507 I will cripple you [Bonus chapter]
âYour Majesty, Prince Lóng Wei is lying. I am not on Qiu Qizhenâs side. I have always been loyal to you. I have informedââ before Gao Bing could complete his words, Qiu Zedong asked Hei Chengxi to drag Gao Bing.
Lóng Wei smirked as he looked at Gao Bing, who was dragged away by the two soldiers upon Hei Chengxiâs order.
âHei Chengxi, execute him in an hour,â Qiu Zedong pronounced. Hei Chengxi bowed his head and glanced at Lóng Wei for a brief moment before leaving the court.
Lóng Wei asked his father to calm down and not be angry.
âLóng Wei, you should have told about this to me,â Qiu Zedong said as he furrowed his brows.
âThen, we would have never found out that Gao Bing was one of the loyals who has been fooling Father for a long time,â Lóng Wei stated.
âHmm. Prince Lóng Wei is right. I cannot believe that the Eunuch who served me for so many years fooled me,â Qiu Zedong muttered and clutched the bolsters beside him on the throne.
âWhere did Prince Lóng Wei go?â Qiu Zedong asked.
âI went to Xianshan, Father,â Lóng Wei replied.
.....
âXianshan? Is Qizhen living there?â Qiu Zedong questioned.
âNo. I chose Xianshan as I thought it is closest to Qinping and Qizhen might be hiding there. However, I didnât find him there. We need to search the other places, Father,â Lóng Wei asserted.
Qiu Zedong nodded his head. âWhere do you plan to go the next time?â He queried.
âDongqing, Father,â Lóng Wei replied.
âQiu Mu will accompany you. I do not want you to get harmed while searching for Qizhen,â Qiu Zedong affirmed.
âI understand, Father. I also think I should go with Prince Mu,â Lóng Wei replied. âFather, I am thinking to take Li Hua too this time. She will be bored here and I do not get enough time to be with her. Ahh, Feng Lao is also a good fighter. So, I must take him as well,â He opined.
âLet your wife stay in the palace. What if she falls in danger? Prince Qiu Mu and Feng Lao can accompany you this time,â Qiu Zedong asserted.
âFather, I will go after celebrating the Qiqi festival with everyone,â Lóng Wei expressed his desire.
âYes. That will be great,â Qiu Zedong said. âLetâs keep all these matters aside. How are you? You didnât come whenever I called for you. I was worried for you,â he asserted.
âFather knows how much Yuze meant to me. His loss was unbearable to me and still is. However, I want to walk on the path which he always asked me to. I want to fulfill his wishes and serve my father in the best possible way,â Lóng Wei stated and a tiny smile formed on his lips.
âMonk Yuze had turned old. But Monk Yuzeâs demise was indeed unfortunate,â Qiu Zedong said and exhaled a deep breath.
âYuze was there when my mother left my side. So, his importance in my life was unexplainable,â Lóng Wei said as tears formed in his eyes.
Qiu Zedong was astonished to see this side of Lóng Wei.
âLóng Wei, be strong. Monk Yuze will not like you to see all broken. I know it is a tough period for you, but life keeps moving. Implement Monk Yuzeâs teachings in your life and the results will surely please him,â Qiu Zedong stated and placed his hand above Lóng Weiâs. He patted it and consoled Lóng Wei.
Lóng Wei peered into his eyes and fisted his other palm.
âI wish I could kill you right away. But I will make you weak with each passing day. I will cripple you, Qiu Zedong,â Lóng Wei told himself in his mind as he continued to stare into Qiu Zedongâs eyes.
~~~~~
âLóng Wei has lost his mind. His eyes gave out those murderous vibes. He used to wear mostly dark-colored clothes. Why suddenly he chose to wear white? Something is wrong with Lóng Wei,â Qiu Mu told his brothers, who had gathered in the pavilion.
âI agree with Brother Muâs words,â Tianjie stated. âWe all know Monk Yuze supported Brother Lóng Wei and even protected him many times. His sudden death might have done something to his mind. Shouldnât we do something good for Brother Lóng Wei?â Tianjie suggested to them.
âBrother Tianjie, are you really this?â Qiu Mu arched his eyebrow. âYou always spoke against Lóng Wei,â He muttered.
âDidnât we all?â Tianjie questioned Qiu Mu. âHowever, Brother Lóng Wei isnât as evil as we used to think. We brothers have noticed how his mother neglected him all the time. Maybe he was troubled with that fact and always got annoyed at others,â Tianjie said.
âBrother Tianjie is right,â Xiaoming backed him. âBrother Lóng Weiâs childhood was not like the way we had. So, Monk Yuze became an important part of Brother Lóng Weiâs life,â he affirmed.
âThen, what should we do that will make Brother Lóng Wei happy?â Zhang Xi asked.
âI donât think Lóng Wei acknowledges us as his brothers,â Qiu Mu replied.
âBecause we princes didnât try to understand him,â Mingquan interrupted and pushed his sleeve up. âBrother Lóng Wei acknowledged me as his brother and made me wear this brotherhood thread,â He said and smiled brightly.
âDid Lóng Wei do that?â Qiu Mu widened his eyes in shock and chuckled. âLóng Wei is good at giving surprises,â He mumbled.
âLetâs organize a private event for us princes. I will invite Brother Lóng Wei personally,â Xiaoming proposed an idea.
âThat will be good. Hopefully, Lóng Wei opens up with us. Though, I highly doubt it,â Qiu Mu remarked.
âBrother Lóng Wei is the youngest among us. So, we need to be gentle loving brothers to him. It is the time when we should end the bitterness in our brotherly relationship,â Xiaoming pronounced. All four princes agreed with the Crown Prince.
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