Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

“I must clean the dishes,” Shuyao said and left the room.

Lóng Wei went behind him and went to the well, where Shuyao was washing the utensils. “You used to be an official. I heard from the people. I think you already know who I am,” Lóng Wei stated.

Shuyao did not stop rubbing the vessel and acted as if he did not hear Lóng Wei’s words. He picked up the water jug and poured it over the vessel to wash it clean.

“I am going out. I will come later in the evening,” Lóng Wei asserted and turned to leave. He thought that Shuyao would stop him, but he did not. He continued to walk and soon left the house.

As he was going closer to the past when his father ruled over the kingdom, he found out about many people, who had lost their loved ones once Qiu Zedong became the King.

Shuyao was one such victim. He lost his wife, his two sons, and a daughter. Today, he was forced to sell those dumplings for survival.

Lóng Wei found out that his journey was unexplainable and full of surprises.

Every time, he would find something new which would question him if he would do right to the people, who had high expectations of him.

.....

But then, he would make himself agree with the fact that he didn’t want to stand on anyone’s expectations. It was his life, so he would decide what he wanted to do in the end.

Lóng Wei halted in his steps when a football near his feet. He turned his head around and found several boys playing ‘cuju’ (an ancient football game in China) in the open field.

One of the boys came running in Lóng Wei’s direction. The Prince picked it up and walked up to the boy.

“Thank you, Brother.” The boy took the football from Lóng Wei and ran back to his friends, who were waiting for him on the field.

Lóng Wei always wanted to play that game. All the princes used to play cuju in the palace, but he would always see them from far away. He remembered the event in which the five princes had paired up and in their opposition some noblemen’s sons were present.

It was his mother, who agreed to the Queen and didn’t let Lóng Wei play that day. Lóng Wei fisted his palms as he suddenly became furious.

Why was he even here? Qizhen and Yu Jun did not care for him. Once again his hatred for him overpowered his mind and he decided to return to the capital.

He wanted to tell his father that he didn’t want to find Qizhen. He scrunched his eyebrows when his thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

“Do you not want to climb the mountain?” Shuyao asked Lóng Wei.

“Did you chase me?” Lóng Wei arched his eyebrow.

“I thought my servant would leave Xianshan without seeing the ninety-nine lakes and dawn redwood forests,” Shuyao stated and looked at the field.

“So, you were enjoying that game,” Shuyao said with a tiny smile on his lips.

“I wasn’t,” Lóng Wei replied.

“Don’t lie,” Shuyao said and locked his hands behind his back. “My sons were champions in this game. When I see these kids today, I see them too,” he stated and smiled.

“Now, you want to tell me about your past,” Lóng Wei amusedly glanced at him.

“Why are you so interested in knowing my past?” Shuyao queried him. His gaze was still on the field.

“I didn’t want to clean the house, so I decided to hire someone and pay him to clean your house. However, all the men I approached refused to work even when I was giving them one gold coin. That was when I became curious to know,” Lóng Wei briefed the incident behind his curiosity to know about Shuyao’s past.

“It’s not necessary for you to tell me what happened to your family. I am sure it was painful,” Lóng Wei stated.

“I never knew that the Prince is a thoughtful person,” Shuyao asserted and kept a smile on his lips. They both turned their heads and looked at each other.

“So, you knew who I was?” Lóng Wei chuckled. “Why did you make me work like a servant?” He then questioned.

“If there’s any person in this Kingdom who does not behave well, then that’s Prince Lóng Wei. Anyone would have guessed that,” Shuyao stated.

“Don’t be sarcastic,” Lóng Wei told him.

“It is my way of speaking,” Shuyao said and again looked ahead toward the field, where children were playing.

After remaining quiet for a while, Shuyao again spoke, “I heard you are the Dragon’s Son. Will you end this misery of a husband and a father, who lost everything when the previous king died?”

Lóng Wei had not expected this question from Shuyao. All this time, Lóng Wei found him to be a cheerful type of person. However, that mere statement made Lóng Wei feel upset.

“Why do you think that I will end your misery?” Lóng Wei wanted to know the reason. “I am more popular as a sinned prince than as the Dragon’s son,” he reminded Shuyao.

“In my eyes, you are the Dragon’s Son,” Shuyao proclaimed. “You are fearless even before the King. I heard you are the Governor of the Capital. You have the ability to change the flow of water. So, I definitely think that you will give me justice,” he stated and again peered into Lóng Wei’s eyes.

Lóng Wei felt strange. No one ever asked him such a thing. All saw him as an evil person, who became the reason for others’ miseries.

“I want justice, Prince Lóng Wei. I believe that you want to go to that place because of a reason. I will take you there tomorrow. However, I demand only one thing from you— the justice which I could never get,” Shuyao stated, with a menacing look on his face.