361 Refuse to help you
Li Hua had sent clothes for Lóng Wei with the maidservantâs hand. She had already set the dinner table, waiting for him to arrive.
Lóng Wei entered the chamber and apologized to her for making her wait. Li Hua quickly picked up the chopsticks when Lóng Wei sat in front of her. Her eyes grew bigger to find that he had put on a thin white silk robe and pants.
She remembered she had not given these clothes to Lóng Wei.
âWhat happened?â Lóng Wei asked as he removed the lid from the big bowl, which had chicken soup in it. âI didnât want to wear heavy clothes when it was hot outside. So, I changed into these,â he said while filling the two bowls for them.
âHmm.â Li Hua looked away. Lóng Wei placed the rice bowl and a bowl filled with chicken soup in front of her. âEat,â he said and smiled at her.
They ate in silence and soon, finished up their meals. The maidservant cleaned the room and later, upon Li Huaâs request, left a silver incense burner holder in the room.
âYou ran away earlier,â Lóng Wei said. âWhy were you shy?â he queried.
âI wasnât shy. I felt cold.â Her excuse made him laugh. âI am not joking,â she said.
âItâs written on your face that you were shy,â he affirmed and stood up. He went to the patio to sit in the open, for a while. She walked behind him and saw him on the floor mattress. He had his right elbow rested on the bolster, his right knee in the air, while left leg lying flat on the mattress.
.....
âCome.â He extended his left hand to her and she walked up to him. He pulled her down, and she leaned onto his arm. âIt appears rain will fall soon,â Lóng Wei said, looking up at the sky. Li Hua turned to look towards the sky.
âBut it is clear. See, we can see the stars too,â she stated and smiled.
âDid you learn astronomy?â Lóng Wei suddenly asked her.
Li Hua turned to face her and shook her head. âI didnât learn many subjects. Mostly I learned poetry, literature, and then art,â she informed him.
âI did. Yuze taught me. Oldie knows a lot of things,â Lóng Wei stated, and told her that he could not see the constellation clearly,â he added.
âOh. Then the temperature will fall. Itâs good,â Li Hua stated.
âI like it whenever it rains,â Lóng Wei stated.
âDoes His Highness also play in the rain?â She asked curiously.
âNo. But I would love to play with you,â he stated, and laced their fingers. âYou can cry in the rain and no one will realize it,â he asserted.
âDoes His Highness want to cry?â She asked with inquisitiveness.
âNo.â Lóng Wei made a shaky motion with his head. âI am only telling you one of the special facts about having rain,â he stated.
âYour Highness, are you still troubled?â she inquired him.
âI am not,â he replied.
âThen?â
âNothing.â
Li Hua knitted her brows in confusion. She found him kissing the pad of her fingers when he pulled her down.
âIt seems His Highness is worried,â Li Hua stated.
âI am worried about the waiting consequences ahead. The truth will bring chaos in the palace, in the kingdom. I have always been prepared for the worst, but this time, I do not know what will happen. Yuze showed me the direction, but he refused to help. He knows many things,â Lóng Wei affirmed, and exhaled a deep breath.
âEvery action has a consequence. We have to fight against it by standing firm in front of those consequences,â she opined and lifted her hand to place it on his cheek. She caressed it and asked him if they should go out tomorrow.
âWhere?â he asked.
âSomewhere,â she replied.
âLetâs see where we can go tomorrow,â Lóng Wei said, and contemplated for a while.
âOh, I forgot. Because of the Crown Princeâs wedding, the check-points will be difficult to cross. Also, I heard earlier from the princesses that His Majesty will put a restriction on the royal family membersâ leaving the palace for a few days,â Li Hua informed Lóng Wei.
âThen, we will not go. Also, after the Crown Princeâs wedding, we have to leave for the nearest village for work. So, wait till then,â Lóng Wei stated.
âSure.â
âYour Highness, could you please send a message to my brother tomorrow?â Li Hua requested.
âA message about?â Lóng Wei was puzzled to hear her request.
âI told Princess Jingfei that he must meet my brother if she wanted to talk with Commander Huang Xi. Since His Highness refused to help her, she was upset,â Li Hua informed him.
âWhy are you involving yourself in all this? Huang Xi doesnât even like her presence around him,â Lóng Wei stated.
âEven I didnât like His Highness in the beginning. Princess Jingfei will be married off after the Crown Princeâs gets married. She is worried because of that. If she marries a person whom she already likes, then thatâs better,â Li Hua put forward her opinions.
âMy case with you was different. For various reasons, Huang Xi doesnât like Jingfei. She went to his house and it annoyed him more,â Lóng Wei affirmed.
âHis Highness doesnât understand women. I will handle it in my way. âPlease call my brother tomorrow,â Li Hua again urged him.
âFine. I will call Xu Zifan in the palace,â Lóng Wei agreed to her request.
âThank you,â Li Hua said.
âXu Zifan will also refuse to help Jingfei,â Lóng Wei stated.
âMy brother isnât like His Highness,â Li Hua asserted.
âIndeed. I do not melt easily,â Lóng Wei stated. âHowever, Xu Zifan will surely refuse to help you. Mark my words,â he added.
âYou are too good, Li Hua. How could you even think of helping her, who was going to punish you once? Then, she thought so ill of you.â Lóng Wei lifted her chin with his calloused fingers.
âShe has apologized for those things,â Li Hua replied.
Lóng Wei chuckled and eventually smiled.