Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

“The Queen has been punished, Princess Jingfei. Her crime was punishable. That’s why she is enclosed in the four walls of her manor. Do not argue with your father over this,” Qiu Zedong said, who was seated on the throne.

“But Li Hua is safe, Father. She didn’t get harmed in any way,” Jingfei stated and lowered her eyes. She wanted to remain humble in front of her father.

“Sister Jingfei, her life could have gotten into danger. Luckily, the trained soldiers were with her. Else, it would have been difficult for her to survive,” Xiaoming said as he halted next to his sister while holding a scroll in his hand.

Jingfei turned to her brother and bowed at him.

“Father, forgive my sister for her stubbornness. I will converse with her regarding this matter,” he stated and looked at the scroll in his hand.

“Princess Jingfei should leave,” the King opined.

Jingfei nodded and bowed at her father before leaving.

“Father, I would like to ask permission from you to let me do a thorough search on the ministers. Wu Zihao almost betrayed Father. I do not want this incident to repeat again by some other minister,” Xiaoming opined and stepped up. He handed the scroll to Gao Bing and told his father that he brought the request in writing so that his investigation would not be questioned later.

.....

Eunuch Gao Bing placed the scroll on the desk before the King and stepped back while keeping his head low.

Qiu Zedong opened the scroll and read the request from Xiaoming. He smiled and picked up the royal stamp. “I hope the Crown Prince carries out this work well,” He asserted as he stamped at the bottom of the written request.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I will surely do my best,” he stated. Eunuch Gao Bing folded the scroll and handed it back to Xiaoming.

“Does the Crown Prince want to speak something more?” Qiu Zedong asked.

“Father, forgive me for my yesterday’s behavior. I stood up for the wrong,” Xiaoming asserted.

“A child will always stand for his mother. It was not a fault of the Crown Prince,” Qiu Zedong stated.

“Princess Jingfei will marry next week. However, the current situation is asking me to delay her marriage. But if I do this, then Prince Mu’s marriage day be affected. What does the Crown Prince suggest to his father in this matter?” Qiu Zedong wanted to know Xiaoming’s opinion.

“I think Sister Jingfei’s marriage should go smoothly. I request our Royal Father let Sister Jingfei meet our Royal Mother,” Xiaoming affirmed. “Since she will get married and will hardly come to the palace after her marriage, she must spend her time with our mother,” he suggested to his father.

Qiu Zedong thought for a few seconds before he granted permission for it. Xiaoming thanked his father for acknowledging his suggestion.

“The Crown Prince should meet Noble Consort Xiuying after meeting the Queen,” the King told him. Xiaoming nodded and again thanked his father before leaving the court.

As he stepped out of the large doors, he found Jingfei there. He smiled at her and informed her that their Father permitted them to see Zhu Liling.

Jingfei jumped in happiness And thanked her brother to make Father agree to it.

They descended the stairs when Xiaoming asked her if she liked Jianjun after having a conversation with him in person.

“Yes, Brother. I liked his nature,” Jingfei said and a blush crept on her white cheeks.

“That’s great.” Xiaoming had not forgotten how Huang Xi said that he hated Jingfei and it made him furious at him for a while. But now seeing Jingfei happy, he realized that it happened for a good reason.

They both reached the Queen’s manor, where the soldiers let them go in. Mi Yao informed the Queen about her children’s visit, which delighted Zhu Liling.

The door opened and her both children walked in. They greeted her when Jingfei went to her mother and hugged her tight. Xiaoming didn’t go close to his mother and it troubled Zhu Liling.

Jingfei conversed with her mother for a while and assured her that Father would forgive her soon. Xiaoming interceded between them and told her to leave.

“I have an important matter to discuss with Mother,” He gave a vague reason. However, Jingfei didn’t question her brother further and silently left the chamber.

Zhu Liling went to her son to hug him when he took a step back and told her not to expect the sweet gesture from his side.

Zhu Liling furrowed her brows together. Her son had started to distance himself from her. It all happened because of Lóng Wei and Li Hua. She could not help but curse them when Xiaoming glanced at her with disappointment in his eyes.

“It is an irony to see that you do not have any remorse for your evil acts. How could you even think of harming an innocent person?” He didn’t want to be angry at her, but his mother’s acts made him.

“Li Hua isn’t innocent, Son. She is-” Zhu Liling reached out her hand to hold Xiaoming’s arm gently, but he yanked it off, thus making her stop speaking.

“Why did you try to kill Jin Yu?” Xiaoming finally asked his mother the question that he wanted to since yesterday.

Zhu Liling widened his eyes as he found Lóng Wei telling Xiaoming the truth.

“You know how much I adore Jin Yu, yet you did that. I hate you, Mother. I never wanted to,” Xiaoming stated and turned to leave when his mother stopped him. She stood in front of Xiaoming and held his arms.

“Don’t say that, Son. I can bear every sort of evil word, but not the words of yours,” She said with tears in her eyes.

“You should have trusted me till the end. Removing Jin Yu from my life would not have given you fruitful outcomes. This is the last time I came to see you. Do not blame others for this state of yours. You deserve this,” Xiaoming affirmed and pushed his mother away.

He controlled his anger as he didn’t want to disrespect her in any way. Zhu Liling ran after Xiaoming, but he walked as fast as he could. The soldiers closed the main entrance doors, thus stopping Zhu Liling to step out. She cried while falling to the ground. Xiaoming took a deep breath as he negotiated the five stairs.

“I wish you were not filled with the greed of power,” he murmured before walking away.