His Rui

"You mean to say that Noble Consort Shu was murdered by someone?" 

"I don't know really."

The old physician answered Xi Ying's question truthfully and then continued in a daze.

"Those guards wore Imperial guards' uniform so I thought that the Imperial Family members wanted to hide something by killing my master."

Xi Ying had now taken the dagger away from the old physician and leaned against the chair he was sitting on.

He actually didn't need any answer now because all of his questions seemed to be answered.

His eyes moved to Li Rui and he asked her softly.

"What do you think?"

Li Rui's face looked equally calm. However, her eyes were not that calm at this moment. Xi Ying could see that she had understood everything but she was unable to believe that what she was thinking was true.

However, he couldn't really blame her.

She had not seen the true face of Zhao Wang Lei. In her eyes, he was just a selfish man who was greedy for power.

She was not aware of what kind of thoughts the Emperor of Xin had about her mother. She was not aware that the same Emperor has been trying to kill her since she have been born…something for which he had not been able to find any reason yet.

He would have thought that all of this was just the jealousy inside Zhao Wang Lei's heart that Li Rui's mother had children with some other man and hence he wanted to kill them.

However why his target was Li Rui only and not Li Diu?

Xi Ying came out of his trance when he heard Li Rui saying quite calmly.

"The Second Prince hates His Majesty…Noble Consort Shu did not die a natural death but was murdered by someone …the Imperial soldiers were trying to remove the traces of this truth…"

"Connecting all these dots, the only conclusion I can reach to is..."

"Zhao Wang Lei killed Noble Consort Shu."

Xi Ying finished his wife's incomplete words as Li Rui was still unable to believe her own conclusion. Xi Ying's eyes were however sharp and cold. Inside his heart, he was feeling very disgusted with Zhao Wang Lei.

Just what kind of Emperor did Xin has for all these years!

Although Xi Ying had never seen Noble Consort Shu, he has heard enough about her. She was supposed to be the most favored consort by Zhao Wang Lei.

And he killed that woman. 

"I never said that."

The old physician said loudly.

Xi Ying just glanced at the old physician with an indifferent smile and said 

"But you think the same, don't you? That's why you ran away from the Imperial Palace without revealing anything, isn't it?"

The old physician wanted to deny but again what came out of his mouth was a loud 'yes'.

He was shocked again and looked at Xi Ying as if he was looking at a demon and asked curiously

"What did you feed me? How come I am trying so much but I am not able to lie at all!"

Xi Ying didn't answer the old physician's question this time.

"Drag him away."

He said to An Ju.

The old physician's eyes widened and he said hurriedly.

"Hey, Young Man…have not you said that you will let me go if I drank that soup?"

Xi Ying raised his head again and looked at the old physician seriously

"You can leave if you want. This Lord will not stop you. However, this Lord must tell you that people from the Imperial Palace have their eyes on this Manor's gates continuously."

"As soon as you will exit the Xi Manor they will catch you and ask you to tell them everything about this Lord they can use against this Lord."

"I won't tell anything. Don't worry, young man."

The old physician assured Xi Ying with a sweet smile on his lips. 

However, Xi Ying just narrowed his eyes and said lazily

"You don't even know anything that they can use to harm this Lord. What this Lord is trying to say is even if you won't tell them anything they will investigate you to force you. They will try to find out if you have any family and if they use your family to make you spill everything."

"Again, this Lord is not losing anything even if you spill anything. However, it will be you who will be at loss."

The old physician's eyes widened with fear and he finished what Xi Ying had not said yet.   

"Because they will find out that I have been an Imperial Physician."

The rest was unsaid but was very clear without being said.

The old physician trembled visibly as he imagines how they will kill him if they found out everything. He looked at Xi Ying with fear-filled eyes and asked him pitifully.

"You already knew this, right? Yet you still forced me to tell you everything?"

Li Rui was a little baffled by the old physician's behavior. She thought that the old physician would start to cry anytime like Xi Ling did when Xi Ying spanked him.

However, Xi Ying didn't feel any pity and said mercilessly.

"Of Course, I knew."

The old physician swallowed audibly. His heart was filled with anger and he said to Xi Ying.

"So you should now help. You have so many capable people. That man…who had brought me here can fly, right? Ask him to take me out of the Imperial City. I will never bother you again."

Xi Ying however looked at the old physician coldly and said mercilessly again

"My shadow guards have many other better works to do. Why should I make them waste their time on you?"

The old physician could not really find any retort to Xi Ying's merciless words. Actually, it was not that he didn't have anything to say. He was filled with anger but seeing the dagger placed in Xi Ying's lap as he sat on his chair, he was scared that Xi Ying would do something to him if he wouldn't like if he offended him, by his words.

Left with no other choice, he said softly

"Young Man, can you give me a place to live in your Manor? This Manor is so huge. I can continue to live in that room I am living currently."

The old physician said to Xi Ying pitifully.   

Xi Ying, however, looked at him condescendingly and said 

"Why should I allow you to live here? No one lives here for free. You will have to work if you want to live here."

"Yes, Yes. I will do all the work you will give me."

He loved his life very much and he could do anything to continue living.

Xi Ying was very satisfied with the old physician's response and said

"Then you will take care of these plants…of course, according to Rui's instructions, and My wife and my child will be now in your care."

That was what he wanted from the start. Regardless of how childish the old physician was, he seemed to be a good physician and it would be better if he stayed here in Xi Manor at least until Li Rui gives birth to their child.

The old physician humbly nodded his head although, inside his heart, he thought that he won't be able to grow those that well in the Imperial City.

But he thought that the solution to this problem could be found later too. At this moment, finding a safe place to stay was more important. 

He was startled when he came out of his trance and saw Xi Ying standing near him. He was looking at him with cold eyes as he said

"If something happened to my wife and child then you will regret getting born, old Man."

The old physician trembled. He wanted to cry but didn't have any tears to shed.

Why does he feel that he comes out of one pit but falls in another!

"I will be careful."

He said to Xi Ying humbly.

"You should be."

Xi Ying said and then holding Li Rui's hand, he left the garden… leaving the old physician to cry over his fate.