His Notorious Plan

Lóng Wei reached the Royal Kitchen, and upon seeing him, the servants immediately stopped working and lowered their heads. The Royal chef quickly came to the front and bowed before the Sixth Prince.

"It is our great pleasure to see the Sixth Prince after a long time," the Royal Chef, Shu Wenxu, said in a humble tone.

"Shu Wenxu, one must not tell a lie," Lóng Wei remarked and looked for Xiwan. He was standing near the counter with his head low.

"Xiwan, follow me," Lóng Wei said and walked out of the royal kitchen. Everyone looked in his direction while he was confused about why he got summoned. He stepped forward and reached near Shu Wenxu, who told him to be careful. Xiwan bowed and walked out.

The servants resumed the work while taking a breath of relief.

Lóng Wei stopped near the curved dome wall, which connected to the main corridor of the palace. Xiwan also stopped upon seeing the Sixth Prince had suddenly halted.

"Is Li Hua close to you?" Lóng Wei asked him.

"Pardon me, Your Highness," Xiwan was confused to hear his question. He found the sharp glare of Lóng Wei at him, and he lowered his eyes. "I want the truth only," Lóng Wei stated.

"She rose to the rank faster than many others, Your Highness. Everyone knows her well," Xiwan answered.

"I want to know about you only. For others, I don't care," Lóng Wei affirmed.

"Your Highness, indeed, this servant has a good level communication with her. She is like a younger sister to me. When she entered the palace, she used to get scared easily, so I used to guide her," Xiwan told Lóng Wei everything. Xiwan was the servant, who was appointed to take care of the meals of the Sixth Prince. He was well aware of his behavior. So, he decided to stay voracious with the Sixth Prince.

Lóng Wei came to him and hung his arm around his shoulder. "Xiwan, you are my favorite person in this palace. So, I have some faith in you. Don't talk to Li Hua much as she is in my service now," he told him.

"Yes, Your Highness," Xiwan said and smiled.

Lóng Wei pulled his arm back and locked his hands behind his back. "Xiwan, did something happen behind my back?" he queried Xiwan.

"Everything went in silence, Your Highness," Xiwan answered. "However, I heard about a strange thing. A loyal official of His Majesty got charged for treason," he informed Lóng Wei.

"Who?" Lóng Wei asked.

"The official from Xinshui town, Minister Xu Huang Li," Xiwan answered. "I heard his entire family was killed," he stated.

"I am not interested in that, Xiwan. I am asking about the palace," Lóng Wei said, with a displeased look. He thought he would find out something intriguing from the palace.

"Leave," Lóng Wei told him.

Xiwan bowed and turned back when Lóng Wei said, "Don't tell Li Hua about my choices. You are not supposed to do that."

"Forgive me, Your Highness," Xiwan said after turning to Lóng Wei, who walked away.

"So, His Highness indeed likes Li Hua," Xiwan said and went back to the royal kitchen.

~~~~~

The Queen, Zhu Liling, found out about the incident that happened in the King's manor. She was surprised to see that the servant, whom she had sent for the Crown Prince's service, got transferred to the Sixth Prince's manor.

It somewhere had troubled her. How could Lóng Wei win the argument against the Crown Prince? Moreover, why did the King let the Sixth Prince have Li Hua? Did the King not value her decision?

"Your Majesty, the King did not overstretch the matter as it could have spread among the servants. The two Princes were arguing over a palace maid. His Majesty also said that he was disappointed with the Crown Prince. Also, the Sixth Prince's words regarding a palace maid were not appealing to anyone. He did not even fear His Majesty while expressing his feelings for a palace maid," Eunuch-in-waiting, Wu Lianying, informed the matter to the Queen.

Zhu Liling knitted her brows. Her son had indeed disappointed the King by arguing for a palace maid. But the question was why he did that.

"Where is the Crown Prince?" Zhu Liling asked Wu Lianying.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince had his lunch and then left for the meeting with the ministers headed by the King," Wu Lianying answered, keeping his head low.

"When the meeting gets over, tell the Crown Prince to meet the Royal Mother once. Inform the Sixth Prince that the Queen is heading to his manor," Zhu Liling said and rose to her feet. Eunuch Lianying bowed his head and walked out.

Zhu Liling extended her hand out, and the palace maid handed her the mirror. She took it and looked at herself in the mirror. She adjusted the crown over her head and returned the mirror to the palace maid.

"Your Majesty, the other Princes, and the Princesses already knew what the Crown Prince did. His Royal Highness should not have fought for a palace maid. What if any of them tried to spread the rumors?" Court Lady Chu Mu expressed her worries.

"No one will dare to spread any negative fact about the Crown Prince. They all know that the King will get angry. Moreover, everyone respects the Crown Prince. He always helps the people irrespective of their class or societal status," Zhu Liling affirmed and joined her hands which she had kept near her belly.

Eunuch Lianying came inside and bowed. "The message has been sent to the two princes' manor, Your Majesty."

Zhu Liling wanted to know why Lóng Wei adamantly took Li Hua away. Lóng Wei was never interested in women. Suddenly, he showed his interest in Li Hua. The Queen wanted to check if the Sixth Prince had feelings for Li Hua or if it was all a part of his notorious plan against the Crown Prince.

The old monk's words were still in her mind.

'The Sixth Prince will change the destiny of the Qiu Dynasty. He is meant to be a ruler, and no one can change his path. The Son of Dragon will uplift the miseries of the poor and make this kingdom prosperous.'

Every time she used to see Lóng Wei, this prophecy would revolve in her head. Though Lóng Wei was never interested in the kingdom's matters, however, this slight fear still existed in her mind.