Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

“Your Majesty, Lóng Wei looks in the pink of his health. He has recovered comparatively 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.” Lóng 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 glad 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,” Lóng Wei requested.

Qiu Zedong furrowed his brows together and looked at Li Hua who understood that the King didn’t like that Lóng 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 accepted 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 relationship was with Feng Lao and whether she wanted to save him.

Yes! She didn’t want Feng Lao to be dead. When Lóng 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 the last 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,” Lóng Wei requested. Li Hua tilted her head and once again fell for him. Lóng 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,” Lóng Wei said.

Zhu Liling chuckled at his words. “It is unbelievable to see that these words came out of your mouth, Lóng Wei. You always object to the decisions made by His Majesty,” she tilted her head and looked at the King.

“Lóng Wei, I am the King, and to maintain law and order, I must give such punishments so that they become 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.

Lóng 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. Lóng Wei placed 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 already committed one such crime,” Lóng Wei admitted. Qiu Zedong found out that his son was guilty of killing his own mother. He found it strange. Lóng Wei never accepted that crime, then why today?

Zhu Liling was astounded to learn that Lóng Wei was confessing to his crimes. She glanced at Li Hua and found she was the reason behind all those things happening in the palace.

“I never saw you begging for anyone’s life. Lóng Wei never begged for his own life when he killed the late Concubine Yu Jun.” Qiu Zedong didn’t hesitate to say it. He wanted to know what Lóng 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 never committed, then people will always curse my wife. I will not let it happen. It is all for Li Hua, not for Feng Lao,” asserted Lóng Wei.

Li Hua was astonished when he heard the words of Lóng 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. Lóng 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 Lóng 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 Lóng Wei’s and Li Hua’s relationship, the more complex 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 the last time. Any mistake, any crime after today will not be pardoned,” Qiu Zedong said with a stern tone.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Lóng Wei and Li Hua both answered at the same time. They looked at each other.