Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

563 Love to see all sides of my son

Li Hua brewed the camellia tea for Qiu Qizhen and placed the teacup on the saucer before him on the table. “I hope Father-in-law will like the tea,” Li Hua said with a smile.

Qiu Qizhen asked Li Hua to take a seat when Nuan Xi pulled a chair for her. Li Hua sat on it and waited for Qiu Qizhen to taste the tea.

Qizhen picked up the teacup and brought it close to his mouth. He first inhaled the scent of the camellia tea. The aroma of the tea was sufficient to tempt him to taste it. He took a sip of the tea and he felt so rejuvenated after taking a single sip of the tea.

“The tea is brewed well. It is my first time to drink such a tea with such an aroma,” Qiu Qizhen replied and sipped more of it. When the tea finished, Li Hua poured more tea into the teacup and told him that she would send some sweets for him later.

“I am eager to taste the sweets,” Qiu Qizhen replied and picked up the teapot. “Let me pour the tea for my daughter-in-law,” he said with a smile. Li Hua picked up the teacup with her both hands and Qizhen poured tea for her.

She drank the tea after Qizhen sipped and placed the cup on the saucer.

“Xu Guang Li was a great acupuncturist of his time. Monk Yuze trained him, so I know him from there,” Qizhen asserted. He wanted to apologize to Li Hua and even said about it when she interceded in the middle.

“Father-in-law, it was not your fault. Please do not apologize for it,” Li Hua said.

“But it all began with me. I know I cannot bring the dead ones back, but apologizing to all such people is the only way I can lessen this guilt,” Qizhen affirmed and looked at the teacup. He lifted it and drank the remaining tea.

.....

“How is Lóng Wei?” Qizhen asked. “Did he cry a lot?” he inquired.

Li Hua shook her head. “His Highness did not cry at all last night,” she replied. “Since Prince Lóng Wei has accepted the truth about his mother’s death, so he is at peace. Other than that, he is happy that he fulfilled the wish of Monk Yuze,” she briefed Qizhen. He nodded and kept the tiny smile on his lips.

“Father-in-law, Prince Lóng Wei will not be able to remain angry with his father for a long time. He has this child in him, who is showing his stubborn side. Perhaps that is the reason, he has not opened up with his father,” Li Hua asserted. She knew that Qizhen had come to see Lóng Wei, who did not go to see his father even after getting a message from his father.

“I am a terrible father. Lóng Wei has full right to be angry at me. My first responsibility was to save my wife and the child inside her. But I failed to do so,” Qizhen said with teary eyes and lowered his head. His heart would break whenever he had to bear that coldness from Lóng Wei.

Li Hua got worried to see that side of Qizhen. “I will ask Prince Lóng Wei not to do so,” she stated.

Qizhen gazed into her eyes. “Do not do that, Li Hua.” His sound appeared as if he was requesting. “I do not want him to be angry at my daughter-in-law,” he said.

“Prince Lóng Wei never gets angry at me. Father-in-law does not need to worry about it,” Li Hua assured him when Nuan Xi told them Lóng Wei was coming there.

Li Hua promptly stood from her seat and walked to Lóng Wei, who had ascended the stairs of the pavilion. “Your Highness, do not act too cold in front of your father,” Li Hua told him in a low voice, “please.”

Lóng Wei looked in the direction of his father, who had stood from the chair. Li Hua stood next to Lóng Wei and found out that he was merely staring at him. She hit his arm lightly with her elbow, and he gazed at her.

“Bow to your father. Will you keep showing disrespect toward him?” She said in a low voice which was audible to Lóng Wei only and glared at him.

Lóng Wei raised his hands to his shoulders, joined them, and bowed to Qizhen a little. “Accept my morning greetings, Father,” Lóng Wei said and lifted his head to peer at him. It astonished Li Hua because she had not expected it from Lóng Wei. She thought he would only bow at Qizhen. She smiled brightly and saw he had lowered his hands.

“Prince Lóng Wei, we were drinking tea. Come, I will pour the tea for His Highness as well,” Li Hua said. Lóng Wei hummed and walked behind her.

After they took their respective seats, Li Hua poured the tea for Qizhen and Lóng Wei. She had not finished her tea and put the teapot at the center.

Lóng Wei finished the tea and placed the teacup on the table.

“Will you stay in the palace or the place where you spent time with mother?” Lóng Wei asked.

The smile from Li Hua’s lips disappeared as she felt that the question was a harsh one. “Father-in-law must stay in the palace,” she asserted.

“Do you hate me being here?” Qizhen asked.

“No,” Lóng Wei replied. “Why would I hate your presence in the palace? I merely wanted to know your opinion,” he said and picked up the teapot. He gestured to Qizhen to bring the porcelain cup forward which he did and Lóng Wei filled it with the tea.

“Will you miss me?” Lóng Wei asked. “I will not be in the palace for a while.” He leaned back on the chair after placing the teapot on the table.

“I will indeed miss you. I did not even get time to spend with my son,” Qizhen said, “but I will wait for your and Li Hua’s safe return.”

Lóng Wei hummed. “What about the place where you were hiding for so many years?” he asked.

“Your Highness, why are you–”

“Nuan Xi, take Li Hua to her chamber,” Lóng Wei commanded. The conversation was going to be serious and he did not want Li Hua to hear it as he might lose his temper.

“I will stay,” Li Hua said.

“I do not want to stay here. Xu Zifan has come to see you,” Lóng Wei stated and asked her to leave. Li Hua pouted her lips and she left the pavilion in anger.

“You should not have taken your anger at Li Hua,” Qizhen asserted.

“Father,” Lóng Wei said. Qizhen stopped blinking as this was the first time he heard Lóng Wei calling him father. His heart fluttered as he felt extreme happiness.

“Father, in my absence you may get harmed here,” Lóng Wei stated.

“I will not get harmed,” Qizhen said.

“How are you so sure about it?” Lóng Wei inquired. “Father is still the same,” he said with a chuckle.

“Yu Jun brought you up here. Even if I was not present here, I want to feel those moments. I even met the old maidservant, who served her for fifteen years. If someone harms me and I die, then I will only get peace because I died at a place where Yu Jun took her last breath,” he explained to Lóng Wei the reason why he wanted to stay in the palace.

“What about me? Do you want me to become an orphan then? I do not want you to die this early,” Lóng Wei said.

“Why do you think someone will harm me?” Qizhen asked.

“Because Father is too good,” Lóng Wei answered. “I still have many enemies. I have yet to crumble them, but not now. I want to take a break from all this stress that underwent for the last one month,” he affirmed.

“I have many protectors. Moreover, I have a long life. I survived even after falling from that cliff,” Qizhen said with a smile.

“So, Father will stay in the palace,” Lóng Wei asked one more time.

“Yes,” Qizhen stated.

“Qiu Zedong’s wife, two consorts, and three concubines will try their best to harm you,” Lóng Wei pronounced. “I never had any good equations with any of them. When I return, I want to see my Father alive,” he affirmed.

“Then, take me with you. If you are this concerned for your father, then you should take me with you,” Qiu Qizhen stated. “I will cook for both of my son and daughter-in-law. I am a good cook,” he tried to convince.

Lóng Wei chuckled. “You have an amusing way to surprise me,” Lóng Wei stated.

“What do you say? I also want to visit the place where Monk Yuze was born and grew up. I was one of his students. I must pay homage to my master. Don’t you think, Lóng Wei?” Qizhen asked and slightly raised his eyebrow.

“I will decide and tell Father in the evening,” Lóng Wei said. For a brief moment, there was a silence between them.

“Did you forgive your father?” Qizhen asked.

“That is why I am here, in front of you,” Lóng Wei replied. “Father, I do not know much about manners, so you have to forgive me every time I go out of my line. I throw a lot of tantrums too. I hope Father will not mind that.”

“Not at all. I would love to see all sides of my son,” Qiu Qizhen said with a wide smile.