Zhu Su approached Hu Nayin who was daydreaming in the botanical garden. "Nayin!" He called out.
Hu Nayin turned her head. Out of the blue, she immediately sprang out of her seat and saluted excessively. "Your Highness!..."
Zhu Su smiled. "Don't be so scared like that. I'm not angry at you anymore, really."
But Hu Nayin still could not get rid of her fear. It must be admitted that Zhu Su's expression when interrogating Hu Nayin was indeed horrifying. Whoever became the target of his tantrum at that time would still be terrified until now. Hu Nayin's hands were busy wringing each other. "Your Highness... I... truly apologize... please, forgive me..."
"You've gone too far, Nayin. You have killed innocent people, it means that you violate the law of nation."
"Yes... I... I know..."
"But I've promised not to prolong this matter. So, don't be scared like that again, okay."
Hu Nayin soon looked up. "Re... really?!?..."
Zhu Su nodded. "Instead, it is me who should apologize to you. At that time I tricked you, and my temper sparked uncontrollably. I was wrong. Ah, at that time my body was not so healthy. Thankfully the stamina medicine gave me enough Qi to fight the disease, I think, I've been infected at that moment! That's why my mind can be so messed up!"
Here it was, the reason why he could be so mad and out of control towards Hu Nayin, despite the fact that he was usually reasonable and logical. Actually Zhu Su always tried to avoid the temporary emotion, because he knew that temporary emotion would not help him solve the problem properly, even provoked him to take the wrong action - like this time. Now he had been healthy one hundred percent, then he always saw Hu Nayin daydreamed alone, he felt very ashamed and a huge sense of guilt always persisted him.
Apparently there is a disease that may drive me crazy like that. Oh, I remember Physician Li once said, when Heat attacks our body, it may cause the circulation of Blood to become anomalous, disturbs the Spirit, and then makes someone go berserk even abuse people around him... Like I did that moment and made Nayin the victim! So horrible!
He stepped forward again, and again. Until he was standing straight in front of her. He was now patting on her shoulders. "You're so amazing! Your artificial disease is truly malignant! Now you are even more powerful than Rumilie, so terrible!... But, that's precisely what I like about you."
"Your Highness?..."
"The Emperors and Princes are usually attracted to the women who are beautiful, or great at serving their husbands, or excellent at housekeeping... but I am inevitably different from all of them. I am attracted to you because of your cleverness. It is strange and unusual nowadays as men mostly want women to be unintelligent. But, it is me. I like the knowledgeable you, the clever you... I like you who can concoct prescription, mix poison, or whatever. Yes. I love you the way you are."
Hu Nayin had to make sure that her hearing was not failing her. Zhu Su was not the romantic type who liked to utter sweet words to please his partner. Yes, he was kind, always protected her and fulfilled her needs both physically and mentally, but making up such luscious sentences was not his nature at all. Hu Nayin even stared at Zhu Su with very wide eyes.
Zhu Su smiled again. "So, please forget my attitude that was so rude to you yesterday, okay? Because, everytime I think about it, I think I was like an arrogant man gloating my power to a weak woman. While a woman mustn't get any violence - a woman must get warmth and protection. Like this."
Zhu Su then pulled Hu Nayin into his embrace. So gentle, totally different from his yesterday's attitude. Spontaneously, Hu Nayin's tears began to flow, soaking Zhu Su's clothes.
"Thank you very much... Your Highness..." She said, deeply touched. "Thank you... very much..."
***
But although Zhu Su decided to close the case, it did not mean that he really did not care about it. No. He still tried to investigate the problems in Shuanghu District... as well as the possibility that Hu Nayin was Yun's former disciple.
"I want to go to Shuanghu District one more time, Wu Qi. Call Yan San and A Nuo, we will go there tomorrow," Zhu Su ordered Wu Qi.
"I obey your order." Wu Qi bowed reverently. "But would you mind if I ask, what will you do this time?"
"To investigate the probability that Nayin is the former Yun's disciple."
Wu Qi turned deathly pale. He even thought that his soul had jumped out of his body because of the severe shock. His voice was choked up. "Y... Your Highness ... you won't mind that matter anymore, will you?!..."
"I won't ask Nayin frontally about that. But it makes me realize something. That I am too reckless to take Nayin as Wang Fei and marry her, while I know nothing about her real-life background. I know nothing about her past before we meet, what kind of life she lived... Apparently, I don't know so many things about her, and because she is my wife I should know about her completely. So, I arrive at a conclusion, to investigate her thoroughly so as to prevent any latent troubles in the future. And perhaps, not only to Shuanghu District, but I will investigate it straightaway to Yunnan!"
"Your Highness, in my opinion, you should not listen to the comments of the officials. They are the rigorous scholars, only memorize Four Books and Five Classics * too blindly and too fanatically. The important thing is, you believe that Hu Wang Fei is a kind-hearted woman, loves you sincerely, and you also love her - that's all. Why should you investigate other miscellaneous things?" Wu Qi expressed his opinion, grumbling and blaming in mind about the officials and royal families for being too conservative and hypocritical in upholding the palace regulations. For this matter, he gave Zhu Di two thumbs up for not insulting Hu Nayin and approved of her appointment as Wang Fei casually. But the others was evidently different. The whole nobility and officials protested against Zhu Su - the whole of them! They also made plenty of ridiculous reasons. That Hu Nayin was merely a village girl, that she did not practice foot binding, and they even sneered at her supernatural power and called her a female shaman.
"We must obey the Teachings of Confucius. That there is a distinctness between the king and the commoner. You are the Fan Wang, a powerful royal who gets the worship of the whole country, while she is a country girl! You are not equal to her!"
"Nothing we know about Hu Wang Fei. But we all know that she possesses a strange power. Perhaps she is a female shaman who does cultivation to curse and attack people!"
Once or twice, Zhu Su might not be affected by these indiscriminate words. But Wu Qi noticed, since this incident, Zhu Su had been seemingly influenced by them. Starting to doubt his choice of creating Hu Nayin as his wife.
"Yes, actually I really hope to follow that advice. But you know, in marriage, each bride must know for details about the partner he is marrying. You will also do the same, right? Your family won't allow you to marry women carelessly, right?"
"If I have loved someone, then I would be determined with my opinion and cover my ears to all kind of messy statements!" Wu Qi said firmly.
"So do I. You know, I am a Fan Wang, I have many restrictions in choosing women, but for Nayin I counter it all!..."
"If that's the case, no need for you to investigate that matter?"
"Exactly because of that then I should investigate it to prove them wrong. If Nayin isn't proven to be former Yun's disciple, it would be a good thing to silence their disrespectful mouths. This matter should be cleared up as soon as possible!"
"But, Your Highness…" Wu Qi's voice trembled. "If something in contrast happens? If the result you get disappoint you, will you still accept Hu Wang Fei?"
"What do you mean, Wu Qi?"
Wu Qi quickly shook his head. "N... no! Nothing! You are right... Alright! I will call Yan San and A Nuo, and do everything you command!"
Wu Qi knew, he had entered a dark world full of gambling. Perhaps the path he chose would be the wrong path and plunged Hu Nayin into the den of death. But, he could not jump backward. He could only keep going.
He could only surrender everything to Heaven.
...
* The Four Books and Five Classics = the authoritative books of Confucianism in China written before 300 BC. (Wikipedia)