Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

133 A capable person

Li Hua nodded and lowered her head. “I understand, Elder First Brother,” Li Hua said. “Elder First Brother liked the daughter of the Townhead. Will he marry her? He should also start his family,” she asserted.

Xu Zifan’s eyes filled with tears, but he didn’t let them fall. How would she tell her that Feng Lao married her? Not only that, she was one month pregnant.

“No one will marry your brother, Li Hua. Also, she got married. She found someone better than me,” Xu Zifan said and looked at his right hand.

Li Hua felt the pain in her brother’s eyes. “My Elder First Brother will find a girl better than her. It doesn’t matter if you lost your hand. I know my brother is a capable person even with one hand,” Li Hua encouraged Xu Zifan, who passed a tiny smile to her.

Xu Zifan found that it was over an hour. Still, their conversation wasn’t over.

“Did the Prince plan everything before coming to the imperial palace?” Li Hua asked her brother. She knew if she would ask Lóng Wei, he would only give vague answers.

“Yes. I woke up after a week. It took me another week to recover from the minor injuries when Prince Lóng Wei told me he wanted to marry you. Since you were working as a servant in the palace, he had to plan everything carefully,” Xu Zifan briefed her. “I feel that Prince Lóng Wei is better than Feng Lao,” he said and noticed Li Hua’s reaction.

“Both are incomparable,” Li Hua gave a crisp answer. “However, His Highness is different from all the men. I mean, it is tough to understand His Highness. No one can tell when he will be happy or when he will get angry or sad. I never knew a single meeting with a person can make you go crazy for that person,” Li Hua asserted and again recalled their first-ever encounter near the lake.

Xu Zifan was surprised to learn that Li Hua had feelings for Lóng Wei. It delighted him. He wanted her to forget Feng Lao as soon as possible and wanted her to move ahead in her life. He kept praising Lóng Wei.

.....

“Elder First Brother, did His Highness ever tell you why he killed his mother? Since His Highness called you his friend, he must have told you,” Li Hua said and waited for his reply.

“Never. I didn’t dare to ask,” Xu Zifan replied. “But I heard from Eunuch Qian He that he indeed killed his mother. He also didn’t go into details, neither did I think to ask more.” Xu Zifan was also puzzled as to why a person like Lóng Wei killed his mother. He was a thoughtful person, yet he didn’t hesitate to do such a thing.

“Are you scared of him? I had also heard that no family was willing to give his daughter’s hand in marriage to Prince Lóng Wei. However, it seems otherwise. He adores you a lot. Maybe the reason behind his mother’s death was something big. Maybe the Prince has no way but to kill her,” Xu Zifan asserted.

Li Hua frowned and shook her head. “His Highness didn’t show interest in other women. I highly doubt if His Highness killed his mother,” she stated.

“Li Hua, why do you want to know?” Xu Zifan asked her.

“Because the King wants me to find the answer. He wasn’t ready to make me marry the Prince. However, on this condition, His Majesty allowed us to marry. I must find the reason and tell the King within two months,” Li Hua narrated to her brother.

“What if you fail?” Xu Zifan arched his brow.

“The King will throw me out of the palace,” Li Hua replied.

“That’s a serious issue. You are the official wife of Prince Lóng Wei. His Majesty cannot throw you out,” Xu Zifan affirmed. “Also, even if you find out, in my opinion, you shall not tell His Majesty. If Prince Lóng Wei hid it for years, then the reason must be big,” he advised her.

Li Hua agreed with Xu Zifan’s words.

They conversed till the afternoon when Xu Zifan told her that she should go back.

“We can meet in the evening too,” Xu Zifan said. Li Hua again hugged her brother and closed her eyes.

“Elder First Brother, you are not alone anymore. Brother doesn’t need to worry. We will find the culprit soon.” Li Hua’s words comforted him, and she gradually pulled away.

Taking her leave, she somehow reached the grand chamber. To her surprise, she didn’t find Lóng Wei.

“Where did His Highness go?” She asked one of the servants, who didn’t know.

“May I know where Eunuch Qian He is?” Li Hua queried. Getting no response from them, she understood that they didn’t know. She left the chamber to find where Lóng Wei was.

~~~~~

Xiaoming stopped outside the same antique shop where he had come earlier. He walked in and found the middle-aged man was negotiating price with a customer.

After waiting for a while, the customer left, taking his amount.

“The Young Master returned again. What does he want?” The middle-aged man asked.

“Who sold you my jewels?” Xiaoming asked.

“I already told you that it was a man,” he replied and snickered. “Are you an inspector? Why are you making such inquiries?” He was dubious of Xiaoming’s behavior.

“I want to reach the person, who robbed me. I am not an inspector. If I would be, then I would have raided this place,” Xiaoming affirmed. The workers in the antique shop glanced at the owner, who stood up from the chair.

“He is a regular here. Come tomorrow. He comes to sell valuables to us every second day,” the middle-aged man said. Xiaoming asked him why he didn’t tell him earlier.

“You didn’t ask with desperation,” the middle-aged man pronounced.

Xiaoming hummed. He pondered who could these robbers be. They looted people, yet they were not caught.

Why?

“Hey, young man!” The middle-aged man called him. Xiaoming came out of his thoughts and glanced at him.

“Since I told you about that person, shouldn’t you reward me?”

Xiaoming chuckled and took out the pouch full of money. He took out a gold coin. “This is more than sufficient,” Xiaoming showed him the gold coin and put that on the table.

“If the information gets incorrect, you’ll be punished,” Xiaoming said. “Don’t try to fool me if you don’t want to rot in prison,” Xiaoming threatened him.

“Who are you?” The middle-aged man squinted his eyes in suspicion.

Xiaoming looked around and decided to reveal his identity. He took out the token and showed them.

“I am the Crown Prince, Qiu Xiaoming,” he introduced him and put back the token. “I want to capture that person tomorrow. So, make sure not to make any mistakes. I will reward you if I get my hands on the person,” he said.

“Also, don’t let this go out. Else, you won’t see the day after tomorrow,” Xiaoming gave another warning.

“Yes, Your Royal Highness,” the middle-aged man immediately bowed and apologized to him for speaking informally with him.

“At what time will he come?” He questioned.

“The time is not fixed, Your Royal Highness. Sometimes he comes late while sometimes he comes early in the morning,” he replied humbly. Xiaoming hummed and left the antique shop.