To put an end

Mingquan carried the fresh fruit basket and went to the Sixth Prince's manor. He was anxious for him and also wanted to apologize to his younger brother for slapping him yesterday. 

As usual, the Sixth Prince's manor was peaceful. Everything was so quiet. He turned to ascend the few stairs to reach the main corridor when his eyes fell on Lóng Wei, who was seated at the broad wooden handrail in the corridor. 

"Sixth Brother must rest in his chamber," Mingquan said as he reached near Lóng Wei, who had a dice in his hand. 

"Why is the Fourth Prince here?" Lóng Wei curiously gazed at him, swirling the dice in his hand. 

"I want to apologize to the Sixth Brother," Mingquan said and handed the fruit basket to Lóng Wei, who chuckled. He threw the basket and it hit the ground. The fruits fell out of the basket. 

"I hate it," Lóng Wei said. He bore his gaze at the Fourth Prince, who did not complain as he was aware of his attitude. 

"You can leave. Don't enter as I do not allow outsiders," Lóng Wei said with a displeased look. 

"I am your elder brother, not an outsider," Mingquan corrected him. 

"For me, the Fourth Prince is an outsider. We are half-brothers not brothers," Lóng Wei affirmed and averted his gaze from him. 

"I know the Sixth Prince is furious at all of us. However, I slapped him because he should act his age and respect his elders. I am truly sorry for the words he had to hear about his mother," Mingquan said softly. 

"Fourth Prince, did I ask for your apology?" Lóng Wei tilted his head and gazed towards the entrance which was visible from his sight. "Please don't bother me and leave," he said in a stern tone. His brows drew close as he didn't like the presence of the Fourth Prince around him. 

Mingquan had no words left and he knew that arguing would not result in anything. So, he quietly left Lóng Wei's sight. However, before stepping out of the manor, he picked the fruits that had fallen to the ground, put them into the basket and left. 

Lóng Wei heaved a sigh of relief as he found Mingquan had left. He stood up and went towards the yard, where Li Hua was practicing. He found her lying on the patio floor and it terrified him. 

He ran to her and got on his knees. "Li Hua," he whispered her name. To his surprise, she was sleeping soundly on the patio floor. Her disheveled hair blocked the view of her face. He gently brushed her hair away from her face and decided to take her inside. 

Carrying her up in his arms, making sure that he would not disturb his sleep, Lóng Wei took Li Hua inside his chamber. He placed her gently on the mattress and pulled the quilt up to cover her.

He caressed her head before leaning down and kissed the middle of her forehead. He couched back and smiled. "That was to put an end to your worries, Li Hua. You must have suffered for two months without me in the palace," he mumbled. 

~~~~~~ 

Qiu Mu started to laugh when he heard Mingquan. "Why did the Fourth Brother even go to see him? He doesn't care for others. He acts as if he is the eldest child," Qiu Mu remarked and picked the cup full of wine. 

"Brother Lóng Wei is not fully at fault. Even the First Sister made a mistake. She should not have called his mother—" Mingquan could not complete his words as Qiu Mu interrupted him in the middle. 

"Fourth Brother, the Youngest Prince doesn't care what we or people say to his mother! He got angry because Li Hua was dragged into this," Qiu Mu explained to him and drank the wine from the cup he was holding. 

Qiu Mu filled the cup again with wine. "It is unbelievable that a servant made Lóng Wei into a crazier person. I am waiting for the day when people will taunt him about marrying a servant." He started to laugh upon thinking about that. 

"Second Brother, Lóng Wei isn't the type to listen to anyone's taunts," Zhang Xi stated and looked at Mingquan. "Fourth Brother thinks that he has a motive to do all this. Moreover, we must not forget about the prophecy," Zhang Xi reminded them.  

Qiu Mu again laughed and stopped after a while. "He cannot be the Son of Dragon. That oldie lied to our Royal Father so that he would be called great. He cannot foresee the future. It is all to manipulate the King," he affirmed. 

Mingquan shook his head. "Sixth Brother is capable of doing many things if he wants to. Monk Yuze isn't wrong about him. He has the capability to change even the King's decision. He killed his mother and accepted the crime without any remorse. He didn't shed a single tear that day. He is different," Mingquan justified what he had noticed in Lóng Wei. 

"Brother Mingquan, the Royal Father adores him because he is the youngest among us. That's why he melted. Indeed, the Sixth Brother is different. He is still a child, an arrogant one, who loves to annoy people around him to grab their attention," Qiu Mu ruled out his justification. He never believed that Lóng Wei could become someone important with a sane mind. He was an egoist in his eyes and would always remain one. 

"We are older than him. We should not stand any insult from him. He is not worthy of any care because he only ridicules it. So, it is better to stay away from him. Conversing with him only ruins one's mood," Qiu Mu advised the Fourth and the Fifth Princes. He gulped the wine from the cup. 

Mingquan was still not ready to agree with Qiu Mu's words. Lóng Wei killed his mother for a reason and that reason was unknown to many. He had the desire to discuss it with his father, but taking the name of Lóng Wei's mother was prohibited in front of the King. 

~~~~~~

Hello Dear Readers,

Sorry, I was unable to give a mass release. Something has happened in my family and for that reason, I was busy outside in the work. Hopefully, you all will understand.

THANK YOU

HAPPY READING