Married To The Cruel Crown Prince

Mingze found out that Sheng Li had caught his men whom he had sent after the spy, who had returned from Xuhou city to inform Sheng Li.

"Sheng Li still does not know that I am behind all this. I cannot let Changying skip my hands. I want to rule over it and its separation from the Han is important," Mingze said as he stopped pacing in the hall. His jaw muscles clenched in frustration.

"Mingze, if the Emperor is here, then we must target the capital which he has left behind," Lian Zoumu suggested to him.

Mingze turned to face him. "Don't be ridiculous. Attacking Luoyang isn't easy. Wang Hao has not come to Changying. Also, Sheng Li's spy would be everywhere in Luoyang. It's tougher to defeat him in Luoyang," Mingze affirmed.

"I have heard that it's not easy to make a fool of the Emperor. If he has found out that Qiu Shuren isn't after this, then he might plan to surround and behead us," Lian Zoumu concluded.

"Are you scared of death?" Mingze asked him.

"No. I know my fate. I am showing you the mirror to you. I did all this because my father was beaten to death. I am burning in revenge and I will be glad to see the people going against its own Emperor," Lian Zoumu said with an evil smirk.

"You should not have sent the message to the Emperor. When the situation would have been worse, then sending the message was appropriate," Lian Zoumu opined.

"I would be beheaded if I had not sent the message. Also, I wanted Sheng Li to come to Changying. I have fought battles with him, so I know how he thinks and how he works. I should not have taken it lightly," Mingze said with a sigh. He rubbed the temple of his foreheads while his left hand was still behind his back.

"What do you plan to do next?" Lian Zoumu asked. "I found out that the Han forces are surrounding Changying and all the cities adjacent to it," he informed Mingze.

"That was bound to happen. My main target is Sheng Li. Once my claws will grab him, then everything will be sorted out. They will come on to their knees upon seeing their Emperor," Mingze asserted. He looked confident and it made Lian Zoumu curious.

"I know my hatred towards the Emperor, but why do you want to kill him?" He wanted to know the reason why Mingze planned all this. "The Emperor gave you such a big province to manage yet you do not like it. What's the reason?" He looked at Mingze with skepticism.

"Because I want to show Sheng Li that I also can lead a territory in a better way. I am ambitious," Mingze stated.

"But you still are weak before the Emperor. What if you get caught? Everything will end and your family will be beheaded along with you on the treason charges." Lian Zoumu's words infuriated Mingze. He walked to him and strangled his neck.

Lian Zoumu's eyes welled out when Mingze let go of his grip on his neck. He started to cough and took deep breaths. "I won't die, Lian Zoumu," he said in a confident tone.

Lian Zoumu smiled. "Sheng Li is made the Crown Prince among all the Princes because of a reason. You should not underestimate him. I am only concerned for you as a friend. You helped me when no one did, that's why I don't want you to die," he stated.

Mingze shook his head. "Sheng Li had the favors of his father. That's why today he's the Emperor," he corrected him. "If you are a friend, then just focus on what I have told you. Tonight something big will happen. We need to show Sheng Li that if he does not stop, then his path will only be filled with blood," Mingze said and clenched his fists.

~~~~~~

"Where did she leave? At this time, she is usually in her room," Huo Jin murmured as he descended the stairs. He asked the servants about Yin Na but no one had seen him.

"Did she go out?" Huo Jin walked to the main entrance and asked the guards about it, who refused and told Huo Jin that Yin Na did not go out.

"Then, where is she?" Huo Jin came inside the residence and brought his fingers under his chin.

"Did she sneak out secretly without coming to anyone's notice? Did she leap the walls?" He wondered and motioned his hand in the air because he knew Yin Na was not strong enough to leap a huge wall.

He searched for her in the other parts of the residence but to his surprise, she was nowhere. She was not with Father nor was she with Bai Yaling.

He even asked a few servants to search for Yin Na. It troubled him.

"Young Master, Miss Yin Na is in the lake pavilion." A servant came running to Huo Jin and informed him.

"Tell the other servants to stop searching," Huo Jin ordered him and went to the lake pavilion. He had gone there earlier but did not find her. But he made the mistake, he did not go inside the pavilion to check. He realized it and quickly ascended the few stairs.

He found Yin Na was sleeping on the floor of the lake pavilion. A chuckle escaped his mouth. "You are such a troublesome woman," he murmured and settled beside her. He saw the tears at the edges of her eyes.

"Did she cry?" He mumbled and brushed the back of his fingers on her eyes. Yin Na's eyelids moved, and she opened her eyes.

"Why are you sleeping outside?" Huo Jin asked her and pulled his hand back.

Yin Na rubbed her eyes and looked around. She recalled that she was crying because Huo Jin said that he never loved her. She quickly sat up and rose to her feet.

"Where are you leaving without answering me?" He questioned her.

"Why do you care?" She retorted at him. "I hate you," she said and walked away, bewildering Huo Jin.