Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

“Do you also want to become the food of these hawks?”

Feng Lao tilted his head and then lifted his head to look at Lóng Wei. “What will I answer my mother? That my father didn’t even get a proper burial. He is deemed a traitor,” he said as tears formed in his eyes.

Lóng Wei looked around and said, “Only you and I are present here. If you want, you can even bury him.”

“That’s going against the command of the King,” Feng Lao said.

“Then let those hawks come down and feed on the flash of your father,” Lóng Wei remarked. “Indeed, Shui Xiaoqing will be considered a traitor because he helped the foe until his last breath. If he had told the truth, things would not have ended this way,” he opined.

“My father would have been punished even if he had told the name since he was a part of all this,” Feng Lao said and wiped the tears from his cheeks.

“There is another piece of news that you must know,” Lóng Wei told him. “You might cry a river, but it is important for you to know,” he stated.

Feng Lao confusedly looked at Lóng Wei.

.....

“What is the news about?” Feng Lao questioned. “Is it about my punishment? I am ready to accept it since I hurt Li Hua and Xu Zifan,” he said.

“You should not call my wife’s name,” Lóng Wei sternly told him.

“Forgive me,” Feng Lao said.

“Last night, the Shui residence caught fire. Everyone is dead there,” Lóng Wei said, without hesitating a bit.

“What is His Highness saying?” Feng Lao didn’t believe Lóng Wei’s words.

“I believe my voice was clear enough,” Lóng Wei stated. Feng Lao brought his hand to his forehead and his eyes flickered.

“No, that cannot happen,” Feng Lao said as he burst out in tears. Lóng Wei furrowed his brows. He let him cry and waited for him to speak.

“Can no one be saved? My wife was pregnant,” Feng Lao said while sobbing.

“It all happened in the middle of the night, so no one could escape. Your father foolishly believed the enemy. He destroyed the two families, turned them against each other, and showed what he truly is!” Lóng Wei stated, his fingers curled into a fist.

Feng Lao was completely devastated. Everything in his life was ruined. But he deserved that. He must taste the pain he gave to Xu Zifan and Li Hua. He had nothing more to say and nothing more to think about.

“Join me and find the person who did all this,” Lóng Wei said.

“I will die too. There is no use to my life anymore,” Feng Lao stated.

“What did you say?” Lóng Wei asked him.

“I will ask the King to punish me to death. I don’t want to find anyone,” Feng Lao said, with a plain expression on his face.

“Don’t you dare! You are not allowed to die until we find the enemy,” Lóng Wei asserted. “Li Hua may already be upset to find that such a thing happened with the Shui family. She might be angry at you, but for her, I asked my father to pardon you,” he said.

Feng Lao didn’t utter any word. Lóng Wei looked up in the sky and saw how the hawks had surrounded the land. The clouds had gathered in the sky, and rain could fall at any time.

“You should bury your father soon,” Lóng Wei again suggested, and looked down at him. Feng Lao agreed with him and stood up while carrying his father’s lifeless body in his arms. Lóng Wei showed him the path to the forest, which started hundreds of meters away.

Feng Lao dug the ground using a pointed stone and buried his father. He wiped the tears again with his long sleeves and turned to look at Lóng Wei. “I need to leave for Xinshui. Maybe they are alive,” Feng Lao said with a ray of hope in his eyes. “Once I am in my right mind, I will return. Currently, I am unable to focus on anything. I hope His Highness will understand me.”

“I won’t stop you from returning to Xinshui. However, when you come to Qinping, come with a strong mind,” Lóng Wei affirmed.

Feng Lao nodded his head. “I want His Highness to tell Li Hua not to blame herself for this. No matter how much she pretends to be strong, the soft part inside her cannot ever leave her.” His eyes turned teary.

“You are making me jealous. You do not know about her more than me,” Lóng Wei stated.

“Father said a word before dying,” Feng Lao told Lóng Wei. “The name of the enemy starts with K,” he stated.

“Kang Xi?” Lóng Wei muttered.

“Father doesn’t know the prime minister. Also, His Highness thinks that the person is from the royal family,” Feng Lao stated.

“No one has a name with K in our family,” stated Lóng Wei. “Shui Xiaoqing might want to say something else. We should not jump to conclusions so soon.” Lóng Wei wondered if someone had used the pseudonym, but he was unsure about it.

“I married Yang Mei because I thought Xu Zifan was no more. Please convey to him my message that I always kept my friendship ahead of anything else. The only mistake I made was not revealing the truth about my father’s wrong-doing. Thank you for not letting my father become the food of those hawks,” Feng Lao said.

“I will provide a horse for you,” Lóng Wei said.

“Your Highness, I will use a local carriage,” Feng Lao stated. “Forgive me for my earlier behavior. I was wrong about His Highness.” He lowered his head while being guilty.

“I use people for my benefits. Since you’ll benefit me in the future, you must stay alive,” Lóng Wei proclaimed.