His Rui

Xi Ling stood in front of his father with a small pout on his lips.

"Father this is wrong, you are leaving Xi Ling alone again."

Xi Ying sighed. He noticed Li Rui entering the room who saw the pout on his lips and that was enough to make her frown.

He didn't know why but it irritated him so he turned to Xi Ling and said seriously.

"Xi Ling, That's enough. You should try to understand that Father is going for some important work."

The scolding made Xi Ling angry. He stomped his foot and ran towards his mother. His red eyes made Li Rui's heart soft and she looked at Xi Ying with the same frown who didn't see it as he was pressing his aching forehead.

As she picked her son in her arms, she felt bad seeing how less his weight was that she could pick him so easily.

With wide and bright eyes, Li Rui secretly whispered in his son's ear.

"Xiao Ling, Let your Father go wherever he wants to go. You can live here with your mother. Mother will play with you every day."

Xi Ling who was sniffing while trying to control his tears looked at his mother and asked

"Really?"

Li Rui nodded her head to assure him with a smile on her lips.

"Xiao Ling loves Mother. Father is a baddie."

Saying this, Xi Ling wrapped his arms around her mother and hugged her tightly.

Xi Ying who heard everything turned to look at the duo in disbelief.

Why does he feel like he was not needed at all?

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After the whole day of playing and studying a little, Xi Ling was tired. So Li Rui put him on the bed and patted him softly.

With sleepy eyes, Xi Ling held his mother's index finger in his hand and said.

"Mother's hands are so small from father."

The first day when he had come to the Plum Courtyard Xi Ling was very careful with his words in fear that he chattered too much then his mother would dislike him. But the more he spent time with his mother, the more he found out that his mother was very gentle and sweet to him.

And his mother loved him so much that she hugged him in her arms while sleeping.

Xi Ling blushed shyly. Being with his father, he had been used to seeing a serious face. His father rarely hugged him in his arms and if he spoke too much then one look from his father was enough to make him shut up.

The nanny and maids will run after him if he does not want to eat medicine. His Father will forcefully make him eat it but it was only his mother who would coax him gently and find different ways to make him eat those medicines.

Xi Ling's heart was full of sweetness. As he closed his eyes when the sleep overcame him, he could not help but murmur.

"Mother, why did you not like me before?"

Li Rui's hand that was patting her son's chest softly stilled when she heard his murmured words. It was not only she who heard it.

Sitting on the couch placed in the corner of the room, Xi Ying also heard his son's words. He saw Li Rui's face does not have any emotion and his heart sank.

Will the past always cast its shadow on their lives like this? If it continued then how will Li Rui ever be able to forgive him?

Xi Ying stood up and walked to the bedside.

"Rui…"

He does not know what she was thinking but he could say that should not be remembered at all.

Li Rui looked at him in surprise as if she had already forgotten his presence in the room.

"I have something to talk to you."

She nodded at his words. He forwarded his hand to let her take it and get down from the bed. But she looked at his hand for a long time and then got down from the bed by herself.

He could only take back his hand. Empty.

Both of them were sitting inside the living room side by side.

"Rui…" He had just started but Li Rui interrupted him without giving him any chance.

"Don't call me by this name." The merciless words rang in his ears again and again.

He was hurt. Very hurt but he smiled from outside.

"Alright"

"An Shing "

A man in black clothes appeared in the living room when Xi Ying's deep voice fell into the large hall.

"My Lord"

Li Rui had also seen this man before. Pointing towards the man, Xi Ying told her.

"From now on, he will follow you. Whatever work you want to be done, just tell him. He will not refuse you."

Li Rui looked at the man with a cold smile and whispered.

"Anything?"

An Shing heard her and immediately responded.

"Yes, this servant is ready to give his life if that is what Lady Li demands."

"Oh… even if I want you to kill Minister Xi right now."

An Shing's eyes widened in horror at these words. He looked at his master but Xi Ying was already looking at his wangfei's cold smile calmly.

'Do you really hate me so much that you want to see me die?'

His eyes were warm as he told her very gently.

"If that's what you want then he will do it."

An Shing dropped his sword on the floor and kneeled down.

"My Lord…"

Li Rui's smile became colder when she saw this. She looked at Xi Ying with the same smile which pricked his heart like thorns.

He glanced at his shadow guard coldly and said

"An Shing"

With trembling hands, An Shing could only pick his sword. Just as he had taken a step forward, Li Rui waved her hand and said

"Leave. I will call you when you are needed."

An Shing sighed in relief and looked at his new mistress with complicated eyes. He felt ashamed when he saw his master's gaze full of disappointment towards him.

Only now he understood that it was a test for his loyalty towards Lady Li which he had failed. But even if it was a test, he could never raise his sword against his master.

He bowed his head and disappeared from there.

Xi Ying looked at his Wangfei who was sitting so close to him yet she felt so distant. He felt confused by her sudden cold behavior.

"Are you angry at me? Did I do something wrong?"

Perhaps she was startled by his question; she looked at him in confusion and then shook her head in 'No'.

"It is not early. This Wangfei will go to bed now."

Saying this, she got up and left from there leaving Xi Ying alone in the living room.

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The next morning, the maids and servants filled the carriages that were to be taken on the journey. Inside the Plum Courtyard, Xi Ying was wearing his robe. When he came out of the room, his eyes softened seeing the small and lonely figure standing in the living room. The pain he had felt last night from her cold behavior suddenly seemed to disappear at this moment.

Li Rui glanced at him and stepped forward.

"This Wangfei hopes that Lord Xi have a successful journey."

His gaze didn't move away from her for a long time when he suddenly said

"Do you know where I am going?"

Li Rui raised her head at his question.

Xi Ying stepped closer to her and told her

"I am going to the borders to find General Li and Commander Li."

He saw her eyes widening a bit. Was he selfish? Just because he wants her to miss him even if it is because of her family, he told her this. She was so cold when he was here. He was afraid that she would forget his existence if he went away silently.

He will not touch her if his touch made her uncomfortable. But he will not give up his efforts to win her heart.

Her eyes looked at him with so many questions and he felt he could read each and every one of them.

"His Majesty knows this."

He wanted her to question him but he knew that she would never do so because she does not trust him.

"Rui, I have done many wrong things to you just because of a few misunderstandings unknowingly. You have thousands of reasons to not trust me but I still want you to trust me."

He had tried to say these words before but could not say them. Now he knew that he had to try because if he didn't even try then Li Rui will go far away from him.

He will repeat himself until she will start to believe them.

His each and every word made Li Rui's mind blank for a moment. She suddenly seemed to remember something that her father had told her once.

'Only one man can save Li Clan and that man is Prime Minister Xi.'

She had not believed her father's words at that time.

But those words seemed true now.

He can save Li Clan from its destruction. But the question was;

Could she really trust this man?