508 He looked different, but better
Li Hua patted Lóng Weiâs shoulder gently as his head was lying on her lap. His eyes were on her face. Her fingers were dangled in her hair strands as she caressed them.
âLi Hua,â Lóng Wei pronounced her name.
âHmm?â She met her gaze with an inquisitive expression.
âThe battle is going to be intense,â Lóng Wei said. âI have destroyed two pawns of the King today,â He added.
âI 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,â Li Hua said and smiled.
Lóng Wei grabbed her hand and their fingers intertwined with each other. âYou are by my side and thatâs more than enough for me,â Lóng Wei asserted.
âThen, will His Highness again keep me behind his back?â Li Hua asked. âI have learned self-defense too. I worked hard while the Prince wasnât around. I trained daily. I am not afraid to pick the sword and fight with enemies,â Li Hua stated. She didnât want to hide in the shadows and get Lóng Weiâs protection all the time.
âIt is not about self-defense. I have not kept you either behind my back,â Lóng Wei said. âThe King weakened Qizhen by capturing and killing the ones who served him with loyalty. I want to do the same,â He explained to her.
âHis Highnessâ todayâs step may want the enemies to kill us. They may try to poison us or even do something severe,â Li Hua stated.
.....
âI 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,â Lóng Wei asserted.
âWhat if the King tries to kill us?â Li Hua asked with a worried expression on her face.
âIt will not happen. The King is the one who will protect us until the very end,â Lóng Wei confidently said.
âIs the King behind Monk Yuzeâs death?â Li Hua inquired.
âI am not sure. The person wiped every piece of evidence. Nothing was found,â he stated.
âMonk Yuze never did anyone wrong. Yet he was killed this way. If the King is truly behind this, then donât spare him, Your Highness,â Li Hua opined.
âI planned not to. I was quiet for a reason. But involving Yuze was the worst mistake one did,â Lóng Wei muttered and he knitted his brows.
Li Hua understood Lóng Weiâs pain and angst. She comforted him because this was what he needed the most presently.
~~~~~
âLi Zixuan is my father?! And I am his illegitimate daughter!â Jin Yu was shocked to learn the truth from Xiaoming. She asked him why he didnât tell her about it earlier.
âJin 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,â Xiaoming stated.
âI want to kill him. Can I do that?â Jin Yu asked him, bewildering Xiaoming. âHe kicked out my mother when he didnât find her useful and lived his life in joy all these years. I want to kill him, Your Royal Highness. Allow me.â Her voice looked determined and her eyes were burning with rage.
âYou can do it. I wonât stop you. If I had been at your place, I would have done the same,â Xiaoming affirmed.
âHowever, will it end your anger? Donât you think you should watch him dying every passing day after being deposed from the ministerial position he had? Donât you want to see him helpless? Donât you want to see his family going through worse?â Xiaoming asked her.
Jin Yu took a deep breath. âThe 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,â She asserted.
âHe will suffer more than you both. I will make sure that he doesnât get any work anywhere. His eldest son is already ruined. I donât know what his younger son is up to,â Xiaoming muttered.
âBut how did Li Zixuan get deposed?â Jin Yu asked.
âHe tried to remove Brother Lóng Wei from the Governorâs 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,â Xiaoming narrated to Jin Yu.
âPrince Lóng Wei has come out of his chamber!â Jin Yu was astonished and happy. âHow is he?â She asked out of concern.
âHe looked different, but better,â Xiaoming replied.
âLi Hua told me how close Monk Yuze was with Prince Lóng Wei. It must heart a wrenching experience for him,â Jin Yu said.
âBrother Lóng Wei didnât 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,â Xiaoming said and furrowed his brows together.
âWas Prince Lóng Weiâs life not like the other princes? Why did his mother turn cold to him? There must be reasons, Your Royal Highness,â Jin Yu opined.
âThere 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,â Xiaoming stated.