294 Soft and Warm Touch
Xiaoming asked Court Lady Hong to give them some privacy. When she left the chamber, Xiaoming turned to look at Liu Jin Yu. She had worn this heavy Hanfu dress, and her ears were red because of anger.
âYou did good by slapping him,â Xiaoming said.
âI controlled myself not to kill him,â Liu Jin Yu said. âHe was ready to attack me when I called him a leech,â she stated.
âWhat?â Xiaoming started to laugh. âYou are amazing,â he said, and apologized to her. âYou had to face this in my absence. I am sincerely sorry for this.â He took a step towards her and adjusted the collars of the upper robe that she had worn.
âHis gaze on Li Hua wasnât pleasant at all, Your Royal Highness. I wonder why she remained quiet even after hearing his remark. If I had been at her place, I would have beat Kang Huijuan for looking at me that way,â Liu Jin Yu affirmed while looking into his eyes.
âShe is a calm woman, but she is a deep analyzer,â Xiaoming answered. âAlso, Kang Huijuan is an expert liar. He might have made wrong statements if Li Hua had lost her temper. Today, in court, he blamed everything on Xin Jue and confidently said that the child in her womb wasnât his. If Li Hua would have gotten angry, it could negatively affect Brother Lóng Wei too,â Xiaoming made her understand. He held her hands and pinched her nose.
âI understand your anger against him. He killed Wu Jin, your only family member.â He lowered his hand and continued, âBut you will be the Crown Princess soon. You need to control your anger and punish the person without coming under the pressure of your emotions.â
âDoes the Crown Prince never make decisions based on his emotions?â She asked.
âI made such a decision once and ended up killing innocent servants. You know it well. I still live in guilt,â Xiaoming replied. âYou need to be calm and react at the right time to hit the enemy,â he opined.
.....
âPrince Lóng Wei is the best. He doesnât think so. He does what he feels is right,â she said and sighed.
âBrother Lóng Wei doesnât follow the rules, nor is he afraid of punishment. You and I are afraid to get punished, so we cannot do anything as we please,â Xiaoming asserted. Liu Jin Yu hummed and told him that she had to learn everything about being a noble lady.
âI met the Queen in the morning. She will punish me if I try to complain during my training. The Crown Prince didnât tell me that noble ladies donât smile widely like men. I was shocked to hear such a thing from Her Majesty. When I am extremely happy, I cannot stop laughing my heart out,â Liu Jin Yu said and exhaled sharply.
âYou need to act like a well-mannered woman in front of everyone. That is what is expected from the women of the royal family,â Xiaoming stated. He told her not to stress over that because it wasnât tough to learn etiquette.
âBut Court Lady Hong said that it is tougher than learning sword fighting, archery, horse riding and martial arts,â Liu Jin Yu remarked.
âMy opinions are different. It is not easy to even pick up a heavy metallic sword, let alone fight with it,â Xiaoming asserted. He moved his hands to her shoulders and patted them. âYou will learn everything. When you can defeat thousands of women in making a place in my heart, then you can do anything. You even won the heart of my mother, which I used to think would be difficult,â he said, and told her not to worry too much.
Liu Jin Yu smiled and agreed with him. âI should keep faith in myself,â she stated.
âI have to leave since I cannot stay for more time around you,â Xiaoming said. He turned to leave when Liu Jin Yu grabbed his arm. He peered at her when she pulled him for a kiss, astonishing him.
âYour Royal Highness, thank you for loving me,â she said.
Xiaoming wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her up. His hand rested on the side of her neck. He angled her head as he leaned down. His fingers stroked her neck, sending sparks through her. She closed her eyes when his lips brushed against hers. The soft and warm touch of his lips caressed her.
They slowly pulled away and looked at each other. Xiaoming stroked her hair. âYou can come to see me anytime,â he said. Jin Yu hummed and asked him to help Lóng Wei bring the true face of Kang Huijuan out.
âI will. Brother Lóng Wei said that he would meet me in the evening,â he stated. âToday what he did in court clearly showed how pathetic he is! I will bring evidence that he was the one who killed Wu Jin. He will be punished for the crimes he committed,â he gave her the assurance and caressed her hair.
He left for his manor and asked Court Lady Hong to be gentle with Liu Jin Yu. When he reached the manor, he found his mother was waiting for him in the private room. He walked in and greeted his mother, who gestured to her to sit.
After Xiaoming sat down, Zhu Liling started speaking.
âWhere was the Crown Prince?â Zhu Liling asked.
âI went to see Liu Jin Yu, Royal Mother,â he truthfully answered.
âI am glad that the Crown Prince refused to marry Kang Cha Ying. Forgive your mother for forcing you to accept that proposal,â Zhu Lilingâs words puzzled Xiaoming. âI heard what happened in the court. Eunuch Gao Bing said that the Kang family isnât as nice as it seems,â she affirmed.
âIndeed. They only know how to abuse power. I want the Royal Father not to trust Kang Xi,â Xiaoming stated.
âI will try to talk with His Majesty regarding this. The Crown Prince must not be under too much stress. I will make Liu Jin Yu into a perfect noble lady,â Zhu Liling said with a smile. Xiaoming thanked his mother for supporting them.
He recalled that Jin Yu was a noble manâs daughter, but telling his mother about it would not be right. So, he decided to keep it a secret for a while.
~~~~~
Thank you âJp_readerâ for giving me many gifts, GTs, and supporting me for new story. This chapter is dedicated to you.