435 I have to kill Qizhen
The servant filled the glasses of father and son with tea before leaving with Gao Bing. As the door closed, the King picked up the teacup and sipped the tea. Lóng Wei looked at the tea when he heard his father speak.
“It should not have happened,” Qiu Zedong stated and placed the cup lightly on the table.
“Why did you not give me the death penalty the day I killed my mother?” Lóng Wei asked and tapped his fingers on the cup. “I do not care if the world judges me. But I get affected when Li Hua cries seeing and hearing all such things,” he demanded the answer from his father.
“I could not do that. I love my every child equally. I have forgiven many crimes of my children. Xiaoming also tried to blame you for the murder of the forty servants, I did not either punish him. Concubine Jun never loved you, so your anger on her was licit,” Qiu Zedong stated.
Lóng Wei looked at his father and knitted his brows. This was the answer that he had not expected from him. “If I go on the right path, then will people stop looking at my past?” He questioned. “I only want to have a happy life, Father. I do not even want what the other princes aim for,” he stated.
Qiu Zedong hummed as he recalled how Qiu Mu and Xiuying wanted him to give a death sentence to the Queen.
“Lóng Wei, I apologize on the Queen’s behalf. The things which happened today must not have occurred. You have done some of the great works lately and it truly made me proud of you. Your father will never lose his faith in you. He will always cherish you,” Qiu Zedong assured him.
Lóng Wei curled his fingers around the teacup and brought it to his lips. He drank the tea and looked inside the empty cup. “Father, do you mean it?” Lóng Wei raised his eyelids and gazed at his father. “If I find out Qizhen, allow me to kill him for you,” Lóng Wei requested his father. His fingers tightened the hold around the teacup.
“Bring him alive to the palace. I have to question him. The things which left in the past, I have to find those answers,” Qiu Zedong commanded his son.
.....
“What kind of answers, Father?” Lóng Wei placed the cup on the table and curiously waited for Qiu Zedong’s reply.
“In the past, I failed to ask him who his wife is! What if his wife is alive and has a child? That can be a threat to us in the future,” Qiu Zedong proclaimed.
“I understand,” Lóng Wei replied. “I hope they are dead,” Lóng Wei stated while gazing straight into his father’s eyes. He stood up and bowed before Qiu Zedong. “Li Hua must be waiting for me,” he stated and left for his manor.
As he came out of the King’s manor, he turned once to look inside. ‘Do you know that I am not your son?’ Lóng Wei thought in his mind and frowned. He fisted his palm and cursed his fate for having such a complex life.
‘If I have to live a peaceful life with Li Hua, I have to kill Qizhen. His existence never mattered in his life. I know I will be selfish here, but it is necessary to put an end to my miserable past.’ He thought to himself and turned to go ahead.
As he entered the western corridor, he saw Xiaoming in the pavilion and stopped. Xiaoming soon covered the distance between them and apologized to Lóng Wei for her mother’s actions.
“How much does the Crown Prince trust his mother?” Lóng Wei asked him.
Xiaoming was a little confused to hear that question. After today, his trust had lessened in his mother. However, she was his mother. He would not be able to hate her fully or abandon her completely.
“She also decided to kill the Crown Princess. Eunuch Lishi died wrongly. I was the one, who manipulated the truth and helped your mother. In return, I asked for her support for me, but she decided to do something which made me tell the truth to you,” Lóng Wei revealed the hidden truth to Xiaoming.
“That cannot-” Xiaoming paused as he was unable to form the words. “She has accepted Jin Yu,” he stated with a bewildered expression.
Lóng Wei chuckled. “Crown Prince Xiaoming, do not be too straight that people will take advantage of you. Your mother wanted to kill Jin Yu. She did not want her son to find out about it. You are lucky that Jin Yu knows martial arts, else she would have been dead that day,” Lóng Wei stated and stepped forward to leave, but he halted.
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“The Crown Prince does not need to apologize to me for her mother’s fault,” he stated and walked away.
Xiaoming was shocked to learn the truth. All this time he thought that his mother respected his choice. So, that was all a play? She only pretended to accept Jin Yu. How could she do this to her son? He wanted answers from her and went to her manor to ask about it.
However, Xiaoming was stopped. The two soldiers told him that on the King’s instructions, the Queen was imprisoned within those four walls of her manor. No one was allowed to meet her until the King himself gave out permission.
He returned to his manor with an upset look. Jin Yu was going to lose her life because of his stubbornness. Sun Fuguo bowed at him, but he ignored her and went straight inside Jin Yu’s chamber. She rose to her feet and asked him if he met Lóng Wei when Xiaoming hugged her tight.
Jin Yu was unable to breathe and tapped on his shoulder. “It is uncomfortable,” she managed to utter when Xiaoming pulled away.
“Forgive me, Jin Yu. I was indeed foolish to believe that my mother wanted my happiness,” Xiaoming lamented.
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