392 Xiaoming’s message
Zhu Liling looked at the message that she had written for Li Hua and smiled. She put it in the envelope and then told Mi Yao to leave that in Li Hua’s chamber.
“Be careful of your surroundings,” Zhu Liling advised Mi Yao, who bowed and left for Li Hua’s chamber.
At that moment, a maidservant came inside and bowed. “Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has sent the message. His Royal Highness and the other two princes have safely reached Qijiang Province,” the maidservant informed. Zhu Liling smiled to hear that and quickly took out the precious jade ring from her index finger.
“Here, take it,” the Queen said and the maidservant thanked her for her benevolent gift. She was happy to receive such a present and left the chamber.
“Xiaoming, my son, I will make your route to the throne clear. Return home safely. I am eagerly waiting for you,” Zhu Liling told herself. “Once Li Hua and Lóng Wei’s chapter will be closed, I will make sure to remove Jin Yu from my son’s life,” she mumbled.
Jin Yu got a hiccup while doing the calligraphy. The brush deviated from its path and it was ruined. “Ahhhhhhh!” She screamed at the top of her lungs and again got the hiccup. She crumpled the sheet and threw it on the floor.
Court Lady Hong told Jin Yu not to lose her temper this way. The servant had already poured a glass of water to Jin Yu, which Court Lady Hong handed to her. Jin Yu drank the water and caressed her chest.
“Your Royal Highness, a messenger from Qijiang wants to see you,” a maidservant informed her, who had come from the outside.
“Send him in,” Jin Yu immediately said.
.....
Within seconds, the messenger entered and forwarded an envelope. Court Lady Hong took it from him before handing it to Jin Yu.
“This is from the Crown Prince. His Royal Highness told Her Royal Highness not to take stress during her training period. The Crown Prince knows that the Crown Princess will surely finish her lessons soon,” the messenger delivered the same words that Xiaoming had told him to.
Jin Yu opened the envelope and started to read the message that Xiaoming wrote for her.
“Dear Jin Yu,
I have safely reached Qijiang with my brothers. The weather is cool here not too hot nor too cold. I know the ongoing training has burdened you, but it is only for a short time. You will soon be free to go around. If you miss me, then look at the moon. Whenever I will miss you, I will watch it too. Do not skip your meals and take a good sleep.
Lots of Love,
Your Xiaoming.”
Jin Yu’s heart fluttered to read Xiaoming’s message and her eyes turned teary.
Jin Yu spread a sheet on the table and dipped the brush into the ink. She picked it up and started to write a message for Xiaoming. She had learned the characters and words. She decided to try her best to give the first letter to Xiaoming.
The messenger saw that it took more than thirty minutes for a reply to come from Jin Yu. He waited until her message for Xiaoming was ready. She folded it and put it inside the same envelope in which Xiaoming had sent the message to her.
She handed it to the messenger. “Tell the Crown Prince that his Jin Yu has completed half of her lessons. She is patiently waiting for him to return,” Jin Yu said. Her eyes again turned misty while delivering such a message to the messenger. She didn’t know it would be this tough to stay away from Xiaoming.
The messenger bowed and left. Jin Yu got saddened as she looked at the letter in her hand.
“When I was a commoner, I thought the royals have a life full of comfort. How wrong I was?!” She sighed and looked at Court Lady Hong. “Did the Crown Prince has gone earlier too for such kinds of work?” She asked.
“Yes, Your Royal Highness. But it was two years ago when there was a difficult situation in the Western Province. The Crown Prince prevented the war from happening from negotiations.” Court Lady Hong had a proud smile on her lips while telling Jin Yu about Xiaoming’s achievements.
“He is brave,” Jin Yu said.
“His Royal Highness indeed is,” Court Lady Hong agreed with her.
Jin Yu went back to her seat and again began to practice calligraphy. After three hours of continuous studies, she finally got a break and went to see Li Hua. With her, she would feel better. She wanted to tell her how much she was missing Xiaoming.
When she arrived to see Li Hua in her manor, she didn’t find her in the chamber. She wondered if she was practicing and went to the place which Li Hua showed her.
She halted as she found her sword fighting with Feng Lao. Li Hua had improved a lot from the last time. Li Hua accept her defeat when Feng Lao pointed the sword at her neck. “I will defeat you someday,” Li Hua said with a determined look.
“I will wait for that day,” Feng Lao said and pulled the sword back. He lowered his arm and told her to work on her footwork.
Li Hua looked at her feet and hummed. She lifted her head and saw Jin Yu. Promptly, she bowed at her. Feng Lao turned and also bowed to see Jin Yu.
“Li Hua, you have improved,” Jin Yu said as she jumped the stairs. She used to forget at this place that she was now a royal family woman.
“Can I have one combat with you?” Jin Yu asked. “Feng Lao?”
He looked at her when Li Hua told him to do that. She would learn that way faster. It had been a long time since she saw sword combat. It was probably the time when she was unmarried and everything was well in her life.
“Sure, Your Royal Highness,” Feng Lao said. Jin Yu took the sword from Li Hua and told Feng Lao to use his full strength on her.
“Crown Princess, Feng Lao is good at swords,” Li Hua said.
“That’s why he should use his full strength at me. Because I am also good at it,” Jin Yu said with a confidence.
Li Hua went to the side and asked them to take their positions. Jin Yu spun the sword in her hand and started to move in the circle along with Feng Lao before she attacked him.