132 Chosen pairs from Heaven
Li Hua tightly clutched her hands and looked at Xu Zifan, who had his gaze fixed on her. âBefore I ran away with Feng Lao, I saw our father. Several assassins were attacking him. The Shui Family head was also helping him.â Her voice started to quiver. She didnât know it would be this difficult to ask about their father.
âHe could not live. I tried to save him,â Xu Zifan said. He was on the verge of crying, but for Li Hua, he didnât want to. âThere were hundreds of assassins that day. I failed to save our mother and second brother too,â Xu Zifan said.
Li Hua lowered her head. Tears rolled over her cheeks and fell on her hands. âWe never did anyone wrong. Then why did it happen?â She bawled and shut her eyes tightly. âFather always helped people. Who could become his enemy and plan such a thing?â
Xu Zifan stood up and walked to her. He put his hand on her head and stroked it. He didnât want to tell her that it was the Shui Family. They had planned all this.
After a while, she became stable. Using her long sleeves she wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks. Xu Zifan settled beside her and patted her back.
âDid the Elder Brother find Feng Lao? Is he-â she paused as a lump formed in her throat.
Xu Zifan found himself stuck. âI do not know,â he lied to her.
âIt means the Shui Family is also wiped out,â Li Hua mumbled and took a deep breath in before pursing her lips tightly.
âLi Hua, Prince Lóng Wei buried the bodies of our family members, and the people working in the residence outside the cold palace,â Xu Zifan said.
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âBut the assassins had set the residence on fire, right after they left,â Li Hua said.
âSince that day most of the people were outside, so His Highness was able to retrieve their bodies,â Xu Zifan cleared her confusion.
âI could not find anything in the palace. There was hardly any conversation that happened among the royals. I served the Queen, for almost a month before the Sixth Prince returned,â Li Hua briefed him. âThe servants talked about it, but not many were interested,â she added.
âFather was a rank 3rd official. So, it is understandable that no one bothered to discuss such a matter related to the Xu Family. It must have been tough for you. I wanted to come to take you, but Prince Lóng Wei stopped me,â Xu Zifan stated.
âWhy did His Highness stop my elder brother?â
âYou would be beheaded. No one knows your real identity in the palace,â Xu Zifan replied. âThey had considered you as a spy, who fabricated her identity to enter the palace,â he pronounced and pulled his hand back.
âI wanted to marry Feng Lao. I dreamed of my entire life with him. I think it was my bad luck that it all happened. If I hadnât told the Elder Brother to talk with our father regarding my feelings towards Feng Lao, it would not have happened.â Li Hua blamed herself. Her eyes once again turned misty.
âLi Hua, it was never your fault. Do not blame yourself. It was all planned. Maybe it was bound to happen this way,â Xu Zifan said.
âWhen you were born, a famous monk visited Xinshui. I was six years old at that time. I forgot the monkâs name, but he predicted a beautiful future of yours,â Xu Zifan said.
Li Hua, with inquisitiveness glanced at him.
âThe monk said that you were chosen as the dragonâs bride,â Xu Zifan proclaimed.
âPardon me?â Li Hua got perplexed. âFather and Mother never said such a thing to me. Why is the Elder Brother revealing it today?â Her puzzled expressions were comprehensible to Xu Zifan.
âLi Hua, since you resided in the palace for over two months, you must have found out the prophecy about Prince Lóng Wei,â Xu Zifan said.
âYes. It is said that he is the son of the dragon,â Li Hua answered.
âI am talking about this prophecy only. Prince Lóng Wei and you are chosen pairs from heaven,â he affirmed. His lips curled up into a tiny smile.
âFather and Mother never revealed it to you for a reason. Xu Zuwen was four at that time, so he also didnât know about it.â When Xu Zifan started to recover from the injuries, Lóng Wei confessed in front of him that he would marry Li Hua as he loved her. Thatâs when he recalled the words of the monk.
âWhy did they hide it from me?â
âAs I said, our Father was Rank 3rd official. It means you were supposed to be the concubine of the prince instead of the official wife. He did not want you to suffer. Thatâs why he decided to hide it from you. Also, there was no way to believe that one day you would marry Prince Lóng Wei and become his official wife,â Xu Zifan revealed the truth to her, which stunned Li Hua.
She already had comprehended that Lóng Weiâs and her meeting was more than a mere coincidence. However, she never had imagined that it would already be destined. She recalled Monk Yuze, who told her the day when she visited his place: âDestiny has brought you to Prince Lóng Wei.â
Still, her heart sometimes asked her not to forget Feng Lao. The person who saved her without thinking about his life.
âIs Elder Brother telling me to forget my memories about Feng Lao? That night he gave me a jade ring. He told me that he would come and I must remember his love. I am in a dilemma, Elder First Brother,â Li Hua said.
Xu Zifan totally understood the dilemma of Li Hua. She always saw herself with Feng Lao. However, the troublesome thought was why he saved her. Why did he pretend that he loved her?
âWhat happened, Elder First Brother?â Li Hua saw the frowns on Xu Zifanâs forehead.
âLi Hua, you must look at the present. Now, Prince Lóng Wei is your husband,â Xu Zifan said. Despite Lóng Weiâs warning, he decided to make Li Hua understand.
âIf mother would be alive, she would have told you one thing: serve your husband well and love him with all your heart. Prince Lóng Weiâs affection for you cannot be described in a few words. You must see him as your everything. You are married to him. Looking at your past, clinging to it, will not do anything good,â Xu Zifan stated.