Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

Sun Fuguo informed Xiaoming that Li Hua wanted to see him, which surprised both Jin Yu and Xiaoming.

“Let the Princess Consort in,” Xiaoming told Sun Fuguo, who bowed and walked out of the chamber.

A minute later, Li Hua walked in and bowed to them.

“Li Hua, you do not need to bow to us,” Jin Yu said with a smile and walked up to her. She put her hand around her shoulder and took her to the broad chair. She asked her to sit there and returned to Xiaoming’s side.

“Forgive me for coming early in the morning. I hope I did not disturb the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess,” Li Hua said.

“Not at all,” Jin Yu asserted. “We were talking about the King. His Majesty left the palace before sunrise for some urgent work. Does Prince Lóng Wei know anything about it? Is it related to the previous king’s matter?” She asked.

Xiaoming was also curious to know. “I heard Brother Lóng Wei returned early in the morning. Is he stressed about finding uncle Qizhen?” He was worried a little and even wanted to help Lóng Wei. But only if he would take Xiaoming’s help.

“Your Royal Highness, today I have come here to make a request,” Li Hua asserted.

.....

Jin Yu glanced at Xiaoming for a brief moment.

“What kind of request, Princess Consort Li Hua?” Xiaoming questioned.

“To trust my husband,” Li Hua said.

Xiaoming knitted his brows in bewilderment. He asked Li Hua to explain to him.

“Brother Mingquan must have told the Crown Prince about the previous king,” Li Hua said. Xiaoming recalled his last evening’s conversation with Mingquan and nodded his head. Jin Yu asked him what they both were talking about.

Li Hua asked Xiaoming if she could deliver her message on paper.

“Sure,” Xiaoming said and asked her to follow him. Jin Yu accompanied Li Hua and they entered an adjacent room.

Li Hua sat on the floor chair and picked up the brush. Jin Yu sat next to her while Xiaoming sat in front of them on the floor chair.

“Li Hua, what is it that you cannot speak it?” Jin Yu inquired.

“The Crown Princess will understand after reading it,” Li Hua said. Xiaoming asked Jin Yu to be patient. Li Hua finished scribbling on the paper, and she turned the sheet toward Xiaoming for a better read.

Xiaoming read the message and stopped blinking. Jin Yu took the sheet from him and it took a little time for her to read the entire message.

Jin Yu put the sheet down and looked at Li Hua. “Did the King kill your family?” she asked.

“Yes.” Li Hua looked straight into Xiaoming’s eyes and said, “His Majesty did wrong to many families. I am not the only one who has suffered. I want the Crown Prince to understand that in the past many wrong things have occurred. I know it is tough to believe my words at the moment, but he can ask his mother what happened twenty years ago when his father usurped the throne.”

Xiaoming curled his fingers and fiddled with them.

“Why did you not tell me the entire truth?” Xiaoming dropped honorifics. “I will believe your words too,” he asserted. Jin Yu nodded her head and asked Li Hua to tell them.

Li Hua smiled and said, “I want the Crown Prince to know the truth from his mother so that he would be ready for the next biggest truth. Her Majesty will try to dodge his questions, but he must know it.”

“Brother Lóng Wei never tells me what is going on with him. I always try to find the answers from him, but he refuses. Will Prince Lóng Wei not be angry to see his wife here?” Xiaoming asked.

“He is the one who allowed me to do so. Prince Lóng Wei does not want to trouble others. He thinks no one will understand him. I, his wife, am concerned for him. I want his brothers to see that side of Prince Lóng Wei’s bright and kind side. How much he seeks love from all of you, I want to show you that. He fears that all of his brothers will judge him because of what he did to his mother,” Li Hua explained to Xiaoming.

“Why did he kill his mother? I suppose he must have told his wife,” Xiaoming replied.

“I cannot tell the reason. I want the Crown Prince to find the hidden truth from twenty years ago first. His mother knows everything as she is the first wife of your father,” Li Hua affirmed.

Jin Yu gazed at Xiaoming to know his answer.

“I will do it. As soon as I find the answer, I will come to you to find the rest of the answer,” Xiaoming stated.

“Sure, Your Royal Highness. However, I want him to be careful. I want Her Majesty not to tell His Majesty that their son is searching for the truth for twenty years ago,” Li Hua said.

“How is that possible? My mother will definitely tell Father if they meet later,” Xiaoming replied.

“Nothing is impossible for the Crown Prince,” Li Hua said with a smile. “He has a huge potential in him which he himself isn’t aware of. I believe that the Crown Prince will handle that part,” Li Hua said.

Xiaoming recalled how the same words Lóng Wei told him. They believed him and it was an overwhelming feeling for him.

“I should leave, Your Royal Highness. I will keep this sheet with me,” Li Hua said and folded it before putting it inside her sleeves.

She stood up and again bowed to them.

“Thank you for giving a few minutes of your valuable time,” Li Hua said and turned to leave.

“Forgive me, Li Hua,” Xiaoming promptly said. His eyes were filled with guilt. Jin Yu gazed at him and then turned to look at Li Hua.

Li Hua turned and smiled at him. “The Crown Prince did nothing wrong, so he should not apologize to me. However, if he is guilty of his father’s action, then he should trust my husband and me after knowing the half-truth from his mother. I will surely tell him the rest of the truth later,” Li Hua said while keeping her voice as low as possible. She left while Xiaoming clenched his fists.

“Why did His Majesty kill the Xu Family? Was he the one who poisoned Shui Xiaoqing that day?” Jin Yu asked Xiaoming. “And what happened twenty years ago?”

“Jin Yu, Brother Lóng Wei’s mother was forced to become my father’s concubine. I have an odd feeling. Did I always see a side of my father that was not his true side? Qiu Qizhen was a kind king and he suddenly was overthrown,” Xiaoming murmured and furrowed his brows together.