His Rui

"Father, will you believe Rui if Rui says that Li Na's incident was planned by him?"

Li Rui asked finally when she saw that her father was about to leave the Imperial garden. The breeze blowing inside the garden made her dress flutter lightly as she looked at the ginkgo trees standing tall in front of her.

She had actually come here to tell her father about this.

But now she no longer knew whether he would believe her or not… especially when she doesn't have any evidence or not.

Still, she could not help but talk about this matter.

Rui was afraid and she accepted it.

Her father's trust in Xi Ying scared her a lot and that's why she can't help but warn him again and again not to trust that man.

How could her father trust him so easily?

She didn't understand but it made her afraid that in the end, it would be her father who would left alone with his broken trust only to see the traces of Li Clan.

She can't let it happen.

"Why do you believe this?"

She turned around a little and saw her father looking at her with a frown.

She couldn't find out whether he believed her words or not…perhaps he was still deciding.

"I don't have any evidence for now. But when I will get…Father will you believe Rui that he does not have good intention towards our clan?"

Li Rui asked her father calmly but her eyes held a firmness.

In response to her question, she only saw her father heaving a sigh.

General Li looked at his stubborn daughter and remained silent for a few moments.

Actually, for a moment, General Li had believed Li Rui but after seeing how Xi Ying had stood up in the banquet hall seeing through the messenger's schemes…his trust in Xi Ying again came back.

A moment later, he finally uttered what was inside his heart.

"I believe you. I believe my daughter's calm and intelligent mind, Rui. If you believe that whatever happened to Li Na was planned by Xi Ying then he might really have planned all of that."

Li Rui was relieved when she heard these words but then she heard her father continuing

" but… he must have some reason for that."

And with these words, her face again went blank. 

General Li surely noticed his daughter's changing emotions but still continued

"That's why I want you to talk to him."

The middle-aged father looked at his daughter and said with a determined expression on his face.

  "You know Rui, Xi Ying's father….he was father's best friend. Xi Ying is just like his father. He doesn't care about many people but when he does…he doesn't let them get hurt by anyone, not even by himself. 

Father has spent many years of friendship with your husband's shadow. That's why Father trusts him with you. He will not betray you and our clan. He had been on the wrong way in the beginning but now he knows who is true and who is putting up the pretense of being true, so he will not commit those mistakes again."

"Remember Rui, a few years ago, you have done the mistake by trusting the wrong person. But this time, you are doing a mistake by mistrusting the right person." 

With these last words, General Li left the Imperial garden. 

Inside the Imperial garden, Li Rui stood at the same place for a very long time even after General Li had left from there.

She raised her head and looked at the large ginkgo tree in front of herself.

As she looked around the Imperial garden, her eyes held nothing but blankness. At some time in the past, this place used to be her favorite because she used to find so many hiding places in the garden and Wenling would always lose against her whenever they used to play hide and seek.

Today the same place didn't give her anything but the memories from the past…the past that was once very beautiful and sweet but it no longer have any sweetness.

What lingered around it was the bitterness…bitterness of not being trusted … the bitterness of giving her trust to someone.

She has hurt fourteen years ago when Princess Wenling had not believed her.

She was also hurt when Princess Wenling had lied in front of everyone that it was she who had asked Li Zhan to steal the hairpin…because she had trusted the princess.

However, her trust seemed to have amounted to nothing.

That's why, it took the Princess only a few moments to shatter her trust.

'Trust him.' Her father said to her.

But was it that easy?

It might be for her father seeing how he really trusted Xi Ying more than his own daughter…but for her, it was very difficult.

She still remembers the raw hatred in Xi Ying's eyes when he had looked down at her on her first night in Xi Manor.

He had really hated her…so much that for a moment she had thought that he would have killed her but he didn't…perhaps he didn't find her worthy of his touch. 

For a moment, even if she tries to believe that Xi Ying was entranced by her beauty then why didn't the same beauty entranced him for the past four years.

The same man didn't step inside her courtyard even once in the past four years.

So how could she accept his sudden affection for herself so naturally?

Actually, she did…she did accept it very foolishly. She also gave herself to him willingly. Because she thought that he suddenly wished to give a chance to their marriage.

The fool her had not known at that time …that for him, she was just a tool to reach the roots of Li Clan and then damage it severely and thoroughly.

Li Rui sighed softly as she turned around to leave the Imperial garden.

She needs to go inside her room before the maid gets to know of her absence and tell Xi Ying.