¯t lose it as per her father¡¯s instructions and walked to Xiaoming, who had already turned to leave.

 Chapter 185

    185 Fallen into my eyes


    Xiaoming looked at the left arm of Liu Jin Yu. She had tied a cloth around it to stop the bleeding. He asked the female servant to bring clothes for Liu Jin Yu, who bowed and left.


    Physician Peng came to the chamber with Eunuch Lishi and greeted the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, take the servants outside,¡± Xiaoming ordered him. He bowed and asked the servants to follow him.


    ¡°Her left arm is wounded. Treat her arm first,¡± Xiaoming said and pulled the curtains down. He turned his back towards her while letting Physician Peng do the rest of the work.


    ¡°It seems this servant has been attacked by a sharp weapon.¡± Xiaoming turned to look as he heard Physician Peng¡¯s words. ¡°It seems the wound is from a sword,¡± he affirmed and pulled his hand back.


    Liu Jin Yu hissed in pain in her unconscious state. Xiaoming got worried when he heard the Physician. ¡°Will she be alright?¡± Xiaoming asked and again turned his back.


    ¡°The wound is not serious. It will take a few days to heal, Your Royal Highness,¡± Physician Peng answered, and started to clean the wound.


    Xiaoming wondered who could be the enemy of Liu Jin Yu. Did someone from the noble ss recognize her? He furrowed his brows and clenched his fists. He moved his eyes to the left and saw Eunuch Lishi.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, forgive me foring in without your permission,¡± Eunuch Lishi first apologized before continuing, ¡°Miss Cha Ying is waiting for the Crown Prince. I will stay here. His Royal Highness shall go to meet Miss Cha Ying. I have brought clean clothes for the Crown Prince. He must wear them and-¡± Before he couldplete his words, Xiaoming dashed to the guest chamber in his manor.


    .....


    He was already annoyed to see Cha Ying and she dared toe into his manor.


    Seeing him, Cha Ying¡¯s personal attendant rushed in and informed her about the Crown Prince¡¯s arrival. Cha Ying stood up from the chair and curled her lips into a tiny smile. She kept her eyes low and heard himing toward her. She saw his shoes and found he had halted.


    She bowed in front of him and opened her mouth to ask for forgiveness for her previous mistake. However, Xiaoming wouldn¡¯t let her speak.


    ¡°I clearly told Miss Cha Ying not to show me her face ever.¡±


    Cha Ying lifted her eyelids and the smile on her lips vanished. She found Xiaoming was infuriated with her.


    ¡°How dare you step inside my manor? Did I invite you!? Did you take my permission?¡± Xiaoming shouted at her. Cha Ying looked down as her eyes filled with tears once again.


    In her defense, her personal attendant stepped forward and apologized to the Crown Prince. ¡°I was the one who told my Miss-¡±


    ¡°Who are you to intervene in the middle?¡± Xiaoming raised her voice too and then looked back at Cha Ying.


    ¡°Forget about marrying me. I exined this to you earlier too. Also, I don¡¯t need your apology. You have already fallen into my eyes. If Miss Cha Ying thinks I don¡¯t understand her and her father¡¯s tactics, then she is wrong,¡± Xiaoming said sternly to her.


    She had never felt such humiliation in her entire life. She understood that if Xiaoming could not respect her now, then he would never respect her.


    Xiaoming was ready to leave when he heard from Cha Ying.


    ¡°I wanted to apologize to the Crown Prince for the wrong I did. Also, I did what I was told. The Crown Prince¡¯s mother wanted me to do this. I request His Royal Highness not to use me when he doesn¡¯t know what is happening around me,¡± Cha Ying said, and the tears rolled down her cheeks.


    Xiaoming didn¡¯t reply and walked out. He went straight to his bedchamber to check on Liu Jin Yu. Physician Peng had dressed the wound on her arm while the maidservant had changed the clothes of Liu Jin Yu.


    Eunuch Lishi saw the angry look on Xiaoming¡¯s face.


    ¡°She might feel the pain because of the wound. Please give some pills for that,¡± Xiaoming requested Physician Peng, who nodded. He gave the small box with a few painkiller pills to Xiaoming before heading out.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I will shift Liu Jin Yu to the servants¡¯ quarter. His Royal Highness must change his clothes,¡± Eunuch Lishi said worriedly.


    ¡°Get out of my sight. You do not need to work for me anymore.¡± Xiaoming said in a in, cold voice. Eunuch Lishi was shocked to hear Xiaoming and immediately got on his knees.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, did I make any mistakes? Then, please punish me. I beg His Royal Highness not to tell me to leave his side,¡± Eunuch Lishi begged Xiaoming, who was not ready to forgive him. When Cha Ying told him that his mother was involved, his first doubt went to Eunuch Lishi, who was more loyal to his mother.


    ¡°It is themand. I don¡¯t want a betrayer to be by my side. Leave before I truly punish you,¡± Xiaomingmanded him.


    Eunuch Lishi was at a loss for words. He decided not to anger Xiaoming and silently left the chamber.


    Xiaoming called a female servant inside and asked her to prepare the bathhouse for him. She returned after some time and informed the Crown Prince about it.


    Xiaoming looked at the clean pair of clothes and carried them.


    ¡°Keep your eyes on Liu Jin Yu. Do not allow anyone in until I return from the bathhouse. Do not let anyonee in. Follow mymand at the cost of your life,¡± he instructed the maidservant.


    He nced at Liu Jin Yu before heading to the bathhouse.


    On the other hand, Eunuch Lishi stayed outside the door on his knees, pleading for forgiveness.


    ~~~~~~~


    Zhu Liling was shocked to see Cha Ying. She cried profusely in front of her and told the Queen that she would not make any effort to go close to the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I have self-respect too. I have also found out that the Crown Prince hates my sight. It is better for me not to make any advancements.¡± Cha Ying conveyed what was in her heart to the Queen, who was unable to understand what to speak.


    After putting a thought, Zhu Liling said, ¡°Cha Ying, I will be present with you this time. I will ask the Crown Prince the reason behind it. Also, I will make sure that he apologizes to you.¡±


    Zhu Liling didn¡¯t want Cha Ying to live in that state. If the other two consorts found out about it, they would try to intervene. Also, the Kang family would get upset with Xiaoming. This was a risk she could not take. She wanted to strengthen Xiaoming¡¯s position.


    Zhu Liling wiped the tears from Cha Ying¡¯s eyes and asked Eunuch Lianying to pass the ss of water to her. Heplied with hermand immediately and poured water into a silver ss.


    He handed it to the Queen and stepped back. Zhu Liling asked Cha Ying to drink the water and calmed her down. She made her sit on the chair.


    ¡°Eunuch Lianying, deliver the message to the Crown Prince that his mother wants to see him,¡± Zhu Liling ordered. He bowed and left for the Crown Prince¡¯s manor.

 Chapter 186

    186 Your attitude, Your apology


    Eunuch Lianying saw Eunuch Lishi, who was on his knees. He asked him if he got punished.


    ¡°The Crown Prince is furious. His Royal Highness does not want me to serve him anymore,¡± Eunuch Lishi replied, while keeping his head down.


    ¡°Miss Cha Ying is with Her Majesty. Her Majesty wants to see the Crown Prince,¡± Eunuch Lianying said, looking towards the door. He asked the maidservants to open it who refused while conveying the order of the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, go in and deliver this message to the Crown Prince,¡± Eunuch Lianying instructed him. He refused because Xiaoming would throw him out of the pce if he listened to Eunuch Lianying.


    Eunuch Lianying didn¡¯t want the queen to keep waiting, so he looked at the two maidservants. ¡°Get aside. I will converse with the Crown Prince. I am from the Queen¡¯s Manor, and you two should follow mymand.¡±


    The female servants were stuck. Earlier, the maidservant had told them not to open the door and let anyone in because her life would be in danger. However, they couldn¡¯t stop someone from the Queen¡¯s manor. They both looked at each other and then lifted their hands to open the sliding door.


    Eunuch Lianying stepped forward to go in when Eunuch Lishi stopped him.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness¡¯s temper is in heaven¡¯s sky. I request Eunuch Lianying not to break the order that the Crown Prince has given.¡± Eunuch Lishi didn¡¯t want Eunuch Lianying to see Liu Jin Yu in Xiaoming¡¯s bedchamber.


    ¡°But Her Majesty will also get angry upon not seeing the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince doesn¡¯t hold any power in the inner pce, so he mustply with themand of the Queen,¡± Eunuch Lianying argued.


    .....


    ¡°I aming.¡± They both heard Xiaoming¡¯s voice and turned to look at him. Eunuch Lishi saw that he had changed into a new dress and looked cleaner than before. Xiaoming walked ahead while Eunuch Lianying followed him.


    Xiaoming saw Cha Ying in his mother¡¯s chamber, and it was enough to raise his anger. He greeted his mother and put his hands down.


    ¡°I heard what the Crown Prince did. He must apologize to Cha Ying. She hase to ask for the Crown Prince¡¯s forgiveness. But he started to shout at her. This behavior of the Crown Prince isn¡¯t eptable to me,¡± Zhu Liling reprimanded Xiaoming.


    ¡°Why did the mother show her the dream of marrying me!?¡± Xiaoming questioned. ¡°When the father clearly told us that Miss Cha Ying is out of the Crown Princess¡¯ race, then the Mother should have listened to that. If Mother tries to do it again, I will not hesitate to punish Miss Cha Ying and her family. I cannot tolerate annoyance for a long time,¡± he warned Zhu Liling.


    Cha Ying widened her eyes and gazed in Xiaoming¡¯s direction. However, his gaze was at his mother. She lowered her eyelids when Xiaoming looked at her.


    ¡°I am starting to hate Miss Cha Ying. She should have gone to her house instead ofing back to see my mother. If you were sincere in your attitude, your apology, even once, then I would not be conversing with you this rudely. If she has a little bit of smartness and conscience, then she should nevere to see me.¡±


    Zhu Liling intervened again, this time when Xiaoming told her to stop.


    ¡°I won¡¯t mind taking this matter to the King. Then, Mother has to take the punishment as well.¡±


    Zhu Liling turned quiet while Cha Ying left after bowing. She was a fool toe to the Queen. Now, there was no way she could marry Xiaoming because he loathed her. It was visible not only in his voice but eyes too.


    ¡°The Crown Prince should not have done this. Her Majesty only desired his advancement. Currently, the Kang family is the most powerful noble family in the Kingdom. If Miss Cha Ying marries the Crown Prince, then he will have great support.¡± This time, Eunuch Lianying conveyed the thoughts of Zhu Liling.


    ¡°Did I ask you to decide for my future!?¡± Xiaoming arched his brow. He realized that Eunuch Lianying was the one who had filled his mother¡¯s ears. ¡°I know that my marriage with Cha Ying, if it happens, then you will also benefit. Kang Xi and you have been in contact for a long time. Don¡¯t make me open my mouth. Just let things remain as they are,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    Eunuch Lianying didn¡¯t know that Xiaoming knew so many things about him. He used to think of him as a na?ve prince.


    ¡°What will the Crown Prince do if Cha Ying marries any of his younger brothers?¡± Zhu Liling walked up to him and held both of his arms. ¡°The Crown Prince must think rationally. He cannot y with his future like this. The Crown Prince must marry a woman with a strong family background. It helps him in the long run,¡± she asserted. This time, her voice was calmer than before.


    ¡°I would have married her if she were not like her father. Don¡¯t make me hate you because of her. If the Mother keeps forcing me to marry her, I may stop seeing her. She doesn¡¯t need to tell me how I can be powerful. I know what I have to do. Mother should focus on her other work instead of this,¡± Xiaoming said while yanking her arms off his arms. He stepped back and left for his manor.


    ¡°The Crown Prince has lost his mind, Your Majesty,¡± Eunuch Lianyingined as soon as Xiaoming left. ¡°The Crown Prince even raised the question of my loyalty toward him and you. What benefits can a Eunuch get from the marriage of the Crown Prince? I was only thinking about him,¡± he said.


    ¡°Let the Crown Prince¡¯s anger subside. I will talk with him once more when he is calm,¡± Zhu Liling told him and asked him not to let this incident fall into anyone¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Eunuch Lianying bowed and knitted his brows.

 Chapter 187

    187 My Wife is so brilliant


    L¨®ng Wei returned to the chamber in the evening. He found from Eunuch Qian He that Li Hua had gone to the garden.


    ¡°At this hour?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s left eyebrow arched. He left for the garden. It was the time when she had to get ready to leave for the Shui Residence.


    He halted as he found her in the pavilion. The sun was still above the horizon, so they still had plenty of time. L¨®ng Wei wanted to make the Shui family¡¯s night horrible.


    Li Hua turned her head upon hearing the footsteps. She was seated on the floor while her arms rested on the broad wooden handrail before her. She sat straight and pulled her legs close.


    ¡°What are you doing here? You should have been ready by now,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Li Hua looked at her clothes and then told him that she didn¡¯t need to change.


    ¡°Your Highness, please sit down,¡± Li Hua requested. ¡°I want to converse about an important matter with him,¡± she asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei sat down next to her and found the floor was cold. Luckily, it was the summertime, so the cold floor was bearable. ¡°You look stressed and nervous. Is it because you will finally see Feng Lao?¡± He asked her.


    Li Hua shook her head. ¡°It is because of us,¡± she stated.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired while being amused by her reply.


    .....


    ¡°Your Highness, earlier I had a conversation with the Fourth Prince. While conversing, I realized that the truth about me and my brother should not be revealed to the Shui family,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    ¡°Why? Are you scared of them? I will kill them if they try to over-smart us,¡± L¨®ng Wei assured her.


    ¡°No, Your Highness. You told me that we could not kill them. Your Highness, we must reveal the truth to His Majesty first,¡± Li Hua suggested to him.


    ¡°I am unable to understand you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°what is in your head, I cannotprehend it.¡±


    ¡°I will exin to His Highness,¡± Li Hua stated, and he moved closer to him. ¡°Your Highness, the Shui Family wanted all of us dead. If today, they find out that two members of the Xu family are alive, then they may try to kill us. They will bury the truth even before it reaches the ears of the King. Moreover, it is not about my or my brother¡¯s life. It is also about you, Fourth Prince and Commander Huang Xi. We must not make any decisions in a rush. I cannot lose any more people because of those evil people.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei had not thought about this. How could such an important thing slip off his mind? The chief reason was his hatred for Feng Lao. All he wanted to do was kill him with his hands.


    ¡°Your Highness, if today we take an action and harm them, the entire Kingdom will me us, especially you. I do not want my savior, my husband, to be med for no reason. I don¡¯t want him to get punished either. That¡¯s why today we will not go to the Shui Residence,¡± Li Hua opined. L¨®ng Wei was moved by her words. Whenever she called him ¡®her husband¡¯, it gave him blissful pleasure and satisfaction.


    ¡°Li Hua, I didn¡¯t even think that way. You are right. We must not do anything here. Inside the pce, we are safer than outside the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Father will punish me if I take thew in my hand and more than me, Father will punish you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He admired Li Hua for thinking the other way.


    ¡°My wife is so brilliant. She has grown up,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and smiled at her.


    ¡°Your Highness, shall we leave tonight?¡± Li Hua asked him. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything to go wrong for any of us. If someone finds out that I am alive and safe, we will get into trouble. We shall return to Qinping as soon as possible,¡± Li Hua advised him. L¨®ng Wei contemted her words before agreeing with her.


    ¡°After our dinner, we will head back to Qinping,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°We didn¡¯t even spend a good time with each other,¡± he sighed.


    ¡°What is His Highness saying? We had some special moments here: Near theke, then in the chamber, and even here,¡± Li Hua reminded him.


    L¨®ng Wei grasped the ankle of her left foot and drew her close. ¡°Here, we didn¡¯t have any special romantic moment. However, we can have it now,¡± he stated.


    ¡°How?¡± She asked.


    ¡°We can initiate with a kiss.¡± His thumb brushed her lower lip.


    ¡°That will be counted as an intimate moment,¡± Li Hua corrected him. ¡°Since His Highness loves me, then his every moment with me shall be romantic,¡± she proimed.


    ¡°Then, I shall make this romantic moment special,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and leaned forward to kiss her.


    ¡°Your Highness, what are you both doing here?¡± Suddenly they heard a voice and Li Hua immediately pushed L¨®ng Wei away and she turned her face away. Huang Xi realized that he entered at the wrong time, so he apologized to them while hiding his smile. Li Hua covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t we supposed to go to the Shui Residence?¡± Huang Xi asked them.


    ¡°There¡¯s a change in n, Huang Xi. We are returning to the capital after dinner,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°But, why?¡± Huang Xi asked for an exnation.


    ¡°Call everyone in the general chamber. I aming and will exin the reason behind the change of n,¡± L¨®ng Wei ordered him. Huang Xi bowed and left the pavilion.


    ¡°He has gone. You don¡¯t need to be shy anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Li Hua, who put her hands down.


    ¡°But Commander Huang Xi saw us. I cannot even meet his eyes,¡± Li Hua said in embarrassment.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t see us. Also, if he saw us then shouldn¡¯t he be the one to get shy away?¡± He questioned her. ¡°We didn¡¯t even kiss each other. We were about to kiss but he interfered.¡±


    ¡°Shall we leave?¡± Li Hua asked and stood up when L¨®ng Wei pulled her down on hisp.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡± She gaped at him.


    ¡°It will take time for everyone to gather. Let¡¯s continue where we both have left,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her.

 Chapter 188

    188 Return the Jade Ring


    ¡°But if we don¡¯t reach at the time, then Commander Huang Xi may tell them that we are together and doing this,¡± Li Hua opined. ¡°What will my Elder Brother think then? We can kisster,¡± she suggested to him.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed and let her go. Li Hua stood up and looked down to dress up the high-waist skirt when L¨®ng Wei told her to stand straight. ¡°I will do it,¡± he said, and stroked his hand on the dress. The tes on the dress turned right and he asked her to turn.


    ¡°Why?¡± Li Hua inquired.


    ¡°Just turn around,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Li Hua turned her back to him and he dust off her dress from behind. Li Hua blinked her eyes a few times when L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hands touched her hips.


    ¡°It is done,¡± he said, and he got up from the floor. He hugged her from behind and then withdrew.


    ¡°Your Highness, did you throw away the jade ring that Feng Lao had given me? I know that you haven¡¯t. I want to return it through Brother Tang Zhaodang to Feng Lao,¡± Li Hua expressed her desire.


    This was unexpected by L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Do you really want to do it?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t want it to be with us anymore. His Highness should give it to Brother Tang and tell him to return it to Feng Lao tomorrow morning,¡± Li Hua exined to him.


    ¡°Let me burn that,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    .....


    ¡°No. Feng Lao must get the idea by the morning that I am alive. An enemy will make mistakes when he finds his vulnerability. I do not know why he gave me that jade ring that night when he was supposed to marry the woman whom my brother liked once and still does. It is better to send it back to the owner, who stopped me from going close to my husband.¡± Li Hua¡¯s words once again won L¨®ng Wei¡¯s heart. He smiled and put his hand in his pocket.


    Taking out the red jade ring, he showed it to Li Hua. ¡°I thought we would go to the Shui residence and then I would throw this ring at his face. I will give it to Tang Zhaodang,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a slight smile.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said.


    L¨®ng Wei put it back in his pocket. He held her hand, and they both left to see the others.


    Li Hua pulled her hand back as they reached outside the chamber. They walked in and Li Hua greeted them before taking her seat.


    ¡°Why did Brother L¨®ng Wei ask us to gather?¡± Mingquan inquired. L¨®ng Wei had taken his seat next to Li Hua.


    ¡°Because Li Hua thinks if we reveal that from the Xu family, two people are alive and know everything about that night, then they may harm them. We need to talk about this to the Royal Father first. Li Hua thinks that the King will send a summon to Shui Xiaoqing and Feng Lao toe to the court. Moreover, I should not take thew into my own hands,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    Mingquan was astonished to find that L¨®ng Wei agreed to Li Hua¡¯s words so easily. It was tough to please L¨®ng Wei. When L¨®ng Wei started to think about rules andws, he thought.


    ¡°Princess Consort is absolutely right. We cannot do anything irrational here. In the town, hardly any recognized Princess Consort.¡± Huang Xi nced at Tang Zhaodang, who assured them he would not tell anyone.


    ¡°We are leaving for Xinshui tonight, after taking our meals. Li Hua wants to present the truth to His Majesty imminently,¡± L¨®ng Wei announced. This was unexpected, but no one objected because it seemed right to leave Xinshui before anyone would find out.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, you are alsoing with us,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he nced at Tang Zhaodang.


    ¡°I want you to do something for me.¡± He took out the jade ring, which bewildered everyone.


    ¡°A jade ring?¡± Huang Xi muttered.


    ¡°Feng Lao gave this to Li Hua on that night. Return this to him in the morning,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Your Highness, what will I answer him if he asks me about it?¡± Tang Zhaodang asked.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Tell Feng Lao that L¨®ng Wei gave it to you in the market. He won¡¯t question you anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Tang Zhaodang nodded and walked up to him. He took the jade ring from L¨®ng Wei and assured them that he would return it.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to nce at Li Hua, who did not look upset anymore.


    ¡°Sister-inw made a good decision. Returning tonight will be best because no one knows about it,¡± he asserted and passed a tiny smile to her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s end the meeting here. Tang Zhaodang, don¡¯t leave now. Leave after us,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him, whoplied with hismand. Soon, all of them left the chamber.


    Li Hua removed the shoes to get into the bed. She thought of lying down for a while. However, L¨®ng Wei appeared before her and smiled brightly at her.


    ¡°Does His Highness need something?¡± She asked.


    ¡°You forgot?¡± His brow cocked up.


    ¡°What did I forget, Your Highness?¡± She queried. ¡°I want to lie down for a while. My lower back is aching,¡± she told him.


    L¨®ng Wei got worried and asked her if he should ask Qian He to bring the physician. Li Hua shook her head.


    ¡°But it may increase if I do not call the physician. Wait here! I will return in a while,¡± L¨®ng Wei said when Li Hua stopped him.


    ¡°Your Highness, it is not because of any illness. It¡¯s because,¡± she paused, thinking he would understand.


    L¨®ng Wei waited for her response with bated breath and discovered her hesitating.¡±What happened? Did you get a hit on your back? Let me check,¡± he worriedly said.


    ¡°Your Highness, it is my time of the month,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°I will ask Qian He to bring the chamomile tea for you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier? I would not have let you walk. Do you want me to postpone the journey? It will be more painful,¡± he said.


    Li Hua refused him. ¡°It is not that painful, Your Highness,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Are you telling the truth?¡± He asked to confirm it again.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei walked up to her and scooped his arm around her to bring her to the bed. ¡°Lay down. I will soon be back,¡± he said and caressed her back. Li Hua hummed and sat down on the mattress.


    L¨®ng Wei stepped back and walked out. ¡°Will she be fine during the return journey? What if the pain gets severe?¡± He murmured and met Qian He.


    ¡°Send the chamomile tea,¡± L¨®ng Wei ordered him. Qian He turned to go to the kitchen when L¨®ng Wei asked him, ¡°Is it safe to travel if a woman is on her month?¡±


    Qian He turned back to look at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Since His Highness will use a carriage, then, it will definitely trouble Her Highness. If Her Highness goes in a pnquin, then it will be better,¡± Qian He answered.


    ¡°What if the carriage goes slowly?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°That¡¯s good too. If His Highness thinks that Her Highness will get troubled in the journey, then he shall wait till the morning,¡± Qian He advised him. L¨®ng Wei understood his words and asked him to send the chamomile tea.

 Chapter 189

    189 I cannot put your life in Danger


    Liu Jin Yu snapped her eyes open and sat up on the mattress. She looked around and found she was on the bed in the Crown Prince¡¯s bedchamber. She recollected what had happened earlier and looked at herself.


    ¡°Lay down. You still need to take a rest.¡± Xiaoming¡¯s voice fell into her ears, and she turned her head to gaze at him. ¡°Why am I here?¡± She asked the first question.


    ¡°I brought you here,¡± Xiaoming replied, taking a seat beside the bed.¡±I told you not to fall into any danger,¡± he said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, Your Royal Highness. While I was returning, three masked men chased me and attacked me. I didn¡¯t invite any danger,¡± Liu Jin Yu answered.


    ¡°Maybe someone recognized you and sent them to kill you. You stole from a lot of people,¡± Xiaoming opined.


    Liu Jin Yu shook her head. She didn¡¯t agree with Xiaoming¡¯s opinion because she had never encountered any such thing. She was never caught stealing from anyone. ¡°They were highly trained, Your Royal Highness. Their actions were swift. They seemed to be assassins. It happened to me for the first time. Luckily, His Royal Highness had given me the dagger, so I got saved.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu¡¯s words perplexed Xiaoming. Who would send highly trained assassins after her? Why would someone do it? Xiaoming thought and asked her where they started chasing her.


    When I reached outside the market. It seemed they were waiting for me,¡± Liu Jin Yu replied. She touched her left arm and shut her eyes because the pain was intense. ¡°I think it was someone from the pce,¡± Liu Jin Yu remarked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xiaoming furrowed his brows together.


    .....


    ¡°Her Majesty called me that day not to get close to the Crown Prince. I have no enemies outside, but in the pce, I drew a lot of attention. That¡¯s why I asked the Crown Prince to let me go. I can pay him back even working outside. Forgive me, Your Royal Highness, but I also love my life. I could have run away today, but I didn¡¯t because I wanted to tell you all this personally.¡± Liu Jin Yu for the first time felt what it was like to go through death. Three trained assassins were after her. What if she were dead?


    Xiaoming could not deny her assumptions. Indeed, her presence around him brought a lot of unwanted attention. Being the Crown Prince was such a tough job. He could not even show any affection toward any person.


    Affection?


    He looked at Jin Yu. He liked her personality. He found her different and thought to keep her close for a while. But since she got attacked because of him, he decided to let her go.


    ¡°You can leave tomorrow morning. You don¡¯t need to pay me. What will I do with the money? I have everything,¡± Xiaoming stated, and walked out of the chamber. As the doors opened, Eunuch Lishi immediately bowed and asked for forgiveness.


    ¡°Did you tell my mother that Liu Jin Yu would go out today?¡± Xiaoming asked him. Eunuch Lishi stopped blinking, wondering how Xiaoming found out.


    ¡°Answer this question and I will forgive you,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Royal Highness. I did so because Her Majesty had asked me to keep telling her about Liu Jin Yu¡¯s whereabouts,¡± Eunuch Lishi said, and started to beg for forgiveness.


    Xiaoming chuckled and said, ¡°Tell my mother that because of her I can never be happy. Also, I forgave you, but you will no longer serve me. I want it to end calmly, so it is better for you to leave than plead with me.¡± His decision came out of the blue, and it terrified Eunuch Lishi.


    He grabbed the Crown Prince¡¯s feet, seizing hisst chance to calm down.¡±Your Royal Highness, we only wanted your good. If a lowly ss maiden roams around you, then that will only affect your position. I assure you that no such thing will happen in the future. I want to serve his Royal Highness till myst breath.¡± Eunuch Lishi requested Xiaoming to give him onest chance. He would not disappoint Xiaoming this time.


    Xiaoming stepped back and said, ¡°Eunuch Lishi, I know that I cannot befriend any person if he or she does not belong to a noble ss. But why should I bother people? I have one life to live, which I am unable to live fully because of the restrictions I have been put under. I don¡¯t know why you even think that I am incapable of bringing nobles in my favor.¡±


    ¡°I never think of His Royal Highness as an incapable person. Please do not think this way, Your Royal Highness.¡± Eunuch Lishi kept his head down while begging Xiaoming to give him thest chance.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, please leave my sight. You can serve the Queen from now on. I don¡¯t need you to be around me. Liu Jin Yu isn¡¯t the type of woman you and my mother thought she was. Go and tell my mother that her son is no longer a three-year-old child, who needs her guidance all the time. Leave before my anger bursts out on you,¡± Xiaoming said and stepped back. Eunuch Lishi realized that Xiaoming would not want him anymore. He felt guilty for betraying the Crown Prince.


    Xiaoming nced at the maidservant and asked her to bring dinner for them. He walked in and closed the doors behind him.


    He went back to see Liu Jin Yu. He walked up to her and bowed before her. Liu Jin Yu was puzzled to see him.


    ¡°Forgive me, Liu Jin Yu. Because of me, you were going to die. I should have sent you away after I knew about you. But my curiosity to know you makes me keep you close to me. So, as a friend, I cannot put your life in danger. I am truly apologetic for the incident,¡± Xiaoming said, lifting his head to look at her.


    ¡°The Crown Prince should not bow his head in front of amoner. Also, it was not his fault,¡± Liu Jin Yu proimed. ¡°Thank you for getting me treated by a physician, and agreeing to let me go. I will always remember the Crown Prince,¡± she said, and her lips curled up into a broad smile.


    Liu Jin Yu stood up and walked up Xiaoming. ¡°I must give a hug,¡± she said and embraced him. It astonished Xiaoming. Never once any dares to do this to him. But he didn¡¯t get furious because it was Liu Jin Yu.


    Liu Jin Yu patted his back and said, ¡°I have told the Crown Prince to listen to himself. Whatever he feels right, he must do it. Today¡¯s attack on me wasn¡¯t His Royal Highness¡¯s fault but because we got entangled in a way which threatened my life. If he ever needs me, he can call me anytime. In his service, I will always be present.¡±


    Xiaoming lifted his hands and put them on her back. He felt light-hearted. ¡°You are a great woman, Liu Jin Yu. Stay this way. I am honoured to have you as my friend,¡± he said and smiled.

 Chapter 190

    190 I will turn your life upside-down


    In the morning, L¨®ng Wei arrived at the imperial pce with Li Hua and others. Last night he asked Li Hua to postpone their trip to Qinping, but she didn¡¯t listen to him. So, he asked the chauffeur to drive the carriage at a low speed. Mingquan asked L¨®ng Wei if he would arrange a guest-chamber for Xu Zifan and would be with him.


    L¨®ng Wei thanked Huang Xi, who left for his home. L¨®ng Wei returned to his manor with Li Hua. Court Lady Hong was happy to see them and, at the same time, she was surprised. They were supposed to arrive a dayter.


    ¡°I will ask the maidservants to prepare a bathhouse for the Prince and Princess Consort.¡± Court Lady Hong said and called two maidservants inside. She instructed them well and asked L¨®ng Wei, and Li Hua to wait for a while.


    ¡°Your Highness, I missed you both when you weren¡¯t in the pce. I hope you both have enjoyed the time in Xinshui,¡± Court Lady Hong said and handed them water sses.


    ¡°Indeed, we had a lot of fun in Xinshui,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and drank the water. Li Hua drank after him and gave the sses to Court Lady Hong, who put them on the table.


    ¡°Did something happen when we weren¡¯t around?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired of Court Lady Hong.


    ¡°Not much, Your Highness. But one thing happened,¡± Court Lady Hong said, and paused.


    ¡°What was it about?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°The Crown Prince is not marrying the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter after she openly tarnished His Royal Highness¡¯s image,¡± Court Lady Hong answered.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and wondered how Xiaoming had got the strength to voice his opinion. ¡°What did Kang Xi¡¯s daughter do?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°The Crown Prince rejected Miss Cha Ying in the first meeting when she,¡± Court Lady Hong paused and looked at Li Hua before continuing, ¡°dragged the name of Princess Consort. Shemented that the Crown Prince rejected her because of the Princess Consort.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s facial expressions changed. A grim expression had appeared on his face. Li Hua didn¡¯t like the remark that Cha Ying made.


    ¡°Kang Xi¡¯s son earlier pissed me off and now his daughter,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked and rose from the chaise lounge.


    ¡°Your Highness, please don¡¯t do anything,¡± Li Hua requested.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± L¨®ng Wei stroked his hand over her head, ¡°I am going to the bathhouse. I can wash with cold water. You must stay in bed after taking a bath.¡± He then looked at Court Lady Hong andmanded her to take care of Li Hua.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± She bowed while L¨®ng Wei left for the bathhouse.


    ¡°Princess Consort, I see a change in His Highness. He has turned gentler than before,¡± Court Lady Hong said with a warm smile. Li Hua agreed with her and told her how L¨®ng Wei acknowledged the Fourth Prince as his brother after so many years. She told him that L¨®ng Wei befriended Huang Xi as well.


    ¡°His Majesty will be happy to hear about it. He always desired to see changes in his son,¡± Court Lady Hong affirmed and smiled. Li Hua refrained from telling her about her brother. She decided to tell her about itter.


    ¡°Your Highness, Princess Jingfei, had again appealed to His Majesty not to let you two return,¡± Court Lady Hong informed Li Hua, who was stunned to learn about it.


    Li Hua was troubled to hear it. ¡°The First Princess is still upset with what His Highness did to her. I will personally apologize to Princess Jingfei. I do not want the Sixth Prince to fall in anyone¡¯s eyes,¡± Li Hua said. Court Lady Hong was astonished to hear her, and it made her happy. Despite being from the Queen¡¯s manor, she had served almost all the princes from their childhood. She had spent a limited time around L¨®ng Wei, but she always pitied the Sixth Prince.


    ¡°Your Highness, if the Sixth Prince stops troubling the people around him, then everyone will start respecting him. If Princess Consort seeds in changing His Highness, then everything will be sorted out,¡± Court Lady Hong advised Li Hua, who fully agreed with her.


    ¡°Pardon me for intruding, but the bathhouse is ready.¡± A maidservant came inside and informed Li Hua. She stood up and left to freshen up.


    ~~~~~


    ¡°What?¡± Qiu Mu eximed when he heard from Eunuch Shi Rang that L¨®ng Wei had returned sound and safe.


    How was that possible? It was impossible to defeat Chang Shi. Did Mingquan fight with him and kill him? Qiu Mu scrunched his brows in annoyance. His entire n had failed, and now he was in danger.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Sixth Prince is here.¡± A maidservant rushed inside to inform Qiu Mu about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s presence in the manor.


    ¡°Tell him that I am not here,¡± Qiu Mu ordered the maidservant. He needed time to think about how to escape the danger that was awaiting him.


    ¡°The Second Prince hurt the feelings of his youngest half-brother,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. Qiu Mu promptly turned to look at him and clenched his fists on the scroll that he had in his hand.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince should not havee inside when my master had not permitted him toe in.¡± Eunuch Shi Rang scolded L¨®ng Wei for breaching the rule.


    ¡°The Second Prince can ask his talkative servant to go out so that we can talk in peace,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested to Qiu Mu, and he took a seat on the chair. Heid his back on the cushion and waited for Qiu Mu to act on his suggestion.


    ¡°Leave us alone,¡± Qiu Mu said, gulping the anger inside him. Eunuch Shi Rang and the maidservant silently left the chamber, closing the doors behind them.


    ¡°That was not a wise move, Qiu Mu,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a menacing grimace. All this time, he had never once taken his name, but now he decided to.


    ¡°So, going to Xinshui made you more manner-less and shameless,¡± Qiu Mu remarked and snickered.


    ¡°I am indeed mannerless, but I am not shameless, Qiu Mu,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°I told you to make certain that I died. Now, I have returned alive, I will turn your life upside-down,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with an intimidating tone.

 Chapter 191

    191 Defeat me at all costs


    ¡°I told you to be certain that I died. Now, I have returned alive, I will turn your life upside-down.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words came as a threat.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, I don¡¯t know what you are saying.¡± Qiu Mu pretended not to be aware of what L¨®ng Wei referred to. ¡°It has be your habit to use me. That¡¯s understandable. You are nothing before me. You are jealous of my position,¡± he stated.


    L¨®ng Wei could not stop hisughter, which puzzled Qiu Mu. After a while, he stoppedughing and stood up. He walked up to Qiu Mu and kept his gaze fixed in his eyes.


    ¡°Sending Chang Shi to kill me was your act, Qiu Mu. I put the usations on the culprit, who doesn¡¯t respect the women around him. Your eyes are lustful, and the world must know about your greatness. Indeed, I don¡¯t stand before you in those terms. Do you believe I will never be a General or a high-ranking official in the Kingdom? Just because I never showed my interest, no one ever cared about that. I only need an hour to rip you off this General title. But I won¡¯t do that.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei moved his index finger and chuckled at him.


    ¡°I love to y games, and I defeat my enemies in games only. You and I will y an interesting game from now onwards. So, be prepared, Qiu Mu. If you don¡¯t want to cryter and beg our father, you have to defeat me at all costs,¡± L¨®ng Wei openly challenged him and took a step back.


    ¡°I am not going to be part of any of your games,¡± Qiu Mu proimed.


    ¡°Oh, really? I will drag you into this game anyhow,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, with a confident tone. He waved at him with a broad smile and left the chamber.


    Qiu Mu clenched his fists once again. ¡°How dare he challenge and threaten me?¡± he muttered while gritting his teeth.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei heard the noises and realized that Qiu Mu had again lost his temper. That was what he wanted.


    To make him go mad and force him to do something which will benefit L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei found out that Xiaoming didn¡¯t do anything about Qiu Mu¡¯s title. He had instructed him to strip Qiu Mu of the position of Second General. But Xiaoming didn¡¯t take any action. What could be the reason behind that? Did he find the solution to get out of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s trap?


    That was impossible! He had nned everything well. Xiaoming wasn¡¯t the type to find a solution easily. He halted upon reaching the manor of the Crown Prince. He ascended the few stairs and walked in.


    ¡°Tell the Crown Prince that I want to see him,¡± L¨®ng Wei told the maidservant present outside the Crown Prince¡¯s chamber.


    Liu Jin Yu looked at him from top to bottom and again looked into his eyes. ¡°But who are you?¡± She asked.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head and chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to talk to a prince?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her and stepped forward to open the door when Liu Jin Yu caught his wrist.


    ¡°His Highness cannot enter the chamber of the Crown Prince,¡± Liu Jin Yu affirmed.


    Initially, she had to leave in the morning, but because her wound didn¡¯t heal, Xiaoming suggested to her to stay one more day. She could not deny him as it was hismand. Since Xiaoming asked Eunuch Lishi not to serve him anymore, Liu Jin Yu was present in his service.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s brows furrowed, and he red into Liu Jin Yu¡¯s eyes. ¡°Do you wish to die?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her and yanked her hand away. Liu Jin Yu wondered who could be this prince, who did not even follow the Crown Prince¡¯smand.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Crown Prince will get angry-¡± She had not evenpleted her statement when L¨®ng Wei stepped in and walked ahead.


    Liu Jin Yu walked behind him to stop him. ¡°Your Highness, it is wrong to step into the chamber of the Crown Prince without his permission,¡± she again said while walking beside him.


    ¡°Crown Prince!¡± L¨®ng Wei eximed with delight when he noticed Xiaoming near his study desk.


    Xiaoming was surprised to see L¨®ng Wei. He put the scroll down and a smile formed on his lips.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I tried to stop the prince, but he didn¡¯t listen to me,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    ¡°Where is Eunuch Lishi? He used to annoy me, but now this maidservant is doing it!¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked and beamed at her. Liu Jin Yu downcast her eyes.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, this is not a maidservant. This is Liu Jin Yu, who is on my temporary service. Also, Liu Jin Yu, do not stop Brother L¨®ng Wei froming in.¡± Xiaoming instructed her.


    Liu Jin Yu widened her eyes to find out that the prince whom she stopped was the Sixth Prince, who had killed his mother. She decided to leave silently when L¨®ng Wei stopped her.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you apologize?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    Liu Jin Yu asked for forgiveness in her humble tone. L¨®ng Wei asked her to leave, and she rushed out.


    ¡°How was the journey, Brother L¨®ng Wei?¡± Xiaoming asked and took his seat. L¨®ng Wei sat in the chair in front of him as well.


    ¡°It was great. Qiu Mu had sent someone to kill me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Xiaoming was shocked to learn about it. He told Qiu Mu not to take any such steps, but he didn¡¯t pay heed to his advice.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t the Crown Prince appeal to the Royal Father to remove Qiu Mu? I think the Crown Prince wants me to tell the truth to the Royal Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    Xiaoming stood up and came to the left of the desk. He got down on his knees and bowed before L¨®ng Wei. Seeing the Crown Prince on his knees, L¨®ng Wei got puzzled.


    ¡°I admitted my crime in front of the Royal Father. We were waiting for your arrival. The Royal Father will punish me once he finds out that you have returned. Also, I would like to sincerely apologize to Brother L¨®ng Wei. I should not have framed him. I did wrong, and I indeed deserve a punishment.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t expect all this. Xiaoming did something that was beyond his imagination.

 Chapter 192

    192 Nobody loves me, but she adores me


    L¨®ng Wei pondered over Xiaoming¡¯s pleading with him. He didn¡¯t want to forgive him. Since Xiaoming wanted to end it amicably, he didn¡¯t stretch the matter. However, he was astonished that Xiaoming had the guts to admit his crimes in front of the King.


    ¡°I was angry at Brother L¨®ng Wei because he married the woman whom I desired to marry. However, after deep contemtion, I realized that I should not have created a rift between us because of a woman. I didn¡¯t take any steps when I had the chance. I epted my present. Also, if she had been with me, it would have only brought danger to her. At present, there are no such feelings left in my heart for Li Hua. Please forgive me, Brother L¨®ng Wei.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei sighed. ¡°I had not expected the Crown Prince to be bold enough to admit his crimes. I can forgive you if you help me this time,¡± he said. Xiaoming lifted his head when L¨®ng Wei asked him to sit on the chair.


    ¡°The Crown Prince doesn¡¯t look good begging me for forgiveness,¡± asserted L¨®ng Wei, and he gestured to him to take his seat.


    ¡°What help should I provide to Brother L¨®ng Wei?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°First, the Crown Prince must prove to me that he is no longer my enemy. I am not a threat to him unless he does something to me. I have no attachment to this Crown Prince¡¯s position. I know you are troubled because of the prophecy that Yuze made for me. However, until I don¡¯t want it to happen, nothing will happen,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to him.


    ¡°I envy Brother L¨®ng Wei because he can do anything he wants while I cannot do what I want. I am the Crown Prince, yet I am held by the ws of people around me.¡± Xiaoming¡¯s emotions suddenly burst out before L¨®ng Wei, which perplexed him once again.


    ¡°I am not here to hear what¡¯s going on with the Crown Prince¡¯s life. I am here to know how the Crown Prince proves to me that he¡¯s my well-wisher,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°My apologies.¡±


    .....


    For a second, Xiaoming forgot that L¨®ng Wei could hardly rte to other people¡¯s worries. All he thought about was himself.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei can trust me because I not only admitted my crimes but also asked Brother Qiu Mu to ept the crime hemitted with the female servants in his manor. He had asked me to kill you as well, but I refused. I told him not to take any such steps. However, I didn¡¯t know that he would not listen to me,¡± Xiaoming told him.


    L¨®ng Weiughed.¡±That¡¯s not enough, Crown Prince,¡± he stated. ¡°Find the evidence that Qiu Mu harassed the female servants in his manor. I believe the Crown Prince is capable of doing that,¡± he said and got up from the chair. ¡°I will ask about it from the Crown Prince in the evening,¡± he stated, and left the chamber.


    Liu Jin Yu bowed as L¨®ng Wei came out. However, he didn¡¯t look at her and headed out.


    ~~~~~


    Qiu Zedong put the stamp down and looked at Eunuch Gao Bing. ¡°L¨®ng Wei has returned!¡± He eximed.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Both the Prince and Princess Consort returned safely with the Fourth Prince and Commander Huang Xi,¡± Gao Bing informed the King, who smiled.


    ¡°Greetings to the Royal Father!¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s voice echoed in the imperial court. Qiu Zedong was astonished to see L¨®ng Wei. It was the first time he came to see his father willingly. Gao Bing was also stunned to see him.


    L¨®ng Wei lowered his hands and looked his father in the eyes.Qiu Zedong stood up from the throne and came down to embrace his son. He patted L¨®ng Wei¡¯s back andughed.


    ¡°I had not expected that L¨®ng Wei woulde to see his father,¡± Qiu Zedong said and withdrew. He looked at L¨®ng Wei to make sure that he was healthy.


    ¡°I may be manner-less in many eyes, but I do understand my duties as a son toward my father. Also, this time I hadn¡¯t been punished. I had gone to spend time with my wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Qiu Zedong didn¡¯t expect this change in his son.


    ¡°Royal Father, Li Hua could note to greet you because she¡¯s tired of traveling. She has been resting. However, on her behalf, please ept my greetings,¡± L¨®ng Wei again lifted his arms and bowed before his father.


    ¡®Did His Highness hit his head somewhere? Since when has he turned this polite?¡¯ Gao Bing gaped at L¨®ng Wei in bewilderment.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Qiu Zedong said, and smiled.


    ¡°It seems the Royal Father is busy. I willeter,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°No. I have the work to put royal stamps on some important scrolls. Stay here. Let¡¯s have some conversation,¡± Qiu Zedong said and nced at Gao Bing. He understood the King¡¯s gesture and left the imperial court.


    Qiu Zedong sat on the throne while L¨®ng Wei sat on the chair which he ced diagonally around the desk.


    ¡°This time the Prince seems to be filled with new energy. He looks enthusiastic,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a bright smile.


    ¡°This is all thanks to Li Hua. I found a light in my life. Nobody loves me, but she adores me,¡± L¨®ng Wei gave the credit to Li Hua behind the change in him.


    ¡°We love you, L¨®ng Wei. I adore you a lot. But your troublesome acts force me to punish you,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°But even the Royal Father never see that side in me which Li Hua saw,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°I found out that my father wanted me to change and asked Li Hua to do it in two months. If she fails, he will throw her out of my life. I want the Royal Father to take back that condition. Because as long as Li Hua is with me, I will not do anything that hurts my father.¡±


    Qiu Zedong arched his eyebrow in astonishment. He agreed with L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. ¡°As long as my son is happy, I will not do anything. Your happiness is precious to me. I have never seen you this happy ever before,¡± he remarked.


    L¨®ng Wei thanked his father and decided to talk about Li Hua¡¯s real identity. He did not want Li Hua to fall into trouble and decided to converse with his father about it.

 Chapter 193

    193 Darkness and Unfairness


    ¡°Royal Father, I have an indispensable matter to discuss with you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. His tone suddenly turned serious.


    ¡°What do you want to discuss?¡± Qiu Zedong was curious to know. It was interesting that his son, for the first time, wanted to speak about a matter with him.


    ¡°Royal Father, it is about Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Qiu Zedong got confused when he heard him and asked him to continue.


    ¡°Before I tell my Father, I would like to get a promise from him that no matter what he will believe me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Qiu Zedong hummed and promised him.


    ¡°Li Hua doesn¡¯t belong to the lower ss. She is the daughter of Xu Guang Li, a third-rank official from Xinshui town,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Qiu Zedong was dumbfounded to learn about it. He immediately recalled that the entire Xu Family had died. ¡°Will the Prince rify everything?¡± He asked L¨®ng Wei to continue.


    L¨®ng Wei narrated the entire truth to his father. However, he didn¡¯t tell Qiu Zedong why Li Hua entered the pce. Instead, he modified that part. ¡°Li Hua had to make ends meet, so she decided to work in the pce. She thought that if she stayed in Xinshui, someone would kill her.¡±


    ¡°All this time, Li Hua lied to us,¡± Qiu Zedong drew his brows close, and it annoyed him.


    ¡°I knew about her, Royal Father. I was the one who told her not to reveal the truth,¡± L¨®ng Wei took the me on him. He didn¡¯t want Li Hua to undergo the wrath of his father. L¨®ng Wei knew his father couldn¡¯t be mad at him for more than a day.


    .....


    ¡°I saw her in Xinshui Town five months ago. She saved me from drowning,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Yes, that day, L¨®ng Wei wanted to experience death. He wanted to feel why people were afraid of it. He also had no hope of living. The hatred he received from the people around him made things tough for him. The darkest truth of his life, which everyone was unaware of! All he had seen was darkness and unfairness in people¡¯s hearts.


    However, that day, when Li Hua jumped into the water, he found the light in her. He wanted to pursue her until the end.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t tell Li Hua about this because she would have cried, and he could not bear to see her tears.


    Qiu Zedong was unable toprehend this situation. ¡°You know how to swim, then howe you were drowning?¡± Qiu Zedong asked him.


    ¡°I wanted to feel death,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Qiu Zedong widened his eyes and blinked several times.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to know why people fear death,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°Li Hua pulled me out of the water. She saved me. That was the time when I decided to marry her. But since I was banished from the imperial pce for a few months, I could not tell my father. When my punishment was over, I found out she was here. And, without wasting any more time, I decided to marry her. I hid her truth from the royal father and everyone because I thought she would get punished.¡±


    Such terrible thoughts were in his son¡¯s mind, and Qiu Zedong never knew about them. He felt terrible as a father.


    ¡°So, this trip was to find out who was behind all this, right?¡± Qiu Zedong inquired.


    ¡°Yes, Royal Father.¡±


    ¡°The Shui Family cannot do it without any outside support,¡± Qiu Zedong concluded. ¡°Two months ago, I made Shui Xiaoqing governor because of a minister¡¯s request. You can look into that and find out what happened. Also, I would like to meet Li Hua and her brother, Xu Zifan.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Royal Father.¡±


    ¡°Xu Guang Li was one of the most honest officials in the Kingdom. He had been to Qinping several times. However, I didn¡¯t know that someone could be his enemy,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a perplexed expression.


    ¡°Yes, Royal Father. I want to know when Yuze will return,¡± L¨®ng Wei suddenly changed the topic.


    ¡°Monk Yuze will return, probably by the end of this month. Why? Is there something you want to discuss with Monk Yuze instead of your father?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    L¨®ng Wei wondered if he should tell his father about the prophecy that Yuze made for Li Hua. Since Yuze hid it from everyone, he decided to keep it hidden from his father too.


    ¡°Were you always upset that I punished you?¡± Qiu Zedong asked. ¡°This throne doesn¡¯t permit me to do that. I couldn¡¯t debar you from punishment even if you held the title of a Prince,¡± he rified to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I was angry that the Royal Father never saw through me. The ministers around you aren¡¯t what you think. They all have hidden motives. I didn¡¯t beat Kang Huijuan because I am notorious, but because he left a woman pregnant andter tried to kill him. The Royal Father, Kang Xi is not your close friend. He may backstab you someday.¡± L¨®ng Wei finally revealed the truth to his father.


    ¡°What? Why did you not tell me this earlier?¡± Qiu Zedong inquired.


    ¡°Because my father hadn¡¯t believed me. I will bring evidence soon to him. However, I am d that I got punished. At least, I found Li Hua. If I had not been Xinshui at that time, then today, I would not have been at peace,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced with a smile.


    Qiu Zedong was totally stunned to hear the thoughts of his sons. Indeed, the marriage with Li Hua turned him into a better person. He could not express his happiness. L¨®ng Wei talked with him for years and told him what he felt deep inside his heart.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, you are my youngest child. That¡¯s why you are dear to me. Every difficulty you face hurts your father as well. I didn¡¯t know that you had such thoughts in your mind. It seems my child¡¯s acts were not troublesome, but he found his own way to bring justice to people around him,¡± Qiu Zedong stated and patted his shoulder with pride.


    He recalled that even Xiaoming had told him not to trust Kang Xi too much.


    ¡°When will Prince L¨®ng Wei share with me why he killed his mother?¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s came out of the blue. ¡°I do think that he did it for a reason,¡± he stated.


    Qiu Zedong recalled the day when L¨®ng Wei came in the middle of the night to his manor. It was raining heavily. When Eunuch Gao Bing informed him that L¨®ng Wei was standing in the middle of the courtyard, waiting for his father to see him, it troubled him.


    **shback starts**


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei is here at this hour?¡± Qiu Zedong chuckled when he heard the sound of thunder. He quickly got out of bed. Eunuch Gao Bing put a robe around him, and the two left to see L¨®ng Wei.


    Qiu Zedong¡¯s feet were glued to the ground when his eyes fell on L¨®ng Wei. He had held a sword in his hand. The sword was covered in blood. The hands, the face, and the robes of L¨®ng Wei had blood on them.


    Qiu Zedong widened his eyes upon seeing the terrible sight of L¨®ng Wei. Lightning struck in the dark cloudy sky. The pattering of rain on the ground intensified. Without wasting a second, Qiu Zedong ran to his son.


    He held L¨®ng Wei¡¯s arms and they looked into each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Gao Bing ran after the King, holding the umbre in his hand.


    Qiu Zedong¡¯s robes were half-drenched in that heavy rain when Gao Bing brought the umbre over Qiu Zedong¡¯s head.


    ¡°What is this, son?¡± Qiu Zedong, with a terrified expression, asked.


    ¡°I killed her,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. His voice was emotionless. He didn¡¯t sound regretful. His facial expressions were nk.


    ¡°Killed whom?¡± Qiu Zedong questioned him and scrunched his brows in dismay.


    ¡°The one who hated me,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    Qiu Zedong stopped blinking and asked L¨®ng Wei to exin the situation to him.


    ¡°I killed your concubine, Royal Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. This time it was loud enough, with a stern tone. A stroke of thunder reverberated in the dark sky. Qiu Zedong took a step back, unable toprehend what L¨®ng Wei had just told him.


    L¨®ng Wei threw the sword on the ground, which terrified the few servants present, including Gao Bing.


    ¡°The Prince has gone mad, Your Majesty. Should I ask the soldiers to take him away?¡± Eunuch Gao Bing asked.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Qiu Zedong shouted at Gao Bing, who tightly pursed his lips together.


    Qiu Zedong asked L¨®ng Wei again. He wasn¡¯t ready to believe that his son couldmit such a sin.


    ¡°Yes, Royal Father. I killed her,¡± L¨®ng Wei again admitted. Another bolt of lightning travelled into the dark clouds before striking somewhere on the ground.


    **shback ends**


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, answer your father. Why did you kill your mother?¡± Qiu Zedong asked again in the humblest possible way.

 Chapter 194

    194 How am I different?


    L¨®ng Wei turned silent. He didn¡¯t answer his father. Before Qiu Zedong could ask again, Eunuch Gao Bing came inside with a messenger.


    ¡°Your Majesty, this messenger is from Xinshui. Governor Shui Xiaoqing has sent a message to His Majesty,¡± the messenger informed Qiu Zedong after greeting the King. Gao Bing took the scroll and walked up to the King to hand the scroll to him.


    Qiu Zedong opened the scroll and read the message. Shui Xiaoqing hadined about L¨®ng Wei. He hit Shui Feng Lao in the Shui Residence and disrespected them.


    ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing, take the messenger to the guest room and serve him well,¡± Qiu Zedongmanded. Eunuch Gao Bing and the messenger bowed before leaving the imperial court.


    ¡°Did the Prince hit the son of Shui Xiaoqing? Did he threaten Feng Lao that he would bury him alive?¡± Qiu Zedong inquired.


    ¡°Yes, Royal Father.¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t hesitate to ept what he did to Feng Lao.


    ¡°May I know the reason? Is it because of Li Hua?¡± Qiu Zedong asked and arched his brow.


    ¡°He betrayed Li Hua, and he was proudly smiling in front of me. I could not control myself but hit him. I wanted to kill him, but I stopped. I couldn¡¯t take thew into my hands when the head ofw and justice is the King himself,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced, and curled his fingers into a fist.


    Qiu Zedong put the scroll away. ¡°The Prince cannot lose his temper now and then. It would be disadvantageous for him only. I will talk with Li Hua and Xu Zifan in the evening before delivering my decision,¡± he stated.


    .....


    ¡°I understand, Royal Father.¡± L¨®ng Wei agreed with his decision. He stood up and was ready to leave when Qiu Zedong stopped him.


    ¡°I want the answer from the Prince. Why did he kill his mother? At least, as your father, I have that right to know,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    ¡°I request the Royal Father to let the past wounds remain buried. The more one runs behind the past, the more it ruins the present. I hated that woman and I still do. I feel this is enough for an answer,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. He bowed and thanked his father for listening to him.


    L¨®ng Wei put the chair back in its ce and left the imperial court while Qiu Zedong furrowed his brows.


    ¡°What darkness and unfairness did he see in the hearts of the people?¡± He murmured and decided to talk with Li Hua regarding this.


    ~~~~~~


    ¡°The Sixth Prince doesn¡¯t respect his elders. It was evident in his acts,¡± Liu Jin Yuined to the Crown Prince.


    Xiaoming smiled as he finished the calligraphy and asked if she knew the meaning of what he had written.


    ¡°I cannot read, Your Royal Highness,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, and it amused Xiaoming. ¡°Only noble women get the chance to study, while people like me have to do all sorts of work to fill their stomachs.¡± She gave him the reason why she could not study.


    ¡°A needle is not sharp at both ends,¡± Xiaoming read to her.


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s not sharp,¡± Liu Jin Yu agreed with him.


    ¡°There¡¯s a deep meaning hidden behind this proverb,¡± Xiaoming affirmed. ¡°You must find out about it,¡± he added, and put away the sheet.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is different from the princes and princesses in the pce. He thinks differently and works ording to his philosophy without fearing consequences,¡± Xiaoming briefed her.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Hardly any have the guts to do that in the pce,¡± Liu Jin Yu remarked.


    Xiaoming agreed with her words. ¡°I envy Brother L¨®ng Wei because he is way too perfect in everything. It is just that he is not ready to take any position, or else he can even surpass me,¡± he asserted. This time he didn¡¯t afraid to admit that L¨®ng Wei was better than him in many aspects.


    ¡°Jealousy ismon if it is taken in a positive way,¡± Liu Jin Yu proimed. ¡°Even I envy the great swordsmen of the Qiu Kingdom. I train hard so that I can be the first woman skilled in swords,¡± she stated with an enthusiastic tone.


    Xiaoming was impressed with her way of being optimistic about everything.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, being perfect is not everything. You must feel what your people feel. As the Crown Prince, you have that quality. But the Sixth Princecks empathy. I realized the way he converses,¡± she said and made a face. ¡°However, in terms of personality, the Sixth Prince looks cool,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated and smiled.


    ¡°Does he look better than me?¡± Xiaoming asked her.


    ¡°Yes. The Sixth Prince looks handsome,¡± Liu Jin Yu answered truthfully.


    ¡°At leastpliment me on my looks.¡± When Xiaoming heard Liu Jin Yu praising L¨®ng Wei, he became agitated.


    ¡°I said what was true. Among the princes, the Sixth Prince looks-¡±


    Xiaoming didn¡¯t let her finish the words, and said, ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Is the Sixth Prince¡¯s perfection the only reason that the Crown Prince envies him?¡± Liu Jin Yu asked and rested her right elbow on the desk to hear him.


    ¡°Can I be honest with you?¡± Xiaoming asked her.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    ¡°There are many reasons. He does anything he likes. He got married to the woman he liked. He is sharp-minded. He has the answer to every solution. I am envious that Ick that,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    Liu Jin Yu was surprised to find that L¨®ng Wei married the woman of his likeness.


    ¡°His Royal Highness possesses many things that the Sixth Prince doesn¡¯t. Every person is different. It is not good to envy your youngest brother based on his qualities, because that will only make you feel inferior in your eyes. It will eat you inside-out. You will be mentally disturbed.¡± Liu Jin Yu made Xiaoming understand.


    Xiaoming gaped at her for a few seconds before asking her, ¡°How am I different?¡±


    ¡°The Crown Prince is considerate of people around him. He thinks many times before taking any step. People love him and see him as the future King of the Qiu Kingdom. He has the responsibility of a kingdom on his shoulders, and carrying out that duty isn¡¯t everyone¡¯s cup of tea. He doesn¡¯t need topare himself with the Sixth Prince. Instead, he must feel proud of having such a brother because, in the future, the Sixth Prince will help him and support him.¡±

 Chapter 195

    195 Not Develop Romantic Feelings


    Liu Jin Yu¡¯s words touched Xiaoming¡¯s heart deeply. Xiaoming had grown up hearing the words against L¨®ng Wei. He also thought ill of L¨®ng Wei. The reasons were many and he couldn¡¯t exin them.


    ¡°What¡¯s the Crown Prince thinking?¡± Liu Jin Yu interrupted the channel of his thoughts.


    ¡°I did wrong to Brother L¨®ng Wei. I tried to frame him for something he never did. I wanted the woman with whom he got married. I never harmed anyone, but for Li Hua I did,¡± Xiaoming said. For some reason, he wanted to tell Liu Jin Yu the truth about his selfish side.


    She lowered her arm onto the table and continued to stare into his eyes.


    ¡°Does His Royal Highness like the wife of the Sixth Prince?¡± Liu Jin Yu inquired.


    Xiaoming refused. ¡°I liked her before, but that was now in the past. For two months, I was scared to open my mouth because Li Hua would get harmed. However, I intended to take her to my manor and gradually approach her. But then, Brother L¨®ng Wei returned and imed that he loved Li Hua. Many things happened within 2-3 days of his return. I was a coward at that time as well. I lied in front of everyone that I never liked a servant. But two days before Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s marriage, I took a step. I decided to kill 30 servants and put a me on Brother L¨®ng Wei. I wanted to send him to the Cold Pce. This is my biggest regret. The day we met on the bank of theke, I was thinking about all this.¡±


    Xiaoming¡¯s eyes turned misty. L¨®ng Wei had forgiven him, but that wasn¡¯t enough. From that day on, he wasn¡¯t able to sleep well. Yesterday he met with those families in private, but that wasn¡¯t enough either. He did not know what he should do.


    ¡°That was unexpected of the Crown Prince,¡± Liu Jin Yu could only manage to say.


    After a while, she continued, ¡°I feel His Royal Highness did it because he wanted Princess Consort Li Hua desperately. He made his decision in a rush. It has been four days since I arrived at this manor. I found out the Crown Prince is lonely and wants someone to understand him, and be with him. Indeed, it was wrong to take the lives of those innocent thirty servants, but the Crown Prince can repent for it. He can do something better for the families of those thirty servants.¡± She outreached her hand towards Xiaoming¡¯s hand, which was on the tabletop, and patted it.


    .....


    Xiaoming looked at his hand, and then at her. He slightly curled his fingers.


    ¡°I advised His Royal Highness to look in the middle of his hand whenever he feels disoriented. That will help him guide. His hands have power that we will never have. Probably in the next birth, but not in this,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, and smiled a little.


    ¡°Jin Yu, I wish I could keep you by my side,¡± Xiaoming stated. ¡°I think I keep losing my way among everyone. I wish you were from a noble family,¡± he said as he looked into her eyes.


    Liu Jin Yu swallowed the lump that formed in her throat and withdrew her hand from his. Their fingers touched, and she continued to move her hand behind when Xiaoming caught her hand.


    ¡°Forgive me, Jin Yu. You are the only person in whose eyes I don¡¯t want to fall. Do you want to hear more about me? I don¡¯t know when we will meet again,¡± he said with anticipation. He let go of her hand because he didn¡¯t want her to feel awkward around him.


    ¡°Does His Royal Highness not want to eat? He iste for his lunch,¡± Liu Jin Yu opined.


    ¡°I will do itter,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°His Royal Highness can tell me. However, I want to take a promise from the Crown Prince before I listen to him,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Xiaoming promptly agreed to her.


    ¡°His Royal Highness will never develop romantic feelings for me,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated.


    ¡°I promise,¡± Xiaoming answered without any dy, and it brought a smile to Liu Jin Yu¡¯s face.


    ¡°My mother is the Queen and as the firstborn, this was fed into my mind, my soul, that I was supposed to lead the Kingdom in the future. I truly want to. But everything started to seem like a cage to me. My movements were restricted, and so were the people around me. I took as much knowledge as I could. At the age of ten, I mugged up fifty books on different subjects.¡±


    ¡°Whoa! The Crown Prince was super intelligent. He still is! How did he manage to read so much? I would have died if I had been buried in those books,¡± she said and praised Xiaoming.


    ¡°So, the Crown Prince studied all day here?¡± She asked.


    Xiaoming shook his head. ¡°Earlier, it was not my study ce. It was near the library. From the window of the study room, I saw my brothers and sisters ying. Brother L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t a part of them. I wanted to go out, make friends, and have fun. But I couldn¡¯t.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu was surprised to learn that the Crown Prince had been under restrictions from a young age. She started to love her life. Indeed, the pce had luxury, but there was no freedom.


    ¡°You are the Crown Prince. You should do what you want,¡± she ended up saying. ¡°If not now, when? Whatever you want, just go for it. Don¡¯t hesitate. It¡¯s not like the Crown Prince will get punished for going out. When I am out, His Royal Highness can tell me where he wants to go, I will tour him around the town,¡± Liu Jin Yu suggested to him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s feasible for me. People know me. Also, I generally follow those routes which aren¡¯t made formoners,¡± Xiaoming affirmed.


    ¡°But that day, the Crown Prince took a getup. He even had this fake moustache and that conical hat,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated.


    ¡°That was to nab you,¡± Xiaoming affirmed. ¡°I cannot go out when I desire. I took a risk that day and even a day before that,¡± he stated.


    ¡°But you are the Crown Prince,¡± Liu Jin Yu stressed in her words.


    ¡°Where will I meet you?¡± Xiaoming inquired.


    ¡°On the bridge,¡± Liu Jin Yu suggested.


    ¡°How will you know that I want to meet you?¡± Xiaoming asked. Liu Jin Yu felt stuck. She hadn¡¯t thought of this.


    Xiaoming chuckled and told her that he would visit her ce if he ever wanted to see her. ¡°Though chances are limited. I may note to see you ever again,¡± he said. He sounded upset and hurt.


    ¡°I wille to see His Royal Highness when he gets married. When the Crown Princess is chosen, then the Crown Prince wille with her. I wille to give him my best wishes,¡± Liu Jin Yu said with a broad smile.


    Xiaoming nodded at her. ¡°It will be tough for me to notice you in that crowd,¡± he stated.


    ¡°True. I will say loudly ¡®Crown Prince¡¯, then he may notice me. I will be in the front so that my voice easily falls in the Crown Prince¡¯s ears,¡± Liu Jin Yu opined. Xiaoming nodded at her and told her that he would wait for that day.

 Chapter 196

    196 Two Jade Rings


    Li Hua sat next to L¨®ng Wei and asked him where he had disappeared.


    ¡°I waited for him toe to have breakfast. But he didn¡¯te. I was so hungry,¡± Li Huained.


    ¡°Did you not eat breakfast?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired, casting a nce at the Court Lady.


    ¡°I tried a lot, but the Princess Consort wanted to wait for the Prince,¡± Court Lady Hong answered. ¡°I will send the lunch,¡± she said, and walked out.


    ¡°You should not have waited for me. I had gone to see my father. I wanted to converse with him about you. I thought if I just talked my way, then that would be better,¡± L¨®ng Wei informed her. Li Hua was astonished to find that L¨®ng Wei had already conversed with the King.


    ¡°Why did His Highness converse with His Majesty? I should be the one who must have told the truth to His Majesty,¡± she said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want him to punish you. However, I refrained from telling him why you entered the pce. I didn¡¯t tell the father that you thought someone from the pce was after that incident. In the evening, the Royal Father will meet you and your brother,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her. Li Hua thanked L¨®ng Wei for doing so much for her.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothingpared to what you did for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked.


    ¡°What did I do? I only hurt His Highness by talking repeatedly about Feng Lao. I did nothing for him till now,¡± Li Hua said while fiddling with her fingers.


    .....


    Two servants came inside and set the table for their lunch meals. Court Lady Hong told them to enjoy the lunch and walked out, closing the doors behind him. L¨®ng Wei took Li Hua to the table, and they took their seats.


    They had their lunch in silence. Li Hua wondered why L¨®ng Wei was so silent. She lifted the ss to drink water. L¨®ng Wei put the chopsticks on the te and drank water.


    The servants cleaned the table and left. L¨®ng Wei approached Li Hua, who was near the bed and removed her overcoat. Li Hua let him do it while twiddling her fingers.


    L¨®ng Wei put the overcoat aside and went to the other side of the chamber. Li Hua looked where he was heading and found he had brought a small wooden box with him.


    L¨®ng Wei opened it and showed her the jade rings that he had purchased for them. ¡°I want us to wear it. When you fall in love with me, make sure to make me wear this jade ring,¡± he asserted with a tiny smile.


    Li Hua looked at the green jade rings. The rings had flower patterns over one side, which were made from gold.


    ¡°I wanted to do it on the day of the marriage, but you weren¡¯t ready. I didn¡¯t force you since that would have made me a bad person in your eyes.¡± L¨®ng Wei expressed his thoughts and took her hand in his. He put the ring box in her hands and told her to keep the jade rings in her safe possession.


    Li Hua realized that her words hurt L¨®ng Wei. She felt terrible for telling herself that after she took revenge, she would leave L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Li Hua finally said.


    L¨®ng Wei, who was removing his shoes to get into the bed, looked at her and asked her what happened.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we wear the rings now?¡± Li Hua asked him and then opened the ring box. She took out the rings and handed one to L¨®ng Wei. She ced the ring box on the small, circr bedside table, stood straight and held his left hand.


    ¡°Forgive me for hurting your feelings all the time,¡± Li Hua said as her eyes filled with tears. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you,¡± she said when L¨®ng Wei withdrew his hand, perplexing her.


    ¡°Li Hua, as I said, I want these rings to be in our fingers when you will feel the same for me. The love that I carry for you, I want the same from you. I don¡¯t want it to be a decision in a rush. Just because I helped you all this time, should not be a reason to like me or love me,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her about his expectations from her.


    ¡°Our marriage is the biggest proof that we are inseparable. It is not a decision in a rush,¡± Li Hua said, and looked down to grab his hand once again. She held it tightly this time and inserted the jade ring into his index finger.


    ¡°His Highness must always wear it,¡± she said, and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. Her feetnded on the floor, and she looked into his eyes. She opened her arms and wrapped them around L¨®ng Wei, embracing him warmly.


    ¡°I am lucky to have Prince L¨®ng Wei as my husband. I am overwhelmed with the feeling that he fell in love with me and, even when we hadn¡¯t met, he protected me.¡± Li Hua wanted to say many things to him, but could only say that.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips curled into a smile. His heart thumped loudly against his chest. Li Hua called him Prince L¨®ng Wei for the first time. His name sounded beautiful in her mouth.


    Li Hua withdrew when L¨®ng Wei grasped her hand and inserted the jade ring into her left hand¡¯s index finger and then raised his index finger.


    The tips of their fingers touched, and the two smiled at each other.


    ¡°We shall rest. You are still tired from the journey. Come, let¡¯s sleep till the evening,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and they both lowered their hands. Li Hua removed the shoes and got into the bed with L¨®ng Wei. She yawned and closed her eyes, snuggling close to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Your Highness, thank you. You saved my first brother that day. Even if I express my gratitude a thousand times, it is not enough,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Li Hua, you don¡¯t need to thank me so many times. Next time, you will get a punishment for doing so,¡± he warned her and closed his eyes.


    ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t do it anymore,¡± Li Hua said.

 Chapter 197

    197 Don¡¯t you miss her?


    Tang Zhaodang looked at the board of the Shui Residence. After he found out the truth, only one thing was in his head: to question why they did this to the Xu Family.


    However, as per L¨®ng Wei¡¯s instructions, he gulped his anger and stepped foot into the Shui Residence. He saw a servant and asked him about Feng Lao.


    ¡°Young Master Shui is with his wife,¡± the servant replied in his humble tone. ¡°Please be seated in the guest room. I will inform the young master,¡± he told Tang Zhaodang and took him to the guest room.


    Tang Zhaodang wondered what Feng Lao¡¯s reaction would be to finding out about the jade ring. Would he ept his mistake as he once loved Li Hua?


    Feng Lao entered the guest room and asked Tang Zhaodang about his sudden visit. ¡°You don¡¯t need to stand up,¡± Feng Lao said as he sat on the broad chair.


    The servant came with a tray in her hand and served tea to them. Feng Lao asked her to leave, and she left, closing the door behind her.


    Feng Lao asked him to take the tea. Tang Zhaodang picked up the teacup and stared at it for a while. He put it down and gazed in Feng Lao¡¯s direction, who had taken the first sip of the tea.


    ¡°Feng Lao, do you miss our friends?¡± Tang Zhaodang started with a question.


    ¡°Friends?¡± Shui Feng Lao arched his brow and put the teacup on the table. ¡°Which friends?¡± He asked for rification.


    .....


    ¡°Xu Zifan and Xu Zuwen,¡± Tang Zhaodang answered.


    The tiny smile on Feng Lao¡¯s lips had disappeared. His brows rxed, but a tense expression was now visible on his face.


    ¡°Why did you suddenly talk about them?¡± Feng Lao asked. ¡°I miss them, but I cannot hold onto the past for too long. We had a conversation on this earlier too,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°What about Li Hua? Don¡¯t you miss her?¡± Tang Zhaodang inquired and fixed his gaze on him.


    Feng Lao¡¯s fingers curled and his lips twitched. It seemed that the wound in his heart was opened again.


    ¡°Did you ever love her?¡± Tang Zhaodang modified his question.


    ¡°Why do you want to know all this suddenly? I am now married, so there¡¯s no use talking about her,¡± Feng Lao crisply replied. He saw Tang Zhaodang had put his hand inside his inner pocket.


    Tang Zhaodang took out the red jade ring that Li Hua had given him. He ced it on the table and nced at Feng Lao, who was stunned to see that.


    ¡°You gave it to Li Hua, right?¡± Tang Zhaodang asked another question.


    ¡°How did you find it out and how do you know that I gave it to Li Hua?¡± Feng Lao asked him.


    Tang Zhaodang chuckled. ¡°The Sixth Prince has a message for you-If you are remorseful of your actions, thene to Qinping and ept your crimes.¡±


    Feng Lao was perplexed to hear from Tang Zhaodang. Why did he suddenly talk about L¨®ng Wei?


    Tang Zhaodang stood up to leave when Feng Lao stopped him. ¡°How did it reach Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± He asked with desperation. ¡°Is Li Hua alive?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I cannot answer your questions. Go to Qinping and find your answers,¡± said Tang Zhaodang, refusing to answer any of his queries. He stepped forward to leave and opened the door.


    However, before leaving, he said, ¡°Feng Lao, don¡¯t hide the truth anymore. I never thought in my worst nightmare that you would do something like that. Our friendship ends here.¡± He stepped out of the room and left the Shui Residence.


    Feng Lao let out a deep breath and picked up the jade ring. ¡°Li Hua, are you alive?¡± He murmured and closed his palm.


    ~~~~~


    Mingquan woke up from his sleep in the evening and freshened up. He returned to his chamber after taking another hot water bath, which rxed his tense muscles when he found Qiu Mu in his chamber.


    Mingquan bowed before him and lowered his hands. He had already studied the face of Qiu Mu and realized he was furious.


    ¡°Is Brother Mingquan on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s side?¡± Qiu Mu questioned him. ¡°Why did he apany them to Xinshui? He knew very well about my n. Am I wrong?¡± He raised his voice at Mingquan.


    ¡°Brother Mu should not have sent Chang Shi after Brother L¨®ng Wei. Chang Shi is a close friend of L¨®ng Wei,¡± Mingquan revealed to him, shocking Qiu Mu. Chang Shi wasn¡¯t on his side but on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s side.


    ¡°Brother Mu shouldn¡¯t do anything to Brother L¨®ng Wei. If the Royal Father finds out that Brother Mu tried to kill the youngest prince. He may get punished severely,¡± Mingquan advised Qiu Mu, who scrunched his brows.


    Qiu Mu let out a frustrated sigh and left the chamber. He could not believe that Chang Shi was not on his side. But when did L¨®ng Wei befriend Chang Shi?


    ¡®I don¡¯t have time to waste on this. I must vanish every trace before he reveals everything in front of our father,¡¯ he thought and halted upon seeing the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness!¡± Qiu Mu bowed and thought to ask for his help. But then he became hesitant. After what Xiaoming told him a few days ago, he didn¡¯t trust him either.


    ¡°Brother Qiu Mu looks troubled,¡± Xiaoming said, and lifted his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Qiu Mu took a step back and excused himself, saying he had to take a rest.


    Xiaoming tilted his head a little and shook his head.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I don¡¯t know why you asked me to search for it, but your life cane into danger too. I have heard from the maidservants here that the Second Prince isn¡¯t a good person,¡± Liu Jin Yu said in a low voice.


    ¡°You have told me that I am the Crown Prince, so I should not fear anything.¡± Xiaoming reminded her of the words that she said to him.


    ¡°We need to go to the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor, and after that, I¡¯ll see you till the imperial gates of the pce,¡± he stated, and they both headed to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s ce.

 Chapter 198

    198 Afraid of influential people


    L¨®ng Wei was feeling energetic after having a good sleep. Li Hua had gone to bring the tea for him despite his refusal. He had told her that he would ask a servant to bring the tea, but she didn¡¯t listen to him.


    He heard the footsteps and turned to look. ¡°Li Hua...¡± he paused as he saw Xiaoming in front of him.


    ¡°No one was outside, so I could not tell a servant that I wanted to see Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xiaoming stated and walked to him.


    ¡°I have not brought any evidence with me, but I brought something which can be useful for Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± he asserted and put a scroll on the table.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± L¨®ng Wei queried.


    ¡°The list of tasks that Brother Qiu Mu was assigned toplete.¡± He did, but not the way he should have. Brother L¨®ng Wei can find many loopholes,¡± Xiaoming told L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°It seems the Crown Prince also wants to remove Qiu Mu from his position,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked.


    ¡°No. I want to reduce his crimes. I want him to repent,¡± Xiaoming corrected L¨®ng Wei, who hummed and shifted his gaze to Li Hua, who had coke inside, holding a tray in her hand.


    Behind her were Liu Jin Yu and Court Lady Hong.


    .....


    Xiaoming turned to look and saw Li Hua. She eventually bowed and greeted him. Liu Jin Yu nced at Xiaoming and tried to read him.


    ¡°I will take my leave,¡± Xiaoming averted his gaze from Li Hua and looked back at L¨®ng Wei. He nodded at him when they both heard Li Hua.


    ¡°The Crown Prince shall take this evening tea with my husband,¡± Li Hua said in her soft tone. L¨®ng Wei smiled brightly as he rested his hand on his chest.


    Li Hua walked up to the table and put the tray on the table. She gestured to L¨®ng Wei to ask Xiaoming to drink tea with him. L¨®ng Wei wondered what Li Hua was trying to say. Xiaoming smiled to see how the two were conversing in gestures. However, L¨®ng Wei was unable to understand any of her gestures.


    ¡°Please have a seat, Crown Prince,¡± Li Hua told Xiaoming again. Liu Jin Yu quickly ran forward and pulled out a chair for Xiaoming.


    She motioned her hands towards the chair to gesture to the Crown Prince to take a seat. Li Hua looked at her in astonishment and started to brew the tea for the two princes.


    Xiaoming sat down on the chair while L¨®ng Wei took a seat on the other chair.


    Liu Jin Yu told Li Hua that she would help her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to help her,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Just stay where you are and keep quiet.¡± Xiaoming gestured to Liu Jin Yu to stay quiet.


    ¡°What happened to Eunuch Lishi?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. ¡°Did the Crown Prince finally get rid of him?¡±


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei can say that.¡± Xiaoming didn¡¯t go into details.


    Li Hua finished brewing the tea and served it. L¨®ng Wei asked her to take a seat next to her, but she was hesitant.


    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Xiaoming told her, ¡°Princess Consort.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei gestured to her, and she finally sat down. He asked her if she would drink tea.


    ¡°Later,¡± Li Hua replied. However, L¨®ng Wei ced the teacup before her.


    Liu Jin Yu smiled to see them. Wait! She was wrong about L¨®ng Wei. He was different from what she took him for. He didn¡¯tck empathy.


    ¡°We can drink from the same cup,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined, and asked her to drink first. Li Hua told him that she would ask Court Lady Hong to bring another teacup, but L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t listen to her. Defeated, she took the first sip.


    Xiaoming looked at both of them. He realized that after two weeks, he had to marry too. Would he fall in love with a woman he chose? The biggest question that troubled him was not once but many times.


    ¡°The Crown Prince didn¡¯t answer where Eunuch Lishi left? Why did the Crown Prince appoint this temporary female servant in his service? I believe that something big happened of which I am unaware of,¡± L¨®ng Wei concluded and brought the teacup to sip tea.


    ¡°He betrayed me,¡± Xiaoming answered. He also didn¡¯t know why he willingly told L¨®ng Wei. ¡°He did something that hurt me. I asked him not to serve me anymore,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    ¡°For the first time in his life, the Crown Prince made a nice decision,¡± L¨®ng Wei praised Xiaoming¡¯s decision. ¡°But why did he do that? I am interested in knowing that,¡± he affirmed.


    Li Hua nced at Xiaoming, wondering what he would answer.


    ¡°They tried to kill Liu Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    L¨®ng Wei arched his brow while Li Hua¡¯s eyes grew bigger. She peered at Liu Jin Yu for a while.


    ¡°If the Crown Prince brings any random woman, then it¡¯s evident that the Queen will not like it,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and took another sip. Xiaoming was astonished to hear from him. L¨®ng Wei was well aware of Zhu Liling¡¯s intentions!


    ¡°Last time he did the same with Li Hua, things went against him,¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered and chuckled.


    ¡°But I am here for a temporary period. I will leave the pce in the evening,¡± Liu Jin Yu interjected in their conversation.


    ¡°First, you are very bold to work in the pce. Second, the more you stay here, everyone will have problems with you, excluding Li Hua and me. Third, the Crown Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei looked into the eyes of Xiaoming, ¡°may not do anything since he is afraid of the influential people around him.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu looked at Xiaoming, who had his eyes fixed on L¨®ng Wei. Jin Yu learned that L¨®ng Wei knew many things. His presence of mind was incredible. Even though he wasn¡¯t in the pce, he concluded everything correctly.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei always impresses me,¡± Xiaoming answered and smiled. The two brothers finished the tea. Xiaoming left the manor with Liu Jin Yu while contemting what L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡®The Crown Prince may not do anything because he¡¯s afraid of the influential people around him.¡¯

 Chapter 199

    199 An Ideal Royal Mother


    Xiaoming and Liu Jin Yu arrived at the imperial gates. The sun was setting, and birds were returning to their homes. Xiaoming took a deep breath and looked at Liu Jin Yu.


    ¡°I hope you will not steal anymore. You can depart the ways of the organization, and live on your own,¡± Xiaoming suggested to her, taking a pouch from inside his pocket. He put it in the hands of Liu Jin Yu and said, ¡°You can start your work using this money too. Don¡¯t refuse to ept it.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu curled her fingers around the pouch and peered into his eyes again. ¡°Your Royal Highness, you should no longer envy the Sixth Prince. Instead, you can understand what he is. I feel, that if the Crown Prince gets the support of the Sixth Prince, then he doesn¡¯t need to worry too much. It¡¯s just a small piece of advice from his friend,¡± Liu Jin Yu said with a smile. She extended her hand for a handshake.


    Xiaoming outstretched his arm and shook hands with her. ¡°Don¡¯t get into trouble anymore. If you need me, you cane here anytime,¡± he stated, and withdrew the hand soon before anyone could notice them.


    ¡°Go,¡± Xiaoming told her.


    Liu Jin Yu bowed and walked away. After a few seconds, she halted and turned to wave at him. Xiaoming ended up smiling and gestured for her to leave.


    Liu Jin Yu bowed again and walked out of the imperial gates. Xiaoming let out a deep sigh and returned to his manor.


    As he stepped in, he found his mother in the chamber. Eunuch Lianying and Eunuch Lishi were present too.


    ¡°I am not in a mood to converse with the Royal Mother. Please leave,¡± Xiaoming said and motioned his hand to the door.


    .....


    ¡°I will leave after finding out what is in the Crown Prince¡¯s head,¡± Zhu Liling pronounced. ¡°Eunuch Lishi told me everything. For a petty woman, the Crown Prince removed Eunuch Lishi from his service. Today, the Noble Consort Xiuying was saying how the Crown Prince smiled at a servant. First, he was after Li Hua, and then he found Liu Jin Yu. You are the royal blood who isn¡¯t supposed to mingle with low-ss people,¡± Zhu Liling affirmed.


    Xiaoming didn¡¯t say anything and kept listening to her.


    ¡°Kang Xi will make her daughter marry either the second or third prince. Prince Qiu Mu will get immense support, and then he may be a danger to Xiaoming,¡± Zhu Liling said with a worried expression.


    ¡°Will Her Majesty leave my chamber? I want to take some rest,¡± Xiaoming said,pletely ignoring her earlier words.


    ¡°Crown Prince, how could you be so ignorant? Asking his mother to leave?! Why? I am here to discuss an important matter with him,¡± Zhu Liling reprimanded him.


    ¡°You have ruined my life. I wish I had not been born,¡± Xiaoming said in anger.


    Zhu Liling stopped blinking while the two eunuchs looked at each other. ¡°What is the Crown Prince saying?¡± She finally stood up from her seat and walked up to him. Xiaoming took a step back.


    ¡°Please leave my chamber,¡± Xiaoming urged her. Zhu Liling¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. She wanted to speak more when Xiaoming shouted at her.


    ¡°I found a friend after many years, and you tried to kill her. I hate your sight, Mother,¡± Xiaoming remarked and averted his gaze from her. ¡°Leave before I have to show you the power of a Crown Prince,¡± he stated. For the first time, he was impudent with his mother.


    Zhu Liling didn¡¯t say anything and walked ahead to leave when her eyes fell on L¨®ng Wei. He was leaning against the door with his arms crossed.


    ¡°How is the great Royal Mother doing?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked with a smirk. ¡°Ahh,¡± he immediately stood straight and bowed before meeting her gaze again, ¡°I thought she woulde to see me and my wife. But like all the time, she doesn¡¯t want to y the role of an ideal Royal Mother.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t leave any ground to humiliate her. He nced at Eunuch Lishi. ¡°Your boot licking habit didn¡¯t go away till now. You need a good beating,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Be within your limits, Sixth Prince. You aren¡¯t supposed to talk impudently with any of us,¡± Zhu Liling warned him. ¡°I still haven¡¯t forgotten what you did to my daughter¡¯s face. That punishment is still pending,¡± she reminded him.


    ¡°Not anymore, Royal Mother,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a confident tone and a grin. ¡°You should leave as per the Crown Prince¡¯s orders,¡± he added, and showed them the door.


    Zhu Liling scrunched her brows and quickly left the chamber. L¨®ng Wei looked ahead and then walked towards him. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei should not talk this way with my mother,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°I try to be humble,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Why is Brother L¨®ng Wei here?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°To tell him that I trust him,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Xiaoming arched his brows in a puzzle and found that L¨®ng Wei had settled on the chaise lounge.


    ¡°Help me tomorrow in the Imperial Court,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Imperial court? But, why?¡± Xiaoming questioned.


    ¡°The Crown Prince will find out tomorrow in the court session. I will forgive him and even forget that he was once my enemy,¡± L¨®ng Wei gave him his words. Xiaoming wondered what L¨®ng Wei had to say in the imperial court.


    ¡°If Brother L¨®ng Wei tells me, then it will be easier for me to understand the matter he will raise in court,¡± Xiaoming suggested to him. L¨®ng Wei clicked his tongue and shook his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s a surprise, Crown Prince. Don¡¯t worry. I am not nning anything against you,¡± he assured Xiaoming.


    Heughed a little. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, it is not about nning against each other. It is about the trust you have in me.¡± Xiaoming was curious about the matter L¨®ng Wei wanted to bring to court. Was it about Qiu Mu? He could not go against Qiu Mu, because that would worsen the rtionship between them.


    ¡°It is about Li Hua. She has to make an appeal to the King. I want the Crown Prince to help us till the end,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Xiaoming was perplexed to hear him. What appeal could Li Hua have to make with the King in court? He knew that L¨®ng Wei would not reveal anything to him until the next morning.


    Because his heart still held a soft spot for Li Hua, he agreed to help them. He also wanted to repent for the crime hemitted.

 Chapter 200

    200 Be Evil for those who are Evil


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, can I ask something from you?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± L¨®ng Wei gave him permission.


    ¡°What will he do to Brother Qiu Mu? Will he bring out the truth about his crimes? If yes, then I want Brother L¨®ng Wei not to do so. I don¡¯t want the rtionship between the brothers to get ruined,¡± Xiaoming opined.


    ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t you the Crown Prince? Your first duty is to bring justice to injustice. Qiu Mu tried to kill me. Shouldn¡¯t he be punished the same way as I used to? Is the Crown Prince afraid that Qiu Mu will reveal the truth about how he schemed to kill me?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    Xiaoming was deeply guilty about that. During that time, he had lost his mind and told his three brothers to join hands with him. He did not want to see L¨®ng Wei ever again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind what my half-brothers think of me. If you want to betray me in the future, I will not mind. Because I was born with a fate where insecurities in others arise,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I am sincerely apologetic for what I have done. I won¡¯t deny that I never got insecure because of the prophecy that Monk Yuze made. However, I won¡¯t be that person anymore,¡± Xiaoming assured him while being apologetic.


    ¡°Are you sure? If in the future, I want to be the Crown Prince, will you let me be? Will you not want me to die?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    Xiaoming knitted his brows. He suddenly recalled Liu Jin Yu and looked at the middle of his palm. ¡°I think I will have freedom then,¡± Xiaoming said and nced at L¨®ng Wei. The answer amused him.


    .....


    ¡°If I won¡¯t be the Crown Prince, I don¡¯t need to bury my wishes and desires deep in my heart. I will be free to enjoy my life like Brother L¨®ng Wei. I can go around, make friends, and talk with anyone around me. That feeling will be wonderful,¡± Xiaoming said with a smile.


    ¡°I wonder why the Crown Prince¡¯s thoughts changed suddenly. I missed a lot of drama in the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, chuckling.


    ¡°Though, I heard a few things. The Crown Prince has refused to marry Kang Cha Ying. May I know the reason?¡± He curiously waited for Xiaoming to answer.


    ¡°Will the Sixth Brother help me?¡±


    ¡°I will decide after knowing the problem,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Kang Cha Ying thinks she¡¯s perfect for the position of Crown Princess. When I rejected her, she med it on your wife. I realized that she could never be my wife. Our Royal Father has agreed with my decision. My mother didn¡¯t say anything, but suddenly she changed again. My mother thinks that my marriage to her will politically benefit me. But only I know that it¡¯s not going to happen. Then, my mother sent assassins after Liu Jin Yu to kill her. Eunuch Lishi, who served me for so many years, also helped her. I feel suffocated.¡± Xiaoming ended up blurting out everything to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi is a boot licker. He wants to benefit from the Crown Prince¡¯s marriage. Eunuch Lianying and Kang Xi have been very close for a long time. Lianying is the one who fills the ears of the Royal Mother,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Xiaoming was astonished by those words. How did L¨®ng Wei know all this?


    ¡°So, Lianying asked my mother to keep forcing Cha Ying on me,¡± Xiaoming mumbled.


    ¡°It is a strong possibility. Remove those two Eunuchs and the Crown Prince¡¯s problems will be solved. In the pce, the fight isn¡¯t only among the princes but also among the servants,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. Xiaoming hummed.


    ¡°How can I remove them? It¡¯s not easy,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°You are the Crown Prince. You have plenty of ways to remove them. Be evil for those who are evil,¡± L¨®ng Wei stood up. ¡°I would love to converse more, but I have to leave,¡± he stated and left the chamber.


    Xiaoming found out that L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t a bad type of person. He realized that it was the first time, they both conversed calmly while understanding each other.


    ¡°Jin Yu told me the same that I¡¯m the Crown Prince and I can do anything that I want. I must do something about Eunuch Lianying and Eunuch Lishi.¡± He decided and again looked at the middle of his palm.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei brought Li Hua and Xu Zifan to the King¡¯s manor. Eunuch Gao Bing made them sit in the private chamber and after a while, the King arrived.


    They all bowed before the King. Qiu Zedong took his seat and nced at Xu Zifan. He returned his gaze to L¨®ng Wei and asked them to take their seats.


    Xu Zifan came forward and formally greeted the King. ¡°As the brother of Xu Li Hua, Xu Zifan wants to humbly greet the nation¡¯s king and I want to thank him for epting her as the daughter-inw of the regal family.¡± Xu Guang Li was supposed to do it, but I¡¯m his father¡¯s absence it was the duty of a brother.


    ¡°I had nothing to give as dowry in my sister¡¯s marriage. However, I have a small present for His Majesty. My loyalty towards His Majesty will stay until myst breath. This is the only thing I can present to His Majesty,¡± Xu Zifan affirmed while keeping his head down.


    Qiu Zedong asked him to take a seat. He was impressed by Xu Zifan¡¯s eloquent words. He had noticed that Xu Zifan had lost his right limb, despite that he sounded optimistic.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei told me everything. I am upset with Princess Consort Li Hua. She pretended to be ady from a low ss,¡± Qiu Zedong said. The deep frowns on his forehead were clear to show his agitation.


    Li Hua opened her mouth to apologize but before her, L¨®ng Wei spoke.


    ¡°Royal Father, Princess Consort thought everyone was dead from her family. When I found her here, I told her not to tell the Royal Father about it,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He tilted his head to nce at Li Hua and assured her with an eye gesture that everything would be alright.

 Chapter 201

    201 A Death Sentence


    Li Hua apologized to Qiu Zedong for not revealing that she was the daughter of the Xu Family. ¡°Your Majesty, after everyone died that day, I was no longer a daughter of the noble family. So, it was best to remain quiet and ept my fate. However, when His Highness took me to Xinshui, I found out that the Shui Family was involved in all this.¡±


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has told me about the incident. When the Prince married, everyoneughed at him. As a father, I was hurt but because Prince L¨®ng Wei kept saying he loves you, I could not stop him. It will be wonderful to tell the regal family and everyone that Li Hua is not from the servant ss, but she belongs to the Xu family.¡± Qiu Zedong dly epted Li Hua and nced at Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Last time when Xu Guang Li visited me, he told me that his eldest son would dedicate his life to my service. I believe that you can be as great as with your left arm. It is a matter of time and you¡¯ll excel in it again. Since Li Hua is the daughter-inw of the Qiu Family, I will bestow you with an important title in the Kingdom along with a residence in Qinping. If you wish to return to Xinshui, I will not stop you,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled to hear his father.


    ¡°I would like to give my service to His Majesty,¡± Xu Zifan said and bowed.


    ¡°Great!¡± Qiu Zedong liked his decision. ¡°Tomorrow morning in the imperial court, I will announce it. Also, I will summon Shui Xiaoqing and his son, Shui Feng Lao, to the court. I cannot let a person rule over a territory who betrayed his friend for a selfish motto,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted. Li Hua was overwhelmed to hear the decision of the King.


    L¨®ng Wei refrained from telling the King that someone from the pce was associated. Because the King would definitely consult with the Queen, the words might spread out which could alert the enemy.


    ¡°I would like to talk with Li Hua privately. You both are dismissed,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. L¨®ng Wei wondered what it was about. But he had faith that Li Hua would tell himter. They both left with Eunuch Gao Bing while Li Hua stayed back in the chamber with the King.


    ¡°Before His Majesty starts, I would like to thank him,¡± Li Hua said and bowed.


    .....


    ¡°You must thank me for bringing out the truth,¡± Qiu Zedong said. Li Hua lifted her head to nce at the King.


    ¡°I found a different change in my son after you both returned from Xinshui. He never conversed with me and I failed to feel what was buried deep inside his words. I do not know about your first meeting with him. He told me that you saved him from dying. L¨®ng Wei wanted to experience death that day,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a heavy heart.


    Li Hua was stunned to hear the King.


    ¡®I wanted to feel nothing.¡¯


    Li Hua finally understood what L¨®ng Wei meant that day. He was indeed trying to die. But, why?


    ¡°Find the truth about why L¨®ng Wei killed his mother,¡± Qiu Zedong told Li Hua. ¡°The deal we had made earlier where I had given you two months¡¯ time, I withdrew it on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s request. I also do not want you to get separated from L¨®ng Wei after what I witnessed today.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, I am grateful to you for withdrawing the deal. I tried to ask His Highness many times. However, he asked me to stay in the past. Also, whenever I bring up that topic, he gets furious,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°When Prince L¨®ng Wei can do anything for you, then why can you not?¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s question troubled Li Hua. She realized that she had not done anything for L¨®ng Wei.


    She looked at the jade ring which L¨®ng Wei made her wear.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I will definitely find out about it,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°You must do it at all costs,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°Your Majesty, could you please tell me what happened that day? Maybe it will help me,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei hade at midnight to tell me that he killed his mother. He was covered in blood. However, I believe that L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t do it. You must find out the truth,¡± Qiu Zedong stressed in his words.


    ¡°Your Majesty, in the cold pce, I found out that His Highness was supposed to be locked in the dungeon for a certain period of time. Eunuch Qian He told me that when His Highness was punished for his mother¡¯s murder, he was locked for several months in the dungeon. That could be another reason behind his today¡¯s behavior towards people around him,¡± Li Hua concluded.


    Qiu Zedong shook his head. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei was troubling the people for a long time. I was forced to do it as the King. Everyone demanded a death sentence for L¨®ng Wei, but I could not give him. That¡¯s why locking him in the dungeon for several months was the best option,¡± he asserted and sighed.


    ¡°You may leave. This conversation shall remain between us. Even if the Prince threatens you, don¡¯t tell about it,¡± Qiu Zedong said. ¡°He will stay alert and will never tell you if he finds out that I want to know the truth.¡± He made her understand.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Li Hua bowed.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I want to make an appeal tomorrow in the court. Will His Majesty allow me to do so?¡± Li Hua asked for permission first.


    ¡°An appeal to punish the Shui family?¡± Qiu Zedong inquired.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I want to tell the truth in front of the court ministers and reveal the truth to them,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°I would advise you not to do it now. A minister had approached me for the appointment of Shui Xiaoqing as the governor of Xinshui,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. Li Hua was astonished to learn the truth behind Shui Xiaoqing¡¯s appointment as the Governor.


    ¡°May I know who this minister is?¡± Li Hua inquired.


    ¡°I will tell you about it in the morning tea session,¡± Qiu Zedong said. ¡°I haven¡¯t told Prince L¨®ng Wei about it yet. Wait till tomorrow,¡± he asserted. Li Hua agreed to that.


    The King told Li Hua to leave. Sheplied with hismand and left the chamber.


    As she stepped out of the door, she found L¨®ng Wei was waiting for him.


    ¡°I sent Xu Zifan to the guest chamber with Gao Bing,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go,¡± he extended his hand out which Li Hua held.

 Chapter 202

    202 Win the Heart


    Li Hua bowed upon encountering Jingfei. L¨®ng Wei averted his gaze from Jingfei.


    ¡°You two returned safely from the journey. That¡¯s a relief,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°I have a long life to live. So if you were praying to heaven for my sudden death, then that¡¯s of no use,¡± L¨®ng Wei impudently said.


    ¡°I might have differences with Brother L¨®ng Wei, but I don¡¯t pray for such a thing,¡± Jingfei stated and nced at Li Hua. ¡°You look beautiful. Do tell me what kind of beauty practises you use. Come to see me in the morning after having breakfast. I will wait for you.¡±


    Li Hua agreed to her but L¨®ng Wei refused.


    ¡°She cannote as she has to go somewhere with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Then what about in the evening?¡± Jingfei asked.


    ¡°No. We will returnte in the evening,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Jingfei realized that L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t want Li Hua to see any of his half-sisters. However, she didn¡¯t give up. ¡°Li Hua cane the day after tomorrow,¡± she proimed. Li Hua opened her mouth to speak, but again L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t let her speak.


    .....


    ¡°We are newlyweds. Let us enjoy our time together at least for a month,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, dragging Li Hua with him.


    Jingfei turned to look at him and made a face at him. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, I won¡¯t give up this easily,¡± she mumbled, and walked ahead to see her mother.


    Eunuch Lianying informed Zhu Liling about the visit of Princess Jingfei.


    ¡°Bring her in,¡± Zhu Liling said, settling into a floor chair.Jingfei walked in, followed by her personal attendant, and gave the evening greetings to her mother.


    ¡°Take a seat, Princess Jingfei,¡± Zhu Liling told her daughter, who sat down at the floor table. ¡°Why did my daughter visit me out of the blue?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Mother, Commander Huang Xi has returned from the journey. I wanted to visit him, but that would be awkward, right?¡± Jingfei asked her mother.


    ¡°If Princess Jingfei visits Commander Huang Xi for no reason, then it will indeed be awkward,¡± Zhu Liling replied and gestured to Eunuch Lianying. It was time for her tea, which she took every day for good skin.


    Eunuch Lianying bowed and walked out to fetch the tea.


    ¡°Mother, you know that I desire to marry Commander Huang Xi. We haven¡¯t been able to meet properly until now.If this continues, then I am afraid that he will find someone else. Before that happens, I want my mother to help me. I request my mother to do something so that I can spend a day around Commander Huang Xi,¡± Jingfei said. She had carried a lot of hope. Last time, she got insecure when she found Huang Xi agreed to apany Ai Fen.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei, currently I am stressed about your elder brother¡¯s marriage. Can Princess Jingfei not wait for some time?¡± Zhu Liling wanted Jingfei to wait a bit because Xiaoming had yet to find a woman.


    ¡°Brother Xiaoming has said that he would find a suitable woman for him. Mother doesn¡¯t need to worry about it,¡± Jingfei opined.


    ¡°Has the Princess lost her mind?¡± Zhu Liling suddenly got angry at her. Eunuch Lianying had arrived with a tea server. However, he stopped her as the Queen had suddenly turned furious.


    Jingfei clutched her dress tightly and lowered her head.


    ¡°Xiaoming doesn¡¯t know anything. The selection of the Crown Princess is crucial for him. If he selects any random woman from a family that does not benefit him, then everything will go against him. For the time being, Princess Jingfei should not be concerned about her marriage. She can wait for a while,¡± Zhu Liling told her.


    ¡°Yes, Mother. I apologize for troubling my mother,¡± said. Her eyes filled with tears as it was after a long time, she got scolded by her mother.


    Zhu Liling realized that she scolded Jingfei too much. So, this time, she softly said, ¡°Princess Jingfei, you are destined to marry Commander Huang Xi. However, for now, I cannot focus on you. Your brother rejected Kang Cha Ying and it has given me a headache. Apart from this, he has turned rebellious.¡± Zhu Liling recalled the words of Xiaoming. He always acted calm around her. Jingfei gazed into the eyes of her mother and found she was anxious.


    ¡°Serve the tea,¡± Zhu Liling told the tea server, who stepped up. She brewed the tea for them and went back to her ce.


    ¡°Forgive me, Mother, for bringing up this topic and troubling you,¡± Jingfei apologized.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Forgive your mother for raising her voice at you,¡± Zhu Liling also apologized and asked her to drink the tea. Jingfei nodded and gracefully picked up the cup.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei shall take some perfume for the wife of General Hei tomorrow,¡± Zhu Liling said, after a while. ¡°She will like those perfumes. That way, she can meet Huang Xi.¡± Zhu Liling gave an idea to Jingfei, who was delighted to hear her. She thanked her mother for suggesting such a wonderful idea to her.


    ¡°When I stood for the Crown Princess¡¯ position, I first won the heart of thete Empress Dowager. Do the same with Huang Xi¡¯s mother. In a noble household, a mother holds the highest power. Her son does what his mother says.¡± Zhu Liling made Jingfei understand, who keenly listened to her mother.


    ¡°Eunuch Lianying, prepare a basket of some rare perfume for the wife of the General,¡± Zhu Liling said. She realized that she could not neglect her daughter amidst all the chaos that was happening in the life of Xiaoming.


    ¡°Just win the heart of the wife of General Hei tomorrow. Then, things will go ording to you,¡± Zhu Liling advised her daughter, once again.


    ¡°Yes, Mother,¡± Jingfei said and happily drank the tea with her.


    She returned to her manor and asked her personal attendant to call the royal tailor. ¡°My appearance tomorrow will matter the most,¡± Jingfei mumbled while looking into the mirror and shyly smiled thinking about Huang Xi.

 Chapter 203

    203 I will bring you back to Xinshui


    Feng Lao left the dinner in the middle, which troubled his wife, Yang Mei.


    ¡°Is my husband alright?¡± Yang Mei asked him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have an appetite today. I will go and rest. You should sleep too and take the potion before sleeping,¡± Feng Lao said and left the room. Yang Mei wondered what happened to her husband, but she didn¡¯t pay heed.


    Feng Lao came to his room to pick up the jade ring which he had given to Li Hua. ¡°How did it reach Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± Feng Lao murmured and decided to meet Tang Zhaodang.


    Upon reaching the Tang residence, he curled his fingers and walked in. Since Feng Lao hade to the Tang Residence, Tang Zhaodang could not refuse to see him. However, he was not ready to speak to him either.


    ¡°We are no longer friends, so you should note to my house,¡± Tang Zhaodang coldly said.


    ¡°I want a few answers from you,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°I have nothing to say to you,¡± Tang Zhaodang asserted.


    ¡°I beg you,¡± Feng Lao pleaded with him. ¡°Li Hua can never give this to Prince L¨®ng Wei. This is something which holds great meaning,¡± he proimed and looked again at the jade ring in the middle of his palm.


    .....


    Tang Zhaodang clenched his fists. He could not believe that Feng Lao was this good at acting. He indeed had no remorse for his actions.


    ¡°You should go to Qinping to find the answers,¡± Tang Zhaodang told him, referring to what L¨®ng Wei had told him.


    ¡°Is Li Hua in the capital?¡± Feng Lao asked in anticipation.


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Tang Zhaodang said, and averted his gaze from him. ¡°Don¡¯te here, Shui Feng Lao. I get hurt every time I see you. My blood boils to see you. I feel like killing you,¡± he finally said, what he had been controlling for a long time.


    ¡°Kill me?¡± Feng Lao was confused to hear from Tang Zhaodang. He understood that he had to go to the capital to find his answers. He closed his fist and stood up from the floor chair. ¡°I will go to meet the Sixth Prince. This should not have been with him,¡± Feng Lao said and left.


    Tang Zhaodang looked in his direction. ¡°How could he act so clueless?¡± He muttered in anger.


    Feng Lao halted at the bottom of the stairs. ¡°Li Hua, if you are alive, and in Qinping, then I will bring you back to Xinshui,¡± he murmured and walked ahead.


    ~~~~~


    ¡°Your Highness, why did you tell Princess Jingfei that I cannot see her?¡± Li Huained to L¨®ng Wei. They both were in the garden of their manor.


    ¡°When did I say that?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.¡±I told her to give us newlyweds time,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°His Highness cannot stay around me all the time,¡± she reasoned.


    ¡°I can,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and plucked a white rose. He walked over to Li Hua to put it inside her hair bun. ¡°I don¡¯t have any work to do. So, I can be around you all the time,¡± he rified to her.


    ¡°Then, His Highness shall start working,¡± Li Hua advised him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel good when your husband is around you?¡± He asked and lowered his hands. ¡°Look at the married women of your age. ¡°Their husbands are unable to give them enough time, whereas I am the pr opposite,¡± he said, smiling.


    ¡°Their husbands have to work hard to meet the ends,¡± Li Hua opined.


    ¡°Yes. But I am lucky to be born with fortune,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Then, Monk Yuze¡¯s prophecy will nevere true,¡± Li Hua said and sighed. ¡°Didn¡¯t the Sixth Prince call himself the Son of the Dragon? He shall prove it with his actions too,¡± she said.


    ¡°Did my father give you another task to make me work?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Li Hua shook her head. ¡°His Majesty asked me to love my husband. He is happy to see his son smiling after a long time.¡± She didn¡¯t tell him the truth.


    ¡°Then, how will you love your husband?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and took a step towards her. Li Hua blinked a few times and wondered what to answer.


    ¡°Shall I teach you?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°No,¡± Li Hua immediately refused.


    ¡°How long will you make me wait?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Li Hua answered when she screamed. Her hand automatically moved to her neck.


    ¡°What happened!?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked, with a panicked look.


    ¡°I guess an insect bit my skin,¡± Li Hua said. Her eyes turned misty due to the sharp sting. L¨®ng Wei quickly took her inside and examined her neck. Li Hua lowered her hand on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s instructions.


    L¨®ng Wei saw that the small portion of skin on her neck had turned red because of the insect bite.


    ¡°Court Lady Hong!¡± L¨®ng Wei shouted, and she ran inside. She bowed when L¨®ng Wei asked her to bring Physician Peng. ¡°An insect bit Li Hua at the neck. Call him quickly,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Court Lady Hong bowed and left to fetch Physician Peng.


    ¡°It needs to be treated. Physician Peng will be here soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei assured her and blew air over that area. Li Hua closed her eyes because of the pain.


    L¨®ng Wei stood up and checked the water jar. He filled the water in a small cup and went to the cupboard to take a clean piece of cotton cloth. He dipped it in the water and asked Li Hua to tilt her head. He wiped the area with the soaked cloth. He sprinkled water with his fingers.


    Surprisingly, Li Hua felt better than before. The pain had reduced but the itching was present.


    L¨®ng Wei dashed out of the chamber to check where the physician was! After a minute, he came in to check if Li Hua was alright.


    ¡°Where did he go? I will-¡± he stopped as he saw the pain on Li Hua¡¯s face. He walked up to her and asked her if she was alright.


    Li Hua shook. ¡°I feel uneasy, Your Highness,¡± she said, and moved the back of her hand over her forehead. L¨®ng Wei became tense upon hearing her and turned to leave when Physician Peng entered.


    He panted and bowed before them.


    ¡°She got an insect bite and she is feeling uneasy,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him.


    Physician Peng asked if he could touch Li Hua¡¯s skin to examine her. L¨®ng Wei gave him permission.Physician Peng walked up to Li Hua and tilted her head a little.


    ¡°I used water to reduce the pain,¡± L¨®ng Wei informed him.


    ¡°His Highness did good,¡± Physician Peng said, and carefully examined the bite. He knitted his brows and asked his assistant to pass him his bag.


    ¡°It was a bug. It¡¯s nothing serious, Your Highness,¡± Physician Peng told them. L¨®ng Wei was relieved to hear from him. Physician Peng mixed honey in Jin Huang Wan (a golden yellow powder) and made a thin paste of it. He gently applied it to Li Hua¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Everything will be alright in an hour. This paste will remove any toxin that has entered the body,¡± Physician Peng assured L¨®ng Wei, who maintained his worried expression.Li Hua felt better, and even the uneasiness had disappeared. The itching had reduced too. L¨®ng Wei thanked the physician, who left.


    L¨®ng Wei sat next to Li Hua and held her hand. ¡°You aren¡¯t feeling pain anymore, right?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Not much,¡± Li Hua said. L¨®ng Wei smiled and asked Court Lady Hong to give him a ss of water. She handed him the silver ss after pouring water into it.


    L¨®ng Wei brought it near Li Hua¡¯s mouth and asked her to drink it. Li Hua sipped the water as she observed L¨®ng Wei¡¯s concern.


    ¡°I am alright, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said, and her lips curled up into a smile.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled her into a hug. ¡°I was scared,¡± he said. Li Hua rested her hands on his back and caressed it.


    ¡°I overacted, I guess,¡± she said.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t. The bite was strong,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.

 Chapter 204

    204 Until Yuze returns


    ¡°The Royal Father called all of us in the early morning for tea,¡± Tianjie said and looked in the direction of Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°What is the important matter that His Majesty wants to discuss with all of us?¡± Zhu Liling asked. Qiu Zedong looked at Li Hua, who had kept her head down.


    ¡°It is about the wife of Prince L¨®ng Wei, Princess Consort Li Hua,¡± Qiu Zedong finally said. Everyone was perplexed to hear him and looked at Li Hua.


    ¡°Two months ago, an unfortunate incident urred with the Xu family. It was known to everyone that everyone from that family was dead. However, two survived that night. One is Li Hua, the daughter of Xu Guang Li, and the other is Xu Zifan, the eldest son of the Xu family.¡±


    The revtion of the truth shocked everyone present in the hall.


    ¡°Li Hua is the daughter of Xu Guang Li!¡± Noble Consort Xiuying eximed in shock. ¡°Why did you lie to all of us and pretend that you aren¡¯t from a noble ss?¡± She was unable to understand why Li Hua lied about it and entered the pce.


    ¡°So, even Sister-inw knows how to betray people. Royal Father, she should be given punishment for lying about her identity,¡± Qiu Mu said, and then gazed at L¨®ng Wei.


    Xiaoming was shocked to hear the truth about Li Hua. She was a noble family young mistress. L¨®ng Wei knew about her and that¡¯s why he was adamant about marrying her. He had many questions in his head. Since L¨®ng Wei had asked him to support him, he decided to shut down Qiu Mu.


    ¡°The Xu family¡¯s sudden death was indeed unfortunate. I don¡¯t think that Princess Consort Li Hua hid her identity because she wanted to. Since she had lost her family, there was no use in telling people about it.¡± Xiaoming concluded and looked at his father. The King agreed with the words of his eldest son.


    .....


    ¡°I would like to say something here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he nced at his father. The King permitted him, which made L¨®ng Wei continue, ¡°Li Hua saved me from getting drowned five months ago. I fell in love with her and I decided to marry her the moment my punishment was over.¡±


    It shocked everyone present in the hall except the King and Mingquan, who were already aware of the truth.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei knows how to swim,¡± Zhang Xi said. He was unable to believe his words.


    Qiu Zedong recalled L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words and said, ¡°Because I punished him so much and he got bad treatment from us.¡±


    Everyone in the hall turned quiet. The Queen and the Consorts looked at each other. Tianjie and Zhang Xi looked at Qiu Mu, who had turned silent.


    ¡°You saw me differently that day. You were worried about me. I could not help but fall for you, Li Hua. It will not happen ever again. I won¡¯t think that way anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei assured her, and again looked at his father.


    ¡°Royal Father, I want you to punish Shui Xiaoqing and Shui Feng Lao, who were behind this attack. If possible, let me handle it. I will kill them with my own hands,¡± L¨®ng Wei suddenly appealed before the King. Last night, Li Hua informed him that the King did not want the matter to be brought to court.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Shui Xiaoqing the Governor of Xinshui?¡± Qiu Mu was curious to know.


    ¡°He is, Brother Mu. His entire family was present in the Xu residence when the murder of the Xu family happened. Commander Huang Xi and I confirmed it too,¡± Mingquan exined to Qiu Mu, who nodded.


    ¡°Indeed, they will be punished for the wrong they did,¡± Qiu Mu said, looking at his father. ¡°I think killing a third-rank official holds a big reason behind it. The Royal Father must ask for a strict investigation.¡±


    Xiaoming wondered why Qiu Mu was suddenly siding with L¨®ng Wei. Mingquan thought the same and nced at L¨®ng Wei.


    He was puzzled by Qiu Mu¡¯s sudden suggestion to the King. But he didn¡¯t pay much heed to it. His focus was on who panicked the most among the King¡¯s wives upon finding out Li Hua¡¯s identity. The diary and the message that he had recovered clearly mentioned the involvement of a person from the pce.


    Only the Queen and the Consorts had problems with him after the prophecy. One of them knew about Li Hua, and that¡¯s why she wanted to kill Li Hua.


    ¡®Who could be among them?¡¯ L¨®ng Wei pondered. ¡®Until Yuze returns, I will not be able to find the culprit among them. Though I think that the Queen may have knowledge about it I cannot rule out the possibility that Consort Xiuying and Ruoxi might be involved. After the Queen, those two are powerful after the Queen.¡¯


    An investigation will be held after a message is sent to Shui Xiaoqing. Let¡¯s see what he has to say,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a menacing look.


    L¨®ng Wei thanked everyone for understanding him and, most importantly, Li Hua.


    ¡°It would have been good if Li Hua had told us earlier. We understand that she wanted a living to earn, but hiding her identity isn¡¯t good either,¡± Virtuous Consort Ruoxiined.


    ¡°Then, why would someone have let her work in the pce? The pce maid recruiters would not have believed Princess Consort Li Hua either. None of us would have because we knew nothing about Xu Guang Li¡¯s family,¡± Xiaoming stated. Ruoxi nced at Zhu Liling, who didn¡¯t say anything.


    Li Hua stood up and walked up to the center of the hall. She bowed and said, ¡°Forgive me for lying to everyone. However, it was not what I had ever intended to do. After that night, I knew I had to start a new life, so my old identity had no meaning left. Until the Sixth Prince recognizes me. He even saved my first brother from dying in Xinshui. Please forgive my mistakes,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Li Hua, I have already forgiven you. So, you do not need to apologize anymore,¡± Qiu Zedong said. He asked his Queen and others not to mistreat her in any way.


    Everyone agreed with the King. Li Hua expressed her gratitude towards the King and everyone in the family before returning to her seat.

 Chapter 205

    205 Take his eyes off


    As the morning tea session was over, the King and his two wives were the first to leave the hall. Then, Xiaoming walked up to L¨®ng Wei and hugged him, shocking the rest of the people present in the hall.


    L¨®ng Wei asked him what he was doing. ¡°I never knew that our ill-treatment would affect Brother L¨®ng Wei. Forgive me for being cold towards you sometimes,¡± he asserted, keeping a tiny smile on his lips.


    L¨®ng Wei pushed Xiaoming away and asked him not to do that. ¡°We aren¡¯t close enough to hug each other,¡± he stated.


    ¡°We can negotiate those differences soon,¡± Xiaoming confidently said.


    ¡°It was unbelievable to me as well that he was hurt by our behavior,¡± Mingquan said, looking at Li Hua, who looked upset with him.


    Qiu Mu asked L¨®ng Wei if he would like to converse with him in private.


    ¡°In private? Why?¡± Tianjie asked curiously.


    ¡°That is rted to the investigation,¡± Qiu Mu said. L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes in suspicion and nodded.


    ¡°Sure!¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He decided to check if Qiu Mu could prove useful to him or not. If so, then he would not reveal the truth about his evil actions now, or else he would tell their father.


    .....


    ¡°Let me escort my wife first,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°and then I wille to meet you.¡±


    ¡°I will go, Your Highness. You can go with the Second Prince,¡± Li Hua said, and took her to leave. Ai Fen told L¨®ng Wei that he would apany Li Hua and leave her behind. Xiaolian thought to find what they would talk about, so she silently walked behind them while Jingfei left to see her mother.


    ¡°Li Hua!¡± Ai Fen called her name, and she stopped. Ai Fen lifted her skirt a little and ran to her. Li Hua turned to look at her and asked her if she wanted something.


    ¡°No. I decided to apany you to your manor,¡± Ai Fen said. ¡°I can, right?¡± She still asked for Li Hua¡¯s permission.


    ¡°Of course, Princess Ai Fen,¡± Li Hua said. They both heard Xiaolian, who greeted Li Hua.


    ¡°This is my first time talking to you, Li Hua. Since Sister Ai Fen called you by your name, then I will also pronounce her name,¡± Xiaolian said.


    ¡°Yes, Princess Xiaolian.¡±


    ¡°It was surprising to find that you were from a noble ss. Now, I realized why Li Hua excelled so quickly in every work. I heard your eldest brother survived. Is he also in the pce?¡± Xiaolian inquired.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°I wonder why the Shui family killed the Xu family. I think it was because of the enmity between the two families,¡± Xiaolian remarked. Li Hua halted, and so did Ai Fen.


    ¡°I would like to request Princess Xiaolian not to say anything when she doesn¡¯t know the truth,¡± Li Hua suddenly turned furious. ¡°Our families were close, but the Shui family betrayed us,¡± she affirmed.


    ¡°Li Hua, how would I know when you didn¡¯t tell the whole truth? Also, in such cases, usually enmity is the main reason. I can see that after you married Brother L¨®ng Wei, you have be bolder,¡± Xiaolian said. ¡°I will not apany you anymore,¡± she added, and walked away in anger.


    Li Hua realized that she had done wrong by losing her temper. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to hurt Princess Xiaolian,¡± she said, and sighed for getting angry all of a sudden.


    ¡°I will talk with Sister Xiaolianter,¡± Ai Fen assured her and asked her if they should go to the manor first.


    As they reached the manor, Court Lady Hong weed Ai Fen and asked Li Hua about the Sixth Prince.


    ¡°His Highness is with the Second Prince,¡± Li Hua replied. She asked Ai Fen to take a seat, and the two sat around the floor table.


    ¡°Li Hua, Brother L¨®ng Wei is so in love with you. Did you two enjoy your time together?¡± She asked. ¡°Since Xinshui is your hometown, you must have felt good. Also, after meeting your eldest brother you might be happy,¡± Ai Fen initiated the conversation with her.


    ¡°Yes. I was happy. But those painful memories from that night had also revived. Seeing my First Brother, I was happy. I miss my second brother, my father, my mother, and my personal attendant. I couldn¡¯t do anything that night,¡± Li Hua said and the edges of her eyes turned watery because of the tears.


    ¡°Forgive me, for making you recall all those hurtful memories,¡± Ai Fen said while empathizing with Li Hua. Li Hua wiped the tears from the pad of her fingers.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Princess Ai Fen.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, Commander Huang Xi is here.¡± A maidservant came inside to inform Li Hua. Both she and Ai Fen stood up from their respective seats.


    ¡°Let him in,¡± Li Hua said.


    After a minute, Huang Xi walked in and greeted both of them.


    ¡°Your Highness, my father wants to meet Xu Zifan. I thought to ask the Sixth Prince about it, but he wasn¡¯t in his chamber. That¡¯s why I came here to ask Her Highness,¡± Huang Xi stated.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi can surely take my brother to his residence. He doesn¡¯t need to ask me. However, I do not know where he is staying in the pce. His Highness had told me earlier that he would take me to see my elder brother,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°Li Hua,e, I will take you to the chamber where your elder brother must be staying. The guest chambers are in the Western Pce,¡± Ai Fen told her, and asked Commander Huang Xi if he coulde with them.


    Court Lady Hong also followed them to the Western Pce.


    ~~~~~~


    Jingfei thanked Eunuch Lianying for the set of perfume that he had asked the maidservants to prepare.


    ¡°It is my pleasure to serve the First Princess,¡± Eunuch Lianying answered, and asked her to do what the Queen had told her.


    ¡°Yes, Eunuch Lianying.¡±


    ¡°The pnquin is ready for the First Princess near the Imperial Gates. I will escort the First Princess,¡± Eunuch Lianying said, and they left. Jingfei was ready to win the heart of the General¡¯s wife. As per her mother, Huang Xi would be happy if Jingfei treated Huang Xi¡¯s mother well.


    Last time, Huang Xi behaved oddly with her. It appeared to her that he was not interested in conversing with her.


    ¡°Eunuch Lianying, do I look good enough? Since we are going to the Hei residence, Commander Huang Xi will also be present in the residence. I do not want him to be disappointed. So, I thought to ask you once,¡± Jingfei said. She had been a little nervous since thest night of her appearance.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei has inherited the beautiful skin of her mother. She is definitely looking like a jade beauty today. If Commander Huang Xi sees her, then he will not be able to take his eyes off the Princess,¡± Eunuch Lianyingplimented Jingfei. She felt better to hear him and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Everything will be alright,¡± she told herself, and they soon reached the imperial gates. Getting into the pnquin, she left for the Hei residence.

 Chapter 206

    206 Smarter than us


    ¡°I want Brother L¨®ng Wei to forgive me for thest time. I was angry at him because he ckmailed me that he would tell our royal father,¡± Qiu Mu said, and bowed before him. ¡°Please forgive me,¡± he pleaded with him.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and squinted his eyes. He had no intention of forgiving him, but he wanted to use Qiu Mu. He knew Qiu Mu would try to harm him again, and by that time, he would destroy the evidence too.


    Xiaoming wondered what L¨®ng Wei¡¯s decision would be.


    ¡°I will think about it and then tell you. Also, you didn¡¯t need to call me Brother. We both know how much hate we have between us,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Qiu Mu raised his head and gazed into the eyes of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Brother Mu, why did you even think about that? I had told you to tell our father about the mistake you made,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, Brother Mu didn¡¯t force him on any of the female servants in his manor. It was with consent.¡± Xiaoming tried to defend Qiu Mu. He didn¡¯t want the two of them to go against each other.


    ¡°It¡¯s easy for us men to say that it was a mistake. However, I do not think it was a mistake. I can smell the crime from afar. The Second Prince made a mistake when he sent Chang Shi to kill me. I did not even possess any power before any of the princes, yet the Second Prince tried to kill me.¡±


    With L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words, it was clear that he didn¡¯t want to forgive Qiu Mu.


    ¡°Fine. Then, Brother L¨®ng Wei can take his time. I will wait for his answer,¡± Qiu Mu said. Eunuch Shi Rang nced at his master, but he refrained from saying anything.


    L¨®ng Wei suddenly recalled something about Kang Huijuan, the son of the Prime Minister. He had made his decision and smiled. ¡°I will let this matter go if the Second Prince agrees to stand for me in the Court when I¡¯ll bring an important matter in front of the King and the other ministers.¡±


    .....


    Xiaoming pondered over L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. Was the matter rted to Li Hua?


    ¡°Sure. I will stand with Brother L¨®ng Wei on whatever matter he brings to the court,¡± Qiu Mu said. L¨®ng Wei smiled broadly and thanked him for his cooperation. He took his leave. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s image in the court was nil. The ministers hated him, and even if he brought the Kang Huijuan case to the king, they would not see him as the culprit.


    However, if Qiu Mu and Xiaoming stood for him, then no one minister would dare to go against him. He wanted to weaken the prime minister and his entire family.


    ¡°Brother Mu, you took the right decision. Brother L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t the person that we used to think about,¡± Xiaoming said. Qiu Mu nodded and asked Shi Rang to bring his sword. Xiaoming left too, as he had to do the breakfast, and then he had to help his father.


    ¡°Will His Highness not have his breakfast?¡± Shi Rang concernedly asked as he handed the sword to Qiu Mu.


    ¡°No.¡± Qiu Mu said and left the chamber. He could not believe that he had asked for forgiveness from L¨®ng Wei and agreed to his condition. He realised that, being the youngest child, L¨®ng Wei had the upper hand on him. It was a big humiliation for him. He felt that L¨®ng Wei, despite having no power, was more powerful than him.


    He clenched his fist around the sheath and continued to walk until he reached the barracks. He practised with his sword for over an hour, but the words of L¨®ng Wei still rang in his ears.


    ¡®It is easy for us men to say that it was a mistake.¡¯


    Qiu Mu felt guilty for his actions. Though those female servants seduced him too, he felt wrong. He should not have let them make any advances toward him. Also, as a prince, he should not be involved with them. L¨®ng Wei took advantage of it today. He used to think that L¨®ng Wei killed him during his time in the pce. But he was wrong. He underestimated L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Here is the water, General Mu,¡± said Mingquan.


    Qiu Mu turned to look and panted. He took the ss of water from Mingquan and drank it. Mingquan took the ss back and handed it to the soldier. Qiu Mu wiped the sweat with the handkerchief that Mingquan gave him.


    ¡°Brother Mu came to the barracks earlier than expected,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Why did you side with L¨®ng Wei? Is it because he is smarter than us?¡± Qiu Mu asked him and put the sword inside the sheath.


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that the youngest brother is smarter than us. However, it doesn¡¯t mean the rest of us are fools. Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hatred for us brothers can be disadvantageous for this family. I want him to feel that I am also his well-wisher,¡± he proimed.


    ¡°But who is he to lecture us when hemitted the biggest crime?¡± Qiu Mu questioned Mingquan. ¡°I had to bow to him because I am afraid of my father; I am afraid of losing this position. He killed his mother, yet he lives happily,¡± heined and sighed in frustration.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei never told us the reason behind his mother¡¯s death. So, we should not misjudge him,¡± Minquan opined.


    Qiu Mu snickered and asked Mingquan, ¡°He gave us the reason to misjudge him. He epted that night in front of the Royal Father that he had killed his mother. I felt humiliated today,¡± Qiu Mu said.


    Mingquan didn¡¯t know what the conversation held between L¨®ng Wei and Qiu Mu was about, but he was curious now. L¨®ng Wei drew unwanted attention to himself by mocking the person in front of him at times. Mingquan decided to make him understand, or else in the future, L¨®ng Wei might have to pay the price for it.

 Chapter 207

    207 Thank you for Loving me


    Today, Li Hua was able to shoot at the tree trunk. But, the force with which she shot arrows, was weak.


    ¡°Li Hua, what are you fearing of? Your grip on the string must be strong,¡± L¨®ng Wei scolded her.


    Li Hua nodded and did what L¨®ng Wei told her to. This time she used strong force and the string of the bow broke. ¡°Ah, it broke,¡± she said, and turned to take another bow.


    She held another bow and put the arrow on it when L¨®ng Wei stood behind her and held her hands.


    ¡°How many times do I need to tell you that you need only adequate force on the string? If you use a strong force, then the string will surely break. Your enemy may attack at that moment,¡± he whispered.


    ¡°I am trying, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°You are not interested in learning. You need to be a shield for your brother and me. I want you to be a great shooter,¡± he said, and it encouraged Li Hua.


    ¡°I will do, Your Highness. Please step back. Let me do it myself,¡± Li Hua said. L¨®ng Wei took a step back and let her do it.He watched her and realized that shecked stamina too.


    ¡°Do you know how to run?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    .....


    ¡°What is His Highness talking about in the middle of my practice?¡± She questioned him and released the arrow from her hand. This time it hit the center of the trunk and a smile appeared on her lips. She turned to look at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°In the evening, we will go to the hidden valley of flowers. You must win against me. Because if you lose, then I will punish you,¡± L¨®ng Wei threatened her.


    ¡°Punish me? How?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°The punishment will not be the way you want,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and smirked. ¡°I won¡¯t let you eat for a day,¡± he stated.


    ¡°That¡¯s so cruel of His Highness. Which husband tortures his wife this way? Look at the husbands who pamper their wives, but His Highness is making me burn in this sun. Even the servant¡¯s work was easier than this,¡± Li Hua grumbled, picking up the arrow. She shot it towards the tree and it again hit its center, but a little away from the first one.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled to see that.


    ¡°If I fall in danger in the future, then I would like you to rescue me. I have many enemies. At the moment, I have not imed any power, but now I am very much interested in it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°His Highness shall not make enemies then,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Did your father know that Shui Xiaoqing would be his enemy?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s question hit Li Hua hard. She lowered her hands after aiming the third arrow toward the tree. She turned to look at L¨®ng Wei, wondering what he had to say.


    ¡°Enemies aren¡¯t made, they just appear,¡± he stated. ¡°In my case, the prophecy is enough to invite hundreds of enemies towards me. Why do you think I act rebellious? Even if I wanted to be good, I could not remain one,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°But His Highness does good for the people,¡± Li Hua asserted. ¡°He saved my brother, he saved the life of the woman from Kang Huijuan, and many other good deeds he did, which I am unaware of,¡± Li Hua stated, giving him a small smile.


    ¡°I killed her, and that¡¯s a sin. Probably, to remove the burden of that sin, I am doing good for people,¡± L¨®ng Wei reasoned.


    Li Hua was stunned to hear him. He never talked with her about his mother, and it was the first time he did.


    ¡°That day, in theke, His Highness wanted to die. Am I right?¡± Li Hua asked him. ¡°His Highness is good at fooling people. My eyes saw clearly that your body looked like a corpse in the water. His Highness wanted to experience what death felt like. Am I right?¡± Li Hua didn¡¯t take the name of his father because he would again refrain from telling his thoughts to his father.


    ¡°If I win in today¡¯s race, then His Highness will tell me what I will ask him. If he tries to run away from my question, then I will not talk to him, nor will I take a single grain of food.¡± Li Hua agreed to run with him to the top of the hill while putting forward her condition.


    ¡°If I lose, I won¡¯t eat for a day. However, if I win, then His Highness must fulfill the condition which I put forward.¡± Li Hua walked up to him and lifted her hand, showing him her pinky finger. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, let¡¯s make a promise,¡± she said and held his right hand.


    ¡°Fine,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and locked his pinky finger with hers. ¡°I do want you to win,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°I will do my best, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua said with an assuring smile. They withdrew their hands and lowered them.


    L¨®ng Wei took out the handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from Li Hua¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Forgive your husband for giving you such hard training,¡± he said, and gently dabbed the handkerchief across her face.


    ¡°I understand my husband. He is right. If my loved ones ever fall into danger, then I have to save them,¡± Li Hua proimed.


    L¨®ng Wei stopped by. ¡°Wait! Am I also your loved one?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°Do I need to answer this?¡± She asked and walked back to her ce to practice more.


    ¡°I love you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a bright smile. He waited for Li Hua¡¯s response.


    ¡°Thank you for loving me,¡± Li Hua said, and picked up the arrow to shoot.


    ¡°This wasn¡¯t what I wanted to hear,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, with an upset look.


    Li Hua shot the arrow which hit the spot that L¨®ng Wei had marked on the trunk. She jumped in happiness and asked L¨®ng Wei if she had crossed stage one.


    ¡°Will I receive a present for my achievement?¡± She was curious to know.


    ¡°Currently I have,¡± L¨®ng Wei walked up to her, lowered his head, ¡°only this as a present,¡± and kissed her lips.

 Chapter 208

    208 Concubine Yu Jun, the mother of L¨®ng Wei


    Li Hua closed her eyes while her grip on the bow tightened. She got on her toes and kissed him. They pulled away gradually and opened their eyes.


    ¡°Your Highness, do I need to practice more?¡± Li Hua quickly turned away and looked at the bow in her hand.


    ¡°Your husband is thinking not to be too tough on his wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Let¡¯s end it here. You can do the rest of the practice in the evening.¡±


    Li Hua thanked him and bowed. She put the bow back in its ce and decided to take a bath. ¡°Your Highness, I will see youter,¡± Li Hua said, and turned to leave when L¨®ng Wei stopped her.


    ¡°I can help you wash,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua¡¯s eyes grew bigger, and she gazed at him in bewilderment. She found the smirk on his lips. ¡°It is so hot that I feel like taking a bath once more with you. Let¡¯s bathe together,¡± he suggested to her.


    ¡°No. I cannot take a bath with His Highness,¡± Li Hua said, and he left his sight as soon as possible.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled and started to pick up the arrows. ¡°Li Hua is making good progress,¡± he mumbled, and put the arrows on the table. He looked at the bow, which Li Hua broke using strong force.


    ¡°If I win today, then she will not eat for a day. But if she loses to me, then she would ask me something which I may be unable to answer,¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured. After cleaning the space, he separated the arrows that could no longer be used.


    .....


    ¡°Why am I even afraid to share something about me with her? She loves me and she will definitely understand me,¡± he mumbled. He rested his palms on the edge of the table and closed his eyes for a moment.


    He opened his eyes and realised that he should not hide anything about himself from Li Hua. If he learned everything about her, then it was her right to know about him.


    Li Hua carried the water in her palms and poured it over her shoulder.


    ¡°Court Lady Hong, I want to ask you something,¡± Li Hua said, and she moved a little lower into the bathtub.


    ¡°Sure, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°What was Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother like? Could you tell me about her?¡± Li Hua requested.


    ¡°Concubine Yu Jun was the mother of the Sixth Prince. In the pce, it is forbidden to talk about her after what the Sixth Prince did to her. His Highness gets exceptionally angry and out of control to hear about his mother,¡± Court Lady Hong told Li Hua who was puzzled to learn about that.


    ¡°However, since Princess Consort wants to know about her, I will tell her,¡± she stated. Li Hua thanked her and keenly listened to her.


    ¡°When it was the time of Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s birth, Concubine Yu Jun underwent terriblebor pain. We all thought that they would not survive. However, a miracle happened, and they both survived. Concubine Yu Jun fell terribly sick after that, and it took her four months to recover. She refused to see Prince L¨®ng Wei. In her eyes, she gave birth to a monster because of whom she was going to die.¡± Court Lady Hong paused when Li Hua asked her to stop.


    A heart-rending past that Li Hua was not aware of. She now realized why L¨®ng Wei had started to despise his own mother.


    ¡°Your Highness, Concubine Yu Jun didn¡¯t look after her son and abandoned him like he was no one,¡± Court Lady Hong revealed another truth to Li Hua.


    ¡°Did His Majesty not take any action?¡± Li Hua asked her.


    ¡°Concubine Yu Jun never let ite out until the Sixth Prince turned older. At the age of five, heined to the King, who then punished Concubine Yu Jun. After that day, we never heard if she ever neglected her. Since I served Her Majesty, I was aware of all this,¡± Court Lady Hong said. She gestured to the maidservant to help Li Hua wash.


    ¡°The day when His Highness killed his mother, did he cry or feel remorseful?¡± Li Hua inquired.


    ¡°No. His Highness never felt remorseful for that act. His Highness should not have done that,¡± Court Lady Hong said. Li Hua furrowed her brows together and recalled the King¡¯s words.


    She dressed up in a white hanfu dress and went to see L¨®ng Wei. To her surprise, he wasn¡¯t in the chamber. ¡°Where did His Highness leave?¡± She murmured and walked in. Court Lady Hong and the maidservants stayed outside.


    Something struck her mind, and she quickly walked to the door. She asked Court Lady Hong to inform her when L¨®ng Wei returned.


    ¡°What does Her Highness mean?¡± The Court Lady confusedly asked.


    ¡°If Prince L¨®ng Wei arrives, then don¡¯t open the door without giving me the signals. I want to search for His Highness¡¯s chamber. I know that it¡¯s wrong, but please help me,¡± Li Hua requested. ¡°You will help me, right?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I will help, Your Highness. Do not worry,¡± Court Lady Hong assured Li Hua.


    Li Hua thanked her and walked in while Court Lady Hong closed the doors. Li Hua started with the study desk, which was at one corner of the chamber. Upon finding nothing, she searched the cupboards.


    ¡°What are you searching for so desperately?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s voice echoed in the chamber, which made Li Hua jolt at her ce.


    She turned to look and asked him if he was in the chamber.


    ¡°Yes. I was on the patio,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while advancing to her. ¡°You look prettier in this dress. Do you mind telling me what you¡¯re looking for?¡± he inquired.


    Li Hua fiddled her fingers, unable to understand what to speak. She gulped as L¨®ng Wei stopped before her.


    ¡°I was curious to know what was inside the cupboards,¡± Li Hua said, and smiled a little. When L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t reply, she turned and closed the cupboard.


    ¡°I will ask Court Lady Hong to bring lunch for us. We both worked hard today.¡± Li Hua thought to escape his sight and walked past him when he held her wrist.


    They both tilted their heads to peer into each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Your Highness, do you need something?¡± Li Hua inquired.


    ¡°Ahh.¡± A low scream escaped her mouth as L¨®ng Wei pinned her to the cupboard.


    ¡°Tell the truth. What were you looking for?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s gaze turned intimidating. Li Hua didn¡¯t know whether she should tell the truth or tell another lie.

 Chapter 209

    209 Such an evil husband he is!


    For some reason, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s prating gaze was terrifying for Li Hua.


    ¡°Speak!¡± L¨®ng Wei demanded an answer from her.


    ¡°I wanted to check what¡¯s inside the cupboards,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°s! You won¡¯t find anything that can be helpful to answer your questions,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He had heard her conversation with Court Lady Hong and knew she was up to something.


    He let go of her and went straight to the door. He opened the doors, which surprised Court Lady Hong.


    ¡°You will no longer serve Li Hua. You can return to the Queen¡¯s manor,¡± L¨®ng Wei dismissed Court Lady Hong from Li Hua¡¯s service.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness? Did I make a mistake?¡± She inquired. Li Hua came there and heard them.


    ¡°Did you tell Li Hua about her?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    Court Lady Hong lowered her head and wondered how he found out. She apologized to him and said, ¡°Princess Consort was curious, so I thought to tell her.¡±


    .....


    ¡°Did I tell you to tell her?¡± L¨®ng Wei yelled at her. Li Hua was terrified to see the burst of his anger.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness,¡± Court Lady Hong apologized, keeping her tone as humble as possible.


    ¡°Leave before I kill you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Court Lady Hong bowed and walked away. The maidservants behind her were shivering in fear. They didn¡¯t dare look at L¨®ng Wei and kept their heads down.


    ¡°The deal is off,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°But, why?¡± Li Hua asked.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at her. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, Li Hua. Who told you to lie to me? Who told you to look into something which I don¡¯t permit you to? It is my past. You are thest one to look into that.¡±


    His words brought tears to Li Hua¡¯s eyes.


    L¨®ng Wei dashed out of the chamber in anger, while Li Hua started crying.


    ¡°You are working on the King¡¯smand. You asked someone who acts on the Queen¡¯smand. You want to know why I killed my mother? Then, you will tell my father about it. Do I look like a fool to you?! I understand everything, Li Hua.¡± He became calmer than before.


    Li Hua walked up to L¨®ng Wei and said, ¡°I only wanted to find any memory of His Highness with his mother. Court Lady Hong is indeed from the Queen¡¯s Manor, but she isn¡¯t an enemy. Fine, I understand. His Highness can know anything about me, but I don¡¯t have to. I have to just listen to him, obey hismands, and do what he feels is right for me.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that, Li Hua. I was supposed to tell you. I don¡¯t want you to find out things from a third person. Because that is my past. Can¡¯t you be patient with me? It isn¡¯t something which I can tell easily,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and extended his hands to hold her hands, but she didn¡¯t let him.


    She left her chamber and closed the doors from inside.


    Tears streamed down her cheeks and she went to bed. She pulled the nket over her and sobbed inside it.


    ¡°Li Hua, open the door!¡± L¨®ng Wei mmed his hand against the door.¡±Open, Li Hua. Fine. Let¡¯s have a conversation. Forgive me for losing my temper. I should not have gotten angry,¡± he said.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t listen to him this time. Why should she? He didn¡¯t want her to know anything about him. She would not bother about him anymore.


    L¨®ng Wei cursed himself internally for losing his temper. Li Hua had the right to know about him. Why did he always forget this? If he hadn¡¯t been reluctant to tell her, she would not have asked Court Lady Hong.


    Li Hua found that L¨®ng Wei turned quiet after a while.


    ¡°Did he leave? He doesn¡¯t care for me. Such an evil husband he is!¡± She murmured and wiped the tears from her eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t talk to him nor will I see him,¡± she mumbled and put away the nket.


    She heard the creak and looked around the chamber when her eyes fell on the window through which L¨®ng Wei entered. She recalled how she left the window open in the morning. She quickly covered herself with the nket and hid her face in it.


    ¡°Li Hua, forgive me,¡± L¨®ng Wei apologized to her while gasping for air. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry with me,¡± he said.


    When Li Hua didn¡¯t respond, he quietly sat next to her on the mattress. Li Hua moved away from him and turned her back to him. Her face was still inside the nket. She felt his hand on her arm and yanked it away.


    ¡°Li Hua, I have kept no memory of her with me. You could have asked me instead of searching for it in the room. I asked you twice and you lied both times. I know it is my fault not to converse with you about all this,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°When I ask His Highness, he also lies to me. But I never get angry in this way.¡± She said this and again broke into tears. ¡°His Highness has told me that he doesn¡¯t permit us to know anything about him. I will do that. I don¡¯t want to know anymore,¡± she somehow managed to say those words to him.


    L¨®ng Wei felt terrible for causing her pain.


    ¡°I was wrong to care about him, to feel anxious about him,¡± she said while sobbing. Her grip on the nket loosened, which L¨®ng Wei noticed. He pulled it away and hugged her from behind.


    ¡°Li Hua, I said that in anger. I didn¡¯t mean that,¡± he said, and caressed her head.


    ¡°The Queen also wants to know the reason behind my mother¡¯s death. Court Lady Hong works for her and she is more loyal to the Queen. The point is that I did wrong to you by raising my voice at you. Forgive me for that,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.

 Chapter 210

    210 L¨®ng Wei might find out


    In a fake disguise, Xiaoming reached the river bridge. In the scorching heat, it became unbearable for him to stand for long on the bridge. Most of the people were not present at that hour. He decided to leave the pce, but before leaving he thought to check the ce where Liu Jin Yu used to work.


    After a half-hour of walking, he arrived at the location mentioned by Xiaoming. To his surprise, it was a pawn shop along with a small restaurant.


    Since it was lunchtime, he could see many people in the restaurant. ¡®Why did she not tell me about all this?¡¯ He thought Xiaoming thought when a hand rested on his shoulder. He tilted his head and looked at the person.


    ¡°Are you here to eat, Young Master? We have some offers going on for today¡¯s meals,¡± a young man in his early twenties told Xiaoming.


    ¡°Thank you, but I have already eaten,¡± Xiaoming replied, and looked for Liu Jin Yu. When he didn¡¯t see her, he decided to return to the pce before anyone could recognise him.


    He turned to leave when his eyes fell on Kang Huijuan, and he immediately lowered the conical hat to hide his face. Kang Huijuan walked past him along with a few of his fellows.


    ¡®What is he doing here?¡¯ Xiaoming thought and turned to look. Kang Huijuan had gone to the restaurant, and he decided to go behind him. Kang Huijuan had taken a seat around the table inside the restaurant.


    Xiaoming found that most of the tables were upied by the customers near Kang Huijuan. It was important for him to find out what the Prime Minister¡¯s son was up to. However, there was no way to get close to Kang Huijuan¡¯s table.


    He jolted in fear when he felt another hand on his shoulder. A smile formed on his lips upon seeing Liu Jin Yu, who looked at him in bewilderment. She looked at the people in the restaurant who were busy and dragged Xiaoming with him to the back of that ce.


    .....


    ¡°What is the Crown Prince doing here?¡± She inquired while keeping her voice low.


    ¡°Jin Yu, could you please help me? The Prime Minister¡¯s son is here, and it¡¯s odd. I need to find out what he is up to. Help me. I need to hear his conversation,¡± Xiaoming asked for her help.


    ¡°Where is he seated?¡± Liu Jin Yu asked.


    Xiaoming exined the table¡¯s location to her. She nodded and told Xiaoming not to worry and took him to a room on the other side. It was a storeroom, and it appeared to him that it hadn¡¯t been cleaned in years. She pushed him in and told him to wait for her.


    ¡°Jin Yu, I cannot stay in-¡± Before he couldplete his words, the door mmed in his face. He started to cough because of the dust inside the room. He covered his nose with his sleeve and waited for Liu Jin Yu toe as soon as possible because he could not stay in that ce anymore. He hated dirty ces. He was vulnerable to allergenic elements, and she left him in a room, filled with dust.


    Inside the restaurant, Liu Jin Yu picked up the tray with water sses and took them to the table where Kang Huijuan was seated. She put the sses on the table while waiting for them to speak. She moved to the other table and put the sses on that table too.


    Liu Jin Yu found that her master, Wu Jin, walked up to Kang Huijuan, and they conversed in low voices. She pondered why those people came to the restaurant if the conversation was so important. Would it not raise people¡¯s suspicion of them? Or it was something that they could not discuss in high-ss restaurants which nobles could easily visit. She had heard how the noble families had a rivalry against each other.


    In the general restaurants, mostlymoners used toe, so it would not affect Kang Huijuan in any way.


    Kang Huijuan and his three friends stood up. They followed Wu Jin outside. Liu Jin Yu quickly put the tray on the counter and went after them while being cautious.


    ¡°Why are they going to the ce where I hid the Crown Prince?¡± She murmured and got anxious. She ran from the other side to reach the room before them. She could not let them see Xiaoming.


    Xiaoming thought to sit on the chair, and he stroked his finger on its surface. He saw the dust on his finger, and it turned off his mood. He almost yelled at Jin Yu for throwing him in such a filthy ce when he heard the creak of the door. She pressed her palm on his mouth and dragged him to the backside of the room, where a few broken shelves were ced.


    Xiaoming shrieked when his back hit the wall behind him, but it could not escape his mouth because Liu Jin Yin had covered his mouth. He put his hand on her arm to push her away when he heard the footsteps.


    Liu Jin Yu, who was panting, covered her mouth as well.


    ¡°Young Master Kang, forgive me for putting your valuable things here,¡± Wu Jin said. Xiaoming tilted his head to check what they were exchanging when Liu Jin Yu pulled him back. She shook her head and slowly moved her hand down from his mouth.


    ¡°I wonder if Young Master Kang asked Wu Jin to put these valuable things in such a dirty ce.¡± They both heard another voice.


    ¡°Because of L¨®ng Wei,¡± Kang Huijuan answered. ¡°I cannot destroy them either because of my father. But if I keep them in my residence, L¨®ng Wei might find out about this,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Young Master Kang, don¡¯t worry. This pawn shop is the safest ce in the entire kingdom. No one will ever find out about it,¡± Wu Jin assured Kang Huijuan.


    ¡°Here is your reward,¡± said Kang Huijuan, taking out the pouch full of silver coins from his pocket and handing it to Wu Jin.


    ¡°The Young Master is always being generous on this lowly,¡± Wu Jin said and thanked him.


    ¡°Keep working for me,¡± Kang Huijuan told him, ¡°and don¡¯t ever betray me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Young Master Kang,¡± Wu Jin said.


    ¡°Keep it safe until Ie to take all this back,¡± Kang Huijuan instructed him. Wu Jin keenly listened to him.


    ¡°I will shift it to another ce. Here, my servantse and go,¡± Wu Jin stated, picking up the wooden box.


    Kang Huijuan nodded and asked him to carry the box. Wu Jin did so and left the room after locking it from the outside.

 Chapter 211

    211 Get on your knees


    Xiaoming and Liu Jin Yu stayed close to each other for a while when Liu Jin Yu walked out first. She went to the door and found it was closed from the outside.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Xiaoming asked her.


    ¡°It¡¯s closed from the outside,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated, and looked at him in worry.


    ¡°Great! What will I answer in the pce? Who even told you to push me here? I asked you to bring information and you did this to me,¡± Xiaoming was irked.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault. All I wanted was to help the Crown Prince,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    ¡°Will you stop calling me that?¡± Xiaoming scolded her.


    Liu Jin Yu made a face at him. ¡°I should not have helped you. I never met such an arrogant person in my life!¡± She remarked.


    ¡°Have you gone insane? Why are you talking that way to me?¡± Xiaoming asked and gritted his teeth.


    ¡°Why? ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I shouldn¡¯t call you the Crown Prince?¡± She asked, pausing as Xiaoming¡¯s finger rested on her lips.


    .....


    ¡°Stay quiet, Jin Yu. Do something to open this door. I need to go back,¡± Xiaoming told her, and lowered his hand.


    ¡°Why did youe here when you knew it was risky for you? You always create trouble,¡± Liu Jin Yu scolded him. Xiaoming didn¡¯t like the way she spoke with him, but then he remained quiet.


    It was his mistake to even think of meeting her once. However, if he had note to this ce, he would not have found out Kang Huijuan¡¯s true intentions. He was curious to find out why Kang Huijuan was so scared of L¨®ng Wei that he had to hide his valuable things in a ce like this.


    ¡°Come here,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    Xiaoming came out of his thoughts and looked at her. He walked up to her.


    ¡°Get down on your knees,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Xiaoming asked her in bewilderment.


    Liu Jin Yu pointed her hand up and said, ¡°It¡¯s a window through which I will go and free you from this ce. So, get down on your knees. I will stand on your back and then leap out of this window.


    Xiaoming refused. ¡°I am the Crown Prince, Jin Yu. How could you expect me to do this? You should get on your knees and I will go out of this window,¡± he opined while rejecting her idea.


    ¡°What if you get caught?¡± Liu Jin Yu questioned her. ¡°If you haven¡¯t done it yet, now is the time you must do it. Get on your knees. I need to reach the window. Do it quickly if you don¡¯t want to get caught,¡± she urged him.


    Xiaoming reluctantly got on the floor and asked her to remove her shoes. But she didn¡¯t listen to him and stood on his back.


    ¡°Ahh! You are heavy, Jin Yu!¡± Xiaoming objected when Liu Jin told him to keep quiet.


    ¡°You are such a weakling,¡± she remarked, and asked him to lift his body. She had to reach the window. Xiaoming lifted his body and Jin Yu caught the window¡¯s tform. She raised herself and banged her hand on the window several times.


    Xiaoming looked up and quickly got up. He caught her legs to lift her, and it startled her. She lost her bnce and fell back. His foot slipped, and with a loud thud, he fell on the dusty floor while Liu Jin Yu fell above him.


    With that sudden fall, their lips connected. Liu Jin Yu¡¯s heart suddenly raced and she immediately moved away. ¡°Forgive me,¡± she said, and turned her face away from him.


    Xiaoming wiped his lips and sat up. ¡°You are unbelievable,¡± he said, and stood up. Liu Jin Yu also rose on her feet and dusted off her dress.


    ¡°Why did His Highness hold my legs? I-if h-he hadn¡¯t done that, then it would not h-have happened.¡± She found herself stuttering for the first time and she patted her cheek.


    She was stunned when Xiaoming lifted her while holding her legs. She looked down at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stare at me. Reach for the window and quickly go out. I need to return to the pce.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu nodded, and again her hands reached the window. She banged on it, and after several attempts, she seeded in opening the window.


    Xiaoming used more strength and moved her up. Liu Jin Yu got out of the window and jumped down. Xiaoming took a deep breath and went towards the door, waiting for her to open it.


    In a minute, it was open and he finally took a deep breath of relief.


    ¡°I am leaving,¡± Xiaoming told her when Liu Jin Yu told him that she would check first if everything was clear at the front. Xiaoming hummed and followed her silently. She made sure no one would see them and decided to escort Xiaoming to the pce.


    ¡°Why are you apanying me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want you to fall into danger. I mean this disguise should not be exposed,¡± she asserted, and saw his entire back was covered in dust. She asked him to stand straight and dusted off the dust from his robes.


    ¡°Forgive me about that. I didn¡¯t mean to do that,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Forget about it,¡± Xiaoming told her, and she came in front of him. Because she brought him through the forest route, no one was around.


    ¡°Jin Yu, don¡¯t work there anymore,¡± Xiaoming advised her.


    ¡°Why?¡± She asked. ¡°I won¡¯t be harmed. My master took care of me as his daughter,¡± she stated. She did not want him to punish Wu Jin for epting bribes from Kang Huijuan.


    ¡°Jin Yu, if in the future your master is caught, I may not step forward to save you. That¡¯s why I want you to quit working for him. You can meet him, but find another ce for him. If you are unable to find the ce, thene to the pce. After I fired Eunuch Lishi, there is no one I can put my trust in except you,¡± Xiaoming again offered her the job at the pce for him.


    ¡°His Royal Highness is forgetting what the Sixth Prince said that day. If I stay around you, then I may die. I don¡¯t want that. Forgive me,¡± she bowed, ¡°but I love my life. Also, I don¡¯t think that I can survive in the pce. If I raise my voice to correct the wrong, then I may get punished. Her Majesty already dislikes me. So, it is better for me to stay away from the Crown Prince.¡±


    She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. Xiaoming agreed with her words.


    ¡°Stay away from the sight of Kang Huijuan. He is the son of the Prime Minister. Also, I think Brother L¨®ng Wei knows something about him that no one knows. That¡¯s why he was terrified,¡± Xiaoming deduced.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t get scared to fight against evil people. That¡¯s great.¡± She smiled. He felt odd hearing apliment from her mouth about L¨®ng Wei. He felt jealousy, but he had no idea behind that feeling.


    ¡°You never praise me,¡± Xiaoming said. Liu Jin Yu nced at him in amusement. ¡°I want to hear my praise from your mouth. I will feel aplished,¡± he said while staring into her eyes.

 Chapter 212

    212 Shui Feng Lao is here?


    ¡°Why does His Royal Highness want to hear his praise from me? What aplishment will His Royal Highness achieve upon hearing the praise from me?¡± Liu Jin Yu inquired with amusement.


    ¡°It is tough to exin,¡± Xiaoming replied, and walked ahead. Liu Jin Yu followed him and asked him if he had started to search for the Crown Princess.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t know what I will do,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°If I fail to find a suitable woman within these two weeks, Father will make me marry the woman of his choice.¡± Suddenly, his worries increased. How would he find out who is better for him?


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t His Highness organize a contest to select his wife?¡± Liu Jin Yu suggested an idea to him.


    ¡°The inner pce will get involved in that. My mother will again take control,¡± Xiaoming said and sighed.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, it is not wrong to listen to the choice of your mother. I feel that the Crown Prince will eventually fall in love with the woman who bes the Crown Princess,¡± Liu Jin Yu asserted.


    ¡°If you are suddenly married to a man whom you don¡¯t know, will you fall in love with him?¡± Xiaoming questioned her and tilted his head to nce at her.


    ¡°I am not in the same situation as the Crown Prince. I am free to marry whomever I want to, so I will never encounter that,¡± Liu Jin Yu said with a confident tone.


    ¡°Just assume it,¡± Xiaoming insisted.


    .....


    Liu Jin Yu took a deep breath. ¡°What if the man is good to me? Then, I may fall in love with him. If he turns out to be evil, I will leave him and start my life afresh,¡± she replied. Liu Jin Yu never thought of getting married, so in her eyes, the answer might not be good enough to clear Xiaoming¡¯s confusion.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I will not have the option to leave the woman if I fail to get along with her. I will have to do everything forcefully. Even producing the children would be against my will. These days, I am questioning my identity as the Crown Prince,¡± Xiaoming asserted, chuckling at his bad luck.


    ¡°If Princess Consort Li Hua was from a noble family, then the Crown Prince could have married her without any doubt. He didn¡¯t have to stop himself that day,¡± she proimed.


    ¡°Jin Yu, Li Hua wasn¡¯t made for me. Brother L¨®ng Wei loved her before she even entered the pce.He loves her dearly. Moreover, she belongs to the noble Xu Family. In the morning, we all found out about it,¡± Xiaoming affirmed.


    ¡°What? Princess Consort from a noble family?¡± Liu Jin Yu was shocked to hear the truth about Li Hua. ¡°Did she not get punished? Why did Princess Consort Li Hua hide her identity and work as a servant?¡± She was curious to know.


    ¡°No. You may not know about the Xu family. The Xu family was murdered two months ago in Xinshui. The story is long. I will tell you about it someday,¡± Xiaoming said.


    Liu Jin Yu found out that Li Hua was strong enough to enter the pce.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange that Princess Consort Li Huaes to the pce out of all ces?¡± Liu Jin Yu said, with a dubious expression. Xiaoming had the same question as Li Hua but he was surprised that Liu Jin Yu noticed it too. She was indeed a smart woman in his eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I also found odd,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°I will ask Brother L¨®ng Wei. But I know that he won¡¯t share it with me. He keeps a lot of secrets.¡± Xiaoming decided to ask L¨®ng Wei about itter in the evening.


    ¡°Jin Yu, you should return. From here, I will go,¡± Xiaoming advised her. Liu Jin Yu didn¡¯t oppose him and nodded at him. She bowed and asked Xiaoming to go ahead.


    ¡°Do consider my offer once,¡± Xiaoming told her before walking ahead.


    Liu Jin Yu fisted her palms. ¡®I should not get too close to the Crown Prince. Earlier, something strange happened to my heart.¡¯ She turned and went back to her ce. She halted when she saw a strange person walking past her. She looked around and turned to look at him.


    ¡°Why is he using this route?¡± She murmured and decided to follow him.


    ~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei tried hard, but Li Hua wasn¡¯t ready to talk with him. He decided to talk about his mother. He never talked about her with anyone, including Yuze, who had been close to him since he was a child. However, Li Hua, who was his wife, had the full right to know about him and his past.


    ¡°Li Hua, my mother didn¡¯t want me to be born. That¡¯s why I refrain from talking about her. For a child, a mother is a very important part of his life. Also, she did something which she-¡± L¨®ng Wei couldn¡¯tplete his statement as he heard a knock on the door.


    ¡°Your Highness, a noble man wants to see you,¡± the maidservant informed them from outside the chamber.


    L¨®ng Wei got out of bed to open the door.


    ¡°Who wants to see me?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired, perplexed. All these years, no noble man tried to ever meet him.


    ¡°He says he is Shui Feng Lao, Your Highness,¡± the maidservant answered while keeping her head down.


    ¡°Shui Feng Lao is here?¡± Li Hua asked from behind. Promptly, L¨®ng Wei turned to look at her. His cheeks and nose were red, while her eyes looked a little swollen. He walked to her and stroked her cheeks with his hands.


    ¡°I will listen to His Highness¡¯s motherter. I want to see Feng Lao first,¡± Li Hua said while peering into his raven orbs.


    ¡°First, tell me if you have forgiven me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No. I am still upset with His Highness,¡± Li Hua truthfully answered.


    ¡°That hurt me like a needle,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°His Highness¡¯s words hurt me more than a needle,¡± Li Hua said, and walked past him while lifting her skirt a little.


    ¡°Li Hua, will you be able to face him?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°Of course. He is nothing but a culprit in my eyes who has to answer my questions today,¡± Li Hua replied. L¨®ng Wei turned to look at her and found she had stepped out of the chamber.

 Chapter 213

    213 I always idealized you, Feng Lao


    L¨®ng Wei held Li Hua¡¯s hand as they reached outside the guest room. She tried to pull away when L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°Let me hold it. You will need me. No matter how strong you try to show yourself, you had feelings for him once.¡±


    He stepped into the room, and Li Hua walked behind him. Feng Lao stood up from the chair upon seeing L¨®ng Wei enter, but then he wobbled when he saw Li Hua.


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± Feng Lao pronounced her name and stopped blinking to see her. His throat dried up as his eyes fell on their hands.


    They both halted in front of him. L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to look at Li Hua, who had watery eyes when she saw Feng Lao. He fisted his palm and continued to stare at her milky white face.


    ¡°Li Hua!¡± Feng Lao stepped forward to embrace her when she took a step back and averted her gaze from him. L¨®ng Wei was now facing Feng Lao.


    ¡°Your Highness, what is Li Hua doing here?¡± Feng Lao asked her and took a step to his left. ¡°Li Hua, why are you hiding? Why did you give Prince L¨®ng Wei jade ring I gave you ?¡± He questioned. The pain in his voice was visible. He felt betrayed.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to look at Li Hua. She stood silently, controlling the tears which could fall anytime. ¡°Do you want to leave?¡± He asked her. Li Hua shook her head and tightly held his hand.


    L¨®ng Wei looked back at Feng Lao. ¡°Firstly, don¡¯t pronounce her name ever from your mouth. Secondly, she is my wife. You need to show your respect towards her.¡± His prating gaze bored through Feng Lao¡¯s eyes. He wanted to kill Feng Lao at that moment for acting in front of Li Hua and hurting her more.


    ¡°What?¡± Feng Lao was shocked to learn that Li Hua got married to L¨®ng Wei. Didn¡¯t she love him? Then, how could she marry L¨®ng Wei? How did she reach Qinping?


    .....


    Feng Lao raised his hand and showed the red jade ring to L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Did His Highness force Li Hua to marry him? Did he forcefully take this ring from her? How could hee between two-¡±


    ¡°Stop, Feng Lao!¡± Li Hua finally spoke. She stepped up and red into his eyes.


    ¡°Why did you betray my family that night? Why did you make a fool of me and told me that you woulde to take me? How could you kill everyone in my family?¡± Li Hua finally questioned him and looked at his hand. ¡°I told my husband to return this jade ring to you. So, stop talking with him this way,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°What are you saying, Li Hua? I didn¡¯t betray your family. I-¡±


    Li Hua¡¯s handnded on his cheek and he stopped speaking. She pped him hard and raised her hand again. She pped him twice, thrice, and then she pushed him away.


    ¡°How could you lie to my face?¡± Li Hua was disappointed in him. She thought that he would tell the truth to her. But she was again wrong about him. ¡°You and your father killed my entire family. Do you think I am that na?ve Li Hua? How could you even think that I would be a fool again?¡± She shouted at him.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at Feng Lao, who still looked puzzled.


    ¡°That night you told me to run away and wait for you in the vige. I waited for you but you never came. I kept your memory with me but what did you even do? You married the woman whom my first brother loved so much? I always idealized you, Feng Lao. But you broke mepletely,¡± Li Hua¡¯s anger burst at him.


    ¡°I ept that I told you to run away, but it was not the truth what you think of! I was brutally injured when I fought those assassins. I woke up after two days. And as soon as I woke up, I searched for you,¡± Feng Lao told her the truth from his side.


    Li Huaughed at his statements.


    ¡°If you tell another lie then I swear I will kill you, Feng Lao. Just ept what you and your father did!¡± Li Hua said. Her sound came out as a threat.


    ¡°I am not lying, Li Hua,¡± Feng Lao said and stepped forward to hold her hand. ¡°Listen to me,¡± he requested. She pulled her hand back when he didn¡¯t let it go.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at it. He had promised Li Hua that he would not intervene but seeing that he could not stop himself anymore. He caught his wrist and pushed him away.


    Li Hua rested her hand on her chest as she felt the sharp pain in her chest. Her vision became blurry and she felt her head spinning. L¨®ng Wei noticed it and before she could fall, he caught her in his arms.


    ¡°Li Hua! Li Hua!¡± L¨®ng Wei patted her cheeks and panicked to find that her body had turned colder.


    Feng Lao stepped forward when L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°Say another word and I will send your corpse to your home.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei carried Li Hua in his arms and took her to his chamber. Xu Zifan, who had returned from General Hei¡¯s residence and came to meet L¨®ng Wei, saw him carrying Li Hua in his arms. He rushed behind them and entered the chamber.


    ¡°What happened to Li Hua?¡± Xu Zifan concernedly asked.


    ¡°She fainted. The physician will soon be here, but why is her body cold?¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured and sat down next to her feet. He removed her shoes and started to rub her feet. Xu Zifan checked Li Hua¡¯s pulse and found it was slower than usual.


    ¡°What caused her state like this?¡± Xu Zifan got worried and looked for water.


    ¡°Feng Lao is here. I let her talk with Feng Lao,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and the jar of water from Xu Zifan¡¯s hand fell.


    ¡°Did he say anything to her? Where is that traitor?¡± Xu Zifan got furious within seconds.


    ¡°Go and check outside if the physician is on his way. We will talk about himter,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Xu Zifan nodded and ran out of the room.


    ¡°I should not have agreed to you,¡± he murmured while he continued to rub her feet. He stood up and checked her forehead. She was still cold, and it terrified him.


    ~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    Finally, Feng Lao is in the pce. What truth did he try to tell Li Hua? Do you have any ideas about it? Drop your views in thement section.


    THANK YOU


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 214

    214 Just pretend that you have fainted


    Liu Jin Yu, with quiet steps, followed the suspicious person. She maintained a good distance from him so that he would not get alerted that someone was chasing her.


    Xiaoming was only a few distances away from the pce and it surprised Liu Jin Yu that the suspicious man didn¡¯t stop following him.


    ¡®Is he an assassin?¡¯ She thought when her eyes widened to see the dagger in the man¡¯s hand. He was ready to attack Xiaoming, who was only a few meters ahead of him.


    Liu Jin Yu checked her pocket and realized that she had forgotten to bring a dagger with her. She ran after the man, and before he could attack Xiaoming, she kicked him from behind.


    The man tripped and fell to the ground with a loud thud. However, the dagger was still in his hand. Xiaoming, who was ahead of them, turned to look. He was shocked to see an unknown man on the ground while Liu Jin Yu was ring at the man.


    The man stood up swiftly and wielded the dagger tightly. He was ready to attack Liu Jin Yu.


    ¡°Crown Prince, run to the pce,¡± Liu Jin Yu shouted. She dodged the attack of the dagger. Xiaoming did the opposite and stepped forward to help her. The man took out the sword that he had hidden inside his long robes.


    Liu Jin Yu told Xiaoming to run and bring help instead of helping her.


    ¡°I cannot let him harm you,¡± Xiaoming said when Liu Jin Yu snatched the dagger from him.


    .....


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool. He is after you. Run towards the pce and send a few soldiers here.¡± Liu Jin Yu¡¯s voice turned informal while she carefully watched the steps of the man who now had the sword in his hand.


    He attacked them when Liu Jin Yu came in front of Xiaoming and defended the de of the sword with the dagger¡¯s de that she had held. She pushed him with her entire strength and panted.


    Xiaoming tried to help her when she stopped him. ¡°Don¡¯t act like a foolish person. Go to the pce,¡± she again advised him, ¡°I will stop him.¡±


    She fell to the ground when the man bent over on his knee and with the sword hurt her thigh. He promptly got up and kicked her abdomen. Xiaoming ran to Liu Jin Yu and took the dagger from him. He fought with the man now and easily defended his attacks. Gathering her strength, Liu Jin Yu rose to her feet.


    ¡°Jin Yu, run to the pce and bring help,¡± Xiaoming told her. ¡°It is a royalmand. If you don¡¯t follow it, then you will get punished along with Wu Jin,¡± he threatened her.


    Liu Jin Yu stepped back and ran as fast as she could towards the pce. Her right side pants were stained with blood and she felt extreme pain in her leg. But if she stopped, then Xiaoming¡¯s life might fall into danger.


    Xiaoming directed the dagger toward the man while the man¡¯s sword was pointed toward him. They circled in a circle, waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack one other.


    ¡°Who are you? Who has sent you behind me?¡± Xiaoming inquired while staring into his eyes.


    The man didn¡¯t utter a word and this time attacked Xiaoming more fiercely than before. Xiaoming¡¯s hand started to bleed as he tried to stop the de, and his eyes turned red.


    He somehow managed to push the man away and looked at his left hand. ¡°Soon, the soldiers will be here. What do you think will happen then? It¡¯s better for you to tell me who sent you,¡± Xiaoming tried to get the truth from the man.


    Again, the man didn¡¯t speak and continued to attack Xiaoming. He only defended his attack and kicked the hand of the man who was on the sword¡¯s hilt. Xiaoming grasped the sword quickly and pointed it at the man¡¯s neck. By then, a few soldiers hade to rescue the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Now, you have to undergo torture in the prison,¡± Xiaoming said, and the man lifted his hands above his head.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, are you alright?¡± One of the soldiers asked. Xiaoming nodded and asked them to take the man to the prison. The soldiers acted on hismand while he walked ahead to check on Liu Jin Yu.


    To his surprise, she hade back to the same ce. ¡°The Crown Prince caught him,¡± she said with a smile and looked at his hand, which was bleeding. ¡°That¡¯s why I told the Crown Prince to run first, but he didn¡¯t listen to me.¡± She took his hand in hers and told him that he should go quickly to the Royal Physician.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Xiaoming asked. ¡°Your leg is injured too. Come with me,¡± he said.


    Liu Jin Yu motioned her hands in the air to refuse. ¡°That¡¯s a small cut. I will go back. My master will get worried about me if he doesn¡¯t find me,¡± she opined and stepped back. She bowed before him and told him not toe out of the pce.


    She asked him to walk ahead first and then she would leave. Then Xiaoming stepped up, and the next second, he carried Liu Jin Yu in his arms.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness!¡± Shock prevailed on Liu Jin Yu¡¯s face.


    ¡°Put me down, Your Royal Highness,¡± Liu Jin Yu said when Xiaoming asked her to hold him tightly.


    ¡°Just pretend that you have fainted, then no one will say anything. You are wounded and you must get treatment. Also, I don¡¯t want it to stay as a scar. A woman must take care of her body,¡± he said. Liu Jin Yu blinked a few times while staring at Xiaoming. He started to walk toward the pce and brought Liu Jin Yu to his manor. Many servants watched them, and she decided to pretend that she was unconscious.


    A faint smile formed on Xiaoming¡¯s lips, and he held Liu Jin Yu close to him.

 Chapter 215

    215 Don¡¯t kill him, L¨®ng Wei


    Physician Peng nced at L¨®ng Wei and then at Xu Zifan. L¨®ng Wei asked him why he was silent.


    ¡°Your Highness, Princess Consort, has a weak heart. She must stay away from stress or anxiety. Her body turned cold and her pulse rate decreased because of the sudden stress. I think this is because of a trauma that she has experienced,¡± Physician Peng answered, and then looked at Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Does the Princess Consort¡¯s brother know anything about this?¡± He asked.


    ¡°It could be the trauma from that night,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. Xu Zifan agreed with his words.


    ¡°If His Highness refrains from conversing regarding the trauma, then she will not experience it. Also, I find that Princess Consort is doing physical training. So, exhaustion can be the other reason for it. The Princess Consort¡¯s body is not strong enough to bear the physical stress,¡± Physician Peng advised L¨®ng Wei. He felt guilty for putting Li Hua under such stress.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Crown Prince was attacked a few moments ago. He is injured and needs Physician Peng urgently in his manor,¡± the maidservant informed L¨®ng Wei. She had received it from another maidservant who was outside the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor.


    Peng Yuxian quickly collected his things and asked his assistant to bring them to the Crown Prince¡¯s manor. He bowed and left in a hurry with his assistant.


    ¡°Who can attack the Crown Prince?¡± Xu Zifan murmured.


    ¡°That¡¯s not important,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and peered at Li Hua, who was still unconscious. ¡°You were right, Xu Zifan. I should not have let out Feng Lao¡¯s truth to her. I was wrong for the first time. Her painful screams, her hurtful memories from those nights, revived again because of me. She loved Feng Lao dearly. For my selfish reasons, I decided to make them meet.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. He felt pathetic for not thinking from Li Hua¡¯s perspective.


    .....


    Feng Lao was her first love, and she loved him for more than ten years. Indeed, his betrayal would have affected her badly. L¨®ng Wei failed to focus on that part.


    ¡°I made her train, which exhausted her. I am such an evil husband,¡± L¨®ng Wei med himself for Li Hua¡¯s current condition.


    Xu Zifan stood next to him and rested his left hand on his shoulder. ¡°However, she found the truth about Feng Lao on her own. She eavesdropped on our conversation that day. Physician Peng was correct. Li Hua has a weak heart and she gets anxious easily. I am surprised that she held it all together and never broke down when she was alone in the pce. Your Highness, the trauma is affecting her body, not her spirit. She has be a strong-willed woman, and as her brother, I noticed it the moment I saw her with you.¡±


    Xu Zifan didn¡¯t me L¨®ng Wei for letting Li Hua meet with Feng Lao. Instead, he encouraged him and told him that he could remove that trauma from her life.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, the only woman who cares for me is Li Hua. My own mother tried to kill me on numerous asions, so I never had any liking for women. Li Hua is different, and it hurts me every time she gets hurt because of me. I have decided that I won¡¯t let Li Hua know anything about the Xu family murder from here. We will keep it between us only,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated while stroking his hand over Li Hua¡¯s hair.


    ¡°As Prince L¨®ng Wei feels is appropriate. I will follow hismand,¡± Xu Zifan said, and decided to meet Feng Lao.


    ¡°I will interrogate Feng Lao. His Highness shall tell me where he is?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei ordered the maidservant to take Xu Zifan to the guest room. Xu Zifan patted L¨®ng Wei¡¯s shoulder and left to meet Feng Lao.


    L¨®ng Wei glued his eyes to Li Hua. He wiped the tears from the pad of his fingers from his eyes. ¡°Li Hua, forgive me for hurting you to this extent. I promise that I will never do this again,¡± he said and sniffled.


    He saw the tears at the edges of Li Hua¡¯s eyes. Was she dreaming about that night? L¨®ng Wei pondered and wiped her tears away gently before they fell.


    ~~~~~~


    Feng Lao, who was pacing in the guest room, stopped upon seeing Xu Zifan. He was delighted to find that Li Hua¡¯s eldest brother was alive. He stepped up to hug him when Xu Zifan stopped him.


    ¡°Why did you hurt Li Hua this way? I understand that the power blinded you and your family. But why did you y with her heart? What did you say to her that night, which today has be a trauma for her? Was killing everyone in my family, not enough for you that you decided to break Li Hua this way?¡± Xu Zifan inquired.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, I still love her. I don¡¯t know why you and Li Hua think that my father and I betrayed you all. I rescued her that night. Even though I had no hope of survival, I wanted her to be safe. I did nothing,¡± Feng Lao said, and asked him if Li Hua was alright. He wanted to see her.


    ¡°You have lost that right, Feng Lao. Don¡¯t even call the name of my sister. Why are you still denying the wrong you did to us? I was wrong to tell my father that Feng Lao was suitable for Li Hua. Had I not done that, today they all would be alive,¡± Xu Zifan stated. His voice sounded regretful. ¡°ept your crimes, Feng Lao.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t betray Li Hua. My love for her is still the same,¡± Feng Lao stated. They both heard the sound of unsheathing and looked towards the door.


    L¨®ng Wei walked past Xu Zifan and marched to Feng Lao. He was ready to behead Feng Lao¡¯s head when a hand grasped his wrist. He tilted his head to look and found Mingquan next to him.


    ¡°Leave my hand,¡± L¨®ng Wei sternly said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill him, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Mingquan said.

 Chapter 216

    216 She is an emotion for me


    ¡°Leave my hand,¡± L¨®ng Wei sternly said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill him, Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Mingquan urged. ¡°You are not supposed to do anything that willnd you in the cold pce again.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei pushed Mingquan away, dismissing his suggestion. He realized that L¨®ng Wei would not stop, so he unsheathed his sword as well.


    Mingquan¡¯s sword whistled through the air as he parried L¨®ng Wei¡¯s attack. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, stop it! You are the one who has decided not to take thew into your own hands. Before doing anything, think about the sister-inw. It¡¯s not solely about Brother L¨®ng Wei anymore,¡± Mingquan said. Xu Zifan also supported the words of Mingquan and told L¨®ng Wei to calm down.


    ¡°What if Feng Lao is speaking the truth!? What if that night he saved the Sister-inw from getting killed? Brother L¨®ng Wei is far smarter than all of us present here. He should think with a calm mind instead of losing his temper,¡± Mingquan advised him, and with a swift moment, he snatched the sword from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything that could harm anyone from the Shui family,¡± Feng Lao again said. ¡°Fourth Prince, please tell them to listen to me once,¡± he requested.


    ¡°Why did you not ept that you and your family were present at the Xu residence that night? Why did you not reveal the truth about that night?¡± L¨®ng Wei demanded the answers from Feng Lao.


    Feng Lao became silent upon hearing L¨®ng Wei. He walked past Mingquan and grabbed Feng Lao by the cor of his robes. ¡°Shall I answer you?¡± L¨®ng Wei red into Feng Lao¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°That night, you let Li Hua live because it was all a part of the n. You didn¡¯t rescue her because you loved her, but because you were told to do that,¡± L¨®ng Wei concluded.


    .....


    ¡°That¡¯s not true, Your Highness,¡± Feng Lao said.


    ¡°Then, what¡¯s the truth?¡± Mingquan asked. ¡°Why did no one in Xinshui town know that the Shui family was also present that night? Why were only the people from the Xu family found dead but nothing happened to your family?¡±


    ¡°He will not answer until his father, his mother, and his wife die with my sword. I will kill all of you,¡± L¨®ng Wei firmly voiced. ¡°I must take him to the prison and make him see the hell. He made Li Hua¡¯s and Xu Zifan¡¯s hell. Li Hua still gets nightmares of that night. I must show you what nightmares L¨®ng Wei can give.¡± His words came out as a threat, hatred, and anger.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one thing that I can never do,¡± said Feng Lao, and put his hands on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hands, which were on his cor, ¡°your Highness. Li Hua is not merely a name to me. She is an emotion for me. Everything about her is imprinted on my heart. I never betrayed her. I loved her and still do.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei made a shaky motion with his head. ¡°You never loved her. If you had, then you would have saved not only her but her family too. You would not have taken her to the forest that night. You would not have left her alone. Stop telling me that you love her. It makes me madder,¡± he stated.


    Their gazes fixated on each other.


    ¡°You got married to Yang Mei, impregnated her, and then you say that you love my sister. At least, say things while being sensible,¡± Xu Zifan said with a frustrated expression.


    ¡°Feng Lao, is there someone who has threatened your family?¡± Mingquan asked. ¡°Is that the reason you cannot tell us why your family lied to everyone?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°He won¡¯t answer this way. Until I cut his one hand, his mouth would not open,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, calm down. You are not supposed to act this way,¡± Mingquan reprimanded him again. He stepped up and let L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hands be removed from Feng Lao¡¯s robes. ¡°Let him hear first. Who knows he is telling the truth,¡± he opined.


    ¡°Yang Mei was pregnant before the marriage, Xu Zifan. I married her because my father told me to,¡± Feng Lao said, and looked at Xu Zifan. ¡°If I had known that you were alive, then I would not have ever married her. You know my feelings for Li Hua. I won¡¯t ask for your apology because I indeed made a mistake,¡± he said and clenched his fists.


    ¡°Will you stop calling her Li Hua? She¡¯s no longer yours. She is my wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he got infuriated.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness,¡± Feng Lao said and downcast his eyelids. ¡°I got injured while fighting with the assassins that night. I could not let them go behind Li Hua, so I tried my best to stop them. For two days, I didn¡¯t wake up. When I woke up, the first thing was the search for Li... Pardon me for my slip of the tongue. I searched for Princess Consort, but I didn¡¯t find her. I thought she was no more.¡± Feng Lao¡¯s eyes turned misty.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t the people in Xinshui know that your family was in our house that night?¡± Xu Zifan asked him again.


    ¡°Father has his hands in it. He never told me, but he told me that if I said it to anyone, then we would all be dead,¡± Feng Lao answered.


    ¡°And you epted it without knowing the reason?¡± L¨®ng Wei furrowed his brows.


    ¡°Everyone loves their family,¡± Mingquan stated, and looked at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Really? If I have to choose between the family and the person whom I adore more than my life, I will choose that person,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and looked into the eyes of Feng Lao.


    ¡°But not everyone will choose that,¡± Mingquan countered L¨®ng Wei¡¯s statement. ¡°For Feng Lao, the Princess Consort was already dead. So, he must have to protect his family,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t everything rted to Li Hua imprinted in your heart? Isn¡¯t she an emotion for you?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired while staring into the eyes of Feng Lao.


    ¡°Shall I show the mirror to you? You never loved her. If you had, then you would have searched for her. So, never say in front of me that you love her. I am a crazy person, Feng Lao. Shui Xiaoqing helped the enemy of the Xu family to save himself from his wrath, but who will save you all from me?¡± L¨®ng Wei interrogated him.


    ¡°I will ask the King to let me kill all of you. I didn¡¯t even flinch when I killed my own mother. So, it¡¯s easier for me to kill the others too,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and snickered at him.


    Mingquan caught L¨®ng Wei¡¯s arm and dragged him out of the chamber. L¨®ng Wei told him not to interfere in that.


    ¡°Feng Lao isn¡¯t lying, Brother L¨®ng Wei. Someone powerful is behind all this. So, listen to him and do not threaten him. If the royal father finds out, you¡¯ll be in trouble. Also, if word goes out that the sister-inw used to have feelings for someone, then only you both will get into trouble,¡± Mingquan advised L¨®ng Wei.


    He punched the wall beside him and took deep breaths. ¡°Fine. I will remain calm as long as he cooperates,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness, for intruding into your conversation. His Majesty has summoned all the princes in the Crown Prince¡¯s manor,¡± a maidservant informed them.


    ¡°Why?¡± Mingquan asked.


    ¡°Someone tried to kill the Crown Prince,¡± the maidservant replied.


    L¨®ng Wei furrowed his brows and refused to leave.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, we have to go,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°Let¡¯s not spread the news that Feng Lao is here,¡± he suggested.


    ¡°Li Hua is unconscious. I need to be by her side. A maidservant is with her. If she wakes up, she will look for me¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°The Sister-inw will not like to see you getting punished. Also, she will not wake up this early. We will be back soon,¡± Mingquan stated, and walked inside the chamber again to tell Xu Zifan to keep Feng Lao with him.

 Chapter 217

    217 No prince is allowed to go out!


    ¡°Your Majesty, I have treated the wound on the Crown Prince¡¯s hand,¡± Physician Peng informed Qiu Zedong. Xiaoming looked at his hand and then stood up when Zhu Liling embraced him tightly.


    She pulled away and cupped Xiaoming¡¯s face to make sure that he wasn¡¯t injured anywhere else.


    ¡°Is the Crown Prince sure that he did not get wounded anywhere else?¡± Zhu Liling worriedly examined his arms too.


    ¡°Mother, I am alright,¡± Xiaoming answered. ¡°The wound wasn¡¯t deep.¡± He asked her not to stress over that small wound.


    ¡°Why did the Crown Prince go out without any security?¡± Qiu Mu knitted his brows in bewilderment.


    ¡°The question is why was that servant around the Crown Prince? Does she know the assassin?¡± Zhang Xi made a deduction that Xiaoming refutedpletely.


    ¡°Liu Jin Yu saved my life and I got injured instead of him. Thanks to her, I didn¡¯t get harmed,¡± Xiaoming defended Liu Jin Yu.


    ¡°Why did Jin Yu follow the Crown Prince on the route which was supposed to be used by royals only?¡± Qiu Zedong sceptically nced at Xiaoming.


    He then shifted his gaze to Qiu Mu and General Hei.


    .....


    ¡°Why was the security so loose in that part? It is close to the pce, yet there were no soldiers deployed,¡± Qiu Zedong reprimanded them.


    ¡°Forgive us, Your Majesty. We removed the soldiers today only. They had a military drill, and we didn¡¯t know that the Crown Prince was going to use that route,¡± General Hei apologised and lowered his head. Qiu Mu also looked down and apologized to his father.


    L¨®ng Wei and Mingquan entered the room. They both bowed to see their father and looked at Xiaoming.


    ¡°Don¡¯t withdraw the soldiers during military drills and interrogate the assassin. Who tried to attack the Crown Prince without fearing that he might get caught,¡± Qiu Zedong instructed both of them.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Both of them left the chamber. L¨®ng Wei chuckled at seeing Qiu Mu and wondered if he would be able to interrogate him well.


    ¡°The Crown Prince didn¡¯t tell me why he left the pce without any security. From the Queen, I found out that the Crown Prince asked Eunuch Lishi not to work for him anymore. May I know the reason?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°I went out secretly to check around the town. As the Crown Prince, I must know what people are like around me. What are their needs and what do they desire for a good life,¡± Xiaoming lied to his father.


    ¡°Why does the Crown Prince need to look into that? There are so many ministers for that work, who report directly to the King. The Crown Prince could have asked them,¡± Zhu Liling opined.


    ¡°Because as the Crown Prince, it is my duty to find out what my people are like. The ministers mostly hide the facts from the royalty¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°May I know why the Royal Father called us here? I thought the Crown Prince was gravely wounded,¡± L¨®ng Wei interrupted in their conversation.


    ¡°Does the Sixth Prince have no conscience left?¡± Zhu Liling turned angry.


    ¡°My wife is unconscious. I need to be with her. If there¡¯s nothing important, then I will take my leave,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°No prince is allowed to go out until this matter gets solved. Also, if anyone tries to defy it, then he will be punished severely,¡± Qiu Zedong pronounced, looking at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°What happened to Li Hua?¡± He asked.


    ¡°She is stressed and because of anxiety, she fainted,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°The Royal Father must punish the Shui family as soon as possible. Because of them, my wife suffered so much,¡± L¨®ng Wei requested Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°We will discuss itter. Let Shui Xiaoqing arrive at Qinping,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. ¡°Right now, there is concern about the Crown Prince¡¯s safety. Someone tried to harm the Crown Prince,¡± he said with an anxious look.


    ¡°I heard the Crown Prince rejected the marriage proposal with the Kang family. Who knows that it was done by the great prime minister? I even heard that the Crown Prince made his daughter cry,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and gazed at Xiaoming.


    ¡°Shut your mouth, Prince L¨®ng Wei. using the Kang family without any evidence. Also, he is the one who supports not only His Majesty but my son too,¡± Zhu Liling took a stand for Kang Xi.


    ¡°It¡¯s proven in history that the person close to you attacks you first,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean that Prince L¨®ng Wei can use the prime minister,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°Forgive me, Royal Father. I will prove to you that your dear friend is the most dangerous man in the Kingdom,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and smiled. ¡°Please allow me to leave as my wife needs me,¡± he again requested.


    ¡°Princess Ai Fen, go to the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor and stay with Li Hua until he returns,¡± Qiu Zedong told the Second Princess. She bowed and left to see Li Hua.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei must not say anything against the prime minister. He is senior to him not only in age but in rank too. The interrogation has started, so we will soon find the culprit. Until then, no prince will step out of the pce,¡± Qiu Zedong again repeated his statement.


    ¡°Yes, Royal Father.¡± All the princes said it in unison.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, stay with the Crown Prince all the time,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    ¡°Royal Father, I do not want Eunuch Lishi to serve me anymore,¡± Xiaoming requested when the King asked the reason behind it. Eunuch Lishi looked at Xiaoming, wondering if he would tell the King.


    ¡°Because he needs rest now. He has been serving for more than eighteen years. His health is poor and I decided to free him from my service,¡± Xiaoming stated. He didn¡¯t tell the truth about what his mother did along with Eunuch Lishi.


    ¡°Royal Father, Royal Mother, please return to your respective chambers. I am well. Thank you, my dear brothers and sisters, foring here to show their deep concern for me. I did not want to trouble anyone, so forgive me for that.¡± Xiaoming asked them not to worry about him anymore.

 Chapter 218

    218 Who can be my Wife


    Qiu Zedong looked at Gao Bing and asked him to appoint a personal attendant for Xiaoming within a day.


    ¡°Also, inform me when Liu Jin Yu gains consciousness,¡± Qiu Zedong ordered him.


    Gao Bing bowed while the King left. Zhu Liling wasn¡¯t ready to leave when Xiaoming told her that he would like to rest for a while.


    ¡°I wille in the evening, Crown Prince,¡± Zhu Liling said, and left the chamber while her servants followed her.


    L¨®ng Wei left to see Li Hua, while the other princes and princesses left too. Gao Bing told Xiaoming that he would send an assistant for him within an hour.


    ¡°Yes, Eunuch Gao Bing. I will wait,¡± Xiaoming said, and thanked him. Once the Eunuch left too, Xiaoming went to see Liu Jin Yu in the chamber next to his.


    He asked everyone to leave the chamber and closed the door from inside. Liu Jin Yu pushed away the nket and sat up on the mattress.


    ¡°You should lie down,¡± Xiaoming suggested to her.


    ¡°Why did the Crown Prince ask me to act? When the physician touched my thigh, my eyes almost opened. Fortunately, no one saw me,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, taking a breath of relief. ¡°I must go back. Master Wu must be looking for me,¡± she stood up when Xiaoming grasped her arm.


    .....


    ¡°Stay here,¡± Xiaoming said, his gaze fixated on her. ¡°Until your wound gets healed, stay here. Also, I am thankful for your expeditious act.¡±


    ¡°That was my duty towards the Crown Prince. However, there is one thing that the Crown Prince must know. That person had been following us for a long time. It seems someone found out about the Crown Prince in the restaurant,¡± Liu Jin Yu concluded.


    ¡°General Hei and Brother Mu are looking into that. Soon, the culprit will be found,¡± Xiaoming asserted and made her sit on the bed. He sat next to her and asked her if she didn¡¯t get hurt anywhere else in her body.


    ¡°No. My abdomen hurts since he kicked it. I will be fine after a good rest,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated. Her hand came to her belly as she caressed it.


    ¡°I never saw any woman like you,¡± Xiaoming remarked. ¡°You didn¡¯t even fear fighting with him. I never knew that if I got attacked someday, you would save me,¡± he said.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the future unpredictable? Indeed, the Crown Prince has no idea what will happen in the future; who he will meet, marry, fall in love with, and many other things.Even for me, meeting the Crown Prince was a luck by chance,¡± Liu Jin Yu proimed.


    ¡°Luck by chance or destiny?¡± Xiaoming raised his eyebrow.


    ¡°It cannot be destiny,¡± Liu Jin Yu answered.


    ¡°Why?¡± Xiaoming was interested to know.


    ¡°Because once I met a very popr shaman in the town. She told me that my luck is excellent. Because of luck, I got those things which I never imagined,¡± Liu Jin Yu said with a broad smile.


    ¡°I won¡¯t argue against that statement,¡± Xiaoming said, standing up to walk to the door. Liu Jin Yuid down, thinking he was going to go out. But to her surprise, he came back with arge silver bowl in his hand. The bowl contained many fruits in it with a knife.


    Xiaoming again sat beside her and started to cut the fruits for her. He sliced two apples and handed the te over to Liu Jin Yu. ¡°Eat them,¡± he said.


    ¡°Can I?¡± Liu Jin Yu asked.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    She took the te from him and started to eat the fruits. ¡°Mmm, these are delicious and super juicy. The Royals are lucky to have such kinds of fruit,¡± she said, and enjoyed the apples.


    Xiaoming smiled upon hearing her. ¡°Even markets have apples,¡± he stated.


    ¡°But they never tasted like this. Poor aren¡¯t lucky enough to eat such things,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. He cut more apples for her and asked her to eat them slowly.


    ¡°I am such a bad person. Making the Crown Prince work,¡± she said, and asked him to give her the knife to him. ¡°I will cut myself,¡± she opined.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I will do it. You can enjoy eating them. I never saw any person enjoying the fruits in this way,¡± Xiaoming asserted. However, Liu Jin Yu didn¡¯t agree with him and insisted on giving her a knife. While doing so, the knife cut Xiaoming¡¯s index finger.


    ¡°Forgive me.¡± Liu Jin Yu panicked to see that and held his finger. ¡°I didn¡¯t intend to do that, Your Royal Highness. Please forgive me,¡± she apologized and moved her thumb away from the cut.


    But the bleeding didn¡¯t stop. At that moment, she brought his finger near her mouth and sucked the blood from the cut. She pulled away and looked at it. ¡°It¡¯s the easiest method to stop the bleeding,¡± she stated and looked at him.


    Gradually, the smile faded from her lips as she felt his intense gaze on her. She let go of his hand and averted her gaze from him.


    ¡°Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming called her name out.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She kept her head down and picked up a slice of apple.


    ¡°Look at me,¡± Xiaoming asked her.


    Liu Jin Yu lifted her eyelids and peered at him. The beats of her heart suddenly shot up. She was unable to understand why it happened to her.


    ¡°I have found out who can be my wife,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Liu Jin Yu smiled and pushed the slice of apple into his mouth. ¡°The Crown Prince shall eat too,¡± she stated.


    Xiaoming chewed the apple, and soon they both finished eating. ¡°Shall I ask them to bring lunch for us? You must be hungry,¡± he said.


    ¡°I had my lunch earlier, but I won¡¯t refuse the delicious food of the pce,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. Xiaoming smiled and called a servant in. He asked her to bring meals for them.


    ¡°My Royal Father will meet youter. He probably wants to thank you. So, after having our lunch, we will go to meet the King,¡± Xiaoming informed her.

 Chapter 219

    219 I am his and He is mine


    L¨®ng Wei had sent Ai Fen away while he waited for Li Hua to wake up. As every minute passed, his heartbeat would intensely rise out of concern.


    Li Hua slowly opened her eyelids as she gained consciousness.


    ¡°Li Hua, are you alright? How are you feeling?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired. His voice was soft and his eyes were misty. Li Hua used her elbows to sit up when L¨®ng Wei told her not to move. He pushed her to the mattress.


    ¡°Peng Yuxian said that you must stay in bed. You need a good rest. Forgive me, for being so hard on you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and caressed her forehead.


    ¡°He lied so tantly,¡± Li Hua said, as her eyes filled with tears. ¡°Your Highness, it is hurting me. I won¡¯t lie to you. I loved him until the past few days, when I found out about his betrayal. It is so painful.¡± Tears poured down her cheeks. She sniffled while sobbing and covered her eyes with her hands.


    L¨®ng Wei gulped because it pained him to see Li Hua crying for another man. He was upset that Li Hua hadn¡¯t fallen in love with him yet. She stopped loving Feng Lao because he betrayed her. If she knew the truth of what Feng Lao told him earlier, then she would fall in love with him again.


    The mere thought of it broke his heart into millions of pieces. He wanted to be alone and disappeared from her sight. He stood up and turned to leave when Li Hua caught his hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me,¡± Li Hua said as she stopped crying.


    ¡°Why?¡± he asked.


    .....


    ¡°Because I need you,¡± Li Hua stated.


    A tear rolled down L¨®ng Wei¡¯s left cheek, and he said, ¡°Feng Lao said that he never betrayed you. He said that he saved you that night. He was not involved in the murder of your family. His father is involved in all this. He loves you. He married Yang Mei because she was pregnant with someone¡¯s child. Maybe to save her dignity.¡±


    Li Hua was shocked to hear another series of truth from L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°So, do you love him? Since he never betrayed you, your feelings for him will revive again. Am I right?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked, and he slowly pulled his hand away from her. He decided not to keep her with him. He wasn¡¯t dying for anyone¡¯s love. He was meant to be alone from the very beginning, so he knew how to handle heartbreak.


    Li Hua sat up on the bed and confusedly pondered over L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words.


    ¡°I will let you go,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a heavy heart and stepped forward to leave, but he stopped.


    Li Hua had circled her arms around him and embraced him tightly from behind. ¡°How could His Highness even tell me to leave him?¡± She questioned him.


    ¡°You said that you loved him until the day you found out he betrayed you. That means, I always forced my feelings on you. I was never yours and you were never mine,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He was so engrossed with the heartbreak that he got after hearing that particr statement, that he almost forgot that he was told not to give Li Hua any kind of stress.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. His Highness took the wrong meaning of my words. I was hopeful that the love and trust I carried for Feng Lao would never be proven wrong, until the day His Highness told me the truth,¡± Li Hua exined to him.


    ¡°I am his and he is mine,¡± she pronounced with a firm tone.


    L¨®ng Wei gently loosened her grip with his hands. He turned to look at her and put his hand on her arm. ¡°Feng Lao said that-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear what he told His Highness or my brother. He should not have stayed quiet when he knew that his family was present in my house,¡± Li Hua said firmly.


    ¡°I am upset with His Highness. How could he tell me to leave?¡± Sheined and lifted her hand to wipe the tear from his left cheek.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t ask her permission this time. His hand went to her waist as he pulled her up, while his other hand went to her neck. He tilted her neck slightly and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.


    Li Hua locked her hand around his neck and returned his kisses while closing her eyes. They withdrew after a while and slowly opened their eyes.


    ¡°Even if you want to run away, I won¡¯t let you run away,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while gasping for air. His thumb stroked her cheek, and he continued, ¡°I love you, Li Hua. I love you more than my own life. If you ask for my life, I will give you that too. Just don¡¯t ever leave me.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t ever leave His Highness. I will haunt him even in his dreams,¡± Li Hua said, and they bothughed.


    ¡°Haunt me all the time,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and hugged her tightly. His chin rested on her shoulder.


    ¡°Your Highness, I have a request to make,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Hmm. Speak,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see Feng Lao anymore. Even if he begs to meet me, His Highness will refuse him. Also, I would like to investigate the matter further with His Highness. His father was behind it, so we will investigate his father,¡± Li Hua stated.


    L¨®ng Wei drew back and looked her in the eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to undergo more stress, so I will investigate it myself. If you don¡¯t want to meet Feng Lao anymore, then I will deliver your message to him. However, I want you to hear the truth from his mouth for onest time. What he has to say to you, you must know it,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested to her.


    ¡°No. Feng Lao is dead to me. I don¡¯t want to see him or talk about him,¡± Li Hua affirmed, ¡°please.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°Li Hua, I will make sure to catch the true culprit,¡± he assured her.


    ¡°I trust His Highness,¡± Li Hua said, and curled her lips into a tiny smile.

 Chapter 220

    220 Don¡¯t even pity your situation


    L¨®ng Wei looked at Xu Zifan, who was outside the guest room. ¡°Why are you outside?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°I waited for His Highness¡¯ return,¡± Xu Zifan replied. ¡°I have no intention of speaking with Feng Lao,¡± he stated.


    ¡°How is Li Hua, Your Highness? Did she gain consciousness?¡± Xu Zifan worriedly asked.


    ¡°She woke up a few minutes ago. You can go and be around her for a while,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and gazed at Mingquan. ¡°We will both hear Feng Lao,¡± he stated. Xu Zifan bowed and left to see Li Hua.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t appear angry anymore. It seems the sister-inw calmed you down,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°No. I am still angry,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and pushed the door to step inside. Mingquan walked after him.


    ¡°Your Highness, how is Princess Consort?¡± Feng Lao desperately wanted to know if Li Hua was alright.


    ¡°She has gained consciousness and sent a message to you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Feng Lao waited for his response with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°Li Hua doesn¡¯t want to see you anymore, nor does she want to talk to you. She trusted you, but you broke her trust. You didn¡¯t try to find out the truth and keep your father¡¯s crime and your family¡¯s crime grounded. Li Hua doesn¡¯t love you anymore. The token of your love is not eptable to her,¡± asserted L¨®ng Wei.


    .....


    Feng Lao¡¯s eyes turned teary. He fell to the ground on his knees. ¡°Your Highness, tell her that I won¡¯t ask for her forgiveness anymore. I respect her decision. However, I will help His Highness find the real culprit behind all this. My father merely followed the orders of that person,¡± Feng Lao stated. He begged L¨®ng Wei to let go of his family while tears rolled down his cheeks.


    L¨®ng Wei took out the envelope from his pocket that Tang Zhaodang had given her. ¡°Why did you give this envelope to Tang Zhaodang and ask him to give it to Xu Guang Li?¡±


    Feng Lao lifted his head and looked at L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand. ¡°You were supposed to deliver this envelope to Xu Guang Li,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    Feng Lao got up and stepped up to keenly look at the envelope.


    ¡°Yes, I gave it to Tang Zhaodang because, in the evening, I have to prepare for my engagement with...¡± Feng Lao paused and wiped the tears from his cheek with the back of his palm.


    ¡°The Messenger gave it to me as he knew that I was close to the Xu Family. Also, the Xu residence was farpared to other noblemen¡¯s residences, so I epted it. I thought I might gette, so I told Tang Zhaodang to give it to Lord Xu,¡± he narrated to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I¡¯m unable to believe your words, Feng Lao,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and put the envelope inside his pocket. ¡°You should havee to Qinping and told the King how your father aided an enemy,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Your Highness, my mother, my wife, and my people in the Shui residence would have died then. I could never sleep a single day after that day. Every night, I thought about Li Hua,¡± Feng Lao said. He forgot that he was forbidden to call Li Hua¡¯s name.


    ¡°I know that my words have no meaning left now. I am ready to get punished, but spare my mother and my wife from the King¡¯s order. I will dly ept the punishment, Your Highness. This life has no meaning left for me,¡± Feng Lao stated.


    Mingquan stepped up. ¡°His Majesty is known for his righteous decisions. If your father is solely responsible for all this, then only he will be punished.¡± He assured Feng Lao that nothing would happen to the rest of his family.


    ¡°Tomorrow, your father will be here. Before he sees the King, meet him and ask the name of the person who nned all this,¡± L¨®ng Wei instructed Feng Lao.


    ¡°But, why? Brother L¨®ng Wei, Shui Xiaoqing will tell everything in front of the King without any hesitation,¡± Feng Lao expressed his thoughts.


    ¡°He won¡¯t. If he can betray his friend because of this person, then he will never take his name in front of the King. Because his family¡¯s life is also at stake,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and gazed at Feng Lao.


    ¡°You have one chance to save your family. Make sure your father tells you the name of the person,¡± L¨®ng Wei sternly said.


    ¡°But how do I know when my father will arrive?¡± Feng Lao questioned.


    ¡°In the early morning, I will take you to the capital¡¯s main gate. We will wait for your father,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I will also apany you both,¡± Mingquan said. They ended their conversation soon. L¨®ng Wei called for a servant and told her to serve the meals to Feng Lao.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat,¡± Feng Lao said.


    ¡°You can die tomorrow in the court, but not in my manor,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and turned to leave.


    ¡°Will she not see me even once?¡± Feng Lao asked about Li Hua.


    ¡°She has a weak heart and your betrayal could impact her more. Also, she said that you are already dead to her. So, it¡¯s better for you not to go in front of her,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. He didn¡¯t want Feng Lao to hurt Li Hua anymore.


    ¡°Xu Zifan also refused to converse with me. Your Highness, help me talk to him. I want to apologize to him,¡± Feng Lao requested.


    L¨®ng Wei took a deep breath and turned to face Feng Lao. ¡°Why should I do that? I don¡¯t even pity your situation. I want everyone in your family to be dead. Feel the pain of Li Hua and Xu Zifan. Because I need you, that¡¯s why you are alive. Also, I don¡¯t even stand the faces of the people whom I hate from the bottom of my heart,¡± he stated and patted his shoulder.


    ¡°Serve Young Master Shui well. He is a special guest for a day,¡± L¨®ng Wei ordered the servant and walked away.

 Chapter 221

    221 Defend my woman


    Xiaoming wanted to take Liu Jin Yu to the King¡¯s manor, but she was unable to walk properly. For this, Xiaoming asked the servants to prepare a pnquin.


    Liu Jin Yu refused him and told him that she would try harder when Xiaoming stopped her. ¡°You saved my life, so you must get some special perks for that,¡± he stated. He told her not to think about the others in the pce. She would be seen as his savior, and no one would question why she was taken into a pnquin.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, who could be the person who sent an assassin behind you?¡± Liu Jin Yu asked. ¡°Does the Crown Prince have enmity with anyone?¡±


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°The Crown Prince is lucky that I followed him today. He cannot be lucky every time,¡± Liu Jin Yu remarked.


    ¡°As per the Royal Father¡¯smand, the princes are not allowed to go out until the culprit is caught,¡± he informed Liu Jin Yu. She liked the King¡¯s decision.


    ¡°Pardon this servant for intruding into the conversation.¡± They both heard the voice of a female servant. ¡°The pnquin is here, Your Royal Highness,¡± the maidservant informed Xiaoming from outside.


    Liu Jin Yu put her feet on the ground and wore the shoes. She stood up when Xiaoming circled his arm around her waist and swiftly carried her in his arms.


    ¡°Don¡¯tin,¡± Xiaoming told her before she could speak. She zipped up her lips while Xiaoming walked out. Once he had put her inside the pnquin, he asked the porters to lift it.


    .....


    ¡°Stop!¡± Liu Jin Yu said from inside. Xiaoming bent down and pushed the curtain away.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± A worried expression appeared on his grimace.


    ¡°Pleasee inside. I don¡¯t want the rumors to begin about us. If the Crown Prince walks and amoner is inside the pnquin, people will only gossip,¡± she opined. Xiaoming also sat inside the pnquin.


    ¡°Is this good?¡± He asked with a joyful smile. Liu Jin Yu nodded. He gave themand to the eight porters, who lifted it up, and they left for the King¡¯s manor.


    ¡°Jin Yu, have you thought about marrying someone?¡± Xiaoming suddenly questioned her. ¡°Answer truthfully,¡± he told her.


    ¡°Of course, I would like to marry someday,¡± Liu Jin Yu answered. ¡°I want to be loved by my husband and his family. However, I wonder if anyone would like to have me as a wife.¡± She was an orphan, so her status was nothing even among themoners.


    ¡°I think the man will be lucky to have his wife. You know warfare, which womenck. You do not fear anything and are good at the chores too,¡± Xiaoming cheered her mood up.


    ¡°Umm... I have seen a man¡¯s family ask for a dowry too. I am collecting a few things for that so that my master won¡¯t feel burdened. It is not from the money of stealing,¡± she stated. Xiaoming smiled and nodded his head.


    ¡°Ahh, we still have not arrived at the King¡¯s manor,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    ¡°It will take fifteen minutes more,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°Oh.¡± She shifted her gaze back at him.


    The pnquin wobbled and Jin Yu fell forward to Xiaoming. Their faces came dangerously close to each other.


    ¡°Forgive us, Your Highness. The stairs were huge to negotiate.¡± They heard a masculine voice.


    Liu Jin apologized too and gradually moved back when Xiaoming caught her wrist. The next second, he drew her close.


    She mumbled, ¡°Crown Prince,¡± and felt his hand on her waist. Her breath hitched and her toes curled.


    Their eyes remained fixated on each other for a while. Xiaoming lifted his hand when she closed her eyes, thinking he would kiss her. However, her illusion was broken when he picked up a tiny leaf from above her head.


    ¡°It was there,¡± he said, and she immediately opened her eyes. He showed the leaf to her and threw it out of the tiny window of the pnquin.


    Liu Jin Yu promptly sat back down. How could she even think of getting a kiss from the Crown Prince? She must have lost her mind. Her heart had almost exploded when Xiaoming pulled her and their faces were only inches apart. She stole a nce at him and looked at his lips.


    She tightly shut her eyes and cursed herself internally for thinking that way.


    ¡°Why does your face carry those weird expressions?¡± Xiaoming asked, and she came out of her thoughts.


    ¡°Is it so?¡± She asked and started tough.


    ¡°There was nothing tough about,¡± he said, and she apologized.


    ¡°Your husband will be happy to have you. It is rare to find someone like you,¡± Xiaoming said, and her heart rate increased. Their eyes again met.


    ¡°The inws must be good too. I have heard of such cases where inws trouble their daughters-inw and the husband stays quiet. He let his family abuse his wife. That¡¯s why it¡¯s tough to take the decision about marriage,¡± Liu Jin Yu rified to him.


    ¡°If your future husband loves you, then he will definitely defend you in front of his family,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°What if it bes impossible for him to defend me or stand for me?¡± She inquired.


    ¡°It will never happen until your husband loves you,¡± Xiaoming asserted. His voice seemed full of confidence.


    ¡°In front of a family, a man usually falls weak. He listens to his mother, his sister, and others in his family more than he should listen to his wife. And if the woman loves her husband, she does nothing but bear the torture,¡± Liu Jin Yu affirmed. ¡°I have seen many cases like this. Sometimes women have to lose their lives too. The man marries another one and enjoys his life,¡± she stated. She suddenly sounded down and looked gloomy, as if she had personally experienced it.


    ¡°No matter what, I will always defend my woman. I will always protect her. Because she is the one who will hold my hand till the end of my life,¡± Xiaoming pronounced.


    Liu Jin Yu continued to stare into his eyes and her heart skipped a beat, which she found weird.

 Chapter 222

    222 Never saw me as a woman


    The pnquin stopped upon reaching the King¡¯s manor. Xiaoming first stepped out of it and then held out his hand, which Liu Jin Yu caught. He helped her walk when she found the gazes of servants at her.


    ¡°I can walk, Your Royal Highness,¡± she said as she reached the top of the stairs and let go of his hand. Xiaoming looked at a female servant, who had apanied them, and asked her to support Liu Jin Yu.


    As they reached outside the King¡¯s main chamber, the servant walked in to inform Qiu Zedong about it.


    ¡°His Majesty has allowed the Crown Prince to enter,¡± the maidservant answered after getting permission from the King.


    Xiaoming nced at Liu Jin Yu and they both walked in. They greeted the King, who was seated on the broad chair. His hands rested on the bolsters while two male servants fanned him.


    ¡°I am impressed with the way you saved the Crown Prince. He could have gotten injured badly if you hadn¡¯t intervened,¡± Qiu Zedong said, looking at the courtdy. She bowed and walked to the table to her left, picking up a tray.


    ¡°It is for your indomitable courage,¡± Qiu Zedong picked the thick gold chain which would glisten anyone¡¯s eyes. Xiaoming looked at Liu Jin Yu when she refused to ept that.


    ¡°When the King gives the prize, then one must ept it,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I did it out of my duty as a citizen of this kingdom. Pardon me, your Majesty, I cannot ept. His Majesty allows me to have such expensive treatment in the pce, and that is enough for me,¡± Liu Jin Yu asserted. Xiaoming was surprised to find that she didn¡¯t take that gold chain. If she had taken it and sold it on the market, then she would not have had to work for a few years.


    .....


    Qiu Zedong caressed his beard and put his hand down.


    ¡°If there had been another person in your ce, then he would have dly epted it,¡± he opined.


    ¡°I agree with the Royal Father¡¯s words,¡± Xiaoming said, keeping a tiny smile on his lips.


    ¡°Liu Jin Yu, who trained you? Based on what the Crown Prince told me, it makes me wonder who was your master.¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s sudden interest grew in her fighting skills.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I learned it myself. I was raised in an environment where the only way to survive was to kill or be killed. So, I decided to learn how to fight, how to use swords,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, keeping her head down.


    It surprised the King that Liu Jin Yu learned such things on her own. Her personality somewhat impressed Qiu Zedong.


    Qiu Zedong asked them to take seats and nced at the Court Lady. She understood the gesture and left with the servants, who were present in the chamber. Now, only Qiu Zedong, Xiaoming, and Liu Jin Yu were present.


    ¡°The Crown Prince will remain quiet, and only Liu Jin Yu will answer. If the Crown Prince intervenes, then Liu Jin Yu has to bear the consequences,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. Xiaoming and Liu Jin Yu looked at each other, wondering what the King would ask her.


    ¡°Did the Crown Prince go to see you?¡± Qiu Zedong asked his first question. ¡°Answer truthfully. I am good at catching lies. I am the King, so indeed, I know what is going on around me,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Liu Jin Yu answered.


    ¡°Royal Father, I-¡±


    Qiu Zedong reminded Xiaoming about his earlier statement where he clearly mentioned that he would punish Jin Yu if he intervened. Xiaoming shut his mouth and got nervous.


    ¡°May I know the reason?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°His Royal Highness has called me his friend. That¡¯s why he thought to meet me, Your Majesty,¡± Liu Jin Yu answered.


    ¡°A woman from the low ss cannot even converse with the princes or princesses. Were you aware of this?¡± Qiu Zedong inquired and squinted his eyes.


    ¡°I am well aware of it, Your Majesty. However, there is one famous quote from a great schr. If there is any rtionship in the world that has no set boundaries, then that¡¯s friendship. I agreed to befriend the Crown Prince because of that saying,¡± Liu Jin Yu answered without fearing the King.


    Qiu Zedong smiled to hear her. ¡°Despite belonging to a low ss, your thoughts are big,¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡°I was informed that you were attacked by three masked men. Do you know the reason behind the attack on you?¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s question made them wonder if he knew it was the Queen.


    ¡°There is nothing to fear here. You are free to tell me.¡± Qiu Zedong nced at Xiaoming and found his son troubled.


    ¡°Because the Crown Prince conversed with me, that¡¯s why I was attacked. I am well aware of the fact that I should not be around the Crown Prince because it would bring more danger to him than me,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated.


    ¡°The Crown Prince gets soft with good women. I know that in his position, he feels lonely, but that aloofness can only a noble ss woman vanish in his life.¡± Qiu Zedong indirectly told Xiaoming that if he was thinking of marrying Liu Jin Yu, then that was impossible.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Liu Jin Yu slightly chuckled and continued, ¡°the Crown Prince and I are only friends. He never saw me as a woman. Also, I will be married soon. So, His Majesty doesn¡¯t need to worry that I will try to chase the Crown Prince.¡±


    Xiaoming was shocked to hear her. He knew she lied in front of the King about her marriage. He got hurt because Liu Jin Yu didn¡¯t feel the way he felt towards her. He curled his fingers. He realized that he was indeed a puppet whose strings were in his father¡¯s and mother¡¯s hands.


    He remembered saying to Liu Jin Yu earlier that he would defend his woman in front of his family.


    ¡°You are a smart woman,¡± Qiu Zedong said, and smiled.


    Liu Jin Yu narrowly nced at Xiaoming. He didn¡¯t appear good to her, and she was aware of the reason behind that.


    After the King dismissed them, Liu Jin Yu and Xiaoming halted outside the doors of the King¡¯s manor.


    ¡°Why did you lie that you were going to marry?¡± Xiaoming asked her. He was disappointed that she didn¡¯t even hesitate to say that.


    ¡°That¡¯s the truth, Your Royal Highness. Forgive me for not telling him beforehand. My Master has seen a man for me. I am 24 years old, Your Royal Highness. If I do not marry now, then people will think I have some fault,¡± she exined to him.


    ¡°Are you telling the truth?¡± Xiaoming knitted his brows as he was sceptical of her.


    ¡°Why would I lie about it? I thought it wasn¡¯t important to tell the Crown Prince. So, I didn¡¯t tell him,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, and averted his gaze from him. She started to descend the stairs and reached the bottom of them.


    She bowed and looked up to meet his gaze, ¡°Thank you for getting me treated by the Royal Physician. I will leave this ce. I don¡¯t want my master to get worried about me. I will take a local carriage to reach my ce. So, His Royal Highness doesn¡¯t need to worry about me. Please take care and don¡¯t go out.¡±


    Xiaoming got down the stairs and stared into her eyes. ¡°I want to meet the person who will marry you. Tomorrow, I wille. So, be ready,¡± Xiaoming said, and walked to his manor in anger. His servants followed him when Liu Jin Yu decided to go after him.


    She stopped him as she stood in front of him. ¡°His Royal Highness cannot go out of the pce. The King has given orders to him,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. By tomorrow morning, I will make sure to catch the culprit. You can leave,¡± Xiaoming ended their conversation in a crisp manner and walked ahead of her.

 Chapter 223

    223 Mooncakes


    Jingfei quietly sat on the patio. After returning from the General¡¯s house, she found out that Huang Xi tried to refrain from talking with her. His mother was good to her, but that wasn¡¯t what she wanted. Huang Xi didn¡¯t even look at her for even a second.


    Jingfei looked at her dress and realized how much she spent on that dress. She was excited to meet Huang Xi, but he didn¡¯t show any interest in her.


    ¡°First Princess, is something troubling you?¡± Her personal attendant, Lin Jie asked.


    ¡°Huang Xi has no interest in me,¡± Jingfei said. Lin Jie was bewildered to hear her. She refuted what Jingfei said and thought to cheer her up.


    ¡°Mydy, Commander Huang Xi must be shy to look at you in front of his mother. When the Princess is alone with him, then he will open up to her,¡± Lin Jie pronounced.


    ¡°No. I¡¯ve noticed it twice. Huang Xi ignores me,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°I saw Commander Huang Xi was with the brother of Li Hua. That could be another reason that he didn¡¯t converse with the First Princess,¡± Lin Jie informed Jingfei.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see her brother. Who is he?¡± Jingfei asked her.


    ¡°Mydy, I heard that both the Commander and Li Hua¡¯s brother have known each other for a long time. The Hei family had a good rtionship with the Xu family,¡± Lin Jie stated.


    .....


    Something clicked in Jingfei¡¯s mind, and she decided to ask Li Hua¡¯s brother about Huang Xi. ¡°Lin Jie, tell Li Hua¡¯s brother that Princess Jingfei wants to see him,¡± Jingfei ordered Lin Jie, ¡°in the orchid pavilion.¡± She told Lin Jie about the location too.


    ¡°Yes, My Lady,¡± Lin Jie bowed before departing for the guest room where Xu Zifan was staying.


    Jingfei rose to her feet and walked into the chamber to look at herself in therge mirror. She adjusted the knot of her dress and asked the three maidservants to follow her to the orchid pavilion.


    Jingfei rested on a chair around the table and waited for Xu Zifan. For half an hour, both Lin Jie and Xu Zifan had no trace. ¡°Where did she go?¡± She mumbled and looked towards the corridor when she finally saw Lin Jie with Xu Zifan. She sat straight and wore a tiny smile on her lips.


    Xu Zifan bowed and greeted the First Princess in a formal manner. ¡°Please take a seat,¡± Jingfei told him. Xu Zifan didn¡¯t make eye contact with her. Jingfei noticed his right arm¡¯s sleeve and recalled what Li Hua had said in the morning. She gestured to Lin Jie, and she pulled out the chair for Xu Zifan. He thanked Lin Jie and sat on it.


    ¡°Would Mister Xu like to drink tea?¡± Jingfei asked him. Xu Zifan humbly refused and asked the reason behind his being called.


    ¡°I want to know an important thing from Mister Xu. It is about Commander Hei Huang Xi,¡± Jingfei stated. Xu Zifan finally looked into her eyes and then again lowered them.


    ¡°I heard that you both have known each other for a long time,¡± Jingfei stated.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    Jingfei was hesitant at first, but then she asked him, ¡°What does Commander Huang Xi like?¡±


    ¡°Pardon me?¡± Xu Zifan was bewildered to hear her. ¡°My sincere apologies, Your Highness. But I didn¡¯t seem to grasp your question,¡± he rified to her.


    ¡°I want to know the likes and dislikes of Commander Huang Xi,¡± Jingfei stated.


    ¡°May I know why the Princess wants to know about that?¡± Xu Zifan, with inquisitiveness, waited for her response.


    ¡°Do I need to answer that?¡± Jingfei inquired.


    ¡°Huang Xi hardly has any dislikes. His likes include: horse riding, ying board games in his leisure time, doing calligraphy, sword-fighting...¡± he could notplete his sentence as Jingfei stopped him.


    ¡°What does he like in food? Also, does he ever talk about me?¡± Jingfei queried Xu Zifan, which amused him.


    ¡°Huang Xi loves mooncakes in sweet dish,¡± Xu Zifan answered. That was the kind of answer Jingfei wanted to hear. ¡°He never talked about the Princess with me. During our stay in Xinshui, he never once talked about the Princess,¡± Xu Zifan rified to her.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jingfei was upset to hear him. However, she was d that she found out what Huang Xi liked in sweet dishes.


    ¡°Thank you, Mister Xu Zifan. You may leave. I urged Mister Xu not to share it with anyone, especially my Sixth Brother,¡± Jingfei requested. Xu Zifan assured her not to worry about that as he would not share her conversation with him with anyone.


    He stood up, bowed, and was ready to leave when he stopped.


    ¡°Your Highness, if you want to win Huang Xi¡¯s heart, then take an interest in his likings,¡± he advised Jingfei and left the pavilion. Jingfei was quite impressed by Xu Zifan¡¯s personality.


    Lin Jie came near Jingfei and told her that Xu Zifan was in the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor.


    ¡°What?¡± Jingfei¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Did Brother L¨®ng Wei hear you two? Why did you even call Xu Zifan if he was in the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor?¡± She scolded Lin Jie.


    ¡°Your Highness, but the Sixth Prince doesn¡¯t know about it. He wasn¡¯t present in the manor,¡± Lin Jie affirmed. Jingfei was relieved to hear this. She didn¡¯t want L¨®ng Wei to find out about it, or else he would try to intervene in his n.


    ¡°Your Highness, I heard that Mister Xu was one of the finest swordsmen in the Kingdom. However, after he lost his right hand, he is unable to use the sword anymore,¡± Lin Jie informed Jingfei.


    ¡°He may learn with his left hand. He seems like a hard-working person to me,¡± Jingfei replied.


    ¡°Lin Jie, I want to see my elder brother. Earlier, I could not converse with him. It was strange to find that someone tried to attack my elder brother. He is such a sweet person.¡± Jingfei rose to her feet and left to meet Xiaoming.

 Chapter 224

    224 Kind for only you


    L¨®ng Wei stroked Li Hua¡¯s fingers. They had both gone to the hillside to watch the sunset. Though L¨®ng Wei asked her to rest, she wanted to watch the sunset with him. She kept requesting him until he decided to fulfil her request.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, I have to say something,¡± she said.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± L¨®ng Wei peered into her eyes.


    ¡°My heart gets warm and happy around His Highness,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Mine too,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and brought her hand to his mouth. He kissed her knuckles while keeping his gaze fixated on her. He turned his head to look at the sun, which was on the horizon.


    ¡°Earlier, my day would end with punishment, anger, and frustration. I would be restless the entire night and it was hard to sleep with all those things in my mind. However, my days have changed. The day you entered my life, everything changed. I found someone good in this world,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and a smile formed on his lips.


    ¡°Those days must be tough for His Highness,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Yes. I questioned my existence,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I questioned the existence of this entire world,¡± he said, tilting his head and meeting her gaze once more.


    ¡°Did His Highness find the answer?¡± Li Hua was curious to know.


    .....


    ¡°Yes. But I will tell you some other day,¡± he stated. Li Hua didn¡¯t insist on him as it might be something painful for him to share.


    ¡°I want to answer your previous questions. First, I again would like to apologize to you for hurting you that time,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, looking slightly abashed. He knew Li Hua had forgiven him, but he couldn¡¯t hide his embarrassment.


    ¡°If His Highness isn¡¯tfortable, then he doesn¡¯t have to tell me,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°Even I didn¡¯t share myplete worries with His Highness. He was the one who knew everything beforehand. He knew more about me than I knew myself. I opened up with him only when I started to trust him.¡± She didn¡¯t want him to get hurt by recalling those horrific memories.


    Earlier, when he told her that his mother never wanted him to be born, she could feel that bitter pain in that voice.


    ¡°Li Hua, I wanted her to just once look lovingly at me. She hated her child so much for no reason. I neverined about it to my royal father. However, most or all think that I did because my mother spread it to this everyone. I could not stop hating her from the core of my heart. Li Hua, this hatred can never end and with time, it will only grow,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated as his nostrils red in anger. His ears turned red.


    Li Hua leaned against him and circled her arms around his neck. She pulled him into a hug and caressed his back gently. ¡°It must be difficult for Prince L¨®ng Wei. His Highness doesn¡¯t need to talk about it anymore since it gives him pain,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Li Hua, I killed her. Do you not hate me? Do you not worry that I might kill you someday? This is what mostly think about me,¡± he asked her. Li Hua pulled away and shook her head.


    ¡°His Highness must have his reasons for doing that. I know that he¡¯s hiding a bigger truth behind that. I won¡¯t ask him, but I will patiently wait for him to open up to me. I was scared only once when Prince L¨®ng Wei protected me. Since I was a pce maid, I thought I would die even before taking my revenge,¡± Li Hua said with a tiny smile.


    ¡°I would not have let that happen. If anyone wants to harm you, he has to face me first,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. The sun hadpletely sat down on the horizon and the sky was covered in redness.


    ¡°We shall return. Royal Father has given orders not to be outside the pce for a while,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Hua stood up in shock. ¡°Why didn¡¯t His Highness tell me earlier? We need to return to the pce as quickly as possible,¡± she panicked when L¨®ng Wei pulled her down on hisp.


    His hands were securely wrapped around her and he kissed her. ¡°You requested me so much that I could not ignore it,¡± he said, and brushed his thumb on her cheek.


    ¡°If His Majesty finds out, then we will both be punished,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°No. Not until I let them find out,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then before it gets dark,¡± Li Hua said, trying to pull away from him.


    ¡°We will after you give me a reward for fulfilling your wish,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and smiled in amusement.


    Li Hua nodded her head and kissed his cheek. ¡°I think it¡¯s sufficient.¡± Her brows flinched, and she bit her lower lip.


    ¡°No. How could that be sufficient?¡± He asked.


    Li Hua kissed his lips and pulled away. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t fulfilling either,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I will give the reward to him once we reach the chamber without getting anyone¡¯s notice,¡± she stated.


    ¡°In the chamber?¡± He arched his brow and smirked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°I hope that it will be something good.¡± He let go of her and she stood straight. Dusting off her skirt, he also rose to his feet and left with Li Hua for the pce.


    L¨®ng Wei noticed that Li Hua didn¡¯t even once talk about Feng Lao with her. It seemed to her that she hadpletely forgotten his existence. However, he could not deny the fact that Li Hua was good at pretending that she wasn¡¯t hurt.


    As they descended the stairs downhill, L¨®ng Wei decided to ask her.


    ¡°Will you really not see Feng Lao ever?¡± He expected that she would tell him that she was hurt by his actions, but to his wonder, her reply astonished him.


    ¡°Why does His Highness want me to see someone with whom I had feelings for?¡± Li Hua asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t he jealous anymore?¡±


    ¡°I do get jealous when he speaks about his feelings for you. However, I think you should hear him out. He wasn¡¯t a part of all that,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°His Highness is acting kind,¡± she remarked.


    ¡°Kind for you only,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°I know you are hurt by his betrayal, but he rescued you that night. Hear him out once, in my opinion,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I will think about it,¡± Li Hua said, and her foot slipped over the pebble when L¨®ng Wei tightly held her arm.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± he said. ¡°You can get on my back for a safe return,¡± he opined.


    ¡°I can walk, Your Highness. I don¡¯t want to trouble you.¡± She refused to get on his back and lifted her skirt up to run down. L¨®ng Wei ran after her and asked her not to run as she could injure herself, but Li Hua didn¡¯t listen to him. She kept running whileughing and challenging L¨®ng Wei to catch her.


    L¨®ng Wei found her exceptionally fastpared to the other days. He never knew that his wife was such a good runner.


    Li Hua reached the bottom of the hill earlier than L¨®ng Wei and jumped in happiness. ¡°I defeated His Highness in the race. Now, he will fulfill my one wish,¡± she delightedly said.

 Chapter 225

    225 Fight for our Happiness


    L¨®ng Wei got the message from the servant that Xiaoming had asked him toe to his chamber. Li Hua told L¨®ng Wei to leave, but he was adamant about not leaving her alone.


    ¡°I am alright, now,¡± Li Hua assured him. On her insistence, L¨®ng Wei left to meet Xiaoming. He wondered what could be the reason that Xiaoming wanted to see him. Soon, he arrived at Xiaoming¡¯s chamber and found him around the floor table.


    ¡°Why did the Crown Prince call me at this hour?¡± L¨®ng Wei sat down and looked at him.


    ¡°Someone attacked me today. I want to find out about this by tomorrow morning,¡± Xiaoming stated. ¡°I need your help, Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± he requested.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s brow furrowed in perplexity. ¡°Both the Generals are investigating this matter,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. ¡°Does the Crown Prince not trust them?¡± He asked amusedly.


    ¡°I want fast results. They both will take time.¡± Xiaoming had to meet Liu Jin Yu in the morning, and for that, he had to find out who did this. He could not let Liu Jin Yu marry any random man. He didn¡¯t want her to marry anyone without his prior permission.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei finds out everything in a limited time. Please help me,¡± he pleaded again.


    ¡°I believe in giving and take. I need to go out early in the morning. Help me out,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Xiaoming confusedly peered at him.


    ¡°May I know where Brother L¨®ng Wei has to go in the early morning?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    .....


    ¡°To finish an important task,¡± L¨®ng Wei vaguely answered. He didn¡¯t want to reveal it because he had no trust in Xiaoming till now. His hunch was telling him that Shui Xiaoqing would be harmed and to prevent it, he had to reach at the right time in the Capital¡¯s Gate.


    ¡°Fine. I will help,¡± Xiaoming agreed to help L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°How will Brother L¨®ng Wei find out who tried to kill me?¡± Xiaoming questioned him.


    ¡°That¡¯s up to me. The Crown Prince must take a rest. I will see himter,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. His words assured Xiaoming that he would find the culprit. L¨®ng Wei stood up and turned to leave, but he stopped.


    ¡°It seems something is going on between the Crown Prince and Liu Jin Yu,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and smiled in amusement. ¡°The Crown Prince didn¡¯t leave the pce for anyone. However, to meet her, he took the risk to go without bodyguards,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei knows that I never had friends. Liu Jin Yu filled that ce. I was missing her, so I went out to meet her,¡± Xiaoming didn¡¯t lie to L¨®ng Wei and got up from his seat.


    ¡°Crown Prince, can I ask you a question?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Xiaoming allowed him.


    ¡°Will you be able to handle the consequences?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s question intimidated Xiaoming.


    ¡°Consequences of?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°The Crown Prince knows well what consequences I am talking about,¡± L¨®ng Wei rified to him, ¡°still, I will tell him. Liu Jin Yu is an ordinary woman, and you are the Crown Prince. She may lose her life if you keep acting timid and under others¡¯ control. You need to show everyone who you are, or else you will never be able to marry her.¡±


    Xiaoming widened his eyes at him. ¡°How did Brother L¨®ng Wei find out that I wanted to marry her?¡± He was curious to know.


    ¡°The Crown Prince has dyed his marriage for a long time. He never showed any interest in noble women. He felt attracted to Li Hua, but it was toote to do anything. With Liu Jin Yu, he risked everything. He threw out Eunuch Lishi, which was an admirable step. He fought with his mother for Liu Jin Yu, and she fell into danger. She seems smart to have left the pce early, or else you and I both know what could have happened to her.¡±


    Xiaoming could not refute L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. Indeed, he had done many things which he would never have done if Liu Jin Yu hadn¡¯t appeared in his life.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let that happen,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Are you sure? The Royal Father will never agree to your marriage with Liu Jin Yu. Mine was a different case. I am nobody in everyone¡¯s eyes. Even if I had married a beggar, no one would have raised an objection to it. However, for you, everyone in the Kingdom will speak. Your position will be destabilized. Be practical before approaching Liu Jin Yu,¡± L¨®ng Wei advised him.


    ¡°I want to be happy,¡± Xiaoming replied. ¡°I do not remember when Ist smiled in happiness. I was forced to do everything. Can people not understand that I want to lead a happy life?¡± He questioned L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°In everyone¡¯s eyes, royalty has the mostfortable life filled with joy and happiness. I won¡¯t go against their opinions towards us. We get everything which others will alwaysck in their lives, except one thing,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    ¡°We have to fight for our happiness because the pressure of bureaucracy is the highest. They give us support if we maintain a good rtionship with them. Marriage with any of their daughters is the simplest way. None of us princes are under the same amount of pressure as the Crown Prince. Liu Jin Yu will be killed even before she enters the Crown Prince¡¯s life as his wife. So, the Crown Prince needs to show his authority rather than living as a puppet. If I had been at your ce, I would not have even let anyone open his mouth in front of me.¡±


    Xiaoming understood L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. He realised that Liu Jin Yu told him the same thing, that he didn¡¯t have to listen to everyone since he was the Crown Prince.


    L¨®ng Wei found Xiaoming lost and thought to help him further. ¡°Shall I reveal a secret to the Crown Prince rted to our father?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Xiaoming if he was interested to know about it. He nodded his head.


    ¡°Royal Father married Noble Consort Xiuying despite her low status. She is the adopted daughter of a 6th rank official. The official is now one of the strong ministers in the court,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°She should have been a concubine, but she has second highest power after your great mother,¡± he remarked, ¡°be like our Father. His decision wasn¡¯t opposed when he married the Noble Consort. If the Royal Father is capable of doing that, then his eldest son should easily pave his path too.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei showed the direction to Xiaoming. The Crown Prince could not express his happiness as he realized what he had to do. He thanked L¨®ng Wei and stepped forward to hug him when he stopped Xiaoming.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t close enough to hug each other,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and left the chamber.


    ~~~~~


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 Chapter 226

    226 Save my Wife


    L¨®ng Wei reached the prison and met the person who tried to kill the Crown Prince. Qiu Mu found himself agreeing to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s request.


    ¡°General Hei and I have been investigating him. However, he didn¡¯t answer us. Is Brother L¨®ng Wei sure that the man will open his mouth to tell him the truth?¡± Qiu Mu arched his eyebrows.


    They both halted outside the gate of the prison. Qiu Mu told the soldier to open the lock. They both stepped in as soon as the door opened.


    L¨®ng Wei found that the man was chained in shackles. Both his wrists were attached to the iron bar above him. He looked half-dead while his face and hands were covered in blood.


    ¡°His name is Zu Linghe. However, we didn¡¯t find any records for this person¡¯s name. Probably he has forged his name,¡± Qiu Mu told L¨®ng Wei. It confused L¨®ng Wei to find that the person told them his name. If he was an assassin, he would never have revealed his name. However, he wondered why he was quiet. If he told his name, then why didn¡¯t he tell the reason behind his attack on the Crown Prince?


    Qiu Mu nced at the soldier who walked up to the man with a bowl of water and threw it at his face. Zu Linghe jolted and pried his eyes open.


    L¨®ng Wei gestured to the soldier to leave. He bowed and walked out of the prison.


    ¡°I already said that I would not open my mouth. Kill me already!¡± Zu Linghe screamed at them.


    L¨®ng Weiughed and told him to lower his voice.¡±It will only waste your precious remaining energy in the body,¡± he opined.


    .....


    ¡°Why did you try to kill the Crown Prince?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.¡±What personal grudge can a person like you hold against the Crown Prince? I believe that someone is behind all this. Trust me, the person who ordered you to attack the Crown Prince, won¡¯t save you and your family from us,¡± he proimed.


    Zu Linghe scoffed at him. ¡°I have no family. No one ordered me,¡± he stated.


    ¡°He won¡¯t confess, Brother L¨®ng Wei. Tomorrow, he will be given some brutal punishment. He will open his mouth anyhow.¡± Qiu Mu suggested to L¨®ng Wei not to waste time.


    ¡°Will the Second Prince leave the two of us alone?¡± Qiu Mu nced at him in bewilderment. ¡°It¡¯s an order, not a request,¡± L¨®ng Wei rified to Qiu Mu. He fisted his palm and walked out of prison. At that moment, he had to ept L¨®ng Wei¡¯s every request and order.


    ¡°Did you see how I control people?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and walked up to Zu Linghe. He put his hand on his shoulder and continued, ¡°I will be direct. Was it the Prime Minister¡¯s son?¡±


    Zu Linghe gazed at him and chuckled. He shook his head and refused.


    ¡°Then, the person you work for is someone from the pce?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°No one is behind this attack. I, solely, am responsible for this,¡± Zu Linghe stated.


    ¡°How did you know that the Crown Prince would leave the pce today? How did you know where he headed to?! It is definitely someone from the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°I am surprised that you do not love your life a bit. Ready to die for someone who will be caught soon. Only foolish people do so.¡± L¨®ng Wei provoked him because it was one of the easiest ways to find the truth.


    ¡°Can I ask who you are?¡± Zu Linghe asked.


    ¡°I am L¨®ng Wei.¡±


    ¡°The dragon¡¯s son!¡± Zu Linghe remarked and smiled. Even his front teeth were coveted in blood.


    ¡°Yes,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Since when did the Sinned Prince be gentle? He only knows how to kill. So, he must use the sword and kill me,¡± Zu Linghe said.


    ¡°Why do you want to die?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired. ¡°If you will give me a valid reason, I,¡± he took out the dagger from his sash, unsheathed it, and pointed it at Zu Linghe¡¯s neck, ¡°will kill you now. I will end your miseries.¡±


    His eyes fell on the ck thread around Zu Linghe¡¯s neck, which had a jade on it. ¡°Your lover will miss you for a while, for a few years, but you don¡¯t need to worry about her. Since she may die too after hearing the news of your death. You revealed your name, knowing the fact that an assassin never does that.¡±


    Zu Linghe was astonished to find that L¨®ng Wei noticed too many things about him.


    ¡°How did you find out that I have a lover?¡± Zu Linghe asked.


    ¡°The jade in your neck. Usually, lovers give such pieces to each other,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°My question isn¡¯t this. I want to know from you why I should kill you?¡±


    Zu Linghe had no definite answer to that question. L¨®ng Wei pulled his hand back and put back the dagger inside the sheath. ¡°You are such a loyal servant to your master but not to your lover. How could you think that your lover would live happily without you?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words made Zu Linghe question himself.


    ¡°Will you save my wife if I tell you?¡± Zu Linghe asked.


    ¡°Only if you tell me the name,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I need a guarantee,¡± Zu Linghe stated. ¡°If my master finds out, then he will kill her,¡± he affirmed. The terrified look on his face was clear to show that his master was someone very powerful.


    ¡°If you have doubts, then you don¡¯t need to tell me. You can wait for your death,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed someone from the pce. However, I have not seen the face. When I was summoned, I was blindfolded,¡± Zu Linghe affirmed.


    ¡°Is it a man or a woman?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°I was given the slip and taken to the adjacent dark room where only one candle was glowing. I read the message where it was mentioned that my wife was the person¡¯s hostage. The person who brought me to the room, his face covered in a mask, so I could not see him either. I read the message and then it was burned in the candle¡¯s me. I got this orderst evening,¡± Zu Linghe narrated everything to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Where were you taken to and how did you find out that it was someone from the pce?¡± L¨®ng Wei skeptically gazed at him.


    ¡°I was invited to the biggest restaurant in the market. I heard the voice of the person who had blindfolded me, saying to the person that he/she would bete to reach the pce,¡± Zu Linghe replied.


    ¡°Why did you tell your false name to General Hei and General Qiu Mu?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him thest question.


    ¡°The person told me to do so. My real name is Yi Xinze. I used to work in the military four years ago, but because of a knee injury, I left the military. I told the Prince everything that I knew. Please save my wife,¡± he pleaded with L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Now, you will do what I tell you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and smirked.

 Chapter 227

    227 A Lotus Water Lantern


    L¨®ng Wei returned to his manor. It surprised him to see Li Hua on the pavement, smiling with the maidservant. Her smile fluttered his heart when the maidservant saw him. She stopped smiling and told Li Hua about him.


    Li Hua turned and smiled to see him. She had a lotusntern in her hand, and she walked up to him.


    ¡°Your Highness, I was waiting for your return only. Let¡¯s go to the mainke in the pce. We will light thisntern together,¡± Li Hua requested, and looked at the lotus-shapedntern.


    However, L¨®ng Wei was unable to understand her. He agreed with her and decided to ask about itter. He looked at the maidservant and asked her about Feng Lao.


    ¡°He is in the guest chamber, Your Highness,¡± the maidservant replied.


    ¡°Will His Highness not take this name in front of me?¡± L¨®ng Wei was astonished by Li Hua¡¯s words. Earlier, the opposite used to happen. She was the one telling him not to take Feng Lao¡¯s name in front of her.


    ¡°Li Hua, do you remember your promise to me?¡± L¨®ng Wei wanted an answer from her rted to Feng Lao. He wanted to know if she could kill Feng Lao and his father.


    ¡°I remember, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said. The smile on her lips had disappeared. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about it now,¡± she urged him. L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t insist on talking about that and took her to the mainke of the pce, which was situated in the Northern Pce.


    ¡°Shall I hold it?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and extended his hand out to hold it when Li Hua pped at the back of his palm.


    .....


    ¡°No. I must hold it,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°Why?¡± L¨®ng Wei was interested in knowing the reason.


    ¡°I will tell you once we reach theke,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°Are you going to give a surprise to your husband?¡± L¨®ng Wei looked curious and excited.


    ¡°No,¡± Li Hua refused, and shook her head. They saw a few servantsing from the front, who stopped and lowered their heads.


    ¡°I never get any surprises. You can give me one,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined.


    ¡°I do not know what His Highness likes. I still have to learn a lot of things about His Highness,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°Whatever you give me, I will dly ept that and that will be my favorite thing,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. Li Hua¡¯s lips curled up into a smile. She promised L¨®ng Wei that she would give him a surprise soon.


    ¡°Since you have not lit thentern, then,¡± he quickly stood behind her and carried her up in his arms in a bridal style, ¡°I can do this.¡±


    Surprised, Li Hua asked him to put her down. L¨®ng Wei shook his head and started to walk. ¡°Peng Yuxian has told me to give you enough rest. However, you didn¡¯t listen to me. First, we agreed to go to the hill, and now, we are heading to the Northern Pce. I cannot let you walk anymore,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Everyone will talk about it in the morning,¡± Li Huained.


    ¡°No one bothers about us, so we are free to do anything.¡± L¨®ng Wei smiled at her. Li Hua got a sudden realization. It felt to her that L¨®ng Wei intentionally created an image of a notorious prince among everyone. He had no fear of rules, and customs as he frequently broke them. Because of that, he wasn¡¯t scolded about it anymore. It was more like the freedom for him to live as amoner rather than a prince.


    Li Hua lifted her face and kissed his cheek. L¨®ng Wei came to a halt and lowered his gaze to look at her.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Li Hua amused him today many times.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Li Hua didn¡¯t tell him the reason behind that.


    ¡°Wifey is forcing me to make out with her in the open,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked. ¡°Well, no one is around. Should we kiss more passionately?¡±


    Li Hua widened her eyes in shock. ¡°Can His Highness not refrain from using such words in the open?¡± She looked around, making sure that no one had heard L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°You started it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t do that anymore,¡± Li Hua proimed.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled at her annoyance. That cute side of hers always ttered him. He resumed walking, and they both soon reached the northern pce. He gently put Li Hua down and asked her to tell him the reason foring to theke at night.


    ¡°I already told His Highness that I want to light thisntern with him. Then, we will let thisntern shed in the water. It is said that if antern is lit with your husband, then it leads to a happy marriage,¡± Li Hua exined the reason to him.


    ¡°Are you epting my love for you? Are you saying that you will return those feelings too?¡± L¨®ng Wei interrogated her. He was too desperate to know the answer at the moment. He knew for Li Hua that it was difficult to reciprocate his feelings.


    ¡°Yes, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua admitted in front of him. ¡°I epted His Highness¡¯ love a long time ago,¡± she stated.


    ¡°You gave me the biggest surprise today,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and his smile broadened.


    ¡°Shall we light thisntern?¡± Li Hua asked again.


    L¨®ng Wei asked her to wait for him as he had to bring a candle. He returned with a candle on a holder that was covered on all sides to keep the me from being extinguished by air.


    He lit thentern with Li Hua, and they both walked to theke bank. Getting on their knees, they let the lotus-shapedntern flow into the water. Li Hua moved her hand into the water and the ripples formed on its surface. The waterntern moved ahead and illuminated its vicinity.


    A smile formed on Li Hua¡¯s lips. That moment was one of the happiest moments of her life. She had decided to move on with L¨®ng Wei. She began it with this beautiful custom that was popr among young men and women.


    She turned her head to look at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Let¡¯s return to the manor,¡± she said, and stood up. L¨®ng Wei got up too, but he held her wrist. He closed the distance between them and kissed her lips.

 Chapter 228

    228 Turned out to be Rebellious


    Stunned, Li Hua tried to back off in fear that someone could be around. However, L¨®ng Wei tightened his hold on her waist and stared at her. ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should lock ourselves together with a kiss? ¡°Think only about the present moment,¡± he urged as he leaned in for a kiss.


    Suddenly, they heard the clearing of the throat. Promptly, Li Hua pushed L¨®ng Wei away and lowered her head in embarrassment. She didn¡¯t even want to see who it was who saw them.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei has given a manor to do such things,¡± Tianjie remarked.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I cannot kiss my wife outside the manor,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Li Hua held the small portion of his sleeve and gestured for him to stop.


    Tianjie walked ahead as he didn¡¯t want a heated argument between them. Once he left, Li Hua let go of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sleeve.


    ¡°His Highness should not reply this way to his elder brothers. I have told him many times. Can¡¯t His Highness be gentle and respectful towards them? Act like a prince, Your Highness.¡± Li Hua couldn¡¯t refrain from reprimanding L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°You should ept my ws too,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I did. However, if Prince L¨®ng Wei starts respecting the people around him, then he will be respected too,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°I do not need anyone¡¯s respect. I want to remain the way I am,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. Li Hua sighed to hear him and walked ahead of him towards their manor. L¨®ng Wei followed her and asked her not to be upset with him.


    .....


    ¡°Why can¡¯t His Highness change himself? He wants everyone to change, but he¡¯s adamant about being the person he never wanted to be.¡± Li Hua used to get puzzled by his behavior and it always troubled her. He had more haterspared to his well-wishers.


    ¡°Li Hua, I always was like this. I am good to a few people. You should not force me to change myself because I will never,¡± L¨®ng Wei rified her doubts. He didn¡¯t want to keep her in the dark, nor did he want her to fight with him on this.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask His Highness to change himself. I only told him to be respectful towards his elders. Your highness, words have strong power. It influences people more than anything,¡± Li Hua made him understand.


    ¡°You are right,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and intertwined their fingers, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that anymore.¡±


    Li Hua turned quiet and silently followed his steps.


    Xiaoming who was heading to Qiu Mu¡¯s manor, saw Li Hua and L¨®ng Wei together. He realized that he wasn¡¯t jealous any more of them. Earlier, he used to get infuriated. ¡°They indeed look good together. Unlike me, Brother L¨®ng Wei is indeed strong,¡± he murmured. He wondered if L¨®ng Wei had found the culprit or not.


    Qiu Mu, who had just returned from prison, weed Xiaoming.


    ¡°Thank you, Brother Mu, for taking Brother L¨®ng Wei to prison,¡± Xiaoming thanked him first before taking a seat around the floor table.


    ¡°It is a part of my duty to listen to the Crown Prince¡¯smand,¡± Qiu Mu said and sat on the other seat.


    ¡°May I know why the Crown Prince wants Brother L¨®ng Wei to find the culprit? Does he think I am incapable of doing that?¡± He didn¡¯t like L¨®ng Wei¡¯s involvement in that matter.


    ¡°No. I never thought that Brother Mu,¡± Xiaoming immediately refuted. ¡°I have sought Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s help for a reason, and I will soon tell Brother Mu about it. Please do not think that I consider you incapable. Brother Mu is the Second General, which in itself shows how capable he is,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei has resources. This I won¡¯t deny. I was a fool to attack him. The Crown Prince was right. I must ept my crimes in front of my father before Brother L¨®ng Wei uses them as my weaknesses. However, it was mutual, so I don¡¯t me myself entirely,¡± Qiu Mu stated, and picked up the small wine jar on the table. He removed the porcin lid from over it and asked Xiaoming if he wanted to drink it.


    Xiaoming shook his head. Qiu Mu didn¡¯t pour the wine into the cup and drank it with the jar.


    ¡°Crown Prince, L¨®ng Wei sometimes scares me. What if he tried to snatch my position? I know that I have made some foolish decisions as a General, but I don¡¯t want to get defeated against L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Mu proimed. Eunuch Shi Rang, who was outside the chamber, overheard their conversations. He knitted his brows, thinking about why his master had turned lenient towards L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t a danger until we provoke him. He is not even interested in holding power like us. However, he doesn¡¯t like it when we brothers treat him special because of the prophecy,¡± Xiaoming affirmed. He had realized the problemy in them. They were the ones who were scared of Yuze¡¯s prophecy about L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°But what if he wants the power?¡± Qiu Mu questioned Xiaoming. ¡°That gaze of his was no less than a threat. He told me that he would take my position from me. He always stayed outside of all this. It didn¡¯t mean that he was never interested,¡± Qiu Mu said, and took a few more sips of the wine.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei was a neglected child, so he turned out to be rebellious among all of the princes and princesses,¡± Xiaoming stated. ¡°However, when he was punished, he used to wail silently. That¡¯s why I tried to help him in pardoning his punishment.¡±


    Xiaoming was well aware of how L¨®ng Wei stayed in the cold pce. Like a prisoner, L¨®ng Wei was captivated in the dungeon where not a single ray of sunlight could pass.


    ¡°What does the Crown Prince mean?¡± Qiu Mu asked as his eyes turned heavier. The wine was strong, and its effect was visible now. His cheeks had turned redder and his ears too.


    Xiaoming noticed that and decided to leave. ¡°Brother Mu shall not drink anymore,¡± Xiaoming took the small jar from Qiu Mu¡¯s hand and ced the lid on its top.


    ¡°I want to finish it,¡± Qiu Mu said when Xiaoming pulled the jar away.


    ¡°Brother Mu has enough to drink,¡± Xiaoming stated, and called in Shi Rang. The door opened and he walked in


    ¡°Eunuch Shi Rang, please take Brother Mu to bed. He needs rest,¡± Xiaoming ordered. Shi Rangplied with that order and took Qiu Mu to the bedchamber.


    Xiaoming left for his manor and was surprised to see Eunuch Gao Bing with a young Eunuch.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Royal Highness. It took me more than one hour to find a suitable eunuch in your service,¡± Gao Bing said, and he nced at the young eunuch whom he brought with him.


    ¡°This is Sun Fuguo. He will serve His Royal Highness from today onwards,¡± Eunuch Gao Bing informed the Crown Prince. He thanked Gao Bing for working hard. Gao Bing bowed and left after instructing Sun Fuguo.


    ¡°You look young to me,¡± Xiaoming initiated the conversation.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness. I am 19 years old,¡± Sun Fuguo replied. Xiaoming was surprised to find out his age. ¡°Your Royal Highness, I am happy to be in your service,¡± he said, and got on his knees to bow before him.


    Xiaoming told him not to do that and to carry out his work honestly. ¡°I removed the previous eunuch because he was disloyal to me. I hope you won¡¯t do that,¡± he rified to Sun Fuguo.


    ¡°Never, Your Royal Highness. I am your servant and will always be loyal to you,¡± Sun Fuguo said in a loud voice. Xiaoming liked his enthusiasm and asked him to send dinner for him. Sun Fuguo got up, bowed, and walked out to bring meals for the Crown Prince.

 Chapter 229

    229 Put his life at Stake


    Before sunrise, L¨®ng Wei woke up and quietly moved out of bed. He made sure that Li Hua¡¯s sleep would not be disturbed. He put on his robe and walked out of the room without making any noise.


    Freshening up in the washroom, he dressed up in a ck robe and tied his hair into a hair bun. He picked up his sword and realized that he hadn¡¯t killed anyone in a long run. He went to the guest room and looked at the doors.


    Feng Lao was on the bed, sleeping peacefully. L¨®ng Wei chuckled and walked up to him. He pulled the nket away from him. Feng Lao jolted awake from his sleep and quickly sat up to see the Sixth Prince before him.


    ¡°Your days of taking peaceful sleep are over. Get ready. We need to leave soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him, and stepped away from his way. Feng Lao rubbed his eyes. He only slept for an hour as he could not take the thoughts about Li Hua off his head.


    Feng Lao put on his shoes and asked L¨®ng Wei if he would show him the washroom. L¨®ng Wei hummed and took him to the guest washroom. He told him toe to the room within ten minutes.


    After ten minutes, Feng Lao returned when L¨®ng Wei handed him the ck robes. ¡°Wear these ande out.¡± He walked out of the room and closed the doors behind him.


    After Feng Lao was dressed in ck robes, L¨®ng Wei took him to the secret route which Xiaoming had opened for them. Mingquan was already present with two horses and asked them to hop on their respective horses.


    The soldier opened the gates for them, and the three rushed to the capital¡¯s main gate on their horses. In an hour, they reached the capital¡¯s gate. But they were on the forest route because if the soldiers had seen them, then it would have created a problemter. L¨®ng Wei was the first one to get off the horse and stepped up.


    Chang Shi bowed to see the two princes. Mingquan nced at L¨®ng Wei, who exined to him, ¡°I thought it would be wise to let Chang Shi be with us.¡±


    .....


    ¡°I have already checked the route on your instruction in the morning, but I found no suspicious activity,¡± Chang Shi stated.


    ¡°The enemy is in the pce and he will act as soon as Shui Xiaoqing steps into the capital,¡± L¨®ng Wei revealed to them. Feng Lao was shocked to hear that someone from the pce was involved in it.


    ¡°Did Brother L¨®ng Wei give bait to the enemy?¡± Mingquan arched his brow at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°To catch a fish, one must bait it,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    ¡°Did His Highness put my father¡¯s life in danger?¡± Feng Lao questioned him.


    ¡°His life is already in danger,¡± L¨®ng Wei corrected his words. ¡°Why? Are you scared that your father will lose his life? He is already on the verge of his death for betraying the Xu family and aiding his enemy.¡± L¨®ng Wei had to lure the enemy. That¡¯s why he let Feng Lao stay in the pce even when he should not have.


    ¡°What if the enemy attacks Shui Xiaoqing even before he reaches the capital¡¯s gate?¡± Mingquan sceptically gazed at his brother.


    ¡°No. The enemy will do it in the capital,¡± L¨®ng Wei confidently said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Mingquan squinted his eyes.


    ¡°Because he knows that I will bring Feng Lao to make him meet his father. He will kill them both at the same time because it is supposed to be a secret,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered, and shifted his gaze to Feng Lao.


    ¡°Your life and death are solely on your luck. Make sure that your father tells you the name of the enemy who is behind all this,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a menacing expression.


    ¡°Wait for a second!¡± Mingquan suddenly got anxious. ¡°Did Brother L¨®ng Wei take a risk on his life as well?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°Umm... that¡¯s a tough question to answer,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°We must climb down this small hill. In five minutes, we will be on the main route outside the capital,¡± he asserted.


    Chang Shi had already tied the horses to the tree trunks and they descended the hill.


    ¡°The Fourth Brother and Chang Shi will note out until I signal them. Feng Lao and I will go ahead on the same route. To my knowledge, Shui Xiaoqing will soon be here,¡± L¨®ng Wei instructed them as they carefully descended the hill. The darkness was vanishing as the sun would soon rise.


    Mingquan asked L¨®ng Wei to be careful. They reached the bottom of the hill after negotiating the difficult hill. L¨®ng Wei and Feng Lao went ahead, while Mingquan and Chang Shi followed them.


    ¡°Your Highness, I don¡¯t want anything to happen to my father,¡± Feng Lao said.


    ¡°His death is inevitable, Feng Lao,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°You should have tried your best to find the name of the enemy,¡± he stated, and halted at his ce to look behind. He found that Mingquan and Chang Shi were slightly far from them.


    He tightened his grip around his sword and looked at his front to walk ahead.


    ¡°I have promised Li Hua that I will kill everyone who is involved in the murder of her family. All those people will die, who made her cry and broke her heart,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Spare my mother and wife too. Yang Mei is pregnant and...¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me. They all must die,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted, not letting himplete his statement.


    ¡°Yang Mei is innocent,¡± Feng Lao replied.


    ¡°You don¡¯t love her, then why are you concerned for her?¡± L¨®ng Wei interrogated him.


    ¡°Because she wasn¡¯t involved with my family,¡± Feng Lao answered. L¨®ng Wei chuckled and told him to shut his mouth. They reached the main route and waited for the carriage in which Shui Xiaoqing woulde.


    ¡°What if my father has already crossed this route? How could His Highness be so urate about everything?¡± Feng Lao questioned L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell a traitor,¡± L¨®ng Wei mocked him, looking up at the sky. It was turning redder. He had made this n after sacrificing his night¡¯s sleep. The enemy must show his face to him today because the enemy would want to kill L¨®ng Wei more than Shui Xiaoqing and Feng Lao.


    Yes, L¨®ng Wei took the biggest risk of his life. He put his life at stake to lure the enemy to him. He muste out to kill L¨®ng Wei.

 Chapter 230

    230 Covered in Blood


    L¨®ng Wei tightened his grip around the sword and looked around. By now, the enemy in the pce must have found out that he had gone out with Feng Lao. He had asked Xiwan to spread in the pce that L¨®ng Wei went out to fetch Shui Xiaoqing.


    They both heard the sound of the horses and turned to face them. The chauffeur on the carriage pulled the reins on the horses upon seeing that two men were in the middle of the road.


    The royal inspector who had apanied Shui Xiaoqing got off the horse and walked towards them. He recognized Feng Lao and greeted him.


    Shui Xiaoqing, who was inside the carriage, opened the window and asked the chauffeur why the carriage was stopped. Feng Lao quickly went to open the carriage¡¯s door, and his father was surprised to see him.


    Feng Lao asked his father toe out of the carriage. Shui Xiaoqing was perplexed to see the reaction of his son, and he stepped out of the carriage. ¡°What are you doing here, son? You told me that you had some work in-¡±


    Feng Lao didn¡¯t let himplete the words as he asked him, ¡°Father, who was the person who told you to help him in the murder of the Xu family?¡±


    Shui Xiaoqing gulped and confusedly nced at his son. Why was Feng Lao suddenly asking such a question? His eyes fell on L¨®ng Wei, and he understood everything. He realized why the king had sent him the summons.


    ¡°Answer him,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Shui Xiaoqing. He furrowed his brows and decided to lie.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t help anyone,¡± Shui Xiaoqing stated. L¨®ng Wei noticed the beads of sweat on the temple of Shui Xiaoqing¡¯s forehead.


    .....


    ¡°Father, Li Hua, and Xu Zifan are alive,¡± Feng Lao informed his father. The news shocked Shui Xiaoqing. ¡°Please tell me who did all this. If you won¡¯t, then the entire Shui family has to die,¡± Feng Lao begged his father to tell the name and pressured him.


    A speeding arrow came in their direction. However, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s reflex acted and he swiftly turned back. He pulled out the sword and its de hit the arrow¡¯s body. It fell to the ground.


    ¡°Tell the name, Shui Xiaoqing, if you don¡¯t want to die!¡± L¨®ng Wei shouted when they all heard the running footsteps. Mingquan and Chang Shi were shocked to see more than twenty assassins.


    Feng Lao protected his father by standing in front of him. A fight broke out, and L¨®ng Wei stepped forward to fight. His doubts had turned clear like water. Someone from the pce was behind all this.


    ¡°Feng Lao, tell Shui Xiaoqing to tell the person¡¯s name whom he aided!¡± L¨®ng Wei shouted again and dodged the attack of the first attacker. He pierced his abdomen with the sword, yanked it out, and kicked another one in his left before shing his neck.


    The soldiers who had apanied Shui Xiaoqing also started to fight with the assassins. However, they were too powerful to kill those soldiers.


    Mingquan and Chang Shi ran at their full speed in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s direction to save him. For Mingquan, it was unbelievable that whatever L¨®ng Wei had thought turned out to be true.


    Feng Lao took his father to the other side of the carriage and asked him to say the name.


    ¡°I cannot tell the name even if I die today,¡± Shui Xiaoqing asserted. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has no position to save us. Don¡¯t trust him. Some secrets shall remain buried,¡± Shui Xiaoqing stated. He got terrified as the nking of swords became intense.


    ¡°Let¡¯s run away from here,¡± Shui Xiaoqing suggested to his son. Feng Lao was stunned to hear him and held his father¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Father, how could you do this? I remained quiet all this time because I thought everyone was dead in the Xu family. At least think about Li Hua, whom you called your daughter once. Did you even have any idea of how Li Hua lived all this time? Xu Zifan lost his right arm that night. At least for them, please tell me the name,¡± Feng Lao made his father understand.


    He saw an assassin who hade behind the carriage. Feng Lao unsheathed the sword that L¨®ng Wei had handed him earlier and killed him after fighting with him for a few minutes.


    ¡°Father, please tell me. His Majesty will give us the death penalty. He already knew about all this. That¡¯s why you are summoned here,¡± Feng Lao told his father.


    Shui Xiaoqing wiped the sweat that had formed on his forehead using his sleeves. He was in a dilemma about whether to give the name or not.


    ¡°The person is too dangerous. No one will survive if I say the name,¡± Shui Xiaoqing told his son. They heard a weird sound and looked above. Two assassins had jumped over the carriage¡¯s roof. Feng Lao pulled his father away. The two jumped down and attacked Feng Lao.


    But L¨®ng Wei came to his rescue and killed them from behind. Feng Lao looked at L¨®ng Wei and saw that his hands were covered in blood. He looked behind L¨®ng Wei and saw the dead bodies covered in blood.


    L¨®ng Wei pushed Feng Lao away and pointed his sword at Shui Xiaoqing¡¯s father. ¡°Tell me the name, Shui Xiaoqing. If you don¡¯t, then I will make sure to kill your son, your wife, and every single person in your family. Also, I will force you to kill them,¡± L¨®ng Wei threatened him.


    ¡°Your Highness, I am asking my father. Please stay out of it,¡± Feng Lao urged.


    ¡°You must stay out of it now,¡± L¨®ng Wei aggressively said. He gradually closed the distance between him and Shui Xiaoqing. He was trembling in fear with each step that L¨®ng Wei took toward him. The pointed tip of the de had bored into the skin of his neck and his breath hitched.


    ¡°Shui Xiaoqing, if I want I can save your entire family even from the deadly punishment. At least, think about your son, who is still young.¡± L¨®ng Wei started to manipte his thoughts.


    Mingquan told Shui Xiaoqing not to hide the truth and to tell them who was behind all this.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head as he heard another shooting arrow. It was seconds away from Shui Xiaoqing to hit him in the neck. His eyes widened as the arrow hit.

 Chapter 231

    231 L¨®ng Wei got shot


    L¨®ng Wei could not let Shui Xiaoqing die. He swiftly stood on his left and the arrow hit the right side of his back. He fell forward while Shui Xiaoqing, in fear, stepped away.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei!¡± Mingquan loudly pronounced his name and ran forward. Chang Shi and the royal inspector ran towards the forest to nab the shooter.


    Mingquan prevented L¨®ng Wei from falling, while Feng Lao and Shui Xiaoqing were shocked to see that L¨®ng Wei got the shot. ¡°Te-tell me about the na-me, you ba-¡± L¨®ng Wei said, in a meek voice. His eyelids turned heavy, and the next second, he fell unconscious. Mingquan got terrified and looked around. All the soldiers were already dead.


    ¡°Your Highness, let¡¯s take the Prince to the pce quickly,¡± Feng Lao said. Chang Shi and the royal inspector arrived soon. They ran to the carriage and informed Mingquan that the shooter had run away.


    ¡°First, we must return to the pce. The Prince is severely injured,¡± Mingquan said. Chang Shi nodded his head and found the chauffeur was dead too. He decided to drive the carriage and asked the royal inspector to get in.


    Chang Shi drove the carriage to the pce. The soldiers at the capital¡¯s gate stopped the carriage when Chang Shi informed him about L¨®ng Wei. Mingquan opened the window and showed his royal seal to one of the soldiers, and they let the carriage pass through the gates.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince¡¯s lips had turned bluish,¡± the Royal Inspector informed them. Mingquan looked at L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face and gulped. He brought his fingers to his neck to feel the pulse that was turning weaker.


    ¡°The arrow seems to be poisonous,¡± Feng Lao stated, and told Mingquan to remove it before more poison spread in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s body. Mingquan made L¨®ng Wei sit and asked Feng Lao to remove it. He hummed and pulled out the arrow from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s back. He hissed in pain in his unconscious state.


    Mingquan nced at Shui Xiaoqing and asked him to give his name to them. ¡°Because of you, my brother got injured. You would have died if the poisonous arrow had hit you. Just pay for your crimes and tell the truth to us,¡± Mingquan affirmed.


    .....


    Shui Xiaoqing downcast his eyelids when Feng Lao asked his father not to remain silent. ¡°Tell me the name of the person who is behind all this,¡± Feng Lao repeatedly requested Shui Xiaoqing.


    ¡°I will tell you once we safely reach the pce,¡± Shui Xiaoqing promised his son. Feng Lao had no faith left in his father. He was disappointed in his fatherpletely. His silence was killing Feng Lao. But more than that, he wondered why his father was so hesitant about not telling him the name of the person who involved the Shui family in his sins.


    ~~~~~


    Li Hua¡¯s sleep broke earlier than usual, and she found that L¨®ng Wei was not present beside her on the bed. ¡°Did His Highness wake up early?¡± She mumbled and rubbed her eyes. She got out of bed and called in a servant.


    She wore the thin small-sleeved silk coat and asked about L¨®ng Wei from her.


    ¡°His Highness didn¡¯t leave the bedchamber,¡± the maidservant replied.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Hua was bewildered to hear her speak. ¡°His Highness wasn¡¯t present when I woke up. Go and check the bathhouse,¡± Li Hua told the maidservant. She turned to leave when Court Lady Hong came into the chamber.


    Li Hua was surprised and delighted to see her. ¡°Your Highness, did the Crown Prince go out of the pce, ignoring the King¡¯smand?¡± The courtdy looked worried while asking such a question from Li Hua.


    ¡°Pardon me, Court Lady Hong. Why would His Highness go against the orders of His Majesty? He must be in the bathhouse,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°He is not in the pce. Even Prince Mingquan is absent. In the early morning, a strange rumour spread among the pce servants that Prince L¨®ng Wei went out of the pce in the early morning with F-Feng...¡± Court Lady Hong paused as she was unable to recall the name of Feng Lao.


    Li Hua¡¯s eyes widened, and she rushed out of the chamber. Court Lady Hong and the maidservant followed her, wondering where she was headed to.


    Li Hua ran to the guest chamber where Feng Lao was staying. She pushed the door open and walked in. To her surprise, Feng Lao wasn¡¯t present in the chamber. ¡°Where did His Highness go?¡± She mumbled and knitted her brows in nervousness. For some reason, she started to get this uneasy feeling, and her heart raced with worry.


    Before Court Lady Hong asked Li Hua why she came to this chamber, she ran out and went to the bathhouse to check. Probably, L¨®ng Wei shifted Feng Lap somewhere. He might be taking a bath.


    Court Lady Hong saw the quilt on the bed and got confused. However, it was not the time to think about it. She followed Li Hua and asked the maidservant if anything happened on thest day.


    ¡°No,¡± the maidservant lied as per L¨®ng Wei¡¯s instructions.


    Li Hua pushed the bathhouse¡¯s door. ¡°Your Highness, are you bathing?¡± She asked and stepped forward. Pushing the curtain away, she found the water tub was empty. Li Hua turned away and walked out.


    ¡°Is His Highness outside?¡± Court Lady Hong asked.


    Li Hua shook her head.


    ¡°That means the rumor is true,¡± Court Lady Hong said. She was anxious that L¨®ng Wei would be punished again.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± They heard a masculine voice and looked in the direction of the sound. A soldier was standing in front of them.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince is heavily injured and is being rushed to the royal clinic. His Majesty has summoned the Princess Consort,¡± the soldier informed Li Hua.


    Li Hua stopped blinking for a few seconds. She could not process her thoughts when she heard that L¨®ng Wei was injured. Her feet moved forward on their own, and she asked the soldier to show her where the royal clinic was.


    Court Lady Hong and the maidservant also followed Li Hua.


    ¡°What happened to the prince? How did he get injured?¡± Li Hua asked the soldier.


    ¡°His Highness got shot by a poisonous arrow,¡± the soldier replied.


    The floor beneath Li Hua¡¯s feet slipped away. ¡°Was L¨®ng Wei hit with a poisonous arrow?¡± She murmured. Her eyes were filled with tears and she curled her fingers.

 Chapter 232

    232 Monk Yuze¡¯s Return


    ¡°Why did Mingquan agree to apany L¨®ng Wei? I had clearly instructed that no one would leave the pce. Do my orders have any value left?¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s anger burst at Mingquan. He kept his head down while feeling guilty.


    Xiaoming stepped up and bowed his head. ¡°Royal Father, I was the one who agreed to Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s request. If someone should get punished, then that¡¯s me. I should not have vited themand of His Majesty.¡± He apologized to Qiu Zedong.


    Zhu Liling was stunned to find that her son went against themand of the King.


    Qiu Zedong shouted at them, ¡°L¨®ng Wei is the youngest child and he loves to pick trouble. You both should have informed me when L¨®ng Wei took such a step.¡± He put his hand on his chest and took deep breaths.


    ¡°Your Majesty, please calm down,¡± Zhu Liling intervened this time. ¡°Everyone knows how headstrong L¨®ng Wei is. He must have been adamant about going out of the pce since the matter was rted to Li Hua,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°Indeed, if someone should be med, then it is Li Hua. Because of her, L¨®ng Wei turned mad. ¡°Noble Consort Xiuying supported the statements of the Queen, ¡°Pardon me. I mean, Prince L¨®ng Wei never got hurt this way, but because of his wife he is on his deathbed.¡±


    ¡°Noble Consort Xiuying, stay quiet. I won¡¯t tolerate any impudence today,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed, and asked why Li Hua hadn¡¯te till now.


    Eunuch Gao Bing stepped up to look for Li Hua when she entered the chamber with Court Lady Hong and a maidservant.


    She bowed before the King and the Queen. Her hands were trembling in fear, and her eyes were fluttering in nervousness.


    .....


    ¡°Did the Princess Consort ask Prince L¨®ng Wei to go out in the early morning? Was she aware of all this?¡± Qiu Zedong asked her.


    Li Hua was unable to understand if she should tell the truth or a lie. What if the King punished L¨®ng Wei for going out of the pce against his order?


    ¡°Sister-inw¡¯s silence clearly shows that Brother L¨®ng Wei discussed this with her. For her own selfish reasons, she agreed with Brother L¨®ng Wei and let him go out. We all thought that after the marriage, Li Hua would keep Brother L¨®ng Wei in control, but the opposite is happening,¡± Jingfei stated, and internally felt relieved.


    ¡°Your Majesty, my sister knew nothing. His Highness didn¡¯t tell anything to Li Hua,¡± Xu Zifan affirmed. He could not let his sister get punished when she had no fault.


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. A wife knows everything about her husband,¡± Noble Consort Xiuying denied the im of Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Li Hua¡¯s brother is merely trying to protect his sister and is hiding the truth. This unknown enemy of the Xu family didn¡¯t even hesitate to kill the royal prince. I am afraid, His Highness must punish Li Hua and her brother to involve Prince L¨®ng Wei. We all have already heard from Physician Peng that 90% of Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s body is affected because of the poison. If anything happens to him, then who will take the responsibility,¡± Zhu Liling proimed. She made Qiu Zedong decide on the punishment of Li Hua and Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Royal Mother, Sister-inw knew nothing about it,¡± Mingquan proimed. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei never let her find out about all this.¡±


    ¡°Royal Father, it is not the time to punish anyone. Princess Consort shall be around Brother L¨®ng Wei at this moment. Moreover, Royal Father himself had told L¨®ng Wei to investigate the deadly murder of the Xu family. If someone made a mistake, then it was me. I should not have allowed Brother L¨®ng Wei to go out and aid him in that,¡± Xiaoming calmly handled the matter.


    ¡°I also think that we must focus on Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s recovery rather than punishing people whom he cherishes more than his life.¡± They all looked towards the door upon hearing a familiar voice.


    ¡°Monk Yuze,¡± Qiu Zedong murmured and stepped up.


    Yuze, using the thick stick, walked inside and stood beside Li Hua. He greeted the King and the Queen first.


    ¡°Monk Yuze, you have returned earlier than expected,¡± Zhu Liling stated.


    ¡°I had to return because the message from heaven was clear this time. Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life is in danger. dly, I arrived at the right time,¡± Yuze asserted and looked at Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I would like to check Prince L¨®ng Wei once,¡± Yuze requested. The King immediately agreed to the monk¡¯s request and asked him to follow him.


    ¡°Princess Consort Li Hua, follow me,¡± Yuze said and passed a tiny smile to her. Xu Zifan recalled that face. He was the same monk who had visited the Xu Residence when Li Hua had been born. He was the one who had read Li Hua¡¯s stars.


    Li Hua bowed and walked after Monk Yuze. Xiaoming also left the chamber and gestured to Xu Zifan toe with him.


    ¡°Monk Yuze came again at the vulnerable time,¡± Xiuying said in a low voice and nced at Zhu Liling. ¡°What if he saved L¨®ng Wei?¡±


    ¡°Monk Yuze is not a physician,¡± Zhu Liling replied in a low voice. She walked out of the chamber and after her, the two consorts left the chamber.


    ¡°I think this is the end for Brother L¨®ng,¡± Tianjie said with a smirk.


    Zhang Xi smiled and hummed. ¡°The poison is deadly. Such a poison is retrieved from a deadly poisonous snake which is rare to find. He won¡¯t make it this time. Finally, L¨®ng Wei will leave this ce,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Is it really possible?¡± Jingfei asked with excitement. She could not forget her insult in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Of course, Sister Jingfei. Peng Yuxian said that Brother L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t responding to any medicine,¡± Zhang Xi affirmed. Jingfei was delighted to hear him.


    ¡°That¡¯s great then,¡± Jingfei said.


    Mingquan could not believe his ears. ¡°How could you all think ill of our youngest brother? Instead of praying for him, you all are waiting for him to die,¡± Mingquan remarked. He agreed to the fact that L¨®ng Wei never respected his siblings but that was not his fault. Even they were at fault for treating him differently.


    ¡°I agree with the Fourth Brother¡¯s words. We should not think ill of Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Ai Fen said.


    ¡°Brother Mingquan, since when did you start to preach about Brother L¨®ng Wei? Also, Brother L¨®ng Wei must pay for his sins,¡± Tianjie asserted.


    ¡°Brother Tianjie doesn¡¯t need to have any right to say such a thing. What kind of sins is he talking about? He himself hadmitted so many sinful crimes,¡± Mingquan lost his temper at Tianjie. Being a human, being a brother, he should not have such thoughts for L¨®ng Wei.

 Chapter 233

    233 I need to save my husband


    Tianjie scrunched his brows to hear Mingquan. He had no idea what Mingquan knew about him. ¡°My sinful acts?¡± Tianjie didn¡¯t like the remark made by Mingquan.


    ¡°Yes. Brother L¨®ng Wei is kind enough not to reveal the characteristics of yours to the Royal Father,¡± Mingquan stated and turned to look at Jingfei.


    ¡°A woman understands emotions better than anyone. However, this does not apply to you, Sister Jingfei. That day, it was your fault as well. You all know how Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother was! We all grew up in the most pampered way. He didn¡¯t and Sister Jingfei, how could you call another woman a whore? Just because you are the daughter of the Queen, it doesn¡¯t mean you are free to ridicule anyone.¡±


    Mingquan didn¡¯t stop himself from reprimanding Jingfei.


    ¡°Calm down, Prince Mingquan,¡± Huang Xi said, putting his hand on his shoulder. He nced at Jingfei with disgust.


    ¡°First Princess, don¡¯te to my house and try to impress my mother. I will not marry you. So, it¡¯s better for you not to make any such attempts on me,¡± Huang Xi said directly. He didn¡¯t want to keep her in the dark. Also, after he heard what Jingfei said about L¨®ng Wei, he started to hate her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Fourth Prince,¡± Huang Xi said, and they both turned to leave. Ai Fen followed them both as she was concerned about L¨®ng Wei. Xiaolian decided to go after Ai Fen and quickly walked to her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together, Second Sister,¡± Xiaolian told Ai Fen. She nodded, and they both left to see L¨®ng Wei.


    Jingfei¡¯s eyes turned teary when Huang Xi told her not to make any attempts at her marriage with her. She got hurt, and her heart was broken into millions of pieces.


    .....


    ¡°Brother Tianjie, don¡¯t mind the words of Brother Mingquan,¡± Zhang Xi said. Tianjie yanked his hand away from his shoulder and walked out in anger.


    ~~~~


    The King asked Peng Yuxian about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s condition. Li Hua waited with anticipation for the physician¡¯s reply and tried to take a nce at L¨®ng Wei. However, because of the curtains, she was unable to take a look at him. Also, until the King allowed her, she could not go ahead.


    ¡°He will be fine,¡± Xiaoming told Li Hua. She tilted her head and she looked into his eyes. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she quickly wiped them. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t the type to lose his life, especially after he found a woman whom he loves a lot.¡±


    Li Hua nodded and held her tears back. Her entire body was trembling in fear. She had no idea that, because of her, one day, L¨®ng Wei woulde into danger.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I won¡¯t give false hope. But the medicines aren¡¯t responding,¡± Peng Yuxian said in a low voice. His voice clearly showed that he had lost hope in his treatment. Li Hua wobbled to hear from Peng Yuxian. Xu Zifan stepped up and put his hand on her back to support her and stand straight before withdrawing his hand away.


    ¡°What about acupuncture, Physician Peng?¡± Li Hua intervened.


    ¡°Acupuncture can remove the poison, but it has spread to almost every organ. It will be difficult to find the points from where the poison can be taken out since blood flow can be irregr,¡± Peng Yuxian affirmed.


    Li Hua turned to look at the king, whose focus was on his son. ¡°Your Majesty, allow me to treat the Sixth Prince. I know acupuncture,¡± Li Hua requested.


    Monk Yuze smiled and waited for the King to speak.


    ¡°What¡¯s the guarantee that you will save him? I don¡¯t know how sharp your acupuncture skills are. When Peng Yuxian has given up-¡±


    Qiu Zedong could notplete his words as Li Hua interjected.


    ¡°I need to save my husband, Your Majesty. He is still breathing, and I have trust in my acupuncture skills. I can save him,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°Your Majesty, let Li Hua do it,¡± Xu Zifan also requested Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°How can I trust the Xu family¡¯s members? Because of them, my son¡¯s life is in danger,¡± Qiu Zedong pronounced.


    Li Hua stepped up and said, ¡°After I save my husband, I will receive whatever punishment His Majesty wants to give me.¡±


    ¡°So, you agree that my son¡¯s condition is because of you?¡± Qiu Zedong questioned her.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°For that, I will surely take the punishment from His Majesty. But right now, I must save my husband,¡± Li Hua said. If there was something she was good at, then that was acupuncture, which she had learned from herte father, who was an expert in that.


    ¡°Let Li Hua do it, Your Majesty,¡± Monk Yuze said this time. ¡°Currently, saving the Sixth Prince is indispensable. Each passing second is crucial for L¨®ng Wei,¡± he opined.


    Qiu Zedong allowed Li Hua to do acupuncture on L¨®ng Wei. She thanked him and quickly went towards the bed. She asked Peng Yuxian for the acupuncture needles and sat on the bamboo stool.


    The curtains were pushed away, and her eyes widened to see L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face. It had turned pale, and his lips were bluish.


    ¡®No, I can¡¯t fall weak,¡¯ she told herself.


    She moved his sleeves up and saw the blood stains on his sleeve. She checked his pulse first which was weak. Once she studied it well, she picked the first acupuncture needle.


    She inserted one gently into the fingertip of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s index finger and then the other into the middle of his forehead. He picked up the third thin needle and inserted it right above his chest.


    L¨®ng Wei coughed up some blood.Li Hua quickly took the cotton cloth piece from Peng Yuxian and wiped the blood from his mouth. She removed the needles quickly and did the same with the other pressure points to remove the poison from his body.


    Xiaoming told his father and Monk Yuze to take the seat as the treatment was time-consuming. Qiu Zedong took the seats and continued to stare in Li Hua¡¯s direction.


    Li Hua rubbed the portion right below L¨®ng Wei¡¯s elbow and inserted the needle. She did the same with the other elbow. She recalled how her father told her to keep in mind that the poisoned person should not cough up too much blood as it could be fatal for the person.


    Peng Yuxian was astonished to learn that Li Hua was quite an expert in acupuncture needles. It seemed she learned it from some expert who was hard to find in the Kingdom.


    Li Hua again checked L¨®ng Wei¡¯s pulse after two hours of the treatment and found it wasn¡¯t like before. It was much more stable and steadier.


    Peng Yuxian looked at the lips of L¨®ng Wei, which were no longer bluish. He turned and informed the same about the King and the others present. They were delighted to hear that L¨®ng Wei¡¯s body had detoxed from the poison.

 Chapter 234

    234 Born to be the King


    Li Hua brought her hand to his right eye and checked it first, followed by the left one. She pulled away her hand and again checked the pulse. She was relieved to find that L¨®ng Wei had returned to his stable state. She put her hand down and asked Peng Yuxian if he treated the wound on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s back.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. The bleeding had stopped earlier,¡± Peng Yuxian said.


    Li Hua nodded and stood up. She turned to face the King and said, ¡°Your Majesty, most of the poison from the blood is out. The rest wille out as His Highness will sweat.¡±


    Qiu Zedong was delighted to hear from Li Hua. His pale face had again brightened upon finding that his son was out of danger.


    Xu Zifan was worried about Li Hua because she took the me on herself.


    ¡°May I ask His Majesty about one more thing?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°You may inquire,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    ¡°Let me treat His Highness till he wakes up. I cannot trust his treatment from anyone,¡± Li Hua stated. Physician Peng understood that it was directed to him. ¡°His Highness¡¯ well-wishers are very few. His Highness¡¯ past mistakes can give a chance to his enemies to harm him,¡± Li Hua rified to Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°You are allowed.¡± Qiu Zedong also did not want to take the risk with his son¡¯s life. He could put his trust in Li Hua since she seeded in saving his son.


    .....


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua bowed.


    Qiu Zedong decided to leave. As he stood up, Monk Yuze also got up.


    ¡°Crown Prince Xiaoming and Prince Mingquan have to reflect on their mistakes. I am still angry with them. Li Hua will be punished once Prince L¨®ng Wei wakes up,¡± Qiu Zedong announced. Even though Li Hua saved L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life, the King didn¡¯t forgive her. Because L¨®ng Wei¡¯s gotten into danger because of Li Hua, he wanted her to realize not to involve L¨®ng Wei in anything that would put his life in danger.


    ¡°The Crown Prince will be flogged, and so will Prince Mingquan in the evening,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    Both Xiaoming and Mingquan agreed to take the punishment.


    ¡°Your Majesty, let¡¯s not give punishment to the princes,¡± Monk Yuze defended them. ¡°In my opinion, they did it out of brotherly love. I don¡¯t think Prince L¨®ng Wei had ever asked anyone in the family for a favor. Let¡¯s not punish anyone this time,¡± he requested the King.


    ¡°I am afraid, but this time I cannot listen to Monk Yuze,¡± Qiu Zedong said and walked out of the chamber. Eunuch Gao Bing looked at the two princes and assured them that he would pacify the anger of the King. He ran out without wasting any more time while Yuze and others stayed in the chamber.


    Once the King left, Li Hua started the remaining treatment on L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Monk Yuze always arrives at the right time,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°It is because the dragon¡¯s son cannot die without fulfilling his destiny,¡± Yuze remarked and asked Xiaoming if he could talk with him in private.


    Xiaoming agreed and asked him toe to his manor.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Yuze said. However, before leaving, Yuze walked up to the bed and looked at L¨®ng Wei. He looked better than before, and it gave him peace.


    Yuze turned and left with Xiaoming to his chamber. Ai Fen decided to help Li Hua and walked ahead, asking her if she wanted something, then she could ask her. Li Hua refused and asked her not to worry.


    Xiaoming walked slowly to match Yuze¡¯s steps and wondered what possibly Yuze wanted to speak to him about.


    ¡°The Crown Prince has changed his outlook towards his youngest brother. I am happy to see that,¡± Yuze finally said. They had not even reached the Crown Prince¡¯s manor.


    ¡°Monk Yuze knows everything,¡± Xiaoming said, smiling.


    ¡°I noticed,¡± Yuze corrected. ¡°I am d that he became a well-wisher of Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± he added.


    ¡°I have epted my ws and also epted that Brother L¨®ng Wei is better than me,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    Yuze stopped by the pir, and so did Xiaoming. ¡°No one is around, so we will talk here,¡± Yuze proimed.


    ¡°I favored Prince L¨®ng Wei on numerous asions. However, it doesn¡¯t mean that I thought ill of the other princes. Prince L¨®ng Wei came to me when he found no one around him to let out his frustrations which made me protect that child,¡± Yuze stated, with a bright smile on his lips.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s stars were different from the others. Many people are born in the month and year of the Dragon, but not everyone is born to be the king. Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s stars are of a dragon,¡± Yuze proimed.


    ¡°It means that one day, Brother L¨®ng Wei will be the King,¡± Xiaoming affirmed.


    ¡°He will rule the vastnds of the kingdom. However, that doesn¡¯t mean he can be the King. A dragon¡¯s star means that he will bring an end to the miseries that people face in this vastnd of Qiu Kingdom. Now, it¡¯s in the hands of the Crown Prince to decide how to take the prophecy. I believe that he will only remain the well-wisher of Prince L¨®ng until the very end,¡± Yuze said, with high hopes for Xiaoming.


    ¡°Monk Yuze, I realized it a few days back. I was so wrong about Brother L¨®ng Wei and even tried to put me on him for the crime he nevermitted. I am still guilty of that. Brother L¨®ng Wei forgave me and for the first time, I found him the most trustworthy person around me.¡± Xiaoming didn¡¯t hesitate to tell Yuze that he was already on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s side.


    ¡°The Crown Prince must follow his heart this time. Two weeks will soon be over, and he has to marry someone. If there¡¯s someone he has found for him, then he must marry her before things go wrong,¡± Yuze advised Xiaoming. He was astonished to hear from Yuze.


    ¡°I must go to see His Majesty. Stay around your brother and stay alert. It¡¯s the most vulnerable time for L¨®ng Wei,¡± Yuze said with a sheepish smile and walked ahead.

 Chapter 235

    235 A Blessing for me


    ¡°Your Majesty, Princess Consort Li Hua used the acupuncture to take out the poison from Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s body. He is now out of danger,¡± Eunuch Lianying informed Zhu Liling.


    ¡°Li Hua saved Prince L¨®ng Wei!¡± Zhu Liling was astonished to hear the eunuch.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. As per your orders, Physician Peng wasn¡¯t ready to cure the Crown Prince despite knowing the acupuncture. However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, Princess Consort Li Hua stepped forward and appealed to His Majesty to allow her to treat the Sixth Prince,¡± Eunuch Lianying narrated the Queen, who clutched her hands on the bolster.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Li Hua seemed to be smarter than we all had perceived her to be. It was such a wonderful moment to kill Prince L¨®ng Wei. Now, he will recover soon,¡± Virtuous Consort Ruoxi said, and looked at Xiuying.


    ¡°He can be poisoned. After a long time, we finally got an opportunity to throw Prince L¨®ng Wei out of this world,¡± Noble Consort Xiuying advised the Queen. Zhu Liling hummed and decided to go with that.


    ¡°Eunuch Lianying, tell Peng Yuxian to poison the Sixth Prince during the treatment and put the me on Li Hua,¡± Zhu Liling ordered Eunuch Lianying.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Majesty. That¡¯s not possible because the Crown Prince removed Physician Peng at the request of the Princess Consort. It is even tough to enter the chamber, where Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s treatment is going on,¡± Eunuch Lianying affirmed.


    Xiuying got the chance to humiliate Zhu Liling. ¡°Her Majesty¡¯s son is going off limits these days. He does not listen to her anymore,¡± Xiuying stated, and put her hand on her headpiece. She adjusted the jewel and continued, ¡°The Crown Prince¡¯s feelings for Li Hua aren¡¯t hidden anymore. Your Majesty, do something before the Crown Prince takes a step which will put your head down in shame.¡±


    Xiuying left no stone unturned to humiliate Zhu Liling. She sharply nced at her. ¡°Noble Consort Xiuying should know her ce,¡± the Queen sternly said.


    .....


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Majesty. I didn¡¯t intend to hurt you. I found out that the Crown Prince is attracted to that dancer. He went to see her yesterday and then got attacked. The two-week period will soon be over. What if the Crown Prince brings that dancer in as his wife?¡± Xiuying proimed and curled her lips into a smirk.


    ¡°Noble Consort Xiuying said enough. She should look at her son before pointing her finger at my son. I won¡¯t tolerate it if she says another word,¡± Zhu Liling said again, raising her voice.Xiaoming would never marry Liu Jin Yu. He also knew what was best for him.


    ¡°I have faith in my son. He will marry the woman of his status,¡± Zhu Liling affirmed.


    ¡°I also pray for the same, Your Majesty. However, as your well-wisher, I want you to keep a close check on your son¡¯s activities. He even kicked out Eunuch Lishi from his service,¡± Xiuying stated.


    Rouxi agreed with her words and said, ¡°After Liu Jin Yu and the Crown Prince met, he started to act weird. He doesn¡¯t respect his mother¡¯s decisions.¡± Xiuying and Ruoxi continued to fill the ears of the Queen.


    ~~~~~


    Li Hua wiped her fingers with the clean cloth and put it aside. It must be ufortable for L¨®ng Wei to lie on her back, but she could not do anything about it. She ced her hand above his and caressed it. ¡°Forgive me,¡± she managed to speak.


    ¡°Li Hua, why don¡¯t you eat something? You need energy as well,¡± Xu Zifan told her. ¡°His Highness will wake up soon,¡± he said.


    ¡°I will take food after His Highness wakes up,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei will not like it if his wife stays hungry because of him,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to eat,¡± Li Hua answered, and sniffled. Her eyes had turned teary once again. She was so scared when she found out that L¨®ng Wei had been shot with a deadly poisonous arrow.


    Mingquan gestured to Xu Zifan to take his seat back.


    Li Hua stood up and went towards the left end of the room where she was preparing the potion for L¨®ng Wei that would further help in removing the remaining toxins from the body. She put off the fire when the potion was prepared and put it in a porcin bowl.


    ¡°Sister-inw, how did you find out that Physician Peng is suspicious?¡± Mingquan asked her out of the blue. Li Hua took her seat near the bed and put the bowl on the small circr table beside the bed.


    ¡°He lied about removing the poison. When I studied His Highness¡¯ pulse, I found out that the poison hadn¡¯t spread to many parts of the body. Physician Peng wanted to kill His Highness,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    ¡°I will tell you about it to my Royal Father,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°Not now. Physician Peng may say that I lied since I am not a medical practitioner, unlike him,¡± she opined. ¡°I still have limited knowledge of medicine. So not many will believe me,¡± she stated.


    Mingquan hummed. ¡°The Sister-inw is smart,¡± heplimented her. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is blessed to have you,¡± he said.


    ¡°It is the opposite, Fourth Brother,¡± Li Hua pronounced. ¡°His Highness became a blessing for me. I had never seen a man who would endanger his life for his wife.¡± She picked up the bowl as the potion had cooled down. She blew air over the spoon to cool the potion down and brought it near L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips. She made him drink it and then wiped his lips gently with the cloth.


    ¡°Feng Lao¡¯s father hasn¡¯t given the name till now. It¡¯s a shame he¡¯s still not sorry for what he did. Prince L¨®ng Wei should have let him die,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei wanted him to be alive because he¡¯s the only person who knows the real enemy,¡± Mingquan said. Shui Xiaoqing was an important person in reaching the person who was hidden in the pce.

 Chapter 236

    236 Injustice to my Wife¡¯s Family


    In the evening, Qiu Zedong came to check on Prince L¨®ng Wei. He was apanied by his Queen and two Consorts.


    ¡°Did Prince L¨®ng Wei not wake up yet?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°No, Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°Surprisingly, Li Hua saved Prince L¨®ng Wei. Did she learn acupuncture? It seems she is good at many things.¡± Zhu Liling was desperate to know what Li Hua was like. What more skills did she possess?


    ¡°I learned it from myte father, Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Because of your skills, my son is alive,¡± Qiu Zedong answered and smiled widely. ¡°Physician Peng had almost given up on my son,¡± he remarked.


    ¡°Inform us when Prince L¨®ng Wei wakes up,¡± Qiu Zedong told Li Hua. However, before leaving, he walked up to the bed and checked on his son. He ced his hand on his forehead.


    ¡°His body temperature is high,¡± Qiu Zedong worriedly said.


    ¡°That¡¯s because of the potion, which is supposed to remove the toxins from His Highness¡¯ body,¡± Li Hua answered. Qiu Zedong stood straight and asked Li Hua to keep treating his son.


    .....


    ¡°Take the help of Physician Peng too,¡± he suggested to her.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I will do it alone,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    Qiu Zedong ended up smiling and nodding at her. He looked at Xiaoming and Mingquan. ¡°Go and take twenty floggings each at the punishment house,¡± he told the two princes.


    Zhu Liling widened her eyes in bewilderment and asked the King why he was talking about floggings out of the blue.


    ¡°His Majesty is punishing the princes because they both vited themand. Being the Crown Prince he must remain loyal to the King not to a rebellious prince,¡± Noble Consort Xiuying remarked and smirked. She had gotten another opportunity to humiliate her because of her son.


    ¡°Your Majesty, please don¡¯t punish Crown Prince Xiaoming and Prince Mingquan. They both tried to help Prince L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua. If there is someone who should be punished, then they are the ones who must ept this,¡± Zhu Liling requested Qiu Zedong while putting the entire me on Li Hua and L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°We both brothers ept the punishment,¡± Xiaoming said, asking his father not to listen to his mother or any other. ¡°I went against themand of the King, so I must realize my mistake,¡± he proimed.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I, as the Queen request-¡±


    Qiu Zedong cut her words in the middle, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anything regarding my judgment. If I don¡¯t punish them, then they will keep doing this. They must know that this punishment isn¡¯t merely because I want them to feel what the rules are but also not to lie to their father.¡± He exined it to everyone present inside the chamber.


    ¡°Now, I don¡¯t want to hear anything. Prince L¨®ng Wei is still in his unconscious state,¡± Qiu Zedong said, and he nced worriedly at his son once more.


    ¡°Gao Bing, take both the princes to the punishment house,¡± Qiu Zedong ordered his personal servant. Eunuch Gao Bing stepped up and humbly asked the two princes to follow him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t allow it,¡± Zhu Liling objected to it. Qiu Zedong stepped up to speak.


    ¡°Eunuch Lianying, take the Queen to her manor. Since she also decided to object to my decision, she will stay inside her chamber for three days,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed. Everyone was shocked to hear the King.


    Xiuying could not hide her happiness and ended up saying, ¡°The Queen should not intervene in the path of justice.¡±


    ¡°Noble Consort Xiuying, leave! I already said that I don¡¯t want any noise here. You aren¡¯t supposed to humiliate the Queen. I won¡¯t stop myself from punishing you as well,¡± Qiu Zedong seemed angry and burst it on his Noble Consort.


    Xiuying apologized and immediately left the chamber along with Ruoxi. Xiaoming and Mingquan left with Gao Bing, while Zhu Liling silently went to her manor.


    Xu Zifan and Li Hua were the only remaining people in the chamber apart from the King and the Sixth Prince.


    Qiu Zedong decided to stay in the chamber and asked Li Hua to take a seat.


    ¡°Until His Majesty remains standing, I cannot sit down,¡± Li Hua said. Qiu Zedong smiled and went to the broad chair to take a seat.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei did every sort of mischief, but he never let himself get harmed,¡± Qiu Zedong said. Li Hua understood his remark and sincerely apologized. Xu Zifan also asked for forgiveness.


    ¡°I gave you the task of bringing him on the right path, yet you are supporting him in all such acts.¡± He could not hold his anger. Earlier, he remained quiet because Monk Yuze calmed him down, but seeing his son¡¯s face, he once more turned furious. Moreover, the troublesome thing was that she included two more princes in that.


    ¡°The Crown Prince never vited my orders. No matter what the situation was, he never took a step that could make me punish him. The same with Prince Mingquan. They are both judicious, unlike my other sons. However, for a woman, they decided to go to this extent,¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s words clearly showed that he was infuriated by Li Hua.


    ¡°I am willing to take the punishment for this, Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua stated. Xu Zifan found this a helpless situation. Because if he tried to speak, then the King might go for severe punishment for Li Hua. He understood why his father was adamant about not making her marry royalty. The pce rules were strict.


    ¡°I have decided to punish Shui Xiaoqing and Feng Lao to death since they are the reasons that my son took this deadly shot,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    Li Hua looked into his eyes, but then lowered them. Xu Zifan didn¡¯t stay quiet and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Shui Xiaoqing knows the enemy who killed people in our family. Let him confess first.¡± He got down on his knees and pleaded with the King.


    ¡°If he had to confess, then he would have from the morning. However, Shui Xiaoqing refused to speak,¡± Qiu Zedong replied. ¡°I cannot let such people live who be a danger to my son¡¯s life,¡± he affirmed. Li Hua lifted her head to look at the King and found the King¡¯s gaze on her.


    ¡°Royal Father cannot make such a decision,¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s deep voice fell on their ears. Li Hua immediately turned to look and found L¨®ng Wei had already sat up on the mattress.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take this shot because I wanted him to be dead. I want the name of the person who did injustice to my wife¡¯s family,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.

 Chapter 237

    237 Losing His Highness


    They were all overjoyed when L¨®ng Wei awoke from his unconscious state. Li Hua immediately got down to sit next to him and hugged him tightly. She forgot for a while that the King and her brother were present too.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips curled into a smile, and he ced his hand on her back. ¡°I am fine,¡± he said. Those words came as an assurance to Li Hua, and her eyes remained closed. Only she knew how those hours passed while treating L¨®ng Wei.


    When Qiu Zedong cleared his throat, Li Hua realized that she was not alone with L¨®ng Wei. She immediately pulled away from the hug, making L¨®ng Wei upset. She apologized to the king for behaving wrongly.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Qiu Zedong said and walked up to the bed while she got away.


    ¡°Royal Father, please don¡¯t kill Shui Xiaoqing. I need to ask him who was behind all this. I am so close to knowing about the person,¡± L¨®ng Wei requested his father.


    ¡°Qiu Mu asked him, but he refused to speak. My precious son¡¯s life fell into danger because of Shui Xiaoqing and his son. That¡¯s why they both must die. Didn¡¯t you want me to give them the harshest punishment? The entire Shui family will be executed as they were part of the deadly incident in the Xu residence,¡± Qiu Zedong announced his decision.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t want it to happen, but if she spoke now, Qiu Zedong might get angry. So, she decided to remain quiet for the time being.


    ¡°Royal Father, Shui Xiaoqing cannot die until I get the name from him. Let him live for one more day. I will investigate him on my own. Please allow me to do so,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Li Hua studied the face of the King and found out that he was turning furious. L¨®ng Wei was speaking about her family¡¯s matters after he came out of death. That was the main reason behind Qiu Zedong¡¯s unhappy face.


    .....


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei must not talk anymore. He returned from the mouth of death, and this is what he had to say to his father. Because the Prince disobeyed mymand, that¡¯s why I have decided to punish his wife,¡± Qiu Zedong stated, and nced at Li Hua. She put her head down and didn¡¯t object to his statement.


    ¡°Why would Li Hua get punished when I was the one who did all this? Shui Xiaoqing was being attacked by assassins. Someone wanted him to die, and that¡¯s why I needed to go out to find the truth. I knew I would not die as my wife is an acupuncture expert. That¡¯s why I took that shot, Royal Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei argued and put his feet on the floor.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Li Hua stopped him from standing up, ¡°you cannot leave the bed, nor can you go anywhere. Please listen to themand of the King if you do not want me to get punished. The Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince are also punished because they helped you. Please stop.¡±


    Hearing Li Hua¡¯s words, L¨®ng Wei wondered what happened when he was lying unconscious. His father had to have a confrontation with Li Hua. He was feeling weak and exhausted. He agreed to her, but he again pleaded with his father not to give the orders to hang Shui Xiaoqing.


    ¡°Also, I humbly request my father not to punish my wife. She didn¡¯t know anything. I will take punishment tomorrow for disobeying you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. His voice turned low because of the heaviness he felt in his head.


    ¡°Thew is equal for everyone, L¨®ng Wei. Because of Li Hua, you decided to take such a drastic step. Moreover, I have already punished two of your brothers. Now, you must take a good rest,¡± Qiu Zedong said, gazing at Li Hua before leaving the chamber.


    Xu Zifan stepped up and told them that he would leave them alone.


    ¡°Xu Zifan!¡± L¨®ng Wei stopped him and asked him toe closer. He stepped up and went to the bed.


    ¡°Go to Huang Xi and tell him to keep an eye on Shui Xiaoqing. The enemy is in the pce. He might get killed if we aren¡¯t cautious enough,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Let him die,¡± Li Hua furiously said. Both L¨®ng Wei and Xu Zifan looked at her.


    ¡°Let Shui Xiaoqing die. Let¡¯s not find anything. It¡¯s not like anyone from the Xu family will revive from the dead,¡± Li Hua said while tears gathered in her eyes.


    ¡°Li Hua, you don¡¯t understand all this. I will handle-¡±


    He could notplete his words as Li Hua interjected in the middle. ¡°Indeed, I know nothing of what His Highness is up to. But one thing I know is that because of all this, I don¡¯t want to lose my husband. What if I could not save you? Do you even have any idea what I underwent when I found out that my husband got shot?¡± Li Hua welled up into tears and wailed like a child. She covered her eyes with her hands as her cries became deep and intense.


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± Xu Zifan touched her shoulder, but she stepped back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to speak to my brother. Ev-even he lied to me and let the prince leave,¡± sheined and continued to cry. ¡°What if he had lost his life? How would I have survived?¡± She sniffled while continuing to wail.


    Xu Zifan gazed at L¨®ng Wei. He gestured for him to leave. Xu Zifan silently left the chamber, closing the door behind him.


    L¨®ng Wei managed to get up and took a step towards her. He wrapped his arms around her and quickly brought his hand to her hair. ¡°Forgive me, Li Hua. I didn¡¯t know that the situation would end up like this,¡± he said in a low voice.


    Li Hua¡¯s cries soon turned to sobs as she said, ¡°I have only you and my brother left. How could you even think of putting your life in danger? I was so scared to see your condition. Let¡¯s stop trying to find out who was behind my family¡¯s massacre. I can¡¯t even imagine losing His Highness.¡±

 Chapter 238

    238 In your Heart


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s heart skipped a beat to hear the words of Li Hua. She confessed how much importance he had in her life. He continued to gently caress Li Hua¡¯s hair until she stopped sobbing. The long hug went on for minutes before they both pulled away.


    L¨®ng Wei used his right hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks using his thumb. ¡°I love you, Li Hua,¡± he said, keeping a tiny smile on his lips.


    The tears appeared instantly in her eyes. ¡°His Highness doesn¡¯t love me. If he loved me, he wouldn¡¯t have put his life in danger. He hid everything from me and took such a dangerous step to find the culprit. The Fourth Brother told me everything,¡± Li Hua said, and wiped the tears from her eyes with the pad of her fingers. She put her hand on his arm and made him sit on the bed.


    ¡°I will bring soup for His Highness,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°I want to drink water,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°I am afraid, but His Highness cannot drink in water for two hours. The poison may be present in your body, which can show adversity if you drink water,¡± Li Hua answered. She stepped up and stood close to him while he lifted his head to peer at her.


    Li Hua removed the thin silk robe from above his upper body and put it aside. ¡°I need to change the bandage,¡± she stated and turned to pick the herbal medicine from the table along with a clean cotton bandage.


    ¡°When did His Highness find out that I am good at needles?¡± Li Hua inquired as she picked up the white porcin bowl.


    ¡°In the second week of our encounter,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°You used to learn from your father in the backyard of the residence,¡± he stated.


    .....


    Li Hua put the bowl back on the table after measuring the thickness of the paste. She wiped her fingers and called for a servant. ¡°Please bring a vessel with lukewarm water and also the washcloth,¡± she asked the maidservant. She bowed and left to bring what Li Hua had asked for.


    ¡°His Highness always watched me from afar. I would love to see you get introduced to my family,¡± Li Hua stated, and turned to face him.


    ¡°I had such ns, but I wanted to be out of the cold pce first,¡± he stated. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Peng Yuxian treating me? Did you do the entire acupuncture on me? He is a skilled physician as well.¡±


    ¡°He said you couldn¡¯t be saved, Your Highness. He lied to everyone and wanted to let you,¡± her eyebrows fluttered and her breath caught in her throat as she could not even say it. L¨®ng Wei understood her and pulled her down so that she sat next to him.


    ¡°The Queen must have ordered him to let me die without treatment. But she forgot that I have such a beautiful person in my life, who is better than thousands of physicians. When I closed my eyes, I believed that you would save me even if everyone wanted me to di-¡± Li Hua didn¡¯t let himplete his words and ced her fingers on his lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± Li Hua urged him. ¡°Monk Yuze was here, and he was the one who let me see you. Since His Highness¡¯ life fell in danger because of me, I would have been severely punished. I request that His Majesty let me save you. Your Highness, today I realized that you have so many enemies around you. That¡¯s strange because His Highness doesn¡¯t even hold any power, unlike their sons. Still, a few royal family members think ill of His Highness.¡± Li Hua was worried about him. She had only heard from her father how dangerous the pce was, but she got to find it today.


    ¡°Yuze always returns at the right time,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a chuckle. ¡°Indeed, these few people are jealous of your husband. But don¡¯t worry. I know how to tackle them,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    They turned quiet when the maidservant returned with a vessel in her hand. She put it on the floor table and ced the washcloth beside it. Li Hua thanked her and asked if she would call Xiwan. The maidservantplied with Li Hua¡¯smand and left for the kitchen.


    ¡°You are supposed to order the servants,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her.


    ¡°I worked as a servant once. I cannot do that.¡± She rose on her feet and carried the vessel to the bedside table. She dipped the washcloth in it and wrung it well to remove the excess water from it. She made folds of it, sat by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s side, and grasped his left hand. She wiped his fingers and palm well before moving to the arm.


    L¨®ng Wei continued to watch her and got lost in her. She asked him to tilt his head to the right, which he did. After wiping his face and neck, she asked him to turn his back on her. L¨®ng Wei silently followed her orders.


    ¡°I remember the first day I asked you to help me wash. You were shy,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and smiled to recall that memory. ¡°You have epted me from your heart too,¡± he concluded.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Hua said.


    L¨®ng Wei was taken aback when he heard her. He hadn¡¯t thought that she would respond to his statement because she usually used to dodge her question every time he asked her about her feelings for him.


    Li Hua started to remove the bandage while being careful. ¡°It must be painful,¡± she said, and looked at the red skin.


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua removed the herbs from the wound and put them in an empty porcin bowl. As he felt the sharp stings, L¨®ng Wei flinched. He had hardly gotten such a wound, so he felt the pain.


    Li Hua again dipped the washcloth into the vessel and wrung it. She cleaned the wound as gently as possible while blowing the air. Once she was done cleaning, she used the fresh herbal medicine to cover the wound and wrapped the bandage around it. She came to his front and tied the small knot on the bandage.


    ¡°His Highness is good at bearing the pain,¡± Li Hua said when L¨®ng Wei pulled her down, and now she was seated on one of his thighs. Li Hua¡¯s wrists rested on his shoulders, and she looked into his eyes.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me what I want to hear from you?¡± He wanted her to confess her feelings for him. This time he looked impatient. ¡°You said that you have epted me in your heart. It means that you love me,¡± he said.


    ¡°If I tell His Highness what he wants to hear from me, then will he stop looking for the person behind-¡±


    L¨®ng Wei pressed his finger to her lips, preventing her from making a deal in front of him.


    ¡°In our love, there must be no deal. Li Hua, it is not about your revenge anymore. It is something deeper than that. I need to find the truth to find why the person targeted your family.¡± He slowly lowered his finger.


    ¡°Your life is more important than anything,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°I know. Yuze has told me that I have a long life,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Believe his words if you don¡¯t believe mine.¡± This time, L¨®ng Wei would do anything but make her confess.


    ¡°I love you.¡±

 Chapter 239

    239 A feeling of great Aplishment


    ¡°I love you, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua admitted her feelings for him. Earlier, when L¨®ng Wei was unconscious, and in pain, she realized how foolish she was to hide her true feelings for him. She didn¡¯t want to let it happen anymore, so she told what was in her heart.


    She kept her gaze intact on him. ¡°I realized that it was not a mere liking or attraction towards His Highness, but something more, something deeper, and something unusual,¡± she said, holding her tears back, ¡°the feeling of losing you, I cannot tolerate it. It¡¯s indeed love, which made me so restless in the shortest period of time.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei somehow moved his left hand which was in pain because of the injury he got on the left side of his back and put it on her cheek. ¡°Li Hua, I am feeling overwhelmed at the present moment. If there is something I want, I desire for, I yearn for, that¡¯s only you. It will always be you in my heart, in my mind, and trust me, this was thest time I put you in such a difficult situation.¡±


    He chuckled as his lips broadened with a wide smile. His left hand from her cheek moved to her back as he pulled her into a hug. ¡°I love you, Li Hua. L¨®ng Wei loves you madly. The only person for whom he can even give up on his life is you. Thank you for epting me wholeheartedly,¡± he said.


    Even the words were less to portray every single feeling he was getting at the moment.


    ¡°I am fully satisfied. It is the happiness from the satisfaction my heart just received. A feeling of great aplishment, finally I got to taste,¡± he affirmed and pulled away.


    He cupped Li Hua¡¯s face and nted a soft kiss on the middle of her forehead. Li Hua¡¯s heart hammered against her chest as his lips came close to her lips. ¡°We can,¡± he raked his eyes on her face, ¡°kiss, right? A kiss of bingpletely of each other.¡±


    Li Hua nodded her head and closed her eyes. L¨®ng Wei kept the kiss gentle while his right hand moved to her waist. Li Hua¡¯s wrists continued to rest on his shoulders and she returned his kiss.


    ¡°Your Highness, Assistant Chef Xiwan is here,¡± the maidservant replied.


    .....


    Li Hua immediately withdrew from the kiss. However, L¨®ng Wei pulled her back by putting his hand on the back of her head.


    ¡°He can wait, but I cannot,¡± he whispered before capturing her lips again. This time the kiss turned into a passionate one.


    The maidservant from outside again informed them, but they were so engrossed kissing each other that they even stopped hearing them.


    After a while, when they both ran out of breath, they pulled away gradually. Li Hua¡¯s eyes remained closed as her chest heaved up and down.


    ¡°I will tell Xiwan to leave,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°No.¡± Li Hua stood up and quickly stepped back. ¡°His Highness needs to eat something,¡± she said and went to the door.


    ¡°Fine, after eating, we will continue where we both left,¡± he stated with an amusing smile. He felt a slight pain as he moved his left arm.


    Xiwan walked in with Li Hua and looked at L¨®ng Wei for a few seconds. ¡°Greeting to Prince L¨®ng Wei. Please be careful next time. You troubled us all. From now on, I won¡¯t follow His Highness¡¯mand,¡± Xiwan said.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled to hear him. ¡°Thank you for doing what I told you.¡± He looked at Li Hua and found her ring at him.


    ¡°What did Brother Xiwan do?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I spread among everyone that His Highness had gone out to catch Shui Xiaoqing with his son.¡± He stopped as L¨®ng Wei told him that he would tell Li Huater.


    ¡°His Highness lies. Brother Xiwan, please tell me everything,¡± Li Hua requested him.


    ¡°I am hungry. Bring something good for me and also for Li Hua. I know she hasn¡¯t taken food since the morning. Be careful because some people will be disappointed to find that I am still alive,¡± L¨®ng Wei ordered Xiwan. He gestured to him to leave and heplied with him.


    ¡°I will tell Brother Xiwan to send the meals in the manor. You should shift to the manor,¡± Li Hua said and turned to leave when L¨®ng Wei acted to cry in pain.


    Upon hearing his cries, Li Hua got anxious and rushed to him. Even the maidservant entered the chamber, wondering if L¨®ng Wei was fine.


    Li Hua asked him where he felt pain.


    ¡°Go and tell Xiwan to bring the meals to my manor,¡± L¨®ng Wei told the maidservant. She left the chamber and L¨®ng Wei turned rxed.


    Li Hua checked his wound and asked him where he felt the pain.


    ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and pointed a finger at the left side of his chest. Li Hua stood at his front and panicked thinking about what could probably be the reason.


    ¡°I shall call Physician Peng. Only he can tell the reason behind this pain,¡± she informed L¨®ng Wei. He caught her hand and asked her to sit before him.


    ¡°But, why?¡± She was perplexed by his sudden request.


    ¡°Because my pain will leave. Just stay here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua understood that he pulled a prank on her. She sat in front of him and asked him, ¡°You did it intentionally, right? Why did you spread the rumors through Brother Xiwan? Even the Fourth Brother did not know your ns fully. The Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince are being flogged because they let you go out.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei was stunned to hear that Xiaoming and Mingquan were getting floggings. He thought their father would have given them a mild punishment.


    L¨®ng Wei turned silent.


    ¡°I am not ming His Highness. I me myself for this cause. Your Highness, if the King gives me punishment tomorrow, please don¡¯t intervene. If you love me, please respect my decision,¡± she stated.


    ¡°But the decision you are making isn¡¯t good for you. So, I cannot agree to it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a serious tone. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the manor.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to talk about that anymore. He would not let Li Hua get punished for no reason.

 Chapter 240

    240 Learning about L¨®ng Wei


    Sun Fuguo returned with Peng Yuxian to the Crown Prince¡¯s chamber. Xiaoming was on the bed, lying in a half-inclined position. Peng Yixan handed the pain-relief pills to Xiaoming, which Sun Fuguo took from him.


    ¡°If the Crown Prince wants, then I can examine his back,¡± Peng Yuxian concernedly said.


    ¡°No. I am alright. It is my first time getting such a harsh punishment. Go to Prince Mingquan as he also needs these pills,¡± Xiaoming told Peng Yuxian. The royal physician bowed and left the chamber. However, before leaving, he instructed Sun Fuguo to give a cold water massage to the Crown Prince on his back, which would relieve his pain.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, shall I bring the cold water?¡± asked Sun Fuguo.


    Xiaoming shook his head and asked him if there was any news about L¨®ng Wei. Sun Fuguo refused, and it worried Xiaoming. He didn¡¯t know that L¨®ng Wei would be affected this much.


    At that moment, a maidservant entered the chamber and informed them about L¨®ng Wei. Xiaoming¡¯s face lit up with joy. He was so happy that he gave his gold ring to the maidservant to give her such wonderful news. She thanked the Crown Prince and walked out.


    ¡°Prepare the bath house for me. I will goter to see Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xiaoming ordered Sun Fuguo. He realized that he was so wrong to remove L¨®ng Wei from their lives. He was an indispensable part of the royal family.


    After he heard from his mother, Noble Consort Xiuying, and Virtuous Consort Ruoxi, he found that no one actually cared for L¨®ng Wei, let alone treated him as equal to others. When Mingquan told him how Jingfei, Tianjie, and Zhang Xi thought that L¨®ng Wei would die, he felt terrible. Because he was also one of those who always thought wrongly of L¨®ng Wei.


    But he was no longer thinking ill of L¨®ng Wei. Liu Jin Yu had left a great impact on his life and thanks to her, he cleared the misunderstandings with L¨®ng Wei. Liu Jin Yu said something simr to what Yuze said. What if L¨®ng Wei helped him on his way to bing King? After Yuze conversed with him, he found out that the prophecy had something bigger hidden behind it.


    .....


    For the first time, he felt Yuze always wanted his best. Yuze always talked in favor of L¨®ng Wei. That was probably the reason for his slight hatred towards L¨®ng Wei. However, after learning about L¨®ng Wei in recent days, he realised how wrong he was!


    Because L¨®ng Wei had no one around him from a very young age, Yuze focused his attention on him.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, the bathhouse for you is ready.¡± Sun Fuguo¡¯s voice interrupted Xiaoming, and he hummed. He stood up and walked to the bathhouse with Sun Fuguo.


    ~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua arrived at their manor. Li Hua made L¨®ng Wei settle on the bed and asked him to fold his legs.


    ¡°Li Hua, you have to help me today,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Help in?¡± She asked and told the servant to put the table on the mattress.


    ¡°In eating,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied, ¡°and some personal chores.¡±


    Li Hua, who took the bowl of soup from Xiwan, turned to re at him. She ced the bowl on the table and then put the other bowl down. ¡°Will you also drink the soup? Eat something else,¡± he stated, and asked Xiwan to bring another meal for Li Hua.


    ¡°No. I am not in the mood to eat anything else apart from this soup,¡± Li Hua answered and thanked Xiwan. L¨®ng Wei checked both the soups before Li Hua could see him. She was busy giving instructions to the maidservant about the medicines she wanted from the physician for L¨®ng Wei.


    Li Hua sat in front of L¨®ng Wei and held the spoon. She blew air over the small portion of soup that was in the soup and asked L¨®ng Wei to open his mouth.


    He sipped the soup and asked her if she ever got angry at Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Never,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°He is my elder and now, I feel terrible for getting angry at him,¡± she said and again brought the spoon near his mouth.


    He sipped the soup. ¡°Xu Zifan is no longer the person he used to be in the past, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I know. He is vulnerable and I did wrong. I should not have gotten angry at him,¡± she stated. ¡°It is all because of His Highness that I raised my voice at my elder brother,¡± sheined.


    ¡°Xu Zifan is loyal to me, but he¡¯s more loyal to his sister,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°He is not vulnerable. Just because he lost his arm doesn¡¯t mean his spirit of bing a great warrior has died. He needs time to be the strongest version of himself,¡± he proimed.


    ¡°I failed to understand my brother,¡± Li Hua said, and swirled the spoon in the soup bowl.


    ¡°A little,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Then, what does His Highness suggest to me?¡± She asked him.


    ¡°What does your heart say?¡± He asked her.


    ¡°Currently, it says nothing,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°My Elder Brother is also tormented by the betrayal of his childhood friend. No matter what Feng Lao says now, nothing good can happen. He didn¡¯t tell me, but I can see it in the eyes of my brother. Because of the Shui Family, the most precious person, which is you, could have lost his life. My brother is troubled by that thought too,¡± Li Hua stated and sniffled.


    L¨®ng Wei took the spoon from her and made her drink the soup.


    ¡°Your arm-¡±


    ¡°Just drink the soup,¡± he said. Li Hua opened her lips and sipped the soup from the spoon.


    ¡°Li Hua, do you know what the most tormenting thought for Xu Zifan is?¡± He queried her. She shook her head.


    ¡°The woman he loved never returned his feelings. Feng Lao¡¯s wife isn¡¯t pregnant with his child but with someone else¡¯s. We don¡¯t know who. Xu Zifan pretends to be fine all the time, so you should not be angry with him. He is a wonderful brother who has always protected his little sister while sacrificing many things, including his happiness,¡± L¨®ng Wei advised her.

 Chapter 241

    241 Except my Husband and my Brother


    Li Hua bowed upon seeing the Crown Prince, who hade to see L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Your Royal Highness, Prince L¨®ng Wei, is asleep,¡± Li Hua informed him. ¡°I can wake him up if the Crown Prince wants,¡± she added.


    Xiaoming motioned his hand in the air and refused her. ¡°That¡¯s not needed. I wille in the morning. Currently, Brother L¨®ng Wei needs rest,¡± Xiaoming said, and thought to leave when Li Hua asked him if she could spare a few minutes to talk with him.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Xiaoming agreed. Li Hua closed the doors behind her and headed to the guest chamber with Xiaoming and Eunuch Sun Fuguo.


    Xiaoming settled on the chair, and after him, Li Hua sat down. ¡°Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to the Crown Prince, who agreed with my husband and let him go out. However, I apologize to him as well. His Royal Highness got punished because of me. That should not have happened.¡± Li Hua kept her head down out of embarrassment.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei never discussed with me that he wanted to fetch Shui Xiaoqing safely to the pce, nor did he talk about you. I don¡¯t consider it Princess Consort Li Hua¡¯s fault. So, she doesn¡¯t need to apologize to me,¡± Xiaoming rified to her. ¡°Please don¡¯t be embarrassed. Also, I should have taken this punishment earlier.¡±


    Li Hua lifted her head to peer at him and wondered why he said that.


    ¡°I tried to me Brother L¨®ng Wei for the crime he nevermitted. At least, with this punishment, I feel light,¡± Xiaoming exined to her.


    Since only those two were present in the chamber, Xiaoming decided to ask Li Hua about her equation with Feng Lao. He earlier visited the prison house as well to check on Shui Xiaoqing and his son. There he found out how Feng Lao kept asking about Li Hua from the soldiers.


    ¡°May I know what your rtionship is with the Shui family¡¯s son?¡± Xiaoming asked and found the hesitation in Li Hua¡¯s face. ¡°Pardon me for asking such a question. I asked because Shui Feng Lao asked about you from several soldiers,¡± he stated.


    .....


    Li Hua clutched the fabric of her dress, wondering how to say it and what to say to him. L¨®ng Wei told her that the Crown Prince wasn¡¯t trustworthy, but presently, he looked anxious for them. If she were to tell the truth that she once had feelings for Feng Lao, then it could bring harm not only to her but to L¨®ng Wei if for some reason a person other than a few trustworthy people found out.


    ¡°I asked Feng Lao not to ask about you as it could cause trouble for you in the near future,¡± Xiaoming asserted. ¡°I know that he was supposed to marry you through an arranged agreement, but seeing him, it felt to me that his feelings were deeper for you.¡±


    Li Hua stayed silent for a while before she decided to speak. ¡°Your Royal Highness, I have nothing to do with Feng Lao,¡± she stated. ¡°It was merely an arranged marriage proposal with him,¡± she affirmed and not told the truth to Xiaoming.


    ¡°I understand. Tomorrow, the truth will be out. You will finally get to know who was the person behind your family¡¯s massacre,¡± Xiaoming stated, with a warm smile.


    ¡°Will Shui Xiaoqing speak the truth?¡± Li Hua arched her brows. ¡°He had not till now. I doubt that he would tell you the name of the person who did all this,¡± she proimed.


    ¡°He will. Brother Qiu Mu told me that Shui Xiaoqing will be threatened with his family¡¯s name. Since he is already proven guilty, his family is also bound to get punished,¡± Xiaoming asserted. ¡°But if he tells us the name, then the King may get lenient on his family,¡± he opined.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, someone from the royal family is involved in this,¡± Li Hua told him. Xiaoming was shocked to hear her.


    ¡°Why would someone from the Qiu family do such a thing?¡± Xiaoming wasn¡¯t ready to believe, but at the same time, he didn¡¯t ignore what Li Hua said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a mystery, Your Royal Highness. I don¡¯t want the name toe out anymore because Prince L¨®ng will be targeted frequently along with me. At least for my husband¡¯s well-being and safety, I do not want Shui Xiaoqing to say the name anymore. It will create havoc,¡± Li Hua stated.


    Xiaoming saw the uneasiness on Li Hua¡¯s face. If what she said was true, then someone from the Qiu Family would indeed try to harm both L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua. But who could be the person who nned all this!? Also, the biggest question was-was the person not aware of Li Hua when she entered the pce?


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei won¡¯t let this matter go off easily anymore. He is adamant about catching the culprit. You can trust me too. I am no longer the old Xiaoming who used to think ill of L¨®ng Wei. I can help you both if anything goes wrong,¡± he suggested to Li Hua.


    ¡°Currently, I am unable to trust anyone else except my husband and my brother. I hope the Crown Prince understands my situation,¡± Li Hua said.


    Xiaoming didn¡¯t force her and asked her to take a good rest. ¡°Amidst this chaos, you are the one who is most affected,¡± he stated and stood up.


    Li Hua also got up and thanked Xiaoming once again. ¡°His Royal Highness shall drink turmeric milk tonight as it can help him reduce the backache,¡± she advised him. Xiaoming nodded his head and left the chamber.


    Li Hua returned to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s bedchamber and found him sleeping. ¡°Some secrets are not revealed for a reason. My father never told me that Monk Yuze made a prophecy for me as well. I think he knew something dangerous could have happened because of me,¡± she murmured while gazing at L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face. She bent down to check his pulse and put his hand down before covering him with the nket.

 Chapter 242

    242 Can never be yours


    Liu Jin Yu put the chopsticks on the table and his master, Wu Jin, looked at her.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Wu Jin asked Liu Jin Yu.


    ¡°What are you trying to do, Master?¡± Liu Jin Yu could not stay quiet anymore. ¡°Why are you supporting Kang Huijuan in his wrongdoings?¡± She inquired.


    Wu Jin nced at her with a shocked look. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Wu Jin tried to pretend.


    ¡°Master, don¡¯t hide from me. I heard everything yesterday. Kang Huijuan is not someone one should take lightly. ¡°He is not a nice man,¡± Liu Jin Yu told her master.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand all this, Jin Yu. You must remain quiet and don¡¯t ever speak about this to anyone,¡± Wu Jin affirmed.


    ¡°Master, I never opposed you in any of your decisions,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, getting annoyed and raising her voice at Wu Jin. ¡°You must not help Kang Huijuan,¡± she urged.


    ¡°How will someone find out about all this!? Also, I have those things for a limited period of time, ¡°Wu Jin said. ¡°Nothing will happen,¡± he assured her and picked up the slice of meat to put it on Jin Yu¡¯s te.


    Liu Jin Yu knitted her brows and silently finished her meals. She went to her bedroom and made the bed on the floor. She got into the bed and contemted what Xiaoming had told her.


    .....


    Suddenly, the angry face of Xiaoming appeared before her. Does the Crown Prince like me? He can not like me. I told him this earlier as well. It is my fault for being too friendly with him,¡± she mumbled. She wondered if Xiaoming lied to her that he woulde today to meet the man whom she was supposed to marry.


    Liu Jin Yu ruffled her hair as she got irked. ¡°Why did I even say this to the Crown Prince? What if he pays a surprise visit here and then asks me to show the fictitious man whom I am supposed to marry in the future? What will I do then?¡± She started to bite her nails in nervousness.


    ¡°To convince the Crown Prince that I am indeed getting married, I need to bring this fake fianc¨¦. The Crown Prince needs to understand that he cannot have feelings towards me. I love my life and freedom more than anything,¡± she mumbled andid down. The candle stand, which was a metre away from her, she looked at it.


    The incidents where Xiaoming fluttered, her heart shed before her eyes. She brought her hand near her chest and found it was beating strangely. ¡°He is the Crown Prince. You cannot let your heart get swayed by a man who can never be yours. In the future, he will have many concubines, and then, like a neglected wife, you have to spend the rest of your life in misery.¡±


    She made her restless heart understand why she should not grow feelings for Xiaoming. She even told herself how she escaped death a few days ago as the Queen sent assassins after her. ¡°My feelings for him aren¡¯t strong enough. If hees tomorrow or the day after tomorrow or the day after that, I will make him believe that I have a better man in my life. It¡¯s better for both of us.¡± She had strongly made up her mind.


    Liu Jin Yu had many missions to fulfill. She wanted to find her father, who threw her mother out when she was 9 months pregnant. Wu Jin was a nice man who took care of her after her mother¡¯s demise. She had only one small clue with her, which wasn¡¯t any help till now. There were hundreds of nobles in the capital, and she didn¡¯t find out until now who among them was her father.


    ~~~~~~


    Sun Fuguo sat on the mattress of his bedchamber and looked at Xiaoming. ¡°I want milk with turmeric.¡±


    Sun Fuguo bowed and left for the kitchen. He picked up the sachet of perfume that he had given to Liu Jin Yu from the bedside table and stroked it.


    ¡°She even left it here. Can¡¯t she see my strong feelings for her or am I unable to express those feelings?¡± He mumbled. He put it down on the table and wondered if Jin Yu had told the truth or a white lie to him. Did she really have a fianc¨¦? If that was so, then Xiaoming had no choice but to let her go.


    L¨®ng Wei had told him that he would have to convince everyone to ept Liu Jin Yu as the Crown Princess. The biggest obstruction was his mother, who would never ept that. He was not sure about his father¡¯s thoughts either. He had to fight everyone around him if he wanted to keep Liu Jin Yu as his wife.


    However, one more bigger problem was making Liu Jin Yu feel the same way that he felt for her.


    Sun Fuguo brought a ss of milk mixed with turmeric and saffron. ¡°Your Royal Highness, drink this milk.¡± Xiaoming picked up the ss from the tray and sipped the milk.


    ¡°The Crown Prince looks troubled,¡± Sun Fuguo said as he put the tray on the table.


    ¡°Only one week has left,¡± Xiaoming said, letting out a chuckle, ¡°and I am still unable to bring the woman I have found for me.¡±


    ¡°His Royal Highness must tell His Majesty,¡± Sun Fuguo said.


    Xiaoming smiled and drank the milk. He liked the taste of it and found Li Hua truly talented in many aspects.


    ¡°I cannot tell my father until I convince the woman I like,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°What? Is there a woman who is actually refusing to marry the Crown Prince? Does she even know what a great opportunity she is missing in her life? ¡°Not everyone can be the wife of the Crown Prince,¡± Sun Fuguo remarked.


    ¡°That¡¯s why she is different from the women I have heard about. She doesn¡¯t have any greed for such a high position. I think that if shees into my life, then her freedom will be restricted. However, since I am the Crown Prince, I won¡¯t let that happen. I will make her agree to marry me before the end of this week,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    Sun Fuguo was unable to understand a few words of Xiaoming.


    Xiaoming finished the milk. Su Fuguo stepped forward and took the ss from him. He covered up Xiaoming with the nket and blew off the candles in the bedchamber on the order of Xiaoming.


    ¡°Jin Yu, I won¡¯t let you marry the man if you truly are engaged to him. I will show you that with me, you can be happy too. ¡°Your life will remain as lively as it is now,¡± Xiaoming told himself before closing his eyes.

 Chapter 243

    243 Sweetly kissed


    In his sleep, L¨®ng Wei furrowed his brows and moved his eyeballs. His body had stiffened because of the shes appearing in his head.


    He saw his mother, who was seated on the patio, brushing her hair. L¨®ng Wei looked at her from behind and took backward steps. He asked himself why he was even near his mother.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, leave the pce.¡± Suddenly, the sound of his mother reverberated in the chamber, and he turned away, bringing his hands to his ears. He tightly squeezed his eyes and tightly pressed his hands against his ear, not wanting to hear his mother¡¯s voice.


    When the sound died, he put his hands down and took deep breaths. ¡°This pce isn¡¯t for you. The more you find the answers, the more you¡¯ll find yourself trapped,¡± Yu Jun said, and he turned to his left.


    ¡°Don¡¯t haunt me in my dreams,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He never saw his mother in dreams, and it was strange for him. She again repeating the same thing which she used to say when he was a kid.


    But why did this dream appear so real? He didn¡¯t even want to see her. He turned his back on his mother and said, ¡°I will prove you wrong. I was born into the royal family for a reason. Why should I leave the pce? Why do you hate your own son, who wants to live happily?¡±


    ¡°You should have never been born. It was a mistake,¡± Yu Jun said, and those words triggered L¨®ng Wei.


    His mother always said this to him. He clenched his fists and said, ¡°You were never concerned for me. For the mistakes you made, you always punished me. I hate it.¡± His eyes filled with tears and he gulped the lump that had formed in his throat.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Li Hua¡¯s voice fell onto his ears. L¨®ng Wei lifted his head to look at her and found her smiling at him. He rxed his fingers and walked up to her. He hugged her tightly and closed his eyes.


    .....


    ¡°I will never leave this pce,¡± he murmured and tightly pulled her in his embrace.


    ¡°Your Highness, are you alright?¡± Li Hua, with a concerned look, asked him, and she looked at her hand. L¨®ng Wei had tightly grasped it and found him still sleeping.


    She used her other hand to caress L¨®ng Wei¡¯s head. She wondered if L¨®ng Wei was in some kind of dream. His facial expressions looked strange to her. L¨®ng Wei snapped his eyes open and saw Li Hua beside him.


    ¡°You woke up, Your Highness. How are you feeling?¡± Li Hua asked him, and she continued to caress his head, keeping a tiny smile on her lips.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t tell her about his weird dream and tried to sit up.


    ¡°Let me help, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said, cing her hand on his arm. She helped him sit and asked him if he had a good sleep.


    ¡°Yes,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°His Highness bbered a few things while he was asleep,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I will never leave this pce,¡± Li Hua said, and she nced at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Why did His Highness say this?¡± She arched her brow.


    ¡°Did I say that?¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered and chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t remember,¡± he lied to her. Li Hua nodded at him and told him that she would check his wound first.


    She slowly moved the thin silk robe down his shoulders. ¡°Please lean forward,¡± she said, and heplied with her request. Li Hua opened the bandage and then looked at the wound.


    ¡°Your Highness, it is healing,¡± she said, and put the bandage on the table beside the bed.


    ¡°You already bathed,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her as he took a few of her strands in his fingers and inhaled the scent.


    ¡°Yes. His Highness shall go to the washroom first and then to the bathhouse. After a bath, you will feel better,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Will you help me?¡± He asked as he let go of her hair.


    ¡°Yes. I will see him in the bathhouse,¡± Li Hua said, and got down from the bed first. He called in a male servant and asked him to take L¨®ng Wei to the washroom. The servant bowed before the Sixth Prince and held his arm gently.


    After Li Hua sent L¨®ng Wei to the washroom, she asked the female servant if she brought the dress for the prince.


    ¡°Yes. It is in the bathhouse, Your Highness,¡± the maidservant answered. Li Hua went to the bathhouse while the maidservant started to clean the chamber.


    Li Hua checked the temperature of the water. ¡°It will be appropriate for him,¡± she muttered, and took out her hand from the water tub.


    She heard the sliding of the door and stood up to turn to face him. ¡°You can leave my hand. I am not a kid,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with annoyance to the servant whom Li Hua had sent with him.


    Li Hua thanked the servant and asked him to leave. The servant bowed and walked out, closing the door behind him.


    Li Hua asked him to enter the bathtub.


    ¡°Shall I undress fully?¡± He asked her with a smirk.


    Li Hua walked up to him and looked at him from the top to the bottom. ¡°Isn¡¯t this dress His Highness wore while washing? He does not need to remove this thin trouser,¡± she said and went behind him. She took off the white silk robe from his upper body and put it aside. L¨®ng Wei had taken off his slippers and was walking alongside her.


    He got into the hot tub. Li Hua saw that the water level didn¡¯t reach the wound on his back. ¡°Your Highness, the water isn¡¯t too cold, right?¡± She asked him.


    ¡°No. The temperature is perfect,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    Li Hua picked up the hemispherical water jug and poured the water on his front body. She washed his neck well and their gazes met. ¡°What is His Highness thinking?¡± She queried him.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    Her hand moved down to his chest and she stopped. ¡°Did my touch not burn His Highness anymore?¡± She asked him.


    ¡°You already know the answer,¡± he said, and leaned forward. He ducked his head and sweetly kissed her right below the ear.

 Chapter 244

    244 Before I found you


    Li Hua tilted her head to peer into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes. He took his hand from the water and pulled her chin up to kiss her lips. However, Li Hua shifted her head back.


    ¡°It is not the time for this. His Majesty wille to see you soon. Also, His Highness cannot stay in water for too long,¡± Li Hua said. L¨®ng Wei looked at his calloused fingers and chuckled.


    ¡°What an unromantic wife I have!¡± L¨®ng Wei made a remark.


    ¡°His Highness will not be able to resist if I show my romantic side to him,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Even at the moment, it is tough for me to resist,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Li Hua stopped washing his arm and looked at him. ¡°I have promised you that until you allow me, I won¡¯t break the wall between us. The final step to bing one,¡± he stated. His eyes raked her eyes, her face, and then her lips before they returned back to her eyes.


    Li Hua lowered her gaze for a moment before doing something unexpected to L¨®ng Wei. She kissed his lips and again started to wash his arm. He remained his eyes fixed at her while she poured the water over his arm.


    She asked him to turn as she had to wash his back, not the part where he was wounded. ¡°Your Highness, I made things tough for you.¡± L¨®ng Wei drew his brows together and narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°You have never been hurt this way, yet for me, you took such a big risk. Before you knew me-¡±


    Before she could havepleted her statement, L¨®ng Wei had turned to her and pressed his finger over her lips. ¡°I never lived my life before I found you,¡± hepleted the statement for her.


    .....


    He slowly lowered his finger and put it under her chin. Their lips met for a brief moment as Li Hua pulled away. She didn¡¯t want them to gette and make the King and Queen wait.


    She washed his hair while covering the wound on his back.


    After she was done, L¨®ng Wei asked her if she would stay or leave, as he would undress fully. ¡°I can stay if His Highness wants,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°Wait for me in the dressing chamber,¡± he said. Li Hua nodded and stood up. She washed her hands before heading to the dressing chamber, which was adjacent to the bathhouse.


    Li Hua fiddled with her fingers, wondering if she had disappointed L¨®ng Wei by not allowing him to be intimate with her. As much as he wanted her, she also wanted him. Because it was the peak morning hour when the royal family would visit L¨®ng Wei, she didn¡¯t want him to bete.


    She left for the main chamber to bring the medicine and the bandage. She returned and put the bowl with medicine on the circr table along with the bandage.


    After ten minutes of waiting, L¨®ng Wei came to the dressing chamber. Li Hua picked up the towel and wiped the water from his body.


    ¡°Li Hua, do you want Feng Lao to die?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sudden question perplexed her.


    She asked L¨®ng Wei to sit on the stool before the mirror. He sat down and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had started to dry his hair. ¡°Your Highness, I do not know what I should do with Feng Lao. I stepped back from my promise. I am too weak to kill him,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°He saved your life that night, so I am lenient on him. I waste that night, and you were already out of your house. I will spare his life,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°As I said earlier, the memories I had once with him are all over. So, I do not know anything. His Highness can take whatever decision he wants to take,¡± Li Hua stated her opinions.


    ¡°Fine. Since you have put your trust in me, I will do what I feel will be right for you,¡± he said. Li Hua gave him a tiny smile and looked at the mirror.


    ¡°Li Hua, you are not weak anymore. If you are unable to punish the person before you, then that doesn¡¯t mean you are weak. That means you are too good to do that. People may call you weak, but I will never. I have known you well by now. You believe in letting go, which is a person¡¯s great quality. Yuze told me that sometimes letting go is better than holding a grudge.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s gaze remained fixated on hers through the mirror.


    ¡°However, I could never do that. I seek benefits in everything except from a few ones. I am d that you are my wife. I got to learn a lot of things from you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°What did His Highness learn from me? He even called me weak once when he was teaching me to shoot arrows,¡± Li Hua reminded him.


    ¡°I called you weak so that you would put more strength into learning, but I won¡¯t force you anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he recalled what Peng Yuxian had told her. ¡°I learned to remain patient, to trust people, to express my thoughts, and to love,¡± he answered.


    Li Hua dried his hair and made a hair bun on the top of his head, holding it with a knot holder. L¨®ng Wei stood up and removed the thin robe. Li Hua dressed the wound first and then helped him wear the formal dress.


    ¡°Li Hua, everything will turn out good. Thank you for trusting me all the time,¡± he said and embraced her. They withdrew after a while and headed to the main chamber.


    ¡°Your Highness, the King and the Queen wille to see His Highness in a while,¡± the maidservant informed them.


    ¡°Is there any news about Shui Xiaoqing?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness, but I have no knowledge of it,¡± the maidservant answered. L¨®ng Wei nodded and asked her to leave.


    Why isn¡¯t he saying anything? I wonder if the person met Shui Xiaoqing and told him to remain quiet. I need to meet him to find out what he is thinking,¡¯ L¨®ng Wei thought.

 Chapter 245

    245 It is all for Li Hua, not for Feng Lao


    L¨®ng Wei bowed before the King and the Queen, who had paid a visit to him. Qiu Zedong had forgiven Zhu Liling and pardoned her punishment.


    ¡°Your Majesty, L¨®ng Wei looks in the pink of his health. He has recoveredparatively faster than we all had expected,¡± Zhu Liling said, while faking a smile.


    ¡°The Royal Mother wasn¡¯t concerned for me. She didn¡¯t visit me once after finding out I was awake. How can the mother do this? In my knowledge, she loves her children despite being born from different women.¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t refrain from giving her a taunt.


    Qiu Zedong looked at his queen, wondering what she would answer.


    ¡°I thought that the prince might need rest and might not like my presence. Everyone is well aware of his behavior,¡± Zhu Liling answered.


    ¡°I am d that the Prince has made an expeditious recovery. However, I believe that he still needs rest because the wound he got was grave,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°Royal Father, thank you for your concern. I want to see Shui Xiaoqing once,¡± L¨®ng Wei requested.


    Qiu Zedong furrowed his brows together and looked at Li Hua who understood that the King didn¡¯t like that L¨®ng Wei was again adamant about that.


    ¡°I allow you to see him, but only once. I have already made my decision. In the evening, he and his son will be hanged together,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. ¡°In the morning, Prince Qiu Mu informed me that Shui Xiaoqing epted that he was behind the deadly assassination of the Xu family, where only two people survived.¡±


    .....


    Li Hua stopped blinking for a few seconds. Why was she suddenly feeling upset? She recalled the face of Feng Lao from the night when he saved her. However, if she opened her mouth, then both the King and the Queen would be suspicious of her.


    They would want to know what her rtionship was with Feng Lao and whether she wanted to save him.


    Yes! She didn¡¯t want Feng Lao to be dead. When L¨®ng Wei told her in the morning that if Feng Lao hadn¡¯t saved her, then she would not be with him. That statement bothered her a lot, though she tried to ignore it.


    Feng Lao did a favor for Li Hua, and she wanted to return this favor to him by saving him too. This would be thest thing she would do for him, even if she had to get punished for it.


    She opened her mouth to speak.


    ¡°Royal Father, please do not punish Feng Lao,¡± L¨®ng Wei requested. Li Hua tilted her head and once again fell for him. L¨®ng Wei was always there to help her, and the mere thought of this turned her emotional.


    ¡°Feng Lao did what I told him. He wasn¡¯t even associated with the crimes of his father,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Zhu Liling chuckled at his words. ¡°It is unbelievable to see that these words came out of your mouth, L¨®ng Wei. You always object to the decisions made by His Majesty,¡± she tilted her head and looked at the King.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, I am the King, and to maintainw and order, I must give such punishments so that they be examples among people. I don¡¯t want such an unfortunate thing to happen to any noble family. That¡¯s why I cannot take this decision back,¡± Qiu Zedong announced.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to gaze at Li Hua and got on his knees. ¡°That¡¯s why His Majesty shall not punish Feng Lao. It would be wrong if people speak against my father.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Li Hua, also bent on her knees and grabbed his arm. She shook her head, asking him to stop. L¨®ng Wei ced his hand above her hand and gestured to her to be quiet.


    ¡°Your Majesty, because of me, the Crown Prince and the Fourth Brother also got punished. I have made many mistakes in my life, but I don¡¯t want anyone to get wrongly punished or die because of me. I¡¯d alreadymitted one such crime,¡± L¨®ng Wei admitted. Qiu Zedong found out that his son was guilty of killing his own mother. He found it strange. L¨®ng Wei never epted that crime, then why today?


    Zhu Liling was astounded to learn that L¨®ng Wei was confessing to his crimes. She nced at Li Hua and found she was the reason behind all those things happening in the pce.


    ¡°I never saw you begging for anyone¡¯s life. L¨®ng Wei never begged for his own life when he killed thete Concubine Yu Jun.¡± Qiu Zedong didn¡¯t hesitate to say it. He wanted to know what L¨®ng Wei had been thinking.


    ¡°The Shui family¡¯s son was supposed to marry Li Hua. My father already knows this. If my father punishes Feng Lao for a crime that he nevermitted, then people will always curse my wife. I will not let it happen. It is all for Li Hua, not for Feng Lao,¡± asserted L¨®ng Wei.


    Li Hua was astonished when he heard the words of L¨®ng Wei. How could he be so thoughtful of her? Why was he this way to her? She could not express the overwhelming feelings with which her heart was filled.


    She was so wrong about the definition of love. It was not only about being understanding but also selfless. L¨®ng Wei was the type of man that no woman could ever find. She felt so terrible for hurting his feelings so many times.


    Qiu Zedong looked at Li Hua and noticed that her gaze was fixed on L¨®ng Wei. His son had changed, but only for Li Hua. He was the same to the rest of the people. He didn¡¯t know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. The more he wanted to know about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s and Li Hua¡¯s rtionship, the moreplex it seemed to him.


    ¡°You astonish me these days. Fine. If you want it this way, then I will withdraw my decision not to hang Feng Lao. However, this would be thest time. Any mistake, any crime after today will not be pardoned,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a stern tone.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua both answered at the same time. They looked at each other.

 Chapter 246

    246 I will disappear from his Life


    Once Qiu Zedong and Zhu Liling left, Li Hua questioned him why he always surprised her with his sudden behavior.


    ¡°What did I do?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Your Highness, His Majesty doesn¡¯t like your actions. Since he adores you, he doesn¡¯t say anything. However, he was angry,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Li Hua, I didn¡¯t intend to anger him,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and asked her if they should have their breakfast. Li Hua hummed and called in the maidservant. She turned to L¨®ng Wei and asked him to bring Court Lady Hong back.


    ¡°Why?¡± He knitted his brows.


    ¡°I feel secure when she¡¯s around me. She may be from the Queen¡¯s manor, but she is also concerned for His Highness. She never spied on us, else she would have told Her Majesty many things by now,¡± Li Hua argued with him.


    ¡°I will ask her,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and walked up to the low table. He took his seat and gestured to Li Hua to sit down as well.


    ¡°Yuze will alsoe to see me. I wonder what message from heaven he will give this time.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words puzzled Li Hua and she asked him if Yuze had returned earlier because the monk got a glimpse of something wrong.


    ¡°Yes. Yuze is a powerful monk. He appears to be elderly, but he is mentally and physically strong. He is a great martial artist too. He was my first teacher. The Royal Father trusts him because Yuze helped him even during the wars. His predictions are strong,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    .....


    Two maidservants walked in, bowed, and started to set the table. Once they were done, L¨®ng Wei dismissed them. He handed one pair of the chopsticks to Li Hua, and with the other pair, he started eating.


    ¡°Shall I help His Highness?¡± She humbly asked while looking at his left arm.


    ¡°No. I can use my right hand. Last night, I wanted to be spoon fed,¡± he said and smiled at her.


    ¡°Then, Monk Yuze¡¯s predictions about His Highness maye true someday. He is the Son of Dragon, which means he will be the most powerful person,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Probably,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°Until I want to rule the Qiu Kingdom, that prophecy will nevere true. However, I will remain powerful. People respect you, fear you, and blindly follow your words, if you are the most powerful person,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°A Dragon¡¯s descendant doesn¡¯t mean that he will be the King. It can have another meaning too. A King shall not be a tyrant one. But if I be the King, I will mercilessly kill everyone who has hurt me,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. ¡°So, I better stay away from that,¡± he added.


    He lifted his gaze from the tter before him and looked at her. ¡°Are you scared?¡± He questioned.


    ¡°No. I am confused,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°At the moment, my actions might have confused you. I managed to save Feng Lao¡¯s life. You might be thinking that I am not that bad at what people think of me,¡± L¨®ng Wei processed her thoughts.


    ¡°Yes. His Highness saved Feng Lao,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Because I can¡¯t see you getting upset if he dies. Currently, Feng Lao is the only person who can take me to the truth. So, I have to use him. If he bes useless, then I need to throw him away too,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°His Highness doesn¡¯t need to find the truth anymore,¡± Li Hua requested of him again. ¡°I read the diary of my father, which His Highness retrieved from my house. He never wanted this truth toe out. Because Monk Yuze once prophesied about my marriage with you, it all happened,¡± she revealed the truth to him which he had hidden from her.


    ¡°When did you read it?¡± L¨®ng Wei put the chopsticks on the table and peered into her eyes.


    ¡°Yesterday. I could not fall asleep,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°The Fourth Prince had told me about it, so I wanted to know what it was about. I understand now why my father never let me go out,¡± Li Hua said and sighed.


    ¡°Forgive me for not sharing it with you earlier,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°But it didn¡¯t happen because of you. So, don¡¯t me yourself.¡± He understood why Li Hua asked him to stop looking for the truth.


    ¡°Your Highness, I cannot lose you,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°I have a long life,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°My father also said the same. My second brother used to say this too when my mother told him not to take the exam to join the Qiu army. They are no more,¡± she chuckled, and tears poured down her cheeks.


    L¨®ng Wei extended out his hand and rested it above Li Hua¡¯s hand. ¡°I indeed have a long time. Trust me. This was the first andst time I let myself get harmed,¡± he promised her.


    Li Hua curled her fingers and lowered her head. ¡°I may get harmed too. Will His Highness not stop?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t get harmed,¡± L¨®ng Wei confidently said. ¡°Put your faith in me.¡±


    Li Hua realized that there was no use in making L¨®ng Wei understand. She wiped the tears from her cheeks.


    ¡°If His Highness gets harmed after today, I will step out of his life,¡± she pronounced and gazed at him.


    ¡°I will disappear from his life if he gets harmed or injured because of me. I will never show him my face. I mean it. This is the promise I make to myself,¡± Li Hua proimed.


    L¨®ng Wei had never seen her so concerned. ¡°I won¡¯t ever let you go,¡± he affirmed.


    Li Hua nodded at him. ¡°I want the same. I don¡¯t want him to let me go. I want him to hold me tight,¡± she said while holding her tears back.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you eat if you are done making promises?¡± L¨®ng Wei expressed his thoughts. He wanted to lighten her mood, but he didn¡¯t know how. Currently, the atmosphere was too tense for both of them.


    Li Hua silently started to eat while L¨®ng Wei continued to watch her face.

 Chapter 247

    247 Close to the enemy¡¯s Target


    Shui Xiaoqing lifted his head to look at L¨®ng Wei and shook his head. ¡°I had enmity with Xu Guang Li. I did it because of my personal grudge against him. I want to be the Governor of Xinshui, and for that, I need to throw him out of my way,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Did Brother L¨®ng Wei hear him? He has epted his crimes,¡± Qiu Mu said, and he nced with annoyance at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe your words. You were too scared to tell me the name. Just tell me the name. I even made the King pardon the punishment of your son. If you lie to me, then I will make you kill Feng Lao,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Shui Xiaoqing flickered his eyes for some time but didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°I am running out of patience,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Shui Xiaoqing.


    ¡°Can I get some water?¡± Shui Xiaoqing asked. L¨®ng Wei looked at the water pot and walked up to it. He filled the ss with water and handed it to Shui Xiaoqing. The shackles on his wrists clinked against each other as he held the ss of water.


    Feng Lao entered the prison cell with Huang Xi and looked at L¨®ng Wei. He was happy to find that L¨®ng Wei was safe. ¡°Your dear son is here. Tell me the name if you don¡¯t want to kill your own son with your hands,¡± L¨®ng Wei warned him. Shui Xiaoqing drank the water first. He had been thirsty since thest day, but no one gave him water.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, do you think he will tell you the name? General Hei threatened him with his entire family, but he didn¡¯t speak a word. He is chanting only one thing-it was all nned by him,¡± Qiu Mu said near his ear.


    L¨®ng Wei narrowly gazed at him. ¡°He confessed that he knew the name. He was scared because the person was present in the pce,¡± he affirmed. Qiu Mu was perplexed to hear L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words.


    Suddenly, the metal ss fell on the floor of the prison and its sound reverberated. Immediately, they looked at Shui Xiaoqing, who had kept his hands on his neck.


    .....


    ¡°Father!¡± Feng Lao ran to his father and caught him. Thus, he prevented his father from falling. ¡°Father! Father!¡± Feng Lao shouted, while L¨®ng Wei quickly got on his knees and asked him to tell him the name.


    Shui Xiaoqing tightly held L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand, making it seem as if he was trying hard to say something.


    ¡°K-¡± the only word Shui Xiaoqing could manage to speak.


    ¡°What?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him toplete his sentence. However, Shui Xiaoqing died on the spot. His face turned blue and Feng Lao started crying.


    Qiu Mu checked the water pot and shouted for the soldiers who were guarding the prison. The two soldiers rushed in when Qiu Mu shouted at them. ¡°Who put the water in the pot?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± the soldier on the left said.


    Qiu Mu threw the water pot, and it broke into pieces. ¡°Someone poisoned the water!¡± He muttered and nced at Huang Xi first, then at L¨®ng Wei.


    Feng Lao looked at L¨®ng Wei, who had checked Shui Xiaoqing¡¯s pulse. ¡°Should we take him to the physician?¡± Feng Lao was hopeful that his father was alive.


    ¡°He is no more,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and let go of Shui Xiaoqing¡¯s hand while furrowing his brows. He stood up and walked to the soldier who filled the water pot.


    He grabbed him by the cor and asked him, ¡°Who ordered you to poison the water? Don¡¯t you dare lie to me?¡± The grim expression on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face said everything. He was in the worst mood right now.The only person who knew about the enemy was dead.


    Qiu Mu pulled L¨®ng Wei back and asked him not to act madly.


    ¡°Madly?¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°You again failed to do your duty, Qiu Mu. You don¡¯t deserve to be the General. Poison was put into the water and you don¡¯t even have any idea about this!¡± He forgot that Qiu Mu was his elder brother for a few minutes.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, don¡¯t doubt my capabilities!¡± Qiu Mu told him and pushed him away. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s wound on the back opened and it started bleeding.


    Huang Xi came in between them and asked L¨®ng Wei toe with him.


    ¡°Just stay away from it!¡± L¨®ng Wei yelled at Huang Xi. He clenched his fist as he didn¡¯t understand who could be this powerful. He challenged L¨®ng Wei. He never defeated in anything. He found the solution to every question.


    L¨®ng Wei walked out in anger as he had to put his thoughts together.


    Huang Xi found Qiu Mu was extremely angry at L¨®ng Wei¡¯s behavior. However, he could not speak about this since it was between two brothers from the royal family, and as an outsider, he had no right to speak.


    Instead of returning home, L¨®ng Wei went to the hilltop where Yuze resided. He was so immersed in his thoughts that he could not feel the blood on his back until Yuze made him aware of this and dragged him inside the hut where he lived.


    ¡°Yuze, Shui Xiaoqing is dead. My efforts got wasted,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a troubled look.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t the prince take a seat first?¡± Yuze asked him and gestured to the broad chair. Yuze asked L¨®ng Wei to sit down when he asked him to remove his upper robe.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s wound is opened. It needs to be treated,¡± Yuze said. L¨®ng Wei took off his upper robe and allowed Yuze to treat him.


    ¡°Li Hua is pretty smart,¡± Yuze said as he applied the medicine over the wound on his back.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t gentle like Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Weiined.


    ¡°Indeed, a wife cares for her husband more. So, her touch is usually gentle,¡± Yuze stated. He went towards the shelf and took out the bandage from the box. After Yuze dressed the wound, he asked L¨®ng Wei to be careful.


    He washed his hands, sat on the other chair, and asked L¨®ng Wei to exin.


    ¡°Yuze, someone in the pce is after Li Hua¡¯s life. I am unable to find the name. This is the first time I got defeated. We are close to the enemy¡¯s target and I am worried,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and gazed at Yuze, waiting for his exnation.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that you have made a prediction for Li Hua as well? Did you tell someone from the pce about it?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned Yuze.

 Chapter 248

    248 Her Coldness as Hatred


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell anyone in the pce,¡± Yuze stated. ¡°Only her family knew about the prophecy when I visited Xinshui after her birth,¡± Yuze asserted.


    ¡°Her father mentioned that someone from the pce was after Li Hua¡¯s life,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Yuze was perplexed to hear him. He never told anyone in the pce about Li Hua, then how did this person find out?


    ¡°Are you sure you never discussed this in the pce? A year ago, everything started. Li Hua¡¯s father was in trouble because his daughter¡¯s life was at stake. That¡¯s why he decided to go for an arranged marriage for Li Hua. Had he known that the meeting with the Shui family was also a part of the n, they would have been alive,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and fisted his palms.


    ¡°What if Xu Guang Li told someone in the pce!?¡± Yuze jumped at a possibility.


    ¡°He cannot do that. He didn¡¯t like that your prophecy included me. He never wanted Li Hua to marry me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Also, why didn¡¯t this person stop my marriage? Everyone easily agreed when I got married to Li Hua,¡± he murmured.


    ¡°No one in the pce knew Li Hua by face. Because Li Hua was hardly exposed to the outside world. She remained within those four walls of her residence. Prince L¨®ng Wei knows it better,¡± Yuze opined.


    ¡°Shui Xiaoqing didn¡¯t tell the name until the end. I think my threat did not work on him. The person whom he worked for, might have offered him something bigger,¡± he asserted.


    Yuze caressed his beard and asked L¨®ng Wei to return to the pce. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be angry at the present moment. Anger will block your mind, thus stopping you from thinking about all the possibilities,¡± Yuze suggested.


    ¡°Yuze, what if this enemy tried to harm Li Hua? What should I do?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    .....


    ¡°The Prince can always be on alert. Also, it is not easy to find someone more powerful than you. Stay calm and keep your eyes open. Another piece of advice I would like to give to the prince is that he must talk politely with his brothers. Just like he made his rtionship good with Prince Mingquan, he must do the same with the others,¡± Yuze advised L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei gazed at him for a few seconds before letting out a chuckle. Why would he do that? Xiaoming was still better, but he didn¡¯t know when his mood would change. Currently, he was helping L¨®ng Wei, but he was uncertain about the future.


    ¡°Why did you return earlier than expected?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked, changing the topic of their conversation.


    ¡°I had to or else Li Hua would be severely punished and you would have lost your life,¡± Yuze stated.


    ¡°Was my condition serious?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°Of course. Ask your wife,¡± Yuze stated.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me all these years about Li Hua?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°Because it was meant to keep a secret. The prophecy I made for the prince was enough to give him hate. Also, destiny needed to work on its own. If I had told the prince everything beforehand, then his first encounter with Li Hua would not have been special,¡± he opined. L¨®ng Wei agreed with Yuze¡¯s words and stood up.


    Yuze also stood up when L¨®ng Wei walked up to him. He hugged him tightly, and it made Yuze smile. ¡°I had a weird dream today. I saw her in my dream and she was again saying the same thing. My day got ruined because I saw her in the dream.¡± He could not hide it with Yuze.


    ¡°Sometimes dreams are an indication. You cannot deny the fact that she was your mother. She might not hate you, but you perceive her coldness as hatred towards you. You must first find out why your mother acted differently towards her son.¡± Yuze¡¯s suggestion perplexed L¨®ng Wei. He pulled away and looked into his eyes for a while.


    ¡°She hated me from the bottom of her heart,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and stepped back. ¡°I am going back. Thank you for listening to me. I feel light-hearted after talking to you,¡± he said with a smile and walked out of the hut.


    ¡°What does Heaven want for this child, even I am unable to understand,¡± Yuze said with a sigh.


    L¨®ng Wei arrived at his manor and went to his chamber. He changed the robes first so that Li Hua would not find out that his wound had started bleeding.


    After he put on the clean robe, he asked the maidservant about Li Hua.


    ¡°Her Highness isn¡¯t in the manor. She didn¡¯t tell me where she was headed to,¡± the maidservant answered. L¨®ng Wei dismissed her and wondered if someone called Li Hua.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Mingquan, suddenly, came inside the room and looked at him with worry. L¨®ng Wei asked Mingquan if he was alright. He apologized to Mingquan for his mistake.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t need to apologize. I was unable to save him from that deadly arrow shot, so the punishment was necessary for me,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Does Brother L¨®ng Wei know about the Shui family?¡± Mingquan inquired.


    L¨®ng Wei shook his head and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Last night, the Shui residence caught fire. It happened in the middle of the night. Everyone is dead in the Shui family. Feng Lao is here, so he is the lone survivor,¡± Mingquan said.


    L¨®ng Wei could not believe his ears. He didn¡¯t want things to happen this way. ¡°What about Feng Lao¡¯s wife?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°Unfortunately, she is dead too. What do you think is happening? Feng Lao is already devastated. I am not strong enough to tell him about this news,¡± Mingquan said while sounding low.


    ¡°Where is he?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Mingquan.


    ¡°Since Shui Xiaoqing is termed as a traitor, he would not be given a burial ceremony. Upon the King¡¯s orders, Shui Xiaoqing¡¯s corpse is thrown into the open, far from the burial grounds. The hawks will feed on his body. Feng Lao had gone with the soldiers who took his father away,¡± Mingquan informed L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I should have been careful. I gave that water ss to Shui Xiaoqing,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Li Hua is not the manor. If she returns, tell her about it. Also, tell her that I am with Feng Lao,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Mingquan was astonished to hear him. ¡°Sure. I will tell the sister-inw,¡± Mingquan said. L¨®ng Wei thanked him and left to see Feng Lao.


    ~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    Hope you all are doing well. I am so overwhelmed by the GTs and PS counts this week. Thank you for your support.


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 249

    249 Eloquent with her words


    Li Hua bowed before the Second Prince. He skeptically looked at her and asked her why she suddenly wanted to see him.


    ¡°I am here to apologize to the Second Prince on behalf of my husband,¡± Li Hua said while keeping his gaze down on the rug.


    Qiu Mu ended up chuckling upon hearing her words. Eunuch Shi Rang didn¡¯t stay quiet and said, ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei always hurts my master. He always questions my master¡¯s strength, who is not only an elder to Prince L¨®ng Wei but also holds the rank of a General. Does Princess Consort Li Hua think that her mere apology will end everything?¡±


    ¡°How will my sister-inw answer these questions? Brother L¨®ng Wei has never been given any major responsibility, but he loves to ridicule others, especially me. My Sister-inw witnessed it in the tea ceremony as well. How Brother L¨®ng Wei humiliated me in front of the Queen, the Consorts, the Concubines of the King, and my half-sisters.¡± Qiu Mu didn¡¯t refrain fromining about everything that he had in his mind.


    ¡°Your Highness, I know my apologies aren¡¯t enough to end your anger. Prince L¨®ng Wei indeed hurts the sentiments of the people around him. He doesn¡¯t understand the people, involving the royal family members. However, he saved the dignity of the Second Prince too,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Saved my dignity? What does my Sister-inw mean by this statement?¡± He scrunched his brows.


    ¡°I believe His Highness has understood the meaning of my words,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°Today what urred in prison should not have happened. My husband should not have raised his voice at his elder brother. When Prince L¨®ng Wei returns, I will make sure that he apologizes sincerely to the Second Prince,¡± Li Hua humbly said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want his apology. I just want him to not ridicule me. I might sound rude to him and even have said many things against him and even plotted against him, but it is all because he makes fun of me. I hope the Sister-inw has understood my words,¡± Qiu Mu asserted.


    Li Hua lifted her head and looked at him. ¡°Your Highness, why did you send Brother Chang Shi to kill Prince L¨®ng Wei? Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s odd rtionship with the Second Prince is for various reasons,¡± Li Hua stated.


    .....


    ¡°It seems my Sister-inw hasn¡¯te to apologize but to lecture me. She should ask her husband, who made it an odd rtionship. No matter how well I treat him, he always acts highly of himself,¡± Qiu Mu said, and asked Li Hua not toe to him to apologize.


    ¡°It¡¯s between the two brothers. It¡¯s up to him how he wants to take this rtionship ahead. He is lucky not to be treated as a beast, despite the fact that he killed his mother. We half-siblings still bear his sight when we should not!¡± Qiu Mu told Li Hua. His words disheartened Li Hua. L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t a beast. But Qiu Mu wasn¡¯t wrong either. L¨®ng Wei was lucky not to be punished severely as he hadmitted a grave sin.


    Li Hua turned silent for a while.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t a beast. Indeed, the crime hemitted was grave, but it wasn¡¯t proven. No one ever tried to find out what happened the day Prince L¨®ng Wei epted his crimes. Everyone believed his words,¡± Li Hua stated. She bowed and continued, ¡°Thank you for giving a few minutes of your precious time.¡± She turned and walked out of the room.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei¡¯s wife is eloquent with her words. Sometimes I feel she¡¯s too good for L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Mu remarked, and asked Shi Rang if he had sent the message to the Crown Prince.


    ¡°I did, Your Highness. By the evening, the Crown Prince will send a reply,¡± Shi Rang replied. Qiu Mu hummed and asked him not to disturb him for two hours. Eunuch Shi bowed and left, while closing the door behind him.


    Li Hua halted aftering far from Qiu Mu¡¯s manor. When Huang Xi informed her what L¨®ng Wei did in prison, she felt her apology would work. But she was wrong. Qiu Mu wasn¡¯t like Xiaoming, who would listen to her.


    She hade to the pce to find the truth. L¨®ng Wei found out everything for her, but it didn¡¯t seem right. The King¡¯s displeased nce at her showed clearly how angry he was at her.


    ¡°What is the Princess Consort thinking?¡± Li Hua recognized a familiar voice and turned.


    ¡°Elder Brother!¡± She was astonished to see him. He was supposed to stay in the Western Pce. ¡°Please call me by my name,¡± she stated.


    ¡°What are you doing here all alone?¡± Xu Zifan inquired.


    ¡°I came to apologize to the Second Prince,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°Elder Brother, I feel things will turn bad from now onwards. Feng Lao¡¯s father died. I am feeling terrible,¡± Li Hua said, and lowered her head.


    ¡°Why do you feel terrible? He was supposed to die,¡± Xu Zifan coldly said.


    Li Hua fiddled with her fingers and again met her brother¡¯s gaze. ¡°The enemy used him. His father didn¡¯t open his mouth because of the threat he got from the enemy. I know I should not feel any sympathy towards him, but I cannot help it,¡± Li Hua said while sounding low.


    They both returned to the manor and found Mingquan there. Li Hua asked about L¨®ng Wei, who still had not returned.


    Mingquan informed her of what L¨®ng Wei had told him.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Hua and Xu Zifan were shocked to find that the Shui residence had caught fire in the night.


    ¡°What about Yang Mei?¡± Xu Zifan asked.


    ¡°Everyone is dead, Xu Zifan. The messenger reported it an hour ago,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei has gone to bring Feng Lao. The enemy did something that was not expected,¡± he added.


    ¡°Yang Mei didn¡¯t deserve this,¡± Xu Zifan said, and tears fell from his eyes.


    Li Hua¡¯s eyes also welled up in tears. ¡°Who could do this to our families?¡± Li Hua mumbled.

 Chapter 250

    250 I will return


    L¨®ng Wei found the hawks gathered in the sky and resumed the walk. He saw the four soldiers returning and, seeing him, they all bowed. L¨®ng Wei walked past them and soon found Feng Lao.


    ¡°Do you also want to be the food of these hawks?¡±


    Feng Lao tilted his head and then lifted his head to look at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°What will I answer my mother? That my father didn¡¯t even get a proper burial. He is deemed a traitor,¡± he said as tears formed in his eyes.


    L¨®ng Wei looked around and said, ¡°Only you and I are present here. If you want, you can even bury him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s going against themand of the King,¡± Feng Lao said.


    ¡°Then let those hawkse down and feed on the sh of your father,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked. ¡°Indeed, Shui Xiaoqing will be considered a traitor because he helped the foe until hisst breath. If he had told the truth, things would not have ended this way,¡± he opined.


    ¡°My father would have been punished even if he had told the name since he was a part of all this,¡± Feng Lao said and wiped the tears from his cheeks.


    ¡°There is another piece of news that you must know,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him. ¡°You might cry a river, but it is important for you to know,¡± he stated.


    Feng Lao confusedly looked at L¨®ng Wei.


    .....


    ¡°What is the news about?¡± Feng Lao questioned. ¡°Is it about my punishment? I am ready to ept it since I hurt Li Hua and Xu Zifan,¡± he said.


    ¡°You should not call my wife¡¯s name,¡± L¨®ng Wei sternly told him.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± Feng Lao said.


    ¡°Last night, the Shui residence caught fire. Everyone is dead there,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, without hesitating a bit.


    ¡°What is His Highness saying?¡± Feng Lao didn¡¯t believe L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words.


    ¡°I believe my voice was clear enough,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Feng Lao brought his hand to his forehead and his eyes flickered.


    ¡°No, that cannot happen,¡± Feng Lao said as he burst out in tears. L¨®ng Wei furrowed his brows. He let him cry and waited for him to speak.


    ¡°Can no one be saved? My wife was pregnant,¡± Feng Lao said while sobbing.


    ¡°It all happened in the middle of the night, so no one could escape. Your father foolishly believed the enemy. He destroyed the two families, turned them against each other, and showed what he truly is!¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, his fingers curled into a fist.


    Feng Lao waspletely devastated. Everything in his life was ruined. But he deserved that. He must taste the pain he gave to Xu Zifan and Li Hua. He had nothing more to say and nothing more to think about.


    ¡°Join me and find the person who did all this,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I will die too. There is no use to my life anymore,¡± Feng Lao stated.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°I will ask the King to punish me to death. I don¡¯t want to find anyone,¡± Feng Lao said, with a in expression on his face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare! You are not allowed to die until we find the enemy,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°Li Hua may already be upset to find that such a thing happened with the Shui family. She might be angry at you, but for her, I asked my father to pardon you,¡± he said.


    Feng Lao didn¡¯t utter any word. L¨®ng Wei looked up in the sky and saw how the hawks had surrounded thend. The clouds had gathered in the sky, and rain could fall at any time.


    ¡°You should bury your father soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei again suggested, and looked down at him. Feng Lao agreed with him and stood up while carrying his father¡¯s lifeless body in his arms. L¨®ng Wei showed him the path to the forest, which started hundreds of meters away.


    Feng Lao dug the ground using a pointed stone and buried his father. He wiped the tears again with his long sleeves and turned to look at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°I need to leave for Xinshui. Maybe they are alive,¡± Feng Lao said with a ray of hope in his eyes. ¡°Once I am in my right mind, I will return. Currently, I am unable to focus on anything. I hope His Highness will understand me.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t stop you from returning to Xinshui. However, when youe to Qinping,e with a strong mind,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Feng Lao nodded his head. ¡°I want His Highness to tell Li Hua not to me herself for this. No matter how much she pretends to be strong, the soft part inside her cannot ever leave her.¡± His eyes turned teary.


    ¡°You are making me jealous. You do not know about her more than me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Father said a word before dying,¡± Feng Lao told L¨®ng Wei. ¡°The name of the enemy starts with K,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Kang Xi?¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered.


    ¡°Father doesn¡¯t know the prime minister. Also, His Highness thinks that the person is from the royal family,¡± Feng Lao stated.


    ¡°No one has a name with K in our family,¡± stated L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Shui Xiaoqing might want to say something else. We should not jump to conclusions so soon.¡± L¨®ng Wei wondered if someone had used the pseudonym, but he was unsure about it.


    ¡°I married Yang Mei because I thought Xu Zifan was no more. Please convey to him my message that I always kept my friendship ahead of anything else. The only mistake I made was not revealing the truth about my father¡¯s wrong-doing. Thank you for not letting my father be the food of those hawks,¡± Feng Lao said.


    ¡°I will provide a horse for you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Your Highness, I will use a local carriage,¡± Feng Lao stated. ¡°Forgive me for my earlier behavior. I was wrong about His Highness.¡± He lowered his head while being guilty.


    ¡°I use people for my benefits. Since you¡¯ll benefit me in the future, you must stay alive,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.

 Chapter 251

    251 I want to be the Governor


    Because L¨®ng Wei got injured, the investigation regarding the attack behind Xiaoming stopped briefly. However, after Shui Xiaoqing died mysteriously, and the matter ended with that, General Hei Chengxi began the investigation again.


    Yi Xinze did what L¨®ng Wei had told him to do. He told Hei Chengxi that someone from the pce had ordered him to harm the Crown Prince. He told Hei Chengxi everything that he had told L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Father, do you believe his words? For many years no one tried to harm the Crown Prince,¡± Huang Xi said as he stopped his father from going to the King.


    ¡°Huang Xi, enemies be as you grow in power,¡± Hei Chengxi told his son. ¡°Crown Prince Xiaoming is the next-in-line king, so maybe consorts or concubines are behind this attack. We cannot jump to conclusions yet as to who was behind it and only ask His Majesty¡¯s permission to investigate everyone in the pce,¡± he added.


    Huang Xi understood his father¡¯s words and decided to follow his orders. They both went to the Imperial Court, where the King was present with a few of his ministers. They waited for the court session to end first.


    After an hour¡¯s wait, the court ended. Kang Xi and the other ministers bowed to see Hei Chengxi. It was important as Hei Chengxi held a higher rank than them. In contrast, Huang Xi bowed to see those ministers.


    ¡°General Hei, it has been a long time since west saw you,¡± Kang Xi stated, keeping a fake smile on his lips.


    ¡°We met a few weeks ago at the Sixth Prince¡¯s marriage, Prime Minister Kang,¡± Hei Chengxi reminded him and looked at the state council minister.


    ¡°General Hei, let¡¯s meet tomorrow where we higher-ranking officials usually drink and enjoy. The borders are secured and everything is peaceful in the Kingdom,¡± Kang Xi opined and gazed at Huang Xi. ¡°We will appreciate it if General Hei brings his son as well,¡± he added.


    .....


    ¡°Sure, Prime Minister Kang. Let¡¯s talkter as we have some work with His Majesty,¡± Hei Chengxi ended the conversation and walked ahead. The court ministers bowed as he walked away and lifted their heads after a few seconds. Huang Xi pursued his father all the way to the imperial court.


    ¡°Why did the Prime Minister invite General Hei and his son? They are favored by the King more than anyone else,¡± Zu Yuan, the State Council Head, said. His equation with Hei Chengxi wasn¡¯t good after he reported him for the illegal funds he had umted.


    ¡°We must know what General Hei is up to these days. Also, his growing power is not good for us. We need to find many things about him tomorrow,¡± Kang Xi said, and walked away, followed by the other court ministers.


    ~~~~~


    Inside the imperial court, Hei Chengxi informed Qiu Zedong of the information he received from Yi Xinze.


    ¡°How will General Hei investigate? The person doesn¡¯t know the name. We cannot believe him merely because of his words,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted.


    ¡°Your Majesty, the Crown Prince may have hidden enemies within the pce. Please allow me to investigate everyone in the pce. The Crown Prince may get attacked in the future,¡± he affirmed.


    Huang Xi wondered if the King would allow his father to investigate the royal family. It might cause turbulence among them.


    ¡°Hei Chengxi, I want you to bring solid evidence. Who knows, the one who ordered the attack isn¡¯t from the pce, but among the officials. Don¡¯t jump to conclusions merely because of his words,¡± Qiu Zedong refused to give permission to Hei Chengxi for investigation.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Hei Chengxi acknowledged themand of the King. From his experience, he truly suspected the person was from the pce. Xiaoming¡¯s activities, only a person from the pce would find, not an official. But since the King had already refuted the permission, he stayed quiet.


    They bowed to leave when Qiu Zedong told Huang Xi to bring Li Hua to the court.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Huang Xi epted the orders and left the court with his father.


    ¡°Huang Xi, I will see you at home,¡± Hei Chengxi told him and walked away first. Huang Xi wondered why the King wanted to see Li Hua.


    He informed Li Hua about the King¡¯s message and escorted her to the imperial court. Huang Xi left after escorting her.


    Li Hua lifted her head after she kowtowed before the King. ¡°His Majesty asked for my presence,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Yes. I heard Prince L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t in the pce. He has again gone against my order. What should I do about it? No matter how much I punish him, he will not understand. However, I had high expectations of his wife,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a disapproving nce.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Since you have started this, you must stop this. In the prison, he raised his voice at the Second Prince and even called him by his name. Prince L¨®ng Wei had never behaved in this manner before. The enmity between the Xu and Shui families has nothing to do with our royal family. Yet, the Prince is taking it too seriously. I empathize with your situation, but this behavior of the Prince is not eptable to me.¡±


    Qiu Zedong had manyints from Li Hua. She brought more chaos to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life.


    ¡°I am still unable to understand if you entered the pce with a n or if you were indeed here for work. L¨®ng Wei chases you everywhere. He isn¡¯t supposed to do that. I wanted him to realize his duties as the Prince, but he is more focused on your family matters, which have already ended,¡± Qiu Zedong proimed. He wanted answers from Li Hua about how she would make things right. How would she make him behave like a prince?


    Li Hua could not stay quiet anymore. She knew if she said anything recklessly, she might get punished for it.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I don¡¯t think it is wrong to investigate a matter which no one dares to look into. The duty of higher-ups is to maintainw and order, but it didn¡¯t happen in Xinshui. Prince L¨®ng Wei only brought out the truth about the unfairness in the lives of the people who do not belong to a high-ss noble family,¡± Li Hua didn¡¯t hesitate to speak about what she truly felt. She didn¡¯t like it when they all used to think that L¨®ng Wei was not on the right path.


    She decided to make the King aware of what Qiu Mu did to L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Your Majesty, Prince L¨®ng Wei had his reason for misbehaving with the Second Prince. He sent-¡±


    She paused upon hearing the sound of the opening of therge door. She turned while the King fixated his eyes on the door.


    Li Hua was stunned to see L¨®ng Wei. He stopped next to her and bowed before the King.


    ¡°Why did the Prince enter without prior permission?¡± Qiu Zedong asked and arched his eyebrow. He wondered if L¨®ng Wei had againe to prevent Li Hua from his scoldings.


    ¡°Royal Father, forgive me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he lowered his head.


    ¡°It seems the Prince already knows why I summoned his wife,¡± Qiu Zedong remarked.


    ¡°How would I know about it?¡± L¨®ng Wei posed a question. ¡°I am here to ask for a position from the royal father.¡± His request shocked Qiu Zedong while it confused Li Hua.


    ¡°A position?¡± Qiu Zedong caressed his beard.


    ¡°Yes, Royal Father.¡± He lifted his head and looked into the eyes of his father.


    ¡°I want to be the Governor of Qinping,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I will serve my duties as the Prince and help the royal father,¡± he proimed.

 Chapter 252

    252 Isn¡¯t it more romantic this way?


    ¡°Governor of Qinping?¡± Qiu Zedong could not be less surprised to hear the demand from L¨®ng Wei. ¡°It is up to me to decide what kind of position will be suitable for Prince L¨®ng Wei. If I make him the Governor, people may not like it,¡± he opined.


    ¡°Why will the people not like it?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    Li Hua nced at him, wondering what he was up to.


    ¡°I will not keep the Prince in the dark. People still think of him as a threat rather than a protector,¡± Qiu Zedong replied. ¡°I do not want the people, especially the nobles, to rebel against my decision. I do not want any unrest in the capital. I will thoroughly think about what position I can bestow to Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°What if I find out the person who tried to kill the Crown Prince? Will the answer of the Royal Father be the same?¡± He asked.


    Qiu Zedong was amused to see L¨®ng Wei¡¯s confidence.


    ¡°I know what the Royal Father has in mind. I am incapable in everyone¡¯s eyes because all these years, I created chaos in people¡¯s lives. But not anymore. I will prove to my Royal Father that I am more than capable to be the Governor of Qinping than the current Governor. I can find who sent the assassin to kill the Crown Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced while being confident.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t need to do that. General Hei Chengxi is investigating the matter,¡± Qiu Zedong refused L¨®ng Wei to do any such thing.


    ¡°I can find out about this in one day,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    .....


    Qiu Zedong knitted his brows to hear his son¡¯s statement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t anger your father,¡± Li Hua said in a low voice to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°It¡¯s important for me to be the Governor,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied, keeping his voice low.


    ¡°The Royal Father always wanted me to see working for the people. When I truly want to do that, he hesitates to even allow me toplete this small mission. I want to prove to His Majesty that I am indeed the child whom Yuze prophesied once. I have finally realized that I must do work for the Qiu Kingdom,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed in a firm tone.


    A wide smile appeared on Qiu Zedong¡¯s lips, and he allowed L¨®ng Wei to do so.


    ¡°However, I have a few conditions before allowing the Prince to look into this matter,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    ¡°Yes, Royal Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°He will not demean any of his brothers. He will not either try to make his assumptions regarding Shui Xiaoqing¡¯s statement. I don¡¯t want any kind of chaos to happen in the pce,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°All right, Royal Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei agreed.He lifted his hands and bowed to thank his father. Qiu Zedong dismissed both of them and asked Eunuch Gao Bing toe closer.


    ¡°Keep an eye on both of them,¡± Qiu Zedong told him.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince doesn¡¯t allow anyone in his manor except a few servants, Your Majesty.¡± If there was any task that was difficult for Gao Bing, then it was keeping an eye on L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Bring Fei Shuzhen to my private chamber,¡± Qiu Zedong ordered Gao Bing. He bowed and left the imperial court. Qiu Zedong curled his fingers and fiddled with them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want L¨®ng Wei to fall into danger,¡± Qiu Zedong murmured.


    ~~~~~~


    Li Hua halted in the middle of the grand staircase that led to the imperial court. A step below her, L¨®ng Wei came to a halt. He tilted his head and asked her if she was tired.


    ¡°What is His Highness nning!?¡± Li Hua skeptically gazed into his eyes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back first,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he extended his hand out. He gestured to Li Hua to hold his hand.


    ¡°I am angry with His Highness,¡± Li Hua said, and averted her gaze from him. She put her foot down, which got entangled in her long skirt.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± She screamed in extreme fear of tripping down, but L¨®ng Wei had already held her tightly. He ducked her to the other side such that her back rested on his left arm.


    ¡°Why do you wear such a heavy andrge skirt when you cannot even walk properly?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and brushed the fringes away from her forehead using his right hand¡¯s fingers. ¡°You love to fall in my arms, right?¡± He asked with a smirk.


    ¡°It always happens when His Highness is around,¡± she said when a drop of rain hit the middle of her forehead. They both looked up at the sky. L¨®ng Wei helped her stand straight as the rain started to patter on thend.


    He quickly removed his overcoat and put it above Li Hua¡¯s head, thus covering her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He held her hand and they ran towards the corridor, which was ten minutes away from them.


    They both gasped for air as they reached the corridor. The rain had turned heavier and even lightning struck within the clouds. Li Hua removed her robe from her head and noticed L¨®ng Wei waspletely drenched in the rain.


    She took out the handkerchief from her pocket and started to wipe his face. L¨®ng Wei, who had his gaze on the ground, quickly shifted his gaze to Li Hua.


    Once she was done, she lowered her hand.


    ¡°Come.¡± They both started to walk through the corridor to reach his manor. ¡°We cannot stay here for long,¡± he stated as they continued to walk.


    After a certain distance, Li Hua told him that she would ask a servant for umbres.


    After the servant handed them two umbres, L¨®ng Wei returned one to the servant and asked Li Hua that they both would use only one.


    Li Hua nced at her with inquisitiveness as he dragged her along with him. His hand securely rested around her shoulder. He drew her close and they both descended the few stairs to reach the ground.


    L¨®ng Wei used his umbre to shield Li Hua from the rain, despite the fact that his left arm was soaked. ¡°His Highness should not have returned the second umbre,¡± she said.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it more romantic this way?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked as they stepped inside the door of the manor. Li Hua halted in the middle of the pavement and turned to look at him.


    Her grip on the overcoat was still tight. She peered into his raven orbs.


    The droplets hung on the small fringes that slid down his jawline. Her eyes again moved back to those orbs which were glued to her.


    ¡°His Highness can get sick. We shall go in,¡± she said and took a step back when L¨®ng Wei circled his arm around her and drew her close.

 Chapter 253

    253 Hooked his finger


    Li Hua widened her eyes while continuing to peer into his eyes. ¡°My Elder Brother is still present in the manor,¡± Li Hua said, and gulped the lump that had formed in her throat. She knew what would happen next. But she didn¡¯t want it to happen in the open, especially in that rain.


    ¡°Xu Zifan knows that his sister is a newly married woman. ¡°Even if he sees us like this, he will only smile and turn away,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined.


    ¡°I am hungry,¡± Li Hua said, and tried to pull away from his grip.


    L¨®ng Wei tightened his hold and pulled her towards him with a stronger force. Their noses touched, and it made Li Hua¡¯s breath hitch. ¡°I am also hungry,¡± he said, ¡°but for the kiss in the rain.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    He didn¡¯t let her speak and pressed his lips to hers. He let go of the umbre and rested his hand behind her head. The umbre fell with a thud on the ground while the rain drops fell on their faces and they both tightly shut their eyes.


    Soon, they werepletely drenched. Her hands were no longer gripping the overcoat as they were locked around his neck. It seemed she longed for him for a long time. Once they withdrew, they both gasped for air.


    He traced her cheeks with his thumbs and again kissed her. However, this time he didn¡¯t kiss her for long. He took her inside when saw a maidservant who informed them Xu Zifan had left earlier.


    ¡°Send the clothes for us,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her, and walked ahead to his chamber. He slid the door and gestured to Li Hua to walk in. He stepped in after her and closed the door.


    .....


    ¡°His Highness could have kissed me here too. I don¡¯t like to get drenched,¡± Li Huained. She removed the hairpins and other hair essories.


    She turned when he pecked her lips ¡°Happy?¡± He gave her a wide smile.


    Li Hua pursed her lips tightly and a blush covered her cheeks.


    ¡°Your Highness, this servant has brought the clothes,¡± the maidservant said from outside. L¨®ng Wei went to the door and brought dresses for them. He put them on the mattress and dried Li Hua¡¯s face with the towel.


    ¡°Summer rain showers are good to enjoy,¡± he said as he took her right hand. He wiped it well and then wiped her other hand. ¡°How long are you going to shy away from me? We didn¡¯t even consummate our marriage. We both love each other, so you should not act that way,¡± he said.


    ¡°I do not get shy,¡± Li Hua promptly said, and took the towel from his hand. ¡°I will do it myself. His Highness shall change first. I will change in the room adjacent to the bed chamber,¡± Li Hua opined.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go away. Change here if you aren¡¯t shy,¡± L¨®ng Wei challenged her. He knew she would again find a way to run away from him. He would love to see how long she would keep up with her act.


    ¡°Will His Highness not ask why the King called me?¡± She suddenly took him to another topic.


    L¨®ng Wei took a step towards her and lifted his hand. He hooked his finger in the knot of her dress and tugged at it. The knot loosened and the sash almost fell down. Li Hua was frozen at his attempt to undress her and she immediately brought her hands to her chest, not wanting the fabric to fall down.


    Her toes were tightly pressed into the rug beneath her as she stared into his eyes. L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t move his eyes from hers even for a second. However, Li Hua¡¯s body was on fire with that intimate distance and gaze.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± she said, and bit her lower lip. She wondered if she had disappointed him. Her hands had turned sweaty because of the slight fear in her.


    ¡°I want you so badly, but I will wait for the right time. If I have waited till now, then I can wait more,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and brought his hands to the sash which had held her dress in ce. He tied the knot once more.


    Li Hua read the facial expressions on his face. ¡°You can change here,¡± he said. He turned to leave when she held his hand.


    He tilted his head when she hugged him from behind. Her hands rested on his chest while her side face rested on the right side of his back. ¡°I also want His Highness as much as he wants me,¡± she said.


    ¡°Presently, I have many things in my mind which I need to discuss with His Highness. Forgive me, if I have hurt you again.¡±


    She wanted to ask him why he suddenly wanted to be Governor. She wanted to tell him she had gone to see Qiu Mu, and she wanted to ask him about his meeting with Feng Lao.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hurt me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and grabbed her with both hands. He slowly lowered them down and turned to face her. ¡°I wanted to know if you were shy or not.¡± He brushed his finger on her nose tip and smiled.


    ¡°I will ask the maidservant to send the meals for us,¡± he said and picked up his clothes before walking out of the bedchamber.


    ¡°Your Highness, I will prove to you that I am not shy,¡± Li Hua loudly said.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled when he heard her. After changing his clothes, he ordered the maidservant to send meals for them. He waited for Li Hua toe out as he had already taken a seat around the table.


    Soon, Li Hua entered and took a seat around the table.


    ¡°I told Feng Lao about his family. He went back to Xinshui. He wille soon once he will be in the right mind. He asked me to convey the message to you not to me yourself for all this,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Your Highness, was I too harsh on him? I never behaved this way with anyone,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°You were infuriated because he kept the truth hidden. However, in the end, he also lost his family,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I pray for the souls of his deceased family members. Yang Mei didn¡¯t deserve it. None of them deserved to die this way. My brother even cried upon learning about this,¡± Li Hua said.


    L¨®ng Wei knew that the enemy would kill them, but even he had not expected it toe this way. Who could be this ruthless in the pce? The Queen, the Consorts or any of the Concubines? Were they powerful enough to do something like this.


    ¡°Shui Xiaoqing was foolish to believe the enemy would spare him. I will not do anything more for a while. I will gather power to fight this unknown enemy in the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.

 Chapter 254

    254 He made me Jealous


    While eating his food, L¨®ng Wei continued to tell Li Hua about his future ns. ¡°For now, I analyzed what the enemy is like. It will be tough if we fight with him without holding any power. That¡¯s why I want to be the Governor of Qinping,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°How will His Highness catch the person who tried to kill the Crown Prince?¡± Li Hua inquired.


    ¡°I have a n,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Your Highness, you can include me in your n,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I would love to. But, currently, your help will not be needed. Perhaps after I be the Governor. We have many tasks to aplish, so I will need your constant support and help,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a wide smile.


    ¡°I am eager to help His Highness.¡± Li Hua was enthusiastic to help L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Why did you meet Qiu Mu?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sudden question vanished the smile from her lips.


    ¡°To apologize to him. Your Highness, I understand that you do not like the Second Prince, but you cannot misbehave with him,¡± Li Hua sternly said.


    ¡°You should be respectful not only because you are the Prince, but also because a good human being is known for his use of words. Even if a human does wrong things, but eloquently with his words, he will be respected. I don¡¯t want my husband to receive bacsh merely because he sometimes forgot to give respect to his elders.¡±


    .....


    Li Hua calmly tried to make L¨®ng Wei understand. She truly wanted him to correct his way of talking, especially with the elders.


    ¡°Truth is always bitter. I speak the truth tantly. It¡¯s not my fault if people don¡¯t like it,¡± he affirmed and picked up the tofu from the chopsticks. He ate that while Li Hua continued to look at him.


    ¡°I have epted His Highness as he is. I don¡¯t want him to change in any way. But I only wanted him to be respectful to his elders,¡± Li Hua opined.


    ¡°And what will happen with my false praise? The Second Prince doesn¡¯t deserve to be a General. You don¡¯t know how foolishly he acts. I only showed him the mirror. He is the son of the most favored woman by the King, that¡¯s why he got the position of a general. If he goes for war, I bet, he will die and make us lose,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    ¡°His Highness carries many prejudices about the other princes,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°I have observed them,¡± L¨®ng Wei corrected her. ¡°Let¡¯s eat first, and then we can converse,¡± he suggested to her. Li Hua began to eat. Once she finished, she dabbed her mouth with the napkin before drinking the water. The maidservant cleaned the table and walked out.


    ¡°How is His Highness back? He has been running here and there since the morning,¡± she worriedly said.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt like yesterday,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Come here.¡± L¨®ng Wei gestured to her to sit next to him on the floor mattress. Li Hua stood up and then sat by his side. L¨®ng Wei snuggled her close to him.


    He took her left hand in his and caressed it. ¡°I was furious when Shui Xiaoqing died. I shouted at the Second Prince because he must know he cannot be the General if he remains careless. You should not have gone to him and apologized on my behalf. I didn¡¯t like it that, for my behavior, you went to apologize,¡± he affirmed.


    Li Hua lifted her head slightly and gazed at him. ¡°I thought that¡¯s the best way to calm the anger of the Second Prince,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t want him to plot against you.¡± The anxious look said it all.


    ¡°The Second Prince will not try to harm me. I am his life-saver. He will not want the world to know how he nned to kill me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and looked at the jade ring on her finger. He fiddled with it for a while before intertwining their fingers.


    He flipped her over, and shended on the mattress while he hovered over her. He caressed her forehead with his left hand. His eyes raked over her face, her cheeks, her plump lips. His fingers continued to brush her hair in the most gentle way.


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± he pronounced her name in his deep voice. ¡°Such a beautiful name you have. Everything about you is beautiful. Every moment with you feels so special,¡± he added.


    ¡°Am I beautiful enough? I have seen women prettier than me,¡± she said.


    L¨®ng Wei clicked his tongue. ¡°In L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eye, Li Hua is the prettiest woman,¡± he said and smiled.


    ¡°His Highness teased me in Xinshui, saying he loves to watch sensual dance,¡± she said.


    ¡°I never said I liked to watch sensual dance,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and smirked. ¡°I did say that I love to watch dance. However, I didn¡¯t go to watch the dance that day. You already know. It was merely to make you feel jealous,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°And His Highness seeded that day,¡± Li Hua remarked. She recalled how restless she was the entire day. ¡°I will also make His Highness jealous someday,¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that. If you do such a thing, I will kill the man who flirts with you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I spared Feng Lao for a reason. I don¡¯t like it when his eyes carry that type of look at you. Even earlier, when I met him, he made me jealous.¡±


    His facial expression suddenly changed to an angry one.


    Li Hua pulled him down and kissed him hard on the lips. ¡°But I love His Highness, so he doesn¡¯t need to be jealous of anyone anymore,¡± she said, after the kiss.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled at her actions and buried his face in the crook of her neck to kiss the spot right below her ear. He kept his body weight on his elbows and trailed kisses from the hollow of her throat to her chin.


    Li Hua¡¯s heart raced wildly in those few seconds, and her eyes lingered on his. ¡°Li Hua, I love you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. The smile never faded from his lips.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, I love you too,¡± Li Hua responded, and downcast her eyelids. Her cheeks flushed red.


    ¡°Call me L¨®ng Wei,¡± he requested.


    She lifted her eyes and bit her lower lip. ¡°That¡¯s difficult to say. I took His Highness¡¯s name though,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Exclude Prince,¡± he told her.


    ¡°Umm... L-L¨®ng Wei,¡± she stuttered as he called him by his name.


    ¡°It sounded so sweet. Now, always call me by my name when we are both alone,¡± he stated. The next second, she was carried up in his arms and he headed to the bedchamber.

 Chapter 255

    255 Big Sacrifices


    Xiaoming put the bamboo scroll on the desk and stood up to greet his mother. Zhu Liling nced at Sun Fuguo and he left the chamber.


    ¡°My son is still furious at me,¡± Zhu Liling said as she sat down on the broad chair, which was a meter away from the study desk of Xiaoming.


    ¡°I am not furious at my mother,¡± Xiaoming said as he took his seat. ¡°The Royal Mother can say that I am upset with her behavior,¡± he opined.


    ¡°I only wanted the good for my son. The Crown Prince has grown up, and I forgot that after a certain age, children do not listen to their parents,¡± Zhu Liling said, and let out a chuckle, showing her disappointment.


    After a long time, both the son and mother sat down together to have a conversation. Xiaoming wanted to calmly make her mother understand what he truly wanted for his marriage.


    ¡°Mother, I always listen to you. However, this time, my mother should have seen what I wanted. She knows that my interest in women is different. Being the Prince, especially the Crown Prince, I have seen why young women take an interest in me. Miss Kang Cha Ying was the same. She wasn¡¯t interested in knowing about me. Instead, she was only thinking that she would be the best to be the Crown Princess.¡±


    Zhu Liling nodded her head as he understood the words of Xiaoming. ¡°Xiaoming, I realized what you wanted. If my son doesn¡¯t want it, then it will not happen. Being the first wife of His Majesty, I also got upset when your father fell for Consort Xiuying. I feel good that the Crown Prince wants to have one wife whom he truly wants to love all his life,¡± she proimed.


    ¡°It seems my mother is upset about something,¡± Xiaoming stated and leaned close to his desk.


    ¡°I am not. I only recalled a few things about my younger self. I should not beining since years have passed. However, when I think about the Crown Prince¡¯s words about having a single wife, I truly feel proud that I am able to inculcate good manners in my son. I only want him to get married to a woman with a strong political background. I gave everything to His Majesty. He also made me the Queen, but the love isn¡¯t as strong as it is for Consort Xiuying.¡±


    .....


    Bing the Queen, leading the kingdom along with the King wasn¡¯t everything. It was tough to see your husband bringing in many women, thus distributing his love and care.


    For Xiaoming, Zhu Liling only wanted one thing. If she made such big sacrifices in her life, then he must be strong not only from the military side but also politically. That¡¯s why she looked for a strong political family that would support Xiaoming till the end.


    Xiaoming stood up from his chair and walked up to his mother. He got on his knees and grasped his mother¡¯s hands in his.


    ¡°Mother, whoever will be my wife, you will be proud of her too. I know that you want me to be politically stronger. I have found a few who will always support me. One of those is L¨®ng Wei. When this kingdom began, the King¡¯s onlypanions were his two brothers. It wasn¡¯t a political marriage that gave him strength. It was him and his brothers. I will do the same and will prove to you how strong I am,¡± Xiaoming pronounced.


    His words assured the Queen, but at the same time, made her wonder why he suddenly thought that L¨®ng Wei would support him. Moreover, she was curious to know if Xiaoming had found anyone because the one-month period would soon be over.


    ¡°Monk Yuze showed me a path. I don¡¯t want to judge Brother L¨®ng Wei anymore, yet I want to see him as someone who would only help me grow this kingdom into a beautiful and prosperous ce,¡± Xiaoming excitedly said and smiled.


    ¡°When did Monk Yuze talk with my son? I am surprised to hear about it,¡± Zhu Liling said, while being delighted.


    ¡°Monk Yuze talked to me the day he returned,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust L¨®ng Wei,¡± Zhu Liling remarked.


    ¡°He never once did anything bad to your son,¡± Xiaoming stated. ¡°We brothers were cold to him because of the prophecy. However, Monk Yuze told me that the prophecy holds a different meaning which no one saw.¡± He made her mother aware of the words which Yuze had told him.


    Zhu Liling squinted her eyes in suspicion. Yuze never said anything before, so why now? She didn¡¯t say anything to Xiaoming as it could lead to another argument between them, which she didn¡¯t want. She caressed the head of Xiaoming and gave him a smile.


    ¡°Crown Prince, I have seen a woman for you. You should meet her once. You may like her. She is down to earth and humble,¡± Zhu Liling finally said about the proposal that the State Council Head had forwarded to her.


    ¡°Mother, I have found someone with whom I will marry.¡± Xiaoming politely refused to see the woman which his mother wanted.


    ¡°Who?¡± Zhu Liling waited for Xiaoming¡¯s response.


    ¡°I cannot tell you now, Mother. I will marry her only. I request my Mother not to ask anymore questions about it because I will not answer,¡± Xiaoming said while carrying a menacing grimace.


    Zhu Liling hummed and pulled her hand back from her son¡¯s head. ¡°I will patiently wait for the Crown Prince to tell me about the woman he has finally found. I would love to see my daughter-inw soon. I am eager for the grand marriage of the Crown Prince,¡± she stated and smiled brightly.


    The smile and the encouraging words of Zhu Liling soothed Xiaoming. He would not stay quiet this time and fight for his happiness with both his mother and father. He had promised Liu Jin Yu that he woulde to see her and decided to meet her in the evening, even if he got caught.


    Zhu Liling took his leave after a while and asked Xiaoming not to take stress rted to the kingdom¡¯s work.

 Chapter 256

    256 I have swayed your heart


    Xiaoming left the pce in the evening despite the warning from his father. It was the second time he broke the rule. However, this time he made sure his father would not find out. He had alsoe armed this time.


    He took a horse from the city¡¯s stable for rent and then went to the ce where Liu Jin Yu would be. If he had done anything early, he would regret it throughout his life.


    The horse stopped, and Xiaoming jumped down from it. He saw Liu Jin Yu dusting the tables when her eyes fell on him. She stopped and looked around. Most of the workers had headed to their respective homes.


    Liu Jin Yu stopped what she was doing and rushed to him. ¡°Why did His Royal Highnesse out of the pce?¡± She asked in an extremely low voice, which was audible to Xiaoming only.


    ¡°Whom are you marrying? I want to meet the man,¡± Xiaoming said.


    Liu Jin Yu knitted her brows and peeked inside the restaurant to make sure Wu Jin would not see them.


    Liu Jin Yu looked at the horse and then at Xiaoming. ¡°The Crown Prince shall return. I cannot make him meet my soon-to-be husband. He lives far from here,¡± she lied to him.


    ¡°Tell me the ce where he lives. I will find out,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    Liu Jin Yu panicked because if Wu Jin came out, then he would pose hundreds of questions before them. He would perceive Xiaoming as a noble who liked Liu Jin Yu, and he might try to set them up.


    .....


    ¡°Pleasee with me,¡± she requested, and walked ahead. Xiaoming followed her while taking the horse with him. Liu Jin Yu took him towards the forest and made sure that no one was around.


    Xiaoming tied the horse around a thin tree stem and walked to Liu Jin Yu. She had crossed her arms around her chest and gazed at him with an upset look.


    ¡°The Crown Prince doesn¡¯t care about his life at all,¡± she stated and red at him. ¡°Why is he so interested in knowing whom I will marry?¡± Her tone became a little harsh. She curled her fingers as she didn¡¯t like the way he talked to him.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want you to marry him,¡± Xiaoming stated, taking a step forward.


    ¡°I like him.¡± Liu Jin Yu knew where it was going. Xiaoming broke his promise and developed his feelings for her. That should not have happened. She would not let him do anything stupid that could lead to her death.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Why would I lie about the man whom I want to marry?¡± She arched her eyebrow.


    ¡°Because you know what I will ask from you,¡± Xiaoming affirmed.


    A lump formed in Liu Jin Yu¡¯s throat. She didn¡¯t want to admit the thoughts she currently had in her mind.


    ¡°Then, I must refuse it,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    ¡°You should decide after listening to me, Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming opined. He took another step towards her and then another. Thus, he soon closed the distance between them and stood tall in front of her. He removed the fake mustache from his upper lip and looked into her eyes.


    ¡°I will protect you, Jin Yu. Marry me. Be my woman,¡± Xiaoming said. His ears turned red while his heart raced at an incredibly higher speed. His words were sincere for her and so were his feelings.


    Liu Jin Yu lowered her hands and continued to look into the eyes of Xiaoming. ¡°Forgive me. I cannot marry the Crown Prince. ¡°I will no longer be His Royal Highness¡¯ friend because he broke the promise and developed feelings for me,¡± she said, her eyes downcast. This is thest time I recognized him. After today, I will forget if I ever met the Crown Prince.¡±


    She again looked at him while keeping herself firmly in her ce.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to use force, Jin Yu. Not with you, at least. You also know I am capable enough to marry you. I don¡¯t want you to despise me. That¡¯s why I came to you. To convince you,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    ¡°I should not be His Royal Highness¡¯ choice. I want to live freely. The pce doesn¡¯t have freedom, and I cannot ept it,¡± Liu Jin Yu affirmed. She clutched the edges of her dress.


    She was hurt while saying those words to Xiaoming. He not only spared her life but also did many things for her. She felt the pain while saying such words to Xiaoming, but it was for their betterment. She couldn¡¯t risk her life, and she didn¡¯t want Xiaoming to be weak as a result of his feelings for her.


    ¡°I will give you freedom. You don¡¯t need to worry about that,¡± Xiaoming assured her.


    Liu Jin Yu chuckled. ¡°One who cannot raise his voice, can never fight for my freedom,¡± she mocked him. Hurting Xiaoming¡¯s feelings was the best avable option for her. He would start to hate her if she was harsh on him.


    ¡°I admit it, Jin Yu. But you can see the change in me. I never went against my father¡¯s orders. I am ready to fight for what I truly want. I only want you to agree to my proposal,¡± Xiaoming said while being gentle with her.


    ¡°I am afraid, but I refuse. I don¡¯t want to marry the Crown Prince. I never saw him as a man,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated, and clenched her fists.


    Xiaoming chuckled and closed the remaining distance between them. He grasped her hands and found how strongly she had fisted them. ¡°At least, do not lie to me. I know I have swayed your heart. You told me that you would always support me. I need your support throughout my life.¡± Their eyes were glued to each other and their faces came close.


    ¡°The Crown Prince will bring doom upon himself. Everyone will turn against him. I may lose my life. If he continues to love me, he will be affected badly. It may sound great to be the wife of the Crown Prince, but not to me. I want a peaceful life,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated.

 Chapter 257

    257 Cherish our First Kiss


    ¡°Do you know what I liked the most about you?¡± Xiaoming¡¯s hold on her hands tightened.


    ¡°No,¡± she refused and shook her head.


    ¡°You were brave. Since the day I met you, you have always been brave. You were thatmp in my life, which I always needed. You told me that I am the Crown Prince who holds the highest power after the King in the Kingdom. I always suppressed my desires and this is the first time I am adamant about having something. ¡± He brought her hands to his chest and rested them on his left side.


    Liu Jin Yu curled her fingers as she felt those intense heartbeats. It appeared to be the same as hers.


    Liu Jin Yu pulled away her hands and stepped back. ¡°My Master must be looking for me. I will return. The Crown Prince shall go back to the pce,¡± she said and lowered her eyes. She stepped towards his left to walk ahead when Xiaoming caught her arm.


    Liu Jin Yu tilted her head while he did the same. Their eyes again met when he pulled her towards his front. Deep frowns appeared on his forehead as he continued to watch her eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t force me to use the other way to make you marry me,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°The Crown Prince shall think rationally and be pragmatic. If we marry, then he may remain happy, but I never will,¡± Liu Jin Yu¡¯s eyes turned misty and soon tears fell down them.


    ¡°I will die every second while serving the Crown Prince as his wife. The Crown Prince said he would have only one wife, but that¡¯s not possible for him. He has to choose more than two concubines and share the bed with them too. At least if I marry amoner, he will be my only man. The Crown Prince is under the illusion that his father will keep his promise. You should forget me.¡± Liu Jin Yu calmly exined the situation to him which Xiaoming wasn¡¯t ready to see.


    .....


    ¡°If the Crown Prince loves me, then he should think about my happiness rather than be selfish. I love this life. I hate higher-up officials, ministers, and even royals.¡± Liu Jin Yu gulped the lump that had formed in her throat.


    Xiaoming¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. He shook his head. ¡°I will choose to be selfish rather than regret itter. I will give up being the Crown Prince if they try to make me marry another woman. A promise is a promise, and my father will never step back from his words. Your current life will remain in the future too.¡± He wasn¡¯t ready to let go of her. He remembered Yuze¡¯s words. He could not give up in any way because he would regret lifetime if he let her go.


    ¡°Jin Yu, if I walk away from your life, your heart will never be at peace. We will both suffer individually. You also know this,¡± he asserted. He gradually lowered his hand and rested it on her waist.


    Liu Jin Yu looked down for a brief moment when Xiaoming drew her close. She gaped at him, not wanting him to do what she was thinking. To her surprise, he kissed the top of her forehead. It was a soft kiss, yet she shut her eyes tightly.


    Xiaoming looked down at her face and a smile appeared on his lips. He wiped the tears from her cheeks using his thumbs. She opened her eyes and peered at him.


    ¡°I will talk with your master about myself. He is a father figure for you and I must ask your hand from him since you have epted me,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    Liu Jin Yu remained silent for a while. ¡°I need a day to think about it, Your Royal Highness. I am still in a dilemma.¡± Liu Jin Yu didn¡¯t agree with his proposal. Instead, she asked for some time from him. ¡°I will meet the Crown Prince tomorrow evening in the pce to give him my answer,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Fine. I will wait for your response.¡± Xiaoming agreed with her and gave her a day to think.


    ¡°The Crown Prince shall return,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, looking up at the sky. ¡°The sky is still red. Don¡¯t get hurt in the way,¡± she said. Xiaoming hummed and again wore the fake mustache. He adjusted the conical hat around his head and turned to go to his horse.


    However, he halted in the middle. Liu Jin Yu wondered why he stopped when he again walked up to her.


    ¡°Jin Yu, I don¡¯t know what your answer will be, but I want you to remember this,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Liu Jin Yu was puzzled to hear him.


    Xiaoming brought his hand to the side of her left cheek and leaned down. He kissed her and closed his eyes while Liu Jin Yu¡¯s eyes grew bigger. She was ready to push him away, but something inside her stopped her from doing so.


    Xiaoming pulled away and lowered his hand. ¡°I want you to cherish our first kiss and remember it. Don¡¯t make a decision based on the things you have seen in the pce. Just think about us and the first kiss between us. My true feelings lie there. I will wait for you tomorrow,¡± Xiaoming said with a smile.


    He went back to his horse, opened the rope around the trunk and hopped on it. He felt better and relieved. He was pleased that, unlike the other times, he didn¡¯t hesitate to speak his heart. He gave her a smile and soon vanished from her sight.


    Liu Jin Yu was still in shock. Xiaoming kissed her! She clenched her fists and returned to her ce, still reeling from what Xiaoming had done to her.


    Her heart was hammering against her chest. Wu Jin shouted her name many times, but she didn¡¯t hear him. She reached her tiny room, shut the door behind her and sat down on the floor.


    ¡°What should I do?¡± She mumbled.

 Chapter 258

    258 The day is approaching


    Li Hua kept gazing at the sleeping face of L¨®ng Wei. She lifted her hand and her fingers trailed down his cheek. However, she kept in mind not to disturb his sleep. ¡°Your Highness, I will be strong and will protect you,¡± Li Hua murmured and softly kissed his lips.


    Slowly, she moved out of the bed and went to the patio. She went down to the patio and opened the small equipment room. She wanted to practice shooting the arrow which she had left in the middle.


    After selecting a bow, she picked up the quiver, which had around fifty arrows in it. She wore it on her back and started to practice. If she had practiced when L¨®ng Wei was awake, then he would have stopped her. She thought he was pressuring her too much when it wasn¡¯t the case. She was too weak to work on her body. She used to ck off in physical activities.


    However, after finding out that the enemy around her was powerful, she realized that she had to learn all the things that would help her protect L¨®ng Wei.


    After practicing for an hour, she stopped. She collected the arrows from the ground. Today she missed the aims many times. It was probably because it was evening time and the visibility was not that good.


    ¡°How did the shooter shoot the arrow when it was dark in the morning? He must be very skilled,¡± Li Hua murmured and took out the arrows from the trunk of the tree when her palm got a cut with the sharp edge of the arrow.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± she let out a low cry and quickly pressed her thumb over the cut. After a few seconds, she moved her thumb away and sucked on it. She lowered her hand when she was assured that the cut had clotted. She put the arrows inside the quiver. She put the quiver inside the small equipment room, then went to the chamber.


    To her surprise, L¨®ng Wei was still sleepy. She walked out and returned with twonterns in her hands. She ced one in the room adjacent to the bedchamber, while the other she put on the patio.


    After that, she lit the candles in the bedchamber. Since L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t like much light, she kept the count low and came to the living room.


    .....


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± she heard L¨®ng Wei¡¯s deep voice say. She lifted her head and found him rubbing her eyes. He stretched out his arms and yawned. ¡°I overslept but I feel good,¡± he said, and smiled.


    Li Hua stood up from around the floor table and asked him if they should change the bandage on his back. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Physician Peng,¡± she suggested.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see his face. He tried to kill me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and got annoyed. ¡°Change it after dinner,¡± he said, and grasped her hands. He furrowed his brows and looked down at her hands.


    ¡°Your fingers seem rough,¡± he murmured, and saw the clot on her left palm. ¡°Did you hurt yourself?¡± He asked and looked into her eyes.


    ¡°It was a small cut. While cleaning the table, it happened,¡± she lied to him. She didn¡¯t want to reveal to him that she practiced archery when he told her not to learn it anymore.


    ¡°There are hundreds of servants in the pce. Why did you clean? You will not do it anymore. I will punish the servants who are appointed to my manor if you work unnecessarily,¡± he warned her while showing his sincere concern towards her.


    ¡°It is merely a slight cut. His Highness is reacting too much,¡± she told him and smiled.


    ¡°Tonight, I will be out as I need to find the truth,¡± L¨®ng Wei informed her, which worried her. Before she could stop him, he said, ¡°I have promised Yi Xinze that I will save his wife, and then, I need to prove to my father that I am the most suitable person to be the Governor of Qinping. I told you because it would be wrong to hide my activities. As my wife, you must know where your husband goes and what he does.¡± He tucked her hair behind her ear.


    ¡°Who is Yi Xinze?¡± Li Hua was curious to know.


    ¡°The man who attacked the Crown Prince. He told me his real name and revealed a few more things. Someone from the pce tasked Yi Xinze with attacking the Crown Prince. He doesn¡¯t recognize the person, so I need to investigate. Don¡¯t miss me at night,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°If I knew how to fight, then His Highness would have let me apany him. Currently, I am a mere burden to him,¡± she said with a disappointed look and sighed.


    ¡°Li Hua, you are not a burden to me. You can apany me if you want. You will get to see how your husband works,¡± he said with a wide smile. Li Hua enthusiastically agreed with him.


    ¡°But I do not want to exhaust you. So, if for any reason I have to go out of the pce, then I will drop you here first,¡± he rified to her.


    ¡°His Highness shall not go out of the pce even if the situation arises. The King is already infuriated,¡± she anxiously said.


    ¡°I cannot do that. As I said, this Governor position is important to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and took Li Hua towards the patio. They both sat on the floor mat when L¨®ng Weiid down, resting his head on herp.


    The low-height wooden handrail was adjacent to them, and outside it were a few stairs. ¡°Li Hua, the day is approaching,¡± he said while exhaling a deep sigh.


    ¡°Which day, Your Highness?¡± Li Hua arched her eyebrow with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°The day I killed her. I didn¡¯t want to do it. However, I have no other way,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°She made me despise her to the extent that I decided to remove her from my life,¡± he stated. He sounded low and regretful. This was what Li Hua observed. She was hoping that L¨®ng Wei would tell her that he didn¡¯t kill his mother.


    L¨®ng Wei looked into her eyes, which were glued to him. ¡°Are you scared?¡±


    ¡°No. Why would I be scared?¡± She gently stroked her hand through his hair.


    ¡°Because if I can kill the person who gave birth to me, then I can kill anyone. That¡¯s why people run away from me. However, there are a few people who, despite my past, didn¡¯t run away from me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and a tiny smile formed on his lips.

 Chapter 259

    259 On Fire


    Li Hua discovered that L¨®ng Wei deeply regretted killing his mother. She wanted to know why he did that, but she didn¡¯t ask him. She continued to caress his hair while he kept his eyes intact on her.


    ¡°Li Hua, will you not ask me why I killed her? You are always curious to know,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her, and took her hand in his. Their fingers intertwined together as he waited for her response.


    ¡°I do not want His Highness to get upset,¡± Li Hua answered. She didn¡¯t deny that she didn¡¯t want to know.


    ¡°She always wanted me to leave the pce. I was born from a mistake. These were her words, which I grew up listening to from her,¡± he said, and asked her to keep all this to herself. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to go to the King and tell him. It¡¯s not meant to be shared,¡± he added.


    ¡°Why?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°Because if the person who wanted me to leave the pce, then everyone would keep using it against me. It¡¯s between me and her. She is gone, so it has ended. The resentment is still present,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°I never regretted it but resented it. I still do,¡± he rified her confusion. She thought he regretted it, but it was the opposite.


    ¡°After I catch this person who attacked the Crown Prince, I will take you to the riverside on the horse,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her. Li Hua was delighted to hear it. But she feared if someone attacked them. Then what would they do?


    ¡°We must take some soldiers with us too,¡± Li Hua suggested to him.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t want anyone to be there except us,¡± he asserted and smiled. He promptly sat up, and his right knee rose in the air. ¡°Li Hua, I want to take you to many ces,¡± he avidly said. The smile widened on his lips.


    .....


    ¡°His Highness already took me to a few ces. Thanks to him, I saw the flower valley on the hill. I still have to see the magnificentke where Monk Yuze resides. Then, we went to Xinshui. I explored the market and even the part where I always wanted to go.¡± She didn¡¯t want to go to many ces because of the safety concern.


    ¡°What happened? You suddenly seem unexcited to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. His fingers stroked her cheeks while his eyes lingered in her eyes.


    ¡°After His Highness get hurt, I am scared. What if he is attacked again?¡± She inquired.


    ¡°I took that shot as I wanted to save Shui Xiaoqing. No one attacked me,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°If you keep getting scared in this way, then you will miss so many things,¡± he affirmed.


    He dipped his head and kissed the left side of her neck. Her fingers tightened their hold on his fingers while her eyes shut. He trailed kisses on her neck, down to her shoulder. Using his hand, he yanked off the overcoat and then the thin fabric of her dress.


    His fingers traveled down her back in gentle and slow motions. He leaned back and faced her while she gradually opened her eyes.


    Li Hua¡¯s heart hammered against her chest with just a few kisses. She initiated the kiss this time and captured his lips. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s expert hands picked her up by the hips and made her sit on hisp.


    Their lips were still connected, moving in rhythm with each other. His right hand went under her long skirt, and his fingers traced her soft leg. He smiled, realizing she didn¡¯t push him away, unlike the former times. She had finally epted him. He deepened their kiss.


    They withdrew from the long-passionate kiss, leaving them breathless. He didn¡¯t stop there. He kissed her chin and angled her neck.


    She moaned when he licked the hollow of her throat and moved his lips to the sensitive spot right below her ear. He bit her skin, yearning for a moan from her when he kissed her there.


    Li Hua¡¯s hands, which were on his nape, now came to the front as she gradually moved them over his shoulders and chest. Her body was on fire and she wanted more of it. However, a masculine voice interrupted them.


    ¡°Your Highness, this is Eunuch Gao Bing. The King has sent something for you.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei ignored him and continued kissing her corbone while Li Hua had opened her eyes.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, Eunuch Gao Bing is outside,¡± she whispered and patted on his shoulders.


    L¨®ng Wei had to stop, and he cursed under his breath. He moved the dress up from her shoulder and traced her lips with this thumb. ¡°I will kill him,¡± he muttered under his breath and dashed to the door.


    With fury, L¨®ng Wei opened the door.


    ¡°Your Highness, this-¡±


    ¡°You love to anger me, right?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sudden burst of anger terrified Gao Bing. ¡°Why are you staring at me? Go away from my sight!¡± He shrieked at him.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei should not talk to me in this way,¡± Gao Bing said, despite his fear. His hands had turned sweaty and his feet were trembling.


    ¡°You should not have interrupted me when I was busy with my wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him as he calmed down. ¡°Fine. I apologize to you,¡± he said.


    Gao Bing was astonished to hear L¨®ng Wei. Did he hear correctly? ¡°D-did the Pr-prince-¡± words didn¡¯te out of his mouth. He was unable to process if he had heard right or if it was merely an illusion.


    ¡°I apologize to you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he opened the scroll. By now, his anger had vanished. He read the message of his father and folded the scroll.


    Gao Bing smiled and said, ¡°Forgive me for intruding on the newlyweds in the middle. Your Highness, I apologize for my mistake. This is the first time I heard the prince apologizing to me. I am unable to express my happiness,¡± he stated.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and wondered if his apology mattered so much to Gao Bing. He stepped up and hung his arm around Gao Bing. ¡°Indeed, I must apologize to you since you are old. I must respect you at least, who help me in my various tasks,¡± he said.


    Eunuch Gao Bing felt proud for some reason. His rtionship with L¨®ng Wei was improving. Once he had won L¨®ng Wei¡¯s heart, then he didn¡¯t need to fear anyone.


    ¡°Gao Bing, could you give me the records what Eunuch Lianying does these days? It will be of great help if you give me the record of his activities of past one week,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked for his help. He was the only one who could ess the personal records of every servant¡¯s activities in the pce.


    ¡°Sure, Your Highness.¡± Gao Bing didn¡¯t have any choice except to ept the order of L¨®ng Wei.

 Chapter 260

    260 Until Yuze is Alive


    Gao Bing was overjoyed at how respectfully L¨®ng Wei spoke to him. However, the next second, when L¨®ng Wei demanded something unusual from him, Gao Bing understood why L¨®ng Wei was too good to him.


    ¡°Your Highness, I am afraid, I cannot give you the keys. I will fall in danger,¡± Gao Bing said, and asked him to let him go.


    ¡°Gao Bing,¡± L¨®ng Wei pressed his shoulder tightly, and he flinched in pain. ¡°Don¡¯t force me to use my ways. Give me the keys to that room. I will return them to you in the morning. You should not forget that our rtionship will remain good as long as you want it to.¡± His words came out as a threat, and it forced Gao Bing to agree to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s condition.


    ¡°May I know why the Prince needs the activity record of Eunuch Lianying? He is the Eunuch in the Queen¡¯s manor and if anything goes wrong, then it will not be good.¡± Gao Bing didn¡¯t want to be a part of any evil of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find it soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, smiling and asking for the keys first.


    ¡°After dinner, I will give the keys to His Highness,¡± Gao Bing replied. It was an excuse to run away from L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take me for a fool. Give me the keys, else I will take them by force,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Gao Bing gave up. His tricks never worked on L¨®ng Wei. For the past few days, L¨®ng Wei hadn¡¯t bothered him. But now, he was again after him, threatening him for his one small mistake.


    Gao Bing slid his hand inside his pocket and took out the keys to the room, where only he could enter. L¨®ng Wei gripped the circr key holder, but Gao Bing didn¡¯t let go of it.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled it in his direction and smiled at him. ¡°Thank you for these,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and put them inside his pocket. ¡°Now, after dinner, you must bring the activity record book. I will meet you in the pavilion outside my manor. If you don¡¯te, I will reach the King¡¯s manor,¡± he stated and widened his smile.


    .....


    Gao Bing nodded his head. There was no way to refuse L¨®ng Wei. He knew how to ckmail everyone around him. ¡°Your Highness, please take care of the keys,¡± Gao Bing told L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They are safe with me,¡± he assured him and dismissed him. Gao Bing turned and left his sight.


    L¨®ng Wei walked in and closed the door. He found Li Hua hade to the resting chamber from the patio.


    ¡°His Highness talked so rudely with Eunuch Gao Bing,¡± Li Huained as she put the candle stand on the table.


    ¡°He troubled me at a time when he should not have. He almost killed my mood, but then I calmed myself down,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and put his arm around her shoulder.


    ¡°I will share the n with you,¡± he said, while she tilted her head. L¨®ng Wei whispered the n in her ear and asked her if she would be able to do it.


    ¡°I can,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°Great,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and caressed her hair. ¡°Li Hua, it is important for me to win,¡± he affirmed and furrowed his brows together.


    ~~~~~


    Tianjie nced at Zhang Xi who brought the record book where they both had distorted the details. ¡°I brought them, Brother Tianjie. Now, before anything happens, we must destroy this,¡± Zhang Xi said as he looked at the record book which he had ced on the table.


    ¡°Did you rece it with a fake one?¡± Tianjie inquired as he picked up the record book. He flipped the pages as he examined them.


    ¡°Yes. I reced it. Now, L¨®ng Wei will not threaten us,¡± Zhang Xi said, heaving a sigh of relief.


    ¡°We need to be careful from now onward. L¨®ng Wei has started to take an interest in pce matters. I do not know what he is up to, but it seems to me a sign of danger,¡± Tianjie pronounced.


    ¡°What can he possibly do, Brother Tianjie?¡± Zhang Xi questioned him.


    ¡°Did you not notice that the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Fourth Prince have suddenly changed sides? The Crown Prince wanted to remove L¨®ng Wei from our lives, but he stopped. Same with Brother Mu and Mingquan has even apanied him to Xinshui,¡± Tianjie affirmed and put the record book back on the table.


    ¡°The Crown Prince indeed has changed. However, he used to protect L¨®ng Wei for a long time. The strange thing is that Brother Mu has turned a blind eye to L¨®ng Wei. A few days ago, I saw him practicing fiercely in the military area. He looked troubled,¡± Zhang Xi informed Tianjie.


    Tianjie had a suspicion that L¨®ng Wei had threatened both of them. He was good in making people get into his favour.


    ¡°Your Highness, pardon me for intruding in the conversation of the princes,¡± Eunuch Ki Luo said and bowed.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Tianjie asked.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has appealed in front of His Majesty to give him the position of Governor,¡± Ki Luo said while keeping his head down.


    ¡°What?¡± Both Tianjie and Zhang Xi were shocked to hear him. They both looked at each other.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. Prince L¨®ng Wei will bring the culprit who attacked the Crown Prince tomorrow morning,¡± Ki Luo narrated them. Zhang Xi ridiculed the words of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei cannot be the Governor. He is only bbering,¡± Zhang Xi stated.


    ¡°What if he isn¡¯t?¡± Tianjie raised suspicions. ¡°L¨®ng Wei knew the truth about the murder of the Xu family when they were unable to find out about it. He is sharper than we all thought. Zhang Xi, why does it feel like a big storm will soone into the pce?¡± Tianjie curled his fingers and scrunched his brows.


    ¡°Brother Tianjie, no one will let L¨®ng Wei be the Governor. Everyone knows his past crimes. The court ministers would rebel if our father tried to make him Governor,¡± Zhang Xi said. ¡°Also, the current governor is capable enough. He will not leave his position even if L¨®ng Wei finds the culprit. Our father will not want to anger the ministers and officials.¡±


    Tianjie didn¡¯t agree with him. ¡°Yuze will support L¨®ng Wei. He will remind our father about the prophecy,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Until Yuze is alive, things will go against us. He is almost 80 years old. When will he die?¡± Zhang Xi muttered in frustration.


    Tianjie got this uneasy feeling that soon L¨®ng Wei would be more powerful than them. As per the prophecy, he was supposed to rule the Kingdom, and if it happened, it would be an end to all of them.

 Chapter 261

    261 Take my eyes off of you


    L¨®ng Wei could not wake up on time in the morning. Last night he had to work hard to catch the culprit. He pulled up the nket when Li Hua asked him to wake up.


    ¡°Let me sleep,¡± he said, and covered his face with the nket. He moved to the other side of the bed, close to the wall so that she would not trouble him anymore.


    Li Hua climbed onto the bed and shook him, but L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t listen to her. She thought to pull the nket again, but her futile attempt went in vain in front of his strength.


    ¡°We will get scolded for reaching... Ahhhh!!¡± She couldn¡¯t finish her sentence and screamed as L¨®ng Wei drew her inside the nket.


    He hugged her tightly and inhaled the scent that wasing from her hair. ¡°Let¡¯s sleep peacefully. They can wait for a while,¡± he whispered.


    ¡°We cannot make His and Her Majesty wait for us. That¡¯s wrong,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Nothing is wrong, Wifey,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he pulled her closer to him. Her back hit his chest while his face was buried in the crook of her neck.


    ¡°It¡¯s ufortable for me, Your Highness. My earrings and head essories...¡± L¨®ng Wei immediately let go of her and threw away the nket. Li Hua immediately sat up and he looked at her.


    He also got up and pushed away the hair to check if he hurt her ears. To his surprise, she had not put on any essories.


    .....


    ¡°Did you lie to me?¡± He looked hurt.


    ¡°That was the only way to wake His Highness up,¡± Li Hua replied, yanking his hands away. She asked the maidservant toe inside. In a few seconds, she came and took away the nket.


    ¡°Now, His Highness shall freshen up, take a bath, and then get ready for the morning greetings,¡± Li Hua told him.


    He clicked his tongue and flipped her on the mattress. He hovered over her and pinned her hands above her head. Li Hua twisted her wrists, which were tightly held by him.


    ¡°Your Highness, leave me,¡± she urged, and found he hadpletely restricted her movements.


    ¡°I will punish you for lying to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and leaned in for a kiss when Li Hua pursed her lips tightly. She shook her head. L¨®ng Wei let go of her hands and sat up.


    ¡°You hurt me here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and put his hand on the left side of his chest. ¡°It hurts badly,¡± he said while pouting.


    Li Hua smiled to hear from him and asked him to go to the washroom.


    ¡°Will you not help me today? Why did you bathe already?¡± L¨®ng Wei whined like a child as he clutched her arm.


    ¡°I have been waking up to His Highness for more than an hour,¡± Li Hua said, and patted his cheek. ¡°He shall not dy anymore. Go to the washroom and then take a nice bath. His Highness can move his arms well, so I do not need to help him,¡± she said.


    L¨®ng Wei exhaled deeply and nodded his head. ¡°I am leaving,¡± he said, and got down from the bed. Li Hua shook her head and went to her chamber to get ready.


    Once she got ready, she went to see if L¨®ng Wei was ready to go to the hall, where everyone would soon gather.


    L¨®ng Wei sprayed the perfume to his neck and took a deep breath. ¡°I feel so fresh,¡± he said, andplimented his looks while looking in the mirror.


    He saw the reflection of Li Hua in the mirror and turned to her. As usual, he was mesmerized to see her. Today she wore a white Hanfu dress, which had a beautiful dress with red flowers imprinted on it.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t His Highness ask me to tie the bandage around his back?¡± Li Hua suddenly questioned him.


    ¡°I called Peng Yuxian. I needed to discuss something important with him as well,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    She nodded at him. ¡°Shall we go?¡± She didn¡¯t want to bete today.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed and walked up to her. He kissed her lips and stood straight. ¡°You look pretty today. How am I going to take my eyes off of you the entire day?¡± Heplimented her and pinched her soft cheeks.


    The maidservant who was near the door smiled to hear them, but she quickly hid her smile.


    Li Hua¡¯s cheeks flushed red. His words made her shy when he held her hand. ¡°Let us go, Dear Wife,¡± he said, and they both went to the hall.


    As they reached outside the corridor of the hall, they encountered Jingfei, who didn¡¯t look in a good state. It seemed she cried the entire night for some reason. Before Li Hua could ask Jingfei, she walked in.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to care about her. Just worry about me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I think Commander Huang Xi said something to the First Princess. I remember him telling me that he didn¡¯t like the First Princess,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Why was he discussing his love interest with you?¡± L¨®ng Wei mumbled. ¡°It¡¯s good that he doesn¡¯t like Jingfei. She doesn¡¯t deserve him,¡± he said with annoyance.


    Li Hua tilted her head to peer at him. ¡°Your Highness, one-sided feelings hurt badly. You must not speak this way,¡± she said.


    ¡°Do you want to argue with me on this pleasant morning regarding a third person?¡± His eyebrow arched. Li Hua shook her head and pulled her hand back.


    ¡°We shall head in,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and they both entered the hall. It had been a long time since theyst came to greet the King, the Queen, and the Consorts.


    They took their seats after the formal greetings, and the tea was served to them.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei looks in the pink of health,¡± Noble Consort Xiuying said.


    ¡°I have recovered from the injury thanks to my wife¡¯s treatment,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied, and nced at Li Hua. He returned his gaze to Xiuying and said, ¡°The Second mother must be disappointed to see me in this healthy condition.¡±


    Qiu Zedong told L¨®ng Wei not to start in the morning. L¨®ng Wei looked at Mingquan, who gave him a warm smile. He had yet to apologize to Mingquan as he got punished because of him.

 Chapter 262

    262 Stop hiding your crimes


    Qiu Zedong put the teacup on the table in front of him and looked in the direction of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Sincest night, this weird rumor has been circting in the pce. Prince L¨®ng Wei wants to be the Governor of Qinping,¡± Zhu Liling said and looked at the King. ¡°Is it true, Your Majesty?¡±


    Everyone looked in the direction of Qiu Zedong. He hummed and asked from L¨®ng Wei, ¡°Did the Prince find out who is the culprit?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and stood up from his seat. Xiaoming was delighted to hear from him. He internally admired L¨®ng Wei¡¯s skills.


    ¡°Who tried to kill my son?¡± Zhu Liling became emotional and also became desperate to know.


    ¡°The Royal Mother has to wait a little,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered, and asked his father if he would release the assassin who was sent to kill the Crown Prince.


    ¡°What kind of request is this?¡± Qiu Zedong didn¡¯t like what L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Royal Father, Yi Xinze waspelled to finish this task. It wasn¡¯t his choice. To save his dear wife, he chased the Crown Prince and tried to harm him, not kill,¡± he stated. He didn¡¯t reveal that Yi Xinze used to be in the military as it could lead to more troubles for him.


    ¡°He attacked the Crown Prince fiercely, and it was clear that he wanted to kill my son,¡± Zhu Liling said in a fury.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei shook his head and sighed. ¡°Royal Mother, please don¡¯t be emotional. The culprit was around you all the time,¡± he affirmed, ¡°yet you failed to find out about it.¡±


    The sudden revtion puzzled everyone.


    ¡°I think the Sixth Brother has lost his mind,¡± Tianjie remarked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take me same as you, Third Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei mocked him and returned his gaze to the Queen. Eunuch Lianying, who was standing beside Eunuch Gao Bing, got worried and deep frowns appeared on his forehead.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to the left of the King, ¡°Lianying, stop hiding your crimes and admit it before the King,¡± he gazed at Zhu Liling, ¡°and the Queen.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zhu Liling didn¡¯t believe what L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°The Sixth Prince shall not use Eunuch Lianying, who has served me for over twenty-five years,¡± she chastised L¨®ng Wei for using Liyanying.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, you must not y pranks on us.¡± Qiu Zedong agreed with Zhu Liling. ording to them, Lianying could never do such a thing to Xiaoming.


    Eunuch Lianying quickly came to the middle of the hall, where L¨®ng Wei had stood. He got on his knees and bowed.


    ¡°Your Majesty, this insult by Prince L¨®ng Wei is more than a death. I gave my entire life to this pce, the former Queen Dowager and then the current Queen. I cannot even think of harming the Crown Prince. Your Majesty, I request you to give me justice and punish Yi Xinze for falsely using me,¡± Lianying pleaded in front of the King. He ruled out the usations that L¨®ng Wei made against him.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei has turned insane to get the Governor¡¯s position. using Eunuch Lianying bying into the words of Yi Xinze, or he may have made this story on his own,¡± Zhang Xi stated. Tianjie supported his words and told their father not to believe L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you both stay quiet?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s elder brothers would irritate him no matter how hard he tried to be respectful to them. Qiu Mu had turned quiet after he threatened him. However, these two were still ready to humiliate him anytime, anywhere.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei must show respect to his brothers,¡± Qiu Zedong scolded him.


    ¡°Forgive me for mynguage, Royal Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t say senseless things without any proof. If His Majesty allows, then I would like to present the evidence to him,¡± he requested his father. Qiu Zedong allowed him, and L¨®ng Wei took out a vertically folded sheet from inside his pocket.


    Everyone looked puzzled, while Lianying was nervous, wondering what L¨®ng Wei would say.


    ¡°Eunuch Lianying met Yi Xinze through a third person. Three days ago, when the Crown Prince attacked, Eunuch Lianying went out on the pretence of work rted to the pce. However, he didn¡¯t go where he was supposed to head to,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he looked at the sheet of record on which Lianying had entered details before leaving the pce.


    ¡°Eunuch Lianying has brought the perfumes for me from the famous shop in the market center,¡± Zhu Liling prevented Eunuch Lianying.


    ¡°Indeed, Your Majesty. However, he sent someone else to pick those exquisite perfumes,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed, and looked at Eunuch Lishi, who was also present in the hall.


    With a broad smile on his lips, L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°Eunuch Lishi, please tell the Queen that you were the one who fetched those perfumes for the Queen.¡±


    ¡°Is it true?¡± Zhu Liling questioned Eunuch Lishi.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Eunuch Lishi replied, ¡°but that¡¯s because Eunuch Lianying has suddenly got another important task toplete.¡±


    L¨®ng Weiughed. ¡°And that important work was to meet his servant in his residence,¡± he affirmed and looked down at Eunuch Lianying.


    Lianying said, ¡°Your Majesty, the Sixth Prince is using me for no reason.¡± Lianying still denied the charges.


    L¨®ng Wei took a deep breath and got down on his knee while his left knee touched the ground. ¡°Lianying, the servant is here and he will bring your truth out,¡± he stated with a smirk. L¨®ng Wei looked at the King and informed him that he would bring Lianying¡¯s servant to the hall.


    ¡°Your Highness, I will do it,¡± Li Hua said, standing up from her seat. L¨®ng Wei hummed and let her walk out. After a few seconds, Li Hua came along with Huang Xi and a man in histe thirties.


    ¡°Fortunately, this person, who is the servant,¡± L¨®ng Wei put his hand on his shoulder, ¡°in Lianying¡¯s residence survived. Last night, I was the one who spread the conversation between my father and me among everyone, that if I found out the culprit who attacked the Crown Prince, my father would consider me for the position of Governor.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei turned to the king and said, ¡°Sadly, Eunuch Lianying got into my trap. He sent a maidservant from the pce to kill him.¡± L¨®ng Wei pointed his finger at the servant. He took out a tiny white porcin bottle and showed it to them. ¡°There¡¯s poison in it which was supposed to be fed to him,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Where is the maidservant, Brother L¨®ng Wei?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°In the Queen¡¯s manor. She is the one who does outside chores for Her Majesty, so she easily went out of the pce the previous night after her work hour waspleted,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Bring her here,¡± Qiu Zedong said in a loud voice. He looked furious and red in the direction of Eunuch Lianying. Zhu Liling couldn¡¯t believe that such servants were employed in her manor who were after the life of her precious son.


    Qiu Zedong asked the servant to speak what Eunuch Lianying ordered him to. On the King¡¯s order, the servant told the truth.


    ¡°The wife of Yi Xinze is captured in Eunuch Lianying¡¯s residence. She has been rescuedst night, Your Majesty,¡± Huang Xi informed the King.


    The maidservant had also walked in as L¨®ng Wei asked her toe out. She begged for her life and apologized for the mistake shemitted.


    Zhu Liling looked at her husband and asked him to give them severe punishment.


    ¡°Your Majesty, your manor is filled with the enemies of the Crown Prince,¡± Xiuying didn¡¯t stay quiet and taunted Zhu Liling. She threw a sharp nce at her and asked her to stay within her limits.


    ¡°Both of you quiet down,¡± Qiu Zedong said in his stern tone and asked Lianying to speak.


    ¡°Why did you do it?¡± The King asked with a grim look on his face.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it, Your Majesty. These people are all lying. Prince L¨®ng Wei is trying to astray everyone here. These servants will surely be purchased by Prince L¨®ng Wei. If I had ordered Yi Xinze to do all this, then why didn¡¯t he tell General Hei, General Mu, and the others?¡± Lianying didn¡¯t ept his crimes because no evidence directly showed that Lianying was involved.


    ¡°Your Majesty, please believe my words. I have been serving the royals for a long time. Never once have I thought ill of them,¡± Lianying affirmed and begged Qiu Zedong to punish L¨®ng Wei for falsely using him.


    ¡°You are loyal to your greediness, Lianying,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed and looked at the King. He revealed another truth to them: ¡°Your Majesty, Eunuch Lianying wanted to kill the Crown Prince because he refused to marry the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ¡°The King must not forget that it was the Kang Family who had sent Lianying to the pce as a gift to thete former King when he was ten years old,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    Gao Bing looked at L¨®ng Wei, who knew the past of Lianying and gulped. ¡®That¡¯s why he asked for the keys from me,¡¯ he thought, and became terrified.

 Chapter 263

    263 L¨®ng Wei as Hostage


    ¡°What is the Prince trying to say?¡± Qiu Zedong suddenly turned furious at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Kang Xi is the most loyal person I could ever have,¡± he stated.


    Li Hua got slightly worried about L¨®ng Wei. She feared that L¨®ng Wei might get punished.


    ¡°Your Majesty, please do not misunderstand my words. Lianying is loyal to the Kang family more than he is to the Royal family. It was the anger inside Lianying that made him take such a step. Because the Crown Prince refused to marry Kang Cha Ying, Eunuch Lianying decided to harm the Crown Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Yi Xinze¡¯s wife was taken as a host by Eunuch Lianying. I saw myself,¡± Huang Xi finally spoke. ¡°Eunuch Lianying is lying to everyone here. As my father has said earlier, only a person from the pce could have known when the Crown Prince would leave the pce,¡± he affirmed and nced at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I, upon the instructions of my master, kept an eye on the Crown Prince, and the moment he left, I alerted Yi Xinze,¡± the servant asserted. Lianying curled his fingers and his nails dug into the rug beneath him.


    Lianying pulled out the dagger from inside his long-sleeved pocket and quickly stood up. He pointed the dagger at L¨®ng Wei¡¯s neck, and took him as the hostage. Everyone stood up from their respective seats.


    Li Hua stepped forward when Lianying threatened her. ¡°If you take another step, he will be dead,¡± Liyanying pronounced.


    ¡°Liyanying, drop the dagger!¡± Qiu Zedong shouted at him and got down the stairs quickly.


    Lianying moved the dagger closer to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s neck, and its sharp de cut his skin. ¡°Prepare the horse for me. Make a safe escape for me if you don¡¯t want the youngest prince to be dead,¡± he threatened the King.


    .....


    ¡°Lianying, you won¡¯t be able to escape,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he narrowly gazed at him. ¡°You proved us yourself that you were the one who attacked the Crown Prince. At least, confess your crimes before thinking about escaping,¡± he stated.


    Li Hua stepped forward despite Lianying¡¯s warning, which he noticed. ¡°I told you that I would kill him, if you took another step towards me,¡± Lianying tightened hold on the hilt of the dagger.


    ¡°Li Hua, stay at your ce,¡± Qiu Zedong loudly said.


    ¡°Eunuch Lianying, don¡¯t do anything stupid. Let the Prince go away,¡± Qiu Mu said this time and slowly pulled out the sword from the sheath.


    ¡°No. As I demanded, prepare a horse for me. I will count to ten, and if you fail to do that, then L¨®ng Wei has to lose his life,¡± Lianying threatened them.


    ¡°Do as he is saying,¡± Qiu Zedong ordered Qiu Mu. He dashed out of the hall to prepare a horse for Lianying.


    ¡°Your Majesty, you cannot let Eunuch Lianying leave. He tried to kill my-¡±


    ¡°Quiet!¡± Qiu Zedong shouted at her. Xiaoming couldn¡¯t believe it was his mother. Even at this moment, she didn¡¯t care about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life. He felt terrible. Because of him, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life fell into danger.


    ¡°Why did you do it?¡± Qiu Zedong asked Lianying. ¡°Answer me before I let you go,¡± he said with fury.


    ¡°I never knew that the King loved his youngest son so much,¡± Lianying asserted. ¡°The Crown Prince is sound and safe, yet the King wants to punish me. However, he didn¡¯t punish L¨®ng Wei, who killed Concubine Jun,¡± Lianying stated.


    ¡°Why are you bringing her into all this?¡± L¨®ng Wei clenched his fists. His eyes turned red, and so did his ears.


    ¡°Shut your mouth, L¨®ng Wei!¡± Lianying said. ¡°It is wrong that you were not punished to death when youmitted such a grave sin. Your Majesty, you are growing a snake in this pce. A day wille when L¨®ng Wei will kill everyone in this family. Yuze and L¨®ng Wei want to take control over everything,¡± Lianying filled the ears of the Queen as he looked into her eyes.


    ¡°Eunuch Lianying, that¡¯s enough. You are crossing your limits,¡± Xiaoming stepped up this time. ¡°Don¡¯t try to create a rift in the regal family,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s the truth. Yuze is not someone who can be taken lightly. A time wille when you all will have to die because of the Dragon¡¯s son. He will overthrow the King and establish himself as the King of the Qiu Kingdom. Mark my words,Your Majesty,¡± Liyanying asserted. He was on the verge of death, yet he didn¡¯t stop filling the ears of the Queen against L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Royal Father, the horse is ready,¡± Qiu Mu informed Qiu Zedong as he rushed inside the door.


    ¡°You all are fools to think that L¨®ng Wei will make this Kingdom prosperous. I heard Yuze and L¨®ng Wei discussing their future n to rule over the Qiu Kingdom,¡± Lianying didn¡¯t hesitate to lie. That¡¯s why he wanted to nt a seed of suspicion in everyone¡¯s mind.


    L¨®ng Wei went to extreme lengths to expose his truth, so Lianying decided to destroy him as well.


    L¨®ng Wei promptly moved his hand above Lianying¡¯s, which was on the hilt. ¡°Kill me, Lianying,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Li Hua¡¯s heart sank to hear him.


    She turned to face the King and said, ¡°Eunuch Lianying is lying, Your Majesty. Prince L¨®ng Wei never had any such thoughts. Please don¡¯t believe the rubbish that Eunuch Lianying spat.¡±


    ¡°How can we not believe Eunuch Lianying?¡± Xiuying stepped down the stairs and said, ¡°Yu Jun died because she knew what Prince L¨®ng Wei would be one day. He killed his mother, and he could do the same with us too.¡±


    ¡°Lianying, why are you afraid to kill me? Kill me already,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and crushed his fingers. Lianying flinched in pain and his hold on the dagger loosened. Huang Xi noticed that and immediately acted.


    He pushed aside Lianying and unsheathed the sword. Before Lianying could act, Huang Xi pointed his sword at him.


    Li Hua, Xiaoming, and Mingquan rushed to L¨®ng Wei. He was extremely angry because Lianying¡¯s lies made things difficult for him. He grasped him by his cor and red into his eyes.


    ¡°Why did you lie about me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him, with a murderous look in his eyes.

 Chapter 264

    264 I never stopped the King


    ¡°It is not a lie. It is the truth which I heard with my ears,¡± Lianying said with an evil smile. Now, his death was near, he didn¡¯t care to tell more lies.


    ¡°Take him away,¡± Qiu Zedong ordered Qiu Mu. He bowed and walked up to Lianying.


    L¨®ng Wei pushed him away, and Qiu Mu caught Lianying. Huang Xi also followed Qiu Mu to make sure Lianying would not attack him.


    ¡°Your Highness, your neck is bleeding,¡± Li Hua said. With a trembling hand, she touched his neck. However, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s focus was not on it. Lianying ruined things for him. He lied in front of everyone. He was pissed off and wanted to kill Lianying on his own while making him confess that he had lied to everyone.


    ¡°Bring Peng Yuxian,¡± Qiu Zedong asked Gao Bing. He rushed to the western pce to get the physician.


    ¡°Have a seat, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Zedong told him. Li Hua held his arm and brought him to the broad chair. He made him sit and looked towards the door.


    She got aside when Qiu Zedong came towards L¨®ng Wei and tilted his neck. ¡°The Prince isn¡¯t supposed to provoke the traitors this way,¡± he said, showing his concern.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei should not have asked him to kill you. What if something has gone wrong?¡± Xiaoming was also worried. He was the one who assigned this matter to L¨®ng Wei, and it made him guilty.


    ¡°Luckily, the Prince is safe,¡± Virtuous Consort Ruoxi said. ¡°Eunuch Lianying started to tell lies,¡± she asserted.


    .....


    Noble Consort Xiuying realized that Ruoxi was getting on the good side of the King. So, she decided to agree with her words. ¡°Indeed. Eunuch Lianying lied about Monk Yuze and the rted prophecy that he had made for the Prince,¡± she changed her previous statement too.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s temper was in heaven¡¯s sky. After hearing the words of Xiuying, he recalled how she had also started to judge him because of that lie.


    ¡°I never stopped the King from giving me a death sentence. He should have killed me the day I killed his concubine,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and looked into his father¡¯s eyes. ¡°I know that almost everyone believed in Lianying¡¯s words,¡± he stated with a displeased look.


    ¡°No one believed Lianying¡¯s words. Brother L¨®ng Wei exposed his truth and that¡¯s why he started to lie,¡± Xiaoming said. L¨®ng Wei was not satisfied with his answer. ¡°I don¡¯t need any treatment,¡± he said and stood up.


    ¡°I will see youter,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Li Hua, ¡°forgive me.¡± He walked out of the hall despite the King asking him to stay.


    ¡°I would like to tell everyone something. Prince L¨®ng Wei worked hard the entire night to find the real culprit and the evidence,¡± Li Hua finally spoke. They all looked in her direction.


    ¡°Noble Consort Xiuying should not have said that Prince L¨®ng Wei could kill everyone around him. That will never happen. I agree that the ways of the Prince are different from the ones everyone follows. That¡¯s why everyone thinks he is selfish and mischievous when it is not the truth. Thest time, Prince L¨®ng Wei was punished because he beat Kang Huijuan. However, no one tried to learn the truth why he did that.¡± Li Hua didn¡¯t want to stop today. She wanted to tell the King how considerate L¨®ng Wei was to the people around him.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan left a woman pregnant and even tried to kill her. That¡¯s why Prince L¨®ng Wei beat him. Kang Huijuan is roaming freely in the capital and injustice has again won,¡± Li Hua mocked Qiu kingdom¡¯s justice while looking at them.


    ¡°Yes, Royal Father. The Sister-inw is absolutely right. Kang Huijuan tried to kill a pregnant woman. Brother L¨®ng Wei saved her from him, and in the end, they fought when he broke his hand. However, he epted the punishment because he did wrong by taking thew into his hand. He remained quiet because ofck of evidence at that time and also, the woman¡¯s life was in danger,¡± Mingquan supported the facts that Li Hua narrated to them.


    ¡°The Royal Father must not trust the Kang family. All of them are the same,¡± Xiaoming stated. ¡°Kang Xi¡¯s daughter¡¯s words I still remember. For the position of the Crown Princess, her greed was visible,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°No one will point a finger at L¨®ng Wei merely because Lianying told some lies to create unrest among us. I will not tolerate anyone¡¯s behavior based on it,¡± he announced his decision.


    The physician reached the hall with Gao Bing. But upon not seeing the Sixth Prince, they both got confused.


    Tianjie told the physician to return as L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t present in the hall.


    ¡°Send a summon to Kang Huijuan, Crown Prince,¡± Qiu Zedong said. Xiaoming was astonished to hear from his father, but he was happy. He promptly agreed to it and asked his father if he would send it soon.


    ¡°In today¡¯s Court Session, he must be present,¡± Qiu Zedong said and scrunched his brows. He left the hall while the Queen walked behind him. The two consorts also left after a while.


    ¡°Li Hua, Brother L¨®ng Wei will return soon,¡± Ai Fen told her and put her hand around her shoulder. ¡°Come, I will follow you to the manor,¡± she said in a soft voice.


    ¡°I will apany you too,¡± Jingfei said. Xiaolian didn¡¯t stay behind and decided to apany them.


    ¡°Sister Jingfei, take care of the Princess Consort,¡± Xiaoming said. She nodded and they left with Li Hua.


    ¡°I am surprised that Brother L¨®ng Wei beat Kang Huijuan for a reason that was unknown to all of us,¡± Tianjie asserted and nced at Xiaoming.


    ¡°Was Eunuch Lianying¡¯s attack on the Crown Prince including the involvement of the Prime Minister?¡± Zhang Xi raised a suspicion.


    ¡°That¡¯s tough to say at the moment. I have to leave as I need to send a summoning message to Kang Huijuan,¡± Xiaoming said and left the hall.

 Chapter 265

    265 Want to live happily with Li Hua


    L¨®ng Wei stopped outside the hut where Yuze lived. He ran away from the pce because he knew if he stayed there, he would kill Lianying first for dragging the name of Yuze.


    If there was someone whom L¨®ng Wei respected more than anything, then that person was Yuze. Only he knew, how he controlled his anger at that time.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Yuze said, and L¨®ng Wei turned to look at him. Yuze was bewildered to see the blood on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s neck and upper part of the robes.


    He had a bamboo basket, which he put on the table and walked up to him. He asked L¨®ng Wei where he hurt himself.


    ¡°You should not have made any prophecy about me. Because of the prophecy, I am stuck here,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. His eyes carried a dejected look. Yuze realized that something had happened in the pce again.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± Yuze said as he walked ahead with the support of the thick stick. L¨®ng Wei followed him inside the hut and sat on the bench. Yuze put the basket on the table and went to the room to get herbal medicine for L¨®ng Wei.


    After a while, he came out and cleaned the wound on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s neck before applying the herbal medicine over it. He covered it with a clean white cloth and tied its end behind his nape. ¡°Do not move your head too much,¡± Yuze advised him. He went outside to clean his hands with the water.


    When he returned, he sat next to L¨®ng Wei and asked him to speak.


    ¡°Yuze, that bastard crossed his entire limit. He lied about you and even humiliated you. I should have broken his teeth at the very moment when he spoke those things,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while gritting his teeth and mmed his hands on the table before him.


    .....


    ¡°Who did this? Will the Prince be clear with his words?¡± Yuze was unable to understand him.


    ¡°Lianying. That bastard sent a man to kill the Crown Prince. When I exposed him, he questioned your prophecy. I do not care what you said about me, but he told everyone in the hall that you were scheming with me to overthrow the King. I should have killed him even before he could speak from his mouth,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a murderous expression. His anger kept increasing and his inner voice was telling him to brutally kill Lianying even if he would get punished.


    ¡°Calm down.¡± Yuze patted L¨®ng Wei¡¯s back. ¡°Eunuch Lianying was the type who believed in filling the ears of the person. He only wants the downfall of the Prince who exposed his truth in front of everyone,¡± Yuze affirmed.


    ¡°I killed her for a reason, Yuze. To survive, I had to end her life. I am a sinned son and I don¡¯t deny that. ¡°I knew I might have died after killing her, but it was the only way for me to survive,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied, lowering his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t like it. His words stabbed my heart like a knife,¡± he muttered in fury.


    Yuze was perplexed to see L¨®ng Wei this way. He usually used to ignore what others used to say about him. But this was the first time, L¨®ng Wei got bothered. He evenined to Yuze about why he had to make such a prophecy about him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to rule over the kingdom even if it¡¯s my destiny,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced and took heavy breaths.


    ¡°You cannot run away from your destiny, L¨®ng Wei. However, you can change it. My prophecy in the end says that the Dragon¡¯s son will use it to make this Kingdom prosperous,¡± Yuze stated, and gave him a warm smile.


    ¡°Can I kill him? I will ask my father to let me kill that bastard with my hands,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°The Prince shall think rationally,¡± Yuze said. ¡°Let the King handle this matter in his own way,¡± he advised him.


    ¡°Yuze, I want to protect Li Hua. She embraced me when I had no faith left in anything. That¡¯s why today I stopped myself. I want to live happily with Li Hua. If I be the Governor, I can protect her in a better way,¡± he stated.


    Yuze hummed and caressed his arm. ¡°You will be the Governor and even protect your wife,¡± he said.


    ¡°But everyone judges me because of my past. Sometimes I wonder if I made Li Hua¡¯s life difficult because of me. However, I cannot even remove her from my life. Because if she disappears from my life, I will also disappear,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Though there were no tears in his eyes, Yuze sensed that he was badly hurt.


    He had decided to go once to the pce in the evening to find out what exactly happened. What did Eunuch Lianying say that hurt L¨®ng Wei?


    ¡°Li Hua must be alone and looking for the Prince,¡± Yuze said.


    ¡°She will run away from me. I, somehow ended up getting hurt,¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured.


    Yuze could not stopughing at his words.


    ¡°Then, the Prince shall not get hurt,¡± Yuze opined.


    ¡°You are right,¡± he agreed with him. ¡°Yuze, you should not protect me anymore. I don¡¯t want anyone to think you always side with me,¡± he urged.


    ¡°Because no one was by Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s side, then I must have to do that,¡± he asserted. ¡°However, now the Prince has many people around him. He has be close to many,¡± he added, and praised him for his achievements.


    ¡°After Li Hua came into my life, I met with people who wanted my good. Huang Xi wanted to be my friend. Brother Mingquan also supported me. Chang Shi was my friend for a long time. Not many know about him. Xu Zifan is also close to me.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mood started to lighten and he smiled as he recalled that he had a few people around him who always understood him.

 Chapter 266

    266 Remain in everyone¡¯s Memory


    ¡°What about Crown Prince Xiaoming?¡± Yuze questioned him.


    ¡°That¡¯s tough to say. He seems confused to me. He has suddenly turned nicer to me. He even admitted the crime that he hadmitted. He apologized to me, but I still do not trust him fully,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and recalled the words that Xiaoming told him when he was eight years old.


    ¡°¡®You must stay out of the pce matters, if you want to live¡¯ ¨C these were the words of the Crown Prince when I was young,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and nced at Yuze. ¡°I know he loves his throne more than anything,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Because if the Crown Prince fails to keep the throne to himself, then his life will only be aughing stock to the people,¡± Yuze stated. He wanted L¨®ng Wei to turn his rtionship with Xiaoming into a healthier one.


    ¡°Yuze, I don¡¯t want to be the King. But I want to be someone who will remain in everyone¡¯s memory. I want to prove the words of my mother wrong, which she told me,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. He looked more determined than before, and he had also turned calmer.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei looks alright to me. He must go back and take a rest. He should not get hurt as it¡¯s dangerous for him. He already lost his blood a few days ago and then today, he got hurt,¡± he concernedly said.


    L¨®ng Wei stood up and thanked Yuze for conversing with him. ¡°I shall return then,¡± he said, and smiled at him.


    ¡°I have something for Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Yuze said, and she went towards the third room adjacent to the present one. He returned after a few minutes with a basket in his hand.


    L¨®ng Wei looked inside it and found fruit inside it. ¡°I plucked some red bayberries earlier in the morning. Li Hua will like them,¡± he opined. L¨®ng Wei thanked him and took the bamboo basket from him. He walked ahead, but then he stopped and turned to him.


    .....


    Hugging Yuze tightly he said, ¡°Your name should not have been dragged. I cannot bear if someone insults you and lie about you. I will surely take my revenge on him.¡± He pulled away and thanked Yuze for treating his wound on the neck. He waved at him and left the hut.


    Before returning to the pce, L¨®ng Wei took a bundle of flowers for Li Hua. The look in her eyes was shing in front of him, and he knew that he had hurt her.


    He inhaled the scent of the flowers that he had picked. ¡°Hopefully, she will forgive me soon,¡± he mumbled and went towards the pce.


    ~~~~~


    Jingfei handed the ss of water to Li Hua and asked her to drink it. She shook her head. ¡°The Prince left in anger. I wonder, if he is alright. His neck was bleeding too,¡± Li Hua said with a worried look.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei will return soon, Li Hua. You should drink water,¡± Ai Fen told her, and finally convinced her to drink the water.


    ¡°Eunuch Lianying was always around us. However, none expected that he would n to attack the Crown Prince,¡± Xiaolian stated. ¡°I am d that the Crown Prince was saved by that girl that day.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Eunuch Lianying was around us all the time,¡± Jingfei said, and she sat next to Li Hua. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is smarter than he portrays himself. Did he ask Commander Huang Xi to help him beforehand?¡± She curiously awaited Li Hua¡¯s response.


    ¡°Yes. Commander Huang Xi safely rescued the wife of Yi Xinze,¡± she replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°Li Hua!¡± Xu Zifan¡¯s voice made her lift her head.


    Xu Zifan, upon seeing the Princesses lowered his eyes and asked for forgiveness. ¡°I willeter,¡± he humbly said and decided to leave when Ai Fen asked him to stay.


    ¡°Li Hua may need her brother more than us. We willeter to her,¡± Ai Fen told Xu Zifan. He didn¡¯t raise his head and thanked her for understanding.


    ¡°Li Hua, take care of yourself. Do thank Brother L¨®ng Wei and Commander Huang Xi on my behalf,¡± Jingfei said while keeping a tiny smile on her lips. Li Hua nodded at her and they stood up. Li Hua bowed as the three princesses left the chamber.


    Once they left, Xu Zifan asked Li Hua about L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Elder Brother, His Highness left the hall. He looked dejected. Lianying used Prince L¨®ng Wei and Monk Yuze wrongly.¡± She narrated everything that happened in the hall.


    ¡°Lianying tried to demean Prince L¨®ng Wei. He wanted to create suspicions among the regal family members about the Prince,¡± Xu Zifan affirmed.


    ¡°Yes. Fortunately, His Majesty didn¡¯t believe Eunuch Lianying¡¯s words, or else it would have been difficult for the Prince,¡± Li Hua said and wiped the tears from the edges of her eyes.


    ¡°His Highness¡¯s life is already so difficult and then some people leave no chance to humiliate him,¡± Li Hua said. Xu Zifan walked up to her and caressed her hair.


    ¡°People will understand him soon, as we both did. I also carried prejudices about Prince L¨®ng Wei, but after knowing him, I found him blunt yet straightforward. He is indeed sharper than many of the people that we have encountered with a good reach,¡± he started to count good sides about L¨®ng Wei and didn¡¯t let Li Hua cry.


    ¡°Elder Brother, I want to protect him. I want to be physically strong. I want to get trained. I have been learning archery, but I don¡¯t know if I am doing well or not. Will my elder brother help me?¡± Li Hua requested him.


    The old Xu Zifan would have refused her, but the present Xu Zifan agreed to her request. ¡°We will both do it. I am learning to use a sword using my left hand. We both can practice daily. However, I may soon leave the pce,¡± he informed Li Hua.


    ¡°Where is the Elder Brother going?¡± She questioned her.


    ¡°To the residence which the King has given me. His Majesty called me yesterday and bestowed the title on me as well. Since I have qualified for the civil services exam with good score, I will work as a fourth-rank official in the bureau,¡± he told Li Hua. She was delighted to hear that.


    ¡°If the brother and sister are done talking, then can I have some private moments with my wife?¡± Suddenly, they both heard the familiar voice and looked towards the door.


    ~~~~~~~


    Hope you will enjoy the new chapters ??

 Chapter 267

    267 Orchids


    They were both stunned to see L¨®ng Wei at the door. He had his hands behind his back while he looked in a better mood than before.


    ¡°No questions will be answered at the moment. So, leave silently,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Xu Zifan. He smiled to see him safe and left the chamber.


    ¡°Close your eyes,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Li Hua.


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± she said tly, refusing to close her eyes.


    ¡°Then, I will keep standing here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Then stay,¡± Li Hua said. Her eyes turned misty and she immediately turned her back to him. L¨®ng Wei stepped in and closed the doors behind him. He quietly walked towards her and put the bamboo basket full of red bayberries on the table.


    Li Hua almost turned to him to scold him when L¨®ng Wei hugged her from behind while showing the tiny bouquet of flowers that he had prepared for her while returning.


    The orchids, which symbolized Love, L¨®ng Wei presented to Li Hua as he securely ced his hands around her.


    ¡°I went to Yuze to calm myself,¡± he said, ¡°and then picked these for you.¡±


    .....


    Tears rolled down her cheeks. She had been holding them for a long time, but seeing him, joyful, sound, and safe, she couldn¡¯t. She broke into tears and held his hands.


    ¡°I was terrified,¡± she said in a low voice and sniffled.


    L¨®ng Wei immediately withdrew from the back hug and turned her towards him. He wiped the tears from her cheeks and asked her not to fry. She stopped crying and shot a re at him.


    ¡°Why did His Highness ask Eunuch Lianying to kill him?¡± Her tone intimidated him.


    ¡°I only threatened him. He is a coward, who can never kill me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and took an orchid from the bouquet and put it on the side of her hair bun. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. I was already upset,¡± he stated, and looked down into her eyes.


    ¡°Yuze treated my wound. I talked with him and then my anger vanished. If I hadn¡¯t left, then Lianying would be dead,¡± he rified to her why he left the hall.


    Li Hua lifted her hand and touched his neck. ¡°Why do you have to do that? Eunuch Lianying could have-¡± Her voice choked and she sniffled.


    L¨®ng Wei brushed her hair away from her brow and handed her the orchid bouquet. ¡°Do you think a coward can kill me?¡± He questioned her.


    ¡°I am hungry. Let¡¯s have our breakfast,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and called the maidservant in. He asked her to send the breakfast meals for them.


    Li Hua hugged L¨®ng Wei tightly. ¡°I told everyone that everything His Highness did had a reason behind it. His Highness has told me not to tell anyone about Kang Huijuan¡¯s wrongdoing, but I could not stop. I told them how he portrayed His Highness wrong. His Majesty has sent a summon to him. I hope I didn¡¯t do anything wrong,¡± Li Hua said. She didn¡¯t like it when Xiuying had that using gaze on L¨®ng Wei. So, she decided to tell them what happened with L¨®ng Wei was an injustice.


    ¡°You did the right thing. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong,¡± he said as he wrapped his arm around her. They stayed that way for a few minutes when Li Hua withdrew from that hug.


    He put his hand on her cheek and caressed it. ¡°I will not worry you anymore. I didn¡¯t know Lianying would lie about Yuze and bring up my past before everyone. I cannot tolerate Yuze¡¯s insult and it made me furious,¡± he said. He tilted his head as the maidservant came inside with breakfast meals.


    ¡°Your Highness, these flowers are beautiful,¡± Li Hua said, and she put them inside a vase.


    ¡°Yuze has sent red bayberries for you,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her, pointing towards the table.


    L¨®ng Wei turned to look at the maidservant, and said, ¡°You should also take some.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± the maidservant said. Li Hua picked a bowl and filled them with bayberries. She handed the bowl to the maidservant, who thanked her and left the chamber.


    ¡°My Elder Brother will work in the bureaucratic office in the city¡¯s center,¡± Li Hua informed L¨®ng Wei after they finished the meals. ¡°His Majesty bestowed him the title and also gave him a residence. I am thankful to my Husband, who made it possible,¡± she stated.


    ¡°If you are thankful, then you should give me something,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°What does His Highness want?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°ever.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Li Hua said with a smile full of assurance. L¨®ng Wei took her hand in his and intertwined their fingers.


    ~~~~~~


    Xiaoming sat down on the seat right below the King¡¯s throne and looked at the ministers before him who had gathered.


    ¡°Is it true that the Prime Minister¡¯s son did such an obscene thing?¡± One of the ministers whispered.


    ¡°Why would Princess Consort Li Hua lie about such a thing? Prince L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t beat Kang Huijuan without any reason,¡± another one said.


    Tianjie nced at Mingquan. ¡°L¨®ng Wei hid such a big truth from everyone. I wonder if our father will punish Kang Huijuan when there¡¯s ack of evidence,¡± he stated.


    ¡°The woman is alive and safe,¡± Mingquan answered.


    ¡°I am surprised L¨®ng Wei saved a woman,¡± Zhang Xi whispered. Tianjie agreed with his words.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s past has nothing to do with his present,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°His matters with histe mother wereplicated. We must not judge him merely because of that reason,¡± he advised both of his elder brothers.


    ¡°People will always judge L¨®ng Wei,¡± Tianjie proimed. ¡°Today¡¯s morning incident has taught us one thing about L¨®ng Wei: he has a big reason to hide the truth behind his mother¡¯s death. He even questioned our father why he was not given the death sentence,¡± Tianjie said with skepticism. He had realized that L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t the type, he always portrayed him to me. He had a different personality under that mask.

 Chapter 268

    268 The Three Strongest Minister


    Qiu Zedong, who was heading to the imperial court, stopped as he encountered Kang Xi.


    ¡°May I have a few words with His Majesty?¡± Kang Xi requested Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°Currently, I have an important matter to discuss in the court. It has already been dyed for an hour today,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. ¡°The Prime Minister can meet me after the court session is over,¡± he opined.


    Kang Xi could not let Qiu Zedong head to the imperial court. He wanted to convince the King not to discuss the matter rted to Kang Huijuan.


    In the morning, when the messenger gave Kang Huijuan the summon message from the King, Kang Xi rushed to the pce and found out what L¨®ng Wei had done. He not only revealed the truth about Lianying but also dragged the Kang family, especially his son, into all this.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I have no idea why Prince L¨®ng Wei involved the Kang Family merely because myte father sent Eunuch Lianying when he was young. Then, Prince L¨®ng Wei falsely used my son,¡± Kang Xi expressed his opinion.


    Qiu Zedong scrunched his brows. ¡°If you are here to tell me not to discuss the matter in the court, then you are wrong, my friend,¡± he affirmed. He recalled Li Hua¡¯s and Mingquan¡¯s words. Kang Huijuan lied to them while, as a King, Qiu Zedong indeed did injustice to his son. He would rectify his mistake today by investigating the matter properly.


    ¡°But, Your Majesty-¡± He paused as Qiu Zedong showed him his hand.


    ¡°Kang Xi, whatever the truth is, it will be revealed today,¡± Qiu Zedong said and walked ahead.


    .....


    Kang Xi lowered his head as the King walked past him.


    In the imperial court, everyone turned quiet and stood straight as the King entered from the front door. Then, Xiaoming rose up on his feet and bowed as the King sat down on the throne. Xiaoming sat down after him while the princes and the ministers lifted their respective heads. Kang Xi had also stood at his ce.


    Qiu Zedong looked at the stack of sheets before him and checked them.


    He pulled his hand back and rested it on the armrest of the throne. ¡°A very unfortunate matter happened in the morning. Eunuch Lianying, who served this royal family for more than 25 years, tried to take the life of the Crown Prince. He nned an attack on the Crown Prince merely because he refused to marry the daughter of the Prime Minister,¡± Qiu Zedong said while looking at his ministers.


    General Hei was present in the imperial court too. Behind him was Qiu Mu and Huang Xi, standing on either side of Lianying, who was on his knees, chained in shackles.


    ¡°Your Majesty, does it mean this attack was nned by the Kang family?¡± The Commandant of Justice, Minister Li Zixuan, asked.


    ¡°The Kang family has nothing to do with it. We have already epted the decision of His Majesty and the Crown Prince,¡± Kang Xi promptly answered. He never asked Lianying to do something like this, and he nced at him.


    ¡°Eunuch Lianying was indeed a gift from myte father to the formerte King of the Qiu Kingdom, but the attack on the Crown Prince has nothing to do with us,¡± Kang Xi affirmed, ¡°your Majesty,¡± he turned his gaze back at the King.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Eunuch Lianying has admitted the charges and said that the Kang family was not involved in this. He nned this attack on the Crown Prince because he didn¡¯t like it when the Crown Prince refused the marriage proposal,¡± Hei Chengxi informed the King.


    Qiu Zedong looked at Eunuch Lianying and asked him if it¡¯s true.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Lianying said in a low voice.


    ¡°Then, the decision is as clear as the water. Eunuch Lianying will get the death sentence,¡± Qiu Zedong announced his decision. None of the ministers opposed his decision and agreed with him.


    Huang Xi grasped Lianying¡¯s arm to take him away when he yanked it away and went to the front.


    Hei Chengxi took out his sword when Lianying asked, ¡°I would like to ask the King why he didn¡¯t punish L¨®ng Wei to death, who killed with his own hands His Majesty¡¯ste concubine.¡±


    ¡°Lianying, you are not supposed to bring it to the imperial court when it has nothing to do with this matter,¡± Xiaoming said, furrowing his brows.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it an injustice? I didn¡¯t kill the Crown Prince, yet I have been given a death sentence while L¨®ng Wei, who killed a person from the royal family, roams freely,¡± Lianying¡¯s voice roared in the court.


    Hei Chengxi put his sword on Lianying¡¯s neck and asked him to be quiet. He gestured to the soldiers to drag Lianying out of the court. However, Lianying kept shouting.


    ¡°Yuze and L¨®ng Wei are nning to overthrow the current King!¡± He shouted many times before he was dragged out. Huang Xi left with the soldiers as he asked his father to stay behind.


    ¡°Eunuch Lianying lost his mind after his truth came to light,¡± Xiaoming said as he rolled his eyes in frustration.


    ¡°Eunuch Lianying didn¡¯t say that Monk Yuze and Prince L¨®ng Wei are scheming to overthrow the King,¡± Fei Shu, another court minister said. Several ministers came to his support and requested the King to not neglect Eunuch Lianying¡¯s warning.


    ¡°A traitor can never be trusted,¡± Kang Xi said. He decided to defend L¨®ng Wei despite his inner voice having told him to make everyone agree in the court to punish L¨®ng Wei too.


    However, since his son¡¯s life was at stake, he decided to take L¨®ng Wei¡¯s side.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Eunuch Lianying, is no less than a traitor who wants to split the royal family. The matter of Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s has already ended the year hemitted such a sin. The Prince has already been punished for it. Moreover, Monk Yuze has been with the former King too. If he had to n anything against the King, he would have done it a long time ago. A snake and a traitor can never be trusted,¡± Kang Xi pronounced.


    ¡°I strongly agree with the Prime Minister¡¯s words. Eunuch Lianying got caught and that¡¯s why he thought of Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s downfall,¡± Li Zixuan said.


    Hei Chengxi nced at Kang Xi. ¡°I also agree with the words of the Prime Minister. Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s past has nothing to do with his present. Eunuch Lianying tried to create turmoil in the royal family,¡± Hei Chengxi pronounced.


    Seeing the three strongest ministers supported Prince L¨®ng Wei and ruled out the usationsid by Lianying. The ministers who had earlier raised their voices turned quiet.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is no longer the old Prince. He has changed since his marriage and tries not to cause any problems for anyone in the area.Also, Monk Yuze¡¯s loyalty is unquestionable,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Majesty,¡± Fei Shu apologized and bowed.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I would like to propose something,¡± Hei Chengxi said, ¡°If His Majesty allows, then can I speak about it?¡± He asked for permission first.


    Qiu Zedong allowed him.


    ¡°After what Eunuch Lianying did, I feel there should be a strict investigation into all the servants¡¯ activities in the imperial pce,¡± Hei Chengxi pronounced.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Eunuch Lianying¡¯s act has proven that there might be more enemies hidden in the royal pce,¡± Xiaoming supported the suggestion of Hei Chengxi.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s for the safety of the regal family members, I allow General Hei,¡± Qiu Zedong permitted Hei Chengxi to check servants¡¯ activities. He thanked the King and bowed.


    Kang Xi was a little scared because soon his son¡¯s matter would be discussed. He wanted to meet L¨®ng Wei and apologize on his son¡¯s behalf to him, but he didn¡¯t know how.

 Chapter 269

    269 In a single Shot


    Kang Huijuan was outside the imperial court. He was nervous and terrified. What if the King punished him to death? Eunuch Gao Bing asked him to go inside.


    Kang Huijuan nodded his head while Gao Bing had already gone inside. Should he admit his mistake? However, there was ack of evidence. If he admitted the crime hemitted, then not only would he fall in the eyes of the King, but also the ministers.


    After contemting over his thoughts, he walked in and he saw the suspicious gazes of ministers at him. It made him feel awkward and his heart was thundering against his chest. He greeted the King and stood with his head low.


    ¡°You took time toe inside,¡± Qiu Zedong said in a stern tone.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Majesty,¡± Kang Huijuan said.


    Kang Xi looked at his son and wondered what to do to save him. Because they were in the imperial court, there was no way he could even stand for his son.


    ¡°Why is the Prime Minister¡¯s son here?¡± One of the ministers asked, ¡°Is His Majesty going to bestow a court position on the Prime Minister¡¯s son?¡± He was curious to know.


    That question filled Kang Xi with guilt for the crime his son hadmitted. If it came in front of everyone, then not only would Kang Huijuan¡¯s image be tarnished but also the entire Kang family would be humiliated. He had a daughter as well, who was still unmarried. More importantly, the minister might get together to appeal to the King to throw him out of the Prime Minister¡¯s position.


    Qiu Zedong opened his mouth to speak when his eyes fell on Kang Xi. He had held his chest firmly and his entire face had tightened.


    .....


    ¡°Prime Minister Kang Xi, are you alright?¡± Qiu Zedong asked as he was confused seeing the strange expressions on Kang Xi¡¯s face.


    Everyone looked in his direction when Kang Xi fell to the floor.


    ¡°Father!¡± Kang Huijuan rushed to his father and quickly held him up on hisp. He found his father unconscious and continued to call him out.


    The King and the Crown Prince also came down to check on what happened to Kang Xi out of the blue. The ministers had gathered around both father and son.


    Hei Chengxi got on his knees as he put the sword down on the floor. He checked Kang Xi¡¯s pulse.


    ¡°Is he alright?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°It is tough to say. The Prime Minister should be taken to the infirmary, Your Majesty,¡± Hei Chengxi opined.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Qiu Zedong allowed it. Kang Huijuan quickly carried his father on his back and rushed out with Qiu Mu, who showed him the way to the infirmary in the pce.


    ¡°The session is over today since the Prime Minister suddenly got sick,¡± Qiu Zedong told everyone and walked ahead to leave the court. Eunuch Gao Bing carried the stack of the sheets and left after the King.


    The ministers also left the court after bowing to the princes.


    ¡°Did the Prime Minister perform an act of being sick?¡± Mingquan raised a suspicion and gazed at Xiaoming.


    ¡°Why would the Prime Minister act?¡± Tianjie lifted his left eyebrow. ¡°I saw his jaw clench and he ced his hand on the left side of his chest. It seemed like it was a heart attack,¡± he proimed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what Physician Peng will say. Kang Huijuan will not be spared if he did lie about L¨®ng Wei and hid the truth,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t stop Li Hua from practicing since she wanted to be stronger. It was necessary for her to know warfare for not only his safety but also hers. Peng Yuxian had told her to give Li Hua enough rest, but she had refused to take the physician¡¯s advice.


    ¡°Li Hua, you have improved a lot,¡± L¨®ng Wei praised her.


    ¡°Really?¡± Li Hua immediately turned to him. He saw her eyes gleaming with happiness. His words were indeed important to her. He nodded his head.


    ¡°Yes. You will soon be an expert archer,¡± L¨®ng Wei encouraged her.


    ¡°That will be great. I will challenge His Highness then,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Why then, not now?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked as he stepped up to her.


    ¡°Because I know that I will lose. Then, His Highness may ask me to fulfil his wish, and I will keep doing that,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°My wishes will also delight you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, as his lips curled up into a smirk.


    Li Hua turned away to resume her practice and asked him how his wishes would delight her.


    ¡°If I will tell now, then there is no fun,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and brought a bow for himself. He picked up an arrow and shot it. Li Hua heard the sound it made before hitting the target in mere seconds.


    His shot was powerful. If hit a human, then he would die instantly.


    ¡°Shoot the arrow in a way that you don¡¯t need to shoot the person twice. Kill him in a single shot,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed, and he shot another arrow. Li Hua noticed that his way of holding the tail of the arrow was different from hers.


    She copied his move and tilted the arrow slightly at an angle. Her hand wavered after intense practicing for an hour, so it was difficult for her to keep it at a fixed ce in the air.


    L¨®ng Wei put his bow down over the table and went behind her. He caught her hand and guided her to shoot. The shot was more powerful than any of Li Hua¡¯s shots. She even heard the sound as the arrow passed through the air.


    She lowered her arm when L¨®ng Wei hugged her from behind. ¡°It is enough for today,¡± He nuzzled her hair.


    ¡°Your Highness, how do you use a sword? Could you please teach me that? I asked my Elder Brother to practice with me, but he would leave the pce by the evening,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°I will teach you from tomorrow onwards, ¡°Currently,¡± he lifted her in his arms, ¡°let¡¯s go in.¡±

 Chapter 270

    270 You made me suffer, I must do the same


    Peng Yuxian looked at the Prime Minister, who was requesting him not to tell anyone about his condition.


    ¡°Why does the Prime Minister lie to everyone? If His Majesty finds out about it, then he will punish us both to the death,¡± Peng Yuxian said.


    ¡°Physician Peng, I have always helped you. This is the first time I have asked for a favor from you,¡± Kang Xi said, joining his hands. ¡°I beg you not to tell His Majesty that nothing has happened to me,¡± he requested.


    Peng Yuxian could not ignore his request. Kang Xi had helped him on numerous asions. Also, he was the one who helped him in his appointment as the Royal Physician of the pce.


    ¡°I will help the Prime Minister this time,¡± Peng Yuxian said. Kang Xi was delighted to hear him and told him that this was the first andst time he asked for such a favor from him.


    ¡°I will inform Eunuch Gao Bing and your son that you fainted because of exhaustion,¡± Peng Yuxian told Kang Xi. He agreed with the physician andid down on the bed while closing his eyes.


    Peng Yuxian delivered the said message to both Gao Bing and Kang Huijuan. Gao Bing left for the King¡¯s manor to inform Qiu Zedong, while Kang Huijuan went in with Peng Yuxian to see his father.


    Peng Yuxian shut the door so that no one would hear or see them. Kang Xi opened his eyes and looked at his son. Peng Yuxian walked up to them and asked them to talk in a low voice.


    ¡°Could you please give us some privacy, Peng Yuxian?¡± Kang Xi requested him.


    .....


    ¡°Sure. I will be nearby so that no onees in,¡± he said and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.


    ¡°Father, did you act like you were getting sick?¡± Kang Huijuan asked.


    ¡°Then, what do you expect me to do?¡± Kang Xi¡¯s anger outburst at him and he lowered his voice while looking towards the door. ¡°You may get punished for the wrong you did. Who told you to make such an obscene mistake?¡± Kang Xi reprimanded his son.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that she would get pregnant,¡± Kang Huijuan said. He didn¡¯t repent for the wrong he did and wasn¡¯t ready to take responsibility for that woman. ¡°I will kill her if I find her,¡± he muttered and clenched his fist.


    A strong p fell on his left cheek, which shocked himpletely. Kang Huijuan looked into his father¡¯s eyes and asked him to lower his eyes. ¡°Your one mistake can put an end to the entire Kang Family. Do you even have an idea how much I struggled to reach this level? If a Prime Minister¡¯s sonmits such a crime, then what do you expect the ministers would do? Would they let us survive?¡± Kang Xi posed many questions in front of his son.


    Kang Huijuan kept his head down. ¡°Why did L¨®ng Wei talk about this now?¡± He asked his father.


    ¡°His wife did. Is that even important? Today I saved your life, but not for long. Find a way to clear the evidence. No records must be left about that woman. The entire Kang family will be destroyed if L¨®ng Wei brings the woman who used to be a servant to our house,¡± Kang Xi stated while knitting his brows.


    Kang Huijuan recalled how L¨®ng Wei threatened him after he returned from the cold pce that he would expose his truth. Everything seemed clear to him, like the water. But why did his wife tell the king this? ¡®I won¡¯t spare you, Li Hua,¡¯ he thought in his mind and clenched his fists.


    ¡°Go to the residence and remove the evidence about her. I wille in a while. I need to convince L¨®ng Wei not to say anything in court tomorrow,¡± Kang Xi suggested to his son.


    ¡°No, Father. You will not convince that arrogant Prince. He will make you beg,¡± Kang Huijuan said, and stopped his father from meeting L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Then, do you want me to see you hanging to death tomorrow? Even if I have to touch my nose to his shoe, I have to do it. L¨®ng Wei had already done something which was unexpected-¡± before he couldplete his words, the door opened with a bang.


    Kang Xi immediatelyid down and closed his eyes. Was it the King? Cold beads of perspiration formed at his temples. Kang Huijuan stood up and saw L¨®ng Wei in front of his eyes.


    ¡°Your Highness, you cannot go inside,¡± Peng Yuxian said as he stopped L¨®ng Wei, whose gaze was drawn to Kang Xi.


    ¡°Peng Yuxian, you should leave before I bring your truth out,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him and looked at him. The menacing expression on his face intimidated Peng Yuxian, and he stepped out of the room. ¡°Keep your eyes open. Don¡¯t let anyone in until Ie out,¡± he ordered Peng Yuxian before mming the door in his face.


    ¡°Go out. My Father is resting,¡± Kang Huijuan said. However, L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t stop advancing towards the bed. He stopped when Kang Huijuan put his hand on his shoulder. ¡°Enough, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Kang Huijuan said as he looked him in the eyes.


    ¡°Do you want me to break your hand and mouth both?¡± L¨®ng Wei tilted his head slightly. ¡°You are at the edge of the cliff, Kang Huijuan. If I push you, you will die miserably,¡± he said.


    Kang Huijuan lowered his hand when L¨®ng Wei pushed him away. He gulped the anger inside and chuckled.


    ¡°Are you going to act the entire day?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Kang Xi.


    ¡°My father isn¡¯t acting,¡± Kang Huijuan said, and turned to face him.


    ¡°Tell your one and only son to shut his mouth, else I will drag you both to the King¡¯s manor for lying,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Kang Xi. He immediately opened his eyes and looked at L¨®ng Wei.


    Kang Xi sat up, which bewildered Kang Huijuan. Why did he do that? Kang Xi stood up while L¨®ng Wei sat on the mattress.


    ¡°Apologize to the Prince,¡± Kang Xi told his son.


    ¡°Father?¡± Kang Huijuan could not believe what his father demanded of him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need his apology now, but in court. Tell your son to get on his knees in front of everyone in the court and sincerely apologize to me. I wanted to make him lick my shoe, but I will be kind,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smirk and nced at Kang Huijuan. ¡°Don¡¯t make such faces. You made me suffer in the cold pce, so I must do the same,¡± he stated.


    ¡°You have no evidence,¡± Kang Xi challenged him.


    ¡°I will bring,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he returned his gaze to Kang Xi. ¡°Tell your dear son how I got the evidence against Lianying. He also thought the same, but in the end, he had given the death sentence,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan will do what His Highness wants,¡± Kang Xi said, and got on his knees. Kang Huijuan could not believe his father¡¯s words.


    Kang Huijuan removed his hat, which was the most precious thing for a minister. He put it near L¨®ng Wei¡¯s feet and said, ¡°As His Highness knows, for a minister, this is the most respectful thing. I am guilty of the actions of my son and apologize to you on his behalf. I beg His Highness to forgive Kang Huijuan,¡± Kang Xi said as he bowed and his forehead touched the floor beneath him.


    Kang Huijuan and L¨®ng Wei looked into each other¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t like his father being humiliated in this way by the Prince. He wanted to kill L¨®ng Wei at that moment, but he could not. He scrunched his nose in fury and turned to leave when L¨®ng Wei stopped him.


    ¡°Did I ask you to leave?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him. ¡°Your father is begging for your life and you are turning a blind eye to it. Such an unfaithful son!¡± He remarked.


    ¡°Kang Xi, get up,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°The Prime Minister has indeed humiliated me on numerous asions, but I don¡¯t hold any grudge against him,¡± he proimed. Kang Xi was surprised to hear L¨®ng Wei and lifted his head.


    ¡°Your Highness, please don¡¯t let the King punish Kang Huijuan tomorrow. Only the Prince can save my son,¡± Kang Xi pleaded with L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Ahh, you are asking too much, Kang Xi. Your son has no remorse and has even forgotten his manners,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°See the anger in his eyes. It seems he wants to kill me,¡± he added.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan, get on your knees and apologize to Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Kang Xi told his son. He acted on his father¡¯smand and got down on his knees.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness,¡± Kang Huijuan said. ¡°I should not have behaved wrongly with you,¡± he stated while lowering his head.


    ¡°Umm... I will tell you tomorrow if I have forgotten you or not,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Kang Xi looked at him and asked him why he could not forgive his son now.


    ¡°That¡¯s up to me, Kang Xi. I need to contemte. Your son will not die this early. This I can assure you,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. ¡°Go home and take a good rest,¡± he said, and stood up to leave.


    ¡°Kang Xi, you have to remember my favor,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and left the room.


    ~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    Hope you all are doing well. What do you think L¨®ng Wei do the next day?


    Doments.


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 271

    271 Bunch of Idiots


    L¨®ng Wei and Xiwan met in the pavilion of the manor. ¡°You have been doing a good job these days,¡± L¨®ng Wei praised him and patted his shoulder.


    ¡°Your Highness, why do you want to spare them? It is a good chance to make them suffer. This is the golden chance to remove them from your lives,¡± Xiwan affirmed. He was confused as to why L¨®ng Wei decided to go easy on them.


    ¡°Xiwan, I will use Kang Xi. I need to be the Governor. After what Lianying did in the court, only a few ministers would oppose me. Also, the current Governor will not step down from the position easily. If I get the Prime Minister¡¯s support, then no one would speak up.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s smile widened, and he turned to sit on the wooden handrail. His hands were crossed around his chest.


    ¡°His Highness is smart. He knows how to use a person ording to his situation,¡± Xiwan praised L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I think Kang Xi will be useful to me for a long time,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°You need to be careful about our meals. Kang Huijuan may try to harm Li Hua and me,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. I always remain extra cautious about yours and Princess Consort¡¯s meals,¡± Xiwan replied. L¨®ng Wei gave him a tiny smile and recalled how they had both met.


    ¡°Xiwan, don¡¯t you want to kill those bastards who used to bully you?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sudden question bewildered Xiwan. It had been three years since he had been in the pce, but L¨®ng Wei never asked him that question. ¡°I killed the person who killed your father, but you told me to spare those bunch of idiots, who may have be nobles now,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I have moved on, Your Highness. My heart isn¡¯t as strong as His Highness. Forgive me,¡± Xiwan said, and lowered his head.


    ¡°You should say your heart isn¡¯t as evil as mine,¡± L¨®ng Wei corrected him. Xiwan looked at him. ¡°If I had been at your ce, I would have crushed them, first and then tortured them to the extent that they would have forgotten their own identities.¡± His words intimidated Xiwan. He knew L¨®ng Wei was good, but sometimes, he would speak in a way that would make him tremble in fear.


    .....


    ¡°I noticed that His Highness is refraining from using violence this time,¡± Xiwan stated.


    ¡°Because I am married now. I cannot put my wife in danger. I don¡¯t want to leave her alone for months if I get punished for serving the term in the cold pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to him.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Xiwan said. ¡°I must take my leave, Your Highness,¡± he stated, and bowed before L¨®ng Wei. He hummed while Xiwan left the pavilion.


    L¨®ng Wei looked up at the sky. ¡°It is clear today. Shall I take out Li Hua in the evening?¡± He murmured.


    ~~~~~~


    Xiaoming put thest scroll on top of the stack of scrolls. Sun Fuguo stepped up when Xiaoming asked him to take those scrolls to the Bureau.


    ¡°Go in the carriage with a few soldiers. Give them to the Head Chief Xuan,¡± Xiaoming instructed Su Fuguo. He picked up those scrolls and bowed at Xiaoming before leaving.


    Xiaoming leaned back in his chair and sped his hands. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is indeed ten steps ahead of everyone. He caught two birds with one arrow,¡± Xiaoming mumbled and smiled.


    Now, he was waiting for Liu Jin Yu toe and answer him. He looked at the time and found it was his lunch time. However, he wasn¡¯t ready to eat meals. He wanted the answer desperately. The curfew from the princes had been lifted, so he could go out. But what if she arrived at the pce?


    ¡°Just say yes, Jin Yu, then I will fight with everyone to marry you,¡± Xiaoming murmured.


    A maidservant walked in and informed him about the visit of the Queen. Xiaoming immediately stood up and soon, his mother entered.


    ¡°Greetings to the Royal Mother,¡± Xiaoming bowed while lifting his hands. Zhu Liling gestured to the maidservant to leave and asked Xiaoming if he could lower his hands. He did so and peered at his mother.


    Zhu Liling walked up to him and hugged Xiaoming. It perplexed Xiaoming, and he hugged her back. ¡°Forgive me. Because of my servant, your life fell into danger,¡± she said in a low voice. She pulled away and looked into the eyes of Xiaoming.


    ¡°Royal Mother, no one knew that Eunuch Lianying would do such a thing,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    ¡°However, he was from my manor. I should have been extra careful,¡± Zhu Liling said. Xiaoming made her sit on a chair and asked her not to think about it anymore.


    ¡°Thanks to Brother L¨®ng Wei, the real culprit was caught,¡± Xiaoming said and smiled. He then settled down in his chair.


    ¡°Is the Crown Prince not scared?¡± Zhu Liling asked.


    ¡°What does the Royal Mother imply?¡± Xiaoming was unable to grasp her question.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei wants to be the Governor of Qinping,¡± she informed Xiaoming. ¡°It is not easy to get the position of Governor,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei deserves to be Governor. His presence of mind, his tactics, will benefit us to grow the Kingdom in a better way,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei should not be Governor. He will start troubling people around him and may even try to go after the throne,¡± Zhu Liling stated.


    ¡°Mother, it won¡¯t happen. I would be d if Brother L¨®ng Wei became the Governor. I will be the first one to support him. He isn¡¯t the person as I perceived him for years,¡± Xiaoming replied, keeping a tiny smile on his lips.


    ¡°What if it¡¯s all an act?¡± Zhu Liling asked him.


    Xiaoming skeptically gazed at his mother. ¡°What does the Royal Mother mean?¡± He arched his brow.


    ¡°Monk Yuze has always supported L¨®ng Wei. What if it was all a n by both of them? Lianying worked for me for years. He has a good eye on such matters. Prince L¨®ng Wei may be portraying himself well, but we all know how he is! If he can kill-¡± Zhu Liling could notplete her words as Xiaoming stopped her.


    ¡°I believe in Brother L¨®ng Wei rather than the traitor Eunuch, who was after my life, merely because I refused to marry Cha Ying. What if the Prime Minister is involved in this? Why does the Royal Mother always me L¨®ng Wei? His life was not better than mine. However, he chanted it to be happy. On the other hand, I could not do it. I urge my Mother not to speak against L¨®ng Wei in front of me. I will not tolerate it next time.¡±


    Xiaoming took a stand for L¨®ng Wei. Earlier, his mother had forced him to marry Cha Ying. She was now sowing the seeds of suspicion in Xiaoming¡¯s mind for L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I have work to do. The Royal Mother must leave,¡± Xiaoming said as he averted his gaze from Zhu Liling. The Queen stood up and left in anger.


    Xiaoming pressed the temple of his forehead. His mother came into the words of Lianying and it was shocking for him.

 Chapter 272

    272 Jin Yu¡¯s answer (Part 1)


    Liu Jin Yu asked the guard to let her go inside the pce. She showed the sachet of perfume that Xiaoming had given her. ¡°It is of the Crown Prince,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. ¡°If you do not believe it, you can ask the Crown Prince,¡± she stated.


    ¡°It has a royal seal engraved on its dangling,¡± the other guard said. ¡°You can go in.¡± He handed her the sachet and let Liu Jin Yu walk inside the pce. However, before going in, she was checked by a female servant to make sure she had no weapons with her.


    Liu Jin Yu soon reached the Crown Prince¡¯s manor and took a deep breath before ascending the stairs. She gave the message to the bodyguard appointed to the chief door of the manor.


    ¡°I want to see the Crown Prince. Please tell His Royal Highness that Liu Jin Yu hase,¡± she requested. She again took out the perfume sachet and handed it to the bodyguard. ¡°You can show it to the Crown Prince. He will understand,¡± she stated. The bodyguard took the sachet from her and asked her to wait.


    Liu Jin Yu had noticed that security in the pce had risen earlier. Even the bodyguards appointed outside the Crown Prince¡¯s manor were new.


    ¡°Pleasee with me.¡± Ten minutester, Sun Fuguo came with the bodyguard and took Liu Jin with him.


    This was the first time Liu Jin Yu went to the pavilion of the manor instead of the Crown Prince¡¯s chamber. She rarely had the opportunity to explore this area while living at the manor. It was indeed beautiful, and as the servants had described it, it was no less than heaven.


    She saw the Crown Prince in the pavilion when Sun Fuguo asked her to go ahead. She wondered if he would not follow her. But she didn¡¯t ask. She took the stairs and reached up. Xiaoming, who was looking at the garden before him with a small pond in the middle, heard her footsteps and turned to her.


    Liu Jin Yu bowed before him and greeted him with the utmost respect.


    .....


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that,¡± Xiaoming said. He was nervous. What if she refused to marry him? No!He must not think that way. He did his best to convince her. However, a slight fear still existed in his mind.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Royal Highness, for the proposal. At first, I was unable to decide how to react to it. His Highness was right. I lied to him about having a man whom I was supposed to marry. I apologize for that,¡± Liu Jin Yu said and lowered her head while resting both of her hands on her belly.


    ¡°I will marry the Crown Prince,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, and it brought a wide smile on Xiaoming¡¯s lips, ¡°but under one condition.¡±


    ¡°Condition?¡± Xiaoming arched his brow. Her strange expressions bewildered her. She didn¡¯t look like the same cheerful Jin Yu to him. ¡°Tell me. I will indeed fulfil it,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°The Crown Prince will never have a second woman in his life. He must not have any concubines and he must stand for himself. I know that His Majesty has told him that he didn¡¯t have to take the concubines, but that was valid until he chose to marry a noble woman from a strong political family. However, I am a woman whose family status is unknown, so the Crown Prince will surely be pressured to have more women. Will His Royal Highness be able to fight for me?¡±


    Xiaoming took a step towards her and without any hesitation, he answered, ¡°I have told you this earlier too, that there would be only one woman in my life and that would be only you. You will be my wife, and apart from you, I will not ept anyone else,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    He rested his hands on her shoulders. ¡°Jin Yu, I will fight for you until the end. I won¡¯t have any consort or concubine in my life. I will have only you. I assure you this. I want you in my life as my other half, who will hold my hand until the end of my life,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed, and a tiny smile appeared on his lips.


    He saw she didn¡¯t look happy. Her expressions were in and he wondered what could be the reason.


    ¡°Jin Yu, is everything good? ¡°You seem troubled,¡± Xiaoming said as he drew his hands away and lowered them.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Liu Jin Yu said and stepped back. ¡°I must take my leave,¡± she said, and bowed. She turned to leave when Xiaoming caught her wrist and pulled her close for a hug, shocking her.


    She pulled away, but he drew her closer. ¡°Let¡¯s stay this way for a few minutes,¡± Xiaoming said.


    Liu Jin Yu¡¯s eyes filled with tears and she slowly moved her hands up. She clutched the fabric of his overcoat at his waist.


    ¡°I tell you everything rted to myself, yet you are not even ready to tell me why you are bothered. Tell me,¡± Xiaoming urged, ¡°else, I will find my own way.¡±


    ¡°My Master, Wu Jin, is no more,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, and promptly, Xiaoming withdrew from the hug. He saw tears in her eyes, but she didn¡¯t shed those tears.


    Xiaoming put his arm around her shoulder and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the chamber. Then, we can talk out.¡± He didn¡¯t care how many eyes were on him. The only person he cared about at the present moment was Liu Jin Yu. He never saw her this way, and it was shocking to him that Wu Jin suddenly died.


    Once they entered the chamber, Xiaoming asked Sun Fuguo not to let anyone in. He nodded his head and stood outside the door. But he feared to think what would happen if someone reported to the King or Queen that Xiaoming hugged a woman with no ss.


    Inside the chamber, Xiaoming filled the ss with water and then handed it to Liu Jin Yu. She refused to drink it when Xiaoming asked her not to refuse. ¡°Take a sip,¡± he said as he sat beside her on the broad chair.


    Liu Jin Yu took a sip of water and Xiaoming put it on the table. She wiped the tears from the edges of her eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°I was in the market and when I returned I found the lifeless body of my master and the ce was burned down into ashes,¡± she stated, and she tilted her head.


    ¡°People in the restaurant said that several bandits came in the middle of nowhere and looted the ce. Some people were injured too, and my master, when he tried to stop them, lost his life,¡± Liu Jin Yu narrated to Xiaoming.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they were bandits,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°I think the same,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    ¡°Was it Kang Huijuan¡¯s doing?¡± they both said at the same time.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I want to marry the Crown Prince. Because I will be the Crown Princess and then I can punish him to death with the help of the Crown Prince,¡± Liu Jin Yu proimed. She didn¡¯t want to keep him in the dark. She had feelings for him, but those feelings weren¡¯t strong. ¡°I would not have epted His Royal Highness¡¯ proposal if my master was alive,¡± she affirmed and waited for his response.

 Chapter 273

    273 Jin Yu¡¯s answer (Part 2)


    ¡°You don¡¯t have feelings for me?¡± Xiaoming was slightly disheartened to hear the revtion. However, he liked the fact that she didn¡¯t keep it hidden. She said what she felt and he could see how transparent she was towards this rtionship.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any strong feelings for His Royal Highness. I have my reasons for keeping my heart close. The Crown Prince knows it well,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, and averted her gaze from him. ¡°Forgive me for being greedy,¡± she apologized as she looked at her hands.


    ¡°It means you have feelings for me, which can be turned stronger,¡± Xiaoming said with a smile and took her hands in his. ¡°Jin Yu, look at me,¡± he said in a soft tone. She lifted her eyes and tears poured down her cheeks.


    ¡°Thank you for being honest with me,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°At least, you do not think that I am merely a puppet who listens to others and is dependent on others. You trust my abilities.¡± He wasn¡¯t angry at her.


    ¡°I would not have let you refuse my feelings either. Had Wu Jin been alive, I would have asked your hand for marriage from him,¡± he stated, and Liu Jin Yu ended up smiling.


    ¡°I am surprised to know the Crown Prince was this adamant about having me in his life,¡± Liu Jin Yu said and sniffled. ¡°My master was a good person. I know that we used to steal, but that was the only way of survival for us. He didn¡¯t deserve this death. He looked after me when no one was there. It hurts me badly that I could not even save him,¡± she murmured as she finally broke into tears.


    Xiaoming hugged her and caressed her hair. ¡°Cry as much as you want,¡± he said in a low voice. He wondered why Kang Huijuan did that. What did he have hidden in that pawn shop?


    After a while, when Liu Jin Yu calmed down, she pulled away and wiped the tears from her face. ¡°I must return,¡± she said.


    ¡°Where will you go? Also, did you bury Wu Jin? I will conduct a burial ceremony for him,¡± Xiaoming told her.


    .....


    ¡°I have already performed thest rites,¡± Liu Jin Yu replied.


    ¡°Then, stay here. You don¡¯t need to go back. I will talk to my father about us before dinner,¡± Xiaoming said.


    Liu Jin Yu was bewildered to hear him. She didn¡¯t expect him to tell the King this early.


    ¡°His Majesty will be angry. He might kick me out,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°Then, he has to kick me out first,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°Father will never do that. I am ready to fight with everyone for us this time. I want to be happy for the rest of my life, so I must do everything I can to achieve that happiness,¡± he proimed and stroked her hair.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t eat anything, right?¡± Xiaoming questioned her.


    ¡°I have no appetite left,¡± Liu Jin Yu answered. ¡°Please don¡¯t ask me to take meals. I am not in the mood to eat.¡± She pursed her lips together, again trying to control her tears.


    ¡°Then, do you want to sleep? Your eyes looked tired,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep either,¡± she mumbled. ¡°He was my father figure, Your Royal Highness. What should I do? I want to go to the Kang residence and kill him with my hands. He doesn¡¯t have to do this with my master. He always served Kang Huijuan and this was the way he returned his favor.¡± Liu Jin Yu¡¯s anger returned again. She stood up when Xiaoming stopped her by holding her wrist as he also rose on his feet.


    ¡°It¡¯s not proven that Wu Jin¡¯s death was because of those things that Kang Huijuan brought that day. I know that it is giving you excruciating pain, but doing anything in a hurry will only give negative results. I will look into the matter first,¡± Xiaoming said, putting his hand on the back of her head as he closed the distance between them.


    Liu Jin Yu rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.


    ¡°The Crown Prince will have to go against the world to make everyone agree to this marriage. I do not know how he will handle it, but I have put my faith in him,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated.


    ¡°Thank you for putting your faith in me,¡± he said, and he also shut his eyes.


    ~~~~~~


    ¡°What? Xiaoming was hugging that servant-Liu Jin Yu?¡± Zhu Liling was shocked to hear from the maidservant.


    ¡°The Crown Prince has feelings for the youngdy. Her Majesty should do something before he destroys his future,¡± Eunuch Lishi opined.


    Zhu Liling recalled how Xiaoming told her that he had found a woman who was not like the women he saw in noble families. She was different. Zhu Liling could not believe his son fell for a woman, who did not even qualify to be his concubine.


    ¡°But she had left. Why did she suddenly return to him?¡± Zhu Liling mumbled.


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t want to be the Crown Princess? Liu Jin Yu even if takes thousands of births, will never be the Crown Princess. Now, she has made a ce in the Crown Prince¡¯s heart, her way is clear to the seat of the Crown Princess,¡± Eunuch Lishi pronounced.


    ¡°She will not be the Crown Princess, Eunuch Lishi!¡± Zhu Liling shouted at him, and he shut his mouth. Until she was alive, she would not let Xiaoming marry Liu Jin Yu. She stood up and immediately left to see the Crown Prince.


    She halted on her way to see Eunuch Gao Bing. He bowed before the Queen and told her that the King would visit her in the night.


    ¡°His Majesty will be here before dinner and will have his dinner with Her Majesty,¡± Gao Bing said with a smile.


    Zhu Liling was stuck now. She wanted to see Xiaoming, but now she could not. She postponed her n to see Xiaoming until the next morning.


    ¡°Yes, Eunuch Gao Bing,¡± Zhu Liling said and returned to her chamber.

 Chapter 274

    274 I was feeling Hot


    Li Hua examined the wound on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s back. ¡°The wound is healing faster than usual. It will also leave a scar on His Highness¡¯ body,¡± Li Hua said. She helped him wear the thin silk robe and reached for the knots on the robe.


    L¨®ng Wei ducked his head and kissed her lips,pletely surprising her.


    ¡°What is His Highness doing?¡± Li Hua smiled as her face flushed red. She tied the tiny knot on the robe while the smile continued to widen on her lips.


    ¡°Now, return the kiss,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her. Li Hua nced at him and tiptoed to kiss him. However, she tilted her head and kissed him on the cheek.


    She turned and walked ahead to the bedchamber.


    ¡°That¡¯s cheating, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he followed her.


    ¡°His Highness didn¡¯t tell me where to kiss. I thought to kiss on the cheek,¡± Li Hua said as she pulled down the curtains around the bed.


    ¡°When I kissed you on the lips, you should have done the same,¡± he proimed and grasped her wrist, which was holding the edge of the curtain. ¡°I am here and you are focused on these curtains,¡± heined.


    ¡°Why is His Highness getting angry?¡± Li Hua inquired. ¡°It¡¯s almost bedtime. If we sleep early, then we wake up early,¡± she affirmed.


    .....


    ¡°I am not angry,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and let go of her wrist. ¡°Fine. Do what you were doing,¡± he stated. She caught his arm and, while her other hand went to the cor of the thin silk robe that he had put on. She kissed his lips while closing her eyes, while L¨®ng Wei waspletely shocked by her action.


    She pulled away and looked into his eyes. ¡°Is His Highness happy now? I was merely teasing him and he got angry for no reason,¡± Li Hua said while smiling. She pulled her hand from his cor and walked to the other side of the bed to pull down the curtains.


    L¨®ng Wei pursued her and hugged her from behind. He kissed her shoulder and then her earlobe. ¡°You are good at teasing,¡± he whispered. Li Hua let go of the curtain¡¯s rope and turned to face him.


    ¡°Am I really good?¡± Li Hua questioned.


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± He kissed the tip of her nose. ¡°I almost got upset and angry when you cheated and kissed my cheek instead of my lips,¡± he said and drew her close. ¡°Am I overreacting?¡± He then asked.


    ¡°Indeed, His Highness is overreacting,¡± Li Hua said and put her hands on his. ¡°Let me go,¡± she urged.


    ¡°Why? Do you have something more to work on?¡± He arched his brow.


    ¡°I need to remove the essories. I cannot sleep in them. I need to change into somethingfortable. This dress is heavy,¡± she opined. L¨®ng Wei moved his right hand above her head and removed the hair essories one by one.


    ¡°Do you like hair clips?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her as he gently removed them before putting them down on the table.


    ¡°Yes. Who doesn¡¯t like hair clips?¡± She mumbled.


    ¡°I will buy it for you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and gave her a smile. He let go of her hand, which was around her waist, and went behind her. ¡°Does your head not ache from wearing so many essories?¡± He always wanted to ask her, but it slipped his mind.


    ¡°It is in habit, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°Since I am married to the royal prince, I must wear all these hair essories,¡± she replied.


    ¡°You can wear only one or two hairpins with two hair clips. Some of these essories are unnecessary,¡± heined as he again came to her front. He stroked her hair and then moved his fingers to her ear. He removed the earrings gently, and put them on the table beside the hair essories.


    ¡°I wille after changing into night clothes,¡± Li Hua said and left the bedchamber.


    When she returned, she saw L¨®ng Wei lying almost naked on the bed. The right temple of his forehead rested on his calloused fist, resting most of his body weight on his elbow. Only two candles and onentern were glowing in the bedchamber, and she clutched her dress.


    ¡°His Highness removed the robe,¡± Li Hua said as she gradually moved to the bed.


    ¡°I was feeling hot,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he motioned with his hand to the mattress before him. ¡°Come,¡± he said, with a smirk on his lips.


    Li Hua gulped at seeing his naked upper body, and she wondered if he was fully naked. His lower half was covered in a thin sheet, so it was hard for her to determine if he was fully naked or not. She wasn¡¯t even ready at the moment.


    ¡°Li Hua!¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced her name, and she immediately came out of her thoughts. ¡°Come and lie down here,¡± he said, keeping an amused smile on his lips.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Li Hua dragged her feet ahead and sat on the edge of the bed before getting into it. Sheid down on the bed, and her eyelids flickered because of the nervousness. She was on the bed¡¯s edge. If, for some reason, she slightly moved, then she would definitely fall on the ground.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled her by cing his hand on her waist, and she stopped blinking. Her face was merely inches away from his chest, and she lifted her eyes to look at him.


    ¡°Why are you scared?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°I am not,¡± she answered, and ended up hupping. She covered her mouth with her hands and huped again.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and said, ¡°Your body cannot lie.¡± He moved the sheets away and got down on the bed. He handed Li Hua a ss of water and asked her to drink it.


    Li Hua immediately sat up and drank the water. She thanked him while he put the ss on the table. She found he wasn¡¯t fully naked, and she took a breath of relief.


    L¨®ng Wei turned to her and asked, ¡°Are you scared of me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± A prompt reply came from her.


    ¡°You looked scared when I asked you toe to bed,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t scared,¡± Li Hua answered. She found he wasn¡¯t satisfied with her reply. ¡°I was nervous thinking His Highness was naked. I never saw him naked, so I was nervous,¡± she stated and pursed her lips together.


    L¨®ng Wei burst outughing and pinched her cheek. ¡°Oh, Dear Wife! Why are you so cute?¡± He pulled her cheek and she ended up screaming. He withdrew his hand and continued to smile while Li Hua red at him.


    She moved close to him and pulled both his cheeks. ¡°Ahhh!¡± L¨®ng Wei screamed as she continued to pull his cheeks. ¡°I-it is hurting, Li Hua,¡± he managed to say while holding her wrists.


    He tightly gripped her wrists and pinned her to the mattress. ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he shut his eyes in pain.

 Chapter 275

    275 Put your skirt down


    Xiaoming knocked at the door and asked Liu Jin Yu if she was ready.


    ¡°Give me five minutes,¡± Liu Jin Yu said in a low voice, which was audible to Xiaoming only. He waited while looking around. He wanted to make sure that no one found that Liu Jin Yu was with him in the manor. It would create senseless rumors again, which might affect Liu Jin Yu.


    When five minutes passed, Xiaoming again asked her why she was taking so long. She was supposed to change the dress only. The door opened at that moment. Xiaoming turned to look at her and was mesmerized by her beauty.


    He saw her in a hanfu dress for the second time, and she looked breathtaking even in that simple white dress. ¡°Can Ie out?¡± She asked while peeking outside. Xiaoming hummed and stepped aside. Liu Jin Yu stepped out and closed the door of the bathhouse.


    ¡°The Crown Prince and I will have a problem if someone finds out that-¡± she couldn¡¯t finish her sentence because Xiaoming had ced his finger on her mouth.


    ¡°I have made sure that no one will find out,¡± Xiaoming said and lowered his hand. They somehow reached the Crown Prince¡¯s main chamber. Liu Jin Yu found out that the female servants were already sent away and only Sun Fuguo was present around.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, as per your order, the servants are told to retire to bed early,¡± Sun Fuguo informed Xiaoming. He thanked him and asked him to go to his room. Sun Fuguo was hesitant about leaving, but when Xiaoming stressed it, he left.


    ¡°It¡¯s not good,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    Xiaoming turned to her and raised his eyebrow in inquisitiveness.


    .....


    ¡°This dress is heavy. I love my old clothes,¡± Liu Jin Yuined. She pulled up her skirt such that her legs were visible to him. Xiaoming looked at her with a shocked expression. ¡°I am even unable to walk properly,¡± she said with a stern tone.


    ¡°Put your skirt down, Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming said as he averted his gaze. She left the grip of her skirt and gazed at him in bewilderment.


    ¡°I am not used to this type of dress, Your Royal Highness. I will buy somefortable clothes for myself,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. Xiaoming returned his gaze to her and found her dejected.


    ¡°You are supposed to wear dresses heavier than this. Multipleyers of clothing with heavy jewelry. What will you do then?¡± Xiaoming asked her.


    ¡°I will find a way to reduce them,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. ¡°Also, it is not decided if I will even get permission to marry the Crown Prince or not,¡± she stated while exhaling a deep breath.


    ¡°Your words hurt me. Of course, I will get the permission,¡± Xiaoming confidently said.


    ¡°No. You and I will be punished,¡± Liu Jin Yu said with a serious look.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let that happen,¡± Xiaoming assured her. ¡°You earlier told me that you have faith in me,¡± he reminded her of their previous conversation.


    ¡°His Majesty will surely be angry tomorrow. What if His Majesty dered that he was going to behead me? I am scared for the first time, Your Royal Highness,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated and fidgeted with her fingers.


    Xiaoming grasped her hands and asked her to look into his eyes. ¡°I will not let that happen. They wanted me to find a woman of my choice, and I did. Father never goes against his words. He has promised me that he will not force me. The problem is my mother. It will be hard to convince her,¡± Xiaoming stated. His words gave Jin Yu some assurance that everything would be alright.


    But the slight fear was still present in her heart. The King might order to kill her to seduce his son. She¡¯d heard folklore about a low-ss woman being killed if her feelings for an upper-ss man were revealed to the public.


    She was ready to take this risk too to punish the culprit who had killed Wu Jin. If early death was her fate, then she would ept that. She calmed herself down.


    She came out of her thoughts when a soft fabric touched her cheek. She found Xiaoming wiping her cheek with the handkerchief. ¡°You didn¡¯t even wash your face in the bathhouse,¡± he mumbled and stepped close to her.


    ¡°Will His Highness not take his dinner?¡± She asked again.


    ¡°We already have a discussion over this.¡± Xiaoming shifted his focus to the other cheek.


    ¡°Every activity of the Crown Prince is recorded. If he does not eat his dinner, then he may get sick too.¡± Liu Jin Yu started to convince him to take his meal.


    ¡°Jin Yu, I have a strong immune system,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°I will eat if you agree to eat dinner with me,¡± he added.


    ¡°Sadly, I have no appetite,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, and her eyes filled with tears. She recalled how she used to prepare dinner for her master and herself. They were a happy family. Had she known that thest night would be Wu Jin¡¯sst meal, then she would have cooked his favorite food.


    ¡°He wasughing in the morning. It was not expected,¡± Liu Jin Yu said in a painful voice. She gulped the lump that had formed in her throat.


    ¡°We will make sure to catch the culprit soon. I will ask for a thorough investigation tomorrow,¡± Xiaoming told her and held her hand. ¡°Come with me.¡± He took her to the patio, and they both sat at the top of the stairs.


    ¡°Does His Royal Highness drink wine?¡± She asked. ¡°I want to drink,¡± she murmured. Xiaoming asked her to wait and left to get the wine.


    He returned after a few minutes with a jar and two cups and put them on the wooden floor. Liu Jin Yu took the jar from him and opened the lid from its top. She filled the cup for Xiaoming while she didn¡¯t fill the cup for her.


    When he asked the reason, he was amused by her reply.


    ¡°I will drink from the jar,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    ¡°You may get drunk,¡± Xiaoming warned her.


    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, and drank the wine straight from the jar. Xiaoming wanted her to stop, but then he didn¡¯t. It was probably the best choice to lessen her pain. He sipped the wine from the tiny cup while gazing at her.

 Chapter 276

    276 Your life with happiness


    Liu Jin Yu squinted her eyes as she sipped thest drop of wine from the jar. She put it aside and peered at Xiaoming. ¡°Give me more,¡± she demanded, more wine.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any wine left. I sent Sun Fuguo already. I cannot go out, else I would have fetched it for you,¡± Xiaoming lied to her.


    Liu Jin Yu moved her face closer to Xiaoming, causing him to stop blinking for a few seconds. ¡°You are not lying, right? You don¡¯t want to give me the wine because you think I have drunk too much.¡± She spread out her arms before lowering them down.


    Xiaoming stroked her hair. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep? It¡¯s alreadyte,¡± he opined.


    ¡°I am not sleepy,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, and tilted her head at him. ¡°Are you sleepy? You must go to bed early. Will you be punished if you wake upte?¡± She waited for Xiaoming¡¯s response.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be punished for waking upte. It is not expected of the Crown Prince to wake upte. Moreover, I am an early bird. Even if I sleepte, I can wake up early,¡± Xiaoming exined to her.


    ¡°My father kicked out my mother when I was nine months old,¡± Liu Jin Yu told him and chuckled. ¡°Wu Jin took my mother to his small home and took care of us. My mother died soon after. I had only Wu Jin in my life, but he left me too,¡± she said in a low voice. However, she didn¡¯t cry this time. The grief was there, but Jin Yu didn¡¯t want to cry anymore.


    ¡°Do you know my father?¡± Liu Jin Yu asked him. ¡°How would you know?¡± Sheughed and yfully hit his arm. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.


    ¡°I became stronger so that one day I would find the man, who threw us out. He is a nobleman,¡± Liu Jin Yu ended up telling him the secret which was meant to be with herself only. Xiaoming immediately tilted his head to look at her, and he grasped her both arms.


    .....


    ¡°Your father is a nobleman?¡± Xiaoming inquired, as he looked at her face. However, she had fallen asleep. A tear came out of her left eye, and it tore up Xiaoming¡¯s heart.


    He embraced her and smiled. ¡°You fool! Why did you never tell me you are a daughter of a nobleman?¡± He mumbled. Half of his way to marrying her was clear now. She wasn¡¯t a woman of low status but the daughter of a nobleman. She could definitely be his wife without any hindrance.


    But the question was, who was her father?


    He decided to ask her in the morning and lifted her in his arms. He took her to the bedchamber and ced her on the bed. He covered her with the quilt. But before that, he removed her shoes and wiped the tear from her right cheek with the pad of his finger.


    ¡°You decided to hear the remarks of people around you, but you never told them you were the daughter of a nobleman. How could you bear all these things? I will make sure to fill your life with happiness,¡± Xiaoming promised her as he caressed her head. He put her hands right below her chest and walked away.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei stopped Li Hua from pulling on his cheeks and pinned her to the mattress. ¡°His Highness¡¯ cheeks look no less than a monkey,¡± Li Huaughed. She pursed her lips together before apologizing to him as she found the change in his facial expressions.


    L¨®ng Wei brought his hand to her nose and pinched it. ¡°You naughty woman!¡± he said and smiled.


    Li Hua rubbed her nose and asked him to move away. Instead, L¨®ng Wei leaned down as he rested his weight on his elbow. The pad of his index finger traced her face from her forehead to her jawline as he lifted her chin.


    He kissed her slowly while giving them enough time to breathe. Their eyelids moved slowly as they looked at each other before their lips met again. Her hand locked behind his nape as she pulled him down. Their bodies were pressed against each other, and the two felt each other¡¯s erratic heartbeats.


    He let go of her lips and left butterfly kisses on her neck, which made her giggle. ¡°Your Highness, that tickles,¡± she said when he bit her sweet spot, which made her moan.


    ¡°Li Hua, you drive me crazy,¡± he whispered as he left open-mouthed kisses on her shoulder. His hands sensually moved over her upper body while her hands raked into his soft, silky hair.


    ¡°Allow me to worship you more, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei whispered in her ear and slowly leaned back to meet her gaze. She nodded at him as a hue of red crept across her cheeks. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s fingers tucked at the knot of her dress, and he slowly opened the knot. Her dress loosened from her chest and her heart hammered against her chest.


    L¨®ng Wei softly kissed the middle of her forehead and looked into her eyes. He traced her brows with his thumb, which slowly moved down to her lips. ¡°So pretty,¡± he whispered.


    The next second, he lifted her up and made her sit on hisp. She rested her hands on his shoulders as her eyes fluttered because of the sudden nervousness.


    ¡°I love you, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and waited for her response.


    ¡°I love Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua promptly replied. Her hands cupped his face. In the light of the candles, the expressions were perfectly visible. She continued to caress his cheeks, which she had pulled earlier. ¡°I didn¡¯t intend to hurt His Highness¡¯ cheeks.¡± The pitch of her voice was low yet soft. She leaned in close and kissed his cheeks before kissing his lips.


    His hand went to her nape. He drew her close, his lips opened to wee her soft, rosy lips. He kissed her hungrily, like a starving beast. His hands pulled down the dress from her shoulders. Soon, his hands explored her upper body and so did his lips, making her moan in pleasure.

 Chapter 277

    277 To sleep with me


    Liu Jin Yu opened her eyes and furrowed her brows. The ceiling looked different, and so did her surroundings. A sharp pain hit her head, and she sat up while holding it. Her eyes closed and she whimpered in pain.


    She felt someone was sitting next to her, and she tilted her head to look.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness!¡± Liu Jin Yu was surprised to see him and then realized she was in his roomst night. Immediately, she rose to her feet when she found out that she had slept on the Crown Prince¡¯s bed.


    She lowered her hand and apologized to him for going into his bed. ¡°Did we sleep together?¡± She promptly asked him.


    Xiaoming peered into her eyes and found herself checking her clothes.


    ¡°Why was I on the bed? The Crown Prince should have kicked me out. In my drunken state, I usually end up creating a mess or sometimes chaos,¡± she said and apologized sincerelyto him ss she bowed.


    Xiaoming reached out his hand to hold her hand and drew her close to him. ¡°We will be married soon, so I suppose we can sleep together too,¡± he said, and gestured to her to sit next to him.


    Liu Jin Yu sat down immediately. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything to the Crown Prince, right?¡± She questioned him.


    ¡°You should have remembered,¡± Xiaoming said.


    .....


    ¡°What?¡± She knitted her brows. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to p or kick his highness when I fully drunk,¡± she said and joined her both hands while rubbing them together. ¡°Please forgive me if I did that. I usually end up getting violent.¡± She asked for his forgiveness.


    ¡°Why do you think you only pped or kicked mest night? Some other interesting things might have happened. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± That amused smirk on Xiaoming¡¯s lips was a rare sight. What did she do?


    No! She could do anything in her drunken state except that intimate with him. That was impossible for her. She had drunk with many men before, but she never did something that she should not havet.


    ¡°The Crown Prince shall not lie,¡± she stated. ¡°Did he put me in the bed? Because I remember that I asked for more wine from him before falling asleep,¡± she affirmed.


    ¡°You poured your feelings on mest night,¡± Xiaoming stated, and she gaped at him in shock. ¡°You were excited to sleep with me on the bed. So, I had no option, but to carry you here. Then,¡± he paused as he carefully noticed her facial expressions.


    ¡°Why did His Royal Highness pause? Tell me what happened?¡± She got desperate.


    ¡°Then, you pulled me for a kiss,¡± Xiaoming said as a wide smile formed on his lips and he traced his lips with his thumb.


    ¡°That cannot happen. The Crown Prince is lying to me,¡± she refused to believe him. ¡°I have been drunk many times, but I never did this to any man,¡± she stated.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xiaoming was perplexed to hear her. ¡°Did you drink with any other men before?¡±


    ¡°Of course. But I never made such a mistake. I bet the Crown Prince is lying,¡± she proimed and smiled.


    Xiaoming grabbed her arm and made her look at him. ¡°But you never carried feelings for the men with whom you drank. With me, it is the opposite. You love me,¡± he said and smiled.


    Liu Jin Yu gulped to hear him. She drank the wine to forget her pain. But she ended up getting into Xiaoming¡¯s bed and kissing him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the rest of the thingster. Come and have chamomile tea. Your headache will vanish,¡± he said, and stood up to walk out of the bedchamber. She followed him, and they sat around the floor table to drink the tea.


    ¡°Will His Highness not drink tea?¡± She inquired, as she saw only one cup on the table.


    ¡°I will drink tea after greeting my royal father and mother,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°You should drink,¡± he said, and poured tea for her.


    ¡°They won¡¯t find out if the Crown Prince drinks the tea with me. It is inappropriate for me to drink alone,¡± she said.


    ¡°Indeed, they will not find out. But they have put faith in me, so I shall keep that faith,¡± he replied.


    Liu Jin Yu picked up the teacup and blew air over it before sipping the tea. She continued to wonder if she really kissed Xiaoming or if he was merely teasing her.


    As she sipped the tea, she again recalled Wu Jin. Who knew that would be hisst tea with her. He died but left his memories for her. She put the teacup down when Xiaoming noticed the troubled look on her face.


    Before he could ask her, she asked, ¡°Your Royal Highness, will you be able to convince everyone that you want me to be your wife? I do not want to create problems for you.¡±


    ¡°It will be difficult, but not impossible,¡± Xiaoming answered. He realized that she didn¡¯t speak about her father with him.


    But, why? He decided to ask her about him.


    ¡°Jin Yu, I am curious about one thing. Will you answer me truthfully?¡± Xiaoming questioned her.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness.¡±


    Xiaoming lifted the teapot and again poured tea for her while he opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Who is your father?¡± He put the tea pot on the table and peered into her eyes.


    Liu Jin Yu was bewildered to hear his query. He never asked her about her father. He was never interested. Then why did he ask out of the blue?


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Liu Jin Yu replied, and her hold on the cup tightened, which Xiaoming noticed. He wondered why she lied about it. She knew very well that her father was a noble, so why did she lie to him? She brought the teacup near her mouth to sip the tea.


    ¡°He is a nobleman, isn¡¯t he?¡± Xiaoming asked, and his eyebrows lifted.


    ¡°How does His Highness know?¡± She was perplexed to hear him.


    Wait! Did she reveal anything that she should not havest night? Yes! She told Xiaoming about her father.


    ¡°You told me before you fell asleep,¡± Xiaoming replied. ¡°Who is your father and why did you never tell me before? You didn¡¯t have to lie to me,¡± heined, as he was a little hurt by her lie.


    Liu Jin Yu put the teacup on the table.


    ¡°If I had known about my father, then I would not have been stealing money,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. ¡°I don¡¯t know him. He kicked my mother when I was nine months old. My mother never told me about him and told me never to ask about him. However, I asked Wu Jin. He told me that my father was a nobleman in Xinshui. He didn¡¯t know who my father was because my mother never told him,¡± she told Xiaoming everything. The past, which was hidden from everyone. She shared it with Xiaoming when she didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°We will find him,¡± Xiaoming assured her.


    ¡°I want to kill him as well,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    ¡°Fine. Kill him for the wrong he did to you and your mother,¡± Xiaoming stated. ¡°Do you have any other clues that can help us find out about him?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°Nothing except this,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, and she moved her hand inside her robe. She took out a ck thread, which she always hung around her neck. On it, there was a white jade ring. ¡°This is what he gave to my mother.¡± She showed him, and removed the ck thread from her neck.


    Xiaoming took the ring from her and examined it carefully. ¡°I showed it to many jewelers, but no one was able to answer me. They say that it is not an umon jade, so many own it,¡± she stated.


    Xiaoming flipped it around and saw the unique mark that a jeweler would leave in the ornaments that he made.


    He smiled and told Liu Jin Yu not to worry about it. ¡°I will find him for you,¡± Xiaoming stated, and told her to finish her tea.

 Chapter 278

    278 Love, Trust, Friendship and Brotherhood


    L¨®ng Wei opened his eyes and found Li Hua wasn¡¯t beside her. He was lying on the support of his stomach while the sheets covered his lower half. Last night, she let him get close to her physically. He was taking everything slow with her while making her fall more and more in love with him.


    He smiled, thinking about Li Hua as he hugged the pillow tightly.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Princess Consort is waiting for you outside,¡± a maidservant informed L¨®ng Wei, who immediately opened his eyes.


    ¡°Why?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked as he pulled the sheets up. ¡°Why didn¡¯t shee to wake me up?¡± Heined. The maidservant kept her head low when he dismissed her. L¨®ng Wei got out of bed and put on his thin silk robe. He went outside the room to check for Li Hua, but he didn¡¯t find her.


    ¡°Where did she leave?¡± He scratched the back of his head before heading to the washroom. After an hour, he returned to the chamber and got ready. Li Hua wasn¡¯t still present in the chamber, and it made him wonder where she left.


    He walked out of the room and looked for Li Hua in the corridor. ¡°Did she leave without me?¡± He mumbled when Li Hua hugged him from behind.


    ¡°Li Hua, where were you? I was looking for you everywhere,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and turned to face her.


    ¡°I was here only,¡± Li Hua replied as she stepped back and danced in happiness at her ce. L¨®ng Wei was astonished to see her so happy in the early morning.


    She was swirling at her ce when L¨®ng Wei stopped her. ¡°Will you tell your husband why you are happy?¡± He rested his hands on her shoulders.


    .....


    ¡°I have received a message from the King,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°What type of message?¡± L¨®ng Wei was puzzled by her statement. What did the King give Li Hua that she was so overjoyed?


    ¡°His Majesty is ready to make you the Governor,¡± Li Hua pronounced and again smiled. ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing was here earlier, and he gave,¡± She took out the tiny scroll from inside the waistband and showed it to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Forgive me. I was too excited to read it and opened it before His Highness could,¡± Li Hua said as she forwarded the scroll to L¨®ng Wei. He took the scroll from her and drew her into his embrace.


    ¡°We made it, Li Hua,¡± he said, and was unable to express his happiness. He was finally given the position that he had never even imagined before. It became possible only after Li Hua came into his life. He always called mischievous, arrogant, egoistic. Everyone told him that he wasn¡¯t good enough to handle any position in the kingdom.


    This was what they called happiness felt like. Not happiness, but aplishment! This was the second time he got this feeling. Earlier, it was when Li Hua confessed her feelings for him. He never worked hard for anything the way he did to make a ce in Li Hua¡¯s heart.


    Less than a month, he achieved many things: Love, Trust, Friendship and Brotherhood.


    Li Hua pulled away and asked him to read it.


    ¡°You have already read it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°But you must read it,¡± Li Hua said, and looked at his hand, which had the scroll.


    L¨®ng Wei lifted his hand and looked at the scroll. ¡°You are right. I must see it. All these years, I received the scrolls from the King, which always had only one message,¡± he asserted, ¡°the message about my punishment. It is strange that I am unable to process how to react.¡±


    He returned his gaze to Li Hua, who clearly understood what he felt at that moment. She patted L¨®ng Wei¡¯s arm and said, ¡°I am proud of Prince L¨®ng Wei. He is indeed the Son of the Dragon. Nothing is impossible for him.¡±


    She recalled her first meeting with him in the pce when he told her he was the Son of the Dragon, for whom nothing was impossible. That time, she thought that L¨®ng Wei liked to talk big and boast about himself.


    How wrong she was!


    He was not a boaster. He wanted people around him to acknowledge his presence too. He wanted them to see how he truly was! But hardly anyone could see that.


    L¨®ng Wei opened the scroll while holding the scroll¡¯s tol and bottom edge. He read the message from his father and saw the royal seal at the end of the message.


    ¡°This looks beautiful,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while beholding those words. He rolled it and looked into Li Hua¡¯s eyes again.


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯te into my life, then,¡± he showed her the scroll, ¡°I would not have received. You lit the hope in my hopeless life. You made me achieve this.¡± He could not help but give credit to Li Hua for saving him that day, for epting him the way he was, and for putting her faith in him.


    ¡°I did not do anything,¡± Li Hua motioned with her hands in the air. ¡°His Highness for no reason is giving me credits,¡± she added.


    ¡°Do you think I would have diverted my attention to the kingdom¡¯s good if you hadn¡¯te into my life?¡± His question made her furrow her brows.


    ¡°I wanted to destroy this kingdom. Yuze¡¯s prophecy wasn¡¯t a boon for me. My mother hated me because of the prophecy. Despite that, I tried to prove to people I was the dragon¡¯s son, thinking they would fear me. But everyone feared me because of my ways of treating people,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Li Hua¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. She opened her arms and tightly hugged him. ¡°Now, they will know what Prince L¨®ng Wei truly is. He is the person of his words and actions. He is admirable in every aspect,¡± she proimed and gave him a smile. L¨®ng Wei nted a soft kiss on the top of her head.


    ¡°Now, we both will be strong and find out the true culprit who destroyed your family,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a determined look.

 Chapter 279

    279 I felt proud


    Xiaoming tapped his foot on the rug beneath him as he waited for the King to enter soon. Qiu Mu nced at Xiaoming and told him to call him if he heard about the news.


    ¡°News?¡± Xiaoming arched his brow, unaware of what Qiu Mu was talking about.


    ¡°Yes. Brother L¨®ng Wei will be the Governor,¡± Qiu Mu stated. Xiaoming was delighted to hear the news.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei did some wonders within one month. I am surprised since he was nning for all this,¡± Tianjie said from the other side. He was seated a few metres away from the front of Xiaoming.


    Mingquan was happy for L¨®ng Wei. He had always been questioned for his capabilities when he used to trouble people around him. His notorious ways were not eptable to anyone, and that became the main reason for people¡¯s annoyance toward L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Finally, Brother L¨®ng Wei has done


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei deserves to be the Governor. He has brought such an important matter in front of us,¡± Ai Fen said, taking the stand for L¨®ng Wei. ¡°The old servants can also be enemies of the royal family, which they served for years. No one should be trusted easily,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°However, there will be a problem,¡± Zhang Xi stated. Everyone looked in his direction. ¡°None of the ministers would support Brother L¨®ng Wei. If I remember clearly, then Brother L¨®ng Wei has troubled almost all of them,¡± he opined. ¡°Moreover, the current Governor may get angry if he is removed suddenly.¡± He chuckled and nced at Tianjie.


    ¡°I agree with the words of Brother Zhang Xi. The Royal Father took the decision to make Brother L¨®ng Wei the Governor of Qinping, but it is tough to please the ministers. We brothers may support him, but how will he get ministerial support? He doesn¡¯t even have any support from his maternal side. They already despise him. Many are going to rebel against the Royal Father¡¯s decision.¡±


    .....


    Ai Fen didn¡¯t put much thought into that angle. She was simply happy to think that L¨®ng Wei would finally do work for the Kingdom and its people.


    ¡°I believe Brother L¨®ng Wei will convince the ministers too,¡± Xiaoming stated. ¡°Nothing is impossible for him,¡± he added.


    ¡°It¡¯s great to see that I¡¯m a topic of discussion among the princes and princesses in the early morning,¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s voice echoed in the hall, and they tilted their heads to the left.


    L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua had walked into the hall.Li Hua greeted them when L¨®ng Wei thought to give a bow to them. Since his wife was showing curtsy, he could not stand tall, letting them make any remarks on him regarding his manners. Li Hua would be hurt if she heard them.


    ¡°Did Brother L¨®ng Wei just bow?¡± Qiu Mu was astonished to see him bowing, and so were the others.


    Li Hua looked at him and smiled. L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t answer Qiu Mu and walked to the seat where he was supposed to sit with Li Hua. He sat after Li Hua and looked at Xiaoming.


    ¡°Support me in court, Crown Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He didn¡¯t request him, and it seemed more like amand to Xiaoming.


    ¡°I will,¡± Xiaoming answered. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to see the first achievement of Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± he said with a wide smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe that Brother L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t arguing anymore or making any inappropriate remarks,¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°I decided to remain humble to those who are good to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and looked at Tianjie. He smiled at him when he saw the King entering. L¨®ng Wei looked away and saw everyone standing. He also rose to his feet and lowered his head.


    The King and the Queen took their respective seats on the golden chairs, followed by the two Consorts on the right side of the Queen.


    The tea server stepped forward, followed by an assistant who had held the tray. The tea server served the tea to everyone, and she went back to her ce.


    L¨®ng Wei stood up and gave a formal bow to his father. ¡°Thank you, Royal Father, for the message. This is my first time getting a message from the Royal Father which wasn¡¯t about punishment,¡± he said.


    Qiu Zedong smiled and put the cup down.


    ¡°You may raise your head, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Zedong told him.


    Heplied with hismand and looked into the eyes of his father. ¡°I also felt happy while writing those words. I felt proud,¡± Qiu Zedong said. His words were limited, but they were enough for L¨®ng Wei. They meant an entire ocean of praiseworthy words to him.


    Tianjie and Zhang Xi didn¡¯t like that sight. However, there was nothing they could say at the present moment. The Queen and the Consorts also weren¡¯t happy that L¨®ng Wei won the heart of the King.


    ¡°Take a seat and drink your tea,¡± Qiu Zedong told his son.


    L¨®ng Wei sat down and picked up the cup to sip the tea.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s exceptional work couldn¡¯t stop me from seeing him as the potential Governor of the Kingdom. Now, no one in the royal family would say that he always creates trouble,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. He nced at Li Hua for a brief moment, who had a tiny smile on her lips.


    ¡°Your Majesty, pardon me, but what about the current Governor. He may get upset with His Majesty¡¯s decision,¡± Noble Consort Xiuying said while showing her fake concern.


    ¡°I have already given him the new position. He will work as a minister in the department ofw,¡± Qiu Zedong answered.


    ¡°It seems the Second Mother isn¡¯t happy to see me doing great, aplishing goals,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and gazed at her.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei always thinks that I think ill of him when it is not the truth,¡± Xiuying said, dismissing his im that she wasn¡¯t happy since the King might not like that.


    ¡°Then, why doesn¡¯t the Second Mother pray for me in the shrine? She always prays for her son and I believe that she should do it for me, without any discrimination.¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t leave any ground to make his father see how much he was hated by his Queen and Consorts.


    ¡°I have prayed for all the Princes and the Princesses,¡± Xiuying said, and nced at the King. ¡°Your Majesty, if you allow, then I would like to give prayers in the Zhuan shrine for the safety of the royal family.¡± She took it as an opportunity to make the King feel how concerned she was for everyone.


    ¡°I will apany the Noble Consort,¡± Qiu Zedong said, which delighted Xiuying. He looked at his Queen and the second consort. ¡°Queen Zhu and Virtuous Consort Ruoxi must also apany us,¡± he stated.


    Zhu Liling and Ruoxi agreed with the King. They thanked him for allowing them as well.


    Qiu Zedong looked at Xiaoming. ¡°Only a few days remain before this month will end. Did the Crown Prince find the woman he wanted to marry?¡±


    Xiaoming promptly lifted his head to answer his father.


    Zhu Liling didn¡¯t want him to answer and thought to deviate from the topic.

 Chapter 280

    280 Shut her mouth


    ¡°I have found the woman of my dreams,¡± Xiaoming answered. The princes and princesses were happy to hear him. However, L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t either happy or sad. He was wondering if Xiaoming would be able to handle the scolding that the King would give him.


    ¡°Who is this woman who finally won the heart of the Crown Prince?¡± Qiu Zedong suddenly turned excited.


    ¡°Liu Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    The smile on Qiu Zedong¡¯s lips vanished as he heard the name. Did he hear it correctly? Did Xiaoming really take that name?


    ¡°That dancer!¡± Xiuying was the first one to react to Xiaoming¡¯s answer. ¡°She was a servant in the Crown Prince¡¯s manor a few days back. It is unbelievable to hear that the Crown Prince fell for a servant.¡± She narrowly gazed at Zhu Liling, who remained quiet.


    ¡°Brother, do you really like Liu Jin Yu?¡± Jingfei asked.


    ¡°The Crown Prince loves her. I wonder why the Crown Prince has such weird choices towards women,¡± Xiuying remarked.


    ¡°Did you say a ¡®weird choice¡¯?¡± L¨®ng Wei spoke up and then looked at Qiu Mu, ¡°Tell your mother to shut her mouth. If she doesn¡¯t, I will make sure she never opens it.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, please punish the prince for using such anguage for me.¡± Xiuying didn¡¯t like the way L¨®ng Wei threatened her son and showed his authority.


    .....


    ¡°Mother, please stop. You should not speak this way about a woman,¡± Qiu Mu finally said, which L¨®ng Wei had wanted to hear for a long time. Xiuying couldn¡¯t believe her ears. Her son told her not to speak instead of requesting his father to punish L¨®ng Wei.


    Li Hua looked at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°His Highness loves to make people fume in anger,¡± she whispered near his ear.


    ¡°She called you a weird choice of the Crown Prince. Previously, Liu Jin Yu, he liked you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I am happy today, else I would have created havoc here. I would have made her apologize to you,¡± he affirmed.


    Li Hua ended up smiling when she heard L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words.


    Qiu Zedong was numb at the answer from his son. Zhu Liling looked at Xiaoming and recalled how he wanted her to understand him. She remained quiet until Qiu Zedong¡¯s response.


    Xiaoming stood up and came to the center of the hall. ¡°Father, I know that a noble woman is important for my political strength. However, it is not necessary. Liu Jin Yu might have no familial background, but she is far more intelligent and smarter than many noble women. Unlike the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter, Liu Jin Yu doesn¡¯t have any greed for the title of Crown Princess. That day, when I was attacked, she protected me and fought bravely. Please allow me to marry her,¡± Xiaoming said, and he got on his knees to bow down.


    ¡°I cannot agree to it,¡± Qiu Zedong inly refused to allow Xiaoming to marry Liu Jin Yu. ¡°The Crown Prince cannot deviate from the set norms. Liu Jin Yu may be his concubine, but not his official wife,¡± Qiu Zedong announced his decision.


    ¡°What will happen?¡± Li Hua murmured.


    ¡°He is the Crown Prince, so he must take in a noble family woman as his official wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei said in a low voice. ¡°However, if he is knowledgeable enough, then he will surely convince the royal father today,¡± he added.


    ¡°I hope so,¡± Li Hua replied.


    Xiaoming lifted his head, but he remained on his knees. ¡°Father, hundreds of years ago, a woman ruled over China who had no specified family origins as Liu Jin Yu. Her name is engraved in our historical text, Li Yangmi. The rest is history. She brought China to greater heights after the King dered her his Queen. The rest is history,¡± Xiaoming pronounced.


    L¨®ng Wei grinned. Xiaoming¡¯s day-long studies finally came in useful to him. Hardly any of them knew that name because the men of society didn¡¯t want women to be superior to them. So, such things weren¡¯t said publicly.


    ¡°Liu Jin Yu is good with swords, she is also a good archer, a good decision maker, and a woman with great goals. I do not want a woman who will keep reminding me I am a puppet of others. ¡®If I marry her, only then will I be strong¡¯, were the words of Kang Cha Ying,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Liu Jin Yu doesn¡¯t even deserve to be a concubine, let alone be the Crown Princess. She might have prior goals. That¡¯s why she seduced the Crown Prince by faking as a dancer,¡± Xiuying intervened again. This was the best chance for her to make Xiaoming fall in Qiu Zedong¡¯s eyes, and she would not let this opportunity slip off her hands.


    L¨®ng Wei took a deep breath and thought about helping him.


    ¡°Second Mother, you forgot about your family status,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and walked out of his ce. He walked up to Xiaoming and halted next to him. He could not believe that Xiaoming didn¡¯t use Xiuying¡¯s ascension to the Consort¡¯s position to make Qiu Zedong agree to his marriage with Liu Jin Yu.


    Qiu Mu got furious at hearing L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words, but he didn¡¯t speak as it could backfire on him. L¨®ng Wei still had his weakness with him.


    ¡°What did Prince L¨®ng Wei say?¡± Xiuying frowned to hear his statement.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled and turned to face Qiu Zedong. ¡°Father, the Second Mother was from the lowest rank noble family. I may sound rude, but what the truth is, I would say that only. Father also officially married her when she was supposed to be the concubine.¡±


    For L¨®ng Wei, it was the best way to hit the two targets: First, he wanted Xiuying to understand the word humiliation. Second, he wanted the King to be able to see Liu Jin Yu as a potential woman for Xiaoming.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, you are not supposed to say this,¡± Qiu Zedong said with an angry look.


    ¡°I said what the truth is, Royal Father. Forgive me if it hurts you badly,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and nced at Xiuying.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I agree with Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words,¡± Zhu Liling finally spoke, and it astonished Xiaoming. He had not expected his mother to take a stand for him. ¡°His Majesty married the daughter of a low-ranking official despite many ministers¡¯ opposition. At that time, His Majesty proved to everyone that a strong family isn¡¯t necessary,¡± Zhu Liling asserted.

 Chapter 281

    281 Allow the Crown Prince to marry


    Xiaoming looked at his mother, who stood up from her seat and walked up to Xiaoming. He thought it would be tough for him to convince his mother, but the opposite happened. Zhu Liling wanted the King to let Xiaoming marry Liu Jin Yu.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled in amusement while keeping his gaze fixed at Xiuying whom he wanted to see explode in anger.


    Xiuying loved to demean everyone around her, but she hardly looked at herself. The way she would look down on people made L¨®ng Wei sick all the time. Today was the best chance for him to show Xiuying her ce. Just because she got King¡¯s favor didn¡¯t mean that she ever helped him in the Kingdom.


    ¡°I remember years ago Father was injured during his return journey from a famous Buddhist Shrine. The Second Mother had followed him, but she didn¡¯t even know about medicinal treatment. The second mother loves to look down at other women while she fails to see what she is!¡± Xiuying and the King were irked by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s remarks.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, you are crossing your limits. You should not disrespect Noble Consort Xiuying this way,¡± Qiu Zedong sternly said.


    ¡°Forgive me if I disrespected her. However, Father must not ignore what she says to the other women. She disrespected my wife many times, thinking Li Hua is not from a noble family. ¡°It¡¯s not wise for the second mother to think negatively of others while holding such a high position after the Queen,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Xiuying red at him and clenched her fists.


    ¡°I agree with Brother L¨®ng Wei. The earlier remark wasn¡¯t good. Liu Jin Yu isn¡¯t weird. She is of a strong character. Such a personality, I never found in any woman. Just like the Royal Father fought for his love when he wanted his Noble Consort in his life, I will do the same,¡± Xiaoming announced.


    Qiu Zedong was stuck now. He could not believe that in the future, his eldest son would use such a thing against him. Xiuying indeed wasn¡¯t from a powerful family, but he was adamant about having her in his life.


    ¡°Your Majesty, as the Queen, I would like to make a request,¡± Zhu Liling said.


    .....


    ¡°Please say, My Queen,¡± Qiu Zedong allowed her to make the request.


    ¡°Liu Jin Yu isn¡¯t suitable to be the Crown Princess in many eyes. However, she surpassed many women who always dreamt of bing the wife of my son. She saved the life of the Crown Prince, and that was enough to show how capable she is. I will personally teach her the etiquette of being a noble woman. So, I request His Majesty to allow Crown Prince Xiaoming to marry Liu Jin Yu.¡±


    Xiaoming was stunned to hear the words of his mother. He could not exin the immense happiness he felt at that moment. His mother finally understood him. He was so wrong about his mother.


    ¡°Does the Queen know what she is saying?¡± Qiu Zedong questioned her.


    ¡°I know, Your Majesty,¡± Zhu Liling answered, and she lifted her eyes to look at him.


    ¡°The Crown Prince had always done what he was told to. This is the first time, I saw him asking for something for himself. I want to see the Crown Prince happy. Kang Cha Ying questioned the capabilities of the Crown Prince without the support of a strong political family. Xiaoming can enhance his strength politically even without the support of a strong family,¡± she stated.


    She had realised earlier, while sitting in her seat, that if she did not stand up for her son today, she would lose him, which she could not do. Indeed, Liu Jin Yu had no family, no support, but she had certain characteristics that were tough to find in a woman, especially the future Crown Princess.


    ¡°Father, the ministers should agree to the royalty. It should not be happening the opposite way. I believe the Crown Prince can show that even without the support of a strong family from his future wife¡¯s side, he can be stronger,¡± Tianjie asserted. He found out that it would be best if he stood with Xiaoming. The other three princes and princesses didn¡¯t either refrain from supporting the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Fine. I allow the Crown Prince to marry Liu Jin Yu,¡± Qiu Zedong announced, ¡°but I want the Queen to look after her etiquette too. No matter how smart she is, she must know what a nobledy is! I put the concerned matter in the Queen¡¯s hand. The next month, the Crown Prince will marry Liu Jin Yu.¡±


    Xiaoming was thankful to his father. Tears appeared in his eyes. He thought it would take him days to convince his father, but with the support of his mother, the decision in his favor came today itself.


    Qiu Zedong smiled and nced at L¨®ng Wei. If he had not brought the matter of Xiuying, the King would not have agreed to this marriage. He didn¡¯t want his sons to hate him, so he allowed Xiaoming to marry Liu Jin Yu.


    ¡°The tea has got cold, and again we took a lot of time to discuss familial matters,¡± Qiu Zedong said. ¡°I hope from tomorrow, the tea session will go in peace,¡± he added, ncing at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I understand, Royal Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Xiaoming stood up and continued to smile.


    Qiu Zedong stood up, and so did the others. He left, followed by Xiuying, whose mood was ruined because of L¨®ng Wei. Before leaving, she gave a re to L¨®ng Wei, who smirked at her.


    ¡°I will see the Crown Prince after breakfast,¡± Zhu Liling said. Xiaoming thanked her before she left the hall.


    ¡°So, finally the Crown Prince will get married,¡± Qiu Mu said with a wide smile.


    ¡°Brother, you made it. I will also help Jin Yu with learning etiquette. I will also give her various beauty tips. She must look beautiful as she will be the next Crown Princess,¡± Jingfei told Xiaoming, who nodded at her. He thanked all of them for being with him.


    He turned to L¨®ng Wei and opened his arms to hug him when L¨®ng Wei stepped back. ¡°Maybe next time,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Why? You should hug the eldest brother,¡± Zhang Xi stated.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. The Fifth Prince can take the hug at my ce,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and walked to Li Hua.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I am hungry,¡± he held Li Hua¡¯s hand and they both left the hall.


    Xiaoming lowered his arms and could not stop smiling. He was happy that he waited for the right woman toe into his life.

 Chapter 282

    282 Too foolish to harm me


    ¡°His Highness should have let the Crown Prince hug him. He was happy that you helped him,¡± Li Hua told L¨®ng Wei while walking with him in the corridor.


    ¡°Hmm. But I didn¡¯t want to hug him,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and looked around. He found no one was around, and then took her behind the pir.


    Li Hua was startled by his actions and asked him if someone hade. She tilted her head to look when L¨®ng Wei answered, ¡°No one came.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡± She squinted her brows in confusion.


    L¨®ng Wei instead of answering her kissed her. Li Hua gaped at him and pushed him a little. ¡°What is His Highness doing?¡± She could not hide her smile.


    ¡°Kissing you,¡± he leaned down after replying to her when she pressed her fingers on his lips.


    ¡°That¡¯s not allowed,¡± she stated. L¨®ng Wei held her wrist and put her hand down.


    ¡°Why? No one is around,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Then, anyone cane. This corridor is a regr route for many servants, princes, and even princesses. I do not want to get embarrassed like that day,¡± Li Hua said while making a pout.


    .....


    ¡°Which day?¡± L¨®ng Weipletely forgot the day when Tianjie spotted them kissing near theke, which was situated in the imperial pce.


    ¡°When the Third Prince saw us and even scolded His Highness,¡± she reminded him. L¨®ng Wei asked her to ignore that.


    ¡°He himself has no woman to love, so he is jealous of me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°Just one kiss and then we will go to see your brother. Xu Zifan will leave the pce today,¡± he informed Li Hua, and requested her to allow him to kiss him.


    Li Hua closed her eyes. He smiled, and their noses touched against each other.


    ¡°Will the Crown Prince really marry Liu Jin Yu?¡±


    They both heard Tianjie¡¯s voice and opened their eyes. L¨®ng Wei peeked out of the pir and saw Tianjie with Zhang Xi and Qiu Mu. Li Hua also turned to look, and they both heard their conversation.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the Third Prince support the Crown Prince in front of the royal father?¡± Qiu Mu reminded him, and he chuckled.


    ¡°That was important because I don¡¯t want to stagnate my rtionship with the Crown Prince,¡± Tianjie stated. ¡°Recently, I noticed that L¨®ng Wei has improved his rtionship with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince even invited us that day and told us that we should get rid of L¨®ng Wei. Then, why is he suddenly so good to him?¡± He was puzzled by Xiaoming¡¯s behaviour towards L¨®ng Wei.


    Li Hua felt upset to hear that Xiaoming really wanted to kill L¨®ng Wei. She had heard it from L¨®ng Wei, but hearing this from his half-brothers made her extremely upset.


    ¡°Brother Mu must have known why the Crown Prince suddenly turned good to L¨®ng Wei?¡± Zhang Xi inquired.


    ¡°He thinks that it will not be good to fight amongst each other. Now, I feel the same,¡± Qiu Mu stated. ¡°There is no use to fight with Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± he opined. Zhang Xi nced at Tianjie.


    ¡°Brother Mu failed to notice how L¨®ng Wei insulted his mother? He told everyone that his mother belonged to a low family status, but because of our father¡¯s favor, she became the noble consort of our father,¡± Tianjie asserted. He knew that L¨®ng Wei must be ckmailing Qiu Mu, which was the main reason why he was quiet.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say about this. Our father has already taken the decision. So, we must respect that decision,¡± Qiu Mu stated. ¡°I need to leave as General Hei and we are looking into the activities of the servants these days. I will see you bothter.¡± Qiu Mu took his leave.


    ¡°I think that Brother L¨®ng Wei has caught their weaknesses. That¡¯s why they are both no longer against him,¡± Zhang Xi told Tianjie, who agreed with him.


    ¡°We have already destroyed the things which L¨®ng Wei could use against us. So, he cannot ckmail us,¡± Tianjie said, and smiled at Zhang Xi. They both left soon.


    Li Hua turned to look at L¨®ng Wei and found him smirking.


    ¡°What happened, Prince L¨®ng Wei? Did you not find it upsetting that your two elder brothers are still against you? Also, the Second Brother isn¡¯t saying anything to you because you know his weakness? They might harm Prince L¨®ng Wei if that weakness vanishes,¡± Li Hua said with a worried tone. She fiddled with her fingers and told L¨®ng Wei not to provoke them anymore.


    ¡°Li Hua, they are too foolish to harm me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and hung his arm around her shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go to see Xu Zifan before he leaves,¡± he said and took her to see Xu Zifan.


    They soon arrived at the chamber where Xu Zifan was staying. To their surprise, Huang Xi was also present in the chamber. He greeted them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have work to do?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned Huang Xi.


    ¡°I do,¡± Huang Xi replied. ¡°I will apany Xu Zifan to his allotted residence and then go to work in the capital center, Your Highness,¡± he exined to L¨®ng Wei.


    Li Hua went to Xu Zifan and hugged him. ¡°I will miss my older brother,¡± she said and closed her eyes. Xu Zifan caressed her head with his left hand and told him that he would be in the capital, so she didn¡¯t have to miss him.


    ¡°I will bring Li Hua to you if she misses you,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Xu Zifan and took out a tessel. It had a white jade hanging on it.


    Li Hua withdrew from the hug and asked him to find a woman soon.


    ¡°What?¡± Xu Zifan chuckled at her.


    ¡°Princess Consort Li Hua, I will make your brother meet a few beautiful women,¡± Huang Xi stated and smiled.


    ¡°Please do, Commander Huang Xi. My brother will not take care of himself. He truly needs a woman in his life,¡± Li Hua said, and she nced at her brother.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Huang Xi said.


    L¨®ng Wei walked up to Xu Zifan and handed him the tassel, who looked in bewilderment at him.


    ¡°This is for your safety. You can use it at various ces in my name if you fall in trouble,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him. Xu Zifan thanked him and asked him to take care of himself.


    ¡°Li Hua is here to take care of me. You don¡¯t need to worry about us,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and patted his shoulder. ¡°I will challenge you to a sword fight when you be good with your left hand,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Sure, Your Highness. I am waiting for that day,¡± Xu Zifan said. A Eunuch came to inform them that Xu Zifan must leave. They walked to the pce gate to see him off. Li Hua was slightly worried about her brother.


    ¡°Your Highness, what if the enemy attacks my brother? In the pce, he was at least around us,¡± Li Hua concernedly said.


    ¡°Li Hua, the enemy is in the pce. So, you and I are on his or her radar, not Xu Zifan. Also, I have made arrangements for his safety,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t the enemy attacking us?¡± Li Hua inquired. She was curious to know what the enemy might be thinking.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I am searching for,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and frowned.

 Chapter 283

    283 First and Last [Bonus chapter]


    Liu Jin Yu waited for Xiaoming toe and started to bite her nails. She was nervous because Xiaoming would raise his voice against something which he could not even get in his dreams. She felt upset that she had used his feelings in this way. But she trusted him. She kept thinking that Xiaoming would definitely convince his parents.


    Also, she was scared that the King might announce a death sentence for her to make Xiaoming¡¯s feelings grow for her. She didn¡¯t want to die this way.


    Suddenly, the door opened, and she rushed towards it. She found Xiaoming, whose face didn¡¯t look good to him. She realized that the decision hadn¡¯te in their favor.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, it¡¯s fine,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, and walked up to him while picking up the long skirt. She put her skirt down, patted Xiaoming¡¯s shoulders, and told him not to feel upset about it.


    ¡°I know that His Royal Highness did his best to convince his parents. This must be my bad fate that we cannot be together,¡± Liu Jin Yu said and tried to smile when she was internally hurt. She didn¡¯t want Xiaoming to feel low.


    ¡°Ick many things to be the Crown Princess. Also, I do not even have strong feelings for the Crown Prince. We can both forget each other easily and move on with our respective lives. We cannot do anything against our fates,¡± Liu Jin Yu said and lowered her hands.


    Her eyes were filled with tears and she felt like crying. Her fate was indeed the worst of all the people around her. She quickly turned her back towards him and wiped the tears from her eyes with the pad of her fingers.


    She got startled when Xiaoming swirled her to face him. However, Xiaoming¡¯s next action was much more shocking. He kissed her hard, and she stiffened in her ce. Like the first time he brushed his lips on hers, this situation was simr to that. She didn¡¯t want to kiss him back, but her heart said otherwise.


    Because this was thest time, she decided to reciprocate his kiss for the first andst time. She would never meet him or see him again. Three people who were so dear to him went so far from him. She closed her eyes and locked her hands around his nape.


    .....


    She kissed him back. Her first andst kiss. She would remember it till herst breath. She would cherish it. Their lips moved against each other gently. After a few seconds, they slowly withdrew, and Liu Jin Yu ended up hugging Xiaoming.


    ¡°Thank you and forgive me for making things difficult for the Crown Prince,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated, and she pulled away.


    However, to her surprise, Xiaoming didn¡¯t let go of her. He drew her close and put his hand on the back of her head. ¡°They agreed,¡± he whispered in her ear.


    Liu Jin Yu was shocked to hear him. Did she hear the correct words? Did the King and Queen agree to their marriage?


    ¡°Congrattions, Jin Yu. You will be my wife and the future Crown Princess,¡± Xiaoming told her and a wide smile formed on his lips.


    Liu Jin Yu widened her eyes. She pushed him back and asked him if he was telling the truth.


    ¡°Why would I lie to you?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    She started tough when she heard him that they had no problem that she had no family!


    ¡°They don¡¯t have any problem with your familial background,¡± Xiaoming replied and carried her up in his arms. He swirled in a circle joyfully while Liu Jin Yu tightly held him. She asked him to stop as she could fall. However, Xiaoming didn¡¯t stop for a few seconds.


    He finally put her down and again hugged her. ¡°Thank you foring to me, Jin Yu,¡± he said.


    ¡°Why did His Highness not say anything when I asked him about the answer? Why did his face have that grim and gloomy expression?¡± She yfully hit his arm and tears rolled down her cheeks. Her fate was not bad and she med it for no reason.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, but how did it happen?¡± She withdrew from the hug and curiously waited for his answer.


    ¡°My Mother helped me. More than that Brother L¨®ng Wei stood for me. I always was envious of him and today, he helped me. I was so wrong about Brother L¨®ng Wei. And then, I thought that it would be difficult to convince my mother, but she got down from her seat and asked father to let Jin Yu marry me. She told how you surpassed other women from your unique qualities.¡± Xiaoming spoke as fast as he could.


    Liu Jin Yu was astonished to find that the Queen had asked the King to let Xiaoming marry her. It was totally unbelievable, but it was the truth. The Queen had even sent the assassins to kill Liu Jin Yu. Then, why did she support Xiaoming? Liu Jin Yu was dubious about it, and decided to ask the Queen herselfter.


    ¡°Jin Yu, you will be taught how to be a virtuous nobledy,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    ¡°What does the Crown Prince mean by this?¡± Liu Jin Yu didn¡¯t understand his words.


    ¡°My mother will teach you the etiquette of a nobledy. You will be the Crown Princess, so you must be virtuous in every aspect. Though I like the way you are. But others may not like this Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming stated and caressed her hair.


    ¡°I understand, Your Royal Highness. It¡¯s easy for me to learn things. If I can learn how to use a sword, then it will not be difficult for me,¡± Liu Jin Yu said with a smile.


    ¡°I know. You will learn those things quickly. Let¡¯s have breakfast. Mother will soon be here, and then she may converse with you. Everyone is happy with our rtionship,¡± Xiaoming asserted and asked Sun Fuguo toe inside.


    Liu Jin was happy too, but she had no faith in the Queen¡¯s intentions. She might have supported Xiaoming for some other reasons. She wanted to find out about it and she would find the Queen¡¯s true intentions today at any cost.

 Chapter 284

    284 A white jade bracelet


    When L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua returned to the manor, they found Jingfei was waiting for them. L¨®ng Wei frowned and looked at her with suspicion.


    ¡°I am here to give Li Hua a small present,¡± Jingfei said, and showed a decorated bamboo basket to her. ¡°Last week, Mother ordered some rare perfumes from the far west. I thought to give you some,¡± she stated.


    Li Hua took the basket from her and thanked her for it. L¨®ng Wei told Li Hua that he would see her in his chamber and turned to leave when Jingfei stopped him.


    ¡°I want to make a request to Brother L¨®ng Wei, but before that, I want to apologize to him for my past behavior,¡± Jingfei said and lowered her eyes. L¨®ng Wei was amused to hear her and turned to face her while Li Hua looked perplexed.


    ¡°Then, you should apologize with your heart and soul,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked. Jingfei gazed at him and stepped up.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, I am sincerely apologetic for my past behavior with you. You also disrespected me many times, so I could not control my anger. Let¡¯s forgive each other and move on,¡± Jingfei suggested to him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t apologize to you, First Princess. I may never apologize. Also, I never needed your forgiveness nor do I ever want to forgive you. I don¡¯t regret my actions from that day.¡± L¨®ng Wei could not forget how Jingfei called Li Hua a whore andpared her with histe mother.


    Li Hua intervened in their conversation. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is the youngest prince, so he likes to throw tantrums. I was also this way, Princess Jingfei.¡± L¨®ng Wei looked at her with skepticism. Li Hua gazed at him for a brief moment before looking back at Jingfei. ¡°Princess Jingfei can make the request with Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± she humbly said.


    ¡°Thank you, Li Hua. Forgive me for that day,¡± asserted Jingfei. Li Hua gave a tiny smile to her.


    .....


    ¡°I am hungry,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and looked at Li Hua, gesturing to her to follow him. He walked out while Jingfei didn¡¯t stop him this time.


    ¡°I will ask Prince L¨®ng Wei to talk with Princess Jingfei. I must leave before he gets upset,¡± Li Hua said and looked at the basket in her hand. ¡°Thank you for this. No one ever gifted me perfume,¡± she expressed her gratitude. Jingfei took her leave while Li Hua went to the chamber where L¨®ng Wei was.


    The breakfast table was already set and she found L¨®ng Wei smiling at her. She sat down in front of him and picked up the chopsticks.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about Princess Jingfei. Currently, I am not in the mood to hear about her,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and began eating. Li Hua hummed and started to eat.


    ¡°Noble Consort Xiuying was angry because the Prince dragged her name while helping the Crown Prince,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°Why does the Prince love to make others angry?¡± Sheined.


    ¡°That was important. It was important to make her realize that her family status is not so high in the Kingdom. Just because she has the King¡¯s favor doesn¡¯t mean she can look down on others,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined. He picked up the bean and ate it, and continued, ¡°Also, I don¡¯t think that the King would have agreed to the Crown Prince¡¯s choice. He would have separated them or worse, would have punished Jin Yu to death.¡±


    Li Hua¡¯s heart sank to hear that. Why would the King separate two lovers in this way? She asked L¨®ng Wei to exin it.


    ¡°There is no solid reason not to do it. Father is the King. He can take any decision as long as it benefits the Crown Prince in the future,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed and picked up the bowl of noodles.


    ¡°What if the King agreed because of the Queen? Her Majesty stood up for her son, and that could have melted the King¡¯s heart,¡± Li Hua said.


    L¨®ng Wei chewed the noodles well before answering her. ¡°Wife, the King must not bring the emotions while making a decision about the Kingdom. You should think why the Queen stood for her son. She was desperate to make the Crown Prince marry Kang Cha Ying.¡± L¨®ng Wei was correct. Zhu Liling supported her son when she should not have. Li Hua knew the Queen well.


    ¡°His Highness is right. During the time I served Her Majesty, she was always concerned about the Crown Prince¡¯s marriage. She was looking for the best noble family that could support the Crown Prince after the political marriage,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°The Queen must have thought of something. Why are we concerned about them!?¡± L¨®ng Wei suddenly posed the question. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about them. Let¡¯s talk about us. Will you go out with me in the evening?¡±


    ¡°Where will His Highness take me to?¡± Li Hua curiously asked.


    ¡°That is a surprise.¡± L¨®ng Wei grinned. ¡°It will be a horse ride,¡± he added.


    ¡°A horse ride?¡± Li Hua was excited, but at the same time, she was scared too. She had once gone near the horse and it neighed at seeing her, which feared her. But because L¨®ng Wei wanted to go out with her, she didn¡¯t let it show on her face.


    Soon after, she finished the breakfast and drank the water. The maidservant cleaned the table. L¨®ng Wei asked Li Hua to give her hand.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Forward your hand, Li Hua,¡± he urged her. Li Hua did so and forwarded her hand above the table. L¨®ng Wei held it gently and inserted a jade bracelet in her hand. It was a white jade with golden engravings on it.


    ¡°This is for you. A small present on my behalf,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a wide smile. His heart was fluttering while he was inserted it in her wrist.


    Li Hua was surprised to see such a beautiful jade bracelet as a present. She gradually pulled her hand back and looked at the bracelet closely. She saw her name engraved on it, and she opened her mouth in shock. Her heart fluttered and she smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s such a beautiful jade bracelet, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua said as her eyes slightly turned misty.

 Chapter 285

    285 Feng Lao¡¯s message


    ¡°I am d that you liked it. Keep it always on your hand,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°His Highness always gives me presents yet I never give him any present yet,¡± she said and lowered her hand.


    ¡°You are itself a gracious present to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. Li Hua shook her head and told him that she would soon give him something memorable.


    ¡°I will wait for it,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°I have to go to the imperial court since today an important judgement wille. I will be back soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and stood up. Li Hua also rose to her feet and walked up to him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get angry in court,¡± Li Hua said as she stroked her hands on his robes near the cor. ¡°His Highness will soon be a Governor, so he must act like one,¡± she added.


    L¨®ng Wei wrapped his arms around her lower waist and pulled her up. ¡°There is no fun in not making those ministers burn in agony. Fine. I won¡¯t get angry at anyone unless they start saying rubbish,¡± he promised her. Li Hua hummed and rested her hands on his cheeks.


    She quickly kissed him and then looked into his eyes. He moved his right hand up on her back and drew her close to capture her lips. ¡°You didn¡¯t let me kiss you earlier,¡± L¨®ng Weiined. ¡°Such a peck won¡¯t suffice my hunger for your lips.¡±


    Li Hua blushed to hear him, and her ears also turned red. ¡°We were outside at that time,¡± she managed to whisper.


    ¡°What about now?¡± He arched his brow. He didn¡¯t wait for her reply and nibbled on her lips. She moved her lips to match his rhythm. Both pulled away quickly and smiled at each other.


    .....


    ¡°I shall leave before I end up taking you to bed,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and nted a soft kiss in the middle of her forehead. ¡°I will see you soon,¡± he said, and left for the imperial court.


    Li Hua looked at the jade bracelet and wondered what kind of present she should give to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Your Highness, a message hase for you.¡± Li Hua lowered her hand and was confused to hear her. The maidservant forwarded a tiny roll of paper, which was inside a beautiful scroll holder. Li Hua took it from her and asked her who sent the message for her.


    ¡°It is unknown. The messenger said that it was from Her Highness¡¯ well-wisher,¡± the maidservant answered. Li Hua dismissed her and went to the patio. She sat on the floor mattress, where the white curtains swayed in the breeze.


    Li Hua opened the scroll and took out the rolled paper from inside it. She opened it and started to read.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop reading this message if you recognize my writing.¡± Li Hua found it was from Feng Lao. Why did he send her the message!? She had broken all rtionships with him. Then why did he call himself her well-wisher.


    She wanted to throw it away, but a part of her didn¡¯t let her throw it away. She exhaled a deep sigh and continued reading.


    ¡°Li Hua, I have immensely hurt you. I shouldn¡¯t have stopped the search for you. I should not have kept my mouth shut when I found out the truth from my father. The past cannot be corrected, and for my past actions, I am truly apologetic. I know that I do not deserve your forgiveness, but I want to apologize and will keep doing it until myst breath.¡± Li Hua¡¯s eyes filled with tears and her eyshes got wet. She gripped the edges of the paper tightly and continued.


    ¡°Xu Zifan and you underwent excruciating pain. I am going through the same. Everything has ended here and I truly want to disappear, but I want to catch the enemy for you. I have found out something important. Please tell this to Prince L¨®ng Wei that the enemy is a man. He is from the pce. I was able to recover some letters in my residence and found them through the letters. I rest my words here. Take care, Li Hua.¡±


    Li Hua put the paper down and knitted her brows. ¡°Why did Feng Lao send this message without thinking that he might get caught?¡± She mumbled. She thought of going to Mingquan as L¨®ng Wei would returnte.


    She got up and went to meet Mingquan.


    Mingquan read the message and handed it back to Li Hua.


    ¡°Sister-inw, to avoid suspicion, Feng Lao sent the message this way. The decorative scrolls are usually used to send messages to royalty. He used the same trick so that it safely reaches you,¡± Mingquan asserted.


    ¡°So, the enemy is a man,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°It is strange because Brother L¨®ng Wei had his suspicions about the Queen and the Consorts,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°Let Brother L¨®ng Wei return from the court, then we will have further discussion on it,¡± he advised her. Li Hua nodded at him and asked him if he hadn¡¯t gone to the court today.


    ¡°The court will take twenty more minutes to start,¡± Mingquan replied.


    ¡°Oh. Prince L¨®ng Wei went early then,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Because today is an important day for him. The King will make a judgement on Kang Huijuan, who liedst time, and because of that, Brother L¨®ng Wei was punished. Apart from that, Brother L¨®ng Wei has to get the ministerial trust and support before his Governor position will be finalized,¡± he exined to Li Hua.


    Li Hua thanked him for giving her time for the conversation and took her leave. However, before leaving, Mingquan told Li Hua not to worry about the enemy. ¡°If he had to harm you, then he would have by now. It is not easy to get harmed in the pce,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Li Hua said and left. She was not only troubled about the enemy, but she was concerned for Feng Lao too. His words bothered her, and she decided to ask L¨®ng Wei if he could help him. But before that she decided to meet Yuze.

 Chapter 286

    286 Forced to be the concubine


    Li Hua halted outside Yuze¡¯s ce and caught her breath. She always wanted to meet Yuze after she returned from Xinshui, but she could not find the right time to see him.


    She stepped forward and gradually walked forward. Her eyes fell on Yuze, who had a bamboo basket in his hand. She quickly rushed to him and took therge basket from him. ¡°I will help, Monk Yuze,¡± Li Hua humbly said, and looked into the basket. There were many herbs inside it, and some flowers too.


    ¡°What is the Princess Consort doing here?¡± Yuze was astonished to see her and asked her not to trouble herself with his work.


    ¡°Monk Yuze, such a tiny piece of work will not tire me out,¡± Li Hua said, and she asked him where to put that basket. Monk Yuze showed her the patio on the left side of the hut. She was mesmerized by the sight of a water system. A tiny fountain was located at the center and the water was dropped into it using bamboo sticks. Many orchids were nted in the garden, along with some fruit trees.


    ¡°Have a seat, Princess Consort,¡± Yuze told her, and she turned to look at him. She sat on the floor chair when he asked her if she would like to drink the tea.


    ¡°Thank you, but I do not want to,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°Forgive me foring unannounced, Monk Yuze,¡± she apologized first.


    Monk Yuze smiled and asked her not to apologize. ¡°It seems the Princess Consort has many questions to ask,¡± he said, while keeping a tiny smile intact on his lips.


    ¡°Monk Yuze didn¡¯t tell me that he had seen me when I was a young child,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°I am here to know why Monk Yuze came to Xinshui. I am afraid, but my father never told me about it, nor did he tell my eldest brother. My Elder Brother ended up hearing Monk Yuze¡¯s conversation with myte father, so he told me that you had already predicted that I would marry Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s son.¡±


    ¡°Xu Guang Li asked me to visit Xinshui,¡± Yuze said. ¡°Your father learned medicine from me,¡± he revealed the secret that had been kept hidden for years.


    .....


    Li Hua was shocked to learn the truth from Yuze. Her father learned medicine and acupuncture from Yuze! He never shared this with anyone.


    ¡°It is admirable that his daughter learned acupuncture from him and saved the life of Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Monk Yuze use acupuncture on Prince L¨®ng Wei that day? I might have done something wrong which could have risked Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life,¡± she opined.


    ¡°I had faith in the Princess Consort¡¯s skills. Most importantly, I knew my pupil would have trained his daughter well,¡± Yuze exined to her. Li Hua was unable to react to that.


    ¡°Monk Yuze, could you please tell me what you have told my father?¡± Li Hua requested him.


    ¡°Sure. Your stars are perfectly synchronized with the stars of Prince L¨®ng Wei. I predicted that in the near future, both of you should marry, as you were his chosen bride,¡± Yuze stated.


    ¡°However, Xu Guang Li never wanted to send his precious daughter to the pce. He decided to keep it a secret from everyone. Then, after some years, as Prince L¨®ng Wei grew up, the discussions about him were prevalent in every part of the Kingdom. Xu Guang Li decided not to ever make you marry him. Destiny yed its role and you are both together now.¡± Yuze made her aware of the reason why Xu Guang Li kept it hidden.


    ¡°Father never let me leave the residence alone. I hardly used to meet people outside my residence. Was there any reason behind it?¡± Li Hua was suspicious that her father kept her within the four walls of the residence for some reason.


    ¡°I believe so. I had not met Xu Guang Li in sixteen years. So, I didn¡¯t know what was on his mind,¡± Yuze replied.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has retrieved Xu Guang Li¡¯s personal diary where it is mentioned someone from the pce knows about it. I believe that your father has shared the prophecy with someone in the pce. Because I had no intention of revealing it until destiny would have brought you two together.¡± Yuze was also searching for who could be the person, who found out about the prophecy. The mysterious murders in the Xu family were done for a bigger purpose.


    Li Hua could not understand whom her father could tell about the prophecy. Why would he share it with someone when he never wanted to send her to the pce?


    ¡°Monk Yuze, thank you for answering my questions,¡± Li Hua said and bowed to him.


    ¡°Anytime, Princess Consort,¡± Yuze said.


    ¡°Monk Yuze, may I ask something rted to Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± She hesitated a bit because she feared that Yuze might refuse to tell. When Yuze allowed her, she immediately asked him.


    ¡°What was Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother like? I know I should ask all such questions of the Prince, but he gets furious and upset. When he told me that his mother never wanted him to be born into this world, I realised how difficult it was for him. So, I refrain from asking Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± she asserted. She was curious to know about Concubine Jun.


    ¡°Princess Consort, Concubine Jun entered the pce against her wish. She wanted to end her life, but could not as she was pregnant. It was a tough time for her. Prince L¨®ng Wei hates her maybe because of this reason because she med him for her existence,¡± Monk Yuze exined to Li Hua. This was something new to her. So, she was forced to be a concubine. But it was not right to me L¨®ng Wei. It was not his fault.


    ¡°Princess Consort, with time, L¨®ng Wei will definitely tell you the remaining secrets about himself as well. Be patient with him,¡± Yuze stated.


    Li Hua hummed and again thanked Yuze for giving out some of his precious time to her.

 Chapter 287

    287 Etiquette learning training


    Liu Jin Yu bowed the way Sun Fuguo had taught her earlier. Xiaoming had left for the imperial court, so Liu Jin Yu was a little nervous.


    Zhu Liling didn¡¯t like the way she bowed and asked Court Lady Hong to teach Liu Jin Yu all the formal etiquette. Zhu Liling took a seat and rested her hand on the bolster. She dismissed all of the servants from the chamber.


    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Zhu Liling told Liu Jin Yu. She went to the broad chair and sat down on it. The heavy clothes were making her itchy, but she managed to sit in them.


    ¡°I have told you to stay away from my son,¡± Zhu Liling initiated the conversation. She red at Liu Jin Yu coldly and continued, ¡°I do not want to make my son go away from me. That¡¯s why I agreed to this marriage.¡±


    ¡°How can I believe Her Majesty, the Queen?¡± She was skeptical of Zhu Liling¡¯s support for the Crown Prince. ¡°Her Majesty sent assassins to kill me. She may do it again. It is not difficult for her to not kill me. The Crown Prince already thinks that Her Majesty is on his side. But if I died mysteriously, he would never me anyone and would even agree to marry a noble woman.¡± Liu Jin Yu thought the Queen would do this and her rtionship with her son would not be hampered.


    Zhu Liling smiled and said, ¡°You indeed are smart. You thought way too far. You are right. I am capable of killing you, but I won¡¯t do it.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu was astonished to hear her statement. She was curious to know what was on the Queen¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Eunuch Lianying was very close to me. He worked for me for a very long time, yet he attacked my son and tried to take his life. If there had been any other woman at your ce, she would not have taken the risk of her life to save the Crown Prince. That¡¯s why you are qualified for the position of the Crown Princess. Moreover, I want my son to be happy rather than live in pain,¡± Zhu Liling exined her true intentions behind supporting Xiaoming¡¯s decision.


    Liu Jin Yu pursed her lips together. She apologized for being suspicious of the Queen.


    .....


    ¡°The marriage is next month and before that you have to learn all the etiquette of being ady. Xiaoming will not be able to help you if you make a mistake while learning all these things. I don¡¯t get off easily when I punish.¡± Zhu Liling¡¯s words seemed like a warning to Liu Jin Yu. She didn¡¯t have to make any mistakes.


    ¡°The way you bowed earlier wasn¡¯t graceful at all. Also, the way you talk isn¡¯t right either.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu lightly pped her lips and apologized to Zhu Liling.


    ¡°The way you keep your gaze fixed on the person at a position higher than you, is also wrong.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu immediately lowered her eyes and wondered how she should look at someone. Xiaoming never told her about such a thing.


    ¡°The way you sit isn¡¯t the way a nobledy sits.¡±


    Promptly, Liu Jin Yu straightened her back.


    ¡°The way you walk isn¡¯t a nobledy¡¯s walk.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu ended up looking into Zhu Liling¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°The way you dress up isn¡¯t the choice of a nobledy. You have to control your mouth movements and eye movements well. Your smile must be adjusted ording to the situation. All these will be a part of etiquette learning training,¡± Zhu Liling exined to her.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Majesty!?¡± Liu Jin Yu gulped as Zhu Liling red at her. She lowered her eyes. ¡°When a person smiles orughs, there is no control over it. Who thinks of controlling his or her smile?¡± She could not believe that there were certain ways to smile among the nobledies.


    ¡°You should not speak when your elder is speaking. Also, you must be humble while speaking,¡± Zhu Liling reprimanded her. Jin Yu apologized to her. ¡°You will not stay in the Crown Prince¡¯s manor anymore. You will stay in the western pce till the time you both get married.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu nodded her head.


    ¡°One important thing I would like to add. Help my son grow. He stood for someone this way for the first time. He could have been severely punished, but he didn¡¯t care for that. Despite yourck of a strong political background, I believe you will help the Crown Prince be stronger,¡± Zhu Liling stated.


    Liu Jin Yu assured Zhu Liling that she would always be a shield, a supporter, and a great wife to Xiaoming. Zhu Liling smiled a little, but she didn¡¯t let it show on her face.


    She stood up and, seeing her, Liu Jin Yu also rose to her feet.


    Zhu Liling came close to her and held her chin. Liu Jin Yu was startled, so she curled her fingers to see the Queen this close for the first time.


    ¡°Your skin is good,¡± Zhu Liling said and let go of her chin.


    ¡°The training will be tougher, so be prepared for it. Don¡¯t whine andin about it to the Crown Prince, or else your punishment will be increased. You have to learn some basic chinese characters as well since you cannot remain illiterate. If I find out that you cked off during your training, then I will personally ask the King to annul this marriage agreement,¡± Zhu Liling pronounced.


    Liu Jin Yu was shocked to hear thest statement of the Queen.


    ¡°I will never do it, Your Majesty. I willplete my training whole-heartedly,¡± Liu Jin Yu loudly said, as if she was a soldier who got themand from the General of the army.


    Zhu Liling smiled a little again and then, walked out of the chamber.


    Liu Jin Yu could not believe that the Queen said that to her. She rested her hand on her chest and took deep breaths.

 Chapter 288

    288 If Li Hua dies


    Kang Xi and Kang Huijuan got off the horse carriage as they arrived at the imperial pce. Kang Xi bowed to see L¨®ng Wei and asked his son to do the same. Unwillingly, Kang Huijuan greeted L¨®ng Wei, who smiled at him.


    ¡°It seems Prince L¨®ng Wei was waiting for us,¡± Kang Xi said, rubbing his hands together in nervousness.


    ¡°Yes. Today, the King will announce the punishment for Kang Huijuan. I must save him, No?¡± L¨®ng Wei was having fun with his reactions. He applied the salts to his wounds to burn him with anger.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness. I am grateful for your benevolent kindness,¡± Kang Xi said with a wide smile. They started to walk towards the imperial court when L¨®ng Wei told him to return his favor in the court.


    ¡°What do I have to do?¡± Kang Xi inquired. He was ready to help L¨®ng Wei in every way.


    ¡°Bring the ministers in my support in the court. I will be the next Governor of Qinping today. But before that I need the support of the ministers,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, carrying a menacing expression. Kang Huijuan, who was walking behind them, was shocked to hear L¨®ng Wei.


    If L¨®ng Wei became the Governor, everything would be ruined. L¨®ng Wei would get authority over more people, and he would always suppress them.


    Kang Xi was shocked to find that the King was ready to make L¨®ng Wei the Governor. But, how? He could not either refuse him because the dignity of the Kang Family was at stake.


    ¡°That will be a little difficult, Your Highness,¡± Kang Xi didn¡¯t want L¨®ng Wei to be the next Governor, so he wanted to show him that no one would be at his side, ¡°since the majority of the ministers find Prince L¨®ng Wei as incapable.¡±


    .....


    Kang Xi chuckled when he heard L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words.


    ¡°I believe that I am more capable than most of the ministers in the Kingdom,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°Your son knows it better. I have such dark secrets with me, which hardly anyone can have,¡± he added.


    ¡°If His Highness had informed me yesterday, then I would have made prior requests to the ministers,¡± Kang Xi stated while keeping a tiny smile on his lips.


    ¡°Hmm. Fine. If you cannot help me, then there¡¯s nothing I should help you with,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and walked ahead when Kang Xi grabbed his arm.


    ¡°Your Highness, please don¡¯t act this way. I will do it. I will support His Highness and ask other ministers too,¡± Kang Xi started to plead with him. L¨®ng Wei told him to let him go.


    ¡°You have lost your chance, Kang Xi,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and asked him to let go of his arm. ¡°The servants are looking at us,¡± he said.


    Kang Huijuan chuckled at that sight. L¨®ng Wei forced his father to beg. He had never imagined that one day in his life, L¨®ng Wei would have more authority than them.


    ¡°Your Highness, please forgive me for acting na?vely,¡± Kang Xi said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look good while begging, Kang Xi. Fine. I will forgive you for thest time. Help me in the court and I will help your son,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed, and for a brief second, he nced at Kang Huijuan.


    L¨®ng Wei went ahead and told them they couldeter.


    Kang Huijuan stood by his father¡¯s side. ¡°Father, did you see how high L¨®ng Wei is flying? You don¡¯t need to worry about anything. He has nothing against me, so don¡¯t let him be the Governor. We will be ruined if he bes the Governor.¡± Kang Hujian had burned Wu Jin¡¯s ce thest day, so there would be nothing against him. He wasn¡¯t scared of anything. There were no records of that servant remaining that indicated whether she had ever worked in the Kang residence.


    Kang Xi asked his son to shut his mouth. ¡°Because of your foolishness, I have to see this day. Can¡¯t you see that Prince L¨®ng Wei now holds more power than we do? If we do anything against his wish, he will not spare us. Don¡¯t do anything stupid in the imperial court. Apologize for the wrong that you have done. Prince L¨®ng Wei would handle the rest of the matter,¡± Kang Xi reprimanded his son before making him understand what he would say in the Court.


    Kang Huijuan clenched his fists. He was not willing to do any such thing, but for his father he would.


    ¡®I will make sure to kill Li Hua. She is the one who brought this matter before the king. If Li Hua dies, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s wings will cut and he will longer be like this.¡¯ Kang Huijuan knew that Li Hua was L¨®ng Wei¡¯s weakness. To throw L¨®ng Wei out of his way, Li Hua must die.


    Soon, they reached the imperial court, where the ministers were already present. Kang Huijuan became aware of the strange stares directed at him when his gaze was drawn to L¨®ng Wei, who was smiling.


    He stood behind his father while lowering his hand and suppressing his anger. As the King entered, the slight rumblings in the court also died down.


    ¡°How is Prime Minister Kang Xi? Is he well?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I am a little better. Thank you for asking,¡± Kang Xi answered.


    ¡°Then, we shall proceed,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°As you can all see today, my youngest son, Prince L¨®ng Wei, is also present in the imperial court. It must be shocking for all the ministers present here,¡± Qiu Zedong said as he brightly smiled.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei found out who attacked the Crown Prince and it was revealed to all of you. We all thought that the prince was always creating trouble, but we could never find that he was talented like the other princes. Prince L¨®ng Wei is ready to serve the kingdom and I have decided to give him the governorship of Qinping,¡± Qiu Zedong announced his decision.


    Xiaoming and Mingquan were happy for L¨®ng Wei, while the other three princes weren¡¯t happy.


    ¡°Your Majesty, pardon me, but in my opinion, Prince L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t qualify to be the Governor,¡± Minister Zhou Ling objected to the decision of the King and a few others supported him.


    Hei Chengxi nced at L¨®ng Wei, who looked calm to him.


    ¡°I am with the decision of the King. Prince L¨®ng Wei deserves the position of Governor,¡± Hei Chengxi stated, supporting L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei was astonished by Hei Chengxi¡¯s support for him. He didn¡¯t understand why Hei Chengxi supported him. He used to reprimand L¨®ng Wei when he was a child and made mistakes.

 Chapter 289

    289 L¨®ng Wei, the Governor of Qinping


    Kang Xi didn¡¯t stay quiet and stepped forward. ¡°Your Majesty, I also think that Prince L¨®ng Wei should be the Governor of Qinping. None of us was able to find who could attack the Crown Prince, but Prince L¨®ng Wei found it.¡± He could not let L¨®ng Wei get upset. To save his family, if he had to see L¨®ng Wei as the Governor, he would do that.


    Tianjie and Zhang Xi looked at each other. Kang Xi¡¯s support for L¨®ng Wei was something unusual, but Tianjie knew the reason behind it.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei must have asked Kang Xi to support him,¡± Tianjie whispered near Zhang Xi¡¯s ear, who agreed with him.


    Li Zixuan also supported L¨®ng Wei, and because some of the strongest ministers agreed to make L¨®ng Wei the next Governor, other ministers didn¡¯t hesitate to give their support as well. It would not be wise to rebel against the decision of the King when the strongest ministers wanted L¨®ng Wei to be the Governor. Also, they did not want to be on the bad side of the royalty.


    Unanimously, everyone agreed on the King¡¯s decision.


    Qiu Zedong smiled and picked up the royal seal. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei will be the new Governor of Qinping. He will be granted 500 horse soldiers, 1000 foot soldiers and other perks as the Governor of Qinping.¡± He stamped the royal seal on the royal decree and directed Qiu Mu to make an announcement regarding it in the capital.


    Qiu Mu bowed, ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei smiled and stepped up. He raised his hands to his shoulders and joined them. ¡°Your Majesty, thank you for giving me such a big responsibility. I, Qiu L¨®ng Wei, will work for the Qiu Kingdom till the end of my life.¡± He turned and looked at the ministers in front of him, ¡°Thank you for showing your faith in me. I will not disappoint anyone present here and help you all,¡± he stated and put his hands down.


    Qiu Zedong smiled to see his youngest son¡¯s happiness. All this time, he was punished most of the time. His joy multiplied when powerful ministers from the Kingdom came out in support of L¨®ng Wei. He kept the royal seal back at its ce.


    .....


    ¡°Now, we shall head to the proceeding which we left yesterday in the middle,¡± Qiu Zedong said and nced at Kang Huijuan.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei lied to everyone for almost six months when I punished him because he beat Kang Huijuan, which broke both his hands. However, recently, the truth was revealed. I am displeased to hear that, because of ack of evidence, my son decided to remain quiet when Kang Huijuan was at fault.¡± Qiu Zedong gazed at Kang Xi and asked him if he knew anything regarding this.


    ¡°Your Majesty, if I had an idea of this, then I would have stopped my son and punished him for the wrong he did. My son is extremely guilty of his act and is ready to apologize to Prince L¨®ng Wei.¡± Kang Xi looked at his son and asked him to apologize to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°If an apology could end everything, then there would be no need for punishment,¡± Li Zixuan stated in his hoarse voice.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Prince L¨®ng Wei was punished without any second thought. I believe that there should not be any discussion over Kang Huijuan¡¯s punishment. He did not only do wrong to a woman but also stayed quiet when the reason was asked by Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Zixuan asserted with a menacing look.


    ¡°We are with Minister Li Zixuan, Your Majesty,¡± the ministers on the left said in unison and bowed their respective heads.


    Kang Xi nced at L¨®ng Wei, who was silent. He wondered why he wasn¡¯t speaking. He had promised him that he would help them.


    ¡°However, there was ack of evidence. We still do not know if the woman who is imed to be impregnated by Kang Hujian exists or not. It could be a lie of Prince L¨®ng Wei to tarnish the name of my family,¡± Kang Huijuan could not stay quiet any more and stepped forward to speak.


    ¡°I never did that, Your Majesty. Prince L¨®ng Wei and his wife lied about me,¡± Kang Huijuan imed. Kang Xi gestured to his son to stay quiet, but he didn¡¯t listen to his father. ¡°Your Majesty, justice demands evidence. Why would I do something like this with a servant? I am a nobleman with high values,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Is Kang Huijuan saying that Princess Consort Li Hua lied that day about this?¡± Zhang Xi asked while looking at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°It can be a lie because if she can hide her true identity and enter the royal family, then she can lie about anything,¡± Kang Huijuan proimed. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t speakst time because of theck of evidence, and he cannot use me openly of the thing which I never did,¡± Kang Huijuan loudly said while lowering his head.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I never did anything wrong. I am being framed by Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s wife. If someone should be punished, then it¡¯s Princess Consort Li Hua.¡± He tilted his head to narrowly gaze at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°She dragged my name into this because Eunuch Lianying was a gift from the Kang family. She must have had hidden motives to do so,¡± Kang Huijuan had decided that he would end L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chapter today.


    ¡°me her one more time and I¡¯ll bury you here alive!¡± L¨®ng Wei finally opened his mouth to speak, and his jaw clenched.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s use of words is so inappropriate. If a person like him bes the Governor, then Qiu Kingdom¡¯s downfall is evident. I want to ask everyone here on what basis they want me to be punished? Justice demands evidence. You cannot use a person merely because of some rivalry,¡± Kang Huijuan asserted.


    ¡°I knew that you would never apologize for the wrong you did. That¡¯s why I have brought the evidence, Kang Huijuan,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced, and looked at the King.


    Kang Huijuan was shocked to hear him and lifted his head to look at L¨®ng Wei, who was smiling with confidence.

 Chapter 290

    290 A despicable man


    When L¨®ng Wei revealed that he had evidence regarding Kang Huijuan¡¯s wrongdoings, it brought a terrified expression on his face.


    L¨®ng Wei looked in the King¡¯s direction and asked for his permission. ¡°If His Majesty allows, then I want to show the evidence where it is mentioned that Xin Jue, the servant in the Kang¡¯s family, was left pregnant by Kang Huijuan.¡±


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is allowed to present the evidence,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei must not lie,¡± Kang Huijuan said. He had burned the records where Xin Jue¡¯s name was mentioned. He was confident that L¨®ng Wei was trying to trick everyone present in the court.


    To his surprise, L¨®ng Wei took out a record book from inside his robe. Kang Huijuan widened to see that and his eyes met L¨®ng Wei¡¯s.


    ¡°You should have to get rid of it in your house, Kang Huijuan,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he flipped through the pages of the record book. ¡°Xin Jue¡¯s name is mentioned here, Your Majesty,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he stopped at the center of the page.


    Xiaoming came to L¨®ng Wei and looked at the record book for that name. He nced at Kang Huijuan and then at his father. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is right. Xin Jue¡¯s name is present here,¡± Xiaoming informed the King and took the record book from L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°She joined the Kang family as a servant nine months ago, Your Majesty,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Huang Xi, please bring Xin Jue to the imperial court,¡± L¨®ng Wei requested. Huang Xi bowed and walked out of the imperial court.


    .....


    After a while, Huang Xi entered with Xin Jue, who was now in the sixth month of her pregnancy. She tried to bow before the King, but Qiu Zedong asked her not to do so. She bowed her head and greeted the King.


    ¡°Your Majesty, this is Xin Jue. I used to work as a servant in the kitchen of the Kang Residence,¡± Xin Jue said, keeping her eyes low.


    ¡°Is it true that Kang Huijuan did this to you? Did he try to take away your life when you asked him to marry you?¡± Xiaoming questioned her on behalf of the King.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness,¡± Xin Jue answered, and she broke into tears. ¡°The Sixth Prince helped me that time and saved my life and my child,¡± she said, resting her hand on her belly. She lifted her head and looked at L¨®ng Wei, whose gaze was fixed at Kang Huijuan.


    ¡°I am truly thankful to His Highness for saving my and my baby¡¯s life that day. His Highness beat the Prime Minister¡¯s son because he got angry seeing my state. I could have died at the very moment, but like a God, the Sixth Prince arrived at the right time and gave me this life,¡± Xin Jue stated and for a brief moment, nced at the King at the throne.


    Everyone fell silent to hear Xin Jue.


    ¡°Kang Xi, do you recognize this woman?¡± Qiu Zedong wanted to check if Kang Xi would also lie like his son.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I saw this servant in my residence. I didn¡¯t remember the name though,¡± Kang Xi told the truth, instead of concealing the lies of his son.


    Kang Xi realized that his son¡¯s foolishness would bring doom to the entire Kang Family. The trust that the King had in the Kang family would soon vanish. It took him almost half of his life to make the Kang family strong enough among all the noble families, but his son destroyed his hard-work in merely minutes. Kang Xi was devastated and had nothing more to say.


    He had a daughter, and if someone did this to her, he would definitely be heartbroken. Upon finding that his own son did such a thing to another woman and then refused to marry her, Kang Xi lowered his head in shame.


    ¡°Do you want to marry, Xin Jue?¡± Qiu Zedong inquired her.


    ¡°No, Your Majesty,¡± Xin Jue politely refused.


    Qiu Zedong hummed. ¡°Where are you staying?¡± he asked another question.


    ¡°Your Majesty, it is the residence of Eunuch Gao Bing. That was the safest ce for her to live without any worries. Gao Bing helped a lot,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Qiu Zedong narrowly gazed at Gao Bing, wondering why he didn¡¯t inform him.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Eunuch Gao Bing didn¡¯t know anything regarding this. I kept it a secret since I didn¡¯t have evidence at that time,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan, do you have to say anything?¡± Qiu Zedong questioned him.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Kang Huijuan said.


    ¡°You may speak,¡± Qiu Zedong allowed him.


    ¡°This woman is lying. The child inside her womb isn¡¯t my child. I tried to kill her because she was using me of being his father. I never had any physical rtionship with her. This woman even lied to the Sixth Prince about it,¡± Kang Huijuan pronounced.


    L¨®ng Wei squinted and scrunched his brows.


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to lie, Your Majesty,¡± Xin Jue said, and her breathing became erratic. ¡°This child is of Young Master Kang,¡± she stated, and tears rolled down her cheeks.


    ¡°I can prove to everyone here that this child isn¡¯t mine. The real father is a lowly servant who worked in the Kang residence for over a year. He is the father of this child, and this woman imed it to be mine. That¡¯s why I tried to kill her. I am ready to take the punishment for the part where I never told the truth to anyone and let Prince L¨®ng Wei get the punishment. But I will never take punishment for the work I never did,¡± Kang Huijuan pronounced.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled to hear his words. Kang Huijuan broke all the limits of being evil.


    ¡°You are such a despicable man, Kang Huijuan. I wish I had killed you that day. You think that you can prove your lie to be true! I will never let it happen,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Kang Huijuan turned to look at him. ¡°Your Highness, this woman told a lie to you. I understand your anger. I sincerely apologize to you for that. But I must bring out the remaining truth which this woman hid from His Highness too,¡± Kang Huijuan said, giving a smirk to L¨®ng Wei.

 Chapter 291

    291 Kang Huijuan encountered Li Hua


    L¨®ng Wei walked up to him and grabbed him by the cor.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei!¡± Xiaoming stopped him. However, he didn¡¯t listen to him. Everyone looked puzzled because of the sudden twist.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan, tell the truth or else I will bring all of your evil deeds out,¡± L¨®ng Wei threatened him while gritting his teeth. His grip on his cor tightened while his face carried a grim look. He was controlling him not to knock him down and beat some sense into his head.


    ¡°Maintain the dignity of the court,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a loud voice. However, L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t let go of his grip on Kang Huijuan¡¯s cor.


    ¡°Leave me if you don¡¯t want to prove to everyone that you are an ipetent Governor,¡± Kang Huijuan whispered. L¨®ng Wei pulled him up.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me what to do and what not to do,¡± L¨®ng Wei snapped at him. Hei Chengxi came near them and grabbed L¨®ng Wei¡¯s arms. He pulled L¨®ng Wei away and asked him to calm down.


    ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t trust Kang Huijuan¡¯s words. He is lying,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a stern tone.


    ¡°Your Majesty, please do not do injustice in this court. This woman was trying to put the me of her wrong-doing on me and wanted me to ept that child. When I refused, she threatened me. She even fooled Prince L¨®ng Wei. I should have revealed the truth that time, but I did not want the child inside her to suffer.¡± Kang Huijuan made a lie which appeared no less than the truth.


    Xin Jue stood silent because she knew that everyone would only me her. No matter how many times she told the truth, she would be wronged.


    .....


    ¡°Your Majesty, Kang Huijuan is lying. He is the father of Xin Jue¡¯s child. To get away from the punishment, he told this lie,¡± L¨®ng Wei requested his father.


    ¡°Can Prince L¨®ng Wei prove that the child inside her womb is my son¡¯s?¡± Kang Xi finally spoke.


    ¡°I will prove it. However, I need time,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei can take time,¡± Kang Huijuan said. ¡°However, if it is proven that the child isn¡¯t mine, then it will also prove that Prince L¨®ng Wei nned with her to destroy the name of the Kang family,¡± he proimed and immediately looked at the King.


    L¨®ng Wei clenched his fists in anger and stared at Kang Huijuan.


    Tianjie and Zhang Xi smiled to hear Kang Huijuan. He turned the entire chess game on his side. Finally, someone was there who could defeat L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I believe that facts must be checked before giving out the verdict,¡± Li Zixuan said.


    ¡°I agree with Minister Li,¡± Hei Chengxi said. ¡°To avoid any discrepancy, I will personally check everything, Your Majesty,¡± he stated. The remaining ministers agreed with their suggestions and requested the King for the same.


    ¡°Fine. I allow L¨®ng Wei and Kang Huijuan to present their evidence in tomorrow¡¯s court. I will make the decision ordingly,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. He asked them not to provoke each other in the fight. Huang Xi took Xin Jue with her and the court session continued.


    An hourter, when the remaining small cases were discussed, the court session got over. The ministers left after the King except for Kang Xi and his son.


    Hei Chengxi told L¨®ng Wei that he would see himter and left. Qiu Mu also left with the First General.


    L¨®ng Wei walked up to Kang Huijuan and punched him hard on the face. Kang Xi raised his voice when L¨®ng Wei told him to shut his mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything,¡± Xiaoming said, standing in front of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Governor of Qinping jumped into violence in just a few hours,¡± Kang Huijuan provoked L¨®ng Wei. ¡°I wonder how long he will remain in this position,¡± he said, while being dubious.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan, don¡¯t start a fight here. I will take action if you don¡¯t stop,¡± Xiaoming said with authority. ¡°Prime Minister Kang Xi must go home with son. I apologize for Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s misbehavior.¡±


    Kang Xi nodded and asked Kang Huijuan to follow him. He smirked at L¨®ng Wei before leaving with his father.


    ¡°Where did you find this record book?¡± Xiaoming asked L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°From the Kang residence,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°He is lying. I won¡¯t spare him tomorrow,¡± he muttered, and thought to walk away when Xiaoming told him to apany him.


    ¡°Why?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sceptical gaze lingered on him.


    Mingquan grabbed L¨®ng Wei¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Don¡¯t whine like a kid. Let¡¯s follow the Crown Prince.¡±


    Xiaoming gazed at Tianjie, who told him that he had a task to fulfil with Zhang Xi. Xiaoming nodded and returned to his manor with Mingquan and L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Brother Tianjie, this was an unexpected turn of events. Kang Huijuan looked confident. I think that Brother L¨®ng Wei indeed made a n with Xin Jue to remove the Prime Minister,¡± Zhang Xi pronounced.


    ¡°No. This is not the way L¨®ng Wei works. Kang Huijuan lied in front of the King,¡± Tianjie stated. ¡°I would love to help Brother L¨®ng Wei, but I do not want to. Tomorrow L¨®ng Wei will be removed from the position of governor,¡± he added and smiled victoriously.


    Kang Huijuan informed his father that he would returnter. When Kang Xi openly reprimanded him, he assured his father that he would not create any nuisance. Kang Huijuan knew that whenever L¨®ng Wei got angry, he would go out but not to his manor. This was the right time to check on Li Hua and n ordingly.


    He halted outside L¨®ng Wei¡¯s manor and looked at the board hanging at the top of the wide entrance.


    He walked in and found, as usual, there was no one around. He continued to walk until he saw Li Hua, and a smile appeared on his lips.


    Li Hua was unaware of his face and could not recognize him.


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± Liu Jin Yu came forward, holding the long skirt. She knitted her brows to see Kang Huijuan, and her blood boiled in anger.

 Chapter 292

    292 Before I kick you out


    Liu Jin Yu hade to see Li Hua because she was the only person she found trustworthy after Xiaoming around her. When she found Li Hua practicing archery, it made her smile.


    ¡°Princess Consort Li Hua, you have held the bow wrongly,¡± Liu Jin Yu found that she was unable to shoot and intervened. Li Hua turned to look. She was surprised to see Liu Jin Yu and smiled to see her.


    Liu Jin Yu walked up to her and asked Li Hua to show her how she nocked the arrow. Li Hua did what Jin Yu told her to, who pointed out her mistake.


    ¡°The pointer finger of your right hand rests on the side of her chin. Keep your chin down and see, the bow string has touched the tip of your nose,¡± Liu Jin Yu instructed Li Hua. ¡°You should aim now,¡± she stated.


    Li Hua hummed. She glued her eyes on the target and nocked the arrow. Although L¨®ng Wei had taught her many times, she could hardly understand him. He was not a good teacher.


    Liu Jin Yu pped for her as the arrow hit the target perfectly. Li Hua asked her if she had shot correctly.


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why the Princess Consort was able to shoot at the center of the target,¡± Jin Yu asserted.


    Li Hua thanked her for correcting her mistake. ¡°You do not need to call me by my name. You will soon be the Crown Princess. You can call me by my name,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Sure. You should also call me by my name. I am Liu Jin Yu,¡± she said and forwarded her hand.


    .....


    Li Hua blinked her eyes for a few seconds and then slowly moved her hand forward. ¡°It is an informal way to greet,¡± she said as they shook their hands.


    ¡°Really?¡± Liu Jin Yu immediately pulled her hand back. ¡°Li Hua, Her Majesty has appointed an instructor for me to learn etiquette. However, I also want your help. Please help me train. I will help you in archery and sword fighting, if you want,¡± she offered a deal before Li Hua.


    ¡°Her Majesty may not like it if I help you learn since she has appointed a personal instructor for you,¡± Li Hua was hesitant about helping her.


    ¡°No, that will not happen. You need to be present around me. I will feel confident when you are with me. Please, Li Hua. Don¡¯t refuse to help me,¡± Liu Jin Yu requested and joined her hands.


    ¡°Please do not do this.¡± Li Hua lowered her hands. ¡°Sure, I will be around you,¡± she said.


    Liu Jin Yu thanked her and told her that she would teach her how to fight.


    ¡°Will you? You may not get time,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I will take out time for this. I am a great archer, Li Hua. I am good with swords too. I can even show you. But not now, because I have to return. I sneaked out to meet you,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated and scratched the back of her head.


    ¡°I will surely appreciate your help,¡± Li Hua said, and gave a tiny smile to her.


    ¡°Li Hua, tell me how you won the heart of Prince L¨®ng Wei? I had heard many rumors about the prince. He hardly looked at any woman, but he fought for you. Prince L¨®ng Wei must love you a lot,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated and hit teasingly at Li Hua¡¯s arm.


    ¡°I do not know. I saved him in my hometown and he fell for me,¡± Li Hua said and started to blush.


    ¡°Your hometown?¡± Liu Jin Yu got confused when she realized that she would bete if she didn¡¯t return. He asked Li Hua to help her go out as she had forgotten the route.


    Li Hua nodded and asked her to follow her. She put the bow on the patio¡¯s floor and left with Liu Jin Yu.


    They both reached the main courtyard of the manor. Liu Jin Yu had trouble walking in that long skirt and heavy clothing, so she was behind Li Hua.


    Li Hua paused to see an unknown man in the manor. When Liu Jin Yu pronounced her name and came forward, she was stunned to see Kang Huijuan. Li Hua tilted her head to look at Liu Jin Yu.


    ¡°It is my pleasure to meet the wife of Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Kang Huijuan said and smirked.


    Li Hua nced at him and furrowed her brows together.


    ¡°Pardon me, but I didn¡¯t recognize you,¡± Li Hua politely said while keeping a tiny smile on her lips.


    ¡°Forgive me for not introducing myself,¡± Kang Huijuan apologized. ¡°I am Kang Huijuan, the son of the Prime Minister of the Qiu Kingdom,¡± he said.


    The smile from Li Hua¡¯s lips immediately disappeared.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has such a beautiful woman as his wife, and it makes me envious of him,¡± Kang Huijuan said as he grinned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that you must not speak this way with Princess Consort Li Hua?¡± Liu Jin Yu questioned him and stepped up.


    ¡°Who allowed you toe in here? If Prince L¨®ng Wei finds out that you came here, I am sure you won¡¯t go in one piece to your house, Kang Huijuan.¡± Jin Yu wanted to kill him at that very moment. If she had had her sword with him, she would have made sure to cut his mouth with it. The way he smirked at Li Hua wasn¡¯t pleasant at all, and it creeped her out.


    Kang Huijuan cast a nce at Liu Jin Yu and could not recognize her.


    ¡°Who are you? Didn¡¯t I tell you that I am the son of the Prime Minister. Such a filthy servant has no right to talk to me this way,¡± Kang Huijuan snapped at her when Liu Jin Yu pped him hard.


    Li Hua was shocked to see that and gaped at Liu Jin Yu.


    ¡°How dare a leech call me a filthy servant!?¡± Liu Jin Yu growled at him.


    Kang Huijuan rested his hand on his cheek and scowled at her.


    ¡°Did you call me a leech?¡± He could not believe his ears.


    ¡°Yes. Now, get out of here before I kick you out,¡± Liu Jin Yu sternly said while scrunching her brows.


    ~~~~~~


    Thank you ¡°mags98¡± for 7 GTs. This chapter is dedicated to you.

 Chapter 293

    293 The Governor¡¯s Wife


    Liu Jin Yu and Kang Huijuan red at each other.


    ¡°I think you do not understand the words, Kang Huijuan,¡± Liu Jin Yu said and grabbed the cor of his robes. She dragged him while Li Hua ran after Liu Jin Yu. She tried to stop her, but Liu Jin Yu didn¡¯t listen to her. Her blood was boiling with anger.


    As soon as they stepped out of the door, she pushed him off the stairs. Kang Huijuan¡¯s knees and face got minor injuries. He immediately stood up when L¨®ng Wei stood in front of him.


    ¡°Did you just enter my manor without my permission?¡± L¨®ng Wei clenched his fists. He was already infuriated because of his lie, and this act by Kang Huijuan increased his anger manifolds.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. He made a bad remark about Li Hua and was smirking at her,¡± Liu Jin Yu said and quickly descended the stairs.


    ¡°What did you say to my wife?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned Kang Huijuan. Xiaoming and Mingquan also arrived at the manor.


    ¡°I onlyplimented the Princess Consort, Your Highness,¡± Kang Huijuan said.


    ¡°Who are you topliment her? Don¡¯t check my patient, Kang Huijuan,¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered and gritted his teeth. Li Hua descended the stairs and asked L¨®ng Wei to let it go.


    Liu Jin Yu looked at Li Hua and asked her not to say that. Xiaoming asked Jin Yu to calm down. ¡°Kang Huijuan, you should not havee here. You should prepare for tomorrow because it is yourst day breathing in the open,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    .....


    Li Hua held L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand and looked at him.


    Kang Huijuan bowed and red at Liu Jin Yu before leaving. He was extremely humiliated and wondered who that woman could be. He would never forget this p until the end of his life.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Xiaoming asked Jin Yu.


    ¡°I was here to ask Li Hua to help me. Then, Kang Huijuan came here and started to speak weirdly. I pped him then,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated and crossed her arms around her chest.


    ¡°You did what?¡± Xiaoming was shocked to hear her.


    L¨®ng Weiughed as he looked at her.¡±You surely started to use your power as soon as you got permission from the King and Queen to marry the Crown Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°That is great,¡± he added.


    ¡°It was important to shut his filthy mouth,¡± Liu Jin Yu pronounced. ¡°His gaze at Li Hua wasn¡¯t good at all, and then he called me a filthy servant,¡± she huffed.


    Mingquan found out that the future Crown Princess was going to be stronger and she did not even hesitate to punish anyone.


    ¡°He called you a filthy servant!¡± Xiaoming¡¯s temper suddenly rose.


    ¡°Tomorrow Kang Huijuan will bring a male servant and prove that he¡¯s innocent. He will put his entire me on Xin Jue. We cannot let it happen. I should have killed him that day. Today, he would not have lied about such a thing in the court,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and let out a frustrated sigh.


    ¡°What happened in the court?¡± Li Hua asked, while being curious.


    Liu Jin Yu was also interested in knowing.


    ¡°I want to take a rest,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and asked them to leave. Xiaoming took Liu Jin Yu away while Mingquan told L¨®ng Wei not to worry about it and patted his shoulder before leaving.


    L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua went inside the manor. He stopped her outside the door of the chamber and asked her what Kang Huijuan said to her.


    ¡°Is that important, Your Highness?¡± She questioned.


    ¡°It is. How could he say something to my wife? I cannot let it go,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Then, win against him tomorrow. What kind of lie did he tell in the court today that he could not get arrested?¡± Li Hua waited for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s response.


    L¨®ng Wei walked in while she followed him. He narrated everything in the short to her. He poured a ss of water for himself, drank it, and then put it on the table.


    ¡°Your Highness, we have to make Kang Huijuan confess the truth in the court tomorrow,¡± Li Hua opined, ¡°because it will be difficult for us to find evidence which will prove that he is the father of that child.¡±


    ¡°Confess,¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured, and smiled. He got the idea and decided what to do to make Kang Huijuan confess the truth in front of everyone in the court.


    He opened his arms to Li Hua and asked her toe to him. She was astonished, but walked to him. L¨®ng Wei wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. ¡°Thank you for giving me an idea,¡± he said.


    They stayed in that position for some time before withdrawing from that warm hug.


    ¡°I am Governor of Qinping and you are now the Governor¡¯s wife. In the court, the ministers unanimously agreed to the King¡¯s decision. A tiny confrontation went, but in the end, we won,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He truly aplished the biggest task of his life. He would be in a good position in the kingdom, with the authority to make decisions.


    ¡°I will make sweets for His Highness to celebrate this moment,¡± Li Hua told him.


    ¡°I would love to eat sweets made by you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he kissed her lips.


    ¡°Li Hua, are you proud of me?¡± For him, his wife¡¯s opinion mattered a lot.


    ¡°I am truly proud of my husband,¡± Li Hua didn¡¯t dy in answering him.


    L¨®ng Wei gave a white-teeth smile to her. He covered his face with his hands and continued tough. ¡°I never felt this happy, Li Hua,¡± he said as he lowered his hands. Before Li Hua could answer him, he again drew her close and gave feathery kisses on her lips.


    Li Hua started tough along with him. ¡°I wanted to take you out today, but not anymore because I have to prepare for tomorrow¡¯s court session,¡± he said with a slightly upset look.


    But he again turned cheerful and continued, ¡°I will take you to the governor¡¯s residence, which one gets after being the Governor.¡±


    Li Hua nodded and decided to tell him about Feng Lao¡¯s message. But seeing his happiness, she didn¡¯t want to. He might not like that Feng Lao sent a message to her. She thought to tell him in the evening.


    ¡°Governor¡¯s residence? But aren¡¯t we supposed to live in the pce?¡± she asked in bewilderment.


    ¡°That is a perk when one bes Governor. We might spend our private time there,¡± he said and teased her.

 Chapter 294

    294 Soft and Warm Touch


    Xiaoming asked Court Lady Hong to give them some privacy. When she left the chamber, Xiaoming turned to look at Liu Jin Yu. She had worn this heavy Hanfu dress, and her ears were red because of anger.


    ¡°You did good by pping him,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°I controlled myself not to kill him,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. ¡°He was ready to attack me when I called him a leech,¡± she stated.


    ¡°What?¡± Xiaoming started tough. ¡°You are amazing,¡± he said, and apologized to her. ¡°You had to face this in my absence. I am sincerely sorry for this.¡± He took a step towards her and adjusted the cors of the upper robe that she had worn.


    ¡°His gaze on Li Hua wasn¡¯t pleasant at all, Your Royal Highness. I wonder why she remained quiet even after hearing his remark. If I had been at her ce, I would have beat Kang Huijuan for looking at me that way,¡± Liu Jin Yu affirmed while looking into his eyes.


    ¡°She is a calm woman, but she is a deep analyzer,¡± Xiaoming answered. ¡°Also, Kang Huijuan is an expert liar. He might have made wrong statements if Li Hua had lost her temper. Today, in court, he med everything on Xin Jue and confidently said that the child in her womb wasn¡¯t his. If Li Hua would have gotten angry, it could negatively affect Brother L¨®ng Wei too,¡± Xiaoming made her understand. He held her hands and pinched her nose.


    ¡°I understand your anger against him. He killed Wu Jin, your only family member.¡± He lowered his hand and continued, ¡°But you will be the Crown Princess soon. You need to control your anger and punish the person withouting under the pressure of your emotions.¡±


    ¡°Does the Crown Prince never make decisions based on his emotions?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I made such a decision once and ended up killing innocent servants. You know it well. I still live in guilt,¡± Xiaoming replied. ¡°You need to be calm and react at the right time to hit the enemy,¡± he opined.


    .....


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is the best. He doesn¡¯t think so. He does what he feels is right,¡± she said and sighed.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t follow the rules, nor is he afraid of punishment. You and I are afraid to get punished, so we cannot do anything as we please,¡± Xiaoming asserted. Liu Jin Yu hummed and told him that she had to learn everything about being a nobledy.


    ¡°I met the Queen in the morning. She will punish me if I try toin during my training. The Crown Prince didn¡¯t tell me that nobledies don¡¯t smile widely like men. I was shocked to hear such a thing from Her Majesty. When I am extremely happy, I cannot stopughing my heart out,¡± Liu Jin Yu said and exhaled sharply.


    ¡°You need to act like a well-mannered woman in front of everyone. That is what is expected from the women of the royal family,¡± Xiaoming stated. He told her not to stress over that because it wasn¡¯t tough to learn etiquette.


    ¡°But Court Lady Hong said that it is tougher than learning sword fighting, archery, horse riding and martial arts,¡± Liu Jin Yu remarked.


    ¡°My opinions are different. It is not easy to even pick up a heavy metallic sword, let alone fight with it,¡± Xiaoming asserted. He moved his hands to her shoulders and patted them. ¡°You will learn everything. When you can defeat thousands of women in making a ce in my heart, then you can do anything. You even won the heart of my mother, which I used to think would be difficult,¡± he said, and told her not to worry too much.


    Liu Jin Yu smiled and agreed with him. ¡°I should keep faith in myself,¡± she stated.


    ¡°I have to leave since I cannot stay for more time around you,¡± Xiaoming said. He turned to leave when Liu Jin Yu grabbed his arm. He peered at her when she pulled him for a kiss, astonishing him.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, thank you for loving me,¡± she said.


    Xiaoming wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her up. His hand rested on the side of her neck. He angled her head as he leaned down. His fingers stroked her neck, sending sparks through her. She closed her eyes when his lips brushed against hers. The soft and warm touch of his lips caressed her.


    They slowly pulled away and looked at each other. Xiaoming stroked her hair. ¡°You cane to see me anytime,¡± he said. Jin Yu hummed and asked him to help L¨®ng Wei bring the true face of Kang Huijuan out.


    ¡°I will. Brother L¨®ng Wei said that he would meet me in the evening,¡± he stated. ¡°Today what he did in court clearly showed how pathetic he is! I will bring evidence that he was the one who killed Wu Jin. He will be punished for the crimes hemitted,¡± he gave her the assurance and caressed her hair.


    He left for his manor and asked Court Lady Hong to be gentle with Liu Jin Yu. When he reached the manor, he found his mother was waiting for him in the private room. He walked in and greeted his mother, who gestured to her to sit.


    After Xiaoming sat down, Zhu Liling started speaking.


    ¡°Where was the Crown Prince?¡± Zhu Liling asked.


    ¡°I went to see Liu Jin Yu, Royal Mother,¡± he truthfully answered.


    ¡°I am d that the Crown Prince refused to marry Kang Cha Ying. Forgive your mother for forcing you to ept that proposal,¡± Zhu Liling¡¯s words puzzled Xiaoming. ¡°I heard what happened in the court. Eunuch Gao Bing said that the Kang family isn¡¯t as nice as it seems,¡± she affirmed.


    ¡°Indeed. They only know how to abuse power. I want the Royal Father not to trust Kang Xi,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°I will try to talk with His Majesty regarding this. The Crown Prince must not be under too much stress. I will make Liu Jin Yu into a perfect nobledy,¡± Zhu Liling said with a smile. Xiaoming thanked his mother for supporting them.


    He recalled that Jin Yu was a noble man¡¯s daughter, but telling his mother about it would not be right. So, he decided to keep it a secret for a while.


    ~~~~~


    Thank you ¡°Jp_reader¡± for giving me many gifts, GTs, and supporting me for new story. This chapter is dedicated to you.

 Chapter 295

    295 Not tell the First Princess


    Jingfei finished lunch with her two sisters. For the first time in a long time, they all ate together for lunch. She sipped a little water and put the ss on the table.


    ¡°Sister Jingfei, the Crown Prince will marry soon, by the beginning of the next month. Then, everyone will look forward to Sister Jingfei¡¯s marriage,¡± Xiaolian said. She was unable to believe that they had grown up so fast. Now, they would soon leave the pce.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi doesn¡¯t like me,¡± Jingfei said with a dejected tone. Ai Fen peered at her.


    ¡°Did Sister Jingfei confess her feelings to Commander Huang Xi?¡± Ai Fen queried.


    ¡°Yes, I did. I even went to the Hei residence, thinking he would like it. But I was wrong. He told me that he would never like me,¡± Jingfei said, and recalled it was her fault too. She was thinking ill of L¨®ng Wei when he was badly wounded, and Huang Xi ended up hearing her. That was the major reason why he started to hate her.


    ¡°That¡¯s so rude of him. Does he not know that Sister Jingfei is the Queen¡¯s daughter?¡± Xiaolian was slightly angry.


    ¡°But Sister Jingei cannot push her feelings on him,¡± Ai Fen said. ¡°That will create more trouble,¡± she opined.


    Jingfei knitted her brows and wondered why Ai Fen was always against her marrying Huang Xi.


    ¡°I am not pushing my feelings. I only made an effort to get close to him. When you are in love, you are bound to do that. Is it wrong to even care about his mother¡¯s choices?¡± Jingfei was slightly angry.


    .....


    ¡°Forgive me, Sister Jingfei. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you with my words,¡± Ai Fen said. ¡°Sister Jingfei shall show Commander Huang Xi her affection for him. Take the example of Brother L¨®ng Wei. He continued to protect Li Hua and did many things for her, which made her open her heart too,¡± Ai Fen started to cheer up Jingfei.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei and Commander Huang Xi are close friends. Sister Jingfei should try to talk with Brother L¨®ng Wei once again. He may help her,¡± Xiaolian gave a suggestion.


    ¡°I asked Li Hua to tell Brother L¨®ng Wei that I wanted to have a conversation with him. He had refused to talk to me earlier,¡± Jingfei stated. She wondered if Li Hua forgot to ask L¨®ng Wei because until now there had been no response.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei and I have a bitter rtionship. He may refuse to talk to me again,¡± Jingfei replied.


    ¡°Sister Jingfei shall try once again. Brother L¨®ng Wei helps. He even supported Sister Jingfei¡¯s elder brother,¡± affirmed Ai Fen. Xiaolian agreed with her and encouraged Jingfei to talk with L¨®ng Wei once more.


    ¡°I will wait for Li Hua¡¯s response first,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°We have yet to meet Liu Jin Yu,¡± Xiaolian told them. ¡°I heard she¡¯ll be getting etiquette training before the wedding. We shall help her,¡± she added.


    Jingfei was not interested in meeting her. As soon as Xiaoming got married, she would be the first one to get married off. If Huang Xi refused to marry her, then what would she do? She could not live without him. She could not even see him with another woman. These thoughts were killing her from the inside.


    ¡°Sister Ai Fen, Sister Xiaolian, I need some rest. I will see you bothter,¡± Jingfei told them. They both nodded and asked her to take care of herself. As soon as they left, Jingfei headed to meet L¨®ng Wei.


    She asked the maidservant about Li Hua.


    ¡°Her Highness is with the Prince in his chamber,¡± the maidservant answered.


    ¡°Tell Princess Consort Li Hua that I want to see her,¡± Jingfei instructed the maidservant.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness, but the Prince has given strict instructions to me not to disturb them. I will inform the Princess Consort about your visit,¡± the maidservant politely answered. Jingfei sighed and nodded at her. She returned to her chamber when she saw Huang Xiing from the other side, followed by a few servants.


    Her eyes glinted with happiness, and she wore a smile on her lips. She gradually moved ahead as her heart palpitated to see himing closer. Huang Xi stopped for a brief moment and bowed his head to greet her before walking ahead. She immediately turned to look and followed him.


    Her feet stopped and she found out that Huang Xi was conversing with Ai Fen.


    He ignored her, but he was happily conversing with Ai Fen. Her heart burned with jealousy. Even that day, Huang Xi was interested in going out with Ai Fen. His gaze on Ai Fen was different from what he had on her.


    Her eyes turned misty and her fingers curled up. She had warned Ai Fen to keep a hundred metres¡¯ distance from Huang Xi. Then why did she have to do that? She wiped the tears from her eyes before running back to her chamber.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi can start his investigation without any problem. The servants will surely cooperate,¡± Ai Fen humbly said.


    ¡°Thank you, Second Princess.¡± Huang Xi gestured to the soldiers behind him to take the servants for the investigation.


    Ai Fen thought to ask Huang Xi regarding his feelings for Jingfei. She was a bit hesitant when she heard Huang Xi say.


    ¡°Does Her Highness want to say something to me?¡±


    Ai Fen peered into his eyes and nodded at him.


    ¡°Sister Jingfei has liked Commander Huang Xi for a long time.¡± She found the sudden change in his facial expression. ¡°I am speaking about this because I am concerned for Sister Jingfei. She is a nice woman and-¡± she could notplete her words as Huang Xi interrupted her.


    ¡°Your Highness, pardon me, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m suitable for her. I like someone else,¡± Huang Xi stated. Ai Fen was stunned to hear him and opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out of it.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Ai Fen said after a long pause.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi shall tell this to Sister Jingfei. She will not hold onto you,¡± Ai Fen suggested to him.


    ¡°I have told the First Princess that I never liked her and never will,¡± Huang Xi pronounced. Ai Fen was disheartened to hear it. Jingfei had been in love with him for a long time, and she was ready to make more efforts. She decided to tell Jingfei once so that she would not hold onto Huang Xi anymore.


    ¡°Your Highness, you should not tell this to the First Princess. She might not like it. If I get the time, I will converse with her and tell her why she should not keep her feelings for me,¡± Huang Xi advised her.


    He didn¡¯t want Ai Fen to get hurt because of Jingfei. He was well aware of her nature, but telling Jingfei about it would be of no use. Ai Fen acknowledged his advice when Huang Xi took his leave.

 Chapter 296

    296 Stay away from L¨®ng Wei


    Mingquan was reading a scroll when his personal attendant, Eunuch Qi Yili, came inside and bowed. ¡°Your Highness, your mother is here. She is waiting for His Highness in the private chamber,¡± he informed Mingquan. He put the scroll on the table before him and rose to his feet.


    Mingquan greeted his mother, who asked her to take a seat. He sat in front of her on the broad mahogany chair and asked his mother why she suddenly paid him a visit.


    ¡°Are you helping Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± Ruoxi asked him.


    ¡°What does Mother mean by this?¡± Mingquan was slightly confused to hear such words from her mother.


    ¡°I have seen Prince Mingquan taking the side of Prince L¨®ng Wei. I didn¡¯t say anything to him when he decided to follow Prince L¨®ng Wei and his wife to Xinshui. However, for the past few days, I realized that I must tell my son to stay away from Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Ruoxi told her son.


    ¡°Mother, why should I stay away from Brother L¨®ng Wei?¡± Mingquan was unable to understand her point.


    ¡°Because the Queen, and the Noble Consort, do not like it. You cannot fall down in their eyes,¡± Ruoxi stated.


    ¡°Mother, the Crown Prince also supports Brother L¨®ng Wei. Does Her Majesty not get angry then? About the Second Mother, I have no words to say. She has always been odd to all of us except her son and the Crown Prince.¡± Mingquan told her mother that he would not stay away from L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei uses people, Prince Mingquan. He will use you too and then throw you away,¡± Ruoxi worriedly said.


    .....


    ¡°Who told this to Mother that Brother L¨®ng Wei uses people?¡± Mingquan questioned her. ¡°If Mother has to say this to me, then she should leave. I do not want to hear anything rted to Brother L¨®ng Wei.¡± He stood up to leave when Rouxi stopped him.


    ¡°What has happened to you? You never did it earlier. Suddenly, you are supporting L¨®ng Wei. You were punished for the first time because of Prince L¨®ng Wei. I still stayed quiet.¡± Ruoxi rose to her feet too, and her voice was full of rage.


    ¡°Mother,¡± Mingquan approached her and held her both hands. ¡°Whatever the Royal Mother and the Second Mother ttellyou, do not believe it. Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s ways are indeed sometimes violent, but he is not harmful to us. Do not see him as the person who once killed his mother. He might have his reasons for doing it, and we don¡¯t know about it. You and I both know how he spent his childhood and teenage days.¡±


    Mingquan made her mother understand in his gentle voice. He was more dubious of the Noble Consort Xiuying than the Queen. She was closer to his mother and might have filled her ears.


    ¡°What could be the reason? Concubine Jun only wanted him to be on the right path, and he never listened to her. He was a disobedient son. If my son loves me, then he will stay away from Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Ruoximented. She wasn¡¯t ready to understand what Mingquan said to her.


    Mingquan lowered his hands. ¡°I cannot do that. I want us brothers toe close to each other and live in peace. I don¡¯t want this royal family to end up like the time when our father had to acquire the throne. Bloodshed happened among brothers solely for the throne,¡± he said with a dejected tone.


    He must not be saying such words against his father, but he used to think that his father should not have killed his brothers merely for the throne. He didn¡¯t want any bloodshed to happen among any of his brothers.


    ¡°Mingquan, that was supposed to happen. Also, don¡¯t say such a thing in front of others. That was all in the past. His Majesty was the legal heir to the throne, but his younger brothers were plotting against him, so he had to do that,¡± Ruoxi advised him and told him not to ever speak about the past.


    ¡°I only want to say that I do not want bloodshed to happen among us brothers,¡± Mingquan affirmed. ¡°Indeed, the Royal Father had no option left at that time,¡± he agreed with his mother¡¯s previous words.


    ¡°Now, Prince L¨®ng Wei has be Governor. He will abuse his power and may try to dominate over the princes.¡± Ruoxi¡¯s words reminded her of Noble Consort Xiuying. Because L¨®ng Wei spoke up against her, that¡¯s why Xiuying filled the ears of his mother.


    ¡°Mother, I have some work left. I will talk to youter,¡± Mingquan ended the conversation. Ruoxi nodded and asked Mingquan to take care of herself. She left while Mingquan wondered what kind of conspiracy Xiuying was brewing in her head against L¨®ng Wei.


    Eunuch Qi Yili came in and asked Mingquan if he should clean the desk in the study room.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mingquan said, allowing him to do so.¡±Eunuch Yili, I am going out to meet Xu Zifan. I wille in the evening. You can take a rest by then,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Shall I arrange the carriage for His Highness?¡± Qi Yili inquired.


    ¡°No need. I will go on a horse,¡± Mingquan said, and left the chamber.


    Soon, he arrived at the residence that was given to Xu Zifan. The guards bowed their heads as he walked into the residence. Hardly anyone could be seen in the residence, and it made him wonder if the servants were resting too at this hour.


    ¡°Who are you, gentleman?¡± A middle-aged man asked, and Mingquan turned his left to see.


    ¡°I am Qiu Mingquan.¡±


    The middle-aged man apologized for his behavior and immediately bowed to him. ¡°Forgive me, I didn¡¯t recognize the Prince. I never saw the Prince before and failed to recognize him. I am Zhi Ma, the servant of this residence.¡±


    Mingquan smiled and asked him if he could meet Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. Pleasee with me,¡± Zhi Ma took Mingquan inside with him to a guest room and asked him to wait for a few minutes.


    ~~~~~


    Thank you, everyone, who supports me with their precious GTs and votes.

 Chapter 297

    297 Feng Lao is also a Victim [Bonus chapter]


    Xu Zifan entered the guest room and greeted Mingquan. He asked Zhi Ma to bring tea for them when Mingquan refused. Instead, he asked for water. Xu Zifan gestured to Zhi Ma, who went to the kitchen to fetch water.


    Xu Zifan took a seat around the floor table and asked Mingquan about his sudden visit.


    ¡°Do you know anything rted to Feng Lao?¡± Mingquan inquired.


    ¡°How would I know about him? I ended my years-long friendship with him,¡± he asserted and let out a frustrated sigh.


    ¡°He sent a message for your sister,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°What?¡± Xu Zifan knitted his brows. ¡°What kind of message did he send?¡± He asked in fury.


    ¡°He is not in a good state and he is apologetic to you both,¡± Mingquan replied. ¡°Why don¡¯t you bring him here? He mentioned that he would help Sister-inw to find the culprit. He even said that he found out the person behind your family¡¯s murder n it was a man. However, he doesn¡¯t know who it is,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°What did Prince L¨®ng Wei say?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t know about this. Sister-inw could not tell him earlier in the morning,¡± Mingquan answered.


    .....


    ¡°How would I bring Feng Lao here? Moreover, I do not know where he is,¡± Xu Zifan pronounced. He was not even interested in talking with Feng Lao. He didn¡¯t want to see his face. But it was all his evil thoughts because of the betrayal he received. Xu Zifan was also concerned about Feng Lao. Like him, he had no one left around him. At least Xu Zifan¡¯s sister was there for him.


    Zhi Ma knocked on the door and stepped inside the room. He put the tray on the table and handed the water ss to Mingquan, who thanked him. He drank the water and put it on the table. Zhi Ma took the ss and left the room.


    ¡°Feng Lao will return to Qinping soon. He had told this to Prince L¨®ng Wei. In my opinion, I should not go and bring him here,¡± Xu Zifan opined. Feng Lao might need a lot of time to himself. It would be awkward for Xu Zifan if he suddenly went to see Feng Lao.


    ¡°I understand. Feng Lao is also a victim in all this. Everyone gets selfish when they have to protect their family. Feng Lao did the same. He was forced to choose selfishness for his family¡¯s safety. You were his friend once, so you must embrace him again,¡± Mingquan advised Xu Zifan.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t kill him. He was once my friend... a close friend,¡± Xu Zifan replied, and scrunched his brows. ¡°Your Highness, I have many questions to ask him. I know that you think he would take his life because of the negative things that suddenly happened in his life. But it will not happen. He will try again to apologize to me ande to see me. Because we were once friends,¡± he stated with a menacing look.


    Mingquan hummed. ¡°I truly hope for his safe return to Qinping.¡± He decided to change the topic and informed Mingquan about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s win. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is the new Governor of Qinping. You will see him more often in the bureaucratic office,¡± he asserted with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s such good news. Prince L¨®ng Wei achieved his goal. He must be happy,¡± Xu Zifan stated while smiling.


    ¡°He is!¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Your Highness, I never dared to ask this, but I am curious about one thing. Will you answer me?¡± Xu Zifan wanted to know more about L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I will try to answer,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°You may ask.¡±


    Xu Zifan pursed his lips together before opening his mouth. Mingquan found him a bit hesitant when Xu Zifan finally spoke.


    ¡°Your Highness, why did Prince L¨®ng Wei kill his mother?¡±


    The smile on Mingquan¡¯s lips disappeared as he heard the question.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s one mistake made him an evil person in front of everyone¡¯s eyes. He is a good person, but because hemitted a sin, people always judge him. I also judged him once. However, with time, I found out that he would not have killed his mother. Was it a trap? Did someone else kill her and he took the me?¡± Xu Zifan skeptically asked.


    ¡°I am afraid, but I do not know anything about this, Xu Zifan,¡± Mingquan refused to say anything. He was the only one who knew the truth, but he couldn¡¯t tell anyone. So, he decided to lie to Xu Zifan.


    ¡°But you are from the royal family. Also, you are close to Prince L¨®ng Wei. He must have told you about this,¡± Xu Zifan was still curious to know.


    ¡°I am not close enough to Brother L¨®ng Wei. Indeed, I am from the royal family, but that doesn¡¯t mean I know the truth. Brother L¨®ng Wei only said this to everyone when he was asked: he killed his mother because she hated him,¡± Mingquan replied, what L¨®ng Wei told everyone.


    ¡°That¡¯s a very private matter rted to Brother L¨®ng Wei and his mother¡¯s life. I try not to ask him about it. Moreover, if I ask, Brother L¨®ng Wei will never answer me. He refrains from speaking about it. I want you not to ask him about it,¡± Mingquan suggested to him. Xu Zifan acknowledged it. He merely wanted to help his sister. But now, Mingquan had told him that it was a matter between L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother and him, so Xu Zifan would not dare ask about it.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, I will take my leave. Take care of yourself,¡± Mingquan rose to his feet. Xu Zifan promptly got up and saw the Fourth Prince outside the residence. Once Mingquan left on the horse, Xu Zifan decided to go to the market. He never explored the capital and asked Zhi Ma to follow him. A guide was important on the first day so that he would not lose his way to the residence.

 Chapter 298

    298 Under my control


    L¨®ng Wei was ready to leave to meet Xiaoming and Mingquan. However, Li Hua stopped him from leaving.


    ¡°What happened? Do you have something to say to me?¡± L¨®ng Wei walked up to her.


    ¡°Feng Lao has sent a message for me.¡± Li Hua brought her hands to the front and forwarded the letter to L¨®ng Wei. He took it from her and opened it. He read the message thoroughly and asked her why she hadn¡¯t told him earlier.


    ¡°His Highness was happy after such a long time, so I decided to tell him about itter,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°He is clever,¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled, and asked her if she was worried. ¡°I know you are, so you do not need to lie to me.¡± He tucked the hair strands behind her right ear.


    ¡°I should not be saying this, but I am concerned for Feng Lao,¡± Li Hua said and she lowered her head. She had promised herself that she would not be easy on him, but she wasn¡¯t cruel enough to do that. ¡°He has no one around him and...¡± Li Hua paused and gulped the lump that had formed in her throat.


    L¨®ng Wei put his hand on the back of her head and pulled her in for a hug. Her forehead rested on his chest while his other arm wrapped around her back.


    ¡°I will see what I have to do. My assumption about Feng Lao was wrong. I also thought of him as our enemy, but he did what was right for him at that time. I will bring him to Qinping,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and kissed the top of her head.


    Li Hua pulled away and looked into his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t love him, so please do not think that I am concerned for him because...¡± Before she couldplete her words, L¨®ng Wei sealed her lips with a kiss. He peered into her eyes, who was startled by it.


    .....


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that, Wifey. I know that you love only me and this heart belongs to me.¡± He leaned close to her again, their noses touching and their breaths mingling. Soon, their lips met again, and after kissing for a brief moment, L¨®ng Wei asked her to cheer her mood up.


    ¡°Here, take this,¡± he said as he handed her the letter and curled her fingers into a fist. ¡°I will be back soon. You can go and meet Liu Jin Yu. Stay with her for a while,¡± he suggested to her.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei trusts Liu Jin Yu,¡± Li Hua said in amusement.


    ¡°Hmm. She will not harm you. I don¡¯t trust the others,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Li Hua hummed and asked her not to be aggressive with Kang Huijuan.


    ¡°Now, Prince L¨®ng Wei is the Governor, so he has to act like one,¡± Li Hua told him and rested her hands on his chest. She tiptoed and kissed the left side of his cheek. ¡°I gave my good luck to His Highness,¡± she said. L¨®ng Wei gave her a friendly smile and lightly pinched her cheek.


    ¡°Thank you for this good fortune,¡± he said, pulling his hand back and kissing her in the middle of her forehead once more. He left after that, while Li Hua decided to practice archery.


    Since it was the evening time, Liu Jin Yu must have been learning how to brew the tea. It was an important skill that every nobledy had to know. Her presence might disturb her concentration.


    L¨®ng Wei arrived at the manor of the Crown Prince. To his wonder, Mingquan had already arrived. Xiaoming smiled to see him and asked the tea server to serve tea for L¨®ng Wei as well. He sat on the broad chair and refused to take the tea.


    ¡°I drank tea a while ago,¡± L¨®ng Wei briefed them.


    Xiaoming asked the tea server to leave, and she left with Sun Fuguo.


    ¡°We have limited time. So, Kang Huijuan burned the ce where he had hid the documents,¡± he stated as he looked at Xiaoming.


    ¡°Yes. I should have acted earlier, but I was so busy that it slipped from my mind,¡± Xiaoming said, and he knitted his brows in a fury.


    ¡°What about the investigation?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, it seems Kang Huijuan gave money to the royal inspectors because they aren¡¯t serious about it. Furthermore, the location was in the middle of the forest, which made it ideal for bandits toe at any time, ording to them,¡± Mingquan exined. He had collected the information from the low rank inspectors in the office in the capital.


    ¡°We will make Kang Huijuan confess the truth. We don¡¯t need to find evidence because no evidence can prove his secret rtionship with Xin Jue,¡± he suggested to them.


    ¡°How will he confess?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°I have two ns: First, I will threaten him with his father¡¯s life. However, if he doesn¡¯t care for his life, then there is the second n,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°The most precious secrets which he tried to burn in that fire, I will reveal them tomorrow in court.¡± He victoriously smiled.


    ¡°What? Did Brother L¨®ng Wei retrieve those documents which he hid in that ce?¡± Xiaoming was puzzled for a while.


    ¡°Chang Shi had informed me about it. So, I asked him to take them out and rece the box with a simr one,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and smirked.


    ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t Brother L¨®ng Wei reveal it today?¡± Mingquan was curious to know what was on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mind.


    ¡°I want the Kang Family under my control,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and showed them their fist. ¡°Kang Xi never stopped humiliating me, and so did his son. I should tell them who has authority over them,¡± he stated and chuckled.


    ¡°What are Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s true intentions?¡± Xiaoming was still unable to understand him.


    ¡°I want to crush the Kang family. We will not demand to snatch away Kang Xi¡¯s position, but we will make sure tomorrow that Kang Huijuan will never be a minister or official in the future,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°An enemy shall be eliminatedpletely,¡± Xiaoming opined.


    ¡°Shui Xiaoqing said one word before dying,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked the Crown Prince, who got puzzled. He was perplexed as to why L¨®ng Wei had suddenly brought him in their discussion.


    ¡°He managed to say one word. It was the word ¡®K¡¯. I want to find out if Kang Xi was behind the massacre of the Xu and the Shui families,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Xiaoming didn¡¯t know about this when Mingquan exined the matter to him.


    ¡°Why would the Kang family do this?¡± Xiaoming muttered.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t tell him about the prophecy that was made for Li Hua. It would not be wise to speak about it.


    Mingquan suddenly raised the question, ¡°I remember that earlier, Brother L¨®ng Wei said that the enemy is in the pce.¡±


    ¡°Kang Xi usually works in the pce for long hours. I can¡¯t neglect this fact that he is the closest to the royal family,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to him.

 Chapter 299

    299 Everything in the pce is inappropriate


    Liu Jin Yu was unable to make the tea as the chief tea server wanted. It was her tenth try. Her feet were numb from being on her knees for almost thirty minutes. She wanted to get up and end this lesson as soon as possible. However, until she could present the perfect tea, she was not even allowed to stand up.


    She was putting the dried Jasmine powder in the tea cup when she was scolded by the chief tea server.


    ¡°You are not supposed to take minutes to put the powder in! Also, why are there frowns on your forehead?¡±


    Liu Jin Yu was annoyed by her. But her inner voice told her to remain calm. Again, she put the fake, tiny smile on her lips and picked up the hot water porcin teapot. She poured the water into the teacup. The maidservant came forward and gave the tea to the chief tea server to taste.


    She tasted it and then scowled at Liu Jin Yu. ¡°This is the worst tea I¡¯ve ever tasted,¡± she remarked as she handed the maidservant the tiny te with teacup.


    ¡°I think Lady Hu needs to check her taste buds. I was the best tea maker in my house,¡± Liu Jin Yu was annoyed. Wu Jin neverined that she made the wrong tea for him. She was badly missing him.


    ¡°Now, a youngdy will teach me about my taste buds. I have taught hundreds of servants in this pce, but no one ever said this to me,¡± Lady Hu¡¯s temper heightened. Moreover, she was the favorite tea server of the King. The way Liu Jin Yu spoke to her made her furious.


    ¡°This is the pce, not your house. You are lucky that you are entitled to be the Crown Princess, else I would have punished you for talking back to me,¡± Lady Hu stated. She started to tell her the taste that every royal preferred in the pce.


    She was right. Liu Jin Yu was able to speak her mind because Xiaoming selected her to marry him. It was the most magical thing that had ever happened to her. His name was enough to protect her even when he was away.


    .....


    Liu Jin Yu didn¡¯t hesitate to apologize. ¡°I will try once more,¡± she said.


    Lady Hu stood up from the chair. ¡°There is no need to make more. I wille to teach you in the morning,¡± she coldly said, and left the chamber. Liu Jin Yu quickly stretched out her legs andid down on the floor.


    The maidservants took away the tiny tea table while Court Lady Hong walked in. She saw Liu Jin was lying tly on the floor and she asked her the reason.


    ¡°I am tired. No one ever told me that I make the worst tea. Lady Hu was harsh,¡± she ended upining to Court Lady Hong.


    ¡°My Lady, please stand up first. You can lie down on the bed. Lying on the floor is inappropriate for you,¡± Court Lady made her understand.


    ¡°Everything in the pce is inappropriate,¡± Liu Jin Yu murmured and sighed. Now, she realized what Xiaoming had undergone. He used to remain in the study room for twelve hours a day. She stood up and felt the pain in her knees. She went to bed andy t on her stomach.


    ¡°Mydy, don¡¯t rest like this,¡± Court Lady Hong again corrected her.


    Liu Jin Yu tilted her head and said, ¡°I want to rest like this. It gives true relief. Moreover, no one would see me this way in this bedchamber. Who cares about the rules within the four walls of the room.¡±


    Court Lady Hong smiled a little. ¡°My Lady, you have brought all these acts into your habit. Otherwise, you will keep following what you always followed, even before the royals, the nobles, and the people,¡± Court Lady Hong affirmed.


    Liu Jin Yu flipped onto the bed and then sat up. She removed the heavy overcoat and put it away. She even loosened the knot on her dress because she was feeling hot. ¡°I understand Court Lady Hong,¡± she said, andid down on the bed.


    Court Lady Hong came forward and leaned against her. She asked her not to loosen the knot until she was on the Crown Prince¡¯s bed.


    ¡°What?¡± Liu Jin Yu felt strange to hear that. Court Lady Hong stood straight after she again tied the knot on her dress and the innerwear was no longer visible.


    ¡°Because the Queen or any other royal can walk in at anytime. Also, it is inappropriate for ady to do such things,¡± Court Lady Hong said. ¡°My Lady, you need to show filial piety towards the elderly all the time. This is the most important aspect of being a royaldy,¡± she exined to Liu Jin Yu.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    ¡°Since Lady Liu Jin Yu will be the Crown Princess, she needs to do all her wife¡¯s duties well. The biggest duty involves giving an heir to the royal family. Tomorrow, the royal physician will alsoe to examine your body,¡± Court Lady Hong¡¯s words slightly startled Liu Jin Yu. She had not even thought about bing a mother.


    ¡°What does the royal physician do?¡± Liu Jin Yu asked.


    ¡°He examines whether the body is good enough to give birth or not. ordingly, the dietary needs are fulfilled,¡± Court Lady Hong answered.


    ¡°Court Lady Hong, isn¡¯t that too early to discuss or think about?¡± Liu Jin Yu said andughed.


    ¡°The Crown Prince is the next-in-line King. He must have as many children as possible-¡± she paused when Liu Jin Yu asked her to stop.


    ¡°I need to rest, Court Lady Hong. Let¡¯s discuss itter,¡± Liu Jin Yu suddenly felt awkward talking about it. Court Lady Hong bowed and pulled the curtains down on the poster bed. She left while Liu Jin Yu wondered if she would be able to survive in the pce.

 Chapter 300

    300 A promise of Love


    Liu Jin Yu rested her right leg above her left knee. Her hands were under her head and her focus was on the wooden ceiling with intricate patterns carved on it.


    ¡°I knew that this life was going to be tough. What if they all forced me to have a baby within a month of marriage? What will I do then?¡± She muttered.


    ¡°No one will force you,¡± Xiaoming¡¯s voice fell into her ears. She tilted her head and immediately sat up on the mattress on her knees. Her hands rested on her knees, and she told him that he had entered unannounced.


    Xiaoming smiled and walked up to her. He sat down and lifted his hand to tie the knots of her dress. Liu Jin Yu looked down and found out that she had opened the knot again after she sent Court Lady Hong out. She was feeling hot in thoseyers of clothing, but now she was embarrassed.


    She moved away, which startled Xiaoming and quickly turned her back to him. After she tied the knot, she turned to him. ¡°Forgive me,¡± she apologized.


    ¡°Are you shy?¡± He asked because Liu Jin Yu lowered his head.


    ¡°No,¡± Liu Jin Yu promptly refused and looked at him. She should have listened to Court Lady Hong and closed her eyes for a brief moment.


    ¡°Your face says something else,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°His Highness had told me that he would not see me until tomorrow, so why did hee here?¡± Liu Jin Yu changed the topic to make her feel morefortable.


    .....


    ¡°Now, I am united with you, I am unable to stay away from you,¡± Xiaoming replied. ¡°It¡¯s tough, right?¡± He had found out from Court Lady Hong that Jin Yu was unable to make Lady Hu happy.


    ¡°Lady Hu said that she didn¡¯t taste the worse tea that I made for her,¡± Jin Yu replied and scoffed. ¡°Master Wu neverined about the tea I gave him,¡± she grumbled.


    ¡°Because he was a father to you. He will not find any fault with your tea. People who love you will always find your tea delicious,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°The Crown Prince never tasted the tea from my hand. So, he doesn¡¯t know if it is bad or good. What if it turns out to be the best?¡± She pouted her lips whileining.


    ¡°Indeed, for me, the tea made by your hands will be the best,¡± Xiaoming answered. ¡°I answered you from others¡¯ perspective,¡± he rified.


    ¡°Did the Crown Prince meet Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± She waited for Xiaoming¡¯s response.


    ¡°I did. The box that Kang Huijuan left in Wu Jin¡¯s ce, Brother L¨®ng Wei had retrieved it earlier with the help of someone.¡± Jin Yu was startled by this sudden revtion. She was happy, but then anger built up inside her.


    ¡°It means Wu Jin lost his life for nothing,¡± Liu Jin Yu said with a gloomy expression.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is the Governor of Qinping. Wu Jin will definitely get justice, Jin Yu.¡± Xiaoming caressed her arm and asked her to stay strong.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, tomorrow I will be examined,¡± Liu Jin Yu informed him.


    ¡°Why?¡± Xiaoming was confused for a while.


    ¡°To find out if my body is good enough to conceive,¡± she replied in a low voice. ¡°I am not even married to the Crown Prince. Then why did all these things begin? Should it not be done after marriage? I mean, I am not ready to even think about it,¡± she spoke her mind.


    After taking a short pause, she continued, ¡°Court Lady Hong said that to grow the lineage we must have many children. I am scared. I do not know if His Royal Highness understood me or not,¡± she said and fidgeted with her fingers.


    ¡°I understand you. Since I am the Crown Prince and next-in-line to the throne, inner pce officials want such things to be checked beforehand by the Crown Princess. They are performing their duties. However, a medical examination isn¡¯t wrong. I will alsoe when Peng Yuxianes to examine you. About the children, no such thing will happen this early,¡± Xiaoming gave her assurance.


    Liu Jin Yu moved closer to him. ¡°Your Royal Highness, the training is tough, but I willplete it soon. You have taken so much trouble for me. I must be the perfect royaldy that everyone wants to see.¡±


    He showed his faith in her. ¡°I know you¡¯ll be one of those unique royaldies,¡± he said.


    He took out something from her pocket and asked Jin Yu to close her eyes.


    ¡°I want to see,¡± she insisted, and grabbed his hands to open the fist.


    ¡°I cannot show you. Close your eyes for ten seconds,¡± he requested.


    ¡°I do not like surprises. His Royal Highness shall show me what he brought for me.¡±


    Xiaoming surrendered and opened his hands. ¡°It is a hairpin,¡± he said. Jin Yu was flustered to see it. She had heard if the one who loved you gave you a hairpin, it showed his promise of love for her.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty,¡± she said, moving her hand above the hairpin. It was made of gold and had seed pearl dangling on its one end. ¡°It must be expensive,¡± she muttered.


    Xiaoming ended upughing. ¡°I am the Crown Prince, and I can afford the most expensive ornaments, dresses for you,¡± he affirmed and leaned close to her. He inserted the hairpin in her hair bun andplimented her.


    ¡°I am penniless, so I cannot give such expensive presents to the Crown Prince,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. ¡°However, I have given my heart to him, which is the most expensive thing for me,¡± she proudly proimed.


    ¡°I agree with you. It was slightly difficult to win it.¡±


    ¡°I thought my feelings for His Royal Highness could create problems for him. Forgive me for getting harsh that day. I should not have said those words to the Crown Prince. But believe me, those words weren¡¯t from my heart,¡± Liu Jin Yu suddenly felt guilty about her previous acts.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get hurt. I knew why you were pushing me away,¡± he said, and told her not to feel guilty about that anymore.

 Chapter 301

    301 Philosophy of give and take


    L¨®ng Wei stepped out of the carriage outside the Kang residence. He walked in, and the gatekeepers were slightly frightened to see him. They lowered their heads as L¨®ng Wei walked past them.


    He found how peaceful everything was in the Kang¡¯s residence. He stopped when he heard a feminine voice.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± The chief servant, Dong Yao, in histe thirties, asked L¨®ng Wei.


    He turned to look at him. ¡°Call Kang Xi outside,¡± L¨®ng Wei instructed him.


    ¡°How dare you pronounce the name my Lord?¡± Dong Yao turned furious.


    ¡°Lower your voice. I am the newly appointed Governor of Qinping, Qiu L¨®ng Wei,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a broad smile. Dong Yao was stunned to hear him and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He trembled in fear and immediately apologized for his misbehavior.


    ¡°Your Highness, I will show you the guest room. Kindly follow me,¡± Dong Yao humbly said. L¨®ng Wei scoffed at the sudden change in Dong Yao¡¯s tone.


    ¡°No. I am not interested in keeping my conversation with Kang Xi within the four walls of the room,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°You can bring a chair for me,¡± he said, and gave him a smile.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Dong Yao acknowledged L¨®ng Wei¡¯smand. Dong Yao shouted for a servant and asked him to bring the chair for L¨®ng Wei.


    .....


    The most frightening thing was that L¨®ng Wei had brought a sword with him. Dong Yao gulped every time his eyes fell on it. He told L¨®ng Wei that he would call Kang Xi from his room after L¨®ng Wei sat on the chair.


    ¡°Call his bastard son too,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Dong Yao nodded his head and quickly went inside to inform Kang Xi about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s presence.


    Chang Shi had carried the wooden box in his hands as he arrived at the Kang residence. L¨®ng Wei thanked him and asked him to put that down on the floor.


    ¡°I have informed the royal inspectors toe here,¡± Chang Shi informed L¨®ng Wei as he stood on his left.


    ¡°Great,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied, and looked at one of the servants. He asked him to bring one more chair.


    ¡°I am fine this way,¡± Chang Shi said, keeping a tiny smile on his lips.


    ¡°But I want you to sit,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. The servant left on his instruction and, after a few minutes, returned with a wooden chair. Chang Shi took a seat on it and asked L¨®ng Wei if it would be alright to create a scene in the Kang¡¯s residence.


    ¡°Of course. Kang Xi and his son always made me feel humiliated in the pce among my people. I believe in the philosophy of give and take,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced with a smirk. The servants had started to gather. Some stayed far from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sight.


    Kang Xi was with his wife when Dong Yao heard about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s presence in the residence. He wondered why he hade. He asked his wife to stay in and dashed out of the room to the front yard of the residence.


    His foot slipped in the water that was on the floor and he fell. He whimpered in pain. Dong Yao helped him stand up, and Kang Xi shouted at him for not cleaning the ce well.


    He walked ahead and managed to reach the front yard with one limped leg. He wondered why L¨®ng Wei was seated on the chair and could not recognize Chang Shi. He greeted L¨®ng Wei when his eyes fell on the wooden box. It was from his residence, but why was it outside?


    ¡°Kang Xi, how are you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him. ¡°You didn¡¯t even give me your best wishes after session ended,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I was a little stressed at that time, Your Highness. I give my best wishes to Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s bright future,¡± Kang Xi stated, and looked at the sword in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand which was inside the sheath. He wondered why he had brought the sword with him.


    ¡°Did you ask Kang Huijuan to tell the truth?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Kang Xi.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Kang Xi stepped forward, ¡°my son is telling the truth. Xin Jue lied to you. I can even tell His Highness about the man who asked Xin Jue to lie to him.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei could not stopughing at Kang Xi. ¡°Your believed the lies of your son,¡± he said, after stopping hisughter.


    ¡°Father, we will present him tomorrow before the King. Prince L¨®ng Wei has merely came to threaten us,¡± Kang Huijuan¡¯s voice fell into their ears and he halted next to his father. He flinched his eyebrows to see the wooden box that he had asked Wu Jin to keep.


    ¡°You always talked about my ordinations, but I would like to ask you from where you got these wonderful teachings to lie,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a menacing look.


    ¡°I suppose that it was your beloved mother, who gave you such wonderful teachings,¡± he didn¡¯t hesitate to give that statement. Chang Shi smiled a little to hear L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei hadn¡¯t forgotten how Kang Huijuan always dragged his mother whenever he made a mistake. Now was the time when he would take revenge for every single wrong thing that Kang Huijuan did to him.


    Kang Huijuan¡¯s mother, Kang Ting Xi, who was at the other end of the front yard, heard L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. Kang Cha Ying had alsoe after the servant informed her that L¨®ng Wei hade to see her father and brother.


    ¡°Shut your mouth, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Kang Huijuan got angry because L¨®ng Wei pointed a finger at his mother.


    Kang Xi apologized to L¨®ng Wei for the informal tone which his son used towards him.


    L¨®ng Wei stood up from the chair and unsheathed the sword in his hand. He walked to them while his eyes were fixated on Kang Huijuan.


    ¡°How can you put the me for your wrongdoing on another man?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired and came to a halt in front of him. He nced at Kang Xi when his eyes fell on Kang Ting Xi.


    ¡°Your dear son is putting the me for his wrongdoings on someone else. Will you not scold him? You failed to do this when your son was young, but today you must do it,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t drag her into this. Don¡¯t show off your power either. You are not the King, who could threaten us in this way,¡± Kang Huijuan asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei lifted his sword and put it on Kang Xi¡¯s neck, shocking everyone present in the front yard.


    ¡°I have enough authority to decapitate your dear father¡¯s head,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he scowled at Kang Huijuan.

 Chapter 302

    302 Don¡¯t threaten me with her name


    Everyone was shocked and intimidated by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s action. Ting Xi rushed in his direction to stop him from doing anything, while Cha Ying followed her mother. Chang Shi also stood up from his seat and wondered what L¨®ng Wei would do.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, you will lose the governorship if you harm my father,¡± Kang Huijuan reminded him. L¨®ng Wei chuckled when Kang Xi screamed in fear.


    ¡°Y-your Highness, p-please do n-not move your sword,¡± Kang Xi said, as he felt the sword¡¯s de had already cut the skin. The servants knelt to plead with L¨®ng Wei and asked him to spare their lord. Ting Xi also begged L¨®ng Wei, while Cha Ying started to cry in fear.


    L¨®ng Wei told Kang Huijuan with a smile, ¡°Tell the truth in front of the King, or else I will give the reason to His Majesty why I killed your father.¡±


    ¡°You cannot force me to lie,¡± Kang Huijuan was still adamant about keeping his lie intact. He knew L¨®ng Wei was only threatening him. ¡°You don¡¯t want to return to the Cold Pce, so you will not kill my father,¡± he stated.


    L¨®ng Wei clicked his tongue and tilted his head to look at Kang Xi. ¡°Sadly, your son does not care for you. He tried to hide his crimes from everyone and then put the me on an innocent servant. He tried to destroy the evidence of his wrongdoings by setting a ce on fire,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Kang Huijuan was stunned to find that L¨®ng Wei knew about it. He had not expected that L¨®ng Wei would find such a deep secret of his.


    L¨®ng Wei slowly withdrew his sword. Kang Xi fell on his knees while trembling in fear. Ting Xi knelt too and covered her husband¡¯s neck with her hand to stop the bleeding. She was crying and asked Dong Yao to bring the physician.


    ¡°No one would step out of the house,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    .....


    ¡°My father is bleeding, Your Highness. Please let the physiciane,¡± Cha Ying said this time and requested L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°He won¡¯t die with such a small wound. Your father and brother gave me many wounds, sopared to that, it is nothing,¡± he stated and looked at Kang Huijuan. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell the truth? Your family is about to end, Kang Huijuan.¡±


    ¡°My brother didn¡¯t do anything,¡± Cha Ying defended Kang Huijuan, who had asked her to stay out of it.


    L¨®ng Wei reminded the King of thew: ¡°As the Governor, if I find anything wrong going on, I can take the action without asking the King.¡± They heard the sound of shoes and found the five royal inspectors had entered the house.


    They bowed their heads before L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Forgive us for gettingte, Your Highness,¡± one of them said.


    L¨®ng Wei instructed them to investigate the matter where Wu Jin died and several other people were injured. Kang Huijuan asked L¨®ng Wei to stop and red into his eyes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk in private, Your Highness,¡± Kang Huijuan said, and dragged L¨®ng Wei inside with him. L¨®ng Wei asked him to leave his arm, and they both faced each other when they got into a room.


    ¡°How did you find out?¡± Kang Huijuan asked him.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you be polite with me? Your family¡¯s reputation is in my hand yet you are showing the arrogant attitude to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, how about you kill me?¡± Kang Huijuan smirked and grabbed the sword from his hand, but L¨®ng Wei tightened the hold on that sword. Kang Huijuan could not see anything good for him and he decided to change the entire scenario.


    If he got severely injured, then he could surely turn the tables. Then, L¨®ng Wei would be med and be sent to the Cold Pce.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan, don¡¯t y tricks with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he pulled back his hand and kicked him away. The door opened and Chang Shi entered. He pointed his sword at Kang Huijuan¡¯s neck, who had fallen on the floor.


    ¡°Drag him and his father to the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and turned to leave when Kang Huijuan stopped him.


    ¡°Fine. I will tell the truth. I admit that I was the man who had a physical rtionship with Xin Jue. But you will not harm my family, especially don¡¯t bring the truth out,¡± Kang Huijuan finally epted his defeat.


    L¨®ng Wei shifted his gaze to him. ¡°I won¡¯t agree to any of your demands anymore. It is the end of the Kang Family,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smile.


    ¡°Li Hua will die if you try to harm anyone in the Kang family,¡± Kang Huijuan stated and smirked.


    L¨®ng Wei frowned when he heard him, and the smile on his lips faded. ¡°What did you say?¡± L¨®ng Wei restrained himself from not beheading him.


    ¡°Do you think you will be able to save Li Hua? If anything happens here, something will happen to Li Hua too. Then, you will again get lonely. Your life will be dull. Why don¡¯t you just enjoy your life, L¨®ng Wei?¡± Kang Huijuan asked him and continued to smile.


    L¨®ng Wei knelt down and looked him in the eyes. ¡°You are really a fool, right? I thought I would be easy on you. I was ready to forgive you only if you had epted your crimes. Li Hua is not my weakness, Kang Huijuan. So don¡¯t threaten me with her name,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He rose to his feet and pulled up Kang Huijuan.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie,¡± Kang Huijuan stated.


    L¨®ng Wei raised his voice at him, ¡°I will kill you if you speak another word, Kang Huijuan.¡± He asked Chang Shi to bring him and walked out of the room. Kang Huijuan realized that he was wrong about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s weakness. He had no way left but to ept the crime hemitted.


    He came to the front yard, where everyone was present. Chang Shi came out with Kang Huijuan. Cha Ying looked at her brother and then requested L¨®ng Wei not to create a scene.


    ¡°I impregnated Xin Jue,¡± Kang Huijuan admitted in front of everyone. His mother, father, and sister were shocked to hear him.


    ¡°Your beloved brother wanted to kill a pregnant woman and wanted to put the me on someone else¡¯s head,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.

 Chapter 303

    303 He is guilty of his act


    Li Hua apologized to Jingfei for not talking with L¨®ng Wei. She gave her assurance that she would talk to L¨®ng Wei once he returned to the pce. As she was returning to the manor, she encountered the King, who wasing from the royal garden.


    She bowed to see the King, who halted his steps. Eunuch Gao Bing and the other maidservants stopped behind Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°What are you doing at this hour?¡± Qiu Zedong inquired.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I was at Princess Jingfei¡¯s ce,¡± Li Hua replied in her humble tone.


    Qiu Zedong slightly tilted his head to look at Gao Bing. ¡°Tell the servants to leave,¡± the King ordered the eunuch.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Eunuch Gao Bing instructed the maidservants to head to the King¡¯s manor, who left silently. Li Hua wondered why the King sent those maidservants away.


    ¡°I am surprised that L¨®ng Wei finally understood his duties. However, you have to keep him safe,¡± Qiu Zedong said. Li Hua lifted her head and peered at him.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei will bring those faces to light who once were against him and abused him. However, I do not want him to create enemies. You have to guide him well. Since , Prince L¨®ng Wei only listens to you,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    ¡°I understand, Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua said.


    .....


    ¡°Did L¨®ng Wei tell you why he killed his mother?¡± The King once againnded on the matter which was the most important task he had once handed to Li Hua.


    ¡°I am afraid, Your Majesty, but the Prince asks me not to let it remain buried,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°Your Majesty, in my opinion, the past shall remain in the past. If His Highness doesn¡¯t want to tell the reason, then it must be because his mother never treated him the way a child should be,¡± she asserted. She respected L¨®ng Wei¡¯s privacy. It was a part of his life that he didn¡¯t want to share with anyone.


    ¡°Concubine Jun was a nicedy. His conflict with her own son could not arise for no reason. You should try to find out about it. It will help L¨®ng Wei to move forward. I know that he is guilty of his act and will always remain,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. Li Hua was perplexed to learn some more facts from the King.


    ¡°Monk Yuze visited me in the evening. He told me an interesting fact about you,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. ¡°I want to see if what he said was true or not,¡± he added.


    Li Hua wondered what Monk Yuze would have told the King.


    ¡°Your Majesty, may I request something?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Qiu Zedong allowed her.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I want a tiny celebration for Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua requested. Gao Bing slightly lifted his head to nce at her.


    ¡°Celebration for?¡± Qiu Zedong looked amused by her request.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei became the Governor and his rtionship with his brothers has improved too. I request His Majesty to make a small announcement for the celebration for his sons who all are now carrying their respective responsibilities,¡± Li Hua said while keeping a tiny smile on her lips.


    ¡°This seems great. All of my sons are now in the government and carrying out their respective responsibilities. It is indeed an asion to celebrate. To lighten and cheer up the moods of everyone in the pce, such celebrations are indeed necessary.¡± Qiu Zedong acknowledged Li Hua¡¯s request and turned to look at Gao Bing.


    ¡°Did you hear, Gao Bing? Call Monk Yuze tomorrow. He will predict a good day for the celebration.¡± Qiu Zedong was suddenly delighted.


    Li Hua was happy to see the King smile. She wanted L¨®ng Wei to experience happiness, which he had missed all these years. When he saw him smile with his entire heart, she was giddy. She wanted him to feel how important he was to the Kingdom. She didn¡¯t want people to see him as a sinner in the royal family.


    Their concentration shifted to the sound of shoes and armor. They found Governor Hei Chengxi wasing from the front. Qiu Zedong was surprised to see him. Hei Chengxi greeted the King, who asked him what he was doing in the pce at that hour.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Kang Huijuan, has epted his crimes. He is present on the pce main ground and will testify before His Majesty,¡± Hei Chengxi informed the King. He was surprised to hear that. Li Hua found out that L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t wait till the next morning. She smiled proudly to hear that he had achieved his second target of the day to make Kang Huijuan admit his crimes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Qiu Zedong said, and they left with Hei Chengxi.


    On the pce ground, everyone was waiting for the King. Qiu Zedong stayed on the top of the stairs and looked at Kang Huijuan surrounded by a few soldiers. The Princes were already present. Kang Xi had alsoe and was standing with his head down.


    Li Hua stayed near the pir so that she would note to notice.


    However, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes fell on her and a smile appeared on his lips to see her.


    Kang Xi came forward and knelt. He lowered his head and said, ¡°Your Majesty, I am here to apologize on behalf of my son¡¯s wrongdoings and telling lies. Before His Majesty gives any decision, I want to say that my son will marry Xin Jue and we will ept her as the daughter-inw of the Kang Family,¡± he said. This was what he found most suitable to save his son from severe punishment.


    ¡°What do you want to say, Kang Huijuan?¡± Qiu Zedong questioned him.


    Kang Huijuan nced at L¨®ng Wei and knew what he had been hiding for a long time.


    ¡°You did wrong by not telling me the true reason why Prince L¨®ng Wei beat you up. If you had told the truth earlier, then the severity of punishment would not be as high today,¡± Qiu Zedong announced. His statement showed that he would not be easy on Kang Huijuan.


    ¡°Your Majesty, pardon me for intriguing in the middle of the judgment. Why don¡¯t we bring Xin Jue here? I would like to ask her to be the wife of my son. Xin Jue carries the heir of the Kang family. I want to rectify the mistake of my son,¡± Kang Xi stated.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Xin Jue will marry a man who tried to take her life merely because she carried the child of Kang Huijuan,¡± Xiaoming stated. He told the King that there was no need to bring her to the pce again. Seeing Kang Huijuan again could mentally disturb her.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan will surely marry Xin Jue because he cannot run away from his responsibility,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    The Princes got perplexed at hearing the King.

 Chapter 304

    304 Will no longer work


    Kang Xi was delighted to hear the King¡¯s decision, but what came next shocked him.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan will be banished from Qinping. He will no longer hold the title of a nobleman,¡± Qiu Zedong announced his decision.


    Kang Xi begged to pardon Kang Huijuan¡¯s punishment and kept pleading with the King.


    ¡°Kang Xi, when I punished L¨®ng Wei, I didn¡¯t flinch for a second. Your son¡¯s punishment is still not severe enough because he lied to me. Being a King, I cannot make an exception for your son. Kang Huijuan is banished from thend of Qinping for a year. Tomorrow, he will marry Xin Jue, and then he has to leave Qinping. If he tries toe in, then he will be beheaded,¡± Qiu Zedong loudly said.


    Kang Xi quickly stood up and ran to L¨®ng Wei. He asked L¨®ng Wei to speak with the King. He reminded L¨®ng Wei how he had promised to help them if he became governor. Everyone looked at L¨®ng Wei when the King ordered everyone to leave. Qiu Zedong turned to leave when L¨®ng Wei¡¯s voice stopped him.


    ¡°Banishment isn¡¯t the answer, Your Majesty,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Qiu Zedong turned to look at him and asked him if he was objecting to his decision.


    ¡°I dare not raise any objection, Your Majesty,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and stepped up. ¡°I do not want Kang Huijuan to be my enemy in the future,¡± he pronounced. Everyone was astonished to hear from L¨®ng Wei. He never cared about anyone, so why should he be so kind to Kang Huijuan?


    ¡°Why would Kang Huijuan be your enemy, Prince L¨®ng Wei? It is fair justice. I sent you to the cold pce after snatching your rights as the prince. If Kang Huijuan tries to harm you in any way, he will be punished along with the entire Kang family,¡± Qiu Zedong stated, with a stern tone.


    ¡°Your Majesty, all I wanted from Kang Huijuan was to admit the truth. He can be removed from his position in the government. That will be the best punishment for him,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    .....


    Kang Huijuan remained quiet because it was the best way to get away from the punishment. Also, he knew why L¨®ng Wei intervened and acted as if the almighty.


    ¡°I agree with the Sixth Prince¡¯s words. His Majesty can remove my son from the government position,¡± Kang Xi pronounced. ¡°Your Majesty, Xin Jue will be the daughter-inw of the Kang family as per your order. But please do not banish my son,¡± he begged again and knelt on the ground.


    ¡°Then, Kang Huijuan will no longer work for the government for a year. He will marry Xin Jue tomorrow,¡± Qiu Zedong said. He was proud that L¨®ng Wei thought about the long term while taking a decision. His youngest son had grown, and it made him happy. He dismissed everyone and left the pce ground.


    Kang Xi rose to his feet and rushed to L¨®ng Wei. He apologized and thanked L¨®ng Wei for helping his son. He didn¡¯t say anything and walked away. He ascended the stairs and went towards the pir, where Li Hua was present.


    Hei Chengxi wondered what was in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s head. He was not the type to forgive someone so easily. He asked the soldiers to free Kang Huijuan from the shackles. The princes left soon for their respective manors.


    Kang Xi took his son home and asked him to respect L¨®ng Wei all the time. ¡°You are saved because of him. You must not anger him,¡± Kang Xi made his son understand. Kang Huijuan hummed.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei asked Li Hua what she was doing in the pce ground, and she told him how she encountered the King and ended up following him after getting the news.


    L¨®ng Wei stopped and walked in front of her. Li Hua astonishingly peered at him and asked him what happened.


    He shook his head and hugged her . Li Hua asked him not to do it openly when L¨®ng Wei tightened the hug. ¡°Li Hua, I won¡¯t let you get harmed while doing my work,¡± he said.


    Li Hua pondered his statement and hugged him back. ¡°I have faith in His Highness,¡± she said.


    When Kang Huijuan told him that he would harm Li Hua, L¨®ng Wei decided to forgive him for the mistake he made. He had to act confident and strong in front of Kang Huijuan. Moreover, if he let him get banished, then a day would havee when he would have returned for revenge.


    L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t afraid of anyone, but he was not sure about the future. He rested his hand on the back of Li Hua¡¯s head and gradually withdrew from the hug.


    He held her hand and took her to the manor.


    Upon reaching the chamber, Li Hua asked the maidservant if the bathhouse was ready for L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± the maidservant answered. Li Hua dismissed her and went inside the chamber. L¨®ng Wei had removed his clothes when Li Hua told him that he should take a hot water bath.


    ¡°You are right. I am so tired,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and told her that he would return soon.


    ¡°I will help His Highness,¡± Li Hua said.


    L¨®ng Wei was amused to hear her.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you bathe with me?¡± He asked. Li Hua smiled and headed to the bathhouse. L¨®ng Wei followed her and found that she was pouring rose water into the hot water bathtub. He took off his robes and told her that she was acting differently.


    ¡°Am I?¡± Li Hua asked as she carried the tiny bamboo basket, which had fresh rose petals in it.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He let the upper robes fall on the floor. Li Hua put the rose petals into the bathtub. She found out that the illuminance in the bathhouse had been reduced and that L¨®ng Wei had blown off many of the candles that were on the bs on the wall.


    While L¨®ng Wei entered the ground bathtub, Li Hua sat on the raised tform. He sat on one of the steps made in the bathtub with his back towards Li Hua. ¡°This new bathtub design is good. I am d that Gao Bing didn¡¯t take time to finish it,¡± he told Li Hua.


    ¡°I agree with His Highness,¡± Li Hua answered.


    She ran her fingers over the scar that L¨®ng Wei got after taking the poisonous arrow shot.


    ¡°It¡¯s healed. Don¡¯t me yourself for it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, as he tilted his head a little. His arms rested on the tform and he asked her if the King again said something to her.


    ¡°How does His Highness find out?¡± Li Hua asked as she carried the wooden hemispherical mug. She poured the lukewarm water taken from the bucket over his body. She rubbed his shoulders and waited for him to answer.


    ¡°Whenever Father meets you, he asks you questions. He might have asked again if you found out why I killed my mother,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.

 Chapter 305

    305 Traced the curves [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°Whenever Father meets you, he asks you questions. He might have asked again if you found out why I killed my mother,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and again tilted his head.


    ¡°And His Highness never tells me,¡± Li Hua said as she poured water on his left arm. ¡°I will wait for His Highness to answer me,¡± she asserted. She recalled how the King said that Concubine Jun was a nicedy. But L¨®ng Wei¡¯s statement was different from his father¡¯s.


    She found he had turned silent once again. She realized that she should not speak about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother anymore.


    ¡°His Highness told me that he would take me on a horse to a secret ce,¡± Li Hua quickly changed the topic of their conversation.


    ¡°Forgive me. Let¡¯s go tomorrow,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°after work.¡±


    Li Hua smiled and hummed at him. ¡°I will bring lunch for His Highness in the Governor¡¯s office,¡± she told him with a wide smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to go to the office all the time. I can work from the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her.


    ¡°Ohh.¡± Li Hua thought that L¨®ng Wei would go daily to the bureaucratic office and she would take a lunch box for him.


    ¡°I will go tomorrow to find out with whom I will be working. I still do not know about many officials in the capital,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. While giving him a bath, Li Hua keenly listened to him.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei was thinking of telling Li Hua why he killed her mother and turned to face her. Li Hua was startled by his sudden act and asked him if he needed anything. She ced the mug on the tform floor and looked at his chest.


    Her cheeks turned red to see his naked upper body, and her eyes stopped at the top of the trousers. She blinked a few times and pped her cheeks when L¨®ng Wei asked her why she did that.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she replied instantly, while shaking her head.


    For a brief moment, L¨®ng Wei felt the presence of someone outside the bathhouse as he saw a silhouette of someone on the door. He grabbed Li Hua¡¯s hand and pulled her down into the bathtub. She could not bnce herself and fell in the forward direction.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s feet also staggered, and he fell backward while he caught her with both arms. However, he bnced himself soon and his one hand rested on her waist while attempting to save her from falling down.


    The water sshed and the dropletsnded on Li Hua¡¯s face, who closed her eyes. Her clothes were drenched to her waist, and she lifted her head to look at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Why did His Highness pull me into the bathtub?¡± She got angry and hit his bare arm. She looked at her clothes and found they werepletely wet. It annoyed her and she turned to get out of the bathtub when L¨®ng Wei pulled her back.


    Her back touched the front of his body and her breath hitched.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± she muttered, and felt his cheek touch hers. She closed her eyes and her heart hammered against her chest. His hands were securely wrapped around her and he made her stand in her ce, not letting her move even an inch.


    L¨®ng Wei looked towards the door and decided not to talk about his mother with Li Hua because the person outside might hear. Instead, he decided to get affectionate to Li Hua since she was so close to him.


    He nuzzled her cheek and slowly moved to her neck to nuzzle at it. Li Hua held his hands and then turned to face him. She rapidly blinked her eyes for a second when L¨®ng Wei traced her cheek with his thumb and made circles over it. His right hand remained on her waist as he drew her close.


    She closed her eyes, ready for the kiss. But she opened them when L¨®ng Wei kissed the middle of her forehead. He held her chin and peered deeply into her eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t trust anyone around you except a few. I may sometimes be away from you, so be careful,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Li Hua told him. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared for my safety. I am training myself to get stronger. Liu Jin Yu will help me and I have to help in her training,¡± she said with a smile.


    ¡°You two became close sooner than I expected,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Hua smiled and paused when she felt the sudden change in the atmosphere.


    ¡°Shall we leave?¡± She asked as she wiped her cheeks with the pad of her fingers. L¨®ng Wei shook his head and ducked his head to kiss her neck. He left feathery kisses there and gradually moved to her jaw, then cheek.


    His breath fanned on her lips, and their noses touched. He brushed her lips on hers for a brief second, making her shudder in pleasure. Her eyelids flickered and she lifted her hand to trace to rest on his chest. She moved her hand as her fingers caressed his naked chest.


    He angled her face, and imed her lips. He didn¡¯t want to hold back anymore. They kissed hungrily, as if their lives depended on it. Every inch of her body dissolved into it. She couldn¡¯t realize when they reached the side of the bathtun, when L¨®ng Wei settled on one of the steps, and when she was on his thighs. Everything happened so fast while she was only focused on that never-ending kiss.


    She heard his groan when she moved closer to him, and they parted their lips only when their lungs ran out of oxygen. They panted while looking at each other.


    He moved his hand up and untied the knot of her dress. He pulled out the thinyer of the robe. Their bodies were still submerged in the water. His hand traced the curves of her body. She pulled him by his nape to kiss him again, and seeing her initiation, he smiled.

 Chapter 306

    306 Were an ideal brother


    Kang Cha Ying asked the personal servant of Kang Huijuan to tell her brother that she wanted to see him. When the servant refused her entry, she asked him to get away from the door. He couldn¡¯t refuse him and stepped aside.


    Cha Ying pushed the door and walked in. The personal servant closed the door after she entered the room. She found her brother seated around the floor table, drinking wine.


    She chuckled and sat in front of him on the floor chair.


    ¡°Do you want to drink too?¡± Kang Huijuan asked and picked up the wine jar. Cha Ying shook her head and asked him if he would like to exin it to her.


    ¡°Exin to you what?¡± He asked as his eyebrows arched.


    ¡°Why did you do this? You were an ideal brother in my eyes. You should have at least thought about me before doing such a thing to Xin Jue. Would you feel good if a man did such a thing to me?¡± Cha Ying was disappointed in him and snatched the wine jar from his hand.


    ¡°Go away,¡± Kang Huijuan wasn¡¯t ready to talk with his sister. After his defeat to L¨®ng Wei, he was badly hurt.


    ¡°I will not leave until Brother answers me,¡± she said in a firm tone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stubborn, Cha Ying. Leave me alone. I am already guilt-stricken because of what happened,¡± Kang Huijuan asserted.


    .....


    ¡°Indeed, you should feel guilty for the crime you were going tomit. How could you even try to harm a pregnant woman? You are running away instead of facing the truth and answering me. Did Mother teach you all this? The entire Kang family reputation is ruined because of you,¡± Cha Ying didn¡¯t refrain from reprimanding her elder brother.


    Kang Huijuan was already stressed thinking about how he would get back into the government and his sister was troubling him more.


    ¡°I epted my mistake, Cha Ying. You do not need to remind me,¡± Kang Huijuan stated. He requested her to leave. Since he loved his sister a lot, he didn¡¯t want to get furious at her.


    ¡°Then, did you apologize to Prince L¨®ng Wei? Did you even ask Xin Jue how she was? How could you put the me on someone else?¡± Cha Ying red at him while controlling her anger.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei,¡± Kang Huijuan chuckled after pronouncing his name. ¡°He has already humiliated me so much that I do not need to apologize to him. Now, leave,¡± he said in a stern tone. Cha Ying knitted her brows and asked him not to do anything wrong anymore.


    ¡°Brother, you must apologize for the wrong you did,¡± Cha Ying stated. ¡°Before your marriage with Xin Jue, go to the pce and apologize to Prince L¨®ng Wei. If you will not do that, then you aren¡¯t ready to ept your mistake. Look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself where you were wrong,¡± she affirmed and stood up.


    ¡°I am taking away this wine jar,¡± Cha Ying said and turned to leave, but she halted, ¡°I will forgive you if you keep Xin Jue happy.¡±


    Cha Ying left his sight. Aftering out of the room, she handed the wine jar to the servant and asked him to throw it away. She went right to her room.


    Kang Huijuan didn¡¯t like that he fell into the eyes of his sister. However, he still wasn¡¯t ready to ept Xin Jue as his wife. If she had taken the pill to abort the child that he suggested to her, it would not have happened. Xin Jue wanted to marry him at that time, and being a noble man, he didn¡¯t want it to happen.


    He mmed his hand on the table before him. He pressed his fingers across his forehead. ¡°You have to ept this fate, Kang Huijuan. Indeed, I did wrong by attempting to kill her. I had lost my mind at that time,¡± he mumbled. He covered his face with his palms and regretted the day he decided to take Xin Jue¡¯s life.


    ~~~~~


    In Cha Ying¡¯s room, Cha Ying removed the ornamental essories that she had put on and looked into the mirror.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t the type I used to think. He is quite powerful and fearless,¡± she said and smiled.


    She realized that she had smiled, which was strange. She patted her cheeks and wondered if she had fallen for his personality.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think this, Cha Ying,¡± she told herself and closed her eyes for some time. When she found her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror.


    ¡°I will meet Prince L¨®ng Wei in the morning. I will apologize for my brother¡¯s mistake. Hopefully, His Highness will forgive him,¡± she muttered. She got up from the stool and came to the bed.


    ¡°The Crown Prince has rejected me. I wish I had not humiliated him that day. I must meet the Crown Prince in the morning too.¡± She decided before pulling up the quilt. She had already blown off the candle, but she wasn¡¯t able to sleep.


    Today¡¯s events shook her. Her parents, especially her mother, were numb to find the actions of her son. Kang Huijuan would have been banished if L¨®ng Wei had not intervened. Her father¡¯s head bowed for the first time in shame. She wanted to make everything alright. But the dignity they had lost would not either return easily. People would look at them with shame. The servants in their own residence were leaving by giving excuses.


    Cha Ying sat up on the bed and took a deep sigh. Usually, at this hour, everyone would fall asleep earlier. But today, no one slept in the Kang residence. Years passed to build the reputation of the Kang family, but Kang Huijuan destroyed everything in merely minutes.


    Cha Ying felt guilty for standing for her brother, putting her faith in him. She was hurt badly by her brother¡¯s actions, and she truly hoped that he would not do anything wrong to Xin Jue anymore.

 Chapter 307

    307 I wish you had loved me enough


    L¨®ng Wei woke up in the middle of the night and found out that Li Hua was sleeping peacefully. He quietly got out of bed, covering her with the quilt and putting her leg inside it.


    He went to the dressing chamber where the maidservant before dinner had brought the robe which he would regrly wear during the working hours in the Governor¡¯s office. It was a white silk robe with embroidery made from golden thread all over it.


    He stroked his hand over the robe and decided to visit the chamber where his mother used to live once. Although he didn¡¯t want to be in that ce, it was important to go there.


    He picked up the robe and left for the eastern pce, where all the King¡¯s concubines¡¯ chambers were, after taking a key with him. His mother, Yu Jun¡¯s chamber was closed and used to be opened only on the day of her death anniversary every year. He walked through the corridors and clenched his right fist, which had a key in it.


    The guards, who were guarding the Eastern pce, bowed at him. He walked ahead and stopped after reaching the chamber. He looked at the key in his hand and then unlocked the lock.


    He pushed the door open and walked in, closing the door behind him. His feet trembled to take another step and his eyes filled with tears. The room had a slight illuminance as it was not considered necessary to keep the room without any light. The memories from that night appeared in front of him, and he stepped back.


    His back hit the door behind him, and he found himself trembling. His hands were covered in sweat and he turned to leave, but then his inner voice stopped him.


    ¡®You need to show her this.¡¯ His inner voice told him as he looked at the robe in his hand. The robe, which only a Governor could wear!


    He turned and walked ahead, and his feet again came to a halt. The white curtains stopped his way, and on the other side of the curtains hung the portrait of his mother. It had been so many years, and he never stepped at this ce until today.


    .....


    He didn¡¯t even attend any of the death anniversaries of his mother in those years when it was said that a child shoulde to pay homage to his dead mother or father.


    He pushed the curtain away and finally looked at the portrait of his mother in front of him. There were two tinynterns on both sides of the portrait and a tiny cauldron which had incense sticks in it. The maidservant on duty might have burned them in the evening.


    However, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes fixated on his mother¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°You called me a nobody. You called me a mistake. I had promised myself not to evere here, not to ever look at you, but it was important today,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and controlled his tears. He didn¡¯t let them fall down.


    He looked at the robe in his hand and continued, ¡°I became Governor of Qinping. I don¡¯t cause trouble anymore. I wish you had loved me enough so that I would not have picked up my sword and killed you. I would not have been called a sinned prince.¡± He chuckled and again looked at her.


    ¡°You must be sad that I am still alive. You must be mad to see me happy,¡± he stated.


    ¡®You aren¡¯t worthy of any of the royal titles. You are a mistake which should never have happened.¡¯ Yu Jun had told him this every single day. He heard those words every day from her. How could a mother hate her own child so much? He got the answers when he killed her and was ready to ept death too. But his father was too generous to him. He spared his life despitemitting that sin.


    He looked at thenterns and thought to blow them off. His mother spread darkness in his life, so she didn¡¯t deserve any light in her afterlife if it existed. He stepped up and picked up thentern. He opened the window to blow off the kerosenemp inside it when a hand stopped him.


    He was numbed to feel that soft hand. Li Hua came forward and her eyes met his. She shook her head and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t do this, your highness.¡±


    ¡°You should not be here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and instantly put thentern on the long table. He grasped his hand to take her out of the room when Li Hua pulled her hand back and withdrew it from his grip.


    L¨®ng Wei nced at him in bewilderment when she turned her back to him. She got on her knees as she showed filial piety towards L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother. She bowed, and her forehead touched the floor beneath her, and she did this three times.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to give any bow to her.¡± L¨®ng Wei never respected his mother and wanted the same from Li Hua. But she didn¡¯t listen to him andpleted the three bows before Yu Jun¡¯s portrait. She did three more on behalf of L¨®ng Wei.


    What she heard a moment ago from L¨®ng Wei, made her realize that he was angry at his mother.


    No! She should say that it was more than anger. It was hatred, but there was love for his mother too, which L¨®ng Wei denied all the time.


    She stood straight and found L¨®ng Wei was next to her.


    ¡°Your mother is beautiful. You inherited some of the handsome features from your mother,¡± Li Hua said in an impolite tone. ¡°She must be regretting never having faith in his son,¡± Li Hua murmured and peered into his eyes.


    ¡°Shall we go?¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t lookfortable. It was evident from his facial expressions and eyes. She wanted answers from him. She wanted him to open with her, and for some reason, she found it the perfect ce.


    But she was worried if L¨®ng Wei recalled the day he killed his mother. For some reason, she still believed that he hadn¡¯t killed his mother. But L¨®ng Wei always epted that it was him.


    ¡°Did Prince L¨®ng Wei really kill his mother?¡± Li Hua questioned him.

 Chapter 308

    308 Trust me and give me your hand


    ¡°Did Prince L¨®ng Wei really kill his mother?¡± L¨®ng Wei interrogated Li Hua. He remained silent and didn¡¯t answer her. She took a step towards him and ced her hand over the robe over which he had put his right hand.


    ¡°Tell me, Your Highness. Why did you take the me on yourself? You didn¡¯t kill your mother. You diverted everyone from the truth. Am I right?¡± Li Hua asked.


    L¨®ng Wei made a shaky motion with his head. ¡°I killed her,¡± he asserted, ¡°if you hate me for this, then you are free to do that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate His Highness,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°Let¡¯s go before someone sees us here,¡± she suggested to him and held his hand. She took him out of the room and asked him to lock the chamber. L¨®ng Wei did that, and they left.


    L¨®ng Wei put the robe over the table cloth and turned to look at Li Hua, who had removed the overcoat. Before he could ask her, she answered, ¡°I woke up when I didn¡¯t find Prince L¨®ng Wei beside me. So, I followed him. Forgive me for entering the room, as I did not know it was your mother¡¯s residing ce.¡±


    ¡°I never entered that ce in all these years until today,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. His expressions were gloomy, and it seemed his happiness had gone.


    ¡°Because Prince L¨®ng Wei wanted to show his mother that he was bestowed with the Governor¡¯s title. He wanted to share-¡± she could notplete her words as L¨®ng Wei interrupted her.


    ¡°I do not want to share anything with her. I wanted to show her that I proved her wrong. She always told me that...,¡± he paused as his nostrils red up in anger. Li Hua was again wrong. She wondered what strange rtionship both mother and son shared that he could not even speak about it openly.


    After one dies, resentment has no ce for that person.


    .....


    However, L¨®ng Wei always resented her. This was the strangest part of their rtionship. He wasn¡¯t either ready to share it, which bothered Li Hua more. If he had, then she would have tried her best to end that resentment in his heart for Yu Jun.


    ¡°You should sleep, Li Hua. I will go outside for a while,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and walked ahead. Li Hua stopped him and asked him to take her with him.


    ¡°I cannot,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Why? I want to be with Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    ¡°I want to be alone,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He didn¡¯t look into her eyes and stepped forward when Li Hua ran after him. She tightly hugged him from behind, and stopped him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to go alone,¡± Li Hua stated. ¡°You can take me with you. I promise that I will not ask anything from Prince L¨®ng Wei. I want to be with him.¡± She was not ready to let him go alone.


    ¡°Women aren¡¯t allowed to go out after curfew hours,¡± L¨®ng Wei reminded her.


    ¡°Even men aren¡¯t allowed,¡± Li Hua retorted to his statement.


    ¡°I can because I love to break rules,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°I also love to break the rules. If His Highness steps out of the manor without me, I will wake everyone up in the pce,¡± Li Hua tried to threaten him.


    ¡°Do you want your husband to get punished?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°No. I want to stop him from going out alone. He can take his wife with him,¡± she repeated.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. She never got adamant this way. His mood had gotten a little good. ¡°Let¡¯s go out,¡± he said, and he loosened her grip on his torso. He turned to her and asked her to wear the overcoat. Li Hua nodded her head and quickly went to the chair.


    She wore the overcoat and turned to him. ¡°His Highness shall also wear his overcoat,¡± Li Hua opined. He hummed and went to the bedchamber, where he had left his overcoat. He wore that and asked Li Hua toe with him.


    L¨®ng Wei shut the doors of the chamber and then they both went to the stable. He took out a ck horse and asked Li Hua toe near him. She gulped and gradually walked in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s direction.


    She found the gaze of the horse scary and screamed when the horse neighed. L¨®ng Wei got perplexed to see her reaction.


    ¡°Your Highness, can we not go by foot? If we will go on a horse, then we will surely be noticed by the night soldiers,¡± Li Hua suggested to him. She could not tell him that she was scared of horses because he would not take her out.


    ¡°Are you afraid of horses?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her directly.


    She gulped and lied to him. ¡°No. Haha... I am not scared of horses,¡± she confidently said.


    L¨®ng Wei approached her and took her hand in his. Li Hua looked at him, who took her ahead withhim,m and they both stopped in front of this horse. Li Hua¡¯s legs were trembling with fear. Her heart was palpitating against her chest.


    L¨®ng Wei lifted her hand, and she asked him what he was doing. ¡°Horses are very close friends of humans. You need to caress them and they will love the affection you show them,¡± he said.


    ¡°No, please,¡± Li Hua requested, and shut her eyes in fear. She pulled her hand back when L¨®ng Wei drew her to his front with a sudden force. Li Hua¡¯s breath hitched to seeing the horse from this close, and she immediately turned to face L¨®ng Wei. She buried her face in his chest and said, almost crying, ¡°He will kill me. He is staring at me.¡±


    ¡°He is so calm, Li Hua. Your actions will make him angry. If you do not end this fear today, I won¡¯t take you with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei clearly stated.


    Li Hua lifted her head and shook her head.


    ¡°Then, trust me and give me your hand. If you don¡¯t, I will leave you here and disappear on this horse,¡± he affirmed.

 Chapter 309

    309 She made me hate her


    Li Hua bit her bottom lip and, after hesitating, she held L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand. She turned to face the horse when L¨®ng Wei came to her side and brought her hand close to the horse¡¯s face. ¡°You are not supposed to act weirdly, else it may scare this horse,¡± he told her and put her hand on its face. She jolted and wanted to move her hand away, but L¨®ng Wei wouldn¡¯t let her get back.


    Instead, he slowly moved her hand over the horse¡¯s face, who neighed at her in the beginning, but then calmed down and liked that gentle touch. She was also relieved to find that the horse didn¡¯t do anything to her.


    ¡°See, how lovely this horse is!¡± L¨®ng Wei whispered near her ear. ¡°Then, shall we hop on this horse?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Hua replied and he let go of her hand gradually. He then hopped on the horse and then held out his hand. Li Hua grabbed his hand and he pulled her up. She rested her legs on the horse¡¯s left side while she rested her hands on his arms. She still had a worried expression on her face.


    L¨®ng Wei put her hands behind his neck and asked her to hold him tightly. He pulled on the reins of the horse when Li Hua asked him to keep the speed slow.


    ¡°I will,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and the horse moved ahead slowly. She kept her gaze fixed on his face when he asked her why she lied to him.


    ¡°I did not want Prince L¨®ng Wei to leave me behind and go out alone,¡± Li Hua answered truthfully. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s one hand was secured around her waist.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± L¨®ng Wei usually talked for a long time, but he wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk much right now, even with her. He just wanted to calm himself. Since Li Hua would have been worried for him, he had to take her out with him.


    At the imperial gates, the horse stopped, and he asked the soldiers to open it.


    .....


    ¡°Forgive us, Your Highness. No one can go out of the Pce after the curfew hours,¡± one soldier among them stated while keeping his head low.


    ¡°No one will find out if you don¡¯t want it to happen. Let us leave. We will be back in an hour,¡± L¨®ng Wei told the soldier. He nced at the other ones, and after a small discussion, the soldier ordered the four soldiers at the top to open the gates for Prince L¨®ng Wei.


    He rode the horse, and soon they got out of the imperial gates.


    ¡°His Highness looks sad,¡± Li Hua said.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t reply to her. He had deep frowns on his forehead. She decided to stay quiet and let him focus on horse riding. L¨®ng Wei kept the speed neither too high nor too slow and after fifteen minutes of riding, he put a halt to it. The horse neighed, and L¨®ng Wei let go of the reins.


    He carefully put Li Hua down, and then L¨®ng Wei hopped down. Li Hua looked around while L¨®ng Wei tied the horse with a pole. She found out that they were in an open field. Far from the field was a small body of water. The water was not visible. It seemed the tiny pond was dry in the summer season.


    Li Hua turned to look at L¨®ng Wei and asked him if it was safe for them.


    ¡°Yes. This region belongs to the pce. There is high security around this area,¡± L¨®ng Wei informed her. He held her hand and continued, ¡°Let¡¯s roam around. Luckily, the moonlight is present.¡±


    She found him smiling, and it delighted her heart too.


    ¡°Li Hua, I was not a good son. None of my maternal side likes me. They always curse me if they see me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. She tilted her head to peer at her.


    ¡°Do they live in Qinping?¡± Li Hua inquired.


    ¡°Yes. Her brothers are ranked five officials. One is a rank four official,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I met Monk Yuze in the morning a day ago,¡± Li Hua stated. L¨®ng Wei was stunned to hear about it. She didn¡¯t tell him about it or why she went alone to the hill. Before he could ask her, he heard her say, ¡°I wanted a few answers from Monk Yuze about me. About the prophecy.¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°My father was a disciple of Monk Yuze,¡± Li Hua stated.


    L¨®ng Wei was astonished to find this out. She then told him everything that Monk Yuze had revealed to her. ¡°Monk Yuze told me that Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother wasn¡¯t willing to marry the King. She was brought to the pce against her permission,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    ¡°What should I do with that?¡± L¨®ng Wei was not interested in thinking about that part.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother¡¯s odd behavior toward him might be for that reason,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    ¡°So? She should have died the day she was sent to the pce. Why did she vent her anger at me? I don¡¯t remember if she ever smiled at me. She smiled at other princes and princesses while she always had that strange expression on her face,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. His voice was clearly showing how much anger, and hatred he carried for her even today.


    ¡°For her, I could never be or act like a royal. For her, I was a mistake. How could she say this to me every single day? She made me hate her. Was it my fault that my father forced the decree upon her to be his concubine? I wasn¡¯t even born. I wanted to survive, so I killed her. If she had stayed alive, she would have gotten me killed,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    Li Hua found the pain in his voice. She hugged him tightly and apologized to him. ¡°Forgive me for forcing you to tell the truth,¡± she said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t the Prince¡¯s fault. It was never the prince¡¯s fault,¡± she stated, and lightly patted his back.


    ¡°It hurts me whenever I think about it. I went to her chamber to show how wrong she was about me. Even if she is no more, her words have imprinted on my mind and heart,¡± he said and clenched his fists.

 Chapter 310

    310 Pour your heart


    Liu Jin Yu looked at herself in the mirror after she got ready. Today, her dress was much heavier than the previous day. Court Lady Hong gave her a nice lecture about the qualities of ady from the royal family. She had realized that she was on the most difficult journey of her life.


    She rose to her feet, and the first thing she did was make tea for Lady Hu. It would have been good if she hadete in the evening. Now, her entire day would go into stress.


    The previous night, Court Lady Hong informed her that Li Hua¡¯s tea skills were good enough and she might help her in a better way. But she didn¡¯t evene to see her. She half-heartedly brewed the chemomile tea for Lady Hu and passed it to her through a maidservant.


    Again, she was scolded. She had put less powder and, because of that, the tea didn¡¯t taste well.


    ¡°Did your mother never teach you how to make tea? Rather than learning the things which males learn, you should have learned all those things in which women must excel.¡± Lady Hu was harsh while speaking to Liu Jin Yu.


    ¡°My mother died early. I was very young at that time,¡± Jin Yu answered, ring into the eyes of Lady Hu. ¡°I had to protect myself from the world, so I learned how to use a sword. Tea making isn¡¯t important when you encounter an enemy,¡± she proimed.


    Court Lady Hong smiled to hear her. Lady Hu got tongue-tied to hear the exnation of Liu Jin Yu. She again didn¡¯t like the way Jin Yu talked. No matter how much she told her to be polite, Jin Yu would forget about it.


    ¡°Be focused,¡± Lady Hu told Jin Yu, who lowered her eyes. She sat straight and again made the same chamomile tea for Lady Hu. However, it was only the beginning for her to get thousands of scoldings from Lady Hu.


    It had been over an hour. She didn¡¯t like any of the tea that Jin Yu made for her.


    .....


    ¡°Pardon me for intruding into the training of Miss Liu. Princess Consort is here,¡± the maidservant informed them. Liu Jin Yu was delighted to hear about it. She wanted to get up, but seeing Lady Hu staring at her, she remained seated.


    Li Hua entered the room, and everyone bowed in her respect. Liu Jin Yu waved at Li Hua and smiled widely when she heard Lady Hu.


    ¡°Miss Liu, please be respectful.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu understood, and she bowed to Li Hua. That was the proper way to greet ady from the royal family. Li Hua came to Court Lady Hong and asked her how she was doing.


    ¡°I am well, Your Highness,¡± Court Lady Hong answered. Li Hua then asked Lady Hu if she could teach Liu Jin Yu the art of brewing tea.


    ¡°Her Highness does not need to ask for permission. Surely, she can. But I must warn Her Highness that Miss Liu isn¡¯t a good learner and her concentration isn¡¯t up to the mark.¡± Lady Hu didn¡¯t restrain herself from humiliating Liu Jin Yu.


    Li Hua nced at Jin Yu and smiled. ¡°She knows warfare well, which we women cannot learn even after a year. Prince L¨®ng Wei told me that it takes many years to be a good swordsman and even more years to be a good archer. In that sense, Miss Liu¡¯s concentration is far better than all of us,¡± Li Hua asserted. Liu Jin Yu lifted her head and looked at her. She was giddy to hear those words from Li Hua.


    Lady Hu apologized for her statements towards Jin Yu. Li Hua told her that she should take some rest as she would teach Liu Jin Yu.


    Lady Hu bowed and left the room. As soon as she left, Liu Jin Yu got up and found her feet were numb again. She went to Li Hua and hugged her tightly. ¡°I am happy you rescued me, Li Hua. I thought you forgot about me,¡± Jin Yu said, and pulled away quickly.


    ¡°Li Hua, I heard from Court Lady Hong that you were appointed to make tea for the royals in the morning in the greeting hall,¡± Liu Jin said.


    ¡°I was appointed as the tea server,¡± Li Hua epted it and told Jin Yu that they should not waste time. She asked her to take her seat and asked Court Lady Hong if she could bring another cushion for her.


    In a few seconds, one more cushion was brought, and Li Hua sat on it. Li Hua started to teach Jin Yu the basics of brewing tea. She told her the benefits of the flower teas that were popr among the royals.


    ¡°I never asked the Crown Prince what kind of tea he preferred,¡± Liu Jin Yu admitted to Li Hua.


    ¡°Then, you should ask His Royal Highness once,¡± Li Hua said, and asked her to focus as she prepared a chamomile tea for her.


    Liu Jin Yu found out that Li Hua was of a calm nature. Was that the reason that Xiaoming fell for her? Li Hua was graceful while working on the tea. Even her hand movements were sophisticated and beautiful. Liu Jin Yu realised what Lady Hu was trying to tell her.


    Liu Jin Yu keenly listened to the proportions that Li Hua told her about, and there was a specific way to pour the hot water into the teacup, which astonished Liu Jin Yu.


    Li Hua lifted her eyelids and peered at Jin Yu. ¡°Drink it and tell me how it tastes.¡± Li Hua ced the teacup before Jin Yu. She nodded and extended her hand when Li Hua showed her the way to hold the tea cup.


    ¡°You need to rest the base of the teacup over your knuckles and tilt your head slightly,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°Make sure when you sip the tea, the person before you does not see your mouth,¡± she exined her further.


    Liu Jin Yu followed the steps that Li Hua told her to. ¡°You must keep your posture straight,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°How?¡± Liu Jin Yu was confused.


    Li Hua leaned forward and slightly raised her body on her knees. She angled her hands rightly and even asked her to lean a little back. ¡°This is the right posture,¡± Li Hua stated. Liu Jin Yu looked at herself and at her hands. She then sipped the tea, bringing her hands close to her mouth and sipping the tea.


    She had never tasted such a tea in her life. Jin Yu now realized why Lady Hu scolded her because, indeed, the tea that she made was bad before the tea that Li Hua brewed.


    ¡°Pour your heart while brewing the tea. A work done with half-heart never gives a result,¡± Li Hua said with a tiny smile.

 Chapter 311

    311 One who betrays L¨®ng Wei [Bonus chapter]


    L¨®ng Wei stepped out of the carriage. He found the officials lined up before him with their heads down. The seniormost officials had their heads low in front of him. The people who onceughed upon him, now, they would work for him.


    He was proud of this achievement, but more than that, he was proud of his wife. She gave him the reason to be the Governor.


    L¨®ng Wei stepped up and walked past those officials. Eunuch Gao Bing had apanied him to the office upon the King¡¯s order. The administrative department was much bigger than L¨®ng Wei had ever thought of.


    He ascended the stairs and went inside the grand office chamber, where he would work from today onwards. He could have worked from the pce too. However, Li Hua told him to work from the office and he could not refuse her suggestion.


    It was time for him to punish everyone who had done wrong to her. Even her maternal uncles worked in the same office, but their ranks were much lower than his.


    L¨®ng Wei stepped into the room and found a desk at the centre with a tall chair around it. It wasn¡¯t an ufortable chair, but had a cushioned surface. He saw a tiny stack of scrolls on the left side of the desk while the brush set was on the right side.


    On the shelves, there were books stacked mostly rted to governance and thews of the Kingdom. He didn¡¯t recognize the officials who were present in the room, as he had mostly seen the few court ministers all these years.


    ¡°I am Zhai Liang, Your Highness. Starting today, I will assist His Highness in his work.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei settled into the chair and picked up the brush. He smiled and put the brush back in its ce. ¡°What about the others? Who are you all?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked them to introduce him. One by one, they all gave their introduction to L¨®ng Wei, who remembered their names.


    .....


    He had a good memory from a young age, so it was not difficult for him to remember the names of the officials who would mostly work in the Governor¡¯s office. There were other departments too, but they were handled by the other court ministers. One perk for the Governor was that he had authority even over those court ministers.


    ¡°Zhai Liang, I want to know what the pending works of the previous Governor are?¡± L¨®ng Wei looked at the scrolls with some confusion.


    ¡°Your Highness, there are a few matters on which decisions are pending,¡± Zhai Liang answered.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at the officials in front of him and asked them to go to their respective offices to work. ¡°Don¡¯t ck off at work because if I catch any of you, then it will be yourst day here.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words were more than a threat to them. The room emptied soon.


    ¡°Gao Bing, you should return to the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him.


    Eunuch Gao Bing bowed and was ready to leave when L¨®ng Wei asked him about Xin Jue.


    ¡°The preparations for her wedding are going on. Kang Huijuan wille in the evening to take her,¡± Gao Bing answered.


    ¡°Was she happy?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. She looked excited,¡± Gao Bing replied.


    ¡°You are not lying to me, right?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his brows and tilted his head slightly.


    ¡°Your Highness, why would I lie to you?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei hummed and asked him to leave. Gao Bing bowed and left for the pce.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at Zhai Liang and asked him if he knew how to fight or kill. Zhai Liang was startled to hear him.


    ¡°I know how to use the sword, but I never felt the need to pick it up, Your Highness,¡± Zhai Liang carefully answered.


    ¡°Then, with me you have to,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I believe in violence too,¡± he added and reclined in the chair. Zhai Liang gulped the lump that had formed in his throat. He had only heard about the violent nature of L¨®ng Wei, but now he had to experience it. Anyone would be happy to be assistant to the Governor, but Zhai Liang wasn¡¯t, despite the fact that he would get a high sry.


    ¡°You can step back if you fear death.¡± A sudden warning came from L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness?¡± Zhai Liang was slightly puzzled.


    ¡°With me, you have to face death from close. So, if you aren¡¯t ready to experience that, then you may step back,¡± L¨®ng Wei rified.


    ¡°May I know why His Highness said this? We don¡¯t have to go to the battles,¡± Zhai Liang affirmed and chuckled.


    ¡°This ce is a battleground,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    Zhai Liang gaped at him and again gulped in fear. Zhai Liang was in histe twenties, and only he knew how hard it was for him to reach this level. He still had to pay a lot of debts thanks to his father¡¯s drinking habit, so he could not step back from this position either.


    ¡°I do not fear death, Your Highness,¡± Zhai Liang stated. ¡°I will work for His Highness,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Have you ever raised your voice in protest of something wrong going on around you?¡± L¨®ng Wei was curious to know.


    Zhai Liang shook his head.


    ¡°From now on, you have to. When I work, I follow my rules, and you have to do the same. Follow my orders and don¡¯t try to betray me because,¡± L¨®ng Wei paused, his smile faded and a menacing expression appeared on his grimace; ¡°one who betrays L¨®ng Wei dies in the worst situation,¡± he finished.


    ¡°I will never betray His Highness,¡± Zhai Liang stated.


    ¡°Great. Bring the Chief Royal Inspector to me. I have some questions from him,¡± L¨®ng Wei ordered Zhai Liang. He bowed and walked out of the room.


    ¡°Whoever you are and wherever you have hidden in the pce, I will bring you out,¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered and clenched his fists.

 Chapter 312

    312 When they aren¡¯t good at Heart


    Kang Cha Ying waited for Xiaoming in the pavilion of the Crown Prince manor. She was astonished to find out that Xiaoming had found the woman whom he wanted to marry. Cha Ying was disappointed that she could not win Xiaoming¡¯s heart.


    Sun Fuguo asked Cha Ying if she would like to drink tea until the Crown Prince returned, but she refused.


    ¡°May I know the name of the woman with whom the Crown Prince fell in love?¡± Cha Ying was curious to know.


    ¡°Miss Liu Jin Yu. She does not belong to any of the noble family, Miss Kang. However, she is incredibly strong and has even saved the Crown Prince¡¯s life when he was attacked. She is a down-to-earthdy and is quite smart,¡± Sun Fuguo briefed Liu Jin Yu to Cha Ying.


    She was astonished to find a woman from a non-noble ss, who stole the Crown Prince¡¯s heart. She was interested in knowing more and asked Sun Fuguo if she could meet her.


    ¡°Forgive me, Miss Kang, but Miss Liu is undergoing training to learn the etiquette of being a nobledy. No one can meet her until the evening except the royal family members,¡± Sun Fuguo exined. Cha Ying was certainly disappointed to learn about it. She was too full of herself in the beginning. That was the main reason for the rejection from Xiaoming. Moreover, he disliked the Kang family, which was evident from the way he talked to her.


    Cha Ying kept waiting for Xiaoming, and after almost an hour¡¯s wait, she got the message that Xiaoming had returned to the manor. Sun Fuguo had left earlier, so a maidservant came to inform Cha Ying that the Crown Prince would see her in the next ten minutes.


    Cha Ying had not expected that Xiaoming would agree to meet her. After ten minutes, when Xiaoming came to the pavilion, she rose to her feet and bowed to him. Xiaoming asked Sun Fuguo to take away the maidservants from the pavilion. Heplied with the orders of his master and asked the maidservants to follow him.


    Soon, the pavilion emptied and Xiaoming took a seat on the chair. Cha Ying had kept her head low when Xiaoming asked her to take the seat.


    .....


    ¡°Why did Miss Kange here? What does she want to say to me?¡± Xiaoming calmly asked her.


    ¡°I want to apologize to the Crown Prince for my mistake. I always wanted to apologize from the bottom of my heart. I made a mistake in my ego. I forgot that before me was the kingdom¡¯s Crown Prince, who is more knowledgeable than me. I ask for His Royal Highness¡¯ forgiveness,¡± Cha Ying said. She was careful with words because thest time she made him angry by showing off her status.


    ¡°I forgave Miss Kang. I am d that she realized where she was at fault. She doesn¡¯t need toe here anymore,¡± Xiaoming stated, and he stood up to leave when Cha Ying congratted him on his marriage.


    Xiaoming nced at her and asked her if came to find out whom he would marry.


    ¡°No, Your Royal Highness. Eunuch Sun told me. I want to give my wishes to His Royal Highness,¡± Cha Ying stated.


    ¡°Hmm. I ept Miss Kang¡¯s wishes if they are from her heart,¡± Xiaoming replied. He told her that he had work to do. ¡°Miss Kang shall return to her house,¡± he asserted.


    Cha Ying nodded and bowed again before leaving the pavilion.


    However, Cha Ying didn¡¯t leave for home. She asked a maidservant if she could show him the manor of Prince L¨®ng Wei. First, the maidservant was hesitant to speak. But when Cha Ying told her that she had an important matter to discuss with Li Hua, which was a lie.


    The maidservant asked her to follow her and showed her the way to the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor. Cha Ying thanked her and entered the manor.She had heard that L¨®ng Wei used to get angry if anyone entered his manor without his permission.


    On women, however, he would not be angry. This was her assumption, at least.


    A maidservant saw her inside the manor and stopped her. She asked her who she was when Cha Ying revealed her identity. ¡°I am here to apologize to the Sixth Prince,¡± she told the maidservant.


    ¡°Pardon me, Miss Kang. But His Highness isn¡¯t in the manor,¡± the maidservant told her and asked her to leave. Yesterday, L¨®ng Wei scolded her for letting Kang Huijuan enter the manor. She didn¡¯t want to lose her life by allowing another member of the Kang family.


    ¡°I can wait for His Highness until he returns,¡± Cha Ying stated. The maidservant asked her to leave because if L¨®ng Wei saw her in the manor, he would kill the servant before doing anything to Cha Ying.


    The fear in the maidservant¡¯s eyes made Cha Ying step out of the manor. But she didn¡¯t leave. She stayed outside the door and waited for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s return. While waiting, she wondered if Li Hua was present in the manor or not.


    At noon, L¨®ng Wei returned to the pce. When he saw Cha Ying outside his manor, he ignored her because she had not set foot in the manor.


    Cha Ying bowed at him and realized that he had ignored her. She stopped him and walked behind him.


    ¡°Your Highness, I am here to apologize to you,¡± Cha Ying stated.


    L¨®ng Wei came to a halt and turned to face her. ¡°Who told you to step in?¡± His tone was filled with anger. ¡°Get lost,¡± he said when Cha Ying ran to him and stood in front of him.


    ¡°Forgive me for my behavior the previous day. I never thought that my brother would make such a mistake. He even lied to everyone. His Highness got punished and went to the cold pce for five months. I am here to ask forgiveness for that,¡± Cha Ying stated.


    ¡°Did you ask her to wait for me?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s gaze fell on the maidservant, who shook her head.


    ¡°Get out of here or I¡¯ll kick you out. I don¡¯t like people who try to be good when they are not good at heart,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.

 Chapter 313

    313 A good-looking man


    Li Hua informed Liu Jin Yu that she had to leave because it was lunch time. She thanked Li Hua for teaching her to brew tea. Li Hua rushed to the manor, wondering if L¨®ng Wei had arrived or not.


    She stopped near the door when he heard L¨®ng Wei getting angry on a woman whom she didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°Your Highness, why are you angry?¡± Li Hua asked as she approached L¨®ng Wei, who smiled to see her. She nced at Cha Ying and realized that she was a nobleman¡¯s daughter.


    ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s go inside,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and held her hand. He asked the maidservant to show the way out to Cha Ying.


    ¡°Your Highness, I am here to apologize to the Prince with whom my brother did wrong. I am Kang Cha Ying,¡± She introduced herself to Li Hua and bowed to him. Before L¨®ng Wei could speak, Li Hua told her that she should not have toe to apologize.


    ¡°I will be guilty if I do not apologize,¡± Cha Ying replied.


    ¡°I believe the matter is between His Highness and your brother. You are not supposed toe to the Prince. The pain my husband inflicted while staying in the cold pce cannot be eliminated with a simple apology,¡± Li Hua stated. L¨®ng Wei smiled to hear his wife¡¯s words. She was speaking out about his emotions. His heart fluttered with happiness.


    ¡°You should return,¡± Li Hua said.


    Cha Ying lifted her head and gazed into the eyes of Li Hua. ¡°Then, what should I do to get forgiveness, Your Highness?¡± Cha Ying was curious to know.


    .....


    ¡°Nothing. The person who must apologize to Prince L¨®ng Wei is Kang Huijuan. You do not need to lower your head over the mistakes your brother made. Miss Kang shall return to her residence,¡± Li Hua stated. Cha Ying bowed and walked away.


    L¨®ng Wei hung his arm around Li Hua¡¯s shoulder and took her inside. ¡°His Highness shall be polite while speaking to someone. He is now the Governor, yet he behaves like a child,¡± Li Hua reprimanded him and unbuttoned the robe from the left side of his shoulder.


    L¨®ng Wei extended his arms, and she pulled out the robe. She handed it to the maidservant, who bowed and walked out.


    ¡°I was polite. She started to eat my mind, so I turned harsh,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Will His Highness like it if someone says to me that he will kick me out?¡± Li Hua inquired and walked out of the dressing room.


    ¡°I will kill the person if he disrespects you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and walked after her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask if he would kill the person or p the person. I asked if he would like it or not,¡± Li Hua rified her question to him before turning to him.


    ¡°I will not like it,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Then, don¡¯t use such words for the person before you. If His Highness is a gentleman, then he must treat everyone with humbleness,¡± Li Hua proimed.


    ¡°I am a gentleman for you only. For others, let me be arrogant and Prince. If I am humble, especially arounddies, then they may fall for your husband,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a teasing smirk.


    Li Hua arched her brow in confusion. ¡°Why would they fall for His Highness?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Do I need to exin that to you? A good-looking man is always the first choice of women,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°I don¡¯t get humble easily around people. One who irritates me, I warn them so they will not repeat the same mistake anymore. Kang Cha Ying did the same,¡± he exined to her.


    ¡°Tell me, would you like it if any woman tried to seduce me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked, while being curious.


    ¡°Of course. I might pull her hair if she tried to get close to His Highness,¡± Li Hua stated. L¨®ng Weiughed to hear her and pinched her cheeks.


    ¡°Wifey, you are so cute,¡± he said with a smile and lowered his hands. He called in the servant and asked her to bring lunch meals for them.


    ¡°How was His Highness¡¯ first day at work?¡±


    ¡°It was good,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he brought her to the floor table. He asked her to sit first and then he took his seat. ¡°I got an assistant. His name is Zhai Liang. I met many officials today. It is tough to run a government and then look after so many events,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°What about you? Where were you?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°I went to teach Liu Jin Yu how to make tea perfectly and then also taught her how to walk like a nobledy,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°Hmm. Do not be too hard on yourself. She can learn with the appointed courtdies,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He was worried about Li Hua thinking she might tire out her body in his absence.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    The maidservant quickly served the meals to them. The two started eating, and after a while, L¨®ng Wei opened his mouth to speak.


    ¡°Xin Jue also lied to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°She wanted to marry Kang Huijuan from the beginning. She gave him an aphrodisiac drug in the food in thete night and then all that happened.¡±


    Li Hua was shocked to hear it. She thought it was all Kang Huijuan¡¯s fault, but it wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Why do people lie? I am unable to understand it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°She might have been scared,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°She portrayed that Kang Huijuan was at fault entirely. Indeed, he should not have tried to kill her, but Xin Jue started it,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    ¡°Umm... Xin Jue made a mistake by putting an aphrodisiac in Kang Huijuan¡¯s food. However, after that, Kang Huijuan made some heinous mistakes. He lied to everyone till the end. He could have told the King about aphrodisiacs in the Court. But he hid that fact, instead he knitted a lie which trapped him.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell anyone about aphrodisiacs because he himself wasn¡¯t sure about that night. He had forgotten about that,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Then, how did His Highness find out about this?¡±


    ¡°I asked Xin Jue. Gao Bing told me that she looked happy with the King¡¯s decision and was excited to marry Kang Huijuan. So, I met her beforeing here. She should be punished for the wrong she did,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, ¡°but I cannot punish her at the moment.¡±


    ¡°If Kang Huijuan recalled it, then?¡± Li Hua asked him.


    ¡°He will expose her,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and furrowed his brows together. ¡°I will let him do that because Xin Jue must bear the consequences of the wrong she did.¡±

 Chapter 314

    314 I will worship your body well


    After finishing their lunch meals, Li Hua recalled Jingfei¡¯s request. ¡°Your Highness, I forgot to tell you about Princess Jingfei¡¯s request to you.¡±


    ¡°What did she request?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei wants to talk with His Highness about a matter. She hase twice here in the hope of meeting you. I gave Princess Jingfei my words that I would ask Prince L¨®ng Wei to talk to her,¡± Li Hua told him.


    ¡°I am not interested in conversing with her,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Why?¡± Li Hua frowned.


    ¡°You know the reason,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Can¡¯t His Highness forget that?¡± Li Hua wanted him to help his elder sister. Jingfei looked tense, and she truly wanted L¨®ng Wei to solve her problem. That way, their differences would be ovee.


    ¡°Sadly, I cannot forget what she said to you. I cannot tolerate the person who disrespects my wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and stood up. He extended his hand out, which Li Hua held, and he pulled her up. His one hand was wrapped around her waist and the other stroked her hair.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei has already apologized many times. His Highness shall not keep grudges against his elder sister,¡± Li Hua opined.


    .....


    ¡°She¡¯s not my real sister,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°But she is your half-sister. At least, listen to Princess Jingfei once,¡± Li Hua said and joined her hands, ¡°please do it for me,¡± she requested.


    ¡°You should not request for another person this way, Li Hua.¡± L¨®ng Wei took her hands in his and lowered them. He returned his hand to the hair and continued to caress it.


    ¡°Your Highness, I only want you to make your rtionship with your elder half-siblings,¡± Li Hua stated. L¨®ng Wei agreed with her hum.


    ¡°Fine. For you, I will meet herter,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, tracing her lips with his thumb. He leaned down and kissed her hard. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about her anymore and focus on ourselves,¡± he said after he pulled away from the kiss. He had left Li Hua breathless and again imed her lips. She responded to his kisses with equal vigor.


    L¨®ng Wei let go of her lips and showered a few kisses her jawline. He then buried his face in the crook of her neck. ¡°You smell of roses,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he bit her earlobe and then licked it to yearn a pleasuring moan from her. The next second, he scooped her up in his arms while her hands locked behind his nape.


    ¡°I took a rose water bath in the morning,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°Did you practice today?¡± He asked her as he took her to the bed and gently put her down on the mattress.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t because I had to teach Liu Jin Yu,¡± she said. L¨®ng Wei was lying next to her. He rested his body on his left elbow while his right hand was on his belly.


    Li Hua grabbed him by the cor and pulled him down. L¨®ng Wei was astonished as Li Hua kissed him and he smiled. His hand moved sensually on her body, and it made her curl her toes.


    ¡°Your Highness, I want to be yours,¡± she confessed.


    ¡°Me too. I don¡¯t think I can wait any longer to feel you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and kissed the side of her lips.


    She moaned when L¨®ng Wei kissed the hollow of her throat. His hand worked fast and removed the dress that she had worn. Her upper body was still covered by thest thinyer of clothing.


    His hands moved expertly on her body, and traced every curve of her body. ¡°You are beautiful, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he again captured her lips. They kissed for a long time until they ran out of breath.


    L¨®ng Wei circled his fingers on her belly and slowly moved them behind her back.


    Li Hua moved her hand up hesitantly, and she yanked off the robe from his body. L¨®ng Wei let her do it, and he pulled her up. He now had her on hisp, and he groaned when she moved. ¡°Li Hua, you are my death,¡± he huskily said and kissed her again. He gently removed the jewelry that she had worn. His eyes never left the focus of her eyes, not even for a second.


    His fingers became entangled in the knots of thest thin clothing, which he slowly untied. He peered into her eyes and he kissed the tip of her nose. ¡°I will worship your body well, Li Hua. Allow your husband,¡± he asked for permission. Li Hua bit her bottom lip and nodded at him.


    He kissed the middle of her forehead as he pulled away thest knot and pulled it away. The pad of his fingers traced her shoulder and moved down to the side of her breast. Li Hua closed her eyes and found her back hadnded on the soft mattress beneath her.


    She kept her eyes closed as she was too shy to meet his gaze. Her hands moved to cover herself, but he caught them. He pried open her eyes when L¨®ng Wei pinned them above his head.


    ¡°Today, you will not stop me, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and gave a chaste kiss to her to make her feel rxed. His hand left her wrists and sat straight before getting off the bed. He removed his clothes one by one, making Li Hua drool with desire to touch him.


    Would they be one today? She again brought her hand over her bare chest. Her cheeks flushed red like a ripened tomato as she fiddled her fingers.


    L¨®ng Wei hovered over her and again took her hand in his. He kissed her knuckles softly. He moved his lips to her wrist, then forearm, and then shoulder. She closed her eyes and felt the heat between their respective bodies. The sensual touch of his lips on her skin ignited her body on fire.


    Li Hua embraced that feeling wholeheartedly. She was happy to get the euphoric feeling.


    ~~~~~


    It was so tough to write all this ??. I still too shy to write a romance chapter that includes intimacy between the couples. I hope you all enjoyed this. The rest is up to your imagination.


    THANK YOU


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 315

    315 The Prophecy is turning True [Bonus chapter]


    In the night, before dinner time, Li Hua¡¯s sleep broke and she found her bare back resting against L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chest. Her cheeks flushed red thinking about how intimate they both were. The room was covered in darkness and only a small amount of moonlight fell in, which had illuminated only a small part of the bedchamber.


    She tried to move away, but L¨®ng Wei wouldn¡¯t let her. His grip was firm around her. He drew her close and kissed the back of her shoulder. ¡°Li Hua, you are awake,¡± he asked, and she hummed at him.


    ¡°I think I hurt you,¡± L¨®ng Wei whispered.


    ¡°No, Your Highness. I am a little sore,¡± Li Hua replied, tilting her head to look at him. Luckily, she could see her eyes in the faint light, and she ended up blushing again. ¡°It was amazing,¡± she said, and lowered her eyes.


    ¡°I will ask the servant to prepare the hot water bath for us,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°For us?¡± Li Hua arched her brow in confusion.


    ¡°Of course. Let¡¯s bathe together. I believe we can now, ¡°L¨®ng Wei affirmed. Li Hua turned her face away and told L¨®ng Wei that he should bathe in a separate bathhouse.


    ¡°No. You and I will go to the same bathhouse today.¡± He kissed her earlobe, and she curled her fingers. ¡°I have seen everything already, so there¡¯s no need to get shy anymore, Dear Wife,¡± he said and nuzzled his nose on the side of her neck. He moved away and put on his clothes.


    He went to the door and opened it. ¡°Prepare the bathhouse for the Princess Consort and me,¡± L¨®ng Wei ordered the maidservant. She bowed and walked away. L¨®ng Wei returned to the bedchamber with antern in his hand and put it on the bedside table.


    .....


    He caressed Li Hua¡¯s hair and asked her if she would turn to him. He hugged her back and asked her not to act that way anymore. They talked with each other for the next ten minutes. The maidservant returned and informed L¨®ng Wei about it.


    She had brought clothes for Li Hua to wear to the bathhouse. L¨®ng Wei told the servant to leave the manor. ¡°Have your dinner,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her.


    ¡°I will leave for dinner after changing the bedsheet, Your Highness.¡± The maidservant was trembling in fear while speaking with L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Fine,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and asked her to wait outside. She left while he turned to Li Hua. She sat on the bed and wrapped the nket around her.


    ¡°Can His Highness go out?¡± She urged.


    ¡°Why?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked, hiding his smile. ¡°There is no one here,¡± he added. He saw the re in Li Hua¡¯s eyes and walked up to her. He pinched her cheek and told her that he would wait for her in the bathhouse. She nodded and took the dress from her. L¨®ng Wei walked away while Li Hua bit her bottom lip.


    ~~~~~~


    Tianjie asked Qiu Mu why he looked upset for the past few days. He poured the wine for Qiu Mu and handed the ss to him.


    ¡°I am not upset,¡± Qiu Mu said and faked a smile. He was terrified of L¨®ng Wei if he had to tell the truth to Tianjie. He had not expected that he would be Governor in one shot.


    Why did L¨®ng Wei be desperate for the position? L¨®ng Wei had threatened him if he tried to ridicule him, then he would take the position of General in his ce. Those were the few things that had given him stress for the past few days.


    ¡°Is it because of L¨®ng Wei?¡± Tianjie inquired. Qiu Mu had just sipped the wine and started to cough to hear the Third Prince¡¯s words.


    ¡°Be careful, Brother Mu,¡± Tianjie said. Qiu Mu put the ss before him and wiped his lips.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei suddenly climbed the stairs of sess. The prophecy is turning true. Soon, we will be wiped out,¡± Tianjie asserted and noticed Qiu Mu¡¯s reactions.


    ¡°That will not happen,¡± Qiu Mu said in a confident tone.


    ¡°We all used to think this, didn¡¯t we?¡± Tianjie asked him and gulped the wine in a single shot. Qiu Mu asked him to exin his point. Tianjie plonked the ss before him over the table.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei will gradually force us to work for him, under his orders. Did Brother Mu not notice how the Crown Prince had turned to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s side? Mingquan was already in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s favor. Even the ministers in the court unanimously selected him as the Governor of Qinping. The assumptions we had about L¨®ng Wei, those didn¡¯te true.¡± Tianjie started to fill Qiu Mu¡¯s ears, and it annoyed him more.


    ¡°Brother Tianjie doesn¡¯t need to remind me of that every second,¡± Qiu Mu said, clenching his fists.


    ¡°Pardon me, Brother Mu. I had no intention of reminding you of all this. But the truth cannot be ignored. All are talking about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s victorious character. The Prime Minister, who once despised L¨®ng Wei, is now one of his supporters. Why? Because L¨®ng Wei spared the life of Kang Huijuan,¡± Tianjie said and clenched his jaw.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that he will do anything to us. The Crown Prince had not shown this to L¨®ng Wei if he would be a threat to us.¡± Qiu Mu picked up the wine ss and sipped the wine.


    ¡°We should not be fooled by this, Brother Mu.¡±


    Qiu Mu knitted his brows to hear Tianjie¡¯s words.


    ¡°The Crown Prince got permission to marry Liu Jin Yu, not because he was adamant about not marrying anyone else, but the reason was different,¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°What does Brother Tianjie want to say?¡± Qiu Mu asked him to rify.


    ¡°If L¨®ng Wei had not said that if our father could marry Brother Mu¡¯s mother, who belonged to such a low-status family and still gathered such great power, then why couldn¡¯t the Crown Prince? Brother Mu, we need to do something before L¨®ng Wei suppresses us all,¡± Tianjie proimed.


    Qiu Mu could not forget that day. He felt so bad for his mother that day. He asked Tianjie what they could possibly do to remove L¨®ng Wei from the governor¡¯s position.

 Chapter 316

    316 The only way to stop


    ¡°After Li Hua entered L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life, he got this urge not to make any more mistakes. He doesn¡¯t want to leave Li Hua alone. We must remove her from his life,¡± Tianjie said, giving the idea to Qiu Mu.


    Qiu Mu promptly nced at him and scoffed. ¡°We should not fall this low that we have to harm his wife,¡± he asserted. He put the wine ss on the table and poured wine into it.


    ¡°There is a famous saying, Brother Mu: In Love and War, everything is fine,¡± Tianjie stated. He wanted Qiu Mu to be on his side at all costs. The growing power of L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t eptable to him, and if he had to harm Li Hua, then he would not hesitate to do that. However, he needed the support of Qiu Mu.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that we should involve his wife in all this. I agree that L¨®ng Wei recently gathered a lot of strength, not physically but politically. However, I condemn the idea of harming his wife,¡± Qiu Mu rified. Tianjie curled his fingers, but he didn¡¯t give up.


    ¡°There is no other way in which we can stop L¨®ng Wei,¡± Tianjie muttered, and leaned back on the floor chair, holding the wine ss. ¡°If Brother Mu has thought of another way, then he can tell me,¡± he added, and lifted his eyelids to gaze at him.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t have any weaknesses. I bet that Li Hua isn¡¯t his weakness either,¡± Qiu Mu opined.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we check what will happen to L¨®ng Wei if Li Hua gets hurt?¡± Tianjie arched his brow in anticipation.


    ¡°How?¡± Qiu Mu looked confused.


    ¡°An attack on Li Hua in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s absence. It will be a mild attack,¡± Tianjie stated, ¡°only to check how L¨®ng Wei reacts. We will decide what to do next after finding out his reaction.¡±


    .....


    Qiu Mu told Tianjie that it was impossible tounch an attack on Li Hua, especially in the pce. ¡°Father will punish General Hei and me for not being cautious,¡± Qiu Mu refuted his idea of attacking Li Hua.


    Tianjieughed, which perplexed Qiu Mu.


    ¡°Brother Mu, we will attack Li Hua when she goes out of the pce. Her brother, Xu Zifan, is no longer in the pce. Li Hua will surely pay a visit to her brother,¡± Tianjie stated.


    Qiu Mu pointed out a doubt. ¡°If that happens, then L¨®ng Wei will apany her,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°I will create a circumstance where Li Hua has to go tomorrow to meet Xu Zifan. L¨®ng Wei will go to the Governor¡¯s office to work. Since he is newly appointed, he has to learn a lot of things. Brother Mu must hire a few men to attack Li Hua. I believe that he can do it easily since he is the General.¡± Tianjie found out that Qiu Mu was still hesitating to go forward with that n.


    ¡°I cannot hire anyone,¡± Qiu Mu stated, and recalled how he trusted Chang Shi. He was shockedter to find out that Chang Shi knew L¨®ng Wei for a long time. He didn¡¯t want to do anything that would bring doom to him. L¨®ng Wei was clever and cunning.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t Brother Mu hire anyone? I am not talking about killing Li Hua.¡± Tianjie tried his best to convince Qiu Mu, but he refused. He advised Tianjie not to n anything that would backfire on him.


    Tianjie didn¡¯t like that Qiu Mu backed off from helping him. But he stayed quiet. After a while, he took his leave and went to his chamber. His feet slowed down, and he mmed his hand on the wooden pir beside him. He decided to hire someone on his own and execute the n.


    If after the attack on Li Hua, L¨®ng Wei got panicked, then Tianjie would make sure to kill Li Hua. That was the only way to stop L¨®ng Wei from spreading his wings. If he seeded in that, then removing L¨®ng Wei from his path would be much easier.


    ~~~~~~


    Xiaoming told Liu Jin Yu that L¨®ng Wei decided to forgive Kang Huijuan. She was upset and wondered why L¨®ng Wei did that.


    ¡°I wanted to expose the truth, but then I decided to go with Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s decision. He must have reason to do so,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°I will be patient, then. Someday, I will punish Kang Huijuan. I won¡¯t stay quiet, Your Royal Highness,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated and clenched her fists.


    Xiaoming rested his hand over here and advised her not to think with a hot mind. To divert her attention from it, he asked her about the activities that she had done till now.


    ¡°Li Hua taught me how to brew the tea,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. ¡°Did the Crown Prince fall for Li Hua because of her nature?¡±


    Xiaoming was bewildered to hear her question. Why did she suddenly bring that topic out of nowhere?


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I am curious to know,¡± she stated with a smile. Xiaoming felt awkward even talking about it. ¡°The Crown Prince can share with me. I don¡¯t get jealous,¡± she stated.


    ¡°She is a calm person. I think I liked her nature. But I would like to correct you. I realized that I didn¡¯t love her. I liked a few things about her and ended up making the assumption that I would be happy with her. But I was wrong,¡± Xiaoming exined to her. His sudden attraction was not love, but infatuation.


    ¡°I also found her calm. She doesn¡¯t get angry. Lady Hu gets easily angry,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated. ¡°Then, I learned how to walk like ady. Will the Crown Prince want to see it?¡± She asked in anticipation.


    Xiaoming nodded at her and Jin Yu quickly got up from her ce. She showed him her walk and he smiled. He liked her manly walk more. But others might not like it.


    ¡°How did I walk?¡± Liu Jin Yu asked.


    ¡°It was good,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    ¡°Only good?¡± She mumbled.


    ¡°You need to improve a little. You don¡¯t need to show it on your face,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°What do I not need to show on my face?¡± Liu Jin Yu got confused.


    ¡°It is tough to exin,¡± Xiaoming stated. ¡°You should ask Court Lady Hongter,¡± he affirmed. He told her that they should have dinner because he had to return timely at his manor.

 Chapter 317

    317 Sadly, I also cannot help you


    For Li Hua¡¯s sake, L¨®ng Wei had promised to talk with Jingfei once for her sake, so after having tea in the hall with everyone in his family, he went to meet Jingfei.


    Jingfei asked the maidservant to let L¨®ng Weie in. She stood up to see him and thanked him for taking the time to meet her.


    L¨®ng Wei sat on the floor chair before Jingfei settled down around the floor table. He asked her what she wanted from him. ¡°The First Princess came to my manor twice and asked Li Hua to make me agree to meet you. What is it for which the First Princess was so desperate to meet me?¡± He jumped straight to the matter without beating around the bush.


    ¡°First, I want to say sorry,¡± Jingfei brought her hand to the left of her chest, ¡°from the bottom of my heart for hurting Brother L¨®ng Wei with my harsh words.¡± He blinked a few times and pondered if he had heard right. Jingfei apologized to him, and it made himugh.


    Jingfei was confused to hear hisughter. L¨®ng Wei stopped after a while and wiped the tears from the edges of his eyes. ¡°It seems the First Princess wants something big from me,¡± he concluded, and his grimace suddenly turned into a menacing one.


    ¡°Don¡¯t show the fake apology to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a fake, Brother L¨®ng Wei. It is sincere and from the heart. You are the youngest sibling in the royal family, yet I treated you badly. So, please forgive me,¡± she said again. L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes in suspicion. Jingfei wasn¡¯t the type who would apologize to a person before her or talk to the person politely until she wanted a favor from the person.


    ¡°You wanted me to die when I got the shot of the poisonous arrow,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Jingfei curled her fingers and wondered how he found out about it.


    ¡°Why would I think this?¡± Jingfei tried to dodge the statements. She pretended as if she had never spoken those words to him.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei gave her a sneer. ¡°Li Hua does not hold grudges towards a person for long, but I do. You approached my Li Hua and talked sweetly to her, but that doesn¡¯t work on me,¡± he stated. His gaze was intimidating, and she gulped in fear.


    ¡°You wanted me to die so that the anger inside you would be appeased. You wanted to get rid of my sight. Don¡¯t pretend anymore. I have many informants,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, let¡¯s forget about the past,¡± Jingfei said. Though she still didn¡¯t admit it directly, she still prayed for her death. She was embarrassed and guilty because of this.


    ¡°Please listen to me once, Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Jingfei said with a pleading expression.


    ¡°Say it quickly. What do you want from me?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°I love Huang Xi,¡± Jingfei said.


    L¨®ng Wei knitted his brows in bewilderment, wondering why she was telling him that. He wasn¡¯t interested in knowing whom she loved or hated.


    ¡°I will be betrothed to someone from a high-status noble family¡¯s son if Huang Xi refuses to marry me. He has already done it. He doesn¡¯t like me. I want Brother L¨®ng Wei to talk to him once regarding this. I will be grateful to Brother L¨®ng Wei all my life if I get married to Huang Xi. I know that you both are close friends, and he will never refuse Brother L¨®ng Wei.¡± Jingfei finally expressed the thoughts she had wanted to tell L¨®ng Wei for a long time.


    ¡°The First Princess wants me to ask Huang Xi to marry you,¡± L¨®ng Wei simplified her words and she nodded at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that you havee to the wrong person for help?¡± The smug on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face left Jingfei again in confusion.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is the closest person to Huang Xi. He is the best person who can help me,¡± she stated.


    ¡°No. I cannot force anyone to marry the First Princess. However, if she can help me solve my problem, I may talk with Huang Xi,¡± L¨®ng Wei put forward a condition. Jingfei didn¡¯t know what he would ask her because she had nothing that could be of his help. She told him the same, but he clicked his tongue with his mouth.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei is the Queen¡¯s daughter. She is the best person to solve my problem. If she helps me, I will also help her,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Jingfei lowered her eyes and contemted for a while. What would L¨®ng Wei ask for? She peered at him again and asked him what he wanted.


    ¡°The ess to the information about the Consorts and the Concubines, including the Queen,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Jingfei widened her eyes in shock. She shook her head and told him that she would not do it.


    ¡°Sadly, I also cannot help you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and got up to leave. Jingfei stopped him and rose to her feet.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, I really cannot do it. Such information isn¡¯t easy to ess. I will be severely punished if I get caught by my mother,¡± Jingfei told him and asked him to change his condition.


    ¡°I cannot help you then, First Princess. You should solve your problem by yourself,¡± L¨®ng Wei advised her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t tell Huang Xi that you are knitting the dreams to marry him,¡± he stated and walked out of her sight.


    Jingfei could not believe that L¨®ng Wei refused to help her. She bit her bottom lip. ¡°What to do? If I don¡¯t do anything sooner, then it will be toote. My brother will get married soon, and if I fail to win Huang Xi¡¯s heart, Father will betroth me to a man of his choice. I will not be able to even raise my voice or ask for time for my marriage.¡± Jingfei suddenly got scared. She shook her head and told herself that she would do her best.


    She decided to go to see Huang Xi at his residence. Though it was a dangerous step, she had to do it rather than see herself getting tied to the man of her father¡¯s choice.

 Chapter 318

    318 Between me and Huang Xi


    ¡°Why did His Highness refuse to help Princess Jingfei?¡± Li Hua was upset to know that L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t help Jingfei. She put the chopsticks down on the te and asked him to help her.


    ¡°Li Hua, I cannot help her,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and brought the dumpling near her mouth. ¡°Open your mouth,¡± he said, and she did. After she took a small bite, L¨®ng Wei pulled his hand back and ate the same dumpling.


    ¡°My help will not help her. I cannot tell Huang Xi to marry her when he doesn¡¯t like her. Then, the First Princess said something which grew Huang Xi¡¯s disinterest in her,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her. Li Hua looked at him with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°What did she say?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You do not need to know,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because it is between me and Huang Xi,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Then, can His Highness not share it with his wife? I won¡¯t tell anyone,¡± Li Hua asserted. L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t want her to get upset after knowing what Jingfei thought of him.


    ¡°I will bete if I eat at this speed.¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and asked her that they should finish their meals soon.


    .....


    ¡°Whom does Commander Huang Xi like?¡± Li Hua curiously asked.


    ¡°I do not know. He only told me that he hated Jingfei. He doesn¡¯t like that she likes him,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He asked her not to talk about that anymore.


    After they finished their morning breakfast, L¨®ng Wei left. However, before leaving, he kissed Li Hua¡¯s cheek and asked her not to train hard. She nodded and asked him not to trouble anyone.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°I am not a kid, who will trouble people around me,¡± he said.


    ¡°His Highness threatens people, which isn¡¯t good,¡± Li Hua stated. L¨®ng Wei smiled and waved at her as he took backward steps.


    ¡°I love threatening people, Li Hua. ept me as I am,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Walk straight if you do not want to fall,¡± Li Hua told him. He turned and walked out. Li Hua turned to go in. She reached her chamber and picked up the scroll that belonged to L¨®ng Wei. She was heading to the other room when a maidservant came inside with a man in histe twenties.


    ¡°Your Highness, Lord Xu has sent a servant from his residence with a message,¡± the maidservant informed Li Hua. She smiled to find out and asked him to sit.


    ¡°Your Highness, I do not dare to. Please hear out the message which my lord has sent for Her Highness,¡± the servant requested.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Lord Xu wants to see Her Highness. He could note to the pce because of work. So, he sent me to bring you to the residence,¡± the servant informed Li Hua. She wondered why her brother suddenly called for her.


    ¡°Brother, please wait for sometime. I will go out with you in a while,¡± Li Hua said. The man bowed and went out of the chamber with the maidservant, who had closed the door behind her.


    Li Hua put the scroll into the cupboard and then went to the dressing chamber to take a look at herself. She brushed her raven hair and then put theb on the dressing table.


    It was her first time going alone outside of the pce. She decided to meet L¨®ng Weiter in the afternoon and give him a surprise.


    ¡°No. I cannot go to the administration center. Women aren¡¯t allowed there,¡± she mumbled. She bit her lower lip and thought she would break the rule. She only wanted to meet her husband, which was not wrong. She went out of the chamber and told the maidservant that she should also apany her.


    ¡°Sure, Your Highness. I have arranged a pnquin for Her Highness,¡± the maidservant informed her.


    They left the manor, but Li Hua decided to inform the Queen before leaving.


    The Queen scolded her first and then said, ¡°It is the first andst time, I am allowing you to go out. You are no longer an ordinary woman, who can go out whenever she pleases.¡±


    ¡°I understood, Your Majesty. I will not go out after today,¡± Li Hua stated.


    Liu Jin Yu wanted to go out too, but seeing how quickly the Queen got angry, she didn¡¯t dare speak. But she wondered if Li Hua would go out alone. So, she intervened in their conversation.


    ¡°Your Majesty, pardon me for intruding. I would like to say something,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    ¡°Say,¡± Zhu Liling allowed her to speak.


    ¡°Li Hua must not go out alone, Your Majesty. If Her Majesty allows, then I shall apany Li Hua,¡± Liu Jin Yu said, and she lifted her head to look at Zhu Liling. ¡°I have to return the money of a shop owner in the market which I could not after the day I entered the pce,¡± she stated.


    ¡°You came to the pce without resolving your outside issues,¡± Zhu Liling frowned.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I didn¡¯t know that I would not get the chance to go out. If Her Majesty allows, then I will pay the brother from the shop. I will bring Li Hua safely to the pce,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. She was tired from sewing and embroidering since the early morning. She wanted to breathe for a few hours in peace, and going out with Li Hua was the best option.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, did you hear Liu Jin Yu? Ask her about the shop, where she has to pay the money,¡± Zhu Liling said, thus shocking Liu Jin Yu.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Eunuch Lishi stepped up and bowed.


    ¡°Tell Eunuch Lishi about the shop location,¡± Zhu Liling told Liu Jin Yu.


    ¡°I am not good at giving directions, Your Majesty,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. ¡°It is a very crowded ce and then on a narrow street. Eunuch Lishi may lose his way. I don¡¯t want him to feel inconvenienced because of me, Your Majesty,¡± she affirmed. She curled her fingers, wondering if the Queen would allow her or not.


    ¡°Fine. This is thest time I am allowing you to go out,¡± Zhu Liling said.


    Liu Jin Yu immediately bowed and thanked the Queen for allowing her. ¡°Li Hua and I will return soon,¡± she stated, with a wide smile. Seeing the re from the Queen, she pursed her lips tightly.

 Chapter 319

    319 The Attack [Bonus chapter]


    Zhu Liling asked Court Lady Hong to follow her as she had to tell her some important things. Liu Jin Yu and Li Hua bowed as the Queen left the chamber.


    Liu Jin Yu tilted her head slightly to check if the Queen had left and then quickly walked to Li Hua. ¡°You saved me again, Li Hua,¡± Jin Yu said and thanked her. ¡°I know how to sew, but this embroidery is the toughest work I¡¯ve done in my life. My fingers were pricked so many times with the needle,¡± she said while Li Hua silently listened to her.


    ¡°Shall we go?¡± Li Hua asked her.


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Jin Yu said when Eunuch Lishi came inside.


    ¡°I will send a few soldiers with Princess Consort and Miss Liu,¡± he said, and asked them to follow him. Liu Jin Yu wanted to refuse it, but because Li Hua was a royal family member, she didn¡¯t want to take the risk. She remained silent and walked along with Li Hua.


    ¡°Your Highness, please get into the pnquin,¡± Eunuch Lishi told Li Hua, who nodded and got inside the pnquin. Liu Jin Yu found out that a second pnquin was ready for her. She stepped into that. The foot soldiers and the head of them guarded them well. Eunuch Lishi instructed them to bring back both thedies safely to the pce.


    The pnquins were carried by the porters and they left the pce. Liu Jin Yu gawked her eyes out of the window and smiled. She had never sat in the pnquin. It was a new and thrilling experience for her.


    ¡°If there isfort, then there is no freedom,¡± she mumbled as she realized that she would soon be the Crown Princess. Then, she would never step out of the pce until it was a critical situation or the Crown Prince wanted to step out.


    She asked herself if she had done the right thing toe to the pce. She could not stay away from Xiaoming for long. She would have been hurt if had married someone else and stayed unhappy with her.


    .....


    Sometimes, you have to sacrifice for the greater cause.


    She looked at the line of soldiers near the main imperial gate. A few soldiers looked at her as she had her head out of the window. As they stepped out of the pce, she pulled her head in and closed the curtains. It would not be wise to show her face so openly when it was a secret who would be the future Crown Princess.


    The servant who hade from the Xu Residence looked around him. He knitted his brows and sped his hands tightly in nervousness. He wasn¡¯t supposed to bring someone else with Li Hua, but the Queen sent security for her.


    He had no idea how to stop those two pnquins from going ahead.


    He was the man sent by Tianjie, who asked him to tell a lie to Li Hua. However, the n failed, so he decided to stop his men from making a move. A soldier came near him and walked along with him.


    ¡°Master has already told his men to stop the attack. Leave the capital the moment I give you instructions,¡± the soldier told him in a low voice. ¡°It is the master¡¯s orders. Return after ten days and meet the master then,¡± he added. The man hummed and felt relieved that Tianjie had already controlled everything.


    ¡°Here is the money,¡± the soldier said, and he passed a pouch full of coins to the man. He took it without getting anyone¡¯s notice and put it inside his pocket. The soldier slowed down and walked behind him.


    After half an hour, the soldiers at the front got alerted when many masked men came in their direction. Li Hua wobbled inside the pnquin because a few porters got the arrow shots. Chaos ensued, and loud screams were heard.


    Liu Jin Yu was alerted to the sudden halt of the pnquin. She heard the pnquin and quickly got out. The sight in front of her was terrifying. Many masked men had attacked them.


    She held her skirt up and ran to save Li Hua. She saw the archer, who was ready to shoot Li Hua through the window. She swiftly got on her knees and pulled Li Hua out.


    The arrow pierced the wood, and Li Hua panicked.


    ¡°Come out quickly,¡± Jin Yu told her, and pulled her out. She asked her to stay seated.


    Liu Jin Yu looked at her front and found out that the soldiers were dying. Only seven to eight soldiers were alive. She told Li Hua not to move from her ce.


    Jin Yu stepped forward when Li Hua caught her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t go ahead. You may get harmed. We must run toward the pce,¡± she advised her.


    ¡°They are carrying bows. We will be dead if we try to run,¡± Jin Yu told her. ¡°Nothing will happen. Stay here and don¡¯t get up,¡± she stated and patted her hand.


    She walked ahead and picked up the sword to fight. Li Hus closed her ears to hear the nking. She told herself not to get scared and saw how bravely Jin Yu fought with them. She had already killed one of the masked men.


    Li Hua saw the lifeless bodies of the porters and turned to look. She saw the archer, who was ready to shoot at Liu Jin Yu and stood up.


    She picked up the sword, and her hands trembled in fear. She had never killed anyone in her life. But if she hadn¡¯t intervened now, the shooter would have killed Liu Jin Yu. She tightened the hold on the hilt with her both hands and ran towards the shooter. She stretched out her arm and pierced the sword into his back.


    She pulled it out and, with staggering steps, moved back.


    The blood on the sword frightened her and the memories of the night when her family was being killed in the same way re-surfaced.


    Liu Jin Yu kicked the man who she had just killed and took the sword from his hand. Her left arm got cut while fighting, but she didn¡¯t stop. They were far from the pce, so any help was impossible for them. She looked in Li Hua¡¯s direction, who was holding the sword and staring nkly at it.


    ¡°What happened to her? Why did she stand up?¡± Liu Jin mumbled and stabbed the leg of the masked man on her left. Li Jin Yu shouted Li Hua¡¯s name, asking her to move away.


    However, Li Hua didn¡¯t hear her. When another masked man ducked his sword into her neck, Jin Yu bent on her back. She swiftly brought her left hand, which had the sword in it, and shed his neck.


    Li Hua¡¯s eyes welled up into tears and those noises of nking became intense. A masked man from behind ran in her direction to kill her.


    Liu Jin Yu shouted the name of Li Hua and asked her to move away when a man in royal blue robes appeared and pulled Li Hua. He twirled her and put his hand on the back of her head as he buried her face in his chest. He shed the neck of the masked man who was going to kill Li Hua.

 Chapter 320

    320 I will handle the punishment


    Liu Jin Yu was surprised to see a mysterious man who hade to the rescue of Li Hua. She turned to check if there were anymore around, but the soldiers had already killed them. One of the injured masked men sneaked out while holding his arm.


    ¡°Li Hua, are you alright?¡± Feng Lao asked. When he didn¡¯t get the answer, he pulled away and found she had fainted.


    Liu Jin Yu ran to them and looked at Li Hua. She threw the swords from her hands and patted Li Hua¡¯s cheeks.


    ¡°She has fainted,¡± Feng Lao said, and asked Liu Jin Yu if she would carry his sword. She nodded at him and took the sword from Feng Lao. The soldiers surrounded them when the head soldier asked them to follow him.


    Feng Lao carried Li Hua in his arms. Liu Jin Yu told him that she would carry Li Hua on her back, but Feng Lao refused.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei will kill you if he finds out that you carried his wife in your arms,¡± Liu Jin Yu warned him. ¡°He may kill you for taking his wife¡¯s name. Wait! How do you know she¡¯s Li Hua?¡± She suddenly got suspicious of him.


    Feng Lao had scooped Li Hua in his arms and started to walk, thus ignoring Liu Jin Yu¡¯s words. She ran after them and continued to tell Feng Lao to leave Li Hua.


    ¡°Miss, will you stop being annoying?¡± Feng Lao finally urged her. ¡°I will handle the punishment from His Highness in my way. You do not need to worry about it,¡± he stated.


    The soldiers followed them while looking around.


    .....


    ¡°Did you say that I am annoying?¡± Liu Jin Yu questioned him and stood up in front of him. Feng Lao¡¯s feet came to a halt, and he looked at her in inquisitiveness.


    ¡°Put Li Hua down. I will carry her on my back,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    ¡°Miss, let¡¯s talk about this when we reach the pce. Li Hua must safely get inside the pce before someonees here to attack us,¡± he stated and walked past her. Liu Jin Yu knitted her brows and realized that the man was close to Li Hua. She turned quiet and remained alert. She asked one of the soldiers to inform L¨®ng Wei about it.


    ¡°My Lady, the Sixth Prince will kill me if I inform him,¡± the soldier said, with a frightened look.


    ¡°But if Prince L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t informed about this, then he will be super angry. You should go and inform him,¡± Liu Jin Yu opined and tried to convince the soldier. She thought if he would not agree, then she would go to tell L¨®ng Wei about this.


    ¡°Tell His Highness that the Princess Consort has fainted. The rest of the things, I will exin when he reaches the pce,¡± Feng Lao instructed the soldier. He agreed to go and left for the administrative office.


    They soon reached the pce. The soldiers were shocked to see Li Hua in the arms of Feng Lao while Liu Jin Yu¡¯s arm was still bleeding. However, she had forgotten about the wound. She was worried about Li Hua, and then L¨®ng Wei¡¯s reactions.


    Ai Fen and Xiaolian were in the orchid pavilion, waiting for Jingfei toe, when they saw Liu Jin Yu with a man. ¡°Who is he and whom is he carrying?¡± Xiaolian asked Ai Fen. Since they were on the other side of the corridor, they were unable to see clearly.


    ¡°It seems they are heading to Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s manor. We should go too, Sister Xiaolian,¡± Ai Fen said and she stood up from the chair. Xiaolian agreed with her, and they both also headed behind them.


    Feng Lao ced Li Hua on the mattress and stood straight. Liu Jin Yu quickly covered Li Hua with a nket and looked towards the door, wondering when the royal physician woulde.


    Feng Lao gazed at Li Hua. He wanted to check if she was wounded anywhere, but he had lost that right long ago.


    He was on his way to the pce, but he took the route that Mingquan had asked him to follow when he would return to Qinping. When he heard the swords nking, he got alert. Li Hua was standing with a sword in her hand, as if she had seen a ghost.


    The woman, who didn¡¯t even kill a tiny insect, had to kill the shooter before her. Moreover, the scenes from that night might have reflected in her eyes. Li Hua didn¡¯t deserve to see all this.


    Within next five minutes, Peng Yuxian arrived in the bedchamber and bowed before them. He asked them to leave the chamber as he needed to examine Li Hua. The maidservant stayed inside while Liu Jin Yu gestured to Feng Lao to follow her.


    ¡°Jin Yu, what happened to Li Hua?¡± Ai Fen asked as she stepped in with Xiaolian. Feng Lao lowered his head and took the sword from Liu Jin Yu. He walked out and put it inside the sheath. Xiaolian nced at him and he left their sight.


    ¡°Jin Yu, did you hurt yourself?¡± Ai Fen looked at her left arm and saw that the dress had torn. The blood was all over her left arm and it worried her.


    Liu Jin Yu looked at her arm and told Ai Fen that it was a minor cut.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like a minor cut,¡± Xiaolian said, and asked her what happened with them. Liu Jin Yu briefed them on everything.


    Ai Fen grabbed Jin Yu¡¯s right arm and took her inside the bedchamber, where Peng Yuxian was examining Li Hua.


    ¡°Phyisican Peng, please dress the wound on Miss Liu Jin Yu¡¯s arm after you examine the Princess Consort,¡± Ai Fen requested Peng Yuxian.


    He stood up and said that he would do it.


    ¡°How is Li Hua? She isn¡¯t injured, right?¡± Liu Jin Yu asked.


    ¡°Her Highness is fine. She has fainted and will wake up after some time,¡± Peng Yuxian answered. ¡°Allow me, Miss Liu, to treat your wound,¡± he humbly requested.


    Ai Fen made her sit on the chaise and told the maidservant to stay outside. She asked not to let anyone in until the wound on Liu Jin Yu¡¯s arm was treated.


    The maidservantplied with themand of the Second Princess and walked out of the bedchamber.


    ~~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    I hope you all are doing well. Who do you think is behind this attack? What will be L¨®ng Wei¡¯s reaction? Do share yourments.


    I have received contract for the story ¡°The Second Husband¡±, so I will give frequent updates there as soon as the contract be approved.


    THANK YOU


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 321

    321 Made the mistake


    The court was adjourned abruptly and the remaining matters were shifted to tomorrow after Gao Bing informed the King about the sudden attack on Li Hua and Liu Jin Yu.


    Xiaoming was panicked to hear that Liu Jin Yu was hurt. On the other hand, Tianjie wondered who could attack them. He gulped in fear and followed the other princes.


    Hei Chengxi joined the King and informed him that both thedies were safe.


    ¡°What is wrong with the security, General Hei? Last time, it was the Crown Prince, whose life fell into danger,¡± Qiu Zedong reprimanded Hei Chengxi. He lowered his head and apologized to the King.


    ¡°I do not need an apology from General Hei,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a stern tone. ¡°I need answers by this evening. If you and Qiu Mu fail to find out who was behind all this by the evening, then be ready to take the punishment. This time, I will not hear any excuses,¡± he stated.


    Hei Chengxi and Qiu Mu both stopped upon hearing the King. Qiu Mu had his suspicions about Tianjie, but he didn¡¯t want to talk about this openly because he had no evidence.


    The King entered the bedchamber, and everyone present rose to their feet. Liu Jin Yu also stood and lowered her head. Li Hua was still unconscious and the curtains were put around the bed.


    ¡°Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming approached her and examined her left arm. ¡°How did you get hurt?¡± He worriedly asked.


    ¡°Will Miss Liu tell us what happened?¡± Qiu Zedong questioned. Xiaoming got aside and waited for Jin Yu¡¯s answer.


    .....


    ¡°Your Majesty, Princess Consort Li Hua and I got attacked by a group of masked men while going to the residence of Li Hua¡¯s brother. There were more than ten men, and they attacked us. Some of them were shooters,¡± Liu Jin Yu answered and then revealed about Feng Lao, who saved Li Hua, but she didn¡¯t know his name.


    The maidservant brought Feng Lao inside after a minute, who bowed before the King and the Queen.


    Mingquan was surprised to see Feng Lao, and so was Xiaoming.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Qiu Zedong questioned him.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I havee to meet the Sixth Prince. However, I encountered them and found out that some more masked men had attacked them,¡± Feng Lao replied, keeping his head low.


    Qiu Zedong nodded at him and then nced at Liu Jin Yu. ¡°Did Miss Liu get injured while fighting?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Because they attacked the front soldiers with the arrows, we were left with limited soldiers. I had to jump in to save our lives,¡± Liu Jin Yu replied.


    Zhu Liling asked the King why the royal family members were being attacked in this way. ¡°Your Majesty,st time it was the Crown Prince. This time the targets were the future Crown Princess and Li Hua,¡± she stated while panicking.


    ¡°Is there any hidden enemy around us?¡± Virtuous Noble Consort Ruoxi opined and looked at the King.


    ¡°But why would someone attack them only when they go out?¡± Zhang Xi raised a doubt.


    ¡°Quiet, everyone! There is nothing to be feared about this. If there is any hidden enemy around us, then he will be caught soon,¡± Qiu Zedong stated, and decided to consult with Monk Yuze once. Something was indeed wrong in the royal family.


    He found out that L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t around and asked about him.


    ¡°Father, Brother L¨®ng Wei has gone to the administrative office in the morning,¡± Jingfei replied.


    At that moment, L¨®ng Wei entered the chamber. He ignored everyone present in the chamber and went straight towards the bed. Pushing the curtain away, he looked at Li Hua.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, Li Hua is unconscious. Physician Peng has said that she will be awake in a few hours,¡± Jingfei stated. L¨®ng Wei put the curtain back and turned to look at Zhu Liling.


    ¡°Why did you allow her to leave the pce?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s tone wasn¡¯t pleasant at all. He forgot that he was speaking to the Queen of the Qiu Kingdom. He was burning with rage. Only he knew how he had controlled himself.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, what is this way to talk with your royal mother?¡± Qiu Zedong scolded him and asked him to apologize.


    L¨®ng Wei was already stressed by the news, and his father expected him to be courteous to Zhu Liling.


    ¡°Li Hua has received a message from her brother to meet her at the residence,¡± Zhu Liling told L¨®ng Wei. ¡°She requested me and I allowed her,¡± she affirmed.


    ¡°Your Highness, Li Hua indeed requested Her Majesty¡¯s permission to let her go to her brother¡¯s house,¡± Liu Jin Yu intervened and looked at the maidservant who was appointed to Li Hua¡¯s service. ¡°Tell the Prince about the message.¡±


    The maidservant stepped up with her head down. ¡°Lord Xu has sent his servant to bring Her Highness to him,¡± she stated.


    Tianjie gulped and the sweat formed on his hands. He had no idea if the man whom he sent was alive or dead. If he were alive, then L¨®ng Wei would think it was him who attacked Li Hua. He had to make sure the man would die before L¨®ng Wei reached him, if he was alive.


    ¡°Call Xu Zifan to the pce,¡± Qiu Zedong to the pce. ¡°Everyone must leave this chamber. Prince L¨®ng Wei, follow me,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°I am afraid, but I cannot follow the father, leaving Li Hua alone,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I wille to him once she wakes up,¡± he assured his father.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Qiu Zedong said, and he left, followed by the others.


    L¨®ng Wei stopped Liu Jin Yu and asked her to stay behind.


    ¡°She is injured and needs rest, Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°I am alright, Your Royal Highness,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. She had yet to tell L¨®ng Wei about the mysterious man who saved Li Hua from getting harmed.


    ¡°What happened? Tell me everything in detail,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Li Hua after everyone left the chamber.


    ¡°Your Highness, the enemy attacked Li Hua, who not only destroyed her family but mine too. His highness made a mistake to bring her to the pce,¡± Feng Lao stated and stepped up. L¨®ng Wei got annoyed when he heard him and clenched his fists.

 Chapter 322

    322 Mind waspletely nk


    Feng Lao¡¯s statement infuriated L¨®ng Wei. He asked Feng Lao to leave, as he would talk with himter. He had a lot of things on his mind currently.


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave, Your Highness. Li Hua could have lost her life today. His Highness know well how the enemy is after her life,¡± Feng Lao stated.


    Xiaoming and Liu Jin Yu got confused. They looked at each other and then at L¨®ng Wei, thinking what his answer would be.


    L¨®ng Wei approached Feng Lao and grabbed him by his cor. He pulled him and told him to be within his limits. ¡°I did not spare your life to hear this from you. So, shut your mouth. I know what is good for Li Hua and what is bad for her. Don¡¯t show your authority over her. You always forget that you are no longer in her life,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and gritted his teeth at him before pushing him away.


    ¡°Leave,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Feng Lao.


    Xiaoming came forward and took Feng Lao outside before they both started arguing or fighting.


    After they left, L¨®ng Wei asked Liu Jin Yu to tell him everything. She narrated the incident and told him that the attack was directed at Li Hua only.


    ¡°Why do you think so?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°Because the shooter had his aim at Li Hua. I pulled her out of the pnquin at the right time,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated. L¨®ng Wei thanked her for controlling the situation there.


    .....


    ¡°But Feng Lao saved her. Li Hua was stuck at her ce. If Feng Lao hadn¡¯te at the right time, something big could have happened,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated.


    ¡°You may leave. Whatever you¡¯ve heard here, it must not go out. I won¡¯t hesitate to kill you,¡± L¨®ng Wei warned her. Liu Jin Yu was stunned by his statement.


    ¡°I am not interested in spreading information, Your Highness. You can trust me,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. She stepped forward to leave, but then she halted. ¡°Your Highness, Li Hua needs good training for such situations. She gets scared easily. I do not know what happened to her in the past, but she needs to ovee this soon,¡± she informed him before leaving the bedchamber.


    L¨®ng Wei went to the bed and pushed the curtains away. He sat on the mattress and held her hand. He was scared from the inside, but he could not even let this fear appear on his face.


    He brought her hands close to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. He knew that she must have been frightened to see them fight and get killed.


    He moved the nket away from her to check if she was not hurt. Until he didn¡¯t see with his own eyes, he would not feel rxed. He checked her neck first, and then her arms. There was slight blood on her palms and he wiped them.


    He was not even in a state to speak. His mind waspletely nk. This unknown enemy attacked the most precious person to L¨®ng Wei to check not only L¨®ng Wei¡¯s reaction but also making him fall weak. He put Li Hua¡¯s hands down and then covered her with the nket. A tear drop fell from his eye.


    He had never shed even a single tear all these years, except when he was a child. He didn¡¯t want to cry, but tears filled his eyes soon. He sniffled and his vision became cloudy because of the tears. He wiped the tears from his eyes using the sleeves. He rubbed his eyes and then took a deep breath.


    He stayed in that position until Li Hua gained consciousness. Her eyeballs moved, and she gradually opened her eyes. He found L¨®ng Wei in front of her and realized that she was in the bedchamber.


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei called out her name and rested his hand on her cheek, stroking her cheek gently. Li Hua recalled everything and realized that she killed a man.


    ¡°I killed him,¡± Li Hua said with a trembling tone.


    ¡°Killed whom?¡± L¨®ng Wei got confused.


    ¡°The shooter had aimed at Jin Yu. I picked up the sword,¡± she lifted her hands and looked at her hands, ¡°and killed him. I did not want to do it.¡±


    ¡°Li Hua, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and held her hands. ¡°You were brave to hold the sword and save the life of a good person,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Did I make the right decision? What about the family of that shooter?¡± She asked.


    ¡°You did the right thing, or else Jin Yu would have lost her life. You would have felt more guilty than not carrying a weapon,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Li Hua hummed and asked him if he saved her.


    ¡°No. It was Feng Lao,¡± L¨®ng Weo truthfully answered her. ¡°He saved you at the right time,¡± he stated.


    Li Hua furrowed her brows together.


    ¡°Do you want to drink the water?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her. She nodded, and he quickly turned to the bedside table and filled the ss with water. Li Hua sat up on the bed, and L¨®ng Wei brought the ss to her mouth. She held it from the top and drank the water.


    He put the ss on the table and wiped her lips using his thumbs. He stroked her hair and asked her if she recalled anything when those unknown men attacked them.


    ¡°Yes. That night, my family died the same way. I was terrified. Your Highness, I am still weak,¡± Li Hua said, and lowered her head in embarrassment. ¡°The incident from that night has imprinted on my mind,¡± she added.


    L¨®ng Wei cupped her face in his palms and asked her to look into his eyes. Li Hua lifted her eyelids and peered into his eyes.


    ¡°It is not wrong to be weak, Li Hua. You are not weak, but the memories from the night sometimes stop you from taking action. You held a sword, which in itself shows that you have ovee the slight fear in you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. His words made her feel better.

 Chapter 323

    323 Because we both love Li Hua


    Xu Zifan, after meeting the King, came to see Li Hua. He was surprised to see Feng Lao and the maidservant, who were standing outside Li Hua¡¯s chamber. He asked about Li Hua from Feng Lao.


    ¡°She is safe, but she is unconscious,¡± Feng Lao replied.


    L¨®ng Wei had note out to tell them that Li Hua had gained consciousness. Xu Zifan asked the maidservant if she could ask L¨®ng Wei if he coulde in to check on Li Hua. She bowed and walked inside.


    After a minute, the maidservant came out and imformed them Li Hua was awake. Both Xu Zifan and Feng Lao walked in.


    Xu Zifan looked at Li Hua and took a breath of relief. Li Hua looked at her brother; for a brief moment, she nced at Feng Lao.


    ¡°Did you send her the message to meet you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Xu Zifan and turned to look at him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t send any message, Your Highness,¡± Xu Zifan replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t either sent the servant who met Li Hua,¡± he asserted. Earlier, Xu Zifan was taken to the mortuary where he had to recognize the servant. But he was not the servant from his residence.


    ¡°But he told me that my brother wanted to see me,¡± Li Hua replied, and looked at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°The servant was working for the enemy,¡± Feng Lao said. ¡°He wanted the Princess Consort to be out of the pce, so that he could attack her,¡± he asserted.


    .....


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not the enemy,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He was confident that it was someone else. ¡°If it had been the enemy, then he would not have sent the soldiers that Jin Yu defeated easily. The assassins are faster than normal warriors, and they attack without leaving any evidence. This attack left a lot of open clues towards the evidence,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined.


    ¡°His Highness can be wrong. Previously, he made a wrong assumption about my intentions too,¡± Feng Lao remarked. He wasn¡¯t ready to agree with L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Feng Lao, leave.¡± Li Hua intervened this time. ¡°Thank you for saving my life. You did a great favor on me. However, you must know whom you are speaking to. You are not allowed to argue with Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± she proimed while ring into his eyes.


    ¡°I am not arguing. Forgive me for my rude tone. I am stating a fact. The enemy is after the life of the Princess Consort,¡± Feng Lao affirmed.


    ¡°Feng Lao, it is not the enemy,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°If they had to harm Li Hua, then it would not have been done a few distances away from the pce. Also, Jin Yu is good at fighting, but she couldn¡¯t handle the assassins. So, don¡¯t say it anymore that it was the enemy. I will find it soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. His voice was filled with assurance.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, you should leave. Don¡¯t trust anyone around you. Chang Shi wille to you in the evening,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Elder Brother,¡± Li Hua said, and smiled at him. ¡°I am fine now,¡± she assured him. Xu Zifan nodded at her and nced at Feng Lao.


    L¨®ng Wei instructed Feng Lao not to act until he issued themand. ¡°However, before leaving, tell me how you found out that the enemy is a male?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    ¡°Fu Kai was alive when I reached Xinshui. However, his body was burned badly, so he could not tell me about the person. He only said that the enemy is powerful and that it¡¯s a male. He had sumbed to death after telling me,¡± Feng Lao affirmed. He looked at Li Hua and told her that he would find the enemy soon.


    ¡°How?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.¡±You could not find out the name of your father. Do you think it¡¯s a child¡¯s y? Don¡¯t do anything stupid without mymand,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed, and stood up.


    ¡°Your Highness, I do not consider it a child¡¯s y. I know that-¡± Feng Lao could notplete his words as L¨®ng Wei dragged her out of the bedchamber by grabbing his arm.


    He let go of his arm when they reached the outside chamber. Feng Lao looked at him with inquisitiveness, waiting for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s exnation of his behavior.


    ¡°Did you lose your mind along the way to Qinping? Why are you speaking all this in front of Li Hua?¡± He scolded Feng Lao. ¡°She is supposed to be away from all this,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Feng Lao said, and he apologized to him.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand. I may never forget the favor you did for me. You saved the life of Li Hua, which is the reason I am respectful of you. You think that I don¡¯t understand your actions. Your father already made a foolish mistake, and you are doing the same. It¡¯s the pce, and here, everything goes ording to n. Here, everyone is powerful. Also, don¡¯t believe Fu Kai¡¯s words,¡± he made Feng Lao understand.


    ¡°Stay with Xu Zifan in his residence. Clear your differences with him and one important thing: don¡¯t betray me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Why does His Highness think that I will betray him?¡± Feng Lao questioned.


    ¡°Because we both love Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°In the future, the enemy may use you against me and tell you that Li Hua will be yours if you help me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°You aren¡¯t alive because you were lucky. You are alive because you can be used in the future,¡± he stated and turned to walk in when Feng Lao stopped him.


    ¡°I will not betray His Highness because he is the one who saved my life. Moreover, I never want your wife to get upset. My love is now unrequited for her and for her happiness, I am here. Otherwise, my life isn¡¯t even useful,¡± Feng Lao stated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t die until we find the enemy. Also, don¡¯t show your feelings to the others because Li Hua¡¯s character will be questioned. I cannot tolerate that. So, keep in mind to not let your feelingse to your face or voice,¡± L¨®ng Wei warned him and walked into the bedchamber.

 Chapter 324

    324 Xiuying in the prison


    Tianjie looked at Qiu Mu with a perplexed look. ¡°I didn¡¯t send anyone after Li Hua. Trust me, Brother Mu. I didn¡¯t do it,¡± he said.


    ¡°Tianjie, you don¡¯t need to lie. You were angry with L¨®ng Wei. I will protect you. So, tell me the truth,¡± Qiu Mu urged.


    Tianjie shook his head and refused. ¡°I didn¡¯t send anyone after Li Hua. I was nning to, but then I withdrew my n. I decided not to do anything,¡± Tianjie stated. ¡°Please believe my words,¡± he affirmed. Qiu Mu furrowed his brows together and wondered who could do this.


    Someone in the pce definitely knew Li Hua was going out and made immediate ns to attack her.


    But, who? Who the person could be who had no fear. He openly attacked Li Hua and Liu Jin Yu just a few distances away from the pce. If Qiu Mu did not find out about it until the evening, he would be considered a fool and brainless. His father would take the title of the general from him which could never let happen.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei has many other enemies too in the pce,¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°But this move was unexpected. Someone lied about Xu Zifan¡¯s message to Li Hua. Who could do this?¡± Qiu Mu wondered. Tianjie had not told him that he was the one who had asked his men to deliver such a message to Li Hua. He had a fear that Qiu Mu might betray him and take his name in front of their father if he failed to find the enemy.


    For the first time, Tianjie found himself vulnerable. More than the King¡¯s punishment, he feared L¨®ng Wei. When L¨®ng Wei entered the bedchamber, he looked calm andposed.


    However, it was not the truth.


    .....


    Inside, he was that volcano who had not erupted in a long time. He had made sure that no clue would leave behind that could lead L¨®ng Wei to him. His hands turned sweaty again just by the thought of it. That gaze on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face, he could not forget. This was the most dumbest decision of Tianjie¡¯s life.


    Qiu Mu took his leave, and Tianjie went to the patio. His heart was restless, and he drank water a lot of times. Eunuch Shi Rang kept asking him if he was sick, but Tianjie didn¡¯t answer him.


    ¡°Leave the chamber,¡± Tianjie told Shi Rang. He bowed and walked out silently.


    ¡°Someone knew about my n. Was it Brother Mu because only he knew about it? I didn¡¯t tell anyone except anyone,¡± he mumbled and crossed his arms. Who could be this fearless? He had suspicions about Zhang Xi too, but he soon ruled it out.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t that brave tounch an attack without my support. Zhang Xi can never do this,¡± he murmured, and wondered if it was a eunuch. Was it Shi Rang? Was he powerful like Eunuch Lianying? After Lianying¡¯s true face was shown to everyone, Tianjie could not deny that even eunuchs could be powerful.


    ~~~~~~


    During the evening time, Noble Consort Xiuying looked at herself in the mirror which she was holding. She asked her servant if she looked beautiful enough, and sheplimented Xiuying¡¯s looks.


    ¡°No matter how many beauty products the Queen uses, she can never defeat me. That¡¯s why I rule the King¡¯s heart,¡± Xiuying stated and smiled.


    A maidservant came inside, running and got on her knees. Xiuying was perplexed to see her. The personal attendant to Xiuying asked her why she looked worried.


    ¡°Respected Noble Consort, General Hei is waiting for you outside. He wants to converse with you and asked permission if he cane inside,¡± the maidservant informed Xiuying.


    ¡°Send him in,¡± Xiuying said, and sat straight on the floor mattress. The translucent curtain was pulled down slowly and her face was hidden.


    Hei Chengxi came inside and bowed before Xiuying. She dismissed the other servants, except her personal attendant.


    ¡°Why did General Heie to see me? What work can he have from me?¡± Xiuying asked with a proud face.


    ¡°I am here to arrest the Noble Consort,¡± Hei Chengxi pronounced.


    Xiuying was perplexed to hear him and inquired if he understood what he was saying.


    ¡°I am very well aware of my words, Noble Consort Xiuying,¡± Hei Chengxi replied, lifting his head. ¡°Pleasee silently with me to prison, where I will show you the reason behind your arrest,¡± he stated.


    Xiuying¡¯s personal attendant came forward and warned Hei Chengxi to be within his limits. ¡°His Majesty will punish the General if he tries to cross his limits,¡± she said with a stern tone.


    ¡°Pardon me, if I went out of my boundaries. However, I am performing my duties. Noble Consort Xiuying is the one who sent the assassins to kill Princess Consort Li Hua and Miss Liu Jin Yu,¡± Hei Chengxi proimed.


    Xiuying was shocked to hear Hei Chengxi¡¯s words. She immediately stood up from her seat and stepped up. Pushing the curtain away, she red into the eyes of Hei Chengxi.


    ¡°Does General Hei know what he is saying? Why would I do this? Does he have any evidence? How dare he use me without any valid source?¡± Noble Consort Xiuying growled at him.


    ¡°I wish my hands had not fallen on the evidence,¡± Hei Chengxi stated. ¡°One of the masked men was caught alive and he told us your name. Please follow me, or else, as the General of Qiu Kingdom, I will take action in my ord,¡± Hei Chengxi remained polite towards her. He didn¡¯t want to humiliate her after what she did to the youngdies in the royal family.


    Hei Chengxi took out the tassel that was recovered from the captive man¡¯s clothes, and he showed it to Xiuying. ¡°Does this belong to the Noble Consort?¡± Hei Chengxi queried.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s mine, but I do not know what it is doing with him. General Hei, please believe my words,¡± she stated and furrowed her brows together.


    ¡°I will see His Majesty first. I didn¡¯t send anyone. Someone is portraying me as the culprit when I did nothing,¡± Xiuying defended herself. ¡°Believe my words, General Hei,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± Hei Chengxi said and he tilted his head to gesture at the two soldiers behind him. They stepped forward and caught Xiuying by her arms. Hei Chengxi walked out of the chamber while Xiuying started shouting as she was dragged out by the soldiers.


    The servants of her manor stood in fear as they saw Xiuying being dragged to the prison. They kept their heads low. However, the servants who were appointed in the chamber pleaded with General Hei to leave Xiuying.


    They soon reached the prison, and Xiuying was thrown into the prison. Two courtdies were sent in to remove the jewelry that she had put on.


    Hei Chengxi stayed outside the prison with his back towards the door and heard the shouts of Xiuying.


    ¡°Father, I informed the King. His Majesty will soon be here,¡± Huang Xi informed his father. Qiu Mu reached the prison and asked Hei Chengxi if he was sure it was his mother.


    ¡°Yes. The captive man epted his crimes and told us that he did it on the instructions of Noble Consort Xiuying. I haven¡¯t made an arrest without solid evidence. He handed me this as well.¡± Hei Chengxi showed Qiu Mu the tassel, which indeed belonged to his mother.


    He still wasn¡¯t ready to believe that his mother could do this. ¡°She can never do this, General Hei. I know my mother,¡± Qiu Mu stood for his mother.


    The courtdies came out with two boxes in their hands. They had removed the essories from Xiuying and bowed before leaving the prison with the soldiers.


    Qiu Mu stepped forward to walk in when Hei Chengxi stretched his arm out and stopped him. ¡°You aren¡¯t allowed to go inside,¡± Hei Chengxi stated.


    ¡°Why? I can go in because I am the General,¡± Qiu Mu argued. He wanted to see his mother.


    ¡°Second general,¡± Hei Chengxi corrected him. ¡°As the senior general of the army, the second general has to listen to mymand. No one is allowed to meet the Noble Consort until the King arrives,¡± he affirmed. Qiu Mu clenched his fist and tightened his hold on the sword.


    He stepped back and gulped the anger that had built inside him. ¡°General Hei, my mother hasn¡¯t done this,¡± Qiu Mu stated.


    He heard the footsteps and turned to look. It was his father, the King and behind him was the Queen.


    Qiu Mu walked up to his father and told him that his mother could never do that. He was confident that someone was trying to use Xiuying.


    ¡°I wish it could be true,¡± the Queen¡¯s voice fell into their ears. ¡°This is the most despicable thing I have ever expected from Noble Consort Xiuying,¡± she stated and looked at the King.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Noble Consort Xiuying tried to kill not only Princess Consort Li Hua but also the future Crown Princess. Please be stringent on the punishment, Your Majesty,¡± Zhu Liling requested.

 Chapter 325

    325 Before I offer my assistance


    ¡°The Queen didn¡¯t have toe here. She can go back,¡± Qiu Zedong stated, and asked Eunuch Gao Bing to escort the Queen.


    Zhu Liling knitted her brows as the King sent her away. She wanted to see the face of Xiuying, who always tried to show off in front of her. However, Zhu Liling could not refuse themand of the King. She left for her manor, behind Gao Bing.


    ¡°Father, I think General Hei made a mistake in his investigation. My mother can never do that,¡± Qiu Mu stated, and nced at Hei Chengxi.


    Hei Chengxi walked up to the King and showed him the tassel that the man had handed them during the investigation. ¡°Your Majesty, such a tassel cannot be copied. The design is intricate, and I confirmed it with the noble consort. She admitted that it was hers. Also, the man said that the Noble Consort gave it as the initial payment to them since it is made of jade and gold,¡± he affirmed.


    Qiu Zedong took the tassel from Hei Chengxi and walked ahead. He asked the soldiers to open the wooden prison gates. He stepped in, followed by Hei Chengxi, Qiu Mu, and Huang Xi.


    Xiuying was tied in shackles and her face was covered in tears.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Xiuying said, and dragged her feet forward. She got on her knees and held his leg. ¡°I did not do anything. I have been wrongly used by the man. Please believe my words, Your Majesty,¡± Xiuying stated.


    Qiu Mu felt terrible to see the state of his mother. He looked at his father, wondering why he was not saying a word. ¡°Father, my mother is speaking the truth. Please believe her,¡± Qiu Mu stated.


    ¡°This tassel,¡± Qiu Zedong extended his hand out and showed it to Xiuying, ¡°The noble consort asked me to make it for her a few days back. How could this end up in someone else¡¯s hands? The man has admitted that the noble consort hired them,¡± he affirmed.


    .....


    Qiu Mu was shocked to hear his father¡¯s words. He also believed that Xiuying was behind those attacks. He stepped up and asked his father why he was believing the words of the man. ¡°Father, someone is framing my mother,¡± Qiu Mu pronounced.


    ¡°Prince Mu, stay out of this. If you think that the noble consort is being framed, then bring me the evidence of it.¡± Qiu Zedong raised his voice at Qiu Mu. ¡°General Hei will further look into it. For now, the noble consort has to stay in the prison,¡± he stated and moved back.


    Xiuying nced at the King with an unbelievable expression. Her husband didn¡¯t trust her. This was the worst moment of her life. She had never imagined that there would be a day in her life, when the person whom she had given her entire life would also see her as the culprit. Tears poured down her cheeks and she pulled her hands back.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, Your Majesty,¡± Xiuying stated with a stern tone and looked at her son. ¡°Qiu Mu, you have to bring the truth out to prove that your mother is framed by someone. This tassel hadn¡¯t with me since the morning, and I had asked my personal attendant to search for it. I do not know who stole it from my manor and then used me of something I never did,¡± Xiuying said.


    Qiu Mu nodded his head and assured her that he would bring the truth out at any cost. Qiu Zedong left the prison, and after him, the others walked out.


    ¡°Mother, I will find the truth soon. But can you tell me if someone unknownes to your chamber?¡± Qiu Mu asked and got on his knees. He wiped the tears from his mother¡¯s cheeks.


    ¡°It is tough to tell. I have so many servants around. I have forgotten where I put the tassel,¡± Xiuying asserted. ¡°I have faith in you. You will definitely find out the person who framed me,¡± she said.


    L¨®ng Wei pped his hands to hear them and walked in with a smile on his lips.


    They both looked at him, who was approaching them. Qiu Mu stood up and asked L¨®ng Wei why he was there.


    ¡°To see this emotional drama. Ahh, my eyes are filled with tears,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he controlled hisughter.


    Qiu Mu shouted for the soldiers to drag L¨®ng Wei out. ¡°I took His Majesty¡¯s permission to be here. There is no use of calling any soldiers here,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He nced at Xiuying and showed his fake concern for her.


    ¡°What if your lovely son fails to bring out the truth?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired. ¡°You will be hanged to death. I would love to see that sight. You love to see other people¡¯s pain and now, your own state has be too pitiful.¡± He didn¡¯t stop himself from humiliating Xiuying.


    Qiu Mu grabbed L¨®ng Wei by the cor and told him to shut his mouth.


    ¡°Does Prince L¨®ng Wei think that I am innocent?¡± Xiuying asked her. ¡°Qiu Mu, let go of L¨®ng Wei,¡± she instructed her son. L¨®ng Wei showed him his white teeth smile. Qiu Muplied with his mother¡¯smand and removed his grip from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s cor.


    ¡°I know that you weren¡¯t behind this,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°That¡¯s why I am here. However, before I offer my assistance to your son in bringing you out of the prison, I require something,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Qiu Mu asked him.


    ¡°Can your mother give me the key to a special room of which the Queen is in charge?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°How am I supposed to do that?¡± Xiuying was confused. That key was with the Queen for years, and no one knew where she kept it. She briefed L¨®ng Wei about it.


    ¡°Then, should I step back from helpling you? There is a thin line between life and death. For you, that line can break at anytime,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and smirked. Qiu Mu urged him to be respectful to his mother.


    ¡°Why should I? She is the one who started disrespecting my wife. I am still kind enough toe here and give my help to her. You have three seconds to answer me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and started the countdown.


    ¡°I will do it,¡± Xiuying pronounced.

 Chapter 326

    326 A Truthful Reply


    L¨®ng Wei smiled at Xiuying and got on his knees. He rested his arm over his left knee and said, ¡°As soon as you are released from this prison, you are supposed to give me the key. One important thing: don¡¯t oversmart me. So, if I help you, I need your help too. Your lovely son will be punished if you fail to bring the key to me by tomorrow evening.¡±


    ¡°I will not go back on my words. I will surely find the key as long as Prince L¨®ng Wei saves me,¡± she assured him.


    He smiled at her and stood up. ¡°You both can continue where you have left,¡± he stated and walked out of the prison.


    Qiu Mu looked at his father, who was on the floor. ¡°Why did you take his help? Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I trust my son. I agreed to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s help because he¡¯s the second person after you, who trusted me,¡± Xiuying affirmed. Qiu Mu knelt before her and asked her not to worry.


    ¡°I will get you out from here. Whoever did this to my mother, I will not spare that person,¡± he proimed and he ced his hand on his mother¡¯s shoulder.


    ~~~~~


    Hei Chengxi and Huang Xi looked at L¨®ng Wei, who was seated on the chair with left leg above the right one. His left elbow rested on the armrest of the chair, and his chin was above the calloused fist.


    ¡°Thank you, General Hei, for working in a way that I have told you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    .....


    ¡°His Majesty will punish the Prince if he finds out that he was the one who disced the tassel and asked the man to lie,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°Unless you both don¡¯t want to tell the King,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Hei Chengxi asked him why he decided to me Xiuying.


    ¡°Because it was necessary to show her what she truly is!¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. Huang Xi looked at him in bewilderment. He was unable to understand the way in which L¨®ng Wei was currently working.


    ¡°We have the time till tomorrow morning to find out the real culprit,¡± Hei Chengxi opined.


    ¡°It¡¯s already known. We don¡¯t need to make an effort,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and smiled.


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t His Highness inform the King?¡± Hei Chengxi asked him.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to expose the person this soon. I will do it when I want it to happen,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°General Hei Chengxi and his son must leave their residence. Thank you for their hard work,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Father, I wille in a while,¡± Huang Xi told Chengxi, who nodded at him.


    Chengxi bowed and walked out of the room while Huang Xi stayed behind. He took a step forward and sat in one of the chairs around the table.


    ¡°What is Prince L¨®ng Wei thinking? Why didn¡¯t he tell me beforehand? He called me his friend, yet he hardly shares anything with me,¡± Huang Xiined.


    L¨®ng Wei creased his brows and told him not to whine like a child.


    ¡°I am not,¡± Huang Xi stated.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel the necessity to tell you,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°That was a mean reply,¡± Huang Xi retorted at him.


    ¡°A truthful reply,¡± L¨®ng Wei corrected him. ¡°Go home,¡± he said, and stood up to leave the room when Huang Xi caught his arm. He also got up on his feet while L¨®ng Wei stared at him.


    ¡°I will leave after His Highness tells me. How am I supposed to eat or sleep peacefully?¡± Huang Xi requested.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t eat or sleep,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°I will ask your wife not to love you,¡± Huang Xi threatened him.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± L¨®ng Wei ended upughing at him.


    Huang Xi confusedly looked at him. ¡°I am serious, Your Highness. Your wife has told me that she will fulfil my wish, whatever it may be. So, His Highness must tell me who the person is,¡± he demanded the answer while rifying L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Go and tell her,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and pulled his arm away from his grip.


    Huang Xi¡¯s jaw dropped to hear him, and he saw L¨®ng Wei walking out of the room. ¡°I will surely tell Li Hua, Your Highness,¡± Huang Xi ended up calling her name. He halted outside the room and turned to re at Huang Xi.


    ¡°You are no longer my friend,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and turned to leave when Huang Xi ran after him. He tightly held the prince¡¯s arm and apologized to him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this, Prince L¨®ng Wei. I was merely teasing you,¡± Huang Xi said whileughing.


    ¡°I had warned you not to take out her name,¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness,¡± Huang Xi said and slowly moved his hand down. ¡°I heard Feng Lao carried the Princess Consort to her chamber. His Highness should not allow him to approach Her Highness. He is still not trustworthy,¡± Huang Xi asserted.


    ¡°Why do you think he is not trustworthy?¡± L¨®ng Wei interrogated him.


    ¡°He might have joined hands with the enemy. If he can stay quiet for two months about the wrong deeds of his father, then he can do anything,¡± Huang Xi said with a stern tone.


    ¡°You are right. Then, you must keep an eye on him,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I will ask Xu Zifan,¡± Huang Xi opined.


    ¡°No. People who were once friends can¡¯t spy on each other, no matter how much animosity they developter. Also, Xu Zifan is soft at heart. It is better for you to keep an eye on Feng Lao,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°However, I would like to tell you that Feng Lao will not betray Li Hua. So, your spying might not be fruitful,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Feng Lao and L¨®ng Wei had one thing inmon: their love for Li Hua. Since Li Hua loved L¨®ng Wei, Feng Lao would respect that to the very end. This was something L¨®ng Wei had noticed.


    ¡°You should go back,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Huang Xi, who bowed before leaving for his residence.

 Chapter 327

    327 Terrified for the First Time


    Xiaoming requested Court Lady Hong not to tell his mother that he came to see his soon-to-be wife. As he stepped into the chamber, he didn¡¯t find Jin Yu on the bed. He looked around and found that the door to the patio was open. He went there and found Jin Yu seated on the floor.


    ¡°Jin Yu, what are you doing here?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    She was in deep thought and upon hearing Xiaoming¡¯s voice, she promptly came out of her thoughts. She stood up and showed the curtsy towards the Crown Prince as she was taught.


    Xiaoming smiled to see that and asked her why she wasn¡¯t on the bed.


    Liu Jin Yu lifted her head and looked into his eyes. ¡°I was thinking about Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. Feng Lao knows Li Hua and it felt strange,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Li Hua and Feng Lao are from Xinshui town. Feng Lao was a close friend of Xu Zifan. So, they know each other,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t His Highness tell me about it earlier?¡± Liu Jin Yu asked him.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t ask me,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°Feng Lao has feelings for Li Hua. Does the Crown Prince know about this?¡± She asked. Xiaoming nodded at her.


    .....


    ¡°Li Hua was supposed to marry Feng Lao. However, that night, a deadly assassination urred. Everyone in the Xu family died except Li Hua and her first brother, Xu Zifan,¡± Xiaoming told her. Liu Jin Yu was shocked to learn about it. She realised why Li Hua was not moving from her ce. Because she had probably been lost in the memories from that day.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei said that someone from the pce wanted it to happen. Today¡¯s attack was to kill Li Hua since she¡¯s from the Xu Family. Is it true?¡± Liu Jin Yu asked a question.


    ¡°I think so. Brother L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t share it with me. He doesn¡¯t trust me enough,¡± Xiaoming replied. Liu Jin Yu hummed and asked the Crown Prince if he hadn¡¯t tried to find out.


    ¡°We did. Feng Lao¡¯s father knew who the real enemy was, but he didn¡¯t tell us the name. In the end, he lost his life, and Feng Lao lost his entire family in Xinshui. Father asked Brother L¨®ng Wei to stop looking for things that aren¡¯t even rted to the royal family. Father thinks that it was someone¡¯s animosity against the Xu and Shui family.¡± Xiaoming narrated the events to Jin Yu in brief.


    ¡°That looksplicated, Your Royal Highness,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. ¡°If Prince L¨®ng Wei thinks that someone from the pce is behind it, then I am sure he had the reason to say it so confidently,¡± Liu Jin Yu affirmed. Xiaoming nced at her in amusement and asked her why she was so interested in that matter.


    ¡°You again got hurt today. Why did you even go out? What if something had happened to you?¡± Xiaoming showed his concern for her. He looked at her arm and said, ¡°You have hurt yourself many times.¡±


    ¡°Li Hua and I would have died if I hadn¡¯t picked up the sword to fight,¡± Jin Yu stated. ¡°I went out to roam around. My movements will be restricted after my marriage. I will miss everything, especially my life as amoner. I was also missing my master and home, where I grew up for so many years. I wanted to look at those things one more time,¡± she truthfully told Xiaoming.


    He held her hands and slowly drew her towards him. ¡°Then, I will take you out. You should have asked me,¡± he softly said. ¡°I have promised you that I will not let you feel like a caged bird. Forgive me for neglecting your happiness.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu shook her head. ¡°I chose this. I must go ahead with this life. The Crown Prince has already provided me with everything here. I know that if I ask him to take me out, then he will do so, but he was busy in the court that time.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu didn¡¯t want to disturb him at that hour. Moreover, if she had not apanied Li Hua today, then it would have been a problem. Li Hua might have lost her life.


    ¡°Jin Yu, I asked the royal jeweler about the pendant that you had given me. He told me that he would tell me about it soon. Hopefully, we will find out about your father soon,¡± Xiaoming stated. Liu Jin Yu thanked him for helping her out.


    She put her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Xiaoming also wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her close. His chin was on her shoulder and closed his eyes.


    ~~~~~~~


    Li Hua looked at L¨®ng Wei, who was separating the spring onions from the noodles. She found out that L¨®ng Wei had been quiet around her since the time he found out Li Hua had been attacked.


    ¡°Your Highness, why aren¡¯t you eating?¡± She asked, and he stopped. He gazed at her and looked at the bowl before her.


    ¡°You have also not eaten,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I am eating slowly. However, the Prince is separating every other vegetable from the noodles,¡± she asserted. ¡°Is it because of me? Is His Highness troubled because I was attacked?¡± She asked. She remembered how Feng Lao med L¨®ng Wei for all this.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind the words of Feng Lao. He doesn¡¯t know anything about the pce. It is easy for him to makements,¡± she asserted with an angry tone.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mind his words,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°I am not feeling well. Today, you could have lost your life,¡± he said with a troubled expression.


    ¡°I have a long life like His Highness,¡± Li Hua answered.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled as he heard her words. ¡°Li Hua, I hardly get scared. I was terrified for the first time in my life,¡± he admitted the fear that was still inside him.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± Li Hua said, and downcast her eyes. ¡°I always be the reason for His Highness¡¯ worries,¡± she added.


    ¡°Li Hua, tell me one thing: will you allow me to kill the person who sent those petty assassins?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her.

 Chapter 328

    328 One-sided feelings


    ¡°Li Hua, tell me one thing: will you allow me to kill the person who sent those petty assassins?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her.


    Li Hua wasn¡¯t surprised to hear that L¨®ng Wei already found out who was behind those attacks.


    ¡°If His Highness doesn¡¯t want to follow thew, then he can,¡± Li Hua answered.


    L¨®ng Wei was astonished by her answer. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this answer,¡± he stated, and looked at the bowl. ¡°But then you are my wife. You understand me better. Your answer should be different from the other people,¡± he opined and smiled at her. His mood lightened and he picked up the chopsticks to finish his meals.


    Li Hua was delighted to see him smile. After they finished their meals, Li Hua asked L¨®ng Wei if he found out the real culprit, then why he didn¡¯t tell the King.


    ¡°Because I wanted something bigger,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. Li Hua was bewildered to hear him.


    ¡°The Noble Consort is used of something she never did. Isn¡¯t that wrong, Your Highness?¡± Li Hua wanted to know what was going on in his mind.


    ¡°Xiuying thinks that the King will never punish her because of her incredible beauty and charms. She loves to taunt others, make others feel low, so I wanted her to feel this once,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Your Highness, so did you frame her?¡± She asked.


    .....


    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± L¨®ng Wei admitted.


    ¡°I admire the way His Highness works. He isn¡¯t scared of anyone,¡± she said and smiled. ¡°I am not as strong as him. I wish I would be like him, then his worries will be limited,¡± she opined.


    ¡°No two persons can be the same,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I believe that you are stronger than your earlier self. You weren¡¯t like this before. You weren¡¯t vocal in your thoughts. Now, you are. You told Feng Lao not to cross his limits and even supported me. That¡¯s your strength,¡± he exined to her the instances, where she showed him her strength.


    ¡°His Highness is saying this to make me happy,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°No. I say what I feel,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I have some work left. You should go to bed early,¡± L¨®ng Wei informed her. Li Hua queried him where he was heading to.


    ¡°I will be in the pce. I will return in an hour,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her.


    ¡°I will wait for His Highness to return,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°You should sleep,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°I want to hug you while sleeping. His Highness can finish his work. I will converse with my attendant until His Highness returns. Is that okay?¡± Li Hua requested him.


    ¡°Fine. You can do that. Don¡¯t go out. I will try to return soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and they both stood up. He stood in front of her and rested his hand on the left side of her cheek. He leaned down and kissed the middle of her forehead.


    He looked into her eyes and then pulled his hand back. He left the chamber while Li Hua wondered what kind of work he had.


    ~~~~~~


    Xu Zifan halted outside the room where Feng Lao was staying. He looked inside and then walked in. Feng Lao was on the floor mattress, staring at the red jade ring. When he heard the footsteps, he lifted his head and found Xu Zifan in front of him.


    Feng Lao immediately stood up and lowered his hand with which he had held the jade ring. An awkward silence prevailed between the two for a few seconds when Xu Zifan decided to break the ice.


    ¡°Why did you not take your dinner?¡±


    ¡°I do not have an appetite.¡±


    Xu Zifan sat down opposite to him around the floor table. Feng Lao also settled on the floor mattress. He kept his eyes and head low as he was unable to understand what he should say.


    ¡°It must be tough for you,¡± Xu Zifan said. Feng Lao lifted his head and gazed at him. He hummed at him.


    ¡°Forgive me, Zifan,¡± Feng Lao said.


    ¡°An apology will not work anymore,¡± Xu Zifan asserted. ¡°You should not have hidden the truth. Today, you would have been with your wife at least,¡± he proimed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to marry her, but she requested me to help her. I believed that Li Hua was no more and decided to marry,¡± Feng Lao stated. He knew Xu Zifan was infuriated at him because he married the woman whom Xu Zifan loved.


    ¡°I do not have anything to say about it. Her death was tragic,¡± Xu Zifan answered and looked at the red jade ring that Feng Lao ced on the table earlier.


    ¡°You should throw it away,¡± Xu Zifan said and Feng Lao briefly looked at the ring. They nced at each other. To end the inquisitiveness of Feng Lao, Xu Zifan said, ¡°Li Hua is now someone else¡¯s wife. You should not keep any memories rted to her with you.¡±


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯s safe in the pce?¡± Feng Lao asked him.


    ¡°Yes. As long as she is with Prince L¨®ng Wei, she is safe,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°Is Li Hua with the Prince because he helped you and her?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No. She loves Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xu Zifan affirmed. ¡°Li Hua is happy in her current life. There was a time when I found you as the most suitable man for her, but fate wanted something else. I am grateful that you saved my sister¡¯s life twice. However, you cannot be the man in her life anymore. She is already the wife of Prince L¨®ng Wei, whom she loves a lot,¡± he exined to Feng Lao.


    ¡°I understand. Even I want Li Hua to be happy. If she¡¯s happy with Prince L¨®ng Wei, I have nothing more to say. However, it will be tough for me to end these feelings,¡± he truthfully told Xu Zifan.


    ¡°It is always difficult to end the one-sided feelings,¡± Xu Zifan stated as he agreed with Feng Lao¡¯s statement.

 Chapter 329

    329 Kill me and Live your life


    Mingquan forwarded the wine cup to L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Brother, how did you find out it was Her Majesty?¡± He asked and sipped the wine from the cup. ¡°He finds everything beforehand,¡± He admired L¨®ng Wei¡¯s intelligence.


    ¡°The attack was meant for Liu Jin Yu, not Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and sipped the wine. ¡°It tastes good. From where did the Fourth Brother bring this wine?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Brother Mu gave me this,¡± Mingquan answered. ¡°So, as soon as the sister-inw requested Her Majesty to let her go, Miss Liu also made a request. Because inside the pce, it would have been difficult for her to kill Liu Jin Yu. So, she decided to do it as soon as Liu Jin left the pce,¡± Mingquan concluded.


    L¨®ng Wei nodded at him. ¡°It bothered me the moment she stood for the Crown Prince and told our father to let him marry Jin Yu. The Queen will never allow a woman into the Crown Prince¡¯s life, whose family origins are also unknown,¡± he exined to Mingquan. He picked up the wine cup and drank a little more.


    ¡°Miss Liu fought bravely and killed many of the assassins. However, in all this, the sister-inw is also targeted,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I will not let the Queen get an easy death. I will make her life hell. He should not have involved my Li Hua in her evil scheming,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and he tightly held the cup. His jaw clenched and he plonked the wine cup on the table.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t tell me how he found out that it was the Queen,¡± Mingquan said as he poured the wine into the cup.


    ¡°I spied on her from that day onwards. Since she nned it instantly and I wasn¡¯t in the pce, I could not take an appropriate action,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Mingquan amusedly looked at his brother and then put the wine jar on the table. ¡°I admire the way Brother L¨®ng Wei analyzes every situation around him. He doesn¡¯t believe in anyone easily. It¡¯s truly remarkable. But I believe Brother L¨®ng Wei was spying on Her Majesty so that he could find her weakness and use it against her,¡± he said with inquisitiveness. L¨®ng Wei smiled and nodded at Mingquan¡¯s words.


    .....


    ¡°I wonder why Brother L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t expose Her Majesty the moment he found out,¡± Mingquan stated. ¡°Is it because he is searching for the enemy? The Queen may be an easy way to reach this hidden enemy,¡± he opined, and waited for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s response.


    ¡°Yes. When the right timees, I will expose it to everyone,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, gulping the wine. He wiped his lips with the back of his palm.


    ¡°She may try to harm Miss Liu again and can also harm the sister-inw.¡± Mingquan brought the wine cup to his mouth and finished the wine. ¡°It is not advisable to keep the enemy alive when we know that they can be dangerous for a long time,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°I will end her game the moment I get what I want,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Brother Mingquan must know that I am nobody as a prince. I am governor of the Kingdom, not of the royal family members. I have nil support and I need that to fight the hidden enemy,¡± he exined, the reason why he didn¡¯t want the Queen to die easily.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Brother L¨®ng Wei tell the truth to everyone? Why did he kill his mother and why did he choose to be the sinned prince in everyone¡¯s eyes?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s facial expressions darkened at hearing his question.


    ¡°Let¡¯s end our conversation here,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a good way to end a deep conversation. The sister-inw asked me once about it, and I lied to her.¡± Mingquan¡¯s words relieved L¨®ng Wei. He wanted to tell her one day, but it was definitely not the right time.


    ¡°Your mother was at fault, and if she had not died by your hands-¡± Mingquan could notplete his words as L¨®ng Wei asked him to stop.


    ¡°Fourth Brother, we are not supposed to discuss it. Good night. Thank you for sharing this delicious wine with me. Thank you for listening to me. I must take my leave as Li Hua is still awake,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and stood up. He slightly bowed and left the chamber. Mingquan sighed as he saw L¨®ng Wei walking away.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s steps slowed as he came far from Mingquan¡¯s ce. He curled his fingers and took a deep breath in. He didn¡¯t like that Mingquan talked about his mother out of the blue.


    ¡®I killed her for my good,¡¯ L¨®ng Wei told himself in his mind, and he again resumed the walk to his manor.


    When he reached outside Li Hua¡¯s chamber, the maidservant informed him that she was already asleep.


    ¡°You should leave,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he went inside the chamber. He closed the doors behind him by sliding them shut and went to the bedchamber. Li Hua was sleeping without a nket on the bed, and the nket was on the floor.


    L¨®ng Wei undid the buttons on the overcoat and put it aside. He picked up the nket from the floor and covered Li Hua with it. Li Hua moved towards the wall in her sleep.


    He caressed her left temple and hair for a while. He knew that he would not be able to sleep tonight.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t get into the bed, instead he went to the patio. He settled on the top of the stairs, rested his arms on his thighs, and sped his hands.


    He lowered his head and closed his eyes. He took a deep sigh as he again recalled the day when he killed his mother.


    ¡°Kill me and live your life,¡± Yu Jun said.


    The young L¨®ng Wei picked up the sword, and the next moment he put it inside his mother¡¯s abdomen. When he withdrew the sword, the blood sshed on him.


    Presently, L¨®ng Wei opened his eyes and looked at his hands.

 Chapter 330

    330 The Biggest and Scariest Truth


    Li Hua gradually opened her eyes and realized she was asleepst night. She was tired and felt sleepy after L¨®ng Wei left. She wanted to stay awake, but she could not.


    She raised her body and put her weight on the left of her elbow. She brought her right hand to his face and poked his cheek. A smile appeared on her lips, and she found him frowning. She wondered if she had awakened him from his sleep, so she quickly withdrew her hand.


    L¨®ng Wei turned to her and his hand went to her waist. Li Hua promptlyid down and L¨®ng Wei buried his face in the crook of her neck.


    She blinked a few times and realized she was unable to move. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s leg became entangled with hers, and she decided to stay that way.


    Her body stiffened when he nuzzled her neck. ¡°Why did you wake up early?¡± His breath fanned her neck.


    ¡°It¡¯s already morning. I think I slept a lot,¡± she said. ¡°Forgive me, for sleeping early. My eyes could not remain open for long,¡± she mumbled and tilted her head. ¡°When did His Highness return?¡±


    ¡°After an hour, as I had promised,¡± he replied and his lips touched her skin. She bit her lower lip and asked him not to start in the morning.


    ¡°I have not started yet,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    But His Majesty is-¡± she paused as L¨®ng Wei pressed his finger to her lips. He towered over her and then withdrew his finger.


    .....


    ¡°I did nothing,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°His Highness looks sleep deprived,¡± Li Hua said, and ced her hand on his right cheek. ¡°Did he sleepte?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Let me sleep more,¡± he asserted andy beside her. He hugged her tightly and asked her to close her eyes as well.


    ¡°We must not bete. The King and the Queen will not like it if we do not reach there at the right time,¡± she proimed.


    ¡°You can make an excuse then that you are feeling weak,¡± he gave her a suggestion. ¡°That way, we will be able to rest for more hours. I¡¯ll ask the maidservant to tell Gao Bing about this, then he will tell my father,¡± he opined.


    ¡°His Highness wants me to tell a lie,¡± Li Hua said and arched her eyebrows.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell a lie for your husband¡¯s sake?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°But my husband is awake. Then why should I tell a lie?¡± Li Hua questioned him.


    ¡°I am giving you suggestions so that we can sleep for a few more hours,¡± he stated and caressed her hair.


    ¡°When did His Highness sleepst night?¡± Li Hua asked him.


    ¡°I slept as soon as I returned,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Then, why does His Highness want to sleep more?¡± She inquired.


    ¡°I like to sleep tillte. In the cold pce, I used to wake up in the afternoon,¡± he stated. Li Hua squinted her eyes and sat up on the bed.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at her and asked her not to get down. He would call the maidservant in.


    ¡°I need to get ready. I will tell His Majesty in the greeting hall that Prince L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t feeling well, so he didn¡¯te. Is that good?¡± Li Hua wondered if he liked her opinion. ¡°I can tell a lie if His Highness tells me the truth,¡± she then stated.


    L¨®ng Wei gazed at her with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°His Highness didn¡¯t sleep early. He is lying to me. Am I right?¡± She queried. ¡°What was bothering him that he could not sleep well?¡± She was desperate to know.


    ¡°Fine. I will wake up too,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and moved the nket away. He put his feet down, ready to stand up when Li Hua caught his wrist. She pulled him down and he turned to look at her.


    ¡°His Highness shall not avoid my question,¡± Li Hua stated. ¡°I won¡¯t speak to him if he doesn¡¯t tell me,¡± she threatened him.


    ¡°I slept in the early morning, near 4 a.m.,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Why?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I do not know,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°His Highness knows, but he does not want to tell me,¡± she asserted and pouted her lips.


    ¡°I was thinking if I was living a good life,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Li Hua was bewildered to hear his statement. She wanted further exnation when L¨®ng Wei continued, ¡°I am happy, but I do not know how happy I am. Is this the happiness I always desired or do I want an excuse to kill her?¡±


    Li Hua realised L¨®ng Wei was referring to his mother. She moved on her knees towards him and hugged him tightly. ¡°I do not know what exactly happened between His Highness and his mother, but I know that he is happy with me. He told me many times that he is happier than his earlier life,¡± she stated and caressed his back.


    ¡°Li Hua, I killed her because she told me something that could change my entire life. She asked me to kill her. So, without any hesitation, I picked up the sword and killed her. I ended her life to live a happy life,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. He finally told her the secret, which he had buried within himself for years.


    Li Hua pulled away and peered into his eyes.


    ¡°What did His Highness¡¯s mother tell him?¡± She waited for his response.


    ¡°I am not the son of the King. That¡¯s why she wanted me to be dead. This is the biggest and scariest truth of my life,¡± L¨®ng Wei finally revealed the truth to her which he had pledged not to share with anyone.


    ~~~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    I hope you are doing well. Now, Li Hua finally knows the truth. Will she tell the truth to the King? Who was L¨®ng Wei¡¯s father? If any idease to your mind, do share them in thement section.


    Thank you for so many GTs, votes and gifts until now. Thank you for buying the privilege as well.


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 331

    331 L¨®ng Wei¡¯s Past ¨C Part Li Hua kept her gaze fixated on L¨®ng Wei, who told her the truth that she had never expected. L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t the child of the King. It was indeed scary because if the truth came out, he would be dead.


    That was why Concubine Yu Jun always said that L¨®ng Wei was her mistake and she never looked after him. She forgot that it was not her son¡¯s fault.


    Li Hua got down from the bed when L¨®ng Wei grabbed her wrist. ¡°I will be back soon,¡± Li Hua said, and let go of his grip on her wrist. She went out of the bedchamber, and after a few minutes, she returned.


    She sat next to L¨®ng Wei. ¡°I lied to the maidservant about my health. Should we talk about it more?¡± She asked. ¡°If His Highness is ufortable, then I will stop here. I can help him go to sleep,¡± she opined.


    L¨®ng Wei made a shaky motion with his head. ¡°I think I must share everything with you, Li Hua. She hated me because I turned out to be the child of a man other than the King. If my father, who¡¯s the King, finds out about it, I will be dead. I don¡¯t want to die, Li Hua. I want to live normally like the others, as the other princes,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. Li Hua found the pain in his voice.


    ¡°Does His Highness know who his father is?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I do not know. I never asked because I considered myself the King¡¯s youngest child,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    She ced her hand above his and tightened her hold on it. ¡°His Highness will have a normal life like others,¡± she asserted. Her tone was full of assurance.


    ¡°I am happy with you, but somewhere, I still feel this constant guilt of killing her. Whenever I think about it, I remind myself not to feel any remorse. But then, I am her son. I still feel the void that she created in my life. It would have been best if she had never told me this and asked me to kill her,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, tilting his head to look into her eyes.


    .....


    Li Hua was stunned to know the truth. The King was desperate to find the truth behind Yu Jun¡¯s death. If he somehow found out, everything would end in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life. It would be a dead end for him.


    ¡°I decided to kill her because I didn¡¯t want my father to find it. She would have died a brutal death then. A quick death is better than undergoing a torturous death,¡± he affirmed. Li Hua agreed with his words. Qiu Zedong would not have given an easy death to Yu Jun.


    She was upset to find that in all this, L¨®ng Wei was involved.


    ¡°Will you listen to my past, Li Hua? Since you adore me, care for me, I will share what I was and why I am this today. Promise me you will keep it with you only. In this world, some things are meant to be secret,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. He knew that Li Hua was given a task by the King, where she must inform him about the truth.


    ¡°I will take these secrets to my grave, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua promised.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed and looked straight. He recalled the time when he started to understand that his mother wasn¡¯t affectionate to him.


    ***Fourteen Years Ago***


    L¨®ng Wei dressed up in the prince¡¯s clothes and was excited to meet his mother, who had returned from a long journey after one month. His mother had gone to the famous Buddhist shrine in the east.


    The servant helped him put on his shoes, and he got down from the chair. He rushed to the allotted chamber to see his mother. The servant in his service ran after him, trying to stop him.


    ¡°Little Prince, please do not run like this. You may fall down and get hurt,¡± the male servant said.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t hear him. He hastily descended the stairs and ran between the line of maidservants, who were holding the baskets in their hands.


    He halted outside the chamber and then pushed the door. He walked in, carrying a smile on his lips. ¡°Greetings to my Mother,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he came to a halt in front of the floor table where Yu Jun was seated.


    He lifted his head and smiled at her. ¡°I missed you, Mother,¡± he said.


    Yu Jun¡¯s facial expressions were nk. Like a mother, she didn¡¯t embrace L¨®ng Wei nor did she respond to him.


    He understood something was wrong with his mother, and he walked up to her. ¡°Mother, you look pale. Is everything good? How was the journey? Should Ieter? I heard from Princess Jingfei once that chamomile tea recuperates our energy. Shall I ask a servant to send the chamomile tea for my mother?¡± He asked with a glint in his eyes.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Yu Jun¡¯s cold tone fell on his ears and his smile vanished.


    His mother was always cold to him. He thought his behavior was the reason behind it. He tried to learn the etiquette same as the other princes and the princesses to impress his mother.


    ¡°Leave. I don¡¯t want to see your face,¡± Yu Jun said. She averted her gaze from him and L¨®ng Wei fisted his tiny palms.


    ¡°Why is my mother this cold to me? I didn¡¯t do anything wrong this time,¡± L¨®ng Weiined. He was bewildered, thinking why his mother always talked rudely to him.


    ¡°Did you not hear me? Leave my sight! Why didn¡¯t you die when I was away?¡± Yu Jun got angry at him.


    L¨®ng Wei locked his gaze on her. ¡°Why would I die? You always shout at me. When other princes and princesses encounter you, you always smile at them. This is wrong. I am your son, yet you treat me like an unknown kid,¡± L¨®ng Wei retorted at his mother. He would not stay quiet any more.


    He would be seven years old soon, yet his mother was the same as before.


    ¡°Because you are an unknown child to me. Now, go away before you are thrown out. Don¡¯t show me your face,¡± Yu Jun sternly said.

 Chapter 332

    332 L¨®ng Wei¡¯s Past ¨C Part L¨®ng Wei ran out of his mother¡¯s chamber and encountered a maidservant, who was taking tea for his mother. He went to her and threw away the tray from her hand.


    The porcin teapot, teacup, and te broke down. She looked at L¨®ng Wei in bewilderment and then asked him why he did that.


    L¨®ng Wei ignored her and ran away from the pce. He halted and rested his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. Monk Yuze was practicing martial arts in front of his house, holding a sword in his hand.


    L¨®ng Wei stood straight as he saw the movements of Yuze¡¯s hands and legs. They were synchronised and clean moves. With strong blows of his fist, Yuze broke the pots into pieces and withdrew his hands. He brought his right hand to the middle of his chest as a namaskara pose while he took his left hand behind his back.


    He took a deep breath in and saw L¨®ng Wei at the entrance. He rxed his posture and he gestured at L¨®ng Wei toe inside.


    He walked in and asked Yuze if the prophecy was true.


    ¡°Yes, the prophecy is true, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Yuze said with a calm expression. He noticed the troubled expression on the prince¡¯s face and read it. He knew that Concubine Yu Jun had returned from a long journey. He understood L¨®ng Wei had an argument with his mother.


    Yuze put his hand on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s back and took him inside. ¡°Should the Prince not study at this hour in the pce?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I won¡¯t study anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei said in anger. ¡°She is such a bad mother. I met her after a month and she didn¡¯t even smile at me, Yuze. She asked me to die. Why should I die? Why doesn¡¯t my mother seem like my mother?¡± He blurted his anger out and sat on the bench.


    .....


    Yuze was confused as to why Yu Jun acted that way as soon as she returned.


    He handed a water ss to L¨®ng Wei, and he drank the water. Yuze went to the other side to wash his hands and returned after some time.


    He sat next to L¨®ng Wei on the same bench. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei shall not forget that to be a great prince, he must know about his kingdom. For that, he has to study like the other princes,¡± Yuze told him.


    ¡°Can she not smile once at me? I will be seven years old in two days. A month ago, when Prince Xiaoming¡¯s birthday arrived, his mother was so excited about it. She started the preparation a month ago. My mother never did that. I hate her, Yuze,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and tears poured down his cheeks. He fiddled with his fingers and lowered his head. ¡°I wish she would not be my mother,¡± he muttered and sniffled.


    Yuze caressed L¨®ng Wei¡¯s head and he quickly turned to him. He hugged him tightly and shut his eyes. ¡°I am not weak. I know, only the weak doin and cry,¡± he said.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t weak. He is the strongest of all,¡± Yuze stated, and caressed his back too. L¨®ng Wei quickly drew away and wiped his tears away with the back of his hand.


    ¡°I do not want my father to punish my mother. Last time when Iined about her, my mother was flogged,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and wiped the tears using his thumb from his eyes.


    ¡°You are so thoughtful of your mother,¡± Yuze said. He decided to talk to Yu Jun tomorrow. He could not see L¨®ng Wei growing up in a strange way.


    ¡°You should teach me how to fight! I do not want to learn from the General. He is too strict and he always res at me as if he also hates me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted, and requested Yuze to be his teacher. ¡°I will study if you teach me,¡± he added.


    ¡°I will ask about it from His Majesty,¡± Yuze assured L¨®ng Wei and asked him to go back to the pce.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡± L¨®ng Wei became reluctant to leave.


    ¡°It is not good to be outside the pce. Let¡¯s go back,¡± Yuze said, and he stood up. He extended his hand and L¨®ng Wei held it. Yuze took L¨®ng Wei back to the pce.


    As L¨®ng Wei reached the western pce, he saw his mother smiling with the Queen, consorts and concubines of the king. Other princes, except the Crown Prince and other princesses, were also present with their mothers. They all had gathered in the pavilion.


    L¨®ng Wei let go of Yuze¡¯s hand and ran to the pavilion. He had held enough and he didn¡¯t care if he raised his voice at his mother in front of everyone.


    ¡°How could youugh and smile here?¡± L¨®ng Wei roared. Despite being a young six-year-old kid, he understood everything.


    Yu Jun turned her head from the Queen to look at his son.


    ¡°You asked me to go away to have fun here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a furious look.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, apologize to your mother. Is this the way you talk to an elder?¡± Zhu Liling intervened.


    ¡°I am not talking to you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and clenched his tiny fists. He didn¡¯t avert his gaze from his mother, not even for a second.


    ¡°I won¡¯t die. I am the Dragon¡¯s son, and I will fulfill my destiny one day. If you ever told me to die, I will kill you,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced in front of everyone. Yu Jun curled his fingers and a frown appeared on her forehead.


    ¡°What kind ofnguage did Concubine Yu Jun teach her son?¡± Xiuying said, and mocked her off.


    ¡°Forgive L¨®ng Wei for his behavior,¡± Yu Jun said, and bowed her head as she apologized. ¡°I will surely punish him for his wrong behavior,¡± she assured the Queen.


    L¨®ng Wei got angry when he heard his mother¡¯s words. He looked at the tea server and threw the tea set on the floor.


    Everyone rose to their feet to see L¨®ng Wei acting like a mad child. He threw everything that came in his hand into the pavilion. The young princesses screamed in fear when they saw L¨®ng Wei acting crazily.


    The Queen asked the maidservants to stop L¨®ng Wei, but they could not do that until Yuze arrived and caught L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand, which was holding a vase.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Yuze said and looked into his eyes. He then nced at Yu Jun, who was confusedly staring at her son.

 Chapter 333

    333 L¨®ng Wei¡¯s Past ¨C Part Yu Jun asked the servant not to let L¨®ng Wei leave the chamber. As she returned to her manor, she found Yuze there, waiting for her. She bowed to him and took a seat across from him on therge chair.


    ¡°Why is Concubine Yu doing this to her son?¡± Yuze asked. ¡°Earlier, he came toin to me how his mother scolded him instead of embracing him. The child is young and if his mother mistreated him, it would affect him in the long run.¡± Yuze suggested that Yu Jun should be affectionate towards her child.


    ¡°Monk Yuze, thank you for giving your wonderful advice. However, I know what is best for my child. I request Monk Yuze not to say inappropriate things to my son,¡± Yu Jun asserted.


    ¡°Pardon me, Concubine Yu?¡± Yuze was confused by her allegation against him.


    ¡°Telling L¨®ng Wei that he is the dragon¡¯s son!¡± Yu Jun rified to Yuze. ¡°Monk Yuze must know that because of his ridiculous prophecy, my son is being dragged into various problems. Today, his wrong attitude was evident in his words that Monk Yuze is brainwashing L¨®ng Wei,¡± Yu Jun asserted.


    Yuze smiled and nodded at her. ¡°I think L¨®ng Wei fell into problems because his mother is cold to him. I do what is right for the prince,¡± he affirmed. ¡°The child is at his most vulnerable age. He talked about killing his own mother, which in itself shows what your child is undergoing. I want you to understand your duties as a mother,¡± Yuze stated.


    ¡°Monk Yuze must leave. He is not allowed to speak on this matter. Since His Majesty respects Monk Yuze, that¡¯s why I am also respectful of him,¡± she asserted and ended the conversation on her end. Yuze was unable to understand why Yu Jun spoke that way.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei was crying. He hardly cries,¡± Yuze said.


    Yu Jun clutched the fabric of her skirt and looked at Yuze.


    .....


    ¡°Why is a mother doing this to her child? I want to know the reason. L¨®ng Wei is different from other princes and princesses. Concubine Yu might¡¯ve noticed it already. Unlike others, he only wants recognition in his mother¡¯s eyes, which he has failed to achieve multiple times. He was joyous to find that his mother had returned, but her attitude towards him hurt his heart. If he wanted, he could go to His Majesty, but he came to me. It¡¯s not right, Concubine Yu. You are making your own child hate you,¡± Yuze made her understand.


    ¡°If I had not been forced to be the concubine of the King, I would have been happy to look at L¨®ng Wei,¡± Yu Jun answered. Yuze knitted his brows and heard her say, ¡°Monk Yuze, I never wanted toe to this pce. I am here against my will. I just want to leave.¡±


    ¡°Concubine Yu¡¯s attitude is affecting her son¡¯s life,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me. I d-do not love L¨®ng Wei. He is a mistake that should never have happened to me,¡± Yu Jun stated and curled her fingers tightly.


    L¨®ng Wei ended up hearing Yu Jun¡¯s words. He had jumped out of the window of his chamber and hade to apologize to his mother. But hearing those words, his heart broke into millions of pieces. He scrunched his brows and clenched his fists in fury.


    L¨®ng Wei ran out of there and came back to his room. The servant was shocked to see the prince outside the room. L¨®ng Wei pushed the doors and closed them from the inside. He sat down at the edge of the bed and brought his knees close.


    ¡°I also hate her. She is no one in my life,¡± he murmured as tears rolled down his cheeks.


    After that day, L¨®ng Wei became rebellious. He started to trouble the people around him. When he turned eight, his father sent him to the cold pce for the first time.


    He begged his father not to send him away, but he listened to the nobility. L¨®ng Wei was angry at Kang Xi because he was the one, who suggested to the king that he must send L¨®ng Wei to the cold pce.


    He realized no one loved him in the pce, but that didn¡¯t mean he would bow down and beg for forgiveness. Never. He erased such words from his dictionary, which would make him feel weak. He epted whatever punishment he was given, and with time, he distanced himself from the regal family members.


    However, Yuze always supported him. He was happy with the fact that there was one such person in his life, who always cared for him. As a child, he only got to see the darkness in the people around him. The only person, who showed him the light was Yuze.


    L¨®ng Wei trained himself under Yuze¡¯s guidance and studied as much as the other princes did. He defied the rules which princes and princesses were strictly taught to adhere to. He created his own rules, and his own philosophies to survive among them.


    At the age of ten, he became proficient in archery. But he kept it hidden from everyone in the pce. He would pretend that he knew nothing and kill his time the entire day.


    Qiu Zedong was concerned about him because, as time passed, L¨®ng Wei turned more rebellious. The nobles were troubled with him. They wanted the King to send him away, but he could not do that. Communication with L¨®ng Wei became tougher with each passing day.


    On the day when Xiaoming was coronated as the Crown Prince, L¨®ng Wei found his mother preparing the robe with her hands for him. He was annoyed because she never did that for L¨®ng Wei. He was eleven at that time.


    L¨®ng Wei asked the servant in service of his mother about the robe, who refused to tell him.


    ¡°Be ready to get kicked out of this pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei warned her. ¡°Better show me where the robe is if you don¡¯t want to end your source of earning,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Why are you threatening her?¡± Yu Jun¡¯s voice fell on his ears, and he tilted his head to look at her.


    ¡°I can do whatever I want,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    Yu Jun halted before him and asked him if he wanted to shame her more.


    ¡°When did I embarrass you?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her.


    ¡°You have embarrassed me from the day you were born,¡± Yu Jun remarked. ¡°Other princes are humble, and sweet to their mother. They always make their mother feel proud. What do you do besides lurk around?¡± She chuckled.


    ¡°None of the mothers is like you. Before saying anything to me, you should look at yourself and ask what you turned me into,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed as he red into the eyes of his mother.

 Chapter 334

    334 L¨®ng Wei¡¯s Past ¨C Part 4 [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°I am tired. The Prince shall go back to his chamber,¡± Yu Jun said. She ignored what L¨®ng Wei said earlier. Earlier, the Queen had given her the work, and it had tired her out.


    ¡°You are always tired whenever I have questions from you. What a strange world!¡± L¨®ng Wei said with annoyance. He no longer called her a mother. That word he stopped using when he heard her say to Yuze that he was born out of a mistake.


    ¡°If you are again here to fight with me, then there¡¯s no use of that. Leave before I have to use a force,¡± Yu Jun stated.


    ¡°I will leave after you answer me,¡± L¨®ng Wei put forward a condition.


    ¡°What do you want to know?¡± Yu Jun questioned him.


    ¡°Destroy the robe that you have made for Prince Xiaoming,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced, and she gaped at him in bewilderment. ¡°I am your son, yet you never knit or made a single garment for me. I would have appreciated it even if I had received a single handkerchief from your hand. How could you do this to me? It has been four years and you are still the same,¡± L¨®ng Wei ended up getting emotional.


    The emotional distress that he underwent because of her, he could not even exin it to anyone. He kept all his anger inside himself. He troubled others because he wanted his mother toe to him once and find out why he was like this?


    But to his dismay, Yu Jun never did that. He was wounded many times during training. But unlike the mothers of other children, Yu Jun never bothered to even look at him, let alone treat his wounds.


    He wanted to eat meals with his mother, drink tea with his mother, but Yu Jun never allowed that. Also, the distance had grown to a level, where L¨®ng Wei would feel ufortable being in front of her.


    .....


    Sometimes, he wanted to feel the soft hand of his mother over his head. He had heard from Qiu Mu how Xiuying used to give him an oil massage once a week.


    He wanted to have a long conversation with his mother about what he had learned, what he wanted to do like the other princes and princesses.


    s! Those desires existed only in his dreams. They could never be real.


    ¡°Did I not tell you not to show me your face? Leave the pce if you cannot bear to see all this. That would be better because people would be happy,¡± Yu Jun remarked again. She hurt him badly once again. No matter how many times he asked his mother, she would always answer him the same thing.


    ¡°It was not my fault,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. This time his eyes didn¡¯t hold the tears, but they held the anger andints. ¡°Getting born wasn¡¯t my fault. Why didn¡¯t you take the poison and end both of our lives? Wouldn¡¯t that have been better? You always tell me to die, to leave the pce. I hate you. I never despised anything in my life as much as I despise you. With each passing day, my hatred is growing. Sometimes I wonder if I¡¯m wrong, but then you show me with your actions and words that I don¡¯t matter to you at all.¡±L¨®ng Wei blurted out everything.


    Yu Jun pped L¨®ng Wei, and he ced his hand on his cheek. He looked at the floor and then promptly lifted his head to gaze into her eyes.


    ¡°Leave!¡± Yu Jun screamed at him.


    L¨®ng Wei made a shaky motion with his head. ¡°If you do not hand me the robe now, I will make sure to create a plunder in the ceremony. Will you love to see that?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked as he evilly grinned at his mother.


    ¡°That¡¯s better. His Majesty will send you back into the cold pce. I will live in peace then,¡± Yu Jun stated. L¨®ng Wei drew his brows together. His jaw clenched in fury, and for a second, he thought about setting the ce on fire.


    But he would not do that? He found out that his mother loved to see him go to the cold pce. He would not go there at any cost.


    ¡°I wish you were not my mother,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and left.


    Yu Jun¡¯s eyes filled with tears and her face turned pale. She gulped the lump that had formed in her throat. Her tears were on the verge of falling.


    ¡°I also wish that I weren¡¯t your mother. You might have been in a better ce,¡± Yu Jun mumbled. She walked in the inner chamber instead of going behind her son.


    L¨®ng Wei returned to his chamber after another heated argument with his mother. He always wondered why she wanted him to be dead. He wanted to ask this, but he didn¡¯t want to break his heart with another harsh remark from his mother.


    He stood by the window and tears overflew his cheeks. He had promised himself that he would not cry ever again. But every time he had a conversation with his mother, he could not control his tears. He would cry profusely in silence.


    His father had gone to sign a treaty with a neighbouring kingdom while Yuze was also not in the capital. He had no one around him, with whom he could share his thoughts.


    Moreover, he started to have trust issues. With the princes and the princesses, his equation was already not good. One was because his mother was a lowest level concubine and the second was his behavior.


    He wiped the tears from his eyes and decided to go out of the pce to calm his mind. He wiped the tears from the back of his palm and then drank a ss of water.


    He ced the cup on the table and pulled his sleeve up. He had hurt his wrist two days ago when he fell from the horse. He went to see Physician Peng to dress his wound because it was worsening.


    Peng Yuxian worriedly looked at L¨®ng Wei while dressing the wound on his hand. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei needs to take care of his body. I will give him a few pills which he should take for four days,¡± Peng Yuxian asserted and handed the tiny porcin bottle with pills in it.


    L¨®ng Wei took it from Peng Yuxian and thanked him. He was ready to leave when Peng Yuxian advised L¨®ng Wei not to cause anymore trouble.


    ¡°Stop annoying me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and walked away.

 Chapter 335

    335 L¨®ng Wei¡¯s Past ¨C Part Kang Huijuan stopped L¨®ng Wei¡¯s in the way while he was heading to the market. ¡°To my knowledge, the royal princes are not allowed toe out of the pce,¡± Kang Huijuan said as he walked next to L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Ahh, I forgot. Your powers as a prince were taken away two months ago,¡± he remarked, trying to provoke L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan, what do you think death is? Why are people so scared of it?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and stopped.


    Kang Huijuan was confounded by the questions of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Don¡¯t provoke me to kill you. I am already irked, so better stay miles away from me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and Kang Huijuan felt intimidated with his gaze. He walked ahead while Kang Huijuan didn¡¯t follow him. He knitted his brows as he watched L¨®ng Wei walk away.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face was hardly known to many, so people didn¡¯t recognize him, but took him as a noble¡¯s son. He stopped near a dumpling stall, where a mother was selling dumplings while her child was on her back.


    ¡°Even she loves her child,¡± L¨®ng Wei mumbled.


    He stopped near the stall, but not to eat. He wanted to find out the answers from her. A mother understood the other mother in a better way. Perhaps, L¨®ng Wei was unable to understand his mother, and that became the reason for their unhealthy rtionship.


    No matter how many harsh words Yu Jun said, he still wanted her attention.


    Evening passed, but he stayed near the stall as he had decided to converse with her after she finished her work. She would take some time to make her child drink milk. She would close the stall temporarily when her child cried for milk, and it made L¨®ng Wei recall the words from the servants that his mother never took care of him.


    .....


    In thete evening, thedy at the dumpling stall noticed him and asked him if he wanted to buy some. He shook his head. ¡°Can you answer me a question?¡± He waited for thedy¡¯s response.


    ¡°Yes, young master,¡± thedy replied.


    L¨®ng Wei walked closer to the stall and asked her if she did not feel burdened with her child.


    Thedy was confused by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words, and she shook her head. Thedy kept her tone humble because L¨®ng Wei appeared to be from an elite family. ¡°No mother feels burdened with her child,¡± thedy responded.


    ¡°Mine doesn¡¯t love me. I asked her many times, but she doesn¡¯t like to see my face. She said that I must die. Can a mother say such things to her own child?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her while fisting his palms.


    Thedy was surprised to hear L¨®ng Wei¡¯s question. She was unable to understand what to answer him. Seeing her silence, he understood that even she could not answer him. He walked away and returned to the pce.


    That night, he could not sleep. His father had returned for the coronation of Xiaoming as the Crown Prince. The next day, when his mother gifted the robe to Xiaoming on his coronation and blessed him for his great future, L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t feel good. He destroyed the robe in front of everyone and gotshed out by everyone in the assembly.


    Xiaoming thought L¨®ng Wei was envious of him. He never openly expressed his hatred for L¨®ng Wei, but it had already built up within him. Zhu Liling and the ministers asked Qiu Zedong to punish L¨®ng Wei once again.


    Even at that moment, L¨®ng Wei waited for her mother to speak and said to everyone that she didn¡¯t want her son to get punished. However, she didn¡¯t. Instead, she asked the King to send L¨®ng Wei to the cold pce.


    He got his answers. He was no one for Yu Jun. He didn¡¯t object anyone in the assembly and wholeheartedly epted his punishment. Because he wanted piece and going away from the sight of Yu Jun was the only way.


    ¡°I would like to say something to my father,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced, and lifted his head.


    Qiu Zedong permitted him. ¡°I hate my mother from the bottom of my heart,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced, and brought his right hand to his neck. Everyone present in the assembly looked in his direction.


    L¨®ng Wei took out the ck thread, which a mother was supposed to tie around her child¡¯s when he was born. At the age of 12, it was cut. With a force, he pulled it, and the tiny silver pendant fell on the marble floor. Its sound reverberated in the assembly hall, and he threw it on the floor.


    Yu Jun looked in his direction and tightly clenched her fingers.


    ¡°I want to go to the cold pce now,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed, and looked at Hei Chengxi. ¡°Prepare the carriage for me,¡± he said, and turned to leave when Qiu Zedong stopped him.


    ¡°Did something happen in my absence? Answer your father, L¨®ng Wei!¡± Qiu Zedong raised his voice at him and his fingers dug into the bolsters that were on the throne on which he was seated.


    L¨®ng Wei started to walk out of the assembly hall when Qiu Zedong told Hei Chengxi to stop him. He bowed and quickly went towards L¨®ng Wei. He stood in front of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Your Majesty, the Prince has lost his mind. He even defied your order. It clearly shows that he should be banished from the kingdom,¡± Kang Xi opined, and the Queen supported his decision.


    ¡°Because of Prince L¨®ng Wei, other princes and princesses are affected too. He said such a big thing in the assembly about his own mother. He is not suitable to stay in this pce,¡± Zhu Liling asserted.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, I said, turn towards me and answer me!¡± Qiu Zedong roared this time. He nced in Yu Jun¡¯s direction and asked her what he said to L¨®ng Wei this time.


    Yu Jun stood up from her seat and bowed. ¡°I said nothing, Your Majesty,¡± she stated.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and turned to look at his father. ¡°That¡¯s why I hate her, Father. I wish she had been a mother to me. I don¡¯t want to say anything anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and left the hall.


    ¡°Concubine Yu, don¡¯t test my patience. What did you say to Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± Qiu Zedong asked her.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Sister Yu didn¡¯t say anything. Prince L¨®ng Wei loves to create scenes on some important asions,¡± Xiuying said, and told the King to calm down. ¡°It was such an auspicious asion, and we must not let it get ruined because of the youngest prince,¡± she added.


    Qiu Zedong hummed and calmed down. He asked Gao Bing to go after L¨®ng Wei and bring him to his manor. Gao Bing bowed and left the hall.

 Chapter 336

    336 L¨®ng Wei¡¯s Past ¨C Part Eunuch Gao Bing after a long confrontation with L¨®ng Wei brought him to the King¡¯s manor. He stayed outside the private chamber until the King returned.


    ¡°No one should be present around here,¡± Qiu Zedong instructed Gao Bing, who bowed and opened the doors for the King. After the King stepped in, Gao Bing shut the door and asked the servants to leave. He also left that ce as per the King¡¯s order.


    L¨®ng Wei stood up as he saw his father and bowed his head. Qiu Zedong sat down on the chair across from him and asked L¨®ng Wei to take the seat.


    ¡°What happened? The Prince can tell me because I have sent everyone away,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei had a nk expression on his face. ¡°Was my father happy when I was born?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked his father, and he kept his gaze fixated on him.


    ¡°Do I need to answer it?¡± Qiu Zedong asked and started to smile. ¡°I was indeed happy with your birth,¡± he answered.


    ¡°Was she happy?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°Why is Prince L¨®ng Wei not addressing Concubine as her mother?¡± Qiu Zedong confusedly looked at him.


    ¡°Because she¡¯s not my mother anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    .....


    ¡°Will the Prince tell me what happened in my absence? I will punish Concubine Yu if she again says something bad to my son?¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°I found out she doesn¡¯t love me or care for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I want my father to send me away. Everyone wants to not see my face. It would be good if I stayed away from the pce for a while. I would love to stay inside the four walls, full of darkness, than live here and see her face,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and scrunched his nose in fury.


    ¡°I do not feel happy to announce your punishment,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a worried look. ¡°Do you think your father eats or sleeps in peace when you are away? Father loves you a lot, so don¡¯t do things which make others stand against you,¡± Qiu Zedong advised him.


    L¨®ng Wei found out that his father also didn¡¯t realise why he did all those things. He wanted his mother¡¯s attention. For him, his father¡¯s love wasn¡¯t enough. Also, Qiu Zedong was busy with the Kingdom¡¯s business, so L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t want to disturb him with hisints regarding Yu Jun.


    ¡°Father, I will try.¡±


    Qiu Zedong was unable to understand how to make L¨®ng Wei speak. He then decided to call Yu Jun and ask her face-to-face what she did this time which made L¨®ng Wei behave this way.


    ¡°Father, don¡¯t call her here because no oue wille. I hate her because she failed to see me as her son. For her, I do not even exist. Father shows too much concern for her. The other princes and princesses may get envious of me. They may think Father is more loving towards me because of the prophecy that Yuze made for me. I do not want it to happen. So, punishing me and sending me to the cold pce is the best solution. Father must not get lenient on me,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and got up on his feet.


    He was ready to leave when Qiu Zedong said, ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, I love all of my children equally. You are young and sending you away hurts me. That¡¯s why I want to be lenient towards you. About Concubine Yu, I will talk to her and will punish her if I find her fault,¡± Qiu Zedong rified to L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t say anything and bowed formally before his father. He then left the King¡¯s manor and came to the pce gates, where Hei Chengxi was present. The carriage was ready, and L¨®ng Wei got inside. Hei Chengxi hopped onto the horse after closing the carriage¡¯s door, and told the chauffeur to start driving.


    ~~~~~


    Yu Jun got the message from the King, and she followed Eunuch Gao Bing to the manor. She got down on her knees and bowed before the King. Her forehead touched the rug beneath her, and she apologized for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s behavior.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei is hurt because his mother said that she hated him. Why is Concubine doing this? Does she think I will not kill her?¡± Qiu Zedong shouted at her.


    ¡°Please punish me, Your Majesty,¡± Yu Jun said.


    Qiu Zedong frowned and knelt. He made her look into his eyes by pulling her chin up. Yu Jun flinched as the grip was tight. However, she didn¡¯t resist because she was in front of the King.


    ¡°Are you doing this because I forced you toe to the pce?¡± Qiu Zedong asked. ¡°Answer me, Yu Jun! You are destroying my son because I killed your lover. Am I right? I told you not to do anything to L¨®ng Wei in my absence, didn¡¯t I?¡± His anger was seeping out of not only his voice, but also his eyes.


    ¡°I refuse to answer, Your Majesty. Please kill me if I said something wrong,¡± Yu Jun said. She had no fear and it seemed she wanted to be dead.


    ¡°I cannot kill you, Yu Jun. You are the most precious treasure to me, which I can never have,¡± Qiu Zedong said. His grip on her chin loosened, and he let it go soon.


    ¡°Leave!¡± Qiu Zedong said, and he rose to his feet.


    Yu Jun stood up immediately. She bowed and left the King¡¯s chamber.


    Yu Jun returned to her chamber and she fell to the floor. She broke into tears and cried profusely. ¡°Forgive your mother, L¨®ng Wei. I want you to be away from the pce to protect you,¡± Yu Jun mumbled. She looked at the ck thread and silver pendant that were on her palm. She recalled how happily she made this thread for L¨®ng Wei.


    She brought her hand to her chest and kept crying. ¡°You have to hate me, L¨®ng Wei, even after I leave this body. I will try everything to make you leave this pce,¡± she told herself.

 Chapter 337

    337 Make my life hell


    Li Hua was stunned to hear about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s dark past. He had no one around him and his mother developed a hate for him, which was the biggest mystery to her. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and hugged him.


    No words were exchanged between them, and they stayed that way for a long time.


    She understood why he wanted to die the day she pulled him out of the water. He had been thinking about all the things that he had to bear as a child. Yuze was the only support system for him in his lonely world.


    ¡°Your entry into my life was magic,¡± L¨®ng Wei finally said and broke the ice. ¡°My heart is filled with happiness because of you from the day I saw you,¡± he asserted, and smiled. Li Hua pulled away from him and stared into his eyes.


    ¡°You never judged me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°The most memorable part for me was when you told me not to die. I was surprised because I had only heard that I had to die my entire childhood and adolescence. I exist because you are in my life. You have lit my world of darkness with the light in you. I love you, Li Hua.¡±


    His words were deep, full of affection and full of thankfulness. If Li Hua had not appeared that day, then he would not have experienced all those happy moments with her.


    ¡°I think I made you emotional with all those memories. That¡¯s why I never wanted you to experience what I experienced as a child and as a teenager,¡± he stated when Li Hua ced her hands on his cheeks and continued to peer into his eyes.


    ¡°I am out of words, Your Highness. You are a great son because all the time you wanted to understand your mother. I feel upset thinking about how people around you failed to understand you. Such a beautiful soul was hurt so much. I am happy that I could be a person who lights your world. I am so happy to be your wife. If you find yourself alone, remember Li Hua is always by your side, holding your hand.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s heart was giddy with those words, and he ced his hand above hers. Bringing it close to his mouth, he kissed it and hugged her. ¡°I know that my Li Hua is always next to me.¡± They stayed in that position for a few minutes when he withdrew from the hug first.


    .....


    ¡°Your Highness, why didn¡¯t you try to find your father? Don¡¯t you think you should find the answers to why your mother always said the same words to you again and again?¡± She suggested to him. ¡°I do not intend to make you angry. Monk Yuze has said that your mother was forced to be a concubine and that it was one of the reasons why she was cold to you. But what if a bigger reason lies behind that?¡± She raised suspicions.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore, Li Hua. I consider the King as my father. Also, I believe that my mother lied to me. She always hated me, so it¡¯s possible that she wanted to make my life hell after her death,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He knew his father was at fault too, but he always protected him. Qiu Zedong loved him a lot, and he had seen that many times.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t say anything more because it might upset L¨®ng Wei. She stood up to check the time on the sand watch clock system.


    ¡°We spoke for three hours almost,¡± Li Hua said, and widened her eyes when they heard the sound of footsteps. They looked towards the door and found the maidservant hade inside.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Second Prince is here,¡± she informed them.


    L¨®ng Wei understood why he was there, and he told Li Hua that he would see herter.


    Li Hua hummed as he watched L¨®ng Wei walk away.


    The maidservant asked Li Hua if she should start cleaning. She hummed and went out of the bedchamber.


    ¡®I need to find out why Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother was so cold to him. I think the King is involved in all this. If a woman is forced to be someone¡¯s wife, then it¡¯s tough to find love in that rtionship. It seemed she forced the Prince to leave the pce by developing a hatred for her. Also, who could be the father of Prince L¨®ng Wei? What if his highness¡¯ father is alive?¡¯ she thought in her mind.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡±


    Li Hua came out of her thoughts upon hearing the voice of the maidservant. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Her Majesty said that she wille after having the morning breakfast to see you,¡± the maidservant informed Li Hua.


    Li Hua realised that she wasn¡¯t even ready, and she asked the maidservant if she had prepared the bathhouses. The maidservant nodded and asked her if she should help her since she was not well.


    ¡°That¡¯s not needed. You should clean the chamber until I arrive. Also, I want to wear the dress that His Highness has gifted me. Keep that in the dressing room,¡± Li Hua instructed her before leaving the chamber.


    She freshened up and then, after taking a rice water bath, she dressed in the yellow hanfu dress. It had wide sleeves made ofce material and had flower patterns in the orange color. She looked at herself in the tall mirror when the maidservant asked her to take a seat.


    ¡°Can you try a new hairstyle on me today?¡± Li Hua asked her.


    ¡°Sure, Your Highness,¡± the maidservant quickly agreed, and dried her hair first. She brushed them gently and then made thin long braids from the front few hairstrands. She then clipped her remaining hair, keeping them lose. Li Hua asked him to use the hair clips that L¨®ng Wei purchased.


    The maidservant nodded, and soon Li Hua waspletely ready.


    ¡°Does Her Highness want to impress the Prince?¡± The maidservant asked while smiling.


    ¡°Yes. I want His Highness to feel happy. I am thinking of making breakfast for His Highness. Is His Highness ready?¡± Li Hua asked her as she applied the pink lip color, which was extracted from pink rose flowers.


    ¡°His Highness went to the bathhouse ten minutes ago. It will take His Highness to get ready,¡± the maidservant answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. You should stay outside His Highness¡¯ chamber. If he asks about me, then tell him that I am bringing breakfast for him,¡± Li Hua said. She knew that L¨®ng Wei would scold the maidservant if she did not answer him about her whereabouts.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Li Hua thanked her and left for the kitchen. Seeing her in the kitchen, the chief kitchen servant asked her if she wanted something.


    ¡°I want to cook a few dishes for Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua told him.


    Xiwan came there and bowed to see Li Hua.


    ¡°Your Highness, tell the chefs about the dishes you want to prepare for His Highness,¡± The chief kitchen servant replied.


    ¡°But I want to make breakfast with my hands, Chief Yang,¡± Li Hua said.


    The chief kitchen servant didn¡¯t dare to refuse her because he thought if sheined to L¨®ng Wei, he might kick him out. He didn¡¯t want to anger L¨®ng Wei in any way, so he allowed Li Hua.


    ¡°I¡¯ll assist Her Highness,¡± Xiwan said.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Xiwan told Li Hua to follow him. Li Hua started preparing the main dish, which was wheat noodles. L¨®ng Wei preferred the wheat noodles more than the rice noodles. Along with it, she prepared wontons and broth. For the sweeter dish, she chose mooncakes. It took her more than thirty minutes. With Xiwan¡¯s help, the cooking time was reduced for her.


    Once the dishes were ready, she and Xiwan carried the trays to the manor.


    L¨®ng Wei was tapping his fingers on the floor table as it had been more than fifteen minutes for him to wait for Li Hua. When she entered with Xiwan in the chamber, he was mesmerized by her.


    They ced the trays on the table. Xiwan greeted the prince and left soon. However, Li Hua managed to thank Xiwan before he left.


    ¡°Your Highness, forgive me for making you wait,¡± Li Hua said, and turned to look at him when she found him in front of her.


    His sudden appearance startled her when L¨®ng Wei pulled her into a kiss.


    Li Hua ced her hands on his chest and gently pushed him. ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s not the right moment for this,¡± she said while smiling.


    ¡°There is no right time for getting romantic,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and lifted her chin by grabbing it. ¡°You look so pretty in this dress, in this new hairstyle, and then your lips. You did this for me, right?¡± He asked.


    ¡°My husband has gifted me the dress, so I thought I should wear it,¡± she affirmed and asked him if they should have breakfast.


    ¡°Later,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, bending down to kiss her lips. They were kissing each other passionately when they heard the clearing of a throat.


    Li Hua opened her eyes and was shocked to see the Queen. She promptly pushed L¨®ng Wei and lowered her head. L¨®ng Wei was bewildered by her action and turned to look. To his wonder, Zhu Liling was ring at Li Hua.

 Chapter 338

    338 Don¡¯t want to dirty my hands


    ¡°Did Li Hua lie to everyone about her health?¡± Zhu Liling asked with fury.


    ¡°No, she didn¡¯t lie,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered on Li Hua¡¯s behalf. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that the Queen had forgotten her manners. She entered here unannounced,¡± he remarked.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is forgetting that I am the Queen. I can go anywhere at anytime unannounced,¡± she reminded him.


    L¨®ng Wei stepped forward. ¡°Except this ce. You should leave as we have yet to do breakfast,¡± he told her. He scrunched his brows.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s behavior cannd him into trouble. Princess Consort Li Hua will be punished for lying to everyone to skip the morning greetings to the elders, after she finishes her breakfast,¡± Zhu Liling announced and turned to leave.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even try to do that. When I said that she was not feeling well, she was not. A human must not act high while hiding his crimes,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. Zhu Liling turned to face the prince and frowned.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, you are not allowed to intervene in the inner pce rules. I know by looking at the face who is telling the truth and who¡¯s lying,¡± she stated and nced at Li Hua. ¡°Come to my manor right after finishing your meals,¡± she instructed Li Hua.


    ¡°Li Hua will note,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and continued, ¡°I wille after having breakfast. I have a very important matter to discuss with Her Majesty.¡±


    Zhu Liling squinted her eyes and, with inquisitiveness, nced at L¨®ng Wei.


    .....


    ¡°I want to talk about yesterday¡¯s attack with Her Majesty,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and smirked at her.


    Zhu Liling¡¯s facial expressions changed. She wondered what L¨®ng Wei wanted to discuss with her.


    ¡°Her Majesty finds it easily if a person before her is lying or telling the truth. So, I want to know that from her. How to read people¡¯s faces?!¡± He said this with a wide grin on his lips. Zhu Liling wondered if L¨®ng Wei knew anything and quickly left for her manor.


    As soon as the Queen left, L¨®ng Wei turned to face Li Hua. ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast,¡± he said, and he held her hand. He made her sit first, and then, he took his seat. Heplimented the dishes that Li Hua made for him. His mood brightened as he ate breakfast. Li Hua felt good to see him smile.


    ¡°The Queen will not do anything to you.¡± He filled the ss with water. He handed it to her and asked her to drink the water.


    ¡°I know that in His Highness¡¯ presence I cannot get punished. However, I would like to know what his highness will talk about with Her Majesty.¡± She asked with a worried expression.


    ¡°About the real culprit who attacked my wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. Li Hua understood what he would do and asked him not to anger the Queen.


    ¡°It¡¯s not possible, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I will leave now because the court will begin soon, and before that I must do some preparations.¡± He rose to his feet and called in the maidservant, who immediately walked in upon hearing the voice.


    ¡°Stay here and don¡¯t let her get worried,¡± L¨®ng Wei instructed her. Li Hua had also gotten up from her seat and told L¨®ng Wei not to let himself get harmed in all that. He hummed and left the chamber.


    Eunuch Lishi made a face to see L¨®ng Wei and told him that he could go in since the Queen had allowed his entry.


    As L¨®ng Wei stepped in, the doors closed behind him. He walked ahead and then turned. Zhu Liling was only waiting for him, and he smiled to see her. ¡°I think this is the first time Her Majesty waited for me so eagerly,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he made himselffortable on the broad mahogany chair.


    ¡°What does the Prince want to talk about regarding yesterday¡¯s attack?¡± She asked. She didn¡¯t let the fear show on her face.


    ¡°How dare you involve Li Hua in your evil n? You wanted to get rid of Liu Jin Yu, then you should have done it without including Li Hua in all this,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a grim look.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, how dare you use me of something which I never did?¡± She asked him. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you are sitting before the Queen of the Kingdom,¡± Zhu Liling angrily said.


    ¡°Your lies won¡¯t work in front of me. I have evidence against you. Do you think Noble Consort Xiuying is in the prison because of some luck? Let me break the illusion of Her Majesty.¡±


    Zhu Liling was terrified to hear his words, and her throat went dry.


    ¡°I was the one who misced that tassel,¡± L¨®ng Wei revealed the truth to Zhu Liling. ¡°You should thank me that I helped you, else you would have been at her ce. Your hate for Liu Jin Yu has blinded you,¡± he remarked.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is lying.¡± She thought that L¨®ng Wei had no evidence and was merely threatening her on the pretence of having a proof.


    ¡°You executed the n really well. I wonder what will happen when the Crown Prince finds out that his dear mother is trying to take the life of a woman whom he loves,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a grin.


    ¡°What does Prince L¨®ng Wei want?¡± Zhu Liling asked.


    ¡°To tell everyone what she is!¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°ept the truth in front of everyone before I reveal it,¡± he suggested to her.


    Zhu Liling shook her head. ¡°I will give anything that Prince L¨®ng Wei wants. I will not punish Li Hua and will always support her. Please don¡¯t do this,¡± she requested, and sweat appeared on the temples of her forehead.


    ¡°Indeed, you should do thar. However, I won¡¯t be satisfied with this, Your Majesty,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°What does the Prince want? I will give him anything he wants,¡± she promised him.


    L¨®ng Wei smirked and acknowledged her request. ¡°Fine. I want the support of the Queen and her brothers. Will she be able to give it? Also, she has to put the me on Eunuch Lishi. Will she be able to do it?¡± He asked and waited for her answer.


    ¡°Her Majesty is making me impatient,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t the prince do it? I will give him my entire support,¡± Zhu Liling said, with high hopes.


    ¡°Forgive me. I don¡¯t want to dirty my hands. This you must do. If you fail to do this, then the deal is over. I will expose Her Majesty¡¯s true face,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and stood up. ¡°The Court will begin in fifteen minutes. Make sure toe at the right time, or else you will be at the guillotine,¡± he said, and left the chamber.


    Zhu Liling was nervous about thinking how she should do it. Her hands were trembling, and all sorts of negative thoughts appeared in her head. But she had to put the me on Eunuch Lishi to save herself.


    Outside the chamber, L¨®ng Wei patted Eunuch Lishi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You are thick-skinned,¡± he said and walked away, leaving Eunuch Lishi in confusion.

 Chapter 339

    339 A Second Chance


    Eunuch Lishi was shocked to hear what Zhu Liling told him. He was supposed to take the me. Because he was loyal to the Queen, he dly epted it. ¡°When I was going to be thrown out of the pce, Her Majesty showed kindness to me. This life is dedicated to Her Majesty,¡± Eunuch Lishi said, and assured the Queen that she didn¡¯t need to worry. ¡°I will be d if my life proves useful to Her Majesty,¡± he said, and smiled at her.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, I will try my best to protect you,¡± Zhu Liling said.


    Eunuch Lishi bowed before her and then he went out, where Huang Xi was waiting for him. Zhu Liling was scared, thinking about what would happen in the court. The most troubling thought for her was what if L¨®ng Wei exposed her. She paced in her chamber in nervousness and fear.


    L¨®ng Wei was leaning against the door of the main entrance of the Queen¡¯s manor. He waved at Eunuch Lishi, who had a grim look on his face. He stood straight and then hung his arm around Eunuch Lishi.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he took him out of the manor. Huang Xi walked next to L¨®ng Wei and heard him.


    I told you there woulde a time when you would have toe to me and beg for your life, Lishi. So, how are you feeling right now? Can you feel that death is ready to embrace you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him while keeping a grin on his face.


    ¡°Forgive this foolish Eunuch for always belittling His Highness. I am terrified because I will be brutally punished if I ept the truth in front of everyone,¡± Eunuch Lishi said as his hands turned sweaty.


    ¡°What will you do for me if I save your life?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°Anything His Highness will ask me to do,¡± Eunuch Lishi replied.


    .....


    ¡°Lishi, but my master has taught me one important lesson. He told me that if a loyalist turned into a traitor, then he must not be trusted. It would be foolish to trust such a person,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed as he recalled Yuze¡¯s words.


    ¡°I will never betray His Highness. Please trust me, Your Highness,¡± Eunuch Lishi said in a low voice. L¨®ng Wei chuckled to see how terrified he was.


    ¡°My next question to you will decide if I should save your life or not,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Eunuch Lishi tilted his head to look at him.


    ¡°Can you kill the Queen if I tell you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him, and they both halted at the same time in their ces. Huang Xi wondered what was going on in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mind.


    Eunuch Lishi gaped at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°You are taking too long. I think I must not-¡± he was interrupted by Eunuch Lishi. He agreed to kill the Queen.


    ¡°I will do anything if he saves me today,¡± Eunuch Lishi stated. He was hoping that L¨®ng Wei would finally agree to help him, but he didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Lishi, you should have answered ¡®No¡¯. Forgive me, but I will not help you anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, pulling his hand away. He asked Huang Xi to bring Eunuch Lishi carefully to the court.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Eunuch Lishi grasped the hand of L¨®ng Wei tightly and asked him to give him another chance. ¡°I will not disappoint His Highness. I promise,¡± Lishi pleaded with L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Lishi, you have forgotten that I hardly ever provide a second chance,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he pushed him away. ¡°I pray that His Majesty will not announce the harshest punishment for you, Lishi,¡± he said, and walked ahead.


    Eunuch Lishi thought if he could somehow deceive Huang Xi, then he could save himself. Until he would admit the wrong he nevermitted, he would not be punished. But if he tried to run away, he might get used. He asked Huang Xi to ask L¨®ng Wei to help him for once.


    ¡°Eunuch Lishi, Prince L¨®ng Wei is tough to please,¡± Huang Xi stated, and asked him to walk faster.


    Eunuch Lishi found himself stuck. He decided to take the name of the Queen because she was the one who was behind all this. Why should he take the me when he did nothing wrong? He told himself not to worry and soon they reached near the imperial court.


    Hs ascended the stairs to reach the outside of the court with Huang Xi.


    ~~~~~


    The court session resumed after the King got seated on the throne. He was surprised to see L¨®ng Wei in the court and asked him if he didn¡¯t have work outside.


    ¡°I could not go because of the hearing. I want His Majesty to harshly punish the person who tried to kill my wife and also killed many of the servants,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°General Hei Chengxi is still interrogating the matter thoroughly. Since Noble Consort Xiuying didn¡¯t admit that she was behind this attack, I cannot punish her,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    ¡°The royal family has been infiltrated by enemies recently,¡± Kang Xi remarked. ¡°It is a concerning matter, Your Majesty. Last time the Crown Prince was attacked, and this time it was the wife of Prince L¨®ng Wei. Some strict measures should be taken,¡± Kang Xi opined.


    ¡°That¡¯s why this time the punishment must be a death sentence by brutal means,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested.


    Qiu Mu was shocked to hear his statement.


    ¡°Indeed, a brutal death sentence is necessary to stop all such things from getting repeated,¡± Xiaoming agreed with L¨®ng Wei¡¯s suggestion.


    ¡°Princess Consort Li Hua is safe, so the punishment surely will not be the death one,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted, and asked Hei Chengxi if he found anything on that matter.


    At that moment, they all heard the shouts from outside. Everyone on the court was perplexed by what was happening outside. One of the ministers went out to check, and the scene before himpletely shocked him. From his ce, the minister shouted, ¡°Your Majesty, a eunuch died outside.¡±


    Qiu Zedong rose from the throne immediately, while L¨®ng Wei smiled.

 Chapter 340

    340 Fate yed badly with her


    Li Hua looked at the key in her hand, which she had stolen from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chamber. After he left, this was the first task that she did. After that, without getting anyone¡¯s notice, she went to the chamber which was allotted to Yu Jun.


    However, to her surprise, the doors of the room were opened, and she saw one of the King¡¯s concubines inside. The concubines were not allowed toe out of this part of the pce unless they were ordered to.


    Li Hua put the key inside her pocket and walked in. Concubine Huan Bi had stepped back and turned. Juan Bi was surprised to see her.


    Li Hua bowed to her and then removed her shoes. She stepped up and lit an incense stick before putting it inside the tiny couldron. She closed her eyes and kept her hands, one above the other, praying for the peace of Yu Jun¡¯s soul.


    After a while, she walked out with Huan Bi. ¡°How is the Princess Consort doing? I heard yesterday an attack was made,¡± Huan Bi worriedly asked. The two stood by the side of a pir to converse.


    ¡°I am well. Luckily, I didn¡¯t get injured,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I am the mother of Prince Tianjie,¡± Huan Bi informed her, as she knew that Li Hua wasn¡¯t aware of this. ¡°Prince Tianjie hardly visits me. If Princess Consort Li Hua can ask him, then I will be grateful,¡± Huan Bi requested.


    ¡°Sure. I will deliver the message to the Third Prince,¡± Li Hua assured her. Huan Bi thanked her and asked Li Hua about her sudden visit.


    ¡°It is strange because Prince L¨®ng Wei neveres here. I was surprised to see his wife for a moment,¡± Huan Bi said.


    .....


    ¡°I thought I should visit myte mother-inw once,¡± Li Hua lied to her.


    ¡°Sister Yu will surely bless her daughter-inw. She met an unfortunate death,¡± Huan Bi said, and the smile on her lips slowly faded away. Li Hua understood what she meant by that, but she could not tell her why L¨®ng Wei did that.


    ¡°I heard that my mother-inw was cold to her son,¡± Li Hua said. She could not directly tell Huan Bi that L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t at fault, so she tried to tell her differently.


    ¡°That¡¯s a mystery to everyone. Sister Yu was a kinddy,¡± Huan Bi stated. ¡°I remember the time when she took such good care of me. She was even by my side when Prince Tianjie was about to be born. She was warm at heart,¡± she asserted.


    Li Hua was surprised to hear all this about Yu Jun. Yu Jun was the cruelest woman, ording to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°May I know how she entered the pce?¡± Li Hua asked, and with inquisitiveness, waited for Huan Bi¡¯s reply.


    ¡°I would love to tell her daughter-inw,¡± Huan Bi agreed and asked her if she would like to join her for the tea. Li Hua immediately agreed to it.


    However, she decided to put the key back in its ce first because if L¨®ng Wei found out, he would be angry at her. She told Huan Bi that she would return in ten minutes and left.


    After she put the keys back in the original ce, she went to her chamber as she couldn¡¯t go empty-handed. She carried a basket of some perfumes that her brother had purchased for her a few days ago.


    When she ced the decorated bamboo basket on the floor table, Huan Bi was astonished for a moment. ¡°Is this for me?¡± She asked.


    Li Hua hummed. ¡°It is my first time visiting Lady Huan, so I thought not toe empty-handed. I hope Lady Huan will like this small present on my behalf,¡± Li Hua humbly said.


    Huan Bi thanked Li Hua and asked her if she would like to drink tea. Li Hua nodded and looked around. She realized that the ces for concubines weren¡¯t that good. She suddenly felt bad for Huan Bi.


    ¡°We concubines aren¡¯t given rights as equal as the others,¡± Huan Bi replied after she read Li Hua¡¯s thoughts. Huan Bi asked her personal attendant to send the tea for them and leave them alone. Li Hua found that even the servants were not present in that quarter.


    ¡°Sister Yu was forced to be a concubine. No one exactly knows why His Majesty was adamant about bringing her to the pce. But rumors were there that she was tough to please. I should not be saying this, but she wasn¡¯t happy here,¡± Huan Bi said with an upset expression.


    Li Hua was frightened to hear that. She could not even imagine of being forced to marry someone. Was that the reason that she was always cold towards L¨®ng Wei? She pondered.


    ¡°I am surprised to see Prince L¨®ng Wei looking happier than before. Since I have closely observed the Prince, I can tell that he loves his wife a lot,¡± Huan Bi said with a wide smile. Li Hua was astonished to see that Tianjie¡¯s mother was a lot better than him. He was not a nice person, but his mother was different from him.


    Huan Bi¡¯s personal attendant served them the tea and then left the room.


    They drank tea while conversing with each other.


    ¡°The Princess Consort must ask Prince L¨®ng Wei to visit histe mother frequently. Now, she is no more, so he should not hold any grudges against his mother. Sister Yu might not be in peace because her son¡¯s hate still hasn¡¯t ended for her,¡± Huan Bi asserted.


    ¡°I will surely talk about it with His Highness,¡± Li Hua said, and then took a sip.


    ¡°Sister Yu used to cry when Prince L¨®ng Wei would be punished and sent to the cold pce. She heard so many taunts from everyone around her. I truly pitied her situation. Fate yed badly with her. Her own son took her life,¡± Huan Bi said. Li Hua furrowed her brows together, and after a while, she left for her chamber.


    She was troubled by the things that she got to learn about Yu Jun.


    ¡®I decided to kill her to prevent her from a torturous death!¡¯


    She recalled the words of L¨®ng Wei and decided to go to the depths of the truth, which made L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother act cold towards him only in front of him.

 Chapter 341

    341 Against her will


    Qiu Zedong rose to his feet and quickly came down when he heard that an eunuch died. The princes and the ministers also follow the King outside. Huang Xi was holding his stomach as he got injured when Eunuch Lishi attacked him.


    Hei Chengxi ran to his son in concern.


    ¡°Can Commander Huang Xi speak at the moment?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. The wound isn¡¯t deep. I can stand it,¡± Huang Xi replied.


    ¡°What happened here?¡± Qiu Zedong questioned him.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Eunuch Lishi is the one who made a n to kill Miss Liu and the Princess Consort. He is the one who forced the man we caught t-to lie and take the Noble Consort¡¯s na-name. I found out in the morning when I found this poison bottle with him, which he was going to give the man before he could speak the truth. When I found out about it, I decided to take Eunuch Lishi here, but he withdrew the sword and tried to k-kill me. In defence, the soldiers came forward and attacked Eunuch Lishi,¡± Huang Xi narrated to the King.


    Qiu Zedong furrowed his brows and ordered that Eunuch Lishi¡¯s body be dumped in the open in a faraway dumpingnd. Xiaoming was devastated to find that. Eunuch Lishi was with him for so many years. He had warned Lishi not to harm Liu Jin Yu, but he didn¡¯t respect his master¡¯smand at all.


    Qiu Zedong told Gao Bing to take Huang Xi to the western pce.


    ¡°General Hei, release Noble Consort Xiuying and tell her that I will see her after the court ends,¡± the King ordered. Hei Chengxi bowed and went to prison to release Xiuying. Qiu Mu also left to see his mother.


    .....


    ¡°Let¡¯s resume the court,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. He was troubled with the thought of why the eunuchs had be the enemies of the royals.


    ¡°Since the current matter is rted to the royal family, it will be solved internally,¡± Qiu Zedong announced, and asked Kang Xi if he looked at the matter of the farmers. The discussions on some important matters rted to the Kingdom for an hour. The ministers headed to their workce in the administration office.


    Mingquan wondered what L¨®ng Wei had done that frightened Eunuch Lishi and made him do that. But whatever he did, the Queen was now under L¨®ng Wei¡¯s control. Mingquan smiled a little, looking at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°We shall leave too. These days, the environment of the Pce isn¡¯t healthy,¡± Zhang Xi said, with a slight fear in his voice.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled to hear him. ¡°There¡¯s a saying. One who gets scared easily, he bes the target of evil,¡± he remarked with a grin on his lips. Zhang Xi told L¨®ng Wei that he was not scared, but worried. He shook his head and left the court hall.


    L¨®ng Wei also took his leave and went to see Huang Xi. He was wearing his upper clothes and, seeing L¨®ng Wei, he stopped.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and closed the doors behind him. Huang Xi wore the robes and told L¨®ng Wei he never lied, but with him after bing his friend, he was saying continuous lies.


    ¡°You lied two times only,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and sat on the broad chair. ¡°Moreover, you had promised me that you would do anything for me for this friendship,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Haha. Finally, the Prince acknowledged me as his friend,¡± Huang Xi scoffed at him and sat on the bed after he dressed up. ¡°Your Highness, lying to the King is considered a treason,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Still you did it. Now, there is no use for whining,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t His Highness have drinks with me tonight? He has finally considered me as his friend. So, he muste. I asked Prince Mingquan many times, but he said it¡¯s tough to please you. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei should have fun with his friend,¡± said Huang Xi.


    ¡°What about Li Hua? I cannot leave her alone,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Her Highness has many servants to take care of her,¡± Huang Xi reminded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust anyone here,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°What about Miss Liu? Prince Mingquan told me that Prince L¨®ng Wei trusts her and even allows the Princess Consort to be around her. His Highness can also ask Princess Ai Fen to stay with Li Hua until you return,¡± he suggested to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Fine. I wille in the evening,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°But I don¡¯t think that your father and mother will allow you to drink wine in this state,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°It¡¯s a minor wound. I had kept in mind that the de would not touch too deeply,¡± Huang Xi exined to him. He thought if he did not be adamant today, then L¨®ng Wei would nevere to his house to drink with him.


    ¡°Hmm. I will bring Chang Shi and Prince Mingquan too.¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him if he had no problem with that. Huang Xi shook his head when they heard the sounding out of the door. The next moment, Hei Chengxi entered in.


    Huang Xi stood up to see his father. L¨®ng Wei also rose to his feet and thanked Hei Chengxi to support him. He bowed at him and this gesture of L¨®ng Wei surprised the General. ¡°Without your help, I would not have achieved what I wanted,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Your son will not be injured the next time. Forgive me for risking his life,¡± he apologized.


    He turned to leave when Hei Chengxi stopped L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, I was the one who brought your mother against her will to the pce. You should not hold any hatred against her anymore. She loved you. That¡¯s why she always wanted to stay away from the pce,¡± Hei Chengxi said.


    Huang Xi looked at his father and furrowed his brows in confusion, while L¨®ng Wei turned to look at Hei Chengxi.


    ¡°What should I do with this information?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. ¡°You are not the one to talk about her with me. Forgive me for my harsh tone,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and walked away.


    ¡°Father, what was that about?¡± Huang Xi asked his father to exin.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know,¡± Hei Chengxi asserted.

 Chapter 342

    342 Be Careful, Wife


    Li Hua fidgeted with her fingers and wondered if she should go to Tianjie¡¯s chamber to deliever him his mother¡¯s message. After a lot of mental confrontation, she walked ahead and told the servant to inform that she hade to see him.


    A minuteter, the maidservant came out and allowed Li Hua to go in.


    Tianjie bowed his head a little as Li Hua gave him the curtsey and he gestured to her to take a seat. Li Hua thanked him and settled on the floor chair across him around the floor table.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange to see that the wife of Brother L¨®ng Wei came to see me,¡± Tianjie said and he squinted his eyes.


    ¡°I am here to deliver a message of the mother of the Third Prince,¡± Li Hua informed him. Tianjie was perplexed to hear her and asked her what was it about.


    ¡°Lady Huan is missing her son. She desires to see the Third Prince. I hope the Third Prince will go and see his mother,¡± Li Hua said in a polite tone. ¡°Thank you for listening,¡± she stood up bowed.


    ¡°Princess Consort Li Hua, this message you can deliver to me through a servant as well. It was not needed for you toe here,¡± he said and gazed at her with a grim look on his face.


    ¡°Since Lady Huan has asked me personally, so I didn¡¯t find it good to send a message through a servant,¡± Li Hua stated. Tianjie hummed and asked her why she met his mother.


    ¡°I encountered her when I went to give prayers to my husband¡¯s mother,¡± Li Hua truthfully replied to him. Tianjie was astonished to find that Li Hua went to Concubine Yu Jun¡¯s chamber. Li Hua took his leave before he could ask anymore questions and took a deep breath as soon as she came out.


    .....


    She was scared of Tianjie for some reason. That man never gave her good vibes. She hastened to the manor thinking L¨®ng Wei would be searching for her. She lifted her long waist skirt a little, and descended the stairs in a hurry. She missed a step and was going to fell when L¨®ng Wei caught her.


    Her hands rested on his shoulders while his hands were on her waist.


    ¡°Be careful, Wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and he picked her up above the ground. Her feetnded on the ground soon as L¨®ng Wei twirled. Li Hua thanked him when he asked her what she was doing in Tianjie¡¯s manor.


    Li Hua told him why she came to see Tianjie.


    ¡°From next time, you don¡¯t need to deliver the messages for someone else. You are not her servant,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and held her hand. His fingersced with hers and they started to walk.


    ¡°What happened in the court?¡± Li Hua asked him.


    ¡°Nothing important. Some political matters are discussed,¡± L¨®ng Wei vaguely replied.


    ¡°Where did you roam? I told you stay in the chamber, but you don¡¯t listen to me.¡± L¨®ng Wei sounded angry.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t roam anywhere except the side where His Majesty¡¯s concubines reside. Then, I came here to inform the Third Prince. His mother is upset because her son hardly visits her,¡± Li Hua told him. ¡°Does the Third Prince¡¯s equation with his mother not good?¡± Li Hua curiously asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°How is that possible? His Highness knows everything,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°s! Your husband does not know about this,¡± he stated and they stopped in the courtyard of their manor. ¡°Are you hiding something from me?¡± His brows furrowed.


    Li Hua immediately shook her head. ¡°What would I hide from His Highness?¡±


    ¡°Tianjie¡¯s mother must have told you about my mother. You should tell me because if I find out, then the consequences will not be good,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Is His Highness threatening me?¡± Li Hua was stunned to see this side of his. ¡°She told me how she misses your mother. If you don¡¯t believe me, then ask Lady Huan,¡± she said with a stern tone and pulled her hand away from his hold. ¡°Don¡¯t follow me.¡± She ran to her room before L¨®ng Wei could catch her and closed the doors after her.


    ¡°What if Lady Huan tell Prince L¨®ng Wei? He would definitely be suspicious of me,¡± she mumbled and turned as the door opened. She red at L¨®ng Wei and then looked away. She went to the chaise and settled on it. She decided to act well, so that L¨®ng Wei would not think much.


    L¨®ng Wei sat next to her. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to threaten you,¡± he said.


    Li Hua kept her gaze away from him.


    ¡°Would you like to go out with me? A matter hase to my notice and I think we should go there to witness it,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°If I will go alone, then we both will miss each other. Moreover, you will explore that vige and feel better,¡± he opined.


    ¡°Is it even possible? I cannot go out of Qinping because His highness wants it. His Majesty¡¯s permission is needed,¡± she stated and finally looked at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a vige almost twenty kilometres away from the capital. We will return within 2-3 days. Of course, my father will let me take you with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei confidently said.


    Li Hua smiled and agreed to apany him. He was right. They both would miss each other.


    ¡°Why does Prince L¨®ng Wei want to go there?¡± She asked.


    ¡°To solve an important matter,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°I will exin about itter,¡± he added.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t ask anymore questions.


    ¡°However, we will go asmoners. We may get harmed if someone finds out our identity,¡± L¨®ng Wei informed her beforehand.


    ¡°That will be fun. Commoners can mingle with each other easily,¡± Li Hua said with a broad smile. ¡°When will we leave?¡±


    ¡°After the Crown Prince¡¯s marriage,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Great.¡± Li Hua was super excited to go out. She would be happy to stay away from the pce¡¯s negativity. She realized she still was far from the truth of the mysterious assassination of her family. She stopped because L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life would be endangered in it. However, she had no idea if L¨®ng Wei stopped to search the truth or not.

 Chapter 343

    343 Is it because of Li Hua?


    Zhu Liling was shocked to find that Eunuch Lishi had died, but she was happy too because she would not be able to save him. She didn¡¯t want to be a puppet of L¨®ng Wei. He would be powerful with her support, which she could never let happen.


    She opened the drawer and took out a sheet. ¡°Bring the ink and brush,¡± Zhu Liling told her personal attendant. She settled on the floor mattress and ced the sheet on the table.


    The Queen had to send a message to her brother toe to the pce and meet her once. She had to find a way to remove L¨®ng Wei from the pce. Her brother was the Western Province General and would soon retire by giving his duties to his son.


    The personal attendant returned with an inkstone and brush in her hand. She put them on one side of the table and ground the ink stick to prepare the ink. Zhu Liling dipped the brush into the ink and started to write on the sheet. She told her brother toe to the Qinping within a week. After the ink was dried, she folded the sheet and put it into the envelope.


    ¡°Give this to the messenger and tell him to give this to my brother, General Ye Yujin,¡± Zhu Liling instructed her personal attendant. She bowed and left the chamber.


    Zhu Liling was going to stand up when angry Xiuying entered and a few maidservants followed her. Zhu Liling was confused to see her and asked her why she entered without asking for permission.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I do not need permission to enter here. Because of your servant, my life came into danger. I felt so humiliated. I was dragged out of my manor. Apologize to me for the wrong your servant did,¡± Xiuying said with a stern tone.


    ¡°How dare the Noble Consort try to speak in this tone with the Queen of the Kingdom? Your Majesty, I will drag her out,¡± the chief maidservant in the Queen¡¯s manor said while ring at Xiuying.


    Xiuying was already in her worst mood when the maidservant raised her anger further. Xiuying lifted her hand and pped the chief maidservant hard. Her gaze was fixed on Zhu Liling as she opened her mouth to speak, ¡°How dare a lowly servant speak in front of me? Stay out of this if you don¡¯t want to be dead today.¡±


    .....


    ¡°You all must leave,¡± Zhu Liling told the servants. Theyplied with the Queen¡¯s order and left the chamber.


    Zhu Liling rose to her feet and said, ¡°Sister Xiu, I didn¡¯t know that Eunuch Lishi would do something like this. I am shocked to know the truth. If your anger is satisfied by my apology, then I apologize.¡±


    Xiuying frowned at her words. She thought the Queen would not apologize to her, but the opposite happened.


    ¡°Anything else you want?¡± Zhu Liling asked. Xiuying shook her head and walked away.


    ¡°I wish L¨®ng Wei had put her in prison for longer,¡± Zhu Liling muttered, and went to the inner chamber.


    ~~~~~~


    Qiu Mu thanked L¨®ng Wei for proving to everyone that his mother was used. You can ask anything of me because you helped me greatly. I will surely fulfil your wish,¡± Qiu Mu affirmed.


    ¡°That was quick, Prince Qiu Mu. I had not expected that you would be willing to help me even if I helped your dear mother to clean her image,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with an amusing smirk on his lips.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, why do you love to irritate me?¡± Qiu Mu asked him. ¡°I have admitted that you are a step ahead of him,¡± he said while putting stress on his words.


    L¨®ng Wei clicked his tongue. ¡°A correction! I am ten steps ahead of you. I do not love to irritate the Second Prince, but I love to show him what I am. He used to mock me off,¡± he said as he recalled those old days.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, forgive me for mocking your capabilities,¡± Qiu Mu apologized and it surprised L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Forgive me for thinking ill of you. I know that my apology will not be epted by you, so I will tell you something important. Tianjie wants to kill your wife. So, be careful,¡± Qiu Mu stated.


    The smile from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s lips disappeared.


    ¡°How do you know?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Because Tianjie hade to me yesterday for help. I refused him and even told him not to do this. He stepped back at thest moment because Liu Jin Yu apanied your wife. However, Tianjie doesn¡¯t like that you try to ckmail us. He thinks Li Hua is your weakness,¡± Qiu Mu exined to him.


    L¨®ng Wei fisted his palms and thanked Qiu Mu to inform him about this.


    ¡°The only thing I expect from you is to respect us elders and not to belittle me,¡± Qiu Mu stated. That was the main factor behind his enmity with L¨®ng Wei, but it was no longer present. He stood up and left, saying to work on his behavior pattern.


    ¡°I will kill Tianjie,¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered under his breath. He was ready to leave when Feng Lao walked in.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked in annoyance.


    Feng Lao first bowed before answering him. ¡°Xu Zifan hase to see his sister, so I apanied him. I thought to see His Highness because I wanted him to help him.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei raised his eyebrows in inquisitiveness.


    ¡°Your Highness, we need to set a trap for the enemy to bring him out. It will be wise if we find him as soon as possible,¡± Feng Lao opined.


    ¡°I do not agree with you. Why are you so desperate? Is it because of Li Hua? Because earlier, when you had enough time to ask your father, you ignored it.¡± L¨®ng Wei was dubious about Feng Lao¡¯s behavior. He was already irked to know that Tianjie tried to harm Li Hua, and now Feng Lao was annoying him.

 Chapter 344

    344 Don¡¯t let me stop caring for you


    ¡°I am doing well, Elder Brother. There¡¯s nothing more to worry about me,¡± Li Hua told Xu Zifan and then asked him if he could help her.


    ¡°Help you in?¡± Xu Zifan was bewildered.


    ¡°I want to contact His Highness¡¯ mother¡¯s brothers,¡± Li Hua told him.


    ¡°Why?¡± Xu Zifan wondered what Li Hua was up to.


    ¡°Elder Brother, I cannot tell you everything at the moment. However, I want you to find out about Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s uncles. I want to meet them.¡± Xu Zifan could not refuse Li Hua¡¯s request and assured her that he would find out about them. However, he asked her to make sure to tell him whatever she was up to.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Li Hua said and asked him if he was taking care of himself.


    Xu Zifan nodded his head. ¡°You look troubled. I hope you are not hiding anything from me,¡± he asserted.


    Li Hua shook her head. ¡°I am not troubled, Elder Brother. I am only a little concerned for my brother. I do not know if he is eating and sleeping well,¡± she said and pouted her lips. ¡°Should I contact a matchmaking agency for my brother?¡± She asked.


    Xu Zifanughed to hear his sister. He refused her and told her that he didn¡¯t want to get married at that age.


    .....


    ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Elder Brother had promised our mother that he would marry after my marriage,¡± Li Hua reminded him. Xu Zifan recalled An Niao, who died an unfortunate death. ¡°Is it because Elder Brother still has feelings for An Niao?¡± She asked.


    Xu Zifan refused. ¡°I am not in a state to fall in love with anyone, Li Hua,¡± he said. The statement was enough for Li Hua to understand everything. Xu Zifan told her that he should leave when Li Hua apanied him outside.


    Li Hua and Xu Zifan got down the stairs and saw L¨®ng Wei and Feng Lao.


    ¡°You are leaving early,¡± L¨®ng Wei said when Xu Zifan greeted him.


    ¡°I was here to see if Li Hua is good,¡± he said and nced at Li Hua. ¡°We will take our leave,¡± he stated and got down the stairs. Feng Lao looked at Li Hua, but she didn¡¯t gaze in his direction. He felt terrible because Li Hua ignored his presence. His hold tightened around the sheath of the sword that he had carried in his left hand.


    L¨®ng Wei stood next to Li Hua and looked at Feng Lao. ¡°Speak,¡± he told Feng Lao, who came out of his thoughts and confusedly looked at him.


    ¡°What do you want to say to Li Hua?¡± L¨®ng Wei rified to Feng Lao. ¡°Nothing?¡± He arched his eyebrows and then told Li Hua that they should walk in when Feng Lao stopped them.


    ¡°I-I want to know if Her Highness is fine,¡± Feng Lao finally said while looking at Li Hua. She also peered at him and hummed.


    ¡°He is way too concerned for you,¡± L¨®ng Wei informed Li Hua. ¡°I don¡¯t like it. Tell him to stop troubling me,¡± he stated.


    Li Hua was bewildered to hear L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words and asked Feng Lao what he said this time to her husband.


    ¡°I-I w-was,¡± Feng Lao was unable to speak and he blinked his eyes a few times.


    ¡°I never knew you are scared of Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked.


    ¡°Your Highness, can I talk with Feng Lao for a few minutes in private? If you allow,¡± Li Hua requested.


    Xu Zifan nced at L¨®ng Wei in amusement thinking about what would he reply.


    ¡°Sure,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and got down the stairs. He hung his arm around Xu Zifan¡¯s shoulder and took him in the other direction, thus giving them a private space.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± Li Hua said and walked ahead. Feng Lao silently walked behind her and his feet came to a halt when they reached the guest chamber. Li Hua settled on the chaise and asked him to take a seat across from her.


    Feng Lao stepped up and sat across her. He had put the sword beside him. Now, they both were facing each other.


    ¡°I admired you for a long time and in my eyes, you were an ideal man. I am thankful to you for saving my life twice. However, I cannot give you anything in return. As much as I admired you, my heart slowly filled with hatred for you, Feng Lao. I am sounding like a selfish woman, but it should not have happened. I know for every man, his family is important, but you were an ideal man. You were supposed to bring the truth out not hide it,¡± Li Hua said everything which was in her mind for a long time. Also, she wanted Feng Lao not to love her anymore.


    ¡°Forgive me, Li Hua. I am regretful about my decision,¡± Feng Lao dropped honorifics because they were alone.


    ¡°What¡¯s the use to regret now? You also lost your family. My Elder Brother and I rte to your pain, that¡¯s why we don¡¯t want to hold any more grudges against you,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°You have matured,¡± Feng Lao said. ¡°Li Hua, I am finding the enemy. I asked His Highness to make a n regarding the same, but he reprimanded me and didn¡¯t agree to it,¡± he informed her.


    ¡°Feng Lao, don¡¯t do anything,¡± Li Hua told him which confounded him. ¡°I love Prince L¨®ng Wei and I do not want anything to happen to him. He is my everything.¡± She gulped and her eyes turned misty.


    ¡°What if he harms you in the future? I cannot let it happen. You are my¡ª¡± Li Hua didn¡¯t let himplete the words and said,


    ¡°Forget me. I am no longer yours, Feng Lao. We both have different destinies to fulfill. I want you to move ahead in your life. This was thest conversation we did privately. I don¡¯t want you to hold any more feelings for me. Move on with your life. I will be happier to see you have your own family than thinking about me,¡± Li Hua affirmed. This was important. She could clearly feel Feng Lao¡¯s strong feelings for her and before they could turn into jealousy, she wanted him to end them.


    ¡°That¡¯s going to be difficult,¡± Feng Lao said with a chuckle and lowered his head.


    ¡°But not impossible, Feng Lao,¡± Li Hua stated. ¡°You have every right to live a happy life and the more you hold onto me, the more difficult it will be for you. I don¡¯t want you to fight for me in the future with my husband. In short, I don¡¯t want you to be dead. I have forgiven you,¡± she proimed.


    Feng Lao was surprised to find the simrities between Li Hua¡¯s and L¨®ng Wei¡¯s thoughts. L¨®ng Wei had also told him simr kinds of words. Also, he was d to find that she forgave him. He understood Li Hua and assured her that he would no longer see her as a woman.


    ¡°However, Li Hua, don¡¯t let me stop caring for you. You are still my best friend¡¯s sister. I am d that you found your happiness and I respect your decision,¡± Feng Lao said and smiled at her.

 Chapter 345

    345 The reason is bigger


    ¡°I thought His Highness is jealous of Feng Lao. I am surprised to find that he allowed them to talk in private,¡± Xu Zifan said and nced at L¨®ng Wei. They both were in the corridor of the courtyard.


    ¡°Feng Lao still loves Li Hua and I want her to talk to him face to face and show him the reality,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Li Hua used to get shy from Feng Lao. Does His Highness think she will talk her heart out? What if they just sit and do not talk with each other?¡± Xu Zifan raised questions.


    ¡°You know nothing about Li Hua. She is no longer a young maiden who will get shy away. She is a mature woman now,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°She stands up for me and even fights with the world for me.¡± He ced his hand on the left of his chest and felt satisfied.


    Xu Zifan smiled to see that L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua¡¯s rtionship had grown stronger.


    They saw Li Hua and Feng Laoing in their direction. L¨®ng Wei wore a wide smile on his lips and Li Hua stood next to him. Feng Lao expressed his gratitude to L¨®ng Wei to let them have a private conversation.


    ¡°I hope it went well,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°It went well,¡± Feng Lao asserted and looked at Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Then you both can leave,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Li Hua walked up to Xu Zifan and hugged him tightly.


    .....


    ¡°Take care,¡± she said. Xu Zifan ced his left arm on her back and caressed it. They pulled away and she waved at Xu Zifan, who left with Feng Lao.


    L¨®ng Wei was leaning against the wooden pir when Li Hua told him that they should go in. L¨®ng Wei held his hand out and drew Li Hua close to him. His fingers brushed her hair back from her left temple. He secured his arm around her waist.


    ¡°Thank you for allowing me to speak to Feng Lao,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Hopefully, he doesn¡¯t hold feelings for you anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°He will not. I clearly told him that I have someone whom I love a lot. So, he should not see me as a woman. I am not the old Li Hua who once admired Feng Lao,¡± Li Hua briefed L¨®ng Wei and rested her hand on the side of his cor.


    ¡°You did good,¡± L¨®ng Wei praised her. His calloused fingers rested under her chin and he lifted it a little before pressing his lips on hers. She kissed him back and pulled away, telling him that someone could see them if entered the manor.


    L¨®ng Wei smirked and scooped his arm around her waist. With one swift motion, he lifted her in his arms and took her to the chamber. He gently put her down on the mattress and kissed her again while his hand was still around her belly. She unhooked the buttons from his upper robe. He withdrew from the kiss for a brief moment to remove his upper robe and shoes. After that, he removed Li Hua¡¯s shoes and again hovered over her.


    Their hearts raced for each other as their lips connected and their bodies pressed against each other. Their fingers inteced with each other. He let go of her lips and showered the butterfly kisses on her neck. His hand expertly hooked in thece on the corbone and untied it. Yanking the dress off her shoulder, he left wet kisses there.


    She moaned when he nipped her soft skin, turning it red. His hands touched her sensually, filling her with the desire to have him. Her hands moved to the back of his head as she pulled him again into a passionate kiss.


    ¡°I love you,¡± Li Hua said as they slowly moved back from the kiss and panted.


    ¡°I love you too,¡± L¨®ng Wei responded and rested his forehead against hers. He kissed the middle of it before lying beside her. The thin silk sheet had already covered them and they both fell asleep in each other¡¯s embrace.


    ~~~~~


    Qiu Zedong and Yuze were in the pavilion. The sun was setting. The King conversed about pce matters with Yuze and asked him what did he think happening in the pce.


    ¡°Your Majesty, not every subject will be loyal to you,¡± Yuze said. ¡°With poweres greed. We are humans and we are bound to be selfish. I think that His Majesty should build awork of spies in the pce and should have regr meetings with them,¡± Yuze suggested to the King.


    Qiu Zedong nodded at him and decided to consult with Hei Chengxi regarding this.


    ¡°Does His Majesty happy to see the change in Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± Yuze asked.


    ¡°Yes, Monk Yuze.¡± Qiu Zedong said with a proud smile. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has proven it finally that he¡¯s my son. The decision of making him marry was the best decision.¡±


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has never loved the way he should be. When his own mother abandoned him, the child started to trouble others, thinking there would be a daye when his mother woulde to him. That¡¯s why he turned a little rebellious and acted childish,¡± Yuze exined to the King, who agreed with him.


    ¡°I wonder if Li Hua found out what I have told her to,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    Yuze knitted his brows and asked the King what he had asked Li Hua to find.


    ¡°Why Prince L¨®ng Wei killed Yu Jun?¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei will not answer it. I have asked him many times and all the time, his answer was: because she didn¡¯t love me, she was supposed to die,¡± Yuze asserted.


    Qiu Zedong shook his head and said, ¡°I think the reason is bigger, Monk Yuze. I still believe that L¨®ng Wei has hidden something from me. Monk Yuze, Li Hua must find the truth for me so that I can reach the depth of the truth,¡± he affirmed with a serious tone.


    ¡°What if the truth was what Prince L¨®ng Wei told all these years?¡± Yuze asked the King.


    Qiu Zedong nced at him. ¡°What did Monk Yuze mean by this?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, Prince L¨®ng Wei loves and respects his father more than anything. He can lie about anything to him, but not about that day. He indeed killed his mother,¡± Yuze stated and told Qiu Zedong not to hold on to that day anymore.


    ¡°I understand, Monk Yuze,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    Monk Yuze stayed with the King for some more time before taking his leave. However, before leaving he thought to see Li Hua once.

 Chapter 346

    346 A Disturbed Child


    In the evening, Li Hua was doing embroidery on silk fabric after L¨®ng Wei left for the Hei residence. She had made a peony pattern on the fabric. She picked a green silk thread for making the leaf pattern when the maidservant came inside.


    ¡°Your Highness, Monk Yuze hase to see you,¡± the maidservant informed her. Li Hua was astonished to find that Yuze was in the manor. She inserted the needle into the fabric and walked out.


    Upon entering the guest chamber, she bowed to him and then sat on the chaise. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has gone outside, Monk Yuze,¡± she informed him.


    ¡°I am not here to see the prince,¡± Yuze stated.


    Li Hua was perplexed and asked him if he would like to have tea. Yuze politely refused.


    ¡°I met with His Majesty earlier,¡± Yuze said. ¡°He is happy to see Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s growth. Before his marriage, he would always be punished and sent to the cold pce. A big change we all got to see in Prince L¨®ng Wei after Princess Consort Li Hua entered his life,¡± Yuze said, keeping a smile on his lips.


    ¡°Monk Yuze has helped in this too,¡± Li Hua stated.


    Yuze shook his head. ¡°It is heaven and destiny, Princess Consort. I was only a medium,¡± he asserted. ¡°I found from His Majesty that he has given you a task to find why Prince L¨®ng Wei killed his mother,¡± he finally said for what he hade to see Li Hua.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Hua replied.


    .....


    ¡°I want the Princess Consort not to tell anything to His Majesty if Prince L¨®ng Wei tells her the reason,¡± Yuze advised her. She was shocked to know that Yuze didn¡¯t want her to tell the truth to the King. Although she had already made up her mind that she would not tell the truth to anyone, Yuze¡¯s sudden request and advice confounded her.


    ¡°May I know why, Monk Yuze?¡± Li Hua was curious to know.


    ¡°Because Prince L¨®ng Wei had not done such a thing without any reason. Let it stay between you both,¡± Yuze suggested to her. Li Hua acknowledged his suggestion.


    ¡°Monk Yuze has told me that day His Highness¡¯ mother was forcefully brought to the pce. That was the reason for her coldness towards her own child which always confused everyone. Does Monk Yuze anything more about His Highness¡¯ mother?¡±


    Last time, Yuze didn¡¯t tell her many things that happened in the past. But hearing her question, Yuze realized that L¨®ng Wei her something rted to his mother¡¯s death.


    ¡°The past wasplicated, Princess Consort. I will you tell some other day about this,¡± Yuze stated and rose to his feet. Li Hua also got up and saw the monk off to the giant doors of the manor.


    She was sure now that Yuze knew something. She had to take out time to meet Yuze alone.


    ¡°Aplicated past,¡± she murmured and went back to her chamber.


    ~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei and Feng Lao silently drank the wine while Huang Xi, Mingquan, and Xu Zifan continued to talk with each other.


    Huang Xi was praising L¨®ng Wei¡¯s intelligence and he seemed to be drunk.


    ¡°It took me,¡± Huang Xi paused and raised his hands to show them eight numbers with that, ¡°eight years to convince Prince L¨®ng Wei to be my friend.¡±


    ¡°It took me more than eighteen years to convince Brother L¨®ng Wei that I am his well-wisher,¡± Mingquan said and brought the cup to his lips. He gulped the wine and wiped his lips from the back of his palm.


    ¡°Why did it take eight years to convince His Highness to be your friend?¡± Feng Lao dropped honorifics as he asked question from Huang Xi.


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Huang Xi said and picked up the jar. ¡°Answer, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± he urged. His cheeks were slightly red and so were his ears.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t in a state to be someone¡¯s friend,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and put the cup on the table. His answer bewildered three of them except Mingquan. He poured the wine into the cups and wondered what L¨®ng Wei would say further.


    ¡°Why wasn¡¯t His Highness in a state to make any friends?¡± Feng Lao asked and nced at him with inquisitiveness.


    L¨®ng Wei picked up the wine cup and looked at the flower pattern that was made on it. All of them curiously waited for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s reply.


    ¡°I was annoyed and upset probably,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and gulped the wine in a single shot. He squeezed his eyes shut and plonked the cup on the table.


    ¡°That¡¯s an excuse,¡± Huang Xi said in a low voice to Feng Lao.


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°I never annoyed His Highness. I was a young kid at that time,¡± Huang Xi stated.


    ¡°I hated people, I think. I hated everyone around me. I wanted everyone to be dead. Is this enough to end your curiosity?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his eyebrow.


    Huang Xi was confused to hear L¨®ng Wei¡¯s answer while Xu Zifan and Feng Lao looked at each other.


    ¡°I wonder why His Highness thinks that way? He must have been going through something bigger,¡± Feng Lao concluded and picked up the wine jar this time. He peered at L¨®ng Wei and then poured the wine into the cup for him.


    ¡°I won¡¯t answer any more questions,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and told them to have fun.


    ¡°Is His Highness already leaving?¡± Huang Xi asked.


    ¡°No. I am going out to have some fresh air. I will be back soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and went out of the room.


    ¡°Did you all see? The Prince walked out before we could ask any more questions,¡± Huang Xiined. He didn¡¯t like every time L¨®ng Wei would ignored this way.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s childhood and teenage years were not like a normal child,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°Inside him, a disturbed child is still present who only wanted one thing: the love from his mother.¡±

 Chapter 347

    347 The Elder Brother of the King


    Huang Xi was saddened to hear the truth from Mingquan. ¡°Why was His Highness¡¯s mother not good to him? I have only heard rumors that she never took care of Prince L¨®ng Wei. Is it true? I never dared to ask the Prince.¡± He looked at Mingquan to exin.


    ¡°Is it true? Is that the reason Prince L¨®ng Wei killed his mother?¡± Feng Lao asked, with a dubious look.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think His Highness can kill his mother. Also, it¡¯s prohibited to talk about that,¡± Huang Xi told Feng Lao.


    Xu Zifan recalled how Li Hua asked him to find out about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s uncles. She was trying to find the truth.


    ¡°What do you say, Your Highness?¡± Feng Lao nced at Mingquan.


    ¡°It will not be good if I share anything rted to Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life. If you are curious, then you should ask him,¡± he advised Feng Lao. He didn¡¯t ask any more questions, but he would love to find out who L¨®ng Wei was in his childhood and teenage days.


    ¡°I saw His Highness once by the riverside. He was crying. I didn¡¯t dare go near him as he mostly ignored me and sometimes, shouted at me. I think, now I understand why he was frustrated. His mother was the reason behind that,¡± Huang Xi said with an upset look.


    Feng Lao always misjudged L¨®ng Wei¡¯s character because of the sin hemitted. He was slowly realizing that he was wrong about L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°A mother cannot do this to a child. The reason must be bigger,¡± Xu Zifan asserted.


    .....


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this topic anymore. If you three are curious, then go to Brother L¨®ng Wei and ask him. As part of the royal family, I am not allowed to speak anything anymore on this matter,¡± Mingquan clearly told them.


    Huang Xi nced at Xu Zifan and asked him if he ever asked his sister.


    ¡°No, I never,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°You should!¡± Huang Xi encouraged him.


    Mingquan smiled and said, ¡°Huang Xi, the Princess Consort will never tell Xu Zifan even if he asks. Brother L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t like to share who he is, and if he opened up with his wife, then I can say confidently that she would never tell anything to her brother.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not discuss Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s anymore,¡± Mingquan said and picked up the wine cup. He sipped it and wondered if L¨®ng Wei told Li Hua the truth about that night.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei was seated on the wooden railing when he heard the footsteps. He tilted his head and saw Hei Chengxi. He bowed at him and then averted his gaze from him.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the Prince be with Huang Xi and others?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I am here to have some air,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied, and found Hei Chengxi settling next to him.


    ¡°I am d that the prince ismunicating and making an amicable rtionship with the people around him,¡± Hei Chengxi stated with a proud smile and looked up at the sky full of stars.


    ¡°General Hei, I have no intention of talking to you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°But I won¡¯t let Prince L¨®ng Wei leave today,¡± Hei Chengxi affirmed, and they both looked at each other, ¡°until I tell him what I¡¯ve wanted to, for many years. He has to listen to me because he promised me if I help him, he would fulfill my wish.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and turned his head away.


    ¡°Lady Yu Jun was not what you thought,¡± Hei Chengxi stated.


    ¡°I do not want to hear about her, General Hei. I do not intend to know what she was. How good she was, and how affectionate she was.¡± L¨®ng Wei stated emphatically. ¡°She was good to everyone around her except me. That¡¯s what I know. So, let¡¯s not talk about her,¡± he stated.


    Hei Chengxi found thatmunication with L¨®ng Wei was still difficult. He was still stubborn and also ignorant towards his mother.


    ¡°Your words will hurt Lady Yu,¡± Hei Chengxi said.


    ¡°I want this. If she can see me, and she¡¯s around me, I want her to see how much I despise her.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s grip on the railing tightened.


    ¡°Hate her as much as you want after knowing this,¡± Hei Chengxi stated. ¡°She was forced to be the King¡¯s concubine. I brought her to the pce on your father¡¯s order. She loved a man who was the elder brother of your father and the former King,¡± he told L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei red at Hei Chengxi and asked him why he was so desperate to tell him about the past when he had no interest. He stood up with a frustrated and irked expression on his face.


    He was ready to leave when Hei Chengxi said, ¡°Because she wanted to save you, that¡¯s why she was cold to you.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t say anything and walked away.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t he understand what his mother went through?¡± Hei Chengxi muttered.


    L¨®ng Wei walked out of the residence and looked at the guard. He barked at him and asked him where his horse was. The guard trembled in fear and told him that he would bring the horse within a minute.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you if you don¡¯t,¡± L¨®ng Wei shouted at him. Within a minute, his horse was brought there. He hopped on it and disappeared in that. However, he didn¡¯t go to the pce but in a direction opposite the pce.


    The guard had put his hand on his chest to heave a sigh when a speeding horse ran past him. He found Hei Chengxi had gone after the Prince and he wondered what was happening.


    L¨®ng Wei elerated the horse to full gallop. He was shocked to find that his father was the King¡¯s elder brother.


    No!


    The General lied. L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t ready to believe that his real father was Qiu Zedong¡¯s elder brother. He didn¡¯t want to think about it, but things were getting clearer to him. He realized why his mother wanted him to die, and this truth in itself gave him excruciating pain.

 Chapter 348

    348 Your father is alive


    Hei Chengxi soon caught up with L¨®ng Wei, who had stopped after an hour. They were on the outskirts of the capital and were far from the pce.


    ¡°I will escort you back to the pce, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Hei Chengxi said.


    ¡°Is it true?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired. ¡°Did she really love the King¡¯s Elder Brother? How did you know about this?¡± He red at him and demanded answers from him.


    Hei Chengxi revealed the truth to L¨®ng Wei, and said, ¡°I also know that you are not the King¡¯s son.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei tightened his grip on the horse¡¯s reins. He frowned and scrunched his nose. Frustrated, he hopped off the horse and started to walk. Hei Chengxi also got down from the horse and walked after L¨®ng Wei. It was dark around.


    Fortunately, the moonlight was present, so the route was visible.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, don¡¯t go ahead anymore. It will be dangerous if we walk on this route,¡± Hei Chengxi advised L¨®ng Wei when he finally stopped. He took out the dagger from inside his waistband and told Hei Chengxi that he must die too.


    They both halted, and L¨®ng Wei turned to look at him. ¡°Do you know, General, what I hate the most?¡± He asked and looked at the dagger¡¯s de. When Hei Chengxi didn¡¯t answer, L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°People who act as my well-wishers. Since you know my darkest truth, then I must kill you too.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei took a step towards him, but Hei Chengxi didn¡¯t move an inch. He remained glued to his ce. ¡°Then kill me. If you think your secret can be revealed to the world, then you should kill me,¡± Hei Chengxi said. L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes in suspicion when Hei Chengxi grasped his hand and brought it to his neck.


    .....


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, kill me if you think it will solve your problem and you will live in peace,¡± Hei Chengxi pronounced. ¡°But before you take my life, I would like to tell you another hidden truth. Your father is alive, so find him if you want to live happily,¡± he proimed.


    ¡°It seems you want to betray my father, the current King,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Hei Chengxi realized that L¨®ng Wei was unaffected by the truth that his father was alive or he was acting to be unaffected.


    L¨®ng Wei loosened his grip on the hilt of the dagger and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to fall into Li Hua¡¯s eyes. So I spare you. This is the first andst time we talked. I don¡¯t care who she loved. I do not want to know why you told me all this. I am the King¡¯s Son, and that¡¯s the truth. Next time you try to speak to me, I may not spare your life, General Hei.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei let go of the dagger and took a step back. He walked past Hei Chengxi when he said, ¡°L¨®ng Wei, don¡¯t be ignorant anymore. The King will kill you if this truthes out. Before that, you need to search for your-¡± he could notplete his words as L¨®ng Wei interrupted him in the middle.


    ¡°Shut your mouth, Hei Chengxi!¡± L¨®ng Wei shouted at him. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything else. Do you even have any idea what my mother did to me? I lived in nightmares because of her. And you want me to go back to the past to search for answers. Don¡¯t step into my life when you do not even know about it. You have a family to feed, so better take care of them instead of poking your nose in my matter.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s anger burst. He had enough of that. Yu Jun had messed up his life even after her death. He could not tolerate this.


    ¡°If she had not hidden her love for me, then I might have thought of doing something. But she did nothing for me. So, I will do the same. Let me live, Hei Chengxi,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced, and he hopped on his horse again. He left for the pce while Hei Chengxi went to his residence.


    The gatekeepers at the pce were terrified to see the infuriating expressions on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face when he asked them to take the horse away.


    As soon as L¨®ng Wei reached the manor, in Li Hua¡¯s chamber, he hugged her tightly. Li Hua was astonished by his gesture as Ai Fen and Liu Jin Yu were present in the chamber too.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± she whispered in a low voice. L¨®ng Wei pulled her closer and closed his eyes. Ai Fen looked at Liu Jin Yu, and they both silently left the chamber.


    ¡°I-I am u-unable to breathe,¡± Li Hua said when L¨®ng Wei pulled away. Li Hua took a deep breath and peered into his eyes in bewilderment. She could smell the faint smell of wine from him. Was he not sober? His eyes looked sad to her, as if they wanted to cry.


    Li Hua held his hand and took him to the inner chamber. She made him sit on the mattress and then handed him a ss of water. L¨®ng Wei drank the water, andter, Li Hua took the ss from him.


    She found L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes were lost somewhere when he drew her close by holding her wrist. He rested his head on her belly and said, ¡°Li Hua, I don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    Li Hua was stunned to hear that statement. She immediately cupped L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face and asked him if something happened. For a moment, her soul had left her body just to hear his words.


    ¡°Hei Chengxi knows about my past. He knows everything and I fear that I will be dead because of this,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t expect General Hei Chengxi to know the truth about L¨®ng Wei.


    She sat next to L¨®ng Wei and asked him to tell her everything. She held his hands in hers and caressed them. This was the first time she saw L¨®ng Wei in fear, and it upset her.

 Chapter 349

    349 L¨®ng Wei¡¯s messed up childhood [Bonus chapter]


    After knowing what General Hei told L¨®ng Wei, Li Hua pondered why Hei Chengxi didn¡¯t tell the King about this truth.¡±Your Highness, why did you threaten General Hei with his life? He doesn¡¯t want your wrong,¡± Li Hua said while knitting her brows.


    ¡°I do not know. My mind is nk at the moment,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and lowered his eyes.


    ¡°You will not die. Don¡¯t let this thoughte to you,¡± Li Hua said and continued to caress his hands.


    ¡°What if someone else also knows about it? What if that person uses it against me? What if Hei Chengxi pretended to be my well-wisher, andter betray me? Li Hua, if my father found out about the truth of my birth, he will not spare me. More than me, I am also scared about you. Your life is also associated with me. This is my only fear. My past hasn¡¯t left me. I thought with her death, it would end. However, I was wrong,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and furrowed his brows together.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, look into my eyes,¡± Li Hua urged. He did what she told him to and peered into her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the past and solve it. General Hei would not have told you to search for your real father if it wasn¡¯t important. Also, your mother would not have told General Hei the truth if she didn¡¯t trust him. Please trust my judgment. I think we need to find what the truth was,¡± Li Hua said in a humble tone and made him understand why it was important to know the truth.


    ¡°Li Hua, I don¡¯t want prophecy to be true. Yuze told me that I will acquire the throne someday, but I don¡¯t want that to happen. You don¡¯t understand all this. For the throne, a bloodbath happens and I don¡¯t want to get involved in that. If by any chance, the King fought out, everything would end. That¡¯s why I do not want to look into the past,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to Li Hua. She didn¡¯t agree with him. But because he was troubled by this revtion of the truth, she didn¡¯t say anything to him.


    Instead, she thought to meet Hei Chengxi and found out the truth herself. In her eyes, the King was the reason for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s messed up childhood. She recalled how desperate the King was to know the truth. Yuze had also advised her not to tell the King about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s truth. Something big was hidden which must be found out.


    She told L¨®ng Wei if he did dinner. He shook his head and told her he would like to sleep. Li Hua hummed and helped him get some sleep. When he drifted off to sleep after thirty minutes, she got out of bed and covered him well with the nket. She blew off some of the candles in the room and went to the outside chamber.


    ~~~~~~


    .....


    The next day, after L¨®ng Wei went to the administrative office, Li Hua found a way to meet Hei Chengxi. She asked Huang Xi to help her meet his father.


    ¡°May I know why Princess Consort wants to meet my father?¡± Huang Xi asked.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi, I will tell youter. But please arrange my private meeting with your father. I will be grateful to you,¡± Li Hua said and bowed.


    ¡°Please do not bow before me, Princess Consort. I will surely help you. But I am unable to understand what should I tell my father to meet the Princess Consort,¡± Huang Xi stated.


    ¡°Tell General Hei that it is rted to Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua said. Huang Xi was bewildered to hear her, but he didn¡¯t ask any more questions. He told Li Hua that he would return soon to inform her about his father¡¯s decision. Li Hua hummed and watched him going out of the chamber.


    After twenty minutes, Huang Xi came to see Li Hua and told her what his father said.


    ¡°Father wants the Princess Consort to go to Xu Zifan¡¯s residence. That¡¯s the only ce where you both can talk in peace. Father said that in the pce, the servants would see himing here and may inform their respective masters,¡± Huang Xi delivered the message to his father.


    ¡°But what if Her Majesty does not permit me to leave the pce? After the incident from two days ago, it¡¯s difficult for me to step out,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Her Highness can tell them that Huang Xi will escort her,¡± Huang Xi suggested to her.


    Li Hua thought for some time and went to meet the Queen. Surprisingly, the Queen allowed her to go out. Huang Xi apanied Li Hua with a small trope of soldiers. Li Hua arrived safely at her brother¡¯s residence.


    Feng Lao was present in the house and he was astonished to see Li Hua. He bowed at her and informed her that Xu Zifan was outside.


    ¡°When will he arrive?¡± Li Hua asked him.


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Feng Lao answered and asked her why she came out of the pce without giving a prior message. Huang Xi told him that it was urgent.


    ¡°Urgent? What happened? Is everything good?¡± Feng Lao asked worriedly as he nced at Li Hua.


    ¡°Feng Lao, currently, I cannot answer you. However, I can assure you that nothing wrong happened. I want to converse with General Hei on an important matter. Promise me that you won¡¯t tell this to Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua said.


    Feng Lao was confused by herst statement. What she was up to that L¨®ng Wei must not know. He was curious, but Li Hua told him that she would not tell him, so he didn¡¯t ask for further exnation.


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell His Highness,¡± Feng Lao promised her.


    Huang Xi told Li Hua that his father would soon arrive. He walked out of the guest room with Feng Lao to see his father. Li Hua fiddled with her fingers. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, forgive me for looking into your past. But it is important to end this fear of yours,¡± Li Hua mumbled and waited for Hei Chengxi.


    ~~~~~~


    A very Happy Birthday ¡®riemc¡¯. I wish a great day for you today and a splendid year ahead. This chapter is a small present to you and dedicated to you.

 Chapter 350

    350 The previous King, Qiu Qizhen


    Li Hua and Hei Chengxi sat across from each other. She thanked him first for agreeing to meet her and also taking some time out.


    ¡°I must thank the Princess Consort for seeing me,¡± Hei Chengxi stated. ¡°Xu Guang Li will be proud of his daughter. It is unbelievable to see the little girl who always remained within the inner walls of her house, has be such a brave woman today,¡± Hei Chengxi said.


    ¡°Circumstances make one stronger. Then, Prince L¨®ng Wei helped me transform my character,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°I wish he were alive to see me,¡± she said.


    ¡°General Hei,st night Prince L¨®ng Wei told me everything. I was surprised to find that General Hei knew everything. Please forgive Prince L¨®ng for his harsh behavior towards you. His mother was the reason for this side of Prince L¨®ng Wei.¡± Li Hua bowed her head a little to apologize and then continued, ¡°I want to find out why thete mother of Prince L¨®ng Wei did that. However, before that, I want General Hei to tell me how he knows all this.¡±


    Hei Chengxi nodded at her. ¡°I am d that the Princess Consort wants to unveil the truth. Sure, I will tell the Princess Consort,¡± he asserted. ¡°But before I start, I want to warn the Princess Consort. She may put herself in danger while searching for the truth. Is she willing to do that?¡± He waited for her answers.


    ¡°If I had feared danger, I would not havee to General Hei,¡± Li Hua replied. Her answer was clear. She was ready to face everything if she could reach the truth and end L¨®ng Wei¡¯s biggest worry.


    ¡°The present King overthrew the previous King, Qiu Qizhen. I served Qiu Qizhen for three years and had a long friendship with him. However, he was too good to fight with others. Under his rule, the kingdom was at peace. We hardly had wars. However, his younger brother never liked the way Qiu Qizhen ruled. He rebelled against him many times, and slowly he gathered the support of the people around him.¡±


    Hei Chengxi recalled how it all started when he was newly appointed to the army as a general. He was only 17, but he was an expert in warfare. The current king was twenty years old at the time, and he had already started rebelling against his elder brother, Qiu Qizhen.


    ¡°Qiu Qizhen fell for Lady Yu Jun. However, it was a secret. Lady Yu¡¯s family wasn¡¯t a powerful family. He was afraid if he married Lady Yu, she might lose her life. So, he kept it a secret for a while. Then, the deadly night appeared when his younger brother killed all the loyalists of Qiu Qizhen. The entire pce ground was covered with the bodies of the servants, the subjects who once served Qiu Qizhen. His younger brother dered himself King and also killed the youngest two princes. This history is known to many, but isn¡¯t spoken much.¡±


    .....


    Hei Chengxi narrated the event from the past to Li Hua. How Qiu Zedong got his hands on the throne and how he killed the innocents.


    ¡°How did General Hei manage to survive?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°I surrendered before the King and told him about Qiu Qizhen¡¯s location. Qiu Qizhen has ordered this for me. I know I made a mistake. Because I was loyal to him, I followed hismand. I did not know why Qizhen asked me to do that, but I know now. It was to protect Lady Yu Jun,¡± Hei Chengxi said, and furrowed his brows together.


    Li Hua confusedly nced at Hei Chengxi. ¡°Did the King know that his elder brother loved Lady Yu?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I think so. I think Qiu Qizhen ended that suspicion from His Majesty¡¯s mind,¡± Hei Chengxi stated. ¡°I am not sure what exactly happened between the two brothers. But when His Majesty returned, his first order to me was to bring Lady Yu to the pce. He forced her to be his concubine.¡±


    Li Hua realized that L¨®ng Wei¡¯s past wasplex. However, she was unable to understand why Yu Jun told him to die, so she asked about it from Hei Chengxi.


    ¡°Lady Yu feared that the King would find out someday that L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t his child. She thought if L¨®ng Wei would run away from the pce, then he would live in peace. Also, after Monk Yuze¡¯s prophecy, she was terrified,¡± Hei Chengxi exined to her.


    ¡°General Hei, what if the King knows about it?¡± Li Hua raised a suspicion. ¡°What if Lady Yu did what the King told her to do? The only thing that the King doesn¡¯t know is that Prince L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t his child. Maybe the King wants to confirm it. His Majesty, on the other hand, is desperate to learn why Prince L¨®ng Wei murdered his mother. He allowed me to marry the Prince if I brought the truth to him in a month. But he doesn¡¯t want that anymore,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that His Majesty would ever do that. Lady Yu would have told me everything,¡± Hei Chengxi stated.


    ¡°Did she tell you that she would ask Prince L¨®ng Wei to kill her?¡± Li Hua asked a question whose answer he didn¡¯t know. He was surprised that L¨®ng Wei killed Yu Jun that night.


    ¡°Can Princess Consort borate me what happened that night?¡± Hei Chengxi asked him.


    ¡°His Highness didn¡¯t tell me about that night. He only told me that his mother asked him to kill her. She didn¡¯t tell him who was his father. Prince L¨®ng Wei thought it would be better to kill her and be sinful for killing his own mother. He didn¡¯t want a tortuous death for her,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°General Hei, why do you think that Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s father is alive?¡± She asked.


    ¡°His body isn¡¯t recovered. I had gone to the ce where Qiu Qizhen and the King fought with each other. I didn¡¯t find Qizhen. So, I still think he¡¯s alive,¡± Hei Chengxi proimed.


    ¡°Perhaps, the King has already gotten rid of it,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I highly doubt it because the King wanted to drag Qiu Qizhen¡¯s corpse to the capital and tell everyone what would happen if someone disobeyed him,¡± Hei Chengxi affirmed. Li Hua hummed. She had found out about so many events at once that it was tough to understand how and where to start. The mostplex matter to understand was why Yu Jun didn¡¯t tell the truth to L¨®ng Wei and loved him as every mother did.


    ¡°Princess Consort shall ask Prince L¨®ng Wei first about that night. Once that is revealed, then she can decide what she wants to do,¡± Hei Chengxi asserted.


    ¡°I will try, General Hei,¡± Li Hua said, and thanked him for telling her the past.

 Chapter 351

    351 My Trap


    Hei Chengxi was ready to take his leave when Li Hua asked him thest question. ¡°Does Monk Yuze know about this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Monk Yuze arrived in Qinping the year the current King took over the throne,¡± Hei Chengxi replied.


    Li Hua nodded and thanked him again for giving her the answers.


    ¡°Princess Consort, if you want any kind of help please ask Huang Xi. He will inform me about it. I will always be present to give you my assistance. I hope that Princess Consort makes Prince L¨®ng Wei agree to it. He never talked to me and I never got the chance to speak to him. It is important for him to find the truth,¡± Hei Chengxi said once again before leaving.


    Li Hua pondered over thest statement of Hei Chengxi. She wondered how she would make L¨®ng Wei understand. He didn¡¯t care what happened in his past.


    Huang Xi and Feng Lao walked in. They found Li Hua in some deep thought and exchanged nces with each other. Huang Xi cleared his throat when Li Hua came out of her thoughts and looked at him.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi, please don¡¯t tell Prince L¨®ng Wei that I met your father,¡± Li Hua requested. He didn¡¯t question her andplied with hermand. Feng Lao was concerned for Li Hua once again. He had no idea what she was up to.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has enough resources to find that his wife met General Hei today,¡± Feng Lao reminded her. Li Hua peered at him when Huang Xi told him that his father kept in mind that no one would see him.


    ¡°Do you think Prince L¨®ng Wei will not find out about it? Li Hua, don¡¯t hide anything from him,¡± Feng Lao suggested to her. Huang Xi was stunned to hear him and scolded him for taking out Li Hua¡¯s name.


    .....


    ¡°That was a slip of the tongue. Forgive me,¡± Feng Lao said, and walked out of the room.


    ¡°What is wrong with his behavior?¡± Huang Xi mumbled and turned to look at Li Hua. He knew that it was rted to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s past, but he didn¡¯t feel right to ask her. Instead, he thought that he would ask his father.


    Li Hua waited for her brother to return, as she had to ask him if he had found out about Yu Jun¡¯s family. Feng Lao returned with a servant and served them water. He asked Huang Xi to take the seat. He drank two sses of full of water.


    Feng Lao asked Li Hua if she would like to eat some sweets. She refused and asked him if her brother took care of himself.


    ¡°He does,¡± Feng Lao replied. He didn¡¯t want to know how Xu Zifan would remain awake till early morning. The same was happening to him.


    ¡°What about you? Do you take care of yourself?¡± Li Hua asked him.


    Huang Xi looked at both of them in astonishment.


    Feng Lao nodded at her. ¡°I do take care of myself,¡± he stated.


    ¡°You are still bad at lying and so is my elder brother,¡± Li Hua dered, and put the ss on the drawer beside the chaise. ¡°I never said anything earlier because I tend to ignore that. However, the time has changed. It¡¯s written on both of your faces how much you both are hurt. I even asked my brother to let me search for a woman for him through matchmaking. But he refused. You should tell me if he told you what¡¯s in his heart,¡± Li Hua requested him.


    Feng Lao was astonished to see that side of Li Hua. She had matured a lot.


    ¡°Xu Zifan doesn¡¯t want his sister to worry about him. But I will tell him today that his sister already knows about his lies,¡± Feng Lao affirmed.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei red at Gu Hai and interrogated him about why he supported andlord who was supposed to be punished. He nced at Zhai Liang and asked him if he had asked Yang Luo toe.


    ¡°I have delivered the message from the Governor to the chief royal inspector,¡± Zhai Liang informed him.


    Gu Hai knelt and begged L¨®ng Wei to forgive him for thest time.


    ¡°There is no use of begging me,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him, and saw how Gu Hai was shedding fake crocodile tears. He chuckled and asked him to shut his mouth. When he didn¡¯t, L¨®ng Wei directed a dagger at him and it struck right before his right hand, which was on the floor.


    Zhai Liang gulped to see that, while Gu Hai¡¯s breathing stopped for a brief moment.


    ¡°Speak another word and I will make your mouth shut forever.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s threatening words made Gu Hai shiver in fear, and he tightly shut his mouth.


    ¡°Pick that,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Zhai Liang, who obeyed his order. He handed it back to L¨®ng Wei and then returned to his ce.


    Yang Luo, the seniormost chief inspector of Qinping, arrived and bowed before L¨®ng Wei. He nced at Gu Hai and then lifted his head.


    ¡°This man informed me that Yang Luo was the one who asked him to take theint back to thendlord. Is it true?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lie, Governor L¨®ng,¡± Yang Luo answered.


    Gu Hai widened his eyes in shock and told L¨®ng Wei that he was not lying. ¡°Please believe my words,¡± he urged L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Governor L¨®ng, there is no evidence of my involvement in this. However, I have enough evidence to show that Gu Hai destroyed many of the evidence while helping Landlord Mu. Both Gu Hai and Landlord Mu were involved in many illegal activities,¡± Yang Luo affirmed and tilted his head to look at the rank 2 royal inspector who had apanied him.


    He stepped forward to show the real evidence to L¨®ng Wei when he asked him to stop.


    ¡°Kill them,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Yang Luo, who bowed and he took out his sword, ¡°when I find the evidence against them is correct. Tell them, throw them in the general prison house. Make sure no one of them dies because I will take your life if anything happened to any of them.¡±


    Yang Luo had not expected this from L¨®ng Wei. He nced at the junior inspector, who dragged Gu Hai out.


    ¡°Bring the history of Yang Luo,¡± L¨®ng Wei ordered Zhai Liang. ¡°Don¡¯t get caught while gathering information,¡± he advised Zhai Liang, who bowed and left.


    ¡°Tianjie is involved in the same illegal work. Once I find out the truth behind it, then I¡¯ll throw my trap,¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered, and leaned back on the chair.

 Chapter 352

    352 Let¡¯s Begin


    Xu Zifan arrived at the residence before noon. When he found the pnquin outside the residence, he rushed in to see Li Hua.


    Instead of being happy, Xu Zifan was worried.


    ¡°Why did youe out of the pce without informing me?¡± He questioned her.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi has apanied me, Elder Brother. Also, I had important work,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°What kind of important work did you have outside the pce?¡± Xu Zifan squinted his eyes in inquisitiveness.


    ¡°I wanted to meet General Hei and have a conversation with him in private. It was impossible to do that in the pce, so I had to rush here,¡± Li Hua briefed him. Feng Lao told Zifan that he would exin himter the rest of the matter.


    ¡°Could Commander Huang Xi and Feng Lao please give us some privacy?¡± Li Hua urged them. They left, and Huang Xi closed the doors behind them.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? It seems you are up to something behind the Prince¡¯s back,¡± Xu Zifan asserted. ¡°Why did you meet General Hei here?¡± He queried his sister.


    ¡°I have an important matter to discuss with him about Prince L¨®ng Wei. Forgive me because I cannot tell anything to my brother for a while,¡± Li Hua stated.


    .....


    ¡°I understand,¡± Xu Zifan answered. Li Hua poured a ss of water for her brother. He thanked her and drank the water. cing the ss on the table, he continued, ¡°I found out about Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s two uncles. They live far from this city, and it takes almost two hours in the carriage. They work in the capital though.¡±


    Xu Zifan took a deep breath. He had seen how the people around them were not friendly towards them. They would talk about L¨®ng Wei behind their backs and, more than that, they would talk about his mother.


    ¡°Li Hua, Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother, was a forced concubine. Am I right?¡± He asked and waited for her response. She nodded at him and asked him how he knew that.


    ¡°I heard from the neighbors. By any chance, are you looking for Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s past?¡± He frowned at her because this was something he didn¡¯t want her to look into.


    ¡°Yes, Elder Brother. I need to find a lot of things to make His Highness¡¯ present stress-free and secure,¡± Li Hua stated.


    Xu Zifan advised her that it might be dangerous. ¡°The King will punish you if he finds out about this,¡± Xu Zifan opined.


    ¡°That will not happen. Elder Brother, please trust me. I have to do this for my husband. He did a lot for both of us, especially for me. As a wife, it¡¯s my duty to free him from the burden of his past. I need your support on this. Please do not discuss it with Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua after giving him a brief exination, made a request too.


    ¡°I agree with you. Prince L¨®ng Wei did so much for both of us. Even if I had to take thousands of births, I would be unable to pay off his beneficence on us,¡± Xu Zifan asserted. ¡°I will help you, but you need to tell me everything. I need no secrets between us. It is for your safety,¡± he added.


    ¡°Elder Brother, I want to know the truth about why Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother was cold to him. I want to find the answers so that the title of the sinned prince can be removed from him. This is the only thing I can tell my brother because Prince L¨®ng Wei has trusted me with what he told me about his past,¡± Li Hua affirmed. Xu Zifan found out that his sister was no longer the one who would say everything to him, but a woman who had promised her husband not to reveal the secrets from his past.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°How is your training going? Do you want to have a sword fight with your brother?¡± He asked with a tiny smile on his lips.


    Li Hua was astonished to hear that. Her brother never asked her to have a sword fight with him. However, she had never picked up a sword before except that day.


    That day!


    She was terrified of seeing the blood, and she knew she had to ovee it. This was the perfect chance for her. Her brother was a great swordsman, and he would teach her in a better way. She readily epted her brother¡¯s challenge.


    Xu Zifan stood up and asked her to follow him. His sister needed training. Earlier, his views were different. He wanted to protect her from any outside evil force. But he could no longer do that. Huang Xi and Feng Lao saw them stepping out of the room. However, they found they were heading to Xu Zifan¡¯s room.


    ¡°Did their conversation still not end?¡± Huang Xi murmured.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check,¡± Feng Lao said, and they also followed them.


    Xu Zifan handed a sword to Li Hua, which was not heavier than the one L¨®ng Wei had. She asked the reason for it. ¡°A lighter one will be better on the first try,¡± Xu Zifan suggested. Li Hua hummed and found her brother looked confident.


    As they came out, Feng Lao and Huang Xi saw the sword in their hands. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± He promptly asked.


    ¡°Nothing, but a friendly match,¡± Li Hua answered.


    Huang Xi was amused and wanted to find out who would win. He didn¡¯t want to say it, but in his opinion, Xu Zifan would not be good with his left hand. Xu Zifan and Li Hua stood opposite each other. She was stunned to see that her brother unsheathed the sword with a single hand.


    She found it difficult to unsheath the sword when Feng Lao stepped up to help her.


    ¡°Let her do it,¡± Xu Zifan told Feng Lao.


    Li Hua managed to unsheathe the sword and wondered why it took her so long. She held the sword tightly at its hilt and wondered what she should do.


    ¡°Attack,¡± Xu Zifan told her.


    Li Hua pursed her lips together and attacked him. He defended her attack easily and pushed her away. Li Hua somehow bnced herself when Xu Zifan pointed a sword at her. ¡°You are dead, Little Sister,¡± Xu Zifan said, and smiled at her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin,¡± he said and this time he attacked her.

 Chapter 353

    353 Top-tier nobles


    Xiaoming thanked the royal jeweler for exining about the jade pendant to him. He decided to tell Liu Jin Yu about this and asked Sun Fuguo if Liu Jin Yu was free.


    ¡°It is lunch time. Miss Liu will be free, Your Royal Highness,¡± Sun Fuguo informed him.


    Xiaoming stood up and left to see Liu Jin Yu. As he arrived in her chamber, he found her practicing the walk. She had kept several books above her head. She stood next to the pir and observed her.


    Liu Jin Yu had her hands on the top of her belly and held her neck high like a crane. She walked straight while keeping a tiny smile on her lips. She stopped as she reached the other end of the room and then turned. Her eyes fell on Xiaoming, and she thought she would walk to him like a royaldy.


    She halted before him, took off the books from above her head, and then bent on her knees. She gracefully lowered her eyes and greeted Xiaoming. ¡°Good afternoon, Your Royal Highness,¡± she said as she stood up straight and looked him in the eyes.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming responded.


    Liu Jin Yu motioned her right hand to the chaise and asked him to take a seat. Xiaoming nodded and stepped forward. He took her hand in his and took her to the chaise.


    Jin Yu nced at him as he made her sit on the chaise and then took the books from her hand. He put them on the tiny circr table beside the chaise and then sat next to her.


    ¡°Did I look like a royaldy while walking?¡± Jin Yu wanted a feedback from him. ¡°I heard from Lady Hong that on our wedding day, I have to walk in front of thousands of subjects and servants in the grand pce ground. Every eye will be on me as I take step towards you. I don¡¯t want anyone to gossip behind my back and say that I am not suitable to be your wife,¡± she exined the reason behind her intense practice.


    .....


    ¡°Hmm. It was perfect. You are indeed a fast learner,¡± Xiaoming said, and patted her back. ¡°I am proud of you,¡± he said.


    Liu Jin Yu thanked him and asked him if he knew where Li Hua was. ¡°I didn¡¯t see her for two days, and without her I felt a burden in the practice,¡± she stated. ¡°When she is around, l perform better.¡±


    ¡°I do not know. I don¡¯t have all the information,¡± Xiaoming replied. ¡°Did my sister not visit you?¡± He asked her.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei came yesterday,¡± Jin Yu replied. She didn¡¯t tell him that Jingfei was lost in her own world and even scolded her.


    ¡°I will ask her to visit you again,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Xiaoming cocked his eyebrow.


    ¡°I do not want to disturb Princess Jingfei. Also, she is the Princess and I get ufortable talking to her,¡± Liu Jin Yu stated.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Xiaoming understood that his sister said something to Liu Jin Yu, which she didn¡¯t want to say. ¡°I have found something about the pendant that you gave me,¡± and he took out the jade pendant from his pocket.


    ¡°What did the Crown Prince find out?¡± Liu Jin Yu was desperate to know.


    ¡°It belongs to top-tier nobles in the Kingdom. The cost of this jade is high. Either your father is a rank 1 or a rank 2 official in the Kingdom,¡± Xiaoming stated. ¡°You told me that your father lives in Qinping. So, we will start our search from the capital,¡± he advised her.


    ¡°How many rank 1 and rank 2 officials are in Qinping?¡± Liu Jin Yu asked him.


    ¡°More than five hundred. However, we need to target only a specific. The court ministers, the old age officials we will target,¡± Xiaoming told her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with the court ministers. They are the richest after the royals,¡± Liu Jin Yu suggested to him. Xiaoming agreed with her.


    ¡°Jin Yu, after your father is revealed, what will you do?¡± He knew Jin Yu had a grudge against her father because he had done so much wrong to her mother and her.


    ¡°I will destroy him,¡± Liu Jin Yu affirmed. Her tone clearly showed the angst that was buried deep inside her heart. ¡°I will make him beg like my mother did once for survival. Even if I have to bring danger upon myself, I will do it. He must know what my mother and I underwent because of him.¡±


    Xiaoming pulled her into a hug and told her that he would definitely find him for her.


    ¡°Share with me everything that the Crown Prince will do. It is my fight,¡± Jin Yu stated, and leaned back. ¡°Also, I still want to kill Kang Huijuan. Prince L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t let him get punished,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°I will talk to him regarding this,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. He is stressed these days, so I refrain from going near him,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Will he be angry at the Crown Prince?¡± She questioned. ¡°I am unable to understand Prince L¨®ng Wei sometimes. Li Hua was attacked, but he looked calm. I thought he would kill the alive soldiers too,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t fear anything,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Why did he kill his mother? Did it really happen? Because he seems so mysterious. What if Prince L¨®ng Wei lied to everyone?¡± Liu Jin Yu suddenly got curious.


    ¡°Umm... It is prohibited to talk about that matter. However, you are going to be my wife in a few days, so I will tell you. As a part of royal family, you must know this,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei indeed killed his mother. That night, after killing his mother, he went to the King¡¯s manor. He admitted his crime and even showed the sword with which he had stabbed his mother. Brother L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t remorseful of his act neither he attended his mother¡¯s funeral. Whenever his mother¡¯s death anniversary arrives, he is always absent,¡± Xiaoming briefed her.


    Liu Jin Yu was shocked to learn the truth. ¡°That¡¯s why everyone fears him,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°Hmm. If Brother L¨®ng Wei can kill his mother, then he can kill anyone around him,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°But why did Prince L¨®ng Weimit such a sin?¡± She was still confused.


    ¡°It is said that Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother was not good to him. I still remember two days before his seventh birthday, when he came to the pavilion and destroyed everything there. All the mothers, and their children had gathered except Brother L¨®ng Wei. Then, he came with his eyes full of rage and burning with anger. He openly told his mother that he would kill her one day.¡±


    Liu Jin Yu gulped to learn that.


    ¡°We were all advised to stay away from him. And then, Monk Yuze¡¯s prophecy created a sense of insecurity in me. I developed a hatred for him the day he destroyed the overcoat which his mother had crafted for me. She had gifted me the overcoat on the day of my coronation as the Crown Prince.¡±


    Xiaoming was still hurt by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s that action. That was the moment, he started to make him feel inferior. He was overpowered by his negative thoughts against L¨®ng Wei.

 Chapter 354

    354 To his mercy


    ¡°It must be upsetting for Prince L¨®ng Wei. Perhaps, there was a reason behind all that. Also, I would like to know if the Crown Prince started to hate Prince L¨®ng Wei because on his coronation he destroyed the robe?¡± Liu Jin Yu waited for his answer.


    Xiaoming had told her earlier how he felt insecure around L¨®ng Wei. However, he never let those evil feelingse out.


    ¡°I did start building hatred towards him. It was an important day for me, yet he had to do that,¡± Xiaoming replied. ¡°But now I think about it and see Li Hua with him, I feel he was alone. He was an outcast. I never saw him smile. He never interacted with us. It was strange to see that. I had heard how he would shout at the servants in his service. Sometimes, he would run away. Also, I never saw his mother smile at him. That was probably the chief reason behind such behavior.¡± When he thought about the past, those were the most suitable assumptions he could make.


    ¡°That sounds so upsetting,¡± Liu Jin Yu said. ¡°I asked Li Hua if she was ever scared of her husband. Sheughed at my question first before answering.¡± Xiaoming nced at her in inquisitiveness to learn the answer.


    ¡°She said that people misjudged her husband. Because she¡¯s with him, she knows what Prince L¨®ng Wei is!¡± Liu Jin Yu stated.


    ¡°Indeed, a man shares everything with his woman. That¡¯s why Li Hua knows him better than all of us,¡± he asserted, and asked her if she would keep talking about them only.


    ¡°No,¡± Jin Yu refused.


    ¡°Your wedding outfit wille tomorrow. I think we will marry by the end of this week. Monk Yuze has yet to tell the date,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Really? I am a little nervous. Such a big responsibility I have to carry after bing the Crown Prince¡¯s wife,¡± she stated. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to write properly. I have only learned to write my name,¡± she sighed, as she had limited time to aplish many things.


    .....


    ¡°It will take time to learn characters and then words. You can learn that even after marriage. You know some of the special things which others don¡¯t, which in itself is admirable.¡± Xiaoming cheered her up.


    ¡°Hmm. You are right,¡± Liu Jin Yu said with a wide smile. They looked at each other when Xiaoming leaned close to her to kiss her. He had his hand on the side of her neck and closed his eyes.


    ¡°Your Royal Highne-¡± Court Lady Hong paused as she saw them close.


    Jin Yu pushed Xiaoming away and stood up while he looked on the other side.


    ¡°Pardon this courtdy. I willeter,¡± Court Lady Hong apologized while keeping her head down.


    ¡°Say it,¡± Xiaoming said, with a slight annoyance in his tone.


    ¡°I was asking if I should send the lunch,¡± Court Lady Hong replied.


    ¡°Later,¡± Xiaoming said.


    Court Lady Hong nodded and left the chamber as fast as she could.


    Liu Jin Yu patted her cheeks, which had heated up. She was embarrassed to find that Court Lady Hong saw the two of them close, ready to kiss each other.


    ¡°Eh!¡±


    She was pulled down, and now, she was on Xiaoming¡¯sp. Her arms had secured her firmly. Jin Yu gulped and curled her fingers. She asked him if he was hungry or gettingte. ¡°We conversed a lot and-¡± her words could not bepleted as Xiaoming kissed her. Jin Yu looked shocked for a while before she reciprocated his kisses. Her hands circled around his nape while his hands were around her waist.


    They gasped and withdrew when they ran out of oxygen. They breathed the same air and smiled. Xiaoming kissed the middle of her forehead, and the pad of his thumb stroked her cheek. Jin Yu lifted her eyes to peer at him.


    ¡°That was sudden,¡± Liu Jin Yu said.


    ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s hard to stay away from you. Half of my mind is on you if you aren¡¯t around. But restrictions do not allow me toe to you,¡± Xiaoming said, and brushed the fringes away from the temple of her forehead.


    ¡°After marriage, the restrictions will be uplifted,¡± Jin Yu stated.


    ¡°You are right,¡± he said and kissed her cheek this time. He didn¡¯t stop there and nted soft kisses down her jawline. Jin Yu asked him to stop, but at the same time, she wanted him to continue doing that. She had a conflicted mind.


    Every time his lips touched her skin, shivers would travel down her entire spine. She tightened her hold on the fabric of his robe and surrendered herself to his mercy. When her mind was hit with a sudden thought that she was doing wrong, she pushed him back and covered his mouth with her hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s wrong before the marriage. Let¡¯s get married first,¡± she opined and slowly lowered her hand.


    ¡°Fine. But don¡¯t stop me after the marriage,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± she said, and asked him to let her go.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stay like this,¡± Xiaoming urged, ¡°for a few minutes.¡±


    Jin Yu hummed and asked him if he would always love him the same way.


    ¡°The love only increases with time. However, in a marriage, more than love, it is respect and trust. My respect for you isn¡¯t easy to express in words and my trust in you is vast like an ocean,¡± Xiaoming answered her question. Jin Yu smiled and told him that he used metaphorical context more.


    ¡°Did His Highness ever visit the coast?¡± She suddenly asked him.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°I will take you to the ocean after our marriage. It will be fun to run on the side of the ocean, watching the waves and sunset. It calms you down and ends your worries,¡± Jin Yu proimed. Xiaoming was excited to visit such a ce with her.


    ¡°We will surely go to see the ocean,¡± Xiaoming promised.

 Chapter 355

    355 Deserve that treatment?


    Li Hua was tired after sword fighting for more than an hour with Xu Zifan. She was astonished to find that her brother was good with his left hand too. It was truly remarkable. Huang Xi and Feng Lao praised Xu Zifan for it.


    ¡°Princess Consort wasn¡¯t too bad either. She remained on the ground even after getting defeated every time by her brother,¡± Huang Xi said with a smile.


    ¡°I agree with Huang Xi,¡± Feng Lao said.


    ¡°You have a lot to learn. It is just a beginning, but you¡¯ll improve with time,¡± Xu Zifan told his sister and encouraged her. He walked up to her and asked her to hold his sword. Li Hua immediatelyplied with his request. Xu Zifan took out a handkerchief from inside his pocket and dabbed it against her forehead.


    ¡°You worked hard today. I can see you are going to be a great swordswoman in the future,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°Really?¡± She asked to confirm.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°I think the day I defeat my elder brother, then I will be considered good with swords,¡± she stated. Xu Zifan smiled and told her that he would wait for that day.


    Feng Lao and Huang Xi smiled to see their bonding.


    .....


    ¡°Elder Brother, can I make a request to you?¡± Li Hua asked him.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stay awake for long hours. You have be thin. I can see that. Your eyes looked tired. I will not be able to sleep peacefully if my elder brother does not move on. I know you are guilty of not saving our people, but you did your best,¡± Li Hua told him and hugged him. She wrapped her arms tightly around him.


    Xu Zifan¡¯s eyes filled with tears. He also wanted toe out of that guilt, but he was unable to do that. It was tough for him. The most surprising fact for him was that Li Hua saw through him even though he had kept a happy face before her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to worry about me,¡± Xu Zifan said. ¡°I will take care of myself,¡± he assured her.


    ¡°Elder Brother isn¡¯t lying again, right?¡± She asked as she pulled away and looked into his eyes.


    ¡°I am not,¡± Xu Zifan said, and his lips curled into a smile. Li Hua squinted her eyes and then hummed.


    ¡°I will trust my brother¡¯s words. However, if the next time I find out that he has lied to me again, I will make him marry,¡± Li Hua threatened him.


    Xu Zifan ended upughing at hearing his sister¡¯s words. ¡°I won¡¯t wake up tillte. I will take good care of myself,¡± he promised her and then patted her head. Feng Lao came to them and took the swords from Li Hua.


    ¡°It¡¯s the lunch hour. apologised Princess Consort have lunch here?¡± Feng Lao asked.


    She shook her head and refused. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei must be waiting for me,¡± she stated. ¡°I must return.¡±


    ¡°I will escort the Princess Consort back to the pce,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to do that.¡± They all heard a familiar voice and found L¨®ng Wei there. Li Hua turned to look at him and apologized to him for not telling him in the morning about her visit to her brother.


    The other three bowed their heads to greet the Prince. He approached Li Hua and told her not to apologize to him. He nced at Huang Xi and told him to send a message to him at least if Li Hua asked to go out of the pce.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°We will go back,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he held Li Hua¡¯s hand. They walked out of the residence. However, L¨®ng Wei made her sit on the horse with him.


    Huang Xi also hopped on the horse after instructing the porters to take the vacant pnquin to the pce.


    Li Hua kept her gaze at the front while she started the conversation with L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°You should not havee outside when you got attacked two days ago,¡± L¨®ng Wei worriedly said.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I askedmander Huang Xi to apany me,¡± Li Hua stated, and tilted her head to look at him.


    ¡°You love to argue with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and sighed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t argue,¡± she mumbled, and asked L¨®ng Wei if his work was over.


    ¡°Hmm. I only work till noon. After that, my assistant and other juniors work,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°I look into important matters only,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Oh. What kind of matters did His Highness look into? He never shared it with me.¡± Li Hua was excited to hear about his work.


    ¡°I have to look into the governance and administration of the capital. Whether thews are implemented well or not, then, a report is sent to the King about it. The revenue report is sent every two months. I can even take independently the decision to punish anyone in my territory,¡± he briefed her in the simplest terms.


    ¡°Oh. Prince L¨®ng Wei has a lot of work to do,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Everything is corrupted in the administration. The officials try to outsmart people, and they have to follow the officials because they are powerful. I will bring a revolution in that,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei should not get on the wrong side of the nobles,¡± Li Hua advised him.


    ¡°If I find anyone annoying, I will kill him. Such people only burden others,¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered. Li Hua realized that L¨®ng Wei was not in a good mood. It seemed someone had infuriated him.


    ¡°His Highness cannot kill anyone if he gets annoyed,¡± Li Hua opined.


    ¡°I will,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Li Hua pursed her lips together. They found arge group of soldiers and the secondmander heading to the market. When L¨®ng Wei saw this, he slowed the horse, and everyone behind him came to a halt.


    ¡°Greetings to the Sixth Prince and the Princess Consort,¡± the secondmander said when L¨®ng Wei asked him where they were heading to.


    ¡°His Majesty has given orders to announce the marriage of the Crown Prince,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Is it decided?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°Yes. It is after three days,¡± the secondmander answered.


    Li Hua was happy to learn that.


    ¡°Hmm. Go ahead and make a loud announcement,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and he pulled the reins on the horse. It started moving again.


    Soon, they reached the pce. L¨®ng Wei kept his hands on Li Hua¡¯s waist and put her down. They went ahead, but Li Hua looked behind her to thank Huang Xi.


    They found out the preparation had started already. They could see the servants following the servants. L¨®ng Wei told Li Hua that excitement for the Crown Prince¡¯s marriage was evident on everyone¡¯s face. ¡°Were people this enthusiastic about our marriage?¡± He mumbled.


    Li Hua nced at him. ¡°I think General Hei and his family were enthusiastic. Also, Monk Yuze and His Majesty were excited about our marriage. I should not forget Court Lady Hong and Brother Xiwan,¡± she stated and smiled at him.


    ¡°You are right,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, feeling better to hear her.


    They headed to their manor when Li Hua told him that she would take a bath first. ¡°If His Highness is hungry, then he can eat without me,¡± she opined.


    ¡°I will wait. Till then, I¡¯ll eat some fruits,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her. Li Hua hummed and left with the maidservant to the bathhouse.


    Li Hua returned to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chamber after half an hour. She found him on the patio. Besides him was a bowl with grapes in it. He turned to look and stood up to see Li Hua.


    ¡°His Highness seemed to be in deep thought,¡± Li Hua concluded, who then refused.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have our lunch,¡± he said.


    Li Hua continued to observe L¨®ng Wei while eating. He looked lost to her. Was it because of yesterday¡¯s incident? She wondered. She decided not to say anything in the middle of . He looked lost to her. Was it because of yesterday¡¯s incident? She wondered. She decided not to say anything in the middle of lunch, and they ate silently. After they finished their meals, Li Hua asked him if he would like to tell her why he was so silent.


    L¨®ng Wei fixed his gaze on her. ¡°I hate it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua was perplexed to hear that statement and waited for his exination.


    ¡°Hei Chengxi didn¡¯t tell me the truth for years and suddenly, he spoke it. I just hate everything in my life now. Forgive me, Li Hua, but I think my existence is questionable now. Everything is messy in my life. She messed up with my life without thinking about me for once. I am irked. I¡¯m feeling angsty because of all of this,¡± he finally admitted his mental state.


    ¡°Your Highness, your existence was never questionable. If the King hasn¡¯t forced your mother toe to the pce, you¡¯ve been in a better state of mind. Don¡¯t you think you are ming your mother without knowing the truth?¡± She questioned him.


    ¡°Tell me, did I ever deserve that treatment from her? I wasn¡¯t even born when all that happened. If she was innocent, she shouldn¡¯t have done this to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated with an angst.

 Chapter 356

    356 Will fall in Danger [Bonus chapter]


    Li Hua was once again stunned by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. They were full of pain andints. She pondered if she should tell him what Hei Chengxi told her. Perhaps, he would get curious about why his mother behaved oddly with him.


    ¡°Your Highness, you told me that if there¡¯s someone you trust a lot, it¡¯s me.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei thought about why she was speaking that way,but he agreed with her statement.


    ¡°Then, will His Highness trust me this time and for once think the second way?¡± She arched her eyebrows. ¡°I know your mother has hurt you, but she would be more hurt to act that way every time her son came to her.¡± She slowly forwarded her hand and rested it above L¨®ng Wei¡¯s back palm.


    ¡°More than me, no one can understand my husband. I know that somewhere, Prince L¨®ng Wei also wants to know this. He always says that he hated his mother, but that night he decided to free his mother from the heavy burden she carried for so many years. His Highness truly cared for her till herst breath, despite knowing the fact that he would be hanged to death.¡± Li Hua calmly talked to him. She didn¡¯t want L¨®ng Wei to think that she had failed to rte to him.


    ¡°Did you meet Hei Chengxi?¡± L¨®ng Wei frowned at her and pulled his hand away.


    Li Hua was shocked for a few seconds. She thought to lie to him.


    ¡°Since I trust you, you must not lie to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He had fisted his palms, which Li Hua noticed. She knew he was infuriated. ¡°Why did you meet him?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s gaze turned murderous. It appeared to Li Hua that he would shout at him.


    ¡°Your Highness, I-¡± She couldn¡¯tplete her words as he interrupted her in the middle.


    .....


    ¡°Leave!¡± L¨®ng Wei eximed, taking deep breaths. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get angry at the woman I love. So, better leave,¡± he said, and stood up from his ce. He turned to go to the patio when Li Hua rushed after him. She caught his hand and asked him to stop.


    ¡°His Highness cannot ask me to leave,¡± Li Hua said. She knew it would increase his temper, but she was ready to face it too. After all, he was her husband. If she left now, then she would never be able tomunicate with him. Even if he fought with her or berated her, she would not leave.


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave,¡± Li Hua stated, and she went to his front to face him. Their eyes met. His eyes were still radiating a murderous look, while her eyes were calm and full of care for him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stay near me at the moment. I may hurt you. I don¡¯t want it to happen. So, just leave my sight,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, clutching the fingers of his right hand tightly while pulling his left hand from her grip.


    He almost pulled it away when Li Hua again caught it. ¡°Because we love each other, we can hurt each other as well. Hurt me if you want to. But don¡¯t ask me to leave,¡± Li Hua said with a determined voice and also dropped the honorifics with him. ¡°I will hold you tightly if you shout at me, but unlike thest time, I won¡¯t leave. If you think that I also do not understand you, then you are wrong. Because I understand you, because I love you, I want to unveil the curtain of the bitter truth,¡± she asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei gradually calmed down to hear her. He was himself astonished to feel that. ¡°There is no need to do that. Your husband doesn¡¯t want you to uncover anything. You don¡¯t understand anything,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and rested his palm on her right cheek.


    ¡°Then, make me understand,¡± Li Hua said.


    L¨®ng Wei continued to stare into her eyes. ¡°If I find the truth about my father, what do you think will happen? Do you think the current king, whom I call father, is a foolish person? He has spies everywhere. He didn¡¯t overthrow the previous king merely because he had the support, but because he possessed a well-establishedwork of spies. Many lives associated with me will fall in danger. That¡¯s why let¡¯s forget what happened in my past. Hei Chengxi thinks it¡¯s easy to get over everything. However, it¡¯s not,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her well. He continued stroking her cheek gently and then pulled her into a hug.


    His chin rested on her shoulder as he said, ¡°She also wanted to past to remain buried. When she never had the dare to say it, then I am no one to say it. As much as I cared for her, I hated her too. I still despise her for ying with the heart of her only son. That¡¯s the only thing I know and you also must keep this in your mind,¡± L¨®ng Wei urged her.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t force him anymore. He was more experienced than she was. She would not want to make any mistakes in a hurry and endanger the life of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Forgive me for almost shouting at you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and slowly retreated back. Li Hua shook her head and told him not to say that.


    ¡°Shall we y something? If His Highness isn¡¯t tired,¡± Li Hua suggested to him.


    ¡°No. I am not tired. What do you want to y?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Umm...how about a board game?¡± She asked him enthusiastically.


    ¡°Board game? Umm... It sounds interesting.¡± L¨®ng Wei agreed to y with her. ¡°But the loser will have to do something,¡± he added.


    ¡°The loser has to dance,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°epted.¡± L¨®ng Wei readily agreed with her. ¡°I would love to watch you dance.¡±


    ¡°What if His Highness loses? He has to dance then,¡± she stated.


    ¡°I am an ace yer of the board game,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Li Hua said and crossed her arms with a grin on her lips.

 Chapter 357

    357 A Sweeter gesture of love


    Li Hua red at L¨®ng Wei as she lost twice to L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Admit that I¡¯m too good at this,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smile.


    ¡°No. Luck is on Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s side today,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    ¡°Are you sure you were never lost in this?¡± He again asked her as he showed her the ck stone. ¡°You are defeated again, Wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Eh? His Highness did cheat. I saw him rece those two stones,¡± Li Hua started arguing.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do that. We yed this for the third time because you didn¡¯t want to dance. Now, there is no way that you can escape that. You need to dance,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and his smile widened on the lips.


    Li Hua bit her bottom lip and asked him if they could y one more time.


    ¡°No. We already yed thrice,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°There¡¯s no one here except us. So, you don¡¯t need to be shy,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Umm... I don¡¯t know how to dance, Your Highness. Can we change the bet to something else?¡± Li Hua requested him with her doe eyes.


    L¨®ng Wei clicked his tongue. ¡°I think the dance will be the best. You can y such a sweet music on the zither and also know many other musical instruments. Your husband will love your dance. So, don¡¯t hesitate,¡± L¨®ng Wei encouraged her.


    .....


    ¡°His Highness is a bad husband,¡± Li Huained. She was still hesitant to dance in front of him. She knew he wouldugh at her.


    ¡°But my wife is sweet,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and it flustered her. She ended up smiling when L¨®ng Wei asked her to do a dance as punishment for losing.


    Li Hua realized that L¨®ng Wei was desperate to see her dance. ¡°If His Highnessughed at me, then I-I will go away,¡± she stated.


    ¡°I won¡¯tugh,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Promise?¡± Li Hua raised her pinky finger.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± L¨®ng Wei locked his pinky finger with hers, ¡°I promise that I won¡¯tugh,¡± he said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Li Hua stood up and took a few steps back. She didn¡¯t move, and it confused L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Why are you so hesitant? Only I am here and I will only admire your dance. ¡°To me, everything about you is perfect,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. His words gave her assurance that he would not smile, and she took a deep breath in.


    She extended her hands out and the long sleeves hung down. She turned her head to the left to look at her hand. She gracefully and gradually pulled her hand back before twirling in her ce. She had no idea what she was doing. She just knew she had toplete the punishment for losing in the board game.


    On the other hand, L¨®ng Wei had his eyes fixed on her. She wasn¡¯t a bad dancer in his eyes. He was engrossed in her and fell into a deep contemtion. She and Hei Chengxi met to talk about his past. It infuriated him because Hei Chengxi was involving Li Hua in that. She was his everything, and it scared him that Li Hua would try to do something again without telling him.


    What should he do? How should he stop his wife? He would not stay angry with her for a long time, and he knew she wanted his happiness. But his happiness wasn¡¯t finding the truth.


    What if the king already knew everything? He asked himself this question many times. But if the King had known everything, he would not have spared his life. Qiu Zedong killed L¨®ng Wei the day he was born. Because his father never once treated him like his mother, he didn¡¯t want to betray him. At least, he protected him and gave him as much as he gave to the other princes.


    Li Hua entered his life like a miracle. If there was someone who loved him, ready to sacrifice for him, then that was Li Hua. He was annoyed with the fact that he had opened up about his past in front of Li Hua. He should not have done that, which resulted in the curiosity of Li Hua in his past.


    When Li Hua stopped dancing, he pped for her. ¡°That was such a beautiful dance,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, standing up from his ce.


    ¡°Really?¡± Li Hua was unable to believe that as she gasped for air. ¡°My brothers alwaysughed at me, saying I should not dance,¡± she pouted and told him the reason she was hesitant to dance.


    ¡°Xu Zifanughed at you! How dare he? I will scold him,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°You are the best dancer. No one can defeat you in this,¡± he said and rested his hands above her shoulders.


    ¡°I am d that His Highness liked my dance,¡± Li Hua said, and tiptoed to kiss his cheek. She turned to run away, but L¨®ng Wei caught her wrist and drew her towards him.


    She peered into his eyes while his fingers stroked her cheek.


    ¡°Where were you running away?¡± He asked in a low yet husky voice.


    ¡°Nowhere,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t y with your husband this way,¡± he told her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± she stated.


    ¡°But this isn¡¯t the way you should kiss your husband. Running away after giving him a tiny peck on his cheek. That¡¯s so bad, Wife.¡± His fingers went under her chin as he lifted it while his other hand went to her waist to pull her up.


    ¡°A kiss on the cheek is a sweet gesture of love between husband and wife,¡± Li Hua corrected him.


    ¡°But I want a sweeter gesture of love,¡± he added and leaned close to kiss her, ¡°my hunger doesn¡¯t suffice with that.¡± His lips pressed against her soft lips. She melted at the touch of his lips and moved her lips with the same rhythm and passion as him.


    ¡°I love you,¡± he whispered in between the kisses. Her words had died in her mouth as he didn¡¯t let her speak. After a long kiss, they slowly pulled away, taking in the same air. He rested his forehead against hers while their eyes remained closed.

 Chapter 358

    358 Be the Dragon¡¯s son and fulfill your Destiny


    L¨®ng Wei went to see Yuze in the evening and found he was preparing malt tea. Without uttering any word, L¨®ng Wei silently sat down on the chair around the circr table.


    Yuze ced the two porcin bowls on the table and then the jar in which he had put the malt tea earlier.


    As Yuze poured the tea into the porcin bowl for L¨®ng Wei, he said, ¡°It seems Prince L¨®ng Wei wants to know something from me.¡± He pushed the bowl towards him and then poured the tea for himself. He settled on the chair opposite to L¨®ng Wei and brought the bowl to his mouth.


    As he watched the Prince drinking the tea, he also sipped the malt tea. He remained silent until the prince opened his mouth to speak.


    ¡°Do you know the truth?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked, and he put the bowl on the table. He looked at Yuze, who was drinking the tea and enjoying its heavenly taste.


    After Yuze finished the tea, he put the bowl on the table and asked L¨®ng Wei what truth he was talking about. He had an amusing smile on his lips.


    ¡°You already know what I am talking about,¡± he affirmed with a menacing expression.


    ¡°Why are you suddenly interested in knowing the truth?¡± Yuze asked him.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s troubling me. I trained my mind not to do anything, but it¡¯s not working anymore. Li Hua is involving herself with that, which I do not want to happen. I am confused and lost, Yuze,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated his worries.


    .....


    ¡°So, the Prince wants to know the truth because he thinks his wife will do something? He does not want to find the answers.¡± Yuze was astonished by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s exination.


    ¡°I am feeling terrible,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and lowered his head. ¡°You know, if I talk my heart out with Li Hua, she will be stressed and try to find the answers. She already knew things that Hei Chengxi told her. With you, it¡¯s the opposite. If I tell you that I don¡¯t want to do it, you stop,¡± he asserted and fiddled his fingers.


    ¡°I never wanted you to stop finding the answers. I am only waiting for the right time,¡± Yuze affirmed and picked up the jar. He filled the bowls with the malt tea again. ¡°Why are you running away from the truth which defines you?¡± He questioned him and put down the jar before holding the bowl.


    ¡°Why were you quiet all these years?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°I had to because the person to whom this truth belonged was never interested until now,¡± Yuze stated and he slurped the tea.


    L¨®ng Wei realized that Yuze taunted him. ¡°What¡¯s the use to find the truth which would only harm me and the people around me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Why do you think it will harm you and the people around you?¡± Yuze wanted to know the reason behind L¨®ng Wei¡¯s assumption.


    ¡°Why do you think it will not harm me and the people whom I care about?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him back, and it made Yuzeugh.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether exploring the truth will harm you or not. Every action has a consequence,¡± Yuze proimed.


    L¨®ng Wei sighed as he looked into his eyes. ¡°Yuze, you know what will happen if I find him,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Yuze answered truthfully, and again picked up the bowl to drink the malt tea. ¡°Ahhh. This tea is my favorite for a reason,¡± he stated with a smile. He was overwhelmed by drinking that tea and asked L¨®ng Wei to drink it.


    L¨®ng Wei frowned and drank the tea half-heartedly. Though this tea was sweet, but it didn¡¯t seem sweet to him. Everything seemed tasteless these days for him.


    ¡°Nurturing a child is tough,¡± Yuze stated. L¨®ng Wei lifted his head and looked into his eyes. ¡°Lady Yu Jun had a tough time,¡± he added.


    L¨®ng Wei averted his gaze from Yuze and urged him not to talk about her.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t Prince L¨®ng Wei interested to know about his past?¡± Yuze questioned him, and it irked L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I am leaving,¡± L¨®ng Wei said in frustration. He hade to keep his mind at peace. He wanted to put a halt to all those random thoughts, curiosity about his past etc. He thought Yuze would be the best person, but he was wrong.


    He almost stood up when he heard Yuze.


    ¡°You will find the answers to Li Hua¡¯s family¡¯s murder if you search about the past,¡± Yuze affirmed.


    L¨®ng Wei fixed his gaze on him and knitted his brows. ¡°What did you say?¡± He was stunned to find that Yuze knew something, but didn¡¯t tell him. How could Yuze do this to him?


    ¡°What the Prince heard,¡± Yuze replied.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me if you know?¡± L¨®ng Wei opined.


    ¡°It is not my position to tell. Also, if I had known the truth, I would have revealed it long ago,¡± Yuze dered and he checked the jar if there was more malt tea in it. But the jar was already empty.


    He nced at L¨®ng Wei and extended his pointer finger out. He then said, ¡°To bring your restless heart to rest, find the truth. The time hase to find out why Lady Yu Jun was so cold to her own son. Why did she choose to die at the hands of her son? Why did she never kill herself when she had numerous chances? As much as you despise Lady Yu, you love her too. If you want to put the everything at its right ce, then get up and go to your destined path, L¨®ng Wei. Be the Dragon¡¯s son and fulfil your destiny.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes turned misty and he fisted his palms.


    ¡°Ask your heart why you chose to kill your mother and decided to be the sinned prince. Ask it, why you were so desperate for Lady Yu¡¯s attention. You will find the answers, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Yuze pronounced, and a wide smile formed on his lips.

 Chapter 359

    359 Chinese Lilies


    ¡°You always asked me why I killed her, but you never admitted that you knew everything. How did you know everything? At least, give me an answer for that,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Lady Yu told me,¡± Yuze answered.


    ¡°Is it true that my father is the King¡¯s Elder Brother?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. ¡°I trust you more than anyone. I don¡¯t even trust Hei Chengxi¡¯s words,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Qiu Qizhen is your father,¡± Yuze replied. ¡°Find him because he is not dead,¡± he asserted earnestly.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed. ¡°After the Crown Prince¡¯s wedding ceremony gets over, I will search for the truth. Also, I will be outside the pce for a few days. As I became Governor, I have to check on a few matters in the nearest vige to Qinping,¡± he informed Yuze.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Yuze said with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you, Yuze. You are the only one whom I can put my trust in. You are the only one who guided me in my toughest time. You are a father figure for me,¡± he stated and lowered his head.


    ¡°Yuze is always with Prince L¨®ng Wei. I am d that he epted me as his guide and put his faith in me. The truth is difficult to ept, but once we ept it, everything seems better. We don¡¯t feel burdened anymore,¡± Yuze stated. He wanted L¨®ng Wei not to be scared of the truth which indeed would bring chaos not only in the royal family, but also the entire kingdom.


    ¡°I asked Li Hua what Hei Chengxi told her. She told me that His Majesty killed all the loyalists of his elder brother. What about you?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    .....


    ¡°I am just a monk who separates good from bad and guides a person. I appeared the day your mother stepped foot in the pce. I was a wandering person,¡± Yuze affirmed with a delightful smile.


    ¡°You are mysterious, Yuze,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Yuze continued to smile and asked him to take Hei Chengxi¡¯s help only.


    ¡°Sure. I need to think first what I should do,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°You know many things, but you keep quiet. You want me to find everything by myself. You are such a clever monk,¡± he muttered and chuckled.


    ¡°I keep it secret because you don¡¯t show any interest,¡± Yuze stated, ¡°and there are some answers you need to find for yourself. My answers won¡¯t bring your mind and heart at peace.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei drew his brows together. ¡°Do you remember the day I came to you crying? Then, you went to her for a conversation, which I overheard. She said she never loved me and that I was a mistake that should never have happened to her, which devastated mepletely. I grew up thinking those words only, and there was not a single day when she ever smiled at me or caressed my head.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei lowered his head, and his eyes were filled with tears.


    ¡°She was happy around others. She would bless others; she would give them everything; she would pray for their well-being. However, when I was in front of her, she had only bad words for me. I should die; I should leave the pce; and many other things. You are right. As much as I despise her, I love her. She was my mother. But what to do? Even the moment I killed her, she didn¡¯t smile at me. She had the same expression until the very end. That¡¯s why I never wanted to look at the past.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei told Yuze why he was agonized. His angst was not understandable to many, nor did he want them to understand.


    ¡°I will only say one thing to you in this regard. The truth you have been running away from will give you the answer,¡± Yuze replied.


    L¨®ng Wei exhaled a deep breath and thanked him for always listening to him. He stood up and walked away.


    ¡°Lady Yu Jun, as per the promise, I didn¡¯t reveal the truth to him. However, justice will be served soon. L¨®ng Wei will soon forgive you for not treating him well,¡± he murmured and smiled.


    L¨®ng Wei stood by the edge of the cliff and watched the sunset. The conversation with Yuze gave him relief and answers too. He was supposed to walk on the path that was destined for him. He could not run away from it anymore, nor would he.


    He curled his fingers and a breeze blew across him. He felt calm andposed. The sun was close to the horizon and before it could setpletely, L¨®ng Wei picked Chinese lilies from the valley of flowers. He smiled and then left for the pce.


    ~~~~~


    Li Hua was with Liu Jin Yu along with three other princesses. Jin Yu was nervous and worried after the marriage was announced suddenly. Only two days remained, and on the third day, she would marry Xiaoming.


    ¡°Jin Yu, you have to be a virtuousdy all the time. Since my brother is the next king, he will be pressured to have more wives and a few concubines after a certain time. You need to show them all that even with a single wife, my brother is powerful enough,¡± Jingfei stated. That was an important matter because if Jin Yu failed to show that she was powerful enough for her husband, who was the Crown Prince, then the ministers might rebel. That was her chief worry.


    ¡°Sister Jingfei, but the Crown Prince has told to everyone that in any circumstances, he would not go for multiple marriages,¡± Ai Fen asserted.


    ¡°You are right, Sister Ai Fen, but it¡¯s better to be cautious,¡± Jingfei affirmed. ¡°Do not think about my earlier words, Jin Yu. You should focus on your marriage currently. Also, take a proper rest. The skin must glow on the day of marriage,¡± she opined.


    ¡°After the Crown Prince¡¯s marriage, Sister Jingfei will be married off. Everything is going at a faster rate,¡± Xiaolian suddenly said. Jingfei cast a nce at her and wondered who she would marry. The smile on her lips disappeared.


    Everyone in the chamber noticed when Li Hua asked her if she talked to Huang Xi.


    Jingfei looked at her and shook her head. She didn¡¯t want to tell them that she was rejected by him. It was against her dignity.


    They continued their conversation for a while, and then they all took their leave.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei, I want to have a tiny conversation with you,¡± Li Hua told her. She looked at her two sisters, who walked ahead, thus leaving them behind.


    ¡°Forgive Prince L¨®ng Wei as he didn¡¯t help Princess Jingfei,¡± Li Hua apologised on her husband¡¯s behalf.


    ¡°It was expected that Brother L¨®ng Wei would not help me,¡± Jingfei dered with a disappointed look.


    ¡°My elder brother is close to Commander Huang Xi. They are both close friends. Princess Jingfei can talk with my elder brother if she wants to,¡± Li Hua asserted. ¡°More than my husband, my elder brother can help hermunicate with Commander Huang Xi.¡±


    ¡°Can he?¡± Jingfei was interested in taking Xu Zifan¡¯s help.


    ¡°Of course, my elder brother can help the Princess,¡± she stated with a confident tone.


    ¡°I would be happy if Xu Zifan helped me,¡± Jingfei stated with a broad smile.


    ¡°I will talk to my brother regarding this and then will inform Princess Jingfei,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Okay. I will wait for your reply, Li Hua. Thank you,¡± Jingfei expressed her gratitude. She left for the chamber while Li Hua left for the manor.


    ~~~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    Hope you all are doing well. I have decided to give a mini-mass release, probably by the end of this week or the next week.


    Also, I¡¯ve started writing side stories for ¡°Married To The Cruel Crown Prince¡±. It will take me a week to write them and then, I will upload them too.


    Thank you for your immense support.


    HAPPY READING ??

 Chapter 360

    360 Depend on my emotions


    L¨®ng Wei forwarded the lilies that he had picked for Li Hua. She smiled and took those lilies. ¡°From where did His Highness bring these lilies?¡± She asked and inhaled their fresh scent.


    ¡°From the flower valley,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°Let¡¯s be with each other for eternity,¡± he stated. It was believed that lilies symbolized that the couple would stay together for years. While plucking those flowers, those were the thoughts that had appeared in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mind.


    ¡°They are beautiful,¡± Li Hua said, and gave him a warm smile. She went to the bedchamber while L¨®ng Wei followed her. She put those lilies into the vase and touched them gently before turning to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Did His Highness meet Monk Yuze? Why didn¡¯t he tell me about it? I would have sent a warm tea for Monk Yuze with Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Next time,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied, and he approached her. ¡°Don¡¯t look into my past anymore. I will find the answers myself,¡± he asserted.


    Li Hua was astonished to hear that statement. ¡°What does His Highness mean by that?¡± She asked and arched her right eyebrow a little.


    ¡°I talked with Yuze. I have been restless sincest night. My mind wasn¡¯t working and it was killing me inside. Yuze gave me the answers. I should find the truth to live in peace,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. Li Hua smiled upon hearing him. She was happy to know that, finally, L¨®ng Wei agreed to find the dark truth of his life.


    She took a step towards him and then hugged him warmly. ¡°I will hold His Highness¡¯ hand and give him strength. I know a painful truth is hidden in your past and you will need me,¡± she stated. L¨®ng Wei wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin above her head.


    She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. ¡°Will His Highness find out about his father¡¯s whereabouts?¡± She queried.


    .....


    ¡°I must. He is also the reason behind my this state,¡± he said with a stern tone.


    ¡°His Highness must not forget that his father might be in a situation where he could not do anything. When General Hei told me about His Highness¡¯ father, I could feel how painful it was for him. Your father lost everything in a single day. So, do not be harsh on him when we find him,¡± Li Hua suggested him.


    ¡°That will depend on my emotions at that time,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Then, how will His Highness find about his father? Does he have anything on his mind?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve not thought of anything yet. Let¡¯s discuss it after we return from the vige, where we will head soon. Until then, we will not talk about this matter. My mind was burned outpletely because of all this,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed, and they both stepped back.


    ¡°Okay. We will not talk about it,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Does His Highness know Liu Jin Yu got such a beautiful wedding dress?¡± She excitedly asked him.


    ¡°Why would I know that?¡± He frowned at her question.


    ¡°Everyone knows in the pce,¡± and she joined her both hands. She started to describe to L¨®ng Wei the wedding dress of Liu Jin Yu, and slowly, the smile on her lips disappeared.


    She recalled how Jingfei ruined her wedding dress.


    ¡°What happened? Why did you stop speaking?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked when he noticed the upset look on her face.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Li Hua shook her head and wore a fake smile on her lips.


    ¡°Your Highness, have you thought of any presents for the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess for their wedding?¡± Li Hua asked him.


    ¡°Why should I? They will already receive a lot of expensive goods and other materials, jewels for their wedding. Our present will not even matter,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and they both sat on the bed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that will happen. The Crown Prince will surely like it if his youngest brother gives him a wedding present. That will be special for me,¡± Li Hua opined and lowered her hands.


    ¡°Umm... Let¡¯s see what I can give him,¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured, and he thought for a while.


    ¡°He loves his position, which I have given him already. I gave him two presents: I forgave him for using me wrongly of being the murderer of the thirty innocent servants, and then I didn¡¯t reveal the truth to the world. That¡¯s the most expensive present that I have already given to him,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    Li Hua clicked her tongue and shook her head.


    ¡°His Highness should not be mean at the time of the Crown Prince¡¯s marriage,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I am not mean.¡± His brows furrowed, and then he asked her not to discuss that. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about us,¡± he said.


    ¡°About us?¡± Li Hua was perplexed.


    ¡°Hmm. Let¡¯s go to the hot water spring. I have not visited that ce for a long time,¡± he stated, and he grasped Li Hua¡¯s arm. He scooped her up easily in his arms when she asked him if that was necessary.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s necessary for us to focus on each other,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and went out of the bedchamber with his wife.


    He made her stand on the ground. Thenterns had illuminated the surroundings of the spring. L¨®ng Wei started to undress when Li Hua covered her eyes. She peeped through the gaps between her fingers and gulped when to see his adam apple bobbed. Her heart raced and her cheeks flushed red when L¨®ng Wei looked at her.


    ¡°What are you doing? Why have you covered your face?¡± He asked.


    Li Hua immediately lowered her hands and looked around. ¡°What if someonees here?¡± She asked and turned to gaze at him when she found him standing too close to her. Her breath hitched too, seeing his naked chest, and she promptly lifted her head to peer into his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s the ce where no one will enter,¡± he said, and rested his hand on her shoulder. His fingers dangled in the top hook of the overcoat that she had put on the top. He unhooked them one by one and pushed the overcoat down her shoulders.


    ¡°Your Highness, I think it¡¯s not appropriate,¡± Li Hua said, biting her bottom lip in hesitance. ¡°I will wait for His Highness in the chamber,¡± she mumbled, and ran away from there after picking up the overcoat that had fallen to the ground.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled to see her action and decided to tease with herter. For now, he wanted to be in the hot water spring for some time.

 Chapter 361

    361 Refuse to help you


    Li Hua had sent clothes for L¨®ng Wei with the maidservant¡¯s hand. She had already set the dinner table, waiting for him to arrive.


    L¨®ng Wei entered the chamber and apologized to her for making her wait. Li Hua quickly picked up the chopsticks when L¨®ng Wei sat in front of her. Her eyes grew bigger to find that he had put on a thin white silk robe and pants.


    She remembered she had not given these clothes to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°What happened?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked as he removed the lid from the big bowl, which had chicken soup in it. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to wear heavy clothes when it was hot outside. So, I changed into these,¡± he said while filling the two bowls for them.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Hua looked away. L¨®ng Wei ced the rice bowl and a bowl filled with chicken soup in front of her. ¡°Eat,¡± he said and smiled at her.


    They ate in silence and soon, finished up their meals. The maidservant cleaned the room andter, upon Li Hua¡¯s request, left a silver incense burner holder in the room.


    ¡°You ran away earlier,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Why were you shy?¡± he queried.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t shy. I felt cold.¡± Her excuse made himugh. ¡°I am not joking,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s written on your face that you were shy,¡± he affirmed and stood up. He went to the patio to sit in the open, for a while. She walked behind him and saw him on the floor mattress. He had his right elbow rested on the bolster, his right knee in the air, while left leg lying t on the mattress.


    .....


    ¡°Come.¡± He extended his left hand to her and she walked up to him. He pulled her down, and she leaned onto his arm. ¡°It appears rain will fall soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, looking up at the sky. Li Hua turned to look towards the sky.


    ¡°But it is clear. See, we can see the stars too,¡± she stated and smiled.


    ¡°Did you learn astronomy?¡± L¨®ng Wei suddenly asked her.


    Li Hua turned to face her and shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t learn many subjects. Mostly I learned poetry, literature, and then art,¡± she informed him.


    ¡°I did. Yuze taught me. Oldie knows a lot of things,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and told her that he could not see the constetion clearly,¡± he added.


    ¡°Oh. Then the temperature will fall. It¡¯s good,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I like it whenever it rains,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Does His Highness also y in the rain?¡± She asked curiously.


    ¡°No. But I would love to y with you,¡± he stated, andced their fingers. ¡°You can cry in the rain and no one will realize it,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Does His Highness want to cry?¡± She asked with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°No.¡± L¨®ng Wei made a shaky motion with his head. ¡°I am only telling you one of the special facts about having rain,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Your Highness, are you still troubled?¡± she inquired him.


    ¡°I am not,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Li Hua knitted her brows in confusion. She found him kissing the pad of her fingers when he pulled her down.


    ¡°It seems His Highness is worried,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I am worried about the waiting consequences ahead. The truth will bring chaos in the pce, in the kingdom. I have always been prepared for the worst, but this time, I do not know what will happen. Yuze showed me the direction, but he refused to help. He knows many things,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed, and exhaled a deep breath.


    ¡°Every action has a consequence. We have to fight against it by standing firm in front of those consequences,¡± she opined and lifted her hand to ce it on his cheek. She caressed it and asked him if they should go out tomorrow.


    ¡°Where?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Somewhere,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see where we can go tomorrow,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and contemted for a while.


    ¡°Oh, I forgot. Because of the Crown Prince¡¯s wedding, the check-points will be difficult to cross. Also, I heard earlier from the princesses that His Majesty will put a restriction on the royal family members¡¯ leaving the pce for a few days,¡± Li Hua informed L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Then, we will not go. Also, after the Crown Prince¡¯s wedding, we have to leave for the nearest vige for work. So, wait till then,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, could you please send a message to my brother tomorrow?¡± Li Hua requested.


    ¡°A message about?¡± L¨®ng Wei was puzzled to hear her request.


    ¡°I told Princess Jingfei that he must meet my brother if she wanted to talk with Commander Huang Xi. Since His Highness refused to help her, she was upset,¡± Li Hua informed him.


    ¡°Why are you involving yourself in all this? Huang Xi doesn¡¯t even like her presence around him,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Even I didn¡¯t like His Highness in the beginning. Princess Jingfei will be married off after the Crown Prince¡¯s gets married. She is worried because of that. If she marries a person whom she already likes, then that¡¯s better,¡± Li Hua put forward her opinions.


    ¡°My case with you was different. For various reasons, Huang Xi doesn¡¯t like Jingfei. She went to his house and it annoyed him more,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°His Highness doesn¡¯t understand women. I will handle it in my way. ¡°Please call my brother tomorrow,¡± Li Hua again urged him.


    ¡°Fine. I will call Xu Zifan in the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei agreed to her request.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Xu Zifan will also refuse to help Jingfei,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°My brother isn¡¯t like His Highness,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°Indeed. I do not melt easily,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°However, Xu Zifan will surely refuse to help you. Mark my words,¡± he added.


    ¡°You are too good, Li Hua. How could you even think of helping her, who was going to punish you once? Then, she thought so ill of you.¡± L¨®ng Wei lifted her chin with his calloused fingers.


    ¡°She has apologized for those things,¡± Li Hua replied.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and eventually smiled.

 Chapter 362

    362 Change your attitude


    Xiaoming looked at himself in the mirror after trying out the wedding dress in the morning. A smile formed on his lips, and he thanked the royal tailor for making it so perfect.


    Sun Fuguoplimented Xiaoming and informed him that Liu Jin Yu was looking beautiful too in the wedding outfit.


    ¡°Really?¡± Xiaoming asked Sun Fuguo to describe about her, but he was unable to.


    ¡°Leave it,¡± Xiaoming said, and then asked them to wait outside. After he changed into the other outfit, he came to the main chamber. He handed his wedding outfit to Sun Fuguo and asked him to keep it safe.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Sixth Prince was here earlier,¡± Sun Fuguo informed Xiaoming as he took the wedding outfit from him.


    ¡°Did he leave?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness,¡± Sun Fuguo replied, and lowered his head.


    ¡°Hmm. I will returnter in the afternoon,¡± Xiaoming said, and left to meet L¨®ng Wei. It was a rare asion that L¨®ng Wei woulde to see him.


    As he reached the manor, he found it was quiet. He could hear the faint voices from somewhere in the manor, but he was unable to understand from where they wereing. He looked around as he continued to walk in the courtyard until he stopped.


    .....


    He saw Li Hua in the corridor with a maidservant. She was smiling along with the maidservant. However, when she saw Xiaoming, her steps came to a halt. She bowed at him and then both walked to each other. Xiaoming ascended the stairs and asked her about L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°His Highness has gone out earlier to meet the Crown Prince,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°Was he not there?¡± She inquired in confusion.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei hade, but I was busy at work, so I could not meet him. By the time, I got free, Brother L¨®ng Wei had already left,¡± Xiaoming informed her. He told her that he would leave and was turning to leave when he stopped to say something.


    He looked at her and thanked her for teaching Jin Yu the art of brewing tea.


    ¡°Please do not embarrass me with this,¡± Li Hua said and lowered her eyes. ¡°It was my pleasure that I could help the future Crown Princess,¡± she affirmed with a polite tone before lifting her head.


    Xiaoming smiled to hear those words. He wanted to praise her, but he didn¡¯t want her to get any wrong ideas. Moreover, the maidservant was around them, so it was not wise to say anything good to Li Hua. He took his leave while Li Hua pondered over where L¨®ng Wei could go.


    ~~~~~


    In the barracks, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s presence wasn¡¯t weed. The high-ranking soldiers red in his direction, but L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t bothered by it. He wanted to see Hei Chengxi and tell him that he would meet him soon.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei!¡±


    Qiu Mu called out his name, and he stopped. He turned to his right and tilted his head to look at Qiu Mu, who had approached him.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Qiu Mu dropped honorifics.


    ¡°Do I have to get the permission of the Second Prince toe here?¡± He, instead of answering him, questioned him.


    Qiu Mu¡¯s jaw clenched. ¡°Can¡¯t you just answer simply? Why do you have to twist every word?¡± He got irked with L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Why does my words bother you so much?¡± L¨®ng Wei still not stopped from annoying Qiu Mu. He also didn¡¯t talk to Qiu Mu with respect.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, let¡¯s not argue on this pleasant morning,¡± Qiu Mu told him. ¡°You are forgetting that in front of a General, how you must behave. This territory is mine, not yours, so don¡¯t p your wings here.¡± Qiu Mu had enough of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s nonsense.


    ¡°General Mu, shall I throw the Prince out?¡±


    A high-ranking soldier said as he walked to them. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s facial expression turned into a grim one, and he gazed at that soldier.


    ¡°Mo Shin, that¡¯s not needed,¡± Qiu Mu stated, and asked L¨®ng Wei to leave.


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while ring into the eyes of Mo Shin, and then, Qiu Mu. He turned to go ahead when Mo Shin stopped him by extending his hand out, which had a sword in it.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, the rules aren¡¯t broken here. Please leave silently before I have to throw you out forcefully,¡± Mo Shin stated as he scrunched his brows.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and took a step towards him. ¡°Try me,¡± he challenged Mo Shin.


    Mo Shin grabbed the cor of L¨®ng Wei. He looked down at his hand and then gazed into his eyes. ¡°You are either too brave to do this or you do not love your life,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. They continued to re at each other when Qiu Mu instructed Mo Shin to not behave that way with a Prince.


    Mo Shin took a step back after releasing his grip on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s cor.


    ¡°I won¡¯t forget this,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Mo Shin when Hei Chengxi came there and asked them what was happening.


    ¡°Nothing, General Hei,¡± Mo Shin said. ¡°The Prince was misbehaving with the Second General,¡± he affirmed.


    Hei Chengxi nced at L¨®ng Wei and then at Qiu Mu. ¡°Here, this is His Majesty¡¯s order. Gather the high military officials in the hall.¡± Hei Chengxi forwarded the scroll to Qiu Mu, who took it and bowed.


    Hei Chengxi asked L¨®ng Wei to follow him, and they both left.


    As they reached a private room, Hei Chengxi asked L¨®ng Wei why he was in the barracks.


    ¡°To see General Hei,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Have you finally made your mind?¡± Hei Chengxi asked him.


    ¡°Why did you tell Li Hua everything? You know it well that it could be risky for her,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t talked with your wife, then you would not have been here,¡± Hei Chengxi stated.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t deny his statement and told him that he would meet him after the two days. ¡°I won¡¯t entertain any questions on this,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and turned to go away.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, change your attitude. That will be better for you,¡± Hei Chengxi advised him. L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t say anything and walked away.

 Chapter 363

    363 To be Forced [Bonus chapter]


    Xu Zifan arrived at the pce after receiving word from L¨®ng Wei that Li Hua wanted to meet with him. He asked her why she called him out of the blue.


    ¡°Elder Brother, I want you to help Princess Jingfei,¡± Li Hua requested.


    ¡°What?¡± Xu Zifan was perplexed to hear Li Hua¡¯s request. ¡°Why do you want me to help the First Princess?¡± He questioned her.


    Li Hua informed him how much Jingfei loved Huang Xi. However, he was not interested in her. ¡°So, if my brother could ask Commander Huang Xi to think about it once, then it would be of great help. Princess Jingfei is upset because Commander Huang Xi ignores her presence. She loves him a lot,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I won¡¯t help the First Princess,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°Why?¡± Li Hua furrowed her brows together.


    ¡°Because it is inappropriate for me to speak in their case. Also, you should stay away from her. She tried to harm you,¡± Xu Zifan stated. He was adamant about his decision to not help Princess Jingfei in any way.


    ¡°Did Prince L¨®ng Wei say anything to my brother? Did he ask him not to agree to my request?¡± Li Hua inquired.


    ¡°Why would Prince L¨®ng Wei say this to me?¡± Xu Zifan was confused. ¡°I cannot help her. It is her problem, so she must solve it,¡± he stated.


    .....


    ¡°At least, help Princess Jingfei for me,¡± Li Hua urged and joined her hands. ¡°Please, Elder Brother. You are close friends with Commander Huang Xi. If you talk with him, then he may try to give Princess Jingfei a chance.¡±


    ¡°Huang Xi despises Princess Jingfei. He will be upset with him for even trying to speak about her with him. So, don¡¯t be adamant about this. Your brother will fulfil any request other than this,¡± he said. Li Hua lowered her hands and shook her head.


    ¡°Elder Brother could have talked with Commander Huang Xi if he wanted. Princess Jingfei will be married off soon after the Crown Prince¡¯s wedding. I only wanted her to have a happy life,¡± Li Hua exined. ¡°I will talk with Commander Huang Xi myself. Elder Brother can leave and rest in his residence.¡±


    Xu Zifan pressed his fingers against the temple of his forehead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk with Huang Xi about this,¡± Xu Zifan said, and told her that he would do that.


    ¡°Really?¡± Li Hua suddenly turned happy.


    ¡°Did my sister leave any options for me?¡± Xu Zifan remarked, and she pouted her lips. ¡°But I would like to meet Princess Jingfei before that,¡± he put forward his condition.


    ¡°I will ask the maidservant to bring Princess Jingfei here.¡± Li Hua stood up and went outside.


    ¡°How can she help the person who once tried to harm her? Did Prince L¨®ng Wei not ask her to stop?¡± He mumbled. Xu Zifan could not refuse her request because she was his dear sister.


    Li Hua returned soon and told Xu Zifan that soon Jingfei would be there.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Elder Brother, Prince L¨®ng Wei has agreed to look into his past. So, I won¡¯t do anything behind his back,¡± Li Hua informed him.


    Xu Zifan was relieved to hear that. ¡°You made a good decision,¡± he said and smiled. ¡°It is going to be tough for Prince L¨®ng Wei. When he was in the cold pce with me, he once told me something about his past. Forgive me for hiding it from you,¡± he asserted. Li Hua peered at him with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°He regretted being born as the prince. If he had not been the Prince, he would have been at a better ce with his mother. He told me that. However, I asked him if he could be happy with his mother in the pce too. His answer was strange. He said it could not be possible. That¡¯s why he hates her,¡± Xu Zifan told Li Hua the exact same words that L¨®ng Wei had told him once.


    ¡°So, the problem was the pce,¡± Li Hua said.


    They both paused as they heard the footsteps. Xu Zifan looked towards the door and then rose to his feet as he saw Jingfei entering. He bowed at her and then looked straight ahead. Jingfei showed the curtsey towards him before taking a seat.


    Li Hua and Xu Zifan sat after her in their respective seats.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei, my elder brother has agreed to help you. However, he wanted to converse with you before doing anything,¡± Li Hua told her.


    Jingfei nodded at her and nced at Xu Zifan. She first thanked him for agreeing to help her. Xu Zifan wanted to say a lot of things to her, but because Li Hua was there, he kept control of his tongue.


    ¡°I would like to ask the Princess if she is aware of the fact that Huang Xi doesn¡¯t like her.¡± Xu Zifan¡¯s words perplexed her. Li Hua asked her brother why he said that and apologized to Jingfei on her brother¡¯s behalf.


    ¡°Li Hua, let her answer. One must admit the truth no matter how bitter it is,¡± Xu Zifan told her before looking at Jingfei.


    ¡°I know. I am regretful for that day when I thought I was wrong about my younger brother. That¡¯s why Huang Xi doesn¡¯t like me. However, I want to give my best. If I tell my father that I want to marry Huang Xi, he will make it happen immediately. Because he is the King. However, I do not want it to be forced. I want Huang Xi to talk with me at least once in peace,¡± Jingfei told him everything that was on her mind for a long time.


    ¡°He ignores me if I am around him. I cannot even talk to him. So, I want someone close to him to make it possible for me.¡± Jingfei¡¯s voice quivered and she took a pause.


    ¡°The First Princess should have been careful that day. Huang Xi has a lot of respect for Prince L¨®ng Wei. That¡¯s another reason why he started to despise you,¡± Xu Zifan told the truth to her. Jingfei was dejected to learn that Huang Xi hated her.


    ¡°However, I will talk with him once and will send the answer to the First Princess through my sister,¡± Xu Zifan told her.


    Jingfei hummed and lowered her head.

 Chapter 364

    364 One wrong move


    L¨®ng Wei smiled to see Zhu Liling, who was checking the arrangements for the wedding. She felt a bit ufortable seeing him and decided to ignore him. L¨®ng Wei walked up to her and said, ¡°If I had known that after helping Her Majesty was going to behave this way toward me, then I would have reconsidered my decision to help her.¡±


    Zhu Liling looked around and found the servants were eagerly waiting to find out what the Sixth Prince meant by that. L¨®ng Wei kept a grin on her lips when Zhu Liling asked him to see herter if he had some work.


    ¡°I do not think that I am patient enough to see the Queenter. I have lots of work to do,¡± he added. Zhu Liling wanted to reprimand him, but because he knew her biggest secret, she had no option but to listen to her.


    She looked at the servants and asked them to continue to do their work. She went to the other side, where a seating arrangement was made for her. She settled onto the broad chair and then looked straight. ¡°What does Prince L¨®ng Wei want from me?¡± She didn¡¯t beat around the bush. ¡°I know that he hase here because he needs something from me,¡± she was well aware of his nature.


    ¡°Exactly, Royal Mother. I am surprised to see that the Royal Mother read my mind,¡± he remarked and smirked. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me enter the chamber which is secret to everyone in the pce?¡± he asked. Zhu Liling furrowed her brows to hear him. She was unable to understand how he found out about that secret chamber.


    She nced at her personal attendant, Court Lady Chu, who bowed and walked away. ¡°Does the Prince not know that no one is allowed there to enter except the King?¡± She questioned him.


    ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I am here in front of you. I want you to help me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Before he could refuse him, he reminded her how she tried to snatch the happiness of her own son.


    ¡°Don¡¯t threaten me with that, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Zhu Liling¡¯s tone turned stern, and she beamed at him. ¡°Do you think that if you will threaten me, then I will start doing everything you say to me? You are wrong this time,¡± she stated. She could not let him control her. Moreover, he was demanding something which could lead her to prison.


    ¡°I knew that the royal mother would refuse to help me. That is why I prepared everything beforehand. If the royal mother thinks that I have no evidence about your evil deed, then she is wrong,¡± he affirmed and smiled.


    .....


    Zhu Liling was perplexed to hear him and asked him what type of evidence he possessed.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to the Crown Prince? I will be able to show the evidence in front of him,¡± he opined, and the smile on his lips widened. Zhu Liling curled her fingers and gulped the anger that had formed inside her.


    ¡°The help that the Sixth Prince wants from me is impossible to take into action. If we get caught, then we will both be punished.¡± Zhu Liling tried to make L¨®ng Wei understand.


    L¨®ng Wei clicked his tongue. ¡°As long as the Royal Mother is careful, nothing will happen,¡± he affirmed. Zhu Liling felt stuck. She did not know that L¨®ng Wei wanted to go to that chamber. She decided to help him, but at the same time, she would set a trap for him.


    She wanted him out of their lives. He killed Eunuch Lishi very cleverly. She knew that Lishi didn¡¯t die because of his foolishness, but that it was L¨®ng Wei who had set a trap for him.


    ¡°Is the Royal Mother thinking of a way to trap me?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sudden question bewildered Zhu Liling. Howe he read her mind?


    She shook her head in refusal. ¡°Why would I set a trap for the person who helped me?¡± She asked and slightlyughed.


    ¡°The Royal Mother should not even try to do that. You may fall into the trap you will try to set for me. You can ask the Crown Prince how sharp I am. So, don¡¯t even think about it. Because if you betrayed me, I will make sure that you will be hanged to the death,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and his words terrified Zhu Liling only a bit.


    ¡°I will never do that,¡± Zhu Liling affirmed.


    ¡°I expect the same from the Royal Mother,¡± he affirmed, and took out the key to the secret room from his pocket. He showed it to her and she got shocked to see that.


    ¡°Where did you find this key?¡± Zhu Liling asked and stood up from the broad chair to take it away from him. But L¨®ng Wei stepped back and told her not to act that way.


    ¡°Many eyes are on Her Majesty,¡± he stated and put the key inside his pocket.


    Zhu Liling tightly clenched her fist and her jaw tightened. ¡°There is a spy that I have imnted in the lovely Royal Mother¡¯s manor. Ahh,¡± he raised his pointer finger, ¡°there is a reason behind it. So, if she thinks that she can surpass me in intelligence, then she is wrong. One wrong move and everything in your life is ruined.¡± L¨®ng Wei had be solemn. Even his facial expressions were menacing.


    Zhu Liling assured him that she would help him, but only after the Crown Prince¡¯s wedding.


    ¡°No.¡± L¨®ng Wei refused and lowered his hand. ¡°You will help me the day your dear son gets married,¡± he stated.


    Zhu Liling got inquisitive and told him if she would not be present on the pce grounds, then many might doubt her.


    ¡°The Royal Mother will help me from the pce ground only. She only needs to do what I will ask her to do,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. Zhu Liling agreed to his condition and told him that she would surely help him.


    ¡°That was what L¨®ng Wei wanted to hear,¡± he stated, and then took his leave. Zhu Liling was panicked to find that there was L¨®ng Wei¡¯s spy in her manor. She looked at the servants and wondered who the spy could be among them.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled as he entered the corridor. He had scared Zhu Liling by telling her a lie that there was a spy in her manor. The Noble Consort Xiuying had stolen the key to the secret chamber from the Queen¡¯s chamber the previous day and handed it to L¨®ng Wei as per her promise.


    He wanted to find the records of the previous king. However, he would start the real work after the Crown Prince¡¯s wedding was over. He would go to the secret chamber at a time when the entire pce was empty except for the pce ground.


    ¡®I will go till the end of the truth now. No matter how tough it will be for me, I will pursue it. And most importantly, I will also find the real enemy who massacred the Xu and Shui families.¡¯ He told himself as he headed to meet Xiaoming.

 Chapter 365

    365 My heart developed hatred [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°I have gone to see Brother L¨®ng Wei in his manor, but he was not present there,¡± Xiaoming asked and waited for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s response regarding why he wanted to see him.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± L¨®ng Wei breathed and then said, ¡°I want the Crown Prince¡¯s help,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Help for?¡± He queried.


    ¡°A work. Currently, I cannot tell him about it, but in the future, I may need your help,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°I will do that. But I would like to know if it is rted to the person who was the enemy of the Xu family?¡± he sped his fingers as he rested them on the table before them.


    ¡°Umm... yes,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°I have some tasks to aplish, so I may need his help from time to time,¡± he added.


    ¡°I am ready to help as long as it is for the good,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°What?¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°I do bad for the people too. Maybe there will be a time when you once again start to hate me. Aren¡¯t you happy that I am not interested in the position of Crown Prince anymore? Isn¡¯t that the main reason the Crown Prince started to help me?¡± He questioned. He was dubious of Xiaoming in various aspects. Xiaoming had an odd rtionship with him since the beginning. He would be caring for him externally, but internally he was not. This was what Long Wei had thought about him.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, it is not easy to be at my ce. As much as I want it, I want to be away from it. My mind, my body, and my heart were trained from a young age that I am the King¡¯s eldest son and I have to be him in the future. So, when the prophecy was out, after some years, I was told that I might be kicked out because the true ruler of this throne had been born. As a child, I only thought about one aspect of the prophecy. I admit that I feared and developed jealousy against you after I heard about the prophecy from the people around me.¡± Xiaoming gave the first answer to L¨®ng Wei about why there were differences between them.


    .....


    ¡°However, the situation is different now. When I met Jin Yu, I understood what I wanted most in my life. It is not the throne, but happiness. I still fear expressing myself fully because I think I may hurt my mother or father. Brother L¨®ng Wei, if in future, I have to choose between this throne and happiness, I will go for happiness. You can take it if you want to. I have no problem with that. I will be able to enjoy freedom like Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± he affirmed.


    L¨®ng Wei was out of words to learn the thoughts of Xiaoming. So, in the end, the prophecy was the reason why many hated him.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, do you remember the day when my coronation as the Crown Prince happened? You destroyed the robe, which was presented to me by yourte mother.¡± Xiaoming wanted to tell L¨®ng Wei the first time he felt insecure about him.


    ¡°Yes, I do remember that day,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Why did you do that? You were the only person, who was not happy for me. That was the main reason why my heart developed hatred towards you,¡± Xiaoming said, making him aware of the truth behind his two-faced behavior.


    ¡°What?¡± L¨®ng Wei scrunched his brows and then chuckled. ¡°Because she never made anything for me. When the robe was presented to you, I took out my anger on her not you. I was not even interested in that coronation ceremony. All I wanted was her attention,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him the truth. Xiaoming was stunned to hear his exnation. All these years, he had a wrong assumption about that day.


    L¨®ng Wei did not me Xiaoming for his thoughts. It was in his fate that people hated him and failed to understand him. When his own mother could not understand him, then what he could expect from others,


    Xiaoming was unable to speak. L¨®ng Wei could have expressed those words easily, but he could see the pain behind those words. Earlier, he was never interested in why L¨®ng Wei was different from a normal royal person, nor was he curious to know why he was so disrespectful to his mother.


    But now, he was!


    ¡°Forgive me for misunderstanding Brother L¨®ng Wei for a long time. Because of this, I troubled him too. I apologize sincerely to my brother,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°It never bothered me. So, there is no need to apologize,¡± he stated and told him that he would take his leave.


    ¡°I want to ask a question from Brother L¨®ng Wei, if he permits,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Did his mother never give him her attention, love, and care?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°I wish she had done that,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I will not answer any more doubts of the Crown Prince. It was a nice conversation with you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and bowed at him before getting up.


    He turned to leave when Xiaoming stopped him. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, I will help you with everything, whether it be good or bad. You can trust me fully. I am not the Xiaoming who was once envious of you,¡± he affirmed.


    L¨®ng Wei told him not to take the decision in a hurry. ¡°I am not a person to be handled easily. Maybe your opinions of me will change soon,¡± he stated, and turned to look at him. Xiaoming had risen to his feet as well.


    ¡°That will not happen. I assure you of it,¡± Xiaoming confidently said.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled and then walked out of the chamber.


    ~~~~~


    Liu Jin Yu asked Li Hua if she was walking well and also about her body posture. When Li Hua told her that her movements were perfect, Jin Yu felt relieved. She quickly sat next to Li Hua and hugged her tightly.


    ¡°You are such a nice friend, Li Hua. Thank you for giving your time to me,¡± Jin Yu stated. She pulled away and told her not to address her as the Crown Princess or other titles after she was married.


    ¡°That will not be appropriate to do. I will not feel good addressing you by your name,¡± Li Hua exined to her.


    ¡°You are such a well-mannered woman,¡± Jin Yu stated, and asked her how her training was going.


    ¡°I am unable to take out the time for my training,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°Do not worry. After my marriage, I will give you an hour to train you.¡± Jin Yu assured her that she would be good with arrows, swords, and self-defense soon. Li Hua thanked her for thinking so much of her.


    ¡°Li Hua, when you got married to Prince L¨®ng Wei, were you nervous too?¡±


    ¡°I was. Every woman is nervous about her wedding,¡± Li Hua told her.


    ¡°You are right. Court Lady Hu told me that on the wedding night, many things are going to happen. I am scared. I think I am not terrified to this extent when I see any danger,¡± Jin Yu said and she rested her hand on her chest. ¡°I think I have an arrhythmia. My heart palpitates whenever I think about it,¡± she stated with a worried expression.


    ¡°As I said, it ismon in those who are going to marry. Do not think about thatter, but in the beginning. The beginning of a wedding is beautiful,¡± Li Hua advised her.

 Chapter 366

    366 You have to kill yourself


    Li Hua ascended the stairs to the King¡¯s manor as she was called suddenly. She was having a conversation with Liu Jin Yu when Eunuch Gao Bing came to deliver the message from the King. She was nervous. Was the king going to ask her if she found out the truth that L¨®ng Wei had been hiding?


    ¡°Please wait here,¡± Gao Bing said, and he walked inside the King¡¯s chamber.


    She gazed at the pce maid next to her and saw the wound on her hand. It looked like she got a burn from the hot water. When Li Hua asked her about it, she hid her hand below her left hand and kept quiet. Li Hua found it weird when Gao Bing told her that she was allowed go in.


    Li Hua nodded and stepped into the chamber. She found out that no one was present in the chamber. She was sure that the King would ask her about the truth. She had to tell a lie in a way that he would never ask her again.


    ¡°Greetings to Your Majesty,¡± she said as she entered the main chamber, pausing and lowering her head. She kowtowed before him and finally, looked at him.


    ¡°Take your seat, Li Hua,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    She sat down on one of the broad chairs on the left of the king to his front and then waited for him to speak.


    ¡°You must be wondering why I called you here,¡± Qiu Zedong initiated the conversation. ¡°I want to know why you were asking Concubine Huan Bi about myte Concubine Yu Jun.¡± The King¡¯s question made Li Hua gulp. She forgot that King¡¯s eyes were all around the pce. There was a possibility that Tianjie¡¯s mother told the King.


    ¡°I had gone to pay a visit to the prince¡¯ste mother and then I encountered Lady Huan, Your Majesty. I was curious to know about my mother-inw,¡± Li Hua answered wisely.


    .....


    ¡°I think you do not know, but talking about myte concubine is prohibited. You are lucky that I am not punishing you because of my son,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a stern tone. Li Hua apologized to him and assured him that it would not happen again.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Qiu Zedong cleared her throat and asked her if she had found out the truth. ¡°I believe that Prince L¨®ng Wei must have opened up with you and he must have told you why he killed my concubine and his mother that night?¡± He waited for Li Hua¡¯s response.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I asked His Highness about it. I had faith that he did not kill his mother, but I was wrong. He told me that he killed his mother because,¡± she paused and studied the facial expressions on the King¡¯s face.


    ¡°Because? Why did you pause?¡± He asked her to continue.


    ¡°Because His Highness¡¯s mother never considered him as her child. The prince was unable to handle the way she would mistreat him. That made Prince L¨®ng Wei kill her,¡± Li Hua answered with a confident tone. ¡°I am upset for my husband that he could not get the love of a mother for no reason. He was treated badly by her. That was the main reason I ended up asking Lady Huan about myte mother-inw.¡± She cleverly connected the points before presenting them to the King.


    ¡°Indeed, Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother¡¯s bad treatment has affected my child a lot. So, Concubine Yu¡¯s bad treatment was the reason why my son decided to kill her,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted. Li Hua nodded at him.


    ¡°You may depart,¡± the King said, and she rose to her feet. She bowed and turned to leave when she heard Qiu Zedong say.


    ¡°If I find out that you lied to me, then you have to kill yourself,¡± Qiu Zedong said. Li Hua turned slightly to look at the King and was intimidated by him. It felt to her that he was warning her. Did he know more than that? She pondered. ¡°I hate liars. Keep this in mind,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a grim look on his face.


    ¡°I cannot dare to lie in front of His Majesty,¡± Li Hua affirmed while gazing into his eyes. ¡°I also hate liars, Your Majesty,¡± she said, and wore a tiny smile on her lips. Qiu Zedong flinched at her words. ¡°Thank you for forgiving me,¡± she said and left the chamber.


    She heaved a sigh of relief as she reached the doors and then stepped out. Gao Bing walked in while Li Hua stepped forward to leave. But the wound on the pce maid¡¯s hand made her stop at her ce. She asked her to get it treated in the royal infirmary. The pce maid kept her head low, giving no response to Li Hua.


    She understood that servants were not allowed to even rest properly or look after themselves. She walked away but then she decided to send the medicine to herter. She was once a servant too, so she understood that pain.


    As she reached the manor, she found L¨®ng Wei near the pir with his arms crossed while his back leaned against the pir.


    ¡°Where were you?¡± He asked as he jumped down the two stairs and approached her.


    ¡°His Majesty has called me,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± L¨®ng Wei did not utter a word and took her to the chamber to talk with her in the private.


    They both settled on the floor mattress, which was on the patio. Li Hua told L¨®ng Wei that she did not tell the King anything. ¡°But His Majesty said something which made me dubious of him,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    ¡°What did my father say to you?¡± He asked.


    ¡°He hates liars. If he finds out that I lied to him, then I will have to kill myself,¡± Li Hua narrated the same words to L¨®ng Wei as the King had said to her.


    ¡°What?¡± L¨®ng Wei was confused to find that his father had said something like that.

 Chapter 367

    367 Cried before him


    L¨®ng Wei was confused to know why his father said such a big thing to Li Hua. Did the King find out something that he should not have known?


    ¡°Your Highness, I think that His Majesty said that to me because I asked Lady Huan Bi about yourte mother,¡± Li Hua stated.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head and asked her when she met Huan Bi. Li Hua told him the truth. L¨®ng Wei was upset to know that Li Hua did not listen to him and did what could bring her danger.


    ¡°I had told you for a reason not to look into it. Since my father has a doubt about you, then he will keep an eye on us,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested to her.


    ¡°Your Highness, the King seems suspicious to me,¡± Li Hua expressed her views.


    ¡°Why? Because he said that to you?! I will not agree to that. Father would not have protected me all these years if he had known the truth about me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Is His Highness sure?¡± Li Hua questioned him. ¡°My father believed his longtime friend for a long time,¡± she stated.


    ¡°That was a different case, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°My father can never do something wrong to me,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°He forced your mother to be his concubine and he killed so many people. I have no trust in His Majesty,¡± Li Hua stated. ¡°It would not have begun if he had not-¡± she paused when L¨®ng Wei pressed his pointer finger against her lips.


    .....


    ¡°Now, do not speak anything,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her and leaned close to her ear, ¡°the walls have ears too. When you will learn this? Now, keep quiet on this matter.¡± He slowly pulled away and lowered his hand.


    ¡°Did you meet your brother?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her and looked towards the sliding door. He told her that he woulde soon and walked up to leave. After a minute, he returned with a big bowl of red and green grapes. He sat down and put a grape in her mouth.


    ¡°How is it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Sweet and juicy,¡± Li Hua answered and picked up one. She asked L¨®ng Wei to open his mouth, who did that and then ate the grape.


    ¡°I told His Highness that my elder brother would agree to help me,¡± Li Hua proudly said.


    ¡°You must have cried before him,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed and picked up another grape. He ate that as he listened to Li Hua¡¯s exnation.


    ¡°I did not cry,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°Elder Brother agreed promptly,¡± she lied and put the grape between her lips. L¨®ng Wei brought his hand to the back of her head and pulled her towards him. He bit half of the grape, chewed it, and then swallowed it. He looked at the startled expressions of Li Hua and asked her to eat. She ate that and heard L¨®ng Wei speak.


    ¡°Xu Zifan will get a scolding from Huang Xi for speaking to him about Princess Jingfei. Will it not bother you that your brother is getting a scolding for a useless matter?¡± L¨®ng Wei queried her.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi is not like His Highness,¡± Li Hua remarked and ate another grape. ¡°He is a nice man, who cares for his friends,¡± she opined, after a few seconds.


    ¡°You do not need to praise another man in front of me. I know how nice he is!¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a slightly irked tone.


    ¡°A good person should be praised,¡± Li Hua argued with him.


    ¡°Not before me,¡± he reminded her.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I get jealous. You should praise about me and me only,¡± he stated.


    Li Hua smiled to hear him and pushed two red grapes into his mouth. She told L¨®ng Wei that Jingfei deserved a second chance. ¡°I know she did wrong with us, but it does not mean that she will keep doing it,¡± she said. L¨®ng Wei did not agree with her words and told her that his views were different on that matter.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it anymore. Whether Jingfei marries or does not marry, will not matter to me. However, one thing I want to tell you is that Jingfei does not deserve Huang Xi. He deserves a better woman than her. Yes, I judge her because of my differences with her, and I will keep judging her,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Li Hua cupped L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face and then, pinched his nose. ¡°His Highness should not say this about a person. Princess Jingfei has definitely turned good. She has started to understand you,¡± she said as he put her hand under his cheek again.


    ¡°Great. Now, no more conversation about her,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and put his hand on her waist. He stroked her long, silky hair. They both peered into each other¡¯s eyes for many minutes, keeping a silence between them.


    Li Hua had lowered her hands from his cheeks to his shoulders and moved close to him. Their noses touched. Breaths mingled.


    She looked at his lips and then into his eyes before kissing him. Her hands were now locked behind his nape and he ced her on hisp. They kissed passionately until they ran out of air.


    He opened the front knot of the dress right above her chest in the middle. His fingers traced her corbone before he ced gentle, butterfly kisses there. He tilted her neck and showered numerous sloppy kisses there too. She let out faint moans and she moved her fingers into his hair. As he reached up to her ear, he whispered, ¡°You are an aphrodisiac to me.¡± He kissed the top of her earlobe, and then again faced her.


    ¡°Aphrodisiac is a drug,¡± Li Hua said, ¡°and it is not good.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei clicked his tongue and asked her who told her that. ¡°You did not understand my metaphor, Wife,¡± he said and caressed her arm. Li Hua blinked a few times and then, nodded. She admitted that she was slow sometimes to understand.

 Chapter 368

    368 I am out of this


    Xiaoming looked at the document that he prepared himself. The document consisted of the names of the top high-rank officials who were present in Qinping. He had included the old court ministers and then, the high-rank officials in the chief civil departments of the Kingdom.


    There was a total of two hundred such ministers and officials. One among them was Liu Jin Yu¡¯s father. He wondered if he should doubt Kang Xi. ¡°When his son can leave a woman pregnant and try to kill her, then he could do anything,¡± he mumbled and made a circle before his name.


    ¡°I will start with Kang Xi,¡± he decided and then put the brush down. However, searching for the past of a man more than twice his age was difficult for Xiaoming. He had to check on his personal servants who would have served Kang Xi for a long time.


    Sun Fuguo came in and informed Xiaoming that Qiu Mu was there to see him. ¡°Let him in,¡± Xiaoming said and folded the paper. He put it inside the drawer and waited for Qiu Mu toe in.


    Qiu Mu bowed his head as he greeted Xiaoming and settled on the floor chair across from Xiaoming.


    ¡°Why did Brother Mue at this hour to see me?¡± Xiaoming queried and found out that Qiu Mu looked troubled.


    ¡°Crown Prince, there is a problem in the Eastern Province,¡± Qiu Mu said. ¡°General Hei has reported this to our father already. We got the message from the General of the Eastern border.¡±


    ¡°What is the problem about?¡± Xiaoming questioned.


    ¡°Ourmander is found dead. His head was found hanging in the main market of Qijiang Province. Fear has spread among the local residents,¡± Qiu Mu stated. He was going to tell more when Sun Fuguo walked in.


    .....


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Royal Highness, for intruding in the conversation. His Majesty has given the orders to all the princes to gather at the private hall,¡± Sun Fuguo informed them. Xiaoming and Qiu Mu looked at each other before getting up. They left to see the King.


    Xiaoming found out that General Hei, the three Commanders, and the princes were in the private chamber except for L¨®ng Wei. He took his seat and looked at his father, who asked about L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Father, why did you call us so suddenly?¡± Tianjie asked.


    ¡°Let L¨®ng Weie. Then, I will tell you all everything,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    They all waited for L¨®ng Wei, who appeared after ten minutes. As soon as he entered, Tianjie reprimanded him for beingte.


    ¡°I was sleeping,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and sat on the broad chair.


    ¡°It is no more the time to sleep. Our Commander of Qijiang Province is found dead. His body was recovered from the middle of the market of Qijiang Province. This is the first time such an incident has been reported,¡± Qiu Zedong pronounced.


    Tianjie, Zhang Xi, and L¨®ng Wei were shocked to learn about it.


    ¡°General Hei, what message did you get apart from this?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°The enemies seem to have been from the famous hignds in the east. Other than that, no information has been recovered,¡± Hei Chengxi replied.


    ¡°Why?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. ¡°Why is there so much dy in gathering the information?¡±


    Qiu Mu told L¨®ng Wei that it was not crossed over the eastern hignds where the temperature is harsher than the ins.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that an excuse?¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°Do we have to wait for more such deaths under the pretext of harsh weather? When those enemies can infiltrate our borders, then why can¡¯t we? Or the army there cked off!¡± L¨®ng Wei did not refrain from being harsh.


    Qiu Mu clenched his fists when Qiu Zedong told L¨®ng Wei to stay quiet. ¡°I have not called you here to belittle others,¡± he proimed with a stern tone and told them that he had decided to send three princes there.


    ¡°Because Xiaoming is the Crown Prince, he must go and put a halt to all these. Hei Chengxi and Qiu Mu will not leave the capital as one General is required for the capital safety too. One Commander will follow the princes, which will be decidedter,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    ¡°I am out of this,¡± L¨®ng Wei raised his hand and Qiu Mu got the opportunity to humiliate him.


    L¨®ng Wei was not bothered by his remarks. ¡°I am still young to all these things. So, I will definitely not go. It will be a loss if I follow them,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. He could not go to a ce, where nothing was known. It would be risky and he could not let anything happen to himself.


    ¡°Why? Are you not the Dragon¡¯s son? At other times, you would brag about yourself. Now, what happened? How could the Dragon son be a little mouse?¡± Tianjie taunted L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Will you two stop arguing with each other?¡± Qiu Zedong raised his voice. Tianjie looked away while L¨®ng Wei looked towards the door. He was least interested in all this when he heard something from the King¡¯s mouth, which was not expected of him.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie and Prince L¨®ng Wei will apany Crown Prince Xiaoming to Qijiang,¡± Qiu Zedong pronounced. Mingquan thought he would be told to go but he was not.


    ¡°Father, I do not want to go,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Why are you sending me away again?¡± heined.


    ¡°Again?!¡± Qiu Zedong furrowed his brows together. ¡°It is the first time when I am sending the Sixth Prince on such a mission. For the past month, he showed us his remarkable qualities. You have two elder brothers to guide you well. Just help them and also the army deployed there. It is the time when you should learn to tackle all such things in the future,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°Then, allow me to take Li Hua with me. I will not go if Father refuses me to take Li Hua with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei demanded to fulfill his request.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, it will be risky to take her with us,¡± Xiaoming advised him not to be foolish.


    ¡°She may be the weakness if she apanies you. She is safer here,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. ¡°Now, do not whine like a child. After the Crown Prince¡¯s marriage, you will depart for Qijiang with them. This is my final decision,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed. He told them that they would follow the n that Hei Chengxi would told them.


    After a few more discussions, Qiu Zedong left, followed by the General and the Commanders while the princes stayed behind.


    Mingquan told L¨®ng Wei not to worry about Li Hua. This was an unexpected situation for him. If he would leave, then his mind would be filled with Li Hua¡¯s thoughts only. He would definitely not be able to work.

 Chapter 369

    369 I am going to miss [Bonus chapter]


    Mingquan assured L¨®ng Wei that nothing would happen to Li Hua. ¡°We are all here. Most importantly, the soon-to-be Crown Princess is close to Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s wife. You cannot step back from the duty of a prince; neither can you defy the orders of His Majesty,¡± he asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed as he looked at the night sky.


    ¡°I have to leave the next day after my marriage.¡± They both heard Xiaoming¡¯s voice and turned to look at him. ¡°I will not even get time to spend with my wife,¡± he added.


    ¡°I think it is a bigger situation in Qijiang. Our Father would not have called us princes if the situation was not tough,¡± Mingquan opined.


    ¡°I also think the same,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°I will take my leave. I have to tell my dear wife about my departure. Aish! I do not like all this,¡± he murmured, and he walked away after giving them a slight bow.


    Mingquan smiled at the reaction of L¨®ng Wei. ¡°That is why he cannot be the Crown Prince. He can be a good leader, but he is not ready to do the kind of work like Brother Xiaoming. I hope that His Royal Highness¡¯s doubt has been cleared after this,¡± he stated.


    Xiaoming agreed with his words. It was surprising to him that L¨®ng Wei stepped back from his duty, but because it was their father¡¯s order, he had no way left except to ept it.


    ¡°It seems that the Crown Prince wants to discuss something with me. But he is hesitant to speak up about it,¡± he stated.


    .....


    Xiaoming wanted Mingquan to help him find Liu Jin Yu¡¯s father, but he wasn¡¯t sure if he should give such a task to him or not. What if he fell into danger while finding the truth? Then, he would me himself for it. However, he did not know how much time it would take him to return. It may take a week or even a month or even a few more months to solve the problem in Qijiang.


    Finally, after deep contemtion, he decided to tell Mingquan about it. He took Mingquan to his manor because that was the best ce to talk about such a private matter.


    As they settled around the floor table, Xiaoming asked Sun Fuguo not to let anyonee in without his permission. Sun Fuguo left the chamber while the two brothers were now alone.


    ¡°Brother Mingquan, Liu Jin Yu belongs to the noble ss,¡± Xiaoming informed him. That truth astonished the Fourth Prince, and he asked him why he did not reveal it when everyone questioned the capability of Liu Jin Yu to carry out the duties as the Crown Princess.


    ¡°Because we do not know who her father was. She and her mother were thrown out by her father after he married another woman. Shortly after Jin Yu¡¯s birth, her mother died, and she had a tough life after that. I promised her that I would help her. But then, this recent situation in Qijiang will dy my n to search for Jin Yu¡¯s father. I want Brother Mingquan to help me with this,¡± Xiaoming narrated the past of Jin Yu to Mingquan in brief.


    ¡°I will undoubtedly assist His Royal Highness,¡± Mingquan readily epted Xiaoming¡¯s request. ¡°I would like to know from the Crown Prince if he had prepared anything for it. And how do I have to start?¡± He asked.


    Xiaoming opened the drawer and took out the folded sheet. He forwarded it to Mingquan and told him that he had made a list of officials, among whom one was Liu Jin Yu¡¯s father.


    ¡°Check Kang Xi¡¯s history first and share relevant information with Jin Yu. She will help Brother Mingquan too, while I will be away. I will try to find a solution in Qijiang as soon as possible,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Why does Sister Jin use the ¡®Liu¡¯ surname?¡± he asked Xiaoming.


    ¡°Because Wu Jin, her master, gave this surname to her,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    Mingquan told him not to worry about it any longer. He would try his best to find the father of Jin Yu with her. Xiaoming thanked her for being so helpful.


    ¡°Ahh, Brother Mingquan, I have found out that Brother L¨®ng Wei is close to you among all the princes. Do you know anything rted to Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s past that made him hate his mother?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I know nothing except that his mother never cared for him. This all of us know,¡± Mingquan replied. ¡°I am curious to know why the Crown Prince suddenly asked about it.¡± He waited for Xiaoming¡¯s response.


    ¡°Because I hated him for something that was never present there. Now, I regret doing all those bad things to him,¡± Xiaoming answered, and knitted his brows together.


    ¡°The journey to Qijiang is the best opportunity to clear every misunderstanding with Brother L¨®ng Wei. I hope we all princes live together in harmony and love,¡± Mingquan suggested first and then prayed for them.


    Xiaoming nodded at him. They had a few more conversations before Mingquan took his leave.


    ~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei took a deep breath as he told Li Hua about Qiu Zedong¡¯s sudden decision to send him to the Eastern Province.


    ¡°Your Highness, it is your duty as the prince to help your elders. Do not worry about me. I have many people around me. Nothing will happen to me,¡± Li Hua told him and ced her hand above his. She patted it when L¨®ng Wei pulled her for a hug.


    ¡°I cannot stay away from you, Li Hua. I need you all the time around me. When I go to the administrative office to work, I try to wrap up my day¡¯s work as soon as possible just to be here on time. How will I stay away from you in Qijiang?¡± Heined and rested his chin on her shoulder.


    ¡°I also miss His Highness when he is not around, but his duties are important too,¡± Li Hua said.


    L¨®ng Wei drew back and looked her in the eyes. ¡°I will request my father once. It is not my duty to solve those matters. I am the governor of Qinping, not the governor of Qijiang,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated when Li Hua chuckled at him.


    ¡°This is so wrong Your Highness. You have finally got the opportunity to make everyone believe how good you are. You have to go to Qijiang to help the people out there. Use your skills for the people¡¯s betterment,¡± Li Hua advised him.


    ¡°Why? Did they ever think about me? Why should I think about those people?¡± L¨®ng Wei pulled up a long face. He was not the King, nor was he the Crown Prince. It was not his duty to think about others.


    ¡°But His Highness thinks about the people. I know His Highness will return soon. If he will not go, then I will be upset. I want to brag about my husband¡¯s aplishments,¡± Li Hua expressed one of the wishes.


    ¡°You want me to go away from you. This is so wrong,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and hey down on the mattress. Li Hua turned to him andy beside him.


    ¡°I only want my husband to show people how good he is at solving such matters,¡± Li Hua stated and lifted her body on her right elbow while her left hand rested on his chest.


    ¡°Qijiang people will not help me with anything,¡± L¨®ng Wei reasoned.


    Li Hua realized how tough it was to make L¨®ng Wei understand that he could not expect to take from people all the time.


    ¡°Your Highness, do not be like this. Selflessly help others as you did for me and my elder brother,¡± Li Hua opined.


    ¡°That was because I loved you. I do not love those people,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Her head spun to hear his words. She was going to speak further when he pressed his index finger on her lips. He wrapped his arm around her waist and flipped her. Her hands rested on his forearms when he closed the distance between them.


    ¡°Fine. I will go to Qijiang and will not ask my father to reconsider his decision,¡± he said as he lowered his index finger. He kissed her lips and again looked into her eyes. She smiled and pursed her lips together. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and gave small kisses there. She giggled and asked him to stop. ¡°I am going to miss everything about you,¡± he whispered as he peered into her eyes again.

 Chapter 370

    370 Remove Li Hua from his life


    Finally, the day of the Crown Prince¡¯s wedding arrived. Liu Jin Yu was nervous and worried. She would be standing in front of hundreds of officials and thousands of servants. What if she made any mistakes during the procession? Her biggest fear was only this. The faith that everyone had put in her would be lost.


    ¡°Jin Yu,¡± Li Hua called out her name, and she immediately turned to look. She stood up from the chaise and held Li Hua¡¯s hands. ¡°Is everything ready? Are they already asking me toe out?¡± She asked.


    Li Hua shook her head and told her that there was still time for her wedding. ¡°I am here to be with you,¡± Li Hua said, and made her sit on the chaise along with her. ¡°The entire pce and the city are decorated in red. You should not be nervous anymore. You will have to get down from the pnquin and then reach the altar. I will be with you. After the wedding procession is over, you wille out with the Crown Prince and you will both bless the subjects and the people,¡± Li Hua exined to her again.


    Liu Jin Yu felt a little better. Court Lady Hong came inside and told them the Queen would soon arrive. They both stood up from the chaise. Li Hua stepped back while, beside her, Court Lady Hong stood. They kept their heads down as soon as the Queen entered the chamber.


    Liu Jin Yu and Li Hua greeted her when Zhu Liling asked Li Hua why she was there. Before she could exin, Zhu Liling asked her to leave. Li Hua bowed and silently left the chamber.


    ¡°Kowtow gracefully while taking the wedding vows. I do not want to see you make any mistakes,¡± Zhu Liling said with a stern tone.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Liu Jin Yu answered.


    ¡°You have to keep a smile on your lips all the time. I do not want to hear from anyone¡¯s mouth that you did not deserve to be the Crown Princess,¡± Zhu Liling further instructed her. Liu Jin Yu nodded at her and keenly listened to whatever the Queen told her.


    ¡°An important thing that you must know,¡± Zhu Liling said. ¡°I want the heir to the throne on your first try.¡± Jin Yu lifted her head when those words fell into her ears. ¡°The Crown Prince is living for the Eastern Province, Qijiang, tomorrow morning. So, you will not see him for many days, maybe even a month. That is why you must seed on your first attempt, or I will bring a concubine for my son,¡± Zhu Liling threatened.


    .....


    Liu Jin Yu did not say anything to her and gulped down the anger that had built inside her. She was troubled to find that Xiaoming would not be with her for days. Why did he did not inform her about it? Why did he have to leave so suddenly for Qijiang Province? She was upset to learn about it. If she had not loved Xiaoming, she would have run away from this marriage.


    The Queen¡¯s demands were getting on her nerves, and the Crown Prince didn¡¯t bother to tell her that he was leaving the next day after marrying her. All this infuriated her.


    Zhu Liling continued to tell her some more parts of the rituals, but her concentration was not on her.


    ¡°Where is your focus?¡± Zhu Liling noticed that Liu Jin Yu was lost somewhere. Courtdy Hong walked near Jin Yu and lightly shook her when she came out of her thoughts.


    She found the displeased expression on the Queen¡¯s face, and she apologized for not listening to her. Zhu Liling did not like her attitude from the first day. If L¨®ng Wei had not found out that she tried to kill Jin Yu, then she would have attempted this again too. In her eyes, Liu Jin Yu was not suitable for her son and the position of Crown Princess.


    She walked out of the chamber, and Jin Yu lifted her head again. ¡°Why is the Crown Prince going to Qijiang tomorrow?¡± Jin Yu asked Court Lady Hong.


    ¡°Forgive me, Miss Liu, for not informing you earlier. His Royal Highness had given me the instructions not to tell Miss Liu. He wanted to tell her but could not meet her. A problem has arisen in Qijiang Province. That¡¯s why His Majesty has ordered the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, and the Sixth Prince to head to Qijiang tomorrow.¡± Court Lady Hong informed Jin Yu, whose anger had subsided. Still, she was upset with Xiaoming for noting to tell her.


    ¡°What problem hase to Qijiang Province?¡± Jin Yu asked with curiosity.


    ¡°Pardon me, Miss Liu, but the information is kept confidential,¡± Court Lady Hong replied. Liu Jin Yu understood that.


    ~~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei met Zhu Liling and shared his n with her. He told her not to make any mistakes because it would ruin her life and her dear son¡¯s life too. ¡°This is an important asion for the Crown Prince, so do not ruin it,¡± he said.


    Zhu Liling hummed and told him that she would not let anyonee to that part of the pce. L¨®ng Wei stopped rotating the key on his index finger and caught it. ¡°I know that the Dear Royal Mother must be feeling terrible for listening to me, and she indeed has these thoughts of killing me. But she should know that I have set more traps than she has set for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he stood up from the broad chair.


    ¡°Someday this face of yours will be revealed to everyone. Not me, but someone will definitely do it,¡± Zhu Liling stated.


    ¡°Correction, Your Majesty. Many are already aware of this side of me. I wonder why you noticed itte, or should I say you underestimated me?¡± He remarked and chuckled.


    Zhu Liling curled her fingers into a fist, which L¨®ng Wei had noticed and it made him smile. ¡°After twenty minutes, everyone will be gathered in the wedding hall. Make sure no one asks about me. If the Royal Mother fails to do this tiny task, then she will bring doom upon herself,¡± L¨®ng Wei again threatened and then took his leave.


    Zhu Liling picked up the gold ss from the table beside her and threw it on the ground in anger. This was the most humiliating part of her life. Listening to the son of the concubine, whom she hated from the bottom of her heart, made her fume in anger.


    ¡°I failed to kill her son the moment her pregnancy was out. Had I tried it again, I would not have seen L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face today,¡± she murmured, and then threw the water jar in anger. Their sounds reverberated in the chamber while Zhu Liling fumed in anger.


    ¡°I can kill Li Hua though. As soon as he leaves, I will n a way to kill Li Hua.¡± She made up her mind. She stood up and went to the inner chamber. After searching boxes, she found the deadliest poison that she had kept safe for a long time. She did not find a need to use it, but to make L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mouth shut permanently, she had to remove Li Hua from his life.

 Chapter 371

    371 A dream for him


    As the wedding processions started, L¨®ng Wei sneaked away quietly, making sure that no one would see him. He went to the Northern Pce and carefully went to the secret chamber which was next to the main hall of virtue. He unlocked it and walked in after closing the door behind him.


    His eyes fell on the tall shelves with stacks of books and important documents. The portraits of the former Kings, their Queens, and their children were hung on the four walls.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyesnded on the portrait which did not look old enough. He walked close to it to check it and found it was Qiu Qizhen¡¯s. He fisted his palm and then went to the other side. He searched the shelves for the document which would be present from the time of Qiu Qizhen¡¯s reign.


    After Hei Chengxi told him that the documents were not burnt, but kept safe, he decided to search for such ledgers first. However, the problem was how he would recognize and find the old ounts. There were heaps of scrolls, and stacks of ledger books all around.


    He checked a few documents which were rted to the old governance rules and put them back. Twenty minutes passed soon and he knew that it was the time when he must leave for the pce ground before the King¡¯s suspicions rise. He decided toe to the ceter in the night with Mingquan and Xiwan. Only they both could help him in an efficient manner.


    He left the chamber after locking it and then went to the pce ground where everyone had gathered. He went to Li Hua, who asked him where he went to.


    ¡°Are they married?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°Of course. But where was His Highness?¡± Li Hua inquired again.


    ¡°I was hungry,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    .....


    Li Hua squinted her eyes because she knew that he was lying to her. She remained quiet because of the people around them. She looked at the subjects standing on therge ground and also the servants. They heard the loud announcement about Xiaoming¡¯s and Liu Jin Yu¡¯s arrival.


    Qiu Zedong had a wide smile on his lips as the pnquin entered where the Crown Prince was seated. It stopped at the end of the stairs. Xiaoming stepped down the pnquin and stepped down from it.


    He bowed to see his father and mother who were at the top of the stairs. Then, he turned and waited for Liu Jin Yu to arrive. Soon, she also arrived and then got down from the pnquin. She bowed before the King and the Queen. As she turned, her eyes met Xiaoming before they both bowed at each other.


    They ascended the stairs covered in the red carpet and finally reached the top where every royal family member was present.


    The Queen nced at the high priest, and he stepped up. He told everyone present in a loud and clear enough voice that Liu Jin Yu would be the Crown Princess from today onwards.


    L¨®ng Wei nced at the Queen wondering if she was happy enough with Liu Jin Yu¡¯s coronation as the Crown Princess. He tilted his head to look at Li Hua, who had held his hand. Their fingersced with each other and it made him smile.


    Qiu Zedong came forward to crown Jin Yu while Xiaoming stood next to her. Jin Yu got on her knees as she was told to when the Crown was put over her head. Flowers were showered on her and loud drums were beaten, along with the loud, cheerful announcement that Jin Yu would be their Crown Princess.


    Yuze smiled to see that and looked in the direction of L¨®ng Wei, who was whispering something in Li Hua¡¯s ear.


    Jin Yu took a deep breath and stood up. Along with Xiaoming, she stepped up and they looked at the subjects before them. As Xiaoming finished addressing them, everyone in the pce ground bowed to them while the drum continued to y.


    ~~~~~~~~~


    Liu Jin Yu was taken to the manor of the Crown Prince, where she would be supposed to live from today onwards. She had to wait till the evening for the Crown Prince to arrive. Her head and face were covered with the red veil which Xiaoming would removeter.


    She was hungry, but she could not eat without the presence of the Crown Prince. She had not even taken a single drop of water. She had wine earlier, but it was too little to quench her thirst. She yawned because of the tiredness and patted her shoulders.


    ¡°At least, let me drink water,¡± Jin Yu requested one of the servants.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Royal Highness, but I cannot let you drink the water,¡± she said in a polite tone.


    Jin Yu sighed andy down on the bed. The veil from her face moved away and she felt better. She was feeling hot in that heavy wedding dress and prayed to God to bring the evening soon. The maidservant kept asking her to sit straight, but Liu Jin Yu did not listen to her.


    She closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber.


    Xiaoming came to the chamber after attending the wedding feast. He was trying to leave the banquet, but because he was the Crown Prince, it was not even possible for him. He had sent Sun Fuguo to tell Jin Yu to eat something until he arrived and stay there only.


    ¡°Why are you outside?¡± Xiaoming asked as he saw Sun Fuguo outside the chamber.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, the Crown Princess fell asleep. We tried to wake her up, but she did not listen to us,¡± Sun Fuguo replied to Xiaoming, who smiled to hear that.


    He asked them to open the doors and walked in. Upon his order, the maidservant who was still in the chamber left. Thenterns and the candles had illuminated the chamber. He saw Jin Yu sleeping on the bed while her veil was still over her face.


    He smiled again and settled quietly next to her. Slowly, he lifted the veil from her face and put it away. A smile formed on his lips to see Jin Yu, who was his wife. The moment was no lesser than a dream for him and was the prettiest moment of his life.

 Chapter 372

    372 Breaths mingled


    Xiaoming wondered if he should wake Liu Jin Yu up or let her sleep. However, Jin Yu opened her eyes out of the blue and looked at Xiaoming for a few seconds.


    ¡°Crown Prince,¡± she finally realized that she was awake from sleep and quickly sat up on the bed. She rubbed her eyes and apologized to Xiaoming for falling asleep.


    Since she had woken up, Xiaoming handed a ss of water to her first. Jin Yu thanked him and drank the whole ss of water. She wiped her lips with the back of her palm, satisfied that her thirst had been quenched.


    Xiaoming looked at the tray on the bedside table, where the wine cups were put. He handed one to Jin Yu and took the other for himself. They bowed at each other before taking that wine. He put them on the tray when Xiaoming called in a servant. He ordered her to send dinner for them.


    The servant left while Xiaoming turned to look at Jin Yu, who had her hand on her stomach.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that heavy?¡± Xiaoming pointed to the headpiece that Jin Yu had worn.


    Jin Yu put her hands on her head and said, ¡°It is heavy. Should I remove it? What about the Crown? What to do about that?¡± She inquired him when the maidservant came with a few servers and pardoned them to set the dinner table.


    ¡°Put more leg pieces for me,¡± Jin Yu told her as she licked her lips.


    Xiaoming ended up smiling. When the servants were done, Xiaoming asked them to take their Crown Princess to the other room to remove the heavy headpiece from her head. Jin Yu went with them to the dressing chamber.


    .....


    After a few minutes, she returned to the bedchamber. Xiaoming made her sit on the chair first, and then he settled down. Jin Yu asked him if she could start.


    ¡°Of course,¡± he said, and Jin Yu immediately started after folding her sleeves up. She took the chicken leg pieces first in her hands and ate them. Those long sleeves disturbed her eating, but she didn¡¯t bother. Her entire focus was filling her stomach.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should eat slowly?¡± Xiaoming asked her. He had taken only one bite. His entire concentration was on her. He saw her mouth was covered with food. ¡°You are lovely, Jin Yu,¡± he said when she gave him a smile while blushing.


    She finished the chicken and ate the other dishes quickly. Xiaoming¡¯s stomach got filled jusseeingee her eating. Jin Yuid her back on the chair while rxing. ¡°Ahh, I was so hungry from the morning. Ahh, my stomach,¡± she murmured and giggled.


    Xiaoming picked up the napkin and stood up. He stood in front of her and started to wipe her mouth. ¡°Forgive me for making you wait for so many hours,¡± Xiaoming said. After he finished cleaning his mouth, he wiped her fingers with the napkin.


    Jin Yu saw that Xiaoming had his food untouched and asked him about it.


    ¡°My stomach got full seeing you eat. I had food outside too,¡± he affirmed. Jin Yu hummed and told him that she would return soon as she pulled her hands back.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°To wash my hands and mouth,¡± Jin Yu replied.


    ¡°There is no need for that. You should not step out of the chamber tonight. That¡¯s considered ominous,¡± Xiaoming said. Jin Yu nodded when he rang the tiny bell and a servant walked in.


    ¡°Bring a water vessel. The Crown Princess wants to wash her hands and face,¡± he instructed her. The servant bowed and fetched water in a vessel. She helped Jin Yu wash her hands and face. The second servant cleaned the table and left already.


    Jin Yu dried her hands and face with the towel while the servant carried the water vessel out.


    Now, only they were both left in the chamber and she found the air was getting hotter. She was nervous and her heart started to palpitate.


    She quietly put the towel down on the chaise.


    ¡°Jin Yu, I am leaving tomorrow. You must have been aware of this,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Yes. I found out earlier in the day,¡± Jin Yu said, and turned to look at him. ¡°What happened in Qijiang Province?¡± She asked.


    ¡°The Commander was found dead and he was hung in the middle of the market,¡± Xiaoming replied. ¡°Father wants us brothers to go there and look into that,¡± he briefed her. He held her hands and further said, ¡°I will miss you. I do not even know when I will return from Qijiang.¡±


    Jin Yu hugged him and caressed his back, thus leaving him astonished. ¡°The Crown Prince will return soon. I know this. I am good at waiting,¡± she said, and pulled away from him. They peered into each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I have told Brother Mingquan to help you in my absence. He will help you find your father,¡± he informed her. ¡°You can trust him,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Sure. Anything else?¡± She asked.


    He shook his head and brought his hand to her face. He gently caressed her cheek and asked her if she was not upset. Her husband would be away from her for days.


    ¡°I was upset, but not anymore. It is the duty of the Crown Prince to serve his kingdom first,¡± Jin Yu said. When she was with him on the pce grounds, she realized how immense his power was and how much faith his people had in him. For him, his duties were important. She understood his responsibilities as the Crown Prince of the kingdom.


    She took the initiative and kissed him from the bottom of her heart. Within a few seconds, she withdrew and looked into his eyes again. Her fingers curled because of the nervousness when Xiaoming pulled her up by wrapping his arm around her waist.


    His other hand rested under her cheek, and he sealed her lips with a kiss. Their breaths mingled, their heartbeats got intense, and their bodies heated up.

 Chapter 373

    373 Until I return


    L¨®ng Wei looked at Mingquan and asked him why he was stepping back from helping him.


    ¡°Because security is high around this time. After the frequent terrible incidents, Father has increased the security,¡± Mingquan exined to L¨®ng Wei and advised him not to do anything for a while.


    ¡°Fine. After I return from Qijiang Province, I will do that work,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Don¡¯t refuse to help me at that time,¡± he added.


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Mingquan said with a smile.


    ¡°I have asked a few trustworthy servants to be on alert after I leave. However, I want the Fourth Brother to be on alert for Li Hua. It will never forget this help of his,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked for a favor.


    ¡°Sure, Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Mingquan said, and asked him to finish the work soon in Qijiang.


    ¡°I hope we find the enemy in Qijiang soon. Father should not have ordered me to go there. I am against his decision this time,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, shaking his head in frustration. ¡°What if something happens to Li Hua behind my back? The thought itself is making me insane,¡± he said.


    ¡°Everything happens for a reason, Brother L¨®ng Wei. Sending you to Qijiang, will definitely bring changes in you. You will learn to tackle problems in the future. Also, no one will harm your wife. The security is high in the pce.¡± Mingquan¡¯s words gave some relief to L¨®ng Wei, but he was still scared. Last time when Li Hua was attacked, his heart was restless until she woke up.


    He took his leave and decided to see Feng Lao. At this vulnerable time, he needed Feng Lao¡¯s help. He asked the gatekeeper to open it for him, but he refused.


    .....


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness. But His Majesty has given strict instructions not to let the princes go out at night, especially the Sixth Prince,¡± the Gatekeeper informed him as he briefly nced at L¨®ng Wei. He lowered his eyes when he saw L¨®ng Wei beaming at him.


    ¡°Father won¡¯t find it. Open the gate before I take your life,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. The soldiers looked at L¨®ng Wei with terrified expressions on their faces and gestured to the gatekeeper to give instructions to open the gate.


    ¡°Please return in an hour, Your Highness. The chief guard wille to check,¡± the gatekeeper requested L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I will,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    The gatekeeper asked the two soldiers to pull the chains. The gates opened and L¨®ng Wei left on his horse to meet Feng Lao.


    He pulled the reins on the horse outside the residence where Xu Zifan and Feng Lao were staying. The night guard was astonished to see him when L¨®ng Wei asked him to take care of the horse and walked inside.


    He found that Xu Zifan had slept early after he got a bad fever. Feng Lao requested L¨®ng Wei not to tell Li Hua about Xu Zifan.


    ¡°May I ask why did His Highnesse at this hour?¡± Feng Lao asked.


    ¡°To talk to you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Me?¡± Feng Lao was stunned to find that. He wondered what L¨®ng Wei wanted to speak with him. They both went to the pavilion and stood at near its pir.


    ¡°I am going to Qijiang Province tomorrow.¡±


    Feng Lao tilted his head to look at the Prince.


    ¡°An important task hase, and my father has asked me to go with the Crown Prince and the Third Prince. Li Hua will be alone in the pce. I don¡¯t trust a few people, who try to harm her when I am away. So, I want you to guard her,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and finally looked at him.


    ¡°Will you do it?¡± L¨®ng Wei waited for his response.


    ¡°Can I?¡± Feng Lao asked.


    ¡°Of course. I will appoint you as her personal guard,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I am ready to do it,¡± Feng Lao said.


    ¡°However, I want you to keep in mind that Li Hua is no longer the woman you knew once. So, don¡¯t be informal with her, especially in front of the royal people. I don¡¯t want her to cry behind my back,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Your Highness, I will keep that in my mind too,¡± Feng Lao said. ¡°I would like to ask something from His Highness, if he allows,¡± He asked for permission first.


    ¡°Ask,¡± L¨®ng Wei permitted him, and he sat on the railing¡¯s t surface.


    ¡°Is he not insecure anymore about me being around the Princess Consort?¡± Feng Lao queried.


    ¡°I suppose that Li Hua has already answered that question of yours,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Feng Lao was bewildered to hear him and shook his head in refusal. ¡°She never answered me this question, nor did I ask her,¡± he stated.


    ¡°She loves me. I am her present and future. You were her past,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    Feng Lao recalled the same words that Li Hua had told him. ¡°I remember these words,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°I have no reason to feel insecure because of you. Li Hua and I are two souls in one body. She has told you to move on from her memories and I want the same for you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I understand, Your Highness. I will guard your wife,¡± Feng Lao assured him.


    L¨®ng Wei thanked him and crossed his arms. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asleep at this hour?¡± He asked curiously.


    ¡°I was unable to fall asleep,¡± Feng Lao replied. ¡°Did His Highness get any clue about the enemy hidden in the pce?¡± He asked.


    L¨®ng Wei made a shaky motion with his head. ¡°Don¡¯t look for it and do something which could bring harm to Li Hua. In the pce, you need to be careful of the King. Keep in mind if Li Hua asked you to do something which seems risky, then refuse. That¡¯s my order to you. You don¡¯t have to listen to Li Hua even if she requests you. If I find out that you do something stupid in my absence, I won¡¯t hesitate to punish you.¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t hesitate to threaten him.


    ¡°I understand, Your Highness. Thank you for trusting me,¡± Feng Lao said with a tiny smile.


    ¡°Until I return, you will stay in the pce. You can take a rest when Li Hua is with Liu Jin Yu. She is a trustable person and make sure no one knows much things about you and Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei again advised him not to let out his feelings from past for Li Hua. ¡°In the pce, information is used against each other,¡± he stated. Feng Lao nodded his head and assured L¨®ng Wei that he wouldn¡¯t give him any opportunity toin.

 Chapter 374

    374 Take care of my Li Hua [Bonus chapter]


    Li Hua gently moved her hand across the overcoat that L¨®ng Wei had put on. She patted his shoulders and told him that she would take good care of herself in his absence.


    ¡°I have no idea how I will stay away from you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. He touched his forehead with hers and closed his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t let yourself get hurt in any way,¡± he said.


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Li Hua said, and their noses touched. They stayed in that position for a while until they moved closer to each other for a kiss. It was gentle and short. ¡°Travel safely and do not fight with your elder brothers,¡± Li Hua advised him.


    ¡°What if they make me angry?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°Then, the prince has to let it go,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Fine. Feng Lao will guard you all the time, and he will stay in the manor. I could only ask for his help at this time. Do not cry in my absence. I will get hurt there. Our heartstrings are connected. Do not do anything that will make the King punish you and do not be adamant if Feng Lao refuses to take you to a ce, where you are not supposed to go,¡± L¨®ng Wei made her understand. Li Hua nodded her head.


    He hugged her once again for a minute and then they left for the imperial gates.


    Upon reaching there, they found everyone from the royal family was present. L¨®ng Wei recalled how he was sent to the cold pce and no one would be there. This was the first time he had gone for the kingdom¡¯s work. He felt a sudden happiness and saw Yuze, who was smiling and saying something to Xiaoming.


    L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua greeted their elders. Li Hua stood next to Liu Jin Yu while L¨®ng Wei stood next to Tianjie. Qiu Zedong hugged his three sons and asked them to return safely.


    .....


    ¡°Take care of L¨®ng Wei as he is the youngest. Do not fight with your brothers, L¨®ng Wei,¡± the King told them.


    ¡°I won¡¯t fight,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he nced at Yuze.


    ¡°It is the time when the princes should leave so that they will reach Khan before the evening,¡± Hei Chengxi said and looked at the soldier, who opened the carriage¡¯s door for the princes.


    ¡°Go then,¡± Qiu Zedong ordered them.


    Zhu Liling told the princes to take care of themselves. Concubine Huan Bi waved at Tianjie, who gave her a tiny smile. ¡°Do not worry about me. I will be fine,¡± Tianjie told his mother. Li Hua looked at Huan Bi, who had tears in her eyes. She realized that Tianjie¡¯s coldness towards his mother had lessened. She felt happy to see that.


    ¡°Li Hua, take care,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her before he got into the carriage. Li Hua recalled that she had made some sweets for them and asked Huang Xi to wait for a few minutes. She had to give something to the princes.


    ¡°What is it that you want to give? They may bete,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua replied, ¡°I prepared some sweets for them to eat on the way.¡± He gestured to her to leave, and she thanked him. After five minutes, she returned and found that everyone had left except Liu Jin Yu and Hei Chengxi. She gasped for air and then went towards Huang Xi. She handed him the box, which was covered in green silk fabric.


    ¡°Eat it together.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Huang Xi took the box from her. He then put it in the second carriage. Huang Xi took the blessings of his father before he hopped on a horse and then instructed the chauffeur to drive the carriage. L¨®ng Wei opened the window from his side and peeked out.


    He was stunned to see Li Hua and gestured to her to go in. She nodded, and the carriage started to move.


    ¡°Jin Yu, take care of my Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei loudly said, not thinking that she was now the Crown Princess.


    ¡°I will. You take care of my husband,¡± Liu Jin Yu dropped the honorifics and put her hand around Li Hua.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled as he put his head inside. Soon, the carriage vanished from their sight. Hei Chengxi went to the barracks while Liu Jin Yu left with Li Hua to the main pce.


    Inside the carriage, Tianjie asked L¨®ng Wei why he did not address the Crown Princess with the title.


    ¡°Because I always called the Crown Princess by her name,¡± he stated. ¡°Does the Crown Prince have any problem with that?¡± he asked and waited for Xiaoming¡¯s response.


    ¡°I do not have any problem. However, he must not call her name when the other people are around,¡± Xiaoming advised him. He was upset that he could not get the time to spend with Liu Jin Yu.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, your wife talked with my mother a few days ago. It seems she wanted to know about your mother,¡± Tianjie said.


    Xiaoming looked at L¨®ng Wei with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°Did you not tell her about your mother?¡± Tianjie asked him.


    ¡°Why are you bringing it up out of nowhere?¡± L¨®ng Wei interrogated him.


    ¡°I could not get the time to ask about it earlier. It is the first time, we have been together like this,¡± Tianjie proimed.


    ¡°I refuse to answer,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    Tianjie chuckled, and his reaction did not appeal to L¨®ng Wei. He was annoyed and wanted to throw Tianjie out of the carriage, but he could not do that.


    ¡°Your wife might try to find out about your mother behind your back. When she knows what kind of woman your mother was-¡± Tianjie paused as Xiaoming asked him to stop.


    ¡°We are not supposed to discuss all this,¡± Xiaoming said, and asked him not to bring up the topic anymore.


    Tianjie apologized, but he knew that L¨®ng Wei was bothered about it, and his mind would not be able to get off that. He smiled internally to see that.

 Chapter 375

    375 Thank you, Master


    Zhu Liling called Liu Jin Yu, so she had to leave urgently. She knew it was time for her literature ss, and she hated it.


    Li Hua stepped up the stairs and went inside the manor. She paused as she saw Feng Lao, who bowed to her. ¡°His Highness has appointed me in Her Highness¡¯s service,¡± he said and looked at her.


    ¡°Hmm. How is my brother doing?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°He is well,¡± Feng Lao lied to her as per L¨®ng Wei¡¯s instructions to him.


    ¡°Feng Lao, I have learned archery basics. Will you see and tell me if I am doing it right? I want to be good at archery before Prince L¨®ng Wei returns,¡± Li Hua said with a confident tone.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Feng Lao said.


    Li Hua asked him to follow her, and they went to the practice ground. Li Hua brought a bow from the small room and also some arrows in the quiver. Feng Lao held the quiver for her and she started to practice. Feng Lao keenly watched her and felt proud to see that. With L¨®ng Wei, a different side of Li Hua came out, which was much stronger than the current one.


    Li Hua threw the five arrows, and they all hit the target. A big smile formed on her lips. He told her two more ways to release the arrow, which would be more powerful and efficient.


    ¡°When you slightly tilt the arrow and release it, the power is greater and it will not give any chance for the enemy to retract. He will die on the spot,¡± Feng Lao said as he ced her thumb and pointer finger on the string of the bow. He told her to concentrate on the angle. ¡°It will put more pressure on your fingers, but only in the beginning,¡± he stated.


    .....


    Li Hua hummed, and when he stepped back, she released the arrow. It ripped off the arrow that was already on the target into two pieces before hitting the center of the wood log. She was amazed at the way the target was hit. Her finger had gotten a cut and it started to bleed. She was so engrossed in the happiness that she did not feel the wound on her finger.


    Feng Lao noticed that and held her hand in concern. He took the bow from her, thus bewildering her.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Li Hua asked him.


    ¡°Your finger is bleeding,¡± Feng Lao replied, as she looked at her finger. She pulled her hand back and pressed her thumb over it.


    ¡°You should-¡± Feng Lao could notplete his statement as Li Hua interrupted him.


    ¡°It is not a big injury to worry about,¡± she said and went to the patio. She sat down and kept pressing her finger with the thumb. ¡°It is not appropriate for you to touch me anymore,¡± she said and looked at him. She was sweaty because of standing in the bright sunlight.


    Feng Lao lowered his eyes and apologized to her.


    ¡°I told you to forget me,¡± she further stated. He gazed at her when she continued, ¡°I do not want you to think about me anymore. I know His Highness sent you here as my protector, which was a selfish favor to ask. You should move on for a better future as I did,¡± Li Hua advised him.


    ¡°I am aware of the fact that you cannot be mine anymore. Do not call it a favor. And I am trying to forget you,¡± Feng Lao said.


    Li Hua shook her head. ¡°Your actions say otherwise, Feng Lao,¡± she proimed. ¡°I feel bad to see you getting concerned for me. I do not want this to happen anymore,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Feng Lao said.


    ¡°I want you and my elder brother to move on. I want both of you to lead a happy life, full of prosperity. I will be happier that way, Feng Lao,¡± Li Hua said and looked at her finger. The bleeding had stopped. ¡°I needed protection when I was in Xinshui. Now, I do not want that to happen. I want to be a strong woman, who can protect everyone around her,¡± she expressed her desire.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s have a sword fight. You had it once with Xu Zifan, so let¡¯s see how much you learned from him,¡± Feng Lao said.


    Li Hua nodded and rose to her feet. She went to the small room and came out with a sword in her hand.


    She marched to him and attacked him when Feng Lao defended him by pulling out the sword from the sheath. He pushed her back, and she somehow bnced herself. But Feng Lao pointed the sword at her neck.


    ¡°Your reflexes are not strong,¡± Feng Lao said as he pulled his arm back. ¡°Your footwork is not good. Do you want to get trained by me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes. Teach me,¡± Li Hua said, and asked him to wait as she would tie her hair. Feng Lao allowed her and she went to the chamber.


    She tied her hair in a pony tail and came to the pratice ground. Feng Lao taught her the way to hit and defend. He asked her to do it one hundred times. She hummed and started doing that. When she would do something wrong, Feng Lao would correct her. Three hours had passed when Feng Lao asked her to take a break from today¡¯s practice.


    ¡°Thank you, Master,¡± Li Hua said, and she joined her hands to bow.


    Feng Lao ended up smiling and asked her not to do that anymore. She shook her head and said, ¡°A student must greet his master properly.¡± She lowered her hand when he took the sword from her and put it in the sheath. She told him that she would see himter and went to her chamber.


    Feng Lao had put everything in the room and slid the door to close it when he heard a voice. Someone was calling for Li Hua. He went to the chamber and saw a woman before her.


    ¡°What is Feng Lao doing in Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chamber?¡± Xiaolian asked while squinting her eyes in suspicion.

 Chapter 376

    376 The best chance


    Xiaolian was bewildered to find Feng Lao in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chamber and asked him what he was doing there.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince has appointed me as the personal bodyguard of the Princess Consort,¡± Feng Lao answered. ¡°May I know who you are?¡± He had never seen Xiaolian before.


    ¡°I am Xiaolian, the Third Princess.¡± She pulled up a face and looked at herself. Did she not dress up nicely because of which Feng Lao could not recognize her?


    ¡°Forgive me, Princess, for not recognizing you,¡± he apologized and informed her that Li Hua had gone to her chamber. Xiaolian hummed and told him not to stay in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chamber.


    ¡°Yes. I was going out,¡± Feng Lao said, and they both went out of the chamber. Feng Lao locked it from the outside when Xiaolian asked him if he was doing good.


    Feng Lao tilted his head and got confused by that question. He gave her a questionable look.


    ¡°I am good, Princess. Thank you for asking,¡± Feng Lao said, and told her that she would find Li Hua on the northern side. Xiaolian nodded and went to see Li Hua. Feng Lao walked after her and stayed outside Li Hua¡¯s chamber. He asked the maidservant why Xiaolian had visited Li Hua.


    ¡°I do not know. The Third Princess did not say anything in front of me,¡± the maidservant said, and she left for the kitchen. Feng Lao knew that in the pce, not everyone was trustworthy, and Li Hua was kind enough to trust anyone easily.


    Inside the chamber, Xiaolian informed Li Hua that Jingfei had sent her. ¡°She could note as the royal mother hade to her. The royal mother asked her to select a suitable man for herself. So, Sister Jingfei sent me to you. She wants to know if your brother had talked with Commander Huang Xi before his departure,¡± Xiaolian said, exining the reason why she came to see Li Hua.


    .....


    ¡°Pardon me, Princess Xiaolian, but I have no idea. I do not think that my elder brother has talked with Commander Haung Xi because of the Crown Prince¡¯s marriage. Still, I will send a message to my brother and then inform Princess Jingfei.¡± Li Hua thought to send Feng Lao to ask Xu Zifan about it.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Xiaolian told Li Hua that she would deliver the same message to Princess Jingfei. She stood up to leave, but stopped. She turned to Li Hua and asked her about Feng Lao.


    ¡°What kind of person is Feng Lao? Can you brief me about it?¡± Xiaolian curiously waited for Li Hua¡¯s answer. ¡°I am a little curious to know why Brother L¨®ng Wei spared his life. I mean, Feng Lao must be a nice man. That¡¯s why Brother L¨®ng Wei appealed to our father to not punish him. Am I right?¡± She arched her eyebrows.


    ¡°Feng Lao is a nice person,¡± Li Hua said. She was unable to form words to tell Xiaolian about him.


    ¡°Ah, never mind. I go now,¡± Xiaolian said, and walked out of the chamber. As she stepped out, her eyes fell on Feng Lao, who was standing near the pir, looking outside.


    ¡°He is so tall and looks so-¡±


    Xiaolian put a halt to her thoughts by shaking her head and walking away from there. Feng Lao saw her leaving and went inside the chamber. He found Li Hua in a blue hanfu dressced with golden embroidery. She looked beautiful, but he came out of those thoughts when he heard Li Hua¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I was going to call you, Feng Lao. Did my brother talk to Commander Huang Xi about Princess Jingfei?¡± Li Hua inquired.


    ¡°No. Why would Xu Zifan talk with Huang Xi about the First Princess?¡± He questioned her.


    Li Hua thought that Xu Zifan had not told Feng Lao about it. She requested him to meet Xu Zifan and asked him about it.


    ¡°I cannot leave the pce, Princess Consort. The Prince has given me strict instructions to be around you all the time,¡± Feng Lao told her.


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness,¡± Feng Lao apologized to her. ¡°Also, Huang Xi does not have any feelings for Princess Jingfei. Xu Zifan had thought of talking to him about itter, but then Huang Xi left for Qijiang,¡± Feng Lao affirmed.


    ¡°Did my brother tell you about it?¡± Li Hua was shocked to know.


    ¡°Yes. Xu Zifan does not hide anything from me,¡± Feng Lao answered.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei will be upset to know this,¡± Li Hua said, and knitted her brows.


    ¡°The Princess Consort should not get involved in all this,¡± Feng Lao advised her.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I have heard from Xu Zifan how the First Princess troubled you. Also, Huang Xi hates her a lot. It will not be good if the Princess Consort gives hope to Princess Jingfei,¡± Feng Lao opined. ¡°Huang Xi loves someone else and will propose to her for marriage soon,¡± he stated.


    ¡°What? How can Commander Huang Xi love someone else? Brother did not tell me about this.¡± Li Hua lookedpletely shocked to learn the truth.


    ¡°Xu Zifan has said that he would tell Princess Jingfei about this at his next meeting with her,¡± Feng Lao replied.


    ¡°That is so upsetting to hear. I thought that Commander Huang Xi would give a chance to Princess Jingfei,¡± Li Hua said with a troubled look. ¡°Do you know whom Commander Huang Xi loves?¡± She asked.


    Feng Lao shook his head. ¡°Huang Xi told us that he would tell us after confessing his feelings to the woman,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Brother should have said this in front of Princess Jingfei,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Xu Zifan did not know about this. I had told him about this after he told me why his sister urgently called him to the pce,¡± Feng Lao rified to her. ¡°The day when we drank together, Huang Xi ended up saying it in his drunk state, but he refused to say the name to Prince Mingquan and me. Xu Zifan had fallen asleep as he had drunk too much wine, so he could not hear that,¡± Feng Lao exined to her.


    Xiaolian, who hade back to give a jade to Li Hua which Jingfei had sent for her, ended up hearing their entire conversation. She decided to tell Jingfei about this and silently left the chamber.


    ¡°This is the best chance to punish Li Hua. Brother L¨®ng Wei is not here either to save her. This would be fun. When Brother L¨®ng Wei will return, and find out about it, he will surely be mad at Sister Jingfei. He will be punished then,¡± Xiaolian told herself as she descended the stairs and ran out of the manor to inform Jingfei.

 Chapter 377

    377 One important lesson


    Jin Yupleted her lessons in literature and quickly left her chamber. She ran so fast that Court Lady Hong and the other maidservants couldn¡¯t catch her.


    She didn¡¯t want to stay for long in the chamber as she knew they would give her another task to fulfill. Her hands were already soaring to write the Chinese characters fifty times.


    Soon, she reached the manor of the Sixth Prince and told the maidservant that if anyone came to ask about her, she must not tell them that she was with Li Hua.


    She walked into Li Hua¡¯s chamber. Li Hua was doing the embroidery on a fabric. She was so engrossed in the work that she didn¡¯t hear the footsteps, nor did she realise that Jin Yu was in front of her.


    Jin Yu silently sat on the chaise and let Li Hua finish her work. After ten minutes, when Li Hua lifted her head, she was astonished to see Jin Yu there. ¡°When did the Crown Princesse here?¡± She asked and inserted the needle into the fabric. She bowed to her and apologized to her for not seeing her.


    ¡°You have good concentration, Li Hua. I came ten minutes ago,¡± Liu Jin Yu replied. ¡°I ran away from there,¡± she added.


    Li Hua was shocked to learn about that and found Jin Yu on her feet.


    ¡°My hands felt numb for the first time,¡± Jin Yuined, looking at her hands.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good, Crown Princess,¡± Li Hua said.


    .....


    ¡°They never told me that I had to read five books a day. My mind blows up just seeing the textbooks. Learning everything from them isn¡¯t easy for me,¡± Jin Yu said, and asked her not to speak about that topic anymore.


    She moved to Li Hua to sit down, but she stopped as she heard loud footsteps.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei,¡± Li Hua rose from her seat, while Jin Yu turned to face her. Back behind her were a few maidservants. Xiaolian was present too. Both the princesses greeted the Crown Princess and then lifted their heads.


    ¡°I was going toe see Princess Jingfei in the evening,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Why did your brother lie to me and give me false hope that he would talk to Huang Xi?¡± Jingfei questioned Li Hua in anger. Jin Yu nced at Li Hua, wondering what was going on.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know about it. When I-¡± Li Hua could notplete her words when Jingfei asked her to stop.


    ¡°You and your brother joked about my feelings. Xiaolian told me everything. Huang Xi hates me and he told his friends about it proudly while drinking around with his friends. You wanted me to be aughing stick, right?¡± Jin Yu shouted at Li Hua.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei is taking me wrong. I never thought ill of the First Princess,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Stop telling lies, Li Hua. Just because you married Brother L¨®ng Wei, that doesn¡¯t mean you can trouble anyone and hurt the person. I should not have told you to help me. You did it so that people around me couldugh at me,¡± Jingfei blurted out at her and continued to step towards Li Hua.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei is taking me wrong. I never lied. I wasn¡¯t even aware of all this; neither my elder brother was,¡± Li Hua said, keeping her eyes low when Jingfei raised her hand to p her. Jin Yu caught her hand and pushed Jingfei away.


    Li Hua lifted her head and found that Jin Yu had saved her.


    ¡°Leave my hand, Your Royal Highness. Also, stay away from my matter with Li Hua,¡± Jingfei warned her while ring at her.


    ¡°Who gave you the right to raise your hand on Li Hua?¡± Jin Yu asked her and pushed her with a force. Jingfei lost her bnce as she moved several feet back until Xiaolian caught her arm, thus preventing her from falling.


    Li Hua widened her eyes to see that.


    ¡°When Li Hua told the Princess that she knew nothing about it, then she must listen to that. Don¡¯t try to dominate her just because you are the Princess. You have no right to p Li Hua,¡± Jin Yu affirmed.


    ¡°Crown Princess, you cannot speak with the First Princess this way,¡± Xiaolian told her with a stern tone and she lowered her arm.


    ¡°Really? Then, she also should not speak without respect with Li Hua. Learn some manners first and then lecture me or Li Hua,¡± Jin Yu affirmed.


    Jingfei red at Jin Yu. ¡°Lower your eyes, First Princess. A royaldy must not behave like a mad woman,¡± Jin Yu stated, and asked both of them to leave instantly.


    ¡°Now, you will tell me how I must behave,¡± Jingfei dropped honorifics with Jin Yu. ¡°What are you? A nameless woman without any background. You are lucky to marry my brother, else no man would have even nced at you,¡± she muttered.


    Jin Yu chuckled. ¡°Unlike the First Princess, no man would have hated me. I understand now why Huang Xi hates her,¡± she taunted Jingfei. ¡°I think the First Princess didn¡¯t study well. I am not nameless. I have my own identity. I am Jin Yu. Is there any woman in the kingdom who is well-versed like me in weapons? No, right! So, I have my own identity with much more qualifications than Princess Jingfei,¡± Jin Yu announced.


    Jingfei felt humiliated and decided to tell her mother about it. She turned to leave when Jin Yu stopped her.


    ¡°If Prince L¨®ng Wei finds out that you raised your hand on Li Hua, then what will happen? Princess Jingfei knows the consequences better than anyone. So, she must apologize to Li Hua like a humble, polite woman,¡± Jin Yu stated.


    Jingfei snorted and walked out of the chamber, followed by the others.


    Once they left, Jin Yu turned to look at Li Hua. ¡°Learn to defend yourself. Also, don¡¯t help the First Princess with anything. If anything goes wrong, she will me you. No one will be able to protect you in your husband¡¯s absence,¡± Jin Yu advised her.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Li Hua said and lowered her eyes. She felt upset because she only wanted to help Jingfei, but she took her wrong. She felt guilty for not listening to L¨®ng Wei and made up her mind to stay away from Jingfei. She thanked Jin Yu for helping her.


    She admired Jin Yu for being fearless and strong. Li Hua decided to be like her. Jin Yu was now a role model for her. A strong woman who didn¡¯t let the wrong overpower her. Li Hua realized that she was an easy-going person and would melt at anyone¡¯s words. But not anymore. She didn¡¯t want to be the person, who would be med like Jingfei did to her and needed the protection of the others. This was one important lesson for her which taught her not to believe those people, who were once evil to her.


    ¡°Have you had your lunch?¡± Jin Yu asked Li Hua, who refused.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s have lunch together,¡± Jin Yu said enthusiastically, and called in the maidservant. She ordered her to bring lunch meals for them and led Li Hua towards the table.

 Chapter 378

    378 Challenged the decision [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°Why are you crying, Princess Jingfei?¡± Zhu Liling asked Jingfei, who did not utter a word. She nced at Xiaolian to speak and asked her to tell her about it. Xiaolian described to the Queen how Li Hua and her brother hurt Jingfei¡¯s feelings first, and then, Liu Jin Yu insulted her.


    Xiuying and Ruoxi looked at Zhu Liling. They taunted her about how the Crown Princess had already started to abuse her power over the princesses.


    ¡°Royal Mother, the Crown Princess, is from a nameless ss. Yet she has enough guts to insult the First Sister. Sister Jingfei was trying to make everything good with Commander Huang Xi. But Li Hua and her brother surely did something to make him hate Sister Jingfei.¡± Xiaolian left no grounds to involve Li Hua in that matter.


    ¡°Where are the Crown Princess and the Princess Consort?¡± Zhu Liling asked her.


    ¡°In the Sixth Prince¡¯s manor,¡± Xiaolian replied.


    Zhu Liling asked Jingfei not to cry about it and nced at Lady Mi Yao. ¡°Bring them here,¡± the Queen ordered her. Mi Yao bowed and left the room.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei should not cry on such trivial matters,¡± Noble Consort Xiuying told her. She wiped her tears when Zhu Liling asked the two princesses to take their respective seats.


    ¡°Jin Yu did not deserve to be the Crown Princess in the first ce. I wonder why Her Majesty chose her. Crown Prince Xiaoming did a mistake by bringing her into his life. But Her Majesty could have rectified it,¡± Virtuous Consort Ruoxi opined. Xiuying agreed with her words and advised Zhu Liling to bring at least one concubine for the Crown Prince from a noble family.


    ¡°My stepbrother¡¯s daughter is a beautiful young woman. If Her Majesty allows, then I can ask her toe to the pce,¡± Xiuying gave Zhu Liling the suggestion of a youngdy, who could be Xiaoming¡¯s concubine.


    .....


    ¡°Thank you, Sister Xiuying, but for the Crown Prince, if there is a need to bring a concubine, then I will select her carefully,¡± Zhu Liling affirmed and politely refused the offer of Xiuying.


    Jin Yu and Li Hua entered the room led by Mi Yao. They kowtowed before the Queen and the two Consorts. Li Hua saw that Jingfei¡¯s face did not look good. She shifted her gaze to the Queen, who had opened her mouth to speak.


    ¡°May I know what Li Hua and her brother talked about with Commander Huang Xi that made him despise my daughter?¡± Zhu Liling¡¯s question confused Li Hua and Jin Yu at the same time. Jin Yu realized that Jingfei lied in front of the Queen.


    ¡°We said nothing to Commander Huang Xi, Your Majesty. I wanted to help the First Princess by making her converse with Commander Huang Xi, but she interpreted the wrong meaning of my intention,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°Li Hua, do not lie in front of the Royal Mother,¡± Xiaolian said.


    ¡°I do not dare to lie in front of Her Majesty,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°If Her Majesty does not believe me, then she must wait for Commander Huang Xi¡¯s return to know the real truth. However, if Her Majesty cannot wait for a long time, then she must ask the First Princess what made Commander Huang Xi hate her. She is well aware of this,¡± Li Hua proimed.


    Zhu Liling looked at Jingfei, who was beaming at Li Hua in fury.


    ¡°Since Li Hua is speaking with such confidence, I believe we have to wait for Commander Huang Xi¡¯s return,¡± Xiuying opined. She was terrified of L¨®ng Wei. Upon his return, he would definitely gather information about the days when he was not around. If for some reason, he found that Li Hua was troubled behind his back, he would not spare any of them. So, she decided to take Li Hua¡¯s stand.


    Zhu Liling wanted to punish Li Hua for the wrong that she did to her daughter, but not in this way.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei, let¡¯s not talk about this matter until Huang Xi returns,¡± Zhu Liling announced. Her decision was shocking to both Jingfei and Xiaolian.


    The Queen looked at Jin Yu and asked her why she was not in her chamber. ¡°Did the Crown Princess leave the manor without fearing my order? Did she think after bing the Crown Princess she had authority over the others? She cannot treat the royal princesses badly,¡± Zhu Liling scolded her.


    ¡°I hadpleted my morning lessons, Royal Mother. I cannot stay in one ce for a long time. So, I thought to visit Li Hua. I never thought of having authority over the others, Royal Mother.¡± Jin Yu answered with a confident tone. She looked into the eyes of the Queen, and for a brief moment, she looked at Jingfei.


    Zhu Liling announced the punishment for Jin Yu. ¡°The Crown Princess is not allowed toe out of her chamber for one day and she will not be given food.¡±


    ¡°What? May I know why I am being punished for no reason?¡± Jin Yu was not scared to raise her voice.


    ¡°Is the Crown Princess challenging the decision of Her Majesty?¡± Rouxi asked her.


    ¡°Yes. If the Royal Mother is punishing me because of her daughter, then it is definitely wrong. The First Princess called me a nameless woman without any background. She should be punished for saying wrong about me. I am not an ordinary woman. I am the Crown Princess,¡± Jin Yu pronounced before them.


    Zhu Liling could not bear that insult. Jin Yu was more rebellious than she had thought. She asked Mi Yao to give her a stick, and soon a stick was arranged.


    ¡°The Crown Princess should lift her skirt because she will get beatings from this stick. She must know that when a Queen orders in the imperial pce, then themand must be followed without raising any voice,¡± Zhu Liling said. She would punish Jin Yu today at any cost.


    Two maidservants caught Jin Yu¡¯s arms when she pushed them away. ¡°I will appeal to His Majesty then. The Queen cannot punish me when I have no fault,¡± Jin Yu challenged Zhu Liling.


    Li Hua found the matter was turning bigger, so she decided to intervene.


    ¡°If Her Majesty allows, then may I speak? I want to tell Her Majesty that whatever the First Princess and the Third Princess said here, was a lie, which made the Crown Princess as a wrong person when she was not,¡± Li Hua affirmed and waited for Zhu Liling¡¯s decision.


    ¡°Stay out of it, Li Hua. It is not about the matter you are speaking about,¡± Zhu Liling stated, and gestured to Mi Yao to start.

 Chapter 379

    379 Well-wisher and friend


    Li Hua stepped up and asked the Queen not to punish Jin Yu. ¡°It started because of me, Your Majesty. I called the Crown Princess to my chamber as I was feeling alone. She merely involved herself in my matter, thus preventing me from getting pped by the First Princess. Your Majesty, you have been such a good mother-inw during this entire period. I request you not to punish the Crown Princess.¡± Li Hua took the me on herself and made use of the right words to calm down Zhu Liling.


    Jin Yu wondered why Li Hua lied. She looked at her hand which Li Hua had held. She decided to keep quiet because Li Hua was well-aware of inner pce matters.


    ¡°Royal Mother, do not listen to Li Hua. She is merely trying to get away from this, She and the Crown Princess humiliated me,¡± Jingfei said in anger. ¡°Earlier Li Hua¡¯s husband insulted me many times. I remained quiet all the time. Brother L¨®ng Wei gave such bad remarks about me. They all made fun of my feelings,¡± Jingfeiined.


    ¡°That matter has already ended. Still, I apologize for Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s behavior toward you. Princess Xiaolian lied about many facts to you. That¡¯s why I want to present the truth to you,¡± Li Hua said. Xiaolian gulped and warned Li Hua not to use her wrongly.


    ¡°I think we should listen to both sides,¡± Xiuying said.


    ¡°I agree with the Noble Consort,¡± Ruoxi said.


    ¡°How will you present the truth when Commander Huang Xi is not present here?¡± Zhu Liling asked Li Hua.


    ¡°Your Majesty, a few days ago, Commander Huang Xi invited my husband and the Fourth Prince to his house for drinking wine with me. The Fourth Prince can testify to what Commander Huang Xi said that day about Princess Jingfei. Also, my brother could not hear the truth as he had fallen asleep. Feng Lao told me all this. If Her Majesty allows, I would like to call them here,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Call them,¡± Zhu Liling permitted for it and gestured at Mi Yao. She sent two maidservants outside- one to bring Feng Lao while the other to bring Mingquan.


    .....


    Cold sweat formed on Xiaolian¡¯s palms. She had hidden certain facts from Jingfei and it made her tremble in fear.


    Feng Lao walked in and bowed to the Queen. He nced at Li Hua for a brief moment and then at Jingfei, whose face was slightly red.


    ¡°Feng Lao, is it true that Li Hua and Xu Zifan do not know the truth about Huang Xi¡¯s feelings?¡± Zhu Liling asked.


    ¡°No, Your Majesty,¡± Feng Lao said while keeping his gaze down. He narrated to her the truth from that night. Jingfei did not believe him because he was rted to Li Hua. Soon, Mingquan also arrived in the room. He greeted the Queen and the Consorts. The atmosphere did not seem right to him when Zhu liling asked the same question that she had asked Feng Lao.


    Mingquan looked at Jingfei and then answered what Feng Lao had. ¡°Xu Zifan had drifted off to sleep. So, only we two could hear Huang Xi,¡± Mingquan answered.


    ¡°Why did Brother Mingquan not tell me about it?¡± Jingfeiined.


    ¡°It was not my ce to talk about, Sister Jingfei,¡± Mingquan replied.


    ¡°Prince Mingquan should have told her. At least, Princess Jingfei did not have undergone so much anxiety. I am d that the matter is clear here,¡± Zhu Liling stated. ¡°Princess Xiaolian should not have spoken the half-truth,¡± she reprimanded her and punished her in return for noting out of her chamber for a day.


    Zhu Liling did not want the matter to stretch and put a hold on it. ¡°Princess Jingfei must not ask for anyone¡¯s help. She could have asked either her father or me to talk to Commander Huang Xi,¡± Zhu Liling asserted. Jingfei nodded her head and apologized to her mother.


    ¡°Crown Princess, I am still angry at you. She is not supposed to leave the manor whenever you please. She has certain responsibilities in her position. The Princesses are younger than the Crown princess, so she must talk with them with respect. The same goes for the Princesses. I do not want any such fights anymore. No one is allowed to p anyone or show insolent behavior towards each other,¡± Zhu Liling announced.


    Li Hua thanked Zhu Liling for forgiving them. Jin Yu also apologized and then, thanked her. The Queen asked all of them to leave.


    Once they came out of the chamber, Li Hua thanked Mingquan and Feng Lao for their help.


    ¡°Sister-inw should have listened to Brother L¨®ng Wei when he asked her to stay away from Sister Jingfei¡¯s matter,¡± Mingquan opined.


    ¡°I understood now how wrong I was,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Now, if Brother L¨®ng Wei finds out about it when he returns, then both the sisters have to suffer,¡± Mingquan said as he watched them going away.


    ¡°No will tell Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Nothing is hidden from him,¡± Mingquan affirmed and nced at Jin Yu. ¡°Royal Mother is still not happy with the Crown Princess. She must not do anything which will anger the Royal Mother,¡± he advised Jin Yu.


    Jin Yu nodded her head and wondered what the true face of the Queen was. Mi Yao hade out of the chamber and asked Jin Yu to follow her to the manor of the Crown Prince. Jin Yu walked away while Li Hua left with Feng Lao.


    Li Hua and Feng Lao encountered Qiu Mu, who seemed to be looking for them only.


    Li Hua slightly bowed at him when Qiu Mu told her that a message hade for her. He handed the scroll to her. Li Hua confusedly looked at it and, then took it from him.


    ¡°May I know who has sent this message?¡± Li Hua questioned.


    ¡°I have not checked it,¡± Qiu Mu said. ¡°The person, who delivered it said that it is from your well-wisher and friend in Xinshui¡±.


    Li Hua hummed and thanked Qiu Mu, who left.


    ¡°Who can send you a message from Xinshui?¡± Feng Lao¡¯s tone turned informal.


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Li Hua said and opened the scroll to read it.

 Chapter 380

    380 Such Kind of Love


    L¨®ng Wei drank the water from the ss and felt better after traveling for hours. Huang Xi came with the box which Li Hua had prepared for them and handed it to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°What is this?¡± L¨®ng Wei looked at the box wrapped in silk cloth.


    ¡°Princess Consort has prepared the sweets for everyone in the morning. She asked me to give it to the prince,¡± Huang Xi said. L¨®ng Wei put the box on the table and opened the silk cloth from around the box.


    He opened the tiffin box made of bamboo. He saw theyers of different colored sweets that were ced adjacent to each other. He smiled to see those sweets and picked one. He ate that and found out many eyes were on him. He knitted his brows as he did not want to share those sweets with anyone.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Princess Consort did not give them so that you can eat by yourself. Share them with us too,¡± Huang Xi said and extended his hand to pick a sweet when L¨®ng Wei pped his hand.


    Xiaoming smiled to see L¨®ng Wei¡¯s reaction while Tianjie shook his head in dismay.


    This was the first time someone had made sweets for L¨®ng Wei and if he would share them, then it would be his loss. He wanted to have those sweets by himself. ¡°Li Hua is my wife. So, these sweets are for me not for everyone,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and picked the second one.


    ¡°How will His Highness eat so many sweets in a day? If he would overeat them, then he might get sick,¡± Huang Xi said as he watched L¨®ng Wei enjoying those sweets. ¡°With sharing love increases,¡± he asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei beamed at him. ¡°What did you say?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    .....


    ¡°I want to say that if Prince L¨®ng Wei shares these sweets with everyone, then our love for him will increase,¡± Huang Xi stated.


    ¡°I do not want such kind of love to increase,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°I will tell the Princess Consort when we return. Then, Her Highness will not talk with you,¡± Huang Xi tried to intimidate L¨®ng Wei when he knew that it would not work for L¨®ng Wei. At that moment, Tianjie picked up a sweet and started to eat that.


    ¡°Mmmm.¡± Tianjie liked the taste of the sweet. ¡°The taste is heavenly,¡± he asserted when L¨®ng Wei asked him not to eat that.


    ¡°Return that sweet. You are not supposed to eat that,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and he put the box on the table. He got on his feet to snatch the sweet from Tianjie, who put the remaining sweet in his mouth.


    Huang Xi quickly picked up one sweet for himself and the other for Xiaoming.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei shall not behave like a heartless human,¡± Huang Xi said while eating the sweet. L¨®ng Wei turned his gaze at him and a murderous expression formed on his face. He wanted to beat him up for taking the sweets without his permission when Xiaoming put his hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei the sweets will get sour because of the weather if kept for long. It is better to distribute them to everyone,¡± Xiaoming said in a polite way. L¨®ng Wei nodded and picked up the box.


    He distributed the sweets to everyone, even though he did not want to. However, he did not give Huang Xi twice as he picked up the sweet without his permission.


    ¡°Do not fight like a child with Huang Xi,¡± Tianjie said. ¡°You are even married, but your childish traits have not gone,¡± he remarked.


    ¡°I am not interested in talking to the Third Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a wide, fake smile. He closed the box and handed it to Huang Xi. He was wondering why Tianjie was suddenly acting like a concerned brother. He had not forgotten what Qiu Mu had told him. Tianjie had tried to kill Li Hua that day.


    Xiaoming told L¨®ng Wei that he should not behave this way with Tianjie. L¨®ng Wei did not pay heed to his words and went inside the carriage.


    It was time for their departure. They had rested for an hour and now, they had to reach Khan by the evening so that they could spend the night in the rest house. Xiaoming and Tianjie also went inside the carriage.


    After thirty minutes, they resumed the journey. L¨®ng Wei had closed his eyes.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, why do you not engage with us for a conversation?¡± Xiaoming asked him.


    ¡°I am not interested,¡± L¨®ng Wei did not want to talk with them. He was already upset about the sweets that he had to share. Also, he was missing Li Hua. At this hour, he would either be talking with her or they both be sleeping. He was frustrated again because he had no idea how many days he would see Li Hua. He wondered if Xiaoming was feeling the same way as he was.


    ¡°I have decided to go to the Qijiang¡¯s hilly side if the situation is tough,¡± Xiaoming said.


    L¨®ng Wei opened his eyes and looked at him.


    ¡°In the morning, General Hei Chengxi said that situation is not good there. Our soldiers have been attacked multiple times in mere a week. All this was not revealed earlier because it could have created more stress,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    ¡°How the soldiers were attacked?¡± Tianjie queried.


    ¡°At night they were mysteriously killed,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°There might be someone among the soldiers, who may be doing this,¡± Tianjie opined.


    ¡°That information was not out about that,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°What is the use of even having half information? Do they not that half knowledge is the worst enemy of a human,¡± L¨®ng Wei finally spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s not make any decision until we reach Qijiang province,¡± he suggested to them.


    ¡°The information might be half, but it is useful for us. We can see how powerful the enemy is!¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°And what should we do about that? Indeed, the enemy is stronger. He killed the General there easily,¡± L¨®ng Wei argued. ¡°In my opinion, we should formte a n only after knowing and investigating everything in Qijiang,¡± L¨®ng Wei advised them.

 Chapter 381

    381 Regretful of my act [Bonus chapter]


    Li Hua closed the scroll and lower her hands.


    ¡°What is the message about?¡± Feng Lao asked.


    ¡°Someone knows who was behind the Xu and Shui Family massacre. The person is in Qinping,¡± Li Hua said. Feng Lao asked her to give the scroll to her and he read the message.


    ¡°We should not believe this. It might be a trap for us,¡± Li Hua opined. Because L¨®ng Wei was not around, their enemies could take a chance to harm her. She could not risk her life this way by falling for such a trick.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Feng Lao said. ¡°I will ask General Mu where he found out this.¡± He put the scroll inside the wide waistband.


    ¡°It will not be wise if you ask Prince Mu. I will ask himter,¡± Li Hua said and they soon reached the manor.


    Though Li Hua had decided not to trust that message, her mind was speaking otherwise. What if it was true? What if the person, who sent it really knows the truth? She furrowed her brows together.


    ¡°Do not think about this message. It was too easy for this message to go unnoticed by the recruited staff in the department. Even General Mu did not bother to check it,¡± Feng Lao asserted.


    ¡°Prince Mu does not bother about other¡¯s matters. But it is indeed weird. Who could send such a message to me? The person has mentioned that he will meet me in the city¡¯s center,¡± Li Hua stated. She decided to talk about it with Hei Chengxi regarding this. He was an expert and would guide her better to clear her doubts. He told the same to Feng Lao, who agreed with her.


    .....


    Li Hua still had not taken her lunch, so she asked Feng Lao to go and rest as she would take her lunch.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Have you taken your meals?¡± Li Hua asked him when he turned to leave.


    ¡°I will eat in the evening,¡± Feng Lao answered.


    ¡°I will ask the maidservant to send lunch for you as well. Do not skip meals,¡± Li Hua said with a tiny smile and went to her chamber.


    ~~~~~~~


    Zhu Liling reprimanded Jingfei for saying aloud her feelings for Huang Xi and turned herself into aughing stock. Jingfei kept her head down while apologizing to her mother.


    ¡°Princess cannot behave like a mad lover. And why did Huang Xi start hating you? Did you do something?¡± Zhu Liling questioned her. Jingfei fiddled with her fingers as she found herself stuck. If she would lie, her mother would call Hei Chengxi to ask about it. The matter would be stretched which she did not want.


    ¡°Why is Princess Jingfei quiet? Did she start hiding things from me?¡± Zhu Liling looked angry and it terrified Jingfei. ¡°Answer me, Princess!¡± She ended up raising her voice at her.


    ¡°The day when Brother L¨®ng Wei was injured, I ended up saying something bad for her, and Huang Xi heard that,¡± Jingfei said and tears poured down her cheeks. ¡°I am truly regretful of my act, Mother. I have even apologized to Huang Xi, but it was of no use.¡± She sniffled when Zhu Liling scolded her and asked her not to cry.


    She held her arms and told her that she was the Queen¡¯s daughter. ¡°Is this the way my daughter going to act?¡± She wiped the tears from Jingfei¡¯s eyes. ¡°I will make you marry Huang Xi. How dare he say that he hates you?¡± She muttered and hugged Jingfei. She caressed her hair.


    Jingfei pulled away from the hug. ¡°But mother, Huang Xi loves someone else. I do not think that I must get involved with him anymore. He will hate me more,¡± she opined. Her nose had turned red.


    ¡°Huang Xi will not hate you once you both are married. So, do not cry anymore,¡± Zhu Liling said.


    ¡°Lady Mi Yao, send a message to General Hei. Tell him that the Queen wants to see him,¡± Zhu Liling passed an order. Jingfei looked at her mother in astonishment. ¡°I will do everything for my daughter¡¯s happiness. You should go to your chamber.¡±


    Jingfei bowed at her mother before leaving. Even though her mother would speak to Hei Chengxi, she was scared of the consequences ahead. Huang Xi might get angry. What if he started to hate her more? He already had someone whom he loved. She was restless because of all these reasons.


    She reached her chamber and asked her personal attendant if she could arrange a pnquin for her.


    ¡°May I know why Your Highness?¡± Lin Jie asked.


    ¡°I want to go to the market,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Lin Jie said and walked out.


    Jingfei wanted to bring her restless heart to rest and calm her mind too. Many things happened within a short period of time. Xiaolian lied to her and she believed her. Li Hua would also not help her anymore.


    She picked up the jar and poured the water into a ss. She drank it and then, picked up the mirror to look at herself. She did everything to make a ce in Huang Xi¡¯s heart, but he only hated her. He even told this to his friends. She wondered if that man would be good for her after she would marry him.


    Her father was the King while her mother was the Queen, so theirmand was enough for Huang Xi to marry her. But what would happen after that? She would only suffer in that marriage. She wanted Huang Xi to equally reciprocate her feelings, which he would never do. She put the water ss on the table surface and went back to her mother to tell her not to ask Hei Chengxi for his son¡¯s hand for Jingfei.


    When Jingfei stepped into her mother¡¯s chamber, she saw Hei Chengxi was already present. She bowed at him.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei, I was going to talk with General Hei about your marriage with his son, Huang Xi,¡± Zhu Liling said with a bright smile.


    ¡°I do not want to marry Huang Xi,¡± Jingfei announced before them.

 Chapter 382

    382 A Sharp Woman


    Zhu Liling asked Jingfei to leave, as she was not supposed to say such things. Hei Chengxi nced at the Queen and understood the entire situation. The Queen had called him to ask for his son¡¯s hand for her daughter.


    Jingfei fiddled with her fingers as she told her mother why she didn¡¯t want to marry Huang Xi anymore. ¡°I do not want to marry a man, who has told everyone around him how much he hates me. I have made some mistakes. I agree. But why does he have to do that? If I marry Huang Xi, I know it will be a disaster only,¡± Jingfei gave reasons to her mother.


    Zhu Liling could feel how much her daughter was hurt because of all that.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei, I apologize to you for my son¡¯s mistake. I am still unaware of the fact that what exactly has happened. However, after Huang Xi returns, I will definitely ask him and make him apologize to the Princess,¡± Hei Chengxi assured her. Huang Xi had told him that he would not want to agree to marry Jingfei, but Hei Chengxi didn¡¯t know that he hated her.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, General Hei. I do not want Commander Huang Xi to know that we talked over this. It will hurt me more,¡± Jingfei said, and looked at her mother. ¡°Forgive me for troubling my mother.¡± She kept her head low, unable to meet her gaze. She knew Zhu Liling would be angry at her, but this was the best for her future.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei, go back to your chamber. I won¡¯t talk about the Princess¡¯ marriage with Huang Xi anymore,¡± Zhu Liling said in a humble tone. Jingfei thanked her mother and left for her chamber.


    Hei Chengxi apologized to the Queen for his son¡¯s behavior.


    ¡°I will let it go this time because General Hei has served this royal family well. However, I do not want his son to get married to any of the princesses in the royal family,¡± Zhu Liling affirmed.


    Hei Chengxi knitted his brows for a brief moment before agreeing to it.


    .....


    ¡°I understand, Your Majesty,¡± Hei Chengxi said.


    ¡°General Hei may leave,¡± Zhu Liling ordered. He bowed before her and left.


    ¡°Mi Yao, did you deliver the message to Li Hua through Qiu Mu? Did you make sure that no one was suspicious of that message?¡± Zhu Liling asked her personal attendant and loyalist.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Everything was done carefully without leaving any evidence behind,¡± Mi Yao stated.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Did you get any message from my brother?¡± Zhu Liling asked her.


    Mi Yao shook her head and lowered it. ¡°Forgive me, Your Majesty, but till now there has been no message from General Ye,¡± she informed Zhu Liling.


    At that moment, a maidservant asked permission to get in after she said that she had the message from General Ye.


    ¡°Come inside,¡± Mi Yao said in a loud and clear voice. The maidservant walked in and handed the scroll to Mi Yao. She bowed and stepped back slowly before stepping out.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Mi Yao said, handing the scroll to the Queen.


    Zhu Liling opened the knot around the scroll and then read the message from Ye Yujin. A smile formed on her lips as her elder brother had returned.


    Zhu Liling had ced the scroll on the side table when Mi Yao asked her if she could ask something.


    ¡°You may ask,¡± Zhu Liling said.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t the Queen poison Li Hua? That would be an easy and quick death, then, using such a n, Your Majesty,¡± Mi Yao said.


    ¡°Because I do not want suspicion to fall on the royal family. If she dies within the four walls of this pce, then L¨®ng Wei wille after me. I want to divert his attention to the enemy who massacred Li Hua¡¯s family,¡± Zhu Liling stated with a victorious smile on her lips.


    ¡°Your Majesty, but there has been no reaction from Li Hua till now. What if she doesn¡¯t go to the city center?¡± Mi Yao raised doubt.


    ¡°Of course, we will not get a response this soon,¡± Zhu Liling stated. ¡°Li Hua is a sharp woman. As a tea server, I have observed those qualities in her. She might be na?ve before her marriage, but after she lost her family, she became sharper. She will not fall in this trap easily, but she will not ignore it either. She will definitely react to this and go out.¡± Zhu Liling was confident regarding Li Hua¡¯s reaction to the fake message that she had sent to her.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has appointed Feng Lao to Li Hua¡¯s protection. Her Majesty has to find a way so that he will not be there to save her,¡± Mi Yao advised Zhu Liling.


    ¡°It is not tough to handle Feng Lao. Don¡¯t worry about it. L¨®ng Wei killed Eunuch Lishi cleverly, I will make sure to kill two people close to him. Both Li Hua and Xu Zifan will die on the same day. Poor him! I saw him happy after a long time. Soon, that happiness will turn into sadness,¡± Zhu Liling said with a smirk and continued to smile.


    ¡®Tomorrow I will ask my brother to send the best assassin in his eye. I need to shut L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mouth for eternity. Once he is out of my sight, then I will throw Jin Yu out of my son¡¯s life.¡¯ Zhu Liling pondered in her mind.She didn¡¯t want to remain in the clutches of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Keep an eye on Jin Yu,¡± Zhu Liling ordered Mi Yao. She obeyed the order of the Queen and left to see Jin Yu.


    Zhu Liling went to the inner chamber, taking the scroll with her. She put that into a drawer and then, closed it.


    Her eyes fell on the tinypartment inside the drawer and she again opened it. She picked up the tiny key and looked at it with a grim expression on her face.


    She put it back and closed the drawer again before walking out of the inner chamber.

 Chapter 383

    383 This was the revenge


    L¨®ng Wei stretched his body after he stepped out of the carriage. The bright sun rays fell on his face and he brought his hand to cover his face. ¡°We are in Qijiang,¡± Xiaoming said.


    L¨®ng Wei lowered his hand and saw the line of soldiers in front of them. Bai Juchen was the next appointed General in the province after the martyrdom of the former general. Bai Juchen lifted his arms to his shoulder and lowered his head. ¡°Greeting to the Crown Prince, Prince Tianjie, and Prince L¨®ng Wei. This is Bai Juchen,¡± he introduced himself after greeting them. He lowered his hands, ¡°Please follow me this way.¡±


    The three princes went with him to the tent house, where three chairs were already put. Xiaoming and Tianjie settled on the chairs while L¨®ng Wei started to walk around the tent house. He picked a sword and realized that it was heavier than the regr ones that he had used till now. He put it back when Bai Juchen asked him to take a seat.


    One soldier hade with water sses. He forwarded the tray to Xiaoming and Tianjie.


    ¡°You should start speaking,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Bai Juchen as he picked the water ss from the tray.


    ¡°The Eastern Hignds have hidden enemies,¡± Bai Juchen said. ¡°Late General Wu Zihao had gonest week to the borders as some people from a local tribe at the border had seen people of unknown identity there. He had even killed them when they attacked him. Then, five days ago, his body was found hanging at Qijiang¡¯s market center,¡± Bai Juchen answered.


    ¡°Did Wu Zihao not tell about this you and the other soldiers after he returned from there?¡± Xiaoming questioned him.


    Bai Juchen shook his head. ¡°He has decided to stay there and sent us a message that he would return a few dayster,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Foolish people always die,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°He must have gone alone across the border,¡± he added.


    .....


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, you should empathize with the dead,¡± Tianjie told him.


    ¡°Stop lecturing me, Third Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei gritted his teeth. ¡°I am merely stating the facts. Wu Zihao should not have acted foolishly,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Both of you should stay quiet. Let Bai Zuchen speak,¡± Xiaoming scolded them.


    Bai Juzhen continued and told the Crown Prince that they found a message from the recovered body of the Late General, Wu Zihao. He took out the piece of paper and handed it to Xiaoming.


    ¡°General Hei told that no such message was recovered,¡± Xiaoming stated as he started to read the message.


    ¡°Your Highness, I thought it would be better to share the message after helpes from the capital,¡± Bai Juchen stated.


    ¡°What is in the message, Your Royal Highness?¡± Tianjie asked with desperation.


    ¡°It says that this was the revenge for taking the lives of their people,¡± Xiaoming said and handed that to Tianjie. L¨®ng Wei came to them and took it from Tianjie then. He read the message again and again.


    ¡°It is too hard to believe that they killed Wu Zihao merely because he performed his duty of preventing infiltrators to cross the border,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I think the same. The reason must be bigger,¡± Tianjie opined.


    ¡°What if they want us to fight with them?¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered and handed the paper back to Bai Juchen. ¡°The Eastern Hignds is mostly a tribal area. It has been a long time since theyst attacked us,¡± he murmured and then sat on the chair. He leaned back while his forearms rested on the armrest of the chair.


    ¡°Thest time they attacked was before the former King¡¯s reign that is the time when our great-grandfather was on the throne,¡± Xiaoming affirmed.


    ¡°Who noticed Wu Zihao¡¯s body first?¡± L¨®ng Wei interrogated Juchen.


    ¡°A milkman,¡± Bai Juchen.


    ¡°Summon him. We will have some interrogation from him,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°I want to take a good rest for some time, so take me to the tent which is prepared for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei ordered Juchen.


    Xiaoming gestured to Bai Juchen to do what L¨®ng Wei was saying and he asked a soldier toe inside. L¨®ng Wei left with him while Xiaoming and Tianjie stayed behind.


    ¡°Is there any further information? Did the soldiers see any more infiltrates after that day?¡± Xiaoming asked him.


    ¡°No, Your Royal Highness. They did not witness any such people there. We searched the area near the border and found some explosives too,¡± Bai Juchen informed them. They both furrowed their brows to find that. It was a serious issue. Explosives were found near the borders.


    ¡°Crown Prince, are they nning to attack us? Are they supplying explosives to someone in Qijiang market?¡± Tianjie said some of the probabilities.


    ¡°We have to run an investigation,¡± Xiaoming said and asked Bai Juchen to summon those tribal people, who first noticed these unknown people near the border,¡± Xiaoming ordered him. Juchen bowed and told them resting ces were ready for them. He showed the resting tent to Xiaoming while Tianjie left with a soldier.


    ¡°Do not go alone in that area. Go in disguise,¡± Xiaoming suggested to Juchen. ¡°Before that send a message to the King about our safe arrival. Send the messenger here as I want to send a personal message for the Crown Princess as well.¡± Bai Juchen obeyed the Crown Prince¡¯smand and left the tent house.


    Xiaoming took off the overcoat and sat on the chair around the table. A messenger came inside, bowed before him, and then handed a brush-ink set to him. The sheet was already ced on the table and Xiaoming wrote a message for Jin Yu. He let it dry for a while and then after folding it, he enclosed it with a special stamp. ¡°Give it personally to the Crown Princess while the second one, you need to give to the King,¡± he instructed the messenger.


    After the messenger left, Xiaoming went to the bed to take some sleep.

 Chapter 384

    384 Xiwan, a Spy


    Zhu Liling was delighted to see her elder brother Ye Yujin. He greeted both the King and the Queen. ¡°Your Majesty, these are some of the precious gifts for you and my sister,¡± Ye Yujin humbly said as he gestured to his servant toe forward. Eunuch Gao Bing stepped up and took the heavy gifts from him.


    Qiu Zedong asked the tea server if the tea was ready.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    Qiu Zedong asked her to serve the tea to Ye Yujin first. Ye Yujin thanked the King and lifted the porcin tea cup. The tea server then poured the tea for the King and the Queen.


    ¡°Ye Yujin, I am so proud of you,¡± Qiu Zedong said as he put the cup on the table before him. ¡°You have served me more than forty years and you never once gave me the chance toin. I hope your son will serve the future king with the spirit,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Of course, Your Majesty. My son will be proud to serve the Crown Prince in the future,¡± Ye Yujin stated. ¡°I did not see the Crown Prince. I could not even attend the Crown Prince¡¯s marriage. I have brought some gifts for the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess as well,¡± Ye Yujin informed the King.


    ¡°The Crown Prince has gone to Qjiang to solve a matter,¡± Qiu Zedong replied. Ye Yujin turned inquisitive to know about that. The King briefed him on the matter and told him that his two other sons had also apanied Xiaoming.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Majesty, but there was no need to send Prince L¨®ng Wei away,¡± Ye Yujin opined. ¡°He has always created trouble while staying in the pce. He does not obey his elders and might do the same there,¡± Ye Yujin asserted.


    Qiu Zedong started tough, which bewildered Ye Yujin.


    .....


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei is no longer a rebellious child. He is no longer a troublemaker. He is stubborn, but after his marriage, he has diverted his attention from all those things. I am surprised that you do not know what position is he currently holding in the Kingdom,¡± Qiu Zedong could not hide his happiness while saying all those things.


    Ye Yujin was curious to know what L¨®ng Wei¡¯s position was in the kingdom and waited for the King¡¯s answer.


    ¡°Brother, Prince L¨®ng Wei is now the Governor of Qinping,¡± Zhu Liling stated.


    Ye Yujin was shocked to hear that. The kid, who always got punished, was now the Governor of a province. This was truly remarkable and astonishing in Ye Yujin¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I wonder who is the woman who agreed to marry Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Ye Yujin murmured and sipped the tea.


    ¡°The daughter of the Xu Family, Li Hua, is the wife of L¨®ng Wei,¡± Zhu Liling answered. Ye Yujin nodded his head to hear that. They had a long conversation when the King left the two siblings. He had some important matters to look into. Both Zhu Liling and Ye Yujin rose to their feet to bow. Once the King had left, they both again sat down.


    ¡°How is my sister doing? I can sense the trouble on her face,¡± Ye Yujin concluded.


    ¡°I am doing well, but L¨®ng Wei has started to trouble me,¡± Zhu Liling asserted.


    ¡°What? L¨®ng Wei even isn¡¯t present in the pce,¡± Ye Yujin affirmed. Zhu Liling narrated the entire events in the pce to her brother.


    ¡°How could the Crown Prince marry a woman whose family history is unknown?¡± Ye Yujin did not like the judgment of the Crown Prince towards his marriage.


    ¡°That is why I wanted to kill Jin Yu, but L¨®ng Wei found out about it. He started to threaten me. At the right time, the King sent him away. This is the time when I must make him quiet for his entire life,¡± Zhu Liling stated.


    ¡°How will Her Majesty do that?¡± Ye Yujin asked her. ¡°I suppose she may need my help in this task,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Brother has read my mind. Indeed, I need his support. I do not want to be the puppet of L¨®ng Wei for my remaining life,¡± Zhu Liling said with annoyance. ¡°I will kill his wife. She is the one, who made him what he is today.¡± She then revealed her evil n to Ye Yujin.


    ¡°Does my sister really think that L¨®ng Wei after losing his wife will stop haunting you? I am well aware of his nature. He will be mad to search for the person,¡± Ye Yujin asserted.


    ¡°Brother is wrong. Li Hua is his lifeline. He has told this to the King himself. Because of her, he did not take his life. Months ago when he was punished for beating Kang Xi¡¯s son and sent to the cold pce, he met Li Hua there. He wanted to die the day he encountered Li Hua. However, she saved him and he fell for her. If we remove Li Hua from his life, then everything will be fine,¡± Zhu Liling stated and smiled. Ye Yujin was astonished to hear that.


    ¡°How will you kill Li Hua?¡± Ye Yujin asked. Zhu Liling shared the n with her brother.


    ¡°It is a good n. I will do the rest of the work,¡± Ye Yujin assured his sister, ¡°but make sure that Li Hua goes to the city center before L¨®ng Wei returns.¡±


    ¡°You need not worry about it, Brother,¡± Zhu Liling told Ye Yujin and smirked evilly. She was confident that her next move would lead Li Hua to the city center.


    ¡°If I am not wrong Feng Lao is known for his sword skills. Have you thought anything about him?¡± Ye Yujin asked her.


    ¡°My order will be enough to separate him from Li Hua,¡± Zhu Liling affirmed.


    Ye Yujin hummed. ¡°However, if you fail to do that, then make sure to mix sleeping pills in his meals,¡± he suggested to her.


    ¡°I understood, Brother,¡± Zhu Liling, and their conversation diverted to Xiaoming.


    ~~~~~~~


    Hei Chengxi told Li Hua that she did well bying to him. He told her not to believe the message.


    ¡°I did not believe the message, General Hei,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°Everyone in the pce knows that Prince L¨®ng Wei is not here to protect me. So, it is the best opportunity for our enemies to harm me,¡± she added.


    ¡°I agree with the Princess Consort,¡± Hei Chengxi said.


    ¡°However, I want to know who did this,¡± Li Hua stated. Feng Lao shifted his gaze at her immediately, wondering what was brewing in her head.


    ¡°Will the Princess Consort borate?¡± Hei Chengxi requested her.


    ¡°We must find out, who is behind all this,¡± Li Hua said with enthusiasm.


    ¡°That is not a good idea,¡± Feng Lao refused to go ahead with it and looked at Hei Chengxi.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see who is the real enemy of Prince L¨®ng Wei in the pce. We must set a trap for this enemy,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°That is not needed.¡± They all heard a familiar voice and looked in the person¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Here is your tea, Princess Consort,¡± Xiwan said as he put the tray on the table. He stood straight, his hands behind his back, and told them who made the evil n to harm Li Hua.


    Xiwan had told the maidservant to let him in and walked in when he heard Li Hua¡¯s conversation with Hei Chengxi. The maidservant did not stop Xiwan as she had given an order in the kitchen to send the tea.


    ¡°The Queen did this!?¡± Li Hua chuckled.


    ¡°Yes. Her brother, Ye Yujin has returned. I just overheard their conversation. She asked her brother to send an assassin behind her. She has nned a second move as well,¡± Xiwan told them. He narrated the rest of the things that the two siblings had discussed with each other.


    ¡°Such an evil n the Queen has made. But the Queen underestimated Prince L¨®ng Wei again,¡± Xiwan said and chuckled.


    ¡°Senior Brother Xiwan appears to be trained in activities such as spying,¡± Li Hua said curiously.


    ¡°I am a spy. My father worked for the former King, Qiu Qizhen,¡± Xiwan said and looked at Hei Chengxi, who was stunned to find that. Li Hua and Feng Lao were also shocked to find out about it.


    Li Hua wondered why L¨®ng Wei never told her about the true identity of Xiwan.


    ¡°I am trained in everything. I can even bear every sort of torture,¡± Xiwan stated.


    Li Hua was still shocked. ¡°Forgive me, Princess Consort, for keeping my identity hidden,¡± he stated and slightly bowed his head.


    Hei Chengxi nced at Feng Lao and wondered if he should talk about Qiu Qizhen or not. He never knew that there was another loyalist of Qiu Qizhen. It brought immense happiness to him and he decided to stay quiet about it.


    ¡°Princess Consort, you need to be extremely cautious of everything around you. The Queen has made her move,¡± Xiwan said with a frown on his forehead.


    ¡°And I will make mine,¡± Li Hua stated.

 Chapter 385

    385 Doubt your loyalty


    ¡°What trap will you set? Do not be foolish to do anything,¡± Feng Lao got too concerned for her.


    Xiwan and Hei Chengxi nced at Feng Lao at the way he spoke with Li Hua.


    ¡°I am not foolish anymore,¡± Li Hua told Feng Lao and then looked at Hei Chnegxi.


    ¡°I want Ye Yujin to follow me if the Queen makes her next move,¡± Li Hua stated. ¡°If an assassin chases me and gets caught, he will ept death, then confess the truth. General Hei is well aware of this fact. However, if Ye Yujin somehow chases me, then it will be easier for us to prove the Queen is guilty. Prince L¨®ng Wei had warned her not to make any move that could backfire her. It is the time when she should be removed from that position,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°That is going to be difficult. Ye Yujin will never follow the Princess Consort,¡± Hei Chengxi asserted.


    ¡°He will because I will make him,¡± Li Hua stated with a confident tone.


    ¡°It is risky,¡± Feng Lao said. ¡°In my opinion, we should wait for Prince L¨®ng Wei to return. Let the Prince handle it,¡± he again advised Li Hua.


    ¡°We should not wait for the Prince,¡± Xiwan stated.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Hei Chengxi spoke up. ¡°It is better to get rid of the enemy before he harms you.¡±


    .....


    ¡°The Queen knows that I am the weakness of Prince L¨®ng Wei. If anything happens to me, he will nevere to this pce. I do not want it to happen. Prince L¨®ng Wei has started to live his life after a long time. I must not be the reason for his unhappiness,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    Feng Lao saw the deep love of Li Hua for L¨®ng Wei. He decided to follow what Li Hua wanted and told her that he would follow her too.


    ¡°I will be behind Ye Yujin. He is not someone, whom you can handle,¡± Xiwan told Feng Lao.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Feng Lao agreed with him.


    ¡°I will call you all when I get the second message from the Queen,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    Hei Chengxi left the manor first while Xiwan left for the kitchen, holding the tray.


    ¡°Li Hua, do you think such a big risk shall be taken?¡± Feng Lao again asked her.


    ¡°I must. Feng Lao, we have to end the enemy before it attacks us. The Queen wants to kill Jin Yu as well. Her true face must get out,¡± Li Hua affirmed with a determined face.


    ~~~~~~~~~


    Ye Yujin met Hei Chengxi and they both bowed to each other. ¡°I admire General Hei working for the King even when he is in his fifties. Shouldn¡¯t he take the retirement?¡± Ye Yujin asked and looked around the barracks.


    ¡°I will take retirement soon, General Ye,¡± Hei Chengxi said.


    ¡°Or are you waiting for Qi Qizhen?¡± Ye Yujin asked him and arched his eyebrow. ¡°His Majesty was kind to you. He spared your life, who was the closest person to Qi Qizhen. Hei Chengxi betrayed his childhood friend that day and became the General for the current king. I still doubt your loyalty,¡± Ye Yujin said with a dubious look.


    Hei Chengxi didn¡¯t like the way Ye Yujin mocked him. But what he could even do?


    ¡°I wonder why are you bringing the past after so many years? If His Majesty finds it, then he will not like it,¡± Hei Chengxi asserted.


    Ye Yujin snickered at him and then left the barracks. Hei Chengxi turned and watched Ye Yujin leave the barracks. ¡°It is not good that he has returned,¡± Hei Chengxi murmured.


    He went to the inner barracks to one of the rooms, where new arms were brought. He had to take a look at them and check the quality. Although the quality was already tested, it was his duty to give a final check.


    However, on his way, he found Xiwan, who had waved at him. Hei Chengxi found out that no one was around them.


    Xiwan led him to a room and Hei Chengxi followed him. He closed the doors behind him and then stepped towards Xiwan.


    ¡°Does the Prince know about you?¡± Hei Chengxi didn¡¯t waste any second asking the questions from him.


    Xiwan nodded his head. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why he kept me here. I was the one, who searched Li Hua for him after she disappeared the night her family was massacred,¡± he asserted with a smile.


    ¡°How do you know about the previous king? Who was your father?¡± Hei Chengxi asked him.


    ¡°Dong Yusheng,¡± Xiwan replied.


    ¡°The Prime Minister?¡± Hei Chengxi furrowed his brows together.


    ¡°Yes. It was a brutal death for him,¡± Xiwan stated while recalling the day when he found out that his father was no more. His mother made him run away from the house and he lost everything. He was merely six or seven at that time.


    ¡°How did you turn into a spy? How did you get trained?¡± Hei Chengxi asked.


    ¡°That is a secret, General Hei,¡± Xiwan replied. ¡°I will tell you when the right timees,¡± he added.


    Hei Chengxi hummed and asked him why he had not told L¨®ng Wei the truth about the past.


    ¡°Because he would have kicked me away from his side. Prince L¨®ng Wei hates to know what happened in his past because of histe mother,¡± Xiwan proimed.


    Hei Chengxi patted his shoulder and told him that he should leave before anyone could see him.


    ¡°I want to kill Ye Yujin. He is the one, who killed my father and then,unched an attack on my family. The day Princess Consort acts on her n, I will be the one chasing down Ye Yujin,¡± Xiwan stated with a stern look.


    Hei Chengxi nodded. ¡°You are allowed to do that. However, his death will bring questions,¡± he asserted. ¡°There is no surety that Ye Yujin will follow the Princess Consort. We have yet to see what the second trap that the Queen willy for her,¡± he opined.


    Xiwan hummed. He took his leave as his absence from the royal kitchen for a long time could be suspicious to some.

 Chapter 386

    386 She deserves respect and love [Bonus chapter]


    Jingfei came out of the pnquin and looked at Xu Zifan¡¯s residence. She had decided toe here before Li Hua would tell him what Jingfei did. She wanted to apologize to Xu Zifan and end the matter there.


    The guard showed her the way to Xu Zifan¡¯s room. Lin Jie stopped when Jingfei asked her not to follow her further. Jingfei wanted to have a conversation with Xu Zifan in the private. She was already embarrassed because of her actions. The guard left after showing her the room.


    She found the room door was open and wondered if should walk in. She did not even find any servant around and after a wait for a few seconds, she stepped inside.


    She saw Xu Zifan attempting to wear the thin robe. His hair was open and disheveled and his face looked pale. He lifted his head and was shocked to find Jingfei in front of her. Quickly, he covered his upper body with the robe that was put on the put. His arm was still visible to Jingfei, who lowered her eyes.


    ¡°What is the First Princess doing here?¡± Xu Zifan asked with a confused look.


    He called his personal servant, but he did note.


    ¡°The door was open, so I just walked in. Forgive me,¡± Jingfei said and furrowed her brows together. She told him that she would go out and turned to leave, but then she stopped on her way. Xu Zifan wondered why she stopped and found her turning to him.


    ¡°Should I help you?¡± Jingfei asked him.


    ¡°Help in?¡± Xu Zifan arched his eyebrow.


    .....


    Jingfei pointed towards the robe. ¡°Help you wearing that robe,¡± Jingfei stated.


    ¡°No.¡± Xu Zifan immediately refused. ¡°I can wear it on my own. The Princess shall leave,¡± he stated. He was already embarrassed that the Princess saw him in that state. Jingfei did not say a word after that and silently left the room.


    She looked for a servant for Xu Zifan whom she could send in for his help. ¡°Why does he have suchzy servants?¡± she mumbled and saw a mane running in her direction. He apologized to her first when Jingfei told him that he should go in and help Xu Zifan.


    The manplied with her order and went into the room. After ten minutes, the same man came out and told Jingfei that she could meet Xu Zifan. She walked in and found him near the floor table.


    ¡°Have a seat, Princess,¡± Xu Zifan humbly said. She sat first and then, Xu Zifan took his seat.


    ¡°Why did the Princesse here unannounced? Is it because of Huang Xi? Forgive me as I could not get the chance to talk to him about it,¡± he told Jingfei.


    ¡°I am not here for that reason. I am here to sincerely apologize to you,¡± Jingfei stated.


    Xu Zifan was bewildered by her statement. ¡°May I know the reason?¡± He queried.


    ¡°I had an argument with Li Hua yesterday because of a misunderstanding. I thought she made a joke about my feelings. Huang Xi hates me and has someone whom he loves. I got to find out about this, however, not through Li Hua. I ended up suspecting her,¡± Jingfei stated. Her eyes were down during the entire conversation as she was too guilty to meet eyes with him.


    ¡°I used Li Hua and you wrongly in front of my mother of hiding the truth from me. However, when Feng Lao and Brother Mingquan told the truth, the entire misunderstanding was cleared. I have already hurt Li Hua with my foolish step. I will apologize to her as well, but before that, I want to ask forgiveness from you,¡± Jingfei stated and finally gazed into his eyes.


    ¡°Li Hua is selfless. She is the one, who was ready to help you, despite we all were telling her not to get herself involved with the Princess,¡± Xu Zifan was straight and blunt. He did not like that Jingfei used Li Hua and took the matter to the Queen.


    ¡°I cannot forgive you, Princess Jingfei, because your act has hurt my sister. I had decided to help you with her request. If she forgives you, I will also forgive you,¡± Xu Zifan straightforwardly said.


    ¡°Feng Lao had told me about Huang Xi¡¯s feelings, but he told meter. Still, I decided to have a conversation with him. I am numbed to hear that the First Princess doubted my and my sister¡¯s intentions. We are no one to mock you off for your feelings for Huang Xi,¡± he affirmed.


    Jingfei knew that she would not get forgiveness easily. She told Xu Zifan that she would ask his forgiveness after she apologized to Li Hua.


    ¡°There is no need for the Princess toe here. I will not like it. The moment Li Hua forgives the Princess, I will also forgive her,¡± Xu Zifan asserted.


    Jingfei nodded her head slowly.


    ¡°I want to make a request to Princess Jingfei,¡± he stated.


    ¡°What kind of request?¡± Jingfei asked with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°I want the Princess not to trouble my sister. She has already suffered a lot. It was tough for her to build trust in the people around her after what happened with our family. I want the Princess to leave her alone from her evil schemings,¡± Xu Zifan requested. ¡°As a woman, you must understand her more. When a woman goes to her inws, she deserves respect and love. The Princess will also marry someday, and if such things happen to her, she will also not like it.¡±


    Jingfei was out of words upon hearing those words of Xu Zifan. She never made an evil n for Li Hua. She would not deny the fact of how she troubled Li Hua. Xu Zifan¡¯s words were deeply imprinted in her mind.


    She assured Xu Zifan that she would never trouble Li Hua. Xu Zifan did not believe her words and the reason behind that was clear. Jingfei stood up to leave and told Xu Zifan to take care of himself before leaving his room.

 Chapter 387

    387 Minister Li Zixuan?


    L¨®ng Wei woke up from his deep sleep in thete evening. He first filled his stomach and then went to see Xiaoming, who had summoned him. Bai Juchen was waiting for L¨®ng Wei outside the tenthouse and asked him why he took so much time toe.


    ¡°I was hungry, so I thought to eat first,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°Did you bring the milkman?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes. The milkman is inside,¡± Bai Juchen replied.


    L¨®ng Wei Wei went ahead and walked into the tenthouse while Bai Juchen followed him. The Prince slightly bowed his head, seeing the Crown Prince. He looked at the milkman, behind whom two soldiers were standing.


    ¡°The Sixth brother took a lot of time to arrive,¡± Tianjie said, putting one leg above the other. L¨®ng Wei did not answer him and asked them if they began the interrogation.


    ¡°He has no information except that he was the first one who saw Wu Zihao¡¯s dead body,¡± Tianjie replied. ¡°You can ask him if you do not believe us,¡± he added.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at the milkman, whose head was down. ¡°Did you find anyone around at that time? Whoever brought the dead body to the market must have returned the way that you had followed,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I did not find anyone around, Your Highness. As soon as I found out about it, I informed the royal inspector,¡± the milkman answered.


    ¡°Hmm. Since you have to deliver the milk around the city in the fastest time, you must be aware of the shortest routes that can reduce the distance,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°Tell us about those routes,¡± he added.


    .....


    ¡°We can also tell about those routes to the Prince,¡± Bai Juchen intervened.


    ¡°Then, tell!¡± L¨®ng Wei demanded a reply from him. Bai Juchen got stuck and told him that he had to see the maps. He apologized when L¨®ng Wei red at him. He returned his gaze to the milkman and asked him to tell them about those routes.


    ¡°Why are you asking about those routes? Do you think the soldiers did not search the area?¡± Tianjie asked him.


    ¡°Yes. That is why we are unable to find, who brought Wu Zihao to the centre of the market,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Your Highness, I have sent some of the great tropes to search the entire market and nearby ces. But there was nothing,¡± Bai Juchen stated.


    ¡°No. You missed an important thing. Those people needed the shortest time to travel between the borders, and it all had to be done at a time when the security was limited,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, and told the milkman to begin.


    The milkman told L¨®ng Wei all the shortest routes that he knew in the market that could connect the people to different locations in the shortest possible time. L¨®ng Wei asked Bai Juchen to send soldiers on all those routes.


    ¡°Search the houses too,¡± Xiaoming ordered, ¡°which fall on those routes.¡±


    Bai Juchen left with the milkman while the three princes stayed behind.


    ¡°Bai Juchen will go to the border tomorrow. I will go with him and return by the evening,¡± Xiaoming told them.


    ¡°What do we have to do, Crown Prince?¡± Tianjie asked him.


    ¡°We will investigate. I am still wondering how those people entered the market. Howe no one noticed them? Which route did they follow that made them unnoticed? There is something missing,¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered and furrowed his brows together.


    ¡°There is a possibility that they would have used a forest route. But it would have tired them and they might have rested somewhere,¡± Tianjie opined.


    ¡°Someone might have helped them or they are too clever to fool us,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ~~~~~~~


    Jin Yuy on the bed and spread her hands out. She was tired from studying since the morning, right after taking her breakfast. After yesterday¡¯s incident, the Queen was harsher on her.


    She sat up on the bed when her personal attendant informed her that Mingquan wanted to see her.


    ¡°You can bring him in,¡± Jin Yu ordered.


    She brushed her hair with her fingers, adjusted her dress and then walked out of the bedchamber.


    Mingquan stood up to see her and bowed to her. Jin Yu asked the servants to leave. Once the chamber emptied, Jin Yu took a seat and asked Mingquan why he appeared at that hour.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I am here to tell you that Kang Xi isn¡¯t the one,¡± Mingquan stated.


    Jin Yu asked her how he found out about it.


    ¡°I checked the records. Every record is made about officials, ministers in the Kingdom. I interrogated the oldest servant who served the Kang family for more than sixty years,¡± Mingquan exined to her.


    Jin Yu hummed and thanked Mingquan for his hard work.


    ¡°It would have been easier if your mother had told us about your father,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°I agree with Prince Mingquan. However, my mother was scared, I felt. She never wanted me to look for my father,¡± Jin Yu stated. ¡°I heard the Minister, who works in treasury and looks after the Kingdom¡¯s finances, is close to the King,¡± she added.


    ¡°Minister Li Zixuan?¡± Mingquan arched his brow.


    ¡°Yes. I want Prince Mingquan to look into him,¡± Jin Yu stated. Mingquan nodded his head and asked her if she had a particr thought about why she told him to look into Li Zixuan.


    ¡°My father is someone who is powerful. He threw my mother out when she had me, and no one found out about that incident. People surely talk about such things. However, all these years, I never heard about it from anyone,¡± she asserted.


    Mingquan, after keenly listening to her, said, ¡°The Crown Princess has a great observation. Definitely, someone powerful was involved so that the incident never came out. I will surely find out about this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Please inform me if my help is needed,¡± Jin Yu urged him.


    ¡°I will.¡± Mingquan stood up and bowed to her. ¡°I shall take my leave, Your Royal Highness.¡± He turned and walked out of the chamber.

 Chapter 388

    388 Good person must be forgiven


    Feng Lao did not Jingfei inside Li Hua¡¯s chamber when the next day she hade to apologize to her. Lin Jie told Feng Lao that he could not refuse a princess when he reminded her of the bigger rights of Li Hua than Jingfei.


    She left silently and thought to talk with Li Hua in a tea session when everyone was around.


    Once she left, Feng Lao went to the practice ce, where Li Hua was. He saw her practicing with the sword and stayed quiet. Li Hua was still new to this, so using one hand was impossible for her especially when the sword was heavy.


    ¡°Have a firm grip on the hilt,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her and she nodded her head. She held it firmly and continued to use the sword in the air. Feng Lao stepped down the patio and then, he showed her how to attack. He taught her each step. ¡°The footwork is extremely important in this. Look at the way, I use my feet and hand,¡± he told her.


    Li Hua keenly watched him as he showed her how he would attack the enemy before him and asked her to repeat the same step.


    She did what Feng Lao did and practiced those steps at least ten times before moving to the next one. He even made her exercise so that her strength would increase. He had already talked with Xiwan to include more energy-rich food in Li Hua¡¯s diet since it was important for her to eat nicely.


    Li Hua finally took a break in noon from practice. After lunch, she had thought to practice archery for an hour at least. After changing into a royal nobledy¡¯s dress, she sat for having lunch when her maidservant told her that Jingfei hade to see her.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t say anything and told the maidservant that she should wait outside. Li Hua was hurt by Jingfei¡¯s actions this time and decided not to talk with her. She finished her food and was surprised to find that she ate more than the earlier times. The workout she used to do was the reason. When the table was cleaned, she asked the maidservant to send Feng Lao.


    He closed the door behind him before stepping in. Getting on his several steps away from her, he waited for her to speak.


    .....


    ¡°Feng Lao, I want to see Monk Yuze in the evening. I will go after an hour to see Monk Yuze,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°Where does the Monk live?¡± He asked.


    ¡°In the hills. The route is from the pce, so it is safer. Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± Li Hua said and smiled at him.


    ¡°Why do you want to see the Monk?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Umm... I have a few questions for him. Only Monk Yuze can answer me,¡± she stated when they both heard the voice of the maidservant. She informed Li Hua that Monk Yuze was there.


    Li Hua was surprised to learn about that. She stood up and walked out, followed by Feng Lao. As she opened the door, she found the Monk before her. She greeted him and asked him toe inside. Feng Lao also slightly bowed to see him.


    Yuze read Feng Lao¡¯s face but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Please,e inside, Monk Yuze,¡± Li Hua humbly said and showed him the way inside.


    He stepped in and handed the basket full of berries to Li Hua. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei asked me to give the Princess Consort in his absence,¡± Yuze said and walked ahead.


    A smile crept on Li Hua¡¯s lips as she looked into the basket. She followed Monk Yuze in while Feng Lao gestured to the maidservant to close the doors. He walked in and found them talking.


    ¡°I was thinking to meet Monk Yuze in the evening. I am truly surprised by your presence,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Since I hade to see the King, I thought to see the Princess Consort too,¡± Monk Yuze replied and nced at Feng Lao.


    ¡°How have you been, Young Boy?¡± Yuze asked.


    Young Boy?!


    He wasn¡¯t a young boy. He didn¡¯t like the way Monk Yuze addressed him.


    ¡°I am good,¡± Feng Lao gave a in answer.


    ¡°Your face and eyes say otherwise,¡± Yuze stated. ¡°You have not been taking proper sleep,¡± he added.


    Li Hua looked at him.


    ¡°Monk Yuze is assuming,¡± Feng Lao stated.


    ¡°I never assume,¡± Yuze replied with a smile. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei did take the right decision of not taking your life. A good person must be forgiven,¡± he added.


    Feng Lao faltered at his words.


    A good person? Was he?


    He had not heard this for a long time. He thought he became evil to keep his family safe and forgot that somewhere Li Hua and her brother would be suffering.


    ¡°Monk Yuze, I would like to ask you something,¡± Li Hua said.


    Feng Lao came out of his thoughts and nced at Li Hua, wondering what she could probably have to talk about.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Monk Yuze said with a smile.


    ¡°The Queen has set a trap for me to kill me. Should I respond to her? Is it the right time to expose her real face or should I let it go because she¡¯s someone¡¯s mother?¡±


    Li Hua didn¡¯t want Xiaoming and Jingfei to suffer after Zhu Liling¡¯s act was exposed. Children had a deep impact on their minds because of their fathers and mother. She didn¡¯t want it to happen. That¡¯s why she again contemted if she should expose her or keep it between them.


    ¡°If the wrong person is forgiven numerous times, he takes it for granted. Don¡¯t be afraid of the consequences because the Queen will bear them,¡± Monk Yuze advised her. He asked her to go ahead with the right mind and right thoughts.


    ¡°It is astonishing to find that Prince L¨®ng Wei hardly takes my advice on such matters. However, his wife considers my opinion in her quest to turn everything better. I am d about that,¡± Monk Yuze said.


    ¡°Monk Yuze¡¯s guidance is important,¡± Li Hua answered.


    ¡°I want to ask Monk Yuze about something,¡± Li Hua stated, who allowed her to ask him.


    ¡°Can Monk Yuze tell me if the King is good or,¡± she paused, ¡°he is evil? Is he the reason for all this?¡± She asked.


    Feng Lao wondered why Li Hua asked such a thing. Why did she suspect the King?


    ¡°Princess Consort knows the history. She needs to think herself instead of asking me,¡± Yuze stated. Li Hua had doubts on Qiu Zedong after what he did to Yu Jun and his elder brother. She decided to take him as the evil person, who was rted to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s traumatic childhood and teenage days.

 Chapter 389

    389 Bait out


    L¨®ng Wei and Tianjie looked at each other as they dressed likemoners.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make any mistakes while investigating,¡± Tianjie advised L¨®ng Wei.


    He chuckled. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be the one to say this to you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and tilted his head to the front. Tianjie also looked at his front and found the soldiers, who were also dressed asmoners.


    They left for the market in a horse carriage. L¨®ng Wei told Tianjie that they must separate and meetter at the river bridge, which lied in the centre of the market.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, don¡¯t pick any fights with locals. You need to act like amoner. Do not let suspicion grow on you,¡± Tianjie asked and gave him the fake identity token that Bai Juchen had handed him in the morning before leaving with Xiaoming.


    L¨®ng Wei took it from him and saw the name on it. ¡°What¡¯s this fake name? Meng Ru?¡± He arched his brow.


    ¡°You cannot use the real name,¡± Tianjie told him. L¨®ng Wei nodded his head and put the identity token in the pocket of his robe. L¨®ng Wei walked ahead while two soldiers apanied him. Tianjie watched him leave, and then he headed in the other direction, which connected to the forest.


    L¨®ng Wei and the two soldiers stopped by the ce where Wu Zihao¡¯s body was hung. Therge pir with a horizontal column at the top. L¨®ng Wei looked around and found that there was a huge crowd around. He found that many goods were brought to the market on carts.


    L¨®ng Wei went to a few shops to talk about Wu Zihao. People told him different opinions that they had, which L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t seem useful for. He was sure that someone in the town had helped those murderers of Wu Zihao. The person knew the routes to the town market well.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei walked out of the silk cloth house and fiddled his fingers. ¡°What if I put the bait out for the person and made him approach me?¡± L¨®ng Wei mumbled to himself, and his lips curled up to smile.


    He asked the soldiers toe closer and asked them to spread a false news in the town.


    ¡°That can have negative consequences,¡± one of them said.


    ¡°Rumors are made to spread negative effects,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Why should I waste so much time on this when the person cane to me?¡± He asked them.


    ¡°What if the Prince is wrong?¡± Another one said in a low voice, who was on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s left.


    ¡°Then, give me an exnation howe the people from the Eastern Hignds know the routes to this market so well? How can they leave no evidence behind them? Someone in the town helped them. Spread this false rumor. Let¡¯s see through its end,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°But we may get punished if the result is nil,¡± the right one said.


    ¡°The source of a rumor is always unknown. So, don¡¯t worry. Until you two want to tell them about it, nothing will happen to us. Ahh, if it gets out, you both will be punished. I can escape that punishment easily, so it is better for you both not to tell anyone if we fail to find the person,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Both of them nodded their heads and obeyed the prince¡¯smand.


    ¡°But how will the person find us?¡± The soldier at the left asked this time.


    ¡°Umm... Tell the people that a person named Meng Ru heard about this,¡± he proimed. ¡°Meng Ru will go to the chief royal inspector in the morning tomorrow as he is sick today,¡± he stated.


    Both soldiers looked at each other and then went in the opposite direction. L¨®ng Wei went back to the silk cloth house and started to talk with the workers there while acting to purchase a silk fabric. The people around him keenly listened to him and asked if he knew who Meng Ru was.


    ¡°I heard from the old man outside that he delivers goods in the town. That day he saw those people, who had hung General Wu Zihao,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    The people dispersed when the tax collectors came to the shop. L¨®ng Wei sneaked out of the shop and did the same work at a few other shops.


    After an hour, he met with the same soldiers and asked them if they had done their work.


    ¡°We have done the work,¡± both of them said at the same time.


    L¨®ng Wei patted their shoulders and walked ahead with them. He made them eat in a restaurant and orderedmp noodle soup.


    When someone talked about him, he stopped eating. He tilted his head to the left and saw some young men, who appeared to be from the noble ss.


    ¡°Really? The King made the Sinned Prince the Governor of Qinping?¡± One of those noble men asked.


    ¡°Of course. The royal princes are bound to be forgiven. Common Governance rules do not work for them,¡± the noble man in the maroon robe said.


    The soldiers looked at L¨®ng Wei, whose eyes were darting at the nobleman who was speaking about him. They had a fear that he might speak up.


    L¨®ng Wei keenly listened to them and again began eating. After a while, the noble man started speaking about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother.


    ¡°His mother was a whore. Father¡¯s close friend is a court minister, who told him about this,¡± he told his friends when they asked how he knew so much about L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Also, I have lived in Qinping with my family for ten years.¡±


    ¡°You never told us, Mo Jinhai,¡± one of his friends said.


    ¡°I never felt the need to tell about it. After Father became Governor of Qijiang, we shifted here,¡± Mo Jinhai stated with a proud smile.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince is a lucky man. He killed his own mother and is still living his life to the fullest. He even got married among all the princes first, I heard. Is it true?¡± Mo Jinhai¡¯s third friend asked him. He was dressed in dark blue robes.


    ¡°He is indeed lucky,¡± Mo Jinhai replied. ¡°Who knows his wife will be like his mother? A whore!¡± He said this and started tough with his friends.


    The soldiers widened their eyes and found a murderous look on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face. It seemed to them that he would kill Mo Jinhai. ¡°We should return as soon as we have finished eating,¡± one of them suggested. The other one nodded his head.


    L¨®ng Wei tightly clutched his fingers around the spoon he was holding.


    ¡°You are dead,¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered and stood up. He picked up the fresh chicken soup bowl at the table right next to him. The man asked L¨®ng Wei where he was taking it and then, he marched to Mo Jinhai.

 Chapter 390

    390 Forgive me, L¨®ng Wei [Bonus chapter]


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t care if his cover would blow up today. All he wanted was to torture Mo Jinhai to death for speaking wrongly about Li Hua. He marched to Mo Jinhai, who wasughing with his friends while discussing a top. He would throw the hot, boiling soup on Mo Jinhai¡¯s head.


    However, he stopped. He suddenly recalled Li Hua¡¯s face, who told him to control his anger even if the worst situation urred before him. She had told him not to harm anyone when he would be furious.


    He gulped down the anger that formed inside him and decided to punish Mo Jinhai when he would be alone. Mo Jinhai tilted his head and looked at L¨®ng Wei, who had a bowl in his hand.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t order this,¡± Mo Jinhai told L¨®ng Wei and asked him to leave. The man came to L¨®ng Wei and asked him to return the bowl as he had ordered it. L¨®ng Wei handed it to him and walked out of the restaurant in anger. The soldiers chased him after they paid the bills.


    When they came out of the restaurant, they found L¨®ng Wei in an extreme rage. They decided to remain quiet and stood behind him. L¨®ng Wei turned to face them, and they both lowered their heads in a fear.


    ¡°Go to the river bridge,¡± L¨®ng Wei told them.


    ¡°What about the prince?¡± They asked in a low voice.


    ¡°I have important work to do,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. The ferocious expressions on his face made them silently leave. They didn¡¯t want to anger him more, as they loved their lives.


    L¨®ng Wei waited for Mo Jinhai toe out of the restaurant. After an hour, he came out with his friends and was ready to step into the sedan chair. His friends told him that they should meet in the famous wine shop in the evening, but Mo Jinhai refused. They bowed their heads as Mo Jinhai left in the sedan chair.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei followed him. ¡®Li Hua, forgive me. This man must die for insulting you,¡¯ he told himself in his mind. However, there was no way he could find to kill Mo Jinhai. The route on which they were, was full of locals.


    Only one chance was needed to end Mo Jinhai¡¯s life. He continued to walk in the hope that the route would be isted after a certain distance. However, he was wrong.


    L¨®ng Wei halted in his tracks when someone held his arm. He tilted his head and found it was Tianjie.


    ¡°I told you to focus on work that you were given,¡± Tianjie said with an annoyed look and asked him to follow him.


    L¨®ng Wei snickered and asked him to let go of his arm.


    ¡°I won¡¯t. Defy me, and I will ask the Crown Prince to lock you up,¡± Tianjie threatened him. ¡°Trust me, if anyone here finds out who we are, I am not going to let you go easily. So, better follow me.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei turned to look and found Mo Jinhai had disappeared from his sight. He scrunched his brows and clenched his fist tightly.


    ¡°You are allowed to kill himter, but not now,¡± Tianjie said, and L¨®ng Wei looked at him. Those two bastards told Tianjie everything. That¡¯s why he chased him. He yanked Tianjie¡¯s hand from his arm.


    ¡°Learn to control your anger. It will make you fall into a big danger someday,¡± Tianjie said. L¨®ng Wei red into his eyes and walked ahead.


    After they got into the carriage, Tianjie asked him how many people he would kill merely because they talked about his past.


    ¡°Who told you to kill your own mother that night? You brought this upon yourself,¡± Tianjie stated, looking out of the window of the carriage.


    ¡°I am not in a mood to talk to you. So, just keep quiet!¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s tone was not at all pleasant to hear. Anyone who would be older than him, would feel humiliated.


    ¡°Do you know why I do not like you?¡± Tianjie suddenly asked him. ¡°Because you think you know everything. Just because you are good at various things, that doesn¡¯t mean that you won¡¯t lose.¡±


    ¡°Tianjie, do you think your words willfort me? You also tried to kill Li Hua. You should be happy that I am quiet about it. Now, keep quiet before I end up taking out my anger on you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Anyone would be intimidated by those words and his gaze. But Tianjie did not. He was not surprised to learn that L¨®ng Wei found out about it.


    ¡°But I retreated. You forced me to do it,¡± Tianjie said.


    ¡°You should take your revenge on me then. Involving her in all this will ruin the matter between you and me,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°But it is easier to harm your wife,¡± Tianjie stated. ¡°However, I have no intention to harm her anymore,¡± he added.


    L¨®ng Wei refused to believe his words and asked him not to talk with him. ¡°Your voice irritates me,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°I still wonder why your mother never taught you etiquette?¡± Tianjie, instead of stopping, continued to speak. He stopped after giving a good lecture to L¨®ng Wei.


    Tianjie recalled the words of his father. He had called him the day he decided to send those three to Qijiang. Qiu Zedong wanted Tianjie to end his enmity with L¨®ng Wei.


    When he asked his father why he thought that they were enemies. His answer had shocked him. Qiu Zedong knew that it was Tianjie, who was nning to kill Li Hua the same day that Eunuch Lishi executed his evil n.


    However, more than his father¡¯s words, Li Hua¡¯s words had impacted him. Her words troubled him more the day before their journey. He continued to nce at L¨®ng Wei, who had his gaze outside the window.


    ¡°Forgive me, L¨®ng Wei. I should not have thought about harming your wife.¡± Tianjie¡¯s words made L¨®ng Wei look at him. He knitted his brows and then shook his head.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei never forgives those whom he hates.¡±

 Chapter 391

    391 Bring good fortune


    ***A Day before the Crown Prince¡¯s marriage***


    Li Hua and Tianjie encountered each other in the royal garden, where Li Hua hade to pick some flowers. She bowed her head slightly. Tianjie walked past her when Li Hua stopped him. They both turned to each other.


    ¡°If the Third Prince allows, may I have a few minutes of his precious time?¡± Li Hua requested.


    ¡°What do you want to speak about?¡± Tianjie asked. His brows furrowed, and he waited for Li Hua¡¯s answer.


    ¡°I want to apologize on behalf of my husband to the Third Prince. Prince L¨®ng Wei has hurt the Third Prince many times with his words,¡± Li Hua said and lowered her eyes.


    Tianjie snickered to hear her words. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should not apologize to me? Also, my matter with him will not end with an apology,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°I am well aware of it,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°I also know that the Third Prince wanted to kill me,¡± she stated.


    Tianjie was stunned to hear this from her. He thought no one had found out about it. How did she find out about it?


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei also knows, and he is the one who told me about it. Third Prince, I understand why you targeted me. It is because my husband is not respectful toward his elder brother. I do not want my husband to fight with any of his brothers. I want a peaceful life for him. He has already suffered a lot in his childhood. That¡¯s why I want the Third Prince to forgive Prince L¨®ng Wei for his behavior,¡± Li Hua stated. Her tone remained polite while conversing with Tianjie.


    .....


    ¡°Do you think that L¨®ng Wei will not act ording to the prophecy? Monk Yuze has seen his stars. L¨®ng Wei may want to kill me and his brothers for the throne someday. You are a peace-loving woman, but your husband is not. Do you think that he will let it go that I wanted to kill you?¡± Tianjie questioned her.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei knows to forgive. He has forgiven Kang Huijuan, who wrongly used him seven months ago. The Third Prince should learn about his brother on this journey to Qijiang. If my husband had to take the Third Prince¡¯s life, he would have done it already. In the end, it is this royal family that lets Prince L¨®ng Wei survive despite his dark past. The Third Prince can observe my husband when they are together in Qijiang. I am sure, he will find the answer that he has taken the meaning of the prophecy wrongly.¡± Li Hua exined the answers to every question to Tianjie.


    ¡°Li Hua, you are an amusing woman,¡± Tianjie remarked.


    She looked at him in bewilderment, unable to understand why Tianjie said that.


    ¡°I will forgive L¨®ng Wei if I find his true persona. However, if your words are proved wrong, then I will continue to be his enemy, and I will not involve you in this,¡± Tianjie affirmed.


    ¡°When the Third Prince returns from Qijiang, his views on Prince L¨®ng Wei will be changedpletely. I can assure him this,¡± Li Hua stated with a smile.


    Li Hua looked at the basket in her hand in which she had put many flowers. She picked up two hibiscus flowers and forwarded them to Tianjie. ¡°These are for the Third Prince good fortune and glory,¡± Li Hua said with a tiny smile on her lips.


    When he did not take those flowers, Li Hua handed them to him. ¡°A person shall never refuse to ept the flowers. They bring good fortune,¡± Li Hua told him. She took a step back and again bowed to him. ¡°Thank you for giving out these few minutes of the Prince¡¯s precious time,¡± Li Hua said and then peered into his eyes. ¡°I will leave now,¡± she said, and she walked ahead of Tianjie.


    Tianjie chuckled and watched Li Hua go. ¡°L¨®ng Wei is lucky to have her,¡± he murmured and looked at the hibiscuses at his hand.


    ***shback ended***


    Inside the horse carriage, Tianjie recalled his conversation with Li Hua and asked L¨®ng Wei to forgive him. However, L¨®ng Wei refused to do so and asked him not to talk to him.


    ¡°Mo Jinhai humiliated Li Hua, and you did not let me kill him. Do you even know what he said to Li Hua?¡± L¨®ng Wei gritted his teeth in a fury.


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Tianjie asked and crossed his arms across his chest.


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°You cannot kill anyone randomly. I remember well how you said in front of everyone that you would not do anything that couldnd you in the cold pce. Mo Jinhai is the Governor¡¯s son. You can punish him the right way too,¡± he advised L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Right way? You yourself use it the wrong way. How could you even lecture me on this?¡± L¨®ng Wei annoyingly asked him.


    Tianjie let out a sigh. ¡°But I have never tried to kill anyone like the way you were doing earlier,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Your ways are more evil than mine,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he recalled how Tianjie wanted to kill Li Hua.


    ¡°I wanted to find your weakness. I did not want to kill Li Hua that day. I stepped back from the n when I found Jin Yu...¡± he paused and then continued, ¡°the Crown Princess would apany Li Hua. I wanted to check what your reaction was. I regret to even think about that. That¡¯s why I apologize to you,¡± Tianjie revealed his real intention and why he nned to only harm Li Hua that day.


    ¡°Your wife has already forgiven me. I hope the same from you,¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°What?¡± L¨®ng Wei was confused to find that Li Hua had forgiven Tianjie. When? How?


    ¡°You are lucky, L¨®ng Wei, to have Li Hua as your wife. I am envious of you,¡± Tianjie stated. His words puzzled L¨®ng Wei. What did Li Hua talk to Tianjie about that he was speaking in a strange way.

 Chapter 392

    392 Xiaoming¡¯s message


    Zhu Liling looked at the message that she had written for Li Hua and smiled. She put it in the envelope and then told Mi Yao to leave that in Li Hua¡¯s chamber.


    ¡°Be careful of your surroundings,¡± Zhu Liling advised Mi Yao, who bowed and left for Li Hua¡¯s chamber.


    At that moment, a maidservant came inside and bowed. ¡°Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has sent the message. His Royal Highness and the other two princes have safely reached Qijiang Province,¡± the maidservant informed. Zhu Liling smiled to hear that and quickly took out the precious jade ring from her index finger.


    ¡°Here, take it,¡± the Queen said and the maidservant thanked her for her benevolent gift. She was happy to receive such a present and left the chamber.


    ¡°Xiaoming, my son, I will make your route to the throne clear. Return home safely. I am eagerly waiting for you,¡± Zhu Liling told herself. ¡°Once Li Hua and L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chapter will be closed, I will make sure to remove Jin Yu from my son¡¯s life,¡± she mumbled.


    Jin Yu got a hup while doing the calligraphy. The brush deviated from its path and it was ruined. ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± She screamed at the top of her lungs and again got the hup. She crumpled the sheet and threw it on the floor.


    Court Lady Hong told Jin Yu not to lose her temper this way. The servant had already poured a ss of water to Jin Yu, which Court Lady Hong handed to her. Jin Yu drank the water and caressed her chest.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, a messenger from Qijiang wants to see you,¡± a maidservant informed her, who hade from the outside.


    ¡°Send him in,¡± Jin Yu immediately said.


    .....


    Within seconds, the messenger entered and forwarded an envelope. Court Lady Hong took it from him before handing it to Jin Yu.


    ¡°This is from the Crown Prince. His Royal Highness told Her Royal Highness not to take stress during her training period. The Crown Prince knows that the Crown Princess will surely finish her lessons soon,¡± the messenger delivered the same words that Xiaoming had told him to.


    Jin Yu opened the envelope and started to read the message that Xiaoming wrote for her.


    ¡°Dear Jin Yu,


    I have safely reached Qijiang with my brothers. The weather is cool here not too hot nor too cold. I know the ongoing training has burdened you, but it is only for a short time. You will soon be free to go around. If you miss me, then look at the moon. Whenever I will miss you, I will watch it too. Do not skip your meals and take a good sleep.


    Lots of Love,


    Your Xiaoming.¡±


    Jin Yu¡¯s heart fluttered to read Xiaoming¡¯s message and her eyes turned teary.


    Jin Yu spread a sheet on the table and dipped the brush into the ink. She picked it up and started to write a message for Xiaoming. She had learned the characters and words. She decided to try her best to give the first letter to Xiaoming.


    The messenger saw that it took more than thirty minutes for a reply toe from Jin Yu. He waited until her message for Xiaoming was ready. She folded it and put it inside the same envelope in which Xiaoming had sent the message to her.


    She handed it to the messenger. ¡°Tell the Crown Prince that his Jin Yu haspleted half of her lessons. She is patiently waiting for him to return,¡± Jin Yu said. Her eyes again turned misty while delivering such a message to the messenger. She didn¡¯t know it would be this tough to stay away from Xiaoming.


    The messenger bowed and left. Jin Yu got saddened as she looked at the letter in her hand.


    ¡°When I was amoner, I thought the royals have a life full offort. How wrong I was?!¡± She sighed and looked at Court Lady Hong. ¡°Did the Crown Prince has gone earlier too for such kinds of work?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness. But it was two years ago when there was a difficult situation in the Western Province. The Crown Prince prevented the war from happening from negotiations.¡± Court Lady Hong had a proud smile on her lips while telling Jin Yu about Xiaoming¡¯s achievements.


    ¡°He is brave,¡± Jin Yu said.


    ¡°His Royal Highness indeed is,¡± Court Lady Hong agreed with her.


    Jin Yu went back to her seat and again began to practice calligraphy. After three hours of continuous studies, she finally got a break and went to see Li Hua. With her, she would feel better. She wanted to tell her how much she was missing Xiaoming.


    When she arrived to see Li Hua in her manor, she didn¡¯t find her in the chamber. She wondered if she was practicing and went to the ce which Li Hua showed her.


    She halted as she found her sword fighting with Feng Lao. Li Hua had improved a lot from thest time. Li Hua ept her defeat when Feng Lao pointed the sword at her neck. ¡°I will defeat you someday,¡± Li Hua said with a determined look.


    ¡°I will wait for that day,¡± Feng Lao said and pulled the sword back. He lowered his arm and told her to work on her footwork.


    Li Hua looked at her feet and hummed. She lifted her head and saw Jin Yu. Promptly, she bowed at her. Feng Lao turned and also bowed to see Jin Yu.


    ¡°Li Hua, you have improved,¡± Jin Yu said as she jumped the stairs. She used to forget at this ce that she was now a royal family woman.


    ¡°Can I have onebat with you?¡± Jin Yu asked. ¡°Feng Lao?¡±


    He looked at her when Li Hua told him to do that. She would learn that way faster. It had been a long time since she saw swordbat. It was probably the time when she was unmarried and everything was well in her life.


    ¡°Sure, Your Royal Highness,¡± Feng Lao said. Jin Yu took the sword from Li Hua and told Feng Lao to use his full strength on her.


    ¡°Crown Princess, Feng Lao is good at swords,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°That¡¯s why he should use his full strength at me. Because I am also good at it,¡± Jin Yu said with a confidence.


    Li Hua went to the side and asked them to take their positions. Jin Yu spun the sword in her hand and started to move in the circle along with Feng Lao before she attacked him.

 Chapter 393

    393 Feelings were not the same [Bonus chapter]


    Li Hua anticipated knowing if Jin Yu would be able to defeat Feng Lao. She looked at them, who were motioning around a circle before Jin Yuunched an attack on Feng Lao. He lifted his arm and shed the attack easily. The two swords nked. Jin Yu speedily moved her right foot, her back faced Feng Lao for mere a second and her elbow almost hit his abdomen.


    Feng Lao¡¯s quick reflex saved him from getting a blow as his feet moved him back, and he swiped the sword at her. Jin Yu blocked the attack as she lifted the sword¡¯s de. Feng Lao pushed her several meters away from her.


    ¡°You are good at it,¡± Jin Yu said.


    She again attacked him. This time with a greater force. He moved right and defended himself as the des met again. He pushed her for the second time in the other direction. Jin Yu promptly turned and found he had attacked her. She brought the de to the front and got a push as the attack was fiercer than thest time. While defending herself from his attack, she was forced to step back. Finally, he hit her palm and her grip on the sword loosened. With a sh of light, he took her sword and also pointed the sword¡¯s top at her neck.


    Li Hua pped for them. Feng Lao turned to Li Hua, who had the same smile on her lips that he always used to see when he would sword fight with Xu Zifan. But one thing had changed. Her eyes were not the same. The feelings that she carried for him at that time were not the same. However, he was not upset about it. He was happy that Li Hua had forgiven him and at least, treated him as a friend.


    ¡°The Crown Princess fought well,¡± Li Hua praised Jin Yu.


    ¡°Did I?¡± Jin Yu panted as she looked at Feng Lao. ¡°You are great. It was my pleasure to have a friendly match with you,¡± Jin Yu stated.


    Feng Lao returned the same words to her and apologized if he had hurt her. Li Hua took Jin Yu to the chamber while Feng Lao went to take a rest. Li Hua went to the bedchamber to wear the jade ring that L¨®ng Wei had gifted her. She wore it and turned to leave when her eyesnded on the envelope that was on the bed. She picked it up and opened it. She read the message and put it inside the envelope. ¡°Her Majesty is so adamant to kill me,¡± Li Hua murmured and decided to discuss itter with her allies. She hid the envelope beneath the mattress and walked out to see Jin Yu in the pavilion.


    They drank hibiscus tea together when Jin Yu told Li Hua much she was missing Xiaoming¡¯s presence. ¡°I did not even get the time to be with the Crown Prince,¡± she said and pouted her lips.


    .....


    ¡°What about you, Li Hua? Are you not missing Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± Jin Yu asked.


    ¡°I do, but I divert my mind to other works. I do embroidery sometimes to keep myself busy,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Pardon me for intruding in the conversation. The First Princess wants to see the Princess Consort,¡± the maidservant informed Li Hua.


    Jin Yu told Li Hua not to meet her. ¡°She might me you again,¡± Jin Yu advised Li Hua.


    ¡°Please bring Princess Jingfei,¡± Li Hua told the maidservant, who left the pavilion.


    ¡°Why did you do it?¡± Jin Yu questioned Li Hua in bewilderment.


    ¡°She is an elder. If she hase here, then I must listen to her,¡± Li Hua replied.


    Jin Yu picked up the teacup and told Li Hua that she would not tolerate it today if Jingfei tried to say anything wrong to them. Li Hua smiled to hear her. They both turned quiet as their gazes fell on Jingfei.


    Jingfei halted a few meters away from them and bowed at Jin Yu. The Crown Princess averted her gaze from her while Li Hua asked Jingfei to take a seat. Jingfei thanked Li Hua and sat next to her on the chair around the circr table.


    ¡°Thank you for allowing me to meet you,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°If you are here to use Li Hua, then you should leave,¡± Jin Yu proimed.


    ¡°I am not here to use anyone here, Your Royal Highness,¡± Jingfei answered. Jin Yu chuckled at her statement as it was tough for her to believe her.


    ¡°I am here to apologize to Li Hua,¡± Jingfei said. ¡°Li Hua, you know what it means to fall in love with someone. I have admired Huang Xi for a long time. I wanted to be in his eyes. I wanted him to see me once, but he never once did,¡± she stated with a heavy voice. ¡°That day many misunderstandings happened and I ended up thinking wrong about you. Li Hua, I sincerely apologize to you for doing so wrong to you. Also, I am grateful that you have always helped me. I hope you will forgive me,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°I forgave Princess Jingfei,¡± Li Hua said.


    Jin Yu confusedly nced at Li Hua. How could she easily forgive the person because of whom she was on the verge to get punished?


    ¡°Really?¡± Jingfei was unable to believe her ears until Li Hu repeated her previous words. She found Li Hua was indeed a kinddy and her heart finally was uplifted by such a huge burden. She thanked Li Hua as tears formed in her eyes. ¡°Li Hua, thank you,¡± Jingfei said and lowered her head.


    After a few seconds, Jingfei looked at Jin Yu and apologized to her too. ¡°That day I crossed my boundary. I should have not disrespected the Crown Princess. I know that Her Royal Highness will not forgive me easily, but still, I want her to consider forgiving me. I will get married soon, and I do not want Her Royal Highness to keep her anger against me,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°Is the First Princess getting married?¡± Jin Yu asked and looked at her.


    ¡°Yes. I will be married off within this month,¡± Jingfei said. Li Hua noticed how unhappy Jingfei was and wondered whom she would marry. Before she could ask Jingfei, Jin Yu asked her the same question.

 Chapter 394

    394 Worse than the Scum


    ¡°Father has decided to marry me off to Minister Li Zixuan¡¯s son,¡± Jingfei replied to Jin Yu¡¯s query.


    ¡°Oh. What does he do?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°His second son, Li Jianjun, has recently qualified the civil services exam with a good score. He will be a rank three official in the Governor¡¯s office,¡± Jingfei answered. Li Hua noticed that the first princess did not look enthusiastic to share this news with them. She truly wished Jingfei to be with Huang Xi.


    ¡°Then, will the First Princess meet Li Jianjun before her marriage?¡± Jin Yu asked her.


    ¡°Whatever Father and mother decide, I have to follow that,¡± Jingfei stated.


    ¡°So, if His Majesty decides that there is no need to see Li Jianjun, then the First Princess will obey it?¡± Jin Yu asked curiously.


    ¡°Yes. The Crown Princess and the Princess Consort were lucky to find good men for them,¡± Jingfei stated. She did not know what her husband would be like. What if he would also hate her? Jingfei¡¯s mind was filled with the fear of being hated after he found out that Huang Xi despised her. She could not either express it to anyone. Moreover, her mother thought that Li Jianjun would be best for her.


    ¡°I got to know Prince L¨®ng Wei after my marriage,¡± Li Hua corrected Jingfei.


    ¡°However Brother L¨®ng Wei loved you since the very beginning,¡± Jingfei stated.


    .....


    ¡°Your husband will also love you,¡± Jin Yu said while her tone turned informal. She picked up the teapot and poured the tea for Jingfei. ¡°Li Hua told me that hibiscus flowers brought good fortune. This hibiscus will bring the same to the First Princess.¡± She forwarded the teacup to Jingfei and then, filled a cup for them as well.


    Jingfei sipped the tea andplimented Li Hua for her tea brewing skills. ¡°I truly want my fortune to be good,¡± she said.


    ¡°In my opinion, Princess Jingfei should meet with Li Jianjun once. I think that His Majesty and Her Majesty will definitely arrange a meeting for both of you,¡± Li Hua stated.


    Jingfei nodded and silently drank the tea.


    ¡°The First Princess must ask Li Jianjun some important things on her first meeting with him. It is important for her to know what kind of man he is,¡± Jin Yu opined.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, my mother, and father think that Li Jianjun is the best choice for me. He is already a rank three official. After my marriage with him, his rank will be increased to level second. I do not think that I have to ask anything anymore,¡± Jingfei asserted.


    ¡°The rank is not important, Princess Jingfei. You must see if the man will keep you happy or not. I know that the First Princess has better knowledge of this than I have. However, I lived amoner life and stayed outside the pce. I have seen most of the upperssmen are not nice. They are either power-hungry or full of lust,¡± Jingfei affirmed. Li Hua and Jingfei looked at her in bewilderment.


    ¡°What does the Crown Princess mean?¡± Jingfei asked with slight fear.


    ¡°They visit the brothel houses to seek pleasure,¡± Jin Yu stated. ¡°Not all but many,¡± she added.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, but the ministers and high-rank officials will never do it. Since they have high values and they have a reputation in the society,¡± Li Hua did not agree with Jin Yu¡¯s view.


    ¡°I saw with my own eyes. Yesterday, I even saw the minister, who visits the brothel house regrly. People do not know because it was done in utter secret. That¡¯s why it is not good to trust them and their sons. Some may be good, but most of them are the same as I described,¡± Jingfei stated. ¡°That is why the First Princess must try to find what type of man Li Jianjun is before agreeing to marry him. Marrying the right man and woman is more important rather than seeing the age,¡± Jin Yu advised her.


    ¡°My Father would not have asked me to consider this if such a thing is there,¡± Jingfei stated.


    ¡°Exactly. However, His Majesty does not look into every man¡¯s history and work. Men who cheat their wives are worse than the scums,¡± Jin Yu affirmed as she recalled her father, who cheated on her mother and lifted the teacup. She gulped the tea and put it on the table.


    Li Hua and Jingfei were stunned to hear thenguage that Jin Yu just used. They looked at each other when Jin Yu told them, ¡°It is not wrong to curse such men.¡±


    ¡°Why does the First Princess think I marriedte? Women of my age are married off at the age of eighteen mostly or sometimes even at a younger age. I waited for the right time and then, I found the Crown Prince.¡±


    A blush appeared on Jin Yu¡¯s cheeks and a smile formed on her lips. ¡°I am again missing my husband,¡± she said and sighed while pouting her lips.


    Jin Yu¡¯s words deeply impacted Jingfei, and she decided to search for what kind of man Li Jianjun was. She would not marry him if he was also involved in all this that Jin Yu described to her.


    She returned to her chamber in the afternoon to have her lunch. But she could not eat properly. Her personal attendant, Lin Jie, asked her if she was alright. Jingfei hummed and took a bite of the roasted chicken.


    Soon, she finished her day¡¯s meals, butpared to the other days she ate less. It was because she was worried if she did right by agreeing with her mother. What if Li Jianjun was that kind of man, who was also a regr in the brothel house?


    ¡°Lin Jie, is there any way that we can find out what type of man Li Jianjun is?¡± Jingfei asked her.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness?¡± Lin Jie was confused to hear the First Princess.


    ¡°I want to know if it will be right to marry Li Jianjun,¡± Jingfei stated with a serious tone.

 Chapter 395

    395 Find one for me


    L¨®ng Wei sat down to eat with Xiaoming and Tianjie. Xiaoming found that L¨®ng Wei looked upset and slightly angry. He even scolded the servant for no reason. When the food was served and everyone left the tent house, except those three, Xiaoming asked L¨®ng Wei why he had carried a plumpy face.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei is angry because of Mo Jinhai. He said bad things about Li Hua,¡± Tianjie said and picked up the chopstick to eat. He started to eat while Xiaoming asked L¨®ng Wei to tell him what happened.


    ¡°Allow me to kill Mo Jinhai,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Tianjie chuckled to hear him. ¡°Only the Crown Prince can make L¨®ng Wei understand why he should not kill Mo Jinhai,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Brother Tianjie, tell me what happened?¡± Xiaoming asked him as L¨®ng Wei did not utter a single word. All he could see was a grim expression on his face which indeed showed that he would murder Mo Jinhai if he appear before him.


    ¡°Should I tell the Crown Prince?¡± Tianjie asked L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°If you had not stopped me, I would not be this restless,¡± L¨®ng Wei rudely told Tianjie. He put the chopsticks down while Xiaoming reprimanded L¨®ng Wei for answering this way with Tianjie.


    Tianjie asked Xiaoming to let it go. He then narrated to the Crown Prince what happened in the restaurant.


    ¡°I will summon Mo Jinhai here tomorrow. You cannot kill anyone when your identity was hidden from the people around you,¡± Xiaoming told L¨®ng Wei. He shifted his gaze at Tianjie and thanked him for handling L¨®ng Wei well.


    .....


    ¡°I am not a kid,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with annoyance.


    ¡°You are!¡± Xiaoming and Tianjie said at the same time. ¡°I understand that any man would be angry if someone says wrong about his wife, but we are supposed to think a hundred times before attacking the person, especially when we are on a mission. Brother L¨®ng Wei knows well that the informant of those enemies is hidden somewhere in the market and surrounding area. So, we have to be extremely careful. You are the Governor, so act like one,¡± Xiaoming made him understand.


    L¨®ng Wei silently listened to him, but he let most of his words out of his other ear.


    ¡°Will the Crown Prince let me do whatever I want to do with Mo Jinhai?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I cannot do that. As the Crown Prince, I will intercede between you both. I do not want Brother L¨®ng Wei to get his hands dirty with a blood of a man, who does not even deserve that,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°The Crown Prince is clever. He does not want me to kill Mo Jinhai because the Governor of Qijiang willin to our father. However, I want a punishment for him, which will be remembered by all his seven uing generations,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated with a stern tone.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°Let¡¯s begin eating before the food gets cold.¡± Both of them nodded at the Crown Prince and they silently ate their meals. They remain seated at their respective ces for further discussion when Xiaoming told them that he visited the borders and checked the situation there.


    ¡°Did the Crown Prince get any useful information?¡± Tianjie asked.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Xiaoming replied. ¡°What about you two?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I also found nothing suspicious,¡± Tianjie replied.


    ¡°I have spread a rumor among the people,¡± L¨®ng Wei informed them.


    ¡°A rumor?¡± Xiaoming arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°Yes. I will tell the two Prince tomorrow if I seeded in getting the information or failed in it,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I hope whatever Brother L¨®ng Wei has nned, it works,¡± Xiaoming said with trust in him.


    ¡°I hope so,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and wondered if the targeted person would act on his rumor or not.


    ~~~~~~~


    Li Hua asked the maidservant in her service to sleep early. She obeyed Li Hua and left for her room in the manor. Li Hua went out of the chamber to get the fresh air when she heard the footsteps. She tilted her head and saw Feng Lao behind her.


    ¡°You should sleep,¡± Li Hua said and turned to walk ahead.


    ¡°How can I sleep when you are awake?¡± Feng Lao said and followed her.


    ¡°I got the message from the Queen,¡± Li Hua told Feng Lao. ¡°I will discuss it with General Hei and Senior Brother Xiwan tomorrow,¡± she stated.


    ¡°So, you are ready to take the risk,¡± Feng Lao said and they reached the pond which was situated in the manor. Li Hua halted in her steps while Feng Lao stopped to the left of her, but half a meter distance behind her.


    ¡°Feng Lao, it is important,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°What if anything happens?¡± Feng Lao asked with a concerned look. ¡°I have no one left except you and Xu Zifan,¡± he asserted. ¡°Do not take my words wrongly,¡± he added.


    ¡°I did not,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°Feng Lao, I want to tell you something which my father hid from me all his life. He also hid this fact from everyone around him. Only my mother was aware of it,¡± she stated.


    ¡°What was it?¡± Feng Lao asked.


    Li Hua turned to face him. ¡°I was never made for you. Monk Yuze hase to Xinshui after my birth and he told my father that I would marry Prince L¨®ng Wei. I know you might not believe it, but the personal diary of my father also says it. We both were never made for each other. Feng Lao, I know you still hold feelings for me. I feel terrible about this,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°Li Hua, I am happy to watch you from afar,¡± Feng Lao stated.


    ¡°You should not be,¡± Li Hua stated. ¡°You have to move on. You fool everyone around you, but your acts show everything.¡±


    ¡°I truly wish to be near you,¡± Feng Lao said. ¡°However, I also know that you can never be mine. I am well aware of this,¡± he admitted the truth finally that his feelings for her were still present.


    ¡°I want you to look for a good woman for yourself,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Find one for me,¡± Feng Lao said with a smile. ¡°Do you think that a woman can end these feelings?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Hua turned her back to him and looked at the pond. Thenterns hanging around theke illuminated the surface of the water.


    ¡°I found from the maidservant there is a match-making agency in the capital. I will go there tomorrow to find suitable matches for my brother and you,¡± Li Hua informed him.


    ¡°Xu Zifan will not like it,¡± Feng Lao told her, ¡°neither will I.¡±


    ¡°I will never talk to both of you if you refuse to see women,¡± Li Hua warned him and again turned to look at him. ¡°I have told you earlier too, I want you both to settle in your lives. The Past hurts, but it is in our hands to make the future beautiful. I want the same for both of you,¡± she said and smiled at him.


    Feng Lao did not stop her anymore. He wanted to do what Li Hua felt was good for him.

 Chapter 396

    396 Hei Chengxi, Loyalist of Qiu Qizhen


    Hei Chengxi folded the sheet after reading the message from the Queen that she had sent to Li Hua. Xiwan looked at Hei Chengxi, wondering what he would say.


    ¡°What will the Princess Consort want to do about this? Since the Queen wants to take your life with her brother, they will leave no chance to harm the Princess Consort. Yu Yujin will send shooters as well in case the assassin fails to harm you. Finding the shooters among the locals is going to be tough,¡± Hei Chengxi exined to Li Hua. He told her that Ye Yujin should not be taken lightly as he had done such assassinations in the past too.


    ¡°So, General Hei wants to step out of it,¡± Xiwan concluded as he scrunched his brows.


    ¡°I do not want to. I am telling that if the Princess Consort wants to go forward with it, then she must be extremely careful,¡± Hei Chengxi stated.


    ¡°I will find out about the shooters,¡± Xiwan told them.


    ¡°How?¡± Feng Lao asked him.


    ¡°I have to go to the Ye Residence, which is not difficult for me. Finding about their right n is important so that there would be no mistake from our end,¡± Xiwan affirmed.


    ¡°I believe Senior Brother Xiwan,¡± Li Hua showed her faith in him. Xiwan smiled at her and thanked her. He looked at Hei Chengxi and told him that he woulde to him to inform him about it.


    ¡°By the evening, we have to n out everything. Will you be able to extract the entire information?¡± Hei Chengxi questioned.


    .....


    ¡°I will be back before the evening. I will not disappoint anyone, especially the Princess Consort,¡± Xiwan said with a confident tone. Li Hua nodded her head at him. Xiwan picked up the tray and left the chamber while Hei Chengxi stayed there.


    ¡°Princess Consort, Ye Yujin will love to die than expose in front of the King that his sister nned an attack on you. It will be difficult to bring out the Queen¡¯s true face,¡± Hei Chengxi opined.


    ¡°General Hei, I have to set my trap,¡± Li Hua stated. ¡°Her face will be in front of the King and the other royal family members soon.¡± She was confident about going ahead with this.


    ¡°Then I will make the rest of the arrangements,¡± Hei Chengxi said and stood up from the chair. He bowed at Li Hua and then, left the chamber. Feng Lao told Li Hua that he would be back soon and went after Hei Chengxi.


    ¡°General Hei,¡± Feng Lao called him and Hei Chengxi halted in his way and turned to look at him. He rushed to him and stopped before him. ¡°Will it be right to go with this n?¡± Feng Lao asked him. ¡°The Princess Consort does not understand many things. What if something unexpected happens tomorrow? Prince L¨®ng Wei will go mad,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°The Queen will find another way than to harm the Princess Consort,¡± Hei Chengxi replied. ¡°More dangerous than this. Trust us on this,¡± he stated and left the manor.


    ~~~~~~~~~


    Qiu Zedong put the stamp on the end of the scroll on its left side and handed it to Kang Xi. ¡°How is Kang Huijuan?¡± He asked as he pulled his hand back and rested it over the mahogany desk.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan is well, Your Majesty. Thank you for sparing his life that day,¡± Kang Xi said.


    ¡°If his behavior remains good, I will pardon his punishment and will appoint him in the governor¡¯s office,¡± Qiu Zedong said. Those words of the King delighted Kang Xi. He gave a ny degrees bow to the King and thanked him for that.


    ¡°You are my close friend, Kang Xi. I will surely not do anything wrong to you and your family,¡± he stated.


    ¡°That is His Majesty¡¯s kind benevolence on me and my family,¡± Kang Xi said and stood straight.


    Qiu Zedong smiled and asked him whom he would marry his daughter.


    ¡°I have not thought about it yet, Your Majesty,¡± Kang Xi said.


    ¡°My second son will marry your daughter if you want. Think about this at your home,¡± Qiu Zedong asked for Kang Cha Ying¡¯s hand for Qiu Mu.


    Kang Xi was astonished to hear about this. He thought the King will not allow his daughter to be part of the royal family. ¡°It will be my pleasure if my daughter bes the daughter-inw in the Royal Family and serve the family well,¡± Kang Xi willingly epted the offer. He did not even think about it once.


    ¡°You must ask your daughter once about it. I do not want to hurt her once again. My eldest son refused to marry her. However, in my eyes, she is a capabledy for the royal family. Her opinion matters too,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted.


    ¡°Sure. Your Majesty, I will answer you regarding this soon,¡± Kang Xi stated. He could not tell how happy he was. His position would strengthen once his daughter got married to the Royal Family.


    ¡°Kang Xi, I want to give you an important task,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    ¡°Please, order me, Your Majesty,¡± Kang Xi bowed his head.


    ¡°I want you to find out if there are any loyal left of Qizhen,¡± Qiu Zedong said. Kang Xi promptly lifted his head and looked into the King¡¯s eyes. It had been more than twenty years, but the King never once spoke about Qiu Qizhen, then why so suddenly?


    ¡°All of his loyal are dead,¡± Kang Xi stated, ¡°except General Hei Chengxi.¡±


    ¡°Hei Chengxi is not Qizhen¡¯s loyal. He had surrendered to me and had told me about Qizhen,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Majesty. But His Majesty shall not forget that Hei Chengxi was a close friend of Qiu Qizhen. I still think that Hei Chengxi must be killed. Apart from him, there is no one who is a loyalist of Qizhen in the Kingdom. They all are dead,¡± Kang Xi suggested to the King.


    Qiu Zedong refused to believe that. Eunuch Gao Bing silently listened to their conversation and curled his fingers while his brows drew close.

 Chapter 397

    397 To Captivate you [Bonus chapter]


    L¨®ng Wei looked at Mo Jinhai, who came to the military camp after Xiaomin sent a summon message to him. His father, Mo Zhn, had also apanied his son. They both greeted to see the Crown Prince and the other two princes.


    ¡°Why are the princes staying in the military camp? I can make the arrangements for him in my residence,¡± Mo Zhn said. Mo Jinhai supported his father¡¯s words and asked them to visit the Mo residence.


    ¡°We would love to, but it is not appropriate for us to stay anywhere near the main city. The military camp is better for us as it is away from the people,¡± Xiaoming replied to them.


    ¡°You better not invite me to your residence, Mo Jinhai. You do not know when I will take your life,¡± L¨®ng Wei ended up saying something, which confused not only Jinhai but his father too.


    Mo Zhn asked L¨®ng Wei why he spoke that way.


    Tianjie rested his elbow on the chair¡¯s armrest and then pressed the temple of his forehead. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei again started,¡± he whispered near Xiaoming¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Governor Mo Zhn, your son insulted the wife of Prince L¨®ng Wei. Not only that he humiliated thete mother of my brother. The reason your son is summoned here is because of that very reason,¡± Xiaoming finally revealed the truth to them about why Mo Jinhai¡¯s presence was asked.


    Mo Zhn looked at his son, who promptly refused. L¨®ng Wei snickered and stood up from his ce. He angrily walked to Mo Jinhai and punched his abdomen hard. Zhn was shocked to see that. His son coughed blood and he red into the eyes of L¨®ng Wei when he held his nape and pushed him down to the ground. He got on his knees as he whimpered in pain.


    ¡°Lie once more and I will bury you here alive,¡± L¨®ng Wei challenged Jinhai. Zhn quickly joined his hands and apologized for his son¡¯s mistake.


    .....


    ¡°Please let him go this time, Your Highness. I will reprimand him for saying wrong about the women of the royal family,¡± Mo Zhn pleaded with L¨®ng Wei, who was not ready to forgive Jinhai.


    ¡°You should not have said anything about my wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei said when Xiaoming asked him to stop.


    ¡°I request Brother L¨®ng Wei to stop taking thew in his hand. Please step back and let me decide what to do,¡± Xiaoming stated. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, please get back to your seat,¡± he requested again.


    L¨®ng Wei pushed Jinhai and he fell to the floor. He experienced excruciating pain in his abdominal region. He realized the person, whom he saw in the restaurant was none but L¨®ng Wei. That was the worst timing when he said all those things about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s wife and mother.


    Mo Zhn bent on his knees and asked Jinhai if he was alright.


    ¡°Disrespecting anyone from the royal family is considered a crime,¡± Xiaoming said. Mo Zhn asked the Crown Prince to let it go for once. He assured him that such a mistake would never happen again.


    ¡°It is not a mistake,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, stressing each of the words.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, please calm down,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°How can I calm down? He disrespected my wife. I can bear everything, but when someone says wrong about her, I cannot bear that person¡¯s eyes. Give him a death sentence,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Zhn was shocked to hear that. He begged the Crown Prince not to do that.


    Xiaoming had told L¨®ng Wei not to demand a death sentence the previous day, but he forgot everything. He was well aware of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s anger. He gestured to Tianjie and he went to L¨®ng Wei. He grabbed his arm when he asked him to let it go. Tianjie did not listen to him and dragged him out of the tent house. Bai Juchen, who was outside the tent house was confused to see that.


    L¨®ng Wei yanked his arm off his grip and thought to walk in when Tianjie stopped him. ¡°You are not allowed to go in,¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°Move away before I have to use my strength,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while ring into Tianjie¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Do not force me to captivate you in the tent house. Stay here. Let the Crown Prince handle the matter. We told you yesterday that you are not allowed to kill anyone. Governor Mo Zhn is a close friend of our father. What if the matter reaches the King? He might have to send you to the cold pce. At least, listen to me for Li Hua,¡± Tianjie stated.


    One thing that Tianjie noticed in L¨®ng Wei was that he was not angry about the fact that his mother¡¯s name was tarnished too. The only person he cared about was Li Hua.


    Strange! He still despised his mother. But, why? Li Hua¡¯s words that day showed that L¨®ng Wei was something different, which he failed to notice. The only thing that he rted with him was that their mothers were concubines. But he had heard in his childhood that L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother was special to the King.


    Tianjie hung his arm around L¨®ng Wei¡¯s shoulder and took him away from there.


    Bai Juchen was slightly worried to see L¨®ng Wei¡¯s behavior. The King had sent trouble in his eyes to Qijiang. More than the work, he was creating a nuisance for no reason. He could not even say anything on this matter as it was the King¡¯s order.


    ¡°General Bai, there is important information,¡± a soldier said. Bai Juchen turned to look at him when the soldier stood near him and whispered something in his ear.


    Bai Juchen furrowed his brows together and then walked away from there. ¡°Why did L¨®ng Wei spread such fake news in the town?¡± he murmured as he went to see the Sixth Prince, who was with Tianjie. Bai Juchen could not believe that L¨®ng Wei spread the rumor of knowing the face of those men, who brought Wu Zihao to the town center.

 Chapter 398

    398 A Second rumor?


    Mo Jinhai epted the punishment that Xiaoming had decided for him. He had to work for L¨®ng Wei for the time he was in the Qijiang. He had to do every work of L¨®ng Wei like a servant. Mo Zhn thanked Xiaoming for solving the matter calmly. He again apologized for his son¡¯s mistake and told Jinhai not to disappoint the three princes in any way.


    Jinhai nodded his head and asked Xiaoming if he could home to bring his things.


    Xiaoming shook his head. ¡°Your father will send the needful things in the hand of a soldier that I send with him,¡± he added. He called in a soldier and told him to follow Zhn to his residence.


    ¡°Governor Mo, I want you to keep it a secret that we three princes are in Qijiang,¡± Xiaoming ordered him. Mo Zhn assured him that from his end no one would find out about their presence.


    Jinhai bowed at his father, who left with the soldier, after giving him a nce. Once they left, Xiaoming asked him if the punch was too painful. Jinhai nodded his head. His hand was still on his abdomen. He never experienced this kind of pain, but he could not evenin about it.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is sensitive about his wife. He can bear anything, but he cannot hear anything bad about his wife. Also, as a nobleman, you must know that disrespecting any woman is not considered good. Since you will work for Brother L¨®ng Wei keep in mind that you will repent in his eyes,¡± Xiaoming exined to him. Jinhai silently listened to him when Xiaoming called for the physician.


    The physician gave him medicine to reduce the pain and told him to take a day¡¯s rest at least. Xiaoming knew that L¨®ng Wei would not let Jinhai rest. Also, he knew that it was the best punishment for Jinhai to let L¨®ng Wei¡¯s anger go. Xiaoming asked the soldier if he saw Tianjie and L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°No, Your Royal Highness,¡± the soldier replied and told them that he would search for them. Xiaoming nodded and then looked at Jinhai. He asked him to stay there for a while until L¨®ng Wei showed his presence.


    At that moment, Bai Juchen came into the tent house and informed the Crown Prince how L¨®ng Wei spread a rumor and created havoc among the local officials, and people of the town. Xiaoming recalled the n that L¨®ng Wei had shared with them.


    .....


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, the Sixth Prince is making things worse here. He must return to Qinping,¡± Bai Juchen stated.


    Jinhai was suddenly delighted to hear about it. He would not have to work for L¨®ng Wei if he returned to Qinping.


    ¡°General Bai, the King¡¯s order cannot be neglected. His Majesty is the one on whose order Prince L¨®ng Wei is here. I cannot send him back for no reason,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°No reason?¡± Bai Juchen eximed and he got irked. ¡°Your Royal Highness, such rumors are not the way to find the truth. Prince L¨®ng Wei is doing things immorally and it can lead to bigger negative consequences,¡± Bai Juchen opposed L¨®ng Wei¡¯s ways to find the enemy. It only created a ruckus in the city.


    ¡°I did not create any ruckus,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He had stepped into the tent house with Tianjie. ¡°I merely put a trap for the person whom you failed to find. Someone in the town has helped our foes to show them the way to town. Someone at a good rank,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and walked up to Bai Juchen.


    ¡°It is a part of the n, General Bai,¡± Tianjie said, ¡°we want the person to reach Meng Ru who is Brother L¨®ng Wei.¡± He nced at L¨®ng Wei, whose eyes were on Bai Juchen.


    ¡°Let the officials, the people talk about it,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°Rumors are the best way to take the person out,¡± he added.


    Jinhai keenly listened to them and found that L¨®ng Wei was a brainy person. He was talking to himself in his mind when L¨®ng Wei looked at him and he ended up putting a brake on his thoughts.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, I have punished Mo Jinhai. He will work as a servant for you for the time we all are here. You can ask him to do any of your work. However, you cannot mistreat him. I want you to act like an ideal Prince,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    L¨®ng Wei nodded his head. But in his mind, he already had decided that he would torture Jinhai to the extent that he would remember all his life about him.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, I want to know how the person will contact Meng Ru which is you,¡± Bai Juchen said with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°When the second rumor be spread among the people,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smile.


    ¡°A second rumor?¡± Bai Juchen asked him to tell him about his n.


    ¡°We will go into the town in the evening to fulfill this task,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and looked at his brothers. ¡°We will go to the most famous ce in the town. I heard that the night restaurant which includes only female workers is the talk of the town in the evening. We will go there and spread the second rumor there,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and nced at Mo Jinhai.


    ¡°You must have visited that ce numerous times,¡± L¨®ng Wei assumed. Mo Jinhai nodded his head.


    ¡°Many young officials visit that ce at the night and even themoners¡¯ entry is allowed there,¡± Mo Jinhai said in a low voice.


    ¡°Great. I am excited to find the person,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while his facial expression turned into a serious one.


    ~~~~~~


    Far in a dark ce with only one candle in the room, a silhouette could be seen. ¡°Meng Ru knows that you were the one, who led our men with Wu Zihao¡¯s corpse to the town center,¡± a man said. He had his head down while his feet were trembling.


    ¡°Who is Meng Ru?¡± the silhouette of the person asked.


    ¡°There is no information about that. Forgive me, Master,¡± the man apologized and got on his knees.


    The next second his neck got cut with the sharp de of the sword and he fell to the floor. The blood spattered on the floor while the silhouette of the man continued to write something on the sheet.

 Chapter 399

    399 Faces of the Assassins


    Li Hua looked at the Queen, and then at the two custard bowls. She knew that in one of them, she had mixed the pill to make Feng Lao unconscious or sleepy. The Queen was in a hurry to kill her.


    ¡°Before going out, you both must eat this custard. I have made it with my own hands. I have given it to everyone in the royal family. You were thest one. I brought one for Feng Lao as well as he is your bodyguard,¡± Zhu Liling stated. She gestured to Mi Yao, who put the custard on the table.


    Zhu Liling forwarded the bowl to Feng Lao, who epted it, and then, she handed the other bowl to Li Hua. ¡°Taste it and tell me how is it,¡± Zhu Liling said. Li Hua picked up the spoon and took a sip of it. Zhu Liling asked Feng Lao to take the taste as well. He did, which satisfied the Queen.


    Zhu Liling had earlier thought to mix a sleep-inducing pill in that, but she changed the n. Instead, she put in a pill, which would make him exhausted after twenty to thirty minutes. That would be much better than bringing any suspicion to her head if he fell asleep even before Li Hua left the pce.


    ¡°Li Hua, I will ask General Hei to send some well-trained soldiers with you. Last time, you got attacked and I do not want it to happen anymore,¡± Zhu Liling showed her fake concern to her.


    ¡°That will be great, Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°I am grateful to Her Majesty that she always gets willing to send me out,¡± she stated and put on a smile on her lips. Zhu Liling told her to return before the early evening. ¡°I would like to have a small tea session with all the royaldies,¡± she asserted.


    Li Hua nodded her head. Zhu Liling decided to leave when Li Hua stood up from her ce and bowed at her. Zhu Liling smiled and left the manor. Feng Lao did not waste any moment and left to spit out the custard that he had taken in his mouth. However, he had not swallowed it.


    Feng Lao, after rinsing his mouth, returned to the chamber, where Li Hua was present. He asked Li Hua why she ate that custard. ¡°What if she had mixed something in that?¡± He got worried.


    ¡°She will not do that,¡± Li Hua said and asked him if he was alright.


    .....


    ¡°I did not swallow it and threw up,¡± Feng Lao said. ¡°The Queen is evil. I think this is the reason your father never wanted you to get married to the royal family,¡± he affirmed. Li Hua did not oppose his words. His father¡¯s main concern was that only. He knew that his daughter would be targeted there. However, Li Hua could fight those enemies too. She would not let herself die because of some ridiculous ns of the Queen.


    ¡°Your Highness, General Hei wants to see you,¡± the maidservant informed from outside and the doors opened. Hei Chengxi walked in and bowed to see Li Hua. He saw the bowls of custard on the table and realized that the Queen had already done her work.


    ¡°Her Majesty ordered me to send the best soldiers with the Princess Consort,¡± Hei Chengxi said and asked them if they ate the custard. Li Hua nodded while Feng Lao refused.


    ¡°I will not be harmed this way,¡± Li Hua said. Hei Chengxi agreed with her. Zhu Liling wanted to kill Li Hua outside the pce so that suspicions would not be on her. She would remain clean that way.


    Li Hua recalled how the previous evening Xiwan had told them about Yu Yujin¡¯s ns. The three best shooters were deployed for this task at the ce, where Li Hua would wait for the non-existent person that Zhu Liling created. Two assassins were also called by Yu Yujin for this task.


    Everything was nned in a way that it would seem like an ident rather than an intentional attack. Now, the problem was Xiwan did not know the faces of the assassins. So, there was a risk associated with that. But because Xiwan was himself a highly trained spy, he would not let Li Hua get harmed.


    ¡°Your Highness, do not walk away from the ce that you are told to. We will kill the shooters first,¡± Hei Chengxi told her. Li Hua nodded at him and they left for the main market of Qinping.


    ~~~~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei looked at Jinhai, who was whimpering in the pain. ¡°The pain is not enough. I do not get easy on the people, who irk me,¡± he stated. Because Xiaoming had interceded between them, so he had to stop himself.


    ¡°I have realized the mistake I made,¡± Jinhai said and set the breakfast table for L¨®ng Wei. The previous night L¨®ng Wei did not give him dinner. This was the first time in his life that he had to sleep empty stomach. He was surprised by the fact that L¨®ng Wei held power.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him as he started to eat.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Jinhai said.


    ¡°Then, I will give you my leftover food,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a wide smile and continued eating.


    Jinhai had never thought that there would be a day when he would have to eat someone¡¯s leftover food. He would stay hungry than eat that type of food. He was not a beggar, neither was he a destitute. He decided to find a way to reach Xiaoming and demand food from him. But was it even possible for him?


    When L¨®ng Wei¡¯s stomach was full, he stopped eating. He looked at the bowls, and the tes, where the leftover food was still present. ¡°I am kind enough to give this food to you. You can eat now and then clean this table,¡± he stated and pushed the chair back. He stood up and decided to leave when Jinhai told him that he would not eat that.


    ¡°So, you want to remain hungry?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him and arched his eyebrows.


    Jinhai got on his knees and then, lifted his head. ¡°I beg His Highness to forgive me. I should not have said all such things about you, your mother, and your wife. I have realized what I did was a grave mistake.¡± He flinched as he felt the dull pain in his stomach again.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and walked away. Before stepping out of the tent house, he said, ¡°One who insults my wife, I never forgive him.¡±

 Chapter 400

    400 Torturing the weak


    Li Hua looked outside the pnquin and recalled what L¨®ng Wei had told her. Not to go out and let her get harmed. She was slightly nervous because if anything wrong happened, then she would be at the door of death. She fiddled her fingers worriedly. However, at the same time, she had thought that if she could get saved from such a deadly night when everyone in her family died, except Xu Zifan, then she would be safe today.


    She nced at Feng Lao, who was walking by the pnquin¡¯s side. She had faith that he would save her. She had trust in his sword and his skills.


    Feng Lao looked at her for a brief moment and fear once again engulfed him. He had promised L¨®ng Wei that he would not do anything which would impact Li Hua in any way. His grip around the hilt tightened and he looked straight.


    The locals tried to peek in as the pnquin passed through the route which connected to the main market. Li Hua put the curtain down and sat back. She took out the dagger that L¨®ng Wei once showed her. He had told her that Yuze gifted him when he turned sixteen. It was a special dagger to him. She picked it from his chamber for her safety.


    The pnquin stopped soon and her personal maidservant informed her that they had reached outside the market. Li Hua stepped out of the pnquin and saw the people had gathered to take a look at her. She felt awkward when one of the soldiers told them not to crowd the ce. Li Hua heard a few people say that they were surprised to see Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s wife. The faint voices of people kept falling into her ears as she walked ahead.


    She wanted L¨®ng Wei to be by her side so that people would see his caring and loving side. She promised herself that she woulde with L¨®ng Wei someday to the market.


    She continued to walk ahead while the soldier told her about the direction, where the market center was located. Li Hua focused on her surroundings too. The tall buildings were something new for her. When she had firste to this ce, she could not focus on those structures. That time all she cared about was entering the pce.


    ¡°Your Highness, we are closer to the market center,¡± Feng Lao said in a low voice that was audible to her. She narrowly gazed at her and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Your Highness, pleasee to my shop. I will show you the best garments in the kingdom,¡± one of the garment sellers approached her when the chief soldier asked him to get out of the way. He had to work on themand and got away from the way. Li Hua saw the few men ahead of her on the left side of the walkway, who was whispering something amongst each other while looking at us.


    .....


    Her eyes fell on Kang Huijuan, who was one of those men. Her blood boiled to see him and she averted her gaze from him.


    ¡°I just pray that the Princess Consort does not be the prey of any ident.¡±


    Li Hua came to a halt when she heard Kang Huijuan¡¯s words. She nced in his direction and so did Feng Lao. Kang Huijuan walked up to Li Hua but still was a few meters away from her. He bowed at her and then he looked into her eyes. That look was creepy in Li Hua¡¯s eyes. She red at him and asked him if the punishment was not enough for him.


    ¡°It was more than enough, Your Highness,¡± Kang Huijuan said and again took step towards her. The soldiers did not stop him because he was the prime minister¡¯s son. He almost covered the distance between him and Li Hua when Feng Lao stood in front of her.


    ¡°Step back,¡± Feng Lao said with a stern tone while beaming at Kang Huijuan. ¡°Be within your limits,¡± he said with a stern tone.


    ¡°So, Prince L¨®ng Wei has left you behind to protect his wife,¡± Kang Huijuan chuckled and tilted his head a little. He could see Li Hua¡¯s face from over Feng Lao¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Princess Consort, His Majesty is returning my position soon to me. Too bad for you, isn¡¯t it? Prince L¨®ng Wei had thought that I would be powerless all my life, but he forgot that my father is close to the King,¡± Kang Huijuan said with a smirk. He lowered his eyes and then walked away.


    Li Hua quickly stepped ahead of Feng Lao and said, ¡°Kang Huijuan, no matter how the bigger position you get in the kingdom, everyone is well aware of your nature. You wrongly used Prince L¨®ng Wei, who saved the life of the woman, who is now your wife,¡± Li Hua pronounced in a loud enough voice. She did not want to stay quiet. Because she was in a ce, where many eyes were on them, people would be aware of his true nature.


    Kang Huijuan stopped in his steps and a grim look appeared on his face. He turned to look at Li Hua and then, looked at the people around him.


    ¡°His Majesty may take his decision back if he found out that you again started to show off among people,¡± Li Hua did not refrain from the telling the truth of his true nature. ¡°You should be thankful to Prince L¨®ng Wei, who forgave you despite how you tried to use him again. The entire pce is the witness of that,¡± Li Hua stated with an amusing smile on her lips.


    Kang Huijuan clenched his fists tightly which Li Hua noticed. ¡°I know you will take this anger out on someone else now. Torturing the weak is the only thing that you can do,¡± Li Hua¡¯s statement irked Kang Huijuan. ¡°I wonder if Kang Huijuan will serve the people well after gathering a government position or exploit them.¡±


    The people looked in Kang Huijuan¡¯s direction in disgust and whispered among themselves.


    At that moment, a shooter put the arrow on the bow and directed it towards Li Hua.

 Chapter 401

    401 I am taking her away [Bonus chapter]


    The shooter aimed the arrow in Li Hua¡¯s direction, ready to kill her. However, before he could release the arrow, someone hit the back of his neck. The blow was hard and the shooter turned to look at him. The person then inserted the thin needle into the side of his neck and within a few seconds, the shooter got unconscious. The person took him away while Li Hua was saved from the attack.


    Kang Huijuan beamed at Li Hua. He was already annoyed by L¨®ng Wei, who humiliated him in the pce. Now, in his absence, his wife had done that work. She insulted him in the market in front of so many people.


    Li Hua started to walk while the soldiers ahead of her also resumed walking. Kang Huijuan stepped away from her route.


    Feng Lao asked Li Hua why she said all those things. ¡°Kang Huijuan is not a nice person. He may try to harm you,¡± he worriedly said.


    ¡°Since when you started fearing? Nothing will happen. His entry is banned in the pce,¡± Li Hua stated. She wondered why the King pardoned him so quickly. Something was fishy. The King acted strangely. He did not pardon L¨®ng Wei when he was not even at the fault. Once she solved her matter with the Queen, she would keep an eye on the King.


    While contemting all such things, she reached the ce which the Queen had mentioned in the message. She looked at the stalls, where people had gathered. Seeing her, the people were dispersed and Li Hua stepped ahead. She looked at the local handmade jewelry which looked beautiful to her. Though the quality was low, she thought to buy one pair of bangles and asked the seller about the price. She did not bargain for it and took out the coins to give him.


    Feng Lao looked around to make sure that no one would approach Li Hua. He still had not seen Xiwan and Chang Shi around. While Li Hua forwarded her hand to give the coins, a soldier fell on the ground as an arrow hit her. She turned to look and within seconds, everyone started shouting and screaming. Feng Lao stood before her, wondering from where the arrow was shot.


    People started running around and a chaotic situation arose. She turned to look when the stall owner from where she was buying the bangles, unsheathed the sword to attack on her. Feng Lao saw that and he also unsheathed the sword in his hand. However, someone shot an arrow at that man and he died.


    Feng Lao caught Li Hua and decided to take her to a safer ce. They were stopped by two masked men aka assassins. The soldiers, who had apanied them, handled those assassins. Everything went ording to the n. Feng Lao took her towards the same route which they had followed.


    .....


    Ye Yujin was also present in the market in a disguise. He was on the top of the building scrutinizing everything. It seemed to him that this n of the Queen was leaked. Li Hua and Feng Lao were saved too easily. Even Feng Lao was walking fine. Zhu Liling had told him that she had mixed the pill into the custard. Its only one sip was enough to put the person¡¯s movementes to a halt.


    Feng Lao and Li Hua stopped to see three more assassins on their way. Feng Lao looked behind and saw they were surrounded by two more from the back. Li Hua saw Chang Shi, who attacked one of them, but the assassin¡¯s reflex were fast and he dodged the attack. Feng Lao had no other way, but to fight those three assassins ahead.


    Ye Yujin found out that Li Hua was trapped. He ordered the shooter beside him to kill Li Hua with a single blow. The shooterplied with Ye Yujin¡¯smand. Ye Yujin wondered where were the rest shooters. He took the steps back and turned to leave when a de pointed at him.


    ¡°Do not move even an inch. I will not hesitate to kill you,¡± Xiwan said. He had covered his face with the ck clothing and only his eyes were visible. Ye Yujin felt stuck. Xiwan told the shooter to lower the bow, but he did not do that. Instead, he withdrew it from the bow, direct towards Li Hua.


    Li Hua saw the arrow in her direction when a man in a high speed stood before her and at the same time, he hit at the arrow with the sword in his hand. Li Hua recognized the man before him. It was her brother, Xu Zifan.


    Xiwan hit at Ye Yujin¡¯s head with the hilt of the sword and then he killed the shooter. Ye Yujin felt concussion and held his head. He shook his head when Xiwan gave him the second blow on the cheek and he got unconscious.


    Xu Zifan turned to Li Hua and asked her if she was alright. Li Hua nodded her head. ¡°I am taking her away,¡± Xu Zifan told Feng Lao, who had yet to kill two more assassins while Chang Shi was busy with another assassin. Xu Zifan held Li Hua¡¯s right hand and ran away with her from there.


    Hei Chengxi had sent some more soldiers, but he himself did note out. The Commander had alsoe and bowed at Li Hua. He asked both Li Hua and Xu Zifan to follow him. He told the soldiers to control the situation in the market. Li Hua got into the carriage with her brother and left for the pce, followed by five highly trained horsemen as bodyguards.


    ¡°What were you doing outside?¡± Xu Zifan asked in a fury.


    ¡°The Queen nned all this, so I had to reveal her true face,¡± Li Hua stated. She then narrated her brother the entire incident.


    ¡°Have you lost your mind? How could you even think of doing all this?¡± Xu Zifan scolded Li Hua.

 Chapter 402

    402 Your Brother


    Xu Zifan hade to the market to do administrative work when he saw the people came running on that route. He got perplexed and stopped one of the middle-aged men, asking him why there was such amotion.


    ¡°Some unknown men haveunched the attack,¡± the middle-aged man replied before running away.


    Xu Zifan went ahead to check when another nobleman with him asked him not to go ahead. ¡°Did you not hear some unknown men attacking people? Let¡¯s go the other way and ask the royal inspectors for help.¡±


    Xu Zifan did not hear him and took the sword from him. ¡°You go to the royal inspector. I will go ahead,¡± he said and ran ahead. He saw in the main center of the market, everyone was running to save their lives. The soldiers were fighting the unknown men and amidst that, he saw Li Hua. He ran in her direction and at the right time, he saved her from getting hit by the arrow.


    Now, they were in the carriage and Xu Zifan scolded Li Hua for nning to fight with the Queen without thinking that the consequences could be dangerous. This was the first time, he had raised his voice at Li Hua and the reason was very clear. In his eyes, she made acted too naive.


    ¡°Elder Brother, she would have used another way to kill me in the pce then. Prince L¨®ng Wei is not here and I wanted to help him by revealing the true face of the Queen. His Highness thought that the Queen would not n anything against us, but the opposite happened,¡± Li Hua argued with Xu Zifan.


    ¡°What if someone dies today? Feng Lao, Chang Shi, and the others who help you have taken, any one of them can die. I saved you from that arrow, or else you would have been injured. Do you think it is some kind of y? How could you order something like this, Li Hua? You know very well how many lives we have lost already, yet you decided to act on the Queen¡¯s n,¡± Xu Zifan was disappointed in Li Hua. ¡°You could have told the King about this. I have not expected you to do something like this, Li Hua.¡± He averted his gaze from her.


    ¡°I do not doubt the capabilities of Feng Lao and Chang Shi. I know that they are better than those assassins. Forgive me, if I did something which hurt you,¡± Li Hua said and lowered her eyes.


    Xu Zifan looked at her with tears in his eyes. ¡°Li Hua, because of you, I am alive. If something had happened to you today, then I would not have been able to survive. At least, you should talk with your brother about it,¡± Xi Zifan confronted her. Li Hua started to feel guilty. She wondered if she did wrong by going ahead with this n.


    .....


    The journey to the pce was peaceful. Shended safely in the pce and looked towards the entrance. She was waiting for Xiwan, Feng Lao, and Chang Shi to return safely too. Everything happened so quickly that she could not even get to see if they were not harmed in any way.


    Hei Chengxi came to her and asked her if she was fine. He had sent one more troupe of soldiers to the market and was heading there too. ¡°General Hei, I am fine, but I do not know about the others,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°I will see you soon. Please return to your manor,¡± Hei Chengxi stated. Li Hua¡¯s heart was restless now. After hearing out about her brother, she realized that she did not think about their lives. As she walked towards the main pce, she found out that the news about the attack on her had not broken out in the pce because everything seemed too peaceful to her.


    ¡°Your Highness, are you okay?¡± Court Lady Hong asked as she heard that Li Hua got attacked in the King¡¯s manor. Li Hua halted in her way and looked at thedy, who rushed to her.


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Li Hua said. From her, Li Hua found out that only five minutes ago, the news of the attack on her was delivered. Court Lady Hong told her that she would apany her to the chamber. Li Hua nodded. Xu Zifan also went after them. When Li Hua reached her chamber, she found Jin Yu there.


    ¡°Li Hua, why did you go out? Wait! You are not hurt, right?¡± Jin Yu held her arms and checked her. Li Hua pulled away her arms and asked everyone if they would go out.


    ¡°I will not,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°Please,¡± Li Hua requested. Jin Yu left with Court Lady Hong while Li Hua stayed in with her brother. Xu Zifan did not step out of the chamber as he knew that she would think of some useless things in her head.


    He rested his left hand above her shoulder and asked her to look into his eyes. ¡°They will be fine. They are great warriors,¡± Xu Zifan assured her. ¡°Now, listen to me carefully,¡± he stated before continuing, ¡°do not fight alone with the enemies. It is not wise. Forgive me for raising my voice at you earlier.¡±


    Li Hua¡¯s eyes turned misty. She thought everything would go smoothly, but she had no idea now where it was headed to. ording to Xiwan, there were not many assassins, but judging by the sudden surge of them, she realized that she underestimated her enemy. Her brother was right. They already had lost many lives and it would be their loss if they lost the remaining precious people around them.


    ¡°Now, listen to me carefully. I will go to Qijiang to meet Prince L¨®ng Wei. I had to tell him the situation here. This is important so that he would end the matter there as soon as possible with the other two princes,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°But Brother what if-¡± she paused as he was unable to point out her worries for Xu Zifan.


    ¡°I will ask Chang Shi to apany me,¡± he stated. Li Hua nodded her head. However, there was a question before Xu Zifan. Why Hei Chengxi, who was the General, agreed to help Li Hua. There was something that Li Hua missed. Hei Chengxi was the seniormost person among them, yet he did not stop Li Hua. It bothered him and he pulled Li Hua into his embrace. His left hand remained on the top of her head as he caressed it. Hei Chengxi was hiding something from them and Xu Zifan had to find out about it.

 Chapter 403

    403 An undefeatable Warrior


    Yuze was standing at the edge of the cliff and held a walking stick that was carved from dried sap of cinnabar. Along with the wind, his outfit blew along with it. His long white hair and white beard also blew in the wind¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Where are you Qiu Qizhen? The Kingdom needs you. Your son is on the path, where he needs you. It is the time for you to show yourself,¡± Yuze muttered. He heard the footsteps and straightened his face, thus the frown from his forehead disappeared.


    ¡°Master, I brought Ye Yujin,¡± Xiwan said and removed the fabric with which he had coveted his face. Yuze looked at Ye Yujin, who was lying on the floor, and then, he nced at Xiwan.


    ¡°How is Li Hua?¡± Yuze asked him and walked up to him.


    ¡°She is alright and is in the pce,¡± Xiwan replied. Yuze hummed and looked at Yu Yujin.


    ¡°Master, let me kill him,¡± Xiwan requested Yuze.


    ¡°Send his corpse to the pce. You know how to duplicate his writing, so write in the message to the King what I will tell you,¡± Yuze said.


    Xiwan thanked Yuze for permitting him to kill Ye Yujin. ¡°I waited for this day for many years. I still remember the day when Ye Yujin killed my father. Thank you, Master,¡± Xiwan stated.


    ¡°I had promised my student that a day wille when he will avenge his father¡¯s death. Today heavy rain will ur,¡± Yuze said as he looked at the sky. ¡°Send the corpse in the night. You already know how to do that,¡± Yuze stated and walked ahead toward his hut.


    .....


    Xiwan took out the water bag that he had brought with him and poured it over Ye Yujin¡¯s face. He scrunched his brows and eyes as he came out of his unconscious state. Xiwan stepped back, wanting to give Ye Yujin the time to understand his surroundings.


    Ye Yujin found him in a weird ce, covered in trees and he wondered how he reached that ce. He sat up and held his head. He checked the sides of his waistband and found out that there was no dagger. He remembered well that he had carried one with him.


    ¡°Are you looking for it?¡± Ye Yujin heard a masculine voice and turned to look. He immediately got from his ce and asked him who he was, and what he wanted from him.


    ¡°It is sad that you did not recognize me, Ye Yujin,¡± Xiwan stated and chuckled. He unsheathed the sword and threw the scabbard on the ground. ¡°Dong Yusheng. Did you not kill him brutally?¡± Xiwan reminded Ye Yujin.


    ¡°Dong Yusheng,¡± Yu Yujin as he recalled that name. The prime minister when Qiu Qizhen was on the throne. ¡°Why are you asking about him? He is no more,¡± he stated. Ye Yujin was confused thinking why a random man in his mid-twenties was asking about Dong Yusheng.


    He attacked Ye Yujin, who had widened his eyes. He dodged the de and somehow seeded in picking the scabbard. He defended himself with that. A fierce duel broke out between them. Ye Yujin was astonished at the way Xiwan was attacking him. He had been in so many battles, but he never encountered such a fighter until today.


    Ye Yujin was pushed meters away and got on his knee. The fabric tore from his knee and because of the stony ground, his knee got badly bruised.


    Ye Yujin quickly got up, finding a way to stop Xiwan, but it was tough for him. Though he was defending himself, in the end, Xiwan overpowered him. He shed the sword through his thigh and the blood oozed out with a sharp cut. Ye Yujin flinched in pain. Xiwan did not give him even a single second to bnce him and shed his sword from the surface of Ye Yujin¡¯s skin.


    Xiwan remembered the way Ye Yujin killed his father, Dong Yusheng. He stopped as he ced his hand on his shoulder and looked into Ye Yujin¡¯s eyes. ¡°I am his son, Dong Xiwan.¡± With that introduction, Xiwan stabbed the sword into the abdomen of Ye Yujin.


    Ye Yujin coughed blood. ¡°His son?¡± He managed to speak when Xiwan pushed the sword¡¯s de deep into his abdomen.


    ¡°Yes. I am the son of Dong Yusheng,¡± Xiwan stated and took out the sword from Ye Yujin¡¯s abdomen. He fell behind while cing his hands there to stop bleeding. But it was his end. His eyes closed and he fell to the ground.


    Xiwan picked up the scabbard and put the sword in that. The sky thundered and he looked up at the sky. Xiwan recalled the day when his journey as a spy began.


    When Xiwan lost his family, Yuze took him under his care and trained him to be the best spy and assassin in the kingdom. Xiwan¡¯s training was tougher than those soldiers in the military.


    Xiwan remembered the day when Yuze smiled at him and said, ¡°A day wille when you will kill Ye Yujin. However, for that, you need to wait long.¡±


    ¡°How long?¡± Xiwan asked as he wiped the tears from the back of his palm.


    ¡°The time is not definite, my child. It may take ten years, twenty years, thirty years, and even more. But, you will surely kill Ye Yujin. In that time period, you must remain loyal to yourself and your aim. The training will be tough,¡± Yuze told Xiwan. ¡°You have to be strong like an iron,¡± he added.


    ¡°As long as I can avenge the death of my father and the innocent people in my family, I am willing to do anything. Tell me, if you can train me into the best warrior of this kingdom,¡± Xiwan asked and clenched his fists. His eyes had turned red due to intense crying.


    ¡°I will turn you into an undefeatable warrior of the kingdom, if you keep your trust in me till the very end,¡± Yuze stated.


    Xiwan got on his knees and lowered his head. ¡°ept me as your student, Master,¡± Xiwan said.

 Chapter 404

    404 I will be happy if I die for you


    Qiu Zedong nced at Li Hua, who had her head low. The Queen, on the other hand, was nervous because her n failed. She had no idea where her brother was. He had assured her that he would be back after ending Li Hua¡¯s life. When she heard from Hei Chengxi that they had caught alive those assassins, fear engulfed her entirely.


    ¡°I am unable to understand why the Queen allowed Li Hua to go out of the pce. Thest time, Princess Consort went out, she was attacked. I had given strict orders, yet no one cared to follow them,¡± Qiu Zedong said hoarsely.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Majesty. I had no idea that such a thing would happen,¡± Zhu Liling stated.


    ¡°I think that the Queen does not care about the Sixth Prince and his wife,¡± Noble Consort Xiuying interrupted. ¡°We all are aware of the factor that Li Hua¡¯s life is in danger because of their family enemy about whom no one has found yet.¡± She looked at the King and asked him not to scold Li Hua. In her eyes, if there was someone, who should have been stopped was the Queen.


    ¡°Your Majesty, the attack looked like a n to me. So many assassins already knew that the Princess Consort will be present there. It seems someone around the Princess Consort is the one, who did all this,¡± Hei Chengxi stated and briefly looked at the Queen. Zhu Liling gulped and curled her fingers.


    ¡°General Hei, interrogate them and inform me about it as soon as you find out about the culprit,¡± Qiu Zedong said. ¡°The Princess Consort is not allowed to step out of her manor until my next order,¡± he asserted and asked Gao Bing to appoint a Eunuch for Li Hua. She lifted her head to look at him. This was not what she wanted. If a person from the King¡¯s side was appointed in her service, then it would be difficult for her to even practice in her free time.


    Since she had doubts about the King, she did not want him to get suspicious of her if she practiced with Feng Lao. ¡°Your Majesty, may I request you something?¡± Li Hua asked the King.


    ¡°You may,¡± Qiu Zedong allowed her to make a request.


    ¡°Because I have been attacked so many times, I want to learn self-defense. If His Majesty allows, then I will learn sword fighting and shooting arrows from Feng Lao. I do not want to stay quiet, the next time I get attacked,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    .....


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you already doing that?¡± Qiu Zedong asked her. Zhu Liling, Xiuying, and Ruoxi nced in Li Hua¡¯s direction. Zhu Liling realized why Jin Yu used to go to see Li Hua most of the time. ¡°In this pce, nothing is hidden from me.¡± Those words of Qiu Zedong once again intimidated Li Hua.


    Her inner voice once again told her that the King was not the one, what he portrayed himself. Now, he would appoint the Eunuch, who would have his eyes on her all the time. She could not escape that either.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I thought to tell His Majesty so that I can focus majorly on that,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I have no problem with that as long as you keep with your health. Prince L¨®ng Wei will question me if his wife¡¯s health gets affected. She must keep her health in mind too,¡± the King showed his concern. It perplexed Li Hua. The King would be furious at her for one moment, and the other moment, he would show his care.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I will not be hard on myself,¡± Li Hua said and looked down.


    Qiu Zedong dismissed them. Li Hua came out of the hall and looked at Hei Chengxi, who lowered his eyes before leaving.


    Qiu Mu wanted to leave too, but he stayed back and asked Li Hua why she went out when death was hovering above her head. Li Hua halted in her ways and tilted her head and looked at Qiu Mu, who stopped ahead of her. He also tilted his head and peered at her.


    ¡°If L¨®ng Wei finds out about it, he will not work in Qijiang. If you truly want his growth, then stop inviting danger upon yourself,¡± Qiu Mu affirmed.


    ¡°What was the message that you got from your well-wisher? Now, I think I should have checked it. Did your well-wisher ask you to meet and, then you were attacked because you believed that unknown person?¡± Qiu Mu had concluded correctly, but Li Hua did not utter a word. Qiu Mu walked ahead as he did not get a response while Li Hua resumed walking after a few seconds.


    Li Hua arrived at her manor and went to see Feng Lao. He was injured while fighting those assassins. She knocked at the door of his room which L¨®ng Wei had asked him to take for the days when he would not be in the manor. She pushed the doors open and went inside.


    Feng Lao had almoste to the door and he halted to see Li Hua. ¡°What happened? Did Ye Yujin tell everything?¡± He asked.


    Li Hua shook her head. ¡°Xiwan took Ye Yujin somewhere,¡± Li Hua stated. She told him what the King had decided for her and told him that they would have to be careful from now onwards. She looked at his hand which was wrapped with a bandage.


    ¡°Forgive me, Feng Lao. Because of me, you could have lost your life. You were right. I should not have nned something so dangerous,¡± Li Hua stated and tears appeared in her eyes.


    ¡°This life has no use. I will be happy if I die for you,¡± Feng Lao stated with a smile. Li Hua furrowed her brows together.


    ¡°You are filling me with more guilt, Feng Lao. Do not say that your life has no use.¡± A tear rolled down Li Hua¡¯s cheek and she lowered her head. ¡°You cannot die for me. I will never be able to live peacefully if you do that,¡± she asserted.


    Feng Lao wanted to hold her and tell her not to be so negative. But he could not. ¡°Li Hua, then, I will not do that,¡± he said and continued, ¡°hopefully, I find a woman and get settled with her.¡±


    Li Hua looked at him again and smiled at him.

 Chapter 405

    405 Go back to Li Hua [Bonus chapter]


    Hei Chengxi asked Xu Zifan why he wanted to see him. When Xu Zifan told him that he would like to talk in the private, Hei Chengxi asked the soldier to leave the private room in the barracks. When the doors got closed, Hei Chengxi gestured to the chair asking Xu Zifan to sit on it. He took a seat and then initiated the conversation.


    ¡°Why did General Hei go with the n that Li Hua made? He is senior to us and even more experienced than all of us. I had not expected him to agree with Li Hua when the matter was about her life.¡± Xu Zifan did not beat around the bushes and asked him straightforwardly.


    ¡°At the moment, I can only say that it was important to catch someone, who could have affected Prince L¨®ng Weiter.¡± Hei Chengxi did not want to get into a deep conversation with Xu Zifan. However, it seemed to him that Xu Zifan did not want to leave him easily.


    ¡°I have nned to go to Qijiang to inform Prince L¨®ng Wei about today¡¯s matter. IF General Hei does not tell me a satisfactory answer, then I will not stop here,¡± Xu Zifan stated. He had openly challenged Hei Chengxi.


    He was unable to understand why Hei Chengxi decided to y with Li Hua. What did he mean by that he wanted to catch someone, who could harm L¨®ng Wei in the future? His find was filled with many questions. Until Hei Chengxi did not clear his suspicions, he would stay there.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, do you think I would have let anything happen to your sister?¡± Hei Chengxi questioned him. ¡°I agreed with the n of the Princess Consort because of a bigger reason. If you think I did all this to benefit myself in any way, then you are wrong. Ye Yujin can do anything for his sister, the Queen. The Princess Consort would not be safer if he had not been caught,¡± Hei Chengxi exined to Xu Zifan.


    ¡°But we could have solved this matter by taking it to the King,¡± Xu Zifan argued.


    Hei Chengxi refused as he shook his head. ¡°Xu Zifan, I can only tell you at the current time that it is rted to the past of Prince L¨®ng Wei. Your sister has given you the work to find out about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s uncles. Am I right?¡± He arched his eyebrow.


    Xu Zifan nodded his head and furrowed his brows. He was puzzled to find that today¡¯s incident had something to do with L¨®ng Wei¡¯s past. How and why?


    .....


    Hei Chengxi leaned closer to him over to the desk. ¡°Around Li Hua, many capable men are deployed for her protection. One of them is Xiwan, so you do not worry about her. Xiwan kept his eyes on your sister when she first entered the pce,¡± Hei Chengxi told some of the secrets to Xu Zifan in a low voice and then leaned back on his chair.


    Xu Zifan looked at the General for a few seconds and then, he nodded his head. He realized that something rted to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s past was connected with today¡¯s incident.


    ¡°More than the brother of Li Hua, I am concerned for her. Do not forget that Xu Guang Li and I were close friends. Li Hua is like my own daughter. I will never let anything happen to her,¡± Hei Chengxi said and those words filled Xu Zifan with assurance about his sister¡¯s safety.


    ¡°Let Prince L¨®ng Wei learn things in Qijiang. He finally got the opportunity to show the people what he is and how capable he is!¡± Hei Chengxi stated with a smile. ¡°Listen to me as if your father is saying this to you,¡± he added.


    Xu Zifan did not argue anymore with Hei Chengxi. He stood up and bowed at him. ¡°Thank you for clearing my confusion,¡± he stated and then, left the private room.


    Hei Chengxi took a deep breath. ¡°Xu Guang Li, it is tough to handle your kids,¡± he murmured. He then recalled the n that Xiwan had discussed with him. He had told him about his master, who happened to be Yuze, albeit, Hei Chengxi had already intuition that Yuze could be the only person who trained Xiwan.


    ¡°Qizhen, where are you?¡± Hei Chengxi mumbled.


    ~~~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head up and looked at Bai Juchen, who was lecturing him. ¡°Just shut your mouth. I do not want you to tell me how I should treat Mo Jinhai,¡± he said with a stern tone.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, you are not supposed to talk this way with a General. He is older than you,¡± Huang Xi interrupted in their argument. He apologized to Bai Juchen and asked him to forgive L¨®ng Wei for thest time.


    ¡°Huang Xi, do not speak in my matter,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a loud enough voice, and then he looked at Mo Jinhai, who was standing a few meters away from him with his head low.


    ¡°You should not haveined about me. I became evil when someone goes against mymand. If you do not want your dead body to reach the Mo Residence, then do what I tell you to. I swear the next time I will not let it go,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated as he beamed at Jinhai. He kept his head low.


    Mo Jinhai had thought that L¨®ng Wei would be quiet after Bai Juchen confront him. But the opposite happened with him. He recalled how he looked down at the people around him and now, L¨®ng Wei had shown him his ce. For the first time, he epted that Karma hit a person harder.


    L¨®ng Wei motioned his hand in the air and pointed towards the entrance of the tent house. ¡°The matter is solved, General Bai. You can leave. In the evening, I have to do some important work and for that, I need to rest. You can leave,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Bai Juchen turned and walked out of the tent house.


    ¡°Feed him,¡± L¨®ng Wei ordered Huang Xi. Mo Jinhai looked at L¨®ng Wei, who had leaned back onto the chair. He had closed his eyes and told them to leave soon before he changed his mind.


    ¡°I cannot stand staying in Qijiang for more days. I want to go back to Li Hua,¡± he mumbled. He sped his fingers together and put his hands on hisp. ¡°I have to find that person soon, who helped the infiltrators from the Eastern Hignds,¡± he muttered and stayed in that position for some time.

 Chapter 406

    406 Happens for a reason


    Hei Chengxi stepped inside the wooden gate of the hut, where Monk Yuze lived. He looked around and found out that Yuze was not present there. He continued to walk ahead and heard the dripping sound of the water. He went to the right side of the hut and saw that Yuze had made the water system, and it looked beautiful. It was the first time that Hei Chengxi visited this ce.


    ¡°What is General Hei doing here?¡± Yuze asked.


    Hei Chengxi turned and saw Yuze with a basket of flowers in his hand. He bowed to see the Monk, who went inside the hut first. Hei Chengxi waited for him and soon, Yuze came out.


    ¡°I am here to ask Monk Yuze a few questions,¡± Hei Chengxi stated.


    ¡°Ask, General Hei,¡± Yuze said and went to the pavilion that was made on the other side of the small pond. Hei Chengxi followed him. He got the scent of the herbs, which Monk Yuze had nted a few meters away from the tiny pond.


    Hei Chengxi sat on the chair after Monk Yuze asked him to. Yuze looked towards the bamboo pipes through which the water was flowing to the pond. Hei Chengxi was unable to understand the mechanism of this flow, however, he was not either interested to know about this.


    ¡°Does Monk Yuze know where Qizhen is?¡± Hei Chengxi asked directly.


    ¡°No.¡± Yuze finally turned his head to peer at Hei Chengxi. ¡°If I had known, then he would be here today,¡± he asserted. Hei Chengxi was disappointed to know about that. He thought that Yuze must have had the idea about Qizhen¡¯s whereabouts. But he was wrong about it.


    ¡°Did General Hei reveal to the King about the attack on Li Hua?¡± Yuze asked.


    .....


    Hei Chengxi shook his head. ¡°Xiwan told me to do what you want me to,¡± he asserted and asked him why he did not want to expose the Queen.


    ¡°The Queen will be devastated to know about her brother¡¯s death and will not do anything to Li Hua.¡± Monk Yuze¡¯s words appeared to be confident to Hei Chengxi and he curiously asked him the reason behind it.


    ¡°You will know the reason in the evening when Ye Yujin¡¯s body will arrive in the pce,¡± Yuze stated, and asked him if he had any news about Qijiang.


    ¡°There is no important news from there. They are still trying to find the reason behind Wu Zihao¡¯s death,¡± Hei Chengxi replied and asked Monk Yuze the question about which he was curious since thest day.


    ¡°Does Monk Yuze know Qizhen for a long time?¡± Hei Chengxi asked him.


    ¡°I will not answer that question,¡± Yuze replied. ¡°The King is currently finding Qizhen¡¯s loyalist, so be careful. Halt any of your activities from today onwards. Let L¨®ng Wei return from Qijiang,¡± he advised Hei Chengxi, who was surprised to find out about that.


    ¡°You will be first targeted, so it is better for you to stay low,¡± Yuze made him understand. Hei Chengxi nodded his head and asked Yuze if Prince L¨®ng Wei would find the truth. Though L¨®ng Wei had assured him that he would, Hei Chengxi was still dubious of him.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei did not care what his mother underwent and did what he should never have,¡± Hei Chengxi stated and sighed.


    ¡°It was inevitable, General Hei. Everything in this world happens for a reason. You will praise L¨®ng Wei after knowing the real intention behind his such an attack,¡± Yuze said with a smile and asked Hei Chengxi to deliver a message to Li Hua on his behalf. Hei Chengxi left after some time as it was not wise for him to stay there for long.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei got the hups and drank a ss of water, but nothing happened. He recalled how Yuze told him that if he got hups suddenly, then that meant only one thing: his loved ones be thinking about him.


    At that time, L¨®ng Wei never believed Yuze because there was no one around him, who loved him. However, now, he had a wife who loved him so much. ¡°Li Hua must be thinking about him. I wonder if she is eating and sleeping well,¡± he murmured as he thought about her.


    Mo Jinhai forwarded him the outfits that L¨®ng Wei was supposed to wear to go to the night restaurant. In a few hours, the restaurant opened and he had to be there at the time with his other two brothers.


    ¡°I wonder if His Highness will be able to hide his ent from the noblemen around him.¡± Mo Jinhai¡¯s remark made L¨®ng Wei furrow his brows.


    ¡°What do you mean by that? Is there any difference in the dialect of the people of Qijiang from the people of Qinping?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    ¡°Yes. His Highness has to be polite around the people,¡± Mo Jinhai opined. He was slightly scared thinking what L¨®ng Wei¡¯s reaction would be to that, so he apologized promptly to him. ¡°I mean people may get suspicious of His Highness. Since I am not supposed to tell the people that the King has sent help from Qinpng, it is necessary to act well,¡± he exined to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Hmm. I understood. I will talk politely. Do not worry,¡± he proimed.


    ¡°Your Highness, are you sure that there is such a person who helped the enemy?¡± Mo Jinhai asked.


    ¡°There is,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and checked the outfit.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince is lucky that no one recognizes him. He does not have to take a disguise,¡± Mo Jinhai affirmed.


    ¡°Is it so?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his brow. Jinhai nodded his head and told him that even he was unable to recognize him.


    ¡°I cannot take a risk. The enemy is much more clever than us. I cannot give him any grounds of suspicion,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and decided to take a disguise to be on the safe side. ¡°You can wait outside,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Jinhai. He bowed and walked out of the tent house while L¨®ng Wei started to dress up in that outfit.

 Chapter 407

    407 Come back for your son


    Zhu Liling paced in her chamber. It was almost evening, and there was no information about her brother. Where was Ye Yujin? Her heart was thumping wildly against her chest.


    ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Suddenly, a maidservant walked in with her head down. She looked terrified and was unable to form the words.


    ¡°Why are you standing quiet? Speak!¡± Mi Yao scolded the maidservant.


    ¡°Y-Your Majesty, Lord Ye¡¯s is no more. His corpse is in the pce ground,¡± the maidservant replied and started crying. She got on her knees, apologising for giving such bad news to the Queen.


    Zhu Liling got numb for a second. She could not believe that her brother was dead. She had seen him the day before. No, that could not happen. She ran out of her chamber to look at her brother.


    Her feet halted to see Ye Yujin¡¯s corpse, covered in a white cloth. His face was coveted with that cloth, and blood was spattered on it. She saw the King and the others, who were around Ye Yujin¡¯s dead body.


    With gradual steps, Zhu Liling stepped forward. Tears had formed in her eyes, and her body was getting colder. This could not happen. How could her brother be dead?


    Hei Chengxi saw the Queen and stepped back as he lowered his head.


    Qiu Zedong tilted his head and saw the Queen. Zhu Liling asked the soldier to remove the cloth from his face. The soldier obeyed themand and did so. She brought her hand to her lips. Tears poured down her cheeks, and she fainted within a few seconds after seeing Ye Yujin.


    .....


    Fortunately, Qiu Zedong caught her at the right time and asked Mi Yao to take the Queen to her chamber. The servants acted quickly on the King¡¯smand.


    The soldier covered his face when the King ordered them to send the corpse to the mortuary. He announced that he would give a formal burial ceremony to Ye Yujin. He asked Hei Chengxi and other top officials to follow him to the private chamber.


    Qiu Zedong looked at the message that they recovered from the top of Ye Yujin¡¯s body. It was in Ye Yujin¡¯s writing. It mentioned that he was searching for Qizhen, and just before his death, he was forced to write it by Qizhen.


    ¡°How could Qizhen be in the capital? Your Majesty, he was dead long ago,¡± Kang Xi said, and looked at Hei Chengxi. ¡°You are the only one, who was loyal to Qizhen. You should not lie anymore and confess before the King that you did this.¡±


    Kang Xi didn¡¯t leave any grounds to use Hei Chengxi.


    ¡°I have been in the pce since the morning. The Prime Minister is using me for no reason. I was always loyal to His Majesty,¡± Hei Chengxi stated, looking at the King. He stood up and unsheathed his sword, perplexing all of them.


    ¡°If His Majesty has any doubt on me, then he can kill me,¡± Hei Chengxi said, and he ced the sword on his both palms as he extended them out.


    ¡°Hei Chengxi, I have no suspicion about your loyalty. Put the sword back into the scabbard and take your seat,¡± Qiu Zedong said and nced at Kang Xi. ¡°It is not the time to fight amongst each other. I do not want Prime Minister Kang Xi to use my most loyal general,¡± He affirmed.


    Kang Xi acknowledged the order of the King and apologized to him. He nced at Hei Chengxi and clenched his jaw.


    ¡°Check every residence, houses and huts in the capital. I want a proper investigation on this matter. Check every single person¡¯s identity, and if you find anyone suspicious, then bring him to General Hei. Hei Chengxi will inform me about them,¡± Qiu Zedong ordered his ministers from Law, Governance and Head official of the Royal Inspectors.


    Qiu Zedong looked at the message again. Qizhen could not be alive. He killed him with his own hands. He fell from the cliff and died. Was someone messing up with him? But, who? There was no one except his loyalists who knew about the past.


    The King looked at Hei Chengxi and wondered if he had fooled him. However, he was indeed present around him all the time. Also, all these years, Hei Chengxi never showed any sign of rebellion. Other than that, Hei Chengxi was the one who helped him by telling him about Qizhen¡¯s location. Even Hei Chengxi¡¯s sons were loyal to him. One of them was in Qijiang.


    If Qizhen had returned, then it was not good. He killed Ye Yujin brutally and sent such a threatening message to him.


    ¡°Your Majesty, there is a possibility that Qizhen didn¡¯t die that day,¡± Li Zixuan said when the King asked him to exin.


    ¡°That day, His Majesty threw Qizhen off that cliff. Below it, a huge river was flowing. Though we had searched that region well, but we didn¡¯t find him around. We thought that he died from drowning,¡± Li Zixuan exined to the King.


    Hei Chengxi was stunned to find that Qizhen fell from the cliff. That was why his body could not be found.


    ¡°However, if the cliff is high, then there is no chance that Qizhen be alive,¡± Hei Chengxi opined and nced at the King.


    ¡°It was a high cliff,¡± Qiu Zedong stated, thus ending another suspect that Qizhen was alive. Hei Chengxi realized that Monk Yuze¡¯s idea worked well. However, a storm was waiting for all of them.


    Yuze knew that Qizhen was not dead, but what about the others? The suspicions had grown in the King¡¯s mind, and one who would be directly affected by this was L¨®ng Wei.


    Hei Chengxi knew that the King didn¡¯t know about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s truth, but now he might again start the search for the past. The truth that was buried for so many years, woulde out soon, and indeed, the consequences would be dangerous.


    ¡®Qizhen, you have toe back for your son,¡¯ Hei Chengxi told himself in his mind.

 Chapter 408

    408 The Dragon Castle


    L¨®ng Wei stepped down the carriage and looked at the huge building before him. ¡°The Dragon Castle,¡± L¨®ng Wei read. He looked at Xiaoming and Tianjie, who had also exited the horse carriage.


    Mo Jinhai stepped out from the front carriage and walked up to them. The people present outside the restaurant focused their gazes at them. They recognized Mo Jinhai, but failed to recognize the princes.


    Four female attendants of the restaurant came to them. The Princes got confused to see those young female attendants when they bowed to them and weed them to the Dragon Castle.


    L¨®ng Wei wondered if they were weed because they were with Jinhai, who was Governor¡¯s son, or because they were good-looking. He looked at his left and found out that the people, who were getting out of the carriages, were weed personally.


    Such discrimination!


    They all walked into the Dragon Castle while the female attendants closely followed them. They were stunned to see the restaurant from inside. It has four floors with arge space at the first floor. The interior was like its name and one thing that made it unique was that the decorations were no less than the grand hall of the pce.


    As Jinhai told them, mostly woulde to see the female dancers. The huge stage was made at the centre of the first floor, where the dancers had yet toe. The round tables with five chairs around them were ced around the stage at a particr distance from each other.


    ¡°Young Master,¡± L¨®ng Wei heard the voice of the female attendant on his left and narrowly gazed at her. She tried to hold his arm when L¨®ng Wei stepped back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t allow it,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Xiaoming had also told this to the attendant, who came for his service. L¨®ng Wei asked her to leave his sight and walked ahead. Jinhai gulped and feared that L¨®ng Wei¡¯s attitude might bust their undercover.


    .....


    ¡°Jinhai, where were since the morning?¡± One of his friends approached him and looked at the two Princes. ¡°Who are they?¡± He asked.


    ¡°These are my close friends from the other town,¡± Jinhai stated.


    ¡°Which one?¡± His friend was curious to know.


    ¡°We are from Minzhou town,¡± Xiaoming replied this time. He Introduced them with their fake names when Jinhai told him that he would see himter.


    ¡°Today the best dancer of the Dragon Castle wille. After two weeks, we will see her,¡± his friend said with an amusing smile. Jinhai nodded his head. Later, they excused themselves from him and went to the table, where L¨®ng Wei was seated.


    They were served the wine and dumplings. L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t drink it because he had suspicion. However, he took a dumpling to eat. It didn¡¯t taste good. At least, this was what L¨®ng Wei felt. He pushed the tter and looked around.


    He was curious to go to the other floors and check what was going on there. He pushed the chair back and stood up. ¡°I will be back soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Before Xiaoming could stop him, he left.


    L¨®ng Wei found out that the Dragon Castle was more like a brothel house. The women lingered around the men. However, the major difference was the type of activities going around. Being flirty, holding hands, or getting closer were the mostmon activities.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head when a woman held his hand. She had put on a charming smile and asked L¨®ng Wei if he would like to drink the wine served by her. L¨®ng Wei pulled his hand back and gave her a look that intimidated her. He could not speak in thenguage which would create suspicions in the minds of the people around him.


    He went ahead and found a group of men ying a board game. He stood there for a while, and he watched them ying. L¨®ng Wei never liked board games because they would lead to gambling at ater stage.


    ¡°Sell your wife if you lose this game.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei heard one of the men. He checked him out and found out the person was from a noble family. His expensive outfit and the way women had gathered around him, was the answer.


    ¡°Lord Zhou, I will not agree to that. The bet must not involve women,¡± the second one said with whom this nobleman had to y the game.


    ¡°Zhou Zhengzi will not agree to it,¡± L¨®ng Wei heard the man next to him, who was conversing with his friend. He heard them for a while and as they had said Zhengzi refused to y with the man if he would not put his wife on the bait.


    When the man asked Zhou Zhengzi what he would bet. His answer was simple- the money, one hundred gold coins.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you put either your sister or mother on the bet and if you have wife that would be better,¡± L¨®ng Wei spoke. He could not believe that there were such scumbags in the kingdom, who had such thoughts for a woman.


    Everyone looked at L¨®ng Wei. Zhou Zhengzi shifted his gaze at him and flinched his brows.


    ¡°Who are you to say such a thing to Lord Zhou? Do you even know who he is?¡± One of the men shouted at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Umm... I do not know but he is scumbag,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and walked ahead. This was the main reason he never liked such ces.


    Zhou Zhengzi spoke finally. ¡°Why don¡¯t you y with me? I bet you will lose your wife to me,¡± he stated with a smirk.


    L¨®ng Wei clenched his fists and turned to look at him. ¡°What did you say?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°What if I win your wife in this game?¡± Zhou Zhengzi asked.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and walked ahead. He had no time to waste on Zhengzi. He would teach him a lessonter, but first he would do the work for which he was here.

 Chapter 409

    409 Love at First Sight! [Bonus chapter]


    L¨®ng Wei reached the second floor and stood among the group of people, who seemed locals to him and did not get the tables. ¡°I heard that these days the people of Qijiang are not safe,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    They looked at him with inquisitiveness. One of them told L¨®ng Wei to exin his statement.


    ¡°I have never seen you here before,¡± the other one said, who was standing near the pir.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled. ¡°I am not from here. I am from Minzhou town. Mo Jinhai brought me and my other two brothers. He told us that the Dragon Castle is a famous restaurant. I was stunned to find such a ce,¡± he affirmed and looked down. The main dancer of today¡¯s night had yet to arrive on the stage. Before people would get busy watching her, he had to do his work.


    ¡°Oh. You are the friend of the Governor¡¯s son,¡± the third one said. ¡°It is our privilege to even talk with such a nobleman,¡± he proimed and the others agreed with him.


    ¡°Why were saying that Qijiang isn¡¯t safe?¡± The man next to L¨®ng Wei asked and he nced at him.


    ¡°Ahh, Mo Jinhai told me and my brothers that how General Wu Zihao was killed. No one could find out who killed the General,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and acted to get terrified. ¡°I suddenly got chills all over my body,¡± he muttered and caressed his arms.


    ¡°That was an unfortunate incident. Even we were scared to find out about it. No one knows who did that,¡± one reply came. L¨®ng Wei keenly listened to the others too and started to empathize with them.


    ¡°On the day when we were with Mo Jinhai in the market, we found out that someone knows who killed General Wu Zihao,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while noticing their reactions.


    .....


    ¡°I also heard about it. It is Meng Ru. Everyone was talking about him during the day. He is the talk of the town. Now, if he knows about the enemy, then why he did not go to the Governor¡¯s office to report it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Meng Ru is scared toe out,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined.


    Those people agreed with L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. ¡°Did you people hear about the new rumor in the town?¡± he asked with a curious gaze. They refused and asked L¨®ng Wei to tell them about it.


    He gestured to them toe closer and they stepped closer.


    ¡°I heard he is from the tribe, who lives near the border. This is the new rumor in the town. I wish it is true and the officials soon nab him, so that they could find the true enemy,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Those people were shocked to hear that and admitted L¨®ng Wei¡¯s suggestion.


    L¨®ng Wei wore a tiny smile on his lips when he heard the announcement that the dancers would soone to the stage. The people peeked down and got excited to watch the dance, which they were awaiting for a long time.


    L¨®ng Wei gradually stepped back and left that ce silently. As he reached the first floor, he again saw Zhou Zhengzhi around the table, where Xiaoming, Tianjie, and Mo Jinhai were present. He was drinking the wine with Mo Jinhai while the two other princes had the wine sses in their hands.


    ¡°Get up,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Zhou Zhengzi. He lifted his head and looked at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°So, you are with them?¡± Zhengzi amusedly nced at Mo Jinhai. ¡°You did not tell me about him,¡± he stated and asked L¨®ng Wei if he could sit somewhere else. Mo Jinhai saw the dark, grim expression on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face. He did not want any fight to start there.


    However, he could speak L¨®ng Wei pulled Zhengzi with his cors. Tianjie asked L¨®ng Wei not to do that. ¡°I do not like to be ordered. Better leave my sight,¡± he said while gritting his teeth. Zhengzi smirked and held the wrists of L¨®ng Wei, asking him to let him go if he did not want to die.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a chuckle. Zhengzi indeed had a death wish.


    ¡°Brother, let him go,¡± Xiaoming told L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Other eyes on you,¡± he said with a stern tone.


    Mo Jinhai stood up and asked Zhengzi not to do that with his guests. He somehow pulled him away and took Zhengzi to the other side to pacify him.


    L¨®ng Wei settled on the chair when Tianjie in a low voice asked him if it was necessary for him to create a scene at every ce he went.


    ¡°I did not want to do that,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°He is the one, who started it,¡± he asserted. L¨®ng Wei told them how he ask the other men to bet their women in the board game. That was the main reason, he did not like Zhengzi. He was sick of such men in the kingdom and asked Xiaoming if he would like to do anything about it.


    ¡°This entire ce is no lesser than a brothel house!¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked. Before he could speak further, the music started to y.


    ¡°Let¡¯s look into this matterter, Brother,¡± Xiaoming stated and asked him if he did his work. L¨®ng Wei nodded his head and both the princes praised him.


    Tianjie¡¯s eyes fell on the main dancer about which everyone was talking. She was the most beautiful he had ever seen in his life. It seemed she enchanted him with just her single gaze. Though her face was covered with a thin fabric, those eyes mesmerized him.


    ¡°She is a jade beauty,¡± Tianjie mumbled. Both Xiaoming and L¨®ng Wei looked towards the stage.


    ¡°Not more than my Li Hua.¡±


    ¡°Not more than Jin Yu.¡±


    Both Xiaoming and L¨®ng Wei said in a low voice.


    Tianjie looked at them and chuckled. ¡°This woman is even prettier than them,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°No.¡± L¨®ng Wei and Xiaoming said at the same time.


    ¡°I think I will marry her,¡± Tianjie said.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled to hear that. ¡°I cannot believe that you are speaking these words,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°It is love at first sight!¡± Tianjie stated and picked up the wine ss to take a sip of the wine.

 Chapter 410

    410 You are being fooled


    L¨®ng Wei looked at the ground and moved his foot back and forth. It already had been twenty minutes and Tianjie did note out of the Dragon Castle. The bridge of his patience was ending. ¡°I am leaving. I am hungry and tired,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he turned to get into the carriage.


    ¡°Brother, let¡¯s wait a few more minutes,¡± Xiaoming opined.


    Mo Jinhai asked them if he should check where the Third Prince was.


    ¡°Yes. Go inside and drag him out,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with annoyance. Xiaoming stopped Mo Jinhai and asked him to stay there with them. After waiting for twenty minutes more, Tianjie came out of the Dragon Castle with a wide smile on his lips.


    L¨®ng Wei quickly got into the carriage followed by those three. The carriage moved forward and they left for the military base camp. L¨®ng Wei opened the window and looked outside for a while. He closed it after the carriage picked its speed.


    ¡°Did Brother Tianjie get any response from thatdy?¡± Xiaoming asked him.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness. She also showed her interest in me,¡± Tianjie stated. L¨®ng Wei chuckled to hear the Third Prince¡¯s words. He told him not to be in the illusion that the woman liked him.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, do not say such a thing,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Are you jealous to find that I am talking to the most beautiful woman in this kingdom?¡± Tianjie argued with L¨®ng Wei.


    .....


    ¡°What did you say? Why would I be jealous?¡± L¨®ng Wei snickered. ¡°Be careful of her. She is close to many officials in Qijiang. Do not let our undercover be ruined because of that,¡± he warned Tianjie.


    ¡°Song Jia is different from the woman I have seen. Now, do not say anything about her,¡± Tianjie warned L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Song Jia was unapproachable,¡± Mo Jinhai finally spoke. ¡°She never talks with unknown men. It is strange to see that she talked to the Third Prince,¡± he said with a dubious gaze.


    ¡°I told you that she is interested in me,¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°Why is she interested in you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. ¡°You are being fooled. Did she find out we are not from Qijiang?¡± He remarked.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, do not make fun of my feelings. Song Jia didn¡¯t find anything. She is interested in me because, unlike other high officials, I didn¡¯t ask any favor from her,¡± he asserted.


    Xiaoming, who was quiet for a long time, finally opened his mouth to speak.


    ¡°Jinhai, give us the background details of Song Jia,¡± Xiaoming demanded. ¡°Brother Tianjie, do not take me wrong, but you should be careful. Who knows if this woman is aware of your identity? We have to be careful.¡±


    ¡°I am afraid, Your Royal Highness, I do not know about the background of Song Jia fully. I recalled someone telling me that she started dancing in front of people at the age of sixteen. She became famous after high officials got their eyes on her. But the interesting fact about this, no official could ever touch her. It is her rule that she only dances,¡± Mo Jinhai stated.


    ¡°She is a humbledy. Let me handle my love matter in my way,¡± Tianjie affirmed.


    ¡°We hope that you seed in winning her heart,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°I have to go to the border tomorrow. I will stay there for a few days,¡± L¨®ng Wei informed them. ¡°Who among the two princes wants to follow me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°The Crown Prince must follow me. Prince Tianjie can stay in the military camp. One thing that I want from him is not to trust Song Jia. Find out about her background first,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested. Xiaoming agreed to apany L¨®ng Wei to the border while Tianjie would stay in the military camp.


    ¡°Since His Highness is leaving tomorrow, can I go back to my house?¡± Mo Jinhai humbly asked.


    ¡°No. You will also apany me. How you can forget that you have to serve me till the time I am in Qijiang,¡± L¨®ng Wei reminded him.


    Mo Jinhai got saddened to hear that.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is getting harsh on Jinhai,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°The Crown Prince knows well when I get harsher on someone, the person doesn¡¯t survive before me,¡± he muttered. Xiaoming didn¡¯t deny that fact. L¨®ng Wei would snatch the sleep of the person, who tried to harm him anyway.


    ¡°It was a mistake, Your Highness. I have learned my lesson,¡± Mo Jinhai pleaded with him again to let him go.


    ¡°You have not fully learned your lesson,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, if Jinhai stays away from his residence for a long time, suspicion may arise. In my opinion, you should let him go tomorrow,¡± Xiaoming advised him.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say a word about you to anyone. I will never question a woman¡¯s dignity. Please, Your Highness,¡± Mo Jinhai didn¡¯t stop from requesting L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I will decide in the morning,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and crossed his arms.


    ~~~~~~~


    ¡°Is the information right?¡± The man asked whose back was visible only. He was facing the window, looking at the dark sky above him.


    ¡°Yes, Master. Meng Ru lives on the border. He chased the Master to the market center and witnessed the scene,¡± the informant stated.


    ¡°Did you find the source of this information?¡± The man questioned.


    ¡°It randomly appeared in the Dragon Castle. I heard that a group of people from the lower middle ss were the first to find out about it. They gossiped and soon, it spread among the others. The people are curious to find Meng Ru, but he is hiding because of fear,¡± the informant exined to his master.


    ¡°Do the preparation. I am leaving tomorrow morning for the border. I will check myself about it,¡± the man gave an order and tilted his head slightly. The burning scar on his cheek could terrify anyone. The informant bowed his head and stood up.


    The man looked again outside the window. ¡°Meng Ru, you should not have witnessed it. Tomorrow will be yourst day.¡± A smirk appeared on the man¡¯s face. ¡°You cannot stop me from achieving my dream,¡± he mumbled.

 Chapter 411

    411 I cleared your path


    ¡°Huang Xi, you do not need toe with us. You have to stay with the Third Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Huang Xi.


    ¡°Is His Highness sure that the person will go to the border?¡± Huang Xi questioned.


    ¡°He wille to the border,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied with a confident tone. ¡°Huang Xi, it is impossible for someone to kill Wu Zihao without the support of someone from Qijiang,¡± he affirmed and turned his head to nce at Huang Xi.


    ¡°General Bai Juchen still thinks that there was no one,¡± Huang Xi stated.


    ¡°Bai Juchen is not seeing the other side of the truth,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and put his hand around Huang Xi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We will end this matter soon and will return to Qinping. Then, I will ask my father not to ever send me out of the capital. It has been so many days and I have not seen my Li Hua,¡± he expressed his thoughts.


    ¡°Your Highness, but as the Prince, you have certain responsibilities towards the kingdom. You cannot ignore them,¡± Huang Xi opined.


    ¡°I will do my duties from the capital, but not from here,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and pulled his hand back before lowering it. ¡°I do not know if Li Hua is doing good in the pce or not. The Queen is already behind her life. Though I have threatened the Queen, I am still worried,¡± he stated his concerns about Li Hua.


    ¡°Your Highness, Feng Lao will protect the Princess Consort. I do not think that the Queen will try to harm her. She knows the consequences of it.¡± Huang Xi stopped speaking when he heard a masculine voice. They both turned to look and found out that it was the messenger.


    ¡°Your Highness, your wife has sent a message for you,¡± the messenger informed L¨®ng Wei, who delightedly took the scroll from him. He dismissed him and took out the scroll from the holder. He opened it and started to read the message from Li Hua.


    .....


    Huang Xi peeked in the scroll when L¨®ng Wei stepped away and smiled to read the message. He brought the scroll close to his chest. ¡°She is such a lovely wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. His heart fluttered since this was the first time he got a message from his loved one when he was far from the home.


    ¡°What did the Princess Consort say in the message?¡± Huang Xi curiously asked.


    ¡°That is between a husband and a wife. I cannot tell you,¡± L¨®ng Wei refused to reveal the message to him.


    ¡°I will also propose to the woman I love after we reach Qinping,¡± Huang Xi suddenly said.


    ¡°Really? Did you refuse to marry Princess Jingfei?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°I never told the First Princess that I would marry her,¡± Huang Xi affirmed.


    ¡°Did Xu Zifan not talk with you?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°No, he did not. What he was supposed to talk about, Your Highness?¡± Huang Xi was slightly puzzled.


    ¡°That you should give Princess Jingfei a chance,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. Huang Xi shook his head and told L¨®ng Wei that he would never marry Jingfei even if he received the King¡¯s order.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled to hear him. ¡°No one can refuse the King¡¯s order,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°But His Highness has done it many times,¡± Huang Xi remarked.


    ¡°I am different, Huang Xi. Your father is a loyal subject of the King. So, if the King gives out an order regarding your marriage with Princess Jingfei, then it will be difficult for you to step back,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to him.


    Huang Xi got worried to hear the words of the Sixth Prince. ¡°But I like someone else. I want to marry that woman. I do not like anything about Princess Jingfei. In short, I hate her,¡± Huang Xi said with a slightly displeased tone.


    ¡°Whom do you like?¡± Xiaoming demanded the answer as he appeared out of the blue before them.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness!¡± Huang Xi bowed to the Crown Prince before gazing at him.


    ¡°Answer,¡± Xiaoming asked again and stepped up. ¡°My sister has had feelings for Huang Xi for a long time. How could he hate my sister?¡± Xiaoming queried. He was hurt to hear those words regarding his sister. While Huang Xi was slightly scared to answer those queries of the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Huang Xi hates Princess Jingfei because of some reason,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°The Crown Prince should ask his sister. Huang Xi told the truth to Princess Jingfei earlier too that he never liked her,¡± he rified Xiaoming.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, then, Huang Xi should tell me those reasons. My sister is madly in one-sided love with him. And who is the woman whom Commander Huang Xi like?¡± Xiaoming asked and again peered at Huang Xi.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I like the Second Princess,¡± Huang Xi replied.


    L¨®ng Wei promptly turned his head to gaze at him. He was shocked to find that and at the same time, he was amused.


    ¡°A war will start in the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and started tough.


    ¡°Why did you not tell my sister about it? She has been in love with you, Huang Xi!¡± Xiaoming got angry. He already had imagined how much Jingfei would be hurt to know the truth.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Royal Highness. I had no intention to hurt your sister. I had told the First Princess long ago that I never would like her. I will again rify it to the First Princess after we return,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°I can already imagine what will happen in the pce. The First Princess will take her anger out on the Second Princess,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°The Crown Prince does not take me wrong, but this is the nature of the First Princess. Because she is the daughter of the Queen, she will take it to her pride. I can bet on this,¡± he added while looking into Xiaoming¡¯s eyes.


    He then patted Huang Xi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Your fight for love is going to be tough. Pray that the First Princess does not ask the King to make you marry her,¡± he asserted. Huang Xi was already worried and now, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s those words scared him more.


    ¡°No such thing will happen. I will never let my sister marry a man, who hates her,¡± Xiaoming announced his decision and he walked away in anger.


    ¡°The Crown Prince is angry with me,¡± Huang Xi said and sighed.


    ¡°It is good for you. I cleared your path to marry the Second Princess. The Crown Prince will not let Jingfei get close to you and Jingfei will not harm Ai Fen,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted with a victorious smile.

 Chapter 412

    412 Two men for her


    Zhu Liling, dded in a white hanfu dress, paid homage to her brother with the King. She was devastated by the death of Ye Yujin. Even in her nightmare, she had imagined something like this.


    After their father died at a young age, Ye Yujin was the one, who took care of his siblings with utmost care. His promises were never void. He fulfilled his promise to Zhu Liling by making her the Queen.


    Zhu Liling was unable to understand how Ye Yujin died. She had sent him to kill Li Hua, but the opposite happened. Even the caught assassins didn¡¯t tell the King that Zhu Liling tried to kill Li Hua. Her brother didn¡¯t let her name get ruined even with his death.


    The question that had lingered in her head was if Qizhen had returned because this was what Ye Yujin had mentioned in hisst message when she demanded the answers from the Queen.


    She stepped back from the tomb and her eyesnded on Li Hua. Now, she had nothing to do with her. If she had not asked for her brother¡¯s help, he would have been alive before him. She was even unable to meet the gaze of Ye Yujin¡¯s wife and three sons.


    After the ceremony ended, everyone left for the pce while Ye Yujin¡¯s family headed to their home.


    Li Hua when entered her chamber saw Feng Lao, who had been waiting for her. ¡°What happened? You looked upset,¡± Feng Lao stated.


    ¡°How could Her Majesty be so selfish that she didn¡¯t admit the truth of her crimes?¡± Li Hua questioned.


    Feng Lao suddenly realized even his family was that kind of person. He was also that type.


    .....


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t meant for you,¡± Li Hua rified to him. Feng Lao raised his head and met her gaze. ¡°Your circumstances were different,¡± she added.


    ¡°The Queen loves her position more than anything. That is why she didn¡¯t ept the truth of her crimes,¡± Li Hua deduced and told Feng Lao. That was the most reasonable answer in their eyes. She looked at his palm and found blood on it.


    ¡°Did you not dress it again?¡± Li Hua concernedly questioned and walked up to him. Feng Lao looked at his hand and told her that he almost forgot that he had to go to the royal infirmary.


    ¡°I will do. Sit here,¡± Li Hua said and looked towards the floor table. She went away while Feng Lao didn¡¯t take a seat. When Li Hua returned and asked him why he was not seated, his response didn¡¯t surprise her.


    ¡°I cannot sit until the Princess Consort does.¡±


    Li Hua smiled and gestured to him to sit while she sat next to him. She ced the first-aid box on the floor table and opened it. She removed the bandage from his hand and put it on the table. She called for the maidservant and asked her to bring the water into a vessel.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to trouble yourself,¡± Feng Lao said while being informal with her.


    ¡°It is not a trouble,¡± Li Hua said and checked the medicines. She took out the tiny porcin jar and opened the tiny lid from above it. She smelled it first and then, recognizing that scent, she decided to use that medicine on the wound.


    The maidservant put the vessel with water on the table. Li Hua thanked her and used a clean cotton cloth. The maidservant told Li Hua that she would do it, who allowed her. After the cloth was wrenched in water, Li Hua gently cleaned it with water.


    ¡°You need to take care of your body. If you will ignore such wounds, then they will turn into bigger ones,¡± Li Hua stated.


    She blew the air over the wound. ¡°I won¡¯t risk your life ever like this,¡± she said as she briefly nced at him before picking up the tiny porcin bottle. She sprinkled the powder over the wound. The maidservant handed her the bandage and wrapped it around Feng Lao¡¯s hand.


    She tied the tiny knot on the side of his hand, and then closed the first-aid box. The maidservant took away the vessel while Li Hua put the box in its ce.


    Feng Lao looked at his hand and smiled. This care he earned from Li Hua after such a long time. But it wasn¡¯t the same care as before. He understood that and knew in her eyes, he was a close friend of Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Your Highness, your food is here,¡± Xiwan walked into the chamber when Feng Lao stepped up from the chair. Xiwan passed him a smile and set the floor table. The meals were normal today because the capital was mourning Ye Yujin¡¯s death.


    Li Hua returned and thanked Xiwan for yesterday¡¯s help. ¡°Her Highness shall eat her breakfast,¡± he said and left the chamber. Feng Lao told Li Hua that he would be outside for some time.


    ¡°Go and see my brother. Have meals with him. Do not worry about me. I have protectors around me,¡± Li Hua said, ¡°it is not an order, but a request.¡±


    ¡°But I have been ordered by your husband to be around you all the time,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Trust my words. You can return by this evening,¡± Li Hua stated.


    Feng Lao shook his head. ¡°I will call Xu Zifan here. More than your request, your husband¡¯smand is important to me. You should do your breakfast. I will go to my room,¡± he asserted and left the chamber.


    As he came out of the chamber, he encountered Kang Huijuan. He drew his brows together and asked him why he was there.


    ¡°I want to see the Princess Consort,¡± Kang Huijuan said.


    ¡°You are not allowed to meet her,¡± Feng Lao stated and asked him to leave.


    ¡°Who are you to stop me?¡± Kang Huijuan was in a mood to fight with Feng Lao. ¡°Is it possible that the Princess Consort had kept two men for her?¡± He questioned with a smirk on his face.


    The next second, he was smacked in the head and he fell to the ground.

 Chapter 413

    413 Prohibited from entering [Bonus chapter]


    Kang Huijuan was startled when a hand hit him hard on the side of his forehead and before he could bnce himself, he fell to the ground.


    Feng Lao widened his eyes in shock as he saw Jin Yu before him. Kang Huijuan was on the ground, whimpering in pain. Before he could stand up, Jin Yu ced her right foot on his chest.


    She pressed him down and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t deserve a pardon that day. Prince L¨®ng Wei was lenient on you.¡± She was furious at him. He had crossed his boundary today.


    Feng Lao didn¡¯t stop Jin Yu because Kang Huijuan deserved a punishment.


    ¡°The Crown Princess should not treat me this way. I no longerck any power. I can raise the matter in the imperial court and ask for justice.¡± Kang Huijuan did not ept his fault. It inted Jin Yu¡¯s anger. She moved her foot away from his chest and it confused Feng Lao.


    Kang Huijuan got up from the floor and red at Jin Yu. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the King. I will question him how can he pardon an evil man like you. I will make sure that you get behind bars today.¡±


    Jin Yu didn¡¯t hesitate to challenge him. She nced at Feng Lao and ordered him to drag Kang Huijuan behind her. He followed the Crown Princess¡¯ order, who walked ahead.


    ¡°Crown Princess, you are dragging this matter. You do not know the power that my father holds before the King. So, if you think that you can get me punished, then you are wrong!¡± Kang Huijuan ridiculed her for showing off her status as the Crown Princess when she was nothing before him.


    Jin Yu didn¡¯t speak a word to his useless talks and stopped when she reached outside the King¡¯s manor. The gatekeepers at the main entrance bowed to her and Jin Yu walked in. Feng Lao followed her whole dragging Kang Huijuan with him.


    .....


    Mingquan was descending the stairs saw them and wondered what had happened. He found the grim look on Jin Yu¡¯s face and walked up to her.


    He first greeted her and then asked her if everything was good.


    ¡°Fourth Prince, Kang Huijuan today went to see Li Hua and then, said something which, as a human, he should not have. He was then bbering about how His Majesty returned him his power and status that was snatchedst month. I want to ask the King why he did that when such an evil man should be in prison,¡± Jin Yu exined to Mingquan.


    He looked at Kang Huijuan, who started lying. ¡°They both are fabricating lies,¡± He stated.


    ¡°You are a scumbag!¡± Jin Yu remarked.


    ¡°What did the Crown Princess say?¡± Kang Huijuan snickered and asked Mingquan if that was a way the kingdom¡¯s Crown Prince should speak.


    ¡°Currently, Father will not listen to both the Crown Princess and the Prime Minister¡¯s son. The situation in the pce is not conducive these days. Her Royal Highness shall let it go this time,¡± Mingquan advised Jin Yu and, then he gazed at Kang Huijuan, who yanked Feng Lao¡¯s hand from his arm.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan is prohibited from entering the manor of the Sixth Prince and his wife. Failed to adhere to this order, I will myself ask my father to punish you,¡± Mingquan stated. Kang Huijuan found out it was more like a threat than a warning. He apologized and left the King¡¯s manor while Jin Yu and Feng Lao left with Mingquan.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, you cannot lose your temper. You have to act like a Crown Princess- calm andposed. Since uncle Ye Yujin died, so His Majesty is not in a good state. He might have scolded the Crown Princess instead,¡± Mingquan told her.


    ¡°I got angry when he said that Li Hua has kept two men for her. I cannot tolerate Kang Huijuan¡¯s face. He is the most annoying man I have ever seen,¡± Jin Yu stated. ¡®And a murderer too, who killed my master,¡¯ she said in her mind.


    Feng Lao took his leave while Jin Yu stayed to ask a few things from Mingquan. ¡°Fourth Prince, who is Qizhen? I heard that he was behind the death of Her Majesty¡¯s brother¡¯s death,¡± she was curious to know.


    ¡°He is the previous King of this kingdom,¡± Mingquan told the truth to Jin Yu since now, she was also a part of the Royal Family. Jin Yu was dumbstruck to know the truth. She had never known that there was a king before the current one.


    ¡°Did he return?¡± Jin Yu got worried. ¡°What will happen now? He must be killed before he takes the innocent lives,¡± she muttered.


    Mingquan was aware of the truth rted to Qizhen, but he remained quiet. The past was not known to any of the princes or princesses and he must pretend that he was also unaware of it.


    ¡°I wish the same,¡± Mingquan said and asked Jin Yu if she learned how to write the characters.


    ¡°Yes, Fourth Prince. I had sent a message for the Crown Prince in my writing,¡± Jin Yu said with a proud smile. Mingquan gave her the wishes.


    ¡°Brother Mingquan!¡± They both heard Qiu Mu¡¯s voice and turned to look at him. They greeted each other when Qiu Mu asked what was the Crown Princess doing in that part of the pce.


    ¡°The Crown Princess had an argument with Kang Huijuan. He again started behaving arrogantly after our Father returned him his power and position,¡± Mingquan informed Qiu Mu.


    ¡°He will never improve his habits,¡± Qiu Mu stated and looked at the Crown Princess.


    ¡°The Crown Princess shall not roam around the pce without her manor¡¯s servants,¡± Qiu Mu suggested and asked Mingqaun toe with him. They both bowed at Jin Yu before leaving.


    ¡°So, yesterday¡¯s attack on Li Hua wasunched by Qizhen. Is he the one who killed everyone in Li Hua¡¯s and Feng Lao¡¯s families?¡± She mumbled and furrowed her brows together.

 Chapter 414

    414 To meet a star


    L¨®ng Wei hopped off the horse and stood next to Xiaoming. They had left the military camp before sunrise. The sky had started turning redder and before that, they both along with Bai Juchen went to the house where they were supposed to take shelter.


    The Zhuan Tribal head, Zhuan Peizi, weed them to his house and showed them the room, where they three were supposed to stay till the time they found out the enemy.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, since we live in huts, then the things might not befortable for you and your younger brother. Still, my tribe people and I will do our best to give youfort,¡± Zhuan Peizi politely said. ¡°If you find anything that does not fit your choice, please tell me,¡± he added.


    ¡°I do not think we will have difort here. I can see you all have already made arrangements for us,¡± Xiaoming stated. Zhuan Peizi bowed his head and thanked him for those words. A young tribal maiden came with a tray in her hand came inside the hut. The tray had three earthen sses with fresh water.


    ¡°Please take your seat,¡± Zhuan Peizi told them, gesturing towards the stools made of bamboo. After they took their seats, Peizi, handed them the earthen sses to drink water. Bai Juchen tried to stop Xiaoming from drinking water from that ss, but he did not listen to the general and drank the water.


    Surprisingly, the water was fresh and sweet. Xiaoming had never tasted such sweet water in his life and brought a smile to his lips. He looked at L¨®ng Wei, who had asked for more water and he also did the same.


    The maiden poured water into the sses using the earthen jar and stepped back.


    L¨®ng Wei wiped his lips from the back of his palm and put the ss on the tray that the maiden had forwarded to him.


    ¡°Thank you for this, Zhuan Peizi,¡± Xiaoming said when the young maiden took the ss from him and left the hut.


    .....


    ¡°Let¡¯se to the real business,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted as he looked into Peizi¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Sure, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°You and your people will do what we tell you all to do,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and looked at Xiaoming, who resumed the rest of the conversation. He shared the n with Peizi.


    ¡°Make sure that no onemits any mistake. Because the price of the mistake would be death,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Zhuan Peizi bowed and assured L¨®ng Wei that they would be careful.


    ¡°Our soldiers are among you people too in the disguises, so there will not be any loss of life,¡± Xiaoming told Zhuan Peizi, who thanked the Crown Prince for thinking about them too.


    ¡°You all are the people of the Qiu Kingdom. So, all of your lives are precious to me,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    L¨®ng Wei did not intercede in their conversation. He knew that the fight was going to be tough. There was a possibility that someone from this tribe helped the enemy. Since L¨®ng Wei was not sure about it, so he could not either raise this suspicion. He wanted it to end calmly rather than with a fight.


    Zhuan Peizi left the hut after a detailed conversation with Xiaoming and Bai Juchen while L¨®ng Wei remained silent.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, you have to be careful too. Your pseudo name will be circted among the tribal people. The enemy wille after you,¡± Xiaoming said with concern.


    ¡°I do not fear that. I want to see this enemy because of whom I have to stay away from Li Hua for so many days,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a menacing look on his face. Bai Juchen smiled to see the spirit, and at the same, it astonished him.


    He had heard about L¨®ng Wei. In everyone¡¯s eyes, he was the most notorious person in the kingdom. However, now he got to see L¨®ng Wei and work with him, he found out that he was clever. His presence of mind was the most remarkable skill he had noticed in him.


    The way L¨®ng Wei was described was so wrong and he realized it.


    ~~~~~~~~


    Huang Xi was puzzled to see Tianjie all ready in avish outfit. He also got the scent of the expensive perfume, which only the rich could possess. ¡°Your Highness, where are you heading in such an outfit?¡± He could not stop himself but ask.


    ¡°To meet a star,¡± Tianjie said with a smile.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness?¡± Huang Xi was confused to hear the reply of Tianjie.


    ¡°You will not understand it, Huang Xi!¡± Tianjie stated and started walking. Huang Xi followed him and reminded him that he could not leave the military camp without any reason.


    Tianjie stopped with an annoyed look. ¡°Calm down, Tianjie,¡± he told himself and let out a deep breath. He wore a smile and turned his gaze at Huang Xi. ¡°I am heading to see Song Jia. I like her and I love to know more about her. I hope that I have given enough answers to Commander Huang Xi,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Who is Song Jia? His Highness cannot go out to see a random woman,¡± Huang Xi told him.


    ¡°She is not a random woman, Huang Xi,¡± Tianjie ended up getting angry. He tried his best not to lose his temper. He then put his hand around Huang Xi¡¯s shoulder and continued, ¡°I like her. I need to make my ce in her heart so I can marry her. I will be back soon and trust me, no one will ever find out my disguise.¡±


    ¡°Then, how His Highness will talk to Song Jia? He cannot lie to her about his identity,¡± Huang Xi asserted.


    ¡°I will not tell her about me unless I get sure that she is the one for me. Ahh, it is so difficult to make you understand.¡± Tianjie gave up on exining Huang Xi and pulled back his arm. He lowered it and pressed the temple of his forehead.


    ¡°If His Highness let me apany him, I will let her go and meet Song Jia. I do not believe in separating two lovers,¡± Huang Xi offered. Tianjie immediately agreed to him. It was better than not meeting Song Jia.

 Chapter 415

    415 She and I cannot be together


    Song Jia forwarded the teacup to Tianjie and withdrew her hand. She dismissed the servant and looked at Huang Xi, who was inhaling the scent of the tea. Tianjie asked Huang Xi to give them some privacy. When Huang Xi did not move from his ce, Tianjie red at him.


    ¡°Let the young master¡¯s friend drink his tea,¡± Song Jia said in her soft voice. Tianji nodded and told Huang Xi to finish the tea soon.


    Huang Xi chuckled to see Tianjie¡¯s behavior. How could he change so much in front of a woman? He wondered and sipped the tea. His tongue ended up getting burned when Song Jia asked him to be careful. Tianjie did not like that Huang Xi was getting attention, but he let it go.


    Once Huang Xi left after finishing the tea, Tianjie got the chance to resume his conversation with Song Jia.


    ¡°I am grateful to Miss Song for giving me the pleasure to drink tea with her,¡± Tianjie said.


    Song Jia smiled at him and picked up the teacup. She brought it near her mouth and sipped the tea. Tianjie peered at her, whose eyelids were down. His heart fluttered just by looking at her.


    ¡°What does the Young Master do?¡± Song Jia asked as he ced the teacup on the saucer.


    ¡°I work-¡± he paused as he was unable to form the right words, ¡°how should I exin this? I work as an administrator in the government.¡± He somehow tried to answer her question in the most simple manner.


    ¡°I want to give a present to Miss Song. I hope she likes it,¡± Tianjie said with a slightly nervous tone. He took out the ring box from his pocket of the upper robe and ced it on the table.


    .....


    ¡°Young Master is not aware of the fact that Song Jia does not ept any present from the people,¡± she asserted as she looked at the ring box and then at him. She picked up the teapot and filled the teacup before him.


    ¡°May I know why she does not ept any present?¡± Tianjie asked. He was a little upset. This was the first time, he picked up a present for someone, after searching for the best jade ring in the town.


    ¡°Because then men will authorize their ims at me. If I would not beautiful, I do not think I would have even gotten enough attention,¡± Song Jia opined. Tianjie was stunned to hear her answer. He contemted and realized that he was the same kind of person. He approached her because she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.


    Tianjie picked up the teacup and gulped the tea.


    ¡°I will ask a question from the Young Master,¡± Song Jia said. ¡°Why did he approach me? Did he also get mesmerized by my beauty?¡± she queried.


    Tianjie ced the cup on the saucer. His mind told him to lie, but there was something that stopped him from lying. In front of this woman, he did not want to lie.


    He nodded his head and peered into her orbs. ¡°Yes. I approached you because I never encountered a beautiful woman like you.¡± He take a short pause, ¡°I fell for Miss Song at the first sight,¡± he truthfully admitted what his heart felt.


    Song Jia smiled to hear that sudden confession. It was nothing new for her. She was proposed to by many such men. However, there was one thing that separated Tianjie from the other men. He was truthful about his feelings. He did not flourish them with words or poems.


    ¡°I am a dancer. I do not think that fit in the Young Master¡¯s world,¡± Song Jia proimed.


    A realization hit Tianjie. Will his father even allow this marriage? But something more came to his mind. Jin Yu married Xiaoming. Her status was also low with undefined family background. When they could get married, then he could do the same.


    However, there was one more problem. Hecked power, unlike the Crown Prince. He was a concubine¡¯s son. He was a bit leaned toward power and authority as well. He had thought that if he married a woman from a strong noble family, his future is secured.


    He looked at Song Jia again. He had fallen for her and he wanted her to be his wife. But those conflicted thoughts created a mess in his mind.


    Upon getting no response from Tianjie, she understood that Tianjie was simr to those men whom she had encountered till now. Now, there wasplete silence between the two and they finished the tea soon. Tianjie stood up and took his leave when Song Jia asked him to take the ring box with him.


    Tianjie tilted his head over his shoulder to nce at her. ¡°You are the first person for whom I bought a present with indescribable excitement. Keep it,¡± he said and walked out.


    Huang Xi was in the courtyard of the residence and seeing Tianjie he was relieved. He found out that Tianjie was not in a good mood. Did Song Jia refuse his feelings? So, he asked him about it.


    ¡°She did not refuse them entirely,¡± Tianjie said and walked ahead.


    ¡°Then why is His Highness upset?¡± Huang Xi asked in a low voice.


    ¡°Because I think she and I cannot be together,¡± Tianjie stated. He was selfish for the power. Also, Song Jia was a delicate woman. What if she was unable to understand the pce? She would suffer there. It would be better for him if he focused on his aim.


    Song Jia watched Tianjie heading out from the window and then, she looked at the ring box in her hand. She opened it and saw the white jade ring inside it. She never epted anyone¡¯s present, but this was something special. It seemed Tianjie had proposed to her for a marriage, but not entirely. Because he did not answer her question. She continued to stare at the ring for a few minutes before putting it back into the ring box.

 Chapter 416

    416 Love Letter


    Li Hua carried thentern in her hand and walked to the tiny garden of the manor. She climbed the stairs of the pavilion and ced thentern on the table. After that, she sat on the chair. She wanted to stay alone for some time in the fresh air. The white curtains around the pavilion swung as the air flew past them.


    She ced her hands on the table and sped them. ¡®Monk Yuze knows the truth about Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s past. How did he manage to hide it for a long time? How could the King never find out about it?¡¯ she thought and tapped her fingers on the table. Yuze was the person who could tell L¨®ng Wei the truth, but he never did.


    Albeit L¨®ng Wei had told Li Hua to stay away from that matter, she was curious to find out about it. She wanted to find the evidence that showed L¨®ng Wei that the King was behind all those events, which L¨®ng Wei had refused to believe. She heard the footsteps and raised her head to look.


    It was Feng Lao with one morentern in his hand. ¡°You disappeared from the chamber,¡± he said and ced thentern on the other side of the table. ¡°What happened?¡± He saw the worried look on her face.


    ¡°Did Prince L¨®ng Wei send any message for me?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°No. I heard that the Crown Prince has sent a separate message for the Crown Princess,¡± Feng Lao affirmed.


    ¡°That was sweet of the Crown Prince,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei should return soon because he has an important matter to look at,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°You mean the incident rted to his past?¡± Feng Lao asked her.


    Li Hua nodded her head. ¡°It is important because-¡± she paused and continued in her mind, ¡®the King will start the search for Qizhen. If he finds Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s father, then he will kill him this time.¡¯


    .....


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei will try to end the matter in Qijiang soon to return. His Highness cannot stay away from you for a long time,¡± Feng Lao assured and pulled out the chair for him. He sat on it and ced the sword on the table.


    ¡°I have something to share with you,¡± Feng Lao stated.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Hua was a little puzzled to hear him.


    Feng Lao took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and put it on the table.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Li Hua again asked with a confused look.


    ¡°Princess Xiaolian gave me this,¡± Feng Lao said hesitantly, ¡°love letter.¡±


    Li Hua was astonished to hear him and asked him why he was giving it to her. ¡°It is meant for you.¡±


    ¡°I did not want this. She is not a good woman. Because of her, you were almost punished. She is the one who filled the ears of the First Princess,¡± Feng Lao asserted. ¡°I felt unpleasant when the servant handed me this letter,¡± he added.


    ¡°What does it say?¡± Li Hua asked him as she amusedly smiled.


    ¡°She expressed her feelings through poetry,¡± Feng Lao replied.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Li Hua asked and picked up the letter. She asked his permission first if she should open that or not. Feng Lao allowed her and told her that she did not even have to ask.


    ¡°Oh. Maybe the Third Princess fell for your charms,¡± Li Hua teased him. She opened the letter and read the poetry. ¡°It is indeed a confession,¡± she was happy to read it and ced that letter on the table.


    ¡°When will you meet her and give your response?¡± Li Hua excitedly asked and leaned forward while cing her hands on the surface of the table. ¡°In my opinion, you should meet tomorrow with the Third Princess. The sooner, the better,¡± she asserted with enthusiasm.


    ¡°You seem more excited about it than me. This letter does not matter to me,¡± Feng Lao inly said. ¡°I will not meet her and will ignore that I ever received this letter from her,¡± he rified to her.


    ¡°Do not be so cold-hearted. You should respond to this love letter. I remember how you used to give responses to the numerous love letters you received from the young women in Xinshui,¡± Li Hua said as she recalled the past.


    ¡°That time was different,¡± Feng Lao stated. ¡°I used to respond because-¡± he paused to see her face. For Li Hua, he used to reply to such letters. He wanted to tell everyone that time that he had someone, whom he loved. Now, he was not in a state to even love anyone. Also, Li Hua was still in his heart. It was tough for him to move his heart from her to someone else.


    ¡°Feng Lao, give yourself a chance to lead a happy life,¡± Li Hua again said the same words to him that she told him many times earlier too.


    ¡°Do you want this for me?¡± Feng Lao asked her.


    Li Hua promptly nodded her head. ¡°I am your well-wisher. I am not telling you to marry the Third Princess right away. I only want you to talk to her once. That way she will not be upset and you will find what is her true self. You should not bring my matter while judging her nature. That will be wrong,¡± Li Hua made him understand. Because Li Hua wanted this more than he wanted it for himself, he acknowledged her suggestion.


    ¡°I will give her my answer tomorrow,¡± Feng Lao assured Li Hua.


    ~~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Weiy down on the bed. He was tired of the entire day¡¯s activity. He roamed around the entire tribal area and introduced himself as Meng Ru.


    ¡°Crown Prince, did you notice one strange person in the tribe?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Xiaoming, who had seated on the mattress, after removing his shoes.


    ¡°A strange person? Who?¡± Xiaoming arched his eyebrow with curiosity.


    ¡°The man with tanned skin and there was a burn mark on the side of his face,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°His actions were strange and I found out that he had been following me for a long time,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°So, is he the one?¡± Xiaoming asked in a low voice.


    ¡°I think so,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and tilted his head to look at him. ¡°He maye to kill me in my sleep or he may wait to find out my real identity,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°We have to stay awake the entire night then,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    ¡°We have to pretend that we are sleeping,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined. ¡°I am unable to understand why the tribesmen from the other side came here to kill Wu Zihao. Why did Wu Zihao decide to follow them all by himself? A big mystery is underlying there of which we all are unaware. We have to catch this strange person alive.¡±


    Xiaoming praised L¨®ng Wei for his observational skills. ¡°I have found out that the explosive powder was not from the foreign territory but here. Someone from Qijiang did all this,¡± he informed L¨®ng Wei, who hummed.


    Bai Juchen walked inside the hut and closed the door from inside. He asked the Princes, especially L¨®ng Wei not to go outte at night. ¡°A deep forest lies in the northern direction. There are instances that wild boar was spotted in the night and it has even attacked a few people,¡± he warned both Xiaoming and L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Close the door well,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Bai Juchen. ¡°I do not want us to be the food of the wild boar,¡± he said jokingly and it brought smiles on their lips.


    ¡°I wonder what Brother Tianjie will be doing at this hour,¡± Xiaoming suddenly switched the topic to Tianjie.


    ¡°He must be in Song Jia¡¯s thoughts. I bet he will not have enough guts to marry her,¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sudden remark made Xiaoming and Bai Juchen interested.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie wants to marry a dancer!¡± Bai Juchen was stunned to hear that. ¡°It will be impossible. His Majesty will never allow it,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°When Father can allow me to marry Jin Yu, then he can allow Brother Tianjie as well,¡± Xiaoming opposed the opinion of Bai Juchen, who had gone to his bed.


    ¡°If we have to weigh between power and love we will choose thetter while Prince Tianjie will choose the former,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated with a confident tone. ¡°The Crown Prince must not forget that unlike him, there is no one who can support Prince Tianjie. He needs a strong family through a political marriage that can back him in the future.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tianjie may choose love.¡± Xiaoming still had faith in his opinion. ¡°I will support him. We all brothers will support him,¡± he added.


    ¡°The Crown Prince does not say something which he will not be able to keep up,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him.


    The smile from his lips faded as he recalled Yuze¡¯s conversation with him. He had to find his father, which would bring a storm in their respective lives.

 Chapter 417

    417 The Previous King? [Bonus chapter]


    In the middle of the deep night, a silhouette appeared in the hut. The man had a dagger in his hand. He looked over at the bed, where L¨®ng Wei was sleeping soundly. With quiet steps, he moved forward and stabbed the Prince. The blood spattered on the nket that had covered him. After that, the man left the hut. He put the dagger into the sheath and walked as fast as he could.


    After fifteen minutes of walking, the man reached his ce. He got into the hut and bowed his head at the man with the burned scar on his face.


    ¡°I did the work. Meng Ru is dead, Master.¡±


    The man with the burned scar turned to look and threw a pouch full of gold coins toward him. ¡°Let¡¯s leave. You will not live in the town today,¡± he ordered. As he stepped up to go out of the hut, the door opened with a bang, and L¨®ng Wei walked in.


    ¡°It is not good to leave in the middle of the night. I heard that wild boar roams around here at night. I do not want you both to be the food of the wild boar,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. He found the shocked expressions on both the men¡¯s faces. However, one weird thing he noticed was that the man with the burned face did not look terrified. He was calm.


    The other man attacked L¨®ng Wei with the same dagger when L¨®ng Wei caught his wrist, and hit it. The dagger fell from his hand, which L¨®ng Wei grabbed, and he pierced it into the abdomen of the man, not deeply. He didn¡¯t want him to die, only to be hurt.


    The man fell to the floor and ced his hand on his stomach to prevent the blood flow. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to move from your ce, or else you will be dead,¡± L¨®ng Wei threatened him.


    ¡°The hut is surrounded by the soldiers. If any of you attempted to flee, you will both perish,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that better?¡± The man with the burned scar asked. ¡°I do not fear death,¡± he proimed.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei threw the dagger at him, and it stopped near his feet. ¡°Then, take it and kill yourself. Show me how brave you are!¡± L¨®ng Wei challenged him. Xiaoming and Bai Juchen also walked in.


    ¡°Wen Yazhu?¡± Bai Juchen immediately recognized the man with the burned scar. ¡°Why did you do it?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Wen Yazhu asked L¨®ng Wei because all the time he took him for Meng Ru, but now that he had seen Xiaoming, the Crown Prince, he started to understand the matter. Qiu Zedong had sent the princes from the capital to look into this matter.


    ¡°Is my identity this important to you? Just answer the question, why did you kill Wu Zihao? You created a good coverup story,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Can I solely talk to you in private?¡± Wen Yazhu asked L¨®ng Wei as he picked up the dagger from the floor. ¡°I will not kill myself if the Crown Prince lets me speak to the Prince privately,¡± he said, looking at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Fine. However, the hut will be checked first,¡± Xiaoming asserted and nced at Bai Juchen. He summoned the four soldiers and began searching the things that were kept in the hut.


    Bai Juchen walked to him and took the dagger from Wen Yazhu. After he checked his clothes well, he informed Xiaoming that he found nothing except the fake identities that they had with them. The search was soon over. They did not find any weapon in the hut except two daggers. Xiaoming handed one to L¨®ng Wei for safety purposes, which Wen Yazhu did not oppose.


    Two soldiers dragged the injured man out of the hut. Now, there was no one except L¨®ng Wei and Wen Yazhu in the hut. They both looked at each other when Wen Yazhu again asked him.


    ¡°I am Qiu L¨®ng Wei, the youngest of all the princes and princesses,¡± L¨®ng Wei introduced himself. ¡°Why did you kill Wu Zihao?¡± He directly jumped to the question.


    ¡°It was necessary,¡± Wen Yazhu gave a vague answer to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°How did you get that scar?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    ¡°When I was a kid, my house was put on fire. Wu Zihao did that,¡± Wen Yazhu replied. ¡°I managed to save my life, but the others in my family died,¡± he told L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°That does not justify the killing of Wu Zihao. The report said that Wu Zihao killed a tribesman from the other side of the border. You should not fool me. Your man is outside. Do not lie before you are hung to death. This is the least you should do,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined.


    ¡°Why would I lie? Wu Zihao did not kill anyone from the border side. That was a lie. He was supplying explosives to the North, and a few men from the town saw him. He was nning a rebellion to separate Qijiang from Qinping. I had waited for a chance to kill him for more than thirty years, which I finally received. I killed him and kept his lie intact,¡± Wen Yazhu exined to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Howe he set fire to your house?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Because my father was loyal to the previous King,¡± Wen Yazhu asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei drew his brows together when he heard that statement.


    L¨®ng Wei took a step towards Wen Yazhu. ¡°The previous king?¡± He eximed. To his knowledge, everyone who was loyal to Qizhen was killed. How did he get a job with the government? Did he change his name? That was the only possibility left.


    ¡°Why did you tell me all this in private? You could have told this in front of the Crown Prince too,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Because I believe that the Prince will save me,¡± Wen Yazhu stated. ¡°I will take you to Qizhen if you help me,¡± he affirmed.


    L¨®ng Wei was astonished to hear his words. ¡°How do you know that I am searching for Qizhen?¡± He kept his voice as low as possible.

 Chapter 418

    418 Gave me the hope to Live


    L¨®ng Wei was puzzled to know the strange truth from Wen Yazhu. Most importantly, he found out that he also knows about Qizhen. When L¨®ng Wei asked him the question of how he knew that he had been searching for Qizhen, the answer was astonishing.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, in the pce there are still some loyalists alive, who only consider Qizhen as their KIng. One of those loyalists told me to reveal to the Prince about Qizhen when he will be in Qijiang,¡± Wen Yazhu said while keeping his voice low.


    ¡°Who told you this?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and red into the eyes of Wen Yazhu. ¡°I want the name. No beating around the bush,¡± L¨®ng Wei rified to him.


    ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing,¡± Wen Yazhu replied.


    L¨®ng Wei was shocked to find out that Gao Bing was a loyalist of Qizhen. That could not be possible. He had always thought ill of L¨®ng Wei. Gao Bing was one of those people, who wanted him to be dead. Howe he was loyal to Qizhen? He refused to believe that.


    ¡°I told you not to lie to me!¡± L¨®ng Wei got furious as he grabbed Wen Yazhu from his cors.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, I will never lie to the son of the man, who gave me the hope to live. Gao Bing is the loyalist to Qizhen,¡± Wen Yazhu remained firm in his statement. He kept his voice as low as possible. ¡°If you do not believe me, then I will show you the evidence of it. At the moment, I cannot, but if somehow we reach my residence, then I can definitely prove Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± He tried his best to make L¨®ng Wei trust him.


    ¡°If the Prince still does not believe me, then he is free to kill me right away. However, if die today, then the military will search my residence. Prince L¨®ng Wei should wipe out those evidence before Bai Juchen has his hands on them,¡± Wen Yazhu stated.


    ¡°Earlier you said that you wanted me to save you. Now, you want me to kill you. You have conflicting thoughts, Wen Yazhu. I am unable to understand you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while being dubious of him. He was not ready to believe that Gao Bing was his well-wisher.


    .....


    ¡°That is because Prince L¨®ng Wei is not ready to believe me. My life had one motto, which I fulfilled already. I will again repeat that I have no intention to lie to the Prince. If I die here, then he must go to my residence before anyone could arrive there and check the left cupboard beside my study table. The key to the cupboard is with me, which I will give him. He can check the letters that I have received from Gao Bing all these years. Other than that, he will find a red-colored scroll. It belongs to Qizhen. The Prince must read that scroll to find the answer to find his father,¡± Wen Yazhu exined well to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Why did Qizhen give you the scroll? He could have handed it to someone in the capital!¡± L¨®ng Wei opined.


    ¡°Because I rescued Qizhen from a river body. I had gone to die there but ended up seeing my King¡¯s body. He gained consciousness after a day. I was merely ten years old at that time. He told me not to die when I again attempted to take my life. The other day, he left mysteriously. But the scroll remained with me. It has a message in it that I could never crack. However, I can say one thing with confidence that it described a ce which I never have heard of,¡± Wen Yazhu asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s grip on his cors loosened when Wen Yazhu took the key from his pocket. He handed it to L¨®ng Wei and told him to leave for his residence before anyone else.


    ¡°He may be dead,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he was slightly hurt to find his father¡¯s condition at that time.


    ¡°We all believe that he is alive. I had told Eunuch Gao Bing once about the scroll. He was also unable to find the answer,¡± Wen Yazhu affirmed.


    ¡°How did you meet Gao Bing? You had lost everything then how you managed to do all these things?¡± L¨®ng Wei was curious to find out.


    ¡°Qizhen left a letter before leaving. He told me to seek Gao Bing¡¯s help and take that letter to him at his residence. I traveled to Qinping and lived there for twenty years. However, when Wu Zihao was posted in Qijiang as the General, I shifted here,¡± Wen Yazhu truthfully told L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei did not utter a single word for a few minutes and, then he looked into Wen Yazhu¡¯s eyes. ¡°Do you have any evidence that showed that Wu Zihao was trying to deceive the King?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him. ¡°Can you prove that the explosives were sent to the North because Wu Zihao wanted a rebellion? If yes, then I will try everything to save your life,¡± L¨®ng Wei put forward a condition to him.


    ¡°Yes. I can prove that. I know who were the men, who were with Wu Zihao,¡± Wen Yazhu stated.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at the key in his hand and gave it back to Wen Yazhu. ¡°Keep it with you. I want you to tell the Crown Prince what I will tell you now,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a stern tone. ¡°I do not want any mistakes. Also, if I find that you lied to me, then I will not hesitate to kill you,¡± he warned Wen Yazhu.


    ¡°I will not give any chance to the Prince toin,¡± Wen Yazhu proimed.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed and he stepped back. He went to the door and opened it. The Crown Prince was standing with his hands behind his back. ¡°Wen Yazhu is innocent. He killed Wu Zihao for a reason, which was hidden from everyone,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    Xiaoming furrowed his brows together and he walked into the hut.

 Chapter 419

    419 I am in Dark


    L¨®ng Wei could not sleep in the night after he found out another series of truths from Wen Yazhu. Gao Bing was one of the loyalists of Qiu Qizhen. Did Yuze know about that? He sat up while frustrated and decided to go out of the hut to take the fresh air.


    Only a few hours remained for the morning. L¨®ng Wei got out of bed and went out of the hut. He was restless and somewhere he was hurt too. Why he was Qizhen¡¯s son? In his eyes, Qizhen was a coward, who never returned to find him. However, to his loyalists, he told the truth about his past.


    All these years he thought that except him no one knew why he killed his mother. His father made things tougher for him because he told many of his people about it. L¨®ng Wei curled his fingers into fists as he continued to walk on the carved path. Torchbearers were put at a certain distance, thus the path was not entirely dark. Moreover, it was to prevent any wild animal toe that way.


    L¨®ng Wei halted in his steps and he turned to look. He found out that Xiaoming was chasing him.


    ¡°What happened? Where is Brother L¨®ng Wei heading to this night?¡± Xiaoming questioned him.


    ¡°I wanted to take a stroll,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°It is not safer to roam around at night,¡± Xiaoming reminded him.


    ¡°That¡¯s why the Crown Prince should go back to the hut. I willeter,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and turned his back to Xiaoming. He again resumed the walk while Xiaoming followed him.


    ¡°I will walk with Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xiaoming opined. L¨®ng Wei did not say anything to him and continued moving forward on the path. Xiaoming pondered what could possibly be happened that made L¨®ng Wei so quiet. He had noticed that after they caught Wen Yazhu, he turned quiet. What kind of conversation they had? He regretted making them converse in private.


    .....


    ¡°It is unbelievable that Wu Zihao was trying to rebel against the Father. Father put his faith in him,¡± Xiaoming initiated the conversation and finally broke the ice between them. However, to his wonder, L¨®ng Wei did not answer him. It appeared to Xiaoming that L¨®ng Wei was lost in some of his deep thoughts, which he was curious to know about.


    Xiaoming did not utter any word after that. He grabbed L¨®ng Wei¡¯s arm when the route appeared darker before them. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s feet came to an abrupt halt and he heard Xiaoming say, ¡°It is wise of us to go ahead on this path.¡±


    ¡°Once again it feels that I am in dark,¡± L¨®ng Wei finally spoke. Xiaoming drew his brows together. ¡°If I try to find the light in that darkness, things may go wrong. Am I on the right path?¡± He nkly stared into the dark route which was a few meters ahead of them.


    ¡°Why is Brother L¨®ng Wei speaking this way?¡± Xiaoming was unable to understand any of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. He took a deep breath and said, ¡°If I have to find the light in the darkness, then I believe things may go right. Because the sense of the direction in the light is better.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei turned to Xiaoming while having a serious expression on his face. ¡°I hope in my case too, everything goes well,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is acting strange after he met Wen Yazhu. What did he say to you? Did hement on your past or something?¡± Xiaoming inquired him.


    ¡°No.¡± L¨®ng Wei refused. ¡°I sometimes wonder why I existed in the first ce. There are so many unanswered questions in my life. If I tried to find the answer, I may lose many things,¡± he asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei never opened up with Xiaoming. Those words of his made Xiaoming contemte if he was missing his mother. If there were any unanswered questions, then that was rted to her only.


    ¡°I wish there were no prophecy made on me. I wish I had a normal, and happy life,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    That was something astonishing to Xiaoming. L¨®ng Wei gave such a big statement. For the first time, Xiaoming saw the anxiousness in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes.


    L¨®ng Wei forwarded his hand and Xiaoming looked at it. ¡°Will you stand for me when the worst timees?¡± He wanted an unbreakable vow from Xiaoming.


    L¨®ng Wei knew when Qizhen would appear, the truth of his existence would alsoe to light. He also knew that Qiu Zedong would be ready to kill him because he would know the truth that L¨®ng Wei was not his son.


    Xiaoming ced his hand above L¨®ng Wei¡¯s palm while keeping his brows close. ¡°Sure, I will stand for Brother L¨®ng Wei. This is the vow of Xiaoming.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei was satisfied with that vow. He withdrew his hand and stepped forward when Xiaoming stopped him.


    ¡°Why did Brother L¨®ng Wei kill his mother?¡± All these years Xiaoming never asked this question from him. He considered it inappropriate because he was not close to L¨®ng Wei. However, their rtionship started to get better after L¨®ng Wei returned from the cold pce and got married to Li Hua. He expected that L¨®ng Wei might answer him.


    ¡°Because she never loved me,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied without a bit of guilt in his voice.


    ¡°I remember that your mother was a nice woman. Is it truly because of that reason?¡± Xiaoming asked him.


    ¡°Of course. If she had cared and loved me a bit, I would have never killed her. If only she loved me like a mother,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°For the Crown Prince, she was a nice woman because she always smiled at him, and blessed him. However, it was the opposite in my case,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°I apologize to Brother L¨®ng Wei if I made him remember his past. Thank you for answering though. I truly wished your mother was good to you,¡± Xiaoming stated.

 Chapter 420

    420 The Writing


    The next morning, the princes returned to the military camp with Wen Yazhu. He told Bai Juchen about the men, whom Wu Zihao had hired. On Xiaoming¡¯s order, Wen Yazhu went with Bai Juchen, Huang Xi, and the other soldiers to nab those people.


    Tianji praised L¨®ng Wei for his n. He thought that L¨®ng Wei¡¯s n was not strong enough to catch the person. But he was proved wrong. ¡°I wonder what our Father would think after finding out how General Wu Zihao nned to betray the King.


    ¡°Now, we can return to Qinping,¡± L¨®ng Wei delightedly said. He grabbed the ss of water from the servant and drank water from it when a messenger came inside. He greeted the Crown Prince and announced the sad news that he was told to deliver.


    L¨®ng Wei stopped drinking the water as he heard the news.


    ¡°General Ye Yujin got brutally killed while chasing Qizhen. The King wants the Princes to finish the work here as soon as possible. However, if the matter takes another week that the King wants the Crown Prince to send Prince Tianjie and Prince L¨®ng Wei back to Qinping.¡± The messenger closed the scroll and kept his head low.


    ¡°Qizhen? Was he not one of our three uncles?¡± Tianjie asked and looked at Xiaoming. ¡°Was he not dead?¡± He muttered while being confused.


    ¡°What happened in the pce? Do you have any information about it?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. The wife of the Sixth Prince was attacked in the market by some assassins. The same day Lord Ye Yujin lost his life and a letter was recovered which he left for the King. Pardon me, Your Royal Highness, for not having further knowledge,¡± the messenger stated.


    ¡°Li Hua was attacked?¡± L¨®ng Wei got numb to hear that. ¡°How is my wife? She is not injured, isn¡¯t she?¡± he promptly stood up from the chair and approached the messenger. He grabbed him by his cor. ¡°Why are you quiet? Tell me!¡± He shouted at him.


    .....


    The messenger was frightened by the way L¨®ng Wei questioned him when Tianjie went to them and he pulled L¨®ng Wei away from him. ¡°Calm down, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Tianjie told him.


    ¡°Y-your Hi-highness, the Princess Consort is safe. General Hei told me to tell the Sixth Prince not to be troubl-ed,¡± the messenger stated while stuttering.


    ¡°I have to leave for Qinping immediately,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and stepped forward when Xiaoming asked him to stop.


    ¡°We will leave tomorrow morning. Let¡¯s end the matter here fully so that we do not have to worry about it. It is better for us to go together,¡± Xiaoming advised him. ¡°General Hei has told the messenger not to be troubled about it,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I will leave in the evening,¡± L¨®ng Wei adamantly said.


    Tianjie looked at Xiaoming and wondered what he would say.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, trust my decision. We will leave tomorrow in the early morning for Qinping,¡± Xiaoming stated. ¡°Huang Xi needs to rest too in the evening and the trope that will follow us to Qinping. It is not wise to leave in a hurry,¡± he affirmed.


    L¨®ng Wei pushed Tianjie away and walked out of the tent house in anger.


    ¡°You are dismissed,¡± Xiaoming told the messenger, who bowed and walked out.


    ¡°I think something big has happened in the pce. Father hasn¡¯t called us back if the situation was right,¡± Tianjie opined and gazed at Xiaoming.


    ¡°I agree. The attack on Li Hua and then the murder of my uncle. My mother must be in a lot of pain. It is good that we are able to end the matter here because of Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s help. Now, we have to reach Qinping as quickly as possible,¡± Xiaoming affirmed. Tianjie nodded his head and asked him if he should check on L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°No. Let him be alone for a while,¡± Xiaoming advised him.


    ~~~~~


    Here, L¨®ng Wei had taken a horse to ride to the residence of Wen Yazhu. He had asked a soldier to guide him on the way to the Wen residence.


    While riding the horse, L¨®ng Wei continued to think about what the messenger told him. An attack on Li Hua followed by the death of Ye Yujin. Also, how could Qizhen return just to kill Yujin?


    There was something that the messenger did not know. That was why L¨®ng Wei left for Wen Yazhu¡¯s house as soon as possible. He wanted the scroll from him which belonged to Qizhen.


    Soon he arrived outside the Wen Residence. He hopped off the horse and quickly went inside. The bodyguards at the entrance didn¡¯t dare to stop L¨®ng Wei as the soldier had already told them about his identity.


    L¨®ng Wei was stopped by the chief servant of the house from whom L¨®ng Wei asked about Wen Yazhu.


    ¡°My Lord returned a few minutes ago and is resting in his room. May I know who you are?¡± the chief servant kept his tone polite.


    ¡°Qiu L¨®ng Wei.¡±


    The chief servant widened his eyes and then quickly led him to Wen Yazhu¡¯s room. He informed his master about the presence of the Sixth Prince in the residence.


    He quickly got out of bed and asked him to let L¨®ng Wei enter.


    ¡°Send the other servants away from outside and stay at the main entrance,¡± Wen Yazhu ordered.


    The servant left the room, and soon, L¨®ng Wei walked in. When the doors closed, Wen Yazhu asked him to take a seat. L¨®ng Wei did so and rested on the floor chair while Wen Yazhu went to bring the scroll.


    After a minute, he returned and ced the red-colored scroll on the table. ¡°Here,¡± Wen Yazhu said.


    L¨®ng Wei opened it and recognized the writing. It was of his mother. His brows furrowed after reading the message written on the scroll.


    He read the message once more as he understood where it had led to. The message in the scroll was something that not anyone could understand. However, L¨®ng Wei knew well about it.

 Chapter 421

    421 A Different World


    Wen Yazhu asked L¨®ng Wei if he could understand the message. However, the Prince lied to him. ¡°I think it is nothing,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and he told him that he could take the scroll back.


    ¡°What will I do of this scroll?¡± Wen Yazhu asked. ¡°Since it belongs to your father, you should keep it,¡± he stated.


    ¡°He¡¯s not my father,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a stern tone, which confused Wen Yazhu. He could feel the anger in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s voice. He stood up and turned to leave when Wen Yazhu stopped him. He handed the scroll to the Prince.


    ¡°Return it to Qizhen when you find him,¡± Wen Yazhu said with anticipation. He patted L¨®ng Wei¡¯s shoulder and thanked him for helping him out.


    ¡°What is he like?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°He is a kind and humble person. I think that was the main reason why he got such kind of fate,¡± Wen Yazhu asserted.


    ¡°No. He was foolish,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I hope from here onward you do not have any grudge left. He is gone, so don¡¯t consider him as your king. The current King is our king,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. Wen Yazhu was puzzled to hear his words and asked him to exin why he said so.


    ¡°Because I am loyal to the current King,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed, ¡°he is my father and I am his son.¡±


    Wen Yazhu was curious to know why L¨®ng Wei said that, but he took his leave. Wen Yazhu saw him off to the main door. He bowed his head as L¨®ng Wei left his sight on the horse.


    .....


    After the Prince left, Yazhu raised his head. ¡°He was not foolish,¡± he murmured and walked into the residence.


    ~~~~~


    Tianjie looked at the fine silk handkerchief that Song Jia gave him when he talked to her for the first time. It was white in color and a rose flower was carved at its one end.


    ¡°I should have returned it to her when I already made up my mind not to feel attracted to her,¡± Tianjie murmured.


    He heard the footsteps and turned to look when he saw Xiaoming. He immediately hid the handkerchief by taking his hand behind his back and bowed to see the Crown Prince.


    However, Xiaoming had already seen that. He stopped in from of Tianjie, who asked him why he came there.


    ¡°I was looking for Brother L¨®ng Wei, and ended up seeing Brother Tianjie,¡± Xiaoming asserted and curiously asked about the handkerchief.


    ¡°Ahh, tha-that,¡± Tianjie stuttered. ¡°That was something I bought in the market. It appeared a fine and exotic handkerchief to me,¡± he told a white lie.


    ¡°Does it belong to Song Jia?¡± Xiaoming questioned him.


    Tianjie¡¯s brows drew close as he had not expected that Xiaoming would find out.


    ¡°Ahh... Umm...¡±


    ¡°Are you not interested in her anymore?¡± Xiaoming asked him.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Tianjie replied, ¡°I was merely attracted to her beauty,¡± he added.


    ¡°I thought you would like to take this rtionship ahead,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°I would love to if she was from an upper ss,¡± Tianjie affirmed.


    Xiaoming was astonished to hear his answer. Last night, L¨®ng Wei said something simr. He told Xiaoming that Tianjie would like to be stronger than marry a woman whom he fell for.


    ¡°Why an upper ss only? I have not married a woman with any political family background. You should go with your heart, Brother Tianjie,¡± Xiaoming advised him.


    ¡°The Crown Prince and I are different. For the future, I need political support because I am a concubine¡¯s son. Many men got infatuated with Song Jia and I felt the same. She has a different world while mine ispletely different. I should use my conscience rather than listen to those temporary feelings that developed because of her beauty.¡± Tianjie expressed his true thoughts.


    ¡°So, Brother Tianjie wants to be politically stronger. That¡¯s a good decision too,¡± Xiaoming didn¡¯t oppose his thoughts anymore. Every individual had different sets of priorities. Tianjie had the same. Perhaps, he faced something which Xiaoming never did because his mother was the Queen.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the military camp. It is lunchtime. Brother L¨®ng Wei might have returned,¡± Xiaoming opined.


    Tianjie nodded at him and they both went to the main tent house, where they would sit together for the lunch. To their surprise, L¨®ng Wei was already present there.


    Tianjie had put the handkerchief inside his pocket and was asking the server if he cooked chicken soup for him.


    ¡°Where was Brother L¨®ng Wei? I didn¡¯t find him around,¡± Xiaoming asked as a servant pulled out the chair for him. The server stood straight with his head low and until the Crown Prince settled on the chair, he didn¡¯t serve. Tianjie also took a seat and asked L¨®ng Wei if he was good.


    ¡°I will not feel good until I see Li Hua,¡± he asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei picked up the chopsticks and started to eat. They all silently ate their respective meals and soon, they finished eating.


    ¡°Bai Juchen and Huang Xi had not returned yet,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°They might be doing a search in Wu Zihao¡¯s house,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined. ¡°Wu Zihao thought that he would easily fool us all. Wen Yazhu did well by killing him, but because he feared his death, he hid it from all of us since our father might have not believed him if he had told him beforehand,¡± he exined to them.


    ¡°You are right. Wu Zihao was a powerful general. Our Father would not have easily believed that his General could think about rebelling against him,¡± Tianjie said.


    ¡°I am d that we solved the matter sooner than. It is all thanks to Brother L¨®ng Wei. I am again impressed with the way he thinks and solves the matter. I am happy to have him as my brother,¡± Xiaoming againplimented him. He didn¡¯t want L¨®ng Wei to feel anymore that he was alone. When thest night, he opened up to him, Xiaoming realized L¨®ng Wei became a different kind of person because of his mother.

 Chapter 422

    422 A better than me [Bonus chapter]


    Feng Lao bowed to see Xiaolian, who was waiting for him in the orchid pavilion. Earlier, when Li Hua informed her that Feng Lao wanted to meet her, she jumped in happiness. She wore the best outfit and even put on precious ornaments.


    ¡°Thank you for meeting me personally and for giving an answer to me,¡± Xiaolian replied. ¡°I hope Feng Lao understood the meaning of my feelings through that poem,¡± she humbly said.


    Feng Lao took out the letter and forwarded it to Xiaolian. ¡°I was surprised to find out that the Third Princess has feelings for him. The poem was written beautifully. However, I am not interested in her,¡± Feng Lao refused to ept his feelings.


    That was a setback for Xiaolian. The smile from her lips faded away. She could not believe that she got rejected. But, why? She wanted to know the reason.


    ¡°May I know why? Am I not beautiful enough? Or is it because Li Hua said bad things about me?¡± Xiaolian asked him.


    ¡°The Third Princess is beautiful. The Princess Consort never said anything about the Third Princess. Instead, she was the one who asked me to meet the Third Princess. I am not in a position to love someone at the moment. The Third Princess deserves a better man than me. I am not suitable for her,¡± Feng Lao stated. He didn¡¯t like that Xiaolian put the me on Li Hua for his rejection. But now he had exined his thoughts to him, she might not think Li Hua was the reason.


    ¡°Oh. Forgive me, Feng Lao. I thought Li Hua was upset with me and because you both know each other, she might have said something about me,¡± Xiaolian said.


    ¡°The Princess Consort does not think and talk bad about any princes or the princesses. If her doubts are clear, then can I leave?¡± Feng Lao asked her.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xiaolian said in a low voice.


    .....


    Feng Lao handed her the letter and then took a step back. He bowed at her before leaving her sight.


    She was upset. ¡°Why can¡¯t he love anyone?¡± She mumbled. She looked at her outfit and stomped her foot on the floor.


    ¡°Sister Xiaolian, why was Feng Lao here?¡± Ai Fen arrived in the pavilion as Jingfei had requested them to gather there. She looked at the folded paper in Xiaolian¡¯s hand.


    She quickly hid that behind her back. ¡°Fe-Feng Lao...¡± she paused when Jingfei arrived at the pavilion and asked them if they wanted longer for her.


    ¡°No, Sister Jingfei,¡± Ai Fen answered. ¡°We arrived here a moment ago,¡± she said.


    After Jingfei took her seat along with them. Xiaolian asked Jingfei why she asked them for this urgent gathering.


    ¡°Sisters, Father has decided to fix my marriage with Li Jianjun,¡± Jingfei informed them.


    ¡°That is great, Sister Jingfei. Ai Fen is happy for you,¡± the Second Princess delightedly said.


    ¡°Xiaolian is also for the First Sister.¡±


    ¡°However, I am not happy with our father¡¯s decision. After what the Crown Princess told me, I am scared,¡± Jingfei stated and looked at them worriedly. The two princesses got confused to see this reaction from Jingfei.


    ¡°Why is Sister Jingfei scared?¡± Ai Fen asked. ¡°What did the Crown Princess tell her?¡± She queried.


    ¡°The Crown Princess told me how most of the noblemen visit the brothel houses to seek pleasure in women. She told me to do research before marrying any such man,¡± Jingfei stated. ¡°I would have asked my elder brother to find out about Li Jianjun, but he is not here, so it is difficult for me to find anything about this man,¡± she exined to them.


    ¡°Sister Jingfei, the Li family is a well-known noble family in the kingdom. You are the Queen¡¯s daughter. The man would think thousands of times before taking such a step. Also, the Crown Princess does not know anything about noble families,¡± Xiaolian said to clear confusion of Jingfei.


    ¡°I agree with the Third Sister¡¯s words. Why would the son of the Li family think of going to a brothel house? I think the Crown Princess is mistaken about the noble families,¡± Ai Fen put forward her opinion.


    ¡°Unlike us, the Crown Princess has lived outside. She was confident while speaking about all these things with me. She told me some of the dark things that we all are unaware of,¡± Jingfei said in a low voice.


    ¡°Why did Sister Jingfei share this news with the Crown Princess? She might be putting negative thoughts in her head so that her marriage would keep dying,¡± Xiaolian opined.


    ¡°Sister Xiaolian, I do not think that Crown Princess will ever do that. She has more experience with the outside world than us. If she said this to Sister Jingfei, then she must think about this once,¡± Ai Fen did not agree with Xiaolian¡¯s words and urged Jingfei to meet Li Jianjun to meet once to clear her confusion.


    ¡°Will I be allowed to meet him? My mother is already furious at me since I told her that I would not marry Huang Xi. Asking her to arrange my meeting with Li Jinajun is almost impossible for me,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°Then, what will Sister Jingfei do?¡± Xiaolian asked.


    ¡°I am thinking to take someone¡¯s help. But I do not know anyone outside the pce except,¡± Jingfei stopped speaking as she recalled Xu Zifan. Ai Fen asked her toplete her statement when Jingfei thanked them.


    Both the Princesses again were perplexed to see that kind of reaction from her.


    ¡°I know what I have to do. I have found the solution,¡± Jingfei stated with a wide smile. She had decided to meet Xu Zifan and asked for his help on this. Once she would meet Li Jianjun and had a conversation with him, she would be relieved to know what kind of person she would marry.


    ¡°What will Sister Jingfei do? Will she tell us sisters?¡± Xiaolian interrupted Jingfei¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°I will tell you both after Iplete the task to meet Li Jianjun,¡± Jingfei assured them.

 Chapter 423

    423 A present for Prince L¨®ng Wei


    Li Hua promptly turned to look when Feng Lao told her that he refused to ept Xiaolian¡¯s feelings. She put the flower pot on the table on which she had done some beautiful art. ¡°Why did you do it? I told you to at least give Princess Xiaolian a chance,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I wanted to, but I could not do that. My heart did not agree with it,¡± Feng Lao said. Li Hua sighed and again picked up the flower pot. She walked past him and went to the main courtyard of the manor. Feng Lao followed her and told her not to be upset with him.


    Li Hua did not say anything as she went towards the peach tree which had ripened peaches in them. She ced the flower pot on the wooden table that was made a little away from the peach tree.


    ¡°I am not upset with you. I understand that it is your life, so you want to make some decisions for it,¡± she stated and sat on the wooden bench. The maidservant had brought the set of brushes and some colors that Li Hua would use to finish the remaining art on the porcin flower pot.


    ¡°Li Hua, it is not about taking decisions, but something which I am unable to tell you,¡± Feng Lao rified to her.


    Li Hua picked up the thin stroke brush and prepared a sky blue color. ¡°Why are you unable to tell me about it?¡± She briefly nced at him and started to paint on the pot.


    ¡°She is the Princess and I do not want to involve myself with a princess,¡± Feng Lao replied after much hesitation. Li Hua was puzzled to hear his answer. She had not expected him to say this and asked him why he did not want to involve himself with a princess.


    ¡°Because if anything goes wrong, she may me you. I can bear anything in my life, except anything bad towards you,¡± Feng Lao truthfully said. He was slightly aware of Xiaolian nature, which was difficult for him to exin in words.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Li Hua replied and asked the maidservant to leave.


    .....


    ¡°You should take a rest as you were feeling sick in the morning,¡± she said. The maidservant thanked Li Hua while Feng Lao remained standing.


    ¡°Why are you decorating this pot? You could have ordered an artisan to do it,¡± Feng Lao told her.


    ¡°It is for Prince L¨®ng Wei. I want to present it to him. I will grow orchids in it,¡± Li Hua answered him with a pleasant smile on her lips.


    ¡°That is great,¡± Feng Lao said. He remembered how Li Hua once gifted him lilies in a flower pot. He was not good at taking care of flowers or nts, so those lilies soon withered away. However, he kept that pot with him until his house burned into ashes.


    ¡°Feng Lao, you will soon turn twenty-two,¡± Li Hua suddenly said and dipped the brush into the water which was in a china dish. She picked another brush and made a red color. She drew flowers using the red color. ¡°You should go to Xinshui on your birthday,¡± Li Hua suggested to him while keeping her focus on the pot.


    ¡°Why should I go to the ce where all the bad memories of my life exist?¡± Feng Lao questioned Li Hua. His facial expressions had turned gloomy.


    ¡°Your mother¡¯s body rests in Xinshui. Do not forget that,¡± Li Hua said as she stopped doing her work and looked at him. ¡°Many good memories also reside in Xinshui. I know everything will hurt you, but you must not forget your promise to your mother,¡± Li Hua reminded him.


    Feng Lao recalled the promise that he had made once to his mother. Li Hua resumed her work while Feng Lao went to bring a royal umbre to cover Li Hua from the sun¡¯s rays. She raised her head when the shadow of the umbre fell on the table and found Feng Lao holding it.


    ¡°You do not have to do this,¡± Li Hua told him.


    ¡°It is my duty,¡± Feng Lao told her and she did not stop him anymore.


    ¡°Li Hua, I will not go to Xinshui,¡± Feng Lao affirmed. ¡°I have promised my mother that I will visit her tomb when I find the real enemy, who did this to us,¡± he stated.


    Li Hua hummed and assured him that they would soon find out the enemy.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Jingfei did not get permission to go out of the pce because of security reasons. She descended the stairs and soon reached down her. Lin Jie advised her that she should send a message to Li Jianjun so that he coulde and meet her.


    ¡°That is not possible, Lin Jie. If my mother found out about it, then she might get angry again. Also, after my uncle got such a brutal death, my mother is not in a good state. I do not want her to trouble,¡± Jingfei stated.


    There was another way to meet Xu Zifan, but she would not follow that. She had already hurt Li Hua not once but many times. She could not ask for the favor from her anymore. ¡°I will wait for the situation to get better and then, I will go and see Xu Zifan,¡± he informed Lin Jie.


    As they entered the corridor, they heard masculine voicesing from the ground. Lin Jie looked towards the ground and saw two noblemen. ¡°Your Highness, isn¡¯t that Lord Li Zixuan?¡±


    Jingfei turned her head to look down to see those noblemen.


    ¡°Is that Li Jianjun with him?¡± She murmured and found out that Eunuch Gao Bing hade to them. He said something to those two. Jingfei stopped blinking when Li Jianjun¡¯s eyes fell on her. She gazed at him for a few seconds before jumping behind the pir. Lin Jie also ran to her and it confused Jianjun.


    ¡°Is he looking here?¡± Jingfei asked Lin Jie, who peeked out and nodded her head.


    ¡°Wait! Why am I hiding behind the pir?¡± Jingfei mumbled and quickly turned to go ahead. Jianjun kept his gaze on her when his father asked him where he was looking.


    ¡°Nowhere, Father,¡± Jianjun said and walked with him to the King¡¯s manor.

 Chapter 424

    424 Sweet and cute


    Qiu Zedong sipped the tea and then, he put the teacup on the table before him. Li Zixuan and Li Jianjun had also sipped the tea after the King.


    ¡°Minister Li, I am d that you readily epted the marriage proposal for your son with my daughter,¡± Qiu Zedong said and looked at Eunuch Gao Bing. ¡°Where is the Queen?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I am here, Your Majesty,¡± Zhu Liling said and bowed her head to him. Both Li Zixuan and his son stood up to greet the Queen. She walked up to the King and sat beside her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the matter for which we have gathered together,¡± the King asserted. ¡°My Queen, I have decided to make our daughter marry within the next week. I do not think that we should wait the whole month,¡± Qiu Zedong told his decision. ¡°What does the Queen say?¡± he tilted his head to gaze at her.


    ¡°I agree with His Majesty¡¯s decision,¡± Zhu Liling said, keeping a tiny smile on her lips.


    ¡°Your Majesty, pardon me, for interceding in the conversation,¡± Li Jianjun said. Both the King and Queen looked in his direction. ¡°If His Majesty allows, then I would like to meet the First Princess before the marriage,¡± he expressed his desire while keeping his head low.


    ¡°Son, what are you saying? I do not think that there is any need to meet with the First Princess,¡± Li Zixuan stated and apologized to the King on his son¡¯s behalf.


    ¡°I want to meet the First Princess so that she will not carry any doubts regarding me,¡± Li Jianjun stated.


    ¡°What doubts can Princess Jingfei have about you?¡± Qiu Zedong asked him.


    .....


    ¡°Since I have a younger sister, so I have always seen how much she fears having a husband. When she talks with me regarding her marriage in the future, she always says to me that she would like to know about the man she will marry someday. I think that the First Princess may also have such kind of thoughts, Your Majesty,¡± Jianjun asserted. ¡°That is what I think. However, I respect His and Her Majesty¡¯s decisions,¡± he added so that they would not feel any kind of disrespect.


    ¡°Then, I will allow for the meeting of the Princess with Li Jianjun. If it happens today, then that will be great,¡± Qiu Zedong acknowledged the request of Li Jianjun and praised Li Zixuan for imparting such good values to his son.


    Li Zixuan felt proud and thanked the King for his generouspliment.


    ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing, bring Princess Jingfei here,¡± Qiu Zedong gave an order. Gao Bing bowed and left the guest hall.


    After a while, he returned with Jingfei, who was followed by her personal attendant too. Jingfei greeted her parents, followed by Li Zixuan.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei, take your seat,¡± Zhu Liling said. She nodded and gracefully walked to the broad chair where she was supposed to sit. After she settled on the chair, she heard her father speak.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei already knows about Minister Li Zixuan. This is his son, Li Jianjun, with whom the Princess is supposed to marry,¡± Qiu Zedong said and shifted his gaze at Jianjun. They both greeted each other when Qiu Zedong continued and told Jingfei that Jianjun wanted to have a private conversation with her.


    Jingfei was astonished to hear that and gazed at Jianjun, who had a tiny smile on his lips.


    ¡°Thank you, Father, for allowing us to have a conversation. I am truly grateful for it,¡± Jingfei stated.


    Qiu Zedong was stunned to find that even his daughter wanted to know about Jianjun. He was happy that he agreed with Jianjun¡¯s suggestion.


    ¡°Gao Bing, prepare a private room for both of them by theke side of the pce,¡± Qiu Zedong again gave an order.


    ¡°We elders have decided that you both should get married by the next week,¡± Qiu Zedong informed his daughter, who was shocked to learn about that.


    ¡°Pardon me, Father, but my brother is not here. I would like to marry in his presence,¡± Jingfei stated.


    ¡°Xiaoming will probably return by the next week,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted.


    Jingfei could not oppose her father¡¯s decision, but she was a little upset. She would leave the pce by the next week. The thought of it was making her more upset. She lowered her head as she got lost in her thoughts. She was not happy about this marriage, but she could not express her thoughts on it.


    If Huang Xi had not hated her, she would be happily married to him. Her fate was indeed bad.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei!¡± When she heard the loud voice of her mother, she came out of her thoughts and looked at her.


    ¡°Where was the Princess lost? I have called you twice,¡± Zhu Liling asked while faking a smile.


    ¡°Forgive me, Mother,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°The room is ready. Follow Eunuch Gao Bing with Li Jianjun. We will be waiting for both of you,¡± Zhu Liling instructed her daughter. Jingfei rose to her feet, bowed before them, and then, she left the hall.


    Soon, they reached the small manor which was made on theke side of the pce. Eunuch Gao Bing told them that there would not be any pce servants, so they could talk with each other as long as they want.


    Jianjun thanked him and Gao Bing left that ce. He saw Jingfei had taken the seat while he sat after her. A cool breeze was blowing and along with it the fresh scent of roses filled his nostrils. He looked out and saw the roses nted in the mini-garden while theke was filled with lotuses.


    ¡°What does Li Jianjun do?¡± Jingfei asked him. Though she had already known about it, but she wanted to hear it from his mouth.


    ¡°I have joined as a third-rank official in the Governor¡¯s office,¡± Li Jianjun replied.


    ¡°Does Li Jianjun like me?¡± Jingfei asked. ¡°Was he happy to find out that the King¡¯s eldest daughter would marry him?¡± she queried.


    ¡°That was a sudden question about likeness, Princess Jingfei,¡± Jianjun said with a tiny smile on his lips. ¡°When she hid behind the pir to see me, I found that gesture sweet and cute,¡± he stated.


    Jingfei¡¯s cheeks turned a little red. He found that gesture sweet and cute! She noticed that smile on his lips and then, again peered into his eyes. ¡°What about the second question?¡± she blinked once and waited for his response.


    ¡°I was surprised to find out that His Majesty found me capable enough for his eldest daughter. I was indeed happy. But, more than that, I am interested in knowing if Princess Jingfei is happy with this proposal?¡± He asked, keeping the same smile on his lips.

 Chapter 425

    425 Have her as my wife


    ¡°I will be honest with Li Jianjun. I was not happy when I initially found out that I would be married to him,¡± Jingfei replied. ¡°There is a reason behind it,¡± she stated and exined further to him, ¡°I had never heard about you. So, there were certain insecurities in my mind rted to him.¡±


    ¡°Then, did those insecurities not present anymore? If they are present, then can she brief me about it?¡± He asked in his polite tone.


    ¡°I found out that the noblemen cheat on their wives and visit the brothel house,¡± Jingfei stated.


    ¡°Pardon me?¡± Jianjun was astonished to hear her statement. He chuckled and fell out of words, ¡°Who told this to the Princess?¡± He confusedly asked.


    ¡°I heard from someone,¡± Jingfei replied. She did not take Jin Yu¡¯s name as it could create problemster.


    ¡°Some do visit the brothel houses, but I am not one of them.¡± Jianjun rified to her. He understood that she was dubious of him because of that. ¡°Also, many of the good ranks noblemen will not try to visit such ces as they have an image to keep in the society, among the people,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°I did not direct it for Li Jianjun,¡± Jingfei stated. She wondered if her statement made him angry because the smile on his lips had faded away.


    ¡°Certainly, I did not think that she directed her words for me, but I would like to know who told the Princess about this,¡± he expressed his wish.


    Jingfei realized that she would not escape the current situation without telling the name to Jianjun. She found out that he was a humble and gentle person, so telling him would not cause any harm.


    .....


    ¡°The Crown Princess told me. She has lived outside and she has seen many such noblemen, young or old, who visit the brothel houses,¡± Jingfei truthfully answered him.


    ¡°The Crown Princess failed to tell Princess Jingfei that the high-ss noblemen do not dare to do such a thing. It is against their ideals. I am surprised that she filled Princess Jingfei¡¯s mind with wrong information,¡± Jianjun affirmed.


    ¡°Please do not be angry over this,¡± Jingfei said and lowered her eyes. She felt that it was her fault to bring it before Jianjun.


    ¡°I am not angry, Princess Jingfei. I understand your fears as a Princess. However, a man who marries the Princess will be considered a fool if he cheats on her and looks at another woman,¡± he stated.


    His words won Jingfei¡¯s hearts. He was a man of ideals. She was relieved to know that Jianjun was a nice man. Also, unlike Huang Xi, who always ran from her, neverplimented her, or even looked at her, Jianjun did the opposite. Each of his words felt so true. She was delighted to find that her parents had chosen the best man for her.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei, you can ask anyone in the capital about me. You will find out what kind of man Li Jianjun is!¡± He said with a confident tone.


    ¡°Why would I do that?¡± She raised her head and peered into his eyes. ¡°Will Li Jianjun like to drink tea made by my hands?¡± she asked him. She thought that would lighten the atmosphere and also his mood.


    ¡°It will be my pleasure to drink the tea which Princess Jingfei will brew,¡± Jianjun said and smiled at her.


    She asked him to wait for a minute as she would return soon. After a minute, when she returned, she saw Jianjun standing by the open patio and looking towards theke. He turned as he heard her footsteps.


    ¡°There is no servant around,¡± Jingfei said while keeping one hand above the other. She bit her bottom lip and wondered what she should do to make Jianjun happy. She lifted her head as she thought of an idea when she found him in front of her.


    It startled her, and she stopped blinking. ¡°I-I,¡± she stuttered. ¡®Why am I stuttering?¡¯ she thought in her mind when she felt the touch of his fingers across her temple. He had brushed away the hair strands, which came over her face.


    She lowered her eyes and pursed her lips together when Jianjun held her hand. ¡°Princess Jingfei has soft hands,¡± he said, and she again peered at him. ¡°She can trust me. I will be happy to have her as my wife,¡± he stated.


    Her eyes remained glued on him. They both were lost in an intense eyelock.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei¡¯s cheeks appeared like the roses blooming in the garden,¡± Jianjun said. Jingfei pulled away her hands from his hold and brought them to her cheeks.


    She bit her lower lip and continued to look at him. ¡°I-I think that is because I came walking fast here,¡± she made an excuse and lowered her hands. She walked past him and asked him if he would like to walk around with her.


    ¡°I would love to,¡± Jianjun said and again smiled at her.


    Jingfei asked him to follow her. After strolling around and conversing with each other for a long time, Jingfei told him that they should go back to the guest hall. She walked ahead of him while he was behind her. When she lost her bnce upon getting hit by a pebble, Jianjun caught her and asked her to walk carefully.


    ¡°These servants do not do their duties well,¡± Jingfei said in anger and looked at the pleats of her long skirt. She brushed her dress when Jianjun got on her knees.


    ¡°Let me do it, Princess Jingfei,¡± Jianjun said as he rested his right forearm above his right knee.


    She could only hum at him.


    Jianjun brushed her dress from the bottom and asked her if she was not hurt. She shook her head and kept her gaze on him. He slowly moved up and stood straight before her. His hand rested on her arm and he took another step toward her.


    Jingfei tightly clutched the sides of her long skirt.


    She found him leaning down and she tightly closed her eyes.

 Chapter 426

    426 Against their dignity [Bonus chapter]


    Jingfei thanked her mother for choosing Li Jianjun as the future husband for her. She was extremely delighted after having a long conversation with him. He was respectful and caring towards women.


    ¡°Li Jianjun will keep you happy. Since he is such a high official son in the Kingdom, you will not suffer any problem,¡± Zhu Liling said and stroked her hand on her daughter¡¯s cheek.


    Jingfei nodded her head. Since it waste evening, she took her leave as she didn¡¯t want to disturb her mother. However, before leaving, she asked her mother if she was taking her meals.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Mother looks pale sometimes,¡± Jingfei worriedly said. ¡°Uncle Ye has sacrificed his life for the Kingdom. He will not be happy to see his sister not taking care of herself well,¡± Jingfei said while being concerned for her mother.


    ¡°Mother is taking care of herself. The Princess does not need to worry about her. She should focus on her marriage. The next week she will leave the pce. Mother wants her to enjoy her time here,¡± Zhu Liling said as she turned slightly emotional.


    Jingfei¡¯s eyes also filled with tears as she embraced her mother. ¡°I will miss my mother. However, I am happy that I do not need to be far from her,¡± she affirmed.


    Zhu Liling hummed and caressed her back. ¡°Princess Jingfei cane here anytime she wants. It is her house, her ce,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Yes, Mother,¡± Jingfei said and they stayed in that position for a few more minutes.


    .....


    ¡°Go to your chamber and take a good rest,¡± Zhu Liling said as she withdrew from the warm hug. Jingfei bowed at her mother before leaving for her chamber.


    As she walked in the corridor, she decided to see Jin Yu once and tell her that she was wrong about nobles. The servant outside Jin Yu¡¯s chamber allowed Jingfei to go in.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei, I heard that your marriage is fixed with Minister Li¡¯s son. I am happy for you,¡± Jin Yu said with a warm smile. She asked Jingfei to take the seat on the chaise which she did.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, thank you for your wishes. I am here to tell you that high-ss nobles do not get themselves involved with any woman outside their families. It¡¯s against their dignity.¡±


    Jingfei¡¯s words faded the smile from Jin Yu¡¯s lips as she nodded her head.


    ¡°I asked Li Jianjun and he told me that many visit brothel houses to seek pleasure, but men with good moral values, and high ideals, do not even think about it. He is a nice person as he respects women a lot,¡± Jingfei informed the Crown Princess.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei wasn¡¯t supposed to ask it directly from Li Jianjun,¡± Jin Yu opined. ¡°I am d that Princess Jingfei has no more doubts. I pray for her happiness,¡± She asserted.


    ¡°Thank you again, Your Royal Highness,¡± Jingfei said and looked at the floor table, where several sheets were piled up one above the other in a haphazard manner.


    ¡°Was the Crown Princess studying?¡± Jingfei asked. ¡°I apologize if I have disturbed her,¡± she humbly said.


    Jin Yu motioned her hands in the air and told her that she was only looking at the sheet that she was supposed to submit tomorrow to her mentor.


    ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°It must be difficult for the Crown Princess to learn all such things,¡± she said.


    ¡°It was. I have learned and memorized the majority of the characters. I even sent a letter to Xiaoming...¡± Jin Yu paused, ¡°the Crown Prince in my writing. I am a fast learner.¡± She praised herself with a proud smile.


    ¡°Indeed. I have also noticed it,¡± Jingfei stated. ¡°Forgive my naive mistakes. I hurt the Crown Princess as well. Now, I will leave the pce soon, I get upset to realize how much I have hurt Her Royal Highness. Forgive me for the other day. I know that I have apologized for it earlier, but I wanted to do it again,¡± Jingfei said and lowered her eyelids.


    ¡°I do not keep such things in my heart or mind. Princess Jingfei didn¡¯t lie either. She is more elegant than me and knows about many matters better than me. I have no family background, but my identity is mine. That¡¯s what I believe, Princess Jingfei,¡± Jin Yu said with a wide smile on her lips.


    ¡°The Crown Princess is rich with positive qualities. Brother Xiaoming must have seen those qualities in her, which makes her different from the other women around her,¡± Jingfei stated.


    ¡°Umm... he liked my clumsiness,¡± Jin Yu said and started smiling. ¡°I dropped honorifics for him since only we both are present,¡± she added.


    Jingfei hummed and assured her that she would not mind her informal way of speaking. She was suddenly curious to know how Xiaoming found Jin Yu and fell in love with her.


    ¡°Life in the pce isn¡¯t easy. For the Crown Prince, it was tougher because he always had to keep certain things in mind and study all the time, unlike the other royal kids. Then, the women were attracted to him because of his title while for me, it was not the case. I didn¡¯t even know that he is the Crown Prince when I encountered him for the first time,¡± Jin Yu said as she recalled her first meeting with Xiaoming.


    ¡°How did you both meet?¡± Jingfei asked.


    ¡°I robbed his money,¡± Jin Yu said and it shocked Jingfei.


    ¡°I used to steal money from nobles because my life was difficult. To survive I used to rob rich people. I know it is wrong, but what to do? The nobles loot us poor people with high taxes which we aren¡¯t even aware of. Most of the people like me are illiterate in the kingdom. The Crown Prince searched for me and eventually, we met at the dragon festival event. Then, we gradually started falling for each other,¡± Jin Yu briefed Jingfei.


    ¡°Now, I understand why my brother fell for the Crown Princess. Indeed, the position of the Crown Princess was many noble¡¯s targets. I am d that you became my brother¡¯s wife and also the Crown Princess,¡± Jingfei stated and smiled at her. Jin Yu thanked her for understanding and they continued their conversation till dinner time.

 Chapter 427

    427 My Concern not matter


    Li Hua nted the orchid nt into the porcin pot after letting the pot dry for two days in the sunlight. She watered the nt and put it near the window of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s room. She stepped back while holding the tiny water jar when her back hit someone.


    She was startled, thinking who coulde so close to her when the familiar touch experienced. The warm arms wrapped around her body and she drew close.


    ¡°I missed you,¡± L¨®ng Wei whispered in her ear and inhaled the scent of her hair.


    ¡°Your Highness, is it really you?¡± She asked as she was unable to believe that L¨®ng Wei was present with her.


    ¡°Of course, it is me. Your L¨®ng Wei,¡± he said and kissed her cheek. Li Hua immediately turned to him and cupped his face.


    ¡°I missed His Highness,¡± Li Hua said and hugged him tightly. She closed her eyes to feel that warmth. After a while, when the two withdrew from the hug, they both peered into each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°His Highness got tanned. He must have worked hard. He did not get injured in any way, right?¡± she worriedly asked.


    ¡°I indeed have to do lots of work. I did not let myself get harmed,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and rested his hand on the side of Li Hua¡¯s neck. ¡°Why did you go out when I gave the strict instructions? Does my concern not matter to you?¡± He asked with a menacing expression on his face.


    ¡°I-I,¡± she stuttered and lowered her eyes, ¡°forgive me. I did not know the attack to be this dangerous,¡± she apologized. Nothing was hidden from L¨®ng Wei and it did not surprise her. That was why she epted her mistake.


    L¨®ng Wei lifted her chin and made her look at him. ¡°I will punish Feng Lao,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    .....


    ¡°Pardon me? Why? He did not do anything,¡± Li Hua started to defend him.


    ¡°No. He defied my orders,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°His Highness does not know the entire truth. General Hei also agreed to send me to the market. The Queen had nned to kill me, so I wanted to catch her red-handed,¡± Li Hua stated. L¨®ng Wei drew his brows together as his jaw clenched in fury. Li Hua narrated to him the entire incident that had happened that day.


    ¡°Yuze sent a message from Hei Chengxi for you?¡± L¨®ng Wei was surprised to find out that Yuze involved himself in this. Not only this, but Xiwan was also a part of all this.


    ¡°I will ask the servant to prepare the bathhouse for His Highness,¡± Li Hua told him.


    ¡°I ordered her already,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and asked her why she took such a big risk. ¡°Do you not love me? What if something had happened to you?¡± He gulped as he tried not to scold her.


    ¡°His Highness knows well how much I love him. I have a long life like my husband,¡± Li Hua replied and it made L¨®ng Weiugh. He pinched Li Hua¡¯s cheeks and she screamed.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± She scrunched her brows and caressed her cheeks. ¡°Is this the way a husband treats his wife after returning home?¡± She questioned him and continued rubbing her cheeks.


    ¡°Two days ago when I got this news, I became crazy there. You do not know how restless I was until I saw you now,¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s concern for her was visible in his eyes. He cupped her cheeks and nted a soft kiss in the middle of her forehead before gazing into her eyes.


    ¡°You were not supposed to be the superwoman in my absence. There is a reason why I have told you to stay away from all this mess,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. ¡°Did you understand?¡± He asked.


    Li Hua nodded her head.


    ¡°Did His Highness finish his work in Qijiang Province?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°I did,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°We all found the real culprit and also the reason why Wu Zihao got killed. I will tell you those thingster,¡± he stated. ¡°First, let me stare at you for some time,¡± he said, keeping a tiny smile on his lips.


    ¡°His Highness has already stared me enough. He should freshen up, take a bath, and then-¡± she paused when L¨®ng Wei ced his index finger on her lips.


    ¡°Shhhh!¡± He quieted her down. ¡°It was like torture for me to be away from you. Let me look at you wholeheartedly,¡± he said in a low voice and slowly rested his hand back on her cheek. They both kept peering into each other¡¯s eyes until they got disturbed by the voice of the servant.


    ¡°Leave,¡± Li Hua whispered as the maidservant hade from the King¡¯s manor with a message. However, L¨®ng Wei did not let her go. She gestured to him to leave, but he did not. Finally, Li Hua lightly hit L¨®ng Wei¡¯s stomach and pushed him away.


    ¡°Why do people love to disturb us when we have some intimate moments going on?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Forgive this servant for intruding like this, but His Majesty wants to see the Sixth Prince as soon as possible,¡± the maidservant delivered the message of Qiu Zedong to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I have to take a bath first,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Kindly do it quickly, Your Highness,¡± the maidservant said.


    Li Hua told L¨®ng Wei to go to the bathhouse. He hummed and asked the maidservant to tell his father that he would soon be there. She bowed at them and left the chamber.


    ¡°Why is His Highness standing here? Go to the bathhouse,¡± Li Hua told him when she saw him sliding his hand inside the pocket of his upper robe. It confused her and she saw a red scroll in his hand. Before she could ask him, L¨®ng Wei told her that he would exin herter about it.


    He went to the study table and opened the drawer. He put it in and locked the drawer. ¡°Keep it safe,¡± L¨®ng Wei handed her the tiny key as he put it in Li Hua¡¯s palm. This was the first time, L¨®ng Wei handed his personal thing to her and it overwhelmed her.


    ¡°I will be back soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he patted her cheek, and left for the bathhouse.


    Li Hua closed her palm and went to her chamber to keep the key in a safer ce.


    ~~~~~~~


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 Chapter 428

    428 Kill each other


    L¨®ng Wei wore an overcoat and pinned his hair into a hair bun at the top of his head. He did not find Li Hua around and buttoned the overcoat. He once again looked at herself in the mirror and left for the King¡¯s manor.


    Xiaoming and Tianjie had alsoe at the same time as him. The trio walked into the private hall, where their father was waiting for them.


    Qiu Zedong asked them to take their seats after they formally greeted him. They found the other three princes had already arrived there. Hei Chengxi and Kang Xi were also present in the hall.


    Xiaoming stood up and again bowed before informing the King how Wu Zihao nned a rebellion against the King. Also, why Wen Yazhu killed him instead of informing the authority there?


    ¡°Who is Wen Yazhu?¡± Qiu Zedong inquired.


    ¡°A fourth-rank official in Qijiang, Father,¡± Xiaoming answered. ¡°Father, we have solved the entire matter there. Brother L¨®ng Wei had devised the n and thanks to it, we were able to solve the matter in such a short time,¡± Xiaoming looked at L¨®ng Wei and gave him the credit.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has delighted me with his work. I am d that he worked along with his brothers,¡± Qiu Zedong stated and smiled. He praised the three princes for their coordinated work.


    Xiaoming took his seat and asked his father what happened in Qinping. ¡°The message Father has sent us showed that something big happened here. I also found out my uncle, Ye Yujin, is no more,¡± Xiaoming said with a worried look.


    A grim look appeared on Qiu Zedong¡¯s face. ¡°Ye Yujin had found out about Qiu Qizhen,¡± He informed his three sons.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei knitted his brows to hear his father¡¯s words. Ye Yujin¡¯s death was med on Qizhen. Yuze decided to do that. This was what Li Hua told him. But why did Yuze do that?


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the elder uncle dead long ago?¡± Xiaoming asked his father.


    ¡°He had fallen from the cliff. We could not recover his body,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    ¡°Now, he has returned to take revenge on us. Ye Yujin was such a great warrior. He hade out as victorious in every war he led,¡± Kang Xi stated and narrowly gazed at Hei Chengxi.


    ¡°We have to find Qizhen and kill him,¡± Qiu Zedong stated and looked at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is the governor of Qinping. I want him to take responsibility to find Qizhen. He can take the help of the Crown Prince and the other princes,¡± Qiu Zedong ordered L¨®ng Wei.


    Hei Chengxi and Gao Bing gazed at L¨®ng Wei, wondering what he would say.


    ¡°I will search for him, Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei assured the King. ¡°What does Qizhen look like? I would like to know about that, Father,¡± he requested.


    ¡°Prime Minister Kang Xi will provide a sketch to Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Zedong assured him.


    ¡°Father, can you answer my one question?¡± L¨®ng Wei queried.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Why did Father kill Qizhen?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked a question that was unexpected to everyone. However, the other two princes were also curious to know about it.


    ¡°His policies were not good for the Kingdom. Also, when someone deprives you of your right, you must take it by hook or crook. I did the same for the better future of this kingdom,¡± Qiu Zedong answered.


    ¡°Does that mean if any of us princes want the throne in the future, then we must kill each other?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked as he gazed with a menacing look at his father.


    Xiaoming and Tianjie looked at each other. L¨®ng Wei was not supposed to ask their father such a question.


    ¡°I never deprived any of the princes of their rights,¡± Qiu Zedong proimed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Does Brother L¨®ng Wei want to take over the throne?¡± Tianjie questioned him and they both red into each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°What about the Third Prince? Does he not feel deprived of the power? When you are a concubine¡¯s son, your rights get limited on their own,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined. His tone was stern and that small conversation brought a sudden coldness in the hall.


    Xiaoming was puzzled to see this side of L¨®ng Wei. He was again acting mysterious and at the same time, intimidating too.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, I trust my sons. You all might have differences in opinions, in characteristics, but you all are united by your hearts. The day any of you rebelled, I won¡¯t hesitate to punish that prince,¡± Qiu Zedong stated while looking deeply into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes. ¡°The punishment will not be simple. I will give death sentence if any of the princes rebelled,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°That will be great, Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a wide smile. ¡°I know many of here are feared of me because of the prophecy. But I assure them all, I will not be the one who will rebel,¡± L¨®ng Wei confidently said.


    Mingquan wondered why L¨®ng Wei spoke this way in front of everyone. It could bring him into danger. He decided to talk with L¨®ng Weiter about it.


    ¡°Did General Hei find out who try to kill my wife?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked as he scrunched his brows in fury.


    ¡°It has yet to be revealed, Your Highness,¡± Hei Chengxi replied.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has made numerous enemies in the kingdom. Maybe after he left, someone tried to take advantage of the situation,¡± Kang Xi opined.


    ¡°I heard your son threatened my wife in the market and minutes after that, she was attacked,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and it made Kang Xi gulp.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, do not trust the rumors. Li Hua is safe,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    ¡°Father, I want to make a request to you. Do not trust Kang Xi and his son,¡± L¨®ng Wei did not even flinch to say that. ¡°Since the meeting has ended, I must leave. I am hungry and tired.¡± He rose to his feet and bowed before leaving the hall.

 Chapter 429

    429 I cannot lose you, Li Hua


    L¨®ng Wei was leaning against the pir outside the manor, where princesses lived. Jingfei with a smile on her lips came out with Ai Fen and Xiaolian. They saw L¨®ng Wei, who waved at them. He stood straight and put his hands behind his back. He walked up to them when Xiaolian took a step back and tried to hide behind her sisters.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, we are d to see that you returned safely,¡± Ai Fen stated.


    L¨®ng Wei did not reply to her and gazed at Jingfei and then tilted his head to look at Xiaolian. ¡°I told you not to trouble Li Hua. She helped you and you used her of making fun of you!¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a grim look.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, I have apologized to Li Hua for the mistake I made. Please let that matter go,¡± Jingfei stated.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let that matter go. I will make sure to punish you both in my style. Just wait and watch,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and took backward steps. He turned to leave when Jingfei stopped him.


    ¡°I will leave next week. I am guilty of my acts, Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Jingfei said. L¨®ng Wei did not say anything and walked away.


    Ai Fen looked at her both sisters and then decided to talk with L¨®ng Wei once. But was it possible to have a peaceful conversation with him? That was her prime concern.


    L¨®ng Wei had gathered all the information about what happened in the past few days in his absence. He regretted his one decision. He was wrong to think that the Queen would not do anything to Li Hua when he would be away. This attack on Li Hua was her n and he was so ready to expose her true face to everyone in the pce.


    However, before that, he had to meet Yuze and found out from him why he decided to put the me on Qizhen for Ye Yujin¡¯s death when Xiwan was the one, who killed him. Until then, he could not take any steps. He had to talk with Hei Chengxi as well.


    .....


    He soon reached his manor and saw Feng Lao at the center of the courtyard. He halted in his steps. ¡°Get out of my sight,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him and pointed towards the door.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness,¡± Feng Lao lowered his head in guilt.


    ¡°No. Do not even ask about it. Just leave my sight at the moment. I do not want to do something that makes Li Hua despise me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Feng Lao did not confront L¨®ng Wei and silently left the manor.


    Li Hua saw that sight and went inside L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chamber. She sat on the floor chair and waited for L¨®ng Wei to arrive. She heard him instructing the maidservant. She lifted her head when he reached near her and he took the seat.


    ¡°Why do you look upset?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her as he picked the chopsticks to eat.


    ¡°I had told His Highness that it was not Feng Lao¡¯s fault. I was the one, who decided to go against your wish. His Highness does not need to be cold with him,¡± Li Hua stated and kept her eyes down.


    ¡°It is between two men,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I will not kill him because I respect you. He is alive because of you,¡± he affirmed.


    Li Hua peered into his eyes and found out that L¨®ng Wei was suddenly in a bad mood. Did the King scold him? It was better not to ask him at the moment. She again lowered her head and saw him putting a dumpling on the saucer before her.


    She again looked at him and found him busy eating. Li Hua also picked up the chopsticks and started eating her meals.


    ¡°I cannot lose you, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said after a while, ¡°that is why I am furious at Feng Lao. He was not supposed to listen to any of you. I have told you this earlier too. Because of you, I did not take my life, else I had gone long ago.¡±


    Li Hua¡¯s eyes filled with tears as she realized how foolishly she took a step to catch the Queen.


    ~~~~~~~


    Jin Yu was biting her nails while pacing in the chamber. Xiaoming had not returned. When she found out he had returned, she ran to see him, but he already left for the house. Then, Zhu Liling called her and she could not meet Xiaoming.


    Finally, the door opened and she stopped walking. She lowered her hand and soon, Xiaoming was before him. Her body reacted and she ran to him, hugging him tightly. Her hands wrapped behind his nape and she was on her toes. Xiaoming ced his hand possessively on her back and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming called out her name as he made her stand on the floor. He cupped his face and they looked at each other.


    ¡°The Crown Prince looks thinner than before. Did he not eat well?¡± Jin Yu asked with a concerned look. She caressed his arms and looked at his hand. ¡°You did not get injured, right?¡± she asked as she moved his sleeves up to ensure no injuries on his forearm.


    ¡°No. I am absolutely fine,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°The matter got solved within days and we returned earlier than expected. I am d that we do not have to stay away from each other for long.¡± He caressed her cheek and kissed her lips.


    She clutched the fabric of his overcoat from his waist and kissed him back. They pulled apart their lips and opened their eyes to gaze at each other again. Xiaoming drew her for a hug and rested his chin on her shoulder. ¡°It was tough to be away from you,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Did you receive my message?¡± Jin Yu asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He took a step back and pulled out the letter from his pocket. ¡°My heart fluttered to read this letter. This gave me warmth even when you were not around,¡± he said and smiled at her.


    ¡°You must be hungry. Come, the breakfast table has already been set,¡± Jin Yu said and held his hand. She dragged him with her. Then, she sat with him on the floor mattress around the floor table to have their breakfast.

 Chapter 430

    430 A LAND OF LAKES... [Bonus chapter]


    Yuze smiled to see L¨®ng Wei and went inside the hut. He offered tea to L¨®ng Wei, who had settled on the chair around a round table. L¨®ng Wei picked up the tiny bowl in which Yuze had served him the tea and sipped it.


    ¡°How was the journey?¡± Yuze asked as he took the seat on the chair opposite L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°It was good,¡± L¨®ng Wei plonked the tiny bowl on the table. ¡°We solved the matter there. Wu Zihao wanted to rebel against the King, so made up a lie. Wen Yazhu killed him out of revenge and he requested me to cover it for him,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Wen Yazhu?¡± Yuze was puzzled to hear the name.


    L¨®ng Wei briefed about him to Yuze and also told him he knew Qizhen. ¡°Yuze never told me that Gao Bing was never loyal to the King,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and knitted his brows together.


    ¡°I thought it wasn¡¯t needed,¡± Yuze replied.


    ¡°Everyone knows the truth about me. What am I supposed to do? The truth I always hated is known to all the people rted to Qizhen,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and a frustrated sigh escaped his mouth.


    ¡°Why did you hide the truth? Ye Yujin died because he attacked Li Hua, not because of the other reason. He killed Xiwan¡¯s family, and that¡¯s why Xiwan killed him. But why did Yuze not let the Queen¡¯s real facee out?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    ¡°To bring Qizhen out. It is the time when he should return. My one rumor has spread terror in each of them and that was necessary,¡± Yuze stated.


    .....


    ¡°Hei Chengxi is the only known loyal of Qizhen alive today. His life is in danger too because of this,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°No. His Majesty will never kill Hei Chengxi,¡± Yuze confidently said.


    ¡°Father has given me the responsibility to find Qizhen. If a dayes when Qizhen is in front of him, then I may have to kill him,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Yuze asked him the reason to do that.


    ¡°Because he is a coward,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°It is not wrong to be a coward when you have to save someone whom you love more than your life,¡± Yuze opined.


    L¨®ng Wei gazed at him and chuckled. ¡°Was it even necessary to save that loved one? In the end, she also had to die,¡± he asserted and recalled the red scroll that he got from Wen Yazhu. He decided to leave and stepped up when he heard Yuze say.


    ¡°He wanted his son to live a life to the fullest,¡± Yuze pronounced. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s brows furrowed and his fingers curled.


    He chuckled again and told Yuze not to give him ridiculous reasons.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, no mother wants her child to be away from her. No mother wants her child to despise her. If your mother did that, then don¡¯t you think there¡¯s a reason hidden behind that which she could never reveal? Even with her death, she told you the half-truth. That¡¯s why I want you to find answers for you to live a life of satisfaction,¡± Yuze affirmed.


    ¡°What if Qizhen is dead?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s not dead. He will die after seeing his son. Fulfill your destiny, L¨®ng Wei, and bring out the truth. You have met many who lost their families after your father was chased away by his younger brother. Most importantly, you will find the truth about why Li Hua¡¯s family was murdered,¡± Yuze proimed.


    L¨®ng Wei nodded his head and asked Yuze if Qizhen was his disciple.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°A True King.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei was puzzled to hear that. In his eyes, Qiu Qizhen was nothing but a coward, who let his brother harm him and his people.


    He told Yuze that he woulde to him after he found out about Qizhen.


    ¡°I will wait for that day, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Yuze said with a smile.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled a little and left the hut. He went deep into the forest while deeply contemting. After a while, he halted in his steps and saw some huge rocks stacked in one ce. He climbed above them and sat down. From there, he could see the outstretch of the capital.


    He slid his hand into his inner pocket and took out the red scroll. He opened it and read the message in it, which no one could decipher.


    ¡°It is one of the poems she wrote and recited daily,¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured.


    A LAND OF LAKES, EXQUISITE FLOWERS, AND PICTURESQUE HILLS.


    ¡°Qizhen lives at this ce, where they both first met. She must have left the clue about this ce. The ce I never wanted to visit, sadly, I have to go there,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a bit of annoyance in his voice.


    ¡°When you both loved each other so much, then you both must have fought till the very end. I cannot betray my father, who gave me everything. Even though I am your son, in my heart and my mind, my father is Qiu Zedong,¡± L¨®ng Wei mumbled as he closed the scroll.


    He stayed there for a while. The clouds were scattered in the sky, so the sunlight was not intense. The wind flow at this part was good, so he didn¡¯t feel hot.


    ¡°It is calm here. I should have brought Li Hua here. She would have loved it.¡± He decided to leave as Li Hua was alone in the pce. He yawned as he could not take a sleep in the carriage and his head started aching.


    He got down from the stacks of rocks and hurriedly left for the pce.


    As he crossed the pce ground, he encountered Kang Huijuan.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei!¡± Kang Huijuan astonishingly said and bowed at him.


    L¨®ng Wei walked up to him and throw a punch at him. His jaw hurt badly because of the punch when L¨®ng Wei grabbed him by the cor of his outfit. ¡°I think I did a mistake by keeping you alive,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while ring at him.

 Chapter 431

    431 The Real Xiaoming


    Kang Huijuan wiped the blood from his lips from the back of his palm. He red at L¨®ng Wei, who grabbed his cor and pulled him close. ¡°Did I not tell you to stay away from Li Hua? How dare you even meet her gaze?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him as he was ready to hit him for the second time when Qiu Mu held his hand.


    He pushed L¨®ng Wei away and asked him to stop.


    ¡°Do not insert your nose in my matter!¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a stern expression and told him to leave.


    ¡°You cannot order me,¡± Qiu Mu stated.


    ¡°And you cannot intervene in my matter. I have told you many times not to tell me what I should do,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. He was ready to push Qiu Mu away when Mingquan came there and held L¨®ng Wei¡¯s arm. He tilted his head to gaze at the Fourth Prince.


    ¡°I do not understand why both the princes were preventing this bastard from me. He even came to my manor in my absence and said something against my wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated briefing them and saw Kang Huijuan had a nonchnt expression on his face.


    Qiu Mu turned to look at Kang Huijuan. ¡°Why did you enter the manor of the Prince when he was not around?¡± He demanded an answer from Kang Huijuan.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± Kang Huijuan apologized as he did not want this matter to get stretched. Today, he was given the official decree from the King, that he would uplift the suspension from him.


    ¡°Do not even ask for forgiveness. I will kill you, Kang Huijuan. The mistake I did by sparing your life, I will rectify it today,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and yanked off Mingquan¡¯s hand from his arm when Qiu Mu ced his hand on his shoulder.


    .....


    ¡°Be mindful of your actions, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Mu said with a menacing look.


    ¡°Come with me. I have to tell you something,¡± Qiu Mu said. When L¨®ng Wei did not get ready to leave with him, he dragged him away with him. Mingquan told Kang Hujiuan to remain within his limits and went behind his two brothers.


    Qiu Mu took L¨®ng Wei to a pavilion and let go of his arm. Mingquan also reached the pavilion and heard Qiu Mu speak.


    ¡°I have found out that the Queen was the one, who tried to kill Li Hua,¡± Qiu Mu revealed to L¨®ng Wei. He gazed at Qiu Mu with an astonished look, wondering how he found out about it.


    ¡°I investigated an assassin and he told me that Her Majesty was the one, who gave the order to attack Li Hua. I have not told about this to anyone yet except you and,¡± he tilted his head to nce at the Fourth Prince, ¡°Mingquan.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, Brother Mu?¡± Mingquan asked him and took a step toward them. ¡°What if the assassin is lying?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Days before the attack on Li Hua, I handed an envelope that had a message from her well-wisher. I would like to check it,¡± Qiu Mu stated. L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes, wondering what he should say in that matter. After a few seconds of deep thinking, he decided to let Qiu Mu do what he felt was right.


    The Queen must be punished for her evil act.


    ¡°I will ask Li Hua about it,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°Why did youe to me instead of going to our father and General Hei?¡± He was curious to know.


    ¡°Because the assassin is no more. He was fed poison in the meals and he told me about it before taking his meals. He wanted to tell me something more, but he could not,¡± Qiu Mu said with a frustrated sigh. L¨®ng Wei was happy that the assassin died because if he had told the real reason behind Ye Yujin¡¯s death, then Xiwan might have gotten into a problem.


    ¡°Who could give the poison to the assassin?¡± Mingquan asked. ¡°When did it happen? Why did Brother Mu not tell our father earlier?¡± He questioned again.


    ¡°Her Majesty might have done this. I cannot believe that she took such an extreme step,¡± Qiu Mu affirmed. ¡°I think that your wife got a message from the queen as bait,¡± he opined as he looked at L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei was surprised to find this side of Qiu Mu. He thought he was dumb, but he was clever.


    ¡°I will demand the harshest punishment if it is the Queen,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. He found it easier to punish Zhu Liling.


    Qiu Mu nodded his head. L¨®ng Wei brought them to his manor. He asked Li Hua about the scroll that Qiu Mu had given her. She nodded and handed Qiu Mu the envelope that had a folded sheet inside it.


    Qiu Mu opened it and he furrowed his brows together to read it. ¡°It is the handwriting of Her Majesty,¡± Qiu Mu said and looked at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Why did she send such a kind of message?¡± he asked Li Hua.


    L¨®ng Wei took the letter from him and read it. ¡°Because she knew that Li Hua woulde out of the pce to find out the truth rted to the massacre of her family,¡± he proimed.


    Qiu Mu told them that he would tell about it to their father. Li Hua looked at L¨®ng Wei and waited for his answer.


    ¡°A storm wille into the pce,¡± Mingquan stated and advised them that they should tell about it to Xiaoming first.


    ¡°No. We will go to the King,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. He wanted to see if Xiaoming was the right person to be the future king. His today¡¯s decision would show the real Xiaoming to all of them. Would he let his mother hang to death or would he try to protect her?


    Qiu Mu, on the other hand, wanted to throw Zhu Liling out of the Queen¡¯s position because she was the one, who humiliated his mother when she was in prison. He wanted his mother, Xiuying, to be the next Queen.

 Chapter 432

    432 I will step down


    Xiaoming had his head rested on Jin Yu¡¯sp and had his eyes closed. ¡°Did you find anything about your father?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Not yet. Brother Mingquan investigated Kang Xi¡¯s past, but he isn¡¯t the one,¡± Jin Yu answered. ¡°I asked Brother Mingquan to look into Li Zixuan¡¯s past,¡± she affirmed.


    ¡°Hmm. I will also resume that work,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Sister Jingfei is getting married the next week. The Crown Prince should spend a day with his sister as she will leave soon,¡± Jin Yu advised Xiaoming, who opened his eyes.


    ¡°I cannot spend an entire day with Sister Jingfei. My duties do not permit me. I will have my lunch meals with her tomorrow,¡± Xiaoming stated. In the morning, when Eunuch Sun Fuguo informed him about it, he was happy. Also, he was astonished to find out that Jingfei herself refused to marry Huang Xi.


    He held Jin Yu¡¯s hand and brought it close to his mouth. She confusedly nced at him when he kissed her knuckles and gradually opened his eyes.


    He sat up on the mattress and then, turned to look at her. His fingers entangled in the locks of her hair as he brought his face closer to her. Their lips brushed and they parted their lips to kiss each other.


    Xiaoming grabbed her hands and their fingers intertwined. His fingers moved sensually over hers and his lips were ever so gentle. He sucked on her bottom lip and a small moan escaped her mouth.


    They stopped when Sun Fuguo called from outside and told Xiaoming an important matter hase.


    .....


    Jin Yu retreated and they slowly opened their eyes to look at each other. Jin Yu gestured for him to leave. Xiaoming got down from the bed and wore the shoes. ¡°It is even difficult to get private time,¡± he asserted and walked away.


    Sun Fuguo informed Xiaoming about the news that he received from the King¡¯s manor. ¡°What? Mother nned the attack on Li Hua?¡± Xiaoming was shocked to learn about that.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, the Second Prince has brought the evidence with him. The assassin, who told the truth to the Second Prince before his death, has confirmed it. He was poisoned an hour ago,¡± Sun Fuguo informed Xiaoming.


    The Crown Prince frowned. He had not expected that his mother would take such a step. L¨®ng Wei would not spare her and asked for stringent punishment for her. Soon, Xiaoming reached the King¡¯s manor, wherein the main courtyard, he saw all the princes and princesses.


    His mother was on her knees and he looked at his father, who was at the top of the five stairs. He nced at L¨®ng Wei, who had his eyes on him. He took a step forward when the King¡¯s two consorts and concubines walked past him.


    ¡°Is it true? Did Her Majesty try to kill Li Hua?¡± Noble Consort Xiuying asked.


    ¡°I heard that Prince Qiu Mu has the evidence of it,¡± Virtuous Consort Ruoxi stated and looked at the King.


    Qiu Mu ascended the stairs and handed the letter that the Queen had given to Li Hua in her writing. Qiu Zedong opened it and read the message. ¡°Her Majesty wanted the Princess Consort toe out of the pce so that she could kill her through the assassins that she had sent,¡± Qiu Mu affirmed.


    A dark look appeared on the King¡¯s face and he lowered his hand. ¡°Why did the Queen do this?¡± He queried as he recognized the writing.


    Zhu Liling stayed silent when Qiu Zedong raised his voice at her.


    ¡°Why is the Queen silent? She should answer me!¡± Qiu Zedong roared and it feared everyone present there. This anger of the King, hardly anyone had seen, especially the Queen.


    ¡°I-I di-did it,¡± Zhu Liling admitted her crime while keeping her head down.


    L¨®ng Wei stepped up toward her and got on his knees in front of her. ¡°You should not have done such foolishness. You left such a big clue behind,¡± he proimed. Zhu Liling looked into his eyes which were misty. She pleaded with him to help her, but it seemed almost an impossible thing now.


    ¡°I will take the punishment on my mother¡¯s behalf,¡± Xiaoming said and stepped up. He got on his knees next to his mother and lowered his head.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and stood up. He got aside and looked at the King, wondering what his decision would be. He wanted a death sentence for Zhu Liling for harming his wife.


    ¡°Son, do not do this,¡± Zhu Liling stated.


    ¡°It will be wrong if the Crown Prince takes up the punishment on his mother¡¯s behalf,¡± Xiuying said. ¡°The Queen tried to kill a royal family woman, which only has one punishment.¡± She looked at Ruoxi as both of them smiled.


    ¡°I will step down from the position of the Crown Prince, Royal Father. Since my mother did such a heinous act, I will take full responsibility for it,¡± Xiaoming pronounced. ¡°I request the Royal Father to leave my mother and punish me for it,¡± he pleaded with Qiu Zedong. Jingfei started to cry seeing his brother on the knees, pleading for their mother¡¯s life.


    Xiuying turned happy to hear Xiaoming¡¯s words. She looked at her son and felt so proud of him. Finally, he could the Crown Prince¡¯s position.


    L¨®ng Wei could not believe that Xiaoming would do such foolishness. He wanted to step down as the Crown Prince because of her mother¡¯s crime. He could not let this happen, and he decided to speak.


    ¡°Royal Father, I would like to call my wife here. Since she is the one, who suffered from it, so she must get the right to decide on the Royal Mother¡¯s punishment,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Everyone looked at L¨®ng Wei with astonishment. Tianjie wondered why L¨®ng Wei had not asked for a death sentence for Zhu Liling. If he wanted, he could demand it. However, he asked something which was unexpected to all of them. What was exactly going on in his head?

 Chapter 433

    433 Over-qualifies the other princes


    Qiu Zedong furrowed his brows together. His Queenmitted a crime in everyone¡¯s eyes and if he would not punish her, then it would bring questions to his justice. His consorts, his concubines, and his children had their eyes on him as they wanted him to speak.


    He was in a big dilemma!


    When Xiaoming announced that he would like to take the punishment on his mother¡¯s behalf, it infuriated the King. However, when L¨®ng Wei intervened and asked him to let Li Hua decide on that matter. Qiu Zedong liked the suggestion of his youngest son and agreed to it.


    ¡°I allow Li Hua toe here,¡± Qiu Zedong said and nced at Eunuch Gao Bing to bring Li Hua there.


    Xiaoming kept his head low because his father had not told him to raise his head. They all waited for Li Hua to arrive. However, before that Jin Yu arrived in the courtyard of the manor. She furrowed her brows together as she came to a halt.


    Qiu Mu clenched his jaw as L¨®ng Wei interceded in his n. The opportunity to be the next Crown Prince he did not want it to slip off his hand. He wanted his mother to be the next queen and for that, he had to put every effort on this.


    ¡°Royal Father, it will be wrong not to punish the culprit behind the crime. Many innocent people have lost their lives in this attack. In my opinion, Royal Father must deliver the justice to those people,¡± Qiu Mu put forward his views.


    ¡°Since when the Second Prince start to think about innocent people?¡± L¨®ng Wei snickered as he gazed in his direction. He knew that Qiu Mu wanted to be the next Crown Prince and wanted his mother to be the next Queen, but he could not let that happen.


    The answer he wanted to find from Xiaoming, he already had found. Xiaoming did not ask the King to forgive his mother. Instead, he was ready to take that price of her crime. He realized that Xiaoming indeed possessed the qualities of a good king and in the future, he must sit on the throne amongst them all.


    .....


    ¡°My wife reacted on this matter after Her Majesty sent her the message by faking that she was the person, who killed the Xu Family. If there is someone, who should decide on this matter, then it must be Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed and tilted his head to look at Xiaoming.


    ¡°The Crown Prince should not talk about stepping down his position because he has worked hard to reach here. We all know that more than us, Prince Xiaoming always was into work. The crime his mothermitted should not be the reason of his dethronment,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and shifted his gaze straight to his father.


    Xiaoming was overwhelmed to hear L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. When everyone was silent, L¨®ng Wei stepped up to protect him. He troubled L¨®ng Wei so much when he was young merely because of the prophecy. However, L¨®ng Wei proved him wrong today. The slight doubts that were in his mind had vanished.


    Jin Yu was impressed with L¨®ng Wei¡¯s nature. She wanted to intervene in this matter, but seeing a brother helping the other, she decided not to. She had faith in L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua that they would not let anything happen to Xiaoming.


    L¨®ng Wei heard the sound of the anklets and turned to look. He smiled to see Li Hua, who was behind Gao Bing. She peered at L¨®ng Wei and stood next to him.


    Bowing her head before the King, Li Hua greeted him first.


    ¡°Li Hua, firstly, I would like to apologize to you. You were targetted many times. This time none other than the Queen tried to take your life. I would like to know what punishment you want me to give to my Queen,¡± Qiu Zedong said while keeping his tone as polite as possible.


    Li Hua lifted her head and opened her mouth to speak. ¡°His Majesty is embarassing me by apologizing to me. I would like to know from Her Majesty why she tried to kill me?¡± she stated.


    Qiu Zedong looked at Zhu Liling, who was on the ground and asked her to tell Li Hua the reason behind it.


    ¡°I am ready to listen to the harshest truth behind such n of Her Majesty,¡± Li Hua affirmed. ¡°So, I request her to speak the truth only,¡± she urged.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei is the reason,¡± Zhu Liling replied in a low voice which was audible to Xiaoming and L¨®ng Wei only. Xiaoming was stunned to hear that answer and he felt terrible.


    ¡°Say it loudly,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a stern tone.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is the reason why I decided to kill Li Hua!¡± Zhu Liling loudly said and finally rasied her head to look at the King. ¡°He humilitaes us and always keep us below his shoes. A concubine¡¯s son became the Governor of Qinping and His Majesty did not even hesitate to give out such a decision. I was scared thinking that in the future, L¨®ng Wei might snatch the right of my son. If Li Hua would have died, then L¨®ng Wei had not dared to even talk back to me, and walk with his head high.¡±


    Zhu Liling expressed her entire thoughts to all of them.


    Li Hua heart wrenched to hear those words. Her eyes filled with tears and she looked at L¨®ng Wei who had not even a single frown on his forehead.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I want a death sentence for Her Majesty,¡± Li Hua announced her decision, shocking everyone present there. L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to look at her because this was not what he had expected from her.


    Li Hua gulped the anger that had built inside her. ¡°Just because my husband over qualifies the other princes that does not mean that one muste after his happiness. Her Majesty must be hung to death. If there was amoner in Her Majesty¡¯s ce, then he or she would have been given a death sentence without any dy,¡± Li Hua stated. Her voice was filled with angst and she had made up her mind that today, she would end the Queen¡¯s chapter.

 Chapter 434

    434 Imprisoned in her manor


    Li Hua¡¯s decision came as the result of her angst. She wasn¡¯t angry with the fact that she was tried to be harmed. She was furious because Zhu Liling wanted to harm L¨®ng Wei.


    If there was someone who was most delighted with this decision of hers, then it was Xiuying. She would be the next Queen and her son be the next Crown Prince.


    Because this opportunity would nevere again, Xiuying decided to support Li Hua.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has earned the Governor¡¯s Title because of his effort. I think Li Hua as a wife is right. If any of us ces ourselves in her shoes, then her judgement is correct,¡± Xiuying asserted and looked at Qiu Zedong.


    Jin Yu wondered what Xiaoming would say in this matter. His mother gave an exnation that no one would like to hear. How Zhu Liling could hate L¨®ng Wei to the extent that she decided to take away Li Hua¡¯s life.


    ¡°This is so wrong. You all wanted my husband to stay in the cold pce all alone, in the dark. He also deserves family love. My husband¡¯s judgement is better than the others. His Majesty gave back Kang Huijuan his powers when he was supposed to be hung. Is this way His Majesty give justice?¡± Li Hua broke down into tears and in her emotions, she blurted out many things. ¡°I don¡¯t understand this pce and the people here. My husband deserves a happy and satisfying life too,¡± she sniffled while speaking out her feelings.


    ¡°Li Hua!¡± L¨®ng Wei stood in front of her and ced his hands on her shoulders. ¡°Calm down,¡± he said in a soft tone. She shook her head and urged him to let her speak.


    ¡°Why? Why must I stay quiet?¡± Li Hua questioned him.


    Jin Yu curled up her fingers and stepped forward. ¡°Your Majesty, the act of Her Majesty must not be forgiven,¡± she requested and bowed before the King. She knew that Xiaoming might not like it, but she wanted to stand with true people. Whatever Li Hua said, she agreed with that.


    .....


    ¡°Your Majesty, I cannot be punished. When L¨®ng Wei can be spared even after killing his mother, then my crime is nothing before that. Not a single scratch can be found on Li Hua¡¯s body. I admit that I nned it, but it failed. Li Hua is safe and sound. So, I request His Majesty not to punish me,¡± Zhu Liling pleased with the King.


    Qiu Zedong fisted his palms which were behind his back. Li Hua demanded a death sentence for Zhu Liling which he had not expected. The Crown Prince was asking for dethronement while the Crown Princess asked him to punish Zhu Liling.


    The King didn¡¯t like the fact that Li Hua questioned his judgement. Why she had to bring Kang Huijuan out of the blue? She indeed had gotten emotional after hearing the Queen¡¯s words against L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei wiped Li Hua¡¯s tears using his thumbs. ¡°Don¡¯t be emotional,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t want me to be unhappy? This isn¡¯t the way you should react,¡± he made her understand and asked Gao Bing to take her to the manor.


    ¡°I do not want to,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Trust me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked for her understanding and gestured to Gao Bing to take her away. The Eunuch did what L¨®ng Wei wanted and L¨®ng Wei turned to the King.


    ¡°Forgive Li Hua for her sudden outburst. I think His Majesty should decide on this matter,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    Tianjie wondered why L¨®ng Wei still had not asked to hang Zhu Liling to death. Was it because he didn¡¯t want Xiuying to be the Queen? He pondered and gazed at Xiuying.


    Xiaoming got up, bringing a new twist to the entire matter. ¡°Earlier, I asked for my dethronement. However, after hearing the words of Princess Consort Li Hua, I decided not to take the punishment for the wrong that my mother had done. I truly wished that the hatred for Brother L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t the reason for attempting to take his wife¡¯s life,¡± He affirmed and bowed.


    ¡°I will not give the death penalty to the Queen,¡± Qiu Zedong announced and it brought a smile to Zhu Liling¡¯s lips. ¡°However, she will be imprisoned in her manor until herst breath. The services of the servants will also get limited. Though she will remain the Queen of the Kingdom. But she will not possess any power in the internal affairs of the court,¡± the King gave out his judgement.


    ¡°Noble Consort Xiuying will look after the inner pce affairs from today onward,¡± Qiu Zedong pronounced.


    That was one harsh punishment that Queen deserved. Everyone respected the King¡¯s decision and no one objected to it.


    However, Zhu Liling did. ¡°Why am I being punished, Your Majesty? I didn¡¯t kill Li Hua. She is safe. When L¨®ng Wei cannot be-¡± she paused as the King¡¯s voice roared in the courtyard of his manor.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has been punished for the wrong he did to Concubine Yu Jun. He has asked me to give him the death penalty, but I didn¡¯t do that. After today, if anyone brought the past, then he must be ready to get punished,¡± the King scolded the Queen first and then warned everyone of them.


    ¡°I am disappointed in the Queen. Take her away from my sight!¡± The King ordered and the two soldiers quickly came to Zhu Liling¡¯s side. They requested her to stand up which she did. With a nk expression, she left the manor.


    Qiu Zedong looked at L¨®ng Wei and asked him to follow him while he dismissed everyone from there. He was annoyed with all that nuisance. But he was hurt too seeing that his Queen hated L¨®ng Wei merely because of his odd nature and the prophecy that he carried.


    L¨®ng Wei went behind his father while the others left except Xiaoming and Jin Yu.


    Jin Yu approached him when Xiaoming said, ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei must be hurt.¡± He looked at her with frown on his forehead.

 Chapter 435

    435 I have to kill Qizhen


    The servant filled the sses of father and son with tea before leaving with Gao Bing. As the door closed, the King picked up the teacup and sipped the tea. L¨®ng Wei looked at the tea when he heard his father speak.


    ¡°It should not have happened,¡± Qiu Zedong stated and ced the cup lightly on the table.


    ¡°Why did you not give me the death penalty the day I killed my mother?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and tapped his fingers on the cup. ¡°I do not care if the world judges me. But I get affected when Li Hua cries seeing and hearing all such things,¡± he demanded the answer from his father.


    ¡°I could not do that. I love my every child equally. I have forgiven many crimes of my children. Xiaoming also tried to me you for the murder of the forty servants, I did not either punish him. Concubine Jun never loved you, so your anger on her was licit,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at his father and knitted his brows. This was the answer that he had not expected from him. ¡°If I go on the right path, then will people stop looking at my past?¡± He questioned. ¡°I only want to have a happy life, Father. I do not even want what the other princes aim for,¡± he stated.


    Qiu Zedong hummed as he recalled how Qiu Mu and Xiuying wanted him to give a death sentence to the Queen.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, I apologize on the Queen¡¯s behalf. The things which happened today must not have urred. You have done some of the great workstely and it truly made me proud of you. Your father will never lose his faith in you. He will always cherish you,¡± Qiu Zedong assured him.


    L¨®ng Wei curled his fingers around the teacup and brought it to his lips. He drank the tea and looked inside the empty cup. ¡°Father, do you mean it?¡± L¨®ng Wei raised his eyelids and gazed at his father. ¡°If I find out Qizhen, allow me to kill him for you,¡± L¨®ng Wei requested his father. His fingers tightened the hold around the teacup.


    ¡°Bring him alive to the pce. I have to question him. The things which left in the past, I have to find those answers,¡± Qiu Zedongmanded his son.


    .....


    ¡°What kind of answers, Father?¡± L¨®ng Wei ced the cup on the table and curiously waited for Qiu Zedong¡¯s reply.


    ¡°In the past, I failed to ask him who his wife is! What if his wife is alive and has a child? That can be a threat to us in the future,¡± Qiu Zedong proimed.


    ¡°I understand,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°I hope they are dead,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated while gazing straight into his father¡¯s eyes. He stood up and bowed before Qiu Zedong. ¡°Li Hua must be waiting for me,¡± he stated and left for his manor.


    As he came out of the King¡¯s manor, he turned once to look inside. ¡®Do you know that I am not your son?¡¯ L¨®ng Wei thought in his mind and frowned. He fisted his palm and cursed his fate for having such aplex life.


    ¡®If I have to live a peaceful life with Li Hua, I have to kill Qizhen. His existence never mattered in his life. I know I will be selfish here, but it is necessary to put an end to my miserable past.¡¯ He thought to himself and turned to go ahead.


    As he entered the western corridor, he saw Xiaoming in the pavilion and stopped. Xiaoming soon covered the distance between them and apologized to L¨®ng Wei for her mother¡¯s actions.


    ¡°How much does the Crown Prince trust his mother?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    Xiaoming was a little confused to hear that question. After today, his trust had lessened in his mother. However, she was his mother. He would not be able to hate her fully or abandon herpletely.


    ¡°She also decided to kill the Crown Princess. Eunuch Lishi died wrongly. I was the one, who manipted the truth and helped your mother. In return, I asked for her support for me, but she decided to do something which made me tell the truth to you,¡± L¨®ng Wei revealed the hidden truth to Xiaoming.


    ¡°That cannot-¡± Xiaoming paused as he was unable to form the words. ¡°She has epted Jin Yu,¡± he stated with a bewildered expression.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°Crown Prince Xiaoming, do not be too straight that people will take advantage of you. Your mother wanted to kill Jin Yu. She did not want her son to find out about it. You are lucky that Jin Yu knows martial arts, else she would have been dead that day,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and stepped forward to leave, but he halted.


    ¡°The Crown Prince does not need to apologize to me for her mother¡¯s fault,¡± he stated and walked away.


    Xiaoming was shocked to learn the truth. All this time he thought that his mother respected his choice. So, that was all a y? She only pretended to ept Jin Yu. How could she do this to her son? He wanted answers from her and went to her manor to ask about it.


    However, Xiaoming was stopped. The two soldiers told him that on the King¡¯s instructions, the Queen was imprisoned within those four walls of her manor. No one was allowed to meet her until the King himself gave out permission.


    He returned to his manor with an upset look. Jin Yu was going to lose her life because of his stubbornness. Sun Fuguo bowed at him, but he ignored her and went straight inside Jin Yu¡¯s chamber. She rose to her feet and asked him if he met L¨®ng Wei when Xiaoming hugged her tight.


    Jin Yu was unable to breathe and tapped on his shoulder. ¡°It is ufortable,¡± she managed to utter when Xiaoming pulled away.


    ¡°Forgive me, Jin Yu. I was indeed foolish to believe that my mother wanted my happiness,¡± Xiaomingmented.


    ~~~~~~~


    A very Happy Thanksgiving Day to all of you. Your unconditional, unexinable support encourage me to write the stories. I am overwhelmed to see dailyments, votes, GTs etc. You all are special to me.


    HAPPY READING ??

 Chapter 436

    436 Choosing his happiness [Bonus chapter]


    Li Hua was standing with her back to L¨®ng Wei on the patio. She waited for L¨®ng Wei to return, but it took him a lot of time. She looked at the sky and found some clouds in the sky. ¡°It will rain,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°Rainy season ising,¡± she heard L¨®ng Wei¡¯s voice and tilted her head to her left. ¡°I promised to take you out. I will fulfill that soon,¡± he said and gazed at her.


    Li Hua closed the distance between them and hugged him. Her side face rested on the middle of his chest. ¡°I will never leave His Highness,¡± she whispered. His hand wrapped around her shoulder and he smiled a little.


    No exchange of words happened. Only the bodily warmth was shared. L¨®ng Wei loved being in Li Hua¡¯s arms. That happiness he got every day after finding that there was his wife, who wanted to be with him in any situation.


    ¡°Why did the Prince send me away?¡± Li Hua questioned him.


    ¡°You turned emotional,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Li Hua lifted her head and looked into his eyes with a pouty face.


    ¡°Did she get the death penalty?¡± Li Hua inquired.


    ¡°No. She is imprisoned for her entire life. Her powers are snatched. The inner pce power is with Noble Consort Xiuying now,¡± L¨®ng Wei briefed her.


    ¡°Oh. She should have died though.¡± Li Hua still wanted Zhu Liling to be dead.


    .....


    ¡°If she had been dead, then Noble Consort Xiuying would have acquired the throne. Do you know what she had done first? Dethrone Crown Prince Xiaoming and give the crown to Qiu Mu, which I could never let happen. When the right timees, the Queen will definitely get her punishment. Let¡¯s wait till then,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her.


    Li Hua realized that L¨®ng Wei was careful with every aspect of the pce. Xiaoming was still better than Qiu Mu, and it would have brought turmoil in the pce if Xiaoming had stepped down from the throne.


    L¨®ng Wei stroked Li Hua¡¯s hair ever so gently and told her that he wanted to take a rest. Li Hua pulled away and held his hand. She took him to the bedchamber. She pulled the curtains on the window while L¨®ng Wei took off the overcoat. He removed his shoes and got on the bed.


    Li Hua used a few incense sticks and burned them on the incense burner. She closed the lid above that and saw L¨®ng Wei was waiting for her toe. ¡°Your Highness, do you want me to give you a gentle head massage?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No. Just lie next to me. I want to cuddle you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Li Hua nodded and removed the hair essories. She put them on the dressing table and went to the bed. L¨®ng Wei moved back on the bed and Li Huay next to him.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled the nket up and put his arm above her waist. He rested his hand on her back and drew her close.


    ¡°Li Hua, I want to tell you something important,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°I think that the King knows about my truth. He has given me the work to find out about Qizhen,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Li Hua was shocked to learn the truth.


    ¡°But if His Majesty has known all this, then why is he quiet?¡± Li Hua questioned him.


    ¡°It is just my assumption, Li Hua. I am not sure. Father told me that he wants to ask Qizhen about his wife and child. I am confused thinking why Father has this urge to know about the past,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Maybe this was the question that His Majesty asked your mother when she was alive,¡± Li Hua opined. ¡°But she never told him,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°She would have told me this before her death. She only said that no one knows about my truth except her. I know she lied because there are a few, who already know about it. But then, Qizhen is the one, who told them all this, not her,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    ¡°Then what will His Highness do?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°I have not thought yet,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. He could not tell Li Hua that he had made up his mind to kill Qizhen. Another sin he was ready tomit. But because they messed up with his life, he did not care about it.


    Li Hua felt that L¨®ng Wei was again in stress. She asked him not to think too much at the moment. ¡°What if the previous king is no more? Forgive me for saying such a harsh thing, but he-¡±


    ¡°He is alive, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei rified to her.


    Li Hua was stunned to find that L¨®ng Wei seemed confident while dering such a statement.


    ¡°How does His Highness know?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°The scroll that I handed you earlier was from my father. My mother gave it to him and he carried it all the way to Qijiang with him. Wen Yazhu saved his life after he was defeated by his own younger brother. Wen Yazhu told me that he searched for the answer through that scroll, but he never found out,¡± L¨®ng Wei narrated in brief to Li Hua.


    ¡°Then, does His Highness know about the ce where the previous king lives?¡± She curiously asked.


    L¨®ng Wei nodded his head. ¡°However, I have to make sure that I am guessing the right ce,¡± he asserted. ¡°She always recited the same poem that she had written for Qizhen. I heard her when I was a kid. Will you apany me to the ce where all this began?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°Of Course, Prince L¨®ng Wei.¡± Li Hua readily epted his request. ¡°I will love to see the ce where your father¡¯s and mother¡¯s love story started. We will uplift the curtain from the truth, which was hidden not only to us, but the entire world,¡± she enthusiastically said.


    L¨®ng Wei half-heartedly agreed with her because, in his mind, his motive was only one thing- Choosing his happiness over the others.

 Chapter 437

    437 A Secret Lover


    Qiu Mu was irked because the position of the Crown Prince slipped off his hands so easily. However, amidst that ruckus, a good thing happened. His mother had bestowed the inner pce power.


    ¡°Mother, Li Hua had opened the door to the throne, but L¨®ng Wei spilled water on that,¡± Qiu Muined to his mother. Xiuying told her son not to be upset about it.


    ¡°However, we found out one thing in all these ruckuses. L¨®ng Wei will get quiet or most probably, he will die if Li Hua is removed from her life,¡± Xiuying stated. Qiu Mu drew his brows close and asked her not to do such a thing.


    ¡°What does Prince Mu mean?¡± Xiuying queried him.


    ¡°If Mother is thinking of harming Li Hua, then she must not do this,¡± Qiu Mu stated.


    Xiuying was bewildered to hear that statement from his son. She thought he would tell her to find a way to remove Li Hua from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s wife. But the opposite happened. ¡°Let this matter go. Did you meet Kang Cha Ying?¡± She asked with a curious gaze.


    ¡°I could not get the time to meet Miss Kang,¡± Qiu Mu replied. ¡°I was investigating this matter,¡± he informed his mother.


    ¡°Now, the matter has been solved, so the Prince can meet Cha Ying at her home. The Prime Minister will be delighted if Prince Mu go to their house. Prince Mu should strengthen his rtionship with the Kang Family,¡± she advised her son.


    ¡°Mother, I have to help L¨®ng Wei in searching for Uncle Qizhen. I think that I have to dy meeting with Miss Kang for a while,¡± Qiu Mu stated.


    .....


    ¡°But I have already told Prime Minister Kang that you will go to the Kang Residence to meet all of them,¡± Xiuying proimed.


    ¡°I will inform Prime Minister Kang Xi not to make any arrangements for me. Currently, finding Uncle Qizhen is important,¡± Qiu Mu said with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Ex-General Ye was a great warrior, yet he ended up dying so brutally. Uncle Qizhen has be powerful after getting defeated by the Father,¡± he deduced, and deep frowns appeared on his forehead. He was concerned thinking that if Qizhen had an army then it could be a threat to them.


    ¡°Qizhen was of timid nature. I was betrothed to His Majesty when he was in the position of the General. Along with me, Sister Ruoxi and the other sisters had also be his concubines. However, Qizhen did not marry a single woman at that time. He was not a good fighter either. The death of Ye Yujin came out as a shock to everyone,¡± Xiuying briefed a little to his son about the past.


    Qiu Mu was stunned to learn all those things. He never knew that Qizhen had not married despite he was the King of the Qiu Kingdom.


    ¡°Was Uncle Qizhen not older than the Father? Why did he not marry anyone?¡± Qiu Mu waited for his mother¡¯s to reply. ¡°Maybe that time he was not a good fighter, but so many years have passed,¡± he opined.


    ¡°Your Father is only a few months younger than Qizhen. There were rumors that time that Qizhen had a secret lover, but he never revealed about her,¡± Xiuying replied to the first question about her son.


    ¡°That is a possibility that he trained all these years. But Qizhen was not even capable of bing the King,¡± she remarked and chuckled as if he was mocking Qizhen¡¯s capabilities. ¡°He was lucky to be the eldest son. As you know that your father was the son of the consort, not the Queen, so hecked many rights,¡± she added.


    ¡°Why was uncle Qizhen not capable of bing the King?¡±


    ¡°He was too kind and his policies were not liked by the ministers of that time. Moreover, he had not married any woman, so that was another reason to take away the throne from him,¡± Xiuying stated.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Qiu Mu was astonished to find all such information about Qizhen. When he was young, he had not heard much about him or his other uncles except the fact his father killed them.


    ¡°Your father was quite protective of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother. Today when the Queen said that L¨®ng Wei became Governor of Qinping, I felt a little odd too. I think His Majesty still has Concubine Jun in his mind. For her, he forgave L¨®ng Wei¡¯s crimes. Concubine Jun entered the pce after your father acquired the throne. L¨®ng Wei has got some perks because of Concubine Jun,¡± Xiuying said as she tightly clutched the bolsters which were ced on the two sides of the chaise.


    Qiu Mu could see the anger on his mother¡¯s face. So, that was the reason that L¨®ng Wei was alive even after he killed his mother. Because Qiu Zedong liked Yu Jun more than all of his women. So, he could not get rid of her son. Qiu Mu pondered.


    ¡°I used to think that L¨®ng Wei did not get the death penalty because of the prophecy that old monk made,¡± he muttered.


    Xiuying raised her eyes and gazed at her son. ¡°That is another reason, Prince Mu,¡± Xiuying stated. ¡°But the chief reason was His Majesty¡¯s likeness towards Concubine Yu Jun,¡± she rified to Qiu Mu.


    ¡°Mother, L¨®ng Wei is already on a path where he is contributing towards the Kingdom and its people. So, I have no problem with him anymore,¡± Qiu Mu stated. Recently, he had seen that L¨®ng Wei had started to respect his elders too. He did not want to keep any more enmity with L¨®ng Wei.


    He rose to his feet and bowed before his mother. ¡°I should leave, Mother. I am happy that you get such an important power in the pce,¡± Qiu Mu said and lifted his head.


    Xiuying blessed him. ¡°It all happened because of the smartness of my son. I am so proud of Prince Mu,¡± she gave the credit for this to Qiu Mu. He smiled at his mother and then, left her chamber.

 Chapter 438

    438 You define the present me, Li Hua


    Tianjie was seated on the mattress with his left elbow resting on the bolster while his right knee was in the air. His left leg was t against the mattress while he had the handkerchief in his right hand. The one that Song Jia gifted him.


    He wanted to throw it away in Qijiang, but he could not. Probably because she was his first love. Tianjie chuckled thinking how he could even fall in love with a woman this madly.


    Eunuch Shi Rang walked in and bowed before the Third Prince. ¡°Your Highness, the bathhouse is ready,¡± Shi Rang informed Tianjie, who was lost in Song Jia¡¯s thoughts.


    Upon getting no response, Shi Rang lifted his head a little. Behind the translucent white curtains, Tianjie had his eyes fixated on the handkerchief in his hand.


    Shi Rang was perplexed to see that sight and lowered his head.


    Tianjie brought the handkerchief to his nose and inhaled the scent of it. He knew his heart already belonged to Song Jia. ¡°How could I be this weak to fall for her?¡± He questioned himself as he rested his hand on his chest to feel his heart beats.


    Those were not normal indeed. He chuckled to find how fast his heart was beating with the mere thoughts of Song Jia.


    ¡°Eunuch Shi Rang, do you know whom I will marry?¡± Tianjie questioned.


    ¡°Forgive me for being unable to answer it, Your Highness. His Majesty has not decided anything on this,¡± Shi Rang replied. ¡°After the First Princess marries off, His Majesty will decide on the marriage of His Highness,¡± he replied.


    .....


    ¡°Oh. I hope I get a good marriage proposal,¡± Tianjie stated and sat up finally. He folded the handkerchief and got down from the bed. He put it inside a box, which Shi Rang noticed, but didn¡¯t ask anything rted to that.


    ¡°Eunuch Shi Rang, I met a woman in Qijiang Province. Her beauty is unexceptionable. Had she belonged to a good noble family, I would have married her.¡± Tianjie didn¡¯t hide his desire to marry Song Jia to Shi Rang.


    ¡°Your Highness, to have great political support you have to marry a woman from a strong political family. However, if His Highness likes someone, then he can take her as a concubine,¡± Shi Rang advised Tianjie.


    ¡°It is difficult to handle one wife. How will I handle two?¡± Tianjie asked him. He had no intention to make Song Jia a concubine. She would have no right to him and it would only hurt him to see her away from him.


    If he took in an official wife, she might harm Song Jia because if she entered the pce as Tianjie¡¯s concubine, he would only love her. He didn¡¯t want that to happen to a woman, whom he loved wholeheartedly.


    He left for the bathhouse while he kept thinking about her.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei was seated inside the bathtub for more than thirty minutes. All the time, he only thought about his past, his mother¡¯s negligence, and her hatred for him.


    ¡°Yuze thinks it was fake,¡± he mumbled. ¡°How could it be fake? Why did she even fake it? She ruined me.¡± He always med her for his present self. He wanted to be warm like others, but he could not have that feeling except for Li Hua.


    When he returned to the chamber in a white silk robe, he found Li Hua waiting for him. Seeing him, she got delighted and asked him why he took so much time in the washroom.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t reply to her and asked her if she would help him get dressed.


    Li Hua hummed and took the outfit from the maidservant¡¯s hand. ¡°I had ordered a dress for His Highness when he was away. I wanted him to wear it today,¡± Li Hua expressed her wish.


    ¡°Come,¡± L¨®ng Wei went to the dressing chamber while Li Hua followed him. She slid the door behind her and ced the outfit on the table.


    ¡°Please take a seat,¡± Li Hua urged and L¨®ng Wei sat down on the puffy stool in front of the dresser. Li Hua picked up the clean towel and started to dry his hair. Gently.


    L¨®ng Wei lovingly looked at her through the mirror before him. His eyes lingered on her lips to notice that smile and then on her eyes, which had a glint in them. Was she happy to be with him? His heart thumped against his chest and he liked this feeling.


    Once his hair was dry, Li Hua made a bun ok the top of his head. She put a bun holder around and pinned it. She looked at the mirror and found it looked perfect. Later, she helped him get ready in that outfit.


    She was on her toes to button the overcoat from his shoulder when L¨®ng Wei wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her close. Their bodies pressed against each other and their eyes met.


    ¡°Do you want to go with me to the government office? I will show you around,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. His fingers stroked the locks of her hair.


    ¡°His Highness earlier said that there will only be men. Women are hardly allowed,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Since I am the Governor, so I can even allow my woman toe with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I am ready to go,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Great.¡±


    Li Hua ced her hands on the top of his shoulders and kissed his cheek. ¡°His Highness works hard. I am proud to be his wife,¡± sheplimented him.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled and ducked his head to capture her lips in a delighted kiss. He nibbled her lips and her hands locked around his nape. A rush of something sweet flooded her senses as she kissed him with equal passion.


    Slowly, they parted when L¨®ng Wei cupped her face warmly and nted a soft kiss in the middle of her forehead. His thumbs caressed the edge of her jaws as he peered into her eyes.


    ¡°You define the present me, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei confessed the deepest desire of his heart. ¡°I love you and will always do. If the Gods exist, I want them to bring me to you in every birth we take on this earth.¡±

 Chapter 439

    439 Hurting me


    ¡°The Crown Prince does not look good since yesterday. Is it because the mother got imprisonment?¡± Jin Yu asked Xiaoming, who had not eaten well thest night. He did the same now. He had not touched the breakfast meals before him.


    Xiaoming was troubled by the truth that L¨®ng Wei told him on thest day. His mother tried to snatch her son¡¯s happiness merely for the support of a powerful family. He could not tell Jin Yu about it because her chief fear was that she would be killed if she agreed to be Xiaoming¡¯s wife.


    What if she started to hate him? What if she decided to leave him? He had failed to protect her.


    Jin Yu ced her hand above Xiaoming¡¯s hand and caressed it. ¡°Your Royal Highness, please do not scare me. What happened? At least, share with your Jin Yu. That will be better to relieve your stress,¡± She urged.


    ¡°I am upset because of my mother. Nothing more. I cannot even see her until my Father allows me,¡± Xiaoming stated. He again refrained from telling the truth to Jin Yu. He did not want her to get hurt or saddened.


    He picked up the chopsticks and handed them to Jin Yu. ¡°Let¡¯s eat,¡± he said. Though he had no urge to intake food, for Jin Yu¡¯s happiness, he forced himself to eat. In his mind, he questioned himself if he could even be the next King. He blindly put faith in his mother and failed to see that she was his enemy. L¨®ng Wei easily found that out and it made him inferior.


    He had told his mother that he would acquire the power, then why she undermined his capabilities? His hold on the chopsticks tightened, which Jin Yu noticed. She found his jaw tightened as he chewed his food.


    ¡°Xiaoming!¡± Jin Yu pronounced his name and he looked at her. He looked dazed when Jin Yu took the chopsticks from him and ced them on the saucer. She took a deep breath and asked, ¡°Will you tell me what has happened? Why are you acting strange? Before answering me, let me remind you. You have to be honest with me,¡± she affirmed.


    Xiaoming again tried to lie when Jin Yu reprimanded him.


    .....


    ¡°You are supposed to be honest with me, Xiaoming. Are you going to keep the matter inside you and die internally because of it? Don¡¯t you think that I, your wife, need to know everything rted to you? Do not make me beat you to put some senses in you,¡± Jin Yu got infuriated to see that behavior of Xiaoming.


    Xiaoming lowered his eyes as if he was in extreme guilt. ¡°Jin Yu, I do not want to hurt you,¡± he said.


    ¡°You are hurting me by not telling me the truth and hiding it from me? Do you think seeing you upset, I will remain happy? No! That is why tell me what is the matter? Why are you so troubled since thest day?¡± She requested as she got calm.


    ¡°Jin Yu, I promise you that I would never let you get harmed if you be my wife. I could not fulfill that promise. I am ashamed to say that my own mother fooled me to believe that she had epted my love for you wholeheartedly. She never did that. It was all an act and the day, you went out with Li Hua, it was an attack on you not her. My Mother wanted to kill you, Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming finally confessed the truth to her. His head had lowered with shame. He did not want to meet his gaze with hers as he failed to keep his promise.


    Jin Yu curled her fingers and her brows came closer. She was shocked to learn that the attack was meant for her on that day. She was close to death that day.


    But it was not Xiaoming¡¯s fault, then why he took the me? Why he apologized to her as if he was the culprit? The most important question was who told all this to Xiaoming?


    ¡°How did you find out this truth? It was revealed to everyone that-¡± she paused as she recalled it was L¨®ng Wei, who brought the truth in front of everyone. Did he lie to everyone? But, why?


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei told me the truth yesterday. My Mother requested him to do so. I had assured you that nothing would happen to you, but your life hade to danger. Forgive me, Jin Yu. My mother does not trust my capabilities neither she trusts my choice. I am so disappointed in myself,¡± Xiaoming said. His entire morale had dropped down after the truth came before him.


    ¡°What kind of things are you bbering? Is this way are you going to be our King? I did not love that Xiaoming, who loses his entire confidence because of such small things,¡± Jin Yu stated and he again met her eyes. ¡°Disappointed in yourself?¡± she chuckled.


    ¡°Xiaoming, I understand your mother. She is the Queen and for her, I am not a perfect woman for you. However, her opinion never mattered to me. Had it bothered me, then I would have never married you. I trust my Crown Prince and his capabilities. Do you know more than me Prince L¨®ng Wei trusts you? Today, Prince Qiu Mu could have be the next Crown Prince if you were dethroned, but Prince L¨®ng Wei does not trust him. He trusts you and your capabilities. We all do and will always do.¡±


    Jin Yu gave Xiaoming a good lecture. She did not want him to doubt himself. ¡°I have always told the Crown prince not to lose his confidence in himself. He is in the seat of the Crown Prince because he understands its value more than anyone. Also, do not apologize to me for the things you never did. Jin Yu will never leave Xiaoming. She has promised her to be with him till herst breath,¡± she stated with a wide and bright smile on her lips.

 Chapter 440

    440 Fruitful Oues [Bonus chapter]


    Jingfei asked permission from her father to meet her mother, but he refused. She asked Qiu Zedong if he would keep her mother locked forever. Her eyes had tears and the anger was on the tip of her nose.


    ¡°The Queen has been punished, Princess Jingfei. Her crime was punishable. That¡¯s why she is enclosed in the four walls of her manor. Do not argue with your father over this,¡± Qiu Zedong said, who was seated on the throne.


    ¡°But Li Hua is safe, Father. She didn¡¯t get harmed in any way,¡± Jingfei stated and lowered her eyes. She wanted to remain humble in front of her father.


    ¡°Sister Jingfei, her life could have gotten into danger. Luckily, the trained soldiers were with her. Else, it would have been difficult for her to survive,¡± Xiaoming said as he halted next to his sister while holding a scroll in his hand.


    Jingfei turned to her brother and bowed at him.


    ¡°Father, forgive my sister for her stubbornness. I will converse with her regarding this matter,¡± he stated and looked at the scroll in his hand.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei should leave,¡± the King opined.


    Jingfei nodded and bowed at her father before leaving.


    ¡°Father, I would like to ask permission from you to let me do a thorough search on the ministers. Wu Zihao almost betrayed Father. I do not want this incident to repeat again by some other minister,¡± Xiaoming opined and stepped up. He handed the scroll to Gao Bing and told his father that he brought the request in writing so that his investigation would not be questionedter.


    .....


    Eunuch Gao Bing ced the scroll on the desk before the King and stepped back while keeping his head low.


    Qiu Zedong opened the scroll and read the request from Xiaoming. He smiled and picked up the royal stamp. ¡°I hope the Crown Prince carries out this work well,¡± He asserted as he stamped at the bottom of the written request.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty. I will surely do my best,¡± he stated. Eunuch Gao Bing folded the scroll and handed it back to Xiaoming.


    ¡°Does the Crown Prince want to speak something more?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°Father, forgive me for my yesterday¡¯s behavior. I stood up for the wrong,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    ¡°A child will always stand for his mother. It was not a fault of the Crown Prince,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei will marry next week. However, the current situation is asking me to dy her marriage. But if I do this, then Prince Mu¡¯s marriage day be affected. What does the Crown Prince suggest to his father in this matter?¡± Qiu Zedong wanted to know Xiaoming¡¯s opinion.


    ¡°I think Sister Jingfei¡¯s marriage should go smoothly. I request our Royal Father let Sister Jingfei meet our Royal Mother,¡± Xiaoming affirmed. ¡°Since she will get married and will hardlye to the pce after her marriage, she must spend her time with our mother,¡± he suggested to his father.


    Qiu Zedong thought for a few seconds before he granted permission for it. Xiaoming thanked his father for acknowledging his suggestion.


    ¡°The Crown Prince should meet Noble Consort Xiuying after meeting the Queen,¡± the King told him. Xiaoming nodded and again thanked his father before leaving the court.


    As he stepped out of therge doors, he found Jingfei there. He smiled at her and informed her that their Father permitted them to see Zhu Liling.


    Jingfei jumped in happiness And thanked her brother to make Father agree to it.


    They descended the stairs when Xiaoming asked her if she liked Jianjun after having a conversation with him in person.


    ¡°Yes, Brother. I liked his nature,¡± Jingfei said and a blush crept on her white cheeks.


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Xiaoming had not forgotten how Huang Xi said that he hated Jingfei and it made him furious at him for a while. But now seeing Jingfei happy, he realized that it happened for a good reason.


    They both reached the Queen¡¯s manor, where the soldiers let them go in. Mi Yao informed the Queen about her children¡¯s visit, which delighted Zhu Liling.


    The door opened and her both children walked in. They greeted her when Jingfei went to her mother and hugged her tight. Xiaoming didn¡¯t go close to his mother and it troubled Zhu Liling.


    Jingfei conversed with her mother for a while and assured her that Father would forgive her soon. Xiaoming interceded between them and told her to leave.


    ¡°I have an important matter to discuss with Mother,¡± He gave a vague reason. However, Jingfei didn¡¯t question her brother further and silently left the chamber.


    Zhu Liling went to her son to hug him when he took a step back and told her not to expect the sweet gesture from his side.


    Zhu Liling furrowed her brows together. Her son had started to distance himself from her. It all happened because of L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua. She could not help but curse them when Xiaoming nced at her with disappointment in his eyes.


    ¡°It is an irony to see that you do not have any remorse for your evil acts. How could you even think of harming an innocent person?¡± He didn¡¯t want to be angry at her, but his mother¡¯s acts made him.


    ¡°Li Hua isn¡¯t innocent, Son. She is-¡± Zhu Liling reached out her hand to hold Xiaoming¡¯s arm gently, but he yanked it off, thus making her stop speaking.


    ¡°Why did you try to kill Jin Yu?¡± Xiaoming finally asked his mother the question that he wanted to since yesterday.


    Zhu Liling widened his eyes as he found L¨®ng Wei telling Xiaoming the truth.


    ¡°You know how much I adore Jin Yu, yet you did that. I hate you, Mother. I never wanted to,¡± Xiaoming stated and turned to leave when his mother stopped him. She stood in front of Xiaoming and held his arms.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Son. I can bear every sort of evil word, but not the words of yours,¡± She said with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°You should have trusted me till the end. Removing Jin Yu from my life would not have given you fruitful oues. This is thest time I came to see you. Do not me others for this state of yours. You deserve this,¡± Xiaoming affirmed and pushed his mother away.


    He controlled his anger as he didn¡¯t want to disrespect her in any way. Zhu Liling ran after Xiaoming, but he walked as fast as he could. The soldiers closed the main entrance doors, thus stopping Zhu Liling to step out. She cried while falling to the ground. Xiaoming took a deep breath as he negotiated the five stairs.


    ¡°I wish you were not filled with the greed of power,¡± he murmured before walking away.

 Chapter 441

    441 A day wille...


    L¨®ng Wei told the servant to bring water for them. He turned to look at Li Hua and asked her to take the seat. Li Hua shook her head and looked around the office. She saw the table which had many scrolls, documents, and registers on them. ¡°Will His Highness finish all of them today?¡± Li Hua concernedly asked.


    ¡°No. I will have to merely put approval stamps on them. Zhai Liang, my assistant, has already gone through all these,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Oh. That is good then,¡± Li Hua said.


    The servant brought two sses of water on a tray. L¨®ng Wei picked up the one and handed it to Li Hua. ¡°Here, drink it first,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her. Li Hua almost drank that when he stopped her and tasted the water to make sure there was no poison. Once he was sure, he let her drink that water.


    L¨®ng Wei wiped her lips using his thumb and asked Li Hua to sitfortably on the chair. Once he took his seat, L¨®ng Wei sat at the main chair around the desk.


    ¡°Your Highness, will you show me the Governor¡¯s seal? I want to see it.¡± Li Hua expressed her wish. L¨®ng Wei nodded his head and opened the drawer on the desk using the key. He brought out the seal and showed it to Li Hua.


    ¡°Is there any special reason to see it?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Hua nodded her head. ¡°This seal has a special meaning. Not everyone can possess it. The Prince has it and this in itself is a proud feeling. With this seal, the entire Qinping¡¯s work happens,¡± Li Hua asserted with a wide smile on her lips. She lowered her eyelids to look at the seal. ¡°If His Highness¡¯s mother were here, then she would have been proud of him,¡± she stated.


    L¨®ng Wei did not agree with her. ¡°She would have still hated me,¡± he stated.


    .....


    Li Hua peered at him. ¡°His Highness does not understand a mother¡¯s heart. She pretended to hate you. She loved you till herst breath. The reason she always showed her hatred all the time toward her only son had a bigger reason behind it,¡± Li Hua stated with a confident tone.


    L¨®ng Wei did not know why Li Hua said such words to him. ¡°I would love to know that bigger reason then,¡± he asserted and shifted his gaze toward the door as he heard the footsteps.


    Li Hua put the seal back into the box and found L¨®ng Wei¡¯s facial expressions changed. She turned to look and found a man in histe forties bowed before L¨®ng Wei.


    The man raised his head and looked into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Why are you here, Yu Wenyan?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°Mother wants to see her grandson before dying. It is her dying wish,¡± Yu Wenyan stated.


    Li Hua¡¯s eyes grew slightly bigger as she realized that the man was L¨®ng Wei¡¯s uncle.


    ¡°Why? Did she not curse me to die? Now, she is on her deathbed, she wants to see me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. His facial expressions darkened as he recalled the day when his maternal grandmother hade to the pce ground to ask for justice for her daughter.


    ¡°Your Highness, your maternal grandmother will pass away soon. Please fulfill my mother¡¯s dying wish,¡± Yu Wenyan requested L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I do not want to,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and called in Zhai Liang. He quickly rushed in when L¨®ng Wei scolded him.


    ¡°Why did you let him enter? Do you have a death wish?¡± L¨®ng Wei suddenly turned furious. Zhai Liang apologized for his mistake. ¡°Take him away,¡± hemanded and looked in the other direction when Li Hu decided to intervene.


    Yu Wenyan was expecting this only from L¨®ng Wei. He had not changed a bit. He had heard from the people that L¨®ng Wei had be slightly warm towards the other people. It seemed all those were a mere illusion. He turned to leave when Li Hua stopped him.


    L¨®ng Wei gazed at Li Hua in bewilderment. She rose to her feet and went to Yu Wenyan.


    ¡°We wille to see the grandmother, Uncle Yu,¡± Li Hua assured him. ¡°Ahh, I am Li Hua, the wife of Prince L¨®ng Wei. I apologize to uncle Yu on Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s behalf.¡±


    ¡°Li Hua!¡± L¨®ng Wei mmed his hand on the table. She turned to look at him and found him infuriated. ¡°Do not intervene in this matter,¡± he said while controlling his anger. Zhai Liang was nervous thinking that L¨®ng Wei might pick up his sword.


    ¡°Take him away!¡± L¨®ng Wei instructed Zhai Liang again, who told Yu Wenyan to follow him. They both left while Li Hua scowled at L¨®ng Wei. She lifted her high-waist skirt and dashed out of the room. L¨®ng Wei pressed his fingers on the temple of his forehead.


    ¡°Uncle Yu!¡± Li Hua loudly said this time. He stopped and turned to look. Zhai Liang also gazed in her direction when she stopped in front of them.


    ¡°I will bring Prince L¨®ng Wei to see his maternal grandmother. Tell her to wait for us,¡± Li Hua said with assurance.


    ¡°Her Highness is not aware of the Prince. If he has refused it, then he will note. I know my nephew well. I did not want toe to him after what he did to my sister, but my mother expressed her desire to see Prince L¨®ng Wei before dying. I will advise Her Highness not to go against the Prince. He may take away her life too,¡± Yu Wenyan did not hesitate to utter those bitter words at the end. He turned and walked ahead.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has a warm heart, Uncle Yu,¡± Li Hua said with a smile on her lips. Zhai Liang nced at Li Hua in astonishment.


    Yu Wenyan tilted his head to gaze at Li Hua.


    ¡°Her Highness is a foolish woman, then,¡± Yu Wenyan stated.


    ¡°I am not, Uncle Yu. Prince L¨®ng Wei wille to see his maternal grandmother. A day wille when you will apologize to your nephew. I know my husband more than anyone,¡± Li Hua stated.


    Yu Wenyan did not say anything in response. He looked ahead and walked away from the corridor. Li Hua was hurt to hear the words of Yu Wenyan.


    L¨®ng Wei, who had leaned against the door with his arms crossed, chuckled, and then, he smiled. Li Hua stood for him and he felt blessed once again. He went back to the desk and waited for Li Hua toe inside.

 Chapter 442

    442 But this is what I am!


    L¨®ng Wei tapped his fingers on the desk and stopped when Li Hua walked in. Zhai Liang followed her when L¨®ng Wei told him to leave and also asked him not to let anyone enter the room. Li Hua stood in front of L¨®ng Wei with her head low.


    L¨®ng Wei heard the door closed and he rose to his feet and he went to Li Hua. She kept her head down because she knew that she made him angry by not following his order.


    When L¨®ng Wei lifted her chin, she raised her eyes to peer at him. No words were exchanged between the two and they both kept staring into each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°Li Hua, you are incredible,¡± he said and kissed her lips.


    She was stunned to hear his statement and stopped blinking her eyes. With an inquisitive gaze, she opened her mouth to speak when L¨®ng Wei pressed his index finger above her lips.


    ¡°Now, listen to me. Because I love you I will go to see my maternal grandmother,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Li Hua was astonished to hear him.


    She put his finger down and asked him, ¡°Is His Highness speaking the truth?¡± She asked. She was unable to believe that L¨®ng Wei agreed so easily. She thought that she had to make effort to make him, but no such thing happened. He did not even get angry at him and she blinked several times.


    ¡°Why would I lie about it?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her and pulled his hand which was under her chin. He took a step back and turned his back to Li Hua.


    ¡°Your Highness, why did you get angry seeing your uncle? Also, you addressed uncle Yu by his name. His Highness has promised me that he will not disrespect anyone,¡± Li Hua said in a low voice and waited for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s response, who was silent.


    ¡°Li Hua, there are a few people whom I can never forgive. I know I look like an evil person, but this is what I am! You can despise me for my this side,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Li Hua could feel the pain hidden behind those words. She remained silent for a few seconds before she took a step toward him and hugged him from behind.


    .....


    ¡°His Highness has a weak memory,¡± Li Hua said and L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to look at her. She had her temple resting on his back.


    ¡°Li Hua will always be Prince L¨®ng Wei. I know his acts make people despise him, but I am different. I love even that evil side of His Highness,¡± Li Hua admitted the deepest feelings for him. She lifted her head and found him gazing at her. He held her hands and gently moved in her direction.


    ¡°Li Hua, thank you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and smiled at her.


    ¡°What did happen in the past that made His Highness hate his maternal side too?¡± Li Hua asked him. She did not force him to answer as she knew that it must be difficult for him.


    ¡°I will tell you when we return after meeting her,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Li Hua nodded her head and asked him if he would not start his day¡¯s work.


    ¡°Today, I cannot work. It will take us two hours to reach my maternal house,¡± L¨®ng Wei informed her.


    ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Then will we leave now?¡± She inquired.


    L¨®ng Wei nodded at her. ¡°Li Hua, promise me that you will not intervene if I get angry.¡±


    ¡°His Highness shall not get angry,¡± Li Hua said as she furrowed her brows together. ¡°His maternal grandmother is on her deathbed and it will not be right to say anything bad to her,¡± she advised L¨®ng Wei. She held his hands and again looked into his eyes.


    ¡°His Highness shall show his maternal grandmother how warm he is? He should...¡± she paused, but then shepleted her words, ¡°...apologize to his maternal grandmother for killing his daughter.¡± Her eyes had turned slightly misty. ¡°Please,¡± she requested him.


    L¨®ng Wei shook her head. ¡°I never made a mistake, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and chuckled. ¡°I did what I felt was right,¡± he affirmed.


    Li Hua gulped the lump that had formed in her throat. L¨®ng Wei leaned down and hugged her. He whispered in her ear, ¡°Li Hua, I only want to keep your faith in me. It does not matter if I am a monster in others¡¯ eyes. I only care how you see and perceive me.¡±


    Li Hua caressed her back. ¡°His Highness is not a monster. He is a human... a wonderful one,¡± she said. Her words soothed his soul as if he wanted to hear only that.


    They withdrew after a while when L¨®ng Wei looked at the desk where the sealed box was ced. He put it inside the drawer and locked it. He slid the keys into his pocket and then forwarded his hand. Li Hua walked to him and grasped his hand. They both went out of the office.


    As the door opened, Zhai Liang bowed at them. ¡°I am leaving. I wille tomorrow and finish the work,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He bowed and saw them going away.


    Li Hua got into the carriage. L¨®ng Wei had instructed the chauffeur where to drive and went to the door to get in when Kang Huijuan greeted him.


    ¡°Will His Highness not wee me?¡± Kang Huijuan asked as he stepped down from the sedan chair. ¡°His Majesty grants me the power that I lost once,¡± he reminded L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei turned and bore his gaze at him. The soldiers present at the main entrance got intimidated by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Tomorrow. I will give you a grand wee, Kang Huijuan. Be ready for that,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and he turned to step into the carriage. A soldier closed its door, and the chauffeur pulled the reins on the horses.


    Kang Huijuan scrunched his nose in annoyance as he knew that L¨®ng Wei had given him the warning.


    L¨®ng Wei opened the window of the carriage. ¡°Kang Huijuan, if you do not present me the financial fraud report in the kingdom by tomorrow morning, then it will be yourst day here,¡± he tilted his head and smirked at him. ¡°Remember, I am the Governor of Qinping, and you work for me too.¡± The carriage moved forward, and L¨®ng Wei closed the window.


    Li Jianjun ended up hearing the conversation and nced at Kang Huijuan. Soon, the carriage vanished.


    Kang Huijuan turned to go inside the gate when he saw Li Jianjun.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince has given an almost impossible task to Kang Huijuan,¡± Li Jianjun said and walked past him and a servant followed him with a few scrolls in his hands.

 Chapter 443

    443 To forget Song Jia


    Tianjie set fire to the documents that he had forged. Zhang Xi nced at his brother and asked him why he did that. Tianjie peered at him and said, ¡°I think we should not do this anymore. If someone had found out about this, then it could have been an issue for us. Did you not see how the Queen is locked in her manor? I do not wish this to happen to us,¡± Tianjie stated and stared at the fire pit which had the documents burning.


    Zhang Xi was puzzled to observe a change in Tianjie. He was not this type of person. Did L¨®ng Wei threaten him? He was inquisitive to learn about it and asked about the same from Tianjie. ¡°Brother Tianjie looks different after he has returned from Qijiang. Did Brother L¨®ng Wei warn him?¡±


    Tianjie shook his head. ¡°No. I got the self-realization not to do so,¡± he responded. ¡°L¨®ng Wei is different. Li Hua was right. We missed seeing a bigger and strange part of L¨®ng Wei. He does not want to harm us. Because we forced him to see everything differently, he became like that. However, he is not our enemy until we want him to be,¡± he exined to Zhang Xi.


    ¡°Brother Tianjie is siding with Brother L¨®ng Wei. That means he has seen or noticed something in him which was never visible to us,¡± Zhang Xi interpreted Tianjie¡¯s words.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Tianjie nodded his head. ¡°Did Brother Zhang Xi notice a strange thing yesterday?¡± He asked.


    ¡°What did I have to notice?¡± Zhang Xi was perplexed by Tianjie¡¯s question.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei did not demand the death sentence of the Queen. He could have asked for that. We all know how Her Majesty has always demanded the harshest punishment for L¨®ng Wei when he was a teenager,¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°That is probably because Li Hua did not get harmed,¡± Zhang Xi asserted.


    ¡°No. It was not the reason,¡± Tianjie affirmed.


    .....


    ¡°The Second Mother could have be the Queen, and then our eldest brother¡¯s position would always be in danger. Why? Because the Second Mother would have done her best to dethrone Brother Xiaoming from the Crown Prince¡¯s seat. We all know among the Queen, Consorts, and Concubines, the King favors the Noble Consort the most. Father would not have refuted her request if she had asked him to make Brother Qiu Mu the Crown Prince. I think that is the main reason L¨®ng Wei did not ask for any death penalty for the Queen.¡±


    Tianjie¡¯s thorough exnation made Zhang Xi understand how visionary L¨®ng Wei was!


    ¡°So, Brother L¨®ng Wei protected Crown Prince Xiaoming from getting deposed from that position,¡± Zhang Xi muttered.


    ¡°And also a bloody politics to happening in the pce,¡± Tianjie asserted.


    ¡°Li Hua is brainless, and she asked for the death penalty with little thought,¡± Zhang Xi remarked.


    ¡°I would say that Li Hua turned emotional. If we get wives in the future and we get ridiculed for no reason, then our wives will definitely turn emotional. Even we would get emotional. However, as I said, L¨®ng Wei is different. He was calm in the entire situation and also handled it well.¡± Tianjie could not help but admire L¨®ng Wei for his thought process.


    The pages in the fire pit had turned into ashes. Slowly, the fire quenched, and with that Tianjie also put an end to his wrongdoings.


    ¡°Brother Mu will marry Kang Cha Ying. Has Brother Tianjie heard about it?¡± Zhang Xi asked, thus bringing Tianjie out of his thoughts.


    ¡°Shi Rang, clean it,¡± Tianjie ordered and went away with Zhang Xi while conversing with him.


    ¡°No. I did not hear about this,¡± Tianjie informed him.


    ¡°Brother Mu will be politically stronger. Father had asked for Kang Cha Ying¡¯s hand for Brother Mu, which the Kang family readily epted,¡± Zhang Xi stated.


    ¡°Kang Xi could have never let such a proposal slip off his hand,¡± Tianjie asserted and snickered.


    ¡°What about us? We also have to be politically stronger, Brother Tianjie. A daughter of a strong minister is a must for that.¡± Zhang Xi was the son of the third concubine. His position in the kingdom was not significant, so he feared that his future was not secured like the other princes.


    ¡°I wish my mother¡¯s rank were higher,¡± Zhang Xi said and sighed away. ¡°L¨®ng Wei is lucky to be the Governor of Qinping while we both have positions lower than those of the court ministers. I do not think a high-rank official would give his daughter¡¯s hand for me,¡± he added.


    ¡°We are the Princes, so eventually, we stand out among everyone. L¨®ng Wei became Governor because of his brain. We both were busy keeping the money illegally,¡± Tianjie rified to him.


    ¡°Father will definitely see better marriage proposals for us,¡± Tianjie assured Zhang Xi and patted Zhang Xi¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I hope so, but I think we should do some great work toe into Father¡¯s eyes,¡± Tianjie suggested to Zhang Xi. They stopped at the pavilion and took a seat around the table. Heid his head back and tilted it a little to look at the garden where the servants were working.


    Suddenly, his mind went to Song Jia. That day when he had gone to give her the ring, he saw her plucking flowers in the garden while dancing. Everything about her was graceful in Tianjie¡¯s eyes. He was so immersed in his deep thoughts that he did not hear Zhang Xi.


    When Zhang Xi jerked his shoulder, then Tianjie realized that he was lost for a while. ¡°What happened, Brother Tianjie? I called you many times,¡± Zhang Xi said and got back to his seat.


    Tianjie shook his head, ¡°Nothing, Brother Zhang Xi.¡± He did not want to tell Zhang Xi how he ended up giving his heart to a woman from a low ss. He recalled how he mocked L¨®ng Wei for marrying Li Hua when no one knew that she belonged to the Xu Family. He realized that he would not be able to forget Song Jia easily.


    ~~~~~~~~


    Xiaoming bowed to see the Noble Consort. Xiuying asked the Crown Prince to take the seat, and he settled on the broad chair.


    ¡°The Crown Prince is aware that I am now the head of the inner pce, so ordingly, I have devised some rules. I want the Crown Prince to take in at least a concubine,¡± Xiuying stated.


    Xiaoming curled his fingers into a fist. However, he calmly answered Xiuying. ¡°I have pledged that I will not keep any concubine. I am happy with my wife,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Is the Crown Prince refusing to fulfill mymand? I am merely doing my duty. It will not only benefit the Crown Prince but also the Kingdom,¡± Xiuying asserted.


    ¡°Second Mother, I am afraid, but I know what is good for me and the Kingdom. I have sound knowledge of it,¡± Xiaoming said and rose to his feet. ¡°I request the Second Mother not to abuse the inner pce power that she got. I should take my leave,¡± Xiaoming said and bowed at her.


    He turned to leave when Xiuying told him that he would not be able to bear the consequences of his stubbornness.


    ¡°The Second Mother is not supposed to take decisions regarding my life.¡± He turned to look at her and continued, ¡°If the Father finds out about this, then she could lose this power. One more thing I would like to remind her is that she should focus on making the inner pce stronger and secure,¡± he proimed and took a step back before heading out of the chamber.


    He was furious to find that Xiuying tried to meddle in his life. For the sake of Qiu Mu, he remained quiet. He did not want to disrespect Xiuying and create a rift between him and Qiu Mu.


    He returned to his manor while Sun Fuguo followed him in. Xiaoming extended his arms out when Sun Fuguo removed the robe from his body. He handed it to the maidservant, who left the chamber. He sat on the mattress when another servant brought a ss of water on the tray.


    He picked up the ss and drank the water. As he ced the ss back on the tray, he asked Sun Fuguo about Jin Yu.


    ¡°The Crown Princess is in her chamber. Her Highness has yet to finish her writing assignment, Your Royal Highness,¡± Sun Fuguo informed Xiaoming. He hummed and dismissed Sun Fuguo. He wanted to stay alone to bring his thoughts to one ce.


    Sun Fuguo lowered his head as he took backward and then upon reaching the door, he turned and stepped out. The door got closed and Xiaomingy down on the mattress.


    ¡°I have to talk to Brother L¨®ng Wei regarding this matter. The Second Mother may bring trouble to the rest of the princes in the future,¡± Xiaoming murmured, ¡°and even to Jin Yu. She is more cunning than my mother.¡±

 Chapter 444

    444 She was forced [Bonus chapter]


    Li Hua held L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand and stepped out of the carriage. She took a step forward and looked at therge board hanging at the top of the residence. ¡°YU RESIDENCE,¡± she read and nced at L¨®ng Wei.


    They both walked into the residence and found an unknown silence around it. A servant saw L¨®ng Wei and rushed in to inform Yu Wenyan and Yu Feizhi.


    Both the Yu brothers came out to the main courtyard where L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua were present. Li Hua greeted them by bowing her head. However, L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t do so.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Prince L¨®ng Wei toe here,¡± Yu Wenyan said and nced at Li Hua. It stunned him that Li Hua made L¨®ng Wei understand.


    ¡°Where is my grandmother?¡± L¨®ng Wei jumped directly to the matter for which he hade here.


    ¡°Follow us,¡± Yu Wenyan said and they walked ahead. Li Hua and L¨®ng Wei followed them to the room, where the old grandmother was present.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s two aunts and four cousins stood up to see him. They were truly shocked to see the Sixth Prince. When the olddy expressed herst desire to see L¨®ng Wei, they all knew that he would nevere. However, the opposite happened.


    Li Hua found inquisitive gazes in their eyes. She thought to greet them when L¨®ng Wei tilted his head and looked at her. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± He urged her.


    ¡°This is my wife, Li Hua,¡± he introduced Li Hua to them. He again looked at all of them and then at his grandmother, who slowly shifted her head on the pillow to look at Li Hua.


    .....


    Yu Feizhi saw his mother gesturing with her hand. He went to her and got on her knees asking if she wanted something.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei,¡± Lady Yu Shin said in a low voice.


    Yu Feizhi looked at L¨®ng Wei and asked him toe closer. ¡°Mother wants to see you,¡± he stated.


    L¨®ng Wei stepped up and went toward the bed. He remained standing when one of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s cousins brought a bamboo stool for him and asked him to sit on that.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t want to go close to his grandmother. But since these were herst few moments of life, he didn¡¯t say anything and silently sat on the stool, which was close to the bed.


    Yu Shin extended her hand out and rested it on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s cheek. Her eyes had tears in them.


    He was shocked by this gesture of his grandmother. He thought she would curse him before her death, but she did something unexpected.


    ¡°Give us privacy,¡± Yu Shin requested and he looked at her son, Yu Feizhi. He nodded his head and told everyone they should leave the room for a while.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s elder aunt came to Li Hua and took her outside. She peered at L¨®ng Wei once more before stepping out of the room with his aunt.


    Soon, the room emptied and the doors got closed. Yu Shin lowered her hand and held L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand. ¡°How have you been?¡± Her voice quivered as if she would break into tears anytime.


    ¡°I tried to live,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°But after marrying Li Hua, I am happier,¡± he truthfully told Yu Shin.


    ¡°Yu Jun must be happy,¡± Yu Shin said and held his hand tightly. L¨®ng Wei felt something strange in those words.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the Grandmother supposed to be angry at me? It is surprising that she is showing her deep concern for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and a chuckle escaped his mouth.


    ¡°Forgive your grandmother. However, it was necessary at that time,¡± Yu Shin said.


    ¡°Why was it necessary? Grandmother knew well how neglected I felt since the time I was born. I always questioned my existence and I still do it,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and his brows furrowed together.


    For the first time, he had this calm conversation with a person who was rted to his mother. Else, he would always get annoyed.


    ¡°I lost my precious daughter. She didn¡¯t lead a happy life. I thought that her son would understand her,¡± Yu Shin said and a tear dropped from the side of her left eye.


    L¨®ng Wei scoffed to hear her. ¡°Had she treated me well, I would have fulfilled my duties of a son.¡± He lowered his eyes and took a deep breath in, ¡°Did you know I wasn¡¯t the King¡¯s Son?¡±


    Yu Shin hummed and nodded her head. L¨®ng Wei looked into her eyes again and let out the breath that he had held. ¡°Forgive her. She was forced to behave that way,¡± she told L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Who forced her?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°You know the answer,¡± Yu Shin replied.


    ¡°She could have told me once. I was always desperate to see her smile at me. But she never once did. It always appeared to me that she never wanted me. She made me hate her,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while holding his anger back. ¡°Even if I find out the truth, I may not be able to,¡± his hand came to his chest, ¡°ever respect her, love her from the bottom of my heart.¡±


    Yu Shin cried to hear him. This was the most painful thing for her. ¡°Yu Jun will not be ever at peace then, L¨®ng Wei,¡± she said.


    ¡°She brought it upon herself,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated with a stern tone.


    ¡°If she had not been forced to be a concubine, she would have shown you her true love. She always cherished you,¡± Yu Shin tried to make her grandson understand.


    ¡°She should have died the moment she found out that I was in her womb. Don¡¯t you think everything would have been better today? I didn¡¯t have to be a sinned prince for taking her life,¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her while knitting his brows.


    ¡°She left something for you. Make your decision after reading that,¡± Yu Shin stated and asked him to check the cupboard.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to the left, where a wooden cupboard was present. Yu Shin told L¨®ng Wei to take out the wooden box from it which was kept at the bottom of the cupboard.


    L¨®ng Wei was stunned to find that his mother left something for him. But, why? He was ready to find the answer.

 Chapter 445

    445 Will be my Amulet


    L¨®ng Wei stepped out of the room and looked at his uncles. ¡°I conversed with Grandmother,¡± he stated. ¡°Li Hua and I will leave now.¡±


    No one stopped L¨®ng Wei because of their anger toward him. He stepped toward Li Hua and then held her hand. He walked ahead while she followed in his footsteps. They came out of the residence. The soldier opened the carriage¡¯s door for them. He helped Li Hua get into the carriage.


    He had raised his foot to ascend the stair when he heard his elder uncle¡¯s voice. Yu Wenyan walked up to his nephew, who turned to face him. ¡°Thank you foring here. I hope you will lead a healthy and happy life,¡± Yu Wenyan patted L¨®ng Wei¡¯s shoulder. L¨®ng Wei did not respond and got into the carriage.


    Yu Wenyan stepped back and the carriage soon vanished from his sight. Li Hua noticed that L¨®ng Wei was quiet. She wondered if Yu Shin scolded L¨®ng Wei even on her deathbed. She inteced her fingers with L¨®ng Wei¡¯s who peered at her.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled at her and looked outside the window. Li Hua rested her head on his shoulder and moved closer to him.


    ¡°Are you sleepy?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°No. I wanted to stay like this,¡± Li Hua replied and kept her eyes open. After staying silent for a while, she decided to ask him about his conversation with his grandmother.


    ¡°Did Grandmother talk well with His Highness?¡± She asked him.


    ¡°Yes. She is not angry at me anymore. I told her the reason why I killed my mother. Since it is herst time, I thought that she must know the truth,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    .....


    ¡°Then?¡± Li Hua asked as she wanted to know if he apologized to his grandmother or not.


    ¡°She handed me something which my mother had left for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Li Hua promptly lifted her head and looked at him with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°Why did His Highness not tell me earlier?¡± She suddenly turned angry.


    L¨®ng Wei shifted on his seat to face her. ¡°I was contemting, Li Hua. I think the fight is going to be tough. I am again in a dilemma and confusion. To end those negative things, I have to find Qizhen quickly.¡± He exined Li Hua a little vaguely. She wanted to know more, but L¨®ng Wei asked her to give him time.


    ¡°I need to bring my thoughts to a definite ce first before taking any step,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her.


    Li Hua nodded her head and asked him not to hide anything from her. She was worried for L¨®ng Wei because she knew he had found out something big this time.


    ~~~~~~


    Qiu Mu put the scroll on the table when a soldier informed him about the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter¡¯s visit. He knitted his brows and asked him where Cha Ying was.


    ¡°In the manor, General Mu,¡± the soldier answered.


    Qiu Mu pushed the chair back and stood up. He left for his manor to see Cha Ying. Soon, he reached the pavilion in his manor, where Cha Ying was waiting for him. She was on a chair.


    Qiu Mu descended the two stairs and went to the pavilion. Cha Ying stood up from the chair as she saw him and bowed at him. Qiu Mu also returned her greetings.


    ¡°Please have a seat, Miss Cha,¡± Qiu Mu said.


    ¡°After His Highness,¡± Cha Ying replied.


    Qiu Mu sat first, followed by Cha Ying. She apologized to him for disturbing him this way in the middle of his work.


    ¡°However, it was necessary for me. I will not beat around the bushes, Prince Mu. His Highness knows well how thest time the Crown Prince rejected me and found someone else. So, I would like to know from Prince Mu if he will marry me or if he also dislikes me,¡± Cha Ying stated.


    ¡°I never disliked Miss Kang. I epted this marriage proposal with heart, so it means that I want to marry her only,¡± Qiu Mu answered.


    Cha Ying smiled to hear him and thanked him for finding her suitable.


    Qiu Mu asked her if she would like to drink the tea. But she refused politely saying she would not waste the precious time of Prince Qiu Mu.


    ¡°Miss Cha hasn¡¯t wasted my time. She must have found out from her father that an enemy has appeared, so I am only busy looking for him,¡± Qiu Mu exined to her.


    ¡°Prince Mu works hard,¡± Cha Ying answered and picked up a bamboo tiffin box from the chair beside her. She ced it on the table and pushed it in Qiu Mu¡¯s direction.


    ¡°I have made some dishes and sweets for Prince Mu. I hope he will like it,¡± Cha Ying said with a lot of expectations.


    Qiu Mu was astonished for a second. He thanked her for preparing dishes and sweets for him. ¡°Why don¡¯t we eat it together? It is almost lunchtime,¡± Qiu Mu suggested to her.


    Cha Ying curled her fingers as she heard the word lunchtime. Last time she had lunch with Xiaoming, who rejected her after that. Qiu Mu noticed the slight frown on her forehead and asked her if she was notfortable eating with him.


    ¡°No, Your Highness,¡± Cha Ying promptly replied.


    ¡°Then, why are those lines of worry on Miss Kang¡¯s forehead?¡± Qiu Mu questioned.


    Cha Ying didn¡¯t refrain from being honest with Qiu Mu and told him about her slight fear that developed because of her previous experience.


    ¡°I liked Miss Cha... Always. I would have loved to see her as the Crown Princess. However, I have heard from one old monk: that couples are decided by Heaven. I think Miss Cha was always destined for me,¡± Qiu Mu stated with a bright smile.


    Cha Ying¡¯s heart fluttered to hear his words. She never expected to hear such words from any man, especially from a prince, after Xiaoming¡¯s rejection. She smiled and nodded her head at him.


    Qiu Mu stood up and carried the tiffin box. ¡°Pleasee with me,¡± Qiu Mu said and they both left for his chamber to have their lunch.


    As they settled around the floor table, Cha Ying helped the maidservant in setting the food on the table. Once theypleted that work, Qiu Mu dismissed the maidservant.


    Cha Ying handed him the chopstick and he began eating. She waited for him to answer about the food taste. ¡°I do not know whether the food is up to His Highness¡¯ taste or not,¡± she hesitantly said.


    ¡°It is delicious, Miss Cha,¡± Qiu Mu said and asked her to begin eating. Cha Ying turned happy to hear that and picked up the chopsticks to eat.


    Soon, they finished eating and Cha Ying stacked the boxes of the tiffin box before closing it. She kept it aside and saw Qiu Mu had a curious gaze at her.


    ¡°Does Prince Mu want to say something?¡± Cha Ying questioned him.


    ¡°I want to give something to Miss Kang,¡± Qiu Mu asserted and looked at his wrist. The thick silver bracelet that he always wore around his left wrist, he removed it.


    Cha Ying astonishingly looked at him when he asked her to forward her left hand. She extended her left hand out to him. Qiu Mu made her wear that bracelet and said, ¡°It is precious to me as my father gifted me this when I won against the Northern Kingdom. This amulet carries luck for me,¡± he told her.


    ¡°Then, His Highness must keep it to himself,¡± Cha Ying stated.


    ¡°I believe that Miss Kang will be my amulet from now on,¡± Qiu Mu said and held her hand gently while caressing it. Cha Ying felt warm and knew that Qiu Mu would keep her happy.

 Chapter 446

    446 The night he never wanted to recall


    Li Hua and L¨®ng Wei arrived at the pce. They had their lunch together, after which L¨®ng Wei left the manor saying he had important work to do. Li Hua knew that he wanted to be alone again, so she did not stop him.


    L¨®ng Wei encountered Mingquan in the corridor, who smiled at him. ¡°Can we have a conversation, Brother L¨®ng Wei?¡± Mingquan asked.


    ¡°Later, Brother. Currently, I want to go somewhere,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and bowed his head a little before walking ahead. Mingquan turned to look and watched him going away. He decided to go and see Xiaoming as he had to inform him about something important.


    Sun Fuguo opened the door of the Crown Prince¡¯s chamber to Mingquan and he walked in. He bowed before Xiaoming and took the seat on the chair. ¡°Your Royal Highness, I have found out something important about Minister Li Zixuan,¡± he stated and took out an envelope from the inner pocket of his upper robe.


    Xiaoming took it from him and took out the folded paper from inside it. The paper was yellow and old. He started to read the document and looked at Mingquan. ¡°Where did Brother Mingquan find this?¡± After finishing reading, he asked Mingquan.


    ¡°It was in the oldest record-keeping house of the kingdom. It was difficult to find, but an old servant who served in Minister Li¡¯s house for more than thirty years has told me about it. Minister Li had a wife, but she died. The document has the date of his first wife,¡± Mingquan exined to Xiaoming.


    ¡°Does the Crown Prince want to investigate further in this?¡± Mingquan asked.


    ¡°Yes. Jin Yu¡¯s mother might be the woman that Li Zixuan had mentioned in the document,¡± Xiaoming asserted. ¡°Did the old servant tell Brother Mingquan if Li Zixuan had any child with his first wife?¡± He queried.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, he said that the first wife of Li Zixuan died because of an illness,¡± Mingquan replied. ¡°It may be a lie,¡± he added.


    .....


    ¡°I also think the same. Thank you, Brother Mingquan. Now, I will look into this matter and reach the depth of the truth,¡± Xiaoming proimed.


    ¡°Do I need to look into the history of the other ministers?¡± Mingquan asked him.


    ¡°Currently that is not needed, Brother Mingquan,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Does the Crown Prince want my help in this? The Crown Princess may not be able to go out of the pce because of the order that His Majesty has given after the attack on Princess Consort Li Hua. The Crown Prince may need someone to help him in the investigation,¡± Mingquan suggested to Xiaoming.


    ¡°If Brother Mingquan is not busy with the other work, then I will be d to take his help,¡± Xiaoming opined.


    ¡°I am not, Your Royal Highness.¡± Mingquan smiled at the Crown Prince. They had a conversation for a while before the Fourth Prince took his leave as he had to meet Xu Zifan regarding an important matter.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei looked around the personal chamber of his mother. For a long time, he only gazed at the portrait of his mother. He had never thought that a day woulde when he would feel guilty for not understanding his mother. He did not want to feel low because he took his mother¡¯s life, but after the meeting with his maternal grandmother, he felt upset.


    However, amidst those thoughts, he kept telling himself that he did nothing wrong.


    He walked in and went to the bedchamber of his mother where he killed her that night. The night which he never wanted to recall. That night was still vivid for him. It seemed that it all happened yesterday.


    He curled his fingers and fisted his palms. ¡°You promised me that after you would leave my life, I would never have to think about the wrong you did to me. You could not either keep your promise with me,¡± he murmured as he looked around the chamber.


    His eyes fell onto the study desk which was close to the window and the patio. He walked there while taking out the key from his pocket. The key that Yu Shin had handed him. When he asked his grandmother why she was giving him this now, her answer amused him.


    Yu Jun wanted it toe to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand when he would go to see Yu Shin willingly whenever she would ask him to. Such peculiar condition it was! He got on his knees and sat on the mattress around the floor desk.


    Inserting the key in the keyhole of the drawer, he opened it. The lock opened and he pulled the drawer. The one thing that L¨®ng Wei could not understand if Qiu Zedong knew the truth, then why he did not try to open this floor desk. He must have tried to search for the reasons behind her death.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes widened when he found out that the drawer was empty. He checked it well, but he did not find anything there. His mind suddenly turned nk because his grandmother had told him that he would find thest message from his mother after he opened that drawer.


    But it was empty!


    He pushed in the drawer and quickly locked it. He stood up and for the first time, his heart beat in fear. A strange and unexinable fear!


    Who could take it away? What it could be about? Many questions popped up in his mind at that instant. He turned and left the chamber without getting anyone¡¯s notice. He wanted to see his grandmother, Lady Yu Shin, again. Only she could answer what was in the message for him.


    He descended the stairs in haste when he got hit by Tianjie, who wasing from the market after roaming around. He scolded L¨®ng Wei for not looking ahead and walking straight. But when he did not get any reply in return from L¨®ng Wei, he turned to look.


    ¡°Where is Brother L¨®ng Wei heading to in such a rush?¡± Tianjie mumbled and thought to go behind him.

 Chapter 447

    447 When I find out the truth


    Tianjie lost L¨®ng Wei midway. He pulled the reins of the horse and the horse neighed. He looked around as the people gathered around, thinking about what the Prince was doing.


    ¡°Where did he go?¡± Tianjie mumbled. He urged the horse to move forward again by gently pressing his calves on the horse¡¯s sides. He rode the horse for a few hundred meters, but L¨®ng Wei was nowhere to be found.


    Tianjie furrowed his brows together and wondered where L¨®ng Wei could possibly leave in such a hurry. He decided to return to the pce and turned his horse left by pulling the left on its left side while keeping the right rein steady.


    He stopped the horse as he saw several people had gathered a few meters away from him. One of the men was beating the drums loudly as if he was ready to make an announcement anytime.


    ¡°Listen! Listen! Listen!


    Dear Ladies and Gentlemen!


    The famous Qijiang¡¯s Province Dancer is in the city of Qinping after three years. Young Lady Song will stay in the city till the asion of the Qiqiao Festival in the capital.


    The Tickets to see the performances of Young Lady Song will be distributed from tomorrow onwards. Do not miss this chance to attend the show this time.¡±


    Tianjie was stunned to hear the announcement. Song Jia was in the Capital to perform! That was unexpected to him. He was happy and bothered at the same time.


    .....


    The woman he wanted to forget about was now so close to him. He wanted to go to her and see her, but a selfish part of him had stopped him.


    He wondered why Song Jia traveled such arge distance merely to perform in Qinping. He wanted to check on her once and found the answer to it.


    ¡®I will not go near her and will only check why she is here,¡¯ he told himself. He hopped down from the horse and then started to walk toward the crowd.


    The people, mostly men had started to move out of their ways despite the excitement to know where the tickets were sold and bowed their heads.


    ¡®No, I cannot ask anything directly about Song Jia. The people will start making stories about me and Song Jia,¡¯ he thought and stopped. He changed direction and walked ahead.


    He had decided to send a servant from his manor to find the whereabouts of Song Jia. Once he would find where she was staying, he would himself go there and check if she was treated well.


    ¡°I have gone mad. Since when a woman started to bother me this way,¡± he murmured as he continued to walk.


    Themoners were confused to see Tianjie on the streets of the capital. After a certain distance, Tianjie mounted the horse and rode back to the pce.


    ~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei panted as he reached outside the Yu Residence. He saw people had gathered around the residence. Some were inside while some were outside.


    He got off the horse and rushed in while asking the people to move away. The sound of weeping fell into his ears and his steps slowly came to a halt.


    His grandmother was dead. He looked at his uncles, and aunts, who were mourning for Yu Shin. L¨®ng Wei fiddled with his fingers as he realized that there was nothing left now.


    His eyes met with his cousin brother, but he soon averted them and turned to leave. The people had their eyes on him. Not because they knew he was the Prince but because they had never seen an elite-looking man ever before in this region.


    He walked out of the residence. It seemed to him his world had been crushed apart. He was so close to the truth, but then he was pushed far from it.


    Even at this moment, he wasn¡¯t upset about his grandmother, Yu Shin¡¯s death, but about his failure to reach thest message that his mother, Yu Jun, had left for him. He was so desperate to get this message, but heaven didn¡¯t want this.


    He had held the saddle and was ready to mount the horse when he heard a masculine voice.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head and looked at his eldest cousin brother. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Yu Linzhen said and bowed at him.


    ¡°What?¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t look in a pleasant mood and red at him.


    ¡°At least pay Grandma yourst respects,¡± Linzhen opined.


    ¡°No. I am not eligible to do that,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and turned when Linzhen¡¯s words made him contemte.


    ¡°Her anger toward Prince L¨®ng Wei left when she asked for him toe and see her. Soon, her journey to the afterlife will begin,¡± Linzhen asserted. ¡°She will be at peace if his only grandson from her only daughter pays her hisst respect,¡± he rested his words and let L¨®ng Wei decide.


    ¡°Maybe I will give herst respect when I find out the truth,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and he mounted the horse. Linzhen raised his head to look at the prince.


    However, L¨®ng Wei did not meet his gaze and left on the horse for the pce. He had a lot of things on his head. A drop of rain fell on his cheek, he slowed the horse¡¯s speed and looked up at the sky.


    ¡°When did these clouds gather in the sky?¡± He mumbled. The horse had stopped by now and the few people, who could be seen on the pathway had run to their houses.


    L¨®ng Wei had stopped with his horse in the middle of the road to the pce. His hair turned wet and so was his face. His clothes had drenched slightly in that rain which only turned heavier.


    He got down the horse and took it to the nearby tree to prevent them from drenching in rain.


    The drops of water fell onto his cheeks through the gaps in the leaves and he waited for the rain to stop.


    ¡°I never chased for anything like this in my life,¡± He muttered andid his back on the trunk of the tree.

 Chapter 448

    448 To choose only one [Bonus chapter]


    L¨®ng Wei reached the pce in the evening. The soldiers at the main pce gates were astonished to see him in that state. He was all drenched from top to bottom. One of the soldiers came forward to whom L¨®ng Wei asked to take away the horse.


    L¨®ng Wei soon reached his manor and ensured that Li Hua would not see him. He peeked inside the door first before stepping in. When he did not see his wife around, he silently walked into the manor and turned to go to his chamber.


    He closed the door from inside and headed to the changing dress room. He halted in his steps as his eyes fell on Li Hua, who was sleeping on the floor mattress around the floor table. He realized that she had waited for him for a long time.


    Without making any noise, he went to the changing room. After changing into a clean outfit, he came to the main room. He first carried Li Hua in his arms while ensuring he would not break her sleep.


    L¨®ng Wei settled her gently on the mattress and then pulled a nket to cover her with it. He caressed her hair and then nted a gentle kiss on the top of her forehead. He sat on the floor while his back rested against the footboard. He had his arms over his knees which were in the air and his hands joined.


    He let out a sigh which was a mix of regret and anguish. Everything rted to his past was a mystery to him. The more he tried to join the clues, the moreplex it would get. Now, the thing or the message that his mother had left for him was not even present at the ce where it should be.


    ¡®I have to find Qizhen soon else all this will keep troubling me. Father might have also begun the search to find him. The way my grandmother told me about the past depicts only one thing that Father had some evil intentions.¡¯ He thought to himself and lowered his head. He was stuck between two people.


    In the end, he had to choose only one person. He could never choose his real parents over the person, who protected him all those years. He had made up his mind earlier too. But after having a conversation with Yu Shin, his mind had other thoughts as well.


    ¡®Should I go to Yuze and consult about it with him?¡¯ L¨®ng Wei thought.


    .....


    He shook his head after he recalled what Yuze told him. ¡®Yuze would never tell me the truth. If he had to, then he would have in all these years,¡¯ L¨®ng Wei thought.


    He deeply sighed again and looked up at the ceiling as he rested his head on the mattress. L¨®ng Wei closed his eyes and fell asleep in that position.


    ~~~~~~~~


    Tianjie wore the overcoat after the servant informed him that Song Jia was staying in a residence that a minister had made for her three years ago. He had gifted her that residence when she hade to Qinping to perform.


    Tianjie did not feel good when he found out that Song Jia epted a residence as a gift from a random minister in the kingdom. What if the minister tried to go close to her? He left to meet Song Jia after asking the servant about the directions.


    Because of the rain, the road was filled with mud. It was difficult for Tianjie to ride the horse more, so he got down it after covering a certain distance. Huang Xi, who was heading to his residence ended up seeing Huang Xi from the horse carriage and he asked the chauffeur not to turn it to his residence.


    Instead, he asked him to stop the carriage. Huang Xi quickly stepped out of the horse carriage and called for Prince Tianjie in an enough loud voice.


    Tianjie stopped walking and turned to look.


    ¡°Your Highness, where are you heading to at this hour?¡± Huang Xi asked as he approached him and looked at the horse, whose hoofs were covered in mud.


    Tianjie did not want to tell Huang Xi about it, but if he would lie to him that not be appropriate.


    ¡°Song Jia is in the capital,¡± Tianjie could not hide from Huang Xi and truthfully told him the reason why he wanted to see her. Since Huang Xi was the person with whom he had shared a lot of his inner desires, so telling him was no harm at all in his eyes.


    ¡°Then, I will drop His Highness in the horse carriage,¡± Huang Xi offered help to Tianjie. ¡°It is already evening and the sky is covered in clouds. I will send this horse with another soldier back to the pce,¡± he stated and turned to look. The soldier, who had apanied Huang Xi came forward and left for the pce with the horse.


    Tianjie got into the carriage and after him, Huang Xi stepped in. The carriage started to move and they headed toward the destination where Song Jia was staying.


    ¡°Your Highness, Song Jia will get suspicious to see at her ce,¡± Huang Xi opined, ¡°what I mean is that the Third Prince had lied to her about him when he met her in Qijiang Province,¡± andpleted his words.


    Tianjie blinked a few times before replying. ¡°I will not go in front of her. I have to ensure that she is safe there,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°If His Highness has such strong feelings for her, then he should not refrain from pursuing her. Song Jia affects His Highness in a way which is indescribable to him too,¡± Huang Xi¡¯s words made Tianjie contemte. He himself was astonished to see this side in him. He was restless to see her and was worried for her. This never happened with him.


    How could his mere infatuation toward Song Jia be so strong that he came out of the pce at that hour? Or was it love which he did not want to ept fully?

 Chapter 449

    449 Am I not enough for you?


    ¡°Why did the Crown Prince not visit me since the morning? I kept waiting for him in the evening too, yet he didn¡¯te,¡± Jin Yuined as she came to see Xiaoming in his study chamber. She then turned and left ge there.


    Xiaoming put the scroll on the table and went after her. Sun Fuguo had followed Xiaoming when hemanded him not toe behind him.


    ¡°Where did she run to?¡± Xiaoming muttered as he lost Jin Yu. He looked around but didn¡¯t find her. He went to check her chamber. However, when Court Lady Hong told him that the Crown Princess had gone to see him, he got panicked.


    ¡°Where did she go?¡± He mumbled and asked the Court Lady to search for the Crown Princess.


    He went to the pavilion to check, but to his dismay, Jin Yu was not present there either. He continued the search and even looked for her in the mini-garden of his manor, but didn¡¯t find her there either.


    The servants in the manor had also begun Jin Yu¡¯s search until Sun Fuguo found her in the backyard. Instead of going near the Crown Princess, he decided to inform the Crown Prince about this.


    Xiaoming rushed to the backyard before instructing Sun Fuguo to tell the servants to return to their work. He caught up his breath as he reached the backyard, where Jin Yu was seated on the wooden floor of the patio.


    He took a deep breath and went to her when she asked him to stop.


    ¡°Forgive me, Jin Yu. I got busy at work. I thought you were busy with studies, so I didn¡¯te to check on you,¡± Xiaoming apologized first before settling next to her.


    .....


    ¡°Jin Yu,¡± He called her name softly, but she didn¡¯t look at him.


    ¡°Leave. I want to be alone,¡± Jin Yu stated in a fit of rage.


    ¡°Why? I am here now. Talk to me,¡± Xiaoming said and held her hand. She yanked it away and moved a little away from him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t annoy me,¡± She furiously said. She was not angry entirely because he didn¡¯te to see her. The main reason was about selecting a concubine for him.


    After Jin Yu day¡¯s studies finished, Noble Consort Xiuying called her to see her. When she met her, the floor beneath her feet slipped away. Xiuying asked her what qualities she would like to see in the concubine for Xiaoming.


    A timid woman who would only satisfy him or a woman who would be as fierce as Jin Yu?


    Jin Yu felt so disgusted at that moment. She almost shouted at Xiuying, who pped her hard. Xiuying told her that she already had been informed about it to Xiaoming, so she must keep her voice low.


    ¡°Why did you not tell me that a concubine will be selected for you?¡± Jin Yu asked finally and turned to face Xiaoming.


    Xiaoming knitted his brows and wondered who told her such a thing.


    ¡°What do you mean, Jin Yu?¡± Xiaoming asked for rification.


    Jin Yu chuckled when Xiaoming acted as if he knew nothing. ¡°Did you not meet Noble Consort Xiuying? She told me that she had already talked with you about having a Concubine for you. How could you do this, Xiaoming? How could you step back from the promise that you once gave me?¡± Jin Yu questioned him and started to beat his chest. She felt betrayed.


    Xiaoming¡¯s jaw clenched to find out that Xiuying took the matter to his wife. He clearly had told Xiuying that he would not have any concubine, then why she told Jin Yu all this?


    Xiaoming caught Jin Yu¡¯s wrists and asked her to listen to him.


    ¡°Why? Why should I listen to you? I will kill you if you take in another woman. I don¡¯t care if you are the Crown Prince of the Qiu Kingdom. I will also kill the Noble Consort if she brings a concubine for you,¡± Jin Yu sternly said and hit the top of his head with her forehead when he didn¡¯t let go of her hands.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Xiaoming screamed and let go of her hands and ced his hand on his forehead. She grabbed him by the cor and pulled him toward her.


    ¡°Am I not enough for you? I cannot share you with anyone, Xiaoming. I am possessive of my things and then you are my husband. The Noble Consort said that she would bring a timid woman or a fierce woman to sa-satisfy...¡± Her voice choked and she started weeping again. Her grip on his cor loosened and she rested her forehead on his chest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t agree to the Noble Consort. I beg you,¡± she asserted while sniffling.


    Xiaoming was stunned to find that Xiuying made up a lie and delivered that lie to Jin Yu. He caressed her arms and told her to calm down.


    ¡°How can I calm down?¡± She again hit his arm with her fist.


    ¡°I never told the Second Mother to do all this. I didn¡¯t know that she will tell you so many things on her own,¡± Xiaoming proimed.


    Jin Yu stopped crying and she withdrew to gaze at him. Her cheeks were covered in tears.


    ¡°But she told me-¡± she paused.


    ¡°The Second Mother lied to you. She is merely abusing her power,¡± Xiaoming stated and cupped her face in his big palms.


    ¡°I will never disappoint you and betray our love. No one can take your ce. You are the first andst woman for me,¡± Xiaoming said and wiped the tears from her cheeks. He ended up smiling because this side of Jin Yu he never knew.


    ¡°Thank you for loving me this crazily. You are such a powerful woman. My forehead started to ache after you gave a blow here,¡± He stated and pointed his finger at the middle of his forehead.


    ¡°Forgive me. Your second mother is a witch. I will kill her, Xiaoming. She yed dirty with me. Jin Yu will not spare her,¡± She voiced with a menacing look.

 Chapter 450

    450 Stop abusing her power


    Xiaoming told Jin Yu not to speak that way toward Noble Consort Xiuying. In his eyes, she was an elder and they had to respect her.


    ¡°Why should I respect her? That evil witch asked me to tell her what type of woman would you prefer in the bed as a concubine. Can you imagine how disgusted I feel that time? She even pped me, Xiaoming,¡± Jin Yu said and rested her hand on her right cheek.


    ¡°What? She pped you!¡± Xiaoming was shocked to learn about it.


    ¡°Yes. That is what escted my anger more. You did note to see me the entire day. Instead, you sent a message from Eunuch Sun Fuguo telling me to have lunch. What kind of work you were into that you did not evene to me?¡± Jin Yuined to him.


    ¡°Forgive me, Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming apologized to her again. He did not tell her that he was busy searching for Li Zixuan¡¯s past. That was the main reason he could note to her and had lunch with her. She was so engrossed in going through the documents that he had gathered in the day that he even forgot that it was evening.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei never misses a chance to be with Li Hua. She is such a lucky woman. He always surprises her and she told me that how he orders the royal chefs to make special dishes for her,¡± Jin Yu stated. ¡°My husband is not romantic at all,¡± she pouted her lips.


    ¡°Does he? But he has less work than me, Jin Yu. Brother L¨®ng Wei does not need toe to the imperial court unless he has to present an important work unlike me. By that time, hepletes the majority of his work in the Governor¡¯s office on that particr day,¡± Xiaoming elucidated to his wife.


    ¡°You are making excuses, Xiaoming,¡± Jin Yu said and stood up to leave when Xiaoming held her hand.


    She pulled it away, but he did not let it go. He rose to his feet and stood in front of her. ¡°You should havee to me when she pped you. Why did you note to me?¡± Xiaoming suddenly changed the topic of their conversation.


    .....


    ¡°I was angry,¡± Jin Yu stated. Xiaoming hummed and took her with him.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± She asked.


    ¡°To the Noble Consort¡¯s manor,¡± he answered. ¡°She must apologize for what she did to you,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Will she even apologize to me? I was never pped. I felt like pulling her hair out, but I refrain. Your mother is much better than her. His Majesty did wrong by giving the inner pce power to his noble consort,¡± Jin Yu asserted. She wanted Xiuying to die after what she did to her today and yed with her feelings for Xiaoming.


    She did not stop Xiaoming because he had to show Xiuying that his authority is more than hers.


    Soon, they reached the manor of Xiuying. Xiaoming was stopped by the senior courtdy in the manor from stepping into the main chamber of the Noble Consort. However, when he red at her, she lowered his head.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Royal Highness. At this hour, the Noble Consort is with His Majesty,¡± the senior courtdy informed Xiaoming.


    ¡°That is better. Father must know what his consort do today. Tell Father that I want to see the noble consort. I will not move an inch away if I do not meet his noble consort tonight,¡± Xiaoming sternly instructed the senior courtdy. She had no other way except to acknowledge the order of the Crown Prince.


    She nced at a maidservant, who bowed and went to the chamber to inform the King and the Noble Consort about the Crown Prince¡¯s massage.


    Qiu Zedong put on the overcoat when he heard that Xiaoming wanted to see him. Xiuying cursed Xiaoming internally and wondered why he hade at this hour to her manor.


    ¡°Let the Crown Prince in,¡± Qiu Zedong said and sat on the broad chair in the living room. Xiuying sat next to him. She was stunned to see both Xiaoming and Jin Yu as they walked in. They bowed before them first.


    ¡°Why did the Crown Prince and the Crown Princesse at this hour? I suppose it was an important work that theye here,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted and rested his hands on his knees.


    ¡°Father, I am here to ask the second mother to apologize to the Crown Princess,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    Qiu Zedong scrunched his brows to hear those words and turned his gaze to Xiuying.


    ¡°What happened? Will the Noble Consort tell me?¡± Qiu Zedong questioned her.


    ¡°I have no idea, Your Majesty,¡± Xiuying replied in her soft, gentle tone.


    ¡°She pped my wife when she rebelled against her. The Crown Princess was called in the day and the Second Mother talked with her about selecting a concubine for me. Despite the order of the Father, she tried to do something which I never allowed, Royal Father,¡± Xiaoming exined the matter to his father.


    ¡°I think that the Crown Princess lied to the Crown Prince,¡± Xiuying stated.


    ¡°I did not lie,¡± Jin Yu instantly spoke. She clenched her fists and her blood boiled in anger.


    ¡°The Crown Princess never lies. I told the Second Mother in the morning that I will not be taking any concubine, yet he called my wife and insulted her. Royal Father, I merely demand justice for the Crown Princess. The Second Mother is not supposed to use her power this way. My life is mine and she cannot control it. She should focus on strengthening the inner pce in noble ways. Bullying the Crown Princess and creating insecurities in her mind is not the ideal way of working in the inner pce.¡±


    Jin Yu was overwhelmed to hear her husband¡¯s words.


    ¡°The Crown Prince should not tell me how the inner pce works,¡± Xiuying said with a stern tone.


    ¡°I will if she does not stop abusing her power,¡± Xiaoming sounded challenging her.


    Qiu Zedong cleared his throat and they all looked in his direction. ¡°I would say that we men should not get involved in the inner pce.¡±


    Jin Yu did not like the decision of the King. She wanted to speak against it, but then the King said something which made her stay quiet.


    ¡°The Noble Consort cannot go against my orders. I hope she will not try to get into the Crown Prince¡¯s matter. He has already talked with me about this matter. So, the Noble Consort must apologize to the Crown Princess for pping her wrongly,¡± Qiu Zedong gave out his decision.


    ¡°But Your Majesty, the Crown Princess raised his voice at me. That is why I pped her,¡± Xiuying ended up saying the truth.


    ¡°How can the Second Mother be so hypocritical? She lied earlier in front of the Royal Father about not pping the Crown Princess. I can sense how much wrong things she will do with this inner pce power,¡± he stated.


    Qiu Zedong narrowly gazed at Xiuying and asked her to apologize to the Crown Princess. Sheplied with the King¡¯smand.


    ¡°Forgive me, Crown Princess, for my earlier behavior,¡± Xiuying said.


    Jin Yu did not say anything. Xiaoming thanked his father and left with Jin Yu.


    ¡°I will go back to my manor,¡± Qiu Zedong stated when Xiuying stopped him. He red at her in anger and then, walked out of the chamber. Xiuying punched at the bolster that was next to her and pledged to take revenge for this apology.

 Chapter 451

    451 Touched her body [Bonus chapter]


    Jin Yu dabbed the wet cotton cloth ball on the middle of Xiaoming¡¯s forehead, who was seated on the mattress of the bed. ¡°You acted like a hero today,¡± Jin Yu said and smiled and then apologized to him for hitting him so hard. ¡°When I get angry, I feel like beating someone,¡± she proimed and handed the cotton cloth ball to the maidservant. She left the chamber and the door closed.


    ¡°And you chose to beat your husband,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°I did not beat you. If you had let go of my wrists, I would not have hit your forehead,¡± Jin Yu opined and turned to extinguish a few of the candle mes andnterns. They had dinner earlier and now they were ready to go to the bed.


    The bedchamber had now only onentern glowing with two to three candles. Xiaoming took off the overcoat and put it over the chaise. He went behind her with quiet steps when she turned. His sudden appearance startled Jin Yu. ¡°You scared me,¡± she said and rested her hand on her chest.


    ¡°Do you need something?¡± She asked and lowered her hand.


    Xiaoming gently held her hands and leaned down. Their foreheads touched. ¡°You got pped because of me, Jin Yu. I feel terrible as a husband,¡± he said and caressed her right with her fingers.


    ¡°I will avenge this p. I am not that typical woman, who will stay quiet after getting bullied,¡± Jin Yu stated and told him not to feel terrible for someone else¡¯s fault. ¡°You have yet to see my power, Xiaoming. When someone does wrong to me, I return the same favor to that person,¡± she asserted with a grin.


    ¡°You are so different,¡± Xiaoming said and kissed the tip of her nose, and then lips. His hand loosened the grip from her left hand and went slowly to her waist while her hand went to his arm. She matched the rhythm of his lips and kissed him back with the same passion.


    Xiaoming lifted Jin Yu in his arms while their lips remained connected. Her hands locked behind his nape and he slowly settled her on the mattress. He pulled away and stroked her hair. His other hand was still on her waist.


    .....


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± She asked as she traced the middle of his forehead where it was red.


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    Her eyelids fluttered slowly as she moved her fingers down to trace his eyebrows first and then his face. She stopped at her cheek. ¡°I was so scared and furious when she said she would bring a concubine to satisfy your needs,¡± Jin Yu again said those words in a dampened voice.


    Xiaoming could sense the worries that had arisen in her mind when Xiuying talked about such things with his wife. He did not me Jin Yu for thinking that he would betray her because Xiuying formted the lies to present a wrong fact before her.


    Jin Yu got lifted her body¡¯s weight on her elbows. She then brought her hands to his face and passionately kissed him. Shey on the mattress while the two continued their kiss. Her hand moved to the knot of the upper robe and she opened it.


    On their wedding night, she and Xiaoming did not get intimate as he had to leave the next morning. Moreover, he wanted to give her time to be prepared as she looked scared and nervous that night. The fire in their bodies for each other could only be extinguished when they would be one tonight.


    Her hand slipped inside the robe as the knot opened and she pushed it back such that it came off his shoulder.


    She was not patient with her kiss, but she was demanding with him. He was fully surprised by her actions and he did not let her coax him anymore.


    His teeth tugged at her lower lip and he bit on it, yearning for a moan from her. She parted her lips and his tongue swept into her mouth. His hunger to devour her was present for a long time. He pulled away leaving her breathless. She took a deep gasp to catch her breath when he again ted his mouth over hers.


    His hand found its way up where the knot was present and he opened it while his other hand was still in the locks of her hair. His touch shuddered her and the next moan died in her mouth. He let go of her lips and she caught her breath while he started to shower kisses from her jawline to her neck.


    Her fingers delicately and sensually touched her body. She was so ready for him and wanted to get rid of these clothes. Her hands moved down his shoulders while sliding down the robe when he got straight and threw the robe somewhere on the floor.


    He took Jin Yu¡¯s hand in his and made her touch his bare chest. Her fingers traced his warm skin and her heart kept thundering against her chest. She saw the cuts on his arms and near the shoulders and asked him about them.


    ¡°Have you been to the war?¡± She asked.


    Xiaoming nodded his head.


    ¡°The scars are still present,¡± she murmured and again met her gaze. He hovered over her and undressed her too. She got shy when he removed thest piece of clothing from her upper body and she covered herself with her arms.


    ¡°You are beautiful. Everything about you is lovable to me. Jin Yu, I love only you and will always love you until thest breath,¡± Xiaoming whispered against her lips. ¡°You do not look good while crying. Come to me whenever you encounter any problem without any hesitation,¡± he stated and kissed her bare shoulder.


    She closed her eyes. Their bodies pressed warmly against each other. Their longing for each other had ended tonight as they became one not from bodies, but also in their hearts and souls.

 Chapter 452

    452 Respect and Admiration


    Li Hua opened her eyes and found it was early morning. How could she sleep so much? She turned and got relieved to see L¨®ng Wei, who was sleeping peacefully next to her. She lifted her hand and almost ced her hand on his cheek, but stopped. She did not want to disturb his sleep.


    For a long time, she beheld her husband and wondered when he returnedst night. She had heard from Xiwan that a few servants saw L¨®ng Wei leave in hurry for somewhere. He looked different yesterday.


    ¡®Did he find out the message of his mother?¡¯ She thought and waited for him to wake up.


    Almost two hourster, L¨®ng Wei woke up from sleep and his locked with hers. He kissed her cheek, astonishing her. ¡°Good morning, Wife,¡± he said and lifted his head on the support of his right hand. He rested his temple on his right calloused fist and caressed her cheek with hus left hand.


    ¡°I waited for His Highness the entire day and even in the evening. But he did note and I ended up sleeping,¡± Li Hua answered and lifted her eyes to peer at him. ¡°Where did the Prince go?¡± she asked and made circles on his chest with her index finger.


    ¡°I went to find the answer,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Then, did His Highness find the answer?¡± She queried.


    He shook his head. ¡°It has disappeared. Thest message that my mother left for me was not there,¡± he replied and started stroking her hair. ¡°You have beautiful hair,¡± heplimented and leaned down to inhale the scent.


    ¡°What will His Highness do now? How could the message disappear? It was not known to anyone. Should we visit grandmother again and request her to tell us what did the mother leave for you?¡± She gave him a suggestion.


    .....


    ¡°She is no more,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. I do not want to search like a mad dog for something which was never meant to be with me,¡± he asserted. His tone seemed as if he was furious.


    She sensed how hurt he was and because of that he was infuriated. He was so excited to know what histe mother wanted to tell him through that message. It was not only thest one but also the first one for L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Can I ask onest question?¡± Li Hua with anticipation waited for his response.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°What will His Highness¡¯s next step be?¡± She was curious to know.


    ¡°Finding Qizhen,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°He is the only one, who can tell me why he yed with my life,¡± he proimed.


    Li Hua could feel the anguish in L¨®ng Wei toward his father. And, why it would not be? Qizhen did not care about the consequences which could bring his son into danger. Li Hua held L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand which was on her head and assured him everything would turn well.


    ¡°It has to,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I have decided something. Earlier I never shared with anyone not even with Yuze what I wanted, but I want to tell you.¡±


    ¡°I am ready to listen,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Do not hate me if I kill Qizhen,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. It was more like a request.


    Li Hua was stunned to learn his thoughts. He had decided to kill Qizhen after he would find him. ¡°Your Highness, I can never hate you. No matter how cruel you get,¡± Li Hua stated, ¡°but is it necessary to take your own father¡¯s life? His Highness knows well how His Majesty betray his elder brother and killed so many innocent people in the kingdom. Xiwan lost his entire family that night and there are many more such people.¡±


    ¡°I follow my own rules, Li Hua. For me, Qizhen was never a father to me and he never will be. I do not care either how much blood spread because of the conflict between his brother and him. All I care about is my present self. You know how desperate I am to lead a happy life. Qizhen was a coward at that time and he is a coward today as well. He is not worthy to be the King. He never was,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to Li Hua.


    Li Hua pursed her lips together. After contemting for a while, she spoke, ¡°I am with Prince L¨®ng Wei. Whatever he feels is right, he must do it. It is his battle more than anyone and he has the full right to decide its ending.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei smiled to hear her answer. ¡°Thank you for understanding me,¡± he said and a wide smile formed on his lips.


    ¡°Did you not have dinner the previous night?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I slept off,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s bathe quickly and then have breakfast. I am hungry too,¡± he stated and sat up on the bed. He pulled Li Hua up and hugged her.


    ¡°Li Hua, you are the only one who understands me. I am so happy to have you.¡± He withdrew and told her that he would have to finish some of the important work today.


    ¡°Do you want toe with me today as well?¡± L¨®ng Wei wanted to take Li Hua to his workce again.


    ¡°No. I distract His Highness from his work,¡± Li Hua asserted. ¡°Some of the decisions His Highness may not take harshly if I am present there,¡± she opined.


    L¨®ng Wei did not deny her statement. He would change his decision toward a person if she be around. ¡°Fine.¡± He got out of bed and asked her if she wanted to bathe with him.


    ¡°No,¡± Li Hua answered while smiling.


    ¡°I liked the orchid that you nted in the pot. I heard from the maidservant that you painted it yourself. It is such a beautiful present for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei suddenly recalled about the orchids.


    ¡°It is my respect and admiration for my husband,¡± Li Hua said with a bright smile.


    L¨®ng Wei kissed her lips and she giggled when he showered and kissed her face. He then picked her up and raised his head while her hands locked behind his nape.


    ¡°What?¡± When L¨®ng Wei did not say anything, Li Hua with inquisitiveness asked him to speak.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± he said and lowered her down. She was on her toes. Her nose touched his and they continued to smile at each other.

 Chapter 453

    453 How to hold the people


    After the morning tea session, L¨®ng Wei was ready to leave for his manor for breakfast when he encountered the Crown Prince. He learned from Xiaoming how Xiuying forced him to take a concubine and even humiliated Jin Yu.


    ¡°So, what does the Crown Prince want me to do?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    ¡°I thought to share with Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°No.¡± L¨®ng Wei clicked his tongue from the roof of his mouth. ¡°The Crown Prince has to show what he is! He cannot let a consort of the King rule over him. I hope this advice he will keep in his mind,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed and took his leave when Xiaoming stopped him.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, it is not easy for me to go against everything unlike you,¡± Xiaoming remarked. ¡°Please do not feel offended by this statement. I am telling my view,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Then, the Crown Prince cannot lead us, people, this way. The Crown Prince needs to learn how to hold the people in his hand: elder or younger that does not matter,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. ¡°If I had been your ce and the Noble Consort had raised her hand on my Li Hua, I would have killed that person,¡± he affirmed.


    Xiaoming furrowed his brows together. He realized that an apology was not enough from Xiuying. She badly humiliated Jin Yu.


    ¡°Why does the Crown Prince not make the Father agree to remove Kang Huijuan from the Governor¡¯s office? He killed Jin Yu¡¯s master and it is the right time to use it against him,¡± L¨®ng Wei suddenly brought up another topic of discussion. He could not see Kang Huijuan alive anymore and wanted him to die.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Xiaoming¡¯s facial expression changed into a menacing one and he decided to do that.


    .....


    ¡°The Crown Prince is the next line in King and if he fears the consequences, then he will not be able to rule as the fearless King. A King is someone whose rules everyone follows and who makes such rules which prosper his subjects and the Kingdom,¡± L¨®ng Wei advised him. He did not like the fact that Xiaoming let go of Xiuying so easily.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, Monk Yuze predicted you as the Dragon¡¯s Son. You had told me once... almost two and a half months ago that if you wanted to take the throne away from me, then you would have already. You had warned me not to provoke you to do so.¡± Xiaoming¡¯s words puzzled L¨®ng Wei as he was unable to understand what he wanted to say to him.


    ¡°What does the Crown Prince mean?¡± L¨®ng Wei urged him not to beat around the bush.


    ¡°Why is Brother L¨®ng Wei no longer interested in the Crown and the throne?¡± Xiaoming presented his question after simplifying it.


    ¡°I cannot answer the question of the Crown Prince today, but I will soon answer him,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Why can Brother L¨®ng Wei not answer me today? I think it is not difficult for you to answer this question,¡± Xiaoming deduced.


    ¡°The time has note for me to answer this question,¡± L¨®ng Wei again refrained from answering. He bowed his head slightly and told the Crown Prince that he would take his leave. Xiaoming did not stop him and watched him leave.


    Qiu Mu, who was on the other side of the pir, heard their entire conversation. Xiaoming turned to go to his manor when Qiu Mu appeared out of the pir, which startled the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Brother Mu, did you-¡± Xiaoming wondered if he heard their entire conversation.


    ¡°Did my mother p the Crown Princess yesterday?¡± Qiu Mu asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    ¡°I apologize to you and the Crown Princess,¡± Qiu Mu lowered his head when Xiaoming requested him not to do so.


    ¡°I will talk to her regarding this. I am afraid that the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess have to undergo such embarrassment,¡± Qiu Mu as he gazed into Xiaoming¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°It was not Brother Mu¡¯s fault,¡± Xiaoming stated and told her not to do that anymore. Xiaoming then patted his shoulder and went ahead. On the other hand, Qiu Mu decided to see his mother.


    L¨®ng Wei had crossed the corridor where Qiu Mu¡¯s manor was when a voice stopped her. He tilted his head to look and saw Kang Cha Ying. L¨®ng Wei stepped forward when Cha Ying ran to him and stopped in front of him.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± L¨®ng Wei got annoyed with her way to stop him. ¡°Move, before I ask the servants to drag you away,¡± hemanded Cha Ying.


    ¡°The Prince is still furious at me. I will soon be the daughter-inw in the Qiu Family and his elder Sister-inw. I want Prince L¨®ng Wei not to judge me and my family because of the past. I have apologized to him yet it seems that he still has not forgiven me,¡± Cha Ying stated.


    ¡°Judge you and your family?¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled to hear her. ¡°I have no interest in judging others. I state the fact, Cha Ying. You need to open your third eye and see what kind of evil family you belong to, especially your dear brother, Kang Huijuan,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced with a smug. He walked past her when Cha Ying told him that Kang Huijuan had turned good after that day.


    L¨®ng Wei could not stop himself andughed aloud. He stopped after a while and turned to her. ¡°A man like Kang Huijuan can never turn good. At least not at this birth. Do you want me to tell you what he did behind my back? He broke into my manor and said something to my wife which gives enough reason for his death. He should feel lucky that he is alive till now. So, do not trust him and your father too,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated with a stern tone.


    Kang Cha Ying knitted her brows upon hearing all those words. Her brother again did something which was the reason for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s angst. After that incident, she started to respect L¨®ng Wei a lot as he saved her brother¡¯s life and she believed that her brother would never do wrong. However, after conversing with L¨®ng Wei, she realized that she still did not know what kind of man his brother was!

 Chapter 454

    454 Enjoy yourst day


    L¨®ng Wei stopped by Xu Zifan¡¯s house. He met both Xu Zifan and Feng Lao, who asked about his well-being. The Prince told them to meet Li Hua as she was missing them.


    ¡°Did His Highness forgive me?¡± Feng Lao inquired.


    ¡°Yes. That is why I am here. However, I am still angry at you. Despite my order, you chose to listen to her and General Hei. I hope it will not happen in the future. I will keep my trust in you because Li Hua trusts you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go inside and talk, Your Highness?¡± Xu Zifan suggested it, but he refused.


    ¡°I have to leave for work,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and left the Xu Residence.


    L¨®ng Wei reached the office and encountered a few of the young officials who had joined recently. One among them was Li Jianjun, who hade specially to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s office to greet him. He told L¨®ng Wei that he would work efficiently under his guidance.


    ¡°My guidance?¡± L¨®ng Wei snickered. ¡°I do not guide people until he is close to me,¡± he said, warning him not to tter him. He did not like those people who licked the shoes of the higher-ups.


    ¡°His Highness is taking me wrong,¡± Li Jianjun stated.


    Zhai Liang gestured to him to be quiet. Jianjun bowed and silently left the office. He did not like the attitude that L¨®ng Wei carried, but he was the Governor, so Jianjun could not say anything to him.


    .....


    ¡°Did Kang Huijuan submit the report?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Zhai Liang.


    ¡°Not now, Your Highness,¡± Zhai Liang replied.


    ¡°Tell him to report to me at noon. Currently, I have to finish the pending work. So, any news from the neighboring vige? Did you solve that matter in my absence?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°Yes, I did, Your Highness. Thendlord¡¯s illegal properties are confiscated, and he is liable to pay those from whom he sucked out the money at a huge interest rate that was not decided by the Kingdom,¡± Zhai Liang reported to him. L¨®ng Wei hummed and apuded him for working so efficiently.


    L¨®ng Wei told him to take the seat as he would work with him today. Zhai Liang was happy to learn that and picked up the first document, which needed the governor¡¯s stamp of approval.


    In the afternoon, L¨®ng Weipleted his pending work and told Zhai Liang to finish the petty matters.


    Before L¨®ng Wei could leave, he told Zhai Liang to bring Kang Huijuan to him. After five minutes, Kang Huijuan came to see L¨®ng Wei. He had not prepared any report which was expected from him.


    ¡°This demonstrates your inability to be the official,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, sping his hands together and resting them on the table.


    ¡°His Majesty knows my capabilities better than Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Kang Huijuan stated.


    ¡°Is it so? Then, why did His Majesty send you here?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his brows and smirked. ¡°Zhai Liang, give him the work that rank seventh officials do. If he refuses to do that work, then report that to me tomorrow,¡± he instructed his assistant.


    L¨®ng Wei stood up and was ready to leave when Kang Huijuan told him not to y games with him.


    ¡°I have not even started, Kang Huijuan,¡± L¨®ng Wei sternly said. ¡°I have still not been punished for the remark you made toward my wife,¡± he affirmed and walked past Kang Huijuan.


    ¡°I stated the fact, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Kang Huijuan pronounced. L¨®ng Wei halted in his steps, and he turned to gaze at him.


    ¡°Your wife is good at winning the hearts of the men: first, the Crown Prince, then you, andst, Feng Lao. Ahh, forgive me for my mistake, Your Highness,¡± Kang Huijuan asserted.


    ¡°It should be Feng Lao first, then the Crown Prince, andst, Prince L¨®ng Wei. I have heard that she was supposed to marry Feng Lao. She was madly in love with him. The love in her eyes for Feng Lao is still visible. Feng Lao also loves her. What if this news spread wildly in the Kingdom? Rumors say that your mother had an affair after having you. ¡°It appears your dear wife is no less than your mother,¡± Kang Huijuan finished speaking, a grin on his face.


    He knew that L¨®ng Wei would now be desperate to kill him and this would be the reason for his suspension from the position of Governor.


    Zhai Liang told Kang Huijuan to apologize to Prince L¨®ng Wei if he did not want to get punished.


    ¡°I am telling the truth. That is why His Highness is also quiet. His wife is no lesser than a whore. I am not saying this, but the people who saw both her and Feng Lao in the market that day,¡± Kang Huijuan pronounced while smirking at L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei clenched his fist, but as Li Hua had told him not to let his anger reach his head and blur his vision, he decided to stay quiet. However, in his mind, he had decided to kill Kang Huijuan tonight. L¨®ng Wei would use thest pawn, which he had kept hidden for a long time. He wanted to see if Kang Huijuan would ever turn into a better human, but no such thing would ever happen.


    ¡°Enjoy yourst day, Kang Huijuan,¡± L¨®ng Wei finally said, and the way he spoke was enough to intimidate someone. ¡°Have ast nice meal with your family today,¡± he proimed and left the office.


    Kang Huijuan chuckled and stepped forward when Zhai Liang stopped him.


    ¡°Follow me. I have to show you the work. ¡°You mustplete today¡¯s goal before you are punished with the hands of Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Zhai Liang said as he took a step forward to leave.


    ¡°Do not tell the Prime Minister¡¯s son what he should do and what he should not,¡± Kang Huijuan threatened Zhai Liang.


    ¡°Stop using your father¡¯s position in front of me,¡± Zhai Liang said with a wide smile, and he ordered Kang Huijuan to follow him.

 Chapter 455 - 455 The best proposals [Bonus chapter]

    455 The best proposals [Bonus chapter]


    Li Hua was roaming in the pce when she saw the Kinging from the front. She stopped, and behind her, the maidservant also stopped by.


    Li Hua bowed before the King when he asked her what she was doing in that part of the pce.


    ¡°I thought to stroll around the pce, Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua said while keeping her head down. She looked at the King¡¯s hand, which she had noticed for the first time. However, she saw a scar on the back of his hand which was kind of unique.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is stressed these days. Is the Princess Consort taking good care of him?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua replied.


    Qiu Zedong hummed and walked ahead. Li Hua looked at the King¡¯s hand even when he had walked away. Her brows furrowed together. ¡°I have seen that hand somewhere,¡± she mumbled. The maidservant told Li Hua that they should return to the manor, who nodded her head.


    She was delighted to see Xu Zifan and Feng Lao in the manor.


    ¡°Where have you gone?¡± Xu Zifan asked as he withdrew from the hug.


    ¡°I was in the pce. Did I make my Elder Brother and Feng Lao for too long?¡± She queried and picked up water sses that the maidservant had brought on a tray.


    .....


    ¡°We came ten minutes ago,¡± Feng Lao replied and thanked her for the water. After they had settled on the chairs, Li Hua asked them for tea, but they refused it.


    ¡°Rainy weather has started,¡± Xu Zifan said and asked Li Hua to take care of herself. ¡°You get sick easily. So, don¡¯t get drenched in the rain,¡± He advised Li Hua.


    ¡°Elder Brother, I have gotten stronger now. I do not get sick easily anymore,¡± Li Hua stated with a bright smile.


    ¡°Do you still practice?¡± Feng Lao asked.


    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°Princess Xiaolian asked about you from me,¡± she informed Feng Lao. Xu Zifan nced at his friend¡¯s inquisitiveness and asked why the Third Princess had asked for him.


    ¡°Did Feng Lao tell my Elder Brother?¡± Li Hua amusingly smiled.


    ¡°I ended the matter already, then why the Third Princess asked about me,¡± Feng Lao muttered.


    ¡°Elder Brother, Princess Xiaolian has an interest in Feng Lao. She has even sent a love letter to him. I am surprised Feng Lao didn¡¯t tell the Elder Brother,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was an important matter to talk about. Moreover, I had ended that matter with the Princess before it could start,¡± Feng Lao exined to Xu Zifan.


    ¡°However, the Third Princess asked about you. That means she has not ended her feelings for you,¡± Xu Zifan asserted. Li Hua totally agreed with the words of her brother.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try to know the Third Princess?¡± Li Hua suggested to Feng Lao.


    Feng Lao did not want to tell Li Hua that he did not like Xiaolian from the moment, she plotted against her and even fabricated lies for her. ¡°I will talk to her again before going back,¡± Feng Lao said. He wanted to tell Xiaolian, not to trouble Li Hua and ask about him from her.


    ¡°I made Tangyuan (a dessert) earlier. Would Elder Brother and Feng Lao like to have one serving of dessert?¡± Li Hua suddenly recalled that after L¨®ng Wei left, she had prepared Tanyuan for them. [Refer the figure here in paragraphment.]


    ¡°We would love to,¡± Xu Zifan said. Li Hua called the maidservant inside and instructed her to bring Tangyuan. ¡°Ask Senior Brother Xiwan for it.¡± The maidservant left to bring the dessert for them.


    ¡°Is everything going well in the pce and with Prince L¨®ng Wei? He looked troubled to us,¡± Xu Zifan waited for Li Hua¡¯s response and then looked at Feng Lao.


    ¡°Umm¡­ there are various reasons behind His Highness¡¯s worries. I will brief about it someday,¡± Li Hua stated. She refrained telling that L¨®ng Wei¡¯s grandmother had passed away as none knew about it. Also, she did not want to share his personal things with anyone.


    Feng Lao knew that it was rted to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s past, but he did not force Li Hua to tell them.


    ¡°Li Hua!¡± They heard a familiar voice and turned their heads to look toward the door. Jin Yu hade there and she looked happy.


    The three of them rose to their feet and greeted her.


    ¡°Ahh, I willeter,¡± Jin Yu said as she saw that Li Hua¡¯s brother hade and friend too.


    ¡°The Crown Princess should join us,¡± Li Hua said with a smile.


    ¡°Can I?¡± Jin Yu asked.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness.¡± Li Hua nodded at her and asked her to take the seat first.


    ¡°You people are making me feel like almighty. I am more ordinary than all of you,¡± Jin Yu said and told them to take the seat. By that time, the maidservant had arrived too with a tray in her hand. She ced it on the table and Li Hua thanked her.


    She stood up and filled the three bowls with the two pieces of Tangyuan. Jin Yu asked Li Hua about the dessert. ¡°Did you make this dessert, Li Hua? How did you make it?¡± She asked as her eyes gleamed.


    ¡°I used ck sesame,rd, and sugar to prepare this. Then. I mixed it all with the rice crust and made them into tiny balls. For the red color, I used rose extract, Your Royal Highness,¡± Li Hua briefed her about preparing Tangyuan.


    Li Hua handed thest bowl to the maidservant. Xu Zifan asked Li Hua if she would not eat as Li Hua closed the lid of the big bowl in which the dessert was.


    ¡°I will eat with Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°Call me too next time, Li Hua. I will also make such desserts for the Crown Prince. This dessert is indeed delicious,¡± Jin Yu thenplemented Li Hua. She thanked Jin Yu and asked if she would like to eat more.


    ¡°No. I have eaten enough,¡± Jin Yu said and put the bowl on the table.


    ¡°Why did the Crown Princesse here?¡± Li Hua finally asked the reason behind her sudden visit.


    ¡°The Crown Prince will take me outside tomorrow in the evening market. I was thinking that you and Prince L¨®ng Wei should join us too. The other princes are not married yet, so I did not ask them,¡± Jin Yu stated. She looked enthusiastic to go outside.


    ¡°I will ask Prince L¨®ng Wei about it,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°We will have fun,¡± Jin Yu said with a wide smile. She shifted her gaze at Xu Zifan and Feng Lao.


    ¡°You both can join us too with the women you are seeing,¡± Jin Yu told them.


    ¡°We are not seeing anyone, Your Royal Highness,¡± Xu Zifan said with a slight smile.


    ¡°Ahh, then start seeing someone. There are many marriage agencies in the capital,¡± Jin Yu opined.


    ¡°Does the Crown Princess about those marriage agencies?¡± Li Hua asked as she was interested to find a suitable match for her brother.


    ¡°Yes. There are many. I even know the owners of famous marriage agencies in the capital,¡± Jin Yu asserted.


    ¡°Can the Crown Princess tell me about one?¡± Li Hua requested and looked at Xu Zifan, who knew what his sister wanted to do. ¡°I want to find a suitable woman from my elder brother. If our mother were here, she had done this. However, I will do it in her absence,¡± Li Hua stated.


    Xu Zifan did not stop his sister this time. He could sense her concern and he did not want to upset her.


    ¡°Fine. Tomorrow, we will go to the marriage agency too,¡± Jin Yu informed Li Hua and asked her if she did not want to see a match for Feng Lao.


    ¡°Umm¡­ A woman already likes Feng Lao. So, I believe that there is no need to see a match for him. Right, Feng Lao?¡± Li Hua asked him.


    Feng Lao smiled and nodded his head. He knew that there was no use to stop Li Hua as she wanted all this for their happiness. However, he did not want to go forward with Xiaolian.


    ¡°I will be d if you find a match for me through the marriage agency,¡± Feng Lao suggested to Li Hua.


    ¡°Why? Do you not want to try knowing the Third Princess?¡± Xu Zifan promptly spoke. Jin Yu got astonished to find that Xiaolian was the one, who liked Feng Lao. But she did not utter any word as it was not her ce to talk about it.


    ¡°I think we will not bepatible with each other. It is better if I get a proposal through the marriage agency which Li Hua will visit tomorrow,¡± Feng Lao announced his decision.


    ¡°Fine. I will find the best proposals for my brother and Feng Lao,¡± Li Hua stated with a confident tone.

 Chapter 456 - 456 Ninety-Nine Lakes

    456 Ny-Nine Lakes


    Tianjie left the food in the middle and asked the servants to clean the table. He stood up and went to the patio to sit there, alone for a while. After he saw Song Jiast night, his body was restless.


    ¡°I have gone crazy,¡± he murmured and sat down on the wooden. His feet rested on the stair while his forearms rested on his knees.


    Tianjie had found out about the official, who had made the residence for Song Jia. However, the construction was magnificent. In his eyes, a 5th-rank official could not afford that much money, so he had a doubt that someone bigger was hidden behind the official.


    Tianjie recalled that Song Jia had worn a ring on her index finger which he had gifted her. ¡°She also feels the same for me. If she had not said that our worlds are different, today she would have been with me,¡± he murmured and lowered his head.


    Huang Xi had advised him to follow his heart. However, Tianjie could not do that.


    No, he had no doubts about his abilities, but he wanted to be powerful too like the others. Politically.


    His mother didn¡¯t belong to a high-rank noble family, unlike the elder ones. The Second Prince¡¯s mother was the King¡¯s favorite, so he would always be in benefit.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness, for intruding in. His Majesty has sent a message to see the Third Prince in his manor,¡± a maidservant informed Tianjie.


    Tianjie got puzzled to think why his father called him at this hour. He left to see his father when Eunuch Gao Bing informed him that a proposal hase for him.


    .....


    Tianjie was surprised to find out about it. He was ready to marry, but he didn¡¯t know it would happen so quickly.


    He walked into the private chamber, where he was father was present.


    ¡°Greetings to the Royal Father,¡± Tianjie bowed and then lifted his head.


    Qiu Zedong with a wide smile epted his greetings and asked him to take the seat. Tianjie sat next to his father and looked at the minister, who hade with the marriage proposal.


    ¡°Minister of Revenue, Chen Lizhen, wants to give his daughter¡¯s hand in marriage to Prince Tianjie,¡± Qiu Zedong informed Tianjie, who smiled to hear about it. He never knew that such a big minister woulde to him with such a proposal. It indeed delighted him, but for some reason, his soul didn¡¯t get that happiness.


    ¡°I am grateful to Minister Chen that he found me suitable enough for his daughter,¡± Tianjie asserted with a tiny smile on his lips.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie has already shown an interest to marry the daughter of Chen Lizhen. Minister Chen shall prepare for the marriage. Probably, they both marry the same day as Prince Mu,¡± Qiu Zedong said and started tough in happiness.


    Chen Lizhen agreed with the King¡¯s words and thanked him for choosing the Chen family to be one of their inws.


    ¡°It will be great if Prince Tianjie meets my daughter once,¡± Chen Lizhen expressed his desire.


    Qiu Zedong looked at his son, who agreed with Chen Lizhen¡¯s request and asked him when he should meet his daughter.


    ¡°Tomorrow morning will be fine if His Highness permits,¡± Chen Lizhen humbly said.


    ¡°I have no problem with that. I will apany Minister Chen after the court session tomorrow morning,¡± Tianjie affirmed. After some more discussions, Tianjie took his leave while his father continued his conversation with the Minister.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei looked at the map on which he had marked the ce which was the prime suspected region in his eyes. It was a kilometer away from the capital.


    He estimated the time it would take to reach that ce and then looked at the sky. Not many clouds were present in the sky. It would be rain in the evening, but he would try to reach the pce before that.


    He rode his horse to the location where he had a suspicion that his father could be present. He did not use themonly used route to go there, but an isted one that went through a deep forest. He did not want anyone to notice him.


    After an hour, he reached the ce called Xianshan. The ce was close to his mother¡¯s ce, so there was a possibility that Qizhen used to meet her at Xianshan. The ce was known for its naturalkes and dawn redwood trees.


    He got off the horse and started to walk on the muddy route. ¡°Why have they not worked on these routes?¡± He mumbled as his shoes were covered in mud. He saw some of the people, who appeared to be farmers to him, heading to their homes for lunch.


    A few people looked at him keenly when L¨®ng Wei realized that he must havee in another attire. His clothes were too vibrant and new to those eyes. He wondered whom he should ask about the route where he could witness the ce of ny-ninekes.


    After walking for some distance, his eyesnded on a seller, who was selling sweet dumplings.


    L¨®ng Wei asked him if he knew where ny-ninekes were.


    The middle-aged man looked at him from top to bottom and asked L¨®ng Wei if he was a noble.


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Because the nobles hardly visit Xianshan,¡± the middle-aged man replied.


    ¡°Answer me the question that I wanted to know,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He was irked by the way the middle-aged man taking his time.


    ¡°It is merely an illusion, young man,¡± the middle-aged man said as he dipped the dumplings into a sugar syrup. Two young women hade to him to purchase those dumplings.


    ¡°What do you mean by illusion?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him to exin.


    ¡°There is no such a ce of ny-ninekes. It is only in legend, not in reality,¡± the middle-aged man replied and handed the two servings of sweet dumplings in an envelope to those young women. Those women handed him the four coins and walked away.


    ¡°Are you lying to me?¡± L¨®ng Wei got annoyed. His mother had mentioned it in the poem. He decided to walk ahead and ask someone else when the middle-aged man¡¯s words stopped him.


    ¡°Whoever has gone there, he lost his life. That is why it is an illusion. Only legends have mentioned this ce. You can see dawn redwood trees here, but seeing thosekes are impossible,¡± the middle-aged man stated while looking straight into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Do you mean that people try to go there?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    The middle-aged man nodded his head. ¡°Curiosity kills people,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°May I know why this young man wants to explore such a ce that takes away the life of the people?¡± The middle-aged man asked.


    ¡°I want to see what this ce looks like,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Curosity?¡± The middle-aged man deduced.


    ¡°No,¡± L¨®ng Wei immediately responded.


    ¡°Then?¡± The middle-aged man asked.


    ¡°Will you take me there if I tell you? It seems you know about this ce,¡± L¨®ng Wei concluded and asked for his help.


    ¡°I do not help nobles,¡± the middle-aged man answered. ¡°And why did this young man think that I know about this ce? You should leave as I have work to finish,¡± he stated and turned to the other side of the stall.


    L¨®ng Wei decided to ask a few more people about the ce of ny-ninekes and left from there.

 Chapter 457 - 457 Serve me for five days

    457 Serve me for five days


    By the early evening, L¨®ng Wei returned to the same middle-aged man, who was selling the sweet dumpling. He found out from many people that only legends mentioned the ny-nineke.


    The middle-aged man nced at L¨®ng Wei, who was waiting for him to finish his work.


    When the crowd became smaller, L¨®ng Wei walked toward him and asked him to give him one serving of the sweet dumpling.


    The middle-aged man hummed and prepared one for L¨®ng Wei. The Prince ate the dumplings with zeal and found them delicious.


    ¡°Did you thoroughly ask the people about the location of thekes?¡± The middle-aged man waited for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s response.


    ¡°Why are you so interested to know that?¡± L¨®ng Wei instead of answering questioned him back. He threw the thin, sharp bamboo stick in the bamboo bin and asked him how much he had to pay.


    ¡°Two cents,¡± the middle-aged man answered. L¨®ng Wei paid him and asked him why he did not tell him the way to that ce if he knew about it.


    ¡°Why do you think that I know about ny-ninekes?¡± He arched his eyebrow and closed the wooden cash box.


    ¡°My eyes saw what the others did not,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°I can give you as much money as you want if you take me there,¡± he tried to bribe the middle-aged man.


    .....


    He chuckled and gestured to L¨®ng Wei toe closer. L¨®ng Wei took a step and heard him say, ¡°Even if you spend the entire fortune of your family, I will not take you there.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei gazed into his eyes with amusement.


    ¡°I love my life, young man,¡± he then stated.


    ¡°Do you know who I am? I think you already know,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°I am not a God, who can tell who is who,¡± the middle-aged man jested andughed slightly. ¡°All I know is that you are from a noble family.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei did not have enough time to y games with the man. ¡°What do you want? I will give you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Think carefully before you speak, young man!¡± The middle-aged man reminded L¨®ng Wei of a popr saying.


    ¡°I thought c.a.r.e.f.u.l.l.y,¡± L¨®ng Wei stressed thest word.


    The middle-aged man chuckled. ¡°You seem to have short temper. I can sense that you do not respect your elders or even the people around you,¡± He deduced while squinting his eyes at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°It is strange that you found my most unique quality,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Indeed. The nobles have a gentle way to speak with the people even if they belong to a ss lower than them,¡± the middle-aged man opined. ¡°Tell me, if you will be able to do what I tell you to if I take you to the ny-nineke situated,¡± he finally offered the deal in front of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°There is nothing that I cannot do,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed with a confident smile.


    ¡°Then, serve me for five days and I will take you to that ce,¡± the middle-aged man stated.


    L¨®ng Wei knitted his brows. This was something unexpected to him. How could he serve him? He never served anyone in his life.


    ¡°It seems you are already backing off, young man,¡± remarked the middle-aged man with a glint in his eyes.


    ¡°I have a wife. How am I supposed to leave her for five days just to serve you? Apart from that, I work too. You should amend your wish,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested to him.


    ¡°I do not want to,¡± the middle-aged man stated and it irked L¨®ng Wei. He wanted to tell him that he was the Prince whom everyone feared, but then he stopped himself. He thought to negotiate with the man. L¨®ng Wei did not want to return empty-headed from this ce. His mother had mentioned this ce twice in the poem and it was the only ce where Qizhen could without evering to anyone¡¯s notice.


    L¨®ng Wei stood aside as a few more peoplee to the stall to purchase the dumplings.


    The evening was falling and L¨®ng Wei realized that he had to make a decision as soon as possible. He could not bring Li Hua with him. If he stayed away from the pce for five days, everyone would be suspicious of him. L¨®ng Wei again looked at the middle-aged man. ¡®No, I have to reach Qizhen and for that, I have to fulfill the wish of this man,¡¯ he decided.


    However, the question was what he would tell at the pce.


    ¡®I can think about that in the night,¡¯ he thought when the voice of the man fell into his ears.


    ¡°I have sold the entire dumplings today. I am heading home, young man. Tell me your answer. Are you willing to serve me for five days?¡± The middle-aged man asked L¨®ng Wei again.


    L¨®ng Wei had found out from the people that only one person knew about that ce and it was this sweet dumpling seller.


    ¡°Yes, I will. However, I have a condition,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Say it!¡± The middle-aged man allowed him to put forward the condition.


    ¡°If you fail to take me there, I will kill you on the sixth day,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I ept it, young man,¡± the middle-aged man replied.


    ¡°I wille tomorrow to you and will serve you for five days,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. The middle-aged man nodded his head and told him that he would wait for him toe.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed and looked up at the sky. Clouds surrounded the sky. He hopped the horse and rode to the pce as fast as he could.


    Despite the horse ran at great speed, L¨®ng Wei got drenched in the rain. He left the horse at the imperial gate of the pce, where the soldier had taken it to the stable. L¨®ng Wei ran to the manor when he found Li Hua at the top of the stairs of the pce ground.


    She ran to him and put the umbre above his head. ¡°Where did His Highness has gone?¡± She worriedly asked and looked at him from head to toe.


    ¡°I had important work to finish,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and wiped the water from his forehead. He saw Li Hua¡¯s shoulders getting wet because of the rain, so he put the umbre over her head. They both came to the manor, where Li Hua handed him a clean outfit to wear. She took off the bun holder from his head and told him to change.


    L¨®ng Wei took the clothes from her and went to the dressing room. Li Hua had asked the maidservant to bring warm soup for L¨®ng Wei.


    When L¨®ng Wei came to the main chamber with his upper robe opened, and his hair wet, Li Hua asked him to take a seat on the chair. She dried his hair and started to scold him. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei does not love me at all. I waited for him for hours. I was so scared,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Forgive me for letting you wait,¡± L¨®ng Wei apologized. ¡°I love you, Li Hua. I was stuck at a work,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Is the work more important than me?¡± Li Hua questioned him and pouted her lips. He put the towel away from her hand.


    ¡°Your Highness?¡±


    The next second, he held her wrist and pulled her down on hisp. He wrapped his arms around her waist and told her not to worry so much for him.


    ¡°That is impossible for me toply with,¡± Li Hua said.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at the maidservant who hade inside the chamber. He asked her to put the tray on the table and leave. She obeyed L¨®ng Wei¡¯smand and left the chamber.


    ¡°Your Highness, please this hot soup first,¡± Li Hua said and got off hisp. She picked up the bowl and sat next to L¨®ng Wei on the same broad chair. She blew air over the soup while holding thedle and asked L¨®ng Wei to open his mouth.


    He did that and drank the soup. Li Hua continued to do that while asking him not to work all day.


    ¡°You are the prince and a prince is not supposed to work all day long,¡± she muttered. ¡°His Highness had not evene for lunch. I had cooked some of his favorite dishes for him, but he did note.¡± Sheined about a lot of things to him.


    After L¨®ng Wei finished the soup, Li Hua ced the bowl over the tray and wiped his lips with her thumb. ¡°His Highness is not cold, right? Does he want me to prepare hot water bath for him?¡± She queried.


    L¨®ng Wei shook his head. ¡°I want to tell you something,¡± he said. Li Hua keenly listened to her husband while he narrated her everything.


    ¡°For five days?¡± Li Hua was shocked when L¨®ng Wei asked her not to speak loudly. She apologized and asked him what excuse he would make to stay away from the pce.


    ¡°I have not thought yet,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and his brows furrowed.

 Chapter 458 - 458 A Vacation

    458 A Vacation


    L¨®ng Wei met Xiaoming before the evening and handed him a few documents. ¡°The illegal work that he did while staying as the second-rank official,¡± he informed Xiaoming.


    ¡°The Crown Prince has to make sure that Kang Huijuan gets the death sentence tomorrow. He killed the master of the Crown Princess to wipe all such evidence. These documents will be enough for the Crown Prince to bring an end to his life,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Xiaoming nodded his head. However, he had a doubt. ¡°Why does Brother L¨®ng Wei not show these documents to our father himself? Why does he want me to do this?¡± Xiaoming squinted his eyes in suspicion.


    ¡°I will not be present in the court tomorrow. Li Hua and I are heading to a nearby town,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Where are you both going? Did Brother L¨®ng Wei take permission from the royal father?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes. I had a conversation with the royal father earlier. I want us to spend time alone for a while. For the past few days were tough for us. So, I want to take her away from the pce for a while. The Crown Prince must have heard about the town Dongxing. It is a great ce for vacation in the rainy weather,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei takes great care of his wife. Enjoy your trip to Dongxing. I will definitely put an end to Kang Huijuan¡¯s life. I cannot stand this man. However, I wonder if the father will agree to punish the son of Kang Xi. Kang Xi is a close friend to our father, which stops him from punishing Kang Huijuan.¡± Xiaoming knew that his father had a strong trust in Kang Xi for some reason.


    ¡°I told the Crown Prince to make people agree to him. If he cannot do that, then he can lead us well. Be the man which you showed me at the time when you wanted to take Li Hua away from me,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Xiaoming recalled how he ordered the killing of thirty female servants and it still made him feel guilty about his acts.


    .....


    ¡°I do not want to do that anymore. I can fall so low, Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xiaoming stated and lowered his eyelids in guilt.


    ¡°Why? To fight an evil person, it is necessary to be evil. Forget the good teachings you read in all these books,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he tilted his head to look at the shelves which had books stacked in them. ¡°We forgive Kang Huijuan and showed our kind nature to him. But he does not deserve that anymore. He did the biggest mistake of his life today and it is the time when he should pay for his crimes,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed with a stern tone.


    Xiaoming wondered what Kang Huijuan did, but he did not ask as he knew that L¨®ng Wei would not share it with him. If he had to, then he would have already.


    L¨®ng Wei had thought that he would need the Kang Family in the future to reach the truth. But he had already solved all the puzzles about his past. Thus, he longer needed the Kang Family. Kang Xi would turn quiet after losing his son.


    ¡°I hope the Crown Prince seeds in this work,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and rose to his feet.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei must take Huang Xi with him for his and his wife¡¯s safety,¡± Xiaoming suggested to him.


    L¨®ng Wei acknowledged his suggestion when Xiaoming asked him when he would return.


    ¡°After five days,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. He told Xiaoming that Li Hua might be waiting for him, so he bowed slightly and left the Crown Prince¡¯s study room.


    Xiaoming looked at the documents in his hand and went through them. He recalled Jin Yu¡¯s words when she had told him that L¨®ng Wei took personal time for his wife.


    ¡°I am at a ce where my responsibilities do not allow me to go anywhere,¡± Xiaoming murmured and sighed. He found the documents carried that information which was like the guillotine for Kang Huijuan.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is right. I must show why I am the Crown Prince and when something evil happens, I must fight bravely against it. I will do my best tomorrow in the court,¡± Xiaoming said with a stern look.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei was heading to his manor when he encountered Tianjie. However, he did not exchange any words with him. He walked straight ahead when Tianjie stopped him.


    ¡°Where did you head in such a rush yesterday?¡± Tianjie asked.


    L¨®ng Wei turned to gaze at him.


    ¡°Why should I tell you?¡±


    ¡°I heard that your grandmother died yesterday. Did you go to see her? It is strange that you went to the funeral of a person, who demanded the death sentence for you. It was unexpected of the dragon¡¯s son,¡± Tianjie sarcastically said.


    ¡°Why are you so interested in my matters?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him. ¡°I heard that Song Jia is in the capital. Are you no longer interested in marrying her? I knew that you would turn selfish for the power. Chen Lizhen handles the revenue of the kingdom. You will indeed get benefited by marrying his daughter.¡±


    Tianjie felt that L¨®ng Wei pressed his weak nerve.


    ¡°It is not wrong to think about power,¡± Tianjie stated. ¡°It was not love. I was infatuated by her beauty,¡± he added.


    ¡°Then, why did the Third Prince go to see where Song Jia stayed? Just ept that you do not want the people to make fun of you for choosing Song Jia, as in your eyes, the status, and the name is everything,¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled and walked ahead.


    Tianjie got upset to hear the words of L¨®ng Wei. However, L¨®ng Wei was absolutely right. Tianjie did not want to marry a woman with no social status. ¡°It is weird that I am not furious at L¨®ng Wei even after hearing those bitter words from him,¡± he muttered and went ahead to see Qiu Mu.

 Chapter 459 - 459 A fight with some boys

    459 A fight with some boys


    The next morning, L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua left the pce after meeting the King. L¨®ng Wei had made a nst night to leave Li Hua with her brother for five days while he would be in Xianshan for five days.


    He had to lie so that no one would be suspicious of them. He could not let Qizhen meet anyone except him in the beginning. He had to ask numerous questions which might remain unanswered if another person found out about Qizhen first.


    ¡°Your Highness, please do not get harmed,¡± Li Hua told L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Take care of yourself. I will pray for you,¡± she said and held his hands.


    ¡°Most importantly, do not get furious to see your father. Be respectful to him. Will His Highness do that?¡± Li Hua asked with apprehension.


    ¡°I will try, but it is tough for me. You know this well,¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t give her false hopes. He knew he would not be able to control his anger the moment he met Qizhen.


    Li Hua lowered her eyes and hummed. ¡°However, I still believe that my husband¡¯s judgment will be right. He will surely melt away to see his father,¡± she said and smiled at him.


    They peered into each other¡¯s eyes for a long time when L¨®ng Wei rested his hand on her jaw while his thumb was on her cheek. He caressed it and closed the distance between them.


    He imed her lips and her mouth enveloped his. Her hands clutched his robes from his waist while the hand on her cheek soon went to her head. He scooped it, pulling her close as they kissed for a long time.


    When they withdrew, they both gasped for air. L¨®ng Wei drew her for a hug and closed his eyes. ¡°Li Hua, don¡¯t go anywhere. Thest time you didn¡¯t do good. I have my trust in you and you must trust me,¡± he said.


    .....


    ¡°I will not do anything that will increase my husband¡¯s worries,¡± Li Hua said. They stayed in that position until the carriage stopped. However, it didn¡¯t stop outside the residence where Xu Zifan was, but in a quiet and isted ce.


    ¡°Li Hua, from here, you will go to Xu Zifan¡¯s house. I will resume my journey from here,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Li Hua hummed when L¨®ng Wei stepped out of the carriage.


    Li Hua opened the window and looked at L¨®ng Wei through it. He was conversing with Huang Xi. She saw Chang Shi, who would take her to Xu Zifan.


    After L¨®ng Wei¡¯s conversation got over, he looked at Li Hua. ¡°Wear the veiled hat that I¡¯ve left inside,¡± he said. Li Hua nodded when L¨®ng Wei asked her toe out. She was surprised when he told her to step out. However, sheplied with hismand.


    L¨®ng Wei helped Li Hua to get out of the carriage and showed her the other one. He helped her get in and asked Chang Shi to go inside too. He bowed and went into the carriage.


    The chauffeur drove the carriage to Xu Zifan¡¯s house upon L¨®ng Wei¡¯s instructions.


    He then asked the chauffeur, who drove the royal carriage to drive it to Dongxing. Once it also left, L¨®ng Wei told Huang Xi to return. He hopped on the horse which Huang Xi had brought for him.


    ¡°Your Highness, will you be able to do that? You can take me with you,¡± Huang Xi stated.


    ¡°I will surely do it. Go back,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and he soon vanished from Huang Xi¡¯s sight.


    ~~~~~


    Li Hua had never talked with Chang Shi, so she thought to ask him about his personal life.


    ¡°The Prince seems close to Chang Shi. It rarely happens,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei knows me for a long time, Your Highness,¡± Chang Shi replied.


    ¡°Oh. How long?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°For almost fifteen years,¡± Chang Shi replied.


    Li Hua was shocked to learn about that. She felt happy and at the same time curious about how he became L¨®ng Wei¡¯s friend. She asked about Chang Shi.


    ¡°I dressed His Highness¡¯ wound when the first time I had seen him,¡± Chang Shi answered. ¡°He was injured badly after he had a fight with some boys in the capital,¡± He asserted.


    ¡°What? Was there no bodyguard with the Prince?¡± Li Hua queried.


    ¡°Not every prince gets a bodyguard, Your Highness, especially if your mother is a concubine,¡± Chang Shi said with a tiny smile on his lips.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is a thoughtful and farsighted person. From a young age, he grew up differently, so he learned quite earlier that the world is a selfish ce to live. I know Her Highness is curious to know what he was in his childhood. He was not like the other child, but an adult. However, he was always a child in front of his mother whose love he always sought.¡± Chang Shi answered Li Hua¡¯s many questions and she thanked him for it.


    ¡°What does your family do?¡± Li Hua curiously asked.


    ¡°My father was a medical doctor while my mother nursed the patients with him,¡± Chang Shi answered.


    Li Hua realized that he also lived alone.


    ¡°How did Chang Shi learn self-defense, sword fighting, and other warfare techniques?¡± She asked.


    ¡°My father was a martial artist too. So, he trained me,¡± Chang Shi replied.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    She didn¡¯t ask any more questions to Chang Shi. The rest of the journey to her brother¡¯s home went in silence.


    Xu Zifan weed Li Hua and took her to the inner side of the residence where she would live for five days.


    Li Hua removed the veiled hat from her head and put it on the table. She looked around the room and ended up recalling her hometown. Xu Zifan had decorated it like her old room. It didn¡¯t look the same but simr to that.


    ¡°Li Hua, drink the water,¡± Xu Zifan said and she nodded at him. She brought the ss close to her mouth and sipped water from it.


    She ced it back on the table and thanked her brother.


    ¡°I am so happy to have you here. Make yourselffortable. I wille back,¡± Xu Zifan said. Li Hua nodded and watched her brother leave the room.


    ~~~~~~


    Hello Everyone!


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 Chapter 460 - 460 You are so heartless! [Bonus chapter]

    460 You are so heartless! [Bonus chapter]


    L¨®ng Wei reached Xianshan and found the middle-aged man at the same ce, selling sweet dumplings. The man found out that L¨®ng Wei had not brought the horse today.


    L¨®ng Wei went to him when the customers, after eating the dumplings, left. ¡°As per my promise, I am here,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I can see you, young man,¡± the middle-aged man asserted. ¡°My name is He Shuyao,¡± he introduced himself to L¨®ng Wei. ¡°What about you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Just call me, young man,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°You do not want to tell me your name. That appears strange to me. I wonder why you want to go close to your death,¡± He Shuyao affirmed and bored his gaze at L¨®ng Wei. He read those eyes and the facial expressions for a while.


    ¡°You also went to that ce many times. However, you are still alive,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked.


    He Shuyao¡¯s lips twisted into a smile. ¡°Why do you want to go there?¡± He queried.


    ¡°I have already answered that question. I want to explore the ce that textbooks and legends mention. I am a nature lover.¡± L¨®ng Wei had no idea how to be more convincing, so he lied to the middle-aged man.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look like a nature lover,¡± Shuyao said as he greeted the two young children. He told L¨®ng Wei to prepare one serving for each of those two kids.


    .....


    ¡°Why should I? Is this not your job to do?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°My mother says that one must respect the elders,¡± one of the boys said as he gazed at L¨®ng Wei.


    The prince red at him. ¡°Did your mother not teach you that when two elders talk, a third person, especially a kid, should not intervene?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him. The boy got tongue-tied when Shuyao hit the back of his head.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head, and with a murderous gaze, he nced at Shuyao. ¡°Did you just hit me?¡± He looked raged and furious. He extended his hand out to hold Shuyao¡¯s cor when Shuyao hit his hand with the chopsticks in his hand. The two boys were slightly rmed by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s actions.


    ¡°Do it again, and I will not take you where you desire to,¡± Shuyao warned L¨®ng Wei. He then turned to the boys and told them that L¨®ng Wei had joined him today as the worker on his stall.


    ¡°Here are the special sweet dumplings for you.¡± Shuyao prepared and handed the two dumpling sticks to the boys. The boys paid him and left from there.


    ¡°I will break your hand if you try to touch me the next time,¡± L¨®ng Wei threatened Shuyao.


    ¡°I want to see how you will break my hand,¡± Shuyao stated, grabbing his arm. ¡°Try to break my hand,¡± he challenged L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei fisted his fists in frustration at Shuyao¡¯s actions. Before he could throw a punch at him, he heard Shuyao say, ¡°Anger destroys a man. You have to give up on your dream to go to the ny-ninekes if you cannot hold your anger.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei gulped down the anger inside him and looked away. Shuyao pulled his hand back and smiled internally.


    ¡°Here, cook the dumplings. I will not take you there for free. I do not take money from rich sons of noble families, who do not even value hard work,¡± Shuyao asserted. L¨®ng Wei now understood what this man wanted from him. To do his job for him while he rested.


    He decided to bear that torture for five days. He keenly observed how Shuyao prepared those dumplings.


    ¡°You will sell the dumplings today,¡± Shuyao stated as he watched L¨®ng Wei dip the dumpling stick in the sugar syrup.


    ¡°Till when?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked in a calm voice.


    ¡°Till the evening,¡± Shuyao replied and sat on the wooden chair that was next to the stall. L¨®ng Wei snickered as he saw Shuyao sitting on the wooden chair.


    ¡°You think that I am your servant,¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Shuyao said this as he picked up the bamboo fan. He started to fan himself. ¡°It is sunny despite the rainy weather that has arrived,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°You know that I am a noble, yet you are forcing me to do this work,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with an annoyed look on his face.


    ¡°Keep smiling, otherwise customers will note here,¡± Shuyao scolded L¨®ng Wei.


    A group of five young women came to the stall. They asked for five sticks of dumplings, which L¨®ng Wei prepared for them. He heard their random talks in which they mentioned going to the capital. However, their parents did not allow them to travel alone.


    ¡°Father says when I will be married, I can go with my husband,¡± one of them said while joining both of her hands and bringing them close to her chest.


    ¡°Do not dream too big. We will work in the fields with our husbands for money. Then we¡¯ll have kids, and we¡¯ll never be able to go to the capital,¡± said the young woman on the far left.She looked pragmatic to L¨®ng Wei. He handed them the dumpling sticks, and one of them paid him before they walked ahead.


    After a few minutes, more people came to the stall. However, most of them were women rather than men. L¨®ng Wei was unable to make the dumplings quickly and ended up slightly burning his index finger in the process.


    ¡°Why do you not help me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Shuyao, who was talking with an old man, who hade to the market after a long time.


    ¡®Just bear this oven¡¯s and the sun¡¯s heat to reach your target,¡¯ L¨®ng Wei told himself. He heard the young womenpliment him on his handsome features.


    L¨®ng Wei was forced to give them a fake smile, and when the crowd lessened, Shuyao came near him and checked the wooden cash box. ¡°It appears we will break the earnings record,¡± Shuyao said as he closed the cash box.


    ¡°Do you not think you should work too? My finger burned when I tried to turn the bun over the heated oven,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated as he handed the envelope filled with buns and sweet dumplings to the man.


    ¡°Aish! How could you be this weak, young man? This burn mark is nothing. Have you not heard about how soldiers are injured in battle? They still bear that kind of injuries,¡± Shuyao asserted and sat back on the chair.


    ¡°You are so heartless!¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked and twitched his lips in annoyance.

 Chapter 461 - 461 Tell me your real name

    461 Tell me your real name


    L¨®ng Wei looked at Shuyao, who wasughing to find that the cash box was full. L¨®ng Wei worked the entire day for him and didn¡¯t even get to eat during lunchtime.


    ¡°You are a good worker,¡± Shuyao said and told him that they had to head home. L¨®ng Wei was happy to find that now he could rest. He decided to go to the rest house and have hot pot soup there.


    ¡°I will see you tomorrow morning,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Shuyao asked.


    ¡°To the rest house. I need to rest,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°You wille to my house. I have a good space in the house. You will serve me for five days. Remember?¡± He reminded the Prince.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me to serve in the night,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and told him that he would stay in a rest house rather than staying with him.


    ¡°It seems you are not interested in going to that ce anymore,¡± Shuyao said as he put the money into a cloth wallet and put that in his inner pocket of the robe.


    ¡°You really have the nerve to annoy me,¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered.


    .....


    ¡°I love to bring badly behaved kids on the right path,¡± Shuyao stated and they both looked at each other. L¨®ng Wei beamed at him while Shuyao smiled at him.


    Shuyao started to pack the things and handed a cloth bag to L¨®ng Wei. The Prince found it was heavy and put it around his shoulder. He followed Shuyao to his home.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at the shabby house of Shuyao. He asked Shuyao where he should put the cloth bag.


    ¡°Over the table,¡± Shuyao replied as he sat on the patio of the house. He started to press his legs and said, ¡°My feet feel soared to work the entire day. It will be wonderful if you bring hot water for me.¡±


    ¡°From where?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked as he put the bag on the table.


    ¡°You need to boil the water in the kitchen,¡± Shuyao affirmed. When L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t move from his ce, Shuyao asked him if he did not want to work.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything except sitting. I did your entire work today still you are tired,¡± L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes in fury. His stomach growled and he brought his hand to his abdomen.


    ¡°I will cook for us if you bring hot water for me,¡± Shuyao stated.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to put on fire. You should ignite the stove,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Shuyao exined to him to rub the two stones together that were ced near the ground stove. L¨®ng Wei keenly heard his instructions and went to the kitchen.


    He coughed when the smoke came out of the stove and he continued to blow the air so that the fire would ignite. After ten minutes of struggle, he seeded in burning the stove and ced a vessel above it. He filled it with water and waited for it to get hot.


    ¡°Aish! My clothes will be dirty because of all this work,¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured when he heard Shuyao shouting for the water. He fetched a ss of water for Shuyao and handed it to him.


    ¡°You have turned obedient too early,¡± Shuyao said and saw L¨®ng Wei had removed the overcoat.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t respond to him and went back to the kitchen. After ten minutes, he brought a bucket out into which he had poured the hot water.


    ¡°Here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he ced the bucket near Shuyao¡¯s feet. He went to the other side of the patio and sat on the bamboo stool. His body had started to ache because of prolonged standing and he also felt the itchiness.


    ¡°This is soforting,¡± Shuyao said and asked L¨®ng Wei how could he be so good at such chores.


    ¡°I am good at everything,¡± L¨®ng Wei proudly said.


    ¡°I cannot deny that fact,¡± Shuyao said and closed his eyes.


    ¡°It seems your family isn¡¯t here. That is why you are making me work like a donkey,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked and caressed his nape.


    Shuyao didn¡¯t reply to this question of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Tell me your real name,¡± Shuyao demanded.


    ¡°What will you do with my real name?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his brow.


    ¡°It is good to address the people by their names,¡± Shuyao opined.


    ¡°I am not close enough to share my name with you. Since when does a master get interested to know about his servant?¡± L¨®ng Wei argued.


    ¡°If I am your master, then you should give respect too. You are talking informally with me,¡± Shuyao stated with an amusing smile on his lips.


    ¡°This is the way I speak,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Even with elders? I wonder how your parents let such an insolent kid live with them,¡± Shuyao muttered.


    ¡°I gave you more than enough respect. Else, the things you did to me were unforgivable,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Why do you talk like a King¡¯s son?¡± Shuyao asked and grinned at him. ¡°I have heard that there is a brat in the pce, who annoys everyone around him. Are you a friend of his?¡± He questioned and suspiciously nced at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°What?¡± L¨®ng Wei let out a chuckle. ¡°Don¡¯t you know all nobles speak this way?¡± He tried to fool Shuyao. Internally, he was furious. Shuyao was humiliating him. Calling him a brat!


    ¡°Nobles have a gentle way to speak with people even if they belong to the lower ss as I said before,¡± Shuyao proimed.


    ¡°I know many nobles who are not gentle at all. Kang Huijuan is one of them. His way of speaking is more terrible than mine,¡± L¨®ng Wei could only think of Kang Huijuan¡¯s name to support his im. ¡°He is the son of the prime minister,¡± he added.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Shuyao believed L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words.


    L¨®ng Wei realized that Shuyao was an observant person. He needed to be careful around him for the remaining four days.


    ¡°I should cook the dinner for us,¡± Shuyao said as he brought his feet out of the water bucket.

 Chapter 462 - 462 Conflicts may arise

    462 Conflicts may arise


    The following day, Yuze came to the pce upon the King¡¯s request. They had a long conversation regarding the princes, the future of the Qiu Kingdom, and most importantly, L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Yesterday, the Crown Prince handed me a few documents, showing how Kang Huijuan used his father¡¯s name to loot the people in the capital. He even has severalnds in his name,¡± Qiu Zedong shared another important matter with Yuze. ¡°What should I do, Monk Yuze? Kang Xi is my close friend. If I punish his son, then my rtionship with him be tainted forever. He might be my enemy.¡±


    Qiu Zedong was in a dilemma. He could not give out the decision yesterday in the court regarding Kang Huijuan.


    ¡°A king must follow the path of righteousness, else his people, his subjects will never be able to trust him,¡± Yuze advised the King. ¡°For a singr person, you cannot let the other doubt your judgment,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Monk Yuze is right. I will announce my decision tomorrow on this matter. I forgave Kang Huijuan earlier. However, this time he cannot be forgiven,¡± Qiu Zedong finally decided. Yuze smiled and told the King that if Kang Xi was his honest friend, he would never question His Majesty¡¯s decision.


    ¡°As a father, he must also let his son get punished for his wrongdoings,¡± Yuze proimed. ¡°The King has punished Prince L¨®ng Wei many times because he wanted him to improve. His Majesty did not stand with the prince for the wrongs hemitted,¡± he affirmed.


    Qiu Zedong totally agreed with Yuze¡¯s words. He thanked the Monk for guiding him through all the tough times.


    ¡°I heard that Her Majesty was locked in her manor,¡± Yuze stated.


    ¡°The Queen did something which could not be forgiven. She nned to kill Li Hua. I could not ignore this and decided not to let her be out of her manor,¡± Qiu Zedong stated and rubbed his palms against his knees.


    .....


    ¡°The King needs to look into the internal affairs too. Since the Queen has fallen weak, then his consorts may fight to take over the Queen¡¯s position. Conflicts may arise between the sons of the King,¡± Yuze opined. Qiu Zedong recalled how Xiuying tried to convince him to remove Zhu Liling from the Queen¡¯s position.


    ¡°I will think about it, Monk Yuze,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a serious tone.


    ¡°I am thinking of handing over the throne to Crown Prince Xiaoming. However, I still think that the Crown Prince has to learn a lot of things,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    ¡°Monk Yuze, I wonder what L¨®ng Wei is up to these days. Did he have any conversation with Monk Yuze recently?¡± The King knew that L¨®ng Wei would have shared his worries with Yuze as he was close to the monk.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei did not see me for the past few days,¡± Yuze asserted. ¡°I will meet the Princeter,¡± he added.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is not in the capital,¡± Qiu Zedong informed Yuze. He was surprised to find that the Sixth Prince did not inform Yuze about it. ¡°He has gone to Dongxing with his wife to spend time with her,¡± he stated.


    Yuze smiled to hear that. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has indeed changed. I am d that he is leading a happy life,¡± he told the King, who agreed with the monk.


    ~~~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei pulled the nket up and buried his face in the pillow. He felt a hand shaking him up, but he was in such a deep slumber that he saw Li Hua waking him up. He smiled in his sleep. ¡°Wife, let me sleep for five minutes,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Shuyao knitted his brows together and wondered if he heard right.


    ¡°Wake up, Young Man!¡± Shuyao used more force this time. However, there was no use for that. L¨®ng Wei was impassive to that force and voice.


    Shuyao stood up and walked out of the room. He returned with a wooden mug full of water in his hand and the next second, he threw it over L¨®ng Wei¡¯s head.


    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± L¨®ng Wei screamed and widely opened his eyes. He sat up immediately and red at Shuyao.


    ¡°Have you lost your mind, Oldie?¡± L¨®ng Wei shouted at him as he wiped his face.


    ¡°Clean the house. I will return at noon. If you do not clean the house, then I will not take you there.¡± Shuyao grinned at L¨®ng Wei before walking out of the room.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at himself and snickered. ¡°I want to beat him,¡± he murmured and threw the nket away. He was being ckmailed and it was the first time, he was this patient.


    ¡°Young man, I have left breakfast for you in the kitchen. Clean the utensils well before my return,¡± Shuyao asserted and walked away.


    ¡°He really thinks that I am his servant,¡± L¨®ng Wei sneered and stood up. He went out of that tiny room and stretched his arms out. He looked at the sky and saw it was blue. The weather seemed pleasant to him.


    L¨®ng Wei freshened up and had a bath in that tiny bathhouse of Shuyao. When he went to the kitchen, he lost his appetite. Shuyao had cooked rice with milk which was his least favorite meal. However, he noticed that Shuyao¡¯s kitchen had limited utensils.


    ¡°He lives alone!¡± L¨®ng Wei was astonished to find this truth and thought to find out more about Shuyao. He went out of the main entrance of the hut but did not find houses in the vicinity. It appeared to him that Shuyao lived far from the well-settled society of the people.


    L¨®ng Wei rested his hands on his waist, wondering if he should clean the house or not. ¡°I have money. I can hire someone to clean his house,¡± L¨®ng Wei mumbled and ran inside the room, that Shuyao had allotted him for his stay. He took out the pouch from inside his overcoat and decided to bring someone to clean the house.

 Chapter 463 - 463 A Scar

    463 A Scar


    Xu Zifan was in the market to buy the kitchen essentials for the house. For him, those old days were back when Li Hua would demand him to bring things from the market.


    He had purchased everything that was mentioned in the list except the special kind of spices for which he headed to the spice market. After he purchased those spices, he returned to the main market and ended up encountering Jingfei.


    He found her with a man, who appeared to be from the noble ss. The bodyguards who had apanied the Princess asked the people to empty the way for her and Jianjun.


    Xu Zifan realized that they both would be marrying each other. He remained standing on the left side of the road until Jingfei, and Jianjun walked meters ahead of them.


    The people again headed to their workces while Xu Zifan left for his residence. The horse carriage in which he hade was waiting for him outside the market. He stepped into it and left.


    He went straight to the kitchen. The servant with him had carried the things in the bamboo basket and ced it over the counter. Li Hua was present at the nook of the counter with a recipe book in her hand. She had brought it from the pce a day ago when she came here.


    ¡°Brother arrived earlier,¡± Li Hua said and started to check the things.


    ¡°Did I?¡± Xu Zifan asked and sat on the chair around the circr table.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Li Hua filled a ss of water for Xu Zifan and handed it to him. She again began to check the goods. ¡°I will make a delicious lunch for us,¡± she stated. ¡°Thank you, Elder Brother for bringing all the necessary ingredients.¡±


    .....


    Xu Zifan smiled to find her happy and asked her about Feng Lao.


    ¡°He is in his room, I believe,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°Elder Brother shall rest too. I will inform him when then lunch is ready,¡± Li Hua opined.


    ¡°I will stay here and watch you cook,¡± Xu Zifan stated, ¡°perhaps you will need my help.¡±


    ¡°You should rest, Elder Brother,¡± Li Hua sternly said.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Xu Zifan stood up. However, before leaving he asked Li Hua if Jingfei was getting married.


    ¡°Yes. Why did Elder Brother ask?¡± Li Hua queried.


    ¡°I saw the First Princess in the market,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°Did His Majesty already allow the women from the pce to go out?¡± Li Hua murmured.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Xu Zifan answered. ¡°Princess Jingfei was with a noble young man. I think he is the one whom Princess Jingfei will marry,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Elder Brother must have seen the First Princess with Li Jianjun. She was supposed to marry him this week, but ording to the royal astrologer, they should wait for two more weeks,¡± Li Hua told her brother.


    ¡°Hmm. It is good to see that the First Princess has moved on from Huang Xi. Now, he can confess his feelings for the Second Princess,¡± Xu Zifan affirmed.


    ¡°I think Commander Huang Xi should confess after the First Princess gets married. Else, she may get angry and even scold Princess Ai Fen for no reason,¡± Li Hua opined.


    ¡°I will tell Huang Xi about it,¡± he asserted and left the kitchen.


    While making dough, Li Hua¡¯s mind suddenly thought of the strange scar that she saw on the King¡¯s hand. She had this vivid image of the scar that she saw once when she was quite young.


    ¡°Am I imagining things? But why does it seem that the King has visited the Xu Residence?¡± Li Hua murmured and her brows drew close.


    ~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei hit the back of his nape after he cleaned the entire house. Yes, in the end, he had to clean the house, wash the utensils, and even the bathhouse.


    No one agreed to work in Shuyao¡¯s house. He found it strange when one of the men said that his house was haunted. L¨®ng Wei never believed in ghosts. In his eyes, a human was the biggest threat to any living being.


    ¡°My entire body is soared,¡± he mumbled and felt how hungry he was. He could not have breakfast and he could not either leave the house.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait for him for a few more minutes. If he doesn¡¯te, then I will leave for the market,¡± L¨®ng Wei decided and looked towards the gate for Shuyao.


    Fortunately, Shuyao returned. He saw the front yard was clean and looked at L¨®ng Wei, who was on the patio.


    ¡®He is determined to go to the ny-ninekes. I wonder what lies there for which a young man is so enthusiastic,¡¯ Shuyao thought.


    ¡°I am back,¡± Shuyao loudly said and immediately L¨®ng Wei opened his eyes. He walked to Shuyao and told him that he woulde in the evening.


    ¡°Where are you heading to?¡± Shuyao asked.


    ¡°To the market. I want to eat something delicious. I could not eat the porridge that you had made. I am not used to that kind of food,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and walked past him.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Shuyao said and L¨®ng Wei halted in his steps.


    ¡°I will make the hotpot for you. You have done such a good job and I must reward you,¡± Shuyao said with a wide smile.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to trouble yourself. I will eat outside,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Then, I will make you work one more day as my servant,¡± Shuyao stated.


    ¡°I am not your ve,¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s temper heightened.


    ¡°Servants are no lesser than ves,¡± Shuyao stated with a smirk.


    L¨®ng Wei sneered and went inside his room. He didn¡¯t want to talk to him. Because if he would talk more, then he might up killing Shuyao for irking him.


    L¨®ng Weiy on the floor mattress which was his bed too. ¡°I miss you. I don¡¯t like it here,¡± he mumbled.


    Half an hourter, he heard the door slide and saw Shuyao with a hotpot in his hands. He asked L¨®ng Wei to bring the floor table ahead. L¨®ng Wei acted quickly and ced the round floor table in front of him.


    Shuyao ced the hotpot on the table and brought two tes along with two spoons and two pairs of chopsticks.


    L¨®ng Wei inhaled the pleasant smell of the hotpot soup and began eating. Finally, his hunger ended and he felt full.


    Shuyao was happy to find that L¨®ng Wei enjoyed the food.


    ¡°I won¡¯t wash these. My hands are rough and sore after doing all these chores,¡± L¨®ng Weiined and showed Shuyao his hands.


    ¡°Fine. I will do it,¡± Shuyao agreed to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I heard this house is haunted. How did your family die?¡± L¨®ng Wei suddenly asked a question from him which brought frowns on Shuyao¡¯s forehead.

 Chapter 464 - 464 I want justice, Prince Lóng Wei [Bonus chapter]

    464 I want justice, Prince L¨®ng Wei [Bonus chapter]


    L¨®ng Wei noticed that the silence was more prolonged than he had thought. Shuyao did not answer him and it seemed that he fell back into the old memories.


    ¡°I must clean the dishes,¡± Shuyao said and left the room.


    L¨®ng Wei went behind him and went to the well, where Shuyao was washing the utensils. ¡°You used to be an official. I heard from the people. I think you already know who I am,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Shuyao did not stop rubbing the vessel and acted as if he did not hear L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. He picked up the water jug and poured it over the vessel to wash it clean.


    ¡°I am going out. I willeter in the evening,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and turned to leave. He thought that Shuyao would stop him, but he did not. He continued to walk and soon left the house.


    As he was going closer to the past when his father ruled over the kingdom, he found out about many people, who had lost their loved ones once Qiu Zedong became the King.


    Shuyao was one such victim. He lost his wife, his two sons, and a daughter. Today, he was forced to sell those dumplings for survival.


    L¨®ng Wei found out that his journey was unexinable and full of surprises.


    Every time, he would find something new which would question him if he would do right to the people, who had high expectations of him.


    .....


    But then, he would make himself agree with the fact that he didn¡¯t want to stand on anyone¡¯s expectations. It was his life, so he would decide what he wanted to do in the end.


    L¨®ng Wei halted in his steps when a football near his feet. He turned his head around and found several boys ying ¡®cuju¡¯ (an ancient football game in China) in the open field.


    One of the boys came running in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s direction. The Prince picked it up and walked up to the boy.


    ¡°Thank you, Brother.¡± The boy took the football from L¨®ng Wei and ran back to his friends, who were waiting for him on the field.


    L¨®ng Wei always wanted to y that game. All the princes used to y cuju in the pce, but he would always see them from far away. He remembered the event in which the five princes had paired up and in their opposition some noblemen¡¯s sons were present.


    It was his mother, who agreed to the Queen and didn¡¯t let L¨®ng Wei y that day. L¨®ng Wei fisted his palms as he suddenly became furious.


    Why was he even here? Qizhen and Yu Jun did not care for him. Once again his hatred for him overpowered his mind and he decided to return to the capital.


    He wanted to tell his father that he didn¡¯t want to find Qizhen. He scrunched his eyebrows when his thoughts were interrupted by a voice.


    ¡°Do you not want to climb the mountain?¡± Shuyao asked L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Did you chase me?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°I thought my servant would leave Xianshan without seeing the ny-ninekes and dawn redwood forests,¡± Shuyao stated and looked at the field.


    ¡°So, you were enjoying that game,¡± Shuyao said with a tiny smile on his lips.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie,¡± Shuyao said and locked his hands behind his back. ¡°My sons were champions in this game. When I see these kids today, I see them too,¡± he stated and smiled.


    ¡°Now, you want to tell me about your past,¡± L¨®ng Wei amusedly nced at him.


    ¡°Why are you so interested in knowing my past?¡± Shuyao queried him. His gaze was still on the field.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to clean the house, so I decided to hire someone and pay him to clean your house. However, all the men I approached refused to work even when I was giving them one gold coin. That was when I became curious to know,¡± L¨®ng Wei briefed the incident behind his curiosity to know about Shuyao¡¯s past.


    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary for you to tell me what happened to your family. I am sure it was painful,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I never knew that the Prince is a thoughtful person,¡± Shuyao asserted and kept a smile on his lips. They both turned their heads and looked at each other.


    ¡°So, you knew who I was?¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°Why did you make me work like a servant?¡± He then questioned.


    ¡°If there¡¯s any person in this Kingdom who does not behave well, then that¡¯s Prince L¨®ng Wei. Anyone would have guessed that,¡± Shuyao stated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sarcastic,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him.


    ¡°It is my way of speaking,¡± Shuyao said and again looked ahead toward the field, where children were ying.


    After remaining quiet for a while, Shuyao again spoke, ¡°I heard you are the Dragon¡¯s Son. Will you end this misery of a husband and a father, who lost everything when the previous king died?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei had not expected this question from Shuyao. All this time, L¨®ng Wei found him to be a cheerful type of person. However, that mere statement made L¨®ng Wei feel upset.


    ¡°Why do you think that I will end your misery?¡± L¨®ng Wei wanted to know the reason. ¡°I am more popr as a sinned prince than as the Dragon¡¯s son,¡± he reminded Shuyao.


    ¡°In my eyes, you are the Dragon¡¯s Son,¡± Shuyao proimed. ¡°You are fearless even before the King. I heard you are the Governor of the Capital. You have the ability to change the flow of water. So, I definitely think that you will give me justice,¡± he stated and again peered into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes.


    L¨®ng Wei felt strange. No one ever asked him such a thing. All saw him as an evil person, who became the reason for others¡¯ miseries.


    ¡°I want justice, Prince L¨®ng Wei. I believe that you want to go to that ce because of a reason. I will take you there tomorrow. However, I demand only one thing from you¡ª the justice which I could never get,¡± Shuyao stated, with a menacing look on his face.

 Chapter 465 - 465 My affection for you

    465 My affection for you


    Tianjie reached the Chen residence, where he was given a warm wee. Yesterday, Tianjie could note as the court session went long after a heated argument between Kang Xi and Xiaoming started.


    ¡°Your Highness, my wife and I are pleased to serve you today. Pleasee this way,¡± Chen Lizhen humbly requested, motioning his hand to his left.


    Tianjie followed them to the guest room, where they were all seated.


    ¡°I would like to thank His Highness to take out time today,¡± Chen Lizhen said and turned his head to look at his wife. ¡°When will our daughtere?¡± he asked.


    ¡°She is...¡± Before Lady Chen could finish her words, her daughter Chen Yunyi entered the room, followers, by two servants.


    She had her hands in front of her naval, her eyes were low and she bowed at Tianjie. ¡°Greetings to the Third Prince. This is Chen Yunyi,¡± she introduced herself and slightly bent on her knees before standing straight.


    Her parents smiled to see her.


    Tianjie stood up and greeted her formally. He brought his hands up to the shoulders and bowed at her. ¡°This is Qiu Tianjie, Miss Chen.¡± They both raised their heads and looked at each other.


    Tianjie settled on his seat while Chen Yunyi turned slightly to gaze at the servant. She came forward and Yunyi picked up the teacup along with the saucer. She ced it before Tianjie and poured the tea into it.


    .....


    Tianjie found it was Oolong tea. He let it get colder while Yunyi served the tea to her parents.


    ¡°Miss Chen shall take her seat,¡± Tianjie humbly said. She sat on the broad chair across Tianjie and a servant poured the tea for her.


    Tianjie picked up the cup and sipped the tea, followed by the others present in the guest room.


    He looked at Chen Lizhen. He told him that his father and mother had sent some gifts for them. Eunuch Shi Rang walked out of the room to bring the betrothal gifts for Chen Yunyi. The pce servants came one by one.


    ¡°Please ept these gifts, Miss Chen,¡± Tianjie stated.


    Chen Yunyi stood up and she touched those gifts one after the other while the servant led the pce servants to the other room where the gifts were to be put.


    ¡°His and Her Majesty has sent a lot of gifts,¡± Chen Lizhen stated whileughing in between the words.


    ¡°That was necessary as a part of the betrothal ritual,¡± Tianjie stated. They had a conversation for some time. Chen Lizhen asked her daughter to show around the residence to Tianjie, sheplied with her father. She rose to her feet and then left with Tianjie.


    After a tour of twenty minutes, they stopped by the garden when Yunyi¡¯s personal maid informed Tianjie how Yunyi grew all those flowers.


    Yunyi smiled as Tianjieplimented her on her gardening skills. She asked the maid to leave them alone as he wanted a private moment to talk with Yunyi.


    After the maid left, Tianjie turned to Chen Yunyi. ¡°Miss Chen¡¯s father told me two days ago that she wants to meet me. I wonder what she has to ask me that she personally asked for me,¡± Tianjie asserted.


    ¡°Your Highness, I wanted to see my future husband before marrying him. Forgive me if I wasted your precious time,¡± Yunyi asserted.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be apologetic. I am here to see my future wife too. However, I thought Miss Chen asked for my visit for a special reason,¡± Tianjie stated and looked at the flower bed.


    Seeing the hibiscus (China Rose) flowers, Tianjie recalled Song Jia. That woman was imprinted deep inside his mind, heart, and even soul.


    He vividly remembered the day Song Jia danced in the Dragon¡¯s Castle. Her hair bun had hibiscus flowers as the ornaments.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡±


    Tianjie came out of his thoughts and looked at her. ¡°Forgive me,¡± Tianjie said. He realized that he needed to stop all these feelings.


    However, he had no idea how to put an end to them. He would marry soon, but he knew that Song Jia would still remain in his heart.


    He recalled Xiaoming¡¯s words, who told him that L¨®ng Wei already predicted what Tianjie would choose in the end¨C a political marriage instead of his happiness.


    Three days ago, when he met L¨®ng Wei, he also remarked on his way of loving. For him, social status was more important than being happy.


    ¡°Miss Chen, I should take my leave. I have some work to do,¡± Tianjie said. Chen Yunyi nodded her head and with her parents, she saw Tianjie off.


    Tianjie told them that they should wait for the King¡¯s next message regarding the marriage before hopping on the horse.


    After covering a certain distance, he told the Eunuch and the soldiers to leave for the pce, who obeyed hismand.


    Tianjie rode the horse to the residence where Song Jia stayed. A gatekeeper descended the stairs and asked about Tianjie¡¯s identity.


    He got down from the horse and handed him his royal identity token. The gatekeeper bowed at him after he recognized the identity and bowed.


    ¡°I want to see Song Jia,¡± Tianjie stated.


    The gatekeeper nodded his head and told the prince that he would inform Lady Song about it.


    ¡°Just tell her that a man she met at Qijiang wants to see her,¡± Tianjie told the gatekeeper. He went inside and delivered the same message to Song Jia.


    She got puzzled to hear that statement. She met a lot of men in Qijiang. Who could be this man who followed her to Qinping?


    ¡°Please take him in,¡± Song Jia said and let go of the zither strings. She had been ying it for two hours for some reason. The servant got on her knees to take the zither away when Song Jia asked her not to do so.


    ¡°I want to y it for some more time,¡± Song Jia stated.


    The maid nodded and stood up. She went back to her ce and heard the door slide.


    Song Jia looked toward the door and the smile from her lips vanished. She stopped blinking and continued to stare at Tianjie, who looked straight at her left hand which was above the zither.


    ¡°I am d that you wore the ring and epted my affection for you,¡± Tianjie said and again peered into her eyes.

 Chapter 466 - 466 Become my wife

    466 Be my wife


    Tianjie asked the maid to leave the room and closed the doors behind her. She followed Tianjie¡¯smand while Song Jia put her hand down. She stood up from her ce and bowed at him.


    ¡°Will you marry me, Song Jia?¡± Tianjie asked her.


    Song Jia promptly lifted her head and looked at him with a puzzled expression. ¡°My Lord, did you follow me here?¡± She asked instead of responding to his question.


    ¡°No. I live here,¡± Tianjie answered and walked up to her. She told him that he should leave as it was her time to rest.


    ¡°You are in my heart. How am I supposed to leave without hearing what I want to?¡± Tianjie halted right in front of her and held her left hand. Song Jia tried to pull it back, but he did not let it go. ¡°Why did you wear it if you have not felt something for me? Lying will do no good to you,¡± he stated and looked at her fourth finger.


    ¡°My Lord, I cannot marry you. I have made myself clear about it earlier too. My world does not coincide with his world,¡± Song Jia stated.


    ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± Tianjie questioned her. ¡°I am not the son of a nobleman,¡± he then told her the answer, but it was vague.


    Song Jia looked at the dress of Tianjie. She keenly observed it and then gazed into his eyes. Tianjie let go of her hand and knelt. Song Jia confusedly nced at him and found that he had slid the table away on which the zither was ced.


    ¡°Now, there is no barrier,¡± he said and took another step toward her. But to his surprise, Song Jia stepped back.


    .....


    ¡°My Lord, please leave before the owner of this residencees. He may punish you for¡­¡± she took a brief pause, ¡°foring here and then seeing you with me.¡±


    ¡°Are you concerned for me?¡± Tianjie asked with a smile. ¡°Hardly anyone is worried for me,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°I am showing general concern, My Lord,¡± Song Jia replied and looked toward the door. ¡°I request him to leave,¡± she again repeated her words, this time more formally, and lowered her eyelids to show respect.


    ¡°Who owns this residence?¡± Tianjie asked even though he had the answer. He wanted to confirm it from Song Jia¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°I am not liable to answer this question,¡± Song Jia replied.


    Tianjie rubbed his temple before pulling Song Jia toward her. He had his arm around her waist while her hands rested on his arms. ¡°My Lord?!¡± She eximed after that sudden pull. Her brows furrowed and her heart beat fast against her chest.


    ¡°I want you to know that I am in love with you. The first day I saw you in Qijiang, I fell for you. I have told you this already but I wanted to say it again. I am a selfish man, but I am unable to do it this time. I always wanted to marry a woman with a strong political family, but after the day I saw you, my thoughts have jeopardized,¡± Tianjie did not hesitate this time to speak his feelings out. He did not hide his feelings this time. He wanted to chase his happiness this time.


    ¡°Many men have fallen for me. We had the same conversation on this matter in Qijiang too,¡± Song Jia stated.


    ¡°But no man has ever chased you. I did and will keep doing until you say a yes,¡± Tianjie affirmed.


    ¡°Who are you? What is your real identity?¡± Song Jia asked him.


    ¡°I am Qiu Tianjie, the Third Prince of the Qiu Kingdom,¡± Tianjie introduced himself to her.


    ¡°What? The Third Prince?¡± She pushed him with a greater force, but he tightened his grip around her. In turn, he pulled her and told her efforts were in vain.


    ¡°Your Highness, please let me go,¡± Song Jia urged.


    ¡°I will, after you give me the answer,¡± Tianjie affirmed.


    ¡°My answer is no,¡± Song Jia replied with a furious expression.


    ¡°I never saw you angry,¡± Tianjie stated with a grin.


    ¡°This situation is not funny, Your Highness,¡± Song Jia asserted.


    ¡°I know,¡± Tianjie said.


    ¡°Why did His Highness lie to me about his identity? How did His Highness find out that I am here? No one knew about it,¡± Song Jia questioned him.


    ¡°That was necessary at that time. However, I never agreed with your assumptions. It was you who thought I am from the noble ss,¡± Tianjie stated. ¡± I happened to find out about your presence. I do not want you to perform dance anymore for the people. Be my wife,¡± he expressed his desire again.


    They both heard the maid¡¯s voice. ¡°Lord Li is here to see Lady Song,¡± the maid said from the outside.


    Song Jia¡¯s eyes grew bigger and she looked at Tianjie in shock. ¡°Please hide somewhere, Your Highness,¡± Song Jia requested him.


    ¡°Answer me first. Tell me that you want to marry me,¡± Tianjie put forward a condition.


    ¡°I cannot do that,¡± Song Jia said and knitted her brows in worry.


    ¡°Then, let hime inside and see us together,¡± Tianjie adamantly said.


    ¡°Song Jia, should I walk in?¡±


    Tianjie heard the voice and realized it was not of Li Zixuan. Who could it be?


    ¡°Fine. I will marry His Highness,¡± Song Jia said in a hurry, and asked Tianjie to hide. ¡°Please, Your Highness,¡± she requested him. Tianjie pulled his arm back from her waist and stepped back. He looked around and went to the left. He slid the door and went inside before closing it.


    ¡°Lord Li can walk in,¡± Song Jia said softly.


    Tianjie remained behind the door as he wanted to see who was the man that came to see Song Jia. It was not Li Zixuan. He was sure about it.


    The door opened and Li Jianjun walked in. Song Jia bowed to see him and greeted him formally.


    ¡°You are turning prettier with each day, Song Jia,¡± Li Jianjun said. Tianjie did not like such a statement from another man¡¯s mouth for the woman whom he loved.


    Song Jia returned hispliment with a smile and asked Jianjun to take the seat. `

 Chapter 467 - 467 Ditched my selfishness for you

    467 Ditched my selfishness for you


    Tianjie tried to look through the gaps in the sliding door, but because Jianjun¡¯s back was toward him, he could not see his face.


    ¡°Did Song Jia y the zither?¡± Jianjun asked as he looked at the floor table.


    ¡°I did y it earlier,¡± Song Jia answered.


    Jianjun took a step forward toward her and he brought his hand to her cheek. Song Jia clutched the edges of her dress and urged him not to do so.


    When he didn¡¯t hear her, she yanked his hand off her cheek and sternly said, ¡°My Lord, Song Jia does not allow it.¡± She wanted to say a lot of things to Jianjun but stopped herself because Tianjie was present in the adjacent room.


    ¡°You always have interested me, Song Jia. However, you cannot stop me for a long time from making you mine. You are the only woman who doesn¡¯t allow me to get close to you,¡± Jianjun asserted, ¡°and it bothers me.¡±


    Tianjie fisted his palms and decided to go out when he heard Song Jia say, ¡°My Lord, I am never going to marry you. I cleared it three years ago too.¡±


    ¡°Be my mistress. There is no need to marry me,¡± Jianjun stated. ¡°I will give you everything. There¡¯s nothing that you willck in this life,¡± He tried to convince Song Jia.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the mistress of Lord Li. I will leave this residence right now. I want nothing from Lord Li. I told him this numerous times,¡± Song Jia affirmed. The entire time she remained calm.


    .....


    ¡°I cannot let you go, Song Jia. Remember, I saved you three years ago. You should return the favor to me by bing my mistress,¡± Li Jianjun stated and almost grabbed her hands when she stepped back.


    ¡°Then, I shall take my life because that day too another nobleman would have killed me. That¡¯s the only way I can return Lord Li¡¯s favor,¡± Song Jia said without fear. She would love to have a dignified death than be someone¡¯s mistress.


    Tianjie didn¡¯t stay quiet anymore. He slid the door which both Jianjun and Song Jia heard.


    ¡°Your Highness?¡± Jianjun was shocked to see Tianjie in front of him.


    Tianjie walked up to them and stopped next to Jianjun. ¡°Are you not marrying the First Princess? How dare you fool her?¡± Tianjie scrunched his brows in anger.


    Jianjun felt stuck and looked at Song Jia. ¡°It is all her fault. She told me that she would marry me. Since I cannot do that, I thought to take her as my mistress,¡± Jianjun stated.


    ¡°She is not yours, Li Jianjun. She will not marry a man like you. She is not someone who can be anyone¡¯s mistress. Also, the favor she did on you, I will return it to you. I won¡¯t tell anyone about this in the pce. From here, she is not bound to you in any way,¡± Tianjie affirmed.


    Jianjun thanked the Third Prince. He was trembling in fear thinking Tianjie would tell about it in the pce.


    ¡°Jianjun, apologize to Song Jia,¡± Tianjie said while keeping his anger in control.


    ¡°I do not want any apology,¡± Song Jia refused to take Jianjun¡¯s apology.


    ¡°Apologize!¡± Tianjie shouted at Jianjun, who promptly lowered his head. He apologized to Song Jia for his behavior and then raised his head.


    ¡°Song Jia will not stay in this residence from now onwards,¡± Tianjie stated and grasped her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± He said to Song Jia. She didn¡¯t oppose him and lifted her long skirt to walk behind him.


    However, in the front yard of the residence, Song Jia stopped. Tianjie turned to look at her. ¡°Is His Highness serious to take me with him? I will not be epted by his family. If I step out with him, His Highness will be named because of me... Not in a good way. I will leave for Qijiang Province now. Thank you for saving me today. I cannot do anything for His Highness. However, I will always pray for his strength, well-being, and happy life,¡± Song Jia stated as she slowly pulled her hand from his grip.


    She bowed at him with a smile and peered into his eyes.


    Tianjie put his hand on her nape and pulled her towards him. He kissed her and closed his eyes. Song Jia stopped breathing and blinking. Her heart beat rapidly as if she just had a good run.


    Tianjie pulled away but his hand remained on her nape.


    ¡°I love you,¡± Tianjie admitted his feelings while confessing to her. ¡°I want to marry you, Song Jia. I ditched my selfishness today for you. I will never let anything wrong happen to you.¡± He was serious about her. He looked at the residence¡¯s main entrance and pointed his finger toward it.


    ¡°I have no shame in holding your hand and taking you out of here.¡± He turned to look at Song Jia, who has a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Your Highness, I want you to be strong. A political marriage will¨C¡± she could notplete her words as Tianjie put his index finger over her lips.


    ¡°I also want the same. However, there is no use of that strength if you will not be with me. I want to see you with me every morning I wake up and every night I go to the bed. I want to feel happiness too. I want to be with you, Song Jia.¡±


    Tianjie knew that he could never remain a cheerful person if Song Jia left his life. He didn¡¯t want it to happen. He would find another way to be politically strong, but he would not let Song Jia go.


    ¡°Trust me, Song Jia. I will not let your hand go ever. I will be with you always. I will handle the consequences awaiting us. You don¡¯t know since the day I met you, I have always thought of you. There¡¯s not a single day when I didn¡¯t think of you. My Father will surely let us marry. I promise you this,¡± Tianjie pleaded with her. He knew her worries, so he did his best to convince her, to show her how much she mattered to him.


    ¡°I ept His Highness¡¯s proposal,¡± Song Jia said. ¡°However, if I find him getting into trouble because of me, I will leave his life. He will not stop me. Promise me this. Only then I will walk out of here.¡±


    ¡°That will never happen. Still, I promise that I will not stop you,¡± Tianjie stated.

 Chapter 468 - 468 Door to my quick fortune [Bonus chapter]

    468 Door to my quick fortune [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask the King to give you justice?¡± L¨®ng Wei queried him.


    ¡°His Majesty was the reason for my miseries,¡± Shuyao answered. ¡°How am I supposed to ask for justice from the person, who ordered to behead my family,¡± he stated and brought his hand near his chest.


    ¡°Only I know how I have been alive till this date,¡± Shuyao¡¯s voice choked and tears came out from his eyes.


    ¡°So, if I had nevere here, then you would have never tried to get justice,¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    ¡°Perhaps no,¡± Shuyao replied.


    ¡°You want me to stand against my father for you. I will be foolish to do that, Shuyao,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°My daughter was merely five years old. You are born to end the miseries of people like me. His Majesty could have let her live,¡± Shuyao stated and brought his hands up before joining them.


    ¡°I will decide after reaching the ce of ny-ninekes. Do you ept this?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked about his decision on that.


    ¡°I ept it. I have faith in Prince L¨®ng Wei that he will give me the justice that I always longed for,¡± Shuyao affirmed.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei looked up at the sky and saw the scattered clouds. ¡°Shall we go today? What do you say?¡± He looked at Shuyao.


    ¡°We may get stuck in the middle because of the darkness. In my opinion, we should leave early in the morning,¡± Shuyao suggested to him. L¨®ng Wei hummed and told him that they should head back.


    L¨®ng Wei wondered what crime Shuyaomitted that he was forced to live this way. Qiu Zedong ordered the beheading of everyone in his family except Shuyao. It was indeed a brutal punishment for Shuyao.


    ¡°Why did His Majesty order such a punishment for you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Shuyao.


    ¡°After the previous king was dethroned, all the officials he appointed were either killed or forced to serve the jail term. I am one of those numerous victims,¡± Shuyao stated as he recalled his dark past.


    ¡°Shuyao, I am the youngest son of the king. Why do you think that I will help you and bring your matter into the limelight?¡± L¨®ng Wei was a little bewildered to know that Shuyao expected him to go against the king of the kingdom. ording to him, it could not be merely because of the prophecy. He had doubts if Shuyao also knew the truth about his birth.


    ¡°I already gave my answer on it, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Shuyao replied.


    They both reached the house. ¡°Prepare the things for tomorrow. Also, buy a nice pair of clothes for me. I will not wear these rugged clothes anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Shuyao as he took out the pouch from his inner pocket. He handed him a good amount of coins.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is forgetting that he is my servant till the five days. It is the second day. He must be happy that I am ready to take him tomorrow,¡± Shuyao asserted and handed the coins back to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hands.


    The Prince twitched his lips in annoyance and left his sight. ¡°This oldie really knows how to irk me!¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured and went to the market.


    ~~~~~~~


    Xu Zifan was ready to go home in the evening after work when his fellows asked him to join them for drinks.


    ¡°Forgive me, but I cannot join today,¡± Xu Zifan said. He could not tell them that his sister was at home.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, do you not consider us your friends? You hardlye for drinks with us,¡± Liang Mained to him. The other two also insisted Xu Zifan join them. He could not refuse them but told them that he would stay with them for only an hour.


    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go before we gette,¡± Hong Zhi said. Xu Zifan left with them for the local night restaurant where mostly men would gather to eat and drink. Also, ordinary people could not enter that restaurant.


    When they took a seat around a round table of four people, a teenage boy came to them and wrote their orders. Xu Zifan only ordered one tiny bowl of noodles to eat. He looked around when he heard some of the noblemen discussing Kang Huijuan.


    ¡°I heard the Crown Prince has gathered evidence against him,¡± Ang Nian said. ¡°Kang Huijuan must be punished for his arrogance,¡± he added.


    ¡°Why does it seem you have enmity with Kang Huijuan?¡± Xu Zifan asked Ang Nian.


    ¡°I have no enmity with him, Xu Zifan. I am just angry with the system of justice. I studied with him in the same academy after qualifying for the exam of civil services. He used to bully us there. Two even left the academy because of the atrocities we faced,¡± he exined to Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Indeed, Kang Huijuan is wicked,¡± Hong Zhi said. ¡°Just because his father was the prime minister, he got the special perks. We suffered because of him. I am d that Prince L¨®ng Wei is the governor of the capital. Only he can handle a wicked person like him,¡± he said in fury.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that Kang Huijuan gets the death penalty,¡± Liang Ma stated.


    ¡°He surely will. He did wrong to so many people. The Crown Prince holds strong evidence against Kang Huijuan, so he will be strictly punished this time,¡± Xu Zifan affirmed with a smile.


    Their orders came and they started eating while having wine. Xu Zifan took only one ss and enjoyed the time with them. An hourter, Xu Zifan took his leave. He descended the stairs of the restaurant and walked on the cobblestone pavement. The ce had turned crowded and he could see several tables in the courtyard.


    ¡°Ahh,¡± he screamed as the hot tea fell over his left hand. The young boy apologized to him and asked for his forgiveness.


    ¡°It is fine. You can resume your work,¡± Xu Zifan said. ¡°Can you tell me where I can wash my hand? Even my dress got the stain,¡± he asked.


    ¡°Please follow me this way, Young Master,¡± the boy said as he put the tray on the table. Xu Zifan followed him to the backyard of the restaurant where a well was situated. The boy took out the water for Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Thank you for the help. You can go,¡± Xu Zifan said as he took the wooden mug from him. The boy expressed his gratitude toward Xu Zifan as he did not punish him before leaving his sight.


    Xu Zifan dipped his hand in the water jug and felt better. He then threw that water and took clean water from the bucket to wash the part of his outfit where it got a tea stain. Once he was done, he went ahead, but he got confused after finding two routes.


    ¡°Which route did Ie from?¡± he murmured and after thinking for a few seconds, he went to the right path. It led him to the inner part of the restaurant where usually high-ss noblemen would book private rooms.


    ¡°Where did Ie?¡± Xu Zifan mumbled as he got lost in the corridor. He turned to go back in the same direction when he heard the voiceing out of a room.


    ¡°You gave up on Song Jia to be with the First Princess?¡±


    ¡°I had no choice,¡± Jianjun pronounced. ¡°Princess Jingfei is my key to a top position in the kingdom, so I cannot step back from marrying her.¡± He gulped the wine in his ss and plonked it on the table.


    Xu Zifan went close to the door to hear more of their conversation.


    ¡°I have a better woman than Song Jia for you. In the brothel house, I heard a beauty from the south hase. Men are crazy for her.¡± Xu Zifan heard this unfamiliar voice again.


    ¡°I would love to,¡± Jianjun said.


    ¡°Jianjun, is Princess Jingfei not enough for you? I heard that she is as beautiful as the Queen,¡± another unfamiliar voice came out of the room.


    ¡°Unfortunately, Jingfei has failed to sway my heart,¡± Jianjun stated and chuckled. ¡°Huang Xi rejected her. She must have some faults that he rejected her. She is just a door to my quick fortune,¡± Jianjun affirmed with a grin on his face. He picked up the wine jar and filled the ss for himself.


    ¡°Do not forget us when you will get that fortune.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jianjun said, ¡°I want to be the Governor of Qinping. Princess Jingfei will help me be the governor,¡± he told them his ambition.


    ¡°It is not easy to remove Prince L¨®ng Wei from that position.¡±


    ¡°It will happen after I marry the First Princess,¡± Jianjun said and sipped the wine. He recalled how L¨®ng Wei humiliated him by not epting his warm greetings. Now, he wanted to throw L¨®ng Wei out of that position.

 Chapter 469 - 469 Kill Xu Zifan

    469 Kill Xu Zifan


    Xu Zifan returned home and after freshening up, he went to see Li Hua. He found Li Hua with Feng Lao as they were conversing about a topic. Seeing Xu Zifan, they both stood up and asked him why he gotte today.


    ¡°I got so much work,¡± Xu Zifan said and sat on the chair. Li Hua told him that she would bring the tea for them.


    ¡°Stay here. I will ask the servant to bring the tea for Xu Zifan,¡± Feng Lao opined and stood up to leave.


    ¡°I will not take tea,¡± Xu Zifan stated. Li Hua found her brother was looking upset and worried. She asked him about it when Xu Zifan told her he had gone out with his friends for a drink at their request.


    ¡°I am d that Elder Brother has made some friends,¡± Li Hua stated and nced at Feng Lao. ¡°Why do you not go to work? That way you will grow better,¡± she said out of concern.


    ¡°I cannot work because of certain restraints on me,¡± Feng Lao said. Li Hua was puzzled to hear about it. She did not know that Feng Lao could not work because of what his father did.


    Xu Zifan asked them to talk with each other. ¡°I am going to sleep since I have some drinks,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Good night, Elder Brother. Make sure to tell the servant to put braiser in your room,¡± Li Hua told him. Xu Zifan nodded his head and asked them to take their dinner.


    When he came to his room, he went to the window and stood next to it. He decided not to tell Li Hua because she would tell Jingfei. Jingfei might not believe Li Hua because she already thought that Li Hua was her enemy.


    .....


    ¡°What if I tell Princess Jingfei about it?¡± Xu Zifan thought. He was more scared for L¨®ng Wei than he cared for Jingfei. Jianjun wanted to marry her to gain the Governor¡¯s position in the capital. The King would definitely hear the request of his daughter and might announce Jianjun as the next governor of Qinping.


    He took off his overcoat but did not find his token of identification. He searched in his pockets and wondered if it fell somewhere. He rechecked the pockets of his robe, but the token was not there. ¡°Where did I fall it?¡± He murmured and frowned as he turned anxious.


    He heard the knock on the door, followed by Li Hua¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Elder Brother, may Ie in?¡± She softly asked.


    Xu Zifan quickly put on the overcoat and went to open the door. He saw Li Hua had fetched a ss of warm milk for him.


    ¡°Please drink it before sleeping. I mixed some crushed almonds in it,¡± she asserted with a smile and ced the tray on the table.


    ¡°I will,¡± Xu Zifan assured him.


    She turned to look at her brother. ¡°Is Elder Brother alright? Did something happen when he went for drinks with his friends?¡± Li Hua inquired.


    ¡°Everything is fine, Li Hua. I know that you are worried because I have not taken dinner with you and Feng Lao. But trust me, I am alright,¡± Feng Lao said and wore a fake smile on his lips.


    ¡°Elder Brother, do not lie to me. Whenever you say that you are alright, it means that there is something wrong,¡± Li Hua stated with a suspicious gaze.


    ¡°Why do you not tell us what happened outside? You indeed look troubled, Xu Zifan.¡± Feng Lao also walked in and stood next to him. ¡°You know well that you are not good at lying,¡± he added.


    Xu Zifan took a deep breath and smiled. ¡°Nothing can be hidden from both of you,¡± he asserted and looked at them. ¡°Li Hua, promise me that you will not do anything on the matter which I will tell you in a moment,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°I promise,¡± Li Hua without arguing and opposing her brother promised her brother.


    ¡°Li Jianjun is not a nice man. He is betraying the First Princess. He visits the brothel house and also he wanted a woman named Song Jia to be his mistress, but she refused. After he marries the First Princess, he will use her to gain the position of the governor.¡± Xu Zifan narrated the entire incident to them.


    ¡°How did you find out all this?¡± Feng Lao asked.


    ¡°The restaurant where I went with my three friends, I happened to go to the side where private rooms are present. Jianjun was with his friends inside the room and I happened to overhear their conversation,¡± Xu Zifan affirmed.


    ¡°We need to tell Princess Jingfei about it,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I will tell the First Princess about it tomorrow morning,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°Will she trust your words?¡± Feng Lao doubted whether Jingfei would believe Xu Zifan or not.


    ¡°I heard that Princess Jingfei was extremely happy with this proposal. We cannot let her fall into this bloody trap that is set up by Li Jianjun. Moreover, as the Crown Princess has predicted Li Jianjun is not a loyal man. Princess Jingfei¡¯s life may get destroyed if we do not do anything,¡± Li Hua proimed with a worried look.


    ¡°But the question is if Princess Jingfei will believe Xu Zifan¡¯s words or not,¡± Feng Lao stated.


    ¡°There is no harm in trying,¡± Xu Zifan stated. ¡°I am worried about Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s governor¡¯s position more than anything. I do not want Jianjun to marry the First Princess because then His Majesty will surely announce Jianjun as the next governor. Prince L¨®ng Wei has gained this position after so many effort. I do not want him to lose his position,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°I want the same, Xu Zifan. Tomorrow you should go to the pce and tell the First Princess about it,¡± Feng Lao opined.


    Li Hua also agreed with Feng Lao¡¯s words. ¡°Elder Brother, you should meet the Crown Princess if the First Princess does not trust you. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess will surely help you in this matter then,¡± she advised Xu Zifan.


    ¡°I will do that if the Princess does not believe me,¡± Feng Lao acknowledged his sister¡¯s suggestion.


    ~~~~~~~~


    Jianjun was ready to leave for his house when the servant slid the door for him. He stepped out when his foot pressed on something. He knitted his brows and moved his foot away.


    ¡°What happened?¡± One of his friends asked. Li Jianjun bent on his knees and picked up the token.


    ¡°Xu Zifan,¡± Jianjun read the name. His two friends looked at him and then at the token.


    ¡°It seems a low-grade official¡¯s identification token,¡± Jianjun¡¯s second friend said.


    ¡°Did he overhear our conversation?¡± Jianjun muttered and stood up.


    ¡°Do you know him?¡± The first friend asked as he studied the facial expressions on Jianjun¡¯s face.


    Jianjun nodded his head. ¡°Xu Zifan is the elder brother of Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s wife. The lone heir remained from the Xu family,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Do you think he heard everything we talked about?¡±


    Jianjun did not answer his friend¡¯s question and left from there. His personal servant was waiting for him outside the entrance of the restaurant and quickly opened the carriage¡¯s door for Jianjun.


    Jianjun kept looking at the token. ¡°If he heard my entire conversation, then I have to make sure that he will not open his mouth. Prince L¨®ng Wei is not in the capital. If it falls in his ear, he will not spare me,¡± he mumbled and wondered if he should kill Xu Zifan.


    ¡°That is the only way left to keep me in a safer position. But before that I need to confirm if Xu Zifan overheard the conversation or not,¡± Jianjun decided after deep contemtion.

 Chapter 470 - 470 Don’t be a fool

    470 Don¡¯t be a fool


    Song Jia looked around the house where Tianjie had brought her to.


    ¡°It is a private house. Father gifted mest year on my birthday,¡± Tianjie answered. The housekeeper hade to the main courtyard and greeted the Third Prince.


    He looked at Song Jia, who bowed at him and he also did the same.


    ¡°This is Xiaobo. He looks after this private residence. You can stay here and ask him for anything if I am not around,¡± Tianjie informed her.


    ¡°I will show you the room, where you will stay,¡± Tianjie stated and took her inside. Xiaobo went to the kitchen to bring water for them.


    Tianjie opened the door and asked Song Jia toe inside. Sheplied with him and got delighted to see the room.


    ¡°It looks like a luxurious room,¡± Song Jia said with a smile and touched thenternmp, which was on the table. The beautiful hand carvings on the wood could tell her how expensive it was.


    ¡°Song Jia,¡± Tianjie pronounced his name softly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± She turned to gaze at him, ¡°Your Highness?¡±


    .....


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me,¡± Tianjie said. Song Jia¡¯s forehead creased when she saw him stepping up to her. He ced his hands on her shoulders and then drew her for a warm hug.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to get married to another woman, but only you,¡± Tianjie said. It appeared that he was pleading with Song Jia to be with him. ¡°Stay here until I convince my father. But I surely will make him agree,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Your Highness, I can bring miseries to you. Will it be eptable to you?¡± Song Jia inquired. She was still wary of his decision to pursue him.


    ¡°Song Jia, I have never acted the way I acted today. However, the words of the Crown Prince and the remarks of Prince L¨®ng Wei made me realize something,¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°All these years, I have been selfish, greedy, dishonest, and self-centered. All the evil qualities you can think of existed in me. Some of them still exist.¡± He remained honest with Song Jia.


    ¡°My father has seen a good proposal for me. I even met the woman, but then I cannot marry her. I ran to you. To see you, to embrace you, and to tell you what I feel for you. No woman affects me as much as you do. The restlessness in my heart ended after I got an answer from you,¡± Tianjie said and told her how desperate he was to be with her.


    ¡°I do not want toe in the way of His Highness¡¯ ambitions. I dance in front of people. Many have seen me as a dancer only. All wanted me to be their mistress. I do not think I am the suitable woman for the Prince,¡± Song Jia said with a stoic look.


    ¡°But I do not want you to be my mistress or concubine. My mother is the King¡¯s concubine. I have seen how deprived she felt in that position. I will never let that happen to a woman I love,¡± Tianjie said with a chuckle.


    ¡°The Crown Prince has also married a woman with no status. So, do not think about status anymore,¡± he enunciated.


    ¡°But the Crown Princess and I are different people. I am a dancer,¡± Song Jia replied and lowered her head.


    Tianjie didn¡¯t know how to elucidate her not to worry about it because his father would agree with him. He decided to end the conversation and asked her to take her meals before going to bed. ¡°I will tell Xiaobo to send dinner for you. I wille to see you in the morning,¡± he asserted and hugged her.


    His hand came to the back of her head and he caressed it. ¡°Jianjun will not trouble you anymore. Do not worry about anything here. You will get anything you demand,¡± he said and he soon pulled away.


    ¡°Your Highness, ride the horse safely to the pce,¡± Song Jia said.


    ¡°I will,¡± Tianjie said and stepped back to leave.


    However, he halted. Instead of turning back and leaving, he again approached her and brought his hands to the edges of her jaw. He drew her for a kiss. This time a longer kiss than before, full of passion and love for her.


    Song Jia too fervently kissed him as she was unable to stop her this time.


    A man she never dreamt of hade into her life. The love in his eyes for hee was evident. She didn¡¯t want to think about the future anymore, but currently, she also needed it.


    When they withdrew, they gasped for air and she felt a soft kiss on the middle of her forehead. ¡°Song Jia, good night,¡± Tianjie said and grazed his thumb over her lips.


    He then stepped back and left for the pce. Song Jia went to the door to watch him leave. She brought her hand to her chest. ¡°I wish His Highness sess,¡± she said.


    Tianjie hopped on the horse and rode back to the pce. He felt a heavy weight lifted off his body. For the first time, he felt a different kind of satisfaction. He felt happy, to be honest with him.


    When he reached the pce, the soldiers bowed to him.


    He went to his chamber. However, on the way, he encountered Qiu Mu.


    ¡°Where was Brother Tianjie since the morning?¡± He inquired. ¡°Were you in Minister Chen Lizhen¡¯s house?¡±


    Tianjie shook his head. ¡°I do not want to marry his daughter,¡± he stated. ¡°I will our father tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°What did Brother Tianjie say? Today the betrothal gifts were sent to your betrothed,¡± Qiu Mu opined.


    ¡°I know. But I do not want to marry her, Second Brother. How should I exin it?¡± He mumbled and pressed the fingers on the temple of his forehead.


    ¡°Exin what?¡± Qiu Mu arched his brows.


    ¡°In Qijiang Province, I ended up falling for a woman. I want her to be my wife,¡± Tianjie informed Qiu Mu.


    ¡°A woman? Who?¡± Qiu Mu queried. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are following the path of the Crown Prince,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool, Tianjie. The Crown Prince hasrger support than you, but what about you? If the woman you love isn¡¯t from the upper ss, then do not marry her. I only want you to think about your future,¡± Qiu Mu advised Tianjie.


    ¡°I cannot live without her. I will see what I can do for my futureter,¡± Tianjie said.


    ¡°I only want Brother Tianjie to secure his future. A woman should not affect him to this extent. Rest is up to him to decide,¡± Qiu Mu said.


    ¡°I will be unhappy if I don¡¯t marry her,¡± Tianjie murmured. ¡°It is not about getting stronger anymore, but finding pleasure in what I have till now. If I marry Minister Li¡¯s daughter, then I will keep thinking about the other woman. If I will have kids in the future too, then also I will be unable to get happy with her. Brother Mu, I came to the decision after deep contemtion. If I stand in front of the mirror, I do not want to avert my gaze away from myself,¡± he asserted.


    Qiu Mu hummed and told Tianjie that he respected his decision. ¡°I wish for Brother Tianjie¡¯s sess in whatever step he wants to walk on,¡± Qiu Mu gave Tianjie his wishes and smiled at him.

 Chapter 471 - 471 Tough to make my heart change [Bonus chapter]

    471 Tough to make my heart change [Bonus chapter]


    Jingfei was making a painting when her personal attendant informed her that Xu Zifan wanted to see her.


    Jingfei raised her head and stopped moving the brush. ¡°Xu Zifan?¡± Her brows drew close as she thought about why he visited her. She ced the brush down and stood up.


    ¡°Where is Xu Zifan?¡± Jingfei asked the attendant.


    ¡°He is in the Lotus Pavilion,¡± she answered. Jingfei told her to bring the tea for Xu Zifan and headed to the pavilion.


    Xu Zifan stood up from the chair upon seeing Jingfeiing from the front. He lowered his eyes and then bowed slightly.


    ¡°Have a seat, Xu Zifan,¡± Jingfei said with a smile.


    He lifted his head and sat on the chair after the Princess took her seat.


    ¡°First Princess, the tea is here.¡± Her personal attendant hade with a tea server. Upon Jingfei¡¯s instructions, the server poured the tea for them.


    ¡±Xu Zifan thanked the First Princess for her warm hospitality. He held the cup and took a sip.


    .....


    ¡°I think Xu Zifan haspletely forgiven me, that is why he came to see me,¡± Jingfei said and smiled at him.


    ¡°As I have said, if my sister forgives the First Princess, I will also forgive her,¡± Xu Zifan said and kept a tiny smile on his lips.


    Once they finished the tea, Xu Zifan requested Jingfei if he could privately talk with the princess.


    Jingfei was startled to hear her request, but then she agreed to it. She looked at her personal attendant and gestured to her. She bowed and left along with the other servants present in the pavilion.


    ¡°Everyone has left. So what does Xu Zifan talk privately with me?¡± Jingfei asked.


    ¡°Your Highness, I want to tell you something rted to¡­¡± Xu Zifan paused as he heard Li Jianjun¡¯s voice.


    ¡°You are here, Princess Jingfei? I was searching for you in your chamber,¡± Li Jianjun said with a wide smile.


    Jingfei was delighted to see Jianjun and stood up. Xu Zifan also rose to her feet and grimaced.


    ¡°Searching for me?¡± Jingfei was puzzled and with inquisitiveness waited for his reply.


    ¡°I have brought a present for Princess Jingfei,¡± Li Jianjun said and then looked at Xu Zifan. ¡°I did not know that the First Princess will be here with Xu Zifan,¡± he said.


    ¡°Does Li Jianjun know Xu Zifan? He hase here to tell me something,¡± Jingfei asserted and nced back at him. ¡°What was it that you wanted to tell me?¡± She curiously asked.


    ¡°Who does not know about Xu Zifan? He was once known as the undefeatable swordsman in the Qiu kingdom. Princess Jingfei, Xu Zifan can talk to youter too. Can youe with me and check the present?¡± Li Jianjun urged her.


    ¡°Ahh, can Xu Zifan wait for me a bit?¡± Jingfei requested him.


    ¡°Sure, Your Highness,¡± Xu Zifan readily agreed to her. ept agreeing, he had no other way.


    Jingfei stepped ahead to walk away with Li Jianjun when he told her that he had something to give to Xu Zifan. She looked at him in confusion.


    Li Jianjun took out the identification token and walked up to Xu Zifan. ¡°Here is your token. You ended up falling it in the restaurant,¡± Jianjun said. Xu Zifan furrowed his brows together and took the token.


    However, Jianjun did not let it go. He kept hold of the token and took a step toward Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Try telling my truth to the Princess and I will make sure to kill you and your sister. I know your dear sister is at your house. If the word about me goes out, I will make sure to burn you alive along with your sister,¡± Jianjun threatened Xu Zifan. They scowled at each other. Jianjun left his grip on the token.


    Xu Zifan lowered his hand and watched them leave. Xu Zifan clenched his fist and left for his house. He could not risk Li Hua¡¯s life. But he was puzzled thinking about how Li Jianjun found out about it.


    Now, he had no way left but to send Li Hua to a safer ce. Jianjun might try to kill them when he could find out that Li Hua was with him. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he did not see Huang Xiing from the front.


    ¡°Xu Zifan!¡± Huang Xi widely smiled at him, but when Xu Zifan walked past him without greeting him, he got confused.


    ¡°What happened to him?¡± Huang Xi wondered.


    ~~~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei had left with Shuyao for the mountain before sunrise. ording to Shuyao, if they would walk at their normal speed while taking frequent stops, they would reach there by the early evening. However, Shuyao forgot to mention the sudden changes in the weather uphills.


    While walking Shuyao asked L¨®ng Wei about his personal life, but he only gave him vague answers.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, why are you so desperate to go there?¡± Shuyao asked. ¡°I want His Highness to be honest with me with that,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Curiosity to find a certain answer,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°What kind of curiosity a prince can have that he decided to climb the mountain?¡± Shuayo was skeptical of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s answer.


    After covering over three miles of distance, L¨®ng Wei asked Shuyao if they should rest. Shuyao nodded his head and after finding a safe ground, he asked L¨®ng Wei to sit down under a tree. He gave the water gourd to L¨®ng Wei and he drank the water. They ate some light snacks.


    ¡°You cook good, Shuyao,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°This is the first time the Prince praised me,¡± Shuayo stated and chewed the steamed bun.


    ¡°People usually hate me. It is strange that you like mypany,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked and ate the steamed bun on his head.


    ¡°I can serve His Highness if he wants me to,¡± Shuyao asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to look at him and chuckled. ¡°I bully people. You will not be able to stand before me if I started making you work,¡± He tried to intimidate Shuyao.


    ¡°My life has no use. It has been over thirty years and I am selling those dumplings and steamed buns. The day Prince L¨®ng Wei came to me, I, for some reason got enthusiastic. I have troubled him, so he can surely bully me,¡± Shuyao stated.


    ¡°Father will get angry if I take you to the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°I thought Prince L¨®ng Wei will punish His Majesty for the wrongs he did to people like me,¡± Shuyao said and sighed.


    ¡°I am not capable enough to raise my voice against my own father,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and asked for one more steamed bun from Shuyao.


    ¡°A Dragon is a fearless creature. It is far more powerful than any creature on this earth. They show great strength, good fortune, and peace in the lives of people like me,¡± Shuyao asserted.


    ¡°There are many people who were born in the year of the dragon. Why do you not ask them to help you?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired him.


    ¡°Not everyone can be a dragon, Prince L¨®ng Wei. I truly hope that the moment we reach at the next hilltop where the ny-ninekes and dawn redwood forests are situated, Prince L¨®ng Wei changes his mind,¡± Shuyao asserted and stood up, wearing the backpack made of leather.


    ¡°It is tough to make my heart change,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and dusted off his hands. He stood up and told Shuyao that he would never stand against his own father.

 Chapter 472 - 472 Reward him

    472 Reward him


    Li Jianjun showed the painting to Jingfei which he had made with his own hands. She was astonished to see the picture and her heart fluttered with immense happiness.


    ¡°I do not know if I made it¡ª¡± Jianjun could not finish his words as Jingfei cut him in the middle.


    ¡°It is beautiful, Li Jianjun. It is perfect,¡± she could not stop herself from admiring the painting. He had drawn the features so well that it looked exact copy of Jingfei.


    ¡°I am d that the First Princess liked it,¡± Jianjun said with a smile. ¡°Since Princess Jingfei liked my present, then she shall reward me,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°A reward?¡± Jingfei arched her eyebrow.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°What should I give to Li Jianjun?¡± She inquired.


    ¡°There are a lot of things she can give me,¡± Jianjun said and turned to her. Her heart thumped against her chest when he held her hands.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei,¡± he called her name, ¡°you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.¡±


    .....


    ¡°Really?¡± She queried.


    ¡°Hmm. Your beauty is unmatched. I will be blessed to be your husband,¡± Jianjun said and brought his right hand to her cheek. His knuckles grazed over her cheek. Jingfei clutched the edges of her dress tightly and the blush on her cheeks turned prominent.


    She lowered her eyelids, savoring that warm touch and at the same time, she felt nervous.


    ¡°May I have the pleasure to kiss Princess Jingfei? I will consider it as my reward,¡± Jianjun asked.


    ¡°A kiss?¡± Jingfei met his gaze and realized his face was so close to hers. She shied to hear that and again lowered her eyes.


    Jianjun brought his finger under her chin and lifted it. ¡°Do not shy away, Princess Jingfei,¡± he said. His thumb grazed over her lips and leaned down to kiss her.


    Their lips were a hair breadth¡¯s away and she could feel his breath falling over her lips. She could hear her heartbeats and she closed her eyes, ready for the kiss from the man for whom she had developed a likeness.


    However, she thought not to kiss him before the marriage. Before his lips couldnd above hers, she ced a finger between them. Her eyes opened and she slowly lowered her finger.


    Jianjun had an inquisitive gaze at her. ¡°What happened?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep it for after marriage, Li Jianjun. I do not want to be physical before the marriage,¡± she affirmed.


    Jianjun hummed and took a step back. ¡°Forgive me if my request made you feel ufortable,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Jingfei said. ¡°I am not ready for a kiss yet,¡± Jingfei said and again looked at the painting. ¡°I am thankful to Jianjun for adoring me to this extent. I am overwhelmed by his feelings. I will soon reward him.¡± She smiled to look at her painting.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    ¡°Did he say that?¡± Feng Lao frowned.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xu Zifan looked at Li Hua and told her that he was terrified after Li Jianjun¡¯s threat. He could not tell the Crown Prince or the Crown Princess about it.


    ¡°The marriage iste. By that time, Prince L¨®ng Wei will be here. We have to wait till then,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°You are right. However, before that we need to shift you somewhere safe,¡± Xu Zifan asserted.


    ¡°Where can I possibly go? I don¡¯t think that Jianjun will do anything like this. He merely wants us to stay quiet,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    ¡°Li Hua, we cannot take a risk. Jianjun may harm you. He wants to clean the evidence, and he knows that we three know this,¡± Xu Zifan stated. ¡°He will try to attack us in the night. That¡¯s why I must escort you somewhere safe,¡± Xu Zifan worriedly said.


    ¡°We can ask General Hei to keep Li Hua with them for a while,¡± Feng Lao suggested.


    Xu Zifan shook his head.


    ¡°The ce is far from here. The informant who is around us can tell Jianjun about it. We need to be careful before escorting Li Hua out safely,¡± Xu Zifan opined.


    ¡°What about Chang Shi¡¯s house?¡± Feng Lao asked him. ¡°He is not far from here. Also, he stays low, so no one knows about him,¡± he suggested.


    ¡°Feng Lao, go and talk to Chang Shi about it. His house will be safer,¡± Xu Zifan liked the suggestion and decided to keep Li Hua there.


    Li Hua let them handle everything, but she was worried thinking what would happen to her brother. He fell into trouble for no reason. When Feng Lao left, Li Hua asked Xu Zifan if he would continue to stay in the current house.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xu Zifan asked.


    ¡°Li Jianjun threatened that he would burn us alive tonight if his truth is revealed. However, he may do that even if we stay quiet,¡± Li Hua stated. ¡°Elder Brother must also stay with me in Chang Shi¡¯s house,¡± he said.


    ¡°Nothing will happen to me,¡± Xu Zifan assured her.


    ¡°How can I trust my elder brother¡¯s words?¡± Li Hua did not believe him. ¡°Elder Brother is the only person left from my family. I cannot lose him,¡± she turned emotional.


    ¡°I want Elder Brother to tell Commander Huang Xi to make him meet the Crown Prince. We have to do everything quickly before the night. Prince L¨®ng Wei will not return early and we cannot wait too long,¡± she advised her brother.


    ¡°I cannot tell anyone, Li Hua. And if I meet Huang Xi and somehow Li Jianjun finds out about it, then he will also fall in danger,¡± Xu Zifan enunciated.


    ¡°The Hei Family has high security. We need to meet the Crown Prince through Commander Huang Xi for your and Feng Lao¡¯s safety. I will stay at Chang Shi¡¯s house. The Crown Prince will not find out that I am here. Your and Feng Lao¡¯s lives are precious to me,¡± Li Hua urged him.


    Xu Zifan told her that he would talk with the Crown Prince after sending her to Chang Shi¡¯s house.


    ¡°Sure, Elder Brother,¡± Li Hua agreed to him and told him that they would bring Li Jianjun down.

 Chapter 473 - 473 Can turn inhuman

    473 Can turn inhuman


    Li Hua dressed up in a man¡¯s attire and left with Feng Lao to be at Chang Shi¡¯s house until Xu Zifan would solve the matter with Li Jianjun. She thanked Chang Shi for helping her at this vulnerable time.


    ¡°The Princess Consort is embarrassing me,¡± Chang Shi said and ced the tray on the table. ¡°Make yourselffortable,¡± he said and handed her the ss of water. Feng Lao had left already as he had to go to meet Huang Xi.


    Li Hua ced the ss on the table. ¡°I hope I will not disturb Chang Shi during my stay here,¡± she said.


    ¡°Not at all, Your Highness,¡± Chang Shi said and put the ss above the tray.


    ¡°I can do the work too. I can do cooking and even do the other chores,¡± Li Hua said as she grabbed the tray¡¯s one end.


    Chang Shi smiled at her. ¡°I cannot allow Her Highness to work here,¡± he said and asked her to take a rest.


    ¡°I will not feel good,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Your Highness, consider me as your brother. I will not let you work here,¡± Chang Shi opined and left the room.


    Li Hua looked at her clothes and decided to change them. After she changed into a hanfu dress, she went out of the room to look around. Her mind had a lot of things after she found out about Jianjun¡¯s true intention. She felt that she was still a burden to her loved ones.


    .....


    She stopped by the pir and looked at the sky. The clouds had gathered in the sky and she predicted that it would rain by the evening.


    ¡°Your Highness, why are you not inside?¡± Chang Shi asked. Li Hua turned to the left and saw himing from the front.


    ¡°I am restless, Brother Chang Shi. What if something wrong happens to my brother and Feng Lao? Moreover, I am scared that Jianjun tells anyone in the pce that I did not go with Prince L¨®ng Wei to Dongxing, then what will happen? Prince L¨®ng Wei might get punished for lying,¡± she expressed her worries to Chang Shi.


    ¡°Your Highness, Jianjun will not do it. If he has to do it, he would have done it already. He wants to marry the First Princess as soon as possible. Also, there is no evidence that can prove his im,¡± Chang Shi ended one of the worries of Li Hua. ¡°Also, he cannot kill a person when three people know about it. It is not easy to kill someone,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°But Jianjun may try to harm my brother tonight. Does Brother Chang Shi not think so?¡± Li Hua asked him.


    ¡°By then, Xu Zifan and Feng Lao will shift to Huang Xi¡¯s house,¡± Chang Shi said. ¡°Li Jianjun is not like Kang Huijuan, who will try to kill without thinking and bring doom to the entire family. He has only threatened Xu Zifan so that his truth will not fall in anyone¡¯s ears in the pce,¡± he elucidated to Li Hua.


    ¡°So, ording to Brother Chang Shi, Li Jianjun will not do anything to harm them,¡± She asked to confirm.


    Chang Shi nodded his head. ¡°Li Jianjun is brainy, especially when the people he wanted to harm are close to Prince L¨®ng Wei. He has used this threat to expedite his marriage with the First Princess,¡± he asserted. It was merely a lie to keep Li Hua out of stress. In reality, Chang Shi also knew that Li Jianjun would try to kill Xu Zifan and Feng Lao.


    Li Hua looked again towards the sky. ¡°I miss Prince L¨®ng Wei. If he had been here, no such thing would have happened,¡± she said. ¡°What does Brother Chang Shi think will Prince L¨®ng Wei would have done if he was here?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei would have told the King and the Crown Prince or he might have done nothing,¡± Chang Shi stated.


    Li Hua frowned to hear him and shifted her gaze at him.


    ¡°Why would Prince L¨®ng Wei not have done anything?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°Because His Highness does not care what happens in the First Princess¡¯s life. He does not like her and he would have advised Xu Zifan to just stay away from that matter,¡± Chang Xi answered in detail.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei would not have turned this inhuman,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    Chang Shi smiled to hear that statement. ¡°Your Highness, Prince L¨®ng Wei can turn inhuman to those who never cared about him and always thought wrong for him. Also, he still has anger for what First Princess and he had a big argument,¡± he stated.


    Li Hua recalled that time when L¨®ng Wei had almost killed Jingfei by strangting her. If Mingquan had note that day, Jingfei would have been dead. She remembered clearly that Jingfei used a bad word for her.


    ¡°Does Brother Chang Shi know Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s past?¡± She asked with curiosity.


    ¡°I know a lot of things,¡± Chang Shi said and took a deep breath. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei only desired of being loved by his mother. He had no greed other than that. I wish his mother could have given him that love,¡± he said and looked at Li Hua.


    ¡°Does Brother Chang Shi know that the present king forced Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother to be his concubine?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°I know,¡± Chang Shi replied, ¡°Father used to converse about it with my mother. Earlier times were not good. We lost our previous king, and his younger brother usurped the throne,¡± Chang Shi stated.


    ¡°Brother Chang Shi seems a lot older than he looks,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°I am 26 years old, Your Highness,¡± he said. Li Hua realized that Chang Shi did not know the truth about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s past.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei changed a bit after he married the Princess Consort. I am d that he is able to survive all these years despite the coldness he received from everyone in the pce,¡± Chang Shi stated with a smile.

 Chapter 474 - 474 It was Song Jia [Bonus chapter]

    474 It was Song Jia [Bonus chapter]


    Xiaoming put on the overcoat after Huang Xi told him that Xu Zifan needed his help on a matter.


    ¡°Can I apany the Crown Prince?¡± Jin Yu asked as she buttoned the overcoat for Xiaoming. ¡°I wonder what kind of trouble Xu Zifan fell into that he had to send a message through Commander Huang Xi. Li Hua is also not around,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°You can apany me, Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming allowed her. Jin Yu thanked him as she would once again step out of the pce. She asked Xiaoming if they would ride the horses or would go in the pnquin.


    ¡°Pnquin,¡± Xiaoming replied and held Jin Yu¡¯s hand.


    Eunuch Sun Fuguo walked in and bowed before them. ¡°Your Royal Highness, there is good news that hase from the King¡¯s manor.¡± Xiaoming and Jin Yu looked at each other, wondering what it could be.


    ¡°The First Princess will get married to Minister Li¡¯s eldest son tomorrow in the day,¡± Sun Fuguo delivered the good news to them.


    ¡°That is indeed good news,¡± Xiaoming said and smiled. He wanted to see Jingfei, but then he had to meet Xu Zifan as well.


    ¡°Were Princess Jingfei and Li Jianjun not supposed to marry the following week? Why this sudden change in date? Prince L¨®ng Wei and Princess Consort Li Hua are still not here,¡± Jin Yu asserted.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, the royal astrologer found out that tomorrow is the most auspicious day of the month, so he told His Majesty to make his daughter marry tomorrow only,¡± Sun Fuguo answered to the query of the Crown Princess.


    .....


    ¡°Hmm. That is why Father agreed to tomorrow¡¯s day,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°There is one more thing that the Crown Prince must know,¡± Sun Fuguo said.


    ¡°Speak,¡± Xiaoming told the eunuch.


    ¡°Her Majesty is pardoned for two days since the First Princess will be wedded off tomorrow. She wanted to see the Crown Prince in the morning, but she did not say it,¡± Sun Fuguo said.


    ¡°Did you meet my mother?¡± Xiaoming asked while frowning.


    ¡°Her Majesty hase here earlier. But she did not tell me anything. However, Her Majesty¡¯s expressions were enough to tell that she wanted to see her son,¡± Sun Fuguo expressed his thoughts.


    ¡°The Crown Princess and I are going out,¡± Xiaoming informed the eunuch while ignoring the fact that Zhu Liling wanted to see him. Sun Fuguo did not say anything further and went after them. While they both left, the eunuch closed the chamber¡¯s door and walked away.


    Xiaoming had stepped his foot inside to get into therge pnquin when he heard Li Jianjun¡¯s voice. Huang Xi saw himing and wondered if he would stop Xiaoming from leaving.


    ¡®I had made sure that no one would find out that the Crown Prince would meet Xu Zifan.¡¯ Huang Xi thought in his mind and saw Li Jianjun had approached them.


    ¡°Greetings to the Crown Prince,¡± Li Jianjun said and raised his head. ¡°I thought that I would converse with the Crown Prince for some time, but it seems he is going out.¡± Jianjun nced at the pnquin, in which Jin Yu was seated.


    ¡°Forgive me, Li Jianjun. I will return soon, then we can have a conversation,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    Jianjun nodded his head and apologized for suddenly stopping him from leaving. Huang Xi took a breath of relief as Xiaoming did not tell Jianjun where they were heading to.


    ¡°Why do you not head home? You also need to prepare for tomorrow,¡± Xiaoming suggested to him.


    ¡°I wanted to have an important conversation with the Crown Prince. I will leave then,¡± Jianjun asserted.


    ¡°What do you want to speak about?¡± Xiaoming questioned.


    Jianjun looked at Huang Xi and asked him to give them privacy.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi will not leave. Tell me what you want to speak about,¡± Xiaoming pronounced.


    ¡°I willter, Your Royal Highness,¡± Jianjun replied and bowed.


    Xiaoming stepped into the pnquin while Huang Xi asked the porters to lift it. Jianjun lifted his head and watched them leave. ¡°I need to wait for the Crown Prince to return. Hopefully, he gives me what I want,¡± he murmured with a smirk and walked away.


    Xiaoming and Jin Yu stepped out of the pnquin outside Xu Zifan¡¯s house. Xu Zifan wanted Jianjun to know about it so that he could be desperate and himself confess the wrong he was supposed tomit.


    Xu Zifan and Feng Lao bowed to see the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess. ¡°Please this way, Your Royal Highness,¡± Xu Zifan said as he looked at Xiaoming. They both followed him while Feng Lao walked behind them.


    Once Xiaoming and Jin Yu took their seats, Xu Zifan asked them if they would take water. Xiaoming refused and asked Xu Zifan why he did note to the pce for the matter he wanted to discuss.


    ¡°Firstly, I thank the Crown Prince foring here. I had a reason for not being able toe to the pce,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°Did anyone stop Xu Zifan froming to the pce?¡± Jin Yu asked him.


    Xu Zifan shook his head. ¡°That did not happen. The reason I could not meet the Crown Prince in the pce was Li Jianjun,¡± Xu Zifan¡¯s answer bewildered Xiaoming and Jin Yu both.


    ¡°What does Xu Zifan mean?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, Li Jianjun is not a good person. He is betraying the royal family, especially the First Princess,¡± Xu Zifan informed them.


    ¡°Pardon me?¡± Xiaoming was stunned to hear about it.


    ¡°How does Xu Zifan know about it?¡± Jin Yu asked. ¡°What did Jianjun do that Xu Zifan thinks that he is betraying the royal family?¡± she inquired.


    ¡°Li Jianjun visits the brothel house and she wanted to take a woman as his mistress. However, the woman refused to be his mistress. Also, this marriage is merely to gain benefits. Jianjun wants to be the governor after he marries the First Princess,¡± Xu Zifan narrated the entire matter to them.


    ¡°That night I was present in the restaurant and I ended up hearing their conversation. I even visited the First Princess in the morning to tell her about it, but Jianjun somehow found out that I know his truth. He threatened me not to open my mouth. If I do that, he said that he would burn me, Feng Lao, and Li Hua alive,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    Jin Yu brought her hand near her mouth in worry and looked at Xiaoming.


    ¡°I do not have any evidence that can prove that I am not lying, Your Royal Highness,¡± Xu Zifan asserted.


    ¡°Who is the woman whom he wanted to be his mistress?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Her name was¡­¡± Xu Zifan paused as he tried to recall the name. ¡°It was Song Jia,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Song Jia?¡± Xiaoming questioned.


    ¡°Yes. I think she works in a brothel house,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°No,¡± Xiaoming replied. ¡°She is the woman whom Tianjie loves. Does he also know about it?¡± Xiaoming mumbled and decided to meet Tianjie to get the real evidence.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie loves Song Jia?¡± Jin Yu arched her eyebrow. ¡°How does the Crown Prince know that Song Jia does not work in the brothel house?¡± She asked.


    ¡°She is a dancer from Qijiang Province. I need to confirm with Brother Tianjie. I think that Brother Tianjie can help us give the evidence,¡± Xiaoming stated.

 Chapter 475 - 475 Better than dying

    475 Better than dying


    Tianjie looked at Song Jia¡¯s hands when she asked him what he was looking for in her palms.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Tianjie replied and looked into her eyes. ¡°It is hard to believe that I followed my heart to be with you,¡± he stated and smiled at her.


    Song Jia smiled back at him and lowered her eyes. ¡°No man ever told me that he wants me to be his wife. All wanted me to be their mistress,¡± she said and lowered her eyes. ¡°I am grateful to His Highness for not being like the other men. All my life, I have danced in front of people and gained their appreciation, but no one ever seemed genuine to me,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Why do you not tell me about your life till now?¡± Tianjie asked her.


    ¡°Will His Highness listen?¡± Song Jia asked.


    ¡°I want to know everything about you. I want to know the true Song Jia. I want to hear what she was and how she turn out to be such a graceful dancer,¡± Tianjie said earnestly. ¡°Tell me about you,¡± he caressed her hands.


    ¡°I belonged to a poor family. We were so poor that sometimes we did not have a one-time meal. Father would do some chores in thendlord¡¯s house sometimes while the other times, he would go to the vige magistrate¡¯s house for the work. My father was used once of stealing a precious jewel from the magistrate¡¯s house. Later, my Father and Mother were forcefully dragged to the vige¡¯s main ground, where they were beaten to death. I ran away as my mother told me to before dying and I joined a group of dancers. From that day, I became a dancer and performed at various events.¡±


    She looked at him and told him how her dance swayed the hearts of men and it became her source of living. ¡°It was better than dying in poverty or being thrown into a brothel house. I received many presents from all sections of people. Small or big never mattered to me, but I refused because if I epted a present then, that man would have established authority over me,¡± Song Jia exined to him.


    ¡°His Highness must be thinking about why I epted Lord Li¡¯s residence and choose to stay there. That was not my choice, but it was what he donate in the name of Dragon¡¯s Castle along with a good amount of money. The Dragon Castle manages the biggest group of dancers in the kingdom and since they took care of me, I did not refuse Lord Li not to give me that residence,¡± Song Jia answered Tianjie¡¯s questions about which he was curious.


    .....


    ¡°How could you be so different and so strong, Song Jia? It must be tough to survive when all those things happen to you. I cannot even imagine how many difficulties you underwent all these times,¡± Tianjie said and pulled her into a hug. His hand went to the back of her head and he caressed it.


    Song Jia closed her eyes and after a while, when Tianjie pulled away, she peered into his eyes.


    ¡°Your Highness, if I aming in the way of your ambitions, then you must think once again about being with me. I want His Highness¡¯ growth. I will be happy to hear his sess from the far,¡± Song Jia enunciated. She did not want Tianjie to forget his aim because of her.


    ¡°I told you already that I will only marry you. I will not let our love be unrequited. If I want something, I do anything to have it,¡± Tianjie asserted. ¡°I could not talk with Father today because the First Princess is getting married. I will talk with Father tomorrow about us,¡± he informed Song Jia.


    ¡°Trust me. I will take you to the pce as my wife only,¡± Tianjie affirmed.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Song Jia kept her faith in his. However, she was anxious thinking the King might punish Tianjie for marrying a dancer. She had the thought to run away too, but then, she did not want to hurt Tianjie¡¯s feelings for her.


    ¡°His Highness should return to the pce before the rain falls,¡± Song Jia said as she saw the dark clouds gathering in the sky.


    ¡°I will goter,¡± Tianjie said.


    Song Jia shook her head and told Tianjie to go. ¡°It will be difficult to ride the horse once it rains,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Fine. I will leave if you kiss me here,¡± Tianjie brought his finger above his lips.


    Song Jia shied to hear that. ¡°His Highness¡¯s request Song Jia cannot fulfill,¡± she said and lifted her eyelids.


    ¡°Then, I will spend the night here,¡± Tianjie stated.


    Song Jia¡¯s brows drew close and she pursed her lips tightly before opening her mouth to speak, ¡°Everyone will look for the Third Prince if he does not go in the night.¡±


    ¡°No one will,¡± Tianjie lied to her.


    Song Jia asked Tianjie to close his eyes.


    ¡°Why?¡± He asked in confusion. ¡°Do not be shy. We already kissed twice,¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°Then, I will not do it,¡± Song Jia and moved her head away.


    Tianjie grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. She gazed at him as he held her chin. ¡°You left no way for me. I will take my kiss and then will leave,¡± Tianjie said and leaned down. Their noses touched and their lips were only a hair breadth away to be touched.


    He looked at her eyes, then lips, and then again eyes. ¡°You are so beautiful,¡± Tianjie tucked her hair behind her ear and his fingers remained tangled in those fringes before his lips met hers. He moved them slowly and the hand beneath her chin was now on her arm and then slowly reached her hand.


    Their fingers intertwined together as the kiss intensified. His hand on her head pulled her closer as he deepened it. He gently pulled away while he kept stroking her hair. ¡°That was one wonderful kiss, Song Jia,¡± Tianjie said and they both smiled together. They stayed that way for a few more minutes before Song Jia urged him to leave. The weather was turning darker and she wanted him to reach the pce without getting soaked in the rain.


    ¡°Take care of yourself. I wille tomorrow,¡± he stated and then left for the pce.


    As soon as Tianjie reached the pce, the rain downpoured. ¡°I got saved,¡± he said as he reached his manor¡¯s corridor when Shi Rang quickly came to him.


    ¡°Where was His Highness?¡± Shi Rang asked worriedly while keeping his head low.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Tianjie was bewildered to see his reaction.


    ¡°The Crown Prince was searching for the Third Prince,¡± Shi Rang informed.


    ¡°Oh, why?¡± Tianjie questioned. ¡°Where is the Crown Prince?¡± he inquired.


    ¡°The Crown Prince is in your chamber. He has been waiting for over two hours. I think His Royal Highness has an important matter to discuss with the Third Prince,¡± Shi Rang stated.


    Tianjie frowned to hear that and rushed to his chamber. When he walked in, he found Xiaoming on the broad chair.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Royal Highness. I was outside,¡± Tianjie said and lowered his eyes.


    ¡°Does Brother Tianjie know that Jianjun wanted to take Song Jia as his mistress?¡± The sudden question of Xiaoming shocked Tianjie. How did Xiaoming find out about it? Tianjie pondered.

 Chapter 476 - 476 Prince Tianjie is not wrong

    476 Prince Tianjie is not wrong


    ¡°Brother Tianjie¡¯s silence tells me everything. He does know about it. Why did he not tell me Li Jianjun was not the right person for our sister? How could he not tell me this?¡± Xiaoming suddenly turned furious.


    Tianjie hid such a big fact from him, knowing that Jingfei was their sister. Was Jingfei not important to him? Xiaoming questioned him.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I didn¡¯t tell you about it because Jianjun could have told the King about us. He was threatening Song Jia and it was the only way to stop him. Also, I clearly told Li Jianjun to focus on Sister Jingfei since he would marry her,¡± Tianjie affirmed.


    ¡°Brother Tianjie, how could you think that Li Jianjun is suitable for our sister? He wanted to take Song Jia as his mistress. He wants to marry Sister Jingfei for his personal benefit. Brother Tianjie, I would have helped you if you had told me once,¡± Xiaoming said with an utterly disappointed look on his face.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Royal Highness,¡± Tianjie said and kept his head low.


    ¡°I am unable to believe that Brother Tianjie decided to be selfish and didn¡¯t consider Sister Jingfei once. Is Song Jia more important than a royal family member?¡± Xiaoming was so angry that he didn¡¯t realize that he hurt Tianjie.


    ¡°Why should I care for Sister Jingfei? Did she ever care for us brothers?¡± Tianjie turned furious with that remark. He lifted his head and told Xiaoming that for him Song Jia was more important than anyone in the royal family.


    ¡°How can Brother Tianjie say this? Sister Jingfei¡ª¡±


    ¡°Brother Xiaoming, she is your sister, not mine. I am not even a brother to her. She has always made me feel low. Why? Because I am the son of a concubine. My mother isn¡¯t the Queen like your mother. I have seen how she has disrespected my mother all the time. Still, I stayed quiet.


    .....


    Yesterday, when Jianjun said he wanted to take Song Jia as his mistress, I stepped in because I was angry that he was marrying another woman and then wanted to take a mistress too. I warned him not to do it ever again. What more do you expect me to do? I need to protect Song Jia more than Sister Jingfei. Why? Because she has a brother, who is the nation¡¯s Crown Prince.¡±


    Tianjie blurted his anger out. Xiaoming had already considered Song Jia as an outsider.


    ¡°I cannot believe that the person, who married a woman without any social status said this to me, to my woman. He thinks I am selfish, but he doesn¡¯t think that he is more selfish merely for his sister,¡± Tianjie snickered. At the moment, he didn¡¯t realize that he was in front of the Crown Prince and could even get punished for speaking this way with him.


    Tianjie turned and left his chamber in anger. Shi Rang, who was listening from outside, asked Tianjie to calm down when he ignored him and walked ahead.


    Xiaoming sighed and decided to leave when Shi Rang walked in. He apologized from Tianjie¡¯s side. Xiaoming didn¡¯t speak a word and left for his manor.


    When Xiaoming shared the matter with Jin Yu, she asked him why he said that to Tianjie.


    ¡°I am worried for Jingfei. I said that in anger,¡± Xiaoming said and furrowed his brows together. ¡°I have not expected such thinking for Sister Jingfei in Brother Tianjie¡¯s mind,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Crown Prince, can I tell the truth?¡± Jin Yu asked him.


    Xiaoming looked at her with inquisitiveness. ¡°What kind of truth?¡±


    ¡°Your dear sister¡¯s truth,¡± Jin Yu replied.


    Xiaoming was confused for a second and then asked her to exin what she wanted to say.


    ¡°Jingfei is getting what she sowed. She demeans people around her. Forgive me if I have crossed my boundary but it is the truth. When the three princes had gone to Qijiang, Jingfei asked Li Hua to help her in making her talk with Huang Xi. Li Hua asked her brother to do so. However, Xu Zifan didn¡¯t know that Huang Xi loves someone else. Xiaolian told a half-truth to Jingfei and she came to argue with Li Hua. When I stopped Jingfei from pping Li Hua, she called me a woman with no status.¡±


    Xiaoming was stunned to hear all that.


    ¡°I did not tell all this to the Crown Prince to make him against Jingfei. Instead, I want to tell him that Prince Tianjie is not wrong in his ce. He was scared that His Majesty would find out about them and it may bring Song Jia into trouble. Jingfei indeed gets arrogant toward people and that¡¯s why Prince Tianjie said that. He must have felt wrong when the Crown Prince told him that he turned selfish over a woman. He has the right to be selfish,¡± Jin Yu elucidated to Xiaoming.


    ¡°I have to apologize to Brother Tianjie. Also, I need to talk to Jingfei. I thought that I would ask Song Jia toe to the pce, but I would not do that,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    ¡°What does the Crown Prince want to do?¡± Jin Yu asked.


    ¡°I will ask Jingfei to step back from the marriage,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°What about Li Jianjun?¡± Jin Yu inquired. ¡°He will be mad. He may try to harm Xu Zifan and Feng Lao,¡± she worriedly said.


    ¡°That will not happen. I have made arrangements for Xu Zifan and Feng Lao¡¯s safety,¡± Xiaoming asserted and stood up from the chaise. ¡°I will return soon,¡± he said and left the chamber.


    He searched for Tianjie, but he could not find him. He instructed Shi Rang to inform him when Tianjie returned. After that, he headed to see Jingfei and heard herugh. He clenched his fists because soon, Jingfei would cry to find out Li Jianjun¡¯s true face.


    ¡®It is the only way to prevent her from falling into the trap of the wrong man,¡¯ Xiaoming thought and asked the maidservant to inform Jingfei that he wanted to see her in private. The maidservant bowed and walked in to deliver the message.

 Chapter 477 - 477 I make others cry [Bonus chapter]

    477 I make others cry [Bonus chapter]


    Jingfei asked her brother why he wanted to see her in private. She told her brother how their mother turned emotional earlier. ¡°I feel I grew up too early,¡± Jingfei said with an upset look.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Xiaoming said and smiled at her. ¡°Does Sister Jingfei trust her brother?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes. Why does he ask?¡± She curiously gazed at him.


    ¡°Do not marry Li Jianjun,¡± Xiaoming pronounced.


    The smile from Jingfei¡¯s face disappeared as she was bewildered by Xiaoming¡¯s sudden statement. ¡°Why did the Brother say that? Is he joking with me because I will leave tomorrow morning?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Why will your brother joke with you like this?¡± Xiaoming questioned her. ¡°Li Jianjun is not the right person for you,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Why does my brother think that Jianjun is not the right man for me?¡± Jingfei inquired. ¡°I think Elder Brother got some misunderstandings against him,¡± she asserted and told him how considerate Jianjun was toward her.


    ¡°I have found something against Li Jianjun. He will not be loyal to you after the marriage. He visits the brothel house to seek pleasure. I found it out from a source. Jianjun wants to marry my sister to be the Governor of Qinping. He is not affectionate to my sister at all. Everything that he showed you was a lie,¡± Xiaoming finally said and waited for her response.


    Jingfei¡¯s body turned colder to learn that. Her throat dried and she felt a sudden numbness in her body. What did she just hear? ¡°How can it be possible? Jianjun gifted me a painting in the morning and he said that he loves me,¡± Jingfei said and a tear trailed down her cheek.


    .....


    ¡°Is Brother telling the truth?¡± Jingfei asked as her hands trembled in fear.


    ¡°Jingfei, your brother would not have told such a big thing to you. You also know how happy your brother was when you told him that you liked Jianjun¡¯s personality. However, your brother cannot let you marry a man, who will always be disloyal to you,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    Jingfei lowered her head and sobbed. Her fate was worse. First, Huang Xi refused to marry her. It took her time toe out of his thoughts. She thought Jianjun was the right man for her, but she found out his true face too.


    ¡°How did Brother Xiaoming find out about this? I want to know,¡± Jingfei asked and she raised her head to look at him.


    ¡°Xu Zifan found out about this. He hase to inform you in the morning, but Jianjun threatened him for taking his life. He was scared that he would return and through Huang Xi he contacted me,¡± Xiaoming briefed Jingfei.


    Jingfei recalled how Xu Zifan wanted to tell her about something important. How naive she was! She should have listened to him first instead of leaving with Jianjun.


    ¡°I would like to meet Xu Zifan,¡± Jingfei expressed her desire.


    ¡°It is not possible at this time,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°Also, rain is falling,¡± he added.


    Jingfei hummed and wiped the tears from the pad of her fingers.


    ¡°Did Brother tell our Father about this?¡± Jingfei asked him.


    Xiaoming shook his head and refused. ¡°I wanted to tell my sister first,¡± he answered.


    ¡°I would like to request my Brother to stay quiet till the morning,¡± Jingfei requested.


    ¡°Why?¡± Xiaoming asked her the reason.


    ¡°Because I will reveal the truth,¡± Jingfei said while her tears again filled with tears. ¡°Li Jianjun did wrong by ying with my feelings, my emotions. He wanted to marry me to use me for his benefit. Jingfei does not spare the people who humiliate and use her,¡± she said with a furious expression.


    Xiaoming let her do what she wanted to do. He was happy to find that Jingfei trusted Xu Zifan¡¯s words and he curiously asked about it.


    ¡°Because Xu Zifan is an honest man. He would not have said such a big thing if it was not true. Also, I have troubled Li Hua so much despite the fact that he helped me. His truthfulness is evident in his personality. Elder Brother, I request you to call Xu Zifan too in the morning,¡± Jingfei asserted.


    ¡°I will do that,¡± Xiaoming agreed to her request.


    ¡°Thank you, Elder Brother,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°Jingfei, I would like you to re-think this. It is not considered auspicious if a bride does not go to his groom¡¯s house after wearing the wedding dress. That is why I want you to reconsider your decision,¡± Xiaoming affirmed.


    ¡°If we talk about it now, then Jianjun will give a hundred reasons to prove himself right. Father has a deep trust in the Li Family. Xu Zifan may get punished and Jianjun may harm him. I am thinking that way.¡± Jingfei exined to Xiaoming the reason why she wanted to reveal it in the morning.


    ¡°Xu Zifan and Feng Lao are safe. So, you should not worry about that. Father may dy the marriage of Sister Jingfei to make an investigation. I am more concerned for my sister. She will wear the wedding dress, and then she will not get into the sedan. For a brother what can be more rejecting than seeing the unhappy face of his sister on the day she was supposed to marry.¡±


    Xiaoming did not want Jingfei to feel terrible as Jianjun woulde to the pce to take her.


    ¡°Brother, I am Jingfei. I make others cry when a person does terrible things to me. Trust me, I will be alright. I want to expose him to the way that he had to ept the truth. I want to kill Jianjun for doing this to me. The Crown Princess was right. Most of the noblemen go to the brothel houses and have fun there. I want to show the real face of Li Jianjun in front of everyone tomorrow morning. The way he broke my heart, I want to break him and ask Father to throw him in prison.¡± Jingfei took deep breaths while saying all such things.


    Xiaoming found out that his sister was stronger than he had thought. A smile was carved on his lips and he told Jingfei that he respected her decision.


    ~~~~~~~


    Chang Shi came to see Li Hua and asked her why she returned the servant with dinner. ¡°Her Highness isn¡¯t supposed to skip her meals,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°I have no appetite, Brother Chang Shi,¡± Li Hua said with an upset look. ¡°I am worried for my elder brother and Feng Lao,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Her Highness worries will not bring the solution. I am sure that the Crown Prince has helped them. Her Highness should take her dinner,¡± Chang Shi made her understand and asked the servant to walk in. He instructed the servant to set the dinner table for Li Hua.


    ¡°But I do not want to eat,¡± Li Hua said in a low voice when her stomach growled. She quickly covered it with her hand while Chang Shi smiled at her.


    ¡°Her Highness¡¯ body needs energy,¡± Chang Shi opined and asked Li Hua to sit on the floor mattress.


    When she didn¡¯te, Chang Shi told her that he would tell L¨®ng Wei about it. She peered at him and told him that L¨®ng Wei would not scold her.


    ¡°Her Highness is right. But the Prince may scold Xu Zifan and Feng Lao for not taking care of his wife,¡± Chang Shi affirmed. ¡°Her Highness will not be able to defend them,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Fine. I will have dinner,¡± Li Hua said and came to the floor mattress. She sat on it while the servant stepped back.


    ¡°Brother Chang Shi can leave,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°I will leave after Her Highness finishes her dinner,¡± Chang Shi replied.


    ¡°I am not a child on which Brother Chang Shi has to keep his eyes,¡± Li Hua remarked.


    ¡°But Her Highness acts like a child at the moment,¡± Chang Shi stated and smiled.


    ¡°When did I?¡± Li Hua frowned.


    ¡°A moment ago,¡± Chang Shi replied.


    ¡°Brother Chang Shi loves to tease me,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°Why does he not have dinner with me? It will be more awkward for me when he is watching me,¡± she suggested to Chang Shi.


    ¡°I am not allowed to eat with Her Highness,¡± Chang Shi reasoned.


    ¡°Not even with a younger sister?¡± Li Hua¡¯s brows arched.


    Chang Shi turned quiet when Li Hua asked him to take the seat. The servant asked Li Hua if he should bring more meals to which she nodded.


    ¡°But I¡ª¡±


    ¡°No ifs and buts, Brother Chang Shi. Have a seat and let¡¯s have dinner together,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    Chang Shi after hesitating a bit, sat down as Li Hua was not ready to take her dinner if he would not take meals with her.


    After the servant brought more dishes and another pair of chopsticks, he left the room while Li Hua enjoyed dinner with Chang Shi. She earlier noticed that he was all alone in such a big house, so she wanted to give himpany at the dinner at least.

 Chapter 478 - 478 Pay for these tears

    478 Pay for these tears


    Xiaoming, after having a conversation with his sister, asked her to take a good rest. He hugged Jingfei and patted her head. They withdrew and Xiaoming asked Jingfei¡¯s personal attendant to make sure that Jingfei had her dinner.


    As he came out of the chamber, he saw Shi Rang.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, the Third Prince is back in his chamber,¡± he informed the Crown Prince. Xiaoming hurriedly went to meet Tianjie.


    Xiaoming walked in and saw Tianjie removing his overcoat, which the maidservant took from him and left.


    ¡°Forgive me, Brother Tianjie. I had no intention to hurt you,¡± Xiaoming apologized.


    Tianjie turned to look. He was still upset with Xiaoming. He didn¡¯t understand the love he carried for Song Jia. ¡°The Crown Prince should not havee here,¡± Tianjie said. ¡°About the apology, he should not ask for forgiveness as he is the Crown Prince,¡± he opined.


    ¡°I was angry, Brother Tianjie. My sister is supposed to marry Li Jianjun tomorrow. If Xu Zifan had not told me Jianjun¡¯s true intentions, then Jingfei would have been married to him. I am sorry for her actions against Brother Tianjie. I am truly apologetic to find out that Sister Jingfei humiliated Brother Tianjie.¡±


    Xiaoming tried his best to calm down Tianjie¡¯s anger. In the heat of the moment, he ended up saying those things which he should not have.


    ¡°I respect Song Jia as much as I respect the other women. I will be happy only if Brother Tianjie marries her and brings her to the pce,¡± Xiaoming said with a tiny smile on his lips.


    .....


    Tianjie calmed down a bit. He realized that he also got selfish for Song Jia and thought to keep the fact hidden for her safety. However, he didn¡¯t turn a blind eye to it.


    ¡°I had warned Jianjun not to ever do that, but I didn¡¯t know he would not stop. I was at fault too. Forgive me too, Your Royal Highness,¡± Tianjie said and lowered his head.


    ¡°I already forgave Brother Tianjie. I hope he also forgives me,¡± Xiaoming said, ¡°and my sister too.¡±


    ¡°I have also forgiven the Crown Prince and Sister Jingfei. I should have been careful of my words,¡± Tianjie said. Xiaoming was delighted to hear that and asked Tianjie to tell him if he needed any help.


    Xiaoming returned to his manor. He asked Sun Fuguo if the Crown Princess was inside or in her chamber.


    ¡°She has been here, waiting for His Royal Highness,¡± Sun Fuguo replied.


    ¡°Send the dinner for us,¡± Xiaoming told Sun Fuguo and walked inside the chamber.


    Upon seeing the Crown Prince, Jin Yu promptly rose to her feet and asked him if everything went well. Xiaoming told her everything and told her that Jingfei believed Xu Zifan¡¯s words.


    ¡°I am happy that Princess Jingfei believed in Xu Zifan. However, I am worried for her. Will she be able to expose Li Jianjun without falling weak?


    ¡°Jingfei told me that she wanted to do it. I told her that she would get hurt and that we should tell this to our father. However, she thinks that Xu Zifan and Feng Lao¡¯s life maye in danger,¡± Xiaoming affirmed.


    ¡°That¡¯s right too. Li Jianjun is insane. Who knows what he will do tonight if he is suddenly exposed?¡± She frowned when Sun Fuguo interrupted their conversation.


    ¡°The dinner is here, Your Royal Highness.¡±


    Both Xiaoming and Jin Yu stopped their conversation. They sat around the floor table for dinner. When the maidservant set the table, Sun Fuguo asked her to follow him.


    The doors got closed and they began eating. Jin Yu told Xiaoming to eat properly.


    ¡°I wonder if Jingfei is taking her meals or not,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°I do not think that she will have dinner. She needs alone time. She may get annoyed if we keep asking her,¡± Jin Yu suggested to Xiaoming. He agreed with her words.


    ¡°Father will scold me for not telling him such a big truth. I am in a dilemma,¡± Xiaoming expressed his worries. ¡°I may also get punished tomorrow for not revealing it earlier and letting Jingfei wear the wedding dress,¡± he added.


    ¡°Then, does the Crown Prince want to tell His Majesty?¡± Jin Yu inquired as she put the chopsticks down.


    ¡°No. I want you not to speak up if I get punished, Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming said with a menacing look.


    ¡°I cannot see you being punished for no reason,¡± Jin Yu asserted.


    ¡°The reason will be hiding the truth. Jingfei hardly asks me things. So, I did not refuse her and let her handle tomorrow¡¯s matter in her own way. Do not be upset if I get punished,¡± Xiaoming urged. Jin Yu nodded her head.


    ~~~~~~~


    Jingfei looked at herself in the mirror. Tears trailed down her cheeks. She built trust in Li Jianjun and even dreamt of a better life with him. Her eyes fell on the portrait that Jianjun had gifted her in the morning.


    ¡°Did he even make it or was it a lie too?¡± She murmured. Her nose had turned red when her personal attendant came inside and asked her to have dinner.


    ¡°I do not want to,¡± Jingfei furiously said.


    ¡°His Royal Highness will punish us if the First Princess does not take her meals,¡± she said concernedly.


    ¡°Brother will not find out. Leave me alone,¡± Jingfei said in a low voice. She didn¡¯t feel this way even at the moment Huang Xi told her that he hated her. This betrayal was something that was unimaginable to her.


    Li Jianjun acted so well to her. But behind her back, he wanted to see other women too. She did nothing wrong to him. However, he saw her as a golden eggying chicken who would benefit him throughout his life while he would have fun with the other women.


    Bringing her hands to her eyes, she again wiped the tears. ¡°He has to pay for these tears tomorrow,¡± she mumbled and sniffled at the same time.

 Chapter 479 - 479 Will you kill me?

    479 Will you kill me?


    L¨®ng Wei finally reached the hill and saw the deep forests lying ahead. Shuyao stopped after him and looked at the trees far from them, covered in the red shade as if dawn light had fallen on them. That was why they were poprly known as dawn redwood forests.


    L¨®ng Wei realized that without the help of Shuyao he would not be able to reach here. The route wasplex and anyone would get lost. That¡¯s why people in the vige said that the ce was another name for death because the route was dangerous and full of wild animals.


    However, with Shuyao the journey was not difficult. He knew the routes better as if he once lived here.


    ¡°Your Highness, you are lucky that the weather did not turn bad,¡± Shuyao stated.


    L¨®ng Wei realized why his mother sang that poem all day long when she would be alone and would write it down daily because this ce was truly a paradise. He was confident that he would meet Qiu Qizhen, his real father today. However, he was slightly nervous too.


    Would he be able to face him? That was his biggest fear. He always ran away from the truth and now he was so close to it that he again wanted to run away.


    ¡°Your Highness, shall we go ahead?¡± Shuyao asked and L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to look at him.


    ¡°Where are the ny-ninekes?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. He clearly remembered his mother had mentioned thosekes in the poem.


    ¡°That ce lies ahead of the dawn redwood forest,¡± Shuyao answered.


    .....


    ¡°That means we have to stop here, right? The sun has almost set down the horizon and if we resume the journey, then we may get stuck in the middle of the forest,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted as he looked down after gazing again at the sky.


    Shuyao shook his head. ¡°The forest from her looks deep, but there is a clear path to go ahead. We will not be stuck, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Shuyao replied. ¡°I want us to reach there as soon as possible so that the Prince fulfills his promise to me.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei gazed at him with skepticism. Shuyao indeed knew about Qizhen, but he did not ask about it from him. Now, he was close to his destination, so he would find the remaining answers himself.


    ¡°Give me water,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Shuyao and extended his hand out. Shuyao quickly took out the gourd from the leather and handed it to the prince. L¨®ng Wei drank the water until his thirst quenched and then wiped his lips from the back of his palm.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Shuyaoo,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and fisted his palms. He suddenly felt a new energy in him.


    Since his destiny had brought him here, there was no use looking back. Shuyao walked ahead of L¨®ng Wei. The sky had started to turn darker as time passed. L¨®ng Wei told Shuyao to walk slowly because he was unable to see anything ahead of him.


    ¡°I told you that we should stay there. If we get stuck in this forest, I will¡ª¡± L¨®ng Wei paused as he found the path was suddenly illuminated. He knitted his brows and quickly went ahead of Shuyao to check and found a clear cobblestone path going from the middle of those tall redwood trees.


    He turned to look at Shuyao with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°I told His Highness that we will not be stuck in the middle of the forest,¡± Shuyao said with a smile and told L¨®ng Wei that they should keep walking.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed and turned enthusiastic. Did Qizhen make such a path? Except for him who could have carved such a path. Also, thosenterns in the way showed only one thing: there was a house nearby. L¨®ng Wei hastened as he was too desperate to see Qizhen.


    Suddenly a mist formed in their way and they looked up at the sky. ¡°It feels that soon the clouds would gather in the sky,¡± Shuyao said.


    ¡°We must hurry then,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°How far are the ny-ninekes from here?¡± he questioned Shuyao.


    ¡°It will take thirty minutes more, Your Highness,¡± Shuyao answered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s run then,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated when Shuyao grabbed his arm.


    ¡°We should not tire ourselves out,¡± Shuyao advised L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Theke region is usually cold at night. It is said that it also consumes your Qi energy at night if we try to go close to it,¡± Shuyao affirmed.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± L¨®ng Wei yanked his arm off his grip and told him to stop believing in superstitions.


    Shuyaoughed to hear that and they both resumed the walk.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, why don¡¯t you tell me the real reason why you are here?¡± Shuyao asked him.


    ¡°Why should I tell you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is still stubborn about not telling me the real reason why he is here,¡± Shuyao taunted him.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me the real intention behind your help?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired as his feet slowly came to a halt.


    ¡°I already told the reason to the Prince,¡± Shuyao stated.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and asked Shuyao how much more he would lie to him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lie to Prince L¨®ng Wei. I brought him here because I want him to give me justice,¡± Shuyao affirmed with a tiny smile on his lips.


    If there was a person with whom L¨®ng Wei could not win in an argument, then that was Shuyao.


    It surprised him all the time how Shuyao could be so fearless before him. He shook his head and noticed that the mist was thickening.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not argue anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and they again began walking. The mist lessened as he saw the firstke which was surrounded by trees and on its next end there was a pce kind of structure.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes widened and his heart got restless to see that structure.


    Was that the ce where Qizhen lived? Not a ce but a pce! L¨®ng Wei blinked a few times and took a few more steps when he heard Shuyao¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Your Highness, tell me will you give me justice?¡± Shuyao again asked the same question.


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired. ¡°Will you kill me?¡± He instigated Shuyao so that he would give the true answer.

 Chapter 480 - 480 You recognized me!

    480 You recognized me!


    ¡°Will you kill me?¡±


    ¡°I cannot do that,¡± Shuyao said. ¡°I only want to find out if the person who has been waiting for you for many years will get justice or not,¡± he affirmed.


    L¨®ng Wei knew that Shuyao was aware of Qiu Qizhen. Then, why did he have to lie all the time? What exactly did he want from him? L¨®ng Wei was curious and at the same time, he wanted to ignore him.


    ¡°Why should I answer you? I think I should answer this question to the person who has been waiting for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and started walking.


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t ask me any more questions from me. I will kill you if you do,¡± L¨®ng Wei openly threatened him this time. ¡°Now, show me the way ahead,¡± he asserted.


    Shuyao nodded at him and took L¨®ng Wei to the pce. There were no gatekeepers at the entrance of the pce. L¨®ng Wei realized that Qiu Qizhen lived all alone.


    Shuyao stopped in the middle and turned to look at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Please go ahead this way. Give me the bag,¡± Shuyao said.


    L¨®ng Wei did that and handed him the leather bag that he had carried. He thanked Shuyao for bringing him there and told him that he would soon answer him.


    Shuyao bowed while L¨®ng Wei walked in the direction that he was told.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei found the pathway ahead of him was dark. Also, the sky roared and the rain started pouring down. He ran ahead to prevent himself from getting soaked in the water when an umbre covered his head.


    He halted and tilted his head to look at the person. It wasn¡¯t Qizhen. But again a middle-aged man with a big scar on his face. It started from the left eye and ended in the middle of the nose bridge.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t ask him who he was. Instead, he walked along with him. ¡°Why did this path have nonterns?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°My Lord doesn¡¯t like lights,¡± he answered.


    ¡°Why?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to answer it,¡± the man answered.


    They ascended the few stairs to reach the corridor. The man closed the umbre and asked L¨®ng Wei to follow him. He walked behind him and found out that the region was entirely in darkness.


    He realized how his manor used to be dark all the time because he also loved to stay in the dark. However, after Li Hua came into his life, a light also followed her and his life got illuminated. He no longer hated being in the light.


    ¡°Bring me antern,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked the man when they both halted outside a chamber.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness. I cannot do that,¡± the man replied and lowered his head.


    L¨®ng Wei turned to gaze at him. ¡°Unlike your lord, I have the habit to live in the light. Bring me antern. Don¡¯t worry. He is not strong enough to take your life away for disobeying him,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked. ¡°I won¡¯t go in if you don¡¯t bring me antern,¡± he asserted.


    The man bowed and left to take thentern. After a few minutes, he returned with antern in his hand which was enclosed in a wooden box that had numerous small holes on every side.


    L¨®ng Wei took thentern from him while the man opened the door for him. L¨®ng Wei stepped in and turned, thus stopping the man froming inside.


    ¡°You can leave,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and closed the doors in his face.


    L¨®ng Wei took a deep breath in and walked further in. He turned left and saw a silhouette of the man who was seated on the floor. His face was directed outside the window.


    L¨®ng Wei with slow steps walked to him.


    Qiu Qizhen heard the footsteps and also the light emancipated in the room. ¡°How dare you bring antern here?¡± He shouted and turned to look.


    He was stunned to see L¨®ng Wei in front of him while his personal attendant was not in the room.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s grip tightened around the handle of thentern as he finally faced his real father, Qiu Qizhen. A grim look appeared on his face as he recognized him. If he had not seen Qiu Qizhen ¡®s portrait that day, it would not have recognized him.


    Qiu Qizhen stood up from the floor and continued to gaze at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Qizhen called his name. He walked up to his son and beheld him from head to toe. He extended his hands out to pull his son for a hug when L¨®ng Wei stepped back.


    ¡°You recognized me. I wonder, how?¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled.


    ¡°How can a father not recognize his own son?¡± Qiu Qizhen asked him.


    ¡°His own son?¡± L¨®ng Wei snickered. ¡°I am not your son. I never was. I am the son of Qiu Zedong,¡± he pronounced with a stern tone.


    ¡°You are my¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just shut your mouth before I kill you like your lover,¡± L¨®ng Wei shouted at him and then gritted his teeth. ¡°I hate you both from the bottom of my heart. How dare you live till now? You should have died the day when you ran away like a coward.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei put his hand inside his inner pocket and took the dagger out. He forwarded it to Qiu Qizhen, who looked at him confusedly.


    ¡°Kill yourself before I do.¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s tone appeared as if he was ordering Qiu Qizhen to take his life.


    Qiu Qizhen looked at the dagger and almost grabbed it when a person stopped him. L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to look and he found the same middle-aged man.


    ¡°I made myself clear to you earlier, didn¡¯t I? How dare you step foot inside?¡± L¨®ng Wei growled at him.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei cannot talk this way with My Lord,¡± the man stated without fear. Who wasn¡¯t aware of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s temper? Still, this man tried to defy L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Tell your right-hand man to leave before I lose control of myself,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Qiu Qizhen. He gestured to him to leave.


    ¡°My Lord, the Prince cannot ask you to kill yourself,¡± the man stated.


    ¡°Su Yichen, please leave,¡± Qiu Qizhen urged. Yichen could not ignore themand of his master, so he silently left the room.

 Chapter 481 - 481 You lost the chance

    481 You lost the chance


    Once Su Yichen left, Qiu Qizhen apologized to L¨®ng Wei and asked him to calm down.


    ¡°How can I calm down?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him. ¡°When you were not ready to carry the duties of a father, why did you let me survive? You sent your wife to the pce when she was pregnant with me. I alwayscked her love. Do you even have any idea how she treated me? Whenever I see the other people around me, I question what I did to deserve such a life. You have no right to calm me down,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced and unsheathed the dagger.


    ¡°If it is difficult for you to take your life, then I can do it. I have killed my mother too, so it will not be difficult for me to kill you,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed. He could not believe that Qiu Qizhen was still quiet. How could he be so quiet? His silence was making L¨®ng Wei furious with each passing second.


    ¡°I never knew that after Qiu Zedong would usurp the throne, he would go after Yu Jun. She had no choice but to be his concubine because I could not timely reach her. She could have taken her life the moment Hei Chengxi came with the royal decree to her. But for your sake, she chose to stay in his captive,¡± Qiu Qizhen stated.


    ¡°Do not give me excuses,¡± L¨®ng Wei screamed at Qizhen.


    ¡°Which mother makes his own son feel alienated? For fifteen years, I tried my best to tolerate her sight. She never once smiled at me. When I fell and got injured, she did note to dress my wounds. When my birthday came, she never even gave me her warm wishes. When I cried, she was not there to wipe my tears. She was never there, so her existence was nil in my life,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated as he again recalled those days and his eyes welled up in tears.


    ¡°Qiu Zedong made her do that,¡± Qiu Qizhen revealed the truth to him. ¡°It was not her choice. I know how much she cried all alone after acting this way with you. Do not hate your mother, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qizhen urged his son.


    ¡°It does not matter to me if the King forced her to do it or not. I died thousands of times whenever she would behave coldly with me while with others she was warm and kind-hearted. She deserves this hate and until myst breath, I will keep hating her,¡± L¨®ng Wei enunciated.


    Qizhen took a step toward his son and told him not to hurt himself this way. He seeded in holding L¨®ng Wei¡¯s shoulders this time and took another step.


    .....


    ¡°Forgive your mother. If she had not done that you would not be alive today. It was all for you, my son!¡± Qizhen stated.


    ¡°I told you clearly that I can never forgive her. You both yed with my life. She used to tell me not once, but every day that I must die. Why? Why did she have to be so harsh on me?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him and grabbed the wrist of his father.


    L¨®ng Wei pushed away Qizhen and told him not to call him his son. ¡°You have lost that right the moment you ept your defeat against your younger brother. You have always been a coward,¡± he proimed and furrowed his brows together.


    ¡°Indeed, I have been a coward,¡± Qizhen admitted and lowered his head. ¡°I wanted to save both of you, but there was no way. Because of me, so many people had already lost their lives,¡± he stated and sighed.


    Qizhen again looked into his son¡¯s eyes as he spoke.


    ¡°You never tried. I can see the way you live here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he looked around the room. ¡°This darkness has be your friend. You both wanted me to fight against the current king one day. That¡¯s why you both let me live. However, I have no intention to betray him and stand against him. He is the one who always protected me. And I will always be loyal to him.¡±


    Qizhen smiled at L¨®ng Wei and asked him why he killed Yu Jun.


    ¡°The moment she told me that I was not the son of His Majesty, I questioned my identity. Why do I have to suffer for the enmity between two brothers? So, I decided to kill her,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, since we both are face to face, then you should be truthful to me. Tell me the real truth behind Yu Jun¡¯s death,¡± Qizhen demanded the answer from L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei hesitated a bit.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t want her to have a torturous death. Correct me if I am wrong,¡± Qizhen said.


    L¨®ng Wei remained quiet.


    ¡°I understand your angst for us. Yu Jun did something which made you hate her. I do not me you for this. It is my fault more than hers. However, I know that you always respected her. You didn¡¯t want the truth to get out and let your mother gets punished in a brutal way,¡± Qizhen stated as he said the truth which L¨®ng Wei always hid.


    ¡°I want to live happily with my wife. I don¡¯t want to fight for anyone. If you really want me to forget everything, then just die. My Father has given me a mission to catch you and bring you to him. However, I do not want that to happen,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    This was his final request to his father. ¡°Your existence in my life was always nil and will always be. Just live the way you want to, but don¡¯t get caught,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and turned to go when Qiu Qizhen stopped him.


    ¡°I want to turn everything right,¡± Qizhen said. ¡°At least for the woman whom I loved and the son we both have together,¡± he pronounced.


    ¡°You lost that chance long ago and I am not your son,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°You have totally disappointed me. I am d you are not the king and you can never be the one.¡±

 Chapter 482 - 482 Last thing I can do for my son [Bonus chapter]

    482 Last thing I can do for my son [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°You lost that chance long ago and I am not your son,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°You have totally disappointed me. I am d you are not the king and you can never be the one.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei stepped out of the room and saw Su Yichen. He handed him thatntern and walked past him when Qiu Qizhen stopped him.


    ¡°Where are you leaving at this hour? Stay the night here,¡± he requested L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I do not want to,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and again resumed walking when Qizhen ran after him. He held his arm and told him not to leave in such heavy rain.


    ¡°Why do you care?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him and grabbed Qizhen by his cor. ¡°Why do you care if I go alive out of here or not? Huh?¡±


    Su Yichen ran in their direction and asked L¨®ng Wei to behave this way with his own father.


    ¡°I feel so pathetic today. In the end, I didn¡¯t get the answers that I desired. Yuze told me that I would find the reasons to forgive you two. But I am unable to. I hate my life,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and he broke down into tears.


    L¨®ng Wei had not cried in a long time. It had been so many years since hest cried.


    Su Yichen was stunned to see L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sudden breakdown. He had heard that he was made of steel. Wherever he went, he made people cry.


    .....


    Perhaps, he was in front of his father and he could not control his tears. Su Yichen realized that he must leave the father and son alone. So, he silently left from there. But he kept thentern there.


    Qiu Qizhen hugged his son. That warm feeling of embracing his child was the most precious thing to him. He didn¡¯t get the opportunity to hold L¨®ng Wei when he was born. His hand patted and caressed L¨®ng Wei¡¯s back.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to kill my mother. But she left me with no option. I hated her. I told this myself all the time, but I could not either see her suffer along with me. One of us must have survived. She forced me to kill her and I had to do that. Because it was unbearable for her. I wished to change that night. Why she didn¡¯t trust me? If she had told me once that the pce isn¡¯t for us in her loving tone, I would have left it without even questioning. But she chose to make me hate her.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei cried profusely in his father¡¯s arms. He emptied his heart. The heaviness in his chest which he bore all these years.


    After knowing the truth about how Qiu Zedong forced Yu Jun into everything, L¨®ng Wei got cleared up. But he still didn¡¯t want to go against him. Why? Because he had been upset with Qizhen. Only he knew how scared he got when Qiu Zedong told him to find Qizhen and bring him to the pce.


    L¨®ng Wei cried for more than thirty minutes. He let out his frustration to let out those tears. When he withdrew from Qizhen¡¯s embrace, he wiped the tears from the pad of his fingers.


    Qizhen could not either hold his tears back seeing L¨®ng Wei cry. He took a deep breath in and put an arm around L¨®ng Wei¡¯s shoulder. He turned to go in with his son and picked up thentern.


    ¡°Thank you for bringing this,¡± Qizhen said and he tilted his head. L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t say a word. He wanted to cry more, but he was embarrassed too.


    He never showed this side to anyone, not even Li Hua. Then, how could he fall weak in front of the man whom he met after twenty years?


    He fiddled with his finger as they reached the room. Qizhen ced thentern on the table and made L¨®ng Wei sit on the chair. ¡°I will be back soon. Wait for me,¡± Qizhen said and left.


    L¨®ng Wei once again looked around the room. It was spacious and then his eyes fell on his mother¡¯s portrait. More tears rolled down his cheek.


    ¡°Are you happy? You should have run away the moment His Majesty summoned you. You should have done everything to the best of your capabilities so that your son would not have dared to take your life,¡± L¨®ng Wei mumbled and lowered his head.


    He stood up and went close to the wall, where the portrait was hanging. He extended his hand out and ran his fingers through the portrait. ¡°I miss you,¡± L¨®ng Wei confessed. ¡°I could not get thest message you left for me,¡± he whispered and his forehead rested against her portrait.


    He continuously banged it against the portrait. Gradually, he sat down with his head on the wall and closed his eyes.


    Qiu Qizhen looked from the other side at his son. That sight hadpletely shaken him off. He rubbed his eyes and talked to himself in his mind.


    ¡®Yu Jun, our son ended up suffering a lot. I wonder how you witnessed his coldness every single day. As much as he loves you, he hates you too. It all happened because of me. I promise you that I will turn everything right.¡¯


    He observed L¨®ng Wei looked like a lifeless body and he again approached him. However, he first filled a ss of water and then took it to L¨®ng Wei.


    He sat on the floor next to L¨®ng Wei and handed him the ss.


    ¡°Drink the water,¡± Qiu Qizhen softly said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and threw the ss away in anger.


    As much as serene Qiu Qizhen was, L¨®ng Wei was violent.


    ¡°I will go to the pce and surrender before the King,¡± Qiu Qizhen stated. L¨®ng Wei instantly looked at him.


    ¡°I want you to have a peaceful life. Qiu Zedong is using you against me. Thest thing I can do for my son is to tell Qiu Zedong what he wanted to hear all these years,¡± Qiu Qizhen asserted.

 Chapter 483 - 483 You and I are so different

    483 You and I are so different


    ¡°What will you do? Will you tell Father that I am not his son? Do you want to make my life hell?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned Qizhen. He clenched his fist in exasperation.


    ¡°No,¡± Qizhen refused. ¡°I don¡¯t want him to use my son to kill me. Since you want a life full of happiness with your wife, I will tell Zedong that I didn¡¯t have any son. He was mistaken all these years,¡± he exined to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°This is the reason you never seeded. Do you think Father will spare you? He will skin you alive. Li Hua will hate me for not saving you. Don¡¯t do anything,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He didn¡¯t request Qizhen, but the way he spoke was enough to tell that somewhere he was concerned for Qizhen too.


    ¡°I am unable to understand your care for me,¡± Qizhen said and smiled at him. L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t say anything and stayed silent.


    ¡°Did you marry the daughter of Xu Guang Li?¡± Qizhen asked L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Hmm. Did you know her father?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned.


    ¡°Yes. He was known for his acupuncture and medical skills during the time of my reign,¡± Qizhen answered. ¡°He was an upright man,¡± he added.


    ¡°He is dead. The entire Xu family is dead except Xu Zifan and Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei informed him. He was unable to believe that he was finally having a peaceful conversation with Qizhen.


    ¡°Did you not try to find out about it?¡± Qizhen asked.


    .....


    ¡°I did. I have a doubt if the person who did it was Father or not. Shui Xiaoqing before dying almost told me the name, but he died by then,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Zedong might have done that,¡± Qizhen said in a confident tone.


    ¡°How can you be so confident?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. Though, he remembered what Shui Xiaoqing said before dying. He pronounced the word ¡®K¡¯.


    Later, Qiu Zedong asked him not to do any investigation. But those were merely his doubts. Qiu Zedong had always protected him, so he could not be that person.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, your mother did what she was told so that your life be spared. Zedong always thought that I was your father, but because there was no one to prove it, he could not either kill you along with Yu Jun. I know there¡¯s no meaning left in my exnation to you, but I will not lie to you. Qiu Zedong has used you all these years so that you will remain loyal to him and serve as he wants you to,¡± Qizhen gave him a detailed exnation.


    ¡°He can use me. I have noints about that,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°He could have killed me the day I¡­¡± he paused and gazed into Qizhen¡¯s eyes, ¡°killed my mother. But he didn¡¯t.¡± He lowered his head and told Qizhen that he didn¡¯t tell him why he was confident that the King killed Li Hua¡¯s family.


    ¡°Did Monk Yuze not tell you?¡± Qizhen asked.


    ¡°Yuze never tells me anything. He wants me to find everything by myself. If he had told me the truth, I would not have evene here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a frustrated chuckle.


    Qizhen smiled to hear him. ¡°Yu Jun told Monk Yuze everything that happened with her before she asked you to take her life,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Why did you not save my mother?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°A promise she took from me. Your life was more precious to us,¡± Qizhen said with a bright smile. ¡°However, by the time Yuze came to tell me, you already had taken her life. I really wanted to save her.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°I was a terrible husband, a terrible father, and a terrible King.¡±


    ¡°You lost everything because of your poor judgment. Why did you even give control of the military to your brother!? Even if you had, then you should have been careful,¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t refrain from getting harsh again.


    ¡°I realize that,¡± Qizhen said.


    Silence prevailed in the room. The oil in thentern was almost finished. The me of thentern would get quenched at any time.


    ¡°You chose to be in darkness. Instead of fighting, you chose to stay here. At least for the love of my mother for you, you should have fought. You should have gathered an army and challenged your brother to a battle,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Sometimes battles are not necessary. In a battle, lives are lost not one but many. Those kids, who are your step-siblings, have no fault. They could have been dead. Also, I was not in my right mind for many years. By the time I got sanity everything was ruined,¡± Qizhen exined to L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei snickered and Qizhen with inquisitiveness gazed at him.


    ¡°You and I are so different. I can burn everyone if something wrong happens to my wife. Then, I will not care if I have to take the lives of those princes or princesses,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and sneered.


    ¡°Atst, you have acknowledged me as your father,¡± Qizhen said andughed a little.


    ¡°I never did that,¡± L¨®ng Wei promptly responded.


    Thentern¡¯s me quenched and the room again went into darkness.


    ¡°You love to be in the dark,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Qizhen.


    ¡°Hmm. Only it can understand me,¡± Qizhen replied. The pattering of rain on the roof intensified.


    ¡°I also loved it. But Li Hua illuminated my world. Mother has darkened my world. I cannot refrain myself from ming her,¡± he rified to Qizhen.


    ¡°me me not her,¡± Qizhen urged him.


    ¡°Hmmm. You are right. I should me you both,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and his stomach growled. He was hungry after walking so much and then arguing with Qizhen.


    ¡°I will bring dinner,¡± Qizhen said.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t say anything while Qizhen went out. A few minutester, Su Yichen came with two bignterns in his hand and found L¨®ng Wei on the floor, directly below the portrait of Yu Jun.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t look in his direction.


    ¡°A son should never talk this way with his father,¡± Su Yichen stated.

 Chapter 484 - 484 Don’t let Zedong use you [Bonus chapter]

    484 Don¡¯t let Zedong use you [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°I do not want to hear any lecture from you,¡± L¨®ng Wei coldly said to Su Yichen.


    ¡°It is not a lecture,¡± Su Yichen rified. ¡°It is telling the manners to the Prince,¡± he added.


    ¡°Sadly, I didn¡¯t take the lessons of manners. So, I don¡¯t know about them,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°The Prince didn¡¯t get a beating, that¡¯s why he became like this,¡± Su Yichen affirmed.


    ¡°Good that you realized,¡± L¨®ng Wei scoffed at him and told him to leave.


    ¡°All I want to say is that Prince L¨®ng Wei should not leave his father¡¯s side. The person who started this must be punished,¡± Su Yichen told L¨®ng Wei and bowed to him before leaving the room.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and turned. ¡°At least listen to my answer, Su Yichen.¡± He also turned to look at the prince.


    ¡°I won¡¯t punish him,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Because your lord was so scared to start a battle against his own younger brother, then how can I do that? I will die but will not intervene in the matter of two brothers,¡± L¨®ng Wei announced. Su Yichen had nothing left to say to the prince. He merely bowed to L¨®ng Wei and walked out of the door.


    .....


    Su Yichen went to the kitchen and looked at Qiu Qizhen, who was instructing the chef. Two servants carried the tray and followed Qiu Qizhen, who saw Su Yichen.


    Qiu Qizhen asked the servants to go ahead and he came with Su Yichen.


    ¡°The Princecks manners,¡± Su Yichen said.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°My lord, the Prince isn¡¯t ready to help you. He is ming my lord for no reason,¡± Su Yichen asserted.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei has numerous reasons to me me,¡± Qiu Qizhen replied. ¡°Ignore the child¡¯s mannerisms,¡± he urged.


    ¡°My Lord, a person is known by his behavior. Prince L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t want to help his own father and he blindly trusts Zedong. I cannot understand why Prince L¨®ng Wei is doing that,¡± Su Yichen stated.


    ¡°He wants to have a peaceful life. I respect his decision. I never did anything for him in my entire life. Listening to hisints is all I can do,¡± Qiu Qizhen said.


    Su Yichen opened the umbre and dropped Qiu Qizhen outside his room.


    ¡°Have your dinner and sleep,¡± Qiu Qizhen told Yichen before going inside.


    ¡°I wish my lord¡¯s pain will end too,¡± Su Yichen whispered and walked away.


    Qiu Qizhen watched L¨®ng Wei, who was looking at the food.


    ¡°You did not start eating,¡± Qizhen asked as he took his seat around the table. ¡°Did you wait for me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No.¡± L¨®ng Wei quickly ate a dumpling. ¡°I was waiting for it to get cold,¡± he said and chewed it. Qizhen smiled a little and picked up the chopsticks.


    ¡°Grandmother is dead too. She called me before dying,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He looked into his father¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°She said mother had left a message for me. Grandmother even handed me the key, but when I checked the drawer it was empty. Do you know anything about this?¡± He curiously asked.


    ¡°Sadly, I do not know about this. However, if it was in the pce, then Zedong might have checked it. The key can be made again,¡± he asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei frowned to hear it and resumed eating.


    Once they finished eating, L¨®ng Wei told Qizhen that he would leave in the morning.


    ¡°So early?¡± Qizhen didn¡¯t want L¨®ng Wei to leave.


    ¡°I got my answers, so I must return,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°You don¡¯t need toe to the pce. I will handle the matter in my own way,¡± he advised Qizhen and picked up the ss of water.


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t want me toe there? I thought I must do something good for my son,¡± Qizhen said with an upset look.


    ¡°It is better for you not to do anything,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°If I have to speak the truth, then I will say that I don¡¯t want you to die. Live as much as you can. See my growth from afar. I have mentioned this already, but I¡¯ll say once more. I do not want to disappoint my wife for not protecting you.¡±


    The meeting with Qizhen made L¨®ng Wei realize that he didn¡¯t deserve to die. He would not be able to watch his death.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Qizhen replied.


    ¡°Give me thest answer. Why did you confidently say that the King was behind the Xu family massacre?¡± L¨®ng Wei was desperate to know this.


    ¡°Zedong found out that Yuze made a prediction for Li Hua. She was chosen by heaven for you. The King didn¡¯t want this to happen. As I said earlier too, Zedong wants you to control his way,¡± Qizhen revealed the truth to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Are you telling the truth?¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t want to believe it.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But Father also allowed me to marry Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with confusion.


    ¡°I do not know why he allowed it,¡± Qizhen truthfully said.


    ¡°Why that day? Why not before that day? If Father had to do it, then he got many chances,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined and knitted his brows.


    ¡°That¡¯s what confused me. Why did Zedong choose that day? You have to find it yourself,¡± Qizhen stated.


    ¡°Did Father find out that I was behind Li Hua?¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured.


    ¡°Behind Li Hua?¡± Qizhen was perplexed to hear him.


    ¡°I was locked in the cold pce that time. When I met Li Hua, I decided to pursue her since she saved my life and showed her concern for me. She was not scared of me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smile.


    Qizhen¡¯s heart clenched at hearing his son¡¯s words. He suffered so much because of his father¡¯s incapabilities. When every child was ying and having fun, L¨®ng Wei was locked in the four walls of the cold pce. Zedong made L¨®ng Wei do sin and because of that people hated him.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, will you fulfill my one wish?¡± Qizhen asked with eyes full of hope.


    ¡°Say it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let Zedong use you anymore,¡± Qizhen said and extended his hand out. ¡°Promise me, L¨®ng Wei. You will not let him use you. I will not do anything if you fulfill this wish of mine.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei nodded his head and ced his hand above Qizhen¡¯s palm. ¡°I promise,¡± he said.

 Chapter 485 - 485 My decision is unchangeable

    485 My decision is unchangeable


    Jingfei looked at herself in the mirror. She had asked the royal tailor to make her wedding dress the most beautiful of all times. Even her jewelry was the most expensive one with real diamonds and pearls used.


    Ai Fen told Jingfei that it was tough to move their eyes away from her.


    Zhu Liling agreed to it when Xiuying told her that it was almost time when they should take Jingfei outside. ¡°Princess Jingfei¡¯s groom is waiting for her,¡± Xiuying said with a smile.


    Jingfei stood up after her mother covered her head with the red veil. Jingfei came to the main pce ground where all the members of the royal family were present.


    Li Jianjun was standing in the wedding robes too and behind him was a wedding pnquin in which Jingfei would go to the Li residence. He was extremely delighted because he would marry the king¡¯s daughter and eventually be in a stronger position in the kingdom.


    Jin Yu red in Li Jianjun¡¯s direction and stood close to Xiaoming. ¡°How shamelessly he has been standing there?¡± she whispered in her husband¡¯s ear.


    Xiaoming also shifted his gaze at Jianjun. ¡°You are right. I want to kill him at this moment. How can he even think of ruining my sister¡¯s life?¡± he murmured and fisted his palms.


    At that moment, his eyes fell on Xu Zifan and Feng Lao, whom he had invited at Jingfei¡¯s request. Though, they both did not know that Jingfei had a n to expose Li Jianjun in front of everyone.


    The drums started beating as Jingfei descended the stairs while holding her mother¡¯s hand. Ai Fen was standing next to her and was also helping her get down the stairs.


    .....


    ¡°Princess Jingfei did not believe your words. I think we wasted time and energy for no reason,¡± Feng Lao remarked and narrowly gazed at Xu Zifan.


    ¡°I wonder, why?¡± Xu Zifan mumbled. ¡°What if Jianjun has ckmailed the First Princess?¡± He was not ready to believe that Jingfei would ignore such a big matter.


    ¡°Only the Crown Prince can stop this matter,¡± Feng Lao said and looked at the King. ¡°Sometimes I feel the King is too naive to look around him. He does not know what his own ministers were doing to his kingdom.¡± Feng Lao could not help but me Qiu Zedong in the end.


    Their eyes met with Li Jianjun, who smirked at them. It made them feel that he was making fun of them because of his victory.


    When Jingfei descended all the stairs, Qiu Zedong went toward her and stood next to his daughter while Ai Fen stepped back.


    Li Jianjun walked forward and bowed to the King and the Queen.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei, stand next to Li Jianjun,¡± Zhu Liling instructed her daughter.


    ¡°Li Jianjun, keep our daughter happy. She is the gem of this royal family,¡± Xiuying said while smiling.


    ¡°I understand. I will keep the First Princess above my eyes,¡± Li Jianjun said while keeping his head low.


    ¡°As soon as Princess Jingfei will marry Li Jianjun, her title of princess will be revoked. But she cane to her family anytime. Also, with this marriage, I, Qiu Zedong, the King of the Qiu Kingdom, has decided to give a bigger position to Li Jianjun.¡±


    Jianjun¡¯s smile widened. He did not know that it would happen even without asking Jingfei.


    Tianjie looked at Xiaoming, wondering why he was not speaking up.


    However, before Qiu Zedong could speak further about the position he wanted to grant to Jianjun, Jingfei spoke up.


    ¡°Royal Father, Jingfei wants to say something. Please allow her,¡± Jingfei requested.


    Jianjun lifted his head and then he tilted it to look at Jingfei.


    ¡°What is it, my daughter?¡± Qiu Zedong asked in his loving tone.


    She removed her veil and turned to face Jianjun. He also turned toward her when Jingfei pped him hard. Everyone was shocked to see that when Zhu Liling asked her daughter what she was doing.


    ¡°I thought you will not show up today. Yet, you have no shame. How could you even imagine marrying me? Go to the brothel houses and select a wife from there. You do not need me,¡± Jingfei stated.


    Jin Yu smiled to see that. For the first time, she liked Jingfei¡¯s personality.


    ¡°What is the Princess saying?¡± Qiu Zedong suddenly turned angry and asked her how she could use Li Jianjun on the day when she was supposed to marry him.


    ¡°Royal Father, I will not marry Li Jianjun. I will die, but I will not marry him. He betrayed me. He has the n to marry me so that he can be the governor, thus recing Brother L¨®ng Wei from that position,¡± she asserted. ¡°He is a regr at the brothel house. I step back from this marriage and I request my father to severely punish him.¡±


    Li Jianjun clenched his fists, but he did not let the angere to his face.


    ¡°I think that Princess Jingfei has some sort of misunderstanding against me. She is using my character when there is no evidence, Your Majesty. Why would I do that? I have received way too much in this life,¡± Li Jianjun tried to get away from the usations.


    Zhu Liling told Jingfei that she might have misunderstandings about Li Jianjun.


    ¡°No. I confirmed it myself thest night. The brothel house where he goes once a week,¡± Jingfei stated while ring at Li Jianjun. ¡°You did wrong by fooling me. I will not marry you, so you can leave,¡± she stated.


    Qiu Zedong¡¯s facial expressions darkened. He looked at Jianjun and asked if it was true.


    Jianjun was terrified thinking if he would lie, the King might punish him severely once the investigation would start. So, he decided to admit the truth.


    ¡°I used to, Your Majesty,¡± Li Jianjun admitted while keeping his voice low. ¡°However, after my marriage was fixed with the First Princess, I didn¡¯t go there. I realized after meeting Princess Jingfei that I must not betray a woman like her, so I didn¡¯t go there and even pledged myself. Please trust me, Your Majesty,¡± Li Jianjun requested.


    ¡°My decision is unchangeable,¡± Jingfei pronounced. ¡°I will not marry Li Jianjun.¡±

 Chapter 486 - 486 Let me marry Xu Zifan

    486 Let me marry Xu Zifan


    ¡°It is considered inauspicious if the bride does not go to her selected groom¡¯s house,¡± Noble Consort Xiuying intervened. She gazed at Qiu Zedong and continued, ¡°Li Jianjun did so because he is young. I suppose he was enthusiastic and ended up doing a foolish mistake. Men usually visit such ces and we cannot stop it. Your Majesty, Princess Jingfei should not step back from her marriage in this way. Not only the name of the royal family be tarnished, but no one will be ready to marry the First Princess.¡±


    Li Jianjun realized that Xiuying was opening a way for him to turn the tables for him.


    ¡°Your Majesty, it was my foolish curiousness that I decided to visit the brothel house. Please forgive me,¡± Li Jianjun stated while pleading.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei should not marry Li Jianjun, Your Majesty. He will keep doing this even after his marriage. I can vouch for that,¡± Jin Yu proimed and stepped up. ¡°Princess Jingfei is the princess of the kingdom and she deserves a potential husband not a man like Li Jianjun,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°I agree with the Crown Princess¡¯s words. Father must not let Jingfei marry Li Jianjun,¡± Xiaoming pronounced and beamed at Jianjun. ¡°You should not be standing here. So, leave the pce this instantly,¡± he said in anger.


    ¡°Sister Zhu, your own son is not thinking rationally. A woman¡¯s dignity is always questioned. I think we all should forgive Li Jianjun and let them start afresh. Li Jianjun even gifted a portrait to Princess Jingfei. That already shows how much he adores our dear daughter,¡± Xiuying tried her best to make Jingfei marry Jianjun.


    Qiu Mu wondered why his mother was acting this way.


    All Xiuying wanted to make Jianjun act ording to her if she seeded in making them marry today. She wanted a rebel in the court against the Queen, so could be deposed from her position and she could get the Queen¡¯s position easily. Li Zixuan would be thankful to her if Jingfei became Li¡¯s family¡¯s daughter-inw.


    ¡°I have known Li Zixuan for a long time. The kingdom finances have always been stronger because of Li Zixuan¡¯s good policies that he put forward and discussed with me. I agree that men make mistakes sometimes. Princess Jingfei should trust her father. Li Jianjun will not do it ever again,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    .....


    ¡°Father!¡± Xiaoming stepped up and asked him to take that decision back. ¡°I will not let my sister marry him. She does not deserve this, Father,¡± he stated and then looked at his mother. However, he had the least expectations from her.


    ¡°Crown Prince, as a father, I know what is best for my daughter. I know that her mother also wants the same. Am I right, My Queen?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Zhu Liling agreed with the King¡¯s decision.


    Tianjie decided to tell the truth about how Li Jianjun wanted to take Song Jia as his mistress. He opened his mouth to speak up when he heard Jingfei speak.


    ¡°Since I must get married today, then let me select my groom, Father. I will die but I will not marry Li Jianjun,¡± Jingfei said with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei, why are you speaking this way? I am truly ashamed of what I did earlier. The moment I met the Princess, I pledged myself not to ever visit such ces. I did not go there after my marriage was fixed with her,¡± Li Jianjun tried his best not to lose thisst opportunity.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei, forgive Li Jianjun. We all want your good,¡± Xiuying stated and asked her to get into the pnquin as the auspicious moment was running away.


    ¡°Will you stop intervening?¡± Jin Yu almost shouted at Xiuying and went to Jingfei. ¡°Why do you want to ruin the life of Princess Jingfei?¡± She questioned her and almost forgot the tone in which she was talking.


    ¡°Crown Princess, watch the way you speak,¡± Qiu Zedong sternly warned her. ¡°How dare the Crown Princess question my decision?¡± He was infuriated at Jin Yu¡¯s behavior.


    ¡°Do not force me to bring a well-mannered woman for the Crown Prince,¡± Qiu Zedong pronounced.


    ¡°Father, how could you say this?¡± Xiaoming did not like his father¡¯s statement about his wife.


    ¡°Then, tell the Crown Princess to stay quiet. When the King takes a decision, then that¡¯s be the final,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. Xiaoming was going to argue when Jin Yu held his hand and gestured to him to keep quiet.


    Jingfei was on the verge of crying. She could not believe her own father was throwing her into a marriage where she would never be happy. However, she was rebellious and stubborn too. She looked at Xu Zifan, who had his gaze in her direction.


    She lifted her high waist skirt slightly and walked in his direction.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei, where are you heading to?¡± Qiu Zedong asked, but she did not answer him.


    Qiu Mu got away from her way and turned to look behind. Xu Zifan and Feng Lao were behind them. His brows furrowed together.


    Jingfei stopped in front of Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Marry me, Xu Zifan,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°Pardon me?¡± Xu Zifan widened his eyes in shock. Feng Lao asked Jingfei not to involve his friend in that mess, but she did not pay heed to it.


    ¡°I want to marry you. Please save me. I will be an obedient wife to you,¡± Jingfei said. When Xu Zifan did not answer her, she continued, ¡°I will take it as a yes.¡± She turned and before he could stop her, she told everyone present there.


    ¡°If I have to marry today, then I will marry Xu Zifan. If Father forcefully sent me to Li Jianjun¡¯s house as his wife, he will have to see my dead body tomorrow,¡± Jingfei pronounced while clutching her dress tightly.


    ¡°Jingfei, don¡¯t speak that way. Come here,¡± Zhu Liling scolded her.


    ¡°Princess Jingfei has lost her mind. How could she marry a man who does not have a limb? He is physically disabled,¡± Xiuying left no opportunity to humiliate Xu Zifan and smirked a little.


    Feng Lao¡¯s jaw clenched to hear that. The royal family was so toxic.


    ¡°You have no right to humiliate my soon-to-be husband, Second Mother. Why do you have to be this poisonous? A big heart is necessary, and I respect Xu Zifan for that. Xu Zifan is even stronger than many top-tier soldiers andmanders. If Father considers me as his precious child, then let me marry Xu Zifan. I will be happy with him,¡± Jingfei asserted while gazing into her father¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 487 - 487 No one will marry me

    487 No one will marry me


    ¡°It is said that a disabled man has disabled offspring,¡± Xiuying said with a pitied look on her face and looked at Zhu Liling.


    ¡°Her Majesty¡¯s daughter is on the verge of losing a life offort. Her Majesty needs to stop this,¡± Xiuying advised Zhu Liling.


    Zhu Liling apologized to the King and assured him that she would talk to Jingfei.


    ¡°There is no need to do that. I allow them to marry,¡± Qiu Zedong announced, shocking everyone present there. However, the facial expressions on his face clearly depicted that he was not happy with Jingfei¡¯s stubbornness.


    Jingfei thanked her father and smiled. She beamed at Li Jianjun when she heard her father speak.


    ¡°However, if you evere to me and say anyone made fun of Xu Zifan and I must punish that person, then I will not do that. Keep this in mind,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡±


    Feng Lao could not bear the insult that Xu Zifan was facing, so he stepped up.


    ¡°Xu Zifan has not given his decision. I request His Majesty not to allow their marriage until Xu Zifan agrees to it,¡± Feng Lao requested while keeping his head low before the King.


    .....


    He didn¡¯t want Xu Zifan to suffer because of the royal family. They had already humiliated him. If Jingfei were to be his wife, she would only trouble him.


    ¡°I agree with Feng Lao¡¯s words. Xu Zifan, would you like to marry someone else¡¯s betrothed?¡± Xiuying asked with a tiny smile. ¡°We all know that no one would marry you because you are disabled. Princess Jingfei isn¡¯t a suitable match for you either. She is of royal blood. So, you must answer carefully,¡± she stated.


    Jin Yu wanted to shut Xiuying up again, but Xiaoming stopped her and shook his head.


    Jingfei quickly stood next to Xu Zifan and grabbed his left arm. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her. Take me to your house as your wife. I will not trouble you. You will not regret taking me as your wife. If you leave me here, Father will send me away with Li Jianjun. I will die then, and will haunt you in your dreams for not marrying me,¡± Jingfei said as her eyes filled with tears.


    Xu Zifan looked at his arm and then into her eyes. He wished he had not listened to Jianjun¡¯s conversation. He curled his fingers and said, ¡°I will marry Princess Jingfei.¡±


    Feng Lao was stunned to hear Xu Zifan¡¯s statement, and he quickly went to him. Feng Lao dragged Xu Zifan slightly away from Jingfei.


    ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t do this. At least wait for Li Hua to return,¡± he advised Xu Zifan.


    ¡°She also wanted me to marry someone. No one will marry me, and I cannot let Li Hua worry for me all her life,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°Moreover, I must help the Princess. If she marries Jianjun, she will surely take her life. I will somehow regret not helping her,¡± he exined to Feng Lao.


    Feng Lao sighed as Xu Zifan went back to Jingfei. ¡°Since Princess Jingfei has chosen me, I will not disappoint her,¡± he answered to the King.


    Jingfei smiled to hear those words. She asked her father and mother to give them blessings as she held Xu Zifan¡¯s hand.


    Qiu Zedong looked at the Queen and gestured something to her.


    ¡°I cannot ignore the choice of my daughter. She has chosen Xu Zifan to be her husband. I hope you will keep her happy and will not let her down,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a smile and told Xiuying not to humiliate Xu Zifan anymore as he was their son-inw.


    ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing, take the royal priest to the residence of Xu Zifan and start the wedding ceremony there. Feng Lao will show you the way. Start the preparations. Princess Jingfei and Xu Zifan will soon be there,¡± Qiu Zedong gave out the instructions.


    Feng Laoplied with the King¡¯s order and left with Gao Bing. Jingfei walked up to her father to thank him, while Xiaoming went to Xu Zifan.


    The other four princes also gathered around him.


    ¡°I apologize on my mother¡¯s behalf,¡± Qiu Mu apologized to Xu Zifan. He didn¡¯t say a word when Xiaoming hugged him.


    ¡°Thank you. I do not have to say anything, as I know you are the perfect man for my sister,¡± Xiaoming said with a smile.


    Mingquan was happy for Xu Zifan too and told him that Jingfei suited him.


    ¡°Xu Zifan stays calm while Sister Jingfei is always hyperactive,¡± Zhang Xi said with a chuckle while he observed the weird gazes of his brothers. ¡°In simple words, Xu Zifan will not feel lonely anymore. He will always be busy because of Sister Jingfei,¡± he modified his words.


    Li Jianjun watched how happy the princes were, and he silently left the pce ground.


    Jingfei saw him leaving and felt relieved. ¡°Do not ever talk about taking your life. I cannot be cruel to my own children. I only wish that you will not regret the decision of marrying Xu Zifan,¡± Qiu Zedong again repeated the same words.


    ¡°I will not, Father. Xu Zifan is a million times better than the Father¡¯s choice for me,¡± Jingfei replied.


    Zhu Liling realized her both children ruined their lives. Now, Xiuying would always taunt her daughter for marrying a disabled man.


    After fifteen minutes, Jingfei got into the pnquin after wearing the veil over her head. Xu Zifan had a small conversation with the King before he hopped on the horse that Xiaoming asked to bring in.


    Jingfei looked outside the window, and tears filled her eyes. Her mother was crying to see her leave. However, she was happy that at least, she didn¡¯t leave the pce with Jianjun.


    The princes went after the pnquin until they reached the pce gates and watched their sister leave.


    ~~~~~


    Hello everyone,


    The 5 chapters mass release for today is also over. Luckily, I had stockpiles so I was able to release them. Thank you for votes,ments, GTs and gifts.


    Since the GTs event is going on, every one GT will be counted as 2. If I reach 400 GTs targets, 5 chapters more will be released as a bonus. I hope you¡¯ll give GTs to the story if it is possible for you.


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 488 - 488 Not like the normal people [Bonus chapter]

    488 Not like the normal people [Bonus chapter]


    Feng Lao brought the wedding robes for Xu Zifan which Gao Bing had handed him earlier.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Feng Lao asked Xu Zifan with a frown on his forehead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look,¡± Xu Zifan said and picked up the wedding robes with his left hand.


    ¡°Li Hua will be upset. If you wanted to be the kindest person on earth, then you should have at least asked for the time,¡± Feng Lao asserted and crossed his arms.


    ¡°Li Jianjun might have harmed us,¡± Xu Zifan stated and asked him to wait for him outside. ¡°Li Hua will only be happy to see me married,¡± he opined.


    ¡°I wish the same. But the person you are marrying isn¡¯t good. You know well the nature of the First Princess. If she gets a problem, she will me you and Li Hua. What will you do then?¡± Feng Lao asked as he scolded Xu Zifan for not thinking rationally.


    ¡°I agree with Feng Lao.¡± Huang Xi¡¯s voice fell into their ears and he walked in.


    ¡°You know what kind of woman Princess Jingfei is. She is not good. Yet, you agreed to marry her,¡± Huang Xi was unable to understand what exactly Xu Zifan thought at that time.


    ¡°I am not the same person as I was before,¡± Xu Zifan pronounced. He scrunched his brows. ¡°I should not be calling myself disabled, but I am. This fact I cannot change. When I pass by people, they look at my right hand first and then they try to be away from me. I am not like the normal people,¡± he asserted.


    .....


    He didn¡¯t want to make himself feel low, but he wanted to ept this truth too.


    ¡°Huang Xi, a woman when gets attached to a man, gives him her everything. Princess Jingfei always thought good for you. She loved you after all. Maybe she is the pampered child of her family, and that¡¯s why she behaves like that. You should not say that she¡¯s not a good woman. You should thank Princess Jingfei, who told her father not to make her marry you, or else you would have been married to her today. She is a thoughtful person,¡± Xu Zifan cleared Huang Xi that Jingfei was not as bad as he had always thought of her.


    ¡°You two should leave. I do not want to exin anymore to you both why I did it,¡± he requested them and turned his back towards them.


    Feng Lao looked at Huang Xi and they both left the room. Feng Lao closed the door behind him.


    ¡°Xu Zifan will regret marrying her,¡± Huang Xi replied. ¡°I have observed the Princess for a long time,¡± He said and twitched his lips in frustration.


    ¡°It¡¯s Xu Zifan¡¯s life. We can only support him,¡± Feng Lao stated.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei will definitely scold him, then only he wille to his senses,¡± Huang Xi mumbled in anger. ¡°I want Xu Zifan to be happy,¡± he added.


    Xu Zifan got ready in the wedding outfit and put on a smile on his lips. ¡°Forgive me, Li Hua. But I know you will appreciate my decision and will be happy,¡± Xu Zifan told himself.


    He looked at his hair and called a servant inside to help him when Feng Lao walked in.


    ¡°I will help.¡± Feng Lao pushed him onto the chair and picked up the brush.


    ¡°Call a servant,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°Let your friend do it,¡± Feng Lao said. ¡°General Hei has alsoe. Li Hua will get the news soon about your marriage. Sadly, she cannot be present here,¡± he informed him.


    Xu Zifan hummed and asked Feng Lao to promise him not to tell Li Hua about what happened in the pce.


    Feng Lao stopped brushing his hair and looked into the mirror. ¡°She will find out once she returns to the pce. I do not even have to tell her,¡± Feng Lao said.


    ¡°Ahh, I almost forgot about it,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t dry your hair well. They are still wet,¡± Feng Lao said and looked for the towel to dry them. After he picked one from the cupboard, he dried his hair well.


    ¡°Huang Xi wants you to be happy. He had no intention to hurt you,¡± Feng Lao told Xu Zifan.


    ¡°I do not want to talk about it,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Feng Lao made a bun on the top of Xu Zifan¡¯s head and then put a bun holder around it. ¡°Smile at your wedding. This outfit suits you. Finally, my friend is getting married and this feeling is blissful for me,¡± Feng Lao said and stepped back. He put the brush on the dresser and looked at Xu Zifan through the mirror.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Xu Zifan smiled at him.


    ~~~~~


    ¡°My Elder Brother is marrying Princess Jingfei!¡± Li Hua eximed in shock when Chang Shi informed her.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. They will marry today. Princess Jingfei chose Xu Zifan as her husband and even the King could not stop it. She threatened His Majesty with her life and asked him to permit her to marry Xu Zifan,¡± Chang Shi briefed Li Hua. However, he didn¡¯t tell Li Hua about the humiliation Xu Zifan got in the pce since she would be hurt and stressed to learn about that.


    ¡°I want to be present at my brother¡¯s wedding,¡± Li Hua said and asked Chang Shi to take her there.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness. I cannot do that. You aren¡¯t supposed to get out of here. Li Jianjun must be mad because Xu Zifan married the First Princess instead of him. Prince L¨®ng Wei may fall into trouble too if anyone notices you,¡± Chang Shi gave the reasons to Li Hua for not attending Xu Zifan¡¯s wedding.


    ¡°Brother Chang Shi is right,¡± Li Hua said and a smile formed on her lips. ¡°But I¡¯m happy that my elder brother is getting married,¡± She asserted and asked Chang Shi if she could make mooncakes.


    Chang Shi looked at her with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°Please send the sweets to my brother¡¯s home. Currently, I can only present mooncakes to my elder brother for his marriage,¡± Li Hua stated and continued to smile.


    Chang Shi allowed her and they both left for the kitchen.


    ~~~~~


    Below is the reference image for Xu Zifan and Jingfei.

 Chapter 489 - 489 Wife, I am back

    489 Wife, I am back


    After Xu Zifan and Jingfei got married, Eunuch Gao Bing left for the pce with the royal priest. The wedding feast went on till thete evening since many nobles had arrived at the house on Hei Chengxi¡¯s invitation.


    Xu Zifan looked at the man whom Chang Shi had sent. He took him aside and asked the man if everything was good.


    ¡°Everything is well, Lord Xu. Your sister has sent this,¡± the man said and handed a wooden tiffin box with a letter above it to Xu Zifan.


    Xu Zifan nodded and asked the man to eat at the feast before leaving. The man bowed and walked away.


    Xu Zifan looked around and put the tiffin box on the small table ced there. He opened the letter and started to read it. A smile was carved on his lips as he read the sweet wishes that Li Hua had sent for him. He knew that his sister would not question his decision and would only be happy with his marriage with Jingfei.


    Xu Zifan put the letter in his inner pocket and picked up the tiffin box. He decided to go to the room, but before that he informed Feng Lao about it.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Feng Lao asked as he saw the tiffin box in Xu Zifan¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Someone close to me sent it,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    Feng Lao smiled as he understood that Li Hua had sent that. ¡°Go to your room. Your wife is waiting for you,¡± Feng Lao said and teased Xu Zifan.


    .....


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Xu Zifan left the courtyard while Feng Lao continued to smile.


    The servant bowed to see Xu Zifan and opened the doors for him. ¡°Did the Princess have dinner?¡± Xu Zifan asked when the servant shook his head.


    ¡°Bring the dinner,¡± Xu Zifan ordered him, and he walked in.


    When did his room get decorated? Everyone was fast today. The entire room was decorated in red. Thenterns, the curtains, the floor mats, etc.


    Lin Jie, the maidservant, who used to serve Jingfei in the pce, followed her to the Xu Residence too.


    ¡°My Lord, this is Lin Jie, the servant who served the Princess for a long time. From now onwards, I will serve you both,¡± Lin Jie said while keeping her head low.


    ¡°Hmm. You can leave.¡± Xu Zifan went ahead and ced the tiffin box on the table. He went to the other side of the room and took out the letter before keeping it inside the cupboard in a drawer.


    Jingfei watched him through the veil and fidgeted with her fingers. She was nervous because Xu Zifan also didn¡¯t like her.


    ¡°My Lord, the food is here,¡± the servant said, who was standing near the door.


    ¡°Set the table,¡± Xu Zifan said and the servant walked in along with two female servants. After they set the dinner table, they left.


    Xu Zifan stepped forward and lifted the veil from Jingfei¡¯s head. Their eyes met and she smiled at him. Xu Zifan stayed neutral and picked up the wedding wine cup for her. Jingfei took it and waited for him to lift the cup. When he drank the wine, Jingfei also finished the wine from the cup and stood up.


    Xu Zifan did not say a word and ced the cups on the table. ¡°The Princess should take the dinner,¡± he said and looked towards the table.


    ¡°I am not a princess anymore,¡± Jingfei said. He gazed at her when she told him he should call her name whenever he spoke with her.


    Jingfei pushed her sleeves up and folded them. ¡°I will be a good wife to you. You will never hear anyints from me,¡± she said and lifted her heavy skirt a little up before peering at him.


    ¡°Thank you for telling my brother about Jianjun. You saved my life and I will protect you all the time,¡± Jingfei stated.


    ¡°Protect me? How? Do you also think that I am disabled?¡± Xu Zifan asked. He was irked, but he did not want to take his anger out on Jingfei. ¡°Have your dinner and sleep,¡± he said and turned to leave when Jingfei held his robe from behind.


    ¡°I never meant that. Forgive me, if my words have hurt you,¡± Jingfei said. ¡°I consider you as the most capable man for me. So, you should not think that way. I apologize to you for what you heard in the pce.¡± She slowly lowered her hand and waited for his response.


    However, Xu Zifan left the room silently. He was not interested to tell her the turmoil going on inside him. He wanted to stay alone tonight.


    ~~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei had reached the capital byte night. Shuyao had told him to leave the next morning, but L¨®ng Wei did not listen to him.


    He had changed the getup so that he would not be recognized. However, before heading to the Xu Residence, he went to see Chang Shi.


    However, he was shocked to find from Chang Shi that Li Hua was there.


    L¨®ng Wei removed the hat from his head. ¡°What? Xu Zifan married Jingfei! ¡± He chuckled and asked the reason behind that. Chang Shi narrated the incident to L¨®ng Wei, whose jaw clenched.


    ¡°Many things happened behind my back,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and gazed at Chang Shi. ¡°Thank you for taking care of my wife,¡± he stated.


    ¡°It was my pleasure to serve the Princess Consort,¡± Chang Shi replied. ¡°Did His Highness find something useful?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I did. He is alive. I have ended my matter with him. He is not made for my world. I will never acknowledge him as our king,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted with a menacing look.


    ¡°I respect His Highness decision,¡± Chang Shi replied.


    ¡°Where is Li Hua?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°Please follow me, Your Highness,¡± Chang Shi said and they left to the room, where Li Hua was present.


    ¡°Chang Shi, you can leave. I must surprise my wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while smiling. He bowed and left from there.


    L¨®ng Wei quietly opened the door and walked in with silent steps. He found Li Hua writing something on a sheet and had her back toward him.


    L¨®ng Wei bent down and circled her arms around her neck.


    ¡°Wife, I am back.¡±

 Chapter 490 - 490 I no longer hate them

    490 I no longer hate them


    L¨®ng Wei snuggled Li Hua tightly from behind and whispered, ¡°Wife, I am back.¡±


    Upon hearing that voice, and that warm touch, Li Hua immediately let go of the brush and grabbed his arms. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± she called his name.


    He pulled away after a few seconds while Li Hua promptly got up from the chair. She pushed it away and tightly hugged him. ¡°I missed my husband. I am d to see him safe,¡± Li Hua said as she closed her eyes.


    L¨®ng Wei caressed the back of her head. ¡°I also missed my wife. That¡¯s why I returned early,¡± he asserted.


    Li Hua peered into his eyes. ¡°The Prince was supposed to return on the sixth day. How did he arrive early? Did he not find anything there?¡± She asked while being worried.


    ¡°I found out everything,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Then, where is the Father-inw?¡± Li Hua inquired. ¡°Did he alsoe?¡± She suddenly turned excited.


    ¡°He is not here. He will nevere here,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Eh¡­ why?¡± She arched her eyebrows.


    .....


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I am hungry and tired,¡± he touched his stomach.


    ¡°Forgive me for not asking earlier. Have a seat. I will bring the dinner,¡± Li Hua stated and quickly left for the kitchen.


    L¨®ng Wei sat down on the chair and waited for Li Hua toe. He looked at the sheet on which Li Hua had written something. ¡°She also loves poetry,¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured and read it. A smile formed on his lips, and his heart suddenly turned happier. The poem was about their first meeting.


    ¡°How can she be so eloquent in words? My wife is a genius,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and kept smiling.


    ¡°Your Highness, you were supposed to sit around the floor table,¡± Li Hua¡¯s voice fell into his ears as she entered along with two servants.


    L¨®ng Wei stood up and hummed. The dinner table was set for them. Li Hua thanked the servants, who left after closing the door.


    They both settled around the table and began eating. Li Hua wanted to ask him about Qizhen, but L¨®ng Wei was immersed in having food.


    After a while, when L¨®ng Wei felt his stomach is full, he put the chopsticks down and picked up a ss of water. He drank it and plonked the ss on the table. ¡°That was delicious,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a bright smile.


    He found Li Hua had eaten so little and asked her to eat more.


    ¡°How did it go? I thought His Highness will return with his father,¡± Li Hua said and ced the chopsticks on the saucer.


    ¡°Li Hua, he doesn¡¯t belong here,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied as the smile slowly faded from his lips. ¡°We had a long conversation. In the end, I got only this answer: he has lost his chance to turn everything right. I stopped myself from not taking his life. I buried that anger deep inside my heart,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua lowered her eyelids and hummed. ¡°I am with Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s decision then. He knows better,¡± Li Hua replied and picked up the chopsticks. From his voice, it was evident that he was hurt. Not getting what he expected all those years.


    ¡°What about the others who wanted their king to return? Will Prince L¨®ng Wei be able to answer them? Not all will understand his exnation,¡± Li Hua opined.


    ¡°I do not care for others. I was the one who got crushed in all this. So, I am the one who has the right to decide,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Yuze knew everything, yet he didn¡¯t tell me. He never tells me anything. I will meet him tomorrow and ask him,¡± he muttered.


    Li Hua smiled a little and continued eating. Once Li Hua finished her meals, L¨®ng Wei called for the servant, who cleaned the table and went to the kitchen, taking the dishes with him.


    ¡°Your Father must be happy to see you,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°He was,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and noticed that he acknowledged Qizhen as his father. ¡°I cried,¡± he said.


    Li Hua with astonishment gazed at him. ¡°I never cried all these years. But I broke down in front of him. I was embarrassed that he saw my this side. I let out my anger at him. He is not like me, so it is difficult for anyone to believe that I am his son. I had my meals with him. My first andst with him. I learned my value for them. I apologized to my mother for taking her life. The regrets I had, I ended them yesterday. I no longer hate them, Li Hua. I promised him that I will be a great person and will lead a happy life.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei narrated his feelings to Li Hua. He was not burdened anymore. He was at peace since he finally let it go. He put his hand inside the inner pocket of the upper robe and took out a tiny box along with a tiny scroll. ¡°Fa¡­¡± he paused and then continued, ¡°he has sent these for you.¡±


    Li Hua with inquisitiveness looked at him and then took the box from him. ¡°What is it?¡± she inquired.


    ¡°I do not know. Check yourself,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua opened the tinytch on it and her eyes glistened to see two rings. She put the box down and then checked the scroll. The message that Qizhen had written for her. She read it and, then folded it back before putting it into the scroll.


    ¡°What was it about?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked with curiosity.


    ¡°That is a secret,¡± Li Hua said and showed him the rings. ¡°Aren¡¯t these beautiful?¡± She asked.


    ¡°They are,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied when Li Hua inserted the ring into his fourth finger. ¡°Wear the jade ring in the index one,¡± she stated with a smile. L¨®ng Wei hummed and he also made her wear the gold ring.

 Chapter 491 - 491 He called me pretty

    491 He called me pretty


    The next morning, Jingfei when woke up she recalled how thest night Xu Zifan left. He looked troubled, but he didn¡¯t share his worries with her, which was understandable to her.


    Lin Jie told Jingfei that the bathhouse was ready and she should follow her. However, Jingfei didn¡¯t want to get out of bed. ¡°I want to sleep more,¡± She said with an upset look.


    ¡°Lord Xu will head to the work soon,¡± Lin Jie informed Jingfei. Upon hearing that statement, Jingfei quickly got off the bed and left for the washroom with Lin Jie.


    While bathing, Jingfei asked Lin Jie what she should do to make Xu Zifan happier.


    ¡°He is hurt because of yesterday¡¯s incident. Don¡¯t you think that the Noble Consort was too harsh on him? She thinks so highly of herself. Even father supported her,¡± Jingfei said and twitched her lips.


    ¡°My Lady,st night Lord Xu didn¡¯t sleep. I heard from the servant that he was drinking all alone. Even his friend wasn¡¯t with him,¡± Lin Jie informed Jingfei as she massaged her shoulders.


    Jingfei got saddened to hear those words.


    ¡°My Lady, will you be able to love Lord Xu?¡± Lin Jie asked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jingfei asked her to rify.


    .....


    ¡°My Lady has been betrayed twice in love,¡± Lin Jie said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Huang Xi didn¡¯t reciprocate my feelings because I wasn¡¯t good to the people whom he respected. I didn¡¯t fall for Li Jianjun. I thought he was a nice man with whom I could spend my entire life. But I was wrong,¡± Jingfei asserted. She told Lin Jie that she would be the best wife to Xu Zifan.


    Lin Jie smiled and poured the water over her shoulders. ¡°My Lady has changed in the past few days. I pray for her great married life,¡± she stated.


    Jingfei smiled a little, but internally she was scared. What if Xu Zifan refused to start a marital rtionship with her? She troubled Li Hua a lot, so he might ignored her all the time.


    After a good bath, she dressed into a nice Hanfu outfit and twirled in front of the mirror. ¡°How do I look?¡± Jingfei asked Lin Jie and stopped as she turned to her.


    But to her surprise, Xu Zifan was standing in front of her. Lin Jie was behind him with her head down. She silently walked out of the dressing room.


    ¡°Do you want to drink tea?¡± Jingfei asked. That was the only thing that came into her head at that moment.


    ¡°I already have tea,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°Ohh.¡± Jingfei was dejected to learn that. She thought they both would have at least the tea together.


    ¡°You are pretty, so every dress on you makes you look beautiful,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    Jingfei was stunned to hear those words. Many had praised her, but thispliment was special for her. ¡°Thank you,¡± She said and smiled at him.


    ¡°Forgive me for myst night¡¯s behavior. I wasn¡¯t in my right mind. I hope I haven¡¯t hurt you,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Jingfei instantly answered. ¡°You can never hurt me,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°I will be leaving for my workce in a few minutes. Feng Lao will also not be at home. He has joined the work too. Servants are present here, so you don¡¯t need to work. Have your breakfast and lunch. I will see you in the evening,¡± Xu Zifan said. Jingfei nodded her head and saw him turn but then he didn¡¯t go out.


    Instead, he turned to her again. ¡°Do you want me to bring something from the market for you?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Umm... No. Juste home early,¡± Jingfei said while keeping a tiny smile on her lips.


    ¡°I will try.¡± Xu Zifan didn¡¯t promise her that he would be home early.


    ¡°Xu Zifan,¡± Jingfei called his name.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°If Jianjunes to you, don¡¯t just listen to him. Show him your strength. Tell me, if he troubles you. I will make him wither in pain,¡± Jingfei told Xu Zifan.


    Her words made Xu Zifan chuckle and he ended upughing. Jingfei gazed at him with inquisitiveness and told him she was not joking.


    ¡°I never said that Iughed because I took that as a joke,¡± Xu Zifan proimed.


    ¡°Then?¡± Jingfei asked.


    ¡°I am gettingte. I should leave.¡± Xu Zifan didn¡¯t answer her question and turned to leave when Jingfei told him to take her name at least while speaking to her. Xu Zifan didn¡¯t respond and left her sight.


    Jingfei covered her cheeks with her hands. ¡°He called me pretty,¡± she said while blushing.


    ~~~~~


    ¡°What? L¨®ng Wei has returned? So early?¡± Xiuying put the embellished fingernail on the table as the smile disappeared from her lips.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince had gone to meet His Majesty and they conversed for a long time,¡± the maidservant informed Xiuying.


    ¡°What did they talk about?¡± Xiuying asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s unknown, Consort Xiu,¡± the maidservant replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯te here with iplete information. Leave my sight,¡± Xiuying said in annoyance. Her entire mood had turned off, after she heard L¨®ng Wei return to the pce safe and healthy.


    ¡°I heard the Second Mother was missing me,¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes fell into her ears, and she promptly lifted her head.


    ¡°How dare the Princee here without prior permission?¡± Xiuying got angry at him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need permission toe here. The Second Mother has my favor on her. She forgot so easily how I took her out of the prison,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smirk.


    ¡°Why is the Prince here?¡± Xiuying asked.


    ¡°To seek an apology,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Pardon me?¡±


    ¡°Apologize to Xu Zifan for what you did yesterday. You have time till the afternoon, else by this evening, I will humiliate you and your son,¡± L¨®ng Wei announced. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your excuses. So, better go and beg for his forgiveness,¡± He proimed and left the chamber.


    ¡°What did he just say? Why would I ask for forgiveness?¡± Xiuying snickered and ignored L¨®ng Wei¡¯s threat.

 Chapter 492 - 492 We look good as enemies [Bonus chapter]

    492 We look good as enemies [Bonus chapter]


    Xiaoming hugged L¨®ng Wei and patted his back. He pulled back and asked L¨®ng Wei if the journey was good.


    ¡°It was,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°I heard about the Crown Prince¡¯s sister,¡± he stated and sat down on the chair. Xiaoming also took his seat and asked Sun Fuguo to leave the chamber.


    ¡°Li Jianjun was betraying Jingfei. He tried to marry her for his benefit and then make rtionships outside the marriage too,¡± Xiaoming briefed L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Noble Consort Xiu humiliated Xu Zifan a lot. I apologized to him, but I do not think that he will forgive us.¡±


    ¡°Xu Zifan does not keep grudges. However, Noble Consort Xiu indeed did wrong. I will punish her in my way. She should not have disgraced my brother-inw,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    ¡°What will Prince L¨®ng Wei do?¡± Jin Yu¡¯s voice fell into their ears. L¨®ng Wei tilted his head and greeted her. ¡°Please include me in your n because I also want to show the noble consort her ce,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°The Crown Princess is braver than the Crown Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smile and waited for her to sit down. When Jin Yu settled on a chair, L¨®ng Wei continued, ¡°The Crown Prince thinks of the family, the elders first. Am I right?¡± He arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°I do, but I also think that the Noble Consort be punished for her wrong behavior,¡± Xiaoming affirmed.


    ¡°What will be the best punishment for the Noble Consort?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked them.


    ¡°What does Brother L¨®ng Wei think?¡± Xiaoming wanted to know his opinion.


    .....


    ¡°Depriving her of the inner pce power. I feel she wanted to gather the support of the Li Family so that she could be the future queen. Since she was the only person, who stood for Li Zixuan¡¯s son, he might want to give his support to her. Before their bondage bes stronger and Li Zixuan raised the matter in the imperial court, Xiuying must be removed as the inner pce head.¡± L¨®ng Wei gave them an exnation.


    ¡°I did not think of that,¡± Xiaoming muttered and furrowed his brows together.


    ¡°If Noble Consort Xiuying bes the Queen, she will create havoc in our lives,¡± Jin Yu said, ¡°especially mine. She already does not like me and wants the Crown Prince to have a concubine.¡± Jin Yu was still upset from that day. She had not forgotten the p she got for no reason from Xiuying.


    L¨®ng Wei gazed at Xiaoming. ¡°The Crown Prince needs to remove her from the inner pce,¡± he stated.


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Ask the King,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Father will not agree. I had asked Father earlier too,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°The Crown Prince must show the King that Xiuying is a danger to the royal family. Can he not do that? Even at this moment, she might be talking about Xu Zifan and Jingfei to the people around her. The Second Prince did everything to remove your mother from the Queen¡¯s position. Then, why can¡¯t you?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him with a bit of sarcasm in his voice.


    Jin Yu nced at Xiaoming, wondering what his decision would be. She truly wanted Xiaoming to fight for the right and push the evil behind the walls from where it could never escape.


    ¡°Is Brother L¨®ng Wei trying to create a rift between me and Qiu Mu?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°No. I want you to understand politics. I told the Crown Prince that he cannot be the king if he keeps thinking of others¡¯ opinions of him. He is the next King, so he must know how to separate right from wrong,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Brother Mu may start to despise me if I target his mother. I do not want a fight between us brothers,¡± Xiaoming exined to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I will show Prince Mu why his mother is not suitable for the inner pce powers,¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered. He found out that Xiaoming was too naive for the throne. How would he make him the best King of the Qiu Kingdom?


    ¡°Crown Prince, you did not flinch to kill thirty servants that time. However, now you have something great to do and you are getting scared,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked. He did not care if Xiaoming would feel again upset about his previous act. All he wanted was for Xiaoming to get some senses and work as the Crown Prince.


    ¡°I should take my leave,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and stood up. He bowed to them and walked out of the chamber.


    ¡°He does not need to be harsh,¡± Xiaoming murmured.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei did not say anything wrong. He is asking the Crown Prince to be strong to fight against evil even if it is your family,¡± Jin Yu asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei went to the prison to meet Kang Huijuan. The soldier unlocked the prison¡¯s door. L¨®ng Wei walked in and found Kang Huijuan on one side of the cell.


    ¡°You have lost weight, Kang Huijuan,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated with a smile.


    Kang Huijuan tilted his head and looked at him. ¡°You are enjoying my state,¡± Kang Huijuan affirmed.


    ¡°Of course. I gave you a chance to repent. s! You did not like that chance,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Leave and do not eat my mind,¡± Kang Huijuan said.


    ¡°Do you want me to take you out of here?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    ¡°I do not want your favor. I will die, but will not take your help,¡± Kang Huijuan proimed.


    ¡°Then, should I hasten the process to put you on the guillotine?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked with a smirk. ¡°Kang Huijuan, why do you not be my ally? Why do you have to go against me and trouble me?¡± he continued to question him.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, I can never be your ally. We look good as enemies. If you forgive me and take me out of this prison, your life maye into danger. Because I will make sure to kill you even if I have to die after that,¡± Kang Huijuan pronounced.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan, keep rotting in this prison. You have lost your chance to live a life offort. I will ask the prison authority not to give you food and water so that you can go to the mouth of death expeditiously,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ~~~~~


    Hello Dear Readers,


    Hope you all are doing well. I have started another story ¡®The Second Husband¡¯ which is also of the historical setting. I hope you will add it to your libraries and read that story.


    THANK YOU


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 493 - 493 She is your woman now

    493 She is your woman now


    Xu Zifan was astonished to see L¨®ng Wei at his workce. He was nning to meet Li Hua in the evening.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and went out. Xu Zifan packed his stuff and walked after L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Your Highness, you returned earlier,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°Hmm. Let¡¯s talk about meter. Let¡¯s talk about you. You married Jingfei. Why?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°The situation suddenly turned tense. I thought that it is better to marry her when she herself chose me,¡± Xu Zifan stated. L¨®ng Wei hummed and they both started walking.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, you are not disabled. The people are,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and looked at him.


    ¡°Did Li Hua also find out about yesterday¡¯s incident?¡± Xu Zifan asked.


    ¡°She did,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°She cried and asked me to take her to you. However, I had other work, so I could not take her out. We wille to your house tomorrow,¡± he informed Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Li Hua should not have cried,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    .....


    ¡°What reaction do you expect from your sister then? She has only you from her family and in our absence so many things happened. Jingfei is good to you, right? She is not an easy woman to handle,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and chuckled.


    ¡°Strangely, she has been good to me. I was myself shocked to find her other side, Your Highness,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    The people, who walked past them, bowed to them. However, L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t pay heed to them.


    ¡°Maybe she has grown up after getting her lessons in love,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked. ¡°Tell me if she troubles you. I am always ready to fight for you.¡± It was hard for L¨®ng Wei to believe that Jingfei reacted so differently. She didn¡¯t make fun of Xu Zifan and stood for him.


    ¡°Your Highness, I think she has been perceived wrongly by us. The way she told Consort Xiuying what I am, I could not stop myself but admire her. It isn¡¯t strange, right?¡± Xu Zifan asked L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°She likes your personality. Now, you are married to her, then you should admire her as she is your woman now,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a broad smile.


    Xu Zifan loved this side of L¨®ng Wei. He understood Xu Zifan. Despite his differences with Jingfei, L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t encourage Xu Zifan not to see Jingfei as a woman. Huang Xi and Feng Lao both were upset with his decision.


    ¡°Your Highness, why are we heading to the Governor¡¯s office?¡± Xu Zifan realized that they hade to the capital¡¯s administrative center.


    ¡°To see Li Jianjun,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied when Xu Zifan halted in his steps.


    Seeing him, L¨®ng Wei also stopped and turned slightly to gaze at him. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see Li Jianjun,¡± Xu Zifan said. ¡°He is already annoyed with me.¡±


    ¡°I am here to punish him. He threatened you, Feng Lao, and Li Hua. I have yet to give my judgment on this matter,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and asked him to follow him.


    ¡°His Majesty will not like this,¡± Xu Zifan proimed. He didn¡¯t want L¨®ng Wei to get scolded or punished by the King.


    ¡°Why do you worry about that?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him. ¡°I talked with my father in the morning on this matter. You are my brother-inw. Do you want me to stay quiet? You know L¨®ng Wei¡¯s temper,¡± He affirmed. Several eunuchs walked past them and greeted L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Xu Zifan said and followed the Prince.


    Upon reaching the Governor¡¯s office, L¨®ng Wei asked Zhai Liang to bring Li Jianjun.


    ¡°Take a seat,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Xu Zifan, who sat down on a chair.


    Li Jianjun came to the office with Zhai Liang and bowed to L¨®ng Wei. He lifted his head and asked the reason behind the summoning.


    ¡°Kneel and apologize to Xu Zifan,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Li Jianjun. He opened the drawer and took out a dagger from inside it. He pulled it out and checked the de.


    ¡°Your Highness, but I did¨C¡± Li Jianjun could notplete his words as L¨®ng Wei interrupted him.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to lose your tongue, kneel before Xu Zifan,¡± L¨®ng Wei stressed upon his words this time.


    When Li Jianjun didn¡¯t do that L¨®ng Wei walked up to him and punched his abdomen hard.


    Jianjun withered in pain and he immediately got on his knees.


    ¡°Why did you threaten him? Do you think you are strong enough to threaten my people?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him and pointed the dagger at Jianjun¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness,¡± Li Jianjun apologized in a low voice. He felt the metal of the dagger touching his skin on the neck.


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me but to Xu Zifan,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a stern tone as he withdrew the dagger. Li Jianjunplied with L¨®ng Wei¡¯smand and lowered his head.


    He asked for Xu Zifan¡¯s forgiveness and kept his tone as humble as possible.


    When he was done apologizing, he looked at L¨®ng Wei, who said, ¡°I will skin you alive if you even try to think of harming any of them. You know me well, Jianjun. Moreover, you are brainy enough to understand what can happen.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Li Jianjun said and downcast his eyelids. He clenched his fists as he gulped the humiliation he felt. L¨®ng Wei had noticed that and he knew that Jianjun would definitely do something to harm Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Your Father has to lose his ministerial position if you make any wrong move. You do not want to end up like Kang Huijuan, right?¡± L¨®ng Wei smirked at him. Li Jianjun understood what the Prince meant and he nodded his head.


    ¡°You are dismissed,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Jianjun. He stood up and bowed again.


    ¡°Li Jianjun, don¡¯t think that I am a fool who has let you go. One wrong move and your family be crushed by me,¡± L¨®ng Wei again warned him.


    ¡°I will keep His Highness¡¯s statement in my mind,¡± Jianjun said and left the office.

 Chapter 494 - 494 Find happiness too

    494 Find happiness too


    ¡°Why did Feng Lao join the work? I thought he was not interested in the government position,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Xu Zifan as he picked a scroll from the table.


    ¡°He wants to divert his mind, Your Highness,¡± Xu Zifan replied. ¡°Moreover, he got appointed as the third-rank royal inspector which was always his work of interest, so he decided to join it,¡± he exined to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°That is good. At least, he will be away from the thoughts of his past,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He read the scroll and the report on it. ¡°I have a work for Feng Lao. Tell him to see me tomorrow morning,¡± he gave the message to Xu Zifan.


    ¡°I will deliver the message,¡± Xu Zifan replied and asked L¨®ng Wei if he would not leave for the pce for lunch.


    ¡°No. I am thinking to finish some of the important work today. You should go home as you are newly married,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smirk.


    ¡°His Highness should not tease me,¡± Xu Zifan said with a tiny smile. ¡°He also knows in what circumstances I married,¡± he added.


    ¡°In whatever circumstance you married, you must enjoy your married life. Look at me. My life is full of problems, but I do not ignore my married life. I findfort whenever I am with Li Hua. It is the time you should find happiness too. You need to find yourfort in your wife¡¯spany,¡± L¨®ng Wei advised him.


    Xu Zifan slowly nodded his head. ¡°May I ask a question from His Highness?¡±


    ¡°Ask quickly.¡±


    .....


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei does not like Jingfei. He did not have a good equation with her, yet he wants me to start a great married life with her. I thought the Prince would be angry at me.¡± Xu Zifan was curious to know L¨®ng Wei¡¯s answer to that.


    ¡°Her odd rtionship with me has nothing to do with her rtionship with you. She is hot-headed like me in certain matters. Many wanted me to be dead, so her wanting it was nothing new to me. I want you to be happy. You have already suffered a lot. Li Hua and I cannot be together with you all the time. Jingfei can be as she is your wife. I have no right to say against your wife. One thing I want to tell is that she will definitely be a great wife to you since princesses are taught well to serve their husbands. I am impressed with her because she stood for you when no one dared to raise their voices.¡±


    Xu Zifan was overwhelmed to hear L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words of advice. He was such a great well-wisher and friend to Xu Zifan. ¡°Thank you, Your Highness. I really want to be happy. I really want toe out of those horrific memories. I will definitely do my best to make this marriage a happy one.¡±


    Xu Zifan took his leave while L¨®ng Wei called Zhai Liang inside.


    When Xu Zifan left for his house, he got the urge to buy something for Jingfei. He headed to the market and after searching in a few shops, he decided to buy a hairpin and a silk dress for Jingfei.


    When he reached home, Lin Jie saw him and she rushed to inform Jingfei about it.


    ¡°What? He is back!¡± Jingfei looked at her hands which were covered in flour. She wanted to cook something sweet for Xu Zifan for the evening, but he returned too early. Lin Jie helped her wash her hands. Jingfei did not wipe them and ran to the room to see Xu Zifan.


    She took a deep breath in when she reached outside the room and then walked in. She found Xu Zifan opening the knot of the hat that was under his chin. His eyesnded on her and he lowered his hand while keeping the hat in his one hand.


    ¡°You returned early,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°Yes. Prince L¨®ng Wei gave me off,¡± Xu Zifan replied and put the hat on the round table.


    ¡°Has Brother L¨®ng Wei returned? I thought they would return next week,¡± Jingfei said and walked up to the table.


    ¡°Yes, Prince L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua have returned,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°Are they good?¡± Jingfei asked. ¡°Are they happy with our marriage?¡± She looked forward to his answer and gulped.


    ¡°They are. Li Hua wille to see us tomorrow with Prince L¨®ng Wei. She was asking me to marry for a long time, but¡ª¡± he paused as he recalled the woman whom he loved once.


    ¡°I forced you into this marriage. You must be looking for a better woman,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°Better woman? Are you not a better woman for me?¡± Xu Zifan asked.


    She picked up the hat from the table as she thought to ce it in the dressing room.


    Upon hearing that question, Jingfei said, ¡°I created many troubles for Li Hua and I also had fights with Brother L¨®ng Wei. Since Xu Zifan is close to them, he might not see me in the category of a better woman.¡±


    Xu Zifan took a step toward Jingfei and brought his left hand to her cheek. She stopped blinking when the pad of Xu Zifan¡¯s fingers touched her cheek and her grip on the hat tightened.


    ¡°Jingfei, that was the past. I believe that Li Hua and I forgave you for all those things. You did not force this marriage on me. I agreed to marry you in my right mind. Prince L¨®ng Wei is happy with my decision. They both are!¡± Xu Zifan rified to her and shifted his hand to the other cheek.


    ¡°I have told you not to work. You should have told the servants to do the cooking,¡± Xu Zifan said and rubbed the flour off her cheek, and peered into her eyes.


    ¡°I wanted to cook something delicious for you. I thought that you are still angry with me, so I wanted to cheer you up. I know cooking,¡± Jingfei said and smiled.


    Xu Zifan lowered his hand and hummed. Jingfei turned to go away when Xu Zifan asked her to stop.


    ¡°I have something for you,¡± he said and went to the other table. He picked up the hanfu dress and the wooden box in which a gold hairpin was present. Jingfei looked at him with inquisitiveness when he ced those materials in her hands.


    ¡°I bought them for you. I hope you like them. I am still unaware of your choice,¡± Xu Zifan said with a smile. Jingfei looked at the silk hanfu dress and the wooden box. She ced them on the round table beside them and quickly checked the box.


    ¡°It is pretty,¡± Jingfei moved her fingers over the hairpin.


    She took it out and her eyes glistened. She then gazed at Xu Zifan and forwarded it to him. He arched his eyebrow when she said, ¡°ce it in my hair.¡±


    Xu Zifan grabbed the hairpin from her hand, and she quickly turned to him. He gently moved the hairpin from the middle of her hair bun. Jingfei smiled and again turned to face him.


    ¡°I like it,¡± Jingfei said and hit Xu Zifan¡¯s arm lightly before covering her cheeks with her hands. Xu Zifan looked at her in astonishment and ended up smiling.


    ~~~~~~


    Happy Holiday Season and Merry Christmas ??

 Chapter 495 - 495 Yuze will never leave him [Bonus chapter]

    495 Yuze will never leave him [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°You are watching the sunset. I looked for you in the house,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and stood next to Yuze.


    ¡°How is Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± Yuze asked him.


    ¡°I am well,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°You knew everything, yet you didn¡¯t tell me,¡± he stated and he slightly turned to gaze at Yuze.


    ¡°If I had answered your questions, would you be able to feel satisfied?¡± Yuze inquired and nced at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°You are right. I would not be satisfied,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Why did the Prince not bring Qizhen with him?¡± Yuze asked.


    ¡°He is not meant to be here,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°You know well how selfish I am,¡± he added. Yuze smiled to hear that answer.


    ¡°Many were waiting for Qizhen toe. We waited for the day when Prince L¨®ng Wei would meet his real father to understand right and wrong. Many people look forward to Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Yuze stated.


    ¡°Yuze, for me Qizhen was always wrong. You should be happy that I did not kill him. I have forgiven them as I did not want to burn in the fire of hatred. I wanted to put an end to all those things which could mess up the situation here. Do you think Qizhen will go out alive from here if I bring him? My father is searching for him. Do you want to watch him die? Let him live in the world where he is. I will live in my world. You told me to let go of my past which I did,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to Yuze.


    .....


    Yuze smiled and nodded his head. ¡°It is great that Prince L¨®ng Wei has forgiven them. They were never at fault,¡± he said.


    ¡°I promise him that I would not let myself be used by my father. Since Qizhen wanted this from his son, I fulfilled it. I will do what I feel is right. I will not let myself be controlled. However, if my father gets suspicious of me, do you think he will keep me alive?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Yuze.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Prince L¨®ng Wei find its answer too?¡± Yuze smiled at him with an amused expression and looked at the sky. ¡°L¨®ng Wei, listen to this old man keenly. You will regret your decision of staying quiet. The day you feel you are regretful for the choice you have made, you need to act on it. Do not turn a blind eye to it. Yuze will not be always around you to guide you.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes. ¡°Are you going somewhere? Do not leave this ce. I do not allow you to go,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I am not going anywhere, Prince L¨®ng Wei. I am merely preparing you for the future. Nothing is permanent in this world. I am getting older, so someday I will also leave this body, no?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei hugged Yuze and said, ¡°You are still young. Do not speak this way. I feel upset,¡± he said and embraced Yuze tightly. Yuze patted L¨®ng Wei¡¯s back and continued to smile.


    ¡°I will always be with Prince L¨®ng Wei. Yuze will never leave him,¡± he said.


    ~~~~~~~


    Li Hua looked at the basket and then at Xiaolian. ¡°Princess Xiaolian wants me to give this to Feng Lao?¡± Her eyebrows arched up.


    ¡°Princess Xiaolian, I do not want to disappoint you, but Feng Lao is not interested in you. He may get angry with me as well,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Feng Lao will never be angry at you. Li Hua, I really like Feng Lao. He is the man of my dreams,¡± Xiaolian stated.


    ¡°Why does Princess Xiaolian go with me to my brother¡¯s house tomorrow? She can hand this present to Feng Lao then,¡± Li Hua suggested to Xiaolian a way through which she could meet Feng Lao.


    ¡°That is not a bad idea. I will also apany you then. Sister Jingfei will be happy to see us,¡± Xiaolian said and took the basket from Li Hua. ¡°I should go. Thank you, Li Hua,¡± she turned and left the chamber.


    ¡°Feng Lao might again reject her,¡± Li Hua said and sighed. She turned to go to the patio when L¨®ng Wei¡¯s fell into her ears.


    ¡°Who will reject whom?¡±


    Li Hua turned to face him and watched him approaching her.


    ¡°Feng Lao will reject Princess Xiaolian again,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°She likes Feng Lao!¡± L¨®ng Wei was astonished to learn that. ¡°I met Xu Zifan. Iined to him how his sister cried and took a lot of stress,¡± he informed Li Hua.


    ¡°Why did His Highness do that? Now, Elder Brother be more stressed,¡± Li Hua said and her brows furrowed together.


    ¡°Then, you should not cry. Jingfei is taking good care of Xu Zifan,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± L¨®ng Wei took a step close to her and circled his arms around her. He pulled her up and continued, ¡°Now, you should take care of me.¡±


    Li Hua wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°How should I take care of Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± She tilted her head.


    ¡°Umm¡­ there are many ways,¡± L¨®ng Wei said when he felt her soft lips above his. She leaned away and peered into his eyes. He brought his hand to the back of her head and kissed her gently. The next moment, he lifted her in his arms while their lips were still connected.


    He settled Li Hua on the mattress while continuing their kiss. They both pulled away and gasped for air. L¨®ng Weiin beside her. He opened his right arm on which Li Hua rested her head. She kept her hand on his chest which L¨®ng Wei grabbed.


    ¡°I met Yuze. Oldie was talking in a way that intimidated me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°What did His Highness mean?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°I felt strange and scared. I do not want to lose him. He has embraced me since I was a child. Whenever I was at my vulnerable point in life, I went to him. You know sometimes I am lost. So, I go to Yuze to guide me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while keeping his tone serious.


    ¡°Old people usually say that they would leave the body. Do not be upset about it,¡± Li Hua said and told him not to think too much.

 Chapter 496 - 496 I will regret

    496 I will regret


    Tianjie kept his head down after he told Qiu Zedong that he could not marry Chen Lizhen¡¯s daughter.


    ¡°I will pretend that I never heard it. Prince Tianjie can leave,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    Tianjie lifted his head and asked his father why he was speaking that way.


    ¡°Chen Yunyi is your betrothed. You will marry her only. I do not want to listen to whom you fall in love with,¡± Qiu Zedong suddenly turned furious.


    ¡°But Father I do not want to destroy the life of Miss Chen. My heart will always belong to another woman,¡± Tianjie said. He kept his tone as polite and gentle as possible.


    ¡°Who is Song Jia?¡± Qiu Zedong asked and looked at Gao Bing.


    ¡°She is a popr dancer. Men are after her beauty. She has kept men on her toes because of her beautiful features,¡± Gao Bing answered. Tianjie did not like the way Eunuch Gao Bing gave an exnation to the King.


    ¡°How can Prince Tianjie think I will allow him to marry a dancer? Until I am alive, it is not possible for Prince Tianjie to marry her,¡± Qiu Zedong gave out his decision. ¡°Prince Tianjie is dismissed,¡± he then added and picked up the scroll.


    ¡°Father, why can I not marry the woman I admire? The Crown Prince and Prince L¨®ng Wei married the women of their choice,¡± Tianjie opposed the decision of his father. ¡°I am not married to Chen Yunyi yet. I have even told her yesterday that I love a woman. I request my father to reconsider his decision.¡± He bowed and waited patiently for his father¡¯s response.


    .....


    ¡°Summon Song Jia, Eunuch Gao Bing. How dare she dream of marrying a prince?¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s anger raised and hemanded Gao Bing to bring Song Jia to the pce. Tianjie was shocked to hear the decision of his father. He had not expected this and he begged his father not to drag Song Jia into that matter.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie cane to me tomorrow once Song Jia will be here,¡± Qiu Zedong pronounced with a stoic expression. Gao Bing asked the prince to leave and Tianjie found no way, but to leave the court.


    He thought that it would be easy to convince his father. But the opposite happened. He got infuriated after knowing that Song Jia was a dancer. He sighed and descended the stairs when he heard Gao Bing¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie, you should not havee to His Majesty at a time when his mood is not good,¡± Gao Bing said.


    Tianjie scrunched his brows to hear that statement.


    ¡°After what Princess Jingfei did, His Majesty is angry. His Majesty wanted her to get married to the Li Family¡¯s son. However, she married Xu Zifan, who was not a good choice in His Majesty¡¯s eyes,¡± Gao Bing exined to Tianjie the reason behind Qiu Zedong¡¯s anger.


    ¡°Li Jianjun was not a good choice for Sister Jingfei. He lied about many facts to His Majesty. He still visits the brothel house. Father should have investigated instead of blindly trusting him,¡± Tianjie told Gao Bing.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie shall not keep high hopes about his rtionship with Song Jia. She might get punished severely for seducing a prince,¡± Gao Bing opined.


    ¡°She did not seduce me, Eunuch Gao Bing. She is a nicedy. The Crown Prince has married a woman whose family background was unknown. Then, why can I not marry Song Jia? Dance is her profession and she has earned a living through it. I cannot understand why people are so judgemental,¡± Tianjie let out his frustration at Gao Bing.


    ¡°I cannot say anything on this matter, Your Highness. I am a servant and I merely follow themands,¡± Gao Bing asserted.


    ¡°I know,¡± Tianjie said.


    Tianjie left for his chamber. He was now worried thinking about what would happen if Song Jia met the King. He could not think of any way out of this situation.


    His mind was telling him to meet L¨®ng Wei once and asked for his help. However, he had insecurity too. What if L¨®ng Wei refused to help him?


    In the end, he decided to meet the Crown Prince because he told Tianjie he would readily help him.


    However, when Sun Fuguo told Tianjie that Xiaoming was busy with Jin Yu, he decided not to disturb them and left from there. However, before leaving, he told Sun Fuguo not to tell Tianjie that he came to see him.


    Gathering his courage, Tianjie stepped into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s manor. That ce he hardly visited for the past year or even more. He found out that the courtyard was well-lit withnterns.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie, you here?¡± Li Hua saw him from the corridor.


    Tianjie smiled at her and walked to her. ¡°Good evening, Princess Consort,¡± Tianjie greeted her. ¡°I wanted to see Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± he informed Li Hua.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is in his chamber,¡± Li Hua replied. Tianjie thanked her and walked ahead to see L¨®ng Wei.


    He found the doors of the chamber were opened and he found L¨®ng Wei on the chaise with closed eyes.


    L¨®ng Wei opened his eyes as he heard the footsteps and suddenly he looked amused. He sat straight and put his feet on the floor mat.


    ¡°Why is Prince Tianjie here?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°I have a favor to ask you,¡± Tianjie said.


    ¡°A favor?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his brow in amusement.


    Tianjie took the seat across from him on another chaise and nodded his head. ¡°I want to marry Song Jia, but Father isn¡¯t agreeing to this. Please help me, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Tianjie requested him.


    ¡°What did you say? You want to marry Song Jia!¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°I thought you love to hold power. Chen Lizhen¡¯s daughter isn¡¯t a bad choice though.¡± He thought of instigating Tianjie to find out if he would get irritated or not.


    Tianjie knitted his brows and told L¨®ng Wei how much he loved Song Jia. ¡°I will always regret marrying another woman other than Song Jia,¡± Tianjie stated.

 Chapter 497 - 497 Fight with Father

    497 Fight with Father


    L¨®ng Wei took a deep breath and asked Tianjie if he could protect Song Jia. Tianjie drew his brows close and asked L¨®ng Wei for an exnation of his statement.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie, I am not the one who will console you, butter you up. Instead, I will state the facts. Bitter facts. Father will not let you marry Song Jia. She danced for men,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°But it was her work. Song Jia never let any man get close to her,¡± Tianjie argued.


    ¡°Make this understand our father. If you seed in this, then he will let you marry Song Jia. Else, Father will probably punish her to death,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Even the Crown Prince married a woman who has¡ª¡± Tianjie could not finish his statement after L¨®ng Wei interceded in the middle.


    ¡°The Crown Prince¡¯s matter was different from yours. Father let the Crown Prince marry a woman from the lower ss because Noble Consort Xiuying became the king¡¯s second official wife even though she belonged to a not-so-good noble family,¡± L¨®ng Wei rified to Tianjie.


    ¡°I have promised Song Jia that I will marry her,¡± Tianjie said.


    ¡°Then, fulfill that promise,¡± L¨®ng Wei encouraged him. ¡°Fight for your love if you can. I know that you¡¯ve always looked for your personal benefits in every matter that concerned you. You always tried to win our father¡¯s heart. This time if you go against our Father, then Song Jia will bear the consequences. Can you push yourself to the limit where it may seem to you as torture?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    Tianjie lowered his eyes and contemted for a while. Whatever L¨®ng Wei told about him was right.


    .....


    ¡°I will do everything to protect Song Jia,¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°Tomorrow when Song Jia wille to the pce, all you need to do is fight with Father. That way Song Jia will keep her faith in you,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined.


    ¡°What if Father announces something unexpected? Eunuch Gao Bing told me that Father was upset because Sister Jingfei married Xu Zifan instead of Li Jianjun. He said I should have waited for the situation to calm down,¡± Tianjie informed L¨®ng Wei. ¡°But I didn¡¯t want to drag the matter, so I truthfully told Father what I wanted,¡± he asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes in suspicion. Qiu Zedong didn¡¯t want Jingfei to marry Xu Zifan. But, why? He knew well what Jianjun was.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, sometimes I feel because my mother is a concubine I do not have a strong voice like the Crown Prince and Brother Mu. They both have more authority than us. Don¡¯t you think? It¡¯s easier for them to do anything of their choice,¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°I never thought that way,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°The one fact I know is that I am the King¡¯s son,¡± he affirmed.


    Tianjie admired the thought process of L¨®ng Wei. ¡°L¨®ng Wei, how do you carry this confidence?¡± He was curious to know.


    ¡°Umm¡­ even I do not know,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Thank you for your time. I will surely implement your suggestions,¡± Tianjie said and stood up to leave.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie, even if you are a concubine¡¯s son, you are no lesser than the other princes. Keep this in mind,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Tianjie hummed and left to his manor.


    ¡°Where did Li Hua go?¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured and stood up to check on her. When he stepped out of the chamber, he found the rain had started pouring.


    He found Li Hua running upstairs with her hands above her head. Her dress was slightly drenched. L¨®ng Wei approached her and wiped her face. ¡°You should change,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Did Prince L¨®ng Wei have a conversation with Prince Tianjie?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°We had a small conversation. Father didn¡¯t grant his wish of marrying Song Jia. Instead, he summoned Song Jia tomorrow morning. I wonder what will happen,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°That¡¯s a problem. His Majesty may punish Song Jia,¡± Li Hua worriedly said.


    ¡°You are right. Let¡¯s see how Prince Tianjie fights against this,¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered and took Li Hua to the chamber.


    ~~~~~~


    ¡°Li Zixuan can be your father. Brother Mingquan and I were investigating it for a few days. Li Zixuan had a wife before he married for the second time. But the ounts are lost including the woman¡¯s identification,¡± Xiaoming told Jin Yu and handed her an old document.


    ¡°For now, we have retrieved only this which he failed to destroy,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    Jin Yu checked the document where a name was mentioned.


    ¡°Is it your mother¡¯s name?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jin Yu answered. ¡°It is my mother¡¯s name, Crown Prince,¡± she said with a smile. She hugged Xiaoming and thanked him to find out about this. Xiaoming patted her back and told her not to worry anymore.


    Jin Yu pulled away and asked Xiaoming if Li Zixuan would say the truth. ¡°Why he mistreated my mother and threw her out? Will he ept that I am his daughter? He may use my mother because she did not give me birth at the Li residence,¡± Jin Yu stated.


    ¡°That is tough to say. His reputation may get ruined if the truthes out. So, he definitely will try to deny the fact that he had you with his first wife,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    ¡°Does the Crown Prince has any n?¡± Jin Yu inquired.


    ¡°A direct confrontation with Li Zixuan,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°I do not want to forgive him. He did so wrong to my mother. He enjoyed his life with his second wife and children while my mother and I suffered,¡± Jin Yu said with a furious expression.


    ¡°Your and your mother will get desired justice. Li Zixuan has to tell us why he did such a heinous crime. Since we have the sold proof of your mother¡¯s existence in his life once, so he may not lie to us,¡± Xiaoming proimed.


    ¡°Thank you for fulfilling your promise, Crown Prince,¡± Jin Yu expressed her gratitude. ¡°I am truly grateful for this.¡±

 Chapter 498 - 498 Not safe either in the palace [Bonus chapter]

    498 Not safe either in the pce [Bonus chapter]


    Qizhen looked at the message that L¨®ng Wei had left for him. Su Yichen asked his lord why he let L¨®ng Wei leave.


    ¡°My Lord, this was a golden opportunity to turn everything right. Prince L¨®ng Wei is brainwashed all these years. He is my lord¡¯s son, yet he does not understand him. Qiu Zedong has only used the prince all these years. Lady Yu has to lose her life because of all this. She deserved justice,¡± Su Yichen let out his frustration. He did not like the fact that Qizhen let L¨®ng Wei go back.


    ¡°Su Yichen, my son lost his entire childhood, her teenage and even some of his adulthood years. For him, it does not matter what happened in the past. He was not even born at that time and has to undergo such harsh treatment. My heart wrenched when he told me how he wanted to take his life after he was once again sent to the cold pce. However, Li Hua gave him the hope to live. I do not want him to have a distressed life anymore. That is why I let my son go.¡±


    Qizhen gave the reason to Su Yichen. He wanted to act like a father to L¨®ng Wei. For the first time, L¨®ng Wei made a request to him, that he could not ignore. His revenge was not bigger than his son¡¯s happiness.


    ¡°The sacrifice of Lady Yu went wasted,¡± Su Yichen said with a sigh and lowered his head.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei apologized to his mother. That was what matter the most. If she had been alive, she would have chosen L¨®ng Wei¡¯s happiness only. We both could not give him a childhood like the other children. Yu Jun¡¯s sacrifice did not go to waste. L¨®ng Wei is living a life she must have seen for him,¡± Qizhen asserted and closed the scroll. He smiled as he looked at thekes before him.


    ¡°My Lord, but in the end, Prince L¨®ng Wei became the son of the man who is the reason for his unhappiness, his deteriorated childhood, and his gloomy years after that. Qiu Zedong seeded in using Prince L¨®ng Wei in his way. He was born as the Dragon¡¯s son, yet he merely ended up as someone else¡¯s puppet,¡± Su Yichen affirmed.


    ¡°Qiu Zedong let my son live at


    least. However, I have a fear. For how long will he do this?¡± Qizhen muttered and deep frowns formed on his forehead.


    .....


    ¡°When Crown Prince Xiaoming be dered as the next king. Qiu Zedong¡¯s biggest fear is that Prince L¨®ng Wei may be the king,¡± Su Yichen stated.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei told me that he does not want to be the King. He wants a peaceful life with his wife. So, he does not want to carry the responsibilities of the kingdom. Even if I would have been the king, he had not chosen to be the next king,¡± Qizhen told Su Yichen.


    ¡°My Lord, should I meet Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s wife? ording to the rumors, Prince L¨®ng Wei changed in many aspects after marrying Lady Li Hua.¡± Su Yichen was desperate to give justice to Qizhen and Yu Jun. For that, he wanted L¨®ng Wei toe to his right senses and see how evil Qiu Zedong was!


    ¡°It is not needed. Let L¨®ng Wei decide his fate. Whatever choices he will make, I am going to respect that,¡± Qizhen affirmed.


    ¡°But My Lord, the Prince is not either safe at that ce. That is the main reason Lady Yu always asked her son to leave the pce or even die so that he could run away from there,¡± Su Yichen said while being worried for L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I know. However, L¨®ng Wei will not understand that,¡± Qizhen said and took a deep breath.


    ~~~~~~~~~


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Prince L¨®ng Wei did not go to Dongqing. Princess Consort Li Hua was in her brother¡¯s house for two days and then she stayed in Chang Shi¡¯s house,¡± the spy informed Qiu Zedong. The spy was on his knees and his head down.


    Qiu Zedong tightened his fist and pondered why L¨®ng Wei lied to him. ¡°Did you find where L¨®ng Wei has headed to?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°No, Your Majesty. I am still collecting the information on this,¡± the spy replied.


    ¡°Find out about it within tomorrow. If you still fail to gather the information, then kidnap Feng Lao and ask him. You are free to use your way,¡± Qiu Zedong ordered the spy.


    ¡°I understand, Your Majesty. I wille to His Majesty with the desired information soon,¡± the spy assured the King. Qiu Zedong dismissed him.


    ¡°Where did L¨®ng Wei go after lying to me?¡± Qiu Zedong muttered. He fidgeted with his fingers and thought of all the possible reasons which forced L¨®ng Wei to lie to him.


    ¡°Does Monk Yuze know about this?¡± Qiu Zedong murmured. ¡°Is Prince L¨®ng Wei fooling his father and thinking to rebel against me?¡± he deduced. He shook his head, refuting that possibility.


    However, his mind could not ignore the fact that L¨®ng Wei was clever. He had previously hidden many facts from him. A strong possibility existed there that L¨®ng Wei was nning something against the King.


    Qiu Zedong stood up from the chaise and walked towards the cupboard. He opened it and then pressed something on the wall inside the cupboard. A secret opened up and Qiu Zedong entered in.


    He went to the fourth shelf and picked up a folded piece of paper. The paper had turned old, and he unfolded it.


    ¡°Thest message of Yu Jun for L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Zedong mumbled and read it again. ¡°How could she even think that her son would ever get this? Until I am alive, I will make sure to use your and Qizhen¡¯s son the way I want to. I will make sure that he keeps hating you two till hisst breath. I will make him serve my sons,¡± he said with a menacing expression on his face.


    ¡°I wanted to burn this message, but I could not. After all, it is thest way to control L¨®ng Wei in my way if ever he tried to rebel against me,¡± Qiu Zedong said and an evil smirk spread across his lips.

 Chapter 499 - 499 No one can have you

    499 No one can have you


    ¡°Li Hua and Brother L¨®ng Wei are happy with our marriage. I did not expect it. I thought they would try to ignore me since I troubled them a lot,¡± Jingfei said while looking at Xu Zifan. K


    ¡°Li Hua wanted her brother to get married for a long time. It doesn¡¯t matter to her who the woman I agreed to marry is. All she wants me to be happy,¡± Xu Zifan replied. Jingfei ced thest dish before him on the table.


    ¡°I will surely keep you happy,¡± Jingfei stated.


    Xu Zifan smiled and asked her if she would not take breakfast.


    ¡°Later. First, you should eat,¡± Jingfei answered.


    ¡°Have breakfast with me,¡± Xu Zifan said. Jingfei could not put down her request and nod at him.


    Xu Zifan noticed that Jingfei wore the dress which he had gifted her yesterday. ¡°Did you like the outfit?¡± Xu Zifan asked.


    ¡°I did,¡± Jingfei said and looked at her dress. ¡°Li Hua evenplimented me. I told her that you gifted it to me.¡± She could not hide her happiness.


    A silence fell between them and they soon finished their breakfast. Lin Jie and another servant came inside to clean the table.


    .....


    ¡°Xu Zifan, you know a lot of things about me. However, I know nothing about you,¡± Jingfei asserted.


    ¡°There is nothing particr to know about me,¡± Xu Zifan stated. ¡°Also, I do not know either about you. Those few things I found out because of my sister,¡± he exined to her.


    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t we share things about each other?¡± Jingfei opined. Xu Zifan could see the enthusiasm on her face and it amused him.


    ¡°What do you want to know about? Ask me anything and I will answer,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°I want to know about your family,¡± Jingfei said.


    Xu Zifan was a bit hesitant to talk about it, but Jingfei had the right to know about the Xu family.


    ¡°My Father was Xu Guang Li, who was a known acupuncturist and was a fifth-ranked official. Li Hua and I had a brother too, who, unfortunately, died that night. He was the middle child. Li Hua is the youngest sibling among us three,¡± Xu Zifan briefed her. He took a deep breath in and continued, ¡°It will only bring painful memories if we talk more about my family.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for reminding you about the past,¡± Jingfei said and lowered her head.


    After a few seconds, she raised her head and asked him if he wasn¡¯t gettingte for work.


    ¡°I took two days off from work,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°Really?¡± Jingfei was happy to hear that and smiled.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, Brother L¨®ng Wei said that someone from the pce was after the Xu Family. Is it true? Did he find out who it was?¡± Jingfei asked curiously.


    Xu Zifan shook his head. ¡°We failed to find out. Also, upon His Majesty¡¯s instructions, the investigation is closed. Li Hua also urged Prince L¨®ng Wei not to make any investigation. We didn¡¯t want Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life to fall in danger,¡± Xu Zifan exined to her.


    ¡°Hmm. You both have suffered a lot because of all this. I think Brother L¨®ng Wei will find out the culprit. He doesn¡¯t listen to anybody, so there is a probability that he is still investigating,¡± Jingfei asserted.


    ¡°It will be good if the culprit is caught and punished severely,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to find the culprit. Feng Lao also lost his family because of all this. I don¡¯t think Prince L¨®ng Wei is investigating it anymore,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°Oh. Father should not have closed the investigation,¡± Jingfei mumbled.


    ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s necessary to let the past be buried,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, Qiqiao Festival is near. I heard from thedy of the next house that there is apetition on needlework under low-light conditions. I want to participate too. I thought to ask you first,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to ask or take my permission on such matters. You are free to do everything you want,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°As a dutiful wife, I must inform everything to my husband first,¡± Jingfei stated. ¡°What are your likes? I would love to know them,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°My likes,¡± Xu Zifan took a pause and realized after a long time, somebody asked him such a question.


    ¡°Hmm. Your likes,¡± Jingfei repeated.


    ¡°I have not thought about them in a long time. I think I like almost everything,¡± Xu Zifan gave a vague reply to Jingfei.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Xu Zifan asked the same question from her.


    ¡°I like to do cooking and needlework. Also, I love gardening too. I love to sing as well and y the zither. I will y zither for you someday,¡± Jingfei stated while keeping a smile on her lips.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. I would love to hear the songs you y on zither,¡± Xu Zifan said. He looked at Jingfei¡¯s hands which were above the table. Slowly, he brought his left hand above hers and she nced at him with a strange expression.


    ¡°Thank you for choosing me as your husband. After I lost my right arm, I have been insecure. The chief reason why I agreed to marry you was my fear that no one would ever like to marry me and Li Hua would always be worried for me,¡± Xu Zifan truthfully told Jingfei. He wanted to express this gratitude the day they got married, but his mind wasn¡¯t in the right ce.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, you underestimate yourself. Yesterday when I went to the neighborhood, I heard youngdies speaking to me about how lucky I am. You are quite popr among young women. I got jealous for a moment, but then, no one can have you except me since we are married,¡± Jingfei said with a bright smile.


    Xu Zifan had not expected that response from Jingfei. He recalled L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words when he told him that Jingfei liked his personality.


    He slowly moved his hand back when Jingfei caught it. He looked down and then at her.


    Jingfei lifted her body a little and leaned forward. Before Xu Zifan could understand her next move, she kissed him, leaving him stunned.

 Chapter 500 - 500 An illegitimate child

    500 An illegitimate child


    Jingfei withdrew back and looked at Xu Zifan. He nkly stared at her when Jingfei tapped her fingers on the table. ¡°Could you please tell me about your work?¡± She asked.


    Xu Zifan was so flustered that he was unable to even blink. He did not hear what she said and kept his gaze fixated on her. Jingfei flicked her fingers in front of his eyes, and he came out of that trance.


    ¡°I asked you a question,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°A question? Forgive me. I did not hear,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°What is your work? Could you please me about it?¡± She inquired.


    ¡°I am in the treasury department, and I usually look into finance-rted work. The policies for the kingdom¡¯s people, we put them into the documents and other rted stuff,¡± Xu Zifan answered.


    ¡°Oh. You have interesting work to do. You are such a talented man. You learned using your left hand well,¡± Jingfei said and brought her hands near her chest by sping them together.


    He smiled a little.


    ¡°I knew it. My husband will be the best in the kingdom,¡± Jingfei stated.


    .....


    ¡°You are praising me too much,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°No. I have not even started,¡± Jingfei asserted.


    ¡°I have noticed a change in you. You were not like this before. From where did this sudden changee? Also, I believe that you could have married Huang Xi if you have told your father.¡± Xu Zifan wanted to know her response.


    ¡°The day you and Li Hua forgave me. I was ashamed of my act. Li Hua tried helping me and I misunderstood her intention. My mother has called General Hei for a conversation regarding my marriage with Huang Xi. However, I did not want to marry him. He ridiculed my feelings for him. I made mistakes, but he crossed the limits. If he could not give me respect among his friends, he could not have ever respected me as a wife too.¡± Jingfei exined everything that made her decide not to marry Huang Xi.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, the night Brother Xiaoming told me that you found out how Jianjun made a fool of me, I cried a lot. I med my fate too and also my previous actions for all the bad things that happened to me in the shortest time. That was the moment, the biggest change came in me,¡± Jingfei asserted.


    ¡°But then, I also saw a silver lining in that darkness,¡± Jingfei said with a bright smile.


    ¡°A silver lining?¡± Xu Zifan arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jingfei took a pause, ¡°I saw you. Xu Zifan, you saved me from the darkness where I was almost fallen. Maybe I would not have been alive today if you had not agreed to marry me,¡± shepleted her words.


    ¡°Forgive me if I have ever hurt you,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°You never hurt me. I found myself at peace after having a conversation with you. Thank you for being so good to me. Not all men are like you,¡± Jingfei proimed.


    ¡°Jingfei, I want to tell you something,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Xu Zifan could not speak after seeing those glistening eyes full of enthusiasm. He wanted to tell her that he loved a woman. But he could not.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jingfei asked.


    ¡°Ahh, it is¡­¡± he paused for a few seconds and then spoke, ¡°you are beautiful.¡±


    Jingfei¡¯s cheeks flushed to hear that and she shyly lowered her eyelids.


    Xu Zifan could only think of that statement. Jingfei might get upset to hear that his heart was possessed by someone else. Also, after she kissed him, he realized that she liked him and was devoted to him. He did not want to hurt her by telling her that she had to wait for a little for him to open up to her.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jingfei replied to Xu Zifan¡¯spliment.


    ~~~~~~~~


    Xiaoming nced at Li Zixuan, who came out of the residence after he heard from the servant that the Crown Prince hade.


    ¡°Greetings to the Crown Prince,¡± Li Zixuan bowed to him and asked Xiaoming toe inside the house. Xiaoming put his hands behind his back and walked ahead. Li Zixuan quickly followed him and took Xiaoming to the guest room. He asked the servants to bring tea and snacks for the Crown Prince.


    Li Zixuan smiled at Xiaoming and sat across from him. He rubbed his hands on his knees and said, ¡°Forgive my son, Your Royal Highness. He made a naive mistake.¡±


    ¡°A naive mistake? Li Jianjun is twenty-one years old, and he is well aware of his actions, I believe,¡± Xiaoming remarked.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, Li Jianjun has been regretting his actions. These days he does not even take his meals properly. He truly is regretful,¡± Li Zixuan said.


    ¡°Minister Li, Eunuch Sun Fuguo, yesterday saw him in the brothel house again. I do not think that Li Jianjun is regretful of his actions,¡± Xiaoming asserted. Li Zixuan was shocked to learn that. He curled his fingers in anger, but he did not let it appear on his face.


    ¡°Jingfei is married to Xu Zifan, so there is no use in speaking about your son, Minister Li,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    Li Zixuan did not speak further and waited for the female servant to bring the tea for the Crown Prince. In a minute, two female servants entered the guest room and they served the tea along with some snacks. They both stepped back with their heads low and went out of the room after serving the tea.


    Xiaoming picked up the teacup and sipped the tea. He put it down and asked Li Zixuan if he could have a private conversation with him.


    Li Zixuan looked at the servant, who left the room and closed the doors after him. He sent away the female servants away from there.


    Xiaoming ced the teacup on the table before him and gazed at Li Zixuan.


    ¡°I will not entertain lies, Minister Li,¡± Xiaoming said with a stern tone.


    Li Zixuan was confused to hear that statement. He wondered if Li Jianjun did something unusual again that made Xiaoming say that.


    ¡°Did Minister Li have a wife before his current one?¡± Xiaoming questioned.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Royal Highness?¡± Li Zixuan was stunned to hear the Crown Prince¡¯s question.


    ¡°I made my question clear,¡± Xiaoming said and then took out the old document from his pocket. After opening it, he ced it on the table. Li Zixuan looked at it and picked it up. His eyes widened to see and he gazed at Xiaoming, who took the document from him.


    ¡°What happened to thisdy?¡± Xiaoming asked another question.


    ¡°She left me,¡± Li Zixuan lied.


    ¡°I told Minister Li not to lie to me,¡± Xiaoming reminded him.


    ¡°I am telling the truth,¡± Li Zixuan asserted.


    ¡°Minister Li, you are disappointing me. You threw this woman out and married a woman from a higher-ss family so that it could benefit you. If I am not wrong, Minister Li was the adopted son and he did not possess enough powers to rise in rank because of that,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Why is the Crown Prince asking me about a woman who is not even in my life?¡± Li Zixuan asked.


    ¡°Why did you throw this woman out? She was pregnant with your child at that time,¡± Xiaoming said and squinted his eyes at him. ¡°You destroyed every evidence where it was mentioned that you were involved with a woman. You could have let her stay in this residence, but you chose to throw her out. Why?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°I want Minister Li to be truthful to me,¡± he added.


    ¡°I was never married to this woman. It was a mistake, so I asked her to leave,¡± Li Zixuan replied.


    ¡°How could Minister Li do this? He did not even flinch saying all this,¡± Xiaoming affirmed. He had this displeased expression on his face.


    He chuckled and stood up from his seat. Xiaoming did not want to hear anything from Li Zixuan. He did not want to tell Li Zixuan that Jin Yu was his daughter because he might try to use her for his benefit.


    He had decided to keep it a secret from Li Zixuan, and he left the Li residence in anger. Li Zixuan went after him to apologize to him, but Xiaoming did not answer him. The horse carriage moved forward and Xiaoming left for the pce.


    ¡°Jin Yu is an illegitimate child. It will only stress her if I tell her how Li Zixuan ask her mother to leave merely because she could not help him in a good government position,¡± Xiaoming muttered.


    He decided to punish Li Zixuan by snatching the ministerial rights from him. He was not worthy enough to be the finance minister of the kingdom.


    ¡°I will make a motion in the imperial court to remove Li Zixuan. He made my Jin Yu suffer and his bastard son tried to ruin my sister¡¯s life,¡± Xiaoming said in anger and clenched his fists.

 Chapter 501 - 501 Left a deep impression [Bonus chapter]

    501 Left a deep impression [Bonus chapter]


    Feng Lao ced the wine cup on the table and looked at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°How did His Highness find out that I am in danger?¡± Feng Lao asked.


    ¡°That is not important for you to know,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and sipped the wine.


    ¡°Did Xiwan find out something and inform Prince L¨®ng Wei? Why would someone want to harm me? Is it the enemy? It is a good chance for us then because I can bait him toe after me. His Highness can catch him then and we will get revenge on the person, who destroyed the Shui and the Xu families,¡± Feng Lao exined to L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei shook his head and finished the wine from the cup before cing it on the table. ¡°Feng Lao, I cannot tell you anything at the moment. Just do what I have told you. You have promised me that you would listen to mymands.¡± L¨®ng Wei did not tell him the details of why he wanted Feng Lao to be in the safer ce that L¨®ng Wei had chosen for him.


    ¡°Your Highness, I am not afraid of death,¡± Feng Lao said. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is forgetting that I promised him that even if I have to lose my life, I would find the person who created plunder in my life and the people dear to me.¡±


    Feng Lao life¡¯s motto was to protect Li Hua and Xu Zifan. He wanted to give them the justice that his father failed to do. Even if he had to lose his life, he badly wanted to catch the culprit so.


    ¡°Feng Lao, I do not want Li Hua to recall you every day if you die. I will hate if she thinks of you more than me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Feng Lao smiled to hear the Sixth Prince¡¯s statement. ¡°I am happy that I finally made Prince L¨®ng Wei jealous,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°That is why you cannot die,¡± L¨®ng Wei picked up the wine jar and filled their cups. He lifted the cup and drank the wine.


    .....


    ¡°Your Highness, I did not know you care for me this much,¡± Feng Lao said with an amusing smile.


    L¨®ng Wei beamed at him and told Feng Lao not to get the wrong idea of his intention.


    ¡°Li Hua does not have feelings for me. His Highness knows this well. She sees me as a good friend nothing more. It is Prince L¨®ng Wei, who is worried that he may lose me,¡± Feng Lao affirmed.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°You are wrong. I have lost lots of things in my life, so I do not get worried,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie, Prince L¨®ng Wei. You are human like us. I bet that you have regretted many choices that you made in the past,¡± Feng Lao stated and raised the cup. L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes at him.


    ¡°My Father has found out that Li Hua and I did not go on a vacation in Dongqing.¡± Feng Lao was bewildered and anxious to hear him. ¡°I am preventing a brutal battle to happen. So, do what I tell you to. You will not want Li Hua to cry for you all the time. So, stay alive,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Feng Lao was stunned to hear L¨®ng Wei. He wanted to prevent a battle to happen, but why? Also, why was Feng Lao¡¯s life in danger if the King had found out that Li Hua and L¨®ng Wei did not go to Dongqing? He wanted to know the answers, but it was not easy to get those answers from L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei gulped the remaining wine from the cup and frowned. He sent Feng Lao with Chang Shi to a safer ce for a few days. L¨®ng Wei stayed in the private room to drink for a while.


    Eunuch Gao Bing slid the door and entered the room.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei and I never had a conversation,¡± Gao Bing said and sat in front of him. He picked up the wine jar when L¨®ng Wei red at him.


    ¡°You also treated me badly,¡± L¨®ng Wei snatched the wine jar from him and poured wine for him. ¡°You also wanted me to be dead,¡± he reminded Gao Bing.


    ¡°That was for your betterment, Prince L¨®ng Wei. I could not let anyone get suspicious of me. From the bottom of my heart, I have always cared for you,¡± Gao Bing stated and gripped the cup.


    ¡°I do not understand your care,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Why did Father never find out that you were one of his elder brother¡¯s loyal? To my knowledge, you have always served Father. Did Qizhen ask you to spy on his younger brother?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei should not take his father¡¯s name. I always served His Majesty, but the one who saved my life was your father. The one who saved my sister and gave her a life offort was your father. So, I could not help, but be loyal to him,¡± Gao Bing pronounced.


    ¡°Qizhen helped and saved everyone except,¡± L¨®ng Wei took a brief pause, ¡°his own wife and son. Can you see the irony?¡± He sipped the wine and told Gao Bing not to think that Qizhen would ever return to the capital.


    ¡°How is Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s father doing?¡± Gao Bing questioned.


    ¡°He is not my father,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Gao Bing smiled and realized that it was a new way of rebellion that L¨®ng Wei had discovered. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, your mother¡¯sst message for you is with His Majesty,¡± Gao Bing informed him.


    L¨®ng Wei stopped drinking the wine and blinked.


    ¡°Before His Majesty uses it against Prince L¨®ng Wei, he must put an end to it. He should not let Monk Yuze¡¯s prophecy to go waste. He should show what he is to the King and give justice to his deceased mother at least. I am not talking about the families which suffered after your father¡¯s downfall, but I want you to realize what your mother went through for fifteen years. You also suffered a lot. Should you not get the desired justice?¡± Gao Bing¡¯s words left a deep impression in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s heart.

 Chapter 502 - 502 Yuze was dead!

    502 Yuze was dead!


    ¡°Gao Bing, I won¡¯t do that,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°You should leave. I want to be alone,¡± he urged.


    Gao Bing nodded and stood up. He bowed and left the room. L¨®ng Wei picked up the wine jar and continued drinking.


    A few minutester, Xiwan entered the room and bowed to L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing has left,¡± he informed L¨®ng Wei and took the seat on the cushion in front of him.


    ¡°Why did Prince L¨®ng Wei not tell Eunuch Gao Bing everything?¡± Xiwan queried.


    ¡°He is not with us. He came to me on Father¡¯s order. I didn¡¯t send Feng Lao anywhere,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted while sipping the wine and scrunching his brows. ¡°Father is disappointing me,¡± he muttered and plonked the teacup on the table.


    ¡°How can His Highness be this sure?¡± Xiwan questioned.


    ¡°I know my father better than anyone. He cannot kill Feng Lao if he lives in the same house as Xu Zifan and neither can kidnap him. After all, his dear daughter is married to Xu Zifan. He will not try to do anything which can take away Jingfei¡¯s life too,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing has been looking for the previous King for a long time. I think His Highness is mistaking his intentions,¡± Xiwan proimed.


    ¡°Gao Bing is not loyal to Qizhen. I can vouch for that. Instead, he is loyal to Father. Father desperately wants to catch Qizhen and he knows other than me, there is no way to find him. Gao Bing said one thing in the end: Father holds thest message of my mother and he will use me ording to that message. I am no longer interested in that message,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    .....


    Xiwan hummed and knitted his brows together. ¡°His Majesty will try to find his brother. His Highness has to do something. If he is caught, then His Highness will be in trouble because he holds no power to prevent the mishap,¡± Xiwan worriedly said.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°Xiwan, you still haven¡¯t fully understood me. Until I want Qizhen to be caught, it will not happen. Father knows it well,¡± he said with a confident tone.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, I am worried for you and the Princess Consort. Don¡¯t you think you need to do something? Do you have to stay quiet and see His Majesty making his moves?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Stay quiet,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him. Xiwan lowered his head and let L¨®ng Wei continue drinking. L¨®ng Wei ordered two more jars of wine when Xiwan tried to stop him.


    ¡°Go to Xu Zifan¡¯s house. The spy must be around there. I need his sketch,¡± L¨®ng Weimanded Xiwan. He nodded his head and swiftly left for Xu Zifan¡¯s house.


    L¨®ng Wei leaned back on the mattress. He rested his elbow on the pillow behind him. This time he gulped the wine directly through the porcin jar filled with wine. The shbacks from his past appeared before his eyes and his eyes turned red.


    When he finished it, he threw the jar away and it smashed into pieces. ¡°Father, you should have trusted me,¡± he murmured and clenched his fist before mming his hand on the table next to him.


    He stood up and left to see Yuze. He wanted to take guidance from Yuze. Because he was the only one who could help him out from this difficult phase, where he was stuck between choices.


    While climbing the hill, L¨®ng Wei found he was getting more exhausted than usual. Perhaps that was because of therge wine intake. Somehow, he reached the hilltop where Yuze resided and gasped for air upon reaching outside the hut.


    When his breath came to normal, he walked in and looked for Yuze.


    He didn¡¯t find Yuze outside the hut, so he walked into the hut to Yuze¡¯s room.


    As he pushed the door, he saw Yuze seated on the floor mattress with his back towards L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Why is my life like this? I want to leave peacefully. Why am I forced to do something, which I don¡¯t want to do?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned Yuze while frowning. He was too furious at the way things were turning in his life. He didn¡¯t want to fight with Qiu Zedong, but his destiny didn¡¯t want that.


    ¡°Yuze, why are you quiet?¡± L¨®ng Wei approached him and touched Yuze¡¯s shoulder when he fell to the floor.


    ¡°Yuze,¡± L¨®ng Wei called his name in a low voice and immediately got on his knees and shook Yuze¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Yuze!¡± This time he took the monk¡¯s name a little loudly.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t want to believe it when a tear rolled down his cheek.


    Yuze was dead!


    ~~~~~~


    ¡°I have told what His Majesty asked me to,¡± Gao Bing said while keeping his head down.


    ¡°Did he tell you about Qizhen?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°No, Your Majesty. Prince L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t consider him as his father. He calls His Majesty his father,¡± Eunuch Gao Bing informed Qiu Zedong. He smiled to hear that and sat on the broad chair with his hands on the two bolsters on his sides.


    ¡°I cannot let Qizhen survive. He might influence L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. ¡°Feng Lao will answer my every question. The mistake of not killing Qizhen twenty years ago, I cannot repeat the same mistake again,¡± he pronounced.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. What if Feng Lao refuses to confess? He is the person who will die, but not speak anything,¡± Gao Bing stated.


    ¡°Feng Lao loves Li Hua. We can use Li Hua. As long as I have to keep L¨®ng Wei in my ws, I will use any method,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    ¡°I am afraid, Your Majesty. But how will we use Princess Consort Li Hua?¡± Gao Bing got confused.


    ¡°Feng Lao was supposed to marry Li Hua. I can make it possible for him,¡± Qiu Zedong stated and gave out a victorious smile.


    ¡°By tomorrow morning, I will get the good news. L¨®ng Wei will not try to fool me anymore,¡± Qiu Zedong muttered and continued to smile.

 Chapter 503 - 503 I will overthrow the King

    503 I will overthrow the King


    L¨®ng Wei held Yuze¡¯s body and asked him to wake up. ¡°Yuze, I will listen to you. Whatever you will ask me to do, I will do. Please wake up. If you want me to fight for the good, I will do that. But do not scare me this way,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and shook him. The tears continued to pour down his eyes as he kept requesting Yuze to wake up.


    L¨®ng Wei lowered his head and felt miserable. ¡°You cannot leave me like this, Yuze. You promised me that you would be with me all the time. Please, I beg you. Listen to me like you always did.¡± He rested his hand on Yuze¡¯s chest. The heartbeat he could not feel. Though he had noticed how cold Yuze¡¯s body was, he was not ready to ept that Yuze left him this way.


    L¨®ng Wei felt helpless as he lifted his head and looked at the pale face of Yuze. His tears had still not stopped. He put his hand on his head and looked at the lifeless body of Yuze before him. ¡°Who did this to you? Who could kill you? You never did anyone¡¯s bad,¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured and held Yuze¡¯s hand.


    L¨®ng Wei remembered when he first time met Yuze and held his hand. It was the warmest feeling he ever received after being born. Yuze was more than a father and mother to L¨®ng Wei. L¨®ng Wei hit his hand against his forehead as he cried profusely.


    When the royal trainers and teachers got troubled by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s behavior towards them, Yuze came forward to teach him. When L¨®ng Wei was sick and refused to take medicines, Yuze sat by his side and fed him the medicine. When L¨®ng Wei cried, Yuze wiped his tears and hugged him. When L¨®ng Wei was sad, Yuze made him happy. When L¨®ng Wei looked for love and care, Yuze gave him that too.Yuze had be an indispensable part of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life.


    But now, Yuze was no more. The good and pious soul had left its body. How would L¨®ng Wei be able to survive in a world which was always unfair to him? How would he bring his chaotic mind at peace when his master was no more? How would he grow when the person who always encouarged him was no longer around him?


    For the first time, L¨®ng Wei felt vulnerable and his heart ached. He did not even get this feeling when his mother was cold to him when he took her life. He had broken apart. It felt to him like someone suddenly threw him off the cliff and he had hit the rock bottom.


    L¨®ng Wei put his head on Yuze¡¯s chest and cried while holding him tightly. ¡°Monk Yuze!¡± This was the first time L¨®ng Wei addressed Yuze as Monk Yuze. His eyes had swollen because he cried for hours. He himself did not have an idea for how long he had his head on Yuze¡¯s chest.


    When he finally raised his head, a murderous look was in his eyes. ¡°I will give the most brutal death to the person, who did this to you. Whoever did this to you, I will make sure that his entire generation pays for your murder. I, L¨®ng Wei, promise you that I will avenge your death, Yuze,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    .....


    At that moment, a loud thunder roared in the sky. The next second, a heavy downpour started to ur. The sky had turned darker and heavy winds started blowing.


    L¨®ng Wei checked Yuze¡¯s body to find if there was any injury, but there was nothing.


    He looked at the table, but it was empty. L¨®ng Wei knew that someone fed poison to Yuze since his lips had turned deep bluish. Also, the person had destroyed the evidence. He wiped the tears from his eyes from his sleeves and stood up.


    L¨®ng Wei checked the entire room. Yuze knew that he was going to die, but he did not bother to tell L¨®ng Wei about it. Like all the times, he again left the answers to L¨®ng Wei. He took a deep breath as he checked the cupboards in the room.


    He saw the scrolls rted to Buddha teachings in the cupboards while one of the cupboards had Yuze¡¯s clothes. Lastly, L¨®ng Wei checked the floor table¡¯s drawer and opened it. He took the brushes, ink sticks, papers, etc. out of it.


    His eyes fell on the tiny scroll and he opened the thread around it. He opened it, and found out a famous quote was written on it. L¨®ng Wei put the scroll on the table pressed the fingers on the temple of his forehead.


    L¨®ng Wei nced at Yuze and tears trailed down his cheeks again.


    ¡°Did the King do it? Apart from him, no one could dare to do it. He should not have yed this dirty with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured and his jaw clenched. He recalled his conversation with Yuze which happened a day ago.


    ¡®L¨®ng Wei, listen to this old man keenly. You will regret your decision of staying quiet. The day you feel you are regretful for the choice you have made, you need to act on it. Do not turn a blind eye to it. Yuze will not be always around you to guide you-¡® Yuze to L¨®ng Wei.


    Yuze told L¨®ng Wei that he would regret his decision. It filled L¨®ng Wei with guilt. He epted his fault. The anguish of losing Yuze was burning him from the inside. He knew that Yuze wanted him to take action against Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°I should have listened to you. You wanted me to follow my destiny. I will do it. I thought not to fight and stay in the shadows, but now I will. I will overthrow the King and will give justice to all those people who seek it, especially you,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. The expression on his face turned menacing and he apologized to Yuze for acting naive, and for trusting Qiu Zedong.

 Chapter 504 - 504 In my evilest form [Bonus chapter]

    504 In my evilest form [Bonus chapter]


    After three days of mourning in the Kingdom on the asion of Yuze¡¯s death, finally, the kingdom¡¯s work started and people returned to their work. However, L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t. He would stay in his chamber for long hours, not speaking with anyone.


    Li Hua was worried for L¨®ng Wei since he wasn¡¯t properly taking his meals. He would not evene to her or let her enter the chamber. Qiu Zedong also sent a message through Gao Bing that he wanted to see L¨®ng Wei, but he refused every time.


    Mingquan advised Li Hua to give time to L¨®ng Wei, but she was anxious not only as his wife but as apanion too. L¨®ng Wei never acted this way. At least, not with her.


    ¡°Brother Mingquan, Prince L¨®ng Wei came to me whenever he was troubled. However, it has been the fifth day. He isn¡¯t speaking with me. I want to listen to him and hold him. He eats little and sits by the window all the time,¡± Li Hua said and began crying. She wiped the tears from the handkerchief in her hand and apologized to Mingquan for losing her control.


    ¡°It is normal to cry and get worried upon seeing your husband staying quiet, not eating or talking with anyone. I can only tell my sister-inw to wait for Brother L¨®ng Wei toe to her. Let him organize his thoughts,¡± Mingquan said and passed her a tiny smile.


    Li Hua lowered her head and nodded at him.


    ¡°I should take my leave. I wille in the evening,¡± Mingquan said and left the pavilion. Li Hua stood up from the chair and went to check on L¨®ng Wei.


    As she reached outside L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chamber, she again found the doors were closed. ¡°Your Highness, Li Hua is here. Can Ie in?¡± She asked.


    Like the other days, she got no response and it hurt her badly. Did she not matter in his life? She thought for a while and turned to leave after being disappointed when she heard the door open.


    .....


    ¡°Li Hua.¡± She heard her name from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mouth after five days and tears trailed down her cheeks. Before she could turn to him to hug him tightly, he embraced her from behind.


    His right arm was around her neck and held her shoulder while his left hand was on her waist. He closed his eyes and they stayed like that for a few minutes.


    As soon as L¨®ng Wei withdrew his arms, Li Hua turned to face him. She looked at his face, and his hands and again returned her gaze to his face. L¨®ng Wei was dressed in a white Hanfu dress and it appeared as if he was ready to go somewhere.


    Li Hua cupped his face and asked him how he was.


    ¡°How do I look?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and held her palms. He lowered them slowly and apologized to her for making her worried for days.


    ¡°I do not know what¡¯s going on in His Highness¡¯ mind. I do not know whether he is feeling well inside or not. Li Hua has failed to understand her husband,¡± she said with a disappointed look.


    The back of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s fingers traced Li Hua¡¯s cheeks as he wiped those tears. ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore. You know L¨®ng Wei well. He wanted time to bring his mad thoughts to one ce,¡± he asserted and smiled at her.


    ¡°I am fine now. It was necessary for me to be alone because I wanted to think about what I have to do next,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Li Hua furrowed her brows together.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we have breakfast first? We didn¡¯t eat well for five days,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested to her.


    ¡°When did His Highness bathe and get ready? I didn¡¯t see him at all,¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°You forgot that there is a hot water center in my manor too,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and smiled at her. He stood next to her and put his arm around her shoulder. The maidservant hade to greet L¨®ng Wei when he told her to bring breakfast for them.


    While eating breakfast, Li Hua kept observing L¨®ng Wei. She was more focused on him than on eating her meals.


    ¡°I am alright, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei finally spoke and peered at her. ¡°Yuze¡¯s death had shaken me. So, I needed to iste myself. I wasn¡¯t in my right mind, so I didn¡¯t respond to anyone. Thank you for sending me the meals. Even in that vulnerable phase of my life, you were present with me. However, I was in no condition to talk to you or anyone else.¡± He picked up the cooked seaweed and ced it in the bowl from which Li Hua was eating.


    ¡°Eat well. It won¡¯t happen again. Yuze was thest person I lost to my foolishness and stubbornness,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated while he kept a tiny smile on his lips.


    Li Hua ate that and said, ¡°Monk Yuze was old. His Highness knew well. I know that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yuze was murdered,¡± L¨®ng Wei interrupted Li Hua and revealed the truth to her.


    Li Hua stopped blinking her eyes.


    ¡°Yuze would not have died if I had listened to him. He might be old but it wasn¡¯t the time for his death. I would not have mourned this way if it was a natural death,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Who murdered Monk Yuze?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°I have only a suspicion, so I cannot tell you now. Once I confirm it, I will inform you first,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and ced the chopsticks on the saucer.


    ¡°I will wait for His Highness¡¯s answer,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Yuze wanted to follow my destiny. It is the time when the King should pay the price. It is the time when Qizhen should return. Li Hua, be ready to see the bloodshed. Don¡¯t be scared of me because I am now in my evilest form,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    Li Hua blinked a few times and nodded at him.


    ¡°I am with Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua said and passed a warm smile to him.

 Chapter 505 - 505 To take the throne

    505 To take the throne


    Qiu Mu saw L¨®ng Weiing from the front which shocked him. He never found L¨®ng Wei in a white hanfu dress all these years. Also, he thought that L¨®ng Wei would nevere out of his chamber.


    It was a matter of discussion in the entire capital how L¨®ng Wei had turned quiet and many officials were happy about it. Some had evene to the King to remove L¨®ng Wei from the position of Governor since he had forgotten entirely that he carried a bigger government position, unlike the earlier times.


    L¨®ng Wei did not stop to see Qiu Mu which made him chuckle.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, how are you?¡± Qiu Mu asked out of sympathy and turned to look at him.


    L¨®ng Wei halted in his steps and tilted his head over his shoulder. His narrow gaze fell on Qiu Mu. ¡°I am alive. Did you pray for my death?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Can Brother L¨®ng Wei not speak gently? I was merely concerned for him,¡± Qiu Mu said while frowning.


    ¡°Prince Mu, I am surprised to hear that you were concerned for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and walked ahead. He had this menacing look on his face. The servants, who wereing from the front, quickly stepped away from his way.


    L¨®ng Wei reached the imperial court and looked at the doorkeepers.


    ¡°Open the doors,¡± L¨®ng Weimanded them.


    .....


    ¡°Forgive us, Your Highness. But in the middle of the council, we cannot open it,¡± one of the doorkeepers said.


    L¨®ng Wei gazed at him. ¡°Do not show me your face when Ie out of the imperial court, else I will kill you. I mean it,¡± he affirmed and looked at the other doorkeeper. He quickly opened the doors for L¨®ng Wei.


    The ministers at the end turned to look and found L¨®ng Wei walking in. Xiaoming and the other princes looked at L¨®ng Wei with smiling faces, but at the same time, they were bewildered. L¨®ng Wei looked different for the first time.


    L¨®ng Wei stopped in the middle of the imperial court hall. He bowed to the King and said, ¡°Forgive me, Your Majesty.¡± He raised his head and looked into Qiu Zedong¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I will not leave my position of the Governor. Whoever dares to remove me,e forward and give the proper exnation to it. Failed to do so, he has to lose his life right here,¡± L¨®ng Wei challenged every minister present in the hall.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, you are not supposed to act this way. Since you have been neglecting the work for these past few days, the ministers wanted me to reconsider my decision,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°Your Majesty blindly trusts his ministers. They are the ones who are looting the kingdom for a long time. I thought to stay quiet, but not anymore. Prime Minister¡¯s son did the most heinous crime in the kingdom, yet His Majesty did not give his son a death sentence. If I would have been at his ce, I had been dead by now,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and red into the eyes of Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°Minister Li Zixuan¡¯s son tried to fool the King and his daughter, yet His Majesty wanted them to get married. What kind of justice is going on in the kingdom? Minister of State Affairs, has been abusing his power for a long time, yet His Majesty is not ready to listen to the pleas of those people. I can present the evidence against every such minister who has been acting loyal to His Majesty, yet behind his back, they are fooling him.¡±


    Qiu Zedong frowned to hear that and wondered what exactly happened to L¨®ng Wei.


    The ministers got displeased to hear all such things about them, not a few but all. Li Zixuan told the King that L¨®ng Wei had lost his mind after losing Yuze.


    ¡°I have not lost my mind. I am merely following Yuze¡¯s teachings. He wanted to see this kingdom prosperous. If you are this honest, then tell His Majesty about your and your son¡¯s doing. You cannot do it, right? Shall I do it on your behalf?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and turned to face the King.


    He took out the scroll from his inner pocket and continued, ¡°The King is known for his justice. I, L¨®ng Wei, the Governor of Qinping, request the King to remove Li Zixuan as the Minister of Finance. This scroll contains three documents on the basis of which I demand Li Zixuan¡¯s removal as the minister.¡±


    Xiaoming came to L¨®ng Wei and took the scroll from him. He opened it and checked the three documents. Li Zixuan begged the King not to listen to L¨®ng Wei since he was merely twisting the facts.


    ¡°Minister Li, Prince L¨®ng Wei is not doing it,¡± Xiaoming stated and looked at Qiu Zedong. ¡°Your Majesty, Minister Li has been secretly taking a part of the Kingdom¡¯s revenue for his personal use. Apart from this, Minister Li hid his second marriage. He was even involved in the illegal distribution of alcohol in Xuiyue Town, where hundreds of people lost their lives after consuming poisonous alcohol,¡± Xiaoming narrated all such events that the documents had mentioned.


    Li Zixuan got on his knees and told the King that L¨®ng Wei was lying about him. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has forged these documents. I never did this,¡± Li Zixuan stated.


    ¡°Your Majesty, please make an inquiry on the actual finances that the kingdom makes if my investigation is false. His Majesty will not find out. Also, I never make a piece of evidence without any investigation. I can call the Finance department officials, who found out about these discrepancies and informed me. His Majesty¡¯s so-called loyal is not a bit loyal to him. It is the time he should look for new and young officials, who can benefit him,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Xiaoming liked the idea proposed by L¨®ng Wei. As the Crown Prince, he supported L¨®ng Wei and asked the King to think of this once. The ministers started to rebel when L¨®ng Wei spoke,


    ¡°You all should not forget that His Majesty is capable enough to kill all of you. The previous king failed to run the kingdom when His Majesty decided to take the throne. Am I right, Your Majesty?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked the King.

 Chapter 506 - 506 Not try to instigate ministers

    506 Not try to instigate ministers


    Qiu Zedong curled his fingers and looked at Li Zixuan. ¡°Minister Li will no longer hold the Finance Department,¡± Qiu Zedong announced his decision.


    L¨®ng Wei kept the stoic expression on his face.


    Kang Xi was stunned to hear that decision. L¨®ng Wei was able to remove Li Zixuan from the ministerial position and it scared him. He decided not to speak anymore if he didn¡¯t want to lose his status as the prime minister.


    The other ministers were also turned quieter because they were scared if L¨®ng Wei held the evidence against them as well.


    ¡°That is a great decision, Your Majesty,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and bowed to him.


    ¡°Your Majesty, this year¡¯s civil services exam was topped by a man in his early twenties. He will be the best choice for this position. His name is Tang Wuxin,¡± Xiaoming propounded the idea to the King.


    ¡°Are there any other ministers who tried to fool the King and are still doing it?¡± Qiu Zedong questioned as he gazed at L¨®ng Wei while ignoring Xiaoming.


    ¡°If I tell the names, then His Majesty may get shocked that there is not a single minister who didn¡¯t misuse their power. They all want me to step down as the Governor, who didn¡¯t benefit himself with that position,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Tianjie squinted his eyes in suspicion. He wondered what happened to L¨®ng Wei that he was talking so coldly with the King? Those expressions in his eyes were new to him.


    .....


    ¡°I do not need money suckers in my kingdom. I want only those who grow this kingdom. Prince L¨®ng Wei is right. The previous king and his officials weren¡¯t working for the Kingdom. The ministers here know well how they all were executed,¡± Qiu Zedong proimed and nced at Xiaoming.


    ¡°Summon Tang Wuxin to the pce. I would like to see him before appointing him as the minister in the court. Also, I need the report mentioning his work,¡± Qiu Zedongmanded the Crown Prince.


    ¡°I will do, Your Majesty,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°The session is ended here. The other matters will be discussed tomorrow,¡± Qiu Zedong stated and asked them to empty the court. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei stay behind. I want to talk to you,¡± he ordered.


    Except L¨®ng Wei, everyone left the imperial court hall. The doorkeepers closed the doors.


    ¡°Come here,¡± Qiu Zedong said. L¨®ng Wei obeyed him and went to his father. Qiu Zedong asked Gao Bing to leave. Now, only the King and L¨®ng Wei were present in the court.


    ¡°Sit on the chair next to me,¡± Qiu Zedong told L¨®ng Wei and he settled on the chair.


    ¡°What do you see?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    L¨®ng Wei described him how he could see the ministers lining up to hear the orders from the King.


    ¡°Those ministers know well how to plot against their King,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. L¨®ng Wei tilted his head and looked at him. ¡°Do you think I do not know what is going on? Sometimes, it is necessary to let it go,¡± he said and nced at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°When I was not interested in doing anything in my life, Father constantly asked Yuze to guide me. He wanted me to use the prophecy in a right way for the Kingdom. When I started to do it, Father is stopping me,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked.


    ¡°I am not stopping you from anything. However, I want you to be cautious,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. ¡°Li Hua, Xu Zifan, Feng Lao are close to you. They may get harmed in all this.¡±


    The King wanted to intimidate L¨®ng Wei. He knew L¨®ng Wei¡¯s weakness were those three. Qiu Zedong was still unable to get his hands on Feng Lao and find out where L¨®ng Wei went for four days.


    ¡°Father, I will kill the person who tries to do it,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Today¡¯s incident has turned ministers against you. What will you do? How will you stop it? It is not easy to find the culprit if there is an entire army of it,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. ¡°After you killed your mother, I protected you despite everyone¡¯s disapproval on my judgment that time. You should not try to instigate the ministers,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Father should protect me then from those ministers as he always did,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Monk Yuze¡¯s death has affected you. Why don¡¯t you take a break from the work?¡± Qiu Zedong suggested to L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled to hear him. ¡°And who will be the Governor then?¡± He queried.


    ¡°Xiaoming will hold it temporarily,¡± Qiu Zedong answered.


    ¡°I do not need break, Father. I have yet to aplish the target that Father gave me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with glistening eyes.


    Qiu Zedong knitted his brows and gazed at the prince with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°I need to find Qizhen. He killed the great general of our kingdom. I think he is gathering forces and may soon rebel against the King. I have to prevent those things to happen in the future,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    That matter had almost skipped from Qiu Zedong¡¯s head.


    ¡°Father, forgive me to lie to you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and it confused Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°I never visited Dongqing with Li Hua. I was working on the mission that Father has given me. I wanted to keep it a secret because I found out something strange. Gao Bing is a loyal to Qizhen,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Qiu Zedong was shocked to find all those things. However, thest statement from L¨®ng Wei bewildered him more.


    ¡°Father, Gao Bing met me the day Yuze died and told me something strange. He asked me to stand for Qizhen and betray my Father. I wonder why he said that. When I refused, he said that Father may harm Feng Lao, Xu Zifan and Li Hua. Is it true?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned and patiently waited for Qiu Zedong¡¯s answer.


    ¡°Gao Bing said that?¡± Qiu Zedong frowned.


    ¡°Yes, Father. Why would an Eunuch want me to rebel against my own father? I could not tell the truth to Father for this reason. I thought to tell himter, but then the sudden demise of Yuze made me go in a mourning state for a few days,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to the King.


    ¡°Forgive me, Father, for lying to you. If you want, you can punish me for lying to you. However, I request Father to give the order to execute Gao Bing,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.

 Chapter 507 - 507 I will cripple you [Bonus chapter]

    507 I will cripple you [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°Your Majesty, Prince L¨®ng Wei is lying. I am not on Qiu Qizhen¡¯s side. I have always been loyal to you. I have informed¨C¡± before Gao Bing couldplete his words, Qiu Zedong asked Hei Chengxi to drag Gao Bing.


    L¨®ng Wei smirked as he looked at Gao Bing, who was dragged away by the two soldiers upon Hei Chengxi¡¯s order.


    ¡°Hei Chengxi, execute him in an hour,¡± Qiu Zedong pronounced. Hei Chengxi bowed his head and nced at L¨®ng Wei for a brief moment before leaving the court.


    L¨®ng Wei asked his father to calm down and not be angry.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, you should have told about this to me,¡± Qiu Zedong said as he furrowed his brows.


    ¡°Then, we would have never found out that Gao Bing was one of the loyals who has been fooling Father for a long time,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Hmm. Prince L¨®ng Wei is right. I cannot believe that the Eunuch who served me for so many years fooled me,¡± Qiu Zedong muttered and clutched the bolsters beside him on the throne.


    ¡°Where did Prince L¨®ng Wei go?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°I went to Xianshan, Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    .....


    ¡°Xianshan? Is Qizhen living there?¡± Qiu Zedong questioned.


    ¡°No. I chose Xianshan as I thought it is closest to Qinping and Qizhen might be hiding there. However, I didn¡¯t find him there. We need to search the other ces, Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Qiu Zedong nodded his head. ¡°Where do you n to go the next time?¡± He queried.


    ¡°Dongqing, Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Qiu Mu will apany you. I do not want you to get harmed while searching for Qizhen,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    ¡°I understand, Father. I also think I should go with Prince Mu,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°Father, I am thinking to take Li Hua too this time. She will be bored here and I do not get enough time to be with her. Ahh, Feng Lao is also a good fighter. So, I must take him as well,¡± He opined.


    ¡°Let your wife stay in the pce. What if she falls in danger? Prince Qiu Mu and Feng Lao can apany you this time,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted.


    ¡°Father, I will go after celebrating the Qiqi festival with everyone,¡± L¨®ng Wei expressed his desire.


    ¡°Yes. That will be great,¡± Qiu Zedong said. ¡°Let¡¯s keep all these matters aside. How are you? You didn¡¯te whenever I called for you. I was worried for you,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Father knows how much Yuze meant to me. His loss was unbearable to me and still is. However, I want to walk on the path which he always asked me to. I want to fulfill his wishes and serve my father in the best possible way,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and a tiny smile formed on his lips.


    ¡°Monk Yuze had turned old. But Monk Yuze¡¯s demise was indeed unfortunate,¡± Qiu Zedong said and exhaled a deep breath.


    ¡°Yuze was there when my mother left my side. So, his importance in my life was unexinable,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as tears formed in his eyes.


    Qiu Zedong was astonished to see this side of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, be strong. Monk Yuze will not like you to see all broken. I know it is a tough period for you, but life keeps moving. Implement Monk Yuze¡¯s teachings in your life and the results will surely please him,¡± Qiu Zedong stated and ced his hand above L¨®ng Wei¡¯s. He patted it and consoled L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei peered into his eyes and fisted his other palm.


    ¡®I wish I could kill you right away. But I will make you weak with each passing day. I will cripple you, Qiu Zedong,¡¯ L¨®ng Wei told himself in his mind as he continued to stare into Qiu Zedong¡¯s eyes.


    ~~~~~


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei has lost his mind. His eyes gave out those murderous vibes. He used to wear mostly dark-colored clothes. Why suddenly he chose to wear white? Something is wrong with L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Mu told his brothers, who had gathered in the pavilion.


    ¡°I agree with Brother Mu¡¯s words,¡± Tianjie stated. ¡°We all know Monk Yuze supported Brother L¨®ng Wei and even protected him many times. His sudden death might have done something to his mind. Shouldn¡¯t we do something good for Brother L¨®ng Wei?¡± Tianjie suggested to them.


    ¡°Brother Tianjie, are you really this?¡± Qiu Mu arched his eyebrow. ¡°You always spoke against L¨®ng Wei,¡± He muttered.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we all?¡± Tianjie questioned Qiu Mu. ¡°However, Brother L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t as evil as we used to think. We brothers have noticed how his mother neglected him all the time. Maybe he was troubled with that fact and always got annoyed at others,¡± Tianjie said.


    ¡°Brother Tianjie is right,¡± Xiaoming backed him. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s childhood was not like the way we had. So, Monk Yuze became an important part of Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Then, what should we do that will make Brother L¨®ng Wei happy?¡± Zhang Xi asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think L¨®ng Wei acknowledges us as his brothers,¡± Qiu Mu replied.


    ¡°Because we princes didn¡¯t try to understand him,¡± Mingquan interrupted and pushed his sleeve up. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei acknowledged me as his brother and made me wear this brotherhood thread,¡± He said and smiled brightly.


    ¡°Did L¨®ng Wei do that?¡± Qiu Mu widened his eyes in shock and chuckled. ¡°L¨®ng Wei is good at giving surprises,¡± He mumbled.


    ¡°Let¡¯s organize a private event for us princes. I will invite Brother L¨®ng Wei personally,¡± Xiaoming proposed an idea.


    ¡°That will be good. Hopefully, L¨®ng Wei opens up with us. Though, I highly doubt it,¡± Qiu Mu remarked.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is the youngest among us. So, we need to be gentle loving brothers to him. It is the time when we should end the bitterness in our brotherly rtionship,¡± Xiaoming pronounced. All four princes agreed with the Crown Prince.


    *******


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 Chapter 508 - 508 He looked different, but better

    508 He looked different, but better


    Li Hua patted L¨®ng Wei¡¯s shoulder gently as his head was lying on herp. His eyes were on her face. Her fingers were dangled in her hair strands as she caressed them.


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced her name.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She met her gaze with an inquisitive expression.


    ¡°The battle is going to be intense,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I have destroyed two pawns of the King today,¡± He added.


    ¡°I am d that Prince L¨®ng Wei understood he cannot stay quiet. I am not afraid of this intense battle anymore. Instead, I want to stand next to His Highness and fight with him against his enemies,¡± Li Hua said and smiled.


    L¨®ng Wei grabbed her hand and their fingers intertwined with each other. ¡°You are by my side and that¡¯s more than enough for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Then, will His Highness again keep me behind his back?¡± Li Hua asked. ¡°I have learned self-defense too. I worked hard while the Prince wasn¡¯t around. I trained daily. I am not afraid to pick the sword and fight with enemies,¡± Li Hua stated. She didn¡¯t want to hide in the shadows and get L¨®ng Wei¡¯s protection all the time.


    ¡°It is not about self-defense. I have not kept you either behind my back,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°The King weakened Qizhen by capturing and killing the ones who served him with loyalty. I want to do the same,¡± He exined to her.


    ¡°His Highness¡¯ today¡¯s step may want the enemies to kill us. They may try to poison us or even do something severe,¡± Li Hua stated.


    .....


    ¡°I have made sure that no such thing will happen. However, there is no guarantee that it will not happen. So, we need to be careful. Stay in the pce as it is safer than outside. Without me, you will not step out of the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°What if the King tries to kill us?¡± Li Hua asked with a worried expression on her face.


    ¡°It will not happen. The King is the one who will protect us until the very end,¡± L¨®ng Wei confidently said.


    ¡°Is the King behind Monk Yuze¡¯s death?¡± Li Hua inquired.


    ¡°I am not sure. The person wiped every piece of evidence. Nothing was found,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Monk Yuze never did anyone wrong. Yet he was killed this way. If the King is truly behind this, then don¡¯t spare him, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua opined.


    ¡°I nned not to. I was quiet for a reason. But involving Yuze was the worst mistake one did,¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered and he knitted his brows.


    Li Hua understood L¨®ng Wei¡¯s pain and angst. Sheforted him because this was what he needed the most presently.


    ~~~~~


    ¡°Li Zixuan is my father?! And I am his illegitimate daughter!¡± Jin Yu was shocked to learn the truth from Xiaoming. She asked him why he didn¡¯t tell her about it earlier.


    ¡°Jin Yu, in my opinion, we should not reveal it. Because Li Zixuan may want to take advantage of it. He is removed as the minister today. If you tell him, he may return to his position using you. However, it is only my opinion. The decision is on you,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°I want to kill him. Can I do that?¡± Jin Yu asked him, bewildering Xiaoming. ¡°He kicked out my mother when he didn¡¯t find her useful and lived his life in joy all these years. I want to kill him, Your Royal Highness. Allow me.¡± Her voice looked determined and her eyes were burning with rage.


    ¡°You can do it. I won¡¯t stop you. If I had been at your ce, I would have done the same,¡± Xiaoming affirmed.


    ¡°However, will it end your anger? Don¡¯t you think you should watch him dying every passing day after being deposed from the ministerial position he had? Don¡¯t you want to see him helpless? Don¡¯t you want to see his family going through worse?¡± Xiaoming asked her.


    Jin Yu took a deep breath. ¡°The Crown Prince is right. He must suffer the way my mother and I were. We had no one by our side except my master. He must see how unfair the world is,¡± She asserted.


    ¡°He will suffer more than you both. I will make sure that he doesn¡¯t get any work anywhere. His eldest son is already ruined. I don¡¯t know what his younger son is up to,¡± Xiaoming muttered.


    ¡°But how did Li Zixuan get deposed?¡± Jin Yu asked.


    ¡°He tried to remove Brother L¨®ng Wei from the Governor¡¯s position. He presented the evidence before His Majesty. Then, I supported his decision. Father could not ignore the fact that Li Zixuan used his position for his personal benefit,¡± Xiaoming narrated to Jin Yu.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei hase out of his chamber!¡± Jin Yu was astonished and happy. ¡°How is he?¡± She asked out of concern.


    ¡°He looked different, but better,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°Li Hua told me how close Monk Yuze was with Prince L¨®ng Wei. It must heart a wrenching experience for him,¡± Jin Yu said.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t shed a single tear when his mother died. He never even attended her funeral. We all thought he was cruel and inhuman. Even I also thought the same. However, it was different this time. Monk Yuze meant a lot more to him than his mother. It is because of the affection and care Monk Yuze gave to him. He is badly hurt,¡± Xiaoming said and furrowed his brows together.


    ¡°Was Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life not like the other princes? Why did his mother turn cold to him? There must be reasons, Your Royal Highness,¡± Jin Yu opined.


    ¡°There are reasons, but no one knows. Maybe his wife is aware of those reasons, but none of us are. As I told you earlier, Brother L¨®ng Wei never opened up with us. Indeed, his life was not like ours. Maybe that is the reason he turned into a different person. I truly want to know about him, but he will never open up to me. I want to help him, but he will refuse to ept my help,¡± Xiaoming stated.

 Chapter 509 - 509 Beautiful in the evening

    509 Beautiful in the evening


    Xu Zifan asked Feng Lao if he got any message from Li Hua, who shook his head.


    ¡°Should we visit Prince L¨®ng Wei? He didn¡¯te to work either. I heard the ministers want him to be removed,¡± Xu Zifan said with a worried look.


    ¡°Huang Xi said that Prince L¨®ng Wei has refused to meet anyone. I think we should give time to Prince L¨®ng Wei. Li Hua is with him, so there is nothing to worry about. Also, it¡¯s not easy to remove Prince L¨®ng Wei from the Governor¡¯s position,¡± Feng Lao stated. Xu Zifan nodded his head and looked at the sky which was covered in clouds.


    ¡°Do you know why Prince L¨®ng Wei is close to Monk Yuze? Did Li Hua ever tell you?¡± Feng Lao inquired.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Prince L¨®ng Wei hardly used to share about his life. He would stay quiet than tell. Even Li Hua didn¡¯t tell me,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°From the first time I met Prince L¨®ng Wei till now, I have seen how strong he is. But it was unexpected to me. I never saw him this devastated,¡± Feng Lao asserted. The rain began to fall when Feng Lao told Xu Zifan that he should go to see his wife.


    ¡°I will goter,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°You should focus on your married life more. Don¡¯t you think so? You two are newly married and I noticed how you neglected your wife these days,¡± Feng Lao said. ¡°Did she do something which angered you?¡± He inquired.


    Feng Lao was well aware of Jingfei¡¯s nature. He wondered if she got happy on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s state.


    .....


    ¡°You are way too much concerned for me. No such thing has happened,¡± Xu Zifan replied. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you and Huang Xi misjudge Jingfei?¡± He muttered and wryly chuckled.


    ¡°You know well why I am speaking this way. You deserved a better woman than her,¡± Feng Lao said and he crossed his arms.


    ¡°You are wrong, Feng Lao,¡± Xu Zifan replied. ¡°You should not disrespect my wife this way. I will be upset with you,¡± He affirmed.


    ¡°Forgive me. I did not have any intention to disrespect her,¡± Feng Lao stated.


    ¡°Princess Xiaolian is interested in you. If you get married to her, then I will tease you the same way,¡± Xu Zifan said and his lips twisted into a smirk.


    ¡°I won¡¯t marry her, Xu Zifan,¡± Feng Lao confidently said and snickered.


    ¡°Maybe your destiny brings you to close to Princess Xiaolian,¡± Xu Zifan remarked.


    ¡°It will not happen. You know it well,¡± Feng Lao stated and looked away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you still into Li Hua,¡± Xu Zifan said while frowning.


    Feng Lao nced at him.


    ¡°You cannot love her anymore,¡± Xu Zifan pronounced when Feng Lao didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°I know. I don¡¯t have any romantic feelings for Li Hua anymore,¡± Feng Lao asserted. ¡°How could you even think of that?¡± He muttered.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t respond right away. It is good that you have let go of her from your heart,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°She was never mine,¡± Feng Lao said. ¡°The reason I don¡¯t want to give reply to Princess Xiaolian is not my type,¡± he rified to Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Then, at least tell Princess Xiaolian about this. She will keep longing for you,¡± Xu Zifan advised him.


    ¡°Is my silence on her love letter not enough to rify her I am not interested in her?¡± Feng Lao arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°Probably not.¡±


    They both heard Jingfei¡¯s voice and turned to look at her. Xu Zifan wondered if she heard their conversations and it slightly worried him.


    Jingfei looked at Lin Jie and asked her to leave, who left the pavilion.


    ¡°Princess Xiaolian will think that Feng Lao is still thinking about it. If you do not like her, then you should rify it to her,¡± Jingfei suggested to Feng Lao.


    Xu Zifan asked Feng Lao to listen to Jingfei.


    Feng Lao knitted his brows and asked Jingfei if she would go to the pce, then she should answer Princess Xiaolian on my behalf. ¡°I will be grateful to her if she tells the third Princess that I am not interested in her and will never be.¡± He then left the pavilion, leaving Xu Zifan and Jingfei alone there.


    ¡°Feng Lao went without an umbre,¡± Jingfei murmured.


    ¡°Let it be. Feng Lao will not get sick,¡± Xu Zifan said with a slight smile.


    Jingfei hummed and fiddled with her fingers.


    ¡°Feng Lao still doesn¡¯t like me being your wife,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°Did you hear it all?¡± Xu Zifan asked.


    Jingfei nodded her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to. I wanted to see where were you and then found you here with Feng Lao. Forgive me for staying silent and then hearing your conversation with Feng Lao,¡± she stated and lowered her eyes.


    ¡°I am happy to have you as my wife,¡± Xu Zifan said and passed her a warm smile.


    He walked up to her and asked her not to take Feng Lao¡¯s words to her heart. ¡°He is happy with my marriage. He even asked me to focus more on my marriage and give my wife enough time,¡± He affirmed.


    Jingfei looked at him and hummed. ¡°It¡¯s cold here. You should go to your room,¡± She said with a concerned look.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Xu Zifan held her hand which made her curious.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we stay here for sometime?¡± He asked. ¡°If you are feeling cold, then¨C¡±


    ¡°No. I am fine,¡± Jingfei immediately replied and blinked a few times.


    ¡°We can go to the pce tomorrow to see Brother L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua,¡± Jingfei opined.


    ¡°Do you want to see your parents and brother? Are you missing them?¡± Xu Zifan asked.


    ¡°I do miss them,¡± Jingfei admitted the truth.


    ¡°You should have told me. I will take you there tomorrow,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jingfei hugged him as she wrapped her hands around him. Xu Zifan ced his left hand on her back and caressed it while smiling.


    When she withdrew, Xu Zifan asked her if she wanted to go out with him in the evening.


    ¡°Where will you take me?¡± Jingfei curiously questioned.


    ¡°To the market. It is beautiful in the evening. I suppose while staying as the Princess you never got the chance to explore it fully,¡± Xu Zifan asserted.


    ¡°You are right,¡± Jingfei answered. ¡°Since I am not a princess anymore, I can roam freely without any threats,¡± she said and brightly smiled at him.

 Chapter 510 - 510 The conditional choice [Bonus chapter]

    510 The conditional choice [Bonus chapter]


    Xu Zifan got curious about Jingfei¡¯sst statement. It had been over a week since their marriage, butmunication was limited between them.


    ¡°Would you like to stay in the pavilion a little longer?¡± Xu Zifan requested.


    Jingfei was astonished to hear him and readily epted his request. ¡°Should I bring the tea? I still do not know which tea Xu Zifan likes,¡± Jingfei asked excitedly.


    ¡°I have no particr likeness toward a specific tea. I like all kinds,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°Then, sit on the chair and wait for me. I will bring the tea for us,¡± Jingfei said and quickly ran out of the pavilion. Xu Zifan tried to stop her, but she didn¡¯t listen to him. He found her going while covering her head with her hands.


    ¡°Is she truly the Jingfei about which everyone talks?¡± Xu Zifan mumbled as he could see she was different or she turned different.


    Instead of taking the seat, he remained standing and waited for Jingfei to return. The rain stopped for a while and soon Jingfei arrived at the pavilion with the tray in her hand.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take the seat?¡± Jingfei asked.


    ¡°I was waiting for you,¡± He answered.


    .....


    ¡°Have a seat,¡± She urged and brewed the tea for him. ¡°I brought Oolong tea,¡± she said and ced the tea leaves in a porcin cup. Pouring the hot water into it, she forwarded the teacup to Xu Zifan and sat next to him on the chair.


    The rain started again and they enjoyed the tea in that weather.


    ¡°Xu Zifan,¡± Jingfei called his name.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± He gazed at her and he sipped the tea.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sleep together in the same room,¡± Jingfei said. Xu Zifan started coughing which worried her. She ced the cup on the table and caressed his back.


    ¡°Are you good? Should I bring water?¡± Jingfei inquired.


    Xu Zifan turned stable and shook his head. He told her that he was fine and thanked her.


    ¡°Forgive me. I didn¡¯t expect that you would ask for something like that,¡± Xu Zifan said and kept his gaze away from her.


    ¡°It is fine if you don¡¯t want to. I will wait,¡± Jingfei said.


    Xu Zifan turned his head to peer into her eyes. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯tfortable sleeping together. That¡¯s why I never slept with you,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°Why would I be ufortable sleeping with you? You are my husband,¡± Jingfei replied.


    Xu Zifan curled his fingers and fiddled with them.


    ¡°Do you know Ha Lujie?¡± She suddenly asked him.


    ¡°He lives in the neighborhood and is an official in the Governor¡¯s office. What about him?¡± Xu Zifan inquired.


    ¡°His wife told me how her husband does romantic things for her. She was boasting about her husband yesterday when we all were together for the tea session. Everyone was jealous of her,¡± Jingfei stated.


    Xu Zifan hummed and drank the remaining tea. Jingfei poured more tea for him when he held the teapot and they looked into each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Let me pour for you,¡± He said. Jingfei forwarded the teacup and Xu Zifan poured the tea into it.


    ¡°Forgive me for not taking care of those things. I should have been good to my wife,¡± Xu Zifan said and he gently ced the teapot on the table.


    ¡°You are good to me. I only want you to¨C¡± She paused as she found Xu Zifan¡¯s curious and intense gaze at her. She gulped and looked down at the teacup.


    ¡°What do you want me to do? Complete your words,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s just sleep together,¡± Jingfei said and picked up the teacup. She was hesitant to tell him that she wanted his love. He might think that she was a desperate woman who sought a man¡¯s love. But it wasn¡¯t the case. She merely wanted to know more about Xu Zifan. If they would be together, they both would get close.


    ¡°What if the rain persisted even in the evening? We won¡¯t be able to go to the market,¡± Jingfei suddenly spoke and looked outside.


    ¡°It will stop. Do not worry,¡± Xu Zifan said. ¡°And if it doesn¡¯t stop, then we can spend alone time in the room,¡± he added.


    Jingfei looked at him with an astonished expression on her face. She got shy and she nodded her head while lowering her eyes.


    ¡°The tea is getting colder. Drink it,¡± He said after a while. She realized that she had almost forgotten to finish the tea.


    ¡°Jingfei, you look good in loose hair. Keep them open if you can,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°Really?¡± Her eyes glistened to hear that.


    ¡°Yes. I noticed it when you keep your hair loose at the night,¡± Xu Zifan answered.


    Jingfei got perplexed to hear his statement. At the night, she would usually loose her hair before going to bed. So, when did he notice her?


    ¡°I saw you when you were roaming outside your room after dinner,¡± Xu Zifan replied before she could ask him.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, you really know how to win someone¡¯s heart,¡± Jingfei stated and it confused him. ¡°You must be popr among women. Am I right?¡± She questioned.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie. Li Hua told me once. In Xinshui, you got many proposals but you wanted Li Hua to marry first before marrying anyone,¡± Jingfei asserted.


    ¡°I am happy that you became my husband. If I had known about you previously, I would have asked my father to marry me to you only,¡± she affirmed.


    ¡°You knew me through Li Hua. I think if Jianjun was a nice man, you would not have thought of marrying me. I was the conditional choice that you made at that moment,¡± Xu Zifan proimed.


    The smile from Jingfei¡¯s lips faded away. He was right. She would not have chosen him if Jianjun¡¯s truth had not been exposed. She found out why Xu Zifan was staying away from her because he wasn¡¯t her first choice but a conditional choice that happened at that instant only.

 Chapter 511 - 511 Your mind is more polluted

    511 Your mind is more polluted


    ¡°I agree with your words, Xu Zifan,¡± Jingfei said, who continued to look at her. ¡°Even though you were my conditional choice, I have always respected you. Also, fate ys a big role when ites to marriage. Perhaps, I was supposed to marry you only,¡± she exined.


    ¡°I cannot deny your reasoning. There was a woman I loved in Xinshui for a long time. I wanted to marry her but after Li Hua¡¯s marriage. Before it could happen, everything was ruined. Destiny brought me here and I married you,¡± Xu Zifan asserted.


    ¡°Does the woman no longer exist?¡± Jingfei questioned.


    Xu Zifan shook his head. ¡°Unfortunately, she is dead,¡± he told her.


    ¡°Do you still love her?¡± Jingfei asked him. She suddenly got a feeling of insecurity.


    ¡°No. She was my past,¡± Xu Zifan answered.


    Jingfei took a breath of relief. ¡°I would be upset if your answer was yes,¡± she stated.


    Xu Zifan chuckled and smiled. He lifted the teacup and drank the tea. ¡°I liked this tea,¡± he said.


    ¡°Then, should I consider Oolong tea as your favorite?¡± Jingfei asked.


    .....


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Xu Zifan, you are incredible. Yesterday morning I saw you practicing with the sword. I got mesmerized to see how much hard work you put into yourself. I knew you are more capable than you look,¡± she stated.


    ¡°I want to be a great swordsman using my left hand. It is not that great yet,¡± Xu Zifan opined.


    ¡°You will reach there soon. I have faith in you,¡± Jingfei said and passed him a smile. ¡°Would you like to drink more tea?¡± she asked.


    Xu Zifan shook his head.


    ¡°Li Hua will take care of Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Jingfei suddenly changed the topic of their conversation. ¡°Also, Monk Yuze was closer to Brother L¨®ng Wei than his parents. That is the reason he had turned quieter. But it is for a temporary time. He will soon be back to his social life. So, you should not worry,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Thank you for telling me about this,¡± Xu Zifan answered.


    ¡°I never had a good equation with Brother L¨®ng Wei, but I know many more about him. Monk Yuze was the only person who protected Brother L¨®ng Wei. No one cared for him in the pce, not even his mother. Father does care for him, but it was not the way Monk Yuze did. We used to get jealous of Brother L¨®ng Wei and even thought ill of him. I never wanted his good and I regret doing that,¡± Jingfei said and lowered her head.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei was happy when I got married and he was surprised when he heard you prevented the Noble Consort from making fun of me. He has no hatred toward you. Also, he told me to take care of you. He said that Jingfei would be a good wife to me,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    Jingfei was astonished to learn about that. Despite the wrong she did to L¨®ng Wei, he thought good of her.


    ¡°The rain has stopped,¡± Xu Zifan said as he looked outside the pavilion. ¡°You should take some rest and then we will head to the market in the evening,¡± he asserted with a smile.


    Jingfei hummed and they both left the pavilion.


    ~~~~~~


    Tianjie was happy as Song Jia was not summoned to the pce for the past six days, but today when his father asked about her, he got worried. He looked at his father, who was seated on the broad embellished chair.


    ¡°Father, Song Jia is a highly dignifieddy. It is not wrong to dance for people when it is your source of earnings. She merely entertained people,¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie should say that Song Jia entertained men specifically,¡± Xiuying said, who was seated next to the King. ¡°Your Majesty, first the Crown Prince married a lower-ss woman, and now Prince Tianjie is doing it. A dancer if bes the daughter-inw of the family, then it will only bring disgrace to the royal family.¡± She suggested Qiu Zedong not let Tianjie marry Song Jia.


    Tianjie got furious to hear her. ¡°I do not expect Noble Consort Xiuying¡¯s intervention in my matter. Song Jia will never bring a disgrace to this family. Please be thoughtful of your words,¡± he requested.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie, Consort Xiuying said nothing wrong. Song Jia is not pure and I cannot let it happen. If Prince Tianjie keeps insisting, I have to give an execution order,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a stern tone.


    Tianjie¡¯s eyes grew bigger to hear that. He had not expected this from his father. He felt that he was insulted. Calling Song Jia impure, hurt his dignity more.


    ¡°The strange look in Prince Tianjie¡¯s eyes shows that he is angry at his father¡¯s decision. A mere dancer has polluted his mind,¡± Xiuying stated. ¡°Look at Prince Mu. He is marrying a nobledy. You should follow his footsteps,¡± she added.


    ¡°Noble Consort Xiu, if you can respect anyone, then keep quiet. Your mind is more polluted,¡± Tianjie could not hold his anger anymore and burst it out at her.


    ¡°What did the Prince say?¡± She frowned and looked at the King.


    ¡°Apologize to my consort,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    ¡°Why should I, Father? Who is she to speak wrong about Song Jia? I am disappointed to see that Father is supporting her,¡± Tianjie said in loud voice. He turned and left the chamber in anger.


    Xiuying started to shed her crocodile tears in front of Qiu Zedong. ¡°If the Crown Prince had married a woman from a higher ss, then I did not have to hear such bitter words from Prince Tianjie. Your Majesty, did I say something wrong? I merely want the good of this royal family. I want to strengthen it by having good political marriage alliances for the princes. I merely want the good of everyone. But no one understands me,¡± she said while continuing to cry.


    ¡°I apologize on Prince Tianjie¡¯s behalf. Please do not cry,¡± Qiu Zedong said and knitted his brows. His sons had gone crazy for low-status women. He decided to talk to Xiaoming and ask him to marry a higher-status woman.

 Chapter 512 - 512 Become the Prime Minister, Prince Mu

    512 Be the Prime Minister, Prince Mu


    ¡°My mother said that?¡± Qiu Mu put his sword on the table and knitted his brows together.


    ¡°Yes. Brother Mu, I have neverined to you about any matter. But this time your mother has crossed her limits. She insulted Song Jia and it hurt me,¡± Tianjie said with a saddened expression.


    ¡°I apologize to you on my mother¡¯s behalf, Brother Tianjie. I will tell my mother not to do this. Also, I will support you. Please do not worry,¡± Qiu Mu said with assurance.


    ¡°Your mother may get annoyed with me more,¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°What does Brother Tianjie want me to do then?¡± Qiu Mu asked as he rested his hand on the table beside him.


    ¡°I request Brother Mu to support my decision tomorrow morning. I want him to defend my decision,¡± Tianjie said.


    ¡°I will do it,¡± Qiu Mu said. Tianjie thanked him and turned to leave when Qiu Mu stopped him.


    ¡°Father may punish Song Jia. Brother Tianjie, you should rethink marrying her. I am not against you, but I want you to not get hurt,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Brother Mu, I will protect her,¡± Tianjie said and left his chamber.


    .....


    Qiu Mu lowered his head and pondered why his mother was acting like a viin in other¡¯s lives. ¡°At this rate, she will make enemies,¡± He murmured and thought to see her before taking a bath. He left to see his mother in her manor.


    Xiuying was sewing a pattern on the silk fabric and when she learned that Qiu Mu hade to see her, she left her work in the middle and asked the maidservant to let the prince in.


    In a few seconds, Qiu Mu entered the chamber and bowed to her.


    ¡°Bring the tea for Prince Mu,¡± Xiuying ordered a servant.


    ¡°I do not want to drink tea, Mother. Instead, I want to have a conversation with you,¡± Qiu Mu stated.


    Xiuying nced at the servants and they all left the chamber while closing the door behind them.


    ¡°What does Prince Mu want to talk about?¡± Xiuying inquired.


    ¡°I want my mother not to intervene in the lives of the other princes,¡± Qiu Mu said and looked into her eyes.


    ¡°When did I do that?¡± Xiuying chuckled. ¡°Did Prince Tianjie approach Prince Mu?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No. I got to find out what happened earlier,¡± Qiu Mu lied.


    ¡°Prince Mu, I merely want the good of this family. Also, Prince Tianjie said that my mind was polluted,¡± Xiuying said and let out a frustrated sigh. ¡°His Majesty doesn¡¯t want Prince Tianjie to marry a dancer. Prince Mu knows well what a dancer does,¡± she vaguely said.


    ¡°Mother, please do not say such a thing for a woman to whom Brother Tianjie wants to marry. It should not matter to you,¡± Qiu Mu argued with his mother.


    ¡°I want to protect the inner pce. Prince Mu, I cannot let some women from low status enter¨C¡± She was interrupted as Qiu Mu didn¡¯t let her speak.


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t forget that you weren¡¯t either from a high-status family. My maternal grandfather¡¯s rank was the lowest among many officials. You should not forget how you reached this level,¡± Qiu Mu asserted. He had a change of thoughts in these few months.


    Probably after L¨®ng Wei returned from the cold pce, his thoughts changed. If he would be older Qiu Mu, he would not have either supported Tianjie.


    ¡°But I am still from a noble family,¡± Xiuying said and chuckled.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t from a higher-status family. You are making a pit for yourself, Mother. The princes will hate you this way. The Crown Prince also doesn¡¯t like you. Now, Prince Tianjie is also against you and your ideologies. Prince L¨®ng Wei has always despised you. If this keeps going on, then you may fall in danger. Don¡¯t you think, Mother?¡± Qiu Mu questioned her.


    ¡°I merely wanted to make this royal family stronger,¡± Xiuying said.


    ¡°Mother, I know you well. Don¡¯t lie to me. You never wanted that. You want my value to increase in Father¡¯s eyes. But this is the wrong way. This way they all will be my enemy. So, I request you to stop,¡± Qiu Mu rified to his mother. ¡°It is a request from the bottom of my heart,¡± he added.


    The smile from Xiuying¡¯s lips faded. Her son never talked this way with her. Qiu Mu looked at the threads, and various kinds of needles on the table and asked his mother to resume her work.


    He stood up, bowed his head, and left her chamber.


    Xiuying fisted her palms and her brows scrunched on her own.


    Qiu Mu when returned to his chamber was shocked to find L¨®ng Wei there.


    ¡°May I know what Brother L¨®ng Wei is doing here?¡± He asked and stood in front of him.


    ¡°Forgive me for my behavior in the morning, Prince Mu,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and bowed his head lightly.


    Qiu Mu pinched his hand and realized that it was real. ¡°Ahh, I am shocked to see this gesture of Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± He said and pulled out the chair for him. He sat down and rested his hands on the table¡¯s surface.


    ¡°You never bowed your head at me,¡± Qiu Mu said, still shocked by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s previous gesture.


    ¡°We need to find Qizhen. We will head to Dongqing after celebrating the Qiqi festival. Feng Lao will apany us. Father has suggested me to take Prince Mu with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I am ready to apany you. Qizhen is a threat to us. We have to find him as soon as possible,¡± Qiu Mu affirmed.


    ¡°I agree. But before that I want Prince Mu to look into this,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and took out a document from his pocket. He forwarded it to Qiu Mu, who opened it.


    After reading it, Qiu Mu looked at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°How did you find out this, L¨®ng Wei?¡± He questioned with an astonished look.


    ¡°After acquiring the Governor¡¯s position, Prince Mu. You can use it as you please. I am sure you will take the right decision,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°You know well that I will marry Kang Cha Ying soon. I cannot remove Kang Xi from the prime ministerial position. You should do it,¡± Qiu Mu stated and put the document on the table.


    ¡°Be the Prime Minister, Prince Mu,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    Qiu Mu widened his eyes at L¨®ng Wei¡¯s remark.


    ¡°Ignore my earlier statements. It is the time when you should go for something bigger, Prince Mu, not for yourself but also the kingdom,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.

 Chapter 513 - 513 I was not confident enough [Bonus chapter]

    513 I was not confident enough [Bonus chapter]


    Mingquan nced at L¨®ng Wei and asked him why he asked Qiu Mu to be the next prime minister.


    ¡°Because someone needs to do that job too. Except for Prince Mu, I do not think any other person is capable of that. Don¡¯t you think the same, Brother Mingquan?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°I agree with Brother L¨®ng Wei. Brother Mu is more suitable to be the next prime minister. The kingdom cannot work with corrupt officials,¡± Mingquan stated. ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing is executed in the evening. I wonder if it was important to do that,¡± he wanted to know L¨®ng Wei¡¯s answer to this.


    ¡°It was. Gao Bing was a danger for a long time,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    ¡°Hmm. Did Brother L¨®ng Wei find his father?¡± Mingquan asked. ¡°Jianjun has found out that my sister-inw did not apany you. I was scared thinking what if he tells our father,¡± he said while furrowing his brows together.


    ¡°Xu Zifan has shifted Li Hua to Chang Shi¡¯s ce,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I want to thank Brother Mingquan to help Xiwan and find out that Gao Bing was not ying with me,¡± he stated.


    ¡°It is alright, Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Mingquan said and passed a smile to him.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, the ministers must be scheming against you. I wonder what will happen in the morning,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°Brother Mingquan knows that I am a hundred steps ahead of those ministers. I know my today¡¯s step brought my close ones into danger, but sometimes it is important to take the risks for a better future,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined.


    .....


    Mingquan acknowledged his opinion. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, do you want to bring your truth in front of everyone after a certain time?¡± The lines of worry were evident on Mingquan¡¯s forehead. He was concerned for L¨®ng Wei. Because if the truth came out, then it would bring questions to his status as the prince.


    ¡°Brother Mingquan, why did you keep my secret despite you could have used it against me? I thought about it asionally, but I could nevere to an appropriate answer which could end my curiosity. I know that you have answered my this question, but it was still not satisfactory to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I saw your mother crying once after father came out of her chamber. I also saw how Father raise his hand on her,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°Father raised hand on my mother?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s blood suddenly boiled.


    Mingquan nodded his head. ¡°I was seven at that time. I wanted to show your mother the art I had made and went to her chamber. But I ended up witnessing that scene. Forgive me for not telling about it to Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Mingquan said and lowered his eyes.


    ¡°It seems she suffered a lot,¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured.


    ¡°She did.¡± Mingquan raised his head and again looked into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes. ¡°I should not be saying this, but I do not like my father. When the prophecy was made for Brother L¨®ng Wei, I was happy as I understood its meaning as I grew up because I thought in the future we would get a more capable king.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei nced at Mingquan with skepticism.


    ¡°My mother never gave me her love. I wonder why Brother Mingquan respected her so much,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Your mother was a very kinddy. As I grew up, I was not confident enough and I had a fear of people too. She used toe to my chamber and would even sometimes put me to sleep. My mother was more busy increasing her rank, so she truly not cared for me. If I would say that I considered Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother as my own, then will he trust me?¡± Mingquan questioned and patiently waited for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s answer.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled to hear all those things. ¡°I always craved my mother¡¯s love. I am surprised that she loved Brother Mingquan so much and gave him a mother¡¯s love. I have no reason not to trust Brother Mingquan,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, your mother loved you a lot. Perhaps because of her circumstances, she could never express it. Father might have known about your truth and might have asked her to behave that way with you. That is my assumption only since Father usurped the throne,¡± Mingquan proimed.


    L¨®ng Wei was astonished to find that Mingquannded on the true assumptions, but he stayed quiet. He still did not want to tell him that he had met Qizhen. It was not the right time to disclose Qizhen to anyone in the pce. Li Hua was an exception.


    ¡°Why did Brother Mingquan never tell me about all this?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei was never ready to listen to me. If I would have mentioned his mother¡¯s name, he would have gotten angry at me. Also, Brother L¨®ng Wei nevermunicated with me in older times,¡± he reasoned.


    ¡°Brother Mingquan, thank you for answering my questions,¡± L¨®ng Wei expressed his gratitude again.


    Mingquan smiled at him and told L¨®ng Wei not to be so thankful. ¡°We are brothers,¡± he said and looked outside the window that was behind L¨®ng Wei. ¡°I should take my leave. It was a nice conversation with Brother L¨®ng Wei. Sister-inw must be waiting for him,¡± he said and stood up from the floor chair.


    L¨®ng Wei also rose to his feet and saw Mingquan off outside the chamber. He closed the doors of his room and went to Li Hua¡¯s chamber to sleep with her. The maidservant had left already while Li Hua was alone in her chamber.


    ¡°Li Hua!¡± He called her name when she turned to him while holding the pillow. She was making the bed. Seeing L¨®ng Wei, she put the pillow on the bed and weed him. L¨®ng Wei closed the doors behind him and walked to her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sleep,¡± he said and removed the overcoat and then the hair bun holder from his head. He put them on the table andy next to her.


    ¡°His Highness took a long time to return,¡± Li Hua said and ced her hand on his chest.


    ¡°The conversation went on for long period,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and tilted his head to look at her.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei kissed the middle of her forehead and embraced her close. ¡°Goodnight,¡± he said and they closed their eyes.

 Chapter 514 - 514 A devoted and loving husband

    514 A devoted and loving husband


    Xu Zifan entered the room and went ahead. Lin Jie saw him and she left after bowing to him. The door got closed and he turned his head to look at Jingfei.


    ¡°You took time,¡± Jingfei said and rose to her feet. She took a step closer to Xu Zifan and told him that she would remove the overcoat.


    Xu Zifan hummed. He stayed still at his ce while Jingfei brought her hands to the overcoat¡¯s button. She gently unbuttoned them and pushed the overcoat down his arm. Once it was out, she ced it over the stand which looked like a hanger.


    She was ready to remove the second clothing when Xu Zifan stopped her. ¡°I will do it,¡± He said.


    ¡°Why would you do that? Let your wife do it,¡± Jingfei stated and she removed the sash around his waist first. The upper robe loosened and she opened the knot on it.


    She looked into his eyes and asked him if he wanted to sleep on the left side or the right one.


    ¡°What about you?¡± He asked. ¡°Sleep towards the wall side,¡± He then asserted.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jingfei turned and went to the bed. Shey on it and waited for Xu Zifan to get in. When he did, she slightly raise her body to cover him with the nket.


    Her face covered the side of her face. While she tried to put the nket on Xu Zifan¡¯s left side to cover him well. She stopped when she felt Xu Zifan¡¯s fingers on her hair and she tilted her head.


    .....


    He tucked them behind her ear and gazed into her eyes. His thumb caressed her cheek. Jingfei¡¯s heart skipped a beat and her eyelids flickered.


    ¡°Good night,¡± Xu Zifan said and lowered his hand. He turned her back to her while Jingfeiid beside him. She had her eyes fixated on his back while she continued to think about how to get close to him.


    ¡°Xu Zifan,¡± Jingfei called his name.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Can you not sleep with your face toward me?¡± She asked.


    Xu Zifan didn¡¯t respond and a few secondster, he turned to her. Their eyes met and Jingfei smiled at him. Her hand went to his chest which perplexed him.


    ¡°Your heart is also beating wildly like mine,¡± She said while keeping her gaze on him.


    ¡°Is it?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t you feel it?¡± She arched her left eyebrow.


    ¡°I do feel my heartbeat. I asked about yours,¡± Xu Zifan answered. ¡°I am not the man you love, so it¡¯s impossible that your heart can flutter for me,¡± he opined.


    ¡°You really know nothing,¡± Jingfei said. She looked displeased with his statement. ¡°I have no one in my heart except my husband. Why would I love the other man? I don¡¯t even want to talk about them,¡± she muttered while getting irked.


    ¡°Now you behave like Princess Jingfei,¡± Xu Zifan remarked and smiled.


    ¡°I am not a princess anymore,¡± Jingfei reminded him.


    ¡°I know. However, your tone was no different from your earlier self. You still hold the power to intimidate anyone,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°Really?¡± Jingfei wanted to confirm.


    ¡°Yes,¡± an instant reply came from Xu Zifan.


    Jingfei moved a little close to him and asked, ¡°Do I intimidate you?¡±


    Her breath fanned his lips and he gulped. He didn¡¯t know in what context she asked him.


    ¡°Answer, Xu Zifan,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°I was never intimidated by you,¡± Xu Zifan replied. The truth he spoke which Jingfei wanted to hear. She smiled at him and because of the joy, she kissed him.


    Xu Zifan was stunned and stopped blinking. This was the second time, he got a kiss from her. Her smile faded from her lips when she saw the surprised expression on Xu Zifan¡¯s face.


    ¡°Ahh, I did that in happiness,¡± Jingfei stated. She moved a little away when Xu Zifan grabbed her arm and drew her in his direction.


    He looked into her eyes with a deep feeling of affection and then lowered them to her lips.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, what happened?¡± Jingfei inquired.


    ¡°If I kiss you now, will it lock our feelings for each other?¡± He asked and peered into her eyes.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jingfei replied immediately and her fingers curled. He brought his hand to her jaw and connected his lips with hers. Jingfei closed her eyes and kissed him back. Her hand moved to her back as she held the fabric of his robe.


    When they ran out of breath, they slowly pulled away.


    Jingfei kept her eyes down for a while before looking at him again. She moved her hand up to his nape. ¡°Xu Zifan, let¡¯s be a happy husband and wife. My heart, my body, and my soul will always be devoted to you. You saved my dignity, and my life on my marriage day. How can I not give my heart to you? You are more than perfect and I love this fact that I married you.¡±


    Jingfei confessed her true feelings for Xu Zifan. Despite her huge mistakes, Xu Zifan epted her and readily married her. He never disrespected her neither he made use of her princess¡¯ status.


    Xu Zifan hugged her and told her not to remember her past self. ¡°I will be a good husband to you.¡± His words were limited but his gestures, and his acts were more than enough to tell how affectionate he was. From the day, they both got married, Jingfei tried every way to sway his heart, to make him feel her presence and also make her happy.


    She understood him and even though he didn¡¯t speak much about his condition, she empathized with him. He was lonely and frustrated but Jingfei gave him the perfectpany, a shoulder on which he was ready to lean.


    ¡°Jingfei, I will be a devoted and loving husband to you,¡± he admitted and closed his eyes. He was satisfied to have her in his life. He was happier than before and his heart was at peace too.

 Chapter 515 - 515 Kang Xi, I do not believe you

    515 Kang Xi, I do not believe you


    Kang Xi came running to the Governor¡¯s office to seek L¨®ng Wei¡¯s help.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, please help me. I will extend my all support to the Prince for my entire life and the entireing generation of the Kang family will do the same. I promise, Your Highness. I beg Prince L¨®ng Wei to help me,¡± Kang Xi said.


    Zhai Liang looked at L¨®ng Wei, who had a bamboo slip on his hand and he leaned against the shelf beside him. L¨®ng Wei had crossed his arms as he saw Kang Xi getting on his knees. He had this amusing smile on his lips.


    ¡°I request Prince L¨®ng Wei not to let me get removed from the prime minister¡¯s position. Prince Mu is already the general of the Qiu Kingdom. I was not even involved in any illegal matter, Your Highness. Yet, I am being reced. Only Prince L¨®ng Wei can save me from this trap,¡± Kang Xi stated and lowered his head.


    L¨®ng Wei rubbed his fingers on the temple of his forehead and then forwarded the bamboo slip toward Zhai Liang, who quickly caught it and bowed his head.


    L¨®ng Wei stepped up in Kang Xi¡¯s direction and got on his knees. He had his arm rested on his left knee and he finally spoke.


    ¡°Minister Kang Xi does not look good on his knees,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Kang Xi looked into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes and joined his hands before him. ¡°Your Highness, please help me. I have been loyal to the royal family for a long time, but today no one is ready to support me. His Majesty has given me a chance to prove my innocence. Your Highness, only you can save me. I will do anything that you will ask me to do,¡± Kang Xi asserted with a pleading look on his face.


    L¨®ng Wei inhaled a deep breath and stood up.


    .....


    ¡°How can I help a man whose son tried to kill me and my wife? Also, I think that Prime Minister Kang Xi must have done illegal things while holding such a prestigious power. I am unable to digest the fact that he was always clean. Kang Huijuan¡¯s actions are enough to prove them,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Unfortunately, Kang Xi, I cannot help you. You should beg the Crown Prince. I am not capable enough,¡± L¨®ng Wei gave his answer and asked Zhai Liang to send Kang Xi outside. He turned to go back to the shelf when Kang Xi held his feet.


    ¡°Please, Your Highness,¡± Kang Xi said. ¡°My younger son¡¯s life will be ruined and then my daughter¡¯s life is also at stake. I beg His Highness to help me with this one,¡± he said. He was not ready to leave L¨®ng Wei¡¯s feet.


    ¡°You are degrading your dignity by doing so, Kang Xi,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°My dignity was lost the day Kang Huijuan¡¯s crimes were caught. He is the reason for all this mess. I should have let His Majesty punish him,¡± Kang Xi stated.


    ¡°Do you mean that Kang Huijuan did all such illegal work in his father¡¯s name?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Kang Xi replied.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled to hear his words. Kang Xi had finally shown his true face which he wanted to see for a long time. He did not know that there would be a day when Kang Xi put the entire me for his wrongdoings on his eldest son. However, he did not pity Kang Huijuan¡¯s situation. He definitely did so many wrong things that it was time for true judgment.


    ¡°Leave your prime ministerial position, Kang Xi. You cannot have it. However, you can definitely carry a position smaller than the current one you had,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Kang Xi let go of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s feet slowly and kept his head down. So, finally, his good days had vanished.


    ¡°Your Highness, I will support you for a long time,¡± Kang Xi affirmed.


    ¡°You will not,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and turned to face him. ¡°I know you better than anyone. The person who cannot think good of his son can never think good of another person. Also, you badly wanted to throw me out of this governor¡¯s position. You came to a very wrong person to beg. You should beg the person to whom you were loyal to, all these years and still are. Don¡¯t you think?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his left eyebrow.


    Kang Xi raised his head and gazed at L¨®ng Wei. He regretted his decision of betraying L¨®ng Wei. He was loyal to the King all these years, but he was also not ready to listen to him. Kang Xi found all the doors were closed for him. He had high hopes for L¨®ng Wei, but he also refused to help him.


    If there was any person, who could stand against Prince Mu then that was L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Zhai Liang, send Kang Xi to his hous. Arrange a horse carriage for him,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and went back to him. He took the bamboo slip from him.


    Kang Xi with disappointment on his face stood up.


    ¡°Zhai Liang, I told you to bring the old documents where I can find about Qizhen and his officials,¡± L¨®ng Wei ordered him and went back to his seat.


    ¡°Does His Highness want to know about Qizhen?¡± Kang Xi immediately asked.


    L¨®ng Wei looked in his direction. ¡°Yes. Our one renowned general died in his hands. Since he existed at the time when I was not even born, so I do not know about many things. I have to find him and present him before His Majesty,¡± he exined to Kang Xi.


    ¡°Your Highness, I can tell you everything about Qiu Qizhen and his loyal officials. I request His Highness to help me in exchange of that help.¡± Kang Xi found a ray of hope in this tough time and tried his best to convince L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Why would I take Kang Xi¡¯s help on this? Even Father can tell me the details if I want, but since he is busy, so I will do it myself,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°His Highness is wrong,¡± Kang Xi said. ¡°I have witnessed the entire incidents from the past. It will help Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± he affirmed and asked L¨®ng Wei to have a private conversation with him.


    L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes and then told Kang Xi that Zhai Liang would not leave the room. ¡°You can say whatever you have in your head,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Qiu Qizhen was a kind king and the current king usurped the throne from him,¡± Kang Xi proimed. ¡°I can give every detail to Prince L¨®ng Wei, which will help him better understand. Pleasee to my residence in the evening. I will wait for Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± he stated and bowed his head. He turned to leave when L¨®ng Wei stopped him.


    Kang Xi smiled as he knew that L¨®ng Wei would definitely would like to know everything from the past.


    He turned to face L¨®ng Wei and fixated his gaze on him.


    ¡°Kang Xi, I do not believe you. You can leave and enjoy your remaining time as the Prime Minister,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated with a smile.


    The spy who was outside the office room in a servant¡¯s getup left for the pce to inform the King.

 Chapter 516 - 516 Nothing is impossible [Bonus chapter]

    516 Nothing is impossible [Bonus chapter]


    The spy had his head down as he informed the King of what he heard in the governor¡¯s office.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei refused to hear Kang Xi?¡± Qiu Zedong asked the spy.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Despite the truth Kang Xi was going to tell Prince L¨®ng Wei, he refused to listen to it,¡± the spy exined to the King.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t betraying me but my own ministers are. Kang Xi, I can¡¯t believe you. For keeping your position, you were going to tell the past events to L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Zedong murmured and looked at the spy.


    ¡°Kill Kang Xi and do it in a way that seems to be some bandits¡¯ work,¡± Qiu Zedongmanded the spy. He bowed and left toply with the King¡¯s order.


    Now, only Qiu Zedong had left in the chamber.


    ¡°I should go with L¨®ng Wei¡¯s suggestion and change the court ministers for a better future. Also, I think Kang Cha Ying should not marry Qiu Mu. His father is a traitor in my eyes and I don¡¯t need such a woman as a wife of my son,¡± He took the decision. He picked up the teacup and sipped it.


    ¡°I have only my sons to lean on. L¨®ng Wei ispletely devoted to me. Even if Qizhen exists, his own son will fight against him,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a smirk and continued to drink the tea.


    He called in a maidservant after a while and asked her to clean the table. After she left doing her work, another maidservant walked in and informed the King about the news that hade from the Queen¡¯s manor.


    .....


    ¡°Your Majesty, the Queen has fallen sick.¡±


    Qiu Zedong got worried to hear about it and asked her what happened to the Queen. When he found out that she didn¡¯t have the information on this, he left to see the Queen.


    Seeing the King, the servants in the manor lined up, and Physician Peng Yuxian stood from his seat to bow to the king. Zhu Liling tried to get up when Qiu Zedong asked her to keep lying down.


    ¡°What happened to my Queen?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°Your Majesty, Her Majesty got a high fever because of which her body is weakened,¡± Peng Yuxian stated.


    Xiaoming also reached the manor with Jin Yu upon hearing the news of his mother¡¯s illness.


    ¡°When will the Queen be well?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°Probably in two to three days, Your Majesty,¡± Peng Yuxian replied while keeping his gaze low.


    Qiu Zedong sat on the chair next to the bed and ced his hand on Zhu Liling¡¯s forehead. ¡°Hmm. The fever is high,¡± Qiu Zedong said and asked the Queen not to worry as she would be fine soon. He asked thedy-in-waiting to take good care of the Queen. ¡°Keep giving me the information on the Queen¡¯s health,¡± he proimed.


    He stood to leave when he saw the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess. They both greeted him.


    ¡°Crown Prince,e to my manorter. I have an important matter to discuss with the Crown Prince,¡± Qiu Zedong said and left the chamber.


    Zhu Liling had her eyes closed when she heard Xiaoming¡¯s voice. She opened her eyes gradually and tilted her head.


    ¡°Mother,¡± Xiaoming said and he held her hand before taking the seat. He caressed her head and asked Peng Yuxian to give an effective medicine to his mother. He saw the paleness on his mother¡¯s face which he never had seen. The lips had dried and her hands felt colder even though her forehead was burning like fire.


    ¡°Please do not worry, Your Royal Highness. Her Majesty will be fine soon,¡± Peng Yuxian assured Xiaoming. He slowly ced her mother¡¯s hand down and told her that he wouldeter to see her.


    Zhu Liling hummed and told Xiaoming not to worry about her. He smiled at her and left with Jin Yu.


    ¡°I am going to see Li Hua. I will see youter,¡± Jin Yu said and left from his sight.


    Xiaoming went to see his father, who was waiting for him in his private chamber. The maidservant let him and closed the doors behind him.


    Xiaoming bowed again to his father before taking a seat on a broad chair.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie has be adamant to marry a dancer named Song Jia. Why did the Crown Prince not inform me about it? Why did the Crown Prince let Prince Tianjie meet Song Jia when he was in Qijiang province?¡± Qiu Zedong directly came to the matter.


    ¡°Father, how am I supposed to stop Brother Tianjie when he already has given the heart to Lady Song Jia?¡± Xiaoming asked and told him that he did not find anything wrong with it.


    ¡°However, it had brought doom on the Crown Prince itself. He married Liu Jin Yu, whose family background is unknown. I epted her as the Crown Princess, but now the other prince wants me to let her marry a woman, who danced before the men. Did the princes grow up to make me see this day?¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s worries were visible on his face and the deep frown on his forehead was enough to tell anyone how disturbed he was!


    ¡°Father, many ministers, and officials support me,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Does the Crown Prince really think it is happening? The ministry will change soon,¡± Qiu Zedong stated. ¡°Also, it is no longer about the support. We do political marriages with aristocratic families for a reason. I want the Crown Prince to take an official wife from a higher ss family who will be announced as the Crown Princess,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°Father, I cannot do that. I do not want to marry multiple women. I am happy with Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    ¡°It is not a request, but an order. Since you are the Crown Prince, you need to set an example of ideal governance. If not, then you need to convince Prince Tianjie not to marry Song Jia. The Crown Prince has two days to tell me his response,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted.


    ¡°But Father that is almost impossible for me,¡± Xiaoming said with a worried look.


    ¡°You are the Crown Prince. Nothing is impossible for you. I do not want to listen to anything on this. Either you will marry a high-ss woman or you will convince Prince Tianjie to do so,¡± Qiu Zedong pronounced.

 Chapter 517 - 517 As a senior ranked official

    517 As a senior ranked official


    Xiaoming wondered what could have happened that made his father to the conclusion that he should go for a second marriage too. He did not want to fight with Tianjie either by asking him not to marry Song Jia.


    However, beforending on the final decision, he decided to have a conversation with Tianjie on the same matter.


    ¡°Sun Fuguo, inform Prince Tianjie that I want to see him,¡± Xiaoming ordered. Sun Fuguo bowed and left to deliver the message of the Crown Prince.


    Xiaoming tapped his fingers on the table and waited patiently for Tianjie. When he arrived, he asked Tianjie to take the seat which he did.


    ¡°Brother Tianjie, you need to protect Song Jia,¡± Xiaoming stated. ¡°Can you do it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Why does the Crown Prince ask?¡± Tianjie asked with a confused look.


    ¡°Because he may have to fight against the father. Father does not want you to marry Song Jia and he is adamant about it. Brother Tianjie needs to protect Song Jia because she may get harmed,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Why Father is doing this?¡± Tianjie got irked. He never went against his father¡¯s wishes. He did what his father wanted him to do and he also worked for his father. However, Tianjie wanted to be with a person whom he cherished; her social status did not matter to him.


    ¡°Because Father is the king. We have seen how only noble women are married to royal families. If a low-status woman marries a prince, she could get a concubine position at most. It has been followed for a long time and that is why it is expected to continue till the future,¡± Xiaoming asserted. He asked Tianjie not to hate their father but found a way to protect Song Jia well.


    .....


    ¡°I understand, Your Royal Highness,¡± Tianjie said.


    Xiaoming did not tell him that their father wanted him to stop Tianjie from marrying Song Jia because he did not want to do so. He had a way in his mind which would not increase doubts in the noble ss¡¯s minds against the royal family.


    Earlier Xiaoming had thought that he would discuss with Tianjie that he was given a condition. However, he then thought it would increase worries for no reason in Tianjie. He was already disturbed. Fate was too tough for him.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, these days, I keep thinking of Song Jia every time. I fear, what if Father passes an execution order against her? I get weird dreams. I never felt this way all these years,¡± Tianjie expressed his thoughts which he was unable to tell anyone around him.


    ¡°You need to rx your brain, Brother Tianjie. Do not let your fear overpower you. I will do my best that you both get married peacefully,¡± Xiaoming assured him and rose to his feet. Tianjie looked up where the Crown Prince was heading to.


    Xiaoming opened the tiny cupboard and took out a small white porcin bottle. He returned to his ce and forwarded it to Tianjie.


    ¡°What is it, Your Royal Highness?¡± Tianjie asked with a confused look.


    ¡°A medicine which will give you a good sleep. It has no side effects. For the mind to effectively work, proper rest to the brain is necessary,¡± Xiaoming humbly said.


    Tianjie took it and thanked Xiaoming to help him.


    ¡°Where has been Song Jia staying these days? Forgive me, I did not ask earlier,¡± Xiaoming stated with a slight smile.


    ¡°In a private residence, Your Royal Highness. Father has gifted me it,¡± Tianjie replied. Xiaoming nodded his head and told Tianjie that he should leave. ¡°Let¡¯s meet in the evening. Brother L¨®ng Wei will be present too. Until then, Brother Tianjie can take a good rest,¡± he stated.


    Tianjie hummed and again thanked Xiaoming for listening to him.


    ¡°Father looks different. I am unable to understand him these days,¡± Xiaoming murmured and a frustrated sigh escaped his mouth.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, Lady Jingfei hase,¡± Sun Fuguo said from outside. Xiaoming quickly stood up from his ce and asked them to let her in. He stepped up and in a few seconds, Jingfei was in front of his eyes.


    ¡°Brother,¡± Jingfei hugged Xiaoming while he patted her back.


    ¡°You look too pretty,¡± Xiaomingplimented Jingfei as they pulled away.


    ¡°Thank you, Brother,¡± Jingfei said and asked him what happened to their mother.


    ¡°She has a fever. Do not worry. Mother will be alright. I will take you to her manor,¡± Xiaoming said and asked her if she was happy.


    ¡°I am happier than I have thought. Xu Zifan takes good care of me, Brother,¡± Jingfei asserted.


    ¡°d to hear that,¡± Xiaoming said when Jingfei told him that she wanted to meet their father. Xiaoming told her that he would apany her. While walking toward the manor of the King, Xiaoming asked about Xu Zifan.


    ¡°Did he not apany you?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Xu Zifan has work to do, Brother. He could not skip it,¡± Jingfei replied.


    ¡°You came alone? Why did you not send a message beforeing here?¡± Xiaoming questioned.


    ¡°Brother, Xu Zifan dropped me at the pce gates. He told me that he woulde in the evening and would meet my Brother and the others,¡± Jingfei answered. Xiaoming hummed and found a different glow on Jingfei¡¯s face. Xu Zifan was indeed the right choice for her.


    They soon reached the King¡¯s manor. Qiu Zedong was delighted to see his daughter.


    ¡°Jingfei looks happy to me,¡± Qiu Zedong remarked.


    ¡°I told Father that Jingfei will not regret marrying Xu Zifan. He is such a good man, Father,¡± Jingfei did not stop herself from praising her husband.


    Qiu Zedong was joyous to see that his daughter was happier than he had thought. ¡°You adjusted well. That is good to see,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°I have ained with Father,¡± Jingfei said while pouting her lips.


    Xiaoming looked at his sister and pondered what she would say.


    ¡°What kind ofin?¡± Qiu Zedong asked while he continued tough.


    ¡°Father did not punish Jianjun for ying with the heart of his daughter. I would be suffering in hell if I had married him,¡± Jingfei stated. ¡°Yesterday, I went out with Xu Zifan and Jianjun called him a low-rank official. He still has the audacity to bad-mouth my husband. I did not like it, Father. Father should demote Jianjun from his government¡¯s position,¡± she affirmed.


    ¡°I cannot do that. Mere remarks are not enough to punish anyone. However, I can increase the rank of Xu Zifan,¡± Qiu Zedong stated which was itself shocking. He looked at Xiaoming and continued, ¡°Crown Prince, what do you think is a suitable position for Xu Zifan? What department he can handle well?¡±


    ¡°Father, I think Xu Zifan is well suited to the Ministry of Justice. He should work in the department as a senior ranked official,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Qiu Zedong called in a servant and told him to bring the scroll along with an ink brush.


    Qiu Zedong wrote something over the silk fabric scroll and then put the royal seal on it. He handed it to Xiaoming and told him to appoint Xu Zifan as the ranked second official. ¡°Send the decree and the robe of rank second official to Xu Zifan,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡± Xiaoming epted the scroll from his father while Jingfei thanked her father. She did not know her father would take such a wonderful decision when she did not even ask for it.

 Chapter 518 - 518 I have charms

    518 I have charms


    L¨®ng Wei stepped out of the carriage and left for his manor. After removing the overcoat, he went to see Li Hua. To his surprise, he found out that she wasn¡¯t present in the chamber. Even the maidservant wasn¡¯t around, so he decided to wait for her.


    He looked at the table on which he saw the sword. ¡°Is she practicing these days?¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured and went to the patio. He looked up at the sky and missed Yuze.


    ¡°He left me in the most unexpected way,¡± he said and sighed. He lowered his head and nkly stared at the space before him. L¨®ng Wei had less time to correct everything.


    ¡°Your Highness, Miss Kang hase to see you,¡± L¨®ng Wei heard a masculine voice and turned to look. It was a soldier and it made him arch his brow.


    L¨®ng Wei wondered if he should allow her to meet him or not.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness. I did not find the prince in his chamber, so I came here. There was no servant outside either,¡± the soldier said with a frightened look. He was trembling in fear because of L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Bring her to the guest chamber,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and the soldierplied with his order.


    L¨®ng Wei soon reached the guest chamber, where Cha Ying was present. She stood up to see him and greeted him.


    ¡°Thank you for allowing me to see Your Highness,¡± Cha Ying said and found L¨®ng Wei had taken the seat.


    .....


    ¡°What do you want? If it is about your father, then I cannot help you,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°If my father has done wrong, then I will not ask for His Highness¡¯s help,¡± Cha Ying answered.


    ¡°Let me tell you, then. Your father has indeed done so many wrong things,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Cha Ying lowered her eyes and sped her hands together which L¨®ng Wei noticed.


    ¡°It feels terrible to find out that your father, your elder brother turned out to be the devils in human disguises,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked. Cha Ying could not deny that statement.


    ¡°I do not want the rest of us to suffer because of my father¡¯s and brother¡¯s faults,¡± Cha Ying said and looked at him.


    ¡°You should go to Prince Mu. He can better help you in this matter rather than me. I have no intention to help the Kang family. I wanted to help, but Kang Huijuan betrayed me, so I have decided to step back,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to him.


    Cha Ying¡¯s eyes were filled with tears, but she didn¡¯t let them fall down. This was a vulnerable period for her. If the title was snatched from her father, the Kang family¡¯s reputation would be ruined too.


    ¡°If you have done wrong, you have to bear the consequences of it. The same is happening with your father and brother. You cannot stop people from gossiping, so it is better for you to shut your ears. The Kang Family can turn better by doing good work too if they want,¡± L¨®ng Wei advised her.


    Cha Ying peered at him and nodded her head. ¡°I will marry Prince Mu soon. However, I do not want to leave my family behind when they are in such a tough phase,¡± she stated.


    ¡°So? Do you want to dy the marriage?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°I think I should not marry. However, my father will be angry if I don¡¯t marry Prince Mu. I don¡¯t know why I am telling all this to Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± she chuckled as she wiped the tears from the pad of her fingers.


    ¡°I cannotment on this,¡± L¨®ng Wei refused to say anything as it could lead to a rift between him and Qiu Mu, which he didn¡¯t want to happen.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Cha Ying said and told him that she should leave. L¨®ng Wei hummed and she turned from him.


    ¡°Cha Ying, do what your heart says,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. She again looked at him and found the encouragement which she had been looking for. There was not a single person to support her decision and her heart had already told her that she didn¡¯t want to marry Qiu Mu at the current moment.


    She thanked L¨®ng Wei again for listening to her and walked away.


    L¨®ng Wei decided to go back to Li Hua¡¯s chamber and came out when he found Cha Ying in the corridor. ¡°You didn¡¯t leave,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I have to say something to His Highness,¡± Cha Ying stated.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°I wish I would have chosen Prince L¨®ng Wei at the very beginning. I wish I was the first woman to hold His Highness¡¯s hand,¡± Cha Ying stated.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled to hear her. ¡°But I would not have chosen you nor would I have let you hold my hand,¡± he said.


    ¡°His Highness rejected me so easily,¡± Cha Ying muttered. She saw Li Hua hade from behind L¨®ng Wei and she bowed to her.


    L¨®ng Wei turned to look and see Li Hua. A smile appeared on his lips and he dashed to her. ¡°Where were you? I waited so long,¡± he said. He totally had forgotten that Cha Ying was still present there.


    Li Hua looked at Cha Ying, who left from there. She gazed at L¨®ng Wei and asked him why Cha Ying proposed to him.


    ¡°You heard?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked in astonishment.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Hua replied.


    ¡°I do not know. She randomly said that,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°What was she doing here? What did she talk about with His Highness?¡± Li Hua questioned.


    L¨®ng Wei decided to tease Li Hua.


    ¡°Cha Ying asked me to marry her,¡± L¨®ng Wei. ¡°I told you I have charms to sway anyone¡¯s heart,¡± he praised himself and smiled proudly.


    Li Hua hit his arm and asked him if he had already started to look at other women. ¡°How could you do this to me?¡± She inquired when L¨®ng Wei held her wrist. She raised the other hand but he caught it too.


    He put them behind her back and pulled her up. ¡°Leave me,¡± she struggled in his grip.


    ¡°I do not n to,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and kissed her hard.

 Chapter 519 - 519 Let me lead your path [Bonus chapter]

    519 Let me lead your path [Bonus chapter]


    Li Hua and L¨®ng Wei stopped kissing each other after a few seconds. She kept her gaze low while he kept his gaze on her. ¡°She didn¡¯t ask me to marry her. I thought to tease you. I told Cha Ying that even if she would have chosen me, I would have rejected her. I suppose you heard that too,¡± he stated.


    Li Hua hummed and looked up. ¡°Why did His Highness say that?¡± Despite knowing the answer, she wanted to hear it from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Because I do not like the Kang Family,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Hua chuckled. She did not expect this answer from him. She thought that he would say that he only loved Li Hua¡¯s characteristics which no one resembled.


    L¨®ng Wei liked her reaction and said, ¡°Li Hua, I would not have chosen her. Never. L¨®ng Wei is made for Li Hua and she is made for him. Nobody can rece her.¡±


    That was the answer Li Hua wanted to hear and a smile appeared on her red lips. She told L¨®ng Wei not to tease her like that.


    ¡°Why? Will you be more violent?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hit His Highness,¡± she stated.


    ¡°You can hit me as much as you want,¡± he remarked. ¡°Where were you?¡± He finally asked.


    .....


    ¡°Sister Jingfei hase to the pce. So, I went to see her in the lotus pavilion,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°She told me my brother is happy with her. Brother wille in the evening to take her home. Ahh, I heard Her Majesty is sick. Did His Highness visit her?¡± Li Hua suddenly changed her question.


    ¡°Why would I visit her? It doesn¡¯t matter to me if she remains healthy or sick,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°His Highness should not think wrong of others,¡± Li Hua opined and frowned at him.


    ¡°I did not think ill of her. I only stated what I feel,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°Did you visit the Queen?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I did,¡± Li Hua replied. ¡°Her Majesty does not look good. I pray that Her Majesty quickly gets well,¡± she said and joined her both hands.


    ¡°Ayee, you should pray for me, not the others,¡± L¨®ng Wei held her hands.


    ¡°I always pray for His Highness,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°But I never saw you praying for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with an upset look.


    ¡°When one prays for a person, he doesn¡¯t tell that person. It is a rule of prayer, else it is not fulfilled,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Then, how many prayers of yours for me have been fulfilled till now?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°Umm¡­ all got fulfilled except one,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°What is it that hasn¡¯t been fulfilled till now?¡±


    ¡°I will tell His Highness when it will be fulfilled,¡± Li Hua replied and went forward. L¨®ng Wei walked after her and told her it would be better if she told him about her prayer.


    ¡°I cannot,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°Now, His Highness will not ask me about it. Isn¡¯t His Highness hungry?¡± She questioned.


    ¡°I am,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and inteced his fingers with hers. They both went ahead to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chamber.


    ~~~~~


    ¡°I have decided to step down as the Crown Prince,¡± Xiaoming informed Jin Yu.


    ¡°It is the only way to save Song Jia. Tianjie will be happy that way. Father can make Brother Mu the next Crown Prince. The problem arose because of me, so I should end it. What do you say, Jin Yu? Are you with me in this decision?¡± He wanted to know her opinion.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, the problem did not start because of you. It started because I married the Crown Prince. I married you for my selfish reasons too would not like to see you stepping down from the Crown Prince¡¯s position. Not because I am greedy for it, but because your problem will not be solved,¡± Jin Yu affirmed.


    Xiaoming looked at her in confusion and asked her to exin.


    ¡°Noble Consort Xiuying will not let us survive. I cannot let it happen. She will use her son against you,¡± Jin Yu pronounced.


    ¡°Why would she? I will no longer be the Crown Prince, and whatever I will do has no implications on others,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°You are right, but Noble Consort Xiuying isn¡¯t that kind of person. The Queen will be reced once you step down from your position. You should not take such a step that willnd us in a pit. You are the most suitable person to hold the Crown Prince¡¯s position but not Prince Mu. You have worked hard for it and I do not want to be the reason for your unhappiness.¡±


    Xiaoming was going to tell her that it was not what she was thinking, but she didn¡¯t let him speak.


    ¡°I have a suggestion. I want you to ept my suggestion,¡± Jin Yu stated.


    ¡°What kind of suggestion do you have?¡± Xiaoming inquired.


    ¡°I will tell His Majesty that I am the daughter of Li Zixuan. I want you to have faith in me. Let me lead your path this time. Let me hold the reins of the horse on which you are seated,¡± Jin Yu urged. Her eyes gleamed with confidence.


    ¡°Jin Yu, Li Zixuan will take advantage of it,¡± Xiaoming stated. ¡°I do not want to see you suffer,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Your situation will suffer me more, Xiaoming. I will regret not doing anything. Also, Li Zixuan is my father whom I always wanted to meet and have a conversation. Let me help you. A man doesn¡¯t need to save his woman all the time. The opposite can happen too. We both vowed to be each other¡¯s shield and support. It is the time to fulfill my wife¡¯s duties,¡± Jin Yu said with a smile and ced her hand above his.


    Xiaoming smiled back at her. He was lucky to have Jin Yu. He didn¡¯t oppose her anymore. She was his strength and this time he truly wanted her to lead his path where he was stuck.

 Chapter 520 - 520 Acknowledge me as the eldest daughter

    520 Acknowledge me as the eldest daughter


    Jin Yu and Xiaoming went to meet Li Jianjun in the evening after seeing the Queen, who was sleeping. They stepped out of the carriage and walked inside the Li Residence.


    However, before going in Xiaoming asked Jin Yu for the nth time if they should use this way. Jin Yu told her for the nth time that they would go with her n.


    As they reached the courtyard, they first encountered Li Jianjun. He walked up to them and greeted both of them.


    ¡°Call your father. We have an urgent matter to discuss with him,¡± Xiaoming told him. Li Jianjun lifted his head and nced at the servant. He gestured to the servant, who went to inform the master of the house.


    ¡°Pleasee this way, Your Royal Highnesses,¡± Li Jianjun humbly said and they left for the guest room. Li Jianjun¡¯s mother, Lady Li, came with two female servants and served tea to both of them.


    ¡°We are not here to drink tea or have any friendly conversation. I want you not to do this,¡± Jin Yu said while suppressing her anger.


    Both mother and son looked at each other when Li Zixuan entered. He apologized for gettingte.


    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    Li Zixuan took the seat in front of them while his wife sat next to him when Jin Yu asked her. Li Jianjun remained standing. He pondered what could be the matter that both the Crown Prince and Crown Princess hade there.


    .....


    ¡°I want Lord Li to tell the name of the woman whom he kicked out of the house only to marry the woman who is now his wife,¡± Jin Yu pronounced.


    Li Zixuan got shocked to hear about it and he looked at the Crown Prince, who had a stoic expression on his face.


    ¡°Pardon me, but what is the Crown Princess saying?¡± Lady Li asked. She did not like the way Jin Yu used her husband of having an affair with another woman.


    ¡°Jianjun, please take your mother away,¡± Li Zixuan ordered his son. Li Jianjun stepped up when Jin Yu asked him to stay where he was.


    ¡°Your son should also know that he inherited the qualities of cheating from his father only,¡± Jin Yu stated and chuckled. ¡°Answer my question, Lord Li,¡± she demanded.


    Li Zixuan lowered his head and fiddled with his fingers. ¡°Liu Yinuo was her name, Your Royal Highness,¡± he finally replied.


    ¡°You know that the woman was pregnant with your child, yet you kicked her out of the house on one dark night. Because she could not benefit you, so you decided to throw her out of your life and marry another woman who was from a noble family,¡± Jin Yu stated.


    Li Zixuan did not deny those facts as they were true. Li Jianjun looked at his father and furrowed his brows together.


    ¡°I apologize for the wrong I did,¡± Li Zixuan said while feeling guilty.


    ¡°I am the daughter of Liu Yinuo, Liu Jin Yu.¡± The revtion shocked all of them except Xiaoming. ¡°Sadly, my mother died a few months after my birth. Every day, I desired to find the man who did wrong to my mother. It took me time, but finally, I found you. It is the time when you should fulfill your fatherly duties toward me.¡± She paused and let Li Zixuan speak.


    ¡°The Crown Princess shall not lie. How could she be the daughter¡ª¡± Lady Li was stopped by Li Zixuan.


    ¡°She is my daughter. I was supposed to marry Liu Yinuo, but because of the greed I possessed, I did not marry her. Her Royal Highness is right. I threw her out of the house,¡± Li Zixuan admitted the truth in front of them.


    ¡°I never wanted to forgive a man who did wrong to my mother. Even at this moment, my mind is telling me to demand the harshest punishment for the man, who ruined my mother¡¯s life. I grew up in utter poverty while all of you lived a life offort,¡± Jin Yu¡¯s eyes filled with tears while speaking all those things.


    ¡°It is the time when you should acknowledge me as the eldest daughter of the Li Family. That is the only way to calm my anger down,¡± Jin Yu pronounced.


    ¡°Her Royal Highness¡¯ mother never married my husband. So, in that sense the Crown Prince is an illegitimate daughter,¡± Lady Li argued.


    ¡°But you cannot deny the fact that I am his eldest daughter,¡± Jin Yu affirmed. ¡°Your husband should rectify his mistake when I am giving him a chance. Your son has already destroyed the name of the Li family with his great act.¡± She did not refrain from being sarcastic and gazed at Li Jianjun.


    ¡°The Crown Princess is right. The Li Family is no longer a reputed family among the noble ss as it used to be,¡± Xiaoming affirmed.


    ¡°Acknowledging me as the eldest daughter of the Li family will at least save you all from getting drowned,¡± Jin Yu proimed. She never wanted Li Zixuan to use her again to get his lost power back.


    However, more than that Xiaoming mattered to him. She did not want him to step down as the Crown Prince nor did she want the King to force him into a second marriage. Xiaoming held her hand in the most vulnerable time of his life and she had to save him.


    Li Jianjun gazed at his father and wondered what his decision would be.


    ¡°I will do that, Your Royal Highness,¡± Li Zixuan affirmed.


    Jin Yu stood up and so did Xiaoming. ¡°Follow us to the pce,¡± Jin Yu said and walked out of the guest room. Li Jianjun bowed his head as they both left. He looked at his father, who told him that he would return soon.


    ¡°Son, stop your father,¡± Lady Li told her son.


    ¡°Mother, do you not want the Li family to gain its power back?¡± Li Jianjun asked. ¡°My elder sister is the Crown Princess. Father has done nothing wrong, so let¡¯s respect his decision,¡± he asserted with a smile.

 Chapter 521 - 521 A way to express her thoughts

    521 A way to express her thoughts


    Qiu Zedong gazed at Jin Yu and then at Li Zixuan, who had kept his head low.


    ¡°Are you the father of the Crown Princess?¡± Qiu Zedong asked Li Zixuan to confirm.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Liu Yinuo was the woman whom I wanted to marry, but...¡± he paused as he was unable to tell in front of the King what he did to Liu Yinuo.


    ¡°Why did you pause?¡± Qiu Zedong asked him to finish what he was saying.


    ¡°Your Majesty, my father will not be able to tell the wrong he did to my mother. So, I will tell His Majesty myself,¡± Jin Yu said while keeping her hands on her belly and head low.


    ¡°Did Li Jianjun throw out the Crown Princess¡¯ mother?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. I searched for my father for a very long time. Because my mother couldn¡¯t survive after my birth, I could not know who was my father. I know His Majesty may be doubtful of my identity, that¡¯s why I brought the evidence with me. If His Majesty allows me, then I will show it to him,¡± Jin Yu requested.


    ¡°I would like to see it,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    Jin Yu lifted her head and nced at Xiaoming.


    .....


    ¡°Royal Father, this is an old document that mentions the Crown Princess¡¯ mother¡¯s name along with Li Zixuan¡¯s,¡± Xiaoming asserted and went forward.


    He opened the document before the King, who read it and found that the document was indeed very old. He red in Li Zixuan¡¯s direction, who immediately lowered his head and got on his knees.


    ¡°Forgive me for my act, Your Majesty,¡± he pleaded for forgiveness as he hid the truth for a long time.


    ¡°My Father turned greedy and decided to ditch my mother when she was pregnant with me; was supposed to marry him. He married a woman from an influential family and wiped out every piece of evidence except the one that is His Majesty holding,¡± Jin Yu pronounced.


    ¡°How did the Crown Princess find out that her father belonged to a noble ss? I would like to know how she found out about all this. When did she find out that Li Zixuan was her father?¡± Qiu Zedong put forward some important questions.


    ¡°I told the Crown Prince about it,¡± Jin Yu replied and took out the jade from inside her long sleeve.


    ¡°This was the only thing that my mother possessed after she was thrown out. The Crown Prince told me this jade only a high-rank official can possess. So, we looked into the influential ministers and officials. Prince Mingquan helped the Crown Prince find that document,¡± Jin Yu affirmed.


    Qiu Zedong lowered his hands and asked Li Zixuan to go home.


    Xiaoming and Jin Yu got perplexed to hear thatmand of the King.


    Li Zixuanplied with the King¡¯smand and left.


    ¡°Now, the Crown Princess can tell me the answers to the rest of the questions,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°I found out about it a few days ago through the Crown Prince, Your Majesty,¡± Jin Yu asserted.


    ¡°Why did the Crown Prince hide the truth instead of revealing it?¡± Qiu Zedong looked angry.


    ¡°Because the Crown Prince thought that my father would use me to gain his power back,¡± Jin Yu replied on Xiaoming¡¯s behalf.


    ¡°Why did the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess decide to reveal it? Did the Crown Princess reveal it because I asked the Crown Prince to marry a noble woman if he could not stop Prince Tianjie to marry a dancer?¡± Qiu Zedong inquired.


    ¡°His Majesty is wrong,¡± Jin Yu stated.


    Qiu Zedong frowned to hear Jin Yu¡¯s answer.


    ¡°The Crown Prince was thinking to step down from his position,¡± Jin Yu truthfully answered.


    Qiu Zedong red in the direction of Xiaoming.


    ¡°Your Majesty, a woman also makes a man. His Majesty won so many great battles because his women were by his side all the time and took care of the household for him. The reason to reveal my true identity is to save the Crown Prince. As his wife, that is my duty,¡± Jin Yu gave heartfelt answers.


    ¡°I do not want the kingdom to turn upside down if the Crown Prince steps down. I have lived my life as amoner. I never heard about any princes but about the Crown Prince, I had heard through people around me. They all love him, respect him, and want him to be the King. I do not want him to lose his happiness because of the pressure that His Majesty¡¯smand has given him. That¡¯s why I asked the Crown Prince to let me expose the truth about my identity,¡± Jin Yu exined to the King.


    ¡°The Crown Princess decided to bore the remarks from the people around her instead of revealing her identity. However, when it came to Xiaoming, she revealed her identity as the Li family eldest daughter,¡± Qiu Zedong ended up smiling.


    ¡°I am impressed with the Crown Princess. She knows how to handle the situations,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted and looked at Xiaoming.


    ¡°You chose the right woman to be in your life,¡± Qiu Zedong stated while smiling.


    ¡°I request His Majesty to marry Prince Tianjie to Song Jia. I was a thief before I married the Crown Prince. It was a way of survival for me. I stole money from rich people. Song Jia also dances for survival, Your Majesty. We,moners, do not have a choice when ites to survival. Everyone loves his or her life,¡± Jin Yu rested her words and lowered her eyes.


    ¡°The Crown Princess is way more observant than I have thought. She has a way to express her thoughts which I liked. I suddenly remembered my great-grandmother, who was amoner but became the Queen because of her remarkable decisions which helped the king of that time.¡± Qiu Zedong continued to smile and asked Jin Yu to keep her honesty till the very end.


    ¡°Fine. I will allow Prince Tianjie to marry Song Jia. However, the Crown Princess has to fight the dangers awaiting her. I would like to see how she will control the Li Family from using her name,¡± Qiu Zedong stated with an amusing smile on his lips.

 Chapter 522 - 522 Why are your cheeks red? [Bonus chapter]

    522 Why are your cheeks red? [Bonus chapter]


    Xu Zifan ced the royal decree on the table which carried the order of his appointment as ranked second official. He looked at chaofu (the formal robe of the official) when he heard Jingfei¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, did you like it? Now, Jianjun cannot make fun of you,¡± Jingfei said while smiling brightly.


    ¡°Did you ask His Majesty for this?¡± Xu Zifan inquired.


    ¡°I was telling my father how Jianjun made fun of you when we both had gone out,¡± Jingfei said and stroked her hand over the chaofu robe.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to inform about such a small matter to your father,¡± Xu Zifan said. ¡°Don¡¯t you think people will say that I got this rank because I married the First Princess?¡± He didn¡¯t want to get angry at Jingfei, so he kept his cool.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for it. I merely wanted my father to punish Li Jianjun. He insulted you, so I could not bear that,¡± Jingfei asserted.


    ¡°When I can bear it why can¡¯t you do it?¡± Xu Zifan questioned her.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m your wife,¡± Jingfei replied.


    ¡°No. You want me to be a higher rank official because you were once the Princess,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    .....


    Jingfei¡¯s eyes turned misty. That was not true. She didn¡¯t think the way Xu Zifan interpreted it. ¡°Father said that he will make you rank the second official. Had I known that you would be furious, I would have stopped my father,¡± she said as a tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly wiped it and averted her gaze from him.


    ¡°Have your dinner,¡± Jingfei said and she walked away.


    Xu Zifan realized that he wrongly interpreted Jingfei¡¯s intentions. He sighed, but he didn¡¯t go after Jingfei. But the tear that fell from her cheek suddenly shed before his eyes. It bothered him for a few minutes and he left his room to see Jingfei.


    However, he didn¡¯t find her in her room. Lin Jie told Xu Zifan that she didn¡¯te there which worried him and he began searching for her.


    ¡°Where are you heading to?¡± Feng Lao asked as he saw Xu Zifan running.


    Xu Zifan halted and turned to look at him. ¡°Did you see Jingfei?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes. She headed to the kitchen. Why do you ask?¡± Feng Lao queried.


    ¡°I will tell youter,¡± Xu Zifan said and he left for the kitchen.


    ¡°Did he fight with her?¡± Feng Lao murmured and went ahead.


    In the kitchen, Jingfei instructed the chef about the dinner. She turned to leave after she told the chef what dishes to be prepared but stopped to see Xu Zifan there.


    The chef and his helpers greeted Xu Zifan, who didn¡¯t hear them as his entire focus was on Jingfei. She decided to leave and walked past him when he held her wrist.


    The next second, he took her away with him. Reaching the corridor from where his room was near, he stopped and asked Jingfei to forgive him.


    ¡°I am guilty of what I said to you,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    Jingfei didn¡¯t say a word when he asked her to at least speak to him.


    ¡°What do you want me to say? You are doubtful of my intentions for you. If there is someone who is anxious for you, then that¡¯s me. More than your sister, or your friend, I worry for you. Don¡¯t you see that? You also know that I do not hold the princess¡¯ power anymore, yet you didn¡¯t believe me. You thought I want you to be at a good rank for my personal use.¡±


    Jingfei expressed her thoughts. She thought he would be happy, but the opposite happened.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± Xu Zifan said and lowered his eyelids. He could not meet her gaze while she continued to stare at him.


    Instead of going away, Jingfei opened her arms and then embraced him. Her gesture stunned Xu Zifan and he heard her say, ¡°I cannot even get angry at you. I know you are an honest person, who wants to achieve things with honesty and hard work. However, Father is happy seeing his daughter happy. That¡¯s the main reason he raised your rank. You should ask my father or get angry at him instead of me. I have only now. When you get angry at me, I get sadder. But I cannot be upset with you for a long time.¡±


    Xu Zifan ced his left hand on her back and caressed it. ¡°You understand me so well, Jingfei. I want to apologize for doubting your intentions for me,¡± He said.


    Jingfei pulled away and looked into his eyes. ¡°Give me a present and I will forgive you,¡± She said with a smile.


    ¡°A present? I have to go to the market,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to buy me anything from the market. I want an instant present,¡± She asserted, keeping the same bright smile.


    ¡°I have to think if I possess something precious to present to you,¡± Xu Zifan asked for a minute from her when Jingfei pointed her index finger at his lips.


    ¡°Will that not be an instant present?¡± Jingfei inquired in amusement.


    Xu Zifan¡¯s fingers curled and he kept peering into her eyes.


    Xu Zifan¡¯s face slowly moved closer to Jingfei. Their lips were only an inch apart to get connected when someone cleared his throat.


    Xu Zifan and Jingfei tilted their heads and saw Feng Lao and Huang Xi.


    Jingfei immediately pulled away and they both felt awkward.


    Feng Lao and Huang Xi smiled while keeping their heads low.


    Xu Zifan¡¯s cheeks had flushed red. Jingfei told him that she would see himter and quickly left for her room.


    ¡°Wh-what are you two doing here?¡± Xu Zifan asked as he stepped down the stairs and halted before them.


    ¡°Why are your cheeks red?¡± Feng Lao asked and touched Xu Zifan¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°Th-they aren¡¯t red,¡± Xu Zifan promptly yanked Feng Lao¡¯s hand away.


    ¡°Feng Lao, they were kissing,¡± Huang Xi said and theyughed out together.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t. Will you two stop?¡± Xu Zifan scolded them.


    Both Feng Lao and Huang Xi pursed their lips to suppress theirughter and teased Xu Zifan for some time.


    ¡°Why are you two here?¡± Xu Zifan again asked.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is here,¡± Huang Xi said and took Xu Zifan with them.

 Chapter 523 - 523 I will wait for you

    523 I will wait for you


    Qiu Mu stopped drinking the tea when Cha Ying told him that she did not want to marry him.


    ¡°Is Miss Kang stepping back from the marriage because I brought the real face of her father in front of the king?¡± Qiu mu questioned and ced the teacup on the table.


    ¡°No. The reason is that my family needs me. My elder brother has been given life imprisonment while my father will not be able to prove his innocence because of what he did all these years. I do not want the Kang Family name to go down for which I have to stay with my family. Currently, I cannot marry Prince Mu,¡± Cha Ying exined her situation to him. ¡°I apologize if I have hurt him,¡± she kept her gaze low.


    ¡°I understand. I will wait,¡± Qiu Mu said.


    Cha Ying lifted her head to look into his eyes in astonishment.


    ¡°I can wait for Miss Kang. I want her to be my wife,¡± Qiu Mu pronounced.


    ¡°It may take a year for me or even another year. Will he keep waiting for me? Also, His Majesty may ask Prince Mu to someone else, who does not make him wait,¡± Cha Ying answered.


    ¡°I will wait for you, Cha Ying,¡± Qiu Mu stated. ¡°You understand me better. After knowing Miss Kang, it is impossible for me to look at another woman,¡± Qiu Mu stated. He was honest with his feelings.


    Earlier, he would get swayed by any beautiful woman, who attempted to seduce him. However, after he got a deep lesson, his attention was totally diverted away from the women. If his father had not asked him to meet Kang Cha Ying, he would have missed knowing a pragmatic woman.


    .....


    ¡°I do not want His Highness to wait for me. The Kang family name is already destroyed. I do not want because of me, he has to hear anything wrong. Our feelings are not either strong for each other, so it would be better if we stop here,¡± Cha Ying stated.


    Last night, her father told her to do anything to get the throne along with Qiu Mu. That was the only way to make the Kang Family once again stronger in Kang Xi¡¯s eyes.


    However, Cha Ying did not want to do that. For the selfish acts of her father, she did not want to be a way. Also, she knew after she would marry Qiu Mu, her father might try to manipte the prince, which she did not want to happen.


    ¡°Why is Miss Kang saying this? She is hurting my feelings,¡± Qiu Mu asserted and clenched his fist which was on his knee.


    ¡°Forgive me for hurting His Highness. I did not intend to do that,¡± Cha Ying again apologized and bowed to him.


    ¡°Cha Ying, look at me,¡± Qiu Mu demanded.


    Cha Ying looked straight into his eyes.


    ¡°You are my betrothed. I will wait for you to get ready to marry me,¡± Qiu Mu repeated his words.


    Cha Ying removed the silver bracelet that Qiu Mu gave her as the amulet. She ced it on the table and said, ¡°Prince Mu, I return this to you.¡±


    ¡°Cha Ying, do not do this. Are you telling me that you will no longer marry me even if I wait for you?¡± Qiu Mu frowned as his voice turned sadder. He was unable to understand what went wrong that Cha Ying acted this way.


    ¡°Your father if will stay as the Prime Minister, he will not stop,¡± Qiu Mu stated. He thought Cha Ying was angry with him because he rose the matter to remove Kang Xi from the highest ministerial position in the state.


    ¡°Prince Mu, I have mentioned the reason. I hope Prince Mu will move ahead. I am happy that he is working toward a prosperous nation,¡± Cha Ying said and rose to her feet. ¡°Thank you for having thest tea with me,¡± she said and bowed to him.


    Qiu Mu kept staring at her face and found it was neutral. He watched Cha Ying leaving the pavilion and she soon vanished from his sight. He looked at the silver bracelet on the table and leaned forward to take it.


    His grip tightened around the bracelet and he chuckled. He remained seated on the chair in the pavilion while continuing to stare at the bracelet. He did not realize when his mother came there until she tapped on the table.


    Qiu Mu got dumbfounded to see his mother and stood up from the chair. The servant came forward and cleaned the table while Qiu Mu greeted his mother.


    ¡°I heard Kang Cha Ying no longer wants to marry Prince Mu,¡± Xiuying stated.


    ¡°Did she tell the mother?¡± Qiu Mu asked with a perplexed expression.


    ¡°No. I got informed twenty minutes ago,¡± Xiuying said and took a seat. He gestured to her son to take a seat, who settled on the chair again.


    Qiu Mu was going to tell his mother that she should talk with Cha Ying and make her understand. However, before he could express that thought, Xiuying spoke.


    ¡°Prince Mu, do not marry Kang Cha Ying.¡±


    That mere statement from his mother stunned Qiu Mu. ¡°Why did Mother say that? She knows well that we both look good together,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°My son looks good with any woman. The Kang family has no future. I am happy that Kang Cha Ying herself stepped back from the marriage,¡± Xiuying said with a bright smile. ¡°I will find a better family¡¯s daughter for Prince Mu. He should wait and focus on getting a new position. I am so d that he will be the Prime Minister tomorrow.¡±


    Xiuying told Qiu Mu how she would go to the Buddhist temple to pray for him. She continued to talk about many things, but Qiu Mu had no interest in them. He was devastated by Cha Ying¡¯s decision.


    ¡°Mother, would you please stop?¡± Qiu Mu finally spoke in a loud voice. Xiuying knitted her brows together to hear this tone of Qiu Mu.


    ¡°I will marry Kang Cha Ying. Do not even try to look for another woman for me. It is a request of your son,¡± Qiu Mu said.


    He stood up while holding the bracelet in his hand tightly and left the pavilion in anger. The light rain shower had started but did not care for it. He walked away in that rain while getting drenched.

 Chapter 524 - 524 Be smart while fighting with me

    524 Be smart while fighting with me


    L¨®ng Wei was surprised to see Li Hua in the office. ¡°I brought lunch for His Highness. I thought it would be better if Ie here,¡± Li Hua stated as she set the lunch table for them.


    ¡°I told you not toe out of the pce by yourself,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and stood next to her.


    ¡°It¡¯s not dangerous anymore. I came with Brother Mingquan. He was free and apanied me,¡± Li Hua defended herself from getting scolded.


    L¨®ng Wei pinched Li Hua¡¯s soft cheeks and a low scream escaped her mouth. She coveted her cheeks with her hands and then red at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°How could you bully your lovely wife who brought lunch for you?¡± Li Huained and stroked her cheeks from the back of her palms.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bully my wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a chuckle. He quickly leaned forward and kissed her, thus astonishing her for a moment.


    ¡°His Highness has a way to calm down my anger too,¡± Li Hua said with a smile and asked him to take a seat.


    Once they finished the meals, L¨®ng Wei asked her if she would return to the pce.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    .....


    She turned her head and looked at the table which was full of documents on one side and bamboo slips on the other.


    ¡°Do not take stress while working,¡± Li Hua told him.


    ¡°I won¡¯t. I give others stress,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with an amusing smile.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Crown Princess is the eldest daughter of the Li Family. Do you know about this? I got to know after Her Royal Highness told me in the morning after you left,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know about this,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    Li Hua narrated to the Sixth Prince how Li Zixuan betrayed Jin Yu¡¯s mother due to which Jin Yu lived amoner life.


    ¡°The Crown Princess told me that she had to reveal her identity because His Majesty was asking the Crown Prince to stop Prince Tianjie from marrying Song Jia. His Majesty gave the Crown Prince a second option as well; to marry a noble-ss woman. The Crown Prince thought to step down, but the Crown Princess didn¡¯t let it happen.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei hummed to hear about the incident that urredst day. ¡°The Li family will take advantage of it. However, they both will tackle it,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Does Prince L¨®ng Wei think so?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°Yes. The Crown Princess is smart. She will not let the Li family take advantage of her position,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Your Highness, will you have a sword fight with me? I have been practicing for it. If the weather stays better today, then we will,¡± Li Hua said with a smile.


    ¡°I will love to. In the evening we will do it. I want to see how many skills my wife has built over this time,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°What if I defeat Prince L¨®ng Wei? What will he give me?¡± She asked with glistening eyes and leaned closer to him while cing her hands on the table.


    L¨®ng Wei also leaned forward and asked her what she wanted.


    ¡°Umm... A day with Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua replied and leaned back onto the chair. ¡°I want to spend a day with my husband in my way,¡± she stated.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even have to challenge me for the sword fight. I can fulfill that wish,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°No,¡± Li Hua refused.


    ¡°Let me tell you the result already. You will lose,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated with a smile. ¡°Then, what will you do?¡± He questioned.


    ¡°Tsk. How can His Highness depict the oue already? I will defeat him. Even Feng Lao told me that I am a better fighter than Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± she said and twitched her lips in annoyance.


    ¡°Feng Lao lied to you,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t lie to me,¡± Li Hua said and rose to her feet. ¡°I should leave.¡±


    She turned to leave when L¨®ng Wei held her arm. He left his seat and stood in front of her. Caging her between his hands and the table behind them he said, ¡°Leaving without listening to my answer.¡± His brow arched in amusement.


    ¡°I already heard Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s answer. He thinks he will defeat me,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Yes. Your friend Feng Lao lied to you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°At least he encouraged me,¡± Li Hua remarked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe in fake encouragement. Being truthful to your student is a must. Let¡¯s not keep a bet between us. Whatever the oue, I will give you a day to spend time in your own way with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I ept,¡± Li Hua said when L¨®ng Wei kissed her. He pulled away when she told him not to do such a thing at his workce.


    ¡°I will not take any more time of His Highness,¡± she said and slightly pushed L¨®ng Wei, who bent a little. His arm scooped around her waist and he lifted her to make her sit on the table.


    ¡°My workce, my rules,¡± L¨®ng Wei whispered against her lips and kissed her again. Li Hua slowly moved her hands up and wrapped them around his neck. A few secondster, they withdrew from the kiss and gazed at each other.


    ¡°You can defeat me if you will be smart while fighting with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her a way to defeat him.


    Li Hua knitted her brows and nodded her head. ¡°I will wait for His Highness,¡± she said. L¨®ng Wei caressed her hair and put her down. He saw her off to the entrance, where Mingquan was waiting for Li Hua. He smiled to see L¨®ng Wei, who bowed to him.


    ¡°Thank you for apanying Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I had work in the Department of Justice, so I apanied her. Li Jianjun is appointed back as a higher ranked official after it was revealed that the Crown Princess belonged to the Li Family,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Hmm. Xu Zifan is in the same department. I wonder what will happen. But since I am here, so Li Jianjun will not try to do anything wrong,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and looked at the carriage¡¯s window from where Li Hua was peeking outside.


    L¨®ng Wei asked Mingquan to leave with Li Hua and watched them leave.

 Chapter 525 - 525 Enough to make someone mad

    525 Enough to make someone mad


    ¡°The Prince came after so many days. I thought he forgot about me,¡± Song Jia said as she poured down the tea from the teapot onto the teacup.


    ¡°Forgive me. Did you make this tea?¡± Tianjie inquired.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Song Jia put the teacup on the saucer.


    Tianjie picked up the teacup and sipped the tea. Song Jia read his facial expressions and asked him if he would like to speak to her.


    ¡°Many things happened in the pce in these few days. That is why I could not visit you. Song Jia, I never empathized with people before. However, my perception has changed. The Crown Princess whom I once made fun of, helped me out. The people I always looked down upon left a great impression on me. First, it was L¨®ng Wei, who made me think differently. Then, you, who made me fall in love, andstly, the Crown Princess. I always thought that she is incapable to be the Crown Princess, but that illusion also broke.¡±


    Song Jia keenly listened to him. ¡°I heard that the Crown Princess is amoner,¡± she stated.


    ¡°She grew up as amoner. She belongs to the Li family which is one of the strongest noble families in the kingdom,¡± Tianjie asserted. Song Jia was astonished to hear the truth when Tianjie narrated to her the incidents that happened to him in those few days.


    ¡°We can marry each other, Song Jia,¡± Tianjie stated with a smile, ¡°I will always be loyal to the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess because of what they did for us. The selfishness that persisted in my heart has left now,¡± he asserted.


    Song Jia ced her hand above his. ¡°Because of me, His Highness has to bear many things. I truly wish that he turns into a better human. I do not know what His Highness used to do when he always calls himself selfish, but to me, he never was. No one ever embraced me with such warmth as His Highness. I am not saying all this to tter His Highness. I feel this from the bottom of my heart that His Highness decided to be selfish because of the circumstances he was in,¡± she stated.


    .....


    ¡°I wanted to be powerful because of my mother. I do not have a good rtionship with her because of some reason. However, I will try to be a good son to her. That was the main reason why I was into wrong things more,¡± Tianjie stated and lowered his eyes in shame.


    ¡°May I know why His Highness¡¯ rtionship with his mother is not good?¡± Song Jia was curious to know.


    ¡°She became a concubine,¡± Tianjie replied. ¡°She did not do any effort to reach the level of the consort which could have benefited me. I know it is a weird reason, but I could not stand seeing that she was the most unfavored concubine of my father. I thought that she never made any effort. But now, I think I was wrong. She chose not to be involved in the pce politics,¡± Tianjie affirmed and recalled how Consort Xiuying treated his mother a few days back.


    ¡°Being a concubine is not easy. You have no right and you do not even get to see the King unless he himself visits you or asks for your presence,¡± Song Jia asserted.


    ¡°It must have been difficult for His Highness¡¯ mother/ I want him to see his mother today and have dinner with her. I have something for my mother-inw which His Highness must give to her. Also, the Third Prince should buy a present for his mother. She will be happy,¡± she exined to Tianjie.


    ¡°I will do that,¡± Tianjie said and held her hand.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Xu Zifan flipped the page and looked at theint report. He had to visit the nearby vige tomorrow with another official to give judgment.


    ¡°I see that you are working hard with your new position,¡± Li Jianjun¡¯s voice fell in Xu Zifan¡¯s ears and he lifted his head. Li Jianjun walked up to him and then took the report that Xu Zifan was holding.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you leave?¡± Xu Zifan asked him and stood up to take the report away when Li Jianjun put his hand away.


    ¡°I am not here to leave, Xu Zifan. I have a piece of good news to share with you,¡± Li Jianjun stated.


    ¡°I do not want to hear it,¡± Xu Zifan replied as he red into Jianjun¡¯s eyes. ¡°Leave before I ask someone to show you the way out,¡± he politely said.


    ¡°Watch your words, Xu Zifan!¡± Li Jianjun warned him. ¡°Did you think that you would marry Jingfei and win the entire world? I have gained my position back and this time, I returned as rank second official,¡± he proudly stated.


    Xu Zifan knitted his brows to hear him.


    ¡°Shocked?¡± Jianjun smirked at him. He looked at Xu Zifan¡¯s left hand and continued, ¡°I wonder what if you lose your second hand too. Then, you will bepletely disabled.¡± Before he could say more harsh and evil things to Xu Zifan, he was hit by a hard object on the back of his head.


    ¡°Ahh! Who the hell has dared to hit me?¡± Li Jianjun barked and turned to look.


    L¨®ng Wei was standing at the door with a slingshot in his hand. ¡°I never knew I was so good at this, Feng Lao. A young boy was selling this outside, so I thought to buy it. Then, I thought to use it once to see if it is enough to make someone mad,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced with a smirk. Feng Lao smiled to hear the Sixth Prince¡¯s words.


    Li Jianjun looked at the stone on the floor and saw a big round pebble with which L¨®ng Wei had hit him. He touched the back of his head again and looked at his fingers. ¡°Blood,¡± he murmured and then gazed at L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei lowered his hand and walked up to Jianjun. ¡°I told you to stop such ridiculous acts of yours. You still have not learned your lesson,¡± he said and patted Jianjun¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°The Governor cannot act this way with me,¡± Li Jianjun said while clenching his jaw and fists.


    ¡°I can. Why? Will you run to the King to tell him that I did this?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked with a menacing expression.


    ¡°I should tell His Majesty how his dear youngest son lied to him and everyone that he went to spend some time with his dear wife to Dongqing,¡± Li Jianjun tried to threaten L¨®ng Wei. Xu Zifan and Feng Lao gulped to hear that and wondered what L¨®ng Wei would do.


    ¡°You can tell about that. Sadly, my dear father already knows the truth, Jianjun. I do not hide anything from him. Don¡¯t think I am a fool like you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated with a broad smile on his lips.


    ¡°This time I was gentle on you and hit you lightly. The next time, you will not be alive if you try to say anything bad to Xu Zifan. Do not force me to lift my sword. I be crazy when someone crosses the limit to annoy me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, which intimidated Jianjun and he could not speak anymore.


    L¨®ng Wei snatched the report from him and tossed it over the table.


    ¡°It will take me a few minutes to change the King¡¯s decision to rip you off your current rank. Then, even your sister¡¯s name will not be able to save you,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°So don¡¯t challenge me,¡± he warned Jianjun.


    Jianjun apologized and left for his house after getting humiliated.

 Chapter 526 - 526 Don’t seduce me anymore [Bonus chapter]

    526 Don¡¯t seduce me anymore [Bonus chapter]


    L¨®ng Wei looked at Li Hua, who was looking outside the patio. The rain had been pouring down for more than two hours. They had their dinner an hour ago, thinking the rain would stop soon.


    ¡°We can¡¯t have a fight today,¡± L¨®ng Wei finally said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait for ten minutes. I know the rain will stop,¡± Li Hua opined and looked up at the sky.


    ¡°It is heavily raining. It will not stop,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Why is Prince L¨®ng Wei saying that?¡± Li Hua got angry and frowned at him.


    L¨®ng Wei took the sword from her and held her hand. ¡°We can have the sword fight tomorrow,¡± he said and he took Li Hua inside. She pouted her lips as she got upset. She was so eager to fight with L¨®ng Wei, but her excitement went down the drain.


    L¨®ng Wei put the swords on the table while Li Hua went inside the bedchamber. L¨®ng Wei went after her and saw her near the dressing table. She had removed her essories earlier. She checked her gold essories and then removed the rings from her fingers.


    She brushed her hair when L¨®ng Wei caught her hand. She nced at him in bewilderment.


    He slowly pulled her up and ced the hairbrush on the dresser. Later, he began to caress her cheek.


    .....


    Li Hua ced her hands on his chest and gazed into his eyes.


    L¨®ng Wei took the initial step and touched his forehead with hers. He inteced his left hand¡¯s fingers with her right hand¡¯s fingers. ¡°If His Highness¡¯ thinks he can change my mood with this, he is wrong. The rain should have stopped,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°The world will not end tomorrow,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced and kissed her cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t be upset,¡± he urged her and slowly trailed the kisses on her jawline.


    His face was buried in the crook of her neck and he nuzzled there. Slowly he moved to her throat and she felt electrified. His hands soon came to the front of her chest as he pushed the overcoat down her shoulders. It fell to the floor and she wrapped her hands around his neck.


    The rain of soft kisses on her neck filled her with ecstasy. It had been a long since theyst got intimate like this. The chief reason was the work and rted stress in their lives. When he bit her sweet spot, right below her ear, she moaned which made him smirk.


    L¨®ng Wei carried her up in his arms and took Li Hua to the bed. He settled her down. He saw her chest rising and falling in just a short time.


    Li Hua lifted her body on the support of her elbows and helped him remove the overcoat.


    ¡°You look desperate,¡± L¨®ng Wei whispered.


    ¡°Am I?¡± She questioned again.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He amusedly smiled at her and kissed her lips. Pulling away, he caressed her soft hair strands and then removed the overcoat. He opened the knot on the upper robe and removed it.


    He could see the shimmer in Li Hua¡¯s eyes. She ced her hand in the middle of his chest. Her fingers gently moved on his chest and slowly, moved up to reach his cheek.


    ¡°The past few days were very difficult for His Highness,¡± Li Hua said while caressing his cheek.


    ¡°But you were with me, so the difficult days passed away soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie. His Highness didn¡¯t let mee near him in his vulnerable phase,¡± Li Hua asserted and lifted her body. She was on her knees while her hands were now in his hair.


    L¨®ng Wei put his hands on her waist and made her sit on hisp.


    ¡°But you forgot something. In the end, I came to you only,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and kissed her chin. He showered kisses on her neck. He yfully bit and suckled the skin on her throat, making her moan.


    His hands sensually moved his hands along her curves. His eyes dted with desires. Li Hua¡¯s hands moved on his broad shoulders, and chest and then slowly moved down to feel the abdominal muscles.


    He tried to kiss her, but she moved away and smiled at him. He again ducked his head toward her, and this time she ced her finger on the top of his lips.


    He lowered her finger and copied his steps. She kissed him along the sharp jawline and did the same as he did to her earlier. A groan escaped his mouth and his big hand wrapped snugly around her neck.


    ¡°Don¡¯t seduce me anymore. I am already¨C¡± Before he couldplete his words Li Hua kissed him. He pulled her close and her soft curves molded to the contours of his lean body.


    He kissed her hungrily, ravishing her lips. His other hand moved to her back and removed the knots of her inner garment before pulling it away. Soon, she was on the mattress while he was hovering over her. His tongue explored the recesses of her mouth and made her gasp with joy.


    Li Hua ced her soft hands on his nape and drew him down. Their bodies pressed and heat overflew between them. He knew she was so ready for him. However, he still asked her first.


    ¡°I want it as much as you do,¡± Li Hua said. She would rarely use informalnguage with L¨®ng Wei, but when they were intimate with each other, she would. He liked it and nted a soft kiss in the middle of her forehead.


    His thumb rested on the contours of her lips as he grazed them. They continued to stare into each other¡¯s eyes, feeling euphoric just by peering at each other. ¡°Your eyes look luminous,¡± he said.


    ¡°Do they?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Tonight I won¡¯t let you sleep, my dear wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and captured her lips.


    He gently kissed her lips, and again gazed into her luminous eyes. They made passionate love that night, embracing each other with warmth.

 Chapter 527 - 527 The emptiness I felt

    527 The emptiness I felt


    Li Hua washed her arms while reminiscing about the lovemaking from thest night. She was a little soar, but the pain had left after she took this hot water bath. She brought her hand to her neck and rubbed it.


    ¡°Your Highness, the red marks are visible on the neck,¡± the maidservant informed Li Hua. ¡°Her Highness has to hide them well before anyone notices them,¡± she said while smiling.


    ¡°You are right, Nuan Xi,¡± Li Hua replied. She recalled how wild L¨®ng Wei was the previous night. She shied and looked down into the water. Nuan Xi helped Li Hua wash up.


    ¡°Your Highness, what if you get pregnant this time?¡± Nuan Xi asked.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Li Hua blushed to hear it, but she would be happy if she got blessed with a child. Soon, she finished bathing and changed into a beautiful red hanfu dress with white flowery patterns on it.


    She kept her hair loose and wore the golden buyao above her head. The danglings hung loose till the bottom of her ears on both sides of her temple. Her gaze fell on the lovebite on the right side of her neck and again smiled.


    She stood up and wore the white overcoat. Her neck was covered with itpletely and she asked Nuan Xi if L¨®ng Wei was ready.


    ¡°I think so, Your Highness,¡± Nuan Xi answered.


    Li Hua looked at herself in the mirror for thest time and went to see L¨®ng Wei in his chamber. ¡°Where is His Highness?¡± She murmured when two warm hands wrapped around her.


    .....


    ¡°Here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and kissed her cheek. He rested his chin on her shoulder. ¡°You took time toe here,¡± he said. ¡°Are you alright? I suppose I did not hurt you a lot,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°I am alright. It was not the first time when we did it,¡± Li Hua replied and continued to smile.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, can I ask you something?¡± Li Hua inquired.


    ¡°Ask,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Do you want children?¡± She asked.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s grip around her loosened and she turned to him. ¡°I want to have many kids,¡± he said with a smile that changed into a smirk.


    ¡°Is the Prince serious?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°Of course. I want to have as many children as my wife wants to have,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He put his hand around her shoulder and took her to the floor table.


    ¡°One will be enough, I feel,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°But sibling is needed,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Then two children,¡± Li Hua arched her brow and turned her head to look at him.


    ¡°We can have three if you want,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and started to tease her. ¡°We will love them a lot and I will y them all day long. I may take a year¡¯s break from work to focus on my children,¡± he told Li Hua.


    ¡°His Highness cannot take leave from the work,¡± Li Hua shook her head.


    ¡°Oh, I can. By then the kingdom will be prosperous. I will make sure to throw out every weed from the kingdom by that time. Also, I am the prince, so even if I will not work, I will keep getting everything. That will be enough for you, me, and our children in the future. I have decided, Li Hua. I will spend all the time with my children till they turn ten,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and asked her to sit on the floor chair. After her, he sat on the floor chair.


    ¡°Your Highness, that is not right. You cannot stay in the pce for ten years without work. What will our kids learn then? I do not allow for it,¡± Li Hua said with a stern tone.


    ¡°What about five years then?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°No. His Highness will work daily. When he will return after work, he will be free to y with our kids,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    ¡°Do not be a strict wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined.


    Xiwan knocked on the door and served the breakfast to them. L¨®ng Wei told him that he would see him in the evening. Xiwan nodded his head and left the chamber.


    Both Li Hua and L¨®ng Wei started to eat.


    ¡°I will take the kids to my workce. That way they will spend more time with their father,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and picked up the ss of water.


    ¡°When we will have kids, then we will decide,¡± Li Hua suggested to him.


    ¡°I do not want any of them to feel the emptiness I felt,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and ced the silver ss on the table. ¡°You know my past. What if my kids start to hate me if I fail to give them enough attention? I want to be around them so that whenever they will need me, theye running to me,¡± he expressed his deep thoughts.


    ¡°I know Prince L¨®ng Wei will be a great parent, so he should not think this way,¡± Li Hua answered and asked him not to feel low. She picked up the napkin and dabbed it across her mouth. They had finished their morning meals. Nuan Xi walked in to clean the table and took the dishes to the kitchen.


    ¡°We will give a great life to our children. We will be best parents to them,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Li Hua agreed with him and asked him if he was not gettingte.


    ¡°I will see you in the noon,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and stood up. Li Hua saw him off the manor.


    L¨®ng Wei did not leave for his workce, instead, he left to see Xiaoming and Jin Yu. He wanted to ask them what exactly happened that made the Li Family gain their power back.


    ¡°The Crown Prince is with the Crown Princess, Your Highness,¡± Sun Fuguo informed.


    ¡°Tell the Crown Prince that I want to have a conversation with him,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Sun Fuguo bowed and walked inside the chamber to inform Xiaoming about the same.


    He returned and told L¨®ng Wei that he could go inside.

 Chapter 528 - 528 Disrespect my master

    528 Disrespect my master


    ¡°Father decided for it. He thinks it would be wrong if the Li Family is deprived of their rights,¡± Xiaoming told L¨®ng Wei.


    It was tough to remove Li Zixuan from the court for L¨®ng Wei. He knew very well why Qiu Zedong did that. He did not want to give up on those who were loyal to him.


    L¨®ng Wei knitted his brows and decided another way. Li Zixuan¡¯s sudden death¨C was the only way to stop him from scheming against L¨®ng Wei because he was the one who removed him from the court.


    ¡°What is Brother L¨®ng Wei thinking?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Nothing, Your Royal Highness. I should leave for work. Thank you for giving me time for this short conversation.¡± L¨®ng Wei stood up and bowed slightly to them.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, I will ask His Majesty to change his decision,¡± Jin Yu asserted.


    ¡°The Crown Princess must not do that. It will increase her troubles in the King¡¯s eyes,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested to her and then left.


    As he straddled the horse, Hei Chengxi stopped him. L¨®ng Wei nced at him when he asked L¨®ng Wei if he woulde down. He got down and waited for Hei Chengxi to speak.


    Hei Chengxi leaned closer to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s ear and whispered something in there.


    .....


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Hei Chengxi replied.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at the sword in Hei Chengxi¡¯s hand and asked for it. ¡°I will return itter in the evening,¡± he stated and again hopped on the horse.


    ¡°I will apany His Highness,¡± Hei Chengxi advised L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I will go alone,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and left on the horse.


    The spy of the King, who killed Yuze, L¨®ng Wei would kill him today. He rode the horse as fast as he could. Crossing the deep forest, he reached the house where the spy lived.


    L¨®ng Wei got off the horse a few distances away from the house and walked ahead while holding the sword.


    He scanned the area and even looked behind for a brief moment before turning to the front. With quiet steps, he continued to step forward and soon reached the house¡¯s courtyard. He looked around and found how peaceful it was.


    But why it seemed as if it was calmness before the storm would arrive.


    As L¨®ng Wei turned, he got attacked fiercely by the spy. However, L¨®ng Wei defended himself by forwarding the sword in his hand and they both stepped back.


    L¨®ng Wei quickly unsheathed the sword and threw the scabbard away on the ground. He moved the sword in his hand while ring into the eyes of the spy.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me the truth before dying?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned the spy.


    However, the spy didn¡¯t give any reply. He againunched a fierce attack on L¨®ng Wei. The des of the swords touched and a sharp noise echoed in that ce.


    The spy was quite powerful to handle. He was taller than L¨®ng Wei with a strong muscr body. A deep scar ran through her cheek to the ear on his face while his messy hair hung loose to his shoulders.


    ¡°Di-did you kill Yuze?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him as he pushed him away, but the spy returned with a stronger attack than before.


    L¨®ng Wei could not bear it and was knocked to the ground. He quickly got on his knee and moved the sword up to prevent himself from getting a cut. The swords shed once again, producing an ear-hurting sound.


    L¨®ng Wei had to use another hand to handle the attack from the spy and his left hand got a deep cut. Thus, the blood started to drip from his hand.


    ¡®I underestimated his strength,¡¯ L¨®ng Wei thought and quickly nced at the spy¡¯s left knee, which was closer to attack. Once he would be limped, it would get easier for L¨®ng Wei to defeat the spy.


    L¨®ng Wei used his entire strength to push the spy away and then quickly took the dagger out of the waistband. He swirled and got on his knee to stab it into the spy¡¯s left knee while bringing his right hand up which had the sword in it to not get hurt by the de of the sword that the spy had held.


    The spy screamed and quickly stepped away. Before L¨®ng Wei could attack him, he quickly removed the dagger and threw it on the ground. With the limped leg, he stood up and told L¨®ng Wei that he might lose his life today.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled to hear him. ¡°Yuze told me that I have a long life. I may get into life-threatening situations, but I¡¯ll live longer,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Yuze could not predict his own life, then how can you be sure that he predicted yours right?¡± The spy questioned him.


    ¡°Only I can call him Yuze. I cannot bear those who disrespect my master,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. They both were circling in a circle, trying to find the right chance to attack each other.


    The spy attacked L¨®ng Wei first, who again had to defend himself. He got a cut on the arm and he flinched. Though, he didn¡¯t feel much pain when the de cut his top skin.


    L¨®ng Wei turned swiftly and hit with his elbow on the spy¡¯s chest before turningpletely to hit with his fist.


    The spy slipped back from his ce. He ced his hand on his chest while coughing and panting. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s fist attack was powerful and it surprised the spy.


    He didn¡¯t give more time to the spy to gather his strength and attacked him this time. The entire fight had changed now. L¨®ng Wei had turned into a beast, who only had one thing on his mind¨C to kill the spy as brutally as he could.


    L¨®ng kicked on his left knee, which made the spy whimper in pain as he fell to the ground on his knees. He was still holding the sword when L¨®ng Wei kicked him. The sword fell from his hand and he fell on his back to the ground.


    Because of the knee injury, the spy got tired earlier than he had thought. L¨®ng Wei grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled him up while pointing the sword at his neck.


    ¡°Why did you kill Yuze?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him and pulled his hair in his fist. The spy screamed at the top of his lungs.


    L¨®ng Wei found he was not speaking, so he pressed his shoe on his left knee which made the spy feel excruciating pain. His screams turned louder, the blood overflew from the wound on his knee and he panted because of the exhaustion.


    ¡°I will torture you every day if you don¡¯t answer me. So, better tell me the truth. I will give you an easy death then,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Order...it was an order,¡± the spy managed to speak.


    ¡°Whose order?¡± L¨®ng asked and used more force to press his knee.


    ¡°The king¡¯s order,¡± the spy replied and the next second L¨®ng Wei stabbed his sword as deep as he could inside the middle of the spy¡¯s chest. He pulled the sword out and let go of his hair.


    The spy¡¯s eyes almost popped out and he instantly died.


    L¨®ng Wei stepped back and threw the sword on the floor. Hei Chengxi reached there at that instant only and saw the prince in a furious state.


    ¡°I want to kill Qiu Zedong,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and scrunched his nose.

 Chapter 529 - 529 If I have to burn this world [Bonus chapter]

    529 If I have to burn this world [Bonus chapter]


    Hei Chengxi told L¨®ng Wei to calm down first. He did not want L¨®ng Wei to take any decision in a rush.


    ¡°Why did he have to kill Yuze?¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered and rubbed the temple of his forehead. After confirming with the spy, L¨®ng Wei was now desperate to kill Qiu Zedong. He could not even stand his sight.


    ¡°Did I not tell the Prince that the King was not what he portrayed himself to his children?¡± Hei Chengxi stated and told L¨®ng Wei that they needed to leave as soon as possible from that ce.


    ¡°Do you think there are more spies that work for the King?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned.


    ¡°There are. But it is difficult to trace them, Prince L¨®ng Wei. This one we caught because he was after you for days,¡± Hei Chengxi asserted and picked up his sword. He cleaned it first from the spy¡¯s clothes and then put it inside the scabbard after checking that there was no blood mark on it.


    He came to L¨®ng Wei and took out the handkerchief from his inner pocket. Hei Chengxi tied it around his left hand and then looked at L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face. ¡°Do not feel low,¡± he stated and patted his shoulder.


    ¡°I have a n, General Hei,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°We will discuss it after we safely go out from here without getting noticed in anyone¡¯s eyes,¡± Hei Chengxi advised L¨®ng Wei and took him out of the house.


    They rode the horses out of the deep forest and Hei Chengxi asked L¨®ng Wei if they should go to the physician first as they slowed down the speed of the horses.


    .....


    ¡°I cannot go to any physician. The wounds are not deep either,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and asked him to follow him. He overtook Hei Chengxi¡¯s horse and rode at a higher speed. Hei Chengxi followed L¨®ng Wei and after twenty minutes, they halted at a ce that was unknown to Hei Chengxi.


    ¡°Chang Shi lives here,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and walked in.


    He called Chang Shi¡¯s name when he came out to the courtyard.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Chang Shi said as he ran in his direction. ¡°Why is His Highness injured?¡± he asked and looked at his arm.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside first,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined and they walked in followed by Hei Chengxi.


    Chang Shi dressed L¨®ng Wei¡¯s wounds on the hand and arm. L¨®ng Wei wore his outfit while Chang Shi asked Hei Chengxi if he was fine.


    ¡°General Hei did not get involved in thebat,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and sat on the broad chair. ¡°The King¡¯s spy killed Yuze upon his orders. General Hei found out about it, so I went there to kill him,¡± he briefed about the incident to Chang Shi.


    ¡°What does His Highness want to do?¡± Chang Shi inquired.


    ¡°I want to fulfill my duty,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and nced at Hei Chengxi. ¡°I will tell General Hei what he has to do. We need to remove all those people who are loyal to Qiu Zedong. I know it will take time, but it is the only way to make him weak,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Li Zixuan is back as the Minister of Justice,¡± Hei Chengxi stated.


    ¡°I know. Tonight he has to die. The King does not care whether his loyal are corrupt or good. As long as they are loyal to him, he would ignore all those things. The Li Family can be a threat to me. Before that happens, I want to cut them off,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, ¡°from under the King¡¯s protection.¡±


    ¡°Should I do it?¡± Chang Shi asked.


    ¡°No. I will do it. I need to ask something from Li Zixuan before taking his life,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Let me do it,¡± Hei Chengxi affirmed. ¡°If somebody sees Prince L¨®ng Wei, then he may fall into danger,¡± he opined.


    ¡°That will not happen. I will not sneak into the Li Residence. I will force Li Zixuan to die. General Hei should not worry about me. This is the fight that is between me and Qiu Zedong. I must give him my response in his way,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and clenched his fist.


    ¡°When will His Highness bring his father to the capital?¡± Hei Chengxi inquired.


    ¡°Soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei gave a vague answer. ¡°When the time wille. But he will definitely not get the throne,¡± he stated.


    ¡°May I know why Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± Hei Chengxi was inquisitive to know.


    ¡°Because he is not suitable to be the King. If he had been aware of his surroundings, today it all would have not happened. I would not have lost Yuze this way,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and his eyes filled with tears.


    ¡°Then, who will be the next King? Will His Highness take the throne as he is the legitimate heir to it?¡± Hei Chengxi waited for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s response.


    ¡°I have not decided about it,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°General Hei should leave,¡± he advised. Hei Chengxi nodded and told L¨®ng Wei to return to the pceter.


    After he left, L¨®ng Wei shifted his gaze to Chang Shi, who said, ¡°It would be best if Prince L¨®ng Wei takes the throne. He possesses all the qualities that a king should have.¡±


    ¡°I killed my mother, so I am definitely not capable to sit on the throne. If I wanted to be the King, don¡¯t you think I would have already been the Crown Prince? I want a peaceful life after I give justice to Yuze,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°I see His Highness loves Monk Yuze more than his parents,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°Because he kept me alive. Internally I was damaged, but he still rooted for me until the very end. He gave me everything that Icked in my childhood. No one can rece Yuze¡¯s ce in my life. For him, if I have to go against everyone, I will go. If I have to burn this world, I will do that too. Qiu Zedong did very wrong by involving Yuze in this fight,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and frowned. The pain in his voice was visible to Chang Shi.

 Chapter 530 - 530 Not a villain

    530 Not a viin


    Li Hua was surprised to hear Tianjie¡¯s words. Was he really the same Tianjie whom she knew all this time? But she was happy that his views changed for L¨®ng Wei and also he built a good rtionship with his mother.


    ¡°I will inform Prince L¨®ng Wei about it,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°I will be happy. I know he will taunt me or may not ept my gratitude because of my past behavior with him. But if the Princess Consort epts then it will mean that L¨®ng Wei has also epted it,¡± Tianjie asserted.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei needs a little pampering and then, he epts everything,¡± Li Hua stated and smiled at him.


    ¡°I am not good at pampering though,¡± Tianjie replied.


    ¡°When will the Third Prince get married?¡± Li Hua asked curiously.


    ¡°The royal astrologer has not decided it yet. Also, he wants to see Song Jia first to read her hand. Father has not said anything about this, but maybe in two or three days, Song Jia wille to the pce,¡± Tianjie exined to Li Hua.


    ¡°When shees, please inform me about it. I will love to meet her,¡± Li Hua expressed her desire to meet Song Jia.


    ¡°Sure, Princess Consort,¡± Tianjie assured her. ¡°I should take my leave. Thank you for giving me time for this tiny conversation,¡± he said and rose to his feet. Li Hua also stood up and slightly bowed to him. She watched him leave the pavilion and decided to go to the chamber when she saw Huang Xiing.


    .....


    He bowed to Li Hua and looked at her.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has sent a message. The Prince will returnte, Your Highness,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°Oh, why? Did Prince L¨®ng Wei has a lot of work to do?¡± Li Hua worriedly asked.


    Huang Xi wanted to tell Li Hua that L¨®ng Wei was injured and resting in Chang Shi¡¯s house. However, he could not tell her about it since it would stress her out.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°I should send the lunch for His Highness then. Can Commander Huang Xi take the lunch for Prince L¨®ng Wei only if he is free?¡± Li Hua asked first.


    ¡°Sure, Your Highness. I will give the lunch to Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Huang Xi said. Li Hua smiled and asked him to wait for a few minutes. She returned after ten minutes with arge wooden tiffin box.


    ¡°Please tell Prince L¨®ng Wei to finish the food,¡± Li Hua said and handed the tiffin box to Huang Xi. He told Li Hua not to worry about that.


    ¡°I will myself check on the Prince and make sure he does not leave any grain,¡± Huang Xi said. It brought a smile to Li Hua¡¯s lips and she once again thanked him.


    ~~~~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei hit the back of Huang Xi¡¯s palm, who tried to pick up the rice cake. ¡°She did not send it for you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°But I brought it here, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Huang Xi said, ¡°do not be petty.¡±


    ¡°You have lunch ready at your house,¡± L¨®ng Wei reminded him.


    ¡°I will tell Sister Li Hua that Prince L¨®ng Wei jumped in to kill a spy all by himself. Then, she will scold you. If His Highness does not want me to do that, then he should let me eat one rice cake,¡± Huang Xi threatened L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I will break your mouth if you did that,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Chang Shiughed a little to hear their bickering.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei should let Huang Xi take a rice cake,¡± Chang Shi said as he entered the room with a tray in his hand. It had three bowls of hotpot above it.


    L¨®ng Wei sighed and let Huang Xi pick one rice cake. ¡°I do not like to share when Li Hua cooks something for me,¡± he said.


    ¡°I can see that. Sister Li Hua is such a lovingdy. She is not petty like Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Huang Xi said as he chewed the rice cake.


    ¡°Of course, we are different,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°that is why we bnce well.¡± He smiled and continued eating while enjoying the food.


    Chang Shi handed the spoon to Huang Xi and ced the hotpot soup before him.


    ¡°I am not getting the right time to talk to Princess Ai Fen,¡± Huang Xi told them.


    ¡°Why? She is easy to approach,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°However, it seems she runs away after seeing me,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°Why did you have to say to Jingfei that you hate her? She would have told the two princesses about it. Princess Ai Fen might be judging you because of that reason. Xu Zifan told me that your words affected Jingfei a lot,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and put the chopsticks down. He picked up the spoon to drink the hotpot soup.


    Chang Shi keenly listened to their conversation but did not speak a word.


    ¡°I said that in anger. Why does she have to tell such a thing to Princess Ai Fen? Am I now a viin in her eyes?¡± Huang Xi asked while worried.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know a viin takes away everything even the woman he loves? You are definitely not a viin,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and praised Chang Shi for his cooking skills.


    ¡°Chang Shi, tell me what I should do. Prince L¨®ng Wei will only make me feel low,¡± Huang Xi said and tilted his head.


    Chang Shi got stuck. ¡°I-I do not know, Commander Huang Xi. I am quite naive in this matter. Prince L¨®ng Wei is the most experienced person in this matter, so you should ask him only,¡± Chang Shi advised Huang Xi.


    ¡°Huang Xi, go to Princess Ai Fen and tell her your feelings. The easiest way before she falls in love with someone else. Listen to her what she has to say and ordingly, make a decision to win her heart,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°It is not easy for me. I get nervous,¡± Huang Xi said and sighed.


    ¡°Be a man then and tell your feelings before you regret it or get lovesick because of this,¡± L¨®ng Wei advised him.

 Chapter 531 - 531 Increase his bitterness

    531 Increase his bitterness


    Jingfei ced the tray on the table and looked around for Xu Zifan. She turned left and saw himing out of the dressing room with his hair loose. The upper robe knot was also loose and they both looked at each other for a few seconds before Jingfei turned away.


    ¡°I brought hot tea for you. Why didn¡¯t you take an umbre when you knew that rain could fall anytime?¡± She asked and ced the teapot and teacups on the table.


    ¡°I forgot the umbre at my workce,¡± Xu Zifan said while trying to tie the loose knot on his robe.


    Jingfei turned to him and walked up to him. She held the knot and said, ¡°Let me do it.¡± She tied the knot on his robe and raised her head.


    ¡°Come and have a hot tea,¡± Jingfei said and turned to go when Xu Zifan grasped her wrist. She nced at him with inquisitiveness.


    Xu Zifan shook his head and took a step toward her. He leaned down and kissed her lips, startling her. ¡°We should frequently kiss...¡± he said and gulped. He was quite shy around the women. After the kiss from that night, he turned a little confident.


    Jingfei smiled to hear him. ¡°Why do you look scared then?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Do I look scared?¡± Xu Zifan questioned.


    ¡°Yes. Look at your face,¡± She said while kept smiling. She tiptoed and kissed him back on the lips before taking him toward the table.


    .....


    She poured the tea into a teacup. ¡°How was the work? Did you have fun on your second day?¡± She inquired.


    ¡°There is huge work to do. Higher-ups kept the work pending. Petty matters aren¡¯t looked into. So, I looked into them. It was fun finding so many people still file petitions to seek justice,¡± Xu Zifan exined to her and picked up the teacup to take a sip.


    ¡°I was never bothered about such things before. But now, when I go out, meet people and talk to them, I realize that running a kingdom is difficult,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°It is indeed difficult,¡± Xu Zifan answered.


    ¡°I heard that Jianjun is back with his power. Did hee to you? He didn¡¯t threaten you, right?¡± She asked.


    ¡°He has returned. He came to see me yesterday, but Prince L¨®ng Wei has warned him. Jianjun is still angry with the fact that I married you,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°It must be difficult for you. I made you stuck. Forgive me,¡± Jingfei said while feeling guilty.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize. You didn¡¯t make me stuck either nor it is difficult for me,¡± Xu Zifan said and sipped more tea. Jingfei also drank the tea before it could turn cold.


    ¡°I think I will talk to my father regarding this. Before Jianjun can be a threat to us, he must be removed,¡± Jingfei suggested to him.


    ¡°It will increase his bitterness toward us. Don¡¯t do this. It is now a matter between Jianjun and me. He only wants to trouble me, which will notst longer,¡± Xu Zifan asserted and asked her to finish the tea.


    He picked up the teapot and filled their cups again. ¡°The tea is more delicious because of your love,¡± Heplimented Jingfei, who smiled to hear him.


    ¡°I love making tea for you,¡± Jingfei said and brought the teacup closer to her mouth.


    Xu Zifan¡¯s heart fluttered to hear her. He continued to drink the tea with her and enjoyed his personal time with her.


    ~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei put on the overcoat and turned to look at Chang Shi. ¡°Thank you for treating me well. I should take my leave,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Should I apany the Sixth Prince?¡± Chang Shi asked while getting worried.


    L¨®ng Wei shook his head. ¡°I will have a short conversation with Li Zixuan,¡± he stated. Chang Shi saw him out and watched L¨®ng Wei leaving in a horse.


    L¨®ng Wei stopped outside the Li Residence and walked in. He asked the first servant he saw to inform Li Zixuan that he wanted to see him.


    The servantplied with the Prince¡¯s order and first took him to the guest room. L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t have to wait long for Li Zixuan, who entered the room with a proud face.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t weed in my house,¡± Li Zixuan remarked as he settled on the broad chair opposite L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t either want toe here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°but it was necessary.¡±


    ¡°Why? Is the Sixth Prince scared to find that he could be thrown out of the governor¡¯s position soon?¡± Li Zixuan inquired.


    ¡°You should not forget that I don¡¯t fear people like you. I am here to tell you to make a decision,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Your unworthy son may do something stupid to change the future of the Li family. Why don¡¯t you try to stop it?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    Li Zixuan frowned to hear those words. ¡°What does Prince L¨®ng Wei want to say?¡± He questioned as he was confused.


    ¡°Meet me tomorrow evening at...¡± L¨®ng Wei paused and then named a ce in a lower voice. ¡°If you do not want the Li family¡¯s downfall because of your dear son. I won¡¯t tell Father in the morning if you give me an answer now,¡± he stated. L¨®ng Wei had to use Jianjun to bring Zixuan out of his safe territory to kill him.


    ¡°Also, don¡¯t tell anyone about this. I may back off from my n to help you,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei cannot threaten me,¡± Li Zixuan didn¡¯t agree to meet him tomorrow evening.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to remain as the Minister?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. ¡°Don¡¯t be a petty father and family head,¡± He stated and stood up.


    ¡°I wille, Your Highness,¡± Li Zixuan said.


    ¡°I am d that you decided to save your family,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Don¡¯t try to fool me, Li Zixuan. I will not spare you if you do,¡± he threatened Li Zixuan before leaving the guest room.

 Chapter 532 - 532 Your soul gets into hell [Bonus chapter]

    532 Your soul gets into hell [Bonus chapter]


    Li Zixuan decided to tell the King instead of getting into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. He asked his personal servant to prepare the sedan chair for him. When it was ready Li Zixuan sat on it and left for the pce. The dark clouds had surrounded the sky and he asked the porters to walk fast before it started raining.


    ¡°Take the shorter route,¡± Li Zixuan told the porters.


    ¡°But my lord that route is dangerous in the evening,¡± the servant said, who was walking along with the porters.


    ¡°Do what I told you. The route is still visible, so it will not be dangerous,¡± Li Zixuan affirmed.


    The four porters gained speed and walked fast upon their lord¡¯s order. They changed the route and walked on the shorter way to reach the pce. Because it was the rainy season, the route was covered in fog and visibility had started to decrease.


    However, after covering a certain distance, an arrow hit the porter at the front and he fell off to the ground. The bnce was lost and the entire sedan chair fell to the ground. Li Zixuan screamed as he hit the muddy ground and got bruises on his hands, arms and legs.


    The servant ran to his lord when an arrow pierced through the middle of his back and he instantly died. Li Zixuan widened his eyes thinking if the bandits attacked him. The other three porters also died.


    Li Zixuan got up and ran for his life when an arrow touched his right arm and he faltered. The blood oozed out from his arm. But he could not care about it. First, he had to run as fast as he could. Li Zixuan did not see the huge pebble in his way and his foot hit it. He fell to the ground again and turned to look behind.


    ¡°What do you want? I will give you the desired money that you want. I will give you hundred gold coins,¡± Li Zixuan asserted. Beads of sweat had formed on his forehead and he gulped because he was unable to see anyone through that fog.


    .....


    Suddenly, a silhouette of a man appeared before him. He widened his eyes when he saw L¨®ng Wei and another unknown person behind him who had a bow in his hand.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, did you do all this? How dare you?¡± Li Zixuan barked at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Tsk. You are going to die, yet you are not throwing your attitude away. That is so wrong,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated as he approached Li Zixuan with the sword in his hand.


    ¡°I told you not to fool me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and halted in front of him as he slowly unsheathed the sword.


    ¡°His Majesty must know his son¡¯s doings,¡± Li Zixuan stated.


    ¡°You are going to die, Li Zixuan. What is yourst wish? Say it before your soul leaves your body,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a menacing expression.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei cannot threaten me this way. He should not forget that he will also die if he kills me today,¡± Li Zixuan tried to threaten L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and pointed the sword in the middle of Li Zixuan¡¯s chest. He realized that the prince would not spare him and he trembled in fear. ¡°Why is the Prince doing it?¡± Li Zixuan asked with a terrified voice.


    ¡°I do not want a person like you in the court,¡± L¨®ng Wei reasoned. ¡°I got to find that you killed a family many years ago upon His Majesty¡¯s order. You used to work for Qizhen and decided to betray him when the present king offered you a bigger position. Then, you did all sorts of wrong work while staying as the minister,¡± L¨®ng Wei reminded him.


    Li Zixuan was unable to understand how L¨®ng Wei found out all this.


    ¡°I supported the Sixth Prince when he asked to be the governor. He should not forget the favor that I did for him,¡± Li Zixuan asserted.


    ¡°I also returned that favor by keeping your son alive when he disrespected my people,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Please do not kill me, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Zixuan said and grabbed his legs as he moved away the sword from his chest. ¡°I beg you. I will do what the Prince asks me to do,¡± he stated while pleading for his life.


    ¡°Leave my legs,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and pushed him away.


    ¡°Fine. I will spare you if you tell me the spywork of His Majesty,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°What is His Highness asking for? How would I know about it?¡± Li Zixuan asked him.


    ¡°Finish him off,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and handed the sword to Xiwan. He turned to leave when Li Zixuan noted that he would tell him. Li Zixuan told him the names of those spies, who were mainly from the military. Only three were the officials, who were in the government office to check the activities of Prince L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°ording to you, who is better: Qizhen or the present King?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned.


    ¡°Qizhen,¡± Li Zixuan immediately replied.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°Do not tter me this way, Li Zixuan. Your answer should have been different,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°I am not ttering the prince,¡± Li Zixuan said.


    ¡°Hmm. Thank you for answering my questions. You can go,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Xiwan nced at L¨®ng Wei in bewilderment, but he did not speak.


    L¨®ng Wei helped Li Zixuan in standing up and patted his shoulders. He thanked the prince for sparing his life and turned to go. At that instant, L¨®ng Wei took the sword from Xiwan¡¯s hand and stabbed the sword into Li Zixuan¡¯s back. He pulled it away and Li Zixuan coughed the blood.


    He turned to face L¨®ng Wei and cursed him. ¡°I told you I would not keep you alive if you betrayed me. I pray that your soul gets into hell,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smirk. Li Zixuan fell to the ground and died.

 Chapter 533 - 533 I went hunting

    533 I went hunting


    L¨®ng Wei and Xiwan were on the cliff where Yuze used to stand and watch everything. ¡°I thought rain will fall. The sky got clearer too,¡± Xiwan said and looked up at the sky which had turned redder after the sunset.


    ¡°When evil people die, even heaven celebrates it,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°The King will be mad to see that his one more loyal lost his life,¡± Xiwan said and smiled a little.


    ¡°I want to see him tremble in fear, Xiwan,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and looked at him.


    ¡°Your Highness, the King¡¯s first suspicion will be you. What n does His Highness have to tackle the suspicion? There must be havoc going on in the pce. The Prince was not present in the office today and the three officials who are the spies might have already informed the King about it,¡± Xiwan asserted. He was worried for L¨®ng Wei that he might not be handle Qiu Zedong¡¯s wrath that would fall on him soon.


    ¡°It will not happen. I have made sure that he did not suspect me in any way,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated with a confident smile.


    ¡°How can Prince L¨®ng Wei be so calm?¡± Xiwan questioned.


    ¡°Because it is not my time to get crazy,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Staying calm is important in this situation,¡± he said and asked Xiwan what he would cook for him in the dinner. He put his arm around him and they left for the pce.


    ¡°Your Highness, I was thinking if you be the King, then we all live happily,¡± Xiwan asserted.


    .....


    ¡°Do not think of that because I will never be one. I want a peaceful life. I do not live under stress all of my life. I am only twenty and already my life is full of stress. Li Hua is eighteen and she lives under stress too. I do not want our lives to be in constant fear after getting such a power,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined the reason why he never wanted the throne. He merely was clearing the path to a happy kingdom that Yuze wanted him to.


    L¨®ng Wei and Xiwan soon reached the pce. Xiwan silently left for the royal kitchen without getting anyone¡¯s notice while L¨®ng Wei heard about Li Zixuan from a group of servants. When they saw L¨®ng Wei, they paused talking and bowed to him before leaving his sight.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, where were you?¡± L¨®ng Wei heard Qiu Mu¡¯s voice. He wasing from his behind. He turned slightly and bowed slightly to Qiu Mu. He was a little surprised by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s gesture, but he ignored it.


    ¡°I was with my friend. I heard the servants earlier. Did something happen to Li Zixuan?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°He is dead. Some bandits attacked Li Zixuan while he wasing toward the pce from the shorter route,¡± Qiu Mu informed him.


    ¡°That route is prone to the frequent bandits¡¯ attack. I have gone to see Minister Li Zixuan. I am shocked to find out about this too, Prince Mu. Life is so unpredictable,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Why did you go to see him?¡± Qiu Mu asked.


    L¨®ng Wei took out the envelope from his pocket and showed him a document. ¡°I wanted his seal on this document. But he did not put the seal because he was angry with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and put the envelope back into his pocket.


    ¡°Do you think it is Qizhen¡¯s doing?¡± Qiu Mu asked L¨®ng Wei. ¡°First the great general of the kingdom died, and then this happened,¡± he stated while frowning.


    ¡°But Prince Mu said that it was the bandits¡¯ attack. A thorough investigation is a must before reaching any conclusion,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined and they resumed the walk. ¡°How is Father? Should we see him?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Qiu Mu agreed to him and they both went to see the King.


    As they entered the chamber of their father, Qiu Zedong told them to take their seats.


    ¡°Father, we came to know about Minister Li,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with an upset look.


    Qiu Zedong took a deep breath. ¡°Some bandits attacked Li Zixuan and five other people. They looted them and killed them,¡± he stated and asked them why he came to see him.


    ¡°We thought father might be troubled, so we decided toe. Father, what if this is also Qizhen¡¯s doing?¡± Qiu Mu raised a suspicion. ¡°But L¨®ng Wei and I think that we should first investigate this matter,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Father, I will bring Qizhen to you if it is his doing. He has killed two of the wonderful officials of the Qiu Kingdom,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while clenching his fists.


    Qiu Zedong nced at L¨®ng Wei¡¯s left hand. ¡°How did the Prince get hurt? I heard that he left on a horse in the morning in hurry, but he did not go to work. Where he was the entire day?¡± He asked. He was suspicious of L¨®ng Wei after his spy also died. Though there is no such evidence that would prove that it was L¨®ng Wei, Qiu Zedong got the information from his spy about it.


    Qiu Mu gazed at L¨®ng Wei and then at his father.


    ¡°I went hunting, Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smile. ¡°It has been long since Ist went for a hunt. While using the arrow, I ended up hurting myself,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and looked at his hand.


    ¡°Did Prince L¨®ng Wei go alone to hunt?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°Father knows that I have always done hunting alone. No Prince used toe with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°So, what did Prince L¨®ng Wei catch?¡± Qiu Zedong inquired.


    ¡°Nothing, Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°When I got hurt in the hand, I went to my friend¡¯s ce. I was with Chang Shi for the entire day as I needed a break from my work. Huang Xi also joined me there as he brought lunch for me from the pce. In the evening, I went to Yuze¡¯s ce. I miss Yuze a lot, Father. I am unable to believe that he has left this world,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Qiu Zedong realized that L¨®ng Wei was not hiding anything from him. He was doubting L¨®ng Wei for no reason.


    ¡°Monk Yuze is always with us, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a smile.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed and the smile from his lips slowly vanished. At that moment, he felt that he should beat Qiu Zedong to death.

 Chapter 534 - 534 Undress

    534 Undress


    L¨®ng Wei looked at Li Hua, who was ring at him. He opened his mouth to speak when Li Hua told him if he would speak, she would kill him. L¨®ng Wei pursed his lips together and rubbed the temple of his forehead.


    ¡°Why did His Highness lie to me? He did not either bring the tiffin box with him,¡± Li Hua said and looked at his hands. He immediately hid his hands behind.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei sent Commander Huang Xi with a well-formted lie thinking his wife will never find out. Does he think I am a fool?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°You are not a fool, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°You are not allowed to speak,¡± Li Hua pronounced with a stern tone. ¡°If you went hunting, then shouldn¡¯t you have told your wife once? You love to get hurt. Who told you to be the hero?¡± She scolded him.


    ¡°I did not be the hero,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°Forgive me. My n changed in the morning and I decided to stay at Chang Shi¡¯s ce for a while,¡± he stated and walked up to her. He hugged her and told her to forgive him.


    ¡°I will not forgive Prince L¨®ng Wei this time,¡± Li Hua said.


    L¨®ng Wei lifted his head from her shoulder and peered into her eyes. ¡°But, why? What do I have to do for seeking your forgiveness?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Undress,¡± Li Hua said.


    .....


    ¡°What?¡± L¨®ng Wei eximed and arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°Undress the upper robe. I would like to see something,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°I want to take a bath first,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°I can undresster in front of youter,¡± he added.


    ¡°No. We are not sleeping together tonight. This is the punishment of Prince L¨®ng Wei for lying to his wife and fooling her,¡± she proimed.


    ¡°You cannot do that, Li Hua. I promise I will never do that,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a pleading look in his eyes.


    ¡°The bathhouse is ready. His Highness can go and take a bath,¡± Li Hua said and gently pushed him away. ¡°I will get angrier if His Highness stayed here. He should go and take a bath,¡± she asserted and turned her back to him.


    L¨®ng Wei sighed and decided not to say anything to her. He left for the bathhouse. After changing into the bathing attire, he got into the hot pool of water. He nced at his right arm on which he got the cut from the de while fighting with the spy.


    ¡°Who told her about the incident with me?¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured and furrowed his brows together.


    He heard the door open and tilted his head to look. Behind the door, he saw the silhouette of Li Hua, who had clean clothes in her hand and she soon walked in. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mood lightens up to see her.


    He turned himself and rested his arms on the wooden floor above the water pool. ¡°Li Hua, thank you foring,¡± he said and she sat in front of her with her knees to one side. She touched his arm which was injured during the fight.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei could havee to me. I get more hurt when he hides such things from me. He knows that I do not get angry at him. That is why he lies to me as much as wants to,¡± she stated.


    ¡°I do not lie to you. Only sometimes. I do not want to make you worry,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Li Hua grabbed his left hand which was out of the water and asked him if the wound was deep.


    ¡°Do not lie this time,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°It is deep,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°Who told you about all this?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned.


    ¡°Zhai Liang hase to the pce to ask about you in the evening. I got worried to hear about it and then I went to General Hei. He told me how you fought with such a strong man all by yourself,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°He poisoned Yuze. As soon as I found out about it, I could not stop myself. He was stronger. You also know you get hurt while fighting. If you won¡¯t get hurt, then how will you be strong? The pain is not much. Now, you havee here, so my remaining pain is gone,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I will help you wash,¡± Li Hua said and asked him to sit straight. He acted on hermand while resting his arms on the wooden tform above the pool.


    After twenty minutes, when L¨®ng Wei bathed, Li Hua asked him to change into a clean outfit ande to her chamber. She left while L¨®ng Wei dressed up into the white robes for the night.


    When he reached Li Hua¡¯s bedchamber, he found a first-aid box on the circr table beside the bed. She had the bandage in her hand along with two porcin bottles. She lifted her head and L¨®ng Wei walked up to her. He undress his upper robe and sat next to her.


    Li Hua dressed the wound on his hand first and then asked her to show his right arm.


    ¡°Both the wounds are deep,¡± Li Hua said and beamed at him. L¨®ng Wei quickly kissed the tip of her nose and again asked her to forgive him. Li Hua asked him not to disturb him and focused on dressing the wound.


    ¡°The King has a scar on his hand,¡± Li Hua said after she wrapped the bandage around his arm and tied a knot on it. L¨®ng Wei was perplexed to hear her and asked her why she was suddenly talking about it.


    ¡°The King came to my house when I was very young. The scar on the King¡¯s hand bothered me a lot after I saw it. I tried to recall it and finally, today, I remembered everything. He is the one who killed my family, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua stated.

 Chapter 535 - 535 Xu Guang Li’s daughter is brave [Bonus chapter]

    535 Xu Guang Li¡¯s daughter is brave [Bonus chapter]


    Fourteen years ago:


    Xu Guang Li bowed to Qiu Zedong, who had stepped out of the carriage. Behind him was standing General Ye Yujin. ¡°Please this way, Your Majesty,¡± Guang Li said and they walked in.


    In the guest chamber, after the King took his seat, Xu Guang Li settled on the broad chair. His wife, Lady Chu Chu, brought the tea with the servant¡¯s hand and after greeting the king, she served the tea to them.


    Qiu Zedong sipped the tea and ced the teacup on the saucer. ¡°Your Majesty, the arrangement for your stay has been done,¡± Guang Li informed the King.


    ¡°I would have stayed here, Xu Guang Li, but I will be staying in the Governor¡¯s residence,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    Guang Li smiled and nodded his head. He looked at his wife, who spoke this time, ¡°Your Majesty, we have prepared the food for everyone. We will feel blessed if you all have lunch here,¡± Lady Chu Chu said.


    ¡°Why not? We will have our lunch here, then,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a smile. ¡°I would like to have a conversation with Xu Guang Li,¡± he asserted. Lady Chu Chu stood up from her seat and bowed to the King. She left and the doors were closed after her.


    Lady Chu Chu was instructing the servants when young Li Hua came to her mother with a small bamboo basket in her hand. ¡°Mother, I picked these flowers from the garden,¡± Li Hua said.


    Chu Chu caressed her daughter¡¯s head and asked her to y in her room. ¡°Mother is busy at the moment. The King hase here. Do not go near the guest room,¡± Chu Chu told her daughter and asked the servant to send Li Hua to her room. She walked away while Li Hua left with the servant.


    .....


    However, in the middle of her way to the room, Li Hua halted and asked for food from the servant. ¡°I am hungry,¡± Li Hua stroked her hand above her belly.


    ¡°I will bring some snacks for the young miss,¡± the servant said and asked Li Hua to go to the room before leaving for the kitchen.


    Instead of going to her room, young Li Hua went to see the guests. When her mother said that the King hade, her curiosity to see the King increased.


    She didn¡¯t go from the front door but from the back door of the guest room as she didn¡¯t want to get caught.


    Li Hua put the bamboo basket down and jumped over the window to get inside. With her small legs, she finally climbed through the window.


    Li Hua was curious to know what a King looked like. She had heard from her brothers how they wanted to serve the King when they would be adults. They would tell her how the King won the wars as he was once a great general of the Kingdom.


    She stayed in the corridor of the backside of the guest room when she heard the voice of her father.


    ¡°Father!¡± She mumbled with excitement and a smile formed on her tiny lips.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Xu Guang Li inform me about the prophecy about his daughter? Does he not know he has betrayed me by hiding such a big matter?¡± The King asked. Li Hua frowned when she found that someone was scolding her father. However, she pondered over the king¡¯s words.


    ¡°Your Majesty, forgive me about it. I don¡¯t want my daughter to ever marry in to the royal family. Moreover, I do not believe in prophecies,¡± Xu Guang Li put forward his strong beliefs and views in front of the King.


    ¡°I also want the same. I do not want your family to be involved with the royal family. I had to make a special visit to Xinshui to meet Xu Guang Li for this matter. Make sure your daughter marries as soon as she touches the age of eighteen,¡± Qiu Zedong said with a stern tone.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± A soldier asked Li Hua, who had heard the conversation between Qiu Zedong and her father.


    He dragged Li Hua to the front, who asked him to leave her. General Ye Yujin came out to see and saw a young girl with the soldier.


    Xu Guang Li also came out to check. ¡°Li Hua! That¡¯s my daughter,¡± Guang Li told the soldier and asked him to let her go.


    Guang Li got on his knees and asked his daughter what she was doing there.


    ¡°I wanted to see the King, Father,¡± Li Hua said in her innocent voice.


    Guang Li smiled a little. ¡°It is not easy to meet the King,¡± he said and told her to go to her room.


    At that moment, Qiu Zedong came out of the room. Li Hua looked at the tall figure of the King and kept staring at him.


    Guang Li stood up and bowed his head. ¡°Please forgive my daughter for her innocence, Your Majesty,¡± Guang Li apologized on behalf of Li Hua.


    Qiu Zedong smiled and told Guang Li that he didn¡¯t have to apologize. ¡°What is your name?¡± He asked Li Hua.


    ¡°It is Li Hua, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°You are so tall. Did you win all the battles?¡± She asked curiously with shimmering eyes. Since she was young, she didn¡¯t know how to talk to the King.


    Qiu Zedong got on his knee and smiled at Li Hua. ¡°Xu Guang Li¡¯s daughter is brave,¡± he said and stroked his hand over Li Hua¡¯s head. She saw the scar on the King¡¯s hand and asked about it.


    ¡°I got it during a battle,¡± Qiu Zedong replied.


    Li Hua continued to stare at the King when her father intervened and again apologized.


    ¡°Li Hua still does not know how to speak well,¡± Guang Li said and told the King that he would send Li Hua away.


    Qiu Zedong hummed and stood up. Li Hua left with her father. However, before leaving, she kept her gaze on that scar.


    ~~~~~~


    Present time:


    ¡°The King knew that Monk Yuze had made a prophecy for me. He never wanted us to be together. Since I was four years old at that time, I forgot about it with time,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°I am unable to understand why the King has to kill my family.¡± She furrowed her brows together and lowered her head.


    However, L¨®ng Wei understood. Li Hua¡¯s family underwent that tragic fate because of him. He approached her and Qiu Zedong found out about it. Qizhen had told him that it was the King¡¯s doing, but the reason was still unclear to him.


    But now, he knew the reason too. Qiu Zedong never wanted L¨®ng Wei toe out of the cold pce. He wanted L¨®ng Wei to keep making mistakes and never think of his future. That was why he never wanted Li Hua to be L¨®ng Wei¡¯s bride.


    L¨®ng Wei hugged Li Hua which perplexed her. She didn¡¯t say anything and ced her hands on his back.


    ¡°I will fulfill my promise to you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I know. I want Prince L¨®ng Wei to include me in his ns too. Because it is my fight too. I beg him,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled away and gazed into her orbs. ¡°What do you want to do? I cannot let you fight with him,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°But I can fight with him along with you,¡± Li Hua stated.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed and told her that he would surely include her in his ns.

 Chapter 536 - 536 We need to find out [Bonus chapter]

    536 We need to find out [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°I do not have any empathy towards our father,¡± Jin Yu said while ring at Jianjun, who hade after a day after doing thest rituals of his father.


    ¡°However, my sister should protect his position. Doesn¡¯t she want support for her husband through the Li family? Before the position of the minister goes to someone else, my elder sister should try her best to hand it over to me,¡± Jianjun affirmed with a tiny smirk.


    ¡°Jianjun, you should not dream of such a bigger position because it will never happen. Your threats will not work on me. My husband has already rmended the name of an honest official for the position of such a responsible ministry,¡± Jin Yu pronounced.


    ¡°Sister, do not disappoint me. I may have to use another way to make you work,¡± Jianjun stated.


    Jin Yu clenched her fist and stood up from her ce. She walked up to him and pulled him up by grabbing his cor.


    ¡°Do you want me to kick you out or do you want to go on your own?¡± Jin Yu questioned, beaming at him.


    ¡°I never knew my sister has so much strength. Ahh, she got married to the Crown Prince because she saved him,¡± Jianjun stated and continued, ¡°if you do not want Xu Zifan to die and turn her wife into a widow, you will have to make me the minister.¡±


    Jianjun grabbed Jin Yu¡¯s hand and lowered it down. ¡°Sister, do not provoke me. You saved your husband by revealing your true identity, so now you should return the favor of our father,¡± He stated.


    Jin Yu pped him hard which startled Jianjun. ¡°This is for threatening me,¡± she proimed and again grabbed his cor before dragging him out of the chamber.


    .....


    The servants in the manor were stunned to see that side of the Crown Princess.


    Xiaoming, who had returned from the imperial court, ended up seeing them. He stood near the door and the servants behind him stopped.


    Jin Yu threw Jianjun out of therge entry door of the manor. He bnced himself before losing his bnce. Jin Yu lifted her high-waist skirt a little and then kicked Jianjun.


    In seconds, he fell off the stairs and everyone was shocked.


    Xiaoming smiled to see Jin Yu¡¯s reaction and didn¡¯t say anything. However, he walked up to her and stood next to her.


    Jianjun felt humiliated and stood up. His hands were bruised and even his nose bridge got a slight cut. He red at Jin Yu and looked at the servants, who had their gazes darted at him.


    ¡°Do note here and ask me to fulfill your ridiculous requests. You should be happy that the King returned you to the position with a higher rank even after your evil acts. I hate men like you. Also, if you tried to harm Xu Zifan and Sister Jingfei, trust me I will kill you with my own hands,¡± Jin Yu stated. Xiaoming looked at her and frowned. He realized that Jianjun used Xu Zifan¡¯s name again while asking something from Jin Yu.


    ¡°Leave, Li Jianjun,¡± Xiaoming ordered him.


    Gulping at the humiliation that Jianjun faced, he left the pce.


    ¡°Next time, if hees here, do not let him enter,¡± Jin Yu told the doorkeepers and walked inside in anger. Xiaoming followed her and grasped her wrist.


    ¡°Calm down, Crown Princess,¡± Xiaoming said and she turned to look at him.


    Her cheeks were red because of the anger. ¡°He tried to threaten me. He asked me to make him the minister. Can you imagine?¡± She huffed.


    ¡°Why do I have to be the daughter of such a family?¡± Jin Yu said and stomped her foot on the floor.


    Xiaoming embraced her and caressed her back. ¡°It is not your fault. Their minds are retarded,¡± he stated. She pulled away and peered into his eyes.


    ¡°He may harm Li Hua¡¯s brother. The Crown Prince needs to talk to Prince L¨®ng Wei on this matter,¡± Jin Yu opined.


    ¡°He is not in the pce at the moment. I will talk with him in the evening,¡± Xiaoming said and told her that he had increased the security around Xu Zifan. ¡°Jianjun will not dare to do this. He knows what can be the consequences of his wrongdoing. He was merely threatening you.¡± He caressed her cheek from the back of her palm.


    ¡°What if something wrong happens? I have this strange feeling in my heart,¡± Jin Yu said in a low voice.


    ¡°It is normal to get scared. I will talk with my father about this. It is important to inform him about this,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°His Majesty may think that I am lying. I mean, we do not like the Li family, but His Majesty still considers them good,¡± Jin Yu asserted and knitted her brows together.


    ¡°I wonder why Father does not see how evil they are. Father even supported Kang Xi until the very end. I feel something strange is happening,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°What does the Crown Prince mean?¡± Jin Yu asked him to exin to her.


    ¡°It is tough to exin, Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming said. After the incident about Qizhen had appeared, he noticed that his father was acting strangely. He tried hard to find out who Qizhen was, but found nothing about him.


    Even in the royal records, there was no mention of it. Although he got to know that Hei Chengxi used to be loyal to Qizhen, so when he tried to talk to him about Qizhen, he refused to say anything in that. When he asked L¨®ng Wei about it, thinking he would know, even he told him those things which he already knew about Qizhen.


    ¡°What is the Crown Prince thinking?¡± Jin Yu asked.


    ¡°Father is acting strange after his elder brother¡¯s existence news has spread. For some reason, I feel that Father has some loyal high-rank officials, whom he does not want to lose,¡± Xiaoming affirmed.


    ¡°Should we find out who Qizhen was? He killed your uncle,¡± Jin Yu stated.


    ¡°I think we need to find out,¡± Xiaoming replied.

 Chapter 537 - 537 Never be able to find her

    537 Never be able to find her


    ¡°Why do you not want to marry Prince Qiu Mu?¡± Kang Xi asked his daughter. ¡°What is wrong with you, Cha Ying? Don¡¯t you want the Kang Family to grow better? Your brother already made things harder for us and now you are doing the same. How could you refuse to marry Prince Mu?¡± He blurted out his anger at her.


    Cha Ying kept her head down and apologized. ¡°It is the best decision for the Kang Family, Father,¡± Cha Ying said.


    ¡°I am the elder of this house! You are supposed to do what I would tell you. I have convinced His Majesty somehow and he still thinks that you are best for his second son,¡± Kang Xi asserted.


    ¡°Father, I will not marry the Second Prince,¡± Cha Ying said and gazed into her father¡¯s eyes. Her mother asked her not to think irrationally.


    ¡°It is not an irrational decision, Mother. I have taken this decision after thinking a lot. After what my Father and my brother did, I cannot be a way for their selfish desires,¡± Cha Ying stated.


    Kang Xi pped Cha Ying hard.


    ¡°My Lord!¡± Lady Kang stood from her seat and told her husband not to be angry with their daughter. She assured him that she would make Cha Ying understand.


    ¡°I will not change my decision, Mother,¡± Cha Ying said. She didn¡¯t let the tears fall from her eyes. This was the first time her father had raised his hand on her.


    ¡°Cha Ying, you cannot speak this way to your father. He is doing this for you. This is the second time your marriage will be broken. Do you know when the Crown Prince rejected you because of your behavior, how much humiliation your father has to face? The nobledies med your stars for such a fate,¡± Lady Kang scolded her daughter. She told Cha Ying not to refuse the marriage.


    .....


    ¡°Mother, I am not saying anything wrong. This marriage will benefit the Kang family. I don¡¯t want my brother toe out of the prison,¡± Cha Ying affirmed and looked at her father again, ¡°nor do I want my father to get any official position. I will not marry and that¡¯s my final decision.¡± Cha Ying pronounced her decision.


    Kang Huijuan¡¯s wife voiced in anger, who just had entered the chamber.


    ¡°How can a sister be so cruel to her own brother? Your brother¡¯s child will soon take birth,¡± Kang Huijuan¡¯s wife, Xin Jue, shouted at Cha Ying and ced her hand on her big belly.


    Lady Kang asked Xin Jue why she came there and asked the servant to take her back to the room.


    Xin Jue shook her head and walked with slower steps toward Cha Ying. ¡°Do you want me to kneel before you? Please marry Prince Mu. I want my husband back, Sister Cha Ying. Please do this favor on me,¡± she pleaded with her.


    ¡°Xin Jue, we are talking to her. You should leave,¡± Lady Kang said. ¡°My son will surely be out of prison,¡± she assured her daughter-inw.


    Cha Ying chuckled to hear the words of her mother.


    ¡°I will not marry, Prince Mu. I don¡¯t want Kang Huijuan toe out of prison. He is the reason why we have to suffer so much. How could you all wish for an evil person like him to roam freely again?¡± Cha Ying didn¡¯t hide her anger this time. Indeed, Kang Huijuan was her elder brother, but he was not someone who should be benefited from her marriage.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you care about this life?¡± Xin Jue asked her.


    ¡°I do. That is why I am saying this. This child must not suffer,¡± Cha Ying said.


    ¡°We are not here to listen to your ridiculous exnations,¡± Kang Xi finally spoke and ordered his loyal servants to lock Cha Ying in her room until the day of her marriage was fixed.


    ¡°Father, you cannot do this to me,¡± Cha Ying said while knitting her brows together.


    ¡°Take Cha Ying away from my sight!¡± Kang Xi screamed at the servants. Lady Kang averted her gaze from her daughter as she was dragged to her room.


    Before she could run out, the two servants locked the door from outside. Cha Ying kept banging on the door, but no one responded from the outside.


    Tears poured down her cheeks and she decided to run from the house. She recalled L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words. Her family was the worst, especially her father. Earlier, she was concerned about her mother but now she didn¡¯t care for her anymore.


    She quickly went to the table and picked up the sword. She never knew her sword skills woulde to use in such a way.


    Cha Ying went towards the window to escape from there. She opened it and jumped out of it. She headed to the west and saw a bunch of soldiers, who were heading in that direction only.


    ¡®Father must have sent them here,¡¯ she thought and ran in the east. She prevented herself from getting into anyone¡¯s eyes and went to the backyard of the house as fast as she could.


    Cha Ying gasped for air and looked at the huge wall. She took several steps back and then ran toward the wall before leaping it.


    She safelynded on the ground outside the residence and quickly stood up. Without waiting for another second, she ran as fast as she could.


    After covering a certain distance, she stopped and hid behind a tree. She caught her breath and left the sword there.


    She tied her hair first, andter ran to the market to buy a male outfit. In the market, she exchanged the gold ring in exchange for a male dress and changed into it. She also purchased a conical hat from the same shop.


    After dressing in male attire, she walked out of the shop and decided to run to any nearby town or city so that her family would never be able to find her.

 Chapter 538 - 538 To use me in his way [Bonus chapter]

    538 To use me in his way [Bonus chapter]


    L¨®ng Wei nced at Zhai Liang, who was one of the spies of the King. He chuckled and leaned his bank on the chair. Zhai Liang knitted his brows together as he was slightly confused by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sudden reaction.


    L¨®ng Wei, on the other hand, thought about how could he almost fall into the trap of his father. Luckily, he had not discussed anything important that could have brought him to danger.


    ¡°Does His Highness need to say something to me? He doesn¡¯t look in a good mood,¡± Zhai Liang said while being concerned.


    ¡°Indeed, I am in a terrible mood,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and asked him to follow him. He stood up and walked up to Zhai Liang, who promptly lowered his head.


    ¡°Zhai Liang, I have found something about Qizhen. Follow me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and walked ahead out of the room.


    ¡®That¡¯s an important piece of news for His Majesty. However, before informing His Majesty, I need to go with L¨®ng Wei to check what he found out,¡¯ Zhai Liang thought. He smirked and ran after the Prince. He got into the carriage, which L¨®ng Wei had prepared already and soon the carriage left.


    L¨®ng Wei had the window opened when he saw Cha Ying running. He got surprised to see her in male attire. ¡®Did she run away from her house?¡¯ L¨®ng Wei thought and a chuckle escaped his mouth.


    He didn¡¯t stop the carriage for her and decided to ignore that he ever saw her.


    Zhai Liang found out that they had taken the route which was headed to the deep forest.


    .....


    ¡°Your Highness, where are we heading to?¡± Zhai Liang again asked and turned to look at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°To see the person, who is aiding Qizhen. I have got a tip-off that the person is hiding here,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Then, why did wee in a carriage? He might get alerted,¡± Zhai Liang opined.


    ¡°So that the person won¡¯t think that the prince is here to take his life,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    After a while, the carriage stopped and they both stepped out of it.


    They entered the deep forest when Zhai Liang asked him how he found out about such a piece of important information.


    ¡°Some things are meant to be secrets,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and smiled.


    ¡°I get surprised by His Highness¡¯s way of doing his work. Everyone fears him. He has a way to terrorize the people,¡± Zhai Liang stated.


    ¡°What about you, Zhai Liang?¡± L¨®ng Wei slowly halted and slightly turned to gaze at Zhai Liang in amusement. ¡°Do you feel terrorized around me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°In the beginning, Your Highness,¡± Zhai Liang answered.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed. He pulled the sword out of the scabbard, which confused Zhai Liang.


    ¡°You should have feared me all the time, Zhai Liang,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and pointed the sword at his neck.


    Zhai Liang frowned to hear L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I do fear him,¡± Zhai Liang replied.


    L¨®ng Wei snickered and moved the sword another inch to Zhai Liang¡¯s neck. A slight cut appeared on his neck and he stopped blinking his eyes.


    ¡°Whom do you work for? Tell me your real name,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while ring at Zhai Liang. Although he knew about it for the past two days, he had thoroughly researched him with Feng Lao¡¯s help, but he wanted to hear from Zhai Liang¡¯s mouth.


    Zhai Liang understood that L¨®ng Wei had found out who he was. But, how? Everything was taken care of carefully.


    ¡°Since your real identity is never used, so I¡¯ll call you Zhai Liang only. You fooled me well, Zhai Liang. Now, it¡¯s the time when you should leave this body,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. Before he could kill him, Zhai Liang pointed the dagger at L¨®ng Wei¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei will die first, so he should think carefully,¡± Zhai Liang stated with a stern tone.


    ¡°His Majesty will kill you if I die here today. He has never ordered any of his spies to kill me until he finds where Qizhen is. That is possible only through me because only I know where he is,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Zhai Liang smiled to hear L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is wrong. As soon as any of the spies find out that he is betraying the King, he has to die,¡± Zhai Liang affirmed and was going to shove the dagger inside L¨®ng Wei¡¯s abdomen when a speeding arrow hit his wrist.


    The dagger immediately fell from his hand and he cried in pain. L¨®ng Wei kicked him and he fell to the ground.


    Feng Lao ran in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s direction and asked him if he was alright.


    ¡°I am fine,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and shoved the sword in the middle of Zhai Liang¡¯s chest. He instantly died with his eyes open when Feng Lao asked him why he didn¡¯t ask for useful information from Zhai Liang.


    ¡°He would have never opened his mouth,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Feng Lao told L¨®ng Wei that Hei Chengxi would be there soon. They would make the site as if a fierce fight happened there.


    ¡°I need to be careful else the King will kill me,¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured and cut his right hand.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei! Why did you cut your hand?¡± Feng Lao worriedly asked and bent a little to tear the piece of fabric from his robe.


    He asked L¨®ng Wei to forward his hand.


    ¡°The King should think that a fight happened here. Until he sees the wound on my hand, he won¡¯t be satisfied,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Feng Lao grabbed his right hand and wrapped the piece of cloth around L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand. ¡°Your body is precious,¡± Feng Lao said.


    L¨®ng Wei tried to pull his hand away, but Feng Lao gripped it tightly. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei should not feel he is alone. He has many people, who love him and care for him. He has a long life to live. He should not feel low with a spy¡¯s statement,¡± He said and tried to soothe L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled his hand away and gazed into his eyes. ¡°The King¡¯s suspicion will grow if I keep killing his spies. Li Hua¡¯s life will get in danger because of this. I need to change the entire n. I realized now that I cannot take Qiu Zedong lightly because he controlled me all these years. When he can kill Yuze, he can do anything. He can go to any extent to use me in his way,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and clenched his fists.

 Chapter 539 - 539 Why he was so shy?

    539 Why he was so shy?


    Qiu Mu gripped the bamboo slip in his hand tightly when he heard Kang Cha Ying run away from her house. He threw it toward the soldier, who caught it. Without thinking for another second, Qiu Mu left for the Kang residence to find out what exactly happened.


    He pulled the reins on the horse as soon as he arrived at the Kang Residence and ran inside.


    ¡°Where is Kang Xi?¡± Qiu Mu asked, grabbing the cor of the servant, whom he saw first.


    ¡°Lord Kang is in his room,¡± the servant replied. Qiu Mu let go of his cor and marched toward Kang Xi¡¯s room. Somewhere, he had the feeling that Kang Xi did something which forced Cha Ying to take such a decision.


    The servants were confused to see Qiu Mu, but they did not stop him. The grim look on the second prince¡¯s face had terrified them.


    Qiu Mu halted outside Kang Xi¡¯s house and pushed the doors. He walked in while shouting Kang Xi¡¯s name, who was seated in front of the table with a troubled expression on his face.


    Kang Xi immediately stood up from his ce and bowed to see Qiu Mu.


    ¡°Where is Cha Ying? What did you say to her that she ran away?¡± Qiu Mu scrunched his brows together and walked up to him.


    ¡°Your Highness, I merely asked my daughter to not refuse the marriage,¡± Kang Xi stated when Qiu Mu strangled his neck. His thumb and fingers tightly pressed on Kang Xi¡¯s neck, whose eyes almost bulged out of his sockets.


    .....


    ¡°I told you not to say anything to Cha Ying. I know that you pressured her. Tell me the truth, or else I will kill you,¡± Qiu Mu shouted at Kang Xi.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Lady Kang ran inside and held his arm. She requested him to let go of her husband. Qiu Mu let go of Kang Xi and pushed him away. Kang Xi started to cough as he gasped for air. He was on the verge of dying. He felt what death looked like.


    ¡°Find Cha Ying. If you fail to do that, I swear, I will wipe out your existence,¡± Qiu Mu threatened Kang Xi. Kang Xi¡¯s wife was crying while Kang Xi assured the prince that he would definitely find her.


    ¡°When did you find out that Cha Ying ran from the house?¡± Qiu Mu questioned.


    ¡°In the morning, Your Highness,¡± Kang Xi said in a low voice.


    ¡°What did you tell her? Did you force her to marry me? Don¡¯t lie to me, Kang Xi. I am in my worse mood,¡± Qiu Mu muttered.


    ¡°Your Highness, we did not say anything to her. We merely told her not to step back from such a good marriage proposal. She is my daughter,¡± Kang Xi ced his hand on his chest, ¡°I am more concerned for her than the Second Prince.¡±


    Qiu Mu clenched his fists. ¡°Your words are not trustworthy to me,¡± he stated and walked out from there. Qiu Mu needs to prepare a unit that would specifically search for Cha Ying. If she had run away from the house, she would not have covered a long distance. Thinking about all this, he left for the pce.


    As soon as he reached the pce, Qiu Mu met Huang Xi and asked him to form a team of special soldiers to find Cha Ying.


    ¡°I will give you the sketch of Cha Ying. Also, block the main city gates now,¡± Qiu Mumanded Huang Xi.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Huang Xi bowed and left from there.


    ~~~~~~~~


    Jingfei wore the earrings that Xu Zifan had gifted her. She asked Lin Jie about them and asked her if she looked mesmerizing.


    ¡°Indeed, My Lady. My Lord¡¯s eyes cannot stay away from you even for a second,¡± Lin Jie said with a broad smile.


    ¡°Xu Zifan admires me, but he is too shy to express his love sometimes,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°Then mydy should initiate. She should seduce her husband. Upon seeing the charm of his wife, my lord will not be able to stop himself,¡± Lin Jie suggested while giggling.


    ¡°Umm¡­ I have never done all this. Moreover, I may get ufortable,¡± Jingfei said while fidgeting with her fingers.


    She stood up and decided to go to Xu Zifan¡¯s workce and surprise him. ¡°Lin Jie, pack the sweets in a box. I am going to see Xu Zifan,¡± Jingfei ordered. Lin Jie nodded her head and dashed out of the room to the kitchen.


    Jingfei looked at herself in the mirror and brushed her hair once more. She circled at her ce while spreading her arms out and danced a little in enjoyment.


    She stopped and lowered her hand when an arm circled her belly. She tilted her head and a smile appeared on her lips.


    ¡°Xu Zifan,¡± she whispered with shimmering eyes.


    ¡°You came home early. Did your work finish early?¡± Jingfei asked and turned to him. Her hands rested on his chest as she kept her gaze on him.


    ¡°Yes. I had less work today, which I finished early,¡± Xu Zifan replied and looked at her ears.


    ¡°Did you like the present?¡± Xu Zifan asked.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Jingfei nodded her head a few times in happiness.


    ¡°You looked mesmerizing earlier,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°A minute ago when you were dancing happily,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Jingfei tiptoed and kissed him. She rubbed her nose against his and smiled at him. ¡°Xu Zifan, you are such a lovely husband,¡± she praised him and hugged him tightly.


    She pulled away soon and told him to wait for her as she would bring water for him when he grasped her arm.


    ¡°I am not thirsty,¡± Xu Zifan said and took a step to close the distance between them.


    Jingfei wondered if he would kiss her this time. Theirst kiss was a few days ago. After that day, Xu Zifan kissed her only on the forehead or sometimes the cheek. Why he was so shy? She was confused about it. She even initiated the kiss this time, but still, he looked very hesitant.


    Xu Zifan wanted to kiss her when he heard a knock on the door. He promptly stepped away from Jingfei.


    ¡°Lin Jie, there is no need for this tiffin box,¡± Jingfei said and told Xu Zifan that she would bring the lunch meal to his room. He nodded his head and watched her leave the room. He sighed and scolded himself for being so slow.

 Chapter 540 - 540 Against their own father [Bonus chapter]

    540 Against their own father [Bonus chapter]


    Qiu Zedong looked at Hei Chengxi and then at L¨®ng Wei. Feng Lao was standing behind L¨®ng Wei and had his gaze on the rug.


    ¡°Forgive me, Father. I tried my best to catch Qizhen¡¯s spy alive, but before I could do that, he took his life. Along with him, I ended up losing Zhai Liang,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while feeling guilty.


    Qiu Zedong curled his fingers and his nails dug into the bolsters on both sides of the throne. Zhai Liang was one of his spies and he lost his life. For some reason, Qiu Zedong felt something was wrong.


    First, Ye Yujin died; then Gao Bing whom he thought was his most loyal person; the spy who served him for more than thirty years also died; minister Li Zixuan died in a bandits¡¯ attack. And now, Zhai Liang, who was supposed to keep an eye on L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Why did Prince let Zhai Liang apany him? Most of the officials are not good in martial skills,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°Zhai Liang didn¡¯t want me to go alone. That¡¯s why I let him apany me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Feng Lao realized that the King¡¯s suspicion on L¨®ng Wei had grown. However, he trusted L¨®ng Wei. He knew that the Sixth Prince would not be caught easily.


    L¨®ng Wei got on his knees and ced his hands on his thighs. He lowered his head in front of his father and said, ¡°Father, I know you are distressed because of Qizhen. But I promise my father that I will bring Qizhen alive in front of him. He is the reason why all these mishaps are happening.¡±


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, I trust your words and actions. However, I want you to step out of this mission. I will find Qizhen in my way now,¡± Qiu Zedong pronounced.


    .....


    Feng Lao and Hei Chengxi had not expected that the King would suddenly tell L¨®ng Wei to stop finding Qizhen.


    ¡°Father, I will not disappoint you. Give me ten days and I will bring Qizhen in front of you,¡± L¨®ng Wei requested his father and raised his head to gaze at him.


    ¡°How will Prince L¨®ng Wei do it? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to leave for Dongqing first? I am unable to understand what he is trying to do. He has never been on such missions, so I understand that it is tough for him to find Qizhen,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    ¡°Father, as much as you are desperate to catch Qizhen, so am I,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    Qiu Zedong knitted his brows to hear that statement.


    ¡°Our great general died by Qizhen¡¯s hands. I wonder if he was the one who killed Li Zixuan. Today¡¯s dual with one of his spies showed me how powerful Qizhen had be. With this, I am sure that Qizhen is hiding in the capital among the people. If I fail to bring Qiu Qizhen in front of His Majesty, I will myself step away from this mission,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. His sound appeared as if he was taking a pledge.


    Qiu Zedong was impressed with L¨®ng Wei¡¯s dedication to him. ¡°Fine. I give the ten days to Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Zedong gave further time to him.


    L¨®ng Wei thanked his father. Qiu Zedong dismissed them and told L¨®ng Wei to get his wound checked by Physician Peng Yuxian.


    ¡°Li Hua is better than Physician Peng,¡± L¨®ng Wei told his father with a smile. He bowed and left the private chamber of Qiu Zedong.


    Feng Lao apanied L¨®ng Wei when he asked him to go home. ¡°I will see you in the night,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him.


    ¡°In the night?¡± Feng Lao was perplexed.


    ¡°Yes. I have to discuss something important with you,¡± L¨®ng Wei whispered near his ear. Feng Lao nodded his head and left for his home.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at his right hand. Li Hua would scold him for getting hurt.


    ¡°Sixth Brother, what happened to your hand?¡± Ai Fen asked. L¨®ng Wei slightly tilted his head to look when Ai Fen halted next to him.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and put his hand behind his back. He walked ahead as he didn¡¯t want to talk to Ai Fen.


    ¡°He is still hesitant to speak with me,¡± Ai Fen said with a dejected look.


    L¨®ng Wei peeked inside his chamber before stepping in. Where was Li Hua? He wondered. Usually, she would be in his chamber, waiting for him.


    He picked up the water jar to pour water into a ss and then drank the water.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± He heard Li Hua¡¯s voice. He ced the ss on the table and turned to look at her.


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± He pronounced her name and smiled at her.


    She nced at his hand and the smile from her lips disappeared. She swiftly approached him and grasped his hand.


    ¡°Ahh, I was...¡± He paused when Li Hua asked him not to speak.


    She told L¨®ng Wei to sit and she left. Soon, she returned with a first-aid box and dressed the wound on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s right hand.


    ¡°His Highness has taken a pledge to hurt himself daily,¡± Li Hua said and tied a knot on the bandage.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua looked at him and caressed his cheek. ¡°When will you stop hurting yourself?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I will be cautious,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei always says that,¡± Li Hua affirmed and lowered her hand. ¡°What happened? Why is my husband upset? He looks troubled,¡± She asked.


    L¨®ng Wei grasped her hand and took her to the patio. They both settled on the floor mattress and L¨®ng Wei rested his head on her shoulder.


    ¡°I hate that I am used by another person,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Li Hua understood his statement.


    ¡°I want to be free. I have ten days to bring Qizhen here,¡± He informed Li Hua. Her eyes grew bigger to hear his words.


    ¡°But if hees here, then he will lose his life,¡± Li Hua worriedly said.


    ¡°I will not let that happen. However, before that, I have the most difficult task. I need the support of every prince on my side. The King is suspicious of me and if I take more lives of his loyal people, he may harm you. I cannot risk your life,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I believe all the princes support you,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°No one will like to go against their own father. That¡¯s the biggest problem,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.

 Chapter 541 - 541 One more time

    541 One more time


    Feng Lao saw Xiaolianing from the front with Ai Fen. He greeted them by slightly bowing his head. He then walked ahead. Ai Fen told Xiaolian that she should talk to Feng Lao as they slowly halted at their ces.


    ¡°He will get angry,¡± Xiaolian said and they both turned to look at Feng Lao.


    ¡°But until Sister Xiaolian will not try, it is impossible for her to win Feng Lao. Go after him before he leaves,¡± Ai Fen encouraged Xiaolian and pushed her forward. Xiaolian was hesitant to go first but when Ai Fen kept insisting, she picked up the pace and left behind Feng Lao.


    Ai Fen smiled and left for her chamber.


    ¡°Feng Lao!¡± Xiaolian pronounced his name. However, he pretended that he did not hear her. Xiaolian did not go after him and stopped midway. Feng Lao furrowed his brows together and he left from there as quickly as possible.


    Feng Lao reached the home soon, and when he reached his room, he found Xu Zifan there.


    ¡°You took time to return,¡± Xu Zifan said and stood up from the chair. ¡°How was the mission?¡± He asked.


    Feng Lao closed the door and put the sword on the table. ¡°We seeded. Zhai Liang was one of the King¡¯s spies,¡± Feng Lao said and rested his hands on his waist. ¡°It is hard to believe that His Majesty is doing all this. Prince L¨®ng Wei has not told anything either. Do you know what is going on between the Sixth prince and his father?¡± He inquired Xu Zifan.


    He shook his head. ¡°If I had known, then I would have told you,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    .....


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is so mysterious,¡± Feng Lao affirmed.


    ¡°He is. He does not like to share about his past,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°It is tough to read Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mind. I feel that he has a tough childhood,¡± Feng Lao asserted.


    ¡°We all know that. Didn¡¯t you hear Chang Shi that day? Everyone used to stay away from Prince L¨®ng Wei in the pce. All of the princes and the princesses judged him because of the prophecy,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    Feng Lao nodded his head. ¡°I know. But there is more to it. He wants to see me in the evening. I think he wants to discuss an important matter with me. He said that he wanted to change the n,¡± Feng Lao informed Xu Zifan.


    ¡°You should try asking Prince L¨®ng Wei what is going on with him. Li Hua does not either tell me,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°I think, I need to follow his orders only. If he does not want to share anything with us, then that must be something bigger,¡± Feng Lao opined.


    Xu Zifan hummed when they heard a knock on the door. Feng Lao went to open the door and found Jingfei outside.


    ¡°I saw Brother Feng Laoing earlier, so I thought to bring lunch for him,¡± she stated and looked at Lin Jie.


    Feng Lao opened the door for them and Xu Zifan smiled to see Jingfei.


    ¡°You could have sent the servant,¡± Feng Lao said. He still talked in an informal tone with her. ¡°Wait! I am not your brother,¡± he added.


    ¡°Feng Lao, do not speak this way with her,¡± Xu Zifan scolded him and then apologized to Jingfei for Feng Lao¡¯s behavior.


    ¡°I wanted to say that the sister-inw never called me brother. It is strange to hear that word,¡± Feng Lao exined. ¡°Forgive me for my wrong interpretation,¡± he apologized then.


    ¡°I found out that Brother Feng Lao is older than me. Using the ¡®brother¡¯ title for him seemed appropriate to me,¡± Jingfei said with a tiny smile.


    ¡°Hmm. Thank you for the lunch meal,¡± Feng Lao said. Xu Zifan told him to have his lunch in peace and he left with Jingfei, followed by Lin Jie.


    Xu Zifan asked Lin Jie to leave as he wanted privacy with his wife. ¡°Do not take Feng Lao¡¯s word to your heart. He does not despise you,¡± Xu Zifan told her.


    ¡°I did not take those words to my heart,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°Tomorrow is the Qiqi festival,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°Yes. The first festival that we will celebrate together,¡± Jingfei said and scooped her hand around his left arm. ¡°We have to go to the temple in the morning to worship the celestial couples. Then, in the evening we will go to the market,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xu Zifan gave a one-word response.


    ¡°Are you not excited about it?¡± She inquired.


    ¡°I am,¡± Xu Zifan answered.


    ¡°But you do not look excited,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°I am not good at expressing emotions,¡± Xu Zifan stated. He asked her about the needle contest in which she would participate tomorrow.


    ¡°Do you remember about it?¡± Jingfei suddenly turned happy.


    ¡°Yes. You told me how skilled you are in needlework, weaving, and knitting. How can I not remember such an important asion for you?¡± Xu Zifan asked and they halted upon reaching outside their room. Tiny raindropsnded on the ground and they both stood next to the wooden pir.


    ¡°I want to win it,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°I will be d if you win.¡± Xu Zifan gave her his best wishes.


    ¡°I have never taken part with the localdies, so I do not know how tough it is going to be,¡± Jingfei asserted.


    ¡°But you have a fighting spirit, so you will definitely do good,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°Since you trust me so much, I will do my best,¡± Jingfei said and looked toward the ground.


    ¡°I pray tomorrow night the sky gets clear. Then, we will be able to see the three stars together,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°I pray for the same.¡± Xu Zifan turned to look at her and picked up a tiny leaf that was stuck in between her hair. He lowered his gaze to her and gradually leaned down. Their noses touched, and he kissed her lips lightly.


    ¡°Xu Zifan,¡± Jingfei pronounced his name.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    She wanted to tell him to kiss her one more time but got hesitant. ¡°Nothing,¡± she said, ¡°let¡¯s go in.¡± She smiled at him and walked ahead when Xu Zifan pulled her back. Before she could ask him why he did that, he captured her lips for a long and passionate kiss.

 Chapter 542 - 542 A Tyrant General

    542 A Tyrant General


    L¨®ng Wei looked at the princes, who had gathered at the request of Qiu Mu.


    ¡°Why did Brother Mu call all of us?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Cha Ying has run away,¡± Qiu Mu informed them. They were all shocked except L¨®ng Wei. He had seen Cha Ying in a male outfit, but because that matter did not concern him, so he did not tell about it.


    ¡°Why did Cha Ying run away? Wasn¡¯t she supposed to marry Brother Mu? What happened that she suddenly decided to run away?¡± Zhang Xi asked.


    ¡°She did not want to marry me,¡± Qiu Mu said. ¡°After what her family did, she decided to stay unmarried for a while for her mother and younger brother, who is still in an academy. I think Kang Xi forced her to marry me which made her take such a decision,¡± Qiu Mu stated with a worried look.


    ¡°Why did Prince Mu call all of us here?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned.


    ¡°I want the help of all the princes,¡± Qiu Mu said.


    ¡°I am afraid, but I can be of no help. I have to find Qizhen in ten days,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and stood up to leave when Qiu Mu stopped him.


    ¡°Why ten days? Weren¡¯t we supposed to start the search from Dongqing city?¡± Qiu Mu inquired while furrowing his brows together.


    .....


    ¡°Father will take the matter into his hand if we are unable to find Qizhen in the next ten days. Brother Mu can search for Cha Ying with the other princes, but sadly, I cannot help him,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and turned to leave when Qiu Mu asked him to stop.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to involve me in this?¡± Qiu Mu asked him.


    ¡°What is more important to you? To find Cha Ying or this mission to find Qizhen?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, both tasks are important for Brother Mu. We can help you as well in finding Qizhen,¡± Xiaoming intervened.


    ¡°But Prince Mu has to choose one of them. You cannot fulfill two tasks at once. I can solely find Qizhen. Brother Mu should focus on finding Cha Ying,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and walked away.


    ¡°He always acts as if he is our elder,¡± Zhang Xi remarked and looked at the other princes who did not say anything.


    ¡°Brother Mu, Miss Kang cannot run away that easily from the capital. Someone must have noticed her. She ran in an attire which is easy to grab the eyes. A noblewoman gets attention faster than normal people,¡± Mingquan asserted.


    ¡°Huang Xi and the others asked the locals about it, but it seems she disappeared in thin air,¡± Qiu Mu said and frowned.


    ¡°What if Cha Ying ran away wearing an attire in which she was unrecognizable,¡± Xiaoming opined. ¡°She knew that the search would begin right after she would be disappeared from her house. There is a possibility that she wore a male attire.¡± The princes agreed with his opinions.


    ¡°I should check in the local shops. She must have purchased the dress from any of the shops in the market,¡± Qiu Mu said and thanked Xiaoming. He was unable to think that way. Tianjie told Qiu Mu that he would apany him and even Zhang Xi joined them.


    They left the room leaving behind Xiaoming and Mingquan.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is troubled these days. He even got wounded today while catching the spy,¡± Mingquan told Xiaoming.


    ¡°A spy? Whose spy, Brother Mingquan?¡± The Crown Prince asked.


    ¡°Qizhen¡¯s spy, Your Royal Highness,¡± Mingquan replied.


    ¡°Does Brother Mingquan know about Qizhen?¡± Xiaoming asked and then sighed. ¡°Did Brother L¨®ng Wei share anything about this with him?¡± He was curious to know.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei hardly shares anything with me despite I am his closest brother,¡± Mingquan proudly said. ¡°However, I know a few things about him.¡±


    Mingquan wanted Xiaoming to help L¨®ng Wei. Earlier he had met Li Hua, who shared with him the tense situation of L¨®ng Wei. She told him that L¨®ng Wei had doubts if the princes would help himplete his vision or not.


    ¡°I would like to know about those few things, Brother Mingquan,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, Qizhen was a kind king. Our father overthrew him and killed many of the innocent people that time,¡± Mingquan asserted.


    Xiaoming was shocked to hear Mingquan. He was not ready to believe it. In his eyes, his father, Qiu Zedong, was an ideal person. But such a big thing Mingquan would not say without any base. He must have found out this from someone.


    ¡°How could Brother Mingquan be sure about it? How did he find out about this?¡± Mingquan questioned.


    ¡°Late Eunuch Gao Bing told me,¡± Mingquan lied to Xiaoming. Because he could not tell the entire truth to the Crown Prince at once. ¡°We all know why he was executed. Because he was loyal to Qiu Qizhen. I had met him a day before his death as I was also curious to know about the matter between our uncle and our father. Then, he told me,¡± Mingquan exined well to the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Did he tell something more?¡± Xiaoming asked. ¡°Why would Father kill a kind person and take away so many lives?¡± He frowned.


    ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing said that Father was a tyrant general. Since we all were very young at that time, so we do not even know if it is true or not. Also, we used to live in the Eastern Province, so no such news evere to us. A bloodbath urred before we all came to this pce. Father hated the poprity of the uncle among the people. Now, Qizhen has returned to take his revenge, which is bothering our father.¡± Mingquan told everything to Xiaoming which was never known to him.


    ¡°Eunuch Gao Bing might have lied about it, Brother Mingquan,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°I also did not believe his words, but the recent events have forced me to believe them. Uncle Ye Yujin died because he took the life of a noble family who served the previous king. I myself have searched about it and found out that Eunuch Gao Bing was right. I am scared for Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s safety. What if Qiu Qizhen targets him? He killed one of his spies. The enmity between our father and uncle should not cost any of our lives.¡±


    Mingquan¡¯s words left a deeper impression on Xiaoming¡¯s brain. He contemted for some time and asked Mingquan to tell him about the family that Ye Yujin killed.


    ~~~~~~~


    Dear Readers,


    I have started the regr updates in ¡°The Second Husband¡± story. I¡¯ll appreciate if you give the story a read once.


    THANK YOU


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 543 - 543 By not falling in danger

    543 By not falling in danger


    L¨®ng Wei scribbled a message on the paper when Li Hua wrapped her hands from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder. L¨®ng Wei lifted his head and tilted his head to gaze at her.


    ¡°What is His Highness writing?¡± Li Hua asked and looked at the sheet on the table. She read the message and then looked at L¨®ng Wei, who smiled at her.


    He ced the brush on the stand and kept his hand on her sped hands. He kissed her cheek and asked her why she did not go to the bed.


    ¡°I am unable to sleep. I want to cuddle my husband in sleep,¡± Li Hua stated. He pulled her to the front and made her sit on hisp.


    She kept her hands wrapped around his neck and asked him if he was going outside.


    ¡°Hmm. I may note tonight. Will you sleep without me?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned her. ¡°I wille back at midnight if you are unable to sleep,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Can I not apany His Highness? I want to help him too,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Do you want toe with me? But spies will be after us. As soon as I leave the pce, the spies will definitely follow me. If you stay here, then that will be better. You can help me from here as well,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°How will I help His Highness from here?¡± Li Hua asked.


    .....


    ¡°By not falling into danger,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, I will do that then, but only if you fulfill my wish,¡± Li Hua put forward a condition.


    ¡°Tell me. I will fulfill it,¡± L¨®ng Wei was ready to listen to her wish.


    ¡°Let me handle the part where you need all the support of the princes. Will Prince L¨®ng Wei trust his wife in this task?¡± Li Hua inquired.


    ¡°How will you do it?¡± L¨®ng Wei was curious to know.


    ¡°I cannot tell His Highness at this moment. But after ten days, the princes will be on his side. I know His Highness can do that too, but I want to lessen his burden. He can do other important work while I can aplish this task while staying in the pce,¡± Li Hua affirmed. She looked confident. The vibrant expressions on her face made L¨®ng Wei trust her.


    ¡°Fine. I will let you do it,¡± L¨®ng Wei agreed to her wish. She promptly kissed him on the cheek and thanked him for trusting her.


    ¡°We both will definitely put an end to this, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua assured him and stroked his cheek. ¡°Do not worry at all. We surely will put an end to all the evil we both faced till now. It is a fight we both have to fight together,¡± she asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei nodded his head. ¡°We will give justice to all such people, who did wrong to us. Forgive me for staying ignorant of my father¡¯s actions,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while being guilty.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. You took all the right decisions till now. To save all of us, you were quiet till now. I understand Prince L¨®ng Wei. He does not tell his thoughts entirely to me, I can read his mind,¡± Li Hua stated with a tiny smile on her lips.


    L¨®ng Wei lifted her in his strong arms and carried her to the bedchamber. He settled her on the bed and covered her with the nket. ¡°Good night, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and nted a soft kiss on the middle of her forehead.


    ¡°Give a kiss here,¡± Li Hua pointed her finger at her lips.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled brightly and kissed her on the lips. He sat straight and caressed her hair for a while. ¡°I wille in the morning,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Do not hurt yourself,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°I will not. I promise,¡± L¨®ng Wei assured her and then stood up. He blew off the candles in the room except one and left.


    After he came out to the bedchamber, he folded the sheet and put it inside the envelope. He put the envelope in the inner pocket of the upper robe and then picked up the sword. He looked at it with a grim look and then walked out of the room.


    ¡°Nuan Xi, I am trusting Li Hua to you. Inform me tomorrow if you find something wrong,¡± L¨®ng Wei ordered her.


    ¡°I will protect Her Highness in the Prince¡¯s absence,¡± Nuan Xi said while keeping her gaze on the ground. L¨®ng Wei hummed and left his manor.


    He had already informed his father about it in the evening. The reason was simple. He wanted to know about the spies who would chase him. Though, he would not kill them tonight as it could bring on him. Qiu Zedong would not think anything before announcing a death sentence to L¨®ng Wei.


    The guards at the imperial gates opened them for L¨®ng Wei. He left on a horse and the gates were closed. He stopped outside the Xu residence and told the doorkeeper to take care of the horse.


    Feng Lao had been waiting for L¨®ng Wei in the main courtyard and seeing the prince, he walked up to him.


    ¡°Xu Zifan has gone to sleep,¡± Feng Lao informed L¨®ng Wei and they both went to Feng Lao¡¯s room.


    Feng Lao closed the door behind him and went to the open small yard on the backside of his room. L¨®ng Wei had his hands behind his back while Feng Lao stood next to him.


    ¡°Do you fear death, Feng Lao?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± Feng Lao gave an immediate reply.


    ¡°I cannot go there, so I need someone efficient to go there,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and the statement confused Feng Lao. L¨®ng Wei took out the envelope from his inner pocket.


    ¡°You need to give this to a middle-aged man whose name is Shuyao. He sells the dumplings in Xianshan. You need to tell him that I have sent you to him and given this envelope for him,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to Feng Lao, who took the envelope from him.


    ¡°Your Highness, what is inside this?¡± Feng Lao asked.


    ¡°A message for someone,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Will Shuyao believe me?¡± Feng Lao questioned.


    ¡°He will believe you after reading the message inside it,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    Feng Lao understood his mission. ¡°May I know what is Prince L¨®ng Wei up to?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I want to wipe out someone who killed my master, my wife¡¯s family, and her friend¡¯s family,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Does His Highness find out who did that?¡± Feng Lao asked with a shocked expression.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Can His Highness tell me?¡± Feng Lao queried.


    ¡°No. I will tell you when the right timees,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    Feng Lao did not ask any more questions. He told L¨®ng Wei that he would finish that task.


    L¨®ng Wei heard a slight noise that came from the top of the roof. The spy had chased him inside the residence. He chuckled and stepped into the small yard. He looked around then jumped over the small cylindrical pir which had a lion¡¯s face carved above it and then to the roof. Feng Lao ran after him and saw L¨®ng Wei hanging to the roof and the next second, he was on the roof.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Feng Lao worriedly said.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at the masked spy and chuckled, ¡°I did not n to kill you here, but sadly, I have to do that.¡±

 Chapter 544 - 544 Useful to me [Bonus chapter]

    544 Useful to me [Bonus chapter]


    L¨®ng Wei pulled the sword out of the scabbard. The spy thought to run before L¨®ng Wei would take his life.


    Though, that would not be easy. The spy was trained in martial arts after he turned three years old. Also, the spy had killed more people than L¨®ng Wei couldn¡¯t even imagine.


    The spy¡¯s sharp gaze looked around to find the escape point. He saw L¨®ng Wei approaching him. It surprised him that L¨®ng Wei could stand straight on that nted roof. Yuze must have taught him. The only thing that came to the spy¡¯s mind.


    He turned and ran opposite to L¨®ng Wei before taking a jump to get on the other side of the roof. The one thing that the spy had to be careful about was not harming L¨®ng Wei and also not getting harmed.


    L¨®ng Wei chased him when the spy jumped on the ground andnded safely there.


    The spy stood up and found L¨®ng Wei watching him from the top of the roof. He decided to run away, but then Feng Lao stopped him.


    The spy attacked Feng Lao, who defended himself by extending his arm which was holding the sword. He pushed away the spy and quickly unsheathed the sword.


    L¨®ng Wei had alsoe down and only watched them fighting. Feng Lao was indeed a fierce fighter. He was called the best swordsman in the Kingdom for a reason. L¨®ng Wei realized that after seeing Feng Lao¡¯s fight with the spy.


    A sharp sound reverberated when the two des struck each other. The sound was painful for the ears. The spy took the chance and kicked Feng Lao¡¯s abdomen.


    .....


    Feng Lao stepped away while gasping for air and holding his abdomen.


    L¨®ng Wei came to his rescue. The spy withdrew his sword from him.


    ¡°Who sent you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    The spy didn¡¯t answer and narrowly gazed at Feng Lao¡¯s left. L¨®ng Wei rubbed the top of his left eyebrow and then attacked the spy.


    The Sixth Prince had changed his n and decided not to kill but keep the spy as a hostage.


    L¨®ng Wei swiftly pulled out the dagger and threw it in the spy¡¯s direction. It passed through the side of his arm which was holding the sword.


    This was the chance for L¨®ng Wei to overpower the spy. He kicked at his wrist and the sword from the spy¡¯s hand fell to the ground. L¨®ng Wei pointed the edge of the de under the spy¡¯s chin, and they red into each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have chased me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He called Feng Lao toe forward and asked him to take out the small bamboo vessel from inside the sash.


    Feng Lao did what he was told.


    ¡°Open it and give me the needle,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Feng Lao furrowed his brows together before taking the needle out of the cylindrical bamboo vessel.


    L¨®ng Wei took it from him and went close to the spy. He didn¡¯t give the spy any chance to move and used the acupuncture needle to make the spy unconscious.


    Feng Lao was astonished to see that and wondered if Li Hua taught L¨®ng Wei.


    The spy¡¯s eyes closed and he fell to the ground. ¡°Bring the ropes. We need to tie him up,¡± L¨®ng Weimanded Feng Lao, who rushed towards the storeroom to bring the ropes.


    L¨®ng Wei got on his knees and removed the fabric from the spy¡¯s face. It was the first time L¨®ng Wei had seen him. He checked his pockets and found two tiny porcin bottles. He removed the cork and smelled it.


    ¡°Seems poison,¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured.


    None of the people in the residence had found out that a fight broke out in the middle of the night. The reason was that they mixed sleeping pills in their food.


    Xu Zifan came there and asked L¨®ng Wei if he was alright.


    ¡°I am fine,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and put the porcin bottles in his inner pockets.


    ¡°Jingfei didn¡¯t wake up, right?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked, who shook his head.


    ¡°Great!¡± L¨®ng Wei said when Feng Lao reached there.


    They both tied the hands and legs of the spy first. L¨®ng Wei then tied a cloth across the spy¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Did Li Hua teach acupuncture to Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± Feng Lao asked.


    L¨®ng Wei raised his head and beamed at him.


    ¡°Forgive me for taking out the name,¡± Feng Lao said and lowered his gaze.


    ¡°She did. She told me it can be useful to me someday,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and stood up.


    ¡°Why did His Highness not kill him?¡± Xu Zifan asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die tomorrow,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°Let¡¯s keep him as a hostage. I was so confused about how I will bring down the King. Now, I have found out the way,¡± he said with a smirk.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at Feng Lao and Xu Zifan. ¡°We need to shift him away from here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Someone may see us,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    L¨®ng Wei did some calctions in his mind and said, ¡°After twenty minutes the duties of the soldiers will change. We will get ten minutes to escape with this spy. The forest is ten minutes away from here, so we need to run at that time withouting to anyone¡¯s notice.¡±


    ¡°But the Prince needs to leave in the horse. Since the other soldiers might have seen himing here. He needs to go elsewhere,¡± Feng Lao opined.


    ¡°I will do it, Your Highness,¡± Huang Xi said, who hade after the Prince earlier.


    ¡°I can do it, Your Highness. Where do I have to take him?¡± Huang Xi asked.


    ¡°Did you chase away the other spies? How many were behind me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Father chased them away. Prince L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t need to worry. There were five. I lost the way for the fifth one and realized the fifth spy could have gone behind Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Huang Xi affirmed.


    L¨®ng Wei nodded his head and told them they should begin the work.

 Chapter 545 - 545 Ten days will decide my future

    545 Ten days will decide my future


    L¨®ng Wei told them they should begin the work. Feng Lao and Huang Xi threw the spy on the floor. Straws were scattered all over the floor.


    L¨®ng Wei rested his back against the pir and asked them to tie the spy tightly. ¡°His hands are very rough. He must be training from a young age. We cannot give him a single opportunity to escape from here,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°He needs strict surveince, Your Highness,¡± Huang Xi stated, putting the shackles on the spy¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°Why did His Highness not kill this spy? He is indeed stronger than us. We would have taken care of the body then,¡± Feng Lao said.


    ¡°You do not need to use the brain, Feng Lao,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and Chang Shi walked in.


    ¡°Your Highness, General Hei is here,¡± Chang Shi informed the prince, who walked out of the room. Chang Shi followed the Sixth Prince and entered the room where Hei Chengxi was present.


    ¡°Why is the Prince taking such a big risk? Why did he ask the King that he would bring Qizhen in front of him in ten days?¡± Hei Chengxi was a little angry at L¨®ng Wei¡¯s decision. ording to him, L¨®ng Wei had put his life at risk.


    ¡°I do not want to be used,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°If His Highness has brought his father here, then that would have been simpler,¡± Huang Xi said while knitting his brows.


    .....


    ¡°Qiu Zedong will kill me and my wife,¡± L¨®ng Wei loudly said, ¡°if I bring Qizhen here without securing ourselves.¡±


    ¡°That will not happen, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Huang Xi said.


    L¨®ng Wei snickered. ¡°I know Qiu Zedong better than anyone. He knows for a long time that I am not his son. I am alive because I did what Qiu Zedong wanted. He is the one who killed everyone in Li Hua¡¯s family. Do you even have any idea what I am going through? I am living in a pang of guilt because Qizhen did not end his fight with his brother,¡± he stated. Chang Shi asked L¨®ng Wei to calm down.


    ¡°Hei Chengxi, you should not have brought my mother to the pce. Instead, you should have made sure that we stay away from the pce. If you were loyal to Qizhen, you should have used the brain that day. These ten days will decide my future. So, do what I say. If you are scared to lose your life, then leave right now with your son,¡± L¨®ng Wei sternly said and walked out of the room.


    Chang Shi apologized to Hei Chengxi on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s behalf. ¡°General Hei, trust Prince L¨®ng Wei. He will turn everything right,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°I do not want Prince L¨®ng Wei to lose his life in all this. The sacrifices of his mother, the sacrifice that Monk Yuze gave, and the sacrifice that many other families had to give for him, would go to waste,¡± Hei Chengxi asserted.


    Chang Shi understood that Hei Chengxi was worried about L¨®ng Wei. ¡°General Hei, Prince L¨®ng Wei is the dragon¡¯s son. Even if he will go through danger, he wille out unharmed,¡± he said.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Hei Chengxi said and sat on the chair.


    ~~~~~~~


    Feng Lao ended up hearing the conversation between L¨®ng Wei with Hei Chengxi and he came in shock. Such a big truth about L¨®ng Wei made him numb for a while. He watched L¨®ng Wei walking to the backyard.


    Feng Lao decided to go after him and followed L¨®ng Wei. As he reached the backyard of the house, he found L¨®ng Wei had sat under a tree. He had his eyes closed as if he was thinking deeply.


    Feng Lao recalled thest single word that his father had uttered before dying. ¡°K,¡± he murmured and looked in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s direction.


    After hearing all those things from L¨®ng Wei, Feng Lao wondered if he should go to L¨®ng Wei or not. He hid behind the pir as he didn¡¯t want L¨®ng Wei to notice him.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you show yourself?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s voice fell into his ears.


    Feng Lao sighed and stepped forward. He met L¨®ng Wei¡¯s gaze and said, ¡°We put the shackles on the spy. He will not be able to leave.¡±


    ¡°What did you hear?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    Feng Lao was hesitant to speak at first, but then he spoke, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hear it. Your Highness, was it the King? Why didn¡¯t you share with me? I am as desperate as Prince L¨®ng Wei to¡ª¡± he couldn¡¯t finish his words entirely as L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t let him speak.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fight, Feng Lao. Your family and you became the victim because of me. Many lives were lost because of me. Just listen to me and trust me till the end,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell Xu Zifan about all this. He may tell Jingfei and I cannot take the risk,¡± L¨®ng Wei requested. It was the first time L¨®ng Wei made a request to someone. He never did. His vulnerability was visible today.


    ¡°I will not tell anyone, Your Highness,¡± Feng Lao said. ¡°Can I ask Prince L¨®ng Wei something?¡± He first asked for permission.


    ¡°Ask,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°How did Prince L¨®ng Wei survive all these years? I do not want to offend him with my question. I have heard from Huang Xi how Prince L¨®ng Wei had no one to rely on. That¡¯s why I want to know,¡± Feng Lao stated.


    ¡°That¡¯s a difficult question to answer,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t need to answer if it is difficult,¡± Feng Lao affirmed.


    ¡°The will to live had left me until I met Li Hua. I have taken my life in Xinshui, but she saved me. My life which was full of darkness, and hatred suddenly got that one source of light that lit the will in me to survive,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Feng Lao hummed and assured L¨®ng Wei that he would surely live a great and peaceful life.

 Chapter 546 - 546 I cannot betray my master

    546 I cannot betray my master


    L¨®ng Wei asked Feng Lao toe and sit next to him. He walked up to L¨®ng Wei and settled beside him under the tree.


    ¡°I have thought a lot about it. Though there is a very limited possibility that I have to send Li Hua away, if such a situation arises, then take Li Hua away. Qiu Zedong is a dangerous person. He met Li Hua when she was very young. He visited the Xu Residence as soon as he found out about the prophecy that Yuze did for her as well. Qiu Zedong decided to kill the entire Xu family because he found out that I was approaching her.¡±


    Feng Lao was bewildered to hear L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Why did the King decide to kill them? I am confused, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Feng Lao said.


    ¡°I do not know the exact reason, but I believe that it was because of me. If I had not been the dragon¡¯s son, then they all would be alive; your family would have been alive too,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°No such situation will arise that I have to take Li Hua away from the pce,¡± Feng Lao said with a confident tone.


    ¡°Is Shuyao close to Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s father?¡± Feng Lao asked.


    ¡°No,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. At the moment, he was cautious of everyone around him. ¡°Just give him the message tomorrow. You should go and sleep,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°What about Prince L¨®ng Wei? Will he not take a rest?¡± Feng Lao inquired.


    .....


    ¡°I slept a lot earlier in the day,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°You should go to bed. Tomorrow you have to leave early in the morning,¡± he suggested.


    Feng Lao took his leave while L¨®ng Wei stayed under that tree for a while. After his thoughts got oriented again, he decided to go and check on the spy.


    However, in the mid-way, he encountered Hei Chengxi.


    ¡°General Hei didn¡¯t go home,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°How could I go home?¡± Hei Chengxi muttered.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± L¨®ng Wei apologized.


    ¡°The Prince doesn¡¯t need to apologize,¡± Hei Chengxi said. ¡°I failed to understand his side. I was at fault. Prince L¨®ng Wei, it was your mother¡¯s decision to stay as the King¡¯s concubine. I could not go against it. She wanted to save you,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°It hasplicated my present and in the end, forced me to take her life,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Hei Chengxi fisted his palm and he took a step toward L¨®ng Wei. He hugged L¨®ng Wei while patting his back. ¡°If the King had not made itplex for the prince,¡± he murmured.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei pulled away and looked into Hei Chengxi¡¯s eyes. ¡°Qizhen will return, but not now. You have to wait for some time. I need to make sure that people close to me stay protected,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    He had entrusted the most important work to Li Hua which was gaining the trust of the other princes. For that, he needed time. Until Li Hua gained that trust, he could not bring Qizhen to the capital.


    ¡°Is the spy awake?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked General Hei.


    ¡°No. He is still unconscious,¡± Hei Chengxi said.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and they left for the room where the spy was kept.


    Huang Xi smiled to see L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Give me water,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him. Huang Xi quickly handed the wooden water mug to L¨®ng Wei. He threw the water at the spy¡¯s face and promptly he gained consciousness.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled the cloth out of his mouth and caught his face. His fingers dug into the spy¡¯s cheeks and he said, ¡°Now, listen to me carefully. If you want your king to be alive, then do what I tell you.¡±


    ¡°The King will kill you if he finds the son he nourished so much is betraying him,¡± the spy managed to say and gazed at Hei Chengxi. ¡°You are still loyal to Qizhen!¡± He muttered.


    ¡°I always was,¡± Hei Chengxi replied.


    ¡°Talk to me, not him,¡± L¨®ng Wei sternly said.


    ¡°Write a message to your dear King. If you do not cooperate with me, I will make sure to kill your family,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and let go of his face.


    The spy frowned. He wasn¡¯t ready to believe that L¨®ng Wei had found out about his family. He knew that L¨®ng Wei was tricking him. No way anyone could find out the private information about the spies.


    ¡°Li Zixuan told me everything before he died. I do not use children in my fights. But since you also destroyed many innocent families, I will do the same to yours,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. He sounded scary, but the spy was loyal to the King more than his family.


    ¡°I do not care. My master is only one person. If my family gets sacrificed for it, then I will be proud only. You can kill me too because I will not utter a single word,¡± the spy stated.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± L¨®ng Wei stood up and turned to look at Hei Chengxi.


    ¡°General Hei was right. All the spies, if they have families, will betray them for Qiu Zedong,¡± L¨®ng Wei reminisced about hisst day¡¯s conversation with Hei Chengxi while going through the profiles of the spies.


    L¨®ng Wei took out the que that he confiscated from the same spy and turned to look at him.


    ¡°I will make good use of it. I thought to keep you alive for your family¡¯s sake. But they have to lose you sadly,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and took out the dagger from inside his sash.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei will get caught if he kills me,¡± the spy stated.


    ¡°Only if your body is recovered,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Hei Chengxi told me that you are going to be a father to a third child. Sadly, your child won¡¯t be able to see you ever. Once your king will fall, your family will die for food, a house, and other amenities. You think that Qiu Zedong will be able to save your family. I give you thest chance to stay alive. Do what I tell you,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    ¡°The King has weakened. We have the information on all theworks. The time has changed, Lin Shicheng. We are no longer twenty years old adults. That¡¯s why make a wise decision. Help Prince L¨®ng Wei. At least think of the family, who waits for you every single day. Don¡¯t forget once you also admired our previous king¡¯s work,¡± Hei Chengxi tried to make him understand.


    Huang Xi was shocked to find the spy¡¯s name and also the things from the past.


    Lin Shicheng lowered his head. ¡°I cannot betray my master,¡± he stated.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and was ready to cut the vein in his neck, but stopped when Lin Shicheng submitted before him.

 Chapter 547 - 547 I want him to suffocate [Bonus chapter]

    547 I want him to suffocate [Bonus chapter]


    Qiu Zedong looked at the message that he got before sunrise. Lin Shicheng had sent a message to him and it was something that he had not expected.


    ¡°He found out about Qizhen?¡± Qiu Zedong murmured and put the paper on the table.


    Qiu Zedong called in the Eunuch he had appointed a day ago, Eunuch Zheng Lun.


    ¡°Prepare a horse for me,¡± Qiu Zedong ordered him.


    Zheng Lun lifted his head to look at the King. ¡°Your Majesty, but the sun has not risen,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Follow my order,¡± Qiu Zedong sternly said while wearing the overcoat which has a dragon imprint on its back. ¡°Tell the Crown Princeter to cancel the court session today,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Zheng Lun epted the King¡¯s order. He left the chamber and soon returned to inform the King about the same.


    Qiu Zedong had the sword in his hand which he picked up after twenty years. He tightened his grip on the hilt of the sword and walked out of the chamber.


    Zheng Lun followed the King and asked him if he would not take the soldiers with him. Qiu Zedong didn¡¯t answer him and headed toward the imperial gates.


    .....


    As soon as he reached the imperial gates, he saddled the horse and ordered one of the gatekeepers to open the gate.


    ¡°Zheng Lun, you can go back,¡± Qiu Zedong said and pulled the reins on the horse. He kicked the horse and it ran at its full speed. Behind the King, the four military soldiers also went, which were the four spies.


    ¡°Your Majesty,st night we lost Prince L¨®ng Wei. Forgive us for that,¡± one of them said.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t betraying me. Lin Shicheng has found out about Qizhen,¡± Qiu Zedong said and he rode the horse as fast as he could. He didn¡¯t take themon route of transport, instead, he took the other route which was limited to the royals¡¯ use only.


    The morning winds were chilly because of the rain. The route went from the middle of the small hilly terrain.


    L¨®ng Wei, who was hidden behind the tall tree at the same route, stepped to the front as he watched the King leaving on the horse, followed by those four spies.


    ¡°Your Highness, the King believed it so easily,¡± Chang Shi said.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed. ¡°But the next step is important. I hope Hei Chengxi does his work efficiently this time,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Feng Lao must have arrived at Xianshan vige. Is it the right time to bring the previous king to the pce? I thought the Prince wanted his father toe on the tenth day,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°It is now necessary, Chang Shi. Yuze told me a day before his death that I should have brought Qizhen to the capital. But he also wanted me to be careful while doing so. I believe he wanted me to get rid of some of the close people to Qiu Zedong who could have harmed me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and looked up at the sky. The darkness was disappearing as the sun was rising.


    ¡°The prince has toe to Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s side before his fatheres to the capital,¡± Chang Shi worriedly said.


    ¡°I know. I will bring Qizhen to the pce when Li Hua seeds in her work. Brother Mingquan is already on my side. I am unsure about the other four,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while knitting his brows.


    ¡°But won¡¯t it increase the danger for your father if hees to the capital?¡± Chang Shi questioned.


    L¨®ng Wei turned to look at him. ¡°Chang Shi, it is said you get the best ideas at thest moment. The same has happened to me. It will be safer for Qizhen to stay in the capital than in the region of the Ny-ninekes,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    L¨®ng Wei ced his hand on Chang Shi¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°After clearing up with Hei Chengxi, I thought a lot. I cannot stand Qiu Zedong anymore. This time I have to win and I will win against him at all costs.¡±


    ¡°The Prince could have won easily by killing the King. The Prince has seen how the King came out of the pce unprepared,¡± Chang Shi said.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and lowered his hand. ¡°No, I cannot do that. I want him to suffer the way I did, my mother did and my father did. I won¡¯t give him an easy death. I want him to suffocate while being alive. I want him to question himself every day why he is alive. I want him to experience the same pain I felt when I didn¡¯t get the love I deserved. I want him to see all of his children leaving his side. I cannot kill him before that,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    ¡°The King will start the search in Xianshan soon,¡± Chang Shi stated. ¡°I am terrified, Your Highness,¡± he said.


    ¡°I want him to believe Lin Shicheng and most importantly, me. Don¡¯t be scared anymore. You will praise me in the evening,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and turned to look at the way in which Qiu Zedong had gone ahead.


    ¡°I should return to the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and asked Chang Shi if he should return to his home.


    ¡°Your Highness, I will bring the horses first,¡± Chang Shi said.


    Ten minutester, he came back with two horses that they had tied deep in the forest. L¨®ng Wei thanked him and left for the pce.


    He got down the horse and went to his manor.


    He went to his chamber and saw Li Hua sleeping peacefully.


    L¨®ng Wei, after removing the overcoat, slept next to her without disturbing Li Hua¡¯s sleep.


    However, Li Hua turned to him and hugged him in her sleep. L¨®ng Wei rested his hand above her head and caressed her head.


    He kissed the top of Li Hua¡¯s head. His eyes gradually closed and he drifted off to sleep. The entire night was tough for him and finally, he needed some rest.

 Chapter 548 - 548 Trust my husband and me

    548 Trust my husband and me


    Li Hua dressed up in a sky blue hanfu dress and a silver headpiece with jades on it. She did not disturb L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sleep and decided to have her breakfastter when L¨®ng Wei would wake up. She went out of the manor to meet Xiaoming since he was the first one who should be on their side.


    Sun Fuguo informed Xiaoming that Li Hua wanted to see him, which surprised both Jin Yu and Xiaoming.


    ¡°Let the Princess Consort in,¡± Xiaoming told Sun Fuguo, who bowed and walked out of the chamber.


    A minuteter, Li Hua walked in and bowed to them.


    ¡°Li Hua, you do not need to bow to us,¡± Jin Yu said with a smile and walked up to her. She put her hand around her shoulder and took her to the broad chair. She asked her to sit there and returned to Xiaoming¡¯s side.


    ¡°Forgive me foring early in the morning. I hope I did not disturb the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Jin Yu asserted. ¡°We were talking about the King. His Majesty left the pce before sunrise for some urgent work. Does Prince L¨®ng Wei know anything about it? Is it rted to the previous king¡¯s matter?¡± She asked.


    Xiaoming was also curious to know. ¡°I heard Brother L¨®ng Wei returned early in the morning. Is he stressed about finding uncle Qizhen?¡± He was worried a little and even wanted to help L¨®ng Wei. But only if he would take Xiaoming¡¯s help.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, today I havee here to make a request,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    .....


    Jin Yu nced at Xiaoming for a brief moment.


    ¡°What kind of request, Princess Consort Li Hua?¡± Xiaoming questioned.


    ¡°To trust my husband,¡± Li Hua said.


    Xiaoming knitted his brows in bewilderment. He asked Li Hua to exin to him.


    ¡°Brother Mingquan must have told the Crown Prince about the previous king,¡± Li Hua said. Xiaoming recalled hisst evening¡¯s conversation with Mingquan and nodded his head. Jin Yu asked him what they both were talking about.


    Li Hua asked Xiaoming if she could deliver her message on paper.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Xiaoming said and asked her to follow him. Jin Yu apanied Li Hua and they entered an adjacent room.


    Li Hua sat on the floor chair and picked up the brush. Jin Yu sat next to her while Xiaoming sat in front of them on the floor chair.


    ¡°Li Hua, what is it that you cannot speak it?¡± Jin Yu inquired.


    ¡°The Crown Princess will understand after reading it,¡± Li Hua said. Xiaoming asked Jin Yu to be patient. Li Hua finished scribbling on the paper, and she turned the sheet toward Xiaoming for a better read.


    Xiaoming read the message and stopped blinking. Jin Yu took the sheet from him and it took a little time for her to read the entire message.


    Jin Yu put the sheet down and looked at Li Hua. ¡°Did the King kill your family?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Hua looked straight into Xiaoming¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°His Majesty did wrong to many families. I am not the only one who has suffered. I want the Crown Prince to understand that in the past many wrong things have urred. I know it is tough to believe my words at the moment, but he can ask his mother what happened twenty years ago when his father usurped the throne.¡±


    Xiaoming curled his fingers and fiddled with them.


    ¡°Why did you not tell me the entire truth?¡± Xiaoming dropped honorifics. ¡°I will believe your words too,¡± he asserted. Jin Yu nodded her head and asked Li Hua to tell them.


    Li Hua smiled and said, ¡°I want the Crown Prince to know the truth from his mother so that he would be ready for the next biggest truth. Her Majesty will try to dodge his questions, but he must know it.¡±


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei never tells me what is going on with him. I always try to find the answers from him, but he refuses. Will Prince L¨®ng Wei not be angry to see his wife here?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°He is the one who allowed me to do so. Prince L¨®ng Wei does not want to trouble others. He thinks no one will understand him. I, his wife, am concerned for him. I want his brothers to see that side of Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s bright and kind side. How much he seeks love from all of you, I want to show you that. He fears that all of his brothers will judge him because of what he did to his mother,¡± Li Hua exined to Xiaoming.


    ¡°Why did he kill his mother? I suppose he must have told his wife,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°I cannot tell the reason. I want the Crown Prince to find the hidden truth from twenty years ago first. His mother knows everything as she is the first wife of your father,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    Jin Yu gazed at Xiaoming to know his answer.


    ¡°I will do it. As soon as I find the answer, I wille to you to find the rest of the answer,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Sure, Your Royal Highness. However, I want him to be careful. I want Her Majesty not to tell His Majesty that their son is searching for the truth for twenty years ago,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°How is that possible? My mother will definitely tell Father if they meetter,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°Nothing is impossible for the Crown Prince,¡± Li Hua said with a smile. ¡°He has a huge potential in him which he himself isn¡¯t aware of. I believe that the Crown Prince will handle that part,¡± Li Hua said.


    Xiaoming recalled how the same words L¨®ng Wei told him. They believed him and it was an overwhelming feeling for him.


    ¡°I should leave, Your Royal Highness. I will keep this sheet with me,¡± Li Hua said and folded it before putting it inside her sleeves.


    She stood up and again bowed to them.


    ¡°Thank you for giving a few minutes of your valuable time,¡± Li Hua said and turned to leave.


    ¡°Forgive me, Li Hua,¡± Xiaoming promptly said. His eyes were filled with guilt. Jin Yu gazed at him and then turned to look at Li Hua.


    Li Hua turned and smiled at him. ¡°The Crown Prince did nothing wrong, so he should not apologize to me. However, if he is guilty of his father¡¯s action, then he should trust my husband and me after knowing the half-truth from his mother. I will surely tell him the rest of the truthter,¡± Li Hua said while keeping her voice as low as possible. She left while Xiaoming clenched his fists.


    ¡°Why did His Majesty kill the Xu Family? Was he the one who poisoned Shui Xiaoqing that day?¡± Jin Yu asked Xiaoming. ¡°And what happened twenty years ago?¡±


    ¡°Jin Yu, Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother was forced to be my father¡¯s concubine. I have an odd feeling. Did I always see a side of my father that was not his true side? Qiu Qizhen was a kind king and he suddenly was overthrown,¡± Xiaoming murmured and furrowed his brows together.

 Chapter 549 - 549 To be the next King

    549 To be the next King


    ¡°The Crown Prince should go to his mother and then ask about it. She will not say such a big thing to us and ask the Crown Prince to trust her and Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Jin Yu opined. Xiaoming agreed with her words.


    ¡°I will see youter,¡± Xiaoming said and left for his mother¡¯s manor.


    Xiaoming told Sun Fuguo not to follow him. When he reached his mother¡¯s manor, the courtdy informed Zhu Liling about it. She turned happy and stood up from the broad mahogany chair.


    Xiaoming entered soon and bowed to see his mother. ¡°I would like to request my mother to withdraw all the servants who are present around her chamber,¡± Xiaoming said. Zhu Liling was a little confused to hear that, but she did not question him. She gestured to the courtdy, who bowed and left the chamber first.


    ¡°Please take the seat, Crown Prince,¡± Zhu Liling told him.


    ¡°After mother,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    Zhu Liling smiled and sat on the chair first. She asked him if he had his breakfast.


    ¡°Yes, Mother. Is Mother taking her meals properly?¡± He queried.


    ¡°I am,¡± Zhu Liling replied. ¡°What is it that the Crown Prince wants to talk about? I heard that the King left for somece early in the morning. Is the Crown Prince here to talk about it?¡± She then asked.


    .....


    Xiaoming shook his head. ¡°Mother, do you remember the time when we used to live in the eastern province? I was going to turn five years old,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    ¡°I do remember that time. How could I forget those childhood years of my son?¡± She muttered and a smile emerged on her lips. ¡°But why did the Prince ask about those times out of the blue?¡± Zhu Liling was inquisitive to know.


    ¡°Because Father is worried these days because of his elder brother. It is said that he has returned. He was behind the murder of my uncle, Ye Yujin,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°His Majesty did not share his worries with me,¡± Zhu Liling said and deep lines of frown appeared on her forehead.


    ¡°Father has not told anyone. Brother Mu and Brother L¨®ng Wei have been given the task to find out about Uncle Qizhen. I want my mother to tell me what happened twenty years ago. I want to know why father has to take the throne from his brother,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    Zhu Liling was feeling a little uneasy to speak about it.


    ¡°Mother, I want to help my father. I will help my two brothers in catching Uncle Qizhen. However, before that, I need to know the past. I tried asking Royal Father many times, but he told me only a few things which are not helpful at all. If Mother tells me, then I can help my father in a better way along with my two brothers.¡± Xiaoming tried to convince his mother to talk about the past.


    ¡°Mother, if I solve my father¡¯s problem, then he will be proud of me. Does mother not want that?¡± Xiaoming inquired.


    ¡°I want the good for the Crown Prince,¡± Zhu Liling asserted.


    ¡°Those times were stressful for us. Your father was the great general of the Qiu Kingdom. However, your father¡¯s brother was not ready to give him the eastern province¡¯s governorship. Also, most of the officials in the kingdom were not happy with Qiu Qizhen. He was not ready to marry any woman either and it broke the trusts of many nobles in him. The people were not either in a good state and the Kingdom was not growing at all. The foreign intrusions were very frequent at that time and then, it was decided that Qiu Qizhen should not stay as the King.¡±


    Before Zhu Liling could speak more, Xiaoming said, ¡°Then, Father usurped the throne. Am I right, Mother?¡±


    Zhu Liling nodded her head.


    ¡°I heard in the imperial court a few days ago that General Hei Chengxi was one of the loyal of Uncle Qizhen. Kang Xi wanted General Hei to be dead. I wonder, why?¡± Xiaoming looked puzzled.


    ¡°That time your father had to kill those nobles, who could be a threat in the future to us. Qiu Qizhen had fallen from such a tall cliff that it was impossible for him to be alive. I pray that my son catches Qizhen and kills him. He killed my dear elder brother,¡± Zhu Liling said as tears filled her eyes.


    ¡°Uncle Qizhen fell from a cliff?¡± Xiaoming arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°Yes. Qizhen ran away for his life. Hei Chengxi had proven his loyalty to your father by telling him about the location where Qiu Qizhen was hiding. Then, the two brothers fiercely fought. Your father came out victorious,¡± Zhu Liling smiled after telling thest statement.


    ¡°I also heard that Uncle Qizhen had a wife, but he did not expose her to the world because of some reason,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°No one knows. Qiu Qizhen could have brought his wife to the pce, but he never did because he had none,¡± Zhu Liling replied.


    ¡°How many nobles were killed that time?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Why does the Crown Prince want to know about that?¡± Zhu Liling asked.


    ¡°Because if I know the entire truth, then that will help me better, Mother,¡± Xiaoming affirmed.


    ¡°I do not know the exact count, but there were more than a hundred noble families which are needed to be annihted,¡± Zhu Liling asserted. ¡°They all were not helping the kingdom at all,¡± she stated.


    Xiaoming was taken aback to hear that. The Xu and the Shui families were also among those noble families, which had to lose their lives except the three people from those families: Li Hua, Xu Zifan, and Feng Lao.


    ¡°Mother, is there anything more?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Umm¡­after your father had taken the throne, we all came to the pce and started our lives. I remember that your father then gave his heart to Concubine Yu Jun. Son, you should stay away from L¨®ng Wei. I never liked his mother. L¨®ng Wei is still a threat to you because of the prophecy. Find out Qiu Qizhen by yourself and do not share it with Prince Mu or Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Zhu Liling stated. She had again turned selfish, and Xiaoming hated this side of his mother.


    ¡°I heard that the Father forced Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother to be his concubine. If his mother had not entered the pce, he would have never be that prophecy child which mother is feared of,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°That is what also bothered me. I had stopped His Majesty at that time not to bring a woman from such a low-ss noble family. She did not either contribute anything toward His Majesty¡¯s strength. She did not even raise her own child well,¡± Zhu Liling muttered with an annoyed look.


    ¡°Mother should not talk this way about a dead person,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    ¡°Son, Prince L¨®ng Wei gave the idea to Prince Mu to be the prime minister. What if he tries to snatch away the throne from you? That is why you should not blindly trust Prince L¨®ng Wei. Monk Yuze had always told him to be the next King,¡± Zhu Liling said while feeling insecure.


    Xiaoming did not find it the right time to argue with his mother. ¡°I will be careful. Mother, thank you for telling me the truth about the past. I will help my father in a better way now. I would like to request my mother not to tell Father that I know about the past,¡± he said in the end.


    ¡°Why?¡± Zhu Liling knitted her brows.


    ¡°I want to give a surprise to my father,¡± Xiaoming stated. Zhu Liling smiled and acknowledged his request readily.

 Chapter 550 - 550 I will turn everything right for you

    550 I will turn everything right for you


    some rest. Li Hua was in the pavilion with Nuan Xi, who informed her that L¨®ng Wei was still sleeping. ¡°Her Highness should have her breakfast. His Highness will wake upte,¡± Nuan Xi said.


    ¡°I will take meals when His Highness will wake up,¡± Li Hua asserted. ¡°Today is Qiqi festival. I pray that I get to see the moon in the night,¡± she murmured. The sky was covered in clouds, but it would not rain anytime soon.


    ¡°Your Highness, the Crown Prince is here,¡± Nuan Xi informed Li Hua, who turned her head in the other direction and saw Xiaominging to the pavilion.


    Li Hua stood up as a smile appeared on her lips. She asked Nuan Xi to leave, who left the pavilion. Xiaoming entered the pavilion with a menacing expression on his face and asked Li Hua to take the seat.


    ¡°I will after the Crown Prince,¡± Li Hua replied. Xiaoming hummed and settled on the chair. Li Hua also sat down on the chair and waited for Xiaoming to speak.


    ¡°I talked with my mother and found out what happened twenty years ago. My father killed more than a hundred noble families to dethrone Uncle Qizhen. I am unable to express my frustration on this. Were the Xu and Shui families loyal to the former king?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°The reason our families were targeted is because of me,¡± Li Hua stated.


    Xiaoming was perplexed to hear that statement.


    ¡°Monk Yuze has done a prophecy for me too. I was supposed to marry Prince L¨®ng Wei and our stars had matched at the time of my birth,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    .....


    Xiaoming was stunned to hear Li Hua. So, L¨®ng Wei¡¯s and Li Hua¡¯s fates were interconnected. But the question was why his father would do it. Wasn¡¯t Qiu Zedong allowed L¨®ng Wei to marry Li Hua?


    ¡°I know that the Crown Prince is thinking about how it can be possible. The King was the one who let us marry,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    Xiaoming nodded his head.


    ¡°Because Monk Yuze let it happen. He was the one who convinced the King,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, you must have noticed that the King was not ready to let you marry the Crown Princess. He didn¡¯t agree to let you marry her because the Queen requested him but because he has himself married a woman from a low-ss noble family. Prince L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t reveal it to the Crown Prince,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°What is Princess Consort Li Hua trying to say? Can she exin thoroughly to me?¡± Xiaoming inquired.


    ¡°The King looks for benefits. He doesn¡¯t care for emotions,¡± Li Hua asserted. ¡°My words may sound wrong to the Crown Prince, but he must have seen and observed it numerous times,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie wanted to marry Song Jia, but the King refused it. But His Majesty readily agrees to it when the Crown Princess has to reveal her true identity. The King within a day gave back the title of the minister to Li Zixuan, ignoring all of his crimes,¡± Li Hua exined to Xiaoming.


    He nodded his head and curled his fingers. ¡°Father was even pressuring me to marry a noble-ss woman,¡± Xiaoming muttered. ¡°He even tried to make my sister marry Li Jianjun even though his true face was revealed,¡± he asserted.


    Li Hua nodded her head. ¡°Your Royal Highness, will you stand with me and Prince L¨®ng Wei? When I see my elder brother, I control myself not to cry. He lost his entire right arm. He was called disabled and still many do that. My second brother could not be saved that night. My mother¡­ I could not even see her face for thest time. I remember how she was smiling that night and in just mere seconds, she was gone. My Father was fighting in front of my eyes. So many innocent servants died that day,¡± Li Hua recalled that night again and tears appeared in her eyes.


    She apologized to Xiaoming for turning emotional.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I didn¡¯te to the pce to start my new life but to find the person who did this to my family. No one in my family wanted anyone¡¯s bad, yet we had to go through such a horrible night. Shui Feng Lao¡¯s family got the same end. Why? Because his father tried to reveal the truth. No one survived in the sudden fire that broke out in the Shui residence,¡± Li Hua affirmed while holding her tears back.


    Xiaoming empathized with Li Hua. He had respected Li Hua since the time he had seen her.


    ¡°I came to the Crown Prince as his loyal subject. He has the highest authority in the Kingdom, who can challenge the King and give justice not only to me but to hundreds of families who are still suffering,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Why did Brother L¨®ng Wei note to me? Why did he not tell me anything? Did he not trust me?¡± Xiaoming had thest few questions from Li Hua before giving his final decision.


    ¡°Because Prince L¨®ng Wei thinks none of his brothers will stand with him. He thinks when he never got support from his mother when he was young, then what he could expect from the others? Also, the King did the biggest injustice to Prince L¨®ng Wei¨C Capturing his mother against her will,¡± Li Hua pronounced.


    Xiaoming fiddled with his fingers.


    ¡°If Brother L¨®ng Weies to me and tells me why he killed his mother, I will ask every prince to stand with him if tomorrow we challenge the King,¡± Xiaoming put forward a condition.


    ¡°Why does the Crown Prince want to know about that?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked as he stepped up from behind the pir.


    ¡°Your Highness, when did youe here!?¡± Li Hua astonishingly asked.


    ¡°A minute ago,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. He stepped up and stood next to the chair on which Li Hua was seated.


    ¡°Why does the Crown Prince know about it?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Because I found out something weird. Your mother wasn¡¯t supposed to enter the pce, but our father forced her toe here. Uncle Qizhen had a lover too but no one knew about her. Is that what I am thinking, Brother L¨®ng Wei?¡± Xiaoming inquired.


    ¡°What is it that the Crown Prince is thinking?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    Xiaoming stood up and pushed the chair back. He took a step toward L¨®ng Wei and said, ¡°The woman who was rumored to be uncle Qizhen¡¯s lover was Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother.¡±


    Li Hua also got up from her ce and looked at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I always knew that the Crown Prince is smart,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smile.


    Xiaoming could feel the pain behind that smile. He hugged L¨®ng Wei and didn¡¯t let him withdraw this time. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, I will turn everything right for you. I will stand with you until the very end,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    L¨®ng Wei stayed that way for a minute when Xiaoming pulled away.


    ¡°What do I have to do?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°The Crown Prince needs to stand with me when the truth is revealed,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Before that, I don¡¯t want the Crown Prince to reveal this to anyone,¡± he urged.


    ¡°I cannot hide it from Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Keep it to yourself,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°The rest of the answers, I will give you in the evening,¡± he asserted.


    Xiaoming nodded his head.


    ¡°Do not betray me, Crown Prince. I know that you¡¯ve been insecure right after you started to understand the meaning of the prophecy. However, I never wanted the throne. All I wanted was my mother¡¯s love which I never received and in the end, I decided to be the Sinned Prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°I am not the old Xiaoming, Brother L¨®ng Wei. Even if I have to put my life in danger, I will do that. I want to turn everything right,¡± Xiaoming stated.

 Chapter 551 - 551 I have gone crazy [Bonus chapter]

    551 I have gone crazy [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Prince L¨®ng Wei would tell the truth to the Crown Prince,¡± Li Hua stated. ¡°This truth must be troubling him. What if he tells someone else,¡± she murmured with a worried look.


    ¡°That will not happen,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and caressed her head. He side-hugged her and kissed the top of her head. ¡°I had a good sleep. Let¡¯s have our breakfast,¡± he stated and went with Li Hua to the chamber.


    After they had their morning meals, Li Hua asked L¨®ng Wei about the King.


    ¡°He has gone to catch Qizhen,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied with a smile.


    Li Hua was puzzled to hear the prince¡¯s statement.


    ¡°I have had enough of the stress. I cannot tolerate this anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. His frustration was visible in that tone.


    ¡°Prince Mu and Prince Zhang Xi are tough to please,¡± Li Hua stated and asked L¨®ng Wei what he would do if they voiced against him.


    ¡°You are forgetting Prince Tianjie,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie is still better,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    .....


    ¡°Why do you think so? Prince Tianjie said a few good words to you and you thought he can be a well-wisher of mine,¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°Is Prince L¨®ng Wei taunting me?¡± Li Hua asked and twitched her lips.


    ¡°I am,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and rested his elbow on the table. He ced his chin on his palm and continued, ¡°Li Hua, I have gone crazy for thest few days. I am desperate to kill and it might happen today. If any of them raises a voice against me, then I may kill him. Can you feel the burning rage inside me?¡±


    Li Hua told L¨®ng Wei not to think of taking anyone¡¯s life. ¡°The Princes will not betray you. I bet my life on this,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°You will feel low once you lose this bet,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is scaring me now,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Li Hua, I told you that I¡¯ve gone crazy,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°What happened? What is His Highness¡¯s n? Will he share it with me?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°My n is simple. I will overthrow the King tonight,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Li Hua widened her eyes. ¡°How? Is it even possible? The military will stand against Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± She stated. ¡°I don¡¯t want him to do such a thing. Let the Crown Prince handle this. He will definitely help us,¡± she proimed.


    ¡°Indeed. The Crown Prince will surely help us,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°but before that, I need to clear his path.¡±


    ¡°Today is the Qiqi festival. I don¡¯t want Prince L¨®ng Wei to touch his sword and take any life,¡± Li Hua stated as tears filled her eyes.


    ¡°Forgive me, Li Hua. I must do it today only. I cannot have sleepless nights anymore. I am in a pang of utter guilt. It is suffocating me,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Li Hua leaned forward and ced her hand on his cheek. ¡°Is it too painful?¡± Li Hua asked.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed. ¡°I am tired of all this. It hurts me badly. Numerous negative thoughts fill my mind. No festival was special for me anyway. Today is just another normal day for me,¡± He affirmed. Li Hua lowered her hand and nodded at him.


    ¡°But today is a special day for me. I want to celebrate the festival with my husband. I want to see the three stars bridge formation with my husband,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to dy anything. There is a saying: don¡¯t leave any work for tomorrow,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We both will surely see the bridge formation in the sky,¡± He said with assurance.


    ¡°Fine. I trust His Highness,¡± Li Hua stated, ¡°but he should promise me one thing. Will he?¡± She tilted her head.


    ¡°I will decide after you tell me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°That is wrong,¡± Li Huained.


    ¡°How?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei should have readily agreed instead of deciding after I tell him,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want me to kill Qiu Zedong, right?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I had not nned to do that. I have nned something bigger,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a broad smile and held her hand. ¡°I want you toe with me,¡± he said.


    ¡°Where?¡± Li Hua astonishingly asked.


    ¡°That is a surprise,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and pulled her up as he stood up.


    He took Li Hua out with him. As they reached the imperial gates, they encountered Qiu Mu.


    ¡°When did Brother L¨®ng Wei return?¡± Qiu Mu asked.


    ¡°In the early morning,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Are you both going out?¡± Qiu Mu asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°Did Prince Mu find out about Cha Ying?¡± He asked.


    Qiu Mu sighed and shook his head. ¡°She has disappeared. I am worried for her. I don¡¯t know in which state she must be in,¡± Qiu Mu expressed his worries.


    ¡°Cha Ying can survive without a man¡¯s support. She is different from many other women that Prince Mu has known,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Li Hua looked at him in astonishment.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is right. But I am concerned for her,¡± Qiu Mu asserted.


    ¡°That is understandable. If the person you love is not around you, it is normal to get anxious,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°It all happened because of Kang Xi. He forced Cha Ying to marry me.¡± Qiu Mu¡¯w jaw clenched in anger.


    ¡°I always used to tell that Kang Xi is a danger to us. But no one ever believed me,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked.


    ¡°Forgive me for not listening to you, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Mu said with a chuckle.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled at him and said, ¡°Prince Mu should discover a different way to bring Cha Ying to him. I am gettingte, so I will take my leave with Li Hua.¡± He walked ahead while Li Hua bowed to Qiu Mu first before running behind L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°A different way?¡± Qiu Mu mumbled.


    He saw that L¨®ng Wei helped Li Hua in getting into the carriage.


    ¡°He adores his wife so much. I should have done the same to Cha Ying. She didn¡¯t trust my love at all,¡± Qiu Mu muttered.

 Chapter 552 - 552 The First Justice

    552 The First Justice


    Xiaoming shared everything with Jin Yu except what L¨®ng Wei had requested him not to. ¡°Father never wanted them to marry. Father is two-faced, Jin Yu. How could he order to kill of the two families? When Li Hua told me about that horrific night, I could feel that pain. She saw so many people dying in front of her. Feng Lao also lost his entire family. And this didn¡¯t happen to only their families, but hundreds of families,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    Jin Yu knitted her brows together and asked Xiaoming how would he help the two of them. ¡°The King may kill Li Hua too if he finds that she knows the truth. What about Xu Zifan? I am unable toprehend all these things,¡± She said with an upset look.


    ¡°I know. That is why I will protect them, Jin Yu. The crime that my father hasmitted, I will punish him for it. He doesn¡¯t deserve to be the King. He took so many lives just to be on that throne. All these years, we were forced to believe that Uncle Qizhen destroyed the kingdom. However, it was the treason that my fathermitted that time,¡± Xiaoming affirmed and frowned.


    Jin Yu ced her hand on Xiaoming¡¯s shoulder and patted it.


    ¡°Xiaoming, I will be happy if you give justice to all such people and families,¡± Jin Yu asserted.


    ¡°I always thought my father is powerful. I looked up to him because I was destined to take the throne after him. However, after I knew all such incidents, I am shaken inside out. How did he fall asleep every night? How did he keep up with that facade?¡± Xiaoming annoyinglyined. He pinched the brows between his skin.


    His head was aching more with the truth about L¨®ng Wei. He and his mother suffered the most because of all this. L¨®ng Wei only got hate from the people around him. Even his mother didn¡¯t love him. Xiaoming knew that there was a dark secret hidden behind that too. No mother would stay away from her child or despise him. But L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother did that.


    The only usible reason he could think of was his father had done something. Now, he didn¡¯t have any ounce of faith left in his father.


    ¡°Is there anything more that trouble you?¡± Jin Yu inquired.


    .....


    Xiaoming lowered his hand and shook his head. ¡°Nothing, Jin Yu,¡± Xiaoming lied to her.


    ~~~~~


    Li Hua asked L¨®ng Wei where they were heading as she peeked out of the window. They were out of the city gates after the inspector stopped their carriage for a brief moment as he didn¡¯t know Prince L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua were inside.


    ¡°We are heading to Xianshan vige,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Li Hua immediately turned to look at him. ¡°Xianshan?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Did the King head there as well?¡± Li Hua questioned.


    ¡°Yes,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Why did His Highness send the King there?¡± She asked with a bewildered look.


    ¡°To make him meet Qizhen,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°How could Prince L¨®ng Wei do that? He knows that the King is madly after his father,¡± Li Hua got a bit angry.


    ¡°That is my trap,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and rested his palm above Li Hua¡¯s head. ¡°I told you that I would end it today. The King forced me to do it,¡± He asserted.


    ¡°His Highness never let me apany him where fights were involved? Why today?¡± Li Hua was curious to know.


    ¡°I promised you that I would catch the culprit for you. You should be the first person to see him on his knees,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and smiled.


    Li Hua was touched by his statement. She vividly remembered their promise.


    ¡°If you want, you can kill him too,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua tilted her head and looked into his eyes. She shook her head and said, ¡°As much as it was my revenge, it was His Highness¡¯s revenge too. More than mine, it is his revenge,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°I won¡¯t kill him that easily,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and chuckled.


    ¡°Then, what will you do?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°You will find in a while,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua didn¡¯t question him anymore and held his hand. She caressed it and said, ¡°The first justice your mother deserves. You must ask him why he did that?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei turned silent and looked away. Li Hua rested her head on his shoulder.


    An hour and thirty minutester, they reached Xianshan vige. They stepped out of the carriage and Li Hua saw so many soldiers around.


    L¨®ng Wei held her hand and took her along with him. Huang Xi came to them and bowed to them.


    ¡°Where is Qiu Zedong?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°This way, Your Highness,¡± Huang Xi said. The people could not be seen as the entire vige was put on curfew. The vigers were not allowed toe out of their houses.


    Li Hua and L¨®ng Wei followed Huang Xi. They soon reached a house where Hei Chengxi and others highly trained soldiers were present.


    L¨®ng Wei halted before Hei Chengxi and asked him if he killed the spies.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t supposed to kill them,¡± Hei Chengxi asserted.


    ¡°Kill them,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°But¨C¡±


    ¡°Give me the sword as I will do it,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and extended his hand.


    Li Hua wanted to stop L¨®ng Wei, but she knew he would not stop.


    ¡°They have families too,¡± Hei Chengxi tried to convince L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Their families must know their family heads finally got the punishment for the wrong they did,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stand like a stone idol. I don¡¯t want an ounce of mistake here. The spies cannot be trusted. If Lin Shicheng can betray his own master, then he can betray us too. The same goes for the other spies!¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. Huang Xi looked at his father, who was still hesitant.


    L¨®ng Wei snickered and let go of Li Hua¡¯s hand. He walked up to Hei Chengxi and took the sword from him.


    As L¨®ng Wei stepped up, he heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°Stop, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qizhen¡¯s voice reverberated in the front yard of the house.


    Li Hua turned and saw Qiu Qizhen. Behind him, Feng Lao was present along with two middle-aged men.

 Chapter 553 - 553 The night

    553 The night


    Li Hua took a breath of relief after seeing Qiu Qizhen. She knew that if there was someone who could stop L¨®ng Wei now, then that was Qiu Qizhen.


    Hei Chengxi¡¯s eyes glistened to see Qizhen after such a long time. Tears had formed on them and he lowered his eyes in his respect. Qiu Qizhen walked up to L¨®ng Wei and ced his hands on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Calm down,¡± Qiu Qizhen asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei held his father¡¯s arm and yanked it away. ¡°I should correct the mistake that you made twenty years ago. Did I not tell you the reasons why you were never suitable to be the King?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Qizhen.


    ¡°You are unable to understand the difference between good and bad,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered Qizhen.


    He took a step back and then turned to go inside the room, where the spies were kept as hostages.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Li Hua held his hand and they looked into each other¡¯s eyes. She shook her head, urging him to stop.


    ¡°Li Hua, those spies were one of those unknown ck masked men, who came to your house that day. Do you really want me to let them live? If Yuze were alive, he would have asked me to kill those spies. Do you know why? Because they killed many people all their lives. The survivors left from such victimized families would like to see the killers be dead than being alive,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her.


    Li Hua let go of his arm when Qizhen told him that those spies could be executedter.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei red at him and went ahead. No one could stop L¨®ng Wei. Li Hua turned to look at Qizhen and bowed to him.


    ¡°Please forgive Prince L¨®ng Wei. We should trust him. Whatever he does is right,¡± Li Hua stated.


    Qizhen nodded, but as a father, he was still worried for L¨®ng Wei.


    Xiwan was waiting for L¨®ng Wei in the room. Soon, L¨®ng Wei arrived at the room where the five spies were tied to the pirs. They were beaten so much that their entire faces, and clothes were covered in blood.


    ¡°Remember all thest moments of your lives. If there is any message that you want me to pass on to your families, then you all can tell me. Thest thing that I can do for all of you is convey this message to your family members,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Why di-did Prince L¨®ng Wei n-not forgive me? H-he has promised that he would let me live,¡± Lin Shicheng said with much difficulty.


    ¡°I never promised that,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°You should not have betrayed Qiu Zedong.¡± He chuckled and took step towards him. L¨®ng Wei threw the scabbard on the floor.


    ¡°You all should not have killed so many innocent people,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and he cut all of their throats one after the other. Within a few seconds, the five spies died. ¡°Send their corpses to their families,¡± he ordered one of the soldiers.


    ¡°Where is Qiu Zedong?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked as he turned to look at Xiwan.


    ¡°Please follow me, Your Highness,¡± Xiwan said and they walked out of the room.


    After crossing a corridor, they reached the open yard where in the center, Qiu Zedong was tied with a pole. However, not a single scratch could be seen on his face or hands. Those were L¨®ng Wei¡¯s orders not to do anything to Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°Bring Li Hua and the others here,¡± L¨®ng Weimanded Xiwan, who left. L¨®ng Wei descended the two stairs to enter the yard.


    Qiu Zedong heard the footsteps and raised his head. He then looked at L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand which was covered in blood.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, why did you do this? You betrayed me!¡± Qiu Zedong questioned with a frown on his forehead.


    ¡°Do you remember the night when I came to you after taking the life of my mother?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    When Qiu Zedong did not answer, L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°I told you to give me a death sentence. Instead, you decided to keep me alive. When I found out what you did to my mother, I decided to turn a blind eye to it. However, when you took Yuze¡¯s life, I knew I would never be able to forgive you. I let you y with my life and modify it in ordance with your will, but you did not stop. Why?¡± L¨®ng Wei roared at the end which made Li Hua along with the others halt in their way at the corridor.


    L¨®ng Wei rushed to Qiu Zedong and grabbed him with the cor of the overcoat. ¡°Why did you kill, Yuze?¡± He shrieked at him.


    Li Hua was troubled to see that side of L¨®ng Wei and she clenched her fists.


    ¡°Because he betrayed me,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted. ¡°How could he dream of making you the next King?¡± He muttered.


    ¡°Yuze thought he was smarter than me. I want to make you weaker since Yuze was the one, who turned you this stronger,¡± Qiu Zedong reasoned.


    L¨®ng Wei let go of Qiu Zedong¡¯s overcoat and hit his head using the hilt of the sword. Qiu Zedong felt severe pain in the left temple of his forehead before getting unconscious.


    ¡°We will take him to the pce. I want him to confess all his crimes in front of everyone in the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei announced his decision. Qizhen looked at Hei Chengxi and gestured to him to follow what L¨®ng Wei had said.


    ¡°Your Highness, in the pce, the princes will rebel against you. We have yet to take over the pce,¡± Huang Xi said and quickly walked to him.


    ¡°I have taken care of that. Make sure to give him the pill which will keep him unconscious for the next two hours,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and turned to gaze at every one of them.


    Li Hua was worried thinking about what would happen in the pce. A storm would definitelye into the pce which would affect many lives.

 Chapter 554 - 554 Never show any affection towards Lóng Wei [Bonus chapter]

    554 Never show any affection towards L¨®ng Wei [Bonus chapter]


    TWENTY YEARS AGO:


    Yu Jun was seated on the floor mattress. She had the paintbrush in her hand and was making the peonies on the branches of the tree that she had drawn. It was to calm her mind from the turmoil that had begun to happen outside.


    Qiu Zedong returned to Qinping after being victorious in the great war of the four kingdoms. In the past three years, Qiu Zedong had won many territories as the great General of the Kingdom and with that, he had also gained the support of many noble families.


    ¡°My Lady, the King hase to see you and your son,¡± the maidservant informed Yu Jun. She had stopped painting as she raised her head.


    ¡°I am not interested in meeting His Majesty,¡± Yu Jun stated and tilted her head to check on L¨®ng Wei, who was sleeping peacefully in the wooden cradle. It had been three months since L¨®ng Wei¡¯s birth. Yu Jun was happy that she did not have to see the King for those three months because he had gone to lead a battle.


    The maidservant had silently left and in a few seconds, Qiu Zedong entered the chamber.


    ¡°You are as rebellious as you were before,¡± Qiu Zedong¡¯s voice fell in Yu Jun¡¯s ears and she finally looked at him.


    She did not greet him, instead, she continued the work that she was doing.


    Qiu Zedong fisted his palms and walked up to the cradle. Yu Jun immediately stood up from her ce and red at the King. ¡°Stay away from my child,¡± Yu Jun stated.


    .....


    ¡°Yours?¡± Qiu Zedong chuckled.


    He took a step toward Yu Jun and then grabbed a fistful of her hair.


    ¡°Ahh,¡± Yu Jun cried out as she grabbed the wrist of Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei is alive because I let him. So, do not use suchnguage with me,¡± Qiu Zedong said and let go of her hair. Yu Jun tried to stop him, but Qiu Zedong lifted L¨®ng Wei in his arms.


    ¡°His Majesty will wake the child up,¡± Yu Jun requested him to keep L¨®ng Wei down on the cradle.


    ¡°Let me see my son. Monk Yuze told me that L¨®ng Wei is the dragon¡¯s son,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed. After he beheld L¨®ng Wei well, he turned his gaze to Yu Jun, who looked terrified and anxious.


    ¡°Yu Jun, since you could not love me the way you loved my dearte elder brother, I want you to do something for L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    Yu Jun was unable to read those strange facial expressions on Qiu Zedong¡¯s face. She wanted to die the day Qizhen was killed, but because of L¨®ng Wei she survived. She had to live for L¨®ng Wei even though her will to stay alive had disappeared long ago. Now, L¨®ng Wei was born, Yu Jun had a fear that Qiu Zedong might attempt to kill him since he was not his son.


    ¡°Your Majesty, let us leave this pce. I promise you that L¨®ng Wei will live amoner¡¯s life with me. I will go to the countryside with my son, where nobody can find us. L¨®ng Wei is merely three months old, Your Majesty,¡± Yu Jun started to plead with Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°Now, you are acting like a submissive woman, Yu Jun,¡± Qiu Zedong said with an amusing smile.


    ¡°You both will live in this pce. L¨®ng Wei will grow up as my son, but on one condition,¡± he stated.


    ¡°A condition?¡± Yu Jun frowned and fidgeted with her fingers.


    ¡°Never show any affection towards L¨®ng Wei. You must hate him as much as you can. You must tell him that you never wanted him to get born,¡± Qiu Zedong pronounced.


    ¡°Your Majesty?¡± Tears rolled over Yu Jun¡¯s cheeks and she looked at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°How can youe up with such a condition?¡± She questioned him.


    ¡°Because Qiu Qizhen is L¨®ng Wei¡¯s father and not me. You are well aware of my hatred toward Qizhen. You should feel lucky that I let you two stay unharmed,¡± Qiu Zedong affirmed.


    ¡°Why did you even force me to be your concubine?¡± She first gets mad at the King. When she realized that her tone might infuriate the king, she apologized to him.


    ¡°I request His Majesty to let us leave this pce. I beg His Majesty not to do this to a mother and a child. You are a father to so many children. You must understand my pleading,¡± Yu Jun said while speaking informally with him.


    ¡°Yu Jun, I am being kind here,¡± Qiu Zedong said and rested his hand on his chest. ¡°Your lover, Qiu Qizhen, did not care for you once and decided to die. I, on the other hand, gave you both the much-needed protection. L¨®ng Wei will grow as the prince in the pce. If you do not agree with me, unfortunately, your son has to lose his life today,¡± he asserted and then took the dagger out from his inner pocket.


    Yu Jun felt vulnerable at that moment.


    ¡°I want L¨®ng Wei to hate his mother as he grows up. If Monk Yuze has not made the prophecy, then he would have been dead by now. However, I cannot bear the fact that L¨®ng Wei¡¯s true father is Qizhen. Decide and tell me what you want for L¨®ng Wei: an early death or a life like a prince?¡± Qiu Zedong slowly pulled the dagger out.


    Yu Jun grasped Qiu Zedong¡¯s hands and then immediately withdrew them. ¡°I will do what His Majesty wants. Let my son live,¡± Yu Jun said as tears kept pouring down her eyes.


    Qiu Zedong smiled and put the dagger back into his inner pocket. ¡°You made a wise decision, Yu Jun.¡± He appreciated her decision.


    ¡°This should remain a secret between us two. The moment L¨®ng Wei knew about this, I will kill him in front of your eyes. You must remain cold to him all the time. Your son must suffer because of his father and mother. I will make good use of L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Zedong stated with an evil smile. He turned and walked out of the chamber while Yu Jun fell to the floor.


    There was no end to Yu Jun¡¯s never-ending pain, which had just begun. She had to live with that. If she had to see L¨®ng Wei live happily, she must act to hate him all the time.

 Chapter 555 - 555 My mother wanted me to kill her

    555 My mother wanted me to kill her


    L¨®ng Wei looked at Qiu Zedong, who was on his knees at the center of the pce ground with shackles around his hands and feet. The biggest truth that was hidden from everyone, Qiu Zedong finally revealed it. Xiaoming lowered his eyes after he nced at L¨®ng Wei. None of the princes could open their mouths after knowing the truth about L¨®ng Wei from their father.


    None of Qiu Zedong¡¯s women were present on the pce ground as they were locked in their respective manors.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, I gave you the life which was supposed to end years ago. You should not forget the favors that I did for you,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted.


    ¡°You do not deserve to say that to me anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with scrunched brows. ¡°When she asked you to let us leave, you should have. I was never interested in the throne. You knew this well.¡± Tears bubbled in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes. He did not want to fall weak at this moment. But the truth was heart-wrenching.


    L¨®ng Wei turned and covered his eyes with his palm. Li Hua started to cry seeing L¨®ng Wei. She was a little far from her, so she decided to run to him and hold him in a tight embrace. She stepped up when Feng Lao caught her hand.


    She looked at him and he shook his head. He let go of her hand and looked at L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei took a deep breath and said, ¡°Your elder brother, Qiu Qizhen is here. Ipleted my task and brought him to you.¡± He again turned to look at Qiu Zedong, who had this grim look on his face.


    He looked at Xiaoming and Qiu Mu. ¡°Are you going to believe a traitor like L¨®ng Wei? Gather the military and kill L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Zedong told them.


    ¡°Qiu Zedong, that is not possible anymore,¡± Qiu Qizhen spoke. The soldiers, who were standing behind Hei Chengxi, got away as Qiu Qizhen stepped up. Everyone looked in his direction except L¨®ng Wei. He had his eyes glued on Qiu Zedong.


    .....


    ¡°You have lost this battle. Even your sons are against you today,¡± Qiu Qizhen asserted and he kept walking toward him. He stood next to L¨®ng Wei and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Xiaoming, will you not listen to your father?¡± Qiu Zedong screamed at the top of his lungs. However, the Crown Prince kept his gaze away from his father. Qiu Zedong asked his other sons to step up and save him.


    ¡°No one will help you today,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and asked Xiaoming to give his views on Qiu Zedong.


    He turned to look at the Crown Prince. ¡°Can the Crown Prince tell his father what he thinks?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his eyebrow.


    Xiaoming gazed at L¨®ng Wei and nodded his head. He walked up to them and halted before his father. ¡°Father, I saw you as an ideal King. For me, you gave the best justice to the people. But youmitted so many crimes that do not make me take your side. How could you take a woman hostage and then force her to hate her own son? You have lost that respect in my eyes. I will not help you, Father,¡± Xiaoming expressed his thoughts aloud.


    ¡°What an insolent son I have!¡± Qiu Zedong chuckled. ¡°I did this all for you, Xiaoming,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°For me? How?¡± Xiaoming lost his temper and raised his voice at Qiu Zedong. ¡°I am unable to even imagine the situation L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother underwent. It will be better if you die. Such a man does not deserve to live,¡± He pronounced and continued, ¡°and this decision is not only of me but every prince present here. I cannot believe that you are my father.¡±


    Xiaoming gave a disappointed look to Qiu Zedong and then turned to look at Qizhen.


    ¡°Qiu Mu, your elder brother has lost his mind. You are better than him. Pick your sword and¡ª¡±


    L¨®ng Wei interrupted his words in the middle. ¡°You want your sons to be dead today? You destroyed my life and it will not take me time to destroy yours,¡± he said and took steps toward him. The next second, he grabbed Qiu Zedong by his neck and his fingers dug into Qiu Zedong¡¯s skin.


    ¡°I do not want any of them to be dead because that would make me an evil person like you. I cannot turn eviler,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and then let go of Qiu Zedong¡¯s neck. He started to cough, gasping for air. He felt vulnerable for the first time in his life. His sons had left his side. His wives and concubines were nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, you have killed your mother with your will. No one forced you. You were the one, who made her life more miserable,¡± Qiu Zedong said with an evil smirk. ¡°Indeed, you are their son, but in the end, you are like me. You do not flinch from taking anyone¡¯s life. You are as evil as me, L¨®ng Wei. If you will look at yourself in the mirror, you will see me as your reflection,¡± Qiu Zedong proimed and continued to evilly smile at L¨®ng Wei.


    Qizhen asked Qiu Zedong to shut up and told L¨®ng Wei not to listen to Zedong¡¯s words.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, who kills his own mother? No one, but you did,¡± Qiu Zedong pronounced. He wanted to provoke L¨®ng Wei because he knew that if there was something that could trigger L¨®ng Wei, then that was Yu Jun.


    ¡°Father, please stop it!¡± Qiu Mu raised his voice this time.


    However, Qiu Zedong did not. ¡°L¨®ng Wei, no matter what was the truth, you havemitted a sin. Taking the life of the person who gave you birth is the greatest sin. Poor Yu Jun! She did her best to save your life and give you an environment like the other princes, but in the end, she lost her life in your hands,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted. He knew that his end was near and he did not want a torturous death, but an instant death. That would be better for him and also, the people would still think that L¨®ng Wei killed Qiu Zedong to hide the truth about that horrible night when he killed Yu Jun.


    Tianjie, Mingquan, and Zhang Xi were troubled to see this side of their father. He was not ready to ept what he did. He was the reason why L¨®ng Wei decided to take Yu Jun¡¯s life. L¨®ng Wei never wanted to do it, but it was Qiu Zedong who created the circumstances in a way that L¨®ng Wei left with no option.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled and pped, thus astonishing everyone present in the pce ground. His reaction was unexpected to Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei is not a weak-spirited person, Qiu Zedong. You can provoke me as much as you want to,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and lowered his hands, and smiled. ¡°The biggest teaching that I got from my master whose life you took was not to be get provoked.¡±


    Xiaoming asked L¨®ng Wei if Qiu Zedong killed Yuze.


    ¡°Yes. Yuze was poisoned by a very efficient spy of Qiu Zedong. The reason I got frantic to bring down Qiu Zedong was that he killed Yuze,¡± L¨®ng Wei revealed to all of them.


    ¡°Today it would not have been happening if Yuze was alive. It never mattered to me what injustice happened with¡­¡± L¨®ng Wei paused for a brief second before continuing, ¡°with my mother and father. I sound like an evil child.¡± He let out a chuckle.


    ¡°My mother wanted me to kill her which I did. It was not my choice,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. His voice appeared full of pain.


    Qizhen looked at L¨®ng Wei and wondered if his son lied to him when they met. Li Hua was also confused to hear L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Qiu Zedong, you were desperate to know why I killed my mother? You even asked Li Hua to find the answer and tell you. I will tell you today. However, I would like to know from you something first,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Qiu Zedong gazed at L¨®ng Wei in bewilderment.


    ¡°Why did you ask my mother to reveal the truth about my true father that night?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°I will not entertain lies. If you want me to let this royal family live happily after you will be gone, then you must tell the truth. This is yourst chance to save everyone here. The volcano of anger that was buried deep inside me has erupted today. I may take as many lives today if you lie to me. You are right. I do not flinch when ites to taking someone¡¯s life. This is the biggest lesson that I learned from you. So, speak the truth, if you want me to calm down,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. He did not want to say all this, but he also wanted to give justice to his mother, who had to sacrifice everything.

 Chapter 556 - 556 Forgive your mother [Bonus chapter]

    556 Forgive your mother [Bonus chapter]


    Qiu Zedong remained silent for a while when L¨®ng Wei shouted at him. He was running out of patience.


    ¡°I wanted greater control over you. I wanted people to fear you and despise you so that the prophecy¡¯s meaning disappears. You could never be the King even though Yuze¡¯s prophecy said otherwise,¡± Qiu Zedong revealed the truth.


    ¡°Why did you do it to my son?¡± Qizhen grabbed Zedong by the cor and red into his eyes. ¡°How could you be this cruel?¡±


    Qiu Zedong chuckled and said, ¡°It is because of you. You decided to keep me away from the pce. I never wanted to stay as a General all my life. You questioned my ideologies. I was always more capable than you, yet you got the throne.¡±


    ¡°If you had asked me once, then I would have handed it to you,¡± Qizhen stated.


    Qiu Zedong chuckled. ¡°You were greedy than me and still are. Why didn¡¯t youe to the pce if you loved Yu Jun and L¨®ng Wei dearly?¡± He questioned Qizhen and then nced at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Qizhen used you, L¨®ng Wei. To take everything again. He never cared for your mother or you. He only saw from afar the sufferings you two had to bear here,¡± Qiu Zedong proimed.


    L¨®ng Wei frowned and turned to look at Xiaoming. ¡°I request the Crown Prince to lock Qiu Zedong in prison.¡±


    Xiaoming was surprised by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s request. He thought L¨®ng Wei would himself ask Hei Chengxi to drag away Qiu Zedong.


    .....


    ¡°General Hei, take him away,¡± Xiaoming ordered. Hei Chengxi stepped up and dragged Qiu Zedong to prison, followed by some soldiers.


    Xiaoming wanted to console L¨®ng Wei, but he left the pce grounds.


    Qizhen decided to go after his son, but Xiaoming stopped him. ¡°Let Brother L¨®ng Wei be alone. He needs time,¡± he suggested to Qizhen.


    Xiaoming looked at Li Hua, who was crying. She went to her and asked her to go to the manor.


    ¡°Where did Prince L¨®ng Wei go?¡± Li Hua asked while sobbing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I think he has gone to his mother¡¯s chamber¡­ to give a tribute to her. The Princess Consort should not go after Brother L¨®ng Wei as it will stop him from releasing his true emotions in front of his mother,¡± he advised Li Hua.


    Xiaoming gazed at Feng Lao, who escorted Li Hua to the manor.


    The atmosphere had turned so tense that no one even wanted to speak about it. Mingquan silently went to see L¨®ng Wei while the other princes stayed at their respective ces.


    ~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei stepped inside the chamber of his mother and shut the doors. He continued to walk until he reached the central room, where Yu Jun¡¯s portrait was hung on the wall. Below the portrait, on the table incense stick burner, some flowers, and twonterns were ced.


    He removed his shoes and went ahead. Picking up one incense stick, he burned it and put it into the tiny burner. L¨®ng Wei took a step back and got on his knees. He lowered his head as tears filled his eyes.


    L¨®ng Wei recalled the night when he killed Yu Jun.


    **shback Started**


    ¡°My mother has called me?¡± L¨®ng Wei astonishingly asked and a smile appeared on his face. It had been years since his mother called him to see her. He quickly put on the formal robe that the prince used to wear and then put on his shoes.


    L¨®ng Wei soon reached outside the chamber of his mother and halted. He took a deep breath and put on a smile on his lips. Though, he had a slight fear of what his mother would say. Usually, she would be angry at him, and in return, he would also get angry.


    But L¨®ng Wei had decided not to be angry at her. She was his mother after all. He should respect her. His mother¡¯s single call made his anger vanish which was inside him for a long time.


    L¨®ng Wei walked in and removed his shoes before entering the main chamber. His eyes fell on his mother, who was seated on the floor mattress.


    As soon as she looked at L¨®ng Wei, she asked him to sit.


    L¨®ng Wei sat down in front of her and looked around. Nothing had changed in his mother¡¯s chamber.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, did you have dinner?¡± Yu Jun asked.


    L¨®ng Wei turned his head to look at her and then he shook his head. ¡°I had no appetite,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Do not skip your meals, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Yu Jun asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei was startled to hear his mother¡¯s words. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like eating. Mother never smiles at me nor does she talk with me. I am surprised that she summoned me. Everyone hates me because I talk rudely with them. I don¡¯t like any of them either. I don¡¯t want to leave the pce either,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    A few months ago, his mother asked him to leave the pce and go to the academy which was in another province. When every prince is getting an education in the pce, then why should he leave? Moreover, he was not interested in studying. Yuze gave him an education which was enough for him as the prince.


    ¡°Forgive your mother,¡± Yu Jun said.


    L¨®ng Wei stopped blinking after hearing her. He wondered why she was speaking in a different way.


    ¡°Are you really my mother?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked and blinked before looking at the table¡¯s surface. ¡°Mother never talked this way,¡± he asserted and again met her gaze.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner. I am hungry,¡± Yu Jun said and called a maidservant inside. Yu Jun asked her to bring the dinner meals for them.


    L¨®ng Wei, on the other hand, kept pondering over his mother¡¯s words. He knew something was wrong. His mother would never have asked him to have dinner with her. When was thest time they even had meals together? He didn¡¯t remember. It was strange, but he was happy to see this change in his mother.

 Chapter 557 - 557 Mother, please be kind to me... to us

    557 Mother, please be kind to me... to us


    L¨®ng Wei slowly ate his meals, and in between, he looked at his mother.


    ¡°What happened, L¨®ng Wei?¡± Yu Jun asked and put a slice of meat on the te before L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Eat the sweetster. I made these,¡± Yu Jun asserted.


    ¡°Mother made these?¡± L¨®ng Wei was astonished and looked at the mooncakes.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Yu Jun replied.


    ¡°Why is Mother behaving strangely today? Mother always says that she despises me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Is something going on?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Eat your meals,¡± Yu Jun stated.


    L¨®ng Wei did not ask furthermore and silently finished his meals. He ate the sweets with gusto. ¡°They are delicious,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and picked up another. He brought it close to Yu Jun¡¯s mouth and asked her to eat that.


    Yu Jun opened her mouth and took a bite. ¡°Mother, forgive me for not behaving well. I will trouble you anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smile. He took one more mooncake to eat when Yu Jun asked her to eat slowly.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed and began to eat slowly. ¡°Mother, please do not tell me to go away from the pce. I want to live here like the other princes and princesses,¡± he again requested Yu Jun.


    .....


    ¡°I will not ask you to leave the pce. Finish the sweets,¡± Yu Jun asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei felt relieved to hear his mother¡¯s words. He finished the sweets and then the maidservant cleaned the table. Yu Jun told the maidservant that she should go to sleep after keeping the dishes in the kitchen. The maidservant obeyed the orders and left the chamber soon.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, show me your hands,¡± Yu Jun said. He extended his hands out and Yu Jun held them.


    ¡°You have grown up a lot,¡± Yu Jun stated.


    L¨®ng Wei felt giddy with that warm touch of his mother. She was finally showing her motherly love toward him. She caressed his palms and said, ¡°When you were born, there was no limit to joy. I have never been a good mother to you, but it was not what I wanted.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei was bewildered by his mother¡¯s words. She slowly withdrew her hands from her son¡¯s hands and looked into his eyes again.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, listen to me carefully and promise me that you will do it,¡± Yu Jun said.


    ¡°What is it that mother wants me to do?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. He was a little scared. He had many questions in his head, but he was unable to speak out those thoughts.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, a deep secret has been hidden behind your birth,¡± Yu Jun said.


    ¡°A secret?¡± L¨®ng Wei frowned.


    Yu Jun nodded. ¡°It is the time I should reveal it to you. His Majesty is not your father,¡± she said as tears appeared in her eyes. They were on the verge of falling, but Yu Jun did not let them fall.


    ¡°Pardon?¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled and the color from his face blew off. ¡°I was a fool toe here when you summoned me,¡± he stated and stood up in anger. He could not believe that his mother would say something like this to him.


    ¡°If you do not want to acknowledge me as your son, then it is fine. At least, do not say something like this,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with annoyance. He wanted to yell at his mother, but something was stopping him from inside. He turned to leave when Yu Jun asked him to stop.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, you have to leave the pce if you do not hear me entirely,¡± Yu Jun sternly said and she also stood up from the floor mattress.


    L¨®ng Wei clenched his fist and turned to gaze at Yu Jun. ¡°Only my dead body will leave this pce,¡± he said in a menacing tone.


    Yu Jun walked up to him and pped him hard. ¡°Why did you say that?¡± Yu Jun reprimanded her son. L¨®ng Wei touched his cheek and his jaw clenched.


    ¡°I knew something was wrong when you called me out of the blue for the dinner, Is this what Mother has to say to me? I cannot believe that you hate me to this extent that you told such a lie to me!¡± L¨®ng Wei turned furious.


    He was ready to leave when Yu Jun caught his arm and stood in front of him. ¡°L¨®ng Wei, listen to me. I am not lying to you. The reason I could never love you was¡­¡± she paused as she realized that she was not supposed to reveal the truth to L¨®ng Wei. If Qiu Zedong found out that she told L¨®ng Wei what kind of person he was, then L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life woulde in danger.


    ¡°You hated being the concubine of the King. That is the only feasible reason that I can see for now,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and caught the hands of his mother to put them down.


    ¡°I will nevere to see you. I have always sought your love and even today, my love for my mother brought me here. It will not happen here. I understoodpletely that my mother hates to see me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Yu Jun could not hold her tears and started crying. L¨®ng Wei walked past her when he heard his mother.


    ¡°Your father is Qiu Qizhen, the elder brother of His Majesty,¡± Yu Jun pronounced.


    L¨®ng Wei froze at his ce. He felt that the floor beneath his feet had slipped.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I am not lying. Qiu Qizhen is your real father, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Yu Jun said and slowly turned to him. L¨®ng Wei also turned to look at her and saw her face was covered in tears.


    ¡°Does His Majesty know about this?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    Yu Jun took a pause and shook her head. ¡°Fortunately, he does not know. However, if he finds out about it, then he may kill us both,¡± Yu Jun affirmed.


    ¡°Why would I be killed?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes turned misty. Was this the end of his life? No, that could not happen. He wanted to survive. He wanted to be happy like the people around him.


    ¡°I did nothing wrong. Then, why I must be punished? I do not even know Qiu Qizhen,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Forgive me forplicating your life,¡± Yu Jun said. ¡°There is a solution for it, L¨®ng Wei. You should kill me to live,¡± she opined.


    ¡°Mother! Please, stop!¡± L¨®ng Wei controlled himself from shouting at his mother again. It was alreadyte night and if someone would hear this, then they both woulde into danger.


    ¡°I will pretend that I never heard it. For me, my father is the King. I will note here, so you do not need to bother about me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. Not seeing his mother was a million times better for him.


    ¡°I will reveal this truth in the morning. I cannot live like this anymore,¡± Yu Jun asserted. She wiped her tears and continued, ¡°If you want to lead a happy and peaceful life, then you must kill me.¡±


    ¡°Mother, have you gone crazy?¡± L¨®ng Wei scowled at her. ¡°Why are you doing this to us?¡± he almost shrieked at her, and then closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and said, ¡°Live as you were living all these years. Do not provoke me to do something which will destroy our lives. Mother, please be kind to me... to us,¡± he calmly said.


    Yu Jun asked him to stay there and she went to the inner chamber. She brought the sword with her and forwarded it to L¨®ng Wei. ¡°I do not want to have a tortuous death, L¨®ng Wei. His Majesty will not punish you because you are the dragon¡¯s son. You should kill me tonight,¡± she stated as she handed the sword to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°You have gone insane. I should not havee here. Tell the King tomorrow. I do not care anymore. But do not ask me to take your life,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He wanted to rte to his mother¡¯s frustration and wanted to calm her down.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, do you not hate me?¡± Yu Jun asked him.


    L¨®ng Wei did not respond to her and threw the sword on the floor. ¡°I am not a monster who will take your life. I still respect you. I am angry at you, but that cannot convert into hatred. You know this well. You need rest. This was the best meal that I had all these years,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and walked ahead to leave. He knew that his mother would turn calm after he would disappear from her sight. He had even nned to go to the other province so that his mother would not feel insecure.


    He halted in his steps and slowly turned to check. Yu Jun had stabbed herself with the sword. L¨®ng Wei quickly ran to her and caught her from falling to the floor. ¡°Mother,¡± L¨®ng Wei whispered, and his other hand rested on the sword¡¯s hilt.


    Yu Jun grabbed his hand and shoved the sword further inside her abdomen. She coughed the blood and tears fell from her eyes.


    ¡°This is the o-only wa-way you can live, L¨®ng Wei,¡± Yu Jun managed to speak. ¡°D-do n-not tell anyone about this truth. I-I lov¡­¡± she could notplete her words and her eyes closed.

 Chapter 558 - 558 Yu Jun’s last message [Bonus chapter]

    558 Yu Jun¡¯sst message [Bonus chapter]


    When the shback ended, L¨®ng Wei gazed again at the portrait of his mother. He was guilty of not hearing from her that day. If he wanted, he could save her. However, he neglected his mother¡¯s pain. He did not try to understand why she talked in a strange way to him.


    Tears poured down from her eyes and he lowered his head. ¡°I took a lot of time to find the truth. Yuze told me that the truth cannot be hidden for a long time. I did what you told me, but at the expense of a lot of lives. Forgive me for always telling people how much I hate you. Forgive me for not being present at your funeral or any of your death anniversaries. I truly hope that Mother has found peace,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while sobbing. He lifted his arm to wipe the tears from the sleeves of his robes, but the tears did not stop.


    L¨®ng Wei profusely cried and leashed out the pain that was hidden in his heart for a long time. Mingquan kept watching L¨®ng Wei and did not go to him until L¨®ng Wei turned stable.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head when he saw Mingquan walk past him and burned an incense stick on the burner. He took the steps back and sat next to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°It was a horrible and painful night for Brother L¨®ng Wei. It must be tough for him all these years to keep the truth to himself. Mother Yu must have found her peace today. Her son finally came to her to share what he felt,¡± Mingquan said and turned his head to look at L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Thank you for keeping the truth to yourself, Brother Mingquan,¡± L¨®ng Wei expressed his gratitude.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei does not need to thank me. He med himself for taking the life of his mother all these years. He chose to be called a sinned prince and that hurt me more. He is a powerful spirited person to do so,¡± Mingquan praised L¨®ng Wei a bit. He wanted to lighten L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mood.


    ¡°But I had held that sword. I should not have walked away and even if I did, I would have taken the sword with me. It was my carelessness toward my mother. If only I had gone to the other province far from the pce, she would be alive. Since I could not save her, so I took the entire me. I killed her in a way,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as more tears rolled down his cheeks.


    Mingquan ced his hand over L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand and told him not to think that way anymore. ¡°How did Brother L¨®ng Wei find out that Father forced Mother Yu that night to reveal the truth about your birth?¡± He then asked.


    .....


    ¡°It came to my mind in the morning. I always considered my mother despising me because she was stuck in the pce because of me. If the prophecy was never there, we did not have to suffer to this extent,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.


    ¡°Then, we all have to suffer because of Father. More bloodbaths would have urred in the pce. The entire kingdom would be in chaos. Monk Yuze must have predicted that,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°A good ouees with a lot of suffering,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and looked at his mother. ¡°He suffocated my mother for fifteen years. An easy death would be an injustice to my mother. I will give a slow death to Qiu Zedong. I want him to beg me to kill him instantly, but he will not get it,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei has full rights to punish Father,¡± Mingquan said and put his hand inside the inner pocket of the cross-cor robe that he had worn. He took out an old paper that had turned yellowish brown and handed it to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°What is it?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Thest message of your mother,¡± Mingquan replied.


    L¨®ng Wei was astonished for a second and then promptly opened it. ¡°How did Brother Mingquan find it?¡± He asked before reading it.


    ¡°I asked Gao Bing. I asked him for it before he was going to be executed,¡± Mingquan replied. He stood up and told L¨®ng Wei that he should read thest message from his mother. He bowed to see the portrait of Yu Jun and left the room. Now, L¨®ng Wei was alone in the room again.


    He focused his gaze on the paper and began reading the message.


    **Yu Jun¡¯s message**


    Dear L¨®ng Wei,


    By the time, you will receive this message I probably would not be present around you in the physical form. The day you were born was the most beautiful day of my life. I vividly remember the first time you called me a mother. I remember all those precious moments with you and they were the main reason for my survival.


    I cry when you get upset, Iugh when you get happy. Everything rted to my son affects me a lot. I failed to be a good mother to you, but you were always a great son to me.


    Even when I gave you a cold shoulder, you refused to believe that part of me. Forgive me for not giving any presents to you. My hands were tied from doing so. However, my only present can be to you is your life. I want to see you happy always. If heaven exists, and I am allowed to see you from there, then I would like to see you always smile. The pain I gave you, I hope it subsides with time. I hope it heals and you got to live a great life.


    Forgive your mother for being cold to you. I love you more than my life. I love my son. Forgive me for never being able to say this to you when I was alive.


    Your mother,


    Yu Jun


    **Message ended**


    L¨®ng Wei again started to weep. His forehead touched the front of the paper as he continued crying.


    ¡°I love you, Mother,¡± he mumbled.

 Chapter 559 - 559 The Crown Prince always doubt himself

    559 The Crown Prince always doubt himself


    ¡°I cannot believe our father forced L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother to live in the pce as his concubine. I never saw L¨®ng Wei this devastated,¡± Qiu Mu said and looked at Xiaoming, ¡°what will the Crown Prince do now?¡±


    ¡°I will discuss the matter rted to Father¡¯s punishment with Brother L¨®ng Wei first,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°We all thought Brother L¨®ng Wei was a culprit all these years. He had no choice but to act like an unfaithful child,¡± he muttered and furrowed his brows together.


    ¡°I never saw L¨®ng Wei crying,¡± Tianjie stated. ¡°I always thought he was born heartless and he had gotten some special privileges from our father. How wrong was I? I do not think I will be able to meet his gaze,¡± he said in a low voice and leaned back on the chair.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we all think the same about Brother L¨®ng Wei?¡± Zhang Xi finally spoke. ¡°We made him feel neglected. If I had been at Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s ce, I would have given up living,¡± he asserted and looked at all of his elder brothers. ¡°For a moment, I thought he would kill all of us because we all somewhere did wrong with him,¡± Zhang Xi opined.


    ¡°Brother Zhang Xi that would not have happened. After learning the truth, I realized that Brother L¨®ng Wei is a thoughtful person. Did you not hear that he decided to keep quiet, but after Monk Yuze died, he decided to bring the truth out?¡± Qiu Mu said. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wooden pir.


    ¡°Father even ordered to wipe out the existences of Li Hua¡¯s and Feng Lao¡¯s families. I even taunted her once. Now, I suddenly feel bad for my past actions,¡± Qiu Mu muttered.


    ¡°Father did not only order to kill everyone in their families, but more than a hundred noble families twenty years ago. But the three people suffered the most because of all this: Uncle Qizhen, Mother Yu, and Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°Suddenly my entire love and respect for my father have changed into hatred. I do not even want to say that I am one of the sons of¡­¡± he paused and snickered.


    ¡°We feel the same, Crown Prince,¡± Tianjie said. ¡°Where is Brother Mingquan? He left the pce grounds earlier. Does anyone know where he is?¡± He asked them.


    ¡°I was with Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Mingquan answered as he had heard Tianjie before entering their private gathering room.


    .....


    ¡°Where is Brother L¨®ng Wei?¡± Xiaoming concernedly asked.


    ¡°At his mother¡¯s room,¡± Mingquan replied and pulled out the chair. He sat down on it and looked at all of them.


    ¡°Brother Mingquan was always close to L¨®ng Wei. Did he tell you about this beforehand?¡± Qiu Mu asked with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei never told me. I witnessed what happened that night,¡± Mingquan replied.


    They all were astonished to hear the Fourth Prince¡¯s words.


    ¡°Why did you never tell us?¡± Qiu Muined.


    ¡°Did any of the princes like Brother L¨®ng Wei earlier?¡± Mingquan questioned. Qiu Mu furrowed his brows together and averted his gaze.


    ¡°Most of us wanted Brother L¨®ng Wei to be dead because ording to the prophecy he was supposed to take the throne,¡± Mingquan affirmed.


    ¡°That is what I am guilty about the most,¡± Xiaoming murmured and stroked his fingers.


    ¡°We all are, Crown Prince,¡± Tianjie asserted. He then nced at Mingquan and asked him why he never told about it to the King. ¡°If any of us were in your ce, we would have told about it to the father,¡± he said with a bit of hesitation.


    Mingquan smiled and said, ¡°I knew Father was not good to Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother for a long time. I saw him pping Mother Yu when I was a young kid,¡± he revealed to them.


    ¡°The night was painful for Brother L¨®ng Wei because he got to know about his real father, and then his mother demanded to kill her. When Brother L¨®ng Wei walked away, she shoved the sword into her abdomen. Brother L¨®ng Wei could not save her and in a way med himself for taking his mother¡¯s life. Because he got that life at the expense of his mother¡¯s sacrifice, he asked our father to punish him to death. Father never did that of which reason we all are aware of now.¡±


    Mingquan exined to his brothers in brief the truth from that night. He wanted them to know that L¨®ng Wei could never stoop low to kill his own mother.


    ¡°It is painful to hear. I wonder how Brother L¨®ng Wei bore this by himself,¡± Xiaomiong muttered and stood up from the chair in anger.


    ¡°Where is the Crown Prince heading to?¡± Qiu Mu asked.


    ¡°To see Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°I would advise the Crown Prince to let Brother L¨®ng Wei alone for a while. He epted the truth after so many years. All the time, he kept telling lies to everyone and himself about how much he hated his mother. Today, he epted the truth, so we must give him time,¡± Mingquan suggested to Xiaoming.


    ¡°Then, I am going to see Li Hua and Feng Lao. I need to beg forgiveness from them,¡± Xiaoming said and turned when he saw his mother in front of him.


    The other princes also stood up to see Zhu Liling.


    ¡°Why did the Crown Prince let his father get imprisoned?¡± Zhu Liling asked with teary eyes.


    ¡°Who let Mothere out of her manor?¡± Xiaoming asked.


    ¡°Is the important to answer?¡± Zhu Liling took steps toward her son.


    ¡°Royal Mother, Father deserves to be imprisoned,¡± Xiaoming affirmed. He gazed at Sun Fuguo and asked him to escort Zhu Liling back to her manor.


    ¡°I will not go anywhere unless my husbandes out of prison,¡± Zhu Liling said with a menacing look.


    ¡°Please follow me,¡± Hei Chengxi pronounced and stepped toward her. He stood before Xiaoming and continued, ¡°Sadly, you are no longer the Queen nor Qiu Zedong the King. Upon the orders of Prince L¨®ng Wei, none of the women would be harmed here.¡±


    ¡°What did General Hei say?¡± Zhu Liling questioned and pushed him away. She held the arms of Xiaoming and said, ¡°I told you not to trust L¨®ng Wei. Why did you do this? Now, the entire army is listening to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s orders. You are the Crown Prince, then why are theypiling with themands of that witch¡¯s child?¡± Zhu Liling screamed when Hei Chengxi pointed the sword at Zhu Liling¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Forgive me, Crown Prince, but your mother should not use such disgracefulnguage,¡± Hei Chengxi asserted. ¡°I am listening to Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s order on some specific matters only, so do not brainwash the Crown Prince,¡± he stated.


    Hei Chengxi nced at the maidservants, who had apanied him earlier, and asked them to take Zhu Liling away. When she left, Hei Chengxi put the sword back into the scabbard.


    ¡°I apologize for this kind of act, Your Royal Highness,¡± Hei Chengxi said.


    ¡°General Hei scared us,¡± Zhang Xi murmured which was audible enough.


    ¡°The Crown Prince¡¯s uncle wants to see him,¡± Hei Chengxi stated. ¡°Pleasee with me,¡± he said.


    Xiaoming hummed and asked the princes to continue their conversation. He left with Hei Chengxi and soon reached outside the chamber where Qizhen was present. Xiaoming went inside, but Hei Chengxi did not follow him.


    The Crown Prince stopped to see Qizhen, who had a golden scroll in his hand. Xiaoming formally greeted him and asked him if he was well.


    ¡°I do not what to answer, Crown Prince,¡± Qizhen said and walked up to him. He handed him the scroll and said, ¡°Be the next King of the Qiu Kingdom, Crown Prince Xiaoming.¡±


    Xiaoming was stunned to hear that statement. He looked at the scroll and then at Qizhen. ¡°Should uncle Qizhen not give this to L¨®ng Wei? He is the one who was born to be on this throne. If my father had not usurped the throne, then uncle Qizhen would have been the king,¡± Xiaoming expressed his thoughts.


    All these years, Xiaoming trained himself to be the best leader and the best next King. However, he suddenly got a realization. L¨®ng Wei deserved to be the King than him not because of the prophecy, but also his marvelous way of bringing justice to the people. The truth which they all were unable to see, L¨®ng Wei saw it. He always was different and more capable than Xiaoming. The Crown Prince told Qizhen the same and asked him to give this responsibility to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I told the Crown Prince that I never was interested in the throne.¡±


    Both Qizhen and Xiaoming heard L¨®ng Wei¡¯s voice. Xiaoming turned to look at L¨®ng Wei and found how red his eyes were. He must have cried a lot.


    ¡°But, Brother L¨®ng Wei I do not deserve to be the next King,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Why does the Crown Prince always doubt himself?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his eyebrow.

 Chapter 560 - 560 More than alive

    560 More than alive


    Xiaoming got tongue-tied by L¨®ng Wei¡¯s question.


    ¡°Why do you doubt yourself so much? Do you think I could have taken down the King without the Crown Prince¡¯s help?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei could have,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°Then, that would have been at the expense of many lives,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°I will not be in the pce for some time,¡± he then stated.


    Qizhen and Xiaoming were bewildered by his statement.


    ¡°Where is the Prince going?¡± Qizhen asked with a worried expression.


    ¡°The ce where Yuze was born and studied,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°Li Hua and I will stay there for some time. The more I stay here, the angrier I will turn,¡± he murmured.


    ¡°But Brother L¨®ng Wei is the governor,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Make someone else. I am not interested in being governor anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°The real reason I became governor was that I wanted to find the truth,¡± he stated.


    .....


    ¡°I will appoint a temporary governor until Brother L¨®ng Wei returns,¡± Xiaoming replied. ¡°Does Brother L¨®ng Wei really think I can be the King?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes. He was born to be a King,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    Xiaoming stood in front of L¨®ng Wei and hugged him. He caressed his back and said, ¡°Don¡¯t feel that you are alone. I am truly apologetic for my past actions. Forgive me for hurting you. Your heart must have hurt seeing your elders behaving wrongly with you. I know that I cannot turn back time, but I can make our present and our future the best. Brother L¨®ng Wei, thank you for staying alive.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei lifted his hands and ced them on Xiaoming¡¯s back. ¡°Forgive me for talking rudely to the Crown Prince. Thank you for standing with me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smile. This was the first time L¨®ng Wei hugged Xiaoming back. All these years, he was furious at him, but not anymore.


    Qizhen smiled to see them. They were not even real brothers, but the love between them was stronger than real ones. He witnessed it today and he felt happy about it. At least, they didn¡¯t fight like his brother and him.


    When they withdrew, Xiaoming turned to face Qizhen.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Uncle Qizhen be the King? He has entire military support and¡ª¡±


    Before Xiaoming could finish his words, Qizhen interrupted him, ¡°I could not save the person I loved the most. I was incapable of giving my wife and my son the life they deserved. Because of me, many lives were taken. A real king doesn¡¯t have such qualities.¡± Qizhen nced at L¨®ng Wei and then lowered his gaze.


    Xiaoming looked at L¨®ng Wei and realized that both son and father still didn¡¯t have a good rtionship. It must not be easy for L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°He is right,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and asked Xiaoming not to refuse it. He turned to leave when Qizhen asked L¨®ng Wei to stop and converse with him.


    ¡°Later. I am tired. I want to rest. I will see you in the morning,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and walked away.


    Xiaoming told Qizhen not to be disappointed. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei will surely end the misunderstandings between you both. He remains in denial for some time and then he changes his mind,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°I wish I would have been strong enough to take them away from the pce. I tried my best not to reveal about Yu Jun, but somehow Qiu Zedong found out about her,¡± Qizhen murmured and sighed.


    ¡°Someone must have revealed it to Father,¡± Xiaoming stated and decided to ask Qiu Zedong about it.


    ~~~~~


    Li Hua strode across the corridor of the manor while keeping her gaze on the entrance. The rain had started to pour down and it worried her.


    ¡°Li Hua, Prince L¨®ng Wei wille soon,¡± Feng Lao said and asked her to go to her chamber.


    She shook her head. ¡°You should leave, Feng Lao,¡± Li Hua opined.


    ¡°I will after Prince L¨®ng Weies,¡± Feng Lao said.


    L¨®ng Wei entered the manor and saw both of them conversing with each other.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei!¡± Feng Lao said with excitement and smiled.


    Li Hua turned promptly and lifted her long skirt to step down the stairs. She ran to him while L¨®ng Wei walked up to her in the rain with an umbre in his hand.


    Li Hua hugged him tightly and started crying. L¨®ng Wei looked at Feng Lao and gestured to him to leave. He walked up to them and bowed to them before leaving the manor.


    L¨®ng Wei ced his hand on Li Hua¡¯s back and patted it gently. ¡°Shall we go inside?¡± He asked.


    Li Hua withdrew from the hug and sniffled. She didn¡¯t say anything and walked in with L¨®ng Wei.


    In the chamber, L¨®ng Wei told Li Hua that he would like to take a bath first. Li Hua hummed and asked him if she should help him.


    ¡°No,¡± L¨®ng Wei refused and tucked the loose tendrils behind her ear. He stroked her cheek with the back of his palm and said, ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore. My heart will ache more seeing the woman I love cry.¡±


    Li Hua quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at him. ¡°I will not cry. I will ask Nuan Xi to prepare the bathhouse,¡± Li Hua told him.


    ¡°I will wash up in cold water. Stay here. I will return soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Li Hua hummed and saw him leaving.


    ¡°He looks devastated,¡± Li Hua murmured.


    L¨®ng Wei entered the bathhouse and undressed to get into the pool of cold water. He took a dip and came out of the water, taking a deep breath. He did that thrice and then sat on the left edge of the pool on the stairs. His arms rested on the wooden floor above the pool.


    ¡°Can I really stay happy? Can I live a normal life?¡± He questioned himself. He remained in his deep thoughts for over an hour and he didn¡¯t realize it until he heard Li Hua¡¯s voice.


    He tilted his head and found her behind the sliding door. ¡°Your Highness will get sick if he stays in the cold water for a long time,¡± Li Hua worriedly said.


    L¨®ng Wei realized that he surely could lead a cheerful life. Li Hua was beside him all the time. The first person who made him feel more than alive was Li Hua.


    ¡°Your Highness, I have ced the clothes here. I am waiting for you in the chamber,¡± Li Hua said and left the bathhouse.

 Chapter 561 - 561 I fated to be [Bonus chapter]

    561 I fated to be [Bonus chapter]


    L¨®ng Wei drank the water after he finished the meals and put the ss on the table. Today was the Qiqi festival but because the rain was heavy, they could not see the stars in the sky.


    The maidservant cleaned the table for them and left for the kitchen after taking the dishes.


    ¡°You must have many questions for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while gazing at Li Hua with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°Forgive me for not telling you the truth entirely. But I myself realized it was Qiu Zedong who forced my mother to ask me to kill her. It was he who asked her to reveal the truth to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°I knew Prince L¨®ng Wei could never¡ª¡±


    L¨®ng Wei interceded Li Hua in the middle.


    ¡°I was the reason she lost her life, Li Hua. So, I always told everyone around me that I killed her. It is the truth, Li Hua,¡± he said.


    Li Hua kept staring into his eyes. ¡°But I will never consider this a truth,¡± she stated, ¡°let¡¯s not argue over this.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei hummed and smiled at her. ¡°Are you happy, Li Hua? Your revenge isplete. I fulfilled my promise to you.¡± He was curious to know her view on that.


    .....


    ¡°I am more than happy. Finally, my parents, my second brother, and many other innocent servants got peace,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°I have decided something, Li Hua. I hope you will like it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°What is it, Your Highness?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°I want to go away from the pce for a while with you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°However, I want to know your decision as well,¡± he opined.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go away,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°We will explore new ces,¡± she stated.


    L¨®ng Wei brightly smiled and thanked her. ¡°Yes. We will explore many ces. However, we will begin with the ce where Yuze lived once and spent most of the years of his life,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced with excitement.


    ¡°It will be fun, Your Highness,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°The Crown Prince will be the King. We will leave after his coronation as the King,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Your Highness, will you visit your maternal house before that?¡± Li Hua suggested to him.


    ¡°I am not wee there. I should not go there. I have found my answers and I am finally at peace,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. He knew his uncles would only annoy him which he didn¡¯t want to happen.


    ¡°I respect His Highness¡¯ decision.¡± She didn¡¯t force him to go to his maternal house. Though she wanted his uncles to forgive him once.


    ¡°Li Hua, I found thest message from my mother. I was overwhelmed to read it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with misty eyes.


    ¡°His Highness must have found out how much his mother adored him,¡± Li Hua said.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed and extended his hand out. He wanted Li Hua to hold it which she did and they rose to their feet.


    He slowly pulled her in his direction and hugged her. ¡°It would have been difficult with you, Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. His one hand rested on the back of her head.


    ¡°Do you feel lively?¡± Li Hua asked him.


    ¡°I do. Yuze was right. My destiny will take me to the way where I am fated to be. I found love, friendship, warmth, good hearts, and the support of so many people. But that all happened after I met you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and kissed the top of her head.


    ~~~~~~~


    Jin Yu read the royal decree on the scroll and then looked at Xiaoming.


    ¡°Warm wishes from Jin Yu to the Crown Prince. He will be a great king,¡± Jin Yu pronounced.


    ¡°Uncle Qizhen and Brother L¨®ng Wei refused to be the King. I cannot believe it. I hated Brother L¨®ng Wei for some years,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°It is normal in humans, Your Royal Highness,¡± Jin Yu asserted. ¡°Do not feel embarrassed about it. The Crown Prince has ended his differences with Prince L¨®ng Wei, so there is no use in feeling guilty about this. You need to fulfill your duties as the King after your coronation,¡± she encouraged him and handed the scroll back to him.


    ¡°Before that Father¡¯s punishment will be decided. Brother L¨®ng Wei has not spoken about it, but he wants to give a slow death to Father,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    ¡°What does the Crown Prince think then?¡± Jin Yu asked.


    ¡°I feel every punishment will be easy for Father,¡± Xiaoming asserted. ¡°I saw L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes fill with tears for the first time. His eyes were red and swollen. He cried a lot. All these years, I have seen his stoic personality. It broke my heart.¡±


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei let out his emotions,¡± Jin Yu said and ced her hand on his shoulder. ¡°Tomorrow will be a difficult day for the Crown Prince as he has to agree to the punishment of his father which Prince L¨®ng Wei will decide.¡±


    Xiaoming hummed and his brows furrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t think it will be difficult. It is what he brought upon himself. Jin Yu, Brother L¨®ng Wei will leave the pce with his wife for some time. I need to choose a temporary governor as well. Uncle Qizhen refused to take any position,¡± he stated.


    ¡°What about Prince Mingquan?¡± Jin Yu suggested to him.


    ¡°Ahh, the Fourth Brother will be the most suitable person for that position.¡± Xiaoming liked Jin Yu¡¯s suggestion. ¡°I will recruit capable people for the ministerial positions,¡± he told Jin Yu some of his ns after acquiring the throne.


    ¡°You should pass a resolution to let women train,¡± Jin Yu asserted.


    ¡°You are right. I need to meet those victims of the families which suffered because of my father. One such person is Xiwan,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°The assistant chef?¡± Jin Yu arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°Yes. Myte uncle, Ye Yujin, killed his family. Xiwan got trained as a spy by Monk Yuze. He was the one who killed uncle Yujin. I think he deserved to die. Xiwan was a young boy at that time and he somehow survived that night,¡± Xiaoming said and sighed.


    ¡°Monk Yuze used to give training? This is something new I found,¡± Jin Yu said.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei was also trained by Monk Yuze. He was great at martial arts,¡± Xiaoming told her.


    ¡°I wish he had trained me too,¡± Jin Yu said.


    Xiaoming smiled. ¡°You are already a good warrior,¡± he praised her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Jin Yu stated. ¡°Feng Lao is the best swordsman. I fought with him once and I lost. I think I would lose against Prince L¨®ng Wei too. The Crown Prince never had a duel with me, so I think I still need improvement,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°You will win against me,¡± Xiaoming said and smiled at her.


    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t the Crown Prince supposed to be stronger?¡± Sheined.


    ¡°Umm¡­ because I don¡¯t want to have a sword fight with you. I ept my defeat already,¡± Xiaoming said.


    Jin Yu twitched her lips. ¡°The Crown Prince should not ept his defeat easily,¡± she said and asked him what he would do about Li Jianjun.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see his face in the pce. Ban his entry into the pce. He will surelye tomorrow to irritate me,¡± Jin Yu said while squinting her eyes.


    ¡°Fine. I will give the order not to let Li Jianjun enter the pce,¡± Xiaoming promised her. ¡°I also do not want to see him. I will remove all those corrupt officials, who got their positions because of my father¡¯s favor on them.¡±


    ¡°There is a lot of work to do,¡± Jin Yu said. ¡°The Crown Prince can give me the work too. I will eagerly help him. I feel joyous in all such work,¡± she said with enthusiasm.


    ¡°I will see what work is suitable for you. But after tomorrow, everything will change in the pce. The wives and the concubines of my father will definitely rebel against the decisions that would be taken tomorrow,¡± Xiaoming said with a worried look on his face.


    ¡°Can¡¯t they understand what wrong he did?¡± Jin Yu questioned him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. It is tough for them. Mother came to me in the evening and her reasoning was wrong. Since the father is her husband, I cannot me her either. I hope all of them understand what happened to Mother Yu and her son. I truly want it to happen, but then I also know that they will me Brother L¨®ng Wei only,¡± he exined to Jin Yu.


    ¡°Since Prince L¨®ng Wei has not taken the throne and didn¡¯t harm any of us, then they will understand,¡± Jin Yu asserted.


    ¡°They should understand. But I cannot have high hopes,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°They will understand. I will do that work,¡± Jin Yu said with a confident tone.


    Xiaoming was amused by her response.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stressed about it,¡± Jin Yu said and stood up from the broad chair. ¡°I am good at such work. Your mother and others will realize what your husband did was always wrong and the wrong must be punished,¡± she stated.


    Xiaoming showed his faith in her.

 Chapter 562 - 562 Father was also my pride once

    562 Father was also my pride once


    The next morning, L¨®ng Wei visited Qiu Zedong in prison. Huang Xi had followed L¨®ng Wei, but midway he left upon L¨®ng Wei¡¯smand.


    When the soldier opened the door to the prison, L¨®ng Wei asked him to leave. He walked inside and saw Qiu Zedong in white clothes. He had shackles around him and he was seated on the cold floor. The crown was no longer on his head.


    ¡°How was the night?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked as he halted in front of Qiu Zedong.


    He raised his head and looked at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°If I wanted I could have killed you at the very moment when you were born,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°I know,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and bent down. He got on his knees and looked into his eyes. ¡°You should not have brought me up,¡± he asserted.


    Qiu Zedong chuckled. ¡°If only I had found out that Yuze was the mastermind, I would have done that long ago,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t killed Yuze, I would have never done this,¡± L¨®ng Wei said while gritting his teeth. He wanted Qiu Zedong to admit his crime.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you kill me? You have kept me alive and ordered the generals not to be harsh on me. Do you still consider me your father?¡± Qiu Zedong questioned him.


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°I told you clearly that your death will not be easy,¡± he muttered.


    .....


    ¡°If I run away from prison, your wife¡¯s life wille in danger. If only Li Hua hadn¡¯t married you, you would have been in my control all your life. So, you should make sure to kill me,¡± Qiu Zedong proimed. L¨®ng Wei strangled him and the veins on Qiu Zedong¡¯s forehead became visible.


    ¡°You are not in a state to speak before me. Don¡¯t you think you should beg for forgiveness?¡± L¨®ng Wei shrieked at him and let go of Qiu Zedong¡¯s neck. He gasped for air while coughing.


    ¡°Who told you that my mother is my father¡¯s betrothed?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    Qiu Zedong chuckled and with an evil smile said, ¡°I will not tell you about this. That person will be the key to your destruction. How will you save Li Hua then?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei clenched his fists and punched Qiu Zedong. He grabbed Qiu Zedong by the cor of the thin white upper jacket that he had worn but stopped when Xiaoming asked him.


    ¡°I have found out who did it, Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xiaoming said. Qiu Zedong frowned looking at his son. L¨®ng Wei pulled his hand back from his cor and stood up.


    He turned to look at Xiaoming. ¡°Who did it?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°It was Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s uncle. General Hei arrested him in the morning. Pleasee with me,¡± Xiaoming asserted and turned to leave.


    ¡°How could you do this to your own father, Xiaoming? You were my pride. I did so much for you and you decided to betray me, your father?!¡± Qiu Zedong asked his son.


    ¡°Father was also my pride once. He should not have captivated a woman and forced her to hate her own child. I didn¡¯t betray my father. I only did what is right,¡± Xiaoming said and stepped out of the prison. Qiu Zedong clenched his fists in annoyance.


    L¨®ng Wei followed Xiaoming while the soldier locked the door.


    ¡°Which one informed your father about my mother?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked as he approached the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Yu Wenyan, your first uncle,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    L¨®ng Wei hastily walked past Xiaoming as soon as he heard the name and entered the prison in front of them, where he had seen Hei Chengxi.


    Yu Wenyan was on his knees and as soon as he saw L¨®ng Wei he begged him for his life.


    ¡°Why did you do it?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    Yu Wenyan lowered his head as he was embarrassed to answer.


    ¡°Answer, Yu Wenyan!¡± Xiaoming said with a stern tone.


    ¡°R-reward,¡± Yu Wenyan said in a low voice.


    ¡°How much did Qiu Zedong offer you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°A government official position with a good sry and other benefits,¡± Yu Wenyan replied.


    ¡°How could you do this to your own sister!?¡± Xiaoming loudly said when L¨®ng Wei asked Hei Chengxi to give the sword to him.


    Ye Wenyan swiftly grabbed L¨®ng Wei¡¯s legs and started pleading with him to spare his life.


    ¡°Did you not hear me, General Hei?¡± L¨®ng Wei scrunched his brows and extended his hand out.


    ¡°My nephew, please forgive me.¡± Yu Wenyan was crying and he didn¡¯t let go of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei cannot kill him,¡± Hei Chengxi said. ¡°His father doesn¡¯t want him to take anyone¡¯s life,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Tell your master not to order me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said in frustration. He nced at the soldier behind Hei Chengxi and asked him to pass the sword to him. Since he was in anger, he kicked Yu Wenyan away. ¡°Don¡¯t evene close to me!¡± He warned his first uncle.


    Xiaoming ced his hand on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s soldier and asked him to calm down. ¡°I will give the execution order for Yu Wenyan,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°I want to kill him with my own hands,¡± L¨®ng Wei was desperate now. He yanked Xiaoming¡¯s hand away and stepped toward the soldier when Xiaoming caught his arm.


    He stood in front of L¨®ng Wei and held both of his arms.


    ¡°Did the Crown Prince not hear what his father said? Yu Wenyan was his loyal,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°You will not want your maternal family to hate you more. We all are concerned for your future safety. Let me handle the matter from here. Yu Wenyan will be executed. Brother L¨®ng Wei should not get involved anymore. Let me do my duty as the Crown Prince,¡± Xiaoming said and seeded in calming down L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°General Hei, send a messenger to the Yu Residence and tell them that Yu Wenyan will be executed in the central ground of the main market,¡± Xiaomingmanded. Hei Chengxi bowed and walked out of the prison.


    Yu Wenyan didn¡¯t plead anymore and kept weeping.

 Chapter 563 - 563 Love to see all sides of my son

    563 Love to see all sides of my son


    Li Hua brewed the camellia tea for Qiu Qizhen and ced the teacup on the saucer before him on the table. ¡°I hope Father-inw will like the tea,¡± Li Hua said with a smile.


    Qiu Qizhen asked Li Hua to take a seat when Nuan Xi pulled a chair for her. Li Hua sat on it and waited for Qiu Qizhen to taste the tea.


    Qizhen picked up the teacup and brought it close to his mouth. He first inhaled the scent of the camellia tea. The aroma of the tea was sufficient to tempt him to taste it. He took a sip of the tea and he felt so rejuvenated after taking a single sip of the tea.


    ¡°The tea is brewed well. It is my first time to drink such a tea with such an aroma,¡± Qiu Qizhen replied and sipped more of it. When the tea finished, Li Hua poured more tea into the teacup and told him that she would send some sweets for himter.


    ¡°I am eager to taste the sweets,¡± Qiu Qizhen replied and picked up the teapot. ¡°Let me pour the tea for my daughter-inw,¡± he said with a smile. Li Hua picked up the teacup with her both hands and Qizhen poured tea for her.


    She drank the tea after Qizhen sipped and ced the cup on the saucer.


    ¡°Xu Guang Li was a great acupuncturist of his time. Monk Yuze trained him, so I know him from there,¡± Qizhen asserted. He wanted to apologize to Li Hua and even said about it when she interceded in the middle.


    ¡°Father-inw, it was not your fault. Please do not apologize for it,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°But it all began with me. I know I cannot bring the dead ones back, but apologizing to all such people is the only way I can lessen this guilt,¡± Qizhen affirmed and looked at the teacup. He lifted it and drank the remaining tea.


    .....


    ¡°How is L¨®ng Wei?¡± Qizhen asked. ¡°Did he cry a lot?¡± he inquired.


    Li Hua shook her head. ¡°His Highness did not cry at allst night,¡± she replied. ¡°Since Prince L¨®ng Wei has epted the truth about his mother¡¯s death, so he is at peace. Other than that, he is happy that he fulfilled the wish of Monk Yuze,¡± she briefed Qizhen. He nodded and kept the tiny smile on his lips.


    ¡°Father-inw, Prince L¨®ng Wei will not be able to remain angry with his father for a long time. He has this child in him, who is showing his stubborn side. Perhaps that is the reason, he has not opened up with his father,¡± Li Hua asserted. She knew that Qizhen hade to see L¨®ng Wei, who did not go to see his father even after getting a message from his father.


    ¡°I am a terrible father. L¨®ng Wei has full right to be angry at me. My first responsibility was to save my wife and the child inside her. But I failed to do so,¡± Qizhen said with teary eyes and lowered his head. His heart would break whenever he had to bear that coldness from L¨®ng Wei.


    Li Hua got worried to see that side of Qizhen. ¡°I will ask Prince L¨®ng Wei not to do so,¡± she stated.


    Qizhen gazed into her eyes. ¡°Do not do that, Li Hua.¡± His sound appeared as if he was requesting. ¡°I do not want him to be angry at my daughter-inw,¡± he said.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei never gets angry at me. Father-inw does not need to worry about it,¡± Li Hua assured him when Nuan Xi told them L¨®ng Wei wasing there.


    Li Hua promptly stood from her seat and walked to L¨®ng Wei, who had ascended the stairs of the pavilion. ¡°Your Highness, do not act too cold in front of your father,¡± Li Hua told him in a low voice, ¡°please.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei looked in the direction of his father, who had stood from the chair. Li Hua stood next to L¨®ng Wei and found out that he was merely staring at him. She hit his arm lightly with her elbow, and he gazed at her.


    ¡°Bow to your father. Will you keep showing disrespect toward him?¡± She said in a low voice which was audible to L¨®ng Wei only and red at him.


    L¨®ng Wei raised his hands to his shoulders, joined them, and bowed to Qizhen a little. ¡°ept my morning greetings, Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and lifted his head to peer at him. It astonished Li Hua because she had not expected it from L¨®ng Wei. She thought he would only bow at Qizhen. She smiled brightly and saw he had lowered his hands.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, we were drinking tea. Come, I will pour the tea for His Highness as well,¡± Li Hua said. L¨®ng Wei hummed and walked behind her.


    After they took their respective seats, Li Hua poured the tea for Qizhen and L¨®ng Wei. She had not finished her tea and put the teapot at the center.


    L¨®ng Wei finished the tea and ced the teacup on the table.


    ¡°Will you stay in the pce or the ce where you spent time with mother?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    The smile from Li Hua¡¯s lips disappeared as she felt that the question was a harsh one. ¡°Father-inw must stay in the pce,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°Do you hate me being here?¡± Qizhen asked.


    ¡°No,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°Why would I hate your presence in the pce? I merely wanted to know your opinion,¡± he said and picked up the teapot. He gestured to Qizhen to bring the porcin cup forward which he did and L¨®ng Wei filled it with the tea.


    ¡°Will you miss me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. ¡°I will not be in the pce for a while.¡± He leaned back on the chair after cing the teapot on the table.


    ¡°I will indeed miss you. I did not even get time to spend with my son,¡± Qizhen said, ¡°but I will wait for your and Li Hua¡¯s safe return.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei hummed. ¡°What about the ce where you were hiding for so many years?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Your Highness, why are you¨C¡±


    ¡°Nuan Xi, take Li Hua to her chamber,¡± L¨®ng Weimanded. The conversation was going to be serious and he did not want Li Hua to hear it as he might lose his temper.


    ¡°I will stay,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°I do not want to stay here. Xu Zifan hase to see you,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and asked her to leave. Li Hua pouted her lips and she left the pavilion in anger.


    ¡°You should not have taken your anger at Li Hua,¡± Qizhen asserted.


    ¡°Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Qizhen stopped blinking as this was the first time he heard L¨®ng Wei calling him father. His heart fluttered as he felt extreme happiness.


    ¡°Father, in my absence you may get harmed here,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I will not get harmed,¡± Qizhen said.


    ¡°How are you so sure about it?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired. ¡°Father is still the same,¡± he said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Yu Jun brought you up here. Even if I was not present here, I want to feel those moments. I even met the old maidservant, who served her for fifteen years. If someone harms me and I die, then I will only get peace because I died at a ce where Yu Jun took herst breath,¡± he exined to L¨®ng Wei the reason why he wanted to stay in the pce.


    ¡°What about me? Do you want me to be an orphan then? I do not want you to die this early,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Why do you think someone will harm me?¡± Qizhen asked.


    ¡°Because Father is too good,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°I still have many enemies. I have yet to crumble them, but not now. I want to take a break from all this stress that underwent for thest one month,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°I have many protectors. Moreover, I have a long life. I survived even after falling from that cliff,¡± Qizhen said with a smile.


    ¡°So, Father will stay in the pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei asked one more time.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Qizhen stated.


    ¡°Qiu Zedong¡¯s wife, two consorts, and three concubines will try their best to harm you,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. ¡°I never had any good equations with any of them. When I return, I want to see my Father alive,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°Then, take me with you. If you are this concerned for your father, then you should take me with you,¡± Qiu Qizhen stated. ¡°I will cook for both of my son and daughter-inw. I am a good cook,¡± he tried to convince.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°You have an amusing way to surprise me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°What do you say? I also want to visit the ce where Monk Yuze was born and grew up. I was one of his students. I must pay homage to my master. Don¡¯t you think, L¨®ng Wei?¡± Qizhen asked and slightly raised his eyebrow.


    ¡°I will decide and tell Father in the evening,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. For a brief moment, there was a silence between them.


    ¡°Did you forgive your father?¡± Qizhen asked.


    ¡°That is why I am here, in front of you,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°Father, I do not know much about manners, so you have to forgive me every time I go out of my line. I throw a lot of tantrums too. I hope Father will not mind that.¡±


    ¡°Not at all. I would love to see all sides of my son,¡± Qiu Qizhen said with a wide smile.

 Chapter 564 - 564 I am a troublemaker [Bonus chapter]

    564 I am a troublemaker [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°Prince Mu, do you not care about your mother? How will I survive without His Majesty?¡± Xiuying asked as tears rolled down her cheeks.


    ¡°Did Mother not hear what Father did?¡± Qiu Mu questioned her.


    ¡°I did. But does that matter? Yu Jun is no more. And whatever your father did was to bring the kingdom out of chaos. His elder brother¡­¡± she could not finish her sentence as Qiu Mu stopped her from speaking anything.


    ¡°Mother has lost her conscience. I will not exin her. I should go,¡± Qiu Mu said and turned to leave when Xiuying asked him if he would let his father die.


    ¡°I wish he didn¡¯t have forced a mother to hate her child. I wish he had not used L¨®ng Wei which turned him against us,¡± Qiu Mu said as he tilted his head slightly.


    ¡°Mother, there is a piece of good news. The Crown Prince will take over the throne. L¨®ng Wei proved to everyone that he was never after the throne,¡± he stated and walked ahead. As he stepped out of his mother¡¯s chamber, he asked the maidservants not to let Xiuyinge inside.


    For some time, he decided to keep his mother locked inside that chamber. He had the doubt that Xiuying would go to L¨®ng Wei to curse him. He was already guilty of his past acts with L¨®ng Wei. Now, with his mother¡¯s actions, he didn¡¯t want to hurt L¨®ng Wei.


    As he was walking on the pavement, he encountered Tianjie. They both greeted each other when Qiu Mu asked him if he was going out.


    Tianjie shook his head. ¡°I was going to see the Crown Prince and ask him on which day he would be coronated,¡± he replied.


    .....


    ¡°Tomorrow morning, Brother Tianjie,¡± Qiu Mu informed him.


    Tianjie smiled. ¡°That is great,¡± he said and asked Qiu Mu when he would start the search for Kang Cha Ying.


    ¡°The search is going on, but there nothing useful is found till now. I wonder if she is good,¡± Qiu Mu said with a worried look. Both the princes started to walk while conversing with each other.


    ¡°Miss Kang knows self defense and has learned martial arts. I know she will be fine,¡± Tianjie said.


    ¡°She ran away without any money from her house. Where she is staying, what she is eating, and how she is sleeping are my chief concerns. Brother Tianjie knows how women are traded by some evil men. What if someone more powerful than her has caught her? It all happened because I also did not give her the security. Her evil family pressured her which forced her to run away,¡± Qiu Mu narrated his worries about Cha Ying.


    They both stopped when they saw L¨®ng Weiing from the front with Qizhen and Xu Zifan. They found him smiling and it was indeed a surprising sight for the two princes.


    Qiu Mu and Tianjie greeted Qizhen. ¡°How is Uncle Qizhen? Did he sleep wellst night?¡± Tianjie asked.


    ¡°I had a good sleep,¡± Qizhen said. ¡°The princes should talk with each other. I go ahead,¡± he said and soon disappeared from their eyes.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, did you sleep peacefully?¡± Qiu Mu inquired.


    ¡°Yes,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered and asked him if he found Cha Ying.


    ¡°No,¡± a in reply came from Qiu Mu.


    ¡°I saw her in the market the day she ran from the house,¡± L¨®ng Wei informed the second prince whose eyes grew bigger. Before Qiu Mu asked him why he did not tell about it earlier L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°I had a lot of things on my mind at that time. Forgive me for not saying it earlier.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei lifted his head and looked into Qiu Mu¡¯s eyes, who asked him where he saw Cha Ying.


    ¡°She was in a male outfit. I think she changed the dress in a clothing shop. Prince Mu should check with the shop owners in the central market. I think she seeded in leaving the capital,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to Qiu Mu.


    ¡°It has been more than three days since she left the capital,¡± Qiu Mu said and frowned.


    ¡°I can ask Xiwan to find Cha Ying if Prince Mu allows me to,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined. ¡°Xiwan is good at collecting information,¡± he stressed the special quality that Xiwan possessed.


    ¡°I would love to,¡± Qiu Mu epted L¨®ng Wei¡¯s offer and asked L¨®ng Wei where Xiwan was. ¡°Is he still working in the royal kitchen?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No. Xiwan is at Chang Shi¡¯s ce,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I can give this message to Xiwan,¡± Xu Zifan stepped up for Qiu Mu¡¯s ce.


    ¡°Thank you, Xu Zifan, but I would love to start the search with Xiwan. You should go home and be with Sister Jingfei. She must be surprised by all the events that recently happened in the pce,¡± Qiu Mu advised Xu Zifan.


    Qiu Mu did not dy anymore and left for Chang Shi¡¯s ce after thanking L¨®ng Wei.


    Xu Zifan also took his leave.


    ¡°Forgive me, Brother L¨®ng Wei. I treated you so badly all these years,¡± Tianjie said.


    ¡°It never mattered to me how I was treated by the princes around me,¡± L¨®ng Wei rified to him.


    ¡°Do not lie,¡± Tianjie said. ¡°Forgive me for saying wrong things about your mother.¡± He lowered his head in shame.


    ¡°I let people say wrong about her,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I heard from the Crown Prince that Brother L¨®ng Wei is leaving the pce for a while. We will miss him,¡± Tianjie said.


    ¡°I am a troublemaker, so my absence will surely bother all of you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a chuckle.


    ¡°I thought Brother L¨®ng Wei will be the King,¡± Tianjie said with a bit of hesitation. He feared if his statement would anger L¨®ng Wei or not.


    ¡°Never. I cannot handle such a big position. Everyone took me wrong,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I am tired of telling this to people. Should I carve,¡± he pointed his finger at his forehead, ¡°on my forehead that L¨®ng Wei does not desire to be king.¡±


    Tianjieughed to hear L¨®ng Wei¡¯s statement.


    ¡°I am unable to believe that we are talking so calmly with each other,¡± Tianjie remarked after he stoppedughing.


    ¡°Because we misunderstood each other,¡± L¨®ng Wei proimed.

 Chapter 565 - 565 Song Jia is sick

    565 Song Jia is sick


    Li Hua turned while holding the flower vase in her hand when got startled to see L¨®ng Wei before him. ¡°His Highness scared me,¡± she said and asked him to get aside.


    L¨®ng Wei shook his head and took the vase from her. He put it on the table and caged her between his arms which rested on the table behind Li Hua.


    ¡°Are you still angry at me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Do I look angry?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°You do,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I sent you earlier,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°I was angry,¡± Li Hua admitted, ¡°but not anymore.¡± She smiled and asked him if he started calling Qizhen his father.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed. ¡°I do not want to regret anymore,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°I am proud of Prince L¨®ng Wei.¡± Li Hua patted his shoulder and asked him to move away.


    He shook his head and leaned down to kiss her when she ced her index finger on his lips. ¡°Your Highness, the door is open and anyone can walk in. Today, so many well-wishers of His Highness came to ask about him,¡± she said and gradually lowered her hand.


    .....


    He ducked his head in the crook of her neck while Li Hua ced her hands on his chest. She started giggling as he gave her butterfly kisses on the neck and jawline.


    He moved his head back and peered into her eyes. Her smile mesmerized him and attracted him toward her. His hand moved up and rested on the edge of her jaw. His thumb was on her cheek while the four fingers gently caressed the neck.


    Li Hua also moved her hands slowly from her chest to his shoulders. She soon reached her right hand to his cheek and caressed it.


    They stared into each other¡¯s eyes for a while.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, you are a wonderful person,¡± Li Huaplimented him.


    ¡°Because of you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua denied that statement. ¡°Not because of me. You were always wonderful. People failed to see it,¡± she stated.


    ¡°But you did see. You never judged me. From the first day we met, you were neutral to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and beheld her for another few minutes.


    Soon, their lips connected and they shared a passionate kiss. She told him she wanted to meet Jin Yu and asked him to let her go.


    L¨®ng Wei moved slightly away and she stood straight to walk ahead when he grabbed her wrist.


    She tilted her head to gaze at him. L¨®ng Wei bent a little and lifted her legs gently. She was now above the table. He kissed her forehead first and then kissed her soft lips.


    ¡°I love you,¡± he said before initiating a deeper kiss.


    ~~~~~~~


    Tianjie looked at the bouquet that he prepared from the flowers picked from the royal garden. He inhaled the scent of those flowers. ¡°Eunuch Shi Rang, I will return in the evening,¡± Tianjie informed him and left the chamber.


    He went in a royal carriage to reach the house where Song Jia was present.


    Tianjie excitedly walked in. Soon, he reached outside Song Jia¡¯s room. He extended his hand out to reach the door when it opened from the inside.


    The female servant bowed to the Prince and he saw a copper vessel in her hand. ¡°What happened?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Your Highness, Miss Song is sick,¡± the servant said.


    Tianjie quickly walked in. He ced the bouquet on the bedside table and sat on the mattress in front of Song Jia. The other female servant had stepped back and lowered her head.


    Tianjie found out that Song Jia was asleep. He ced his hand above her forehead. She was burning with a fever. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you inform me?¡± Tianjie turned furious at the servant.


    ¡°Miss Song t-told us no-not to tell the Third Prince,¡± the female servant said while trembling.


    Tianjie took out the royal que from his inner pocket. ¡°Go to the pce in the carriage outside and show this to Eunuch Shi Rang. Tell him Tianjie has ordered to bring Physician Peng Yuxian here,¡± Tianjie stated.


    The female servant bowed and left the room.


    Tianjie found Song Jia sweating profusely. It appeared strange to him. Even her hair looked wet to him.


    Another servant walked in with the copper vessel in her hand which had clean water in it.


    ¡°What did Song Jia eat? Since when is she sick?¡± Tianjie questioned the servant.


    ¡°Sincest evening, Your Highness,¡± the servant answered.


    ¡°And I was not informed!¡± Tianjie almost shouted at her, but he controlled his rage. ¡°Leave my sight!¡± He said.


    The servant apologized and walked out of the room.


    He recalled that the male servant whom he had appointed was on a week¡¯s leave.


    ¡°I should have sent another male servant in your service,¡± he murmured and waited patiently for the physician to arrive.


    It took almost half an hour for Peng Yuxian to reach along with Eunuch Shi Rang.


    After Peng Yuxian examined Song Jia, he asked the servant about the food that Song Jia took.


    ¡°Miss Song only took porridge,¡± the servant replied.


    ¡°Miss Song has eaten something poisonous,¡± Peng Yuxian said. Tianjie was shocked to hear it and looked at the servant.


    ¡°Did Miss Song eat berries?¡± The physician then asked.


    The servant immediately nodded. ¡°During the day, a seller came to sell some berries. Miss Song purchased some,¡± she informed them and promptly got on her knees.


    ¡°Please forgive this servant for not taking care of Miss Song,¡± the servant begged for her life when Tianjie asked her to leave.


    ¡°Physician Peng, is the poison dangerous?¡± Tianjie worriedly asked.


    ¡°Fortunately, it isn¡¯t. I will use acupuncture to remove the poison from the veins. Also, she needs to take two pills which will reduce the temperature shortly,¡± Peng Yuxian asserted.


    Tianjie hummed and asked him to do it quickly.


    ¡°I will inform the servants to prepare a healthy soup for Miss Song,¡± Eunuch Shi Rang informed Tianjie and walked out of the room.

 Chapter 566 - 566 I am going to miss him

    566 I am going to miss him


    Tianjie took care of Song Jia the entire day. He did what Peng Yuxian had suggested to him. The fever had reduced in an hour, but Song Jia did not wake up.


    ¡°Your Highness, I will¨C¡±


    ¡°That is not needed,¡± Tianjie did not let her finish the words and asked the servant to leave. He was already annoyed at her for not informing him. But he could not show that anger since Song Jia was still sleeping.


    When the evening fell, Song Jia¡¯s eyes showed movement. Her fingers moved and she asked for water in a meek voice. Tianjie ducked his head to hear what Song Jia said and asked her to speak once more.


    ¡°Water,¡± she meekly said.


    Tianjie quickly filled the ss with water and brought it close to her mouth. He lifted her head gently and asked her to drink it. Song Jia took a sip and Tianjie carefully ced her head on the pillow. He put the ss on the bedside table and caressed her hair.


    ¡°Song Jia,¡± Tianjie gently called out her name. She had opened her eyes, but she was feeling weak. She wanted to greet him, and tried to sit up when Tianjie asked her not to do so.


    ¡°You need rest,¡± Tianjie said and saw her neck was sweaty. He picked up the soft cotton towel and wiped her neck.


    ¡°Why did you buy berries from a stranger? Some of them were poisonous,¡± Tianjie said as he moved his hand back. He peered into her eyes and said, ¡°Fortunately, the poison was not dangerous.¡±


    .....


    ¡°Forgive Song Jia for troubling the prince,¡± she apologized.


    ¡°Do you want to drink more water? It will be good for you,¡± he stated.


    Song Jia shook her head.


    Tianjie ced his hand above her forehead and said, ¡°You were burning earlier. Do you know how scared I was seeing that state of yours? Why did you tell the servant not to inform me?¡± He scolded her a little.


    ¡°I did not want to disturb His Highness,¡± Song Jia said. ¡°I heard what happened in the pce in recent days,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°And you decided to burn in the fever!¡± Tianjie chuckled and called in the servant. ¡°Prepare a healthy porridge for Song Jia. Do not do any mistakes this time,¡± he stated. The servant bowed and left for the kitchen.


    He nced at Song Jia, who asked him if he would help her in sitting. ¡°My back hurts from staying in the lying position for a long time,¡± she said. He hummed and caught her hands. He lifted her she rested her head on the wooden headboard behind her.


    Song Jia looked at her clothes and then at Tianjie.


    ¡°I asked the servant to change your clothes. They were drenched in sweat,¡± Tianjie said. ¡°You do not feel uneasiness, right?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I feel better,¡± Song Jia replied. ¡°Thank you for taking care of me. Nobody ever showed such care toward me,¡± she said with an overwhelming smile and then downcast her eyes. Song Jia recalled when she was young there was no one by her side when she fell sick. She had to work even if she would be sick.


    ¡°For some, life is tough,¡± Tianjie asserted and brushed her hair from her forehead. ¡°But you came to me and I will take care of you until myst breath,¡± he said. Song Jia lifted her eyes and continued to smile at him.


    ¡°How is His Highness? I heard about his father,¡± Song Jia said.


    ¡°I am well. Father¡¯s heinous actions are unexinable to me. He will receive his punishment soon,¡± Tianjie replied.


    ¡°That was indeed sad news. It must be shocking for all the princes. Prince L¨®ng Wei suffered a lot. I have heard how people used to speak about him when I was in Qijiang province,¡± she said.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei surely has gone through hell. His entire life was jeopardized in a single night. If he wanted, he could tell us the truth. But he never said that. The reason was simple. We would not have believed him and would have only desired a death sentence. He is a strong person, who never lets us see his other side,¡± Tianjie said.


    ¡°I hope all the princes have made their rtionship good with Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Song Jia stated.


    ¡°We did,¡± Tianjie said. ¡°L¨®ng Wei is leaving the pce for a while for some inner peace. I am going to miss him. He is a person, who made me question my ideologies when I started to know him,¡± Tianjie proimed.


    Song Jia smiled and felt thirsty. She extended her hand out when Tianjie grabbed the water ss. He brought it close to her mouth again and this time she took more sips. When he put it back in its ce, Tianjie said, ¡°We will get married soon. Are you ready to be my wife?¡±


    Song Jia stopped blinking for a few seconds and nodded.


    ¡°When will we get married?¡± She asked curiously.


    ¡°After the Crown Prince will be coronated as the next King,¡± Xiaoming answered. ¡°In a day or two the coronation will happen,¡± he added.


    ¡°Hmm. I did not meet His Highness¡¯s mother yet,¡± Song Jia reminded him.


    ¡°I will bring her tomorrow,¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°Does His Highness still neglect his mother?¡± She inquired.


    ¡°For these past few days, I did not visit her,¡± Tianjie replied.


    ¡°Can I go to the pce with His Highness? It will not be appropriate for His Highness¡¯s mother toe here. She is an elder and I must go to her,¡± Song Jia opined.


    Tianjie agreed with her and told her that he would take her tomorrow if her fever vanished.


    ¡°I am better now, Your Highness. The weakness is there, but it will go by tomorrow,¡± she said. ¡°Does His Highness know what his mother¡¯s likes are?¡± Song Jia curiously asked.


    ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± He queried.


    ¡°I will prepare a present for His Highness¡¯s mother ording to that,¡± Song Jia said. ¡°I have heard that women who get married in the pce make a ce in their mother-inw¡¯s heart,¡± she added and smiled at Tianjie.

 Chapter 567 - 567 Intended to sleep with me [Bonus chapter]

    567 Intended to sleep with me [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°Will the Prince not go back to the pce?¡± Song Jia inquired after she finished the porridge.


    ¡°I will stay here¡­ with you,¡± Tianjie replied and gave her a pill. She took it with water and asked Tianjie to return to the pce.


    He refused and sternly said, ¡°I have decided to stay here tonight.¡±


    ¡°The fever is down. His Highness doesn¡¯t need to worry about me anymore,¡± she said and again requested him to go back.


    ¡°I already told Shi Rang to inform the Crown Prince that I would be with Song Jia and would return in the morning,¡± Tianjie stated.


    ¡°What?¡± Song Jia was stunned for a second. ¡°Why did the Prince do it? What will the Crown Prince think of us?¡± She murmured.


    ¡°That a husband taking care of his wife,¡± Tianjie answered.


    ¡°But we aren¡¯t married yet,¡± Song Jia said.


    Tianjie tilted his head slightly and stood up. He called in the servant and asked her if she prepared dinner for him. She nodded when Tianjie told her to be with Song Jia until he returned.


    .....


    Once he left, Song Jia asked the servant if she could bring an outfit for her to change into.


    After Song Jia changed her dress, she sat on the mattress. The servant had already changed the bed sheet. ¡°Did the Prince scold you?¡± Song Jia worriedly asked as the servant put the nket above Song Jia.


    ¡°A little,¡± the servant replied.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± Song Jia apologized.


    ¡°Miss Song should not apologize to a servant.¡± She stepped back with her head down when Song Jia asked her to sit beside her.


    ¡°I do not dare to,¡± the servant stated.


    ¡°I am like you,¡± Song Jia said and the servant gazed at her. ¡°I was at your ce once. Come,¡± she said while gesturing to the mattress. The servant stepped up and sat down.


    ¡°Will you apany me to the pce? I will soon marry the Third Prince,¡± Song Jia asked. ¡°Mostly people don¡¯t want to join the pce because of the restrictions it poses. That¡¯s why I asked you beforehand,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°I would have loved to, but I might not survive in the pce. I have worked in the pce for the past seven years. Now, I want to return to my vige. My father has seen a man for me. I wanted to speak about it earlier, but I thought to tell Miss Song about itter,¡± the servant humbly said.


    ¡°That¡¯s such great news! You should definitely return to your vige. I wish you the best for your uing married life,¡± Song Jia said while smiling at her.


    ¡°Thank you, Miss Song,¡± the servant said. ¡°The pce has many good people. Miss Song will not find trouble adjusting there. The Crown Princess and Princess Consort Li Hua are very down to earth,¡± she informed Song Jia beforehand so that her nervousness would end.


    ¡°Did you serve them as well?¡± Song Jia asked.


    ¡°No. I have heard from the servants from their respective manors. Princess Consort Li Hua has only one servant in the manor in her service as Prince L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t allow many servants,¡± she stated.


    Song Jia hummed and asked her if she knew about Tianjie¡¯s mother.


    ¡°Concubine¡ª¡± before the servant could finish her sentence, Tianjie entered the room. She promptly stood up from the bed and bowed.


    ¡°The Prince finished his meals fast,¡± Song Jia said.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Tianjie noticed her outfit had changed. He nced at the servant and asked her to leave the room. ¡°You may rest after dinner,¡± he said. The servant bowed and dashed out of the room.


    Song Jia fiddled with her fingers and watched Tianjie blow off somenterns. ¡°Will we sleep on the same bed?¡± She asked and gulped.


    Tianjie turned to look at her. ¡°Do you want me to sleep on the floor?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that,¡± Song Jia replied.


    ¡°Then, what did you mean?¡± He inquired and walked up to the bed. He removed the hair crown (fastener) which had held the hair at the bedside table.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer,¡± Tianjie said and removed the sash around his dress.


    ¡°We cannot share the bed before marriage,¡± Song Jia said and looked at him with her doe eyes.


    ¡°If I sleep in a separate room, it will be tough for me to check on you. I never slept on the floor either. I will not let you sleep on the floor. So, there is only one way to stay close to you,¡± Tianjie exined to her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The wedding bed will be prepared in the pce only,¡± he said with a smile and sat down.


    Song Jia moved back and Tianjie moved his legs up. ¡°The bedsheet is changed,¡± Tianjie mumbled and looked at her in amusement. Song Jia had her face away from him when he asked her if she should exin that.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t changed since thest day, so I asked her to change it,¡± she said and gazed at him.


    ¡°You knew that I would sleep here,¡± Tianjie said and asked her to lie down.


    ¡°No. I didn¡¯t know. His Highness should not misunderstand my intention,¡± Song Jia rified.


    ¡°You intended to sleep with me,¡± Tianjie said.


    ¡°No.¡± Song Jia promptly denied it. ¡°Why would I think that?¡± She murmured and quicklyid down. Her back was toward Tianjie, who continued to smile. He covered her with a nket andy beside her.


    Song Jia had tightly clutched the edge of the nket when she felt Tianjie move closer to her. He securely put his hand around her belly and whispered in her ear, ¡°Song Jia, don¡¯t get sick like this. I get scared.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know the berries would be poisonous,¡± she said in a low voice.


    Tianjie wondered if someone tried to harm Song Jia intentionally. He decided to investigate it. The person who was in his mind was Li Jianjun, who could stoop low.


    ¡°Your Highness, thank you for staying with me tonight.¡± He heard Song Jia say. He smiled and stroked her hair.

 Chapter 568 - 568 Martial Sword Dance

    568 Martial Sword Dance


    Li Hua, Jin Yu, Ai Fen, and Xiaolian gathered in Jin Yu¡¯s chamber. Jin Yu looked at the porcin cup in her hand and looked at the three of them. ¡°Why are you not three drinking at all? You three are missing the true essence of life,¡± Jin Yu told them.


    ¡°How is the wine a true essence of life?¡± Xiaolian asked. ¡°I will get scolded if my mother finds me in a drunk state,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Do not tell your mother then!¡± Jin Yu said and gulped the wine in a single shot. ¡°All the princes have gathered together for the wine party. Why we women cannot do this? We should celebrate too,¡± Jin Yu stated and looked at Li Hua. She encouraged her to drink the wine and she sipped it.


    ¡°I should take one shot too,¡± Xiaolian said with a sigh and brought the cup to her mouth.


    ¡°Princess Xiaolian looks sad. Is everything good?¡± Li Hua asked. Ai Fen gazed at Xiaolian to hear her answer while Jin Yu filled their cups.


    ¡°Feng Lao does not like me. He rejected my feelings for him,¡± Xiaolian said and pouted. ¡°How can he not see I have improved? Li Hua, forgive me for ridiculing you,¡± she said in a low voice.


    ¡°Li Hua, can you not talk to Feng Lao?¡± Ai Fen asked.


    ¡°I did. I asked him to give a chance to Princess Xiaolian. I do not know why he keeps rejecting the third princess,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°It is because I am an evil person in his eyes,¡± Xiaolian said and gulped the wine from the porcin cup before plonking it on the table. ¡°Does he like someone?¡± She gazed at Li Hua with a troubled expression.


    .....


    ¡°No, he does not. Thest time we talked, Feng Lao told me that he does not want to get involved with any woman. Also,¡± Li Hua paused. She was hesitant to tell Xiaolian what Feng Lao thought of her.


    ¡°You can tell me, Li Hua. I want to know what he thinks about me,¡± Xiaolian stated.


    Jin Yu told Li Hua to be truthful to Xiaolian.


    ¡°Feng Lao had a likeness toward me. As you all know we both were supposed to marry each other. So, in his heart, I was there for a long time. Then, he married a woman from Xinshui, and unfortunately, she died in the fire outbreak. He is not opening up about it, but somewhere he may have some kind of fear,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°Ah. I heard that Feng Lao¡¯s deceased wife was pregnant. I do not think Sister Xiaolian¡¯s mother would allow her to marry Feng Lao,¡± Ai Fen stated the fact.


    ¡°Indeed, his wife was pregnant, but that was not theplete truth. Feng Lao married her to save her dignity. She was pregnant with someone else¡¯s child,¡± Li Hua told them the truth.


    ¡°Feng Lao is such a nice man,¡± Jin Yu said and sipped the wine.


    ¡°He is!¡± Xiaolian said with a smile and picked up the wine jar this time. She filled the wine cup for her and drank more wine. ¡°He is handsome too. I have a weak heart for handsome men. The day I saw him with a sword in his hand, I fell for him,¡± Xiaolian truthfully told them.


    ¡°Handsome men are indeed a weakness,¡± Jin Yu stated. ¡°Maybe Feng Lao is not the man whom you are looking for.¡± She forgot to use formal speech with the princess.


    ¡°I also think the same, Crown Princess. I wish I had never seen him. I am brokenhearted thanks to him,¡± Xiaolian muttered and tears formed in her eyes.


    Li Hua realized that Xiaolian was badly hurt. She could understand her.


    ¡°Princess Xiaolian, do not be lovesick,¡± Jin Yu said and asked her to drink more to forget her pain.


    ¡°Princess Ai Fen, you will be married off soon,¡± Jin Yu stated. ¡°The Crown Prince was telling me that your mother hase to him to talk about it,¡± she added.


    ¡°But the pce still has so many problems going on and after the revtion of father¡¯s crimes, will anyone be willing to take me as their house¡¯s daughter-inw?¡± Ai Fen raised a suspicion.


    ¡°The royal family has be stronger than before,¡± Jin Yu stated. ¡°The people¡¯s faith in the right justice has only increased and there are many good families in the kingdom. Princess Ai Fen should not think this way,¡± she caressed her arm and handed her the wine cup.


    Ai Fen smiled and took the wine cup from Jin Yu.


    ¡°Did the Crown Prince look for a man for Princess Ai Fen?¡± Li Hua curiously asked.


    ¡°He will after the coronation,¡± Jin Yu replied.


    ¡°It is such a sad feeling to leave your house,¡± Xiaolian said.


    ¡°It is,¡± Li Hua agreed with her.


    ¡°I am scared. If I did not find a man like Feng Lao what will happen to me?¡± Xiaolian questioned them.


    ¡°Why does Princess Xiaolian want a man like Feng Lao? If shepares her futurepanion with him, then it will create a problem. You should instead go for the man¡¯s qualities. The Crown Prince will find the best match for Princess Xiaolian,¡± Jin Yu assured her and stood up. ¡°Let me show you a dance using the sword,¡± she stated.


    Jin Yu went to the bedchamber and returned with a sword. She ced the sword on the floor table on which they were drinking wine. ¡°Li Hua, sit next to the two princesses,¡± Jin Yu said. Li Hua stood up and went to the other side of the table where the princesses were seated.


    ¡°Have you heard of martial sword dance?¡± Jin Yu asked them.


    The three of them shook their heads.


    ¡°Jin Yu will show you three. This special performance is dedicated to you three,¡± Jin Yu stated and tucked her hair into a bun first.


    ¡°Is the Crown Princess not drunk? She drank a lot,¡± Ai Fen said concernedly.


    ¡°I do not get drunk with one jar of wine. I drank very little,¡± she stated.


    As a skilled dancer swayed her hands, Jin Yu did the same and gracefully bent to grab the sword. She moved her left leg back while tilting her head to the right.


    Her foot movements were so quick and seamless. She slid and glided on her feet so smoothly that it amused the three of them. Their faces had brightened up with the smile.


    Since the chamber was spacious, Jin Yu did not find it difficult to move around. She bounced the sword in the air and as soon as it reached her face, she withdrew the sword from the scabbard while holding the scabbard in the other hand.


    She moved the sword so skillfully like a skilled martial artist and it shimmered their eyes. She twirled around before sliding her right leg forward and then did a handstand on the right hand before again standing up, extending her right hand out which had the sword in it.


    The vibrant smile on her lips while performing the dance made them happy. The sword spun in Jin Yu¡¯s hand and she ducked it forward while gracefully sitting on her legs. She got up smoothly and again spun the sword on her right side. Her hands were as quick as her feet.


    Toward the end of the sword dance, she jumped high and kept doing it in a circle and then slowly slowed down.


    The three of them pped for Jin Yu as the performance ended.


    ¡°We never saw such an amazing dance, Crown Prince,¡± Li Hua said with her big eyes.


    ¡°I agree with Li Hua,¡± Ai Fen said and they asked Jin Yu to take the seat. She panted heavily and put the sword back into the scabbard.


    ¡°I watched a martial artist several years ago doing this in the market. Whenever I would get tired from the training, I would do this to relieve my stress,¡± Jin Yu told them and sat around the table.


    ¡°The Crown Princess is full of skills,¡± Xiaolian said.


    ¡°Enough of the praises, Ladies! Let¡¯s drink more!¡± Jin Yu said and grabbed the wine jar.


    ~~~~~


    I do not know whether I expressed the dance well or not. If you are interested in watching this kind of dance, then you can watch it on youtube. It is a very amazing art form in dance.


    HAPPY READING

 Chapter 569 - 569 I am not a bad person

    569 I am not a bad person


    L¨®ng Wei grabbed Li Hua¡¯s firmly as the maidservants from the Crown Princess¡¯s manor came to drop her. Li Hua¡¯s head rested on his chest while her eyes were closed.


    ¡°How much did she drink?¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured and lifted her in his arms. He walked into the bedchamber and gently settled Li Hua on the bed. He leaned forward and lifted her head gently to remove the hair essories from her head. After he was done, moved back and removed Li Hua¡¯s shoes.


    ¡°Uh¡­mmm¡­¡± Li Hua let out a sound and tried to take off the dress.


    L¨®ng Wei put the shoe down and grasped the knot on her dress. He untied the knot when she turned around, thus taking him by surprise. She was still ufortable and sat up. Her eyes gradually opened and L¨®ng Wei stared into them. He slowly shifted his gaze to her red cheeks.


    ¡°How did Prince L¨®ng Weie here?¡± She asked.


    ¡°It is my chamber,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    Li Hua smiled while half-closing her eyes. ¡°I think I am dreaming. I drank a lot today.¡± She spread her arms out and continued to smile.


    L¨®ng Wei covered her with the nket and found she was struggling to remove her upper robe. He leaned down and gently helped her remove it. Li Hua held his hand and then sat up on the bed.


    She took a deep breath and again rested her head on his chest. ¡°Your heart is beating fast,¡± Li Hua murmured and peered into his eyes. She kissed him and sucked his bottom lip gently. L¨®ng Wei got the wine¡¯s taste when Li Hua withdrew. She dozed off and fell on the mattress.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei could not help but chuckle at her. He caressed her cheek and covered her well with the nket. ¡°Will you be shy of your act tomorrow?¡± He muttered and prepared to go to the bed. He closed the doors first and thenid next to Li Hua. He gently stroked her hair for some time before drifting off to sleep.


    ~~~~~~~~~


    Chang Shi was going back to his ce after giving out a piece of important information to L¨®ng Wei when he saw a woman on the stairs. He looked around and then walked towards the woman. He saw the woman drawing circles with a stone on the floor.


    ¡°Princess Ai Fen?¡± Chang Shi pronounced her name.


    Ai Fen stopped drawing the circle on the floor and raised her head. Chang Shi was puzzled to find her dted eyes and red cheeks.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Ai Fen asked.


    ¡°I am Chang Shi. May I know what is the Second Princess doing at this hour here?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°I¡­ I am drawing circles. I will make a big circle,¡± Ai Fen said.


    Chang Shi was amused to hear that answer. ¡°At this hour?¡± He arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ai Fen replied.


    ¡°Princess Ai Fen must go back to her chamber,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°But I want to y,¡± Ai Fen replied.


    ¡°It is not the right ce to y,¡± Chang Shi stated.


    ¡°I yed here yesterday too,¡± Ai Fen said and made another circle. ¡°It looks bigger than this one,¡± she said with a bright smile and stood up. But she faltered when Chang Shi grabbed her by the elbows. He got the wine smell from her and realized that she was drunk.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ai Fen said and pulled her arms back. She turned to go up, but the edge of her long skirt came under her shoe. She narrowly escaped from falling again as Chang Shi caught her.


    ¡°Be careful, Princess Ai Fen. I will escort you to your chamber,¡± Chang Shi stated and helped her stand straight.


    ¡°I do not know you. My mother will scold me if I let an unknown man apany me,¡± Ai Fen said.


    ¡°I am not a bad person. I am a friend of Prince L¨®ng Wei. The Second Princess can trust me,¡± Chang Shi asserted.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei?¡± A smile appeared on Ai Fen¡¯s lips. ¡°He does not consider me his elder sister. Is he doing good? I once made sweets for everyone, but Brother L¨®ng Wei refused to eat,¡± she stated. She sounded low while speaking so and it confused Chang Shi.


    ¡°Princess Ai Fen, let¡¯s go to your chamber. Will you direct me where it is?¡± He inquired.


    Ai Fen nodded at him. She pointed her finger to the left and told him to get down the stairs first. He worked upon Ai Fen¡¯s instructions and somehow reached outside her chamber.


    The servants outside Ai Fen¡¯s chamber were in chaos as they were unable to find her for half an hour. When one of them saw Ai Fen with Chang Shi, she quickly ran to them.


    ¡°Princess Ai Fen was in the northern pce,¡± Chang Shi informed the maidservant. ¡°She is a little drunk,¡± he said in a low voice.


    The maidservant thanked Chang Shi. Other two servants also came there and helped Ai Fen.


    ¡°I will give you a reward, Chang Shi,¡± Ai Fen said with a smile.


    Chang Shi amusedly nced at her. Ai Fen told the servants to move away and stepped up to Chang Shi.


    ¡°What would you like to get from the princess?¡± Ai Fen asked.


    ¡°I do not need anything, Princess Ai Fen,¡± Chang Shi asserted.


    ¡°Why? The royals must reward the people who help them,¡± Ai Fen stated and looked at her hands. ¡°Should I make sweets for you?¡± She inquired.


    Chang Shi smiled to hear her. ¡°Princess Ai Fen does not need to do anything. Please take a good rest. I should take my leave as it iste,¡± Chang Shi bowed.


    Ai Fen forwarded her hand which had a tassel in it. ¡°Take it. You cannot refuse it as I am the Princess,¡± Ai Fen said.


    Chang Shi was hesitant at first when Ai Fen ced it in his hand and waved at him. ¡°You should go to your house. You can sell it and purchase a lot of things,¡± she stated and turned. The servants held her arms and took her inside.


    Chang Shi looked at the tassel and left the pce.

 Chapter 570 - 570 Feed the same poison to him [Bonus chapter]

    570 Feed the same poison to him [Bonus chapter]


    L¨®ng Wei put on the white round cor robe with the golden border at the sleeves and then put a belt around his belt. The fastener on the top of his head kept his hair bun firmly in ce. He inserted the jade ring into his finger and picked up the tiny porcin bottle of the scent.


    After applying the perfume to his neck, he left to see if Li Hua had woken up from sleep or not.


    As he entered the bedchamber, he found Li Hua was still sleeping. This was the first instance where Li Hua would bete for the morning greetings. He walked up to her and sat on the mattress. cing his hand on her hair, L¨®ng Wei softly called out her name.


    Li Hua opened her eyes after L¨®ng Wei called her name a few times. She felt the sharp pain in her head and flipped in his direction before sitting up. ¡°My head is aching,¡± Li Huained and rested her head on his chest.


    ¡°Why did you drink so much?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. His hand was still at the back of her head. ¡°Were you not supposed to take a limited amount of wine?¡± he queried.


    ¡°It was fun,¡± Li Hua said in a low voice.


    ¡°I will ask the servant to bring the hangover soup for you. You should freshen up by then,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and stroked her hair.


    Li Hua pulled away and hummed. ¡°How did I reach the chamber? I do not even remember. I did not trouble His Highness, right?¡± She questioned.


    ¡°The servants bring you here. You were in a drunken state,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°You kissed me and wanted to make love,¡± he added.


    .....


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei should not lie in the morning,¡± Li Hua said and yfully hit his chest. But then, the smirk on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face made her realize that he was telling the truth.


    She brought her hands before her mouth to cover it and stopped blinking. ¡°How could I do this?¡± She murmured.


    ¡°Go and take a warm bath. Do you want me to help you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked with an amusing smile.


    Li Hua shook her head and quickly jumped out of the bed.


    ¡°Will you go to the bathhouse without putting on your robes?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s statement made her stop. She looked at herself and found out that she had not worn the upper robe. Her arms were bare and she found her silk long-sleeve coat on the other side of the bed. She crossed her arms across her chest and took a few steps back.


    ¡°Will His Highness pass me¡ª¡± before she could finish her words, she felt the yellow silk coat over her shoulder.


    ¡°What is there to shy about? I have already seen your body,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Li Hua bit her bottom lip and then quickly tied the knot on the coat. She ran out of the room while L¨®ng Wei continued to smile at her actions.


    ~~~~~~~


    Li Hua returned to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chamber after taking a hot bath and dressing up in a green hanfu dress. L¨®ng Wei made her drink the hangover soup before they headed to greet Qizhen. Now, there was no morning tea session like before.


    While they were returning to their manor, Li Hua asked L¨®ng Wei why he did not sit with Qizhen for drinking tea.


    ¡°Because I do not want to drink tea today,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Did His Highness also drink a lot of wine like me?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°No. I did not touch wine yesterday,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°I was with Chang Shi to know about a certain matter,¡± he informed her.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei was not with the other princes!¡± Li Hua again asked to confirm.


    ¡°I sat with them for some time, butter I left,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°What matter did Prince L¨®ng Wei discuss with Brother Chang Shi?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°About Li Jianjun,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. He saw the carts of goodsing from the front and pulled Li Hua to his left side and walked on her right side.


    ¡°Li Jianjun? Is he still nning to trouble us?¡± Li Hua queried.


    ¡°Not us, but Xu Zifan. When we will not be in the capital, then he may try to harm Xu Zifan and Jingfei,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°We should tell this to the Crown Prince. Li Jianjun should be imprisoned,¡± Li Hua muttered.


    ¡°That will not suffice his anger. Chang Shi will be active when we leave for the journey,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°But what if despite the precautions Prince L¨®ng Wei will take, Li Jianjun seeds in harming my elder brother and his wife?¡± Li Hua raised a suspicion.


    ¡°That will not happen,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a confident tone.


    ¡°Your Highness, will you not ask for a death sentence for Qiu Zedong?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°The Crown Prince has told me that he would not take the decision. I can take my decision on Qiu Zedong¡¯s punishment,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I n to feed him a slow and deadly poison. It will attack the important organs of his body first and then, affect his movement. I cannot go on the journey without killing him.¡±


    Li Hua asked him if he had arranged the poison.


    ¡°It was present in Qiu Zedong¡¯s chamber. He wanted to feed it to my mother if that night she failed to die,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Li Hua¡¯s heart sank to hear that. Qiu Zedong was the cruelest person she had ever encountered and known.


    ¡°I should feed the same poison to him, which he once wanted to use against my mother,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    They reached outside the manor when L¨®ng Wei asked her to go in. ¡°I need to see Qiu Zedong. I will return soon,¡± he stated.


    Li Hua hummed and walked into the manor. On the other hand, L¨®ng Wei left for the prison to see Qiu Zedong.


    When he reached the prison, he found Zhu Liling there who was shouting at the soldiers.

 Chapter 571 - 571 Had seen me as your son

    571 Had seen me as your son


    L¨®ng Wei told the soldiers to stay back. Zhu Liling had stopped shouting at them. She marched to L¨®ng Wei and grabbed his robe.


    ¡°Leave my husband,¡± Zhu Liling said. L¨®ng Wei grasped her hands and lowered them down.


    ¡°You should have told your husband to treat my mother well,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°There is no use to create a ruckus in the prison. Return to your manor before I order to lock you as well,¡± he said with a cold tone. He nced at a soldier, who stepped up and told him to escort Zhu Liling to her manor.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, you are doing wrong to us,¡± Zhu Liling said while crying.


    ¡°Your son will be the King as you wanted. You will be the Queen Dowager. Neither I nor my father is willing to be the King. You should gather in the happiness of your son, instead of begging me for your husband¡¯s life,¡± L¨®ng Wei interpreted to her.


    ¡°I apologize for the wrong my husband did with your mother. You can punish me if you want. Let my husband live,¡± Zhu Liling joined her hands before L¨®ng Wei. He chuckled and told her not to be blind to Qiu Zedong¡¯s love.


    ¡°Mother, what are you doing here?¡± Xiaoming voiced.


    L¨®ng Wei went ahead, leaving the mother and son behind.


    ¡°Son, ask L¨®ng Wei not to take your father¡¯s life,¡± Zhu Liling requested Xiaoming and walked up to him.


    .....


    ¡°Mother, that is impossible. Come with me,¡± Xiaoming said and took his mother to her manor.


    L¨®ng Wei reached the cell where Qiu Zedong was locked and walked in. The door closed behind him and L¨®ng Wei approached Qiu Zedong. L¨®ng Wei filled the water ss from the earthen pot and then sshed it on Qiu Zedong¡¯s face. He woke up immediately and looked at L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei got on his knees and showed him the poison. ¡°Do you have anyst wish?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Myst wish is to see you dying loveless,¡± Qiu Zedong asserted.


    ¡°Unfortunately, that cannot be fulfilled anymore. You tried a lot to turn me into you. Isn¡¯t it tiresome?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, you have a part of me. You are still violent. This trait can never leave you. Every time you will take a life, you will see me,¡± Qiu Zedong said with an evil smile.


    L¨®ng Weiughed to hear him. ¡°We already had a discussion on it,¡± he stated after he stoppedughing. He opened the porcin bottle and continued, ¡°You must remember one thing while dying. The guilt of your acts and the pain of the people whom you killed.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei grabbed Qiu Zedong¡¯s chin fiercely and then forced the poison into his mouth. Qiu Zedong tried hard not to drink that, but he could not win against L¨®ng Wei. After the tiny bottle turned empty, L¨®ng Wei threw it away and said, ¡°You wanted it to feed to my mother and now I fed it to you. You will soon start experiencing excruciating pain. The movements of your body will stop soon.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei stood up and put his hands behind his back. ¡°Qiu Zedong, you wanted me to be on the right path. I have finally walked on it. If you had killed me the day I was born, you would not have to see this day,¡± he stated.


    ¡°That was my biggest mistake. I kept you alive,¡± Qiu Zedong muttered and felt his throat getting dry. The poison had already started working on him.


    ¡°I respected you a lot. The day I met your elder brother, I told him that you were my father not him. I wish you had seen me as your son. I wish you had let me have a normal childhood. I wish you had not forced my mother to always hate me. I wish you had not ordered to kill Yuze.¡± L¨®ng Wei expressed hisst thoughts to Qiu Zedong. He took backward steps and was ready to turn.


    ¡°You are alone today. None of your children want to meet you. The one thing I am grateful to you is that you let me live,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and walked out of the prison.


    Qiu Zedong quickly ran to the earthen pot and drank the water. His thirst did not quench. The more he would drink water, the faster it would act and destroy his vitals.


    Qiu Zedong fell to the floor and realized his crimes. However, it was toote to turn everything right. It was strange that even in hisst moments, L¨®ng Wei came to him.


    L¨®ng Wei met Mingquan who had crossed his arms across his chest.


    ¡°What is Brother Mingquan doing here?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°I was waiting for you,¡± Mingquan replied.


    They both walked ahead. ¡°When will Brother L¨®ng Wei leave for the journey?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Is the coronation day decided?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Tomorrow is the coronation,¡± Mingquan replied.


    ¡°I will leave tomorrow evening,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°I will miss Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Hopefully when I return Brother Mingquan is married,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Is that a curse?¡± Mingquan remarked.


    ¡°How can it be a curse?¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled and asked him to marry soon.


    ¡°It is not easy to go on with a married life,¡± Mingquan stated. His mother wanted him to marry a woman of his choice, which he had been avoiding for a long time. He told L¨®ng Wei about it.


    ¡°Why Brother Mingquan not meet the woman of your mother¡¯s choice then?¡± L¨®ng Wei opined.


    ¡°I never get the urge to meet her. She belongs to a noble family, but I am wondering if it will be a good choice to see her,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°Until Brother Mingquan meets the woman, it is tough to say,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°I do not want to meet her. I have decided,¡± Mingquan said. The immediate decision of Mingquan bewildered L¨®ng Wei.


    Before L¨®ng Wei could ask him more questions, Mingquan rified to L¨®ng Wei that he would definitely see a woman, but not that early.

 Chapter 572 - 572 Return my tassel

    572 Return my tassel


    Ai Fen had been searching for the tassel since the morning. She even asked the maidservants appointed in her chamber, but no one knew about it.


    However, when the maidservant, who was on night duty came to the chamber, she informed Ai Fen about the tassel.


    ¡°The Second Princess handed the tassel to Lord Chang Shi in reward,¡± the maidservant stated.


    ¡°I gave my tassel to Chang Shi?¡± Ai Fen was shocked to learn the truth from the maidservant about it.


    ¡°Why did I give him my precious tassel?¡± Ai Fen asked in confusion.


    ¡°The Second Princess was drunkst night. We searched for the Princess in the eastern pce but she was nowhere to be found. Lord Chang Shi escorted the Second Princessst night,¡± the maidservant briefed the incident to Ai Fen from thest night.


    ¡°Where does Chang Shi live? I want my tassel back,¡± Ai Fen said and bit her nails. Whenever she used to get nervous, she would bite her nails. How drunk she wasst night? She had no idea. She wondered whether she did some mistakes in her drunk state. But that could be found after meeting Chang Shi.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness. I do not know where Lord Chang Shi lives,¡± the maidservant said.


    Ai Fen thought to ask L¨®ng Wei about Chang Shi¡¯s ce. But she dropped that idea since L¨®ng Wei was busy with other matters. She didn¡¯t want to trouble him.


    .....


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi may help me,¡± Ai Fen said and quickly stood up from the floor chair. She asked the same maidservant from the night duty to apany her and they left for the barracks.


    Ai Fen halted in the mid of the stairs when she saw a troop of soldiersing in her direction. They were going for a military drill. She quickly went to one side of the stairs while the maidservant followed her.


    Once the troop left, she descended the stairs and soon reached the bottom of the ground.


    Huang Xi, who was on the other side of the ground, saw Ai Fen. He asked the soldiers to go ahead to the equipment room while he ran toward Ai Fen.


    Stopping before her, he greeted Ai Fen and found himself getting nervous. ¡°Why did the Second Princesse here?¡± He asked.


    ¡°If Commander Huang Xi is free, then can he take me to Chang Shi¡¯s ce?¡± Ai Fen requested. Seeing the bewildered expression on Huang Xi¡¯s face, Ai Fen continued, ¡°Please do not take me wrong. I mistakenly give my special thing to Chang Shist night. I would have asked Brother L¨®ng Wei for this, but I didn¡¯t want to disturb him. Is Commander Huang Xi free?¡±


    ¡°I am free, Your Highness. I will surely take the Second Princess to Chang Shi¡¯s ce. Please follow me this way,¡± Huang Xi said.


    Ai Fen nodded and walked behind Huang Xi. After Huang Xi prepared a carriage for Ai Fen, they left.


    During the entire journey to Chang Shi¡¯s house, Ai Fen tried hard to recall the incident from thest night. How did she reach the northern pce? She had no idea. How did she meet Chang Shi? Her mind was nk and it was bothering her.


    When they arrived at Chang Shi¡¯s residence, Huang Xi took Ai Fen inside and a servant greeted them.


    ¡°I will ask my master toe. Before that, I will escort¨C¡± the servant could not finish his words as Ai Fen interrupted him.


    ¡°Bring him quickly,¡± Ai Fen said. Huang Xi could find the desperation in Ai Fen for the special thing which was Chang Shi.


    ¡°Why does Princess Ai Fen want to see me?¡± Chang Shi voiced, who was on their left with a sword in his hand.


    Ai Fen turned to him and Chang Shi bowed to her.


    ¡°My tassel. I want it back,¡± Ai Fen said and forwarded her hand.


    Chang Shi raised his head and looked at Ai Fen.


    ¡°Currently it is not with me,¡± Chang Shi replied.


    ¡°What? Did you lose it?¡± Ai Fen panicked.


    Huang Xi was astonished to find Ai Fen talking with Chang Shi in an informal tone. She never talked this way.


    ¡°It is in my room, Your Highness,¡± Chang Shi answered. ¡°Please wait in the guest room while I bring it to you,¡± He suggested to Ai Fen.


    ¡°I will apany you. I am not here to wait in the guest room,¡± Ai Fen said.


    Chang Shi nodded his head slightly and asked her to follow him.


    After five minutes, they reached Chang Shi¡¯s room. Chang Shi took out the tassel from the floor table on whose end several medical books were ced.


    He stood up and walked up to Ai Fen. ¡°Here,¡± Chang Shi showed the tassel to the Princess. Ai Fen almost took it from her when he pulled his hand back.


    ¡°Her Highness gave the tassel to me as a reward,¡± Chang Shi said with an amusing smile.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t remember it,¡± Ai Fen said.


    ¡°Does the Second Princess not remember anything?¡± Chang Shi inquired.


    ¡°No. Forgive me if I troubled youst night,¡± Ai Fen apologized. ¡°Please give me my tassel back,¡± She urged him.


    ¡°Your Highness said as the Princess she must reward me. I refused her, but she insisted I should take it. There were several witnesses of this. A reward is never taken back,¡± Chang Shi asserted. For some reason, he wanted to y with her a little.


    ¡°I said in my drunk state,¡± Ai Fen said.


    ¡°Ahh, does Princess Ai Fen¡¯s mother no longer stop her from going alone with an unknown man?¡± Chang Shi asked with a tiny smile on his lips.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ai Fen was a little scared.


    ¡°Last night the Second Princess refused to recognize me and said that. I wonder how she recalled my name in the morning,¡± Chang Shi said with amusement.


    ¡°Do not trouble me, Chang Shi,¡± Ai Fen got irked. ¡°Return my tassel and I will return,¡± She sternly said.

 Chapter 573 - 573 I cannot force my feelings [Bonus chapter]

    573 I cannot force my feelings [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness. I had no intention to trouble the Second Princess,¡± Chang Shi said and looked at the tassel.


    ¡°I was drunkst night. I do not remember anything. Because Brother L¨®ng Wei knows Chang Shi, so I recognize him,¡± Ai Fen stated her point.


    ¡°Should I tell?¡± Chang Shi asked.


    Ai Fen knitted her brows. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t make any mistakes,¡± she murmured.


    Chang Shi smiled a little. ¡°The Second Princess was sitting at the stairs, drawing circles. Last night, she acted like a child. Since there was no one around I thought to escort Her Highness to her chamber. She was so enthusiastic about giving me a reward, so I epted it,¡± He exined to her.


    ¡°That was my mistake. The tassel is very special to me. I do not know why I handed it to you,¡± Ai Fen said.


    Chang Shi forwarded his hand. ¡°Her Highness can take it back,¡± he said. Ai Fen picked up the tassel and hooked it around her waist.


    ¡°Thank you, Chang Shi,¡± Ai Fen said with a smile. ¡°I take my leave then,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Chang Shi said and they both left the room.


    .....


    ¡°Her Highness should not drink. Luckily, she is the Princess and lives in the pce. If she would be amoner, then anything could have happened,¡± Chang Shi advised her.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Ai Fen said.


    ¡°What if the Princess¡¯ mother finds out about it? Will the Second Princess be reprimanded?¡± He asked her out of curiosity.


    ¡°Mother will not find out,¡± Ai Fen replied. They both reached the front yard where Huang Xi was waiting for Ai Fen.


    Chang Shi saw them out. After Ai Fen got into the carriage, Huang Xi asked Chang Shi how he had Ai Fen¡¯s tassel.


    ¡°It is a long story. I will tell you some other day,¡± Chang Shi asserted.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Huang Xi went ahead and hopped on the horse. He ordered the chariot to move the carriage and they left for the pce.


    Huang Xi escorted Ai Fen to her chamber. However, before going back to work, he decided to speak about his feelings to Ai Fen.


    ¡°I would like to say something to the Second Princess,¡± Huang Xi said.


    Ai Fen looked at him and found he was hesitating a little. Ai Fen gestured to the maidservant to leave and now she was the only one around Huang Xi.


    ¡°What is it, Commander Huang Xi?¡± Ai Fen asked again.


    ¡°Umm... I want to say that I... I like the Second Princess,¡± Huang Xi said.


    Ai Fen¡¯s eyes grew big as she had not expected him to say such a thing to her.


    Ai Fen was unable to speak when Huang Xi told her not to feel ufortable because of that. ¡°I wanted to convey my feelings for a long time. I know I didn¡¯t confess in a special way, but confessing in a normal way is also memorable,¡± He said and smiled at her.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi, I do not like you,¡± Ai Fen stated.


    The smile on Huang Xi¡¯s lips disappeared instantly.


    ¡°I know. Her Highness does not need to say it¨C¡±


    ¡°I mean I will never like you that way,¡± Ai Fen proimed. She didn¡¯t want him to keep his hopes. She didn¡¯t want to keep him in dark.


    Huang Xi got saddened to hear that statement. He asked the reason for it.


    ¡°There is no reason,¡± Ai Fen replied. ¡°I hope that Commander Huang Xi stops liking me from now onward,¡± She asserted.


    It felt to Huang Xi like he was stabbed in his heart. Ai Fen straightforwardly refused to like him back. There was no reason for it either.


    ¡°I respect Her Highness¡¯ answer. Thank you for rifying for me,¡± Huang Xi said and lowered his eyes.


    ¡°Thank you for taking me to Chang Shi¡¯s ce,¡± Ai Fen said and descended the few stairs to go to the other side.


    Huang Xi watched her going away and sighed. He wanted to cry, but he could not in the middle of the work. He left for the barracks, but the entire day his mood was off. He even shouted at several soldiers when he didn¡¯t want to.


    In the evening, when he was ready to return to his residence, he encountered L¨®ng Wei at the pce gates.


    ¡°What happened? Did someone p you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, someone did p me,¡± Huang Xi said and walked past him. L¨®ng Wei frowned and turned around.


    ¡°Huang Xi! Stop there,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He took long strides towards him and asked Huang Xi if he would say something.


    ¡°I am rejected,¡± Huang Xi replied.


    ¡°What?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°I confessed to Princess Ai Fen my feelings,¡± Huang Xi said. ¡°But she told me she would never like me back. Prince L¨®ng Wei, it feels terrible. What should I do? I admired Princess Ai Fen from afar for many months,¡± Huang Xi said. It appeared to L¨®ng Wei that he would cry at any time.


    ¡°Why did she say so?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Princess Ai Fen didn¡¯t give me any reason,¡± Huang Xi replied. ¡°From her voice, it was apparent that she does not like me at all. Your Highness, am I lovesick? I even shouted at the soldiers,¡± he said.


    ¡°Are you serious about her?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°I do not know. It would be wrong if I pursue Princess Ai Fen,¡± Huang Xi stated.


    ¡°Why?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned.


    ¡°Because she clearly told me she would never like me. I cannot force my feelings on Princess Ai Fen. I think I will focus more on my strength or find other ways to remove her thoughts from my mind,¡± Huang Xi asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed and told him to go home safely. Huang Xi thanked L¨®ng Wei for listening to him and left for his house.


    L¨®ng Wei thought to ask Ai Fen once. Huang Xi was his dear friend and he wanted to help him before he would leave.


    When he reached outside Ai Fen¡¯s chamber, he asked a servant to inform the Princess about his visit.


    In a minute, the maidservant walked outside and humbly told L¨®ng Wei to go in.

 Chapter 574 - 574 I want his happiness

    574 I want his happiness


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei never came to see me before,¡± Ai Fen said. ¡°Will he like to drink the tea?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Thank you for asking, but I will not take the tea,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°I am here to ask something from the Second Princess,¡± He asserted.


    ¡°What does Brother L¨®ng Wei want to ask me?¡± Ai Fen was curious to know.


    ¡°Princess Ai Fen, Huang Xi did a lot for me for the past few months. He has been a great friend to me. I would like to know why did Princess Ai Fen reject his feelings? I never saw him this low,¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t beat around the bush and directly asked her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know Commander Huang Xi would go to Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Ai Fen said with a slight annoyance in her tone.


    ¡°Huang Xi didn¡¯te to me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°We met at the pce gates. I asked him why he looked low. Then, he told me. I merely want to know the reason so that he would not be lost for more time. As Princess Ai Fen knows that I am leaving tomorrow evening, so before that, I want to make sure that everything turns out well,¡± L¨®ng Wei exined to her.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei never gets interested in other people¡¯s matters,¡± Ai Fen said.


    ¡°For my people I do. The people who always believed me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. ¡°Is it because Huang Xi refused Jingfei¡¯s feelings that Princess Ai Fen say that to him?¡± He himself gave the reason and waited for Ai Fen¡¯s response.


    ¡°Yes. I think Huang Xi doesn¡¯t respect the feelings of a person. So, I don¡¯t like him. I will be d if Brother L¨®ng Wei tells Commander Huang Xi,¡± Ai Fen affirmed.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°Princess Ai Fen should have been truthful to him. I won¡¯t tell him since he will get hurt,¡± he asserted and stood up to leave.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t consider me as his sister. He epted everyone around him,¡± Ai Fen said with a bothered look.


    ¡°I have epted everyone around me. That¡¯s why the royal family is alive,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and walked out of the chamber.


    He reached his manor soon and saw Li Hua sitting at the stairs outside the manor. She had a stick in her hand and was drawing a random figure on the ground.


    She saw L¨®ng Wei¡¯s feet and raised her head.


    ¡°What are you doing outside?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her and approached her. He bent a little and ced his hands on her arms before pulling her up.


    ¡°I was waiting for His Highness,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Outside?¡± He arched his eyebrow and asked her where Nuan Xi was.


    ¡°I sent her to take some rest as she was not feeling well,¡± Li Hua said and scooped her arm around L¨®ng Wei¡¯s arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside. We need to pack our stuff,¡± she said and dragged him inside.


    L¨®ng Wei saw that Li Hua had already made three stacks of different kinds of outfits.


    ¡°The first stack of clothes will be used when His Highness needs to go out on some special asions; the second stack has those outfits which His Highness will wear in everyday life and the third stack has those set of attires which he will wear at the night time,¡± Li Hua exined to him.


    ¡°You already prepared so much,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and asked her what about her clothes.


    ¡°My outfits are in my chamber,¡± Li Hua replied.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed and hung his arm around her. He pulled her close and said, ¡°It will be fun to live away from the troubles. I was thinking if we should start thinking of having kids. What do you say?¡±


    Li Hua yfully hit L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chest. ¡°After I turn neen we can have kids,¡± Li Hua stated and blushed.


    ¡°That¡¯s not far,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and kissed her cheek. He hooked his hand around her neck and turned her face to his.


    He sucked her bottom lip and then her upper lip, kissing her deeply. Li Hua wrapped her arms around his neck when he lifted her and walked into the bedchamber.


    On the bed, Li Hua had her arms on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s chest while his hand was in her hair.


    ¡°What did Prince L¨®ng Wei do outside?¡± Li Hua inquired.


    ¡°I went to the administrative office first with Brother Mingquan to tell him about the work. Later, I was with Feng Lao and Xiwan,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Feng Lao will apany us,¡± L¨®ng Wei told his decision of taking Feng Lao with him to Li Hua. She was stunned to hear him as she thought he would not let anyonee with them except his father.


    ¡°Why?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°Because he asked me to,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t refuse him as it seemed to me a better choice to take him with us,¡± He reasoned.


    ¡°So, we four people will be going on this journey,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°I thought if Feng Lao stayed here, Princess Xiaolian might have a chance with him,¡± Li Hua murmured.


    ¡°Xiaolian isn¡¯t suited for Feng Lao,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°How can Prince L¨®ng Wei say that?¡± Li Hua inquired.


    ¡°Because I know Feng Lao better than you do,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Really?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°What if that night I got engaged to him?¡± Li Hua asked him with a smirk.


    ¡°Then, I would have made sure to break it,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated, ¡°I didn¡¯t have let you marry him. You might have hated me then.¡±


    ¡°His Highness is right. I might have hated him if he forced me that time,¡± Li Hua agreed with him.


    ¡°Yuze would have helped me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Father didn¡¯t like the pce,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Qiu Zedong forced him not to let his daughter marry me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°If everything would be alright, Yuze had convinced his student, Xu Guang Li, to give your hand to me in the marriage,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°My father used to say everything happens for a reason. I realized the essence of that statement when I married Prince L¨®ng Wei. Sometimes, I feel, I did wrong with Feng Lao,¡± Li Hua suddenly turned upset.


    ¡°Feng Lao also did wrong by staying quiet. But when ites to family even the most honest person has to turn quiet,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°We talked about his life today. Feng Lao told a lot of things to me. I was also harsh at him in the beginning. He is a man of principles. I want his happiness, which is the main reason I want him to apany us on this journey,¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced with a smile.

 Chapter 575 - 575 Became my destiny [Bonus chapter]

    575 Became my destiny [Bonus chapter]


    Qizhen was standing in front of the portrait of Yu Jun. He looked at the table on which heid the white lotuses, the favorite flowers of Yu Jun. His eyes were misty and he rubbed his eyes. He stared at her for a while before stepping out of the room and closing the door.


    As he returned to his chamber, he went to the pavilion, where he found Hei Chengxi.


    Hei Chengxi bowed to see him and smiled.


    ¡°Did you wait for long?¡± Qizhen inquired.


    ¡°I came a few minutes ago,¡± Hei Chengxi replied. ¡°Tomorrow His Highness will go leave with Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Yes. I want to spend time with my son,¡± Qizhen replied and opened his arms to hug Hei Chengxi. He hugged Qizhen back.


    ¡°You have been a great friend all these years,¡± Qizhen said and told Hei Chengxi to not be formal with him.


    ¡°I am d I kept my faith that you were alive,¡± Hei Chengxi stated and they withdrew from the hug. ¡°Is Prince L¨®ng Wei good to you?¡± he used an informal tone as Qizhen had asked for.


    ¡°He is. L¨®ng Wei has acknowledged me as his father. I have a deep regret, Hei Chengxi. Yu Jun bore a lot of torture for L¨®ng Wei and I could not do anything. Sometimes, I feel I should have been dead. After conversing with the three of the concubines of my younger brother, I cannot exin the pain inside me. She never smiled once at L¨®ng Wei. It must be torturous for her,¡± Qizhen asserted.


    .....


    ¡°I wanted Lady Yu to run away the day Zedong sent me to bring her to the pce. Lady Yu refused. I should not have listened to her,¡± Hei Chengxi said and he scrunched his brows.


    ¡°Yu Jun knew that Zedong would find her. It could have brought your life in danger along with your family,¡± Qizhen stated and sighed.


    ¡°The past has gone. Lady Yu¡¯s decision somewhere helped L¨®ng Wei grow only. It was all destined from the beginning,¡± Hei Chengxi concluded. Qizhen agreed with his deduction.


    ¡°Will you take retirement from the position of the General?¡± Qizhen asked.


    ¡°Yes. It is the time when other capable young men should get such prestigious positions. I have told my decision to the Crown Prince,¡± Hei Chengxi stated.


    ¡°That is great. You should spend quality time with your family,¡± Qizhen said with a wide smile.


    ¡°I wanted to apany you all, but I think that my presence will be needed here the most. Huang Xi has yet to learn a lot of things. Then, I need to train my younger son as well so that in future he would serve the Kingdom,¡± Hei Chengxi informed Qizhen.


    ¡°You took a good decision. Huang Xi is of marriageable age. Did you start looking for a suitable woman for him?¡± Qizhen asked.


    ¡°I need to ask him first,¡± Hei Chengxi replied.


    ¡°Huang Xi is amander currently. What if he bes the General? Did you propose his name to the Crown Prince?¡± Qizhen inquired.


    ¡°Huang Xi is not suitable to be in the General¡¯s position. I think he needs a lot of guidance as he sometimes makes mistakes. I proposed some other names to the Crown Prince,¡± Hei Chengxi answered.


    ¡°You are a great father. You already know where your sonsck and what they need to improve,¡± Qizhen stated with a smile.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei still has many enemies. The nobles were once loyal to Qiu Zedong. Did you think anything regarding this?¡± Qizhen asked.


    ¡°I did. I even had a discussion with the Crown Prince rted to it. He assured me that he and Prince Mingquan would find such people before their return. We cannot eliminate such people from society,¡± Qizhen asserted.


    ¡°Father is so kind. When are you going to throw away your kindness?¡± L¨®ng Wei pronounced. Both Qizhen and Hei Chengxi turned around to gaze at him. They saw he had a scroll in his hand and he approached them.


    ¡°It is important to eliminate the weeds before they harm the useful crops,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and looked at Hei Chengxi.


    ¡°Kill such nobles. There is no need to keep believing in them thinking one day they will change. A leopard never changes its spots,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, if we kill such nobles, then those families will hate us. Their children will hate us as well. The vicious cycle of killing each other will never end,¡± Qizhen advised him.


    ¡°Why did you not send my mother to a safe ce when you knew what your end would be?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned.


    ¡°I thought she would be safe in her house. No one knew about us, except the Yu Family,¡± Qizhen replied.


    ¡°Yu Wenyan betrayed you. If you had not believed the Yu family, she did not have to bear the torture here,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed. He knew those words would hurt Qizhen, but he wanted him to see with open eyes. ¡°Does Father know what was more tortuous for mother?¡± He asked.


    Qizhen remained silent.


    ¡°Pretending to hate me till herst breath. If only, you had not trusted her family that day, everything would have been different today. It was not my destiny to walk on this path. Yuze carved a different path for me which became my destiny,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei should not be harsh with his words toward his father,¡± Hei Chengxi stated.


    ¡°Why?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°Because he is your father,¡± Hei Chengxi replied. ¡°He is already in guilt because of his past,¡± he stated. Qizhen asked him to stop.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. ¡°I am merely stating the facts. I do not my father to act more foolishly. Trust does not happen if someone speaks a few sweet words. Also, truth is always bitter,¡± he affirmed and looked at his father.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, you grew up very quickly. I am proud to have you as my son. You are right. I should not act foolishly anymore,¡± Qizhen said.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed and handed him the scroll. ¡°I met the Crown Prince whileing here. He has given this for you,¡± he said.


    Qizhen took the scroll from L¨®ng Wei and opened it. He read the message when L¨®ng Wei asked him what did the message say.


    ¡°It is rted to the kingdom,¡± Qizhen said and folded the thick paper.

 Chapter 576 - 576 An undefeatable blade

    576 An undefeatable de


    L¨®ng Wei and Hei Chengxi walked out of Qizhen¡¯s manor. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei should understand the pain of his father. For ten years, he was not in his right mind. Things were not easy for him. He had no way toe here,¡± Hei Chengxi elucidated to L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I understand him better, Hei Chengxi,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and he halted at his ce.


    Hei Chengxi stopped in front of him and turned around. ¡°He misses Lady Yu,¡± Hei Chengxi said, ¡°if his son keeps making him feel guilty, then it can affect him mentally.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for telling me that,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and walked ahead when Hei Chengxi held his arm.


    ¡°Do you want to argue with me? I know how to take my rtionship with my father. You do not need to guide me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I am your well-wisher, Prince L¨®ng Wei. I merely want you to be polite with your father,¡± Hei Chengxi stated.


    ¡°I told my father how tough it is for me to change my tone. This is the way I have grown up,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and yanked his arm from Hei Chengxi¡¯s grip. ¡°I have no intention to make my father guilty. I want him not to be too kind. He still sees goodness in the people, especially those people, who can be our enemies,¡± he exined to Hei Chengxi.


    ¡°Do you have anything more to say?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    Hei Chengxi shook his head.


    .....


    ¡°You were always responsible in your duty. Enjoy your family time from tomorrow onward,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°After spending time in the ce where Monk Yuze grew up, where will Prince L¨®ng Wei head to?¡± Hei Chengxi inquired.


    ¡°I have not decided yet,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei needs to talk with the locals around him. He has to keep in mind that not everyone can like his way of talking,¡± Hei Chengxi advised him.


    ¡°I will keep it in mind,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Hei Chengxi looked at the sword that he had brought with him. He forwarded it to L¨®ng Wei and said, ¡°I give this to Prince L¨®ng Wei.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you give this to Huang Xi? He is your son and he will like it,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested to him. ¡°Moreover, I do not even talk respectfully with you,¡± he remarked.


    ¡°This sword is bestowed to me by my grandfather when I was five years old. He told me if I find any suitable person for this sword, then I must hand it to that person. I want to give it to Prince L¨®ng Wei.¡± Hei Chengxi¡¯s lips had a tiny smile on them and his eyes carried a lot of hope for L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei could not refuse it and took it from him. He found how heavy the sword was and its design was unique. ¡°Did you fight the battles with this sword?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Hei Chengxi said.


    ¡°I had heard that enemies used to call General Hei¡¯s sword an undefeatable de,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smile. Hei Chengxi nodded at him. He beheld the sword and continued to smile.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, be a great son to your father,¡± Hei Chengxi stated.


    ¡°I will,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and thanked him to find him suitable for that sword.


    ~~~~~~~~


    Qiu Mu heard Xiwan speak and turned to look at him. ¡°Someone has seen Cha Ying?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Prince Mu,¡± Xiwan replied.


    ¡°Where?¡± Qiu Mu asked.


    ¡°She left for Dongqing town in a cart. I have brought the person who drives the cart,¡± Xiwan asserted.


    ¡°Where is he?¡± Qiu Mu asked with desperation.


    Xiwan turned to the door and asked the person toe inside. A middle-aged man walked in with two soldiers behind him. He bowed to Qiu Mu, who asked him to tell him everything.


    The middle-aged man exined everything to Qiu Mu, who smiled to hear that. He asked the man to leave and looked at Xiwan.


    ¡°We need to head to Dongqing,¡± Qiu Mu stated.


    ¡°Chang Shi and I can go there tomorrow morning, Your Highness,¡± Xiwan said.


    ¡°No. I will go there to find Cha Ying,¡± Qiu Mu asserted.


    ¡°Prince Mu, Miss Kang might have changed her location. So, first, let us confirm. Dongqing is not far from Qinping. So, if we find Miss Kang in that town, we will send a message to His Highness,¡± Xiwan suggested to Qiu Mu.


    Qiu Mu agreed to Xiwan. ¡°Do not let her find out that you and Chang Shi are searching for her,¡± Qiu Mu asserted.


    ¡°Miss Kang hardly knows about us,¡± Xiwan said with a smile and bowed to him.


    ¡°Thank you, Xiwan. Please express my gratitude to Chang Shi as well,¡± Qiu Mu said.


    ¡°I will. Prince Mu should thank Prince L¨®ng Wei. He is the one, who told us to ask those people who drive either carriages or carts,¡± Xiwan said. He again bowed to Qiu Mu and left the chamber.


    ¡°I cannot believe that L¨®ng Wei has turned into such a good human or he was always good. It is just I failed to see that,¡± Qiu Mu murmured and called in a maidservant. He asked her to bring the overcoat, which she did. After he put on the overcoat, he left to see L¨®ng Wei.


    Qiu Mu could have gone tomorrow, but because tomorrow was the coronation ceremony of the next king, he decided to meet L¨®ng Wei in the evening only. Soon, he reached outside the manor of L¨®ng Wei and walked in.


    To his surprise, L¨®ng Wei came after him and asked him why he was in his manor.


    Qiu Mu turned around and marched toward L¨®ng Wei in happiness. ¡°Cha Ying is in Dongqing town. Thank you, L¨®ng Wei,¡± He said.


    ¡°But I did nothing,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated with slight confusion.


    ¡°Xiwan told me how you asked them to interrogate the drivers of the local carriages and carts,¡± Qiu Mu asserted.


    ¡°I hope you will find her soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Before he could speak further, they both heard a feminine voice. They both turned to look at the servant, who was from Xiuying¡¯s manor.


    ¡°Consort Xiuying wants to see the Sixth Prince,¡± the maidservant informed L¨®ng Wei. He furrowed his brows together while Qiu Mu gazed at him.

 Chapter 577 - 577 I am not used to it [Bonus chapter]

    577 I am not used to it [Bonus chapter]


    Qiu Mu thought to apany L¨®ng Wei and left with him for Xiuying¡¯s manor. The servants let them in.


    Xiuying was seated on the broad chair with her puffy eyes.


    ¡°Consort Xiuying, the Sixth Prince is here,¡± the courtdy informed her and stepped back.


    Xiuying lifted her head and found the two princes in front of her. Qiu Mu got worried when he looked at his mother¡¯s face.


    ¡°Why does the respected Consort call me at this hour?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked with a sarcastic tone.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, can you not forgive my husband? He kept you alive all these years, so he should live. Don¡¯t you think? Please be kind to the person whom you once called father,¡± Xiuying pleaded with L¨®ng Wei and stood up from her ce.


    ¡°Consort Xiuying is pleading in front of the wrong person,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and turned to leave.


    ¡°Make your dear mother understand and tell her why her husband cannot be forgiven,¡± L¨®ng Wei told Qiu Mu.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, but you alsomitted so many crimes. Still, everyone forgave you,¡± Xiuying argued and stepped up.


    .....


    ¡°Mother, please don¡¯t say anything to Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Mu said and walked up to his mother.


    L¨®ng Wei left the chamber as Xiuying started to curse him.


    ¡°Mother should not behave this way. Father was the one who manipted L¨®ng Wei for a long time. Did you not hear how Father asked L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother to get killed with her son¡¯s hands?¡± He questioned his mother and Xiuying started weeping profusely.


    Qiu Mu caressed his mother¡¯s arms and asked her to calm down. ¡°How can I calm down? My husband will soon¡ª¡± her voice choked when Qiu Mu asked the servant to hand him the water ss.


    As he forwarded the ss to his mother, she threw it away. ¡°You should have killed L¨®ng Wei instead of supporting him. He isn¡¯t supposed to live. Because of him, I will lose my husband. Don¡¯t you love your mother?¡± Xiuying asked and quickly took out a porcin bottle that contained poison in it.


    ¡°Feed it to L¨®ng Wei. He must die and then¡ª¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡± Qiu Mu shouted at her as he took a step back. The courtdy was terrified to hear his voice, and so was the other servant. He snatched the bottle from her.


    ¡°Who gave you this? Where did you bring it?¡± Qiu Mu demanded answers from his mother.


    ¡°Is that important?¡± Xiuying queried him. ¡°You always were afraid of L¨®ng Wei. We all were! See what he did today. Everyone is listening to him, but my son should not. It is the time you should prove to your father how loyal you are to him,¡± Xiuying elucidated Qiu Mu and rested her hand on his cheek. ¡°Once your father is out of prison, he will surely make you the King,¡± she asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei, who still was in the chamber because he wanted to say something to Xiuying, overheard their conversation. He remained hidden behind the pir and wondered what Qiu Mu¡¯s answer would be.


    ¡°Mother, how can you think this way?¡± Qiu Mu snickered.


    ¡°I despised L¨®ng Wei from the bottom of my heart. I once even tried to kill him. However, with time, that hatred started to diminish. L¨®ng Wei got on everyone¡¯s nerves. But when he said that he didn¡¯t want to expose the father¡¯s truth because he always saw him as a father figure, I realized what kind of person he was. He didn¡¯t want this royal family to break down. He even forgot his mother¡¯s pain but Father exceeded the limits of his crime. He killed the Monk, who was the only person dear to L¨®ng Wei. If you and I were at his ce, would we not want Father to be punished?¡±


    Qiu Mu¡¯s exnation silenced Xiuying. More tears rolled down her cheeks.


    ¡°The worst crime Father did was captivating a woman against her choice. I have many faults in me, but I will never support such a crime. I cannot, mother. This is thest time I let you go unpunished. Let Brother L¨®ng Wei experience his share of happiness. Also, think from a woman¡¯s perspective. Empathize with the situation of L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother and let justice be served,¡± Qiu Mu affirmed and looked at the courtdy. She came forward and took Xiuying to the bedchamber.


    Qiu Mu turned around and saw L¨®ng Wei. ¡°You didn¡¯t leave!¡± He eximed in astonishment.


    ¡°I wanted to say something to Prince Mu¡¯s mother,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Forgive her. She is emotional,¡± Qiu Mu said. He was a little embarrassed that L¨®ng Wei heard his conversation with his mother.


    ¡°Should I call my mother?¡± Qiu Mu asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not needed anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°Prince Mu already answered on my behalf,¡± he stated.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, are you alright?¡± Qiu Mu inquired. ¡°I never asked you this before, but I would like to know. Why did you respect my father more than your mother? If I had been at your ce, I would have killed him,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Because the truth was hidden from me. I found out the truth after Yuze died. My mother and I cannot share that bond of a mother and child, so I do not understand it either. Maybe that¡¯s why I was always disobedient to her,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°All of us princes are with you. We will protect you. Forgive us for hurting you when you were already broken,¡± Qiu Mu said.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t know what to say in that situation.


    Qiu Mu walked up to him and hugged L¨®ng Wei, thus startling him. He patted his back and said, ¡°Forgive me, L¨®ng Wei. I did so wrong to you. I always judged you and said some harsh words to you. Forgive me for everything wrong I did to you.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei pulled away from the hug. ¡°I have forgiven you. You don¡¯t need to hug me,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I do not have any disease. Being your elder brother I thought to hug you,¡± Qiu Mu asserted and arched his left brow.


    ¡°I am not used to it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°I should take my leave,¡± and he left for his manor.

 Chapter 578 - 578 Is this what we call a family?

    578 Is this what we call a family?


    Xu Zifan looked at the luggage that Feng Lao had decided to take with him on the journey.


    ¡°I will miss your presence,¡± Xu Zifan said and settled on the floor chair. He ced the box which had a green silk cloth wrapped around it. ¡°Jingfei has made the rice cakes and some sweets for you.¡±


    ¡°Where is she? Is she still in the pce?¡± Feng Lao asked.


    ¡°Yes. Her brother has been coronated today, so she decided to spend some time in with her brother and sister-inw,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    Feng Lao told Xu Zifan to thank Jingfei for the special meal. ¡°Do you have something to say to me?¡± He then asked.


    Xu Zifan nodded. ¡°Will you be happy seeing Li Hua with Prince L¨®ng Wei all the time? Do not take me wrong. I only want to know if¡ª¡± he could not finish his words as Feng Lao interrupted him.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, I admire Li Hua. But I also know she cannot be mine and I havepletely let go of her from my heart,¡± Feng Lao asserted. He had told Xu Zifan about this earlier too, but he could understand that as a brother and a friend, he was slightly concerned.


    ¡°If you had been in the capital with us, probably you would have found a suitable woman for you,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    Feng Lao smiled a little. ¡°Would you have set me up with a woman through a matchmaking agency?¡± He inquired.


    .....


    ¡°Yes. You already have rejected Princess Xiaolian feelings. Li Hua told me how upset Princess Xiaolian was because of you. You should not hurt a woman¡¯s heart this way,¡± Xu Zifan scolded him.


    Feng Laoughed and said, ¡°Xu Zifan, I stated the fact. I am not the type of the person, who would easily fall in love. You know this well.¡±


    Xu Zifan hummed. ¡°Protect Li Hua and Prince L¨®ng Wei. They are your responsibility and also take good care of yourself. Sleep well, eat well, and be happy,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I will. Since the truth is out, I am not guilty anymore. However, I do miss my family sometimes,¡± Feng Lao said and fidgeted with his fingers while looking at his palm.


    ¡°The void cannot be filled ever. Perhaps we had to see this side of life too,¡± Xu Zifan said. ¡°Let¡¯s not be upset before your departure,¡± he added.


    Feng Lao smiled when they heard a voice from the door. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Huang Xi asked as he walked into the room and stopped a meter away from the floor table.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is set to leave. He sent me to bring you,¡± Huang Xi said.


    Both Feng Lao and Xu Zifan stood up from the floor chairs. Two servants walked in and carried the luggage to the carriage.


    ¡°There is time for the sun to set,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei decided to leave before sunset,¡± Huang Xi stated.


    Feng Lao picked up the box and walked out of the room with Xu Zifan and Huang Xi.


    ~~~~~~~


    In the pce, L¨®ng Wei was with Xiaoming on the pce grounds.


    ¡°How do I look?¡± Xiaoming asked. ¡°Do I look like a king?¡±


    L¨®ng Wei hummed. ¡°This Dragon¡¯s robe was made for you only. Don¡¯t you know you were born king?¡± He amusedly smiled at him.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, I still think that you are born to be the King. Please do not deny it. I contemted the entire night before the coronation and I realized that Ick in many aspects. You grew up earlier than all of us mentally,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    ¡°You are wrong, Your Majesty,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I am not patient like you. Also, I was not ready to give justice to anyone who suffered because of Qiu Zedong. Unlike you, I do not easily ept my faults. That is why I cannot be the King,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed and he took a step toward Xiaoming.


    cing his hands on Xiaoming¡¯s arms, L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°Take righteous decisions from now on. No one is happier than me to see you as the King. Have faith in yourself. Lastly, do not ever think that I am superior to the other princes.¡± He lowered his arms slowly and looked at the way toward the imperial pce gates.


    ¡°We should go. Everyone is waiting for me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and turned to walk ahead. Xiaoming followed him and they soon reached the pce gates.


    Every prince and princess was present there. Li Hua and Qizhen had already stepped into the separate carriages. Only L¨®ng Wei and Feng Lao were on the ground.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, are you sure to go without any trained soldiers?¡± Qiu Mu asked out of concern.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He bowed to them and looked at them. ¡°I will return soon because it is my home,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted and walked toward the carriage. He stepped inside and a soldier closed the door. Feng Lao into the same carriage in which Qiu Qizhen was present.


    Jin Yu stood next to Xiaoming and asked him if he would send some soldiers with L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°He does not want people to find out and bring attention toward him. He will be safe. Do not worry,¡± Xiaoming said with a smile.


    Jin Yu acknowledged Xiaoming¡¯s decision and saw Li Hua had opened the carriage¡¯s window. She waved at them as they started to move. Jin Yu walked ahead and waved with her both hands to Li Hua.


    Seeing Jin Yu doing this, the others copied her.


    ¡°Li Hua, we will wait for all of your return,¡± Jin Yu said loudly and soon the carriage disappeared from their sight.


    Li Hua pulled her head in and closed the window. She looked at L¨®ng Wei with teary eyes. ¡°I turned emotional. Is His Highness not feeling sad?¡± Li Hua asked.


    L¨®ng Wei nodded at her and quickly came to her side. He sat next to her and said, ¡°I have left the pce many times, but this was the first time I felt they all wanted me not to go. It is a strange feeling. Is this what we call a family?¡±

 Chapter 579 - 579 This painful death [Bonus chapter]

    579 This painful death [Bonus chapter]


    Sun Fuguo pulled away the dragon¡¯s robe and hung it on the wooden hanger. He turned to Xiaoming and removed the crown from above his head.


    ¡°Your Majesty, the Queen Mother has requested His Majesty to allow her to see her husband in prison,¡± Sun Fuguo asserted with his head low.


    Xiaoming wore a white overcoat with golden borders at all ends, and said, ¡°Bring the Queen Mother to prison.¡± Sun Fuguo bowed and left to inform Zhu Liling about it.


    Xiaoming knew that his father¡¯s death was near. On thest day, he had gone to see Qiu Zedong and got to know from the soldier that L¨®ng Wei fed poison to Qiu Zedong. Xiaoming did not question L¨®ng Wei as he knew it was L¨®ng Wei¡¯s right to punish Qiu Zedong.


    Soon, Xiaoming reached the prison where his father was captivated. The soldier bowed and opened the lock on the door. Xiaoming walked in and saw his father lying on the ground.


    His lips had turned purple and beside him, the earthen pot was broken. Xiaoming walked up to his father and got on his knees. Qiu Zedong gradually opened his eyes, but his vision was blurry. He focused hard and finally recognized Xiaoming.


    ¡°Y-you¡­ wh-why did youe?¡± Qiu Zedong asked.


    ¡°I cannot believe this is your end,¡± Xiaoming said. He wanted to show mercy to his father, but he was tied with his duty too. He could not let injustice happen. He could not break L¨®ng Wei¡¯s trust in him either.


    Xiaoming helped his father sit up and asked the soldier to bring water.


    .....


    ¡°It is painful,¡± Qiu Zedong said.


    Xiaoming¡¯s eyes turned teary to hear his father. ¡°Father wanted to give this poison to L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother,¡± he stated. ¡°Only if you had stopped, today this day we would not have to see,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°I did it for all of you¡­ for my family,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    ¡°It was not for us, Father,¡± Xiaoming corrected him. ¡°We gained nothing. We lost you and also our trust in you has beenpletely broken,¡± he opined.


    Qiu Zedong nodded at him. ¡°I asked L¨®ng Wei to kill me, but he chose to give me this painful death to me. My bones start paining in the night and I see weird things. I cannot either drink water or eat. Xiaoming, just give me a death sentence. I need to leave this body,¡± he requested and held both of Xiaoming¡¯s hands.


    ¡°I cannot do it. I am not strong enough to decide your punishment,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Where is L¨®ng Wei? I would like to see him. He will definitely kill me,¡± Qiu Zedong stated.


    The soldier walked in with a servant, who carried an earthen pot and a ss. The soldier filled the ss with water and handed it to Xiaoming. He forwarded it to Qiu Zedong, who refused to drink.


    ¡°I am not thirsty,¡± Qiu Zedong said. The soldier and the servant left while Xiaoming ced the ss of water on the floor.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei has left the pce. He has gone on a journey with his wife and father. He wants to be in peace,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Qiu Zedong hummed and recalled hisst conversation with him.


    ¡°He told me he respected me the most. I did wrong to poison Yuze. I thought his death would stop L¨®ng Wei from getting out of my hands,¡± Qiu Zedong said and took a deep breath. He felt the sharp pain in his forehead and shut his eyes tightly.


    ¡°Tell L¨®ng Wei to forgive me. I was always impressed with the way he worked. I thought he was like me because he would kill anyone without any mercy. However, I was wrong. I failed to see the soft spot he carried in him. Xiaoming, gi-give my message to L¨®ng Wei when he returns,¡± Qiu Zedong said and another stroke of sharp pain hit his head.


    He screamed for a few seconds which terrified Xiaoming. He caught his father¡¯s arms who was going to fall back. ¡°Father,¡± Xiaoming said with a stutter as he found he got unconscious. At that moment, Zhu Liling entered the prison and ran toward them.


    ¡°My husband!¡± Zhu Liling quickly got on her knees while crying and asked Xiaoming what happened to Qiu Zedong. The soldiers ran inside in fear.


    ¡°Bring Pang Yuxian!¡± Xiaoming ordered the servant and he patted the cheek of his father asking him to wake up. He was too terrified to check Qiu Zedong¡¯s pulse.


    ¡°Son, take your father to the chamber,¡± Zhu Liling said. Xiaoming did not listen to her because he knew his father was no more.


    Everything happened so quickly that Xiaoming could not understand anything. Pang Yuxian had arrived too. He checked Qiu Zedong and delivered the news to them with a gloomy face.


    Qiu Zedong was dead!


    Tears poured down Xiaoming¡¯s cheeks. The loud cries of his mother fell into his ears. This was not the way he had predicted his father¡¯s demise. But it was the karma of his deeds.


    ~~~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei stretched out his arms as he got out of the carriage. It was almost midnight, and they had already crossed Qinping¡¯s outer border.


    He turned and extended his hand to Li Hua who was still inside the carriage. She grabbed his hand, ced her foot on the footte, andnded on the ground.


    ¡°We will rest for four hours here and then will resume the journey,¡± L¨®ng Wei informed all of them. As they walked in, the resthouse owner weed them and told them he had already prepared the rooms for them.


    ¡°Send the dinner in every room,¡± L¨®ng Wei told him and then went upstairs with Li Hua. Qizhen looked around and asked the owner if the ce was safe.


    ¡°Yes, My Lord,¡± the owner said and asked them to follow the young man who was one of the workers in the rest house.


    ¡°The resthouse is safer,¡± Feng Lao informed Qizhen. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei already checked everything before deciding to choose this ce,¡± he asserted. Qizhen felt the assurance of Feng Lao¡¯s words and ascended the stairs.

 Chapter 580 - 580 Lost the trust, the affection

    580 Lost the trust, the affection


    Wee to Huiying City.


    L¨®ng Wei read on the board of the city¡¯s entrance, where they had finally arrived after traveling for three days. Their carriage was stopped by the soldiers at the city¡¯s checkpoint.


    L¨®ng Wei handed his royal que to the chief inspection officer and he immediately bowed to him.


    ¡°Are you really Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± The Chief inspection officer asked with bewilderment.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this que enough to prove that?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness,¡± the chief inspection officer said with a smile and returned the que to L¨®ng Wei. ¡°I am Wang Jin. It is my pleasure to meet Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± he said and formally greeted L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Wang Jin quickly turned to look ahead and told the soldiers to let the two carriages pass through the city gates.


    L¨®ng Wei put the que inside his pocket and thanked Wang Jin.


    .....


    ¡°Your Highness, may I know why you are here?¡± Wang Jin was interested to find the reason.


    ¡°You should do your work. There are many people waiting for you to check their identification,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. He didn¡¯t tell the real reason for his presence in Huiying city to Wang Jin.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Wang Jin said with a smile. L¨®ng Wei walked ahead and opened the door to get in. He closed it and the carriage moved forward.


    ¡°Are we finally in the Huiying City?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and asked her not to open the window.


    ¡°Why?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°Because people will find out that we are outsiders,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to tell them?¡± Li Hua queried.


    ¡°We are but we should not let unwanted attention,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Oh. But no one knows us. Does His Highness want us to keep our identities hidden?¡± Li Hua inquired.


    ¡°I do not want that. I want people not to disturb us. Can you understand what I mean?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. Li Hua shook her head and told him to borate.


    ¡°Later,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and saw her eyes were puffy. ¡°You could not sleep well thest night.¡± He was concerned for her.


    ¡°It is my first time traveling such a long distance. That¡¯s why I could not get a night of good sleep,¡± Li Hua stated. She could hear the street vendors shouting to sell their goods.


    ¡°Soon, we will reach our destination,¡± L¨®ng Wei told her and opened the window behind him which directed his gaze at the carriage¡¯s driver.


    ¡°How long will it take to reach the residence?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°More than half an hour, Your Highness,¡± the carriage¡¯s driver replied. L¨®ng Wei hummed and closed the window.


    ¡°I am starving,¡± Li Hua said and rested her hands on her belly.


    ¡°Wait for some time,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and looked to his left. The boxes of nuts that he had brought with him, he opened one of them. He took out the walnuts from it and closed the box. Breaking the walnuts¡¯ outer shells, he handed them to Li Hua.


    She ate them with great interest and put one of them in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mouth. He chewed it and smiled at her.


    ¡°Your Highness, I was thinking if we should keep our identity a secret. What if someone tries to attack us?¡± Li Hua raised a doubt.


    ¡°Li Hua, nothing will happen. We don¡¯t need to hide our identity. Also, the ce we will be living is beneath the hills of the great Shun mountains, the valley of peace,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°His Highness did not tell me about it,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°I thought to tell you when we would be in the valley,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°So, ahead of this city lies a valley where Monk Yuze was born and grew up,¡± Li Hua asked him to rify to her.


    ¡°The valley is known for nature-loving people with a calm environment. You will like the ce,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°We do not have to worry about anything here. When I used to ask Yuze, he would tell me about his birthce. I had a dream toe with him someday, but I never fulfilled it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and sighed.


    Li Hua rested her hand above his and caressed it. ¡°Good people¡¯s souls always watch us. Monk Yuze must be happy to see His Highness stepping in his birthce,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°If that¡¯s true, then Yuze will be proud of me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ~~~~~~


    Xiaoming was standing at the pavilion of the royal garden. He had his gaze on the white lotuses in theke when he heard a voice.


    He tilted his head and saw Jin Yu. ¡°What is His Majesty looking at?¡± She asked and turned her head to meet his gaze. She knew that Xiaoming was upset after Qiu Zedong passed away.


    No matter what crimes Qiu Zedongmitted, he was a father to Xiaoming. It was not easy to move on for him because from a young age, he looked up to his father.


    ¡°When we first came to this pce, I was five. Father took me here and showed me the lotuses in theke. I remember vividly how happy he was!¡± Xiaoming stated.


    Jin Yu had no words. She remained silent and held his hand.


    ¡°Jin Yu, my mother acts insanely. I didn¡¯t expect this to happen. I cannot even face her because she has started to despise me,¡± Xiaoming expressed his thoughts which he kept hidden from Jin Yu after his father¡¯s died.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jin Yu arched her eyebrows in concern. ¡°Why would the Queen Dowager despise you?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Because I did not support my father. I let him die. It is hard for me to exin to her,¡± Xiaoming said and tears formed in his eyes. He wanted to give justice to L¨®ng Wei and those numerous people who suffered because of Qiu Zedong. But in return, he had to pay a bigger price.


    He lost the trust, and affection of his mother.

 Chapter 581 - 581 Need to wash these with me [Bonus chapter]

    581 Need to wash these with me [Bonus chapter]


    Mingquan opened the window slightly and looked out of the second floor of the Nanxi pavilion.


    ¡°Your Highness, the merchant from Southes after three months. From the tip-off I received, Merchant Xiang smuggle the ivory and sell them in the ck market,¡± Li Tian informed Mingquan.


    They saw Xiang Qu entering with his men. Xiang Qu was more than six feet tall, so many vendors in the pavilion, looked shorter before him.


    ¡°We need to catch him red-handed,¡± Mingquan said and slowly closed the window.


    ¡°They will be sitting next to this room. The arrangement was madest night to make sure the conversation can be heard,¡± Li Tian stated. Mingquan brought his hand forward. His long sleeves touched his knees and he sat on the floor chair.


    He brought the teacup to his mouth and sipped a little. They heard heavy footsteps outside the room.


    Mingquan ced the teacup on the table and heard the door open of the adjacent room.


    ¡°Bring my favorite rice wine,¡± Xiang Qu said.


    Both Mingquan and Li Tian heard him speak.


    .....


    ¡°Xiang Qu was born poor and it is said that he usually enjoys the things thatmoners love because he was amoner once,¡± Li Tian exined to him, keeping his voice low.


    Mingquan hummed and they carefully listen to the conversation of Xiang Qu with the owner of the pavilion.


    ¡°How is the work going on?¡± Xiang Qu asked.


    ¡°We saw an increment in the tradest week.¡± For Mingquan and Li Tian, it was an unknown voice.


    ¡°There is good news, Merchant Xiang,¡± the same man said.


    ¡°Speak,¡± Xiang Qu allowed him.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is no longer the Governor. The Fourth Prince is appointed as the Governor of the capital. It will be easier for us to do trade from now onward. For the past two months, the revenue could not be generated well as Prince L¨®ng Wei had his eyes on most of those activities which weren¡¯t mentioned in the record-keeping book,¡± the man informed Xiang Qu, who smiled to hear him. He gulped the rice wine and plonked the teacup on the floor table.


    ¡°Recover the losses this time. I need five folds revenue,¡± Xiang Qu told the man.


    ¡°I will, Merchant Xiang,¡± the man said.


    They stayed in the room for some time before going out. Mingquan stood up from his ce and followed Xiang Qu apanied by Li Tian.


    As they descended the stairs, they were stopped by a troop of armed soldiers. The people present in the pavilion turned perplexed and some were terrified.


    ¡°What is going on here?¡± Xiang Qu roared when he heard someone stepping down from the stairs behind him.


    ¡°I am the new governor of Qinping, Qiu Mingquan.¡±


    Li Tianmanded the soldiers to take Xiang Qu and his men captive.


    Xiang Xu jumped from the wooden railing next to him and ran out of the pavilion.


    Mingquan took the sword from Li Tian and chased Xiang Qu.


    While running Xiang Qu hit an old woman, who was selling jujube. She fell to the ground and injured her hand. Mingquan quickly helped her and then looked ahead. He could not lose Xiang Qu and asked the nearby vendor to help the old woman.


    He stood up and ran as fast as he could behind Xiang Qu.


    While running, Mingquan told the people to get away from his way.


    Xiang Qu quickly took his right and entered the silk market. He looked behind while running and saw Mingquan was after him.


    ¡°How could he run so fast?¡± He muttered under his breath and turned to the left.


    Mingquan saw a cart of silk fabricing from the front. He jumped over it andnded on the other side of the ground. Quickly standing up, he went in the same way that Xiang Qu had headed.


    Mingquan came to a sudden halt as he reached a huge open field with silk fabrics hanging on the horizontal wooden sticks. Some were dyed in colors while others were white.


    Mingquan took deep breaths as he looked around.


    Xiang Qu was hiding far from him and peeked out to check on Mingquan. He quickly moved back when he saw Mingquan heading in the same way.


    Xiang Qu checked the around his belt and cursed himself for not carrying even a dagger. He could not be caught today as it took him years to be this rich.


    Mingquan slowly pulled the sword out as he saw the shoes and the next second he cut the pink fabric from the middle and pointed it at the neck.


    The wind blew and he saw a woman in front of him. She was startled by the sudden attack on her and her elbow hit the wooden stand behind her. Mingquan withdrew the sword as his brows furrowed to see a young woman.


    ¡°Ahh,¡± the young woman screamed. To prevent herself from falling, she caught Mingquan¡¯s arm. He could not bnce them and fell along with her.


    All the stands behind them started to fall while Xiang Qu quickly ran away after seeking that opportunity.


    Mingquan fell on the top of the young woman and he lifted his head to look ahead. Xiang Qu wasn¡¯t there. He quickly got up without caring about the woman on the ground.


    He stepped up to run in the other direction when the woman stopped him.


    Mingquan turned to face her and heard her, ¡°Mister, you destroyed my entire day¡¯s hard work.¡± She pointed at the fabrics that were fallen on the ground and got dirty.


    ¡°I apologize. I cannot talk to you now,¡± Mingquan said and turned to go away when the woman grasped his hand tightly.


    Mingquan asked him to let her go but she shook her head.


    ¡°You must pay for this. I will be scolded if master Lee sees it,¡± the young woman said.


    Mingquan quickly put his hand inside his inner pocket and handed her the pouch full of coins. ¡°I think it will suffice this loss. The coins are of gold,¡± Mingquan said and pulled his hand back.


    The young woman chuckled and grabbed him by his cor. ¡°You need to wash these with me, Mister,¡± the young woman said.


    ¡°Miss, I cannot¨C¡± Before he could finish off his words, the young woman dragged him along with her.

 Chapter 582 - 582 I am the Princess of a far kingdom!

    582 I am the Princess of a far kingdom!


    Mingquan clenched his fist and his grip tightened around the hilt of the sword when the woman pushed him into a wash house. No one ever angered him to this extent.


    He didn¡¯t like to use his power nor he liked to show it off, but he decided to do it. Because of the woman, he lost Xiang Qu and it irritated him.


    ¡°I am Qiu Mingquan. I will not hesitate to punish you if you try to intervene in my work,¡± Mingquan said with annoyance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. If you are the Fourth Prince, then I am the Princess of a far kingdom!¡± The woman said and looked away. She saw a bucket and handed it to him.


    ¡°Take it and pick those fabrics with me,¡± the woman said when Lee Shun walked inside the wash house.


    ¡°Your Highness?¡± Lee Shun was shocked to see Mingquan in the washhouse. ¡°What is His Highness doing here?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Ask your servant!¡± Mingquan said, ring at the young woman. He dashed out of the wash house.


    ¡°Is he really the Fourth Prince?¡± the woman asked.


    ¡°Yes. What did you do to anger the Fourth Prince, Lin Jiao?¡± Lee Shun asked her. ¡°And why all the fabrics on the ground? They all are dirty now. You have increased the work. I need to fulfill the order tomorrow anyhow.¡± He was worried and caught his head.


    .....


    ¡°I will wash them again. Please do not worry, Master Lee,¡± Lin Jiao assured him.


    ¡°Also, it is not my fault. The Fourth Prince pointed his sword at me!¡± Lin Jiao defended herself. However, Lee Shun didn¡¯t listen to her and told her that he would send some more helpers to help her.


    ¡°I will not pay you for this work,¡± Lee Shun walked out.


    Lin Jiao snickered and ced her hands on her waist. ¡°It all happened because of him. I never got scolded by Master Lee,¡± she murmured and sighed. She was supposed to go for another job after this one, but she would not be able to.


    She picked up the wooden tub and went out of the wash house. She collected fabrics in that tub and found three more helpers had joined them.


    On the other hand, Mingquanpletely lost Xiang Qu. He never felt this terrible and decided to return to his workce.


    However, to his surprise, Li Tian nabbed Xiang Qu and brought him to the governor¡¯s office.


    Mingquan was delighted to see it. ¡°I chased Xiang Qu. I saw himing out of the silk market,¡± Li Tian informed Mingquan before he could ask him about it.


    ¡°You did a great job,¡± Mingquan said and sat on the chair. He drank the water first and then looked at Xiang Qu.


    ¡°For the past two years, you have been smuggling ivory into the ck market. Your case will be transferred to the ministry of justice,¡± Mingquan said and leaned back on the chair.


    Xiang Qu didn¡¯t say anything in his defense. Li Tian had already called the royal inspector, who took away Xiang Qu.


    Li Tian turned to look at Mingquan and asked him if he should prepare the carriage for him.


    Mingquan refused and asked Li Tian if he would like to work till the early evening hours. Li Tian bowed and walked out of the office.


    ¡°She was one annoying woman,¡± Mingquan muttered under his breath.


    ~~~~~~


    In the evening, Lin Jiao finished her work when her friend waved at her, who was present at the shop.


    ¡°I went to see you at the restaurant but you were not there,¡± Ye Xin said.


    ¡°I got busy here,¡± Lin Jiao said and showed her the day¡¯s pay that she earned today.


    ¡°Ten teals?¡± Ye Xin was shocked. She thought Lin Jiao would earn more since she was working since the morning. They both walked ahead as Lin Jiao put the coins in her pocket.


    ¡°It was doomsday. I had to rewash the fabrics,¡± Lin Jiao said when Ye Xin stopped and grasped her hands.


    ¡°You got severe cracks on your hands,¡± Ye Xin said with a worried look. ¡°Why do you even work? Your father is the state minister,¡± she stated.


    Lin Jiao pulled her hands away. ¡°You know the reason. I made a bet with my father. I have to earn five hundred teals by the end of this month,¡± she stated and fisted her palms.


    ¡°Take it from me. I will ask my brother to give me some money and then you can show it to your father. You are a noble family woman. You aren¡¯t supposed to do all such work,¡± Ye Xin offered her help. This was the tenth time she told her this, but Lin Jiao would not hear her.


    ¡°I can even sell two jade rings and give the money to my father, but that will be considered cheating. I still have twenty more days. I will somehow earn that amount,¡± Lin Jiao confidently said.


    They both resumed walking again when they heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°Aish! What is he doing here?¡± Lin Jiao saw a young man who was on the opposite side of them and she quickly covered her face with her palm. ¡°Ye Xin, help me,¡± she said and ran away.


    Ye Xin tried to stop her when the man approached her.


    ¡°Why did Lin Jiao run away after seeing me?¡± Bai Jue asked.


    ¡°No. Lin Jiao didn¡¯t run away after seeing you,¡± Ye Xin lied.


    ¡°Ye Xin, can you give this to Lin Jiao?¡± Bai Jue asked and handed her a letter.


    Ye Xin made a weird face and then faked a smile. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give this to her? Lin Jiao will like it after taking it from your hands,¡± she suggested to Bai Jue.


    ¡°I am a little shy,¡± Bai Jue said.


    Ye Xin wanted to run away from there as soon as possible, so she acted of seeing her brother.


    ¡°Elder Brother!¡± She lifted her hand and told Bai Jue that she had to leave urgently. She, somehow left and decided to tell Lin Jiao tomorrow to talk to Bai Jue straightforwardly.

 Chapter 583 - 583 Lin Family’s Daughter [Bonus chapter]

    583 Lin Family¡¯s Daughter [Bonus chapter]


    Jin Yu took a deep breath and she stepped into the Queen Dowager¡¯s chamber. Earlier, Court Lady Hong advised Jin Yu not to trigger Zhu Liling. She kept that thought in her mind and walked in.


    Zhu Liling was seated with her face toward therge hemispherical window structure.


    ¡°Her Royal Highness the Queen Dowager, Her Majesty the Queen is here,¡± the maidservant informed Zhu Liling in a humble tone.


    Jin Yu wondered if Zhu Liling would give a response or not. After a minute, Zhu Liling asked, ¡°why is the Queen here?¡±


    ¡°Queen Mother, first, I would like to thank you for allowing me to see you,¡± Jin Yu said and bowed to her.


    Zhu Liling turned to face her and asked her to take a seat. Jin Yu settled on the floor chair.


    ¡°How does it feel like to be the Queen?¡± Zhu Liling questioned her.


    ¡°It is normal for me, Queen Mother,¡± Jin Yu replied.


    Zhu Liling sneered at her. ¡°The phoenix crown that I possessed looks good on you,¡± she stated while being informal to Jin Yu.


    .....


    ¡°Queen Mother, we all were distressed by the Royal Father¡¯s death.¡± Jin Yu didn¡¯t loop around to talk to Zhu Liling. She was a straightforward person.


    ¡°If the Queen hase to remind me what myte husband did, then she may leave,¡± Zhu Liling coldly said.


    ¡°The Queen Mother still has not realized what herte husband¡¯s crimes were. She should not forget that the former King destroyed many lives for his personal benefit,¡± Jin Yu expressed her thoughts.


    ¡°The Queen can leave. I have no interest in listening to her,¡± Zhu Liling asserted and looked away from her.


    ¡°I will leave if her royal highness answers my one query,¡± Jin Yu pronounced.


    ¡°Say it,¡± Zhu Liling allowed her.


    ¡°Why is the Queen Mother upset with her own son? Will hating the King bring her husband back? As the Queen Mother, she should understand her son better than anyone. My only request to the Queen Mother is not to despise her son,¡± Jin Yu stated and stood up. She bowed and turned around to leave.


    She walked out of the chamber and twitched her lips. ¡°Why is she behaving strangely? She is too invested in her husband,¡± Jin Yu mumbled and thought if she should keep an eye on the Queen.


    Inside the chamber, Zhu Liling called in her most trustable servant.


    ¡°I want you to arrange a poison. Be careful while performing the task,¡± Zhu Liling stated.


    ¡°Yes, Your Royal Highness.¡± The woman said and bowed.


    Zhu Liling told her the name of the poison that she needed and asked her to deliver it by tomorrow evening. The servant left the chamber while Zhu Liling rubbed her fingers together.


    ~~~~~~~


    Mingquan went to see his mother in her chamber. After formally greeting her, Mingquan took a seat.


    ¡°How is mother doing?¡± He asked with a worried tone.


    ¡°That is one tough question to answer,¡± Ruoxi replied and ced a gold que in front of him on the table. Mingquan confusedly looked at her and asked her about it.


    ¡°I want you to meet the daughter of the state minister,¡± Ruoxi said and told him that the gold que belonged to his family.


    ¡°Mother knows well that I am not ready to marry,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to marry tomorrow,¡± Ruoxi rified to him. ¡°I ask you to meet Minister Lin¡¯s daughter,¡± she affirmed. She told him how the Lin family helped her father andter her when she married Qiu Zedong.


    ¡°So, mother wants to return the favor to the Lin Family,¡± Mingquan deduced.


    ¡°For that, Prince Mingquan has to agree to the marriage. Currently, I want him to meet the Lin family¡¯s daughter. If he does not like her, then I will not ask him to move ahead with this proposal,¡± Ruoxi exined to her son.


    ¡°I will meet Lin¡¯s family daughter. When should I meet her? Did Minister Lin tell anything about this?¡± Mingquan asked.


    Ruoxi was delighted to hear the quick decision of her son. She thought he would argue with her for looking for a marriage proposal when he was not interested.


    ¡°Is Prince Mingquan free the day after tomorrow? In the morning, he can meet the Lin family¡¯s daughter,¡± Ruoxi opined.


    ¡°I will be free. Do I need to go to the Lin residence to see her?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°I will discuss the same with Minister Lin and inform you,¡± Ruoxi stated. Mingquan hummed and asked her why she didn¡¯t take her mealsst night.


    Ruoxi didn¡¯t expect that he would know about it. ¡°Eunuch Qi informed me. Mother should not neglect her health,¡± he said with a concerned look.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Prince Mingquan have dinner with me tonight?¡± Ruoxi suggested.


    ¡°Sure. I will dine with my mother,¡± Mingquan said with a smile.


    ¡°Earlier, in the day, Sister Xiuying told me that Prince Mingquan knew why L¨®ng Wei killed his mother. Yet, he didn¡¯t tell anyone. May I know?¡± Ruoxi inquired.


    ¡°Because he would be dead then,¡± Mingquan instantly answered. ¡°Also, I would like to correct my mother,¡± he humbly said.


    Ruoxi knitted her brows to hear him.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t kill his mother. It was his mother who shoved the sword inside her. Because Brother L¨®ng Wei had held it and pulled it out, he told everyone that hemitted that grave sin. It was Father who nned all of this and forced L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother,¡± Mingquan said. He didn¡¯t like when anyone would say that L¨®ng Wei killed Yu Jun.


    ¡°I am out of words. I do not know what to say. On one hand, he was my husband, but on the other hand, he did so many wrong things,¡± Ruoxi asserted and lowered her head.


    ¡°I also detested L¨®ng Wei for a long time. But the day I found out about it, my heart melted and ached at the same time,¡± Ruoxi said and again looked at her son.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei never sees any of us as a threat. He wanted to live, but he paid a huge cost for that. My Late Father was vicious to him and his mother. So, I never liked my father. I want my mother to see L¨®ng Wei as her son when he returns to the pce,¡± Mingquan expressed his desire with a tiny smile.


    ¡°I will try,¡± Ruoxi assured her son.

 Chapter 584 - 584 At least a month

    584 At least a month


    Li Hua was standing on the patio of the residence. After resting for the entire day, she felt fresh. But because the rain was pouring, she could not go out. She did not either disturb L¨®ng Wei, who was still in bed.


    The valley of peace was a beautiful ce. The great mountain on one side and numerous hills surrounded the other sides of the valley. In the day, when they were on the way to the valley, it was covered in a mist. The valley was covered with greenery wherever a person¡¯s eyes would fall.


    Li Hua extended her hand out and the raindrops from the nted roof fell on her hand. She looked up at the sky and found it was still dark. A smile formed on her lips and she lowered her hand.


    She stood up from the top stair of the patio and locked her hands behind her back. ¡°I should cook dinner for everyone today,¡± she murmured. However, before Li Hua could turn around and she felt arms around her belly. She was pulled behind and she tilted her head over her shoulder.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei!¡± She whispered his name.


    His eyes were closed and his chin was resting above her shoulder. ¡°Why were you not on the bed?¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered.


    ¡°My sleep broke an hour ago,¡± Li Hua said.


    L¨®ng Wei opened his eyes and gazed at her. ¡°Why did you not wake me up? Did you enjoy the rain without me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei did not rest well for the past few days. I thought to let him rest more,¡± Li Hua replied and turned around. She rested her hands on his chest. ¡°This ce is like paradise. Earlier, the mist had appeared outside,¡± she stated.


    .....


    ¡°I agree with you. We will go outter after the rain stops,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and quickly kissed her lips. He then ced butterfly kisses over her cheeks, making her giggle.


    Li Hua pushed him gently and said, ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei should bathe. I already had a bath.¡±


    ¡°You should have waited for me. It has been long since we two bathed together,¡± L¨®ng Weiined and pulled his hands back. ¡°Did you ask the servant to prepare the bathhouse for me?¡± he inquired.


    ¡°I will do it now,¡± Li Hua said. ¡°I have decided to make dinner for everyone. What special His Highness would like to have in the dinner? Also, does he know what his father¡¯s favorite dinner meal is?¡± She asked curiously.


    ¡°I do not know what my father¡¯s favorite dinner meal is,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. ¡°For me, you can cook anything you want to,¡± he said.


    ¡°But aren¡¯t you tired?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    ¡°No. I feel fresh after sleeping since morning,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°I will help you with cooking,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Will you?¡± She was amused to know that he wanted to help her. ¡°To my knowledge, Prince L¨®ng Wei does not know cooking,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°It is the time I should learn it and be an ideal husband for you,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°But His Highness is already an ideal husband for me,¡± Li Hua affirmed.


    ¡°Not in my eyes. I do not know household chores and I have never cooked anything for you,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. Li Hua smiled to hear him and told him that she would wait for him.


    ¡°Take a bath and then we will head to the kitchen,¡± Li Hua said and told him that she would inform the servant first.


    ¡°I will do it. You should watch the rain,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and walked out of the room. When he entered the bathhouse, he found there were two bathtubs. He was a little confused and asked the servant about it.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness, but one of the bathhouses is under maintenance,¡± the house caretaker, Gu Peizhi, informed him. ¡°Feng Lao also asked me to prepare the hot water in the bathhouse for him, so I thought to ce one more bathtub here. For Princess Consort the bathhouse is kept separate from the others,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Tell Feng Lao to take bathter,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei shall consider it a public sauna,¡± Feng Lao said, who had entered. He removed his upper robe and quickly got into the bathtub before L¨®ng Wei could stop him.


    ¡°Ayee, Feng Lao, how could you do that?¡± L¨®ng Wei got annoyed.


    Feng Lao closed his eyes while waving his hand into the water. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, there is nothing to shy about. We are men,¡± he said.


    ¡°That is not the issue. I am the prince,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Your Highness, Feng Lao is right. Consider it as a public sauna,¡± Gu Peizhi finally spoke and told L¨®ng Wei to adjust.


    L¨®ng Wei sighed and nodded at him. Gu Peizhi left and closed the door behind him.


    L¨®ng Wei untied the knot on the upper robe and put it into the basket. He got into the bathtub and took a deep breath.


    ¡°How long will we stay here?¡± Feng Lao asked and opened his eyes to look at the prince.


    ¡°At least a month,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and washed his arms with the water.


    ¡°It is a good ce to live for a long time,¡± Feng Lao stated.


    ¡°Why? Do you n to live here for a long time?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Feng Lao, if you still have a sleep problem, then you should meet the great acupuncturist, about whom Yuze had told me,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°I do have trouble sleeping,¡± Feng Lao said. ¡°It is unbelievable sometimes to see Prince L¨®ng Wei acknowledged me as his closest friend,¡± he stated.


    L¨®ng Wei turned his head to gaze at him. ¡°You are right. But you are not my closest friend. It is Chang Shi,¡± he stated. ¡°But I am d that you stayed alive.¡±


    ¡°My life could have ended the day when my father was summoned to the pce. Prince L¨®ng Wei protected me, and then he is the one, who ended my differences with Li Hua,¡± Feng Lao said.


    ¡°You still shamelessly pronounce her name,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. Feng Lao chuckled and then smiled.

 Chapter 585 - 585 A scar [Bonus chapter]

    585 A scar [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°This is my manor,¡± Tianjie told Song Jia, ¡°which will be ours after two days.¡± He held her hand and took her inside.


    Eunuch Shi Rang weed them and introduced himself to Song Jia. He could not help but givepliment her on her beauty.


    ¡°His Highness always tells us how beautiful Miss Song is. The Prince cannot take his off Miss Song whenever he is with her,¡± Shi Rang said while smiling.


    Song Jia nced at Tianjie with amusement.


    ¡°Shi Rang, you should do your work,¡± Tianjie said and red at him, not wanting him to speak. His words might give a wrong idea to Song Jia and make her think that he loved her more because she was beautiful.


    Eunuch Shi Rang bowed and stepped away from their way. Tianjie took Song Jia ahead. After touring around the manor, they both came to the pavilion where two maid servants were present, who bowed to see them.


    Tianjie made Song Jia sit first on the chair and took his seat. A maidservant stepped up and poured the already brewed tea into the two porcin teacups. She forwarded the cups on the saucers to both of them.


    ¡°You two may leave,¡± Tianjie told them. The maidservants bowed and took backward steps until they reached near the stairs. They turned around and walked away.


    ¡°Drink the tea,¡± Tianjie told her.


    .....


    Song Jia picked up the teacup and sipped the tea. Tianjie also began drinking the tea and ced the cup on the saucer.


    ¡°Mother is excited to have you as her daughter-inw,¡± Tianjie asserted with a smile.


    ¡°Does His Highness love me because I am beautiful?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Tianjie immediately denied. ¡°Eunuch Shi took the wrong interpretation of my words. I told him how I fell for you because I never saw a beautiful woman like you. I will not deny that I fell for your looks first, but that does not mean I only love you because you are beautiful.¡±


    Tianjie quickly exined to her that she would think wrong of him.


    ¡°Being beautiful isn¡¯t good all the time. You are being judged,¡± Song Jia said and looked down at the teacup. She brought it to her mouth and finished the tea.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry,¡± Tianjie said. ¡°I am truthful to you,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°I am not angry at the Prince,¡± Song Jia rified to him and ced the cup on the saucer.


    ¡°Then, why did you say that?¡± He queried. ¡°No one judges the person who is beautiful,¡± he stated.


    ¡°His Highness is wrong. Every person born in this world is judged by the people around him,¡± Song Jia said.


    She poured the tea into the cup for Tianjie and continued, ¡°Because I was beautiful and also was a dancer, people thought I may have given private benefits to men. Men flock to me because of my beauty. If I had been an average-looking girl, it would not be the same. I hope His Highness understood what I mean.¡±


    She put the teapot on the table and looked into his eyes.


    ¡°Forgive me. My words hurt you,¡± Tianjie apologized.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t. His Highness saw me differently. He didn¡¯t judge me based on my beautiful features. Unlike other men, he didn¡¯t ask me to be his mistress. He kept holding his love for me even when we were far from each other,¡± Song Jia said and smiled at him.


    She moved her hand on the table and ced it above Tianjie¡¯s hand. ¡°I have something to tell you before our marriage. Will His Highness take me to his chamber?¡± She inquired.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Tianjie said and they stood up from the table. He understood that she was ufortable telling about it in the open and matter seemed an important one. Holding her hand, he took her to his chamber.


    Tianjie had asked the servants to leave from there so that they would not hear Song Jia¡¯s conversation with him.


    Song Jia looked around and found a hemispherical curve on the wall which was the door to the bedchamber.


    She looked at the other side and found it was the entrance to another small garden.


    ¡°What did you want to tell me before marriage?¡± Tianjie¡¯s question grabbed her attention. She took a step ahead of him and then removed the knot of her dress.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Tianjie almost stepped up when Song Jia stopped him.


    ¡°Please be patient, Your Highness,¡± Song Jia requested.


    He furrowed his brows together and lowered his eyes. Song Jia had lowered the dress below her shoulder de. With her left hand, she brought her hands to the front and tilted her head over her shoulder.


    Song Jia found Tianjie wasn¡¯t looking at her. ¡°Your Highness, you may look up,¡± she said in her soft tone and he lifted his head gradually.


    His eyes stopped blinking when he saw a huge burn scar that covered all of her left shoulder des.


    ¡°It is said in the royalty that a woman who has a scar on any of her body parts isn¡¯t allowed to marry the Prince. I do not want to hide it. I wanted to tell her earlier but didn¡¯t get the right time to reveal it. I may not be as beautiful as I appeared in His Highness¡¯ eyes. Forgive me if I disappointed His Highness,¡± Song Jia said and looked at her front.


    She moved her dress up when Tianjie stopped her. He took a step toward her and slowly moved her dress down.


    ¡°Can I touch it?¡± He asked for permission first.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Song Jia allowed him.


    ¡°How did it happen?¡± Tianjie asked as his fingers traced that burn scar.


    ¡°After I ran far from my birthce, I stayed in a shelter house for some days. Many other poor people were also taken shelter there. One night a fire broke out suddenly and while attempting to run a burning log of wood fell above me. Fortunately, I survived, but this scar left,¡± Song Jia said.


    Tianjie¡¯s heart ached to hear about that part of her life. His eyes turned misty. ¡°It must have been painful,¡± he said. Tianjie realized she was a strong woman, who had a strong will to live. Even after so many wrong things happened to her, she never lost hope.


    ¡°I will not mind if His Highness steps back from the marriage,¡± she said in a low voice.


    He hugged her from behind and said, ¡°I will marry you only. No one can stop this marriage from happening. I love you, Song Jia. I love your heart, your soul, and your body too. You know this well. For me you are beautiful.¡± He kissed the top of her shoulder and took a step back. He moved her dress up and then turned her around.


    Song Jia looked into his eyes while he tied the knot on the front of her dress. When he was done, his hand rested on her neck while his thumb was on her cheek.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about such things. I have already taken you as my wife. We even have shared the bed,¡± Tianjie said with a smile and kissed her.


    ~~~~


    Thank you everyone for continuously supporting me??.

 Chapter 586 - 586 Could not see her smile

    586 Could not see her smile


    L¨®ng Wei looked at the knife which Li Hua handed him earlier. ¡°What to do with it?¡± He asked and then looked at the kitchen¡¯s b on which spring onions and some vegetables were ced.


    ¡°Does His Highness know how to cut the spring onions?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°I never did this kind of task, but I can try,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and looked at the knife once more when Li Hua took it from him.


    ¡°His Highness should not do it if he doesn¡¯t know. He can rest in the room. I will prepare the dinner,¡± Li Hua opined.


    ¡°But if you do not let me try, how will I know? You can show me once,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested to him.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, it will take a lot of time then. We all are hungry,¡± Feng Lao said, who hade to the kitchen a minute ago.


    He stepped up and picked up the apron from the shelf. He wore it and took the knife from Li Hua. ¡°Your Highness, why don¡¯t you watch me and learn?¡± Feng Lao asked. Li Hua liked his suggestion and told them she would cook another main dish while they should cook the noodles.


    ¡°Do you know cooking?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked Feng Lao.


    ¡°He knows. My second brother and he always used to cook together if we would gather in their house,¡± Li Hua answered in excitement as she reminisced about the good old days.


    .....


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t like that Feng Lao knew about cooking while he didn¡¯t even know the basics. He saw Li Hua going to the other side.


    Feng Lao told L¨®ng Wei how to cut the vegetables, and it appeared tiring for him. He didn¡¯t listen to any of his exnations. His entire focus was on Li Hua, whom a servant was helping.


    Feng Lao noticed that L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t listen to him and looked in the direction where he gazed at.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Feng Lao pronounced. L¨®ng Wei looked at him. ¡°Can His Highness fill the cauldron with water?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°Do it yourself. I will see you at dinner. I am not made for this work,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and left the kitchen.


    ¡°Did he get angry at me?¡± Feng Lao murmured.


    L¨®ng Wei went to see his father in his room. He pushed the door in lightly and walked in. He saw him standing in front of therge window and looking outside.


    Qizhen heard the footsteps and turned slightly to check. ¡°L¨®ng Wei!¡± A smile appeared on his lips to see his son. L¨®ng Wei walked up to him and stood next to his father.


    ¡°Did your tiredness go away?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I recalled my youthful days when I came here on my father¡¯s order,¡± Qizhen said and smiled.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Father fight against Qiu Zedong? Why did he ept his defeat so easily?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°The disciples of Yuze turned out to be strong. Xiwan and I were trained by Yuze. Father was also one of his disciples, so how did he get defeated so easily?¡±


    Qizhen fidgeted with her fingers and then looked out of the window. ¡°I failed to understand Qiu Zedong¡¯s might. I didn¡¯t know he would conspire against me. As you said to me many times, I acted naively and my kindness to him destroyed everything. By the time when I asked Hei Chengxi to give Zedong my location, Yu Jun¡¯s life was already in danger. Even if I wanted to kill Zedong, I could not.¡±


    Qizhen took a deep breath of regret. All his knowledge went to waste. ¡°I met your mother at a fair in the market. There was no verbalmunication. I saw her looking at some silk ribbons with her friends,¡± Qizhen said and smiled.


    ¡°Why did Father not reveal to the officials, the ministers, and to the people that you had a woman?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked. ¡°I heard from Hei Chengxi how they were suspicious of you not taking a woman from a noble ss,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei, two months I spent with your mother. I wanted to reveal it, but I was unaware of the schemings waiting for me. Then my priority changed to save you two. I had married her privately as well, but because the situation wasn¡¯t right I couldn¡¯t tell anyone about it. I regret my decision of not announcing it the day I saw her,¡± Qiu Qizhen said and his eyes turned misty.


    ¡°Everything happens for a reason,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°If it was revealed who your wife would be, then I would not be standing in front of you.¡±


    He lifted his hand and rested it on his father¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I was curious to know, that¡¯s why I asked. It must be painful for Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and patted Qizhen¡¯s shoulder.


    He lowered his hand and continued, ¡°What was my mother¡¯s reaction when she found out she was pregnant?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°She was above the clouds and told me what she would do if it were a boy or a girl. She loved you more than her life and decided to bear that painful life in the pce,¡± Qizhen said.


    ¡°Sadly, I could not see her smile in happiness. She had the most beautiful smile in the world. I always wanted to say it to her, but I could never. Probably because of my ego,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and tears appeared at the edges of his eyes. He used his thumb to wipe them.


    L¨®ng Wei took a deep breath and challenged his father to a sword fight. Qizhen amusedly nced at him. ¡°I want to experience how a son learns things from his father. I never had that experience,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Also, I want to have fun sword fighting with Father.¡±


    His bright smile was enough to show his zeal for it.


    ¡°Father, don¡¯t get defeated by your son tomorrow,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t pick up the sword for years. So, I may lose,¡± Qizhen stated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Who knows you are still better at it,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.

 Chapter 587 - 587 Do not hate me

    587 Do not hate me


    ¡°Why did you see my mother?¡± Xiaoming asked Jin Yu after Sun Fuguo informed him about it. ¡°Don¡¯t you know she is out of her mind these days? Don¡¯t go to her,¡± he muttered and loosened the knot of his upper robe.


    ¡°I thought she would understand,¡± Jin Yu said with a pout and sat on the bed.


    ¡°When she didn¡¯t listen to me, then why would she listen to you? She will not understand anyone anymore. All she cares about is her dead husband,¡± Xiaoming remarked.


    Xiaoming was infuriated and the anger was visible in his tone. Jin Yu rose to his feet and stood in front of him. She cupped his face in her palms and said, ¡°As a concerned wife, I went to see your mother. I know she doesn¡¯t like me at all, so my words didn¡¯t even have any value to her.¡±


    She lowered her hand and asked him if he would like to go out on a horse.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go out in disguise,¡± Jin Yu opined.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a good idea. If it is found that the King and the Queen aren¡¯t in the pce, chaos may ur in the pce,¡± he said with a worried look.


    ¡°Ah, I almost forgot about it.¡± Jin Yu still had no realization that she was not an ordinary woman anymore. She could not go around, having fun like others. Suddenly, she missed that life where she was a free bird. She didn¡¯t have to think twice before going out.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to thekeside,¡± Xiaoming said and fastened the knot on his robe. He brought his hand to the front while keeping the other behind his back.


    .....


    Jin Yu smiled and nodded at him. They went to theke pavilion which was illuminated withnterns. Xiaoming ced his hand on her shoulder and drew her close to him.


    ¡°Forgive me for limiting your freedom,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°I chose it. You don¡¯t need to apologize. You gave me a lot more freedom,¡± Jin Yu asserted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it to keep my heart. You should be truthful to me,¡± Xiaoming said and tilted his head to gaze at her.


    ¡°I am truthful. My safety is also a matter of concern. I am well aware of that,¡± Jin Yu stated and turned to him. ¡°Take a day off from your work. I will take you out then. We can go to the nearby vige, where no one knows us by our faces,¡± she suggested to him.


    Xiaoming agreed with her. ¡°For two days, the court remains closed. We can go on those days,¡± he told Jin Yu.


    ¡°That will be great,¡± Jin Yu said and sped her hands together. ¡°I will make an entire day¡¯s n, then,¡± she was excited about their trip to the ce outside the pce.


    Xiaoming smiled to see her happy.


    ¡°Did you get any news from Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± Jin Yu queried him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. Huiying city takes four days to travel. It will take time for the messenger to return,¡± Xiaoming informed her.


    ¡°Monk Yuze was from Huiying city!?¡± Jin Yu was astonished to learn about it.


    ¡°From the valley of peace in Huiying city,¡± Xiaoming answered.


    ¡°It sounds like a beautiful and peaceful ce,¡± Jin Yu muttered as her eyes gleamed.


    ¡°I have only read about it. The ce is like an abode. Surrounded by numerous hills, the clouds can cover the top of the entire valley and if one goes to the great mountain which is located at its one side, one can witness that,¡± Xiaoming exined to her.


    ¡°I can imagine what the ce looks like. I also want to visit such a ce,¡± Jin Yu expressed her desire. Xiaoming heard her and decided to take her to a ce that would be close to the pce.


    They stayed in theke pavilion for almost an hour before returning to the bedchamber.


    ~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei entered the room after drinking peach liquor with his father after dinner. It was the first time he drank with his father.


    ¡°Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei hugged her tightly, who was awake for him.


    ¡°Did His Highness have fun with his father?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°Hmm. We drank a lot and we talked a lot,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and pulled away. He lost his bnce when Li Hua caught him by his arm and asked him to be careful.


    L¨®ng Wei ced his hands on her shoulders and continued to smile at her. ¡°Give me a kiss,¡± he said and pointed at his lips before pouting.


    ¡°His Highness is drunk,¡± Li Hua said and he opened his eyes.


    ¡°I am not. I can see only one Li Hua at the moment. If there were more than one, then I would have been drunk,¡± he said while forcing himself to keep his eyes open.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s go to bed,¡± Li Hua said and they went to bed. She made him sit on it when heid back and closed his eyes.


    Li Hua bent on her knees and removed the shoes from L¨®ng Wei¡¯s feet first. She washed her hands and returned to the room.


    To her surprise, she found L¨®ng Wei seated on the bed. ¡°You didn¡¯t give me a kiss,¡± he said. Li Hua shook her head in dismay and sat next to him. She lightly pecked his lips and asked him to sleep.


    ¡°But I am not drunk,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and pulled the overcoat out of his arms. He threw it somewhere on the floor and said, ¡°I love you, Li Hua.¡± His hands moved to his upper robe when Li Hua told him she would do it.


    ¡°I also adore Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Li Hua said and untied the two knots on his cross-cor robe. His fingers hooked into her hair as he pulled her for a kiss. She could taste the peach liquor from his lips. He flipped her on the bed and deepened their kiss.


    They withdrew from the kiss to gasp for air. Li Hua looked into L¨®ng Wei¡¯s ck orbs, which carried numerous emotions for her.


    ¡°Forgive me for not helping in the cooking,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I thought you would get to eat the noodles made by my hands, but I wasn¡¯t interested in cooking. I am not a bad husband. So, do not hate me,¡± he murmured and leaned down. His forehead rested above her shoulder, and he drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 588 - 588 I do not want to marry, Father [Bonus chapter]

    588 I do not want to marry, Father [Bonus chapter]


    Lin Wujian looked at his daughter and asked her when she would behave like ady. ¡°Why did you take my bet so seriously? I heard from a few noblemen about you. Is this a way a noble family¡¯s daughter should behave?¡± Lin Wujian scolded Lin Jiao, whose eyes were fixated on the wooden floor.


    Lin Jiao moved her foot back and forth when her brother asked her not to do so.


    ¡°Father, I will talk with Lin Jiao,¡± Lin Yongyi said and gazed at his sister.


    ¡°Father told me to understand the value of money when I was having fun. When I epted Father¡¯s challenge to prove to him that I could also earn, Father wants me to sit at home,¡± Lin Jiao said and twitched her lips.


    ¡°Father did not say that, Lin Jiao. You were spending money making bets with random men in the betting house. Did you have any idea how much we all were criticized? Mother didn¡¯t raise us this way,¡± Lin Yongyi exined the situation to his sister.


    ¡°Brother Yongyi, it was fun to make bets,¡± Lin Jiao murmured. ¡°When the men from noble families can enjoy themselves, then why can¡¯t I? This is so wrong,¡± Lin Jiao said in her rebellious tone.


    Lin Yongyi shook his head and gazed at his father.


    ¡°That¡¯s why it is the time you should get married. The Fourth Prince, Prince Mingquan ising to see my daughter. He will be here in an hour,¡± Lin Wujian affirmed.


    ¡°What??!¡± Lin Jiao eximed in shock. ¡°I do not want to marry, Father. I am only 22. I have yet to enjoy my life,¡± she rebelled against her father¡¯s decision.


    .....


    ¡°I do not want to listen to you this time, Lin Jiao,¡± Lin Wujian asserted. ¡°Rui Chun, take Lin Jiao to her room and make sure she gets ready in beautiful attire,¡± He ordered the personal assistant, who was appointed in Lin Jiao¡¯s service.


    ¡°Father, what if I tell the Fourth Prince I do not want to marry him?¡± Lin Jiao asked.


    ¡°I will keep bringing more marriage proposals for you,¡± Lin Wujian replied.


    ¡°Does Father not love me?¡± Lin Jiao asked and crossed her arms. ¡°I will not marry anyone. I am not interested in men,¡± she annoyingly said.


    ¡°Did this girl even have any idea what she¡¯s speaking?¡± Lin Wujian caught his head and told Lin Jiao not to behave that way.


    ¡°Father made me behave that way,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°Prince Mingquan is the most humble Prince in this Kingdom. The way he talks shows the sweetness in him and his kind gesture wins everyone¡¯s hearts. You should not look down on this marriage proposal. If you love your father, go and get ready,¡± Lin Wujian affirmed.


    Lin Yongyi asked his father to calm down and then told Lin Jiao to listen to their father. Lin Jiao pulled up a long face and walked out of the room.


    ¡°She is turning rebellious with each passing day,¡± Lin Wujian stated.


    ¡°Father, she is still a kid. She will surely start to understand things after meeting her future husband,¡± Lin Yongyi assured his father.


    ¡°Son, I think she will try to ruin this meeting,¡± Lin Wujian said while panicking. His loyal servant handed him the medicine and asked his master not to be worried.


    ¡°What if Prince Mingquan refuses to marry her? We do not know yet if he will like Lin Jiao. If she didn¡¯t behave the way she should, then it might create a problem.¡± Lin Yongyi¡¯s forehead furrowed.


    ¡°I wish her mother was alive. I think she behaves this way because of her mother¡¯s absence. I could not either give her my time fully,¡± Lin Wujian said with a worried expression.


    ¡°Father, that is not the issue. Lin Jiao loves to go against the flow from a young age. How could Father forget what she did when she was eight years old,¡± Lin Yongyi reminded his father, who immediately remembered the day when Lin Jiao came with the dirty clothes.


    ¡°She beat up the son of my close friend and then threw mud on him. Heughed at her for not having a mother and¨C¡± Lin Wujian ended upughing as he reminisced those memories.


    Lin Yongyi smiled along with his father and said, ¡°She doesn¡¯t bear any kind of injustice. Also, she doesn¡¯t care if society is dominated by men. She has her own set of rules which makes her different. I think Prince Mingquan will surely like those remarkable qualities of my sister.¡± He was confident that Mingquan would go forward with this proposal.


    ~~~~


    Mingquan hopped down the horse as he was weed by the Lin family head and son.


    ¡°The Fourth Prince is weed in the Lin residence,¡± Lin Wujian said with a smile.


    ¡°Mother told me about it, and I could not refuse her,¡± Mingquan said and they walked in. Lin Yongyi gestured to the servant to check on Lin Jiao. They headed to the guest room.


    After Mingquan took his seat, Lin Wujian and Yongyi settled at their respective ces.


    The servants brought tea, various kinds of snacks, and sweets for Mingquan. As the tea was served to them, Mingquan asked Lin Wujian to drink first.


    ¡°After Your Highness,¡± Lin Wujian said.


    Mingquan picked up the teacup and brought it to his mouth. He sipped the tea, and after Mingquan, they both lifted their cups.


    ¡°Bring Lin Jiao here,¡± Lin Wujian said to his loyal servant.


    Mingquan picked up a sweet to taste and heard Lin Wujian say, ¡°Your Highness, my daughter is a cheerful girl. I hope he will like meeting her. If she makes any mistake, please forgive her.¡±


    Mingquan smiled and nodded his head.


    He took a bite of the sweet he was holding and ced it on the small porcin te. He liked the taste and waited for Lin Jiao to arrive.


    ¡°Your Highness, my daughter is here,¡± Lin Wujian informed him.


    Mingquan shifted his gaze from the sweet to the door and found a familiar face in front of him.


    The woman who asked him to wash fabrics with her was none other than Lin Jiao!

 Chapter 589 - 589 Miss Lin is indeed rebellious

    589 Miss Lin is indeed rebellious


    Lin Jiao gazed into Mingquan¡¯s eyes for a brief moment before averting them. She recalled what she did two days ago with him. However, she was happy about it. Mingquan would reject her straightforwardly which she wanted. Then, her father would not bother her.


    The thing which panicked her was that Mingquan might tell her father what she did to him. Internally she wished he would not speak as he was called the most kind-hearted prince among all the six princes.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, greet Prince Mingquan formally,¡± Lin Wujian told her daughter. She acted on her father¡¯s order and formally greeted Mingquan.


    ¡°The greeting doesn¡¯t seem genuine at all,¡± Mingquan remarked and picked up the cup. He rested its base on the back of his left hand and sipped the tea.


    Lin Jiao scowled at him while her father and brother were perplexed to hear that.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Miss Lin take a seat?¡± Mingquan asked her.


    She stepped up with tiny steps and sat down on the broad chair across from him.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, pour the tea for Prince Mingquan.¡± Lin Wujian asked her daughter in a humble tone.


    ¡°I won¡¯t take more tea,¡± Mingquan said. He pondered whether he should inly reject her or he should tell his mother that he would not marry Lin Jiao.


    .....


    ¡°Does Prince Mingquan want to talk to Lin Jiao alone? We have set up an arrangement,¡± Lin Yongyi said.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Mingquan agreed to it. Lin Jiao didn¡¯t expect him to say yes.


    ¡°Rui Chun, show them the prepared room,¡± Lin Yongyi ordered.


    Mingquan stood up first and then the others. He and Lin Jiao walked out of the guest room.


    Reaching a room that had a direct view of the small garden in the residence, both Mingquan and Lin Jiao sat around the floor table. A white translucent curtain was hung above the table, thus not letting them see each other¡¯s faces clearly.


    Rui Chun set the table with tea and some sweets before stepping out of the room.


    As soon as the door closed, Lin Jiao moved the curtain up, thus taking Mingquan by a surprise. ¡°I don¡¯t want to marry you,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°I do not want to marry you either,¡± Mingquan asserted. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you apologize for what you did to me that day?¡± He arched his eyebrow at her.


    ¡°Why should I? It was the Prince, who should apologize to me. Does he have any idea how I washed those fabrics!?¡± Lin Jiaoined and crossed her arms.


    The headpiece above her head made her ufortable and she quickly removed it. She put it on the table and raised her right knee in the air. Her arm rested on it and she continued, ¡°Tell my Father that you don¡¯t want to marry me.¡±


    ¡°I am surprised at Miss Lin¡¯s way of talking,¡± Mingquan chuckled. ¡°I thought noble family¡¯s woman has a sophisticated way of speaking,¡± he remarked and sneered at her


    ¡°That¡¯s why we will not be a good pair. I am a rebellious kind of person. It is not easy to bear me. You will not want to make me your wife,¡± Lin Jiao muttered.


    Mingquan heard her words keenly.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Miss Lin refuse this marriage?¡± He opined. ¡°That will be better,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I will, but you need to do the same,¡± Lin Jiao said. She could not let him find that she couldn¡¯t refuse to marry him as her father would immediately go for another marriage proposal.


    Mingquan initial decision was to inly refuse to move forward with this marriage, but now, after talking with Lin Jiao, he wanted to y with her for a short time before rejecting her.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Miss Lin apologize to me?¡± Mingquan asked her.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t at fault that day,¡± Lin Jiao asserted.


    ¡°Miss Lin is indeed rebellious,¡± Mingquan said and decided to teach her a lesson. He watched the way she was sitting, looking around and shaking her leg. Her impression of him wasn¡¯t pleasant at all. He could see Lin Jiao was filled with the wrong attitude.


    They stayed in that ce for not more than ten minutes and returned to the guest room. Lin Jiao was overjoyed because Mingquan would refuse her father to go forward with the marriage. She could not express her happiness and they both halted after stepping inside the guest room.


    ¡°His Highness ended the private meeting quite soon,¡± Lin Wujian said with a worried look. He thought if his daughter already annoyed a person like Mingquan.


    ¡°State Minister Lin Wujian, I would like to know more about Miss Lin Jiao. I am surprised with her unique and rare personality,¡± Mingquan announced his decision.


    Lin Jiao¡¯s smile instantly disappeared and her jaw dropped down. Did she hear something wrong? She turned to look at him in bewilderment. Mingquan also gazed at her with a smile on his lips.


    Both Lin Wujian and Lin Yongyi were shocked to hear the decision of the Prince. Wujian was scared of his daughter¡¯s actions and was worried that she would say something wrong to anger him. But no such thing happened. He was above the clouds after hearing this decision.


    They both stood up from their ces. Lin Wujian told Mingquan he was unable to express his happiness.


    Mingquan shifted his gaze at him and said, ¡°Minister Lin, I should leave for work. It was great to meet your family.¡±


    ¡°I will see Prince Mingquan outside the residence,¡± Lin Wujian said and stepped up.


    ¡°I am thankful for that, but it is not needed,¡± Mingquan said and turned around to leave. Lin Wujian and Yongyi both bowed as Mingquan walked out of the guest room.


    Lin Jiao didn¡¯t understand it. He clearly told her he had no interest in marrying her, then why this sudden change of decision? She ran out to ask him and saw him on the pavement.


    Hastening towards him, she halted in front of him and spread her arms out, thus stopping him.


    She caught her breath. ¡°W-why? Why did you not reject m-me?¡± She knitted her brows together and lowered her arms.


    Mingquan widely smiled and took a step close to her. ¡°Because I would love to know more about you,¡± he said with a smirk.

 Chapter 590 - 590 Do you not love me? [Bonus chapter]

    590 Do you not love me? [Bonus chapter]


    Huang Xi encountered Ai Fen while seeing the King, Xiaoming, in the King¡¯s pce. He bowed to her and walked ahead when Ai Fen stopped him.


    Huang Xi¡¯s steps came to a halt and he slowly turned to face her. ¡°Yes, Your Highness?¡± He kept his tone formal and looked at her with inquisitiveness.


    Ai Fen took a step toward him and said, ¡°I did not want to turn Commander Huang Xi unhappy. Forgive me, if he got hurt by my words that day.¡±


    ¡°I do not understand Her Highness,¡± Huang Xi chuckled, ¡°she was not either truthful to me. My equation with his elder sister waspletely different from the feelings I carried for the Second Princess.¡±


    Ai Fen vividly remembered how L¨®ng Wei had told her that he would not say to Huang Xi the truth, then how he found out, she wondered.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei did not tell me anything. However, I discovered the true reason Princess Ai Fen said that she would never consider my feelings. I should take my leave.¡± Huang Xi bowed to her and walked ahead.


    Ai Fen got troubled by his coldness. She knitted her brows and exhaled deeply. She went towards her chamber.


    Huang Xi asked the servant to inform Xiaoming about his visit. A minuteter, the servant let him in. Xiaoming was with Jin Yu in his chamber on a chaise.


    ¡°Greetings to the King and the Queen,¡± Huang Xi formally greeted them and lowered his hands. He looked at Xiaoming and said, ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has sent a message.¡±


    .....


    Xiaoming turned joyous to hear it. Sun Fuguo stepped up and took the scroll from Huang Xi. He handed it to Xiaoming, who read the message.


    A smile of satisfaction appeared on Xiaoming¡¯s lips as he put the scroll on the side table. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei and the others safely reached the Valley of peace,¡± he said and looked at Jin Yu.


    Huang Xi was relieved to hear it. His facial expression turned into a menacing one and he told Xiaoming he would like to talk in private.


    Xiaoming nced at Sun Fuguo and asked him to leave. Sun Fuguoplied with the order and left the chamber. Once Huang Xi got assured that no one was around he said, ¡°Your Majesty, a servant from the Queen Dowager¡¯s manor was seen in a ce where she should not be.¡±


    ¡°What does Commander Huang Xi mean?¡± Xiaoming frowned.


    Huang Xi borated to Xiaoming how their close spy noticed the servanting from a gambling ce.


    ¡°Probably she has taken some kind of money from the gamblers¡¯ boss,¡± Jin Yu asserted.


    Huang Xi shook his head. ¡°Your Majesty, in such ces even men fear to go,¡± he stated. ¡°I think the Queen Dowager is nning something. I am not using her of anything wrong, but His Majesty to keep an eye on the Queen Dowager,¡± he exined to her.


    Jin Yu gazed at Xiaoming. ¡°What do you think the Queen Mother is nning?¡± she asked him.


    ¡°I cannot jump to the conclusion that my mother is scheming anything bad. She also knows the consequence of scheming,¡± Xiaoming did not fully believe Huang Xi.


    ¡°Your Majesty, we should not ignore the fact that yesterday she killed a servant in her manor. The Queen Dowager has turned aggressive after¡ª¡± Huang Xi paused for a brief moment, ¡°I apologize if I offended His Majesty.¡±


    Xiaoming furrowed his brows together and agreed with Huang Xi¡¯s words. His mother had indeed turned aggressive. She was not either respecting Xiaoming, who was the current King. Thest evening when he met Zhu Liling, she again med him for his father¡¯s death and supported a traitor, who was none other than L¨®ng Wei in her eyes.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi, I will look into it. Thank you for informing me about it.¡±


    ¡°It is my duty, Your Majesty.¡± Huang Xi bowed and left the chamber.


    Jin Yu turned to Xiaoming. ¡°Let me look into it,¡± she requested him.


    ¡°No. She may harm you. These days she is not in her right mind. I will try to find out what is she exactly doing,¡± Xiaoming muttered.


    ¡°Xiaoming, you carry a soft spot for your mother. If she will speak a few good words to you to distract you, you may take it as truth. I am not saying that you are weak in front of her. As her son, you may not see what I can. Also, Queen Dowager cannot harm me. You know this well,¡± Jin Yu affirmed.


    ¡°What will you do?¡± Xiaoming was curious to know.


    ¡°I will find out where your mother sent that servant,¡± Jin Yu asserted. ¡°We will ask Commander Huang Xi to prepare the sketch,¡± she opined.


    ¡°Then?¡± He asked.


    ¡°We need to interrogate the servant. Apart from it, we need to keep a check on your mother¡¯s close servants,¡± Jin Yu suggested to him.


    ¡°I hope she is not scheming something big. I may not be able to forgive her this time and it may devastate me,¡± Xiaoming muttered.


    ~~~~~~~~~


    Xu Zifan finished the work at noon and was ready to leave. As he rose from the chair, a servant informed him about Jingfei¡¯s presence in the administrative office. He strode out of the room to see her and found her standing in the corridor.


    ¡°You could havee in,¡± Xu Zifan said as he halted in front of Jingfei. ¡°Where is Lin Jie?¡± he looked around to see her personal servant.


    ¡°She is waiting near the carriage,¡± Jingfei replied and showed him the lunch box. ¡°I came to give you this. I thought you had loads of work to finish,¡± she stated.


    Xu Zifan took the lunch box from her. ¡°I finished my work today. I was going toe home,¡± he stated and they both started to walk.


    ¡°Oh! Then, we can eat lunch at home¡­ together,¡± she said with a smile and saw a group of officialsing from the front. Her eyesnded on Li Jianjun, who was also among them.


    ¡°Why is he still working here?¡± She murmured and Xu Zifan heard her. He looked in his front and saw Li Jianjun. However, he did note in their direction and descended the stairs along with the other officials.


    ¡°Perhaps because his father is no more. Huang Xi told me he begged before the king when there was a change in ministers and officials,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°Brother is still so kind to him. I will ask him to order Li Jianjun to go to the countryside. I hate his face,¡± Jingfei said in a fit of rage.


    ¡°Li Jianjun has realized his faults. He is not the same as he used to be,¡± Xu Zifan told Jingfei and they reached the top of the stairs. They descended those stairs.


    ¡°Leeches are leeches for a reason,¡± Jingfei remarked when her foot slipped at the stair. However, Xu Zifan saved her timely from falling. But the lunch box fell from his hand.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± he said with a worried look. They both looked at the lunch box which was on the ground. ¡°Aish. Forgive me. I could not¡ª¡± he paused as Jingfei did not let him speak. She quickly ran down the stairs to pick it up when Xu Zifan asked her to be careful.


    She bent on her knees to pick the box when two pairs of hands picked it up first.


    Jingfei raised her head and saw Li Jianjun in front of him. Xu Zifan had reached the bottom of the stairs and stood next to his wife.


    ¡°Fortunately, the food did not fall out,¡± Li Jianjun said and looked at Jingfei first and then at Xu Zifan. He handed the lunch box to Xu Zifan, who thanked her while Jingfei walked ahead.


    ¡°It seems she is still angry with me,¡± Li Jianjun said.


    ¡°Hmm. She is known for her anger,¡± Xu Zifan said and smiled. ¡°I will see youter.¡±


    ¡°I want to apologize to your wife from the front. Can Ie to Xu Zifan¡¯s residence?¡± Li Jianjun inquired.


    Xu Zifan got stuck with his request. ¡°When do you want toe?¡± He asked.


    ¡°When you allow me to,¡± Li Jianjun said.


    ¡°You cane in the evening,¡± Xu Zifan replied. Li Jianjun nodded his head.


    ¡°I should go. Jingfei must be waiting for me,¡± he said.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Li Jianjun said and stepped away from his way. Xu Zifan stepped out of the entrance and found Jingfei had already gotten into the carriage.


    Lin Jie told Xu Zifan that Jingfei seemed angry. He hummed and asked her to get into the carriage.


    ¡°How can I get into the carriage in which my master and mydy will be together? I will reach home by walking,¡± Lin Jie stated.


    ¡°It is fine. Get into the carriage,¡± Xu Zifan told her. Lin Jie could not deny her master and stepped into the carriage. After her, Xu Zifan got in and sat next to Jingfei. The chauffeur drove the carriage to the Xu Residence on Xu Zifan¡¯s order.


    ¡°Why did you talk to Li Jianjun? Do you not love me?¡± Jingfei angrily asked Xu Zifan.


    ~~~~~


    Please do read the author¡¯s note.

 Chapter 591 - 591 A bad feeling

    591 A bad feeling


    ¡°He is not the Jianjun we used to know. I love you,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    Jingfei crossed her arms and looked out of the window. ¡°I will throw you out of the house if you speak to Li Jianjun after today,¡± Jingfei threatened him.


    Lin Jie suppressed her smile upon hearing their confrontation and kept her head down.


    ¡°He wants to apologize to you in the evening,¡± Xu Zifan stated. Jingfei turned her head to look at him. ¡°I asked him toe in the evening,¡± he added.


    Jingfei¡¯s anger reached the seventh sky. Xu Zifan was well aware of the fact that she could not forgive him. Li Jianjun lied to her and tried to ruin her life. He humiliated Xu Zifan, whom she chose as her husband, many times. For a second, she would forget what he did to her, but she would never forget how Jianjun threatened and tried to harm Xu Zifan.


    She averted her gaze from Xu Zifan because Lin Jie was also inside the carriage. Jingfei didn¡¯t want to fight with Xu Zifan in front of her. She decided to stay quiet to keep herself calm. Xu Zifan also got quiet and decided to talk to her upon reaching home.


    When they reached the residence, Lin Jie was the first one to step out. Xu Zifan stepped out after her and gave his hand to Jingfei. She ignored it and jumped out of the carriage on her own.


    Xu Zifan lowered his hand when Lin Jie told him how bad Jingfei¡¯s anger was. ¡°My Lord shall not speak anything when she will be speaking, else she gets madder,¡± Lin Jie advised Xu Zifan.


    ¡°If I do not speak with her, then how will I nullify her anger?¡± Xu Zifan said and smiled. He walked in while Lin Jie wondered how he would handle angry Jingfei.


    .....


    Xu Zifan pushed open the door room and walked in. He closed it before stepping ahead. Turning his left, he saw Jingfei on the dressing table, removing her earrings.


    Xu Zifan walked up to her, who saw his reflection in the mirror.


    ¡°I told the servant to bring meals for us,¡± Xu Zifan asserted.


    ¡°Eat with Jianjun,¡± Jingfei said and rose to her feet. ¡°I am not hungry anymore,¡± she stated and headed to the bed when Xu Zifan grabbed her arm.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± Xu Zifan said. ¡°Don¡¯t be upset with me.¡±


    Jingfei gently pushed him away. ¡°You are like your sister. Kind and easily forgiving person. What if Li Jianjun is pretending to be nice? What if he harms you? He is jealous of the fact that I married you,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°He wants to sincerely apologize for his actions. It is better to forgive than keep the bitterness. However, the decision is on you. If you do not want to see him, I will inform him about it. But don¡¯t be angry,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    Jingfei contemted for a brief moment before speaking, ¡°I will go with your decision. If my husband thinks that Li Jianjun is on the right path, then I will forgive him. Let hime.¡±


    ¡°You do not need to agree with my decision,¡± Xu Zifan asserted. ¡°I may not be a good judge of character,¡± he added.


    ¡°You are confusing me, Xu Zifan,¡± Jingfei pouted her lips and hit his chest yfully. ¡°I am famished,¡± she stated.


    Xu Zifan smiled to see her reaction and told her to take a seat around the floor table. The servant asked from outside if he could enter. Xu Zifan allowed him to do and the door opened. The floor table was set with lunch meals and the servant left.


    Xu Zifan sat in front of Jingfei, who handed him the chopstick. ¡°Did you get any message from Brother L¨®ng Wei?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not now. I will ask Huang Xi since the first message will reach the pce,¡± Xu Zifan said and ate the cooked rice.


    ¡°I heard from Lin Jie that my mother has turned insane after what happened to my father,¡± Jingfei said while chewing the food.


    ¡°Oh. Should we visit her?¡± Xu Zifan concernedly asked.


    ¡°I do not want to see her,¡± Jingfei said and moved the bowl of noodles toward her. She stirred the chopsticks in it and then picked up thedle to drink its soup. She slurped the soup and put thedle on the te.


    ¡°Because she would only get angry. At this time, she does not like to see anyone. Also, Brother Xiaoming supported L¨®ng Wei, so that may be the reason behind her anger,¡± Jingfei stated and rolled the noodles around the chopsticks. She ate the noodles while Xu Zifan looked at her.


    ¡°Eat,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°You should visit your mother if you are missing her. Her situation must be troubling you,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    Jingfei did not reply and continued to eat. Xu Zifan understood that she did not want to speak about it, so he did not bother her. However, he somewhere felt that she was hurt. After they finished their meals, Xu Zifan asked Jingfei if she considered L¨®ng Wei wrong.


    ¡°No. He was the victim,¡± Jingfei said. ¡°I also did very wrong things with him. I used to think he is a mad kind of person, who has no respect for the people around him. I am happy that my elder brother supported him and took the right decision. But I do not know how will my brother make mother understand all this,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Queen Dowager should understand what her husband did was more than a crime,¡± Xu Zifan stated.


    ¡°My mother hated Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother. I heard my father had given some special privileges to her despite her being a concubine. Maybe that is the chief reason, she does not see my father¡¯s actions as wrong. I am her daughter and I know her mind a bit,¡± Jingfei stated.


    ¡°I heard from Huang Xi that there is tension going on between your brother and mother,¡± Xu Zifan finally admitted. He did not want to tell Jingfei earlier thinking she would take the stress. But now, she had already found out so he did not hide this fact.


    ¡°I have a bad feeling, Xu Zifan,¡± Jingfei said.


    ¡°A bad feeling?¡± Xu Zifan arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°What if my mother did something she should not? She tried to kill the Queen as well and hid it for a long time. She might try to harm her again because, in her eyes, Brother Xiaoming¡¯s wife was never supposed to be the Queen. Also, Brother Xiaoming stopped listening to my mother after he got married, so my mother might be upset for that reason. It is just my perception. I hope my mother does nothing wrong,¡± she asserted and picked up the ss of water to drink water.


    ¡°The pce never gets peaceful,¡± Xu Zifan remarked.


    ¡°You are right. Pce politics is something that destroys the royal family. I was also a part of it once. Everyone fights for power,¡± Jingfei asserted.


    ¡°But that fight for power does not exist among the princes anymore,¡± Xu Zifan affirmed.


    ¡°The nobility tries to manipte the royalty. Consort Dowager Xiuying always wanted Brother Mu to be at a ce higher than my brother. Maybe it will start soon. Brother L¨®ng Wei did good and left the pce for a while,¡± Jingfei praised L¨®ng Wei¡¯s decision.

 Chapter 592 - 592 To get rid of this marriage [Bonus chapter]

    592 To get rid of this marriage [Bonus chapter]


    Lin Jiao picked up the tiny jar of rice wine and looked outside the window of the restaurant. Ye Xin was seated next to her and saw a young nobleman passing by with some of his friends.


    ¡°Look at the man in the middle. He looks so handsome,¡± Ye Xin said and hit Lin Jiao¡¯s arm with her shoulder.


    ¡°Ye Xin, I have no interest in checking out the men. I am doomed,¡± Lin Jiao muttered and caught her head.


    ¡°You are taking way too much stress, Lin Jiao,¡± Ye Xin said and told her that the Fourth Prince must be kidding with her.


    ¡°He was not,¡± Lin Jiao said and lowered her hands.


    ¡°Aish! That young man has gone from my sight,¡± Ye Xin said and finally turned to look at her friend. She picked up the porcin wine jar and found out it was empty.


    ¡°You emptied it already?¡± Ye Xin eximed and plonked it on the table.


    ¡°Because I am stuck. I need to calm my mind to think of a way to get rid of this marriage,¡± Lin Jiao asserted.


    ¡°But you are not married yet,¡± Ye Xin said.


    .....


    ¡°I may soon if I did not find a way,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you lie to the Fourth Prince that you have a lover? When he learns about that from you, he surely will run away from you,¡± Ye Xin suggested to her.


    ¡°And from where I will bring that fake lover?¡± Lin Jiao inquired.


    ¡°Bai Jue,¡± Ye Xin opined.


    ¡°No.¡± Lin Jiao mmed her hand on the table. The customers present in the restaurant looked in her direction and bit her bottom lip. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how annoying he is? I will die rather than take his help. I need to do something else so that Prince Mingquan will step back from the marriage,¡± Lin Jiao stated and closed her eyes. She ced her fingers on the temples of her forehead and tried to think of a way.


    ¡°You can trouble the Fourth Prince. Do the things which anger the Fourth Prince,¡± Ye Xin gave her another suggestion and picked up the snack to eat.


    ¡°You are right,¡± Lin Jiao epted the suggestion of her friend immediately. ¡°I am good at troubling people,¡± she said with a smirk.


    ¡°But if I would have been at your ce, I had married the Fourth Prince,¡± Ye Xin stated.


    ¡°Why?¡± Lin Jiao asked with a chuckle.


    ¡°Because he is the prince. Ask anyone in the kingdom. Women die to get such proposals from royalty. Moreover, the Fourth Prince is such a gentle person. I heard his eyes are like lotus petals and his smile can melt anyone¡¯s heart.¡± Ye Xin brought her hands to her chest and joined them.


    Lin Jiao flicked her fingers at the center of LYe Xin¡¯s forehead, who let out a low scream.


    ¡°Handsome men are a weakness of any woman. You cannot deny this fact, Lin Jiao,¡± Ye Xin stated and picked up the dumpling from the te.


    ¡°He is not handsome at all. Ye Xin, he is of a sharp mind. Behind that sweet smile, some evil intentions must be hiding,¡± Lin Jiao muttered and picked up the dumpling from the chopstick. She took a bite when she saw Mingquan stepping out of the carriage.


    She immediately turned her head away and put it down on the table.


    ¡°What happened? Did Bai Jue appear again?¡± Ye Xin asked and looked outside.


    Lin Jiao ced the half-eaten dumpling on the te.


    ¡°It is the Fourth Prince,¡± Ye Xin said with excitement. ¡°Your soon-to-be husband is here. Should I call the Prince here?¡± Ye Xin teased Lin Jiao, who scowled at her and then pulled her down.


    ¡°Shut your mouth. I will kill you if you try to call him here,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°Okay, I understand,¡± Ye Xin said. Lin Jiao lifted her head a little and peeked out of the window. Ye Xin did the same and said, ¡°It seems the Prince hase for some work in the market.¡±


    ¡°What it could be?¡± Lin Jiao murmured and saw Mingquan going ahead.


    ¡°Only the Fourth Prince knows,¡± Ye Xin said.


    Lin Jiao quickly took out five teals from her pocket and ced them on the table. ¡°Ye Xin, I will see youter. Pay at the counter for the food and wine,¡± Lin Jiao said and ran out of the restaurant.


    Lin Jiao remained ten meters away from Xiaoming and the two other officials with him. ¡°He is roaming so openly in the market without any fear,¡± she murmured.


    Lin Jiao stopped when she saw he had halted outside a big bookstore in the capital. Mingquan walked inside the bookstore. Lin Jiao ran there and ascended the stairs. She peeked inside the door and saw many noblemen and even a few women purchasing books.


    She walked in and looked around, trying to find where Mingquan was. She roamed the entire first floor but did not see him.


    The bookstore was a four-storey structure and she decided to walk to the second floor. ¡°Where did he go?¡± she murmured when the owner of the bookstore rushed past her.


    ¡°Come quickly. The Fourth Prince is on the fourth floor.¡± Lin Jiao heard the owner telling the servant, who was behind with a tray in his hand. She smiled and walked behind them.


    When she reached the third floor, she got to see Mingquan. He was scolding some people and the voice was not quite audible to her. She walked after the two schrs dressed in white and then stayed behind a shelf. She took out a book and flipped some pages while hearing out Mingquan.


    ¡°Bojiu, you will be investigated by the justice department officials,¡± Mingquan said. Lin Jiao saw the owner was on his knees, asking to forgive him.


    ¡°Why is he abusing his power on the owner?¡± She mumbled when her eyes met Mingquan. She promptly got down to her knees.


    ¡°Did he see me?¡± She muttered and gulped.


    Lin Jiao ced the book on the lower shelf and decided to leave from the other side before Mingquan would catch her. She slowly moved forward and then rose to her feet before running away from there.

 Chapter 593 - 593 Ten floggings for lying

    593 Ten floggings for lying


    Lin Jiao had gone behind Mingquan to find a way to irritate him, but instead, she ended up running away from him. Perhaps she was scared thinking Mingquan might punish her father.


    She came out of the restaurant. Her hands were locked behind her back. ¡®Should I go with Ye Xin¡¯s first suggestion and lie to the Fourth Prince about having a lover?¡¯ she thought.


    Lin Jiao shook her head as she thought of asking Bai Jue to act as her fake lover. However, she didn¡¯t want to give him any opportunity to get close to her.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think the Prince wouldin to my father about disturbing him. He is the one, who wants to know about me. So, he must see what kind of person I am,¡¯ she thought and smiled.


    Lin Jiao had decided that she would chase Mingquan like a shadow. Also, men didn¡¯t like those women who were outgoing, talked a lot, and did not act like gentledies. Lin Jiao possessed all the features which were the opposite of a noble, humbledy.


    ¡®A humble man needs a gentle loving woman.¡¯ Lin Jiao nodded her head as she smiled within herself.


    A cart loaded with goods wasing in her direction which was unaware of.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± A scream escaped her mouth as a hand pulled her out of the way of the heavily loaded cart. Her hand rested on the person¡¯s chest and she raised it.


    Mingquan was peering at her. Seeing him, she immediately stepped back. Huang Xi and Li Tian were standing behind him.


    .....


    ¡°You have been drinking on a pleasant day,¡± Mingquan said as he looked at the sky for a brief moment beforending his gaze on her. A few patches of clouds could be seen while the rest of the sky was clear.


    Mingquan tilted his head and narrowly nced at Huang Xi. ¡°Commander Huang Xi and Li Tian can leave for the pce,¡± he said.


    ¡°What about the Fourth Prince?¡± Huang Xi asked.


    ¡°I have an important matter to discuss with Miss Lin,¡± Mingquan replied. Huang Xi and Li Tian bowed before leaving for the pce.


    Lin Jiao was checking if her breath had a wine smell. But she didn¡¯t drink much¡­ only a tiny jar of wine she finished earlier.


    She lowered her hand when she realized that Mingquan gaze was on her. ¡°I can do anything I want. It shouldn¡¯t bother the Fourth Prince,¡± Lin Jiao muttered and squinted her eyes.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that,¡± Mingquan said and asked her why she followed him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Lin Jiao inly denied it. ¡°I am a regr here. I wanted to read a book, but didn¡¯t find anything good,¡± she stated. She took a step back and told Mingquan that she should leave when he stopped her.


    ¡®Now, what does he want?¡¯ she thought.


    ¡°Miss Lin ran away to see me,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°She should not lie to me. If she does, I will punish her.¡±


    ¡°Punish me? There is no one born to punish me,¡± Lin Jiao said and she crossed her arms.


    ¡°I admit I chased the Fourth Prince but that is because I do not want to marry him,¡± Lin Jiao pronounced. Mingquan saw the eyes on them because of him and he asked Lin Jiao to follow him.


    ¡°Miss Lin, you never got a beating. Am I right? How about ten floggings for lying to me?¡± Mingquan asked her.


    ¡°But I did nothing,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°Miss Lin lied,¡± Mingquan rified to her. ¡°In front of justice everyone is equal,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°But-but I admitted it immediately,¡± Lin Jiao defended herself and looked around. She thought to run away and carefully stepped away from him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think of running away. I will reach the Lin Residence and inform Minister Lin Wujian what his lovely daughter did,¡± Mingquan warned her. Lin Jiao clenched her fists to hear him and red at him.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± Mingquan said and walked past her. Lin Jiao could not believe that she was listening to a person outside her family. Dragging her feet forward, she walked after him.


    ¡°People are looking at us. Is it necessary for me to walk along with the Fourth Prince?¡± She inquired.


    ¡°Miss Lin has to do something for me if she wants me to forgive her mistake,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°What?¡± Lin Jiao eximed. She wondered what kind of work Mingquan wanted her to do. She stayed quiet and silently followed him.


    ~~~~~~~~


    Qiu Mu hopped off the horse and looked at the house, which was not in such good condition. Chang Shi and Xiwan also got off their respective horses.


    ¡°Miss Kang usually goes to work in the morning and stays with the olddy the night here,¡± Chang Shi informed Qiu Mu.


    ¡°She is from a noble family. How could she even think of living in such a ce?¡± Qiu Mu murmured. The condition of the ce was enough to tell her how much difficulty Cha Ying might be facing.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± They heard the old woman¡¯s voice and the three of them turned around.


    ¡°We are travelers,¡± Qiu Mu lied. ¡°Can we stay a night here? We will leave in the morning,¡± he stated.


    The olddy was carrying a big bamboo basket that Xiwan took from her. ¡°Grandma, I will carry it,¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡°It is not a resting house. Go to the city center to find a ce to stay at night,¡± the old woman asserted and took the basket from Xiwan.


    The olddy walked in with a limp leg while the three of them followed her. ¡°We have been traveling on the horses before sunrise. The city center is far from here. We will pay you a good amount for staying a night here,¡± Qiu Mu tried to convince the olddy.


    She ced the basket on therge wooden bench outside the house and turned to look at them.


    ¡°We will make a tent house here,¡± Chang Shi said. ¡°We had nned to do it in the forest, but it is dangerous to stay in the night. We request Grandma to let us stay for only a night,¡± he humbly requested.


    The olddy contemted and then nodded her head. ¡°You can put the tent here and you¡¯ve to cook your food by yourself. You don¡¯t need to pay me,¡± she said and walked to the other side.


    Qiu Mu smiled and thanked the olddy. Now, he needed to wait for Cha Ying to return.

 Chapter 594 - 594 You airhead! [Bonus chapter]

    594 You airhead! [Bonus chapter]


    Lin Jiao sat on the chair, her leg hanging down the left armrest while her gaze was on the ceiling. ¡°He made me his servant,¡± she murmured and tilted her head to look at the shelves which she cleaned.


    ¡°Miss Lin should sit straight,¡± Mingquan said as he entered the office room with a document in his hand.


    ¡°This is my way of sitting,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    Mingquan settled on the chair in front of her. He ced the document on the table and sped his fingers together. ¡°Miss Lin¡¯s leg is visible,¡± Mingquan said.


    Lin Jiao looked at her leg which was hanging down the armrest. She immediately sat straight and cleared her throat.


    ¡°I did my work. I cleaned all the shelves, and stacked the bamboo slips as the Fourth Prince asked me to. I made His Highness¡¯s work easier,¡± Lin Jiao said with a proud smile.


    ¡°Hmm. I think with this Miss Lin¡¯s hangover has gone,¡± Mingquan stated and asked her to leave. He focused his attention on the document on the table.


    ¡°The Fourth Prince should at least thank me for my work,¡± Lin Jiao demanded.


    ¡°Why should I?¡± Mingquan asked while keeping his eyes on the document. ¡°Miss Lin should not waste my time and leave for her home,¡± he stated.


    .....


    That remark sounded rude to Lin Jiao and it angered her. She leaned forward and took the document in her hand. Mingquan gazed at her and frowned.


    ¡°Miss Lin, don¡¯t y a child¡¯s game. Return the document,¡± Mingquan said with a stern tone and forwarded his hand.


    ¡°First, the Prince should thank me,¡± Lin Jiao asserted. Mingquan got up from the chair and so did Lin Jiao.


    ¡°Miss Lin, that document is important. Return it to me,¡± Mingquan said and walked to her. She walked backward and shook her head.


    ¡°The Fourth Prince should step back from the marriage first. I don¡¯t want to marry him,¡± Lin Jiao demanded.


    Mingquan¡¯s expression darkened and he said, ¡°Don¡¯t make me angry. Give me the document.¡± Lin Jiao shook her head when Mingquan approached her with long strides.


    She ran behind the second shelf and loudly said, ¡°The Fourth Prince has to tell my father that he doesn¡¯t want to marry me. I will return this document to him.¡± It was a good way to ckmail Mingquan in her eyes.


    However, she had no idea that she might get severely punished for this kind of act. She saw Mingquaning from the left and quickly went behind the third shelf.


    Mingquan was annoyed with her behavior. Finally, he caught her as they were behind thest shelf. Lin Jiao found her trapped. Her one hand was on the shelf, which wasn¡¯t fully stacked.


    ¡°Give me the document,¡± Mingquan stated.


    Lin Jiao gulped and she slowly brought her hand to the front. She handed it to him, who took it from her and then grasped her arm tightly.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± Lin Jiao let out a scream and asked Mingquan to let go of her arm.


    ¡°Do you even have any idea what this document carries?¡± Mingquan shouted at her. This was his first time scolding a woman. He never liked it, but Lin Jiao was a different case in his eyes. Without any scolding and punishment, she would not stop behaving like a child.


    ¡°I returned it to the Fourth P-Prince,¡± she muttered and pushed him away with her other hand when Mingquan again grabbed her wrist.


    He pinned her to the shelf and she again let out a scream when her back hit it. She frowned and then gulped to see Mingquan¡¯s facial expressions.


    The shelf was shaking as its one side was weak, but they didn¡¯t realize it.


    ¡°Why does the Fourth Prince want to marry me?¡± Lin Jiao finally questioned.


    ¡°I bet there is no man who would like to have you as his wife. I am one of them. People grow at a certain age, but you are a kid, who needs the attention of her family, especially your mother. At least be a grown-up for the sake of your mother. She doesn¡¯t know her daughter annoys other people. She should keep you at home. I want peace in my life, not a disaster,¡± Mingquan remarked.


    Lin Jiao chuckled and pushed him away with her full strength.


    ¡°You will stay in the Lin Residence for a week. That¡¯s your punishment,¡± he stated.


    Lin Jiao¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. ¡°I won¡¯t listen to you. And I don¡¯t have a mother,¡± she said. Her eyes turned misty and she turned to leave when the shelf tilted down in their direction.


    Before Lin Jiao could have gotten hurt, Mingquan caught her arm, drew her close and they twirled. The shelf hit Mingquan¡¯s back while Lin Jiao¡¯s back hit the wall behind her.


    Mingquan¡¯s left hand rested on the wall beside her head. Their noses almost touched and their eyes got locked with each other.


    Mingquan frowned as his back got hurt by that weight. Lin Jiao tried to push him away when he asked to stay quiet.


    But Lin Jiao didn¡¯t listen to him. She wanted to run away from his sight. Her mood was terrible at that time.


    Mingquan was already pushed down by the heavyweight of the shelf, could not bnce himself and his lipsnded above hers. Their eyes widened and he immediately withdrew.


    Lin Jiao covered her mouth with her hand.


    ¡°You airhead! I told you to stay still!¡± Mingquan¡¯s jaw clenched and he again turned furious at her.


    ¡°Why are you scolding me? It is you, who stole my kiss,¡± Lin Jiao angrily said. ¡°And I am not an airhead!¡± She stated.


    Mingquan called for help, ignoring her, but no one came inside for a while. Lin Jiao also shouted for help along with him.


    ¡°Why is no oneing?¡± Mingquan got irked and he looked at Lin Jiao, who slowly lowered her hand from her mouth.


    ¡°You have a way to make people fall in danger,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°You have to pay for it,¡± he added.


    ¡°But I did nothing,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°My back is hurting,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°I can¡¯t lift its weight any longer. You should also bear its weight,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°What? No! Just stay like this. You are such a strong man. You have been carrying loads of weight¡ª¡± she stopped speaking when Mingquan asked her to.


    ¡°Just shut your mouth. You aren¡¯t helping me at all,¡± Mingquan asserted.


    Lin Jiao saw the beads of sweat on his temples. She lifted her arm and wiped the sweat from her long sleeve.


    Mingquan gazed into her eyes and decided to apologize to her for his earlier remark.

 Chapter 595 - 595 Opposite of elegance

    595 Opposite of elegance


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t anyoneing here?¡± Lin Jiao murmured and again started shouting for help. ¡°Where are the servants?¡± She muttered and again looked at Mingquan, whose eyes were fixated on her.


    ¡°Did you send everyone away?¡± Lin Jiao asked.


    ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Mingquan mumbled when the door opened. Lin Jiao immediately started shouting for help.


    Li Tian rushed in that direction and was shocked to see them stuck. He moved the heavy bookshelf. ¡°Your Highness, pleasee to this side,¡± Li Tian said.


    Mingquan somehow came to the empty side. Lin Jiao also came to his side and asked him if he was okay.


    Li Tian left the grip on the shelf and it hit the wall. He turned around to check on Mingquan, who didn¡¯t look good. ¡°Your Highness, let me escort you to the pce,¡± Li Tian said.


    Mingquan hummed and looked at Lin Jiao, who looked tense.


    ¡°Don¡¯t drink too much. It will affect your body inter life. Also, go home,¡± Mingquan said. Li Tian looked at Lin Jiao, however, Mingquan turned to leave, so he followed him.


    ¡°He could have let me get hurt if he was a bad person,¡± Lin Jiao murmured. ¡°I hope he is super annoyed at me and will not marry me.¡±


    .....


    She walked out and saw Mingquan had not left. He was looking at her from the carriage¡¯s window. Lin Jiao averted his gaze from him and turned to the left when Mingquan stopped her.


    ¡°Get in!¡± Mingquan said.


    Lin Jiao nced at him with curiosity and shook her head. ¡°I will go by myself,¡± she said. Li Tian squinted his eyes at her and asked her to be respectful to the Fourth Prince.


    ¡°My humble apologies,¡± Lin Jiao said and bowed ny degrees.


    ¡°I have something to say to you,¡± Mingquan said and asked her not to make him wait. Lin Jiao stood straight and then went to the carriage. She ced her shoe on the footte and got in.


    ¡°We will go first to Minister Lin Wujian¡¯s residence,¡± Mingquan told Li Tian, who nodded at him.


    Li Tian closed the door for them and the carriage moved forward.


    ¡°Does it hurt a lot?¡± Lin Jiao asked.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Forgive me for speaking a few things in anger. I should not have brought your mother into our argument,¡± Mingquan said.


    Lin Jiao kept her eyes on herp. ¡°I do not like when someone asks me to do things against my wish,¡± she truthfully told him and then lifted her head.


    ¡°The Fourth Prince will not gain anything from marrying me,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°His Highness is right. It will be a disaster if anyone marries me. I will annoy him daily. Even my family is unable to hold me. How can a man outside my family handle me?¡± she chuckled.


    ¡°I have understood that,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°Then, why isn¡¯t His Highness telling my father he wants no rtionship with us?¡± Lin Jiao asked curiously.


    ¡°My mother told me that I would meet an elegantdy from the Lin Family,¡± Mingquan said.


    Lin Jiaoughed and then pursed her lips together. ¡°I apologize, but I am the opposite of elegance,¡± she proudly said.


    ¡°I like your truthfulness,¡± Mingquan said and again looked out of the window.


    ¡°So, did you make the decision to not marry me?¡± Lin Jiao asked. Mingquan still needs to respond to her question. She also turned quiet.


    The carriage stopped outside the Lin residence. Lin Jiao stepped out of the carriage and thanked Mingquan for giving her a ride. She bowed while the carriage left for the pce.


    ~~~~~~~~~


    Song Jia¡¯s face shimmered to hear the message from the King. Her marriage day had been fixed. Eunuch Shi Rang told her she would get married next week with Tianjie.


    Shi Rang handed the royal order to Song Jia, who epted it by forwarding both of her hands. She bowed to Eunuch Shi Rang.


    ¡°Prince Tianjie will note to see Miss Song until the day of their marriage. Here are the betrothal gifts which the Third Prince¡¯s mother has sent for Miss Song,¡± Eunuch Shi Rang said humbly and looked out of the door.


    Several pce servants walked in with numerous valuables with them. Song Jia had asked Tianjie not to send gifts, but he did not listen to her and she told the same to Eunuch Shi Rang.


    ¡°Miss Song, these are important for the betrothal ceremony. Prince Tianjie¡¯s mother is delighted with his marriage and she has already built a personal liking toward Miss Song,¡± Shi Rang exined to Song Jia.


    Song Jia hummed and told Eunuch Shi Rang that she would bring tea for him.


    ¡°Thank you, Miss Song, but I have to leave for the pce,¡± Shi Rang stated with a smile. Song Jia nodded at him. She found the room was filled with many gifts. Eunuch Shi Rang took his leave with the pce servants while Song Jia wondered what to do with all of those gifts.


    Song Jia¡¯s people, who apanied her for the Qiqi Festival, had already left for Qijiang province after Tianjie told them he would marry him. She would have given those gifts to them since they were her family for a long time.


    At that moment, she missed her family. She truly wished her parents and her siblings to be with her. The servants in her service told Song Jia that they would arrange them.


    ¡°You can do thatter. Have your lunch meals,¡± Song Jia told them. The servants bowed and left the room. Song Jia¡¯s eyes had turned misty and she wiped the tears from her eyes.


    A familiar warmth she felt as Tianjie¡¯s hands wrapped around her and she was stunned for a second.


    ¡°Your Highness?¡±


    She tried to turn around, but Tianjie asked her to stay still.


    Song Jia turned quiet and heard him speak, ¡°The royal astrologer dyed our marriage from this week to the next week. I thought we would soon be together. Are you ready to be minepletely?¡± He asked while keeping a gentle smile on his lips.


    ¡°I am already of His Highness,¡± Song Jia said. ¡°But why is His Highness here? Was he not supposed to not see me? He will get scolded if anyone finds out.¡± She was finally able to turn around and looked into his eyes.

 Chapter 596 - 596 Kissed her hard [Bonus chapter]

    596 Kissed her hard [Bonus chapter]


    Cha Ying arrived at the olddy¡¯s house earlier today. She got down from the horse and took it to the backyard where she found three more horses. She frowned to see those horses and quickly tied her horse beforeing to the front yard.


    She knitted her brows to see arge tent house and called for the olddy. Cha Ying went to the grandmother¡¯s room and asked her about the tent, and three horses.


    ¡°Three merchants havee and they wanted to rest for a night here. Since the city is a little far, and they were tired, they requested me to let them stay here for a night,¡± the olddy asserted and again started to sew.


    ¡°Grandma, what if they harm us? Why did you let strangers put their tent here? They could have stayed somewhere else,¡± Cha Ying scolded the olddy.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t look dangerous to me. They are young, handsome men. We didn¡¯t have to be scared of them,¡± the olddy said and asked Cha Ying to wash her face. ¡°How much did you work today?¡± She worriedly asked.


    ¡°Nothing much. Didn¡¯t Grandma find out I returned early today? I go and wash up. I will take a rest for some time,¡± Cha Ying said. The olddy nodded her head and told her she would ce the water bucket in the bathhouse.


    ¡°I will do it,¡± Cha Ying said and asked her to continue her work. Before leaving, she handed the olddy the money she earned today.


    ¡°Ayee. You should not give your money to me,¡± the olddy refused to take them.


    Cha Ying got on her knees and put the thirty teals on the small circr floor table. ¡°Grandma has let me live with her. She is like my family,¡± Cha Ying said with a tiny smile. She caressed the hands of the olddy and found how rough her hands were.


    .....


    The struggle to survive when you had nothing, she never understood it. She was filled with arrogance as well. Cha Ying clearly remembered how she made fun of Liu Jin Yu, who was also a poor woman. However, one thing that she realized was the happiness she got while living this way.


    There was no one who would restrict her, question her, and remind her to act like a gentledy. She stood up and left for the kitchen to heat the water.


    After the water heated up, Jin Yu shifted the hot water into the wooden bucket and took it to the bathhouse. She brought a clean pair of clothes from her room before taking a bath.


    Cha Ying returned to her room which was not spacious enough. It had one tiny cupboard at one end and a small floor table. She dried her hair using the towel and picked up the mirror from the table to look at her face.


    Being a woman, it wasn¡¯t easy for Cha Ying to find work in the city. So, she used to go to work dressed up as a man. Thanks to the physical workout she did for years, she was easily carrying the weights on her back.


    Initially, her body had sored, but within a few days, she got used to it. Cha Ying realized how far she hade, but there was one thing that she started to miss in her life.


    It was Qiu Mu. The person, who was ready to do anything for her. That day Cha Ying could have gone to him, but she didn¡¯t do that.


    If Cha Ying wanted she could have returned to Qinping, but she didn¡¯t. Again the reason was her family. She ced the mirror on the table when heard the sound of the door sliding.


    Cha Ying stood straight and turned to look when her eyes widened. The towel from her hand dropped to the floor and she looked at the person before her.


    ¡°Prince¡ª¡±


    Before she could have spoken further, Qiu Mu walked up to her. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her hard. Cha Ying ced her hands on his chest to push him away.


    But he didn¡¯t let her go. Qiu Mu had gone crazy for her for days. He looked for her everywhere and his restlessness would keep increasing with each passing day.


    Qiu Mu longed for her. He regretted not expressing his love properly earlier for her. He med himself for letting her leave and didn¡¯t understand what turmoil she was going through in her house.


    Cha Ying had surrendered in front of his kisses which showed his yearning for her. Her hands didn¡¯t push him away anymore.


    Qiu Mu¡¯s right hand lowered down her cheek and went to her waist. He pulled her up while burying the fingers of his left hand in the curls of her hair. He slowed the movement of his lips when she reciprocated him.


    Withdrawing their lips slowly, they gasped for air. Their foreheads touched and their noses rubbed against each other.


    ¡°Prince Mu,¡± Cha Ying finally called his name.


    ¡°How could you leave me?¡± Qiu Mu frowned. His hand again moved to her cheek and he stroked it.


    ¡°I missed you, Cha Ying. I cannot express you how much I suffered when I found you had left,¡± he whispered.


    He again captured her lips and this time kissed her gently. Cha Ying gently pushed him away to stop him and peered into his eyes.


    ¡°How did Prince Mu find me?¡± Cha Ying asked.


    ¡°I have some smart people, who traced your whereabouts,¡± Qiu Mu said. ¡°L¨®ng Wei had seen you running away in a male outfit. How could you do that to me? Did you not think of me for once? I am not ming you, but I am angry at myself. I should have married you earlier,¡± he stated.


    Cha Ying¡¯s eyes filled with tears. The love of Qiu Mu for her fluttered her heart. She rested her head just below his shoulder. ¡°I did not want to trouble Prince Mu. I thought my father would take advantage of it. Forgive me,¡± Cha Ying said and started weeping.

 Chapter 597 - 597 My wish and dream

    597 My wish and dream


    ¡°Why does your hand feel so rough? What kind of your work did you do?¡± Qiu Mu asked Cha Ying, who immediately pulled her hands back. She lowered her head and did not respond to him. Instead, she asked him about the events that underwent in the pce.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you answer my question first?¡± Qiu Mu arched his eyebrow. ¡°You were brought up in a well-off family. How could you work such heavy work?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°I needed to survive. It is not wrong to work,¡± Cha Ying replied.


    ¡°You were not supposed to carry those heavy sacks? I feel terrible to even think about it,¡± Qiu Mu stated and asked if her back did not hurt. ¡°Do not lie to me,¡± he warned her.


    ¡°How did Prince Mu find out that I carry heavy sacks?¡± Cha Ying inquired him.


    ¡°That is not important,¡± Qiu Mu stated and sighed. He asked her to turn around and when she did not, he used force. He pressed his shoulders and then the shoulder des. Cha Ying screamed in pain and quickly covered her mouth.


    ¡°Will you hate me if I punish your father to death?¡± Qiu Mu asked. His expression had darkened. Cha Ying turned to face him and asked him not to get angry.


    ¡°Kang Xi is such a terrible father. I wish I could kill him,¡± Qiu Mu said with frustration. He apologized to her for speaking such a thing about her father. In his eyes, it was Kang Xi and his greed that made Cha Ying run away from her house. Now, he was doingbor work to meet the ends.


    ¡°Your Highness, I also hate my father, but I do not want him to die. He must suffer while being powerless and understand his faults. That time situation was not right and I knew that the former King would free my brother from prison if I got married to you,¡± Cha Ying exined to him.


    .....


    ¡°Did you not hear my father is dead? You could have returned, but you did not. Why? Did you never love me?¡± Qiu Mu ended up asking the question, which had bothered him many times and was the reason for his sleepless nights.


    ¡°I had not had enough guts to face Prince Mu,¡± Cha Ying stated. ¡°Also, I thought he might have moved on from me; he might have found a better woman than me,¡± she reasoned.


    ¡°I always liked you before I officially met you in person. With time, you captured my heart. I even confessed my feelings to you, yet you thought I would have moved on from you!¡± Qiu Muined to her. It was his first time throwing a tantrum, but this side of his was visible to Cha Ying only.


    ¡°No one is better for me than Kang Cha Ying. Tomorrow we will go back to Qinping and we will get married to the same Prince Tianjie.¡± Qiu Mu announced his decision to her. He saw she had opened her mouth to speak when he ced his index finger on her lips.


    ¡°I will not listen to you this time. Do you want us to get married here? I can do that too. Just be my wife, and I will keep you always happy. I will not give you any chance ofint,¡± Qiu Mu stated.


    Cha Ying held his finger gently and lowered it. She ended up smiling. She lifted her body¡¯s weight on her knees and hugged him tightly. Her eyes closed.


    ¡°Thank you for searching for me,¡± Cha Ying said.


    Qiu Mu wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her close.


    ¡°Forgive me for hurting Prince Mu¡¯s feelings. My thoughts were not rational,¡± she stated. Qiu Mu smiled and moved his hand to her back. He caressed it and smiled.


    ¡°I forgave you,¡± Qiu Mu and kissed the top of her head.


    ~~~~~~~~~


    Xiwan and Chang Shi were sitting on the huge rock near the cliff and looking at the city of Dongqing. Earlier, they hade to the forest and climbed the hill to stay there till evening.


    ¡°Xiwan, what do you think Prince L¨®ng Wei will be doing? I hope he has made improvements in the rtionship with his father,¡± Chang Shi said and tilted his head to look at him.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei might have ended the differences between them by now,¡± Xiwan said. ¡°Monk Yuze¡¯s dream to see Prince L¨®ng Wei enjoying his life after forgiving his parents has finallye true,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Monk Yuze was a great soul,¡± Chang Shi said and asked Xiwan if he would go to the Huiying city.


    ¡°I won¡¯t. Prince L¨®ng Wei asked me to look into things behind him,¡± Xiwan affirmed.


    ¡°The Queen Dowager is scheming in the pce. She did not learn her lessons at all,¡± Chang Shi stated.


    ¡°I agree. Queen Dowager may end up like her husband. It would have been better if Prince L¨®ng Wei had punished her to death as well,¡± Xiwan said while clenching his jaw.


    ¡°She has arranged the poison for someone in the pce. Do you think it is for the Queen?¡± He wanted Chang Shi to make a guess.


    ¡°I am not sure, but that can be a possibility. The Queen Dowager never liked the Queen. Huang Xi is looking into that. I hope he will get rid of that,¡± Chang Shi stated.


    Xiwan exhaled sharply. ¡°Why the royal people cannot live in peace? Prince L¨®ng Wei must have been frustrated to see all this for so many years. I liked his decision of leaving the pce for a while,¡± he muttered.


    Chang Shi hummed. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to get settled and have a family of your own?¡± He suddenly asked Xiwan.


    ¡°I never put a thought into this. However, I do desire of having a family. Let¡¯s go to the matchmaking agency tomorrow evening,¡± Xiwan suggested to Chang Shi.


    ¡°I do not want to go,¡± Chang Shi refused.


    ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you want to have a family?¡± Xiwan asked with a confused look.


    ¡°I am not good around women. I get shy and even start to stutter,¡± Chang Shi asserted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. You talk so fluently in front of Princess Consort Li Hua and I heard you escorted Princess Ai Fen too to her chamber,¡± Xiwan said.


    ¡°Those are different cases, Xiwan. I prefer to live alone. I feel my life more peaceful that way,¡± Chang Shi asserted.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Xiwan hit his arm with his elbow. ¡°You want to grow up alone without any family? That is so wrong,¡± he said. ¡°I will find a suitable match for you when we go back to the capital.¡± Xiwan looked in his front again at the city.


    ¡°After several years, I want to see all of the people close to me happy in their respective lives, with their families. We have suffered so much that we want heaven to bless us with perfect partners so that when we return home, we have someone to care for us, and love us. I do not want any of us to live an aloof life anymore. This is my wish and dream for all my friends,¡± Xiwan pronounced with a wide smile on his lips.


    Chang Shi admired his thoughts and told him heaven would soon hear his prayers.


    ¡°I hope so,¡± Xiwan said.

 Chapter 598 - 598 Wished to be disappeared [Bonus chapter]

    598 Wished to be disappeared [Bonus chapter]


    Xiaoming went to see his mother and found her taking the evening tea. He bowed to her before taking a seat. Zhu Liling asked the servant to brew tea for the King as well.


    Zhu Liling ced the cup on the saucer and asked Xiaoming why he came to her manor despite knowing the fact that she didn¡¯t want to see him.


    ¡°To check if Mother isn¡¯t doing something wrong,¡± Xiaoming remarked. The tea server had ced the teacup before Xiaoming on the table and stepped back.


    Zhu Liling frowned to hear his remark and asked him to drink the tea.


    Xiaoming sipped the chrysanthemum tea and gently ced the cup on the table.


    ¡°The King should not speak something baseless against me,¡± Zhu Liling warned him.


    Xiaoming chuckled to hear his mother¡¯s statement. ¡°I would not have said such a big thing if I had no surety,¡± he affirmed and put his hand inside his inner pocket.


    He ced a piece of paper after unfolding it on the table and put his finger over the seal which only the Queen Dowager possessed.


    Zhu Liling looked at the paper and flinched. ¡°What is it?¡± She asked.


    .....


    ¡°Mother should read aloud and tell me why she gave this to her confidant,¡± Xiaoming demanded a truthful answer from his mother.


    Zhu Liling fiddled with her fingers and said, ¡°I do not know about this. The King should not bring such matters to me.¡± She inly refused her involvement with any such matter that was mentioned in the document.


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t make me imprison you for a lifetime,¡± Xiaoming¡¯s fists tightened and his jaw clenched. He wanted his mother to be true to him.


    Zhu Liling didn¡¯t say anything when Xiaoming rose to his feet.


    ¡°I wish I could give severe punishment to my mother. I wish I had carried a little bit of cruelty in me as you carry for me,¡± Xiaoming said and scrunched his eyebrows. He asked Huang Xi toe in, who did with Zhu Liling¡¯s confidant.


    Huang Xi pushed her and she got on her knees. ¡°Why did Mother send Hai Rou to the Eagle pavilion? Howe Mother knows that in the Eagle pavilion, one can get the deadliest poisons?¡± He questioned Zhu Liling, who gulped.


    Zhu Liling gazed at Hai Rou, who was caught so easily.


    ¡°I do not know what the King is saying,¡± Zhu Liling asserted. ¡°Hai Rou has been in my manor for many years. She might have used the seal to use me. The King should investigate properly before making such an usation about his mother,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Hai Rou, tell us the truth,¡± Xiaoming asked her to speak.


    Hai Rou had not epted her crime till now. Xiaoming thought that seeing Zhu Liling leaving her side, she might speak the truth, but the opposite happened. Hai Rou took the entire me on herself. She told them how she wanted to destroy the royal family by taking Queen Dowager as her shield.


    ¡°Please punish me to death, Your Majesty,¡± Hai Rou said and lowered her head.


    Huang Xi looked at Xiaoming, who asked her to take Hai Rou away. Huang Xi dragged her out of the chamber while Xiaoming stayed in the chamber.


    ¡°Mother will not stay in the pce. I will send her far away from here,¡± Xiaoming announced her decision to her.


    Zhu Liling frowned to hear his sudden decision. ¡°The King cannot send me away!¡± She spat at him.


    ¡°I can. I will have to do this to stop my mother frommitting crimes like my father,¡± Xiaoming pronounced. He told her he didn¡¯t believe what Hai Rou told them.


    ¡°I will raise the matter in the imperial court,¡± Zhu Liling stated.


    ¡°Mother cannot do this. She should not forget that I am the supreme ruler here. Mother will leave the pce in the evening. As an ideal king, I should throw her into prison, but my heart doesn¡¯t allow me to be merciless on my mother. I truly wished that she could see the truth and stand with it,¡± Xiaoming said. He was infuriated at his mother, but he could not either show that anger.


    Zhu Liling quickly stood up from her ce and held Xiaoming¡¯s arms. ¡°I did nothing, Your Majesty. Please do not send me away,¡± she pleaded to Xiaoming. However, he didn¡¯t listen to her this time.


    ¡°I do not have any faith in my mother anymore,¡± Xiaoming stated and pushed her away. ¡°I am disappointed in both my Father and my Mother. You chose to be loyal to a man who took so many lives and manipted a child in his way. You chose to poison me because I stood up with L¨®ng Wei. I wish I could develop as much as the hate you developed for me.¡±


    Zhu Liling¡¯s eyes turned teary. Xiaoming knew everything. It was true. She chose to poison her own son and now, she was regretting it. She thought she would be the supreme ruler and would destroy everyone.


    ¡°Forgive me,¡± Zhu Liling said.


    Xiaoming did not say anything about that and walked out of the chamber. He gave strict instructions to the soldiers not to let Zhu Liling out.


    His eyes were misty. He respected and loved his mother so much. Zhu Liling earlier did the crime to take Jin Yu¡¯s life. He had promised himself not to forgive her, but he did. However, now the water has gone above the head.


    Xiaoming felt so terrible. The two most important people in his life, who were once his everything, betrayed him in the most unexpected way.


    He was devastated from the inside. He used to feel pity for L¨®ng Wei, but now he was in the same ce. Xiaoming¡¯s faltered because he didn¡¯t take water or a meal since the morning after he found his mother brought that poison for him. His head was heavy and he fell to the ground. He slowly closed his eyes and wished to be disappeared.


    The servants saw the King on the ground and ran in his direction, leaving their respective work.

 Chapter 599 - 599 It hurts me badly

    599 It hurts me badly


    Xiaoming gradually opened his eyes and heard Jin Yu¡¯s voice. His brows furrowed as he felt his body weak, but he could hear the voice of his wife Peng Yuxian.


    After a while, the voices stopped and he felt Jin Yu¡¯s hand above his. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± she whispered and ced her other hand on his cheek, ¡°please open your eyes.¡±


    It took time for Xiaoming to open his eyes when she helped him in sitting in a half-lying position. She took the water ss from the tray and brought it to his mouth.


    Xiaoming sipped water and moved his head away. The servant took the ss from Jin Yu and stepped behind. Jin Yu wiped his lips using her thumb.


    ¡°Your Majesty, a healthy soup is prepared for you,¡± Jin Yu said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat,¡± Xiaoming said and kept his gaze away.


    ¡°Why?¡± Jin Yu¡¯s eyes filled with tears. ¡°You didn¡¯t even take your meals in the morning,¡± she said.


    Xiaoming didn¡¯t speak. Jin Yu looked at the courtdy and gestured to her to keep the tray on the table. The servant did what she was told and left the chamber.


    ¡°I want to be alone,¡± Xiaoming said.


    .....


    Jin Yu clenched her fist. ¡°Drink this soup,¡± she picked up the bowl and handed it to him. Xiaoming gazed at her in confusion and saw she had risen to her feet.


    ¡°Drink it before I return,¡± Jin Yu said with a stern tone.


    ¡°Where are you leaving?¡± Xiaoming asked her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need me, so I must go out,¡± Jin Yu said and turned around. She lifted her heavy long skirt and walked out of the chamber. She locked it from outside and told the maidservants not to open it.


    Xiaoming shouted her name, but she didn¡¯t listen to him. He realized that he had angered Jin Yu. He looked at the soup and picked up thedle.


    Xiaoming didn¡¯t want to infuriate Jin Yu more when she would return. He had to finish the soup before her return. His eyes had turned misty as he reminisced how his mother brought the poison for him.


    Outside, Jin Yu marched to Queen Dowager¡¯s manor. All this time, she didn¡¯t speak against Zhu Liling, but she would not spare her today.


    Zhu Liling heard about Jin Yu¡¯s visit. Before she could refuse to see the Queen, Jin Yu entered.


    ¡°Are you really my husband¡¯s mother? Are you really the one who gave him birth?!¡± Jin Yu questioned her. The courtdy in service of Queen Dowager shouted at Jin Yu for disrespecting Zhu Liling.


    ¡°Don¡¯t intervene if you want to live,¡± Jin Yu¡¯s voice intimidated the courtdy, which angered her.


    The Court Lady stepped up to p Jin Yu on the behalf of the Queen Dowager when Jin Yu grabbed her hand and twisted it. She cried in pain and Jin Yu pushed her away.


    The courtdy fell to the floor and shouted for the servants.


    ¡°A mother cannot order to bring poison for her child,¡± Jin Yu said. ¡°I never saw him this broken. Since the morning, he could not take a single morsel of food. It was unbelievable and unbearable for him to find his mother did something sinful for him.¡±


    Jin Yu wanted to punish Zhu Liling on Xiaoming¡¯s behalf, but at the same time, she was hesitant. Zhu Liling was Xiaoming¡¯s mother after all. Jin Yu didn¡¯t want him to carry the guilt of seeing her punished.


    ¡°me L¨®ng Wei for this,¡± Zhu Liling. ¡°He snatched my son, my husband from me. The son I gave birth to was not the Xiaoming I know today,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Xiaoming knows the difference between right and wrong, unlike his mother. He got fainted because of you,¡± Jin Yu pronounced and tears rolled down her cheeks. She fisted her palm and covered the distance between them.


    Jin Yu didn¡¯t care if she was in from of Queen Dowager, who held more power than her. She grabbed Zhu Liling by her cor and red into her eyes.


    The servants got stunned to see that. No one could ever dare to do this.


    ¡°Queen Dowager, your husband was not a human. Don¡¯t be ruthless because of yourte husband. Don¡¯t make me take the decision to get you killed,¡± Jin Yu said with a stern tone.


    ¡°His Majesty is my life and if anyone tries to harm him, I will not hesitate to kill that person. Be remorseful for your acts.¡± Jin Yu pushed Zhu Liling away, who faltered.


    ¡°Throw this woman to the prison,¡± Jin Yu ordered the soldier, who was standing behind her. The courtdy was dragged out from the Queen Dowager¡¯s chamber.


    Jin Yu turned around and walked out. Zhu Liling started tough and then after a while, she started weeping. Jin Yu heard her insane cries, but she didn¡¯t pay heed to them.


    When she returned to the King¡¯s chamber, she saw Xiaoming had the soup bowl near his mouth.


    ¡°I finished it. Forgive me for earlier,¡± Xiaoming said and licked his lips. He ced the bowl on the bedside table.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to leave,¡± Xiaoming said.


    Jin Yu approached him and sat on the bed before hugging him. ¡°I was scared when you fainted. It took you an hour to wake up,¡± sheined to him.


    Xiaoming circled his arms around her waist and apologized to her to make her worried.


    ¡°I was tensed after finding the truth. I love her, Jin Yu. She is my mother no matter what. This feeling is clenching my heart more. I have decided to send her away because if she would stay here, I would hate myself for letting her go unpunished.¡±


    Jin Yu caressed his back. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Xiaoming. You have been a great son to her and still are. I wanted to punish her and throw her into prison, but then she is your mother,¡± she informed him.


    ¡°I truly wished my mother to understand me. It hurts me badly,¡± Xiaoming said.

 Chapter 600 - 600 I thought I would die [Bonus chapter]

    600 I thought I would die [Bonus chapter]


    Lin Jiao looked at Ye Xin and then at the letter in her hand. ¡°Why did you take it from Bai Jue?¡± Lin Jiao questioned.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take it. Yesterday after you left behind the Fourth Prince, Bai Jue saw me in the restaurant and he handed it to me. I tried to refuse, but he walked away,¡± Ye Xin stated and picked up the dumpling to eat.


    Lin Jiao fisted the letter in her palm when Ye Xin asked her if she seeded in making the Fourth Prince understand not to marry her.


    ¡°I could not change Prince Mingquan¡¯s decision,¡± Lin Jiao said and recalled he got hurt because of her.


    ¡°I even troubled the Fourth Prince, but he is still rooted in his decision to know about me. What to do, Ye Xin?¡± Lin Jiao looked at her friend, who was smiling.


    ¡°I think the Fourth Prince likes you. If you troubled His Highness and despite that, he didn¡¯t get angry or scolded you, then that means he can bear your tantrums. His Highness can keep you happy,¡± Ye Xin stated while smiling.


    Lin Jiao sighed and leaned back on the chair. ¡°I am too young to marry. I do not want to leave my father and brother,¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, if I had been at your ce, I would have married the Fourth Prince. He is a gem!¡± Ye Xin again began praising Mingquan. Lin Jiao leaned forward and keenly listened to her.


    ¡°Should I tell the Fourth Prince to marry you?¡± Lin Jiao asked Ye Xin.


    .....


    ¡°What are you saying? The proposal hase for you, not me. Also, I am telling you from every single woman¡¯s perspective in the Kingdom,¡± Ye Xin rified to Lin Jiao.


    ¡°What to do? How to make the Fourth Prince agree that I am not a suitable woman for him? How could he be so patient with me?¡± Lin Jiao held her head and hit her forehead lightly on the surface of the table.


    Ye Xin tsked and shook her head when they both heard the loud voices of men. The next second, some tes were smashed on the floor and a few people screamed.


    Lin Jiao and Ye Xin turned to look. They found a group of four men threatening the restaurant owner and even the customers present there. Lin Jiao stood up when Ye Xin caught her wrist.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go there,¡± she told Lin Jiao.


    ¡°I am not,¡± Lin Jiao said. Ye Xin stood next to her while holding her arm. The sight got scary when one of the men took out the slightly curved sword, called a cuss, and put it on a young servant¡¯s neck, who was a teen boy.


    ¡°How dare you charge me extra? Do you consider me a fool? Now, this boy will lose his life because of you,¡± the man bellowed at the restaurant owner. He caught his leg and apologized to him.


    ¡°I will not charge anything from you. Let the boy go,¡± the owner pleaded with him.


    Lin Jiao saw that everyone was scared because of those four men. Because of them unnecessary chaos urred and she didn¡¯t like it.


    Lin Jiao wanted to intervene but the evil men looked powerful to her. She decided to sneak out somehow and inform the local market inspector about it.


    ¡°Ye Xin, I will sneak out of the restaurant. Stay here,¡± Lin Jiao whispered in Ye Xin¡¯s ear, who turned her head to look at her and shook her head.


    Lin Jiao gestured to her to stay quiet. She let go of Ye Xin¡¯s hand from her arm and with quiet and careful steps she moved to the door. She had almost reached the door when one of the men saw her.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Another wicked man from the group shouted at her. Everyone turned their attention to her.


    ¡°I will inform the inspector,¡± Lin Jiao ended up saying and then ran out of the restaurant.


    ¡°Grab that woman!¡±


    Ye Xin got worried because of this action of Lin Jiao. Two of those wicked men had already gone after Lin Jiao while one of them closed the door, thus captivating everyone inside the restaurant.


    Lin Jiao asked the people to get away from her way. She looked behind her and saw the men chasing her.


    She looked straight and saw a carting from the front. The porter stopped to see her when she jumped over the goods to the other side.


    Her knee got scratched, but it wasn¡¯t the time for Lin Jiao to stop. She got up and ran ahead. Because of the fear, she forgot to take the route that could lead her to the main market, where local inspectors would easily be found.


    Her legs started to give up and her throat dried. Lin Jiao looked behind again and found those men were still after her.


    ¡°Aish, this heavy dress!¡± Lin Jiao found difficulty in running in that skirt. She saw a garment house and went to its backyard.


    Lin Jiao ced her hand on her chest trying to catch her breath. She saw a small storehouse in the backyard and decided to hide there for a while.


    Twenty minutes passed, but no one came. Lin Jiao got assured that those men would not keep pace to chase her. She decided to leave when the storehouse door slid and the same men walked in.


    Lin Jiao faltered in fear and fell to the floor covered in dust.


    ¡°How dare you make us run?¡± One of them raised his hand when the other one stopped him.


    ¡°She looks beautiful. Why don¡¯t we have fun with her? We can sell herter¡± another one suggested.


    ¡°What? No!¡± Lin Jiao looked around and a log of wood came in her hand. She stood up while keeping the log in front of her. She would attack them if they tried to do something odd to her.


    Lin Jiao knew defense, but she was not good at it. However, she needed to y smartly to run away from there.


    She tried to intimidate them with the log and even hit hard the arm of the man on her left.


    She pushed the right one and quickly ran out of the storehouse. Lin Jiao shouted for help while running from them. Tears had formed in her eyes thinking she would be dead today.


    Her foot slipped and she was going to fall. However, a strong arm wrapped around her belly and she got saved from falling.


    Mingquan steadied her and looked at her face. Lin Jiao started weeping to see him. ¡°I thought I would die,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°You love to invite danger,¡± Mingquan said while caressing her arm. He patted her head and then made her stand behind him.


    Mingquan looked at the two men and the swords in their hands.


    ¡°Hey! Move away, if you do not want to die,¡± the man on his right said.


    Mingquan chuckled and said, ¡°The one whom you threatened is my betrothed.¡±


    Lin Jiao stopped blinking and her heart skipped a beat.


    Mingquan drew out his sword and within seconds, he brought those wicked men to the ground. Those men pleaded with him to spare their lives after Mingquan revealed his identity.


    ¡°Sadly, I don¡¯t forgive those who hurt children, women, and old people,¡± Mingquan stated.

 Chapter 601 - 601 Shared my kiss

    601 Shared my kiss


    Mingquan made Lin Jiao sit on the chair and got on his knees. She was sobbing when he asked her if she would stop crying.


    ¡°How to do that? I was super scared,¡± Lin Jiao said and again began weeping.


    ¡°You already look ugly and after crying you look horrible. If someone sees your face in the night, he will definitely die,¡± Mingquan remarked and told her that he would lift her skirt.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t treat your wound now, it will get infected. Don¡¯t be shy. I am your soon-to-be husband,¡± Mingquan said with a slight smirk.


    Lin Jiao found her heart beating strangely and she pushed that thought off her mind. ¡°You won¡¯t be my husband. I do not want to marry you,¡± Lin Jiao said. She used to forget that she was in front of a prince and that she should give him appropriate respect.


    ¡°We shared a kiss,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°What? You need to forget about that,¡± Lin Jiao frowned at him. Mingquan continued to tease her and she stopped crying.


    Mingquan picked up the first-aid box and opened it.


    .....


    ¡°I will do it,¡± Lin Jiao was still hesitant to show her leg to him.


    ¡°Why are you scared? If I¡¯ll take you to the physician, then will you not shy away?¡± He questioned her and picked up a porcin bottle that had white powdered medicine in it.


    ¡°Physicians are different. They check many people without thinking about their gender,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am not the kind of man who will get excited to see your leg,¡± Mingquan said and held the bottom edge of her skirt.


    ¡°Wait! Wait! Prince Mingquan should close his eyes,¡± Lin Jiao requested.


    ¡°I will tell your father what you did today,¡± Mingquan threatened her. Lin Jiao¡¯s lips pursed and she turned quiet.


    He moved her skirt up and looked at her right knee. ¡°You got a bad injury,¡± Mingquan said with a worried look. He dressed her wound and lowered her skirt. He closed the first-aid box and stood up.


    ¡°Why did you run out of the restaurant?¡± Mingquan asked her.


    ¡°I thought I would bring the inspector there and save the boy,¡± Lin Jiao affirmed. ¡°I got scared and ended uping in this direction,¡± she added and lowered her head.


    Mingquan knitted his brows and sat on the chair across from her.


    ¡°Did those men say something bad to you? They didn¡¯t do anything to you, right?¡± Mingquan inquired.


    Lin Jiao looked at him. ¡°They wanted to sell me. They said they would have fun with me,¡± she said and tears again appeared in her eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t start crying,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Why is the Fourth Prince scolding me?¡± Lin Jiao questioned him.


    ¡°Because Miss Lin acted naively. What if I had not been here? Miss Lin should stay quiet if she doesn¡¯t know what to do,¡± Mingquan reprimanded Lin Jiao, who began crying.


    ¡°I wanted t-to help them. I didn¡¯t know it would turn this way,¡± Lin Jiao said and sniffled.


    Mingquan scratched the temple of his forehead.


    ¡°But how did the Fourth Prince arrive here?¡± Lin Jiao asked as she wiped the tears from her eyes.


    ¡°I was here even before you arrived,¡± Mingquan stated and took out the tassel from his pocket. He showed it to Lin Jiao and said, ¡°I saw it outside and it made me suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for saving me,¡± Lin Jiao said when Mingquan saw her hands trembling in fear.


    ¡°I will drop Miss Lin at her house,¡± Mingquan said and rose to his feet. He extended his hand out to Lin Jiao, who looked at her in confusion.


    ¡°Hold it,¡± Mingquan said.


    Lin Jiao grasped his hand and he pulled her up. She moved close to him and he brought his thumb under her right eye. He wiped the tears from both of her eyes and said, ¡°Being brave is good. But it is considered foolishness if you have no idea what to do after acting bravely.¡±


    Lin Jiao hummed while he lowered his hand.


    ¡°I really thought I would be dead today. I never got terrified to this extent. Will Prince Mingquan punish those men severely? Thest time I cried was when my mother passed away,¡± Lin Jiaoined to him.


    ¡°I will punish them severely,¡± Mingquan said and took her out of the room in the garment house. He thanked the owner and left with Lin Jiao.


    She was limping which Mingquan noticed and he ced his hand around her shoulder. He asked her to walk carefully and then helped her get into the carriage.


    After they sat inside, Mingquan ordered the carriage driver to take them to the Lin Residence.


    Inside the carriage, they remained silent for a while when Mingquan broke the ice. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Miss Lin want to marry me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I am a young girl. I want to enjoy my life,¡± Lin Jiao answered and bit her bottom lip when she realized her answer showed how dumb she was.


    ¡°Miss Lin is not a young girl. She is a grown-up woman in her early twenties,¡± Mingquan corrected her.


    ¡°Why does the Fourth Prince want to marry me? I troubled him a lot,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°Miss Lin acts like a kid which makes me curious to know more about her. I¡¯ve never said that I wanted to marry her. I¡¯d said that I wanted to know more about her,¡± Mingquan rified to her.


    Lin Jiao was living in confusion for these two days. Mingquan never said he would marry her! It brought a smile to her lips.


    ¡°Then, Prince Mingquan should step back now. He knows me perfectly now. I am not the woman who can be his wife,¡± Lin Jiao again started to convince him.


    ¡°I never kissed anyone,¡± Mingquan stated.


    Lin Jiao frowned and wondered why he was bringing that again.


    ¡°I shared my kiss with Miss Lin. I think I should know more about her¡­ at a personal level,¡± Mingquan affirmed and smiled at her.

 Chapter 602 - 602 Next week

    602 Next week


    Qiu Mu looked at Kang Xi, who was on his knees and apologizing for his behavior toward Cha Ying.


    ¡°I do not trust your apology either,¡± Qiu Mu said and asked him to take a seat. Kang Xi stood up and sat on the broad chair across from Qiu Mu.


    ¡°Kang Xi, you have seen how father died. If Brother L¨®ng Wei wanted, he could have killed you and your son too. But he didn¡¯t. I hope you will reflect on your mistakes. Moreover, you need to apologize to your daughter, who was mentally affected by the pressure from all of you.¡±


    Qiu Mu didn¡¯t want to malign his rtionship with the Kang Family as they would be his inws. It was Cha Ying¡¯s family and he didn¡¯t want to disrespect any of them.


    ¡°Cha Ying lived like men in Dongqing. What if I could not find her? She used to carry loads on her back. Can you imagine your daughter doing such work? She slept on the floor. The Kang family is one of the well-off families in the Kingdom, yet its daughter had to undergo all the worse things,¡± Qiu Mu pronounced which brought tears to Kang Xi¡¯s eyes.


    Kang Xi could not hold them anymore and started crying. ¡°I am ashamed of my actions, Your Highness. I should not have thought about my position and been greedy because of that,¡± he said while crying. Kang Xi was grateful to Prince Mu for finding and bringing his daughter back. He assured the Second Prince that he would not give him any chance toin.


    ¡°I will marry Cha Ying next week. The Royal Astrologer has set a date. The same day Prince Tianjie will also marry. I want you to cherish and pour all the love on your daughter for the few days she is here,¡± Qiu Mu asserted.


    Kang Xi was happy and sad at the same time. He didn¡¯t be a good father to Cha Ying. By the time he realized his faults, his daughter would be married off. Kang Xi expressed his gratitude towards Qiu Mu for bringing his daughter back.


    ¡°Now, you don¡¯t need to cry,¡± Qiu Mu said. ¡°Start the preparations for our marriage,¡± he said and rose to his feet.


    .....


    Kang Xi wiped his tears and saw Qiu Mu off. These past few weeks were difficult for him and he truly repented for his mistakes.


    Qiu Mu hopped on the horse and left for the pce. The first big news he got from the pce was that Queen Dowager left the pce on the King¡¯s order.


    ¡°But why did it happen?¡± Qiu Mu asked his loyal servant, Eunuch Dao.


    ¡°The Queen Dowager tried to poison His Majesty,¡± Eunuch Dao replied.


    ¡°What?¡± Qiu Mu was shocked to hear him and took the ss of water from the tray, which a servant was holding.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. The King has even fainted yesterday as His Majesty didn¡¯t take any food and water yesterday morning,¡± Eunuch Dao narrated the matter to Qiu Mu.


    ¡°His Majesty must be upset,¡± Qiu Mu said and knitted his brows together. He sipped the water before cing the ss on the tray. The servant left the chamber while Qiu Mu removed his round cor robe.


    ¡°Is the bathhouse ready?¡± Qiu Mu asked.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Eunuch Dao said.


    ¡°Hmm. Inform my mother that I will visit her after an hour,¡± Qiu Mu ordered Eunuch Dao before leaving for the bathhouse.


    ~~~~~~~


    Mingquan told Lin Wujian not to worry about his daughter.


    ¡°Your Highness, I do not know how to express my gratitude. My daughter is my lifeline. If she gets even a small scratch, it hurts me,¡± Lin Wujian said.


    ¡°Miss Lin acts naively. I would like to know from State Minister Lin Wujian, why his daughter refused to marry me. Is there any prior reason behind it?¡± Mingquan asked.


    Earlier, when he brought Lin Jiao to her home, she said in front of her father she didn¡¯t intend to marry Mingquan. So, he was curious to know her father¡¯s answer.


    ¡°She says she is young and wants to enjoy her life,¡± Lin Wujian replied and lowered his head. ¡°I apologize for the inconveniences His Highness has to face because of my daughter,¡± he said with an upset tone.


    ¡°I would like to marry your daughter,¡± Mingquan delivered his decision to Lin Wujian, which was unexpected to him. ¡°However, I want the State Minister to keep it a secret from his daughter and son,¡± he asserted.


    Lin Wujian was astonished by the Fourth Prince¡¯s request.


    ¡°Is His Highness serious? I mean, my daughter creates a lot of trouble. I do not want His Highness to remain worried for her all the time,¡± Lin Wujian was honest with Mingquan.


    ¡°I am serious about it,¡± Mingquan said with a smile. ¡°I like Miss Lin Jiao. I would like to know more about her and at the same time, I will convince her to marry me.¡± He looked confident and it delighted Lin Wujian.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness. I cannot express my happiness over this matter,¡± Lin Wujian widely smiled.


    ¡°Please do not scold Miss Lin. She will get more rebellious,¡± Mingquan requested him.


    ¡°Sure. I won¡¯t do it, Your Highness,¡± Lin Wujian immediately acknowledged the Fourth Prince¡¯s request.


    ¡°I would like to know if Miss Lin turned this way after her mother passed away?¡± Mingquan¡¯s question was personal, but he wanted to know the reasons to get close to Lin Jiao to understand her better.


    ¡°I guess so. I didn¡¯t look after her because of my duties. She hated the fact that men got more freedom than women from a young age. She even beat up boys whenever she used to go out to y. I also failed to know the reasons for my daughter¡¯s this kind of behavior,¡± Lin Wujian affirmed.


    ¡°Miss Lin is different,¡± Mingquan said and chuckled. ¡°I am impressed to hear all such things about her. Thank you for sharing with me all these things,¡± he stated and smiled at Lin Wujian.

 Chapter 603 - 603 A new love [Bonus chapter]

    603 A new love [Bonus chapter]


    Xiuying furrowed her brows when Qiu Mu informed her that he found Kang Cha Ying and brought her back to Qinping. She didn¡¯t look happy about it, but she could see how d her son was.


    ¡°Mother, I have decided to marry Cha Ying next week, the same day Brother Tianjie will marry Miss Song,¡± Qiu Mu asserted with a wide smile.


    ¡°What?¡± Xiuying eximed in shock.


    ¡°Hmm. I cannot dy my marriage with Cha Ying,¡± Qiu Mu said and smiled.


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it too early, son?¡± Xiuying wanted him to stop marrying Cha Ying. The reason was simple. The Kang family had lost its reputation and she didn¡¯t want them anymore to be rted to them in any way. However, if she would say it directly to Qiu Mu, he might get upset with her.


    ¡°How is it early?¡± Qiu Mu inquired. ¡°We were supposed to marryst month,¡± he said and lowered his gaze at the floor table before him. He picked up the sweet to taste it.


    ¡°Prince Mu, do not get angry, but I asked the hand of the Sui Family daughter for you,¡± Xiuying informed her son finally.


    Qiu Mu looked at his mother in bewilderment. ¡°Why?¡± The smile on his lips had already disappeared.


    ¡°Because I thought Miss Kang would not return,¡± Xiuying stated.


    .....


    ¡°Now, she has returned, so Mother must refuse the Sui Family,¡± Qiu Mu replied.


    ¡°It will be a bit ufortable, Son. Also, Cha Ying lost her dignity after running away from home. Who knows what she did in the other city?¡± Xiuying remarked and it infuriated Qiu Mu.


    ¡°How could Mother say it?¡± He snorted at her. ¡°I should not havee here.¡± Qiu Mu stood up in anger when Xiuying stopped him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that, Son. The people¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough, Mother!¡± Qiu Mu snarled. ¡°Does Mother think I am a fool? I know your thoughts well. I will marry Cha Ying next week and no one can change my decision. I have already informed the King about this,¡± he pronounced and turned around to leave.


    ¡°Do you no longer want your mother to take a higher position? The King got weak after losing all the strong support of ministers. He has new loyal ministers, but they aren¡¯t as powerful as the old ones,¡± Xiuying tried to manipte Qiu Mu¡¯s thoughts.


    He tilted his head over his shoulder to nce at his mother. ¡°As if I care about this. I no longer intend to get a position higher than my current one. I am satisfied with what I have now,¡± he stated and walked out of the chamber.


    Eunuch Dao followed him as he walked ahead in the corridor.


    ¡°His Highness doesn¡¯t look in a good mood,¡± Eunuch Dao said.


    ¡°The pce is still filled with dirt,¡± Qiu Mu remarked.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness?¡± Eunuch Dao ran behind Qiu Mu to match his pace.


    ¡°Call the Sui Family head. I would like to see him,¡± Qiu Mu ordered Eunuch Dao, who immediately followed themand of his master and bowed before going to the other side.


    Qiu Mu continued walking until he encountered Mingquan.


    ¡°Brother Mu, I heard you found Miss Kang and brought her safely to the pce,¡± Mingquan said after greeting him.


    ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Where is Brother Mingquan heading to?¡± He asked.


    ¡°To see my mother,¡± Mingquan answered. ¡°I need to give her an answer,¡± he added.


    ¡°An answer?¡± Qiu Mu was perplexed.


    ¡°She talked about my marriage with the Lin family¡¯s daughter,¡± Mingquan replied.


    ¡°What¡¯s Brother Mingquan¡¯s answer then?¡± Qiu Mu was curious to know.


    ¡°I want to marry Miss Lin. However, it may take time since I need to understand her and at the same time, convince her,¡± Mingquan stated.


    Qiu Mu tilted his head in bewilderment. ¡°Did Miss Lin not agree to the marriage?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mingquan replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange. Brother Mingquan¡¯s personality is enough to attract women,¡± Qiu Mu stated.


    ¡°Miss Lin is kind of a different person. It is tough for me to exin at the moment,¡± Mingquan said. They talked for a while before walking away.


    ~~~~~~~~


    ¡°Princess Ai Fen doesn¡¯t like Commander Huang Xi?¡± Xiwan was shocked to learn the truth from Chang Shi, and then he gazed at Huang Xi.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know this?¡± Xiwan inquired. ¡°When did it happen?¡±


    ¡°The day before Prince L¨®ng Wei left,¡± Huang Xi replied. ¡°Because I behaved wrongly with her elder sister, she thought I¡¯d treat any woman that badly. I never thought the woman I liked would think this way of me,¡± he let out a frustrated sigh. He sipped the wine and put the ss on the table.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you like the Second Princess anymore?¡± Xiwan was confused if he heard Huang Xi wrong.


    ¡°I don¡¯t. There was no use to keep liking her and telling myself I could win her heart. I am saying this because that look in her eyes clearly told me what she thinks of me,¡± Huang Xi stated.


    ¡°I hope you fall in love again,¡± Xiwan said. Huang Xi got irked and told him he didn¡¯t want to hear that word.


    ¡°Ayee! Don¡¯t whine like a kid. You are such a young man. Not falling in love doesn¡¯t suit you,¡± Xiwan said and patted his back. He held the chopsticks and ced the dumpling on the te before Huang Xi. ¡°Eat it and throw your anger out.¡±


    ¡°I never disrespected any woman,¡± Huang Xi said and tears formed in his eyes.


    ¡°Why did a gentle woman like Princess Ai Fen say such a thing to me? That time Princess Jingfei¡¯s acts made me angry at her. She thought ill of Prince L¨®ng Wei, that¡¯s why I got angry at her,¡± he exined to them.


    ¡°Perhaps Princess Ai Fen isn¡¯t the one for you,¡± Chang Shi said. ¡°Don¡¯t take it to heart. I have been hearing from the soldiers that you are again getting annoyed at them for no reason. For how long are you going to work this way?¡± He took the wine jar from him. It was the third jar that Huang Xi was supposed to empty.


    ¡°Taking too much wine isn¡¯t good for you,¡± Chang Shi said with a worried look. He was anxious about Huang Xi¡¯s work life because of all the tantrums he had been throwing for the past few days.


    ¡°Man! You are still in love with the Second Princess. You need to get out of her,¡± Xiwan stated.


    ¡°I am not into her. I am merely hurt,¡± Huang Xi said and asked Chang Shi to give the jar to him, who refused.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t letting me take out my frustration. I miss Prince L¨®ng Wei. He left without giving me the solution,¡± he murmured and hey on the floor with his hands spread out.


    ¡°Huang Xi, why don¡¯t you go with us to a matchmaking agency tomorrow?¡± Xiwan suggested to him.


    Huang Xi tilted his head and with a puzzled look asked him why he would do that.


    ¡°To remove Princess Ai Fen¡¯s thoughtspletely from your mind. If you meet a new woman, then things will be easier for you,¡± Xiwan opined.


    ¡°I am not interested,¡± Huang Xi said. ¡°I want to stay far from women as much as I can. I don¡¯t want another heartbreak,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Are you going to marry?¡± Huang Xi asked Xiwan.


    ¡°I n to. But for that, I need to find a match for myself,¡± Xiwan asserted with a smile.


    ¡°You look desperate to start your family,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°I have already lived alone for so many years, so I need a family of mine,¡± Xiwan proimed with a smile.


    ¡°I hope you get a great match,¡± Huang Xi said and gazed at Chang Shi. ¡°What about you?¡±


    Chang Shi was stunned by the sudden question. He partly wanted a family, but at the same time, he was hesitant.


    ¡°He will also start a family,¡± Xiwan answered on Chang Shi¡¯s behalf.


    ¡°Good for both of you,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°Did you get any news from Prince L¨®ng Wei after that?¡± Chang Shi asked him.


    ¡°No. Prince L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t send any messagestely. I should have gone with him. At least, an experienced person like him had helped me fight these emotions,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t get rejected though,¡± Xiwan said. Huang Xi beamed at him when he molded his words, ¡°I mean Prince L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t give up on his love for Princess Consort Li Hua. His Highness had a firm belief that he would make a ce in her heart.¡±


    Chang Shi agreed with Xiwan and asked Huang Xi not to give up.


    ¡°I am not Prince L¨®ng Wei. I said this that day too,¡± Huang Xi pronounced.


    ¡°Then, the only solution is to find a new love,¡± Xiwan said and asked Huang Xi not to whine about getting rejected anymore. ¡°It is only affecting you,¡± he added.


    Huang Xi closed his eyes slowly and hummed. ¡°I wish she liked me,¡± he mumbled while drifting off to sleep.

 Chapter 604 - 604 Because you are the Queen

    604 Because you are the Queen


    Jin Yu curiously waited for Xiaoming¡¯s answer on the soup that she had made. She saw him licking his lips as he put thedle down. ¡°I hardly eat spicy food, but this is delicious,¡± Xiaoming said and picked up the chopsticks to hand them to Jin Yu.


    ¡°You do not need to eat it if it is spicy,¡± Jin Yu said with a worried look.


    ¡°But I liked it. I have never eaten something like this,¡± Xiaoming said and passed a smile to Jin Yu. He lifted the pair of chopsticks to eat and told Jin Yu that the royal food was usually not spicy and tasting something so different made his taste buds revive.


    ¡°You must be feeling bored eating the in food of the pce. Why did you never tell me that you love spicy food more?¡± Xiaoming inquired her.


    ¡°The pce food is amazing for a person like me who used to eat in food outside. But I am d you liked this spicy noodle soup,¡± Jin Yu affirmed, and they both started eating.


    They enjoyed their dinner meals together. After they finished, a servant came in with Eunuch Sun Fuguo, who cleaned the table and took the dishes to the kitchen.


    ¡°Should I bring some sweets for you? Your eyes are filled with tears,¡± Jin Yu said. Xiaoming shook his head and drank another ss of water.


    ¡°I will get used to spicy food soon,¡± Xiaoming said and asked Sun Fuguo to inform the royal chef to put more spices in his food from now onward.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Sun Fuguo said.


    .....


    ¡°Did you arrange the clothes for us about which I had told?¡± Xiaoming asked Sun Fuguo.


    ¡°I will bring the outfits, Your Majesty,¡± Sun Fuguo said and stepped backward, keeping his head down.


    ¡°Are we going out?¡± Jin Yu¡¯s eyes widened because it was a surprise for her.


    ¡°Yes. I promised you I would take you out for two days,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Two days?¡± Jin Yu was astonished to hear him. ¡°Are you sure? But the King and the Queen are not supposed to go out,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Hmm. But I made it possible for us,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Where will we stay?¡± Jin Yu inquired.


    ¡°That is a surprise,¡± Xiaoming replied. The doors opened and Eunuch Sun Fuguo came inside, followed by the servant.


    ¡°I am keeping Your Majesties outfits here,¡± Sun Fuguo gestured to the female servant, who ced the outfits on the table on her left. They left, and the doors closed.


    They both stood up from the floor chairs. Xiaoming handed the outfit to Jin Yu first and asked her to change into them. Jin Yu nodded and went to the dressing chamber. It took her fifteen minutes to get changed. After her, Xiaoming changed into amoner¡¯s dress. He ced the crown carefully on the cushioned rectangr base which was made on the table and also removed the extra rings from his fingers.


    When he walked out, he saw Jin Yu looking at her long sleeves with a smile and pping them.


    ¡°I have worn such clothes after such a long time, and it is a lot morefortable than the royal attire,¡± Jin Yu told him and looked into his eyes. ¡°You look handsome even in thesemoners¡¯ clothes. It will be hard for people to believe that you are amoner,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Do not worry. The ce we are heading to is not approachable to locals,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Oh.¡± She again got curious about where they were going and asked him about it, but Xiaoming refused to tell her. He approached her and tucked away the hair strands from her face.


    ¡°Well, even my queen is pretty. If people look at her, they may wonder from where such beauty hase,¡± Xiaoming said.


    Jin Yu¡¯s cheeks heated to hear thatpliment, and she yfully hit his chest before covering her cheeks. ¡°Don¡¯t lie. I know that I am not that beautiful,¡± she murmured and continued to smile.


    ¡°The Queen should not underestimate his beauty,¡± Xiaoming affirmed and widely smiled.


    ¡°Why is the King so formally with me?¡± Jin Yu asked and bit her bottom lip.


    ¡°I sometimes forget that I can openly use informalnguage with my wife,¡± Xiaoming stated and held her hands. He lowered them and gently pulled her toward him. He leaned down and kissed her ever so slowly. Their fingers intertwined, and she got on her toes. After sharing a beautiful kiss, they both pulled away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Xiaoming said. Jin Yu hummed, and they both left the manor.


    They reached the imperial gates soon and saw Mingquan and Li Tian, who had been waiting for them. They both greeted the King and the Queen.


    ¡°Will Prince Mingquan apany us?¡± Jin Yu asked with gleaming eyes.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Mingquan replied.


    ¡°This is the new general of the Qiu Army, Li Tian,¡± Xiaoming introduced Jin Yu to the general. She smiled at him and bowed at him when Li Tian asked her not to do so.


    ¡°Why? The General is the most respectful rank, so I must show my respect too,¡± Jin Yu opined. She had forgotten she was the Queen, and now her rank was much higher than all those official ranks.


    ¡°Because you are the Queen,¡± Xiaoming told Jin Yu and ced his hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Please, this way, Your Majesties,¡± Mingquan showed them the carriage, which was ready for them. Jin Yu and Xiaoming got into the carriage while Mingquan and Li Tian hopped on the horses. Since it was curfew hour, so hardly anyone would see them. Xiaoming chose this time for a reason to avoid the eyes of the people from Mingquan and Li Tian.


    The imperial gates opened on Li Tian¡¯smand, and the carriage moved.


    ¡°I am so excited,¡± Jin Yu told Xiaoming, who was sitting next to her. ¡°I can already feel the air is different here,¡± she muttered.


    Xiaoming smiled to see the excitement that Jin Yu carried. This was all he needed in his life and he thanked L¨®ng Wei for making it happen. L¨®ng Wei was the one, who used Xiuying¡¯s example in front of his father, which made Qiu Zedong allow him to marry Jin Yu.

 Chapter 605 - 605 Do all monks love to lecture me? [Bonus chapter]

    605 Do all monks love to lecture me? [Bonus chapter]


    L¨®ng Wei joined his hands before the idol of Lord Buddha. He had visited the temple where Yuze practiced his monkhood and then left to travel around the country.


    The chief monk of the Buddhist Temple blessed L¨®ng Wei and told him not to turn away from his duties.


    ¡°Do all monks love to lecture me?¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled after he lowered his hands.


    The chief monk smiled at L¨®ng Wei. ¡°Monk Yuze used toe at least once a year here,¡± he said and started to walk along with L¨®ng Wei in the temple corridor.


    ¡°Are you older than Monk Yuze?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°He was of my age,¡± the chief monk stated. He had the praying bead in his right hand as he stopped moving it and brought his hand to momentarily rest.


    They stopped meters away from the banyan tree. ¡°We both meditated for hours under that tree,¡± he stated. ¡°Does Prince L¨®ng Wei want to meditate?¡± The chief monk asked with a curious gaze.


    ¡°No. I am not patient enough to mediate,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°It will give peace to the Prince,¡± the chief monk stated.


    .....


    ¡°It will give me pain. My thoughts will lead me to the point where I hurt my mother all the time. I don¡¯t want to think about it anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Is Prince L¨®ng Wei regret-free?¡± the chief monk asked.


    ¡°I do not know,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. The rain started pouring and he looked up at the cloudy sky. ¡°When I go to bed, I am unable to sleep. I am unable to forgive myself. Yuze died because of my stubbornness. I kept telling myself that I took revenge for his death. I should forgive myself. However, I am unable to,¡± he expressed his thoughts to the chief monk. He could not either speak about it in front of his father and wife because he didn¡¯t want them to worry.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is in the loop of his negative thoughts. I knew Yuze. He must have seen all thising. Perhaps he chose this for himself,¡± the chief monk asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei tilted his head to gaze at him. ¡°You mean he chose to be poisoned?¡± He inquired.


    The chief monk nodded at him. ¡°Yes. Prince L¨®ng Wei doesn¡¯t need to me himself for his death anymore. We all have a destined time on this earth. Doing our karmas, we leave this ce. That¡¯s life. It is short and we cannot dwell in past for a long time. Yuze knew his student would turn everything right which he did. Forgive yourself and move on.¡±


    ¡°I will try,¡± L¨®ng Wei said half-heartedly. He knew it was difficult for him to move on from such a grave loss.


    The chief monk rested his hand on his shoulder and said, ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, Yuze took care of you for a long time. Your emotional attachment to him is valid. Prince L¨®ng Wei has a long life ahead of him. He will see a lot of things in his life. Forgive yourself because that¡¯s what Yuze wanted if he was alive.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei slowly nodded and felt better after sharing his thoughts. He took a deep breath and then exhaled it. A smile was carved on his lips as he looked at the banyan tree. He recalled a quote from Yuze.


    ¡®A master is like a tree, who gives shade to his pupil. His roots are strong like the banyan tree. In return, he asks for nothing.¡¯


    Yuze was that banyan tree for L¨®ng Wei and Yuze¡¯s contribution to his life, which he could never forget.


    ¡°How long Prince L¨®ng Wei has nned to live in the valley of peace?¡± The chief monk asked.


    ¡°Three weeks more and then I will return to Qinping,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Hmm. I hope Prince L¨®ng Wei enjoys his stay here,¡± the chief monk stated.


    ¡°I will. The valley is peaceful and the people are really kind,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and decided to take his leave.


    ¡°Thank you for listening to me. I have been troubled for many days,¡± L¨®ng Wei expressed his gratitude to the chief monk for listening to him.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei does not need to thank me,¡± the chief monk asserted and told him to take themon figs with him.


    ¡°My students brought the fresh figs from the garden. Follow me,¡± the chief monk told L¨®ng Wei, who walked behind him. He remembered how Yuze used to give him fruits asionally.


    After L¨®ng Wei took a basket full of figs from the chief monk, he left the temple. The chief monk kept looking in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s direction until he disappeared from his sight.


    ¡°Master Ku, who was that young man?¡± the chief monk¡¯s pupil asked him.


    ¡°That was one of the greatest student Monk Yuze ever taught,¡± the chief monk replied. ¡°He was the famous dragon¡¯s son, Qiu L¨®ng Wei.¡±


    The pupil¡¯s eyes widened to hear his master¡¯s words. ¡°The one who is called the Sinned Prince?¡± he arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is not the sinned prince,¡± the chief monk stated, ¡°he chose to be called sinned because he could not save his mother.¡±


    The pupil nodded his head and saw the smile of satisfaction on his master¡¯s lips.


    ¡°How is Prince L¨®ng Wei the greatest pupil of Monk Yuze?¡± the pupil curiously asked his master.


    ¡°That is a long story,¡± the chief monk said and started to move the praying bead in his hand.


    L¨®ng Wei, on the other hand, stopped by a shelter as the rain turned heavier. ¡°Yuze was right. In the end, I found peace here,¡± he murmured and raised his head to look at the sky. He reminisced about the day when Yuze told him about his birthce. He had told L¨®ng Wei if he would miss him ever in his life, then he must visit the valley of the peace.


    When the rain turned lighter, L¨®ng Wei resumed his journey to his temporary residence.

 Chapter 606 - 606 Focus on me

    606 Focus on me


    Li Hua wiped L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face with the towel and asked him why he got drenched in the rain when he had the umbre.


    ¡°I wanted to enjoy the rain,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, ¡°I won¡¯t be sick,¡± he assured her.


    Li Hua chuckled and brushed his hair back from the front of his forehead. ¡°How is His Highness feeling? He went to the Buddhist temple without me,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°Forgive me for not taking you there,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, pulling her down. He made her sit on his thighs and wrapped his arms around her. His headin on the top of her shoulder and his eyes fixated on her face.


    ¡°What happened? Does His Highness have to tell something to me?¡± Li Hua asked and twirled the curls of his hair around her finger.


    ¡°Nothing. I have nothing to say,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered.


    ¡°Your Highness, you were awakest night. May I know the reason?¡± Li Hua asked. L¨®ng Wei wondered how she found out.


    ¡°My eyes opened for a brief moment, and I saw you near the window. I thought I was dreaming and fell asleep. But I think I wasn¡¯t,¡± Li Hua exined to him. He asked L¨®ng Wei not to lie to her and speak the truth only.


    ¡°I wanted to breathe fresh air as I was unable to sleep. So, I went to the window,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied. He did not tell her theplete truth.


    .....


    Li Hua hummed and asked him if he would like to eat figs.


    ¡°Later,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and settled her on the mattress. He hovered over her and gently caressed her hair.


    ¡°Father-inw has turned happier after he came here with us. I heard from him that you started to share a lot of things rted to you with your father,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Hmm. I love to throw tantrums in front of him,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Father-inw told me a lot of things about my father too. My father never let his kids know what is happening with him,¡± Li Hua stated. ¡°When all those things were happening with your father, my father¡¯s life was in danger too since he was one such loyal of your father.¡±


    ¡°Then, how did your father survive?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired.


    ¡°General Hei Chengxi destroyed the proofs regarding my father¡¯s acquaintance with your father. They have been searching for loyal that time and from there, they did not find out Xu Family in the records,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    ¡°Yuze must have told Hei Chengxi to do so,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Hua said, ¡°His Highness kept his promise to me of finding the enemy and killing him for me.¡±


    ¡°And you kept your promise to love me,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smile.


    ¡°I met an old friend of Yuze in the temple,¡± He informed Li Hua. ¡°He asked me not to turn away from my duties.¡±


    ¡°So, what did His Highness decide?¡± Li Hua asked.


    ¡°About returning to the capital,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°When?¡± Li Hua queried.


    ¡°By the end of this month we will be in the capital,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Before arriving at Qinping, we need to go to Xinshui province.¡± He had promised Li Hua about it and he wanted to fulfill it. Moreover, Feng Lao also wanted to go to Xinshui province.


    L¨®ng Wei took a few of Li Hua¡¯s hair strands in his hand and inhaled the scenting from it.


    ¡°What is His Highness doing?¡± She inquired.


    ¡°What shampoo did you use today?¡± He questioned and let go of those hair strands.


    ¡°I used soapberry,¡± Li Hua answered. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has also used this in the morning,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°I wonder how is everyone doing in the pce? I have a certain doubt if the Queen Dowager will stay quiet. She was already angry at her son for supporting me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated with a worried look.


    ¡°The King and the Queen will handle it,¡± Li Hua told him and asked him not to worry about it.


    ¡°It is a matter of worry because the King has a soft heart. He may get melted in front of his mother¡¯s cries. I hope he does not deviate from the righteous path,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°The King will not,¡± Li Hua said with a confident tone. ¡°Now, no more conversation about other matters. Focus on me,¡± she said with a smile. L¨®ng Wei kissed the top of her head and hummed.


    Later, Li Hua pulled him down by grabbing his cor and then locked her hands on his nape. L¨®ng Wei amusedly smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her lips. He ced his hand on her neck and his fingers hooked around it. He slowly moved his hand lower to her hips and drew her close. She arched her back and her small, petite frame perfectly fit his.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled away for a brief moment to let her breathe and again imed her lips. His hand seamlessly over her body and reached the knot of her dress. He loosened it and yanked the dress off her body.


    ¡°Prince,¡± Li Hua¡¯s breathing was ragged and she let out a moan when L¨®ng Wei bit her sweet spot.


    ¡°My wife is so beautiful,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and kissed the hollow of her throat while his fingers moved on her belly. He moved his head down and kissed the top of her belly. Li Hua felt the knots forming in her stomach. Her chest rose and fell from the pleasure that was building inside her.


    Her eyes rolled and she ced her hands on L¨®ng Wei¡¯s face to pull him up. Their lips met again. L¨®ng Wei removed the belt from his round-cored robe and, then he quickly took it off. Li Hua untied the knot of his inner robe and ced her hand on his chest. Her other hand circled his neck.


    He groaned when Li Hua bit his bottom lip, and a smirk appeared on his lips. They could feel the heat radiating from their respective bodies for each other. L¨®ng Wei saw the same desires in Li Hua¡¯s eyes as he had for her.


    ¡°Are you ready, Li Hua?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°I am,¡± Li Hua replied while keeping her gaze fixed on her.

 Chapter 607 - 607 Your first kiss

    607 Your first kiss


    ¡°So, the Fourth Prince wants to marry you?¡± Ye Xin asked Lin Jiao, who was lying on the bed. Her right leg was lying t on the mattress while her left knee was in the air.


    ¡°Yes. Prince Mingquan told me he would like to know more about me. Since we shared¡ª¡± she paused and pursed her lips together.


    ¡°Shared? What did you two share?¡± Ye Xin asked with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°Nothing. It was a slip of tongue,¡± Lin Jiao lied to her friend.


    ¡°Tell me. You cannot hide anything from your best friend,¡± Ye Xinined to her.


    ¡°I am not hiding anything from you,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°I will ask the Fourth Prince if you do not tell me,¡± Ye Xin threatened her.


    ¡°What will you ask the Fourth Prince when nothing happened,¡± Lin Jiao muttered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you two did it,¡± Ye Xin said and widened her eyes.


    .....


    Lin Jiao stopped blinking and turned her head to look at her. ¡°How could you have such dirty thoughts?¡± She scolded her friend.


    Ye Xinughed and asked, ¡°Then, did you two kiss each other?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Lin Jiao immediately refused and it made Ye Xin chuckle. She was now confident that Lin Jiao kissed Mingquan and started teasing her for this.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t kiss him,¡± Lin Jiao annoyingly said and sat up on the bed.


    ¡°Then did Prince Mingquan kiss you?¡± Ye Xin inquired. ¡°How romantic!¡± She joined her both hands and brought them to her chest.


    ¡°Stop thinking weird things, Ye Xin,¡± Lin Jiao told her.


    ¡°Ayee, Lin Jiao. You should not be shy about this. Prince Mingquan is head over heels for you. You should not be stubborn. Tell me did your heart pump rapidly when he get close to you? Did butterfly start dancing in your stomach when he kissed you?¡± Ye Xin asked her a few questions from her friend.


    ¡°No such thing happened. Why are you saying that we k-kissed?¡± Lin Jiaoined and tried to deny this as much as she could.


    ¡°It is written all over your face that you keep thinking about your kiss with the Fourth Prince,¡± Ye Xin asserted.


    Lin Jiao quickly ced her hands on her cheek and shook her head. ¡°This cannot happen. I am good at hiding¨C¡± She paused to see the smirk on Ye Xin¡¯s lips and realized that her lie was caught.


    ¡°I knew it,¡± Ye Xin jumped in happiness as she confirmed her friend kissed Mingquan. ¡°So, how did it feel? Did your heart thunder against your chest?¡± She asked Lin Jiao again.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t notice. Does such a thing happen?¡± Lin Jiao inquired with an innocent tone.


    ¡°Of course, it happens. How can you share your first kiss without feeling all such things?¡± Ye Xin furrowed her brows together and found Lin Jiao was so naive.


    ¡°Ye Xin, it was an ident. Not a kiss,¡± Lin Jiao finally told her.


    ¡°What?¡± Ye Xin eximed and asked her to exin everything.


    ¡°Yes. It was an ident. I went to trouble the Fourth Prince and in turn, he punished me. He asked me to clean the shelves at his workce. There a shelf fell over us and he saved me. While doing so, our lips...¡± She tightly shut her eyes, ¡°touched. It was just for a second. That¡¯s why I said no kiss happened between us.¡±


    ¡°It is a kiss even if it was an ident,¡± Ye Xin pronounced with a wide smile. ¡°It is the reason why Prince Mingquan told you he wanted to know more about you. He will soon marry you, Lin Jiao,¡± She said with excitement.


    ¡°No!¡± ¡°This cannot happen. I don¡¯t want to marry him. Marriage is such a big responsibility. I want to have fun,¡± Lin Jiao stated and held her head.


    ¡°Do you think Prince Mingquan has fallen for me?¡± Lin Jiao questioned her friend.


    ¡°I think so, else why would he have agreed to know more about a troublemaker?¡± Ye Xin inquired her.


    ¡°I am not a troublemaker,¡± Lin Jiao knitted her brows together.


    ¡°You are! Look at your knee. You ended up getting into big trouble yesterday. What if Prince Mingquan wasn¡¯t there? He reduced you in such an amazing way,¡± Ye Xin affirmed and again smiled.


    ¡°He did rescue me, but he doesn¡¯t like me. I know this. He wants to trouble me as well since I created a nuisance for him,¡± Lin Jiao mumbled.


    Ye Xin shook her head. ¡°Why are you so stubborn? After a certain age, you have to marry, Lin Jiao. Be it today, tomorrow, or some other day. You should not turn away from such a good proposal. I bet if you look at Prince Mingquan¡¯s qualities, you¡¯ll fall in love with him,¡± Ye Xin confidently said.


    ¡°You dream too much. I won¡¯t fall in love,¡± Li Jiao said and scoffed at her.


    ¡°Okay. Then, next time you should do this,¡± Ye Xin said and leaned forward on the chair.


    ¡°What do you mean? What do I need to do?¡± Lin Jiao asked her.


    ¡°Look into Prince Mingquan¡¯s eyes for ten seconds,¡± Ye Xin stated.


    ¡°Why?¡± Lin Jiao frowned.


    ¡°To know what your heart feels. If you blinked before the count of ten, you definitely like him,¡± Ye Xin pronounced.


    ¡°Aish! What kind of novel did you read? Where does such a thing happen?¡± Lin Jiao shook her head and told her friend she would not do such a thing.


    ¡°You should do it to find what is love,¡± Ye Xin stated. ¡°Find out if Prince Mingquan has fallen for you. If he blinks first, then it will be confirmed that he likes you,¡± She affirmed.


    Lin Jiao put a thought to it. ¡°I know he will blink first. I will then tell him not to marry me,¡± She said with a smile.


    Ye Xin caught her head. ¡°No. You will then start to know him as well. It is tough to find a man, who falls in love with you first,¡± she proimed and smiled.

 Chapter 608 - 608 She is betrothed to me [Bonus chapter]

    608 She is betrothed to me [Bonus chapter]


    Lin Jiao chuckled to hear Ye Xin¡¯s words. ¡°Bai Jue also likes me, but I do not like him,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°Ahh, I met Bai Jue earlier in the morning. He told me he wanted to visit you,¡± Ye Xin informed her.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Lin Jiao eximed.


    ¡°How can you forget what you did yesterday? Everyone in the market knows that the Lin Family¡¯s daughter chased away those goons from the restaurant to save the life of the young boy there. She got injured and rescued by the Fourth Prince,¡± Ye Xin exined to Lin Jiao.


    ¡°I do not intend to see Bai Jue,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell him that your family has already seen a man for you? That way he will stop bothering you,¡± Ye Xin suggested to her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like talking to him,¡± Lin Jiao affirmed.


    ¡°Why? He is not a bad person though,¡± Ye Xin stated.


    Lin Jiao knitted her brows. ¡°He is not good either,¡± Lin Jiao said. ¡°I once saw him with his fellows in the brothel house,¡± she stated.


    .....


    ¡°When did you visit the brothel house? Why did you go to such a ce?¡± Ye Xin questioned her.


    ¡°I wanted to find out something,¡± Lin Jiao replied.


    ¡°So, what did you see there?¡± Ye Xin asked.


    ¡°What could I see there? Guess yourself,¡± Lin Jiao answered. ¡°That sight was not pleasant at all. So, I could never develop any likeness toward Bai Jue despite the effort he made to win my heart. Perhaps he is good by heart, which I am failed to see yet,¡± Lin Jiao asserted and stretched out her arms.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go out. I am bored here. Father did not let me leave since yesterday. But now, you havee, so he will not stop me,¡± Lin Jiao said with a smile and rose to her feet.


    ¡°But your wound is still not healed,¡± Ye Jin said and she stood up.


    ¡°It will take a week or more to get healed. I cannot stay inside my room for that long time. I may go crazy,¡± Lin Jiao said and put her arm around her shoulder. She walked out with her while brushing her hair with her other hand.


    ¡°Miss Lin cannot leave the residence,¡± the servant in her service stopped her.


    ¡°Father allowed me to go out with Ye Xin,¡± Lin Jiao lied. Ye Xin looked at her with a shocked expression and nodded at the servant as Lin Jiao pressed her hand on Ye Xin¡¯s shoulder, gesturing to her to help her.


    ¡°Lin Jiao is right,¡± Ye Xin stated.


    ¡°Forgive me, Miss Lin. I cannot let you go,¡± the servant did note into their lies. ¡°Miss Lin cannot fool me,¡± he added.


    Ye Xin nced at Lin Jiao and realized she was stuck at home today. From the front, a soldier walked in and asked Lin Jiao why she came out of her room.


    ¡°Lord Lin has given strict orders that Miss Lin cannot leave the residence today,¡± the soldier stated after Lin Jiao requested him to let her go.


    ¡°You are stuck,¡± Ye Xin whispered in her ear.


    ¡°I will see my friend out,¡± Lin Jiao said and smiled at them. The servant and the soldier did not stop her from doing so. However, they followed her.


    ¡°Now, what to do? Your father already made arrangements so that you cannot go out,¡± Ye Xin whispered.


    ¡°I have an idea,¡± Lin Jiao said and whispered in Ye Xin¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Your father will scold me,¡± Ye Xin said in an extremely low voice. The soldier and the servant tried to hear their whispers but failed to do so.


    ¡°He will not,¡± Lin Jiao said and they reached the entrance.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Ye Xin started screaming and held her stomach.


    ¡°What happened, Ye Xin?¡± Lin Jiao made a fake facial expression of worry.


    ¡°My stomach is hurting badly,¡± Ye Xin said while faking the pain. Lin Jiao nced at the servant and the soldier.


    ¡°Call the physician,¡± Lin Jiao told the servant, who quicklyplied with themand.


    ¡°I am unable to walk, Lin Jiao,¡± Ye Xin said when Lin Jiao asked the soldier to carry Ye Xin on her back. He hesitated at first, but seeing the condition of Ye Xin, he got on his knees. Lin Jiao smiled at Ye Xin, who got on the soldier¡¯s back. He stood up while Lin Jiao took silent steps backward.


    She smiled and waved at Ye Jin before running out of the residence.


    Ye Xin after two minutes told the soldier to put her down, and he immediately acted.


    ¡°My stomach is fine. I should go home,¡± Ye Xin said and ran out. The soldier realized after a while that he was fooled. He ran out of the residence to look for Lin Jiao, but could not find her nor could Ye Xin.


    Ye Xin and Lin Jiaoughed seeing the soldier running out of the house. They turned and left for the market in a local carriage. Ye Xin paid the fare after reaching the market and they both stepped out of the carriage.


    ¡°Your father will be angry at you when he does not find you at the residence,¡± Ye Xin said.


    ¡°Father will be angry for a few minutes, then he will be fine,¡± Lin Jiao stated and spread her arms out. ¡°It feels fresh to be in the open air,¡± she murmured. Ye Xin smiled and went to the stall to their left to buy some snacks while Lin Jiao looked up at the sky staying in that position.


    ¡°Lin Jiao!¡±


    They both heard a familiar voice and saw Bai Jueing from the front. He was apanied by two of his fellows whom they did not recognize. Ye Xin stood next to Lin Jiao, who had lowered her arms.


    ¡°What is he doing here?¡± Lin Jiao murmured.


    ¡°How would I know?¡± Ye Xin asked.


    Lin Jiao turned and decided to run away, but she felt pain in her knee. A low scream passed her mouth and Ye Xin asked her if she was fine.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, what happened?¡± Bai Jue worriedly asked her and came to Lin Jiao¡¯s side. ¡°Why did youe out of your house? You were supposed to rest. Come, I will take you home,¡± he said and gently grabbed Lin Jiao¡¯s arm.


    Lin Jiao pulled her arm back and asked him not to be worried. ¡°I am alright,¡± she said.


    ¡°You are not, Lin Jiao. I will drop you home. Your father and brother must be worried for you,¡± Bai Jue said and again tried to grab her arm, but Lin Jiao immediately moved back.


    ¡°No, thanks. I can go by myself. Please go your way,¡± Lin Jiao said while faking a smile at Bai Jue. She gazed at Ye Xin, and they turned to walk ahead when Bai Jue grasped Lin Jiao¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, you are hurt. Do not be stubborn. I will report to your brother if you do not go home,¡± Bai Jue tried to intimidate him.


    Lin Jiao tried to pull her hand back, but he was not letting it go. ¡°Leave my hand, Bai Jue,¡± She sternly said this time.


    ¡°I will drop you home,¡± Bai Jue said and drew her toward him. ¡°You are not supposed to roam around when you should be resting at home.¡±


    ¡°Bai Jue, let me go. You cannot force me to go with you. I can go by myself,¡± Lin Jiao said. She was turning angry because of Bai Jue¡¯s behavior.


    ¡°Stay quiet. Your brother knows me. What if you fall in danger?¡± Bai Jue muttered and started to drag Lin Jiao along with her. Ye Xin walked along with them and asked Bai Jue not to do that. His fellows had gone their separate ways already.


    ¡°Ye Xin, you do not take care of your friend at all,¡± Bai Jue said.


    Lin Jiao twisted her wrist in his grip.


    ¡°Bai Jue, leave my hand,¡± Lin Jiao said again. She did not want to make a scene, but Bai Jue was crossing his limits. She decided to scream and ask for people¡¯s help. However, before she could do that, she heard Mingquan¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Leave the hand of Miss Lin Jiao,¡± Mingquan voiced and the three of them stopped to hear that voice.


    Lin Jiao¡¯s eyes shimmered to see Mingquan in front of her. He stepped up and held her hand. With his other hand, he removed Bai Jue¡¯s hand from Lin Jiao¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°When a woman says no, then it means no. You are not supposed to force the woman to go with you, especially the one who is already betrothed to someone else,¡± Mingquan said, and he pushed Bai Jue away.


    At that moment, Lin Jiao¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She curled her fingers and she felt so protective when his hand gently caressed her wrist.


    ¡°Lin Jiao is not betrothed to anyone, Your Highness,¡± Bai Jue said.


    ¡°She is! She is betrothed to me,¡± Mingquan pronounced and red at him.

 Chapter 609 - 609 For ten seconds

    609 For ten seconds


    Mingquan came out of the merchant¡¯s shop followed by Xiwan and Chang Shi.


    ¡°The Fourth Prince is looking after such affairs himself. He could have appointed others officials for such activities,¡± Xiwan said.


    ¡°I thought it would be better if Ie myself. What were you two doing in the matchmaking agency?¡± Mingquan asked.


    ¡°We went to go to find suitable matches for ourselves,¡± Xiwan said with a wide smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. I wish for you two to get suitable matches,¡± Mingquan asserted. He looked for the carriage when Chang Shi told him that it was standing at the next route.


    ¡°Your Highness, I heard that the Queen Dowager is not in the pce anymore,¡± Xiwan said.


    ¡°Yes. The King found it suitable to send her away,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei was right about the Queen Dowager,¡± Xiwan muttered.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mingquan asked him to exin.


    .....


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei had a suspicion that the Queen Dowager might try to create trouble in the pce,¡± Xiwan said.


    ¡°Hmm. Brother L¨®ng Wei wasn¡¯t wrong,¡± Mingquan stated when he saw Lin Jiao being dragged away by a man.


    He frowned and stopped walking. Both Chang Shi and Xiwan also halted. They looked in the direction where Mingquan had his eyes fixed.


    Mingquan heard how Lin Jiao was refusing to go with the man. ¡°How dare he forced her?¡± He muttered and dashed in that direction. Chang Shi and Xiwan followed the Prince.


    ¡°Leave the hand of Miss Lin Jiao,¡± Mingquan voiced. He quickly walked to Lin Jiao and removed Bai Jue¡¯s grip from her wrist. Making her stand behind him, he gazed into Bai Jue¡¯s eyes.


    When Mingquan told Bai Jue that Lin Jiao was his betrothed, he didn¡¯t believe him.


    ¡°She is! She is betrothed to me,¡± Mingquan pronounced and red at him.


    Bai Jue was shocked to hear about it. When did it happen? He felt betrayed because he even gave a love letter to Lin Jiao four days ago. She didn¡¯t bother to tell him about it.


    The people looked in their direction, wondering what could be happening.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me your name?¡± Mingquan asked Bai Jue.


    ¡°I am Bai Jue, Your Highness.¡± He lowered his head and requested him not to misunderstand him. ¡°Lin Jiao knows me. I thought to take her home since she¡¯s not recovered from the injury,¡± He asserted.


    ¡°I do not know him,¡± Lin Jiao said in anger.


    Bai Jue looked at her with a shocked expression.


    ¡°Your Highness, should I take him to the office of justice?¡± Xiwan asked Mingquan.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, do not lie. Your brother and I work together. We know each other for years,¡± Bai Jue stated.


    ¡°Even if you knew Miss Lin for years, you weren¡¯t supposed to take her home this way. She kept saying to you to leave her hand. See me in the office tomorrow,¡± Mingquan said and turned to look at Lin Jiao.


    Chang Shi asked the people to do their work while Xiwan asked Bai Jue to leave. Bai Jue looked at Lin Jiao and left from there.


    ¡°Shall we go home?¡± Mingquan asked Lin Jiao.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go home,¡± Lin Jiao said. Ye Xin quickly stepped up and asked her not to be stubborn.


    ¡°Your Highness, Lin Jiao might have hurt her knee again. She earlier screamed in pain,¡± Ye Xin stated.


    Lin Jiao hit her arm with her elbow and beamed at her. ¡°No such thing happened,¡± Lin Jiao said, ¡°Thank you for helping me out.¡±


    She turned to go ahead when Mingquan hooked his arm under her legs and the other arm around her back. He carried her up in his arms, shocking everyone in the market.


    Ye Xin widely smiled and wanted to jump in happiness for her friend.


    ¡°You are going with me,¡± Mingquan said.


    Lin Jiao could not able to utter a single word. She recalled what Ye Xin had told her¨C to look into Mingquan¡¯s eyes for ten seconds.


    ¡®One, two, three, four...¡¯ before she couldplete the count, Mingquan averted his gaze from her and looked straight at the front.


    Lin Jiao blinked and kept staring at him.


    ¡°Xiwan, Chang Shi, let¡¯s see each otherter,¡± Mingquan said and left from there.


    Ye Xin took a few steps ahead and said, ¡°Prince Mingquan is so charming. Isn¡¯t he?¡± She tilted her head to look at Xiwan.


    ¡°He is,¡± Xiwan agreed with her and asked her about her house. ¡°Chang Shi and I will drop the young miss at her home,¡± he opined.


    ¡°That¡¯s not needed. I will go,¡± Ye Xin stated.


    ¡°Umm... What if Bai Jue follows the young miss? We cannot let her go,¡± Xiwan asserted.


    ¡°Ahh. I do not want to disturb the young masters,¡± Ye Xin asserted.


    ¡°We have no work to do,¡± Xiwan said. ¡°We work for people,¡± he added.


    Ye Xin nodded at him and thanked both of them.


    On the other side, Mingquan made Lin Jiao get into the carriage.


    When the door closed and Mingquan sat in front of Lin Jiao, she asked him why he didn¡¯t punish Bai Jue.


    ¡°He troubled me a lot,¡± Sheined.


    ¡°Who told you toe out of your house? Every time we met, you are in some trouble,¡± Mingquan started scolding her.


    Lin Jiao furrowed her brows and asked him not to scold her.


    ¡°I wanted to feel the fresh air. I didn¡¯t know Bai Jue will force me to go with him,¡± Lin Jiao said with annoyance.


    ¡°So, you know him?!¡± Mingquan arched his eyebrow. ¡°Does he like Miss Lin?¡± He asked a question that was unexpected to her.


    ¡°How did the Fourth Prince find out?¡± She asked with a shocked look.


    ¡°It was written on his face,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°He must be hurt to know that the woman he liked would marry me. Stay away from him,¡± he advised her.


    ¡°Why is the Fourth Prince so confident about our marriage? I¡¯ve not even agreed to this,¡± Lin Jiao said. She was curious to know the answer.


    ¡°Because you kissed me that day,¡± Mingquan said with a bright smile.

 Chapter 610 - 610 We don’t play at this age [Bonus chapter]

    610 We don¡¯t y at this age [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°Why is the Fourth Prince saying that I kissed him? It was he, who happened to kiss me,¡± Lin Jiao said and snorted at him.


    Mingquan smiled to see her reaction. He had no interest in teasing people, but with Lin Jiao it was different.


    ¡°Where is the Fourth Prince taking me? It¡¯s not the route to my house,¡± Lin Jiao said after peeking out of the window.


    Mingquan stood up from his ce and quickly sat next to her. She jolted and confusedly peered at him. ¡°Why did youe here?¡± She asked.


    Mingquan gripped her chin and brought his face to her level. ¡°Lin Jiao, do you trust men this easily?¡± He inquired her.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked him for rification.


    ¡°You agreed to go with me. What if something happens between us?¡± Mingquan asked and looked down when Lin Jiao quickly crossed her arms in front of her chest.


    ¡°Prince Mingquan is scaring me. He is the one, who lifted me in his arms and¨C¡± she pushed him away when she found him smiling.


    Mingquanughed and asked her why she acted bravely when she got scared easily.


    .....


    ¡°Anyone would be scared with the way His Highness spoke,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°Was it that scaring?¡± Mingquan asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I think I wasn¡¯t that scary,¡± Mingquan replied.


    ¡°I am hungry,¡± Lin Jiao said and asked Mingquan to stop the carriage.


    ¡°I cannot. Wait a little,¡± Mingquan told her. ¡°Also, don¡¯t make excuses to run away from me.¡±


    ¡°Who made excuses?¡± She huffed and looked straight.


    After a while, the carriage came to a halt. Mingquan stepped out first and he helped Lin Jiao to get down.


    ¡°Why are we at the pce?¡± Lin Jiao waspletely shocked. She had not expected toe there when Mingquan closed the door of the carriage.


    ¡°I thought you have been bored in the house,¡± Mingquan said and he started to walk. He asked Lin Jiao if she could walk, or else he would again lift her in his arms.


    ¡°No, I can walk,¡± Lin Jiao pronounced and walked behind him. Mingquan halted so that she would be next to him.


    ¡°I think I am not supposed toe to the pce,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Mingquan asked the reason from her behind that statement.


    ¡°Because outsiders are not allowed in the pce except officials, and soldiers,¡± Lin Jiao replied.


    Mingquan hummed. ¡°Your father is here. Brother Mu has a meeting with them. Before lunch, it will not get over. I thought instead of dropping you home, I should bring you here,¡± He asserted.


    ¡°What? My father is here!¡± Lin Jiao didn¡¯t expect that. She panicked a little because her father would scold her again.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell my father that I ran out of home,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lie to him. Moreover, the servants in your house will definitely inform your father. What will you do about that?¡± Mingquan asked.


    ¡°Ahh,¡± Lin Jiao had almost forgotten about it.


    ¡°You love to break rules,¡± Mingquan remarked.


    ¡°Because they restrict me every time I want to do something,¡± Lin Jiao asserted.


    ¡°You are like Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Mingquan chuckled as he suddenly recalled L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince?¡± Lin Jiao suddenly turned a bit ufortable to hear that name. She had heard all such strange rumors about L¨®ng Wei. She could not be like him. She was different from all.


    ¡°What happened? Why is that strange expression?¡± Mingquan asked.


    ¡°I heard Prince L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t a good person. I don¡¯t want to bepared with him,¡± Lin Jiao said in a low voice and looked around, ¡°please don¡¯t tell him.¡±


    Mingquan sighed and could not believe that many still had no idea what kind of person L¨®ng Wei was.


    ¡°Why did you say that? Did you not hear what the previous king do to him?¡± Mingquan questioned her.


    Lin Jiao shook her head. ¡°Did something happen here?¡± She asked as they reached the pce grounds. A group of servants dressed in white was heading to the royal garden to clean it.


    Mingquan realized she was unaware of the situation from days back. ¡°Do you not know why my eldest brother take over the throne? Don¡¯t you know why my father was removed from the throne?¡± He asked her.


    ¡°No. When did all these things happen?¡± Lin Jiao waspletely unaware of all this. There was a day¡¯s mourning event after the King passed away, but she didn¡¯t know the reasons neither her father nor brother told her.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange. You roam all day around the capital. How could you not know all this?¡± Mingquan muttered.


    ¡°Perhaps no one wanted to talk about it,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is a great person,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°He is the reason this kingdom survived, we survived and the people are leading a happy life,¡± he asserted.


    It confused Lin Jiao. How? She asked the reason behind them.


    Mingquan briefed her mainly because she would be his wife soon, so he wanted her to know all such things.


    ¡°That¡¯s such big news!¡± Lin Jiao was shocked to find out about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s past. They reached Mingquan¡¯s chamber soon, where he asked the servant to call Physician Peng Yuxian.


    ¡°His Highness manor is sorge. He can y all around,¡± Lin Jiao said as she scanned her eyes everywhere in therge chamber. She looked at therge window from which one could see the small garden.


    ¡°We don¡¯t y at this age,¡± Mingquan said and handed a ss of water to Lin Jiao. She held it with her both hands and drank the water. She ced it on the small circr table beside the chaise and wiped her lips.


    Mingquan got on his knees and held Lin Jiao¡¯s right foot lightly. He removed her shoe and said, ¡°You are a grown-updy, Lin Jiao. For how long do you have nned to y?¡±


    ¡°What is His Highness doing?¡± She gripped her skirt tightly.


    ¡°Checking your wound. Your friend said earlier you have hurt your knee again,¡± He said and pushed the skirt up. The wound had opened again and the entire bandage turned blood red.


    He looked into her eyes with an inquisitive gaze.


    ¡°It all happened be-because Bai Jue dragged m-me,¡± Lin Jiao stuttered and blinked quickly in nervousness.

 Chapter 611 - 611 I fell for this man

    611 I fell for this man


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know if the injury on the knee fails to heel fast, then you may have to cut it off,¡± Mingquan threatened her.


    ¡°What? No! That cannot happen,¡± Lin Jiao said and asked Mingquan not to scare her.


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°If you keep jumping around, the wound will open again and again. It may get infected and to spread the infection such situations arise where your leg is amputated,¡± he stated and gave a random example to her.


    Lin Jiao asked him to call the physician faster. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose my leg,¡± She said with a worried look.


    Mingquan moved her skirt down and stood up. ¡°Physician Peng will soon be here,¡± He stated.


    After a minute, Peng Yuxian walked in and bowed to the Fourth Prince.


    ¡°Please treat Miss Lin¡¯s wound on the right knee. Make sure it doesn¡¯t get an infection,¡± Mingquan told him.


    Lin Jiao agreed with Mingquan¡¯s words while the Prince whispered something in the servant¡¯s ear, who left the chamber.


    Fifteen minutester, Peng Yuxian dressed the wound on Lin Jiao¡¯s knee.


    .....


    ¡°Physician Peng, you once amputated the leg of a soldier because he didn¡¯t care about the injury on his knee. He kept moving around and in the end lost his leg,¡± Mingquan made up a story.


    Peng Yuxian was confused to hear the Prince¡¯s words and he asked him when that happened.


    Lin Jiao knitted her brows in fear as Mingquan said all those words.


    ¡°Two years back,¡± Mingquan said and ced his hand on his shoulder, ¡°that time the soldier cried a lot and his family also became vulnerable since he could not work anymore because of an amputated leg.¡±


    Mingquan leaned to his ear and whispered, ¡°Just agree to my words.¡±


    Before Lin Jiao could notice that, Mingquan moved back.


    ¡°I recalled, Your Highness. The situation was very severe. The soldier thought it was a minor injury and didn¡¯t rest at all,¡± Peng Yuxian agreed with the lie of Mingquan as he understood why he asked for it.


    ¡°How much rest do I need, Royal Physician?¡± Lin Jiao asked Peng Yuxian.


    ¡°Mydy, three days of bed rest will be enough. Make sure not to move from your bed. The wound will get healed,¡± Peng Yuxian said with a humble tone.


    ¡°Thank you, Royal Physician. I will do that,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    Mingquan also thanked him and asked him to leave.


    When he left, Lin Jiao asked Mingquan why he didn¡¯t tell her about it earlier.


    ¡°I thought Miss Lin knew such things,¡± Mingquan said and sat next to her.


    Lin Jiao turned to him. ¡°I never knew that a knee injury could be this bad. I will not move at all from my residence. It is a matter of three days only,¡± she muttered.


    Mingquan smiled as he seeded to make Lin Jiao understand.


    He slid his hand into the inner pocket of the upper robe and he took out a hand-woven bracelet for her.


    ¡°Forward your hand,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Lin Jiao asked.


    ¡°Just forward it,¡± Mingquan asked her.


    She did what Mingquan asked her to do and he tied the bracelet around her wrist. ¡°I keep telling, admitting, in front of the people that you are my betrothed,¡± He said.


    Lin Jiao¡¯s heart picked up its pace and she stopped blinking.


    ¡°If I am not around and anyone troubles you or you fall in danger, you can show it to the person and tell him that you are my person. This is my betrothal present to you. This symbol here shows the royal family¡¯s symbol,¡± Mingquan pointed at the circr white jade bead which had the Qiu Family symbol imprinted on it.


    He raised his head to look into her eyes. ¡°Did you get it?¡± Mingquan asked her.


    ¡®Ten seconds,¡¯ Lin Jiao thought in her mind and started the count in her mind.


    ¡°1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...¡±


    Lin Jiao could not finish the count and averted her gaze from him. She curled the fingers of her other hand and could not believe herself.


    She had feelings for the man in front of Mingquan.


    No! This could not happen to her. She could not develop feelings for a man this soon. She told herself.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Mingquan asked her as he let go of her hand.


    Lin Jiao looked at him. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Something has happened. You suddenly stopped smiling,¡± Mingquan said and brought his hand close to her face. He tucked her hair strands behind her ear and his fingers brushed her skin.


    It made her jolt in shock.


    She moved back on the chaise and lost her bnce when Mingquan caught her. Their eyes met again.


    Lin Jiao felt the rapid heartbeats and it felt to her that her heart woulde out of her chest. Why? Why was this happening? She found him more charming suddenly, but her mind was scolding her for thinking that way about Mingquan.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Mingquan said and steadied her on the chaise. ¡°You are full of energy like a five year old kid. I need to be super active to keep my eyes on you all the time,¡± He said with a smile.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t smile,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°What?¡± Mingquan got amused to hear her.


    Lin Jiao pursed her lips together and lowered her eyes. She wanted to hide in a hole inside the ground. Her heart was reacting strangely. This all happened because Ye Xin filled her mind with a strange thing


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Mingquan asked her and ced his hand on her shoulder.


    Lin Jiao acted to be alright and hummed. She faked a wide smile at him and thought to leave for her house. She even had forgotten about her injury and stood up to run out.


    ¡°Lin Jiao!¡± Mingquan caught her wrist and pulled her down. She was now on hisp, her arms around his neck, and their faces dangerously close to each other. She could even feel his warm breaths.


    ¡°I told you not to move around. Why do you act so recklessly?¡± Mingquan scolded her in the most gentle tone and it melted her heart more.


    ¡®I fell for this man,¡¯ her inner voice said

 Chapter 612 - 612 A little messy [Bonus chapter]

    612 A little messy [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who apanied Prince Mingquan that day,¡± Lin Jiao told Ye Xin, who came the next day to see her.


    ¡°How can you not ask about them?¡± Ye Xin questioned her.


    ¡°Why would I ask the Fourth Prince about it?¡± Lin Jiao inquired, ¡°Wait! Why do you know about them?¡±


    ¡°Because one of them is my type,¡± Ye Xin said with a smile.


    ¡°What!?¡± Lin Jiao eximed in shock. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you fell in love with one of them,¡± She stated.


    ¡°He is too handsome and is very humble in attitude. I could not stop my heart from falling for him,¡± Ye Xin said with a smile and ced her hands on her chest to feel the rhythm of her heartbeats.


    ¡°It seems my heart will explode to think about him,¡± Ye Xin asserted and kept smiling.


    ¡°Why did you not ask him then?¡± Lin Jiao inquired her.


    ¡°How was I supposed to ask his name? They dropped me home. I was too shy to ask his name,¡± Ye Xin stated and quickly held Lin Jiao¡¯s hands.


    .....


    ¡°Will you ask Prince Mingquan about it?¡± Ye Xin requested her.


    ¡°Ayee! How can I ask their names? Also, I don¡¯t know when I will see Prince Mingquan. You can go to the governor¡¯s office and find out about him,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°As if they will let me enter the governor¡¯s office,¡± Ye Xin said. ¡°Please ask the name of the man, who was standing left to Prince Mingquan,¡± She again requested Lin Jiao.


    ¡°Ye Xin, how am I¨C¡± She could notplete her words as Ye Xin stopped her from speaking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you consider me your best friend? We have done so many things for each other. You should ask Prince Mingquan about him. Please,¡± Ye Xin said with pleading eyes.


    ¡°Okay. Okay. Don¡¯t make me feel bad,¡± Lin Jiao said and Ye Xin hugged her tightly in excitement.


    ¡°You are such a good friend, Lin Jiao. May you get married soon to Prince Mingquan!¡± Ye Xin said in happiness and pulled away.


    ¡°Are you praying for me to leave my house soon?¡± Lin Jiao pouted her lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you still have not confirmed your feelings for Prince Mingquan. You still didn¡¯t fall in love with him!¡± Ye Xin¡¯s eyes widened in bewilderment. ¡°Girl! The Fourth Prince carried you in his arms in front of so many people. Prince Mingquan rescued you again yesterday. That sight was itself so romantic,¡± she said.


    Lin Jiao didn¡¯t speak anything and fiddled with her fingers. She had not told her friend that she already fell for Mingquan, but she was hesitant to admit it.


    Ye Xin found it strange. Lin Jiao would usually ask her to stop saying that, but now, she was silent.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, did you try to stare into the Fourth Prince¡¯s eyes for ten seconds?¡± Ye Xin questioned her and saw her fidgeting with her fingers.


    Lin Jiao looked into her friend¡¯s eyes. ¡°Is it really true if I stare at the person for ten seconds without blinking, then nothing happens? But if we are unable to, then does that mean I have feelings for that person?¡± Lin Jiao again wanted to confirm it from Ye Xin.


    ¡°Yes. It happens. Did you stare at Prince Mingquan for ten seconds? I thought you also liked him,¡± Ye Xin said and sighed. She was disappointed to know that Lin Jiao didn¡¯t fall for the charms of the Fourth Prince


    ¡°I could not keep the count past five seconds. I could not meet the Fourth Prince¡¯s gaze for ten seconds,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    Ye Xin¡¯s jaw dropped down to hear it and then, a broad smile formed on her lips. ¡°Tell me what did you feel after that?¡± She asked.


    ¡°My heart palpitated as if it would explode ore out of my chest. I was unable to focus around him. I cannot believe I got this strange disease,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°Disease?¡± Ye Xin chuckled and asked her friend not to call love a disease.


    ¡°It is the magical feeling which makes us happy for no reason. Falling in love is not a disease, my friend. I am so happy for you. You should tell Prince Mingquan about it. He will definitely be happy to hear about it,¡± Ye Xin encouraged her while keeping a smile on her lips.


    Lin Jiao lowered her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I am confused. I think if any man would do such things for me, I might have developed the same feelings,¡± She assumed.


    ¡°No. That doesn¡¯t happen, Lin Jiao,¡± Ye Xin asserted.


    ¡°Why?¡± Lin Jiao raised her head to look into her eyes.


    ¡°Umm... Even Bai Jue is concerned for you. You cannot deny this fact. He likes you, Lin Jiao. I know that his way of treating you is different, which isn¡¯t likable to you, but even Prince Mingquan uses his authority on you in the beginning. You didn¡¯t find it weird. So, it depends. I bet if Bai Jue or any other man if made the same efforts as Prince Mingquan, you would not have felt such feelings,¡± Ye Xin exined to her with an example.


    Lin Jiao nodded at her. Ye Xin found her still confused and she advised her to spend more time with Mingquan.


    ¡°Why should I?¡± Lin Jiao frowned.


    ¡°To feel what love truly is! Also, you should see what kind of person Prince Mingquan is at a personal level,¡± Ye Xin advised her.


    ¡°It seems like a headache,¡± Lin Jiao said andid down on the bed.


    Ye Xin smiled to see her and asked her if she would not go out today. ¡°Did your Father and elder Brother scold you yesterday?¡± She inquired.


    ¡°No. Prince Mingquan spoke with my father. Then, Father didn¡¯t say anything to me,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°See! How considerate the Fourth Prince is toward you,¡± Ye Xin stated.


    ¡°I requested Prince Mingquan yesterday. That¡¯s why His Highness talked to my father,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°You make so many excuses not to see the good side of the Fourth Prince,¡± Ye Xin remarked and asked her if she would not go out.


    ¡°I am not allowed to go out for three days,¡± Lin Jiao replied.


    ¡°Why? Since when you started to follow the rules?¡± Ye Xin was surprised to know.


    ¡°The Royal Physician has advised me to let my wound heel. I need three-day bed rest. He told me he amputated the leg of a former soldier because he didn¡¯t let his wound heal,¡± Lin Jiao stated and again goosebumps appeared on her skin.


    ¡°Oh. Then, you should take a good rest. I should also go to my home,¡± Ye Xin said and stood up.


    ¡°I will send you out,¡± Lin Jiao offered and sat up on the mattress. But Ye Xin stopped her and told her to rest.


    ¡°If you meet the Fourth Prince do ask about that man,¡± Ye Xin said while taking backward steps. She waved at Lin Jiao and left for her house.


    Lin Jiaoid on the mattress again and looked at the ceiling. Moving her sleeves up, she looked at the bracelet that Mingquan had tied on her wrist.


    She sighed and spread her arms out on the mattress. ¡°I am bored again. What to do? I cannot move too much. My leg needs rest,¡± She murmured when she heard a knock on the door.


    She tilted her head and the female servant walked in.


    ¡°Young Miss, the Fourth Prince is here to see you,¡± She informed Lin Jiao, who promptly sat on the bed and pushed her skirt down.


    The female servant let the Prince walk in and Mingquan entered the room.


    ¡°I want some privacy,¡± Mingquan told the female servant.


    ¡°Will Your Highness take tea or water?¡± The female servant asked.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Mingquan answered and the female servant bowed before leaving. The doors closed and Mingquan looked at Lin Jiao.


    She bowed to him and he ended up smiling.


    ¡°I thought Prince Mingquan is busy with work,¡± Lin Jiao said and looked at him.


    ¡°I got free early today,¡± Mingquan said and asked her if he could sit on the bed.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Lin Jiao moved back a little and let Mingquan sit on the bed.


    ¡°Why did the Fourth Princee?¡± Lin Jiao inquired.


    ¡°To see you,¡± He replied and brought his hand to her hair. ¡°Your hair is a little messy,¡± he said and caressed them when Lin Jiao quickly brushed them with her fingers.


    Mingquan lowered his hand and praised her for being obedient.


    Lin Jiao smiled at him.


    ¡°Bai Jue came to see me,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Lin Jiao arched her eyebrow.


    ¡°I had summoned him. Forgot?¡±


    ¡°Ahh.¡±


    ¡°I reprimanded him. Also, I told him I would marry you soon,¡± Mingquan said.


    Lin Jiao gulped to hear that.


    ¡°Why did you never clear your thoughts about him? Bai Jue is madly in love with you,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Lin Jiao seemed confused.


    ¡°I do not know. I will handle it in my way now,¡± Mingquan told her.

 Chapter 613 - 613 Not allowed before marriage

    613 Not allowed before marriage


    Xiaoming and Jin Yu were seated on the patio of the house, where they hade to spend time together. Her head rested on his shoulder.


    ¡°It is calm here,¡± Xiaoming said. ¡°No one is following us; no one is telling us not to do this and no one is disturbing us,¡± he added and tilted his head over his shoulder.


    ¡°I wish I were amoner,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Jin Yu asked and lifted her head.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have to see my parents falling this way then. I would not have to worry about anything. I would have been burden-free today,¡± Xiaoming replied.


    ¡°But then, who would have looked after the kingdom¡¯s affairs? Things would not have been the same,¡± Jin Yu said. ¡°If you miss your mother, then call her back. She might have understood by now what she did was wrong,¡± she suggested to him.


    Xiaoming shook his head. ¡°I do not want her to be in the pce. What if she harms any of my brothers or sisters? Even if I miss her, I have to put stones on my heart to keep her away from the pce,¡± he stated. He asked her not to talk about those things anymore and gently ced his hand above her head.


    ¡°I am happy that you have been my support all this time. When a man is emotionally weaker, then his woman must be emotionally stronger to hold him,¡± Xiaoming said and caressed her hair.


    Jin Yu gripped the cor of the overcoat that Xiaoming had worn to pull him down. They kissed while smiling at each other. ¡°Court Lady Hong told me I should be ready to conceive the royal heir soon. What if I give birth to a daughter?¡± She asked after they pulled away.


    .....


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her. I will be happy to have a daughter,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°But Court Lady Hong said that an heir is necessary to move the kingdom forward, to pass on the royal throne to him,¡± Jin Yu asserted.


    ¡°The throne will be passed to the capable child in the royal family. I don¡¯t want things to be like the old rules. Remember, I am the King. I can change the rules whenever I want to,¡± Xiaoming stated. He again asked her not to pay heed to Court Lady Hong.


    ¡°What if our daughter bes capable of leading the Kingdom? She will be called the Crown Princess then,¡± Xiaoming said with a smile. The thought of having daughters gave him a blissful feeling and he shared those thoughts with Jin Yu.


    The rain started falling and they both decided to go inside. As they stood up, Xiaoming carried Jin Yu in his arms and went to the room.


    ~~~~~~~


    ¡°How can Bai Jue be madly in love with me? I always stayed away from him and even ran away whenever he tried talking to me. The Fourth Prince might have noticed something wrong. I know Bai Jue likes me, but he¡ª¡± Lin Jiao stopped speaking as Mingquan ced his index finger on her lips.


    ¡°You never told him how you felt about him, which made him believe that you might be his someday,¡± Mingquan stated and lowered his hand.


    Lin Jiao frowned and asked him how he could be so confident about it.


    ¡°We had a conversation, so I got to know,¡± Mingquan replied.


    ¡°How has the Fourth Prince nned to handle it? Shouldn¡¯t I clear his doubts? I should tell him I never liked him,¡± Lin Jiao suggested.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t allowed to do that,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because he knows that,¡± Mingquan replied.


    ¡°Argh. What kind of man Bai Jue is then? Shouldn¡¯t he stop himself from loving me?¡± She muttered and twitched her lips.


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to do that,¡± Mingquan said.


    Lin Jiao gazed at him before speaking, ¡°Why does Prince Mingquan love me?¡±


    ¡°When did I say I love you?¡± Mingquan raised his eyebrow.


    Lin Jiao got confused. ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Fourth Prince have feelings for me?¡± She questioned him.


    ¡°I like Miss Lin, but I have yet to fall in love with her,¡± Mingquan said.


    Lin Jiao chuckled since all this time she thought he loved her. But he only liked her.


    ¡°What about Miss Lin? Does she like me?¡± Mingquan asked her.


    ¡°Me?¡± She gulped.


    ¡°Hmm. What about you?¡± Mingquan queried her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the Fourth Prince,¡± Lin Jiao replied promptly.


    ¡°Really?¡± Mingquan asked her to confirm.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lin Jiao lied to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange. I thought you liked me. You even kissed me,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t kiss you,¡± Lin Jiao dropped the honorifics for him.


    Mingquan moved closer to her when she moved back. ¡°Stay where you are. W-why are you moving toward me?¡± She got intimidated by the strange expression on his face when her back hit the pillows behind her and she came to a half-lying position.


    Mingquan hovered over her and he hooked his fingers on her nape. He pulled her up such that their faces came dangerously close to each other.


    ¡°Tell me the truth, Lin Jiao,¡± Mingquan said while peering into her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you like me? I can see the blush on your cheeks and your fingers fiddling,¡± he stated with an amusing smile.


    Lin Jiao immediately stopped fiddling with her fingers and she told Mingquan not to lie to her. ¡°I cannot blush. I don¡¯t blush at all,¡± she affirmed.


    ¡°Your cheeks say otherwise, Lin Jiao,¡± Mingquan said and moved his lips close to her. She pursed her lips tightly and furrowed her brows together.


    ¡°Let¡¯s kiss and confirm your feelings for me,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°No!¡± Lin Jiao quickly ced her hands on his chest, trying to push him away. ¡°Your Highness, we cannot do this. It is wrong before marriage,¡± she said, and felt his nose brush hers. This closeness made her weak and, at the same time, scared her. Her heart was once again thundering against her chest.


    Mingquan kept teasing her. Her head rested on the pillow. ¡°Your Highness, we cannot kiss. It is not allowed before marriage,¡± she said.


    ¡°So, you want to marry me!¡± Mingquan remarked with astonishment.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. Your Highness wants to marry me,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, I can hear your heartbeats,¡± Mingquan said and smirked.


    Lin Jiao quickly moved her hands to his ears. ¡°Please,¡± she said and noticed the smile from his lips disappearing.

 Chapter 614 - 614 Let me talk [Bonus chapter]

    614 Let me talk [Bonus chapter]


    Mingquan flicked his fingers in the middle of Lin Jiao¡¯s forehead and she cried out in pain. She looked at her in bewilderment and asked him why he did that.


    ¡°To bring your thoughts to one ce,¡± Mingquan said and moved back.


    Lin Jiao rubbed her forehead. ¡°Since you are a prince, that¡¯s why I forgive you,¡± she mumbled and sat on the bed.


    ¡°The Fourth Prince should leave for the pce,¡± Lin Jiao told him.


    ¡°I cannot,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I have to go somewhere,¡± Mingquan answered. Before he could speak further, they both heard the voice.


    ¡°Miss Lin, Young Master Bai Jue hase to see you,¡± the servant spoke from outside the room.


    Mingquan and Lin Jiao looked at each other.


    .....


    ¡°Why is he here?¡± Lin Jiao mumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see him,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, let me see you once. I have something to tell you,¡± Bai Jue said from outside the room.


    Lin Jiao knitted her brows together in confusion and then looked at Mingquan. ¡°What to do, Your Highness? He never came to see me at this hour, especially when my father and brother aren¡¯t home,¡± she affirmed.


    Mingquan stood up from the bed and went to the door. He opened them and looked at Bai Jue, who was shocked to see the Fourth Prince.


    ¡°What is it, Bai Jue? Did I not tell you to stay away from my fiance¨¦?¡± Mingquan questioned him.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness. I havee here to ask if Lin Jiao is well,¡± Bai Jue said.


    ¡°She is resting,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°You don¡¯t need toe to the Lin Residence at a time when Miss Lin¡¯s father and brother aren¡¯t present,¡± he asserted.


    Bai Jue didn¡¯t like the way Mingquan wasmanding him, but what he could even do. He wanted to tell Lin Jiao to ept his feelings and refuse the marriage proposal that the Fourth Prince had given her.


    ¡°Your Highness, let me talk with Bai Jue.¡± They both heard Lin Jiao¡¯s voice.


    Mingquan turned and saw Lin Jiao standing behind her while Bai Jue smiled to see her.


    Bai Jue asked Mingquan to wait for her and she stepped out of the room. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about my knee. It is healing and I will not jump around,¡± she assured Mingquan, who nodded at her.


    Lin Jiao walked ahead of Bai Jue, who smirked at Mingquan before following Lin Jiao.


    She stopped at the other end of the corridor and turned around. Bai Jue halted behind her and asked if she was good.


    ¡°I am fine,¡± Lin Jiao said, ¡°the royal physician has told me to take a few days¡¯ rest and limit the walk to heal the wound fully.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me for my yesterday¡¯s behavior,¡± Bai Jue apologized to her. ¡°I was worried to see you. That¡¯s why I wanted to bring you home,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to worry for me, Bai Jue,¡± Lin Jiao told him. ¡°I do not like you. Since you have been a friend to my elder brother, I never said anything. You must have noticed that I always avoid you. There is a reason behind it. I know that you¡¯ve had feelings for me for a long time. I should have answered you earlier, but I took time. Forgive me, Bai Jue,¡± Lin Jiao honestly told him.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, do you like the Fourth Prince?¡± Bai Jue asked her.


    ¡°That should not matter to you. I have cleared you my answer, so you should stop looking at me as a woman,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, I will keep you happy. I promise you. I will always protect you. I love you, Lin Jiao,¡± Bai Jue confessed to her in the most unexpected way. She frowned as it infuriated him. It surprised her that Mingquan was right about Bai Jue. He wasn¡¯t ready to believe that Bai Jue loved him.


    ¡°Bai Jue, you cannot keep me happy. You don¡¯t need to protect me either. You should leave,¡± Lin Jiao said and told him that she would go back to her room.


    She stepped up while holding the skirt when Bai Jue held her arm and pulled her in his direction.


    ¡°Bai Jue!¡± She shouted at him and asked him to leave her.


    ¡°I cannot live with you,¡± Bai Jue said.


    ¡°You have turned insane, Bai Jue. Leave me,¡± Lin Jiao said and tried to release her arm from his grip.


    Bai Jue shook his head and hugged her when Lin Jiao started screaming. ¡°Bai Jue, what are you doing? Help me! Help me!¡±


    ¡°Lin Jiao, I really will keep you happy. I cannot live without you,¡± He said and then cupped her face. Lin Jiao looked at him with a terrified look.


    ¡°I heard from Ye Xin that you fell for Prince Mingquan because he kissed you. That¡¯s not possible. Only I can love you since you are mine,¡± Bai Jue said.


    Lin Jiao tried to push him away while he forced her upon her.


    Mingquan grabbed Bai Jue¡¯s robe and turned him around. Lin Jiao fell behind and tears rolled down her cheek because of the fear.


    Mingquan punched Bai Jue and then kicked him. The servants hade running there and helped Lin Jiao stand up.


    Bai Jue tried to get up when Mingquan pressed his foot on his chest, making his head hit on the floor beneath him.


    ¡°I warned you not to trouble Lin Jiao with your creepy tactic,¡± Mingquan said with a furious expression. The soldier, who was appointed to Lin Jiao¡¯s service, also arrived there after he got informed about it.


    ¡°Send him to prison,¡± Mingquan said, moving his foot back.


    The soldier grabbed Bai Jue by his arm while Mingquan went to Lin Jiao.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Mingquan asked Lin Jiao with concern. He saw her hands trembling in fear and the tears on her cheeks. He put his arm around her shoulder and the other hand beneath her legs. He lifted Lin Jiao in his arms and took her to her room.

 Chapter 615 - 615 Please take me with you

    615 Please take me with you


    Lin Jiao drank water after wiping the tears from her eyes. Mingquan took the water ss from her and ced it on the tray which the servant was holding. She left upon getting Mingquan¡¯s gesture and the doors closed.


    Lin Jiao was still trembling in fear. Bai Jue went extreme today. She had many bad experiences in her life, but this one was the worst.


    Mingquan held her hands, and she peered at him. ¡°I am here,¡± he said and caressed her hands.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t the Fourth Princee earlier? He almost kissed me,¡± Lin Jiao said, and again her eyes filled with tears.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think Bai Jue would stoop this low,¡± Mingquan said, and he pulled her close. He put his hand on her back and patted it. ¡°He will be punished severely for molesting you,¡± he assured her.


    Lin Jiao felt better with that warm embrace. He slowly moved his hand to the back of her head. He stroked her hair and asked her not to think about it.


    ¡°How am I supposed to forget it? I was truthful to him, yet he was forcing himself on me,¡± Lin Jiao muttered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t listen to me. You could have refused to speak with him. Why did you go away?¡± Mingquan scolded him.


    Lin Jiao moved back and red at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what was going on in his mind. Why did His Highness take so much time toe there? What if he had done something to me? I want my father to be here,¡± she said.


    .....


    ¡°In my presence, nothing would have happened. You don¡¯t have to think about it anymore,¡± Mingquan told her.


    ¡°Thank you for saving me once again, Your Highness,¡± Lin Jiao said and lowered her gaze.


    ¡°Do you want to sleep?¡± Mingquan asked.


    Lin Jiao shook her head.


    ¡°Then, what should I do to cheer you up?¡± He inquired her.


    ¡°Just stay with me,¡± Lin Jiao said, ¡°until my father and brother return home.¡± She raised her head, and asked, ¡°Will His Highness stay with me? This was scary for me.¡±


    Mingquan hummed and told her he would stay with her.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She then ced her hand on her stomach. ¡°I am starving. Will His Highness take eat lunch with me?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I cannot see you eating alone. It will make me hungry too,¡± Mingquan said and called in a servant. 4


    Lin Jiao looked at hisrge hand which was holding her hands. Her heart fluttered feeling that warm touch and unbeknownst to her, a tiny smile formed on her lips.


    ¡°What¡¯s the reason for this smile?¡± He asked.


    Lin Jiao stopped smiling. ¡°Nothing,¡± she murmured.


    ~~~~~~


    Ai Fen did an embroidery over the silk handkerchief and looked at it. ¡°Sister Xiaolin will surely like it,¡± Ai Fen said and stood up.


    She left to see Xiaolian, however, she didn¡¯t find her in the chamber. From the servant, Ai Fen found out that Xiaolian had gone outside with her mother to her uncle¡¯s house.


    She descended the stairs and reached the bottom soon. While heading towards her chamber, she encountered Huang Xi, who was followed by three soldiers.


    Huang Xi and the three soldiers bowed to her before going ahead.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi is still upset with me,¡± she mumbled. But it wasn¡¯t her fault either. She said the truth to him. She didn¡¯t like the way he treated Jingfei.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Ai Fen heard a familiar voice and turned around to check.


    Chang Shi was standing before her.


    ¡°The Second Princess dropped her handkerchief,¡± Chang Shi said and forwarded it to her. Ai Fen was so lost in her thoughts that she didn¡¯t realize it.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ai Fen said after she took the handkerchief from Chang Shi. It had gotten the dirt on it. ¡°Oh no. It got dirty,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°It needs to be washed,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Did the Second Princess drink after that day?¡± Chang Shi suddenly asked her and she gazed at him.


    ¡°No. Why do you ask?¡± Ai Fen questioned while knitting her brows together.


    ¡°I was just curious,¡± Chang Shi replied with a smile. ¡°The Second Princess looks upset. Is everything okay with her?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to do these days,¡± Ai Fen said. ¡°Also, I heard from my mother yesterday that I have to get married after my two brothers¡¯ marriage,¡± she ended up telling Chang Shi.


    ¡°Is Her Highness upset about it?¡± Chang Shi inquired.


    ¡°I am nervous to know whom I will get married to. But I cannot even speak about it. I have to get married before turning twenty-three,¡± Ai Fen stated.


    Chang Shi hummed.


    ¡°Thank you for the handkerchief. I should go,¡± Ai Fen said when Chang Shi stopped her.


    ¡°Does the Second Princess want to go outside?¡± Chang Shi asked.


    ¡°Will you take me out? But I do not know where I should go,¡± Ai Fen said. ¡°Do you know any good ce to visit since you have visited many ces?¡± She inquired.


    ¡°I was thinking to go to the nearby mountain to pick up the herbs,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°Mountain?¡± Ai Fen¡¯s eyes shimmered. ¡°I would like to apany you,¡± she expressed her desire.


    ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness. I cannot take the Second Princess to such hilly terrain,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°I have never been to the mountain. Father never allowed his daughters to go and explore such ces. Please take me with you. It is a bright day,¡± Ai Fen requested him.


    Chang Shi wanted to turn down her request, but then Ai Fen looked so desperate to have a day out.


    ¡°Your Highness should inform her mother first about it. Then, we will go,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°Sure. I will see you at the imperial pce gates,¡± Ai Fen said and quickly went to see his mother.


    Chang Shi went to the pce gates and waited for Ai Fen toe. After fifteen minutes of waiting, Ai Fen arrived.


    ¡°My mother allowed me. Let¡¯s go, Chang Shi,¡± Ai Fen stated.

 Chapter 616 - 616 Enjoy my own company [Bonus chapter]

    616 Enjoy my ownpany [Bonus chapter]


    Ai Fen caught her breath as she ced her hand on the tree beside her. She thought it was easy and fun to climb a mountain, but it was difficult.


    ¡°Your Highness, I think we should not go ahead. I will drop you at the pce,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°No.¡± Ai Fen refused to go back without seeing the ce from where Chang Shi would pick up the herbs. ¡°I can walk. It is my first time climbing such a hill, that¡¯s why I got tired,¡± she stated.


    ¡°Is Her Highness sure? We have taken more than ten breaks in thest thirty minutes. At this rate, it will take us two hours to reach the top,¡± Chang Shi told her.


    Ai Fen stood straight and held her long waist skirt. She resumed the walk while Chang Shi walked behind her.


    ¡°Since youe here regrly, that¡¯s why this walk is easy for you,¡± Ai Fen told Chang Shi.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How do you know so many things?¡± Ai Fen curiously asked him.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness. I didn¡¯t understand the question,¡± Chang Shi said.


    .....


    ¡°You are a good spy, good at martial arts and even in medicine. It is difficult to possess all such skills at once,¡± Ai Fen stated.


    ¡°It is not impossible though. My father was a medical doctor in the capital and he was good at martial arts,¡± Chang Shi replied. ¡°I am good at observing people, so from there I developed the quality to be a good spy,¡± He stated.


    Ai Fen nodded at him. ¡°Your mother and father must be proud of you,¡± she said. ¡°Does your father no longer treat the patients?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Ahh, my father, and mother are no more,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°Umm... Forgive me. I didn¡¯t know,¡± Ai Fen said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Your Highness,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°What about the siblings?¡± Ai Fen inquired.


    ¡°I am the only child,¡± Chang Shi replied.


    ¡°So, do you live alone?¡± Ai Fen questioned.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It must be lonely,¡± Ai Fen said.


    ¡°It is sometimes, but that happens rarely. I enjoy my ownpany more,¡± Chang Shi stated.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Ai Fen said. ¡°But you should get married. Then, the remaining loneliness will disappear,¡± she opined.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Chang Shi agreed with her.


    ¡°I found you are a good friend to Brother L¨®ng Wei. How did you two meet? To my knowledge, it was tough to be close to Brother L¨®ng Wei before his marriage,¡± Ai Fen asserted.


    ¡°I met Prince L¨®ng Wei when he was a kid. He had injured himself and I dressed his wound. From then onwards, Prince L¨®ng Wei acknowledged me as his friend,¡± Chang Shi answered.


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s been a long time,¡± Ai Fen said.


    Her shoe slipped and a scream escaped her mouth. But Chang Shi held her arm, thus preventing her from falling. ¡°Be careful, Your Highness,¡± Chang Shi said and lowered his hand.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ai Fen said. ¡°Chang Shi, you must have servants in your service. Don¡¯t you tell them to pick herbs for you?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I prefer to pick them myself. Wild weeds and poisonous nts also grow alongside useful medicinal herbs. That also needed to be taken care of,¡± Chang Shi exined to her.


    She keenly listened to him. While conversing they covered most of the distance and soon reached the top.


    Ai Fen saw the path leading to the bamboo forest ahead of them. The herbs were spread widely in that open area. Chang Shi asked Ai Fen to roam around and by the time he would pick up the herbs.


    She hummed and went to the other side while Chang Shi went to the other side, holding the basket in his hand.


    Ai Fen had her hands behind her back as she looked at the green shrubs. She touched the leaves when noticed a movement in the nearby bush.


    She looked behind and then walked ahead to check. Her eyes fell on a rabbit and it made her smile. Ai Fen got on her knees and saw the rabbit was injured. She saw the blood on the rabbit¡¯s leg and quickly picked it up in her hands.


    She got worried and ran toward Chang Shi, who was a little far from her.


    Chang Shi was busy picking up the herbs when he heard the footsteps. He turned around and saw Ai Fen with a rabbit in her hand.


    ¡°Chang Shi, this rabbit is injured. What to do?¡± She asked him.


    Chang Shi ced the basket on the ground and walked to her. He checked the rabbit¡¯s leg and told Ai Fen to sit on the rock near them.


    She did what he said while Chang Shi ground some healing herbs on a stone. After making a paste of it, he applied it to the rabbit¡¯s leg. Ai Fen handed him the handkerchief which he tied to the rabbit¡¯s leg.


    ¡°Will it be fine?¡± Ai Fen asked him.


    ¡°It should be since the wound isn¡¯t deep,¡± Chang Shi said and saw the blood in Ai Fen¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Are there any wild animals around?¡± Ai Fen looked around.


    ¡°No. Judging by the wound, it seems the rabbit has injured himself while running,¡± Chang Shi replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± Ai Fen said and told Chang Shi she would take care of the rabbit.


    ¡°As the Second Princess seems right,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°Tell me. What should I do to make its wound heal faster?¡± Ai Fen questioned.


    ¡°Rest and proper food. Rabbits love carrots. So Her Highness can give the carrots to this rabbit. The wound should not be infected, so it is needed to be dressed at regr times,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°Chang Shi, will the Royal Physician help me in dressing its wound?¡± Ai Fen asked as she gently caressed the head of the rabbit.


    ¡°Physician Peng will surely help,¡± Chang Shi said and stood up. ¡°I should pick up the herbs,¡± he said and, he again resumed the work while Ai Fen took care of the rabbit. She wanted to leave early for the pce now.


    ¡°Chang Shi, what name should I give this cute rabbit?¡± Ai Fen asked. ¡°Will Baobao be a good name?¡± She inquired him.


    ¡°It will be a good name,¡± Chang Shi said while plucking the medicinal leaves.


    ¡°Baobao, Ai Fen will take good care of yours. We will soon go home,¡± Ai Fen talked with the rabbit, which made Chang Shi smile.

 Chapter 617 - 617 Chang Shi and Xiwan are their names

    617 Chang Shi and Xiwan are their names


    ¡°Forgive me, Lin Jiao. I thought if I would tell Bai Jue that you were in love with Prince Mingquan, he would note to trouble you. I did not know he would try to do such a disgusting act with you,¡± Ye Xin said with tears in her eyes. Thest night when her brother informed her that Bai Jue was arrested, she was shocked and even guilty because she was the reason behind it.


    ¡°Ye Xin, I know you told him all this so that he would stop troubling me. Do not me yourself neither do you have to apologize to me,¡± Lin Jiao stated and opened her arms. Ye Xin hugged her tightly.


    After they withdrew, Ye Xin asked Lin Jiao if Prince Mingquan would punish her too.


    ¡°No. Why would he punish you? I did not even tell His Highness what Bai Jue told me,¡± Lin Jiao asserted.


    ¡°Why?¡± Ye Xin asked.


    ¡°Because I did not seem it relevant,¡± Lin Jiao replied. ¡°His Highness might have thought that I fell in love with him because we identally shared a kiss,¡± she said.


    ¡°But you love the Fourth Prince. There is nothing to hide from him. Yesterday, the Fourth Prince saved you. He is the most suitable man for you,¡± Ye Xin opined.


    ¡°Ye Xin, I do not know. Maybe these feelings are not that strong. For the first time, a man outside my family did such things for me. I think that is the reason my heart reacted that way. I am not ready to marry him because I know I do not love the Fourth Prince,¡± Lin Jiao asserted andid on the bed.


    Ye Xin did not say anything after hearing all those things.


    .....


    ¡°I asked Prince Mingquan about those two men, who were with him on that day. Don¡¯t you want to know?¡± Lin Jiao asked her with a smile. ¡°Do not be upset anymore because of Bai Jue. He will spend a good time in prison,¡± she said and ced her hand over Ye Xin¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Chang Shi and Xiwan are their names,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°How will I know who is the man on whom I got a crush?¡± Ye Xin asked.


    ¡°Prince Mingquan did not remember who was on his right that day,¡± Lin Jiao replied. ¡°Why don¡¯t we both spy and find out the man whom you like?¡± She suggested to Ye Xin.


    ¡°I do not want to disturb you. Your wound is still not healed,¡± Ye Xin said in a low voice.


    ¡°Aish! I am absolutely fine. And since we both started to think about disturbing each other?¡± Lin Jiao sat up on the bed and moved her skirt up. ¡°See. Even the wound is healed. In the morning, the physician hase to check on me. He told me not to run. I can walk around,¡± she stated.


    ¡°But the royal physician has rmended a three-day bed rest. We will go the day after tomorrow,¡± Ye Xin suggested to Lin Jiao.


    ¡°The Fourth Prince made a fool of me. My injury is very minute. He did not want me to move out of the house and came up with such a n. He is the first one, who seeded in holding me inside this house,¡± Lin Jiao muttered and snickered. ¡°I should teach His Highness a lesson for messing with me,¡± she proimed.


    Ye Xin smiled to see that side of Lin Jiao. ¡°The Fourth Prince cares for you. That is why he came up with such a lie. He knows how to control his overly enthusiastic future wife,¡± Ye Xin asserted.


    ¡°Ayee. I am not his future wife,¡± Lin Jiao said and got down from the bed. She wore the shoes quickly and then walked out of the room with Ye Xin. No servant stopped her from going out.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, how will we find out where Chang Shi and Xiwan live? Also, will it not be weird if we check on them?¡± Ye Xin was a little scared.


    ¡°You are right,¡± Lin Jiao stopped after descending the stairs outside her residence. She ced her hands on her waist and wondered if she should go to the governor¡¯s office to ask Mingquan about it. She shared the same idea with Ye Xin, who shook her head.


    ¡°We should not disturb the Fourth Prince. He has hundreds of work to look into,¡± Ye Xin advised Lin Jiao.


    ¡°We cannot search for them in the entire capital. What if we encounter your crush veryte and by that time, he falls in love with someone else?¡± Lin Jiao arched her eyebrow.


    Ye Xin hummed. ¡°That cannot happen,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°That is why we should find out who was the one with whom you fell in love at the first sight,¡± Lin Jiao stated and they both started walking.


    ¡°But disturbing the Fourth Prince is not a good idea,¡± Ye Xin stated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He will not say anything to me,¡± Lin Jiao said and scooped her arm around Ye Xin¡¯s. They both went stopped at a local carriage. Lin Jiao asked the man to drive them to the governor¡¯s office.


    After twenty minutes of the ride, they were outside the government office and saw officials walking around the corridor.


    Lin Jiao and Ye Xin reached the governor¡¯s office when an officer stopped them.


    ¡°What are the two youngdies doing here?¡± The official asked them.


    ¡°We are here to see the Fourth Prince,¡± Lin Jiao replied.


    The official squinted his eyes in suspicion and checked them out from top to bottom.


    ¡°Lin Jiao is betrothed to the Fourth Prince,¡± Ye Xin pronounced. Lin Jiao nced at her as she had not expected her to say this. She grasped the wrist of Lin Jiao which had hand woven bracelet around it.


    ¡°The Fourth Prince has given this to Lin Jiao. This jade has the royal family¡¯s symbol as well,¡± Ye Xin asserted.


    Lin Jiao nodded at the official, who stepped up to check. He apologized after confirming it and let those two enter the governor¡¯s office. Both of them thanked the official and left his sight. The official walked ahead to inform Mingquan about it.

 Chapter 618 - 618 The answer is in this kiss

    618 The answer is in this kiss


    Mingquan looked at the two of them and asked them why they wanted to know about Xiwan and Chang Shi.


    ¡°Because we want to thank them, Your Highness,¡± Lin Jiao replied.


    ¡°I cannot tell about them,¡± Mingquan said, and he leaned back on the chair. ¡°Also, shouldn¡¯t be Miss Lin at her home? Why did she start again jumping around?¡± He questioned her.


    ¡°The Fourth Prince lied to me. My knee is absolutely fine. My father called the local physician in the morning and I asked him. He told me that I could easily walk,¡± Lin Jiao pronounced and red at Mingquan.


    ¡°That does not mean you are supposed to again go around this way in the capital. Go home if you do not want me to tie you to the pir,¡± Mingquan told her.


    ¡°Tie me to the pir?¡± Lin Jiao chuckled and stood up from the chair. ¡°And I will tell everyone how the Fourth Prince fools innocent souls like me!¡± She pronounced.


    ¡°Did you call yourself an innocent soul?¡± Mingquan gritted his teeth.


    Ye Xin grasped Lin Jiao¡¯s wrist and asked her not to argue with Mingquan.


    ¡°You are the most annoying brat out there,¡± Mingquan remarked.


    .....


    ¡°You called me a brat!? Hah!¡± Lin Jiao knitted her brows when Mingquan stood up from his seat and took a step toward her.


    ¡°Yes. Do you want me call your brother and father here?¡± He threatened her.


    Lin Jiao shook her head and faked a smile at him. ¡°Why does Prince Mingquan get angry so easily? He is known as the most polite, humble and calm prince among the six princes,¡± Lin Jiao pronounced. Ye Xin had also rose to her feet as it would be disrespectful to sit in front of the Prince.


    ¡°Your Highness, we will leave if you tell us where Xiwan and Chang Shi live.¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°Give me the reason,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°I have a crush on one of them,¡± Ye Xin intervened between their conversation. ¡°But I do not know which one among them. However, if I see them, I will find out,¡± Ye Xin asserted.


    Lin Jiao hummed and asked Mingquan to help her.


    ¡°I will call them here,¡± Mingquan said.


    Lin Jiao nced at Ye Xin with a bright smile. Ye Xin was astonished to hear that and she thanked him and bowed.


    ¡°Xiwan and Chang Shi are highly trained spies, so their identities as spies are not known to many except a few in the pce. That is why I do not find it good to share most of the information about them,¡± Mingquan told the two of them before they could further ask him.


    ¡°Your Highness, will it not be awkward if they bothe here? I like only one of them. It may hurt the other¡¯s sentiments,¡± Ye Xin opined.


    ¡°She is right,¡± Lin Jiao said and looked at Mingquan so that he would give them the right idea.


    ¡°I will call the two of them. One will stand on my right side and the other one will be on my left. Then, Miss Ye can tell me,¡± Mingquan stated and smiled at her.


    ¡°It is a good idea,¡± Lin Jiao said and asked Mingquan to quickly call them.


    ¡°Not today. I will bring them tomorrow morning with me,¡± Mingquan said, ¡°in your house, Lin Jiao.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lin Jiao frowned at him.


    ¡°Mother wants to send betrothal gifts to her future daughter-inw,¡± Mingquan replied and smirked at her.


    ¡°What? But I do not want to marry the Fourth Prince,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell Officer Shan that I am your soon-to-be husband?¡± Mingquan questioned her.


    ¡°When did I say that?¡± Lin Jiao asked him and recalled they encountered an official earlier.


    ¡°Miss Ye, please give us some privacy,¡± Mingquan requested her. Before Ye Xin could walk out, he said, ¡°Miss Ye shoulde to Miss Lin¡¯s house in the morning. I will be with Xiwan and Chang Shi there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Ye Xin said with a smile and thanked him again before going out. Lin Jiao turned to leave when Mingquan held her arm, thus stopping her from leaving.


    ¡°Leave me, Prince Mingquan,¡± Lin Jiao said and heard the door close.


    ¡°I did not ask for some privacy to let you go,¡± he stated and made her sit at the desk. He ced his hands on her sides and leaned down, thus bringing his face in her alignment.


    ¡°Do you want me to be a strict husband to you or a lenient one?¡± Mingquan asked her.


    ¡°Why is His Highness asking such a thing?¡± Lin Jiao ced her hands on his chest to push him away when he took another step. She leaned back a little as their lips came close.


    ¡°You do not listen to anybody. You are not supposed to jump around when you should be on the bed. Don¡¯t make me strict on you,¡± Mingquan said and looked at her lips for a brief moment.


    ¡°Why does Prince Mingquan want to marry me?¡± Lin Jiao asked. ¡°He does not even love me,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°I won¡¯t marry you until Brother L¨®ng Wei and his wife returns to Qinping,¡± Mingquan asserted.


    ¡°Why?¡± She got confused.


    ¡°They are important people to me,¡± Mingquan said and met her gaze. ¡°By that time, you will fall in love with me,¡± he then smiled.


    ¡°That will never happen,¡± Lin Jiao said and scoffed at him.


    ¡°Why do you lie, Lin Jiao? I can hear your heartbeats,¡± he said and looked down before looking up at her. ¡°Let me clear your confusion.¡±


    Lin Jiao was taken aback when his lips brushed hers. She forgot to breathe and her heart showed rapid movements. Like drums, her heart was beating. She closed her eyes while furrowing her brows slightly and felt the butterflies in her stomach. His soft lips nibbled against her so gently and his hand rested on her arm.


    He pulled away within seconds, and Lin Jiao breathed. She came to her senses and looked at him with astonishment.


    ¡°The answer is in this kiss,¡± Mingquan said and took a step back.

 Chapter 619 - 619 To see Prince Qiu Mu

    619 To see Prince Qiu Mu


    Ye Xin found Lin Jiao quiet since she met Mingquan. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? I asked you many times if I should buy a new dress for tomorrow,¡± Ye Xinined.


    ¡°Forgive me. I didn¡¯t hear,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°What happened? What did the Fourth Prince say to you in private? You are so quiet,¡± Ye Xin looked worried.


    ¡®The answer is in the kiss.¡¯


    Lin Jiao recalled thest statement of Mingquan and shook her head. ¡°Nothing,¡± she lied to Ye Xin.


    ¡°Did you again fight with the Fourth Prince?¡± Ye Xin crossed her arms across her chest. ¡°The Fourth Prince is such a nice person. How could you even fight with him?¡± She scolded Lin Jiao.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t fight with him,¡± Lin Jiao said with annoyance.


    ¡°Then? Why are you so lost?¡± Ye Xin inquired.


    ¡°I am not,¡± Lin Jiao said and asked her why she wanted to buy a new dress.


    .....


    ¡°To look presentable,¡± Ye Xin replied.


    ¡°But you already have so many dresses. You can pick any one of them,¡± Lin Jiao opined.


    ¡°But I want something new. Two days ago, I saw a beautiful dress in the garment shop. Let¡¯s go there and buy it,¡± Ye Xin told her. Lin Jiao nodded at her and they left for the shop.


    Ye Xin bought the dress for herself and told Lin Jiao that she should also buy something for herself.


    ¡°Umm¡­ I don¡¯t want to. I have loads of dresses. Brother bought a dress for mest week,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°Tomorrow you need to get ready beautifully,¡± Ye Xin stated while descending the stairs.


    ¡°Why? Is there any asion?¡± Lin Jiao asked.


    ¡°The Fourth Prince¡¯s mother will send betrothal gifts for you. And the Prince be present there. You should dress up like ady. Prince Mingquan likes you, but he has yet to tell you if he loves you. If you sway his heart, then the process will be quick,¡± Ye Xin said and gave her a wide smile.


    ¡°You are dreaming too much,¡± Lin Jiao said, and he walked ahead of her.


    Ye Xin ran after her to match her steps and caught her arm. ¡°Lin Jiao, you should not dy in knowing your feelings for the prince. Don¡¯t you feel His Highness cares way too much for you? I can see the affection in his eyes for you. You will not find such a man¡­ I mean, it is tough to find a person like the Fourth Prince,¡± she asserted.


    Lin Jiao didn¡¯t deny that fact. But the biggest question in front of her was whether her feelings were strong for him or whether those were momentary.


    ~~~~~~


    Kang Cha Ying looked at the tallest tree that was present in the Kang Residence. There was a swing attached to it. She recalled her childhood memories, where her brother, Kang Huijuan, would push her from behind on that swing.


    A sigh escaped her mouth. Her brother was serving a lifetime imprisonment. She used to miss him, but she could not either ignore the crimes hemitted.


    Kang Huijuan had promised her he would check all the preparations during her marriage. Tomorrow, she would leave her home. Everyone would be there except her elder brother.


    ¡°Sister Cha Ying looks upset,¡± Kang Horan, the younger brother of Kang Cha Ying, spoke.


    Cha Ying immediately turned upon hearing his voice and smiled. ¡°Horan!¡± A wide smile was carved on her lips.


    Kang Horan walked to her and hugged her tightly. ¡°I missed my elder sister,¡± Kang Horan said. He hadpleted his academic studies earlier than most of the students in the same ss as him.


    They withdrew when Kang Cha Ying asked him what he was doing there.


    ¡°What does Sister Cha Ying mean? I am here to attend her marriage,¡± Kang Horan said.


    ¡°What about your studies? It was an important year for you,¡± Cha Ying said with a worried look.


    ¡°I finished my studies earlier than the others. The head of the academy granted me to leave for home then,¡± Kang Horan said. He was aware of everything that had happened in the capital and also knew what his father and elder brother did. The chief reason he wanted to return the earliest was to carry those responsibilities and lessen the burden of his sister.


    ¡°I heard Sister Cha Ying had run away. Did Father trouble you a lot?¡± Kang Horan asked her.


    Cha Ying had no answer for it. ¡°Let¡¯s forget about the past. Everything has turned right,¡± Cha Ying said.


    Kang Horan nodded and told her he would like to meet Prince Qiu Mu.


    ¡°Why?¡± Cha Ying curiously gazed at him.


    ¡°I want to thank Prince Mu to bring my sister home. My sister has no idea how worried I was when I found out about it. I tried to finish my studies as soon as possible,¡± Kang Horan said. His words brought tears to Cha Ying¡¯s eyes and she held Horan¡¯s hands.


    ¡°You have be such a grown-up boy,¡± Cha Ying stated.


    ¡°I am seventeen, Sister Cha Ying. I cannot be forever a young boy,¡± Kang Horan affirmed.


    ¡°I am happy that you are ready to take care of everything. Behind me, you have to take care of this family. Be a great man. The lost respect of the Kang Family we have to gain back,¡± Cha Ying stated.


    ¡°Yes. Elder Brother made a lot of mistakes,¡± Kang Horan said and sighed as he recalled what Kang Huijuan did.


    ¡°You should rest in your room. But before that, have meals. I will bring food to your room,¡± Kang Cha Ying stated.


    ¡°I took meals beforeing to see you,¡± Kang Horan lied to her. He was desperate to meet Qiu Mu first. Moreover, he had no appetite. He also wanted to see Kang Huijuan, whom he saw his role model once.


    ¡°I will see Sister Cha Ying in the evening,¡± Kang Horan said.


    ¡°What? Where are you leaving?¡± Cha Ying asked him.


    ¡°To see Prince Qiu Mu. I want to see my brother-inw,¡± Kang Horan asserted and told her that he would return early as he had a lot of things to talk about with her.

 Chapter 620 - 620 Kneel down and apologize to Lóng Wei [Bonus chapter]

    620 Kneel down and apologize to L¨®ng Wei [Bonus chapter]


    Qiu Mu entered the pavilion after returning from the imperial court as Eunuch Dao informed him about Akng Horan, who was waiting for him. Xiaoming and he had a discussion for a long time over a few important kingdom matters.


    Upon entering the pavilion, he saw a young teenage boy seated on a chair.


    Seeing Qiu Mu Kang Horan rose to his feet and bowed to him. Qiu Mu smiled and asked him to sit down.


    ¡°I am Kang Horan, the younger brother of Sister Cha Ying.¡± He introduced himself to Qiu Mu before settling on the chair.


    ¡°Cha Ying has told about her younger brother once,¡± Qiu Mu said. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t make Kang Horan wait for a long time,¡± he added.


    ¡°Not at all, Your Highness,¡± Kang Horan said.


    ¡°So, why are you here? Also, shouldn¡¯t you be in the academy?¡± Qiu Mu inquired.


    ¡°I finished it earlier, Your Highness,¡± Horan replied. ¡°I wanted to see my elder sister as soon as possible. After what happened in the past few months, I was nning to return early,¡± he stated.


    Qiu Mu found Kang Horan was more responsible than Kang Huijuan. He could not believe for a second that they both were siblings yet one was totally different from the other.


    .....


    ¡°I would like to thank Your Highness for bringing my elder sister back,¡± Horan expressed his humble gratitude.


    ¡°I promised her for the marriage. How could I sit quietly and do nothing when she ran away? You don¡¯t need to thank me because it was my duty toward her,¡± Qiu Mu said and smiled at him.


    ¡°I apologize for what my father and brother did. Also, I request His Highness to let me see my elder brother. I have something to say to him,¡± Kang Horan requested.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± Qiu Mu stood up from the chair. Kang Horan also rose to his feet and left with Qiu Mu to the prison.


    Qiu Mu asked the soldier to open the lock of the cell in which Kang Huijuan was kept. As soon as it opened, Qiu Mu asked Kang Horan to go in.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness,¡± Kang Horan said with a slight bow before stepping into the cell.


    His eyesnded on his elder brother as the door closed behind him.


    Kang Huijuan was seated on the floor in one corner and his eyes closed. ¡°Is it you, L¨®ng Wei?¡± Kang Huijuan opened his eyes. He was shocked to see his younger brother in front of him.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Kang Huijuan asked and averted his gaze from him.


    ¡°Why did Elder Brother do it? Everything was going well,¡± Kang Horan questioned him with a furious tone.


    Kang Huijuan had nothing to say to him and he stayed quiet.


    ¡°Answer me, Brother!¡± Kang Horan raised his voice at him.


    ¡°I have no answer,¡± Kang Huijuan replied.


    Kang Horan clenched his fists. ¡°Sister Cha Ying will get married tomorrow. Do you have any message for her?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Ask her to forgive me for breaking my promise to her,¡± Kang Huijuan asserted.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to be in the academy?¡± Kang Huijuan asked him.


    ¡°I finished my studies early toe home. I have to take care of many things,¡± Kang Horan answered.


    ¡°You have always been good at studies. How is mother doing?¡± Kang Huijuan asked her.


    ¡°She pretends to smile, but internally she is not,¡± Kang Horan replied. ¡°Won¡¯t you ask about your wife?¡± He arched his eyebrow.


    Kang Huijuan sighed. ¡°How is she?¡± He finally asked.


    ¡°She is approaching her ninth month. Soon, your child will be born,¡± Kang Horan answered.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Kang Horan found his brother had no affection at all toward his wife.


    He lowered his gaze to the floor and asked him, ¡°Why didn¡¯t Brother Huijuan listen to Prince L¨®ng Wei when he forwarded his help to him? Why did Brother Huijuan destroy his family? Soon, his child will take birth. How do you expect to meet your child¡¯s gaze? I never imagined my elder brother would turn into a person whom people would despise.¡±


    Kang Horan¡¯s questions made Kang Huijuan embarrassed. He felt guilt and realized how foolish he was. L¨®ng Wei gave him chances but his ego didn¡¯t let him kneel down and apologize to L¨®ng Wei.


    Kang Horan, upon getting no answer, decided to leave. He turned around when he heard his elder brother speak, ¡°I want to see L¨®ng Wei. Ask him to see me once.¡±


    Kang Horan frowned at him. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I have to say something to him,¡± Kang Huijuan said. ¡°Also, tell my wife not to tell my child ever about me. I won¡¯t be able to get out of this prison and I don¡¯t want my child to know his father is in the prison,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Brother Huijuan destroyed many lives,¡± Kang Horan said and walked out of the prison. The soldier locked the door while he left with Qiu Mu.


    ¡°Your Highness, where is Prince L¨®ng Wei?¡± Kang Horan asked.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t in the pce,¡± Qiu Mu replied.


    ¡°When will he return?¡± Kang Horan queried.


    ¡°I have no idea. Prince L¨®ng Wei has gone on a long journey with his wife, father, and a friend,¡± Qiu Mu replied. ¡°Kang Huijuan hurt Prince L¨®ng Wei a lot of times. I don¡¯t think L¨®ng Wei will see him ever,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°I will talk to Prince L¨®ng Wei when he returns,¡± Kang Horan stated.


    ¡°I am surprised to see another good person from the Kang Family. Kang Horan, you are an incredible person,¡± Qiu Mu said and patted his back. ¡°Ask me anything and I will give you,¡± he said.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness, for the praiseworthy words. I want nothing except the fact that my sister should remain happy after her marriage,¡± Kang Horan stated.


    ¡°I will always keep her happy. I won¡¯t give you any chance toin,¡± Qiu Mu affirmed.


    Kang Horan thanked the Second Prince and after a while, he left the pce.

 Chapter 621 - 621 To give you another kiss

    621 To give you another kiss


    ¡°These are the betrothal gifts for Miss Lin Jiao. Mother is happy with my decision and could not wait to send all these gifts,¡± Mingquan told Lin Wujian and Lin Yongyi.


    ¡°We are extremely happy to know the Fourth Prince¡¯s answer,¡± Lin Wujian said and looked at his daughter.


    ¡°I have already told Miss Lin that we will get married after Prince L¨®ng Wei returns to the capital,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Highness, but when will Prince L¨®ng Wei return?¡± Lin Yongyi asked.


    ¡°Probably after a month,¡± Mingquan replied.


    ¡°So, my sister is here for a month only,¡± Lin Yongyi said and looked at Lin Jiao, who twitched her lips.


    ¡°Should I not marry then? My brother doesn¡¯t need to miss me then,¡± Lin Jiao opined.


    ¡°How could you say that, Lin Jiao?¡± Lin Wujian scolded her and asked Mingquan not to mind her words. ¡°She still hasn¡¯t grown up,¡± he murmured.


    ¡°Then, why is Father marrying me off? He knows well that I am still a kid,¡± Lin Jiao argued with her father in front of Mingquan.


    .....


    Lin Wujian got tongue-tied and looked at Mingquan, wondering what he would be thinking. Xiwan and Chang Shi looked at each other before smiling.


    ¡°Miss Lin is a grown-up woman... She is a twenty-two-year-old woman,¡± Mingquan pronounced and she gazed at him.


    ¡°I am a kid for my father and brother,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, don¡¯t talk this way with the Fourth Prince,¡± Lin Wujian again reprimanded her and gritted his teeth.


    ¡°Not for me,¡± Mingquan stated.


    Everyone looked in his direction.


    ¡°Miss Lin is not a kid for me. I see her as a woman. That is why I decided to say yes to this marriage,¡± Mingquan stated.


    Lin Jiao stopped blinking to hear him and continued to stare into his eyes. She could feel the heat on her cheeks and her heart it was hammering against her chest. It was the same feeling that she got when he teased andter kissed her.


    ¡°I am not feeling well,¡± Lin Jiao said. ¡°I will take my leave first.¡± She didn¡¯t listen to what her father had to say and left the room.


    ¡°This girl!¡± Lin Wujian gritted his teeth and looked at Mingquan, ¡°Kindly forgive my daughter for her this kind of behavior. In this one month, I will make her learn etiquette.¡±


    ¡°The state minister didn¡¯t have to do that. Miss Lin¡¯s originality is her uniqueness,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°May I see Miss Lin in her room?¡± Mingquan asked for his permission.


    ¡°Of course. His Highness does not need to ask for it,¡± Lin Wujian stated.


    Mingquan thanked him and went to see Lin Jiao.


    ~~~~~


    Lin Jiao picked up the water ss which was full of water. She drank it and plonked the ss on the table.


    ¡°How could he say that in front of my father and brother?¡± Lin Jiao murmured.


    ¡°But I said nothing wrong. You are indeed a woman,¡± Mingquan pronounced, and she jumped out in fear.


    ¡°What is the Fourth Prince doing here?¡± Lin Jiao questioned him and saw him closing the door.


    ¡°Did you find the answer?¡± Mingquan asked and approached her.


    ¡°What answer?¡± Lin Jiao pretended not to know anything and crossed her arms across her chest.


    ¡°You surprisingly look prettier today,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°Eh... Why are your cheeks red? Did you blush when I said those words?¡± He inquired her and touched her cheek with the pad of his finger.


    She took a step back. ¡°I came running here that¡¯s why they are red,¡± Lin Jiao answered.


    ¡°Who taught you to lie? Don¡¯t you know liars are punished?¡± Mingquan questioned her and took another step toward her.


    ¡°I di-didn¡¯t lie,¡± Lin Jiao stuttered.


    Mingquan took her by the surprise by wrapping his arm around her waist and he pulled her to his chest. She widened her eyes and grabbed his forearms.


    ¡°Leave me, Prince Mingquan. You cannot¨C¡±


    ¡°Shhh!¡± Mingquan pressed his finger on her lips. ¡°I am thinking to give you another kiss so that you wille to a decision faster and confess that you love me,¡± he whispered in her ear.


    She lowered his finger and said, ¡°I already told His Highness. It is tough to sway my heart.¡± She averted her gaze away from him. ¡°The Fourth Prince should stop going after me,¡± she affirmed.


    Mingquan gripped her chin and made her look at him. ¡°You should not lie to me. I see through the people. You can ask anyone in the capital about me. I know those things which others don¡¯t,¡± he pronounced.


    Lin Jiao bit her lower lip. ¡°Did His Highness punish Bai Jue?¡± She inquired.


    ¡°I did. He is asked to do hardbor for a month,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Such a light punishment! Tsk,¡± Lin Jiao remarked and twitched her lips.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a light punishment. A nobleman who never worked inrge fields and other low-paying jobs finds such work tough,¡± Mingquan proimed.


    ¡°Oh. His Highness can let me go now,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°I can feel your heartbeats. They are rapid. I caught your lie,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°What?¡± She tried to move away but he didn¡¯t let her go. His hand moved from her chin to the back of her head as he made her stand still.


    ¡°What are you afraid of? Why don¡¯t you share it with me? You won¡¯t find a person like me in the entire kingdom,¡± Mingquan stated.


    ¡°I am not ready to leave such a life. Also, my father will miss me. I am his treasure,¡± Lin Jiao said and pouted her lips.


    ¡°You cane daily here,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°But the pce is a different ce. His Highness isn¡¯t understanding me,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°I do understand you. It¡¯s tough to leave your home where you spent your childhood, teenage days, and even adulthood,¡± Mingquan asserted.


    ¡°Your Highness, give me time. I will surely answer you soon,¡± Lin Jiao said and gazed into his eyes.


    ¡°Sure. I will wait for your answer,¡± Mingquan stated with a smile.

 Chapter 622 - 622 I like you, Xiwan [Bonus chapter]

    622 I like you, Xiwan [Bonus chapter]


    After Mingquan left with Xiwan and Chang Shi, Ye Xin rushed to see Lin Jiao and hugged her tightly, thus taking her by a surprise.


    ¡°I found out who is the one whom I like,¡± Ye Xin said as she pulled away from Lin Jiao.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Lin Jiao asked.


    ¡°Xiwan,¡± Ye Xin replied and jumped in happiness.


    ¡°Now, tell me what the Fourth Prince tell you in alone?¡± Ye Xin asked while smirking.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Lin Jiao answered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hide it from me,¡± Ye Xin hit her arm from her elbow. ¡°I know His Highness must have said something sweet to you. Also, you weren¡¯t supposed to leave the guest room. His Highness expressed his love for you in front of everyone,¡± she stated and kept smiling.


    ¡°The Fourth Prince wants the answer from me,¡± Lin Jiao said. ¡°He will wait what I think of me,¡± she murmured and turned to sit on the bed.


    She looked at the long sleeves of her dress and told Ye Xin she was scared.


    .....


    ¡°Scared of what?¡± Ye Xin questioned.


    ¡°Marriage,¡± Lin Jiao answered. Ye Xin walked to her and sat next to her.


    ¡°Why are you scared of marriage?¡± Ye Xin asked.


    ¡°It is difficult for me to exin,¡± Lin Jiao replied.


    ¡°But the Fourth Prince is so lovely. Don¡¯t you think His Highness is too devoted to you?¡± Ye Xin muttered.


    ¡°I know. My heart flutters when he is around me,¡± Lin Jiao asserted.


    ¡°Then, what is the problem? You could not stop yourself from falling in love with him. Someday you have to marry. If you reject the Fourth Prince, you may not find a man like him. Don¡¯t you think you are too rigid? You are no longer a five-year-old kid,¡± Ye Xin remarked.


    Lin Jiao could not speak what was the thing which scared her the most?


    ¡°I have enough time to think about it. Let¡¯s go to see Xiwan. Did you try to talk to him?¡± Lin Jiao quickly switched the topic of their conversation.


    ¡°How am I supposed to talk to Xiwan in front of so many people?¡± Ye Xin chuckled. ¡°I have yet to find out where he lives. The Fourth Prince didn¡¯t give information on that and I could not ask about it in front of anyone,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°Prince Mingquan told me before leaving for the pce that Xiwan is looking for a suitable match for himself through a matchmaking agency,¡± Lin Jiao suddenly recalled about it.


    ¡°Why are you telling me this now?¡± Ye Xin panicked. ¡°Did he find any match?¡± She quickly asked.


    ¡°No. He didn¡¯t. He will go today to the matchmaking agency again,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°I need to go there and stop him. If he find a match, then it will be difficult for me to get close to him,¡± Ye Xin stated.


    ¡°We won¡¯t let it happen. Let¡¯s go,¡± Lin Jiao said, and stood up from the bed. ¡°I need to change into better clothes first,¡± she affirmed and asked Ye Xin to wait for her. She went to the dressing room and changed into the casual outfit that she usually wore.


    As she came out of the room with her friend, she encountered Lin Yongyi.


    ¡°Where are you going? Also, what kind of attitude have you carried there?¡± Yongyi started scolding her.


    ¡°Brother Yongyi, there is no need to scold Lin Jiao. She is stressed because she will get married in a month,¡± Ye Xin protected Lin Jiao from getting more scolding.


    ¡°Yongyi, let her enjoy. Don¡¯t say anything to her,¡± Lin Wujian stated and it made Yongyi stop.


    ¡°Where are you two going?¡± Wujian asked them.


    ¡°To stroll around the market,¡± Lin Jiao replied. ¡°Thank you, Father,¡± she said and looked at Ye Xin. They both left the residence.


    Yongyi gazed at his father and asked him why he suddenly turned lenient on Lin Jiao.


    ¡°She will leave this house soon,¡± Lin Wujian answered. ¡°Let her do whatever she wants to do before her marriage. Prince Mingquan also wants the same,¡± he affirmed.


    Yongyi hummed and saw the sadness in his father¡¯s eyes. ¡°We will miss her,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°Yes. This house will not be the same once she gets married,¡± Wujian¡¯s eyes filled with tears.


    Outside the Lin Residence, Lin Jiao and Ye Xin first discussed which matchmaking agency they should go to.


    ¡°There are nearly ten such agencies. Why didn¡¯t you ask the Fourth Prince in which agency Xiwan went?¡± Ye Xin pouted her lips and began fiddling with her fingers.


    ¡°I did ask. What do you think of me?¡± Lin Jiao mumbled. ¡°Xiwan has gone to the most famous matchmaking agency ¨C The Heavenly Matchmakers,¡± she affirmed.


    ¡°Ahh. I have heard about them. My eldest brother met his wife through that agency only. Let¡¯s quickly rush there. I cannot let Xiwan be someone else¡¯s,¡± Ye Xin pronounced.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Xiwan will only be yours,¡± Lin Jiao said with a smile and they left to meet the agency owner.


    As they reached there, they found a crowd of people present in the courtyard.


    ¡°What are they all doing here?¡± Ye Xin murmured.


    ¡°Finding pairs,¡± Lin Jiao said. ¡°We need to see the agency manager first.¡±


    She stopped a man walking with a few envelopes in his hand.


    ¡°Brother, could you tell us where is the manager of this agency?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Ahh, he has gone outside for important work,¡± the man said and walked away.


    Lin Jiao looked at Ye Xin, who looked troubled.


    ¡°What are Miss Lin and Miss Ye doing here?¡± They heard a familiar voice and turned to look.


    ¡°Xiwan!¡± Ye Xin excitedly said.


    ¡°You can call us by our names,¡± Lin Jiao asserted.


    ¡°Ahh, we are here to...¡± Lin Jiao paused, trying to think what she should say.


    ¡°We are here to see you,¡± Ye Xin stated. Lin Jiao widened her eyes and looked at her friend with an amused smile.


    ¡°Me?¡± Xiwan was astonished to hear Ye Xin¡¯s answer.


    ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t find any match for yourself. I like you, Xiwan and I think we will be a great match,¡± Ye Xin pronounced with a firm tone.


    Both Lin Jiao and Xiwan were shocked to hear the confession of Ye Xin.

 Chapter 623 - 623 A good listener

    623 A good listener


    Lin Jiao smiled upon hearing the confession of Ye Xin and wondered if she should leave the two alone. She quietly took backward steps and soon left their sights.


    ¡°Xiwan, you don¡¯t need to find any match for yourself. I-I like you,¡± Ye Xin said while fidgeting with her fingers.


    Xiwan was still in shock and didn¡¯t know how to respond to her.


    ¡°Did I make you feel ufortable? You can take your time and think about it. I will wait for your answer,¡± Ye Xin asserted.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Xiwan couldn¡¯t give her any answer. In fact, he had no answer. It was his first time when a woman confessed her feelings for him.


    ¡°Then, I should leave. I will see youter,¡± Ye Xin said as she slightly raised her hand to wave at him.


    She turned her right and found Lin Jiao wasn¡¯t there. Ye Xin looked around but didn¡¯t find her. ¡°Where did she leave?¡± Ye Xin murmured.


    ¡°Should we search for Miss Lin?¡± Xiwan asked her as he found a panicked look on Ye Xin¡¯s face.


    ¡°It is fine. She must be around. Please don¡¯t be disturbed because of¨C¡±


    .....


    She could not finish her sentence as Xiwan interrupted her, ¡°I won¡¯t be disturbed. Soon, Miss Lin will be the wife of the Fourth Prince, who is my close friend. I should not neglect this and help you in searching for her.¡± Xiwan had heard from Mingquan that Lin Jiao was a troublemaker and more enthusiastic in everything than others.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Ye Xin agreed to her and they looked for Lin Jiao.


    When after searching for more than fifteen minutes, they didn¡¯t find Lin Jiao, Ye Xin told Xiwan that they must stop.


    ¡°Why?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Because she isn¡¯t here,¡± Ye Xin stated. She realized that Lin Jiao wanted to give her alone time with Xiwan, and that¡¯s why she disappeared.


    ¡°Then, where did Miss Lin leave?¡± Xiwan muttered.


    ¡°She must be at her favorite restaurant, eating dumplings,¡± Ye Xin replied.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Xiwan smiled a little and Ye Xin found it cuter. She smiled along with him and asked him if he would like to eat those dumplings.


    Xiwan was a little startled when Ye Xin said, ¡°If only you are free. The Fourth Prince has told me that you are usually busy with work.¡±


    ¡°I am free. I am not into work these days. I walk, eat, and sleep these days,¡± Xiwan stated.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Let¡¯s go then,¡± Ye Xin said as a smile carved on her lips.


    ~~~~~~~


    Mingquan was writing something on the paper when he heard the footsteps. He and his assistant raised their heads to look when found Lin Jiao in front of them.


    ¡°Is the Fourth Prince working?¡± Lin Jiao asked him and stood in front of his desk. She leaned forward and looked at the paper while Mingquan gestured to his assistant to leave them alone.


    ¡°Yes. I was,¡± Mingquan said and put the brush down. He sped his fingers and rested his hands on the table.


    ¡°You prepared the answer very early,¡± Mingquan said and asked her to take the seat.


    ¡°No. I am here to inform you of something else,¡± Lin Jiao said and passed him a wide smile.


    ¡°Inform me what?¡± Mingquan was curious to know.


    ¡°Ye Xin confessed her feelings to Xiwan. I left those two alone,¡± Lin Jiao said and started giggling before taking a seat.


    ¡°Your friend is good at taking decisions,¡± Mingquan remarked.


    ¡°Yes. Prince Mingquan, what do you think will happen? Will Xiwan say yes to Ye Xin?¡± Lin Jiao asked him and leaned forward on the desk.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want my friend to get rejected. She is a very nice person. Let¡¯s help them bring them closer,¡± Lin Jiao suggested to him.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, Xiwan is looking for a match for himself. I think he will not reject your friend. You do not have to worry,¡± Mingquan stated. Those words came as an assurance and she felt relieved. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be like your friend? Quick in taking such decisions,¡± He muttered.


    ¡°But a decision should be taken after careful contemtion,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°You are finding excuses to push me away and bury your feelings deep inside yourself,¡± Mingquan affirmed.


    ¡°Your Highness, I am not pushing away my feelings,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°Are you scared of marriage?¡± Mingquan suddenly asked her which made her stop blinking for a few seconds before she lowered her gaze.


    ¡°Tell me. I am ready to listen to you. How will you find me trustworthy if you do not share things? I am good at keeping secrets. I am a good listener,¡± Mingquan pronounced. He waited for her to reply to him, but it was so difficult for him to make her speak.


    ¡°I will send someone with you to escort you home,¡± Mingquan said.


    Lin Jiao looked at him. ¡°Why is the Fourth Prince getting angry?¡± She murmured.


    ¡°I thought you wanted to leave for home,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go home on this bright day,¡± She stated.


    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you go to the pce with me?¡± Mingquan opined. ¡°My two elder brothers are getting married today. My mother will be happy to see you,¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡°Can I really go with the Fourth Prince?¡± She was interested to be a part of the royal marriage.


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I suggested that,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lin Jiao readily agreed to it. ¡°Why didn¡¯t His Highness tell me earlier? I am not in a good outfit. Now, I have to go home first to get changed into a better dress,¡± sheined.


    ¡°Get your dress changed in the pce,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Won¡¯t it be weird?¡± She asked him.


    ¡°No. Why will it be weird?¡± He questioned back. ¡°Two days ago I bought a dress for you. I wanted to present it to you. You can wear that dress,¡± Mingquan suggested to her.


    Lin Jiao nodded at him. ¡°It will be fun to be a part of the royal marriage,¡± she excitedly said.

 Chapter 624 - 624 I will be the last one [Bonus chapter]

    624 I will be thest one [Bonus chapter]


    Xiwan entered the restaurant and found Lin Jao wasn¡¯t present there. ¡°Miss Lin isn¡¯t here,¡± Xiwan said and looked at Ye Xin.


    ¡°Ahh, she must have gone home,¡± Ye Xin said. ¡°Should we eat? I will order two servings for us.¡± Xiwan couldn¡¯t refuse it and sat with her around the circr table.


    Ye Xin quickly gave the order and looked at Xiwan. ¡°This is my first time here,¡± Xiwan said.


    ¡°Really? I thought you knew the capital better than me,¡± Ye Xin stated.


    ¡°I do, but not such ces,¡± Xiwan said and thanked the boy who ced two water sses on the table. He drank the water and gently put it down.


    ¡°Why does Miss Ye Xin like me? We didn¡¯t even have any conversation before,¡± Xiwan asked out of curiosity.


    ¡°It is tough to exin. The day you escort me home, I ended up falling...¡± She paused and bit her tongue, ¡°... I mean my inner voice said to me that I should not let this person go and I did not take time to confess.¡± Ye Xin tried to give him a suitable exnation.


    Xiwan hummed when the server brought their order: Two bowls of noodles with dumplings.


    They both began eating and silence surrounded them. Ye Xin wanted to speak more with him, but she wondered if he would find her ill-mannered for speaking too much.


    .....


    ¡°The noodles and dumplings here are really delicious,¡± Xiwan said with a smile. ¡°Thank you for bringing me here,¡± he stated.


    ¡°I¡¯m d Xiwan joined me,¡± Ye Xin stated and told him he could say her name without being formal.


    They continued eating with a limited conversation between them. After they finished, Ye Xin opened the pouch to pay at the counter.


    ¡°I will do that,¡± Xiwan said as he had taken out the five taels when Ye Xin told him not to do that.


    She grabbed his arm and said, ¡°I brought you here. I should pay. This is the first time you ate here.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Xiwan arched his eyebrow. He turned his head to look at the owner and handed him the coins. ¡°The noodles and dumplings were very delicious,¡± he said.


    The owner thanked him and asked him toe again.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Xiwan said and gazed at Ye Xin. They both left the restaurant. Ye Xin had so many things to say to him, but he was silent. He wasn¡¯t beginning the conversation at all.


    They were headed to the route which would lead Ye Xin to her house.


    ¡°I can go by myself,¡± Ye Xin said.


    ¡°May I know how you find out about me? Did you ask Prince Mingquan about me?¡± Xiwan inquired her.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ye Xin replied.


    ¡°Yes. Did Prince Mingquan tell you what I do?¡± Xiwan asked.


    ¡°Spying,¡± Ye Xin replied.


    ¡°Nothing more?¡± Xiwan asked.


    Ye Xin shook her head.


    ¡°I am a highly trained spy and I have killed many all this time,¡± Xiwan stated.


    ¡°Spies are supposed to do that,¡± Ye Xin asserted.


    ¡°You are right. But I thought you would not like my profession. I will keep doing it for a long time,¡± Xiwan stated.


    ¡°Why would I not like it? You catch those who are a danger to the kingdom. When the Fourth Prince told me that you are a spy, I was surprised. I have never met a spy before and it will make me proud if we get together,¡± she affirmed.


    ¡°Ye Xin, I have not found any suitable match for myself yet. I want to get married soon and have my own family,¡± Xiwan pronounced.


    ¡°Marry soon?¡± Ye Xin mumbled.


    ¡°Yes. I have no one,¡± Xiwan said.


    ¡°What about your family?¡± Ye Xin queried.


    ¡°Everyone died when I was a kid. My father was loyal to the former King, the father of Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xiwan asserted.


    ¡°Ahh. I am sorry that you¡¯ve had to undergo all this,¡± Ye Xin said. ¡°It must have been tough to live all alone by yourself. How did you live then? Forgive me, if I am crossing my boundaries,¡± she stated.


    ¡°I am happy that you are curious to know about me. In the matchmaking agency, I met three women, but no one was interested to know what I was in the past. So, please do not apologize,¡± Xiwan said with a smile.


    ¡°I am very much interested to know more about you,¡± Ye Xin said.


    ¡°I feel overwhelmed,¡± Xiwan asserted.


    ¡°How did you grow up when no one was around you?¡± Ye Xin asked the same question which she asked earlier.


    ¡°Monk Yuze was my master. He took care of me,¡± Xiwan replied. ¡°Then, I entered the pce as the cook,¡± he added.


    ¡°Oh. I am ready to marry you. When do we have to do that? I will tell my family and introduce you to them,¡± Ye Xin excitedly said.


    ¡°That was sudden,¡± Xiwan ended up smiling.


    Ye Xin scratched the back of her head. ¡°Am I rushing things?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Umm... Let¡¯s meet more frequently before taking the decision to marry. Maybe you will not like me after knowing me more. Indeed, I want to marry before the next month¡¯s end, but at the same time, I want the person to know me better and the same goes for me,¡± Xiwan exined to her.


    ¡°I understand. I will meet you every day,¡± Ye Xin said with a wide smile. ¡°Let¡¯s spend more time together to know each other. I will try my best to win your heart,¡± she confidently said.


    In her mind, she already had taken him as her husband. She knew a lot of noblemen in the capital, but none swayed her heart. Xiwan was different. He was a very calm and thoughtful person. Moreover, he was strong, and perfect in martial arts. Those qualities she always wanted in her future husband, but mostly the single noblemen of her age around her were officials.


    ¡°Xiwan, can I hold your hand?¡± Ye Xin requested.


    ¡°Yes. Can I?¡± She halted in her steps while Xiwan stopped a step ahead of her. He gazed at her and lifted his hand slowly.


    Ye Xin ced her hand above his and said, ¡°I am the first one to grab this hand and I will be thest one to leave this hand. Xiwan, thank you foring into my life.¡±

 Chapter 625 - 625 That’s why you love him

    625 That¡¯s why you love him


    Lin Jiao was surprised to find so many servants, each of them was allowed to do specific work only.


    ¡°Miss Lin, here is the dress the Fourth Prince has sent,¡± the servant told Lin Jiao, who took the dress from her. She checked it and found the Hanfu dress was beautiful.


    The peach-colored Hanfu with red flowers was imprinted on it embellished her beauty. Two long braids hung down from the temples of her forehead. She was dressed like a princess. Lin Jiao for the first time found herself pretty in that dress.


    ¡°Where is the Fourth Prince?¡± Lin Jiao asked. ¡°I want to see His Highness,¡± she said.


    ¡°Follow me this way, Miss Lin,¡± the maidservant said. They both halted outside the chamber of the Fourth Prince.


    There were no servants outside, so they could not ask for permission to go in. ¡°I will check if the Fourth Prince is inside. Please wait here, Miss Lin,¡± the maidservant said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can go inside. If the Fourth Prince will not be inside, I will stay there and wait for him,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    The maidservant didn¡¯t stop her from going in since Lin Jiao was the betrothed to Prince Mingquan and she let her walk in.


    Lin Jiao stopped near the floor seating arrangement and put her hands behind her back. ¡°Where did the Fourth Prince go?¡± She murmured and took a step back. She bumped into Mingquan and immediately turned to look at him.


    .....


    Lin Jiao¡¯s eyes widened to see his bare chest and she raised her head to meet his gaze. Mingquan stared into her eyes with an amused look.


    ¡°Will you leave your hands from my chest?¡± Mingquan requested her and she withdrew her hands. He smiled to see her gestures. She had lowered her head in shyness.


    ¡°This dress is made for you,¡± Mingquan said as he tied the knots on his inner robe. ¡°I knew you would look pretty after aplete dress-up,¡± he stated and smiled at her.


    ¡°His Highness should get ready. I will wait for him outside,¡± Lin Jiao said when Mingquan grasped her wrist and pulled her back. His calloused fingers rested under her chin and he lifted it.


    ¡°Stay here. I will dress up quickly,¡± Mingquan said. His hand slowly moved down and he took a step back before leaving her hand.


    ¡°Are the servants not helping His Highness?¡± Lin Jiao asked him.


    ¡°Why? Do you want to help me in dressing up?¡± Mingquan questioned her.


    ¡°No!¡± Lin Jiao refused and shook her head.


    ¡°They are in the dressing chamber. I saw you through that window,¡± Mingquan said and pointed his finger to their left. ¡°I will be back soon,¡± he said and walked away.


    Lin Jiao stood there while waiting for him to get ready. Though there was a curtain on the window, she could see Mingquan¡¯s face. Her heart skipped a beat and she brought her hand to her chest to feel the beat.


    ¡°The Fourth Prince is a nice person,¡± Lin Jiao murmured and realized that she admitted it finally to herself.


    ~~~~~~~


    Ye Xin strolled outside her house, waiting for Xiwan. The guards asked her to go in, but Ye Xin didn¡¯t listen to them.


    ¡°He told me he woulde to take me in the evening,¡± Ye Xin murmured and stomped her foot on the ground.


    As the evening fell, her father and brother returned home.


    ¡°What are you doing outside?¡± Her father, Ye Wan Li asked her.


    ¡°Nothing. I was waiting for my Father and Brother,¡± Ye Xin said. Ye Wan Li didn¡¯t pay much heed to it and walked in while her brother locked his arm around her neck.


    ¡°Ahh! Stop, Brother Ling,¡± Ye Xin tapped on his arm.


    ¡°First tell your brother whom are you waiting for outside?¡± Ye Ling asked her as he loosened his grip around her neck.


    ¡°No one,¡± Ye Xin lied to him. She didn¡¯t want to tell him about Xiwan yet.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you,¡± Ye Ling said and lowered his arms. ¡°I will tell Father to keep an eye on you then,¡± he tried to threaten his sister.


    ¡°Brother Ling, why are you annoying me? Aren¡¯t you tired from work?¡± Ye Xin asked him and started to walk toward the stairs of her house. Ye Ling went after her and they entered the entrance of the residence.


    ¡°Tell me what are you up to these days?¡± Ye Ling asked him again.


    ¡°Brother Ling, nothing is going on,¡± Ye Xin replied.


    ¡°Lin Jiao will get married by next month. You will be alone then. Shouldn¡¯t you agree with Father about getting married? Some nice proposals Father is getting these days for you. He is yet to tell you about them,¡± Ye Ling informed his sister.


    ¡°Brother Ling, why are you telling me about this now?¡± Ye Xin asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know I was outside the capital for a few days? I returned yesterday only,¡± Ye Ling muttered.


    ¡°Brother Ling, I have someone whom I love. I will marry him only. Please help me when I talk about it with my father,¡± Ye Xin couldn¡¯t hide it from her brother and ended up telling him.


    ¡°Who is the man? When did it happen? You turned out to be clever,¡± Ye Ling said.


    ¡°I will bring my man soon home to introduce to Father. Please help me that time, Brother Ling,¡± Ye Xin stated.


    ¡°First tell me who is the man who won the heart of my sister,¡± Ye Ling asserted.


    ¡°Does Brother Ling know Xiwan?¡± Ye Xin asked him.


    ¡°Xiwan? Who?¡± Ye Ling questioned her. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are not seeing a man from the noble ss,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Brother Ling!¡± Ye Xin got annoyed. ¡°He is a close friend of Prince Mingquan. I will tell more thingster to you when I bring Xiwan home. Please don¡¯t tell anyone about this,¡± she stated.


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone,¡± Ye Ling said and patted her head. ¡°Thank you for being truthful to your brother. I suppose the man is nice that¡¯s why you love him,¡± he said and smiled at her.

 Chapter 626 - 626 Xiwan is sick

    626 Xiwan is sick


    ¡°So, did you two talk well? Xiwan isn¡¯t seeing anyone, right?¡± Lin Jiao asked and picked up the porcin cup to taste the rice wine.


    ¡°He met three young women, but all three were not interested to know about him. He has agreed to see me. He told me many things, Lin Jiao. I felt so bad to hear him,¡± Ye Xin asserted and sipped the wine.


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Lin Jiao was curious to know and put the cup down.


    Ye Xin looked around and moved close to Lin Jiao¡¯s ear to whisper in her ear. Lin Jiao was shocked to learn about Xiwan¡¯s past.


    ¡°I always missed my mother. I never knew there are people who had no one around them. The former King was a dangerous man,¡± Lin Jiao remarked and recalled what Mingquan had told her. He knew what happened with L¨®ng Wei, but he kept it a secret. Mingquan was truly a good secret keeper.


    ¡°Xiwan is loyal to Prince L¨®ng Wei and a dear friend to him. I told Xiwan that Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s name scare me. You know the reason,¡± Ye Xin stated. ¡°I hope Xiwan didn¡¯t take it to his heart,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°I said the same to Prince Mingquan,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°Then?¡± Ye Xin tilted her head to hear Lin Jiao¡¯s response.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life wasn¡¯t good. Father and Brother didn¡¯t even discuss with me about all this. We didn¡¯t have to be scared of him,¡± Lin Jiao asserted.


    .....


    ¡°I have heard about it. Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s mother was captive and she was forced to hate her son. Later, she asked Prince L¨®ng Wei to kill her upon the King¡¯s order. Just talking about it gives me shivers,¡± Ye Xin affirmed.


    Lin Jiao picked up the cup and sipped the wine. ¡°I also get shivers to hear about it,¡± she stated. ¡°When will you meet Xiwan?¡± Lin Jiao asked her.


    ¡°Xiwan told me that he would see me the previous evening, but he didn¡¯te. I think he didn¡¯t like my personality. I was the only one talking while he was quiet most of the time,¡± ye Xin said and sighed.


    ¡°Probably he was busy somewhere. You know his work,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°I know, but I waited for him for a long time outside my house,¡± Ye Xin asserted.


    ¡°Should I ask Prince Mingquan?¡± Lin Jiao asked her.


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t disturb the Fourth Prince like this. Moreover, Xiwan may not like to see me impatient,¡± Ye Xin stated. ¡°My brother knows about him already. Last night I told him. He assured me that he would help me when I bring about my marriage with Xiwan in front of my father and mother,¡± she exined to Lin Jiao.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. I hope you two get married soon,¡± Lin Jiao said with a bright smile.


    Ye Xin finished the rice wine from the cup in her hand. ¡°I do not know. Xiwan has not answered me yet. I am ready to be his family and start a family with him, but I do not know where he is. If he was busy, he could have informed me once. I was restless the entire night. I have gone crazy, I think,¡± Ye Xin mumbled and filled the cup again.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I should ask Prince Mingquan about it. Let¡¯s go,¡± Lin Jiao said and grabbed her arm. They both stood up and Lin Jiao paid for them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is a good idea. What if Xiwan doesn¡¯t like it? I don¡¯t want him to be upset at me,¡± Ye Xin was a bit hesitant to find Xiwan¡¯s whereabouts from Mingquan.


    ¡°Ayee. Don¡¯t think too much. You love Xiwan and you are worried for him. I will ask Prince Mingquan not to tell about it to Xiwan. Don¡¯t worry. Xiwan is a nice man,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, wait!¡± Ye Xin said and halted. Lin Jiao also stopped and gazed at her with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°We drank rice wine earlier. Prince Mingquan may not like our behavior,¡± Ye Xin stated.


    ¡°He won¡¯t say anything. Why are you worried about everything now?¡± Lin Jiao got irked.


    ¡°Two youngdies drinking on a bright day. What do you think men will think of us?¡± Ye Xin questioned her.


    ¡°That we are as great as men!¡± Lin Jiao said and put her arm around her shoulder. ¡°Do not think too much. Let¡¯s go,¡± she said and took Ye Xin with her.


    They soon reached Mingquan¡¯s office and this time no one stopped them. Lin Jiao peeked inside the office before stepping in and gesturing to Ye Xin to follow her.


    They both stopped to see Lin Jiao¡¯s father present in the office. Lin Jiao widened her eyes and ran out of there with Ye Xin.


    Mingquan heard the footsteps and looked toward the door, but no one was there.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Ye Xin asked while panting. Lin Jiao had made them run until they reached an open ground where no one could be seen.


    ¡°I saw my father,¡± Lin Jiao replied. ¡°If he had found me drinking rice wine on a bright day, he would have again locked me inside the residence,¡± she caught her breath and fanned herself with her hand.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back then,¡± Ye Xin opined.


    ¡°No. Let¡¯s wait here for a few minutes before we go back,¡± Lin Jiao asserted.


    They both stayed for ten minutes on the ground before going back to see Mingquan. This time, Lin Wujian wasn¡¯t there and it relieved Lin Jiao, but Mingquan wasn¡¯t either present there.


    ¡°What is Miss Lin doing here?¡± They heard a familiar voice and turned to look.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi,¡± Lin Jiao pronounced his name, who was carrying a scroll in his hand.


    ¡°Where is Prince Mingquan?¡± Lin Jiao asked him.


    ¡°He has gone out for some work,¡± Huang Xi replied.


    ¡°What? When did the Fourth Prince leave?¡± Lin Jiao questioned.


    ¡°Five minutes ago,¡± Huang Xi answered and ced the scroll on the table. ¡°Is there anything I can do for Miss Lin?¡± He politely asked.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi, we wanted to know about Xiwan¡¯s whereabouts. So, we came here,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°Xiwan!? Why?¡± Huang Xi asked.


    ¡°Does Commander Huang Xi know Xiwan?¡± Ye Xin asked him.


    ¡°Of course. Xiwan is my friend,¡± Huang Xi replied.


    Both Lin Jiao and Ye Xin smiled as Huang Xi could help them.


    ¡°What happened? Why is Miss Lin looking for Xiwan?¡± Huang Xi was inquisitive to know.


    ¡°Umm... If Commander Huang Xi knows then can he tell us about Xiwan?¡± Lin Jiao didn¡¯t answer him, instead asked another question.


    ¡°Xiwan is sick since thest day. He is resting at his house,¡± Huang Xi replied.


    ¡°Xiwan is sick!¡± Ye Xin got worried. ¡°I want to see him. Could you please take me there?¡± She requested.


    Huang Xi was startled to hear that request.


    ¡°Please, help my friend. Xiwan and Ye Xin has started seeing each other,¡± Lin Jiao stated. Huang Xi readily agreed to help Ye Xin and told her to follow him. Lin Jiao stayed behind as she felt her head dizzy and told Ye Xin to do her best to win Xiwan¡¯s heartpletely.

 Chapter 627 - 627 Shall we get married tomorrow?

    627 Shall we get married tomorrow?


    Lin Jiao¡¯s head fell off the table and she sat straight. ¡°Ayee, my neck!¡± Lin Jiao caressed her neck when she heard Mingquan¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Finally, you are awake. How much did you drink?¡± Mingquan asked as he came in front of her from behind a bookshelf.


    ¡°How does His Highness know that I drank?¡± Lin Jiao asked.


    ¡°The strange alcoholic scent ising from you. Didn¡¯t I tell you not to drink in the daytime?¡± Mingquan¡¯s menacing expression intimidated her.


    ¡°Ahh, Ye Xin and I were sad. That¡¯s why we drank together. We didn¡¯t even finish one jar,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°Too much alcohol and wine are not good for your health. Your internal body parts may get affected,¡± Mingquan opined and he sat on the edge of the desk, in front of her.


    ¡°We drank after many days,¡± Lin Jiao said and pouted her lips.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, I don¡¯t want my wife to undergo health issues,¡± Mingquan said, ¡°after consuming wine frequently. Did you not notice how early people die who consume too much wine? A limited quantity is understandable,¡± He made her understand with a calm tone.


    ¡°I will keep this in mind,¡± Lin Jiao said when saw Mingquan¡¯s hand which he forwarded to her.


    .....


    ¡°Promise me.¡± He showed his little finger to her. Lin Jiao felt embarrassed and was slightly hesitant too.


    ¡°Are you not interested in marrying me?¡± Mingquan asked when Lin Jiao didn¡¯t go for a pinky promise.


    Lin Jiao remained silent and it annoyed him. ¡°You may leave,¡± Mingquan said.


    Lin Jiao realized she had infuriated him. She didn¡¯t apologize to him either and stood up. She turned to walk out when she heard Mingquan say, ¡°Don¡¯te to see me until you realize your fault. I won¡¯te to you either. I do not know why you took me so lightly. When I am devoted to the woman I like, I expect the same from her.¡±


    Lin Jiao tilted her head over her shoulder to gaze at him. She opened her mouth to speak.


    ¡°Don¡¯t either talk to me and leave,¡± Mingquan said. Lin Jiao felt upset and strode out of the office.


    Mingquan sighed, but he didn¡¯t regret saying those words to her. It was necessary for Lin Jiao to understand how badly she was ruining her life.


    ¡°Will she reallye back to me? Why doesn¡¯t she like me? I am not a bad person or maybe in her eyes my personality isn¡¯t attractive,¡± Mingquan murmured.


    ~~~~~~


    Ye Xin entered the room with Huang Xi, where Xiwan was resting.


    ¡°Master slept a few minutes ago,¡± the servant replied in a low voice.


    Huang Xi gazed at Ye Xin, wondering what she would say.


    ¡°Can I stay by his side? Also, what did the Physician say?¡± Ye Xin asked.


    ¡°Miss Ye Xin can stay by his side. Xiwan will only like it when he sees you,¡± Huang Xi asserted and looked at the servant, waiting for him to give the second question¡¯s answer.


    ¡°For now, the physician has asked the master to take rest. I have given him the medicine,¡± the servant replied.


    ¡°Did he have dinnerst night?¡± Ye Xin asked worriedly.


    ¡°Master did take soupst night and in the morning,¡± the servant said. Ye Xin nodded at him. Huang Xi took the servant out with him and closed the doors behind them.


    Ye Xin stepped forward and sat down on the mattress next to Xiwan. She looked at the water vessel and the cotton cloth beside it. Checking his body temperature, she realized that his fever still had not reduced. She gave him cold water strips for almost an hour before stopping.


    The water had turned hot and she put the cotton cloth on the bedside table. Ye Xin was a little tired and hungry too. She looked at Xiwan¡¯s hands and grabbed one of them.


    ¡°His hand is so rough,¡± Ye Xin murmured and gently caressed it. Xiwan had only a few people around him, but hardly anyone was there to properly take care of him. Ye Xin realized why he wanted to marry as soon as possible because he didn¡¯t want that aloof life anymore.


    ¡°I can marry you tomorrow if you want to. I will take good care of yours and will never leave you alone,¡± Ye Xin murmured while keeping her gaze low. She heard the door open and tilted her head to look. The servant hade to rece the water vessel with another one.


    ¡°Master still hasn¡¯t woken up,¡± the servant said and looked at Ye Xin.


    ¡°Yes. Did the physician tell at what time Xiwan will wake up from sleep?¡± Ye Xin asked him.


    ¡°Pardon me, Miss Ye, but I didn¡¯t ask about it,¡± the servant said and left the room. Ye Xin again shifted her gaze at Xiwan. She found the beads of sweat on the temples of his forehead. Ye Xin used her handkerchief to wipe that sweat and saw the movement in his eyes.


    She withdrew her hand from his temple and sat straight. ¡°Xiwan,¡± Ye Xin softly pronounced his name.


    Xiwan¡¯s brows furrowed before he gradually opened his eyes. He was a little bewildered to see Ye Xin in front of her. He closed his eyes for a second, thinking he was hallucinating, before opening them.


    ¡°Xiwan, are you alright? How are you feeling?¡± Ye Xin asked him.


    ¡°How did youe here?¡± Xiwan asked her while trying to sit. She grasped his arm and helped him sit on the bed.


    ¡°Commander Huang Xi brought me here. You are so sick. Why didn¡¯t you tell me about it?¡± The worriedness in her eyes made Xiwan¡¯s heart flutter.


    ¡°How could I tell you? Forgive me for not fulfilling my promise to you,¡± Xiwan said.


    Ye Xin hugged him and ced her hand on his back. He was startled by her sudden action. ¡°Xiwan, you should have sent someone to call me here. I was restless the entire night when you didn¡¯te to see me. Shall we get married tomorrow? Then, I didn¡¯t have to worry about you so much,¡± Ye Xin said and waited for his response.

 Chapter 628 - 628 Worse than Bai Jue [Bonus chapter]

    628 Worse than Bai Jue [Bonus chapter]


    Ye Xin withdrew from the hug and looked into Xiwan¡¯s eyes. ¡°What do you say? Should we get married tomorrow?¡± She asked him.


    Xiwan was flustered by her question. He was stunned by the straightforwardness of Ye Xin. Also, he fell for her because she was next to him when he didn¡¯t even expect her presence around him.


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Xiwan asked her.


    ¡°Why? I only need to inform my parents about us. My elder brother already knows about us,¡± Ye Xin stated and smiled at him.


    ¡°You already told your elder brother about me?¡± Xiwan was surprised to learn about it.


    ¡°Yes. He is so excited to see you and he supports my decision. I told my brother that I want to marry only one person and that is Xiwan,¡± Ye Xin stated while smiling brightly.


    ¡°I am not used to such a kind of scenario, so I do not know what I should say. I have many unexinable feelings inside my head, but in words, those feelings are difficult to exin,¡± Xiwan asserted.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Ye Xin nodded her head and asked him if he liked her. ¡°You still have not told me about it,¡± she stated and lowered her gaze.


    ¡°I am sorry for not saying anything about it till now. I feel myself a lucky man that you see me as your future husband. I will not dy in conveying my feelings. I like you, Ye Xin. I would love to be your husband and take you as my wife,¡± Xiwan said and smiled at her.


    .....


    Ye Xin gazed at him and passed a wide smile to him. ¡°We are the fastest couple, who confessed and admitted our feelings for each other in merely a day,¡± Ye Xin remarked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xiwan said. Because of Ye Xin, he felt better and even has forgotten his sickness. He felt rejuvenated just by her presence.


    ¡°Ahh, I almost forgot that you are sick. I heard that you took only soup for dinner and breakfast. You must be feeling hungry,¡± Ye Xin said out of concern.


    ¡°I am hungry,¡± Xiwan admitted it. ¡°Did you drink rice wine? I am getting its scent,¡± he said.


    Ye Xin covered her mouth quickly with her palm. ¡°Forgive me. I had a few drinks with Lin Jiao,¡± she said while keeping her hand over her mouth.


    ¡°Ye Xin is a bold woman. I like it. Hardly women from the noble ss enjoy this way,¡± Xiwan asserted. Ye Xin felt a little better, and she slowly lowered her hand when he grasped her hand.


    ¡°Ye Xin, I will never leave this hand. I have always been alone. I wille to see your parents tomorrow. I cannot lose a woman like you,¡± Xiwan pronounced and gazed at her hand.


    Ye Xin blushed to hear his words. ¡°First get fully recovered,¡± she said.


    ¡°I will be fine and healthy by tomorrow,¡± Xiwan confidently said.


    ¡°I will wait for you toe. Come in the evening. Since at that time, my father returns from the work,¡± Ye Xin opined. Xiwan agreed to her.


    ¡°I am bringing food for you. Wait for a few minutes,¡± Ye Xin tried to get up when Xiwan asked her to remain seated. She arched her eyebrow, looking at him in bewilderment.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk more. I would like to know more about you,¡± Xiwan said while keeping a smile on his lips. His face was no longer pale.


    ¡°I would also like to know more about you. But you must eat healthy food. I am also famished and will eat along with you,¡± Ye Xin asserted. Xiwan immediately agreed to it and called in a servant. He did not let Ye Xin leave and ordered the servant to bring meals for both of them.


    ~~~~~~~~~


    ¡°Lin Jiao has been home sincete noon?!¡± Yongyi asked the servant with an astonished look.


    ¡°Yes, Young Master. Miss Lin returned early today and she looked upset. She did not either take her lunch meal,¡± the servant replied. Yongyi was confused to hear about it and decided to see Lin Jiao. He went to her room and heard from her personal attendant that she was sleeping.


    Strange! Lin Jiao hardly slept in the daytime. ¡°Did she look sick?¡± Yongyi asked.


    ¡°No, Young Master. Miss Lin looked upset though,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Tell me when she wakes up,¡± Yongyi stated and left for his room.


    Lin Jiao heard her brother¡¯s voice from inside her room and tightly pulled the nket around her. She wanted to cry, but tears were noting out of her eyes. Mingquan reprimanded her and she felt pretty bad because of it.


    ¡°Why am I feeling bad? The Fourth Prince is not either a part of my life,¡± Lin Jiao murmured. The strange beats of her heart again started to trouble her and she ced her hand on her chest. ¡°It is good that he will note here to see me. I will enjoy my life as long as I want to. Who is he to force me to marry him?¡± She muttered and lowered her hand.


    Those words did note from her heart. It was the anger inside which was ready to burst out.


    ¡®But His Highness was right. You are not supposed to drink rice wine too much. It will affect your health in the long run.¡¯ Her inner voice spoke to her and then asked her if she would really not see Mingquan ever again.


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Lin Jiao pledged to herself. She did not pay heed to her inner voice and reminded herself how Mingquan wanted to control her, which she would not let happen. ¡°He is worse than Bai Jue. He got angry at me. I waited for him for hours,¡± she said and pouted her lips. Tears had finally welled up in her eyes and she was on the verge of crying. But before that could happen, she tightly shut her eyes. She tried to get some sleep as she started having a headache.

 Chapter 629 - 629 Flowers fell above them

    629 Flowers fell above them


    Qiu Mu and Cha Ying were seated in theke pavilion. ¡°It is so peaceful here,¡± Cha Ying said and looked out from the window of the second floor of the pavilion.


    ¡°That is why I brought you here. A pce is a chaotic ce. Either official would have disturbed us or servants,¡± Qiu Mu said.


    Cha Ying smiled to hear him and looked at the teacup before her on the table. ¡°No one disturbs in the private chamber,¡± Cha Ying said in low voice and picked up the teacup to drink the tea.


    ¡°The servants keep their ears on the doors. They are more interested in our married life. Mother has appointed them to specially report about us. She is more desperate for a grandchild than we are. We married two days ago and she had started already,¡± Qiu Mu said and chuckled. He picked up the teacup and finished the tea.


    ¡°I am not sure whether Mother likes me or not. I heard yesterday from a close servant to her that she did not want me to marry Prince Mu,¡± Cha Ying said. ¡°I am not speaking against Prince Mu¡¯s mother. I want to win her heart, so I was a little worried,¡± she exined to Qiu Mu.


    ¡°Mother has noints. And after what the Queen Dowager did, Mother decided to agree with her son. She is happy in my happiness,¡± Qiu Mu stated and ced his hand over her hand.


    ¡°What did the Queen Dowager do? I heard that she no longer lives in the pce,¡± Cha Ying affirmed.


    ¡°Umm¡­ Her Majesty the Queen Dowager tried to poison her son,¡± Qiu Mu replied.


    Cha Ying was shocked to learn the truth and brought her other hand to her mouth.


    .....


    ¡°You are already aware of what my father did. Queen Dowager could not ept this fact and decided to take a step thatpletely ruined her life. Brother Xiaoming did not deserve such treatment. Just because he stood with right, he ended up losing his mother,¡± Qiu Mu said with a sigh.


    Cha Ying lowered her hand. ¡°I hope the Queen Dowager realizes her mistakes and apologizes to her son,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°Even an apology cannot recover their dead rtionship. I had suggested the same to Brother Xiaoming, but he thinks it would be an injustice if he forgave her,¡± Qiu Mu affirmed.


    Cha Ying hummed. ¡°The King knows the best for this kingdom and our royal family,¡± she asserted. Qiu Mu agreed with her.


    ¡°Your younger brother is remarkable. I am happy that he is nothing like Kang Huijuan. Kang Horan surely will bring the lost dignity of the Kang Family. I know he will soon pass the civil services examination and will get into government,¡± Qiu Mu said with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, Prince Mu. I am surprised to see Horan suddenly acting as the eldest of the house. He has grown up a lot,¡± Cha Ying said.


    ¡°Kang Huijuan wants to see L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Mu told Cha Ying, who was astonished to learn about it.


    ¡°Why?¡± Cha Ying asked.


    ¡°He wants to apologize to L¨®ng Wei,¡± Qiu Mu asserted.


    ¡°Oh. I do not think Prince L¨®ng Wei will forgive my brother,¡± Cha Ying stated.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei may do that. He is a carefree kind of person. Moreover, he has a better knowledge of people. L¨®ng Wei will see through Kang Huijuan if he talks to him,¡± Qiu Mu opined.


    ¡°When will Prince L¨®ng Wei return?¡± Cha Ying asked.


    ¡°I have no idea. He has not told us a definite answer. I hope hees with new energy. He was so devastated when the truth about his mother was revealed,¡± Qiu Mu replied and came out of those thoughts.


    ¡°Prince Mu, we have never been such considerate people, right?¡± Cha Ying asked.


    ¡°We were not. Suddenly we changed. I have seen some good changes in myself. I told you when we initially used to meet each other that I would get attracted to any beautiful woman around me,¡± Qiu Mu said with a bit of embarrassment in his voice.


    ¡°I wonder why Prince Mu was like that,¡± Cha Ying said.


    ¡°I got my lesson then. Ahh, those old days were terrible. I had a bad character,¡± Qiu Mu admitted to her.


    ¡°I was also arrogant and so high of myself,¡± Cha Ying said.


    ¡°Not anymore. You are one in a million among all the women,¡± Qiu Muplimented her. They both stood up and stood by the window to look outside at theke, filled with lotuses.


    Cha Ying rested her head on Qiu Mu¡¯s shoulder while holding his arm. He tilted his head and it touched hers.


    ~~~~~~~~


    After plucking some flowers from the royal garden, Xiaolian was running down the stairs, when she missed one of the steps. ¡°Ahhh!¡± She screamed at the top of her lungs and the basket from her hand fell up in the air.


    Huang Xi and Chang Shi were walking ahead of her turned around immediately upon hearing that scream. Huang Xi, who was ahead of Xiaolian saw her falling. He spread her arms out to catch and supported her by grabbing her by her shoulders.


    Their eyes locked while the flowers fell above them. The basket fell on the stairs with a thud and their eyelock broke. Huang Xi steadied her and asked her if she was alright. Chang Shi worriedly nced at Xiaolian, who looked a little terrified.


    ¡°I am. Thank you,¡± Xiaolian said.


    ¡°Princess Xiaolian shall walk slowly on the stairs. Her skirt is long and if she will run on the stairs, she may fall,¡± Huang Xi made her understand.


    ¡°I will keep it in mind. Thank you again,¡± Xiaolian said and looked at the stairs. The flowersnded everywhere on the stairs.


    ¡°Aish,¡± she stomped her foot on the stair, on which she was standing.


    ¡°The servant will pick them up,¡± Huang Xi stopped Xiaolian, who almost bent to pick the flowers from the stairs. Chang Shi looked around and saw the servants at the top of the stairs. They came down as they saw the stairs had flowers.


    ¡°Princess Xiaolian should go to her chamber,¡± Huang Xi told her. She hummed and descended one stair. Huang Xi gave her the way and saw her walking away.

 Chapter 630 - 630 Cannot be together ever

    630 Cannot be together ever


    ¡°It has been five days and you didn¡¯t go to see the Fourth Prince. It never happened before,¡± Ye Xin said to Lin Jiao, who was seated near the window on a floor mattress.


    ¡°If you have to say this to me, then you can leave,¡± Lin Jiao said and focused her attention on the novel she purchased yesterday from the market. She giggled to read the scene from the novel when Ye Xin snatched it from her.


    ¡°Ye Xin!¡± Lin Jiao got annoyed.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, this is wrong. You are hurting yourself and also the Fourth Prince. Can you not go and see His Highness?¡± Lin Jiao inquired her.


    Lin Jiao didn¡¯t speak anything.


    ¡°Xiwan met my parents. Tomorrow we both will get engaged privately. You have toe, or else I will not take to you,¡± Ye Xin asserted with a smile and sat down on the mattress across from her.


    ¡°I wille,¡± Lin Jiao said. ¡°You didn¡¯t even wait to know about Xiwan. Who proposes a marriage in just one day?¡± She muttered.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t let him find someone else. Moreover, the day he got sick, I was worried for him. He had no one to take care of him. Only a few servants. Also, he respects me a lot. He is one in a million for me. That¡¯s why I asked him to marry me,¡± Ye Xin asserted with a wide smile.


    ¡°That is good. I am happy for you,¡± Lin Jiao said and looked out of the window.


    .....


    ¡°You should do the same. Why are you not admitting your feelings for the Fourth Prince?¡± Ye Xin questioned her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like him. I am happy that he will note and see me,¡± Lin Jiao said. Indeed, that was a harsh statement, but Mingquan had hurt her. She didn¡¯t want to be with a man, who would even try to understand her once.


    ¡°Lin Jiao, at least don¡¯t lie to me. I know what you feel for the Fourth Prince,¡± Ye Xin stated.


    ¡°I should go out,¡± Lin Jiao ignored Ye Xin¡¯s words and stood up. ¡°We will celebrate for you. My best friend will get engaged tomorrow,¡± she muttered with a wide smile.


    Ye Xin realized there was no use to make Lin Jiao understand. Still, she wanted to ask her once more. ¡°Will you not go to the Fourth Prince anymore? You are already betrothed to him. Lin Jiao, Prince Mingquan cares for you that¡¯s why he told you not to drink too much,¡± she said and stood up from her ce.


    ¡°Did Xiwan get angry at you or scold you badly? Did he ask you not toe to him until you realize your mistake?¡± Lin Jiao asked.


    Ye Xin shook her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s what happened with me. Prince Mingquan and I cannot be together ever. I have even thrown away the bracelet he gave me. I won¡¯t marry him. If he thinks that I¡¯m an easygoing girl, then he is wrong,¡± Lin Jiao affirmed.


    Ye Xin gently grabbed her arm. ¡°Why did you throw that bracelet away? Lin Jiao, maybe Prince Mingquan¡¯s intentions were not to hurt you,¡± she said.


    ¡°If you will keep preaching about him, it will annoy me more,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°Okay, I will not speak about the Fourth Prince. Should we head out?¡± Ye Xin asked.


    Lin Jiao nodded her head and they both went to their favorite restaurant. However, as they stepped out of the room, the servant who just hade, informed Ye Xin about her brother¡¯s message.


    Lin Jiao gazed at Ye Xin and told her to go home. ¡°But we were supposed to celebrate,¡± Ye Xin said.


    ¡°We can celebrate tomorrow,¡± Lin Jiao asserted. Ye Xin hugged her before leaving for her house. Lin Jiao, on the other hand, left her house. She was suddenly infuriated to think about Mingquan. He didn¡¯te to see her. He made big promises to her earlier and now, he was acting like a jerk.


    Lin Jiao got into a local carriage and reached the market. After going through a few shops, she stopped by a street-side sweet seller. She took out two coins and handed them to the seller before taking the sweets from him in a paper envelope.


    Sitting on the bench, she enjoyed the sweets when two kids came to her.


    ¡°Sister! Sister! Please give us some sweets too,¡± the kids said. Lin Jiao asked them to wait and purchased two varieties of sweets for them. The kids thanked her and left from there.


    Her eyes fell on Mingquan, who was apanied by Li Tian and Chang Shi. S few soldiers were also behind them when she turned her back to them.


    ¡°He looks happy. Idiot!¡± She gritted her teeth and resumed eating.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she Miss Lin?¡± Chang Shi said and looked at Mingquan. He looked in the direction where Chang Shi was and snickered.


    He thought she woulde to him. But, she didn¡¯t. Mingquan clenched his fists when he saw a young man going to her.


    ¡®She is happily conversing with him. But with me, she would always argue,¡¯ Mingquan thought.


    ¡°I think they are close friends,¡± Chang Shi said and gazed at Mingquan. He was well aware of their fight and wanted Mingquan to make up for it.


    ¡°Is she the one, who will marry Prince Mingquan?¡± Li Tian asked Chang Shi.


    ¡°Yes. After a month when Prince L¨®ng Wei returns, they decided to get married,¡± Chang Shi replied. Li Tian smiled to hear it.


    ¡°It has not decided yet,¡± Mingquan said with a cold voice.


    He saw Lin Jiao sharing sweets with the young man and was going somewhere with him.


    ¡°I have to go,¡± Mingquan said and told them to do the remaining work. Chang Shi and Li Tianplied with hismand. They watched Mingquan go behind Lin Jiao.


    ¡°Is something going on between them?¡± Li Tian asked.


    ¡°A lot of things,¡± Chang Shi replied and smiled. He wanted Mingquan to make up with Lin Jiao instead of remaining upset for more days.

 Chapter 631 - 631 How much do you hate me? [Bonus chapter]

    631 How much do you hate me? [Bonus chapter]


    Mingquan stood in front of Lin Jiao and the young man with whom she was walking.


    Lin Jiao frowned to see him while the young man greeted Mingquan. His cold gaze irked her and she walked past him when Mingquan stopped her.


    ¡°Do you really want to end it?¡±


    His question made Lin Jiao stop. The young man decided to leave and told Lin Jiao he would see herter.


    ¡°Why would you see meter? Let¡¯s go together,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    Mingquan snickered and told the young man to go ahead.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need toe with me. I have an urgent work to finish,¡± the young man said and strode away.


    Lin Jiao red at Mingquan and decided to go in the other direction. At that moment, he held her hand and dragged her with him in the other direction. She didn¡¯t say anything as they were in the market and followed him silently.


    Her anger burst at him when he pushed her against a wall in a narrow passageway that was isted from people and stood close to her.


    .....


    ¡°The Fourth Prince lied about being respectful toward women,¡± Lin Jiao muttered.


    ¡°I am respectful. I think I have the right to hold your hand. You are such a stubborn woman who leaves me no other gentle way to use,¡± Mingquan affirmed.


    Lin Jiao averted her gaze from him.


    ¡°You didn¡¯te to see me. I waited for you,¡± Mingquan said in a gentle voice. Stubborn people were supposed to give care which he wanted to.


    ¡°How could you ignore me? You happily talked with that man while with me you have to carry this angry face,¡± Mingquan remarked.


    She shifted her gaze at him. ¡°Because the Fourth Prince also does the same to me. Everyone thinks he is the best prince among all the six princes in the Kingdom. I didn¡¯t see it at all. You always get angry at me. You also didn¡¯te to see me,¡± Lin Jiao pronounced with a stern look on her face.


    Her eyes turned misty and she again looked away. ¡°I hate you. Also, I threw that bracelet away,¡± she angrily said.


    Mingquan gripped her chin and turned her head to make her look at him. ¡°Say it while looking at me,¡± Mingquan demanded from her.


    ¡°I hate you,¡± Lin Jiao said. The tears were on the verge of falling from her eyes. ¡°I threw that band away. I don¡¯t want your protection nor do I want to marry you.¡±


    ¡°That is not from your heart. I know you are hotheaded, but I am known for my calmness for a reason. Throw as many as tantrums you want to, but in the end, you will need me to console you,¡± Mingquan asserted. His eyes didn¡¯t leave her even for a second.


    ¡°I told the Fourth Prince already that I do not need his constion. I am happy being myself. And I said that from my heart,¡± Lin Jiao affirmed, keeping her hand on her chest where she could feel her heartbeat.


    ¡°Have you found the answer which I asked you?¡± Mingquan queried her.


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t like you. I hate you. That is the answer I got,¡± Lin Jiao asserted.


    ¡°I knew handling you would be the toughest task for me,¡± Mingquan affirmed and sighed. ¡°Be truthful to me if you want me to leave your life. Can I not even scold you? I care for you, that¡¯s why I scold you,¡± he stated.


    His fingers let go of her chin and hooked around her neck.


    ¡°Everyone scolds me. Everyone tells me not to do this or that. My father and brother were always busy. I want them to look at me. They never do. I miss my mother,¡± Lin Jiao said and tears rolled down her cheeks. This was the second time, she cried in front of Mingquan.


    He wiped the tears from her cheeks using his thumbs. ¡°I look at you and want to take care of you, but you run away from me. What do you expect me to do then?¡± He asked.


    Lin Jiao sniffled and lowered her gaze. ¡°I hate seeing everyone has a mother. Ye Xin also has a mother. That is why I go and drink in the restaurant. I may sound like an insane woman, but this is what I am. People will say you are a grown-up woman, but I am still a kid. That day, I wanted to share my happiness with the Fourth Prince, but he scolded me. He also doesn¡¯t want to hear me out.¡± Lin Jiao expressed her thoughts to him, which she didn¡¯t even tell Ye Xin.


    Mingquan apologized to her and asked her to calm down. ¡°I was worried for your health. I didn¡¯t know you would be mad at me and throw away the protection band I gave you,¡± he said.


    ¡°It is inside the drawer of my room. It has a royal emblem, so I could not throw it out,¡± Lin Jiao muttered.


    ¡°You are a thoughtful person,¡± Mingquan said with a tiny smile.


    ¡°But I hate you,¡± Lin Jiao asserted.


    ¡°How much do you hate me?¡± Mingquan arched his eyebrows.


    ¡°A lot,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    Mingquan moved his face close to her. ¡°I was annoyed thinking why you didn¡¯te to see me. I should have left my ego behind toe to you. You must have missed me a lot to say this,¡± he concluded the meaning behind her hatred in a different yet charming way.


    He kissed her and closed his eyes. He nibbled her bottom lip while she stood like a statue, doing nothing. She was too startled by it. Those five days, she kept lying to herself. Her heart started to thunder against her.


    ¡°Move your lips,¡± Mingquan whispered as he stopped and she looked at him in astonishment. That startled look on her face had made him stop and he thought she might not want that kiss.


    However, he was wrong.


    Lin Jiao stood on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him back.

 Chapter 632 - 632 Not sweeter than the kiss we had

    632 Not sweeter than the kiss we had


    ¡°Sister Ai Fen, do you not like Commander Huang Xi?¡± Xiaolian asked her.


    Ai Fen, who was seated on the swing with the rabbit on herp, tilted her head to look at Xioalian. ¡°Why does Sister Xiaolian ask? She already knows my answer,¡± Ai Fen stated.


    ¡°I was rejected by Feng Lao, so I know how it feels to be rejected in love,¡± Xiaolian asserted.


    Ai Fen gazed at her with inquisitiveness and tried to understand her pretext. ¡°Feng Lao did wrong to reject Sister Xiaolian without even understanding her,¡± Ai Fen affirmed.


    ¡°Sister Ai Fen did the same with Commander Huang Xi,¡± Xiaolian said. This made Ai Fen stop caressing the rabbit¡¯s fur.


    ¡°That was a different matter,¡± Ai Fen said.


    Xiaolian shook her head. ¡°It was not a different matter. Commander Huang Xi got angry at the heat of the moment, which made Sister Ai Fen think he¡¯s not a good person when she also knows Sister Jingfei was at fault that time,¡± Xiaolian affirmed.


    ¡°Perhaps we aren¡¯t made for each other. I was never interested in Commander Huang Xi,¡± Ai Fen asserted. ¡°Baobao has healed faster. I think I need to send it back to the forest,¡± she said.


    ¡°Baobao has be close to Sister Ai Fen¡¯s heart. She may miss Baobao if she leaves him in the forest,¡± Xiaolian stated.


    .....


    ¡°I will miss Baobao, but he must be missing his family. They must be looking for Baobao,¡± Ai Fen asserted and stood up from the swing. ¡°Sister Xiaolian, I will see youter.¡± Ai Fen walked away while Xiaolian stayed back.


    Ai Fen encountered Jin Yu in her way and bowed to her. The servants behind Jin Yu halted to see their Queen stop.


    ¡°How is Sister Ai Fen doing? How is cutie Baobao?¡± Jin Yu asked and caressed Baobao¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°I am well, Your Majesty. Baobao has healed fully. It is the time Baobao should return to its habitat,¡± Ai Fen asserted.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Baobao, don¡¯t get hurt again,¡± Jin Yu said and asked Ai Fen if she should call Chang Shi to the pce.


    ¡°That will be great, Your Majesty,¡± Ai Fen said with a smile.


    Jin Yu tilted her head over her shoulder and the Eunuch quickly stepped up. He kept his head low and left to send a message to Chang Shi on Jin Yu¡¯smand.


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty,¡± Ai Fen said.


    ¡°It is alright. Sister Ai Fen doesn¡¯t need to thank me for this,¡± Jin Yu said and asked her if they should go to the rock garden till the time Chang Shi arrived at the pce.


    Ai Fen agreed to her and they both headed to the rock garden.


    ¡°It seems Her Majesty has something to say to me,¡± Ai Fen stated.


    ¡°I do,¡± Jin Yu stated.


    ¡°Her Majesty should say then,¡± Ai Fen affirmed.


    ¡°Sister Ai Fen, your mother has visited His Majesty. She wants us to see a good proposal for you. Do you have anyone in mind or should we see the marriage proposal for you?¡± Jin Yu inquired her.


    ¡°I will be happy if His and Her Majesties look for a marriage proposal for me. I will dly ept it. I have no such man in my mind,¡± Ai Fen stated.


    Jin Yu hummed and told her she would deliver the same message to Xiaoming.


    ¡°We will go for the best marriage proposal for Sister Ai Fen,¡± Jin Yu said and they both stopped by the pond. The rock wooden structures on the pond side were good for sighting and admiring nature¡¯s beauty.


    ¡°Sister Ai Fen, have fun as much as you want to in the pce. Though, after marrying off, you will be happier as you will have freedom,¡± Jin Yu affirmed with a smile.


    Ai Fen gazed at Jin Yu. ¡°Her Majesty misses her before marriage life. Am I right?¡± She queried.


    ¡°Not anymore. I got my freedom after finding such a good husband. His Majesty never stops me. I know as the Queen now things are different for me. But His Majesty takes care of the fact that I do not miss my outside world. His Majesty let me do whatever I want to,¡± Jin Yu said with a wide smile on her lips.


    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear. I wish my husband is also gentle and kind to me,¡± Ai Fen said.


    ¡°He will be,¡± Jin Yu assured her.


    ~~~~~~


    Lin Jiao slowlynded on the ground and gradually opened her eyes, but she kept her gaze down. The grip of her hands on Mingquan¡¯s nape loosened and she slowly brought her hands down.


    ¡°This was the hate you were talking about,¡± Mingquan¡¯s eyebrows arched and he made her look at him, gripping her chin again.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Mingquan chuckled and patted her head. ¡°When I told you to share things with me, you refused. We didn¡¯t have to stay apart for five days,¡± He muttered and let go of her chin. His thumb caressed her cheek while his fingers remained hooked on her neck.


    ¡°If His Highness hadn¡¯t seen me today, he would not have decided to meet me,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Mingquan truthfully answered. ¡°Who was the young man whom you were talking with?¡± He asked. He was anticipated to know. Seeing her smile at him triggered Mingquan¡¯s jealousy and he followed them.


    ¡°He lives in my neighborhood. He is Tai Jin,¡± Lin Jiao replied. ¡°Was His Highness jealous of him?¡± she squinted her eyes.


    ¡°I was! You looked happy with him. It made me jealous. You didn¡¯te to see me despite you were in the market,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°I was upset with the Fourth Prince,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°I want to kiss you one more time,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°What?¡± Lin Jiao chuckled and shook her head.


    ¡°Why?¡± Mingquan wanted to know the reason.


    ¡°We are in the open,¡± Lin Jiao said. She showed him the envelope and asked him if he would like to eat the sweets. She took out one and put it close to Mingquan¡¯s mouth.


    He took a small bite and chewed it.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Lin Jiao asked.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Just good?!¡± She expected some more appreciating words from him.


    ¡°It is not sweeter than the kiss we had,¡± Mingquan stated.


    Lin Jiao widened her eyes, the smile on her lips hadn¡¯t vanish away.


    ¡°One more week left for this month to get over. Then, we will be married,¡± Mingquan said with a bright smile.


    ~~~~~~

 Chapter 633 - 633 A Father [Bonus chapter]

    633 A Father [Bonus chapter]


    Huang Xi checked the new weapon supplies in the inventory and handed the report about it to his senior, General Li Tian, before heading to his home. However, he met Eunuch Sun Fuguo on his way.


    ¡°Good evening, Commander Huang Xi. Your Majesty wants to see you,¡± Sun Fuguo asserted. Huang Xi nodded to him and went to see the King.


    Sun Fuguo stopped by the stairs of the pavilion in the King¡¯s manor. Huang Xi ascended the stairs and walked up to Xiaoming, who was standing near the window.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I am here,¡± Huang Xi said and bowed.


    Xiaoming turned around and smiled to see Huang Xi. ¡°How are you doing these days?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I am well, Your Majesty,¡± Huang Xi replied and lifted his head to look at Xiaoming.


    ¡°Huang Xi, I wille straight to the point. Princess Ai Fen is of marriageable age. When we had gone to Xinjiang province you told me you were interested in Princess Ai Fen,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    Huang Xi understood where that conversation would lead and he decided to clear Xiaoming before that happened. ¡°Your Majesty, I do not like Princess Ai Fen anymore.¡±


    Xiaoming was bewildered to hear him.


    .....


    ¡°I had confessed my feelings to Princess Ai Fen and got rejected. I request His Majesty to look for another suitable groom for Princess Ai Fen,¡± Huang Xi said while keeping his tone humble.


    Xiaoming was startled to hear that and apologized to Huang Xi.


    ¡°His Majesty should not apologize,¡± Huang Xi said with a smile. ¡°His Majesty was not aware of this.¡± He sounded low after that.


    Xiaoming could not speak for a few seconds.


    ¡°Huang Xi, I do not know why that happened, but I know you will get a better person in your life,¡± Xiaoming said.


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± Huang Xi bowed to him and left.


    ¡°I should have confirmed with him first instead of directly asking him,¡± Xiaoming mumbled. He was confused thinking why Ai Fen refused the feelings of a man like Huang Xi.


    He looked ahead and saw Jin Yu at the top of the stairs. She had a wide smile on her lips and her entire face was glowing.


    Xiaoming with amusement looked in her direction and took a step forward. Jin Yu took a few steps before she ran toward him, and hugged Xiaoming, thus taking him by a surprise.


    Xiaoming ced one hand on her back while the other on the back of her head. ¡°You look happier today,¡± he said.


    ¡°Because it is an asion to be happy,¡± Jin Yu stated.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xiaoming inquired her.


    Jin Yu leaned her head back and peered into his eyes. ¡°Your Majesty, make a guess,¡± she said.


    Xiaoming thought for a few seconds. ¡°I am unable to. Why doesn¡¯t the Queen tell me?¡± He asked.


    Jin Yu twitched her lips. ¡°The King cannot even make a simple guess. Does he not love me?¡± She arched her eyebrows.


    ¡°There can be hundreds of reasons behind your happiness, my Queen. If I guess wrong, then the Queen will say I do not love her. She should tell me,¡± Xiaoming asserted and moved his hand to the front. He brushed her hair back to her ear.


    ¡°What does the King want the most at this age? I gave His Majesty a hint. He should answer me,¡± Jin Yu stated.


    ¡°I want...¡± Xiaoming paused to think.


    ¡°Aish. Xiaoming, you are so dumb,¡± Jin Yu got angry at him. ¡°Can you not even make a simple guess?¡± She muttered.


    ¡°Eh? How can I make a guess when the hint is tooplex?¡± Xiaoming inquired.


    ¡°Is itplex? It was so simple,¡± Jin Yu murmured.


    ¡°Tell me. What is it? You are making me nervous now,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Your Majesty will be a father soon,¡± Jin Yu replied.


    ¡°What?¡± Xiaoming eximed.


    ¡°We are going to be mother and father soon, Xiaoming,¡± Jin Yu said again with a wide smile on her lips.


    Xiaoming startedughing and tears of happiness formed in his eyes. He cupped Jin Yu¡¯s face and kissed her before saying, ¡°Indeed, I am dumb that I couldn¡¯t make a guess. Thank you, Jin Yu. You gave me the best moment to be happy. I will be a father.¡± Xiaoming hugged Jin Yu and then carried her in his arms.


    Jin Yu, for a second, was shocked by his sudden act and he twirled in a circle. Jin Yu locked her hands tightly around his nape. He stopped and kissed her again and again.


    ¡°Will His Majesty put me down?¡± Jin Yu asked him.


    Xiaoming immediately put her down and steadied her. ¡°Where are your servants? Why did youe to tell me this good news by yourself? You are supposed to be apanied by your servants at this time. Also, you won¡¯t run around too much. Let¡¯s have an examination from the Physician Peng,¡± Xiaoming asserted.


    ¡°When you were in the imperial court my examination was done. I asked everyone not to tell you since I wanted to give this news by myself,¡± Jin Yu said with a smile.


    ¡°I will conceive our first child soon, Your Majesty. I am so happy about it, Xiaoming. When Physician Peng told me that I am pregnant, I started crying. This is such a beautiful feeling,¡± she said.


    Xiaoming nodded at her. ¡°I can understand. It is the best feeling in the world,¡± he said and he nted a soft kiss on the middle of her forehead.


    He ced his hand on her shoulder and said, ¡°We should head to your chamber. I need to give special instructions to everyone, and you need to take a good rest too.¡±


    ¡°We need to think about the name too. From now on, things will change. I will give my maximum attention to my wife. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t neglect the kingdom either,¡± Xiaoming asserted and asked her to be careful on the stairs. The first few months were crucial for Jin Yu and he needed to be extremely careful regarding her safety.


    Sun Fuguo and the other servants followed them to the manor.

 Chapter 634 - 634 A passionate kiss [Bonus chapter]

    634 A passionate kiss [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°Princess Ai Fen can hand me this rabbit. I will leave the rabbit in the forest,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°Let mee with you,¡± Ai Fen said. ¡°Also, I gave this rabbit a name. It is called Baobao,¡± she reminded Chang Shi.


    ¡°Princess Ai Fen cannote with me,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Ai Fen got confused.


    ¡°These days a lion is roaming around on that hill,¡± Chang Shi informed her.


    ¡°Oh no. Then, it may eat Baobao,¡± Ai Fen said with a worried look.


    ¡°That¡¯s how the environment works,¡± Chang Shi stated.


    Ai Fen beamed at Chang Shi. ¡°How could you say this? I want a long life for Baobao,¡± she asserted and looked at the rabbit in herp. ¡°Baobao, should I keep you here? But I don¡¯t you to miss your family,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°Princess Ai Fen shouldn¡¯t act like a child,¡± Chang Shi remarked.


    .....


    Ai Fen lifted her head to look at him. ¡°I care for Baobao. It seems you do not have any empathy toward the animals,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Princess Ai Fen, I was the one who treated Baobao that day,¡± Chang Shi reminded her.


    Ai Fen twitched her lips and looked at Baobao.


    ¡°Give Baobao to me, Princess Ai Fen,¡± Chang Shi said and stepped up toward her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together, Chang Shi,¡± Ai Fen stated and rose to her feet. ¡°I want to see Baobao going away in the forest,¡± she requested him.


    Chang Shi was at a loss for words. He agreed to take her with him but on one condition.


    ¡°Condition?¡± Ai Fen eximed.


    ¡°Yes. Is she ready to ept my condition?¡± Chang Shi inquired.


    ¡°Say it. I will ept your condition to go with you,¡± Ai Fen replied.


    ¡°Princess Ai Fen will not enter the forest. She should stay in the carriage and wait for me. I will drop Baobao at its original ce,¡± Chang Shi said.


    Ai Fen wanted to oppose it when Chang Shi reminded her she could not change her words.


    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go,¡± Ai Fen said and went ahead of Chang Shi.


    He smiled and followed her. They saw the entire pce was getting decorated and on that asion, a celebration was organized.


    ¡°It would be nice if Prince L¨®ng Wei be here with his family,¡± Chang Shi said as he saw a group of servants, carrying rednterns with them to the pce ground.


    ¡°Yes. I wonder if Li Hua is pregnant by this time or not,¡± Ai Fen said with a smile. ¡°They married the earliest,¡± she added.


    Chang Shi agreed with her.


    ¡°Does Brother L¨®ng Wei ever share his views with Chang Shi about having a family?¡± Ai Fen inquired.


    ¡°Why does Princess Ai Fen want to know about it?¡± Chang Shi questioned.


    ¡°Just curious,¡± Ai Fen replied.


    ¡°I cannot share Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s personal thoughts,¡± Chang Shi replied.


    Ai Fen turned her head to look at him but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Why?¡± She again looked straight in front of her.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei told me with trust. I cannot reveal his thoughts to anyone,¡± Chang Shi stated.


    ¡°I am Brother L¨®ng Wei¡¯s sister... Elder Sister,¡± Ai Fen said with an authority.


    ¡°Hmm. Princess Ai Fen should ask Prince L¨®ng Wei when he returns,¡± Chang Shi replied with a smile.


    Ai Fen chuckled. ¡°Everyone says Chang Shi is of calm and gentle personality, but he is somewhat rude to people,¡± she muttered and started walking faster.


    ~~~~~~~


    Xiwan turned around with the flower bouquet in his hand. ¡°Ye Xin, these are for you. I do not know what kind of flowers you like. So, I decided to pick every variety of flowers that was avable at the florist shop,¡± he said.


    ¡°It appears as if I am giving a speech,¡± Xiwan mumbled and lowered his hand. Though they both were engaged to each other, he wanted to give her this special surprise today.


    He looked at his fourth finger. ¡°Ye Xin, these flowers are for you,¡± Xiwan said and raised his head. At the same time, he lifted his hand too which was holding the flower bouquet.


    He was awestruck to see Ye Xin in front of her.


    ¡°Ahh, I-I...¡± Xiwan stuttered and slowly lowered his hand when Ye Xin quickly took the flowers from him.


    ¡°Wow! These flowers are so pretty, Xiwan,¡± Ye Xin said with a wide, cheerful smile.


    Xiwan was surprised to hear her response. He thought she wouldin about how he was giving her the flowers.


    ¡°Where did you pick these flowers? These are so beautiful. Just like you,¡± Ye Xin stated.


    Xiwan ended up blushing. ¡°Am I beautiful?¡± He touched his cheek and kept smiling. ¡°You should call I am handsome,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°Both have the same meanings,¡± Ye Xin stated and yfully hit his chest. ¡°You are so romantic, Xiwan,¡± she said and quickly tip-toed to kiss his cheek.


    ¡°I love you,¡± she said and again looked at the flowers. She gazed at the water lily and touched its petals.


    Xiwan was shocked by her quick reaction. He really found the perfect woman for him. Ye Xin never got shy to express her feelings for him. This was what he liked the most about you.


    ¡°Ye Xin, I have something more to give to you,¡± Xiwan said.


    ¡°What?¡± Ye Xin astonishingly looked at him.


    Xiwan walked to the table and picked up the mahogany rectangr box. Ye Xin took it from him and ced the flower bouquet on the table.


    ¡°You are already spoiling me, Xiwan,¡± Ye Xin said and she opened the tinytch on the box. Her eyes shimmered to see the gold hairpin inside it. She took it out and then looked at Xiwan.


    ¡°It looks expensive,¡± Ye Xin said.


    ¡°Not much,¡± Xiwan replied.


    ¡°Make me wear it,¡± Ye Xin said and turned to him before handing the hairpin to him.


    She sped her hands and brought them to her chest.


    Xiwan inserted the hairpin into her hair strands and she turned to him. ¡°Do I look pretty?¡± Ye Xin asked him.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Xiwan nodded at her.


    ¡°Thank you for the present. I will wear it daily,¡± Ye Xin said while peering into his eyes. Soon, that changed into an intense eye lock. The smile from their lips had slowly vanished and they both took one more step toward each other.


    Xiwan hooked his fingers around her neck and leaned down to kiss her. She closed her eyes first, followed by him and they shared a passionate kiss.

 Chapter 635 - 635 Lóng Wei has returned

    635 L¨®ng Wei has returned


    More than a month has already passed, but there was no news of L¨®ng Wei, Li Hua, Qiu Qizhen, and Feng Lao. Xiaoming put the bamboo slip on the table and tilted his head to look at Sun Fuguo.


    ¡°Tell the Queen I will see her at the lunch table,¡± Xiaoming said.


    Sun Fuguo bowed and left the imperial court.


    ¡°What could be the reason that he is still not here? I hope he and others are safe and sound,¡± Xiaoming murmured.


    Therge mahogany doors of the court opened and Xiaoming looked in that direction. A smile formed on his lips as he saw the familiar face before him.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei!¡± Xiaoming rose to his feet and quickly came down.


    L¨®ng Wei stopped and bowed to the King. ¡°Greetings to Your Majesty.¡± He brought his hands to her shoulders length and bowed to him. L¨®ng Wei lifted his head and gazed at Xiaoming before lowering his hands.


    ¡°L¨®ng Wei!¡± Xiaoming spread his arms out and then hugged him tightly. ¡°Finally Brother L¨®ng Wei has returned. I was thinking about him only,¡± he stated before withdrawing from the hug.


    ¡°I heard the news. Congrattions,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and smiled at him.


    .....


    ¡°Thank you, Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xiaoming said and hugged him tightly. L¨®ng Wei ced his hands on Xiaoming¡¯s back before they both pulled away. He ced his hands on his shoulders and patted them. ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei surprised us with his arrival,¡± he said.


    ¡°I love giving surprises,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°How are the others? Why did Brother L¨®ng Wei gette to return?¡± Xiaoming inquired.


    ¡°All are well. We spent a good time in Xinshui. That¡¯s why we gotte,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    Sun Fuguo had reached the court by then and was surprised to see L¨®ng Wei before him. L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes met his and Sun Fuguo promptly bowed to him.


    ¡°I will see His Majestyter. I am sleepy and tired,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and bowed to Xiaoming before heading to his manor.


    While walking in the corridor, he encountered Cha Ying and Song Jia, who were surprised to see him.


    He halted for a brief moment as Cha Ying greeted him. Song Jia slightly bowed after that. It was the first time Song Jia saw L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Finally, you returned. I wonder why did you even run away in the first ce,¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered.


    ¡°I could not handle the pressure,¡± Cha Ying replied. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei saw me that day,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°Is there anything that can be hidden from my eyes?¡± L¨®ng Wei self praised himself and walked ahead, saying nothing to Song Jia.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has a strange way to speak,¡± Song Jia said.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Cha Ying said with a smile. ¡°Did the others know about their return?¡± she mumbled.


    L¨®ng Wei stepped into his chamber and changed his clothes first before heading to see Li Hua. To his surprise, Li Hua was already sleeping on the bed. He walked up to her and got into the bed. Covering them from the quilt, he snuggled close to Li Hua and drifted off to sleep in a few minutes.


    ~~~~~~~


    Mingquan immediately left his work as soon as he found out about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s and others return to the pce.


    As he stepped out of the office, he saw Lin Jiao before her with a packed lunch box in her hand.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Is the Fourth Prince going outside?¡±


    They both asked each other at the same time.


    ¡°I brought lunch for the Fourth Prince, thinking we will eat it together,¡± Lin Jiao asserted.


    ¡°I cannot eat today. Forgive me,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Lin Jiao queried.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei and others have returned. I need to see them,¡± Mingquan replied. ¡°Will you go by yourself or should I drop you at your house?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I thought we would have lunch together. Prince Mingquan can go to the pce after eating the lunch meals,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    Mingquan thought for a while and then nodded at her. He didn¡¯t want to upset her since it was her first time bringing lunch for him. He took the box, wrapped in a silk cloth, from her and walked into the office.


    The assistant had already cleaned up the table and smiled to see Lin Jiao.


    ¡°I will leave after having lunch with Miss Lin,¡± Mingquan said. The assistant nodded and strode out of the room.


    Mingquan ced the lunch box on the circr table near the window and pulled out a chair for Lin Jiao.


    She sat on it with a cheerful smile and waited for Mingquan to sit down. After he took a seat, Lin Jiao opened the lunch box.


    ¡°It took me two hours to prepare this meal. Even the house servants were surprised by my act. I tried my best, Prince Mingquan,¡± Lin Jiao said and handed him a pair of chopsticks, ¡°I Hope you will like the food.¡±


    Mingquan looked at the tiny dumplings and picked one. He took a smiling bite of it while Lin Jiao keenly peered at him, wondering whether he would like it.


    ¡°You are good at cooking.¡± Mingquan brought the dumpling close to her mouth, ¡°eat it.¡±


    She brought her hand close to her mouth and took a small bite. Mingquan ate the remaining dumpling and they both began eating. He saw she had even prepared sweets for him.


    ¡°I learned cooking for His Highness,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°I can see that,¡± Mingquan said. ¡°Thank you for the delicious lunch meal,¡± he asserted and filled a ss of water for her. She drank the water first and used the same ss he drank water.


    ¡°Thank you for having lunch with me,¡± Lin Jiao said and she put the chopsticks into the lunch box. She closed the box and tied the silk cloth around it.


    ¡°I will drop you at your house,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°No. I will go by myself,¡± Lin Jiao replied. ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has returned after a long time. I already took a lot of time off the Prince,¡± she said.


    ¡°Your house is in the way. If I let you go out alone, then I will only be worried,¡± Mingquan said and took the lunchbox from her.

 Chapter 636 - 636 Fun talks

    636 Fun talks


    L¨®ng Wei stretched his arms out after he woke up in the evening. His right knee was in the air on which his elbow rested and his chin rested above his hand.


    ¡°Li Hua, why didn¡¯t you wake me up earlier? It is already evening, so let me sleep more,¡± L¨®ng Weiined to her and got the scenting from her. He found she already had taken a bath.


    ¡°I thought to let Prince L¨®ng Wei sleep more,¡± Li Hua said and pulled away the quilt from him. ¡°Now, His Highness can get out of bed,¡± she muttered.


    L¨®ng Weiy on the bed with his arms spread out. ¡°No. I will stay here only. Sleep next to me,¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t act like a child,¡± Li Hua red at him. ¡°Everyone wants to see you. Prince Mingquan has sent the servant so many times to find out if Prince L¨®ng Wei is awake or not,¡± she stated.


    L¨®ng Wei sighed and sat up on the bed. ¡°I didn¡¯t even miss them this much,¡± he said and pressed the temples of his forehead.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is the youngest among all. So, he is the dearest to all,¡± Li Hua said and put the quilt on the foot of the bed. ¡°The bathhouse is ready for Prince L¨®ng Wei. He should freshen up and then meet all of his brothers,¡± she asserted.


    ¡°Order is epted, Princess Consort Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked and got down from the bed. He spread his arms out, asking her to hug him. She chuckled and walked up to him.


    L¨®ng Wei hugged her tightly and inhaled the scent of her hair. ¡°I feel so good suddenly. It is after all my home,¡± he said.


    .....


    Li Hua patted his back and they withdrew from each other¡¯s embrace. ¡°Did you meet the others?¡± He inquired.


    ¡°No. How could I have? Prince L¨®ng Wei was asleep and I decided not to go until he would wake up,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Such a devoted wife you are!¡± L¨®ng Wei kissed her nose tip and told her to see the Queen.


    Li Hua astonishingly looked at him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to wait for me. You should meet the Queen, and the other consorts of the other princes,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and walked out of the room.


    Li Hua went behind him and asked him if he was not hungry.


    ¡°I am famished,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and he turned around to face her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡± He asked.


    Li Hua nodded at him.


    ¡°Wait for me in the chamber. I will be there in twenty minutes,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and looked at the servant standing a little away from Li Hua.


    ¡°Set the dinner table for us,¡± L¨®ng Wei ordered the servant and told Li Hua to go inside.


    ¡°Come quickly,¡± Li Hua said before going inside the chamber while L¨®ng Wei walked ahead to the bathhouse.


    ~~~~~~~


    After filing their stomachs, both L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua felt delighted. ¡°I was starving since the morning. Now, we can do the rest of the work,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as he gazed at Li Hua, who was drinking the water.


    ¡°We only need to meet everyone in the pce before they sit to have dinner,¡± Li Hua asserted.


    L¨®ng Wei shook his head.


    ¡°I will go out to see my two fellows,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°At this night? His Highness can go tomorrow morning,¡± Li Huained.


    ¡°Umm... In the morning, I have other works to do,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I will wait for His Highness,¡± Li Hua stated.


    ¡°No. You should sleep because I will returnte,¡± L¨®ng Wei suggested to her.


    Li Hua realized that L¨®ng Wei wanted to spend a good time with his fellows. So, she agreed to him. ¡°Let¡¯s go and see the King and the Queen first. I need to congratte them,¡± Li Hua said and stood up from the floor chair. L¨®ng Wei rose to his feet after her and they left for the King¡¯s manor.


    The servants opened the doors for them and the two walked in.


    Jin Yu got up to see them and quickly ran to Li Hua. She hugged her tightly and kept smiling. ¡°I missed you, Li Hua. I wanted to share my happiness with you after telling the King,¡± she asserted.


    Xiaoming told Jin Yu to let Li Hua breathe and she promptly loosened her arms around her.


    ¡°The Queen is as energetic as she was before,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Her Majesty¡¯s child is going to be active like her,¡± he stated. Xiaoming stood next to her and ced his hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei is right. Our child is going to be enthusiastic about everything. I keep asking the Queen not to run away around, but she doesn¡¯t listen to me,¡± Xiaoming stated.


    ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t do that. You need to be careful at this time,¡± Li Hua said with a concerned look.


    ¡°It is good to move a lot,¡± Jin Yu said and asked her how she was. ¡°Did you both enjoy your time? I thought we would get a piece of good news from you two,¡± Jin Yu pronounced.


    Li Hua ended up blushing to hear that. Jin Yu was more vocal about her thoughts.


    ¡°We will soon,¡± L¨®ng Wei said, and looked at Li Hua with an amusing smile.


    Jin Yu and Xiaoming smiled to look at them.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we all sit? Then, we can have a long conversation,¡± Jin Yu suggested to them.


    Both L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua looked at her.


    ¡°We need to see the others too, Your Majesty,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I will call everyone here. The chamber has a lot of space,¡± Xiaoming asserted and gazed at Sun Fuguo, who was also present there.


    ¡°Tell everyone to be here except the Consort Dowagers,¡± Xiaoming ordered.


    L¨®ng Wei thought to ask about Zhu Liling. ¡°How is Queen Dowager doing?¡± He asked, looking at Xiaoming.


    The smile from Xiaoming¡¯s lips disappeared while Jin Yu¡¯s smile also faded.


    ¡°I sent her out of the ce,¡± Xiaoming replied. L¨®ng Wei furrowed his brows together. Before he could ask more about it, Jin Yu intervened between them.


    ¡°Both the brothers can talk about such thingster. Right now, we only do fun talks,¡± Jin Yu said. The informal ent in Jin Yu¡¯s voice made them smile.

 Chapter 637 - 637 Epitome of perfection [Bonus chapter]

    637 Epitome of perfection [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°Everyone is married except me,¡± Zhang Xi said while looking at all the princes seated with their respective wives.


    ¡°Even we are unmarried, Fifth Brother,¡± Xiaolian said. ¡°The Fourth Brother is also not married,¡± she added.


    ¡°But Brother Mingquan is already engaged. You two will also get married soon,¡± Zhang Xi stated. ¡°What about me?¡± he muttered.


    L¨®ng Wei gazed at Mingquan and asked him who he was engaged to.


    ¡°State Minister Lin Wujian¡¯s daughter, Lin Jiao,¡± Mingquan replied with a smile.


    L¨®ng Wei hummed. ¡°I know the state minister. I am d for the Fourth Prince,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Prince Mingquan would have been married at the beginning of this month, but he decided to wait for you two,¡± Qiu Mu informed L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°I want everyone to be a part of my marriage,¡± Mingquan replied. ¡°How is the valley of peace? Did Brother L¨®ng Wei explore everything there?¡± He curiously asked. The others also gazed at him with inquisitiveness.


    ¡°I visited the temple and the shrine where Yuze grew up and trained as a monk. I met Yuze¡¯s friend too. His thoughts are the same as those of Yuze. Everything about the valley was beautiful. It was a great experience,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and then he suddenly turned quiet.


    .....


    Li Hua ced her hand above L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand and caressed it.


    ¡°Fifteen days ago we headed to Xinshui,¡± L¨®ng Wei resumed the conversation and looked at them.


    ¡°That is why it took time for Brother L¨®ng Wei and Sister Li Hua to return to the pce,¡± Ai Fen said.


    ¡°Yes. We ended up staying more days in Xinshui. Feng Lao has to meet many people in his acquaintance,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Since Brother L¨®ng Wei has returned, he should take back his role, Governor of Qinping,¡± Mingquan opined.


    ¡°I am not interested in that. I became governor to reach the truth. My aim is fulfilled,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted. This decision he had taken after deep contemtion.


    ¡°Then, what will Brother L¨®ng Wei do?¡± Tianjie asked.


    ¡°I will assist you all,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smile. ¡°I want to enjoy my life with Li Hua by taking less stress on my head. You all are better than me in handling matters rted to the Kingdom. I am more of a self-centered person. I may fight with the officials more if I join any work than solving problems. However, I am good at giving assistance,¡± he affirmed and put his arm around Li Hua.


    Xiaoming smiled to know L¨®ng Wei¡¯s thoughts. He never wanted to be the King, but a person of his own beliefs and values. His respect for L¨®ng Wei had increased more. He was the epitome of perfection for Xiaoming.


    They all talked for almost three hours they did not realize the time.


    ¡°We made a record by talking for so many hours,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and stood up. ¡°We take our leave,¡± he stated and bowed to them. Li Hua also rose to her feet and bowed before leaving with L¨®ng Wei.


    The others also left the King¡¯s manor.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei stepped out of the carriage upon reaching Huang Xi¡¯s house. The doorkeepers bowed to see him.


    ¡°Tell Huang Xi toe outside. Do not tell him, I am here. Tell him someone wants to see him,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. The doorkeeper bowed and walked inside to deliver the message.


    After ten minutes, Huang Xi came out and looked around. ¡°Who wants to see me?¡± He turned to look at the doorkeeper and saw L¨®ng Wei before him.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei!¡± Huang Xiughed and then walked up to him to hug him. ¡°This was the best surprise I got after a long time,¡± he said while smiling.


    ¡°How have you been?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked after they pulled away from the hug. He ced his hands on his arms and kept the smile on his lips. ¡°You suddenly look like a grown-up to me,¡± he said.


    ¡°Do I?¡± Huang Xi inquired.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°I have been good, Your Highness. What about you? How are the others? Should we go in?¡± Huang Xi asked him at once.


    ¡°Everyone is good. Not inside but outside,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Outside? Why?¡± Huang Xi questioned.


    ¡°Because I want to see Chang Shi and Xiwan,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and put his arm around Huang Xi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Inform Huang Xi¡¯s parents that he is with L¨®ng Wei.¡± He told one of the doorkeepers and left with him to see Xiwan.


    In the carriage, Huang Xi told L¨®ng Wei about Xiwan¡¯s engagement.


    ¡°I wonder who is his betrothed. It must have been difficult for him to make her understand his profession,¡± L¨®ng Wei deduced.


    ¡°Not at all, Your Highness. Miss Ye Xin fell for Xiwan at the first sight. She even proposed to him to marry her only. Miss Ye Xin is the best friend of Miss Lin Jiao,¡± Huang Xi stated and narrated to him the incident that brought Xiwan close to Ye Xin.


    ¡°What about you?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°Me?¡± Huang Xi¡¯s smile suddenly disappeared.


    ¡°Princess Ai Fen doesn¡¯t like me. I also forgot her¡­ I mean, I am trying,¡± Huang Xi said. He could not lie to L¨®ng Wei and told him he still liked Ai Fen.


    ¡°You have to let go of her. There are many women in the kingdom,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I try to look at others, but it¡¯s difficult. Princess Ai Fen is calm and¡ª¡± he paused as L¨®ng Wei interrupted him in the middle.


    ¡°Huang Xi, you are hurting yourself this way,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°Since you¡¯ve always helped me. I will do something for you. I will find the best woman for you,¡± he stated.


    Huang Xi chuckled and shook his head. ¡°I am not desperate to marry anyone,¡± he said.


    ¡°But you are desperate to seek love,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Huang Xi didn¡¯t deny that statement.


    ¡°You want to experience love. Didn¡¯t you ask me to help you earlier? When I am doing, you are refusing it,¡± L¨®ng Wei beamed at him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. I don¡¯t think it is the right way,¡± Huang Xi said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you my way yet,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smirk.

 Chapter 638 - 638 I don’t want to lose a friend over a woman

    638 I don¡¯t want to lose a friend over a woman


    Xiwan ced the tray on the floor table on which two wine jars and wine cups were present.


    ¡°Are we going to drink?¡± Huang Xi asked them.


    ¡°Of course,¡± L¨®ng Wei picked up the jar and pulled the cork out. He inhaled the scent of the wine and gazed at Xiwan. ¡°You know my choice,¡± he said and poured the wine for them.


    ¡°I kept these wines in my collections for this special asion only,¡± Xiwan said. They all picked up the wine cups and toasted for L¨®ng Wei¡¯s safe return.


    Xiwan took a sip and said, ¡°We thought Prince L¨®ng Wei would return with good news.¡±


    ¡°Why all were waiting for the good news from my side?¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled before taking a huge gulp of wine.


    ¡°Because Prince L¨®ng Wei married the earliest among all,¡± Huang Xi replied.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I will be a father first among all the princes,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°I wonder what Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s children will be like?¡± Xiwan mumbled.


    .....


    ¡°Like me. They will be strong like their father and humble, and sweet like their mother,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smile and gazed at Chang Shi.


    ¡°Why are you quiet? Aren¡¯t you happy to see me?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned as he ced the wine cup on the table.


    ¡°I am happy,¡± Chang Shi said with a smile.


    ¡°Is everything good with you? Wait! Did you also find a woman for yourself?¡± L¨®ng Wei inquired him. Xiwan and Huang Xi looked at Chang Shi in astonishment.


    Chang Shi didn¡¯t reply which amused L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Why does it seem you are into someone?¡± L¨®ng Wei squinted his eyes.


    ¡°Really?¡± Xiwan asked Chang Shi why he didn¡¯t tell him about it.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei has noticed something wrong. I am usually quiet,¡± Chang Shi answered and averted his gaze from L¨®ng Wei. He drank the wine in a go which was unusual of him.


    L¨®ng Wei didn¡¯t ask him further and looked at Xiwan. ¡°Huang Xi told me how a woman proposed to you. I am happy for you. When will you two get married?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Since Prince L¨®ng Wei has returned, so I will talk with Ye Xin¡¯s parents about the marriage. I hope the marriage date is next week,¡± Xiwan said enthusiastically.


    ¡°We also hope the same,¡± L¨®ng Wei picked up the wine jar and filled their cups again.


    ¡°How is Feng Lao?¡± Chang Shi asked.


    ¡°Better than before. He hase out of his trauma,¡± L¨®ng Wei answered. ¡°He was popr amongdies in the Valley of Peace,¡± he muttered and they allughed.


    ¡°Did he not get attracted to anyone?¡± Xiwan queried.


    ¡°No,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°Feng Lao is tough to please. Princess Xiaolian has sent a love letter to him. He talked rudely to her. I heard this,¡± Xiwan stated.


    ¡°Feng Lao is another me but in an opposite way,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    All three gazed at L¨®ng Wei wondering why he said that.


    ¡°Feng Lao isn¡¯t like Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Huang Xi stated. Xiwan agreed with his words.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled while Chang Shi observed him.


    They had a great time together. Huang Xi and Xiwan drank too much that theyid there only and fell asleep.


    ¡°They both can¡¯t hold liquor well,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and held the jar.


    ¡°How was Prince L¨®ng Wei? I hope he found inner peace and mental calmness,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°I did find them. I am better now,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and brought the wine cup close to his mouth. He took a few sips before putting it on the table.


    He tilted his head and looked at Chang Shi.


    ¡°Who is the woman who has upied your mind?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    ¡°What is His Highness saying?¡± Chang Shi again avoided that question and lifted the cup to drink wine when L¨®ng Wei held it.


    ¡°Do you think avoiding the question will bring an answer to you?¡± L¨®ng Wei¡¯s question made him contemte.


    ¡°Who is the woman you like?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want it to happen,¡± Chang Shi asserted and walked out of the room.


    L¨®ng Wei frowned to hear him and stood up. He went behind Chang Shi and saw him seated on the stairs, leading to the front yard.


    ¡°What happened?¡± L¨®ng Wei sat beside Chang Shi. ¡°We promised each other to tell everything,¡± he added.


    Chang Shi sighed with a regret. ¡°I feel attracted to Princess Ai Fen,¡± he said and knitted his brows.


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Huang Xi loves her,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°He used to,¡± L¨®ng Wei corrected him. ¡°If you do not want to pursue your heart because you think Huang Xi will get hurt, then you are wrong.¡±


    They both gazed at each other.


    ¡°Huang Xi is my friend. I cannot do this to him. He does like her and holds feelings for her. I do not want to break my precious friendship with Huang Xi because of this reason,¡± Chang Shi stated.


    ¡°You deduced everything wrong when you know Ai Fen has no feelings for Huang Xi. Not even a bit. I do not know how your attraction grew toward her, but I know it didn¡¯t develop without any reason,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°She goes with me to the forest frequently. I never converse much with women nor do I feelfortable. However, around Princess Ai Fen it is different,¡± Chang Shi briefed him.


    ¡°Does Ai Fen have the slightest hint about this?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°I think so. But we both are quiet. My reason is simple. I don¡¯t want to hurt Huang Xi. I do not know about Princess Ai Fen,¡± Chang Shi stated.


    ¡°Huang Xi will only be happy to see you together with someone. You should not be worried about thinking he would not like your attraction toward Ai Fen. He has nothing to do with her anymore,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°If you think Huang Xi will get hurt, then tell him first. I know he will only be supportive of you,¡± L¨®ng Wei advised him and patted his back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose a friend over a woman,¡± Chang Shi said.


    ¡°That will not happen,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°Perhaps Ai Fen wants you to confess first to her. It is difficult for women to admit their feelings first. Xiwan¡¯s betrothed is an exception,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. His words encouraged Chang Shi a bit and he felt better sharing his thoughts with L¨®ng Wei.

 Chapter 639 - 639 Call you oldie then? [Bonus chapter]

    639 Call you oldie then? [Bonus chapter]


    Kang Horan found out about L¨®ng Wei¡¯s return as the news spread in the entire capital as a fire. He ran to the pce to see L¨®ng Wei. Not because he wanted the sixth prince to see Kang Huijuan, but because he wanted to apologize to L¨®ng Wei.


    The servant took him to the L¨®ng Wei¡¯s manor and asked him to go inside.


    Kang Horan thanked the servant and walked into the manor. His eyesnded on Li Hua, who was watering the nts and he halted in his steps.


    Li Hua was humming a song and turned around when she saw Kang Horan there. ¡°Who are you?¡± She asked and put the watering pot down on the ground before she walked up to him.


    ¡°I am Kang Horan, Your Highness.¡± He bowed to her. ¡°I am here to see Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± he informed her and lifted her head.


    ¡°Uh... Prince L¨®ng Wei isn¡¯t here. You need to wait for a little,¡± Li Hua said.


    Before she could ask Kang Horan to follow her to the guest room, she heard him say, ¡°I will stand outside the manor and wait for Prince L¨®ng Wei toe.¡± He turned to go out when Li Hua stopped him.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you wait for Prince L¨®ng Wei in the guest room? It may take him a long to return,¡± Li Hua suggested to him.


    Kang Horan turned to Li Hua. ¡°I do not want to trouble Her Highness. I can wait outside,¡± he humbly said.


    .....


    ¡°It is not trouble,¡± Li Hua said with a smile and asked him to follow her. Kang Horan could not refuse her and silently went after her.


    He was hesitating a bit to sit on the broad chair of the guest room when Li Hua told him to sit.


    Li Hua sat across from Kang Horan and said, ¡°I have never seen you before neither do I remember Prince L¨®ng Wei telling me about you.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me for not properly introducing myself, Your Highness,¡± Kang Horan first apologized and then continued, ¡°I am the youngest brother of Brother Kang Huijuan and Sister Cha Ying.¡±


    Li Hua was stunned to learn about his identity. She didn¡¯t expect Kang Huijuan¡¯s brother to be so respectful, humble, and calm.


    ¡°My elder brother made a lot of mistakes. The Princess Consort was also troubled because of my brother. I sincerely apologize for that,¡± Kang Horan said and lowered his head.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize, Kang Horan. The old things are already gone,¡± Li Hua said with a tiny smile.


    Kang Horan nced at her. ¡°But the wounds always stay there. That¡¯s why an apology is a must,¡± he asserted.


    ¡°You look very young, Kang Horan. May I know how old are you?¡± Li Hua inquired him.


    ¡°I am seventeen, Your Highness. I will turn eighteen soon,¡± Kang Horan said.


    Li Hua smiled to hear that answer. ¡°You are such a sweet boy,¡± sheplimented him.


    ¡°Whom are you calling a sweet boy?¡± L¨®ng Wei ended up hearing such apliment from outside the room and asked Li Hua as soon as he walked in. His eyesnded on Kang Horan, who stood up from his ce. Li Hua also rose to her feet seeing L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± L¨®ng Wei frowned at Kang Horan and stepped up.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei, this is Kang Horan, the younger brother of Kang Huijuan,¡± Li Hua quickly said.


    L¨®ng Wei stood next to Li Hua and gazed at Horan. ¡°Why are you here?¡± He questioned.


    ¡°Your Highness, I am here to apologize to you for the wrong my father and brother did to you. I have been waiting for the Sixth Prince for a long time,¡± Kang Horan said.


    ¡°Howe you are so sophisticated?¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked.


    Li Hua tilted her head to gaze at L¨®ng Wei and hit his arm using her elbow. ¡°Don¡¯t mind L¨®ng Wei¡¯s words, Kang Horan.¡± She faked augh and told L¨®ng Wei how young Horan was.


    ¡°Li Hua, Prince Tianjie¡¯s wife wants to talk to you. Go to her,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Oh really?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Go and talk with her,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Li Hua nodded at him and left to see Song Jia. After she went away, L¨®ng Wei looked at Horan.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need an apology from you, Kid!¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I am not a kid,¡± Horan felt offended.


    ¡°Should I call you oldie then?¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled.


    ¡°His Highness can call me by my name,¡± Horan replied.


    ¡°Using Kid is better,¡± L¨®ng Wei said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to forget your father¡¯s and brother¡¯s mistakes, so I cannot forgive them. Moreover, a third person seeking for apology makes me angry,¡± he affirmed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to anger the Sixth Prince,¡± Horan stated.


    ¡°But you did,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I apologize for that,¡± Horan said.


    ¡°Howe you are so different?¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered. ¡°You are unlike your crazy brother and father,¡± he remarked.


    ¡°I want to rectify the mistakes that my brother and father made,¡± Horan stated. ¡°Also, I met Brother Huijuan and he asked me to tell you he wants to see you once.¡±


    ¡°I refuse. Go and tell him,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    ¡°May I know why?¡± Horan looked at him.


    ¡°Because he lost his chance to turn everything right,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°Your Highness, I also do not want my brother to be forgiven. However, his child will take birth soon. At least, for the child His Highness shall see my elder brother once,¡± Horan requested him.


    ¡°His child should know what kind of father he has,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°There are thousands of criminals serving jail terms in the prison. Some have turned old, but they were never forgiven. Do you know the reason, Horan?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    Horan shook his head.


    ¡°Because that will be an injustice to many. Indeed, the family of the criminal suffers, but the victims cannot be neglected,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°I understand, Your Highness,¡± Horan said. He didn¡¯t plead with L¨®ng Wei anymore.


    ¡°Since you are the only different person I saw among them, I will see Kang Huijuan for thest time. I hope this time he doesn¡¯t humiliate me,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.

 Chapter 640 - 640 Smiling at me [Bonus chapter]

    640 Smiling at me [Bonus chapter]


    L¨®ng Wei stepped into the prison, where Kang Huijuan was locked. The cell was damp and hardly any shade of light was avable there. Kang Huijuan was lying on the floor covered in straws with his back toward L¨®ng Wei.


    L¨®ng Wei stepped up and got on his knees. He ced thentern next to him and patted Kang Huijuan¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Wake up. I am here,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    Kang Huijuan opened his eyes and turned to look to make sure he wasn¡¯t dreaming. He immediately sat up and moved a little back.


    L¨®ng Wei clicked his tongue with the roof of his mouth to see the condition of Kang Huijuan. ¡°What state have you gotten?¡± L¨®ng Wei muttered.


    ¡°I met your younger brother, who is far better than you. I didn¡¯t expect him to be full of manners,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted while looking at the wall behind Kang Huijuan.


    ¡°You stopped counting days after a while,¡± L¨®ng Wei chuckled and looked into Kang Huijuan¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Speak whatever you want to say. This is thest time you are seeing me. After today, I won¡¯te to see you even if the King asks me to see you,¡± L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    ¡°Forgive me, Prince L¨®ng Wei.¡± Kang Huijuan lowered his head as he could not meet L¨®ng Wei¡¯s gaze. ¡°I am regretful of my actions. Please forgive me. I know the Sixth Prince gave me chances to turn into a good person. However, I failed his expectations,¡± he said and pped himself. He apologized to L¨®ng Wei while apologizing to L¨®ng Wei.


    .....


    After a minute, L¨®ng Wei held his hand. ¡°You can stop, Kang Huijuan,¡± he said and stood up.


    ¡°I was never bothered about people like you who always wanted me to be locked in the cold pce. You asked me how I spent my days in the cold pce. Now, you must have known how those days were. For six months I was in the cold pce because of your lies to the former King. I wasn¡¯t allowed to get out of the dungeon for over a month. Did you realize what you do to me?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    Kang Huijuan was merely crying. He had no words to say to justify his wrong actions. He admitted his crimes, his faults, and his evil behavior toward L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Forgive me, Prince L¨®ng Wei. I do not know how much time has passed here. Forgive me,¡± Kang Huijuan said and held L¨®ng Wei¡¯s legs.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want your child to hate me, so I free you. I hope you be a good human. This is thest thing I can do for you, your wife, and your brother,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated and stepped away from him.


    He looked at Kang Huijuan, who was shocked to hear his words. He only wanted forgiveness from L¨®ng Wei. But he never knew the Sixth Prince would let him go. He would pardon him, Kang Huijuan had not expected it.


    ¡°I hope you learn from Kang Horan. He is such a bright kid,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and called in the soldiers.


    The two soldiers ran in and bowed. They were ready to listen to themand.


    ¡°Release Kang Huijuan,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and he walked out of the cell.


    Outside the cell, Horan was standing with a shocked look on his face.


    ¡°I fulfilled your wish, Kid,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and walked past him when Horan stopped him.


    They both turned to face each other.


    ¡°Earlier His Highness said that a criminal should not be forgiven because the victims are mostly affected by his actions,¡± Kang Horan said. ¡°Then, why did His Highness pardon my elder brother?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want anyone to hate me. I have already received a lot of hate from many people. I don¡¯t want his child to curse me in the future. I want a peaceful life,¡± L¨®ng Wei said with a smile.


    ¡°I was the victim of his actions, but then I found a wonderful person because of Kang Huijuan¡¯s action,¡± he stated and walked away.


    Horan was unable to understand thest statement of L¨®ng Wei. He went inside the cell and found his brothers were released from the shackles.


    Horan helped Huijuan walk forward and supported him.


    ¡°Thank you, Horan,¡± Kang Huijuan said as he put his hand around Horan¡¯s shoulder.


    L¨®ng Wei reached the pce ground, where he saw Mingquan.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei,e with me to the office. I have to show you something important,¡± Mingquan said and held his hand.


    ¡°What does Brother Mingquan want to show me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°I will tell when we reach the governor¡¯s office,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°I need to inform Li Hua before going out, or else she will be worried,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°I already told Sister-inw that I¡¯m taking her husband out,¡± Mingquan said, and he dragged L¨®ng Wei along with him.


    After they got into the carriage, L¨®ng Wei asked about Xu Zifan from Mingquan.


    ¡°He is doing well,¡± Mingquan replied.


    ¡°Hmm. What does the Fourth Brother want to show me?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    ¡°I want Brother L¨®ng Wei to meet Lin Jiao, my betrothed,¡± Mingquan said enthusiastically.


    ¡°Eh? The Fourth Brother could have brought her to the pce and why do I need to meet her? I don¡¯t even like to know about other women except for my Li Hua,¡± L¨®ng Wei truthfully told him.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, don¡¯t say that. I have been waiting for this day for a long time,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°I only said the truth,¡± L¨®ng Wei said in a low voice. ¡°How did Brother Mingquan meet Lin Jiao?¡± he inquired.


    ¡°It was a fateful encounter. I was catching someone that day and ended up meeting Lin Jiao. She is very different. It was hard for me in the beginning to understand her. But with time, I realized she should be in my life,¡± Mingquan said with a wide smile.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei, I met Uncle Qizhen in the morning. I saw himing out from your mother¡¯s chamber. I had gone to that side of the pce and ended up seeing him,¡± Mingquan informed him.


    ¡°Father misses her. He could not spend enough time with her. He is still in regret, which cannot vanish easily,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated. ¡°I wish that night I had saved her. Perhaps she would be smiling at me,¡± he asserted and sighed.

 Chapter 641 - 641 One affectionate gesture

    641 One affectionate gesture


    ¡°Sister Hua, we never conversed with each other before. However, talking to you today has given me such a strong affinity,¡± Song Jia said.


    ¡°I feel the same. The connection seems so strong between us,¡± Li Hua said and put the teacup on the table. ¡°The tea tasted heavenly,¡± she said and thanked Song Jia for brewing the tea for them.


    ¡°I am d Sister Hua liked the tea,¡± Song Jia replied.


    ¡°I do not know many things about Prince L¨®ng Wei, but I have heard from Prince Tianjie about him. Even thest night, I could not say anything to him. I hope he is doing well,¡± Song Jia said.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei is better than before,¡± Li Hua said. The servant took away the teapot and cups.


    ¡°It must have been tough for Prince L¨®ng Wei. He was wronged by everyone in the kingdom. Prince Tianjie told me after Sister Hua came into Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life, he turned better,¡± Song Jia stated.


    Li Hua hummed. ¡°We both made each other¡¯s lives better. I hade here to find the culprits behind my family¡¯s ughter and met Prince L¨®ng Wei. He has protected me since the day he returned from the cold pce. As much as he became a better man, I also found a change in myself. I transformed into a better person thanks to him and saw the world from a different perspective,¡± Li Hua affirmed while keeping a tiny smile on her lips.


    Song Jia hummed when Li Hua asked her about her journey. ¡°It must be difficult for Sister Jia to survive in a world of men,¡± she said.


    ¡°Sister Hua is right. It was difficult. Though, I could only meet an elite section of men. It was hard to keep yourself untouched by them, but I made it. In the Dragon¡¯s pce, I only see the world that men had set for us dancers. However, Prince Tianjie¡¯s one affectionate gesture could not stop my heart from falling for him,¡± Song Jia said.


    .....


    ¡°Prince Tianjie fought a lot for marrying Sister Jia,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Pardon me for intruding in the conversation of Her Highnesses,¡± the maidservant said and continued, ¡°Princess Consort Cha Ying has called you two toe to the Queen¡¯s manor.¡±


    Both Li Hua and Song Jia looked at each other before standing up.


    Upon reaching the Queen¡¯s chamber, they found the royal tailor and his assistants whom Jin Yu had called to make new dresses for every woman in the pce.


    ¡°Li Hua, Song Jia, you two took the time toe. Tell the royal tailor what kind of dresses you two want,¡± Jin Yu said.


    ¡°Her Majesty is gifting us the dresses,¡± Ai Fen told them.


    ¡°Umm¡­ I will take some time to think, Your Majesty,¡± Li Hua said. Jin Yu nodded and asked the two to sit down on the chairs. The royal tailor told them about the new styles that he discovered and would make them prettier.


    ¡°I generally prefer simple clothing,¡± Cha Ying said.


    ¡°Princess Consort Cha Ying is the wife of the Second Prince, who is the prime minister of the Qiu Kingdom. She must dress in any of these new styles to look different from the others,¡± the royal tailor stated.


    Jin Yu agreed with his words and asked Cha Ying not to hesitate to use the new style. She also ordered one dress for Jingfei and told the royal tailor to make the first dress for Jingfei.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the Queen make the first dress for herself?¡± the royal tailor asked her.


    ¡°Sister Jingfei is considered the most beautiful royaldy after Queen Dowager. Since she is married, I want to give her first then we all can have our dresses,¡± Jin Yu said. Cha Ying found Jin Yu was thoughtful of the people around her.


    ¡°When the dress gets ready, I will go and give it to Sister Jingfei,¡± Li Hua said.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Jin Yu shifted her gaze again at the royal tailor and told him he had a week to prepare Jingfei¡¯s dress.


    Xiaoming stopped outside Jin Yu¡¯s chamber when heard the voices of the women. He asked the maidservants about it.


    ¡°Your Majesty, all the royaldies have gathered on the request of Her Majesty. The Queen wants to gift a dress in new styles to each of them,¡± one of the maidservants informed Xiaoming.


    ¡°Inform me when everyone leaves,¡± Xiaomingmanded the maidservant and walked away.


    ~~~~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei hugged Xu Zifan warmly and pulled away. He ced his hands on Xi Zifan¡¯s shoulders. ¡°You look much better now. Your wife is taking good care of you,¡± L¨®ng Wei remarked. It made Xu Zifan and Mingquan smile.


    ¡°I wanted toe yesterday to see the Prince and Li Hua, but then I thought you both must be tired,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°Yes. We both were sleeping till evening,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied and pulled out the chair for him. Mingquan and Xu Zifan also took seats around the table.


    ¡°Feng Lao did note. I hoped to see him,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°Feng Lao has gone to see Chang Shi and Xiwan, Your Highness,¡± Xu Zifan replied.


    ¡°Did Li Jianjun trouble you after I left?¡± L¨®ng Wei asked.


    Xu Zifan shook her head. ¡°He regrets his actions and even apologized to Jingfei. It was tough to please Jingfei to let the past grudge go away, butter she agreed and forgave Jianjun,¡± Xu Zifan told L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°How is Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s father doing? I heard from Feng Lao he got sick in the middle of the month,¡± Xu Zifan said worriedly.


    ¡°Father got cold all of a sudden. He did not realize his age for a second and yed in rain with a few kids,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°Li Hua¡¯s birthday ising soon. What have you nned to give your sister?¡± L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    ¡°I have to think,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°What about Brother L¨®ng Wei? What will he give the Sister-inw as a present?¡± Mingquan curiously asked.


    ¡°I am confused about what to give to her,¡± L¨®ng Wei murmured when they heard a voice.


    The assistant to Mingquan informed him Lin Jiao hade to see him. Mingquan rose to his feet and asked him to let her in. After a few seconds, Lin Jiao entered the room with a wide smile on her lips. But that soon faded as she saw two unknown faces.


    ¡°You are Lin Jiao!¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his eyebrow and stood up.

 Chapter 642 - 642 Failed to find it earlier [Bonus chapter]

    642 Failed to find it earlier [Bonus chapter]


    ¡°Does Brother L¨®ng Wei know Lin Jiao?¡± Mingquan asked.


    L¨®ng Wei looked at Lin Jiao and recalled how he once saw her drinking andughing with another youngdy.


    Lin Jiao widened her eyes for a second to find that L¨®ng Wei was standing in front of her.


    ¡°I have seen her in a restaurant that sells the best noodles in the capital. She has been drinking there and created a hugemotion,¡± L¨®ng Wei said.


    ¡°When did the sixth Prince see me?¡± Lin Jiao asked with curiosity.


    ¡°The time before I went to the cold pce,¡± L¨®ng Wei replied.


    Xu Zifan silently stood there and found out that Lin Jiao was a bit embarrassed. She bit her bottom lip in nervousness and saw Mingquan looking at her. Did the men only observe her while she got drunk?


    ¡°Brother Mingquan told me about you two,¡± L¨®ng Wei said and looked at the Fourth Prince. ¡°I think Xu Zifan and I should leave,¡± he asserted and again looked at Lin Jiao. ¡°It is nice to meet you, Lin Jiao,¡± he said with a smile and walked out after bowing to Mingquan. Xu Zifan also went behind L¨®ng Wei, leaving the two of them alone.


    ¡°Was he really the Sixth Prince?¡± Lin Jiao was surprised to see the way L¨®ng Wei spoke to her. She had heard he was a bit cold to people around him.


    .....


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mingquan said and smiled at her. ¡°Even Brother L¨®ng Wei saw you and Ye Xin drinking together,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°I feel bad now. I don¡¯t know what the Sixth Prince had noticed at that time. I didn¡¯t even know a prince used toe to that restaurant,¡± Lin Jiao said with a nervous gaze.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei would have said if he had noticed anything that time,¡± Mingquan asserted and made her feel rxed. He walked up to her and ced his hands on her shoulders.


    ¡°The Sixth Prince looks better. I hope Prince Mingquan is no longer anxious about him,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    Mingquan nodded at her. ¡°You are right,¡± he lowered one arm and put another around her. ¡°He has finally achieved the happiness and inner peace of mine that he sought for a long time,¡± he told her.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei seemed gentle to me. I thought he was intimidating. I have heard from my father and brother too how aggressive Prince L¨®ng Wei is,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°Well, in some matters he bes aggressive. Brother L¨®ng Wei was mostly because of what happened between his mother and him. After sister-inw, Li Hua came into his life, he was a bit better. He started to listen to us. He valued the people around him and became more vocal about his thoughts,¡± Mingquan exined to her.


    ¡°Prince L¨®ng Wei¡¯s life was so tough. It must be difficult to live when the strings of your life were in someone¡¯s hands,¡± Lin Jiao said.


    ¡°Hmm. But Monk Yuze always was there to hold Brother L¨®ng Wei,¡± Mingquan said.


    ¡°I could not even greet the Sixth Prince and the other person with him. He may think I am such an ill-mannered woman,¡± Lin Jiao muttered.


    ¡°Brother L¨®ng Wei would have said that at your face then if he had felt that way. The other person was Xu Zifan. He is Sister Jingfei¡¯s husband,¡± Mingquan said and took her to the table near the window. He made her sit on the chair and sat across her.


    ¡°I would like to meet Princess Consort Li Hua. I have met everyone except her,¡± Lin Jiao stated.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Mingquan agreed to that.


    ~~~~~~~


    ¡°Feng Lao looks better than before, Prince L¨®ng Wei,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    ¡°He is also at peace, mentally stable,¡± L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    ¡°Jingfei and I wille to the pce tomorrow morning. She wants to see you both,¡± Xu Zifan informed L¨®ng Wei beforehand.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± was the reply from L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Is His Highness still upset with Jingfei?¡± Xu Zifan asked.


    ¡°I think my rtionship with her be like this only,¡± L¨®ng Wei stated.


    ¡°That hurt me,¡± Xu Zifan said and they both stopped in the middle of the stairs.


    ¡°Hurt you? Why?¡± L¨®ng Wei arched his eyebrows.


    ¡°Umm... Jingfei is not like before. His Highness has forgiven everyone around him. Jingfei also deserves to be forgiven,¡± Xu Zifan said.


    L¨®ng Wei resumed the walk. ¡°I was never upset with her. It is just I cannot forgive her for one thing that she said to Li Hua. I forgave all those who used remarks on me,¡± he exined to Xu Zifan.


    ¡°I know Jingfei was harsh on Li Hua. But she truly regrets whatever she did in the past,¡± Xu Zifan tried to convince L¨®ng Wei.


    ¡°Xu Zifan, let it remain the way it is,¡± L¨®ng Wei said as they reached the bottom of the stairs. ¡°Jingfei is a nice woman. No doubt. But I am unable to do that. You cane with her tomorrow morning. Li Hua is eager to see you both,¡± he said and patted Xu Zifan¡¯s shoulder before taking his leave.


    L¨®ng Wei got into the carriage and asked the chauffeur to drive to the pce.


    Once he reached the pce, he didn¡¯t go to his manor. Instead, he went to the hill where Yuze lived. After an hour¡¯s walk, he finally reached theke where he was seated after he returned from the cold pce.


    He recalled Yuze¡¯s words when he came to console him. ¡°I still miss you, Yuze. I hope you finally found peace. If you would be here, you would have cooked for me. I miss the food made by your hands.¡±


    L¨®ng Wei closed his eyes for a brief moment when he felt a hand over his shoulder. He opened his eyes and turned his head.


    ¡°Father,¡± L¨®ng Wei was surprised to see Qizhen there.


    ¡°I came here before you did,¡± Qizhen said and lowered his hand.


    ¡°There is something Monk Yuze has left for you in his writing. I think you failed to find it earlier,¡± Qizhen said.


    L¨®ng Wei¡¯s eyes glint and he looked at the yellowish paper in his father¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I cleaned Monk Yuze¡¯s ce earlier,¡± Qizhen said and put it in L¨®ng Wei¡¯s hand. He gazed at it and then at his father.


    ¡°I go back to the pce,¡± Qizhen said.


    ¡°Stay here. Let¡¯s go back together,¡± L¨®ng Wei opined and looked at the folded paper in his hand.

 Chapter 643 Candied fruit stick [Bonus chapter]

    Chapter 643 Candied fruit stick [Bonus chapter]


    Qizhen asked L¨®ng Wei to read the message left by Yuze for him. However, seeing the silence on L¨®ng Wei''s face, he decided not to pressure him.


    "Did Father read what is inside it?" L¨®ng Wei asked Qizhen.


    "Only the first line," Qizhen replied. "It addresses you," he said and sat down on the deck. He found L¨®ng Wei standing silent.


    "Why don''t you read it?" Qizhen inquired him. He took out the bamboo flute from the waistband and traced his fingers over it.


    "I wonder what Yuze has written in it. I am curious and at the same time, I fear the pain it will give me after I read it," L¨®ng Wei said and shifted his gaze at his father.


    "Did you not always want to know Monk Yuze''sst thoughts for you? There is not a single day when you have not missed him. You may tell everyone you are doing better, but only I know how much it hurts you," Qizhen said and lifted his head to look at L¨®ng Wei.


    He averted his gaze from Qizhen and decided to check thest message from Yuze.


    "L¨®ng Wei,


    I hope after I leave this world, you will understand everything. The meaning of your destiny and the path you are meant to walk on. You will get the answers to every question. As a monk, I was taught and trained to detach myself from the world. However, with you, an emotional attachment was somewhere involved. Yuze will always be by your side and he knows you will keep fulfilling your duties.


    Always remember you are the Dragon''s Son. I wish for your happiness ahead."


    L¨®ng Wei folded the paper and smiled a little. Qizhen noticed that smile and brought the flute close to his mouth.


    "Do you want to listen to your father ying ths flute?" Qizhen asked.


    "Yes."


    Qizhen startes ying the flute while L¨®ng Wei looked at his father.


    After L¨®ng Wei put the folded paper in the inner pocket of his robe, he sat next to his father and listened to him.


    ''I am finally happy, Yuze. I am the Dragon''s Son,'' L¨®ng Wei told himself in his mind.


    ~~~~~~~


    Chang Shi looked at Ai Fen, who was going through the corridor of the pce with the Third Princess. He had a bamboo slip in his hand, which he got from Qiu Mu earlier.


    Ai Fen''s eyes fell on him and she slowed down her steps. She passed a smile to Chang Shi and told Xiaolian she would see herter.


    Quickly descending the stairs, Ai Fen reached the ground. A few servants walked in between them while holding therge baskets in their hands.


    After the way got cleared, Ai Fen walked up to Chang Shi, who bowed to her.


    "How are you? You came to the pce after a long time," Ai Fen said.


    "I camest week, Your Highness. It wasn''t a long time," Chang Shi affirmed. "How is Her Highness doing?" He asked.


    "I am well," Ai Fen replied and asked him where he was.


    "I had some work," Chang Shi replied. He didn''t go into details about his work.


    "So, are you free? I didn''t go outside for a week. Do you have to pick medicinal herbs today?" Ai Fen inquired him.


    "I picked up yesterday morning," Chang Shi answered.


    "Why didn''t you tell me? I would have helped you," Ai Fen said.


    "Princess Ai Fen got injured thest time she went with me," Chang Shi asserted.


    "It was such a minor bruise," Ai Fen said. "Take me to the market. I have not gone there for a long time," she expressed her desire.


    "Princess Ai Fen should inform her mother first," Chang Shi advised her.


    "Mother will not say anything. She knows if you''ll apany me, I will be safe," Ai Fen asserted and her eyesnded on the bamboo slip in Chang Shi''s hand.


    "Do you have work to do?" Her eyes met his gaze again.


    "Not today. My work is over," Chang Shi replied. He told Ai Fen that they should go before the night fell. Ai Fen hummed and left with him to the market.


    Huang Xi, who was heading to his home, ended up seeing them getting into the carriage. He curled his fingers and his brows furrowed together.


    Upon reaching the market, Chang Shi extended his hand out for Ai Fen to get out of the carriage. She held his hand and stepped down.


    Her eyes shimmered to see the decorations, mostly the red, and yellownterns hanging. The market looked crowded because the mid-autumn festival was near.


    Ai Fen saw many groups ofdies walking to the shops to purchase dresses and other essories for them. However, she already had those things in the pce.


    Chang Shi noticed how she was ncing at the stalls, contemting something. He asked her if she would like to buy anything.


    "I have all those things in the pce," Ai Fen stated.


    "Princess Ai Fen should try those Tanghulu, the red candied fruit stick," Chang Shi said.


    "Is that safe to eat?" Ai Fen asked.


    "Of course. So many people eat that," Chang Shi stated.


    Ai Fen looked at the stall and the people surrounding it. "I would like to eat then," she said and looked at Chang Shi. They went ahead and he bought two sticks for them.


    Ai Fen thanked him and started eating. The taste was heavenly and she quickly finished one stick. She asked Chang Shi if he could buy one more. He bought another fruit candied stick for Ai Fen.


    After eating it, they both reached the river bridge, which had a lot of movement on it. In the evening, thentern yellow light illuminated the bridge.


    They both stopped at the center of the bridge on the right side. Ai Fen looked at the riverboat in which many people were seated. A smile appeared on her lips to see that.


    They ended up hearing the conversation of a group of young women, discussing their marriages when Ai Fen recalled the proposal, which she rejectedst week.


    "The King had seen a proposal for me, but I refused," Ai Fen told Chang Shi and looked at him.


    Chang Shi didn''t get the right words to say to her.


    Ai Fen had hoped he would say something to her. She thought they had chemistry between them. But his silence didn''t give her enough courage to speak up and ask him.


    "What kind of husband does Her Highness want?" Chang Shi kept his voice low.


    "Like you," Ai Fen answered.


    Chang Shi stopped blinking for a few seconds. He recalled L¨®ng Wei''s advice and decided to tell her what he thought of her. But he could not tell about his feelings in front of so many people. So, he politely asked Ai Fen to follow him.

 Chapter 644 I find comfort in her

    Chapter 644 I findfort in her


    "Ye Xin, this will look good on you," Xiwan said as he put the hairpin on her hair bun while she looked into the mirror.


    Ye Xin tilted her head to get the perfect view and smiled. "You are right. It does look good on me. Then, shall I buy it?" Ye Xin asked and turned around to face him.


    "I will buy it. You can buy other essories too," Xiwan said. The shop owner told them he had the premium quality jades with him and asked them if they would like to check them.


    "Sure," Xiwan asked him to pack that hairpin that the shop owner took from him. After putting the hairpin into the box, he showed them a couple of jade rings.


    "We already have rings," Xiwan showed him his fourth finger.


    "But we can buy one more pair," Ye Xin opined.


    "That''s what I am trying to say," the shop owner said while smiling. "This white jade with gold carving over it is considered rare. It is tough to get them at a cheaper rate," he asserted.


    Ye Xin took the ring from the shop owner and inserted it into Xiwan''s index finger. "It fits you," she said and lifted her head.


    "Usually women wear white jades," Xiwan said. He wasn''t a fan of white color.


    "I''ve seen many men wear white jade rings," Ye Xin affirmed.


    The shop owner agreed with Ye Xin''s words. Xiwan nodded at him and then asked him to pack those rings.


    "We should wear them," Ye Xin said and asked him not to remove the ring. She gave him the ring and asked him to insert it on her index finger.


    Xiwan made her wear the ring and paid the money for the rings and hairpin.


    They walked ahead, holding each other hands. "I heard from Lin Jiao on the day that she met Prince L¨®ng Wei," Ye Xin said. "Did you also meet the Prince?" She asked.


    "I did. I was going to tell you about it. Last night, Prince L¨®ng Wei hase to my ce and we had fun. We talked for long hours. I told Prince L¨®ng Wei about us and I''m so eager to meet your family tomorrow for fixing the marriage date," he stated.


    Ye Xin''s eyes glimmered with happiness and she told Xiwan she was ready to officially be his wife.


    "I am also ready to be your husband," Xiwan asserted with a wide smile.


    "I will see you off home. You must reach home before dinner," he said and they both left the market.


    ~~~~~~


    Chang Shi and Ai Fen came out of the sight of many people. They were standing under the trees that were standing tall. Thenterns were hanging from one tree to the other, thus keeping the region illuminated.


    "Does Princess Ai Fen think of me as a man because I have started seeing her as a" Chang Shi took a brief pause before finishing, "woman?"


    Ai Fen slightly nodded her head. "It is tough to find a man like you. If I want to marry anyone, then it will be you," she stated.


    Chang Shi felt this foreign feeling inside him. It was hard for him to believe that he was a choice of someone. "I would love to marry Princess Ai Fen," he said with a smile. I like you, Princess."


    Ai Fen lowered her eyes for a brief moment and continued to smile. "Why did you not tell me ever? We met so many times," she asked.


    "I was scared thinking Princess Ai Fen might get upset with me. I was unsure about many things," Chang Shi said.


    Ai Fen hummed and asked him to forward his hand.


    Chang Shi gazed at her with inquisitiveness and then he forwarded his hand. Ai Fen ced her soft hand above his. "Ask the King for my hand. Will you? I want you to talk with His Majesty. I can do it, but the feeling will be different if you do it," she asserted.


    Chang Shi smiled and agreed to her. "I will do it, Princess Ai Fen." He inteced their fingers and lowered their hands before taking a step toward her.


    "Why did Princess Ai Fen never say about her feelings before?" Chang Shi asked.


    "I could not get the right time. I thought you did not like me. I had a lot of things on my mind too," Ai Fen truthfully told him.


    "When I saw you in the pce today, I came to you for this reason only. For a week, when I didn''t see you, I was a bit worried," Ai Fen asserted.


    "Forgive me for disappearing for a week without telling Her Highness," Chang Shi said and held her second hand too.


    Ai Fen shook her head slightly. "Don''t apologize," she said. "I know you do a lot of work, Chang Shi. Did you miss me in that one week?" She then asked.


    "I did miss Princess Ai Fen. I missed talking for hours with her. I findfort in her," Chang Shi said and curled his fingers around her hands.


    "Then, include me in your life for eternity. I will be upset if you dy anything," Ai Fen said.


    "I will talk with His Majesty about us," Chang Shi promised her.


    "Isn''t that Chang Shi?" Feng Lao muttered, who was with Huang Xi. "Who he is with? Is that a woman?" he mumbled.


    Huang Xi halted in his steps and looked in the direction where Feng Lao had his gaze.


    Because Ai Fen had their back toward them, Feng Lao could not recognize her. However, Huang Xi recognized her by the outfit. They saw them hugging and it brought a smile to Feng Lao''s lips.


    "Chang Shi is seeing this woman and he didn''t tell anyone," Feng Lao said and gazed at Huang Xi.


    "I need to go," Huang Xi said.


    Feng Lao found his behavior strange. "But you told me you needed to¨C"


    "Not anymore," Huang Xi said and turned away. Before Feng Lao could speak, Huang Xi walked away.


    "What happened to him?" Feng Lao knitted his brows together.

 Chapter 645 It was never your fault [Bonus chapter]

    Chapter 645 It was never your fault [Bonus chapter]


    Huang Xi wiped the tears from his eyes using the back of his palm and picked up the porcin cup which was filled with wine. He was seated in a private room of the famous wine shop of the capital.


    It was the fourth jar that he had finished. Ai Fen''s words kept ringing in his ears like the sound of a bell. He gulped the wine and plonked the cup on the table.


    He heard the door slide and lifted his head. In front of him, Feng Lao and L¨®ng Wei were standing. They looked at the four wine jars on the table and then at Huang Xi.


    Feng Lao closed the door behind him while L¨®ng Wei went toward Huang Xi. He got on his knees and checked the jars.


    "You became good at drinking," L¨®ng Wei remarked as he found the three of those big jars were empty. The fourth one was half empty, which Huang Xi could have finished soon if they hadn''te there.


    "Huang Xi, are you alright?" Feng Lao asked.


    Huang Xi gave no reply. He silently stared at the cup before him. L¨®ng Wei sat down and so did Feng Lao.


    "Prince L¨®ng Wei should return to the pce. Feng Lao should go home," Huang Xi asserted.


    "I was in the pce and have toe especially for you. We had to search a lot of ces to find you," L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Huang Xi nced at L¨®ng Wei and apologized to him for creating inconvenience for him. He again lowered his head.


    Feng Lao opened his mouth to speak when L¨®ng Wei gestured to him not to speak.


    After ten minutes, Huang Xi finally spoke. "Why did Princess Ai Fen not see my good side? I said the truth only that time. I told myself I did not like her. But today, when I saw them I felt jealous and hurt. I should not feel this way. Chang Shi is my friend, but I feel angry too."


    Huang Xi delivered his feelings to them. He was hurt that Chang Shi was the man whom Ai Fen chose.


    "Perhaps she was not the one for you, Huang Xi," Feng Lao said. "You need to understand that love should happen both ways. We all know how good you are at heart. Princess Ai Fen perceived you wrongly and it was never your fault," he tried to console Huang Xi.


    "Chang Shi wasn''t ready to express his feelings for Ai Fen because he thought you would be hurt and it might impact his friendship with you," L¨®ng Wei told Huang Xi another truth.


    "Then, why he did do that?" Huang Xi questioned.


    "He always lived an aloof life. You know this too. Chang Shi didn''t know he would be sofortable around Ai Fen. He usually gets a bit ufortable around women. I told him he should admit his feelings for Ai Fen." L¨®ng Wei revealed to him.


    "I wish I had never fallen in love," Huang Xi stated. "Chang Shi had led a tough life. I am happy for him, but these negative emotions in me making me feel¨C" he was unable to say them, so paused and pursed his lips together.


    "I was also angry, jealous, and hurt when Li Hua married Prince L¨®ng Wei," Feng Lao said.


    L¨®ng Wei gazed at him and chuckled while Huang Xi knitted his brows together.


    "I can use our example, can I, Prince L¨®ng Wei?" Feng Lao inquired.


    "Hmm."


    "Li Hua was in love with me and I was in love with her. However, it didn''t go that way. I was envious to see Li Hua with Prince L¨®ng Wei. I had all sorts of negative thoughts too. But the woman I loved was no longer in love with me. My love wasn''t meant for her. With time, I had this realization. You cannot hold the time and the person. Princess Ai Fen was never yours. So, move on from her. That way you''ll also be happy," Feng Lao exined to him.


    "He is right. It is about the time and the person. You cannot dwell on one-sided feelings. Look at yourself. You are not the Huang Xi whom I know," L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    Huang Xi nodded at him. "I know," he murmured. "Chang Shi is a nice man. Princess Ai Fen and he were looking good together," he added and smiled at them.


    "Do you want to talk to Chang Shi?" L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    "Now?" Huang Xi wasn''t ready. "I think I will talk to him tomorrow," he proimed.


    "Great! Then, should we leave?" L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    "Yes," Huang Xi said and stood up. He faltered a little when Feng Lao held his arm.


    "Be careful," Feng Lao said.


    "We don''t you to be a heavy drinker," L¨®ng Wei remarked and they went out of the room. Soon, they were out of the main gates of the shop.


    They got into the carriage and dropped Huang Xi at his home.


    Feng Lao told L¨®ng Wei he would go to his home, which was within a walking distance from there.


    "Okay."


    Feng Lao closed the door and the carriage went to the pce.


    The streets were empty since the curfew hours were going to start soon. Feng Lao turned his right to follow the short passage to his house when he bumped into someone.


    Feng Lao bnced himself from falling and looked at the woman who had fallen on the ground. Her bag full of clothes fell to the other side.


    He rushed to her and apologized to her. The young woman rushed to the other side to pick up her bag and heard the voicesing from behind.


    He noticed the bruises at the left temple of her forehead and also found she was bare feet. She looked behind in fear and thought to run away since Feng Lao didn''t respond to her. Her eyes fell on the shadows and she ran to the front.


    "Miss!" Feng Lao shouted and turned around, but she was already vanished from his sight.

 Chapter 646 I am Miaoran [Bonus chapter]

    Chapter 646 I am Miaoran [Bonus chapter]


    Three men, who looked like the guards of a household, approached Feng Lao and asked him if he saw a woman running away.


    "I did," Feng Lao said.


    "Where did she head to?" The middle one asked.


    "To the north," Feng Lao lied about the direction to them. The three of them ran to the way Feng Lao told them. Once they disappeared from his sight, he went to the way where the woman had headed to.


    The young woman''s leg gave up. She had not eaten anything for three days. She halted to take a rest for a while. Her hold on her cloth bag tightened and she caught her breath.


    Her head was aching badly because of the blow she got on her head. Her eyes were gradually closing, but she shook her head since she could not sleep.


    After five minutes, she was ready to leave but the wound on her right leg did not let her. She fell to the ground and took heavy breaths. Pushing her rugged skirt up, she found the wound had opened up. The bleeding was intense on it.


    "Miss, are you alright?" Feng Lao asked and got on her knees. She quickly pushed her skirt down and stood up. "I sent those three men in the other direction," he asserted while panting.


    "Thank you," the young woman said and decided to go ahead with her limped foot.


    "Miss, you are injured and it iste at night. The curfew will start soon. If the soldiers see you, they will send you back to those people" Feng Lao stated.


    She was terrified to hear that. However, the young woman shook her head since she could not trust anyone, especially men.


    "In this state, the young miss will not be able to cover arge distance. I know trusting an unknown man at night time is difficult, but if I had to harm you, I would have done by now," Feng Lao stated. "Those three men may find you soon. It is better to hide from them now," he humbly said.


    The young woman contemted for a few seconds and then agreed to go with Feng Lao. He didn''t harm her either and only helped her even though he should not be concerned about it.


    They started to walk when Feng Lao noticed her limping walk. He asked her if she would like to get on his back to which she shook her head.


    Feng Lao didn''t say anything and after half an hour reached the residence. The guards at the entrance bowed to see Feng Lao and looked at the woman.


    Feng Lao held her arm gently and helped her in ascending the stairs. As they entered the front yard, Feng Lao let go of her arm and heard Jingfei''s voice.


    "Where were you?" Jingfei stopped speaking further as she saw a woman with Feng Lao. Jingfei walked to them and asked him who the woman was.


    "Even I do not know. I wanted to help since she was being chased by three men," Feng Lao said.


    "Oh. That''s bad. What''s your name?" Jingfei asked the young woman.


    "I am Miaoran."


    "Miaoran,e with me. Feng Lao will bring the physician with him," Jingfei said and ced her arm around Miaoran''s back.


    "At this hour, it is tough to find a physician. The curfew has also started," Feng Lao stated.


    "I am alright," Miaoran said. "Please don''t be disturbed because of me."


    "I will dress your wounds, Miaoran," Jingfei said.


    "Thank you for helping," Feng Lao expressed his gratitude toward Jingfei.


    She smiled at him, "It''s alright. You should go and take a good rest," and she took Miaoran to a guest room.


    On the other hand, Feng Lao went to his room. He decided to take a bath first before having dinner and going to the bed.


    ~~~~~


    "What? Commander Huang Xi was upset because Princess Ai Fen chose Chang Shi?" Li Hua muttered.


    "Yes. He is badly hurt," L¨®ng Wei replied.


    "That''s so upsetting to hear," Li Hua asserted.


    "It is. Huang Xi waste. He kept his feelings hidden for a long time. Perhaps Ai Fen was not the one for him," L¨®ng Wei asserted and sat on the bed.


    "Prince L¨®ng Wei, the mid-autumn festival is near. What will we do?" Li Hua asked.


    "What do you want us to do?" L¨®ng Wei asked as hey on the bed and tilted his head to look at her.


    Li Hua kept the smallntern on the top of the table while blowing off the others. She turned to him and said, "I do not know. That''s why I asked His Highness." She went toward the bed andy by his side while he covered them with the quilt.


    "Hmm. We will celebrate it with everyone here in the pce. I never attended any festival with zeal in the pce before," L¨®ng Wei suggested to her.


    "That will be great," Li Hua answered and ced her hand over his chest.


    "I got Yuze''sst message, Li Hua," L¨®ng Wei informed her.


    "Really? How? Last time His Highness could not find it," Li Hua asserted.


    "Father found it. I forgot to clean Yuze''s ce, but he did. And then he found thest message that Yuze had left for me while cleaning. I was so desperate to know Yuze''sst thoughts for me," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    "How did His Highness feel about it?" Li Hua inquired.


    "I felt happy to read his words. I am happy that I finally achieved what he wanted for me. He always desired my happiness and chose me above everything. I feel special. Yuze is always around me. This I know," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    "Monk Yuze loved Prince L¨®ng Wei a lot...as if he was his own son. Whenever I met him, his words showed those emotions. Monk Yuze yed the role of a father as well as a mother for Prince L¨®ng Wei," Li Hua said.


    "Hmm. You are right. That is why I never want to disappoint him," L¨®ng Wei affirmed.

 Chapter 647 I am married

    Chapter 647 I am married


    Xu Zifan and Feng Lao drank tea in the morning at the pavilion of the garden. "Jingfei told mest night you brought a woman home. Who is she? She was badly injured," Xu Zifan said.


    "I saw three men were after her. It looked like she was beaten badly. I also didn''t get the chance to talk to her. Her name is Miaoran," Feng Lao said.


    "Is she from a noble household? Jingfei said Miaoran was quiet all the time. She may be talking to Miaoran now," Xu Zifan stated.


    "I guess Miaoran is from a noble family. The guards weren''t ordinary. I feel they might have reported to the inspectors, so soon the investigation may start," Feng Lao opined.


    "Then, what do you want to do?" Xu Zifan queried.


    "I don''t know. I cannot intervene in other household matters. I may have to tell her to leave after she gets recovered," Feng Lao asserted.


    "You always help the women who are in problem," Xu Zifan said and sipped the tea. He praised Feng Lao for his kind gestures.


    "I ended up encountering that Miss," Feng Lao said and he took thest sip of the tea before putting the teacup on the table.


    Before Xu Zifan could speak, a servant came there and informed them toe to the room where Miaoran was staying, as per Jingfei''s request.


    Both of them left the pavilion and soon reached the guest room.


    "Miaoran wants to leave," Jingfei informed them, looking at the two.


    Miaoran was seated on the chair with her hands tightly clutched on her cloth bag. "I am thankful to all of you for letting me stay here at the night. However, I cannot stay for long here." She lifted her head and looked at Feng Lao.


    "Where will Miss Miaoran go?" Xu Zifan questioned.


    "I will go out of the capital," Miaoran replied in a low voice.


    "Which household does Miss Miaoran belong to?" Feng Lao inquired.


    Miaoran gazed at him and hesitated a bit to tell about it. "Forgive me, Lord, I cannot tell about it," she said, keeping her voice low.


    "If Miss Miaoran belongs to a noble household of any rank, then she may get caught. That''s why she should tell us which family she belongs to?" Feng Lao suggested to her.


    "Feng Lao is right. Miaoran, tell us about it," Jingfei also insisted on her.


    "I-I am from the Chen Family," Miaoran replied.


    "Isn''t the Chen Family the biggest merchant family in the capital?" Xu Zifan said immediately.


    "Yes," Miaoran replied.


    "Are you a servant in the Chen Family?" Jingfei queried.


    Miaoran shook her head. "I am the middle daughter-inw of the Chen Family," she replied.


    "Oh. Forgive me. I di-didn''t know," Jingfei said and looked at her husband. The condition in which Miaoran hade made her believe she was a servant.


    "I can manage to leave the capital. Thank you to¨C" she could notplete her sentence as Feng Lao interrupted her in the middle.


    "You should not leave this residence," Feng Lao said in an authoritative tone.


    Xu Zifan and Jingfei nced at him.


    "If the Chen Family finds out that we have kept their daughter-inw, it will be a problem," Jingfei said.


    "They will kill her," Feng Lao said and briefly nced at Jingfei.


    "I don''t want to create trouble for any of you," Miaoran said and she rose to her feet. She bowed to them and walked ahead. Feng Lao noticed her limped leg while Xu Zifan wondered if Feng Lao would not stop her.


    "Stay here. Nothing will happen to you as long as you stay in this residence," Feng Lao asserted. Miaoran halted in her steps and looked into his eyes.


    Xu Zifan held Jingfei''s hand and told them he would leave them alone for the conversation. Quickly, he left the room with Jingfei and closed the door behind him from the outside.


    Feng Lao walked up to Miaoran and took her cloth bag from her. "I am Shui Feng Lao." He introduced himself to her and ced the bag on the circr table.


    "Have a seat and let''s have a conversation," Feng Lao said.


    Miaoran hummed and went back to the chair to sit on it. After they took their respective seats, Feng Lao said, "When you feel right, you can talk to either me or my sister-inw, Jingfei. For now, I won''t ask many questions except one."


    Miaoran raised her head to look at him.


    "Are you married or are you a widow?" Feng Lao questioned.


    Miaoran''s eyes filled with tears. Her lips quivered and she said, "I am married."


    "That''s why I should not stay here. If my husband finds out I have taken shelter in a residence other than his, you may all fall into trouble," Miaoran stated. She didn''t let her tears fell and sniffled.


    Feng Lao was in a dilemma. He could not keep a married woman in his house.


    Seeing his silence, Miaoran understood that he would not stop her. She didn''t either want to stay in the capital.


    "Does your husband use violence on you? Because your wounds say it all. He may catch you again. Then, what will you do? Sorry, I asked more than one question," Feng Lao said.


    Miaoran had no answer to this question.


    "Stay here," Feng Lao affirmed.


    "But¨C"


    "Nothing will happen," Feng Lao said and told her he was capable enough to protect her.


    "I don''t want any danger to fall upon any of you. The Chen Family is powerful. If my father-inw finds out, I am staying here, he will punish all of you since he knows many ministers in the capital," Miaoran stated.


    "Don''t worry about that. Since your husband and his family did wrong to you, so only they will be punished. I am capable enough to do that," Feng Lao assured her safety and told her to have the breakfast.


    He stood up to leave when Miaoran asked, "Is Lord Shui a minister too?"


    "No," Feng Lao refused.


    "Then?"


    "I hold the rank of a chief inspector. I work with Prince L¨®ng Wei," Feng Lao answered with a smile. "My sister-inw was the first princess of the Kingdom before marriage while my friend, Xu Zifan, is the brother of Prince L¨®ng Wei''s wife. I hope all this is enough for you to remain stress-free," Feng Lao asserted and passed a tiny smile to her before leaving the room.

 Chapter 648 Inside the Chen Family [Bonus chapter]

    Chapter 648 Inside the Chen Family [Bonus chapter]


    Both Xu Zifan and Jingfei gazed at Feng Lao, who informed them about Miaoran''s situation.


    "If she is married, then it may arise a lot of problems. You know what the rules are! We cannot keep the woman from the other household especially the one, who is married. I am concerned about you more," Xu Zifan stated with a concerned expression.


    "But she is abused. Her wounds were scary. Even the physician in the morning wondered how Miaoran survived," Jingfei asserted.


    "You are right, Jingfei. But Feng Lao may be summoned and falsely used for no reason. I also want to help thatdy, but before that, we need to think of other measures too," Xu Zifan opined.


    "The Chen Family head maye after me, but he will not let out the heinous crimes his second son ismitting," Feng Lao stated. "I cannot let her leave, Xu Zifan," he added.


    "Then, what do you want to do?" Xu Zifan wanted to know what n he had in his mind.


    "I will first find out what is going on inside the Chen Family," Feng Lao stated.


    "Will it not be easy to ask Miaoran? She can tell everything," Jingfei opined.


    "I need to find out what kind of husband Miaoran has. After that, I will think of further action," Feng Lao exined to them.


    "Hmm. Whose help will you take? Xiwan and Chang Shi are good at spying," Xu Zifan asserted, "but these days Xiwan is busy. You should ask Chang Shi for help."


    "Chang Shi will also be busy. I will do it myself. If I need more help, I will ask Prince L¨®ng Wei," Feng Lao said.


    "Hmm. Lady Miaoran is safe as long as she stays here. We will provide her with the best environment. However, don''t fall in danger because of all this," Xu Zifan again expressed his concern.


    Feng Lao smiled and replied, "I won''t." He stood up to take his leave when Xu Zifan asked him where he was leaving.


    "To begin the work. The earlier, the better," Feng Lao said and walked away.


    "Xu Zifan, I heard how powerful merchants are. Do you think it is good to hide Miaoran here?" Jingfei furrowed her brows together.


    "Let''s have faith in Feng Lao. I know it will bring questions on him, but he will tackle it," Xu Zifan said.


    ~~~~~~


    Chang Shi after informing Xiaoming about him and Ai Fen met Huang Xi at his residence. From the house servant, he found out Huang Xi was a little sick. It worried Chang Shi and he headed to see Huang Xi in his room.


    Chang Shi walked in as he saw the doors open and found Huang Xi on the bed.


    "What happened, Huang Xi?" Chang Shi approached him and he halted next to the bed.


    Huang Xi opened his eyes and looked at him. He was a bit surprised to see Chang Shi and sat up on the bed.


    "I drank a lotst night," Huang Xi replied and asked Chang Shi to sit across him on the bed.


    Chang Shi understood why Huang Xi drank and he felt guilty for that. "Did you get it checked with the physician?" He asked.


    "No. It is not a big problem to get it checked," Huang Xi replied with a tiny smile.


    "Forward your left hand," Chang Shi said. "I will examine you," he added.


    "Ahh, I am fine. Do not worry about me," Huang Xi stated and asked him why he visited him.


    Chang Shi grabbed his left hand and pushed the sleeve up. He checked the pulse first and then his eyes. "Drink Ginseng tea," Chang Shi said and told him to wait for a minute.


    Before Huang Xi could stop Chang Shi, he disappeared from his sight.


    After a minute, Chang Shi entered again and sat next to him. "You are themander in the army. You cannot neglect your health this way. Also, you should not drink too much. You know people who are heavy drinkers die early," he said with slight annoyance in his tone. He was angry at Huang Xi for consuming too much alcohol.


    "I won''t drink anymore," Huang Xi said and averted his gaze from him.


    "Give me a reason to believe you," Chang Shi demanded.


    "Because Ai Fen can never be mine," Huang Xi replied.


    Chang Shi furrowed his brows together and wondered if he saw themst night. But there was no one around. He made sure no one would notice him and Ai Fen.


    "I was upsetst night, so I drank more than my limit. I was a fool to waste my time like this. But I have understood," Huang Xi said and he let out a chuckle.


    "Forgive me, Huang Xi," Chang Shi said and lowered his head.


    "Why are you apologizing to me?"


    "I¨C"


    "It was not your fault. I am happy for you, Chang Shi," Huang Xi said with a smile.


    Chang Shi raised his head to look at him. "So, you know about us. I didn''t know when it happened. I never wanted to hurt you. I am apologetic toward you," he asserted.


    "Don''t apologize to me. You did nothing wrong. Ai Fen never had an interest in me. I am d she chose you. You are a perfect man for her. I am excited to see you both getting married," Huang Xi said and smiled at him.


    Chang Shi still didn''t believe him. He thought Huang Xi was saying those words to keep his heart.


    "What is that look on your face? Do you think I am lying to you?" Huang Xi muttered.


    Chang Shi nodded at him.


    "Ayee. I am telling the truth. How should I make you believe me?" Huang Xi asked him.


    Chang Shi didn''t reply to him as he had no answer to it.


    "Last night was thest time I held feelings for Ai Fen. I was a bit hurt to see you two hugging each other. However, when Prince L¨®ng Wei and Feng Lao talked with me, I understood. I cannot push my feelings on someone who never saw me as a man. I had a long battle with my thoughts. In conclusion, I let those remaining feelings go away. I am truly happy for you and Ai Fen. Soon, you will start a family and I cannot wait to be a part of your wedding," Huang Xi said and brightly smiled.

 Chapter 649 Youve created a trouble

    Chapter 649 You''ve created a trouble


    "Look at that tree. Can you see the flower buds on its branches?" L¨®ng Wei asked Li Hua. They both were on the same swing in the manor''s garden.


    "I can see," Li Hua said.


    "Soon, we will see the pear blossom season," L¨®ng Wei said and rested his head on her shoulder. "With that, we will celebrate your birthday too," he stated with a smile.


    He grasped her hand and yed with her fingers.


    "Prince L¨®ng Wei isn''t going to work since the day he hase to Qinping. Will he keep doing this?" Li Hua asked him.


    "I have nothing to do," L¨®ng Wei said.


    "Don''t lie," Li Hua muttered and he lifted his head to look at her.


    "When did I lie?" L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    "I heard Prince Mingquan is busy with lots of work. The same goes for Prince Tianjie and Prince Zhang Xi. However, Prince L¨®ng Wei didn''t bother to help anyone of them," Li Hua stated.


    "Hmm. I am not interested in taking any headache," L¨®ng Wei said and looked at her lips. He leaned in toward her and kissed her upper lip. "Don''t you like it seeing your husband be with you most of the time?" He ced his calloused finger under her chin. "Hmm?"


    "I do, but Prince L¨®ng Wei should work too. I suppose if he goes to work, then all the princes'' workload will lessen. The officials will also work efficiently if Prince L¨®ng Wei keeps an eye," Li Hua stated.


    "I am an advisor. When they will need me, I will help them. If they won''t, I will keep resting," L¨®ng Wei asserted. "The wives get happy when their husbands give them maximum attention, but you are getting angry at me. I didn''t expect it," he said.


    "I am not angry at Prince L¨®ng Wei. I don''t want him to bezy. I like to be with him," Li Hua said and passed a smile to him.


    "Pardon me for intriguing in." They both heard the maidservant''s voice and tilted their heads. "Shui Feng Lao is here to see the Sixth Prince," she informed them.


    L¨®ng Wei got confused to hear that and asked the maidservant if she told Feng Lao to wait in the guest room.


    "Yes, Your Highness," the maidservant replied.


    "You may leave," L¨®ng Wei said. They both rose to their feet and went to see Feng Lao.


    Feng Lao stood up from the broad chair to see them and bowed his head.


    "What happened?" L¨®ng Wei asked and gestured to Li Hua to take the seat. However, she remained standing beside him.


    "Your Highness, I need your help," Feng Lao said.


    L¨®ng Wei gazed at Li Hua. "You wanted me to work and already a work hase to me," he said.


    "Did I disturb you two?" Feng Lao asked in an informal tone.


    "Yes."


    "Not at all."


    L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua spoke at the same time. Feng Lao smiled to hear their response.


    "We were enjoying our private moment. She was going to kiss me when the maidservant interrupted us," L¨®ng Wei said and looked at Feng Lao.


    Li Hua widened her eyes and hit L¨®ng Wei''s arm. "When did I do that? Feng Lao, the Prince is lying," she mumbled and told L¨®ng Wei that she was going to see Jin Yu.


    "Don''t be angry at me. I was only teasing you," L¨®ng Wei said and asked Feng Lao to turn away.


    Feng Lao turned away immediately when L¨®ng Wei quickly kissed Li Hua. She blushed and walked out of the guest room.


    "What help do you need?" L¨®ng Wei asked him. "Li Hua is gone," he said.


    Feng Lao again turned to face him. "Your Highness, I want to go inside the Chen Family. However, it is difficult for me," he stated and saw L¨®ng Wei had taken the seat. He also sat on the chair and briefed the incident from thest night.


    "You kept a married woman in your house?" L¨®ng Wei arched his eyebrows.


    "I know I should not do this, but I have no other way," Feng Lao stated.


    "Do you wish to die early?" L¨®ng Wei questioned him.


    Feng Lao was dumbfounded by that question and he shook his head.


    "Then, tell that woman to go to her family," L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    "But Your Highness, her husband may again beat her. Miaoran is already weak," he said with a worried expression.


    "Feng Lao, you know if her husband finds out she is with you, what will happen," L¨®ng Wei asked him to be pragmatic.


    "I only helped a person from¨C"


    "No. You''ve created a trouble, not for her, but for yourself. You should have sent her to her house in the morning. The rest of the action you could have takenter. I don''t want rumors about you to circte," L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    Feng Lao furrowed his brows together. "What should I do then? I don''t want ady to suffer from the abuse, Your Highness," he stated.


    "I know this, but people do not know this. They will think you two have something together. Let''s first send Miaoran to her house," L¨®ng Wei advised him.


    "She isn''t ready to go there. She wishes to go to the other city," Feng Lao said.


    "I will meet her. Let''s go to your house," L¨®ng Wei said and stood up. Feng Lao went behind him. At the imperial gates, L¨®ng Wei asked a soldier to bring the horse for him.


    Soon, they left to see Miaoran on the horses. Jingfei was surprised and happy to see L¨®ng Wei. She weed him and asked him if he was doing well.


    "I couldn''t meet Brother L¨®ng Wei that day. He wasn''t in the pce," She said.


    "How have you been?" L¨®ng Wei asked her.


    "I am good," Jingfei said and told L¨®ng Wei that Xu Zifan wasn''t at home.


    "I am here to meet Chen Miaoran," L¨®ng Wei told Jingfei. "Bring her to the guest room. I have something to ask her and tell her," he stated.

 Chapter 650 Holds more power than me [Bonus chapter]

    Chapter 650 Holds more power than me [Bonus chapter]


    Miaoran bowed to see L¨®ng Wei and kept her head down. Jingfei asked her to take a seat and waited for her to sit down. Feng Lao sat next to L¨®ng Wei while Jingfei sat near Miaoran.


    "Why did you run away from the house?" L¨®ng Wei didn''t beat around the bush and directly jumped at the question.


    Miaoran raised her head to look at him and then gazed at Feng Lao for a brief moment.


    "If you want our help, then you need to tell us everything. If your family, particrly your husband finds out that you are here, it may bring trouble to my friend," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    "Forgive me, Your Highness. I wanted to leave. I will leave soon." Miaoran was too scared that she was unable to speak her thoughts well.


    "Where will you go? You are well aware of the power of the family where you are the daughter-inw. Also, Feng Lao and I came from the capital''s investigation office. There has been a search going on for you," L¨®ng Wei informed her.


    Miaoran was shocked to learn about it. Her hands started to tremble which Feng Lao noticed.


    "Answer my previous question. Why did you run away from the house? Is it because of your abusive husband and inws? If yes, then do you think it will be easy for you to get out of the capital? The Chen Family holds a good power," L¨®ng Wei exined to her and then waited for her reply.


    "Miaoran, you should tell everything to Brother L¨®ng Wei. He will help you in a better way," Jingfei encouraged her to speak.


    "I don''t want to live in that house. I don''t want to die, Your Highness," Miaoran said and tears appeared in her eyes. "I didn''t want to bring trouble to anyone," she said in a low voice.


    "Does your husband use violence?" L¨®ng Wei asked.


    "Yes," Miaoran replied. L¨®ng Wei looked at the right side of her face and found a purplish bruise on it.


    "Divorce your husband," Feng Lao finally spoke.


    Miaoran looked at him and then lowered her gaze.


    "My husband is not ready to divorce me. I tried many times. That''s why I decided to run away," Miaoran said.


    "What is his name?" L¨®ng Wei questioned her.


    "Chen Xiao, Your Highness," Miaoran answered.


    "Has hemitted other immoral acts?" L¨®ng Wei queried her.


    Miaoran hesitated to speak when L¨®ng Wei said, "I need to know everything in order to help you, Miaoran."


    "He invited his mistress into the residence many times. Soon, she will be his wife. I have no problem with that. However, he is not ready to divorce me either, Your Highness," Miaoran said and tears poured down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them as she didn''t want to fall weak.


    "Can you walk?" L¨®ng Wei asked her. "I heard your leg is injured," he said.


    "I can walk," Miaoran replied.


    "Let''s go to the Chen Residence," L¨®ng Wei stated and stood up.


    "Pardon me, Your Highness?" Miaoran was astonished to hear that. Feng Lao and Jingfei were stunned too.


    "Do we have to go now?" Feng Lao queried and rose to his feet. The other two also got up from their ces.


    "Yes. We should go to them and tell them Miaoran is with us before they find out it," L¨®ng Wei opined.


    "Chen Xiao will tie me up if I go there. Your Highness, I do not wish to go there," Miaoran said and joined her hands to plead with him.


    "Miaoran, I am saying it because you are a married woman. If they find out Feng Lao rescued you, they will take another meaning of it. I don''t want the dignity of you two to be trampled by some strange rumors. Also, for your better future, we need to go there and demand a divorce from your husband for you," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    "You don''t need to be afraid of your husband anymore. He has no right to forcefully keep you in the house. Moreover, he deserves punishment too for making this condition of yours. Don''t you want this?" L¨®ng Wei questioned her.


    "I will be happy if His Highness punishes him," Miaoran said and again her eyes turned watery. All these years, nobody could punish her husband. Even her parents didn''t stand up for her and she had to bear everything.


    "Then,e with us. In my presence, no one can say anything wrong to you," L¨®ng Wei stated and looked at Feng Lao. "We may need a carriage to go to the Chen Residence," he said.


    "I will arrange it," Feng Lao said and walked out.


    "Can His Highness punish Chen Xiao? The Chen Family knows many ministers," Miaoran was still doubtful because she had never heard about L¨®ng Wei''s might.


    "No one can speak in front of Brother L¨®ng Wei," Jingfei stated. "They all fear him." She asked her not to be scared and told him a bit about L¨®ng Wei.


    "Since when did you start praising me?" L¨®ng Wei asked Jingfei.


    "You still talk rudely with me. I am elder than you," Jingfeiined.


    "I don''t see you as an elder," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    "Why are you arguing with me? I am not the old Jingfei anymore," she got irked with him.


    Miaoran was astonished to see the two arguing with each other as if they were siblings.


    "If you were the old Jingfei, you would have taught a good lesson to Chen Xiao for doing this to a woman. Am I right?" L¨®ng Wei asked and looked at Miaoran.


    "Ahh, yes. I can do that now too. I only need to ask Brother Xiaoming and he will punish Chen Xiao to death," Jingfei pronounced.


    L¨®ng Wei smiled and gazed at Miaoran. "Jingfei holds more power than me. After all, her elder brother is the King," he affirmed with a smile.


    "Yes, I can," Jingfei said and gazed at Miaoran. "Do you want me to go to my brother?" She inquired.


    "I do not want to bother the King for this trivial matter," Miaoran said.


    "It is not a trivial matter. A man should respect his woman," L¨®ng Wei stated. Before he could speak further, Feng Lao interrupted them and informed them the carriage was ready.

 Chapter 651 No longer a family matter

    Chapter 651 No longer a family matter


    L¨®ng Wei got out of the carriage and the guards at the entrance of the Chen Residence quickly got down the stairs. They bowed to him while one of them asked the reason for his visit.


    "I am here to see Chen Xiao," L¨®ng Wei said. The guard looked at him and went inside to inform him about the Sixth Prince''s first-time visit to them.


    In the second carriage, Miaoran was present. Feng Lao opened its door and asked her to step out. She ced her foot on the footte but because the distance between the ground and the footte was huge, she was unable to step down.


    "Here." Feng Lao lifted his forearm and gestured to her to keep her hand on it. She thanked him and finally stepped down. He found the scary expression on her face.


    "Everything will be fine," Feng Lao said to make her feel a bit better.


    Chen Zhicun, the head of the Chen Family, came running out of the residence followed by his eldest son, Chen Yixuan.


    They both bowed to L¨®ng Wei and weed him to the Chen Residence. Their eyes fell on Miaoran and for a second, their eyes grew bigger.


    "Let''s go in," L¨®ng Wei said as he briefly nced at Miaoran and Feng Lao.


    L¨®ng Wei asked Miaoran to take the seat, who did. Feng Lao also sat after her while Chen Zhicun stepped up to sit in his ce.


    "Did I ask you to move?" L¨®ng Wei''s voice intimidated him and he stopped midway.


    "Forgive me, Your Highness," Chen Zhicun apologized and asked L¨®ng Wei if he would like to drink tea. L¨®ng Wei refused and asked him to summon the entire family.


    "We were looking for Sister Miaoran since yesterday night. We didn''t know she would be with¨C" Chen Yixuan could not speak further as L¨®ng Wei red at him.


    "I didn''t give you permission to speak," L¨®ng Wei coldly said.


    Feng Lao smiled to see their tongues got tied in front of L¨®ng Wei.


    Chen Yiyi, the wife of Chen Zhicun, and her younger son, Chen Ling also came to the guest room.


    "Your Highness, Chen Xiao isn''t at home. He has gone out for work," Chen Zhicun lied after the servant whispered something in his ear.


    "Bring Chen Xiao here," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    "Miaoran, where did you go away? We were so worried for you. Chen Xiao has gone out to search for Miaoran sincest night," Chen Yiyi said and quickly went toward Miaoran.


    "What''s wrong with your face? Did you fall somewhere? I will call the physician for you," Chen Yiyi showed her fake concern toward her.


    L¨®ng Wei pressed the fingers on the temple of his forehead.


    "Do I look like a fool to you?" L¨®ng Wei beamed at her. "Don''t even touch her. I will break your hands," he said while scrunching his brows. "Get up and stand where you were," he ordered her.


    Chen Yiyi felt humiliated and looked at her husband. "I am only concerned for my daughter-inw," she said and again looked at L¨®ng Wei.


    "There is no need to do that. It has been a while since Ist punished someone. So, stand quietly at your ce," L¨®ng Wei pronounced.


    Chen Zhicun asked her wife toe to him and sheplied with her husband.


    "I know everything that happened with this youngdy," L¨®ng Wei said, referring to Feng Lao. "She has been tortured here and her husband is doing adultery. Bring Chen Xiao to the residence in the next thirty minutes along with his mistress. Chen Zhicun, if you failed to do so, I will send your entire family to prison," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    "Pardon me, Your Highness. But the Sixth Prince cannot order something on which he holds no authority," Chen Yiyi stated.


    "This is the matter of the Chen Family and without any evidence and official, he cannot tell us anything he pleases." Chen Yiyi didn''t want the reputation of her family to go down in the pit.


    "Your wife loves to speak in front of me," L¨®ng Wei asserted while looking at Chen Zhicun, who apologized to him and asked her wife to stay quiet.


    Miaoran was a bit terrified thinking L¨®ng Wei mighte into danger.


    "That''s why you should keep yourself updated. I don''t need anyone''s order because I got direct authority from the King," L¨®ng Wei said and took out the gold que, which Xiaoming had given him.


    "Is this enough?" L¨®ng Wei arched his eyebrow.


    "It is no longer a family matter. A woman is abused by her husband and her inws. When she ran away, three men were sent to chase her. Do you think you can hide your crimes after theye to my notice? No matter how many ministers you know, I am above them all. Royalty is above all," L¨®ng Wei affirmed, thus giving an answer to Chen Yiyi''s second question.


    "You have twenty minutes left. If Chen Xiao doesn''t show himself here, you all will be imprisoned," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Chen Yixuan and Chen Ling quickly rushed out of the residence.


    "I want to hear the truth only, Chen Zhicun," L¨®ng Wei finally rose to his feet and walked up to him. He took out the dagger from his waistband which made Zhicun gulp in fear.


    "Are you aware of your son''s terrible and immoral acts?" L¨®ng Wei questioned him and slowly pulled out the dagger from the scabbard.


    "Yes," Chen Zhicun replied.


    "Then, why did you stay quiet?" L¨®ng Wei asked. "Did your wife," he looked at Chen Yiyi, "raise her hand at Miaoran? Did you raise your filthy hand at her?"


    "Forgive me, Your Highness," Chen Zhicun said when L¨®ng Wei ced the pointed de of the dagger under his chin.


    "Did I ask you to apologize? Answer what I am asking you," L¨®ng Wei sternly said.


    "It h-happens sometimes, Your Highness," Zhicun was unable to speak because of fear.


    "I am not satisfied with your answer," L¨®ng Wei said and asked him how would he like to get punished. "Do you want an instant death or a torturous death?" He asked with a menacing look.

 Chapter 652 She is not an object [Bonus chapter]

    Chapter 652 She is not an object [Bonus chapter]


    "Why is His Highness doing this? Why would we raise our hands on our daughter-inw? I think Prince L¨®ng Wei is misunderstood." Chen Zhicun stopped speaking as the pointed edge of the de cut his skin.


    "I told you I would not entertain lies," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Chen Yiyi caught L¨®ng Wei''s leg as she got on her knees. "Please don''t do anything to my husband," she requested him.


    "Tell your wife to get away. It makes me mad when people prevent their loved ones from their wrongdoings," L¨®ng Wei told Zhicun.


    "Yiyi, get away," Zhicun told his wife, whoplied with her husband''smand.


    Feng Lao smiled to see that and looked at Miaoran, who was astonished to see how L¨®ng Wei made everyone stand on their toes.


    L¨®ng Wei withdrew the dagger and took it in his left hand. "What if I p you the same way you pped thisdy?" He questioned him and gazed briefly at Miaoran.


    "Would you like to p him?" L¨®ng Wei asked.


    Miaoran shook her head. "He is an elder," she said. Zhicun heaved a sigh and told his daughter-inw to tell L¨®ng Wei he never pped her.


    L¨®ng Wei turned his head to look at him and chuckled. "Asking her to lie in front of me. You have gotten guts to do that," L¨®ng Wei said and fisted his palm. He pinched Zhicun and he fell to the floor.


    Miaoran covered her mouth with her hands because this wasn''t expected of her.


    "My Lord!" Yiyi started crying and shouted for the guards. She told L¨®ng Wei he wasn''t doing right by abusing them.


    "I have not started that yet," L¨®ng Wei said and red at the guards. They didn''t dare to step up and stop L¨®ng Wei while Yiyi kept telling them to save them.


    Zhicun somehow got up and went on his knees. "Your Highness, forgive me. I was wrong. I will never do that," he said with tears forming in his eyes. He was never pped in his life. L¨®ng Wei''s name was enough to terrify him and he asked his wife not to speak.


    "Why, My Lord? We shouldin to the Minister of Justice about it," Yiyi was ready to take the matter to the ministers.


    Miaoran was worried to hear that.


    "Ahh, this olddy!" L¨®ng Wei muttered and pinched the skin between his brows. He looked at the guard and gestured to him toe forward.


    The guard stepped up. "Call the Minister of Justice here. Don''t bete," L¨®ng Wei ordered him.


    Zhicun scolded his wife and begged L¨®ng Wei not to do so.


    "How can I not hear the request of the olddy? She is my elder after all," L¨®ng Wei said with an evil smirk and looked at the guard. "Why are you standing here? Leave!"


    The guard quickly ran out of the house. L¨®ng Wei looked at his knuckles and then at Zhicun, "When parents don''t teach their children, the lesson is taught the other way. You should not have let this matter fall into my ears, Chen Zhicun. I go crazy seeing the injustice with women."


    Chen Zhicun gulped to see the menacing look on L¨®ng Wei''s face.


    "Chen Xiao is here!" Chen Yixuan said while catching his breath. Miaoran stood up to see her husband at the door, who red at her.


    "Did you create this mess?" Chen Xiao asked Miaoran as he looked in her direction. He shouted at her when his elder brother, Chen Yixuan told him to stay quiet.


    Chen Xiao didn''t pay heed to his elder brother and bellowed at Miaoran, "Where were you since thest night?"


    Feng Lao rose to his feet and stood in front of Miaoran.


    L¨®ng Wei snickered to see Chen Xiao''s behavior toward Miaoran. Zhicun ran to his second son and asked him to calm down. He whispered, "Prince L¨®ng Wei is here. So, stay quiet."


    "I don''t care!" Chen Xiao said and looked at L¨®ng Wei. "Doesn''t the Prince knowws? He has no right to intervene in my family matter. I can do anything I want with my wife. I own her not the Prince!" He proimed.


    L¨®ng Wei startedughing and it bewildered all of them present in the guest room. Zhicun feared that L¨®ng Wei would kill all of them.


    "She is not an object, Bastard!" L¨®ng Wei said and walked up to him. He grabbed Chen Xiao''s robe, and continued, "I knowws better than you. I have the right to intervene in matters when a human is exploited."


    "That''s why you worked as a puppet for the former King and let him exploit your own mother. You should not show highly of yourself in front of us. You killed your mother and such humans have no ce to live among us," Chen Xiao didn''t refrain from giving out a remark which infuriated L¨®ng Wei.


    Feng Lao told Chen Xiao to stop his nonsensical talks.


    "You know a lot of things about me. I feel privileged," L¨®ng Wei said.


    "Who doesn''t know how the Sixth Prince take the life of his own mother?" Chen Xiao muttered when L¨®ng Wei threw a hard punch at him. He kicked Chen Xiao hard on the abdomen before he could bnce himself.


    L¨®ng Wei threw him out of the room and then pushed him down the stairs. Everyone rushed out to stop L¨®ng Wei, but he didn''t listen to any of them.


    "Brother L¨®ng Wei!" Mingquan arrived there and held L¨®ng Wei.


    "Leave me!" L¨®ng Wei told Mingquan, who kept holding him back.


    Chen Xiao had lost consciousness because of the beating. He pushed Mingquan away when Feng Lao stood in front of him. He held L¨®ng Wei''s arms and asked him to calm down.


    Mingquan again held L¨®ng Wei''s arm and told him to calm down.


    He jerked Mingquan''s hand off his arm and red at him. "Don''t stop me. I want to wipe out his existence," he muttered.


    "I will handle the matter. You aren''t in your right mind. Brother L¨®ng Wei cannot beat him to death. He is already unconscious," Mingquan said with a stern tone.

 Chapter 653 I want to rectify my mistakes [Bonus chapter]

    Chapter 653 I want to rectify my mistakes [Bonus chapter]


    Miaoran didn''t expect the matter to increase to a level that would lead L¨®ng Wei to beat Chen Xiao. Her mother-inw, Chen Yiyi, started cursing her as she cried looking at her son who was lying unconscious on the ground.


    Mingquan seeded in lowering L¨®ng Wei''s anger. After Chen Xiao was taken to his room, Mingquan told Chen Zhicun to prepare for the divorce between the two.


    "Pardon me, Your Highness?" Zhicun didn''t expect it. "His Highness tried to kill my son. I will take the matter to the King!" Zhicun announced.


    "I don''t care. Go and tell the King. Why did he bring my dead mother into this conversation?" L¨®ng Wei asked him and took a step forward when Mingquan held his arm.


    Minister of Justice, Fu Lihuo, arrived at the residence and saw the blood stains on the floor. He looked at the princes when Zhicun raj to him.


    "I am d youe here. I request Minister of Justice to arrest¨C" Zhicun could not finish his words as Mingquan interrupted him.


    "Chen Zhicun, your son did wrong. He has no right to defame Prince L¨®ng Wei and bring his mother in the conversation," Mingquan said and took a step forward.


    "Minister Fu, there is no need to investigate anything neither this matter will go to the King. Because in the end, Chen Xiao will be considered wrong," Mingquan asserted.


    "What if my son has died? Chen Xiao didn''t say anything that could be a trigger for the Sixth Prince. Prince L¨®ng Wei hase here with the intention to kill my son. I will go to the King and ask for justice myself," Chen Zhicun pronounced.


    "Go to the King then," L¨®ng Wei stated in a loud enough voice. "Who is he to bring my dead mother into the conversation which didn''t even involve her? I would like to see all of you rotting in the prison. Go to the King and tell him everything. Don''t forget to tell His Majesty how your son behaved with his wife. Do you think I will let him breathe among us after what he did?" He shouted at Zhicun.


    Chen Zhicun got terrified and lowered his head. He was unable to speak anything.


    Fu Lihuo looked at Mingquan and asked him if he would look into the matter.


    "Yes. Minister Fu can also join me," Mingquan asserted.


    Chen Zhicun wondered if he brought doom upon himself and asked them if L¨®ng Wei would not be punished.


    "Why would I be punished? I did right to beat your son. He has no right to bring my mother into a conversation," L¨®ng Wei affirmed.


    "The Sixth Prince is right, Chen Zhicun," Fu Lihuo said in his deep voice. "No one is allowed to speak about it in a wrong way. Prince L¨®ng Wei''s mother is a deceased person and bringing her name into a conversation is irrelevant. Your son may get severely punished for it if the matter goes to the King," he exined to Zhicun.


    Zhicun was a bit scared to hear about it and looked at L¨®ng Wei, who was burning with anger.


    "I am leaving," L¨®ng Wei informed Mingquan and Feng Lao. "Make sure Miaoran gets rid of that evil man," he told Feng Lao and walked away.


    "Bring your son to the ground of the capital''s administrative office. The judgment will happen there," Mingquan told Zhicun and gazed at Fu Lihuo.


    Feng Lao went to Miaoran and asked her toe with him. Miaoran nodded and she followed Feng Lao.


    As they came out of the residence, Feng Lao noticed that L¨®ng Wei didn''t leave in the carriage in which they hade. He paid the carriage''s driver and entered the second one with Miaoran.


    In the carriage, Miaoran gathered her courage and opened her mouth to speak. "Lord Shui, will Prince L¨®ng Wei be punished? I didn''t want it to happen."


    "Prince L¨®ng Wei will not be punished. Chen Xiao spoke wrong, so he deserved that beating," Feng Lao stated.


    "I feel guilty," Miaoran said and lowered her gaze again.


    "Don''t be," Feng Lao told her. "Your husband should be guilty of his wrong actions and words," he asserted.


    ~~~~~


    L¨®ng Wei encountered Kang Huijuan as he was heading to the pce. He ignored Kang Huijuan and walked at his pace.


    "Prince L¨®ng Wei, how have you been?" Kang Huijuan asked.


    L¨®ng Wei took a brief halt and said, "Good." He walked ahead without speaking further and made Kang Huijuan follow him.


    "His Highness doesn''t look well," Kang Huijuan said and started walking along with him. "I wanted to thank His Highness but could not get the right time to see him again," he stated.


    "Huijuan, I am not in the right mood to speak with you. You should leave," L¨®ng Wei said with a stern tone.


    "Why doesn''t His Highness share about it with me?" Kang Huijuan asked him.


    L¨®ng Wei sighed and stopped. "What? What do you want from me?" He asked. "Say it quickly!" He raised his voice at Huijuan.


    "Ah, I was...I..." Kang Huijuan stuttered.


    "Get lost," L¨®ng Wei said with annoyance and again resumed the walk.


    Kang Huijuan furrowed his brows together. "Who annoyed Prince L¨®ng Wei?" He murmured and followed him silently.


    "I thought only I could irk Prince L¨®ng Wei," Kang Huijuan said after he silently followed the prince. "Prince L¨®ng Wei should tell me the name of the person who did this. I will make sure to teach a good lesson to that person," he affirmed.


    L¨®ng Wei stopped again. "Kang Huijuan, you are not supposed to behave this way. You should go home instead of following me. I told you to stay away from me. You should follow thatmand," he affirmed.


    "Your Highness, I want to rectify my mistakes," Kang Huijuan said. "So, tell me who annoyed His Highness. I am as good as Prince L¨®ng Wei in punishing the people," he muttered.


    "Chen Xiao," L¨®ng Wei replied and turned to look at him. "You don''t need to do anything, Kang Huijuan. It''s good to see you''ve changed a bit," he added.


    ~~~~~


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 Chapter 654 Because my mother was involved

    Chapter 654 Because my mother was involved


    "Shouldn''t you be at your home?" L¨®ng Wei asked Kang Huijuan. "Your brother told me that you would be a father soon. The delivery is near," he stated.


    "I was heading home, but I couldn''t stop myself from talking to the prince," Kang Huijuan replied. "Prince L¨®ng Wei didn''t give me the chance to properly apologize to him," he asserted.


    "I have forgiven you already. That''s why you are out of prison. Had you thrown away your ego earlier, I would have let you go out of the prison," L¨®ng Wei said.


    "I regret my old self," Kang Huijuan said. "So, why was Prince L¨®ng Wei looked infuriated?" He asked again. "What did Chen Xiao say to the prince that angered him?" He took steps toward L¨®ng Wei.


    "I don''t think we share a rtionship where we both can tell each other anything," L¨®ng Wei remarked.


    "His Highness is right," Kang Huijuan said. "I found out everything from my father that happened a few months back. Forgive me Prince L¨®ng Wei for always judging you and ridiculing yourte mother. I know my apology will not be enough to show my sincerity, that''s why I want to show it with my actions."


    L¨®ng Wei extended his hand to his shoulder and ced it there. "It''s alright. I also med her all my life, so I never truly cared what others has to say," he stated and patted Kang Huijuan''s shoulder before lowering his hand.


    "Your Highness, did Chen Xiao say anything rted to your past?" Kang Huijuan asked.


    "That matter is already taken care of. You should go home, Kang Huijuan." L¨®ng Wei instead of responding to him told him to go home. He didn''t want to speak about the incident that happened in the Chen Residence.


    Kang Huijuan didn''t urge anymore since he would find out himself about it.


    "Did you apologize to the Queen?" L¨®ng Wei suddenly asked him. "You killed the man who looked after the Queen for years," he asserted.


    "The King refused me to see the King. He said I should not show my face to Her Majesty. She wanted me to be dead. I am guilty of my actions. However, I didn''t want to kill him. I only wanted to damage that house and restaurant from the fire so that the documents would nevere into His Highness''s hands," he said while keeping his head low.


    L¨®ng Wei chuckled. "You could have burned them in your house too," he muttered. "That crime of yours is unforgivable. However, if you truly want to reflect on your past mistakes, you should remain loyal to them and do something which could be useful for society," he advised Kang Huijuan.


    "I understand, Your Highness," Kang Huijuan said.


    "I will leave now," L¨®ng Wei said and walked ahead while Kang Huijuan kept gazing at him until the prince disappeared from his sight.


    The guards and the soldiers at the imperial gate bowed to see L¨®ng Wei.


    "Your Highness, where were you?" Chang Shi pronounced, who wasing from the front. He ran to L¨®ng Wei, who hade to a sudden halt.


    "Where did His Highness have gone? I wanted to tell him something," Chang Shi stated.


    "Say it," L¨®ng Wei said.


    "I informed the King about my feelings toward Princess Ai Fen. I told His Majesty I would like to marry the Second Princess. Also, I talked with Huang Xi. Everything is good now. His Highness was right," Chang Shi said. He wanted to share this happiness of his with L¨®ng Wei first since he was the one who encouraged him to go with his feelings.


    "That''s great. So, when are you two marrying?" L¨®ng Wei asked while smiling.


    "It is not decided yet, Your Highness," Chang Shi replied.


    "The sooner, the better," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    "Is Prince L¨®ng Wei alright? He seems a little down," Chang Shi said.


    "Oh, I am fine. Just a bit tired," L¨®ng Wei replied.


    "Forgive me for stopping Prince L¨®ng Wei midway," Chang Shi apologized.


    "Don''t apologize. You are excited to share the news with me. I am happy for you, Chang Shi. You lived so many years in aloofness. Finally, there is someone with whom you will spend your entire life," L¨®ng Wei stated and smiled at him.


    "His Highness is right," Chang Shi agreed with him. He spent more than fifteen years staying alone in that house. Soon, Ai Fen would live with him as his wife and he could not wait for that period when he would bring her home as his wife.


    "Will you not see her?" L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    "Oh, I will. I thought to first search for Prince L¨®ng Wei," Chang Shi said.


    "Let''s go inside," L¨®ng Wei said and he hung his arm over his shoulder.


    After L¨®ng Wei dropped Chang Shi outside Ai Fen''s chamber, he went ahead to his manor.


    L¨®ng Wei pushed the door open of his chamber and went inside. His feet stopped to see Li Hua on the patio. "Wasn''t she with the Queen?" He mumbled and went to the patio.


    "What are you doing here?" L¨®ng Wei asked Li Hua as he stopped next to her. She turned around to face him and wore a smile on her lips.


    "Oh. I returned an hour ago and thought to wait for the prince here," Li Hua said and held his hands. "Why is there blood on His Highness''s knuckles?" She immediately asked and then nced at him in worry.


    "Did His Highness get injured?" She again looked at the knuckles.


    "No. I beat someone," L¨®ng Wei answered and fisted his palm, "until he got unconscious."


    "Did he say something to you?" Li Hua inquired.


    "Will you not scold me? I thought I would not get into fights anymore," L¨®ng Wei said.


    "There must be a reason behind it," Li Hua said. "His Highness is not a small kid whom I''ve to scold," she added.


    L¨®ng Wei peered into her eyes and then hugged her. "I never felt bad when anyone took my mother''s name. This is the first time I beat someone because my mother was involved," he said with a bit of anger in his voice.

 Chapter 655 Occupied with your thoughts [Bonus chapter]

    655 upied with your thoughts [Bonus chapter]


    Li Hua ced her hands on L¨®ng Wei''s back. "It''s alright. I know that person must have said wrong about thete mother. Prince L¨®ng Wei did right. If I had been there, I would have done the same," she said.


    L¨®ng Wei pulled away and looked at her. "You aren''t angry at me," he was puzzled.


    "Why does His Highness want me to be angry at him?" Li Hua asked.


    "I don''t want to. I was merely asking," L¨®ng Wei replied and again hugged her. "Comfort me more," he urged her.


    "How?" Li Hua seemed confused about it.


    "You should find out," L¨®ng Wei said.


    "His Highness is acting like a kid," Li Hua remarked.


    "Am I?" He pulled away and peered into her eyes.


    "Yes. Ahh, I almost forgot to tell a piece of good news to His Highness," Li Hua pronounced.


    "What is it?"


    "Brother Chang Shi hase earlier. He asked for Princess Ai Fen''s hand in the marriage," Li Hua said with glistening eyes.


    "I heard it from Chang Shi. We met earlier," L¨®ng Wei said.


    "Oh. His Highness already knew," Li Hua murmured.


    "He was waiting for me to return to share the news with me," L¨®ng Wei affirmed. "Xiwan and Chang Shi will soon be married probably by the next week," he added.


    "I didn''t meet Brother Xiwan''s betrothed. I only heard that she was the one who proposed to Brother Xiwan first," Li Hua stated.


    "Yes. Do you want to meet her? I have to ask Xiwan about it," L¨®ng Wei said. He hung his arm around her shoulder and they both turned to face the rock garden outside the patio.


    "What about Commander Huang Xi? Is he alright? I hope he doesn''t get upset upon getting the news about Brother Chang Shi and Princess Ai Fen," she stated.


    "Chang Shi and Huang Xi have already talked about it. Huang Xi is happy for his friend," L¨®ng Wei said.


    "Leave everyone aside. What about us? When will you give me the good news?" He asked and the two tilted their heads to gaze at each other.


    "I don''t know," Li Hua replied. "I got checked with Physician Peng as the courtdy asked me to. Everything is fine with me, but I do not know when it will happen," she asserted.


    "Am I making His Highness wait for too long?" Li Hua asked.


    "No. I was curious to get that feeling. When I meet the King, he tells me about a lot of things, so it has made me curious," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    "It will be the most beautiful feeling in the world, Prince L¨®ng Wei. Having our child in our arms will give us immense happiness. Just think about it," Li Hua said.


    "What if our child hates me for the wrongs I''vemitted? I get anxious to think about that," L¨®ng Wei said.


    "It will never happen," Li Hua said.


    "My past can never be changed, Li Hua," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    "But your present has changed. That''s what the prince wanted. He wanted to live happily. That''s what he always desired. Our future kids will be the strength of their father," Li Hua affirmed and smiled at that thought.


    "Since you say this, I believe you." L¨®ng Wei drew her close and leaned down to kiss her cheek.


    ~~~~~~


    Chang Shi sipped the tea and looked around the chamber. He saw many handicraft works used as showpieces and he asked Ai Fen about them.


    "I have crafted them in my leisure time," Ai Fen replied and put the teacup on the table.


    "Those are beautiful crafts. I hardly got attracted toward such art and crafts, but these unique crafts grabbed my attention," Chang Shi said and he sipped the remaining tea. He put the teacup on the table and saw Ai Fen had picked up the teapot.


    "I won''t take more tea, Princess," Chang Shi said.


    Ai Fen nodded and put the teapot down.


    "Thank you for fulfilling your promise," Ai Fen said and asked him to wait for a minute.


    "What?" He eximed and saw Ai Fen going to the inner chamber.


    After a minute, Ai Fen returned with a robe in her hand. Chang Shi stood up from his ce and looked at her in astonishment.


    "This I made for Chang Shi in the workshop of the pce. I hope he will like the design," Ai Fen said and forwarded the robe to him. Chang Shi was mesmerized by the feeling that Ai Fen made something for him with her hands.


    He epted the round-cored robe and opened it. It was off-white in shade with golden patterns all over it. He scanned his eyes all over the robe when Ai Fen told him he could check the fitting.


    "Here?"


    "Yes. Why are you shy?" She then chuckled. "I didn''t ask you to undresspletely," she mumbled and reached out her hands to the top of his left shoulder.


    Chang Shi had stopped blinking. His gaze remained fixed on Ai Fen''s face, who had unbuttoned the robe from his shoulder. "I believe I have enough right to do this," he heard her say.


    "Of course," Chang Shi said and again blinked. He tried the robe that Ai Fen made for him and didn''t hook the buttons.


    "It looks fit to me," Chang Shi said with a smile. His hands roamed over the robe. "Thank you for this beautiful present, Princess Ai Fen," he said with a warm smile on his lips.


    "When did the princess design it? It must have taken a lot of time for her," Chang Shi said.


    "I started at the beginning of thest week. The workers also helped me, so the robe got ready faster than usual ones," Ai Fen replied and again brought her hands to his shoulders. "May I?" She asked for permission first to remove the robe.


    "Hmm."


    Ai Fen pulled it out of his sleeves and folded it. Chang Shi put on the original robe and again thanked Ai Fen to make such a robe for him.


    "I can make a lot of things for you," Ai Fen said and looked at the button which was loose on his shoulder.


    She ced the robe in her hand on the table and then hooked the button on his shoulder. "Now, it is perfect," Ai Fen said and looked into his eyes. "You should not call me princess anymore. I would like to hear my name from your mouth," she expressed her desire and smiled at him.


    "Sure, Ai Fen," Chang Shi said.


    "That shows the affinity between us," Ai Fen remarked and lowered her eyes for a brief moment.


    She again gazed at him when his hand rested on her jawline and his fingers grazed over her smooth skin. "I cannot wait to have you as my wife. You truly filled my monotonous days with something exciting. When I am alone at home, I think of you only. My mind is upied with your thoughts all the time," he asserted.


    "Take me your home soon, then. You will see me in front of you all the time," Ai Fen said and showed a white-teeth smile to him.


    "I will," Chang Shi said and looked at her lips. He shook his head and slowly moved her hand back when Ai Fen grabbed it. She took a step forward to close the remaining small distance between them. She lifted her weight on her toes and lightly kissed his lips beforending her feet on the floor.


    Chang Shi again rested his hand on her jaw and ducked his head to im her lips. They closed their eyes and kissed each other to their heart''s content. When they withdrew, Chang Shi brought his other hand to her another cheek and said, "I love you, Ai Fen."

 Chapter 656 Father will never accept me

    656 Father will never ept me


    Feng Lao handed the ss of water to Miaoran, who thanked him. She took a few sips of water and put the ss on the table.


    "Is the Sixth Prince alright? I would like to apologize to His Highness for what happened in my inws'' house. My husband crossed the limits of his madness," Miaoran said while keeping her gaze low.


    "That was a different matter, which has nothing to do with Lady Miaoran," Feng Lao said. "By tomorrow the divorce will be finalized and then Lady Miaoran can live in peace." He passed a gentle smile to her.


    "Still, I feel it was because of me," Miaoran said and fiddled with her fingers.


    "It must have been difficult to live with a man like Chen Xiao," Feng Lao decided to distract her. "Did Lady Miaoran ever think to run away before from that marriage? I suppose if she had gone to the ministry of justice before, she wouldn''t have suffered so much," he opined.


    Miaoran raised her head to look at him. "I tried thrice, Lord Shui. However, I had limited knowledge of such a ministry. I went to my family too, but they asked me to bear it," she stated.


    "It hurts when the family doesn''t help," Feng Lao said and looked at the bruise on her neck. He felt bad for her. "For five years, Lady Miaoran bore the torture. I admire that you have at least tried to run away," he asserted while showing empathy toward her.


    "But I failed all three times. I am thankful to Lord Shui for helping me that night. I want to repay his kindness to me," Miaoran said.


    "I didn''t help Lady Miaoran to take something from her," Feng Lao replied. "I did a duty of a nobleman," he added.


    "I never knew men like Lord Shui existed," Miaoran stated.


    Feng Lao smiled a little. "There are a lot of men like me in the Kingdom. Prince L¨®ng Wei is another such man," he affirmed.


    Miaoran agreed with his words. She had never thought the prince of the Kingdom woulde to her rescue.


    "Everyone fears Prince L¨®ng Wei. I have heard a bit about him before my marriage. I never knew he was such a great personality," Miaoran said.


    "Where will Lady Miaoran go after separating from her husband? Will she go to her father''s home?" Feng Lao asked.


    "Father will never ept me. I will go to some other ce," Miaoran stated.


    "You can stay here. Xu Zifan and Jingfei also want that," Feng Lao said.


    Miaoran pursed her lips together and knitted her brows. "I do not wish to trouble you all," she said.


    "Then, stay here for a month at least. Your wounds must get healed by that time. I don''t think Lady Miaoran should travel when she''s not healthy enough," Feng Lao suggested to her.


    Miaoran nodded at him and thanked him again.


    "You should take some rest. I will take my leave," Feng Lao said and walked out of the room.


    ~~~~~~


    Lin Jiao tapped her fingers on the surface of the table. She had been waiting for Mingquan since the morning, but there was no trace of him. The assistant to Mingquan was nowhere to be seen either.


    Lin Jiao heard the voices and stood up to check at the door. After a minute, Mingquan entered and stopped briefly to see her.


    "Did I make you wait for too long?" He asked as he resumed the walk toward her.


    "No. I knew the Prince was busy," Lin Jiao said.


    "How have you been?" Mingquan asked as he brushed away the hair strands from her cheek. "We could not see each other for two days," he said.


    "I have been well," Lin Jiao said. "My wedding dress will soon be ready. What did the royal astrologer say about the wedding date?" she asked.


    "Look at your desperation to marry me!" Mingquan remarked. "You were so against getting married," he muttered.


    "I found the right person, so I should marry him," Lin Jiao replied.


    Mingquan smiled at her and looked at her outfit. "You look beautiful in this dress," heplimented her.


    "The color suited me well. The Fourth Prince knows in what clothes I look good," she asserted. "Ahh, I almost forgot to tell Prince Mingquan that Bai Jue hase to apologize to me," she informed him.


    "To your house? When did hee?" Mingquan got worried.


    "Yesterday," Lin Jiao replied. "My father and brother were home at that time. Bai Jue was released from prison a week ago. He decided to apologize to me. Everything is even between us now," she stated.


    "However, I cannot forgive him," Mingquan said.


    "Bai Jue seemed different," Lin Jiao stated.


    "So? He tried to force his feelings on you. I hate such people," Mingquan remarked.


    Lin Jiaoughed. "The Prince is head over heels for me," she mumbled.


    "What about you?" He took a step closer to her.


    Lin Jiao continued to smile at him but didn''t give a response. Mingquan kissed her cheek and gazed into her eyes. "Last night, I had a thought," he whispered against her lips.


    "What kind of thought?" Lin Jiao queried.


    "I will soon share the bed with you," Mingquan said.


    Lin Jiao arched her eyebrows, "And?"


    "And I will go to sleep while embracing you. You will brighten my world with your cheerful personality. Even when you are away, you give me a reason to smile," Mingquan exined to her.


    "I thought I always troubled the Fourth Prince," she said.


    "You did in the beginning. My back still hurts when I go to thest shelf to pick any document from there," Mingquan said while recalling the day when the shelf fell over them.


    "Is the Fourth Prince pulling my leg?" She asked.


    "No. I am recalling our unique encounters," Mingquan said and caressed her cheek from the back of her palm. He kissed her softly on the lips. "We will be married next week, Lin Jiao. The royal astrologer has given two dates and I will discuss them with your father in the evening. Be ready to be my wife.," he said.

 Chapter 657 Never scared of the consequences [Bonus chapter]

    657 Never scared of the consequences [Bonus chapter]


    In the evening, L¨®ng Wei was seated with his father in the pavilion of his manor. They sipped the tea along with enjoying the snacks.


    "I heard what happened at the Chen Family residence," Qizhen said.


    L¨®ng Wei gazed at his father. "Is Father spying on me?"


    "No. Prince L¨®ng Wei is famous enough that anything he does spreads around the capital and its people," Qizhen remarked.


    "Then, Father must have been aware of the reason why I did that," L¨®ng Wei said and again took a sip.


    "Will you keep getting angry at the people and thrash them if they talk about your mother?" Qizhen asked him.


    "I never fought for her before. I couldn''t help but raise my hand at Chen Xiao," L¨®ng Wei said and put the cup on the table.


    "Raising a hand at anyone will not bring anything good. You will only suffer, Son," Qizhen said with a tense expression.


    "I understand," L¨®ng Wei said. "It will not happen anymore, Father," he affirmed.


    "Anger destroys us, L¨®ng Wei. I know it hurts you when someone says you killed your mother. After knowing the truth, you are guilty of not saving her that day. But you cannot exin that to everyone all the time. Ignorance is bliss," Qizhen stated.


    "Li Hua says I did right. I liked her answer more," L¨®ng Wei said.


    Qizhenughed to hear his son''s words. "Alright. I only advised you for the future. I don''t want anyone to die by your hands. Do you understand what I mean?" Qizhen said.


    "I know Father does not want me to let anger overpower me," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    "Yes," Qizhen smiled at him.


    "Will I be a good father in the future?" L¨®ng Wei suddenly questioned.


    "Why do you ask?" Qizhen wanted to know the reason.


    "I was never scared of the consequences of my actions. However, my past isn''t hidden from anyone. I am worried thinking how my children will look at me. Will they hate me?" L¨®ng Wei''s questions didn''t surprise Qizhen.


    "They will not hate you. Indeed, everyone knows your past. But at the same time, everyone knows the truth too," Qizhen asserted and he picked up the teapot to fill their cups.


    "I never asked Father this, but I would like to know how did it feel when I was harsh at you?" L¨®ng Wei queried.


    Qizhen put the teapot on the table and gazed into his son''s eyes. "It was painful... It was hell," he affirmed, "but all of that happen because of my poor decisions."


    "I must have hurt you a lot," L¨®ng Wei said.


    "You had every right to do that," Qizhen stated. "You know I could never be a good husband and father. I do not me anyone this but myself," he asserted.


    "Don''t do that. I''ve told Father many times. It will also feel me with guilt, Father," L¨®ng Wei said and clenched his jaw.


    Qizhen smiled to see his son''s concern.


    They conversed for hours before L¨®ng Wei finally saw off his father to the chamber.


    ~~~~~~


    Huang Xi stopped by Ai Fen''s chamber. He wanted to congratte her on the marriage, but a part of him didn''t want to see her. He decided to leave and turned to go.


    "Commander Huang Xi!" Ai Fen called out his name and he stopped.


    Ai Fen, who wasing from the opposite side, walked up to him while he turned to face her. Huang Xi bowed to her and greeted her.


    "Umm... I was here to congratte Princess Ai Fen," Huang Xi said. For a brief moment, he looked into her eyes.


    "Thank you," Ai Fen replied.


    "I remembered some work," Huang Xi said while moving his eyes, "I shall leave."


    "I would like to apologize to Commander Huang Xi for my behavior toward him," Ai Fen immediately said. "That day I acted irrationally and med Commander Huang Xi. My earlier apology wasn''t sincere," she asserted.


    Huang Xi didn''t say anything and continued to stare into her eyes.


    "I was never vocal about my feelings. I thought I would tell the princess someday. I thought I would slowly make effort to approach her. If I have to be honest, then I can never forgive Princess Ai Fen," Huang Xi pronounced.


    Ai Fen looked at him in bewilderment. "Why?" she wanted to know the reason.


    "Because she misjudged my character. At least, I never wished for anyone''s death like your elder sister did. If stating a fact is disrespectful, then I will continue to do that," Huang Xi affirmed.


    Ai Fen opened her mouth to speak but Huang Xi didn''t let her.


    "I am happy for Chang Shi because he is my friend. I am happy for him because finally, he will start a family of his own," Huang Xi said and bowed to her before leaving her sight.


    Ai Fen felt the damage she did to Huang Xi, but now nothing could be done. She sighed and saw Li Hua.


    "Did you h-hear?" Ai Fen asked.


    "I didn''t mean to," Li Hua said and walked up to her.


    "I didn''t know my words could hurt this much to someone," Ai Fen said and tears welled up in her eyes.


    Li Hua caressed Ai Fen''s arm. Ai Fen pursed her lips together and they went inside the chamber with Li Hua.


    Oppositely, Huang Xi walked exceptionally faster than usual. In the corridor, he turned right to take the stairs when he bumped into Xiaolian who had a tray in her hand. The porcin bowls on it fell to the floor and got smashed.


    Huang Xi immediately apologized to her and got on his knees. He picked up the broken piece because of which his finger got cut, and blood overflew.


    "Commander Huang Xi!" Ai Fen also went to her knees and asked why he touched that.


    "Why was the princess carrying a tray? Wasn''t a servant supposed to do that?" He questioned her and pressed the cut with his other finger.


    "I made them, so I wanted to bring myself," Xiaolian said.


    "Commander Huang Xi should visit the physician. I will call Physician Peng here," she stated and stood up.


    "That''s not needed, Princess," Huang Xi said and stood up. "It was a minute cut." His eyes fell on the servant and he asked him toe over.


    "Get it cleaned," Huang Xi said and bowed to Xiaolian before heading to his home.

 Chapter 658 I foolishly loved her

    Chapter 658 I foolishly loved her


    Chen Xiao in his written statement submitted the document of divorce to the governor''s office. Chen Xiao looked at Miaoran in anger and said to her, "You better stay away from my eyes."


    Miaoran didn''t speak a word and watched him leave. Feng Lao came to her and congratted her as she was free from an abusive marriage.


    "Thank you, Lord Shui. It would not have happened if you have not helped me," Miaoran said with a smile.


    "Should we go home?" Feng Lao asked her.


    Miaoran nodded and followed Feng Lao. He opened the carriage''s door for her when they heard a voice.


    "Why did you do it?"


    Both of them turned to look at the old man, who was her father, Fu Pei. Feng Lao was perplexed and gazed at Miaoran.


    "Father." Her eyes turned teary when her father approached her.


    "Don''t you know a wife''s duty? You should have been until the very end!" Fu Pei questioned her and held her arms.


    "Father, I could not bear that anymore. Chen Xiao never saw me as his wife," Miaoran said.


    "I told you to give birth to a child. Your mother told the same to you, yet you didn''t listen to us. Everything would have been better if you have given a child to him. How will you look at the people around us?" Fu Pei''s remarks hurt Miaoran. But that was how her parents were. They cared about the people more than her.


    Feng Lao could not stop himself and decided to intervene. "You are crossing your limits. Chen Xiao assaulted Miaoran. He has a mistress. How can you let your daughter stay in that house?"


    "Go away. Because of you, my daughter''s house was destroyed!" Fu Pei shouted at Feng Lao. The people looked in their direction.


    "Lord Shui gave me another chance to live, Father. Don''t worry. Mother and you will not see me ever," Miaoran said and turned to get into the carriage.


    "Come with me and beg forgiveness from Chen Xiao. If you don''t, then you are dead for us," Fu Pei said.


    Feng Lao was stunned to hear him. How could he do that to his own daughter? He thought for a second.


    Tears rolled down Miaoran''s eyes. "I was never. You have always considered me dead. When I was beaten up, and came to you both to tell about it, you asked me to keep my mouth shut. When I informed you two how he keeps his mistress in the same house, you two turned a blind eye to it. I am d you both are ready to consider me dead," Miaoran said while crying.


    Feng Lao furrowed his brows together and nced at Fu Pei in disgust.


    "Leave before I get you arrested," Feng Lao said.


    "Insolent daughter! It was better if you had died earlier. At least, we didn''t have to see this day," Fu Pei said and walked away.


    Miaoran covered her face with her hands, not wanting people to look at her. Feng Lao came to her and caressed her back. She rested her head on his shoulder and continued to cry.


    "We should head home, Miaoran," Feng Lao said and helped her get into the carriage. Miaoran kept silently crying in the carriage too while Feng Lao felt bad for her. He didn''t say a word because she needed to cry to unleash her emotions.


    When they reached the home, Feng Lao dropped her into a room. Miaoran silently sat by the window of the room and told Feng Lao she would like to be alone. Feng Lao hummed and went out. He closed the doors behind him when heard Jingfei''s voice.


    "Is she alright? I saw her face was covered in tears," Jingfei worriedly said.


    "She needs time," Feng Lao said and left with Jingfei.


    ~~~~~


    Huang Xi looked at the two porcin bowls in a shop and thought to give them to Xiaolian. Yesterday, he ended up breaking the bowls which she had made with so much hard work.


    After paying for them, he headed to the pce. He met Xiaolian, who was a bit surprised to see him.


    "Why did Commander Huang Xi want to see me?" She was unable to understand and her lips.


    saw the wooden box in his hand. "What is that?" she knitted her brows together.


    "It is for my mistake yesterday," Huang Xi replied and forwarded the box to her.


    Xiaolian astonishingly gazed at him and took the box from him. She put it on the table and opened the box. There were two porcin bowls inside it. She picked up one and checked it. Blue-colored motifs were imprinted on the bowl and it brought a smile to her lips.


    "I purchased them. Princess Xiaolian made those bowls with so much hard work and I identally broke them. That''s why it is a small present from me. I hope she liked it," Huang Xi said.


    "I did. Thank you," Xiaolian said and ced the bowl inside the box. Huang Xi passed a tiny smile to her and thought to leave.


    "I heard from Princess Ai Fen," Xiaolian said. She saw the smile fade from Huang Xi''s lips.


    "I have been into that phase when Feng Lao rejected my feelings. It is tough to let go no matter what the people say," Xiaolian said.


    Huang Xi agreed with her words. It was difficult to forget the person, whom you admire. The pain increased when only you had one-sided feelings for the person.


    "But I did wrong to Li Hua. That''s why Feng Lao hates me. I begged him many times, but in the end, the only solution left was to let it go. It hurts, but it heals at the same time," Xiaolian asserted.


    Huang Xi never had any interaction with Xiaolian. This was the first time she talked to him and he liked her thoughts. At least, she was sensible. She knew her mistakes and moved on.


    "Talking about my feelings for Princess Ai Fen has no use now. It hurts whenever I think that I foolishly loved her. I do not want to me her. Perhaps, in her eyes, I was wrong. Princess Xiaolian is right. I have to move on even if it hurts me," Huang Xi stated.


    "Commander Huang Xi will," Xiaolian said with a smile.

 Chapter 659 No plans to get married [Bonus chapter]

    Chapter659 No ns to get married [Bonus chapter]


    Feng Lao put the bamboo slip on the floor table when he heard the door open. "Lord Shui, Miss Miaoran wants to see you. She is outside. Should I let her in?" the servant asked.


    "Let her in," Feng Lao said. He picked up the candle stand and put it at the center of the floor table from the stand beside him.


    Miaoran came inside and gave a bow to him. "Please take a seat," Feng Lao said and motioned his hand to the floor chair. Miaoran settled on the floor chair and thanked him for letting him in.


    "There is no need to thank," Feng Lao said. "I am d you came to see me. It has been days since you havee out of your room. Are you well?" he asked with a bit of concern.


    "I am better now, Lord Shui. Thank you for giving me time," Miaoran said.


    "You can call me Feng Lao. No need to call the ''Lord''," Feng Lao said and smiled at her.


    "It may sound inappropriate," Miaoran stated.


    "It will not sound inappropriate, Miaoran," Feng Lao assured her.


    Miaoran gave a simple nod and looked at the bamboo slips on one side of the table. "Were you working? I hope I didn''t disturb you, Feng Lao," Miaoran said.


    "I was reading something. Not working. My work is with Prince L¨®ng Wei mostly," Feng Lao exined.


    "I wanted to thank the Sixth Prince. Because of him, I was rescued that day from all of them," Miaoran said.


    "I will tell Prince L¨®ng Wei about this," Feng Lao assured her. He looked at her face. The bruises were healed and the glow was returned to her face.


    "I thought to do household chores like cleaning, cooking, and washing dishes. However, Lady Jingfei doesn''t let me do anything. I feel bad about staying for free and doing nothing," Miaoran asserted.


    "You don''t have to work here. I suppose, you already did a lot of work in all these years. Now, you should enjoy the rest," Feng Lao stated.


    Miaoran was touched by his gentleness and turned a bit emotional "No one cared about me before. Thank you for showing your kind concern, Feng Lao." She expressed her gratitude toward him.


    "Now, you have got a lot of people around you to take care of you," Feng Lao said and smiled at her. "You should not think about your old life anymore. You have entered a new life, where happiness wants to embrace you," he said and asked Miaoran if she knew how to read.


    "Yes, I know how to read and write," Miaoran replied.


    Feng Lao asked her to wait and stood up from his ce. After a few minutes, he returned with a book in his hand and sat across from her. "It''s a book of short yet inspirational stories. Poems are also there. You should read it in your free time. I bet you will like this book." Feng Lao handed her the book and she thanked him.


    "Last I read was three years ago. I could not get time to read," Miaoran answered and stroked her hand on the book cover.


    "Did you get yourself checked with the physician? You need to take extreme care of your body," Feng Lao said as his eyesnded on her neck where the purplish bruise was still visible to his eyes.


    "I am taking medicines for the weakness I have. For the bruises and wounds, the physician has said they will take time to get healed," Miaoran asserted.


    "That''s good to hear," Feng Lao stated.


    "I wanted to go out. Can I?" Miaoran asked.


    "Of course, you can," Feng Lao answered. "Where do you want to go?" He asked her.


    "I wanted to see around," Miaoran said. "I will go by myself," she quickly added.


    "Are you sure? I can go with you. It is already evening. You may need someone to show you around and to protect you," Feng Lao stated.


    Miaoran opened her mouth to speak, but words didn''te out. So, she simply nodded at him.


    "It is evening almost. Do you want to change into different clothes, or the same outfit be good?" Feng Lao asked.


    "It is better, I feel," Miaoran replied.


    "Then, shall we go?" Feng Lao inquired her. She hummed and the two rose to their feet. He picked up the money pouch from the cupboard and put it inside the inner pocket.


    They both came out of the room and went outside. "We will find a carriage ahead," Feng Lao told her and they both started walking.


    After a certain distance, they found a carriage. Feng Lao paid the carriage driver and asked Miaoran to get in. After her, he entered the carriage and they left for the market.


    "Feng Lao, I was thinking I should leave after some time. I mean, you will also get married after some time and then Brother Xu Zifan''s family would expand too. It will be inconvenient to stay with you all for a long time," Miaoran said. She had decided to work in the fields and earn money through it. Indeed, a house would be tough for her to find, but she thought she would eventually find a ce to live.


    "I have no ns to get married," Feng Lao replied. "You should stay in the residence only, with us," he affirmed.


    Miaoran was stunned to hear his reply. "But I will not befortable. Surely, you will get married to somebody. Your family will expand and my presence may be troublesome," she exined to him.


    "I won''t get married, Miaoran," Feng Lao spoke with confidence this time. His eyes bore hers and she, for a second, thought she made him think something painful. However, Miaoran didn''t dare to ask about it.


    "Consider us as your family. Xu Zifan already calls you a sister. Jingfei has also found a sister in you," Feng Lao stated with a smile.


    Miaoran was touched by his words. "What about you?" She suddenly got curious.


    "Perhaps, a friend," Feng Lao answered.


    Miaoran smiled at him. "You are a great man, Feng Lao. I wish you find a loving woman soon," she ended up saying.

 Chapter 660 You nag a lot

    660 You nag a lot


    "Why don''t you buy something for yourself? We have been roaming around for twenty minutes. The mid-autumn festival is near and you are supposed to buy something for it," Feng Lao suggested to Miaoran.


    "It''s fine. I don''t need anything," Miaoran politely refused to buy anything. She had no money and if she would ask Feng Lao for it, it would be inappropriate in her eyes. She already had a lot of favor from them.


    "Don''t you like to buy new clothes, new essories, make-up materials? Don''t suppress your choices anymore," Feng Lao said.


    "Sister Jingfei gives me such items. She already has given me her dresses and even ordered two new ones for me. What will I do with so many clothes?" Miaoran muttered.


    "Come with me," Feng Lao said. It seemed he didn''t pay heed to her exnation. Miaoran silently followed him and they entered the famous cloth house in the capital.


    Seeing the crowd, Miaoran wondered from where so many people came. She saw that women from noble-ss families were mostly present. Around the tables, these elite-ss women would get special services such as snack services while checking dresses and designs for themselves.


    Miaoran never knew such a ce also existed in the capital. Chen Xiao never bothered to purchase clothes for her while her inws never paid heed to that. She would have to ask her sisters-inw for clothes on some asions while the other times, she would wear their old clothes.


    "Let''s go upstairs," Feng Lao said and took her upstairs.


    Feng Lao booked a table for them and asked for some good hanfu dresses. When he turned, he found Miaoran had not sat on the chair. "Why didn''t you sit?" He asked and pulled out a chair for her. He gestured for her to sit.


    Miaoran sat on the chair and waited for Feng Lao to sit too.


    "This ce looks expensive," Miaoran said when a servant ced water cups before them. She thanked the servant, who walked away to prepare snacks for them.


    "It is expensive," Feng Lao did not deny that fact. "You don''t have to worry about it. Just enjoy," he said.


    Miaoran hummed and picked up the porcin cup to drink the water. A female attendant came along with two workers who had many outfits in their hands.


    The female attendant some of the Hanfu dresses to Miaoran and asked her to select any of them. She exined how Miaoran would look in each of the Hanfu dresses.


    "I think all five dresses will look good on you," Feng Lao gave his opinion.


    "Your husband is absolutely right. These all dresses will look good on you, Lady," the female attendant said with a smile.


    "He is not my husband," Miaoran immediately said and looked at Feng Lao with a tense look.


    "Please forgive me," the female attendant apologized and pursed her lips together as felt embarrassed for saying that.


    "Did you like them? You should tell your answer," Feng Lao told Miaoran.


    She picked the peach-colored Hanfu dress and checked the fabric quality.


    "Miss, all our dresses use premium quality silk," the female attendant said. "Since the mid-autumn festival is near, thebination of pink and white will look good on you," she didn''t refrain to give her suggestion and convinced Miaoran to buy that dress too.


    "Then, I should buy it," Miaoran said. She put the peach-colored dress on the table and picked up the white dress with pink colored imprints on it.


    She tried to take a measure of it when Feng Lao stood up and helped her. He held the dress and looked down, "The length looks fine to me, and so is the fitting. Do you want to change into it?" He asked and looked into Miaoran''s eyes.


    She shook her head and took a step back. Feng Lao turned to the female attendant and asked her if the other four dresses had the same fitting.


    "Only two of the dresses are ofrger sizes, Young Master," the female attendant replied.


    "I see. We would like to buy these three dresses," Feng Lao asserted. Miaoran wanted to stop him, but he didn''t let her speak. The female attendant told them they should go down to make payments and looked at the servants. She gestured to them and they took away the dresses.


    "Pack the three which Young Master has selected," the female attendant told them.


    Feng Lao and Miaoran went downstairs with the female attendant, where Feng Lao made the payment and even told them to deliver the dresses to the home. He told them the address and paid extra for that.


    When he came out of the shop with Miaoran, she said, "You spent a lot of amounts. It is not easy to earn such an amount of money. One dress was enough for me. Then, I could have carried those dresses with me. You didn''t have to pay the extra."


    "You nag a lot," Feng Lao said, "It has been a long time since I spent on something like this."


    Miaoran could not understand his words. "You should keep the money in savings for your future," she said and the two of them started walking.


    "Future is unpredictable, Miaoran," Feng Lao stated.


    "It is, but we need to think about the future too," Miaoran said.


    "Do you want to eat the dumplings?" Feng Lao ignored whatever she said and took her near a street stall. He ordered two servings of dumplings for himself and Miaoran.


    Miaoran wondered about Feng Lao''s family, but she was confused thinking about whether she should ask about it or not. She silently ate the dumplings and realized deep down Feng Lao was suffering from something terrible.


    "What happened? Why are you staring at me?" Feng Lao questioned her.


    "Nothing," Miaoran replied and focused on eating the dumpling. After eating the dumplings, they threw those sticks into the wooden bin. Feng Lao took her ahead, where usually people would enjoy singing and dancing.


    "Miaoran, you have entered a new life, so you must enjoy every bit of this life," Feng Lao told her with a smile.

 Chapter 661 I will fulfill this friendship [Bonus chapter]

    661 I will fulfill this friendship [Bonus chapter]


    Ye Xin was ready to go to the bed when she heard a knock on the window. Initially, she thought she heard wrong. Butter when someone again knocked on the window, she walked there to check. She opened the window and was surprised to see Xiwan.


    He jumped in and closed the window quickly.


    "You?" Ye Xin eximed when he asked her to stay quiet by putting his lips on his finger.


    Ye Xin nodded and held his hand to take him inside the bedroom.


    "Why did youe from the window?" Ye Xin asked in an extremely low voice.


    "As if I was allowed to enter from the door," Xiwan said. "I was missing you," he whispered and sat on the bed.


    "We were together the entire day," Ye Xin said and sat beside him.


    "That was not enough for me," Xiwan said and turned to face her.


    "I will be with you after three days... As your wife," Ye Xin stated and moved a bit close to him. They held each other''s hand and continued to smile.


    "Ye Xin, Princess Consort Li Hua wanted to meet you. If you have time, go with me to the pce in the morning," Xiwan opined.


    "I would love to," Ye Xin said.


    "Ye Xin, should I sleep here with you?" Xiwan asked.


    "What?" Ye Xin eximed.


    "I will leave early in the morning without any trace. No one will find out I was here," Xiwan told her.


    Ye Xin was mesmerized by his confidence. "What if you won''t be able to get up? What will you do then? Do you want me to keep my eyes down for three days in embarrassment?" Ye Xin questioned her.


    "You are undermining me, Ye Xin," Xiwan asserted.


    "I am stating the fact," Ye Xin said.


    "Fine. I will not sleep here. You should go to sleep and then I will leave," Xiwan opined. He ran his fingers through her soft hair and asked her to lie on the bed.


    "Don''t you want to sleep with me anymore?" Ye Xin asked him. She knew how happy he would feel in her presence. He would forget about his old days around her.


    "You are confusing me," Xiwan said.


    "You never shared with me what was your past life. You always say it was not too good to share," Ye Xin asserted.


    "I told the truth," Xiwan replied. "Everyone in my family died in front of my eyes. It was torturous. Monk Yuze saved me and looked after me. He trained me into the person I am today. You need to know only this," Xiwan said while keeping a tiny smile on his lips.


    Ye Xin wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. "I will not leave you. Until thest breath of my life, you will see me with you, Xiwan. We will build a family soon and live happily," Ye Xin affirmed.


    ~~~~~~~~


    Miaoran ced her hand above Feng Lao''s hand as she stepped out of the carriage. Earlier, they had their dinner in a local restaurant. They walked into the residence when a servant came to them.


    "Master, an hour ago three dresses were delivered. I ced them in your room," the servant informed Feng Lao.


    "Ahh." Feng Lao turned to look at Miaoran and asked her to follow him. When they reached his room, Feng Lao picked up the dresses that were inside a wooden box. "Here," he handed the box to Miaoran.


    "Thank you, Feng Lao," Miaoran said.


    She was ready to leave, but then her inner voice asked her to ask those questions from Feng Lao, which lingered in her mind for hours.


    "Feng Lao, where is your family?" Miaoran asked him.


    "They are no more," Feng Lao replied.


    "Forgive me. I was curious," Miaoran said and lowered her eyes.


    "Anyone would be curious," Feng Lao stated. He thought to end further curiosity of Miaoran so that she would not ask any such questions from him in the future. He told her how his family died and the conspiracy behind it. However, he left out that part where he did not want to mention he loved Li Hua once.


    "I was married," Feng Lao said. "She died too in that fire," he added. Again, he did not bother to tell Miaoran that he married the woman to save her from the world''s taunts. Those were some of the not-so-good memories from his past which always troubled him.


    "You carry such apassionate heart. Feng Lao, I pray you soon find your happiness," Miaoran said while empathizing with him. She could not imagine the pain and agony Feng Lao had inside him. Yet, he did not forget his humanity even after all the bad things happened to him. The respect for Feng Lao in her eyes had increased manifolds.


    "Will I? I doubt," Feng Lao said.


    "I never thought I would get free from an abusive and disloyal husband. Yet, you appeared out of nowhere. Today was the best day of my life. I have never enjoyed this much. Definitely, you will find that happiness too," Miaoran said.


    Feng Lao hummed and wished for it. Although, he was happy in his present life. However, deep down a big void of loneliness was present.


    "You can share with me anything at any time. I will always be there for you. You called me a friend and I will fulfill this friendship until myst breath," Miaoran asserted.


    Feng Lao gave a simple nod. After Xu Zifan got married, he had no one to share his thoughts with. Miaoran was trustable, who would never share with anyone what turmoil he still was undergoing. "I definitely will, Miaoran," Feng Lao said.


    "Good night, Feng Lao," Miaoran said and passed him a tiny smile.


    "Good night," Feng Lao said. After she left, Feng Lao closed the door and went to the dressing room. He removed the hair bun holder and put it on the dresser. After removing his upper body clothes, he headed to the bathhouse, which was adjacent to his room.


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    ''The Shadow Prince.''

 Chapter 662 Your mothers hairpin

    Chapter 662 Your mother''s hairpin


    Zhang Xi put the book on the table that he had been studying for quite a long time. After the wrongdoings of his father, thete King, were exposed, he decided to learn governance from the stretch. He also had left the path on which he was walking.


    Zhang Xi''s loneliness increased too after Tianjie got entangled with Song Jia and then married her. His equation with the other brothers was not that well. So, he used to stay inside his chamber most of the time.


    "Pardon me for intrusion, Your Highness. The King is here to see you," the maidservant informed him.


    Zhang Xi quickly stood up from the floor chair when Xiaoming entered. Zhang Xi greeted him and kept his head down until Xiaoming asked him to rx. Xiaoming dismissed the maidservant from the chamber and asked Zhang Xi to take a seat.


    "Was Brother Zhang Xi reading about the governance?" Xiaoming asked as his eyes fell on the book on the table.


    "Yes, Your Majesty," Zhang Xi said.


    "I am still your first brother. Brother Zhang Xi does not need to address me as Your Majesty," Xiaoming opined.


    "The First Brother came to see me after a long time," Zhang Xi said.


    "Forgive me for being negligent," Xiaoming stated.


    "I understand. The First Brother has a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders," Zhang Xi asserted.


    "Indeed. The responsibilities have increased a lot," Xiaoming agreed with him and told him the request of his mother.


    "My marriage?" Zhang Xi arched his eyebrows.


    "Yes. You also wanted to get married. All of the princes are married except you and Brother Mingquan. However, Brother Mingquan''s marriage is fixed with the state minister''s daughter," Xiaoming opined.


    "Yes, I wanted to. I thought of having a love marriage, just like all of you. I don''t have any problem with arranged marriage either," Zhang Xi pronounced.


    Xiaoming smiled at him. "What about General Li Tian''s sister?" He suggested to Zhang Xi.


    "Sure, First Brother," Zhang Xi said. He was excited to have a meeting with General Li Tian''s sister. He asked Xiaoming about it.


    "You can meet Miss Li Feiyi tomorrow. I will tell Li Tian about it today," Xiaoming stated.


    "But tomorrow is Brother Mingquan''s marriage," Zhang Xi affirmed.


    "It is in the evening," Xiaoming reminded him.


    "First Brother, I did not have much interaction with women. Since I will go and see Miss Li Feiyi what should I take for her?" Zhang Xi asked opinions of Xiaoming.


    "Your mother will give you her hairpin, which was bestowed to her when she entered in the pce as the concubine of ourte father. She was speaking about it with me. So, in my opinion, if you find Miss Li Feiyi suitable for you, then you should present your mother''s hairpin to her," Xiaoming said.


    Zhang Xi gave a simple nod and thanked Xiaoming for his valuable opinion.


    "I should meet my mother regarding the same," Zhang Xi said.


    "Sure, Brother Zhang Xi." Xiaoming prayed that Zhang Xi liked Li Feiyi so that he would be settled in his married life. Then, only Princess Xiaolian''s marriage responsibility had left on him.


    ~~~~~~


    "Your sister wants to marry Prince Zhang Xi?" Huang Xi asked in bewilderment.


    "Yes, but that will happen if Prince Zhang Xi epts the proposal," Li Tian told Huang Xi.


    They both were in the barrack room, taking some rest after working for the entire day.


    "When did your sister see Prince Zhang Xi? That was a sudden request, no?" Huang Xi asked Li Tian.


    "True. It was a sudden request from Li Feiyi. She saw Prince Zhang Xi a few days back with Prince Tianjie in the capital''s market," Li Tian asserted.


    "So, it was love at first sight," Huang Xi muttered and smiled a little.


    "From her side. I wonder how people fell in love so easily," Li Tian said.


    "It seems General Li Tian doesn''t believe in falling in love," Huang Xi remarked.


    "I do, but not this easily," Li Tian said.


    "It is up to the heart how it wants to fall in love, not upon your mind," Huang Xi opined.


    "I have different thoughts on it, Huang Xi," Li Tian said. "I heard Chang Shi is getting married to Princess Ai Fen," he said out of the blue.


    "He is," Huang Xi said.


    "You fell in love too easily. I do not intend to hurt you. I merely want to know how it feels. You must have had sleepless nights because of all this," Li Tian asserted.


    "It hurts in the beginning, but if you know how to move on, then it is easy," Huang Xi said.


    "That''s what fear me. An arranged marriage where we do not know about the opposite person," Li Tian expressed his thoughts.


    "You are right. Li Tian, falling in love with the Second Princess was not my choice. It happened. You cannot control your heart in such things," Huang Xi exined to him.


    Li Tian hummed and apologized to Huang Xi. "I made you recall all those things. Forgive me."


    Huang Xi chuckled. "It didn''t hurt me. I have moved on. This time I am serious," he affirmed.


    Li Tian remembered thest time Huang Xi said the same, but his mind was always on that rejection. However, this time Huang Xi had no option except to move on. Ai Fen had found a lifepanion in Chang Shi, who was Huang Xi''s close friend. Huang Xi could not destroy his friendship over a woman with Chang Shi.


    "Huang Xi, I pray you to get a woman who loves you more than anything," Li Tian said and passed a smile to him.


    "Ah, I do not think about it anymore," Huang Xi said. "Perhaps, I will have an arranged marriage too, where I do not need to know anything about the woman," Huang Xi recalled how his mother was telling him about the few marriage proposals. So, he decided to choose randomly any one of them if his mother keep asking him.


    They both heard a knock on the door and a soldier walked in.


    "Pardon me for intrusion. His Majesty has called General Li," the soldier informed Li Tian.


    Li Tian immediately rose to his feet and told Huang Xi he would see himter. Li Tian left to see the King, followed by the soldier.


    Huang Xi also left the barracks and went to see L¨®ng Wei. But to his surprise, he didn''t find L¨®ng Wei in the manor. From a servant, he found out that L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua had gone to see Xu Zifan.


    He decided to head to his home, but he encountered Ai Fen and Xiaolian on the way.


    "It seems Commander Huang Xi wasing from Brother L¨®ng Wei''s manor," Xiaolian stated.


    "Yes. But they are not here," Huang Xi replied.


    "They have gone to Xu Zifan''s house," Ai Fen replied.


    "The servant informed me," Huang Xi said and looked at Xiaolian. "Can Princess Xiaolian teach me how to make porcin bowls?" He made a request.


    "Why?" Xiaolian stopped blinking for a few seconds. "I thought Commander Huang Xi does not like such things," she stated.


    "My mother''s birthday is near. Yesterday she was telling me about her love for pottery. So, I thought, I should present something like that. If only, Princess Xiaolian, has time for it," Huang Xi stated.


    "I have nothing to do. My studies are over too," Xiaolian said and told Huang Xi she would teach him.


    "What about an hour before lunch?" Huang Xi asked her.


    "Sure," Xiaolian replied.


    "Thank you, Your Highness. I wille from tomorrow to learn from the Third Princess," Huang Xi stated and then, he took his leave.


    "Commander Huang Xi loves his mother so much. He is learning something which he doesn''t like at all," Xiaolian said and looked at Ai Fen.


    "That''s good," Ai Fen didn''t know what more to say.

 Chapter 663 Does not want to live [Bonus chapter]

    Chapter 663 Does not want to live [Bonus chapter]


    Feng Lao slid the door to enter the dressing room after he took a bath. He picked up the cross-cored sweatshirt and wore it above the trousers. Tying the knots on the left side, he put on a knee-length cross-cored robe. He came to the drawing room and saw Miaoran.


    "Miaoran, were you waiting for too long?" Feng Lao asked and she tilted her head to look at him.


    "I came a minute ago and thought to wait for you," Miaoran said. He sat in front of her, on the floor chair, and looked at the tray.


    "You brought tea for me. Thank you," Feng Lao said and ced the cups on the table.


    "I will serve," Miaoran said and poured the tea into the two cups.


    "I heard from Sister Jingfei, you want to sew the clothes to make a living," Feng Lao said and picked up the teacup.


    "Yes. I am best at that. When you took me to the clothhouse, I realized I should also work there. I want to earn money of my own, Feng Lao," Miaoran asserted.


    "I appreciate that you want to be independent. I have no problem with that. I will take you there tomorrow," Feng Lao said and sipped the tea.


    "Feng Lao, I can go myself. You do not need to take me everywhere. You have your work too. I know where the shop is and I will go in the carriage," Miaoran affirmed.


    "Alright," Feng Lao said and gestured to her to drink the tea.


    "You have a good taste in your hands. Even in the morning, the breakfast that you have prepared was delicious," Feng Laoplimented her cooking skills.


    "Thank you, Feng Lao," Miaoran said and passed a tiny smile to him.


    "My mother used to cook some of my favorite dishes frequently in the meals. It has been a long time since I tasted something like that," Feng Lao shared the tiniest memory with her.


    "You can tell me what you like the most. I will cook for you. I cannot rece the taste which your mother''s hands had, but I can give something simr to you," she asserted.


    Feng Lao hummed. "They died tragically, Miaoran. I could not save anyone," he said. The tone of his voice had changed. It was filled with guilt and remorse. "If I tell others, they ask me not to think about it. However, it is difficult to forget too. Everything was going well. They did not even get time to escape that deadly fire. I should not havee here. Perhaps, that night, I would have saved a few lives," he said. His eyes had turned watery while narrating all that to Miaoran.


    Miaoran looked at his hand which was on the table. She forwarded her hand and ced it above his. Gently, she caressed his hand. "If you are ming yourself, then you do not have to. I hope wherever they are, they are in peace," she said.


    Feng Lao lowered his gaze. He did not want to fall weak again because if he did that, then for days he would remain deviated from everything. Miaoran pulled her hand back slowly.


    "I suppose you would have thought about dying too because no one was around you," Feng Lao suddenly said and met her gaze again.


    "I did have that thought many times," Miaoran admitted, "but I did not want to die either."


    "I had the same situation, Miaoran. I think a part of me does not want to live. If I tell about this anyone around me, I will be scolded or they will get hurt. I believe, with you, it will not be the same since you have experienced what it feels like to live even when you do not want to," Feng Lao asserted.


    Miaoran nodded her head. "Not everyone can understand that," she said.


    "I do not want to hurt the people who love me today with these thoughts of mine," Feng Lao stated.


    "I understand," Miaoran said. "Sister Jingfei told me that Brother Xu Zifan also went through the same experience as you. The former King did all this. You both lost your families. You seeded in saving Princess Consort Li Hua that night," she briefed him.


    "Yes. I saved Li Hua. I loved her once, but more than me, Prince L¨®ng Wei loved her. I got married to a woman, whom Xu Zifan liked. I thought Xu Zifan was dead, or else I would not have done that. But that woman and I had nothing between us. I married her to save her dignity as she got pregnant out of wedlock. Because she was the woman whom my best friend liked once, I wanted to do something for him thinking he was no more. I wish I had not agreed to marry her. At least, she and her child would have been safe today." Feng Lao was in pain because his namesake wife''s unborn child also died. That child had no fault. It was his family, who were supposed to pay for their betrayal toward the Xu Family.


    Miaoran was shocked to learn that Feng Lao married to save a woman from society. The respect in her eyes for him had again increased. He was a real hero who worked behind the shadows.


    "Feng Lao, you did what you found right at that time. If you me yourself for her tragic death, then you are doing wrong. You did not know what wasing your way," Miaoran said.


    "Perhaps, you are right," Feng Lao said and filled the cup with more tea. "Thank you for hearing me out," he added.


    "Anytime, Feng Lao," Miaoran said.


    After they finished drinking the tea, Miaoran put the teacups, and teapot in the tray. She was ready to leave when Feng Lao asked her to stay there for a few more minutes.


    "Sure." Miaoran pulled her hands away. She saw Feng Lao had stood up from his ce and went to the shelf. He picked up a tiny well-polished wooden box that had a paste in it.


    He returned to the floor table and sat next to Miaoran. "This is for the scars left on your face and body. It may help to remove them," Feng Lao said, and he put it in her hand.


    "Where did you get this?" Miaoran asked.


    "Li Hua sent it through a servant''s hand in the evening. You were not present to receive it, so I took it from the pce servant. She had learned medicine from her father, so she knows a lot about such things," Feng Lao said.


    "I need to thank the Princess Consort again," Miaoran asserted.


    Feng Lao smiled to hear that. "Your body has started to heal. The glow on your face says it all," he said.


    "It is because you saved me," Miaoran said.


    "It is strange, Miaoran. I did not realize the time with you," Feng Lao said and looked at the sand clock.


    "Ahh, it is the time for you to go out on an inspection," Miaoran asserted.


    "Yes," Feng Lao said.


    "You did not brush your hair. Should I?" Miaoran asked.


    "I will do it," Feng Lao said.


    "Then, I take my leave," Miaoran said, and she rose to her feet. "What would you like to eat for dinner? I will make it for you," she asked him.


    "Fish," Feng Lao replied, "it has been two weeks since Ist ate it."


    "I will cook a delicious meal for you," Miaoran said and walked away.

 Chapter 664 I like the Fifth Prince

    664 I like the Fifth Prince


    Zhang Xi took the hairpin box from his mother, the Third Concubine to thete King. He was excited to meet Li Feiyi, but at the same time, he was nervous.


    "L¨®ng Wei!" Zhang Xi saw him going ahead of him and called out his name.


    L¨®ng Wei turned around and bowed to him. "Brother Mingquan''s marriage is in the evening. Why has the Fifth Brother gotten ready in a new dress?" L¨®ng Wei asked. He remembered in the early morning during the tea session, Zhang Xi had put on different clothes.


    "I am going out to see General Li Tian''s daughter, Li Feiyi," Zhang Xi told L¨®ng Wei. "Tell me, if I look good enough?" he inquired.


    "The Fifth Brother does look good, but he cannot beat me in looks," L¨®ng Wei stated with a proud smile.


    "I know. I just want to know if Miss Li Feiyi will like me in this attire. I was confused among so many attires and finally wore this," Zhang Xi said.


    "This outfit looks good on the Fifth Brother," L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    "Great! Thank you. I should leave since I do not want to bete," Zhang Xi said and went ahead. At the imperial gates, a carriage was already present. The soldier opened the door for the prince and he got inside it. After the soldier instructed the chauffeur, the carriage left for the Li Residence.


    Li Tian was waiting for Zhang Xi at the residence''s entrance and as the carriage stopped, he descended the stairs. Zhang Xi stepped out of the carriage and smiled to see Li Tian. They exchanged formal greetings before heading inside.


    "My sister has done most of the preparations today," Li Tian told Zhang Xi, who was astonished to hear it. "Instead of the guest room, she prepared the seating arrangement in the pavilion," he affirmed.


    "That sounds so unique to me, General Li Tian," Zhang Xi said.


    "My sister has an interest in home decor. The residence was renovated a few months back and it was my sister, who nned most of the designs here," Li Tian stated. They walked through the cobblestone pavement on both sides on which beautiful rock structures were sculpted.


    "Miss Li Feiyi is a lover of art, I believe," Zhang Xi asserted.


    "The Fifth Prince can say that," Li Tian said with a smile.


    They reached the corridor of the pavilion. Zhang Xi saw a young woman standing with her head down. "Is she the sister of General Li?" Zhang Xi asked.


    "Yes, Your Highness," Zhang Xi replied.


    He was mesmerized to see Li Feiyi as they entered the pavilion. Li Feiyi looked pretty in a green hanfu dress with shades of white on it.


    "Feiyi, this is Fifth Prince Zhang Xi and this is my sister, Li Feiyi, Your Highness," Li Tian introduced them to each other.


    Li Feiyi took a step forward and greeted Zhang Xi by kowtowing before him.


    "Such formalities are applicable in the pce only, Miss Li Feiyi," Zhang Xi said and asked them if they should take the seat.


    "Sure, Your Highness," Li Tian said. He humbly asked Zhang Xi to sit on the floor seating arrangement. He nodded and took the seat first, followed by Li Tian. Li Feiyi instructed the servants to bring the tea.


    After a few seconds, a servant came forward with the tray in her hand. Li Feiyi, first, served the tea to Zhang Xi and then to her elder brother.


    "Please take your seat, Miss Li Feiyi," Zhang Xi asked her. Keeping a tiny smile on her lips, she settled on her ce and the servant served tea to her.


    After Zhang Xi took a sip, he put the teacup on the saucer. "Yesterday, when the King informed me about this proposal, I was a bit surprised. I have not expected that General Li will choose me for his sister," he asserted.


    Li Tian smiled. "It was a request from my sister, Your Highness. I was talking to her about her marriage when she told me she would like to marry the Fifth Prince," he informed Zhang Xi.


    Zhang Xi had not expected to be someone''s choice. Because he was the son of a concubine, a marriage proposal from the renowned General''s sister was surprising for him. He gazed at Li Feiyi for a few seconds, wondering why she chose him. She could have chosen a better prince than him.


    He then picked up the teacup and took a few more sips.


    "I will leave Prince Zhang Xi and Li Feiyi alone for having an open conversation with each other," Li Tian said and rose to his feet. He bowed to the prince and instructed the servants to empty the pavilion before walking away.


    "Why me?" Zhang Xi asked Li Feiyi after everyone left the pavilion. "I am not like the other princes. I mean, I do not possess enough power or a good position like my other brothers," he asserted. It was important for Zhang Xi to know because he did not want a woman who would encourage him to power. After what his father did, he hated being in power. He also did a lot of wrong things for years. But now, he was rectifying his past mistakes.


    "I do not understand why the Fifth Prince talks about power and position in our first meeting. My reason is simple, Your Highness. I like the Fifth Prince," Li Feiyi stated.


    Zhang Xi was stunned to hear her confession. Since when the Qiu Kingdom women became so bold and open. He used to think that women were usually shy.


    "I told my elder brother if he can ask His Majesty about my marriage with the Fifth Prince. I am d that Prince Zhang Xi did not refuse it and came here to see me," Li Feiyi asserted with a smile.


    "I am out of words, Miss Li Feiyi," Zhang Xi said and started smiling. He also liked her and was ready to tell her he would only marry her.

 Chapter 665 You are a strong woman [Bonus chapter]

    665 You are a strong woman [Bonus chapter]


    "Miss Li Feiyi, I am overwhelmed by your words. I have not expected to hear such a confession today. It was beautiful," Zhang Xi said and slid his hand into his pocket. He took out the hairpin box while Li Feiyi looked at him with astonishment.


    Zhang Xi ced the box on the table and said, "My mother asked me to give this to Miss Li Feiyi." He pulled his hands back and rested his hands on hisp.


    "What is it, Your Highness?" Li Feiyi inquired.


    "Miss Li Feiyi should check herself," Zhang Xi replied. She nodded at him and opened the tinytch on the wooden box. Her eyes shone to see the gold hairpin embellished with precious jades.


    "This is of my mother. She wanted to pass it on to her daughter-inw. Now, it is yours, Li Feiyi," Zhang Xi dropped the honorific and showed his fondness toward her. In just one meeting, Li Feiyi won his heart, so he could not wait and handed her the hairpin.


    "I am grateful to His Highness," Li Feiyi said with a smile and lifted the hairpin. She beheld it for a while and gazed at Zhang Xi. "Can I wear it?" she asked.


    "Of course, it is for you," Zhang Xi stated.


    Li Feiyi brought her hands to her hair and inserted the hairpin into her hair bun. "How does it look, Your Highness?" She asked and turned around on her ce.


    "It is made for you, Feiyi," Zhang Xi said with a smile. She turned to face him and again thanked him.


    "You need to wait for the further order. The betrothal gifts will be sent and you need to pay a visit to the pce too," Zhang Xi told her.


    "I understand. I cannot express how happy I am. I will be a dutiful wife to Prince Zhang Xi," Feiyi said.


    "What do you like to eat Feiyi?" Zhang Xi suddenly asked her.


    "Why is the Fifth Prince asking about it?" Feiyi queried.


    "Because I want to know," Zhang Xi answered.


    Feiyi smiled and told him about the few dishes she loved to eat. She asked the same question from Zhang Xi, who swiftly answered her.


    "Feiyi, I forgot to ask something. Where are your parents?" Zhang Xi asked.


    "My parents passed away a few years ago," Feiyi replied.


    Zhang Xi immediately apologized to her.


    "It is alright, Your Highness. Brother might have forgotten to tell about it," Li Feiyi said.


    "Hmm. So, General Li Tian looked after you since that time. You have no elders at the home except him," Zhang Xi deduced.


    "Yes, Your Highness. My father passed away because of a prolonged illness, and a yearter, my mother passed away. I was sixteen at that time. It has been five years now," Li Feiyi said.


    "Yet you grew up so beautifully, Feiyi. Li Tian is a great big brother," Zhang Xi said.


    "I agree," Feiyi said with a smile. "The tea has turned cold. I will ask the servant to heat it," she asserted.


    "Leave it. Let''s talk more. I enjoy talking to you," Zhang Xi requested her. "Tell me more about you," he asserted.


    "Umm... I do not know what to tell," Feiyi said with a confused expression. "I would like to know about Prince Zhang Xi. I asked my brother, but he did not tell me anything. He said when I would see the Fifth Prince, I should ask him myself," she said.


    Zhang Xi''s heart fluttered to find that there existed a person, who was asking about him, thinking about him. She fell for him first, but he fell harder for her.


    ~~~~~~~


    "Brother Xu Zifan asked me to give this to you," Miaoran said and handed the newly stitched outfit to Feng Lao.


    "Ahh, thank you." Feng Lao took the outfit from Miaoran and checked it. The tailoring was done well. "I thought I would not get this dress for today. It is Prince Mingquan''s marriage in the evening," he said and asked her if she would like toe with them.


    "I don''t think I should go," Miaoran politely refused.


    "Come with me. You should enjoy such moments," Feng Lao said. "You have new dresses, so you can wear one," he added.


    Miaoran remained silent. She was not invited to the marriage and it would be inappropriate for her to go to the pce.


    "I understand. Have your dinner early and sleep well. I may returnte," Feng Lao stated. He did not pressure her since she was still adjusting to this new environment of hers.


    "Hmm."


    "You won''t feel lonely, right?" Feng Lao asked.


    "No."


    "Did you apply the medicinal paste over the bruises?" Feng Lao asked with a worried look.


    "I did yesterday before sleeping," Miaoran replied.


    Feng Lao felt a bit upset. He decided to beat up Chen Xiao until his skin would bleed. Only then, he would know the pain that Miaoran was still undergoing.


    "You don''t need to feel bad for me, Feng Lao," Miaoran said.


    "How do you know what I am thinking," Feng Lao chuckled.


    "I guessed with your facial expressions," Miaoran said. "I am happy with the fact that I am at least alive. I know the scars and wounds he gave me won''t heal so early, but to live my life to the fullest, I have to heal myself," she asserted.


    "You took the brave step of running away. Some women fear taking that step too. You are a strong woman. Always remember this, Miaoran," Feng Lao said.


    "Oh, I will," Miaoran stated and decided to leave.


    "Did you have your lunch?" Feng Lao asked.


    "No," Miaoran answered.


    "Let''s have lunch together then," Feng Lao suggested to her.


    "Sure," Miaoran readily epted his suggestion and told him she would bring the meals.


    "Ahh, just sit. Let the servants do the work. I told you to take as much as rest you can," Feng Lao said and unbeknownst to him, he grasped her hand. He took her to the table and pulled out a chair for her. He made her sit on it and went out to tell the servant.


    Miaoran looked at her hand and blinked rapidly for a few seconds.


    New Book:

 Chapter 666 Cant you trust me?

    666 Can''t you trust me?


    Miaoran was reading the book that Feng Lao had given her when she heard a knock on the door. She lifted her head and saw the female servant before her. "A man is asking about Miss Miaoran," the servant informed her.


    "Who?" Miaoran asked.


    "The man has refused to tell the name, and is creating chaos outside," the servant replied. Miaoran got worried when he heard that. She was the only person in the residence and she had no idea how she would tackle the situation. Miaoran put the book on the table and walked out with the female servant.


    As soon as Miaoran stepped outside the residence, her eyes widened to see the person before him.


    "Chen Xiao!" She eximed and looked at the people, who were a few meters away from their house.


    "I have nothing to do with you," Miaoran told Chen Xiao and asked him to leave. She took a step back to go inside when she heard him say,


    "Miaoran, do you want me to tell people how you are living with an unknown man? Follow me quietly if you do not want it to happen," Chen Xiao told her.


    "I have nothing to do with you, Chen Xiao," Miaoran asserted.


    "Listen! Everyone here!" Chen Xiao loudly said and extended his arms out. "The woman in front of me used to be my wife, but she decided to ditch me with another man and now is living with him in this residence," he pronounced with an evil smirk on his face.


    The guards asked Chen Xiao to leave, but the two guards who belonged to the Chen Family stepped up and asked them to shut up. Miaoran was a bit scared because of the way Chen Xiao threatened her. She looked at the people, who hade forward.


    "Xu Zifan is already married. Are you talking about Feng Lao?" An olddy asked Chen Xiao.


    "Yes, he is the one who forced my wife to get separated from me. Tell them, Miaoran, how you enchanted a man when you were married and started living with him," Chen Xiao left no ground to humiliate her dignity.


    The neighborhooddies had gathered now. They carried using gazes toward Miaoran.


    "Miss Miaoran should go inside," the guard said. However, she was unable to hear anything. She felt shortness of breath because of the fear. The female servant held Miaoran''s arm gently and took her inside the residence. The guards asked the people to leave and at the same time, told Chen Xiao to leave.


    "I wille every single day, Miaoran," Chen Xiao loudly said and walked away with his guards.


    Miaoran drank the water and sat on the chair. She did not expect Chen Xiao would keep pestering her this way. Those using gazes of people at her had made her more nervous. The servant left the room after a while as she knew Miaoran needed some alone time.


    "Feng Lao''s name has been dragged in all this," she murmured. After thinking for over half an hour, she decided to leave the residence. She stood up and packed two pairs of clothes for her. She decided to get out of the window instead of the main door and opened it.


    The cool night breeze blew and she inhaled deeply. She lifted her leg when the door opened and Feng Lao''s voice fell in her ears.


    She quickly turned to face him and the sheet inside which she had put the two pairs of clothes for her fell to the wooden floor.


    "Feng Lao!" She swiftly picked that up and put it behind her back.


    "Were you running away?" Feng Lao asked with a frown.


    "Ah, I-I was..." Miaoran was unable to speak. She lowered her head and apologized to him. "I do not want Chen Xiao to create problems for you, Brother Xu Zifan, and Sister Jingfei," she said and looked at me with teary eyes.


    "And you decided to run away?" Feng Lao arched his brow with inquisitiveness.


    "Can''t you trust me?" Feng Lao questioned her. "You are not supposed to leave just because that pathetic man is leaving wrong remarks about us!" He raised his voice at her.


    "Forgive me, Feng Lao," Miaoran said and tears rolled over her cheeks. She quickly wiped them. "You all have done so much for me, a-and I do not want any wrong things to spread about you all, especially you, among the people," she exined the reason why she decided to run away.


    Feng Lao walked up to her and lifted her chin. "You should have waited for me to discuss all this with me. What if you had fallen into wrong hands?" He wiped his tears using his thumb. "You do not need to run away. I will make Chen Xiao run for his life," he promised Miaoran and let go of her chin. He ced his hands on his shoulders and patted them.


    "What will you do? Don''t beat him up. He may try to harm you," Miaoran said.


    "That''s up to me to decide," Feng Lao asserted. "I will not let him go this time easily. He pointed a finger on your character, knowing how pious you are. So, he must get punished severely so that his uing generation will also remember it," he proimed.


    "I fear the people. What if people talk about you? I do not want this to happen, Feng Lao. You do not need to do this for me," Miaoran opined.


    "I would have done it for any woman. It is not about you. It is about a woman, whose pathetic former husband cannot see her happiness. He loves to humiliate others. He made you cry and almost seeded in making you run away from here," Feng Lao stated.


    Miaoran was out of words to describe Feng Lao''s noble attitude toward women. "Feng Lao, thank you," she could only express her gratitude.


    "You do not need to thank me everytime," Feng Lao said and he caressed her hair.


    New Book:

 Chapter 667 You still miss everyone [Bonus chapter]

    667 You still miss everyone [Bonus chapter]


    Mingquan removed the veil from Lin Jiao''s face and saw her smiling at him. "So, how does it feel to be my wife?" he asked as he gently pulled her up by cing his hands on her arms.


    "Why doesn''t Prince Mingquan answer me first?" Lin Jiao wrapped her arms around him and locked them on his nape. "How does it feel like to be my husband?" She lowered her hand and tapped his chin with her pointer finger.


    "How should I exin it?" Mingquan mumbled. "A part of my soul feelspleted," he said and touched his forehead with hers.


    "I was always scared of marriage, but it feels incredible," Lin Jiao stated and she tip-toed to kiss him. Mingquan securely wrapped his arm around her waist and kept his other hand on her neck.


    "You got an incredible lifepanion, that''s why it feels that way," Mingquan said with a smile before iming her lips. They kissed for a long time before withdrawing. After catching their breaths, Lin Jiao told her they should drink the wedding wine.


    "Sure," Mingquan handed her the wine cup from the bedside table and then picked another for him. They crossed their arms with each other and drank the wine.


    "It tastes sweeter," Lin Jiao said and put the wine cups on the table.


    Mingquan caressed her cheeks with his hands and showered butterfly kisses on her face. Lin Jiao giggled and asked him to stop.


    "You look so pretty in this dress, Lin Jiao," Mingquan said.


    "You too. I could not take my eyes off you when youe in the evening," Lin Jiao stated and brought her hand to the shoulder buttons of the round-cored red outer robe. She opened them when Mingquan asked her about them.


    "I am undressing my husband," Lin Jiao said and took a step back from him. She took it off him and put it away. "Ye Xin told me it is important on the wedding night," Lin Jiao said.


    "So, you discussed with her already what you need to do on the wedding night," Mingquan asked in a teasing tone.


    "Women do talk about all this," Lin Jiao said and hooked her fingers on the knot of the second robe. He caught her hand and moved toward her. She took backward steps while he took forward steps.


    Her calf muscles hit the bed and her eyelids flickered. Her heartbeat fluttered with the thought of what would happen next. "Don''t you feel hot in this heavy dress?" He asked.


    "I do," Lin Jiao replied and lifted her eyes to meet his gaze.


    Mingquan removed the outer robe from her body and then moved his hands to the sash right above her waist. He opened it which made her upper dress lose.


    He kissed her nose tip and then kissed her cheek.


    "Prince Mingquan, will we do it tonight?" Lin Jiao asked.


    "Pardon me, what do you mean?" Mingquan acted unaware of what she said.


    "You kn-know what I mean," Lin Jiao stated. "I know it is important," she said and exhaled.


    "I n to hold you the entire night and talk to you," Mingquan whispered against her lips. "What do you say?" He asked while stroking her hair.


    Lin Jiao smiled at him. "I would love to be in your arms," she said. Her nervousness slowly died as Mingquan made her feelfortable. "I love you," she said, gazing into his eyes.


    "I love you, Lin Jiao," Mingquan said and again kissed her. She sat on the bed and kept her hands on his face while bent down. She slowly leaned down; her backnded on the soft mattress.


    They withdrew again when Mingquan sat up. He removed shoes from Lin Jiao''s feet and put them on the floor. He already had taken off his shoes and then leaned down to remove the head essory from her head.


    "Lin Jiao, you are my moon. Do you know why?" Mingquan asked her.


    Lin Jiao shook her head.


    "Because you express me. The things I''m unable to express, you do that for me," Mingquan said. "Thank you for giving me the privilege to be your husband," he said and nted a soft kiss on the middle of her forehead.


    ~~~~~~~


    Feng Lao was sitting under the moonlight outside his room, on the patio. He was troubled with numerous thoughts when a hand on his shoulder grabbed his attention.


    Feng Lao tilted his head to look and found Xu Zifan there.


    "Why are you still awake?" Feng Lao asked.


    "You have not slept either," Xu Zifan answered.


    "Your wife must be awake," Feng Lao opined.


    "Jingfei was tired. She is asleep," Xu Zifan pronounced. "What did Miaoran say? Is she alright?" He asked.


    "Miaoran tried to run away. I scolded her," Feng Lao said. "Chen Xiao should not have to do this. He tried to malign her image for no reason. I will not spare him, Xu Zifan," he said with a fit of anger in his tone.


    "I agree with you," Xu Zifan stated. "By the way, Li Hua asked me to do something for you," he said.


    "What?" Feng Lao asked.


    "She wants me to find a suitable match for you. She cannot see you living such a life," Xu Zifan stated.


    "What does she mean?" Feng Lao softly chuckled.


    "Feng Lao, we know you since our childhood times. You may say to everyone that you are doing all well, but you are not. You still miss everyone, yet you pretend that everything is fine," Xu Zifan said.


    "I don''t think I will be able to adjust with any woman," Feng Lao asserted. "I think there is no harm in living an alone life," he muttered.


    "Don''t you want to lean on someone in the times when no one can understand except her?" Xu Zifan questioned him.


    Feng Lao turned silent. However, after a few minutes, he said, "Unless my heart and mind allow me to let have a woman in my life, I will not be able to do it. This is definitely not the right time, I believe. I will tell Li Hua not to worry about me anymore," Feng Lao said.


    "As if she will hear you," Xu Zifan said and told Feng Lao toe to him whenever he had strange thoughts. "I will always be present there for you. Don''t hesitate a bit. This is a request of a friend to you," he affirmed.

 Chapter 668 Prince Lóng Wei has become a father

    668 Prince L¨®ng Wei has be a father


    Huang Xi dried his hands with the towel and thanked Xiaolian for giving him her precious time. "Princess Xiaolian is truly talented," he asserted and put the towel on the table, and he grabbed the sword.


    "Oh, there is y on Commander Huang Xi''s cheek," Xiaolian told him.


    Huang Xi rubbed his cheek when Xiaolian asked her to move his fingers down. "Not there," Xiaolian said, "to the slight left."


    "Where? Is there any mirror here?" Huang Xi asked.


    Xiaolian shook her head and stepped toward her. She lifted her hand and wiped the y from his cheek. She lowered her hand and took a step back.


    "Thank you, Princess Xiaolian," Huang Xi said and asked her how long it would take for the bowls to dry.


    "Two days," Xiaolian replied. "However, I would rmend Commander Huang Xi to give more attempts to bring the right shape to the bowl. There is still time for his mother''s birthday," she suggested.


    Huang Xi nodded his head and agreed with her suggestion. They both came out of the pottery house and headed to the main pce. Huang Xi bowed to Xiaolian as they entered the main pce and told her he would see her tomorrow. He went in the other direction while Xiaolian went to see Ai Fen.


    "What were you doing with Xiaolian?" L¨®ng Wei asked Huang Xi, who encountered the prince after walking a few meters.


    "I asked Princess Xiaolian to teach me pottery," Huang Xi replied.


    L¨®ng Wei had an amusing smile which made Huang Xi a bit conscious and asked him why the prince was giving him that kind of smile.


    "Because Huang Xi is getting close to a woman," L¨®ng Wei answered, which made Huang Xi chuckle.


    "His Highness is thinking wrong. My mother''s birthday is near, so I thought to learn it from the Third Princess," Huang Xi gave an exnation.


    L¨®ng Wei put his arm around Huang Xi''s shoulder and started walking along with him. "You could have learned from a professional potter in the capital. Why Xiaolian?" L¨®ng Wei questioned him with a smirk.


    "Because my duty is in the pce most of the time, Your Highness," Huang Xi answered.


    "I am getting this intuition that you will fall in love with Xiaolian," L¨®ng Wei stated and his smile widened.


    "Prince L¨®ng Wei is assuming wrong," Huang Xi stated.


    "It is intuition, Huang Xi," L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    "Let''s see if His Highness''s intuitiones true or not," Huang Xi muttered and asked L¨®ng Wei if he celebrated Li Hua''s birthday well.


    "Her birthday passed so many days ago. You are asking now," L¨®ng Wei was a bit startled by his question. "Her birthday went well. She loves everything I give her. We went out to a secret ce and spent our day there," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    "Everyone is awaiting good news from Her Highness Princess Consort Li Hua," Huang Xi stated. "I heard two days ago the pce servant speaking about it," he affirmed.


    "Who? Don''t they have any work to do? They need a punishment," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    "Prince L¨®ng Wei got married the earliest. Perhaps that is why they were speaking," Huang Xi stated.


    "Your Highness!"


    They both halted and L¨®ng Wei withdrew his arm from Huang Xi''s shoulder. He saw the maidservant was gasping for air.


    "What happened?" L¨®ng Wei asked.


    "Princess Consort Li Hua suddenly fainted," the maidservant replied.


    L¨®ng Wei did not wait for a second and ran to his manor while Huang Xi went behind him. He caught his breath when he reached the bedchamber and saw Physician Peng.


    "What happened?" L¨®ng Wei looked at the maidservant, who was appointed in Li Hua''s service.


    "I do not know, Your Highness. Her Highness was crushing the dry flowers and she went to bring an incense stick holder when she fainted," the maidservant replied with a fearful expression.


    L¨®ng Wei went to Peng Yuxian and asked him if Li Hua was alright.


    "I am checking the pulse, Your Highness. It may take me a few minutes," Peng Yuxian replied.


    Huang Xi also reached the chamber, but he did not go inside the bedchamber.


    L¨®ng Wei joined his both hands. His heart was strangely pounding against his chest. His eyes remained fixated on Li Hua''s face.


    "We had a proper meal in the morning. She does not skip any of his meals either. Is it because of weakness?" L¨®ng Wei could not stay quiet for a long time.


    A smile was carved on Peng Yuxian lips and he got up. L¨®ng Wei asked him why he was smiling as he got a bit angry.


    "I am overjoyed to inform Prince L¨®ng Wei that Princess Consort Li Hua is carrying his child," Peng Yuxian said.


    "What did you say?" L¨®ng Wei asked. He was unable to believe his ears.


    "Her Highness is pregnant, Your Highness," Peng Yuxian stated.


    L¨®ng Wei started smiling and ended up hugging Peng Yuxian tightly. The maidservant present in the bedchamber went outside to give the news to the King and the Queen.


    L¨®ng Wei started jumping with happiness while Peng Yuxian asked him to let him go as he was unable to breathe. L¨®ng Wei let go of him and apologized. "How can I hold this happiness?" He muttered when Huang Xi walked in and congratted him by giving a tight hug to the prince.


    "Prince L¨®ng Wei has be a father," Huang Xi said.


    "Yes. I became a father," L¨®ng Wei said and tears welled up in his eyes.


    Peng Yuxian remembered how he once was against L¨®ng Wei. Time changed so fast. He was happy for L¨®ng Wei.


    Huang Xi pulled away from the hug and saw the tears in L¨®ng Wei''s eyes. "It is an asion of happiness," he told L¨®ng Wei.


    "Ha-happiness," L¨®ng Wei murmured and turned to Peng Yuxian.


    "When she will be awake?" L¨®ng Wei asked.


    "Soon, Your Highness," Peng Yuxian replied with a smile.


    "L¨®ng Wei!" Qiu Qizhen''s voice fell into L¨®ng Wei''s ears. He turned to face his father and walked to him.


    Qiu Qizhen embraced his son and the tears poured down L¨®ng Wei''s cheeks. He never knew this euphoric feeling would be unexinable to him. He thanked God for granting this wish of his.


    New Book:

 Chapter 669 Such a kind soul [Bonus chapter]

    669 Such a kind soul [Bonus chapter]


    Li Hua opened her eyes gradually and saw L¨®ng Wei in front of her. "I fainted suddenly," she said and tried to sit up. She found something odd. L¨®ng Wei''s eyes were teary and she asked about it as she sat up.


    L¨®ng Wei hugged her, thus taking her by surprise. "Did Prince L¨®ng Wei cry?" she asked.


    "Of course. You havepleted us," L¨®ng Wei said and withdrew to look at her.


    "What?" Li Hua eximed.


    L¨®ng Wei cupped her face between his palms, "Li Hua, you are carrying our child," he said.


    Li Hua was shocked for a while. A smile carved on her lips and she again hugged him. "I am so happy, Your Highness," she said and she closed her eyes. L¨®ng Wei caressed her back until she pulled away.


    "We need to prepare for a lot of things, Prince L¨®ng Wei," Li Hua stated.


    "Of course, we have to. But before that, we need to think of you. You will not lift anything heavy, not wake up tillte at night, eat only healthy meals and many more things. Everyone was here earlier and they told me what I need to do from now on. I will be by your side all the time, Li Hua," L¨®ng Wei pronounced. He brought his hand to the temple of her forehead and brushed her hair.


    "The feeling is unexinable, Li Hua. We will be parents soon. It is beautiful. A heavenly feeling," L¨®ng Wei said and leaned down to kiss her. She kissed him back and ced her hands on the sides of his face.


    "I need to inform my brother about this," Li Hua said after they stopped kissing.


    "Huang Xi has gone to inform Xu Zifan and Feng Lao about this. They soon will be here, I believe," L¨®ng Wei said. "Are you hungry? Should I bring something for you?" he asked.


    "I am not hungry, Your Highness," Li Hua answered. "I was wondering if we should go to the shrine to pray. God has given us everything, Prince L¨®ng Wei, so must thank him," Li Hua opined.


    "I am ready to go with you. I will make arrangements for this and then we will go tomorrow," L¨®ng Wei assured her.


    "Let''s visit His Highness''s mother too. We need to share this news with her," Li Hua asserted.


    "Now?" L¨®ng Wei asked.


    "Hmm. I am not feeling tired or anything. I am good," Li Hua told him.


    L¨®ng Wei agreed to take Li Hua to her mother''s chamber. She put her feet down to wear the shoes when L¨®ng Wei got down on his knees. He made Li Hua wear the shoes. "I shall wash my hands first," he said and asked her to wait for him. Li Hua hummed and watched him leave.


    The maidservant walked in and bowed to her. She, first, congratted Li Hua and asked her if she needed any help.


    "I wanted to brush my hair," Li Hua replied and went with her to the dressing room. The maidservant brushed her hair and also informed her soon a courtdy be appointed in her service.


    They both came out of the dressing room and saw L¨®ng Wei had also entered the chamber. "I will see youter," Li Hua told the maidservant and left with L¨®ng Wei to his mother''s chamber.


    ~~~~~~~~


    Ai Fen was seated in the yard on the bench while seeing how Chang Shi listening to the patients and handing out the appropriate medicines to them.


    "My Lord always distributes medicine for free to the people, who cannot afford them," the chief servant, Baobao, informed Ai Fen.


    "He is such a kind soul. For how long has he been doing this work?" Ai Fen asked.


    "It has been more than thirteen years, Your Highness," Baobao replied. "We all are happy about our lord''s marriage with the Second Princess. He has spent so many years in loneliness," he said and recalled the time when Chang Shi used to get sick or upset. He had no one beside her. However, now Ai Fen was with her and soon would be his wife.


    "Baobao, you have taken good care of your master," Ai Fen said and tilted her head to look at him. "Don''t you want to marry too? You are also getting old," she said.


    "Who will marry me, Your Highness? I am happy in serving my lord and will soon serve the princess too," Baobao stated.


    "I believe there will be hundreds of women who want to marry a man like you. You can go to the matchmaking agency. You are thirty years old now, so you must not dy anymore," Ai Fen advised him.


    "I will think about it, Your Highness," Baobao said.


    "You should. Your lord will be happy to see you getting married," Ai Fen stated.


    Baobao smiled and humbly told Ai Fen she should go inside as the sun was shining brightly.


    "I like to watch Chang Shi," Ai Fen said and refused to go inside. By the mid-noon, Chang Shi''s work waspleted.


    He got up from the patio where he was giving consultation to the patients and came toward Ai Fen. She stood up and stepped toward him.


    They both held each other''s hands. "You are such a wonderful person, Chang Shi. I fell for you again," Ai Fen said.


    Chang Shi smiled at her praiseworthy words. "Why did the Princess stay outside? It is hot here," she stated.


    "I wanted to watch you work, Chang Shi. Stay here. I will bring something to drink for you," Ai Fen stated.


    "The servant will do the work," Chang Shi told her.


    "But I want to bring it for you," Ai Fen said and asked him to wait for a while. She went toward the kitchen.


    Baobao ran to his master and said, "The Second Princess is so in love with my lord. I am so excited about their marriage."


    "I know. We will be married soon and then you have to get married too. You spent so many years serving me, Baobao," Chang Shi said.


    "Her Highness was saying the same to me. I need to go to the matchmaking agency for that, but I am scared," Baobao stated.


    "I will go with you," Chang Shi asserted.


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    "The Shadow Prince."

 Chapter 670 I only want a listener [Bonus chapter]

    670 I only want a listener [Bonus chapter]


    Xu Zifan, Jingfei, and Feng Lao returned to the residence at night after meeting Li Hua and L¨®ng Wei. Since it waste, they headed to their respective rooms.


    Feng Lao decided to take a bath first before having dinner, so he headed to the bathhouse. An hourter, when he returned to the room in a white pair of clothes, he asked the servant about Miaoran, who was setting the dinner table for him.


    "She had her dinner earlier, My Lord," the servant said.


    "Did she sleep?" Feng Lao asked.


    "I have no idea, My Lord," the servant replied. Feng Lao hummed and sat on the floor chair. He began eating the dinner and soon finished it. He decided to take a walk in the garden for a while before going to bed.


    As he entered the garden, he saw Miaoran there. A smile was carved on his lips to see her and he walked to her.


    "You didn''t sleep!?" Feng Lao eximed. Miaoran turned to him and was surprised to see him.


    "You didn''t sleep either. I thought you would be tired," Miaoran said.


    "We went in the carriage. How could I be tired?" Feng Lao asked her and approached her. "Why did you not go to bed?"


    "I could not fall asleep. So, I thought to take a walk for some time," Miaoran replied. Feng Lao hummed and they both began walking.


    "I took Chen Xiao''s matter to the Department of Justice. He will serve a prison term soon. His father and mother begged me to forgive him, but I didn''t listen to them this time," Feng Lao informed her.


    "Feng Lao, you have helped me so much. I do not know how to return all these favors," Miaoran stated.


    "I don''t think friends return favors to each other," Feng Lao affirmed. "Moreover, as a nobleman, it''s my responsibility to do good for those who have no one around them," he said.


    "You have such good thoughts, Feng Lao. No one thinks about the others these days," Miaoran stated.


    "Because I was also vulnerable once. When I found out my father had the hands in the massacre of the Xu Family, I found no one around me to talk about it," Feng Lao said. Miaoran looked at his troubled face. "I thought they all were dead. I helped Li Hua escape that night and I was reprimanded for it. In vulnerable times, you really do not have anyone around you. This I realized."


    Miaoran saw him sighing as if he was still guilty. He was broken from inside yet no one was there to heal him.


    Miaoran stopped walking and seeing this, Feng Lao also halted in his steps. "What happened?" He asked when the next act of Miaoran startled him. Miaoran hugged him and caressed his back.


    "But you have yourself. I am proud of you that you did not lose your good side even after all those things happened to you. You can tell me anytime about all those things to calm yourself," Miaoran asserted.


    Feng Lao ced his hand on her back gently. "Will you listen to me? I don''t want any constion on that. I only want a listener," he said.


    Miaoran pulled away and looked into his eyes. "I am a good listener. You can tell me without any worries."


    Feng Lao smiled at her. She realized her hands were still on his arms and she lowered them slowly. She took a step back and apologized to him for hugging him suddenly.


    "It''s alright. You only wanted to make me feel better," Feng Lao said. He asked her if she decided to learn tailoring.


    "Yes. Tomorrow is my first day at work. I will be busy all day," Miaoran said.


    "Then, you should sleep now," Feng Lao told her.


    "But I am not sleepy. I tried to sleep earlier," Miaoran told him.


    "Is there any trouble?" Feng Lao asked.


    "I did not like the way people talked about you and Brother Xu Zifan," Miaoran answered. "I know I should ignore them, but I am unable to," she truthfully told him.


    "Well, did you get any solution by constantly thinking about it?" Feng Lao questioned her.


    Miaoran shook her head in refusal.


    "Then, you have to stop that. It''s only affecting you mentally. We all know what kind of person Chen Xiao is!" Feng Lao said.


    "I know, Feng Lao. I hoped that Chen Xiao would stop troubling me and the people around me. I wonder if he troubled my parents too. I know my father acted so rudely that day, but I would like to know once," Miaoran expressed her thoughts to him. Her father did not support her decision that day, but she could not stop worrying about them.


    "I will check at your home," Feng Lao assured her. He did not tell her not to think about her parents anymore since it was impossible for her. He knew how soft she was by her heart.


    "I want to go with you. I would like to see my mother once even from far," Miaoran requested him.


    "Sure. I will take you tomorrow. If you want, you can even go to your mother and talk to her," Feng Lao asserted.


    "That''s not possible, Feng Lao. Father and Mother must be angry with me. Then, the people must be ming them for raising a daughter like me. Men aren''t med. It''s always the woman whomits a crime in everyone''s eyes," Miaoran affirmed.


    Those words had a deeper meaning hidden. Their society was like that. A woman would be humiliated, especially a married one if her marriage failed or she was unable to conceive a child for her husband.


    "Perhaps they await your return, Miaoran. Sometimes our parents are unable to tell us. I do not know what to say about your father because he always asked you topromise with Chen Xiao. But I think your mother will understand you," Feng Lao stated.


    "She will not either," Miaoran said and sighed. "I want to see her because I miss her in this tough time." Even though she was well aware of her mother''s behavior but Miaoran''s mind could not stop thinking about her mother.


    These days I''m going through a lot of things. Because of stress rted to my personal life I couldn''t update more regrly here. Sorry for that.

 Chapter 671 I was never praised before

    671 I was never praised before Feng Lao looked at Chen Xiao through the bars of the prison. "You should not havee to my home to create a ruckus," Feng Lao told him. "Are you not remorseful of your actions? Miaoran devoted so many years to you, yet you considered her nothing."


    Chen Xiao chuckled and he turned on the stone bed to face Feng Lao. "She should be happy that I married her. I wonder why you took an interest in a woman who was married to someone and then asked her to demand a divorce from me. You are into her. Am I right?" Chen Xiao''s remark irked Feng Lao and he asked the prison guard to flog Chen Xiao ten times.


    Chen Xiao was stunned to hear that and saw the prison guard had opened the lock of the prison.


    "Forgive me, Feng Lao. I won''t stay anything to you," Chen Xiao said as the prison guards held his arms. They dragged him out so that they could take him to the punishment ground, where they would flog him.


    "Feng Lao, I was only asking you. There is nothing to be angry about. I never get flogged. Please ask them to stop," Chen Xiao loudly said.


    "You must know how it feels when you beat someone, Chen Xiao," Feng Lao stated as he stood in front of him. "I wanted to punish you by my own hands. However, I don''t want to dirty them. I hope after your prison term ends, you be the right person for this society else I have to kill you. I mean it, Chen Xiao. I don''t wield a sword just to show off," he stated and asked the prison guards to take him to the punishment ground.


    Chen Xiao had stopped pleading because he knew Feng Lao would not forgive him.


    Feng Lao left the prison and thought to see L¨®ng Wei once. However, on the way, he encountered Xiaolian who informed him L¨®ng Wei and Li Hua had gone out to a shrine.


    Feng Lao thanked her for the information and decided to leave when Xiaolian asked him if he was still upset with her.


    "No," Feng Lao gave an instant reply.


    "So, have you forgiven me?" Xiaolian asked.


    "Hmm," Feng Lao simply nodded and took his leave.


    Xiaolian felt a bit better to hear his response. She always wanted his forgiveness. However, one thing Xiaolian realized was that she was no longer attracted to him.


    "Feng Lao, what were you doing here?" Qiu Mu encountered him and he stopped in his way.


    Feng Lao greeted the Prince and bowed his head slightly. "I wanted to see Prince L¨®ng Wei and Princess Consort Li Hua," he replied.


    "They are gone outside. Tianjie and his wife have also gone with them," Qiu Mu informed him.


    "I met Princess Xiaolian earlier. She did tell me that they have gone to the shrine but I didn''t know about the Third Prince," Feng Lao stated.


    "Is your rtionship with Xiaolian turned well? I thought you were giving a cold treatment to her," Qiu Mu said.


    "That was the past, Your Highness," Feng Lao replied.


    "I frequently get to hear about you from Brother Mingquan. Earlier, I could never get the chance to talk to you much. Perhaps because of my differences with L¨®ng Wei," Qiu Mu truthfully told Feng Lao about his thoughts toward him.


    "I can understand, Your Highness," Feng Lao said.


    Qiu Mu ced his hand on Feng Lao''s shoulder and patted it. "Have drinks with me someday. I take my leave," he said and pulled his hand back.


    "I would love to, Your Highness," Feng Lao said and passed a smile to Qiu Mu, who walked away. Feng Lao also left the pce to see Miaoran.


    ~~~~~


    Miaoran made some unique designs on the fabric which brought apuse from the other young women who hade to the shop workshop to learn embroidery. Their work was over, so everyone started leaving for their respective homes. Miaoran also put the strap of the cloth bag on her shoulder and came out of the workshop.


    As she came to the front of the shop, her eyesnded on Feng Lao, who was standing next to the horse.


    Feng Lao also looked in her direction and smiled brightly at her. Miaoran gripped the strap tightly and walked up to him.


    "What are you doing here?" Miaoran asked him.


    "I promised you to take to your home. Don''t you want to see your mother?" Feng Lao reminded her.


    "Yes," Miaoran nodded at him.


    "So, how was the first day? I think you all are going basic training," Feng Lao deduced. "Did you make new friends?" He asked her and saw the threads tangled in her hair.


    "It was nice, Feng Lao. Everyone praised me. I was never praised before so I did not know how to respond to them. But I felt delighted," Miaoran said with a smile.


    Her heart fluttered when Feng Lao''s fingers suddenly brushed her temples and he came too close to her. Her breath hitched and she stopped blinking. Her eyes fixated on his handsome face.


    "I am d you decided to join this work," Feng Lao said and removed the threads from her hair and then her shoulder. His eyes lingered on hers and he asked her why she was not blinking.


    Miaoran came out of that trance and she blinked rapidly. "Nothing," she said.


    "Shall we stop by a restaurant first? Are you hungry? Because I am," Feng Lao stated.


    "Sure. We should fill our stomachs first," Miaoran answered when the horse neighed, and the sound made her jump in fear.


    Feng Laoughed to see her reaction. "Are you scared?" He asked.


    "No. The horse suddenly neighed," Miaoran replied and caressed her chest.


    "I have given him a name. You should call him Jinjing," Feng Lao told her and caressed the face of the horse.


    "That''s a beautiful name," Miaoran said when Feng Lao held her hand and pulled her toward the horse. He ced her hand on Jinjing''s face and ask her to stay calm.


    "What if Jinjing bites me?" Miaoran curled her fingers and furrowed her brows.


    "Horses don''t bite. They kick," Feng Lao said and smiled. "Stay calm and just do this," he told her and made her stroke Jinjing''s face.


    Miaoran felt a littlefortable and realized that Jinjing liked the gentle caressing. She tilted her head and again got lost in Feng Lao.

 Chapter 672 Right beside you [Bonus chapter]

    672 Right beside you [Bonus chapter]


    "Do you want to sit on the Jinjing?" Feng Lao asked Miaoran, who shook her head.


    "You can get on Jinjing," Miaoran opined.


    Feng Laoughed to hear her. "People will criticize me for being on the horse while letting you walk. That will not look good at all. Let''s walk then to your house," he asserted.


    Feng Lao told her how Chen Xiao was imprisoned for nine months.


    Miaoran tilted her head and asked him how that happened.


    "It was bound to happen from the beginning. But you were too kind to him because his parents begged you," Feng Lao said. It appeared to be a taunt than apliment.


    "I could not see his parents crying before me. I didn''t want them to curse me for no reason," Miaoran stated.


    "Such people never change. They will keep pestering you if you keep your mouth shut. That''s why they need some sort of punishment," Feng Lao said.


    "I understand now," Miaoran asserted.


    As they were walking, they walked past a lot of people. Miaoran noticed how people were gazing at her, which made her a little nervous and she asked Feng Lao if she had something on her face.


    "No," Feng Lao immediately replied.


    "Then, why are they looking at me?" Miaoran queried.


    "You are thinking too much. When we walk, we end up meeting the gazes of the people," Feng Lao opined. He understood she wasn''t used to many people around her.


    Soon, they entered the locality where the people''s presence was less in the day. "Your parents'' house is close to the market," Feng Lao said and wondered where he should keep his horse. "Do you n to go inside your house to see your parents or just from far?" Feng Lao asked.


    "I have to see them from far, Feng Lao. Father will be furious to see me," Miaoran said.


    "Hmm."


    "I aming here after a year. I was not allowed to leave the house without Chen Xiao''s permission," Miaoran said.


    "They tortured you a lot," Feng Lao remarked. "I can punish his parents as well for treating you like a ve. Even to a ve, no one gives such a treatment," Feng Lao affirmed.


    Miaoran shook her head. "They are already punished, Feng Lao. Their immoral son is imprisoned and now, people will ask them about him all the time. You were right. I should have agreed to you and let Chen Xiao get punished earlier," she muttered and told Feng Lao she would never talk about Chen Xiao ever again because he was now her past.


    After walking for over twenty minutes, they stopped two houses away from Miaoran''s house and kept hidden behind the wall of the second house.


    Miaoran peeked out to look at the door of her house. She didn''t see anyone there when Feng Lao whispered in her ear, "We are not going to see them this way. At least, from here," he opined.


    She turned her head to look and saw his face was close to hers. However, his gaze at the entrance of the house. When he didn''t get a response from her, he shifted his gaze to her.


    "Should we go ahead? You should not be scared of anything. All these years you lived in fear, but you should not do this anymore. You should fight, Miaoran. I will be right beside you, so you are not alone in this," Feng Lao encouraged her to go to her home.


    Miaoran was deeply affected by his words and she decided to go inside her house. "Wait for me outside," she said.


    "Are you sure?" Feng Lao asked her.


    "Yes."


    "Miaoran!"


    They both heard a voice and looked at the old woman in front of them.


    "Mother," Miaoran murmured as her eyes turned watery. She could not stop her feet and dashed to her mother. Miaoran tightly hugged her mother and tears rolled over her cheeks. She missed this warm embrace of her mother. She had even forgotten her surroundings for a moment and kept weeping while her mother.


    Miaoran''s mother kept her hand on her back and caressed it. "Calm down, my daughter," Lady Hui said and moved her hand to Miaoran''s hair.


    The two servants present with Lady Hui also turned emotional. They had heard how Miaoran was tortured in her ex-husband''s house.


    Lady Hui withdrew from the hug and wiped the tears from Miaoran''s eyes. "Let''s go inside," she said.


    Miaoran sniffled and shook her head in refusal. "Father will be angry," she said.


    "He will not say anything," Lady Hui stated and gazed at Feng Lao. "You too," she said and took Miaoran inside first. Feng Lao looked at the servants and asked them where he should keep his horse.


    "We have house guards," one of them said and asked Feng Lao to follow them. He nodded and went after them.


    The house guard held the reins on the horse while Feng Lao walked inside the Hui Residence. He was taken to the room where Lady Hui was present with her daughter.


    "I can stay outside," Feng Lao said as he saw Miaoran in tears. He thought she wanted time with her mother.


    "It''s alright. Come inside," Lady Hui said. Miaoran had kept her head down as she was seated next to her mother on the broad chair.


    "Thank you for keeping my daughter in your house and helping her get out of that abusive and torturous marriage," Lady Hui expressed her gratitude toward Feng Lao.


    He smiled a little and told Miaoran not to cry anymore. "I wonder why Lady Hui did note to see her daughter," Feng Lao stated.


    "Because I did not want it to happen," Miaoran''s father entered the room. They all stood up to see him and he asked them to take their respective seats after he settled on his ce.


    "I heard Chen Xiao is imprisoned. Thank you for doing this and I apologize for my that day behavior," Miaoran''s father said. She looked at her father in bewilderment because he never acted that way before.

 Chapter 673 Never let my daughter suffer

    673 Never let my daughter suffer


    "I am d as the father of Miaoran, you have finally understood the value of your daughter. Her life was more precious and separating from Chen Xiao was necessary for her," Feng Lao told Lord Hui.


    "Humans live in a society and we have to follow the norms ordingly. This was my thought. I am guilty of my actions for never looking at my daughter as my pride. Instead, I saw her as a burden," Lord Hui admitted those evil thoughts in him, which had persisted in him for a long time.


    However, the change came when he heard a few noblemen, who appreciated his daughter''s decisions. The prejudices Lord Hui had carried broke in a day after listening to them. How they would do anything for their daughters to bring her out of such a marriage.


    Miaoran was overwhelmed to hear her father. This was the first time, he was talking in her favor.


    "I had ns to bring my daughter in the evening, but Feng Lao took her here. I want my daughter to live with us," Lord Hui announced his decision.


    Feng Lao smiled brightly to hear Lord Hui and nced at Miaoran. This was the best present Miaoran had ever received in her life.


    "What do you say, Miaoran?" Lord Hui asked with a faint smile on his lips.


    "I would love to," Miaoran replied.


    Lady Hui was happy for her daughter and she ced her hand above Miaoran''s. "No one will say anything to you. We are with you," she told Miaoran. Feng Lao felt immense happiness which was hard for him to express. He was truly happy for Miaoran because she always longed for her family''s love. It took a lot of time for her family to understand her, but at least, they did.


    "Chen Xiao is in prison and he will never trouble Miaoran anymore, nor does anyone from his family. I assure you all," Feng Lao saidfortingly.


    "Thank you, Shui Feng Lao," Lord Hui said. "You are a lifesaver for my daughter. I will never forget this favor of yours. In this life, if you will ask me anything, I will do my best to give it to you," he asserted.


    "Ahh," Feng Lao furrowed his brows together and continued, "With the mighty God''s grace I have everything in my life. Thank you for saying that. I only want Lord Hui and Lady Hui to keep their daughter''s life and happiness first before taking any decision for her. She needs your love and support. That''s what makes you all a part of the family."


    Feng Lao''s words touched Miaoran''s heart.


    Lord Hui nodded his head. "I will never let my daughter suffer. I promise this," he said and looked at Miaoran.


    "Thank you, Father," Miaoran said and she wiped the tears from the back of her palm. She gazed at Feng Lao and thanked him as well.


    "You should not cry so much. Now, you should always smile and live your life to the fullest," Feng Lao advised her. Miaoran nodded at him and began smiling.


    ~~~~~


    Huang Xi and Xiaolian sat beside each other on the open patio after an hour of pottery session. "Did Commander Huang Xi go to the war ever?" Xiaolian asked.


    "Never. Borders have always been peaceful," Huang Xi replied. "I never got the chance to go on a battle. There are sometimes uprisings or rebellions among the locals, so to appease them I have gone," he asserted.


    "Commander Huang Xi''s job is tough," Xiaolian stated. "Autumn hase. Soon, the winter will start and then military activities be stopped for a while. Am I right?" She curiously asked.


    "That''s not possible, Princess Xiaolian. The military has a role to protect the kingdom in every season. We cannot stop our activities. Surely, the break is given but not to everyone in the military at once," Huang Xi corrected her and then exined to her.


    "Oh. Then, this work is tiresome. You all do work throughout the year without taking any breaks. We all enjoy our lives, staying inside our rooms and resting most of the time," Xiaolian said.


    "Princess Xiaolian is from the royal family, so she has the privilege to enjoy her life to the fullest," Huang Xi affirmed.


    "Privileges only before a princess gets married and sent off to her husband''s home," Xiaolian said. "Sister Jingfei told me it''s more fun outside the pce. We have a free life with fewer restrictions," she opined and a tiny smile was carved on her lips.


    Huang Xi agreed with her. "Is Princess Xiaolian doing well?" He suddenly asked about her well-being.


    "Sister Ai Fen will get married soon. However, she thinks we both should get married on the same day. Our eldest brother, the King, has agreed with Sister Ai Fen''s suggestion. Even the Second Brother is helping him in finding a suitable man for me. However, I am scared now. I wanted to get married and I was prepared for it since my teenage days. But I have this strange, unexinable feeling in my heart and mind too," Xiaolian expressed her troubled thoughts to Huang Xi.


    "Is it because Princess Xiaolian has feelings for Feng Lao?" Huang Xi asked.


    "No. Feng Lao is the close chapter of my life," Xiaolian replied.


    "I apologize," Huang Xi said. "Why is Princess Xiaolian scared?" He inquired.


    "I do not know," Xiaolian replied and fiddled with her fingers. "I think I am thinking too much," she asserted and smiled a little before standing up.


    "Perhaps the Princess is scared of the responsibilities she has to bear after the marriage," Huang Xi stated.


    "Maybe," Xiaolian said.


    "I believe the Princess will get a good husband and family. She does not need to be scared. The right thing finds its way to the right person somehow," Huang Xi stated.


    Xiaolian hummed and inhaled deeply. She felt a bit better after sharing those thoughts with Huang Xi.


    "I should leave, Princess Xiaolian. I will see you here at the same time," he said and stood up. He bowed to her and walked away.

 Chapter 674 Thats a secret, Miaoran [Bonus chapter]

    674 That''s a secret, Miaoran [Bonus chapter]


    "Feng Lao, I do not know how to return your favors," Miaoran said as she kept her gaze low. They both were present in the front yard of the residence.


    "You don''t need to return my favors. I never did any favor on you," Feng Lao said. "From now on, your life has begun," he asserted and she lifted her eyes.


    "Will we meet after this? I know you are busy," Miaoran said in a low voice.


    "We live in the capital, so I will definitely meet you frequently," Feng Lao asserted.


    Miaoran smiled at him. "Feng Lao, you gave me this new life. I am grateful to you," she said and asked him if he would feel lonely again.


    "Perhaps. We won''t be talking with each other after dinner," Feng Lao said.


    "Yes," Miaoran nodded at him.


    "The next time we see each other, I hope I find a new person in you. I want to see the strong Miaoran. By that time, you must turn healthy too," Feng Lao stated.


    "Will you not see me tomorrow?" Miaoran asked.


    "Hmm. I have important work toplete," Feng Lao stated.


    "Are you going somewhere?" Miaoran asked him.


    "Yes. Don''t worry. I will return soon," Feng Lao answered.


    "Where are you going?" Miaoran wanted to know the town he was heading to.


    "That''s a secret, Miaoran," Feng Lao replied.


    "Oh." Miaoran fell into a deep thought for a few seconds before she opened her mouth to speak, "I hope to see you soon, Feng Lao. Tell Brother Xu Zifan and Sister Jingfei how thankful I am to them. I will definitelye to see them frequently. We do not live quite far, so it''s not like I can''t see any of you," she asserted.


    "You are right. If you need anything, you cane to us anytime. In my absence, Xu Zifan will help you," Feng Lao assured her.


    "Hmm."


    Feng Lao took a step back and lowered his gaze which one did while bowing. Miaoran did the same and then watched him leave. She walked behind him and went up to the entrance. Feng Lao hopped on the horse and gave her a final nce before leaving for his home.


    Miaoran kept looking at the way from where Feng Lao headed to his home until he disappeared from her sight.


    "Feng Lao is a nice man," Lady Hui''s voice fell into Miaoran''s ears and she turned to look at her mother. "Is he married?" she asked.


    "He is not," Miaoran replied and walked inside with her mother.


    "Whoever will get him be the lucky one," Lady Hui said.


    "Mother is right," Miaoran agreed with her mother''s words and they headed to the room which was prepared for Miaoran.


    "Your brothers and sisters-inw have gone to their respective inws'' houses. They will not be here until the next week," Lady Hui stated and pushed the doors of the room. "Take some rest and then we will meet for the evening tea."


    Miaoran thanked her mother for epting her.


    "Don''t say it anymore. I am already guilty of not acting anything before. I made you suffer in that marriage for years," Lady Hui said with an upset look on her face. She took Miaoran inside the room and made her sit on the bed.


    "You are free to do what you want. No one will bother you from now on. Just keep smiling always and no more tears," Lady Hui urged her daughter. Miaoran hugged her mother by circling her arms around Lady Hui''s waist and she rested her head on her abdomen.


    "I miss all this for years," Miaoran said and she closed her eyes.


    ~~~~~~


    Li Feiyi sat on the chairfortably in the pavilion with Zhang Xi. She looked around and found a newer kind of atmosphere. The air in the pce was different.


    "What is Miss Li thinking?" Zhang Xi asked as he forwarded the teacup to her. "Please drink," he humbly said and returned his hand to the rim of the teacup before him.


    "Nothing, Your Highness," Li Feiyi replied and lifted the teacup. She took a sip and gently ce it on the table.


    Zhang Xi noticed the hairpin in her hair bun and asked her if she put on the same which his mother gave to her through his hands.


    "Yes, Your Highness," Li Feiyi replied. "I thought I should wear it," she asserted.


    "I am d you did," Zhang Xi said and smiled brightly. "It is for you only," he stated.


    "My Elder Brother keeps asking me about it. He was teasing me all the time," Li Feiyi said and smiled a little. Her fingers tapped on the rim of the teacup.


    "General Li Tian will miss his sister when she will leave his home," Zhang Xi asserted.


    "I can go to see my brother anytime, right?" Li Feiyi asked.


    "Of course. Also, you will see your brother daily in the pce," Zhang Xi reminded her.


    "Ahh, yes. I will get to see my brother every day," Li Feiyi said.


    "Do you want more tea?" Zhang Xi brought his hand toward the teapot, but Li Feiyi humbly refused it.


    "I need to finish this first," she drank the remaining tea from the cup and ced the empty cup on the table. The maidservant came forward on Zhang Xi''s instructions and took the teapot and teacups to the kitchen.


    "I have brought something for His Highness," Li Feiyi said and showed the scented sachet to Zhang Xi. "I made it myself for His Highness," she said with a beautiful smile on her lips.


    Zhang Xi gradually moved his hand forward and took it from her. The sachet was of silk and teal blue in color. The golden thread embroidery on the sachet would mesmerize everyone. Li Feiyi had embroidered two small peonies flowers with red thread to focus attention on them.


    "This is beautiful, Li Feiyi," Zhang Xi said with a wide smile and brought the sachet close to his nose. He inhaled the fragrance that was put inside the sachet and it turned out to be his favorite one. He tucked it on his waistband and stood up from his ce.


    Li Feiyi was happy to see Zhang Xi''s reaction. "Please Keep this with you all the time," she asserted.


    "I will," Zhang Xi assured her.

 Chapter 675 To hold my baby in my hands

    675 To hold my baby in my hands Several days had passed and Huang Xi grew closer to Xiaolian. As usual, he went to see Xiaolian but not to learn pottery. He had already gifted two bowls which he made with his hands. Though, the art on them was done by Xiaolian. However, through the maidservant in the manor, he found out Xiaolian was in the royal garden.


    Huang Xi thought to wait for a while. But that thought quickly changed and he decided to go to the garden. It took him fifteen minutes to search Xiaolian. One of the royal gardeners told Huang Xi about Xiaolian''s location. She was present in the open field surrounded by the maple trees.


    Huang Xi saw how Xiaolian had her gaze focused on a maple tree. The sky was cloudy today and the cold air felt strong today. Huang Xi went close to Xiaolian and saw her eyes were on the two birds sitting on a thick branch of the tree. The bird''s head was slightly ckish and the body was of royal teal color. If anyone would nce at those birds, it would appear a pair of couple to them.


    Xiaolian was so engrossed in the sight of those birds that she didn''t realize Huang Xi was standing next to her.


    Huang Xi dropped his eyes from the birds to Xiaolian and looked at her side face. It looked different to her. A bit shinier and the way her eye would open and close, did something strange in his heart. The loose tendrils of her hair when blowing with the breeze, blocked the way to her face but it made her look more mesmerizing in his eyes.


    The two birds opened their wings and flew in the open air which made Xiaolian smile. Finally, she turned and was stunned to see Huang Xi before him.


    "Commander Huang Xi," she whispered and he came out of his thoughts.


    She smiled at him and asked when he came.


    "A moment ago," Huang Xi replied.


    "Commander Huang Xi did not call my name," Xiaolian asserted.


    "Princess Xiaolian was busy watching the birds," Huang Xi replied.


    "Did Commander Huang Xi see them too? They looked beautiful. They were a pair," Xiaolian said and again smiled.


    That smile made Huang Xi''s heart flutter and he promptly ced his hand on his chest. ''No, I should not be feeling this,'' he thought and blinked.


    Xiaolian noticed his strange reaction and went close to him. "What happened? Commander Huang Xi seems lost," she said and he gazed at her. His heart beat faster and he immediately stepped back.


    "I-I have to leave," Huang Xi stuttered and ran out of her sight. Xiaolian got confused and wondered if he was alright.


    Huang Xi reached the main pce and stopped at a corridor. He rested his hand on the wooden pir next to him. "This cannot happen," he mumbled. He realized he forgot to give what his mother had sent for Xiaolian. His mother knew how Xiaolian helped Huang Xi in making those beautiful bowls and wanted to thank her with her small gesture of gifting.


    "Aish!" Huang Xi did not want to face Xiaolian anymore. It was a strong sensation and it scared him. He did not want this feeling, not with a princess, at least. After what happened with Ai Fen, he had fear Xiaolian might see him the same way.


    "No. This was an ident," Huang Xi told himself.


    "What was an ident?" L¨®ng Wei''s voice fell into Huang Xi''s ears.


    "Prince L¨®ng Wei!" Huang Xi eximed and turned to look at him. He saw the baby clothes in L¨®ng 09:40


    Wei''s hands and asked about them.


    "Oh, I have asked the royal tailor to stitch them. If we will have a baby girl, then she will wear these pair of clothes," L¨®ng Wei said, pointing at the clothes on the top, "and if we have a baby boy, then the lower ones. They are beautiful, right?"


    Huang Xi was astonished to see this side of L¨®ng Wei. He was already preparing everything. Wasn''t that too soon? Huang Xi asked L¨®ng Wei.


    "Oh, it is. But I am unable to stop myself from doing all these things. These are only the initial designs of clothes," L¨®ng Wei said. "You don''t know how excited I am. I am so eager to hold my baby in my hands and give my baby so much love. I am also wondering what names should we select," he asserted.


    "Prince L¨®ng Wei has be a family man. I am so d to see this side of his. These clothes are beautiful. I am also excited to see Prince L¨®ng Wei''s baby. Prince L¨®ng Wei must tell his baby I am his best uncle," Huang Xi stated.


    "Of course, I will," L¨®ng Wei said. "I always wanted to have a family of my own. Now, all this is happening which makes me emotional sometimes. I conquered a tough phase of my life. I will be the person Yuze wanted me to be," he said with a bright smile.


    "His Highness has be that person," Huang Xi said. "Prince L¨®ng Wei truly deserved this life," he added.


    "Thank you, Huang Xi," L¨®ng Wei said and asked him if he would tell him what ident he was talking about.


    "It was nothing, Your Highness," Huang Xi said.


    "You should not hide from me," L¨®ng Wei insisted him to tell him the truth.


    "My heart fluttered strongly," Huang Xi asserted.


    "What? Around Xiaolian?" L¨®ng Wei deduced himself.


    "How does His Highness know? Huang Xi inquired.


    "You always are around her," L¨®ng Wei stated, "it is not tough to guess."


    "It happened out of the blue. I don''t want this feeling. I hate it," Huang Xi said.


    "Ayee! Don''t do that. Why do you hate it? You always wanted to fall in love and then get married to that woman," L¨®ng Wei reminded him.


    "That was before¨C"


    L¨®ng Wei shut him down. "Huang Xi, everyone is different. Ai Fen is different and Xiaolian is different. Well, I can only advise you. Rest is up to you," he stated.

 Chapter 676 Fight for your happiness [Bonus chapter]

    676 Fight for your happiness [Bonus chapter]


    Feng Lao hugged Xu Zifan as he finally arrived home after almost two weeks. It was the time just before the sunset.


    "You took a lot of days to return," Jingfei said, who handed Feng Lao a ss of water.


    "Thank you," Feng Lao drank the water first before answering, "The work extended. So, it took me many days to return."


    Jingfei ced the ss on the tray and the servant left the pavilion.


    "Is anything going on? How is the Queen Dowager doing?" Xu Zifan inquired. Jingfei was also curious to know about her mother.


    "Nothing suspicious is going on. The Queen Dowager is well in terms of health. She is usually quiet and stays always inside her room," Feng Lao said. He and Xu Zifan gazed at Jingfei, who was a bit upset to hear about this regarding her mother.


    "I will ask my elder brother to free Mother," Jingfei said.


    "The Queen Dowager tried to kill the King," Xu Zifan stated.


    Jingfei''s eyes turned teary. Why did her mother do that? She always loved Xiaoming more than anything. How could she lose her conscience at that time?


    Xu Zifan ced his hand on the back of Jingfei''s head and made it rest on his chest. "I know she is your mother. She should be in the pce. I bet His Majesty also thinks the same. But it must be difficult for him to take a decision, where his life can again fall into danger," Xu Zifan exined to Jingfei.


    She hummed and pulled away after a while. Feng Lao smiled to see howpatible Jingfei had be with Xu Zifan. She changed a lot right from the day she married Xu Zifan.


    They both turned to look at Feng Lao when Xu Zifan continued, "Miaoran came thrice here to see you. Did you not tell her where you have gone?" he asked.


    "I didn''t. I thought it would be the best," Feng Lao replied. "How is she doing? Is her family nice to her?" he asked.


    "Miaoran looks better than before," Jingfei stated. "She has turned into such a beautifuldy. She is now happy in her life all because of you, Feng Lao," sheplimented Feng Lao''s effort.


    "I guess, we all have helped her in this," Feng Lao stated. "I will go and see her in a while," he informed them.


    "It''s already evening. When will you return home then? You should take a rest today," Jingfei opined.


    "I don''t feel tired," Feng Lao said and smiled at them. "I had taken rest in the day in a local rest house," he asserted.


    "Don''t tell me you missed Miaoran," Xu Zifan said.


    "I missed everyone around me," Feng Lao chuckled and asked him what he wanted to say.


    "That Miaoran seems to be in love with you. You seeded in swaying a woman''s heart!" Xu Zifan said with a teasing look on his face.


    "Don''t joke, Xu Zifan," Feng Lao said.


    "He is not. Miaoran does look in love with you," Jingfei affirmed.


    "Now, you have to believe. Two people cannot lie," Xu Zifan stated. "We will be happy to see you two together," he added. Jingfei readily agreed with her husband.


    However, Feng Lao did not feel good to hear about it. Miaoran wasn''t supposed to fall for him. He frowned and his facial expressions didn''t go unnoticed by Xu Zifan and Jingfei.


    "Don''t tell me you will reject her feelings," Xu Zifan said.


    "You want me to ept them!?" Feng Lao arched his eyebrow at him.


    "Of course. You don''t need to roam like a lone man anymore. Get married and have a beautiful life ahead with your wife, your kids," Xu Zifan said.


    Feng Lao sighed and chuckled at the same time. "That won''t happen, Xu Zifan," he said.


    "Why?" Jingfei was a bit confused.


    "Because I-I a-am scared," Feng Lao stuttered while speaking the truth to them.


    "What are you scared of? Don''t tell me you think you will lose her too," Xu Zifan muttered.


    "I am scared of losing. I will tell Miaoran not to do so," Feng Lao stated.


    Xu Zifan stood close to Feng Lao and ced his hand on his arm. "You won''t do it. We both know you also need someone, Feng Lao. You don''t say it to anyone, but as a friend, I know well about you. You loved Li Hua once, yet you never made an effort to find her. You gave up too easily. Don''t do such a thing this time. You have to fight for your happiness, Feng Lao."


    Xu Zifan could not see his friend staying in a dark past, in some terrible memories. "I was also there where you are today. You know this well, Feng Lao. You, me, and Li Hua, the three of us shared all those things inmon. However, we both have moved ahead. It is your turn and I want you to see you happy. I want your happiness, Feng Lao."


    Xu Zifan did his best to convince Feng Lao not to reject Miaoran feelings based on his past. Past was gone and he had to move on from that.


    "Feng Lao, you also foundfort in her, right?" Jingfei asked him. "We are not insisting you marry her only. We only want you to not reject Miaoran instantly," she said in her soft tone.


    Feng Lao understood what they both wanted. "Fine. I will try doing that too. I also do not want to dwell on the past. But it''s difficult sometimes," Feng Lao stated.


    "We understand. You should look around you, Feng Lao. Xiwan, Chang Shi, and Prince L¨®ng Wei had worst lives than us. The three of them grew up alone. However, today they are happy. They also have let the fear go off their minds which they carried from their pasts. Life has given you a new chance and you must not kick it away. You don''t know how happy we will be to see you happy," Xu Zifan said and he withdrew his hand from his arm.


    Feng Lao understood Xu Zifan''s words. He decided to find first if Miaoran truly liked him. Sometimes, people also took the wrong meanings of a woman''s concern toward a man. If he found out she had feelings for him, he would proceed ordingly.

 Chapter 677 Do you like me, Miaoran?

    677 Do you like me, Miaoran?


    Miaoran came out of the residence when she was informed about Feng Lao''s visit. He had his back toward her, so she called his name out with a bright smile on her lips.


    Feng Lao turned upon hearing his name and was a bit mesmerized to see her. As Xu Zifan and Jingfei mentioned, Miaoran had turned healthier and prettier. He saw her descending the stairs, so he walked up to her.


    "You said you would be out for a week only. However, you took almost two weeks to return," Miaoranined. She found him staring at her face and asked him if she had something on her face as she touched her right cheek.


    "You look pretty," Feng Lao said and pinched her left cheek.


    "Thank you," Miaoran replied and asked him whether they should go in.


    "Sure," Feng Lao said and went inside with her.


    "Father and Mother have gone to a wedding, so they will return after two days," Miaoran informed Feng Lao.


    "What about the others?" Feng Lao asked.


    "My brothers and sisters-inw have also apanied them. It was one of the close rtive''s daughter''s wedding," Miaoran asserted. She did not take him to the guest room. Instead, she took him to her room as she wanted to show him a lot of things.


    "I see. Why did you not go?" Feng Lao asked her.


    "Because people would have asked me several questions rted to Chen Xiao. So, I decided to stay at home," Miaoran said and opened her room door for Feng Lao. She asked him to get inside and went ahead.


    "Take a seat," Miaoran told him.


    "You first," Feng Lao said.


    "This won''t do, Feng Lao. You have been here for the first time. Take a seat. I will bring tea for us. You will drink tea, right?" Miaoran asked him. She pushed him to the floor chair, which took him by surprise. S


    "I would love to," Feng Lao replied.


    "Wait for me. I will soon be back," Miaoran said and walked out of the room.


    Miaoran went toward the kitchen and met the young female servant who had brought tea for them. "How do I look, Xixi?" Miaoran asked her.


    "Beautiful, Miss," Xixi replied and looked at Miaoran''s lips. "Miss, why did you not apply the lip color?" she asked.


    "Lower your voice. What if he hears you?" Miaoran muttered.


    Xixi bit her tongue and apologized to Miaoran.


    "I think my lips look better this way," Miaoran said.


    "Miss, but your lips will enhance your beauty. You have so many sleepless nights before you figured out your feelings. Men get attracted to women because of their eyes, smile, and lips," Xixi said and asked Miaoran to hold the tray.


    Miaoran took the tray from her when Xixi asked her to wait for a minute. Miaoran tapped her shoe against the floor and wondered where Xixi had gone to.


    Xixi gasped for air as she returned. She had the lip color box in her hand and she told Miaoran she would apply the color on her lips.


    "Do you think it is necessary?" Miaoran asked her.


    "Of course, Miss," Xixi said, and using her fourth finger she applied the color. "Please press your lips together, Miss," she asserted.


    "Is it good?" Miaoran asked her.


    "Yes, Miss. It is good now," Xixi said and gave a thumbs up to her. "Try telling Lord Shui about your feelings today," she opined.


    "I will try," Miaoran said and went inside.


    Miaoran took a deep breath and entered through the hemispherical entrance of her room. "I made you wait, right?" Miaoran asked Feng Lao, who was quietly seated on the floor chair.


    "You came early," Feng Lao said.


    She bent on her knees and put the tray on the table.


    "The servant had readied the tea. When I was informed that you havee, I told the servant to prepare the tea," Miaoran asserted and poured tea for them in two teacups.


    Feng Lao thanked her and picked up the teacup.


    Miaoran sat across from him and tapped her fingers on the rim of the teacup.


    "Why aren''t you drinking tea?" Feng Lao asked.


    "I-I am."


    Miaoran was wondering if he didn''t look at her lips. In a flurry, she forgot that the tea was hot and drank it.


    "Ahh!" Her lips and tongue burned and she put the teacup on the table.


    Feng Lao also ced the teacup on the table and quickly came to her side. "You should have been careful," he said and his thumb traced her lips. She lifted her eyes to look at him. However, Feng Lao''s gaze was on her lips.


    "Where is the water?" He asked and quickly stood up. He found the water jar and a ss on the other table. He poured a ss of water and brought it to Miaoran.


    "Drink it," Feng Lao said and pushed the silver ss to her mouth. He caressed her arm and watched her drink the water.


    Miaoran lowered the ss and told him she was better.


    "Your lower lip has turned redder," Feng Lao said as he ced the ss on the floor table.


    Miaoran touched her bottom lip and saw him going back to his seat.


    "Where were you for so many days?" Miaoran asked her.


    "I told you I had some work," Feng Lao stated.


    "For two weeks?" Miaoran arched a brow at him.


    "Yes," Feng Lao replied.


    Miaoran left her ce and after a minute, she came up with a robe in her hands.


    "I have made a woolen robe for you," she said and gave it to Feng Lao.


    "A present?" He asked as he stroked his hand over the robe.


    "Yes. You did so much for me, so I wanted to make it for you. I go for tailoring daily. It is fun there," Miaoran said with a smile.


    "I am d you are enjoying the work you like," Feng Lao said and stood up to wear the robe. He put it on and asked her how he looked.


    "Your cor has folded," Miaoran said. She rose to her feet and adjusted the cor tightly. "Brother Xu Zifan told me you like dark colors," she said and hooked thd button on its front. The dark green colored woolen robe suited well on Feng Lao. It had a white fur around its neck.


    "Thank you. It is warmer," Feng Lao said.


    "Winter ising, so I thought it will be the best present," Miaoran stated.


    "It is. I never received such a present," Feng Lao said and smiled at her.


    "Does it mean I made something special for you?" Miaoran asked.


    "Hmm. Thank you," Feng Lao unhooked the two buttons and folded the woolen robe.


    "Did you eat well?" Miaoran asked.


    "I did," Feng Lao replied.


    "Feng Lao," Miaoran pronounced his name and he gazed at her with inquisitiveness.


    "Nothing," Miaoran gulped as she was unable to say aloud her feelings.


    She turned around when Feng Lao spoke, "Do you like me, Miaoran?"


    She had not expected such a question from him. Did he find out already? Before she could answer him, Feng Lao said, "You are a great friend, Miaoran. I do not know whether we should like each other more than that or not."

 Chapter 678 I dont want lose you, Miaoran [Bonus chapter]

    678 I don''t want lose you, Miaoran [Bonus chapter]


    Miaoran turned to face Feng Lao. "Because we are friends we can like each other. Don''t you think?" she asked him.


    "I know you have lost a lot of people in your life. I truly understand that. When you were away and when I could not see you even for a day, I was restless. I did not want to ept my feelings. But you told me to find my happiness. And I think my happiness is in you," Miaoran said. "I want to make you happy too, Feng Lao," she expressed her desire.


    "I will think about it, Miaoran. But don''t keep high hopes for me," Feng Lao stated.


    "I have high hopes for you. I will wait until thest breath for you, so you can take as much as time you can," Miaoran said with a tiny smile.


    "You should not say that, Miaoran. You can find a better man than me if you want to get married and have a family," Feng Lao asserted.


    "Are you serious, Feng Lao? You think I am desperate to get married and have a family!?" She frowned and arched a brow at him. That statement hurt her.


    Feng Lao realized his mistake and quickly apologized. "I didn''t mean that," he said and lowered his eyes.


    "It is fine if you do not want to ept me. I will not force you. Love isn''t forced, instead, it is felt. You should go home since it iste. You may need to rest," Miaoran said and turned around to leave.


    "Don''t be upset with me," Feng Lao said.


    "I am not," Miaoran stated.


    "You are," Feng Lao said and stepped up. He stood in front of her. "Look at your facial expressions. You are upset with me. I apologize, Miaoran," he said and joined both of his hands.


    "Don''t do that," Miaoran said in a low voice and lowered his hands. She lifted her eyes to gaze at him and continued, "I know you have the fear of fate. Nothing good ever happened to you in your opinion. Perhaps, we met by destiny as you mentioned before."


    "I don''t want to lose you, Miaoran. I hope you understand me in this too," Feng Lao asserted. He could not act on Xu Zifan''s and Jingfei''s advice.


    "I understand, but as I said I''ll wait for you until myst breath," she again repeated.


    Feng Lao did not say anything this time and decided to leave. He had a lot on his mind after Miaoran confessed to him. He had hoped Xu Zifan and Jingfei would be wrong about her behavior.


    "This early?" Miaoran didn''t want him to leave so early. They didn''t even properly converse with each other. "If you are leaving because I confessed my feelings, then that''s wrong. You have an exnation to give to me," she stated.


    "What exnation do you need?" Feng Lao asked with a gentle smile.


    "I want to know what you did for almost two weeks outside the capital," Miaoran replied. "I deserve to know, right?" She asked.


    "Sure," Feng Lao agreed to her and again sat on the floor chair. He put the robe on one side of the table.


    "The tea has turned colder," Miaoran said.


    "I do not wish to drink more tea," Feng Lao stated. "I got His Majesty''s order that''s why I had to leave urgently," Feng Lao said.


    "What kind of order?" Miaoran asked.


    "Have you heard how Queen Dowager tried to kill her own son?" Feng Lao queried. But Miaoran had no knowledge of it so she shook her head.


    "It all happened after the former King''s true face was revealed to everyone. The then Crown Prince sided with Prince L¨®ng Wei. Because he was the son of the then Queen, she decided to take the life of her own son. So, I was given the work by His Majesty to find out if his mother was okay and not plotting anything," Feng Lao exined to Miaoran.


    "That''s so upsetting to hear. How could a mother do this to her own child?" Miaoran mumbled.


    "When ites to the throne, anything can happen, Miaoran," Feng Lao answered her.


    "So, you looked after Her Majesty Queen Dowager''s activities all these days?" Miaoran asked.


    "Yes. It was necessary," Feng Lao said.


    "I see. You do so much work all by yourself," Miaoran stated.


    "It is my duty," Feng Lao answered. "How is your work going? I hope you have made a lot of friends," he stated.


    "It is fun, Feng Lao. Yes, I befriended a few. They all are nice to me and they praise me for my courage. You were right. If there were many discouraging people, then there were encouraging people too. My day passes by in the tailoring work. We have received a big merchant order for dresses, so these days we all return homete," she exined to him.


    Feng Lao kept listening to her and enjoyed those talks. With her, time would usually fly faster and the same was happening now as well. They both did not realize it was already dinner time unless Xixi interceded and informed them.


    "I should leave now. Thank you for the tea," Feng Lao said and smiled at her.


    "Go home safely. We have a carriage, so you can go in that," Miaoran said and looked at Xixi.


    "No. I will walk home," Feng Lao said.


    "But it iste," Miaoran worriedly said.


    "It''s notte. Curfew hour is two hourster," Feng Lao asserted and walked out with Miaoran.


    "Sleep early. Don''t be an owl," Miaoran told him.


    "You are already acting as my wife," Feng Lao stopped smiling as he realized what he just said.


    "I will be soon," Miaoran said and smiled a little. "I will take good care of you then. You don''t have to worry about sleepless nights then," she continued.


    Feng Lao did not say anything and they reached the front entrance soon. Feng Lao descended the stairs and turned around to gaze at her. He waved at Miaoran and asked her to go inside.


    "I will watch you leave," Miaoran said.


    Feng Lao hummed and walked away.

 Chapter 679 He is in love

    679 He is in love


    "You did what?" Xu Zifan asked and ced the teacup on the table before them. It was an early morning and Xu Zifan wanted to talk to Feng Lao about his meeting with Miaoran fromst evening.


    "I told you not to do that," Xu Zifan said.


    "I was confused. It is tough to exin," Feng Lao asserted.


    "You are running away. You think you will again lose someone," Xu Zifan stated.


    "She is my friend and if anything wrong happened¨C" Feng Lao could not finish his words as Xu Zifan stopped him.


    "You really have note out of the trauma, Feng Lao and you lied to us, to me," Xu Zifan said.


    "I didn''t want to worry you or the others," Feng Lao asserted.


    "You cannot dwell in the past for too long. You always think of others before yourself. I was also at your ce, but I had this positive aspect in my life too. I got to live and the same has happened with you. Prince L¨®ng Wei wanted to punish you, but he did not. Because you deserve a chance to live this life to the fullest. With Miaoran, you have felt happiness andfort. Stop me if I am wrong," Xu Zifan affirmed.


    "I agree with your words. I do not know why I have turned like this," Feng Lao stated. "I also want to feel love, be in love, and have a family of my own. But it is hard," he said and lowered his head.


    "I understand. It is surely hard," Xu Zifan said, "but it is not impossible. You remember the time when Jingfei was supposed to get married. Everyone was angry at me for choosing her. However, it was the best decision of my life. She loves me more than anything, Feng Lao. The same kind of love Miaoran carries for you. We saw how desperate she was to see you. Hardly people do that. Despite what happened in her first marriage, she still holds the faith in good. And the reason is you." Xu Zifan pointed his finger at Feng Lao.


    "Me?" Feng Lao was perplexed by inquisitiveness.


    "Yes. You. She told us you showed her the world doesn''tck good people," Xu Zifan stated. "You helped her at her lowest point. When a broken woman like Miaoran can turn into such an optimistic and strong person, then why can''t you? The Feng Lao I know never feared anything," Xu Zifan asserted and filled him with enthusiasm.


    "I asked her to wait for my response," Feng Lao said.


    "You know what you regretted the most till now?" Xu Zifan arched his brow at him.


    "I lost my change in everything," Feng Lao replied.


    "Yes. You did lose your chances. Don''t do this anymore. Go to Miaoran and tell her you are ready to embrace her," Xu Zifan affirmed.


    Feng Lao exhaled a deep breath. "Fine. I will go at the lunch hour to see her," he said.


    "That''s the Feng Lao I know," Xu Zifan said and smiled at him. "Let''s finish the tea before it turns colder," he opined.


    ~~~~~


    Huang Xi looked at the wooden circr box carved with beautiful motifs. He was supposed to give it to Xiaolian yesterday, but he could not.


    "Perhaps I got such a feeling for no reason," he told himself and lowered his hand which had the box in it. He headed to see Xiaolian in her chamber.


    The maidservant outside the chamber let Huang Xi walk inside. He stepped inside and saw Xiaolian standing as if she was waiting for him.


    Huang Xi greeted her and found out she was dressed beautifully. Was there any asion? He wondered.


    "What is it, Commander Huang Xi?" Xiaolian queried.


    "Oh. Mother has sent this for the Princess. I told my Mother how Princess Xiaolian helped me in making those bowls. So, she sent this as a gesture of thank you," Huang Xi replied and handed her the wooden circr box.


    Xiaolian gently grabbed it. "The hand-carved motifs are beautiful," she said with a smile.


    That smile again stole Huang Xi''s heart. He could feel his heart thumping against his chest. That feeling was a strong one and he knew he somehow fell for Xiaolian.


    Xiaolian carefully opened the box and saw a jade inside it. It looked quite expensive and she asked Huang Xi to thank his mother. "It was not necessary though," she said and peered at him.


    To her surprise, Huang Xi was staring at her and it puzzled her.


    "Commander Huang Xi," Xiaolian pronounced his name, but he didn''t respond to her. She walked up to him and touched his arm while again calling his name.


    Huang Xi came out of the trance and told Xiaolian he would leave.


    "But Commander Huang Xi¨C" she paused as Huang Xi left her sight.


    Huang Xi stopped behind the pir and ced his hand on his chest. He could feel his erratic heartbeats when a hand touched his shoulder.


    "No, I don''t like you!" He promptly turned around while saying that.


    "Huang Xi, whom don''t you like?" Mingquan asked him with a bewildered expression.


    "Nothing, Your Highness," Huang Xi said. He could not tell his thoughts to Mingquan.


    Mingquan squinted his eyes in suspicion. "You are lying, right? Tell me. What happened?" he asked Huang Xi again.


    "I was a bit startled. Nothing more. The Generals have called all themanders for the meeting. So, I should leave," Huang Xi lied and quickly went away.


    "What was that? He acted weird," Mingquan mumbled.


    "He is in love," L¨®ng Wei said and chuckled.


    "Really? With whom?" Mingquan tilted his head to the left to gaze at L¨®ng Wei.


    "Who could it be?" L¨®ng Wei wanted Mingquan to make a guess.


    "Sister Xiaolian?" Mingquan asked.


    "Hmm." L¨®ng Wei smiled. "After what happened with Ai Fen, Huang Xi isn''t ready to understand he can fall in love again," he affirmed.


    "Should we help him?" Mingquan asked as the two started walking.


    "Let him realize this by himself, Brother Mingquan," L¨®ng Wei stated with an amusing smile.

 Chapter 680 Be mine, Miaoran [Bonus chapter]

    680 Be mine, Miaoran [Bonus chapter]


    Miaoran morning shift to tailor the dresses got over and she came to the main shop as per the owner''s request. With the arrival of winter, many hade to purchase new clothes. Miaoran attended to the few customers and showed them the best collections of their recent work.


    A group of three noblemen came toward her and asked for some rmendations.


    "Please be seated, Young Masters," Miaoran humbly said and motioned her hand toward the chairs. She asked them about their choices of clothes and kept them in mind. After a while, she returned with several pairs of woolen overcoats with the helper, who ced them on the table.


    "This one is ourtest design and the newest one by our shop only in the entire capital," Miaoran started exining them. The three noblemen keenly listened to her while checking the others as well. One of them picked up thest one and asked Miaoran about that.


    "I feel the fur used in this a rare one," the nobleman said.


    "Young Master is absolutely right," Miaoran asserted with a smile and asked him if he would like to buy that.


    "I would love to since I prefer rare ones. If you have a few more designs like this, then I will like to purchase them as well," the nobleman said.


    "There are several such designs. The price will be a bit higher, Young Master," she stated.


    "Money is not the problem for me," the nobleman said.


    "Gwang Jun belongs to a rich family of the capital, the Gwang family. They look after the inter-province trades of goods," the nobleman next to Gwang Jun stated.


    Miaoran was astonished to learn that. The capital had surely many rich families. She asked Gwang Jun to wait a bit since she needed to ask the other two noblemen about their choices.


    Several minutester, Gwang Jun said, "You do not appear to be from the middle ss," as he received his packed clothes from Miaoran.


    "You are right, Gwang Jun. Did you join this ce recently? Earlier, we never saw you here," the other nobleman said.


    "Ahh, I am the daughter of the Hui Family," Miaoran answered. She decided not to lie about her identity since one-day people would find out. And she had no shame in doing work despite belonging to a noble family.


    "The ex-wife of Chen Xiao?" the nobleman at the right of Gwang Jun said.


    Miaoran did not like that remark. She did not want to be known as the ex-wife of Chen Xiao. Instead, she wanted to own her identity.


    His two friends looked at him when he told them they should leave as they were done purchasing the clothes for themselves. After both of them left, Gwang Jun apologized on his friend''s behalf.


    "That step was indeedmendable," Gwang Jun stated.


    "Pardon me?" Miaoran arched a brow at him.


    "About separating your ways with an abusive man like Chen Xiao," Gwang Jun asserted and opened the pouch which had coins.


    "I got help, which made it possible," Miaoran answered.


    "God helps those who help themselves," Gwang Jun stated and looked at the slip on which the amount was written. He ced the three gold coins on the table and gazed at Miaoran, "I would love to know more about Miss Miaoran," he said and smiled at her.


    Miaoran smiled back and said, "I do not understand the meanings of Young Master Gwang''s words."


    Gwang Jun inhaled deeply. "To know more about you at a personal level," he asserted, "I am not married yet."


    Miaoran was stunned to hear a proposal from a random man. She opened her mouth to refuse him when Gwang Jun said, "You have fancied me. I like strong women and finding one is difficult."


    "She already has one," a familiar voice fell into Miaoran''s ears. She saw Feng Lao approaching them and he had worn the same woolen coat which she had made for him.


    Gwang Jun gazed at Feng Lao. "Pardon me, I did not recognize you," Gwang Jun said.


    "I am Shui Feng Lao and this woman," Feng Lao gazed at Miaoran, "is mine."


    He said in such a loud voice that everyone in the shop heard them. Miaoran had stopped blinking while Gwang Jun looked at Miaoran for a brief moment.


    Feng Lao had been standing near the pir for quite a long time. He felt jealous when Miaoran smiled at Gwang Jun and continued the conversation with him. However, his patience broke when Gwang Jun asked for her hand. Only he could do that and the thought of seeing Miaoran with someone else made him feel annoyed.


    "I should take my leave," Gwang Jun said and looked at the two servants, who were holding the clothing bags. When he walked away, Feng Lao asked Miaoran to follow him. She removed the apron from the shop and followed Feng Lao.


    Feng Lao was waiting for Miaoran in the backyard of the shop as she was informed by the owner. The owner gave her a day off as Feng Lao had asked him to.


    Miaoran saw Feng Lao had his back toward him and she gradually approached him.


    "Feng Lao, I was going to refuse him. You did not have to lie this way," Miaoran said when he turned to her. "I did not do anything. He asked my name and then praised me out of the blue. Thank you for¡ª"


    Her eyes grew big as Feng Lao kissed her. He moved his head back and ced his hand on the back of her head. "I did not lie, Miaoran. Whatever I said was truth only. My insides burn when he looked at you with that gaze. Last night, I hurt you. With you, I findfort, Miaoran. You understand me deeply, and even when I was not near you, you thought about me. I felt privileged. I want to live happily with you, so be mine, Miaoran," Feng Lao confessed his heart out. Those words came from his heart.


    Miaoran ended up smiling and her eyes turned watery.


    "I will love to be yours," Miaoran said. Feng Lao leaned down and captured her lips. He poured his entire feelings for her into that kiss. He longed for that love and Miaoran was the woman who gave him that love.


    ~~~~~~


    Hello dear readers,


    So, there are only two more chapters left for the story to bepleted. I will try to give both of them today if I feel well. Else, you have to wait till tomorrow. I appreciate the support of those who kept reading the story till now.

 Chapter 681 I would love to be your husband

    681 I would love to be your husband


    In the evening, Xiaolian sent a message to Huang Xi to meet her in the lotus pavilion of the royal garden. Huang Xi was a bit surprised to get the sudden message from the Princess. He went to see her and ascended the pavilion''s stairs.


    Xiaolian had her back toward him and was looking at the lotuses in theke.


    "Good evening, Princess Xiaolian," Huang Xi said and stood a step behind her.


    Xiaolian turned around and peered at him. Both of her hands were sped together and were in front of her belly like a sophisticateddy.


    "Why did Princess Xiaolian call me at this hour? I was going to head home," Huang Xi asked, but he didn''t look at her.


    "Why is Commander Huang Xi avoiding me these days?" Xiaolian asked as she finally got to meet him in the evening.


    "I did not avoid Her Highness," Huang Xi answered and kept his gaze away from her face.


    "Say it while looking at my face," Xiaolian said sternly, "it is an order."


    Huang Xi gazed at her. "I never avoided Princess Xiaolian," he stated. "Since the Third Princess has nothing to say to me, then I must take my leave," he asserted.


    "Huang Xi, the pressure is huge on me this time. Don''t you have to say anything to me?" Xiaolian asked him.


    "Pardon me, Your Highness. I am unable to get what Her Highness wants to say," Huang Xi was perplexed.


    "Was there nothing between us?" Xiaolian asked him. "I am thest royal princess who is supposed to be betrothed to a nobleman soon. However, I want to ask Commander Huang Xi once. Will he like to take me as his wife?" She asked.


    Xiaolian did feel the odd behavior of Huang Xi for the past few days. However, she didn''t pay heed to that until L¨®ng Wei talked about it in the morning. She recalled how L¨®ng Wei told her Huang Xi was again in love with someone. When she asked L¨®ng Wei to borate, he hinted to her it was she. The reason why she decided to talk to Huang Xi after contemting the entire day.


    Huang Xi was startled by the sudden question of Xiaolian.


    "You avoid a person for two reasons: either you hate him or you love him. Does Commander Huang Xi hate me?" she asked. Xiaolian knew her fate. She would have to ept any nobleman, which Xiaoming would choose for her and she had no problem with that. However, if Huang Xi would be her husband, she would be happy since she had known him.


    Huang Xi exhaled deeply, wondering what he should answer. He gulped as he felt his heart had again started beating just looking at her for longer.


    Both L¨®ng Wei and Mingquan were standing far from the pavilion, but Huang Xi and Xiaolian were visible to them.


    "Brother L¨®ng Wei said he would not be involved. Suddenly, he hinted to Sister Xiaolian about Huang Xi''s growing feelings for her," Mingquan stated.


    "Because Huang Xi is going to run away only. Later, he is going to cry. So, I decided to hint Xiaolian about Huang Xi''s feelings for her," L¨®ng Wei exined the reason why he did that.


    "What does Brother L¨®ng Wei think then? Will Huang Xi agree to marry Sister Xiaolian?" Mingquan asked.


    10:10


    "He will," Tianjie stated and halted next to L¨®ng Wei.


    asked.


    "He will," Tianjie stated and halted next to L¨®ng Wei.


    "What is the Third Brother doing here? Does he also know about Huang Xi and Sister Xiaolian?" Mingquan queried.


    "Hmm. It was evident from the time they both started going to pottery house," Tianjie affirmed.


    "Has Prince Tianjie started noticing the couples in the pce?" L¨®ng Wei asked him.


    "No. They are exceptions. Even if no one wants to notice them, it cannot be avoided," Tianjie stated. "Brother Xiaoming pressured Princess Xiaolian for a marriage because he also knows," he informed them.


    "Really?" L¨®ng Wei was astonished to learn about that. "So, everyone knew except us?" He gazed at Mingquan. "We found outte," he murmured and shifted his gaze toward the pavilion.


    At the pavilion, Huang Xi decided to finally speak. "Is Princess Xiaolian asked me to marry her because she feels pressured?" he asked.


    "I will not lie to the person whom I admire," Xiaolian said. "I felt a connection between us. A friend with whom I could easily share my thoughts without worrying much. These past few weeks have been wonderful for me. But when you started ignoring me, it bothered me as well. I was rejected by the man whom I fancied once. So, I was scared to ask you since I didn''t want to be hurt again. Now, I feel the marriage pressure, so I think I should ask Huang Xi instead of carrying regret for ignoring the fact that I also like him."


    Xiaolian didn''t hesitate to express her thoughts which she had been thinking throughout the day.


    "Thank you for being truthful, Princess," Huang Xi said. He knew Xiaolian was an incredible woman. After he started to know her, he definitely found that cheerful and caring side of her.


    "What about you, Huang Xi? Should you not tell me the truth?" Xiaolian asked him.


    "When I saw the Princess near that tree, my heart fluttered. It beat crazily, which only happens when you love someone. At first, I thought it was wrong, so I ran away. The second time, I saw Princess Xiaolian, again the same thing happened. I knew it was love. However, I was a coward to face the Princess. And then, it kept happening and I kept avoiding it," Huang Xi truthfully said to Xiaolian.


    "Since I know about it so you should answer me. We will look a great pair together. Don''t you think?" Xiaolian asked with optimism. The smile on her face showed it all.


    "Am I suitable enough for the Princess?" Huang Xi asked.


    "Hmm." She nodded at him. "More than suitable." Xiaolian stepped toward him and held his hand.


    "I think we should leave now," Mingquan said as he saw Huang Xi and Xiaolian had held hands.


    "Let''s stay a bit more. We need to tease Huang Xiter," L¨®ng Wei said with a smirk.


    Tianjie hung his arm around L¨®ng Wei''s neck and turned around with him. "Li Hua needs you. Aren''t you going to take care of her?" Tianjie asked him and dragged L¨®ng Wei out from there. Mingquan smiled and ran after them.


    In the pavilion, Huang Xi peered into Xiaolian''s eyes. "I may not be perfect in many aspects, Huang Xi. But I will try to be a great woman for you. For me, you already are a great man," she stated with a glint in her eyes.


    Huang Xi hummed and smiled at her. He hugged Xiaolian and closed his eyes after feeling the warmth of the person he fell in love with. "Princess Xiaolian, I fell for you. Forgive me for not epting it, telling it you and kept running away from you. I would love to be your husband," he said and drew her further close.


    Xiaolian moved her hands up to her back and shut her eyes. "I also love you, Huang Xi. My entire life


    be devoted to you only," she said.


    "I vow the same," Huang Xi stated.

 Chapter 682 This is my whole family, Yuze

    682 This is my whole family, Yuze


    Ten Years Later:


    In the pavilion, the royal family members were looking at the young princes, who werepeting in the two teams with each other for the football game called cuju. Around the football ground, the pce servants, high-ss nobles, and some military soldiers were present too to see the young royal princes ying against the young noble boys.


    "The Crown Prince is ying great, Your Majesty, and so are the other princes," Jin Yu said with a smile on her lips. Xiaoming nodded his head and smiled while looking at all the young kids.


    Xiaoming and Jin Yu''s son Xiaojin looked at his father as he made his team win in the first quarter of the match.


    "What is Sister Li Jiawei doing in that attire?" Tianjie''s and Song Jia''s son, Tian Xin, asked. The four princes looked at their one and only sister, Li Jiawei.


    "I will y against the princes. And if I defeat the princes, they have to be my servant for a day," Li Jiawei said with a confident smile.


    "Sister Jiawei, it is a boys and men game. You may get hurt. Please leave the ground," Mingquan''s and Lin Jiao''s son, Shu Ming pronounced.


    "Are all the princes scared of a girl? It is so bad," Li Jiawei said and approached her team. She asked them toe closer and made a game n to defeat the princes.


    Li Hua shook her head, gazing at her daughter. "It seems I gave birth to a boy," she mumbled.


    "Father, is sister going to y? What if my sister gets hurt?" L¨®ng Wei''s six years old son asked him, who was standing next to him.


    "Your sister does not know the word defeat, Liwei," L¨®ng Wei told him.


    "That is because your father taught her all this. He has spoiled your sister," Li Hua stated.


    "What can I do when she inherited every trait of her father?" L¨®ng Wei remarked and asked Li Hua not toin and watch the match keenly.


    One of the soldiers beat the drum loudly for the second round, and the game began. Li Jiawei was faster than all her brothers and seeded in kicking the ball into the of the rival team.


    "Brother L¨®ng Wei''s daughter has already started ruling the game," Qiu Mu said and smiled a little. He knew none of the boys would stand against Li Jiawei.


    Soon, Li Jiawei''s team seeded in surpassing the goals that the Crown Prince''s team had done earlier and easily made her team win against them.


    Li Jiawei went to her brothers and asked them not to pull up their faces.


    "Jiawei, you were not supposed to y from those boys'' side," Xiaojinined.


    "I cannot help but go to the losing team," Li Jiawei asserted when Xiaojin took out the handkerchief from inside his trousers pocket and wiped the sweat from Jiawei''s face.


    "You are stronger than us, Jiawei, but you are a girl. So, you should take care of your body well. I heard from my elders about it," Xiaojin affirmed and lowered his hand. "Let''s go to our parents," he told them.


    "My father says I am no lesser than a boy. So, I should not refrain from doing all these things. I will see all of my brotherster. I need to see my close friend Feng Minshi," Li Jiawei stated when the senior Eunuch stopped her.


    "The Princess''s mother is waiting for her in the pavilion. She must follow me," the senior eunuch said. Li Jiawei looked at the pavilion and saw her mother there along with her father and younger brother.


    "Are you going to scold our daughter?" L¨®ng Wei asked Li Hua.


    "Of course," Li Hua said.


    "I will be upset with you then," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    "She should not y such games. Did Prince L¨®ng Wei not see how she got hurtst time she yed with the young boys?" Li Hua asked him.


    "That is normal among children, Wife. Do not be angry," L¨®ng Wei said when he heard their daughter''s voice.


    "Forgive me, Mother," Li Jiawei said even before Li Hua could say something.


    "See how good is our daughter," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    "The ball hit you with such a huge force. I hope you did not get hurt," Li Hua and L¨®ng Wei said at the same time.


    "It was not a huge force. It was a light attack. My parents worry too much for me," Li Jiawei said.


    L¨®ng Wei got on his knees and checked her arms by pressing them gently. "It does not ache, right?" He asked.


    "No," Jiawei refused.


    "Li Hua, our daughter is not hurt. Now, you should throw your anger away and return to the manor because I am going somewhere with Jiawei and Liwei," L¨®ng Wei stated and he stood up.


    "Where?" Li Hua inquired him.


    "To Yuze''s ce. It is the time when I should tell them," L¨®ng Wei asserted.


    "I must apany as well," Li Hua opined.


    "Yes. I want to go with Mother," Liwei stated and grasped his mother''s hand.


    "Alright. We all should go," L¨®ng Wei asserted and looked at the other princes. His gaze met with Xiaoming whom he gave a light bow.


    "Li Jiawei, Aunt Jin Yu is proud of you. You defeated the boys," Jin Yu said, giving a thumbs up to Li Jiawei.


    "Thank you," Jiawei smiled at her aunt and gazed at Li Hua. "Mother, do not worry too much for me," she stated. Li Hua ced her hand on her daughter''s hand and caressed her hair.


    Soon, they left for the hill where Yuze''s tombstone was present too. L¨®ng Wei had Liwei on his shoulders since he was quite young and after an hour of walk, they finally reached there.


    Arge tombstone was made for Yuze on which Li Hua ced the fresh flowers, that she had plucked from the flower valley.


    "Yes. Monk Yuze''s ce is above everyone in my life. He made me the person that I am today, so you 10:19


    two should seek blessings from him," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    "Who is Yuze?" Li Jiawei asked them.


    "Call him Monk Yuze," Li Hua said and red at L¨®ng Wei, who would usually call Yuze by his name.


    L¨®ng Wei put Liwei on the ground and kept hold of his hand.


    "Monk Yuze is someone who was with your father in his lowest time. When he needed love and care, Monk Yuze provided him with that. Monk Yuze was selfless until hisst breath. He gave me the meaning of life, which I had forgotten. That is why he is the greatest person in my life," L¨®ng Wei briefed them.


    "Even greater than ourter grandfather and grandmother, Father?" Li Jiawei asked.


    "Yes. Monk Yuze''s ce is above everyone in my life. He made me the person that I am today, so you two should seek blessings from him," L¨®ng Wei stated.


    Liwei joined his hands first and chanted a prayer for Monk Yuze, which he had learned in the shrine while going with his mother a lot of times. Li Jiawei also joined her hands and closed her eyes, followed by Li Hua.


    L¨®ng Wei, on the other hand, stared at the name of Yuze, which was carved on the tombstone. ''This is my whole family, Yuze. Thank you for taking care of me and making me believe in goodness.''


    THE END


    **********


    So, this is the end of the story. I hope you all have enjoyed it so far. Thank you to everyone who followed the story till the end. The PS, GTs, and gifts truly helped the story in staying in the ranks.


    From here, you can start reading my next contemporary romance story "Trapped Marriage: My Husband is a BAD BOY", a story of a 30 year old woman who gets unexpectedly married with a man in his early twenties.


    ****


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    Married To The Cruel Crown Prince (Completed)


    The Second Husband (Ongoing)


    Revenge Of The Crown Princess (Ongoing)


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