Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

105 Li Hua is as dignified as the Queen [Bonus chapter]

Qiu Mu trembled in fear when the summon from the King arrived. There was nothing to be scared of, since he had already destroyed evidence. But Lóng Wei would be present, so he was troubled.

Wiping the sweat that had formed on his forehead, he left for the private chamber, where every Prince had to come.

“Your Highness, nothing will happen. The King has called to confirm it,” Eunuch Shi Rang said to Qiu Mu. He asked him to calm down and took a deep breath before entering the private chamber. The first person he saw was Lóng Wei, and his blood boiled in anger.

Qiu Mu stopped and greeted his father formally, who was on the seat, looking furious. Qiu Mu lifted his head and brought his hands down.

“Prince Qiu Mu surely knows why I called him and the other princes here.” Qiu Zedong’s sound didn’t sound pleasant, and it made Qiu Mu wary. “Is it true if he molested the female servants in his manor?” Qiu Zedong jumped straight to the question, without beating around the bush.

Qiu Mu glanced at Lóng Wei, who had this amusing smugness on his face. It irked him. But what he could do in the present situation, except watch him smirk.

“Your Majesty,” Eunuch Shi Rang came forward and got on his knees, “that’s a complete lie. Prince Lóng Wei tried to slander the kind and honest image of Prince Qiu Mu.”

“I asked the answer from the Second Prince!” Qiu Zedong’s voice roared in the chamber, which terrified him.

“Your Majesty, I will never commit such a crime. I am not only the Prince of the royal Qiu Family but also a respected general in the army,” Qiu Mu denied the accusations put against him. He looked at Lóng Wei, who was busy playing with the jade ring on his index finger.

.....

“Royal Father, Brother Lóng Wei must provide evidence before accusing me,” Qiu Mu said. The bitterness and hatred in his tone for Lóng Wei were visible.

“Royal Father, I feel the same. Brother Qiu Mu can never do such an obscene thing. Brother Lóng Wei is lying to tarnish Brother Mu’s image,” asserted Tianjie, taking the stand for Qiu Mu.

“I never came to tell our Royal Father about it. The Second Prince shall get angry at the mother of the Crown Prince, who brought the matter immediately to our Royal Father,” Lóng Wei stated.

“That’s what I want to know. Why did the Sixth Prince not tell me about it? In today’s tea ceremony, he suddenly announced it! Does he have any idea how badly the Second Prince’s reputation has been affected?” Qiu Zedong raised his voice at Lóng Wei.

“I would like to question my Royal Father why the Second Prince’s mother pointed her finger at Li Hua’s character?” Lóng Wei questioned his father.

“It was an important tea ceremony for my wife. Yet, the Noble Consort had to say such a thing for my wife. I did the same with her son.” Lóng Wei, instead of revealing the truth, molded it. He showed everyone that he lied about that.

“Did Brother Lóng Wei lie about it?” Xiaoming asked, arching his brow.

Lóng Wei nodded his head. “Yes, I lied,” he stated.

Qiu Mu gaped at him in confusion. He didn’t expect that Lóng Wei would lie. Why? Why did he lie? The question started to bother Qiu Mu.

“Li Hua is also a human. No matter what class she belongs to, she is also a person. If her character can be pointed out like this, then, I believe that Prince Qiu Mu’s character too. Our Royal Father is the King, yet he is angry because his son’s name is tarnished. It doesn’t matter to him that his dear Noble Consort made fun of my wife, his daughter-in-law,” Lóng Wei affirmed and let out a chuckle.

“Brother Lóng Wei, Li Hua isn’t as important as Brother Qiu Mu. He has a dignity while-”

“Stop preaching about dignity to me, Fifth Prince,” Lóng Wei intervened and did not let Zhang Xi complete his words. “Li Hua is as dignified as the Queen of this Kingdom. She is as pure as the ocean’s depth,” he proclaimed and looked at his father.

“Why doesn’t the Royal Father punish his Noble Consort? She not only dragged my wife into all this mess but also,” Lóng Wei glanced at Xiaoming, “tried to tarnish the image of the most precious prince of this family- the Crown Prince!”

Qiu Zedong didn’t like the prank that Lóng Wei played on Qiu Mu.

“Prince Lóng Wei, the talks among women shall remain among them. Also, the Queen is in charge of the Inner Palace. I have nothing to say about this. However, Prince Lóng Wei did wrong by intervening in the tea ceremony. Many servants were present on the patio. How will Prince Lóng Wei correct this?” The King’s tone had softened.

“Royal Father, I don’t understand this justice. Why must I correct my mistakes?” Lóng Wei asked.

“Lóng Wei, how dare you to question the decision of the King?” Tianjie glanced at Zhang Xi.

“Brother Lóng Wei shall not challenge the Royal Father’s decision. He is forgetting that he’s in front of the King. The rebellious nature isn’t good for long. It may be considered treason,” Zhang Xi proclaimed.

Xiaoming was well aware of this crime of Qiu Mu. He wondered why Lóng Wei lied at the last moment. What was in his head? He squinted his eyes and kept studying Lóng Wei’s face.

“I will talk with my Noble Consort. I don’t want any such thing to happen in the future,” Qiu Zedong said. “Li Hua is the first daughter-in-law of this family. Also, it is wrong to associate her name with the Crown Prince. Regarding the lie about Qiu Mu, I want Prince Lóng Wei to take full responsibility for it and apologize to his elder Second Brother. In the future, no such thing shall happen. I will not let it slide. I will give you a severe punishment if you do so,” he warned Lóng Wei, who nodded.

Qiu Zedong stood up, and the Princes lowered their heads. Gao Bing followed the King as he left the private chamber.

Lóng Wei and Qiu Mu stayed back while the other princes left. Lóng Wei walked to Qiu Mu and leaned to his ear.

“You should be thankful to me that I supported your lie in front of everyone. Now, the Second Prince owes me something. He shall keep in mind that from now onwards, he must not get on my nerves,” Lóng Wei whispered and leaned back to beam into his eyes.

Eunuch Shi Rang stood up and tried to hear what Lóng Wei said, but he could not. Lóng Wei smirked at Qiu Mu and then left the private chamber.