His Rui

General Li Heng really didn't mind his presence but Li Chen did.

He was not courageous enough to accept his deeds in front of his father who always had been so proud of his children.

Lost in his thoughts he heard his uncle saying

"Li Chen, you did well this time when you went to the battlefield. Commander Xie praised you a lot in front of me."

Li Chen was startled when he heard these words.

He raised his head and looked at his uncle only to see the happiness in his eyes.

It was at that moment Li Chen realized that the happiness in his uncle's eyes was because Commander Xie praised him.

His uncle was genuinely happy for him …just like he was when Commander Xie had praised Li Diu.

It was at that time, he realized that his uncle really never differentiated between him and Li Diu.

In a daze, Li Chen then moved his eyes towards his father who was already looking at him with a fatherly pride in his eyes.

His father was proud of him at this moment. Li Chen had never seen this emotion in his father's eyes.

He would have treasured this moment if it was some other time. 

However, the wrongs he had done already …was he even capable of looking into his and his father's eyes.

"Haven't I said that you are not ready to back then when you were insisting to go to the battlefield with Li Diu?"

He heard General Li and lightly nodded his head.

General Li smiled and glanced at his elder brother who seemed to have a frown on his forehead after hearing his words.

He knew that his elder brother had already understood what he was going to say next and he doesn't seem to agree with his opinion. However, General Li had decided already.

Li Chen was capable. There was no doubt in this but he was not the most capable and he could learn this if only he would get the true taste of the battlefield.

General Li knew what this age could do to a person. Since he had refused Li Chen he had thought that the boy will go all rebellious now but he didn't do so.

He silently left his study room that day and that was something that made General Li admire his forbearance. 

He was a good boy but he needs to be a little polished. That was what, General Li had thought about Li Chen at that time. Now after hearing his friend, Commander Xie praise for Li Chen, General Li was more than happy to have one more capable man in their clan.

"Now I think that you are ready. Next time, you will accompany Uncle on the battlefield."

General Li told Li Chen with an encouraging smile on his face.

He had thought that Li Chen would be surprised and then very happy. However seeing no reaction from the boy, General Li felt confused.

Since his head was lowered, he couldn't even see the emotions on Li Chen's face and eyes.

So General Li looked at his elder brother with a confused face.

Li Chen, on the other hand, had his eyes red after hearing his uncle's words.     

He felt his throat clogged with emotions as he tried to let the words out of his mouth. Several times he opened his mouth but nothing came out. 

The fact that his father was also present in the room made him feel scared out of his wits.

However, he suddenly remembered the cold and indifferent eyes of his elder sister and felt that he deserved it.

He remembered how his elder sister had gone to the Imperial Palace to meet the snobbish princess just to request her to save their clan that was on the verge of destruction because of his immaturity.

How she was going to leave the Imperial City with Yi Junjie without telling anyone else …without leaving a trace, without even knowing when she was going to come back.

He was very scared at that time because he had thought that he would never be able to see his sister again. 

If Lord Xi had not called her back then, then Li Chen was sure that she would have really done that to save Li Clan.       

He deserved every bit of what he was going to get. The guilt gnawing his heart increased more and he could no longer bear to keep everything inside his heart. 

So he blurted out everything. 

.

.

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A few moments later, the silence in the study room was ear-deafening.

Li Chen's head was lowered and his shoulders could be seen shaking every few minutes.

General Li Heng's face was emotionless as he stared at nothing in particular while Li Qiang who was sitting on the chair had a pale face.

A few moments later, Li Qiang's exasperated voice was finally heard in the very silent room.

"So you gave that book to the crown prince just because he promised you that he will help you in becoming the next beholder of Li Clan's military strength?"

Sobbing silently like a young child, Li Chen nodded his head again and again without raising it

Li Qiang had an incredulous expression on his face as he stood up from his chair and walked to stand in front of Li Chen.

"Do you even know what could have happened if Lord Xi had not helped us? You b****d, leave alone becoming the next general, you would have been dead by now."

Li Qiang was so furious that he raised his hand to beat his son.

He hit him anywhere he could and Li Chen never tried to defend himself.

"Our whole clan would have been executed because of you…you degenerate boy…"

Li Qiang's whole face was read and it could be seen very clearly just how angry he was.

At that moment, he suddenly remembered how his daughter had slapped Li Rui blaming her for the circumstances they were in.

He had thought that it was princess Wenling's plan to destroy Li Clan and then marry Xi Ying by reducing Li Rui's status in Xi Manor completely.

When had he thought that it was his own son whose deeds he put on someone else forehead!

Li Qiang felt so ashamed and disappointed in himself.

He suddenly wished that he could kill the boy standing in front of him completely forgetting that he was his own son.