Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Li Hua belongs to me

At the Great Orchid Pavilion, Jingfei was eating the fresh strawberries. The two maidservants were standing beside the chair on which Jingfei was seated. They both were fanning the Princess.

“First Princess,” Lin Jie, the personal attendant of Jingfei, bowed before her, “I saw Li Hua going to the Crown Prince’s manor. Upon asking, I found that the Crown Prince had asked for her presence.”

Jingfei stopped eating and lifted her hand. Another servant handed her a white silk handkerchief, and she wiped her fingers with it.

Ai Fen looked at Jingfei, who was seated a few meters away from her on the chair.

“Call Li Hua here,” Jingfei said, and the servant took the handkerchief from her. She stepped back while Jingfei stood up from the chair.

Lin Jie followed the command of Princess Jingfei and left the pavilion.

“Sister Jingfei, why are you bothered about a lowly palace maid?” Ai Fen asked her.

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“Sister Ai Fen does not know what this maid did. I have been ignoring her for many days. Earlier she attempted to seduce the Sixth Brother and later the Crown Prince. Sister Ai Fen, it’s a crime for a servant to even go even one foot near the Prince if he or she does not belong to their respective manor,” Jingfei stated and asked for the stick.

She had decided to hit Li Hua’s hands with which she held Lóng Wei’s hands. Also, she would hit on her legs so that her feet never led her to the Crown Prince’s manor.

Ai Fen thought, only she had noticed what happened in the Greeting Hall. To avoid the punishment for Li Hua, she even tried to help her. She knew if the First Princess would find out, then she might punish Li Hua severely.

Lin Jie came to the pavilion with Li Hua, who got on her knees. Her forehead touched the floor, and she apologized for the mistake.

“This maiden already knows that she had committed the crime,” Jingfei said with an evil smirk and told Li Hua to get up.

Li Hua acted on Jingfei’s order. However, she kept her head low.

“Why did you go to the Crown Prince’s manor?” Jingfei asked her and held the stick that the servant had brought for her.

“I-I,” Li Hua stuttered. She did not know what to say or what not to. So, she decided to keep quiet.

“Forward your hands,” Jingfei said. Li Hua acted on her command.

“Close your fists,” Jingfei stated.

Li Hua curled her fingers to close them, ready to take the punishment.

“Sister Jingfei shall not waste time over a petty palace maid. Moreover, she belongs to the Queen’s manor. Her Majesty will not like it.” Ai Fen again tried to prevent Li Hua from getting the punishment.

“If Sister Ai Fen has the problem, then she can leave the pavilion,” Jingfei pronounced and raised the hand which had the timber stick. The servants tightly shut their eyes in fear.

Ai Fen averted her gaze as she knew that Jingfei would not listen to anyone now.

‘Whoosh!’

Li Hua heard the sound of the stick hitting a hand, but she found it was not hers. She slightly opened her eyes and saw a familiar figure in front of her.

“Sixth Brother!” Jingfei knitted her brows. Ai Fen promptly rose to her feet upon seeing Lóng Wei in the orchid pavilion.

Li Hua was shocked to find Lóng Wei in front of her. Why did he intervene in the middle?! Why did he get the hit?

“Get aside, Sixth Brother. I have warned him not to intervene in the matters of the inner palace,” Jingfei stated with a frantic expression.

“I told you not to test my patience,” Lóng Wei said in his deep voice, shooting a baleful glance at her. He snatched the stick from her and broke it into two pieces. “If I jump to the violence, then the First Princess will not even stand before me.” Lóng Wei’s minatory words troubled everyone in the pavilion.

“The Sixth Brother shall not go beyond his limits. He might go to the cold palace again,” Jingfei stated, not intimidated by his threatening words. She did not like that he humiliated her in front of many servants in the pavilion.

Li Hua found it was getting messier. However, the most troublesome thought she had, was why Lóng Wei took a stand for her. He was never bothered by the servant’s matters. Then, why today?

“I love to go beyond my limits. Father will not send me to the cold palace so soon,” Lóng Wei said. “Everyone knows that for the Son of Dragon, there are no set limits. Since the First Princess initiated a fight against me, I will surely make her cry in pain every day,” he affirmed and turned to look at Li Hua, who had lowered her head.

He looked at the pavilion’s entrance and saw the Crown Prince was entering.

‘Why is he here?’ he wondered, frowning.

Upon seeing the Crown Prince, everyone bowed though Lóng Wei didn’t bother to do so.

“I was the one who ordered Li Hua to come to my manor, First Princess. You are not authorized to punish anyone in the palace whenever you please,” Xiaoming said with a menacing look and turned his gaze to look at Li Hua.

“The Crown Prince does not know that this lowly servant tried to seduce my two brothers,” Jingfei bitterly said. She was fuming in anger to see that Xiaoming was taking the side of Li Hua.

“Seduce us?! Sister Jingfei, watch your tongue,” Xiaoming shouted at her.

Jingfei apologized to Xiaoming and glared in the direction of Li Hua.

“Li Hua belongs to my manor as I have taken permission from Her Majesty, and she has agreed to my request. I want Princess Jingfei to act her age and never trouble my people,” Xiaoming reprimanded her and looked back at Li Hua.

Lóng Wei did not like the way Xiaoming claimed his right over Li Hua. He was the one who was supposed to bring her to him. He had planned to talk to his father about Li Hua.

“Follow me,” Xiaoming told Li Hua, who turned to leave when Lóng Wei grasped her hand.

“I have claimed her already. I am afraid but Li Hua belongs to me, Crown Prince,” Lóng Wei announced, shocking everyone present in the orchid pavilion.

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