Gifted Bride of the Sinned Prince

455 The best proposals [Bonus chapter]

Li Hua was roaming in the palace when she saw the King coming from the front. She stopped, and behind her, the maidservant also stopped by.

Li Hua bowed before the King when he asked her what she was doing in that part of the palace.

“I thought to stroll around the palace, Your Majesty,” Li Hua said while keeping her head down. She looked at the King’s hand, which she had noticed for the first time. However, she saw a scar on the back of his hand which was kind of unique.

“Prince Lóng Wei is stressed these days. Is the Princess Consort taking good care of him?” Qiu Zedong asked.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Li Hua replied.

Qiu Zedong hummed and walked ahead. Li Hua looked at the King’s hand even when he had walked away. Her brows furrowed together. “I have seen that hand somewhere,” she mumbled. The maidservant told Li Hua that they should return to the manor, who nodded her head.

She was delighted to see Xu Zifan and Feng Lao in the manor.

“Where have you gone?” Xu Zifan asked as he withdrew from the hug.

“I was in the palace. Did I make my Elder Brother and Feng Lao for too long?” She queried and picked up water glasses that the maidservant had brought on a tray.

.....

“We came ten minutes ago,” Feng Lao replied and thanked her for the water. After they had settled on the chairs, Li Hua asked them for tea, but they refused it.

“Rainy weather has started,” Xu Zifan said and asked Li Hua to take care of herself. “You get sick easily. So, don’t get drenched in the rain,” He advised Li Hua.

“Elder Brother, I have gotten stronger now. I do not get sick easily anymore,” Li Hua stated with a bright smile.

“Do you still practice?” Feng Lao asked.

“Yes, I do,” Li Hua answered. “Princess Xiaolian asked about you from me,” she informed Feng Lao. Xu Zifan glanced at his friend’s inquisitiveness and asked why the Third Princess had asked for him.

“Did Feng Lao tell my Elder Brother?” Li Hua amusingly smiled.

“I ended the matter already, then why the Third Princess asked about me,” Feng Lao muttered.

“Elder Brother, Princess Xiaolian has an interest in Feng Lao. She has even sent a love letter to him. I am surprised Feng Lao didn’t tell the Elder Brother,” Li Hua stated.

“I didn’t think it was an important matter to talk about. Moreover, I had ended that matter with the Princess before it could start,” Feng Lao explained to Xu Zifan.

“However, the Third Princess asked about you. That means she has not ended her feelings for you,” Xu Zifan asserted. Li Hua totally agreed with the words of her brother.

“Why don’t you try to know the Third Princess?” Li Hua suggested to Feng Lao.

Feng Lao did not want to tell Li Hua that he did not like Xiaolian from the moment, she plotted against her and even fabricated lies for her. “I will talk to her again before going back,” Feng Lao said. He wanted to tell Xiaolian, not to trouble Li Hua and ask about him from her.

“I made Tangyuan (a dessert) earlier. Would Elder Brother and Feng Lao like to have one serving of dessert?” Li Hua suddenly recalled that after Lóng Wei left, she had prepared Tanyuan for them. [Refer the figure here in paragraph comment.]

“We would love to,” Xu Zifan said. Li Hua called the maidservant inside and instructed her to bring Tangyuan. “Ask Senior Brother Xiwan for it.” The maidservant left to bring the dessert for them.

“Is everything going well in the palace and with Prince Lóng Wei? He looked troubled to us,” Xu Zifan waited for Li Hua’s response and then looked at Feng Lao.

“Umm… there are various reasons behind His Highness’s worries. I will brief about it someday,” Li Hua stated. She refrained telling that Lóng Wei’s grandmother had passed away as none knew about it. Also, she did not want to share his personal things with anyone.

Feng Lao knew that it was related to Lóng Wei’s past, but he did not force Li Hua to tell them.

“Li Hua!” They heard a familiar voice and turned their heads to look toward the door. Jin Yu had come there and she looked happy.

The three of them rose to their feet and greeted her.

“Ahh, I will come later,” Jin Yu said as she saw that Li Hua’s brother had come and friend too.

“The Crown Princess should join us,” Li Hua said with a smile.

“Can I?” Jin Yu asked.

“Yes, Your Royal Highness.” Li Hua nodded at her and asked her to take the seat first.

“You people are making me feel like almighty. I am more ordinary than all of you,” Jin Yu said and told them to take the seat. By that time, the maidservant had arrived too with a tray in her hand. She placed it on the table and Li Hua thanked her.

She stood up and filled the three bowls with the two pieces of Tangyuan. Jin Yu asked Li Hua about the dessert. “Did you make this dessert, Li Hua? How did you make it?” She asked as her eyes gleamed.

“I used black sesame, lard, and sugar to prepare this. Then. I mixed it all with the rice crust and made them into tiny balls. For the red color, I used rose extract, Your Royal Highness,” Li Hua briefed her about preparing Tangyuan.

Li Hua handed the last bowl to the maidservant. Xu Zifan asked Li Hua if she would not eat as Li Hua closed the lid of the big bowl in which the dessert was.

“I will eat with Prince Lóng Wei,” Li Hua replied.

“Call me too next time, Li Hua. I will also make such desserts for the Crown Prince. This dessert is indeed delicious,” Jin Yu then complemented Li Hua. She thanked Jin Yu and asked if she would like to eat more.

“No. I have eaten enough,” Jin Yu said and put the bowl on the table.

“Why did the Crown Princess come here?” Li Hua finally asked the reason behind her sudden visit.

“The Crown Prince will take me outside tomorrow in the evening market. I was thinking that you and Prince Lóng Wei should join us too. The other princes are not married yet, so I did not ask them,” Jin Yu stated. She looked enthusiastic to go outside.

“I will ask Prince Lóng Wei about it,” Li Hua replied.

“We will have fun,” Jin Yu said with a wide smile. She shifted her gaze at Xu Zifan and Feng Lao.

“You both can join us too with the women you are seeing,” Jin Yu told them.

“We are not seeing anyone, Your Royal Highness,” Xu Zifan said with a slight smile.

“Ahh, then start seeing someone. There are many marriage agencies in the capital,” Jin Yu opined.

“Does the Crown Princess about those marriage agencies?” Li Hua asked as she was interested to find a suitable match for her brother.

“Yes. There are many. I even know the owners of famous marriage agencies in the capital,” Jin Yu asserted.

“Can the Crown Princess tell me about one?” Li Hua requested and looked at Xu Zifan, who knew what his sister wanted to do. “I want to find a suitable woman from my elder brother. If our mother were here, she had done this. However, I will do it in her absence,” Li Hua stated.

Xu Zifan did not stop his sister this time. He could sense her concern and he did not want to upset her.

“Fine. Tomorrow, we will go to the marriage agency too,” Jin Yu informed Li Hua and asked her if she did not want to see a match for Feng Lao.

“Umm… A woman already likes Feng Lao. So, I believe that there is no need to see a match for him. Right, Feng Lao?” Li Hua asked him.

Feng Lao smiled and nodded his head. He knew that there was no use to stop Li Hua as she wanted all this for their happiness. However, he did not want to go forward with Xiaolian.

“I will be glad if you find a match for me through the marriage agency,” Feng Lao suggested to Li Hua.

“Why? Do you not want to try knowing the Third Princess?” Xu Zifan promptly spoke. Jin Yu got astonished to find that Xiaolian was the one, who liked Feng Lao. But she did not utter any word as it was not her place to talk about it.

“I think we will not be compatible with each other. It is better if I get a proposal through the marriage agency which Li Hua will visit tomorrow,” Feng Lao announced his decision.

“Fine. I will find the best proposals for my brother and Feng Lao,” Li Hua stated with a confident tone.