168 Pretend to be good
Lóng Wei looked around the guest hall. The chief servant of the house, Fu Kai, recognized Lóng Wei and recalled the way he talked with Lóng Wei.
âAh, you are the person from that day,â Lóng Wei acknowledged, smiling.
âYes, Your Highness. I am surprised that His Highness recognized me,â Fu Kai said while keeping his gaze low.
âOf course, I have to remember you. That day, you talked rudely with me,â Lóng Wei said, and picked up the silver glass from the tray that the servant had forwarded to him.
âPlease forgive me for my mistake, Your Highness,â Fu Kai requested Lóng Wei.
âI donât forgive people easily,â Lóng Wei said and Fu Kai looked into his eyes. Shivers of fear ran through his entire body. He was well aware of Lóng Weiâs nature. He believed in killing rather than forgiving. âHowever, I can forgive you if you become useful to me in the future,â Lóng Wei proclaimed.
Huang Xi glanced at Mingquan, who was confused. âWhat is going on in Brother Lóng Weiâs mind?â he thought.
âSurely, Your Highness,â Fu Kai assured him. Lóng Wei smiled and sipped the water from the glass. He put the glass on the tray while the servant walked away.
âIt seems the Governor doesnât respect the Princes and the Commander, who are higher ranked than him,â Lóng Wei remarked and looked at Fu Kai for an explanation.
.....
âYour Highness, Lord Shui and the Young Master will be here soon. Some important work has come in, so they got busy with that,â Fu Kai humbly replied. âI will go and check on my Lord,â he said, and was ready to leave, but Lóng Wei stopped him.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âLet it be, Fu Kai. I love to wait,â Lóng Wei asserted. Fu Kai gulped as the air in the guest hall continued to turn colder. For some reason, Fu Kai thought he was on the verge of his death.
âWould the Princes and the Commander like to have some sweets?â Fu Kai asked.
Mingquan and Huang Xi politely refused him.
âWhatâs the occasion that you are offering us sweets?â Lóng Wei questioned him.
âNothing special, Your Highness. I thought you all might want to taste the sweets from Xinshui,â Fu Kai stated, and gulped. He fiddled with his fingers with nervousness and found his hands were turning sweaty.
Lóng Wei got out of his chair and approached him. He hung his arm around Fu Kai, who was stiffened at his place. âYou think too much, Fu Kai. Why donât you show me the residence? It is my first time visiting the house of a nobleman,â Lóng Wei opined.
âIt is a good idea. You must show Brother Lóng Wei around the residence,â Mingquan encouraged Fu Kai.
âYes, Your Highness,â Fu Kai replied. Beads of sweat formed on the temple of his forehead. What if he killed him? He had two daughters who were still unmarried.
âYour Highness, I donât think it is inappropriate for you to keep your arm around my neck. I am a lowly servant,â Fu Kai said. He wanted to stand at least a metre away from the Sixth Prince.
âIt is fine. I donât consider you a âlowlyâ servant. When you can raise your voice at me, then I believe that you can do anything,â Lóng Wei pronounced and asked him to walk faster.
Fu Kai showed him the main courtyard of the house, followed by the other important parts of the residence. Lóng Wei was surprised to see the artificial lake premises. He found that the Shui family were living in comfort and joy.
âEarlier, your master wasnât the governor. I heard Xu Guang Li was supposed to be the Governor. The family was assassinated brutally,â Lóng Wei said, and finally pulled his arm back. He stepped onto the bridge while Fu Kai followed him.
âYour Highness, the Xu Family was murdered on one deadly night by a few bandits, not the assassins. The Xu Residence lies near to the forest, which is prone to bandits,â Fu Kai asserted.
âBandits?â Lóng Wei arched his brow.âI thought Xinshui town had a low crime rate,â he affirmed.
âYour Highness, bandits mostly stay in the forest area,â Fu Kai stated. âYour Highness, this grand pavilion is the choice of my young master. He is a lover of art,â he started to praise Shui Feng Lao. Lóng Wei could not stop chuckling at him.
âYour Highness, I think My Lord and the Young Master might have reached the guest hall,â Fu Kai said. He could not stand Lóng Weiâs gaze anymore.
At that moment, a young woman appeared in the pavilion. She was with a few servants, who were conversing with her. Seeing them, she stopped when Fu Kai said, âLady An, this is the Sixth Prince.â
âYour Highness, this is An Niao, the wife of the Young Master, Shui Feng Lao,â Fu Kai introduced them.
An Niao bowed before the Sixth Prince. Lóng Wei ignored her greetings and left for the guest hall. An Niao found it strange when her personal attendant told her that Lóng Wei wasnât a good person.
âWhy?â
âBecause he killed his mother and then did many other crimes,â the personal attendant told An Niao, who was stunned to hear her.
Lóng Wei, on the other hand, was infuriated to see Feng Laoâs wife. The face of Li Hua appeared before his eyes. What if Li Hua had seen this? Would she be able to handle the betrayal that Shui Feng Lao gave her?
They reached the guest hall. Lóng Wei saw Shui Xiaoqing and Shui Feng Lao in the hall. They both stood up to greet him.
âWe are overwhelmed to see the Sixth Prince in our residence,â Shui Xiaoqing said in his humble tone.
âIf you were overwhelmed to see me, then you would not have made me wait along with my Fourth Brother and Commander Huang Xi. Donât use flowery words with me. I donât like it when the people pretend to be good when they are evil from the inside,â Lóng Wei pronounced and tilted his head to look at Shui Feng Lao, who had lifted his head to look at him.