Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

“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 place 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 palace. 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 clarified 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 palace. 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 him coming 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 Lóng 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.” Lóng 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,” Lóng Wei said and put his hand down. Li Hua also put her hands on her lap and fidgeted with her fingers. “His Highness can let go of his arm from my shoulder,” she said in a low voice.

“I cannot,” Lóng Wei answered.

“How did you reach the capital? I could never ask you in the palace,” Lóng 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 old lady, who took me home and gave me clothes and food. That time I decided that I must go to the palace to find the answers. So, I asked her about the procedure to enter the palace. I left her house and took a cart to reach the capital. Then, I directly applied in the palace for the job of a maidservant.”

Li Hua briefed him on how she managed to enter the palace.

“I admire your luck and determination. You knew nothing, yet you made the toughest decision of your life,” Lóng 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.”

Lóng 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.

Lóng 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 to comfort her, which she needed the most.

Li Hua closed her eyes and felt the warmth. Her heart fluttered even with that small action of Lóng Wei. It must be her good deeds that she found a person like Lóng Wei, who was ready to do anything for her.