His Rui

Lost in her own thoughts, Li Rui heard the man in front of her asking

"Can I kiss you?"

Her heart jumped not because of some other special emotion but because of surprise and it has become a special occurrence in the past few days. The man who was her husband in the eyes of everyone was really capable of surprising her.

Since the day he had returned, he kept touching her as if they always have shared a normal Wangfei-husband relationship.

Then one evening he suddenly stopped doing all this. He slept in the same room wither but not on the same bed.

And now he was asking her permission to kiss her once.

Li Rui didn't have any emotion towards this man. To her, he was an intelligent Prime Minister of Xin favored by the emperor who could destroy Li Clan but could also save it. Except this, he was nothing to her.

She didn't hate him but she also didn't love him.

"Just once."

He asked again.

Although he was trying to keep his face straight, she could see the pleading in his eyes. It made her wonder if he really was the dignified Prime Minister of Xin who kept a cold and straight face.

When Xi Ying didn't hear any response, his fists opened and closed in nervousness. He sighed and then smiled slowly.

"It's alright… if you don't want to…"

"Yes"

The simple 'Yes' made his heart jump in joy and he almost laughed out loud in happiness.

Why was he feeling like he was touching her for the first time?

Or it was really the first time because this time he has her permission.

When he stepped closer, he saw Li Rui closing her eyes. Her long eyelashes touched her soft cheeks.

Li Rui who waiting with her eyes closed suddenly felt his lips on her …

forehead. She had not expected that he wanted to give her a forehead kiss.

The unexpected action made her open her eyes. When she raised her eyes, she saw that his eyes were closed and his lips were still touching her forehead.

"Take care of yourself and Xi Ling."

He whispered and stepped back without touching her anywhere else.

She nodded her head in a daze and saw him turning around. Soon he left the Plum Courtyard leaving her mind full of thoughts.

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Xi Ying didn't look back at his Wangfei again. It would very difficult to leave for him if he took one more glance at him. He just found pleasure in remembering how Li Rui allowed him to kiss her forehead.

At the Manor gates, Shui Cao was already waiting for him. The steward bowed his head when he saw him.

Xi Ying nodded in acknowledgment and climbed on his horse. He glanced at his Manor for one last time and then moved his horse forward.

Many horses and carriages from Xi Manor exited the Imperial City that morning.

A figure stood there for a long time watching the horses crossing the Imperial City's exit gates and then flew away.

.

.

.

Inside the Xinhe Palace's study room, Zhao Zhang Wei sat on his chair waiting for his man. Just then, the same figure appeared in front of him and bowed his head.

"Did you see them?"

Zhao Zhang asked his man immediately.

The man bowed his head and replied

"Yes, Your Highness. Prime Minister Xi left Imperial City early morning with his men."

Zhao Zhang Wei nodded his head with a serious expression on his face and then said

"Follow then with four other men but keep your distance as much. Help them only when you feel like they are in any problem else try to remain unnoticed from everyone's eyes."

"Yes, My Lord."

"You can leave."

After the man disappeared from the study room, Zhao Zhang Wei stood up from his chair and walked in front of the mirror. He rubbed his cheek and soon the five fingerprints on his cheek became visible.

He watched the mark for a few moments and sighed. He really wanted to get angry at Yi Huiqing. After all, she slapped him, a Prince. No matter what her reason was it was a crime.

But why can't he feel anything but happy when he remembered how she looked during that time?

Her misty eyes filled with a wronged expression as she tried to hide her hear by accusing him.

Was he not sane any more? Because Zhao Zhang Wei felt that he could get slapped once more if he could see her like that again.

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Bangggg

Two maids carried out an unconscious maid from the Princess's chambers. When the body was finally outside, one of them who had been holding the dead body fell on the floor.

"Jiujiu…"

Touching the unconscious face, she cried hysterically while all the other maids looked at her pitifully.

Both of them were best friends since childhood. They entered the Imperial Palace together. Then why is it that Jiujiu you left me alone here?

An old maid tried to move her away from the dead body.

"Xui Lan, we need to take the body away?"

Xui Lan looked at the old maid with red swollen eyes and started shouting.

"Mama Zhui, why did she kill my Jiujiu? Was it her fault that Xi Manor's steward didn't take her inside the Manor as a maid? Why is she so cruel to everyone just because of a man who doesn't even love her?"

All the maids gasped and the one who were standing closer covered her mouth instantly.

Xui Lan struggled to come out of their hold but was pressed on the ground. So she could give up and cry helplessly as she watched Jiujiu's body being taken away.

The old maid stroked her hair gently and but her words were cruel.

"We are just slaves, Xui Lan. We don't have any power to go against these Imperials. You'll be fine. You should be happy that Jiujiu is out of this hell."

A tear slipped through the old maid's eyes as she touched the deep scar on her forehead. She also had been hit many times by the Princess but she didn't die.

Was she fortunate or unfortunate?

.

.

.

Princess Wenling was fuming in anger as she paced inside her chambers.

"She didn't leave from there. She promised me yet she didn't leave."

An old lady who was standing in a corner stepped forward and said gently

"My Princess, you should calm down."

Princess Wenling looked at her incredulously.

"Calm down! Nanny you are asking me to calm down! This was my last chance to make her divorce Prime Minister Xi and from what this Princess can see, I have failed to get what I wanted. Do you even understand what it means?"

The old Nanny smiled and said calmly.

"Yes Princess, this slave understand whatever you are saying but no problem can be dealt when one does not have a stable mind and this one is such a small problem. Why does Princess need to get worried like this?"

The worried Princess looked at her in confusion as she said

"What do you want to say?"

The eyes of the old Nanny flickered and she licked her lips nervously as she continued

  "Forgive this slave for overstepping her boundaries but if Princess had done what this old slave had said before then until this day, Princess would already have become Lord Xi's Wangfei."

Seeing the still confused Princess, the old nanny walked closer to the Princess. Her eyes had a vicious expression as said in a low voice.

"If Lady Li is not alive, then Xi Manor will not have a Wangfei."

"No…"

Princess Wenling whispered and stepped back with a horrified face.

"I can't kill her."

She may have hated Li Rui but she can't kill her. How could she kill the person who once had saved her life?

The First Princess shook her head in a trance when nanny's humorless chuckle fell in her ears.

"The Princess is so kind. That woman married the man our Princess loved. Almost the whole Imperial City knows that Princess likes Lord Xi. Despite that, she married Lord Xi and the Princess is scared to kill such a woman."

With red eyes, the old nanny shed a few tears and continued to fill Princess Wenling's ears with her vicious words.

"This old slave still remembered the Princess' state when Princess had seen Lady Li and Lord Xi in one room when it was announced that Lord Xi would marry Lady Li. This servant's blood boils every time remembering those days and it urges me to kill Lady Li with my own hands. But what can this mere servant do when the Princess is so merciful to her own enemies….

My Princess being kind to your enemy is being cruel to yourself. We have been lucky that Lord Xi disliked Lady Li but what if one day he no longer has those same feelings for her. After all, he is a man and Lady Li is so beautiful. What if… "

"Stop it…"

Princess Wenling shouted covering her ears.

She doesn't want to hear the next words.

When she raised her head, her eyes had craziness. Swallowing down her rage, she said calmly

"Kill her. Send someone to kill her."

But the next moment she looked at the nanny in confusion.

"But how will we kill her? My men will not be able to enter Xi Manor."

The motherly smile was back on the nanny's lips.

"Princess does not need to worry about this. We will just wait for a suitable time."

Princess Wenling nodded her head two or three times.

'Rui, you made me like this.'