462 Conflicts may arise

The following day, Yuze came to the palace upon the King’s request. They had a long conversation regarding the princes, the future of the Qiu Kingdom, and most importantly, Lóng Wei.

historical

“Yesterday, the Crown Prince handed me a few documents, showing how Kang Huijuan used his father’s name to loot the people in the capital. He even has several lands in his name,” Qiu Zedong shared another important matter with Yuze. “What should I do, Monk Yuze? Kang Xi is my close friend. If I punish his son, then my relationship with him be tainted forever. He might become my enemy.”

Qiu Zedong was in a dilemma. He could not give out the decision yesterday in the court regarding Kang Huijuan.

“A king must follow the path of righteousness, else his people, his subjects will never be able to trust him,” Yuze advised the King. “For a singular person, you cannot let the other doubt your judgment,” he stated.

“Monk Yuze is right. I will announce my decision tomorrow on this matter. I forgave Kang Huijuan earlier. However, this time he cannot be forgiven,” Qiu Zedong finally decided. Yuze smiled and told the King that if Kang Xi was his honest friend, he would never question His Majesty’s decision.

“As a father, he must also let his son get punished for his wrongdoings,” Yuze proclaimed. “The King has punished Prince Lóng Wei many times because he wanted him to improve. His Majesty did not stand with the prince for the wrongs he committed,” he affirmed.

Qiu Zedong totally agreed with Yuze’s words. He thanked the Monk for guiding him through all the tough times.

“I heard that Her Majesty was locked in her manor,” Yuze stated.

“The Queen did something which could not be forgiven. She planned to kill Li Hua. I could not ignore this and decided not to let her be out of her manor,” Qiu Zedong stated and rubbed his palms against his knees.

.....

“The King needs to look into the internal affairs too. Since the Queen has fallen weak, then his consorts may fight to take over the Queen’s position. Conflicts may arise between the sons of the King,” Yuze opined. Qiu Zedong recalled how Xiuying tried to convince him to remove Zhu Liling from the Queen’s position.

“I will think about it, Monk Yuze,” Qiu Zedong said with a serious tone.

“I am thinking of handing over the throne to Crown Prince Xiaoming. However, I still think that the Crown Prince has to learn a lot of things,” Qiu Zedong affirmed.

“Monk Yuze, I wonder what Lóng Wei is up to these days. Did he have any conversation with Monk Yuze recently?” The King knew that Lóng Wei would have shared his worries with Yuze as he was close to the monk.

“Prince Lóng Wei did not see me for the past few days,” Yuze asserted. “I will meet the Prince later,” he added.

“Prince Lóng Wei is not in the capital,” Qiu Zedong informed Yuze. He was surprised to find that the Sixth Prince did not inform Yuze about it. “He has gone to Dongxing with his wife to spend time with her,” he stated.

Yuze smiled to hear that. “Prince Lóng Wei has indeed changed. I am glad that he is leading a happy life,” he told the King, who agreed with the monk.

~~~~~~~~

Lóng Wei pulled the blanket up and buried his face in the pillow. He felt a hand shaking him up, but he was in such a deep slumber that he saw Li Hua waking him up. He smiled in his sleep. “Wife, let me sleep for five minutes,” Lóng Wei stated.

Shuyao knitted his brows together and wondered if he heard right.

“Wake up, Young Man!” Shuyao used more force this time. However, there was no use for that. Lóng Wei was impassive to that force and voice.

Shuyao stood up and walked out of the room. He returned with a wooden mug full of water in his hand and the next second, he threw it over Lóng Wei’s head.

“Ahhhhh!” Lóng Wei screamed and widely opened his eyes. He sat up immediately and glared at Shuyao.

“Have you lost your mind, Oldie?” Lóng Wei shouted at him as he wiped his face.

“Clean the house. I will return at noon. If you do not clean the house, then I will not take you there.” Shuyao grinned at Lóng Wei before walking out of the room.

Lóng Wei looked at himself and snickered. “I want to beat him,” he murmured and threw the blanket away. He was being blackmailed and it was the first time, he was this patient.

“Young man, I have left breakfast for you in the kitchen. Clean the utensils well before my return,” Shuyao asserted and walked away.

“He really thinks that I am his servant,” Lóng Wei sneered and stood up. He went out of that tiny room and stretched his arms out. He looked at the sky and saw it was blue. The weather seemed pleasant to him.

Lóng Wei freshened up and had a bath in that tiny bathhouse of Shuyao. When he went to the kitchen, he lost his appetite. Shuyao had cooked rice with milk which was his least favorite meal. However, he noticed that Shuyao’s kitchen had limited utensils.

“He lives alone!” Lóng Wei was astonished to find this truth and thought to find out more about Shuyao. He went out of the main entrance of the hut but did not find houses in the vicinity. It appeared to him that Shuyao lived far from the well-settled society of the people.

Lóng Wei rested his hands on his waist, wondering if he should clean the house or not. “I have money. I can hire someone to clean his house,” Lóng Wei mumbled and ran inside the room, that Shuyao had allotted him for his stay. He took out the pouch from inside his overcoat and decided to bring someone to clean the house.