Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

Huang Xi’s steps came to a halt and he slowly turned to face her. “Yes, Your Highness?” He kept his tone formal and looked at her with inquisitiveness.

Ai Fen took a step toward him and said, “I did not want to turn Commander Huang Xi unhappy. Forgive me, if he got hurt by my words that day.”

“I do not understand Her Highness,” Huang Xi chuckled, “she was not either truthful to me. My equation with his elder sister was completely different from the feelings I carried for the Second Princess.”

Ai Fen vividly remembered how Lóng Wei had told her that he would not say to Huang Xi the truth, then how he found out, she wondered.

“Prince Lóng Wei did not tell me anything. However, I discovered the true reason Princess Ai Fen said that she would never consider my feelings. I should take my leave.” Huang Xi bowed to her and walked ahead.

Ai Fen got troubled by his coldness. She knitted her brows and exhaled deeply. She went towards her chamber.

Huang Xi asked the servant to inform Xiaoming about his visit. A minute later, the servant let him in. Xiaoming was with Jin Yu in his chamber on a chaise.

“Greetings to the King and the Queen,” Huang Xi formally greeted them and lowered his hands. He looked at Xiaoming and said, “Prince Lóng Wei has sent a message.”

.....

Xiaoming turned joyous to hear it. Sun Fuguo stepped up and took the scroll from Huang Xi. He handed it to Xiaoming, who read the message.

A smile of satisfaction appeared on Xiaoming’s lips as he put the scroll on the side table. “Brother Lóng Wei and the others safely reached the Valley of peace,” he said and looked at Jin Yu.

Huang Xi was relieved to hear it. His facial expression turned into a menacing one and he told Xiaoming he would like to talk in private.

Xiaoming glanced at Sun Fuguo and asked him to leave. Sun Fuguo complied with the order and left the chamber. Once Huang Xi got assured that no one was around he said, “Your Majesty, a servant from the Queen Dowager’s manor was seen in a place where she should not be.”

“What does Commander Huang Xi mean?” Xiaoming frowned.

Huang Xi elaborated to Xiaoming how their close spy noticed the servant coming from a gambling place.

“Probably she has taken some kind of money from the gamblers’ boss,” Jin Yu asserted.

Huang Xi shook his head. “Your Majesty, in such places even men fear to go,” he stated. “I think the Queen Dowager is planning something. I am not accusing her of anything wrong, but His Majesty to keep an eye on the Queen Dowager,” he explained to her.

Jin Yu gazed at Xiaoming. “What do you think the Queen Mother is planning?” she asked him.

“I cannot jump to the conclusion that my mother is scheming anything bad. She also knows the consequence of scheming,” Xiaoming did not fully believe Huang Xi.

“Your Majesty, we should not ignore the fact that yesterday she killed a servant in her manor. The Queen Dowager has turned aggressive after—” Huang Xi paused for a brief moment, “I apologize if I offended His Majesty.”

Xiaoming furrowed his brows together and agreed with Huang Xi’s words. His mother had indeed turned aggressive. She was not either respecting Xiaoming, who was the current King. The last evening when he met Zhu Liling, she again blamed him for his father’s death and supported a traitor, who was none other than Lóng Wei in her eyes.

“Commander Huang Xi, I will look into it. Thank you for informing me about it.”

“It is my duty, Your Majesty.” Huang Xi bowed and left the chamber.

Jin Yu turned to Xiaoming. “Let me look into it,” she requested him.

“No. She may harm you. These days she is not in her right mind. I will try to find out what is she exactly doing,” Xiaoming muttered.

“Xiaoming, you carry a soft spot for your mother. If she will speak a few good words to you to distract you, you may take it as truth. I am not saying that you are weak in front of her. As her son, you may not see what I can. Also, Queen Dowager cannot harm me. You know this well,” Jin Yu affirmed.

“What will you do?” Xiaoming was curious to know.

“I will find out where your mother sent that servant,” Jin Yu asserted. “We will ask Commander Huang Xi to prepare the sketch,” she opined.

“Then?” He asked.

“We need to interrogate the servant. Apart from it, we need to keep a check on your mother’s close servants,” Jin Yu suggested to him.

“I hope she is not scheming something big. I may not be able to forgive her this time and it may devastate me,” Xiaoming muttered.

~~~~~~~~~

Xu Zifan finished the work at noon and was ready to leave. As he rose from the chair, a servant informed him about Jingfei’s presence in the administrative office. He strode out of the room to see her and found her standing in the corridor.

“You could have come in,” Xu Zifan said as he halted in front of Jingfei. “Where is Lin Jie?” he looked around to see her personal servant.

“She is waiting near the carriage,” Jingfei replied and showed him the lunch box. “I came to give you this. I thought you had loads of work to finish,” she stated.

Xu Zifan took the lunch box from her. “I finished my work today. I was going to come home,” he stated and they both started to walk.

“Oh! Then, we can eat lunch at home… together,” she said with a smile and saw a group of officials coming from the front. Her eyes landed on Li Jianjun, who was also among them.

“Why is he still working here?” She murmured and Xu Zifan heard her. He looked in his front and saw Li Jianjun. However, he did not come in their direction and descended the stairs along with the other officials.

“Perhaps because his father is no more. Huang Xi told me he begged before the king when there was a change in ministers and officials,” Xu Zifan stated.

“Brother is still so kind to him. I will ask him to order Li Jianjun to go to the countryside. I hate his face,” Jingfei said in a fit of rage.

“Li Jianjun has realized his faults. He is not the same as he used to be,” Xu Zifan told Jingfei and they reached the top of the stairs. They descended those stairs.

“Leeches are leeches for a reason,” Jingfei remarked when her foot slipped at the stair. However, Xu Zifan saved her timely from falling. But the lunch box fell from his hand.

“Be careful,” he said with a worried look. They both looked at the lunch box which was on the ground. “Aish. Forgive me. I could not—” he paused as Jingfei did not let him speak. She quickly ran down the stairs to pick it up when Xu Zifan asked her to be careful.

She bent on her knees to pick the box when two pairs of hands picked it up first.

Jingfei raised her head and saw Li Jianjun in front of him. Xu Zifan had reached the bottom of the stairs and stood next to his wife.

“Fortunately, the food did not fall out,” Li Jianjun said and looked at Jingfei first and then at Xu Zifan. He handed the lunch box to Xu Zifan, who thanked her while Jingfei walked ahead.

“It seems she is still angry with me,” Li Jianjun said.

“Hmm. She is known for her anger,” Xu Zifan said and smiled. “I will see you later.”

“I want to apologize to your wife from the front. Can I come to Xu Zifan’s residence?” Li Jianjun inquired.

Xu Zifan got stuck with his request. “When do you want to come?” He asked.

“When you allow me to,” Li Jianjun said.

“You can come in the evening,” Xu Zifan replied. Li Jianjun nodded his head.

“I should go. Jingfei must be waiting for me,” he said.

“Sure,” Li Jianjun said and stepped away from his way. Xu Zifan stepped out of the entrance and found Jingfei had already gotten into the carriage.

Lin Jie told Xu Zifan that Jingfei seemed angry. He hummed and asked her to get into the carriage.

“How can I get into the carriage in which my master and my lady will be together? I will reach home by walking,” Lin Jie stated.

“It is fine. Get into the carriage,” Xu Zifan told her. Lin Jie could not deny her master and stepped into the carriage. After her, Xu Zifan got in and sat next to Jingfei. The chauffeur drove the carriage to the Xu Residence on Xu Zifan’s order.

“Why did you talk to Li Jianjun? Do you not love me?” Jingfei angrily asked Xu Zifan.

~~~~~

Please do read the author’s note.