Chapter 16

Xie Yuxuan looked at her innocent gray eyes, she looked very confused and seemed not to understand what he meant.

He sat beside her on the chair, wearing a broad smile on his face. He thought that perhaps his always angry face got to do with the reason why Cai Ruolan slightly hated him.

“Forget about consummating the marriage for now. So why don’t you want my gift? I spent days preparing the gifts, and I noticed that you never unwrapped any of them” he lied, he never spent days preparing any gifts. The gifts were all kept there by Xie Peizhi.

Cai Ruolan turned away, apart from Wang Muchen who was her teacher, she had never accepted gifts from any man before.

She never answered his question, she pretended as if she was deaf.

This behavior of hers annoyed Xie Yuxuan who was the type that can never control his temper. He doesn’t tolerate nonsense from anyone, let alone this seventeen years old girl seating beside him.

He threw the package on top the chair and left the room in annoyance.

Cai Ruolan felt bad for hurting him, he was just been kind to her as her husband, she should be grateful. She decided to open the gifts and take a look at what was inside them. She also went round the room, where she picked up different colors and sizes of packages.

Cai Ruolan had stacked up almost up to twenty five red, yellow and blue packages on Xie Yuxuan’s reading table. And for a moment, she was really in a hurry to check them out.

She tore opened the first medium size red package, inside it was a beautiful gold coronet bedecked with red shiny stones.

Cai Ruolan couldn’t believe that there was also a small white envelope inside that box. She opened the envelope thinking that she’ll find gold coins inside it, but she was surprised when she saw a white colored key.

‘What’s this for?’ she wondered as she examined it.

Perhaps it was a mistake, the crown prince never intended to add the key on the gifts, but why must it be inside an envelope?

Nevertheless, she kept it on top the table and proceeded to open the others.

Meanwhile..

The throne room was filled with serious looking men, the men were all tall and looked very harsh. They sat down facing the emperor and prime minister.

Another chief stood beside the emperor holding a paper and an ink pen as he scribbled down whatever the emperor said.

“Huexiang is canceling the partnership with Zhangqian, he should have simply said the truth” emperor Xie Mingze stated.

“Exactly, and I suggest we return his daughter to him either he likes it or not” royal advisor Bai suggested. He was never happy when he learnt that the crown prince was getting married to a princess from Zhangqian. He had raised his only daughter into a beautiful and polite maiden so that she would be suitable for the crown prince. And when other chiefs supported the crown prince’s arranged marriage, royal advisor Bai never did. He said the marriage and partnership wouldn’t last long, and this was it.

Emperor Xie Mingze looked cross, “I didn’t say anything about the girl” he said tiredly. If only emperor Cai Huateng of Zhangqian never lied. He wouldn’t want Cai Ruolan to leave his family, which means that even if the partnership with Zhangqian was canceled, they would still be more close because of the marriage.

Royal advisor Lu Cheng cleared his throat and sat well on his chair, there was silence all over the throne room as he was about to start speaking.

Been the oldest and the most experienced advisor made everyone including the emperor respected him. Royal advisor Lu Cheng had been working with the royals ever since he was young. He had worked with the emperor’s father and grandfather.

He was now very old that his once black beard were now white, his upper and lower incisors were also missing, he managed to walk with the aid of his wooden staff. His voice was also very shaky, but the emperor and other chiefs still understood most of his words.

“Y.. Y.. Your.. Majesty, the… the.. On.. Ly..way one.. Could.. Solve t.. This… pr.. Pr..oblem.. Is by forgiving.. Z… zhang… qian” he spoke with his breaking voice.

There was another deafening silence, everyone were muttering words of disapproval among each other.

Old advisor Lu Cheng chuckled, showing his toothless mouth. “Y.. You.. All w.. Wouldn’t. U…. Understand. Me, I’ve.. S. Seen p..problems…L..like this..b. Bef…ore. Just.. Pretend… as if.. You.. Kn.. Knew n. N. Nothing ab… out th..is, a..and he’ll Co.. Co… nfess him… self. I.. I also s… ee.. Great.. Fu.. Future w.. With the… new.. B.. Bride” he revealed.

Great future?

She would make a good wife or good empress?

Everyone began to reason, perhaps old advisor was right.

He was very experienced and knew more than each of them seating there. The emperor himself seemed relief.

“Thank you very much esteemed royal advisor, we’ll take this advise. We hereby thank you very much for this suggestion” emperor Xie Mingze remarked, one could tell that he was satisfied with the tone of relief on his voice.

Old advisor Lu Cheng smiled, he relaxed his bent back on his chair and held on tightly to his wooden staff.

The meeting officially came to an end.

Xie Yuxuan finished practicing with his men, he stood near the table and cleaned the sweats that pigtailed down his face with a white clothe.

He didn’t felt like returning back to his chambers, not when his wife had chose to annoy him. Instead, he left for the throne room.

The meeting was over, he met his parents at the throne room laughing as they talked.

“Yuxuan dear, shouldn’t you be with your wife?” empress Gu Zongying asked as soon as she saw him.

‘She’s very silly’ he thought to himself as he walked closer to them, he bowed.

“How was the meeting imperial father?” he asked, purposely ignoring his mother’s question.

“It’s none of your business son. It’s been resolved so you could leave now” Empress Gu Zongying responded.

“I was talking to father, mother” Xie Yuxuan sounded annoyed again.

“Yes, of course we know. Right now just go and meet your wife” the empress stood up, held his hand and walked towards the door.

“Try to make her pregnant soon” she said in a smile before slamming the door.

Xie Yuxuan clenched his fist in anger.

The only thing he hated in his mother’s behavior was her way of joking every time.

She wouldn’t know when he was serious. Her behavior was nothing compared to his father who rarely joked.

Xie Peizhi took after the empress’s playful personality, while he took after his father’s stern and cold personality.

He didn’t want to return to his chambers, because he wouldn’t be able to control his temper if Cai Ruolan started acting shy again.

But she’s his wife right?

If only he knew that Cai Ruolan had already started playing happily at the rainbow garden.

That key, was the key to the rainbow garden.

^_________^