Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

“Li Hua,” Lóng Wei pronounced her name.

“Hmm?” She met her gaze with an inquisitive expression.

“The battle is going to be intense,” Lóng Wei said. “I have destroyed two pawns of the King today,” He added.

“I am glad that Prince Lóng 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.

Lóng Wei grabbed her hand and their fingers intertwined with each other. “You are by my side and that’s more than enough for me,” Lóng 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 Lóng Wei’s protection all the time.

“It is not about self-defense. I have not kept you either behind my back,” Lóng Wei said. “The King weakened Qizhen by capturing and killing the ones who served him with loyalty. I want to do the same,” He explained 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 palace as it is safer than outside. Without me, you will not step out of the palace,” Lóng 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,” Lóng 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 planned not to. I was quiet for a reason. But involving Yuze was the worst mistake one did,” Lóng Wei muttered and he knitted his brows.

Li Hua understood Lóng Wei’s pain and angst. She comforted 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 place, 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 Lóng 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 Lóng Wei has come 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 Lóng Wei. It must heart a wrenching experience for him,” Jin Yu said.

“Brother Lóng 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 Lóng 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 Lóng 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 accept my help,” Xiaoming stated.