Chapter 56: Chapter 56

56 The Earring

Lóng Wei and Li Hua returned to the Palace, after having lunch with Yuze, using the same abandoned route. Lóng Wei tried his best to get more time with Li Hua. However, he could not succeed.

“We could have stayed till the evening,” Lóng Wei complained to Li Hua.

“His Highness does not care for other people’s lives, but I do care. I don’t want Court Lady Hong to get punished,” Li Hua stated. They both turned left when they saw a few foot soldiers coming from the front.

Li Hua widened her eyes. “His Highness told me that no one uses this route,” she said with an intimidating look when Lóng Wei grasped her wrist. Before the soldiers could see them, Lónh Wei took her away.

“Why are we running to the forest? We must return to the palace, Your Highness?” Li Hua asked and held the one edge of her skirt up to match Lóng Wei’s steps.

“We won’t go to the forest in uphill,” Lóng Wei stated. “I saw the Second Prince, whom you failed to notice,” he said while panting. She got surprised when Lóng Wei didn’t take the forest route, instead, he took her to the other route.

“Second Prince?” She murmured and looked at Lóng Wei. “I told the Sixth Prince not to come outside. I will not save His Highness unlike the last time if we get caught,” she asserted.

“This woman!” Lóng Wei muttered and stopped. Li Hua also halted and gasped for air.

“We should have used the forest route. His Highness said earlier that no one goes uphill. Why are we on this route?” Li Hua panicked when Lóng Wei looked around. He pulled her with him and went to the left.

.....

The route still had trees on both sides. Lóng Wei took Li Hua inside the forest and hid behind a tall tree. His back rested on the thick stem of the tree while Li Hua was in front of him.

“The assassin took this route to escape without getting into anyone’s notice. The Second Prince has gone to investigate the uphill,” Lóng Wei said in a low voice.

“How does His Highness know?” She was astonished.

“Father has given the responsibility to the Second Prince to look into the matter. I forgot that he would first search the uphill to find if the assassin left any clue and also will question Yuze. He does not trust me,” Lóng Wei explained to her.

“His Highness should not have taken me out. What if they come here?” She asked while keeping her voice as low as possible.

“They won’t,” Lóng Wei answered and found that her one earring was not in her ear. He touched her ear when Li Hua slapped his hand. He clearly remembered that she had earrings in both of her ears. “Where is your other earring?” He asked. Li Hua quickly touched her ears and found one was missing.

“Stay here. Don’t move an inch from this place. I will punish you if you do,” Lóng Wei said and vanished from her sight.

If Qiu Mu found the earring first, then he would take his investigation to the wrong side. Moreover, the jewelry that Li Hua had worn was from the palace. Qiu Mu wasn’t that fool not to recognize the jewels from the palace.

Lóng Wei somehow reached the intersection of the two routes: one to the uphill and the other to the level forest. He carefully checked the ground for a few minutes while looking above, towards the uphill.

He walked forward on the path which led to the forest and finally saw the earring. A smile appeared on his lips, and he almost bent to pick it up when he heard the voice of Qiu Mu.

“Prince Lóng Wei, why are you here?”

Lóng Wei turned to look at Qiu Mu and carefully stepped over the earring. “The Second Prince has a poor memory. Father had granted me permission to look into this matter. Since this time, someone has tried to put his blame on me,” Lóng Wei affirmed.

Earlier, Qiu Mu had thought that it was Lóng Wei, who lied to everyone. However, after the murder of the assassin, his suspicion over Lóng Wei was over.

“Brother Lóng Wei must know that the assassin is dead,” Qiu Mu informed him. It didn’t surprise him as he knew that the Crown Prince would not let him live.

“That was inevitable,” Lóng Wei stated. “Why is the Second Prince here? He hardly comes to this side or should I say that it’s his first time,” Lóng Wei remarked.

“I need to find why the assassin took the route uphill. He had the royal seal with him, yet he used this route. Also, how he found out about it. Except for Monk Yuze and the Second Brother, no one uses this route,” Qiu Mu said with inquisitiveness.

“Because on this route, security is nil,” Lóng Wei reasoned. “The Assassin must have been told to use it. Apart from the members of the royal family, no one knows about it.”

“No one in the royal family is as heartless as Brother Lóng Wei,” Qiu Mu remarked smugly. He wanted to provoke Lóng Wei, who smiled at him, thus surprising him.

“That’s what I am saying, Second Prince. Who is this person as heartless as me? Who could order the murder of the thirty servants to throw me out of the palace?” Lóng Wei stated.

Qiu Mu furrowed his brows together. “I will talk with the Sixth Prince later. I need to search the uphill forest,” he said and turned to go ahead. Lóng Wei watched Qiu Mu going away, and once he disappeared from his sight, he quickly bent and took the earring in his hand.

He put it in a silk handkerchief and put it inside his pocket. Lóng Wei returned to the place where he had left Li Hua.

“Your Highness.” She advanced to him. “Did His Highness find the earring?” She looked terrified.

“Hmm.” Lóng Wei patted the right side of his chest. “I have kept it inside my pocket. Let’s go before the Second Prince will see us two,” he said and held out his hand. Li Hua was hesitant to grab it when Lóng Wei pinned her to the thick stem of the tree.

“Your Highness!?” She gaped at him and reached out her hands to his shoulder to push him away.

“Li Hua, I will miss you. I still wish for a kiss from you. I indeed look too desperate for it. Hopefully, you will prepare yourself well for the wedding night. I want it to be memorable,” Lóng Wei whispered before letting her arms go. He grasped her hand and took her back to the palace.