Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

“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 replace him with another Eunuch of the palace,” 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 clarified 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.”

Lóng Wei was one such person in his life. Xiaoming would not deny that Lóng 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 accepted it.

.....

“Your Royal Highness, Miss Cha Ying should not have brought the matter related 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, completely 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 noble ladies in the evening. The Crown Prince must tell the Queen about this incident so that she would accordingly 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 to complete.

~~~~~

Lóng 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’,” Lóng Wei stated.

“Aren’t we alone here?” Li Hua asked.

“Not completely,” Lóng 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.

Lóng Wei brought her to the region where the large lake was situated. She looked around and found it was extremely calm. It seemed time had stopped at that place. The lake was surrounded by a deep forest on the other side. She let go of his hand and started to walk on the cobblestone pavement.

Lóng Wei followed her and the two stopped near the same place, 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,” Lóng Wei replied.

“His Highness’ body looked like a corpse, floating in the water,” Li Hua stated. “I contemplated and realized that he wanted to feel nothing. Am I right?”

Lóng Wei smiled a little but didn’t answer her question.

“It must be tough living alone in the cold palace. 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. Lóng 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,” Lóng Wei said. “I can see that Qian He already told you something. Wifey was never curious about me,” he proclaimed 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,” Lóng Wei stated.

“I found out that His Highness was locked in the underground dungeon of the cold palace,” Li Hua said without blinking and continued to stare at him.

“I was,” Lóng Wei accepted. “Say whatever Qian He told you at once,” he demanded.

“When His Highness was eight years old, he was sent to the cold palace for the first time. He has visited this place 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.