Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

Lóng 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.

Lóng 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?’

Lóng Wei contemplated 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?’ Lóng 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, glanced at them. A tiny smile appeared on his lips. He was unable to believe his eyes that Lóng Wei was taking care of his wife in extremely careful way.

‘Brother Lóng 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 Lóng 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.

.....

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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 Lóng Wei would return with Li Hua.

“The Royal Mother did take care of Brother Lóng Wei. Then, why did the Royal Father say that Lóng 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 glanced 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 noble ladies will visit the palace. The Prime Minister’s daughter will also be present. Since the Crown Prince told me last 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 noble ladies 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 the last, 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 noble ladies. 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 will come out,” Xiaoming affirmed.

“Does the Crown Prince mean that this time again, he would try to delay his marriage?” Zhu Liling knitted her brows in concern. She didn’t want Xiaoming to delay 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 proclaimed, 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 accordingly. 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 palace, 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 glad if he finds one. However, if for any reason, if the Crown Prince fails to find one, I shall prepare,” Zhu Liling affirmed.