His Rui

Outside the Plum courtyard, a maid sat on the ground just in front of the entrance of the courtyard. Li Rui steps halted when she saw the maid. Yi Ju who had been purposely dressing in maid's clothes to accompany Li Rui also stopped behind her. Li Hua was already standing there and glaring at the maid.

The maid's voice was purposely high-pitched and loud, and her actions exaggeratedly illustrated how much hard work she was doing to gather all the maids and servants in front of the Plum Courtyard. But Rui didn't pay attention to it. Her whole attention was grabbed by the words the maid was saying.

Pointing her finger at Li Rui, the maid glared at her with a tear-stricken face and swollen-red eyes as she shouted loudly.

"You killed my mistress. Why did you kill my mistress? She never did anything bad to you. She never competed with you for anything. Then why?"

Then she stood up from the ground and continued.

"This is the reason even after having the beauty like those fairies, Minister Xi never stepped inside your courtyard. Who would like a woman with a vicious heart?"

Her words hold no regard about how should a maid behave in front of the wangfei of the Manor.

The maid's chattering didn't anger Li Rui. A relief that can never be compared to anything in this world washed over her heart. Her legs felt softened and she sat down on the ground as a soft sigh of relief escaped her lips.

Her son, Xi Ling was fine.

Xi Ying who was standing behind her by one step also felt relieved.

Li Hua kneeled beside her mistress and helped her to stand up. The maid continued speaking but Li Rui had already stepped inside her courtyard.

Other maids and servants who wanted to indulge in schadenfreude also started to leave after some time. This time Lady Li stepped outside her courtyard so they thought they would be able to enjoy a good scene but who would have thought that Lady Li will silently go back without even scolding or punishing the maid.

In the front hall of Plum courtyard, Li Hua tended to her mistress. She could not help but frown when she heard the curses the maid was still throwing outside the courtyard. As she stood up to go outside and shut the maid down, Li Rui's voice stopped her.

"Where are you going?"

"Miss, I will go and bring some warm water for you."

Li Rui looked at her maid with a gaze that made Li Hua squirm in discomfort. Then she said

"Let her vent her sorrow here. She will go by herself from here after some time."

"But the maid is slandering Miss. Miss didn't do anything to her mistress. Why should we keep listening to it? Every time one of those concubines dies in the Manor, they put all the blame on Miss. This servant can no longer bear to see them badmouthing Miss like this."

Li Rui silently looked at Li Hua for a moment with a strange expression on her face.

"You've changed."

Li Hua looked startled hearing the statement made by her mistress. But she couldn't refute it.

Yes, she had changed.

Li Mei is not here so now it is was her sole responsibility to protect her mistress. 

Someone once had said to her and Li Mei that both of them only had to protect Miss and they and Miss would be protected by that person.

Then that person left them. So from then on, it was her responsibility to protect Miss as well as Li Mei who was younger than her but Li Mei also left her alone. 

So now, she only had her Miss to protect and serve.

Now Li Mei will not speak out for her mistress so she would do so.

Li Hua felt like crying thinking all this.

Li Rui who saw this didn't ask anymore and softly said to her.

"Let her vent. Her Mistress is indirectly killed because of me. There is nothing wrong if her being outside for a few hours can lessen her sorrow and despair for her mistress."

Li Hua looked at her mistress with a confused expression. Miss seems to know who killed Concubine Wen. Not only that, but Miss also knows why they killed Concubine Wen.

Before Li Hua could ask the questions arising in her heart, Li Rui left the front hall and stepped inside her room followed by Yi Ju.

The moment they stepped inside, Li Rui's question fell into Yi Ju's ears.

"Was it Concubine Wen who was providing the poison to the physician?"

Yi Ju face was emotionless as she replied

"Yes, My Lady."

A moment after she replied.

"But this servant didn't kill Concubine Wen. This servant just replaced the medicine bowl every day."

Li Rui nodded. Of course, she knew Yi Ju didn't kill Concubine Wen. 

It was Princess Wenling who did it.

While Xi Ying who heard all this could not help but take a sharp breath. 

Four years ago, he took away Xi Ling in his courtyard but Li Rui never came to ask for her child. That was what he thought previously. So he thought that she never wanted the child. The Emperor kept giving him concubines after his marriage with Li Rui but he had refused to accept them till Xi Ling asked him where his mother was. He accepted the daughter of some low-ranked minister as his concubine so that Xi Ling could also feel the love of a mother. The concubine's only work was to accompany his son and take care of him as a mother should do. He never asked Xi Ling to call them 'Mother'. Xi Ling's mother was Li Rui. He had seen her pale face when she had birthed Xi Ling. He was grateful to her because she gave him Xi Ling even if she didn't like her own son. No one could take her place.

But one after the other, each concubine he took inside would die in five-four months. Every time his shadow guard investigated, all the evidence pointed to Li Rui. It was Li Rui who killed them, he was told. He had been furious at that time. She didn't want to take care of her son and she will not let even others do it. He gave her the most isolated courtyard in his manor. Concubine Wen was the last concubine he took inside his manor. He had thought if this one dies, then he would not any other.

Now he remembered it was An San who always reported to him everything about those incidents. 

The truth was Li Rui never killed those concubines. 

How could he not deduce now who it is when he was aware of the circumstances inside his Manor? 

He looked at Li Rui who seemed to be thinking something. He could see the hidden worry on her face and he knew why she was worried.

Princess Wenling killed Concubine Wen because she was no longer of any use to her. She already knew that Xi Ling was not being fed the poison. 

And Li Rui was actually worried about this. She was worried about Princess Wenling's next move. Now when someone else was hiding behind Princess Wenling and attacking her, what could she do?

How could she fight with her enemy when she didn't even know who he or she is?

Last time, Li Mei died protecting her.

This time who would she lose?