After Prince FengEr leaves the room, TanTan returns to check FangFang once more time. She wipes FangFang’s sweat and hold her hands, sudden FangFang’s hand graps her hand tightly.
"Mmm...Mommy....Mommy don’t go..."
FangFang murmuring in her sleep. It touches TanTan’s heart, she pats FangFang’s chest gently.
"Don’t worry, FangEr...Mommy is here...just sleep well for now..." TanTan then whistling a soft song...a lullaby which her Mom often sang for her when she was a child, in mother goose rhyme of ’rain rain go away’ but in her Mom’s own lyrics.
"Bad dream go away...don’t come back again anymore...my girl want to sleep...bad dream go away..."
It seems worked, FangFang looses her grips and fallen asleep again.
’Poor FangFang, I remember that she lost her parents too early...I wish I can do something for her...but now I think I have to go back to my room and prepare the drawing of the dagger... ’ She looks to XiaoMei on the inner side of bed, she put it beside FangFang,
"Here, let XiaoMei accompany you for a while okay...I’ll be back to check you again later" TanTan gives a little kiss on FangFang’s forehead and then she goes out from the room, closes the door softly.
Meanwhile back to the Prince Li’s room few hours ago. Prince Li is laying on his bed, his face looks unease coz of the dream he had.
A clatter of fire everywhere surrounding the little Prince Li, he screams and cries until he almost faint. Before truly fainted, he sees a figure of a man, a general, breaking the door in force and approaches him, says to him ’ Prince Li, you are gonna be okay...’ The Little Prince Li closes his eyes, and the dream is ended there.
The eyes of Prince Li are opened slowly. He looks to the roof and recognizes the place as his own room.
’Ah...right, I has return already. What a weird, after these years to see that dream again...’ It was a piece of his childhood memory. Because of the mischief and hatred, the teen first Prince and his ally planned to get rid of him by burning him alive in the palace. Thankfully, a general knew the plan and rescued him on time. ’Now I remember the general who rescued me was HuaMuTan’s father, General Hua...’. Prince Li is thinking if the dream is a bad omen or the opposite? Then he turns his head and startled to see ShuangAi is asleep beside him. For a moment, he just embracing the situation, he looks to ShuangAi gently and smiles. His beloved woman is beside him now, and knowing that she is asleep after taking care of him all night makes his heart jumps happily. Prince Li raises his hand, willing to stroke ShuangAi’s head but at the same time, Aunt Tong enters the room so he puts down his hand right away to hide his intention.
"Prince Li, you has awaken, thanks gods!"
The voice of AuntTong is also awakening ShuangAi, she looks to Prince Li, she relieves and then right away pulls his left hand to check his pulse.
"LiGe, you awake...let me check your pulse...hm...your body is still weak, I think there still have some residues of poison in your blood, but it won’t harm as long you’re not using your power for a while."
’Its quite a strong poison,...Luckily it was me who took the stab. if HuaMuTan was the one who stabbed...she might not make it.....’Prince Li looks back to ShuangAi,
"...How about HuaMuTan? Is...she alright?"
ShuangAi and Aunt Tong startled a little when they hear it.
"MuTan Cie is alright,...she is resting in her room." ShuangAi glads that Prince Li at least has a little attention to HuaMuTan.
But Aunt Tong gives an unpleasing look,
"Don’t waste your energy to think about her, she is no more but a bad luck... "
"Aunt Tong, it’s not nice to talk like that.." ShuangAi tries to remind Aunt Tong politely,
"I am telling the truth...Not for too long since she came back to this house, she already bring disaster to Prince Li!" says Aunt Tong intensely until some water spilled out from the new basin of water she puts. "And I really can’t understand why my Prince Li still insist bringing her back here?!" She stares sharply to Prince Li, like scolding her own son for taking a very bad decision without asking her permission first. Prince Li has treat her as her own mother, so it makes Prince Li feels uneasy.
"Of course LiGe must bring her back. She is his wife after all...right, LiGe?"
ShuangAi stares to him, expecting a word support from him.
’Actually I am also having a little regret to pick up HuaMuTan back now. My life will be more peaceful without the presence of HuaMuTan’. Prince Li sighed, he feels sad seeing ShuangAi even becomes more excited to push himself closer to HuaMuTan.
"I...just need her stay alive so I can figure out this mystery...last night its so clear that somebody want to kill HuaMuTan so badly. I want to figure it out who they are." He is hoping the explanation can calm Aunt Tong and also makes ShuangAi understands that there is nothing can be happen between him and HuaMuTan.
"But it supposed to be her own problem. Beside her enemies can be more than one, she offended too many people I heard.. I think it’ll be better if she doesn’t stay here..."
"Okay, already...Aunt Tong....please don’t be too noisy, Li Ge just awake. I think he needs a peaceful moment for now..."
ShuangAi gently pushes Aunt Tong to be out of the room while Aunt Tong still continue her words,
"You will regret if you let her stay here longer..."
ShuangAi closes the door, and sighed. She turns around and seeing Prince Li tries to get down from the bed, he feels very weak so ShuangAi instantly gives her hands to help him stands.
Having ShuangAi very close to him makes him want to tease her,
"Its okay. Thanks, ShuangMei...well now, I want to put on my cloth...maybe you want to help me for this also?" He smiles teasing her.
ShuangAi takes off her hands and steps away as her responds to the tease.
"Don’t be silly LiGe, its MuTan Cie you need to ask, not me!"
As a maiden, she knows her manner so she turns her back to give time for Prince Li put on his own cloth.
"HuaMuTan? I doubt she can help...She probably never put on her cloth by herself. She always be served by servants..." Prince Li smirked hearing his own words.
"You never know, Li Ge! You and MuTan Cie has been married almost for a half of year and I heard that you even never give a chance for her to sleep with you in one room right? Its not a healthy marriage if you keep doing that..."
Prince Li sighed. As ShuangAi said, from the first night of married until now, he tried so hard to avoid that situation, sleeping with HuaMuTan? Hah! Never in million years. Especially after that incident, there was one time, HuaMuTan used the wicked way, trying to drug him with an aphrodisiac in his glass. Thanks to Aunt Tong who purposely dropped the glass from his hand that HuaMuTan’s plan became fail. Since that day, Prince Li boldly swore to HuaMuTan that he would never sleep with her forever.
Prince Li has finished to put on his cloth. He looks to ShuangAi with sad look,
’ShuangAi, why do you want me to be with that HuaMuTan so badly...???’
Prince Li approaches ShuangAi slowly. Now he stands behind ShuangAi, and speaks softly to her,
"ShuangMei,...you know since beginning, I don’t have any feeling to HuaMuTan..."
Surprising that Prince Li at her behind, ShuangAi turns back and sees Prince Li
stared back to her intensely.
"You know ShuangMei, I..."
The situation makes ShuangAi feels uncomfort coz she knows she doesn’t want to hear what Prince Li says furthermore, so she interrupts his words,
"Akh, Li Ge,...you should rest a lot. I’ll go first to check MuTan Cie..."
She pushes away Prince Li and then walks to the door, but when she reaches the door, she gets a little bump with Princess Xixi who just barged inside the room,
"QIWANGGE, YOU MUST ARREST HUAMUTAN RIGHT NOW!"
Her words gives a puzzled looks on everyone’s face in the room.
"XiMei, what are you talking about?"
Prince Li asks, ShuangAi steps away to let Princess Xixi come closer to Prince Li and ready to hear the further explanation.
"She was trying to poison FangFang!"
"What??" ShuangAi and Prince Li look to each other in confusion.
"Are you sure about it, Princess Xixi?" Princess Xixi sat on the chair and hit her hand on the table to express her anger.
"Of course, I am sure, ShuangAi Cie... she was using a poison dagger to poison FangFang...Luckily I saw the dagger by myself...so her plan was fail..."
"A poison dagger?" Prince Li put in his mind, ’ Can be it the same dagger that stabbed him? Why HuaMuTan keeps it?’
"How is FangFang now?" Prince Li asks
"FangFang is alright. Thank gods, my brother was also there and saved her...but it not the point! The most important is YOU MUST ARREST HUAMUTAN RIGHT NOW, QiWangGe!"
Princess Li sighed, he doesn’t know if he must believe Princess XiXi or not. If this is the past HuaMuTan they were talking about, he would immediately arrested HuaMuTan with gladly. But...the HuaMuTan he met last night makes him doubt a little bit...beside a poison dagger? There is a chance for that HuaMuTan took it to find the killers? or maybe to hide the fact of the killers? Either both of the reasons, Prince Li can’t find any reason why she must use it to poison FangFang?
ShuangAi is also can’t believe it, but she worries about FangFang,
"Maybe we should go to check FangFang first"
"Yes, you’re right...lets go..ugh..." The body is still too weak, so Prince lI sudden feels dizzy when he tries to walk fast.
"LiGe, just wait here! I’ll check FangFang and let you know soon"
"Okay,..."
ShuangAi goes out from room in rush while LiGe back to sit on the chair, to rest his body.
But as a princess, Princess Xixi gets used to get what she demands so she easily be impatience if her demand is not be fulfilled immediately.
"Well, what are you waiting, QiWangGe? Send your officers to arrest her right now!"
"We must check it first, XiMei."
"But what else to check? I can be the main witness here and also my brother...you must hurry, QiWangGe otherwise that evil woman will get rid of any evidence including that dagger..."
Princess Xixi doesn’t stop to keep persuade Prince Li to arrest HuaMuTan. She is so noisy that makes Prince Li more dizzy.
"Come on...QiWangGe...you must arrest her...it for FangFang’s safety also..."
"That is enough, XiXi!!"
From out of the room, Prince FengEr comes and scolds Princess Xixi once more time,
"You can’t come and disturb QiWangDi with your non senses...look! You make his condition worse!"
Seeing Prince FengEr, Prince Li tries to stand up and greet him politely.
"QiwangDi greets SanWangGe"
"Its okay, *Wei Di...no need to stand up; you still too weak....here sit down" Prince FengEr right away helps Prince Li to sit
"Thanks, SanWangGe"
"I am still angry to you SanWangGe...coz you defended that evil woman!! QiWangGe, you must believe me!"
"Okay, that is enough....you can’t be here any longer...wait at out side! Your SnaWangGe need to talk privately with your QiWangGe, okay!" Prince FengEr gently pushes away Princess Xixi until be out of the room and then closes the door behind her, lock it so not letting her to enter the room.
From outside, Prince Xixi still angrily shout to demand her brothers to open the door for her,
"Let me in...San Wang Geeee!!" (f)reeweb(n)ovel.com
But Prince FengEr ignores his sister completely, Princess Xixi knows better that her third brother won’t let her in, so she gave up, she just gave him warning,
"Find, if both of you not letting me in, I’ll report this to FuWang later! I’ll go now!!"
Then she went from the place with angrily.
Prince FengEr is drinking the tea calmly while Prince Li seems worry with Prince Xixi’s threat
"Is it okay to let Xi Mei go like that? She seems pretty angry?"
"Its okay, let her be!! She won’t dare...That silly girl doesn’t know what she is talking about.. don’t listen to her non sense!" Prince Li feels more calm hearing Prince FengEr’s words so he is also sit accompany Prince FengEr who has pouring him a glass of tea.
Prince FengEr looks to Prince Li while he takes the cup and drinks it.
"So, do you want to arrest HuaMuTan later?
"If SanWangGe is talking about HuaMuTan poisoning FangFang? I don’t think its true also..."
Prince FengEr startled to hear the responds, he speaks his mind,
"Ooh, so you do trust HuaMuTan is innocent? Well, that’s unexpected...I thought you hate her?"
"Oh I do. I still can’t forgive what she had done...but this time , it seems that not right if she purposely poison FangFang after herself is almost be poisoned with the same dagger...
" Hm, is that so...?" The Prince FengEr pours another tea, but this time in a very quick movement, he adds the antidote in the cup and then he serves it to Prince Li again.
"Or maybe you have finally open your heart to her"
Prince Li didn’t notice it, he just takes it and drinks it. The Prince FengEr said distracts him,
" Of course not....SanWangGe, don’t you forget what happened to me?..She was the one who forced me to marry her, she is also the one who pushed away ShuangAi from me, she hurted my family and she threatened me with Queen GrandMother’s power and all this year she did everything to subdue me...that evil woman MuTan!!" In his anger, he put the glass harshly. Reciting all these reminds him again the HuaMuTan he hates so much. Prince FengEr just listen to him and feels pity on his seventh brother. Inside his mind. he thinks
’Does he know that this HuaMuTan is different now? Maybe its better for him not to notice it...’
But without they realize ,TanTan actually has arrive in front of Prince Li’s room and can hear all Prince Li’s words.
TanTan is almost knocking the door but she holds on her hand when she hears Prince Li’s words.
’So he hates HuaMuTan that much...I don’t know why but I feel hurt when he describe HuaMuTan like that. I know he doesn’t talk about me...’. TanTan sighed and then decides to knock the door.
The knocking stops their conversation,
"Come in" Prince Li guesses that it might b ShuangAi who return to tell about FangFang. But it surprises them when they see HuaMuTan enters the room.
"Why do you come here?" asks Prince Li coldly, he feels unease after realizing HuaMuTan must be heard what he said just now.
"I come to give this to Prince FengEr" She took out a paper and gives ot to Prince FengEr.
Prince FengEr folds out the paper and sees the drawing, it is a drawing of the dagger that she just made.
"Wow MuTanMei...you are good in drawing..." Prince Li comes closer to see the drawing as well,
’Is that a poison dagger which stabbed me?’
He looks to TanTan confusedly,
"Why do you give that drawing of dagger to Prince FengEr?"
"Because not like someone else, Prince Feng Er kindly offers to help me find the trace of those killers"
TanTan’s words somehow makes Prince Li upset,
"But I am the one who hurt because of that dagger, to save you, remember!"
Prince Li and TanTan look to each other intensely in anger. Prince FengEr smiles to ease them,
"Okay...okay...we can solve these mystery together, you don’t mind if I help right, Wei Di?"
Prince Li glances to Prince FengEr,
"I’m sorry to bother you with my problem, SanWangGe... I know you are busy with the royal task from FuWang"
"Its alright...in fact later, I need your help also about my job."
"Really? what can I help you?"
TanTan feels its not her position to hear their problem,
"Well, I don’t want to bother both of you. If you excuse me..."
"No, don’t go MuTan Mei. This is also including you!"
"Me?"
"Her?"
Both TanTan and Prince Li give the respond in the same time, so it makes them look to each other confusedly.
"Yes, both of you. Here is the problem. FuWang tasks me to prepare the grand banquet in the palace for celebrating Queen GrandMother’s birthday in few months later. And I want to make Queen GrandMother satisfy with this banquet. You know how hard to please her right?"
As the most non-favorite grand son, Prince Li feels nothing he can do to help Prince FengEr,
"I think I can’t help you in this, SanWangGe, you know how the Queen GrandMother treat me?" He glances to TanTan, ’thanks to this woman, I become the wood on Queen GrandMother’s eyes’
"The opposite, my brother.... you will become the best part of the banquet... you and MuTanMei..."
"Me? But what can I do?" TanTan is also confused for the idea...
"Its easy, MuTan Mei. I know you are good in playing guzheng and WeiDi, you are good in blowing flute...so I want both of you performing playing music together for Queen GrandMother."
’What? guzheng....no way!’
"I think its a bad idea...." Prince Li answers boldly. In the same time, Tantan agrees with him
"I think so too...I can’t play..."
"Oh Non sense....I am afraid both of you can’t refuse it coz the idea actually comes from Queen GrandMother herself. You know her most desire is to see both of you in good term?!..."
Prince FengEr stared seriously to Prince Li,
"And she clearly said to me, to make sure the Prince Li willing to join sincerely, you know what happened if you reject it right, Wei Di?!"
Prince Li sighed deeply. ’It is an order not a request actually!’ He glances to TanTan and then looks back to Prince FengEr,
"Very well, if that what Queen GrandMother wants, this LiZhouWei will try his best"
’What? He is accepting it? How about me?’
"How about you, MuTanMei? You know
Queen Grand Mother even said that she missed your performance in the past..."
"I...can’t..." But her words is being interrupted right away by Prince Li,
"Of course she will join too...I promise that we will give the nice performance in Queen GrandMother’s banquet later"
"That’s good! Well, you both may use your time to practice from now...and don’t worry about the killers, I’ll help you to find them. Now, I will excuse my self to give you time to practice..."
"Thank you so much SanWangGe, let me escort you..."
"No need, you need to take a rest, Wei Di...how if MuTan Mei escorts me out?"
"...ve...very well...this way" TanTan moves nervously till she almost stomps herself and falls. Thankfully, Prince FengEr is beside her so he can easily holds TanTan’s shoulders and helps her stand still again before both of them finally leaving the room.
Prince Li just look to both of them leaving, he feels confuse in his mind,
’As I remember in the past Prince FengEr never talks or even pays attention to HuaMuTan before. Why now I feel that SanWangGe suddenly pay a lot attention to HuaMuTan?’. He can feels that his heart is unease about that thought.
Meanwhile as escorting Prince FengEr out, TanTan is being silent coz she is busy thinking in her mind,
’How can I tell him so I no need to do the performance. I can’t imagine if I perform later...I can’t play guzheng...i don’t know how...’
"MuTan Mei..? MuTan Mei...!"
The calling makes TanTan back to her conscious, she realizes that they have walked until the gate of Li Mansion.
"Then I will excuse myself, thanks for your escort, MuTan Mei" Prince FengEr greets politely.
"Ah, San WangGe? I need to tell you something before you go..."
"What is it?"
"Well, you see..about the performance...the problem is..I have forgotten many things in the past, including how to play guzheng...so I don’t think I able to perform...can you just find another performers?"
’She lost her memory? So that’s why she acta so different than in the past? Hm...it becomes more interesting...’ freewebnove(l)
Prince FengEr pretended to be troubled with TanTan’s request,
"Hm...I am afraid I can’t! Oh well, still have a lot of time...just keep practicing... who knows your memory will come back from playing guzheng...right?" Prince FengEr smiles to ease her.
TanTan responds with smiling back to him while she answer it in her mind,
’I doubt it a lot...ha...ha...ha ...’
"Don’t worry, MuTan Mei...everything will be fine eventually..." Prince FengEr then ride on his horse and then goes away.
TanTan sighed deeply, when she back to inside house, she meets ShuangAi.
"MuTan Cie, you looks troubled? Are you worry about FangFang? I had checked her...and she is fine now. You know Princess Xixi told us that you poisoned her but I don’t believe it, right?"
TanTan realizes that Princess Xixi must be already told to everyone about the accident but in the wrong way.
"No...its an accident, Fang2 accidently touched my poison dagger....but its not important anymore...ShuangAi, can you play guzheng?"
"Guzheng? yes I can...why?"
"Good, then I need your help! Please teach me how to play Guzheng..."
*Wei Di: the short for little brother LiZhou*Wei (little brother *Wei)
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶